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"Vampire..." Anna breathed out but the sudden recoil from Jasper confirmed it for her. "How did you?" Jasper asked as he turned to look away from her. "You aren't the first I've met," Anna told him truthfully. "And that's why you're so calm," Jasper replied as he leaned back in his seat. "Actually... I'm always calm around you," Anna told Jasper truthfully.

Jasper looked at Anna with a raised brow as he focused on her, "Is that so, darlin'?" Anna let out a slow breath, the word felt right coming from him. "You shouldn't call me that," Anna whispered with flushed cheeks. "But I like how you react to it, darlin'," Jasper teased, he felt good knowing she didn't fear him as a vampire though he was intrigued by her past.

An involuntary shiver went down Anna's spine as she licked her lips, she turned her head to look at Jasper, the Southern vampire already looking at her. Deciding to take a leap of faith, Anna leaned closer to him but stopped just a few inches from his lips giving him the opportunity to close the distance. Jasper was hesitant before he leaned in, their kiss was gentle and unsure.

And like that, Earth was back on its axis and everything seemed to fall into place. As Jasper placed his hands on either side of her face ─ deepening the kiss ─ their environment fell away for Anna. She could've sworn that the space between them exploded, her heart skipping beats consistently as she finally understood the meaning behind; Home isn't a place, It's a person.

As Jasper lightly bit down on her lip, pulling back from the kiss knowing she needed air, Anna felt ruined in the best way possible. Jasper Hale had ruined Annabeth Swan in that very moment, no one else would ever be able to make Anna feel that way and she was completely okay with knowing that. He wasn't her addiction ─ he was her life source.

"Wow..." Anna breathed out with her eyes still closed, her first kiss felt like rain in a drought. Before Anna could open her eyes, Jasper's lips pressed against hers again in a hungry fever. His hands moved to her hips as she climbed over onto his lap, careful of the steering wheel behind her. Anna's left hand rested on the side of Jasper's face while her right hand moved behind his head, tightening in his hair.

Both of them melted into one another like two puzzle pieces, their mouths messed together in a constant motion of teeth, tongues and lips. It felt like the moon was shining directly on them, they were the only two people in the world that mattered. And soon enough, Anna's lungs began screaming for air resulting in her pulling away and gasping in some air.

Jasper began kissing her jaw, the euphoric feeling he got in her presence sent him insane compared to the usual mess of emotions and cravings he was surrounded by daily. Anna closed her eyes letting out a quiet moan when Jasper nipped at the skin of her neck, and like a sudden snap of realization, Jasper pulled back fearfully leaving Anna confused.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, her voice was hoarse from the heated kiss and the overall breathless situation. "We shouldn't... I could hurt you... We need to stop," Jasper told her, Anna noticing the ache on both sides of her waist once Jasper dropped his hands. "I didn't even notice," Anna whispered to him before resting her hand on the side of his face again.

"It's okay, Jas. I'm okay... But I understand," Anna assured him before leaning forward and kissing him delicately, afraid he may disappear beneath her with any more force. She moved off of his lap and sat back down in the passenger seat right as her phone rang. "Hello?" Anna asked as she answered it. "Anna! Where are you?" Bella's voice was panicked.

Anna felt guilty for not telling her sister that she was okay, she was meant to meet them at the restaurant almost two hours ago. "I'm sorry... I was so distracted at the crystal shop and-" Anna began but Jasper grabbed the phone, "My apologies, Bella. Anna and I ran into each other and got distracted." Anna smiled gratefully at Jasper before a familiar wave of calm washed over her.

"It's you..." Anna whispered in realization, Jasper smiled at her before focusing on Bella's words, he hung up and started the car before driving off in a hurry. "What's going on?" Anna asked him as she pulled on her seatbelt. "Edward is with Bella. They're at the police station," Jasper told her. "Wait, why?" Anna asked him as he swerved through the streets to get there quicker.

"Carlisle is there... Another attack happened and your father is worried about where you are," Jasper explained to her, he was struggling with the thought of these attacks and how terrified he was about Anna being a target of one. "These attacks... they've been vampires? Nomads?" Anna asked him causing him to chuckle lightly. "How much do you know?" Jasper asked her.

"I know you're different, your family is different. You all have golden-ocher eyes compared to the blood-red that once haunted my dreams," Anna told him in full honesty. "We are... vegetarians," Jasper told her as they pulled into the police station. "Oh, my God..." Anna breathed out seeing the commotion. The two of them got out of the car, Carlisle and Edward looked straight at Jasper.

Jasper walked around the car and approached Anna, he rested his hands on either side of her face. "We'll talk more about it ─ about all of it ─ later, okay?" Jasper told her. "Okay," Anna replied but she didn't move, she wanted Jasper to make the next decision, which he was clearly making before he leaned down and kissed Anna lightly. "Go be with your father and sister," Jasper whispered before walking towards Carlisle and Edward.

"What happened to staying away from her?" Edward asked Jasper once he approached them. "Don't play that game, Edward. Bella told me about you two tonight," Jasper argued back. "All right. Jasper has... a right to be around Annabeth, Edward," Carlisle defended Jasper. "Why?" Edward asked as he looked between them. "She's my mate," Jasper told him.

