A/N: This story is a gift for MarieCarro. Marie, I really hope you like it!

Here's the prompt I based it on: 'People mostly believe we survived the attack by hiding in his home, and only I knew that wasn't true.'

Chrissie (purpleC305) beta'd this for me even though I was writing till the last minute, and I am so grateful to have her in my life.

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange, you can visit the Facebook group Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps, or add the C2.

1.

It was a bit like a scene from a movie... a dark alleyway, swirling tendrils of fog, backlit by a flickering shaft of uncertain light from who knows where. It was just bright enough to see, but dark enough to make you wonder if what you saw was real.

Steady, unhurried footsteps echoed off the brick walls, and the three assailants paused. The man they were struggling to hold down squinted towards the sound as best he could while being manhandled. Maybe it was the angle, or perhaps the attack had shaken up his perception, but he thought the approaching figure looked familiar. A low chuckle broke the sudden hush, sending an unexpected thrill down Edward's spine.

His attackers had clearly picked up the same vibe, for he could feel their hands trembling even as they clutched him harder. The newcomer laughed again, the sound completely relaxed yet completely humorless.

He broke through the darkness and stepped into a patch of light. He was tall, dressed completely in black, and beyond that it was impossible to tell. There was something foreboding about him, as though the air around him was heavier, as though he was composed of darkness. Fingers of fog tried to cling hopelessly to his body, but they flickered and fell away defeated.

The man tilted his head slightly, and the three attackers dropped their quarry at once. With whimpers of sheer terror they scrambled back, stumbling and scraping against the filthy ground till they were backed up against the wall.

The man kept approaching, his footsteps steady. He paused briefly when he drew near Edward, who was slowly rising to his feet. Their eyes met, and the stranger's eyes seemed to glow red.

Edward turned away slightly, dusting off his clothes. The other man sighed before he brought his attention to the men cowering in the corner. The attackers tried to scream, but their throats choked up. Horror thrummed through their veins in relentless waves. Eyes wide, so wide, they stared into their own dark thoughts, and their despair took on an edge of hysteria.

Edward leaned against a wall and watched the newcomer tap his chin, as though in thought. It was almost morbidly comical how the three men cowering before him seemed to follow his gesture, except that they tore at their own skin, scratching and slashing till there was nothing left of them but an indistinguishable mangled mess.

The man continued to stare at their remains for a few moments after their garbled screams had died out. Then he turned back to Edward and smiled, the light hitting his face obliquely.

"You ok, Jade?"

Edward narrowed his eyes and gave him the slightest nod in response, before turning away and walking back towards the mouth of the alley.

"What, that's it?" the man protested, following and falling into step beside Edward. "No 'thank you, Jasper, you just saved my life' or 'I don't know what I'd have done without you' or 'that was the fucking coolest thing you just did back there'?"

"What are you doing here anyway?" Edward asked instead.

"Saving you," Jasper replied with a grin. They turned into the main street and though his face was still mostly shaded by the brim of his cap, light glinted off his bright smile. Edward side-eyed him, but declined to comment.

"Oh alright, stop with the annoyance. I am right next to you, I can't take it at such close range!" Jasper protested as they turned another corner into the parking lot of a moderately busy RiteAid.

"So go away," Edward shrugged. He reached into his pocket and clicked a fob. Lights blinked on a car parked near the edge of the lot. "Or turn it off if your ability bothers you so much."

"I heard you'd been doing that a lot," Jasper commented, sliding into the passenger seat before Edward was even fully seated. He tugged off the cap and shook out his shoulder-length blond hair so that it partially concealed his face. "So it's true, huh? Turning off your ability. That's how you've been able to move around so easily. I still remember how you used to get so overwhelmed by all the thoughts around you."

It didn't require extra abilities to hear the tiny note of longing in Jasper's voice. Edward paused before starting the car. "You still get overwhelmed by the emotions around you. It isn't so hard to control it, though."

Jasper smirked. If anyone else had said those words in that offhand tone, he would have probably found a creative way to end them already. But this was Edward, and that made it different. "Wanna teach me?"

Edward's lips tightened a fraction.

"Hey, what's that look? I just saved your life!" Jasper protested.

"You don't know how?"

Jasper laughed. "Maybe. Maybe not. What, you don't want to help me?" He turned his head to look over at Edward, who was looking straight ahead. There wasn't a spare thread of emotion being sent his way. Jasper didn't know whether to be grateful or upset. "Seriously though, you could help me practice, right? I've been working on it, and I'm pretty good at controlling and directing emotion, as you might have noticed tonight..." another hopeful look, met with blank unconcern, "But it's still not easy for me to shut it off, or shield myself like you do."

After five whole seconds of expectant silence, Jasper started to speak again. "Edward, come on. We've known each other for years, right? We were practically kids when we first met!"

"It was just four years ago," muttered Edward.

"Didn't I help you out whenever it got too noisy with your mindreading? Or whenever Carlisle and co. got on your nerves? Or when you wanted someone to spar with? Or hey, even ten minutes ago in the alleyway? Why won't you help me?" he was practically whining by the end of it.

"I was ten seconds away from snapping all their necks and you know it. It was nice of you to step in, but hardly necessary. Also, a lot messier than I'd have made it." He cast a single loaded glance at Jasper, who sat there wide-eyed and gaping.

Edward turned his attention back to the road, but Jasper could have sworn there was the ghost of a smile on his lips. His own smile broke out again in response.

"Alright, maybe you're right. But I did save you the trouble, and you're welcome. In return, I'd really appreciate it if you helped me out. I hardly get to see you anymore anyway. This way we could spend time together again, away from those noisy family dinners Esme insists on every month."

Edward didn't respond, turning off onto a narrow driveway lined with thick foliage on both sides. Jasper realized he hadn't been paying attention to anything but Edward since they'd walked out of the alley, and he actually had no idea where they were. Before he could ask, Edward had maneuvered to a stop. Without a word, he got out of the car, and Jasper followed.

They couldn't have been too far from the city, they hadn't been driving that long, but it was far enough that Jasper couldn't feel the oppressive press of human emotions against his consciousness anymore. It felt good.

He smiled. Somehow, it always felt good when he was near Edward. When he had first met him four years ago, they were both going through a similar process of learning to deal with powers that made them too fucking sensitive. Edward's mindreading was as bad as his ability as an empath. He still remembered the sharp tang of worry Carlisle emanated those days, and he imagined Edward had an even worse time, being able to actually hear all those thoughts on a loop.

Still, it didn't mean Edward could just move out and cut everyone out of his life just because he had mastered the shielding technique. Which, he fumed, he was the one to suggest to him in the first place.

The righteous indignation aimed at his back made Edward stop and turn back to Jasper.

"Do I seriously need a shield against you right now?" he asked with a raised brow.

"You felt that?" Jasper asked, intrigued. He hadn't even realized Edward had lowered his shield, which meant he really had become a lot better at it in the six months or so since he had moved out of Carlisle's place. For some reason, the thought made him a little sad.

"Hey," he called out, "What have you been up to the last few months anyway? Why haven't you been around for Sunday dinners? Why don't you pick up the fucking phone once in a while?"

Edward ignored him and motioned towards the house. "Get in, we'll talk."