We Found Romance Within Our Devestated Reality

A love story with a large amount of pain within

The sky is a depressing grey with rain clouds as far as the eye can see. Dim streetlights that barely hit the broken pavement lead the way through the heavy rain and the pitch black darkness enveloping the area, with no one on the street, but tired souls trying to make their way home. Bright headlights shine on the dark road and reflect off of puddles that grow by each drop of rain. Sitting in his car, Jasper turns his head, looking out the window and takes in the sight of the area, beginning to reminisce about how many times he and his colleagues were called down here to investigate a dead body or question people about a recent break in. It was quiet though.
With no one on the streets it somehow seemed peaceful. Usually when he was down here he was always tense or focused, but not now. Strange. With that in his mind he slowly removed his hands from the wheel of the car and fell back so he was resting comfortably against the seat. The endless mantra of rain hitting the windshield echoed through his head leaving him in an oasis of serenity and nirvana, although no matter how peaceful it may seem, he couldn't forget his task at hand.
His only reason for ever wanting to come to this part of the city on his own free time was if it involved his partner, Jess. He hadn't seen her at the office in a couple of days and no one had heard from her in awhile which made him concerned enough to want to go and see if she was in her apartment. It's not like her to just go off somewhere without informing one of them, What if something had happened to her. although she was well capable of taking care of herself, it still worried him. Ever since that late night at the office they began to grow distant, he didn't want to see her out of some sort of respect.
The way he acted….that didn't matter now, something was wrong and he knew it. He had to do something. He motioned his hand. towards the car door and pushed it open. He stepped out letting the rain hit his nicely pressed shirt and fog his glasses. Quickly closing the car door, he began to walk for the apartment’s entrance with each step loudly splashing on the wet concrete. He managed to find Jess’s apartment without hassle.
He firmly knocked on the door and waited patiently for an answer. With no response he proceeded to try and enter with his own initiative, but sadly the door was locked. He could easily try and break the door down, but what would that do besides cause an unnecessary disturbance for someone next door or for the person in the apartment who might just not be answering. Jess’s roommate was an addict after all, he was probably just passed out drunk. Besides, there were better ways of getting through the door than that.
Jasper thought to himself how he could attempted to pick the lock when the door slowly opened revealing a tall and slender man with his hair disheveled and reeking of marijuana. This must be Jess’s roommate, Rylee. The man looked at Jasper menacingly for a short period of time before he began to speak to him as if they had met.

“What do you want?” He asked
Jasper could tell that he wasn't one who wanted to talk so he made his introduction short.

“I'm Jasper” he replied “I work with your roommate, Jess at the YCPD. I'm here to ask why she hasn't been coming into work.”

Rylee’s expression remained as he continued to stare at Jasper.

“She's sick. Got food poisoning from some bad seafood, not to mention a cold from having to walk home in the rain because you wouldn't bother to drive her when I couldn’t.”

Jasper was insulted. It's not like he was jess’s only mode of transportation. Although, he did feel some guilt because, he was avoiding her. He stopped driving Jess home after their “encounter”.

“Is there anyway I can come in and see her, just for a minute?” Jasper asked.
Before Rylee could answer, the two men heard the sounds of aggravated moans coming from a room in the small apartment. Rylee soon after put his feelings aside for Jasper and without hesitation, quickly headed towards the noise, forgetting to close the door which gave Jasper the opportunity to follow. Once in the apartment, Jasper walked into what appeared to be a small bedroom to find Jess lying on a bed in a tight ball clenching her stomach as Rylee kneeled there, brushing hair out of her sickly, pale face and gently rubbing her side. He watched as Rylee comforted Jess, like he wasn't at all the way she described. He wasn't drunk or abusive towards her or anything such as that. Jess unraveled her body and slowly turning herself so she was lying on her back. Jasper could see the pained look she had when she moved, it was hard for him to see her like this. Jess began to open her eyes just barely and out of the corner of her eye she could see Jasper standing there in the doorway, the light from outside her dark bedroom outlining his body as his shadow fell on her. She stared at him as Rylee began to whisper to her. Jess nodded her head and that cause Rylee to get up and leave the room, moving Jasper out of the way in the process. Jasper could hear the sound of keys jingling behind him. He could see Rylee walking towards the door as he gathered his things. He was just going to leave her here?

“You're leaving?” Jasper asked

Rylee had his hand on the door, about to leave. “Someone has to pay the bills, and it sure as hell isn't gonna be her” he said

Jasper walked towards Rylee, angrily. He was unbelievable vexed at how this was his response to Jess being sick.

“You can't just leave her like this”

“I don't have a choice!” He yelled “you think I want to leave?”

“She's more important than your lousy job” Jasper yelled back.

The two continued to argue about Jess, until Jasper felt something fall on him. He turned around to see it was Jess trying to confront the two, she could hear them arguing from her bedroom and wanted to stop it. Jasper lifted her, holding onto to the upper half of her arms to support her as she leaned on him. Rylee tried to get in between them out of concern for Jess, but failed when she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back while Jasper continued to support her. She began to talk to Rylee saying how she was in no condition to take care of herself and she needed someone to look after her. He argued that he could be late to where he was going to, and he couldn't take care of her. Jasper saw that Jess was in need so he offered to take care of her, even bring her back to his apartment.

Rylee didn't like the idea of that “no, I don't trust you” he argued

“Well, it's not your choice is it” Jasper responded

“He's right Rylee….it's my..choice, and he's offering…” She groaned

“But…” Rylee was quickly cut off by Jess.

“You can't take care of me when you're working and when you're at school…, Rylee” she groaned on “but, Jasper can”
Rylee took his eyes off of Jess to look at jasper before responding with an annoyed “alright” to what Jess was suggesting. With that, Rylee proceeded to leave the apartment with Jasper slowly walking behind, supporting Jess with each step. They walked down two flights of stairs before they reached the entrance of the building. Jasper walked Jess to his car, holding the door open for her as she fell in the passenger seat. The rain had gotten much worse since he was last there. It had been raining all week, but not to this extent, it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon either.
Jasper walked to the driver's side and as he sat down he was upset to find that the rain had completely soaked his upper half. Jess quietly chuckled at how displeased he was, trying to hide her smile, but failed due to the sharp pain coming from her sickness. Jasper just looked at her. He didn't appreciate her laughing at him, but at the same time he was glad to see her smile like that, reminding him of how she was always smiling around him when she was thirteen with her long blue hair and several piercings, black clothes and tired brown eyes. She was so small and sweet.

“I know you don't like the rain” she said

“I don't mind it, but I could do without it” he responded as he took off his glasses and cleaned the fogged lenses.

“I LOVE the rain” she said happily “I used to walk in the rain all the time when I was twelve, you know before I experimented with hair dye”
The words barely escaped her mouth, but she managed to speak as clearly as she could and was able to understand. She never liked talking all that much to other people, she always kept to herself, built a thick brick wall around herself to keep everyone out. She wasn't like that around Jasper though, she loved him just as he loved her, although he mostly wished that love was more than she made it out to be. He wanted her to think of him as something other than a big brother or close friend. He wished he didn't have those feelings.
Jess was a lovely woman, he did agree, but he didn't want to risk anything. Part of him was worried that they would no longer last and would become distant. He would rather have her as a friend in that case. Jess didn't say much on the drive to Jasper’s apartment, she didn't have the energy. Jasper had to help her as they walked.
the pain in her stomach was hot and piercing which weakened her by every step, hers groans were strained like she was trying to hold them back so that Jasper wouldn't worry. She wasn't doing a very good job of preventing him, though. Jasper struggled with the keys once the two reached the front door of his apartment, Jess leaned against the wall watching him, she didn't understand why he was acting so nervous all of a sudden. Once they had made their way into the apartment Jess became astonished by the lovely interior that made the room so appealing to the eyes, her only response was to stand there and quietly say “you have a comfortable way of living” as Jasper shut the door behind them. In Jasper’s eyes his apartment was no different then most who shared his style and he was surprised to see Jess so interested by how the room looked, after all as a child she lived in a fairly big house due her parents both being successful.
She always said she hated the way she lived, saying that it was the result of two people working so much that nothing else seemed important and was the reason she and her family were so distant. Her parents were always so busy with their jobs that they wouldn't have any time for her, hell the only time they would give her any real attention was when she was doing something wrong or acting out. She always went on about how she was spoiled and hated herself for it, always so fed up in the past to the point where the present seemed immoral. She hasn't changed much.

“Thank you, I don’t think so” he responded.
Jasper began to walk towards and open room while holding onto Jess. He lead her into what appeared to be the bedroom of the apartment that had a king sized bed placed on the left side of the room with sheets that looked undeniably soft. Much better than where Jess had been sleeping. The room also had a window from the ceiling to the floor leading to a terrace, although the window was covered mostly by dark curtains. Jess slowly walked up to the bed and ran her fingers along the soft fabric, putting her body at ease, as she looked up and watched the rain pour from an opening in the curtains.
The rain seemed to put her in a dreamlike state, she looked like she was going to lose control of her legs and fall.

“Would you like to take your clothes off?”

Jess soon became tense, her body no longer at ease and her mind once again conscious. She was very quizzical towards the question, she didn't understand what Jasper meant entirely and what SHE was thinking couldn't possibly be right.

“Why would I do that?” she retorted

“Well, I've never found it to be very comfortable sleeping in jeans, but if that's what you'd like I can't stop you” Jasper responded.

A feeling of relief came across Jess at his answer, but she was feeling shame due to her ever thinking about Jasper like that. Although…, she did have a reason.

“I'm sleeping here?” She asked

Jasper looked at her and smiled.

“Where else would you?”

“I'm fine with the couch” she said

“I wouldn't dream of it” Jasper said knowing that Jess felt like she was intruding, after all there wasn't a guest bedroom.

“Are u going to sleep with me?” she suddenly asked as she quickly turned her head and looked at Jasper.

“No, I don't want to catch what you have. I'll sleep on the couch and you can sleep in the bed, alright?” Jasper said with a smile trying to make Jess feel better about their situation. She faintly smiled back, but Jasper could still see some what of the feeling of guilt in her eyes. He would have let her sleep on the couch, but he knew that it would be better if she didn't.
He didn't want her to be uncomfortable in a small space.

“I'll go make you something to eat and get you some medicine for your cold. It won't take long, you can get settled in” Jasper said as he began to exit the room. Jess did as he suggested and started to take her jeans and boots off, tossing them gingerly on the floor and getting into the bed. Her body sank into the soft mattress and the sheets felt smooth against her bare legs, as she could feel herself begin to fall victim to the soothing sounds of the rain hitting the window. The rain running down the window caught her eyes and once again she fell into her dreamlike state, thinking about how kind Jasper was to take care of her even after twelve years. He always seemed to be the one to take care of her.
Jasper to returned holding a bowl of soup and a cup of hot tea. He saw Jess looking at the windows again, captivated by the rain. He placed the soup on the nightstand, but had the tea ready to give to Jess.

“You awake?” He called
Jess turned her head and looked at the tea Jasper was holding

“You know I hate tea…” She groaned as she moved her body so she was leaning on her elbow.

“It will make you feel better. I put honey in it to make it taste better” Jasper moved the cup towards her hoping that she would accept it and luckily she did. She took a sip of it and then began to cringe.

“You put something in this, didn't you?” She said

“I know it tastes bad, but you have to drink it all”

A look of disgust appeared on her face at the comment as she drank more.

“...the honey isn't working…” she complained

Jasper smiled at her and moved his hand towards her face, using his fingers to brush hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. Jess just looked at him with a weird look, like she didn't know why he was doing it, but at the same time she didn't say anything about it and went back to sipping her tea. Jasper just watched her, still smiling at her disgusted expression.

“My dad use to drink tea all the time when I was a kid, when he was at the house. He always wanted me to like so he would give me some every now and again and I would always hate it. He told me it was good for me and it would keep me calm, but I never liked it.” Jess said, trying to make conversation. Jasper just nodded and signaled her to keep talking.

“My mother on the other hand wanted me to drink coffee when I turned fourteen. Her reason being that school started too early and there was no way I was gonna be able to stay focused if I was tired, so she would give me a cup every morning”

Jasper responded with a concerned look on his face “that's not good for you”

“Don't worry” she smiled “I would always dump it when I got to school. My mother wasn't very smart on that part, but my dad knew what he was doing.”

Jess began to stare into what little tea remained and smiled “I loved my dad as a kid, he didn't have a job at the time so he would take care of me. We would do everything together. Then He started working and we...we drifted apart”

Jasper looked at her as her smile faded and she drank her tea. He could tell she could feel empty inside.

“Do you miss your family?” He asked

“What?! No… Of course not” Jess quickly drank the last of her tea and began to speak again “I ran away from them. Remember?”

“Why did you run away?”

Jess looked down and spoke angrily.

“I don't know. It was a stupid mistake...Rylee came to my house one night and… It doesn't matter now”

“That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you. You told me that Rylee was abusive towards you, but what I saw was a man who was comforting and cared for you. Why would you tell me otherwise?”

Jess chuckled at his ignorance, he had only seen Rylee for that long once.

“That's because he was sober. When he's drunk or high he's a whole different person, Jasper. When he gets home from work or school he goes straight to the fridge and grabs a beer, then another, then another, then another.”

“He...goes to school? I thought you couldn't afford that.”

“He takes night classes at a campus not to far from here because, he didn't graduate high school”
Jasper became confused. He looked at Jess, burrowing his eyebrows.

“He told me he was working and that's why he couldn't take care of you”

“Oh yeah, he tells people that he's working because, he's embarrassed by not graduating. I don't really know why though. Thank you for taking care of me, Jasper”.

Jess looked at him and smiled. He could tell that she was grateful for what he was doing and not just that, but everything. Everything that he ever did for her she never forgot, she even kept the graduation cap from when he said goodbye to her at his graduation and the photo she took of him for her photography class. She said it was the things that helped her graduate and reminded her of him. It was nice to think that she cared that much.
He remembered when they first met that one day when he was tutoring Jess for the first time.

---

He was sitting in their dinning room waiting for his new student to walk in and judging from her parents and the ornate residence, he assumed that the girl would be the stereotypical rich, popular, and pretty teenage girl every girl wanted to be and every guy wanted to get with. With that in mind he wasn't all that excited to meet her out of fear that she would be completely arrogant and aggravating. Though Jasper didn't feel right about thinking that of someone he had never met, he was still quizzical about who he was going to be tutoring. Suddenly from the next room he could hear the yelling of two woman shouting at each other. He kept hearing one of them saying “this is your fault!” As the other one yelled “this isn't fair!”.
The dining room door was kicked open the second one of the woman was done speaking. He saw a small girl with blue hair get thrown in the room by the other woman who appeared to be her mother.

