The letter came 10 days before Thanksgiving, in just enough time for her to make the trip back down south. Jasper insisted on coming along, not at all content to let her go alone, even if the people she was visiting were friends. She made a mental note to ask the boys how they got her address. It wasn't like she handed it out. How had they found her? She frowned, then shook the thought away. Red was resourceful. And Kaufmann…well, he had his ways. Even if most of those ways involved dumb luck and paperwork he probably wasn't supposed to have access to. Maybe Hensley just needed to hang around Captain Morales's daughter too.

Still, if the Cullens ever disappeared again, she'd need that information to track them down. Though, to be fair, if the Cullens moved, there'd be nothing stopping her from coming along. And she thought Jasper might be quite…insistent that she do so.

They arrived in the woods, right next to the tree marked 'X', just as the letter instructed. Hensley was more appropriately dressed that time, but she still shivered. It had been a month since seeing the boys, and she couldn't help the adrenaline flowing through her veins.

For once, Jasper was less in tune with her emotions, too focused on circling the area, trying to pick up on scents, friendly or not. After all, it was the south.

They hadn't run in to any vampires on their travels, opting to stay as far north as they could until the last second. Hensley had certainly taken a faster route, going through whatever state and territory pleased her on her search for Jasper. Jasper was far more careful. Whatever happened during his last encounter with Maria couldn't have been good.

"They're late." Lexi said, a hint of worry in her voice. Perhaps Davidson had caught on to their plans. Maybe they ran into the southern vampires. She shivered and not from the cold.

"It's one minute, Darlin'. Maybe they got held up at the gate."

When one minute turned to two turned to ten, she doubted it.

"Davidson is probably killing them." She whispered, running her hands through her hair. "They know they're not allowed to talk to me anymore. Davidson probably found out about that stupid letter and killed them."

Jasper sat down next to her on the ground, a disbelieving eyebrow raised, "That's the punishment for that? Death?"

No. The punishment was actually a memory wipe and being told you spent a week in the medical center for a bad accident. But Davidson probably escalated it tenfold.

"See, they probably just don't remember." Jasper tried to be encouraging. "They're fine, Lex. They're smart and a hell of a lot tougher than that Davidson guy. He didn't smell like metal." Jazz scrunched up his nose slightly, causing her to giggle. That much was true. The boys were far stronger than Davidson could ever be.

Fifteen minutes past the time they were supposed to meet, Hensley's phone buzzed.

Got held up. Change of plans. 10 clicks south. Twisted tree by the river.

"See. All good." Jasper shrugged, holding out his hand for her to take.

The text message and Jasper's confidence did little to instill any in herself. If they got held up, then Davidson was suspect of them.

"Would they be able to tell if Davidson was following them? Wouldn't you or I be able to tell?" Jasper once again used logic to calm her fears.

That was true. Red was the best tracker. Nothing got away from him. Except for some papers.

The pair moved south ten clicks as instructed. The river was easy to find. The twisted tree was not. As they walked along the riverbank, there was not one or two twisted trees. Along the 10 miles they checked, there was 57.

Fifty-seven stupid trees and not a single whiff of Red or Kaufmann.

Were they playing some sick joke on her?

Hensley re-read the text message. Twisted tree…since when had Red become so relaxed? There was no way Red would've let Kaufmann say something so non-specific back then. Maybe they were just in a hurry to get off base. Maybe Red was talking to Davidson and Kaufmann was left to his own devices with communication. That was a dangerous situation.

She sent them a message back asking which tree and got no response.

They walked back and forth along the riverbank, Hensley's light footsteps turning heavier and heavier with each trip down and back. She sent multiple texts, her fingers flying over the keyboard, no longer caring if she got the boys in trouble. Her messages ranged from asking what was going on, to if they were okay, and eventually, how it wasn't funny anymore and that they were assholes.

After two hours, she called it quits. "They can die, I guess. If they're not answering me, that's probably what happened. And if it's not what happened, I'm going to kill them." Hensley fumed to Jasper.

"Well, let's just get a hotel for the night. It's not like we have anywhere to be. We'll spend the night, see if they're able to respond again tomorrow."

