The Jasper & Danielle Trilogy

by Carrot Top

When Danielle Clark moved to Forks, Washington, she hadn't really known what to expect. But she definitely hadn't planned on falling in love with Jasper Hale, and she certainly hadn't known he would turn her life completely upside down. Originally posted nearly a decade ago, now being revised and reposted for your viewing pleasure! - PART TWO IN PROGRESS -

31. Chapter Thirty

Oh, hi! Thanks for checking in, I'm *still a piece of garbage*.

Yeah, so...three years. Yikes. I genuinely had not realized just how long it had been since I updated this story last, and my jaw just like, dropped when I saw it had been that long. I mean, the baby I kept talking about in the last update is now in preschool and I've gone and had a whole other kid, and he's already a year and half. So…wow.

I could give you the long-winded sob story about why I didn't work on this story for so long, but honestly, let's just skip to the TLDR. I really kind of hated the last chapter I posted, I got enough negative feedback from people who disliked how the story was going to make me doubt myself and my writing, then I got completely caught up in my own head about it.

But, recently, I've come to realize a few things.

One – it's fan fiction. I don't get paid for this. This isn't my career. It's just a fun hobby to feed my need for creativity and escape the hustle and bustle of day to day life. Which led to…

Two – it ain't that freaking serious. I was stressing way too much about it, to the point that it was honestly kind of ridiculous.

Three – this story has a lot of followers, and I'm still getting new ones every day, so I mean…I must be doing something right, right?

The bottom line is that this fandom is huge. There's a lot of different people who have different taste in stories. Not everyone is going to like what I do, and somewhere along the line, I forgot that. But I am pleased to announce that I have now extracted my head from my hind end, and I knew it was time to get this story going again. Honestly, big shout out to my IG algorithm, because all the silly little Twilight memes and shitposts I've been seeing are the real MVP in this scenario. It helped remind me to just lighten up and have fun with it again. That does not, by any means, mean I'm going to start phoning it in. But like...I'm not gonna give myself grey hairs over it either, ya know?

Anyway, for all the messages of kindness and encouragement I've received these past couple of years, and to all the people who have stuck around waiting for an update, thank you. I'm super humbled by how many of you genuinely love this story, and I'm grateful for your support. I hope you're happy to be seeing Jasper and Danielle again – I know I was!

Quick little recap, since it's been so long: In the last chapter, Danielle said her goodbyes to her friends and family before she and Jasper were due to leave Forks, she chose not to warn Bella that Edward was going to break up with her, and then Bella went missing at the very end. The first part of this chapter was supposed to be the end of the previous chapter, but it was so long that it couldn't fit. So that's where we're picking up the story again.

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Chapter Ten

For a few moments, all anyone could do was stare at Charlie in shock.

Bella was missing? No. She couldn't be. That didn't make any sense.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Lynne finally asked, her eyes wide with concern.

Charlie opened his mouth to explain, but before he could get the words out, he spotted Danielle standing with Jasper a few feet behind her mother. A surge of hope flashed through his eyes as he pushed past Lynne without waiting to be invited inside. "Dani," he said, almost looking relieved to see her. "Have you spoken to Bella?"

Danielle opened and closed her mouth a few times, still struggling to wrap her head around the situation. "I saw her this morning before she went to school," she finally managed out. "I tried to check in with her a few hours ago, but she didn't answer the door or respond to any of my texts. She shouldn't be missing, though. Where would she have even gone?"

"There was a note on the table when I got home. It said, 'Going for a walk with Edward, up the path. Back soon'. That's all I know," Charlie explained hurriedly, throwing his hands helplessly into the air. "I tried calling, I tried texting, but I can't reach her."

Danielle shared an alarmed look with Jasper. While she didn't know exactly what had happened when Edward had broken up with Bella, and even though she would openly admit to the fact that she was not her brother-in-law's biggest fan at the moment, she could still say with complete certainty that Edward would never do anything to harm Bella in any way.

But that still didn't answer the question of where she was, or why no one could get in touch with her. Had she simply gone somewhere else seeking comfort after the breakup? Or had Edward left her in the forest, and then something happened to her after he had gone?

"Where's your brother?" Charlie suddenly demanded of Jasper, the stern question jarring Danielle from her worried thoughts.

"Gone," Jasper answered simply.

"What do you mean gone?" Charlie countered, his brows lowering as he scowled.

"Edward left Forks," Danielle jumped in to take the heat off of Jasper. "All of the Cullen's did."

Charlie blinked in surprise, then swung accusing eyes toward Lynne. "You told me only Dani and Jasper were leaving," he said.

Lynne shot a look toward Danielle, then looked at Charlie again, her eyes filling with apology. "I did tell you that…but only because Dani asked me not to say anything about the rest of the family leaving yet, not until Edward had spoken to Bella first," she confessed.

Charlie looked back to Danielle, anger beginning to shine in his eyes. "What's going on? Tell me right now," he ordered, taking a step in her direction.

Jasper immediately placed himself between Danielle and Charlie, his shoulders tense and his expression one of warning. It was blatantly clear that he did not like the vibe Charlie was giving off. "If you take one more threatening step toward my wife, we are going to have a very serious problem, Chief Swan," he all but growled, his entire body taught as a drawn bowstring.

Charlie immediately looked enraged that Jasper had stood up to him. "Boy, you had better not test me," he said, invading Jasper's personal space and pointing a warning finger in his face. "My daughter is missing. You and your wife have information, and I want it. Now!"

Jasper didn't even flinch, nor did he back down from Charlie, his amber eyes locked on the police chief with an intensity that would have sent any sane person running for the hills.

Sensing the situation was starting to get out of control, and not wanting to see what Jasper might do if he decided Chief Swan was a threat that needed to be handled, Danielle immediately maneuvered her way between him and Charlie, knowing he wouldn't do anything so long as she was in the way. At the same time, her mother pulled Charlie back and began doing her best to calm him down. Jasper only turned that dangerous glare away from Charlie when Danielle placed a gentle hand on his neck, prompting him to look at her instead.

"Calm down," she said gently. "He's just scared. He doesn't mean anything by it."

Jasper said nothing in response, merely looked at her for a moment before turning a hard stare back on Charlie, clearly still on his guard.

"I just want to know where Bella is!" Charlie suddenly hollered behind her.

Danielle flinched and whipped around to see what was going on. Apparently her mother's attempts to calm Charlie down weren't working. He was getting increasingly agitated, and she could tell by the way her mother shrunk away that Charlie was scaring her. Jasper started in their direction, as if he was going to come to Lynne's defense too, but Danielle stopped him with a hand on his chest and moved to stand between her mother and Charlie, giving the police chief a stern frown – she could understand why Charlie was so upset, but she wasn't about to let him take his anger out on her mother when she hadn't done anything wrong.

"First of all, stop yelling at my mother," she said firmly, which made Charlie huff impatiently. "Second, we don't know where Bella is, alright? But I don't think standing here yelling at each other is gonna help us find her. Do you?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed at her again and a muscle in his jaw clenched. He started to say something back, but at that exact moment, several headlights suddenly lit up the street outside, accompanied with the sound of multiple cars arriving on the scene. It seemed Charlie had already called for help, and the cavalry had just arrived. After sparing all of them one last hard look, he stormed out of the house without another word.

Danielle looked at her mother, who was frowning back at her, obviously upset. Lynne soon turned to follow Charlie outside, but Danielle lingered in the doorway with Jasper, who was still very much tense as he came to stand beside her.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked with a shake of her head, watching from afar as Charlie went to meet with the dozens of people that had shown up on his property. Danielle looked to Jasper questioningly. "Have you talked to Edward?"

Jasper shook his head to signal that he hadn't. He glanced at Charlie, then stuck a hand into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. "I'll call him. See if I can figure out what happened."

Danielle nodded, then, after Jasper went into the living room to try to get in touch with Edward, she looked to the chaotic scene across the street.

There were people everywhere, talking hurriedly to one another, passing out flashlights, crowding around maps that were being spread out of the hoods of cars, trying to figure out where they should begin their search. While Charlie barked out orders and everyone started to separate into teams, Danielle couldn't help but feel useless.

More than anything, though, she was just flat out scared. She had fully expected that Bella would be upset. That she would be sad, maybe even furious…but she had not expected that her friend would go missing. She couldn't explain why Bella was gone, or where she had gone to, and as her mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have happened to her, her fear only worsened.

What if something bad had happened? What if she had gotten lost? What if she had gotten hurt? What if she had fallen down a cliff and…no.

She couldn't even finish that thought. She couldn't stomach it.

The search teams weren't wasting any time. Groups were already starting to disperse, their flashlights bouncing off the trees behind the Swan house as they disappeared into the forest and began calling out Bella's name. Danielle glanced at Charlie again, then decided she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. She needed to find a way to help out.