“Stay there and don't leave until you're finished, understand!” Said the mother of the blue haired girl as she immediately exited the room, slamming the door behind her.

The blue haired girl stood there with an angry look across her face as she lifted her hand and stuck out her middle finger towards the door saying “love you too, mom”. She was not at all the way Jasper described. She wore a number of piercings in her face and on her ears with old and tattered clothes, along with dark makeup under hers eyes and nothing else. She looked like the kind of girl who kept to themselves and would be rejected by the people of the world because of her look and or attitude. She was rebellious.
She turned her head and looked at Jasper, her eyes were a dark brown such as his and were big and bright. They reflected the light coming from the window of the room and just by looking into them he could see all that she was.

“You're my tutor?” She asked

Jasper couldn't find the words to speak, the girl made him nervous for some reason.

“Uhh...yes..yes I am. I'm Jasper, it's nice to meet you” he said

“Hi, Jasper. I'm Jess” she responded as she pulled up a chair and sat down “alright, man. Teach me something” she said with a bored expression. At that moment Jasper knew this experience was going to be interesting.

---

“Jasper...Jasper..”

He could hear Jess calling for him, but he still stayed in his day dreams, reminiscing about Jess until finally he was woken up by a the woman herself quickly jostling him back and forth in the attempts to try and bring him back to reality. He woke up and he was looking at her, she was still smiling.

“Sorry, I guess I got lost in thought.”

Jess chuckled “it's cute when you do that. Remember when I use to do that and you would have to snap your fingers in front of my face?”

“Yes, I do” he said laughing with her. He loved it when she smiled, he didn't get to see her smile much when they were working. She wanted to keep her tough, emotionless persona ready for when she had to interact with co-workers, but the nights when he would take her out to eat, it was as if that persona never existed. He loved that.

The two continued to talk for a while longer. Jasper stayed long enough to make sure that Jess finished all of the soup he made then left her to get some sleep, saying he would be back later to check up on her. With that in mind he proceed to walk to his living room, lying down on the couch and resting his head after a long day. He laid there staring at the ceiling, thinking about how long Jess would be sick for and if there was anything else he could do for her. He started to doze off and said he would only shut his eyes for a few minutes then go see Jess.
Only a few minutes.

---

Jasper sat there preparing himself for his history exam that was coming soon, sitting across from him was Jess, her hair and piercings shined in the light coming from outside. The blue strands glistened in the Sun's rays as the polished metal reflected the light, shining as if they could blind someone. She was wearing her father’s U2 T-shirt that had shrunk along with her old jeans and bare feet. She was sitting there, staring out the window at the snow until a tired yawn escaped her mouth and she began to rub her eye. She must still be tired from not getting all that much sleep the past few days, most of her formulas were being done incorrectly and her work wasn't all that great.

“Do you wanna take a break?” He asked looking at her
Her tired eyes met his and he could tell that she was running on only a few hours of sleep.

“Can I?” She mumbled

“Sure you CAN, but do you want to?” He said smiling at her. She smiled back saying “please don't be that guy”

“I'm your tutor, what else am I supposed to do?” Jasper replied playfully.

“You're my math tutor, not my English tutor.” She said resting her head on the table. “And yes I do want to take a break”

Jasper allowed her to rest her head for a few minutes as he returned to his second priority. It didn't take long though for Jess to become preoccupied with what he was doing somehow, begging to ask questions and involving herself in the work.

“What are you studying?” She tiredly asked

He looked back at her and replied “I have a history test soon and I have to be ready for it”

“When is it?”

Jasper looked back at his paper trying to focus

“I thought you were taking a break”

“What I can't talk to you for the time being?”

“No, I'm just trying to study is all”

The room went silent for a few minutes as Jess watched him read over notes and and slowly answer questions on his practice test. He was always so diligent about everything, he did everything thing that he needed to do regardless of what it was. Jess wished she could be like that, but that was never easy for her. Jasper seemed to fascinate her. They had only known each other for a few weeks, but she still felt like they were friends in some ways.
She never understood why he was so nice to her, paying for her food and driver her to school. She didn't know how to feel about it. If Jasper weren't seventeen and she being only thirteen, she might even find herself attracted to him.

“You okay?” Jasper asked looking at Jess. She continued to stare at him

“Yeah, I'm fine”

Jasper was confused to why Jess seemed so interested in him.

“Do you maybe wanna get back to your work?” Jasper said

“I don't know how to do it”

“That's why I'm here” he said letting out a breath of air, annoyed.

Jasper explained to her the proper way to find the answer to the oddly difficult equation and it didn't take long for her to understand what she was looking for. She liked making comments about how he was almost like a stereotype, saying how he was Asia and a math genius at the same time
“I think that's mostly why you're my tutor”she said, but along with that she would make some white girl stereotypes she would follow unknowingly. She found it funny for some reason, he on the other hand didn't mind it all that much, but was hoping she would find a different sense of humor.

---

Jasper laid there, his eyes barely open, staring at the white of the ceiling. He turned his head to look out the window and see the rain had slowed and was lightly hitting the glass, letting out a tranquil noise that almost put him back to sleep. He thought about his dream, about how cute Jess use to be when she was young, about how sad and tired she seemed all the time. He felt bad that he was the one who had to take care of her instead of her parents, whether it was driving her to school, buying food for her, or bringing her to see a doctor, he had to do it. No one else would.
She never seemed to want to make friends with other people, he was her only friend. She put up a wall and hid from everybody out of fear she wouldn't be accepted or liked, that she would be a victim of a society of ill repute. He did what he could to get her to come out of her shell, but it never seemed to do much or help. The only person she really wanted was him. He eventually was able to get off his back and sat straight, his body stiff and somewhat uncomfortable and the thought of having to sleep there for a couple of days wasn't making that feeling any better. He looked at the clock in his living room and saw that two hours had gone by.
‘How could that be?’ he thought. ‘it only felt like a few minutes.’ He immediately got up from the couch and headed towards the bedroom. Once he got there he looked in the direction of the bed and saw that Jess wasn't there, but he could hear water running from the the bathroom. He walked into the bathroom and found Jess sitting in the shower with her clothes on while the water hit her chest, soaking her skin and tank top. The water ran down her arms and bounced off her collarbone as the force continued to hit her skin, soaking her for every second she sat there.
Jasper had to admit he was becoming aroused at the sight of her, watching her get soaked like that it was hard not to. He walked over to the shower and turned the water off, grabbing a towel from the closet next to him and covering Jess. He went back into his bedroom and grabbed some clothes for Jess to change into. He had a pair of boxer shorts and a white dress shirt, he thought that it would be comfortable enough for her. He walked back into the bathroom and saw Jess lift her head with a confused look on her face.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Jasper and turned her head to look at him.

“Hey” she smiled

“Hi” he replied

Jess moved her body, trying to stand. She was feeling a lot better after eating something and having a hot shower, but Jasper still came in and helped her onto her feet.

“How'd you sleep?” She asked

“I didn't mean to sleep for that long, I'm sorry” he said

“Don't apologize, you need to get more sleep anyways”

Jasper watched Jess dry her hair and body, once she was done he handed her the clothes he brought. He left her alone to change and went back into the bedroom to bring the empty soup dish into the kitchen and wash it. When he came back Jess was sitting on the bed in the white shirt and boxers with her wet clothes wrapped in her towel. Drops of water from her wet hair fell on the shirt making her shoulders partially visible through the thin, white fabric, though the rest of her managed to stay covered regardless of her somewhat wet skin.

“I didn't know what you wanted me to do with this” she said presenting the balled up towel.

“I've got it” he said taking the towel from her “you should rest it's getting late”

“You can sleep with me, I don't think I'm going to get you sick” she insisted

“You don't need to worry about me” he said with a smile as he exited the room. Jasper dropped the towel in his laundry basket on the way out, walking to his temporary bed for, hopefully, a good night sleep. For some reason he was very tired. He didn't even bother to change out of his clothes. Once he was at the sofa he fell right onto the cushions and closed his eyes.
He was still worried about if Jess needed anything though, he was hoping he wouldn't need to get up in the middle of the night to provide for her. He wanted her to have a good night sleep just as much as him, but either way if she needed something he would be happy to get it for her. Jasper relaxed his body and put his mind at ease saying that she would be fine and he shouldn't worry. With that in mind it didn't take long for Jasper to fall asleep, thinking about all the other times Jess needed him for something.

---

Jasper’s eyes opened slightly as the ringing continued. He saw it was his phone and moved his arm to pick up and talk to whoever was calling, still lying on his stomach with his head planted in his pillow. He thought to himself ‘who could be calling this early and what the hell do they want’. He didn't bother to see who was calling when he picked up his phone mainly because, he thought it was an emergency. He answered his phone and tried to find his voice to speak.

“Hello…” He could barely make the word come out of his mouth

“Jasper”

“Who is this?” He asked

“It's Jess. I need you to come get me” she said

Jasper got up, beginning to lean on his elbow. “It's one in the morning, Jess. What could you possibly be doing?”

“I'm at that party that those girls brought me to. Do you remember?”

“Yeah. I remember” he said rubbing his eyes. “Are you sure no one else can give you a ride?”

He could hear the anger in Jess's voice as she spoke. “I would ask my parents to come get me, but, you know, they're too busy in two completely different states and my so called “friends” kind of ditched me to go eat f*****g fast food and talk about how weird I am. I would drive myself, but I'm too short, too young, and too stupid to! And I have no body else in my life who would be willing to drive me home after I was rejected, left behind, and covered in God knows what kind of alcohol! And I can't walk home because I'm nine miles from my house in the middle of the night in f*****g Toronto!”

Jasper could tell that Jess needed someone she could trust to look out for her and he was the only one to do it so, with a sigh he said he would be there soon and to hold on.

After half an hour of searching, Jasper finally found the house that had thrown the party and on the curb he saw Jess sitting there with her head down and playing with her fingers. He parked his car a few feet from her and stepped out, beginning to walk towards her. He stood next to her looking down and watched as she moved her head up, revealing her eyes. They were puffy and red and light shined on wet trails that laid on her cheeks.
She looked defeated, like she didn't care about anything anymore, like she had had enough and just wanted to give up.

“Hey kiddo...how ya doing?” He asked

“I'm sorry I made you come all the way out here, but I didn't know who else to call”

“I don't care, you needed help so I came to help” he said trying to reassure her. He bent his knees and sat down on the curb next to her. He looked at her covered face as she sat there quietly, probably thinking about a lot of things. Jasper began to brush the hair out of her eyes until he could see her. With the remaining tears in her eyes she looked up at him, looking so hurt.
She began to ask questions about her value and what she really meant, although Jasper didn't have the answers she wanted, he was able to comfort her and make her feel less alone. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, she burrowed into his chest and he could feel her beginning to cry. She was crying not because she was all sad, she was crying because she didn't understand why he was so kind to her, out of all the people in the world. She felt like he actually loved her, she felt like he was a big brother to her and she loved him for it. She thought about all those time Jasper could have just ignored her cries for help and just went on with his life like everyone else, but instead he would take a beating for her.
Jess stayed there buried in his chest until her tears had stopped and she was ready to leave. Jasper help her up and walked her to his car where they both got in, the heat from the car felt relexing to the two of them as they entered the car. Once Jess was sitting in the passenger seat she rested her head against the window and looked up at the moon, though it was hard to fully see it due to the fog. Jess looked at the blurred light in the sky and wished she could see the moon, but to her disappointment she noticed clouds rolling in which told her that it was most likely going to snow.
She could hear the rearing of the engine when Jasper started the car and could feel herself feeling better as they started to move. She watched the endless tracks the car was making as Jasper drove, every now and again she would become interested in the street lights that lit up the sidewalks. Her mind always seemed to get caught in things that others would find dull or boring, and it would stay caught until something else came along.

“Do you mind if I turn on the radio?” She asked quietly

“Go ahead” Jasper responded

Jess moved her hand towards the knob and turned it. The radio turned onto an old station that Jasper found entertaining and was playing a song that Jess remembered from when she was a kid. It was an old rock song that they rarely played, but it still had a enough power to make her happy at the sound of the artist’s voice.

“Ah man, I love singing this song” she said as she laid back in her seat.

“You sing?” Jasper asked

“A little bit. Some people said I sound alright”

Jasper smiled “alright” he moved his hand and turned off the radio. “Let's hear something”

“No.” She immediately said

“Come on, I won't laugh I promise”

“Why would you laugh” she chuckled

“I said I wouldn't” he replied

“No.”

Jasper tried, but he couldn't prevent Jess’s modesty from getting the best of her. Speaking out was never something she tended to be good at. Jasper soon gave up and put the radio back on and let her listen in peace, she didn't talk much on the ride home. She must still be upset about being left behind by those girls and Jasper could understand why. Jess probably thought that she finally had some friends other than Jasper to confide in, to care for, and to have all that built up then completely destroyed, it couldn’t be going well for her.

“Do you want to stop and get something to eat, Jess” Jasper said out of concern for her. He wanted to make sure she was eating and not skipping her meals as usual.

