Made a wrong turn, once or twice
dug my way out, blood and fire

He stood in front of the mirror, no shirt, barefoot and his jeans riding low. The full-length mirror rested in the corner showing his reflection. He made it a point early on in his long life to stay away from mirrors, especially ones that could show his entire reflection.

He ran the palm of his hand down his abdomen, crescent shaped scars hitting his fingertips almost all the time. He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at his face. The scars on his torso patterned his ribs and layered his abdomen. He could still see the individual teeth marks on the bites.

His hand passed over a rather gruesome scar running the length of the left side of his ribs. He thought back to how he received that one. He had been punished for disobeying one of Maria's direct orders and she had taken a burning torch to his ribs.

Bad decisions, that's all right
Welcome to my silly life

Edward clenched his eyes together and sucked in a breath through his teeth. Alice glanced at him, Emmett muted the TV and Bella and Nessie looked over from their book. Rosalie sat up straighter and Carlisle and Esme stood. "Edward?" Bella asked. Edward looked over at her and shook his head slightly giving her a small but pained smile.

Alice stood and went to him. "What's wrong, Edward?" Edward looked at her. Alice pulled her eyebrows together and concentrated, waiting for a vision to come to her. She gasped and her eyes opened. She looked at Edward and he nodded grimly. She shuddered and pulled away from him.

"Alice? What is it?" Alice didn't pay attention to Bella and wrapped her arms around herself slowly rocking back and forth. "Alice?" Esme whispered. "How could I be so stupid?" Alice sobbed.

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss 'No way, it's all good', it didn't slow me down

Carlisle went to her and sat beside her. "What is it?" Alice looked up at him and if she could've cried she would've been. She hid her face in his shoulder trying to gain back her composure.

She turned back to the family and took a deep unnecessary breath. "Every year, on July 18, Jasper isn't himself. He'll look at himself and find imperfections. He'll reexamine himself physically." Bella pulled her eyebrows together. "I don't understand." Alice nodded. "No one does really."

"July 18 was the day that Peter went back for Jasper and he escaped. Jasper always takes this day to remember. It's like an anniversary of all the things he did before he came here. He remembers what every scar means and who gave it to him and how that one scar makes him less then good."

Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated
Look, I'm still around

Bella nodded in understanding. "He makes himself out to be less than perfect." Alice smiled slightly and nodded. "Yes." Edward gasped again. Alice looked over at him. Edward looked at her hard.

"Go to him, Alice." She nodded and stood. As she reached the arched entryway, Emmett asked a question. "If this happens every year, how come we've never seen it?" Alice looked at him.

"Every time the day comes around, Jasper and I always seem to be gone from the house. Out in the forest, our second honeymoon. We always have something going on on this particular day."

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
like you're less than fuckin' perfect

He felt more then heard her enter the doorway. She leaned against the doorjamb and watched him. He was examining his face now, feeling the scars under his jaw and above his eyes. He smoothed his fingers over the criss-crossing scars on his neck just above the hollow of his throat.

Alice sighed and walked into the room. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He ignored her and unconsciously rubbed a scar on his collarbone. "Jazz. What are you doing?" she whispered. The silence in the room was overwhelming and she felt the need to fill it.

He met her eyes in the mirror. "Thinking." He whispered back. She nodded and rested her chin against the jagged scar on his left side. She brought her hand down to his ribs and gently traced the crooked lines with her fingertips.

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
you're fuckin' perfect to me!

Jasper tensed and sucked in a breath through his nose. "Alice." He whispered. She met his eyes in the mirror before she gently kissed the scar. Jasper completely stopped moving and clenched his eyes shut.

Alice moved her lips around to his front kissing every scar that came into contact with her lips and running her fingertips over the ones she missed. She stood on her toes until to kiss the last scar she could reach. "Alice." Jasper said almost pleadingly.

She cupped his face in her hands and turned his head down to hers. "Jasper Whitlock. Look at me." Jasper slowly opened his eyes. "Alice." He whispered brokenly. Alice brushed her fingers over two overlapping scars above his left eyebrow. "These are my scars, Jazz. I made them mine."

You're so mean, when you talk about yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead

Jasper closed his eyes and licked his lips. "Alice." He said so low she almost couldn't hear. "They belong to me. They're not yours anymore. You don't have to carry them alone."

Jasper shook his head slowly. "They're ugly reminders of who I was and what I did." He whispered. Alice pressed her forehead to his. "No." she shook her head. "They represent what you had to do to get here. They represent how strong you are."

Jasper shook his head and lowered it until it touched her shoulder. "Alice." Alice ran her hands through his hair and smoothed them over his scarred back. He began to sway and Alice backed them up until the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed and he sat down heavily on the bed.

