Chapter 11

Beside Someone

She felt brighter, more herself, when she woke up from her nap. It was still raining, Willow noticed, hearing it still hitting the roof and she lifted her head off Jasper's chest. He'd moved them. He also smelt really nice.

Oh, cookies. Willow hadn't gotten to try them. 'S'time?'

'Just gone five past four.' He rumbled in her ear, offering her frames.

Sight restored, Willow scrubbed her eye and stretched. What was she going to do again? Oh, right, cookies. But first. Jasper huffed a laugh against her lips as she kissed him, smoothing the crease on her cheek from his jumper where she'd burrowed. 'You look better.'

'I don't understand why kids hate nap time.' She shrugged, crawling to the edge of the bed. Fuck Jasper was tall. With a harsh tug, the blanket was around her like a cloak and she led the way downstairs. 'Naps are great.'

'You do have them a lot.'

'People are tiring.' Willow pointed out as she padded down the last step, her feet cooling nicely on the varnished wooden floor. If she were wearing socks, she'd be sliding everywhere. 'Besides, I've spent the last week freaking about you being Count Chocula.'

Her cookies were on the bench and she just resisted the urge to throw a fist in the air. The stool swayed as she settled in and decided on the biggest one. It wasn't as if anyone else could eat them…though. 'What happens if you do eat human food?'

The blanket looked like a velvet waterfall as it followed her movements as Willow turned to lean back against the island. Oh my god, these were like heaven, the salt on top of dark chocolate chunks and soft caramel bits with brown sugar. Esme deserved an award for those.

'Nothing good.' Dr Cullen's voice came from the doorway as she stared at the cookie as if it had revealed the secrets of the universe. Snapping out of it, Willow looked at him as it explained. 'The fresher the ingredient the nicer the smell but everything just tastes like ash or dirt to our taste buds.'

'That sucks.' She spoke after she swallowed. 'So, there isn't anything that you remember from when you were human that you miss?'

'Peaches.' Jasper said first, his voice wistful. 'I don't remember a lot, very few of us sometimes do, but I do remember there being a peach grove where I used to ride as a boy. My mother used to make a cobbler with the first batch of harvest.'

'I love stone fruits. Though I prefer them when they're less ripe. They're more irritating when they're all soft. Easier to cut when they aren't.'

'Coffeecake.' Carlisle found himself thinking back. 'It was relatively new when I was a boy. I was born sometime in the 17th century in London. Except it wasn't used as an ingredient then, more alongside it with your cake. A lot of our favourite things we used to love are mostly sweet things; blood tends to satisfy the savoury side of it.'

'Because of the iron and what not?'

He nodded. There was a hint of worry on his face. 'What's your resting?'

'120 over 80.' Willow kicked her feet at the rise in his brows as Edward flashed in. 'I know. We're keeping an eye on it.' Jasper glanced between them as they talked. She rested a hand on his forearm. 'Sometimes anxiety can be a cause of arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation where my heart will become weaker. Dad's been keeping an eye on it since I got diagnosed and I get checked every six months.'

Dr Cullen relaxed. 'And it isn't as if we can't hear if something does change suddenly anyway, Jasper.' Jasper said nothing barring the arm around her waist and Willow had a feeling, her heart had worried him. 'Now, you know you cannot tell anyone about what we are.'

She nodded. 'I gathered that.' A furrow pulled between her brows, 'Besides, it would be rude to blurt out other people's secrets like that.'

'And it's not like most of Forks thinks we're a cult or anything.' Edward drawled sardonically beside his sire? He nodded. Nice. Look at her getting the lingo.

'Edward.' Carlisle scolded and gestured for her and Jasper to follow him. She went with her blanket cloak and trotted back up the stairs to the first-floor landing. 'We don't reveal ourselves to humans; it's considered breaking the biggest of our laws.'

Her blood went cold.

'Wa-wait, but I know.' She couldn't have something happen to Jasper – to all the Cullens – for something that they didn't give her a point in the direction for.

'Hey,' Jasper was in front of her, hands cold on her face. Serious gold met her green. 'If there is a Bond between the vampire and the human, a genuine Mate Bond, then it is inevitable that the human finds out. The Volturi would prefer you to be changed sooner rather than later, therefore, lessening the chance of you revealing—'

'—but I wouldn't.'

'—I know, darlin'. We know.' Her hands were clammy on his forearms as she let his grip ground her to the present. 'They may have to be notified of you but as long as we don't cause trouble and have a time frame of your change, then they won't come knockin'.'

