*2 Years Later*
Nala and Jasper stare at each other across the table as Lilo plays with the menu she's coloring - well, scribbling on. "What happens if you eat food?" Nala muses as she takes one more bite of her pizza.
Jazz shrugs. "Nothing. Just tastes like dirt to me, and I have to bring it back up. Its a real pain."
She giggles as he scrunches his nose up, leaning over to kiss it. "You make the best expressions."
"Lilo taught me." He smirks as they look at the girl, her face scrunched up into one of her many random expressions. They both laugh as Nala grabs a wipe and cleans her off, making another face appear.
"Her face is like putty." Nala says as she lifts her out of her chair and let's her climb on Jasper.
"I gotta go daddy." Lilo whispers to him.
Jasper looks at Nala. "Here, go to mom-"
"Daddy do it." Lilo demands as she bounces in his lap. For almost 5 years old she is full of sass and attitude.
Nala smirks Jasper glares playfully before heading towards the back where the bathrooms are as Nala packs their things away. She asks for the bill and leans down, grabbing her purse out of her bag. "I got it." A voice says.
Ice runs down her spine as she feels bile rise in her throat. She slowly sits up and comes face to face with the handsome, blue eyed, dark-skinned God she fell in love with. Taylor looks at her with a blank expression, his credit card in the waiters hand. Neither speak until he walks off.
"Hello, Nala." He says simply.
"T-Tay." She whispers, not even able to breathe, let alone speak. Why here.. Why now...
"Who's this 'daddy'?" He says simply.
"His names Jasper." She says in a quiet voice. "Hes the closest thing she's had to a father for the last-"
"And who's fault is it that she didn't have a father? Hmm." He muses, his eyes glinting mischievously. "Oh, let me answer this one. Bonus points for a last name... Nala Holt."
Nala stares at the table, her hands clenched to stop them shaking. "What do you want." She demands.
"Payback." Taylor says as he leans over the table and grabs a slice of the pizza she didn't eat, biting into it. "Mm, and it will be good."
Jasper exits the bathroom and instantly feels Nala's distress, rushing to get her into view. His entire body tenses as he sees him - Taylor. He keeps Lilo on his hip, an arm around her protectively,as he strides over to the table.
" Cmon." He says to Nala as he takes her hand.
"Oh you're the daddy." Taylor smirks, lounging in the chair previously Jasper's. "The guy who stole my daughter. Huh. Not what I expected. Bit of a pretty boy - clearly she has a type." He muses as he chews the pizza.
Jasper ignores him and wraps his arm around Nala, walking swiftly out of the restaurant. "Are you okay?" He says in a low voice.
Nala simply nods, unable to find her voice as she takes Lilo instinctively, holding her close as she climbs in the jeep. She keeps her with her as Jasper climbs in too, his jaw tense as he pulls his phone out.
"Clive's Pizza joint. Now. I want you to tail him, listen in, track his every fucking breathe." He demands before he hangs up and begins to race away.
Nala quickly buckles her and Lilo in, the infant sensing her mom's distress and gripping her t-shirt in her tiny fists. "It's okay baby." She whispers kissing Lilo's head,stroking her back. She looks at Jasper , his eyes glaring at the road as his nostrils flare and his grip makes the steering wheel leather creak in protest. "Who was on the phone?" She whispers.
"Emmett. He and Edward will deal with Taylor while I get you home then I will join-"
"Deal with him? Jasper if he goes missing, it'll backfire on us!"
"Calm down, I don't mean it that way. We'll trail him, track his moves. Find out his next move and the one after that and the one after that. Rosalie and the others will keep you and Lilo safe." He tries to speak calmly.
"I... I think we should go back to Alaska." She says in a small voice.
His eyes snap to her. "Why. When."
"Soon. To keep Lilo safe. I can't lose her Jazz." She tears, looking at the sleeping girl on her chest and holding her a little tighter.
"Baby, that isn't going to happen. I'm going to call the lawyer when we get back and let him know what's going on, see what he says. Running will not do us any good now." He squeezes her hand gently.
Nala sniffs and closes her eyes for moment. "I just want this to be over... We were doing so good. 3 years. 3 years we managed to be gone and now all of that was for nothing."
