Later that night, a large and boisterous crowd was gathered around a bonfire behind the Black's house.

To Bella's absolute shock, the tribal elders had given permission for Alice and Jasper to cross onto the tribe's land. They didn't have blanket permission to come and go as they pleased, but they were allowed to come for that one night so they could celebrate with the wolves and Bella.

The current Alpha of the pack, Sam Uley, had reported to the elders every day since the two vampires had turned up at the treaty line, so they knew everything that had transpired since, which included all the training the two vampires had given their tribe's protectors.

They may not trust the vampire race as a whole, but Alice Cullen and Jasper Whitlock had shown the wolf pack nothing but respect and faith in their abilities, which in turn gave the elders no small amount of respect for the two.

That respect grew to include gratitude when later that evening they learned of another danger to their tribe the two vampires had a hand in eliminating, even if only indirectly.


After Victoria had gone up in flames, the majority of the pack had headed back to La Push. Jacob stayed behind with Alice and Jasper, waiting for her body to finish burning completely so that he could escort the two to the Reservation.

Both vampires were surprised to learn that the tribal elders - who were more strongly prejudiced against vampires than the pack - were allowing them onto their land. It was a huge show of faith and the two vampires were well aware of it. They were just grateful they could be a part of celebrating the pack's success, as they now considered the wolves friends.

Jacob was so triumphant about the day's events that he might as well be high, but he couldn't help but notice that Jasper was a little too quiet. And Alice, who never missed a thing when it came to her closest companion, knew something significant was troubling him.

"Jas?" Alice asked softly as she watched Jasper kick his boot through Victoria's ashes.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then looked up with a sigh. "At the end, just before you took her head off, you told Victoria that we never would've let her touch Bella."

Alice simply nodded. When he didn't offer anything more after that, she took a seat on the ground, knowing it sometimes took Jasper a little while to untangle his thoughts. She caught Jacob's eye and tipped her head to the side, indicating she wanted him to come sit beside her. The two waited quietly as Jasper paced in front of them.

After a few minutes, he let out a frustrated growl. "There was something in her emotions then. A flash of… something. It was there and gone before I could grasp it but it felt… dark, I guess is the best way I can describe it."

Alice was just about to speak when Jasper's cell phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket with a shake of his head. He let out a huff and rolled his eyes as he read the message and then tossed his phone to Alice.

As Alice glanced down, Jacob leaned over to see what it said.

Already on it. PW.

Alice giggled and Jasper gave her a playful glare that had no heat behind it. "I'm glad you're amused, Ali, but I still don't know what the fuck—"

Alice's giggle turned into full-blown laughter when Jasper was interrupted by his phone buzzing again. Jacob's deeper laugh joined hers as he read the new text.

I said I'm on it, asshole. Go celebrate with your wolves, I'll call you in a few hours.

When Alice turned the screen for Jasper to see, he heaved a deep sigh from the very depths of his soul that could only be described as fond exasperation. While his tactical mind wanted every piece of information right that very second, he knew Peter wouldn't tell him a damn thing until he was good and ready. Jasper had trusted him to have his back more times than he could possibly count over the last century, so he figured there were worse things he could do than continue putting his faith in the man he considered a brother.

He looked at Jacob and Alice with a genuine smile firmly in place. "Well, you heard the man. Let's go celebrate."


Bella had just set down the second of three cakes she'd baked on a trestle table set up in the Black's backyard when cheers and hollers erupted from the wolves behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Jacob, Jasper, and Alice walking out of the trees.

She quickly wiped her hands on the towel she was holding and then took off at a sprint to greet her vampires. In her excitement, however, she forgot she had the occasional problem with gravity, and she hadn't gotten more than ten feet before she tripped over nothing. She braced herself for the landing but rather than hitting the ground with force, she found herself in the arms of her favorite Texan vampire.

As soon as Bella was safe in Jasper's arms, all of the worry she had kept at bay throughout the day caught up with her. She held onto him with all her might and buried her face in his neck as huge sobs escaped her.

"Oh, sweetheart. Shh, it's over. Everyone's alright, no one was hurt," Jasper soothed her softly. When her grip didn't loosen or her sobs let up, he simply lowered himself to the ground and held the girl while she cried.

The elders watched as the battle-scarred warrior gently held the human in his lap, cradling the back of her head with one hand while rubbing soft circles on her back with the other. They could just barely make out his whispered words of reassurance and comfort, and couldn't help but be moved by the display. He clearly cared an awful lot for the girl the elders had known since she was an infant.

Perhaps they'd put their trust in exactly the right place.

Sue Clearwater, Leah's mother, was one of those elders. She and Leah had talked long and hard about letting the two vampires on tribal land. Jasper's absolute faith in her daughter to protect the life of one of the most important people to him was the thing that tipped her into agreeing. What she was watching play out in front of her merely had her nodding, a small smile on her lips. Yes, she'd definitely made the right decision.

The hush that had fallen over the group was broken when the small vampire standing beside Jacob caught sight of the table practically groaning under the weight of all the bowls and platters crammed on it.

