So in the book, Bella and Edward go to meet the Cullen's and then the whole baseball scene happens right after the dance. However, I felt like playing around with the timeline a bit, so that won't be happening here. Just a heads up to avoid confusion!
Also, sorry for the long wait. I just got married last weekend, and planning for that completely took over my life these past few months. Writing was dang near impossible because my brain was just mush! But thank you for all your support and for taking the time to read! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight, only the OCs.
Chapter Thirteen
Come Sunday morning, Danielle was still floating on cloud nine.
She woke up with a smile on her face and opened the window to breathe in the fresh air, despite the fact that it was cold outside. Grinning to herself and not even minding the fact that her bedroom was getting colder by the moment, she turned on some music and danced around her room as she got dressed for the day, her mind filled with the wonderful memories of the night before.
Jasper loved her. Repeat – Jasper Hale, was in love with her, Danielle Clark. It was incredible and wonderful and it had left Danielle feeling so happy that she thought she might actually explode with joy. It may have been cold and grey and rainy outside, but after Jasper's declaration of love, the world had never looked so beautiful. She was in love with Jasper, and Jasper loved her in return. As much as she had already believed that she had a good life, now everything was more perfect and more amazing than it had ever been, and it was all because of one incredible, fantastic, absurdly good looking vampire.
Danielle practically skipped her way downstairs when Lynne called up to announce that breakfast was ready. By the time she made it into the kitchen, her mother was already at the table, drinking coffee and picking at her food as she read the morning paper. Lynne looked up and quirked an eyebrow when Danielle breezed into the room and headed straight for the refrigerator to pour herself some orange juice, calling out an overly enthusiastic 'good morning!' along the way.
"I see your mood from last night carried over to this morning," Lynne commented, regarding Danielle with scrutinizing eyes. "That smile on your face is brighter than the sun."
"Is it?" Danielle asked innocently, sitting down across from her mother. "This looks great, Mom. Thanks," she then complimented, before picking up her fork and digging into the plate Lynne had made for her.
"You're welcome," Lynne said, still watching her closely. She set her newspaper down, then gave her a knowing smile. "Now I want details about your night with Jasper," she said after Danielle had gotten a few bites down. "Was it everything you hoped it would be?"
Danielle grinned. "That and then some," she said with a nod. "We hung out with our friends, we danced a lot, talked a lot…it was so much fun, Mom," Danielle gushed. She briefly considered telling Lynne about their trip to the clearing for their own private dance, and also considered telling her that they had exchanged the 'L' word, but then decided against it. That had been something special just for the two of them – she didn't want to tell anyone else about it. "Jasper is just…amazing," she finally concluded.
Lynne smiled and reached for her coffee. "He seems like a pretty good catch," she agreed with a nod. But then she lifted an eyebrow, her expression turning a bit more stern. "He was a gentleman, right?" she asked, her tone the tiniest bit protective.
Danielle thought back to the kiss he had left her with on the porch and felt her cheeks turn pink. "Of course, Mom," she said at once. "Jasper isn't like other boys. He's nice and sweet and doesn't have a disrespectful bone in his body."
"Good," Lynne said with a satisfied nod. "Because if he wasn't a gentleman, then, well…I'd have no choice but to kill him and make it look like an accident," she said, her tone completely serious.
Danielle had been about to take a bite of food, but paused with her fork halfway to her mouth to look at her mom with raised eyebrows. When Lynne just smiled serenely and took a sip of coffee, Danielle shook her head. "I love you…but you scare me sometimes," she said, before finally eating her bite of food.
Lynne just laughed.
After they were finished with breakfast, Lynne went to her bedroom to finish getting ready for work while Danielle started cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. She hummed to herself as she scrubbed the pans and plates clean, her mind filled with thoughts of the night before as she relived every second she had spent with Jasper. When she finally finished with the last dish, she shut off the water and dried her hands on a towel. Barely a second later, the doorbell rang.
"I got it!" Danielle called out, before heading for the door. When she opened the door, she smiled broadly upon seeing Bella standing on the other side. "Hey! Come on in!" she urged, stepping aside and making room for her to come inside.
Bella was beaming as she stepped past her, and as Danielle closed the door and turned to face her friend, she could honestly not remember any other time she had seen Bella looking so happy. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I had to come and talk to you before you left for work," Bella said.
Danielle quickly shook her head. "I'm glad you're here, because I've been dying to talk to you!" she said with a big smile. "Come sit down and tell me everything!"
Danielle led Bella to the living room and they quickly sat on the couch, facing one another. Bella immediately launched into the details from her day with Edward – they had not gone to Seattle after all, but rather had gone hiking to a spot in the woods that Edward enjoyed visiting whenever the sun was out. Bella told her that Edward had shown her what he looked like in the sun – which immediately made Danielle yearn to see what Jasper looked like – and then they had spent a long while just talking everything through and reaching an understanding as to where exactly their relationship was going. To Danielle's delight, they had finally decided that they were going to be together and had even sealed the deal with a kiss.
"Bella, I'm so happy for you," Danielle said, squeezing her friend's hand. "I mean, I kind of assumed things had gone well since Edward spent the night at your house, but still…I'm glad to hear everything is good between you guys," she added with a shrug and a smirk.
Bella's eyes went wide, before her cheeks turned bright pink. "You know about that?" she asked, glancing in the direction of Lynne's room as if to make sure the woman had not overheard what Danielle had just said.
"You're not the only one dating a vampire, remember?" she reminded with a knowing look. "Jasper knew he was there the second we came back from the dance."
Bella shook her head. "Of course he did. Duh," she said with a self-deprecating smile. "How was the dance, by the way?" she asked next, tilting her head curiously.
Danielle was pretty sure Bella was just trying to steer their conversation away from the topic of hers and Edward's sleepover, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, she smiled happily and nodded. "We had an incredible night," she said. "I love him, Bella," Danielle revealed with a sigh. "He's just…the best thing to ever happen to me."
Bella immediately grinned. "I think I know how you feel," she said with a nod.
Danielle returned her smile. "So what's next for you guys?" she asked, redirecting the conversation back to her and Edward. "Are you just gonna see how things go, or what?"
"I guess so, yeah," Bella said with a nod. "That's all we really can do. Just…take things one day at a time," she answered with a shrug. "But at least now I know where we stand, and now we can start figuring out how to make all this work," she concluded with a nod.
Danielle mimicked her nod, but before she had a chance to say anything else in the matter, Lynne came walking back into the living room. When she spotted Bella on the couch next to Danielle, she seemed only mildly surprised to see her.
"Hi, dear, how are you?' Lynne greeted with a friendly smile.
"Hi, Ms. Lynne," Bella said in return. She had started calling her 'Ms. Lynne' after Lynne had said that calling her Ms. Clark felt too impersonal. "I'm good. How are you?"
"Just fine, thank you," Lynne said with a nod. She then glanced between the two girls, her brows raising some. "Am I interrupting a gossip session?" she asked with a smirk.
Danielle glanced at Bella, who gave her a sharp look in return. The message in her eyes was clear – Don't say anything about Edward. "Bella just wanted to hear how the dance went," Danielle said with a nod.
"Oh, okay," Lynne said, accepting the half-truth. "Are you ready for work?" she asked next, glancing at her watch. "We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
"Yep," Danielle said. "Just gotta brush my teeth and put on some shoes."
"Okay, then. I'm gonna start making us some lunches to take with us," Lynne said, before giving them one last smile and heading back into the kitchen.
