It was a relief to come home to an empty house, remembering that Charlie had gone out fishing and Bella still wasn't back from her little date with Edward. I gladly ate a quick dinner of a sandwich and a glass of milk in silence and took a relaxing bath while I waited for Jasper to drop his car off at home and come back with an overnight bag since he saw no point in leaving me while I slept just to go back for clothes if he could bring it with him now.

Thinking that I was returning to the Cullen house so soon after my first visit was amusing, especially as it would be Bella's first visit. Hopefully, she wouldn't have a hissy fit because of it like she did the fact that I knew about them being vampires before her...

I smiled, not surprised when I saw Jasper already waiting in my room, looking through my bookshelf, as I did take a long time in the bathroom, you know, bathing, brushing my teeth, changing, etc.

"Bella's going to be here soon and Charlie soon after her," I reminded unnecessarily as I tossed the towel around my neck over the desk chair.

"I know. I can already hear Edward and your sister coming," he replied, cocking his head to the window as if listening but not taking his eyes off of the book he chose, A Treasury of Classic Poetry.

I plopped down on my bed and curiously watched him flip through the pages, eyes reading through them quickly before he stopped on a particular page early in the book, just standing there and staring at it. I was about to ask what was wrong, but he beat me to it, speaking first.

"Love," he whispered, immediately catching me by surprise. "Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back, Guilty of dust and sin."

My breath caught in my throat as he turned, the book still in hand and clearly recited from the page his eyes were glued to.

"But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,

Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,"

"Do you lack anything," I breathed, our gazes locked together as soon as he tore them away from the page.

"A guest," he replied, "worthy to be here: Love said-"

"You shall be he," I recited softly, feeling my eyes warm with emotion as he shut the book and silently, slowly walked closer.

"I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear, I cannot look on thee." He muttered as he knelt in front of me, leaning over to rest his head on my chest. I smiled and twined one hand in his ridiculously soft hair, the other finding his hand and twining them together.

"Who made the eyes but I?" I murmured back, staring into those deep pools of amber as he reconnected our gazes.

"Truth, Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame Go where it doth deserve."

"And know you not, who bore the blame? My dear, then I will serve. You must sit down," I continued, shifting my hand to his face, guiding it to lift to mine, "and taste my meat," I smiled softly into the chaste, short kiss we shared.

"So I did sit and eat*," Jasper finished reciting with a smile as he rests our foreheads together, our eyes closed as we took deep breaths, taking in the other's scent.

"Leave it to you to recite one of my favorite poems in that book," I commented dryly, my voice low and soft from the weight of emotion the poem's words had carried, overwhelmed with its potency as I usually am around Jasper.

"I admit that poetry ain't exactly my thing, that's more Carlisle and Edward. History's the subject I'm more comfortable with," he admitted as he pressed his face into my freshly washed hair, still a bit damp from my bath, inhaling deeply. I only laughed shakily at his confession.

"I think that's a good thing because you reciting good poetry does crazy things to my emotions," I shuddered, feeling him smile against my cheek as he gently lowered me onto the bed, draping himself over me but keeping most of his weight off of me.

"Our siblings are back from their cute little date," Jasper announced after a comfortable lull in the conversation. And right on cue, I heard the roaring of Bella's truck getting louder and louder as they approached home.

"You smell amazing," I replied, startling a laugh out of him and making him pull up a little to look down at my amused face in incredulity. "What? You do!" I laughed, getting a few more chuckles out of him as he resettled himself so his ear rest over my heartbeat, allowing me the access necessary to comb through his lovely hair with minimal effort.

"I guarantee that you smell better," he purred. "Floral, similar to your sister, but still different; like gladiolus, eucalyptus, and a hint of lemon," he murmured as his nose nuzzled against the hollow of my collarbone, inhaling deeply again.

"I'll just take your word for it, then," I smiled, returning to my action of combing and stroking his hair. I swear it was just so nice. Then the serene mood was broken when I heard the door open and Jasper snorted in disbelief. "What is it?"

"Edward just admitted to stalking her...and doesn't even sound ashamed or guilty about it," Jasper answered dryly.

"What else is there to do at night?" I mock defended Edward, making Jazz snicker a bit, but then I stiffened suddenly as I recalled something else. "Wait, I don't talk when I sleep, do I? Or snore? Oh gods, please tell me I don't drool," I whispered the last in sheer horror.

"Is that why you stopped petting me?" Jasper muttered a bit grumpily, pressing a bit closer to me, rubbing his cheek slightly on my chest. "You don't do any of those things. You're one of the most average, boring sleepers I know."

"Oi!" I play growled, tugging at his hair lightly, even though I knew it didn't hurt him, obviously, but it's the thought that counts. Wait, that's probably not how that phrase is supposed to be used. Jasper's light chuckles pulled me out of my train of thought, his head nodding upward in a nudging motion to my still hand.

"I'm sure it's to make up for how extraordinary you are when awake," he amended easily, his eyes closing in contentment as I resumed combing my fingers through his hair, my insides warming and tingling at the easily given compliment.