“Yeah, can we stop at the mini mart” she asked

“Sure” Jasper took a right turn and headed back into town. There were only a few other cars on the road, it wasn't going to be very hard for them to get to the mini mart within a few minutes. Jess continued to watch the street lights as they went by along with the storm clouds that were rolling in. He knew Jess didn't much like the snow, she didn't enjoy living where it was always snowing, but she was use to it by now. Being born here she didn't have a choice, but she had been to other places all over the world where it was warmer and she said she enjoyed it much more than the climate they had in Toronto.
Jess exited the car along with Jasper. He locked the door and looked to see where Jess was and as usual she had already started walking towards the main entrance of the mini mart before he could. The sound of the sliding doors echoed through Jess’s ears as she walked past them, along with the imitated pinging noise that would go off when someone would step in, annoying Jess. She could feel the man at the register staring at her as she walked through the store, his dirty looks felt like needles piercing her back. Jess would be profiled as a juvenile due to her current appearance. Her piercings, blue hair, dark makeup, and tattered clothes would sometimes make people uncomfortable regardless of how she acted. In Jasper's opinion Jess couldn't hurt a fly, she was so small and kind she wouldn't want to hurt anyone, she just seemed bitter at times. Jasper walked through the sliding doors and watched as Jess picked out two bags of barbeque chips and sodas. She walked over to the cashier and waited for Jasper to come and pay since she didn't have any money on her at the time, though Jasper didn't mind, he was use to paying for food they would share considering Jess would eventually pay him back. Jasper got out his wallet and pulled out twelve dollars, handing it to the man wearing a nametag with “Greg” written on it, he could hear the sliding doors open as Jess walked out and back to his car. She must still be upset about what happened at the party though he wasn't entirely sure what it was that happened. All he knew is it was probably best to leave her be until she was ready to talk about it. Once Jasper payed he lifted his arm and looked at his digital wrist watch, surprised to find that it was almost two in the morning. He was hoping to get Jess home with enough time for her to get some sleep, but he knew the probability of that was very low considering she didn't seem tired at all. He walked out of the small convenient store and looked at Jess who was sitting on the hood of his car drinking a small diet coke, staring at the cloudy sky. He walked up to Jess and told her that they should probably get home at least before the sun comes up, but Jess had different plans. She started talking about how there was this place she wanted to go that was right outside the city that she wanted to show him. She said it was worth the trip and they definitely should go. Jasper was quizzical about it at first, he had to get Jess home so she could sleep, but then she started to explain about how she would go there to look over the city and see the stars when they were out. She said it calmed her anxiety and would never cease to amaze her, she rarely got to go there after all. Jasper agreed to take her there for only a few minutes, but that was it. Jess got up and hugged him then quickly got back in the car, excited.
Once they were there, Jess got out of the car and walk to the edge of the hill. She stood there as the snow fell on her and took in the sight of the well lit city, breathing in the cold air. The sight of the city memorized her and left her at peace. She was away from everything that caused her so much trouble. Away from the people trying to hurt and harass her, away from the school that caused her so much stress, and away from the house that could never call a home. Jasper leaned against his car eating away at the bag of barbeque chips while Jess enjoyed herself when suddenly he heard the sounds of her screaming profanity as if she were screaming at someone. He quickly turned his head is Jess’s direction and watched her as she screamed into the distance, listening to the screams echo. She went on about how selfish the people of this “dumb f**k of a town” and how they turned an innocent little girl into a broken, empty, disgusting freak. Listening to her words caused Jasper’s heart to grow heavy, the mere sight of her yelling out her feelings was enough to cause him to break into tears. Everyone looked at Jess like she was some disturbed and lonely freak when in actuality she was a sweet and loving girl who was trapped inside hurting body. All that tie. She spent keeping to herself and keeping quiet had turned her into a raging sea trapped inside a raindrop, and it was killing her slowly. Once Jess was done yelling she took the time catch her breath before walking back to Jasper’s car, opening the passenger side door, and stepping in, sitting in her seat. Jasper followed her and got in the car. Before he started the car he ask if she was okay, more a moment Jess sat there in silence until she quietly said “no.”

---

Jasper's eyes opened slowly as he began to stare at the ceiling. He turned his head and noticed that most of the lights had been turned off, hoping that Jess hadn't got up to turn them off for his benefit. Jasper sighed to himself when he turned his attention to the clock he had hung to find it was one in the morning. He turned his head so he was once again resting as comfortably as he could, when he heard a quiet moan come from his bedroom. At the sound Jasper lifted himself off his back and onto his feet, walking towards the noise. He opened the bedroom door to see Jess wasn't in his bed, but the bathroom light was on, illuminating the dark bedroom. Jasper stepped into the bathroom, finding Jess next to the toilet, coughing hoarsely as vomit stuck to the corners of her mouth. Jasper rushed over to her and knelt down next to her, placing a concerned hand on her back. Jess met Jasper’s gaze. Her eyes were tired and her face was sickly and pale as her hair acted as curtains. Jasper moved his hand and brushed the brown strands out of her face. She tried to smile at him as a way to assure she was fine, but it backfired when she a sudden stream of vomit poured out of her mouth. Jasper could only watch as Jess coughed and gagged at the taste of bile that was coating the inside of her mouth, as she did she started to speak poorly.

“Please go….I don't want you to see me like this…”

Jasper smiled at her slightly before he spoke. “After all of the homicides and murders we've seen you think I can't handle seeing you sick?”

“I know you can...handle it, I just don't want….you to see me sick…”

“I'm not gonna leave you Jess. I didn't then, I'm not now.” Jasper said.

Jess could only smile until she was interrupted by the vomit trying to escape her stomach. She spit out all that she could leaving her with puke in the corners of her mouth with some drizzling down her chin. Jasper did what he did to comfort her as her sickness took over. They sat there for what felt like forever until finally Jess was feeling better for the moment and went back to bed. She stumbled over to the mattress, collapsing on it, once again becoming lost in the feeling of comfort. Jasper watched as she lied there before he grabbed a blanket and draped it over her. With that he walked out of the room, but not before leaving a bucket next to Jess for if she felt sick again. Jasper thought to himself how he couldn't get back to sleep when he was feeling this awake. He decided instead he would make some tea for the time being. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a tea bag from the pantry then to the cupboard where he kept his cups and grabbed a mug. While he was preparing his tea kettle, he carelessly put his mug on the counter only for it to fall as a result of it being too close to the edge. The first thing Jasper worried about was whether or not he woke Jess, but when he was met with silence coming from his bedroom, his worry ceased. The broken cup reminded Jasper of the time Jess was interrogating somebody while drinking a cup of coffee.

---

“Look buddy, I don't want you to be here any longer than you need to be, so if you could just give us the information we need, then you can get out of here Scott free.” Jasper said the a large man in a tank top and corn rows.

“Yeah right, a*****e. Besides…” the man smiled and looked at Jess “why would I want to leave when you got a piece of a*s like that just standing there waiting for me”

Jess could only stare at him darkly as he smiled at her.

“Look we're not talking about her, were talking about you, so if you coul-” Jasper was interrupted by the man talking about Jess. The words he was saying only made him angrier until eventually jess stepped in, letting Jasper know she wanted some time alone with the man which the man immediately agreed to. Jasper allowed her to sit down with him while he waited in the other room with his colleagues. Jess sat down, setting her coffee mug on the table. She gave him an angry stare as she smiled crudely.

“Hi! I'm bad cop, and it's very unfortunate to meet you!” She said with a fake smile. “Now are you gonna talk or are we gonna have a problem?”

“No problems here, baby. Just ask my previous girlfriends” he said staring at her with animalistic rage in his eyes

“Are you always so arrogant?” She asked, annoyed.

“Only when I'm with someone as sexy as you” he smiled.

Jess could only sigh until she heard him speak once again.

“You know I bet I could fill that hole your daddy left, if you know what I mean.” He said.

Jess’s eyes widened at the words escaping his mouth.

“I'm sorry?” She said.

“It's clear that you've got some daddy issues, sugar, and I can help with that. Help you piss him off, not that he’ll care. I'm assuming he wasn't there. Am I right?” He commented. Jess was silent, turning her head to the side so she didn't have to look at him.

“I bet mommy didn't care enough either, and I bet because of that you've let yourself become a waste of a life who gets her p***y stretched by anyone who offers because you feel like there might be something there, but in the end all they do is leave you, just like your mommy and your da-” The man was cut off when Jess quickly grabbed her coffee mug and smashed it across his face. The man screamed in pain at the feeling of the hot coffee burning his skin. The next thing he was when he opened his eyes was a gun pointed right at his head. Jess was beyond angry and was fighting to keep herself from killing the b*****d.

“You don't know me….” she started. “You don't know my struggle or my story…. you don't know ANYTHING about me! So shut the f**k up!” She yelled. Jess suddenly felt two men grab her trying to get the gun away from her, the two men being her partners, Jasper and Reyes. Reyes was able to get the gun out of her hand and Jasper was able to drag her into the other room. Once they were there, he let go of Jess who immediately stepped away from him before giving him a dirty look. Reyes threw the gun on the table and began to yell at Jess.

“What the hell was that, Rogest!” He yelled.

“You heard what he was saying didn't you! He was being a total dick!” She retorted.

“It DOESN’T matter! You can't just point a gun at one of our suspects!”

“Why not!? It's not like anyone would miss him!”

“Yeah well a lot of people would say the same about you.”

Jess was quiet for a moment. She couldn't believe what her superior had just said to her. With that she rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Jasper soon followed her out of the room to their office where he found her huddled in the corner with her head in her knees. Jasper walked up to her slowly. When he was standing in front of her, he watched as her head shot up in surprise, her makeup slightly smeared.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked.

“Why do you care?” She said back to him.

“Because we're partners.” He said sitting down next to her. The second he sat she got up and tried to walk away only for Jasper to grab her hand and say “please don't”. Jess ripped her hand away from him.

“Just stop trying. I'm a lost cause.” She said and with that left the room. If only she could see he didn't think that of her.

---

She was so bitter then Jasper couldn't believe it. He would never understand why Jess thought she was a lost cause when she had the ability to do almost anything. It probably had to do with all her teachers and her parents giving up on her. Yes Jess was a hurt soul. She lived life drowning in a sea of her own depression and anger, not even trying to fight to survive, just letting it happen. The sight of it hurt Jasper beyond belief, seeing his little sister live the way she does. It was heartbreaking. Jasper sighed and went to get a dust pan. Once he did he cleaned up the broken glass off the floor and through it in the trash. He grabbed another mug from the cupboard and set it on the counter carefully while he waited for the hot water to be ready. Jasper thought he would watch some tv for the time being. He walked over and sat on the couch, picking up the tv remote and turning the tv on. He chose to watch a horror movie oddly enough, think that if Jess were here she would like it. Jasper watched in disgust as he witnessed the gruesome murders performed by this so called leatherface. For a moment he quietly chuckled at the thought of Jess as a little girl, getting so excited about movies like this. It was adorable. Jasper sat there watching the movie until he heard the high pitched scream of the tea kettle. He quickly ran over to turn the stove off so not to wake Jess. When the tea kettle stopped screeching, Jasper lifted it and poured the water into the teacup he had ready and watched as the steam danced above the cup. Once his tea was ready he turned around and was surprised to see a small patch of brown poking out of the couch. He walked over to find Jess laying her head against the pillow as the rest of her body rested in a ball, curled up and comfortable. Jasper watched as Jess slowly blinked and turned her attention to him, smiling when making eye contact.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Jasper asked.

“I was thirsty so I came to get some water, then I saw what you were watching.”

“Oh….yeah..” Jasper said putting a hand on the back of his head.

“I thought you hated horror movies. Remember the way you would get when I made you watch nightmare on Elm’s street?”

Jasper chuckled “yeah, I do.”

Jess lifted herself so she was sitting up on the couch. “Come sit with me.” She said. Jasper did as she asked and sat down next to her. When he did, he watched as Jess rested her head on his shoulder as she nuzzled into him. Jasper could feel butterflies form in his stomach as she did, but he didn't stop her. The two sat there watching the movie, one enjoying it more than the other, until eventually Jess fell asleep next to Jasper. Jasper looked down at her sleeping face and smiled. She looked so peaceful. It reminded him of the time Jess got kick out of her house and had to stay with him.

---

The doorbell rang once more as Jasper walked up to the door. He turned the knob quickly and swung the door open to find Jess standing in the snow with her things on her back.

Jasper’s eyes widened. “Jess?”

“Hey, Jasper.” She said, smiling as she walked into his house.

“Uuuh...Come on in…” Jasper said, still confused.

Jasper's parents came into to the room and shot Jasper a strange look when they saw Jess.

“Um.. Jasper? Who is this?” Jasper's mother asked.

Jess walked over to them and stuck out her hand as she introduced herself, saying she was Jasper's technical student and she came to see him in the hopes he could help her with the predicament she had been placed into. When she was done she asked Jasper if she could speak to him in the other room alone. Jasper agreed and led Jess into their living room where they could talk. Once they were there, Jasper began to speak.

“What are you doing here, Jess?” Jasper asked.

“Oh yeah….I got kicked out of my house.” She said

Jasper's eyes widened in surprise. “Wait what?!” He said in shock.

“Yeah I guess my mom was tired of my bullshit. So is it cool if I sleep here tonight?”

“Um...I don't know Jess…”

“Please, Jasper” she pleaded. “I have no where else to go.”

Jasper thought it over for a second and then sighed. He told her he would talk about it with his parents, but he couldn't promise anything. After talking to his parents he was able to provide Jess with a place to sleep for the night. With that, Jasper showed her the guest bedroom where she could leave her stuff. Jess could only hug him for what he was doing for her, she was unbelievably grateful to have him in her life. Jess hung out in Jasper's room as he did his homework, trying on his clothes over hers and messing around on her phone. Jasper could only smile at her. She acted so young for someone her age. It was kind of adorable in his eyes though the rest of the world probably didn't like it. While he was working and Jess was in her phone, Jasper heard his name from outside his room. It was his mother calling him, asking him to meet with her and his father. Jasper got up from his seat and proceeded to his parents who were at the bottom of the stairs. Jess sat there waiting for Jasper when she heard someone yell. With that she quickly got up from where she was sitting and headed towards the noise. She stood next to the stairs, peeking around the corner to find Jasper being scolded by his parents.

“You really think you're going to get accepted with grades like this!?” Jasper's father yelled.

“It's only PE….” Jasper mumbled.

“It's still a class and a requirement! You better get your act together, Jasper or so help me!”

The two continued to argue until Jasper's father brought up someone name Erin, that's when Jasper lost it. He began to yell at his father at the top of his lungs, saying how this Erin wasn't here and it was there fault. This continued until Jasper was instantly met with the back of his father's hand, silencing him. Jasper laid his hand on his hurt cheek as he looked down at the floor, not knowing what to say.

“Get that grade fixed, son. I mean it.” Jasper's father walked away from him, his mother following. Jasper stood there for a few minutes until he turned to walk back up the stairs, finding Jess spying as he did. Jess quickly moved, hoping he wouldn't see her, but she knew he did. She quickly walked back to Jasper's room where she retired to her original seating area. Jasper walked into his bedroom finding Jess trying to look like she had been their the entire time, it wasn't fooling him though. Jasper didn't say a word as he walked over to his bed, sitting down as Jess watched with wide eyes. She could see the look of distress on his face as he sat there, lost in his thoughts, though she could blame him, she did witness something heart breaking. Jess stood up and sat up next to him on the bed.

“Are you okay?” Jess asked.

Jasper was quiet before mumbling “no.”

“If it helps...I know how you feel.” She said, trying to sympathize with him. Jasper looked down at her.

“Yeah? And how do I feel?” He asked.

“You feel like they care more about how you're doing in school than how ur doing in general. I feel it too.”

Jasper's eyes widened when he heard her.

