Not Your Enemy

Tobi took off her heels and tip-toed to the piano when Jasper walked out of the house for some fresh air. Ruby was spending time with Emmett, Bella was hanging out with Esme and Alice, Rosalie was off doing her own thing, and Edward was speaking with Carlisle. As Tobi walked away from everyone in the front room, she almost squealed with excitement as she made eye contact with the ivory musical instrument she had fallen in love with at first sight.

“Tout en toi est parfait,” (Everything about you is perfect) she whispered with a smile. Her fingertips ran over the paper white keys; the icy surface was a comfort to the battered and burned skin, and she couldn’t help but sit fully in front of the piece of art. Tobi played a couple of scales before her finger got a mind of their own. From mixes of Beethoven and Mozart to blending into Bach, Tobi lost herself in her moments of bliss. Everything around her dissolved and even Jasper sitting down next to her wasn’t enough to bring her back to reality.

The air she breathed smelled fresher, the saliva in her mouth tasted sweeter, and the cold air surrounding her felt more comforting. Everything seemed ok as long as Tobi’s music was with her, but frosted hands covered hers and she opened her eyes to look over at whatever Cullen was with her.

She smiled at Edward warmly and shyly removed her hands from his piano, “Je suis désolé. Je savais que j'aurais dû demander avant de commencer à jouer.” (I’m sorry. I knew I should have asked before I started playing.)

Edward shook his head and smiled at the girl his brother had fallen so hard for, “Il n'y a vraiment pas besoin d'être désolé. Je me demandais qui était le génie de la musique en jouant tout d'un coup. Il est rare que quelqu'un d'autre que moi pourrait jouer.” (There is really no need to be sorry. I wondered who was the genius of the music playing all at once. It is rare that someone other than myself could play.)

Tobi looked at Edward, shocked. She knew perfectly well that the Cullen children were smart, but she didn’t know they could speak other languages as fluently and perfectly as a native to the tongue. A large smile made its ways onto her lips and she let a laugh escape. Her and Edward would get along just fine, and she could feel that he was going to be the Cullen she got along with best when Jasper wasn’t around.

“So you speak French?”

“It’s something I found a passion in after a visit with Carlisle and Esme,” Edward explained, allowing the truth to leave his lips but not telling her exactly when he was talking about. He listened to Tobi’s thoughts think about questions she should’ve asked, but she thought against it. Edward was pleased that she thought of a person’s privacy before nosing into their lives. He knew that she was the right girl for Jasper because of her pure heart and humble manners.

Jasper walked back into the house hearing three things; Ruby and Emmett laughing together, Edward’s piano, and the enchanting giggle of Tobi. He walked toward her sound and allowed a smile to make its ways onto his lips as he watched how well his love got along with his brother. Family was important to Jasper and the visual of his singer actually getting along with someone he loved was enough encouragement he needed to try to control his thirst for his sake more so than anyone else’s.

“So you’d play DDG in a third octave instead of just using the F major scale?” Tobi questioned, watching Edward’s pale digits rush over the keys and listening to the magical music he made. Edward nodded and his head snapped over to the door. Tobi followed and grinned when she saw Jasper, “Are you feeling a little better?”

Jasper nodded and walked further into the room, “It’s just the air freshener Alice sprayed to make things smell more floral. I get dizzy at times.”

Tobi stood from her place and tip toed over to Jasper. Having the heels off made her feel a bit short and underdressed while standing in front of Jasper’s forever beautiful body. Her hands made their way to his blonde hair and laced through before bringing her lips over his. She didn’t know what happened, or what took over her, but the idea suddenly sparked in her mind and she couldn’t stop the impulse. When their lips met, she felt Jasper tense under her but his arms found their way around his waist.

He suddenly pulled away and took a step back, but kept his hands on her shoulder, “I’m sorry, but we’ll need to talk about a little boundaries.”

Embarrassed, Tobi nodded and bit her lip.

Jasper shook his head and changed Tobi’s emotion, “I would still like us to be together. It’s just temptation is a little stronger than me at the moment.”

“I’m sorry,” Tobi apologized while looking at her bare red toes, “I really don’t know what came over me.”

“I liked it,” Jasper whispered, pulling her chin up so she would look at him, “if I could, that’d be the only feeling I’d experience. But, as I’ve said before, temptation is a bit stronger than me.” He looked at Tobi’s bashful eyes and smiled before taking her hands and pulling her toward the living room. He heard Emmett say his name and he knew Ruby was looking for Tobi at the moment.

Jasper and Tobi joined the couple and Ruby asked if they had something they could all play. Emmett took out Rock Band.

“Awesome!” Ruby clapped her hands happily. “Dibs on going first on singing.”

“I don’t know how to do the drums or guitar,” Tobi said.