Danielle watched her go, then looked back to Bella. Her friend quickly gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thank you for not saying anything about Edward," Bella said, making sure to keep her voice down so Lynne wouldn't overhear. "I just …haven't told my dad yet. I'd rather he heard it from me than from your mom," she explained.
"No problem. I totally get it," Danielle assure her. "Your secret is safe with me for as long as it needs to be."
Bella let out a sigh if relief. "Thanks, Dani."
"Anytime," Danielle said, patting her on the arm.
Bella finally stood from the couch, and Danielle followed her suit. "I should get going," Bella said, jerking her thumb toward the door. "Edward went home to change, but he'll be back soon. We're gonna hang out while Charlie's at work."
Danielle nodded. "Have fun."
"I'm sure we will," Bella said, smiling with a hint of bashfulness now.
Danielle walked toward the door with Bella after that to see her out. Bella stopped briefly to say goodbye to Lynne, then continued on. She opened the door and, with one last smile, stepped outside and started making her way across the porch. Danielle watched her go for a second, before calling out to her.
"Bella?" The girl stopped and turned with raised brows. "I'm really happy for you," she said with a sincere smile.
Bella grinned and nodded. "Thanks," she said. "I'm happy for you, too," she said in return.
"Thanks."
They shared one more smile after that, before Bella waved and went on her way, quickly making her way back to her house. Danielle lingered in the doorway for a few more seconds, before finally going back inside to finish getting ready for work.
Danielle went to work with her mother shortly after Bella left, but she was thinking about Jasper so much that it was nearly impossible to concentrate on anything she was doing. It had barely even been over twelve hours since they had parted ways, but she was already missing him like crazy. Thankfully, Jasper showed up at the bookshop about halfway through her shift, coming to visit her just as he had promised he would. Danielle was elated to see him and greeted him perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, if the scandalized look that overtook an elderly woman's face when she planted a smooch on him was anything to judge by. Danielle didn't really care, though, and when she saw the twinkle in Jasper's amber eyes, she didn't think he did either.
Jasper hung around the bookshop for the remainder of the afternoon while she worked. For most of that time, he merely sat on a couch in the reading corner, alternating between flipping through a book and watching her work. Every so often, though, he would get up to follow her around while she stocked shelves, helping her carry books that were too heavy or tending to a few manly tasks when her mother enlisted his help. Danielle and Jasper talked and flirted with each other, stealing kisses whenever they were alone in a secluded part of the store and laughing and grinning like a couple of lovesick idiots the entire time. He stayed until her shift was over, then took her to dinner before whisking her away to a pretty spot that overlooked the water so they could watch the sun go down. When Jasper finally took her home, he left her with a kiss, a promise that he would come to pick her up the next morning, and another declaration of love that sent her heart soaring.
The next week seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Jasper picked her up every single morning, then they would go to school, where they would spend as much time together as possible during the school day. Though they had made it a habit to have lunch by themselves at their table, now that Edward and Bella were officially together they started spending lunch with them. The four of them would sit together and chat the lunch hour away, slowly growing more comfortable with each other with each day. After a few days of sitting together, Jasper didn't seem quite so stiff around Bella anymore, and Edward, Danielle was happy to report, had begun to slowly open up to her. The new, tentative friendships that had begun to form between her and Edward, as well as Jasper and Bella, were very encouraging and also very welcome, especially so considering the circumstances.
Before she knew it, it was Friday. When school was over, Jasper suggested they go to the same spot they had gone to at the park the day they had gotten together. Danielle readily agreed, of course – he could have taken her to a trash heap and she still would have agreed if meant getting to spend time with him.
It was actually a fairly nice day out on this particular day – it was still chilly, but it wasn't unbearable. Danielle had discarded her jacket and was sitting close to the riverbank so that she could enjoy the sounds of the water trickling by. Jasper was on the ground right behind her, his legs stretched out on either side of her and one arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Danielle was leaning back against his chest comfortably, her eyes trained on her textbook as she worked on her history homework. Even as she worked, however, she was very aware of the fact that the fingers of Jasper's free hand were toying with one of her copper colored curls, which was making it very difficult for her to concentrate on the words in the book in front of her. When those fingers went trailing down the side of her neck, she shivered before shooting him a look over her shoulder.
Jasper face was the picture of innocence. "What?" he asked.
Danielle lifted a brow. "I'm trying to do my homework so I don't have to do it over the weekend, but you're being very distracting," she told him. "I'm sure school's a breeze for you now that you've graduated two hundred and ninety seven times – " she said, purposefully exaggerating the number.
"Actually, I've only graduated – " Jasper started to correct.
"But some of us are still trying to make it to their first graduation," Danielle finished, speaking over him. "So hands off mister, and let me get my education on," she finished, moving his hand away from her neck with purpose.
She turned her attention back to her book as Jasper huffed behind her. She smirked at the sound in amusement, before forcing herself to focus. Just as she started to become immersed in her reading again, however, Jasper touched her again. His fingertips brushed against her shoulder before they slid down the length of her arm. When his hand then slowly moved to her waist, Danielle started to ask him just what he was doing. But then, quite out of nowhere, his fingers began tickling her sides mercilessly, which immediately made her jump and break into a fit of laughter.
"Ah! St-stop!" Danielle said between laughs, her book falling to the ground as she squirmed around and tried, without success, to push Jasper's hands away.
Jasper chuckled as they rolled to the ground, Danielle landing on her back while Jasper hovered over her. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked with mock confusion. "I can't understand you."
Danielle just continued to laugh and wiggle around, alternating between pushing at Jasper's hands and whacking him on the arms. "No more! No more!" she pleaded around giggles. "I can't breathe!"
Jasper finally stopped tickling her, which made Danielle release a sound of relief. Now that she could focus again, she saw that he was propped up on his side beside her, his eyes glittering with mischief as he stared down at her. Danielle huffed and shoved his shoulder, but the smile never left her face.
"That was mean," she pouted.
Jasper chuckled. "I couldn't resist." He paused to stare down at her for a moment, then lifted a hand to her face and ran gentle fingertips along her cheek. "You are so beautiful," he said, his amber eyes intently studying her face.
Danielle blushed a bit, but still reached up to push back a lock of hair that had fallen into Jasper's eyes. "So are you," she said back, taking a moment to drink in his handsome features.
Jasper smiled, then swooped in to kiss her. Danielle sighed against his lips and locked an arm around his neck, her heart jumping in her chest as she happily returned his kiss. His lips were soft and gentle at first, barely even a whisper against her own. But soon he was kissing her a little firmer, slanting his mouth over hers as he coaxed her lips open and deepened their kiss. Danielle made a sound of approval against his lips, her fingers digging into his back. She tried to pull him closer so that she could feel more of him against her, but Jasper wouldn't budge and kept himself right where he was. She couldn't bring herself to be too disappointed about it, not when he was kissing her like that.
Quite out of nowhere, a warmth that had nothing to do with the feelings Jasper was igniting within washed over her and her eyelids turned an orangey-red color. Danielle open her eyes in confusion, then squinted against the sunlight that had suddenly begun to shine through a break in the grey clouds overhead. In the next moment, Jasper lifted his head to glance up at the sun before shifting his eyes back down at her. And as their eyes met again, Danielle gasped with surprise.
Jasper was sparkling.
