When Worlds Collide

Why was I so nervous to meet Edward? I went through my entire closet twice that morning trying to find the perfect outfit. I felt like a little girl going on her first date, not a grown woman going to work.

“You’re just going to work you moron.” I said to myself annoyed that I was acting this way. I thought as I tripped over boxes. I settled on black slacks and a purple button up. I worked for a damn psychologist in the psych ward, not Tim Gun! Why was I doing this to myself? I threw my hair up in a ponytail, hoping that I wasn’t going to be late.

I hummed and drummed my fingers nervously on the steering wheel as I had a mini panic attack on the way to work. I needed to do a little detective work to see what Carlisle told Dr. K. Why I didn’t bother to ask?!...Oh yeah, I was too busy looking at Edward’s ass. God I needed help!

I took a deep breath and entered onto my floor. Dr. Karim walked down the hall toward me.

Oh man! Here we go!

“Jasmine how is your sister?”

My sister?...I haven’t talked to my sister in three years…What did she know about my sister? Ah, I have a sick sister.

“She’s doing much better thank you for asking.”

Holy hell this woman did have a heart!

“Go to your desk and make thirty copies of this week’s agenda. Each should have all the necessary handouts. Staple them and deliver them to each attending doctor for this afternoon’s meeting.”

“Yes, Dr. Karim.” Well that went much smoother than I thought it would, I thought as I reached my desk and saw all twenty handouts that needed to be photocopied.

“Eww... this is going to be long and tedious.”

Two hours later I was done making the packets and walking all over, the hospital to give each doctors their packet. During this long process I began to make a list of all the things I needed to do for my apartment…I still needed to find my toaster, clear some of the boxes out of the living room and I needed to get cable. Man I needed cable…Dangerous things happened when I didn’t have cable…Like the time in Helsinki with Jessie and a bottle of Jack…

I looked down at my list. I needed to drop off ten more. My god this was taking forever and I was starving now. I began humming a tune trying to cheer myself up, after this I was done and I could go to lunch!

“Jasmine?”

“Hey Dr. Cullen, you just saved me a trip! This is for you.” I said handing him a packet.

“Thank you. How long have you been at this?” He smiled.

I looked at my watch, “About an hour now. I’m almost done though, thank god.”

“Maybe I could save you a few more trips. Who else do you have to deliver to?”

“Let’s see…Drs. Bhatti, Sawyer, Grey, Rathbone, Miller, Ackles, Stewart, Burton, Perez and Lopez.” I rattled off quickly.

Carlisle gave me a warm smile, “Actually I can take all of those for you.”

I gave a heavy sigh, “Oh thank god! Thank you so much!...Are you just saying that to be nice and take them off my hands?”

He gave me a kind smile, “Dr. Karim works you too hard.” He said kindly.

“Don’t tell her that.” I said darkly.

“I would not dream of it. Go have lunch I can hear your stomach rumbling.”

I gave an embarrassed laugh, “Damn human moments.” I whispered.

Edward
Jasmine made her way to where I was standing between both of our cars; she looked beautiful. I bit my lip as I noticed she was wearing those damned red pumps again.

“Hey there.” She smiled.

“Hello.” I said opening the passenger door for her. “I figured since it wasn’t raining we could go out for a picnic.”

“That sounds lovely! You cook?” She asked slightly confused.

“Esme does, it’s kind of a long story. Alice said you were a vegetarian?”

She smiled, “Yes I am. I know I shouldn’t be surprised that she knows that but a part of me is.”

“How long have you lived in Forks?” I asked trying to learn more about her.

“Almost a two weeks now.” She said after a slight pause.

“Why did you move here?” I asked curiously.

She gave a deep sigh, “Well I had a vision that I had moved to Washington and I was happier then I had ever been in my life. Originally I was going to move to Seattle, but the job fell through so I followed the work here. It felt like it was the right thing to do so I went with the flow and I love the rain. I bet that sounds really fucking stupid…How long have you lived here?”

“That doesn’t sound stupid at all. That is how Alice and Jasper met and they are very happy together. We’ve recently moved back. I’m ‘visiting’ from college though, well that’s the story we told everyone.”

“Then how can you be seventeen?”

I smiled, she never missed a thing.

“Everyone thinks I’m twenty now, but I just told you I was seventeen.”

“Why did you lie? That seems like a stupid thing to lie about.” She asked as we pulled into the parks parking lot.

“I’m not sure.” I said honestly.

“Well that seems like a good enough reason.” She laughed.

Jasmine
I bit into the still warm soy burger, it was way better than the ones I nuked up at home.

“Tell Esme she is a culinary genius.”

Edward laughed, “I’ll be sure to tell her. She’ll be pleased that you like it…When you said you had family that are vampires, who did you mean?”

“Well my cousin Jessie was turned a few years ago and my…well my aunt Victoria for all simplistic terms. Obviously, she is not really my aunt. She had a child before she was turned centuries ago and her family that has shown…abilities over the years is the ones she reveals herself to. As you know I’m a telepath and psychic, my cousin Jessie is psychic as well. My aunt was a…witch I suppose you could call her before she was turned who had such abilities and a few of those traits have been carried down through the centuries.”

Edward was silent.

“I didn’t freak you out did I?” I asked biting my lip nervously.

He laughed, “No I’m just trying to comprehend keeping tabs on your human family for centuries.”

“She has this huge family tree thing dating back to ancient Egyptian times, when she was turned. It’s pretty intense.”

“So you were raised among vampires?”

“Yup, I had no chance of being normal.” I laughed.

“You seem pretty normal considering the circumstances.”

“Stick around and I’m sure I’ll surprise you…When were you turned if it’s ok for me to ask?”

He was silent for a moment, “In 1917, Carlisle was working at a hospital in Chicago. I was dying of the Spanish influenza I had already lost both of my parents.”

“Wow.” Was all I could say.

Edward looked thoughtful, “It was a scary time, I hardly ever think about it anymore.”

“Can I ask you another question? I’ve always wanted to ask my aunt, but I know she won’t answer me honestly.”

“Of course.”

“Is it hard, losing your family and friends?” I asked staring intently at Edward, hoping I could at least pick up something from his body language.

Edward seemed genuinely surprised by my question. He was silent for so long I didn’t think he would answer me.

“At first it is, but my parents were already dead. Then Carlisle adopted me as his son and it was like I had a new family all over again. So that hole has never really been there and after a while you don’t really think of your old life anymore. It seems pointless to.”

I nodded my head thoughtfully.

Once again I was exhausted when I reached my apartment at the end of the day, but I had work to do. I had put off unpacking long enough and I was sick of tripping over boxes all day. I changed into sweats and set to work blasting David Bowie as loud as my speakers would play.

“How you turned my world, you precious thing
You starve and near exhaust me
Everything I've done, I've done for you
I move the stars for no one
You've run so long
You've run so far
Your eyes can be so cruel
Just as I can be so cruel
Though I do believe in you
Yes I do
Live without the sunlight
Love without your heartbeat
I, I can't live within you
I can't live within you
I, I can't live within you”

I belted out the lyrics in front of the mirror I had just hung in my living room, dancing away as the song faded. Why had I waited so long to do this? I was having a blast! My neighbors probably hated me, but I wouldn’t do anything about it till the cops showed up.

I danced my way to my bedroom singing the intro to The Man Who Sold the World, throwing my purple comforter on my semi made bed.

Three hours later my entire apartment was completely set up. Never underestimate the power of David Bowie to get shit done!