“They don't take the time to ask you if you're okay or if you need help. They just assume you're fine. It's...aggravating.”

“Yeah...it is…”

Jess sat quietly for a moment before she spoke. “Can I ask….who's Erin?”

Jasper was quiet at first until he finally spoke. “Erin was my older sister and my protector.”

“Your protector?”

“She would do everything to keep me safe whether it was from my parents or some a******s on our walk home. She was amazing.”

“What….happened to her?”

“Eventually my parents crossed the line and she ran away when she was eighteen. Before she left she came into my room in the middle of the night and told me I was the most important thing in her life, and I'd see her again. She just didn't say when.”

“Wow...I'm sorry, Jasper.”

“It's funny actually.” Jasper began. “When I first saw you, I felt like I was with her again. And then as we spent more time together, I felt as if you were me and I was becoming her” he said.

“That's why you refused to give up on me.” Jess said.

“She cared about me more than my parents, and I wanted you to have someone like I did, Jess.”

Jess couldn't find the words to speech, she was so unbelievably touched by what he was saying. She could only smile at him as she looked into his brown eyes through his glasses. Just the. Jasper began to laugh a bit which made Jess confused.

“I'm sorry it's just…..Erin had blue hair for a while too.” Jasper said, smiling at her.

Jess smiled back and began to laugh with him. Eventually the Jasper was ready to sleep since they had school so with that, Jess left the room so he could sleep. As Jasper slept he suddenly felt someone jostling him.

“Jasper, wake up.” Jess whispered while shaking Jasper in his sleep in an attempt to wake him up. Jasper opened his eyes slowly to find Jess fully clothed in her winter jacket, scarf, and hat.

“Jess, what are you doing…?” Jasper mumbled.

“Get up and get dressed.”

“Why…?”

“I'm gonna show you a good time” she smiled. Jasper was quizzical at first and especially tired, but he knew that if he didn't get up, Jess would eventually get him to. With that he got out of bed and began to put his winter clothes on. Once they were on, he followed Jess down stairs and out the door. He watched as she took Jasper's car keys out of her pocket, unlocking the car and getting in the passages side. Jasper sighed at the sight of Jess with his car keys, but it didn't bother him too much. He followed Jess into the car and took the keys from Jess, starting the car, assuming that's what Jess wanted.

“So...where to?” Jasper asked.

Jess didn't say exactly where it was she wanted to go, but she was able to point him in the right direction. Jasper drove for about thirty minutes when they finally arrived where Jess requested which was behind a small bar in a questionable part of town which made Jasper uncomfortable.

“Could you go knock on that door there?” Jess said pointing at a big metal door. “I have to send someone a message.”

“Ok…” Jasper said, nervously. Doing ask Jess asked, he exited the car and proceeded to the door. Once he was there he knocked on the door lightly at first, then harder when no one answered. He waited for a few seconds when the door suddenly open revealing a large, muscular, black man who was staring at him menacingly, like he didn't know who Jasper was and didn't want to.

“Who the hell are you?” He said.

“I'm uh...I'm Jasper….” Jasper said, quietly.

“What are you doing here? I don't know you.”

“I don't...really know…”

“This door is for the people of the bar, my family. Got it?! Now get the hell out of here before I call my boys.” He threatened. Jasper was incredibly scared when he heard a small voice from behind saying “relax, Jack. He's with me.” It had been Jess. When the man saw her he instantly smiled and held his arms open. Jess ran over to him and hugged him as the man lifted her off the ground and swung her. When put her down he began to speak as if he was this whole other man.

“Aw man I haven't seen you in weeks! How's my little jessie?” He asked.

“Got kicked out finally.” She said.

“Oh damn are you serious!? I swear to God I'm gonna beat those folks of yours.”

“Don't worry about them, I found a place to stay.”

“Really? Where?”

“With him” she said pointing at Jasper. Jasper waved at the man before the man walked up to him and stuck his hand out, apologizing for the stuff he said earlier. Jasper shook the man named Jack’s hand, introducing himself and explaining his relationship with Jess. When they were done, Jess asked jack if a woman named Marla was available. Jack smiled at her and said she was at the bar serving drinks and if she wanted to she could go in. With that Jess walked in with Jasper following until he was stopped by Jack. He looked at him menacingly once again.

“You better take good care of her.”

Jasper nodded his head in fear before jack let him pass. The two men walked into what appeared to be a crowded bar filled with people of all sorts. Jasper searched the area to find Jess when he found her behind the bar with a tired looking black woman who was serving drinks. When he saw her, he walked up to the other side of the bar where Jess was and sat down on a stool. The lady Jess was with looked Jasper with a quizzical look.

“Are you twenty one, honey?” She asked.

Jasper could only say “Sorry, I'm… not…”

“Well then I'm sorry, sweetheart, you're gonna have to leave. Come back in a few more years.” She said.

“Well I'm here with Jess…”

Her eyes widened at what he said.

“Are you Jasper?” She asked. Jasper nodded his head.

The lady turned to Jess who was messing around on her phone and told her to bring a plate of drinks to the people at the table. Once Jess left, the next thing Jasper saw was the lady rummaging around the bar for a glass which she then filled with what he assumed was beer. She then placed it in front of him and gave him a smirk.

“I'm sorry, but I don't drink.” Jasper said.

“I know, that's why it's light beer. Go on have a sip.” She said

“I thought you couldn't serve me.”

“This is a one time thing. It's my way of saying you're now my family. You ever need anything from me, I'm here.”

Jasper was confused. “Why me?” He asked.

“You're one of the few people who didn't give up on my baby Jess. After all the s**t she's been through and all the s**t she gives you still stuck with her, and for that I thank you. You're now my family.”

Jasper looked down at the beer before he put a hand on the glass and brought it up to his lips. He felt the cold liquid pass his lips and enter his mouth, spreading across his tongue

“So..um….how do you know Jess?” Jasper asked.

“When I was fourteen, I was her babysitter. I'm twenty one now. You see my home life was kind of odd. My mom would work from place to place while me and my dad stayed home. The one thing my mom didn't know was my dad was a drug addict who would beat me every now and again. Jess eventually found out about it, she's such a smart girl, so she would let me stay in the extra bedroom of her house. When her mom came home early one day, she freaked out and fired me.” She explained.

“Wait, why would she fire you? Wouldn't she have been considerate of your needs?”

“The thing is Jess’s parents didn't know I was the descendent of an an abusive coke fiend. They thought I came from a high class family with a war hero father. I lied because I knew they wouldn't hire me if I said otherwise and I really needed the money for my little brother and me.”

“Wow.” Jasper said. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. It's not your fault, hon.” She said with a smile. Jasper smiled back and subconsciously took a sip of his beer, coughing when it went down his throat.

Marla began to talk more about her relationship with Jess. “It wasn't until Jess got into a public middle school where she ran into my brother and I got to see her again. Since then her and I have been meeting up in secret keeping a mother daughter relationship.”

“Wow! That's amazing.” Jasper said in aw. “But aren't you worried about Jess being in this environment?”

“Please! Everyone here loves Jess! Plus they know if they mess with her, they mess with me and Jack or worse...her.”

“Oh…”

Suddenly Jasper and Marla heard the sound of Jack yelling, trying to get people's attention. He was announcing that he and Marla had been saving money for something Jess and that they finally got it. Jasper looked over to Jess who was still serving drinks and saw the curiosity that consumed her outer appearance. He then looked back at Jack he had rolled out a short object probably the size of a stool which had been covered by a cloth. Jack had asked Jess to put the drinks down so she could come up and reveal the covered object which excited her. Her excitement caused Jasper to smile as he watched her walk over to Jack. Once she was there, she placed a hand on the cloth and pulled it out revealing a karaoke machine. Jess almost looked scared when she saw it which worried Jasper. As Jess stared at the karaoke machine, she felt a warm hand placed on her shoulder. It had been Jack trying to hug her as he explained how beautiful Jess’s voice was. Jess could only blush at the words he was saying until her attention was brought to the people of the bar chanting and requesting for her to sing. Eventually with enough chants and pier pressure, Jess conjured up enough courage to stand up and perform. With that she chose a song and grabbed the mic. She then started to sing an old jazz song she rather enjoyed, the members of the bar tapping along to the beat. She sang quietly at first, but grew more comfortable with each second until started to dance, singing loud and proud. She soon jumped onto the bar, her confidence soaring, and danced and sung her heart out as everybody clapped and cheered. Jasper had never seen Jess that happy, it was incredible. When Jess was done singing, everybody in the bar cheered and whistled and all Jess could do was stand there with her cheeks flushed as she smiled. Jess and Jasper spent about another hour at the bar before Jasper drove him and Jess back to his house. When the arrived, the two exited the car and proceeded to Jasper's bedroom where Jess hopped onto Jasper's bed and closed her eyes, but that didn't last when she suddenly remembered what she was gonna do that night if she hadn't been kicked out. She jumped off the bed and turned on the tv Jasper had in his room which confused Jasper.

“Aren't you tired?” Jasper asked.

“Nope!” Jess replied smiling.

“So you're just gonna watch tv?”

“Not just tv. Tonight they're showing the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre from the seventies! God, I love that movie! It's so stressful!” She said, excited.

Jasper could only smile at her excite towards something that should make her happy. Jess was indeed a strange girl, but in the world they lived in, that was a breath of fresh air to Jasper.

“C’mon, you're gonna watch with me!” She said hopping back on the bed. Jasper did as she asked and sat down with her as the movie began. Jasper sat there in disgust at the sight of all the gruesome murders while Jess just sat there and watched in excitement and fear. Once the movie was over Jasper went to speak to Jess, but found her asleep on his bed. He smiled at her cute face as she slept, thinking of what she could be dreaming of and knowing, with her, it could be anything. Jasper stood up and snuck his arms underneath Jess’s small body as he began to lift her off the bed. He carried her from his room to the guest bedroom where he place her gently on the top of the bed then covered her with a blanket. She watched for a few more seconds as Jess slept until he quietly said “goodnight, Jess” and went back to his bedroom.

---

He had never seen that side of Jess before and he had no idea she was the one to make her own family. It was fascinating to Jasper how Jess actually did have friends who later became her family. Jasper continued to look at jess as she slept, taking in the sight of her tired face. She was so peaceful. With her delicate eyes shut and her hair disheveled as she leaned on Jasper. He could only smile. Jasper moved to stand up, making sure to not cause jess to fall over. Once he was up, he slid his arms underneath her and lifted her off the couch. He carried her back to his bedroom and gingerly placed her on the bed, making sure to cover her with a blanket. she laid there peacefully as she slept, it made Jasper wonder how long it had been since she slept like that. Not having to worry about waking up and finding her roommate passed out or finding a bunch of uninvited guest at three in the morning. It was nice. What Jasper would do for her to sleep every night like that. But he couldn't sadly. Jasper walked out of the room, but not before looking over his shoulder and saying goodnight to Jess. That's all he wanted for her.

It was morning and Jasper was making himself and Jess breakfast, taking the day off from work to tend to her until she got better. He was standing in front of the stove in the kitchen as he cracked an egg against the hot skillet sitting above the blue flame. He broke the egg shell open watching as the yolk and egg white fell slowly until they hit the frying pan. He could hear the sound of the liquid starting to fry as the pan got hotter. He picked up another sitting next to him in the counter and did the same as he did with the first egg. He watched the clear egg whites turning white as they cooked until he felt arms wrap around his waist and felt a sudden pressure against his stomach. He looked over his shoulder and saw it was little five foot three Jess hugging him as he cooked them breakfast.

“Making eggs I see” she said with a smile on her face. Jasper could tell she was tired though, with the look in her eyes and the way she was leaning on him.

“Yes” he said grabbing a spatula and the pushing the eggs slightly. “How are you feeling?” he asked

“I'm feeling a little better. You can probably go to work if you want, I can take care of myself” she insisted letting go of him to sit in a chair at the table.

“Thank you, but I'd rather not leave you alone, just in case”

Jasper slid the spatula under one of the egs and flipped it over listening to the sizzle as it cooked. He did the same with the other egg before moving to the fridge and taking a few strips of bacon out, putting them on the frying pan alongside the eggs. The aroma filled the room as Jasper cooked, making Jess grow hungrier as she listened to sounds of the bacon cooking. She felt like she was about to levitate off the ground like in a cartoon and float towards the smell until she was sitting peacefully with the food resigning in her stomach. Too bad this was real life. Once the bacon was cooked as well as the eggs, Jasper slid the spatula under the bacon, lifting it and letting a couple of piece fall on one plate and another couple on another plate. He did the same with the eggs and lifted the plates, bringing them over and setting one down on the table in front of Jess and the other in front of a seat for him. He walked over to a drawer and pulled out two forks, giving one to Jess while he kept the other one in his hands. Jasper sat down next to Jess as used his fork to cut a small piece of of his eggs before piercing it and lifting it up to his lips where he took the food into his mouth, enjoying the taste, after all he didn't eat dinner last night. He watched as Jess did the same with her breakfast and he could see how much she was enjoying the taste. And made him happy to see her like that. He always wanted to make sure she was eating something other than junk food or fast food. He wanted to make she was just eating in general. Even though wasn't the petite girl he met years ago, he still worried about her eating habits, even with the bit of meat she had on her bones. The two sat in silence as they ate until Jess opened her mouth to speak.

“Thank you...for taking the time to take care of me when no one else could. I guess you still are my big brother after all these years” she said smiling at him while playing with her food.

Jasper smiled back at her as he swallowed. “I'll always be willing to take care of you. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?” He said taking another bite of his breakfast.

“Of course I would! I owe you big time, Jasper” she said.

“You don't owe me anything, Jess. I'm happy to be there for you” Jasper said, smiling after swallowing another bite. Jess could only smile at him, feeling nothing, but appreciation. As the two continued to eat, Jasper recalled the first time he and Jess went out for dinner after she started working at the police station. Although Jasper recognized her, she did not recognize him and he was determined to get her to find out who he was.

---

Jasper was sitting at his desk, once again looking over the notes of a current assignment regarding a homicide in a residential home. Jess had been preparing her things for when she could leave the office and their partner, or supervisor, Samuel Reyes, had been called out to attend to a family emergency. Jasper took his attention away from his papers to glance over at Jess. He watched has she packed the last of her things in her bag, closing the opening and hanging the strap over her shoulder, preparing to walk out of the room. Jess was three feet from the door when suddenly her phone started to buzz as in vibrated in her back pocket. She reached in the direction of the buzzing and took the phone out of her pocket, checking who it was calling her then bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Hey, Rylee” she began. Jasper listened to her as she spoke.

