Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 77

"You're staying?" Alex softly asks as she nibbles at the lunch that Esme had made.

"Yeah, we just said that we missed this school and area." A dry chuckle escapes from Alex' throat. "Are you ready?" Jasper's voice almost a whisper as he puts a hand on her thigh.

"I don't think I'll ever be."

Alex had been staying at the Cullen household for a few weeks now. They didn't dare bring up Peter or the fact that her own house was now vacant. Jasper and Alice went there to grab her some clothes every now and then. They threw out the expired food, watered the plants, cleaned the dirt away from where Peter had rushed inside after helping the wolves to go towards the airport and be with his sister and had discussed the fact that she would want to come home to an intact place, one where Peter would still live on.

Emmett and Rosalie hadn't yet returned. Everyone thought it would be better for Alex if she wasn't reminded of Peter by the couple that he had loved.

She had been nothing but silent and sad the whole time. Every now and then a sarcastic comment would be heard from her mouth, but it was not the Alex that everyone knew and loved. This was a part that Jasper had not seen and he was glad to be there for her. To help her with whatever she wanted. That's what love is all about, being there for the other unconditionally.

"We better get going." Alex says and stands up.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." Jasper stands behind her and Alex smiles up at him weakly.

"Thank you." He frowns and looks at her. "For being there for me. I know I'm a bit of a mess." He shush her and wraps his arms around her, dampening his sweater with her tears. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

Edward had told him what she was dreaming about. He could read her mind ever since Peter had been killed in front of her. But Jasper didn't even have to listen, he could feel her aching and her breaking heart. It broke his too.

"He would've loved this you know." Alex looks at the garden, her face emotionless. Everywhere were daffodils and crocuses. All the different colors gave the garden a happy and peaceful look. She sighs and starts her way towards the house.

Alex hesitates before opening the door and Jasper squeezes her hand reassuringly. She looks at it and tears start to well up as she remembers how Peter did exactly that back at Volterra. She quickly walks inside and stops, being hit by the smell.

It smelled like work, food, metal, orange, cedar wood.. home. A jumper that Peter had probably thrown out of his suitcase was still sprawled half on the stairs and half on the ground. She starts to sob and her legs fail to keep her steady but Jasper is quick enough to catch her as she falls to her knees. She starts to sob uncontrollably and leans towards the ground while Jasper holds her close.

▪︎

They sit outside on the porch and Alex is leaning against Jasper who has an arm wrapped around her. She plays with his hand. "He had hoped to walk me down the isle the way that I did back then." Jasper looks down at her and notices a sad smile.

"That would've been very beautiful."

"And to slow dance to a song." She smiles at him. "He'd let you have the first dance but he wanted one too." Jasper smiles at her before letting her go and standing up. He disappears and she hears him stumbling in her brother's room. "What are you doing?!" Her voice irritated, this was not the moment to go through his stuff.

He comes back down and holds up a CD which confuses her even more. 'Alexandra'. She wants to grab it but he holds it back.

"Him and I already coordinated some things for the wedding. There's a song on this CD especially for you." She chuckles lightly. Songs were not her brother's thing so it must be really special.

Jasper noticed the aching heart his mate was having. There was more on the CD than just one simple song. Jasper however decided that it would be better to leave something for the wedding, to make her brother an unexpected guest after all.

"But you didn't have much time." She suddenly says and looks at him with a frown.

"As if I only knew when I asked you."