DERANGED DESTINY; J. HALE [5]

FIFTEEN; BURNING

I CLOSED MY EYES AND LISTENED to Poppy's heavy breathing in the next room. Jasper sat behind me on the bed, reading a book. I smiled at him. "She's definitely sleeping"

His eyes rolled. "Finally! For someone so small, and someone that does so much exercise, she takes a lot to go down" He was right, she hardly ever wanted to sleep. It was a constant struggle telling her that even though she is part vampire, she's part human too and needs to sleep just like the rest of the human population.

"I know right? I think we need a tranquilizer gun or something" We laughed at the half joke. But, I was considering it.

"It can be acquired" He smiled at me in the mirror and I shot him a look. "What? I know people"

"As much as I'd like to, we can't subdue our daughter with a tranquilliser for bedtime" his face fell. "It's not very parently-like"

"You're right. You know - were pretty good at being parents. Besides from the conversation we just had" his hands folded behind his head as he rested on the headboard.

I was still looking at him in the mirror. "You think so? I don't think most parents would agree that having a thousand year old vampire out to kill your child is exactly..good parenting"

He shook his head. "Aro is definitely more than a thousand years old" I narrowed my eyes, he was being smart. "But, honey, despite the circumstances, we are doing amazing. You are doing amazing"

My frown grew into a smile. "You're doing amazing too" I thought of the impending battle that lay before us, it was a few days till we were due to meet with the Volturi, even though we had agreed it would be peaceful I still knew we would need to fight. It wasn't in the Volturi's nature to talk things out.

"You're worried" He sat up.

I nodded. "Aren't you? I mean, the Volturi are powerful. We might not survive"

"We are powerful too. And we will survive, I'm sure of it"

"I'm scared to lose you. I don't want anything to happen to anyone we care about" I turned around and faced him. "I can't lose you, Jasper"

His facial expression softened and he climbed over to me, sitting in front of me and grabbing my hand in his own. "I love you"

"I love you too"

He shook his head. "No. I really love you, more than I've ever loved anyone before" Pausing, his eyes locked with mine intently. "I don't think I'll ever find words to tell you how beautiful you are, but I will spend the rest of my life finding them"

Tears brimmed in the corners of my eyes. "Jasper-"

"-I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Together. As husband..and wife"

My hand lifted to my mouth. "I'd like that very much"

"Then so it shall be, Mrs Swan. Once this is all over, we will be married"

My cheeks were wet from tears and sore from smiling. "It's only fair. You stole my heart, so I'll steal your last name"

He bowed his head, kissing my hand. "It would be my highest honour"

From the moment I saw him, he walked into my heart like he had always belonged there, took down my walls and lit my soul on fire. And right now, I was happily burning alive.