“.....what! You're kidding?” she exclaimed. “It's pouring out, I'm not walking home!....wait! Rylee! Ry-” Jess sighed and turned her phone off, putting it back in her pocket and walked back over to her desk. She sat down in her chair and leaned back in relaxation as she stared up at the ceiling. Jasper sat there looking at her in curiosity.

“What's wrong?” Jasper asked.

Jess looked over to him, meeting his gaze. “Oh nothing...it's just my roommate is too busy with his hookers to come pick me up when it's pouring out so I'm stuck here until the rain stops…”

“If you want, I can give you a ride” Jasper offered.

“I don't want to be a bother” she replied

“It's no trouble” he said, smiling

For a moment she pondered his offer until she agreed to let him drive her. Jess followed Jasper to his car and entered through the passenger side. Once she was seated, she closed the door and sat quietly as Jasper started the car. Jess sat with her head against the window, feeling more tired than ever. She watched, mesmerized by the falling rain as they hit the glass and ran down quickly. The sound echoed through the car as well as the sound of windshield wipers at work. It felt nice. Usually when Jess was riding with Rylee, she was forced to listen to gangsta rap which she hated to a great extent, but not with Jasper. He enjoyed the quiet. Jasper looked at Jess in the corner of his eye and noticed how peaceful she looked just staring at the rain. He would never understand why she was so interested in it. As Jasper drove, Jess was giving him the direction to her apartment. Once they reached the street she lived on, Jasper was surprised to see the condition the area was in. The pavement was cracked, there were people passed out drunk on the street along with what he assumed were prostitutes. ‘Riches to rags’ he thought. Jasper pulled up to the curve when Jess pointed to her apartment building and waited for Jess to leave the car, though he didn't want her to leave. Right when Jess was about to open the car door she suddenly put a hand on her stomach after hearing a rumbling sound, Emitting a quiet groan. Jasper heard her and turned his head so he was looking at her, distress spread across her face. Once the rumbling stopped, Jess proceeded to exit the car, but was stopped by Jasper speaking to her.

“Y'know, I was going to go get dinner before going home. Would you like to join me?”

Jess gave him a quizzical look before responding. “I don't have any money to spend on dinner at a restaurant.”

“That's okay” he said “let me treat you to dinner, I can tell you're hungry”

Jess knew that if she were to go back to her apartment she would most likely have nothing to eat, but ramen noodles which at this point she was sick of. Though she didn't have any interest in spending time with him, she thought it would be smart as well as polite for her to take up his offer. Jess agreed to accompany him to dinner which made Jasper happy. He was glad that she was going to be eating with him, it would be a good chance for them to catch up. Jasper pulled away from the curve and drove in the direction of the restaurant while Jess sat quietly, once again staring out the window. Jasper watched her in the corner of his eye while still focusing on the road. She look unbelievable bored and tired just sitting there, so lifeless.

“Do you mind if I turn on the radio?” Jasper asked.

“Sure” Jess responded.

With that, Jasper moved his hand in the direction of the radio, turning it on and twisting the knob. Eventually he found a station he thought Jess would enjoy, it played hard rock which he remembered her taking a liking to when she was younger. The lyrics were dark and heavy and the singer always seemed to scream whenever he could. Jasper didn't particularly enjoy it, but he thought she would so he stuck with it.

Eventually the two made it to the restaurant, exiting the car and walking up to the front doors. Jess looked up at the sign as she walked sitting above a canapé. The restaurant had somewhat of a fancy name, but she didn't know for sure considering it was in French. Jasper walked in front of her and held the door open as she walked in, a sudden warmth washing over her once she stepped inside. The restaurant was lit with somewhat dim lights accompanied by the small flame of a candle burning at each table. There was a heavily stocked bar in the center of the restaurant with a female bartender cleaning glasses and serving drinks. The place seemed rather quiet, it didn't have too many people at each table which must have been why Jasper was coming here for dinner. She knew from working with him he didn't particularly enjoy loud noise. The place seemed oddly fancy for somewhere that didn't require a reservation. Jess looked over what she assumed were happy couples enjoy their time together, making her think of all the dinners her and Rylee spent fighting ending up in him leaving to go to a bar and coming home only for him to use her for sex, not caring if she didn't want it. Jess hated seeing happy people most of the time, she was terribly jealous, but wouldn't admit it. It made her think of all the time she wasted with Rylee or the people she thought were her friends, then it made her think of her old friend Jasper… Constantly having to be around someone with the same name made her feel even worse, that was mostly why she was so hostile towards her partner. She kept staring at the people of the restaurant until she was interrupted by Jasper calling out her name. She quickly snapped out of her trance when she heard her name being called. Jasper was trying to get her attention so he could tell her their table was ready. The two followed the waitress to their table, once seated they were given menus and then left alone. As Jess looked over the option, her mouth watering at each one, Jasper was looking over his menu and staring at her. Even with her short brown hair and metal free face, he could still see the same little girl with long blue hair and piercings he knew and loved. Jess could tell that Jasper was looking at her thus she directed her eyes so she was looking at him, causing Jasper to look down at his menu and away from Jess, though he wasn't stopped from taking quick glances. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the two decided on a meal and ordered. The two sat there, quietly which made Jasper rather uncomfortable, Jess on the other hand didn't mind the silence, she had gotten used to it.

“Um….so…” Jasper started. “Do you have any interests?”

Jess looked around the room, distracted by the few people. “Not exactly.” She said, confusing Jasper.

“You have to have some interests.” He said.

“And if I don't?” She retorted.

That made Jasper go quiet, he didn't know why, but he could tell she was upset. He found it strange to how she acted even as an adult, why was she so bitter?

“Did I upset you?” Jasper asked.

“No” Jess replied, not making eye contact.

“Then why are you acting so bitter? Why are you so hostile towards me?” He asked.

“Why shouldn't I be bitter?” She responded.

“Because life could be a lot worse.”

That did it. That set Jess off, hearing that combination of words. She turned her attention to Jasper and stared at him angrily, beginning to speak.

“I grew up to be and anti social, goth, freak who was rejected by everyone that I ever sought out. My own parents were two busy with their jobs to care that I was in a bad situation never mind anyone else in my family. All my teachers in school ever did was give up on me, they didn't care about what happened to me and they never would. My roommate is an alcoholic and a drug addict who thinks he can throw me around and do whatever he wants with me because he's stronger than I am. My co-workers think I'm a pathetic junkie who shouldn't have been hired in the first place and the only person in my life who ever cared about me died when she was ten years old. So tell me, Jasper. Why shouldn't I be bitter?

Jasper looked into her eyes and began to speak. “Because when you were thirteen years old, you were assigned a tutor for math and he did everything for you. He took days off school and work because you were sick, he defended you when you needed help, he got your friend lisa’s bracelet back because he knew how much it meant to you. He never ever gave up on you and he sure all hell didn't think of you as an anti social goth freak.”

All Jess could do was stare at him in shock. She had no idea how he could possibly know any of that, unless… Jess grabbed his red tie and pulled him forward, forcefully. The anger she expressed was something he had never seen in Jess, but within the anger was some sort of fear. Why was she scared?

“How the hell do you know all that?!” Jess said, angrily.

Jasper was silent for a moment until he said “hi, Jess. It's been a long time.”

Her eyes grew wide at his words and her heart broke slightly at the thought of him being who she had been missing for such a long time. She let go of his tie and sat back down, the only word escaping her mouth was a quiet “Jasper?” He smiled kindly at her when she said that.

---

“Jasper? Hello? Anyone home?” Jess chuckled as she ate her food. Jasper was awoken from his daze by Jess calling his name. He looked to see her smiling at him. She found it cute how he would get lost in his daydreams. Jasper blinked a few times until he realized where he was. He watched as Jess took more bites of her food relishing the sight of her in a healthy state.

“Like I said, Jasper, you can go to work if you want. I'll be fine.” Jess said assuring him. “I might even come to work with you!”

“You seem to have recovered quickly.” Jasper smiled.

“Takes a lot to take me down.” Jess said before taking a bite of her eggs. When Jess finished she told Jasper that she was going to get some clothes on and if it was okay if she borrowed a dress shirt. Jasper allowed it and off she went to get her clothes on. Jasper continued to eat his breakfast until Jess walked out in a white buttoned up dress shirt that fit her well along with her now clean jeans and boots. He had never seen Jess in white clothes before, she had always worn black. He found it interesting how much her appearance had changed over the years, but he wasn't all that surprised, after all it would be hard to get a well paying job with all sorts of piercings and blue hair. Once Jasper was finished with his breakfast, he walked with Jess out of the apartment and to his car. The two entered the car, Jess in the passenger side and Jasper driving. He started the car and they were off to work. As Jasper drove he wondered to himself if Jess had ever driven a car or got her license. Her parents could definitely afford it, but he wondered if she ever passed her driver's test or even drivers ed.

“Hey, Jess?” Jasper called.

“Yeah?” she answered.

“Do you have a driver's licence?” He asked. Jess contemplated his question when she said she did, but it wasn't real which made Jasper concerned. He looked her her quizzically which caught her eye.

“What? it's not like I drive anywhere, but if I'm in an emergency it's good to have with me.”

“You should still probably get a real one.”

“Technically it is real, it was just made illegally…”

Jasper could only look at her with disappointment.

“Look I can drive and I only drive if it serious, like if a friend got shot and I was the only one with a car which I'm usually not, so don't lecture me.”

Jasper agreed he would let it slide and continued to drive to the police station. Once they arrived the two exited the car and walked to the front doors of the building. When Jess walked in with Jasper, she could feel people staring at her and she didn't like it.

“Hey Jasper….I'm gonna get some coffee…”

“I thought you hated coffee.” He questioned.

“Thought I'd give it another chance….” Jess said and off she went to the break room.
Jasper was worried to why she was acting so strange. Being back in the office with him couldn't be bothering her? But after what happened he couldn't blame her.

---

It was a late night the police station. Jasper was preparing his things for when he was ready to leave and go home while Jess was on the floor searching through the lowest drawer of a filing cabinet they kept in their office. Jasper put the last of his work in his bag and turned around looking at Jess, waiting for her to finish what she was doing so they could leave. Jasper was very eager to get home. Jasper stared at Jess from behind intensely as he leaned back against his desk memorized by her as she trailed her fingers along the thin pieces of paper. Her fingers were skinny and her hands were larger for a woman of her size making her arms look smaller in proportion. He always noticed how bony she was at some points, he rarely saw her eat anything when they were at the office together. Though due to her bones she wasn't one to look like a twig, but she still managed to look very petite regardless of what she ate. He would try to get her to eat something even if it was just a baby carrot, but she would always refuse saying it would just make her sick because of the side affects of her medication. Apparently it would suppress her appetite to the point where she wouldn't eat for four days which worried him at a times. She always managed to trigger his anxiety. Continuing to stare, Jasper’s mind began to drift, thinking about all the times he spent with Jess, how long they had know each other and how lucky they were to have run into each other after all these years. Without knowing it, Jasper’s thought soon became very disturbed, he thought about how delectable she looked from behind, it ran through his mind and brought him to dream of the pleasurable situation he had craved ever since he started spending time with her again. He could feel his excitement grow until his thoughts wander into the clutches of reality where he realized the possibility of something such as that happening were very unlikely. A sudden feeling of depression passed through him as his arousal ceased into nothing. He continued to look at Jess, watching as she put the last of her files into the open cabinet, sliding it in next to the many other files before closing the cabinet, finally done with the day. She lifted herself onto her feet and walked towards her desk to grab her things and leave with Jasper. Jasper chose to ignore her as she packed her things, still lost in a whirlpool of emotions that he could never seem to get out of. Jess noticed Jasper’s head was down as she packed her things, a look of distress spread across his face, it made her think of how Jasper had been acting lately. She noticed that he had been arriving to work late and leaving as early as he could. Sometimes she would have to ride home with her co-worker, Charlie because she needed to stay a bit later when Jasper wanted to leave. She also noticed that he had been dressing a bit more presentable than usual, like he was trying to impress somebody. She didn't exactly know what to think of it, she knew if he were depressed it would explain his lack of interest in his work, but not his reasons for dressing so nicely. Maybe he wasn't depressed, maybe he was just lacking focus, maybe there was something going on in his life that required his full attention. Jess stared at him curiously until Jasper looked over at her, meeting her gaze, causing her to look away and down at her things quickly. She heard him speak as she continued to pack her things.

“Are you almost done?” He asked with an annoyed tone.

“All finished!” She said looking up at Jasper with a smile as she closed her bag. He gave her an emotionless stare before looking away from her, continuing to look down at the floor, contemplating. Jess could see how he was feeling, but assumed he was just being impatient. She thought he was late for something important and didn't understand why he was waiting for her when he knew she could just get a ride from Charlie.

Jess threw the strap of her bag over her shoulder before speaking to Jasper “are you late for something, because you know I can get a ride from Charlie.” She questioned.

“No, I'm not late for anything” he said “why do you think that?”

“Well you just seem a little impatient is all, I wanna make sure I not keeping you for anything” Jess answered.

“You're not. Can we please go now” he said.

Jess started to worry about Jasper, she didn't know what he was feeling and wanted to make sure he was okay.

“Are you alright, Jasper?” She asked, concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine! Can we please just go?!” Jasper yelled startling Jess.

“Jasper if you need to go you can. I can get a ride from someone else” she said in a calming voice as she stood there concerned.

“Fine I'll go!” Jasper yelled once again before storming towards the door.

“Jasper wai- AAH!” Jess was cut of when he tried to chase after Jasper, but was stopped when she sliced her palm on the sharpened edge of Jasper’s desk. Jasper stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder to see Jess gripping her wrist as blood ran down her hand. He quickly walked over to her, practically running, to see if she was alright. He gently took her injured hand in his as he inspected the wound.

“Damn desks. why the hell do they make the edges so sharp?” Jess said, frustrated.

Jasper turned his attention away from Jess’s hand to look at her. “I have a first aid kit in my desk. I can patch you up. Here sit on the edge.” Jasper said

With that, Jess propped herself up on Jasper desk, sitting on the edge as Jasper rooted around his drawer for the first aid kit he had mentioned. When he found it he set it next to Jess, opening it and searching for something to clean the wound. It was pretty large and oddly enough it was pretty disorganized for Jasper. Jess watched as Jasper searched through the kit, she could see the panic he expressed and tried to calm him down though to her disappointment Jasper had been ignoring her attempts, too occupied with trying to find disinfectant.

“Jasper? Hey” she called.

