Compromise.
Sunday, 9:38 am.
Dema sighed as she leaned against a tree, breathing in the fresh scent of lavender. She had heard about the stunning lavender meadow over the mountain, countless times— from a certain brunette— but she had never found the time to go. Dema couldn't help but scowl in disappointment, as she debated whether the view was worth the hike— just for a large field with purple flowers.
Throughout her entire time in Forks, Bella would mention this exact location, at least once a week. She'd ramble on and on about the stunning view, the sweet scent, the peaceful silence, and, of course, Edward's presence, as his skin glimmered and sparkled against the sunlight. Dema silently wondered if Bella's spot was as beautiful as she claimed, or perhaps, it just happened to be the overall experience of falling over Edward in that spot.
But, now she didn't have to wonder, because she knew; Bella was definitely exaggerating.
Don't get her wrong, though. The view was definitely breathtaking if you didn't mind the freezing cold, strong wind, and an eerie silence that Dema thought only belonged in horror movies. It was a good thing she's almost completely immune to the cold— not so much for the wind or the creepy silence.
She fidgeted uncomfortably with the sleeves of her shirt, as she glanced at the lavender flowers, which shifted from side to side, pushed by the strong wind. A soft whistling kept dancing through the field but was quickly replaced by an energetic bark.
"Oscar!" Dema yelled as she clapped to get the young dog's attention. She could only see some movement across the field— flowers would suddenly vanish, followed by loud sniffling. "What are you even doing?" She groaned as she jumped to her feet and started walking towards him.
As she approached the, quite large, patch of torn apart flowers, a wagging tail appeared from within a bush. Oscar rolled around the bush, chewing on its leaves and branches, and then sniffling furiously.
"Oh, god..." Dema face-palmed herself as she stared at Oscar in horror. "Are you eating them?" She frowned, as he poked his head out of the bush. He glanced at her with a playful gaze, right before diving back into the bush. "Stop it!" Dema shrieked. "Bella's gonna kill me when she sees what you've done to her magical spot!"
Oscar looked up at her, wagged his tail, and went back to chewing on the flowers, and then spitting out their corpses. Dema tried to catch him by the collar, but he dodged her easily and ran a few feet away, before stopping to chew on another patch of lavender flowers. Dema groaned in annoyance but followed after him nonetheless.
"Oscar, come on! This is why you're no longer allowed inside the Cullens!"
Dema rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. At the mention of the Cullens, Oscar stopped on his tracks and glanced up at her, narrowing his eyes slowly.
"I know you don't like them either, but-" Oscar huffed loudly before turning away. "You're gonna have to learn to get along with them, because Bella's a vampire now. Whether you like it or not, they're gonna be part of our lives!" She yelled after him, but he kept on prancing around the meadow, killing as many plants as he pleased. "Okay, that's it, young man!" She said through gritted teeth, right before running after him. "We're going home!"
Oscar barked playfully, as he ran at a faster pace. He turned and jumped, over rocks and bushes, and Dema tumbled behind him. She slipped and fell a few times, due to the humid ground, but immediately jumped back to her feet, and darted towards Oscar.
"I'm not kidding!" She stopped to catch her breath, but Oscar kept on dashing away from her. "Where are you going?! Get back here, Oscar!"
Dema stood there, praying Oscar would magically turn around and head back, but he never did. He kept going until he vanished into the bordering forest. Dema groaned loudly, before rushing after him. She knew Oscar would keep running away from her if she kept yelling his name, so she decided to rely on her werewolf abilities— her enhanced smelling sense, to be exact. It was fairly easy, seeing as he had consumed a somewhat large amount of lavender flowers.
After a few minutes of eerie silence, as she placed her full attention on the powering lavender scent, she noticed the soft sound of falling water in the short distance. Of course—Oscar was bound to run towards the river! After all, he had been running around, eating dry plants, and spitting them out afterward. Dema couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought.
She kept walking for a few minutes until she reached the river and a small waterfall in the short distance. Dema frowned, as she looked around for Oscar, but he was nowhere to be found. The scent has suddenly vanished, and she sniffled as another peculiar scent filled her nose.
Green tea and cinnamon.
Her heart dropped almost instantly. She quickly became aware of his presence, as a twig snapped a few feet behind her. She clenched her jaw, right before turning to face him, for the first time in a few days.
"Please tell me you didn't eat my dog." Dema started quietly but fell silent once she realized he was holding Oscar. "Oh."
Jasper chuckled lightly. "Wouldn't even think of it," He said, as he carefully set Oscar back on the ground. The dog wagged his tail and barked once at him, before prancing away from them happily. "What's that smell-"
"Lavender," Dema stated. "He ate lavender flowers. And lots of them."
