Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Part 4/?

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-Chapter 4-

~A Kiss at Midnight~

Me and Jasper in Time Square, New York, December 31, 1953

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It was nearing midnight on New Year's, and my family was gathered around me in preparation to celebrate. Jacob and Nessie were by the fireplace; Edward and Bella by his piano; Carlisle sitting in a chair with Esme on his lap; Rosalie and Emmett sitting on the floor in front of the TV like two children who can hardly wait for their favorite show to come on.

The Denali coven had come to celebrate the New Year with us as well. Carmen and Eleazar were sitting on the couch alongside Kate and Garrett, more interested in talking than watching the television. Tanya, the last Denali sister without a mate, sat on the stairs, humming quietly to herself as she quietly curled yards and yards of ribbons into fancy shapes before dropping them in a trash can. I knew what she was going to do with them – at midnight, she was going to throw them over the whole group to celebrate the new year.

I was content to sit in the corner with Jasper, our photo album open across our laps to the shots taken on our first New Year's Eve together.

Time Square was alight with more colors than I imagined could co-exist together. Jasper and I were perched atop the building closest to the New Year's Ball, far enough away from all the humans for their scents to be unnoticeable, and for us to not be seen by their weak eyes. We had the perfect vantage point for the Ball Drop, and we weren't going to give up our seats for anything.

Jasper lifted his arm from around my shoulders to glance at his watch. "Three more minutes. Excited yet?"

I snuggled up against him again, using him as a shelter from the wind, which was messing up my hair. I had specially styled it for the occasion. "This is my first New Year's Eve in Time Square – and, even more importantly, my first New Year's Eve with you. Yes, I am excited!"

Chuckling, Jasper tucked the ends of the colorful scarf I'd decided to wear a little tighter under the collar of my coat. "That's good."

"Are you excited?" I demanded, turning the tables on him.

Jasper grinned. "Of course I am."

"Good." This was a rather monumental moment for us, I supposed. It was the end of my first year with Jasper, yet another way to cement our bond to each other. We'd already been through a lot together, and I knew that list would continue to grow in the eternity we'd have with each other.

At that moment, the elusive glimpses I'd been getting of our future family, of our brothers and sisters, seemed – well, not inconsequential, but distant. Like they belonged to another lifetime, and the lifetime I was living now with Jasper was the way things were supposed to be. Just him and me, seeing America, celebrating the highs and lows of our life together and the humans' more exciting holidays. I was sure our life together couldn't get better.

Below us, people started shouting numbers. I jolted back to the present, grinning when I realized they were counting down the last minute of 1953. We were on the cusp of 1954, a new year, full of a new set of exciting things waiting to come. There were thousands of humans below us, all their gazes locked on the colorful ball that would soon drop, but at that moment only Jasper and I mattered.

I scrambled for my camera as the final ten seconds ticked by. The ball was picking up speed, dropping toward the earth in time with the shouting humans. I grasped Jasper's arm and spun us both around, putting my head next to his as I held out my arms, positioned my camera just right, and snapped a picture of us just as the ball and the numbers hit zero at the same time.

A deafening roar reached our ears as the humans celebrated the new year. I cheered as well, though much quieter, as I grinned up at Jasper, who still looked startled. I had Seen myself doing that earlier in the day, and had been looking forward to just the right moment to snap the picture that would go into our rapidly growing album.

The startled expression finally faded off Jasper's face. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my surprised lips, the first we'd ever shared. I had just enough presence of mind to hold my camera out again and snap a side-shot of us kissing before I set my camera down on the blanket we'd been sitting on and lost myself to his kiss.

"Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Happy New Year!" The voices of our family blended into one joyous song around us as Jasper and I reminisced our first New Year's together. And, as he had done on that night so long ago, Jasper took me in his arms and kissed me, unnoticed by the rest of our celebrating family.

Now, as it was then, Jasper's and my life together was the most important thing to us, forever.

~End Chapter 4~

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Thanks to all my reviewers for this chapter: Amber Bamber, LisaCA, bookworm19065, drasticbarbie, Wilka, filipavilela, Roses in May, and justawritier!