Meeting the Teacher [CLOSED]

[Jasper Devine]

Again, Jasper nodded, “Tomorrow would be fantastic.” Boy, was Emma going to be pissed that he was so late, especially since he hadn’t even bothered to call. Whoops. That probably would’ve been the smarter and more polite thing to do, but from practically getting raped by his boss to later getting into an argument with Serenity over it, Jasper just lost all track of the time. Hopefully she’d understand, though – she normally did. Plus, it was kind of hard not to sympathize with him after you heard the whole story. Chances were she wouldn’t understand half of it and/or fall asleep somewhere in the middle, but at least she’d get some kind of explanation as to why he wasn’t on time.

A broad smile crossed his face, gratitude shining in his hazel eyes, “It would make me very happy.” Jasper managed to whisper before Serenity kissed him, prompting his eyes to a sudden close. His hand trailed up her back to her hair, entangling his fingers within the brown strands until she finally pulled away from him. He held her even closer as she spoke, feeling yet another adrenaline rush – most likely the twentieth one today, all of which had probably pushed his blood pressure to an all-time high – but this time, it wasn’t out of stress, or disapproval. Instead, it was brought upon by sheer bliss. It sounded awfully cliché, but there were few things that could compare with the heavenly feeling of Serenity’s body and lips against his. In fact, given the chance, he’d gladly stand there all night, just for the sake of being near her. But, due to the bitter cold weather and late hour, they were going to have to leave sometime.

He couldn’t help but laugh a little at her compliment, blushing timidly as his eyes fell to the ground. However, before Jasper could even begin to think of a response, Serenity grabbed his hand, prompting him to look back up again. He nodded, pulling her in the direction of the parking lot, where his little black convertible sat. Luckily, it wasn’t that long of a trek, despite the fact he always parked as far away as possible from all the other cars. It was kind of strange, but Jasper was deathly afraid of messing up his car. He had it for quite a few years and so far, it hasn’t failed him yet – so, he was determined to keep it that way, especially since now he really couldn’t afford any little accidents.

His eyes glanced back to Serenity once again, finding himself laughing like some sort of little schoolboy in the presence of the one girl he had a crush on, “I could say the same thing about you.” Jasper returned cheerfully, holding her hand a little tighter as they continued to walk through the grass.

[Serenity Lane]

Serenity giggled softly, nodding. "That's good." she said, looking up in his eyes. He had that look that kind of said, 'oh I did something wrong, or i'm screwed'. She wasn't sure which.

She smiled slightly as his hand went to her hair. She looked up at him, giggling softly. "I'm sorry. I just....really like kissing you." she admitted, staying close to him for a while longer. Watching him blush, she looked down, her face also flushing pink. As she was tugged towards his car, she still held onto his hand. "Park far enough away?" she teased. "Then again, I don't blame you. Pretty hot car." she nodded, looking up at him. As her eyes met his for a moment, before she looked down. "If you say so, Jasper." she said, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I really just wanna walk home." she whinned softly.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper shook his head vigorously, gently rested his hands on her cheeks, and leaned in to kiss her once again. “Don’t be sorry.” He whispered in an exhale before he let his lips rest against hers in a small yet lovely kiss. “I really like kissing you,” Again, he smiled, pausing for a moment before he finally began walking toward his car, gently pulling Serenity along with him. He looked back at her every now and then, laughing at her smart remarks. “Very funny.” He teased right back, his head turning to admire his own car. It was kind of old – at least he had it for quite a while – but it still looked and ran like new. Jasper didn’t know much about cars in general, in fact, he could barely tell one model from another, but when it came to his own car, he was always on top of things. He made sure it always looked nice, it had oil, all the latest updates and fixes – basically, anything and everything that would keep his car in the best condition it could be in. Plus, it was a gift, and if his Aunt heard that he wasn’t doing everything to keep that thing in the best condition possible, well… things wouldn’t be pretty, especially since he crashed her van about three years back.

