(edited: 21.01.24)
"DOROTHEA, wake up."
I startled awake, immediately pulling myself up and away from whoever was touching my shoulder lightly. Then with confused but wide eyes, I looked to the side, relaxing as it was Jasper who was at my side.
He looked troubled, his hands raised up as he attempted to look as harmless as possible. I let out a light breath and rubbed my chest, trying to both calm my racing heart and lessen the pain that came from it.
"I apologize... I didn't mean to scare you."
Shaking my head, I responded "You didn't scare me, Jasper. I'm just not used to getting touched in my sleep, nor am I usually woken up by something other than a nightmare or my alarm."
Seeing his hesitation, I reached out with my hand, which he took without much prompting. He sat down at the edge of the bed, still looking troubled as he asked.
"You do know that nothing would ever hurt you here, right?"
I smiled softly, deeply touched by his words, which I did believe. Because what could hurt me in a house in the middle of nowhere, that's filled by vampires?
Aside from said vampires. Not much.
"I know, Jasper. And honestly, I don't remember when I slept as soundly as I did tonight." I said honestly, and as if my body wanted to prove my point, I yawned before continuing "But this goes beyond you. Ever since that night... I'm always expecting something terrible to happen, when I wake up."
We stayed silent for a moment, our hands locked together, until Jasper spoke up and started running his thumb over my knuckles.
"Before... back when I was human. I did the same thing."
I frowned, asking "Because of war?"
Jasper nodded, saying "Yes...but my upbringing wasn't..." he stopped, before looking off into the distance "I hardly remember my human years, but my father... I do remember fearing him. My skin crawled when he was near... I remember thinking of an excuse to leave his presence or about what to do to not anger him. I also... my control, it was weak as a human as well. I was... angry, resentful, I wanted to be feared just like my father was... I was not good." he sighed, looking down "I hate what I was... more than what I am today."
I stared at him, pity gnawing at my stomach. Ever since, Jasper told me who he was... I've had my reservations, but it was so surreal to see him and think that he was from the past. A past that wasn't pretty or honorable...
"Do you regret it?" I asked quietly.
"I don't think that I'll ever stop." he said without hesitation.
"Good. You shouldn't." I responded, before gathering his face in my hands and looking into his black eyes "But that doesn't mean that you haven't changed, Jasper. Or that you can't continue on changing and improving... I mean, look at me. I'm not the same girl I was before Bella arrived, I got better. And I think that over the years, you did as well."
"I can only hope so..." he replied, with a weak smile.
I hugged him and sighed, closing my eyes.
"Dorothea?" Jasper whispered, making me hum "I will keep you safe, alright?"
I nodded and kissed his temple "I know, that. But some habits are hard to kill..."
"I understand that better than you think, Darlin'." Jasper responded with a bitter laugh.
"I don't doubt that for a second." I said and pulled away, but kept my hands behind his head, playing with the honey coloured strands there "So, Mr. Whitlock."
He smirked "Have I ever said that, I absolutely adore how my last name sounds, when you say it?"
I blushed and cocked my head to the side "No?"
Jasper chuckled and nearly purred "Well, Miss Summers." a strange shiver went down my spine, as he said it "Now you know."
Still red as a tomato, I cleared my throat and pulled back, now keeping my hands on his shoulder "Mhm. Right. Yeah... so uh, why did you wake me up?"
Jasper rolled his beautiful golden eyes and grinned, not afraid to show off his sharp canines "We're going out soon, to play baseball remember? Esme made you breakfast or rather lunch, so you need to get ready and eat before we leave."
"Oh, that's right. Sorry, I'm getting ready right away then." I said with a small salut, before joking lightly "Any other orders?"
Jasper's face twisted in a... funny way. But only for a moment, as he quickly pulled away and stood up, saying "No, uh... that's it. I'll leave you to get ready then. Alice is in her room, so you can go there. I'll be waiting in the kitchen for you."
With that he kissed my forehead and left the room, leaving me feeling confused as hell. Did I offend him by my joke? Was it not funny?
Well seeing as he's clearly struggling with that part of his past, rightfully so, I suppose that it could've been said a bit too soon...
Sighing, I tugged at my hair, before getting up and heading out to Alice's room.
Once, reunited with my bag, I dressed in a white fleece hoodie, jeans and usual sneakers. Alice wasn't happy with my choice of clothing, but didn't try to change my mind. Instead, she insisted upon braiding my short hair into twin braids that merged into small ponytails.