Hensley rolled her eyes but didn't argue too much. "Fine. If they're not dead tomorrow-"

"You can ream him then. Let's just get some sleep." Jasper tugged her along, rubbing soothing circles against the back of her hand. It was one thing she was grateful didn't change after the bite. His touch still brought her comfort, soothing away her anger with every gentle touch of his skin. It made her feel more connected to him. Though she'd been a little skeptical before they knew exactly what was different between them, she loved having the depth. Their gifts made them nearly impenetrable. Jasper knew her every feeling, Lexi allowed them to share thoughts between them, without anyone else knowing…it felt so intimate.

She took a breath, catching Jasper's cologne mixed with the damp air. It reminded her of…. "Are you distracting me?" Lexi rose an eyebrow at him.

Jasper smirked, that damn crooked little grin she couldn't get enough of. "This is all you, darlin'. I'm just enjoying the ride."

Lexi enjoyed it too.

She heard nothing from the number the boys had been using, and thus, after three days, they went back north without any real contact. Carlisle was more concerned than miffed (as Hensley was), questioning what could've happened to them that they would blow Hensley off. While she agreed it wasn't like them, she also couldn't sit around and wait to figure it out. Red never did anything without it being foolproof, so the chances that they were caught and punished was fairly low...though the chance that Kaufmann messed it up and got them caught was obscenely high. Therefore, Hensley supposed it all evened out.

She threw herself back into her car work with Rosalie, hoping to distract her mind from the weirdness going on in the life she was supposed to have left behind. The boys were capable. They could take care of themselves. If they'd gotten themselves caught by Davidson, they'd find a way out of it.

"You know what you need?" Emmett interrupted her thought process. She wished she could've blamed him as the reason why she had stopped working.

"What's that?" Lexi asked, pulling her shoulder blades back to stretch. Part of her doubted that Emmett would have any real advice, but it took her mind off of the mess for a moment.

"Game night." Emmett said triumphantly, slowly lowering the car onto a stand. "You ever played Texas hold'em?"

Why did she feel like that was going to be an awful idea? The Cullen's and poker? Cooper and Emmett and poker? It was a disaster waiting to happen. A much-needed disaster, she supposed. "Sure, I played a bit before. You wanna?"

Emmett was inside the house as soon as she agreed, calling loudly for Cooper and Jasper to gather in the living room. Rosalie sighed and shook her head at her mate. "Just remember, you did this."

Lexi grinned. Surely it couldn't be worse than the time they put hats on squirrels. They were inside and there were no animals involved.

Lexi quickly found out that being inside did not dictate the level of chaos and the true animals were her brothers.

It started off great. Her time in the military allowed her to read Cooper, Emmett, and even Carlisle with ease. Jasper was a frustrating mystery, not that it was necessarily anything new. She was pretty sure he was half cheating by reading her emotions and, therefore, she tried her best to become as emotionless as possible. Easy to do on the outside, nearly impossible to do on the inside.

Alice, the designated dealer, was also awful to play with. She saw why Emmett complained about playing games with Alice and Edward.

What she didn't know, and soon learned, was that playing with Emmett and Cooper was somehow worse than playing with Alice and Edward.

"Is that three cards?!" Lexi leaned over the table to try and grab Emmett's hand.

"No, stop! Cheater! Cheater!" Emmett called, leaning farther back so they were just out of her grasp. Cooper chuckled, shaking his head as he muttered something about Emmett being caught sooner or later.

"You're literally the one cheating!" She yelled back, knocking over Emmett's chips as she half-climbed over the table.

Alice was completely calm about the situation unfolding, announcing boredly, "Emmett has the ace of diamonds, the three of clubs, and the king of hearts."

"I do not!" Emmett protested again, still waving his hand around so Lexi couldn't grab them.

Carlisle sighed, shaking his head, "Emmett. We're not even playing for money this time."

"That was a good game." Cooper chimed in, a newfound energy in his voice. "Emmett lost a house that night."

Lexi paused, looking over at the rest of her family while she tried to wrap her mind around Cooper's statement. "Y'all bet houses?"

"Emmett was out of cash." Jasper told her, as though it was the most casual thing in the world. What kind of family members did she have?

"So, what? You signed the deed over?"

Emmett shrugged, "Nah, just a verbal bet. It was fine."

"It was not fine." Carlisle rubbed his temples as if he had a headache. Seeing how her family played poker, he likely did have a headache.