"What are you? A cat vampire hybrid?" I mused before pausing. "Wait, is it possible for an animal to become a vampire? Or maybe the venom would be too strong and kill them before it could happen...wait no, bad idea, Maddy, don't go mad scientist. It's these kinds of thoughts that lead to things like Jurassic Park and the zombie apocalypse, except it'd be vampire hampsters-"

"Maddy," Jasper interrupted, sounding highly amused.

"Hmm," I murmured as my thoughts wandered.

"You're starting to ramble," he snickered again, "Edward actually whispered 'vampire hampsters' under his breath in disbelief in the middle of his conversation with your sister." I burst out laughing at that, picturing broody Edward all wide-eyed and muttering vampire hampsters of all things under his breath.

I was still giggling when I heard Charlie come home, someone knocking on my door as soon as they quiet down a bit. "Come in," I invited easily but quietly, seeing as Jasper hadn't vanished and I only just heard Charlie come in, I assumed the soft knock on the door could only be Edward. As expected, he opened the door silently and gave me a far better expression of disbelief than I had imagined.

"Vampire hampsters?" He questioned in half horror at imagining such a thing and the person who thought of it in the first place, which only set me off laughing again. Jasper actually had to shift us so we were laying on our sides as I instinctively curled up, laughing as hard as I was.

"Am I interrupting something?" Bella asked in mild concern, embarrassment, and envy as she eyed Jasper and I's tangled forms, completely unashamed of our closeness and not feeling like pulling apart to cater to their delicate sensibilities.

I only grinned at my now nervous sister as she shifted hesitantly in the doorway, looking between Edward's strange expression and me. "Not much. Jasper and I were just wanting to congratulate you on you two on joining the slumber party club!" I said cheerfully.

"The...the slumber party...club?" Bella repeated slowly, bemused.

"Yeah! Hey, maybe now we could have a double sleepover as a foursome!" My grin growing a fraction as Jasper lifted his head slightly to show me that his expression was one of distaste at the suggestion, his nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought while Edward simply gaped at me in shock and horror. Bella, on the other hand, seemed to turn a glowing red at the idea, making me cackle a bit.

"Oh, Ed, I think it's a good thing you can't read innocent Bell-Bell's mind right now otherwise I don't think you'd ever recover from the mental scarring it'd cause." I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out into more laughter as I actually made Edward speechless, his disbelieving gaze turning to his very red-faced love.

"I-I told you to stop calling me that ridiculous nickname!" Bella sputtered, opting to choose a different topic to broach than uselessly flail in the current one. Jasper's chuckling had Bella straighten and redden further, if that was possible, as she realized just who she was having an outburst in front of.

"I think maybe you two should head on to Bella's room now before Maddy gets you both more riled up. Seems like she's in a more playful mood than usual," Jasper warned teasingly.

"I am not! Those two are just too easy to mess with! I mean, vampire hamsters? Foursome? Really? That's all it takes to unsettle them?" I defended.

"We're still here," Edward grumbled a bit crankily, his tone obviously irritated. I only turned to him with a flat expression, one eyebrow raised, a skill I practiced and perfected years ago.

"Yes? And?" I replied uncaringly. I only smirked triumphantly at his annoyed scowl, smirk turning to a grin as I turned to my beloved sister when she only sighed in exasperation, knowing exactly how far up the wall I could drive someone. "Why don't you kiddies go off to bed now? I'm sure you'll enjoy your alone time as much as Jasper and I do...well, maybe not that much but still, at least it's something-"

"Goodnight, Maddy," Bella firmly interrupted me before I could keep going, rolling her eyes at my antics.

"Don't let the vampires bite," I replied cheerfully. Two dry, emotionless laughs were my only response as Bella trudged away, Edward following shortly after, only looking back at us to shake his head at me in disapproval.

My completely mature response was to stick my tongue out and flip the bird to his retreating back, the action causing Jasper to chuckle. I allowed my softened gaze to return to him, my hand immediately finding itself once more buried in his hair.

"You know, I noticed you laugh a lot more than I expected. Not that it's a bad thing, of course. Your laugh, just like everything about you really, is gorgeous," I commented idly as I returned to petting him.

"I was a bit surprised about that too, at first," he confessed, "but I found that it's hard not to laugh, to not smile when I'm around you. You just make it so easy for me, darlin'." My hand tightened a bit in his hair, my other gripping the back of his shirt in restrained emotion as I attempted to keep my breathing even from the squeal-worthy confession, unable to do anything about my quickened heartbeat and warming cheeks.

"Gods, Jasper, honey, if you want me to keep a normal heart rate around you, you have to at least tone down the heartfelt confessions," I breathed with barely any volume, further curling myself around him and happy when he returned the sentiment by nuzzling his face in my chest, nose brushing against the soft material over the bare skin between my breasts.

"Nah," he brushed aside easily, "I like it when ya get all flustered like this. You get so overwhelmed by your emotions, so happy, that you don't know what to do and react to it by wantin' to curl up and hide. I think it's adorable, makes me want to hold you and never let you go," he purred.

"Jasper!" I half whined, half scolded as I hid my warm face in his hair, hugging him more securely to me and allowing me to feel the pleasant rumbling caused by his soft chuckle. Man, Jasper really knew how to get my heart racing, the damned gorgeous jerk.