Author's note at the end!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Twilight, only the OCs!
Chapter Nineteen
A week and a half later, Danielle found herself experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu – she was sitting in the passenger's seat of her mother's car, watching the green, damp scenery jump past her window as they drove to Forks, Washington, just as she had done nearly four months previous when they had first moved to the tiny, rainy town.
There were three significant changes this time around, however. The first was that she had a big, bulky cast around the lower half of her left leg, which she certainly had not had when they moved in January. The second was that, unlike the first time, she wasn't completely dreading reaching Forks. The third – and perhaps the most important change of all – was that there was a third passenger in the car this time around. Jasper, the vampire she had fallen head over heels in love with, was sitting quietly in the backseat.
Danielle turned her eyes away from the scenery to glance back at him, giving him a smile when he felt her watching him and shifted his gaze to hers. He smiled back, and for a moment they merely stared at one another with adoration and contentment. When she felt eyes on her, however, she glanced at her mother, who looked at her for a moment, before quirking a brow at Jasper through the rearview mirror. Danielle cleared her throat, shot Jasper one last look, then turned her eyes back to the window.
It had been a very interesting week and half, that much was for sure.
As Jasper had predicted, any anger her mother had felt over her leaving Forks without her permission seemed to have been forgotten by the time she had arrived at the hospital. The moment Lynne had walked into the hospital room and seen Danielle lying there in the bed, covered in bruises and bandages and looking downright haggard, she had burst into tears and rushed forward to crush her in a hug. The berating Danielle had anticipated had never come. Instead, Lynne had hugged her and kissed her and told her over and over again how relieved she was that Danielle was alright and how much she loved her. And though she had still been in a lot of pain, Danielle had hugged her mother just as fiercely in return, unable to stop herself from crying tears of happiness at being with her again.
The surgery for her ankle had taken place the day after her mother arrived, and, thankfully, it had gone smoothly. Once the damage that James had done had been repaired, the doctors had fitted her with the bulky cast she was sporting now and informed her that it would have to stay on for at least two to three months. From there, she would be downgraded to a walking boot and, eventually, would need to start doing physical therapy to strengthen her ankle back up. The doctor, unfortunately, had told Danielle that she didn't think her ankle would ever quite go back to being as it was prior to the injury, but with a little time and little work, it would at least be functional again.
The rest of her stay was rather uneventful. While she recovered from her injuries and waited for the doctor's permission to be discharged, she remained confined to her bed, watching loads of trashy daytime television and trying not to die of complete and utter boredom. Thankfully, she had had good company with her, otherwise she would have gone stir crazy. Lynne was at the hospital every single day, only leaving whenever she needed to go back to the hotel to shower or to sleep. Danielle had gotten to meet and chat several times with Renee Swan, who had rushed back to Phoenix to be by Bella's side. Jasper, of course, had remained a near permanent fixture by Danielle's bedside after flat out refusing to go anywhere while she was still in the hospital. Carlisle and Edward had stayed behind, as well – Carlisle had been playing the part of the parent chaperoning his adoptive sons, while Edward had been determined to stay in Phoenix until Bella finally regained consciousness. Carlisle had visited Danielle at least twice a day, while Edward only popped in once to let her know he was happy she was alright before going back to Bella's bedside, where he remained day in and day out.
The worst part of her stay wasn't the lingering pain she felt or even the crummy hospital food she was forced to eat. No, the worst part ended up being the sudden dislike that her mother appeared to have formed for Jasper and his family.
The anger Lynne had originally felt toward Danielle ended up being directed at the Cullen's instead, since she seemed to think it was their fault that Danielle and Bella ending up in the hospital. According to her, it was Edward's fault that Bella had come to Phoenix in the first place, which had then resulted in Danielle following after them and, inevitably, led to their 'car accident'. Her anger toward Jasper and Carlisle was because they had agreed to take Danielle to Phoenix instead of talking her out of it, as they should have done in her mind. It was unfair of her to be angry with them, of course. The Cullen's hadn't taken her to Phoenix, and the fact of the matter was that if it wasn't for them, she and Bella would both undoubtedly be dead. But Carlisle had told her that Lynne knowing the truth was simply not an option, so there was nothing to be done about it. All Danielle could do now was try to smooth things over between Lynne and the Cullen's and hope that her mother didn't decide to hold a permanent grudge against them.
On the flip side, the absolute best thing to happen during her stay in the hospital was when Bella finally woke up. Between her numerous, serious injuries and the alarming amount of blood she had lost, it had taken several days for Bella to regain consciousness. Danielle had given her friend some space at first so that she could have her time with Renee and Edward, who had been so worried that they had rarely left Bella's room. But eventually she had reached her breaking point, and with Jasper's help, she had gone to visit her friend in her room. Once she and Bella were reunited and saw with their own eyes that the other was alright, there was a lot of hugging and a lot of crying, but also a lot of smiling and an enormous, shared sense of relief.
The rest of the days had passed quickly after that. The majority of the time had been spent in bed, though she had visited Bella as often as possible and even convinced Jasper to wheel her around the hospital in a wheelchair a few times when she couldn't stand being confined to bed any longer – any attempt to prod him into using his vampire speed to wheel her around extra fast, however, had earned her a hard look of disapproval and a firm, resounding no. She talked to Tom a few times, too, though she felt horrible when she first told him where she was – the poor guy had nearly had a heart attack when he found out she was in the hospital, and it had taken a lot to convince him not to jump on the first plane he could catch to Phoenix to come see her.
Finally, mercifully, she had gotten discharged from the hospital, and though she had felt a little guilty leaving Bella behind to be monitored a few extra days, she was so excited to go home that she couldn't find it in herself to be too upset. With Carlisle's help, they were able to get a flight back to Forks with no hassle at all, and he even paid for their tickets as a gesture of peace toward her mother. Jasper had flown back with them, which Lynne had not been overly pleased about. She had stopped putting up a fight, however, and agreed to let Jasper tag along with them after Danielle, firstly, told her mother she was sick of her being unkind to Jasper, and, secondly, reminded her that Carlisle was being exceedingly generous by helping them out.
So here they were now, back in Washington and steadily making their way back to Forks. It had been an awkward journey home – her cast and injuries had made sitting on a plane even more uncomfortable than it normally was, and her mother's passive aggressive attitude toward Jasper had been especially annoying – but she would soon be home, and that thought alone was enough to have her in good spirits. She had done more moving around today than she had the entire time she had been in the hospital, and it was definitely starting to catch up to her. Danielle couldn't wait to be back in her own home, sleeping her own bed.
By the time they were pulling into the driveway, it was mid afternoon. Esme was there to greet them, waiting patiently by yet another flashy Cullen car under the pretense of picking Jasper up. Danielle knew he would have been perfectly fine just running home, but it would have looked odd to Lynne if he had gone disappearing into the wilderness, so he had called Esme to come and get him instead.
Danielle smiled and waved at Esme as Jasper opened the passenger side door and helped her out of the car. Once she was balanced precariously on her good foot, Esme immediately moved in to hug her tightly.
"I'm so glad you're alright," she said in Danielle's ear. "I've been so worried about you and Bella."
"Thank you, Esme. And you don't need to worry anymore. We're both fine, thanks to Jasper and Edward," she said, keeping her voice down so her mother wouldn't overhear.
Esme nodded, then released her and stepped back as Lynne came around the car to join them, travelling bag in hand. Danielle cleared her throat and gestured to Esme. "Mom, I don't think you've met Jasper's mother yet. This is Esme Cullen. Esme, this is my mom, Lynne," she then introduced.
