In the weeks leading up to their visitors, Jasper was slowly losing his mind. Intrusive thoughts punctured his brain, filling his head with absurd ideas and strong desires. No matter how much he tried to keep them at bay, to let logical conclusions be known to himself, to keep this new animal from showing its face, he was slowly losing control.
Hensley noticed it as well.
The first time he had attacked her, he had picked her up in town. Ever careful so the agency didn't catch up, Hensley parked at a library and Jasper had met her there to bring her to his house. They didn't make it far out of town before Jasper pulled off down a secluded road and climbed over the center console.
They also didn't make it far in his endeavor, just Jasper's tongue in her mouth before he pulled back, muttering a breathless apology and a quick 'I missed you' before righting himself.
It wasn't long before Hensley pieced things together. Each time was the same. The two would have plans that started out normal, hanging out at his house, dinner in town, hiking through the vast woods surrounding either of their homes. Something would happen, often unknown to Hensley, and then Jasper would snap. Books were thrown aside, dinner hurriedly paid for, or Hensley pushed up against a thick tree trunk, and Jasper would make his move. Each time they went a little farther: grabbing above clothes, grabbing under clothes, grinding. Jasper would find himself before they went too far, apologizing for the sudden shift, swearing he never wanted to do anything to make her uncomfortable (he never did – Hensley certainly wasn't complaining if Jasper wanted to move things along) before resuming their prior task.
"What is happening?" Hensley finally asked him once between breaths, cupping his face so he couldn't pull away further as they laid on the ground. Jasper looked regrettable, trying to re-do the buttons on her flannel to avoid her eye. She lightly tapped his cheek to get a response, "Jasper."
Jasper scoffed, rolling his eyes at something she didn't quite understand, "I'm losing my fucking mind, is what's happening. Lexi, I-…I can't do this."
She frowned at this. She certainly had not been telling him to stop. He had always been the one to stop himself from pushing their relationship farther. "Jasper, I don't want you to stop. I wan-"
"Not that." He shook his head, breaking free from her hands. "Next week. I can't do this. There's going to be too many people there and the girls are going to be all over ya, and Peter will be on you and flirting with you-"
"Doesn't Peter have a mate?" Hensley interrupted, not really following Jasper's thoughts.
"Yes!" Jasper threw his hands up, running them through his hair. He pushed himself up off of Hensley to lean against a tree nearby. "That's what's so damn irritating about it. You know how mates break-up? They die. Charlotte would have to have died in the last few months for this logic to make sense. I'm going insane."
Hensley sighed as she watched Jasper. He looked pitiful and she felt bad. She wasn't sure how to help him or how to make it better. She could reassure him until she was blue in the face, but that wasn't guaranteed to help.
"Are you just afraid that they're going to steal me away from you? Would going further in our relationship help you feel better? Because I am not at all opposed to this. Especially not if it will help you feel better."
It did help him feel better, at least in part Right before he finished, he was hit with the most aggressive and gnawing urge to bite her shoulder. If Jasper had been of right mind, or clear mind, rather, he would've been frustrated that his animalistic brain went to that idea in the middle of their love making. Thankfully it didn't take him long to clear it away, especially not as Lexi placed hot, breathy kisses along his jaw. It was easy to get lost in her.
Once that door of their relationship was opened, Jasper and Hensley took great advantage of it. As the days neared closer and closer to their guests, Jasper became more and more feral. The desire to bite Lexi, to push his venom into her blood was so strong that it nearly took over and overrode the pleasure he found in her company. He tried biting pillows to release the urge, but somehow the animal knew it wasn't Lexi's flesh.
She was very encouraging through it all, convinced that it Jasper's desire was to do so then it wouldn't hurt her. That Jasper couldn't do anything that would hurt her. While he appreciated and was flattered by her unwavering faith, he couldn't act on his desires. The fear of him hurting her, the fear of him killing her, was far too crushing.
~.~
"We got three household rules, now." Cooper told the group. Peter couldn't help but be reminded of their time with Maria. The three of them, Major, Cooper, and Peter, were the ones in charge of the newborn army. Jasper never had to talk louder than his normal volume. His gift allowed him to command attention and obedience while rarely having to physically show it. Cooper and Peter did not have that ability. Therefore, they had to be loud, intimidating, and, as the new generation called it, asshole-ish.
Cooper wasn't intimidating or an asshole, though he was louder than he needed to be for a group of vampires in close proximity. Not yelling, his voice only slightly more projective, but still enough that old memories filled Peter's head.
