I have waited a thousand years for you.

The day before catastrophe

After hundreds of years of living, Jasper believed himself to have very good control of his power, but with her it was different. He knew it was probably because of the mating bond, everything she felt he felt double, if she was sad his heart ached still and unmoving in his chest. When she was happy, he could swear he felt it beat inside his chest. Now his knuckles turned white as he held the wheel with such tension he was surprised it didn't break. Margaret was looking down at her hands, shifting her gaze from them to her feet and eventually to him.

"Where are we going?" She suddenly inquired, her eyes resting on his hands, portraying her worry towards him. Jasper managed a flirty smirk as he admired her, the dawning sun glazing her skin in a coat of golden honey.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise." Margaret's eyes remained on his hands, still strained. He flexed them, stretching the fingers, and let one drop to catch hers, squeezing reassuringly. Jasper knew he had to tell her, she had a right to know, but having to add weight to her worries pained him deeply. Margaret was already going through a lot with Alice's vision, her sister in general and dating a vampire. Even with all of that, she was warm and understanding, she had begged him to tell her if he ever mated. How was he going to explain that she was his mate? He needed to think on it, prepare himself to break the news. But for now, they'd enjoy a nice outing, just like two normal teenagers.

***

The car parked by an old store, wooden framed windows that looked into stacks of teacups, books and fabrics. They were at the pawn shop, Agatha's pawn shop. Margaret looked back at Jasper with a broad smile on her shocked face.

"Back to were we first met." He commented simply, shrugging his shoulders as his eyes absorbed all the enthusiasm Maggie was radiating. Jasper held the car door for her, looking down at her, her eyes shining as they jumped from spot to spot, until they finally rested on his.

"Jasper Hale, you're so cliché." She was loosing herself in those honey eyes, her legs felt like sand, slowly crumbling down. But none of that mattered, not when he looked at her the way he did, as if he had been waiting hundreds of years for her. As if he would wait a hundred more just to have her.

Throughout the evening, Jasper felt as if he was seventeen again, winning over the heart of his beloved, courting her and admiring her. That life that flowed through his veins and fueled his devotion came directly from the growing mating bond. Some covens of vampires think of it as a thread that joins two souls, this one would be seen as a yard of yarn, thick, soft and strong. As it grew thicker, it grew shorter, pulling them closer together until they collided. Margaret was still oblivious to the existence of said bond between them, but she felt something there. She understood that her need for Jasper wasn't usual, that the way they understood each other with no more than a look was uncommon. Yet, she couldn't quite place her finger down on it.

The night was a bliss, it went by as a blink for them both. They spent some time at the pawn shop picking out trinkets, then, Jasper took her to a field sprinkled with white flowers. They relived their first date, the day they first met, all while diving deeper into their relationship.

***

Nighttime had fallen elegantly like a veil when Jasper dropped her off at her front door. Maggie kept her eyes glued on his, shining under the moonlighting, only interrupted when she heard her sister calling for her father. A sigh was ripped from her throat, her eyes shutting fiercely.

"I wish this night didn't have to end." Jasper whispered, his finger caressing her cheek tenderly, savoring how her face dipped closer to his hand.

"Aren't you tired?" Margaret asked, her laughter coating its sarcasm. His eyes remained on her, heavy with the weight of his yearning.

"I have never felt more alive." They shared a breathy laugh that dimmed as their lips met.

"I'm telling you, she took my shirt!" Bella's screeches echoed through the house, pulling Jasper and Margaret apart from their kiss. She rested her forehead against his, sighing and preparing herself for the hell that waited inside.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jazz." Rising to her tiptoes she placed a kiss on his cheek and ventured into the house. Jasper stood there for a few seconds, gaze fixed on the door.

"If you didn't take it why did you lock your bedroom?" He heard Isabella yell, then the rising sadness and hurt from Margaret wavering.

"Last time I left you stole my draft." She argued. Isabella had gone through her bedroom and taken her book draft, luckily, she had a copy in her computer, and Bella hadn't been able to crack her password yet.

"I told you I needed paper! How was I supposed to know you were writing a petty novel?" Jasper looked down at his feet, he couldn't stay there all night, he knew that, but it took him a long time before he was able to leave the drive in. Carlisle had told him he needed to speak with him, about what, he had a slight idea, but leaving her here, he couldn't bare it.

***

Over the years Carlisle had collected books and ancient texts on vampires, their blood singers and their mates. After Alice's vision, he began to look into it. He spent days locked in his study, barely opening the door to anyone but Esme. Finally, he found what he had been looking for, and for a brief second, he whisked he hadn't.

Jasper came into the study with a distant gaze, his mind clearly elsewhere. Carlisle rested his hand on his shoulder affectionately, offering him a reassuring smile before he dove in to the news.

"This won't be easy." Jasper's jaw twitched from the tension, "If Edward comes in contact with Isabella he might loose his mind." At this, the boy snapped his eyes to meet his father's. "And if Isabella notices, she will be able to use it against him."

"Do you really think she would be capable of doing such a thing?" Esme cut in, she had been leaning over some books, quietly waiting. She saw then, how much he cared for his mate, just like she had when she fell for Carlisle. Jasper's face was contorted with anger and frustration, his brows knitted together and hands cramped in fists.

"It would surprise me if she didn't." He replied, regaining his mind as he felt Carlisle comforting hand.

"There won't be much we can do if Edward doesn't want to listen to us. If Isabella is capable of manipulating him into believing they are mates, it'll be over." Carlisle hovered over the open books and parchments that laid scattered through the table.

"Edward knows his family, he will listen to us." Esme assured, easing her mate. Jasper hoped that was true, and followed to give some reassuring words.

"Besides, she would have to find out what we are, and Margaret won't tell her."

"You're right, Margaret won't help her sister, she knows what is at stake." They all knew he didn't only mean Alice's vision, but Jasper, and his family too.