A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so happy to see so many follows/favs and reviews for my story! Thank you so much it means the world to me.
I also want to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I've been having a rough go of it lately. My creativity fell into a deep dark pit, and I just couldn't find it in me to write no matter how long I stared at the damned screen for. But I'm feeling better now so hopefully I'm on the up and up.
Also, I've been trying to link to my Pinterest board in my Bio but it seems links are not working so my account name and the board name are there instead because links only re-route back to my FF bio. -_-
Remember if you find any grammatical issues or misspellings please let me know ASAP so I can fix it and update the chapter, so it reads smoothly. Thanks again for reading! Don't forget to review!
Enjoy!
Chapter Two: First Steps
The door to Caroline's Jeep slammed as the blonde girl jumped out excitedly, and practically sprinted towards her Gran's house through the slight drizzle. She'd been able to make friends today and it was only her first day at this new school. She'd half expected to sit in her new classes and silently beg for pretty much any social interaction. Instead Caroline had ended up having a wonderful day. Much to her surprise she wasn't behind in any of her classes, which was a relief, and she had met Jasper and Alice. They'd even invited her to sit and have lunch with them. Care graciously accepted, and she'd met the rest of the Cullen's. They had all been so nice and welcoming, she felt as though she had been walking on air the rest of the day. She'd been grateful to have people to talk to.
As soon as Caroline reached the door, huge grin on her face, she swung it open enthusiastically. She half expected blue birds to suddenly burst from behind her like some kind of Disney princess. Her Gran looked up from the book she'd been reading in the armchair across the living room. The older woman smiled knowingly at her granddaughter as she proceeded to ask how her day had been. "It was awesome Gran!" Caroline threw herself onto the cream and floral-patterned sofa dramatically. "I actually managed to make friends. You were right, I shouldn't have worried so much."
"See, I said that you would be just fine. Now," her Gran said almost as excitedly as her granddaughter. "Tell me all about these new friends of yours." Caroline sat up still grinning as she recapped her day for her beloved grandmother. By the end, the blonde had even spilled the beans on how cute she'd thought Jasper was, and Gran was praising her for finding such a polite young man to crush on.
"You've met him?" Caroline asked half bewildered. The older woman nodded.
"The few times I've been into the hospital for a checkup and such. Jasper's father is my primary doctor and he's been to the office a few times to visit Dr. Cullen. He seems like a very polite boy, Care Bear. I hope everything works out." Caroline grinned wider, if that were possible, thinking how great it was to have her Gran's approval already.
'Whoa, slow your roll there, Care. You just met the guy today.' She thought to herself. 'Don't go makin' weddin' plans just yet. Sheesh.'
The next three or so weeks seemed to blow by. As Jasper's will power and confidence became stronger, his bond with Caroline did as well. They'd sat together at lunch practically every day, either at the table with the rest of his family or together at another table, barring any sunny days of course. He'd managed to walk her to just about every one of her classes without suspiciously popping up out of nowhere. The only time he wouldn't was if her class was on the complete opposite side of the campus, no human could make it from one end to the other in the five minutes between classes that they were allowed and still have enough time to walk someone else to class. So slowly but surely he'd been able to increase the amount of time they spent together…with Alice's help of course.
Caroline was soaking it up and basking in it, being able to spend as much time as she could with her new friends and reveling in the light flirting that Jasper seemed to have worked up to. Every time she pulled into the school parking lot, unlike the first day, she'd throw her Jeep into park and lock it before making her way merrily across the parking lot to hang out with Jasper and his family. She was so happy that she didn't even notice the dirty looks and the snickering that had started, and when she finally did, Caroline just couldn't bring herself to care.
Today was the very first day of October and a Friday to boot. The leaves had fully changed into their beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows, which were made even more vibrant as they glistened from a recent rainfall. The wind had a bit more bite to it with winter slowly beginning to creep up on them, and the clouds now seemed to be ever present. The bell had just rung, and everyone was making their way to their first class of the day. "So, Care," Alice piped up as she and Jasper stood waiting for Caroline to grab her books. "There's an open mic night tomorrow at the café in town. Rosalie and I were thinking of going, did you want to come?"
