Two years and almost forty-eight hundred miles later…

A dozen tiny bubbles rose to the surface as I slid my fingers around the champagne glass. I sat at the end of the bar, on the seat closest to the wall, with my ankles wrapped around each other. At four in the morning, the airport bar was practically empty. Only a couple of the tables were occupied.

"What's a beautiful young woman like you doing in a place like this?" An American accent with a southern twang plucked me from my thoughts. I glanced up at the owner.

A young blonde man stood beside me, lowering a black fedora as he flashed me a cocky side smile.

Unable to resist, the corners of my mouth turned upwards. I turned my head away, back to the glass in front of me to recover myself. "My current occupation takes me all over," I answered with my London accent. "What about yourself, Mr…?"

"Hale." He paused. "Jasper." He took the empty seat next to me, holding out his hand and putting his fedora down in front of him.

I took my fingers from the glass, but instead of shaking my hand he lifted it upwards and pressed his soft lips to my skin. I didn't even bother trying to hide my smile.

When he let my hand go, he grinned. "I guess I could say the same, Ma'am."

I picked up the glass, my lips touching the rim as I tilted the champagne towards them. The sweet taste erupted into my mouth but I didn't swallow more than a drop, licking my lips after I set the glass back down. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to ignore the jerk of my tongue protesting.

Jasper watched me with sparkling amber eyes. "What are you celebrating?"

I slid one finger down a loose strand of hair in my face, pushing it away. "New adventures," I replied, "and the end of old ones."

The barman came over and looked towards Jasper, waiting for his order.

"I'll have whatever she's having," he told him, only briefly glancing at the barman before turning his attention back to me. "And where are these new adventures taking you?" he asked.

I caught his eyes, "I think you know it quite well."

"Oh, do I?" he questioned.

"Yes, I'm off to America. Nowhere glamorous, though. Just a small town in Washington." I repositioned the glass in front of me as the barman placed a similar one in front of the man next to me.

Jasper leant towards me slightly, "It just so happens, I'm travelling that way."

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh is that so, Mr. Hale?"

He nodded, "And I'd be more than willing," he grinned, "to offer myself as a guide. If you need one, of course."

"So kind of you," I adjusted my position, crossing my legs, "but I could hardly accept that kind of proposition from a stranger." I paused. "No matter how charming. Not to mention, I wouldn't know what to give you in return."

Jasper pursed his lips, "I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement, Ma'am."

A familiar tune echoed around the terminal before the overhead speaker came on, interrupting us. "The five ten flight VF6013 to Chicago is now boarding."

Jasper took my hand as I stepped down from the stool. I picked up my bag and he picked up the fedora and we smiled at each other.

"Shall we?" he asked.

I took his hand, grinning, "We shall."

As we walked out of the bar I looked up at him. Jasper winked at me.

"I'm sorry, but that hat is really something." I giggled.

He chuckled, "I can't believe Alice hasn't text yet."

"She probably has. My phone's off."

"So's mine," said Jasper, sliding his arm around my back to hold my waist and pulling me closer to his side.

As we approached the desk, he used his other hand to fish out the boarding passes from the inside of his black jacket along with our 'fake' passports. I watched as the woman opened them, her manicured nails catching the fluorescent light. The passports were genuine enough, except for some of the information inside them.

She handed them back without a second glance, looking over for whoever was next in the queue.

We sat in first class. Jasper's hand rested on my leg as we watched some crappy romantic comedy in the dark while the rest of the plane slept. When the blue outside the window slowly appeared and the pink orange swept across the sky, I leant right up close to the glass.

We passed by endless miniature cities, roads, forests, mountains. Another connecting flight later, it was dark again when we landed. And then it was another forty minutes getting through customs and collecting our luggage. Most of it had been shipped, so it was only one suitcase.

I hadn't spoken much the entire flight, keeping my lungs empty and holding my breath. My throat ached constantly, but it was manageable.

Wheeling the suitcase with his left hand, Jasper grabbed mine with his right. "It's only an hour's drive from here," he murmured.

I nodded, puling the strap of my bag up on my shoulder before it slid off.

Turning a corner, we were met with a small crowd of people greeting friends and family. A mother holding a child in her arms caught my eye before I picked out two sets of dark golden eyes behind the group of humans. Carlisle and Esme.

With a hand on my back now, Jasper guided me away from the loud incessant heart beats and out through the large glass doors. The cool night air caressed my cheeks and Esme wrapped her arms around me.

I took a breath at last, inhaling the smell of her perfume and conditioner. I closed my eyes as her soft curls stroked my face, hugging her back.

"We missed you, Tania," she spoke as we pulled apart.

"We missed you, too." I said.

She hugged Jasper and Carlisle smiled at us warmly. "I'm glad we're all together again."

Esme nodded, her big eyes meeting mine. "Your eyes." She reached up to move my hair away from my face. "They've changed now."

My smile faded a little, but not completely.

"Come on," Jasper interjected. "Let's go home."

Hey there! Seven years ago I started writing a fan fiction called Protector, Future, Lover (or PFL). Almost four years ago I completed that story and put it to rest. But I guess Tania wasn't done with it yet since she's been bouncing around in my head. Honestly, I've only had a couple of ideas for a sequel for PFL and aside from a chapter I wrote four years ago, this is the only thing I've produced for it. I've got a few ideas, so I think I will give it a go and see what happens. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend going to my profile and having a read. It's a long read so I'm going to reference things that happened in it in this story (especially since it's so cringe worthy!). However if you don't want spoilers, that's the place to go.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are really appreciated.