Danielle gaped at him in complete amazement. He had told her that his skin sparkled in the sunlight and she had heard Bella's description of what Edward had looked like when they had gone hiking the previous weekend, but when she had envisioned it in her head, it had not looked nearly as incredible as this. It was as if his skin was made of millions of tiny diamonds, each one sparkling just brilliantly as the next. She and Jasper both sat up, before she reached out to gently touch the smooth, cold skin of his hand, her eyes taking in every inch of his face as he continued to glimmer in the sunlight. Jasper said nothing, merely stared back at her as she studied him with intent eyes, waiting to hear what she would have to say. Finally, Danielle smiled.
"This is amazing," she said, her tone full of awe.
He furrowed his eyebrows a bit and lifted one sparkling hand, eyeing his own glittering skin as if he had never paid much attention to it. "I never thought it was anything all that special myself," he admitted. "I suppose I got used to it."
Danielle smiled and touched his cheek, drawing his eyes back to hers. "Trust me, Jazz. It's incredible. You're incredible."
Jasper smiled then and placed the hand he had lifted on the side of her neck. "You called me Jazz," he pointed out.
Danielle blinked with surprise. She honestly hadn't even noticed the nickname when it had slipped out. Smiling, she nodded. "I did, didn't I?" But then she frowned with uncertainty. "Do you not want me to call you that?"
"You can call me that," he reassured. "Actually, some of the family calls me that from time to time," he revealed. Jasper leaned closer then, his smile turning into a smirk. "But I like it a lot more coming from you," he said, before brushing his lips against hers.
Danielle smiled against his lips and returned the kiss, sighing contentedly. She would have been more than happy to stay right there, too, kissing Jasper under the warm sun…but suddenly Jasper pulled away, his lips turning down into a deep frown as his amber eyes locked on something she couldn't see. Danielle frowned and glanced over her shoulder, before looking at Jasper.
"What is it?" she asked.
"People coming this way," he said, before casting a look up at the sun. "I need to go somewhere else before they see me," he said.
Danielle nodded in understanding. "Go."
At her simple command Jasper was gone, moving so fast that the wind he stirred up in his departure ruffled her hair a little bit. Now alone, Danielle smoothed her hands over her hair, made sure her clothes were not askew, then grabbed her history book and made it look as though she was studying once again. While she waited for the appearance of whoever Jasper had seen, she glanced up at the sun a few times, wishing for the first time since moving to Forks that it would go away so that Jasper could come back. It stubbornly stayed right where it was, though, mocking her with its bright, warm rays.
The people Jasper had seen finally appeared a few minutes later. They were a couple who looked to be in their fifties or sixties, and though they seemed a little surprised to see Danielle sitting there by the river, they still gave her friendly smiles.
"Hello," the woman greeted as they walked closer.
"Hi," Danielle said, smiling back.
"Nice day, huh?" the husband asked. "Who knew the sun was going to show it's face today?"
"I sure didn't," Danielle told him with a shrug. She'd wager Jasper hadn't known either. "It's doing wonders for my studying, though," she said, motioning to her text book.
The two looked around for a moment, the man taking in the sights while the woman peered around at the trees curiously. "Are you out here alone?" she asked, sounding the teeniest bit concerned.
Danielle shook her head. "Oh, no. My boyfriend is around here somewhere," she told them. "He thought he saw some bunnies hopping around and went to see if he could find their burrow," she lied, gesturing vaguely toward the trees.
The woman looked relieved. "Oh, good. Well, we won't keep you from your homework any longer," she said, smiling brightly.
The couple stayed long enough to admire the scenery and take a few pictures, before they said goodbye and continued on their way. Danielle watched them go until they were no longer in sight, then glanced upward as the grey clouds covered the sun again, sending the earth back into greyness and gloom. Danielle huffed to herself and shook her head.
"Figures," she muttered, thinking it ironic that the sun would go away after the strangers had left.
It didn't take long for Jasper to reappear once the coast was clear. He glanced in the direction the couple had gone, then smirked down at her as he came to stand by her side. "Bunnies?" he asked, lifting a brow.
Danielle just shrugged as she peered up at him. "Best I could come up with on the fly," she excused.
Jasper just looked at her with amusement in his eyes, before extending a hand to her. "Why don't we move on from here?" he suggested. "That was a close call, and I don't want to risk it happening again."
"Sure," Danielle said.
She slipped her hand into his and allowed him to pull her up to her feet. Once they had gathered up their things, they then began making their way back to his car, walking hand in hand.
As they drove back toward town, they listened to that same country band Jasper always liked to listen to, the one that had someone who used a jug as an instrument. It had slowly begun to grow on her, so Danielle tapped her fingers against her thighs and hummed along as they drove, enjoying the song floating through the speakers. Jasper glanced at her every so often, smiling as he watched her get into the music. Before long he grabbed her free hand and pulled it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles, his eyes turning to her fully as they stopped at a red light.
"What?" she asked with a smile when she saw the contemplative look on his handsome face. "Something on your mind?"
"Yes, actually," Jasper said. He paused, then gave her a serious look. "How would you feel about meeting Carlisle and Esme?"
Danielle's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Meet Carlisle and Esme?" she echoed. "When?"
Jasper shrugged. "Why not tonight?" he suggested.
Nervousness immediately bloomed in her belly. "Tonight?" she repeated with shock. "But that's so soon. I mean…that's like…tonight," she said.
Jasper had picked up on her sudden nervousness and quickly sent a comforting, calming feeling over her. "Relax, darlin'," he said, giving her a hand a gentle squeeze. When she felt more like her normal, collected self again, Jasper continued. "They've been asking me to bring you over since before we even became a couple," he revealed, which was certainly news to her. "They really want to meet you, so why not tonight while we've got some time on our hands?" He went quiet for a moment, then frowned a little. "You don't have to meet them, of course," he added hastily. "If you'd rather not, then I – "
"No, no," Danielle quickly interjected before he could get the wrong idea. "I do want to meet them," she said, which made him visibly relax. "You just…surprised me. That's all."
Jasper nodded in return.
When the light turned green, Jasper turned his eyes back to the road as he resumed driving. Danielle took a few silent seconds to mull over his invitation, the nervous butterflies in her belly quickly returning. Meeting Carlisle and Esme was a big deal – they were, for all intents and purposes, Jasper's parents, and meeting the parents, regardless if they were vampire or human, was a big step for any couple. What if they didn't like her? What if they met her and thought she was too juvenile or too silly to be with Jasper? They were important to Jasper, and she wanted their approval, but what if she didn't get it? Things were going so well between them – did she really want to risk it all being ruined so quickly just because the rest of the family disapproved?
"What are you thinking, darlin'?" Jasper asked, glancing at her.
"I'm worried they won't like me, and that you'll break up with me if they don't approve of me," Danielle blurted out honestly.
Jasper gave her a look, then sighed and pulled the car off to the side of the road. He put the car in park, then turned in his seat to face her more fully, his expression dead serious. "First of all, they will like you," he stated with confidence. "And even if they didn't – which I can promise you will not be the case – there's nothing they could say that would make me change my mind about this," he said, motioning back and fort between the two of them. "I love you, Danielle. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone or anything. And nothing – nothing – is going to change that."
Danielle knew he was telling her the truth, and it made her instantly breathe easier. Smiling a bit, she leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. "I love you, too," she said, which made him smile. She then sucked in a deep breath before nodding. "Okay," she said. "Let's go meet Carlisle and Esme."
Jasper raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"
Danielle nodded. "Yes," she said. "I just want to go home and freshen up first, then we can go."
Jasper smiled. "Alright," he said.
