31st October 1680
It was hopeless. The feeling of despair falls over the woman like a veil as she cowers in the dark corner of a dirty alleyway. A sickness, she knows she will not survive, brings tears to her eyes, as a feeling of resignation settles over her. Harsh coughs shake her body as she turns her head away from the bundle she holds in her arms. The young woman is dirty, dressed in loose rags that barely keep her warm in the cold winter that has fallen upon the city. The child she holds in her arms, only a few months old, is bundled up in blankets she has found or acquired.
It is frigid outside, as wind blows through the city in a fierce howl. Frost covers the windows and freezes the puddles of water in the gutters. Storm clouds of a dark grey and black settle over the city, darkening the night further and leaving many to to take cover indoors to get away from the winter storm that is beginning to move in.
"My, you are a pathetic little thing aren't you?" An accented voice remarks from the shadows.
It makes the young woman startle. She turns and stares in surprise at the sight of a finely dressed man standing at the entrance of the alleyway. Her eyes widen and her heart starts to race and her arms grip her child closer to her. There is fear in her, at the unnaturalness this man seems to exude.
The man's lips quirk into an amused smirk at the fear and caution that this mundane is feeling towards him. There are always a few humans that seem to be able to sense what he is. That always leaves them wary and frightened, distrustful of his beauty.
"No need to be frightened dearie," the man says calmly as he walks slowly into the alleyway. His dress shoes click against the cobblestones as he walks casually closer to her position. "I'm not going to kill you, yet," there is a dark smirk that curls his handsome features into a dark and twisted facade. It shows the true monster hiding beneath his beauty. "I certainly won't drink anything from you...even if I wanted to," he adds with a sneer of disgust. "Tainted blood is of no interest to me." The mysterious man's words make the young woman's heart beat steadily faster in terror.
The homeless woman watches with wide eyes as the man steps into the lantern's light. The light completely shows how beautiful, how handsome, this man, creature she supposed, is. His hair is a dark raven black that absorbs the light. It looks soft and has a slight wave to it as it falls to his chiseled jawline, like a sculpture might make of a God. His eyes are a unique and beautiful emerald green color. But the more she looks, the more she notices a ring of honey gold around his pupil and the specks of red within the honey gold, she realizes suddenly. His skin is a pale, creamy color that glows in the dim lights of the lanterns. He is dressed in the best money he could buy.
There is, she can tell when she stares into the stunning eyes, a monster hiding in those green, gold, and red depths, and it terrifies her.
The mysterious man's vest is dark like the night sky, while his waistcoat is long sleeved of similar color to the vest, and reaches just above his knees. The justaucorps have lapels upon it with pockets on both sides of the coat in a horizontal manner. His shirt is white with ruffles that reach to his wrists. He is without bows of ribbons and cravats. His breeches and stockings are of the same color black as the waistcoat. The last of his outfit is his shoes, in a black leather that matches the rest of his black outfit. "Are you quite finished with your visual?" He inquires with a raised eyebrow. It is the only truly expressive thing about the man, otherwise his face remains completely impassive, even his beautiful eyes are cold, like ice in winter.
"What do you want from me?" The woman asks with fear. A deep rattling cough follows her inquiry. Her body shakes from the coughs, causing the child in her arms to startle and begin to cry.
"From you?" The man asks rhetorically with a darkly amused chuckle. "I want nothing from you dearie," he replies finally. His dark chuckles die down as he takes a few more slow steps towards the homeless woman. "Now, your child on the other hand?" He says with a smirk. "There are many things I want from it."
There is only terror she feels, as the man suddenly moves, followed by pain and then darkness. The last thing she hears, his the man's murmuring angelic voice, "Come my son. I have so much to teach you."
19th April 1935
The beautiful museum is hushed and still as a young man, no older than twenty-eight-years-old, wanders among the many mundane individuals around him. Many stop to stare at the gorgeous male that glides past them on silent feet. Raven locks of hair hang in eyes of beautiful green, with a ring of honey gold around his pupil and the specks of red within the honey gold. His skin is flawless and pale, giving a soft glow in the light of the museum. The outfit he wears is fit for a funeral. He wears black slacks, with a black undershirt that is beneath a long sleeved black shirt. He wears no jacket and the black dress shoes barely make a sound as they lightly click against the floor.
