Chapter 4
Swim Until You Can't See Land
-Alice-
I smiled as the vision finished. Finally I was seeing some good news. First all I could see was clouded visions of Edward wanting to turn back to Denali. He could be such a chicken sometimes. Then I could firmly see his return. Then I even saw him turn the car around before he once again changed his mind. And another vision brought me in on his detour in the forest (that was a private moment and I know he would be beyond embarrassed knowing I had seen it so I desperately tried to forget all about it). Then once again he wanted to turn back to Denali. At that point I got frustrated and called to talk some sense into him. And now my latest vision showed him crossing the town line into Forks. And he was having some second thoughts, but I was sure he would get over it. Because I could clearly see him in the doorway in no more than five minutes. I loved being psychic. Even if it is a slightly flawed system.
"What?" Jasper asked, feeling the change to my emotions.
I just winked and ran out of the room. There was a lot to do and little time to do it in. Edward hadn't called to tell us he was coming home. He wanted to keep it a secret, let it be a surprise, keep his option for chickening out open. I knew, of course, but he made me promise that I wouldn't tell. I managed to keep his secret that long and decided it was good enough. The future looked brighter if everyone knew the situation anyway.
"He's coming home!" I shouted, running down the staircase. "Edward, is coming home."
"When?" Esme questioned, a look of relief on her face.
"Now." Everyone stared at me, doubting my vision. "I know it's short notice but he finally made up his mind and he's almost here and we have a lot to do so stop giving me a hard time and help me out," I spoke so fast that even my family of super hearing vampires seemed to be having a hard time understanding my jumble of words.
"Is he… should we… the girl…" Carlisle lowered his voice so she couldn't hear from her position on the sofa.
"It will be okay. He's better. Getting better. But I suppose it will be easier if she's not in the room." I looked at my family for a helping hand with that. I already knew Rose wouldn't do it. She hated the girl for the way she was inconveniencing the family. And Esme had been so careful , trying to keep the girls scent off of her to prevent another fiasco in case Edward would return home. Jasper would be helpful he could calm Edward as soon as he walked through the door. And Carlisle wanted to see Edward. So that left one option and I really hated to leave her alone with him. He could be such a bad influence. But I didn't see any other choice beside leaving her alone and I knew Carlisle wouldn't go for that one just yet. "Emmett," I looked to him with my best pleading eyes. "Please." He nodded a simple response and ushered the girl up the stairs and into the safety of the guestroom.
"Her scent… it's all over," Esme panicked.
"It will be alright," I reassured her. "It's going to be a process. A very slow process," I tried to brace everyone for what was about to come. "He's going to be alright. And she will be alright. I'll keep an eye out for anything." I rushed my words to get them all out before he arrived. "Don't harass him. Don't rush at him. And don't expect much yet. Don't expect anything yet. He's going to need… some personal space and time to…clear his head." It was the best I could come up with on short notice. "Now everyone find something to do. And act surprised when he walks through the door. Oh, and Jasper," I tried to speak softly enough that the words would be only heard by him. "Don't worry about the emotions you'll be getting from Edward. It's…complicated." I shrugged hoping that would be enough of an explanation for now. His questioning look wasn't promising. "I'll explain it later," I offered taking his hand in mine.
My family raced to occupy themselves. It was a messy situation and we were all being very obvious. But hopefully he will be so distracted that he won't notice. And thirty seconds later the familiar hum of the Volvo's engine sounded in the drive. And three full minutes passed before Edward finally found the courage and walked through the door.
"Edward!" Esme gasped, doing a horrible job of being surprised. Even worse, she shouldn't even be acting surprised he had been waiting in the drive giving us plenty of time to become aware of his presence.
We all studied him as he stood in the doorway unable to move. He acted like a stranger entering the home. His body stayed completely still as he sized up his surroundings. His eyes met mine and I offered him a smile a nod and some encouraging thoughts. It's okay, Edward. Do it.
He closed his eyes and took in a small tentative breath. His body immediately tensed but he stayed rooted in place. Edward opened his eyes, happy in his small victory. He inhaled again, this time much deeper. His body shuddered and his eyes darkened. The entire room tensed with his actions, thinking he was struggling against the bloodlust. I knew better. And I'm sure by now that Jasper knew better as well. In fact, I was sure of it by the way that his breathing quickened and his hand was attempting to crush my own.