"Is it just poems or is there music too?" Caroline asked closing her locker. She, Jasper and Alice turned and started walking down the hall.
"Oh no, it's not just poems. There's always a local band playing or something too. They have this event every year on the very first Saturday of October. Did you want to play?" Alice asked, already knowing the answer. Jasper smirked to himself as he watched the girl of his dreams converse with his sister like they were old friends. He was a bit envious of Alice's self-control, she'd been able to quickly become best friends with the blonde, where he'd had to take it more slowly than he'd have liked, but it warmed his non-beating heart all the same.
"Hell yeah!" Caroline chirped excitedly. "I haven't played for a crowd since before I moved here. What time's it at?" The two women chatted excitedly about the open mic night as they came to a halt outside she and Jasper's class room. "Are you gonna be there too Jazz?"
Jasper was shaken from his day dreaming at the sound of Care's voice. "Hmm? Oh uuh, I can if you want me to." He offered, not wanting to seem as excited as he actually was to be invited to hear her sing. Caroline gave a not so lady like snort and rolled her blue eyes at him before attempting to shove him gently.
"Of course, I want you to be there, Texas!" Jasper's usually stoic face cracked into a grin at the nickname that she'd given him. She only ever called him Texas when she was teasing him, it made him grin from ear to ear every time.
"Alright, alright. I'll be there Darlin'. Don't you worry." He teased right back. Alice looked back and forth at the two as they flirted and teased each other. She was so happy to see Jasper so light hearted after so many years of pain. She was so grateful he'd finally found his mate, even if the blonde didn't know that's what she was to the man just yet.
"Alright well I'm off to class, see you after school. We can go over what you're going to wear tomorrow!"
"Okay, see you after school Alice!" Caroline waved at her friend as the pixie like girl glided away.
The little café in the heart of down town was jam packed the night of the show. There were people everywhere and some were even spilling out of the door. Apparently, this was a rather large event. Caroline peeked out from behind the makeshift curtain that had been put up in the back of the small building looking for any familiar faces. She spotted Jake and the boys first, who also spotted her and waved enthusiastically at her. She grinned and waved back. Moving her eyes along the faces of the rest of the crowd she noticed her Gran sitting next to Jake and his father, and Alice, Rose and Jazz in the back leaning against the wall. As if he knew she was looking at him, Jasper's golden eyes snapped to her blue ones. He gave a reassuring wink and smirk, for which she felt grateful.
As soon as she and Alice had gotten to her Gran's house yesterday afternoon Caroline blurted out to her grandmother that she had gone into town and signed up to sing and play guitar the following night. Of course, her Gran got all excited and that's how all Caroline's friends from the La Push and her grandmother's friends as well were all in the front row. The slam poet before her was just about finished, and Care gripped her guitar in anticipation; she was up next.
As Caroline's name was called out to let her know to make her way on stage, she couldn't help the grin the split across her face as she heard the La Push boys hoot and holler. She laughed and the tension she'd felt melted away. Taking the mic, she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Caroline Cormier. Y'all know my Gran," she gestured to the woman before her. "Lucille Harvey. As y'all know, she took me in not too long ago, and I've never been more grateful to someone than her. She took care of me after my parents passed this last June and I'll never be able to repay her or thank her enough for it." Her voice started to crack slightly.
Caroline took in a deep breath to try to compose herself and cleared her throat. "This is a song I wrote over the summer. It's called See You Again and I'm dedicating this to my parents." There was clapping and then silence as the tune strummed from her cherry guitar, and the words flowed from her crimson painted lips.
