The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[3.03] danger

LYDIA SPENT MOST OF SUNDAY with Jasper and the rest of the Cullens since they were worried Victoria might still try to go after her. Thankfully, nothing happened, but that didn't do much to lessen anyone's nerves.

That Monday, Lydia stood in the parking lot with Gwen, trying to force herself to have a normal conversation with her best friend without thinking about the redheaded vampire. She was only half-successful, nodding along as Gwen told her about her date with Leah. 

She finally returned to the present when Gwen cut herself off, frowning at something in the distance. "What's Jacob doing here?"

Lydia frowned, following Gwen's gaze to the aforementioned shape-shifter, who stood arguing tensely with Edward as Bella watched with a confused expression.

"I don't know," Lydia said quietly. "I'm gonna go see what's up—I'll see you in homeroom, okay?"

Bidding Gwen a temporary goodbye, Lydia walked over to the trio, catching the tail-end of an argument as Bella looked back at her boyfriend, frowning. "Edward, you have to trust me."

"I do trust you," he told her. "It's him I don't trust."

Bella didn't respond, instead turning around to follow Jacob to his motorcycle.

Lydia raised a brow as Edward tore his eyes away from Jacob and Bella to look at her. Quietly, he asked, "Would it be possible for you to go with them? To make sure Bella's okay?"

Lydia frowned at the bronze-haired vampire. "Is this about you not telling her Victoria was in town?"

He cast his eyes to the ground briefly to the pavement before looking back at Lydia. "I did it to protect her."

"You left to protect her, too," she reminded him. "Look how well that turned out for all of us."

He frowned, his brow furrowed as he watched Bella and Jacob leave the parking lot. "What if she gets hurt while she's over there?" he asked Lydia. "I can't protect her when she's in their territory."

"You don't know the pack, but I do, Edward," Lydia said quietly. "They'd never hurt Bella, not on purpose. She's human—hurting her goes against everything they stand for." 

She sighed softly, conflicted between pitying the vampire and wishing he would put more faith in her shape-shifter friends. "She'll be okay. Like she said—you just have to trust her."

She walked away before Edward could respond, thanking whatever gods or goddesses that ruled over the universe that Jasper wasn't as overwhelmingly protective as his brother.

✦

That night, Lydia was just about to convince herself to jump in the shower and get ready for bed when a frantic Jasper climbed through her open window in a blur and entered her room. 

"Are you okay?" were the first words out of his mouth.

Lydia frowned in confusion. "Yeah, why? What's wrong?"

Jasper's gold eyes scrutinized every detail of her bedroom, his chest rising and falling a few times as he took in deep breaths. Only after that did he relax, albeit only a little, and look at Lydia. "A nomad vampire was in Bella's house," he explained quietly. "Emmett and Alice are trying to follow the scent right now. I had to come make sure you were okay."

"A nomad?" Lydia asked, standing up from her bed. "Not Victoria?"

Jasper shook his head, reaching for her hand instinctively. "Edward didn't recognize the scent," he told her. "We're regrouping at the house—can you come?"