Even the concept of something happening to Jasper had her grasping him close before turning back to Carlisle who looked contrite. 'I'm sorry for the spook, Willow.'

'It'll probably happen more than you think.' She grimaced. 'But continue.'

'These are the Volturi.' He gestured to the oil painting behind them and she took and stopped. A part of her, the bigger part, realised that she should've been probably focusing on the gods on the balcony but the details in the balcony and the walls—wait, Willow focus. 'Aro, Marcus and Caius.'

'I wouldn't have gone with the cream with Caius.' She blurted, taking in the ice blond to her left of Aro and she felt Jasper laugh. 'Which, I get, probably isn't the point of the painting but I mean, he's already so blond, and cream, let alone a busy fabric makes him seem very flat. Maybe a few shades darker would've looked better.' Shut up, Willow. 'But, the point.'

'No, actually,' Carlisle seemed to think on it, 'you're not wrong.'

'Carlisle.' Jasper murmured.

'Yes. They are our Kings.'

Vampires had royalty? Did they need heirs? Wait, why would they need heirs if they're dead? Also, could they procreate? that was a weird thought. 'Why do you have royalty? Also, why only kings?'

'Because it's patriarchal bullshit!' Rosalie called from downstairs.

'The Kings are all Mated.' Willow cocked her head, staring at the portrait. Then why did Marcus look so tired? 'Marcus lost his Mate, Didyme, in an accident centuries ago, unfortunately.

'But…'

Jasper squeezed her gently. 'They have a vampire named Chelsea who can manipulate relationships.'

'But that's just cruel though.' She murmured. Her heart went out to Marcus, who, immortalised in the oil, seemed to have no light to his gaze like Aro and Caius. What was the point of immortality if you gained no contentment or inspiration or experienced it beside someone?

'Maybe so.' Carlisle murmured, and moved them away from the painting to his study.

It was different from Jasper's with the warm wood floor-to-ceiling shelves and cream carpets with big windows. Jasper tucked her into his side on one of the sofas and Carlisle sat across from them in an armchair. 'Do you know how I was turned?'

She shook her head. 'No. Nobody has to tell me how just because I know, Dr Cullen. Emmett and Edward told me theirs – Edward said you changed him?'

He nodded, rubbing his palm in what was a distinctively human gesture. 'I was changed to spite my father when I was twenty-three by a vampire who had been living in the sewers of London at the time. When I was a boy…'

Carlisle Cullen told her the story of a boy who had been led to believe that he had been ridding the world of sin, of evil, by hunting down werewolves, witches, and vampires with his Anglican pastor of a father. Told her the horror, the pain, that the boy felt when he had found himself bitten and bleeding in the street having raided a coven of vampires within the sewers. Of the struggles and torment the boy went through, now an immortal – the very thing his father had sworn to kill – and having to come to grips with that. He told her the story of how the boy had found out that he could survive on animal blood after mauling a herd of deer from a cave he had been hiding in the woods, away, far away, from human blood. The boy had found that there was a new way of immortal life with this and had strived, for the next two centuries, to become immune to the lure of human blood, to help rather than slaughter them. To heal the sick and wounded than feast upon their fear.

It was when he was in Italy when he found out about the Volturi and the kings. The boy, now having grown more comfortably into the mantle of a man, of a doctor, of a physician, remained true to his morals, to his code, as the Kings dangled the taste, the allure of human blood in front of him. All the man wanted to do was learn, more about himself, what he was, everything. And so, after two decades with the Kings of the Immortals, he ventured on to continue his exploration to the New World.

'I have changed nearly everyone in this family, Willow,' he spoke to her, golden eyes so wise, as she sat curled up beside Jasper, enraptured by his story. 'I would never wish to force this life upon others like it was with me. I would also never force someone into this life even if it benefitted a member of my family. Becoming a vampire is not an easy decision or an easy life.'

'I know.' She murmured, wetting her lips. 'If it was between me living and dying, however, you have my permission.'

A part of her would prefer for Jasper to do it but she wouldn't make him do it if he didn't feel strong enough to resist her blood. That wasn't fair on him.

'Thank you.' Willow blurted out, as they went to leave causing Carlisle to turn to her, 'Just because I know now didn't mean you had to tell me.'

He smiled at her, took her hands. 'You're a member of this family now, Willow, and we don't keep secrets from each other.'

'It's not like we can anyway.' Jasper drawled from behind her, kissing the back of her head. 'What with having a telepath and seer in the mix.'

The smell of onion, garlic and spices floated up the stairs and Willow found herself once again doing a Merry. Esme was making spaghetti. And it smelt amazing.

