-MAISIE-

Jasper met me alone inside the airport, keeping his eyes downcast to conceal their ghostly hue. I was utterly relieved to lay my eyes on him again, a sigh rattling from my chest. Somehow—probably because I didn't want to jostle Jett all around—I managed not to make a spectacle by sprinting to him. That relief was doubled by his own flooding through me when he enveloped me in his strong arms.

"You really are faster than a plane." My smile was watery; happiness felt untrustworthy after everything we had been through. His answering smile was sturdier, tipping my chin so he could kiss me.

"Edward would've beat me by an hour or two. Emmett and I have a running bet on when he'll break the sound barrier." Jasper slipped the carryon bag from my shoulder, slinging it across his back. He ran a hand over Jett's head, smile softening as he did so. "We shouldn't keep Esme and Rosalie waiting."

Due to time being one of the weirdest concepts of life, the fifteen-hour flight home from Italy landed Jett and I back in Alaska at around three in the afternoon. Thankfully, Alaska was nearly as committed to constant cloud cover during the fall and winter months as Forks, so that was one worry among many eliminated as Jasper led us out the automatic doors.

Jasper's hand, splayed on the small of my back and gently pushing me forward, was truly the only thing keeping me upright. I felt too big for my skin, my anxiety trying to break through the waves of calm Jasper was washing over me. Jett was unbothered, slumbering on my shoulder. His wispy blonde hair tickled my cheek when he cuddled closer to me once we were outside, the chilly fall breeze hitting us. A sharp contrast to the still-warm Italian weather.

I heard Rosalie's gasp before I saw her. Somehow, on her flawless features, her shocked expression still looked beautiful despite her slack jaw and bugging eyes. "He wasn't lying."

"You thought he was lying?" I asked, defensiveness rising in me before either Jasper or I could temper it. "Some vote of confidence."

"With his track record, showing up with red eyes never bodes well," Rosalie tossed back at me, just as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Edward said you weren't dead, but there's never any telling with Jasper."

"It must be a hard life you lead, Rosalie, having achieved perfection so early in mortality." Jasper's grousing held little weight, not that it seemed Rose heard it at all. Her golden eyes had become fixated on Jett, though it was Esme who reached for him. I helped her transfer his sleeping form from my arms to hers. She dipped her head low over his, sighing as she did so.

"It's been nearly a century since I've held a baby." The tightness of her tone made me realize it hadn't been a sigh but a sob that had slipped past Esme's lips.

She would have cried, had she been able to.

"You can hold him any time you want," I offered immediately, wanting the sadness to fade from her face. There was nostalgia there, too. I had no doubt she was remembering her own baby, the son she had lost shortly before becoming a vampire. Some of Rose's shock had warn off, leaving her drifting toward Esme. She placed her hand tentatively on Jett's head, as if she couldn't quite believe that he was real. He turned toward her touch, snuggling into her palm, eliciting a surprised, short laugh from Rosalie.

"No offense, Jazz, but I'm sure you're bright enough to understand why we would have trouble putting stock in such an outlandish story as the one you brought us."

"Nothing is too outlandish for possibility where Aro is involved," Jasper countered. His arm slid around my waist pulling me to him for a moment, pressing a kiss to my temple. He was relaxed now, I could tell in the ease of his muscles. Returning to the fold of his family had solidified it for him.

It was all over. We were safe.

We all might have stood outside the airport under that tree for hours, Esme and Rosalie taking turns holding Jett, were it not for the increasing chill in the air. I had dressed Jett in the clothing left for me by Aro and the others, a simple cotton onesie. His blanket was too thin to provide much warmth from the rising wind.

"We should get him back to meet the others," I ventured. Rosalie had tucked Jett beneath her chin, against her chest, and though he sighed happily in his sleep, she wouldn't be able to provide him much warmth. "But, um, how are we getting back? I don't have a car seat for him…"

"Oh, don't worry. Emmett and Alice, Jasper's Number One Fan Club, jumped into action before he even finished telling us the full story. They didn't doubt him for a moment. He has a car seat…and clothes, a crib, toys, bottles, blankets…" Rosalie was hesitant, I could see, to pass Jett back to me. Again, I felt guilty about the terms of Aro's 'agreement' he had reached with us. I knew Rosalie wanted a baby more than anything, and I had made the conscious decision not to even entertain that idea with Jasper. Yet here I was with a baby, and Rosalie without.

Fate—and the Volturi, for surely Aro must have known that a baby was Rosalie's deepest wish—was not kind.

True to her word, though, the backseat of my car had a baby car seat sitting in the middle. I silently thanked Alice for being the one to strap it in. If Emmett had, there was no guarantee it would have been facing the correct way.

