B is for belonging.
"You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope."Alice smooths her miniskirt, flattens flyaway stray hairs, looks in her compact one last time and tried not to be nervous, ignoring the fact that she couldn't stay still. She leans on the horribly dirty windowsill and tries to relax herself. It doesn't work too well but she feels calm enough to meet the boy she'd hopefully spend the rest of her life with. Forever with. She thinks. Alice hits her head on the table, muttering something about,
"Stupid Alice..."
She leans on her hands and daydreams, so relaxed now she doesn't notice the man leering over her. She's too focused on the image of him, burned into her mind forever.
"Been stood up, sweetheart?" Alice whips round and raises an eyebrow at the drunken man sitting behind her. She shakes her head, only imagining the scraggly haired man's true intentions. That makes her shudder, but she shakes it She smiles brightly and widens her eyes.
"No, have you?" The man narrows his hazel eyes and grumbles but leaves her alone and turns round all the same. Alice breathes out in relief and reads her magazine although the article is just muddled up on the page and she had to start all over again. She ripped it to shreds and carried it to the trashcan. "Stupid magazine."
"Ready to order?" The tall waitress asked the tiny girl. She nods, skimming the menu.
"I'll have the strawberry milkshake, please." That was the only human food she could endure. She quite enjoyed it sometimes. But not today. She was just too nervy.
"What did that magazine ever do to you?" She jokes, smiling fondly. Alice smiles sheepishly and presses her lips together.
"I'm just distracted." She flashes a smile, which is gone as soon as the waitress turns, replaced by a heavy sigh.
She people watches out of the window. She nearly falls out of her seat when she sees that familiar but oh so pained face of his - of Major Jasper Whitlock. She runs to the door as the jingle of the bell chimes. She is the first thing he sees as he steps in. She's still breath taken by him, and she laughs quietly as he stares at her, non moving.
"Hello," he says softly. He stops breathing when he sees her beautiful face. He knows she is a vampire, but she's beautiful even by that standard. He blinks a couple of times, making sure his eyes aren't tricking him. "Your name?"
"Hiya." She offers her hand and he takes it before he knows what he's doing. "You've kept me waiting long enough," she says, pulling his hand and tightening her grip against his hand. "I'm Alice!" She bounds over to the booth but comes back to him when she realizes he's still standing by the door. "I know, but are you really that dazzled by my good looks?" She grins, striking a silly pose, pouting.
Yes. He thinks. Why would anyone keep this girl waiting? He thinks. If I had known, I certainly wouldn't have.
"Sit," she says, helping him down. He opens his mouth but doesn't quite get any words out. He closes it again. He tries to talk.
"I'm-"
"Major Jasper Whitlock." She smiles warmly. "I know."
"I'm sorry, ma'am...for keeping you so long." She smiles. He absentmindedly covers his scars. She's little, and sweet, and has no sadness on her face, instead a cheery expression even when she's not smiling. He wants to keep her that way.
"You know," she says. "I contemplated finding you after I saw you coming my way. I thought better of it, and let you find me." She pulls his hand away, placing hers on his instead. "After I saw a family of yellow eyes who survive on animal blood. We'll do that too," she pauses, making sure he's listening. He is. "And I saw you and I becoming part of that family. So I waited for you."
"How long?" He whispers. She smiles and squeezes his hand. They're so so strong, but feel so nice intertwined with hers. She tilts her head to the side, looking at him still.
"Not too long. I could've waited longer. For you."
"How long?"
"Seventy years, maybe?"
"All this time, just for me?" She smiles and nods. He shakes his head, his honey-blond hair tousled by the wind, and stares at her, incredulous. Why would a flawless vampire like her, so little too, care for him at all? He didn't understand it at all.
"Of course! I love you." He lets that last sentence slide.
"How did you know?"
"I have a gift. I can tell the future. And you can manipulate emotions. We'd make quite the team."
"So you know about..." He trails off, knowing she'd know, praying she'd say yes, and that didn't make her run away screaming.
"Yes," she says, saving him from explaining the one thing that he prays to forget about. "That doesn't matter now. We have each other." He doesn't question her, he just leans in planting a kiss on her face, realizing that the love he felt wasn't just hers. He loved her too, without a doubt. He loved that she saw past his scars and scary stories. He nods in agreement, knowing she wouldn't push him into anything. She squeals and hugs him hard. He closes his eyes, feeling at peace with her to his surprise. And happiness. Radiating from her, too, he notes.
"I love you, too." He whispers, so soft and sweet. He strokes his thumb across her hand, gently looking into her eyes. He just makes her...lose all of her common senses. She doesn't mind. She knows she's safe around him.
And at long last, he finally felt like he belonged.
