Vampire Kisses fanfiction
REMEMBERING GRACE
Alexander Sterling/OC: Grace Jasper


Chapter Eleven. Flight
"If you love somebody, let them go. If they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were."

One week until Luna's birthday. One week to decide, and Alexander had made his decision. He was going to do the covenant ceremony.

When he said this to Grace, they had been in the clearing alone, lying underneath the full moon. Of course she had broken into an uncontrollable burst of sobs, but through it all she was happy he was doing it. When she regained control of her crying, she smiled at him, but that only made the tears strolling down Alexander's face come faster.

"I can never love anybody else," he assured softly, holding her tightly in his arms. "You are the only person who truly understands me."

"I know, Alexander. I feel the same," Grace wept.

"I don't want to do this!" he cried, tilting his head back in frustration. "We've spent so little time together."

"Yet so much at the same time," said Grace. "These five months knowing you have been the best five months of my life. I've spent them wisely."

"As have I," said Alexander, stroking her face. "I've never met a more beautiful dancer."

"And I've never met a more handsome artist."

"We really were meant for each other, weren't we?" Alexander whispered. Grace stroked her face and felt more tears trail down her cheeks.

"Yes."

"Grace, I want to show you something," Alexander murmured and stood from the grass. He took her hand and led her out of the mass of trees and to the street, walking rather than flying to his castle.

"When is the ceremony?" asked Grace bravely.

"The last day of the next week," he answered. "On Saturday."

Grace bowed her head. "Will it be very public?"

"I don't think so," Alexander said, shaking his head. "Only my parents and Luna's family, I imagine, will be there."

"I wish this didn't have to happen," Grace muttered. "I wish we didn't have to be caught up in this."

"Me too."

"But you have to do it. It's the morally right thing to do. You'll save her family's heritage. At least you'll make lots of others happy."

"But you won't be, and that matters to me more," Alexander said. Grace smiled.

"I will be happy. I'll be happy that you made the right decision," she said.

"But it doesn't feel right," he muttered solemnly.

"Don't worry. Once you change her and you realize that you've just saved an entire vampire family, you'll feel it right," she assured. Alexander looked down at Grace with such admiration. He could not believe how well she was taking this. She was being so supportive, so understanding, even when he was not. If Grace were to ever bond with someone new, that man would be the luckiest man alive.

"I'm always going to love you," Alexander said again.

"And I'm always going to love you," Grace replied with a smile, hugging his waist and pressing the side of her face into his chest. "I'm always going to love you," she whispered.

Alexander led her into his castle, meeting his parents on the way up to his room. They smiled proudly, yet with a tinge of solemn with the knowledge that he would have to departed with his first love.

He opened the door to his bedroom, the moonlight pouring into the open window and illuminating his somewhat messy room. But Grace did not mind; she never did. And as soon as she had walked inside, her eyes fell upon a canvas so beautiful she thought she would cry again.

The dancing portrait of herself was finished, and propped on his easel in a lovely black frame next to his coffin. The portrait's eyes were wide and glistening, thanks to Alexander's magnificent effects with his paintbrush, and she was posed in an intricate form. It was a still shot of her dancing. She recognized the form.

She noticed the familiar hazardously-torn, short, black dress she sometimes wore when she danced. It was also the same dress that she had been wearing when they had first met each other.

Grace marveled at the incredible work he had done. The painting was beautiful, and she was so honored to be painted as such. This girl in the picture could not really be her; she was much too perfect.

"Is this how you really see me?" she asked softly, grazing the black frame with her fingertips, not tearing her eyes from the painting.

"I tried to capture every ounce of beauty you emitted and adapted it to my paintbrush," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and gazing at his latest masterpiece. "But you have so much. This was as much as I could gather."

"Alexander, it's beautiful," she sighed. "It makes me so happy to know this beauty in the painting is how you portray me."

"The painting is yours, Grace," Alexander said. A smile appeared on her face. This magnificent work of art? He was giving it to her?

"I can't keep everything I paint. And besides, I was painting it with the full intention of giving it to you," he added, as if he had read her thoughts.

Grace's eyes stroked the painting yet again. She found that even her amethyst bat bracelet had made it into the painting. The clearing painted behind her was done so perfectly, a large white moon peeking out from behind the tall pine trees. Finally, her eyes spotted a small figure painted in the background. He was sitting, his black hair framing his pallid face, dark eyes watching admirably at the main attraction of the painting.

"Is that you?' she asked with a giggle, pointing to the dark figure. Alexander squeezed her waist and smiled widely.

