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NO MATTER HOW HARD she tried, nothing Magnolia did or said convinced Elton to stay in Forks. He was dead set on going to Seattle, murders or not. Little did he know that those murders were actually vampires building an army.

Alice held Magnolia's hand tightly as they sat in the vampires' bedroom. "He just wouldn't listen," She sighed, doing her best not to cry. "What if something happens to him, Alice?"

"We have to trust that he'll be careful," Alice sighed. "Elton is no idiot."

Magnolia shook her head. Nothing Alice could say, or anyone, for that matter, would make her feel any better. There was a polite knock on the door and it opened slowly. Rosalie had poked her head through. "May I come in?" Alice nodded with a small smile and the blonde entered. She frowned at the sight of Magnolia so distressed. "How are you holding up?" She asked as she sat next to the sorceress.

Her other hand was taken by Rosalie. "I don't know," Magnolia sighed. "Not okay, that's for sure..." She looked down at the floor, her eyes unfocused. "I don't think I will be until I know he's safe."

Rosalie smiled sadly, rubbing Magnolia's hand comfortingly. "It's no use sulking up here and worrying, there's a party downstairs. People are just arriving."

Magnolia sighed once again and looked down at the dress Alice had picked out for her — a shimmering array of black and soft olive green, low cut with ruffled edges — something she would never normally wear but Alice knew best when it came to fashion. "I'm not in the mood for a party." She huffed.

Rosalie and Alice both rolled their eyes. "Tuff luck," Rosalie shrugged, pulled Magnolia up on her feet. "Come and mingle with me."

"Rose, seriously?" It was Magnolia's turn to roll her eyes.

"It's your high school graduation, you're supposed to have fun," The blonde tugged her arm, pulling her closer to the door. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

Magnolia looked at Alice briefly and groaned. "Fine," She glared at Rosalie, eyes darkening. "But I'm not happy about this."

Rosalie smirked and pulled Magnolia out of Alice's room. "Just have fun. That's not too hard to ask." She shook her head as she pulled the girl down the stairs.

When Rosalie said 'people were just arriving,' Magnolia had imagined maybe ten or even fifteen people, but a packed dance floor in the middle of the living room was not what she had in mind. "Did you lie to me?" She questioned as her feet touched the main floor.

Rosalie shrugged. "I had to get you down here somehow."

"Rose," Magnolia dropped her voice, eyes narrowing. "Do you really think it's a good idea to get me angry?" Her eyes flashed a deep sapphire and she clenched her fists. She could feel the familiar heat of fire form in her palm.

"Woah. Calm down, Magnolia," Jasper's voice had startled her out of her anger. She looked between him and Rosalie, wide-eyed. "Everything okay here?"

Magnolia looked to Rosalie, who had tensed up. "Yes," She sighed, rubbing her hands down her face. "God, I'm sorry Rose. I'm just stressed."

Rosalie smiled softly. "It's okay, Maggie," She patted her head like a child. "Maybe pushing you into a crowd of people wasn't the right thing to help your anxiety with."

"No," Magnolia chuckled and shook her head. "But nice try."

Rosalie looked past Magnolia's shoulder to Jasper and smirked. "I'll leave you two be."

"What?" Magnolia said, confused as Rosalie hurried off into the crowd of partying humans. She turned to Jasper, mouth open and ready to say something, when the look on his face made her stop. "Is everything alright?" She questioned.

Jasper visibly gulped and shook his head. "Too many people," In his hurry to calm Magnolia down, he had forgotten about all the humans in the house. "Could we go outside?"

"Yeah, for sure," Magnolia watched him cautiously as they left the bustling house and into the cool night air. The music became muffled as they walked deeper into the trees. For once, Magnolia felt completely at peace being alone with Jasper. "Is this far enough?" She questioned.

"Yes," Jasper nodded after a moment. He seemed as if he was out of breath, an impossibility for a vampire. He leaned against the large trunk of an oak and sighed.

"That was stupid of you," Magnolia crossed her arms. "Running in there like that."

Their eyes connected briefly before she looked away, choosing instead to look at the stars just barely visible under the cover of trees. "I know," Jasper sighed. "But you weren't the brightest, either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Magnolia snapped.

Jasper had known her long enough that he was no longer afraid of her magic. He merely smirked and tilted his head at her eyes flashing deep blue. "Really? So you weren't going to burn Rosalie in front of all of those humans?"

"I-" She was about to argue, but paused as she realized he was right. "Dammit. I hate it when you're right."

Jasper chuckled lowly. He watched as she looked back up at the stars. His stomach clenched, suddenly nervous around her. They stood in rather uncomfortable silence. He wanted to say something but didn't know what. "I'm scared," She whispered out of the blue.

Jasper's eyebrows knitted in concern. "Elton?" He questioned.

Magnolia gulped and nodded. Her throat was suddenly dry. "All these terrible scenarios are running through my head — him dying alone and scared, or worse — turning," She shuddered. "I don't want that for him. He's already isolated as it is." 

Jasper stepped forward, unsure if she wanted comfort from him or not. "I don't want to give you false hope and say that he'll be fine because we both know how much danger he's in and there is a possibility that he could..." He trailed off as he watched her eyes water. "Magnolia," He sighed. "Look at me."

She furiously wiped the fresh falling tears and looked up at him warily. "I lied to him, Jasper. About everything. About me, about you, what if I never get the chance to tell him the truth, to apologize?" She choked back a sob. She was terrified of losing her best friend.

