A/N: Okay this is the last chapter I have written out. It'll probably be a few days before I get to write the next one. I hope there are some people out there that are enjoying this, because I plan on lots of twists and surprises coming up. They'll be coming up really really soon too! This chapter is in Alice's POV. Edward will be having a say pretty soon too. I know right now there's lots of thinking and talking going on, but trust me, the action's coming!
All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, that lucky chic.
And once again, thanks to my sister Sammy, for reading through this.
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Chapter 4 – Alice Takes a Bite out of the Big Apple
I waited anxiously. My vision had told me she'd be walking through those doors with her mom and Phil in exactly 5.7 minutes. I tried to control myself so that the other hotel guests wouldn't get alarmed at walking by a 4 foot 10 "girl" bouncing up and down in a hidden corner of the hotel. Well, we were in NYC after all; they probably wouldn't even give it a second thought.
I was seeing her much more clearly today. It was as if her getting on that airplane had somehow renewed my subscription to the Bella Channel. I'd seen her terror-struck face during the flight, and wished I could've been there to comfort her. I'd seen her look of excitement and happiness as she stepped off the plane and caught site of Renee and Phil, and rushed over to catch her mom in a warm embrace. I'd seen as she reached over to retrieve her bag from the conveyor belt at the airport, and had accidentally dropped it on her foot, yelping in pain. Well, she hadn't changed that much.
And I'd seen her walk through the main doors of the Marriott Marquis, arm in arm with Renee, and Phil behind them with Bella's bag (only one bag for a whole weekend? She was traveling light!), in approximately 5 minutes now.
I didn't want her to see me yet. I was hiding myself behind one of the pillars in the lobby, all the way in the back of the huge reception area of the hotel. I wasn't sure yet when I would reveal myself to her, and since I hadn't made that decision yet, I couldn't see how she'd receive me. I was worried, excited and anxious all at the same time. If Jasper had been here, he would've been bouncing off the walls with all of the mixed up emotions I'd be sending his way. I wished he was here to calm me down.
Thinking of Jasper reminded me of how I'd left things back home. It had been a torturous few days at the Cullen Residence. Once everyone had gotten home that day after my first vision of Bella, I'd immediately had to put up a façade to hide the pandemonium that was seeping from inside me, threatening to boil over and explode, exposing all my careful plans and preparations for the upcoming weekend getaway.
Esme and Rosalie had been almost no problem when they'd gotten home first. Rosalie, as I suspected, noticed nothing amiss with me, and went straight to the T.V., mumbling something about enjoying some Reality T.V. before Emmett got home and put on his shows. Esme, dear wonderful perceptive Esme, remarked on how well my rest at home seemed to have done me, and went so far as to say that I appeared to have a sparkle in my eyes that she hadn't seen in a while.
"Esme, you of all people should know how necessary it is now and again to be away from the Cullen boys. As much as I miss Jasper, it's been refreshing to not have to hear the constant bickering and wagering between them for a couple of days", I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. I didn't mention that I would've given my right foot to have Edward participate in some of that bickering and wagering for once, and I'm sure I didn't need to.
She looked at me as if she wasn't entirely convinced that that was the reason for the "sparkle" in my eyes, but after a few seconds, she seemed to have decided it wasn't worth pursuing, and quickly turned to library, where she would wait for Carlisle's return.
And I, nervous as I was for the boys return, couldn't figure out where would be the best place to position myself for their imminent arrival. I scurried from here to there, constantly changing my mind as to where would be the best place to actually be once they entered the house. Rosalie eyed me warily as I bounced from sofa to sofa, from the kitchen to the dining room, and then back to the main family area, as I tried to use my gift to decide where in the house would be the safest place to hide myself, and therefore my little secret, from the inquiring and inquisitive vampires that would be arriving in 9.8 minutes.
I'd finally decided that, according to my visions, no matter where I was, I was going to have to use all my arsenal of blocking strategies to block my plans from Edward, and so I decided I'd just stay in the main area of the house, and await their arrival there.
"Anxious for our husband's return, are we?" Rosalie questioned, turning her attention back to the T.V. and the human in it who for some unknown reason was about to plummet 20 feet into a pool of jello. Utterly disgusting, even for humans. How could she watch that crap?
