So this is the question, do you want more or should I leave it and let the happy end be the happy end? Let me know. And, thank you again, for the reviews, favorites, and follows. You guys liking it has made this very much worthwhile 3
-Cass
Bella Swan—18 Years Old
"Pardon?" I squeak out and Alice just offers a gentle smile.
"I am in love with you. Never-fading, until-my-last-breath, you-are-my-world kind of in love."
"Ah, that's what I thought you said." I say my voice still an octave higher than normal. "And if I ask how that's possible seeing as the first time we've really spent any time together was last Tuesday, you would say?"
"That I've loved you since the first time I saw you." She says simply, eyes dancing with amusement.
"Creepy." I deadpan and she laughs, her hand resting on my arm. "You do know that that makes you a pedophile, right? Loving a six-year-old."
"Actually," Alice hums, "I saw you before that."
"Not helping the pedophile thing." I say flatly but curiosity gets the better of me. "When, then?"
"A few months before we actually met in person. You were five." I open my mouth but she beats me to it. "Your birthday is a part of your medical chart and I saw it. I had to look since dad wouldn't just tell me." She grumbles the last part.
"Okay, okay. Let's just push past the creepy factor here for a moment," I ignore Alice's laugh and continue, "I honestly think the more important question here is how."
"Well, technically, love is a mixture of chemicals—"
"Hilarious. Creepy and a smart ass. Not how do you love me, you jerk, how haven't you changed?" Alice's smile turns a little strained.
"That's the complicated portion to all of this."
"Alice," I warn and she takes my hands into her own.
"I'm going to tell you, but you need to know that it's a family secret. Not just mine."
"You found the fountain of youth?" I ask drily and Alice chuckles.
"Nothing quite so simple." I scoff at her 'simple'. "The reason my family and I haven't aged at all is because we're vampires."
It takes everything I have to not laugh right there. The only thing that stops me is the childlike fear on Alice's face. There isn't anything deceiving in her expression. I swallow the rest of my laughter and clear my throat.
"Pardon?"
"We're vampires, Bella." I have the urge to laugh again but I stomp that into submission.
"You're…vampires? Blood drinking, garlic hating, stake dying vampires?" I ask a little bit of humor leaking into my tone.
"Yes, no, and no. Garlic doesn't do anything to us and a wooden stake would just shatter if used against us."
"Right, of course."
"Bella, I'm telling you the truth."
"I mean…Alice… come on, vampires, really? I'm sorry, I'm trying to keep an open mind, really, but that's a lot to ask don't you think?"
"I can prove it." I chuckle at her and she frowns.
"I can drink blood, too, Alice, as gross as it is, you don't have to be a vampire to do it."
"Ugh, Bella, there are other ways to prove it."
"Naturally. Wait, how are you able to go into the sun if you are a vampire."
"Seriously, Bella, are you going to get all of your facts about vampires from movies and books?"
"Versus the vampire questions hotline that everyone knows about?" Alice laughs and shakes her head.
"Fair enough. There are other traits that vampires have, you know. Superior speed, strength and senses. Immortality, as you know, and some vampires can even have certain extra abilities."
"Of course they do, because being super strong and super fast is too mainstream."
"I am one such vampire, as is Edward and Jasper." Alice says through her laughter.
"Oh? Do tell."
"I can see into the future," at my dubious look she continues, "so to speak. The future is always changing. It depends on the decisions that are made. I can see one such future but if the person changes their mind, that future might not come to pass. Sometimes, I can see visions of the other future. But I can't control it, it happens randomly and without warning."
"Jasper and Edward?"
"Jasper is an empath and has influence over other peoples' emotions. And Edward can read minds." I make a face and Alice giggles. "Interestingly enough, he can't read yours. A fact that upset him at first and then piqued his interest later. We actually had quite the…discussion about you just before you arrived to Forks."
"You knew I was coming?"
"I saw it, yes. That's also how I saw you when you were five. I saw the decision being made to take that vacation to Alaska and that's when I saw you."
"And when you fell in love?"
"Yes." Alice says, her eyes searching mine.
"But…how? How could you have fallen in love by seeing me through a vision?" I ask, avoiding her gaze and the butterflies in my stomach.
"Vampire romances are different than they are for humans. The closest human comparison is soulmates"
"Soulmates?"
"Yes. We have someone that is meant for us. That completes us. Nothing quite so dramatic as the werewolf mating."
"Werewolves?"
"Oh yes, they have mates, too. But when they find theirs everything and everyone fades away. That person becomes the wolf's anchor to the world. Any and all other relationships mean nothing. It's all very dramatic, really. Wolves always are." Alice finishes with an eyeroll.
"Vampires and werewolves?"
"Yes."
"You do know how utterly ridiculous this all sounds, right? I'm not trying to be mean, but c'mon Alice." Alice doesn't look upset, instead she just smirks.
"As I said, I can prove it."
"Then by all means, do so."
"Name something sitting upstairs. Sitting out."
"Uhm, there's a stuffed cuttlefish sitting on my bed, I got it—" before I even finish Alice is gone and then back beside me, with the stuffed cuttlefish. "How did you?" I take the cuttlefish from her.
"We're fast." I stare at her, mouth open and she giggles. "Careful, love, you'll catch flies." My jaw clicks shut.
"Strength?"
"It would be easier if we were somewhere where I could demonstrate openly without risk of people seeing," she pauses and looks at almost shyly, "I know of such a place if you'd like to come with me." mind still reeling, I nod. With a giggle, Alice helps me out to her car and buckles me in.