Esme moved to shake Lynne's hand, smiling warmly. "A pleasure to finally meet you. Dani has told me so many wonderful things about you," she said.
Danielle watched as her mother couldn't seem to hold back a smile. As determined as she had been to hold a grudge against the Cullen men, it looked as though she couldn't quite seem to extend that grudge toward Esme, too. "It's nice to meet you, too. I've also heard very good things about you," she replied in a friendly tone.
Esme nodded, then looked at Jasper, who was keeping Danielle steady with an arm around her waist. "Thank you for bringing my son home safely. I greatly appreciate it."
Lynne nodded. "Of course."
Esme glanced Lynne, then looked back to Jasper. "Why don't you help Dani inside?" she suggested gently, her easy smile never faltering. "I'd like to speak with Lynne in private, if she doesn't mind me taking up a few minutes of her time," she added, directing the latter part of her statement toward Lynne.
Danielle and Jasper both raised their brows in surprise, before looking to Lynne. She seemed surprised, too, but nodded in agreement. "Of course."
Lynne passed her keys to Danielle and nodded for them to go into the house. Without further ado, Jasper gently picked Danielle up bridal style and carried her inside, leaving Lynne and Esme alone in the driveway.
"What are they talking about?" Danielle asked Jasper as he carried her through the front door and down the front hallway, heading toward the stairs that led to the second floor.
"It sounds like Esme is trying to smooth things over with your mother," he said with a nod. "I guess Carlisle called her and told her your mother was unhappy with us."
Danielle nodded in understanding. "I hope it works," she said, feeling optimistic. If there was anyone she thought might possess the capability to make things right again, it was definitely the sweet and level-headed Esme.
Jasper carried her straight to her bedroom, then deposited her gently on her bed. After grabbing a few pillows for her to prop her ankle up on, he straightened up and glanced around with interest, surveying her – mostly – tidy room. It was the first time he had been there, she realized with a smile, seeing as he had always insisted it was improper, and far too tempting, to be alone with her in her room any other time she had tried to invite him in.
"Lookee here. I finally got you to come into my room," she said with a smirk. "The southern gentleman breaks his own rules. This is a milestone moment," she joked.
Jasper quirked a brow at her as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Technically we're not alone, considering both our mothers are right outside your window," he corrected. "And your injuries will certainly keep me from giving in to any temptations," he added with a pointed look. "So the rules are still mostly intact, thank you."
Danielle sighed and rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, alright. Spoil sport," she muttered.
Jasper smiled, then reached for her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. "Can I get you anything?" he asked helpfully.
Danielle sighed and shook her head. "No, I'm alright. I think I'm just gonna take a nap after you and Esme leave. I'm feeling pretty beat after all this travelling."
"Probably a good idea," Jasper agreed with a nod. He glanced toward the door for a moment, then stood from the bed. "Your mother is coming inside," he said. "I'm going to go. I don't want to keep you from your rest or keep Esme waiting."
"Alright," Danielle said, though she couldn't help feeling sad that he was leaving already.
Jasper leaned over to press a lingering kiss to her lips. "Call if you need anything, alright?" After Danielle nodded in agreement, he kissed her one more time before smiling and shooting a quick wink. "I'll see you soon. I promise."
"Okay."
Jasper straightened up again just as Lynne appeared in the doorway. "All settled in?" she asked, glancing between the two of then.
"Snug as a bug in a rug," Danielle confirmed with a nod.
Lynne smiled, then turned her attention to Jasper. She stared at him for a moment, then sighed with what sounded like resignation. "Thank you, Jasper. I know I haven't said it, but…you've been a really big help."
Jasper seemed pleasantly surprised with her praise. "You're welcome, Ms. Clark. I was happy to help."
Lynne nodded, then offered an apologetic smile. "Also, I'm sorry if I haven't been the friendliest person toward you and your family lately," she said next. "All of this has just been very…stressful."
Jasper smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to apologize. I understand completely."
"Good," Lynne said. Danielle grinned, happy to hear that Esme had evidently gotten through to her mother. But then Lynne quirked a brow and pointed a threatening finger at Jasper, which had Danielle frowning with uncertainty. "That being said, if you ever just disappear with my daughter again, nobody will be able to protect you from my wrath, you got that?" she warned sternly.
Jasper nodded at once. "Understood."
Lynne nodded back, then finally stepped out of the way of the door. Jasper took that as his cue to leave. After saying goodbye one last time to both her and her mother, he left the room and went to rejoin Esme so they could go home. Once Danielle and Lynne were alone, she gave her mother a look.
"Very nice, mom," she commented dryly.
Lynne shrugged unremorsefully. "I'm not sorry," she said bluntly. Danielle just rolled her eyes. "Alright, you're under strict orders to get some rest," Lynne said to change the subject, moving closer to the bed so that she could fluff the pillows behind Danielle's back. "I'm gonna go check in on Charlie real quick, then I'm gonna make us some lunch. Any special requests?"
Danielle smiled and shook her head. "Nope. Anything you wanna make is fine with me."
"Alrighty," Lynne said. She went quiet for a moment, sighing as she reached out to tuck one of Danielle's red curls behind her ear. "I'm happy to have you home, sweetie. And I'm so glad you're doing better," she said with an earnest nod.
"Me too," Danielle said. She then raised her eyebrows hopefully. "Does this mean you forgive me and that you won't ground me for my natural born life?" she asked.
Lynne cocked an eyebrow. "I forgive you, yes, but you're definitely still grounded, young lady," she stated matter-of-factly.
Danielle clicked her tongue with disappointment. "Dangit. It was worth a shot."
Lynne smirked, then leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I'll be back soon. Try not to run off while I'm gone," she quipped smartly.
"Hardy har har," Danielle commented back sarcastically.
Lynne laughed at her reaction, then headed for the door. Before leaving, however, she cast one last look at Danielle over her shoulder. "I love you, sweetie," she said, her tone and expression much more serious now.
Danielle smiled back warmly. "Love you, too, mom."
Lynne departed after that, leaving Danielle alone in her room. She stared at the space her mother had just occupied, then glanced around her room, smiling to herself as she took in the familiar surroundings.
It was good to be home.
It was a quiet night in the Clark household. Danielle took a nap after lunch, only waking again when Lynne came back upstairs with dinner around seven thirty. From there the two of them hung out in Danielle's room, turning on some music for background noise while they spent the next few hours just talking to each other. When it became obvious that Lynne was fighting a losing battle against exhaustion, they decided to call it a night. After working together to get Danielle changed into some comfier clothes and ready for bed – which was an adventure in and of itself – Lynne helped her back into bed, kissed her hair, then headed downstairs to get some sleep.
Not ten minutes after Lynne left, there was a knock on Danielle's window. She quickly looked up from the book she had been reading, her shoulders tensing at the unexpected noise, before smiling and relaxing again when she realized it was only Jasper. He smiled back and quietly opened the window, climbing through it easily before shutting it again.
"Well hey there," she greeted happily, closing her book and setting it on her nightstand. When he had said he would see her soon, she had thought he had meant that he would come by the next day. She hadn't realized he had intended to come back that same night. Danielle certainly wasn't going to complain about his quick return, though.
"Hello, darlin'," he said, walking over to her bedside and kissing her forehead.
She grinned up at him as he pulled back, one eyebrow lifting higher than the other. "Jasper Whitlock Hale," she said, flashing a sly smile. "First you came into my room without supervision, and now you're sneaking in after hours? You rebel, you. What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked teasingly.