"Don't say or do anything that makes Jasper think you're going to hurt Lexi, don't say or do anything that makes Jasper think you're in love with Lexi, and don't say or do anything that makes Jasper think you're insulting Lexi. Three quickest ways to die, honestly." Cooper finished with a shrug, as though Jasper killing him was perfectly normal and a casual thought for him, much like the weather. Though to be fair, Major had probably threatened to kill Cooper enough that it was normal.
The little blonde girls were more skeptical.
"Quickest way to die?" The one with long blonde hair, 'shocky-touch' Kate, questioned Cooper.
Tanya was more open to teasing about it. "You speak from experience?"
Cooper shared a look with Emmett, amusement clouding his features. He was an odd one that boy. "Once or twice." He drawled with a chuckle, "Lexi will be here most of the time, so it ain't as big a deal, but you definitely don't wanna do it when she aint' around to keep his ass in line."
"Eleazar," Carlisle spoke up, "This was what I was starting to tell you about earlier. The thing we were hoping you would have some leads on."
This was news. "Somethin' wrong with Major?" Peter asked Cooper. When he saw the smirk on Cooper's face, he clarified, "Other than the usual?" The older brother's face fell slightly. Typical.
"He's got a weird thing goin' on with Lexi." Cooper shook his head, thinking about past experiences Peter presumed, "I wasn't kiddin' when I said it's the easiest way to die. You break one of the rules, Jasper snaps. Like, ya ain't got any time to react, don't see it comin', snaps."
"Really?" Tanya looked between her coven mates, "But Jasper is so…docile?"
Peter and Cooper burst out laughing. "Oh man. That was a good one." Peter wiped at his eyes. Major…the Major who led Maria's army and killed countless vampires and humans…docile. What a joke.
Now, was Major calmer and quieter and more peaceful, absolutely. Hell, all three of them were. That came with the lack of war and violence in their lives now, a natural byproduct. But one thing Major was not, and one thing Peter was sure that Major could never be, was docile. No one ever came over Major. No one got the upper hand, no one defied him, no one told him what he was going to do and when and where. If there was something he didn't want to do, you weren't going to force him. And if there was something he wanted, he got it.
That was a thought Peter carried as he watched Jasper with Lexi for the first time. Major was shielding her from everyone, even after pleasant introductions, like they were going to pounce on her and kill her the second his hand left her waist. Peter tried to lighten the mood, "We ain't gunna eat her." He had attempted to joke, yet Major took it as a grave offense, tightening his grip rather than loosening it.
Cooper was quick to scold the nomad, "What'd I tell ya about joking, Peter?"
Peter had thought Cooper was joking. Apparently not.
That became even more clear to Peter when Eleazar stepped up, asking a quiet, "May I?" He started to approach Lexi, and the moment he did so Jasper had the girl behind him, a warning growl out of his mouth. Looking hard, he swore Jasper was shaking, trembling, maybe, at this ask. Peter was starting to understand why he hadn't been allowed to meet the girl a few months ago.
"It's alright, Jazz." Lexi at least seemed to have a better head on her shoulders, giving Major an encouraging nod.
Eleazar took Lexi's hand and Peter watched Major lurch at the action. He was certain this Eleazar was going to die, and yet knew with his gift that everything would be alright. Peter wondered if this would be the day his gift was wrong.
"Come." Eleazar lightly pulled Lexi forward. "I want to see something." He added when Jasper replaced his tight grip on her.
Lexi gave Major some more reassurance, enough that he released her to the vegetarian man. Peter was surprised Eleazar wanted to do his test now, especially with Jasper so uneasy.
Peter, Cooper and Emmett were strategically placed by Jasper, holding the man's own conscious so Eleazar could strike. When he thought Jasper was distracted, he did strike, a hard slap across Lexi's cheek. The girl reeled, holding her cheek, but no one was focused on that.
Major snapped. Just like Cooper said he would, and yet so much more than Peter had expected.
Cooper and Peter were well trained vampires. They dealt with rambunctious newborns and even the occasional heavy-hitting elder. They had taken down strong vampires in their day with ease. And not to say Major wasn't strong, but the two had fought him before. They knew what to expect.
Even Emmett, Peter knew from experience, was a strong vampire. He didn't have the combat knowledge that the other two did, but when all he needed to do was hold someone back, he should've been fine.
And yet, all three of them, with their various strengths and know-now, struggled. Major evaded Emmett with ease, and nearly lost the other two. When Cooper and Peter finally were able to readjust their grips to hold him back, their combined strength wasn't enough. Emmett recovered quickly, throwing himself on Major's back to weigh him down. When that was failing, Carlisle and Alice stepped in, just to get more weight on him.