Edward looked away from us and focused on the floor. "She's here," Edward growled.
"Upstairs with Emmett," Carlisle offered. "In the guestroom."
"It's so good to have you home, son," Esme smiled and started to approach him but he tensed again. She opened her mouth to apologize but Edward growled louder than the first time and quickly stalked out of the room. Same as my vision.
Everyone stood in stunned silence until Edward was out of earshot. "I told you… time and space. He'll be back and he'll be better. I promise." They continued to stare at me warily. "I told you not to expect anything."
Jasper released a heavy breath and quickly walked towards the front door, pulling me behind him. "We need to talk," he demanded. He led me to my car and demanded that I drive.
"What are we doing?" I asked as I turned left, following his directions.
"What the hell was that back there?" he demanded.
This was going to be fun to explain. And I feel like I shouldn't even be explaining it. But Edward will understand. Jasper already knows half the story. And he is my husband after all. I can't keep secrets from him. Edward knows this. But I will do my best to try. "What do you mean?" I asked innocently.
He rolled his eyes at me as his hand settled on my thigh, gently rubbing my leg through the rough material of the jeans. "Why did it feel like I walked into the middle of an orgy when Edward came through the door?"
"How would you know what an orgy feels like?" I tried to divert his questioning.
He ignored me and gave me some more directions and I followed. "Alice," he growled at me. It wasn't his angry growl. It was shut-up-I-need-to-fuck-wife. I can't resist him when he growls like that.
"Oh," I sighed. "That? I tried to warn you about that." I shrugged. Here goes nothing. "You know all about Edwards struggle with her blood. You've already felt that overpowering bloodlust he struggled with before," Jasper nodded and continued to massage my legs. "Well, he's learned to curb his bloodlust with regular hunting trips. So her blood is less appealing to him now…usually. It kind of eases the power the scent of her blood has over him. But once that problem was satisfied it seems that… he has a little bit of trouble with… well, it's not just the scent of her blood… Ugh," I sigh. It's so hard to concentrate with his hands on me. "I think he's developed a little crush on her."
"Crush?" He raised one eyebrow. "He was giving off more lust than Emmett and Rosalie combined on the anniversary they brought the house down around us in Alaska."
"Is it really that bad?" I questioned, following some more directions.
"Alice, it took every ounce of energy I had to not tear your clothes off and fuck you right there in front of everyone."
"Oh," I gasped. In all the years I had been with Jasper, I could probably count all the times he's cursed on one hand. So when he says things like that, I take him very seriously. And the fact that quiet and shy Jasper even considered taking me against a wall in front of the entire family…well, that says even more.
I turned to him and took notice of his blackened eyes and lustful gaze. And when he looks at me with those black eyes and smoldering look, I take that very seriously. I hadn't anticipated for him to react to Edwards's lust. But I'm not going to complain about it. His hands slid between my thighs and tore the material between my legs. His lips lightly brush against my neck, and if I wasn't turned on before, I certainly am now. One finger slips into the whole in my jeans and he gently strokes me.
"Pull over," He demands. I comply pulling into a parking lot. His finger slips out of me and I immediately pout. "Out," he demands, his voice laden with lust. "We'll need the car to get home. Plus, I know how much you like it. And when I'm through with you, there wouldn't be much left of it to salvage."
My eyes lit up from the promises he was making me. In general Jasper and I were the more quiet and gentle lovers. And I didn't have a problem with that. It was nice and subtle compared to Emmett and Rose that seemed to find joy in damaging and destroying properties. But every once in awhile sweet and subtle won't do. Every once in awhile a girl just needs to be sexed good and hard. This was one of those times.
A quick look around to insure that we were alone and he picked me up and ran us off into the woods. I'm not sure when but sometime during the run he managed to completely shred our clothing. Under normal circumstances I would be furious. He knows better than to destroy my precious clothing without permission. He learned the hard way once. But right now I just can't seem to get angry at him. At least not until the sex is over.
