A/n: Ok, so I decided to carry this on after all (:
I'm not sure whether it'll be just a plain two-shot or whether I'll continue on with more chapters. I've got a pretty up-tight schedule with upcoming exams and such so if I do continue it probably won't be for a while.
Thanks for reading, and maybe drop me a review please? (:

The Three Cups Inn

Jasper

My feet padded across the leaf covered ground as we tore through the thick forests of North America. I wasn't entirely sure of where we were from under the shell of branches and tall trunks, but I didn't all too much care.

We'd been running for what must have been well over a day, hand-in-hand beneath the trees. Her hand in mine felt so natural, and what little I knew about her was enough for my satisfaction of being in her company. I rarely tore my eyes away from the back of her head, staring forward as she traced her way across the country. Her hair blew out behind her from the speed and, occasionally, I would get a breath of her sweet scent as it flew into my nostrils. The dress she wore had been splattered with the odd drop of mucky dirt from the floor of the forest, but she'd mostly managed to keep it clean. Her heels, however, hadn't survived; she'd dropped them a few hours back and was now running bare foot. It did so much for her grace; seemingly more genuine. I liked it.

At our huge speed, we pelted across a highway between the dense greenery. On the road was a large sign that read 'Wright, Campbell WYOMING'. We'd travelled very far in the past twenty-four hours, I couldn't quite think how many miles, but many thousands to be sure. On a whim, I wondered where she was from. All I'd managed to ask so far was her name: Alice, the Greek name of nobility, Alice of truth. Where was Alice born, where was she raised? Did she have living parents, brothers, and sisters? Did she have a partner? The tenderness of her grip implied that she was not betrothed to a mate; however, one can never be too sure. Where was she taking me? We'd crossed numerous states already and we hadn't stopped once. It was a positive that neither of us had to stop for breath, to eat or sleep, otherwise this journey could have taken us more than weeks longer. Would we ever stop? I knew that her touch was beginning to make me feel that I couldn't mind if I never walked again, so long as she didn't let me go, however, I'd be forever following her, Alice, and never knowing anything more about her. I wanted to stop, to settle and question her.

She glanced back at me, her eyes locking with mine and her mouth puling up on both sides. Her smile was simply serene. It would have been easy to say that she wore her heart on her sleeve, although, to me, everybody did so. Her emotions were so crisp clear to my mind that I was sure I could probably have read them without my gift. Her heart was giving off such affectionate and gentle vibes, the sorts that not even a long time sixty-year married couple can emanate, yet here she was before me, in all of her youth and immaturity. How old was she? From her appearance, she struck me as late adolescence, though; appearance meant nothing to the immortal. Where had she been changed? Was it by choice or had she turned against her will? The thought that anyone had inflicted pain against this beautiful young woman brought fury into my unusually cloudy mind. With her gaze still holding mine, she slowed, bringing our speed down to that of a fast human.

"We should take a break" He voice resonated through my already perfect senses and I wanted her to speak again. I knew she didn't need to rest; she was a vampire, and I suspected she somehow knew of my wish to stop and talk to her. She was amazing.

I nodded. "Sure." I still grasped at her fingers, feeling her intertwine hers around mine and fill my palm.

"Where do you want to go?" She asked, the question broad and strange to hear. Did she mean that of the country or just of this particular place? Was she asking me which state I wanted to go to next or what public place in Wright I wanted to wait at? She took in my momentary silence as the confusion I was feeling. "We should really lay low for a while; it's getting late and a couple out in the middle of nowhere would be taken as peculiar." She explained. My heart did a strange jump at her mention of the word couple. I'd not felt feelings like this for a woman in at least a century. Since before I was changed. I'd had a girlfriend back then, but she'd be long since dead now. I couldn't handle my bloodlust enough to go back and look for her after my disappearance. Something I'd never forgive myself for. I knew what love was and I could feel it now, streaming from her, Alice's, curves and waving over my skin in tidals. I wished I could read my own emotions well enough to understand what I was feeling. I'd know Alice for just over twenty-four hours now, and I loved her – with every atom of my cold, dead heart. I'd loved her since the moment I'd witnessed her inhuman beauty at the Pennsylvania Café. It wasn't just the uncanny exquisiteness of her features and her body, but also the loveliness and purity of her soul. She was truly selfless. But why did I love her? Why could I see into her spirit and into her physical being? Was it fate? All I could think was that, somehow, destiny had bound us together from this moment on. I'd never have to feel lonely again. I'd experience this astounding sense of hope and faith for as long as I happened to live.

"Oh, I see." I said, simply, pushing my mind forward to the current situation and away from thoughts of mine and Alice's interlinked fatality. I thought for a long while, making a show of the action. I didn't want to worry her with my quiet. I decided our best bet would be to hide away in some sort of catering establishment; we could sit and talk in the midst of other human diners so that we would not be overheard, but also not disturbed.

She didn't wait for my response that would have been spoken instantaneously; she simply strode away, pulling me alongside her. I laughed, holding her steps to keep by her side. "How do you do that?" I asked.

She shot me a huge grin, bearing her teeth as she shone in the bright moonlight. "Exactly the same way that you could tell me precisely how happy I am right now." She replied.

I gave her a steady look, tasting the atmosphere around her only briefly. Her emotions were so clear to me that it didn't take me long to realise she was practically soaring… her happiness couldn't be contained. Was it humanly possible for such a small being to be filled with such excitement? It might not be, but surely it could be inhumanly feasible?

