Alice stepped back as the first vampire scrutinized them. His golden eyes flicked over Alice vaguely, but they lingered momentarily on Jasper. Jasper became self conscious, straightening himself out. Alice smiled brightly, and Jasper assessed the mood around them. The blond vampire, who Jasper assumed was either Edward or Carlisle, hid his shock and curiosity well. Jasper nodded to him, and then continued to the female behind him. She was young looking, her skin the same alabaster tone as Jasper's. Her golden eyes flitted nervously about Jasper, and he could feel the pity she emitted. Obviously, she noticed his scars.
Alice continued on with her plan. "Hello, Carlisle. Hello, Esme." She waved her small hand in the air, then let it drop to her side. Jasper shifted uncomfortably in the silence, and another wave of shock floated around them.
Carlisle regained his composure and grinned. "Hello, there." He still looked slightly uncomfortable, with two strange vampires appearing at their doorstep. One giant, battle scarred freak, and a short, bubbly pixie. Alice nodded.
"I'm Alice. And this is Jasper Whitlock." Jasper could not speak, so he tipped his head gently. Esme smiled, the shock being slowly replaced by a maternal and hospitable emotion. "This must be confusing for you, yes," Alice mused, " but don't worry. I will take the liberty to explain."
Carlisle felt humor. "Go ahead, Miss Alice… What is your last name, dear?" Carlisle murmured.
"Ah, it's all part of the story, Carlisle." Alice squeezed Jasper's hand, and Esme noticed. She was surprised at Alice and Jasper's close bond. She hadn't known many others beside her own coven.
"Do come in," Esme said politely. She waved a loose strand of caramel hair from her face and stepped aside. Carlisle followed, and despite their bedraggled appearance, allowed Alice and Jasper inside their warm, open home. Jasper almost felt sheepish as they stepped into the pristine environment. Esme led them into an open room with hardwood floors. A calendar on the wall stated that the date was February 14, 1949. Jasper sighed, stealing a glance at Alice. It had been so long, yet their time together had felt like so little. Did she know the date? He'd have to do something. He was constantly reminded every year the way a couple felt on this day. It sickened him really, knowing that he didn't have a significant other. But now that he had Alice…
"Have a seat, you two." Esme murmured politely, motioning to a few wicker chairs by a long window. The pitter patter of the rain increased to a more whipping sound as the wind ripped through the forest. It drummed against the deck outside, and it caused the windows to shake slightly. Alice took her seat in the chair, pulling Jasper along. Jasper folded himself to fit in the chair and waited for Carlisle to enter the room.
Carlisle settled himself on a recliner, and Esme bustled about the house, bringing towels to drape over both Alice and Jasper. Alice pulled hers around her shoulders.
"Let's wait for Rosalie, shall we?" She said, as if she'd know Rosalie for ages. Carlisle, his mood baffled again, nodded. Esme smiled.
"Of course, Alice. Whatever you like. Rosalie?" He turned his head vaguely towards the spiral staircase behind him. "Rosalie, would you please come down here? There is an interesting pair waiting for you." Interesting pair huh, Jasper thought to himself. He smiled to himself.
A tall, beautiful woman came tentatively down the stairs, her perfect lips curled into a forced smile. Her blond hair was up in a bun at the nape of her neck, and a few blond curls framed her perfect face. Her familiar golden eyes swept the room, meeting Alice, then to Jasper. Her emotions we're defensive, as if she'd put up a brick wall to block them. She felt nothing. It was as if seeing two freak vampire copy-cats was normal. She removed a hand from her well-worn magazine and waved.
"Rosalie," Carlisle began, "this is Alice and Jasper." Carlisle motioned to Alice, then to Jasper. Carlisle then beckoned Rosalie to the armrest of the recliner.
