Interrupted
Jasper Whitlock has dreamt about her for as long as he can remember. He dreams of her growing up alongside him as they meet in their little haven hidden within the realms of sleep. He draws her from time to time, trying to capture the way the light dances upon her rich red curls or how the light dance in her eyes with life and mischievousness, how her lips were always upturned in a smile so sincere and sweet it made him lose his breath. Never though did his works ever compare to the real thing (or at least what he saw in his dreams). Jasper has kept her a secret from everyone even his parents because in his mind she was someone that was meant for him. There are times he sees her with her brother, who is ever vigilant of courters to his sister, as they laugh their way through the loneliness and pain of isolation caused by the death of a mother and an absentee father.
When the war broke out Jasper hadn’t thought twice about enlisting for the Texas Cavalry. He was seventeen and a man grown by that point. He wanted to make a difference, to make his family proud, and if she was real then hopefully make something of himself so that he would be worthy of her. Although, in all honesty, he would probably have been conscripted anyway. Two years in to the war and he had quickly reached the rank of Major even though he had yet to face actual combat. After evacuating women and children, he had been riding back to Galveston where the Union Blockade was in effect. Something had been pulling him there, the feel of danger and urgency, the same one that had screamed at him to ride past the three women standing alone in the dark, the same instincts that he had ignored.
‘Regret’ Jasper’s mind whispered as these thoughts swirled around in his mind. ‘You should have ridden past the three women, now she’s dead because of you.’ His mind screamed angrily at him through the pain of whatever it was that Maria had done to him. This torture only enhanced by the visions of his red haired muse being assaulted. He sees it in his mind, sees the Confederate deserters, ‘Cowards and Traitors!’ his mind screamed in disgust, capture the pretty Union nurse, see the three men start to tear at her clothes as she begs them to stop. He watches through the haze of pain as they violate her, take her virtue and destroy her innocence over and over again before they finally leave her for dead. He is beside her as she passes a broken woman so far away from home and all that she’d loved, a woman who had only wanted to help, he sees the Union soldiers finding her body and sees the grief and despair for the woman they had grown fond off and who had no doubt saved the lives of many of those devoted men who searched for her fiercely and who now wrap themselves in mourning, their appetites thirsty for vengeance for the sweet woman who had nursed many of them back to health.
When Jasper awakens from his transformation he is horrified. His throat burns with thirst for something he had never once desired before. Everything is so much sharper now; the sounds, sights, and even smell.
“Why can I not feel my heart?” He thinks to himself, his stomach clenching in terror as he realizes that his heart no longer beats. Movement to his left causes him to turn as he stares at the three women that he had stopped to offer help to.
“What have you done to me? What happened?” He asks, his voice rising to a growl. There is an ache and a feeling of loneliness in his (metaphorical) heart that had once been where he had felt his red haired muse but it’s gone now, whether through his heart stopping or the ‘death’ that he had witnessed, he knew not what. All Jasper knows is that there’s now naught but an empty hollow feeling inside him that hurts more then the realization that he may no longer be human.
“I have turned you into one of us!” Maria, beautiful and vicious, says triumphantly as she gestures to herself first and then to her two companions Nettie, the dark haired one, and Lucy the blonde. All three are beautiful and look at him with a mad gleam of desire that he somehow knows is not lust of any kind but a hunger and greed that he can identify. He feels these things coming from the three women and he is surprised by how it is he knows this.
“You will never sleep, never age, you will never need consume anything but blood, you now stand above humanity. An immortal vampire!” Maria says, her head raised proud and triumphant. “You are welcome for that by the way.” Nettie tells him smugly as if it was something he had begged for.
Jasper’s head spins until he comes to one conclusion. ‘They have damned me to this eternity. My soul is destined for nothing but the fires of hell now that I am one of them, an accursed creature. A monster. And they think I should be grateful to them?’ Jasper’s anger has reached its peak.
“I did not ask for immortality for I did not fear death. Not until you have turned me into this. You have damned me and my soul for all eternity and you think I should be thankful, that this is a privilege. You have stolen my life and my choices from me!” He tells them angrily, his glare filled with hate and malice as he starts to stand, the only thing restraining him from attacking is the fact that he was taught never to raise a hand to a woman. Nettie and Lucy falter and take a step back from him, their confidence shattered in the face of a newborn vampire who is more then likely skilled enough to kill them. Maria though is still staring at him in triumph as if there was nothing he could do to her.
“Lucy, our guest seems to be hungry. Will you please bring him some food?” Maria asks her companion calmly as Lucy and Nettie’s eyes widen in realization. Lucy is gone and back within a second. A confederate soldier, one of the deserters that he had seen in the visions that plagued him during his turning. His eyes are wide with fear as he glances at the three women in the room all with eyes glowing red and to the Confederate soldier with eyes so black that stares at him with hunger.
“Well?” Lucy asks Jasper “are you going to eat?” She continues as she throws the man at Jasper. Jasper just stares at the man, a hunger he has never known burns through him and he can smell the man’s blood, enticingly rich and delicious but he resists. He knows that if he drinks from this man then he would belong wholly to Maria and her devil friends.
“Ahh yes, you may be hesitant to drink from an innocent, especially one who is a comrade. But do not worry. This man is not innocent in the least. He and his comrades had deserted the army and had raped and killed an innocent woman. Shame she was long dead by the time we had found her, she was a pretty thing.” Maria tells him as Jasper feels thunderstruck as her words ring around his head. ‘Pretty thing? Rape? My muse, could the dream have been true?’ He thinks his restraint almost gone at the thought of the man’s crimes.
“That bitch deserved it. She was nothin’ more than a Union whore.” The soldier said as if to defend his actions. He was projecting self-righteousness and courage, his fear gone at the mention of his crimes. He had even seemed proud of his actions, Jasper did not know how he knew just what the other man was feeling but at the moment he didn’t care. His anger had tripled and his restraint was gone. He did not even care that he would belong to Maria from that moment on as he lunged for the man and drained him dry. The fear and desperation radiating from the man left Jasper feeling vindictively happy, at least momentarily.
“Well now, I trust that it was a pleasant meal? It is time for you to start earning your keep.” Maria told him as Jasper nodded stoically, already resigned to the thought of working for her, the triumph he had felt over avenging his muse had gone swiftly as well returning to that empty hollow feeling.