"Sure I am, aren't you?" I responded, trying to keep my voice from quivering.
"Apparently not as much as you", she said, not taking her eyes off of the T.V., for which I was extremely grateful. I was sure I was shaking from my nerves.
As my gift had predicted, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Edward walked into the house a few minutes later, at 10:54 pm that evening. Carlisle, looking tired but satisfied, greeted me and Rosalie, and went straight for the Library, where he knew Esme would be waiting for him. Emmett bounded in cheerfully, went straight to Rosalie on the sofa, planted a big kiss on her mouth, and proceeded to take the remote from her and start flipping the channels. When Rosalie, glaring at him, got up and stormed up to their bedroom, Emmett cheerfully followed.
Edward.
Edward looked the same walking into the house as he'd looked walking out two days ago. The same as he'd looked for the past few years. Lifeless. He gave me a small acknowledging nod as he walked in, pausing briefly and scrunching his eyebrows in curiosity as to why I was reciting the Zimbabwe National Anthem in Cantonese, but then, as I'd suspected, shrugged and went straight up to his room. I sighed. Maybe I'd been hoping for a bit more of a challenge. At least it might mean he'd woken up a bit in the past couple of days.
Then Jasper walked in. My dear Jasper. Watching him walk in slowly, looking both tired and refreshed at the same time made my dead heart jump. His blond hair was disheveled, and leaves and grass stuck to his clothes here and there, giving him a more animalistic look. I liked it. I liked it a lot.
"Alice". He spoke my name in a gentle whisper, with just a hint of a southern drawl, elongating the "A" a little more than was necessary. He quickly walked over to the sofa where I sat and picked me up in a tight embrace to meet his lips.
"Jasper, I missed you", I said after we'd pulled our lips apart, and smiled as sweetly as possible, to which he responded "What have you been up to?", emphasizing the "you" part.
"Oh you know, nothing special. Helping Esme reorganize some of the furniture, trying my hand at canvas oil painting, doing a little internet shopping. Just keeping busy. You know what they say, Idle hands are the devil's tools", I responded, giving him a sly smile.
"Yes, that's true. And we know what trouble those little hands and mind of yours can get into when they're too idle" he said, giving me back his own sly smile.
"Jasper, I do not have a small mind", I pretended to be put off by his comment.
"I know. That's precisely the problem" he laughed, as he pulled me back into a tight embrace, and started leading me up to our room.
We'd gone upstairs then and gotten reacquainted with each other, so to speak. And as the sun came out in the morning over the horizon, I'd suggested we go for a walk alone together to watch the sunrise. He'd quickly agreed and we'd hurried out so as not to miss the sun's greeting in the sky.
When we'd been about 15 miles away from the house, he turned to me and took both my hands in his, and sat me on his lap in the middle of the woods.
"So what's on your mind darlin'?" he questioned me, in his irresistible drawl.
"What makes you think I've got something on my mind", I'd asked, looking down at our hands, which were intertwined on my lap.
"Alice, you have got to be kidding me. I've known you had something on your mind since I walked into the house last night, and found you sitting on the couch looking like you'd swallowed the proverbial canary and still had the feathers hanging out of your mouth, and feeling like you had to". He laughed playfully and gave my hands a squeeze.
"Jazz, I have no idea what you're talking about", I lied, trying to sound hurt, but the nervous smile that involuntarily played at my lips betrayed me.
"Oh, sure you don't" he laughed again. "All the anxiousness, nervousness and guilt coming off of you right now is enough to get an innocent man to confess to a murder".
Guilt? Was I really feeling guilty about what I was going to do? I knew I was anxious and nervous, but I hadn't been aware I felt guilty too. Well, I guess that made sense anyway, since I'd be lying to my family for the next few days about what I was planning, and going against what I knew perfectly well to be Edward's wishes.
I stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, trying to gather my thoughts and figure out how exactly to put this. I knew I was going to have to be at least partly honest with Jasper. I couldn't lie to him. Not completely at least, and not about something like this. He'd know I was up to something, he just wouldn't know exactly what that something was. Thankfully Jasper was perfectly quiet and patient as I tried to put my thoughts and words together.
"Jasper, I have to go away for a few days", I began. I was still facing away from him, sitting on his lap as we held hands and watched the sun come up.
