AN: This chapter was originally an Alice and Jasper outtake for the Fanddom 4 the Homeless Charity Compilation. The title for the compilation was The Coffee Shop at the End of Elm Street. I made a banner for it that is on my staceleostories Facebook group. Let me know if you want to join.
A big thank you to Sunflower3759 for helping me with it and being a wonderful Beta!
If you get a chance to check it out, I started a new story. It's a drama. I know, I know…I'm going nuts.
Thank you all for your support of this story! Enjoy!
Chapter 28
Jasper Whitlock was a simple man. He was a simple man who was in love. His Alice was snuggled in his arms in the tiny bed in the little, pink house she now called home. Jasper was overjoyed that she found sanctuary and friendship there, but he was now ready to ask her to open her heart to be something more lasting. He could have lost his girl the night that she conquered her demon and he refused to take any more chances.
Jasper kissed the sleeping Alice on her head and reflected back to when they first met.
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"He's willing to pay you mad money for your paintings, cowboy curls! Jesus, I'd dress in a giant penguin costume and dance the Charleston if he would pay me to."
Heidi James was a loud mouth, this was a fact. A fact that made many of the patrons of the old coffee shop look up and scowl at Jasper's table. She flipped her pink and green curls over her shoulder and gave a wry smile and waited for Jasper's usual refusal to sell to 'the man'.
"Darlin', I know you mean well, but there is no way I will ever sell my paintings to Aro Volturi or any of his like," Jasper said in a much quieter tone, than his loud friend.
Felix took a large bite of pancake, and through a mouthful of food he sputtered, "This can't be all about Maggie. You can't let that wicked bitch ruin opportunities, Jasper. I would give my left testicle, if that bastard would give the black man a chance."
"That is another of my million reasons that I refuse to sell my soul to that silver tongued devil. He's a racist." Jasper stated with determination. "If Maggie feels the need to be his art whore, then that's cool. Once Volturi sees that she can't actually compose a painting and steals from other people, then shame on him for being duped."
"Bitter?" Heidi asked, before taking a sip of her coffee. The chipped, ivory mug she drank from became stained by her red lipstick. It looked like a bloody smear to Jasper. He was into the natural look.
Jasper winked,"Naw, honey, just stating the facts. Not to mention, what Maggie stole wasn't even my best work. It is going to be fantastic when she gets takin' down. I hear Aro plays mean."
The trio, though not a malicious bunch, laughed at the thought of Maggie getting her just desserts. She stole the design for one of Heidi's sculptures in art school and copied it for a class project. Maggie then seduced Felix for one of his multimedia pieces and entered it as her own for a gallery showing. Finally, the thief used Jasper's kind heart to secure one of his smaller pieces. Maggie's sob story of being misunderstood had given her enough time to 'grab and run' with the painting. Jasper loved that piece, it was of his father's barn, and he was still very irate over the situation.
Felix tapped his long fingers on the table, the beat steady. "You don't think he's going to...you know...kill her? Maggie's a piece of work, but that would be fucked up."
"No way, man, the worst that's going to happen is he takes back his money and she has to work at McDonald's." Heidi smiled thinking of the pug nosed Maggie working at the golden arches. "I'm a vegan, but I would without a doubt buy a hamburger just to rub it into her face."
Felix's loud chuckle at his girlfriend's vision of their old classmate echoed through the worn walls of the eatery. A fork clattered to the floor, making Jasper turn to see a young girl visibly shaking at a small table in the corner. The girl's thin frame was engulfed in an oversized, black sweater that was made for a large man, and her short, dark hair was spiked up haphazardly. The girl was twitching violently. Jasper wondered if this young lady was having a seizure or a manic psychological episode. He had worked with the mentally challenged doing art projects for a local nonprofit, so the movements that the girl was making were familiar to him.
"Shit, is that chick okay?" Felix wondered aloud.
Jasper stood up and eyed Beth, the coffee shop's owner, glaring at the trembling girl. Beth was a snarly one. "Y'all, I am going to see if I can help her."
"Dude, just let the kid be." Felix was always worried that Jasper would get himself hurt. He was always trying to save people and animals. One day, his buddy was going to get bit.
"Nah man, it's fine."
Heidi just shook her head, as she watched Jasper walked towards the girl. "He can't help himself, Felix."
He approached quickly and quietly asked, "Miss, I was wondering if I could borrow your salt?"
Jasper knew that it probably would be best to not call attention to her affliction, since she was having enough issues at the moment.
The girl's body stopped it frantic movements, as she looked up at him. Jasper was mesmerized. Though black circles darkened the area under her eyes and the look she was giving him was haunted, Jasper was convinced she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He was almost speechless at her beauty, but knew he had to be brave.
Jasper tried again to get her to speak, "Miss, are you all right?"
The girl startled, like a skittish foal on his daddy's farm. She shook her head in the negative, but in a tiny voice replied, "My pills..."
He saw a large, canvas shopping bag sitting on the table and quickly emptied out the contents. Sketch pads, pencils, a tattered Gucci wallet and torn magazines photos of eyeballs were deposited onto the tabletop. There at the bottom of the bag was a prescription bottle labeled with the name, Alice Cullen. Jasper took the bottle in his hand and looked at it sadly. It broke Jasper's heart to see that there was something terribly wrong with this lovely, young woman.
The girl, whose name Jasper hoped was really Alice, held out her hand. Jasper held back a gasp at the little scars that littered her small wrists and arms. They were not very deep, but it was obvious she or someone else had marred her lovely skin. He looked at the knife that sat in front of her that was poking through a napkin and he felt fear. He knew that should have heeded Felix's words, but now seeing those marks he knew he couldn't walk away from her. This Alice Cullen needed a protector, and it was going to be him.