"I wondered when you would come," a voice says from behind him. The voice is musical and sweet, like bells ringing and tinkling in a light breeze, and it sends a pleasant shiver down his spine.
The young male stops and turns slowly to face the beautiful voice. A kind and gentle smile graces the seemingly young man's lips as he looks upon a beautiful young woman. She appears to be no older than nineteen and stands at the small height of four-foot-ten. Her features are flawless and perfect, with dimples on her cheeks as she smiles. Her own eyes are honey gold as she looks up at his taller frame of six-foot-two figure.
"You are truly a vision," he murmurs quietly, but it is heard clearly by the younger woman.
The young female gives a delighted and thrilled tinkling laugh. "And you are most certainly a charmer," she replies with a warmer smile. If her heart could beat, it would be racing with excitement and nerves. While her cheeks flushed from embarrassment at his smooth talking.
"I can not say, in all honesty, that I know you my dear. Perhaps someone as beautiful as you, would be kind enough to give your name to such a humble...creature, such as I?" The young man inquires with an elegant quirk of his eyebrow. His accented voice is something that makes the humans in the surrounding area instantly attentive to the accented voice. The accent is something none of the humans have ever heard of before, and it immediately interests them.
"You charm me," she says with a lovely smile. "My name is Alice. And you, I know who you are already." Alice says with a knowing smile that makes the older vampire have a strange feeling in his chest.
"Well my dear Alice, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," the older vampire replies before he takes her hand gently and kisses her knuckles with a slightly cheeky smile.
Alice giggles with delight. She hasn't laughed like this in such a long time. She knew her mate, and their other mate, will even each other out well.
"And who am I?" He questions her then. His voice is quiet and curious about what she will say. It breaks her from her thoughts, making her look up at the taller male. His head tilts to the side, giving him a look of mystery and a dark shadow of danger. It also, to Alice anyways, thrills her at the sense of danger she knows he has. That look would have made Alice breathless, if she could breathe, and her heart flutter in her chest, had she still been human.
"You are one of my mates and you are what will save us, our family, and new love, when the time comes to it." Alice replies with a smile.
"That is quite interesting," he muses aloud with a thoughtful look gracing his features. He makes looking human so easy, that Alice hopes he will help her as they get to know each other better. "Well my dear Alice, I am sure you know of my name already, but I find it uncouth of me to not introduce myself already," he says with a quirk of his lips.
The small smile across his lips makes his features and eyes lighten. It makes him even more handsome in Alice's eyes. "My name was Harrington Valeda, nearly fifty years ago. I much prefer Hadrian Peverell in this decade." Hadrian says with such finesse, that it wouldn't have surprised Alice if many thought him from a royal line.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Hadrian." Alice replies with a bright smile on her fey like features. She silently skips up to him and stops just before the man. Leaning forward she places a sweet kiss upon his lips before pulling away slowly. Hadrian gazes deeply into the younger vampires features, before a gorgeous smile slowly graces his pink luscious lips. "I believe we will have a wonderful life together with our other mate," she remarks while looking up into her mates eyes. There is a look of such care and love that shines brightly in her eyes.
Hadrian is completely enchanted with Alice and her bubbly nature.
"Lead the way my love." Hadrian whispers softly. He holds out his hand and Alice quickly intertwines their fingers together. She leads her mate out of the museum and off to discover more of the beautiful city they are in.
They had time after all.
2nd September 1956
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
An Old Diner
"How long is it going to take him to get her, mon coeur?" Hadrian questions in boredom as he sits propped up against the counter of the old diner.
Alice sits beside him on the counter. She also looks a little bored of waiting, but she also seems eager and excited.
Hadrian looks like a model captured by film, as he sits leaning forward with elbows propped up on the counter. He uses his hands to hold up his head. Uniquely colored eyes seem to glitter in the dim diner lights. They scan the half-deserted diner with disinterest. It is like any other diner he and Alice have been in. Booths are placed along the walls in worn colors of red and brown. Tables, made of dark oak wood, and made in various sizes, are placed throughout the diners middle section and scattered haphazardly. The counter that the two mates sit upon, has many stools underneath for anyone who wants to sit by themselves.