"You like it? It was just a last minute touch. I thought you'd like to be reminded of how I always loved to watch you dance," said Alexander. Grace squealed briefly, hugging herself and biting her bottom lip. Of course she liked it; she loved the small addition.

"I love it," she whispered, "but I want you to keep it."

Alexander's eyebrows knitted together with confusion. "What?"

"I already have something to remember you by. I never take this bracelet off," she started, fingering her bat bracelet. "You don't have anything to remember me by. With the portrait you'll never forget my face."

Alexander spun her around and tilted her chin up to him with his thumb and forefinger. "How could I ever forget a face like yours?" he whispered, almost intelligible.

"Keep the painting, Alexander," Grace insisted. "I love it with all of my heart. That is why I want you to have it. I have a piece of you. Now take a piece of me." She cupped her hands around his face and pressed her lips to his. "Take a piece of me."

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Alexander gazed out the reflection-less window of his tower bedroom. The black sky held a white crescent moon which shone with less vibrancy than it usually did. He peered down at the mass of pine trees that hid the clearing. He wondered, as he normally did, if Grace was done there dancing, even on a night like this.

There was a light rap on his door. Alexander turned around and sighed heavily. "Come in."

His mother appeared in the room, dressed in an elegant floor-length silky black dress, her thin hands adorned with little lacy fingerless gloves, a matching lacy shawl draped over bare shoulders. Her long black hair trailed down her back like a veil.

"You look very handsome, Alexander," she said, her dark violet lips pulling into a smile. Alexander shifted his dark eyes away from her. He still was having a hard time forgiving his parents for bestowing this future upon him.

"The Maxwells appreciate this, Alexander. They are fully in your debt," she continued, placing her hands on her son's shoulders. He was dressed handsomely in exactly what he wore in the covenant ceremony nightmare: a black pinstriped suit with a blood red tie and combat boots, his hair combed neatly back with a few loose stubborn strands lingering about his face. He flashed dull eyes at his mother.

"Will they," he responded monotonously. Mrs. Sterling stroked the back of his head.

"Things will be better, you'll see. You're giving Luna the greatest thing she could ever ask for," she said softly, attempting to comfort his saddened soul.

"And what will Luna be giving me?" he mumbled stubbornly.

"Her love, sweetheart." When Alexander sneered and turned back, Mrs. Sterling narrowed her eyebrows. "This means a great deal to all of us. You are saving a family, and bringing ours honor. Grace knows this. Why do you think she encouraged you to marry Luna?"

Alexander turned to his mother, flashing her angry eyes. "Grace told me to do this because she loved me and didn't want me to feel the guilt of letting a family's vampire heritage die. She wasn't thinking about my family's honor … she was thinking about me. At least she was," he added with distaste. He stomped passed her and left his tower bedroom, walking quickly down the stairs. Mrs. Sterling's blue eyes stung with tears as she watched her son go, a heartbroken mess. Her eyes shifted to a painting on the other side of the room, near the wall where he lined up the rest of his paintings. It was perched on his easel, framed in solid black wood, and the portrait was smiling at her. It was the glorious face of Grace Jasper, full of serenity, posed as if she were in the middle of a dance. Mrs. Sterling's heart suddenly swelled with guilt, especially when she noticed the small sitting figure in the background, watching Grace's frozen dance. Her son, his painted eyes smiling, eyed her with such admiration.

She had taken her son away from this beautiful girl, this girl whom he had loved so much as to spend his time painting a magnificent portrait of her.

Things will change, she thought hopefully. When he changes Luna, he'll see what a splendid girl she is. And then everything will be alright.

But she could only hope, and deep down, a small part of her completely regretted tearing his son away from the best relationship he had ever had.

"All I want for him is to be happy," she whispered to herself, raising her folded hands underneath her chin. But how could he be happy when he could not live his own life the way he wanted to?

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The ceremony was exactly how Alexander dreamed it in his nightmare. The same abandoned church, the same coffin and candelabra decorations, the same people in the same seats. Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell sat with Valentine and Jagger across the aisle from Alexander's parents, all smiling up at him with pride. His mother had been right; the Maxwells were so happy he was going to bite their human family member. Well, how could they not be happy? This was something not only Luna wanted, but what all of them wanted. They would finally be able to rid of the human gene that floated about their family.

