Jasper watches Nala sleep, her head against his chest as she curls under the white duvet for warmth. If he dares move she'll wake up - he learned that shortly after this sleeping arrangement began. He gently pushes a stray stand of hair from her eyes, watching as she frowns ever so slightly in her sleep. He kisses the frown lines gently as he sighs to himself; these last few weeks have been tense.
Nale can't relax; every times she hears a noise or hears a car approach she freezes. Her whole world begins to cave until she sees it isn't him - that Taylor isn't there to take her baby girl away. It's crushing her, it's got her heart racing almost all the time and Jasper and Carlisle are growing concerned for her wellbeing. This can't go on.
Jasper chuckles to himself as he hears the delicate, sly footsteps of Lilo as she totters down the hallways and stretches on her tippy toes to grab the doorhandle; the door creaks open slowly as she comes in, freezing when she sees Jasper smirking.
"Oopie.. Hi daddy." She grins cutely and runs over, climbing on the bed and onto him while being careful of her sleeping momma.
Jasper tucks her messy hair back and kisses her head. "Good morning princess. Did you sleep good?"
She nods as she settles beside him and cuddles up. "Uh huh. I play Emmy today?" She asks looking up at him.
"You wanna play with Emmett? Shall we call him, quietly?" He smiles - this girl melts every piece of pain he's ever felt away. Everything he hated about his past he now accepts, because if it had not have happened the way it did then he wouldn't have these two angels in his life.
She grins excitedly and nods fast, watching as her dad pulls his phone out of his pocket carefully and dials the number. He holds the phone out to her and she grabs it, holding the large device in both hands to one of her ears.
"Hey bro-"
"Emme!" she shrieks quietly, getting his name almost right except for missing the T's.
Emmett smiles wide and sits up on the couch as he hears his favourite person. "Hey honey, did you steal your dad's phone again?"
Lilo giggles as Jasper rolls his eyes - kid cracked his code weeks ago. "No no. Emme play with Lilo?" She asks sweetly.
"Of course little one, you wanna go for a walk in the forest and play dragons?" He asks.
She nods eagerly and throws the phone at her dad as she runs off to change. Jasper laughs and informs Emmett they'll be 10 minutes, the big male running excitedly to tell his wife as soon as they hang up. Everyone jokes that Emmett and Li get along so well because they share the same mental age.
"Baby? I'm gonna get Lilo ready mkay?" He whispers to Nala as he gently slides away and tucks her up.
She stirs and wraps her arms around his pillow. "Where shwe gung?" She mumbles into the pillow, still half asleep.
"Play date with Emmett. I won't be long." He promises as she nods and falls back to sleep in seconds. He kisses her head again before heading to Lilos room, finding half her clothes across the floor. "Lilo Whitlock, what did you do!" he laughs and picks her up, throwing her over his shoulder as she shrieks and kicks.
"Dresseded!" she demands.
Jasper scoops up some leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt, throwing the girl gently on her bed. He pulls her nighty off and dresses her as she chatters away about the fairies she saw in her dreams.
"You want trainers or boots?" He asks as he sits her up.
"Tains." She says.
"Braids or pig tails?" He says as he grabs her hair brush.
She holds one finger up to say the first option and Jasper huffs a little - of course, she chose the hard option. He fiddles and fumbles but does two little braids, which actually turn out decently for his first attempt - this dad stuff is easy!
"Cmon then, Emmett will be waiting impatiently for you." Jas chuckles as he zips her coat up and they head downstairs and out of the house. "Emmett can buy you breakfast too." He says, knowing Emmett will hear.
"Don't care!" Emmett calls.
As soon as Li hears him she runs ahead, letting go of Jasper's hand and running right into Ems arms. He scoops her up and throws her above him, listening to the shriek she makes with a huge grin. "There's my girl!"
Jasper smiles. "No sugar - and don't get her muddy, your wife and mine will kill us both." He says.
"Wife huh?" Emmett wiggles his eyebrows at his brother. He's never seen him this... Gooey.
"It - I - just go." He mutters as he stumbles over his words. Emmett laughs loudly as he heads into the forest with Lilo, leaving his embarrassed brother behind. Jasper finds himself referring to Nala as his wife, and the both of them as one; its so natural to him. It's like they've always known each other and there will always be a them. Not a him and a her, but a them. But until they sort the whole Taylor situation and until its safe for her to divorce him they can't be one - she'll always be a piece of him though.
