Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 013

Jasper looks at the house that they would be spending at least one night in. He had rummaged through the bag and found a set of clothing for both male and female.

The house is made entirely of wood and though it looked to be ancient, it held a new feeling to it. White decors of flowers and railings are pressed against it. It looked like a house that Esme would want. And though the house is beautiful, the sight behind it is amazing. A lake, covered by a thin layer of ice is spread out behind it. Tree lines covering the area. It couldn't get more private.

"We bought it ages ago." Alex says as she shows up from behind a few trees, fully clothed. She just changed back and Jasper heard a scream as soon as she became human.

"Are you alright?" He asks her and she nods.

"Yeah, but it's not about me now." She smiles at him and opens the door. "We don't have to lock it," she explains. "No one will come here. It's private territory. I already texted Peter that we were here."

They walk in and Jasper's hesitancy shakes Alex awake.

"Right," she gestures towards the couch. She grabs a bottle of whisky before sitting down in a chair in front of him. "I know how it can get." She says in a sympathizing way. "This house is one of the places that never ceases to calm me down." Jasper nods as he looks around. "Want to tell me what happened?" He looks at her with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head. She shrugs and gets up. "Maybe later."

He looks as she walks upstairs and walks back down in a navy blue, bathing suit. He raises his eyebrows at her and looks towards the ice.

"Yes, it's amazing." She smiles at him before walking outside. Her bare feet make some of the snow around her melt.

"Won't you get hypothermia?" His voice laced with concern which makes her chuckle.

"I've done it a few times. I think I know the risks." He slowly walks outside, feeling a sense of protectiveness coming over him. She walks into the water - the ice around her seems to melt in an instance - with ease and sighs happily as she turns on her back to float around. She turns her head and looks at him. "Want to join?" He shakes his head with raised eyebrows. Why did I even come here? "It's an amazing stress reliever." She mutters as she inhales deeply and disappears into the water.

"Alex?" He shouts even though he knew she won't be able to hear him underwater. He sits along the shore and waits for her to be seen again. A few minutes later there is still no sign of her and the worry is taking over. He takes off his jacket and enters the water, immediately feeling a sense of relief. He sighs as he begins to paddle towards the place where he had seen Alex last. He takes a breath - even though he wouldn't need it - before going under. A tap on his shoulder makes him turn around and he sees Alex waving at him. She gestures for him to follow her and he does, though he doesn't know why.

They swim deeper and the clear water begins to darken around them. He wonders how she knows where to go and how she can stay under water for this long, but mostly he focuses on following her. Not wanting to get stuck under the ice.

He sees her body recede behind a few rocks and he swims faster, only to not see her anywhere. Jasper notices that he is in a cave and makes his way to the top of the water, seeing Alex already on the edge in the cave. He pushes himself up and looks around.

"How're you feeling?" She asks him as she looks around.

"Okay." He replies. He sees the Christmas lights hung up on the walls and everywhere were blankets, pillows and candles. "Romantic." He chuckles and she lightly shoves him.

"It's my safe place." She gets up and sits back down with her feet in the water. Goosebumps make their way on her skin and he frowns. "You're the first to see this."

"Not even Peter?" She shakes her head with a laugh.

"If he knew that this is the place I go to get away from him, he'd have cameras set up." Jasper chuckles.

"It's nice." He says as he stares at the water in front of them. One of the rocks has a small trickle of water and it drips into the calm body of water. "Calm." She smiles at him.

"I know." She looks at him as she wraps her arms around her knees. "Are you really okay?" He nods as he leans back on his arms. "Want to tell me about it?" He looks at her and images of their arguments flash before his eyes. He frowns as he looks at the bright blue eyes in front of him and he remembers the kind interactions and jokes they shared.

Alex falls to her knees and starts to cry. He feels her emotions and feels the anger, hatred and sadness that is right before him. His foot steps on a branch which cracks and her head whips towards them, her eyes flashing silver before turning back into their usual blue. "Get off my land!" She shouts at him and he feels her panic and fear.

"I guess." He looks at her and sees her shaking slightly, her lips turning a light purple. "But not before we get you changed." She smiles kindly at him. She had tried to keep it from him, but even though the cold didn't bother her if she was moving, it did bother her if she sat still.

"Let's get going then." She stands up and turns of the lights, making it eerily dark. "Jasper?" She asks as she hears him close-by.

"Ma'am?" His breath tickling her ears. A shiver runs down her spine but she can't exactly make out if it's from the cold or from him.

"Follow me." She whispers before quickly diving into the water.

******

My oh my, there are feelings coming up! A bit faster than I anticipated but it felt quite right. JALEX is a slow burn but my, are they cute together!

Any thoughts?