Not Your Enemy

Loud squeals of pure excitement were heard down empty the hospital corridors as three kids zoomed about as if there weren’t dying and sick people around them. Two ginger twins run quickly, taking turns pushing their older sister in the wheel chair around corners through closing elevator doors. The hospital was small, yes, but somehow the three teenagers managed to make the halls feel longer and the wider than they truly were. As she was being push, Tobi clutched the arms of the wheel chair tightly, afraid of flying forward, but a large smile was on her brightened face. The glow she had lost in the fire somehow managed to make its way back into her eyes and her little siblings knew they had done the right thing by sneaking her out of her room just ten minutes before. Holden took Hannah’s place at Tobi’s side while Hannah pushed her sister a bit faster toward the reception desk in the front lobby. The group had passed it twice before without getting caught, but as they got closer, they noticed Dr. Cullen standing in front of the desk with a clip board in his hands and his eyes on their speedy arrival.

“Oh, shit,” Holden whispered, trying to stop the chair before they crashed into the young doctor, but ended up having his foot ran over by the solid wheel.

Hannah and Tobi giggled like two little girls when they heard their brother fall, but Hannah’s smile fell at once when she stopped the chair but Tobi’s body kept going forward. It was amazing how fast Carlisle dropped the clipboard onto the ivory desk and jogged to catch Tobi mid-fall. Tobi’s body shook as her hands clutched Carlisle’s doctor’s jacket, but when she looked up to meet his eyes he saw that she was only laughing out of sheer happiness.

“I don’t think it’s wise for you to be out of bed just yet, Autumn,” Carlisle inquired with amused eyes that still held the professional worry he needed, “I don’t think Jasper, or your mother would like to hear that you’ve been playing in the hospital.”

“But I was the hostage,” Tobi teased with a large smile, “those two soulless gingers kidnapped from my bed and I’ve been screaming for help ever since.”

“Hey! I have soul,” Holden protested, his grin still in place, “it’s our hearts you normal people should worry about.”

Tobi busted into loud fits or laughter, causing people to peer over at her from the waiting room with questions in their mind of her sanity, and slowly stood up on her functional leg to hop over to her chair. Once she was sitting down, she waved at Carlisle before wheeling her way around and heading toward her stuffy prison cage with her redheaded pose following her closely. The three had almost gotten away with sneaky out of the hospital room without their mom knowing, but the moment the elevator door opened on Tobi’s floor their mom was waiting on the other side with a frantic look in her eyes.

“Oh, no,” Hannah muttered when Saline locked eyes with Tobi

Within seconds, Tobi was being pulled out of her chair once more and checked over thoroughly by Saline. The blonde haired woman’s heart nearly dropped when she saw that her daughter’s leg was still bandaged heavily and all weight was on her left leg. Instead of paying attention to the negatives, Saline looked up into Tobi’s eyes and put on her usual scolding face.

“Do you know how worried I was to find you out of your room?” Saline’s voice was in a whisper but her children knew she was just holding back because of the environment, “My heart nearly fell out of my ass and I would have been the one in the fucking hospital room because you guys killed me.”

Tobi held in a snicker at her moms motherly ways and shook her head, “Actually, you’d be in the morgue because the hospital takes in sick and dying people. If you died you wouldn’t have any place here unless you donate your body, which I find highly disgusting.”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” Saline snapped while lowering Tobi back into her chair, “we’re going to take you right back to bed. You have visitors just waiting to see if all thier worry is in vain.” –Saline stopped pushing Tobi as they drew closer to her room and walked to stand in front of her chair- “also, I know since Jasper walked into your life nothing but sex has been on your mind, and I won’t say you’re wrong because he’s a pretty hot boy for your age.”

“Mom!” Tobi’s cheeks heated severely and she narrowed her eyes, “I think about other things than sex. In fact, I’ve only mentioned sex twice and you happened to be around.”

“But he is nothing but sex on legs,” Hannah announced before turning away to avoid the hawk-like gaze her mother shot at her.

“Like I was saying before; Jasper loves you and I can see it in his eyes and it’s obvious you are falling pretty hard for him, but why is there an attractive Native American boy in the room as well? He talks about nothing but making you happy and I’m sure he was more worried about you than even me when we found you miss,” Saline’s words got louder as she spoke, “are you leading him on Autumn-October Lianna Chevalier?”

Tobi’s grin returned when she noticed Jasper walking slowly toward the group, “Mom, I love Jasper and I don’t think flirting with other guys because you feel like it is a part of the definition. I love Paul too, yes, but in a platonic way. Jasper is all I need and I’m perfectly content with having him as the only ma-…boy in my life until we decide to get married at some point and I pop out a few of my own boys.”

Saline narrowed her eyes as she looked for lies on her daughters face, but nodded and went to push her once more when she found none. Several steps in, they ran into Jasper who was smiling brightly at the family but charming Saline more so. Tobi knew he was trying to get back on her mom’s good side but it was completely oblivious to Hannah and Saline. Holden rolled his eyes and shoved Hannah to snap her out of her trance, causing Hannah to yell at him and Saline to look away from Jasper and focus on her younger two. That gave Jasper enough time to get Tobi’s chair and push her toward her room.

“You know I love you right,” Tobi teased as she looked up and into his eyes, “I mean, who else can charm my mom and sister enough to cause a chain reaction and help me escape her wrath?”

Jasper leaned down and kissed Tobi’s soft lips before nodding, “You are lucky to have met me.”

Tobi rolled her eyes and her smile widened, “No, my love, it is you who is lucky to have met the wonderful Tobi! Now, once I am in bed I would like you to bow down in my glory.” The words left her lips as she was wheeled into her room, causing Paul to stand up quickly and rush over to her side to check her over as her mother did.