“Thank you,” He responded with a grateful smile as they finally reached their destination. “You seem awfully eager to run away from me.” Jasper joked as he turned around to face her, laughing softly. He leaned his back against the slick, clean black Dodge convertible, crossed his arms over his chest and looked over her adorable face until he finally gave in. A sigh of defeat rolled off of his lips, “Fine. If you really want to.” He paused before suddenly getting an idea. “Just… wait.” His right hand reached down into his back pocket, pulling out one of those revolting packs of nicotine gum that his daughter often bugged him to carry around. However, rather than eating one, Jasper pulled apart the container, ripped off a square of the paper carton, and threw the rest onto the seat of his car. Then, he turned around, leaned into his car and began digging through the glove compartment, in search for a working pen or pencil. A small ‘a-ha’ rolled off his lips once he found one, returning to his previous position in front of Serenity. After scribbling on the thick cardboard-like paper, Jasper finally jotted down his phone number and handed it to her. “Can you… call me, when you get in?” He asked timidly, feeling his stomach sink a little as he realized how stupid that must sound. It seemed like a much better idea in his head, and now that he finally went through with it, boy did it make him seem like some sort of creepy Big Brother figure – and not the cute, cuddly, protective sibling kind, more like the watchful, all-knowing, 1984, George Orwell kind.

So, Jasper immediately tried to compensate for his silliness, hoping that an explanation would make his actions a little less awkward. “I don’t want to sound… needy or clingy or anything like that, it’s just… I worry about that kind of stuff sometimes. I mean, it’s dark, and… people are…weird… sometimes, and…” He hesitated, his eyes flickering from the ground, then back up to Serenity, “I just like to know that you’re okay.” In spite of his somewhat incoherent reasoning, Jasper still felt like he was some sort of total creep. He hung his head low, chewing nervously on his bottom lip, hoping that Serenity didn’t take it the same way he did. Was it too soon, to start exchanging numbers? Probably, considering they worked side-by-side and saw each other everyday. Fuck. Well, so much for ending things on a good note.

[Serenity Lane]

She felt his lips against hers and her heart also stopped. She nodded, "That... is really relieving to know." she said. She watched him for a moment, befor looking bacck to the car. "No. Not at all. I just.... I'm really...nervous Iguess." she said, looking up at him. She looked at him pull the box out, he was trying to stop smoking? Wait, he smoked? She nodded slightly. "Yeah." she said. "If I remember I mean. I have a really aweful memory."she said.

She put her arms around him, smiling. "I don't mind. I am...kinda clingy too." she admitted, sighing as she let him go and looked down. "Yeah. I know. Last month I left my door unlocked on accident and I found someone inside. But it was only my step-mom." she said. "She's...really creepy." she laughed softly. "I like how caring you are. But you don't need to worry about me." she said. "So i'll call you in about ten, fifteen minutes." she said. "Do...you want my number? Incase I forget?" she asked.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper smiled at her remark, holding her close as the temptation to kiss her again filled him. But, it was getting late, and the longer he stood there kissing her, the later he would be to pick up Emma, and the more upset she would be. So, he resisted, opting to run his hands through her soft hair instead. “But you don’t have any reason to be.” Jasper shrugged his shoulders, gently pushing some of the lovely brown strands away from her angelic face. He nodded his head, still smiling, though her forgetful attitude stirred a little bit of fear in him. He prayed she wouldn’t forget, hoping to God that he wouldn’t have to suffer through some sort of panic attack until morning simply because she couldn’t remember to call him back.

As if he wasn’t concerned enough already, she had to go telling him some little story about leaving her door unlocked, which of course, only made him feel worse. “Oh my God,” Jasper muttered under his breath, his eyes going wide. He tried to at least looked calm and unbothered by her little story, but it only made him more worried that she was going to be walking home by herself. What if she got in, and it wasn’t just her step-mom raiding the refrigerator, or riffling through her drawers? What if it was someone else and no one was there to help her? Jasper straightened his posture, nervously taking a deep breath. No – that was silly. That kind of stuff only happened in movies, right? He was just over-thinking this. After all, his mom used to walk home all the time when he lived in the city, and nothing ever happened to her. She was still fit as a fiddle, happy as a clam, right? Serenity was a big girl; she’d be fine getting home. “At least it was you’re your step-mom, though.” Jasper said aloud, still trying to convince himself that she would be alright.