“Where is it?” He said under his breath as he searched. Eventually Jasper knocked the first aid kit onto the floor by mistake causing all the contents to fall out hitting the ground. Jess could see Jasper as he struggled with the issue as if it were the most important thing currently. While Jasper was looking at the floor, Jess lifted her good hand and placed it on Jasper's face, cupping his jaw and turning his attention to her. She stared at him with worried eyes, she could see the distress in Jasper's eyes as she looked at him.

“What is wrong?” She asked “you know you can tell me anything, Jasper”

Jasper looked away from her “it's nothing” he said.

“Jasper if something is wrong I want to help you. You know if you need anything I'm right here” she insisted “please tell me”

Jasper was quiet for a moment before he spoke “anything?” He said.

Jess looked at him confused. “What?”

“If I need anything, you're right here?”

“That's right.” Jess answered, quizzical.

“Can I...can I kiss you..?” He said looking into her eyes. Jess’s eyed widened in surprise, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was unbelievably flattered that she was the reason for Jasper dressing so nicely and why he's was so distracted from his work. Before she could say anything Jasper quietly said ‘just one little kiss’ and pressed their lips together. She could feel Jasper's hands against the back of her head, pushing her in closer so he could taste her better. His tongue invaded her mouth as he moaned through their kiss, putting his other hand on her back and pushing her against his chest. Jess just sat there as Jasper enjoyed himself until he broke the kiss to stare at her with animalistic rage in his eyes. Jess was concerned to what he was going to do and had a feeling if it were to happen, she wouldn't be able to stop him.

Jasper continued to stare at her before speaking horsley. “I need you, Jess. I need to feel you” he said with a smile as he gripped he thighs. “Please, just let me do this” he begged, forcefully pulling her closer to him while spreading her legs until his clothed erection was against her crotch. She gasped at him jerking her towards him until she felt his arousal.

“Jasper, what are you doing?!” She asked beginning to panic at his touch.

“Something I've wanted to do for a long time now” he said moving in to kiss her again. Jess tried to move away from him, but she could feel Jasper's hand on the back of her head, forcing her into his kiss once again. Jess put her hands on his chest, trying to push him away only for Jasper to grab her two hands by her wrists with his other hand. Eventually Jess was able to break their kiss, but that didn't keep Jasper from kissing down from her neck to her collar bone. Jasper moved the hand he had on the back of her head to cup her breast and lightly squeeze it. He laughed lightly when he heard Jess let out a quiet squeak. His hand came in contact with her chest through her shirt. Jess struggled with Jasper trying to fight off his forceful advances until she was able to free her hand from his grasp. With her free hand she quickly delivered a harsh slap to Jasper’s cheek. Jasper stumbled back away from the desk as he cupped his cheek. He looked up at Jess and saw the fear and anger she expressed and realized what he had done.

“I-I'm sorry…” He said as guilt consumed him.

“It's fine, Jasper” she replied, quietly, trying not to make eye contact.

“No it's…I should go..” With that, Jasper grabbed his things and rushed towards the exit.

“Jasper, wait!” Jess called out, beginning to chase after him. She continued to call out only for Jasper to ignore her attempts to get his attention. Eventually Jasper made it to his car, opening the door and getting in. When he closed the door, he looked out the window and saw Jess running towards his car. Jess stood outside Jasper's car and begged him to get out so they could talk, but to Jess’s disappointment Jasper had locked the car door so she couldn't get in and had already put the keys to the ignition in, turning the engine over and getting ready to drive away. He put the car in drive, but before he left he took one last look at Jess. He looked into her sad eyes, but ignored her as he drove away, leaving her behind. That was the day everything changed. Jasper began to avoid Jess as much as possible until that one day she didn't show up to work.

---

How could have he let his feelings blind him? Jess had spent her life abused by so many people around her. How could he do that to her? Jasper walked into his office which he shared with his partners Reyes and Jess, feeling more guilty by every passing second. He set his things down on his desk then looked over at Jess’s desk, reminiscing of how it wasn't there before she came to work at the office. His train of thought was cut off when Jess entered the room with an angry look on her face. She quietly walked over to her desk and sat down, holding her chin up with her hand.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked.

“I'm pissed.” She said calmly.

Jasper walked over to her desk, grabbing a chair and sitting down next to her.

“What happened?” He asked.

“So you know I've been gone for five days. Well my friendly co-workers thought it would be a fun idea to walk up to me and say I must have been back on the juice….” Jess said.

The whole situation regarding Jess being a Former drug addict and people finding her unfit to be a junior detective made him sick. Jess was perfectly capable of performing at one hundred and ten percent, but they didn't believe that, and sure didn't know the side of Jess that he knew. But he had to admit he wasn't too enthralled about the idea of her joining considering he didn't know it was Jess. He only knew her as a former drug addict with a partial criminal record who had supposedly recovered from her addiction and was able to graduate and become a junior detective. He remembered the day Jess first walked into their office. Dressed in a clean black dress shirt and a black vest with fully intact jeans and standard edition boots. Not to mention with short brown hair and no piercings.

---

It was another rainy day at the YCPD. The sound of rain hitting the windows echoed through the quiet room as Jasper sat as his desk, working on another case of a recently missing child. He was currently by himself considering his partner had left to take a quick smoke break, although it felt like he had been gone for hours. Jasper was hoping he would return to their office soon. Today was the day they were being introduced to a new junior detective that Jasper’s partner insisted on mentoring regardless of her lack of experience and permanent record. A couple of years with a drug and alcohol problem with no college education. If anything she should have been assigned to work as a regular officer and not a detective, in other words Jasper wasn't particularly excited about having to babysit a former junky. He wouldn't be surprised if she were to lose her job the movement she got it, though he knew he shouldn't think that way considering he had never met this person not even once. He did find it odd that she had the same name as his old friend Jess, but she didn't look anything like her based on her picture in his opinion and he knew for a fact that Jess would rather have a career regarding artistics. She was a very talented artist after all. Jasper sat at his decked forced on what he was doing when he suddenly heard a knock at his door.

“Come in” he called, still staring at the papers on his desk.

The door slowly opened and Jasper looked up to see a female with short brown hair walk in, closing the door behind her. When Jasper saw her he instantly recognized her, this was the junior detective they had been waiting for.

“Hello, I'm Jessica Rogest. I'm looking for detective Reyes” he said.

Jasper stood up from his seat to walk over and greet her while informing of his partner’s absence.

“‘He’s not here at the moment, but I'm Jasper, we’re going to be working together” he said walking up to her and sticking his hand out.

Jess took a look at his hand and instantly lifted hers to shake his. When she did Jasper smiled at her and began to speak until he was cut off when he noticed what Jessica was wearing on her wrist. Jasper was shocked at the sight of Lisa’s bracelet hanging from her arm as she shook his hand, so caused his jaw to dropped. He looked up at Jessica, looking into her eyes, and he knew who she was. It was Jess.

---

Jasper could only stare, upset at the look on Jess’s face. He could tell she was fed up with all the smart comments and disrespect. She definitely didn't deserve it, but he knew she was tough. Like sh said, it takes a lot to take her down.

“Look, Jess, those people don't know you are on the inside. They don't know the beautiful, smart, and talented girl I was lucky enough to meet, so forget about them. It's their problem they can't see your potential, not yours.”

Jasper's words touched Jess. He was always there for her even when he was off at college.

“Jasper.” Jess started.

“Yes?” He answered.

“Do you remember the day you graduated and how I skipped class to come see you?”

“Yeah.”

“And do you remember how you gave me your graduation cap so I would have something to remember you by? And how you said I could do anything in the whole world because I was an amazing kid?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I still have that cap.” She smiled. “It was my motivation to get through high school, it was the thing that helped me graduate. Just know that that's what you would have wanted kept me going. And after high school, it was what would help me to keep fighting.”

“You still have that old thing? Wow! I'm flattered, Jess” Jasper said.

“You didn't give up on me, Jasper, so I wasn't gonna give up on myself.”

Jasper smiled at her and she smiled back. Jess moved her hand to place it on his as a way of saying she cared. The rest of the day, Jasper couldn't stop thinking about Jess. He didn't realize how much of an impact he had on her life. He couldn't believe he was the thing that kept her from falling off the edge again or that he was the one who caught her when she fell. It left him to think of how it could have been if he stayed in Toronto instead of going to university in Maine. He probably could have prevented some of the things that happened to Jess, but he didn't want to think about that.

After work, Jasper offered to drive Jess home. He pulled up to Jess’s apartment, parking next to the curve on the broken pavement. Jasper waited for Jess to exit, but noticed she sat still staring intensely out the window. She furrowed her eyebrows as she sat in silence, analyzing the building for some reason. Jasper was wonder if something was wrong and if he should bring Jess back to his apartment.

“Is something wrong?” He asked her

“Rylee’s throwing a party” she said.

Jasper was quiet for a moment before he spoke again “what does that mean, exactly?”

Jess sighed and laid back in her seat. “It means I'm gonna have to spend the night with a bunch of alcoholics and prostitutes…” She said, faintly.

“If you want you can come back to my apartment and spend the night there, I don't mind.” Jasper offered

“No it's fine, I'm used to dealing with this stuff” she said as she motioned her hand towards the car door, pushing lightly and stepping out. Jasper stepped out of the car as well thinking that it would be best for him to walk Jess to her apartment as a way to check out the possibly menacing situation. Jess heard the car door close behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Jasper walking behind her, giving him a strange look that made him think she was confused to why he was following her.

“I just want to make sure you make it to your apartment okay” he explained with his hands in his pockets.

“I think I'll be alright” she said.

“Please” he pleaded “I'm just worried about you.”

Jess thought about it for a moment, wondering if it would be smart for him to see how she lived until she allowed him to follow her in. She walked over to the front entrance of the building with Jasper following as she lifted her arm and placed her hand on the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open. The building didn't have much security. She walked up the stairs until she was face to face with the door of her apartment. Jasper could hear the sound of loud music and people shouting coming from the other side. Suddenly, Jasper jumped in surprise at the sound of Jess pounding on the door yelling to Rylee to open the door for her. The two waited for a moment until the door slowly opened revealing a large man with a beard holding a bear in one hand as he stood there, staring at the two of them with bloodshot eyes. Jasper saw Jess furrow her brow in anger as she asked the man about Rylee. With that, the man turned his head to the left and called out for Rylee, saying that there was some lady at the door for him before walking away from the door to go back and talk with his buddies. It took a moment for Rylee to get to the door, but once he did Jasper could tell he was wasted. He stumbled to the entrance leaning against the doorway with a beer in one hand as he slurred his words when talking to them. When he arrived in front of them he had a dumb smile on his face that soon faded when he saw it was Jess who was asking for him.

“Oh...it's you…” He said, annoyed.

Jess smiled at him and said “upset I'm not one of your prostitutes?”

“Ugh...shut up, b***h..” He said groaning as he walked away from the doorway.

“Yeah, f**k you too” she said, expressing her anger. Jess moved, walking through the entrance, but not before looking over her shoulder and saying goodbye to Jasper, thanking him for everything he did for her. Jasper wanted to come in with her, but Jess insisted he go home instead. She didn't want him to see what was going to happen once she closed the door. Jasper did as she asked and turned around to walk down the stairs. Jess closed the door behind her and once she did Jasper could hear Jess as she yelled at Rylee. She went on saying how selfish and stupid he was being for bringing all these people into their tiny apartment after she called him saying she was coming home and wanted the apartment to be empty. She was furious with him for completely ignoring her wishes, for always ignoring her wishes. Jasper stood outside the apartment with one foot on the first step down as he continued to listen to the excessive arguing that took place until he heard the sound of Jess struggling with somebody, yelling things along the line of ‘let go of me’ and ‘get off’. Jasper took his foot off the step as he walked up to the door and knocked on it, calling to Jess. Suddenly, the door swung open hitting Jasper in his face causing him to fall back against the wall. He could feel liquid running out of his nose when he realized the strike from the door had caused his nose to bleed. While leaning against the wall, wiping away the blood, Jasper saw Jess get throw onto the floor outside her apartment by Rylee who immediately closed the door once Jess was out of the apartment. She quickly got up to stop Rylee from locking her out, but once she was up the door was closed followed by the click of the lock. Jess began to pound on the door yelling at Rylee to open up until she lost the will to continue and turned around, putting her back against the door as she slid down, sitting on the dirty carpet that was the floor. She put a hand on her head and she looked down at the floor, contemplating about everything that had happened. She looked so defeated and empty like when she was a teenager, life wasn't what she expected it to be and it was slowly killing her on the inside. Jasper pushed himself off the wall and walked over to her, kneeling down so he was at height with her. He stuck a finger out, pushing strands of her short hair out of her face and behind her ear. Jess looked at him with sad eyes and said “you're all I have, aren't you?”.

“It looks like that, doesn't it?” He said to her. Jess looked back down at the floor, but turned her attention back to Jasper once she saw him standing up. He stuck out a considerate and gently hand for her to grab onto and lift her off the ground. Jess did as Jasper hoped and took his hand and felt herself growing lighter as Jasper pulled her up, helping her onto her feet. Once she was up he told her that she could stay with him until she got this whole situation out of the way and out of her head. Jess agreed to go with him and began to walk down the rickety stairs back to Jasper’s car. Jess didn't say much in the ride back to Jasper’s apartment. She just sat there in the passenger seat looking out the window with her head against the glass as Jasper looked at her from the corner of his eye. She looked unbelievably tired, like she was going to pass out right there, but Jasper knew she wouldn't. She was pretty talented at keeping herself awake considering all the times she was called in for a late night investigation along with him and his colleagues and the police station. As Jasper drove, he could feel blood starting to run from his nose once again. It made him think of the time he once took a beating for Jess when they were still teenagers after a group of girls stole this bracelet that Jess wore. He remembered her telling him about how the bracelet belonged to this one friend she had named Lisa who died due to a terrible illness. Lisa was Jess’s first and only friend whom she did everything with. She said that they were outcast together in a world filled with perfect people who wanted nothing to do with them and she loved it. She was the only real person Jess felt she could talk to and connect with. Lisa gave Jess the bracelet as a way to remember her for when she passed away. To this day Jess still wears the bracelet, never taking it off and never forgetting what Lisa meant to her.

---

Jasper sat with Jess in her dining room as he tried to explain to her. He did his best to try and help her, but something seemed off about Jess that day, like she was trapped in some sort of state that she couldn't escape from, causing her to feel nothing, but distress as she went on trying to live her life. Jasper looked at her with concern for her as he noticed her looking down at the book he was showing her, except he knew she wasn't paying attention. He asked her a simple question and when Jess didn't answer he snapped his fingers in front of her face as a way to try and wake her up from what she was experiencing. When Jasper snapped his fingers he watched as Jess blinked her eyes twice and and looked up at him with wide eyes, her head still down.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine” she responded “now what were you saying?