"Ah," Jasper nodded. "He'd probably taste like cheap perfume, then."
Dema pursed her lips together as she studied his appearance. His eyes were no longer black, but a sparkling golden. His honey-colored curls were carefully combed back, but a few stray hairs fell over his eyes and cheeks. It looked as if he had finally gotten sleep, after a few sleepless months.
"You're-" Dema started, only to be cut off by Jasper.
"Where have you been?" He frowned, taking a step closer. "It's been days, Dema. I was worried-"
"I've been here," She shrugged dismissively. "With Oscar."
"All this time?" He rose an eyebrow suspiciously.
She turned away from him, sighing as she plopped down in the grass, just a few inches away from the flowing water. She crossed her legs and propped her elbow on her knee, whilst dipping a few fingers in the cool water.
"Yup," She started. "Just waiting for the tribe's elders to come and burn me to death for imprinting on a demon."
Jasper glared at her but stayed silent.
Dema whipped her head around, with a frown. "Of course, I went home. My mother was worried sick about me." She turned back to the river and resumed playing with the flowing water. "How else would you explain the set of new, clean clothes?" She scoffed, and Jasper crossed his arms over his chest, but still kept silence. Dema turned around questioningly at him. "What? No more yelling? No more arguments?"
Jasper kept his gaze on her for a few seconds, before sighing and turning away.
"I went to your house earlier," He started, as he placed his hand in his jacket pocket. He rummaged through it for a second, before taking out a white envelope. Dema's jaw dropped ever so slightly— immediately recognizing it— and she forced herself to turn away nonchalantly. "I found this, on your desk."
"You know that's a felony, right?" Dema asked quietly, as she threw a small rock into the water. "That's private mail-"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jasper ignored her completely, taking a few steps towards her. "I didn't even know you wanted to go to college. After you phased, I just figured you'd want to stay like every other werewolf."
"Well, I did," She whispered. "I stayed."
"If you had told me, Dema-"
"What?! You would have been happy for me?" She snapped at him, standing up and clenching her fists. "Bullshit." She spat, as she glared into his golden eyes. "You'd had used it as an excuse to stay away from me."
Jasper's gaze softened, with an expression that Dema could only perceive as pity, so she turned away.
"I applied before I even phased," Dema said softly. "My plans had already changed when that letter arrived. I applied for the spring term, anyway. I could still enroll."
"Maybe you should..." Jasper mumbled.
Dema's heart squeezed in pain, but she kept her face away from her. Even though she knew he could sense her pain.
"Why are you here, Jasper?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Call me crazy, but I don't think you came here just to congratulate me on my admittance to college."
Jasper opened and closed his mouth a few times, hesitating. He finally sighed and pursed his lips together.
"You want the truth?" He asked, and Dema nodded with a little fake disinterest. "I was determined on coming here and make you understand the true risks and consequences of your actions. How dangerously reckless you behaved-"
"I already know-" She started, through gritted teeth, but he immediately cut her off.
"Do you?" He frowned, and she looked down at the floor with a frown. "Do you, really? Because, if I'm not wrong— and I'm not—, you had absolutely no idea what the pack's reaction would have been. You could have-" His voice trembled ever so slightly. "They could've hurt you. I could have lost you." She looked up at him, her expression was soft with hope and surprise.
For the first time in what felt like a really long time, Dema could see his pain.
"I was completely powerless against a pack of wolves, Dema. I wouldn't have been able to protect you— to save you, if-" He gulped, before shaking his head. "What you did was not only stupidly reckless but immature... What you did..." Dema bit her lip, expecting him to finally lash out and yell at her. "Was nothing compared to what I did. Even after everything that happened, I did the worst thing of it all."
Dema gazed up at him, but his eyes were stuck to the ground, in thought.
"I did the one thing I wanted to protect you from," He said softly. "I hurt you."
Dema's jaw dropped, as he finally turned back to her. His gaze was no longer cold.
"I wasn't thinking straight. It's no secret that control isn't my forte. Fear got the best of me, and I crumbled too quickly. Instead of focusing on what mattered, I started fighting against the one feeling that makes me the tiniest bit human." He frowned with determination as he gazed intently into her eyes. "But, even then... even when every day was as dark and painful as the next, I realized that not even the thirst could take my mind away from you."
"I still don't understand," Dema said softly. "Why did you do it, then?"
"I thought fighting against my feelings for you would be easier than losing you, forever," He took a few steps towards her. They were now a foot away from each other. "But, pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done."
