AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had a dream about this. No joke. I just had to write it down…it's only a one shot, but it'll be about two to three chapters long. It's a pretty fun idea to write about…I hope you like it.
The bleak December sky hung sadly over Galveston Island a quiet and gentle breeze blowing through the town. It was deserted, people fleeing from a hurricane that was surely on its way. But that hadn't had stopped him from coming. Nothing would, she knew. She hadn't tried to stop him… he wanted to do this. But as the minutes passed, her mind began to race. He hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived. He wasn't much of a talker to begin with, but this was bad, even for him. He merely gazed out the car window, his face expressionless. His eyes, though, showed how distressed he was to be here, in this place again. It was starting to get a bit scary, but Alice kept utterly quiet. And when they pulled up to the beach, it all seemed to get worse. Now here they were, standing in the sand, silent. Jasper's hands stayed in his jacket pockets, staring blankly at the dark sand at his feet, unmoving.
It seemed like ages later when they finally made it back to the hotel. The clock on their bedside table read almost midnight, and each minute after seemed to go slower and slower. Alice watched it quietly, not knowing what to say or do. The T.V. in front of her droned on and on about various hurricane warnings and evacuation routes. Her husband seemed genuinely unbothered by this. He remained unmoving, sitting at the edge of the bed that Alice was laying in. His pale hands were clasped together, a sign that he was nervous about something. His eyes were tired looking, and he just seemed like he was about to pass out from exhaustion at any moment, if he could. Alice bit her lip, then watched in alarm as his body began to slump over ever so slowly, his face becoming buried in his hands. She blinked, startled. This wasn't right. Jasper wasn't supposed to act like this. He was supposed to be strong….supposed to. He looked extremely broken, worn out…dead. And this time, for real. His entire being was just lifeless. The power keeping their one lamp and T.V set on suddenly flickered out, casting them in complete darkness, except for the ever present lightening outside their window. Jasper didn't seem at all startled by this…he just kept quiet. Alice surveyed him, and her eyes caught the glint of light reflecting from his wedding ring. Sudden realization began to hit her. What was she doing, sitting here just watching him? Just because he had been so strong before didn't mean it was going to last forever. He needed help, love, someone to let him know that they were there for him, no matter what. Alice sat up slowly, pushing away the heavy hotel comforter off her body. Jasper remained as he was, fingers now slipping into the blonde curls of his hair. She began to pull herself over to the edge on the bed where he was sitting, sliding her pale legs over so that her toes could skin the royal blue carpet. She turned her gaze to the black television screen, contemplating what to do. She felt that if she spoke, he wouldn't really listen to her…they always did say that actions spoke louder than words.
He felt the cool touch of Alice's slender fingers wrap themselves around his hand, gentle and soft, and how they began to pull it away from his face ever so slowly. He closed his eyes, ready to move her away. He loved his wife with all of his heart, but right now all he needed was to be alone and unbothered. He was about to open his mouth to speak…when she placed a small kiss on the top of his hand. She kept her lips there for a moment, then pulled them away, putting his hand down into her lap, holding it within her own small hands. She didn't look at him, didn't speak, but that tiny gesture made all the difference to Jasper.
He began to watch as she gently stroked the skin on top of his hand, taking her time along the slightly raised scars that covered his hand. It felt good to have her touch them…they didn't seem to hurt him so bad on the inside anymore. He smiled slightly as her brow began to furrow, showing that she was thinking about something. He felt her drop his hand suddenly, and he gazed at her face. She had a look of worry on it, as if she was afraid of something. Her eyes watched his hand quietly, and he smiled as he realized that she thought it was bothering him. No, it was just the opposite. He understood why she thought that, with being here, in this town… and all that had happened before…
Alice bit her lip. Hopefully she hadn't bothered him…all she wanted was to make him feel better. She took a chance and looked up at his face, hoping he wasn't upset. Relief filled her as she saw that he was smiling slightly, watching her. Alice couldn't help but grin back, butterflies filling her stomach for some reason. Her husband was okay…at least for now. "Jasper…you had me worried…I wasn't sure what to do…you were so quiet…" Her husband's smile faded slowly, blinking his golden eyes. She watched him, suddenly unsure again. "If I had known that coming here was going to do this to you, I wouldn't have let us go," And it was true. She never wanted to see her husband so upset again. Jasper raised his eyebrows slightly, as if contemplating what she had just said.
"Then you know I would've come without you," His voice wasn't challenging or upset… it was merely neutral. This was a statement of truth. Jasper was a very stubborn person, and when he said he was going to do something, he meant it. Alice was quiet as she thought about this, tapping her foot against the floor quietly. Jasper gazed at her with a look of defiance, waiting for a response.
"I just…I don't understand why you'd want to come back here, of all places…it just doesn't…make any sense to me." She looked up at his face, frowning slightly. "It took you so long to tell me about this place, and all that happened here, and then one day you just want to visit like it's no big deal?" She watched as he fell silent. She hoped her words were at least having him think about leaving, maybe even as soon as possible. He sighed, looking down at his scarred hands.
"…I just wanted to come back," He looked at her again, this time his face sad. "I don't really have a reason why…I just decided I needed to come back and face what's been holding me back for so long. I don't like the fact that I have a past that I'm too scared and too upset to even think about, let alone talk to someone about. I thought coming here would change things, and…" He fell silent, closing his mouth.
"And all it's done is make you feel worse," Alice finished for him. "Am I right or am I not?" She was getting frustrated now. Why wouldn't he understand that coming here was a bad idea? "It's not like you had anything nice to associate with this place, Jasper. All you had was M-" His head snapped up the moment she said this. Alice quickly closed her mouth, kicking herself internally. Damn, what was she thinking? Bringing her up now would ruin all her progress with him. She sighed, tearing her eyes away from him. "I'm sorry…" Jasper watched her quietly.
"Alice…" She looked up at him, wondering what he had to say…
"What if…what if I did have something good to associate with this place? What would you say, then?" Alice frowned. Was this a trick question? All she had ever heard about this place were stories full of misery and depression. It was crazy of him to say that something food had happened here before. If it had, he would've told her.
"Jasper, all you've ever told me about this place was…bad. And now you're telling me that you had something good happen to you here? I'm not really following here…" She wasn't mad, just…confused. Jasper shifted uncomfortably in his seat on the bed. Alice watched him, her eyebrows raised. "Am I…missing something here...?"
Jasper bit his lip nervously. "Alice just…please, please…if you want me to tell you this story…then promise me you won't get mad." Alice blinked. Mad at him…for his story…? Then it suddenly hit her.
This was about Maria.