"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, also watching the sun. I could hear all the questions in his voice, but being the gentleman that he was, he would let me lead the conversation.
"There's something I have to do Jasper, and I have to do it alone. I just…" I took a deep breath, as I tried to find the words to make him understand, to make him let me go without asking too much. "I need to clear some things up, and I don't think you or the rest of the family would understand right now. Later on, I'm sure you would, but just not right now". I wasn't sure if I was making any sense.
Jasper was quiet for a while, searching for his own words I was sure. "Will you be in danger?" I could hear the concern in his voice. That was the most critical question for him. As long as I wasn't in danger, he could accept anything. Putting myself in danger was the only thing he wouldn't tolerate from me. He knew I'd be honest about this part, at least.
"No Jazz. I promise. I won't be in any danger. I just have to find some things out. I have to make sure.." I stopped again. I had to watch what I said. I couldn't say anything too compromising, too leading, for fear that Edward would read it in his mind, and somehow figure out what I was doing. I hated being so evasive with Jasper, but I had no choice.
"I promise Jasper. When I come back, I'll tell you everything. I just can't right now. Please just trust me. What I'm doing I'm doing for all of us. I just have to know". I stopped. I couldn't say any more right now.
Jasper turned me around to face him. I had trouble meeting his gaze, but he put his fingers gently under my chin to bring my eyes to his. "Alice, just come back safely, and the rest can wait until then". He stared into my eyes for a long time, and then gave me a shy little smile, letting me know we were alright.
"Jazz. You know I love you with all my being, don't you?" I smiled up at him in return, grateful for all his understanding.
"If your eyes weren't showing it, your emotions definitely would" he answered. "That's how I know you're not running off to meet some handsome vampire behind my back", he laughed playfully.
"I've got all the handsome vampire I need right here", I responded, wrestling him to the ground.
As we'd started our walk back to the house, he'd turned to me and asked "I take it this is something you don't want to discuss with the rest of the family?"
"I'd rather they not know yet. I'll bring it up the night before I leave" I answered, looking straight ahead.
"And when exactly will that be?" he'd asked looking at me now as we walked.
"I'll be leaving next Thursday, and I should be back by Sunday evening" I answered, still looking ahead.
From the corner of my eye, I could see him staring at me, looking like he wanted to ask more, but then he appeared to change his mind, and staring straight ahead again, we continued our quiet walk home.
The next few days had been difficult. Jasper and I didn't mention my upcoming trip anymore, and I hadn't mentioned it to anyone in the family. Carlisle went off to work in the hospital, and the rest of us, save Edward and Esme, went off to continue our human charade at the local university. For once, it was actually a relief to be at the university, it kept me far away from Edward for a portion of the day. But then in the afternoons I'd come home and have to continue with my translations, operations, equations, and any and all dirty thoughts I could come up with to keep Edward out of my head.
He'd figured out of course, by his second day back that I was hiding something, although what it was he had no idea. It was a good thing he spent so much time locked away in his room, it made it easier to hide from him.
"Alice", he'd said to me, on one of the few occasions when he'd left his room and deemed us with his presence, "what exactly is going on with you? Your mind has become such a gutter of filth for the past few days, I'm surprised you're even able to walk straight at this point".
"Get out of my mind, dear brother, and you won't have to deal with what's going through it", I'd responded without looking up, casually flipping through a magazine on the sofa.
He'd continued to stare at me for a minute.
"Are you trying to hide something from me?" he'd asked, sounding a bit incredulous. It had been a while since we'd played any of these mind games together. There hadn't really been anything worth trying to hide from him for a while.
"What in the world would I possibly have to hide from you Edward?", I'd responded, still flipping through the magazine. I kept my eyes down, afraid to look up at him, afraid he'd be able to break me if I did, and had immersed myself completely in the Brangelina article I'd been reading.
He stared at me for a few moments more, and then quickly, as if really not caring so much one way or the other, he'd smirked at me and bounded back up to his room, his own private dungeon. Jasper, who'd been sitting next to me this whole time, looked at me and said "Is this why I find myself unable to control my lust lately"?
"You say that as if it's a bad thing", I'd teased him. He looked at me, looked up towards Edward's room, and I think it had clicked that whatever my secret was, Edward was key. I just shook my head at him, letting him know he shouldn't even think it. He'd looked away and muttered something about having to up the lust factor now to block his thoughts too. I sighed and went back to my Brad Pitt, willing myself to care a little more than usual whether he'd pick Angie or Jennie.
