CHAPTER FOUR:
BEEN HERE BEFORE

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SOME DAYS WERE HARDER than others for Ofelia Torres. Not that she'd ever admit it (though judging by the frown Edward wore around her lately, he already knew) but her control was being stretched to its limits by little Renesmee and the wolves -- well, the wolves after she managed to get past the stench of wet dog that followed them everywhere they went. Don't get her wrong, Ofelia knew how to keep her bloodlust under wraps, but with a hyperactive child running rings around her for hours on end, the constant burning in her throat was starting to annoy her.

So one morning after watching Renesmee almost trip and scrape her arm on a rock, Ofelia sought out Jasper in the Cullens' miniature mansion. She found him in Esme's library, his head resting against the glass of the bay window with his eyes focused on the words of a thick leather-bound book. He was the only person she trusted with what she was about to ask.

"Hey, Jas," she greeted as she stepped into the wide open room. The nickname came to her naturally now, though she hadn't noticed she was using it again (he definitely had, but he was willing to pretend like nothing had changed between them if it meant she'd keep on saying his name like that.) "Do you have a minute?"

"I suppose," he hummed, sitting up properly and closing his book to give her his full attention. "Is something wrong?"

"I was wondering if you could take me hunting," she said. "Peter and Charlotte just left, I didn't think I needed to go with them so I told them no, but uh -- I think it's best if I go."

Jasper was aware she was struggling. She tried to hide it but he saw it in the way her hands curled into fists whenever Renesmee's head beat particularly fast, in the way her eyes glowed like hot coals. Speaking of her eyes... "Uh, Ofelia, there's just one problem in me taking you..."

Ofelia frowned in confusion, prompting him to sigh and point towards his eyes. Realisation quickly dawned on her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't implying that you had to... or anything, I was just wondering if you could drive me out since I promised the wolves not to hunt in Forks."

Before he was able to respond, someone was clearing their throat behind them. Edward had seemingly followed Ofelia up the stairs, his brows furrowed as he heard the contents of their conversation. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Ofelia? We wouldn't want Jasper to slip."

"I won't," Jasper interjected quickly. He rose to his feet, making his way across the room to place the book back in its designated spot.

"Jasper," Edward trailed off, unsure. "How about I take you instead, Ofelia?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I don't want to make either of you uncomfortable." Ofelia's eyes were earnest as they met his but Jasper could see she was uneasy. Ofelia wouldn't hunt in front of anyone anymore. Even when she went with Peter and Charlotte, she made sure to stay away from them. Regardless of how welcoming they were, she wouldn't trust any of the Cullens within ten miles of her.

"No, I can take you, okay?" Jasper repeated firmly. "Meet me outside of the garage in ten minutes."

Ofelia hesitated, glancing at Edward before nodding slowly. "Okay then."

With that, she was leaving the two boys behind and making her way downstairs. She could hear Edward's beseeching tone but quickly blocked out whatever they were saying, instead focusing on the ruckus outside so that Edward and Jasper were merely faint whispers in the chaos.

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IT WAS A RELIEF to be on the open road again, even for just a few hours. She was sure Jasper could already feel the tension easing from her bones like the ocean drawing back its waves, but she couldn't find the words to describe it as she sat by his side in Emmett's jeep, her head resting against the window pane and a faint smile on her lips as she watched the trees fly past in a blur. Ofelia had missed it, the wind in her hair, the earth beneath her feet. She didn't want to go back to the Cullens, no matter how much she knew they needed her. It was bittersweet, really, what she knew in her head but felt in her heart. Ofelia missed Jasper, but she didn't feel right in Forks.

"You alright?" Speak of the devil and the devil shall be summoned. Jasper was frowning at her, his eyes on the road but attention solely on her. He'd noticed the sudden blip in her emotions but he waited for her to speak if she wanted to. He'd never push her. One wrong word and she'd never let him in again, not when it came to this, no matter what she felt for him.

"I'm okay," she shrugged, sighing as the tall buildings of Seattle began to rise up in the distance. "Just thinking."

He turned to look at her for a moment, a strand of hair falling before his eyes, and Ofelia didn't think before reaching out and tucking it behind his ear. He smiled at the instinctual action, a flash of white teeth that had Ofelia blinking in a daze before she sunk back into her chair. She could feel the phantom flush of blood in her cheeks and let out a huff, arms curled around herself. She waited for him to comment but for some reason he decided not to; instead, he gave a sweet chuckle and slowed the car to a stop beside the curb.

"We're here."

They were on the outskirts of the city, barely anyone in sight. The buildings up close were far more desolate than Ofelia originally thought, rundown in most places and scarce of decent people. With the sky dark above them and an eerie feeling settled in her stomach, Ofelia released her seatbelt and went to open the door. Just before she could step out into the cold, Jasper reached out to grab her wrist. The touch was light but enough to catch her attention.

"What's wrong?" she frowned as he gnawed on his lower lip.

Jasper hesitated, "Nothing." A beat of silence. "Just be safe."

She nodded, smirking as she tugged out of his grip. "Always am."