Jett liked to be held, I had come to learn. Athenodora and Sulpicia probably hadn't put him down often when they cared for him. He slept best in someone's arms, and if you didn't time putting him down just right, you ran the high risk of him waking. Which he did just then as I worked his little arms into the safety belts of the car seat. Those big hazel eyes popped open, searching blearily for a moment before focusing on my face. He gave me a gummy smile and a soft coo, drawing the attention of Rosalie and Esme once again.

"Oh, is he awake?" Esme asked, placing her hand on my shoulder to try to see around me as I finished buckling Jett in.

"Yeah, he is. Why don't you and Rose ride back here with him?" Esme's smile at that was brighter than any sun I had ever seen. I let Jasper take the keys and he walked me around to the passenger side to open the door for me. Rosalie was already buckled behind me; she certainly didn't have to be told twice to get more time with Jett.

"He does look a bit like her," she mused quietly behind me. "What was that girl's name?"

"Jennifer." Jasper and I spoke at the same time, her name soft in each of our tones.

The same cruel fate that had denied Rosalie this opportunity of a baby of her own to care for had given Jett his mother's eyes. I would never forget their searing hazel shade, for Jett had the exact same.

"He's lovely," Esme cooed over him. "Aren't you, sweet little one?"

"He's perfect," Rosalie enthused. Was she imagining a child with Emmett's dark curls and dimples and her beautiful features? Perhaps a tall, strong boy, blonde as his mother with his father's easy humor? An angelic little girl, lovelier even than her gorgeous mother? I was sure that such thoughts were running through her head, and I was sorry for them.

Jasper kept a one-handed hold of the steering wheel, reaching across the console for my hand. He lifted it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand before giving it a reassuring squeeze. I gave him the most of a smile I could summon, but the guilt was still there.

Everything Rosalie had longed for during the decades of her immortal life—a shred of humanity, a baby—I had come away with all of it. She was pleased now, to be doting over baby Jett, but if this terrible truth ate at her and Rosalie began to hate me, I would understand. Were I in her place, I think I would hate me, too.

I didn't stop Rosalie when she unbuckled Jett from the car seat, swaddling him deftly into his blanket before Jasper had time to open her door. Jett was all too happy to have the attention from Rosalie. He waved his hand through the loose strands of her hair, cooing at her all the while.

Emmett must have been waiting impatiently. He threw the door open with enough gusto that I was honestly surprised it was still attached to its hinges. "Babe! Lemme hold the Jett Plane."

I groaned at the same time that Esme made a disapproving tut. "You already gave him a dumb nickname?"

"Jett Plane is only a placeholder until I can think of a better one, don't worry, Maise." He backed out of the doorway, holding his hands out like a little kid waiting for candy. His impatience nearly got the best of him, mouth pursing into a pout as Rosalie took her time crossing the threshold before passing Jett off to him. I paused just inside the doorway, Jasper beside me, taking in the look of wonder on Emmett's face. Alice had flitted beside him, standing on tiptoe for a better look.

"Damn, he's tiny." Emmett whispered.

"Yes, babies are typically small, babe." Someone was sarcastic lately. That someone being Rosalie, of course.

"Like… I could throw him."

To which Alice glared, Esme and Edward said Emmett's name in the most disappointed tone imaginable, Carlisle gave a forceful 'son', Rosalie rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and Jasper shook his head.

"Please don't," I said feebly, the thought of incredibly strong Emmett sending Jett shooting into the stratosphere running through my imagination.

"Oh, no, I won't. But I could." Carlisle didn't put much stock in Emmett's words. He took Jett from his arms in the next second, settling him into his own.

"I think that's enough time with your uncle Emmett for now."

"Whatever. He smiled at me. He knows I'll be the fun uncle." Carlisle's scolding glance rolled right off Emmett. He turned to me, collecting me in a hug that lifted me from my feet. "Maisie! I'm so happy Jasper didn't eat you. No offense, but I assumed you were a goner when he showed up with eyes looking like a stop light."

"Full offense!" I told him, voice squeaking from the pressure on my ribs in his embrace.

"She's not as indestructible as she likes to think, Em. She still needs to breathe."

"Oh, right." Emmett released me unceremoniously, so that I probably would have fallen had Jasper not caught me by the elbow. "You're only kind of a vampire. A vampirelet, if you will."

"I won't," I protested, but he had made me laugh, easing away some of my anxiety. It was good to know that no matter what else changed, Emmett would still be his goofy self. He opened his mouth to spout more tomfoolery, I was sure, but became distracted by the peals of laughter behind us. Beyond Emmett, I could see Carlisle still holding Jett. His little face was a mixture of surprise and confusion as Jasmine shook her curls before his face.

