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  MAGNOLIA HAD NEVER BEEN so jet lagged in her life. She felt herself falling asleep as Alice explained their plan. "And there's this field that Jasper picked out. It'll be easy to keep the newborns all in one place. What do you think?" When all she got in response was a snore, Alice huffed. She clapped her hands sharply three times, waking Magnolia from her small nap. "Were you even listening?"

"Hmm?" Magnolia rubbed her eyes and squinted in the bright light. "Oh, yeah, I was."

Alice cross her arms and tilted her head. "What did I say, then?"

Magnolia paused, eyes widening slightly as she tried to remember. "Uhh, something about one last hunt before the battle?"

Alice groaned. "I can't believe you! We're about to fight an army and you can't even stay awake long enough for me to explain!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I give up."

"Oh, don't he so dramatic, Alice," She shook her head and sat up on the edge of her bed. Slapping her face softly a couple times in an attempted to wake herself up, Magnolia looked at the small vampire. "I didn't want to go to London, but we had to."

"Had to?" Alice stopped and turned.

Magnolia nodded. "The High Council summoned us. Either we go ourselves, or they send someone to collect us."

"Oh," Alice's face went blank. "I-I didn't know. I'm sorry, Maggie."

Standing up, Magnolia crossed the small space between them and wrapped Alice in a large hugged. "Don't apologize. It's fine."

Alice smiled and eased herself into the hug. The girls hadn't been able to share a moment like this for a while — it was nice. "Magnolia!" Her mother yelled from downstairs. The moment was ruined.

Magnolia jumped slightly and quickly pulled away from Alice. "That didn't sound good," She cringed. Alice nodded in agreement. "I should probably see what that's about."

"Yeah...you should," Alice said slowly.

Magnolia paused and raised a brow. "That was oddly cryptic? Have you seen something?"

Alice quickly shook her head and brushed off the question. "No idea what you're talking about. Go on, go see what your mother wants." She nudged Magnolia towards the door.

Deciding it wasn't worth it to argue with her, Magnolia shook her head with a small sigh and headed downstairs. Expecting to see her mother in the kitchen or living room, she was surprised to see her standing by the open front door. "Mom?" She tilted her head. "What's up..." She trailed off at the sight of Jasper at the door. He stood tall and respectfully. "Jasper...what are you doing here?" She tried her best to sound casual but she couldn't hide the surprise in her voice.

"He's come to see you," Ariana crossed her arms seriously, but Magnolia could a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"I'd like to talk, if that's alright with you," He bowed his head.

Magnolia felt her face flush. "O-Oh, sure. Let's step outside," Her mom smirked as she passed and Jasper followed her out into a secluded corner of their property. "Uh...what do you want to talk about?" She leaned against the brick wall, feeling incredibly awkward and foolish.

Jasper couldn't help his amusement. She was so nervous, yet there was no need to be. "Calm down, Magnolia. Everything is alright." He smiled softly.

Magnolia blushed and rolled her eyes. There was no way she could hide it from him. "What do you want?" She asked a little harsher than intended. He was pushing his limits.

"Apologies," He bowed his head and looked up at her through his lashes. "I just had to see you before tomorrow. If things go wrong-"

"They won't," Magnolia interjected. Her body began to relax as she frowned at him. "Nothing will go wrong."

"You don't know that," She didn't think it was possible for a vampire's voice to shake, but as Jasper clenched his fists and jaw, his voice was trembling. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you." His head dropped as he stared at his feet. He was shaking.

She didn't debate whether it was right or wrong, Magnolia just moved and grabbed his hands. She pulled him into a hug, his head resting over her heart. She sighed as she stroked his hair. "Nothing will happen to me. I'll make sure of it."

Softly looking up at her, Jasper raised his head but kept his hold on her hands. He was frowning deeply, eyes searching her face, taking in the detail, as if subconsciously memorizing her just in case her promise was broken.

Magnolia's cheeks turned bright crimson as she realized how close they were. She couldn't remember the last time they were this close. Jasper slowly moved one of his hands out of hers and softly placed it on her cheek, stroking with his thumb. Magnolia felt her breath catch in her throat as they stared intensely at each other. She could feel what was coming and as she felt herself leaning in, she didn't stop herself.

The last time they had kissed was that horrible birthday party, months. It was familiar yet new all at the same time. He held her face softly and carefully, kissing her slowly, pouring all the love he could into it. Magnolia snaked her arm up his back and gripped his neck for support. As the kiss deepened, all of their emotions and feelings that that had been pent up over those long months all came out, like water rushing from a broken dam.

Her back was pressed up against the brick of the house as Jasper cornered her. His lips detached from hers and moved to her neck then down her chest. Magnolia was breathing heavily, eyes clouded with love and lust. She stared up at the canopy of trees, biting her lip to keep herself quite. "Jasper..." His name slipped from her lips, adding fuel to the fire. But, before he could let himself get carried away, the small voice in the back of his head told him it was not the time nor the place to further their actions.

Slowly, he pulled away from her chest, eyes shut. He kept her caged between his body and the wall and he began to stroke her face once more. Softly, he place a kind kiss on her forehead and stayed there for a moment. Both stood with their foreheads connected and eyes closed. Taking a moment to gather their thoughts. He could feel the love pulsating off of her, but there was also confliction — doubt plagued her mind. He moved away and the warmth Magnolia had felt was suddenly gone — ironic, considering he could not physically produce heat.

She opened her eyes slowly to find him looking at her with such adoration. "Jasper..." She began slowly. "I-"

"I know how you feel, darlin'," He stopped her. "I can feel that you felt that this was a mistake."

Magnolia's eyes widened. "No!" She lurched forward and grabbed his wrist. "I don't think that, not at all."

"But-"

"No buts, Jasper," She sighed and shook her head. "It's just...my grandmother. She knows...about us."

