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Jasper grips his companion’s hand tightly and holds two suitcases in the other, reeling from anxiety. For her part, Alice radiates so much excitement that she’s nearly vibrating, yanking on Jasper’s arm in an effort to get him to speed up.
“Jasper, come on,” She begs, not sparing him a glance. “It’s nearly time!”
Jasper groans, pulling her to a stop. She regards him with confusion then, wondering why he’s delaying what is surely to her a momentous occasion.
“Alice, I do not think this is a good idea.”
He notices her spark of frustration, and immediately feels guilty. She’s been looking forward to this for decades, and he’s once again trying to pull her away from it. Though lacking Jasper’s ability, Alice notices his mood. She lays a gentle hand on his cheek, and he leans into the touch. It’s been so wonderful to be with her. For the longest time, the touch of another vampire meant death, but with Alice, it communicates safety and love.
“I know the idea of intentionally crossing into someone else’s territory is frightening. But I’ve gone through every scenario and I’m confident it’s going to be okay.”
Jasper squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them. He’s asked this before, and has been shot down many times. But it can’t hurt to ask again, maybe even beg, one last time. There’s always a chance she’ll agree.
But by her soft smile, she knows what he’s going to ask, and her answer hasn’t changed. Still, he makes the request, hoping against all hopes that she’ll see his side. “Please just stay here, and let me come get you when I know it’s safe.”
“It is safe, Jasper. I’ve seen them almost as long as I’ve seen you.”
When she sees that he plans to protest, she quickly pulls him down to the ground to sit with her. She prefers having conversations like this, when the height difference is minimized enough for her to look him in the eyes. “Only about ten percent of the original visions end in a fight. These new vampires are incredibly docile, compared to the ones you’ve encountered. And of that ten percent, the risk of fighting goes away almost completely if we arrive when the two main protectors of the coven aren’t home. That’s today, Jasper. We’ve picked the right time.”
She can see her logic having a slight calming effect on him, so she continues. While she knows there’s no way he’ll ever be completely comfortable with this choice, he’ll go through with it, if only for her sake. But she can also see, in the distant corner of her mind, all the contingencies Jasper’s working through. Plans that, if the meeting goes badly, have a good chance of getting he and Alice out alive. And while it does sadden her immensely that he feels the need to occupy his thoughts with such things, it makes her appreciate him all the more. When he says he’ll never allow harm to come to her, he means it.
“I’ve seen years into the future, my love. It all turns out okay. The seven of us become a family.”
Her longing for this is so apparent in the way she caresses the word with her voice that there’s no way for him to refuse. He can’t deny her one of the deepest desires of her heart without even giving it a try.
So with an exhale and a tired nod, Jasper stands, agreeing to accompany his love into the territory of these strange, unknown vampires.
Strange vampires, indeed. Because of their diet, the Cullen’s eyes would be gold, and Alice had insisted hers and Jaspers match. She believed the color of their eyes would further help put the Cullen’s at ease and make their first meeting all the more smooth. And while Jasper found animal blood to be woefully unsatisfying, he was ready to try anything that would make them safer during this unprecedented encounter.
Of course, there’s another side to that coin, one Jasper had debated extensively.
On one hand, attempting a diet of animal blood would communicate to the Cullen’s his and Alice’s willingness to truly integrate into their family. It would also show their intent for peace. It really could make the meeting go better. Should the meeting go south, however…well, Jasper would have preferred to be at peak strength. He can feel the animal blood in his system, and knows it depletes some of his vampiric capacity. And while it’s only a fraction, if it comes to a fight, that fraction could mean all the difference.
But Alice had foreseen his choice to cheat and begged him not to, insisting that gold eyes would make for a better meeting. And while Jasper wasn’t sure he entirely agreed, he weighed the options and surmised that, as long as the Cullen’s had been drinking animal blood too, all would be fine. The fact that they had survived purely off animals for decades while he had only begun recently works in his favor.
And, there’s the simple fact that he is confident in his ability to neutralize three untalented vampires before they could even think to move.
That truth acts as his anchor.
Because while Alice has the luxury of being excited and wistful, Jasper does not. He carries the burden of the what-ifs and always planning how to win that next fight. Which is fine, he’ll gladly bear that for the two of him, but it hangs over his head, tainting the exhilaration Alice feels so freely.
The pair crosses a nondescript tree line and the scent of five unknown vampires hits them square in the face. Instinctively, Jasper reaches for his love and holds her close, senses scanning the surrounding area for threats. Once again, Alice smiles softly and strokes his cheek.
“We won’t encounter them for another fifteen miles. This is just the edge of their territory.”
Still on edge, Jasper continues his run with Alice, speeding up just enough to run in front of her. He can feel her teasing annoyance and uses that light emotion to try and calm himself. He cannot show up to the house projecting tension. He needs to be in control of himself enough to keep everyone calm and docile.
When they’re nearly there, Alice brings them to a walk, foreseeing their slower pace having a slight positive impact on their interaction. Jasper holds Alice’s hand firmly, using his leverage to keep her partially hidden behind his frame. She allows it, but beams in excitement because the moment is finally here! She and Jasper are here, on the Cullen’s lawn, walking up to meet them.
On the front porch stand Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie, just as Alice had seen it.