Jasper wasn't convinced by what she told him. He knew something was wrong with her, but he didn't know what and he knew Jess wasn't just going to tell him so he was going to have to find out by himself. He looked at Jess was using her hand to cup her face as she leaned on her elbow she he noticed she wasn't wearing Lisa’s bracelet.

“Where's your bracelet?” He asked

Jess looked back at him while moving her arm so it was under the table.

“What?” She said

“You're not wearing your bracelet” Jasper pointed out.

Jess sat there for a moment before responding. “Oh yeah...I'm not wearing it today”

“Any reason why?”

“Aren't you supposed to be teaching me math?!” She retorted, angrily

“Yes, but you're not paying attention” he said.

Jess looked away from Jasper and turned her attention to the window, watching as the snow lightly fell from the sky and onto the ground, creating small piles of white with every flake. Jasper picked up the book and flipped to the page before the page they were on, thinking it would be best for them to start the lesson over, but Jess still failed to pay any attention to what he was saying as he went on trying to teach her. Days went by and Jasper noticed still that she wasn't wearing Lisa’s bracelet and without it, Jess just seemed so lifeless. It was like the part of her that made her happy was somehow attached to the metal object, and when it was gone, the feeling would go as well. One day Jasper was in his class going over the next lesson he was going to be teaching Jess, though he didn't see the point. There was no way she was going to be able to do it while she was like this. While Jasper was looking over the paper, he was interrupted by the sound of three said to be “popular” girls of the school as the walked in with their loud conversations regarding the new clothes they got or attractive actors. Jasper didn't particularly like those girls considering they would bully Jess any chance the got. He glared at them harshly when he noticed what one of them was wearing on their wrist. To his surprise it was Lisa’s bracelet, they must have stolen it. With that Jasper stood up from where he was sitting and walked over towards them with the intent to return the bracelet to Jess. He stood in front of them and was given a cruel look.

“What do you want?” One of the girls said.

“I was just wondering where you got your bracelet.” Jasper said pointing at the bracelet.

“Why do you care?” The girl wearing the bracelet asked.

“Because it's not yours.” He said. At that moment Jasper grabbed the girl's wrist, roughly, and pulled the bracelet off of her limb.

“Hey!” The girl yelled getting the attention of the guys sitting next to the group of girls. Jasper began to walk away, putting the bracelet in his pocket until he was spun around and face to face with one of the guys who was friends with the girls. He had the angriest of looks as he stared at Jasper, fear beginning to crawl over him. Though he feared what was going to happen to him he wasn't going to let him take Lisa’s bracelet.

“Ya like harassing girls and taking their things, foureyes? We got a way with dealing with people like you” he said while cracking his knuckles.

Jasper took a quick swallow before furrowing his brow and saying ‘bring it on’ to the very large man in front of him. That did it, that set him off. Jasper was met with the fist of the bully in front of him hitting him square in the face, breaking his glasses and possibly his nose. Jasper started to bleed from his nostrils as he stumbled back, unable to see. He tried to look through his broken glasses only to feel a sudden pain in his stomach that had been hit by the bully. This caused Jasper to fall to his knees where he was met with another blow to the face, but through all of the suffering and pain, Jasper never let go of Lisa’s bracelet. He wouldn't dare to. He could feel the presence of the bully as he stood over Jasper. He could tell he was in for it now, when suddenly the bully was tackled by the officer of the school. Jasper sighed in relief as the joy of knowing the pain was through washed over him.
That afternoon, while Jasper was tutoring Jess, Jasper noticed how tired and empty she seemed.

“Jess?” Jasper called, but he got no response.

“Jess? Hello?...ground control to major Tom!” He tried again. Jess turned her attention to Jasper as her head lay in the palm of her hand. Jasper looked at her concerned.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

Jess was quiet for a moment. “who cares about me? look what happened to you. Are you alright?”

Jasper chuckled at her response, even though his face was broken and abused, he was still more concerned about her.

“I'm fine, Jess”

“No you aren't, don't lie to me.” She said as she looked back out the window. She was mad slightly due to Jasper's concern for her. In her eyes it was like he was trying to take care of a dying animal. There's no point. But Jasper didn't think that way, in his eyes Jess was a smart and capable young woman with a bright future and he'd do anything to make sure she believes that. Jasper watched as Jess stared at the falling snow that always seemed to capture her attention when he thought now was the time to bring her mood up.

“Y'know, Jess, I got you something.” Jasper said getting her attention. She looked away from the window and met Jasper's gaze.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

Jess did as Jasper asked and with that, Jasper began to search through his bag for the object Jess treasured so dearly. When he found it, he took it from his bag and placed it in jess’s open hand. When she felt the cold, metal object in her hand she opened her eyes and her heart stopped at the sight of it. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open when she turned her attention to Jasper who was smiling at the sight of her surprise. She was shocked and heartbroken, feeling as if she would cry. The man before her had been beaten and abused for the sake of bringing back her most valuable item. Never had she been shown such kindness. Never, and now that it had happened, she felt as if she was of some value. She was elated. At that moment she was forever grateful for what Jasper had done for her and knew she would never forget this act of kindness. He had become her true family.

---

Once Jasper and Jess made it to Jasper's apartment, the two exited the car. Thats when Jess noticed the dried blood above Jasper's lip. She rushed over to him, her heart beating fast.

“They hurt you! I'm so sorry, Jasper, I really am.” Jess cupped Jasper's face with one hand while she used her thumb to wipe away the blood coming from his nose. Jasper gently took her wrists in his hands and moved them away as he smiled, looking into her eyes which revealed her feelings of distress. He spoke softly assuring her that he was alright and she had no need to worry. Though she didn't believe him she still threw him a loving smile and followed as he lead her back to his appartment. Once they arrived and offered to make them a late dinner as a way of saying thanks. Though Jasper refused her offer, he was appreciative of her kindness. With nothing left to do Jess sat down on the couch and relaxed for a bit as Jasper walked into his bathroom so he could take care of his bloody nose. Once he was it he bathroom, he grabbed a small wash cloth. He then turned on the hot water faucet and held the cloth underneath the pouring water, watching as the steam danced in the air. Once the cloth was wet, he moved it towards his face where he pressed it against his upper lip, letting the cloth collect the moisture coming from his noise. Since he was curious to whether or not his nose was broken, he gave it a small flick which he ended up regretting. He quietly let out an “ow” which got the attention of the woman standing outside the bathroom watching Jasper.

“You okay there?” Jess asked.

Jasper turned his head to see her. “I think my nose is broken..” Jess walked over to him and told him to stand still. He did as she asked and watched as she he,d his face in her sound hands once again. She lightly trailed to fingers across the bridge of his nose until she pinched it and tweaked his nose which didn't hurt him too much. She continued to inspect it until she told him that it was broken it was just reacting to the earlier blow.

“How do you know?” Jasper asked.

“I just do.” She said with a smile. She lightly patted Jasper on the cheek then turned around and walked into the bedroom. Jasper followed a few seconds after and walked in to find Jess taking her pants and boots off.

“Are you going to bed?”

He's turned around to face him. “Well, it is almost midnight and we do have work tomorrow.” She said, smiling. Jasper could only smile back at her answer.

“Alright. I guess I see you in the morning.” Jasper said as he began to walk towards the living room, but was then stopped by Jess calling out his name. He turned around to face her and she began to speak.

“Jasper, you took care of me more than anyone else did, and I have to know...why?”

Jasper smiled at her. “Because I saw your potential and capability unlike everyone else. I knew that you were capable of great things and I wanted to be there to help you see that and along the way I saw what a caring person you were and how much pain you had been through. I had been through the same pain, and I had someone there for me, I wanted someone to be there for you.”

Jess couldn't find the words to speak she was so shocked. She could feel her heart breaking at the sound of his words. Jasper smiled at her silence then turned around and began to walk out the room when Jess stopped him. He looked over his shoulder to meet Jess’s gaze.

She spoke softly as she twiddled her thumbs. “Would you...like to sleep in the bed with me..?” She asked.

Jasper was hesitant at first as well as curious. He didn't know exactly why she wanted him to sleep with her, but he accepted her offer and got into bed with her once he was changed. Jess was on the right side of the bed with her head lying on the pillow as the blanket covered her body. He walked up to the bed and lifted the covers, placing his body on the soft mattress and covering himself. It was quiet for a while until Jess began to speak, calling out Jasper’s name.

“Jasper?” She called.

“Yes?” He answered.

“Do you think I'll ever be able to escape the life I put myself in?”

Jasper was quiet for a moment as he pondered her question.

“Ever since I met you, Jess, I could see you had been fighting. You had been through a lot of pain thinking it wasn't going to end, but you still kept on going. You've made it this far and I can tell you're fighting for a better life and I know, knowing you, you're gonna get it, and I'll be here to fight alongside you all the way.”

Jess could feel herself beginning to tear up at his words. At that moment she felt so loved and safe when she unlocked a feeling she had kept inside for years.

“Jasper” she called again.

“Yes” he responded.

“Can I kiss you?”

Jasper's eyes widened and he rose, leaning on his elbow. He looked over to Jess astonished as he watched her rise along with him, looking at him.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked once more.

Jasper recalled this very situation when he asked Jess to kiss him at the office, could she possibly want to have sex with him.

“Um….yes..,bu!” Jasper was cut off immediately once Jess quickly crashed their lips together, leaning into him until her breasts laid against his chest. Jess ran her fingers through his thick, black, hair while her other pressed against Jasper's chest, beginning to grip the fabric of his shirt. Jasper’s response was to wrap his hands around her waist, pulling her in closer to him while he leaned in further to explore her mouth. Jess wrapped her arms around his neck as the two continued to taste each other, Jasper moving his hand to cup her left breast. He could hear a muffled squeak escape from her lips when he did.
Jasper chuckled through their heated kiss at her little noises, he found them to be somewhat cute. Jasper leaned forward forcing Jess onto her back as he began to kiss her neck and collarbone, he could feel Jess running her fingers through his hair and he could hear her moan slightly as he peppered her neck with sucking kisses. Jasper moved away from her, sitting up, to take his shirt off and threw it onto the floor, he became aroused at the sight of her lying underneath him, breathing heavily as she leaned against her elbows and stared at him. Jasper fell forward, lying in ontop of her, beginning to kiss her lips again, they would move away only to let out small breaths then would immediately melt back into each other and experience what they had to offer. Jasper moved his head and nibbled at Jess’s earlobe before whispering “take your clothes off.
Jess did as she was told and began to lift her shirt up over her head, exposing her breasts to Jasper, he could feel the heat coming off of them as they were pressed up against his chest. He lifted his body so he was sitting up straight and moved his hands to pull down her underwear along with his boxer, staring at Jess’s breasts in the process. His erect c**k drooled against her stomach, she could feel cum spread onto her thighs as she moved her legs apart letting the warm material tangle Across them. The warmth made Jess shudder, the feeling of Jasper's cum on her bare skin put her stomach in knots. She could barely contain her excitement, all she wanted to do was attack Jasper in an animalistic rage.
Before she could do anything she felt Jasper grab her knees and push her legs farther apart, beginning to sensually rub her calves. Jasper looked down at her with a crude smile on his face, all she could do was stare at him with her heart beating fast. Jasper moved her legs so they were hugging his waist, they were hot like the rest of her body. He could see her cheeks turning a soft pink when he did, the look in her eyes telling him of her excitement. Jasper leaned down and kissed her again, performing a slow rhythm. Jess wrapped her arms around him. She burrowed her face into his neck, he could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin.
For every second that went by Jasper would thrust faster. Jess would moan at the feeling of pleasure she ever so craved. She felt that her body was in tune with his as the endless sensation corrupted her and left her in a state of overwhelming ecstasy. A litany of pleas and moans escaped her, she could hear Jasper breathing hot in her ear and could feel him kiss her neck, softly, slowly beginning to nibble at her flesh. All she could do was lay there holding him close to her as if her life depended on it with a smile on her face. Jasper was gripping the headboard as he moved quickly, with the cries of “oh God” and “yes” coming from Jess he could barely contain himself. He wanted to move faster, but feared that he would hurt Jess by doing so. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable. He kissed Jess once more before whispering in heavy breaths “you don't know how long I've wanted to do this...with you…”

Jess responded the same as he did. Breathing heavily.

“How long?” She moaned

“Ever since I saw that tiny a*s walking in through that door!” Jasper moaned after he spoke along with Jess.

The two experienced something they hadn't felt in a long time. To think they had known each other since they were young, doing everything together, being there for each other, and now being able to enjoy each other in an exhilarating moment that they could both share. They spent as much time as they could, but to their disappointment they both knew eventually the moment would have to end. Jasper could feel himself about to climax as well as Jess. He began to thrust harder until he could feel Jess clawing at his back, listening to her cry out. He could feel her heart beating fast against his chest as she held onto him tightly.
He tightly gripped the headboard until he suddenly stopped. He lifted his head and rested it on Jess's head, his eyes were closed and his breaths were heated. She looked at him as a smile crept on his face

“Do you hear that?” he said

Jess was confused by what he said

“Hear what?” She asked

Jasper pulled out, but only to harshly thrust into Jess once more, finding his release. She cried out as she felt the hot pulse of cum enter her body, causing her to cum with Jasper still inside her. Jasper felt the warm liquid coming from her and laughed. He soon pulled out of her and rolled over, lying on his back, while Jess got of her back and rested her head against Jasper's chest. He put an arm around her and held her close to him, beginning to rub her upper arm.
He could feel her kissing his chest as she nuzzled into him. They laid like that for a few minutes before Jasper called for Jess, asking if she was awake. Jess opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“What is it, Jasper?” She asked

“What are we?” Jasper said staring at the ceiling

“What do you mean?”

“Are we...together or just friends with benefits?”

Jess didn't answer at first, but eventually told him “I don't like the idea of friends with benefits. Do you?”

“No, I don't” he said

“then that's your answer” she said smiling and closing her eyes.

