June 20th Chicago, Illinois 1948
Me and Alice walked side by side, I had been contemplating on holding her hand for hours now. She had been gazing at the trees, not even glancing at me. I wondered if it would be romantic to catch her by surprise, or to even at least put a smile on that beautiful face.
Slowly I put my hand behind hers, curling my fingers around her palm. She turned to me and that smile I had wanted flashed across her face. I couldn't help giving a slight smirk back in response. "Take me out on a date." She laughed. "Too where ma'm?"
"To a nice pretty open field, so you can give me flowers." She twirled under our joined hands, her short white dress and her spiky hair twirling along with her.
"If it will make you happy."
She stopped and went on her toes, and kissed me on the cheek. It pained me for being too shy to kiss her the way I really wanted to, and where I needed to. "It'll be fun, it'll also make you happy too." She continued to walk and smile at the passing green scenery.
"I think Lake Erie is around somewhere." I suggested, feeling guilty that I had one sided our date.
"That'll be perfect!" Alice gasped, her golden eyes twiddling with excitement. I felt jealousy rise within me but as soon as it came it washed away. I wished I didn't have such weak control, then maybe I could make Alice and myself truly happy.
"Thank you, it's beautiful." Alice smiled, holding the small tulip in her small hands. "Would you put it in my hair-" she didn't need to ask me twice, I took the tulip and slid it between the black folds of her hair.
"Well that was really romantic." I teased. She laughed, "It's your job to do something."
I puckered my lips in a laughable way and closed my eyes, not expecting her too kiss me on my scarred lips. She placed her hand against it, "That's not romantic!" She laughed even more.
"It's your turn-" I stopped midway into what I was saying when I felt something hit against my foot. I turned around, completely alert, sensing the area for danger.
"What is this?" Alice called out, fishing something out of the lake. She was several feet away, holding a small wooden crate. I ran to her, still not believing that there wasn't any danger lurking around.
Alice opened the crate slowly, "Oh god, It-it's-"
"It's a baby." I finished after I heard a little whine come from inside the now open crate. "He looks nothing but days old." Alice whispered. I heard a small heartbeat and the strong scent of the lake.
I walked closer, peering inside. "We have to give him to the humans." I told Alice as she seemed to be fond of the small sleeping child inside. The child was covered in a green blanket, and that was it. The bottom of the crate had hay and the sides of child's head were red and sore from the roughness of the hay against its soft skin.
Alice laid the crate on the floor, taking the child from its bounds inside. "He's so tiny." She smiled, holding him still in her arms as she inspected him. "Alice we need to give him to the humans." I stood a distance, not wanting to harm the child in anyway. The child barely had a scent, he wasn't appetizing to me, but I still had to be cautious.
"Do we really have too?" Alice frowned, the child's light snores filled the silence. "I'm sorry." I bent down and grabbed the crate and its lid. "It's the right thing to do." I held the crate outwards, hoping Alice would place the child back inside.
"Can't I just hold him in my arms just for a little while? Please?" She begged. I hesitated, if she really wanted to, who was I to tell her what to do anyway?
"If you want to." I put the lid over the crate. "There's civilization about-"
"2 days away!" She giddied. "Yay little guy! Your going to stay with us for two days!" She twirled and skipped. "Alice, be careful." I worried, babies were fragile and with fast movement, anything could happen. We didn't want to give the baby away broken, or worse dead.
"Sorry." She looked sad. "I didn't mean too." She cooed to the sleeping child.
"We should get walking." I insisted, Alice was already walking right ahead of me, cooing and snuggling the child on her way.
"What are you thinking?" I asked as nighttime almost fell upon us.
"He sleeps a lot."
"He's a baby, of course he'll sleep."
"And if we're not going to keep him, can we name him?" Alice shrugged. "I guess." I knew this was going to end differently. Just by looking at her thinking expressions I knew we're going to end up keeping him. When I was human, I never thought of having a child. Now since I can't have any children, inside I wouldn't have minded having a child.
If Alice even wanted me to be, I guess I wouldn't mind being its father. I just couldn't doubt I wouldn't kill him in the near future, when he develops a scent. I wouldn't be able live with myself, that's why I couldn't risk it.