"You look so cute! You should show more of that face, sunshine!" Alice complimented with a smile.
"Thanks Ali." I replied, and looked back in the mirror. Indeed I looked cute, maybe I should play with my hair more?
Well, maybe when it grows past my collar bones, I could try. For now it looks fine hanging above my shoulders.
Together we went to the kitchen where everyone was, all dressed up and ready. We talked while I was eating my breakfast/lunch. Jasper was acting normally, so I figured that I was just imagining things. He would let me know if he wanted to talk about it further, for now I'll leave it in his hands.
Soon Edward left to go get Bella and bring my things home, as I didn't want to carry my bag for the whole day.
After I ate, I helped Esme clean up and soon we were leaving as well.
"Alright, Darlin'. Hold on tight." Jasper advised, as he picked me up and started running through the forest. I squeezed my eyes shut and just held onto him, which didn't really last that long as in a matter of minutes, we stopped and Jasper whispered "You can open your eyes, we're here."
I opened my eyes and Jasper tried to put me on the ground, as Rosalie warned him "Jasper, wait!"
But it was too late, as I was already falling on my knees, because once again, my legs turned into jelly. Jasper picked me back up, as Emmett started laughing in the background.
"What's wrong?" asked Jasper, looking worried as hell.
I blushed and said "Well... it seems that my legs stop working, after such a nice type of transportation..."
"She did the same after I brought her over." Rosalie added, with an amused smirk.
I sent her a small glare, saying to Jasper "It'll pass, just give me a few minutes. Because right now, all I feel are ants crawling over my legs."
Jasper grinned at me saying "Well, it looks like I'm going to have to carry you." with that he effortlessly pulled me into a princess carry and started walking closer to his family. He looked way too pleased about this.
"What is it?" I asked, slightly grumpy as his smirk grew, allowing for me to see his fangs peaking out.
"You're so tiny."
I blushed furiously, punching his chest lightly "You're just so big! Anyone would look tiny next to you! Besides, Alice is smaller than me!"
"Barely, you two are the smallest people I know." added Emmett, as he looked over at us.
"Well then, brick brain. It seems like you don't know a lot of people!" I huffed, with a glare.
Emmett rolled his eyes and started to listen, as Carlisle was choosing teams.
"Emmett, Edward, Alice will be together while Rosalie, Jasper and I will be in the other team. Esme, Thea and Bella will be umpires."
"Three umpires? What for?" asked Emmett, nearly pouting.
"Because you cheat." both Carlisle and Esme said.
Emmett pouted and went to talk to Rosalie, while we were waiting for the love birds to arrive. I finally felt that my legs started working, so I cleared my throat and said "Okay, you can... uh, put me down. I should be fine now."
Jasper looked at me with a smirk and pulled me closer to his chest, saying "What if I don't want to?"
I rolled my eyes, but I felt my cheeks heat up again "Well you have to, you have a game to play, cowboy."
He shook his head and put me down saying "As my lady wishes." with that he kissed the back of my hand.
"Hey, old man! Can you stop wooing, your lady and come help me set everything up?" called annoyed Emmett, making Jasper growl slightly.
I let out a laugh and pushed him lightly "Go help your brother, or he'll never stop whining."
Jasper kissed the top of my head and ran towards Emmett, kicking his legs and making the bigger boy land on his ass. I rolled my eyes and went to Esme, Alice and Rosalie. We had a short conversation about the basics of the game, before Alice grabbed me and started tossing the ball with me. Of course, she was tossing it to me with barely any force, knowing that she could hurt me. Which I was glad for.
I mean who would like to die by being hit by a ball? That would be a bit... well, lame.
It didn't take long for Edward and Bella to arrive. We greeted them, Bella even didn't protest as I hugged her, so I considered myself forgiven. Then Esme pulled Bella away explaining everything to her, while I stayed behind seeing as Jasper walked over.
"So." he began "Who do you think will win?"
I looked at him with a smirk "I am neutral." Jasper looked a bit confused, so I added "Well for now at least. I suppose that someone's team will have to get me on their side."
Jasper grinned at me "Massage, received ma'am."
I giggled and kissed his cheek whispering "For, good luck Mr. Whitlock. I can't wait to see if you're all just talk..."
Jasper's eyes darkened, but he smirked and zoomed away to the field, as I walked over to Bella and Esme.
They both smiled at me and the game began, as thunder loudly boomed in the cloudy sky. Rosalie got in position with her bat raised, as Alice tossed the ball towards her. The blonde hit the ball so hard that the sound mimicked the one of thunder.