"Hello Rosalie. Or should I call you Rose? Because I've heard Emmett mention that name plenty of times…" Jasper felt the brick wall of emotions fall. Rosalie was confused and shocked, and then a little worried. Jasper understood, how could Alice know about her most personal moments with Emmett? Carlisle was looking intently at Rose, and Esme held onto his hand, her attention focused on Alice.
"Of course you all are wondering how I knew you. How I can know your names, your lives, your loves and losses. I have precognition, you see. It's subjective to what the subject- which in this case was the Cullen family- chooses and changes. My past is not important, because I honestly didn't have a past that I know of. My human memory is dim, like staring into the blackness hidden underneath your eyelids." Rosalie closed her eyes for half a second. "To make more sense of how Jasper and I know each other, and how we know you, allow me to start from the beginning."
Esme nodded, and Carlisle smiled in anticipation. Rosalie was still cautious, but she was more curious than cautious. Alice continued. "I had seen Jasper, who was at the time just a blond headed mystery boy, while I was walking down the streets a few days after I had been changed. The life was a mystery to me still. I knew what I was, but I didn't want to believe it. Tales of vampires and immortal beings were things that got us sent to insane asylums in my time." Alice looked down, clearly bothered. "It wasn't something new; I had experienced my visions in my human life. That is one of the few things I can remember. But this vision was so startling. I didn't understand why it was Jasper that showed up in the vision. He had never seen me, and neither had I. It was a freak accident."
"But after that one vision, my eyes were for Jasper. I spent my days trying to get a glimpse of him. A glimpse of his future, his path, just to see him. I spent my nights looking for him. Understand that I looked pathetic, looking for something that you didn't even really see clearly." She glanced at Jasper. "It was just a few months ago when I met him. I was in a diner in Philadelphia, sitting at the bar with untouched food on a plate before me. The bartender was a greasy man with thick fingers and patches of bald hair on his head. He ducked into the kitchen when the bell of the diner chimed. It let in a cool breeze, and the very few humans in the diner all moved. I could hear their movement, but I was more content on focusing on the drumming rain the hit the roof above me. My eyes recognized the setting around me, and I registered a past vision that I had encountered ages ago. I turned around quickly, seeing if it were him. Seeing if Jasper, my true love, had finally appeared to me."
"I was happy-no, jubilant- to see that the tall, blond soldier standing before me, drenched from the rain. I hopped off the plush red barstool and walked over to him. 'You've kept me waiting a long time,' I said. Jasper ducked his head and said: 'I'm sorry ma'am'. After that, I told him this exact story. But I mentioned you all, though it included Edward and Emmett, too. I told him about how I saw myself with you all, the golden eyed coven. Jasper and I traveled from Texas to meet you, and I'd like to know now what room I can move into."
Carlisle laughed, not rudely, but he was just surprised (once again) at her straightforwardness. Esme was all for it, she already loved Alice. Rosalie said nothing, but felt angry. Jasper thought he could figure out why. Who were they to intrude on their happy lives and just drop into the family?
Carlisle looked at Esme. "Well, Alice, Jasper, I'm not so sure how this will work out. But honestly, I believe you. And if this is something you've seen, well, I believe you." Jasper looked up, surprised. "And well then, Alice and Jasper, welcome to the Cullen Family." He stood up, and Alice jumped up from her seat, wrapping her arms around his waist. Carlisle was taken aback, but smiled and patted her back. Jasper shook Carlisle's hand.
"You don't know how much this means to her," he murmured as they both watched Alice, Rosalie, and Esme pad up the stairs. "She's been hanging on this for months."
"I would imagine." Carlisle mused. 'How did she know about Emmett and Edward when they are out hunting?"
"Alice saw all of you in a vision a while back. She's so ahead of the future I'm afraid she'll end up encountering the next forty years. But that's Alice; she can keep a secret. Maybe she already knows the meaning of life, but it's locked away in her heart." Jasper sighed.