All of their eyes were staring at him. He took a deep breath and briefly gazed at his mother. She had a sad smile as she nodded at him. His eyes shifted back to the front doors of the church. This was the right thing, the morally right thing, even if Alexander hardly even knew her, and most certainly did not love her in the way she hoped.

The church doors opened and in walked Luna, wearing the same corset wedding dress as she had been in his nightmare. Her long candy pink hair trailed down her back, the black lacey veil topped on her head. Alexander's gut twisted when he saw Luna's black lips spread into a wide smile. Her blue eyes gleamed with excitement as she clutched her bouquet of black roses.

She appeared before him, Alexander getting a whiff of her cotton candy perfume blasted into his nose. She lifted her goblet and he lifted his. After they drank the thick liquid, Luna brushed all of her hair away from her neck, giving Alexander easy access to her jugular. He sighed heavily and leaned down, his fangs ready, his lips almost brushing her skin. He felt Luna's fingers tangle through his hair.

"Alexander," whispered a distant voice. His eyes averted to the phantom voice, a shadowy figure appearing behind Luna. Suddenly, Grace's smiling face appeared from the shadow and Alexander quietly gasped.

"Alexander?" Luna questioned softly. He blinked and Grace's face was gone. Alexander slowly withdrew from Luna's neck, receiving stares of puzzlement from both families.

He could not do it. He could not bite her. It was not fair to him or to her. He did not want Luna to be bonded to someone who did not love her back. That was not true romance. And it was not what he wanted either. He did not care what Grace or the others wanted him to do, what was expected from him. This was his life. He was going to live it the way he wanted to.

"I'm sorry, Luna," he whispered, horror drawing to Luna's face. "I can't do this. We don't know each other and I don't love you the way you want me to." He noticed the immediate tears brimming at the edges of her glassy eyes.

"No, Alexander … you don't mean that," she pleaded. He shut his eyes and then shook his head. After planting a very brief kiss on her forehead, he turned on his heel and walked out of the church, shouts of outrage blooming from the Maxwells.

Alexander walked down the crumbling stone steps of the church, turning down the sidewalk to make his way on home. However, a figure loomed from behind him, and Alexander turned.

"Jagger," Alexander said with surprise. The oldest Maxwell's face was twisted with disgust and anger, his blue and green eyes shifting to a menacing red.

"How dare you leave my sister at the alter! You promised you'd change her!" he shouted.

"I didn't promise anything," corrected Alexander with narrowed eyes. "I just agreed I would, but I never wanted to."

"It doesn't matter. You said you'd do it. And now you're backing out, leaving our family's heritage to the dogs."

"I'm sorry about your family," Alexander said earnestly, "but I can't be bonded to someone I don't truly love." Jagger's eyes became slits.

"This is about Grace, isn't it?" he hissed. "You're choosing her over my sister."

"This is about being fair to Luna and to myself. We know nothing about each other. How could we be expected to be bonded?"

"Luna's crazy about you. She loves you," Jagger insisted. Alexander shook his head.

"She thinks she loves me. How could she possibly love when she doesn't know me?" he asked. Jagger glared harder at him, but did not answer him.

"You're going to regret this," he hissed. "You're going to regret breaking my sister's heart and destroying my heritage!"

And after that, Jagger suddenly disappeared, a black vampire bat with mismatching eyes flying back to the church.

There was promise in Jagger's words and Alexander knew he was going to do something terrible. He flew home, bursting through the castle doors, alarming Jameson.

"I've got to leave, Jameson," said Alexander quickly, yet remaining calm. He dashed up the stairs to his room before Jameson could even question him.

"What's going on, Master Alexander? Where are you going? And why aren't you at the covenant ceremony?" Jameson asked when he met Alexander in his room. He had been stuffing his clothes into a studded black duffel bag.

"I didn't bite Luna," he answered. Jameson widened his eyes. "I couldn't do it. I knew it wasn't right. It's not what I wanted."

"But … the Maxwells' heritage … Luna's mortality … I don't understand —? Why must you leave?" he asked.

"Jagger's threatened me. And I know I normally wouldn't flee, but I've got a really bad feeling about this. Romania isn't safe for me anymore," he said, zipping up his bag and starting to pack his paints in another case.

"What about Miss Grace?" asked Jameson softly. Alexander suddenly froze and his eyes drifted to his painting of her. Alexander did not reply, but Jameson did not push the matter.

"Do your parents know of your intentions?" asked the butler. Alexander shook his head.

"No. They're probably still at the church, trying to apologize for my actions," said Alexander.

"Where is it you plan on going?"

"Anywhere. Anywhere but here."