Irrational. [Jasper Hale]

0.8 ; Questions and Quirks

Florence had a lot of explaining to do. 

Bella had shown up at her humble cottage early that morning, excited over the idea of developing a new hobby - fixing up motorcycles.

Of course, Florence invited Bella in, fixed her some tea, and told her she was an absolute idiot for wanting to risk her life to get a temporary adrenaline rush.

"But I need some adventure right now," Bella attempted to rationalize her newfound love for adrenaline, "It would make me feel better."

"You're a human whose best friends are vampires, how much more excitement do you need?" Florence rhetorically asked.

"Well, truth be told, the reason why I've been wanting so much excitement recently is  that every time I get an adrenaline rush, I - and you're going to think I'm losing my mind, maybe I am but - I see him again."

"You see him?" Florence said, "Wow, you are going crazy."

"Thanks -" 

Before Bella could finish her declaration, there was a profusion of rapturous knocks on her wooden door. The cream colored curtains that covered the door's window waved with the force of the knocks.

Florence excused herself politely from her conversation with Bella before she walked from the plush couch over to the door. Opening the door, she was stunned with the image that fell before her eyes.

Three feet away was her little girl - the same girl she had been searching for for over three decades after she ran away from home a century ago in order to marry a black man, the same little girl that she thought was dead. 

But, she wasn't so little anymore. In fact, she may have been stuck in an eighteen year old's body, but she looked overly mature. With a cigarette drooping from one side of her lip, and her whole body being clad in tight patent leather, she looked like something out of a Catwoman comic book.

"Hi Mom," Houston proclaimed, "Miss me?"

That simple sentence brought tears that would never fall to Florence's eyes. After giving up on finding her after a three century long search party, Florence had assumed the worst. All the pain that was associated with her mourning period was brought back to life as she looked at what her daughter had become - everything she taught her not to be.

"How?" Is all Florence could stutter out to convey her surprise.

"Oh Mom," Houston chuckled, "You didn't think you were the only one who could get bitten, did you? After my short lived marriage with Tom had ended from his lynching, I was in pain, and I wanted love and shelter - I was only fourteen, after all."

At this point Houston had pushed past Florence and had found refuge in the couch cushions. Bella was definitely confused, she didn't know that Florence had a daughter, and it took her a while to piece together the puzzle pieces. 

"But, I found my company in the form of James," Houston said, "And yes, he found his real mate, Victoria four years later - I'm sure you both are acquainted with both of them. Then, he killed me because he didn't want to run the risk of the Volturi finding out what he had done: releasing his secret to, and mating, with a human. Or he thought he killed me. He didn't drain all of my blood, and I awoke two days later with a newfound need for human blood burning in the back of my throat."

"So," Florence cleared her throat, still stunned by the fact that her daughter was alive and in front of her, "What brings you to Forks?"

"Well first," Houston began explaining, "I wanted to get revenge on James for leaving me for dead, naturally, but I ended up finding out that James had been killed in Phoenix from the Volturi. They said the only evidence of who had done it was the Cullen Coven, and so when I found out my absent dad was a part of that, I just had to see it for myself. Now here I am, here you are, and here is where the coven I'm searching for isn't."

"Sorry we ruined your vendetta," Florence held a tight smile, not exactly knowing how to address the new situation; it seemed silly and arduous to act like a strict parent after a century of Houston living on her own and taking care of herself, but she was still her little girl in her eyes and the cigarette dangling out of Houston's mouth was agitating her. 

"Whatever Mom," Houston turned to Bella, "So what is this little human doing?"

"I -"

"She's Edward's past mate, and she's here to keep me company while your dad is gone," Florence spoke up for Bella, choosing her words carefully so as to not spill too much information to Houston.

"Awe," Houston began, clasping her hands together, "How cute. You really think your little telepathic vamp is going to come back for you. Think again, sister."

Bella's heartbeat began racing, and she seemed like she was almost about to go into a panic attack as she began hyperventilating; but she controlled her breathing back down to a normal rate before she abruptly stood up, and pried the cigarette out from between Houston's lip, sending a small smile to Florence before she said her following sentence, "Seems like you're stuck in the past Houston; but society moves on - with or without you - and you can either continue with it, or you can smoke your life away."

With that, Bella turned on her heels and began leaving the cottage to leave the mother and daughter alone for bonding time. She had to get to Jacob's anyways - just to make sure he didn't hate her for not checking in with him all this time, but before she could fully close the door, she heard Houston grab the last word from her, "Yeah? Well jokes on you, I'm already dead."

Before Bella closed the space between the door and the doorframe, Bella had to retaliate and snatch the last word back, "It was proverbial." 

And with that, Florence's front door was closed, but another door was opened. 

[UNEDITED]

[word count 1,035]

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