Jasper smirked down at her. "I missed you too much to stay away," he said with a shrug. "Besides, after everything that's happened, I think I've earned the right to smother you a bit."
"Hey, you don't have to convince me. I won't ever complain about you being around. So smother away, babe," she said with a nod of permission.
Jasper gave her a lopsided smile, then motioned toward the bed questioningly. Danielle nodded at once, and after a bit of fancy maneuvering, Jasper had joined her on the bed, his back resting against the headboard and his long legs stretched out in front of him, while Danielle was happily snuggled into his side. He smelled of pine and rainwater and there was a bit more color in his cheeks, which led her to believe that he had gone for a quick hunt while he had been gone.
"Happy to be home?" he asked conversationally.
Danielle nodded. "So happy," she readily confessed. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually missed Forks."
"Maybe this town has finally won you over," Jasper commented.
Danielle shrugged. "Maybe. Or, maybe, it's just the people in Forks that won me over," she corrected, giving him a meaningful look.
Jasper smiled at that, his hold on her tightening a fraction. "Would I happen to be one of them?" he asked, though the look in his eye clearly stated he already knew the answer.
Danielle, however, couldn't resist teasing him. "Actually, I was referring to Emmett," she said bluntly.
Jasper looked shocked for a second, which instantly made her laugh. When he realized she was just messing with him, he growled playfully and poked her gently in the side, one brow lifting upward. "If you weren't recovering from injuries, you'd be on the receiving end of some merciless tickling for that," he grumbled, though he didn't seem as if he was really mad about it.
Danielle giggled and pressed closer, stretching forward to press a quick kiss to his jaw. "I'm only kidding. You know you're the most important person in the world to me. Nobody even comes close to comparing to you, Jazz."
The scowl of disapproval that had been on his lips shifted into a smirk of satisfaction. "Not even Big Foot?" he asked.
Danielle scoffed. "Puh-lease. Em's great and all, but he doesn't hold a candle to you."
Jasper seemed pleased. "Good to know."
A comfortable silence passed between them after that. If she had thought being home and being in her own room was nice, being there with Jasper was even better. Though he had been by her hospital bed for the majority of the time she had been admitted, between her mother's near constant presence, the steady coming and going of doctors and nurses, and the sporadic visits from Carlisle, they hadn't really had any private time together. It was nice to just be alone with him. And since it seemed he wasn't so opposed to sneaking into her room anymore, she found herself hoping late night visits like this would become a common occurrence.
Danielle grabbed the hand he had been resting on her waist, fiddling with his fingers and marveling at the size difference in their hands.
"Have you talked to Edward or Carlisle?" she asked to finally break the silence. "I tried calling Bella earlier, but I couldn't get through. I wanted to know how she was holding up."
"I spoke with Carlisle," Jasper told her. "Bella's doing fine. They think she'll be able to come back sometime next week."
"That's good," Danielle said with a nod. "I'm sure she's ready to come home and put all of this behind her."
"I think we're all ready to put all of this behind us," Jasper countered matter-of-factly.
Danielle nodded again in agreement. She certainly couldn't wait to forget all about James and the hell he had put her through. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that would be easier said than done in the end. It had been a traumatic experience, and she had a feeling it would take a long time to get over everything that James had done…assuming, of course, she ever was able to get over it completely.
Suddenly, she remembered something James had said to her about Jasper, something she had not yet asked him about because they hadn't had the privacy for her to do so. She turned her eyes up to her boyfriend, her brows creasing as she stared long and hard at his perfect, pale skin. Even now, staring as hard as she could, she couldn't see any scars on him. Where were they? Were they really there? Or had James lied to her about it just to mess with her head?
Jasper lifted a questioning brow when he noticed her scrutiny. "Something on your mind, darlin'?"
"Actually, yes," she said. "James said something to me about you," she continued, not missing the way Jasper's expression darkened when she said the nomad's name. "He pointed out something about you that had me confused," she said with caution, unsure how Jasper might react to the topic they were about to breech.
"And what was that?" he asked.
"He told me that you have a lot of scars, but I've never noticed any," Danielle said. "Is it true?"
Jasper stared back at for a moment, then sighed and slowly nodded. "It is true," he confirmed.
Danielle frowned. "How did you get them?" she asked.
Jasper hesitated before answering, looking conflicted. "It's a long story," he finally said. "They come from that tumultuous past I mentioned."
Yes, he had mentioned it, but he hadn't actually gone into detail about it. It was a subject that Jasper clearly was not overly comfortable discussing, and because of that, Danielle had never pressed the issue. But now, after everything that had happened, she felt like she needed to know. The time had come for Jasper to open up to her about the things that he had been through before they had met.
"I think we're past the point of keeping secrets from each other, don't you?" she said gently. When Jasper just frowned, she entwined her fingers with his and squeezed his hand encouragingly. "You can trust me. Tell me, Jasper. I won't think any differently of you."
"You don't know that. You haven't heard the story yet," he grumbled back pessimistically.
Danielle, however, wasn't going to be deterred. "Nothing you could say would make me stop loving you," she said firmly. "So tell me. I want to know.
Jasper hesitated again, before finally sighing with resignation. "Alright," he agreed. "I suppose I should start from the beginning then."
Jasper cleared his throat, then began to speak. "I was in the army, as I've told you already. I was young, only seventeen when I joined, but I moved up very quickly in ranks because I was good at getting people to listen to me and everyone seemed to like hearing what I had to say. I was told I was very 'charismatic'."
"I had worked my way up to being a Major by the first battle of Galveston, and when the Union's mortar boats reach the harbor I was placed in charge with evacuating the woman and the children. Once they were all prepared, I left with the first round of civilians to move them to Houston," he said. "We reached the city by nightfall, but I only stayed long enough so that I could ensure all the party members were safely situated. Once they were, I got a fresh horse and headed back to Galveston so that I could move the next group. I was only a mile outside of the city, however, when I ran into the vampire that would turn me."
Jasper paused, his eyes moving to stare unseeingly at the wall, clearly lost to his own memories. "I remember everything about that night. There were three of them. I thought that they might have been stragglers from the group I had just moved, so I decided to help them. When I got close, though, I knew there was something…different…about them. The way they looked at me, the way they spoke of me…it didn't take long for me to realize there was something dangerous about them, yet I seemed unable to walk away. The one that was in charge, Maria, finally came toward me. She asked me my name and told me she hoped I would survive. Then she came very close, like she was going to kiss me…"
Jasper paused, his lips pressing together tightly. Danielle squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Go on," she whispered.
Jasper looked over at her, his brows furrowed together. "Then she bit me. She turned me," he continued. "Once I was a vampire, she kept me close by. The south had been riddled with war for centuries. Maria was building an army to reclaim her territory, turning soldiers in the hope that it would help her rise to power faster. My skill in combat and my ability to control emotions served her well, and I became her second in command. I trained her soldiers to be vicious killers. We were a strong army, a powerful army. But there was always an enemy nearby that wanted to overthrow Maria and take her territory. There was a lot of fighting. A lot of intense, brutal battles. That is where my scars come from. From decades of living a life plagued by war."
Danielle had to take a moment to process everything Jasper had told her. She felt sad for him, because he been turned against his will, robbed cruelly of his human life, and subjected to a life of violence that he had never asked for. She also felt hatred for the vampire Maria, who had put Jasper through so much. At the same time, however, there was a part of her that was indescribably relieved and happy that Jasper had been able to escape all of that. She didn't like the thought of him fighting, or of other vampires trying their hardest to kill him.