Wednesday night before D-Day, I'd casually mentioned to Carlisle and Esme that I'd be going away for a few days the next morning, to do some more research on my past. That had been the best excuse I'd come up with. I couldn't tell them I was going hunting, because I never hunted alone, at least not for longer than a day.
"Why isn't Jasper going with you?" Esme asked curiously.
"This is just something I'd rather do alone right now" I'd answered, hoping she'd just leave it at that.
Neither Esme, nor Carlisle for that matter, really looked as if they'd bought that, but they'd let it go, figuring it was between Jasper and me. The others, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward felt the same when they found out about my upcoming trip, but also felt it was between Jasper and me. I was grateful, but also sort of miffed, at the lack of concern my family seemed to be displaying about my lonesome trip. Boy, they'd accepted that excuse a little too easily. What if Jasper and I really had been having problems? Hmmph, I'd decided to let it go for now. I still had a few more hours of blocking to get through.
Thursday morning, I'd said goodbye to the family. Edward had been locked in his room…as usual, and I'd debated leaving without saying a word to him. It would probably be easier that way. As I was walking by his room, ready to just continue on my way, I'd sighed and turned back, ever the instigator. Softly, I knocked on his door.
"Edward?"
No answer.
"Edward, I'm leaving for a few days. I just wanted to say goodbye".
I waited. Still no answer. I sighed and started to walk away, when I heard the door open slowly behind me. I turned around and there he stood, looking down at me, lifeless, morose, resigned, dead.
"Where are you going?" he asked, with no real interest in his voice.
"I'm just going to do some more research on my past", I lied. "I'll be back in a few days, and maybe we can go hunting up to the Appalachians together, what do you think?", I asked. I stared at him, hoping that for once, this one time, he'd answer me in something other than the monotone his voice had become.
"Take care, I'll see you when you get back", he said, no answer to my question. He started to turn around and close the door, when I reached out for his hand.
"Hey, Edward. I think… I think the time's coming for a change around here Edward. I know things have been…well, you know. But I really think we're close to turning a corner here. Just hang in there okay?"
What possessed me to say that, I have no clue. I should've just kept walking and quit while I was ahead.
He looked at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about either. I started reciting Gregorian chants in my head in pig latin, and his look changed into one of disgust. He shook off my hand.
"Whatever Alice" he responded coldly. "Look, I really hope you find whatever you're looking for on this trip of yours. I have no idea what you're hiding, but I can tell it's really important to you so…good luck", he said. Those last two words had sounded a little more heartfelt. And with that, he turned and closed the door behind him. Yes, I really hoped I found what I was looking for too.
Jasper was waiting for me downstairs, and he ran with me for a few miles down. As we reached enough of a distance where our talks would be private from both humans and vampires alike, we stopped. He reached out quickly and grabbed me into an embrace that would've broken my bones had I been human.
"Jazz, I'll be back in a few days, relax", I said, as I tried to laugh it off and lighten the mood.
He pulled away slightly, still holding me though, but now we could look at each other.
"Whatever this is Alice, I just want you to know I support you. I know it's something you think is necessary, so I just want you to know I'm here for you, always". His sincerity both warmed me and saddened me. I hated keeping this from him. I couldn't wait to be able to tell him everything.
"Thanks Jazz. That means the world to me, and you know it. I promise, I'll be safe", I knew he was still worried about that. "And I promise, as soon as I get back, this will all make sense".
"Will you call while you're gone?" he asked. He still sounded worried. I guessed he would be until I returned. I couldn't blame him. If it was the other way around, I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to let him go without knowing the full picture. He was being wonderful about this, I had to admit.
"I'll try, but don't go all military on me if you don't hear from me every hour on the hour", I said. "I'll be back Sunday, and then we can talk about everything, I promise". I hoped I'd be able to give him good news upon my return on Sunday. But then I wondered, what would constitute good news? Bella is wonderfully happy, not a care in the world, we can all relax about that? Or, Bella is miserable, she hasn't gotten over Edward, it's time to end this crap and intervene? Which one would be good news? I wasn't sure about that one, because if it was the second, was it too late?
