Please don't kill me! I tried to update yesterday, but fanfic wouldn't let me. I'm really sorry!
Chapter 7 – Past and Present (Jasper's POV)
Somebody please save me before I die of boredom. I can't believe my luck. I was stuck having dinner with my parents' friends Amun and Tia, their son, Benjamin, and his wife, Kebi. While I enjoyed their company and was fascinated by their stories of life in Egypt, tonight I wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here.
"Tell me, do you three know the Brandon family?" Amun asked. The name struck a familiar chord in my mind, but I couldn't place it.
"No, I don't think we do," my father said.
"Oh, that's a shame," Tia said. "They are lovely people."
"Do they have children?" my mother asked.
"I believe so," Benjamin said. "Four of them. Two sons, but they both are married already and don't live in Forks."
"And two daughters," Kebi added. "Both very beautiful girls. The elder daughter's name is Cynthia, but I can't remember the younger girl's name. Something with an A…" Suddenly, I realized why the name Brandon was so familiar and who the younger daughter was.
"Alice," I said to everyone's surprise. "Her name is Alice."
"Oh, that's right. Alice," Kebi said. "How did you know that, Jasper?"
"Carlisle and Esme introduced us at a party several weeks ago," I answered.
"How old are Alice and Cynthia?" my father asked.
"Alice is about Jasper's age, and Cynthia is a few years older. She got married a few years ago to the tailor's oldest son," Amun said.
"They just had their second child last month," Tia added. "A daughter. Their son is now four, soon to be five."
"How nice," my mother said. "While we're on the topic of children, Kebi, are you and Benjamin considering children yet?"
"Well…" Kebi said, looking unsurely at Benjamin. "Benjamin and I actually have some news."
"Yes?" prodded Amun.
Kebi hesitated. Benjamin took her hand and smiled at her. "I'm… I'm pregnant," Kebi said.
"Congratulations," we all cried. The adults began asking Benjamin and Kebi questions galore about everything. I tuned them out and prayed that this would soon be over.
The next day…
"Jasper, dear, could you come here for a minute?" my mother called.
I hurried to the sitting room. "Yes, mother, father?"
"Jasper, you mother and I were wondering if you would object to us inviting the Brandons over for dinner tomorrow night. From what Amun, Tia, Benjamin, and Kebi said, they are lovely people and we would like to meet them," my father said.
I couldn't believe my ears. My parents wanted to invite Alice and her family over for dinner? "I would love that," I said. "Would you two mind if I sent a letter to Alice inviting them?"
"Not at all," my mother said. I smiled and raced upstairs. I grabbed a pen and paper from my desk and began to write. Dear Alice, I wrote. I was at a friend's house for dinner last night, and your family was brought up. Of course, I immediately thought of you, and how long it has been since we last saw each other. I then remember you mentioning that you thought our families would benefit from meeting each other. I agree whole-heartedly; therefore, it would be my pleasure if you and your parents would join me and my parents for dinner tomorrow night. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Jasper. Satisfied, I raced downstairs and had a messenger send the letter.
I sat in the sitting room, discussing the latest news from the Civil War with my parents when our butler came in and handed me a letter. Immediately I opened it and was delighted to find a response from Alice. Dear Jasper, she wrote. I am flattered that the mention of my family immediately brings me to your mind. I'm also flattered that you remember the night we first met so well. I am thrilled that you agree with my statement from that night. I would like to accept your invitation for dinner tomorrow night. My family and I will be at your house at 5 o'clock for supper. Until then, Alice. I smiled as I read it.
"Good news, Jasper?" my father asked.
"Wonderful news," I replied. "The Brandons will be over at five o'clock tomorrow for dinner."
"How wonderful," my mother said. "I'd better go talk to our chef about the menu." She hurried off.
My father eyed me speculatively. "You seem very excited by the news, Jasper. Is there a reason you are so eager to see Alice again?"
"Well," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Alice is a caring person. She understands the difficulties we faced back home in Texas. I trust her."
My father nodded. "I think I understand now."
