My Major Whitlock

Chapter 8

My pregnancy was a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing since female vampires were infertile; me being able to have children is a miracle. A curse because who knew how the pregnancy would go; would I suffer? Would the baby suffer? Would we survive? A curse because I was in a coven where vampires are killed on a daily basis and Maria would kill me without hesitation if she knew.

Ever since we found out about my state, Jasper has been very protective of me to the point I am surprised Maria hasn't connected the dots. When we hunt alone, Jasper would always make sure I drank more, making sure the baby and I were fine. Another blessing; Jasper was back to being himself for a while instead of the dead being he was. He now had a more powerful reason to keep living.

A bump hasn't been formed yet, but I could feel my stomach hardening. Occasionally when we were alone Jasper would place his hand over my stomach and stroke it gently, sending me never-ending love. It's understandable, really. Jasper originally wanted to have children during his human years, so it pained him when he realised he couldn't have any when turned. What a coincidence that he had me who still had human qualities such as getting pregnant.

We already chosen the names for our child due to the life we ran; who knew how long we had together or if we had the time to decide on a name at a later time? We decided that if the baby was a boy, he would be Jasper Jr. If it was a girl, we would name her Hope Mary Whitlock. Hope for the hope we escape alive and happy - Jasper suggested that name. "Why Mary, though?" he had asked me when I wanted the middle name to be Mary. I gave a shrug in reply to him.

"I don't know, Mary just seems right."

A week after Maria returned, I was making my rounds around camp when I saw Maria off to the distance, staring at me. Her eyes landed on my stomach, her lips lifting into a snarl. What I felt from her emotions made me feel sick. She's planning to kill me soon.

Jasper must have felt my distress because the next thing I knew, he was at my side, looking at me from top to bottom in worry. Before he could ask what was wrong, he caught Maria's emotions from behind him making him tense. His eyes darkened in worry and anger.

"Come, let's go hunt." he said with calmness, deceiving everyone nearby to think that everything was alright. When we were away from camp, there Jasper showed his worry for me and our baby. "You have to leave tonight," he said suddenly amongst his pacing. I stood up straight from leaning against a tree.

"What? So soon?" I panicked, hands flying to my stomach by instinct. "I haven't planned an escape -"

"Melanie, you felt her emotions! She wants to kill you. We can't change her mind, even I can't and you know she is fond of me. There's no other option; I am not going to lose you to her." he explained to me hurriedly.

"But...what about you?" I cried, frustrated tears escaping my eyes. "I can't leave you here, this place is bad for you! Come with me!" Jasper wiped my tears away and brought me into a tight hug that I returned desperately. I inhaled his scent, wanting to keep it to memory. We stood in our embrace for a while until we realised we needed to go back.

"You must go alone, and leave as soon as the Sun rises, you hear me? There Maria will be busy controlling the newborns. Find Peter and stay with him and his mate until I can meet up with you."

"But -"

"Melanie, I can't leave and you know it. Use your gift to hide your scent; you haven't learnt to extend it to people yet so you have to go alone. Otherwise they would follow my scent." I frowned at how true his words were. Regret came onto me for not learning how to extend the gift. "Don't feel that, we weren't aware that this was going to happen sooner than we thought. I'm just glad you can hide from Maria."

"I love you," I blurted out before we went to leave. He gave me a small smile, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.

"I love you too, darlin'. But we need to go now before Maria does anything unpredictable."

We continued the night as if nothing was wrong, avoiding Maria at all costs. When the time was approaching, I rushed to my tent and packed the small items I had. I ran deep into the forest and waited for Jasper. A minute later and Jasper was with me. We hugged each other tightly, making sure to treasure our last moments. He pulled away to give me a kiss and stepped back. "You need to leave soon, but before you do there is something I want to give you." He pulled out from his back pocket a small bag, opening it to reveal a ring - his mother's engagement ring. I always admired it when I was a human and remembered hearing his mother tell him to give it to someone who he truly loved. Just the thought of that memory made me connect the dots. I looked up at him surprised,

"You want to marry me?" I whispered in awe. He got down on one knee as an answer and held my hands tightly in his.

"Melanie, ever since I met you in the markets, I knew there was something about you that made me want to be with you. Since then, I started to develop feelings for you – and even though women threw themselves at me in front of you sometimes, I only had my eyes for you. When we started this relationship, I thought I finally got my happy ending in this cruel world, only to realise how wrong I am and that it's going to be a long time for us to reach our happiness. I know this is going to be hard for us, but I know that in the future we're going to be together again with our child. So until then, when we reunite again after this, will you marry me?" he proposed. I gave him the largest bright smile I ever gave to anyone, nodding my head quickly. Jasper smiled just as big, slipping the ring onto my finger. I pulled him up from the ground and gave him a hard kiss, tears of joy escaping my eyes.

The Sun's light touched at our skins, sending us into a sparkling mess. Our time was up. "It's time to go," he whispered against my lips, letting go of me reluctantly.

"I'll see you later," I whispered sadly, holding onto his hands tightly one last time.

"Until then, never forget about me and remember our promise," he said, giving my knuckles a chaste kiss where the ring rested. "Look after yourself and the baby." I released his hand eventually and turned my back to him, ready to enter the next chapter of my new life. I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit excited; I've always dreamed of leaving this coven and it was happening. Not as I planned, but still. "Wait!" Jasper pulled me back, revealing another object to me. It was a small teddy bear that he treasured in his human years, ever since he was a little boy. I stared at the soft toy in disbelief.

"How -"

"I visited my home during the years and grabbed it," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's for our child now, something to remember me by." I gave him another kiss for his cuteness and made sure the bear was safe in my grasp.

"Alright, I really have to go now," I said, eyeing the rising Sun. "Maria will be done soon."

"Okay, goodbye," Jasper said, backing away from me. "Find Peter and Charlotte. Wait for me there."

"I will," I promised. With one last look at my mate; the sunlight kissing at his scarred form gently, his honey blonde hair moving with the wind, his blood red eyes staring at me sadly but with love, I turned my back to him and entered the next chapter of my life without him.