♥♥♥ECLIPSE♥♥♥
It was strange. In the Cullen family, Jasper was always a little on the fringe, part of things but never the center of them. It was my unspoken assumption that he was only there for Alice. I had the sense that he would follow Alice anywhere, but that this lifestyle was not his first choice. The fact that he was less committed than the others was probably why he had Mehr difficulty keep it up. – pg 283
Jasper: Du can afford the time to be patient. Bella should understand this, too. She’s one of us now.
His words took me Von surprise. As little as I’d had to do with Jasper, especially since my last birthday when he’d tried to kill me, I hadn’t realized that he thought of me that way. – pg 285
—
I watched, curious and confused, trying to figure out what he was doing. He held his wrist under the edge of the lampshade beside him, close to the light of the naked bulb, and traced his finger across a raised crescent mark on the pale skin.
It took me a Minute to understand why the shape looked strangely familiar.
“Oh,” I breathed as realization hit. “Jasper, Du have a scar exactly like mine.”
I held out my hand, the silvery crescent Mehr prominent against my cream skin than against his alabaster.
Jasper smiled faintly. “I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella.”
Jasper’s face was unreadable as he pushed the sleeve of his thin sweater higher up his arm. At first my eyes could not make sense of the texture that was layered thickly across the skin. Curved half-moons crisscrossed in a feathery pattern that was only visible, white on white as it was, because the bright glow of the lamp beside him threw the slightly raised Design into relief, with shallow shadows outlining the shapes. And then I grasped that the pattern was made of individual crescents like the one on his wrist . . . the one on my hand.
I looked back at my own small, solitary scar — and remembered how I’d received it. I stared at the shape of James’s teeth, embossed forever on my skin.
And then I gasped, staring up at him. “Jasper, what happened to you?”
“The same thing that happened to your hand,” Jasper answered in a quiet voice. “Repeated a thousand times.” He laughed a little ruefully and brushed at his arm. “Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.” – pg 286-287
—
Jasper: “My instincts told me that there was danger, that the Angel – Jäger der Finsternis had meant it when she spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them.” – pg 294
Jasper: “My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before anything changed…” – pg 298
Jasper: ““In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn’t have to kill Maria. I’d been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When Du live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships Du form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance.” – pg 299
Jasper: “I traveled with Peter and charlotte for a few years, getting the feel of this new, Mehr peaceful world. But the depression didn’t fade. I didn’t understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after I’d hunted. I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, I’d Lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me — this borrowed memory — than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them. You’ve experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if Du realize how the feelings in a room affect me. I live every Tag in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey. It began to be too much. The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn’t feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied Von killing — killing anyone, even mere humans. Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline . . . challenging. I still haven’t perfected that.” – pg 300-301
—
Jasper was Lost in the story, as was I. It surprised me when his desolate expression smoothed into a peaceful smile.
“I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the Tag — something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little.
“She was there — expecting me, naturally.” He chuckled once. “She hopped down from the high schemel, hocker at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me.
“It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That’s the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I’d ever felt before.
“‘You’ve kept me waiting a long time,’ she said.”
I didn’t realize Alice had come to stand behind me again.
“And Du ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, ‘I’m sorry, ma’am.’” Alice laughed at the memory.
Jasper smiled down at her. “You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.”
Jasper took Alice’s hand as he spoke.
Alice grinned. “I was just relieved. I thought Du were never going to Zeigen up.”
They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then Jasper looked back to me, the soft expression lingering.
“Alice told me what she’d seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them.”
“Scared the hell out of them, too,” Edward said, rolling his eyes at Jasper before turning to me to explain. “Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak” — he nudged Alice playfully — “who greets them all Von name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can Bewegen into.”
Alice and Jasper laughed in harmony, soprano and bass. – pg 301-302
—
Jasper: “Alice has made all the difference. This is a climate I enjoy.” – pg 302
—
I watched with anxious eyes as he waved Alice forward.
“I know Du worry about her,” he explained to me as she danced blithely into the ring. “I want to Zeigen Du why that’s not necessary.”
Though I knew that Jasper would never allow any harm to come to Alice, it was still hard to watch as he sank back into a crouch facing her. Alice stood motionlessly, looking tiny as a doll after Emmett, smiling to herself. Jasper shifted forward, then slinked to her left.
Alice closed her eyes.
My herz thumped unevenly as Jasper stalked toward where Alice stood.
Jasper sprang, disappearing. Suddenly he was on the other side of Alice. She didn’t appear to have moved.
Jasper wheeled and launched himself at her again, only to land in a crouch behind her like the first time; all the while Alice stood smiling with her eyes closed.
I watched Alice Mehr carefully now.
She was moving — I’d just been missing it, distracted Von Jasper’s attacks. She took a small step vorwärts-, nach vorn at the exact Sekunde that Jasper’s body flew through the spot where she’d just been standing. She took another step, while Jasper’s grasping hands whistled past where her waist had been.
Jasper closed in, and Alice began to Bewegen faster. She was dancing — spiraling and twisting and curling in on herself. Jasper was her partner, lunging, reaching through her graceful patterns, never touching her, like every movement was choreographed. Finally, Alice laughed.
Out of nowhere she was perched on Jasper’s back, her lips at his neck.
“Gotcha,” she said, and kissed his throat.
Jasper chuckled, shaking his head. “You truly are one frightening little monster.” – pg 395-396
—
Alice: “Not a chance. Bella would never do that to me. Du know, Edward, as a brother, Du are sometimes a disappointment.” – pg 467
Bella: “Alice is so small.”
Edward: “That might be a problem…if it were possible for someone to catch her.” – pg 537
—
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene beside the fire. Jasper was rubbing absently at his left forearm.
“Is Jasper all right?” I whispered.
“He’s fine. The venom stings.”
“He was bitten?” I asked, horrified.
“He was trying to be everywhere at once. Trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do, actually.” Edward shook his head. “Alice doesn’t need anyone’s help.”
Alice grimaced toward her true love. “Overprotective fool.” – pg 569
—
Alice: “My first memory is of seeing Jasper’s face in my future; I always knew that he was where my life was headed.” – pg 585