Lexi was in front of them then, trying to wiggle between Cooper and Peter to get to Jasper. Peter snarled at her, thinking she was stupid for even making an effort to get in front of a rabid vampire. Weird-ass half vampire or not, she could get hurt. Yet, Cooper's strained voice told Peter to let her by, so he did.
She got her hand on Jasper's cheek, frantically telling him, "Jazz, Jazz, Jazz, it's ok. It's alright."
The force against them weakened considerably. Lexi told the group to let Major go. As they did, Major hit his knees in front of the girl, Lexi kneeling down to get a better grip as she held him.
As he watched them, Peter was forced to consider the possibility that Tanya actually knew what she was talking about.
~.~
"We called them Anima Gemellas. Soul mates, or soul twins." Eleazar explained from his spot on the coffee table. Hensley and Jasper sat directly in front of him on the couch, the rest of their family filled in as space allowed. "It's the strongest mating bond known to vampires. Incredibly rare, as you can imagine. You are only the third pair I've seen in all my years."
"And the Volturi know about them?" Hensley asked, holding firm to Jasper's hand. She didn't need to, he had a tight grip on her waist, but doing so made her feel better.
Eleazar nodded, "The Volturi is how we learned of them. I'll never forget them." The older vampire shook his head, eyes distant, "I'll never forget the things they did to them.
"The first pair, Solana and Carlos, they attracted the attention of the Volturi when they came to be a witness to another coven's crimes. Aro saw their strange mating experience and forced them to stay."
"Who's Aro?" Hensley asked Jasper.
"One of their leaders. Aro, Caius, and Marcus." Eleazar explained in his stead, "They are the three that govern. Aro has a very unique gift. He can see every memory, every thought, every feeling you've ever had just by touching your skin. It serves him well in his role. But seeing a different mating pattern intrigued them. We questioned them on their experience, learned how they felt each others pain and had strong desires to protect one another. We thought them to be gifts – experiencing each others pain. Like Jasper's empathy.
"Then we met Jaime and Judas. They had bites in the same place that Solana and Carlos had, up on their left shoulder." Eleazar rubbed the spot and Jasper swallowed hard. "That was how Aro caught his interest. He had Solana and Carlos brought back to him and they tested each pair.
"The things they did to them…. By the end of it, both pairs…so distraught and agonized. They wished for death. It didn't come easy for them.
"There's two things that tell a Gemella: the first is easy to see, the bite marks on the shoulder. The second is the instinctual protectiveness. Everyone is protective of their mate, of course. But this, is far greater than what any of us experience, as you can probably see." Eleazar smiled at the two.
"Why do they bite each other? What's the point?" Peter asked, eyeing up Jasper.
Eleazar followed Peter's eye and agreed, "Perhaps it is more easily explained by the actual pair?"
Carlisle nudged Jasper's arm, "Did you bite my daughter?" His eyes were teasing, but Hensley couldn't help the thought that Carlisle may actually be upset.
Jasper lightly scoffed, shaking his head, "No. We're not sure what venom will do to her and I'm not risking her safety."
"You think it will harm her?" Eleazar now questioned Carlisle. He hadn't had an opportunity to ask about Hensley yet. Though she had a sneaking suspicion that was next in the docket.
"We're not sure." Carlisle told him. "She's similar enough to a vampire that it may not affect her. But her cells are part human."
Emmett gasped, "Maybe she'll be one and a half vampire!"
"The strongest one of them all." Cooper agreed, shooting Hensley a wink.
"Hey, if I start aging again you might have to find out." Hensley meant it as a joke but the pain in her chest told her Jasper didn't take it that way. She squeezed his hand, leaning against him.
"You hurt him." Eleazar observed. "I hear jokes don't hurt if the pair has a bite. The effects of the mating bond are dulled to be more manageable."
"Son of a-" Cooper started to curse his luck before Alice elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't you know what this means? We're stuck with him like this!" Cooper rubbed his side.
Hensley sent the older Whitlock a sharp glare, silencing any further commentary on Jasper. Eleazar chuckled at this. "So she does have it. I was starting to think only Jasper could feel the effects, or the protective effects, of the mating."
"They're not as strong as Jasper's." Hensley admitted. "But they're there." She felt bad saying it out loud. The last thing she wanted Jasper to think was that she didn't care about him as much as he did her. She loved Jasper and couldn't - didn't even want to – picture a life without him. Lexi could just take a joke better than he could sometimes….
"Hear that Jasper, she doesn't-"
A sharp growl permeated the air, catching everyone by surprise. Emmett had a field day, covering his mouth with both hands and eyeing Cooper. Even Jasper smirked, pulling the agitated girl against him so he could place a small peck on the top of her head. Jasper knew how Lexi felt about him – he could feel it for himself – but sometimes it was nice just to have the reminder.