Chicago, IL 1949
The young couple sprawled across the luxurious bed, the young girl on her stomach, knees kicking lazily, twirling the small pincurls at the side of her face with her right index finger absently as she flipped through the newspaper, taking notes that resembled a gibberish of licence plate numbers. The man watched her, lying on his side, his dress shirt unbuttoned, head perched upon his left arm, smiling and calm. His right hand reached out slowly to fiddle with the hem of her black satin dress, fingertips grazing her knees. She laughed and kicked harder, intent on the pages before her.
"I'm working! Behave yourself a few moments longer."
"Work, work, work... Isn't the man supposed to bring home the bacon?"
"Not when the woman can make it faster and in larger quantities," she replied, tossing the newspaper at her companion's grinning face.
The woman rolled onto her back, closing her eyes, and the man withdrew his wandering hand, knowing she needed to concentrate now. Minutes slipped by, her eyes flickering slightly, as if she were dreaming vividly. Her face relaxed, a wide grin creeping upon her brightly painted pink lips, as they sprung open. She immediately clapped her hands in glee, digging into the suitcase beside the bed for a catalogue, flipping pages until she settled upon a pale blue taffeta confection, off the shoulder with a long billowing skirt.
"It will be mine!" She declared, waving the catalogue.
He eyed the price tag, "Are you certain?"
She nodded, "One of my investments is about to pay off tomorrow; someone's company was just granted a lucrative contract that will send their shares soaring. And someone in this room bought a healthy number of shares at a very low price."
"You'll look beautiful, Alice."
"I know, Jasper," she replied coyly.
Jasper laughed, tugging the catalogue free from her tiny hands and tossing it to the floor, pouncing upon her, raining kisses along her pale neck. Alice squirmed and giggled, pushing him off half-heartedly, begging for mercy while tugging at his shirt.
"The dress! It's new!"
"Fine," Jasper murmured, "I'll mind it, alright."
With a light push, he rolled Alice onto her back and felt her tense as he slowly unzipped the garment with his teeth, growling playfully as his mouth moved lower, towards her hips, revealing a black lacy slip underneath. Still as a doll, she allowed herself to be rolled and moved as he undressed her, an artful toss landing her satin dress on the lounge chair across their modest hotel room. It landed with a flutter that mimicked the shiver down his spine at the sight of her nearly nude form. Shedding his shirt with little care, letting it tumble to the ground, he pulled her close against him, her head nestled against his muscular white chest, her fingers drifting along his ribs, a happy murmur emanating from her throat.
"It's hard to believe you waited so long for me," Jasper mused aloud, "How did you know that it would be this way?"
"I didn't. I simply believed that you had to be special for my mind to focus so clearly on our paths crossing. As the years went by, I began to lose faith in that vision, but I never completely gave up. There was nothing else to anchor myself to in the meantime. And now I've found you, I have more hope than ever that we'll find Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie."
Jasper kissed her head, his arms wrapping tighter about her petite frame, "And there I was, feeling hopeless, despairing, and you were out there, full of hope in anticipation of me. I'm just sorry I kept you waiting for so long."
"You were worth the wait. You had your battles to wage, both personal and physical," Alice answered, turning to gaze up into Jasper's eyes.
"I did indeed have those. It's funny, how my life as a vampire has mirrored my human life in so many ways. I was born and raised to be a soldier, someone who would lay down his life to defend his country, even lied to become a member of the Confederates, only to be targeted for the change because of my choice in career. Of course, the reality of war hit harder in this immortal life, it seems... Has it been the same for you?"
Alice frowned, silently turning away, gazing absently at the scars trailing along Jasper's arms, tracing them lightly with her fingers. Jasper was confused: had he reminded this beautiful creature of something painful and sad she'd long forgotten, brushed aside in her delight at finding someone she'd sought for over twenty years? His left hand reached to cradle her chin, turning her eyes back to meet his. The deep brown wells seemed darker now, brimming with tears impossible to shed.
"Alice... what did I say?"
