A/N: Guys. I know. It's been too long. Hopefully you all are still sticking with this story because I'm not done! School just took over my life for a while, but the semester is over in two weeks then I'll be able to write more. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

After spending a few more hours "talking" and laughing with Jasper, Clara found herself yearning for the comfort of the outdoors again. She had never stayed indoors for too long as a nomad, for she never needed to. She rarely stayed any longer than an hour in the Denali's house when she stayed there. She needed the fresh air, the sounds of wildlife and nature.

Having picked up on her thoughts, and since there was a lull in the conversation, Edward materialized beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder seemingly instinctually. She smiled up at him, happy and relieved to see him again, even though it had only been a few short hours since she'd seen him last, and she could feel his presence near her the entire time. Maybe she was going crazy? She seemed far too attached to someone she just met a little over a week ago, but she didn't really mind. He was sweet, thoughtful, caring, and always seemed to be there whenever she needed him; whether that was due to his mind-reading or not, it didn't matter to her. And when he looked at her like that, like he could do nothing but just stare at her for the rest of eternity…

Edward's lip twitched in amusement but also sincerity. Clara had a passing thought to be embarrassed of her read thoughts but couldn't seem to find the will to do so. She not only trusted him with her thoughts, but she wanted him to hear them. It hadn't occurred to her before then, but she wanted him to know what she was thinking. It made her feel closer to him than she'd ever felt with anybody (not that she'd known too many people, but still). His eyes held a serious note to them, and his smirk faded away until they were just staring at each other, stuck in their timeless world. A shift in Jasper's weight finally caught her attention, forcing it away from Edward's bottomless eyes, and did end up feeling the familiar wave of embarrassment for essentially ignoring him for who knows how long.

"I'd like to go outside for a spell," she signed while mouthing the words. She always felt more animated and understood when she mouthed the words while signing. The chance of slipping up and letting a word out was greater that way, but she never let her guard down.

Jasper chuckled and replied, "By all means, take as long as you'd like. I can see your southern roots haven't faded much," he added with a wink, proud smile on his face.

"Oh," she signed, "I guess I never noticed. I'm not around civilization much or really… anyone else, so I never lost my accent. I think it's just a part of who I am now," she shrugged.

"It's perfect," Jasper replied, speaking instead of signing, "I can't wait to hear it myself."

Clara sighed, dropping her eyes. "Hopefully that day will come."

"It will," he stressed, stepping forward to grab her hand, but she stiffened completely, eyed trained on the hand paused midway to hers. Jasper met her eyes, taking in something, whether that be her emotion or just the look on her face, she didn't know. Perhaps both.

After a breath, he pulled away. "I guess I'll leave you to it, then. I'll be here if you need me, or anyone else here. They'd all love to get to know you. I feel it radiating off them in waves," he grinned.

Clara released a puff of air. "I can't wait to know them, too," she signed, "Your new family," she finished, but without any resentment present. She was genuinely happy for the father she never knew. She was grateful for this coven for opening their arms to him and letting him become a part of their family. Something she could never thank them enough for.

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and met Edward's waiting eyes. She was mildly surprised he hadn't said anything or make so much as a move since he's come to her. Waiting on her to make her decision, she guessed. She smiled at him and nodded, expressing her desire to return to the woods and sketch. She missed the feeling of her pencils beneath the paper, crafting black-and-white leaves beneath her fingertips. Looking at Edward's face, she suddenly had an idea. Edward caught it and raised an eyebrow. She simply smiled and nodded in return. The two ran off to the forest together, not noticing that Jasper had left them alone for his room for several minutes.

Jasper materialized in the doorway, causing Alice to look up from her own sketchbook. She gave him a soft smile, one which he returned. The next thing she knew, he was buried in her arms, his head in her neck.

"Oh, Alice," he murmured. She could sense the joy he was feeling, bursting her spirits. She rubbed her hand down his back, patiently waiting for him to lead the conversation.

After a few seconds, he pulled away, sitting next to her on the bed she had positioned herself on before he had arrived. She leaned her head on his shoulder, taking his hand in hers.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jasper whispered in her hair.

Alice sighed. "You have no idea how much I wanted to," she responded, pulling away to look him in the eyes, even though he could feel her sincerity. "I wanted this meeting to go as flawlessly as possible, and this was the only way. In fact, even today was a gamble," she confessed. "Fate must have been on our side," she smiled.