"I warned you it wasn't a happy story," Jasper said with a wry smile.
Danielle nodded slowly. "Where are the scars?" she asked
"All over," he answered.
"Is there a way for me to be able to see them?" she inquired next.
Jasper glanced at her bedside lamp, then gently unwound his arms from around her. He pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow, brought the lamp as close as the cord would allow, then cast the light down on his arm at a certain angle. Danielle leaned closer and squinted, until she finally was able to see a faint bite mark on his forearm. She made a sound of wonderment, then gently touched the scar. She was surprised to feel raised skin beneath her fingertips, not much too different from what braille felt like.
Danielle looked up at him, noticing the vulnerability in his eyes and the way he had tensed at her touch. "Does it hurt?" she asked, worried the scar was sensitive and that she might have caused him discomfort by touching it.
"No," he said. "I was thinking how wonderful your touch feels, actually," he admitted with a flicker of a smile. Danielle smiled back, then lifted his arm to her lips so that she could press a lingering kiss to the scar. The moment her lips touched his skin, he hummed low in his throat. "Careful, darlin'," he warned, his voice huskier than normal. "I've gotten better with my self-control, but you keep that up and I can't promise I'll be able to behave myself."
Danielle flushed, but still smiled with satisfaction at knowing she had such a strong effect on him. "Sorry," she said, releasing her hold on his arm.
Jasper set her lamp back in its place, then slid his arms around her once more, making himself comfortable again. "How many scars do you have?" she asked, getting back to their conversation.
"Dozens," he answered. He looked down at her then, one brow raising higher than the other. "They don't bother you?" he asked uncertainly.
"The scars themselves don't bother me," she said. "It's the way you got them that bothers me." Danielle frowned, her thoughts turning back to Maria. "What happened to her?" she asked. "To Maria?"
"I don't know what happened to her after I left," Jasper said with a shrug. "I don't care what happened, either. She was…toxic. She was evil. She used me like her puppet," he said with bitterness.
Danielle frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.
Jasper sighed and shook his head. "Her army was primarily made up of newborn vampires. Our kind are at our strongest when we first turn, because our human blood is still in our body and tissues," he explained. "Maria would keep her soldiers for as long as they were at their strongest…but once that strength was gone, she would dispose of them and replace them with others," Jasper gave her a wry smile. "Guess who's privilege it was to get rid of the soldiers she no longer wanted."
Danielle gasped with horror as she realized it was him who had been forced to kill the unwanted soldiers. "Oh, Jazz…" she said sympathetically.
He shook his head, a deep frown pulling at his mouth. "It was awful, darlin'," he said quietly. "I could feel everything they felt. All the confusion. All the fear. But I didn't know better. I didn't know there was another way. So I went along with it for years." Jasper sighed heavily. "Eventually I couldn't take it any longer. I decided enough was enough. I left. Then I found Alice and, well…you know the rest."
Danielle gripped his hand tightly, her lips pressing together for a moment as she contemplated whether or not she should ask her next question. Finally, she decided to just come out without. "Did you…did you love her?"
Jasper gave her a look. "I thought I did," he admitted. "I thought what we had was real. But I know now that it wasn't. I didn't know what real, true love was until I met you, Danielle," he said, and she knew he was telling the truth.
Danielle smiled and reached up to brush her fingers through his soft, blonde hair. "I know what you mean," she said, thinking of how easy it had been for her to fall in love with Jasper, how right it felt to be with him. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. I'm sorry you had to live through that. But…thank you for finally telling me."
"You're not afraid, knowing how I used to be?" he asked with caution.
Danielle shook her head. "Never. Your life in the past was hard, but it helped make you into the vampire you are today. And I love you, Jasper. I love you for everything you were, are, or ever will be," she promised.
The tension that had been in his shoulders the entire time he was revealing his past disappeared instantly. He leaned closer, his eyes dark as he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck. "I love you, too," he murmured, before capturing her lips in a kiss.
Danielle made a sound of approval low in her throat as she leaned into him, heat shooting through her veins as Jasper kissed her slowly and thoroughly. When the need for air became too great to ignore, she pulled her lips from his, gasping for air. He pressed his forehead to hers, his fingers toying with her hair as he let her catch her breath. After a few moments he pressed his lips to hers again, giving her one last long kiss, before pulling far enough away to look at her, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Danielle…there's something I have been wanting to discuss with you. Something I have been thinking about since Phoenix," he said.
"What's that?" she asked, her mind still struggling to form coherent thoughts after that mind-numbing kisses.
"You said you wanted to be with me for the rest of your life," he reminded her. "You said you wanted to marry me."
Danielle suddenly gulped, her stomach jolting with a combination of nervousness and excitement. "Yes," she confirmed. "I did."
Jasper stared back at her intently. "I want those things as well, darlin'," he confessed.
Her heart felt like it might explode out of her chest. Was she dreaming, or had Jasper actually just said he wanted to marry her? "Really?" she asked, a huge grin breaking out across her face.
Jasper gave her a lopsided smiled. "Yes," he confirmed without hesitation. "I know we haven't known each other long. And I know we haven't been together for long, either. But it's the truth, darlin'. You are the only one for me."
Danielle couldn't wipe the grin from her face. "And you're the only one for me," she quickly agreed, which had him smiling widely. "Who cares if we haven't been together that long? Who said there's a set timeline we have to follow?" she continued. "What we have is real, and that's all that matters."
Jasper nodded. "Yes, it is," he agreed. He paused for a moment, before the smile faded from his lips and his expression turned very serious again. "The reason I've brought this up is because if our relationship is going where I believe it is, then there is a very important discussion we should probably have."
"And what discussion is that?" Danielle asked.
Jasper hesitated, then came out with it. "Whether or not you will want to become one of us."
Danielle blinked in surprise. "You mean…become a vampire?" she asked.
Jasper nodded. "Yes."
Danielle couldn't hide her shock. Realistically, she probably should have expected they would talk about this at some point – in a way, it was a little surprising that they hadn't talked about it sooner. She turned her gaze elsewhere, her mind racing as she considered what Jasper had just said. Bella had asked her once before it she would ever become a vampire, but Danielle hadn't had an answer. Now, as she rolled the question around in her head again, she realized that she still didn't have an answer. On the one hand, being a vampire meant she would be with Jasper forever, which sounded like an amazing deal. She loved him and he made her happy – the thought of being with him and getting to feel this way forever was a wonderful one. On the other hand, however, living forever was not the natural way of things. By giving up her mortality, she would be giving up a lot of other things as well. Things she wasn't sure she was ready to say goodbye to just yet.
"You don't have to decide right now," Jasper said, pulling her attention back to him. "But it is something we should talk about."
"I agree," Danielle said, before shooting him a questioning look. "What do you want, Jasper?"
He shook his head in response. "It isn't about what I want," he said. "It's about what you want."
"I think it's a decision we should make together. As a team," she countered. "So tell me – what are your feelings on me becoming a vampire?"
Jasper hesitated before answering. "Honestly? I'm not sure," he admitted. "Being a vampire is…difficult. You wouldn't be like us when you change. You would have to learn how to be like us. And trust me, it is not an easy lesson," he warned. "You'd be giving up a lot more than just your mortality, as well. And the transformation? I won't lie to you, darlin' – its excruciating. You saw what Bella was going through after James bit her. You'd have to suffer through that for three days." Jasper frowned and shook his head. "I don't like the thought of you going through that. Not one single bit."
Danielle took a moment to process his words, before squeezing his hand. "But…?" she prompted, knowing he had more thoughts on the matter.