'When did you learn to cook?' Willow asked, peeking over her shoulder to watch her stir the pasta sauce – it was a bright red-orange colour and she wanted to eat it.

'Oh, I've dabbled over the years.' Esme smiled at her. 'I like to make a lot of things for shelters and whatnot. Would mean I get to use the kitchen more often.'

'If you want, around Christmas time, usually about a week before, Port Angeles does a musical and they're always wanting people to run the food and shop?'

'Alice said you do the set for down there.'

'I do. Erm,' Willow sat down, swinging slightly, 'it's mainly for community credit really. But it is nice to actually learn from professionals about how to do it. Ms Parker has an…eclectic taste.'

'She has no taste, whatsoever.' Alice waved as she stormed in like a little tornado. 'You're just too nice about it.'

She was not wrong. Sometimes Willow was too nice. 'Thing is, with Ms P, don't get on her bad side. She has made people cry because she gets hectic around Hell Week, as you know.'

'She is a dramatist.'

'Our Lit teacher doesn't like Shakespeare!' Rosalie crowed, 'Just because they teach a subject doesn't mean they have taste.'

Had she just started a fight?

'Did you see the irises in the drive?' Esme continued as if they hadn't started bickering and Willow darted over to the window to see the little purple flowers scattered amongst the daffodils. 'You have good taste.'

'I work in a florist,' Willow smiled as she moved back, smiling as Jasper pulled her to stand between his knees in an absent moment, 'I would be a rubbish worker if I didn't have an eye for plants.'

'You should see her garden.' Jasper grinned, nudging her slightly.

'I did just plant my peas a few weeks ago and everything's blooming now.'

'Your room is like a jungle.'

'They're good for the air.' Sometimes they were the only thing that got her out of bed. Depression. 'Besides, it's not like I didn't see something green in your study.'

He had gotten a small string of pearl sitting along one of his shelves that had very little on it and with a few tweaks of her – mainly some softer hooks to guide the buds down the wood without damaging the books within – and it was rather content.

'Because you suggested getting something green. And you are the professional.'

She barked a laugh. 'Okay.'

'What did you end up using for the bouquets at the wedding by the way?' Rosalie asked, 'You never did tell us.'

Jasper left her to it with a quick stolen kiss as Esme slid a bowl with spaghetti and a fork in front of her. 'There's a tub cooling for Richard.'

'You didn't have to do that.'

'It's no bother, Willow, now tell us.'

It felt like it had at lunch where they nattered as the humans ate and Alice handed her the sketchbook she used for work – she had been working on designs now that she was done with her art pieces. 'Well, Sadie and Michael Johnston,' she flicked through to their palette and ideas where she had it tabbed, 'they ended up liking that combination more,' her finger gestured over the same bouquet just shifting the colour palette to match the bridesmaids' dresses. 'Sadie's had a richer fabric of a bow but and the greenery was more dramatic but in the end, they all flowed better together.'

'Where were they?'

'Not far from the pier? In Port Angeles. But they both grew up here and wanted to have some form of greenery to match Forks and then the blue was for the water where he took her on their first date and proposed. The table settings were a mix of the blue and white scabiosa, that is how we patterned it. It was nice with their dark tables.'

'You're doing our flowers when Emmett and I get remarried.'

Willow blinked a bit in shock. 'Okay? Congrats? Maybe wait till you've graduated less you have the old biddies wagging their tongues.'

'Oh, they renew their vows every decade.'

It was 2003. 'At the start of the decade.'

That made sense. 'How's SAT prep going?'

'I don't need to do that. I've already done it.' Three times, with a fuck ton of tears. Thank god.

'When?'

'I did it three times,' she glanced between Alice and Rosalie, 'you'll have to be more specific?'

'When did you get the points you wanted?'

Willow looked at them, 'I'm not a masochist. I wouldn't have done them more than once if I got the points, I wanted the first time?'

There was laughter in the living room over the game that was on the television.

'In what years?'

'Freshman and then twice in my sophomore year. The earlier the better.'

'What'd you get?'

Was this going to be one of those times where they'd one-up each other? 'That's none of your business, Alice Cullen.' Esme admonished.

Still side-eyeing all three of them, Willow offered, '1423.'

'Willow, that's amazing.' But?

'Thanks?' Why was there no 'but' coming?

Esme moved around the counter and pulled her into a hug and Willow was Confused. The capitalisation was necessary. Were this how normal people reacted? Sometimes she still thought her friends were yanking her leg when they gave compliments. Thanks Mother.