Jasper could feel all of it. It pained him to watch such a strong and beautiful woman crumble. He didn't know what else to do. In two large strides, he crossed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her. Instead of pushing him back, like he thought she would, Magnolia cried harder, gripping his shirt and back. "Shh," He cooed, kissing her head lightly. He rubbed her back softly and allowed her to cry.

She had been bottling up so many emotions and feelings that she couldn't help the overflow. The damn had broken. How long she stood there in his arms was unclear, but when she finally felt the tears slow she pulled back. Jasper loosened his arms but didn't let go of her. "Everything happens for a reason," He told her softly, smiling sadly. He took one of his hands and cupped her cheek, wiping the tears from her flushed face. "You have to believe everything will work out the way it's supposed to."

Magnolia stared at his chest, frowning. She lightly shook her head. "I don't think I can," She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she looked back up at Jasper, who was smiling softly. "What?" She snapped.

Jasper chuckled. "It's been a while since you were in my arms." He smirked.

"Okay. You ruined the moment," Magnolia laughed and pushed him away playfully. "I'm gonna go back inside and see if Bella's here," She began to walk away, but hesitated. "Jasper?" She called.

"Yes?" He responded.

When she turned around, he was still watching her. "Thank you," She nodded and hurried off inside. Jasper smiled. Though they were just two simple words, they meant a lot to him.

  The party was in full swing now. Magnolia had to push past the sweaty bodies of teenagers just to get inside. She couldn't see any of the Cullen's, but she spotted the familiar face of Bella hanging away from the crowd by the stairs. She pushed through a few more people until she reached her. "God damn!" She laughed. "It's like a mosh pit in there."

Bella laughed. She looked just as uncomfortable being at this party. "Come join the losers," She gestured to herself.

"Better company than out there," Magnolia pointed over her shoulder at the rowdy teenagers. She sat on one of the steps and Bella copied. "How are things?"

Bella shrugged. "Not bad," She leaned her head on Magnolia's shoulder. "I hear things are getting better between you and Jasper."

"Oh," Magnolia paused, eyes widening slightly. "Who told you that?"

"Alice," Bella chuckled. "But I'm not blind, either, Mags. You seem more comfortable around him. It's nice to see that again."

Magnolia sighed. "I'll admit, it's nice not feeling like ripping his head off every time I see him," She turned to look back at the party and noticed Jessica and Angela had spotted them. "We have incoming," She whispered. Bella quietly laughed.

Jessica, along with Angela in tow, ran up to hug the girls. "You made it!" Angela smiled. Magnolia refrained from telling the excited girl that she'd been here the whole time.

"Hey! What did you think of my speech?" Jessica asked as she hugged Bella. "Too easy-breezy? To self-helpful? You hated it?"

"No," Bella shook her head with a small smile. "I think you pretty much nailed it."

"Yeah?" Jessica turned to Magnolia looking hopeful.

"You killed it, Jess," She smiled. Jessica's face lit up.

"It was like I was born to lead, right?" They all laughed.

The song changed and Angela's head whipped to the dance floor. She smiled widely. "Oh! I love this song! Let's go." She smiled to Magnolia and Bella, clearly wanting them to follow, but didn't insist, as she and Jessica ran back to the group of sweaty and horny teens.

Magnolia and Bella laughed, both silently agreeing that they'd rather be anywhere but at this party. They linked arms in hopes of finding somewhere to sit, but every inch of the house was covered in people. When they turned back around, the last people Magnolia expected to see was Jacob, Quil, and Embry walking into the Cullen house. Bella and Magnolia's eyes narrowed as Jacob approached them. "What are you doing here?" The human questioned.

"You invited me, remember?" Jacob smirked.

Bella glared harder. "Was my right-hook too subtle for you? That was me uninviting you."

Magnolia watched him carefully. She could see Jacob nervously watching her from the corner of his eye. "Look, Bella, I'm sorry about...you know," He sighed, shaking his head. "The kiss, and your hand. I'd blame it on the whole inner animal thing, but it was really just me...being an ass."

"What else is new," Magnolia snarled.

Jacob's eyes snapped to hers and Magnolia swore he nearly shit himself at the sight of her glowing sapphire eyes. "I-I'm sorry," He gulped, turning back to Bella. She sighed deeply. "But, I brought you something,"

"If you think a gift will make all of this go away you are out of your mind," Magnolia crossed her arms, moving to step in front of Bella, but the girl grabbed hold of her arm, stopping her. "But..." She trailed off as Bella shook her head. "Fine," She grumbled, crossing her arms and moving back.

Jacob pulled out a small charm from his pocket. "A graduation present. I made it myself," He held it up for Bella to see. It was a small wolf carved out of wood hanging from a thin silver chain. Subtle, Magnolia thought with distaste. She scrunched her nose up in annoyance.

"Wow," Bella took it from him, admiring the detail. "You made this?" She looked back up at him with a smile. Magnolia rolled her eyes. How Bella fell for any of Jacob's tricks was beyond her. Jacob nodded. "It's really pretty. Thanks."

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Magnolia looked up to see Alice finally joining the party. However, just a few steps from the bottom, the vampire paused and her eyes glazed over. Pushing past Jacob and Quil, she reached the railing, Bella close behind her. "What is it, Alice?" She asked as the yellow eyes of Alice Cullen came back into focus.

"The decisions been made," She said gravely.

"What's going on?" Jacob had come up behind them.

Bella sucked in a sharp breath. "You're not going to Seattle,"

Alice shook her head. "No. They're coming here."

AUTHORS NOTE
now we get to my favourite part of Eclipse!! Hope you're all enjoying and also, thank you so much for the recent love on Magic! As of writing this, it is at 99k and I can't be more thankful!