Danielle left her mother's house and jogged over to where Charlie was sharing a few last words with another police officer. After the other officer left, Charlie started toward another group that was still preparing to head out. Danielle quickened her pace to catch up with him.

"Charlie?" Danielle called to catch his attention.

He froze, then turned back to her with a stoney look on his face. "What?"

She stopped in front of him, fidgeting under his unfriendly stare. He had never looked at her like this before. It was a look she definitely didn't like being on the receiving end of. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. "I can join one of the search teams or – "

Charlie held up a hand to make her go quiet. "I think you've done enough," he interrupted bluntly.

Then he walked away.

Danielle watched him go with a frown. Lynne, who had been standing off to the side and looking uncertain as to what she should do, hurried after Charlie. As Danielle watched her mother receive the same, cold treatment that the police chief had just given her, Jasper appeared by her side again. Danielle immediately turned hopeful eyes on him.

"Anything?"

Jasper shook his head grimly. "He didn't answer. I called the family, too, but they haven't heard from him either."

Danielle cursed her brother-in-law in her head, thinking this was the worst possible time for him to decide to vanish off the face of the planet. She gnawed on her lip, watching as another search party disappeared into the forest, then turned to face Jasper fully.

"Can you find her?" she asked, knowing his keen vampire senses would make this process a lot easier.

Jasper looked at her sharply, hesitancy flashing through his eyes. "I can, but…"

Danielle frowned. "But what?"

He pressed his lips together tightly. "I'm…unsure if I'm the best person to be around her," he admitted. "If she's hurt, if she's bleeding, and I'm the one that finds her first…" He trailed off and shook his head.

Danielle understood exactly what he was afraid of. Of course he would be hesitant to go looking for her, especially if there was a chance she was hurt, and especially after what had happened at her birthday party. It was a lot to ask of him, but the fact remained that there was no telling what condition Bella was in, and if there was any hope of finding her as quickly as possible, then Jasper was their best bet.

Danielle grabbed his hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "I know you're afraid. I know that you don't trust yourself right now. But the longer Bella is out there, the more she's in danger," Danielle said, pointing at the woods. "She needs help, Jasper. Your help."

Jasper looked at her for a long moment, turned his golden eyes to the woods, then sucked in a deep breath. "Alright," he said with a single nod. "Stay here. I will return soon."

Danielle nodded, squeezed his hand one last time, then watched as he walked – at human pace – toward the woods, heading in the same direction the search teams had gone.

With nothing to do now but wait, Danielle went to Bella's truck and sat on the front bumper, wrapping her arms around herself. Distantly she could hear Bella's name being shouted over and over again in the woods, and with each frantic shout, the guilt and fear ate away at her more.

Could this have been avoided? If she had just warned Bella what was going to happen, if she had told her what Edward had planned, would things have turned out differently? Her gut had told her not to lie to Bella, to tell her what was going to happen, but she had not listened to it. Now Bella was out there somewhere, in only God knew what kind of condition, and Danielle couldn't help but think that maybe Charlie was right – maybe this was her fault. If she had just been honest with her, if she had been a better friend, maybe Bella would be home right now. Still heartbroken, yes, but at least safe and alive.

But Danielle hadn't been a good friend. She had made the wrong choice, and now everything was going wrong, and she had never felt so wretched in her entire life.

More people were arriving on the scene, not pulling up in police cruisers but in regular vehicles now. Danielle gazed at some of the newcomers, with their long, dark hair and russet colored skin. They reminded her of Jacob Black, Bella's friend from the reservation, and she suddenly recalled that Charlie was good friends with some of the men in La Push. The men that had just shown up must have been from the reservation. In fact, she thought the young looking guy pushing a man in a wheelchair looked a little like Jacob, though it had been a long time since she'd seen him, so she couldn't be sure.

Charlie, who had stayed behind to coordinate more teams and wait for news, somberly greeted the one she thought might be Jacob, as well as the man in the wheelchair, shaking both of their hands and nodding grimly as they undoubtedly offered words of sympathy.

Someone suddenly sat down on the bumper next to her, which made Danielle look that way. It was her mother, still frowning and looking troubled as she mimicked Danielle's pose, wrapping her arms around herself tightly.

"I thought you might be helping Charlie," Danielle commented.

Lynne shook her head and glanced at the man she was dating, her expression somber. "I think he has the help he wants. I'd only get in the way," she said neutrally. She paused for a few moments, then shook her head. "I knew keeping secrets from him was a mistake. It's why I didn't want to do it."

Danielle sighed, feeling even worse, because it had been her who had asked her mother to, more or less, lie to Charlie. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

Lynne looked over at her, then sighed and unwound her arms so she could wrap one of them around Danielle's shoulders. "I think there's a lot of people at fault here," she said, giving her a little squeeze.

Danielle managed a half-hearted smile, appreciating her mother's attempt to take some of the blame off of her, even though she didn't feel like she deserved the courtesy. "Do you think Charlie's gonna hold it against you?"

Lynne shrugged. "I hope not."

They both went quiet after that, just sitting in silence and waiting for some kind of news. Danielle pulled out her phone, first to check to make sure she hadn't missed any potential calls or texts from Bella – there were none – then to check the time. Jasper had been gone for much longer than she had anticipated, which only made her worry even more. With his super speed and incredible sense of smell, he should've been able to locate Bella no problem. Why wasn't he back yet?

Her brain immediately jumped to the worst case scenario – maybe something really awful had happened to Bella, and Jasper was either too afraid to get close to her or too afraid to come back and deliver the bad news.

Danielle took a breath and forced those horrible thoughts away. He couldn't just run in and run back out with Bella in less than ten minutes, she reasoned with herself. He had to act human, which meant he would have to find Bella and bring her back at the normal speed of a human. He was probably just being extra cautious.

As if he had known she was practically trying to will him into reappearing, Jasper reemerged from the woods only a few minutes later. Danielle spotted him and immediately stood, her hope flaring briefly, but then rapidly extinguishing when it was very obvious that Bella was not with him. There was an odd look on his face as he hurried toward her, though, one that put her on alert.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, moving to meet him halfway. "Did you find Bella?"

"I did. But…somebody else showed up and wouldn't let me bring her back," he said tensely, which made her frown with confusion. "We should go," Jasper said abruptly, grabbing her hand so he could pull her toward the car.

Danielle, her confusion worsening, dug her heels into the ground to try to resist his insistent tug. "Wait, what? I don't understand. What do you mean – ?"

Jasper whipped around to face her again. "Danielle," he interrupted firmly, his eyes serious. "Trust me when I say that we should – "

He did not finish that statement, though, because something had caught his attention. Danielle followed his gaze and saw that almost all of the Quileute men that had come to help look for Bella were staring directly at them. There was open disgust on the faces of some, and downright hatred on the faces of others. Danielle stiffened, unsure if those looks were being directed at her or at Jasper…or both of them.

"I've got her!" a voice suddenly cried.

The shout was enough to draw the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Danielle instantly forgot about the men from La Push and watched as a tall, muscular guy wearing only a pair of shorts and some tennis shoes walked into view, carrying a limp figure in his arms.

Bella.

Danielle pulled out of Jasper's grasp and hurried in that direction, ignoring Jasper as he called after her. She rushed over just as Charlie took his daughter from the tall guy, trying to catch a glimpse of her friend to make sure she was okay. It was hard to tell exactly what state she was in, but when Danielle saw that her eyes were open and that she seemed at least somewhat alert, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Bella was alright.

Or, at least, she was alive.

Charlie was already carrying Bella into the house. Danielle watched them go, then shifted her gaze elsewhere when she felt someone watching her. She looked to the guy who found Bella, who was staring at her with a weird expression that immediately made her feel uneasy. Danielle frowned with confusion as she realized that there was something familiar about his face, as if she had seen him somewhere before, only she couldn't quite put her finger on where. The guy continued to look at her, then shifted his gaze to where Jasper was standing. His expression darkened, which only made the whole thing even more strange.

Danielle shook her head, deciding now wasn't the time to think about the weird behavior of the Quileute men. Bella was back, and checking on her was the top priority.

Danielle left the tall guy behind and went into the Swan house, where Charlie had deposited Bella on the couch and was urgently checking her over while a crowd of people hovered behind him. Danielle wove her way closer, peering over shoulders to try to get a look at her friend. Finally she made it to the couch. Bella was sitting with a blanket wrapped tightly around her while Charlie kneeled in front of her. Lynne was standing just behind him, holding a glass of water and looking very worried. It seemed Charlie was trying urgently to get his daughter to respond to him, but Bella seemed completely out of it, her gaze a million miles away and her father's words falling on deaf ears.