Jasper samples the emotional climate. For the most part, Alice is right. The emotions coming from Carlisle and Esme are open, hesitant, and curious, but not hostile. Rosalie is another story. She clenches her jaw tightly, feeling fury that nearly makes Jasper flinch. The anger is so strong, he almost misses her fear, but it becomes quite apparent. She’s scared, it makes her feel vulnerable, and that makes her mad. He understands it more than he would like to, and focuses his attention on calming her down.
“Hi,” Alice declares, her voice squeaky with excitement.
Carlisle responds with a smile of his own, though it’s not nearly as brilliant as Alice’s. “Hello, welcome to our home. My name is Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife, Esme, and our daughter, Rosalie. Our two sons, Edward and Emmett, will be home shortly.”
Jasper doesn’t miss the warning in the undertone of Carlisle’s words. Our protectors aren’t here now, but they could be back at any moment. It sets a tension in Jasper’s shoulders that he quickly tries to ease.
“I know,” Alice beams, pulling slightly against Jasper’s grip. It’s obvious that she wants to run into their arms. But for Jasper’s sake, she restrains herself. “I’m Alice, and this is my mate, Jasper. We’ve been so excited to meet you.”
Carlisle’s brow furrows. “Have you heard of us?”
“In a way,” Alice smiles with a far-off look, likely skimming through all her happy visions of our future with the Cullen’s. “I know this might be difficult to believe, but I can see the future. It’s what allowed me to find Jasper and what brought us to you now. The seven of us are going to be a family.”
Carlisle and Esme grin knowingly, and for some reason take Alice’s words without requiring further proof. Interesting, Jasper muses. He believed Alice because he could feel her honesty, but the Cullen’s have no such ability, at least, not that he’s aware of. What would make them accept this outlandish truth so easily?
Carlisle extends a hand towards the front door. “Would you like to come inside? I see you have bags.”
Alice giggles, making a move to accept his invitation. “I didn’t see you turning us away, so I thought it would be silly to make a trip back for our things. Where can we put them?”
Looking a little stunned but feeling only amusement and the beginnings of fondness, Esme reaches for the bags in Jasper’s hand. “I’ll put them in the spare room.”
Alice’s eyes glaze over, and Jasper quickly hands Esme the bags so he can tend to his vulnerable mate. When she’s having a vision, Jasper has to be extra diligent since some of Alice’s own senses are dulled. It’s a duty he takes very seriously. When she exits the vision, Alice smiles mischievously. “Is that the room with the West facing window? I see us settling in there.”
“Uh—no.” Esme looks bewildered. “That’s Edward’s room. The spare room faces east, I believe.”
Alice pushes into the house confidently, making her way towards the stairs as if she’s been here a thousand times before. “Don’t worry. Edward won’t mind.”
Jasper has no choice but to follow closely. He doesn’t like the angry one—Rosalie—being behind him, so he does his best to angle his body to keep an eye on Alice as well as the three new vampires.
To distract from a situation that is quickly becoming awkward, Carlisle brings the focus back to the newcomers rather than the fact that they’re currently moving into an occupied bedroom. “I see that your eyes are like ours. How long have you refrained from consuming human blood?”
Alice is too involved in rearranging furniture, so Jasper takes the question. “Alice has practiced sporadically for about thirty years. I started two years ago, but we’ve both only been consistently successful in the past few months.”
Carlisle nods, leaning against the doorframe. Nothing in his posture communicates a threat or the fear of attack. Jasper cannot comprehend being so relaxed. “Still, it’s admirable. Our lifestyle is not an easy one. We will be happy to help you both continue to grow in your self-control.”
Alice shoots Carlisle a grateful smile over her shoulder as she and Esme debate color schemes. Rosalie stands behind Carlisle in the hallway, grumbling. Like Jasper, she still doesn’t trust the strangers.
Alice’s eyes glaze over once more, and her excitement returns tenfold. “Emmett and Edward will be home soon! They caught our scents at the territory line and are racing home to make sure we’re not attacking the family.”
Not liking the lack of reaction to Alice’s terrifying words, Jasper sends a wave of urgency through the room. This spurs Esme to meet the men and prep them for what’s to come. Jasper hurries to Alice’s side and waits. His years of fighting come back to him, and he mentally maps out strategies that he desperately hopes won’t be necessary. Once Emmett and Edward arrive, Alice and Jasper’s odds of escaping decrease dramatically.
This is the test Jasper has been dreading.
Esme and the two new ones come to a halt in the bedroom.
Emmett’s eyes find Jasper—and his scars—immediately, and he wastes no time in jumping in front of Esme and Rosalie, teetering on the edge of a crouch. He’s ready for a fight. Jasper barely contains his growl and forces himself to send calming waves forward rather than the intimidation and fear he wishes to project. This is supposed to be a peaceful meeting, he reminds himself. Emmett’s emotions demure, but his posture does not relax. Like Jasper, he’s prepared, should the need arise for him to defend his family.
Disregarding Emmett and Jasper’s reactions, Alice catapults herself forward and throws herself into Edward’s arms, gripping him tightly in a hug.
Edward and Jasper let out similar strangled noises. But once Edward sees what’s in the small woman’s head, he breaks into a grin, laughing freely.
“Welcome to the family.”