Let the seasons begin

How long had Manfred Hale been waiting for this moment? He squinted slightly, thinking of the century or so that had gone by. He'd thought the worst now of Jasper, but the poor chap had finally summoned him. Oh, he'd tried to keep him in that radar of a mind of his, from time to time, but it was like a ghost whisper that went blank.

And here he was. Manfred looked at the surroundings of the farmhouse nestled in the woods. He could think of nicer places to dwell, like his old plantation home near New Orleans. But he had always been one who could try his best to cope. After all, it was Jasper who had put him in this condition, after all. As far as Manfred was concerned he would be a warlock first and foremost. His world was full of enchantments, incantations and spells, etc. etc... But of course, his nephew Jas would be in trouble. Always had a way to get mixed up in the worst of it.

He opened the front door just to have a stiff, keeping him from coming in. He pushed the door a little harder, taking a good look at the bloody corpse laying there. He shook his head and looked up the stairway. He supposed he'd have to take care of that, too. He walked up the stairs in his dark coat as if he might be Sherlock Holmes out on a mystery. He looked up at the ceiling at the top of stairs.

"Jasper," he said quietly as he watched the ceiling. 'Its me, Mannie." He sighed as if he knew he'd have to wait. No telling what kind of shape that lass was in. He looked back at the ripped body on the blood stained floor. He could put two and two together, but he'd ask anyway.

"What did you do?" Came out of his mouth automatically as soon as Jas made his appearance.

"Nothing really." Jasper looked over his uncle's shoulder.

"Its never really you, now is it?" Mannie gave him a slight perturbed look. "What do you have to say for yourself? You know how long its been since I've heard from you." Mannie gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Sorry. It wasn't so easy for me, you know." Jasper gave him a helpless look, almost.

"I see, now it is?" Mannie gave him a glare as he rubbed his slight beard on his chin.

"I was cut off from you all." Jasper became defensive.

"Yes, I suppose that happens when you fall in love with a girl." Mannie gave him no pity.

"I'm fine now." Jasper grinned.

"Well, you will be." He looked back as the massacre on the floor, with a blink of the eye it was gone. "Should I see to her?" He looked as Jasper. All Jasper had to do was ask and he would receive. He followed Jasper to the attic and there was the girl all feverish and pale, except for the blood. All over her in fact. Blood stained T-shirt and the her heart raced so much she'd clawed her arms and face too as if she might find away out of her own skin, but now she was unconscious as if she needed to lose touch of this new painful world. She laid on what looked to be an old cot. It couldn't have been comfortable, Mannie thought. He took a good look at her.

"You and your teenage love." He shook his head. Finally he waved his hand slowly over her, and she was clean and dressed as he would want to see her, a long black dress, the way they wore in in the 1860's. She looked splendid enough to marry.

"I take it, you are no longer one of them. But one us, just as she is, I hope." Mannie looked at Jasper. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he went with the Cullen's, anyway. He supposed it must have been sweet on Alice. It made Mannie a little sick to his stomach.

"I think she put a spell on me." Jasper acknowledge then as they let the girl rest now.

"Alice, you mean?" Mannie pondered then as they appeared in the kitchen together. He set out to make a warlock's elixir then.

Jasper nodded as if he watched Mannie find the stainless steel pot on the stove.

"I could have told you that, dear boy, long ago, but would you believe me?" Mannie shook his head and he grabbed Jasper's hand. He punctured Jasper's finger with a sharp tooth then and let the blood droplets fall into the pan. A few drops were needed. Even a little of his own, and a bottle of whiskey to make the whole thing bearable to drink. He heated the mixture then and added a little from his own bag of tricks.

"You're sure, she's special?" Mannie asked Jasper point break.

"I really don't know." Jasper admitted. "I thought Alice was special too, but she could have been the death of me."

"We'll just have to take a hold of her, now won't we?" Mannie gave him a quick smile. "But remember, its up to you. As long as you give her what you want her to give you, all will be sublime." Honestly, Mannie thought then...it had nothing to do with love.