-70 years later-
He had been with Maria for about 70 years now. He had trained and killed countless new borns after they’ve used up their year. He was Maria’s right hand man, the one she trusted the most, and eventually her lover. Nettie and Lucy’s betrayal had stung her hard and driven her greed further. He saw his muse often, sometimes standing beside Maria or just in the corner of his eye. He has learnt to ignore her disappointed gaze, learnt to ignore how bloody and broken she was, the same way she had looked during her death. She appeared often, she never spoke to him, not like she did when they had both been alive.
She appeared to him every time he executed a new born or after he had left Maria when they had finished in bed. He never stayed the night with her though, they did not need sleep nor did he want to stay with her, every coupling always left him feeling more hollow after everything was done. True, it was pleasurable but afterwards, he felt disgusted with himself. She always appeared to him then, only him, and the only thing worse then her image were her cries. Each time she began to cry it felt as if he had betrayed her and failed her once more. The only time he had ever seen her smile in approval and look as well as she had been in life was when he had spared his best friend Peter who had been brought in three decades into his time with Maria.
Jasper had discovered his gift of empathy, the gift to feel and project emotions early on in his vampire days and had used it to control the army. Peter though, never needed any prompting and he was a gifted fighter who had no qualms with what they had been doing. They had become friends instantly, it had been even better when they realized that they could pass as brothers. A quick word with Maria had ensured that Peter would live and from that day on he had been placed in charge with looking after the new borns. He had remembered seeing her from the corner of his eye and had already prepared himself to hear her cry and when he had turned to look at her in confusion he had seen her as whole and beautiful as she had once been before her death. Her smile had stolen whatever breath he had left in his body and he swore that his dead heart had beat for a few seconds as he drank her in. Her smile was warm and loving, approving and so sincere that he felt that he could die (again) happily. There were hints of sadness in her eyes though but it had for the most part shone with relief.
‘I am so happy. Trust him, he will take care of you. He will never betray you, let him share in your burdens. You need not be alone anymore, my love.’ He had heard her say as she stepped towards him, a ghostly hand touched his face and he had felt an impossible warmth at where her ghost had been touching him, she had placed a light kiss on him and he had smelt flowers. He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth disappear and he breathed in the scent of the flowers he could not identify, for the first time in decades the smell of flowers did not make him recoil in disgust, no this enticed him. And for the first time since he had turned, he took to the paper once more to draw his muse as she had appeared then, in an emerald green dress that had matched her eyes, it had been embroidered with golden flowers. The picture had been drawn with black ink but it had looked more lifelike then any that he had once drawn and he kept it with him always, she was once more a happy secret, something to keep away from Maria’s jealous and destructive grasp. She appeared less then as his friendship with Peter grew, as he began to feel more and more like his old self.
70 years in and Peter had met his mate in Charlotte, when Maria had refused to spare Charlotte who was more scholar then fighter, he and Peter had conspired to help the mated pair escape. He had refused to leave because he did not know how he could survive away from the army. His memory of his human life blurring together until it was all but forgotten, all except his muse. The night before Peter and Charlotte were due to leave she had appeared once more. He had been standing outside of the building they had been using as their headquarters. The stars had been beautiful that night and he took a breath of unneeded air when he spotted her there looking the way she did that night over four decades ago.
‘You can run with them you know. You’re life needn’t be tied here. There are other ways you know? All you have to do is to have the courage to run and seek it out, my love.’ She had whispered to him, her accent clearly from somewhere in the North. Massachusetts, if he remembered their talks in his dreams. They had talked to one another for hours at a time, telling them how to find one another when they were grown. Jasper kept quiet though, his emotions running wild.
‘I cannot run. Not now, not when this is all I have left. Peter has Charlotte, I only have death waiting for me.’ Jasper thought as he stared at her, he knew by the way she had pursed her lips that she had heard him either way. She walked towards him, there was no sound of heart beats or footsteps, no breaths nor the rustling fabric.
‘If you truly believed that my love, then you would have been dead a long time ago. The friendship you share with Peter has given you a reason to live. When they have gone, tell me, what would you have left?’ She had asked him with a tilt of her head, her gaze was piercing.
‘Nothing. I will have nothing.’ Jasper thought as he stared into those sad eyes, she nodded at him.
‘If you will not run today then you will one day. When you have had enough of this, when that day comes you need to trust Peter. Remember what I told you that day, let him share your burden. You have the potential to create your own destiny rather than following this path of chaos and destruction that Maria has led you on. It hurt me when I saw you become more of a shell of what you once were as the days passed until you had met Peter.’ She told him and slowly she started fading away, there was no touch this time, no smell ignited but it was alright, he had talked to her, for the first time in decades, he had shared a conversation with her, there had been no blood and tears. He reached for the drawing he kept in the pocket of the confederate uniform he had been wearing since he was turned.
He was gazing at it so intently that he hadn’t realize Peter coming up beside him, his mind unconsciously registering the friendly presence, so much so that he had turned to him in shock when Peter began to speak. Jasper’s eyes were wide and he had forgotten about the picture in his hand. Peter gazed at the picture and then with a raised brow turned to Jasper with a grin.
“Who’s that Major? I hope you have been keeping her a secret from Maria, she’s as jealous as hell.” Peter asked gesturing to the image of the woman.
“She… She is just someone I knew a long time ago.” Jasper said as Peter nodded and turned to look at the night sky. He had already memorized the woman’s face and he knew that his friend hadn’t wanted to speak about her. His gift of just knowing things had already told him so.
“You can come with us ya know?” Peter told him nonchalantly though he had whispered it so as not to be heard, his gaze never once leaving the night sky.
“No. Someone needs to stop Maria from running after the two of you.” Jasper said firmly but just as quietly to his best friend. His gaze tracing the stars and the constellations that he and his muse had delighted in discussing in their little haven of dreams once upon a time.
“I will be back Major. Don’t go getting yourself killed. Wait for me and I’ll free you from her one day. I promise brother.” Peter promised, his voice and face completely serious as he turned to face his best friend. Jasper took a look at him, he didn’t need his gift to tell him that Peter was sincere in his words. ‘Trust him.’ She had said and Jasper knew instantly that his friend would return. Jasper nodded at him.
“Do you believe in fate, Peter?” Jasper asked him suddenly. Peter frowned in confusion at the sudden turn of the conversation.
“Ya, sure I do. After all, if it wasn’t for fate then I wouldn’t have met you and Charlotte.” Peter told him honestly. Jasper realized then that he trusted Peter enough to tell him about his greatest secret.