Jasper looked at her. "But the selfish part of me wants you to be one of us, despite all of that," he said honestly. "Firstly, if you were one of us, what happened with James wouldn't happen again, which is certainly preferable," he said pointedly. "But, more importantly, we would be free to love each other exactly as we want to, without any fear and without restraint. We could be together for as long as this world exists." Jasper sighed, then raised her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss to her knuckles. "All that being said, I love you exactly as you are, and I would be honored to have you by my side just like this. But know that it would also make me equally as happy to have you with me for all eternity."
Danielle sighed and nodded slowly. Jasper had made some very good points – she would be giving up a lot if she decided she wanted to be a vampire, and she didn't doubt he was telling the truth when he said that their lifestyle was challenging. But she very much liked the sound of being able to be with Jasper forever, without having to always be so cautious or worry about something trivial getting in the way of their love. Could she really do it though? Once she was turned, there was no going back. Was she ready to say goodbye to life as she knew it? Was she brave enough to completely change everything and walk this world as a vampire? Was that what she really wanted?
She honestly didn't know.
"I'm not sure what I want to do, Jazz," she admitted. "There's a lot of pros and cons to both options, but…I'm just not sure what the answer is yet. It's a really big decision to make." Danielle paused for a moment, then turned a curious look on him. "What has Alice seen in my future?" she asked suddenly. "What were the visions she had about me that you didn't want to discuss before?"
Jasper seemed reluctant to answer. "She…saw you with me. As one of us," he revealed. So Alice had seen her as a vampire – Danielle couldn't decide if the knowledge of that excited her, or terrified her. "But you already know her visions are subject to change," Jasper added quickly. "Just because she's seen it does not necessarily mean that it will come to pass. You can still decide not to be turned."
Danielle nodded in understanding. "Of course," she said. She took another few moments to think about everything that had been said, before giving him a small shrug. "I think I just need some time to think it all through," she finally said. "It's…a lot to take in."
Jasper nodded understandingly. "Like I said, you don't have to decide anything right now," he reiterated. "Take all the time you need. There's no rush." He gently pulled his hand from her grasp and lifted it to her face, his fingers tracing her jawline. "But just so you know, darlin', I will accept whatever decision you come to. It doesn't matter whether you are human or not. As long as we're together, I'm happy."
Danielle smiled, her heart soaring at his words. She could not resist leaning up to kiss him, telling him through actions just how much she loved him.
Jasper stayed with her the rest of the night. They moved on to more lighthearted conversations after that, talking quietly with one another into the wee hours of the morning as they lay snuggled together. But the serious things they had talked about were never from Danielle's mind, nor did she think they were far from Jasper's. It would be a difficult decision to make, choosing between continuing her life as a human or starting anew as a vampire. But as she finally fell asleep, wrapped up in the arms of the vampire she loved, she knew that no matter her decision, she would still be winning in the end. Because no matter what, Jasper would be with her. And at the end of the day, that was all she really needed.
June
Danielle adjusted the graduation cap on top of her head, before scowling with displeasure at her reflection. Why, of all the colors they could have chosen from, had Forks high decided to go with mustard yellow as one of their primary school colors? She had complained about the color to her friends at school, who had promptly corrected her and said the color was gold, not yellow. But as she stared at herself in the mirror and cringed at the way her graduation robes clashed against her hair and skin tone, she decided everyone else was wrong. The color was yellow, and whoever had picked it was downright cruel.
"Dani! Come on! We're gonna be late!" Lynne called from the front hall.
Danielle fiddled with her cap for a second longer, then finally turned to exit the bathroom. With her ugly graduation gown flowing around her, she carefully made her way downstairs, being careful not to move too quickly. Carlisle, who had taken over as her attending physician since Phoenix, had only just taken off her cast and switched her to a walking boot two days before – she was still getting used to moving around in the new cast and didn't want to wind up hurting herself because she overdid anything.
Once she was downstairs, she was greeted with the sight of her mother, who was wearing a nice dress and heels and currently making sure her purse had everything she needed. Lynne looked up when Danielle walked in, before smiling widely and pressing a hand to her mouth, her eyes quickly filling with tears. "Oh, sweetie!" she said, rushing over to hug her. "I can't believe I'm seeing you in a graduation gown! I'm so proud of you!"
Danielle couldn't help smiling, all of her annoyance at being dressed like a giant mustard bottle quickly disappearing. She had already been happy to finally be graduating, but her mother's enthusiasm was rubbing off on her and making her feel downright ecstatic. "Look your fill, mother dearest," she said when Lynne released her and took a step back. Danielle held her arms out wide, as if presenting herself as a grand prize. "After today, I'm officially an adult."
Lynne made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob at those words. "An adult. My gosh, I can hardly believe it! Where has the time gone! I can still remember when you were just a little girl – "
Danielle, knowing her overemotional mother was on the verge of going into a rant that would take ages for her to come back from, waved her hands quickly and began to lead her toward the door. "Yeah, yeah, I was cute and little and now I'm all grown up. I know!" she said with a laugh. "You can tell me all about it later! Right now, we gotta go! It's time for me to graduate!"
Lynne quickly stopped her rambling. "Yes, yes! Of course!" she said, sniffling loudly for a moment before collecting herself and going to fetch her purse.
They headed outside, where they found Charlie and Bella waiting for them by Lynne's car. As of May, Lynne and Charlie were officially a thing, which meant they were all driving to graduation together like one big happy family. It was still a little weird, if one were to ask Danielle, but her mother had been over the moon ever since and even Charlie had been more chipper than usual. They were both clearly happy, and so long as that was the case, then she was happy for them.
Lynne, in her usual mom form, demanded they take pictures in the yard before leaving for the school. Bella snapped about a dozen pictures of them in various places around the yard, before Lynne stepped back and ordered Bella to get in a few pictures with Danielle as well. Charlie stood by patiently, allowing the picture-fest to go on for about ten minutes, before he finally looked pointedly at his watch and reminded Lynne that they needed to get going if they wanted to get decent parking. Finally, Lynne put the camera away, and after they had all piled into the car, they were on their way to the school.
Forks High School was packed by the time they arrived. Charlie parked in the first spot he could find, then the four of them climbed out and started making their way across the school parking lot. All around them were fellow classmates, some decked in the same silly robes that Danielle was wearing, others simply in normal clothes as they came to support their graduating friends. There was laughter and excitable chatter everywhere as people posed for pictures with friends and family, and Danielle found herself waving to several people who called out greetings as she and Bella walked past with their parents in tow, her good spirits heightened even further by all the cheerfulness surrounding them.
They were almost to the stairs that led up to the front entrance when Danielle caught sight of a large group standing by two fancy, familiar looking cars. Jasper and his family were already there, looking casual and relaxed as they chatted amongst themselves. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were decked out in graduation robes, but none of them looked particularly excited about it. She supposed they wouldn't have any reason to be, though – Jasper and his siblings had graduated so many times by this point that the whole ceremony had to be rather boring and tedious for them now.
Jasper spotted her immediately, a wide grin breaking across his handsome face. It didn't take long for the whole family to notice them after that, and soon they were all smiling and waving in greeting. Except, of course, for Rosalie, who merely watched them approach with a neutral expression.
"Congratulations!" Alice shouted, rushing forward to hug Danielle first. "How excited are you?"
"So excited!" Danielle said with a vigorous nod.