"We've got the doctor coming," he was telling her. "He'll check you out, make sure you're okay." Charlie paused, his face falling when there was no response from Bella. "Bella, please…just talk to me," he all but pleaded, holding her hands tightly and giving her an earnest look.

Danielle hesitated, then stepped closer, fully prepared for Charlie to lash out at her again. "Can…can I try?"

Charlie looked back at her, and for a moment she was certain he was going to yell at her to leave. But then the fight drained out of his face and he nodded once in permission.

Danielle eased down onto the couch next to Bella, gently taking one of her hands in hers. Bella's skin was cold to the touch. "Bella?" she said quietly. "Bella, it's me, Dani. Can you hear me?" No response. Danielle pressed her lips together tightly, her brows creasing with concern. "I know you're hurting right now," she said, rubbing her thumb over Bella's knuckles. "But there's a lot of people here who are worried. A lot of people who love you. If you could just…do something. Anything."

There was another moment of silence, then Bella blinked sluggishly and slowly turned her head to look at Danielle. Everyone froze, nobody even breathed, as Bella took a long few seconds to study Danielle's face.

"Dani?" she finally croaked out.

Danielle shared a brief look with Charlie, then smiled and nodded, squeezing her hand. "Yeah, it's me," she said. "I'm here. Your dad's here. Everyone's here. We've been worried sick."

Bella just continued to stare at her, as if she was having a hard time processing what she was saying. Danielle frowned at the lack of response and shared another look with Charlie, who motioned for her to keep talking.

"What happened?" she asked Bella. "Are you hurt? Is there something that you need? Tell us how you are so we know what to tell the doctor when he gets here."

Bella blinked again, then swallowed thickly. "Did you know?"

The question made Danielle's heart skip a beat. It seemed to confuse everyone else in the room, but Danielle knew exactly what she was asking about, and one look at Charlie and her mother told her that they knew, too. Danielle gulped and turned guilty eyes back to Bella, who was staring back unblinkingly.

"Yes," she answered, not wanting to lie to her anymore.

Something flashed through Bella's eyes, something that looked very similar to betrayal. Then she pulled her hand out of Danielle's. "Get out," she said.

A lump formed in Danielle's throat as her hand hovered awkwardly in the air. She looked at Charlie yet again, who now gave her a hard look and nodded to the door, reiterating his daughter's command. Lynne, it seemed, didn't know what to say and only looked at her with sad, helpless eyes. Knowing that she had messed up, and knowing that Bella had every right to be mad at her, Danielle obediently stood, not wanting to impose anymore than she already had. She paused, though, and looked down at Bella.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, the words coming out thick and emotional.

Bella only turned her eyes downward, refusing to look at her.

Danielle finally left, her eyes prickling with tears, not bothering to look back because she knew Bella wouldn't be watching her go anyway. She ignored the Quileute men still lingering in the yard, wrapping her arms tightly around herself and trying very hard not to cry. She walked straight to Jasper, who was waiting at the curb, his eyes already filling with sympathy. No doubt he would have heard the exchange and knew exactly what had happened.

Danielle sniffled as she approached, ready to get out of there and get away from it all. "Let's go," she told him.

Jasper nodded, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and kissed her temple. He led her into the car, offering a hand as she eased into the passenger seat. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest as Jasper got in the driver's seat and started the car.

It wasn't until they pulled away that she finally let her tears fall.

---

October

Danielle was back in her and Jasper's home in Forks, laying in their delightfully comfortable bed. She smiled to herself and snuggled deeper into the sheets, basking in the scent of Jasper that clung to the fabric, feeling safe and cozy and warm. She loved it there. Being in the safety of the room she shared with Jasper, in the familiar comfort of their bed, might very well be her very favorite thing in the world.

She would have been content to lay there forever…but a tapping on the window caught her attention and had her looking that way with curiosity. The shades were drawn, so she couldn't see what was outside. Perhaps it had just been a treelimb hitting the glass, she thought. That happened sometimes whenever it was particularly windy.

The tapping sound happened again, this time a little louder. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Danielle sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, digging her toes into the soft carpet. The sound wasn't going away, so she might as well go check it out and see what it was.

Danielle got up from bed and padded over to the window, grabbing hold of the massive curtains and pulling them open, fully expecting to discover that an overgrown tree branch was the culprit.

But it wasn't.

A woman was standing there, so close to the glass that her nose was nearly pressed to it, staring back at Danielle with an evil smirk and pure malice in her red eyes.

Victoria.

Fear immediately consumed her, paralyzing her in place. She could only stare back at Victoria, her chest suddenly heaving and her heart pounding against her chest. Victoria tilted her head to the side, staring back at her unblinkingly, then glanced downward, as if trying to point something out to her. Danielle followed her gaze, then immediately felt as though she was going to vomit when she saw what Victoria was trying to show her.

There were bodies splayed out on the ground all around Victoria.

Emmett. Carlisle. Alice. Esme. Rosalie. Charlie. Her mother. Edward. Bella. Tom.

They were all dead.

Danielle struggled to breathe now, her entire body shaking, her vision going blurry as her eyes filled with tears. She looked back to Victoria…only the vampire wasn't alone anymore. Jasper was suddenly there, being held captive by Victoria, who had locked an arm around his neck to keep him from escaping. He was pleading with her, begging for her to run and try to save herself.

Danielle immediately threw herself at the window, pounding her hands against the glass and crying out for him, but she could not get to him. The glass would not break. She hit the glass again, harder this time, hard enough to feel pain in her hands, but still she could not get through.

Victoria laughed at her attempts and then said something to Jasper that Danielle couldn't hear. Jasper's eyes widened with terror, and that was all the warning she got. Suddenly Victoria ripped his head off as though he was made of paper, making his body crumple lifelessly to the ground. The vampire then held his head up by the hair, presenting it as though it were a trophy, smiling with triumph.

Agony ripped through Danielle, making her fall to her knees and scream at the top of her lungs.

Jasper was dead.

Jasper was dead.

And all Victoria did was laugh, so loudly that it began to fill the room, so evil and shrill that it made her shrink in on herself and cover her ears, her whole body still shaking as she sobbed.

Danielle woke with a start, her eyes popping open and her breath catching in her throat. For a moment she felt frozen, unsure where she was, still seeing the horrible images from her dream before her very eyes as if they were actually real. Then she blinked, and the dead bodies of her loved ones disappeared and the shrill laughter of Victoria went away. Only then did she feel like she could breathe again.

Danielle rolled onto her back, her clothes and the bedsheets soaked in sweat. She kicked off the covers and threw an arm over her eyes, breathing in slowly through her nose, and then out through her mouth.

It was just a dream, she told herself like it was a mantra. Victoria isn't here. It isn't real.

Finally, she felt like she could function. Moving her arm away from her eyes, she looked to the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was just past eight in the morning, but a look toward the window told her it was still dark outside. Sighing heavily, she sat up and rubbed her face tiredly, then slowly climbed out of bed and sluggishly made her way to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

She didn't bother waiting for the water to turn hot, turning on the cold tap instead and cupping her hands under the faucet, then splashing the ice cold water onto her face. She felt instantly awake, gasping at the temperature and scrambling blindly for a towel to dry her face. After she was done, she set the towel down and looked at herself in the mirror, bracing her hands on the counter.

The reflection staring back at her made her grimace.

She hardly looked like her normal self. Whatever tan she had achieved on Isle Esme was gone, her skin now paler than usual. There were bags under her eyes, too. Not all that surprising, she supposed, considering she hadn't seen a lot of sunlight recently and hadn't been sleeping well. Her chin was currently being assaulted by a worse than usual breakout, her hair looked like a bird's nest, and after waking up in a pool of her own sweat, she stunk enough to make her own nose scrunch.

God. She was a mess.

Danielle eyed the shower, but decided she didn't have the patience to wait for how long it would take to get hot water going. So she swiped on some deodorant, left the bathroom, then went to the closet to find some nicer smelling – and much warmer – clothes to put on. She changed into her thickest pants, her warmest sweater, and her coziest socks, shivering as a familiar chill settled over her. After sliding her feet into some warm house slippers and wrapping herself up in one of the blankets from the bed, she trudged her way out of the bedroom.

Danielle paused outside the bedroom, looking all around, but the stillness and the quiet were all the proof she needed to know that she had woken to an empty cabin. Jasper was still out.

Shuffling her way toward the kitchen, she eyed the fridge for a moment before deciding that breakfast didn't sound appealing whatsoever. So, instead, she went to the coffee pot to get some coffee brewing, then turned to look out the window as she waited for it to finish.

It had been a little over a month since she and Jasper had left Forks, and it had been a…weird month, to say the least.