“That woman, in the picture. I never met her but I dreamt about her growing up. I thought she was just a dream you know. Something that I’d made up, my perfect woman. The day that I met Maria, I was riding back to Galveston, it felt like I needed to get there fast. Something inside me was telling me to ride as fast as I could without stopping for anything or anyone. There was this pull but I ignored it when I came across Maria and her two friends. They turned me that night, when morning came, I was physically in pain but nothing was worse then where my dreams brought me. Three confederate deserters ran into the woman in my dreams, she was a union nurse and they had no problem having their way with her. I heard her beg and plead for them to stop, watched them violate her. When I woke up, I thought it was just another dream, until Maria brought out one of the deserters and told me that I shouldn’t worry about him being an innocent cause he was a deserter and a rapist. When he said that he’d raped her because she was ‘union whore’, I knew my dreams were real.” Jasper told his enraptured best friend. Peter knew that his friend was telling the truth, his gifted ‘gut’ was telling him so and he also knew that he was the first one to ever find out about this. Jasper’s voice was steady and devoid of any emotions, the only thing that seemed to project his feeling was the way his hands were clenched into tight fists.
“I used to draw her all the time, trying to get her right. I never could when I was alive. She used to appear to me all the time you know? Looking the way she did when she died, she was always crying, always looked so disappointed in me every time I killed the new borns. That changed when you and I became friends. She looked so happy and alive, told me that she was glad that I wasn’t alone anymore. She’d been appearing less and less since we became friends. She came back tonight and told me that I could run with you now if I wanted. When I said no, she told me that you’d come back one day and that I’d have to make my choice then.” Jasper continued as Peter’s eyes widened at the thought of his best friend being haunted by some woman he never even met.
“I’m telling you this Pete ‘cause someone needs to know about her. She grew up in Massachusetts, she had an older brother named Alexander who was a high ranking officer in the Union Army. I know he’d survived the war. Find her grave for me and place flowers there for me please?” Jasper begged his best friend. It was something he had wanted to do since she had died. Peter nodded silently as he tried to come up with something to say, in his heart though he promised himself that he’d told himself that he’d do more then find her grave but track down her family as well, give his brother some sort of closure or a chance to watch over her kin.
“So… You’re telling me, Major, that you have some gorgeous dead woman who’d been haunting you for as long as you’d been sleeping with Maria?” Peter said with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, it had honestly been the first thing that had come into his mind and he had wanted to break the melancholic atmosphere the two had shared. Jasper growled at his friend and gave him a venomous glare before he lunged at his friend. The two of them mockingly fought with one another, that was how Maria had come upon the two an hour later. She had stared at them with a raised brow before she’d huffed and gave a little cough. That had been enough to freeze the two men who’d slowly disentangled themselves from one another. Once Jasper had stood up and approached Maria, she had grabbed his hand and gave him a seductive smile, Jasper let himself be led away silently.
Had Maria glanced back, she would have seen Peter pocketing a piece of folded paper that Jasper had slipped him as they stood up. He knew he was handing over what had become his most treasured possession. The picture of the woman who would have most likely become his wife had Maria not interfered.
‘Don’t worry brother. I won’t be back until I found her and her kin for you but I will be back. I promise.’ Peter promised silently as he watched his best friend go back to being Maria’s cold and commanding right hand man. Peter knew he would need his Charlotte’s help for this and he silently begged his friend for forgiveness but he knew that he would need to tell her about the mystery woman.
The next day when Peter and Charlotte ran, he had looked back just once and caught sight of his best friend giving him a small smile and a nod. Peter felt guilty for leaving his brother to face Maria’s wrath alone. Charlotte was the last of the new borns after all. Peter shook his head free of his thoughts as he focused on his promise, determination seeping in to his soul. He and Charlotte ran for two days before they’d stopped somewhere near Texas.
“Why did we run?” Charlotte asked Peter as they’d hidden themselves in an abandoned barn. He had a sack of coins that he and Jasper had been secretly taking from their kills since the two friends had first conspired to run. Jasper told him to steal some clothes and rent rooms, make it seem like you were regular humans.
“Maria has Jasper and I execute the new borns at the end of their first year. When she wouldn’t make an exception for you, the Major and I began to plan an escape.” Peter told her.
“Then why did we leave the Major with Maria? She wouldn’t have been a danger to the three of us.” Charlotte said, ever the logical one.
“He’s been at this longer than I have. I think he’s afraid ‘cause he doesn’t know any other way of living.” Peter told her before he reached for her hand. Charlotte had begun to consider Jasper her friend as well and the knowledge that she’d left her friend alone when he needed them stung.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be back one day. I promised him you know. He also made me promise to look for his sweetheart’s grave and put flowers on there. I don’t wanna go back to the Major and tell him I failed him.” Peter told her, and then he launched into the story of the woman that he was sure was Jasper’s soul mate. When he’d shown the picture of the woman to Charlotte, her eyes went wide and she gasped in recognition.
“I know who she is!” Charlotte exclaimed. Before correcting herself “well… I mean I know of her. See there’s this town near Galveston, there was a skirmish between the Union army and the Texas Calvary. There was this nurse there from the Union side who got taken by some confederate deserters. Some union soldiers went after ‘em, they found her body, she’d been raped. The union soldiers brought her body to the town and buried her there. The people in the town didn’t say anything cause she’d been by and helped a few of ‘em who’d been sick. Anyway, there was this confederate soldier that was supposed to be heading that way, unfortunately only his horse made it back. It was covered in blood, they thought he might’a met with the deserters and that he might’a tried to take ‘em on. Anyway, I heard ‘bout her from some people in the town, turns out her brother was a high rankin’ officer in the union army, he was very rich too. When the war was over he’d come that way looking for his sister’s grave. She was the last family he had see, when he’d heard bout what happened he’d decided to take the town under his ‘patronage’ and started investing and building there. ‘Course they love the family now, even if they were from the North.” Charlotte explained.
“I think the officer that you’d been talking about was our very own Major.” Peter told Charlotte who nodded.
“Let’s visit her grave then, put flower’s on it like you’d promised the Major.” Charlotte said, she’d become very excited with the thought of this mystery woman.
“Maybe we’d be able to find something about her family and be able to check in on her kin.” Peter said happily.
Unfortunately, that was easier said then done. It had taken them a while to get used to their freedom and their limits. It also meant being taught the rules of the Volturi from some vampires that they’d run in to. That and trying to stay away from the vampire wars, it had taken them three years to even get to her grave.
There’d been some people that Charlotte had known from her last visit. They were of course very willing to talk about the woman who was the reason for their wealthy patrons. They’d helpfully pointed them towards the town library, one of the buildings that had been built in the later years of Alexander’s life, a painting of his sister had been installed there to remind the people of just who had been lost to him. It was a small town and one that had the library and the hall of records housed in one building.
