(no subject)

[betagainstme]

The plane ride was tense and long. Jasper stared out the window, barely remembering to breathe (everyone smelled so so good), his fingers tight on the armrests.

Alice stared straight ahead, at the movie on the screen. She'd seen this one twice already and it barely held her attention. She was radiating with the annoyance and hurt she had felt during the family meeting, her lips pressed together carefully. Jasper didn't know what to do...on the one hand, he agreed that the risk of Milliways is a risk they should not be taking.

But on the other Alice was his wife, and she said she had taken all the same precautions that they took at school, only the patrons of this bar knew far more than they should in the first place...and that wasn't her fault.

And he knew he had been forgiven, their fingers were twisted together on their shared armrest, and that the anger and annoyance was directly almost entirely at Rosalie, that Alice was just going over everything Rose had snapped at her before they left. The hurt, however, he knew still stemmed from him as much as the rest of the family.

Well, he amended in his mind, just Carlisle, Rosalie and himself. Esme had remained as neutral as she could and Emmett was just excited about a new place...and Edward was Alice's unwavering shield during the entire argument, his hand on her back the calming touch she had needed.

Jasper should have been the one to do that, and he wasn't.

His hand tightened on her fingers for a moment and she looked at him, reflexively. Her eyes were sad when he glanced at her in return and she shook her head, leaning forward to kiss his jaw. He breathed in quickly, filling his senses with her, only her and still he swallowed hard.

Her wrist turned and she glanced at the watch she wore. "Two more hours."

"Have we really not said a word to each other for eleven hours?" Jasper murmured, his voice low so that only she could hear it. Her answering smile was sad.

"I'm so--"

He kissed her, on the mouth, quickly. "Let's just forget it. We have both..." He shook his head. "The past is past?"

"The past is past." Alice agreed, craning her neck to look out their window, over the ocean. "Two more hours."

"Will our closet even hold anymore clothes?" Jasper smiled, running his thumb over her hand. "And will Paris hold any excitement after space?"

Alice sighed, contentedly as she looked back at him. His casual mention of her trip seemed to be what she needed to hear, no matter how worried it made him. "Paris will always be my favourite."

She kissed him again and when they pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers. The words he felt the urge to say (I love you, forgive me, I'm sorry, I love you) were things she already knew, so he remained silent. "I should have been on your side."

Alice pulled back and shook her head. "No, you shouldn't have. You stand for what you believe is right, as much as I do. But no more talk of that meeting. This vacation is ours, leave the arguments and the family out of this."

He ducked his head in a nod and she nodded in reply, leaning against him.



Two hours later, when they landed in Paris, he set their bags down and lifted her against his chest and kissed her properly, in the middle of the airport.