Lexi took advantage of Emmett's distraction and snatched his cards, exactly the ones Alice said he had. She tossed them on the table and shook her head, scolding him with her best 'parental' look. "If you're going to cheat, you could at least grab better cards."

"I tried." Emmett complained, "Alice kept kicking me under the table."

For the love of-

"Emmett folds. It's your turn Cooper." Alice announced cheerfully, continuing on with the game as if it was…never mind. It was. It was all normal.

Lexi rolled her eyes at her little family, settling back in next to Jasper as Cooper made his bet. Her leg bumped her phone, clicking the screen on. She glanced at it for a second, swearing she saw a little message notification, but it was just her email.

"You're go." Jasper rubbed her leg, pulling her focus away.

She smiled sheepishly, taking another peek at the table and her hand before throwing her chips in. If she counted the cards right, Cooper couldn't have a better hand than she did. Not if Emmett had the king and folded….

As Cooper laid down his pair of jacks, Lexi grinned. The older Whitlock rolled his eyes, pushing the chips to her with a sigh. "This game sucks."

Jasper chuckled, squeezing her leg as he gave her a prideful smile that made her heart skip a beat.

The next hand Alice dealt was no better in terms of chaos. Emmett had somehow gained chips, despite not winning. Cooper and Alice were definitely on a team, their eye contact lingering for just a hair too long for Lexi to feel safe, and poor Carlisle was nearly begging everyone to just play fairly "for once."

"Welcome to the family." Jasper muttered as Cooper and Emmett argued about the number of chips Em had acquired.

She shook her head, setting her cards down in defeat. Her hand sucked anyway, so there was really no need to pay attention. Nothing was going to make a two and a ten better. Instead, she glanced back down at the little phone, her mind drifting.

It was like they fell off the face of the earth….

But then again, maybe they had.

~.~

When Lexi woke up, the sun was already shining high in the sky. She inhaled Jasper's familiar scent, a wave of calm crashing through her body. It was criminal how much peace she could feel with him, as if the world could burn around them and everything would still be okay, simply because they had each other.

"Morning." She mumbled sleepily, snuggling deeper into his side. Of course, Jasper had been awake all night, but she appreciated how he still stayed with her to get some morning affection in.

"Mornin'. How did you sleep?" And every morning he asked the question as if he had no idea.

She stretched her back as best she could in her position, still feeling the calm washing through her body. It was strange then. Usually, Jasper's scent did elicit a feeling of serenity, though it generally wasn't quite that strong. "What's going on?" Her voice was laced with skepticism, but her body wasn't matching the feelings her brain felt.

A loud crash sounded from downstairs, causing her to flinch. Jasper sighed beside her, shaking his head as though he'd been personally trying to prevent such a disaster. When the calm faded from her veins, she realized that he had been trying to prevent it.

"Jazz, what's going on?" Lexi rose an eyebrow, sitting up to try and get a better listen of the house activities.

"Don't worry!" Emmett's booming voice shook the house, "Everything is fine! Just remain calm!"

That did not instill calm.

She waved Jasper forward with her hand, bewildered as to how the smoke alarm could be going off and he'd still neglected to mention what was happening. Downstairs, Cooper was laughing hysterically calling Emmett a dumbass. At least no one was dead, but still.

"Emmett thought he was being helpful by giving Esme a hand with the turkey." Jasper finally explained, a small little smirk on his lips.

He didn't need to say anymore. Emmett cooking just sounded like an awful idea.

She threw on a sweatshirt and clambered down the stairs into the kitchen. Smoke was pouring out of the space, Cooper still laughing in the doorway. Rosalie walked past with closed eyes and an expression that told Lexi whatever had happened in there was just a stupid as she was picturing. To her utter surprise, Carlisle sat at the island with the newspaper, reading as though nothing was wrong in his life. Something told Lexi that Carlisle had practice keeping up that facade.

Emmett stood off to the side of the kitchen, right beside a ruined deep fryer, holding a far-overdone turkey. The bottom of his shirt was partially melted from the heat of the grease, but he was in good spirits, so she assumed he'd gotten away from the brunt of it.

It took all she had not to burst out laughing at the sight, covering her hand to try and stifle her giggles. When Jasper stopped in the doorway beside Cooper, she turned and shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't wake me up for this!"

