A/N - Thank you for all the kind words regarding the last chapter...I know things have been dark, but I promise it won't always be that way...
ChangedbyEdward, love you more than apple pie, bb...thanks for being the best freaking beta and friend ever...smooches!
Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.
Well, I'm tired and so weary
But I must go along
Till the lord will come and call, call me away, oh yeah
Well the morning's so bright
And the Lamb is the light
And the night, night is as black as the sea, oh yes
(alt lyric: 'and the night, night is as fair as the day, oh yes')
(There will be peace in the valley for me, some day)
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
(There'll be no sadness, no sorrow, my Lord,
no trouble, trouble I see)
There will be peace in the valley for me
Well the bear will be gentle
And the wolf will be tame
And the lion shall lay down, down by the lamb, oh yes
And the beasts from the wild
Shall be led by a child
And I'll be changed, changed from this creature that I am, oh yes
(There will be peace in the valley for me, some day)
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
(There'll be no sadness, no sorrow, oh my Lordy, no trouble, trouble I see)
There will be peace in the valley for me, [for me]
- Elvis Presley -
(Angela's POV)
A hum of melancholy seemed to take over the tiny town I had once called home. The weather matched the sentiment; dark burly clouds blew in from the coast to hang heavily over the sombre cemetery as all of Forks seemed to congregate under dark umbrellas to say farewell to my father.
I knew that he had always been a well-respected member of the community, but the overwhelming outpour of sympathy and condolences to the remaining members of my human family soothed the sorrow in my heart when I could not actually be with them to say goodbye.
Instead, I hid myself high in the trees, completely masked to the human eye, yet close enough to hear the sound of the hymns as they echoed from the open windows of the tiny church I had loved as a child. Reverend McMillan, a dear friend of my parents, had flown in to take the service and I smiled as I listened to the various stories he told of my father to the congregation. Their friendship had been selfless and true and it pleased me to know that they had stayed in touch, especially after I was abducted.
It took everything in me not to run into the church when I heard the gentle tears of my mother multiply as the Reverend spoke of the bond that I had shared with my father and the devastation that he and my mother had endured when I disappeared. I gripped the branches of the evergreen tightly, wrapping my body against the trunk of the cedar as if tethering myself to it. Revealing myself to her was an impossibility; I could not risk the lives of everyone I loved to offer something that would most likely terrify rather than comfort.
For a moment I regretted not allowing Jasper to come with me; his calming vibes would definitely have been of benefit. Relief came swiftly however, when I heard the opening notes of my father's favourite hymn. The soothing lyrics of "Peace in the Valley" brought memories of my father playing Elvis Presley records late into the evening. Although he had many of his albums, he cherished the gospel recordings more than anything else and it was fitting that my mother had chosen to send him home with his favourite.
Perching even higher amongst the dark green boughs, I watched them lower my father to his final resting place, raindrops falling in reflection of the tears that now fell freely amongst the mourners. Soft murmurs spoken, delicate roses left in farewell; I silently witnessed it all as my mother and family acknowledged each gesture. At last, only a few remained and I clutched my fist to my mouth as my mother finally allowed herself a private moment. Pressing her lips to the rose she held, she whispered a goodbye and dropped the bloom onto the casket. She moved away but turned back suddenly and I froze against the cedar as her eyes seemed to search the sky for answers.
A gentle breeze stole through the now empty cemetery and I watched her raise her face to the heavens, a hint of a smile dancing against her lips as she told my father to look after me. And then she was gone - her name silent on my lips and with venom burning against my eyelids, I said my goodbye to her as well.
I remained in the trees until twilight, the light breeze brushing softly against my skin, the raindrops offering the tears I was unable to shed. I was relieved to know that my father was at peace at last and that he knew that I had survived…at least in a sense. I hated that I could not offer my mother the same closure, but the afternoon's events gave me the odd comfort that she had made her own peace and I could give her nothing more than that. It wasn't as if I could reappear after all this time and be a part of the family. The past was the past and I had to accept it as such.
Dropping silently to the ground, I made my way through the shadows and found my way to my father's grave. I had watched the pallbearers take their turns filling in the ground where he lay, finally blanketing it with the floral arrangements before taking their leave. I plucked a lone flower that lay off to the side and held the delicate blossom to my lips, kissing it gently before laying it amongst the others.
"Goodbye, Daddy. I will never forget." As if in answer, the wind picked up and I knew it was time to return home. I also knew without a doubt that the rest of my family would be worried that I had been gone so long, but I appreciated that they had allowed me to do this on my own. Turning towards the entrance, I froze, unable to believe the sight before me.
"Angela?" The question was no more than a whisper, the voice unsure and full of emotion. The tone was familiar yet not, a distant memory of a time long past. Unable to flee, I raised my eyes and met the warm molasses orbs that seemed sad yet hopeful at the same time. "It's really you, isn't it?"
(Alice's POV)
With each step we had taken towards Forks, the vision had become clearer. I knew without a doubt that I couldn't share it with anyone, even though I longed to do so.
As always, Edward would be the most difficult to block, but I was prepared. List after list of details for our Christmas celebration in Alaska scrolled through my mind as we sat in the living room waiting for Angela to return. Luckily, Jasper and Edward had been wrapped up in a fierce chess battle, so other than the odd questioning glance, it had been relatively easy to keep my mind clear of anything that might rattle chains.