He soon put the car back in drive and pulled back onto the road, smiling to himself all the while. Danielle sucked in another deep breath, holding his hand tightly and telling herself not to let her nervousness get the better of her. Maybe things would be alright, she tried to encourage herself. Besides, Emmett, Alice, and Edward seemed to like her well enough – why wouldn't Carlisle and Esme like her too? Everything was going to be just fine. There was absolutely no need to panic...
About forty-five minutes later, as the Cullen house came into view, all thoughts of not panicking were on the verge of being abruptly and unceremoniously thrown right out the proverbial window.
Danielle stared wide-eyed at the large, expensive house that Jasper parked in front of, her heart pounding away in her ribs. The house was well out of the Forks city limits, tucked away within the forest and probably impossible to find for anyone who had never been there before. The most noticeable thing about it were the windows, which were many in number and huge in size, practically putting the entire inside of the house on display if the lighting was right. It was still light outside at the moment, so it was a bit hard to see past some of the glares on the glass, but Danielle thought she saw someone watching Jasper's car from one of the big windows over the driveway. She gulped nervously.
"Ready?" Jasper asked, cutting the engine.
Danielle looked at him and nodded slowly, then watched as Jasper got out of the car and went around to her side to open the door. Once she was out of the car, she quickly began smoothing down her hair and her clothes out of nervous habit. She had showered and changed into a sundress that had made Jasper's eyes go dark the moment he saw her and led to him giving her a kiss that had nearly made them forget they had plans in the first place. She had touched up her makeup and tried to make herself look as presentable as possible, but despite her efforts, she still felt frumpy. If Carlisle and Esme were anywhere near as beautiful as the rest of the family, she was pretty sure she'd look like a street rat compared to them no matter how much primping she did.
"Don't be nervous," Jasper said, placing a hand on her cheek and making her feel another pleasant, calming feeling.
"I'm trying not to be, but when it comes to the list of Most Intimidating Things Ever, meeting your vampire boyfriend's parents is pretty high up there," she told him with a pointed look. "How do I look?" she asked, running her hands over her dress again.
Jasper smiled at her lovingly. "I have never seen anything or anyone more beautiful than you in my entire existence," he told her, which had her smiling despite her inner anxiety. "Now," he said, placing a quick kiss to her forehead, "let's go inside."
Danielle nodded and disentangled herself from Jasper to reach back into the car and grab the bouquet of Calla Lillies she had insisted on buying on the way over. Jasper had told her it wasn't necessary, but had given in when she kindly reminded him that she was a southerner, and as a southerner, there were few things more insulting than going to someone's house empty handed. With the flowers in hand, she finally shut the door and slipped her free hand into Jasper's. He gave her hand one last encouraging squeeze, then led her up to the front door.
She wasn't sure what to expect when they walked inside – she thought maybe she would be greeted with the sounds of classical music and conversation amongst Jasper's family, or perhaps she would walk in and immediately start spotting cool artifacts they had accumulated over the many years they had spent wandering the world. What Danielle didn't expect, however, was to find herself being yanked away from Jasper the moment she crossed the threshold and lifted clear off her feet as a pair of impossibly strong, impossibly cold arms wrapped her up in a giant, freezing bear hug.
Danielle squeaked with surprise at the suddenness of it all, but then quickly realized that Emmett had been the one to greet her so enthusiastically. He hugged her for a moment longer, swaying her back and forth a bit, then put her back on her own two feet. When she could finally see him, he had a big grin on his face as he looked down at her.
"Lookee here," he said. "My favorite ginger!"
He went to ruffle her hair, but Danielle intercepted quickly, blocking him with the hand not holding the flowers and giving him a look that said she would not hesitate to karate chop him in the neck if he messed up her hair, regardless of the fact that karate chopping him anywhere would inflict absolutely zero damage on his person.
"Leave the hair alone, Cullen," she warned.
Emmett held his hands up in surrender, then looked to Jasper when he planted himself at Danielle's side. "Nice of you to finally bring Dani over. We were starting to take bets on how long you planned to hog her all to yourself."
Jasper gave him an unamused look. "I wasn't hogging her," he said defensively. "And I'll thank you not to manhandle my girlfriend, otherwise I'll have no choice but to manhandle you in return," he added with a warning quirk of his eyebrows.
Emmett snorted. "I'd like to see you try, dude," he challenged.
Jasper started to say something back, but before he could get a word out, a familiar figure appeared at the top of the stairs located not far from where they stood. It was Alice, looking breathtakingly beautiful, just as she always did. Currently she stood with her arms crossed over her chest, regarding her two brothers with disapproval.
"Don't you two ever give it a rest?" she asked with exasperation.
"He started it," Jasper said, gesturing toward Emmett.
Emmett opened his mouth to retort, but Alice beat him to the punch. "Well, I'm finishing it before you scare the daylights out of Dani," she said. Alice finally looked at Danielle, and almost instantly her face lit up with a bright smile. The vampire hurried down the steps then gave her an enthusiastic hug that caught Danielle of guard. "I'm glad you're here, by the way," she said, releasing her and taking a step back. "You look beautiful," she complimented. "I love that dress!"
"Thank you," Danielle said with a slight blush.
"Come on up!" Alice encouraged, linking her arm with Danielle's. The coldness of her body didn't even phase her. "Carlisle and Esme can hardly wait to meet you!"
Alice started to lead her upstairs, leaving Danielle with no choice but to go with her. While Alice chatted away about Lord knows what, Danielle shot a look at Jasper over her shoulder. He smiled encouragingly, but then became distracted when Emmett lured him into a brief and subtle shoving match now that Alice's back was turned. They only stopped when Alice, who clearly knew what was going on behind them, gave them a sharp look, which finally had the two vampires following them up the stairs.
The second floor appeared to be the living room, kitchen, and dining area, though she spied a few doors that looked like they went into bedrooms or perhaps studies. It was tastefully decorated with mostly modern furniture, but Danielle spied several interesting looking items and decorations nearly everywhere she looked. There was also soft music playing, and when saw the same record player that she and Jasper had danced to the week before after the Spring Fling stationed in the corner of the room, she couldn't help but smile fondly at the memories it brought up.
Danielle looked up at Jasper as he appeared by her side again, gently disentangling her arm from Alice's so that she could shift the flowers in her hands and link her arm around Jasper's instead. He smiled down at her and patted her hand, then nodded toward the kitchen area. Danielle's followed his gaze, then immediately froze.
Carlisle and Esme, the only two vampires from the Cullen clan she had not seen or met, had just stepped out of the kitchen and were now looking at her with friendly, albeit curious, looks on their faces. Just as she had suspected, they were insanely good looking. Carlisle was blonde and handsome, looking no more than thirty years of age, his expression kind and welcoming. Esme was tucked into his side, standing just tall enough to reach his shoulder. She didn't look much older than thirty either, and had long dark hair and a sweet, inviting face. There was an overall inviting aura surrounding the two of them, one that immediately put Danielle at ease and made all of her previous anxiety a thing of the past.
Jasper tugged on her arm to get her moving again. Once they were a few feet away from his parents, he pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Danielle, it is my very great pleasure to introduce you to Carlisle and Esme Cullen," he said. "Carlisle, Esme…this is Danielle," he said, smiling down at her with love and pride shining clear as day in his eyes.
Danielle smiled up at Jasper for a quick second, then stepped out of his embrace so that she could shake their hands. They seemed pleasantly surprised by how willingly she approached them, both of them breaking into big, friendly smiles as she shook Carlisle's hand first, then Esme's. "It's so wonderful to meet you both," Danielle said.
"It's wonderful to meet you," Carlisle said back, his voice smooth and soothing. "Jasper has told us such wonderful things about you, Danielle."