"Wow, that is a lot of food! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" the tiny vampire exclaimed in a bright and cheerful voice.

For about two seconds, everybody froze.

Then Bella Swan choked out a single laugh between sobs and hopped off Jasper's lap to hurl herself at the pixie. "Alice!"

Laughter from the wolves broke out around them as Alice caught Bella gently and spun her in a circle, bright giggles bubbling out of her as she echoed her best friend. "Bella!"

Seeing the tribe's protectors completely at ease, laughing with the vampires, was the last thing the rest of the elders needed to see before they finally relaxed completely and welcomed Alice Cullen and Jasper Whitlock to La Push.


It was a few hours later, after all the food had been eaten and the wolves, vampires, and humans were chatting away around the fire, when Jasper's phone rang.

He had it up to his ear before the first ring finished. "Peter?"

The noise around Jasper died down as the other wolves saw how intently Jacob was watching him. The supernatural beings around him heard the man on the other end ask to be put on speakerphone, which he did as a courtesy for those who didn't have heightened senses.

"Hi Peter," Alice greeted him cheerfully once Jasper set his phone on his knee.

"Hey Ali, Bella, Major, wolves… older humans," Peter replied, making even the tribal elders smile a little.

Bella laughed beside Jasper, but seeing he'd tensed up, she reached over to take his hand.

"Feel like sharing now?" Jasper snarked. "It's clear you already know where I am and who I'm with… wanna extend me the same courtesy?"

You could practically hear Peter rolling his eyes over the phone. "Look, you grumpy bast—" He was cut off by what sounded like a loud thump.

There was a rustling sound for a second before a woman's bright voice was on the line. "Hey Jasper!"

All Jasper could do, honestly, was laugh. "Hey Charlotte. You good?"

"Yep, we're good. Peter just needs a minute to remember how to speak politely," she replied in a sweet voice. "And use his damn manners," she added in a low growl. There was another rustling sound that sounded like the two were wrestling for the phone, and Jasper just dropped his chin to his chest and shook his head.

After a further eight seconds of that, his patience snapped. "Peter!"

The line when silent for a beat before Peter started talking as if there had been no interruption at all.

"Alright. I'm not gonna bore you with all the details, so I'll just give you the quick and dirty. The redhead didn't think she'd get a shot at y'all's girl anytime soon so she was working on a backup plan."

"A backup plan?" Jasper interrupted, his voice low. Bella squeezed his hand gently.

"Yes, Major, a backup plan. Surely you've heard of 'em. It's something you do if—"

"Damn it, Peter!" Jasper all but shouted and the crowd around him laughed quietly.

"Right. So, as I was saying, Victoria was creating a backup plan. Literally. We found a baby vamp named Riley up in Seattle, not even six months old, and when we… questioned him with strong incentives, he admitted that Victoria was planning on creating a newborn army."

At that, Jasper snorted, shaking his head.

"I know, my thoughts exactly," Peter continued. "Apparently the plan was to target Forks and the Reservation, figuring if she couldn't get to Bella, she could at least take out some of the wolves. Seems she was a bit cranky they'd been gettin' in her way recently."

Everyone was silent, surprised by the sudden turn of events. Peter took that as his opportunity to press on.

"Anyway, he's taken care of - way too easy, by the way, hardly any fun at all - and there were two still cooking that she'd bitten just before she left on her little suicide mission. They're both goners now, too. So! All's well that ends well, huh?"

It took a second for Jasper to even formulate an answer. "You sure you got 'em all?"

Peter sound highly offended when he answered. "Of course I'm sure! Jeez, Major, it's like you don't trust me at all!"

They could hear Charlotte laughing in the background. "You're all good, Jasper. The threat is officially over," she reassured him.

Jasper seemed to practically sag in relief. "Thank you Peter, Char. I owe you one."

"Damn right you do," Peter grumbled. A laugh escaped both Jasper and Alice, and Bella looked on with an amused smile. "We'll see you soon, Major, Bella, Ali, wolves… probably not you, older humans. Take care for now!"

"Wait, you said Seattle. You're not coming to see us?" Alice asked.

"Nope, not time yet. Soon, though."

Alice and Jasper shared a glance and Alice nodded.

"Alright," Jasper sighed. "I love y'all, take care."

"Love you too," Peter and Charlotte chorused together. "Nice job today, wolves. You oughta be proud of yourselves," Peter added before ending the call with a quiet click.

It was silent for a few moments before Sue cleared her throat. "Well. That was certainly..." she trailed off, not sure how to describe Peter. She switched tracks, not wanting to offend the vampires who had done nothing but help them. "What's a newborn army?" she asked instead.

The resulting conversation took a bit of time, but as with their very first meeting at the treaty line with the three wolves, Alice and Jasper were calm and patient, answering all the questions posed to them. When the elders asked how they could be certain the threat to their people was eliminated, Jasper answered as simply as he could.

"I've trusted Peter and Charlotte with my life for over a century, no hesitation. If Peter says your tribe is safe, I have absolute faith in his word."

Because the wolves and elders had placed their trust in the warrior and the pixie, they accepted his assurance with only the briefest moment of hesitation.