We were all drawn to Jett like a magnet, all of us laughing as his little hand shot out to investigate Jasmine's hair. Emmett, Jasper, and I drifted closer until we were all clustered around Carlisle. Jett found purchase, giving a tug with all his baby strength to get Jasmine's hair into his mouth. His lips were already smacking, even as Edward thwarted his efforts by working the strands from his tiny hand.

"Is he hungry?" Jasmine asked. She was another family member I had worried about. Being a vampire was a hard adjustment for Jasmine, particularly the loss of her family. Unlike with my situation, Maria had torn Jasmine from her human life without warning. I knew she had been resentful of my continuing relationship with my family in the past. Would my form of vampirism—not to mention Jett's existence—compound those feelings?

"Oh, probably. He slept most of the time on the flight." I had taught Jasper how to make a bottle during his crash course on baby care. Emmett and Alice were thorough in their preparation; Jasper was in and out of the kitchen with a full bottle in his hand in no time.

Carlisle passed Jett back to me for his feeding. With the baby duly occupied, everyone dispersed somewhat to find places to sit around the living room. "So…y'all are taking this really well."

"We've had time to process," Edward offered in explanation. His golden eyes swept over Jett and I. "Somewhat, anyway."

"At least you're on 'somewhat'. I haven't reached that level yet." Which was true. I couldn't even bring my thoughts back to the Volturi and their castle of horrors. A shiver ran down my spine, prompting Jasper to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me into him. I pushed away those thoughts and the rising anxiety they brought with them, forcing myself to focus on the swirl of Jett's hair on the crown of his head.

There was a beat of silence before Carlisle gently prompted, "Jasper only had time to give us a very condensed version of events."

This was the part of coming home that I was dreading. Giving my parents the falsified and sanitized version we were crafting was much more appealing than reliving my encounter with the Volturi. And I would have to do this twice—I still needed to call Gunner. I sighed, my resistance melting away only because of Carlisle's kind, soft expression.

I launched into a retelling, Jasper joining in tandem to provide details and his own input. I shivered again thinking of Aro's dull red eyes and his screeching laughter…Jane's beautiful little face, her adoring gaze…the bold hatred shining from Jennifer's eyes just before her death. We showed them my wrist, where Jasper had been forced to bite me. It was the retelling of meeting Jett, though, that gave Carlisle pause.

"Caius allowed you in the Wives' Tower?" He interjected, the surprise evident on his face. "He must have felt truly solid in their power over you to allow you passage to that section of the castle."

Jasper's mouth twisted, a cloud passing over his eyes. "As he should. Aro gave Maisie a proposition he knew she would never refuse, having learned her habits from Irina's thoughts and memories."

And here Jasper revealed our damning position. Joham's daughters' lives traded for Gunner, Bella, and Emily. An agreement to take in and care for Jett in exchange for our own—and his, Jasper made sure to emphasize. There was no doubt in his mind that Jett would have been killed had we not agreed to take him. Carlisle didn't disagree with this sentiment.

"They want to 'learn from him'," Jasper was wrapping up our tale. The sardonic turn of his tone surprised me. Jasmine kept me from being alone in my confusion at the reactions of head shakes and eye rolls at Jasper's words.

"Aro wants to keep tabs on our family," Carlisle amended. "He surely saw our numbers growing with Maisie and Jasmine. He might have invited us all for a visit if he is so concerned."

I caught Jasmine's eye, our brows wearing twin furrows. "I don't think I understand."

Carlisle sighed. "You were smart not to explain yourself, Jasper. Aro would see it in yours and Maisie's memories, next time you meet him, but I am certain he would prefer it to come from a vetted ally. Maisie, Jasmine, I'm sure the both of you have realized that our family is atypical in the vampire world. Such a large—and loyal—coven is unusual. We are truly second only to the Volturi themselves when it comes to numbers and mutual commitment. I suppose it is natural that Aro would like to monitor a coven such as ours, though his desire is unfounded. I don't agree with the Volturi's feeding practices, but I've allied myself to them in the past and will continue to in the future, given that they've returned two of my children mostly unscathed."

Here, he smiled one of his radiant smiles at Jett, who had fallen asleep while draining his bottle. "I will give Aro his credit where it is due. He's done me one better than merely returning Maisie and Jasper, giving me a grandchild while he was at it."

The gentle way Emmett stroked Rosalie's hair at Carlisle's words was not lost on me. I looked away from the tender moment, focusing instead on Alice and Esme's beaming smiles.