Jasper tilted his head. "And? Is that not a good thing?"

Magnolia huffed and her hand dropped from his wrist. "No, it's not! She's not like us, she hates vampires and as I've come to learn, so do most of my species."

"Oh," He didn't expect that. "Wait- what do you mean you've come to learn? Is that what that last minute trip to London was?"

Magnolia nodded. "Yeah. We had a visit with The High Council." Her arms wrapped around her torso as her eyes narrowed.

Jasper's stomach dropped. Of course he knew of The High Council, most vampires feared them. They were said to be as old as time itself — granted immortality as a gift from the gods. "Are you alright?" He stepped forward, his fingers brushing her elbow. His head tilted as he searched her face for an answer. He could feel her nerves radiating off of her.

"Not really," Magnolia shook her head, forcing herself to look him in the eye. She did her best to stop them from watering. It was all too much — Elton was missing, her feelings for Jasper were stronger than ever and her family might be torn apart — she sniffled and hastily wiped her fresh tears. She felt so weak and small. "I-If my grandmother told them about you...I can't imagine what would've happened to us."

Jasper frowned and pulled her into his chest. It was her turn to be comforted. He shushed her, cooed to and coddled her, running a hand through her thick hair while softly rubbing the small of her back. He resisted the urge to use his empathic abilities as she started to quietly cry. He soothed her until her breathing was even and the tears dried. "My love," He breathed. "You are the strongest woman I know," Magnolia's head moved to look at him. He smiled lovingly down at her. "I know you will make things right — you always do."

She managed to smile. "Thank you, Jazz," She moved up on her toes and pressed a small quick kiss to his lips.

"You two are just adorable!" Alice's perky voice caused not only Magnolia to jump, but Jasper as well. She came hoping down a tree and landed gracefully in between them. "As much as I hate to break this up," She gave Magnolia's arm a little squeeze. "We have some hunting to do." She looked to Jasper.

He rolled his eyes, trying to seemed annoyed at his best friend, but he couldn't hide his smile. "...Alice," He mumbled with a shake of his head. "Just give me a second, alright?" Alice smirked and nodded, giving Magnolia a quick wink and kiss on the cheek before skipping off to her car. Jasper turned back to Magnolia and sighed. "I will see you tomorrow, be safe." He softly took her hand and pressed it to his lips.

Magnolia smiled back, her face pink and flushed. "You too."

  She wanted a chance to see Bella before the fight, but as she was informed as she and her parents arrived in the field, Bella had been moved to a safe location the night before with Edward and Jacob. "Are you sure those two won't kill each other?" She asked slightly serious, tilted her head to Alice.

She petite vampire shook her head. "They know what's at stake."

Magnolia nodded. "When will the newborns be here?"

"A few minutes," She answered. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" She gave Magnolia a concerned once-over.

The young sorceress nodded slowly, hesitant. Her eyes met Jasper's briefly. His eyebrows knitted together as he gave her a quick and curt nod. She looked back at Alice, this time more sure of herself. "Yes."

Alice smiled softly. "Good."

The minutes ticked away like hours. Ariana and Timothy made their way to either side of their daughter, each gripping one of her hands tightly. Though they were experienced fighters, it had been years since they had fought. "I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty," Timothy admitted in a whisper.

Magnolia slowly smiled. "You? Rusty? I'll believe it when I see it."

Timothy let out a low chuckled. It was nice to laugh, to release the tension, that, after a few seconds, returned to them. Each of the vampire's heads twitched and Alice announced, "They're coming."

Magnolia's eyes narrowed as she readied herself. She blocked all thought from her mind, the only thing she would think of was the oncoming newborns. She was ready for the fight. In the trees ahead, she could hear leaves rustling, twigs snapped, and the fast footsteps of the vampires. She ignored how nauseous she felt and ignited two bright blue flames in her palms.

Two newborns broke from the tree line, crazed and bloodthirsty. The Cullen's ran forward, taking the charge. Magnolia and her parents stayed at the back in case any stragglers decided to take a detour to Forks. It was sort of satisfying, hitting vampires with flames and watching them crumbling to ash. Magnolia hated how good it felt. She shot flame after flame and just as they were becoming too much to handle, the pack entered the fray.

They threw the newborns for a loop. They didn't know the wolves existed and so many of them faltered, making them easy targets. The Siren family began pushing in, the number of newborns becoming less and less. Eventually, Magnolia found herself separated from her parents, but she didn't feel nervous or scared — she felt powerful. She charged forward, burning newborn after newborn. Her movements were fast and light, making it hard for the newborns to catch her.

As she looked for her next target, a tuft of distinctive red hair caught her eye and her heart skipped a beat. She narrowed her eyes, hoping to get a better look. Leah was cornering a newborn, who shook in fear against a rock. "No, no, please!" He begged.

As soon as she heard that voice, Magnolia took off running. "Leah, don't!" She stopped the wolf just as she was about to pounce and finish Elton off. The wolf huffed and growled with a shake of her head. "That's...that's Elton," Magnolia felt her heart break. Leah looked between the two of them and let out a final huff before joining in the fight. Magnolia rushed to his side, unable to stop herself from touching his cheeks, his arms, his hands — cold as ice. "I thought I told you to stay safe?" Tears welled up in her eyes as her voice cracked.

Elton shook his head furiously, pushing himself back into the rock. His eyes were wide with panic and fear. "Don't look at me — I'm a monster."

AUTHORS NOTE
holy shit!! This is the moment I've been waiting for and have had planned since I started writing Magic! I am so excited that Elton is a vampire, even if he will be in pain about it for a while. But damn was this chapter FULL of fun stuff — a little kissing, a little Elton. All super fun. Thanks for reading and sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I'm so proud of this chapter