“Well damn… I didn’t take the Major as someone who’d take a fancy to red heads.” Peter said with a whistle as he looked at the portrait who was no doubt the woman in the picture in his pocket.
“You’re being very disrespectful!” Charlotte told him angrily snapping at him as she hit him on the head.
“Well at least we can tell Jasper that his woman wasn’t just some dream. He sure can pick ‘em though.” Peter said eyeing the woman one more time before he turned to look at the name and dates on the gold plate.
Elizabeth Holly Amarantha Owens
December 4, 1845
August 15, 1863
Peter and Charlotte memorized those facts and began looking for information about her. They’d spent the day there until the sun was about to set. They’d rushed to the flower shop then and bought two bouquets of flowers. One for her grave and another for the statue that her brother had erected in her honour.
“This brother of her’s musta been pretty obsessed with his sister to keep putting reminders of her all over the town.” Peter tactlessly commented as he stared at the statue that stood in the town square. For that he’d received another slap to the head from his beloved Charlotte.
“Or he really loved his little sister and felt guilty he wasn’t there for her to protect her when she died and is trying to make sure that she wouldn’t be forgotten.” Charlotte told him with a glare. Peter just rolled his eyes fondly at his mate.
“Amarantha, hmm… Her name’s weird and kinda funny considering…” She said trailing off, when she’d been quiet for awhile Peter began to get impatient.
“What about her name?” Peter asked as Charlotte shook her head to shake off the thoughts.
“Amarantha from what I know about the meaning of flowers is the Greek flower that meant ‘deathless’. I just found it funny that she’d died a painful death when her name meant immortality.” Charlotte said frowning in thought. She shook her head once more and decided to leave it there. Names never really meant anything, just a parent’s wish for their children or just because they thought it was fancy.
They’d left town that very night determined to find more answers about who she was. With a name they soon realized would prove no help. Massachusetts was a large place and there had been no one born there with the name Elizabeth Owens, at least, one that fit the right time frame. It took them six more years before they realized that Owens was her mother’s name and their father’s was Graham. More research in to the family tree had shown that until her brother was born there’d been no man or boy born into the Owens family since the witch trials. There were rumours surrounding the family, supposedly that they were either witches or that they were cursed because all of their husbands died early. The family usually only had two girls, one would keep the Owens name and the other would marry away, when their husbands died they’d usually go back to their mother’s name of Owens and usually changed their daughters names to Owens as well.
Peter and Charlotte were surprised by this especially when they’d realized that only Elizabeth’s family had broken tradition with their mother dying from childbirth trying to bring another brother into the world, as well as having the first male in the family in generations. The two managed to track down the Owens and Graham families to a small island in Massachusetts called Maria’s island. That was where the pregnant witch Maria Owens, the matriarch of the Owens family, had supposedly been exiled to when they couldn’t kill her during the trials.
The Graham family had moved there after the war to be closer to their kin. But they had residences in Boston and New York because of the various businesses they’d owned. Alexander Graham had four children, all of whom had seemingly escaped the family curse. He’d lived up to the ripe old age of 70.
“Can I help you vampires with anything?” A woman’s voice asked as they turned to see a fair haired woman that had begun to go grey standing by the rose bushes in the front garden of the Owens residences. It was large and seemingly isolated in comparison to the other houses. It seemed to be the oldest house on the island with a well stocked garden and a view of the ocean.
“Yes, my name’s Charlotte, this is my mate Peter. How did you know we were vampires?” Charlotte asked her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Have you not heard that my family and I are supposedly witches?” The woman asked in amusement. The way she’d said the word witches was rather weighted with something Peter couldn’t identify. He traded looks with Charlotte, neither of them buying the story of the curse or that they were witches.
“I don’t believe in witches ma’am.” Peter told her honestly. She stared at them for awhile before nodding.
“Right, I’m Clara Graham, I’m just helping my kin with the roses this year. Do you want to step on to the shade of the porch? We wouldn’t want to give away that you’re different now do we?” Clara said as she opened the gate and gestured them in. The two stared at her dumbfounded.
“How?” Charlotte asked again as they were comfortably sat on the porch.
“Hmm… Well… My family and I have our own talents, I have the gift of seeing a little bit into the future and I saw you coming. My grand aunt Lizzie, who you came for, had the gift of empathy and this allowed her to enter the dreams of those whose soul had been deeply connected to her’s like her brother, my grand father. My grand father had the same gift that I did, this made him very useful during the war.” Clara began as Charlotte and Peter looked at each other once again, they both realized that Jasper’s empathic abilities may have been what allowed him to see her in his dreams growing up.
“As to how I knew you were vampires, one of my ancestors was also named Charlotte, she’d lived during the revolution and disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the army to try to find her brother. She found him alright, but she’d gotten shot in the process, he’d just been turned into a vampire sometime that year which was lucky for her since he carried her all the way from the battlegrounds to a medical tent where, ironically enough, a vampire was working as a doctor. Her brother had no interest in drinking her blood though, not his little sister’s, but he was very suspicious of the vampire doctor and wouldn’t allow him to treat her unless he was in the room. Eventually though, the good doctor managed to convince him that he only drank animal blood and that he had never tasted human blood before. The doctor and his nurse, who knew about the vampires, managed to save her. She’d eventually gone on to marry some man in Massachusetts, her only son married an Owens woman and the cycle went on. Her vampire brother used to visit often and we’d been told how to tell if someone was just by sight.” Clara finished explaining to her two guests before she frowned and looked at Peter.
“What’s that in your pocket? I saw you folding and unfolding it in my vision.” Clara asked her head tilted to the left. Peter silently handed her the picture of Elizabeth Owens and watched as Clara’s eyes widened. Her gasp telling them that she’d recognized the woman in the picture.
“Our friend, he used to dream of her when he was still human, he was turned the day before she died, they would have met if he’d stayed human, he was a day’s ride away from Galveston and would have crossed paths with her and the three deserters. Anyway, he’d asked us to find her grave and we decided to find her kin as well.” Peter said completely serious, this was something that would make or break them.
“Your friend’s name, was it Jasper?” Clara asked her eyes wide and her voice breathless.
“Yes, how’d you know?” Peter asked.
“My grand father had seen the two of them meeting, it was the only reason he’d allowed her to be a nurse, he hadn’t been happy about it but he knew he was a good sort of man and would be good to his sister. His vision changed the day before his sister died though, he saw the man dying and because of that his sister’s future was changed and she’d died as well. He felt awful about it and blamed himself until the day that he’d died. He gave me her diary as well, apparently she’d dreamed of him for a long time, she’d written a lot about him in the diary, even had drawings in there as well.” Clara told them before she stood up and rushed in to the house, she’d motioned for them to stay where they were.
