✔ | 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍, jasper hale

thirty-six

Jasper sighed. "I do not know, but I dohope that Alice could sway our brother into not pushing through."

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"Text me—no, call me if something happens, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can," Madelline rushed to say as she led the two of them down the stairs, her hands gripping Jasper's, who smiled amusedly at the fussing woman.

He may have been worried, but he couldn't help but be amused and surprised at how someone could get worried despite knowing how indestructible they can be.

Before Madelline could even turn the knob, she was pulled back by a tug on her arm. A squeal escaped her lips as her surroundings blurred and spun until all that she could see were her lover's eyes. She held her hand against his chest to stop herself from further bumping into him, looking up to meet his eyes confusedly.

"We will be fine," Jasper reassured her. "Edward will be fine; you need not worry about your pretty head, alright?"

Madelline couldn't help but sigh and nod. "Alright, now kiss me."

However, before they could even close the distance between them, a series of knocks echoed throughout the house. Madelline pulled away and stared at their door in confusion, looking back at Jasper, who shared the same expression.

"Are you expecting someone?" Jasper asked. Madelline shook her head in answer.

He pulled her behind him and made his way to their door, mentally preparing themselves in case uninvited visitors stood behind the very door in front of them. Without wasting a second, he swung the door open, only to be surprised.

Bella Swan stood in front of them; her arms were crossed against her chest in a protective manner as exhaustion presented itself in its barest form in her face.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the empath. "J-Jasper? What are you doing here?"

Jasper took a glance behind him and faced her again. "I came to see Maddy; what about you? What are you doing here?" he raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

He saw how Bella shifted her weight from her right foot to the other and how she fiddled with the zippers of her jacket.

"Is Madelline there? Would it be possible to talk to her?" she asked.

"She is right here." A voice spoke up from behind Jasper.

Bella's eyebrows and watched how Jasper stepped aside to reveal Madelline, clad in her sleepwear, her hair pulled up into a quick hairdo, and holding such a glow on her face. She couldn't help but smile inwardly at the sight of her best friend being genuinely happy. After everything that happened, Madelline, out of all the people she knew, deserved it.

Jasper leaned closer to Madelline's ear, saying something in a hushed voice. "Come by later, okay? Carlisle and Esme would be delighted to see you."

"Okay, I'll text you." She softly smiled at him.

Upon meeting her eyes, Jasper sent Bella a curt nod, which she returned. When Madelline was sure Jasper had driven off, she guided her inside before locking the door.

The two girls sat in their living room; an awkward silence hovered just above them, causing the hybrid to frequently shift in her seat out of discomfort.

"Say, what did you want to tell me earlier?" she asked, taking the liberty of opening her mouth first just to relinquish the ever-growing uncomfortable silence around them.

"I just want to say that Edward's safe and back in their house already; he's just replenishing his energy," Bella informed her.

Madelline could feel herself sighing in relief. If old age wasn't the cause of her death, she was certain that her best friend would be the one to do so.

"But the Volturi do not agree with the thought of a human hanging around with someone like him or their family." Bella heaved a sigh as worry presented itself on her face.

The hybrid got confused. "Who?"

"They're like the police and royalty combined. Meaning, they ensure that no one would know of their existence, and you know what that means when they saw me." Bella looked pointedly at her.

"Did something happen to you since you're clearly in front of me right now, well and alive?"

Bella pursed her lips. "Alice convinced them that she would be the one to turn me, and now I'm not sure if that was true."

The sentence did not ease her worries. Whoever the Volturi were, they now have expectations of Bella Swan being turned by none other than Alice Cullen. Not that it matters, as they wouldn't have known who would change her. She could only hope they wouldn't be around to check on the girl's status.

She scanned the girl in front of her. She couldn't help but nibble on her lower lip. She wouldn't deny—being someone like them was exhilarating, powerful even. Everything was enhanced to its maximum level. One does not need to fret about aging lines, wrinkles, saggy skin, or even acquiring diseases. All for one thing—a slave to eternity. Forced to watch their loved ones take their last breath and watch how everyone changed—all but them.

Yet despite it all, Bella's decision would always and forever be hers to make, not theirs.

"Which is why we're going to their house later in the afternoon, as they will vote whether or not I should be turned, I think?"

"You think?"

"Yup."

"For some reason, you and those words don't sound right."

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every time i write "darling," all i could hear was kol mikaelson wtf !?!? i swear, i think i read too many kol mikaelson ffs lately