"Likewise," Danielle said. "These are for you, by the way," she added, offering them the flowers she still held in her hand.
"Oh, how lovely," Esme said in a voice that was light and pleasing to the ear. She took the flowers and gave them a smell, the smile on her face never faltering. "These smell exquisite. Thank you so much, it was very kind of you," she said, inclining her head to Danielle. "I'll just go put them in some water."
While Esme headed into the kitchen, Carlisle caught Danielle's eye and motioned toward the couches in the living room. "Why don't we have a seat?"
"Sure."
Danielle led the way to the living room, followed by Jasper and the rest of the Cullen's. She eased down onto one of the sofas, smiling at Jasper as he sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. Emmett sat on her other side, lounging casually, while Carlisle and Alice sat down on the couch directly across from them. Danielle realized then that neither Edward, nor Rosalie, was present. Edward, she assumed, was out with Bella somewhere. As for Rosalie, however, there was really no telling where she was.
Danielle looked at Carlisle, who smiled gently when their gazes met. As young as he looked in the face and in his physique, there was an enormous amount of wisdom in his eyes. She supposed that shouldn't have come as a surprise, seeing as Jasper had told her that Carlisle was over three hundred years old.
"As we understand it, you've only been here for a few months," the older vampire started conversationally. "How are you enjoying Forks?"
"It's good," Danielle said with a nod. "I'll be honest, I wasn't really sold on the town at first," she proceeded to admit. "But it's really grown on me. Everyone is really nice and I've met some really incredible people," she finished, unable to help shooting Jasper an adoring smile.
"And by incredible people, she means me of course," Emmett interjected with a smirk.
Danielle turned to give him a look. "I mean, you're alright," she said with a shrug, unable to resist teasing him. "Incredible might be giving yourself a little too much credit, Big Foot."
Emmett looked offended, while Jasper and Alice both chuckled gleefully. Even Carlisle let out a quick laugh of amusement. "Why do you keep calling me that?" Emmett demanded.
"No reason," she said, before shooting a knowing look with Jasper. He winked at her in return.
Esme came strolling back into the living room, having now moved the flowers to an absolutely gorgeous looking crystal vase. "Here we are," she announced, setting them on the coffee table between the two couches. She then sat down between Carlisle and Alice, turning a pretty smile on Danielle. "Thank you again, Danielle. The flowers are beautiful."
"You're very welcome," Danielle said with a nod. "Where I come from, you just don't turn up to someone's house empty handed. That's a sin in the south, I'm pretty sure."
Esme and Carlisle laughed gently at those words. "Well, we appreciate the gesture," Esme said. "And speaking of the south, you're from Houston, yes? Just like our Jasper," she said, giving Jasper a fond, motherly smile.
"I am," Danielle confirmed. "Though I'm sure Houston is a lot different now than it was when you were there," she said to Jasper.
"I'd imagine so," Jasper agreed with a nod.
They shared another smile and squeezed each other's hands. She only looked away when Carlisle spoke again. "Why don't you tell us about yourself, Danielle?" he suggested. The friendly smile on his face hadn't budged even a millimeter. "We'd very much like to get to know you better."
Danielle began to tell them anything she could think of. She talked about her mother and how she had raised her practically single handedly. They asked about her father, but Danielle simply told them that he and her mother had divorced when she had been very young and that she hadn't seen or spoken to him since, nor did she even know where he might be living today. They moved on from the subject of her father quickly and she started telling them about what it had been like to live in Houston, from summertime adventures with her friends to vacations to her grandmother's house in the country and everything in between. The whole time she talked, the Cullen's listened on with great interest, interjecting here or there with questions or comments. Danielle had never been one who liked being the center of attention, but she found that she didn't mind it so much at the moment. She felt inexplicably at ease with the Cullen's, all of whom seemed equally eager to get to know her better.
Thanks to Jasper, she already knew quite a bit about the Cullen family history – she knew that Carlisle had been around since the 1640's, and that he was the one who had turned everyone but Jasper and Alice. She also knew of the circumstances surrounding the events when everyone else had been turned – excluding Jasper, who still had not told her how he had come to be a vampire – and that most of them had been on the brink of death before Carlisle introduced them to their new lives. The only mystery in the family was Alice, who did not remember her human life, where she had come from, or who had made her. So when Danielle grew tired of talking about herself, she did not ask the Cullen's about how they had become vampires or how old they were. Instead, Danielle asked them about their hobbies and interests so that she could get to know them on a more personal level. Carlisle loved to read and, of course, was a skilled doctor. Esme loved art and music and enjoyed restoring houses. As for Alice, she was all about fashion, and Emmett, unsurprisingly, loved anything and everything do with sports, something Danielle had already learned about him when they had first started becoming friends.
They sat there talking and laughing for at least an hour, and in all, she was feeling pretty good about the way things were going so far. Alice and Emmett were their usual friendly selves, Jasper seemed very happy about the fact that she was spending time with his family, and, thus far, Carlisle and Esme seemed to like her. The atmosphere around them was a friendly and comfortable and they were all having a good time.
But all of that changed when Rosalie finally decided to make an appearance and see for herself what exactly was going on. She had apparently been upstairs, and as she cane walking down into the living room, it almost immediately felt as though the temperature dropped by about twenty degrees. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed some as she stared straight at Danielle. Danielle pressed her lips together and unconsciously leaned closer to Jasper, seeking the comfort and protection he had to offer.
"Having fun with the human?" she asked in greeting, and the tone she used was not a friendly one.
Danielle blinked uncertainly, unsure how she should respond. Jasper, however, frowned and tensed next to her. "Her name is Danielle," he said defensively.
"Right," Rosalie said flatly, sounding completely uninterested.
There was a beat of uncomfortable silence. Emmett was the one to break it. "Babe, why don't you come sit down?" he suggested. "Dani was just about to start telling us all of her most embarrassing moments so that we can hold them over her head for the rest of her life," he joked, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.
His words pulled a few small, forced laughs from Carlisle, Esme, and Alice, while Danielle have him a grateful smile for his attempt to lighten the mood. Jasper, however, was still stiff as a board next to her as he gave his sister a hard look, and Rosalie looked anything but amused.
"I think I'll pass," she said coolly. "Entertaining humans isn't really my forte."
With that she turned and started in the direction of the front door. At the same moment, Carlisle stood, the smile that had been on his face finally disappearing. "Rosalie," he said, his tone tinged with just the barest hint of authority. Rosalie froze at once, then turned back around to face him. "Stay here, please."
Rosalie made no more moves to leave. Satisfied she wasn't going anywhere, Carlisle looked to Danielle and Jasper again, smiling gently. "Jasper, why don't you give Danielle a tour of the rest of the house?" he suggested.
Jasper stared at Rosalie for another moment, his amber eyes a tick darker with what looked like anger, before he blinked and nodded to Carlisle. "Of course." He then stood up and smiled gently at Danielle, offering a hand. "Come with me, darlin'," he encouraged.
Danielle nodded, then slipped her hand into Jasper's and stood from the couch. She cast one last look at Rosalie, who was staring back at her with crossed arms and narrowed eyes, before Jasper led her to a set of stairs that went up to the top floor. Danielle frowned as they climbed the stairs, able to hear hushed voices in the living room as they left. She chanced a look up at Jasper, who was frowning to himself, and could only assume that whatever conversation now taking place between the rest of the Cullen's likely wasn't a good one.