*(See You Again by Carrie Underwood)
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
Said goodbye, turned around
And you were gone, gone, gone
Faded into the setting sun
Slipped away
But I won't cry
'Cause I know I'll never be lonely
For you are the stars to me
You are the light I follow
I'll see you again, Ooohh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, Ooohh
'Til I see you again
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
I can hear those echoes in the wind at night
Calling me back in time
Back to you
In a place far away
Where the water meets the sky
The thought of it makes me smile
You are my tomorrow
I'll see you again, Oooh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, Oooh
'Til I see you again
Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking
But I stay strong
And I hold on
'Cause I know
I'll see you again, Oooh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, Yeaah, Yeah
I'll see you again, Oooh
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me, Oooh
'Til I see you again
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh
'Til I see you again
'Til I see you again, Yeaah, yeah, yeaaahhh
Ooohhh
'Til I see you again
Said goodbye turned around
And you were gone, gone, gone
Overwhelming anguish rushed Jasper as the song ended. The song and Caroline's voice had moved the entire café to tears. He watched her wipe a stray tear from her cheek as she bowed to the applause that erupted after a short pause. Jasper grasped onto Alice's forearm once Care was off stage and out of sight, telling her with his intense gaze he needed to leave and it had to be now. Nodding, Alice and Rosalie swept their brother from the café to head home.
Jasper stepped into the living room where his family was waiting for him. Carlisle and Esme smiled softly at him as he nodded at everyone. He stood hands held behind his back as his nerves slowly began to take over. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting." Everyone nodded in acknowledgment. Jaspers golden eyes flitted to Alice who smiled at him encouragingly, before he took a breath and spoke again. "I asked for this meeting today because, as you all know, I found my mate. Over the course of the last seventeen years I've worked harder than ever to ensure that I didn't endanger Caroline once I met her." He paused looking around the room at the faces of his family. "Alice can attest to how my control has been even grater since Caroline has finally entered my life."
"It's true," she interjected. "He's done very well. I've even been able to leave them alone at lunch time at a separate table. There's no discomfort on Jazz's part."
"What are you asking for, Jasper?" Carlisle asked, giving a knowing smile.
"I wanted to ask your permission to begin courting her. As it will more than likely involve her being here in our home at some point, if she agrees." He felt like he'd blurted out his request, unsure why he was so nervous. It wasn't like they didn't know all about Caroline already from both he and Alice. There was a stretch of silence before Rosalie spoke.
"Well I don't really see a problem with it Jasper." She smiled at her brother. "She's a nice girl." Emmitt nodded in agreement as well.
"Yeah she seems pretty cool and down to earth." Emmitt stated excitedly.
"Obviously you have my vote." Alice said standing and walking over to Jasper to wrap him in a one-armed side hug. Everyone's eyes turned to Edward.
"Edward, what's your answer?" Esme gently asked. He smirked and nodded.
"She has no ill will towards us. Most of her thoughts are either about school, friends or Jasper." Edward teased. "It's fine with me." Jasper sighed with relief as he turned towards the people he respected most. They both smiled as Carlisle stood and embraced him in a manly hug.
"Everyone else is ok with it Jasper. Esme and I agree also. You may begin courting your mate, of course if she agrees to it." Jasper chuckled at the half joke.
"Oh, I'm one hundred percent sure that she'll agree too it," Edward teased again, laughing as he stood and made off towards his room. Jasper watched as his family left the lavish living room, thoughts of how he would ask Caroline racing through his mind.
Wednesday, when Caroline got to her locker, she'd found a single white lily taped to the front of it, her favorite. Care pulled the flower off the door smiling as she put it to her nose to smell the lily. "They're your favorite, right?" Asked a Texan drawl from beside her. Care's smile widened as she turned towards Jasper, who was leaning against the neighboring locker to her left. She nodded excitedly.
"Yeah, is this from you?" Jasper's smirk morphed into a soft smile as he responded with a yes. He reached out taking her right hand in both of his. Nervously glancing at the delicate appendage while he rubbed his thumb over the soft tanned skin before meeting the startling crystal blue of her eyes. "Thank you, I love it. That was very thoughtful of you."
"You're most welcome, Care." He paused, his nerves chocking his words in his throat momentarily. "Actually, I was hoping that I could ask you something." Caroline's heartbeat pitched up in excitement and anticipation.
"What is it Jazz?" His own heart seemed to flutter at the sound of his nickname falling from her pretty pink lips.
