Coruscate || Jasper Hale [ON HOLD]

Loving Living

"Where there is love
there is life."
Mahatma Gandhi

Elle grins impishly in her father's direction as she reels in another fish, "Dad, I think we've caught us all dinner! I reckon if we head home soonish, we'll be able to prepare it before Bells gets the chance to fake-gag at the sight!"

"I don't know if it is fake, Ellie," Charlie snorts, "Remember when you two were thirteen, and she threw up?"

"And then I threw up because she threw up!" the girl cackles, wheezing for breath as the memory replays in her mind—her first time helping prepare a fish she caught to eat, when she was still growing accustomed to living with Meniere's.

Charlie watches with a smile as Elle doubles over with laughter, a chuckle escaping him as she wipes tears from her hazel-brown eyes.

"Isn't this nice?" Elle prompts with a grin, "A much needed break from work, and some time for us to spend together, out on the water again and away from the chaos. Just us, and the fresh air."

The man exhales with a small smile, "It's great. And although I've missed it, I have to admit that I'm slightly confused by how you're keeping up at school—what with all the time you spend with your boyfriend, and the rest of the Cullens, and everyone on the Rez, and your friends from school, and me."

"I can be productive with my friends!" Elle responds indignantly, continuing sarcastically, "It's not like I'm sharing valedictorian with one of those friends, and tutoring one of the others."

"That's part of why I'm so confused, Ellie," Charlie remarks with a snort, "You're balancing everything so well, it's nearly superhuman. Maybe you could help Bella manage her time in a more... well-balanced way. You know—not spending every second of every day until four pm on-the-dot with that boyfriend of hers."

Elle snorts in mild amusement, smirking at her dad, "So Jasper is 'your boyfriend' while Edward is 'that boyfriend of hers'. I think you have a favourite."

The Chief of Police doesn't even deny it, "Your relationship seems healthier—you spend a healthy amount of time together and apart, he hasn't done anything to hurt you, and he doesn't push any boundaries with you or me."

Charlie Swan has had limited interactions with the Hale boy, yes—but each encounter between them was respectful, even if the boy did seem to keep his distance.
His approval doesn't come easily, but the adoration, affection, and reverence Charlie notices in those peculiar golden eyes when Jasper looks at Elle, as well as the happiness he brings her, is enough to win just that.

Young love can be a dangerous thing, influenced by hormones, based on whims, leading to possible dependency, reckless decisions and—oftentimes—life-altering occurrences.

But young love can also be beautiful, with purity and passion and mutual understanding that can result in the chance to grow through trouble together, facing adversity as equals and flourishing once conquering it.

Perhaps it is because of his own experience with young love that Charlie used to believe only variants of the first type existed—but Elle and Jasper continuously surprise him by showing him the second kind, proving its existence and winning his approval for the relationship.

So, when Elle agrees to help convince Bella to start spending her time in a better balanced way—meaning his oldest will spend less time with her boyfriend, the two in what Charlie believes to be a slightly unhealthy relationship—the Swan man is incredibly satisfied, and the two return to the dock and head home.

✯✯✯

Elle steals the Seattle Times from her dad, glancing over the headlines—Murders, Disappearances, Possible Work of Serial Killer—before rolling it up and lightly smacking the back of his head with it.