Carlisle laughed. "I doubt she can hide it for much longer. Edward is 'gifted', too. He can read minds. It's amusing at times, but it does get pretty old at times. He's too smart, and we can't keep anything from him. No secrets are kept in this family, but it doesn't matter, because he's always hidden away studying or playing the piano." Carlisle pointed towards a massive grand piano, the black glossy finish shining in the warm lights around the pale room.
"Well, Alice believes I have a power. I do too, but I haven't quite mastered it yet." Jasper felt like he could trust Carlisle. He was a nice man. "I have the power to manipulate emotions around me. I have enough power to make someone succumb to pressure, or to just change their feelings. I needed it while Alice and I traveled. She would talk so much, but I wanted quiet. So I made her feel peaceful for a few moments. She would stop talking, and even though I didn't use it any more, she was quiet."
"That's quite the talent." Carlisle said, his voice impressed. He nodded to himself. "How about you go upstairs and pick you room? I'm sure you'd need one to keep all your stuff."
"We don't have anything but the clothes on our backs." Jasper murmured sheepishly.
"That's quite alright. I'm sure Rose can take you to get a new wardrobe one of these days." Carlisle stood up and left Jasper, following Esme upstairs. Rosalie came wandering down the stairs and gingerly set a box of albums onto the hard wood floors. She pivoted and retreated back upstairs as quickly as she came.
Alice, who was following behind her, put on her best Rosalie face and marched down the stairs, kicking out her legs and pointing her bare feet to resemble Rosalie's 'martyr march'. Jasper laughed and took the box of even more albums from her hands. He stacked it on top of the identical cardboard box and took her hand. "I chose my room." Alice said as she skipped down the hallway.
She led Jasper to a large room, with forest green walls and perfect white carpet. There was one window that almost completely covered the wall, and the room was up high enough that it brushed the tops of the small evergreen trees that bordered the house. Jasper traces a golden leaf design that was engraved on the wall, letting his fingers wander over the hills and slopes of the intricate design. "Alice, this is beautiful." He murmured.
"It was Edwards room." She said smugly. She pushed another box full of records into the hallways and shut the door, flopping onto the bed and closing her eyes. Her fingers played with the plain green sheet. "But one thing I don't get is the fact that they have beds in here. We don't sleep, and we definitely don't get exhausted…"
"Props, maybe?" Jasper murmured, still glancing out the sliding door window. He looked down and saw just a tiny gap of space between the house and the woods. He looked up, scanning the area. It was unfamiliar and the weather hadn't been good. Jasper did not like the thick grey clouds that rolled through the sky and hung low against the distant horizon. Some clouds were low enough that the misty fog hovered just above the tips of the trees. It was cold, and there was no sunlight. Jasper liked sunlight, especially in Texas.
Alice rolled over onto her back, looking up at the white ceiling. "I guess." She gripped the cherry bed posts. "Jasper…? What do you really think about this place?" Jasper could tell that Alice was preparing herself for the worst.
"Would you like the truth?" Jasper murmured, making his way to the bed. Alice nodded. Jasper bit his lip and sat next to her. "I think this is absolutely mad." His eyes looked towards the window. Alice did not breathe next to him. "The weather is awful, the family seems a bit weird, and knowing we'll have to act human feels very unreal and confining. And what are we going to do all day?"
"Jasper, I didn't know-"
"But, Alice, there is one or two things I guess I could learn to like here. I mean, for once, we can wander outside during the day. And there is a forest right by here; we don't have to travel long to find food. Alice, I think this will work. No- I believe it will. I trust you and your crazy visions, and I sure won't ever take them for granted. I'm going to stay with you no matter how much this life hurts me."
Jasper took Alice's hand and touched his lips to it. She smiled radiantly, and he grinned. "Promise, my overprotective fool?"
"Yes of course, my muy pequeño monster." A door downstairs clicked open, and both Alice and Jasper looked towards the direction of the doorway. "Edward?" Jasper murmured.
Alice nodded excitedly. "And Emmett." She got off the bed and wandered downstairs to repeat her story.
Jasper was left wondering: Would they be accepted?