"How long have you known?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Alice inwardly braced herself. "I had my first vision of the two of you together right when we first moved to Forks."

Jasper's back stiffened and he stopped moving his thumb over the back of her hand, a pit forming in her stomach. "You've known for… two years? And kept her a secret this long?" He shook his head, looking away from her, then blew a puff of air from his nose. "I'm even more surprised you kept it from Edward. Did you know the two of them…," he trailed off.

Alice shook her head, "Not until he left for Denali. I couldn't get many concrete visions of her because she kept moving, not making any plans for the future. When they decided to go to Denali, I saw her with Edward and the vision of the two of you together got stronger, but occasionally I'd get a vision of you meeting her and… well… questioning her existence… essentially," she finished awkwardly, gauging his reaction.

Jasper pursed his lips, meeting her eyes again, "After one look I just… knew. The resemblance is… astounding to say the least. But I think you were right to be careful. My first instinct was to be untrustworthy and defensive. I can't imagine how poorly that meeting could have gone under different circumstances… the possibility of me attacking her…," a shudder went through him. "I have no shortage of enemies out there. It wouldn't be too far-fetched for one of them to use her against me or go as far as to pretend to be her to get to me."

He pulled Alice in his arms. "Thank you, Alice," he said, "Thank you for bringing her to me." His grip on her was so tight, it was almost uncomfortable, but Alice didn't say anything or dare feel any discomfort. All she could feel was elation and love for her mate, and anticipation for her chance to truly meet Clara for the first time. She wondered as to what sort of relationship they would have. Since Jasper was her father and Alice and Jasper were mates, let alone married, did that make Alice her mother? Would Clara want a mother? Alice considered Esme the much more mothering type. Alice didn't even remember her own mother, let alone know the first thing about being one. Clara was no child anymore, by any means, anyway. In fact, she was about 50 years her senior!

Alice's spiraling thoughts caught Jasper's attention. "Darlin', what are you thinking about? I'm getting a lot of mixed feelings from you, but mostly trepidation and nervousness. Are you nervous about meeting Clara? She'll love you, I promise," he assured her.

Alice shook her head. "I'm not nervous per say, but she is your daughter. You're her father. Does that make me her mother? I don't want to force anything on her by any means, but what if she does want a mother? Would I be that? Could I be that? I'm just not sure…" she trailed off, guiltily.

"Alice," Japer spoke softly. Alice met his eyes, taken by the tenderness that lay in them. "The idea of you being the mother to my child fills me with a joy I can't express, and you would be such an excellent mother. You're so giving, so kind. But I can't help but see the two of you as close friends rather than mother and daughter. You both have holes in your lives that the other can fill."

Jasper smiled down at her and she returned it, comforted by his words. Yes, being her friend, possibly even best friend, was a prospect she anticipated with excitement. She'd always wanted a best friend! And what he said about her being a good mother, well, it only made her heart swell even more with the love she had for him. She leaned up to peck him on the lips, which he reciprocated, but that wasn't enough for him as he met her lips again forcefully, catching her by surprise. She caught a tiny glimpse of a vision in that moment, one so quick she didn't have to break her kiss for it and realized the two of them would be busy for the (literally) foreseeable future.

Clara glanced up at her current sketching model. She'd actually never had a person model for her before, her only other subject being animals or vegetation. Mary was the only one around and she refused to sit still long enough to be sketched, nor did she want an image of herself, so that was that. She was a little out of her element sketching the smooth, rounded lines of the cheek and jawbone, the eyes were frustratingly difficult to capture, and she couldn't seem to get the shape of the nose just right. After erasing a mark for the hundredth time, rattled at her inability to perfectly capture Edward's beauty, she caught the slightest twitch of the lip from the subject himself. She deflated immediately, sensing how childish she was being. The nose was fine, but she couldn't seem to leave it alone.

"Are you almost finished?" Edward softly asked, smirk in place.

Clara sighed, trying not to let her responding smile break through. "Almost," she thought, giving him a wink. The gesture surprised even her, but she didn't miss the way Edward's breath was momentarily caught in his throat, giving her a boost of satisfaction. Making her finishing touches and distinctly avoiding looking at the sketched Edward's nose too long, she blew across the page, and handed the notebook over to him.