Her reply was the faintest whisper: "I don't remember it."
"Remember what?"
"My life. Any of it. I don't even have a last name. I remember awakening somewhere near water... The sun was brilliant and intense, far too bright for March. It felt like I'd been blinded at first. Several minutes passed by and I adjusted, only... I remember something startling me, and I ran. In those first days, I saw you, in a beautiful meadow, with me. We looked so at peace. And soon after, I saw the Cullens, saw meeting them, hearing them speak their names to each other. But my life, as a human... I see nothing but blackness."
"Oh Alice... I didn't know... I knew you'd never met the one who changed you, but I had no idea that your entire history was a blank slate."
Alice squirmed, working her way up Jasper's body to meet his lips with a gentle kiss, "It's okay. Sometimes, it confuses me; I feel incomplete, as if I'm somehow not a whole person without memories to understand myself. I spent a lot of time studying biology and psychology, trying to find a reason why I can't recall who I was. I assume my family was dead, or perhaps I developed amnesia of some kind and wandered away alone. Perhaps that's how I met my end. Maybe I struck my head and forgot who I was. But in the end, who I was isn't who I am now. It's not as if I can return to that life, now can I? My life is you, now. It will be that way as long as you'll have me. And hopefully, it will be with a new family, if I'm ever able to find them."
Jasper laughed, "As if I'd ever not wish to be with you. You're the embodiment of hope for me. You would be the air I breathed, were such air necessary for us. We have an eternity to build memories together."
Alice grinned, "It's nice to know at least one vampire wants to stick around me..."
"This monster will never, ever set you free..." Jasper murmured, his lips finding hers and kissing her deeply.
Alice's hands tangled into Jasper's hair as they continued to kiss, his hands wandering to caress the bodice of her slip, slipping down to grab at her waist as she slid forward to straddle his wide hips. A near-purr slipped from her throat as she fumbled with his belt, frantically unbuckling it and attacking the button of his once neatly pressed black slacks. Her curls spilled forward as his mouth seized her neck, biting gently, lifting his hips to facilitate Alice's demand for his pants to be shed. Her hands roamed his chest briefly before seizing the sheer fabric covering her frame, tugging it harshly over her head, the force of her pull sending it slapping into the room door. She giggled at this, and Jasper took the moment of distraction to roll them over, his hands gripping her tiny wrists, pinning them above her head.
"Now that's not very gentleman-like, Mr. Whitlock," she coyly whispered.
"Who said I was a perfect gentleman?" he growled back, sucking gently at her left ear.
"I think... mmm... You did, once."
"That," Jasper mumbled, "was probably right before the first time you pushed me into a bed."
Alice laughed softly, "Oh yes. I forgot."
"Face it," Jasper murmured into her ear, his tongue flicking at her neck, "You bring out the animal in me."
Alice writhed as Jasper's hands released her wrists, his left slipping down to cup her breast. Unleashed, she threw her arms around his neck, inhaling his scent, sucking at his collarbone. Her legs wrapped about his frame, pinning him against her, only the barest of material separating them now. He sighed with deep satisfaction at her touch, pulling away to stare at her face, admiring her playful smile.
"It seems impossible, if one listens to the folklore, to imagine such dark creatures loving so completely," he mused.
Alice nodded, "It goes to show how little stories can mean. But I do love you, and will love you always."
"I love you, Alice. Impossibly."
Alice smiled, "Impossibly and forever?"
Jasper nodded, grazing her lips with his, "Impossibly and unquestionably for forever."
Alice winked, "Now that's settled... Can we play?"
Jasper nodded, and silently, the remainder of their clothes were shed hurriedly, their bodies twisting and arching together in harmony. Once two lost beings, they had become a single entity, one that shimmered with a light more brilliant than their skin on a summer's day. Alice soon forgot all sadness that had trickled in from considering her lack of past, mesmerized by her first and only lover and love. And when Jasper's mouth met the inside of her thigh, she also forgot the dress she'd lusted over for weeks...
At least, until the next morning.