Jasper seemed to realize she was looking at him and met her eyes, a small, quick smile flitting across his handsome face. "Most of our bedrooms are up here," he told her as they reached the top floor. "This one is Emmett and Rosalie's," he said, motioning to a door on the left. "That one is Edward's, and that one is Alice's," he said next as they passed two more doors. "Carlisle and Esme have a room downstairs. Probably to get away from us kids," he joked with a smirk.
Danielle nodded, then raised her brows. "Where's your room?"
Jasper jerked his head toward a room at the end of the hall, then guided her in that direction. They stepped through the open door, then Danielle released Jasper's hand so she could walk around the room and peer around with curiosity. It wasn't too much bigger than her own bedroom, but it was significantly tidier. One wall was nothing but a huge bookshelf filled with what had to be hundreds of books. A different wall had a desk pushed up against it, which had a few stacks of papers and school books, while next to the desk was a door that she assumed opened up to his closet. There weren't many decorations and there wasn't a bed, but there was a little reading nook set up by a large glass door that opened up to a small balcony. She paused at the reading nook when she saw a small table that had one lone picture frame on it. Picking up the frame, she smiled as she realized it was their picture from the dance the week before. Danielle couldn't resist smiling at him, a gesture he returned.
"I like it in here," she said, setting the picture back down. She sat down on the couch in the reading nook and sucked in a deep breath, noting that the room smelled distinctly of Jasper. "It's…cozy. And very you," she added, nodding.
Jasper came to sit down next to her, sitting close so that he could wrap an arm around her shoulders. Danielle leaned into him, smiling as he kissed her temple. "I like you being here," he admitted. He smiled and pulled her even closer. "If only you knew how many times I have envisioned having you here like this, wrapped up in my arms in this little nook as we hid away from the rest of the world," he murmured, nuzzling her hair affectionately.
Danielle lifted a brow. "You envisioned us just sitting here?" she teased with a smirk.
Jasper eyes flashed mischievously. "Among other things," he answered, his gaze momentarily dropping to her lips.
Danielle grinned, then sighed and settled her head on his shoulder. As a brief silence passed between them, she found herself beginning to think about whatever might be taking place downstairs between the rest of the Cullen's. When she lifted her head to look at Jasper's expression, his eyes were in the door and she could tell that he was using his vampire hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation downstairs.
"How bad is it?" she asked.
Jasper looked back down to her quickly, then heaved. "Not any worse than I expected. Rosalie doesn't approve of us, or of Edward and Bella, and she's not shy about admitting to that. Carlisle and the others are trying to convince her to give you a chance, but she's being stubborn." When Danielle frowned, Jasper grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry, darlin'. I know it bothers you."
"I mean, I shouldn't really be surprised. You did warn me that it would take some time for her to come around." Danielle sighed helplessly. "I guess I just hoped it wouldn't take this long."
"It'll get better, I promise," he said with a reassuring nod. "Rosalie just acts this way because she's afraid something will go wrong. That and, well…" He paused to glance toward the door again. "She's jealous of you and Bella," he admitted in a hushed voice, as if he was afraid someone, like Rosalie, would hear him say that.
Danielle raised her brows at him in disbelief. "Jealous? Of us? But she's…Rosalie," she said with a shake of her head, not understanding why in the world someone as gorgeous and graceful as Rosalie would be jealous of her or Bella.
Jasper smiled. "Yes, but you are human. If Rosalie had a choice, she never would have chosen to walk this earth as a vampire. She misses being a human, and envies you for your mortality."
"Huh," Danielle grunted, needing a moment to let that one soak in. "So basically as long as I'm a living, breathing human, Rosalie is going to hate me?" she summarized.
Jasper cringed. "I sincerely hope not."
It didn't really answer the question, but she figured it was the best she was going to get. Sighing to herself, she let her head fall back to his shoulder, trying not to feel discouraged. Jasper must have picked up on the shift in her emotions, because he tightened the arm he had around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Don't worry, darlin'. It'll be alright," he said. "The rest of the family likes you. It's only a matter of time before Rosalie comes around, too."
"They do?" she asked hopefully.
Jasper smiled. "Of course they do. Alice thinks you're great for me, Edward has nothing but good things to say about you, and I saw the way Carlisle and Esme were with you. They like you already. And you already know Emmett adores you," he stated pointedly.
Danielle smiled a bit. "I like them, too," she said with a nod. "But I don't want this thing with Rosalie to keep going the way it is," she said with a sigh. "She's your family, Jazz, and I want her to like me, too. Or, at the very least, tolerate me," she added with a look.
Jasper contemplated her words then raised his eyebrows. "I could always speak with her about it," he said. "I've been trying to give her time and space to come to terms with us being together, but if it really upsets you, I can say something to her about her behavior."
Danielle immediately shook her head. "No. That'll probably just make it worse," she said. "We'll just…give it some more time," she finished with a nod.
"Alright then," Jasper agreed.
They heard a door slam downstairs in the next moment, which had them both looking toward Jasper's bedroom door. Jasper heaved and gave her a look, which, considering the circumstances, led her to believe that Rosalie had finally left. Jasper grabbed her hand and, without saying anything, pulled her to her feet and led her back out of the bedroom. Once they were making their way back down to the living room, Danielle saw that Esme and Carlisle were speaking to one another in hushed tones. Alice looked annoyed as she glared at the front door, and Emmett just seemed disappointed. Rosalie was nowhere in sight.
"She left then?" Jasper asked stiffly.
"You're surprised?" Emmett asked with a huff.
Jasper frowned. "No, not really."
Emmett heaved, then shook his head and gave Danielle a look of apology. "I'm sorry for the way she's acting, Dani," he told her sincerely. "Rose can be…difficult…sometimes."
Danielle just offered up a shrug and a smile. "It's alright, Em. She'll come around in her own time, right?"
Emmett smiled, but it looked a little forced. "Yeah," he agreed. His tone wasn't all that convincing, though.
"Danielle?" She looked away from Emmett and turned her attention to Carlisle, who had stopped speaking to Esme and had taken a few steps in her direction. A kind smile was on his lips again. "I was wondering if we could have a word in private?" Carlisle asked.
Danielle looked at Jasper, who only looked mildly surprised. "S-sure," she agreed, trying not to sound as nervous as she suddenly felt.
Carlisle inclined his head, then motioned for her to follow him out of the living room. Danielle shared one last look with Jasper, who squeezed her hand and sent a calming wave over her, before she went to Carlisle's side and allowed him to lead her away from the others.
They walked through a door that was near the stairs leading down to the first floor. They had entered a marvelous looking study, which looked as though it housed thousands of books and had some incredible pieces of artwork on any open wall or tabletop. Danielle blinked in amazement, momentarily stunned by the grandiose of the room, until Carlisle placed a cold, gentle hand on her shoulder to catch her attention.
"Please, sit," he encouraged, gesturing to one of the chairs sitting before a large, mahogany desk.
Danielle sat down, watching, but not hearing, Carlisle walk around to the opposite side of the desk and take a seat himself. His expression was friendly, but the whole situation suddenly made her feel like she was on a job interview, leaving her to gulp nervously and discreetly wipe her hands on the skirt of her dress.
"I would like to follow Emmett's example and apologize for Rosalie's behavior toward you, Danielle," he said to break the silence. "I had hoped your first visit to our home would be a pleasant one, and it saddens me to think she may have caused you any discomfort."
Danielle blinked, then smiled and shook her head. "It's alright, Mr. Cullen," she said quickly. "You don't have to apologize. I've enjoyed my visit here. And, to be honest, I'm kinda getting used to Rosalie acting like that," she admitted with a small cringe.
