Chapter 21

Cross Country

Alice was ecstatic. And her happiness made me smile nonstop. She was skipping every step, yet she never let go of my hand. She had suddenly become a hopeless romantic, and she forced us to stop regularly so she could prove it to me. Not that I objected.

However, physical love was hard to handle with Alice. She overloaded me on passion every time, and sometimes I couldn't move. I had to start turning her down because she was actually exhausting me. I hadn't thought that was even possible. But it was. She understood every time I turned her down, but every time I didn't she was unbearably feverous.

We began to race each other, the running giving both of us a sense of purpose. Like we were headed for something greater than just a family, and speed was the key. We reached Montana in under a week, and we were in Dawson City in the Yukon Territory of Canada a few days after that. Alice had seen the Cullens in Denali, Alaska. She had started to see some other vampires sometimes; ones she hadn't recognized. But she said that their eyes were gold, like ours were. Mine had slowly changed the more I fed on animal blood.

We started to travel more slowly, knowing that this would be our few remaining days of solitude. I was excited to meet this family, yes. But I wanted to just be with Alice right now. So we stopped more often, sometimes just to talk.

We were in the Alaska Mountain Range on our final day. We knew we would reach the Cullens at least by the next sunset, so Alice wanted to stop one final time. She sat me down on a fallen log, and she plopped down next to me. She leaned against me, her head on my shoulder.

"They'll be surprised, but hospitable," she assured me. "They're incredibly sweet people, Jasper," she said as she eyed her ring. "Especially the red-headed mother, Esme. From what I've seen, she actually treats them like her children. She loves them like children."

I sighed, imagining how remarkable such a life would be. I would have a family again, and I would get to spend every moment with my Alice. It was perfect.

"Oh, wow," Alice gasped, sitting up straight and pointing to the north. I followed her finger to where erratic dancing lights flitted over the horizon. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"

I looked at her. "Yes. I have."

She slowly looked back at me, dazed by my words. She smiled, and intertwined her fingers with mine. "Love struck fool," she said.

"You like it," I replied, and she smiled as she leaned back against my side.

"I hope you like it there," she said absently.

"We could choose to live in a dumpster and I would be happy if you were there," I said, shoving her playfully.

"You know what I mean," she said, and smiled back. "They interact with humans on a regular basis and… I know how difficult that is for you. I had that vision of you in the store, buying the clothes. I never want to see you in pain like you were then. I just hope it gets easier."

That statement frightened me a bit. A regular basis? I could barely handle having a single human around me every once in a while…

"Your worried, aren't you?" she said at my silence.

"Of course I am," I said. "I don't want to ruin more people's lives by my weakness."

"Don't call yourself weak," she retorted, and it was slightly scolding. "It's torturous, I know that. Just because you have a hard time overcoming does not make you weak."

I died to say "yes it does," but arguing with Alice was futile, so I let it go.

"They will help you," she said, her hand resting on my leg. "They know how difficult it is."

"But I thought you said the father had never tasted human blood?" I said. Apparently, I had still decided to argue with her.

"Actually he and the blonde daughter haven't. But that doesn't matter. They will understand, Jazz," she said, looking me in the eyes.

I sighed. If they didn't, I would just have to seclude myself for a while. Just to make sure I would be able to handle it.

Alice and I watched the Northern Lights all night, and when the sun rose we began walking. We were leisurely in our pace, and Alice held my hand the entire way. Outwardly, she was as calm as a lake surface on a windless day. But her excitement was boiling through me. When we began to get closer; into land she'd seen in her vision, she quickened the pace. I just followed quietly. The more excited she became, the more anxious I was.

The last time I'd been around a large group of vampires, it hadn't ended well. Large groups just made me nervous. I hadn't realized I was using my ability until Alice stopped abruptly and turned to me.

"Don't be scared," she begged, pushing hair from my face.

"What?" I asked, trying to cover it up. I didn't want to ruin her mood. "I'm not, where would you get that idea?"

"You're giving me your emotions, Jasper," she replied, and I slumped my shoulders in defeat.

"It's just… large groups of vampires make me nervous," I said, shuddering at the memory of several of my worst bite scars.

"It's all going to be okay," she said, hugging her arms around me tightly. "And I say that in all honesty. I've seen it. Everything will be fine."

I nodded, but my anxiety didn't dissipate. She could obviously tell, so she cuddled up next to me as we kept walking. She made sure to keep me close as we walked up a short driveway. I could feel it from her; this was it.

It was a huge three-story house made of oak. There were windows everywhere, which confused me a little. There were two cars parked out front; one Rolls Royce, and one Coupe deVille. A man's car and a woman's.

Alice let go of my hand, which actually peaked my unease, and knocked on the front door. I walked slowly up the stairs behind her, peering around for any threat.

"You know what you're going to say, right?" I asked, still looking out into the surrounding area.

"Of course," she replied, bouncing on her heels. I smiled at her childish ways.

The door creaked open.