To avoid any more kitchen nightmares, she opted on cereal for breakfast. After the mess was cleaned up, Emmett was banned from the kitchen for the next 48 hours, leaving Esme to handle the remaking of the turkey. Hensley offered her help in the cooking, not that she trusted herself to keep anything intact. Thankfully, Esme cheerfully waved her off and told her that they had it under control. By under control, Lexi assumed she meant that Carlisle was her new kitchen aid; her father dutifully positioned at the refrigerator door obtaining supplies.

It still seemed like a lot of work and effort for two people, yet she doubted she'd be able to say anything to her parents to make them reconsider their decision. It seemed all Cullens had levels of stubbornness, they just varied in what they used that power for.

Jasper suggested a nice walk to restore the peace of the morning, taking her out behind the house and to a little stream. Hensley didn't have good memories of streams, especially not as of late, but she found Jasper's easy smile difficult to say no to.

He held her hand loosely as they walked. Neither of them said anything for a while, just enjoying the chill of the morning air and the quiet breeze. Lexi's breath made slow little swirls in the air, dancing around before they dissipated. It was weird not to experience the same from Jasper.

"Do you think I'm weird?" She asked suddenly, her mind's work tumbling out of her mouth. Her foot turned gracefully against the ground, allowing her to face her mate fully.

Jasper's face was unreadable, "Is that a trick question?" Then he broke into a light smirk.

Lexi shoved his arm, rolling her eyes. Why didn't she see that coming? "That's not what I meant. Is it weird, being with a half vampire? Do you ever wish I was just a vampire?"

"I don't wish for you to be anything other than what you are." He said without hesitation, his voice completely sincere. Of course, he would say that. It was a silly question. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She shook her head, staring again at the little clouds. "It's just interesting to see how different we are sometimes." Her hand held up her next breath to show him what she had been looking at.

He smiled softly at her, face shifting to something different than it had been before. "It's nice. Almost as though some part of me knew exactly what I needed."

"What do you mean?" That sparked her curiosity. Sure, they were mates, special mates at that, but exactly what he needed? What did Jasper need?

His shoulders shrugged, almost shy about the assertion then. "I…I don't think anyone could understand me as well as you do. We come from such similar backgrounds." Cool hands lightly grabbed her warm ones, his fingers trailing up until his thumb caressed the blood running through her vein. "You're warm. You make me feel human again. You challenge me to be better and push me to be stronger. And all with just the right amount of carefree to keep life interesting." Jasper smiled at her, somehow teasing her without spoiling any of the intimacy between them. He gently pulled her flush against him, dipping his head down to place a slow kiss to her lips. "I hope every day that I get a million more of them with you."

"Better make it two."

Jasper chuckled, cupping her cheek, "Deal."

~.~

"Are you sure they can trust you with plates?" Lexi teased her fellow human food-eater. "I've seen you hike before."
Bella threw a napkin at her and bit her lip to keep from laughing, "That's outside. There's, like, roots and hills and things out there."

Lexi snickered, folding the napkin just as Alice had instructed. "Is that your excuse? Roots? Because I'm pretty sure we were walking through a flat field."

"That was only at the end." Bella pointed out. When she stumbled over the leg of a chair, Lexi threw her a pointed look. Bella's face turned bright red, shaking her head at Lexi's failed attempt not to laugh, "Okay, well, we can't all be graceful vampires, alright?"

"No, but some humans are slightly more coordinated." Lexi shrugged. Deciding she had teased the poor girl enough, she threw her a wink. "I'm surprised Charlie let you over here. Don't you guys celebrate Thanksgiving?"

Bella shrugged as she placed the last plate on the table, "Not really. I mean, we might have, but he was going out to the reservation anyway to be with his friends and Sue. First holiday without Harry so…."

Ahh yes. Lexi had remembered hearing about Charlie's friend passing away. It made sense that he'd want to stay busy. That always helped her when grief struck.

"I can't believe you've never celebrated before." Bella added to make conversation. She held out her hands for a few napkins so she could finish setting the other side of the table. It was all a bit strange. Only two of them were eating, but the table was set for the entire family.

Lexi scoffed, "If you knew anything about them it'd make more sense. Too focused on training and logistics to care much about tradition and family." The only holiday she had heard of was Christmas. Even though the Agency hadn't celebrated, Hensley and the boys had exchanged gifts every year since they had taught her about it. She realized then that they had reached the end of that tradition.

