Chapter twenty five
December 31st- New years eve!
I woke to feel a cold hand slowly stroking my hair, running it's fingers through the messy curls. I sleepily glanced up to see Jasper smiling at me. I was lying with my head on his chest, completely encased in his cold strong arms.
"Good morning," I said with a crooked smile. He chuckled as i rubbed my cheek against the soft skin of his chest.
"Good morning beautiful," He said gently tracing his hand down my back, making me shiver in delight from the cool touch.
"You have no clue how adorable you look when you're asleep do you?" Jasper said with a smirk as i yawned slightly, covering my mouth with one had as i sat up.
"We'll oddly enough as i'm not conscious when i'm asleep i've never seen myself sleeping," I said flatly as i was pulled back into his arms.
"Well for future reference you look adorable when you're asleep," He said and softly pressed his marble lips against my warm cheek. I rolled my eyes playfully at him.
"You know whats really adorable?" I said teasingly.
"What?" He said whilst giving me a dubious look.
"Babies!" I squealed girlishly. He chuckled nervously.
"I'm going to have to tell Rosalie and Bella to stop going on about kids before you start buying bonnets and rattles and picking out ABC wall paper," He said in exasperation. I giggled and hugged him tight.
"You know you love it really," I said jokingly he just smiled.
After an hour of just snuggling in the bed talking about nothing of importance Jasper said he'd cook me breakfast.
"You go get wash and dressed and i'll make you bacon sandwiches," He said slowly running his icy fingers down my bare shoulder, smiling as i shivered slightly.
"With ketchup?" I said excitedly.
"With ketchup," He repeated, confirming my order. I smiled and leant up and kissed his lips quickly before hopping up to go get showered and dressed. I heard the bed springs bounce up into place and i knew he was gone.
I exited my room now fully dressed to smell bacon. I heard my stomach growl hungrily as i made my way down the stairs two at a time and darted into the kitchen skidding on the wooden floor as i went. I grabbed hold on the work top to stop myself as Jasper raised an eyebrow at me as he placed my plate of sandwiches down on the table.
"You almost went flying over the work top...you should be more careful," He said as i skipped over and picked one up and took a bite, groaning in the sheer pleasure of the taste. I was really hungry this morning for some reason.
"Does it really taste that good?" He mused incredulously. I simply nodded quickly finishing of one before moving on to the next.
After breakfast Jasper went hunting again. He said he was going to go every day until the flight just to make sure he was ok to be packed into a tin can with a load of humans, his words not mine. I relaxed on the sofa and decided to call Rosalie.
"Hey Lizzie! Everything ok?" Rose said happily once she answered.
"Yeah! Jasper's gone hunting so i'm bored!" I said in a sing song voice.
"Aw that sucks! Well i'm here for you hun!" I laughed and twirled my hair around one finger.
"Jasper took me horse riding yesterday,"
"Really? You enjoy it?"
"It was fun but it was all i could do really to stay upright on the horse, Jasper on the other hand makes it look easy," I heard her cackle.
"Well he has got a little itty bitty bit of experience on the horse front," I sighed dramatically.
"I know...i know...OOOh! Guess what!"
"What?"
"I had to get another suitcase!" I said with a grin. She burst out laughing.
"How many clothes did you buy?"
"Well...it's more shoes than clothes..."I said sheepishly.
"Ah thats my girl! I've taught you well!" We both laughed hysterically. Ah i loved Rosalie.
"Rose who you talking too?" I heard Emmett say in the background.
"Whats it to you nosy?" She said flatly.
"It's Lizzie isn't it," I heard him say as though he's just had an epiphany, "I wanna talk to her,"
"Fine fine...stop whining, anyway here's Emmett i'll talk to you later,"
"Bye Bye Rose,"
"Hey Lizzie!"
"Hello Emmy!" I mocked.
"So i here you and Jasper got a bit heated did you," He teased. I scoffed.
"I don't believe Bella...that was classified information," I joked.
"Eh it wasn't Bella who told me,"
"Who then..."
"Carlisle,"
"WHAT? Now thats just out of order!"
"There are no secrets in this house Lizzie mate,"
"I've figured that one..." I said flatly, "Anyway...are you behaving yourself whilst i'm away or do i need to beat you when i get home," I joked in a serious tone.
"I've been a very good boy...i've tidied my room and done all my homework!" He mocked in a squeaky childish voice.
"Good boy! You'll get sweeties when i get home then," I heard him squeal in delight.
"Yay!" I felt like i was being watched so i turned to see Jasper leaning up against the door frame with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised and he was smirking.