He looked down, saying a quiet prayer that she would make it home okay. Jasper was far from religious, but he’d be willing to try anything in order to reassure Serenity’s safety. His eyes tilted upward in her direction once again, gazing up at her from beneath his eyelashes. “I know… but I… I can’t help it, you know?” Jasper did tend to worry about a lot of things. He stressed himself out over being on time, over looking nice, over what other people thought of him – basically, a lot of stupid things that most people wouldn’t bother to give the time of day. It was hard to just relax and let his mind unwind. It probably wasn’t a good thing – in fact, it could quite possibly give him a stomach ulcer one day – but it was the only thing Jasper really ever knew. And since he didn’t have the money for a therapist or some medication, it was simply something he had to put up with.

A small smile crossed his face as he looked at her, tilting his head to the side as he debated on her offer. It kind of felt like a double-edged sword, because he didn’t want to seem like a creep by saying ‘yes,’ but at the same time, he’d be a complete asshole if he said ‘no.’ So, what one was he supposed to be? He hesitated and hung his head for a moment, before giving a small nod. “Sure, i-if you don’t mind.” His grin brightened a little as he lifted his gaze, giving a small shrug of his shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant and relaxed.

[Serenity Lane]

Serenity looked back up at him, tempted to kiss him too, but she didn't. "Well. I know that, now.." she giggled softly, moving her head to his shoulder. "Go get your daughter, Jasper." she said.

"Ah I shouldn't.... of told you that." she winced softly, "Yeah. I think I'm more scared of her than anyone, to be honest." she laughed softly then paused. "oh... no. I was supposed to pick up my lil brother and sister. Damn it. I gotta go... Jasper." she said, leaning in, kissing him softly, then walking off to her place to get her car. She was supposed to pick them up almost two hours ago. How could she be so.... stupid?!

After about five minutes of walking she jogged the rest of the way, then got in her car, driving off to the elementary school. She wasn't sure if it was the same one that Emma went to. She went inside, seeing three kids sitting there. She was positive one was Emma. She went to her brother and sister. "I'm so sorry guys." she said, putting her arms around them lightly.

She would wait, to see if it was Emma. To see if Jasper would walk in. Just then, two older people came in, pushing her out of the way to the kids. "Dad....?" she said. "I didn't mean to forget!" she whinned as the parents yelled at her. She glared, as they told her they couldn't stay at her place anymore. "Fuck you." she hissed at her step-mom. It was her fault she couldn't see them anymore. "I hate you." she said, storming out the door, to her car, trying not to cry.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper gave a small nod toward her instructions, though instead of moving, he simply kissed the top of her head, still holding his arms around her waist gently. He laughed nervously, forcing a smile. “It’s okay,” He said quickly in response, not wanting to make her feel bad. “Don’t… don’t worry about it.” His head shook gently, causing a few loose strands of hair fall in front of his face. A bigger grin crossed over his face as she spoke, laughing a little at his own words, “If she’s breaking into your house I would assume she’s a pretty scary person.” Jasper teased. It was a little cheesy, but kind of cute all the same. He was never all that good at coming up with clever jokes, especially on the spot. Chances were, he’d lay in bed later that night and think of something even better that had could’ve said. Not that any ‘what if’ scenarios could really help him now, of course.

His mind was just beginning to wander off, though it jumped back on track at the sound of her troubled voice. He immediately looked up toward her, nodding a few times in understanding. “Okay, well…” His voice trailed off as she kissed him and ran off, leaving him feeling somewhat confused. It wasn’t his fault that she forgot, was it? After all, he was the one who kept here there so long. Whoops. His heart sank nervously in his chest, praying that it wasn’t he who made her late. Boy, God probably thought Jasper was the biggest asshole in the world – a Catholic school boy who always renounced his religion was suddenly praying his heart out for some assistance. What a hypocrite.