Alice grinned as she released her, then went to hug Bella next. Now free to greet the rest of the Cullen clan, Danielle moved from vampire to vampire, receiving warm hugs from Esme and Carlisle, a pat on the shoulder from Edward, and a very enthusiastic hug from Emmett, who nearly knocked her graduation cap off her head as he scooped her up and squeezed her in a bear hug. Once she was back on her own two feet, Jasper was by her side, sliding an arm around her and kissing her cheek. Even in the ugly graduation gown, he still looked amazing, which just seemed downright unfair.
"It's the big day," he said with a smirk. "You finally get to put high school behind you."
"Thank god," Danielle said with a dramatic sigh, which made Jasper chuckle. Her eyes met Rosalie's in the next moment, and she couldn't help but flush a bit. "Hey, Rosalie," she said, her tone polite and slightly shy.
Rosalie hesitated a moment, then nodded to her. "Hello, Danielle," she greeted back in a cordial tone.
Over the past few months, things had slowly begun to change for the better where she and Rosalie were concerned. According to Jasper, the bravery that she and Bella had shown during the altercation with James had impressed Rosalie to a certain degree, though she would have never admitted it aloud. She had also slowly and reluctantly begun to come to terms with the fact that Jasper and Edward were serious about their love for her and Bella, and that they wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. So while she still wouldn't say they were friends – far from it, actually – Rosalie had at least stopped being openly hostile toward them. For now, that was more than good enough for Danielle.
They all stood around chatting in the parking lot for another five minutes. Lynne, of course, took advantage of the situation and snapped multiple pictures of Danielle and Jasper together in their matching gowns – Emmett, naturally, photobombed a number of the pictures, making Bella and the Cullen's laugh and causing Rosalie to roll her eyes and shake her head at his antics. Eventually they noticed that everyone was beginning to congregate inside and decided to head that way, their large group merging with the crowd shuffling their way inside. Once they were in the school, Danielle, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie said goodbye to everyone else and went off with the rest of the graduates making their way toward the cafeteria to await the time when they would be sent to the auditorium for the ceremony.
"You excited for the party tonight, Dani?" Emmett asked as the four of them loitered off to the side, standing slightly away from everyone else.
For their graduation party, Danielle and the graduating Cullen's had decided to do a joint celebration at the Cullen house. It had seemed the easiest and most logical thing to do, seeing as the Cullen's didn't really have friends outside of her and Bella and since the majority of Danielle's guest list would have been Cullen's anyway. She, Jasper, and Emmett had pitched the idea to Lynne and Esme, who had become fast friends after meeting in March and had been more than happy to merge the two celebrations together. Throw Alice – the designated party planner – into the mix, and they were in for what Danielle expected was going to be a full on, fun filled shindig.
"Of course!" Danielle answered with a nod. "Alice has been yapping my ear off about it for a month now. I'm anxious to see what they've got planned."
"It's definitely gonna be a good night," Emmett said, a wide smirk pulling at his lips. "A night full of fun and surprises," he added, raising his brows meaningfully.
"Surprises?" Danielle repeated. "What kind of surprises?" She asked.
Emmett started to answer, but was quickly silenced by a firm slap to the arm from Rosalie. "Ignore him, darlin'," Jasper interjected, making her look up at him. He was glaring at Emmett in warning. "He's just being a moron."
"Hey!" Emmett said with offense.
Danielle looked between the two of them, one eyebrow inching upward. "Okay, I feel like Emmett is gonna try to pull something on me tonight," she said with trepidation. It was a logical fear – Emmett did like to mess with people. "Should I be worried?"
Emmett chuckled evilly. "I don't know. Should you?" he asked in a way that left her feeling even more uneasy.
Danielle pursed her lips and looked at Jasper for help. He just winked at her, a small smile appearing on he corner of his mouth. "Don't worry. Everything will be just fine," he assured her. "I'll protect you from Big Foot. I promise."
Danielle relaxed and smiled up at Jasper in response, while Emmett huffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, cowboy," he said, shoving Jasper's shoulder. "Everyone here knows I can take you down in a heartbeat."
"Oh really?" Jasper countered, his eyes glinting with challenge now.
Danielle, who had seen them wrestle enough times by now to know what was on the verge of happening, held her hands up. "Stop it right there," she said firmly. "We're in public. This isn't the time or the place. So calm it down, because I am not above going to get Esme so she can kick both of your assess if you start acting like children," she threatened.
Jasper and Emmett grumbled in response, but ceased their back and forth at once. Danielle nodded in satisfaction and glanced at Rosalie – when she saw that the vampire was smirking in amusement over the Jasper and Emmett being put in their place, Danielle's eyebrows nearly launched clear off her forehead because they flew up so high. Had she actually said something to humor Rosalie? Before she could celebrate the fact, however, Rosalie realized she had been caught and quickly wiped the smirk from her face, her expression turning neutral again.
Soon enough, teachers were hurrying into the cafeteria and began ushering everyone to line up in alphabetical order. Jasper gave Danielle a quick kiss before heading off with Rosalie to find their place in line, while Danielle stuck with Emmett. As luck would have it, there were no other students with a C name that fell between Clark and Cullen, which meant she and Emmett would be right next to each other the entire ceremony.
Finally, the time had come to go to the auditorium. With the small graduating class buzzing with excitement, they filed out of the cafeteria and made their to the auditorium, where they were greeted by loud cheering from those who had come to watch the ceremony. Danielle located her mother in the crowd quickly, pleased to discover that she, Charlie, and Bella had chosen to sit with the Cullen's. Danielle and Emmett waved to their families vigorously, smiling widely as they went past, then quickly made their way to their seats.
To be honest, the ceremony itself was rather boring. They sang the school anthem at first – Emmett sang extra loud and horrendously off key, which had Danielle laughing through most of it – then took their seats as the principal went up to the microphone to give a speech about the future and all the joys they could expect in the adult life to come. She listened with only half an ear as he addressed the crowd, followed by their class Valedictorian. Emmett, who was clearly bored out of his mind, had taken it upon himself to narrate the ceremony as if he were a sports announcer, and after a few minutes of this, she couldn't resist joining in. There was a lot of snorting and a lot of laughing between them, which earned them a lot of disapproving looks. All of which, of course, they happily ignored.
Finally, the diplomas were handed out. Danielle thanked her lucky stars that Forks was a small school and that she wasn't part of a very big class – the proceedings would go by far more quickly than they would have if she had graduated from her old high school in Houston, which was three times as big as Forks High. When it was time for her name to be called, Emmett made sure she made it up to the stage alright and then cheered loudly for her as she went to receive her diploma. He wasn't the only one either. The lunch group was hollering and whistling for her off to the left, while her, mother, Bella, Charlie, and the Cullen's were all standing on their feet and cheering enthusiastically. Nobody was cheering louder, however, than Jasper, who had surged to his feet and was clapping so loudly that those closest to him looked mildly alarmed.
After stopping to cheer for Emmett, who smirked smugly and held his arms up in victory as he went to get his diploma, they went back to their seats to wait out the rest of the ceremony. When Jasper's name was called, both Danielle and Emmett stood up, cheering and whistling and clapping loudly. He smirked at them as he got his diploma, sending a wink in Danielle's direction. Rosalie was up next, and as she glided across the stage Emmett wolf whistled loudly and shouted out, That's my girl! The exclamation caused laughter to ripple through the auditorium – even Rosalie couldn't help smiling and shaking her head in amusement.
Danielle bounced in her seat for the rest of the ceremony, eager for it to be over and for her to be officially finished with high school. When, finally, the last student was called, everyone cheered loudly, relieved the ceremony was coming to a close. The principal went back to the microphone to say a few last closing words, before informing them that they could move their tassels from right to left to signal their graduation.