"Well Emmett i gotta go...Jasper's home,"
"Aww that sucks...well talk to you later!"
"Yeah bye," I said and hung up.
"So where are we going again?" I said looking out the window. It was now mid afternoon and Jasper was driving us somewhere which he refused to tell me about.
"It's a surprise darling," Jasper said chuckling. I nodded and started flicking through radio stations but nothing took my fancy.
"Whats got you so fidgety?" He mused looking at me with a smile.
"I dunno...i'm just full of energy today!" I said tapping the window with one of my manicured fingernails.
"Well i'll be sure to wear you out today?" Jasper said and then sighed when i bit my lip to hold back a laugh, "Not like that..."
"I know but come on...that really could be taken wrong," I said whilst sniggering.
Jasper pulled up into a drive way which i swear looked familiar.
"Wait...isn't this Mark's place?" I said as Jasper opened my door.
"Yes," He said simply helping me climb out.
"Ok so where is my surprise?" I said narrowing my eyes, feeling like i'd been tricked. He just chuckled and led me over to where Mark had Flash and Cody already saddled.
"Everything is ready for you Mr Jasper," Mark said flashing me a smile.
"Thank you Mark," Jasper said lifting me up onto Cody before handing me the reigns. He climbed up onto Flash and Mark pushed the gate open and Jasper took off at a fast walking pace.
"Hey wait up," I said tapping Cody with my heels to get her to start walking. She trotted to walk beside Flash. Jasper was watching me with amusement as i got myself comfortable in the saddle, which was not an easy task.
"I would ask where we are going but i won't get an answer will i?" I said with a smile whilst silently cursing my choice of underwear today. If i knew i would be riding a horse against i would have chosen differently.
"No you won't," Jasper said leading us now onto some sort of trail.
We reached the end of the trail after about thirty minutes of riding. Jasper climbed off of Flash and tethered him to a post by a troth of water and then helped me climb down and tethered Cody.
"The place i want to go is only around the corner ok," Jasper said taking my hand. Jasper had been quite quiet on the ride up here, like he was thinking hard about something. I knew when he was like that it was best to leave him too it or he started to get grumpy. He stopped so i put on the breaks before i tripped over.
"Here," He said and pulled out a blindfold and tied it around my head.
"Ok whats going on," I said holding my arms out now as he led me further on.
"Just wait a little more," He said as i started to feel extremely nervous.
"What are you nervous about?" I said with a smile. The nerves stopped and he chuckled. I was able to completely distinguish my emotions from the ones Jasper placed into me now.
After another moment of walking in silence Jasper stopped me and turned me before taking off my blindfold.
"This is what i wanted to show you," He said before gently turning me to see a house. It was two stories and obviously very very old yet it still looked looked after. It was beautiful with stone walls and a slate roof. There where little glass windows, a porch with three small steps leading up to it.
"This is the house where i was born and raised," He said wrapping his arms around my waist.
"It's beautiful," I whispered in awe.
"Thank you...my mother was always very proud of it," He said with a chuckle. He softly took my hand and lead my towards it.
"Mark looks after it in exchange for using all the land to graze his cattle," Jasper explained as he led me up the stairs and opened the front door leading me in.
It was like a complete time warp. It looked like it was still being lived in and it was honestly stunning. I expected it to be covered in dust or at least a cob web or two but it was pristine. Jasper was in his element showing me around the kitchen, living room, drawing room, pantry. The upstairs to his parents room, his sister's room.
He had never mentioned his sister who was apparently called Anna and was two years younger than him.
"You would have liked her, she was very sweet," Jasper said sitting down on the bed, "She got married to a banker from Georgia two months before i got turned. From what i could gather she had three beautiful boys and a lovely little girl and lived to be eighty five," He chuckled softly and opened a draw in the bedside table and pulled out a faded black and white photo and handed it to me.
"This was Anna," He said fondly. Jasper had obviously been very close to his sister, it must hurt him a lot to think about her. I looked down at the picture to see a girl about my age dressed in a corseted beautiful dress. She truly had a beautiful smile and what i guessed to be Jasper's curly blond hair. She honestly looked very delicate, stunningly beautiful.
"Your sister was a very beautiful lady," I said smiling to him. He chuckled as i passed him the picture back.
"Jasper what colour where your eyes?" I said randomly carefully sitting down next to him as he stared nostalgically at his sister's photo. He looked up at me and smiled.
"My eyes where brown...like yours actually," He said and set his sister's picture on the bedside table and then wrapped his arms around me.