When she came back down it was with a leather bound journal with a holly embroidered on the front. She’d handed it to Charlotte and watched as the two vampires leaned close together and flipped through the pages, they saw pictures of Jasper growing up, the handwriting going from childlike to a pretty womanly script. They were both taken aback by the open and carefree expressions of their friend drawn in ink.
“You said he was turned right? I don’t know if he would be interested in that diary, I mean it’s been nearly eighty years since she’d died but it feels right that he should have that. Obviously, he cared about her if he’d asked the two of you to find her grave for him, I only think it’s right that he know that she’d loved him fiercely. Please take that to him would you?” Clara asked them.
“I’m sure he’d appreciate this ma’am. Thank you very much.” Charlotte said politely.
“I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you for a drink.” Clara said both apologetic and joking as Peter grinned.
“Best not to tempt it ma’am. Jasper might get real mad if he finds out we’d drank his sweetheart’s kin’s blood.” Peter said teasingly although he knew Jasper might just explode into a violent rage if that did happen. They’d talked to one another pleasantly after that, the mated pair were delighted to talk to someone human who knew what was going on with them and who obviously wasn’t afraid. By the time the couple left, the sun had gone down and the ferry would be leaving in a few minutes. They’d rushed through there without any real trouble and got on. It’d been ten years and it was finally time to save their Major. The journal carefully tucked away into Peter’s jacket felt like a weight of promise. They wouldn’t tell him about the rumours of witchcraft or curses, those were irrelevant, but they would tell him that her kin knew about vampires so they would basically be free to visit the family. Unknown to them, Clara was watching the couple talk to one another through a rainbow, there were two other women beside her who looked on curiously as well.
‘Perhaps this will finally put Elizabeth’s soul to rest so that she may one day be reborn once more.’ Clara thought before she swiped her hand through the image and the three women turned to the family grimoire. Her grandfather had made sure that the town where she was buried was well marked so that Jasper would be able to find her, he’d done his best to try and get his attention to seek him out so that he could give him her diary. Alexander had been horrified to know that his sister’s soul was still uneasy and walked the earth still, he was convinced that she would only rest when she was sure that her love was taken care of. He had tried to talk her spirit into moving on but found that he couldn’t, her worry for her love had been to strong and so he’d waited and prepared, when it became clear it wasn’t going to be in his lifetime, he’d turned to his only granddaughter and tasked her with his burden and when he’d died twenty five years ago, she’d held that burden ever since. Now though, she was free.
-80 years-
Jasper had been with Maria for 80 years now. The past 10 years or so hadn’t exactly gone as well as it had the seventy years before that. Maria saw his allowance of Peter and Charlotte’s escape as a betrayal and while he was still her right hand man and bed mate, the broken trust hadn’t been mended. She was suspicious of everything he now did and he hadn’t dared to draw his muse once more, everyday he spent with her had felt closer and closer to hell. She had become more vicious and vindictive as they went by and he was now doubting his decision to remain with Maria rather than run with his friends. His muse appeared more once again, she never looked as she once did during those early decades but she hadn’t looked as alive as she had been the night before his friends ran. The only hope he’d had left was to wait for his friend’s return. He trusted Peter with this and he’d already made his mind up.
One night as he stared out in to the night sky once more, reminiscing about the past ten years, he had been startled by the feel of something small and warm wrapping around his hand. He looked to his side and immediately saw her standing beside him, her eyes were curious.
‘Have you made up your mind yet?’ She asked him and Jasper hadn’t even needed to think about it.
‘Yes’ he thought back to her and watched as a pleased smile gave way on her face. His yes meant that he would run with Peter, that there would be no hesitation or second thoughts this time. This wasn’t where he belonged, this was never where he was supposed to go.
‘Do you trust me?’ She asked and Jasper was taken aback by the question.
‘With my whole being.’ He said immediately and the look of warmth and adoration that had shown from her face made him feel alive once more.
‘Good, be ready to run. He’ll be here soon and when that happens, do not look back my love. I’ll be with you every step of the way.’ She told him. Jasper relished the feeling of her ghostly hand in his, for a moment he could pretend that she was alive and that he was human, that he had never stopped for Maria and that he’d been there to save her. There was never this feeling of ease with Maria, she’d been to busy going between greed, revenge, and mourning for the loss of her original coven which had included her adoptive vampire parents and her mate.
‘Look up my love, he’s here.’ She had said all of a sudden as her warmth faded and his gaze turned to the rocky fields before him only to see a vampire come speeding in beside one of the closest boulders, he already knew who it was, even without his muse telling him, his gift of empathy had allowed him to sense the feelings of his friend as they came, determination and relief were the strongest with undercurrents of happiness and worry switching back and forth.
“Are you ready to go Major?” Peter asked as he’d walked towards his friend. He had been prepared to argue with the Major about why he needed to leave with him. He hadn’t known what state his friend would be in, if he’d fallen into Maria’s madness or if he was still the same, he hadn’t wanted Charlotte anywhere near just in case.
“I’m ready as I’ll ever be. I suppose brother.” Jasper had told his friend and with those words, Peter knew his friend was alright, that he was willing to go no questions asked. And without another word Peter ran past the rocky terrain knowing that his friend was running behind him all the while. Neither of them had looked back to where Maria’s camp had been. When they’d stopped at an old barn a few hours later, Charlotte had been there to welcome them both with a hug and Jasper was jolted with the realization that for the first time in nearly a hundred years, he felt as if he had a family once more.
“So what have you both been doing?” Jasper asked as he’d changed into the clothes that Charlotte had given him, more appropriate for the era. Charlotte and Peter shared a look before launching in to the tale of how they’ve spent the past decade alternately trying to find information on his sweetheart and trying to learn the laws of the land. When they’d gotten to the meeting they’d had with Clara Graham they had become silent once more as Charlotte reached for something inside her pack.
“She knew we were vampires and she wasn’t scared of us. If anything, she seemed more relieved then worried. She’d given this to us, she thought you might want it.” Charlotte said as she handed Jasper the pouch that had protected the diary from the elements these past few weeks.
“It’s her diary, the one she kept about you. We only read it that one time when we were with Clara, I swear.” Peter said and he knew that if he could have, Jasper would have broken down crying by now. Jasper took the pouch and held it with a look of such awe and reverence that Peter had to look away. This was proof that his sweetheart had lived after all.