We arrived at a small inn before I'd even brought my attention back to our direction. The Three Cups had a stained glass front door with its name printed in capitals. It looked classier than it sounded. Alice entered before me, swaying her hips from side to side. She would look incredibly odd with only her bare feet. We'd have to sit down very quickly. The inside of the pub was comfortable, the walls a mixture of deep reds and greens and the few tables spread out so that more people could fit in the room. I gestured to Alice to take a place on a bar stool at an empty space whilst I walked to the bar to get us some props.

I sat opposite her, placing a glass of water down in front of her. I'd bought a beer for myself in the interest of keeping up appearances; the stuff was vile. Right here, seated across from this bizarre, beautiful girl, I made my decision. I had to stick by her. My mind couldn't quite picture the idea of her getting harmed; if I had to stay by her side for the rest of her existence to stop that happening, I would. It almost hurt my soul to think of her in pain and I could almost imagine feeling physically ill at the sight of her grief. I had to prevent that at all costs.

I looked back up at her, raising my head. Her face was blank, the smile gone from her mouth. Her eyes glazed over and she seemed to stare at nothing for a moment before her thoughts returned to her. An enormous grin spread across her lips as she focussed back onto me. I could feel my mouth gape at her peculiarity. She truly was unique. "Thank you." Her voice rung in my mind again as the high, bell-like sound of her words bounced around the sides of my head.

I shook my head. "I'm not even going to ask." I smiled, holding her perfect eyes.

She beamed, her hair falling from her ears to frame her face. "That's probably a good idea."

I continued to gaze at her, watching her soothing facial expressions. "How long were you waiting?" I asked, leaning across the table just to get closer to her. I missed her contact already and wondered how she'd react to me reaching to take her hand again. I decided against it.

She didn't answer straight away; instead her eyes averted and became empty for a second. When her features showed her to be attentive again, she stretched her fingers around my fist. I instantly relaxed, not realising I'd even been tense. She gave me a warm and uplifting smile. "Not long." She said simply, already understanding what I meant. I pondered for a moment over how she'd known. It was like she could read me. "I waited for about six hours."

I opened my mouth, shocked. "Why? What inclined you to linger, waiting for me? How did you know I would come?" Her touch wrapped around my knuckles was perfect, enough for me to look down and feel calmed by the image of her manicured nails, drumming a rhythm against the back of my hand. She was anxious.

The grin wiped from her face slowly and she gazed away, embarrassed. "I've watched you for a while." I didn't speak, hoping she'd carry on. The fact that she seemed to be acquainted with me already made it clear that she was being honest. She took my silence on cue. "I can see things." Her voice was ominous, but still, I felt peaceful. "Things that will happen. In the future. My visions have been following you for decades."

"I'm so very sorry." I wondered what she'd seen, what I'd done unknowing that she was watching "The affairs I've taken a part in… If I'd known I'd had an audience, believe me, I would have stopped. I'm not proud of my past."

The squeeze of her fingers was pleasing. I felt around her with my gift and could taste her apprehension. It wasn't nice to feel like I was causing her to feel this way; I used the other side of my sense to send a wave of comfort through her petite form. She smiled. "I should have known you'd do that."

Alice knew me; after only a day. I wanted to know everything about her. "Where are you from, Alice?"

She gawped at me for an incredible moment. I'd never felt this amount of sexual tension in my life. She broke it. "I don't know." She admitted, sounding ashamed. "I was born to this life under half a century ago and yet I'm no closer to figuring it out. I woke up in a field somewhere out in the countryside and I couldn't remember a thing." Her gaze returned to mine. "What about your past, Jasper?" She spoke my name slowly and deliberately.

"I thought you knew."

"I do." She smiled, encouraging my teasing. "But I meant before this life. What were you before?"

"I can't recall too much." I said, wracking my brain for any details I could give her. "I was born in the early eighteen forties, I think, and I joined the Confederate State Army. I believe that I rose the ranks pretty quickly and then one night…" This part I could remember clearly. Maria's constant presence in my life for decades meant I'd never forget. "I stopped to help a threesome of women on the roads and I became like this."

"Maria?" Alice asked, sensing my discomfort.

I nodded, throwing a wave of my best neutrality at her.

She froze for a second before leaning quickly towards me and holding my eyes. "I'm not affected by your past, Jasper." She said, all signs of her grin, again, disappeared. "I know your intentions have shifted and I've known for as long as you made the conscious decision to change. I…" Her face went glossy again, her mouth, otherwise forming words, went slack and I thought it would be best to question her. What if something was wrong?

"Alice, are you ok?"

I wasn't sure if she'd reply at first. Her features held onto the blank expression before her jaw muscles tensed and she spoke. "A house…" Her voice trailed.

"A house?" I clarified. "Where is it?"

Her hand started to tremble and I gripped it tighter. "West," She paused. "North west. White…"

"What does it look like?" I squeezed her fingers, hoping for a response.

"It's white… modern… they're expecting us." She said, her eyes widening and returning to mine. "Washington." She said. "We have to go, they're waiting for us."

"Who, Alice?" I asked, holding her at the table. I knew she'd quite easily run away as fast as she could to follow her vision.

Her answering beam was simply the most divine thing I had ever witnessed as she articulated the two words I thought I'd never hear again. "Our family."