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Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Special thanks to Snarkymuch, Gredelina1, Arrr, Augustmoon. Verseseven and Mary-Alice-Brandon-Cullen for pre-reading this. Also to LJ Summers for her guidance.

The was pre-read by jtmd24 and beta'd by Maxipoo1024 from Sparkly Red Pen. Thank you ladies.

Chapter Two — His Mate

Jasper POV

We have to leave.

Edward heard my panicked thoughts as I approached the house. He met me on the porch; his eyes searched my own for any trace of red – understandable caution given my history – but became confused when he saw the clear gold.

"What happened?" he asked.

I ran through my encounter with the unknown female, showing him the way she had controlled the human, the way she had known I was an empath, and most worrying of all, the way her eyes had shifted color. To my great surprise, he didn't seem nearly as concerned as I was.

"I admit it is unusual, but we don't know that she is a threat. She may just be an unusually gifted vampire with an odd sense of humor."

He didn't understand. He hadn't seen the way she moved with predatory grace, her sly smile as she appraised me, the way her eyes switched from clear honey gold to striking crimson.

I felt a wave of humor from Edward. He was grinning broadly, radiating mirth.

"I fail to see what it is about this situation that can be called humorous." I was frustrated that he was misunderstanding me. She was a threat. I could feel it.

"I apologize," he said, schooling his features into a somber mask. "If you feel that strongly, we should discuss it with the others."

I nodded my agreement and we walked into the house. Edward called the rest of the family to join us. He led me to the dining room; our unofficial conference room. He took a seat at the table and I sat opposite him. The others filtered in, looking from my tense expression to Edward's poorly suppressed smile.

Carlisle took his seat at the head of the table, steepling his fingers together under his chin.

"What has happened?" His tone was calm, but he was concerned. It was rare for us to gather like this, and though my demeanor showed the gravity of the situation, Edward's amusement contradicted me.

"I met another vampire today," I stated. I launched into an explanation of all that had transpired between us. I tried to do a better job of communicating the threat I believed she posed than I had done with Edward.

"I agree this is unusual, but she may just be a nomad. There is no reason to believe she poses a threat," Carlisle said carefully.

Edward barked a laugh. Carlisle had essentially echoed his own words.

"I don't want to leave yet," Rosalie said obstinately. "We are not due to move for another three months. If we go to Washington now, we will have to move that much sooner next time."

"Yeah, how much of a threat can she be anyway?" Emmett questioned. "She's a lone vampire. We are a family of seven, not forgetting Tanya's coven. We should be able to handle one little girl."

I restrained from rolling my eyes with difficulty. Emmett was fearless, but he had lived a sheltered life in comparison to my own. He did not know the way the rest of the vampire world operated. We were an oddity to them, and that made us vulnerable.

"We should call Tanya," Alice suggested. "She may have met this vampire before, or Eleazar. His time with the Volturi would make it even more likely he has encountered her. Especially if you are right about her being gifted."

"That is a good idea," Carlisle agreed, pulling his cell phone out and dialing Tanya's number.

When she answered, her tone a little shaky. I was immediately alert, but it soon transpired she was fighting laughter rather than fear.

They exchanged pleasantries, then Carlisle explained my meeting with the unknown female, and asked if she knew of her.

"I know exactly who you mean," Tanya replied brightly. "Hold on, Eleazar wants to speak to you."

Eleazar? I knew it! She was dangerous. Eleazar must have heard about her through his Volturi connection. They couldn't doubt me now. We had to leave.

Edward chuckled again. Though he looked innocently at the opposite wall, I was sure he was amused by my thoughts.

"Hello, Carlisle," Eleazar's smooth, measured voice greeted. "I understand Jasper has had an interesting encounter."

"Yes. As you can imagine, he is a little concerned. Have you met this vampire yourself?"

"I have," he said gravely. "Could I speak to Jasper please?"

Carlisle held out the phone to me. "Eleazar, what can you tell me about her?"

"Could you describe your meeting for me?"

That made perfect sense. Eleazar was a tactician just like me. He needed to know all the facts before he acted. Perhaps the Denalis would need to relocate, too.

As I considered this, Edward lost control of his mirth and began laughing hysterically. I stared at him incredulously. I had never seen him act like this before.

"Jasper, are you there?" Eleazar questioned, and I turned my attention back to the phone call.

"She is dangerous, Eleazar. I am certain of it. She seemed to control one of the humans, and she knew I was an empath, and her eyes changed color."

I was babbling now, but I was relieved to finally have someone who understood the seriousness of the situation. My thoughts brought forth another gale of laughter from Edward, in fact, everyone was looking amused now.