XxXxXxXxXx
This "such a place" ended up being in the middle of nowhere. A gorgeous middle of nowhere, but nowhere all the same. A nowhere that it took us 10 minutes to get here (using Alice's new driving which means like 150 miles an hour, wasn't a fan) and then a good ten minutes of Alice carrying me (more of a fan) and sprinting through the forest (less of a fan). "Such a place" is a small clearing with a small waterfall and stream running through it. Like I said, it's gorgeous.
"So this display of strength?"
"I guess I could have just picked up the car when we got here, but where is the fun in that?" She laughs and I can't help laughing with her.
"Oh yes, can't have the boring displays of strength."
"Indeed not." Alice's eyes are on me and they are surprisingly gentle. She continues watching me for a moment before clearing her throat and moving away and towards a dead tree that was on the edge of the clearing, surrounded by healthier trees.
Alice walks up to the tree, running a hand along it's rough and gnarled trunk. Even though it's dead it's still quite beautiful. It's branches reach tall and wide, almost dwarfing the trees around it. Its trunk is nearly twice the size as the others. Without warning, Alice wraps her arms around the trunk as far as she can and lifts. Creaking, popping, and groaning fill the clearing. I stare in shock as the tree starts to lift from the ground, the roots almost as impressive as the branches. She eventually lifts it from the ground completely and tosses the trunk next to the stream adding even more to the already impressive landscape and leaving behind a sizeable crater.
"Well, does that satisfy you?" Alice asks, walking up to me, wiping dirt and bark from her clothes and offering a quiet "tch" at a small tear in her shirt.
"You were right," I say and she cocks a brow at me, "the car would have been boring." Alice laughs and loops her arm through mine.
"Told you it would be! You should just accept now that I'm always right." I wrap my brain around what I just saw and find I'm able to accept it quite easily, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with the ever increasing somersaults that my stomach does every time I look into Alice's eyes.
"That's assuming that I decide to stick around." I tease but the immediate falling of her face says that I shouldn't have.
"You still don't believe me?" Alice's voice is small and it causes my heart to ache, but I consider her words and all that she has shown me.
"You have some compelling arguments," I gesture to the tree, "I have some more questions if you'll answer them?" I smile and Alice's relieved smile makes chest to tighten pleasantly. We walk to the newly located tree and sit to watch the stream happily gurgle by.
"Do you only drink blood?" I ask after a moment my voice wavering with nerves. Alice seems to as well because she turns to look at me, her hand taking mine.
"Yes, but we don't drink from people, Bella, we only drink from animals." Something in my shoulders loosens and I'm able to relax. "It's why our eyes are golden. A "normal" vampire's eyes are red." It takes everything I have to not reach up and trace a finger around her stunning eyes.
"Do people not appeal to you?" Alice chuckles darkly and I almost regret asking.
"They do. More than anything. The thirst is always there, it's just a matter of being in control of it. It takes a long time and there are always some…slip ups." I wince and Alice squeezes my hand gently. "That's why Jasper has a hard time."
"Is he new?"
"No, he's actually 60 years older than I am, but he hasn't always drank animal blood. The transition has been more difficult for him."
"Is that why he left early the other day?" I ask and Alice nods. I pause and consider my next question, "how long have you been a vampire?" Alice tilts her head and hums.
"I was turned in 1920. I was 19." I stare and she giggles "It's been a while, I know."
"Are you the youngest?"
"No, Carlisle is the oldest, then Jasper, Edward, me, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett." I nod when a thought occurs to me.
"Do you know what this means?" I ask with as much seriousness as I can and Alice looks concernedly at me.
"Bella? What?"
"Not only are you a pedophile, you're a cougar!" I say and cackle at my own realization. Alice gasps beside me and gently shoves me.
"I'm so glad you find this amusing." She huffs and I continue to laugh.
"That's because it is amusing." I respond, wiping at my eyes.
"It, uh, doesn't bother you? Me loving you or being a vampire?"
"No… it's a lot to get used to, but no. And I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel something towards you. I just don't love you, not right now." Despite my words a huge smile breaks across Alice's face.
"That's okay, I've had twelve years, you've had only a few days. Bella," Alice says gently, taking my face between her hands, "more than anything I just want to be your friend. I don't need, nor would I ask for, anything more than that." Her words cause my heart to swell and a warmth to fill my chest.
"I'd love for us to be friends, Alice." She smiles and it takes my breath away. There must be a break in the cloud cover because sunlight fills the clearing and when it lands on Alice it causes my heart to stutter. It looks like she is covered in millions of tiny raindrops. She literally sparkles and it makes her look like an angel. The urge to kiss her is overwhelming and I lean in closer to her, my eyes dropping to her lips. I hear her gasp.
"Bella?" she asks quietly and I glance back into her eyes. I can see the uncertainty and hope there but the overwhelming emotion contained within them is love. Tender, unwavering love. I realize now just how honest she was being with me. She had been in love with me for years. She had saved me only to pull away so that I could go back to my normal life. I couldn't imagine doing that. I had told her the truth, as well, I had felt drawn to her from the moment we met, and that grew as I got older. When I had seen her after the accident, I felt like I was seeing a friend I hadn't in years (in a way that's what had actually happened). The truth, now despite that I had told her that I wanted to be friends for now, was that I wanted to kiss her.
"Bella?" She asks again, her voice even quieter, breathy. I smile gently and reach up with my right hand, tucking her hair behind her ear and cupping her jaw.
"Alice." I say before sliding my hand to the back of her neck and pressing my lips against hers.