Disclaimer~ I don't own Twilight.
This is a Alice/Jasper story that has been floating around in my head for a while now. The song "Ladies Love Country Boys" by Trace Atkins inspired it.
AN~ This is a revised repost... I would love to take a second to thank my beta ~Esmerelda Diana Parker~ She is amazing and was wonderful enough to go back through previous chapters and do her thing! Thanks Parker!
...
Chapter 1
Alice POV
"This is the pilot speaking, please fasten your seatbelts and place your tray tables and seats in their upright and locked positions as we begin our final descent into Charleston, South Carolina. Thank you."
I cringed as I listened to the pilot's voice over the loud speaker. I hated flying. The landing is what scared me the most. I buckled my seatbelt and braced myself, taking deep breaths. Instead of thinking about this giant metal bird getting closer to the earth I thought about my last conversation with my parents.
I was back in our living room in Boston, Massachusetts. I had just gotten home from the spa with a few of my girlfriends and both my mother and father were waiting for me.
"Mary Alice, please come in here and sit down. We need to talk." I groaned as my mother called me by my full name. She knew I hated that but did it anyway. I sat down on the sofa across from my parents, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Dear, we have decided on the college you will be attending." My father said looking proud.
I looked at them curiously, I knew they were going to choose my university but I didn't think they would have already done so. "Where?"
"You will be attending the Charleston School of Law." My father answered. 'Of course he would pick that school, it was his alma mater.' I thought annoyed. My father, George Brandon, one of the top prosecutors on the East Coast would obviously want his daughter to follow in his footsteps.
"Law? You're kidding right?"I asked, shocked. I really hope that this was his idea of a bad joke. Unfortunately, I knew that he wasn't. George Brandon does not kid.
"Yes Law and this is not open to discussion. You will be staying with your aunt and uncle." I looked at my mother, hoping she would help me out. She smiled sadly at me. She knew what I wanted and knew that no matter what I had to go where my father ultimately chose.
She was lucky. Mary Brandon was a housewife and a definite kept woman. She has never worked a day in her life, even with two daughters, we had nannies. I was named after my mother, grandmother and so on, which is the exact reason I go by just Alice.
"Esme and Carlisle? What about living on campus."
"No chance, sweetheart. I won't have a daughter of mine living in a dorm." He said the last word like it was a sin or something.
"When do I leave?" I asked, giving in to the inevitable.
"Saturday. Your flight leaves at two. So you better get packing that's only a day and a half." Looking at my mom while she told me when I was leaving made me sick. It was like she didn't care and she couldn't wait to get rid of me. Cynthia was their pride and joy, the doctor. Here they were forcing me into law school when I wanted to be a fashion designer.
I got up from the couch and went down the hall to my room. I stood at the window, just staring out at the skyscrapers, wonder what it would have been like to be able to choose something for the first time in my life. Everything had always been decided for me and I was expected to just go with the flow. Turning and heading into my closet I numbly started packing my clothes into my Coach luggage, not really paying attention to what I was throwing into them.
When I packed enough to satisfy my parents for the night I went into my bathroom, stripped and jumped in the shower. I stood under the hot water for as long as I could stand trying to loosen my tense muscles before washing up and getting out. I looked in the mirror and sighed. My hair was dark brown and hung down to my shoulders and when my hair was dry, my bangs swept to the right. My eyes were a strange shade of green, the same shade that my mother, her sister Esme and my cousin Edward all shared. I only stood at about four foot ten and I am thin with a modest chest and small but curvy hips. There really wasn't anything special about me.
My sister on the other hand was five foot six with long light brown hair and the same blue eyes as our father. She had the body of a model and knew she was beautiful. Beauty and brains, some girls get all the luck. We never really got along; she is seven years my senior, she always deemed herself to be too good to hang out with her little sister.
So here I was on a plane descending into an airport in Charleston, South Carolina.
"Welcome to Charleston, South Carolina. It's a gorgeous day outside at a comfortable 87 degrees. Enjoy your stay here in Charleston. Thank you again for flying Continental. We hope to see you soon.
I grabbed my carry on and filed out of the terminal with the other passengers, making my way towards the baggage claim. I was scanning the belt for my bags when a familiar voice boomed over the noise of the terminal.
"ALICE BRANDON!" I spun around just in time for my oldest cousin, Emmett Cullen, to scoop me up and swing me around. I laughed at his boisterousness.
"God, Emmett, put down my baby cousin so I can fucking say hi." Emmett put me down muttering something about Edward being an impatient prick. I loved these two.