It had started out fine enough, she supposed. They had decided to start their time away together in a cabin that the Cullen's owned in the Yukon territory. According to Jasper, this was where the family frequently went when their hunting trips took them to Canada. Yukon was not highly populated with people, but ripe with animals for Jasper to hunt, and the cabin was in a secluded area that meant complete privacy, but not so far away from town that it would be overly difficult to get food and necessities for Danielle. Given that they were far away from other people and in a prime hunting spot for Jasper, it had seemed like the perfect set up.

Danielle had been absolutely amazed by the place at first. Yukon was breathtaking, with miles and miles of vast, untouched wilderness, tall, majestic mountains, and some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers she had ever seen. The cabin they were staying in overlooked the Yukon River, which was already gorgeous on its own, but when she'd stepped outside the first night they were there and seen the northern lights for the first time, she could remember thinking to herself that she had finally found the one thing in the world that might have been more beautiful than Jasper. There had been no words to describe how utterly amazing it had been.

They had spent the first few weeks adventuring around and just trying to act like everything was normal. They had explored the town of Whitehorse, where they stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the locals, and Jasper had been more than happy to throw her on his back so he could take her to places out in the wild that she would've never been able to reach without him. As much as she disliked running with him, she was willing to tolerate it if it meant getting all the best views of Yukon.

But, for as much as they wanted to pretend, it had quickly become harder and harder to ignore the fact that things absolutely were not normal.

For one, Yukon was very different from Forks. As beautiful as it was, adventures in the wilderness had very quickly lost their appeal once October had hit and the temperatures had dropped. It was a colder than usual fall, bringing an unbearable coldness that felt as though it seeped down to her very bones. For a Houston girl that had struggled with the frosty temperatures of Forks, the frigid, subarctic climate of Yukon was extremely difficult to acclimate to. There was a good chance she was being dramatic about it, but to her, she felt as though they might as well have gone to the North Pole.

With November rapidly approaching, it was way too cold for her now. It didn't help that the Cullen's didn't have an actual heating system in their cabin, because why would they? They were vampires who weren't affected by silly little things like the weather. This was their hunting cabin, a place where no human had gone before, equipped primarily with the things that only the Cullen's would actually need. There was a generator for electricity so they could watch television and have lighting, plus a bathroom to wash up in and a laundry room to clean their clothes, but everything else that a human like her would require was not to be found.

Jasper had had to buy several things upon first arriving, including a bed, a fridge, and a cooking range. He'd also bought space heaters – many, many space heaters, which they ran almost 24/7. But even with those positioned all around the cabin, even with all the layers she put on and the many blankets she slept under, she felt like she could never get warm enough. It had gotten to the point where Danielle spent most of her time in the cabin, wrapped in numerous blankets like a human burrito, refusing to go outside unless she absolutely had to, which was never.

The longer she was stuck in the cabin, the longer she was isolated from the outside world, the more a new feeling that Danielle had not anticipated had taken root.

Loneliness.

Perhaps it was because she was so used to being around the Cullen house, where a moment of peace or solitude was nearly impossible, or maybe it was because she was so used to seeing her mom and her friends so much, but not having anyone else around was just…weird. As much as she loved Jasper, as much as she loved spending time with him, he was not the only person she cared about. She missed the busyness of the Cullen house. She missed working in the book store with her mom. She missed going to the diner to gorge on burgers and fried with her friends.

It didn't help that being so far from civilization also made getting into contact with anyone nearly impossible. The signal at the cabin was finicky at best – there was only one spot in the whole place where she could get at least some service, but even still, it was always a toss up about whether not the call would get dropped. It had made keeping contact with her family and friends a challenge. She'd talked to her mother here or there, had gotten in touch with the Cullen's a few times, and had exchanged a few texts messages with Tom, but that was it.

It felt like the rest of her social world had simply vanished, and now all she had was Jasper for company.

That should have been enough to make her feel happy, because he was the love of her life and she loved being with him. But…unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Because things between her and Jasper were definitely not normal, either.

Jasper had been…distant. It wasn't that he had completely shut her out, it wasn't that he was avoiding her, and she knew, with complete, whole-hearted certainty, that Jasper would always love her. But he was still struggling to gain back his confidence, was still shaken by what had happened at Bella's birthday, and because of that, things had been undeniably different between them.

For starters, Jasper hunted. A lot. In an effort to keep his bloodlust firmly locked away, he had been taking extra measures to make sure his hunger was always satisfied. He hunted every single week, without fail, and his trips almost always lasted for two days. It seemed excessive to her, and she had even asked him if it was really necessary, pointing out the fact that the Cullen's had usually gone a month, sometimes two, between hunting trips back in Forks. He had simply told her that for her safety – and the safety of anyone they would cross paths with when they went into town – he planned to be extra cautious for the foreseeable future.

Even if she still didn't think it was completely necessary, it seemed to make Jasper feel better, so Danielle had decided not to question him about it anymore and just let him do whatever he felt he needed to.

The hunting itself didn't bother her, but him being away did. She didn't like being in the cabin by herself, especially now that it was getting closer to winter and the days were getting much shorter. During this time of year, the sun typically didn't rise until just past nine and set just before seven. It was staying darker longer, and knowing that she was in the cabin by herself in the middle of nowhere, with no idea what – or who – could be lurking nearby made her more than a little uncomfortable. She had been reluctant to tell Jasper about her concerns, though, because he had enough on his plate as it was. He was trying to get himself right again, gain his confidence back – the last thing he needed to worry about was her being a paranoid scaredy cat whenever he was away.

When he was around, though, things just weren't the same. Plain and simple, he hadn't been his usual self. That calmness and easiness he had found with her seemed to be waning. His smiles, few and far between as they were, didn't reach his eyes anymore. That tension she hadn't seen since they had first met had returned. And as far as their physical relationship went, that was practically nonexistent these days.

Ever since they had left Forks, Jasper had been much more reserved when it came to physical affection. He still kissed her, still held her hand whenever they went out in public, and he still came to bed with her whenever she went to sleep for the night. But the intimacy was severely lacking. His kisses were chaste, his touches were downright gentlemanly, and sex wasn't even on the table anymore.

Danielle had tried. Oh, had she tried. But Jasper's lack of confidence in himself also extended to the bedroom, and any attempt on her part to lure him into their bed for more than just a cuddle sesh always ended in overly polite rejection. He was just too afraid that he would lose control if they tried to make love.

It stung. Big time. Danielle knew he didn't mean to hurt her, she knew he felt bad about it, but that didn't really help her feel any better about the situation. Her husband, whom she used to enjoy a very healthy sexual relationship with, refused to sleep with her. That would be enough to make anyone feel pretty down in the dumps, wouldn't it?

But for as much as it hurt, she did understand why he was so hesitant. Though he was generally good about keeping his power in check, sometimes she could feel that gut-wrenching guilt that ate away at him, that consuming despair that still hung over him after what he had done the night of Bella's birthday. It was abundantly clear that he was still so torn up over what had happened with Bella, and the fact that he was still struggling so much broke her heart.

It also made her feel like she was completely and utterly failing him.

She was supposed to be helping him get better. She was supposed to be helping him feel confident again. But they had been in Yukon for a month, and it didn't seem like Jasper had made much progress at all. It was difficult to ignore the guilt that ate at her anytime she felt his regret, every time she saw a frown on that beautiful face of his as he became lost in thought, every time he walked out the door for another hunting trip to try to make himself feel better again.

But that guilt was not only because of her inability to help Jasper. No, it was because of something else, too, something that had been hanging over her like a dark storm cloud since before they had even left Forks.

It was because of Bella.

Bella had not attempted to contact her once since she had left. No phone calls. No emails. No texts. Nothing. Danielle had called as much as her crappy service would allow, had sent texts whenever she could, had even written a letter and sent it in the mail to try to explain herself and beg for forgiveness. But Bella never answered. There was complete radio silence between them.

Granted, from what she had learned through her sparse conversations with her mom, it didn't seem like Bella was really talking to anyone. According to Lynne, Bella had sunken into a deep depression following the breakup with Edward and turned into a complete recluse. She did not hang out with friends anymore. She did not answer any calls that came her way and ignored texts from anyone trying to check in on her or lure her out for any form of fun. All Bella did was go to school, come back home, then spend all her free time by sitting at the window and watching the world continue on without her.

It had absolutely broken Danielle's heart when she had first heard it, had made her feel infinitely worse than she already had. Bella wasn't just devastated by the fact that Edward – that all of them – had left her. She was broken by it. And there was no possible way for Danielle to ignore or overlook the part that she had played in Bella's trauma.

She knew, without question, that she had made the wrong choice by not warning Bella ahead of time – not just about Edward's intentions, but about the plan for all the Cullen's to leave. It was clear that her actions, that her betrayal, had made a bad situation even worse, and with each day that passed where she did not hear from Bella, Danielle's regret over the situation only intensified.

