Margaret Allie Brandon (Jasper's Mate Story)

Chapter 28

Chapter 28 (Nov. 19th) -mum's death anniversary
Jasper's POV:

I watched as she walked in and sat down, barely acknowledging me and I quickly ran through our conversations over the past few days to see if I had done something to offend her in some way. But I could think of nothing, except perhaps not being over to her house the last few nights but that was to help keep up appearances of being human with human parents and reconnecting with Elliot. I slowly but gently reached out and took her hand in my own and squeezed. Normally she would squeeze back gently when I did but today it was like she didn't even feel it.

"Margaret are you alright?" (Jas)

I waited for a few seconds and she finally nodded but it wasn't a yes, she nodded no. I let go of her hand and made my way to the teacher's desk before I pushed some feeling of compliance and empathy on him. I told him Margaret wasn't feeling well and should be excused from class and I should take her to the doctor. He agreed quickly and I nodded in thanks before I went back to my desk and gathered both of our things into my bookbag.

I gently pulled on Margaret's arm, relieved when she stood and began walking out of the room with me. I felt for her emotions but she felt numb, it was if she wasn't feeling anything at all. We made it outside the school building before her legs gave out and I caught her bridal style in my arms. It was then that her emotions began bursting forth and I was hit with as much pain and loneliness and grief that I had ever felt from a single person in my entire existence.

"Margaret, we're going to my house for the rest of the day." (Jas)

I felt her nod against my chest just as I felt tears start to come through my shirt. I held her as gently but tightly as I could as I walked over to my car. I put her in the passenger seat, buckling it before rushing over to the driver's seat. I held tightly to her hand, as I rushed us to my house. She didn't say anything about the speed I did getting here, but that was only because she stayed curled up in an almost ball crying.

I parked the car and was out as fast as I could be humanly, before I got her out of the car and back into my arms. She still had tears going down her face as I carried her inside, thankful that both Esme and Carlisle were out for the day. I wanted to be the one to find out what was wrong with my mate. I felt a huge wave of pain hit me just as I set her down on the couch and it nearly brought me to my knees. I gently took her beanie hat off and ran my hand along one of the scars on her cheek as her tears fell from her beautiful eyes, something I had done so many times before, but this time she flinched away from my hand.

"Ow!" (Mag)

"Did I hurt you Margaret? Oh God, I'm so sorry!" (Jas)

I realized I must have been using too much force when I was trying to gently caress her cheek and a feeling of self-loathing washed over me like nothing before. I put my head in my hands and was about to call Esme to come care for her before I felt her soft hand on my wrist. I slowly and carefully moved my hands away from my face so I wouldn't risk hurting her again before I looked into her eyes that were filling with tears.

"You didn't hurt me I promise. It's just my.....my scars are burning." (Mag)

"Burning?!? Should I call Carlisle? He can come home or we can go to him at the hospital." (Jas)

"No, it's......it won't help. It's a ghost pain. It happens every year on this day." (Mag)

"Every year on this day......it's the anniversary isn't it?" (Jas)

She closed her eyes with more tears streaming down her face as she nodded before she flinched. I understood now why she had been so quiet and distant today. It wasn't because of something I had done, it was the anniversary of her mother's death. I watched as she went to put her hair up but flinched as she moved her right arm. I knew ghost pain was mostly a combination of damaged nerves signaling the brain and sometimes more of a mental thing, with her's being more of the latter.

This didn't mean that I didn't want to try and help her as much as I could today. I took the hair band out of her shaking hands and put her hair up in a somewhat messy bun, but it wasn't touching her face anymore. She went to take off her sweatshirt next and I willingly helped with that as well. It wasn't until she went to take off the t-shirt she was wearing underneath that I froze unsure what to do or if I should say anything.

"Uh Margaret-" (Jas)

"Oh, I forgot......I'm sorry it's just they feel better with nothing touching them. It's fine though, bareable right now." (Mag)

"No, uh if you're comfortable like that then it's fine. I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable around me with no shirt on." (Jas)

"Promise me no questions today?" (Mag)

"I promise." (Jas)

Her request puzzled me for a moment or two before I saw her reason behind it. As she raised her shirt up I saw the scars from the car crash all along the right side of her body but I also saw a few old bruises on her stomach and her arms that were yellow and green in color. Once her shirt was off she leaned against my body, and even as pure fury at the thought of sometime hurting her rushed through me I was hit with her sense of trust in me. It was that feeling of trust that began to calm the inner Major as he roared with fury at the thought of someone hurting my mate.