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Once the Swan father-daughters trio returned to their home ─ after Bella and Anna received some pepper spray from their father for protection ─ they all split off to their separate rooms for the night. Anna let out a quiet sigh as she closed her door, gasping when she noticed Jasper sitting on the window seat.

"By later... I wasn't sure you meant tonight," Anna told him before walking closer to him. "There is... a lot you need to know," Jasper told her. "Okay... Well, I'm not tired so..." Anna told him as she sat down on her desk chair looking at Jasper. "You do realise that I'm a killer," Jasper told her straight away though he smiled at the lack of response from Anna ─ she didn't judge a lion for its nature, she wouldn't judge him for his.

"You know, darlin', being around you is, different in the most peaceful way," Jasper told her, a shiver of pleasure down her spine from his low tone words. "But I have these doubts that-" Jasper began but Anna shook her head. "I know you won't hurt me, Jasper. You'd never intentionally mean harm to me, maybe it's my own faith and instincts but I trust you," Anna assured him.

"What if I do hurt you?" Jasper asked, his voice sounding so broken as a lifetime of pain flashed across his eyes. Anna stood from the chair and approached Jasper, she sat down next to him, turning her full attention to him as she grabbed his hand. "Jasper Hale, if you were to ever hurt me, emotionally or physically, I wouldn't be afraid of you because I know it was you protecting me somehow," Anna told him softly.

Jasper leaned his forehead against Anna's, his eyes closed as he breathed in her scent, Vanilla and Jasmine consuming him. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you, darlin'," Jasper whispered to her. Within a blur, Jasper had picked Anna up causing her to quietly shriek before he walked over to her bed and laid her down.

"Did you pull my blankets back in your little blur movement?" Anna asked him as he pulled the blankets over her. "I may have," Jasper answered with a teasing grin before he turned to leave. "Wait..." Anna spoke softly before clearing her throat. "Yes, darlin'?" Jasper asked her. "Could you, maybe, stay? Tell me a story?" Anna asked him with a pout.

Jasper smiled before he moved around the bed to lay next to Anna, he laid on his back facing the ceiling. "A'right, what do you wish to hear?" Jasper asked her. "Tell me something from your life," Anna asked him as she rested her head on his chest, her hand rested above his stomach as she relaxed completely.

"It was 1948 when my life changed from one of destruction to one of peace and hope," Jasper began as he ran his fingers through her blonde hair. "How?" Anna sleepily asked him. "I met Alice and Colton at a diner in Philadelphia. She had told me that I had kept them waiting," Jasper answered her. "Huh?" Anna asked with furrowed brows.

"Alice can see glimpses of the future," Jasper explained to Anna. "She saw you coming?" Anna asked him. "She saw that I needed help, that I was searching for a reason to keep going," Jasper told Anna truthfully, her hand resting on his stomach gripped a handful of his shirt, a pain within her chest at the thought of Jasper being gone.

"She and Colton sat down at the table with me, she told me that she saw a happy family for all of us," Jasper explained as he looked down at Anna. "The waitress had cut her finger, I wasn't a vegetarian then, but Alice told me that there was a woman in my future that'd be my reason to live, and it was enough to distract from the blood," Jasper continued with a fond smile.

"She told me that she had golden locks that shone under the sun, bright blue eyes that made the sky jealous and a bright aura around her that would calm my gift and block out everything but her," Jasper expressed fondly, his voice smooth as Anna looked up at him. "Colton spent a lot of time teasing me whenever I'd focus on a blonde within the room only to be disappointed," Jasper told her honestly.

"Well, if I didn't know any better; I'd say that Alice was talking about me," Anna teased lightly making Jasper laugh. "I'm not too sure," Jasper replied causing Anna to gasp and glare at him. "'Cause I didn't believe her, didn't think I deserved such a beautiful future," Jasper continued as he ran his thumb across Anna's bottom lip.

"After all, I didn't believe that angels existed until I saw you in that cafeteria, I didn't need Alice to tell me that it was you, I just knew," Jasper told her, smiling at her rosy cheeks from his compliment. "Uh... So what is your gift?" Anna asked him with a slow breath. "My gift is pathokinesis," Jasper told her.

"That's why I've felt those random waves of calmness," Anna stated as she ran her fingers across the light scars upon his neck. "What are those?" Anna asked him. Jasper, as if he was still human, took in a sharp breath. "Those are... That's a story for another time. It's late, darlin'," Jasper told her before kissing her forehead. "Thank you, Jas," Anna whispered as she closed her eyes.

"You are my Soul, Annabeth Swan. And I am already completely and irrevocably infatuated with you," Jasper whispered to her as he continued to run his fingers through her hair - relishing in the pure peace he felt not being drowned in everyone's emotions nor feeling the need to alter anyone's emotions - She made him feel alive.

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Rosemary Speaks

My silentXloud/broodingXsunshine lovers trope has me living already and I hope you are loving them as much as I am.

I made slight changes to some paragraphs, including Jasper's love confession cause even if Anna's asleep through it; I don't want it too soon.

See you next chapter!