empathy

TWENTY-FOUR

Glancing out the window at the woods, Anastaisa rests her head on her pulled up knee. 

Jasper has left with Carlisle a few minutes ago but seeing as she didn't hear either one drive off, she assumes they're still standing outside. 
The doctor has taken a look at the wound, sending her a worried look every now and then; all the while telling her what Antonina has been up to.

Peter Pan playing without a break, Rosalie humming the song to get her to sleep at night, Esme making her guacamole and egg toast for breakfast because Antonina said it's what her sister usually eats. Emmett cuddles her through the night because she is afraid to sleep on her own, worried she might wake up alone. 
Alice had ordered at least a dozen clothes online because she deemed them cute and Aurelia had to stop her from buying even more. 

From what he has told her Antonina seems to be doing alright, Anastasia simply choosing to ignore the part in which her sister misses her. She misses the little girl, too. 

Antonina has been her life for too long to still be able to say Anastasia actually has a life of her own. And even two days without her feel weird, as though her life is just going on but there is no real living.

Though, that might have different sources than just her sister.

"You want me to make you some dinner?" Jasper's voice pulls her out of her thoughts, her head turning to look at him, shaking left to right a second after. "No, I got it."

Forcing herself off the couch, the two of them make their way upstairs, Jasper sitting down at the table while she rummages through the shelves. 

"You want some?" she offers, holding the dino nuggets out for him. "No, thank you," he declines, raising a brow but not commenting on her choice of food. 

"Antonina loves them," Anastasia quickly defends herself, no need to tell them she does so as well. 

Putting the nuggets in the oven, she gets some hot sauce out of the fridge to pour in a small bowl before sitting down, waiting for her food to finish. 

It's agonizing to smell it but not be able to eat it, almost torture. They should invent smell-proof ovens sometime.
Then again Antonina loves to sit in front of it, staring through the small glass as she waits for cookies or particularly good smelling food to finish. 

--- 

It's later that evening that Anastasia finds herself lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling. Jasper insisted on staying on the couch, very reluctant to leave her alone at all. 

Her hand is clinging to her blanket, flashes of her father's lifeless body showing in front of her eyes whenever she dares to let her lids flutter close. 
But eventually, she does manage to fall asleep, her father haunting her sleep and taunting her actions. 

Jasper is indeed lying on the couch, a book in his lap as he reads away. That is until he hears Anastasia's heart speeding up, the wild ruffling of what seems to be her thrashing around as well as the quiet whispers leaving her lips. 

Speeding in front of her door, he knocks softly, not sure whether she is awake or still asleep. But seeing as he does not get any reaction he assume the latter and quietly steps inside. His heart fills with sorrow at the side of her, the tears streaming down her face, the sweat covering her forehead and her obvious distressed state. 

Sitting down next to her, his hand rests on her cheek ever so gently, his gift reaching out to calm her down and after a little while it works. A last whimpered plea leaves her tongue before she fully relaxes into the mattress.

His thumbs come up to wipe away her tears before he carefully gets back off the bed, rushing to get a wet cloth and wipe away her sweat, carelessly abandoning the cloth after. Getting his book from downstairs, Jasper sits down in the chair of her desk, staying the night to keep a better eye on her. 

What could have possibly have happened to affect her in such a way?   

---

Antonina as well is having a hard time sleeping and nothing has helped so far. She is clinging to Emmett, her Peter Pan stuffy tightly in her arms as well, Rosalie is sitting at the edge of the bed, her eyes shining with nothing but pure worry. 

The little girl has managed to awake a side of her she has thought long since forgotten. 

It is no secret that Rosalie has always longed for a child of her own, it was the thing making her hate vampirism the most. And now here she is, completely overwhelmed because there is a girl in front of her she has learned to love in a way she has not loved anyone before. 

Some would describe it as motherly love but Rosalie herself is not ready to admit it yet. She can't. Not when there is a high possibility Antonina will be stripped away from them the moment Anastasia has sorted out whatever caused her to send her sister to them. 

Grazing her fingers through Antonina's hair, she locks eyes with Emmett, who seems completely lost. And if eyes were able to talk his would probably be calling 'help' as loud as they could. 

He is engulfing her closely and usually that's enough to get her to sleep, well in combination with Rosalie's singing. They found out that during nap time. 

Hell, neither one can't believe Antonina has only been there for what? three days? let it be four. 

"Shall we put on a movie?" he asks her, Rose sending him a disapproving look. It is late as it is how could he possibly suggest watching another movie. "I think we have Oliver and company laying around," Emmett adds, hoping it might get her to sleep.

And truly being tired of Peter Pan. 

Nodding against his chest, Antonina quietly agrees. She misses her sister, she wants Anastasia.