It had been a bit of a tense moment when Angela had announced that she was going to the funeral, and was going alone. Edward had been quick to argue that she didn't need to put herself through it when she had already said her goodbyes at the hospital, but my youngest sister was adamant. Carlisle had been quick to her defence, saying that she had every right to be in attendance, even if it were from a discreet hiding place, but perhaps it would be wise for one of us to accompany her. Again, Angela stood her ground and won, much to Edward and Jasper's frustration.
Bella and I spent a few moments with her before she left, and I knew that her decision was the right one. Although she had been lucky enough to communicate with her father in his final moments, she needed this closure as well.
Shaken out of my reverie, I cocked an eyebrow at Bella, her eyes full of question. "What are you plotting, Alice?"
Before I could answer, Edward had joined us on the couch, pulling his wife onto his lap as they snuggled together for a kiss. "I was wondering the exact same thing."
"Why do I have to be plotting anything?" I leaned back and met Jasper's lips as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
"You have been awfully quiet, darlin'," Jasper chuckled; his embrace warm and comforting.
"Nothing that any of you need to be worried about. Do you expect our holiday in Alaska just to prepare itself?" I huffed out, hoping that it would throw them off. "And you, dear brother, can just stay out of my head or I will make sure Christmas is your worst nightmare!"
Edward studied me for a moment and I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at him. Out of all my siblings, no one could rile me more. I loved him dearly, but there were moments when I considered his gift an absolute curse, especially when I knew that some things were just meant to be – even if he didn't think so.
"Alice, you and I both know whatever is going on in that little head of yours has nothing to do with Christmas or Alaska." Edward leaned forward, his fingers taking their trademark grip on the bridge of his nose. "What is going on? What did you see?"
"Edward, give her a break!" Bella smacked him on the shoulder with the palm of her hand. "You should know that if it was a problem she would share it with us. Can you not, for once, just let things happen?"
I chuckled as a look of shock and disbelief ran across my brother's face. "You have been listening to Rose too much, love." He laughed as he grabbed Bella's hand, pretending to snap it off before covering it with kisses.
"Oh for God sake you two, drop it down a notch!" Jasper's eyes darkened as he pulled me to my feet. "Alice and I are going for a run. We'll be back in a bit."
I laughed as I caught the wave of lust Jasper pushed out at me and winked at Bella as we darted out the door and towards the lush green for some time alone.
We ran together, our own version of cat and mouse as we lost ourselves in the beautiful forest that backed off the property. I was currently the cat, waiting for my moment to pounce. I watched for Jasper to come through the underbrush, knowing it would only be a moment. His golden mane ruffled gently around his face against the breeze as he appeared from between a boulder and the oak tree I was perched in.
I dropped, tackling him to the ground. "Gotcha!" I buried my lips against his neck, my teeth grazing his skin. A soft moan escaped from his mouth before he turned over quickly, his arm giving me a head rest as he flipped us over, his body now hovering over mine.
"You did have me, darlin', but now it appears I have you exactly where I want you." He laughed and kissed me deeply, teasing my bottom lip with his tongue.
I squirmed against him, enjoying the lovely friction of our bodies twisted together. "You do indeed, Major. Now what are you going to do with me?"
His free hand slid up my side, grazing against my breast and then gently raising my arm up and over my head, anchoring my hand in his against the ground. "Interrogate you," he whispered, his teeth and tongue grazing the skin beneath my lobe.
Pouting, I stared up into his face. "Interrogate me? I can think of plenty of things that would be much more entertaining than that, Jazzy."
"Now, darlin', I didn't say I wasn't going to have fun doing it." Jasper's mouth met mine again, his tongue twisting with mine as the heat between us ignited. I let myself go with the kiss, pushing all the love and devotion I felt for him into it. He moaned deeply into my mouth, his hand tightening against mine as he rubbed his body against mine in response.
Pulling away, he grinned at me wickedly. "Don't think you are going to get out of answering that way, darlin'!" Rolling away, he sat up, pulling me into a similar position beside him, his arm snuggling me to his side.
Crossing my arms and huffing, I stared off into the trees. "Fine!"
"What's going on, Ali?" His fingers massaged my shoulder gently. "What did you see?"
"It's nothing bad, Jazz. Actually, it's wonderful, but it isn't mine to share and I don't want to ruin it."
"Alice, I understand what you are saying, but I hate when you feel as though you can't share things with me."
"I know you do, but this one just has to work itself out. If I tell you and Edward sees…"
"He would interfere." Jasper finished my statement, pulling me close and pressing his lips against my forehead. "Okay, I'll let it go for now – as long as you're sure that it's for the best."
Smiling brightly, I nodded, cupping his face in my hands and kissing him gently. "I promise you won't have to wait long. I'm right, Jazz – everything will work out." I tapped my head and kissed him again. "Now, where were we? Oh I believe you're it!"
I moved to run, but hesitated only slightly, chuckling as the soft growl escaped his lips and he captured me by the waist, pulling me down beside him. "Not so fast, darlin', I am far from done with you yet."
Our echoing laughter in the trees softened to tender sighs and moans and once again my mind was occupied and blissfully free of everything except my mate's hungry touch and desire.
End of chapter - I could be convinced to write an Alice/Jasper outtake if anyone is interested...of course reviews could twist my arm even more!