Dema's eyes widened, as his hand once again, returned to his jacket pocket.
"There's another reason I went to your house today," He said, as he slowly took a small, black box from his pocket. "I had something really important to ask your mother. Once she agreed, I came here to look for you."
"Wha-what are you..." Dema stammered as Jasper slowly gets on one knee. Her heartbeat raced, and her hands started to shake.
"I'm done fighting against it, Dema." He started, as he glanced down at the box between his fingers. "I might not be able to understand this, but... all I need to know is that I love you. And, if you let me, I'll spend the rest of eternity proving it to you. From today, till the day the world ends..." He opened the tiny, black box, and rose it to meet her eyes. A ring, with a black gem, with the smallest hint of blue in it, rested on the box.
Dema's lower lip trembled, as she glanced back at Jasper, with widened eyes.
"Marry me, Dema Reeves Black," He said softly, with a small smile tugging at his lips. "Marry me, and let's spend all eternity together."
A tear streamed down her cheek, as she stared at him, completely baffled. His smile got even bigger, as she slowly kneeled down in front of him. She placed a shaky hand in his knee and looked up at him with a small smile.
"If this is a way for you to make me forget about our fight-" She started, with a tiny hint of humor in her tone.
"No, absolutely not-"
"You can't just propose and make it all go away, you know? You can only propose once, and-"
Jasper took the ring out of the box with one hand and gently took her shaky hand in his.
"Dema, I love you. From the second that you pranced into the cafeteria and locked eyes with me. From that moment, until now, my feelings have only grown stronger for you," He whispered and a few more tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry, I hurt you. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that, but... I promise I'll never let you down again. No harm will come to you as long as I live... Marry me, Dema."
Dema gulped as Jasper gently brushed away a few stray hairs that rested over her eyes. He took her shaky hand, and placed the ring on her opened palm. She bit her lip, before throwing her arms around him. He wasn't expecting it, so he almost tumbled back, but regained balance at the last second. Dema couldn't help to chuckle, between soft sobs. He chuckled softly, right before wrapping his arms around her waist.
"I love you," Dema whispered, as she squeezed him a little tighter. "A lot."
"Is that a yes?" Jasper smiled, but a frowned formed on his face when she stayed silent. He pulled away from the hold and stared at her questioningly.
"No..." Dema mumbled, and Jasper's soft expression vanished. "No! I mean, I don't know..."
"You don't know?"
"Well, I... I'm not sure, Jasper." She whispered. "My head's a mess, right now. And Bella, she just-"
"So, you're saying you don't want-"
"No! That's definitely not what I'm saying." She shook her head frantically. "All I'm saying is, I love you, and that... I don't know. I guess I have to think about it."
"Oh," Jasper nodded softly, and as much as he tried to force a smile onto his face, he couldn't. "Take as much time as you need."
He stood up and started walking away from her. She scrambled to her feet and rushed to him. She held the ring in her hand and placed it in front of him.
"I don't-"
He shook his head and pushed her hand away. "It's a gift. You should keep it."
"But-"
"It's yours, Dema." He smiled at her, right before vanishing back into the forest.
Dema stayed there, completely baffled and confused. She glanced down at the ring, and took it between her fingers, right before examining it closely. The silver ring held a black gemstone in place. The gemstone was delicately cut and polished, and it shone brightly against the few streams of sunlight that gaped over the thick forest.
It was certainly unorthodox for an engagement ring to be anything other than a diamond one, but that made it even more special.
After all, there was nothing orthodox about their relationship.
Not from the second that they met, until now.
They had developed a curious friendship over the months, due to Dema's developing abilities as a child of Wraith. That quickly led into a questionable crush, once he agreed to train her and look after her. Dema smiles at the thought that she, not too long ago, saw him as an enemy.
But as much as she tried to convince herself to avoid him, she was always drawn back to him. To his cold stares and one-sided smirks, to his golden curls, to his frozen skin and intense gaze. Something about his old-fashioned mannerism intrigued here, and she'd always wind up by his side, seeking comfort.
Even at the end, when Bella died. He was there. Comforting here. Even if he was in pain, due to his thirst. He was there when it truly mattered.
Not too long ago, he sacrificed himself for her. He was almost ripped apart by newborns, just to save her.
Yet, she was still standing there, with an engagement ring in hand, wondering if he truly loved her.
"What am I doing?" Dema's eyes widened as she face-palmed herself. "I imprinted on him, for god's sake! I already know the answer!" She said as she shoved the ring into her pants pocket. "Oscar! Come on, boy! We're going for a run!"
_____________________
"How did it go?" Esme rushed to the outdoor deck and leaned on the railing, glancing down at Jasper excitedly.