"Congratulations, graduates!" the principal finally exclaimed. "You made it!"
There was a loud cheer from all the graduating students as they raised from their seats and threw their caps into the air. Danielle grinned and turned to Emmett, who hugged her tightly and ruffled her hair. By the time he was letting her go, Jasper had already navigated his way to where they were. He wasted no time wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet, his lips finding hers without hesitation. Danielle smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she kissed him back. Vaguely she was aware of people catcalling around them, but she was too caught up in Jasper to care.
"Congratulations, darlin'," Jasper murmured against her lips. "You're officially free."
"Congratulations to you," she shot back with a grin. "You made it through another round of high school without losing your mind. That's impressive."
Jasper shrugged. "I almost did lose my mind a few times along the way. Lucky for me, you came along and made everything all better."
Danielle smiled ever wider, fairly certain her expression was nothing but pure happiness. "Such a charmer."
"Just speaking the truth," Jasper countered.
He kissed her again after that, and she would have been perfectly happy to stay right there in his arms, kissing him until she was blue in the face. They broke apart however, when Emmett and Rosalie appeared next to them.
"Enough making out, already," he said loudly, smacking them both on the back to catch their attention. "We've got a party to get to!"
Jasper heaved at the interruption and shot Emmett a look, but set her back on her feet nonetheless. Danielle just smiled and nodded, before grabbing Jasper's hand. She stretched up to peck his lips one more time, then they finally followed Emmett and Rosalie back through the crowd to reunite with their families.
There were more people at their graduation party that Danielle had expected. The entire lunch group came, as did a handful of people that her mother had befriended since taking over the bookshop. The Cullen's were all in attendance, of course, and so were Bella and Charlie, as well as a few of Carlisle's co-workers from the hospital. The rest were all kids from school, some she knew by name, others she didn't know at all. It was hard to say whether they had actually been invited or if they had jumped at the chance to say they had gone to a party at the coveted Cullen house and decided to just show up. Either way, Danielle didn't particularly care. Alice had outdone herself making sure everything was absolutely perfect, decorating the house from top to and setting out enough food to feed a small army. The vampire's hard work had paid off, too – Danielle was having a great time, and it appeared everyone else was, too.
There were toasts made by Lynne and Esme congratulating those who had be graduated. Soon after, everyone helped themselves to the catered dinner Alice had provided before indulging in an absolute monster of a cake that had all four of the graduates' names on it. Before Danielle knew it, it was dark outside, but the party was still in full swing. Her mother was chatting with the adult ladies and enjoying a glass of wine – Esme had a glass in her hand too, though Danielle hadn't seen her actually drink any of it yet. Carlisle and Charlie were in the kitchen with Carlisle's doctor friends, looking to be having a serious discussion, while Edward and Emmett were laughing about something by the food table. Rosalie appeared to be doing her best to keep away from anyone she didn't know, but Alice was doing the exact opposite. She had corralled the younger crowd toward the space she had cleared out for a dancing area and was twirling around in the middle, smiling as she danced by herself and uncaring of the somewhat strange looks she was getting from those around her.
As for Jasper, he had been roped into a conversation with Mike, Eric, and Tyler, though he didn't appear to be doing much to contribute to it – not very surprising, considering the three teenagers talked so much it was hard for anyone to get a word in most of the time. Danielle, who was hanging out with Bella, Angela, and Jessica, grinned as Jasper shot her a look that clearly said help me. She just shrugged at him, though, and hid her amused grin by drinking from her cup.
"So, Dani. What's the next step?" Angela asked, dragging Danielle's attention away from Jasper and over to her.
Danielle shrugged. "Honestly? It's open ended at the moment," she said. "There was a time when the plan was to go back to Houston for college, but …things have changed a little since then."
Jessica grinned. "I'd say so," she agreed, sneaking a not so discreet look at Jasper. "If I had a boyfriend who was as crazy about me as Jasper is about you, I wouldn't wanna leave either!"
Danielle smiled and snuck another look at Jasper, who was watching them. She could tell he was eavesdropping. "Well, it's definitely not a one sided thing," she said. "I'm pretty crazy about him, too." She saw Jasper smile when she said that.
Angela sighed, her smile rather love-struck. "You guys are so cute together," she said. "I mean, seriously. It's almost sickening how great you are together."
"Agreed," Jessica said quickly. She then reached out to grab Danielle's wrist, her brows shooting upward as she leaned closer. "Do you think you guys will get married?" she hissed.
Danielle shared a quick look with Bella, who fidgeted and took a quick drink of her soda. The truth was that she didn't just think she and Jasper were going to get married – she knew they were going to get married. She couldn't exactly say when it would happen, but it definitely was going to happen. There weren't very many people who knew that she and Jasper had been talking about marriage, however. She had told Bella and Tom – Bella had been very excited for them, while Tom had at first suggested that Danielle was out of her damn mind before eventually telling her that he would support her decision, no matter what. She also suspected that all of the Cullen's knew because, well, between Edward reading minds and Alice seeing the future, how could they not know? Other than that, they had kept everyone else in the dark for the time being.
"I don't know," Danielle lied, looking back to Jessica. "It could happen I guess."
"Well, I hope you guys do," Jessica said brightly. "You guys are too perfect for each other not to be together forever. If you guys break up, there's literally no hope for the rest of us!" she finished dramatically.
Danielle just laughed and shot another look at Jasper, who smirked when their eyes met and shot her a wink.
The party went on for a few more hours, before, finally, people began to filter out. When the only people left were Danielle, Lynne, Bella, Charlie and the Cullen's, everyone started to pitch in and clean up the mess that had been made over the course of the celebration. Alice and Esme tried to insist they could handle it themselves, but when they realized their protests were being ignored, they finally stopped fighting it and accepted the help.
Danielle was throwing some paper plates into the trash can when Jasper came up behind her, his strong arms sliding around her waist from behind. "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" he murmured in her ear.
Danielle grinned and looked at him over her shoulder. In fact, he had told her that at least a dozen times. "You have, but I don't mind hearing it again."
Jasper pressed his forehead against her temple, hugging her tighter. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he told her.
Danielle's heart flooded with warmth. "You're not so bad yourself, Major Whitlock," she said back.
Jasper smiled, then turned her around so that they were face to face. She could feel his love for her filling the air around them, making her feel warm and happy and cherished. He brushed her hair back away from her face, then glanced toward the living room, where everyone else was.
"Will you go somewhere with me?" he asked.
Danielle tilted her head in curiosity. "Where?" she asked.
Jasper smiled. "You'll see."
Danielle gave him a look of slight suspicion, but still nodded in agreement. "Okay."
He grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. When they walked into the living room, several eyes turned in their direction. Alice, she noticed, looked rather excited about something, so much so that she was practically bouncing on her heels. She only stopped when Edward nudged her with his elbow. Danielle also took note of the fact that Carlisle and Esme looked inexplicably proud, while Emmett was smirking widely, as if he knew something she didn't. Their behavior seemed a little odd, but she couldn't possibly guess the reason for it.
"Alice, Esme, Lynne – I think I speak for everyone when I say thank you for throwing such a nice party for us," Jasper said once they had the attention of the room. "The three of you went above and beyond."
"You're welcome, Jasper," Esme said warmly.
Jasper nodded to her, then turned his gaze to Lynne. "Lynne, if you wouldn't mind, may I steal Danielle for a while?" he asked politely. "I promise to bring her back in a timely manner," he added with a smirk.