After a few moments of panic, Jasper finally jumped into his car, putting the key in the ignition in order to get some sort of heat going. It wasn’t until he sat down that he realized how cold it was, thus causing his mind to immediately jump out to Serenity. Was she going to be alright, walking home in such bitter weather? What if she got sick? Jasper shuddered at the thought. But, it was her choice. Not that he was going to go running around saying ‘I told you so’ – but, he did tell her so. He put his hands on the steering wheel, though he didn’t drive off just yet. Something stilled him, keeping him from moving, from rushing to get to his daughter. His eyes slid toward the glove compartment, taking a deep breath before he began chewing on his lip nervously.

Inside the small, yet newly-renovated elementary school, a young, blonde six-year-old child sat at a table with two other children, coloring in a cute little Sleeping Beauty-themed Coloring Book. However, it was clear she wasn’t quite focused on her activity, for every now and then her eyes would jump from her crayons to the clock above the door, impatiently watching the seconds turn to minutes and the minutes turn to hours as she waited for her father to arrive. He told her he was going to be late, but she would’ve just asked her Great Aunt Stephanie to pick her up if she knew he was going to be this long. A heavy, displeased sigh rolled off her lips as she continued to color, pressing down so hard on the paper that the poor blue crayon she was using broke in two.

Fuck. Fuck Fuck. Was the only word Jasper could think of as he slid out of his car, taking a moment to air it out as he stood in the parking lot of his daughter’s elementary school. Boy, was she going to be pissed – not only was he late, but he just had to stop for a cigarette before he left, something Jasper had promised Emma he wouldn’t do. She was going to kill him. A cute little six-year-old girl was going to straight up murder his ass. “Shit, shit,” Jasper muttered under his breath as he finally shut the door to his black convertible, walking with a hurried pace toward the entrance of the school. His mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of his daughter that he was barely paying any attention to where he was going. He hung his head low, not bothering to look ahead to see who was in front of him until it was too late. His eyes rose just as he collided with a woman walking in the opposite direction, smacking straight into her with such a force that he instantly fell backward onto his ass, his body slamming violently against the cold, rough surface of the blacktop.

Well… great. Jasper sighed heavily, wincing in pain as he slowly sat up. “Fucking Christ…” Jasper mumbled agonizingly, quickly reaching around to rub the back of his head. Luckily, his hair was fairly large, or else he probably would’ve cracked his skull open. As far as he could tell, though, nothing was bleeding. Surely, he’d be feeling this fall for a few more days to follow, though. Jasper sighed heavily, just trying to suck it up as his eyes turned to the other person involved in the crash. Oh shit. Just because he was alright didn’t mean the person he hit felt the same. Dear God, what if they were seriously hurt? Wide-eyed, he scurried frantically over on his hands and knees to the other, looking them over like he was some sort of doctor. Unfortunately, though, due to the lack of light, he couldn’t really see much, other than it was a woman. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean – I didn’t see you – I’m really sorry, Jesus Christ, I really hope I didn’t hurt you – are you alright? Do you want some ice or something?”

The panic that was coursing through his veins kept him from forming a coherent sentence, his hands beginning to shake as he tried to comfort the woman he could’ve potentially given a concussion to. Slowly but surely, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, squinting as he tried to make out the face of the young girl. His head tilted to the side, narrowing his eyes curiously. It couldn’t possibly be – no – that’d be crazy. It was crazy. “S-Serenity…?” Jasper called quietly, managing a small smile as he said her name.

[Serenity Lane]

Serenity was in tears, but not from him colliding with her. She had fallen ontop of him, but quickly got herself off of him and onto the black pavement.

"Watch where yo-" she stopped, to see Jasper. She looked down, sighing softly to herself. "I thought I'd be running into you, but not literally." she said, rubbing the back of her head slightly, messing her hair up a little.