Emmett, Carlisle, and Rosalie followed after Esme, with as much excitement as her.
Jasper looked up, with a small frown. He seemed to have been deep in thought.
"What did she say?" Emmett asked, and Jasper sighed. "Oh... Did she-"
"She said she had to think about it," Jasper said, lacking as much emotion as he always did. "She said she didn't know."
"Well, what did you expect?" Rosalie mumbled softly. "She's a dog."
"Babe," Emmett gave her a warning glance and she shrugged. He turned back to Jasper. "She'll come around. Who would say no to a Cullen?" Emmett tried to joke, but no one laughed.
"She loves you, Jasper," Esme cocked her face to the side with slight pity. "She's probably just overwhelmed."
"I agree," Alice's voice rang through the deck. She glided across the deck with a knowing smile spread across her cheeks. "There's no need to panic... Yet."
Jasper frowned, looking up at her with narrowed eyes. "What are you-"
"Jasper!" A faint voice rang through the forest. It was distant but close enough for even a human to hear it.
Jasper turned to the bordering forest, and giggles and gasps of surprise were heard throughout the Cullen family. Esme wrapped her arms around Carlisle's torso in excitement.
"Told ya," Emmett smirked, and Rosalie rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a small smile.
"Jasper!" Dema's voice was heard even clearer, as she came even closer. They could also hear loud stomping sounds throughout the forest. "Jasper!"
Jasper's eyes widened, as he stood frozen in place, waiting —hoping— for her to arrive.
And she did.
From a short distance, a light-grey shaped emerged from the darkness, rushing towards him. It slowly took shape of a wolf— Leah's wolf form, to be exact— with Dema clinging to her back. Once Dema's gaze fell on him, a wide, relieved smile spread across her face. Oscar ran a little behind Leah, having a little hard time catching up to the she-wolf.
"Jasper!" Dema shrieked excitedly. "Jasper wait!"
"What..." Jasper frowned, as Leah crossed the bordering forest and skidded to a halt.
Dema tumbled down the she-wolf and Leah apologized with a soft huff. Dema grumbled a few curse words at Leah, right before scrambling to her feet. She brushed the dirt off her clothes and scratched her throat. It took her a second to notice that they were not alone. She blushed at the sight of the smirking Cullens, but she didn't care.
She turned away and met his golden gaze. Jasper eyed her up and down, studying her broken appearance. She was practically panting like a wet dog in summer. There was dirt all over her clothes, and leaves and sticks clung to her short hair. She had a few cuts across her cheeks, and her jeans were scratched at the knees.
"Are you-" He started, but Dema cut him off immediately.
"I don't need time!" She burst out. "I don't know what I was thinking... You took me by surprise, and I... I don't need time!" She smiled at him. "I need you."
"Dema-"
"Wait!" She pressed a dirty finger against his lips, leaving a small smudge of dirt. "Let me finish!"
"What the hell happened to her?" Jacob's hushed voice took her attention for a second. He stood by Rosalie, staring down at her with a knowing smirk.
"Shut it, dog." Rosalie hissed at him, before motioning Dema to go on with an encouraging smile.
Dema turned back to Jasper.
"You weren't the only one at fault. I have to apologize, too." She tried her hardest to hold his intense gaze as her lower lip trembled. "I was weak when you needed me to be strong. I was sad and pathetic. The second you said the words, I gave up on us. On you... I ran away the second it got... dark. I lied to you, claiming it was to protect us, but I was only trying to protect myself... I'm sorry."
Dema smiled softly at him, right before taking the ring out of her pant's pocket.
"And I'm sorry it took me this long to realize, but... I want to spend all eternity, loving you, protecting you, and making jokes at your expense." A few laughs echoed through the air. "Even if I had never imprinted, I know my destiny would've been by your side. There's no alternate reality where I wouldn't fall for you. Especially not this one."
Jasper's frown had softly vanished, and a grin spread through his face when Dema got slowly in one knee.
"Oh, god..." Alice placed a hand over her mouth.
"I'm only doing this because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to do it twice in one day," Dema grinned back at him. "Jasper Whitlock Hale, will you marry me?"
No one dared to utter a word, as Jasper glanced down at the ring with a wide smile. He gently took the ring from her and helped her to her feet. She glanced questioningly at him but smiled once he placed the ring on her finger.
"Is that a yes?" Dema asked, and Jasper pursed his lips together in thought.
"Oh, I don't know..." He said before a playful smile spread across her face.
"Shut—up!" Dema grinned before slamming her lips against his.
