Delicate (Jasper Whitlock Hale)

Chapter 11

The run back didn't last long enough. I knew Rosalie wouldn't do anything to me or say anything that would hurt me, but the anxiety when someone says "we need to talk" is still all the same. Jasper set me down and turned me around to face him,

"She won't do anything." He said, reassuring me.

"I know she won't, Alice and Edward would've said something. I'm just nervous about the unknown topic of conversation." I told him, taking his hand and immediately relaxing. "You don't have to mellow me out, I'll be fine." I said, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

"I'm not doing anything. Physical contact with me just immediately calms you down." A smile played across his face and I couldn't help but blush.

"I doubt Rose wants you in the room with me, so I might need you to help me out then."

"I'll make sure to pay attention and calm you both down if it gets to tense." He promised, giving me a hug. "Now go inside before she gets impatient."

I did as told and walked inside, following Rosalie's scent and found her in Emmett's and her shared room. Stepping inside, I knew she could hear me and she turned around, placing down the photo she was holding on the desk in their room.

"You wanted to talk to me." I said, staying near the door.

"Yes, and you can come inside more. I promise not to bite your head off." She said, "I just felt I owed you an apology for how I acted. You have been nothing but kind to my family and I haven't been very kind back."

"You're forgiven, I, obviously, wasn't very keen on the idea of working with you at first, and if it wasn't for Jasper, I doubt I would've been able to help in the fight." I told her.

"If it's any consolation, you never got the attitude I gave Bella when she and Edward first started seeing each other. I don't agree with her choice to become one of us. She's giving up everything I wish I could still have." She told me. I took a couple steps closer to her, enough that it looked like we were actually friends and not two strangers meeting each other for the first time.

"You regret being changed?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I love Carlisle for changing me and for giving me a chance at life, and a chance for finding Emmett, but this isn't a life I would've chosen for myself. My dream was to have a husband that loved me and came home to kiss me and our kids. Eventually, us being grey-haired and watching our grandchildren play in the yard." She smiled, looking off as if she could see it all in front of her. "I was newly engaged to Royce King, the most eligible bachelor in town. It was all set up by my parents, who would've rather had me marry for stability than love. Deep down, I knew I wasn't truly in love with him, but I was young and in love with the idea of love.

"I was changed in 1933 after Carlisle found me. I was on the way home from a friend's house, and I knew I should have called my father to escort me, but she lived only a short distance from my house and it felt silly to call him. I could hear Royce and his friend in the street, surprising me when I found him drunk. He always had a glass of champagne at formal events, but I never saw him drink more than a glass, I realize now it's because he had a taste for something stronger. He called for me and I walked over to him, his arm coming around my shoulder as he showed me off to his friends like I was a trophy and not his fiancée. My gut told me something was wrong the minute his friends started making crude comments about me and he did nothing to defend me." I knew where the story was going and I felt my heart break for Rosalie. Had I known her better or knew she wouldn't force me away, I would've given her a hug.

"I won't give you the gory details, but know that everywhere your mind is running, is probably what they did to me. Carlisle found me in street, almost dead, he could smell my blood. He changed me that night, knowing I wasn't going to live any other way. I woke up days later with a fit of newfound anger at all of the men that hurt me. One by one, I hunted them down and get my revenge. I saved Royce for last so he would know I was coming, and he did. I was dressed in the wedding dress I was supposed to wear, had my hair all pinned back, and had on a veil. I broke into his home and killed the two guards in front of his bedroom door before killing him... I was a little theatrical back then." She said, chuckling.

"I had no idea, I'm so sorry you ever went through it." I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't pity me. Even with my killing the five men who ruined my life and Royce's two guards, my record is still almost as clean as Carlisle's. I made sure never to spill their blood, I was a newborn and knew I wouldn't be able to control my thirst. I hadn't tasted human blood at that point, and I still haven't to this day." I had to admit, I had a new sense of respect for Rosalie. She could've easily gone rogue and never stuck with Carlisle and murdered hundreds by now, but she still valued humanity enough to never do it.

"You deserve that family you wanted. I can tell you would've been a great mother." I told her.

"Thank you. I don't have a truly valid reason for why I disliked you so much, maybe I felt you were taking away Jasper's choice in the matter, but Esme explained it wasn't always romantic."

"Not always. Most of the time that's what it is because it always fits so perfectly, but there have been a few stories where the one imprinted on decides that friendship is the best route." I explained. Rosalie shook her head,

"Jasper thinks of you as more than a friend. You've brought out a more confident side of him. It used to take Alice a lot of persuasion to get him to go to crowded places, like school or theatres. Since you've come along, he's still nervous sometimes, but he trusts himself more. He's more confident in his control over himself, which is the biggest thing for him. He's terrified of letting down Carlisle and you brought out the side of him that trusts himself."

"He's helped me, too. The night that Billy told me about the new agreement in the Treaty, Jared pointed out that I've grown more confident in myself over the short amount of time. As you saw, I was a wreck around vampires at first. My family was killed by two and I still haven't truly gotten over it – I don't think I ever will. I couldn't really even think about them without sending myself into a panic attack. When I found out that there were vampires in Forks, I had a two-day breakdown where I was going back and forth on leaving, again. It took Sam and Paul a while of trying to convince me to stay before I would listen. The night before the first day of training, I didn't sleep at all, constantly having nightmares. I haven't had a nightmare since imprinting on Jasper." I finished.

"Jasper and I's story to blend in is that we're the Hale twins, niece and nephew to Esme. We really are the closest of the "siblings"." She told me, putting air quotes around the word siblings. "I actually trust you enough to approve of this."

"I'm glad you do." I said with a huge smile on my face.

"You two are good for each other. I think imprinting or no imprinting, you two would've found your ways to each other." She admitted.

"Thank you, Rose." I started, "You truly don't know what that means to me." I said, taking the chance and hugging her. To my surprise, she hugged back after just a moment.

"You're part of the family. I'm not dead set on making us both miserable." We pulled away from each other and offered me a genuine smile. "Go tell him I didn't kill you before his head explodes." She said.

I walked out to the living room and saw Jasper sitting on the couch, watching me when I walked in and meeting me at the doorway.

"I had to talk with your overprotective sibling, it's time you meet mine face-to-face." I told him.

"I'm glad. I don't want them thinking I'm trying to keep you from them." Jasper said, "Now that you can phase, would you like to ride back to the reservation, or take the woods?" He asked me.

"Woods." I said without a second thought.