Jasper quickly flipped through the pages, he wasn’t reading it but was taking in the dates and the hand writing, how it’d transitioned from a childish attempt at writing with words misspelt to the beautiful calligraphic writing of a well bred woman of the time. These were interspersed with pictures of Jasper himself throughout their acquaintance and with people that Jasper had long since forgotten, his parents and grandparents, all lost to time now. He knew they’d died wondering what had happened to him, if he still lived, or if his body had been buried somewhere where no one would ever find it. Jasper closed the diary and held it tightly as he gathered himself. He would read it later when he had time alone. Probably as he took the watch to let the mated couple have time alone. He knew nothing in the world would ever erase the feeling of gratefulness he had towards the couple, they had gone beyond what he had asked of them and had delivered him a piece of his muse that no one could ever replace. They had returned his human life to him, in the diary was everything about him through her eyes as they had both lived. His family, the human ones and his old home were all there, and he could already see memories of his old life bleeding through for him. He was remembering who he had once been.
-85 years-
He had been with Charlotte and Peter for over five years by this point and while he loved his coven mates, had come to think of Charlotte as his sister even, he felt that the lifestyle that they had led was not for him. The emotions of his kill often left him feeling worse, true he was full but what they’d felt as he’d drank from them made him feel as if he was slowly turning into a monster.
The journal carefully tucked away in his pocket was something he’d treasured, he’d drawn his muse there in the blank pages that remained, her picture stood beside the drawing she’d done of him, the pictures looked as if they were reaching for one another through the pages, their faces slightly turned to one another. He was in his confederate uniform, she was wearing a union nurse’s uniform, the smile and warmth reflected in the eyes of the drawings they’d done of each other showed just what they had felt for one another.
Seeing her image in his drawings had helped to tether him to his sanity, that and the family that he’d built with Peter and Charlotte. They’d become his rock especially as his muse began to appear less once more. He didn’t know how long he could go on like this anymore though. He knew he had to leave his two coven mates soon in order to seek out another way to live. They had seen him as he grieved for his muse at her grave, unable to even shed a tear because his body had long since ‘died’, and had given him their silent support.
‘Do you trust me?’ His muse suddenly asked appearing beside him as he stood watch at their current hideout.
‘With all my being.’ He told her as sincerely as he had once upon a time all those years ago, he was no longer shocked by her appearing beside him and there was no hesitation in him either.
‘They know that you’re suffering from their lifestyle and they feel like you’ll be leaving them soon. Just be sure to say goodbye. I’ll be here when you leave though, like I always am, my love.’ She told him as she turned to face him, it had been eighty five years since he’d heard her beautiful laugh he realized and suddenly he wanted to hear it.
‘When should I leave?’ He asked her as she tilted her head and gave him a considering look, there was no humour in her eyes.
‘That is all up to you. This is you’re life my love. I want you to live it. I merely guide you but you can choose to disregard it if you want to.’ She told his eyes as he subtly shook his head.
‘You certainly do not realize that I can never ignore what you have to say, I cannot say no to you, darlin’.’ He told her, unbeknownst to him, Charlotte and Peter were both watching their friend curiously. When they saw him let out a small laugh and give a warm and weighted smile to what appeared to be thin air, they realized that Elizabeth was there once more and they felt as if they knew that their friend was really going to leave them soon.
When morning came, Jasper went to his friends who had already been preparing for this since they had witnessed him talking to his guardian ghost. They looked at him sadly, their emotions being restrained. Jasper knew that his friends had already realized why he wanted to talk to them.
“I feel like this way of living, it’s killing me. My gift is driving me crazy. I… I just need to look for another way to live. I’m sorry… I have to leave, but I’ll come and visit you whenever I can, even if it takes years to find you.” Jasper just rambled out, he didn’t want to leave his family but he felt like he would go mad if he stayed and he didn’t want to hurt them.
“We understand. We can use the Owens to contact each other if you want. We’ll go there and check up on them from time to time and you can leave your messages with them if you want. I think they won’t have any objections to that since they know what we are and who you are.” Charlotte said as she stood up to give Jasper a hug.
“You have to do what’s best for you Major. Though I’d be happier if you stayed with us brother, but if this is what you think will help, then go.” Peter said giving Jasper his blessing as well as a ‘manly’ hug that both would deny.
“Thank you, both of you, for everything.” Jasper said, his voice thick with emotions as he pulled both of his friends back into a hug and he’d turned to leave. They were all dressed in the proper clothes of the 1940s so they had no real fear of not fitting in. As Jasper walked away from the abandoned cottage they’d taken to staying at, he turned back one last time to see his friends waving at him with a smile on their faces and somehow, Jasper knew he was doing the right thing.
It was only when he’d been walking for a few hours that his muse had finally appeared to him. She looked so out of time, wearing her emerald green gown that he knew would now seem as if it belonged in a museum. After a few more minutes of silence she finally sighed.
‘Do you have any idea where you’re going?’ She asked with a raised brow and he looked at her in amusement and shook his head.
‘No. I thought the whole point of this is to find a new way of living. Besides, you said you would guide me.’ He told her, his hand twitching, wanting to reach out and entwine their fingers together but knowing it would be pointless, his hand would go through her and she might consider it rude, she had that one time when he’d tried it and his hand had overshot and ended up somewhere he’d rather not think about. He watch as she stopped walking or rather gliding with him and he turned to face her as well, her brows furrowed in a look of concentration that was just so adorable to him. Not for the first time, he’d wished that Maria had lost control and killed him rather than turn him, at least he’d be with his muse in the after life.
‘How about Philadelphia?’ She asked in excitement and suddenly, he realized that he hadn’t really had that much time with her since he’d begun travelling with Charlotte and Peter. This was the first time he was really enjoying his time with his muse. It hadn’t been like this since the civil war began and they’d both volunteered for their respective posts.
‘What’s in Philadelphia?’ He asked her with a fond smile, walking along the quiet forest with just his muse was making him feel like everything was just one long dream, the beginning and middle were nightmares but this moment with her was the highlight, just like those dreams of their talks in paradise.
‘I’ve always wanted to visit Philadelphia, you know, because it’s the city of brotherly love and all. Besides, I have a good feeling about that place.’ She said with a light little laugh and suddenly Jasper felt his metaphorical heart lighten at the sound and he’d instantly agreed, wanting to do whatever it took to make her repeat that happy sound. As she gazed at him there was something in her eyes, it was both light and filled with an emotion that even Jasper’s empathic ability couldn’t recognize.