"How about Benjamin? Or Gucci? I can see that being a giant fashion statement in the future." She smiled. "You'll scar him for life." I shook my head at her crazy fashion predictions.
"Well help me out." She nudged me on the shoulder. "Erie. Since we found him in the lake." I suggested. "Nice try, but I do agree that it should start with an 'E', to be appropriate."
"The only 'E' name that comes to mind is Edwin or Edward." I shrugged. Growing up in the south, names were something some people thought about, I've seen some people with the most ludicrous names out there and some that were really thoughtful. "Edward sounds pretty." Alice cooed but then she stopped. "Jasper hold the baby!" She panicked. I dropped the crate and took over her hold on the child. Then Alice had a blank look on her face. I'm guessing it was a vision.
"We don't have proper supplies or the money to take care of him." She frowned. "I took care of my 2 younger siblings." I mumbled, not thinking it was going to help us anymore then we needed it too. Happiness altered Alice's features, "Yay!" She clapped. She went and grabbed the crate. "We'll need to go to find a cow and some rags."
"I really have to feed him?" I hissed as Alice pushed me toward the unsuspecting female cow. "Yes! You know how to do this!" She gave me another shove. "But we don't have a bucket-"
"Just do it from the ya know!" She stressed and I was finally in front of the cow. I sighed and bent down, balancing the baby in my one arm while I tried to grab the nipple in the other. I'm really surprised that the cow hasn't ran-
"Moo?" The cow turned around and I was caught red handed. The cow bolted north, back kicking me in the face. I was stunned as Alice took the baby out of my hands, "Go catch the cow!" She said.
I groaned and ran after the stubborn cow.
I caught up with it quickly, but instead of holding it by its horns, I grabbed it from behind. "Oh shit!" I cursed as the cow started running even faster with me on its tail, dragging me around with my legs feeling like nothing but jelly behind me as I tried to get a grip on my balance. I heard Alice's laughs as I was barely holding onto the cows ass.
"Damned cow." I dug my heels into the dirt, grabbing its legs to make it stop altogether. It gave a loud moo until I turned it onto its side.
Alice walked over, "I like how you were watching, and how you took your cool sweet time to get here." I panted, as if I was out of breath. I had to admit, it was kind of fun and it must have been hilarious to witness.
"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled and moved her dress so it wouldn't get dirty. The cow gave little grunts but I held her down with my leg.
The child, who hadn't opened his eyes since the time we found him, drunk softly from one of the cows many nipples. I bowed my head in relief.
I sat next to Alice as the we sat upon the still locomotive. "Look, Jasper. He's opening his eyes." Alice gasped. I turned to my head to the little bundle in her arms.
My eyes met a piercing crystal blue eye. "He's looking at us threw one eye-"
"Shh." She nudged me. "Just watch."
His other eye opened and it was a deep brown. "His eyes are two different colors." She said in awe. Patterns and shapes formed in his blue eye and fireworks bursted in the other.
"Jasper, please. Can we keep him?" Alice looked up with a pleading sad expression. Edward gazed at me with curiosity, giving me a toothless smile. The action was... Cute.
"I don't know, Alice. He's a human." I frowned. "It will work out fine, I've seen it."
"But don't you want to see him with his own kind? If we keep him, he'll never be able to live as a child should live."
Alice dropped her head in defeat. "But he'll be happy. I've even see us using our abilities around him. I've checked all other possibilities, he would be better off with us trust me."
"But the Volturi."
"The Volturi don't even know I exist. They don't ever have to know about him. We'll be careful."
I wanted Alice to be happy. I wanted her to experience everything I could give to her to the best of my ability. I was just thinking about the child's well being, but why do I feel more like a villain, a monster, more than I already am just by doing it?
"Fine." I sighed. Happiness struck Alice and it surged threw me with such a ferocity that I couldn't help but smile back. "I'm the happiest person in the world! We're going to make great parents." She kissed me on the lips and I was shocked that I was finally getting my wish.
"You want me...to be the father." I mumbled. "Of course, I couldn't do it without you." She rested her head against my shoulder and I rested my head upon hers. After a moment of silence, Alice broke the bubble.
"Edward Erie Whitlock, I like the sound of that." She caressed Edwards cheek and he brought a small hand to engulf his palm around her finger.