"It wasn't for nothing. It was time to build a case, make a home, be free. We got this - you have got this." He promises. "In a way... This is good. You can finally start getting rid of him."
"How? He's going to ruin us, Jasper, and that's my fault." She whispers.
"He can try, but it won't work. You can finally divorce him, you can settle the divorce easily - you don't want a thing from him." He says simply. He's trying to see the silver lining,be the optimist for once. "We can finally look at our options." He says as he rubs Nallys thigh slowly in a somewhat soothing manner.
"Baby is a no, not until a year at least after the divorce. The baby could be legally classed as his if they're born in the first 300 days after the divorce. And we can't marry until its final - that would be at least 2 months after the case is closed in case anything goes wrong. Lilo is going to be going through so much - she won't remember Taylor but he will 100 percent file for visitation, that is going to torture us all. This is still one big mess, Jazz." She sighs and looks over at him. She's more than surprised to see him smirking at the road. "What?"
He glances at her. "Were having a baby, huh?"
She blushes deeply. "We discussed this... It is an option, yes, isn't it?"
"Of course, I mean practically yes but there'll be a lot to figure out." He says. "But you have no idea how happy it makes me feel to hear you agree to it."
She smiles small; at least he's happy. She's worried about it all - if they do it too early then Taylor could be spiteful and claim rights; a baby born during divorce proceedings can be considered the divorcees child, not the parents. She knows damn well he knows that and would use that. And its hard to think about it strategically, in the sense of she's a human and Jasper is a vampire, and that would be difficult. Nally has no idea whether she wants to be one or not, and what would they tell the children? She sighs internally and sits up as Jasper parks.
"You don't need to worry right now. Go, study, you have an exam in 2 days. You're so close to finishing your third year of this course baby." Jasper kisses her gently.
Nala smiles small; while she isn't sure she can focus on her nursing exams, she does want to do well. She did some precourses and managed to join a 2nd year degree, meaning she's a year ahead of where she thought she would be at this point. Another year and she will be doing what she's always wanted and this was made possible by her one love and his-their amazing family. They truly are her saviours. She watches him as he heads through the trees to the main house before she heads into their cottage, laying Li on the couch with a kiss on the head.
"It's okay baby-" she says but gets interrupted by a knock at the door. She tenses - anyone who knocks isn't someone who should be there... She slowly walks over and sees a woman stood with a file in her clasp. Oh no.
As soon as the door is open, the blonde woman straightens up. "Mrs Hardy?"
Nala nods shakily. "That's me - it's actually Miss Holt."
"Hmm well you're legally Mrs Hardy so that's what I will call you." She says harshly. She holds up a badge. "I'm Katherine Patterson and I'm from child protection services, we've received a complaint about the safety of your daughter. May I come in?"
Nala feels her chest tighten; she just about manages to give a nod before moving aside for the woman to come in. As she does Nala notices her inspecting the place, making a few notes in the file. "Are you aware that you could be charged with kidnap?"
"W-what?" She whispers frowning. Kidnap? How?
"You took her from your husband without warning. That classes as kidnap." the woman says simply. "You're very lucky your husband doesn't want to press charges."
"So Taylor reported me huh?" She snaps a little. "Jasper and I have provided Lilo with the best environment-"
"Who is Jasper?" The woman raises her eyebrow.
Jasper walks in slowly, suspicious of the woman. "That would be me. May I ask who you are?"
"Katherine Patterson, I'm from child services and I'm following up on a report." She eyes him. "What relationship do you have to Mrs Hardy and the child?"
Jasper tenses as she refers to Nala with his name. "Nala and I are together. Lilo calls me dad, I am the only father figure she had."
"Because Mrs Hardy here took her from her biological father." She snaps.
"Because he was an abusive asshole who Lilo had no idea who he was. He never held her or spent time with her - she had a fear of men because he was nowhere to be seen. Now, I understand you are just doing your job and following up on the safety of a child, but we aren't what you're judging us to be. We love each other, we adore Lilo and we only want what is best for her. I'm happy for you to search the house, follow your process, but please do so respectfully."
Katherine sucks her teeth a little before she heads upstairs to look around. Nala turns into Jasper and tears as he wraps his arms around her. "It's begun..." she whispers as every ounce of fight disappears. He's going to win...