After that he showed me into his room.
"My room," He says sheepishly. There was a large bed with a wrought iron frame in the centre, and a wardrobe to one side, some shelves above the bed. I looked around the then spotted something in a photo frame. I had never seen a photo of Jasper before he was turned. I slowly walked over and picked it up. It was his identification documents from the civil war and sure enough there was a black and white photo of him. I had to giggle slightly. He did look slightly different but he still was a very handsome man.
"Ah..." I heard him say peering over my shoulder, "You found a photo of me..." I bit back the urge for hysterical laughter and settled the photo back on the shelf and turned around and kissed him. He chuckled against my lips and kissed me back.
"Well Miss Daxon we must behave ourselves whilst we're under my parents roof," Jasper said with a grin. I pretended to fan my face with my hand.
"Why Major Whitlock i do apologise i don't know what came over me," I said with a embarrassed smile. He growled softly and held me around my waist.
"I like it when you call me Major," He said with a smirk. I laughed as we toppled back on to his bed which seemed to be housing all the dust i'd been looking for. I coughed a few times and then laughed, i was laying on top of Jasper who's hair was now half grey from dust. He was laughed and reached up and gently pulled my head down towards his and kissed me softly.
It was starting to get dark once Jasper and I finally stopped our tender kissing on his bed. We respectful of his parents (R.I.P) kept our hands to ourselves and only let our lips slowly slide over each others lovingly. We made our way back down stairs and jasper led me out through the kitchen into the back yard which way full of beautiful wild flowers. On the lawn was a picnic blanket and cushions and a hamper.
"Jasper...did you do this?" I said wrapping two arms around his waist as he held his arm around my shoulders.
"You're worth it..." He whispered and kissed my forehead.
The sky was clear as he sat down, watching the sun slowly set on the horizon lighting up the sky red and orange. It was truly stunning. I leant against his chest letting my fingers slid down the buttons on his shirt as a smile danced across my lips. I reached into my pocket and he chuckled as i turned off my phone.
"Rosalie or Bella are NOT ruining this!" I muttered chucking it to one side as Jasper gently lay back onto the cushions taking me down with him. He reached over with one hand and flicked open the hamper and pulled out a clock.
"This is set for 11:59pm so we can count down to new years," He said setting it next to us. I smiled at him.
"You think of everything," I said with a chuckle.
We lay there in each others arms looking to the star scattered sky. I helped myself to the food throughout the evening. I even made Jasper eat chocolate, the look on his face was immortalised by the camera i had found in the hamper. He amused me with the few stories he remembered from his childhood, most involving Mark's great grandfather who i discovered was called Joshua.
"He thought it would be a fabulous idea to climb up a tree in our Sunday best. I being not exactly the brightest of eight year olds agreed thinking it was a fabulous idea, so up the tree we went. Josh was slightly ahead of me and got scared by a bee and down we tumbled right into a muddy puddle...i had never heard my mother yell so much in my life. My Sister thought it was hilarious..." I grinned and laughed resting my head against his shoulder.
"You are the first person i have brought here since i was turned," Jasper said quietly to me once it reach 11:45. I looked over to him lovingly.
"You mean that..." I whispered squeezing his hand slightly.
"No i never brought Alice here..." He said smiling to me. I almost felt like doing a victory dance but is restrained myself.
"You know if we where back in the 1860's this would be the place where our parents would through an engagement party. You would be told you where coming to just a social party and i would lead you away to a quiet spot and ask for your hand," Jasper said sitting up slightly to look down at me. I sat up and took a swig of my drink and smiled.
"It sounds lovely...it's traditions like that i feel sad died out," I said honestly as i smiled to him lovingly. Jasper sat up straight and moved so he was sitting on his knees.
"Lizzie...you are the most important thing in my whole life. You make becoming a vampire so long ago...going through the new born war...going through everything up until the moment i met you seem worth it...like i had to stay on this earth to meet you," Jasper whispered softly, taking my hands in his. I was speechless, my lips slightly parted, no one had ever said something so beautiful to me before.
"I cannot live without you by my side Lizzie, my Lizzie...my sweet beautiful darling Lizzie. Your smile is perfect it almost makes my heart start to beat again..." He whispered letting one of my hands go to reach into his pocket hiding it in his hand. He ran his cold thumb over the back of my warm hand as he lifted himself up onto one knee holding out the most beautiful diamond ring i have ever seen.
"Elizabeth Sophia Daxon whom i love with all of my soul...will you do me the great honour of becoming Mrs Jasper Whitlock-Hale...of becoming my wife,"