The next day…
At five o'clock sharp, I heard carriage wheels rumbling up the driveway. Doors opened and shut and I heard voices from the entrance hall. The next thing I knew, there was a knock on my bedroom door. I raced over and opened it to see our butler. "Mr. Whitlock, your guests are here." I nodded my thanks and hurried to find my parents. Together, we proceeded to the sitting room. When we entered, I found Alice studying a painting hanging right by the entrance. I was about to speak to her when my mother spoke.
"So you must be Alice Brandon," she said with a big smile. Alice turned.
"That would be me," she answered in her gorgeous soprano voice. She stepped forward and kissed my mother's cheeks. "How did you know?"
"Jasper described you perfectly," my mother answered. "I thought he was exaggerating, of course, but you are as beautiful as he said." I blushed. I could not believe my mother had said that. A quick look at Alice confirmed that she was blushing too.
"Mother," I said in a strangled voice. Alice looked at me and laughed softly, no doubt finding my blush amusing.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Alice," my father said. "I've heard many lovely things about you from my son." I felt my cheeks flame again.
"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Whitlock," she said. "May I introduce my parents?" My parents stepped around Alice to shake hands with her parents. She waited long enough to ensure they were occupied, then turned to me. I took her hand and kissed her fingertips, lingering longer than I should have. Fortunately, she didn't stop me.
"It's so lovely to see you again, Alice," I said. "You look beautiful, as always."
"Thank you, Jasper. It's wonderful to see you again, too," she answered.
"So what piece of art had you so utterly fascinated before?" I asked.
"It was the portrait of you," she confessed, looking embarrassed. I laughed and opened my mouth to respond. Unfortunately, at that exact second, our butler appeared and announced that dinner was served. Like a good Southern gentleman, I offered Alice my arm and we walked to the dining room together. I helped her into her seat and then sat down next to her. All of us immediately fell into a conversation about the current politics. To my surprise, Alice was well informed about what was going in and always had something intelligent to say. It amazed me to no end.
Towards the end of dinner, we started discussing family origins. "Mrs. Whitlock, I noticed all three of you bear a Southern accent," Mrs. Brandon commented. "Where in the South are you from?"
"We're originally from Texas," my mother replied.
"Why did you leave?" Mr. Brandon asked.
"Our family has had some bad histories with wars, and we didn't want our only son to have to face the horrors of battle," my father replied.
"I see what Alice meant when she said our families were alike," Mr. Brandon said. "Our family too has had a bad history with war. We too escaped from our home to save our children."
"We're from Mississippi," Alice clarified.
My parents looked at Mr. Brandon. "What do you mean, children?" my father asked.
"The men of our family are not the only ones who have suffered due to wartime," Mr. Brandon answered somberly. "My mother – Alice's grandmother – was unfortunately raped by an American soldier during the War of 1812." I was stunned. The shock I felt was echoed on my parents' faces. I thought about the story my father had told me about my grandfather. It was no secret in the family that he had raped a poor young woman in Mississippi while serving in the army during the War of 1812. But what were the odds that it was Alice grandmother who he had raped? Just because all the facts lined up didn't mean it was true. It could easily have been someone else. Alice looked at me, puzzled, and I looked away. Tactfully, she changed the subject.
The rest of the meal passed without incident and soon we were heading back towards the sitting room for coffee. As we walked, Alice looked over at me. "You know, Jasper, your family has such a lovely house," she cooed.
"Thank you Alice," I said with a smile. I realized that I had a window of opportunity to get to spend a little time with Alice and I seized it immediately. "Would you like a tour?"
"I would love that," she said.
I looked over at our parents. "Would anyone care to join us?" I asked. The adults declined. I turned back to Alice. "I guess it's just you and me," I said and she smiled. I began showing her around my home, pointing out various things of interest, like paintings or sculptures. After we finished the main house, I led her outside to the gardens and began showing her them. We winded through beautiful flower bushes and tall hedges until we reached a small fountain. Around this fountain were several benches. I led her towards one and we sat down. For a little while, neither of us spoke. I thought over what had happened at dinner in my mind. Out of nowhere, something came to me. Why was this the first time I was hearing about Alice's grandmother? She had said that she had trusted me that night, but she hadn't told me the whole story. I felt anger bubbling in me.