"I was hoping that I could ask you to go out with me this Friday evening? Maybe we could get some dinner or something." He felt like he'd sprinted through the question while also speaking in slow motion simultaneously. Caroline's face split into a smile that burnt the brightest he'd even seen it as she nodded feeling completely speechless.
"I would love that, Jasper," she finally managed. Jasper let out a quick sigh of relief. Everything, it seemed, was turning out right.
Friday evening came much quicker than Caroline expected. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of her floor length mirror examining herself, making sure she looked as close to perfect as she could get for her date. She huffed nervously as she smoothed over the dress she'd finally picked after trying on what felt like her entire closet. It was a knee length baby blue dress with a white lace overlay and a sweetheart neckline. The light wash, cropped jean jacket she was to layer over the dress laid in wait on the comforter of her bed.
She fussed over her loosely curled golden hair, breaking up curls that seemed too not want to fall naturally like the others. Care was just fixing the light pink lipstick she wore when she heard the knock at the front door downstairs. With one last huff, she turned grabbing her cream-colored cowboy boots and jacket before making her way down to meet Jasper.
Caroline could hear her Grandmother and Jasper conversing in the living room when she stopped at the bottom of stairs, just out of sight. "Please have a seat, Jasper, I'm sure my granddaughter will be down momentarily."
"Thank you kindly, ma'am," Care smiled at how polite he was. Jasper was, of course, always polite with anyone he came across. She'd taken notice of this during the two months they'd known each other. Care was certainly glad that was something she would never have to worry about; how he was going to act and all that. It was then that she decided to make herself known by stepping into the living room.
"Ah, there she is. You look lovely Dear," Lucille smiled at her granddaughter. Jasper stood from the seat he'd taken on the couch and turned to look at her. He seemed stunned, as though seeing her for the first time all over again. Finally, a small smile bloomed across his face as he reached for her hand.
"You look beautiful, Caroline." Her breath hitched as she placed her hand in his own.
"Thank you," she said a little breathlessly as he escorted her the short distance to the couch and waited for her to sit before sitting himself.
'Such a gentleman.' Caroline thought to herself. Jasper turned to look at Lucille again, his face becoming quite serious as he spoke.
"Mrs. Harvey, I would like to ask your permission to court your granddaughter." Lucille looked a little taken aback by his words. The way he was asking was very old fashioned. The older woman had assumed that she and the boy would wait for Care to come down from her room before he whisked her away for their date. She smiled, pleasantly surprised.
"How very kind of you to ask, Jasper. I've heard much about you from Caroline over these past couple months, and from what I've heard you're a wonderful young man." She paused a moment. "You have my permission, if Caroline also consents." Caroline released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She and Jasper smiled at each other.
"Thank you, ma'am," Jasper said as he stood, ready to take Caroline on the date he'd planned for the both of them. Care bounced up from her seat, excited and ready to go. She skipped over to her Gran before pecking her cheek and moving towards the door with her date in tow.
"So, where are we goin'?" Care said excitedly as she crawled into the Jeep Wrangler Jasper had borrowed from Emmett. Jasper smirked as he looked over at her.
"You'll just have to wait and see." He laughed as she pouted at his retort.
"Aww Jazz, come on. I hate surprises. Am I even dressed properly?" Jasper's golden eyes swept over her, trying not to let his eyes linger too long in inappropriate places. He nodded as he backed out of the short driveway.
"Yes, Care. You're dressed perfectly fine." He chuckled.
The rest of the drive consisted of her trying to guess where they were going, and much to Caroline's chagrin, Jasper wasn't letting anything slip. He'd just chuckle at her and shake his head or tell her no in response to yet another guess. When they turned onto a dirt road, Care raised a well groomed eyebrow, but said nothing.
They soon came to halt in the middle of a field and they got out. Caroline gasped at the sight before her. The sun had just started setting lighting the meadow with shades of orange, yellow, purple, and pink. She glanced up seeing the stars had just started coming out to say hello, and right smack in the middle of the field lay a white blanket.
