THE ALICE BRANDON RECOVERY PROGRAM

They Never Fight.

Jasper's parents went away for the weekend so they took the opportunity to break in his bed, which didn't seem so cold and strange anymore as he lay on it shirtless, with Alice perched on top of him, stretched out across his abdomen. They could lie comfortably like this for hours: more perks of Alice being tiny. She rested her pointy chin on his chest and tipped her head up to listen to him fool around with his mouth organ, feeling his stomach rise and fall underneath her as he blew out his best attempt at a little Dylan, the instrumental of 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'.

Jasper ran his free hand back and forth over the curve of her ass, lightly massaging her lower back, as he played. Tilting her head to the side, Alice saw the map. It covered most of the wall by his window and she wondered how she hadn't noticed it before. She studied it for a while, reading each of the pinpointed destinations highlighted with dates and looking at the calendar where he was crossing off the days counting down.

Jasper stopped playing and looked down at the top of her head when she got all quiet. He knew that meant a girl thing was up.

She just said, "Oh," very softly and rolled off him.

"Al?" he asked. But she didn't say anything and curled on her side, facing away from him. Her shoulders, that had been so relaxed a second ago, tensed up.

He put his hand on her shoulder his thumb rubbing the tension out and at the same time trying to turn her to face him, but she shook it off and jumped up keeping her back to him, crossing her arms over her bare chest and wishing she was wearing more than Jasper's briefs.

"Al?" he asked again, getting annoyed. She was never like this. Alice wasn't a moody girl; she was straightforward and open and usually very happy. It was what he liked about her. They were so comfortable and relaxed just a second ago, what could he possibly have done? He swung his feet to the floor, groaning in annoyance.

"What?" she squeaked, whipping around to face him. His eyes widened as she looked at the same time terrifying and so vulnerable.

"I'm not crying!" she insisted fiercely, tears in her eyes, hands balled into fists.

"Al, what's wrong?" he frowned, tossing his head to shake his shaggy hair out of his face.

"I'm mad at you," she growled. That was probably the first or second time she'd ever said it.

"Why?" Jasper raised his open palms, confused, practically begging to find out what he could have possibly done.

She pointed at the wall, not looking him in the eye.

"That microbus idea. It's stupid!" she turned away from him again, because she didn't want him to see her crying like this. Like a dumb, moody girl, which she knew Jasper hated and she knew she wasn't. But she couldn't help it right now. Her heart hurt.

"No it's not!" Jasper answered, defensively. "It's my dream."

"Well, it's a stupid dream," she shot back, snatching up one of his dirty t-shirts from the end of his bed and pulling it on because she didn't want to be half naked for this.

Jasper was surprised how much it hurt him when she talked shit about his dream. He didn't give a shit when his parents and friends laughed at it, but suddenly when Alice said it he got mad. Jasper, who rarely raised his voice, practically yelled,

"Well I don't give a fuck how dumb you think it is! I'm still going!"

He and Alice never fought.

They never even disagreed in the slightest especially now that they were fucking again. Fucking and dating, like a normal couple. Except not at all normal because it was them. 'Making love,' Alice called it now, on days when she was being serious. When she was being silly she called it 'Alice and Jazz's sexy time.' Jasper hadn't quite reached the point where he could call it either one of those things without feeling nauseated, but he whispered romantic shit to her in the dark while they snuggled. Only in the dark, because he blushed from head to toe and felt like a five year old girl. He meant every word though.

But now out of nowhere she was trying to stop him from living his dream. What the fuck? Is this what it was going to be like now they were dating?

"Jasper Whitlock!" she yelled back, "You are not leaving me to have an affair with a fucking microbus."

He blinked for a second, realization hitting him. "Baby, you're invited," he grinned at her, the panic over.

"Oh," she said feeling suddenly relieved and then silly.

Then, "OH," as the reality of the invitation hit her.

Three months living out of a van. Could she do that? The practical side of Alice, the side that got up every morning at 6am to blow dry and style her hair for school and pick out a perfectly coordinating outfit that matched her mood screamed no way.

Of course this was irrelevant because there was no way her heart would let her go one day without Jasper, let alone three months.

And it was his dream. She couldn't ask him not to go. He'd valiantly struggled with his biggest personal demon, excessive meaningless fucking, for three months for her. So that she could have her dream of dating like a real couple. Surely she could bring herself to live in a fucking van. It might be cool, like a movie. And very romantic, just them and the road. She could totally do it. As long as she didn't think about the -

"'Course you are," Jasper interrupted her thought process, "I wouldn't wana be without you for three months."

Had she really thought he was gona drive off and leave her? Fuck, how could he have let her hurt like that? What an idiot he was for not telling her sooner. He wasn't sure when exactly he'd decided that 'making love' was gona be added to the agenda for the trip but, just like Alice, it had kind of insinuated itself into his plans without him really thinking too much about it.

"Good, me neither," she answered, a happy little burst fluttering in her chest from his words. "I don't know if I could," she added, smiling shyly at the confession and his chest constricted a bit.

"Besides, it's not like you'd take up much room," he joked, to ease the intense grown up feelings that she made happen inside him.

Alice was barely listening though. Her mind was working overtime, trying to decide if she could bring herself to do this.

"I really have to LIVE in a VAN?" she asked finally, looking adorably tragic about it.

"It's a microbus," he chuckled low.

Of course she was worried, he should have realized she would be. Alice was the girly-est girl he knew. Even Rosalie got her hands dirty, but as much as she'd deny it, Alice was a princess.

"Same thing," she shot back, twisting her little hands in the bottom of his dirty t-shirt.

"Hey, I had to go all abstinent and normal for you," he defended, realizing he'd have to talk her into it. Because he definitely wasn't going without her,

"I take you on dates every motherfucking weekend. Now it's my turn to put you through hell," he growled, but his eyes were twinkling a little so she knew he wasn't really mad. And he HAD been so sweet to her the past few months, worked so hard to get in her pants.

"The abstinence was just as tough on me, you know," she pouted, jumping back on the bed.

Now that the danger of him leaving her was gone, she was back to her playful self, although mildly terrified of living on a microbus.

"Oh, now she says that," he chuckled, tugging his dirty t-shirt off her (because he loved her bare chest against his and she loved wearing his shit, she pretty much just wore his underwear when they were in bed or hanging out - his underwear were the size of short pyjamas on her) and lying back down.

"I could have put you out of your misery any time, Al," he winked. But he didn't grab her ass like the old Jazz would have, only wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her back on top of him, holding her close.

"Wasn't it worth it though?" she looked up at him through her bangs, poking her tongue out, "Isn't it nice to be DATING like normal people?"

Jasper bent his head to suck her tongue into his mouth and kissed her for a minute before answering. He was being as gentlemanly as he could now they were 'dating' but that was unfair temptation.

"I guess," he mumbled, pulling away from her mouth. "Pretty much the same. Except a little more expensive," he chuckled low as she swatted him, his chest vibrating beneath her.

Then his eyes got all big and soft, "I always cared about you, Al, even when I didn't show it well," he brushed his knuckles across her cheek.

"I know," she hummed, feeling so precious under his fingers. Who was she kidding, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for this idiot.

"So, road trip?" She smiled reluctantly, and Jasper whooped with victory and punched the air.

(Chapter 18 of TTAB from "THREE MONTHS LATER" until "EPILOGUE" fits here.)