"Come see his nursery," Alice bounced to her feet. "It's not quite done yet. Someone gave us a terribly short working timeline, but it will do for now until all the finishing touches can be added." Rosalie reached for Jett at the first opportunity, and I placed him in her arms without hesitation. Her expression turned soft with the kind of adoring love I had only seen directed at Emmett. It made my heart give a squeeze again at the unfairness of it all.

Alice took my hand, pulling me up the stairs almost too fast. The pace was nothing for her excitement and vampire speed, but I nearly tripped more than once. Apparently Emmett wasn't the only one overestimating my near-vampiric abilities. She threw open the spare bedroom door, now Jett's nursery, with a flourish.

The walls were the same tan shade they always had been. Esme probably didn't have time to paint, but she had worked off that tone to create a nursery that featured natural wood and sage green accents. There was an antique-looking rocking chair in one corner, a fluffy, cream rug just before it. Minimalistic animal prints lined the wall above a wooden crib, a brown and green plaid blanket thrown artfully over the side. Alice had taken inspiration from Esme's decorating, it seemed; the closet and drawers were already full of earth-toned baby clothing.

"How did y'all get all this done in just a few hours?" I asked, running my hand over a stuffed giraffe acting as a bookend for a collection of nursery rhymes.

"Jasper's not the only one who can run fast. Or drive fast. Emmett and Esme did most of the furniture shopping. The shopping in Canada was pleasantly surprising." Alice did a little twirl in the middle of the room. "Isn't it something?"

"It is lovely," I admitted. "I think he'll like it. I'm surprised he can see at all. That tower they had him in was so dark, all the windows covered with tapestries and only lit with candles. And they let him sleep on his stomach. You're not supposed to do that anymore, but I'm sure they aren't up to date on modern baby caring. I don't even know if a part-vampire baby would be subject to SIDS, but still, it drives me crazy."

I think I would have rambled more if Alice hadn't turned on her heel, fixing me with her big, bright eyes, and smiled more radiantly than the sun. "Maisie. Even though I get headaches trying to see anything in the future pertaining to you or Jasper now, I am beyond certain everything is going to be okay. If anything, the two of you being so persistently muddled in my visions is just proof our little blind spot will be around for a long, long time."

Even when she can't see the future, there's something inherently calming about a psychic telling you everything would turn out okay. I all but threw myself at her, Alice catching me in her astonishingly strong arms.

Somehow, it would be okay.

There were still multitudes of conversations to be had, but Jasper politely kicked everyone out of the house when I started yawning. I was exhausted down to my bones, my body finally relaxing now that considerable distance was between us and the Volturi. But there was something I had to do before I rested.

"I think my new hobby will just be sitting around and staring at you while you hold the baby," I told Jasper, lingering in the doorway of Jett's nursery. The two of them were in the rocker, Jasper slowly rocking Jett to sleep. He peeked up at me through his lashes, a smirk playing at his lips. One of the annoying things is that Jasper knew he was attractive, and he knew how to use it to his advantage. I suppose that was the benefit of posing as Rosalie's twin.

And he looked damn attractive just then. Golden hair still tousled from his intercontinental sprint, sweater sleeves pushed up, legs outstretched and crossed. The picture of relaxation, with Jett sleeping on his chest.

"I thought you were going to call Gunner?" He asked, all tease. My stomach did a flip, thinking about how I would have to explain everything all over again to my brother. I groaned internally, knowing Jasper was right. Reluctantly, I pried myself off the doorframe and retreated to our bedroom. I had been anxious since setting foot outside the Volturi castle to let Gunner know I was okay, and yet I was dreading making the call and going through that horrific night again. I owed this to Gunner, at the very least, for the wild ride I had taken him on for the last three years. So, I sucked it up and sat on the floor in the dark, the illumination from my phone screen nearly blinding me while I placed the call.

He answered on the fourth ring. But the span of those four rings was more than enough for me to start crying, the dam holding up my emotional resolve breaking down. I swiped at my cheeks, gulping air to keep myself from sobbing so that I could actually talk to Gunner when he answered.

"Hello?" The word came out in an anxious, breathy rush. I nearly laughed, smothering the sound with my hand.

"Hey, Gun," came my own quiet, hoarse voice. There was a long pause where I listened to the sharp intake and then slow, sighing release of his breath over the line.

"Hey, Maise."

Neither of us could hold it together past that point. We both dissolved into crying messes. Well, I know I did, but I liked to think Gunner was also ugly crying. Even if he did try to hide the fact that he was sniffling, I could hear the thickness in your voice.

"I'm still the middle child, huh?"

"It's going to take more than the vampire equivalency of righteous monarchs to dethrone me from my position."