She should have told Bella the truth. She should have been a better friend and warned her what was about to come. But she had let her anger at Edward and despair over the decision to leave Forks cloud her judgment, and in the end, she had made a bad move that had ended up hurting her friend even more.

Danielle did not blame Bella for being mad at her, nor did she blame her for not speaking to her. In fact, if Bella decided she didn't want to be her friend or speak to her ever again, she wouldn't blame her for that either.

Between the change in her relationship with Jasper, the isolation, the loneliness, and her guilt, suffice to say that Danielle hadn't much been feeling like herself either. It was getting harder and harder to put on a happy face for Jasper. Sometimes it was even a challenge just to convince herself to get out of bed. This time away with Jasper had been meant to be better – a time for healing, a time for growing together, a time to explore their relationship and enjoy one another.

So far, that certainly had not been the case, and the more time passed, the more she felt a darkness and heaviness pressing in on her, one that she wasn't sure how to make go away.

Danielle kept staring out at the dark landscape beyond the kitchen window as the coffee pot bubbled and gurgled behind her, just able to see the first bit of sunlight trying to fight its way through the oppressive darkness. Finally she heard a ding to signal that her coffee had finished brewing, making her blink back to the present. She went to the cabinet to get a mug, then filled her cup almost to the brim, not bothering with cream or sugar. Coffee now in hand, she went into the living room, where she eased down into the sofa by the window.

It was the only spot in the cabin with semi-stable reception. Danielle wrapped her hands around her coffee mug to bring warmth to her fingers and took a few drinks, sighing to herself as the hot coffee settled in her belly. After a few moments, she finally moved one hand from the coffee mug to retrieve her phone, which she had left charging on the end table next to the sofa.

There were no messages, no missed calls, nothing. Danielle frowned to herself, then flipped the phone open and pressed the second number on speed dial, before lifting the phone to her ear. It rang once, twice, a third time, then there was a click as someone answered.

"Why, it must be our lucky day! The cell phone gods decided to bless us with service!"

Danielle felt a smile immediately pull at her lips, not just because of her mother's enthusiasm, but because hearing her voice was like a balm for her soul. "Awful nice of them, right?" Danielle responded, her smile widening. "Good morning, by the way," she added.

"Isn't it just about noon where you are?" Lynne pointed out. Because, of course, she still thought that Danielle was in Ithaca with the rest of the Cullen's.

"But it's morning where you are," Danielle countered.

"True," Lynne said. "It's so good to hear your voice," she continued on, and Danielle could practically feel her smile through the phone. "I tried calling you the past three days, but could never get through. I just never would have thought that Ithaca would have such crappy service. If I were Carlisle, and if I were the one paying for all those kids to have cell phones, I'd be ripping into the company every day until they fixed that problem," she stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, what's the point of paying for service if you don't ever have any of it?"

This was a conversation they'd had before – their on-going struggle to get into contact with each other was a huge thorn in Lynne's side. Had she actually been in Ithaca, the service probably would have been fine and this wouldn't have been a problem at all. But she didn't mention that to Lynne, knowing it would make her mother ask questions that she couldn't really answer.

"I'm sure it'll work itself out soon enough," she placated.

"Hopefully."

There was a loud thump on the other end of the line, as if Lynne was moving around something heavy. Judging by the time of day it was in Forks, she had to assume that her mother was likely at the bookstore for the day. "Sounds like you're in the middle of something. Want me to try calling back later?" she asked, not wanting to keep her mother from her work if she was busy.

"No, no," Lynne said hastily. "I'm not doing anything important, and I'm not gonna risk your cell service giving out on us again!" There was one more loud thump, then Lynne let out a breath. "So, tell me, how is everything?"

Danielle frowned to herself, the nails of her other hand tapping against the coffee mug. She wanted to tell her mother the truth – that these past few weeks had been completely miserable and that she felt as though nothing was going right anymore. But she couldn't. Not just because she couldn't think of a way to explain what had been going on without telling her mother far more than she should know, but also because she knew that it would only make Lynne worry, and what good would that do? Why make her mother worry about her when she was hundreds of miles away, unable to do much of anything to help?

"Things are…fine," Danielle answered in as normal of a tone as she could.

There was a pause on Lynne's end, one that made Danielle cringe, because she knew her mother well enough to know that the woman had picked up on something. "Are you sure?" she finally asked, her tone caught somewhere between uncertain and concerned.

"Yeah, mom," Danielle said, forcing her voice to sound more chipper. "It's just…different, you know? Different place, different people. Everyone's still trying to adjust to the change, I guess. Me included."

"I understand, honey," Lynne said, buying the lie this time. "Change is always hard. I'm sure, in time, things will get easier. You'll see."

Danielle thought about how things had been going so far, and found herself desperately hoping her mother was right, that things would get easier in time.

"What about you?" Danielle asked to change the subject. "How are things going with you?"

"Oh, they're…fine," Lynne answered.

Now it was Danielle's turn to quirk a brow, her own suspicions piqued at her mother's not so convincing answer. "Are you sure?" she asked, throwing her mother's words back at her.

"Yeah, yeah, it's just…" Lynne hesitated, then sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this. We get so few chances to talk, I don't wanna ruin it."

Danielle frowned disapprovingly. "Mom, you can't just say something like that and then not elaborate," she told her. "What's going on?"

"Well, you know…Bella's still not doing well," Lynne said, which sent a painful shot to her heart. "The poor girl is practically a zombie most of the time. The whole thing really has put a lot of stress on Charlie's shoulders, because he just doesn't know what to do to break her out of this funk she's in." Lynne let out a sigh. "Anyway…with everything that's been going on, Charlie and I…we decided to take a break."

Danielle's heart dropped at the news. Her mother, lovely and wonderful as she was, had always seemed to struggle when it came to her dating life. There had just been too many bad relationships with too many losers, to the point that her mom had nearly sworn off dating completely. Charlie was the first, maybe the only, good guy that Lynne had been involved with in a very, very long time. With how happy he had made her mom, Danielle had really hoped that they would be in it for the long run.

Now that did not seem to be the case.

"You guys broke up?" she asked gently.

"It's what he thinks is best right now."

Her heart sank even more. It sounded like Charlie had been the one to dump her mom, which made it even worse. "Oh, mom. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Lynne said quickly. "I'm okay. We're still friendly with each other. It's just…for now, that's all we can be."

Danielle tapped her nails against her coffee mug again, chewing at the inside of her cheek unsurely. She thought that maybe it would be better if she didn't ask her next question, but she decided that she needed to know. "Do you think…do you think it's because of what happened before Jasper and I left?" she asked, referring to the fact that Lynne had not warned Charlie about the Cullen's leaving, or about Edward planning to break up with Bella, because Danielle had asked her to keep it a secret.

There was a pause. "I don't think it helped matters," Lynne said honestly. "But I don't think that's the sole reason, either."

She couldn't tell if her mother actually believed that, or if she was just trying to downplay it for her sake. Either way, Danielle sighed, set her coffee mug down, then rubbed her face. "God, I'm sorry, mom."

"Don't even try to blame yourself for this, Dani," Lynne immediately countered. "I can hear the guilt in your tone, and this is not your fault, okay?"

"But if I – " Danielle started to argue.

"But nothing," Lynne interrupted. "Bella is having a very hard time right now and Charlie is understandably worried about her. He feels like, right now, he needs to focus on her and on trying to help her get better. And I agree with him. It was our decision to take a break, and it has nothing to do with you, so don't blame yourself, alright?"

Danielle did still blame herself, but she could tell that her mother would not be having any of that, so she let out a loud exhale and nodded to herself. "Alright," she conceded.

"Good," Lynne said with finality. "Now let's talk about something happier, yeah? What are you plans for the big day tomorrow?" she asked to change the subject.

Danielle was so confused by the question that she immediately forgot to feel guilty about the apparent demise of her mother's relationship with Charlie. "Huh? What big day?"

"Don't you even know what tomorrow is?" Lynne asked incredulously.

Danielle pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the date on her screen, then felt her eyebrows shoot upward.

It was October twentieth, which meant…

Tomorrow was going to be her nineteenth birthday.

"Wow," Danielle said, pressing the phone back to her ear. "I really lost track of the time."

"I'll say!" her mother replied with a laugh. "You actually forgot your own birthday was coming up?" Lynne whistled. "You and Jasper must really be caught up in a haze of love."

Danielle pressed her lips together grimly. They were caught up in a haze, for sure, but certainly not the happy, love-struck one her mother was imagining. "Yeah, I guess so," she agreed.

"So? What are you doing to celebrate? I'm sure Alice has taken over party planning again, and I'll bet Jasper is planning something really sweet."

A month ago, Carlisle had hinted to the fact that Alice would be going all out for Danielle's birthday, just as she had done for Bella's. A month ago, she had been excited at the thought of celebrating with all the people she loved most. But that had been a month ago, when she was still in Forks, when everything had still been normal. Now she would be spending her birthday in Yukon, hundreds of miles away from all the people she knew and loved, in a remote cabin that was way too cold, not doing any of the things she might have expected to do.