Before Jasper could retort and say otherwise, she hopped down from the towering vehicle that looked awfully out of place on the outskirts of town. If Jasper didn't stay inside, it was more than likely that the two would return to the absence of its wheels or shattered windows. Hell, the vehicle might not even be there with the way some were staring at it. Ofelia didn't linger at its side, pushing her way down the sidewalk as she mapped out her game plan.

The dodgiest people, it seemed, enjoyed the thrill of Seattle's alleyways. Once she was far enough away that she was sure Jasper wouldn't sense the blood, she listened for the sound of anything suspicious, and the first thing she picked up on was the fast flutter of a woman's heart as she rushed down a side-street to escape a drunken man. It was only midday, but from the strong scent of alcohol on his breath as he called out for her to wait for him, it was evident that he'd already frequented the nearest pub. Ofelia stepped up behind him as he shouted for the woman again, waving an almost empty bottle in the air like that would convince her to give him attention. She tapped his shoulder, a dark scowl tugging at her brows. She hated men that harassed women and this one was no exception.

"Can I help you, doll face?" he chuckled, gaze darting over her figure shamelessly.

She smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes. He let out a shaky breath as his eyes went vacant, his giddy smile remaining but all remnants of common sense he might've had were out the window as Ofelia stepped closer.

"You can, actually," she simpered.

But before he could so much as blink in her direction, her hand was darting forward and wrapping around his throat. He spluttered as the air was knocked from his lungs, his hands dropping the bottle with a shatter as he struggled to push her away. She was inhuman with the protection of the buildings on either side of them. There would be no escape. With one last murmur of retribution in his ear, she was lurching forward.

One more monster met his end. The other stood victorious.

Fortunately, he hadn't made too much of a mess. No fighting in his drunken state, he was out like a light within seconds. She left him there when she was done, checking his pockets for any form of identification and tearing the pieces of plastic to shreds. She licked at her red-tinged lips as she approached the outside world again, dropping the pieces into a drain and continuing on her way. To passing strangers, she was just a teenage girl going about her day. No one looked down that alleyway to notice the dead man slumped in a pile of rubbish bags. He wouldn't be found for days, and even then no one would expect her with a bright smile and skip in her step.

Jasper looked through the window as he heard her approach, sniffing cautiously and smiling when no blood seemed to linger with her distinct scent. He closed the book he was reading as she opened the passenger door and clambered inside with ease. Ofelia caught the glimpse of a historical novel before he slid it into the glove compartment and started up the car.

"Better now?" he questioned.

She nodded almost happily. "Much."

The first hour or so back to Forks was spent in silence apart from the faint hum of the radio playing low. Not uncomfortable, but not exactly comfortable either. Ofelia felt like she was returning to hell -- okay, that's a bit of an overstatement, but there was some truth to it. Again, the sudden shift didn't go unnoticed to Jasper. His grip on the steering wheel was impossibly tight, a muscle in his jaw twitching as he fought down the words he so desperately wanted to say. Would she stay with him if he really tried hard enough? He was silent for a moment, the seconds ticking past like hours. Eventually, he loosened his hold on the wheel and sat back.

"So," he said and immediately cringed to himself when she met his eyes confusedly and just as quickly looked away. "How was Alice when you saw her? I didn't get a chance to ask yet."

Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. Jasper wasn't what you'd call experienced with relationships. In his human life, he only had one partner, and the relationship was quickly ended by his sudden disappearance. Then there was Maria, and she hurt him in more ways than one. Last was Ofelia, and the two had spent several decades apart because she was still reeling from a war she could never escape. All in all, he didn't understand the weird look in the girl's eyes before she forced it out of sight and out of mind. He just frowned, waiting for her to say something, anything that would help him make sense of the strange sour feeling he recognised in her chest as... jealousy? Or was it envy? Sadness?

"She was fine," Ofelia shrugged. She hated feeling this way. It didn't happen often but every time felt worse than the last. Like she was betraying Jasper by questioning how much he loved her. "She just wanted me to help you guys."

Ofelia would be lying if she said she'd never questioned Jasper's relationship with Alice. Logically, she knew they were platonic, best friends for life. Jasper loved Ofelia and Alice was Ofelia's friend. But seeing him relate to someone like he related to Alice; well, in the early days it wasn't easy, only made harder by Ofelia's own insecurities and darkest fears. Even now, fifty something years down the line with so much yet so little changed, the feeling was like a disease festering in her heart. Jasper still looked at Ofelia Torres like he did the first time he said he loved her, but Ofelia wasn't sure if he recognised the love she returned.

"I love you," he had said one night into the hollow of her throat. "You know that, right?"

"I do," she had said, euphoric, whispering the words into his lips as she drew them to her own. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

But did she really?

In the present, Jasper reached out without so much as a second of hesitance to hold her hand in his. The movement had Ofelia's defences rising before she relaxed, slowly separating her clenched fist to allow him to intertwine their fingers together. Neither of them looked at each other as they fit perfectly, but the sudden ache of her heart had faded as his thumb traced patterns on the top of her hand. They sat that way for the rest of the ride home, quiet, thoughtful.

Maybe that only made it worse in the end, but at least Ofelia got to feel Jasper's skin on hers one last time.