He heads back in the house and hears Nala's heart rate pick up; immediately running to her he pulls her close and strokes her back. "I'm back, it's okay." He whispers as she settles, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest.
She sighs deeply a few minutes later and opens her eyes slowly, looking up at Jasper. "Did Li go okay?" She mumbles.
"Of course she did, she's with her best friend." He smiles stroking her hair back. "Sleep okay?"
"Always do when you're beside me." She smiles.
He smiles and looks at her for a moment as her big brown eyes stare up at him. "I... Was thinking about something. And I wanted to get your thoughts on it... But you don't have to agree, or whatever, I just want your honest thoughts. Okay?"
She frowns a little and nods. "Okay..."
"When I think about us I-I call you my wife. I can't think of us as anything but one, and it terrifies me - but in a good way. Sorta. I know you have so much going on with Taylor and the fact you're still married to him but... But I just wanted to know how you felt about maybe, one day, being married to me." He says slowly.
Nala is silent for a moment before she giggles, sitting up, as she covers her mouth. "Seriously?"
He frowns, a little confused by her reaction. "Yes..."
"You're so cute. Of course I want to marry you one day, stupid." She giggles and kisses him.
He smiles into the kiss - happy, but mostly relieved - and strokes her cheek. "So we're like, engaged to be engaged?" He raises an eyebrow.
Nala giggles. "I guess we are. I like that." She kisses him again.
"I had another thought."
"Ooo okay, your thoughts seem to be good so far, hit me." She crosses her legs watching him.
"Let's go on vacation."
"Abroad..?" She says slowly. He nods. "In the sun..?"
"Wherever you want. I just want to take a family vacation, me, you and Lilo." He strokes her hand.
Nala deliberate out loud. "We could... But nowhere that needs a passport. And nowhere that I'd have to wear short sleeves or a swim suit; nowhere too hot coz Lilo doesn't like the heat-"
Jasper cuts off her rambling. "Alaska then. We've got family out there, they'd love to meet you all and this time of year will have snow. Li will love that."
Nala blushes a little. "We have family?"
"Well, the Denali's are your family-to-be-to-be." He smirks making her shove him playfully; he laughs. "Do you want to?"
She nods. "I do. I really do." She sighs happily at the thought of a vacation - a break from the constant stress and worry.
"Alright, I'll go give Tanya a call and you go take a bath. I'll have Rose and Alice go get some suitable clothing for the both of you."
Nala kisses his cheek and heads to the bathroom smiling, excited at the thought of getting away from everything just for a while. To maybe have some fun, enjoy time with her new family. To forget whats happened with Seth and Emily, and what looms with Taylor. They all need this.
-
"I spy with my little eye something beginning with H." Nala say as she looks over her shoulder to Lilo who's in the back, thinking hard as she looks out the windows.
"Hm... Oh, ecilopter!" she shrieks when she sees the helicopter.
Nala laughs hard at how she says it. "That's right! Is it Daddy's turn?"
Jasper rolls his eyes playfully. "I spy something-"
"Nuh do right!" Lilo scowls and kicks his chair.
"Hey, be nice." Nala scolds.
Jasper looks in the rear view mirror. "Do you want me to turn the car around and we go home?"
She shakes her head. "No... Sowwy." She whispers.
"It's okay, good girl for apologising." He smiles. "Now I spy with my little eye something beginning with... S." He smirks.
Lilo thinks hard and looks around, stretching up as far as the carseat and straps allow. A moment later she does a sharp inhaled gasp, shrieking with joy. "SNOW!" She yells.
Nala smiles wide. "Yeah baby, are you happy? Jasper's cousins live in a snowy mountain that we get to play in for a while. Isnt that exciting?"
"Play now!" she bounces in her seat.
"Later okay? We're almost there then we can make a snowman as soon as we get out." Jasper promises as he smiles at Lilo, kissing Nala's hand.
Both girls beam with excitement, their eyes glued to the growing volume of snow outside the windows, surrounding the road in a winter bliss. It's almost thanksgiving, maybe they can stretch their time here until Christmas to really see how much the snow falls around here. Jasper smiles at the thought of the excitement on Li's face, how she'd be ecstatic.
"She's conked out." Nala muses not even ten minutes later as Lilo snores softly, her mouth hanging open.
Jasper chuckles. "Knew she could be, she got too excited. Are you ready? We're basically here."
Nala takes a deep breath and nods. "More vampires? Of course." She says as the butterflies of fear battle around in her stomach. Here goes...