Carlisle frowned a bit. "I would prefer you didn't have to get used to it," he countered.
"Me, too," she agreed. "But it is what it is, and at the end of the day, I'm not here for Rosalie. I'm here for Jasper. As long as he still likes my company, we're good to go," she said with a small, joking smile.
Carlisle smiled at her again. "I think it safe to say that Jasper more than just likes your company, Danielle," he pointed out with slightly raised brows.
She couldn't help but blush a little, feeling fairly certain that Carlisle – and the rest of the Cullen's, for that matter – knew the exact extent of their feelings for one another.
Carlisle eyed her for a moment or two, before speaking again. "I have to be honest with you…I was a little worried when Jasper first told me about you. As you already know, Jasper has had his struggles when it comes to maintaining our diet. Human blood always had a strong effect on him. But when he met you…I don't think I've ever seen him as worked up as he was the day your paths crossed for the first time. I feared for your safety, Danielle. I truly did," he confessed.
Danielle nodded slowly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little afraid of him at first," she said. "I didn't understand why he acted that way. And I think even then, deep down, something in my gut was trying to tell me that he wasn't just some normal, teenaged guy," she explained.
"I am not surprised to hear that," Carlisle said. "We are, technically, predators, which means your instincts would try to warn you away from us for your own safety," he explained. "But I am surprised how quickly you seemed to forgive him when he came to apologize to you," he admitted with a raised brow. "Especially so, if you were already wary of him."
"I wanted to hold it against him. In fact, I planned to give him an earful and make sure he knew that the way he acted was not okay." Carlisle smiled at that, looking a bit amused. "But when he came to the bookshop with Emmett, I could see he felt terrible about what had happened and I knew he regretted it. I dunno…I just didn't have it in me to make him suffer anymore than he already was, you know?" she said with a sigh. "Jasper put himself out there by coming to talk to me. I figured the least I could do in return was give him a chance to prove he was better than how he acted when we first met," she said with a shrug.
Carlisle nodded in understanding. "You're the first human who has really taken the initiative to get to know Jasper," he said. "You treated him like he was normal, and considering how uncertain he has been of himself for all these years, having someone befriend him the way you did was a very big deal for him."
Danielle smiled at that. There was a brief silence, before she broke it with a question. "Just out of curiosity, are you still worried?" she asked, referring to what Carlisle had said a few moments ago. "You know, about my safety?"
Carlisle pressed his lips together for a moment. "I will be honest with you. I think there will always be a part of me that will worry, simply because I do not want to see anything go badly between you and Jasper," he admitted. "But I trust Jasper. I have always had faith in him, even when he did not have faith in himself. And I've seen a significant change in Jasper since he met you. We all have. He's more confident, more calm, and he doesn't seem to be struggling with our lifestyle nearly as much as he was. But, and perhaps most importantly of all, he's happy. I have never once seen Jasper as happy as he is now, and it's because of you. So, to answer your question, yes, I may worry still. But I do not think anything bad will happen. You are too important to him."
Danielle was relieved that she and Carlisle saw things the same way. "I don't think anything bad will happen, either," she said. "I trust him completely, and I know he will never harm me," she said with a firm, resolute nod.
Carlisle gave her a large, pleased smile. "Jasper told me that you had unwavering faith in him. Though, admittedly, he also told me he still does not quite understand how you can trust him so much."
Danielle sighed and shrugged. "It's a pretty simple answer – I love him." Carlisle's smile grew even wider. "I know he sees himself as a threat and a danger, but I don't. I think he's wonderful and incredible and far stronger than he realizes, and all I want is for him to see himself the way that I see him," she openly admitted.
"I believe he is starting to," Carlisle assured her with a nod. "And I thank you for that, Danielle. All we have ever wanted was for him to be happy, and now he is. A human and a vampire being in this sort of relationship is certainly an oddity," he said with slightly raised brows, "but you're very good for Jasper. I just want you to know that Esme and I are very glad the two of you have found one another, and we are very supportive of your relationship with Jasper."
Danielle smiled, feeling a huge sense of really to hear Carlisle's obvious approval. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen. It means a lot to hear you say that."
Carlisle inclined his head. "You are welcome. And please, call me Carlisle," he encouraged.
"Alright...Carlisle," Danielle said with a nod.
There was a momentary silence, before Carlisle tilted his head curiously. "Has Jasper told you about his life before we took him in?"
Danielle shook her head. "Not really. He mentioned that he had a tumultuous past, but he didn't seem to wanna go into detail," she answered, frowning slightly.
"Does that bother you?" Carlisle asked her.
"That he didn't go into detail, or that he has a rocky history?"
"Both," Carlisle clarified.
Danielle thought about it, then shrugged. "If he isn't ready to tell me, then I'm not gonna try to force him. He'll tell me when he's ready to," she said. "As for his history, well...I don't know what happened, but I do know that I don't like the thought of anything bad happening to him," she said with a frown.
Carlisle nodded in understanding. "Yes, the thought disturbs me as well. But as you and I both already know, Jasper is strong. And with you by his side, he will only be stronger. I am certain that now that he has you, he is only thinking of the future, not his past."
"We haven't really talked about the future yet, either," Danielle said before she could stop herself. "I hope I'm in his future, though."
"You will be, of that I have no doubt," Carlisle said, which instantly made relief rush through her. "So then I take it he hasn't told you about Alice's visions yet?" Carlisle asked next.
Danielle frowned at once, her previous relief turning to uncertainty. This was not the first time a Cullen had mentioned Alice's apparent visions concerning her future. "I know that she has visions, and Jasper told me that she's had a few about me, but he didn't go into detail," she said slowly. "Why?" she couldn't help but ask. "Has she seen something I should know about?"
Carlisle opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get even a word out, there was a knock on the door to the office. They both turned as the door opened to reveal Jasper, who first gave Carlisle a look Danielle couldn't decipher, before then turning his attention her.
"Sorry to interrupt, but your phone has rung three times," he said, holding out the purse she had left in the living room. "I'm guessing it's probably your mother."
Danielle blinked, realized she had never told her mother where she was going, then smacked her forehead. "Crap. I didn't tell her I was coming here!"
She hurried out of the chair to grab her purse from Jasper, before fishing around inside until she finally found the phone. Sure enough, her mother had called three times, as well as sent her a text asking where she was. Cringing, she shot Carlisle an apologetic look. "I should call her back before she tells Bella's dad I've disappeared and gets the whole squad looking for me."
"Of course," Carlisle said understandingly.
With that being said, she stepped back out of the office to call her mother, squeezing Jasper's arm along the way. It didn't escape her notice that Jasper kept his eyes locked on Carlisle, his expression still that same, unreadable mask. She smiled briefly at the other three Cullen's still loitering around in the living room and went off to the side, dialing her mother's number and pressing the phone to her ear. Lynne answered on the second ring.
"Danielle Katherine Clark, where in the world are you?" she demanded, completely skipping over friendly greetings.
"I'm okay! I'm just at Jasper's house!" she reassured.
"And you didn't think to call me and tell me where you were going? Or at least leave a note?" Lynne asked next, sounding thoroughly irritated. "You had better not be alone with that boy in his house, Danielle! If his parents aren't there, so help me God I will – "
"We're not alone, I swear," Danielle interrupted hastily. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going. Jasper and I decided to come over here kind of last minute, and I was so busy getting ready and having a mild panic attack at the thought of meeting his parents that I completely forgot to tell you we were coming here. I'm sorry for worrying you. I really am," she concluded sincerely.