He did not ask me for details, and for that I was grateful. Gunner didn't even ask me if I was still human. It didn't matter to him, what state I came back in, so long as we still had each other. I gave him a watered-down series of events, promising gorier details for another day. He was silent the entire time I rambled on recounting mine and Jasper's Italian misadventure. Not even revealing Jett's existence elicited a reaction.

"Are you broken?" I asked when the silence had dragged on long enough that I thought I might lose my mind. Even at that, there was no response beyond the occasional sniffles drifting through the line…until his laughter erupted against my ear and I realized those 'sniffles' were poorly contained chuckles. "What's so funny, asshat?"

"This could literally only happen to you," he said through his laughter. "And I was thinking, remember when Ava was born? Mom was all weird and hormonal and she was so mad for no reason one day and made you promise on your life you would never be a teen mom… I mean, you cheated, but you're still nineteen, Maisie."

"I tell you an epic tale of my latest near-death experience and that is what you're focused on?" The flare of anger that burned through my chest was short lived. I started laughing myself, uncontrollable, hysterical. "I hate you."

"No, you don't. Think how boring your life would be without me. Never mind, don't. Your life would never be boring. But you would be sad without such an honestly amazing brother to share your idiocy with."

I could practically see him, wiping the errant tears from his face with his sleeve. There was a rustle of fabric and some true sniffles from the other end of the line. "So, I get to be an uncle, huh? Will you send me pictures of him? What's he like?"

"He's cute. Looks nothing like either of us. We're working on a cover story. He's happy, so far. Jasper says he gets happy to see either of us. Edward says my face shows up a lot in his dreams. I highly recommend having an empath and a mind reader around when trying to understand a baby."

We chattered on this way for a while, Gunner asking questions about Jett. Too soon, though, we were both left yawning through our sentences. The weekend had been exhausting for both of us, though in different ways. We were both reluctant to let the other go, though.

"Hey. I love you, Maisie. Come home soon, okay? I'll come, too. I need to assert my dominance as favorite uncle before Edward and Emmett get any ideas."

I smiled, pushing myself off the floor and drifting to the big window. Outside, Alaska was quiet, a bright moon and a clear night bathing everything in shades of silver. "I love you too, Gunner. I'll make sure Jett knows you're the only viable option he has, and it's not up for debate."

When our lengthy goodbyes were finished, I stayed at the window, watching a fox streak across the yard. Its fur was already turning white with the impending winter. I was so focused on it that I didn't notice Jasper had come into the room until his arms wrapped around me from behind. I leaned back, relaxing into him.

"Seems he took it well."

"As well as anyone can, I guess. It's a lot." Jasper swept my hair to the side, tenderly kissing the back of my neck. My eyes fluttered shut for a moment, but ultimately, my exhaustion won out. I turned myself in the circle of Jasper's arms, burying my face into his sweater.

"There's something I wanted to give you before you sleep."

"Mmm, what's that?" I asked, voice muffled in the threads. Jasper untangled himself from me, taking me by the hand and prompting me to sit beside him on the bed. He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, fingers trailing along my jaw and tipping my chin back so he could kiss me.

"Do you remember our original plan, to explain our 'weekend trip'?"

"Yeah, either we fake our deaths, or we come back enga…" The realization of what he was getting at hit me like a brick wall, erasing all my sleepiness. "Jasper…"

I missed the slight of hand used to produce the ring, but I certainly didn't miss the cold metal sliding over the ring finger on my left hand. The darkness couldn't dim the radiance of the ring, the center stone dazzling even in the moonlight. Smaller stones in the braided band shimmered as well when I moved my hand from side to side, the other cupping my mouth to contain the fresh sob working its way up my throat.

"You still want to marry this mess?" I asked, voice cracking over my words.

"Maisie," his voice was strong and steady, just like his hand when it cupped my face to wipe the fresh tears away. "I'm not worthy of marrying you, but I would be beyond humbled if you said yes."

I'm sure I nodded, but my voice no longer would have held weight if I had been able to force it through the thickness in my throat. I nodded, and cried, and clung to Jasper as if letting him go would reveal the last ten minutes had all been an illusion.

But it wasn't. Here Jasper was again, creating a blinding light of love for me even in the darkest of times.

A/N: I just really needed some Maisie and Jasper fluff. Sue me. I'll delve more into the ramifications of the Volturi's decisions in the next chapter.

Thank you all for the kind messages of support! I didn't mean to be such a Debbie Downer last note. This year is just heavy, and I know that is true for all of us. I hope this chapter makes you smile and you are all well and taking care of yourselves. I love you all.