𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍:
A cowboy in his element
(1971)

(AN: So that's it for my birthday updates! Remember to be consistent with your feedback because it's declining lately! I might not update for the remaining days of October and November if the numbers don't change for today's update and the previous chapters!)

"A VAMPIRE BAR? IS THAT A GOOD IDEA, PETE?" Jasper asks with doubt and hesitancy. They were strolling around the streets of the city, bright neon signs and marquee lights adorned storefronts, beckoning passersby into record stores, vintage boutiques, and diners.

"It might or might not, but what good idea is fun anyway? All the bad ideas are known to be fun," Peter muses, "Besides, it's a southern vampire bar. I'm sure Cece hasn't seen anything like it," Charlotte remains silent by his side, like the rest of the tour around the city, only speaking when Corazon asks something that Peter urges her to answer.

Corazon hums, amused, "I haven't. Must be interesting," Corazon looks at Jasper; if he doesn't want to go, it's fine. The problem with vampire bars was not the territorial instinct; every vampire bar is known to have a treaty, an understanding of some kind that vampires come to have a good time and go whenever they please.

She understood Jasper's hesitancy. Vampires tend to get intimidated by his mere presence, like a certain aura in his wake that leaves them rattled. The bite marks on his skin indicate that Jasper Whitlock is no ordinary vampire like any of them. He's a fighter who had been through the depths of hell and emerged stronger and fiercer, making them quiver in response, but when it comes to Corazon, he held her tenderly and gently, unlike any other man that had touched her before; when it comes to her, he is no threat but a protector.

"We can always go home if you like. We had a long day. We can always go tomorrow." Corazon places her head on his shoulder as the arm around her waist tightens, his fingertips brushing her skin.

Jasper huffs, thinking, why is he so worried anyway? He's in his city with the woman of his dreams and old lifelong friends, so why not let loose? So he relents, "Oh, heck, why not? Let's have some fun,"

Peter then exclaims in excitement, "Whoop! Whoop!" Then clasps Jasper's shoulder, "You're not going to regret this, Jas,"

"I hope not," Jasper tells him as Peter leads them towards a dark abandoned alleyway, far away from the buzzing city life. Peter knocked a pattern. The little metal slide on the door opened, revealing a set of red eyes, "How many?" The man behind the door asks.

Peter answers, "Four of us," The man grunts, "Let me see the eyes,"

Charlotte comes forward and looks at the man; he slightly tilts her head to the side as Jasper and Corazon enter the man's line of sight; he grunts again, "Animal suckers," Peter chuckles while shaking his head. Corazon didn't find it offensive; it's true, after all.

The metal slide closed with a snap, and then the sounds of opening locks ensued. Finally, the metal door opened, revealing the man in charge of the entrance; he's a big man, but not as well-muscled as Emmett, good enough to stand guard against the coming visitors; he wore a black shirt and black leather jacket with dark high-waisted jeans. He stepped aside, letting Peter pass through; Peter grabbed Charlotte's hand. Jasper and Corazon followed through, but not before the man grunts again, "You know the rules, Peter,"

"Yes, boss," Peter salutes in his direction. They walked through a dimly lit hallway, but Corazon could see well enough because of her sight; graffiti littered the walls, and its colorful, creative style added pops of vibrancy to the rather gloomy hallway. It's also a bit confusing; they should have heard blazing music by now, endless shuffling of feet or yelling, but it's quite too quiet for Corazon's liking.

"What exactly are the rules, Peter?" Corazon suddenly got worried. What if they broke a rule? She's never the one to break the rules; it makes her too anxious. Jasper looked at her, pulling her towards him as her back rested against his chest; a sudden burst of calmness engulfed her, washing away her worries; she looked at Jasper, giving him a grateful look.

"Nothing big, no fighting, of course, no blood—it makes it a bit crazy, so they decided to remove it. That's all," Peter informs them, and Jasper asks, "There's no blood, but vampires still come here?"

"Of course, partying with the humans is difficult. It's like being surrounded by food but can't take a risk to feed, but in here, you'll understand why vampires still come here," Peter mischievously grins as he opens another metal door, and there is it; the sudden burst of loud music and bodies shuffling.