"Darlin', you seem to need somethin' to wash down that pill," Jasper stated, noticing that Alice's table was noticeably absent of food or beverage. Alice was painfully thin and Jasper wanted to immediately fill her with food. He wished, at that moment that he had met the girl in Texas instead of this cloudy town. Mama Whitlock would have happily taken the girl under her wing and feed her wonderful Southern delicacies that would make Alice healthy again.
Jasper was curious how long Alice had been blending into the orange and brown wallpaper of the coffee shop. He hadn't noticed her when he came in. It was curious that Beth hadn't tossed her out yet. She probably hadn't noticed the quiet, little lady hiding in the corner. "Mrs. Beth, can I get the breakfast special with an orange juice and water for this lil' lady?"
"What do you think I'm running here?" Beth snarled. "Come up here and order, you lazy Texan."
Jasper flashed a shining grin, "I thought this was dining establishment, and a mighty fine one at that. If I wanted to place an order and pick it up I would have gone to a fast food restaurant. We still can. Come on, little lady."
"Don't you dare go and eat that crap!" Beth frowned at Jasper. "Fine, you silver-tongued devil, toast or bagel?"
"Ma'am?" Jasper questioned Alice. She was so awfully thin, it frightened him almost as much as the scars.
Alice shook her head. "Please don't bother with me. I should leave."
"Please stay! I think the toast will be just fine and scramble the eggs, please." Jasper quickly called out. The last thing he wanted was for her to flee. He started to put Alice's belongings back into her bag and moved it to the floor next to her feet. "Give me just a minute."
Heidi and Felix watched as their friend grabbed his plate and coffee cup from the table. Felix tried to reason with him. "Dude, don't get involved, these things never end well. Get her some food and come back and sit here!"
"I can't walk away. She needs me, Felix!"
Heidi attempted to sway the empathetic man. "This won't stop you, but I still need to say it. You can't save everybody Jasper."
"I'm not tryin' to. There's just somethin' about the girl. Have some faith in me and in her." Jasper hoped they could understand.
"You like her! Boy, that girl doesn't look like the type that can handle a roll in hay." Heidi exclaimed, as Jasper tried to hush her. The woman was a bull horn.
"It isn't about that at all! This is so much more." Of course, they couldn't understand how he felt. This was too deep for them. Jasper's friends would never truly be good artists or good people, because they haven't yet allowed themselves to truly feel for their common man. Sure they had their political causes they rallied around, but they never showed pure empathy towards another for no gain. Until they could, they would just remain empty shells. "I'll call you crazies later."
Jasper quickly returned to the table and sat across from a surprised Alice. "I am Jasper Whitlock, ma'am."
The girl with scared eyes whispered, "Alice Cullen."
"Well it is mighty nice to meet you, Miss Alice." Jasper took a swig of coffee, as Beth dropped a plate in front of a startled Alice. Jasper frowned and said to the snarly woman, "I just love your service with a smile, Mrs. Beth."
"Shove it, Whitlock." The woman waggled her middle finger in the air towards Jasper. That made him chuckle. She was all bark and no bite, and he actually found the older woman refreshing. In the sea of hipster pretension that he found himself surrounded by, Beth was a rarity.
"That lady is a gem." Jasper gave the nervous girl a grin. "Are you an art student at the college?"
Alice's eyes widened. "Oh no, I couldn't possibly do that!"
"I saw your sketch pads, so I was curious. I didn't think I'd ever seen you on campus. I teach an intro to painting there. It pays the bills."
There was an awkward silence.
Jasper tried to restart the conversation. "Do you like to draw?"
"I'm no good!" Alice exclaimed. She blushed and her voice lowered considerably. "It...it...relaxes me."
"That's why I paint. It makes me think about the home I left behind. The vast miles of open land, the way the wind whistles..."
"I didn't think you sounded like you were from around here." She blushed again at her candidness.
Jasper's face lit up. "No, ma'am, I am certainly not from this rainy place. I am from the great state of Texas."
"I'm from Chicago." Alice threw a hand over her mouth.
"Ahh...Chicago, the windy city. Is it really as cold in the winter as the say?"
"It is." Alice started biting her nail. "I like it warmer."
"It certainly isn't too warm here, lil' lady, and it's so damn cloudy. In Texas, the warmth fills your soul and it makes you feel a strength that flows through your blood. And, I miss the horses."
Alice's eyes brightened. "You have horses?"
"You ride, Miss Alice?"
"No, I wish I could." She began to rip her napkin apart. Her eyes glazed over and a small smile played over her lips. Jasper hoped the idea of horses brought back some joyful memory to her.
"Maybe someday you can learn. I would even teach you," Jasper said to her with some hope.
"I doubt it," Alice whispered. Jasper frowned in response.
Alice began to nibble at the toast. Her eyes stared down at the stains on the plastic tables.
"Can I have your phone number?" The question flew out of Jasper mouth unexpectedly, as he stared at the top of Alice's head.
Her head popped up and squeaked, "Why?"
"There's a group of us that meet, and we draw or paint on Wednesday afternoons on the quad of the school. It's supposed to be a beautiful day tomorrow. Why don't you join us?"
"Why would you want me to come?"
"Well, Miss Alice, it appears you need an outlet for your feelings. We all do. Plus, I like talkin' to you." Jasper grabbed a piece of charcoal from his jean pocket and scribbled his number on a napkin. He pushed it towards Alice. "Here, take this. Please, think about joining us, or at least giving me a call if you need to talk."
Alice looked into the kind eyes of this stranger who bought her breakfast and gave her mind some peace. She decided to take a chance.
"I...I...I..." Alice took a deep breath and said, "I will."
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The next morning, a sleepy Alice yawned and looked at Jasper who was staring intently at her. She inquired, "Jasper, are you okay?"
"Darlin', will you come to Texas with me?"
