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Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count: 2036
Finding the Balance
Jasper glanced out over the horizon, smiling slightly. Living as long as he had, beautiful sights tended to lose their meaning, but even he couldn't deny that the mountains he was hiking through were stunning.
Of course, hiking was a loose definition for what he was doing, but he'd found no real reason to hurry—it wasn't like he had anywhere to be—so he'd travelled much of the mountain at a more sedate, almost human pace.
He was standing almost at the top of the current mountain in the range, not quite the tallest of the bunch, but plenty high, and looking down through the valley. It was humbling, in a way, and as small as it made Jasper feel, it also gave him a vague feeling of freedom.
Or perhaps that had come from actually being free. Free from a marriage that was only one in name, free from a family that he loved, but who felt so intensely all the time that it was hard for him to be around. Free from the expectations to go to school, or be around humans without wanting to devour them.
Free from denying his very nature.
Not that he'd gone back to human blood, because he hadn't. Drinking from animals, while it didn't quench his thirst, gave him a peace that drinking from humans had destroyed many years ago, and he wouldn't give that up without a fight. But he was a vampire, and vampires were not meant to live like humans.
At least not vampires who'd been made to serve in wars.
He looked up at the sky, and his smile widened slightly as he eyed the rolling clouds. They were darkening, building up into what would undoubtedly be a wonderful storm. He couldn't wait. He loved storms. The air crackled with electricity when there was a storm, bringing life to the tiniest of dust particles, and Jasper loved the feeling of being around that.
Hearing movement off to the north, Jasper turned his head. He didn't really need to hunt yet, having only taken down a mountain lion two days earlier, but the sound wasn't one he'd heard in the mountains before and he was intrigued.
A yowl made his eyebrows raise, because as he neared the noise, he could only hear one heartbeat—a fast one that seemed to be slowing quickly. The scent of feline was in the air, and if Jasper were to guess, he'd think it was a bobcat, or perhaps a jaguar.
But there was a vampire scent over the top of that, like rare flowers and cinnamon, and absolutely delicious. It seemed familiar, though Jasper knew for a fact that he'd never scented it before.
On guard, but too curious to just leave it alone, he followed the scent. The other vampire—for he knew it was another for certain, the scent got stronger the closer he got—got spooked by his presence and ran off, but either they were new to this life, or they were looking to get caught, they weren't trying to hide very well.
Jasper caught up in mere minutes, snagging a pale arm in a firm but gentle hand. "I'm not going to hurt—Bella?"
She froze, looking at him from behind a sheet of luscious brown hair.
Jasper couldn't believe it. The vampire in front of him was undoubtedly Bella Swan, though how she was here he couldn't begin to fathom. Hadn't they left her in Forks years ago to live a safe, human life?
She used his surprise to her advantage and shook him off, running the second her arm was free of his grip. He followed behind at a slower pace, her scent strong enough that he couldn't lose her if he tried.
He found himself at the opening to a cave, and Bella's scent was strongest here, almost like it had been concentrated. He stepped inside to find her sitting in the corner, glaring at him.
"When somebody runs, it usually means they don't want to talk to you."
"Bella, how did this happen?"
She snorted. "The usual way, I suppose. I got bit. Were you… were you sent here for me?"
He shook his head, and felt a spike of disappointment in her emotions. It took him a moment to realise that a part of her, no matter how small, had hoped that maybe the Cullens had learned of her fate and sent him to fetch her.
He felt a wave of sympathy for her, and sat down on the floor, cross legged. "Who turned you."
"Victoria," she admitted. "The La Push pack got her, but it was too late for me, she'd already bitten me. When I woke up, they told me I couldn't stay there; that I was too dangerous to be around people."
Jasper shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Bella. We left so you'd be safe."
"I hope it was worth it for them, because it hasn't been for me."
"Apparently. I'm sorry."
She sighed, and shook her head. "It's not your fault. It never was. I wasn't enough to keep Edward's attention, I suppose. I mean, I get it, it never made sense for him to want me but…" she shrugged and stood. "I'm just gonna… yeah…"
She walked towards the opening of the cave, skirting around him, and left his line of sight. He really didn't want to chase her again, but he also didn't want to leave her on her own. There was something about her that made his instincts scream at him that she needed him to protect her.
Of course, once upon a time, it had been him she needed to be protected against.
He found her easily, sitting on the rocks above the cave. Thunder was starting to roll through the clouds, and he shuddered at the atmosphere. It felt amazing, and he hopped up beside her, sitting down.
"I love storms," she said. "That's why I never moved on from here. There's plenty of wildlife to eat, and there are so many storms." Lightning crackled across the sky, and she sighed audibly at the sight. "It makes me feel alive."
"I know the feeling," he agreed.
"So why are you here?" she asked softly, eyes never leaving the sky.
"I guess I was just… wandering," he admitted. "I like being out here, where no humans come, to just relax and be free."
"I can't imagine Alice is happy without you?"
"She's been without me for a few years now, Darlin'. We broke up a year or so after leaving Forks."
Bella frowned. "I thought the two of you were mates. The way Carlisle explained it—"
"We were companions, Bella. Married, but not mated."
"Oh."
"You had to be married to Alice to stay with them?" she asked, brow furrowed as though she was trying to figure out a particularly difficult puzzle.