Corazon's eyes suddenly widened in shock; it almost looked like a rave, but it was clearly a disco bar; she let her eyes wander. The interior glowed with dim, crimson lighting that cast shadows on vintage red velvet wallpaper, like a vampire's lair in the stories.

The dance floor was bathed in the pulsating glow of multicolored lights, and the disco ball at the center hung above the ceiling, creating life with the reflections like a sparkling constellation. Vampires with impeccably tailored bell bottoms and flowing capes twirled alongside fellow vampires grooving in psychedelic patterns, a unity forged in the shared ecstasy of dance. In the corners, booths upholstered in deep red velvet, couples immersed in one another, passionately and sensually kissing one another.

The bar itself was a masterpiece of mahogany and stained glass, its bartenders mixing potent drinks. The air was thick with the mingling scents of bourbon, incense, and the faint metallic tinge of iron. At the other corner of the bar, a mechanical bull took its place. Laughter and cheers echoed as the bull gyrated and bucked.

"So this is a southern disco bar,"

"That's right," Peter tells them gleefully, guiding them towards an empty table. Jasper is completely bewildered as he takes in his surroundings. He felt every emotion, from lust to ecstasy and excitement, but there was one emotion that was missing.

"I can't feel any blood lust from them," Jasper tells them, and Corazon's eyes snap towards him; she didn't know that he could feel blood lust.

Charlotte finally spoke, "The owner of this bar is in cahoots with a witch that cast a spell on this place that can completely dormant our blood lust. Haven't you felt it? When you entered here?"

Now that she mentioned it, it did; there was no burning sensation in her throat; it felt completely normal, almost human. Corazon, still surprised, "That's amazing," It confirmed her suspicions that other supernatural creatures were living amongst them in secret.

"It really is," Peter agrees. He then says, "I'm going to get us drinks," then walks toward the open bar.

"Drinks?" Corazon questions, and Charlotte answers, "They created drinks that we can consume. It can make us drunk too,"

"I ought to meet the witch who thought of this. It's genius." Corazon enthusiastically says, and Jasper smiles, always the curious one, he thinks to himself. Peter then brings a tray filled with glass shots and different colored liquids with varying sorts of garnishes; Peter places them on the table and begins distributing each glass.

Corazon looks at her drink with a hesitant expression. She didn't expect that they could actually drink alcohol. Jasper gently nudged her side, motioning his eyes towards her drink; his pointing finger made a slight motion to pass it to him. Corazon slid it to him, and he drank it with ease. Corazon didn't want to dampen the mood by telling them that she doesn't drink alcohol.

"So how do we exactly digest these drinks? Surely we're not going to be handling this in the bathroom," Corazon asks Peter, and Peter chuckles, "Of course not! These drinks evaporate in our stomachs; we're certainly going to be passing gas plenty of times," Peter tells them, and Jasper shrugs.

Corazon could see he was enjoying himself; honestly, she was too. It's a rare feeling to feel completely in touch with everything, not to feel a certain hunger, not smell the tempting scent of blood all the time.

"Interesting," Jasper only says as the opening tunes of It's not unusual by Tom Jones. She looks at Jasper with a glimmer; Jasper raises an amused brow as Corazon takes him by the hand, seizing the opportunity to pull Jasper Hale into the heart of the pulsating dance floor.

With her radiant smile and graceful movements, Corazon led Jasper into a lively dance. While Jasper, initially reserved, allowed himself to be drawn into the captivating dance. Corazon and Jasper spun and swayed in a spirited dance. Corazon's laughter echoed as they danced, Jasper doing these funky movements that she found funny.

Suddenly, the enchanting chords of Stand By Me by Otis Redding began to fill the disco bar. The transition from disco beats to the soulful melody set a different mood that resonated with the essence of connection and intimacy.

Corazon smiles at Jasper; he leads her to a slow dance, hand in hand, movements in the sink, his hands placed on her waist as his thumb caresses and soothes her. With her hands resting on his shoulder, Jasper places a tender kiss on her forehead that makes her close her eyes shut in the warmth that seeped her body. Corazon rested against him with a sense of comfort and familiarity.

As the song's final notes hung in the air, Corazon never wanted to leave his arms, but Peter asked Jasper to join him and challenged him on the mechanical bull to see who could last longer.

"You're finally going to live up to the stereotype after this," Corazon teases as Jasper playfully rolls her eyes at him.