“Where were you?”

“I was bonding with the little ones,” Tobi explained while reaching up for someone to help her into bed. Paul was the first to react, much to Jasper’s distain, and lifted Tobi bridal style into her bed. Tobi loved feeling how fast Paul’s heart pounded against her hand and how warm his arms were compared to the usual cold air of the hospital room. Smiling, Tobi snuggled closer to Paul before letting go and sighed happily, “Either my medication makes me both hyper and loopy, or you’re actually pretty hot Paul.”

Paul tossed a side glance at Jasper and grinned, “That’s a first.”

Tobi slapped his chest and laughed, “You know what I mean.”

Over the next two hours, Tobi’s family left to go back to the Swan’s house and left Jasper and Paul alone with Tobi once more. However, Jasper had decided to lay next to Tobi in her bed and spoon her as Paul watched with hateful eyes. Tobi felt the tension between the two but was too afraid to confront it without hearting someone in the process. She remembered Paul’s words from a couple of hours before and the only logical answer she had given him to explain how she felt in return was ‘Oh’. She saw the small glint of pain in his eyes when she didn’t say anything else, but she couldn’t tell him that she would never love him like she loved Jasper.

But was she wrong to feel some sort of love for Paul in a romantic setting?

The way he made her heart skip a few beats whenever he walked into the room, how his eyes held nothing but strong compassion and love for her, how his arms fit perfectly around her when they hugged and the small linger when they let go, but, most of all, Tobi loved the way she could be herself with Paul without feeling out of place like when she was with the Cullen family.

That’s when Tobi realized it, and it hurt her to even think the next words to cross her mind. Tobi knew at once that she was in love with Paul, not as in a sister but as a mother loves a father and wants to be with that person forever. The only problem was that Jasper held Tobi’s heart in his hands and she loved how painful it felt to love and get loved back so passionately it was a surprise she didn’t feint whenever they kissed. Tobi loved how Jasper said nothing but kind words, how his hands gently ran across her skin, and how he had always managed to somehow make her feel better.

Looking back and into Jasper’s eyes, Tobi smiled softly and pecked his lips, “I love you.”

Jasper grinned, “I love you too.”

Paul reacted to their moment by turning the television a bit higher just as a report about a woman found with four animals in her house with which she filmed herself practicing grotesque acts of sex with. Tobi’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened in disgust and humor as she listened to the report and tightened her grip around Jasper’s cold arm.

“That’s so fucking sick!” she whispered but rather loudly, causing Paul to look at her like she was about to cough up blood and die at any second.

“What? Having sex with animals?” Paul questioned

Tobi nodded, “Fucking animals is so gross. Bestiality is one of the sickest things a human can get into and I doubt I’d like to associate with anyone for a lust for a different species.”

Paul grunted slightly when Jasper tossed a triumphant look in his direction and licked over his lips before looking at Tobi, “What about necrophilia? I mean, having sex with a dead person is worse, in my book, than having sex with something that could at least move.”

“I stand corrected!” Tobi giggled, “I would much rather have sex with a dog than a dead person any day. That’s just so creepy! They wouldn’t be able to move and their all cold and their heart doesn’t beat! Gosh, I can’t imagine even kissing someone who’s been dead for over an hour.”

Jasper’s arms tightened around Tobi’s waist but he didn’t say anything in fear of letting the secret slip. He wanted to tell Tobi at exactly the same time as Ruby so Tobi didn’t feel alone with the secret, but the moment he thought of just telling her to get it out there, his phone rang with Emmett’s ring tone. Getting off the bed, Jasper walked outside of the room to answer his phone.

“I told her.”

“You told who what?” Jasper questioned before realizing that Emmett was talking about Ruby and the family secret, “Emmett, you said you’d wait until tomorrow.”

“I couldn’t hide it anymore. She had a right to know before things got out of hand,” Emmett explained, “I just called to tell you I think it’s best Tobi hears it from you now before Ruby comes and tells her, herself.”

Jasper nodded, knowing Emmett couldn’t see him, and hung up before slowly walking into Tobi’s room once more. Upon seeing her smiling face, Jasper ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Paul, “Would you mind giving us some time, I need to tell her something.”

“It’s about time she learns the truth,” Paul mumbled, hearing everything that was said outside the door, “just make sure you don’t kill her with it.”

Once Paul was out, Jasper walked over to Tobi’s bedside and took her hand in his, “Would you love me if I were one of those dead people you had to kiss?”

Tobi looked at him like he was crazy but nodded slowly, “Um, yeah. I mean, even after death I’d love you.”

Jasper lifted Tobi’s hands to his chest and pressed it lightly over where his heart should have been beating. He watched Tobi’s facial features go from confused to worried when she didn’t feel anything and her heart started racing.

“Ohmigosh! Jasper, what happened? Why isn’t your heart beating?” Tobi’s voice was loud and held nothing but worry, “What’s wrong?”

“My heart hasn’t given a single beat in over a century,” Jasper explained, “I’ve never been able to feel the rush of blood you always get when we meet and my heart never pounds heavily when you’re around, but I’m positive that if I were still human I would react the same way.”

“What are you saying?” Tobi was worried and confused and nauseated all in one.

“Tobi, I see the way you shiver when I’m around because of my skin, my heart doesn’t beat, my eyes change color after my family and I goes ‘hunting’, and my body is extremely hard,” Jasper’s hints were obvious because he wanted Tobi to think about it herself. He saw her thinking over everything he said and then, just a few minutes later, Tobi’s eyes lightened tenfold.

The only thought that crossed her mind when Tobi figured it out made her clutch her own racing heart in response stare at her covered legs while her head spun uncontrollably.

”Oh my fucking goodness! I’m a necrophiliac!”