"I won't lie, I've always loved how you seem to run at a cooler temperature than me, especially right now against the scars." (Mag)

"I always worry you'll end up freezing if you stick to me for to long." (J)

"I'd risk it for you. Thank you, Jasper." (Mag)

"I would do anything for you darlin." (Jas)

I laid a gentle kiss on her forehead as she laid on my chest, meaning every single word and then some. I heard her breathing begin to even out, even though her hands stayed tensed in my twisted shirt and hot tears continued to soak through my shirt. I would ask her about the bruises, but not right now. Right now she needed me more than I needed my answers about what happened to her, so for now I would keep my promise to her and ask no questions today.

I heard the door open and looked up meeting Elliot's cheerful smile, only watching it fade when he looked at Margaret laying in my arms. I saw his eyes turn from gold to black as waves of anger rolled off him. He took a few steps away from me and leaned against the wall before he looked back at me, both of us ignoring Esme as she walked in only a few seconds after. He spoke in a voice too low for Margaret to hear even if she were awake, but he spoke through clenched teeth. 

"Did you do that to her Jasper, and not the scars I'm not bloody ignorant about those. Those blasted bruises did you do that to her?" (El)

I felt a shallow hiss leave my mouth, knowing that my own eyes were flashing black at just the idea that I would ever hurt my mate like this. Esme was standing between us in an instant before looking at Margaret in my arms with a slight gasp, tears that would never fall beginning to fill her eyes. 

"That's why she's always been so skittish, oh the poor dear." (Esme) 

I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down, listening to my mate's gentle heartbeat as she laid against my chest still wrapped in my arms. I let Esme explain to Elliot how Margaret reacted to everyone the first few times she came around to the house. She was only now seeming to become comfortable with everyone, even Elliot though she had only spoken to him a handful of times. 

"I'm sorry to have ever thought you'd hurt her Jazz, it's just......jealousy I suppose cause even not knowing her well I can tell she is something special." (El)

"More than special, she's everything good and pure that I don't deserve, but I'll be damned if I let her go." (J)

"Good cause I'd hate to have to kill my brother, might make mum upset yea?" (El) 

I couldn't help the smile that spread out on my face, knowing that he wasn't really kidding. He was an odd in our family, having been taken care of by both Esme and Carlisle as a human kid. He hadn't interacted with us very much because at the time we were all living as married couples or college kids. But Esme had spoken of him often. A street urchin that managed to steal her heart from the time he was 11, so much so that Carlisle turned him when he was nearly killed one night after Esme begged him to. 

He saw Esme and Carlisle as parents more than the rest of us did simply because of the way he was raised by them for a few years as a human. I smiled as I looked down at Margaret, wondering if she saw Esme in a similar light. Perhaps that was why Elliot and her got along so well, kindred spirits in a way. I heard Elliot disappear upstairs, while Esme began working in the kitchen so that Margaret would have food when she woke up. I knew that I had better move her to the guest room before the others arrived and asked endless questions. 

I sighed some before I gently moved her closer into my arms before picking her up. I carried her into the room and laid her down on the bed before a soft cry and whimper had me meeting her eyes with my own. I realized that her arm had touched the bed and she had flinched waking up with fresh tears in her red-shot eyes. 

"I'm sorry Margaret, I thought you'd be more comfortable in here." (J)

I saw her look at her surroundings, nodding after a moment before looking at me standing next to the bed. I was going to offer to leave her so she could get back to resting but before I could even suggest it she grabbed my hand in her own. 

"Stay with me, please. I don't....I don't want to be alone." (Mags)

"I'll always stay with you darlin as long as you want me." (J) 

"Promise?" (Mags)

"On my very existence." (J) 

I crawled into bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her as she slowly moved closer to me until she was on top of my chest again. She gently placed my arm around her waist and I heard her sigh of relief as my hand was placed over some of the scars on her side. I still felt her tears fall until she fell asleep again as I hummed an old country love song that I knew she loved. I felt her emotions begin to calm as she laid on my chest, wrapped in my arms, a smile on my face as I closed my eyes and just relaxed knowing that for now my mate is safe in my arms.