Jasper held his hand out for her own, resting it in the crook of his elbow as he escorted her across the damp grass. As they approached, a small brown picnic basket came into view. Caroline gasped again, covering her mouth with her hand. Jazz felt the awe and joy coming off her and was euphoric to have caused such happiness for her. "Jasper…this. Did you do ALL of this?" Care asked bewildered. She pressed her right hand to her chest, over her heart. "This is amazin'! Thank you."
"I remembered you said, when you were in Charlotte, you used to drive out into a field and just lay under the stars." He explained. "You said it was one of your favorite things to do. I thought we could do that, but with the bonus of food." She giggled as he helped her sit on the warm blanket.
Jasper sat beside her, reaching towards the basket to begin taking out the food he'd brought for Caroline. Being that he hadn't had the need to eat human food for a while now, he'd picked up some light snacks. Things that would be easily over looked if he only pretended to eat them. Grapes, chunks of watermelon, and strawberries being the bulk of what was there. He'd also brought a long a sweet yogurt dip that he'd thought she would like.
The conversation flowed easily between them as they talked about everything and anything, neither wanting the date to come to an end. At one point Care had ended up with a small bit of the dip on her bottom lip. She seemed not to notice it, which had caused the Texan to chuckle lightly causing her to look at him curiously. "It's just that you've got a bit of yogurt on your bottom lip." He'd replied with a smirk when the blonde girl had asked what was funny.
Her face turned a faint shade to red as she blushed in embarrassment. Jasper chuckled again to try and cover the slight hitch in his breathing at the sight of her red tinged face. Grasping a napkin he leaned in, wiping away the sweet yogurt. Caroline's blush only grew in intensity, causing Jasper's smirk to slip into a full grin at her shyness. It wasn't really a side she showed the world, he'd noticed. She tended to put up a pretty brave front when faced with most other people.
He was grateful that she was willing to let her guard down enough to allow him to get a glimpse of it now.
The sun had gone down over the horizon hours ago by the time Jasper pulled into the driveway of Caroline's house. Neither had wanted it to end; both finding things to talk about to prolong everything just a little bit longer. With a heavy sigh Caroline glanced at the clock on the dash of the vehicle. She looked back up at the smiling face of her date. "Unfortunately Jazz, I have to go inside."
Jasper nodded, knowing she needed to sleep, her smiles were growing more drowsy by the minute even with their lively conversations. Getting out of the Jeep, he walked her to the front door holding onto her hand as they stopped, facing each other.
"Thank you for an amazing night Jazz." Care smiled, her eyes dazzling even in the low orange-yellow light of the front porch.
"Thank you for joining me. I had a really good time." Jasper's eyes danced across her beautiful face, landing on her lips more than once. "I would really like to go on a second date with you. Will you go out with me again?" Caroline scrunched up her face, pursing her lips and tapping her chin with the pointer finger of her right hand in mock contemplation.
"Hmmmm, you know I think I could carve out some more time for you. If I move this there and that to then…" Jasper reached over and poked at her side making her squeal as the action tickled her sensitive skin trough the fabric of her dress. She laughed before accepting his request. "Yes, Jasper. I would love to go on a second date with you."
Jasper chuckled deep in his chest as his golden eyes roamed her face once again. He reached up with his right hand cupping her cheek and running his thumb over her cheekbone. He seemed to be debating with himself until Caroline leaned into his touch, the action having seemed to make his mind up for him.
Leaning down Jasper pressed a light tentative kiss to the soft plump pink of Caroline's lips. Stars seemed to burst behind Caroline's closed eyes when their lips met. It only took her a moment to respond, pressing there lips more firmly together. It seemed to last forever and it was also over too quickly, nothing more than a chaste peck on the lips before they both pulled away. Jasper pressed one more brief kiss on her forehead before Caroline bid him goodnight and stepped inside her home both grinning from ear to ear.
A/N 2.0!
So how'd I do? Was it ok? I've never actually written any romance scenes before, I've read A LOT of romance OC fics. They're kinda my jam tbh but, action and boom ass fight scenes are more my thing lol. So go easy on me? I really hope you liked it and I hope y'all stick with me through all this even if I'm not the most punctual of uploaders/writers.
I hope everyone has an awesome day/night wherever it is you are and happy reading!
Wolffe