"Thank the alcohol; it's the only reason why I'm doing this," Jasper tells her, his accent thick with deep timbres. Corazon felt herself shivering in response, but she only smiled while Jasper walked towards the bull, sitting on the bull. "All that's missing is a cowboy hat!" Corazon gleefully laughs.

Peter beams as he takes the display hat on the wall and places it on top of Jasper's head. Before he can protest, the bull begins to move, so he can do nothing as his hands snap towards the handle.

"This is definitely a core memory for me!" Corazon claps her hands as she laughs even more; she takes a few photos with a camera in hand. Watching Jasper balance himself on the bull, he's quite good; his arms are firmer, sleeves rolled up, more muscular, his hips moving along the fierce motions of the bull.

Jesus, Corazon thinks to herself as she releases a deep sigh, suddenly feeling flustered. If she were human, she would feel the heat crippling from her neck and cheeks. Embarrassed, she looked at anywhere but his figure, but she couldn't seem to make herself look away; she wet the bottom of her lip with her tongue. Her eyes connect with Jasper's, and he winks in her direction as his hand tips the cowboy hat, cocky.

"Fine, you win!" Peter exclaims as he huffs, clearly annoyed. Jasper motions to the one controlling the mechanical bull to stop, and it does. Jasper hops back down on the ground with pride. "I still got it after all these years," He says as Peter grumbles, slapping a hundred-dollar bill in Jasper's awaiting hand. Corazon didn't know where bets were made but guessed bets always ensued with the two.

After a few hours of dancing, drinking, laughing, and getting to know each other, they decided to go home. It was three in the morning when they exited the bar. Jasper has his shoulder around Corazon's arm; they are still laughing.

When she exited the bar, she felt uncomfortable, like the unquenchable thirst in her throat was more intense and burning; she guessed the alcohol was helping Jasper not notice it. Peter told a story about what happened to him and Jasper during their time in the army. When they were bathing in the river, he stole Jasper's clothes.

A human stumbled in the street, a woman, drunker than her companions. Corazon closed her eyes; the feeling of unmistakable hunger filled her senses, and she stopped breathing. She held Jasper tightly, praying and wishing that this human would pass them without hindrance.

Then the woman yelped, and the air was filled with the scent of blood; Corazon's eyes snapped toward the woman, and they all froze. The human stepped on a shattered glass bottle. It all happened so quickly that Corazon is unable to keep up. Jasper disappeared by her side and was suddenly in front of the human. She couldn't even stop him as he snapped the human's neck and bit into the column of her neck.

"Jasper!" Corazon exclaims in alarm. She sped towards him as she tried to pry him away from the body.

Corazon looked at Peter helplessly, "Peter!" The two were still completely frozen, but with Corazon's yell of desperation, Peter immediately wrapped his arms around Jasper's shoulder, pulling him away, but not without a fight; he was thrusting around in Peter's hold, so Charlotte helped him.

Jasper's eyes are dark, primal, and hungry than ever. Corazon placed her hands on his cheeks, wiping away the blood from his chin with her sleeves; she couldn't even feel her own bloodlust; all she could feel was the worry she had for Jasper and how much he was going to regret what he did.

"Jasper," Corazon repeats, tone much softer as she looks deeply into his eyes, "You're okay; you can calm down," His body stopped thrashing, his face relaxed as his dark eyes slowly transitioned to their new yet familiar color, crimson red.

Jasper looked around, his eyes settling on the dead body in front of him and the taste of human blood on his tongue; he choked out helplessly, "Oh, god," Peter and Charlotte let go of him. Jasper's knees buckled, but Corazon held him by the waist.

"It's alright, it was an accident." Corazon tried to soothe him, but she knew it wouldn't work. A burst of sadness and guilt emitted from him, "Let's go home, I'll take care of you," Corazon wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she held his waist; Corazon looked over her shoulder and uttered, "Peter..."

Peter, the traces of laughter in his mouth and the glimmer of joy in his eyes disappear and are replaced with a serious expression; he nods, "Go, we'll take care of it." Charlotte is looking at Jasper with worry and nods, her eyes connected with Corazon's silent plea: 'take care of him.' Corazon pursed her lips as she sped them towards the car.

