Hey guys! This is my first story, so bare with me. I love strong personalities that manage to somehow mesh perfectly together. Hopefully my Jasper and Bella will be able to as much! Enjoy and please review!

Darkness swept over the landscape as the storm progressed, and with it, the feared vampire. Decades of solitude and independence had honed him into a force to be reckoned with. The timeline was coming to an end. The waiting was almost over. The moment was nearly upon him.

Almost a century ago, Jasper left his only remaining family, Charlotte and Peter, with the knowledge of his future mate. The time and place were not definite, but exact enough for Jasper to know to search through the northwestern United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century. He had been doing exactly that – until now. Now, he was hit with a sudden wave of understanding and relief. His mate was near, closer than she had ever been before. She had arrived.

With that knowledge, he ran and planned. He needed her. As powerful and strong as he was now, she was most certainly his other half. She alone would make him stronger and better. He would be worthy of her…somehow. He would never stop trying to be worthy of this blessed gift he was somehow being offered now.

Never would he give her up, but neither could he force the most amazing thing in existence to accept him. She would have the choice, but he would ensure that she made the right one. He ran with hope in his mind and love in his heart.

There was no hesitance of nervousness when she stepped off the plane. Bella was all power and confidence. Once her belongings, safely packed in just one suitcase, were collected, she scanned the crowd for her father. An aging man with salt and pepper hair stuck out from the multitude with little effort. His simple smile was more than necessary to catch her attention.

The silent ride home held no awkwardness. So alike in personality, the pair only needed to glance at one another to convey all felt emotions. Bella felt at home. Here, there were no panic-filled moments from lost keys, forgotten bills, or strange men. Here, there was no worry of being both adult and teenager. Here, Bella could just relax.

With just one week until the first day of school, Bella's life fell into a simple routine. For the first few days in Forks, Bella followed a comfortable pattern. Besides the standard cooking and cleaning, since Charlie never managed to fully master either skill, Bella filled her days with reading. Although she had brought quite a considerable amount of books in her suitcase, Bella still ached for new reading material.

The next day, after Charlie informed her of that night's dinner on the Res with their old family friends, the Blacks, Bella drove into town. Remembering her old friend Jacob, Bella smiled as she searched for a bookstore, a library, and the grocery store. When she found the town's "bookstore," she sighed. This business had clearly seen better days. Still, with the urge to support the local economy, she entered. Despite the lack of selection, the small classics section still grabbed her attention. At home with her books, she began to gather books into her arms. She paid little attention to anything else…until she stumbled into another shopper. In her haste to disentangle herself, she started to fall over, until the stranger grabbed her arm, steadying her.

Blushing and stammering, Bella quickly apologized, "I am so sorry, sir! I can just be so clumsy some – " but the words died in her mouth as she finally gazed into the man's eyes. Though they were red, his eyes held such a depth and a passion that she just couldn't look away. His golden hair fell messily to his chin and looked as soft as silk. She was filled with this undeniable urge to reach up and stroke his face. …but then his voice stopped her.

"No problem at all, Ma'am. I wasn't exactly looking where I was going either," he said, chuckling softly. The southern accent held her breathless, leaving her only able to smile softly. Releasing her arms, he knelt and helped her gather up her dropped books.

Pausing, he smirked at her. "Dickens? Good choice. Though, I must point out that Great Expectations is clearly his best work by far. I admire your choice of Oliver Twist, but really? How could you ever choose it over some of his other works?"

"I will have you know," she began, smiling, "that I have in fact already read Great Expectations several times. He is most definitely an amazing author, so I am merely interested in reading some of his other known works."

"I'm a little impressed," he countered. "Most girls are reading silly romance novels at this age, usually modern ones. Seeing you in the classics section, I would have expected to find Jane Austin or one of the Bronte sisters here. They are probably one of the few decent romance authors. Everyone else is far too...fluffy in their writing."

"You know your literature, though try not to bash too many authors," she smirked. "and I would not have expected you to call authors like Louisa May Alcott "fluffy". Surely "light" is more appropriate."

"Fair enough. So other than Dickens, find anything interesting?"

"This bookstore is decent, but definitely not exceptional."

"The one in Port Angeles is definitely worth the hour long drive," he offered.

"Hmmm might just be worth the gas expenses to find some more reading material, though I'm probably fine for now. What are you getting? Anything?" she asked as she walked towards the front counter.

"I was actually about to get this," he offered, showing her a historic book on the civil war, "before I was assaulted by someone." He smirked, and she found it hard to immediately continue their banter.

"Well, isn't that just nice. Insult me, why don't you," she teased. "Who do you think you are that you can just insult my favorite authors, choice in literature, and my lack of coordination?"

"You going to stop me?" he smirked.

Shaking her head and sighing, she paid for her books and left the store with him.

As they turned away from each other to part, she realized that she didn't know his name. As she turned to ask him, she was presented with an empty parking lot. He was gone. Frowning, she left the bookstore alone, trying desperately to focus on anything other than that stunning face, sharp wit, and extensive knowledge. Hopefully she would see him again soon.

A few miles away, Jasper was smirking. His mate had a little fire in . She would need it in the future. Until then, he would have to find a way to stay close to her. He smelled werewolves on the wind, and knew they would be causing problems soon. Also, vampires had been known to reside here in the past. Walking into his recently bought cabin on the outskirts of town, he reached into his jacket. Dialing and bringing the phone to his ear, Jasper sighed. His future was filled with darkness, but when had it not? This time, there was light in the distance...as long as he secured his mate. He would survive and so she. He would do anything to ensure it.

"Peter," he drawled into the phone, "what do you know about the vampires and wolves in Washington?" Time was of the essence. He would protect what mattered to him more than life itself.

What do you think? Please review! :)