Forever and Ever
Rating: Teen
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Alice and Jasper meet in a half-empty diner. Here's their story.
A/N: Here's chapter four. Sorry I didn't get it up yesterday. I had so much stuff going on. Let's just say, I'm about to seriously get into a huge fight with my Chemistry teacher. If she fails me, I'm going off. LOL. Of course, the beginning chapters are going to be cute fluff because they won't be finding the Cullens for a while, so enjoy. LOL. The part of the song that they dance to is Cajun french. If you try to translate it to 'french' french, it won't make sense. Just trust me on that. LOL
The sun was masked behind dark, gray clouds. The wind picked up every now and then, ruffling tree tops and blowing leaves down the empty streets. It was morning, indicated by the clock against their hotel wall, but you wouldn't be able to tell with the way it looked outside.
And even the soon-to-be bad weather didn't stop Alice from getting dressed in her lightest dress and jacket. Most of the blood had come out from his shirt, but it was still damp. He wore his dark jacket over and frowned when he stepped out from the bathroom. Alice was waiting for him, an umbrella in her hand.
"Didn't you see this coming?"
"Of course I did."
"Then why are we going shopping today, of all days?"
"Less people, bad weather... it's safe. You won't get tempted, people won't see us. It'll work out perfectly."
"Why are we doing this again?"
"Because you need more clothes than a ruined, bloody shirt and dark pants."
"And how are we going to pay for all of this?"
She held up her purse, then unzipped it and revealed the hundreds, if not, thousands worth of dollars just sitting in her purse.
"Well what did you expect me to do for twenty-eight years? Live off the streets?"
"This is all, hard-working, well earned money?"
"Of course it is."
"You didn't happen to just get a 'glimpse' of the lottery numbers and had the sudden urge to buy a ticket," he teased.
"Now that you mention it, that sounds like a really good idea."
The morning went by quickly for Jasper, surprisingly. He surly thought it would drag on forever, stopping at dozens of boutiques and shops along the city. She had pulled him into stores left and right, picking out clothes and shoving him into the dressing rooms for him to try them on. Everything she liked, she bought. By the time 'lunch' came around, they weren't anywhere near done. At this point, Jasper was starting to feel a little uneasy. Every clerk or salesman that had approached them had an intriguing scent, and it took everything in Jasper to not bite into their inviting neck and suck them clean of their blood.
While they were in one shop, getting Jasper fitted for Alice's favorite outfit so far, it begun to rain. It started lightly at first, but then suddenly, it poured.
"That's some nasty weather we've been getting lately. Hope it ain't nothing the levees can't handle." Jasper glanced over at Alice and froze under the salesman hands. He was measuring Jasper for sizes, leaning in at times to get a better look at the measuring tape. "You two gonna make it alright out there?" Jasper never answered the man, never even acknowledged him. Jasper's eyes stayed locked on Alice's blank, expressionless face.
Her eyes came to life then, opening as wide as they could go. She all but jumped from her place in the front of the store and ran to Jasper's side.
"We have to get ready, Jasper! There's going to be a party tonight," she squealed, truly excited to get dressed up for the occasion. Jasper was puzzled. A party? Where? It had never dawned on him that they had come all the way down to New Orleans just before Mardi Gras. The guy measuring Jasper smirked and finished with the suit Jasper was wearing.
"Party? Where?"
"All around, son. All around," the man answered for her. Alice waited for a while, waiting for Jasper to catch on, but when he didn't, she jumped up in excitement and clasped her hands together.
"Mardi Gras, Jasper!"
"But the weather?"
"Son, a little rain and wind isn't going to stop the people from partying down here. You'll see."
After they were done shopping, they walked outside to find it still raining, not quite hard as before, but still not light enough to be considered drizzle. He carried the bags for her and together, they walked down the street to get back to their hotel. Alice was so excited, she was almost skipping next to him.
"You handled yourself really good in there. I'm impressed."
"Huh?" He looked down at her and then realized what she was talking about. To his surprise, the day turned out very well. No slip ups and no near-death incidents for the poor humans of New Orleans. "Oh. Thank you."
"In fact, you did so good, I believe you deserve a prize."
"Another shopping spree," he asked in sarcasm.
"No, silly!" The next thing he knew, his back was pressed up against a brick wall that came out of no where. He dropped the bags almost as quickly. Her lips were pressed against his and her hands traveled up his chest, over his shoulders, then tangled into his hair. The rain hit them continuously, soaking them through their clothes. The bags of his new clothes were long forgotten as they remained in their embrace, his arms around her waist tightly and her hands around his neck. She had to stand on her toes to reach his lips and he had his head bent slightly to accommodate her shortness. He was so gentle with her, even though they both knew he would never hurt her. His hands came up to frame her face, both of his hands against her cheeks and his thumb brushed over her cheekbone. She pulled back to end their kiss and his lips followed, but she giggled and pulled back even further when he tried to kiss her again.