'So you have your pick of colleges then?'

After she relinquished the scrunchie to Alice, Willow allowed her to redo her hair. 'Yeah. I mean, my older brother and sister both went to Ivys so kind of expected of me to go to one.'

'What did they study?' Rosalie asked as Esme flicked through the other designs. The girl was talented, her eye for colour and texture whilst keeping with what the couple wanted. The watercolour instead of oil or pen meant that she could get as close to the natural colour as she could whilst not wasting materials. Esme wondered if Willow would do a piece for the wall. The blank spot that Alice had made her keep empty was starting to annoy her with how empty it was.

'Business.' Willow couldn't help the sneer on her face. 'My stepfather has one and Eve has been working there since her freshman year over the summers. Jon, he runs a firm in New York; its where he met his girlfriend.'

Esme was watching her, 'Do you know what you want to study?'

The sigh that left her felt heavy as her legs swung. 'I dunno. It's expected that I go into some well-paying and high end.'

'Does your dad expect that of you?'

'God, no.' Willow denied, 'Just my mother.'

Esme hummed. 'I doubt very much that I would like your mother.'

Willow laughed, sardonic and slightly bitter. 'You wouldn't be the first.'

The hours ticked by until ten o'clock came, the moon high in the sky. 'I need to be going, Dad will be home soon.'

'Do you want me to drive?' Jasper looked down at her where she lay curled up under his arm, sketchpad open in her lap. He smiled at the fact that she'd been drawing the mascots for each of the Hogwarts houses absently.

'It's dark out. Yes, please.' She smiled as she got up. 'Also, I have no idea where you put them when we came in.'

'In your coat pocket.'

'Oh, okay.' Willow smiled as Esme handed her the cooled Tupperware that contained her father's dinner and tucked it along with her other stuff into her bag, 'Thanks.'

'You're welcome.'

Taking and reciprocating the hug that she was being given, Willow said her goodbyes to the rest of the coven before taking Jasper's hand as they headed to the truck.

They were quiet as they made their way back to town, not needing the fill the silence. They were pulling up to a light when some of the Forks Spartans came out of The Lodge, rowdy and loud. Peaking around his arm, Willow raised an eyebrow. 'Charming.'

'Certainly.' Jasper murmured as he interlinked their hands, settling them on her knees. His sleeves were still up from a few hours ago and something caught her eye from the street lamp. Her fingers found circles – no, not circles, they were too tall to be just circles and too uneven – they looked like bite marks.

'I don't like the fact that you've been hurt.' Willow admitted as she traced a few, her touch like a butterfly's wing on his skin. He squeezed her fingers gently.

'It was a long time ago.'

'Not until you're ready, remember?'

'Not yet.'

She kissed his cheek as they pulled into her street, the houses silent. Dad still wasn't home. They stood on the porch as she got the door unlocked. 'You know, I wouldn't be opposed if you wanted to come over when Dad was on nights. My bathroom has a skylight.'

Willow didn't particularly enjoy being at home on her own on those nights. Usually, the others came over and they had a sleepover. 'You sure?'

'Jasper,' she smiled at him, reaching to cup his cheek. 'I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't.'

Her vampire took in her face as they stood on the porch, the light casting sharp shadows over her expression. He caught her wrist, kissing the heel. 'Okay.'

'Okay.' Willow nodded and tipped her head up in invitation.

Jasper huffed a laugh as he stepped into her space, sliding the hand up to cup her neck as he bent to kiss her goodnight. 'G'night, sweetheart.'

'Night.' Willow murmured against his mouth and stepped into her house, locking the door behind her.

To be very honest, I generally live for the domestic moments between my ships. They're just nice to read between all the drama and angst in a show or movie series. So, to answer an unasked question, there will be a fair few of them in the story. Why? Because I'm the author and I said so.

Thank you so much to those who have recently joined us all on the path of Willow's story - sorry, that the update isn't quite so regular, chapter 19 was kicking my ass and didn't inspire me to write more of our girl, but it's done and we're onto chapter 20. I also have a few ideas for a Doctor Who OC - a girl from 2020 who has Millenial/Gen Z humour that, in October of 2020, is not even the slightest bit fazed at the information about aliens - and a Cassian (ACOTAR) OC. Reasons for that one is because I fell into a rereading binge and, as excited as I am for A Court of Silver Flames, ya girl just wanted to give her favourite Illyrian General a sassy short ass, okay?

2020 has been hard, leave me and my abundance of OCs alone. Thank you.

Anyway,

Enjoy, stay safe and Happy Holidays,

K x