Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 72

"How could they already know?"

"It said congratulations!"

"I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are going with her."

The three men were discussing the envelope. None of them knew of the exact words in the letter yet but on the envelope it had said congratulations on the engagement, something that only happened a day and a half before. It either meant that the Cullens were under control or the Spure's. They all believed that the answer was both.

"Alex?" Jasper sits on his knees in front of her. The woman had been in a state of shock ever since reading the letter. They had found her that way when they came home two hours after her. They had smelled the strange scent but didn't expect this. "Can you please look at me?" He lays down a hand on her knee and she snaps out of her daze, quickly turning her head towards the hand. Slowly she looks up and sees that it is Jasper.

"They say that I have to go in a few days." Peter was somehow relieved, it would mean that they were finally free of the Volturi but he knew at what cost. She had told him in all honesty and he knew the hurt that it caused every single time that she had to go.

Alex holds out the letter and Jasper grasps it inbetween a few fingers and hands it to whoever wants it, without looking away from his fiancée. From what he had heard, this was rather quick seeing as the last one was within this decade.

"What do you need?" He asks and both Peter and Harvey sit next to him. They knew of the toll that it took on her.

"I don't know. But a drink would be nice." Harvey is gone a second before returning with a bottle of whisky and a glass but she doesn't use the glass, just puts the bottle at her mouth. She stops and looks at Jasper. "This is not really how you thought you would celebrate with your fiancée did you?"

"I knew what I signed up for." He says and stands up, pulling her along and into a hug.

"It's just a week on tour." She suddenly says, sounding a lot more confident. She turns to Peter and grabs his hands. "It means that we'll be free from them. We can live as free people once again." Peter nods but tries to search her eyes for anything other than confidence. He wouldn't be able to find one, but Jasper knew that she was scared. Ever since they had spend more time with one another, he was able to feel her emotions better.

"Want to resume the party?" Harvey asks, knowing that no one would sleep after this relevation.

"Yes please." Alex mutters and grabs a bottle of whiskey and putting it at her lips. Jasper looks at her curiously.

She - and her brother - always could drink a lot but he had noticed that she drank less and less the more time they spent together. Maybe it meant that she drank her feelings away. Not a great coping mechanism but he understood. And now she was drinking again.

Alex had told him what she had to do for the Volturi and he was concerned for her. He knew the toll it took on her when she had to do her tours. He knew the vulnerability she felt afterwards and how much she hurt. She had killed many, he knew that. But in her way, she never killed anyone that didn't deserve it. But the Volturi made her do just that.

"In a week and a half I'll be done." Alex suddenly exclaims. Her voice happy and relieved.

"And we'll be free!" Peter enthusiastically agrees. "Should we go and travel again?" He asks her and Alex' eyes light up before looking at Jasper.

"You can join us!" Jasper smiles at the delight.

"I could. Or we could switch it off, that I'd join you and then give you some time together. We'll see." He wraps an arm around her and kisses the top of her head. He was glad to have met this amazing woman and wanted to give her the world. Which also meant time with her own family. Her brother. And Harvey of course.

"And I'll leave you all again." Harvey says in a dreamily voice.

"How come I've never seen you before you came here to help?" Jasper asks him once the party was in full swing again. Harvey turns to him lazily and smiles.

"I'm more of a loner."

"You seem happy with these two." They both look over to the siblings who are slow dancing to a song.

"They're different." Harvey replies and Jasper nods. Harvey wasn't one for a lot of words. Or so he thought. "A lot of centuries ago, I wasn't in the best place."

"How old exactly are you?" Harvey shrugs.

"I don't recall exactly." He waves it off and looks at the siblings again who are laughing at probably an inside joke. Jasper loved seeing that side of the two. "Anyway, I wasn't doing so well. Like being violent and such." Jasper nods. Harvey didn't have to explain further, he knew what it meant. "At first I came across Alex. Feisty one that is. But I knew that she was holding back and that only made me more angry." He laughs and Jasper smiles. He would be great friends with Emmett. "And that only made her angry as well. It was a good thing that there wasn't a town around us for hundreds of miles or they would either have heard us or would be destroyed."

"That bad?"

"Have you heard the story of when they first changed?" Jasper nods. "About two hundred times worse." Jasper snorts and Harvey laughs with him. "But Peter came just in time. At least, that's what they told me. I was knocked out at that point. They gave me shelter and helped me get a hold of myself. It worked like a charm too. They were so kind and caring. A side that I hadn't seen in humans.. creatures.. anything even in such a long time." Harvey smiles sadly as he finishes the last sentence before sighing and slapping his thigh with his right hand. "But we became great friends quickly. We understood one another y'know." Jasper nods. "And we still are. They're my rock. Just as I know that I am theirs." Harvey looks at Jasper. "And now you are one for them too." He pats him on the back. "Don't take that lightly. They don't really let anyone in."