It was a far cry from how she had imagined this particular birthday going.

"Dani?" her mom suddenly asked, making her blink back to the present again. "Did I lose you?"

"No, I'm still here," Danielle said quickly. "Um, I'm not sure what we're doing tomorrow. Nobody has told me anything yet," she lied.

"Well, I'm sure that whatever they have planned, it'll be great. I will admit that this is all a little weird for me, since I've always celebrated your birthday with you, but I trust the Cullen's to make it fun for you. Just know that I expect you to take lots of pictures and show them all to me when you come to visit me," she said, leaving no room for argument. "Any idea when that might be, by the way?" she added hopefully.

Even though she had promised Lynne she would come to visit, she already knew she wouldn't be leaving Jasper's side until he was himself again. And since she had no idea when that would happen, a trip back to Forks to see her mother would have to wait.

"I'm not sure, mom. We're still trying to get settled. A trip right now just…doesn't seem like a great idea," she told her gently.

Lynne sighed on her end of the line. "Right, of course. I know you've got your life with your husband and all. It's just…I miss you. A lot," she said, and there was no mistaking the sadness that lingered in her tone.

Danielle's heart clenched painfully. "I miss you, too," she said back. "But hopefully we'll see each other soon."

"Hopefully," Lynne echoed.

They chatted a little more, but eventually the time came where Lynne could not ignore her work any longer. Even though Danielle didn't want to hang up, because talking to her mother had made her feel better than she had in several days, she knew it was time to say goodbye.

"It was so good hearing from you, sweetie," Lynne said affectionately. "I hope tomorrow is so fun and so special. I'll call you tomorrow to wish you a happy birthday and hear all about it, alright?"

"Sounds good. Talk to you soon," Danielle told her.

"Love you, sweetie."

"Love you, too."

She clicked her phone shut to end the call, then set it down with a sigh. She picked up her coffee again and took a sip, noting that it had lost some of its warmth already. Danielle kept drinking anyway, nowhere near motivated enough to go all the way to the kitchen to warm it back up, her eyes turning to the window as the sun finally broke over the trees and shone light on the snow covered world outside.

Her birthday. She had really, truly forgotten it. Even if she had always loved celebrating her birthday, given everything that had been going on, and given the fact that she felt twice as guilty now after the things her mother had told her over the phone, a celebration hardly seemed appropriate. She certainly wasn't feeling in much of a festive mood.

But as Danielle glanced around the empty, quiet cabin, she realized a celebration likely wouldn't be happening anyway. Anyone she would want to see was either too far away or not currently speaking to her, and the one person she most would want to celebrate the day with was currently off hunting yet again. Jasper was away, and he had not done or said anything prior to leaving that would lead her to believe that he even remembered her birthday was coming up.

If it had been this easy for her to forget her birthday, it seemed very possible that he had, too.

What if he didn't even come back for it, and she ended up spending her birthday completely alone?

Danielle couldn't help the small part of her that felt wounded by the possibility of Jasper not being there for her birthday. After all, this would be the first one that she would get to celebrate with him. But she quickly reminded herself that Jasper was having a hard time, and that if he did forget, then she wouldn't hold it against him. In the grand scheme of things, a silly little thing like a birthday wasn't even important right now.

Besides, a pessimistic voice in the back of her mind said, given all the mistakes she had made recently, maybe spending her birthday alone, and uncelebrated, was what she deserved anyway.

---

On the morning of her nineteenth birthday, Danielle woke up feeling how she usually did – cold. Thankfully, though, she had not woken in a panic because of any traumatic dreams, so she decided the day was off to a good start so far.

She got out of bed and immediately pulled on extra layers of warm clothes, then headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Already she was mentally preparing herself for the possibility that Jasper might not remember what today was – or that he might not even be back yet. If he ended up being a no show or completely forgetting her birthday, she vowed not to make a big deal out of it, no matter how much she knew it would sting. They had more important things to worry about right now, and she refuse to be yet another thing for him to feel guilty about.

When she finished in the bathroom, she made her way to the bedroom door. She paused with her hand on the knob, however, when a distinct smell hit her nose. Coffee. She then pressed her ear to the door, unable to help the smile that began to tug at her lips when she heard the tell-tale sound of someone cooking in the kitchen.

Jasper was back.

Danielle smoothed her hands over her hair, feeling very glad that she had mustered up the willpower to shower before bed last night, then opened the door to the bedroom.

The sight that awaited her made her blink with surprise.

There were beautiful flowers of all types and colors in numerous vases positioned all around the cabin, giving the whole place a sweet, floral smell. Green, purple, and silver balloons had been blown up and were floating around in various places, while colorful paper streamers had been draped over all the windows, entryways, and doors. Taped onto the fireplace mantle, just below the large television, was a banner that read happy birthday in glittery letters.

Danielle took it all in, that heaviness that had been pressing down on her heart lifting just a little, then finally turned her eyes to the kitchen. Jasper had been standing just inside the doorway, watching her with a small smile that looked borderline self-conscious as she took in all his handiwork. He was breathtaking as always, wearing her favorite navy blue sweater that always made his amber eyes pop, his skin having more color than usual because of all the hunting he had been doing.

"I know it's not how Alice would have done it," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he took a quick look around the cabin. "But…I hope it will suffice."

Danielle didn't care one bit about what Alice might have done had she been there. All she cared about was the fact that Jasper had not only remembered her birthday, but had also gone out of his way to try to do something special for her. "It's better than what Alice would have done," she said earnestly.

At those words, his smile grew into one of relief and happiness, and Danielle felt her heart clench at the sight of it.

She hadn't seen him smile like that in far too long.

Danielle couldn't resist any longer and went to where he was, sighing contentedly as he pulled his hands from his pockets so that he could pull her in for a close embrace. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his chest and smiling to herself as she felt him press a kiss to her hair.

"Happy birthday, darlin'," he said, his hold on her tightening just a fraction.

Danielle lifted her head to smile at him. "Thank you."

He smiled back, then leaned down to press his lips to hers. He lingered there for a few seconds, the kiss soft and sweet, before pulling back much sooner than Danielle would have preferred. "Hungry for some breakfast? I made bacon, eggs, and coffee."

"Sounds wonderful," Danielle said with a nod.

Jasper pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, then led her into the kitchen with a hand on her back. He ushered her into a seat, then plated up her food and poured her a cup of coffee, before bringing them to her. He eased into the seat across from her as she picked up her coffee and, out of habit, wrapped her hands around the cup for warmth.

"How was your hunt?" she asked conversationally.

"Fine," Jasper said with a nod. "Was everything alright here while I was away?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Danielle told him. "I actually got to talk to my mom without the call dropping a dozen times, so that was nice."

"How is she?" Jasper asked.

Danielle hesitated to answer, bringing her coffee to her lips for a drink so that she had a reason to stall.

Under normal circumstances, she would have had no problem telling him about whatever she and her mom talked about. But these were not normal circumstances, and she didn't know if it would be a good idea to tell him that Lynne and Charlie had broken up. He would want to know why, which would mean she would have to tell him that a large part of the reason was because of Bella and how badly she was doing. And that was not something she wanted to tell him. Partly because it would only make him feel guilty again, but also because Bella had become a topic that they both actively avoided talking about with one another if they could.

"She's fine," Danielle finally answered. "Same old, same old."

Jasper nodded, though she thought, judging by the look on his face, that maybe he suspected she was not being entirely truthful with her answer. Regardless, he did not press the issue. "Eat, before it gets cold," he said gently, motioning to the plate.

Danielle immediately put her coffee cup down and picked up her bacon to take a bite. As she chewed, she looked to the vase filled with white daisies on the table next to them, smiling softly as she leaned closer to smell them. "I love all the flowers," she told him. "They're really beautiful."

"I was going to get you a bouquet of roses initially, but…that did not seem like enough." He glanced around at all the flowers, then gave her a slightly sheepish smile. "I admit I may have gotten carried away."

Danielle laughed. "Carried away or not, I think its perfect."

Jasper smiled and reached across the table to grab her hand, his thumb rubbing her knuckles gently. "I'm glad you like them. I really wanted to try to make this day special for you."

Just the fact that he was there with her, smiling and looking happier than she had seen in several days, would have been more than enough to make this day a special one. That he had done what he had so far was all just a bonus at this point. "Trust me, you are definitely succeeding," she reassured him, turning her hand under his so she could squeeze his cold fingers.

Jasper gave her a lopsided smile. "Well, the decorations are only the start. I've still got a few more surprises up my sleeve," he revealed.

Danielle's brows lifted with interest. "Oh yeah?"