Her hair was matted to her face, completely soaked. Her gold eyes were shining up at him, her white teeth bared in the most adorable smile he had ever seen. She was his life, his reason for existence. She was the most important thing, she came first. Whatever she wanted, he would make damn sure she got.
"Come on. Let's go get ready."
--
The radio was still playing when they entered their hotel room, soaking wet. Alice got to work on drying his new clothes by hanging them up in the bathroom. Jasper peeled off his shoes and placed them behind the bathroom door, to dry also. While Alice was busy coordinating their outfits while trying to dry his newly purchased clothes, he unbuttoned his shirt while walking towards the balcony of their hotel room. When he made it outside, all the buttons of his shirt were undone and it floated on his body. He leaned against the railing and watched as the streets grew more crowded and populated with people. Most people were wearing costumes and masks, decorated in the three traditional colors. Beer was being passed around left and right and a loud Jazz band continuously played music for the drunken people to dance to.
He wondered, if Alice hadn't found him, if he hadn't been lucky enough to have her, how many people would he kill tonight? If she wasn't here to stop him, how many poor souls would be lost tonight, in a dark alley somewhere away from the commotion? A high number popped into his head and he had to look away in shame. Alice made it look so easy. He sighed and let his head fall to his chest. If he could be dragged to dozens of stores and control himself with a human standing not but two feet away from him, then he could surly last a few hours on the streets below. He didn't want to disappoint her. It would break his heart to see her saddened.
"Good news," her happy voice came from behind him and he looked over his shoulder to find her dressed in a short, purple dress with silver heels. Her hair was a little damp from the rain, but it was starting to dry and flip out in it's natural, crazy way by itself. She held up an outfit for him, one of the few that managed not to get wet, and smiled. "We didn't make out long enough for all of the clothes to get soaked." He laughed and accepted the outfit from her, then placed it down on the nearest dry object. She watched with a curious gaze as he turned towards her. Her eyes went straight to his bare chest and she grinned. He held out his arms and she walked willingly into his embrace. Their arms went around each other and they swayed slowly together to the music coming below them. His chin rested against the stop of her head and her cheek was pressed against his bare chest.
"Alice, what if I can do it," he whispered. "What if I can't be as strong as you think I am?"
"Never doubt yourself, Jasper. I know what your capable of. Despite what you may think, you have a lot of control."
"I just... I don't want to disappoint you." She sighed and hugged him tighter.
"You could never disappoint me."
"Don't be so sure."
"I'm with you every step of the way. There's no getting rid of me now." He smiled and rubbed her back, only to find her dress cut low, exposing her entire back. He moaned softly into her ear and twirled her around. She came back to rest against his chest happily and hummed her approval.
"So what does our future look like?" She smiled at 'our future'. They were in this together.
"I could ruin everything and tell you, but I think I'll keep it a surprise." She giggled.
"So you're not telling me?"
"Nuh uh."
"Even if I pay for your services," he teased. She whacked his chest playfully. "Let's get you down to your party, Ms. Alice."
He grabbed her hand and together, they walked out of their hotel room, through the lobby of the hotel, and out into the crowded streets. Food, drinks, music, lights, beads, masks- everywhere. He led her through the crowd, holding his breath the entire time as he did so, and pulled her to an open part of the street that had been turned into a dance floor. Lights connected to every building and the smell of Cajun cuisine filled the air. The song that currently had people dancing was an up-beat, fast tempo song. With one look at Jasper, he knew instantly what she wanted to do. He grabbed her hand, spun her around and led her into the middle of all the dancing. They went along with the couples around them, following their steps and laughing when one of them messed up the moves. He spun her around numerous times and them pulled her back into his arms where he planted a kiss onto her forehead and resumed their fast dance.
A fais des clins d'œil, elle garoche des becs, et tout le monde dans la place viens d'mondes fou.
He laughed at the last line of the song, finding it very appropriate, but she had no idea what it meant. He could tell by the confusion she was giving off.
"'Because she winks her eyes and shoots her smile, and all the boys in the place go wild.'"
She look around after his translation and sure enough, almost every man on the side of the street had his eyes locked onto her small form. She buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him, letting those guys know she was off limits. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He couldn't remember the last time he felt his carefree and happy. He owed it all to the small vampire cuddled into his arms. A slower song began and he grabbed her hand, twirled her around once more, and pulled her back to rest against his chest. One of his hands rested on her lower back, bringing her even closer while his other hand was entwined with hers, resting over where his heart would be.
Take my hand, say you'll be true
Say those simple words
Oh, I love only you
Take my hand, oh
Hold it tight. Take my hand
And everything will be alright
A/N: Right. So... sorry for any grammar mistakes or anything of the sort. I don't own any of the songs I used in this. All songs belong to Wayne Toups, who is amazing- love his music. (Yes. I'm a nerd.) Anything you'd like to see happen next? Maybe their first fight? Hmm. LOL. Reviews would make me feel loads better. I HATE CHEMISTRY!
