A Few More Days
It was early evening on Friday, the day Malakai disappeared from Alice's sight. Alice tried not to think about it. She pushed the dread out of her stomach and slipped into her new jeans. She had picked it specifically for this evening. Her "date" with Malakai. Jasper didn't much care for that term. Which is precisely the reason Alice used it as often as possible. Not that Malakai knew he was taking her out. Not yet anyway.
Malakai was sitting in his favorite chair in Carlisle's living room, flipping through the latest copy of GQ. Carlisle had given it to him as a peace offering the other day. The apology had taken Malakai by surprise. He accepted it graciously and complained that he hadn't gotten Carlisle anything.
"There's no need," the doctor had said rather hastily.
Naturally, Malakai didn't listen. Carlisle didn't know it but he was getting his present tonight. And it was far better than any magazine. Of course he couldn't take all the credit; it was mostly Esme's doing.
"OK!" Alice announced, floating into the room as daintily as a soft summer's breeze. "I have two tickets to see Kings of Leon tonight, and I need a date. Kai, I nominate you."
Malakai looked up from his article, his dark eyes looking between Alice beaming on one end of the room and Jasper looking sullen at the other. That was the other thing that had changed this week. After a large box appeared on the porch Monday afternoon, courtesy of FedEx, Carlisle had set to work on Malakai's case with the same fervor and interest he had showed on the first day. This time Malakai didn't make a fuss when Carlisle poked him with a needle. He figured he owed Carlisle at least that much. The apheresis worked better than Carlisle could hope and within a few hours of the procedure, Malakai's irises had changed from blue to purple to red. They had grown steadily darker while they waited for Carlisle to bring home fresh blood. He had been unsuccessful thus far. In the days that followed, his skin regained most of its impenetrability, and his speed and agility, among other things, returned.
"Are you sure Jasper's all right with this?" he asked skeptically.
"He doesn't like them," Alice said flippantly, hoping she looked like she was in a hurry. "So how about it? I don't want to be late."
"Well," Malakai mused, "it has been a while since I've been to a concert."
"Fantastic. Then you're coming with me." She motioned for him to hurry up. "We'll take your car."
Malakai looked appalled. "But I'm not dressed."
Alice looked him up and down. "You look fine. Let's go."
"Alice, I would love to, but I really must insist." He set down his magazine and looked at her imploringly. "Five minutes."
She rolled her eyes. "You have two."
Malakai smiled as he turned and darted upstairs. Thirty seconds later he returned, looking exactly the same except for his shoes. He was back in his favorite Converse sneakers. Alice had already gone outside and left the front door open for him. Malakai went looking for her. He found Esme instead.
She was sitting seductively on the hood of his car in the most lustrous mini dress Malakai had ever seen. It was the kind of thing that wasn't meant to be worn very long. With its short skirt and plunging neckline, the deep, sultry gold satin clung to all the right places. and none of the wrong ones.
"Esme, please don't tell me you're waiting for me wearing that. What will Carlisle say?"
Esme laughed beautifully. "Who says Carlisle has to know?"
"You look ravishing," he said, very taken by the sight of her in that bronze cocktail dress. It was sexy. It did marvelous things to her complexion and her eyes practically shone.
Esme allowed him to kiss her hello. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment to me or to you."
"I suppose I do have flawless taste in evening wear, don't I?" His grin unfolded slowly. "Though I doubt you'll be wearing it for most of the evening."
"Think he'll like it?"
"He's not a man if he doesn't."
Alice was suddenly sitting in the driver's seat. "Are you two getting in or am I going to have to drive off without you?" She fired up the engine to prove she wasn't kidding. It purred like a kitten. Rosalie really did know cars. "Five seconds," she warned.
Esme slid gracefully of the hood, opened the passenger door and gave Malakai a gentle nudge. Malakai was momentarily confused. Was Esme coming with them? Where would she sit? His car only had two seats. And what about Carlisle? He still owed him for the magazine. They turned out of the driveway four seconds later, Alice driving, to Malakai's horror, and Malakai in the passenger seat with Esme in his lap. "You're dropping me off at the hospital," Esme explained over the roar of wind as they blazed down the darkening interstate.
"I think that proves it," Emmett said with finality.
"What proves what?" Edward asked, plunking away at the keys at the Steinway in the corner. He found the Jeopardy theme was most suited for this endless checkers match.
"Just what I've been saying all along. That he's gay." He moved another checker to Jasper's side of the board. "King me."
"When are you going to give that up?" Jasper laid a second red token atop the first and carefully assessed his next move. "He's not gay."
"He bought women's clothes."
"For Esme, not himself. You buy things for Rosalie all the time."
Emmett jumped another of Jasper's checkers, tying the score. "That's not the same thing. King me again."
"Why isn't it?" Jasper jumped two of his pieces. Now Emmett had only three left.
Emmett took a moment to consider his next move. "No, you're right," he said as he moved into position. "Anyone who looks at Alice like that is clearly not gay."
Jasper stood up with murder in his eyes.
Edward rose as well. He felt he had to intervene. "Emmett, knock it off. Jasper, ignore him. Can't I leave you two alone for five minutes?"
But the damage had already been done. With each hour Alice stayed away, Jasper became increasingly agitated. It didn't help that Emmett cheerfully reminded him that Alice was probably having more fun without him. It took all of Edward's diplomatic reason to keep Jasper from ripping Emmett's arms off, but as the night wore on it grew more and more difficult.
Around two, just when Jasper's fingers were inching their way around Emmett's neck, Edward's cell phone rang. It was Renesmee.
Emmett and Jasper listened in with rapt attention as Renesmee told Daddy that they were coming home ("they" included Jacob, of course, whom Renesmee was never without). They had been over every inch of South America and were no closer to finding Bella than when they left eight months ago.
"Four down, three to go," Jacob put in optimistically. He was referring to the three continents they had already eliminated. North America, Antarctica, Australia, and now South America. Edward had just hung up when there came a knock at the door, three short insistent raps.
