Good story.  In the books isn't Maria still alive?  Doesn't keep it from being interesting to read.  I enjoyed the interplay between the two talents.

Author's Response:

I believe she is, but since I was already AU enough to have Jasper getting together with Chelsea, I figured no one would mind too much if I continued along that vein and gave Maria an AU death. Glad you liked the two talents together. Thank you for reviewing!

Sorry, messed up on my first posting.

I really liked this. I never gave much thought to Jasper in the Twilight. Maybe, it was because he was the empath so by extension his actual personality didn't shine through or maybe he was just under used, but you did a really good job of fleshing out his character.

I also liked your Chelsea as well. I'm assuming she is from Breaking Dawn. I only got half way through the book before putting it down because of the whole Anne Rice Harlequin novel baby vampire rip off plot twist.--- to say that I was slighlty irked about the way that went down was an understatement.  

All and all, I really liked the pairing. The scene with them swimming in the Rio Grande was both very erotic and vivid. I could almost picture it in my head.

A short story has to be the most difficult to write, because you have to see both the characters and plot within such a short space. You did an excellent job.

I would love to see a sequel. For some reason, Jasper and Chelsea are far more interesting to me than Jasper and Alice. I think it has something to do with the fact that both could be violent if they so choose.

Thanks for writing.

Author's Response:

I was afraid that on top of it being a non-canon pairing, people would think it was an OC, because Chelsea has a very small role to play. She breaks friendship bonds and forges new ones when the Volturi want to recruit someone, but S.M. mentions that she can't break love bonds, so she's useless against the Cullens, and then Bella shields everyone from that sort of thing anyway. Leaves her toothless in Breaking Dawn (which squicked me out completely. Spine cracking baby that gets imprinted on by a teen werewolf...) 

Anyway, I wanted to write a fic in which there was very little black and white. The Volturi not strictly evil, Jasper not reformed and 'vegetarian'. I was hoping to keep a lot of violence and questionable behavior - a grittier vamp world -  in the background while looking to make JxC likeable. 

For me, short stories are MUCH easier to write. That's what I went to school for and what I'm used to. I don't lose any momentum, and it's fun to try to make everything do double duty - giving a sense of mood or character while also moving the action along. It's the longer stories that are hard for me. Before I started ff a year ago, I'd never written anything as long as Aegis or Bronze. 

I don't know if I'll do a straight out sequel. I thought about it, but I'm actually thinking more about a series of linked one shots with non-canon couples and more of their slightly grey morality, and having Jasper and/or Chelsea from this story playing a role in a os focused on another pairing. -- Linked non-canon one-shots: clearly I don't want many readers! ;)  

Thanks so much for reviewing. Though this is my OH's least favorite of my fanfics, it's my favorite, so I smile when I see that someone has reviewed it. 

That was VERY good! Interesting with all the detail about her gift and her job. I loved seeing this Jasper, while he is still a fighter and yet looking for more in the world. I hope you win!

Author's Response:

Thanks. I don't like the canon Volturi obviously, but I can see how they keep things from getting out of hand, and I started to imagine them as this bureaucracy that's been reigning in covens for hundreds of years. I wanted to take the mystery out of that, and make Chelsea tired of it, and Jasper the spark that changes everything for her. Non-canon pairings don't generally pull in the readers by the truckload, lol, but I loved the idea of their gifts together. 

I appreciate the review!

This is great. REALLY wonderful.  Such a unique pairing and off-center antagonism. I will have to share this. 

I voted, too.  :)

 

I wonder what will happen a week from the end of your story...I'd kind of like to see Jasper follow her to Volterra...find out what he can accomplish there.  

VERY intriguing.

 

 

Author's Response:

Thanks very much. If this had been a longer fic, Jasper would have had a much harder time getting past what she'd done. I can't see him letting a matter of abused trust go easily. That's why I had maybe a hint of warning in his last line. I don't know exactly what would happen down the road. I'd thought about doing a couple of one shot sequels for this, and I still may if the plot bunny won't let me go. We'll see...

I appreciate you giving this a rec. Having always written ExB before I didn't realize this non-canon pairing would not be of interest to a lot of readers. But I had a lot of fun with it. 

Thank you!!!