“We have to microphones,” Emmett said and got the other one for Tobi. She nodded a thank-you in his direction and stood next to Ruby as they sang ‘Bat Country’ by Avenged Sevenfold and several other songs in nothing but pure fun. Tobi hadn’t felt so entertained or laughed so hard since her Sophomore sleepover adventure with Ruby. They had snuck out of the Tobi’s house at four a.m. and took a short walk down to a 24/7 drug store for a few energy drinks, skittles, and lollipops; they laughed the whole time and actually got kicked out by one of the clerks for making too much noise.

An hour passed before Alice walked in and told them they had to get to sleep and the moment Tobi set foot onto the stairs, Jasper’s arms were around her waist and he was pulling her down and into a room nearby. “You’re still going to La Push tomorrow?”

Tobi nodded, “Are you sure you can’t go with me?”

Jasper nodded and pushed his lips briefly against hers, “Just be careful and make sure you stay with Ruby at all times. It’s important that you stay in front of others and avoid the forest.”

“Is it because of the bear attack that happened to Emily?” Tobi was oblivious to everything that was happening behind the scenes, but she knew whatever it was it wasn’t safe.

“It’s related to that, yes,” Jasper whispered, running his hands through the shortened hair of Tobi, “Alice was talking about you with this hairstyle for ages, and now that I see it your beauty stands out. You’ve been beautiful ever since I met you, and now I feel a small pint of jealousy for other boys will be watching you.”

Tobi smiled at looked to the side to hide he blush as she said, “I’m only yours.”

Jasper pulled her into another kiss, this one more urgent and heart racing, and pushed her body onto the wall. Tobi found herself pulling her body closer to his, his kiss drawing her in like a bee to sweet nectar and she felt the world around her spin. Jasper felt his throat burning painfully and he had to push Tobi’s body away gently so he wouldn’t lose himself.

When they pulled away he smiled and shook his head breathlessly, “Boundaries…”

Tobi nodded, “I understand.”

No you don’t Jasper thought, but allowed himself to escort Tobi to the stairs and watch her jog up beside Ruby. He wanted her to know what he was, but he didn’t want to lose what he had at the moment.

When they reached the room, the girls started talking about Bella’s birthday but Tobi couldn’t get her head from the stars. She pulled out her iPod and listened to a couple of songs before deciding to get undressed and ready for bed. When Ruby walked out, Tobi rushed into the bathroom to change out of her dress and make-up. As she finished tying her hair into shot pigtails, Tobi smiled at herself. She felt truly happy and didn’t want anything to ruin it.

Everything seemed so perfect at that moment.

The next morning Tobi woke up with a smile on her face and she stood up from the bed to get Ruby,“WAKE UP!” Tobi kicked Ruby on the side.

Ruby groaned. “You bitch, why are you waking me up?”

“Because it’s ten and we need to get to La Push! Remember? The whole day at the beach?”

“I do need a tan,” she mumbled into the pillow. “And I have to return Emily’s clothes.”

“Everyone else is up, even Bella,” Tobi said as she went to her bag and got clothes and headed for the shower. The warm water was comfortable, but she didn’t spend idle time for she wanted to spend as much time in the sun as possible. When she was finished in the bathroom, Tobi gathered everything in her bag and walked toward the dining room.

“Good morning, Beautiful,” came from behind her and she turned around and smiled at Jasper.

“Good morning, Jasper.”

They linked hands and slowly made their ways onto the kitchen just in time for Tobi to see her best friend and Emmett making out and lose her appetite. She shook her head and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room with Bella.

“So, are you still going to La Push?” Bella questioned, her brown eyes shining with curiosity.

Tobi nodded, “Yeah, me and Ruby are going to be there all day. Do you want to come?”

Bella nodded, “I was planning on visiting Jake later. Maybe I can meet you there in a couple of hours?”

“That’d be cool,” Tobi yawned, sleep still dictating her body, “I haven’t seen Jake or Quil or even Embry in a while so I might even swing by while walking on the beach or something. That’ll be a bit refreshing.”

Finally, it was time for the girls to head home and the whole ride Jasper was talking to Tobi about being careful and staying away from the forest. She was honored that he cared enough about her to ask her to stay safe for both of their sake, but she was curious as to why he was so worried about the forest. Bears weren’t that bad, and if they were she knew better than to walk up to them and do something stupid.

Tobi pecked Jasper’s lips through the window and winked before walking into her house with Ruby and running into her mom. Saline smiled when she saw the girls, but she pulled Tobi to the side while Ruby walked upstairs, “You’re hair. You cut your hair.”

Tobi nodded and smiled, “I like it.”

Saline nodded and pinched her daughter’s cheek affectionately, “You’re beautiful.”

In Tobi’s room, Ruby told Tobi that Emmett asked her to be his girlfriend.

“Finally,” Tobi laughed. “A guy I think is worthy of you.”

Ruby giggled. “I’m just so happy! I want to shout it to the fucking world!”

