*Sorry for not posting for a few days. I've been under the weather and slept for most of the last few days. COVID really takes a toll on your body. However, I'll be posting more frequently like before. I hope everyone is doing well!

There is a trigger warning for this chapter. Lily will be doing some deep perspective thinking while alone in Hawaii. Some of the things she debates with herself may trigger some readers so I wanted to give a warning just in case*

Lily tried to move past the mess that was Wednesday. Thankfully Thursday passed with little to no drama for her. Actually, nothing happened for her. She got no texts, calls, or even a hello from anyone. She seemed to have turned invisible overnight. She thought she might be projecting that though. She was good at being invisible. She just wasn't used to having to turn invisible for some time.

Sarah and John seemed to either notice their foster child was in a slump, but unsure of how to handle it. They decided eventually that she was a teenager and this happened on occasion. It was just a minor set back in their minds, so they gave her the space she needed to work through it.

Thankfully for Lily, Friday had finally come. Maybe some time away from everything was what she needed. No shifters with their backhanded comments, no vampires trying to eat her, no drama, nothing. Just sun and beaches. Maybe she would even go for a hike. She hadn't been on one sense she found out all the dangers that lived in the woods in Forks.

She knew she should be flying out around 4am as the flight was about 5 hours and a half hour from Seattle, while the drive from Forks to Seattle was around 3 and a half hours. Rosalie and Jasper would be taking her to the airport.

Jasper would pose as the dutiful brother dropping his sister and her friend off at the airport, to then bring the car back home. John still felt suspicious of the whole thing, but after the mood Lily had been in this week, he decided she needed time to do whatever as long as she was safe.

He had no idea how safe she would actually be. He didn't know about shape shifters, or vampires, or anything that should belong in story books. He knew his foster child turned into something wacky, but he could accept her for who she was as did his wife. He had no idea of the vampires that were a threat to his foster child's life, or several others. All he cared was that she had fun, didn't get sunburned, and hopefully used protection if Jasper did come along.

John and Sarah were still asleep by the time Jasper and Rose pulled up in front of her house. She grabbed her prepacked bag and hurried downstairs. She left a note for Sarah and John telling them she loved them, to be safe this weekend, and to try not to burn the house down. Lily thought it was a funny note but hopped they would stay safe. She doubted that she or her family where targets of any sort, especially with Bella involved. But its better to be safe and sorry.

A honk from outside quickly pulled her out of her thoughts.

Lily rushed outside and into the car as quickly as possible as it had started to rain.

Jasper was driving while Rose sat in the front passenger seat. Rose turned around to face Lily before speaking.

"The white bag next to you with little sprigs of lavender sown in is a bag of things Alice packed for you that you forgot, including sun screen. She was very specific to grab a spray on kind rather than the lotion because apparently you have a preference."

"I do actually. Spay on sunscreen is easier to do yourself and covers more." Lily announced half awake.

"Mhm whatever you say. You ready for fun under the sun?" Rose asked in her dry humor.

"Well Ms. Glitter bomb, I am happy to get some time for myself. I've had a pretty shit week. Maybe some space from everything will help give me perspective?"

Rosalie just snorted at the comment but said nothing.

Jasper decided to stop by a drive through window to grab a sugary concoction for Lily. She happily sipped on it for the rest of the ride.

The closer the trio got to Seattle the more tense the vampires became. Lily had forgotten that Seattle was where the trouble making vamp babies were located.

"Hey, are you guys ok up there?" She asked, somewhat timidly.

Jasper looked back at her through the rearview mirror and did his crooked smile at her.

"There's nothin' for ya to be worried about darlin'. We just want to make sure we get you on the plane safely."

"I doubt I'm even a target Jasper."

"Makes no difference t' me. We want to make sure you're safe. Having you drive to Seattle by yourself was jus' too dangerous."

"Can you guys thank your parents again for me for letting me use their island house?"

That comment caused Rose and Jasper to subtly look at each other before they turned back to the roads.

However, Lily was very good at reading people. She had to be, coming from her background.

"Jasper, who's house am I staying at?"

"Doll, it's mine." Jasper eventually replied.

Wait just a hot minute Lily thought to herself.