Jasper looked down at her and smiled. He then put his head back and closed his eyes beginning to fall asleep with her until he was woken up by Jess kissing him and saying “let's do it again”

P2
Years had gone by as Jess and Jasper spent their lives together as a couple. Working cases, eating dinner, living together, spending almost all their time together for what started out as two people assigned to each other became something so much more.
Jess opened her eyes slowly, becoming blinded by the bit of sunlight seeping through an opening in the curtains of the floor to ceiling window. She quietly moaned as she turned over to her side, avoiding the light. She closed her eyes tightly only to open them back up and take in the sight of her handsome boyfriend as he was trapped in tempting and alluring state that was sleep. He looked so peaceful it was almost a thing of beauty. She was so used to almost always seeing Jasper working day and night, she never was able to see him like this. She loved it. As she stared she suddenly heard a quiet rumbling sound coming from her stomach. She didn't even realize how hungry she was which made her suspicious, she didn't even feel hungry, but either way she still got out of the bed and dressed herself in sweatpants and a T-shirt. She quietly walked to and out the door into the other room where she proceeded to the kitchen with intent of making breakfast. She decided on something simple such as cereal with milk and a cup of orange juice. As she went to fix her breakfast, her phone began to ring from the coffee table in the living room. She walked, over practically running, to turn off the ringer and bring back the silence that Jasper required for a longer sleep. She picked up her phone and silenced it, afterwards checking to see who it was. To her disappointment it was work. Jess answered her phone, wondering what the hell her boss could possibly want from her on her day off.

“Sir, no disrespect, but this better be important.” She said, aggravated.

“Hello there, Jessica.” A woman said.

Jess couldn't say a word at the sound of the woman's voice, she was completely tongue tied.

“M-Monica?” Jess said nervously.

“Oh good! You haven't forget me! Now tell me, how have you been?”

“How did you find me? What did you do to my boss?!” Jess yelled.

“Relax, he's fine. We just hacked your phone and such.”

“What the hell do you want, Monica?”

“Well, like I said, I want to know how you've been.” She said. Jess could see the smile on her face from the other end of the call and it was infuriating her.

“Cut the s**t!” She yelled quietly. “Why are you calling?”

“I'll skip the small talk. You see, darling, we have a new experience to we’d like to test and we feel you would be the perfect candidate for our experiment!”

Jess was unbelievably close to screaming into the phone. “Are you kidding?! No! I'm not putting myself through that again! I'm finally healthy and I'm not gonna let you f**k that up!”

“You might want to stop thinking of yourself and think about the man you have in the other room.”

Jess’s eyes widened when she said that. Could they really be using Jasper as blackmail?

“You wouldn't.” Jess said, sternly.

“Oh yes we would, Jessica. Now I want you to think for a minute before you make your next move. If you run, we kill him. He you kill yourself, we kill him. If you refuse, we kill him. And if you tell anyone, we kill him. Now do we have a deal?”

“I don't have much of a choice…” Jess said, quietly while looking over her shoulder at the entrance to the bedroom.

“Wonderful! We’ll get you when we're ready which should be in the next few months. Bye now!”

“Wait!” Jess exclaimed. “You have to promise you won't hurt him.”

“Why of course, dear! WE won't lay a finger on his pretty little body. Bye bye!”

Monica hung up once she was finished. Jess could barely breath thinking about the idea of being Monica's Guinea pig again. She wanted nothing to do with her ever again, not after last time, but now they had a way of getting to her. She couldn't believe this was happening. Jess walked back over to the couch and sat down, putting a hand up to her head to wipe away the bits of sweat she obtained as she tried to calm down. Jess closed her eyes, trying to relax while whispering to herself.

“What am I gonna do…?”

“What are you talking about?” Jasper asked causing Jess to shoot her eyes open and dart her head to the right, looking at Jasper.

“Um… I just…” Jess panicked. Jasper sat next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder while looking in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked.

“Yes! I'm fine.”

“Then why are you so nervous?”

“Umm…” Jess stuttered when she had an idea.

“Jasper...I think I'm pregnant…”

Jasper's eyes widened. “Are you sure?! How can that be?!”

“I don't know, but my period is late…” she said.

“But...the pill…”

“It must have been a dud. Look I'll go out and get a pregnancy test right now. You just try to relax, okay?” Jess said as she stood up, but not before giving Jasper a quick kiss in the hopes it would help him feel better. Jess walked back into the bedroom and dressed herself then grabbed her bag and walked out the door, leaving Jasper to worry. The guilt was enormous, but she had no choice. Jasper's life was in danger and she had to do whatever it took to keep him safe.

A few months went by and Jess was in her office with Jasper and Reyes as the discussed the possible suspects of a recent killing, but Jess couldn't focus. She was too worried about the experiment Monica had ready for her. Though she knew the day could be any of them, she felt like it was going to happen that day and it was terrifying her. As she was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly saw two fingers snapping in front of her, waking her from her distracted state. It had been Jasper trying to get her attention. He stood over her with a concerned look on his face.

“What's wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing, I'm just a bit distracted.” Jess lied.

“Alright, but if something's wrong, just let me know.”

“Hey, you two, get over here! I think I found something!” Reyes said. Jasper did as tee Reyes asked and walked back over to the evidence on the table. Jess got up from where she was sitting and followed Jasper over to Reyes until suddenly she began to feel light headed. She started to move slowly and here vision was becoming blurry. Jasper soon noticed this and quickly acted on it.

“Jess, are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah...I'm…” at that moment Jess closed her eyes and fell forward as here mind became a blank. When Jess woke up she was lying on the floor of her office at the police department except no one was there. She got up from the floor and walked over the the exit where she opened the door and left the room, finding nothing but flipped over desks and scattered papers. Jess sighed at the sight of the destroyed office space for she knew what it meant and where she was. Though she was upset with sudden relocation, she was relieved to see that it was only her in the strange simulation. Jess began to walk forward slowly, keeping a hand on one of her blades just in case something came at her, after all she knew exactly who these people were and what they were capable of. Jess carefully searched the room for any signs of where she need to go if there were any when she heard light footsteps. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw a small figure running around the corner.

“Hey...wait!” Jess called as she began to run towards the figure. When she turned the corner she was presented with a completely different hallway causing her to stop in confusion. Jess looked down the familiar hallway when she realized where she was, and she didn't like it. That's when she saw two people walk up to her from behind, one of them putting their hand on her shoulder which caused Jess to freak out and reach for her knife, but was met with fear and confusion when it wasn't there, until she saw who it was who touched her. She could only stare at the sight of the man and the woman in front of her.

“Mom?” She said.

“Jessica what are you doing?” Her mother asked.

“What are you doing here?” Jess asked.

“What are you talking about? We have an appointment with that nice woman Monica”

“What?” Jess’s eyes widened. She suddenly remembered this was the day she was introduced to the Federal Institution of Mentally Ill Citizens. Her mind was in shock at the idea of reliving every moment and every obstacle she encountered in this hell of a “hospital”. That's when Jess realized. She then grabbed her mother's purse in search of the mirror she carried with her. When she found it, her jaw dropped at the sight of her blue hair and pierced face on her sixteen year old body within the the small mirror. She dropped it in shocked, the glass shattering on impact and scattering across the floor. Her mother became aggravated with her, but soon calmed herself when her father stepped in and told her, as quoted, “she’s sick, dear”. Jess couldn't allow them to send her here so she thought of the only thing she could.

“Mom, I'm not...feeling well…” Jess lied.

Her mother could only frown as feelings of sorrow overcame her. “I know, honey, I know. But that's why we're here.” She said

“Mom we have to leave.” Jess said in a panic. “We’re not safe here.”

Jess’s mother kneeled down and looked up at her, gently grasping her hands.

“Honey, I know you may think that, but I promise you are safe here, okay?” She said trying to comfort her


Jess felt a forceful pain against her chest when she landed in the ocean. She started to cough, choking on salt water from her sudden experience with almost drowning. Though she was surprised that she was able to inhale oxygen and feel her soaked clothes weigh her down. Then she realized she wasn't in water, she was on some form of land that had no visible inhabitants. Once she coughed up the rest of the water, she lifted herself with what little strength she had, wanting nothing, but to fall back down on her knees, to give up, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to. Not after what she found out three months ago. She stood tall as she brushed her wet hair out of her eyes. When she did her eyes widened to find Jasper unconscious, lying on the floor not even five feet from her. She quickly got up and stumbled towards him, kneeling down before him and checking to see if he was breathing. He wasn't. She then began to push against his chest in the hopes to resuscitate him, but it wasn't working. Jess was too busy trying to revive her partner to remember what Monica said. Saying she wouldn't hurt him, he wouldn't be involved. She lied. As Jess pushed against Jasper's chest she suddenly heard the sound of water hitting the floor followed by coughing. She look over to find Reyes


The three of them walked through the door and were brought to an old and dingy apartment that didn't seem to have anybody in it. The two men took in the sight of the messy and beat up living space when they saw a woman with short purple hair standing in front of them. To their surprise it had been Jess which is when they all realized, this was one of her memories. Jess looked around the room when she suddenly remembered where she was. She was in the apartment of Rylee’s old friend who was letting them stay there after they crossed the border illegally. Jess would never forget that man and the fight he had with Rylee. Jess was snapped out of her train of thought when Jasper called her name, asking where it was they were exactly.

“I use to live here. This was where me and Rylee stayed when we were in Portsmouth.” Jess said as she walked over to the couch and picked up a photo. “A after Buck and jo jo got us passed the border in their RV, we had to jump trains and hitch rides, sneak onto buses and steal bikes just to get here and in the winter that wasn't fun.” Jess sat down on the couch still memorized by the photo.

“Well, what happened?” Reyes asked.

“We-” Jess was cut off when a man burst through the door. Jess furrowed her brow at the sight of Rylee, face red with anger.

“Rylee?” Jess said.

“Where the f**k is Eli!?” Rylee exclaimed.

“He's….. in his room, but.”

Rylee stomped over to a door and began to bang on it, yelling and shouting profanity of all kinds. Jess watched in fear as he shouted until eventually the door was opened to find a blonde haired man about Rylee’s size, rubbing his eyes and asking why he was being woken. Rylee then grabbed him by the collar and through him to the ground in the living room.

“AHH! What the hell, Rylee!” The man yelled.

“You touched my girl!”

That's when Jess remembered what was happening. This was when Rylee confronted Eli for having sex with her. He thought that he did it against her will, but she agreed to it because she knew if she didn't, Eli would have kicked them out. Jess got up from the couch and stepped in front of Rylee before he could do anything else, placing her hand son his chest and pushing him back slightly. He tried to fight her by moving her hands, but stopped when she explained what happened. This shocked Rylee and caused him to become even angrier. Jess tried to keep him away from Eli by pushing him, but to her disappointment Rylee was much too strong and she was pushed out of the way as a result, hitting the wall forcefully. By then Eli had gotten up off of the floor, but he didn't stay standing tall for long when Rylee through his fist, hitting him in the face causing Eli to stumble back. Rylee walked over to try and hit him again only to be met with a blow to the stomach and a knee to the face. Rylee fell back, blood covering his face as Eli stood over him, ready to take him out. Suddenly Eli felt something jump on his back, starting to pound on him. It was Jess trying to help Rylee, but her attempts were pointless when she was thrown across the room, hitting the wall. Jess felt dizzy and was in pain from the sudden impact, but she couldn't ignore the sounds of Rylee getting beaten by Eli. She laid there and watched as Eli grabbed the collar of Rylee’s shirt and dragged him to the front door that was still opened and threw him out, slamming the door in his face. Jess got up onto her feet and tried to grab her knife, but remembered at that point she didn't have one. She was then met with a blow to the face causing blood to fly from her nose until she felt her hair being pulled by Eli who was attempting to force her out. She tried to fight, but it was hopeless. Jess was soon thrown out of the apartment along with with Rylee. She stumbled into him and was then pushed out of the way as Rylee began to bang on the door. As he shouted, Jess grabbed him and tried to stop him, pulling him away from the door.

“Rylee, stop!” She yelled, grabbing him.

“He's gonna pay for touching you…!” He mumbled.

“Rylee! He didn't rape me! I let him!” She said which caused Rylee to





Part 3

Jess walked into the room carrying bags of groceries in each arm, thee sound of rustling papers bags echoing through the room. She walked into the kitchen, thinking nobody was homelike Jasper had said, and set the bags down on the counter. She then began to pull food out of the bags to store them away when she felt someone wrap their arms around her, surprising her. To her surprise it was Jasper, with his arms around her and chin on her shoulder, hugging her tight.

“I thought you said you wouldn't be home.” Jess said smiling.

“Forgive me, but that was a little white lie so I could surprise you with something.” Jasper whispered.

“Oh and do tell, what would that be?”

“Turn around, sweetheart.” a voice said from behind them. Jess turned around and her jaw dropped to find the Marla and Jack standing in the kitchen. Jess could barely find the words to speak so was so shocked to find her mother and father figures right in front of her, here in Maine instead of Toronto. Marla walked up to Jess with her arms wide open and hugged her, expressing all the love she had for her after she went missing. Jack did the same soon after, lifting his two favorite girls up off the ground causing the girls to laugh in joy. Once the hug was finished, Marla began to speak while looking into Jess’s wide brown eyes.

“Oh let me look at you, honey. You turned out so beautiful it's amazing!” She said. “And this” she said, putting a hand on Jess’s stomach. “I'm gonna be a grandmother! Oh god I'm so happy for you, baby!” Marla hugged Jess once again as she began to cry tears of joy.

“Sit down with me, I want you tell me everything I missed!” Marla said as she took Jess by the hand, leading her into the living room. Jasper moved to follow them when he was stopped by Jack placing a hand on his shoulder. Jasper couldn't deny he was nervous, thinking that Jack didn't approve of him and wanted to say it.

“Wait a minute, son.” He said. Jasper agreed to stay back and listened to what Jack had to say.

“I noticed you didn't give Jess an engagement ring.” He said.

“Oh...yeah...well I can't afford one at the moment, but I plan to get one.” Jasper said.

“Don't bother.” Jack said. At that moment Jack moved his hand to pull something out of his back pocket. He presented a small black box in front of Jasper then opened it. Jasper's eyes widened to find a silver ring with a jade stone. Jasper was confused to why he was showing him this.

“This was my grandmother's engagement ring. I want you to give it to Jess.” Jack said.

“Oh...oh no, I can't do that! It was your grandmother’s.”

“Look, son. When I first saw you with Jess at the bar I was skeptical. I thought you would be just like everybody else, ready to abandon her when things got tough, but you didn't. You did everything for her and you still are. I love that girl, she's my daughter, and all I want is for her to be happy and I can tell she's happy with you, so this is my way of saying welcome to my family. I can tell you're gonna take good care of my baby Jessie and my grand daughter.

Author's Note

The second and third part have been started and are seen in there. Please, Let me know if you want me to continue