Her lips went to his lightly, "Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Maybe we should both watch where we are going next time." she said, laughing weakly. She finally realised he didn't notice her, because his eyes weren't adjusted. "Yeah. I'm fine." she said, blushing some. "Go get your daughter. If she was the blonde girl...damn...she looked pissed. And I kind...of cursed infront of her. I'm sorry." she said. Her eyes were sorry too, almost looking like a puppy as they watered more. "I gotta go....home... I need sleep." she said, gasping for air for a moment.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper could feel a panic attack coming on as he realized she was crying. Oh God. Oh God. He hurt her. She cracked her head open or something, and now he was going to have to rush her to the hospital and pay for all the bills. He was going to go bankrupt and lose his apartment, and be a perfect replica of that movie ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ – only Jasper was far from any smooth talking Will Smith. His heart began to race as he grabbed her hand gently, “Oh my God, Serenity, I didn’t to hurt you, I swear, I wasn’t paying attention, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I –“ His voice stopped abruptly as she started to yell, shying away from her cowardly. He brushed his clothes off quickly, hoping to rid himself of the smoke that may have clung to the threads. A smile crossed his face as she finally realized it was him, looking up from his attire to try to make her out her silhouette in the darkness.

He stepped up in front of her again, his smile widening with relief that she seemed to be alright. She wasn’t collapsed on the floor with a concussion, anyway, so that was quite a thing to be happy about. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, are you okay? My God, I thought I… killed you or something,” Jasper laughed a little at his own exaggeration, shaking his aching head as his gaze slid to the ground. “Yeah, I guess we should.” He mumbled in agreement, nodding as he looked up at her again. It was strange, to see her again so suddenly. Not that Jasper was complaining, of course – in fact, he was quite overjoyed to see her. He only wished she could’ve looked a little happier in return.

Again, Jasper nodded, laughing a little as she mentioned the unhappy little blonde inside. “Emma’s blonde.” He said softly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. It was just as he expected: she was angry and impatient, just as he would’ve been if he was left behind for God-knows how many hours without any kind of warning. But, she’d get over it soon enough. After all, it wasn’t like they really had anything important planned for the night. Jasper gave a shrug of his shoulders, “Jeeze, is that what you’re upset about? Don’t worry about it. I… I do that a lot.” He laughed once again, looking down in embarrassment. It probably wasn’t good, to use such foul words around a six-year-old, especially since she was beginning to pick up on them, but, at the same time, if she didn’t hear them from him, she would hear them from someone else, anyway. So, what was the difference?

He sighed heavily, looking up as Jasper finally realized how upset she was. His eyes widened with concern as he reached out to hold her hand. “Wait, what’s the matter? What happened?” Jasper questioned, worry in his shaking voice. What could possibly be the matter now? Was it something he did? Oh God, Jasper sure hoped not. He wasn’t sure he could handle anymore guilt for the rest of the night. His eyes flickered from the door to Serenity, biting down on his lip gently. “Just relax, okay? Breathe.”

[Serenity Lane]

"You didn't hurt me." Serenity said, wishing he'd calm down. She took his hand, her eyes moving two four people leaving the school. She glared slightly, then relaxed as she looked back to him.

"Lets go inside. So you can get Emma." she said, looking up at him still. "Could I possibally come with you, and meet her now?" she asked, looking down at the pavement. She was still on the ground, and she really didn't want to get up.

"Nothing Jasper. Just my dad. And mo-... step-mom." she said. "I can't see my brother and sister anymore, because I'm so late to pick them up. I just forgot, it was one mistake!" she said, crying into his shoulder. She then tried to stop, taking his hand and pulling him inside so Emma wouldn't be as mad.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper nodded vigorously, letting out a deep sigh of relief after hearing such sweet words. Well, thank God for that. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about losing all his money on hospital bills for her – at least, not tonight, anyway. He followed her gaze toward the family that was leaving the school, looking over his shoulder to watch the dark figures disappear into the black sea, and then back toward Serenity. The death stare that she appeared to be sending their way made him a little nervous. Who were they? Family, maybe? Jasper figured it would be better not to ask. He had pried into her life enough for one day; it was probably better to save some things for another day.