Lynne heaved. "It's okay, I guess," she said, her tone far less angry now. "You just know how much I worry, especially when it comes to you."
"I know. I'm sorry," she apologized yet again.
"You're forgiven," Lynne finally said, which made Danielle relax. "So, how's it going?" Lynne asked next, sounding very curious now.
Danielle glanced at the Cullen's, who were talking amongst themselves and seemed to be doing their best to give her some privacy. She knew they could probably hear everything that was being said, though. Vampire hearing likely had its perks. "I think it's going alright," she said quietly. "His family is really nice. I like them a lot." She definitely noticed when Esme, Alice, and Emmett all smiled as she voiced her approval.
"That's good," Lynne said, a smile evident in her tone. "Are you planning to stay for dinner?"
Danielle frowned. "I don't know, actually," she said. Seeing as the Cullen's didn't eat normal human food, she seriously doubted they had anything in the house to make dinner with. But then, suddenly, Alice was in front of her and nodding her head vigorously, which makes Danielle smile. "Never mind. I've just been told that yes, I should stay for dinner."
"Alright," Lynne said. "Just don't stay out too late, okay?"
"I won't," Danielle promised. "I'll let you know when I'm on my way home."
"Sounds good. See you in a bit."
"Bye, mom."
Danielle ended the call, then looked to Alice with raised brows. "After I saw that you and Jasper were coming over, Em and I ran out to get some food for you," Alice explained with a shrug. "We'd be pretty horrible hosts if we just let you sit here and starve, wouldn't we?"
Danielle smiled. "I wouldn't say horrible, but that's very nice of you to go out of your way."
"We thought so, too," Alice joked with a smirk. "So you just make yourself comfortable and prepare to be wowed by our incredible cooking prowess," she said with a smile.
Danielle laughed. "Yes, ma'am," she said with a small, joking salute.
Alice smirked and raised her brows at Esme, who had left the couch and come to stand next to Alice. "I like this one. She already knows who's boss around here," she joked.
Esme just laughed and shook her head at Alice, before smiling kindly at Danielle. "Don't mind her. We just let her think she's in charge so she'll feel better about herself," she teased.
"Hey!" Alice said in offence, while Danielle giggled at the jibe.
Esme laughed, then patted Danielle on the arm. "Go and make yourself comfortable, Danielle. We'll have dinner ready soon enough."
Danielle finally nodded, then, as the two vampires went into the kitchen, she went to sit down next to Emmett. It was only then that she realized Jasper and Carlisle were still talking in Carlisle's office, and that the door was closed to block them from view. She frowned a bit, wondering what they were talking about, unable to shake the suspicion that Jasper had been displeased with something he had overheard. She frowned at the door a little longer, but then forced herself to focus on Emmett as he nudged her with his elbow and turned on the television, quickly flipping to the baseball game before launching into detail about all the different players.
By the time Jasper and Carlisle reappeared, things seemed to actually be fine between them. Carlisle gave her an easy smile and went to help Alice and Esme in the kitchen, while Jasper joined her and Emmett on the sofa to watch the game. When he sat down next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders, she raised her brows at him in silent question, asking him with her eyes if everything was alright. When he gave her a lopsided smile and nodded, Danielle decided that she must have just been reading into things and that nothing was amiss between Jasper and Carlisle.
It took about half an hour for the Cullen's to bring her dinner, and though she hadn't been sure whether or not they actually knew how to cook, she was pleasantly surprised by how good the dish they prepared was. They showed her to a dining room and they all set down around the table, and though Danielle hesitated at first, feeling self conscious about eating in front of them, her own hunger soon won out and she began to eat the delicious food they had provided.
They continued to talk over dinner, the mood around them much lighter and much friendlier now that Rosalie was gone. After she finished eating, she insisted on taking the dish to the kitchen herself and washing it in the sink, claiming the Cullen's had done more than enough and that she should at least help clean up after dinner, especially since she was the only one to eat. Esme refused however, and had snatched the plate out of her hand and disappeared into the kitchen before Danielle had a chance to even blink, let alone protest further.
They finally decided to call it a night around nine thirty, when Jasper caught her trying to suppress a yawn. Because it had been such a good time, Danielle was hesitant to go, but after Esme and Carlisle assured her that she was welcome any time, she finally gave in. Danielle hugged them all goodbye, which none of the Cullen's seemed to mind, then, after promising Esme and Carlisle she would come back and visit as soon as possible, she and Jasper left and were back on their way to her house.
"That was really fun," Danielle said with a smile. "I like Carlisle and Esme a lot. Alice, too."
"I knew y'all would get along just fine," Jasper said with a nod and pleased smile, one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding hers.
Danielle smirked. "You just said y'all," she pointed out. "Since when are you so southern?"
Jasper smirked at her and quirked a brow. "Darlin', I've been southern a lot longer than you have," he reminded her. "Being with you just brings it out of me, I suppose."
Danielle grinned. "I like it," she admitted. "It's kinda, you know...sexy."
Jasper lifted his brows very high at that, surprise evident in his eyes, which just made her grin even wider. After a moment he cleared his throat and forced his gaze back to the road. "Talk about something else," he said, his voice a bit deeper than normal. "I need something to distract me."
"From what?" she asked with a frown of confusion.
"Doing something very inappropriate," he stated with a meaningful look.
Danielle flushed a little, then had to clear her own throat. Was it just her, or was it hotter in the car than it had been a few seconds ago? "Okay." She thought about what to say for a moment, which took longer than it should have because her brain felt like it wasn't working properly after that look he'd given her, before she finally lifted a curious brow. "Carlisle said something about Alice having visions about me," she said. "Are they the same ones you already mentioned?"
Jasper pressed his lips together, his brows furrowing a bit. He suddenly didn't look as relaxed as he had been a few seconds ago. "Yes," he answered.
Danielle waited to see if he would elaborate, but he didn't. "Are you gonna tell me about them?" she asked.
Jasper glanced at her, then sighed. "The thing about Alice's visions is that they aren't always completely accurate," he reminded her. "Just because she sees something, that doesn't necessarily mean it will come true."
Danielle frowned. She could tell that Jasper was still trying to avoid having to give her a direct answer. "So…has she seen something bad then? Something you're hoping won't come true?" she asked with trepidation.
Jasper hesitated again. "No, I wouldn't say it's bad," he finally answered. "But as for whether or not I want it to come true, I'm still…figuring that part out," he finished slowly.
Danielle blinked, having absolutely no idea what to make of that response. "Well, that's a confusing answer," she said bluntly.
Jasper sighed, then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I'm sorry for being so vague. I just don't think now is the proper moment to talk about what Alice has seen," he said. "But we will talk about it someday, when the time is right," he said, giving her a serious look. "I promise."
Danielle was very tempted to pry further, just because all of the mystery surrounding these visions was making her all the more eager to know what Alice had seen. But when she saw the look in Jasper's eyes, the one that was pleading with her not to try to make him talk about it anymore, she sighed and squeezed his hand. If he didn't want to talk about it, then she shouldn't force him. She could be patient, right?
"Alright," she conceded.
Jasper smiled, looking relieved. "Thank you for understanding, darlin'."
Danielle smiled back. "You're welcome."
But as she turned her eyes to the window to watch the scenery jump by, she told herself that she would find out what these visions were all about. Clearly it was something big, if even Carlisle knew about them, but she just didn't know what it was. She would someday, though, and hopefully that day would be soon.
Thoughts?