I broke out of my reverie and looked at Jasper. I leaned forward and kissed him and held him to me, once again grateful to have him, for I didn't know what I would do in Edward's position, without my mate. I didn't think I would've been able to take it, not that I considered how he was existing taking it very well.
And so here I was, Thursday afternoon, hiding out at the Marriott, waiting with bated breath for Bella to finally walk through those doors.
I smelled her before I actually saw her. She still smelled wonderful. Like freesia and strawberries and humanity all mixed together. It wasn't as potent to me as it had been for my brother, but it was mouthwatering nonetheless.
She walked in, arm in arm with Renee, as I'd seen in my vision, with Phil following close behind. She looked beautiful. Not the abnormal, out-of-this-world beauty that Rosalie possessed, but a more human beauty, a beauty with charm, and freshness, and reality all tumbled together. Her hair and eyes were the same brown I remembered, rich and deep, and she still wore her hair long. She was still just as pale, but with a rosy tint that touched her cheeks. Her height remained exactly the same, and her build, although more or less the same, seemed more womanly, as if the teenage skinniness had been replaced by a more grown up physique. Her lack of a fashion sense didn't seem to have changed, unfortunately, as she was wearing a simple pair of grey sweats with a plain white top. We'd definitely have to do some shopping here in NYC.
Renee seemed to be talking her ear off a mile a minute, explaining to her in detail all their plans for the next few days, including the playoff game Phil would be playing on Saturday, but Bella didn't seem to mind. She seemed content to be with her mom, even if she was about to pop her eardrums. I watched as they waited on line at check-in, and got the card to Bella's room. Renee and Phil had already checked in earlier, and were in a room down the hall from Bella. I myself had booked the room directly under Bella's, so I could be within earshot should she need me.
Once Bella had been checked in, they started walking towards the elevators. Renee was telling Bella to freshen up, relax for a little while, and then they'd be heading around Manhattan to explore the area surrounding the hotel, and then grab dinner before continuing their explorations.
"Mom, don't forget I need to squeeze some studying into my schedule tonight, and every night while I'm here", Bella said. Always so responsible. That apparently hadn't changed.
"Oh, I know Bella!" Renee answered, sounding like a little girl herself. "I'll bring you back to the hotel with plenty of time to study".
Bella eyed her skeptically, before breaking out into a big grin and giving her mom a big hug. I could tell she was ecstatic to be with her again.
They continued to make their way into the elevator, passing my way as they went, but with no possibility of spying me from my hidden corner in the back of the room, behind the big decorative pillar with the huge vase in front.
How did she feel being here? Was she excited to be in the big city? Was she planning on adding to her wardrobe during her stay here? Did she miss her boyfriend already? What mysteries and desires were those big brown eyes hiding? These were all questions I planned to get to the bottom of in the next few days. Now I just had to figure out when to make my grand entrance. How could I "bump" into her, without having her run from me, yelling and screaming the whole way? I stopped that thought as I realized I was starting to sound like my brother. That wasn't good.
All of a sudden, unexpectedly, Bella stopped and turned. Her big brown eyes scanned the room, looking for something, someone, and I had to throw myself behind the huge pillar and vase to keep her from seeing me. I felt like I was in a scene from some bad TV sitcom, the comically inept spy hiding, in a black trench coat and dark sunglasses (which was exactly what I was wearing), and then diving for cover as the unsuspecting star of the show turned in my direction.
Bella continued to scan the room, looking for what or who I had no idea. It was as if she sensed someone had been looking at her, and was now trying to find the culprit of those invading stares. I continued to hide behind the pillar, nervously praying that she wouldn't decide to walk over here. Although I could probably run away at my quick vampire speed before she could see me, there were too many witnesses here, and I didn't want to chance someone seeing me run and totally freaking.
"Bella, what are you looking for?" Renee asked, as the elevator arrived and Renee waited for Bella to step in.
Bella gave the room one more scan before turning around slowly to face her mother, and walking into the elevator. "I just felt…I could've sworn I heard someone call my name", I heard her say, before the elevator doors closed and whisked her and her family to their floor.
Still just as perceptive, I realized, as I quietly snaked my way back to my room.
It was time to plan the next phase of "Operation Alice and Bella Take Manhattan"!