"Hold on, why are you letting me stay at your own private house in Hawaii!"

"Lily, do you want me t' answer that honestly or would ya' like me to dance around it?"

"Well, I'm always up for honesty."

"Darlin', I need more time. I promise to tell ya' everything, I swear. I jus' need more time."

Lily threw her head back and closed her eyes, trying to think. On one hand, she understood needing time to process whatever it was he was going through. On the other hand, her curiosity of all the intrigue was killing her. Deciding it wasn't fair to force him to talk about something he wasn't ready for seemed like the best choice in the end.

"Fine, I'll hold you to your word though!"

Jasper just smiled in the rearview mirror again at her before focusing on the road.

They eventually got to the airport, and not a moment too soon. Lily quickly said her goodbyes, hugging Rose and then Jasper quickly before leaving to find a restroom.

She missed the interaction the two siblings had after she left.

"Jas, was that your first hug from her?" Rose asked teasingly.

"Shut up Rose, ya' know it was." He replied defensively.

"And did I see you sniff her hair ever so gently brother dearest?"

Jasper just groaned before heading back towards the car.

Going through the gate and onto the plane was relatively easy. Apparently, the Cullen's had bought her a ticket with priority seating and a fast pass-through security.

Could vampires even go through the security machines? Deciding she needed to know, she wrote the question down in her travel notebook.

Lily ended up napping on the plane. It was a long trip after all, and she had woken up early.

By the time the plane landed, she felt much more well rested and ready for some sun. She gout through the airport and down to the baggage claim only to find her name in a sign held by a fierce looking man in a suit. He had also collected her bags for her.

She walked up to him, causing him to look down at her as their height difference was vast.

"Excuse me ma'am, are you Lilliana Rose of the Cullen Family?"

"Yes, thank you for collecting my bags. It's always hard trying to pull them off of the conveyer belt."

"Not a problem misses. Now, let's get to the car before traffic gets bad. The island is a good distance from here."

That confused Lily. She thought she was just staying on this island. Where was he taking her?

As it turned out, by Island house Jasper had meant the only house on a deserted island away from everyone and everything. The house was gorgeous and full of open bright windows. The house looked to be painted an off white with light blue shingles. Everything looked well maintained, which surprised her even more.

"Mr. Jasper has house keepers who keep the property well maintained. They have also brought food and drinks for you to enjoy while you're here. I have left my number on the fridge. Please contact me if you need anything. I will be back on Monday at 6am to bring you back to the airport. Do you have any questions?"

"No Sir, everything seems to be perfect. Thank you so much for helping me and doing all this."

With that parting statement, the man left back in his motorboat back to wherever it was he came from, leaving Lily to her own devices.

She quickly decided to give herself a tour of the house. After walking in she was astounded by how beautiful the home was.

The house looked to have been made with driftwood beams that were visible throughout the home. Everything was wide open windows, glass, and delicate linens the living room itself had a darker blue tile on the floor and bright white couches surrounding a fireplace made of stone. She eventually found a room she could use to sleep in. It looked like Jaspers type of décor. Everything was minimalistic, but a bed looked like it as freshly placed. She lay down in it, surprised to find it smelled like him. His soft, slightly spicy musk. Deciding that the room comforted her in an odd weird sort of way, she decided to change into her swim suit.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten to pack it.

Wait! Alice packed a bag for her! She quickly unzipped the white floral bag to find a cute matching bikini, some sandals, sunscreen and even a straw sunhat and sunglasses. Alice was amazing she decided. Not as awesome as Rose, but close.

After changing, she grabbed a big fluffy towel and a spare and went out to the beach around the house. She found a perfect spot to sunbathe and think shortly after.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the smell of the salt air, and the cry of far away seagulls almost lulled her into a trance.

That was when her thoughts started to multiply.

Why was Jasper taking a special interest in her? Why did Rose like her so quickly. Hell, even she knew that Rose didn't warm up to humans easily. Jasper seemed to always show up now whenever she was hurting or sad. Why though.

Why did his room comfort her? What did he need more time with?

Her phone pinged shortly after. Lily reached blindly for where she left it on the side of the towel. Once she opened the screen, she saw it was from Mr. Handsome.