She sighed, "Isn't it a little silly?" Her hand danced over the table. "I mean, is Thanksgiving always this big of a production?"

"Honestly, yes." Bella breathed out a laugh, "My mom always did this too. Just two of us, but she still brought out the fancy plates and decorated the table all nice. That was how it worked: I cooked, and she decorated."

Lexi watched Bella's face, saw the faraway look in her eyes as she recalled memories Lexi wasn't privy too. She wondered what it was like to have a mother. She quickly decided that it was just like having Esme.

"Did you have a nice visit with her? This last summer?"

Bella blinked a couple times as she came back to the conversation before nodding, "Yeah, yeah. It was good to see her. Nice to see the sun."

Lexi nodded along as well, her mind just as far as Bella's. "Good."

Esme strode into the dining room, carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes, "Food is ready! Sit, sit!"

"Do we have assigned seats?" The words came out like a joke, but Lexi was serious. She didn't want to mess anything up for them.

"Of course not!" Esme cupped her cheek, giving her a smile that only mothers could, full of unconditional love. "Sit anywhere you like."

Yes, having a mother was just like having Esme.

She sat down next to the head of the table, watching as the rest of the family brought in the rest of the food. They reminded her of waiters, carrying the dishes and placing them exactly in the correct spots. Even Emmett was on his best behavior, not spilling a drop of gravy. It was a bold choice to trust him with something so spillable.

"That's what I said." Edward muttered, taking his spot next to Bella.

Lexi just giggled.

Carlisle had the honor of bringing the turkey in. Or at least he treated it like an honor, being gentler than really necessary as he set it down.

The rest of the family took their seats as well, sitting and waiting like some ritual was about to begin. Lexi knew they didn't eat, but she really hoped they'd stop being so stiff and loosen up. It was going to be hard to eat with them staring like that.

"Alright." Esme started, clasping her hands together. "Thanksgiving tradition: let's go around and say what we're thankful for. Carlisle, you start."

Carlisle looked to Lexi, saying nothing but giving his answer. She felt a little awkward, so she placed her hand under her chin and grinned while different members chuckled around the table.

"That's mine too." Jasper nodded, shooting her a smile.

"You skipped her." Esme lightly scolded, though she was beaming the entire time. "Lexi, you go."

She took a breath, raising her shoulders nervously. She didn't want to be cheesy or dumb or have her brother's laugh at her…though that was likely to happen anyway. But she looked around the table at Jasper's reassurance, Bella's genuine smile…Esme's warmth…. Lexi couldn't help the affection that filled her chest. "Alright, well…I dunno, maybe this dumb, but I guess I'm most thankful for you guys." She glanced down for a moment before peeking up at them again, "I spent a lot of time imagining what it would be like to have a family, or picturing what my family would be like. And you guys are way better than anything I came up with. An absolute disaster," Lexi shook her head with a laugh, "But a loveable one."

"We're blessed to have you." Carlisle told her, nodding to affirm his statement.

"Did you ever think you'd get to see me more than once a month?"

"For more than thirty minutes at a time?" He chuckled.

"9 to 9:30 AM on the dot."

"No exceptions!" They said together, pointing at each other before laughing.

"Now you're out and stuck with Jasper." Cooper shook his head in pity once their laughter had died down. "Sorry about that. But also, not sorry about that. Who knew crazy balanced out crazy?" He shrugged at Alice before remembering his mistake and flinching back in his seat. When he realized Jasper wasn't attacking him, he frowned, "Woah, that was weird. Wait, are ya holdin' his hand under the table for me? Thanks."

Lexi held her hands up and shook her head. She wasn't entirely sure what he was getting at. Cooper should have known that jokes were safe.

"Really? That didn't get him? Are you more tolerant now?" Cooper leaned forward a little as he narrowed his eyes at Jasper. "Fallin' out of love with her?" He flinched and leaned back again. Even Emmett winced at that, hindering on the edge of wanting to protect Cooper and wanting to not get tackled at the dinner table.

Yet, when Jasper didn't move and Lexi's hands were on top of the table, Cooper and Emmett shared a confused look.