He ran us out into the middle of a dense wood. And there I lost my mind. I had no idea of how much time passed. It could have been mere seconds. It could have been days. But all I know is that it felt wonderful. Our usual was to be soft and gentle and quiet, very human. We had never destroyed a house, maybe a small handful of beds (they just don't make them like they used to). And don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean it isn't great sex. Being with Jasper is utterly amazing. We don't need to boast about our exploits. They are personal and they are private (well as private as it can be in a house full of vampires) but that is just the way we like it. We never felt the need to compete with the others in loudness or the biggest structure they've destroyed. Our love with simple and it was easy. It wasn't boring it was just perfectly us.
But then Jasper was attacked with a tidal wave of lust that completely transformed everything for him. And for us, for that matter. Because what happened in those woods was not the normal for us. But it was absolutely fucking fantastic.
The moment he decided we were a safe enough distance away from the civilized world he threw me against a tree. I heard it splinter and crack and promptly fall to the ground. In that moment I finally understood the trill that Rose and Emmett felt when they destroyed a house. Well, maybe not exactly. They took pleasure in the destruction of something. I just liked finally letting the inner animal take over. The feral look in Jasper's eyes as he pounced on me and entered me with a fierce passion... I will never forget that look. And from there is became indescribable. Our bodies moved so quickly I don't think a human would have been able to see more than a hazy flash of color if we went passed. What they could have heard though... that is again something that I don't think I could describe. We were loud and feral and sounded absurdly dangerous. But again, I loved every second of it.
We weren't satisfied with one fuck. Two didn't do it either. Jasper still felt the effects of Edward's attraction to the girl and it rolled off of his skin and onto mine in powerful waves. And he wasn't able get control of it until we finally climaxed for the fifteenth time. You have to love a vampire's infinite stamina. We rolled onto our sides and stared at each other. "Wow," I breathed softly cuddling into his chest.
"Wow," he answered me with a sly smile. "Remind me to thank Edward when we go home." We laid their basking in the wonderful afterglow of amazing sex, silent as we surveyed the damage we had caused. It was pretty extensive. Scattered over the mile radius we had covered there we several downed trees, some completely uprooted, others cracked in half and one that was nothing more than saw dust after Jasper tried an incredibly acrobatic trick using it as a prop. There was no wildlife to be found for miles. And most impressive was probably the deep trenches that we dug with nothing more than the friction of our moving bodies. It looked as if a tornado had hit the area. And we didn't look much better. We were covered in dirt from head to toe. Bits of rock, leaves, sticks and earth knotted into our hair. "This is going to be fun to explain, huh?" he asked as he tried in vain to brush some dirt from his chest.
"Don't worry, it all works out." I wink at him. Being able to plan for the future is so great.
"Do you ever get sick of knowing everything?" He rolled his eyes and jumped to his feet.
"Of course not! You know me better than that." He helped me to my feet and I take his hand and begin to run.
"The car is the other way," he reminded me as if all that fucking had left me senseless.
"We're not going to the car," I smiled. We ran, weaving through trees and I let my visions guide us carefully across the roads so we would remain undetected. I don't think he figured it out until it was almost to late. We had come to the edge of a steep cliff and jumped in tandem, landing in the ocean. Once we were completely submerged our hands were again all over each other. This time it was more in our typical style, a slow smoldering fire that still ended in amazing fireworks. But it was equally as amazing as the forest was. We never once surfaced. We allowed the currents of the ocean take us where it may because it didn't matter where we were or where we ended up as long as we were together.
XXXXX
When we returned home the house was quiet and almost dark. Emmett and Rose of course were in bed but there was no way they were going to one up us tonight. Carlisle was in his study continuing his research and study on the girl. Esme was running around the house spraying a diluted bleach solution over everything trying to rid the smell of the girl throughout the house to ease some of Edward's discomfort. Not that it would help she was sleeping in the bedroom right beside Edward's. And then there was Edward sitting in the wicker chair on the front patio of the house. Jasper could sense Edward's unease and sent him some happy cheer up vibes as a he kissed me and left me standing in front of Edward alone.
"Could you please reign in your thoughts," Edward pleaded with me. "As if it's not bad enough that I have to suffer from this embarrassing issue but now I understand that I've dragged you and Jasper into it as well."
"Don't worry," I laughed. "We're not complaining."
"Please stop," he begged. "You're not helping."
I settled in the chair beside his and tucked my feet under me. "Have you gone inside yet?"
"No," he sighed. "I'm afraid to go in without any back up."
"I told you that you won't hurt her. You've figured out what gets you so worked up now it's easier to control."