Mr. H- "Hey there beach bum, how are you feeling out in the sun?"

Lily- "How did you even know I was here? Are you my personal stalker?"

Then it clicked.

Stalker.

She always teased the vampires for stalking and creeping in her. Mr. Handsome must be a vampire. If he was, then his friend he never gets to beat must be Jasper! Why all the fuss though? She was just some nobody from nowhere with no actually blood family left in the world. To top it off, she turned into some type of fanged chicken.

Mr. H- "Well beautiful, I have a 6th sense so to speak. It's a gift, my gift, and its mighty handy at times."

Lily- "are you a vampire too?"

Several minutes passed before her phone started to ring. It was Mr. H. Lily decided to pick it up. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back after all.

"hello Mr. H. What do I do to receive this lovely call?" Lily said sarcastically while checking her nails with the hand not holding her phone.

"Actually, this is Mrs. H Lily, I'm his wife. He wasn't sure how to handle this conversation so he bailed and passed the phone to me after dialing you."

Oh shit!

"I'm so sorry. I promise we haven't done or said anything in any way that would intrude on your marriage! I don't even know his real name!"

"Dear, you're absolutely fine. I just figured you had questions and nobody was willing to give you answers, least of all Jaz."

"You mean Jasper?"

"Yup! The big man. We've known him for over a hundred years now, close to two hundred. He didn't turn us, but he helped keep us safe, trained us, and let us free from the one who did. But that's his story to tell."

"I don't want you to tell me anything that would hurt Jasper or the Cullens, but I do have some questions."

"Of course, let me have 'em!"

"What is the deal with Edward and Bella. Are they soul mates? Mates in general? What is it? They seem so obsessed with each other it's to the point of codependency."

"Oh, that dumbass? Bella Swan is his singer, not his mate or soul mate. Singer's are humans who's blood holds…. A special taste and aroma that literally sings to the vampire who connects to it. Think of a cat and catnip, or a shark and fresh blood in the water."

"That doesn't sound nearly as romantic."

"Its not. Its actually very dangerous for everyone involved, especially Jasper. He's an empath as I'm sure you've figured out by now. He picks up on other people's emotions, including Edwards bloodlust for Bella…"

Lily did not now that was how his powers worked.

"Can he change emotions or control them as well?" she asked, worried.

The female voice on the other line took a few minutes before answering.

"Yes and no love. He can feel and change the emotions or mood around himself. However, he doesn't like to do it. He's more of a peace keeper than anything else. He can cheer people up who are sad, make someone sleep, stop fighting between his family, so on and so forth. But he doesn't like to take someone's will away. He feels its invasive and brings back bad memories for him."

"How can I know when he's doing it?"

"Well, let's say you're furious or scared or sad. Then, you feel almost like a cloud come over you. Its subtle, but you can learn to pick up on it. You'll feel a change in your mood that you cannot explain. That's most likely him. He only means to help, not to take away any emotional freedom you may have. You're special to him."

"Why? What makes me so special? I'm just me."

"Girl, you have his cowboy hat in a knot. He cares a lot about you. Why else would he ship you to his private island with all the craziness going on in Seattle?"

"I have barely spoken to him!"

"Sometimes you just meet people, and you have no idea how they will change your world. Only that they play an important part in it. He left that with you. I can't go into too many details, but trust when I say he cares about you. Just give him time and space. He's not the type of person to appreciate being hounded or pushed too fast too soon, you know?"

"So, I should just go at his pace? I've never even had or wanted a boyfriend or a relationship before. I have absolutely no idea how this works. They've always seemed like…. Too much drama and pain to interest me…"

"Love, you don't have to do anything other than be yourself. If he wants to join you on the ride, that's fine. You both know where the door is if you need to get off or push someone off. Just be you, as that's the best thing to do. Nobody else can be you for you. Don't change who you are for anyone but yourself. He can either come along for the ride or hop on off."

"Thank you, I needed that."

"Any time love. Now, enjoy some of that lovely sunshine and relax. Take the time you need to sort through your thoughts or just spend time relaxing and recharging your batteries!"

The mystery female hung up at that point, leaving Lily to her thoughts.

The sun had started to set, filling the sky with a lovely collage of different red, orange, and yellow hues of color.