"Okay, now I see why you need the thunder." Bella commented, laughing softly as the ball disappeared between the trees "That's gonna be a home run, right?"
"Edward's very fast." Esme answered with a smile.
Rosalie was zooming through the bases, but just as she was at third base, the ball came flying back at us. I jumped slightly back, as Esme caught the ball effortlessly and slammed it down on the base a second before Rosalie slid into it.
"You're out." Bella said with a sorry smile.
"OUT!" shouted Emmett in happiness, making Rosalie glare at him, which sombered him up a bit "Babe, come on! It's just a game!"
I helped Rose up and smiled at her "You did great."
She simply returned my smile and returned to the game.
The whole game was interesting to watch, Edward and Emmett would joke around all the time, Carlisle would throw a joke or two as well. Also Emmett seemed to love teasing Rose and by the fourth time, I was actually fearing for his life.
Esme would encourage everyone and would be talking to me and Bella, Alice was sending me a smile before tossing the ball and Jasper was smirking at me all the time. He seemed unable to look away from me, making my cheeks heat up, which only made his smirk grow bigger and bigger. Up until he was smiling like a fool, each time our gazes met.
Not that I was any better...
Soon he replaced Rosalie and stepped up to the plate. He winked at me and started making tricks with his bat, making my heart skip a beat. Which, he must've picked up on, as he grinned, making me realize that he was trying to convince me to be rooting for his team.
I shook my head, grinning like a lovesick idiot, because I'd be damned. I just became his number one fan.
Jasper tipped his hat to me, at which I let out a small laugh whispering "God, damn you Jasper Whitlock." at my words, his smile got wider, signaling that he heard me.
Alice tossed the ball and Jasper hit it so strongly that the sound made my ears ring, but as he was about to run Emmett climbed the tree and caught the ball.
"My monkey-man." Rosalie cheered proudly, while I shook my head laughing at her nickname for Emmett.
Jasper shook his head and switched with Rosalie, immediately hugging me from behind, saying "So, I guess, I did impress you."
I bit my lip "You did cowboy, but well... Emmett is the winner." I turned around, as he was still holding me "Now the question is, should I choose with my head or with my heart?"
He grinned at me "That's your decision, Darlin'. But I suppose... there are some advantages to being on my team."
"Oh, yeah? And what are they exactly?" I asked, looking into his eyes.
"A lovely evening, just you and me." he whispered with a soft expression.
My heart skipped a beat as I asked, equally quiet "Like a date?"
Jasper nodded with a smile "You already know that I love you. But I want to do this the right way. So Dorothea Summers, will you do me the great honor of spending an evening in my company?"
Smiling, I nodded, answering "I would love to do nothing else in this world, Jasper Whitlock."
He smiled at me widely and hugged me, making my feet dangle in the air. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.
But our small heaven on earth seemed to disappear, as Alice yelled in alarm "STOP!"
Jasper let go of me as if burned, quickly pulling me behind him, as he scanned the field for any dangers. I gripped his arm in distress, as Alice added "They were leaving, then they heard us..."
Immediately I knew what this was about, the wild vampires that were in the area. Jasper told me about them, but we were all sure that they were leaving Forks. Charlie was also trying to hunt them... And now they were coming to us, possibly for us, it made me tremble with fear. Jasper turned towards me, probably feeling my emotions, he looked me in the eyes and promised.
"Thea... I won't let anything happen to you. Do you understand?"
I blinked back my tears, not allowing them to spill, and took a deep calming breath "Okay, okay just please..."
Jasper didn't need for me to finish, as he smiled tightly and kissed my head "I promise, Dorothea." with that he took off his hat and put it on top of my head. A wave of calmness washed over me and I was no longer afraid. Or well, as afraid. Jasper brought me to his side and started running his wrist up and down my throat.
"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion, as he also leaned down and rubbed our throats against each other.
"I'm masking your scent with mine. It will work only for a bit, but it's better than nothing." then he untied my hair, letting it uncurl from the braids under the hat.
"You really need to grow your hair out Darlin'." Jasper commented, his eyes dark and angry.
I grabbed his hand, wanting to help however I could "No matter what, I love you okay?"
He sighed and kissed my forehead, saying "I love you too."
Jasper wrapped his arm around my waist, as three figures emerged from the forest. I saw a dark skinned man who seemed to lead the group, he had black hair and almost glowing blood red eyes, making his diet obvious, then there was a blonde haired man, whose eyes were black and a woman with orange wild hair, her eyes were red.