Jasper nodded, then held up a finger to signal for her to wait before leaving the kitchen. She chewed her food thoughtfully for a few moments while he was gone, wondering excitedly what he was up to, then felt her jaw drop a little when he returned with his arms laden with gift bags.

"Next surprise – presents," he announced.

Danielle watched, gobsmacked, as he set everything down on the table. "Who are these from?"

"The family of course."

She immediately smiled, her heart warming at the fact that even though she was not currently with the Cullen's, they had still made sure to get her gifts. "They didn't have to do that," she said.

"They didn't give me an option. They were determined," Jasper said with a smile. "Do you want to open them now, or later?"

"Now, of course!" Danielle said, before completely abandoning her breakfast and grabbing for the bag closest to her.

The first gift she opened was from Alice, who had sent her a very nice, very warm looking, and undoubtedly expensive sweater. The fabric smelled faintly of jasmine, a scent that always seemed to follow her favorite sister-in-law, which immediately made her heart ache from how much she missed Alice. There was also a note attached, which made her smile. Something to keep you warm until you finally leave the snow. Keep your chin up, birthday girl! Greener pastures are in your future.

The next gifts were from Carlisle and Esme. They had sent a record player and several vinyl records, all of which looked to be originals. The record that stuck out the most right off the bat was one of Ella Fitzgerald's, which just so happened to have her and Jasper's first dance song on the playlist. The note attached read, Music is one of the greatest joys in life. We hope this brings you much happiness and a birthday filled with dancing!

The last gift was from Emmett and Rosalie. When she pulled out the object inside, she immediately burst out laughing, just because the gift was so ridiculous. It was a bobble head of a French man, complete with a beret on his head and a striped shirt, holding a baguette in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. When she tapped the head to make it bobble, the man said "Oui oui oui!" in a very thick French accent, which only made her laugh again. There was a note attached to it that simply said, Something very cool from France, as requested.

"Not exactly what I had in mind when I asked for something cool," Danielle said, passing the bobble head over to Jasper, who took it with a chuckle.

"This isn't the only gift from them. There's one more," he said, gesturing to the bag.

Danielle reached in again, this time pulling out a pretty picture frame that had a picture of her and Jasper from their wedding in it. She smiled, running her fingertips over the picture, pleasantly surprised by the sentimental gift. The note with this one simply said, Miss you both, and can't wait to be annoying the hell out of you again. Happy birthday.

Danielle set the picture frame down, then observed all her gifts with a smile. "Wow. I didn't really expect any gifts to begin with, but I definitely didn't think I'd get anything as good as this," she said.

Jasper smiled warmly. "Your mother and Tom sent gifts too, but they went to Ithaca first." Because of course they would, since that's where they believed she was. "Esme sent them here, so we can get them in a few days when they arrive," he told her, to which she nodded in understanding. "There is one more gift, though," he added.

Jasper produced a box from beneath the table, which he slid over to her with another slightly self-conscious look. That was all she needed to see to know that this gift was from him.

Danielle looked at him for a moment, then pulled the box closer and opened it. Inside was what looked to be a scrapbook, though there wasn't much on the cover to indicate what it contained. Brows furrowed with interest, Danielle opened it and then immediately felt her heart swell.

Every page was filled with pictures, meticulously cut out and placed in such a way that every inch of every page was filled straight to the border. The photos were from various times throughout the past ten months, with all of the people that she cared about the most. Everyone made an appearance – Jasper, her mother, Tom, the Cullen's, the lunch group. From the Spring Fling, to random outings, to various friends' birthdays, to graduation, to their wedding, and everything in between, each page told the story of the life she had been living the past ten months, and all the people who had made it such a good one.

There were even pictures of her with Bella and with Edward, which gave her pause, though for two very different reasons. Bella, because she was almost positive she had lost that friendship and it hurt to see those photos, and Edward, because even now she still had not let go of her grudge against him and seeing his face only reminded her of the bitterness still inside her.

"I was…unsure, if I should put them in there, given everything that has…happened," Jasper admitted quietly when he saw her lingering on those particular pictures. "But I know you still care about them, despite everything. In the end, it seemed wrong not to include them."

Danielle nodded in understanding, her eyes turning back to the pictures of Bella and Edward. Finally, she closed the scrapbook, running gentle, reverential fingers over the cover. It was a very sweet gesture on Jasper's part, the sort of gift that she would not have expected from him, but which touched her heart all the same. In a way, it made her a little sad to see the faces of her loved ones, all of whom she was so far away from. And yet, it made her happy at the same time, because it brought back a lot of good memories that she had been struggling to remember as of late.

Danielle stood from her seat, went to his side of the table, then eased down onto his lap so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and give him a sweet kiss. His hands slid onto her back, pulling her a touch closer as his lips moved with hers. When they parted, she leaned her forehead against his.

"Thank you, Jazz," she said quietly, her fingers toying with his soft, golden hair. "I couldn't have asked for a better gift."

Jasper's hand found her cheek, his fingertips gliding along her jaw as his eyes peered intently into hers. "I know it hasn't been easy, being here, being so far away from everyone," he said seriously. It was the first time either of them had really addressed the giant elephant in the room, which they had both been content to ignore thus far. "You have made a huge sacrifice to be here for me, and I…" He stopped and swallowed thickly. "I cannot begin to find the words to tell you how grateful I am." He brushed a red curl away from her face now, giving her a small smile. "Even if does not measure up in the slightest, I thought, since you cannot be with all those people you care about, at least this way you can still see them."

Danielle smiled, having to swallow past the lump that had just lodged itself in her throat. She wasn't sure what exactly had made her so emotional – his sweet words, or the swell of love and gratitude that she could feel coming from him. "Well, it's perfect," she said with a nod. "I love it. And I love you."

"I love you, too," Jasper said with a smile.

They shared one more kiss, then Danielle cleared her throat to shake off the emotional moment and pulled back far enough to give him a questioning look.

"So," she asked to change the subject. "What else do you have planned for today?"

"I have one more surprise, but that won't be until later tonight," he said, and she couldn't help the way her heart jumped in anticipation at the thought of what kind of surprise that might be. "Until then…it's your birthday, darlin'. You tell me. I'll do anything that you want to," Jasper said with a nod.

Danielle took a moment to think about it, her eyes scanning the cabin. As beautiful it looked with all the flowers and decorations, as sweet as it was of Jasper to do that for her, she suddenly found that staying there was the last thing she wanted. Between Jasper's sweet gestures and the thoughtful gifts the Cullen's had given her, she was feeling happier than she had in a long time. This day felt different, it felt like it was going to be good, and she didn't want to waste it by sitting around inside all day. It had been at least two weeks since she had left the cabin – she wanted to get out, wanted to see something different and get some fresh air. Even if that air was way too cold, she would be willing to deal with it.

"Let's get out of here," Danielle finally said. "Let's go to Whitehorse, find something fun to do."

That lopsided smile that she loved so much, the one she had missed so much, was back on Jasper's face. "Sounds perfect."

So about an hour later, after Danielle had put on her new sweater from Alice and spruced herself up, they got in the car and began the long drive to Whitehorse. Or, at least, it would have been a long drive for any normal person who actually drove at a responsible speed, which Jasper and the entire Cullen family rarely did. But even with the snowy and icy roads, Jasper knew what he was doing, and they made it to Whitehorse twice as fast.

It was a good day. Actually, it was a great day. They visited one of the few museums they had not yet checked out, picked up various odds and ends at little mom and pop shops, grabbed a hot chocolate between stores, and then stopped for lunch at a place with a really great view of the nearby mountains. After lunch they found what appeared to be the one and only bowling alley in town, where they proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to best each other. Jasper, of course, was entirely too good at bowling, which wasn't a surprise seeing as he seemed to be good at pretty much everything he did. In the end, however, Danielle ended up winning, though she knew good and well that it was only because Jasper had lost on purpose.

To make things even better, being back in town meant she had stable cell service again, so finally she was able to talk to people again.

The first call came from her mom not long after arriving in Whitehorse, who sang her happy birthday and happily gabbed away with her and Jasper over speakerphone. After they finally said goodbye, she exchanged texts with the lunch group, who all reached out to wish her a happy birthday, then she enjoyed a very long, very overdue call with Carlisle, Esme, and Alice, who she thanked profusely for the wonderful gifts they had sent. Tom called around lunchtime, making her laugh with his very operatic rendition of the birthday song before they spent at least twenty minutes catching up. Between one of the many rounds of bowling, she was even able to get in touch with Emmett and Rosalie, who told her all about their time in Paris and spent half the conversation trying to convince her and Jasper to come meet them there. Well, Emmett tried to convince them, anyway – even if she and Rosalie got along better now, the vampire hadn't sounded very keen on the possibility of her and Jasper wrecking her romantic getaway with Emmett.