"Okay, what's going on?" Emmett asked suspiciously. "Cooper totally should've died by now. We call dibs on their room by the way."

Cooper shot Emmett a dirty look before returning to the issue at hand. He nodded at Jasper. "You feelin' alright? Ain't sick are ya?"

Lexi also looked to Jasper, feeling just as confused as her brothers. "Wait, what?"

"They don't know yet." Jasper informed her, effectively filling in all the pieces.

That was a shock. She couldn't believe that information managed to stay a secret that long. Especially not in that house.

"I was enjoying the lack of jokes." Jasper added with a shrug. "But I suppose they know now."

"Know what?" Cooper asked, trying to encourage the conversation forward.

Lexi shared another look with her mate, asking for confirmation. Jasper nodded.

With a little smile, she pulled on the collar of her shirt to reveal her left shoulder. Cooper's eyes widened, a gasp leaving his mouth. He and Emmett locked eyes before he rose his hands, "It's a Thanksgiving miracle!"

She wished (not really) that she could say the rest of Thanksgiving dinner was less hectic. Instead, it was a mess of explaining things to Bella, Cooper and Emmett seeing just how far they could push Jasper's new tolerance, and Jasper having all of the regrets.

They settled into the living room as soon as dinner was finished; a weak attempt to escape the mess. Eventually, Esme stepped in, telling both boys to lay off and let everyone enjoy the holiday. Though it got them to shut up, Lexi couldn't help but feel as though they were scheming the rest of the night. Jasper must have been in agreement, shooting the boys suspicious glances as he and Lexi settled into the couch.

She tilted her head up against his chest, just listening to the fullness of the house. Esme and Bella were cleaning up from dinner, Emmett and Cooper were buzzing with anticipation of some football game on the TV, Edward playing a soft melody on the piano, Alice and Rosalie chatting about the next big shopping trip…things were peaceful. Well, as peaceful as they got with so many people in the house who couldn't sleep. Lexi smiled to herself, feeling calm without Jasper's influence.

The quiet allowed her mind to wander, to focus on everything and nothing all at once. One minute she was following the football game, the next focusing on a stray car engine down the road, then eavesdropping to figure out why Alice insisted on going abroad for clothes. When the breathing from the car's driver became closer, instead of farther, she perked up a bit. Along with nearly everyone else in the house.

Esme kept talking to Bella, surely not wanting to scare the human, but Edward abruptly ended his song to keep a watchful eye over his girlfriend. The rest of the house hushed, no longer as carefree as a few minutes ago.

The crunching of tires on the road followed the only path that could cause Hensley's chest to tighten. Jasper's grip was firm around her waist, sharing a stern look with Cooper as though they were making battle plans together without a word between them.

Hensley frowned at the smell that approached her house.

There was no way it was correct. Maybe she had misjudged Esme's motions and she was actually cooking the third dessert of the day. Hensley was going to explode, but Esme had mentioned something about donation….

Despite what logic told her, the single knock on the door made her heart stutter in hope.

She locked eyes with Jasper, then her father, but no one moved. Maybe they smelt the same thing? But no. It was impossible. After everything he did, why would he come there?

Carlisle stood at the second knock, gone in a flash to open the door. Hensley held her breath, fingers tightening around Jasper's in a way that would've been painful for anyone else.

"Is your daughter here?" She would recognize that southern drawl anywhere. She stood as well, less sure in her movements than her father, slowly moving towards the door like one of the robot butler prototypes.

"Are you alright?" She heard Carlisle ask, genuine concern laced through his voice. He always liked the boys. His worry about them had never wavered.

"I just need to-"

"Kaufmann?" Hensley cut him off as the door came into view. He looked just as she remembered him; shaggy hair, deep blue eyes, and a tan that screamed 'from the south'. But there was something deeper to him. Something less carefree in his eyes.

He glanced at Carlisle, taking a tentative step inside the entryway. His eyes danced around the room, his military training kicking in as he located all the exits and potential weapons. Hensley knew, because she did so too. Finally, his eyes met hers and he nodded.

But he said nothing. His fingers flexed at his sides, lips pressed together like he was debating something or working up courage. Was he a hitman? Had she been burned?

Before she got a chance to ask, Kaufmann took a breath and nodded once more; convinced of what he had to do then.

He stuck out his hand.

"Preston."