So complicated, look happy, you'll make it!
Filled with so much hatred...such a tired game

Alice sat on his lap with one leg on each side, her knees rested beside his hips. She quietly cooed into his ear until he looked up at her. "I'm nothing." Alice shook her head. "You're mine, Major. You always were. Don't think anything less of yourself."

Jasper shook his head. "I'm less than nothing." Alice pulled his hair, jerking his head up to meet her steely gaze. "So much hatred. It fills you up inside. You hate yourself so much for what you've done. You're different. You've changed."

Jasper looked down and shook his head. "I'm the same man I always was just older and more experienced." Alice shook her head violently. "When will you see yourself clearly? You are so different from the man you were I don't know how you can see the similarities."

It's enough! I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same

Jasper stared at her with a blank expression. "I'm a monster. The things I've done. The people I've killed. Only monsters can do the things I've done and not go crazy."

Alice shook her head. She forced his head up to face her but his eyes were closed. She kissed his eyelids and then his the scars on his brow line. She brushed her lips over the scars on his jaw line and the ones underneath his jaw.

She moved down to his neck and then his collarbone. She kissed his shoulders and then his chest. She brushed his lips over his chin and then the bridge of his nose. "Jasper. Every scar on your body is mine. I may not have given them to you, but I'm claiming them."

Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
like you're less than fuckin' perfect

She pushed him back onto his back and straddled his waist, unbuttoning his jeans and situating herself above him. Jasper gasped when he felt her small hands wrap around his cock. Alice stared into his dark eyes. "They're a part of you. They make you the man I love."

Jasper threw his head back as she slowly began to work him. "You're the only one who looks at them like a burden or a disfigurement." Alice slowly moved her center above his erect penis and slipped him inside her body.

Jasper gasped and Alice moaned quietly as he filled her. "I see them as a signs of strength. You'd have to be incredibly strong to be able to stand to be bitten that many times. They're a mark of your power and strength."

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
you're fuckin' perfect to me.

Jasper gripped her small hips in his hands as she slowly rocked against him. Alice pressed her hands flat against his stomach and rocked back and forth slowly raising and lowering her body.

Jasper gasped. Alice slowly sped up and rocked harder against him. Jasper thrust his hips expertly and Alice cried out as he hit that spot inside of her. Alice arched her back delightfully and moaned.

Jasper thrust his hips again and knew she was close when he felt her walls flutter around him. He thrust again and she tensed as her orgasm washed over her. Jasper thrust a few more times until Alice felt him tense and groan as he came.

The whole world's scared so I swallow the fear
the only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer

Alice slumped over his chest and buried her face in the bend of his neck and shoulder. Jasper ran his hand down her arm and hummed. Alice traced his features with her fingertips. "You're beautiful, Jazz."

Jasper chucked and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head. "You're the beautiful one. I'm mangled." Alice raised her head and stared at him.

"To you, you're mangled. But to me?" Alice shook her head and combed her fingers through his hair. "You're amazing, Jazz. You make me feel amazing and you're wonderful."

So cool in line, and we try, try, try, but we try too hard and it's a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere

Jasper chuckled and turned his head away. "I'm not perfect, Alice. I never was and I never will be." He looked back at her and gouged her reaction.

She just smiled. "I don't expect you to be. I never have." She kissed him. "No one's perfect, Jazz. It's impossible to be."

They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair
Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time
Why do we do that? Why do I do that?

Why do I do that?

"Except Edward." They heard a loud outburst of laughter and smiled. Alice shook her head. "No. Not even Edward." Jasper smirked. "Bella thinks so." They heard another peel of laughter. Alice laughed. "No. Not even Bella thinks Edward's perfect."

Jasper smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "You're perfect, Alice." Alice smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm not perfect either." Jasper smiled.

Yeah, oh, oh baby, pretty baby!
Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than fuckin' perfect

"To me you are." Alice smiled and folded her arms across his chest. "That's nice to hear, Jazz, you should say it more often." Jasper laughed. "I say it everyday. More than that."

Alice smirked and rested her chin on her hands. "It's still nice to hear." Jasper nodded and kissed the tip of her nose. "I love you, pixie." Alice smiled. She kissed him again. "And I love you."

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me
You're perfect, you're perfect!

Jasper closed his eyes and rested his head on the mattress. He took steady deep breaths in and out. Alice just watched him for several minutes, maybe even hours.

"Jasper." He didn't respond. She smiled. "Jazzy." The corner of his mouth twitched and she smirked. "Jazz." She whispered. He opened one eye. "There's something I haven't told you. I really should say it more often. You need to hear it." Jasper lifted his head up and pulled his eyebrows together.

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing,

"You are perfect. To me." She whispered. Jasper smiled gently and lowered his head.

You are perfect to me...