"I believe that this belongs to you." the dark skinned man said, tossing the ball to Carlisle.
Carlisle easily caught the ball, saying "Thank you."
"I'm Laurent." the man introduced himself and then gestured towards his companions "And this is Victoria and James."
The woman seemed to be scanning us, so I looked down in order to hide my eye color from her. Jasper's hand tightened in my waist, making me bite the inside of my cheek in pain.
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Esme, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Bella, Jasper and Dorothea." all of us tried to seem casual, so I hugged Jasper's side and put my head against his chest.
"Hello." greeted Laurent.
"I'm afraid your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us." Carlisle said, acting casual.
"Our apologies." Laurent said, nodding "We didn't realize that this territory was claimed."
"Yes, well we maintain a permanent residence nearby." Carlisle answered.
"Really?" said Laurent, acting surprised "Well, we won't be a problem anymore. We were just passing through."
"The humans were tracking us but we led them east. You should be safe." said Victoria with a smirk.
"Excellent." Carlisle replied with a friendly smile, although it was probably fake.
"So, could you use three more players?" Laurent asked, trying to ease the tension. Everyone glanced at Carlisle to see what he would say. Laurent saw this and added "Oh, come on! Just one game."
After a minute, Carlisle smiled and said "Sure, why not? Some of us are leaving anyway. You can take their places. We'll bat first." the tension seemed to leave the vampires as he tossed the ball towards Laurent.
But it was Victoria who caught it saying with a crazy smirk "I'm the one with a wicked curve-ball."
"I believe that we can handle that" Rosalie stated, stepping up to hide me a bit as the woman tried to glance at me. With that Jasper gave them a tight smile and turned with me in order to lead me to the car that Edward brought Bella here. His grip was still a painful reminder of how angry and tense he was. Edward and Bella turned and followed us just as a breeze blew through my exposed neck and Bella's hair.
That's when James spoke for the first time "You brought a snack."
Jasper let out an animalistic growl, making me jump, as he ran towards James. He landed a hard hit on him, making the rogue fly a few meters away. Emmett and Carlisle grabbed Jasper by arms, as the other Cullens surrounded me and Bella in a protective manner.
All I could do is stick close to Bella, and just watch it all unfold.
Victoria ran to pick James up, as Laurent said "I can see the game is over."
Carlisle nodded and said "The girls are under our protection. It'll be best if you leave."
Laurent nodded and stopped Victoria and James from attacking us back. I also noticed a crack that appeared on James's skin, right where Jasper hit him. Despite the anger in James's eyes, he listened to Laurent and together all three vampires left.
"Get them out of here." said Carlisle, letting go of Jasper.
Edward grabbed Bella and took her to the car, he practically threw her inside. Jasper did the same with me, but more delicately. With that the four of us left the field.
"What happens now?" I asked, still shocked and scared.
"James is a tracker." growled Jasper, making Edward nod.
"Jasper's right. The hunt is his obsession, I read his mind. Jasper's reaction, to protect you, Thea and the scent of Bella's blood, set him off. It just made this his most exciting game ever. He's never gonna stop." Edward explained in anger.
"What should we do?" Bella asked in fear, as I took her hand to show her that she's not alone.
"We will kill him." Jasper growled "Rip him, piece by piece and set the fucker on fire."
I started shaking in fear, but still I put my other still broken hand on Jasper's shoulder, he tensed but still put his hand over mine without a word. I knew that it was hard to be in a car with two humans who smelled so good to him, while he's angry.
"Where are we going?" asked Bella.
"Away from Forks. We'll get a ferry to Vancouver." Edward replied.
"What about Charlie? If he's a tracker then, he'll track our scents back home." I said in panic.
"Take us home Edward!" Bella demanded, in desperation.
"You can't, he will find you there." Edward reasoned.
"Charlie is still there! Be can't just leave him there!" Bella yelled back.
"We'll get him out once you're safe." Edward replied, clearly getting angry.
That's when I snapped and said in an authoritative tone "You will drive us home, Edward. Or I swear to everything that's holy, I'm going to fucking kill you! Even if it means that I'll have to become like you!"
"Take them home, Edward." Jasper growled, but I could see that he wasn't keen on this idea.
Edward let out a sigh and turned, driving us towards home.
(post edit) Okay. Big updates on this one, as well, but I'm happy about how it came out.
What did you think about Jasper's reaction to James?
If you have any question or idea please leave a comment ;)
NEXT UP: AWAY FROM HOME