A smile crossed his face as she asked to stay with him, a sense of elation washing over him. He sat up a little straighter, once again nodding joyously, “Of course. That would be wonderful.” He said cheerfully, running his hands through her hair comfortingly. Honestly, though, today probably wasn’t the best night – Emma was bought to be cranky, angry, and impatient toward his lateness, and Jasper himself was awfully worn out. But, he couldn’t say no. She was practically hyperventilating outside on the pavement, and there was no way he was going to leave her all alone. So, if she wanted to meet his daughter, well then, so be it.

However, as happy as Jasper was to have Serenity staying for a little while longer, his excitement shattered as she began to explain her situation. That was crazy. He was late picking up his own daughter all the time, but it didn’t make him any less of a halfway decent father. The same should go for Serenity – just because she was late once didn’t make her a terrible sister. On the contrary, it just meant she lost track of the time. Maybe it was just one of those family things that was said in a fit of anger, and would eventually blow over after a few days. With any luck, that’s all it was. Jasper held her close, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to provide her with some comfort. “It’ll be alright, Serenity. I’m sure… they can’t mean something like that. They can’t possibly keep you away from your family just because you were a few hours late.” He looked down at her, managing a small smile, “I mean, I’m not always as punctual ass I should be with Emma. Sometimes I’m a little late to pick her up from school, or her Aunt’s house. I mean, it’s not a crime. There aren’t any social workers knocking at my door because of it.” He hesitated, feeling his stomach sink at the thought. Maybe he should knock on some wood.

Before Jasper could continue to dwell on the subject, Serenity pulled him inside, suddenly feeling hit with a blast of warm air. His eyes fell onto a small child behind a desk, his child, causing a broad smile to cross over his face. “Give me a minute,” He mumbled under his breath to Serenity before he walked over to Emma, bent down to her level and gently placed a hand on her shoulder blade, watching her draw. “Whatcha drawing?” He asked quietly, though Emma didn’t look up from her book.

“Where were you?” The little girl responded coldly, scribbling all over the paper with her red crayon. Jasper sighed heavily, feeling a little hurt by her bitter tone. However, he knew very well he deserved it. After all, he was awfully late, and really didn’t give her any kind of heads up. “I’m sorry, angel, I got held up at work. Things got… pretty hectic.” Again, he exhaled, shaking his head as he recanted all the events that took place throughout the past few hours. Finally, the blonde turned to look at him, her unhappy, hazel eyes a perfect match to her father’s. “Forgive me?” Jasper begged softly, raising his eyebrows hopefully. Surely, she would have to let him off the hook, at least just this once.

Emma pursed her lips, as if going back and forth on the idea in her head, before finally she nodded, “I guess so.” She cracked a small smile, that also highly resembled Jasper’s, and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. As if on command, he lifted her up, holding her tightly in his arms against his chest as he rose to his feet. He hesitated there for a moment, his heart fluttering with joy to have his daughter in his arms again. Though it was only a few hours, to Jasper, it felt like weeks since he had last seen her, and although she wasn’t in the most pleasant of moods, she still managed to put a smile on his face and warmth in his heart. Finally, he turned around and put Emma down at his side, taking her hand in order to guide her toward Serenity. “Come on… I want you to meet someone.”

The poor girl looked tired and a little reluctant, but for once, kept her mouth shut. This was kind of strange for Emma, considering she was well known for saying what she wanted, when she wanted to say it. In fact, such an attitude got her in trouble quite a few times at school today – something that she was planning on complaining to her father about later that night, if she didn’t happen to fall asleep first. She eyed the brunette in the doorway curiously, taking note of her attire, stance, and somewhat sad-looking demeanor. Emma had seen this woman before, not too long ago. She was with those other two kids the teacher had introduced her two at the beginning of class, who she was coloring with until they were rather violently ripped away. “Emma, this is Serenity. She's... a friend of mine.” Her father introduced, breaking her train of thought. “Serenity, Emma… m-my daughter.” Emelia’s noise crinkled a little as she caught a whiff of the scent on her father’s clothes, disappointment filling her tiny body. Well, apparently, she was going to have to try a little harder to get him away from that nasty smoking habit. Her eyes turned back to Serenity, finally opening her mouth after a short hesitation, “Hi, lady.” She said politely, putting on a happy face, “It’s nice to meet you.”