Edward's lips parted as he saw the sketch, handing the book with such gentleness, she wasn't even sure he was holding it. It appeared to just be floating in his fingertips, sure to stay wrinkle-free. Clara watched as his eyebrows came together slightly, making a small wrinkle in between them. She resisted the urge to gently smooth it out with her fingertips.

Edward's eyes met hers instantly and she realized that he had definitely picked up on that thought, making her feel a bit embarrassed. She suddenly became very interested in a weed growing next to where she sat on the cool ground. She tried not to think too much, knowing they had a tendency of getting her in trouble, but she couldn't reign them in fast enough. What was she doing? He was this wonderful, amazing, let alone gorgeous man and what was she? She was awkward, introverted to the point that she didn't know how to act around people, and she had a gift that wouldn't let her talk to them, either! She was damaged, broken. She didn't deserve a family, nor their love. She'd taken too many lives for that.

She felt Edward shift, knowing he was trying to meet her eyes for a while now and now was changing tactics and reaching his hand out towards her, but she wouldn't, couldn't, meet his eyes. In a flash, she got up, grabbed her bag and darted to the house leaving nothing but her sketchbook and a thought "I'm sorry" behind.

She wasn't fast enough. She felt a hand grab her wrist, making her freeze in her tracks. Instinctually, she raised her shoulders, feeling her entire body tense up. As quickly as it had arrived, the hand let go, allowing her to relax. She took a calming breath as Edward spoke.

"I'm sorry, Clara, forgive me, I just… the way you were thinking it just… I had to stop you, had to make sure you knew how wrong you were. Are. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that, I'm sorry. Please forgive me," he begged.

Clara slowly turned her head to look at him, taking in his sorrowful eyes and arm still halfway extended towards her. She tried to remember the last time someone touched her, not her initiating the contact. A memory of Mary placing her hand on top of hers soon after her change appeared. Clara was mourning her human life, her family. Mary tried to offer a small amount of comfort. That was the last time she had been touched by another. That was 150 years ago.

Edward's eyes grew wide, unbelieving. Slowly, he stepped towards her, palms up, while Clara stood frozen to the spot, not knowing what he was doing.

"Clara," he breathed, taking another step. He was an arm's length away from her now. "I had no idea how long it had been since you had been touched. I never would have done that otherwise. I want every touch I give you to be caring, gentle, loving," he said softly. He was standing mere inches away from her.

Loving? Her eyebrows furrowed at that. Did that mean he-? Does he-? She couldn't finish her thoughts even if she wanted to, too scared to know the answers to her questions. So slowly she almost missed it, his hand, the same one that clenched her wrist came up near her face. She couldn't move. She didn't dare breathe.

"I don't know how this happened. But I don't want to fight it, either. I can't seem to stop thinking about you, wanting to be near you, wanting to know everything about you. I want to hear stories of your past, help and protect you in the present and spend every last day with you in the future. I'm sorry if this is too much for you, and if it is, I'll back off immediately, but I can't keep this in anymore. Since I can read your thoughts, I wanted you to know mine." His breath was merely a whisper as his hand finally made it to her cheek, where it hovered millimeters away.

Clara looked into his eyes. They were warm, open. They wanted her. He wanted her. Like she wanted him. But, how? Why?

Still keeping his hand unmoving, he replied to her thoughts, "Because you are so different than anyone I've ever met before. You're so beautiful, inside and out. And I am the perfect judge of character," he added with a smirk.

Clara couldn't help the twitch of her lips at that, but looked down when he mentioned her beauty. She hardly held a candle to the man before her! But then she realized what he was saying. If he didn't love her now, he certainly was headed that direction, and she knew because she felt the exact same way. She wanted to be with him always, even when she panicked and ran from him, the only "home" she would ever run to was him. She loved his easy smirks, his caring and gentlemanly nature, the way he knew exactly what to say at the right time. But above that, they fit together. Where she was weak, he was strong. Where he faltered, she picked up the slack.

He said it perfectly when he said he didn't know what this was but didn't want to fight it. She didn't want to fight it, either. She brought her eyes back up to his, and contrasting the gradual way he brought his hand to her cheek, she instantly brought her hand to cover his, fast enough to create a breeze that blew both their hair back. She hardly noticed this, though, as her entire focus was on his face as she pushed his hand to meet its goal. When his skin touched hers this time, it sent a shiver down her spine. He simply belonged there.