"No, I could have stayed but… don't get me wrong, they weren't trying to ostracise me or anything, but I just… I'd stayed with them as long as I did because of Alice. And because it was… familiar. I decided I wanted to explore who I am as a person, and I couldn't do that while sitting in a high school cafeteria."
Bella nodded.
"What about you?" He asked. "I gotta say, when I thought of you as a vampire, I never pictured you living up in the mountains alone."
"That's fair," she said, giggling. "I wanted to keep people safe, you know? I wanted to go into a town, but I thought maybe it was too dangerous. What if I couldn't control myself, or if someone realised I was different? With nobody here to teach me the little things, I guess I just decided it wasn't the risk."
"Humans see what they want to see for the most part," Jasper replied softly. "They'd see a beautiful young woman and nothing else, because it's what they expect."
"When the pack told me to leave, I guess I had no real time to choose what to do. I just ran until I was here, and knew I was secluded enough that I wouldn't run into anyone."
"That was a choice," he pointed out. "Even if it was a hard one to make. You didn't think about trying to find the Cullens?"
She shook her head emphatically. "No. No, I didn't. They—you—all left without even saying goodbye, Jasper. Why on earth would I try and find any of you after that. Alice said she was my best friend, and even she didn't say goodbye."
"I cannot talk for them, but I didn't think you'd want to see me," Jasper admitted. "I wanted to come and apologise for your birthday, but I thought you'd likely be terrified of me after what I did."
She snorted. "Why did you all think that I didn't understand what you were? I knew the danger, Jasper. I'm not stupid."
"No," he agreed. "Lacking self preservation on the other hand…"
She laughed and shoved at his arm, and he grinned at her, glad to feel the real amusement in her emotions. She'd calmed down quite a lot from when he'd first run across her.
"You don't have to do this alone, you know?" he said, just as another flash of lightning splashed across the sky, lighting up the dark clouds. "I can take you to them. I… they'd be really happy to see you."
She shook her head. "I don't want to live with them. I don't… as much as it would be nice to be around people occasionally, I don't want to go to high school and pretend that I'm a human. I'm not a human and I've accepted that."
He nodded. "Well, I'm just wandering at the moment, but you're welcome to come with me? I'm sure we can pass through a few times on the way. Maybe together we can get somewhere fun."
"I don't need pity, Jasper," she replied, and there was a frisson of anger in her now. "I'm doing the best I can."
"I don't pity you," he replied, shrugging. "I thought you might like some company. Being on your own can get… lonely."
"Are you lonely?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"Sometimes," he admitted. "Sometimes being alone is wonderful, but sometimes, I wish there was someone there with me. Even being silent together is a relief to loneliness, you know?"
She nodded. "I… okay. I'll go with you. You won't let me… I don't want to hurt anyone."
"I'll help you," he replied quietly. "I promise, I won't let you down, Bella."
She smiled at him. "I know."
They were silent for a while as the storm rolled overhead for a while before it passed over, leaving a fresh scent behind as the sun peeked out from behind clearing clouds.
He watched as Bella twisted her arm in the sun, throwing diamond-like reflections all around them.
"You know what's really weird?" he asked, grinning at her. She arched her eyebrow at him in question. "Seeing you walking and running through the mountains without falling over. I wouldn't have been surprised if you'd been turned into the first vampire to lack balance."
She stared at him for a long moment before she growled playfully, her amusement evident, and then launched at him. They rolled to a stop with her perched over him. "I'll show you balance, Jasper Hale," she muttered, and he laughed up at her.
"Whitlock, darlin'. My name is Jasper Whitlock."
"Whitlock," she mused. "I like it, it suits you. Now I think you need a cowboy hat though, and I'm not sure why."
Laughing, he said, "Maybe we can pick one up when we stop in a town."
She climbed off him and held her hand out to help him up. They both knew he didn't need it, but he accepted it anyway and let her pull him up.
He didn't drop her hand, and the two of them began running over the mountain together without a word. Neither of them knew where they were heading, but Jasper thought that they'd know it when they got there.
Whatever it was.
He smiled to himself. Freedom was really looking up.
Written For:
Book Club: 15. (Dialogue) "Humans see what they want to see."
Character Appreciation: 20. (dialogue) "I'm just gonna...yeah..."
Games Corner: 4. Storm
Lyric Alley: 11. I had no time to choose
Showtime: 17. Wonderful
Trope of the Month: 14. Smiling
TV Spree: 11. "That was a choice."
Elizabeth's Empire: 21. "You don't have to do this alone."
Ari's AU Armoury: 18. Relief
Snail Mail: 7. Rare
Raven's Roost: 14. Write about finding somewhere calm.
Limited Edition: The Nightingale: (setting) Mountains
Twister Match Up: Left Foot: 2. "I hope it was worth it." / Right Hand: 9. New Beginning
Days of the Year: 37. Feb 1st: National Freedom Day: Write about someone feeling free.
National Hobby Month: 9. Hiking
Crystals & Gemstones: 13. Blue Obsidian: (word) Balance
Alphabetti: T: Thunder
365: 9. Ostracise
Musical Yearly: 18. 80's: Fast Car: Maybe together we can get somewhere
Insane House: 162. "I'm doing the best I can."