"It's Victoria."
Jasper's voice sounds tinny on speaker through Carlisle's cellphone.
"I recognized her smell from when she visited here a year ago. Peter, Charlotte and I are not yet done investigating the reservation border, but we thought you ought to know as soon as possible that she is involved."
"Thank you.", Carlisle replies. "Stay safe out there."
My heart is caught in my throat. Victoria. It seems a lifetime ago that those three nomads came to visit us. Now James and Laurent were dead, and Victoria was still out there somewhere.
Jasper had always known she was a threat, I remember now. He had felt that James was her mate, and knew she was the sort of vengeful type that would not leave his killers in peace. The family told me when they returned after I saved Edward that Jasper had been amongst the most reluctant to leave me behind, because he believed me to be in danger from her.
We could not be sure of her motives of course, but her mere presence in the area made me inclined to believe he was right.
The main question now is : who is her target? Did she want to get Jasper and Emmett, the vampires who killed James. Or me, a mate for a mate. Surely she has found out that I am not together with Edward anymore? Edward himself can hardly be her target, he has been gone so long his tracks must have disappeared by now.
Ultimately I suppose it does not matter much though, whichever one of us she is pursuing, she will pay for it with her life.
Over the course of the day the large map on the dining table is filled with more and more notes as family members call in with information.
Kate and Garrett were next to find a track, but did not recognize the smell. Emmett quickly joined them and was able to verify that this too was Victoria. The other two carefully memorized the scent and they split up again.
Several more traces of her presence were found. As they are all disjointed, starting seemingly out of nowhere and ending the same, we conclude that she must have a vehicle available.
Jasper and I contemplate if we might be able to get information out of my father about recent incidents of car theft in the area. Dad is a stickler for keeping confidential information from the police intel secret, but there might be suspicious car wrecks or general trends in car theft that he is willing to talk about. However, we would have to be careful not to tip him off that something was going on.
I remember my father works the night shift today, and will be leaving soon. Jasper and I quickly head over so we can still catch dinner together.
Jasper is quiet on the ride, but I am not in a talkative mood either.
"I love you.", he suddenly blurts out, staring resolutely out of the passenger window of my truck. My heart skips a beat.
"I tried to deny myself, because I know the limits of what I can give you. You have seen how the bond between Kate and Garrett formed, it can never be like that for us. We cannot ever know if we are true mates. We might be, or you might eventually find yours. Maria forever ruined me. But now that we are under threat I cannot keep silent anymore."
I can feel him anxiously waiting for a reply, but I need to pull over before I create a traffic accident. Once my truck is parked by the side of the road I lean over to kiss him, pushing all my pent up admiration, adoration and lust at him.
He eagerly leans into the kiss and we devour each other. All our cares are forgotten in that moment, frankly I would not have been able to tell the date or who the president is anymore.
Oh how different this was from kissing Edward! There was the comfort of his softer and at least room-temperature lips compared to Edward's frozen ones of course. There was the unrestrained passion, not tempered by a fear of losing control and draining me of my blood. However the greatest difference was my feelings. I love him. I feel secure in his unequivocal acceptance of me. No self-consciousness. No guilt. I lose myself in his hungry kisses.
Eventually we are interrupted by shrill sirens, and the decidedly not amused face of my father is staring at us through my truck window.
Shit! Had we been here so long that it was already time for him to leave for his shift?
"Explain yourselves.", he orders.
Jasper clears his throat, an action that should not be necessary even for a humanized vampire.
"Sir, I wish to inform you that I am very much in love with your daughter and that as she has just admitted to the same I promise to do everything within my ability to make her happy and take care of her."
"Today?", dad asks, and we nod.
"Well, at least I won the betting pool.", he says, rather smug looking. I wonder how much money is involved, and just how many people had bets running on us getting together.
To my surprise he does not sound particularly disapproving. Unlike when I brought Edward home.
"All right son, I suppose she was always going to end up with someone. You at least I trust to respect her. Nothing like that Edward boy." We all shudder. "Anyway, I need to get to the station. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Be safe dad.", I say, suddenly wishing to hug him, but he is already getting back in his cruiser. "I love you."
We do not feel like going back to the Cullen house to face the family yet, and I still need to have dinner so we drive on to my house anyway despite my dad having already left.
We share some heated up leftovers and talk. About our relationship, our worries, our futures.
"I should call Alice.", he suddenly says, determined.
"Why?", I wonder. "Is there any paperwork left for your divorce?"
"No.", he answers. "Getting divorced is remarkably simple when neither Jasper Hale nor Alice Cullen truly exist. I need to talk to her, because she will still be able to see Victoria's future so long as it does not cross with ours. The same with your father. At the very least she will be able to tell if Victoria is meeting other vampires that we need to look out for."
"You would do that for me?", I ask, very touched. I can only imagine how much pride he has to swallow for this.
"Anything for you.", he replies.
The phone call has to wait a moment while Jasper and I resume devouring each other's faces.
Eventually he does make the call, and Alice promises to faithfully watch out for Victoria and my dad's futures. In exchange for a large sum of money. Apparently being cut off from the Cullen fortune is cramping her style. I still don't trust her to actually do as promised, but take reassurance from the knowledge that Jasper surely doesn't either and won't let the efforts to guard the area slack.
At this point I'm exhausted and want to go to bed. Jasper asks if I want him to drive me to the Cullen house where there is safety in numbers.
"I'd rather stay here to see my dad when he returns in the morning.", I tell him. "Then tomorrow we can tell your family we got together. Today I don't feel like talking anymore, and they would know something is up. I'm sure you left a hickey in my neck." Jasper smirks unapologetically.
"All right, but I will stay here downstairs just in case any unwelcome visitors appear."
This is a comfort to me, especially since he honestly states his intentions upfront instead of creeping into my room to watch me sleep like a certain someone.
Regardless, I barely sleep that night, knowing my father is out there on duty in the sleeping town in the pitch black night, Victoria on the loose. Even with Jasper calming me down with his gift to the best of his ability I only drift in and out of sleep.
My heart sags with relief when I eventually hear a key turn in the lock and then the telltale sound of my father's boots stomping up the narrow stairs. He came home.
A week later he doesn't.
