A/N: Ahhhh sorry this is late...I know I promised every Monday, and I actually wrote this up all ready to post yesterday, but then everything was hectic and in totally slipped by mind! :/ Better late than never though, right?! ;) Hope you like, and please drop me a review ;)
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Circus, by Britney Spears
All the eyes on me in the centre of the ring
Just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gonna trip
Just like a circus
29. Circus
Alice had always loved the circus. The bright costumes, the flashing lights, the exotic acts. She even liked the sweet smell of cotton candy in the air. Gymnasts cartwheeled across the floor, dancers weaved in and out of each other with grace, acrobats leapt from trapezes and walked tightropes. Alice found the whole thing so glamorous.
So, when the Chiniselli Circus came to the small town of Forks, Alice insisted that she and Jasper go. On the Saturday night, they bought their tickets and queued up with everyone else. The crowd was mostly made up of excited children and their parents, but Alice could spot the occasional group of teenagers too. When you lived in a town where literally nothing happened, the Circus was a main attraction.
They took their seats - front and centre - and watched as the circus began with the ringmaster entering the ring. The clowns came on next, their antics making Alice giggle and Jasper chuckle. A girl performing tricks on horses went after that, followed by a magician with a glamorous assistant. After a short break, a girl performed acrobatics on a high swing, and after that it was the tightrope walkers. Dancers flooded the stage then, before being replaced with gymnasts forming a giant human pyramid. Finally, the trapeze artists did their act. Then the ringmaster appeared again and thanked everyone for coming.
The crowds trailed out of the circus tent, and Jasper and Alice followed them, coming out into the crisp night air.
"Well, that was even better than expected. I..." Jasper trailed off as he sensed sad emotions coming from Alice, "What's wrong?"
"It's over." Alice complained, her eyes growing wide in sadness.
Jasper frowned. He wouldn't see Alice upset. "It's not over yet."
He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the crowd, round to the back of the tent. Alice frowned as Jasper pulled her under a rope, "I don't think we're supposed to go back here."
Jasper just smirked at her and carried on going. He found a gap and with a sweeping motion he lifted up the bottom of the tent for Alice, "Milady."
Alice giggled and ducked under the tent, "You're so bad, Jazz."
"Says the poster girl for Grand Theft Auto." Jasper teased back. Alice frowned but couldn't resist giggling too. Would he never let that go?! "There has to be some performers around here somewhere."
Walking further into the tent, the pair searched for any performers who might be milling around. They found the place completely empty. Jasper was disappointed, thinking he'd let down Alice, but when he turned to find her, he saw that she was grinning like a mad woman. Before he could ask the reason for her joy, she'd leapt up to the platform at the top of the tent. The trapezes were still down from the last act of the circus and Alice wasted no time in jumping from the platform and flying towards the metal bar. She caught it with ease and shrieked in delight as she swung backwards and forwards.
"This is so fuuuuuuun!" She yelled as she jumped onto the second trapeze.
She spun herself around so she was upside down, hanging onto the trapeze with her legs. With her superior vampire strength, balance, and grace, it all came naturally to her. She looked down at Jasper who was watching her with an amused look. She giggled as he appeared to be standing on the ceiling, "Jazz, you have to try this!"
She pulled herself up and swung to the next trapeze, adding in a flip for good measure, "I could so be in the circus."
Alice imagined the tent full of people, all eyes on her, cheering her on as she carried out her act wearing the most fabulously sparkly outfit of her life. She swung herself round and round on the trapeze before finally letting go and flying into the air. She was about to catch the next trapeze when- "YOU CAN'T BE UP THERE!"
She spun in the direction of a girl standing in the entrance to the tent wearing a sparkly leotard, hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face. Alice had totally forgotten about catching the next trapeze, and she soared downwards towards the ground. The leotard girl screamed, but Alice just giggled as she fell, knowing that she was about to safely land in the gentle but strong arms of her husband.
Sure enough, she was soon captured by his warm embrace. He set her delicately down on the floor and smirked down at her, "You coulda given me a heart attack, Darlin'."
The leotard girl was watching, open mouthed, "How did you...why aren't you...I don't..."
Alice threw the girl a wink and took Jasper's hand, leaving the tent without another word. Some things were better left unexplained.
As they walked across the now empty field where the circus was pitched, Jasper put an arm around her and pulled her in close. She lay her head on his shoulder, and they walked in silence for a moment, simply observing the glittery stars above. It was Alice who eventually broke the silence, "Thanks for catching me."
"I'll always be there to catch you, Darlin'." He told her, kissing the top of her head gently.
She smiled, because she knew it was the truth. They'd never stop catching each other when they fell, they'd never stop picking each other up when they were down, and they'd never once stop loving each other.
A/N: Aww, I liked writing this one :) Just a bit of easy-going fluff :)
If you liked the circus theme, why not check out my fanfic Falling Star? ;) It's an All Human fanfic about Alice and Jasper based around the circus.
Falling Star: Alicia Star was the main attraction at Chiniselli Circus - the beautiful fearless girl with no limits. But after a terrible accident means she can't perform anymore, plain old Alice Cullen is left to deal with a circus life with no performing. Alice meets Jasper when she's working as a fortuneteller, but she never predicted the epic journey their entwined future would hold... AH/AU
Check it out and leave me a review if you like it ;)
Okay, shameless advertising over... See you next week with another one-shot! :)
