Note: This fic was inspired by the Blue Rodeo Song "5 Days in May," it is a truly wonderful ballad that makes me tip my hat to Jim Cuddy and Paul Keelor. I am not Stephanie Meyer- therefore I own nothing. Written from Jasper's POV. Dedicated to my most trusted beta- Krismom, without her encouragement I might have packed it in long ago.
The newspaper said there was a storm blowing in that might develop into a hurricane, they were right. Being from the south I had lived through my fair share of hurricanes but, the wind, rain, and cold doesn't bother me as it had when I was human. Our secret being of the utmost importance taught me the value of blending in however, and when the rain hit I found myself headed for shelter under the awning of the town grocery store. It was scheduled to open in a few minutes, but there were no cars in the parking lot.
I should just run, I thought, head for the trees before anyone can see me, but something I can't explain held me in place. My body was telling me to wait. Then, I saw her. The vampire ran out of the tree line and headed straight for me. I was ready for a fight if it came to that, but I hoped to avoid making a scene. She hurried in out of the rain and came to stand at my side, staring straight ahead, as if the rain falling was the most fascinating thing she could've imagined. Neither of us spoke.
She smiled, tucked a note into my hand and then too quickly for human eyes she was gone. I had fallen for the charms of a woman before with a violent result, and I didn't know if I should follow. Unfolding the crumpled paper from my palm I saw the scribbled mess of a hastily written note on the page reading:
I can help you, together we will find a way. Trust me. Follow me.
I glanced back at the page, then at the direction she had taken off into the trees, her scent was still in the air and it made my nostrils tingle. There was something about her that moved me to trust her. So, I followed. Slowly at first, as not to draw attention to myself and then more quickly once I made it to the trees. Her scent was easy to pick up and as I raced forward I found that I felt the weight of my past a lighter load to bear. She stood in a small clearing that bordered onto the swampy land so typical of this area. When she spoke, her voice was as beautiful as the rustle of an angel's wings.
"I'm Alice, and I have dreamed of you for as long as I can remember. We aren't supposed to suffer this way. Come and help me find them."
Alice explained that she had been searching for me, that she had visions of what our life could be like together. She explained there was a family for us; we just had to find them. Her visions were not clear enough to pin point where or who they were exactly, but we were meant to be there. I was skeptical of all she had to say, but my body did not agree with my logic and begged me to be near her. She was comforting in every way, she felt like home.
We agreed to take my car and head to the destination of her last vision. She had seen them on the west coast, beaches was all she was sure of. Cold, rainy, beaches. The rain on the windshield beat down on us for miles as we headed west in search of our new home.
As I drove she explained her visions of us together, and her missing past. She told me she knew who I was, who I would be, who I could be. I was ashamed to correct her, to tell her what I had been, unsure there could be redemption. But, through Alice's eyes the world could be a beautiful place once again. A place I wanted to be a part of even if it was just for a little while.
The drive took very little time, and when we arrived Alice said she had to look for markers to indicate where she had seen them. We wanted to investigate every beach in the area, but there were not as many cloudy days as we would have hoped for. She told me it would take some time, so we checked into a hotel in Vancouver. We stayed that way, for those five days in May. By the end of our journey I was sure I would have followed her anywhere. She changed my pain somehow; the loneliness that had overcome me was not so deep.
We headed out to where the beaches are by night and scoured for clues, we talked as we strolled on the beach and walking hand in hand with her the stars seemed to shine brighter. I wrote her name in the sand, never even let go of her hand. She touched me delicately, tracing the details of my face with her fingers. Her kisses were intoxicating. It was not a quest I believed in, but sometimes when the world hands you an opportunity to get back on your feet, you take it. No matter what it is. As I told her my past I sobbed in her arms, and she wiped the impossible tears from my eyes.
On the fifth day, lying in my arms in our hotel room, she jumped to a start. "Alaska!" she yelled. Her vision was clear, tourists passing, snapping photos of glaciers, wearing their novelty clothing with their destination scribbled across their chests. She had located her future. Our future.
I followed her, not knowing what we would find. I hoped it would lead us to a place we could be together. She told me she had seen my face a thousand times and from then on I would be with her always. She knew my past, and all I'd done, she was the one.
That is how I came to be a Cullen, how I came to be loved.