"In theory, I guess. But you saw how I reacted to the faintest hint of her scent. I was wild. I was feral. I attacked Esme for God's sake."
"You were unprepared. Now you know what to expect," I reassured him.
"I don't want to hurt her."
"I know that."
We sat in silence for a few minutes. "Has she been given a name?"
I shook my head. "No, Carlisle calls her Jane Doe. It's been functional for now."
"Bella," he said softly. "I think we should call her Bella."
My smile grew wide. This was a good sign. "I think that is absolutely perfect. Beautiful even." And with that our conversation turned. I asked him about his trip to Denali and made fun of him for breaking the steering wheel before even leaving the city. He cursed me for leaving her clothes in the car. He claimed they haven't helped him like I said they would but the fact that he is sitting here instead of having his way with her (both body and blood) was a clear sign that it did help him. "I think it's time for you to face the music. And please tell Esme to lay off the bleach."
"I'm not ready," Edward argued.
"Yes, you are." I grab his hand and try to force him to his feet. "I've seen it. We walk inside and cringe at how much it stinks. They leave you alone you play your piano and all is well."
"Until I see her," he shuddered at the very thought of it.
"We will worry about that in the morning when it comes. But trust me, it will work out. Carlisle and Emmett will be on Bella duty and I will help you. Though I think that I will leave you to your own devices when you need... to find your release."
"God Alice, do you have to watch everything?" Edward cringed as he got to his feet.
"It's not like I mean to. You told me to watch out for her and I had to make sure you wouldn't eat her and in the process I stumbled onto... never mind. It's perfectly natural. It's good to see you having sexual interest finally. I was beginning to worry."
"Do we have to discuss this?" I shrugged. It really wasn't a big deal. I could see his thoughts and he could read mine. There really weren't many secrets between the two of us. I walked in the house first and he followed. "It really does stink in here."
"I told you so." I stuck my tongue out at Edward. "Now please tell Esme that you can handle Bella's scent but not the bleach. This has to end. If this continues she's going to ruin everything including my new clothes!" I called over my shoulder but she continued to spray away.
The family didn't fawn over Edward. In fact no one acknowledged him at all for the moment allowing him to ease his way back in at a slow and steady pace. I sit beside Jasper on the couch. Edward rested on his piano bench and his fingers found the keys immediately. I listened to the tune I didn't recognize it immediately. It's not a famous piece. It's not one that he's composed. But I recognized the soft notes and searched my memory for it. A smile crept up on my face as I recalled a vision I had. He was on the piano bench with Bella sitting beside him. Her head rested on his left arm a look of amazed wonder on her face as she watched his fingers expertly pluck at the notes of this very song. His eyes didn't look at the keys, there is no need for him to, but instead he looked at her with a look of protective adoration and his eyes never traveled from her face. She met his gaze and they both smiled warmly. It's actually really sweet. Like a scene from a classic romantic film. Two people that just realized they have fallen madly in love with one another.
"Goddamn it!" Edward shouted, jumping up from his piano bench. Jasper's hand tightened around my arm and I could feel a ripple of lust shoot through me. Poor, Jazz. I'm sure everyone in the house felt that one. Rose and Em didn't mind, I'm sure. But I heard the bottle of bleach fall from Esme's hand just before she ran to find Carlisle. I hope the sex distracts them from asking Jasper what the hell that was for.
I suppressed my urge to strip Jasper and fuck him wildly, again, there were things that needed to be done first. I focused on the new vision that begins to unravel. Edward in the woods he ignored the animals that he passed as he ran faster than I have ever seen him run before. He ran to an unfamiliar place, a small clearing in the woods and collapses. His pants shred as he immediately grabs himself. I try to ignore the rest for both Edward's sake and mine. "Keep your fucking thoughts to yourself," he seethed as he glares at me.
Sorry, I thought as I watched him run out the back door to fulfill my latest vision.
Jasper's lips kissed my neck softly. "It's so strong I can't contain it," he explained, his hands roaming over my breasts. "It's worse than being near Rosalie and Emmett on their anniversary weekends," he mumbled through kisses. "Not that I should be complaining but it's so distracting. No one is ever going to be able to get anything done around here until he finds a way to..." I forced him to stop when I pressed my lips to his in a hungry kiss. We'll figure that out later. Right now I'm more worried about fucking my husband.