About an hour later, Alice, Jasper, Bella, and Jacob were sitting together talking quietly when the elders came to bid everyone good night after congratulating the wolves again. When Alice and Jasper stood to shake their hands, they'd been surprised when Sue Clearwater pulled both of them in for a quick hug.

When she pulled back from Jasper, she grabbed his hand in hers and looked him in the eye. "Thank you for what you did for my daughter. Even though she wasn't part of the actual fighting, she's standing taller tonight and I know that's down to you and the faith and trust you have in her. I don't take that lightly and I want you to I'm grateful for what you've done here," she said quietly. "What you've both done here," she added as she turned to Alice.

It hadn't escaped the tribal elder that by giving the wolves proper training to fight other vampires, they were giving them knowledge that made them more vulnerable as well.

Jasper gave her a soft smile. "Leah and the other wolves did all the hard work, ma'am, but I appreciate your words. You have a fine group of protectors, you should be very proud of them. And thank you for allowing us to come and celebrate with you tonight."

Alice nodded beside him. "It's been an honor for us, Mrs. Clearwater. And it was a pleasure working with your Leah. She's a damn fine wolf."

"And you'll thank Peter and Charlotte for us?" Sue asked, glancing between the two.

Jasper broke into a wide smile. "Yes, ma'am, I'll be sure to pass that along."

With a last nod to both vampires, Sue left the young people to enjoy the rest of their night.

Alice took Jasper's hand and the two sat back down with Jacob and Bella, who had been watching the exchange with smiles, happy to see how easily Sue interacted with their friends.

While Jasper had alluded to Peter's gift - and his complete confidence in it - over the previous days, he hadn't elaborated, so Bella took the opportunity to ask him about it.

Watching Jasper try to explain how or why Peter 'knew' things was highly amusing to both Bella and Jacob. Peter, himself, refused to accept that he had a gift, although he couldn't argue that he'd kept them out of a few close shaves in the years he and Jasper fought alongside each other.

"So is he a seer like Tink?" Jacob asked, causing Alice to dissolve in a fit of giggles.

"No, and if you want to stay on his good side, you won't ever ask him that," Jasper laughed. "The best way I can explain it is that he gets random pieces of knowledge at opportune moments. Most have to do with his safety, and that of Charlotte and myself, but not all."

Jasper couldn't add out loud that Bella, as Jasper's mate, was now included in Peter's random knowledge bombs.

"Peter knows that my visions are a true vampire gift, but for whatever reason, he doesn't accept that his 'knowledge' is one as well, so he gets annoyed by the comparison," Alice explained with a smile. "And while some of my visions can change based on new decisions, any knowledge Peter gets is absolute. I see it as him being a conduit of fate."

Jasper smiled at Alice then, so grateful that she had come to love Peter and Charlotte nearly as much as he did. He may have had a nightmarish start to his second life, and had struggles he sometimes thought he couldn't bear for a moment longer, but damn was he lucky in finding people - or people finding him - who loved him and each other unconditionally.

Bella's thoughts in that moment closely paralleled Jasper's. She watched the three supernatural beings who were closest to her heart talk and laugh and joke with each other, and felt nothing but profound gratitude. Fate had not only brought the three into her life, but the 'mortal enemies' of the group seemed to genuinely enjoy each other.

The three of them were chatting away, happy to get to know each other better. Jacob still found it wild that Jasper had been born before electricity in homes was a thing - not to mention indoor plumbing - and that Alice had waited to meet Jasper for twenty-eight years, learning about the man solely through her visions.

"So you just waited patiently for three decades?" Jacob asked, the incredulity in his voice hard to miss.

"Of course. I knew fate had plans for us," she insisted, while Jasper had to choke back his laughter.

"I don't know that 'patiently' really applies to you, Ali."

"Hey! I resent that!" Alice replied indignantly as she swatted his arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must be misremembering. You know that tends to happen with old age. What were the very first words you ever said to me?" Jasper challenged with a raised eyebrow, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Alice couldn't keep her laughter in as she answered. "You kept me waiting long enough."

The other three broke into laughter at that point, too, but then Alice simply shrugged and offered Jasper one of her beaming smiles. "I knew you were worth it."

Bella and Jacob didn't need to be empaths to sense the love and gratitude Jasper felt for Alice. You could see it clear as day on Jasper's face. While it wasn't romantic love, the two did love each other fiercely. It was true unconditional love, with nothing held back. There wasn't a single thing one didn't know about the other, and they were more whole together than they ever were apart. It was always a joy for Bella to witness the connection between the two.

Peter and Charlotte were the first to rescue Jasper, starting his healing process by helping him find a life of peace away from the army, and letting him feel all the love, pride, and respect they held for the man.

But it was Alice who helped him heal his soul piece by piece, until he finally came to believe that he was, in fact, worth it.


A/N: Credit for Peter's gift, or at least the basis for my version, goes to fanfic author IDreamOfEddy. Her Colliding Meteors is a fantastic read.

A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, and to all the faves and follows. I can't tell y'all how much they make my day. You're all wonderful!

Take care, M. x