Cheers and claps were heard through the Cullens and Jacob. Even Edward smiled, from the second-floor window, with Renesmee resting on his arms. Leah wagged her tail lightly, as Seth made his way towards the commotion.
They pulled away from the kiss and embraced each other in a tight hug.
"It's a yes, right?" Dema whispered with a tinge of humor to her tone.
Jasper rolled his eyes lightly.
"Just to be sure-" Dema shrugged, and he kissed her once more.
She melted into his touch, as the hope of a new life together crossed her mind.
Soon, they'll be together throughout eternity.
And Dema couldn't wait.
Jasper pulled away, before placing one last loving kiss on her forehead.
"Alright, I'm taking that as a yes."
"Oh," Jasper's eyes suddenly lit up realization. He took another envelope from his jacket pocket, but this one was a tarnished yellow, with a colorful stamp displaying the Roman Colosseum. "Almost forgot," He gave her the letter. "Your mother asked me to give you this."
Dema peered at the envelope, and read the name at the top. "Emma Lee..." Her breath caught in her throat, as she blinked at the envelope. "Emma Lee... Reeves?"
She glanced up at Jasper, and he held the same confusion in his eyes as she did.
"Is she... Are we related? Do you think she might... have it?"
"Maybe, you should... open it?" Rosalie gave her an incredulous look, which Jasper returned with a frown.
"It says she sent the letter from Houston..." Dema brushed her fingers against the letter. "Redstone was from the south."
Jasper glanced at the letter in thought. "Take your time, Dema. Open it when you're ready."
Dema glanced at him in thought, before shrugging. "I'm ready!" She grinned, right before ripping the envelope open. Jasper sighed, but peered at her shoulder curiously, as she tossed the envelope away and unfolded the letter.
The rest of the Cullens and the pack stared at her silently, as her eyes traveled from one side of the letter to the next, flashing through sentence by sentence, until the last words.
"Best regards, your cousin... Emma Lee Reeves," Dema mumbled softly the last few words, before turning wide-eyed to Jasper. "I'm not alone..."
Seth and Leah shared an eerie look, right before peering curiously at Dema.
"She's got the curse."
Jasper frowned, glancing down at Dema with concern.
"I'm not the last child of Wraith..." Dema said softly.
The Cullens frowned, as an uneasy feeling washed over them.
"She is."
_____________________________
A/N:
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: CLIFF HANGER AND INTRODUCING EMMA LEE. (Skip to the * if you don't want to read the A/N)
FINALLY.
The chapter I've been clearly dreading to write all year has finally been written, edited and —hopefully, by now— published. From the start, I was planning on this really important event to take place in this book, but a few chapters back, I wasn't feeling it. Just a few days ago, with half of the chapter already written, I finally said, 'It makes sense, doesn't it?'.
And now, that I'm finally seeing it formalizing in front of my eyes, I'm sure. It makes sense.
I'm happy for my characters, and even though this was probably the hardest chapter I've ever written (hence the long time I took to write it), and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, I'm sure this is the path I want Dema and Jasper to go through.
I hope you liked that little plot twist with Dema proposing to him! I wanted to make it a little less dependent on the man to propose, and go for something rather unorthodox.
...
Anyways, I genuinely hope everyone's doing fine, taking into account the scary circumstances we're all in. I wish you all the best, and please, stay safe! Also, remember to wash your hands!
I was going through a major writer's block, but now that I've managed to write this chapter, I'll be trying to upload at least one chapter a week. If there's a chance I'm able to bring you a little distraction away from everything that's going on, then I'm going to try.
This book is two chapters away from ending, and the third one's already in the makings! :) Well, I've just started to review the last movie, script, book and plan the whole plot.
*******
And.... drumrolls, please!
I'm going to be writing a new series, surrounding the Twilight Saga!
A Seth Clearwater fanfiction! —Well, duh! He's my favorite wolf! :)
Yes, you guessed it! Emma Lee Reeves will be our OC. She's nothing like Dema, so expect something fresh and not at all like this series.
She's cursed as well, but she has many secrets of her own.
Many, many secrets.
You won't have to read the Emma Lee series to understand this one or vice-versa, but they're gonna be intertwined in many ways, so it's sort of a plus, I guess!
And if you enjoyed this story, and you're able to understand my weird writing style, then you're all welcome to read it! It's something I've been wanting to write about for years, and I can't wait to start this series!
The first book's gonna be called 'Thorns', since every other title on the Twilight saga has been nature related, just like the original books.
Anyway, this book's coming out at the same time as Dema's third book— expect it around May-June.
....
Well, that's all for now.
See you in a week! (hopefully, less!)
Wash your hands and stay safe!