[Serenity Lane]

Serenity said nothing about the people but nodded slightly. "She's really beautiful, from what I saw. She was coloring. And I had other issues to deal with." she sighed.

"No it won't. But even if I have to come here and pick them up early to be with them, then it will happen." she said stubbornly. "Yeah. Hours. They think because I'm late to pick them up that maybe I forget to feed them, and bathe them, and get them to school. But I do. They dropped them off because they can't take care of them." she sighed. She giggled softly, "Yeah. It isn't a crime. It's just hard to remember sometimes." she sighed.

She felt the warm air and gasped slightly from the temperature difference. She stayed near the door, her hand parting from his. She nodded, watching him go to his daughter. Her blue eyes looked over the child's face. She was beautiful, definitly for a six year old. She listened to them talk, feeling a bit nosey for listening. But it was hard not to hear them.

She listened to the girl's voice. Cute, but she sounded a bit disappointed. She sighed, this was all her fault. If it wasn't for her, the prinicpal thing wouldn't of happened, meaning they wouldn't of had to climb down out of the window and sit there for twenty minutes. And if it wasn't for her, they would of never kissed, to only waste more time, in which he was supposed to pick Emma up.

She giggled softly, as Jasper begged her forgiveness, and she said, I guess so. She found it cute. The girl was quite forgiving, and she seemed to innocent. She closed her eyes for a moment, as he heard Jasper tell the girl he wanted the girl to meet her. What if she said somethng wrong? Then again, she was only six, she'd surely forget, right? Well, what if Emma didn't like her? What if she felt that Serenity was taking the place of her mom. Panic went through her mind then her mind went blank as she looked down, to see the small, blonde girl.

"Hello, Emma." she said, after the girl spoke. She moved down, so she could actually be low enough to hear her. "It's nice to meet you too, sweetie." she said, smiling softly. She looked at the girl's nose crinkle as she came over. Damn that girl could smell well. She didn't even know he smoked, until she saw the nicotine box. She saw the girl, who seemed to be happy now. She looked up to Jasper, and moved up to her normal height. "She's beautiful." she whispered to him.

[Jasper Devine]

A combination of pride and gratitude shimmered in his hazel eyes at her compliment toward his daughter, smiling sheepishly before looking down at the ground. “She likes to color… and draw. She’s kind of into art, I guess.” Jasper explained shyly with a shrug, lifting his head to look at Serenity again. His overjoyed expression dropped as she went on to explain her situation, suddenly feeling bad that her family was so distrusting of her. So she made one little mistake – big deal. And apparently, her parents couldn’t do any better if they were leaving the two kids with her all the time. Jasper opened his mouth to speak, to dump all of these rude, judgmental remarks about her family onto Serenity, though quickly stilled his tongue. He didn’t want to make her feel any worse. Plus, he really didn’t know anything about what was going on, anyway.

“It seems like your family needs to give you a little more credit.” He muttered under his breath before they stepped inside. Anything that might’ve been running through his head at the time just disappeared as Jasper caught sight of Emma, a smile twitching the edges of his lips upward. It was a bad time to be happy, after everything he just discussed with Serenity, but he couldn’t help himself. How could you not be happy after laying eyes on such a pretty kid?

It didn’t take long to convince her to forgive him, a broad smile crossing Jasper’s face once she agreed to meet Serenity. He was even more relieved that she was actually very polite to his new friend, which was a plus considering how tired she looked. Maybe it would just be best to get home, sleep everything off tonight and pick up in the morning? That sounded like a plan. That way, their little get together would be a lot more fun and energetic. However, before he could suggest that Emma get her things so they could leave, Serenity whispered once again how beautiful she was, and Jasper couldn’t help but smile. It was nice, to hear such wonderful things about his daughter. It made him feel like he might actually be doing something right.