"Hey Edward, miss me?" I asked jokingly, fluttering my eye lashes at him.
He smiled and wrapped me in his arms, "You know it, Shorty." I laughed.
Emmett, Edward and I are closer than most brothers and sisters. Even Cynthia and I don't have a relationship like I have with these boys. Edward is my age, eighteen, I am only the youngest by about 2 months and Emmett is twenty. Both are loud and come off as crude until you get to know them.
"Come on Shorty, let's get you home. Mom and dad are excited about your arrival." Emmett said grabbing half my bags while Edward grabbed the rest. Such southern gentlemen.
I followed the boys out to Emmett's Jeep and buckled in for the ride to Cullen Manor, a beautiful old plantation right near the beach. The ride was quiet, both of them realizing that I was tired and needed to rest. We pulled up to the wrought iron gate that surrounded the property, after Emmett trading remarks with the gatekeeper, we finally made our way down the long driveway, a canopy of trees blocking the sun from view. This was my absolute favorite place in the world. It's like a trip back in time.
As the house came into view so did two forms standing on the covered front porch. No sooner did Emmett put the Jeep in park, were both Emmett and Edward out and attached to two beautiful women.
"Shorty, this is Isabella Swan, my girlfriend and love of my life." I smiled at Edward. I loved seeing him so happy. Isabella was beautiful, in a natural way; her brown hair hangs down almost to her waist and expressive brown eyes. Her skin was fair and her cheeks have a light rose tint to them. But you could tell she wasn't wearing much, if any makeup.
I smiled and held my hand out, "Hello Isabella, despite what my cousin's call me, my name is Alice Brandon. It's wonderful to finally meet you; Edward has told me so much about you."
"I'm sure it's all lies." She laughed and dismissed my hand in favor of a hug. "We are practically family and family members do not shake hands." I laughed with her and Edward looked on proudly, winking at me.
"Okay Bells, enough hogging my cousin." Emmett said. "Shorty, this is Rosalie Hale, my fiancée."
I skipped the whole hand shake this time and was relieved when Rosalie embraced me, "Nice to meet you, Alice. But please tell me, are you sure you are blood related to these Neanderthals?"
"Yep, just look at us." I said motioning between me and my cousins. "Edward and I share the Mason green eyes and Emmett and I share our dark hair. Yep, definitely related. Sorry."I said to Isabella and Rosalie, I smiled at my two favorite men and they were watching us adoringly.
"Mason?" Isabella asked, confused.
Edward answered her, "Yes, Love. Alice's mother and my mother are sisters. Their maiden names are Mason."
"Got it." She giggled before kissing him.
"Let's get you settled before Esme and Carlisle home." Edward said, once again grabbing half of my bags.
I followed him up the grand staircase that began in the foyer and down the hall to a guest bedroom.
"I thought you might like a room close to me and Emmett." He said, sort of unsure of how I would feel about that.
"Thanks, really. It's perfect." I smiled at him.
"You have your own private bathroom and mom put a separate phone line in here so feel free to use it whenever." He pointed to a cordless phone sitting in its cradle. "I am really glad you're here. I really have missed you, you like a little sister to me, kid."
"Edward, I am only two months younger than you." I smirked.
"Still younger." He grinned, grabbing me into another hug. I swear it runs in the Cullen blood to hug all the time! "I think you and Bella are gonna be really good friends. Her and her brother moved here a couple years ago from Chicago. Their parents died in a car wreck and her brother has been working here to support them. That's how I met her actually, remember I told you?"
Edward had called me to tell me about this amazing girl he just met. He was so excited. He told me that they hired her brother to work around the property, kind of like a maintenance man and she came every day to the house after school and waited for him to get off so she could get a ride home with him. Edward had literally run into her while running from Emmett. She was sitting under a tree reading a book and he tripped right over her and landed on his butt.
"Talk about falling in love, Edward." I giggled.
"Shut up, Shorty." He laughed back. "Let's just say I don't regret tripping over her, at all."
He left the room, allowing me to get settled. A few hours later my aunt and uncle came in to welcome me to their home. Aunt Esme told me to feel comfortable and think of their home as my own. I was grateful to them for even agreeing to let me stay here through college. She also brought me a sandwich, saying that she knew I was probably tired from traveling and I should just rest and we can catch up tomorrow. I happily took the sandwich.
After changing into pajamas, I settled into the massive bed, falling asleep instantly.
...
AN~ So it's a change from my normal Edward/Bella stories and Alice and Jasper are my second favorite couple so I thought it was fitting. Let me know what you think. Reviews make me very happy!