"I see," Eleazar said soberly. "What about her appearance, what did she look like?"

"She has a very slim figure, but still feminine. Her hair is mahogany and sort of wavy. She is exceptionally graceful and has a very slender neck. Her scent is unusual, floral but…"

I trailed off as I realized instead of listening to me attentively, Eleazar was in fact roaring with laughter.

"Eleazar," I said questioningly. "Is everything alright?"

"F-f-f-ine," he answered between chuckles.

"I do know the vampire you are talking about. She is staying with us at the moment. I assure you she is not a threat to you. She is–"

His words were cut off as Tanya voice called out. "Terrifying!" Her statement was followed by roars of laughter both through the phone and in the room with me.

"I must go," Eleazar said. "I will explain more when I see you, but rest assured that Isabella is not a threat to you or any of the family."

Isabella. That was a fitting name for her.

There was a click as he ended the call, and I handed the phone back to Carlisle.

I trusted Eleazar, and I knew he would never intentionally put any of us in harm's way, but I was still uneasy. I trusted my instincts and there had to be a reason she had made such an impact on me.

I restarted my pacing, considering the peculiarity of the conversation. Why had I become so detailed in describing her appearance? For the second time in a day, I found myself thinking and speaking in poetic terms. I had never behaved like this before.

"Well that's settled," Rosalie said firmly. "We are not moving. Is there anything else we need to discuss now that Jasper has finished his little fit of vapors?"

"Well there is one thing," Edward said, leaning forward in his seat. "Would anyone like to address Jasper's description of Isabella. I think it is very telling."

I had no idea what he was thinking, but Esme and Alice seemed to have caught on faster than I. Esme beamed at me and Alice was clearly thinking something to Edward as he was nodding happily.

"Can someone please explain what has got the womenfolk all worked up?" Emmett asked then quailed under Rosalie's fierce glare.

"Womenfolk?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I meant to say what has got the ladies all worked up." He hurried to explain.

"Jasper has found his mate," Edward stated.

My knees buckled and I fell into a chair. "I don't think I have," I said weakly.

I looked at each of them, noting the varying range of happiness etched on their faces; from Esme's ecstatic grin, to Carlisle's understated smile, the light in his eyes showing the real depth of his happiness.

"She can't be my mate. I identified her as a threat, not as a potential companion. Why would I have done that if she was my mate?"

"It makes sense," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "Your unique background means you are constantly alert for signs of danger. When you saw her, your instincts drew her to your attention; but instead of seeing her for what she was, you saw her as a threat."

That did make sense. I had noted her attributes even as I assessed her as a threat. Her scent, her physical appearance.

I raked my hands though my hair in frustration. This was all so wrong. I did not love her, that I was sure of; but if allowed to, I knew I would soon enough.

"I'm no expert, but shouldn't he be happy about this?" Emmett stage whispered to Edward.

"What is troubling you, Jasper?" Esme asked softly.

"I was such an idiot. I was brash and rude. She isn't going to give me the time of day now." I looked to Alice imploringly. "Can you see her?"

"I haven't met her, so I can't search for her at will. You know the limitations of my gift," she scolded.

"Can you not search my future though, is she not with me?"

What would I do if I had destroyed my chances already? The thought made my heart clench. I recognized the changes she had wrought over me already. If she was able to affect me this much after one meeting, what would happen if we were fully mated?

Alice focused and opened her eyes a moment later. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I can't see anything of her."

I groaned, resting my forehead on the table.

"It doesn't necessarily mean she is not part of your future," Carlisle assured me. "It may just mean her unfamiliarity is blocking Alice."

I lifted my head from the table looking at him imploringly. "Do you really think so?"

He managed to hide his smile with effort, but his emotions gave away his feelings. He was feeling a surge of fond amusement at my predicament. I, alone, of the younger members of our family, was the only one that did not see Carlisle as a father. I was very fond of him but all I experienced before joining them meant I was ill equipped to accept him in such a role. It made him happy to see me now looking to him for advice and guidance and I made a mental vow to try and do it more in the future.

"I really think so." He said. "And I think if we are going to test this theory we are going to have to make a visit to the Denalis."

Esme looked as if she was about to burst with happiness. I knew she was eager to meet Isabella, she had worried about me remaining alone since Edward and Alice officially declared themselves. Like Carlisle I had not developed the same relationship with Esme as the others. I truly intended to rectify that. Starting with introducing her to Isabella.

I just hoped this meeting went a little better than our last.

Thanks for reading. If you would like a teaser of the next chapter let me know in a review or a PM.

Simaril x