The moment Jasper began to run towards the nearest city or town to find a map, she’d disappeared. She reappeared a few hours and one pilfered map later at the outskirts of Pennsylvania. He watched as she began dancing in the rain as if she were alive and could actually feel it on her skin. He knew from their talks in the past that she used to love dancing in the rain with her brother, that was, whenever the weather was mild enough that they wouldn’t catch a cold.
‘Doesn’t the rain bother you?’ He asked as she shot him a look that basically questioned his sanity.
‘Considering the fact that I’m dead, the rain just goes right through me.’ She said rather sarcastically.
‘What I meant, darlin’, was that doesn’t it bother you that it goes straight through you? Do you miss it?’ He asked her mentally as she gave a wry sigh.
‘I’m pretty sure I already told you about how much I love the rain. And yes, I really do miss it, and it does bother me that it goes through me but it makes me feel alive again.’ She said and suddenly she began to fade and he took that as a sign to continue on to Philadelphia. He slowed down enough near the edge of the woods, the trees still blocking out most of the rain, by now he had mastered running at a believable human speed.
‘There’s a quaint little eatery just up ahead where you could wait out the storm. I’d love to see what type of food is common now a days.’ She said happily.
‘But you’re a ghost, if you try to eat something it will go straight through you. Besides neither of us actually eat, at least human food that is.’ He reminded her in a drawling manner as if she should already know all of this. She just rolled her eyes at him before sighing.
‘Yes, I know. But at least it would make you seem more human. Besides, I just want to look at their list of food.’ She told him and her tone became pleading as she stepped closer to him and looked up at him through her lashes, her emerald green eyes were large and looked slightly teary and her lips were turned down in a heart tugging pout. All in all it was just too adorable to refuse that he felt himself instantly give in and he grudgingly rushed (in human speed that is) towards the diner that he could now see through the trees. When he’d gotten in, he immediately shrugged off his jacket and shook a bit of water off. As soon as he sat down and reached for the menu, he held it up and listened to his muse read the list and descriptions of food aloud, pointing to things she thought she might eat if she were alive, listing in his head (even though he knew it was pointless) all the food that had once been her favourite. He was so engrossed in listening to her talk that he didn’t even notice the woman coming towards him.
“You kept me waiting a long time...” A dark haired woman said as she sat in the bench in front of him, he was so startled that his head immediately snapped up and he could already tell that she was like him.
“I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t know I had somewhere to be.” Jasper immediately answered. His eyes taking her in immediately, she was beautiful in the vampiric sense but not really something he would consider. Not when he’d already fallen for a woman who was long since dead. As they reached their hands out for a shake, he knew for sure.
“You’re like me… You’re not…” Jasper began but was cut off.
“From around here?” She supplied helpfully as Elizabeth laughed in amusement.
“Human” Jasper finished his eyes serious and confused as he took in the strange woman, it didn’t help that his muse seemed to like the girl.
“That too!” The stranger said happily.
“I’m sorry… Do I… Do I know you from somewhere?” Jasper asked uncomfortably as he realized just how familiar this girl was acting.
“No. But I think I know you.” She said with a smile and that sentence alone put Jasper on his guard. Elizabeth just kept laughing at him. ‘Relax and let the girl explain.’ She told him, placing a hand on his left arm to both comfort and restrain him even though they both knew it would really be useless.
“Hey, we’ve got the best seats in the house for the fireworks!” The stranger said as she turned to face the window with a smile as thunder and lightning began.
“Some fireworks. Is that you?” He asked the woman warily.
“No. Not my kind of power. But if you think I’m that powerful then I’d say we’re off to a good start.” She said.
“I’m Alice by the way.” She said just as happily as she’d been throughout the whole conversation.
“Jasper.” He’d said curtly. He felt like he should distance himself from Alice or end up hurting Elizabeth by being to friendly with this new vampire woman, he’d hurt her enough with his trysts with Maria throughout the years and even if he didn’t feel attracted to Alice he was afraid that she would think that he would feel the pull of mates with Alice.
“I know. I’m really good at names.” She said and then paused as the waitress approached them. “Like our waitress here...is Betty.” She finished as Betty placed the coffee down on the table.
“Her name’s written on her blouse.” Jasper said drily.
“I’m also really good at reading.” Alice added as Elizabeth began laughing again. ‘Jasper, I like this girl. If you do end up falling in love with her, I won’t be offended.’ She told him jokingly but something in her eyes showed Jasper that she was both serious and sad at the thought. He ignored her words, knowing that it would be impossible for him to fall in love with someone else when she, Elizabeth, was his fated one.
“You’re playing games with me.” Jasper said rather irritated.
“Am I?” Alice asked.
“The lightning, my name.” He said rather bluntly.
“Sorry. I’m just a little nervous, you make me nervous.” She said with a shy smile.
“I don’t mean too.” He replied, there was no pull there for him like Peter had told him he’d felt when he met Charlotte. He watched as Alice poured a ridiculous amount of sugar into her coffee.
“That’s a lot of sugar.” Jasper said wrinkling his nose a bit as Elizabeth whistled.
“What can I say. It makes me feel human.” Alice said.
“So, tell me about yourself Jasper. What’s your favourite colour? Who was your first kiss? What type of music do you like?” Alice asked before shyly adding “you can just answer any of those questions.”
“I like blue.” Jasper said and he listened to Alice ramble on about how she liked blue as well as all of the other colours.
“You’re turn, ask me one.” She said and Jasper looked at her for a moment.
“What brings you to Philadelphia?” He asked her.
“Why getting to know you of course.” She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Well, I know that. What I meant was…” Jasper was once more cut off.
“I know what you meant. I meant that too.” Alice said. “My turn, so Jasper what brings you to Philadelphia?” She asked.
“I… Uh… I guess you can say that I need a change of lifestyle.” Jasper told her honestly.
“Well… I’m glad that you found yourself here. I know we’ll be good friends.” Alice said and there was something in the way she said it as if she was so sure that the two of them would get along. The way Alice looked at him, he realized, was not the way one would look at a mate, even a potential one. It was friendly and more like kinship.
“Who are you?” Jasper asked her, thoroughly intrigued now.
“I’m a little intuitive. I guess you could say, I could make a killing reading palms.” She told him and Jasper immediately knew that Alice had a gift as well. He took out a quarter from his pocket and placed it down on the table before sliding it to her. He held his hand out to her as if to say ‘prove it’.