“How about we pack for the beach?”

“Sounds good. Did Jasper give you that speech of being careful?”

Tobi chuckled. “Yeah.”

“I wonder why though,” Ruby rubbed her chin. “It’s not like La Push has the highest death murder in Washington, honestly, it’s barely on the map.”

Tobi laughed and shrugged. “I like how they care about us.”

“Yeah.” Ruby whispered.

After the girls got dressed, they said their good-byes to Saline and headed toward La Push in Tobi’s dented car. Since they had all day at the beach, Tobi asked Ruby for directions to Emily’s house and the two somehow ended up lost.

“Honestly!” exclaimed Ruby. “This place isn’t that big.”

“Well, it was dark when you were here, I’m sure someone knows where Emily lives,” Tobi said as she pulled the car over to the same diner Ruby had been.

“I’ll go ask, you wait here,” Ruby said getting out of the car and rushed inside of the diner.

Tobi rolled her eyes and stepped out of her stuffy car for some fresh La Push air. She ran her fingers through her hair and leaned onto the metal hood of her baby with closed eyes as she listened to the surrounding noise. There was a small amount of music from the diner beside her, the ocean just a couple of miles away, and then there was the laugh that cause Tobi’s eyes to snap open and look left.

There, with two other boys, was Paul. Everything about him had changed since last time they met and Tobi oddly found him attractive; his muscles were bigger, he was taller, and the tattoo on his arm made him sexier than anyone other than Jasper.

Her heart sped up and she looked away, not daring to see if he would recognize her.

Ruby rushed out of the diner and got back inside of the car with Tobi. Tobi looked like she had seen a ghost, “What happened?”

“I just saw Paul.” Tobi whispered, her body shaking.

“Did he see you?”

Tobi shook her head.

“Are you okay?” Ruby didn’t want Tobi to be sad.

Tobi didn’t want to worry Ruby so she put on her old fake smile and nodded, “Yeah, he’s hot though.”

Ruby laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know what these La Push boys are eating, but it’s doing them good.”

The girls made their way to Emily’s house and Tobi knew at once that the bear rumors were true because of the scar. But even those didn’t seem to exist as Tobi listened to her talk to Ruby and chatted a bit. Everything was going good and Tobi loved well Emily treated them even if she’d only known Tobi for barely an hour and Ruby for a couple of days.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you from the rare sunny day,” Emily said with a large smile, “I see you’re here for the beach.”

Ruby nodded, “Tobi’s a weather watcher. Every morning and every night before bed she watches the news just for the weather report and that’s how she found out.”

“It’s true,” Tobi nodded with a smile, “maybe we can visit you sometimes, though. You’re really a nice person.”

“I’d like that,” Emily nodded, “drop by any time you want.”

Ruby and Tobi sat their towels on the sand and Tobi took off her cover dress before straightening her strapless bikini and walking to feel the waves with her foot. She shivered, but smiled because the cold water contrasted heavily with the vengeful sun and she decided to rush right in. Looking over, Tobi met eye contact with Ruby, who was laying in the sun, and the two laughed.

An hour passed and the two girls were splashing each other and jumping waves before a wolf whistle was heard from the beach. Ruby looked over, expecting Luke, but saw Paul standing there and she couldn’t help but get angry from what Tobi told her. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and she walked from the water to give him a piece of her mind.

Paul grinned when he watched the dark haired beauty walk closer to him; he thought he was going to get some free action, “Hey, sexy. How about we go back to my place and create a little heat of our own.”

Ruby rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “The only heat you’ll get is from the pits of Hell. That’s where you belong.”

“You don’t even know me,” Paul rolled his eyes and started to leave. He needed no drama, all he wanted was a quick lay before he patrolled that night.

Ruby wasn’t going to let him get away that easily. She pulled him back by his arm and forced him to look at her, yet for some reason the moment she jerked him back he started shaking, “You’re going to listen to me.”

Tobi rushed behind Ruby and tried to get the two separated; she didn’t want anything to happen because of her past mistakes, “Ruby.”

“No stupid slut is going to touch me and then try to tell me what to do,” Paul growled, his body shaking worse.

Tobi noted how his hands shook and took a step back while trying to bring Ruby with her, but Ruby was too stubborn.

Ruby shook her head and glared, slut wasn’t one of her ‘happy’ words and it pissed her off when someone called her that. She lost control and her foot made contact with the groin area of Paul’s body but by the look in his eyes it was obvious it only angered him even more.

Paul lost control and before he knew it he was phasing. He heard a loud ‘no’ from several feet away and a large gasp come from his left side. Looking, his eyes locked with the familiar brown orbs of the French girl he had met two years before and everything changed. Everything didn’t matter, just her safety and happiness.

A loud growl left his lips when he realized what happened but he couldn’t find the strength to look away from his…

His imprint.