I left Forks and drove to Houston. No sooner had I stepped inside, I let myself break down. Jasper and I were married. Weren't married people supposed to work through things together? My thoughts continued to explore and question my new marriage, but as Destiny snuggled into my arms, I pulled myself together. After all, I was tough and strong. Destiny needed me and if I was going to fight the volturi, I would need to be ready for anything.
Destiny yawned and I realized she would need baby supplies I didn't have here. I set her Jasper's side of the bed and sat on my side of the bed and made a list of things Destiny would need. There were lots of things babies needed. Once Destiny woke up, I took her into town and we went price shopping. When we were done, I pulled out my phone and called Jasper.
"Hello?" He answered. "Hey, Jazz." I said. "Chai, are you okay?" He asked. "I'm fine. I just wanted to check with you before I made a big purchase." I said. "Purchase?" He asked. "I need some things to take care of Destiny and it's alittle expensive." I said. "Not a problem, Darlin'. Go ahead." Jasper said. "Alright. Jasper, i…I'm sorry." I said. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should be sorry." He said. "These things happen. Marriage isn't easy. But, we can get through anything as long as we stick together." I said. "That's what I thought you might say. That's why I am going to join you and Destiny. I should be there in about two hours." He said. "Really?" I asked, surprised. "Absolutely." He replied. "In that case, I'll wait to do shopping until you get here." I said with a smile. We hung up and I went home.
When Jasper pulled into the driveway, I grabbed Destiny and stood on the porch. When Jasper reached the porch, I hugged him. "Jasper, I missed you." I said. "I missed you too, Darlin'." He said. We went inside and Jasper asked, "What do you need for the baby?" "I have a list." I said. "Well, let's go into town." He said. We drove into town and I led Jasper around the store picking out all the things Destiny would need. Of course, I got excited. I had my husband and my baby and we were shopping to make our little girl a part of our family. "I never imagined that this would happen to me." I said. "What do you mean?" Jasper asked. "Having a family. Jasper, we're married and we have a beautiful baby! What more could I want?" I asked. "How about this?" He asked, holding up a piece of paper. "What is that?" I asked. "The deed to our little house in Houston." He replied. My jaw dropped. "Jasper, you didn't?" I asked. "I did. It's all ours." He said. I hugged him excitedly.
In the days that passed, Jasper and I settled into a comfortable routine. We enjoyed our days with Destiny, but evenings belonged to Jasper and me. One night, while sitting on the porch, I asked, "Jazz?" "Yeah, Darlin'?" He answered. "How long do you think it will be before they find us?" I asked. "Chai, don't worry about that. Just enjoy our time with Destiny and when the time comes, we'll take care of them." He said. I knew Jasper was trying to comfort me, but it still worried me. The volturi were strong and while I knew Jasper had a strong spirit, he was no match for the volturi and their guards.
Over the next few weeks, things became perfect and all worries about the volturi disappeared from my mind. But, I noticed Jasper seemed more on edge. Houston was a big city, and there wasn't very much wild life to hunt. I knew it was only a matter of time before Jasper would get desperate and slip. But, I believed in him and I knew he could work through it. With each passing day, Jazz became more and more pressured. It was hard for me to see him like that. "Jasper, we need to leave. Let's go to back to Forks. There is plenty of wild life there and that would help take some of the edge off of you." I said. "I'M NOT ON EDGE!" Jasper exclaimed. "Jazz, you haven't gone hunting since you got here. Your eyes are the darkest I've seen them in months. You need to go hunting and Forks has plenty of animals to hunt." I said. "AREN'T YOU LISTENING? I'M FINE! I DON'T NEED TO GO HUNTING!" He shouted. "J, please, if not for yourself, do it for me." I begged. He glared at me, anger rolling off him in waves. "Yeah. You're fine, alright. You're yelling at me. So tell me, Jasper, what happens when I leave you alone with Destiny? Are you gonna go after her for her blood? Could you live with that for eternity? Live forever knowing you killed your daughter?" I asked. I hated to have to take this position, but he wasn't giving me a choice.
I went into the nursery and picked up Destiny. Holding her close to my chest, I went back to the living room where Jasper was. The scent of Destiny's blood would tempt him, there were times when it tempted me. But, it was all about control and right now, Jasper didn't have very much control left. His gaze was focused completely on Destiny. It had been since we had come into the room. Jasper lunged forward, arms outstretched trying to reach Destiny. I kicked him square in the chest, knocking him across the room into the dining room table. He wouldn't hurt me, but the anger in his eyes told me he wasn't himself yet. As he stared into my eyes, I could see him calming down. "Chai…I'm so sorry." He said. "Jasper, it's alright. Everything's going to be fine." I said, reassuringly. "You were right. I have been on edge and I do need to hunt. Let's go home and visit and I'll go hunting. I'm sure Rosalie wouldn't mind seeing Destiny again." He said. "Yeah. I'll get us packed and we can leave." I said. I went into the bedroom and packed up the baby bag before heading to pack my suitcase. "Are you sure you want to go back?" Jasper asked. "Jazz, we don't have a choice." I said with a light sigh. "Things didn't go well for you in Forks. I'm worried about what will happen if you go back." He said. The emotions coming off him were full of worry. "I'll be fine. Right now, we should be more concerned about you than me." I said.