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"A little bit of this!"
"A little bit of that!"
Jasper made his way towards the house warily. Sure, the mood was uplifting and tinged with a feral sort of humor he recognized from Emmet by now, but Bella didn't often get loud like she was now. It mildly concerned him, but he held out hope that Emmet wouldn't do something stupid like indulge Bella in jumping off the roof onto a trampoline.
He didn't even know if they'd have been able to get one in the three hours he'd been gone. He didn't want to find out if it really was possible.
Luckily, what he walked into was better.
Emmet sat sprawled out in their new jacuzzi, a recent purchase after Bella's admission of never having been in one. But Bella was outside of the Jacuzzi, throwing in rubber bath toys with a finality and pride Jasper was rare to view from her.
He watched as she peered into the water, Emmet following her lead.
"What if we add food coloring..." she whispered to him loudly.
"We'd get in trouble." Emmet grinned back.
Bella nodded solemnly, "A worthy risk." She reached behind the tub and held up a little yellow food dye bottle, and Jasper knew he should step in.
"I'll have to stop you there." He called, stepping out of the treeline and over to the two of them. "Why, and I ask this sincerely, do you wanna color the water like piss?"
"Wha- it's not-" Bella scrunched up her nose and stared down at the bottle in her hand like it offended her. "It's supposed to be soup!" She cried, affronted at the very idea of anything else.
Emmet laughed from his place in the jacuzzi, only stopped when Bella threw herself halfway over the side to grab his leg and pull it up so he went backwards and down. Jasper tried not to laugh as Emmet came up sputtering and coughing out the water. The foot of a little rubber frog hung tangled in his hair.
"Hush!" Bella shushed, "You're the soup! Soup doesn't laugh at me!"
"Why is he soup?" Jasper cut in, amused at the rambunctious nature of the two.
"Because I'm a witch and I wanted Vampire Soup." Bella explained confidently, as if that was a perfectly normal explanation that made perfect sense. "Simple."
"Right," Jasper agreed hesitantly. "Well, I suppose-"
He was cut off by Emmet suddenly jumping up from the water. "I HAVE AN IDEA HANG ON-" And he was gone in the house in a blur.
"Okay then..." Bella mumbled, and Jasper knew that even without his powers he would feel the confusion radiating off of her. "Uhhh..."
Jasper stood there just as awkwardly. He hadn't had many one on one interactions with their little human yet. And really, interacting was so much easier when his coven could lead the conversation. He hummed back in simple manner, avoiding eye contact and instead staring at the house as he waited on Emmet's return.
"Did your hunt go good?" Bella asked, voice pitching up and cracking in the middle. He noticed it's been doing that a lot lately. He wonders if it has something to do with that underlying twinge of fear she feels around him.
"Went well as it could, I suppose." He replied easily. "Got a deer."
"Is deer your favorite?" Bella tilted her head at him. "I know Emmet likes bear. He's told me all about it."
Jasper huffed out a small laugh. Emmet would probably try to take Bella on a hunt sometime soon just to show off. "You could say that." He agreed. "I eat what I can get."
They lapsed into silence again.
He wondered for a time if he'd made the wrong call in telling her that. But it was still friendlier than trying to explain his usual bloodlust.
"Can I ask how your power works?" Bella turned to him entirely now. "I know Edward can't read my mind, and Alice's visions are all blurry when I'm in them. But what about you?"
"Pretty sure I feel everything you do." He shrugged. "Hard to tell. I get the big things and the little things. Your amusement and your nervousness. That sliver of joy when you catch Alice following you around. That hint of annoyance at Edward when he goes on one of his martyrism rants."
Bella chuckled at that. "I don't imagine I need to explain myself on that one?"
"Not at all."
"Alice said something a few days ago at school. Something about how you might do better around me if Edward were gone?" She kept the question hidden in her words, but Jasper knew she was curious.
"I'm close with the Cullens. Been with them for years now, ya know. The emotions of those I'm close to are generally stronger than those I'm not. And while I can brush off Alice's bloodlust, it's harder with Edward because you're his singer." Jasper looked over at her now, accepting that Emmet was laying in wait for their conversation to finish. "Plus everyone has some sliver that wants to bite you. Even Rose, though it's always weird with her."
Bella nodded along. She processed the explanation decently fast and went to ask another question, "Why's it different for Rose?"
"She's never tasted human blood before, thats all. Just a craving she gets but never indulges. I don't think she has any reference point for it and therefore finds the entire feeling to be less annoying than an itch you can't scratch." Jasper grinned and leaned down to whisper conspiratoriously, "She gives me the least trouble out of everyone. Even Carlisle."
Emmet busted outside before anything else could be said. "She is great, isn't she!" He added on quickly. "Rose is the best of us."
"To be determined," Jasper huffed.
"Naahhhh," Emmet had with him a small cardboard box filled with little cowboy hats. Very little cowboy hats. "Anyway, I need your help putting these on the squirrels before everyone gets back."
Jasper eyed the box skeptically while Bella nodded along with excitement. He doubted this was safe in any way, which meant if he just left them too it then Bella would end up hurt. And he really didn't want to accidentally lose control because a squirrel bit the girl...
"Fine but we be careful," He agreed, "Bella can put the hats on them."
Bella jumped in the air and high-fived Emmet at that. "Sir yes sir!" They shouted in unison.
---
"THAT SQUIRREL HAD A LITTLE HAT ON, I SWEAR!" Alice's voice rang out from the forest somewhere. "A LITTLE COWBOY HAT!"
Bella giggled evilly behind him, half hiding from the approaching group.
"And I'm telling you I didn't see it." Edward's voice cut in.
"It had a hat," Jasper confirmed as the two broke the treeline. "I know it so."
Alice was quick to flit over to Jasper and Bella, and the texan vampire felt only the slightest smidgen of jealousy as Alice went right past him to wrap Bella in a hug first. Bella hugged back and Jasper knew immediately that the two would be at it for a while.
"Emmet put them on 'em." Jasper explained to Edward.
"I helped!" Bella piped up from where she remained hugging Alice. They were rocking side to side slightly.
Edward looked pained but never had a chance to say anything as a squeal cut them off, "IT HAS A HAT!"
And that was Esme.
Alice and Bella broke out in giggles, still hugging.