“I see a red haired woman with green eyes like emeralds, she’s tied to you in a way that not even most vampire mates would be tied to another. She was meant to be your wife, your equal but something interrupted that fate and for that she died. But she still clings to you, she doesn’t feel like you’re well enough to be left alone yet.” Alice began as she held his hand and Jasper breathed in deeply at her words, he felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of cold water on him at her words. ‘Oh, she has the same gift as big brother. She’s a seer of sorts. Probabilities and not certainties.’ Jasper heard Elizabeth say. Alice immediately let go of his hand while Jasper pulled it away as Betty returned to ask if they wanted to order anything.
“There’s food everywhere.” Jasper said softly as Alice sighed and Elizabeth let out an unnecessary cough of disapproval.
“Yes, well I’m a vegetarian so there’s not a whole lot for me in a diner.” Alice said hesitatingly.
“Vegetarian? You…?” Jasper asked, his voice trailing of in confusion.
“We only eat animals.” Alice explained.
“We?” Jasper asked again.
“My family and I. Well, my future family.” Alice said trying to find a way to explain it.
“You’re more than just a little intuitive, aren’t you?” Jasper asked although he already knew the answer to the question.
“Well… I don’t see the future, more like glimpses of possibilities.” Alice told him.
“Is that what I am to you, a possibility?” Jasper asked her.
“No. I decided on you a long time ago. We’ll be best friends and siblings.” She told him before adding “I realized that you’d need me to lead you to that change you really needed the most.” She finished explaining.
“So what happens next Alice.” Jasper asked her as hope began to take root inside him. ‘I told you I had a good feeling about Philadelphia.’ Elizabeth chimed in smugly and he’d turned is eyes to look at her briefly but Elizabeth was staring at Alice in interest. ‘Alex was right about Philadelphia being a good place for you. I believe you can trust her from now on.’ Elizabeth told Jasper her voice with the same surety that it had held when she’d first told him to trust Peter. Alice, Jasper had noticed had paused for a second as if in a trance before she reached out and grabbed his hand once more.
“Well we both become vegetarian for one.” She said and suddenly the two of them were brought into a possibility that was never fulfilled. The reality where Jasper had ridden past Maria and he’d managed to save Elizabeth, their life together flashed in front of Alice and Jasper from their meeting to their wedding, to the three children they would have had, to their grandchildren and it left a longing and heartache in Jasper that he knew would never be healed by anyone. Elizabeth gazed at Jasper sadly as she willed most of her spiritual energy into this, she hadn’t realized that it would show the two vampires what could have been, rather she thought it would show them what could be in the Cullen clan. Jasper was so enraptured by the vision that he hadn’t noticed the waitress cutting herself on the glass. When the vision was over Alice glanced over at the seat beside Jasper and did a double take as she was finally able to see Elizabeth sitting beside Jasper.
“You, you’re the girl from the vision.” Alice said in awe as Elizabeth nodded at her sadly.
‘I can’t stay long. I’ve already used up too much of my energy. Take care of him please.’ Elizabeth begged Alice who nodded solemnly before she turned to Jasper and gave him a ghostly kiss on the cheek. ‘Trust her my love. She’ll lead you to where you’ll be happy.’ She told Jasper one more time before she faded.
It had been two years since that fateful day in the diner and Jasper found himself extremely fond of his new coven mate, not in a romantic way but in a completely platonic way, like what he had with Charlotte. He’d gotten better at his control and had found that he could live with the dull emotions that the animals felt whenever he ate them. He’d only seen glimpses of his muse since that day and he’d already visited her great niece Clara Graham who was in her late fifties at that point and had fallen gravely ill. They had talked for a long time about the burden her grandfather had placed on her as a young woman and about the contents of the diary but he knew there were things that Clara was keeping hidden from him. Though he didn’t feel the need to interrogate a woman who was already on her death bed.
Alice was currently leading them to Montana where she claimed to have seen the Cullen clan when she’d suddenly stopped walking, her body tensing as she stared at a figure to her left. When Jasper turned around he froze as he saw his muse clearly for the first time in two years. She approached them slowly and Jasper took in the sight of her looking more alive then she had in all of her previous appearances.
‘You’ll be meeting the Cullens today. They’re a good family and they’ll take you in. I know you’ll both be happy there.’ She said with a sad smile and she took a deep breath and stared at Jasper wistfully.
‘This is where I leave you, my love. It’s time for me to crossover to the other side and join my family. You’ll be safe with a family that will love you and you’ll have Peter and Charlotte to turn to when you feel like you need to be away from them.’ Elizabeth told him sadly as she raised one ghostly hand to cup his cheek. Jasper wanted to protest but he’d remembered the words that Alice had told him about how spirits who walk the earth for extended periods of time eventually go mad and become vengeful and he knew he could never be selfish enough to condemn her beautiful soul into such a corrupted state.
‘I love you so much. Never forget that please. And please remember me.’ She begged him.
“Never. I won’t ever forget you. I love you too much.” Jasper said voicing it out. Elizabeth’s voice had just been resonating in their minds but not physically said. Elizabeth placed a soft and short kiss on Jasper’s lips before she turned to Alice.
‘Take care of each other and thank you so much.' Elizabeth told Alice and gave her a hug before returning to Jasper.
‘Good bye, my love. Have a fantastic life.’ Elizabeth said before walking away from the two of them her figure fading from view for the last time as Jasper collapsed onto the forest floor because of the pain of losing her. He didn’t know that Charlotte and Peter were experiencing another goodbye as well.
Charlotte and Peter sat in front of Clara Graham, she was older now and both knew she would only have hours at most to live and so they sat beside her keeping vigil when she beckoned Peter and Charlotte closer to her. They’d both obliged and leaned down as they realized that she may want to say something to her. She grasped their hands tightly and encouragingly. She had whispered something to them, a few of her family’s secrets that were to be kept from Jasper until they decided the time was right. Their eyes had widened at that and were sceptical about her words but knew that they could just ask one of the Owens women to confirm the story.
“Thank you so much for everything. You have been such dear friends to me these past few years. And you helped me fulfill my promise to grandfather. I just wanted to say goodbye my dear friends.” Clara told them softly, her voice barely a whisper but both were still able to hear. With her relatives gathered around her as well as passing on the secret to Peter and Charlotte, Clara was able to finally rest.
‘Are you ready to go dearest?’ They all heard a sweet voice chime in their minds as they looked on in awe as a younger version of Clara standing beside Elizabeth, both were smiling at everyone who was present.
‘Thank you, both of you for helping him. I don’t know how he would have survived without you. I wanted to say goodbye as well. It’s been a long journey but it’s time for me to crossover.’ She told them with a smile and a small wave as she and Clara walked away before they faded.