Either much too slowly or much too quickly, Edward's face was meeting hers, his head tilting sideways, eyes fluttering closed. Was he… was this a kiss? She didn't dare close her eyes as his lips lightly grazed hers in a gentle touch, then again, slightly stronger. She didn't know what to do, but didn't exactly want him to stop, pleading with him inwardly to allow her to adjust. Thankfully, he did, pulling away ever so slightly to not overwhelm her. Would she never stop being grateful to and for this man?

Taking a breath in an attempt to relax herself (which may or may not have helped since he smelled exquisite and was right there), it was his turn to freeze as she closed the distance between them, but landed her lips on his cheek instead. It was still the closest touch she'd given someone and meant a lot to her. She hoped he knew that and was not disappointed. When she pulled away, she knew that he wasn't as he looked like he'd be in tears if he was human and pressed a kiss to her temple. Those simple touches made her feel such love and belonging that she was almost overwhelmed.

"Edward," she thought. "I can't wait to say your name aloud and not fear the repercussions. I want all your emotions, especially surrounding myself, to be yours and yours alone," she finished, running her fingers over his sideburn. His eyes fluttered closed at the touch and he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Your voice is still the most beautiful I've ever heard, with or without the gift," he murmured, his breath warming her nose.

Clara almost chuckled aloud. "You've only ever heard me speak with the gift," she thought, pulling back to look into his eyes. His arms wound their way around her so as to make sure she didn't pull farther away, and while she was still getting use to this close contact, she couldn't help but feel safe and secure in his arms.

Edward did chuckle aloud. "Okay, that's true. We'll just keep practicing. Keep trying. You will figure this out, I promise. We all will."

She had to get out of there. Now.

Mary darted from alleyway to alleyway, praying that her opportunity to escape would be around the next turn. It never was.

The smell of smoke and burned venom tingled her nostrils, filling her with terror. She was innocent, but they didn't know that.

She saw an unlit street, the only thing separating her from the safety of the woods where she could possibly escape, but she'd be completely exposed if she went for it. She was out of time. She had to move.

She ran the fastest she'd ever ran before, making it to the pavement, then the yellow dotted line, and just when she put her foot down on the grass, inches away from freedom, arms like iron bars wrapped around hers, pulling her back. Dragging her back across the pavement. She could see the trees getting farther and farther away from her, branches moving in the wind as if sending their farewells. She almost begged the trees to take her, rescue her, in her panic. She didn't have the chance.

Suddenly, she was whipped around and placed on her feet, barely managing to maintain her balance. Her breath was going in and out at an immeasurable rate, but she couldn't stop it. She was going to die. This was the end.

"Ah… My dear Maria… now, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" the sickly-sweet voice asked her. She took in the figure's black robe, matching long, black hair atop the only head without the hood in place, and red eyes that were cold and calculating underneath the guise of kindness. She yanked her head down in an attempt to bow, finding an excuse to look away from his stare.

"My lord, I was not affiliated with them, the newborn nor his sire. I was merely passing through," she uttered through trembling lips, slowly lifting her head back up.

The smile only got wider as he stepped closer, hand extended to her. She felt the arms restraining her loosen completely, freeing her arms. She stared at the approaching hand warily, but knew she had no other choice. The second she started lifting her hand, it was suddenly enveloped in his, his eyes becoming unseeing. It took everything in her not to tremble in fear.

"Oh my…," he breathed, eyes still unfocused. He cocked his head, eyes wide, then quickly dropped her hand. The arms restraining her previously reappeared, and she forced herself not to struggle.

"Mary, Mary, Mary. To think you've been keeping such a… treasure to yourself these past years. And to think of the possibilities! What a waste," he said cryptically.

Mary's breath caught in her throat. No… he knew. He knew everything. And… and she left her! She had to go to her, warn her somehow…

"Ah, well," he interrupted her thoughts, turning his back to her. "As useful as you have been to me in centuries past, you know why I simply cannot let you live now. It would be too risky. I can't trust you to keep things a secret," he looked back at her, smile still in place as she felt utter dread seep into her bones. She struggled full force now.

"No! Aro, don't do this! I've done nothing! You've seen my every thought, please!" she screamed, begging for her life, but it was no use.

"Felix."

The fire blazed.