After he was finished in his little moment of euphoria, Jasper looked down at Emma, who was longingly looking back up at him. He wasn’t all that good at reading what she was thinking, but it seemed pretty obvious that she was thinking the same thing he was. “Why don’t you go grab your things?” Jasper suggested softly, shrugging his shoulders, “You can always catch up with Serenity a little more tomorrow, after school.” Emma nodded almost eagerly in response to this, giving a small smile in Serenity's direction before she skipped off to grab her bag and jacket.

[Serenity Lane]

Serenity looked at him, smiling some. She used to like art, until she found out she totally sucked. That was when she was about sixteen though. She knew he had something to say, but he didn't say anything.

She looked to the ground, then quickly looked up as he spoke. "Ah. Yeah. So far I'm not as much as a screw up as they thought I'd be." she muttered back.

Serenity looked at Jasper as she skipped off. She hugged the male, sighing softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" she asked. She leaned in, kissing his lips lightly. She didn't want to kiss him infront of Emma. She didn't want the girl to feel uncomfortable. But she had to kiss him, when she looked away. She couldn't resist, and she wouldn't see him for about nine hours. "Bye." she said, moving from him, turning and walking off. "Bye Emma." she called out before exiting the school. She slowly headed to her car, thinking to herself. Today went good in ways, but the same time, everything went wrong. So it balanced out.

[Jasper Devine]

Jasper couldn’t help but laugh softly at her response, “I guess that’s kind of a plus.” It probably wasn’t the most opportune time to break out into hysterics, but it was hard to hold it in. Plus, he had quite a habit of laughing at everything, whether it was really all that funny or not. It got him into trouble sometimes, but it wasn’t really his fault; it was kind of just happened, like a reflex. And it wasn’t like he was laughing at her, of course. He just happened to think her reply was kind of cute, which in turn, made him smile. Since when was it a crime to find humor in a situation, anyway? Maybe he was just trying to be optimistic – trying to look at the glass as being half-full. His face fell blank for a moment as he thought on the idea. Nah. The day Jasper started looking on the bright side of life was the day pigs would fly – which definitely didn’t look like it was happening anytime soon.

He returned her gesture, wrapping his arms around her waist gently. Honestly, though, Jasper didn’t really want to part from Serenity. It would’ve been nice to take her home or to go out with her or something, just so they could talk a little more. He liked listening to her talk… well, most of the time. Her voice wasn’t quite as enjoyable once she started throwing blame on herself, but hopefully they’d never be put in a situation where she’d have to do that a gain. Jasper nodded, holding her a little tighter as their lips touched. Maybe he should take it easy, move things a little slower with Serenity, at least while they were in front of Emma. After all, this was the first woman he had an interest in since Juliet left. However, unfortunately, this thought came a little too late, for they were already locked in a kiss when it popped into his head. Well, maybe he could just work on it for next time, since the last thing he wanted to do was make his daughter uncomfortable.

"Bye." Jasper mumbled reluctantly, watching as she disappeared through the doorway. The temptation to grab onto her and just keep her with him filled Jasper as Serenity turned and left, leaving him alone with his daughter. Boy, was he going to get a mouthful from Emma in the car. He was late, he was smoking, and he was falling for another woman; that was an awful lot of information for a little girl of six to process all at once, especially after such a long day at school. It was a wonder she hadn’t started screaming at him the minute he walked in the door – Emma tended to have that sort of temper sometimes. Luckily, though, so far so good, and with any luck she’d just fall asleep in the car and forget about it. It was unlikely, but a man could always dream, right? A sigh rolled off his lips as the little girl ran toward him, handing Jasper her backpack so she could slide on her pink jacket. They walked out together, wordless and silent, both their mouths remaining shut until they got into the car.

( OOC should we start a new thread somewhere else? )