To Love and To Be Loved (A Jasper Hale/ Whitlock Love Story)

The Beginning

"Father?" If I had a heart, it would be beating like a drum, and if I could cry, tears would be streaming down my face. He froze when he saw me, and everyone but Alice was in a state of shock.

"Eleanor?"

It wasn't but a second before I was in his arms, both of us holding fast to one another.

"Oh God, Elle," he breathed sadly. "What happened to you?"

"I went looking for the vampires who took you," I admitted, wishing for the first time since I was turned that I could cry. I had my father back. After hundreds of years, I had my father back. He pulled away and looked at me worriedly. "I thought it would bring me peace, to forgive them, to offer them guidance, to find them another way of life, but... I was found by a rogue."

"Your mother..."

"Died of grief three years after you disappeared," I shook my head, and he looked devastated. "I was placed into the hands of the church, raised in it... It was the night before I was to take my vows to become a nun."

"And I just abandoned you," he looked disappointed in himself, terribly sad, but I let out a little laugh.

"I'd say you had plausible reason to not come home, father," I denied, and he held my face in his hands.

"You're so grown up," he said quietly before looking away with a terrible sadness. "You shouldn't be here. You should've lived out your life and passed into heaven years ago, you shouldn't have been damned to this."

"Then I would have instead been damned to a life where I never would have lived," I told him, and I swear, if we were capable of tears, we never would have stopped. "I admit, it is... difficult to cope at times," my eyes fell to the ground. "It was the worst when I was first turned, I couldn't..." Images of trying to kill myself flashed through my mind before I shook it off and continued. "Cope. But then... when I was with the Volturi, I heard of a vampire with a 'vegetarian' diet-"

"The Volturi?" I nodded.

"I stayed with them for a century." That was when Carlisle looked around at everyone, and I looked with him.

"I want to hear everything," father told me in his usual soft voice, the same soft tone that I held in my own. "But first, let me introduce you to my family." I felt a slight pang of jealousy at that. All these years, they had my father when I had been deprived of him. But then my heart softened.

Any family of father's was a family of mine. I should feel blessed to have anyone to call a family or a place to call home, if they allowed me to stay.

I glanced at the bronze-haired boy. No matter how hostile they were. I saw him smirk, and immediately, I was suspicious. But I didn't have time to deliberate before my father stepped up beside me and the others crowded around. I twitched at Bella's proximity. I knew everyone could see my struggle. The bronze-haired boy took a small step in front of her, and I relaxed slightly. If I were to snap, she would be protected.

"Eleanor, this is Patrick," father motioned to the now-grinning redhead, who waved at me enthusiastically. "And his mate Alice," he motioned to the short girl, who tackled me into a hug.

"I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" she exclaimed happily before pulling away. "I saw your close call back in the late fifties, I thought we were going to get to meet you then, but when you found that other coven - I wasn't expecting you to leave them so soon when you were so close to Benjamin!" I blinked.

"She can see the future," father told me, the others chuckling at us, and I let out a breathy laugh at that.

"We're going to have the best sleepover with Bella and Rose," she nearly squealed. Rose? Sleepover? I opted not to comment.