The best part of the whole day, though, was Jasper. The longer the day went on, the more Danielle felt like she was beginning to see the real him emerging again. She didn't know if his mood was improved just because it was her birthday, or if he was finally starting to find that balance and confidence he had been searching for, but he seemed, for the first time since Bella's birthday, more like himself. He was smiling and laughing again, sneaking kisses when she least expected it and being affectionate the way he had always been before the incident with Bella.

Out of all the gifts she had received, seeing Jasper happy again was, without question, the best birthday gift of all.

She did not hear from Bella, nor from Edward, but she honestly hadn't expected she would, so she did not dwell on it much. Regardless, by the time they finally called it a day and headed back to the cabin, Danielle's heart was full and happy. Things, for once, felt normal. And she finally had a sense of hope – hope that maybe they had reached a turning point, hope that from this point on, things would only get better and better.

Jasper cooked her dinner, chatting with her as she ate, then practically forced her to go and relax on the couch so he could clean up the kitchen once she had finished. Danielle went with minimal protest, snuggling up in front of the fire with a cup of coffee and wearing a smile of contentment as she eyed the glittering happy birthday banner still hanging there.

"And for your last surprise," Jasper said to eventually catch her attention.

She turned toward the kitchen, then smiled widely when she saw him carrying a small cake with a single, flaming candle in the middle.

"A birthday isn't complete without cake," he said.

He then walked over to where she sat, singing her happy birthday and almost looking bashful about it, though his voice was so good and soothing that he certainly had nothing to be embarrassed about. When he finished, he set the cake on the coffee table in front of her, then clapped when she blew out the candle.

"Happy birthday, darlin'," he said once again.

"Thank you, Jazz." She reached forward to caress his face, smiling at the way he leaned into her touch. "This has been the best birthday."

"The best?" he asked, even as he smiled proudly.

"The best," she reiterated.

He reached up to grasp her hand, then placed a lingering kiss to her palm, the feel of his lips on her skin sending a shiver through her body that was too obvious for him not to notice. "I'm glad you had a good day."

His gaze held hers for a few beats, the way he was looking at her awakening something very familiar within, something that had her senses prickling with awareness and made warmth shoot straight through her. She found herself leaning forward with anticipation, her lips tingling from how badly she wanted to kiss him.

But then Jasper blinked, and then he was letting go of her hand and offering her a fork. "You should not let that cake go to waste," he said.

Danielle let out a breath, unable to help the disappointment that flashed through her as he put more space between them. She tried to smother the feeling down so that Jasper wouldn't notice, then offered a small smile and took the fork. "Thanks," she said quietly.

While she ate her cake, Jasper kept himself busy by setting up the record player Carlisle and Esme had gotten her. While he worked, Danielle found herself watching him, her body still humming with the desire that he ignited within her with just a look and a simple little kiss.

Sex was certainly not the most important thing when it came to her relationship with Jasper, but she could not deny how much she had missed the intimacy, missed that intense connection they shared when they made love. She had been doing her best to give him space, to take things slow and not force the issue when he wasn't ready, but the fact of the matter was that she needed him, now more urgently than ever. She craved his touch, craved his kisses, craved that exquisite pleasure they found together. And after the wonderful day they'd had, after all the kisses he had given her and looks he had been sending her way, she was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't the only one feeling that way.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a very familiar song starting up. As Tenderly by Ella Fitzgerald began to play, she looked over at Jasper, who had that small, lopsided smile on his face again as he made his way back to where she sat. He stopped in front of her, then extended a hand in her direction.

"Will you dance with me, Mrs. Hale?" he asked.

The cake forgotten, Danielle immediately nodded and slipped her hand into his. He led her away from the furniture, then pulled her in close, one hand resting low on her back, the other holding her hand to his chest. Danielle wasted no time sliding her other arm around his shoulders, another sigh of contentment escaping her as she rested her cheek on his chest and swayed with him to the music.

There were no words spoken between them as they danced. They just didn't seem necessary. Danielle listened to the song, unable to help feeling, for just a moment, like they had transported back in time to their wedding. She snuggled closer to him, smiling to herself as he tightened his hold on her just a little and she felt his lips against her hair.

But as sweet as the moment was, it wasn't enough to make her forget the desire for him that still simmered in her veins, that yearning that refused to be pushed aside. It became even harder to ignore when she felt his thumb begin to trace circles on her back, when the hand that had been holding hers slowly began to slide down the length of her arm, pushing the sleeve of her sweater up so that he could touch her skin instead. Danielle turned her head so that her forehead was against his sternum, breathing in that piney scent that always reminded her of home. Then, unable to help herself, she lifted her head so that she could press a gentle kiss against his neck.

She felt Jasper tense beneath her lips, his hands freezing on the spot as she pressed a second kiss to his skin, this time against the underside of his jaw. When she finally lifted her gaze to his to gauge his reaction, her breath caught in her throat when she saw that his eyes had gone midnight black. He swallowed hard, one hand lifting to rest against the side of her neck, his gaze searching hers intently. Heart pounding, body burning with desire, and unable to stand it a second longer, Danielle surged up to press her lips against his in a heated kiss.

Jasper responded immediately, a groan sounding low in his throat as he tilted his head to kiss her just as urgently. Danielle answered the sound with a moan of her own, her core turning molten and her knees feeling weak as she felt Jasper's desire slam into her. She flung her arms around his neck, her lips still molded to his. There was no stopping the breathy moan that escaped her as his hands slid down to grasp her rear, before he lifted her effortlessly off the floor.

In the blink of an eye they were in the bedroom, her legs still shaky as he set her back on her feet. He pulled his lips from hers to trail kisses down her neck, his hands still locked on her rear so that he could keep her body flush against his. Danielle threw her head back to give him better access, gasping with pleasure as his cold tongue licked a path up the length of her throat. One of his hands lifted to dig into her hair, his fingers tangling into her curls, then, with a growl, his lips were on hers again.

Danielle met his kiss with just as much hunger, her hands sliding over the muscles of his hard body. She forgot the coldness of the cabin, the coldness of his skin, the heat of lust and desire warming her through and through. The sweater she was wearing was suddenly too stifling, too restricting. She wanted to feel Jasper against her with nothing in between them.

She braced her hands on his chest to catch his attention. When Jasper pulled his mouth away from hers, she took a step back and quickly shed her sweater, tossing it aside carelessly. Under his intense, unblinking gaze, she undid her jeans and shimmied out of them, before walking backwards to lay down on the bed and beckon him to follow her.

Jasper did, trailing her slowly, almost predatorily. As she lay down on the mattress, he settled between her legs, his arms braced on either side of her as his black eyes held her gaze. It felt too good already to feel his familiar weight on top of her, to feel the hardness of him pressing against her as she wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him even closer.

His lips found hers again, hungry and all consuming, then they trailed downward once more. He kissed along her neck toward her shoulder, where he reached up to grasp the strap of her bra and pull it down. Danielle closed her eyes, breathing hard and fast as his mouth traveled down to her chest, kissing along the cleavage her bra provided and slowly working toward her sternum. Her fingers tangled into his hair to urge him to keep going, her hips pressing up against his in a desperate need for friction, her mind completely lost to the haze of desire.

But suddenly his lips were gone, and then the weight of his body was gone, too. It took a moment or two of Danielle blinking in confusion before she finally propped up on her elbows to look at Jasper, who now stood far on the other side of the room, his expression pained.

"Jazz?" she asked breathlessly. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her, his eyes still pitch black, one hand running uncharacteristically through his hair – something he only did when he was either very nervous, or very stressed. He did not respond right away, his eyes closing tightly as he shook his head, as if trying to shake something bothersome from his mind.

Danielle sat up further. "Jasper?" she tried again. "What's going on?"

He finally looked at her, regret burning in his eyes now. "I can't."

Danielle's heart dropped. But…he had just been kissing her like his life depended on it, and she had felt his desire for her plain as day. He wanted her. She knew that he did. So what had happened? What had changed? "What do you mean?" she asked, not understanding the rapid shift.

"I…I can't, Danielle," he repeated.

Body still burning, mind still struggling to comprehend, Danielle frowned with confusion. "But it was fine. We were fine."

Jasper shook his head again. "I got too carried away. I shouldn't have. I'm just…not ready yet."

When he started to go for the door, Danielle scrambled to get out of bed to follow. "Jasper, wait – "

"It's for the better, Danielle," he interrupted, making her freeze on the spot. "This is for your safety." Then he gave her another pained look, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "I'm sorry."

Then, as an all too familiar chill settled over her, he left the bedroom. When the sound of another door closing only a moment later reached her ears, she knew he had left the cabin entirely.

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I can't say when I'll be able to update again, but it will happen. I hope it was worth the wait, and I hope to see you all at the next chapter!