The drive home was silent; she kept glancing at Jasper, but he was only staring at his bloodied hands. This is the first time in a long time that he tasted human blood. He lost control, and Corazon knew precisely what he was thinking, that he had lost every progress that he had made over the past two decades.

In their missions, Jasper always made sure never to spill blood in his killings; fast and easy, poison, injections, and even suffocation can do the job, and the others made sure to do the same to make sure that things would be easier for him and his control.

Corazon didn't know what to do. They arrived at the house, and Jasper disappeared instantly and went inside. Corazon released a heavy sigh as she turned off the engine. She followed him inside, walking towards the bathroom. She stands beside the door and then sees Jasper roughly washing his hands. Corazon took in some courage as she placed her hand on his arm; he stilled; he suddenly looked at her, and Corazon held his gaze.

"Let me," Corazon insisted with a pleading look. She took a clean cloth and wiped his face gently and delicately.

Jasper only watched her, and suddenly, he blurted out, "I understand if you want to leave,"

Corazon looks at him confusedly. He continues, setting his eyes anywhere but Corazon, "I understand if you don't want me to continue courting you any longer. I lost control, and it's not acceptable. You must think me a fool—" Corazon places a hand on his cheek as she makes him look at her.

"Stop putting words into my mouth," Corazon softly tells him, "It's not your fault you lost control; the bar made our bloodlust dormant, and leaving the bar, we were bombarded with our thirst. You felt my bloodlust that made you even more hungry, and I'm sorry." Jasper was about to speak, but she placed a finger against his mouth, stopping him.

"There will always be an obstacle to every progress. One mistake doesn't erase any of it." Corazon assures, and then she continues to wipe his neck.

"You didn't lose control; I did; you don't have to apologize," Jasper mutters as shame fills his body.

"I didn't feel my bloodlust because all I could think about was you," Corazon admits. "I won't let you push me away. I know you, I know you'll make me leave, and I won't let you. I won't give up on you because you didn't give up on me," Corazon then places his hand against his chest where his undead heart resided.

It is as if a thread finally snapped in place, completing and connecting them more than before.

"I love you, Jasper. No matter what, because I couldn't see myself anywhere but with you. You're my soulmate, my endless love, my lifeline, my solitude," Corazon confesses as she pushes through every bit of love into him, and he did; he felt it in multiple layers of pure love, adoration, and contentment. "I wasn't looking for love when we first met, but you embraced me with such tenderness and a sense of security that I had never experienced before. You were kind, understanding, and gentle. I want you to know that you are a good person, especially to me,"

His hands suddenly cupped the back of her head; with infinite care and sweet passion, Jasper kissed her tenderly and softly, then he said against her lips, "I love you, I love you, I love you," He repeated like a mantra of a worshiper to the divine.

"My heart, I am so full of you that I don't want anything else but you. I've been searching for you my whole life and am utterly devoted to you. Surely, by now, you know I'll give you anything you want. All you have to do is ask. I'll be so good to you, my heart. I promise." Jasper gently swept a long lock of her black hair over her shoulder as his nose grazed the underside of her jaw.

For Jasper, Corazon is everything. To be accepted by her can be compared to the acceptance of the heavens above. She's an angel that calms his demons, and Jasper will be damned before he wastes the opportunity of finally being hers because that is what he always wanted—needed, more than anything, to be hers. No one understands him better than Corazon; she sees him for who he is, yet all this love she feels for him is genuine, sincere, and real.

He'll do anything for her because she'll always be by his side, and someone finally chose him for the first time in a long time. He considers himself the luckiest man in the world, and the one who graced him with such luck is Corazon Cecelia Salvador.

"I want to be loved intimately, romantically, properly, genuinely, and fully." Corazon whispers as she rested her arms around his neck, as their foreheads touched, eyes closed, "Most of all, I want you to forgive yourself,"

Jasper lets out a hum, and with a thoughtful nod, he promises, "Alright, anything you want,"

He means it because this is the first time he truly felt he belonged in her arms and this moment.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

━━ I am establishing a new rule that I won't update any chapters until the previous chapter I posted isn't receiving the amount of attention/hype (comments & votes) I would have preferred, so this time I know that ya'll actually want to read my updates. This might get a weekly update if I am satisfied with the feedback!