"Alice, do you remember the first night we met?" I asked her, trying to stay calm.
"Yes," she said.
"And do you remember what we talked about?" I said softly, watching her. She nodded. I turned away from her and continued to speak. "I was so shocked when I first met you, Alice. I had never seen you before, didn't even know your name, but there was still this undeniable feeling of trust between us. I knew I could trust you and that you trusted me." I looked at her, my anger leaking out. "And now, I find out that you didn't even trust me enough to tell me the whole story!" She gasped and I looked away from her.
For a few seconds, Alice didn't speak. "Jasper, I'm sorry," she began. "I should have told you about my grandmother when we met. You're right. But there's a reason I didn't tell you this when we met. There was a piece of information my parents didn't disclose when they told the story, however brief. You see," I heard her fighting for control of her voice and I looked at her. "We know the name of the soldier who…" she faltered. "Who raped my grandmother." I looked up and saw tears silently falling down her cheeks. I pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She took it and began to dry her eyes.
"What was the soldier's name?" I asked her. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I was already sure that it was my grandfather – why else would she be reluctant to tell me? – but I wanted confirmation.
She swallowed and hesitating. "Private Whitlock," she whispered finally. She looked up at me and seemed surprised by my calm demeanor.
"Alice, do you remember the very first thing you said to me the first time we met?" I asked her.
She hesitated. "I asked you why you had rescued me from Mr. Yorkie," she answered.
"Do you remember my answer?"
"You said that the way he was acting was no way to treat a lady like me."
"What if there was another reason?" Alice looked up at me, surprised. I reached out and took her hands in mine before continuing. "Alice, it was never a secret in my family that my grandfather had raped someone during his service in the War of 1812. When he came home, he was very proud of what he had done. He was proud that he had raped this poor girl from Mississippi. My great-grandmother was shocked. When my grandfather married and had my father, she made sure that he was raised to respect women. She wanted to ensure that he wouldn't do what my grandfather did. When he was old enough, she explained the story to him and told him that if he had a son, he was to do the same thing she did for him." I stopped for a second and looked at her, gauging her reaction to all this. "My dad was horrified by his father's actions. When I was born, he was terrified I would become like my grandfather. He took every precaution to ensure that I would never mistreat a woman in my life. That's why I had to rescue you from Mr. Yorkie. Watching him brought the story of my grandfather's actions back to my mind. I was appalled that anyone would be so impolite to a woman, especially one like you. I always make sure that I'm polite to any female I meet. I guess it's because I think that I can remedy my grandfather's actions through my own. It's kind of foolish, really."
"I don't think it's foolish," she told me.
"You don't?" I asked, surprised.
"On the contrary, I think it's very smart. It shows that you're a true gentleman. Besides, if you weren't such a gentleman, we wouldn't be here. Together." She looked up at me, waiting for my response.
I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled her closer, so she was sitting in my lap, and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned her head against my shoulder and I smiled. We sat like this for a while as the sky got progressively darker. Finally, I spoke. "I think we should go back inside," I told her. Reluctantly, she lifted her head off my shoulder. He dropped his arms and I climbed off of his lap. We walked back inside. Rejoining the adults, we talked for another hour before Alice's parents decided it was time for them to go. We went outside to wait for their carriage. When it came, Mr. and Mrs. Brandon said their goodbyes and entered the carriage. Alice said goodbye to my parents before turning to me.
"Thank you for inviting us, Jasper," Alice said. "Supper was lovely and I had a fabulous time."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Alice," I said as I brought her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingertips. "I hope I can see you again soon."
"I'm sure we can arrange that," she said with a smile. I smiled back at her and helped her into her carriage. They set off and I remained in my spot, watching them until they rounded the corner and disappeared. Turning back towards the house, I bade my parents good night and went upstairs to Alice-filled dreams.
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! Also, I have a new story out: a one-shot song-fic based around "Never Think" by Rob Pattinson. The title's 'Never Think'. Shocker, huh? Anways, go check it out and review!
xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212