Lynne cocked a brow, but smiled and nodded nonetheless. She had long since forgiven the Cullen's for what she thought had happened in Phoenix. She even liked Jasper so much now that she had insisted he stop always calling her Ms. Clark. Still, after what had happened, she had the tendency to be a little wary whenever Danielle disappeared with Jasper for long stretches of time. "Just have her home before eleven," she said.
"You have my word," Jasper promised.
With that they said their goodbyes and went down to the garage, where they got into Jasper's car. As soon as they were on the road, Danielle grabbed Jasper's hand, her fingers idly tracing patterns against his skin.
"You gonna tell me where we're going now?" she asked curiously.
Jasper smirked and shook his head. "Nope. You'll just have to be patient."
Danielle gave him a look, but decided to stop pestering him. The truth was that she didn't care where they were going. After being surrounded by people all day and having no alone time, Danielle was happy that it was finally just the two of them. He could be taking her to a landfill and she still probably wouldn't mind, so long as they were together.
They drove for only about ten minutes when Jasper pulled off to the side of the road and parked the car. Danielle took one look around at the forest surrounding the car and found herself vividly reminded of the night of the Spring Fling, when Jasper had taken her to that clearing for their own private dance. Suddenly, she knew exactly where they were headed.
Danielle smiled as Jasper ran around to the passenger side and helped her out of the car. "This feels familiar," she commented. When he smirked and picked her up bridal style to carry her through the forest, just as he had done the last time he had brought her there, she couldn't stop herself from giggling. "Now it feels even more familiar," she said, sliding her arms comfortably around his neck as they started making their way into the forest.
When they reached the clearing, she found that it looked almost exactly as it had the night he had first brought her there. There were boxes of all shapes and sizes positioned sporadically around the clearing, with dozens of candles burning on top of them. The blanket was there again, as was the record player. The only difference now was that there were hundreds of flower petals scattered all around, making the area smell strongly of roses.
Jasper set her down on the blanket, taking a moment to kiss her temple before going over to start the record player. The music choice was Ella Fitzgerald again.
Danielle was grinning by the time be came back to her. "Would you dance with me?" he asked, extending a hand to her.
Danielle nodded and slipped her hand into his. It was more challenging to dance in her boot, but they made it work easily enough. In the end, she rested her feet on top of Jasper's and let him guide her in a slow dance, laying her head against his shoulder and smiling to herself all the while.
"Happy?" Jasper asked, though she had a feeling he already knew the answer.
"Very," Danielle confirmed. "This was such a wonderful day already, but now it just got even better." She lifted her head to smile at him. "Thank you for bringing me back here."
Jasper smiled down at her. "You're welcome," he said. "Tonight is a special night, so I wanted to bring you somewhere equally special," he continued. "I could think of no better place than here. This is where we first said that we loved one another," he said, though she didn't need reminding – that was something she would never forget. "For that reason alone, this clearing will always be a place of importance."
Danielle nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it will."
She glanced around, eyeing the rose petals and the candles, taking a moment to really think about how much had happened since that night. In fact, as she thought about everything that had happened since moving to Forks period, it was rather amazing to think how quickly her life had changed. But even though not everything that had happened had been good, it had a brought her to this moment, back in the clearing with the vampire she loved, and with nothing but a bright and hopeful future ahead of her. A future, she knew, that would be shared with Jasper.
She had never really thought about it until now, but suddenly she thanked God above that her mother had moved them to Forks, even though Lynne had had to practically drag her in kicking and screaming.
"What are you thinking about?" Jasper asked.
"How glad I am that my mom took the job at the bookshop and forced me to move here," she said with a small laugh. "It brought me to you, and I will always be grateful for that."
Jasper smiled and raised a hand to her face, gently touching her cheek. They stopped swaying and just stood there for a moment, staring at one another in silence. When several moments ticked by and Jasper still said nothing, just continued to stare down at her, she finally had to smile and raise her brows questioningly.
"What is it?" she prompted, wanting to know what was in his mind.
"You are incredible, Danielle," he finally said. "You are everything I have ever looked for in a partner. You complete me in a way I never thought possible. From the moment I stepped into your mother's bookshop and you smiled at me for the first time, I have known, with complete certainty, that I will never want another."
She was surprised by the seriousness behind his words, but did not get to say anything in response before he began speaking again. "What happened in Phoenix was an eye opening experience. Not just for me, but for both of us," he continued. "I have never felt fear as strongly as I did that day, when I thought I would…lose you." Jasper pulled her a tiny bit closer. "It made me realize how precious every moment with you is. And it made me realize that I don't want to waste any of the time we have together."
He finally released her and took a step back. She blinked in confusion at first, but when he dropped down to one knee and pulled a small, black box from his pocket, Danielle gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her hands.
"Danielle Katherine Clark, I love you with every fiber of my being, and I want to spend the rest of my days loving you, protecting you, and making you as happy as you can possibly be," Jasper said. He opened the ring box, but she was so focused on him that she didn't even look at what was inside. "Will you marry me?"
Tears had started sliding down her cheeks, and she was grinning so wide it actually hurt. But through her tears and the sudden, all-consuming joy that had burst through her veins, she managed to form a coherent answer. "Yes! Yes!"
Jasper grinned and surged to his feet, lifting her off the ground as he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her enthusiastically. They were a jumbled mess of tears and lips and laughter as they kissed, until Jasper finally set her on her feet and hastily pulled the ring from the box. He tossed the box over his shoulder carelessly, making her giggle, before sliding the ring onto her finger. It was a fairly simple ring – it was a square cut diamond on a platinum band, with two smaller diamonds on either side of the main one. But it was still absolutely beautiful and absolutely perfect.
"Do you like it?" Jasper asked, sounding the teeniest bit anxious.
Danielle looked up at him and grinned, her arms sliding around his neck. "I love it."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Alice helped me pick it out," Jasper admitted with a slightly sheepish smile.
Danielle snorted. "Of course she did," she said, not even the least bit surprised that Alice had had a hand in the proposal. In that moment, she realized why the Cullen's bad been acting funny before they left – they had all known this was going to happen. "Everybody knew!" she gasped.
Jasper nodded. "Everyone but you, Bella, and your mother," he confirmed. "They have known for two months now. It's a miracle nobody ruined the surprise," he said next with a chuckle. "I'm fairly certain Alice has already begun planning the wedding, though, so don't be surprised if she bombards you with wedding plans the next time you see her."
Danielle laughed, then quirked a brow at him. "Seems everyone was pretty confident I was gonna say yes, huh?" she couldn't help but tease.
Jasper smirked and leaned closer, so that they were nose to nose. "Was there really a chance you would say no, darlin'?" he asked lowly, his eyes smoldering as they held hers.
Danielle tightened her hold on him, her fingers burying into his hair as she shook her head. "Never," she stated firmly. "You're mine, Hale. Just like I'm yours." She couldn't resist nuzzling her nose against his. "You're never getting rid of me now," she said with a smirk.
Jasper grinned, his grip on her tightening a fraction as he pulled her flush against his chest. "And I wouldn't have it any other way," he murmured, before capturing her lips in another searing kiss.
End of Part One
We did it you guys! We made it to the end of part one! I really, really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And thank you to everyone for your support, it means the world to me!
I will be taking a small break before beginning Part Two, just because the second part is going to need a lot of work and I need to take some time to plan things out. But I will be posting Part Two in this same story, so don't go anywhere! Jasper and Danielle will be back soon! Happy reading!