"He'll be here soon. The storm is making it a little difficult to get here." Alice replies. Her eyes glaze over as she looks into Jasper's future.
"You are getting better at this," he says with a proud smile gracing his lips.
"And it was all thanks to you." Alice replies and kisses Hadrian on the lips. The two would have kissed longer, had the sound of a bell jingling above the diners door, not reached their ears. The two pull away and their eyes land upon a beautiful, curly, blonde haired male. Even with the crescent scars that litter his body, he is still beautiful in Hadrian and Alice's eyes. "You've kept us waiting a long time." Alice says with a bright smile as she hops off of the counter and glides towards the handsome vampire.
"I'm sorry ma'am." Jasper replies, ducking his head like the Southern gentleman he is.
Alice gives a tinkling laugh that echoes in the diner. The few humans inside turn and look over at the gorgeous vampires.
Hadrian slides smoothly off of the counter and slowly saunters over to Alice and Jasper. His uniquely colored eyes glance between the two with a smile that makes his eyes glimmer.
Jasper feels entranced by these two dark haired vampires. He knows in the back of his mind that they are meant for him. The emotions the two emit are something he has never felt before.
Hadrian smiles warmly at Jasper and the empath can feel the waves of compassion, affection and love that exudes from him. Jasper feels himself relaxing at these feelings. Hadrian holds out his hand and waits silently to see if Jasper will accept them. Without a thought Jasper reaches out and grasps the older vampires hand. The feelings he feels when he is holding the older vampire's hand is nothing he has ever experienced before. It gives him hope for the first time in a century.
"I'm delighted to finally meet you Jasper." Hadrian says softly, his unique colored eyes are kind and warm when he looks into the dark red eyes of his mate. "I will - we will - do everything we can to help you," he promises. It brings a smile across Jasper's lips. It is a relief to know his mates would be willing to help him.
"We should start heading towards where the Cullen's live. They're vegetarian's." Alice remarks from the right side of Hadrian. She is ecstatic that she finally has both of her mates with her.
"The Cullen's?" Jasper questions in his light southern drawl. "Vegetarian?" He adds in confusion. He has never heard of something like a "vegetarian vampire" before. It is such an odd, but amusing term, to use for a vampire. From the smirk and feeling of amusement coming from Hadrian, he feels the same way.
"Yes. I feel that we should explain what and who they are." Hadrian response with a nod of his head. His unruly raven black hair sticks up in different angles but it looks natural on him. "They're like myself and Alice. They don't eat from humans." Hadrian says. He smiles at the sudden interest Jasper has at the statement.
"What do they, and you eat, if it's not humans?" The blonde asks curiously.
"The Cullen's, as well as Alice and I, eat animals. It's a little 'joke' to those vampires that do eat humans," he replies to Jasper. He keeps his hand in Jasper's. He seems to enjoy Hadrian's calm, caring and loving emotions. It is the same with Alice who is also holding hands with Jasper and himself. The three walk to a large circular booth in the corner of the diner, in a section that has few individuals. Alice slides in first followed by Hadrian, and then Jasper at his right side. They sit beside each other, enjoying the feeling of finally being whole.
"That sounds - amazing." Jasper whispers with a sadness in his eyes that pulls at his two mates non-beating hearts.
"And it will be for you too." Alice replies with a smile. "Hadrian and I will do everything we can to help you Jazz. No matter what." Jasper looks to Alice and then over to Hadrian who only smiles and nods. The two will do anything for their mate. "The leader of their coven is named Carlisle Cullen."
"Carlisle Cullen?" Hadrian says rhetorically. His eyebrow raises as he tries to recall where he has heard that name before. It is a very familiar name, but he is so old that he has met and seen many things. Time tends to blur together more often than not. He is sure he has heard of that name, but he can't quite recall from where.
"You know of him Hadrian?" Alice inquires with a tilt of her head. She knows quite a bit about her mate. With over ten millennia of experiences, of being alive, it is nearly impossible for Alice to know everything about her mate. Even with the two decades of being together, training, getting to know one another and searching for Jasper; she has only just scratched the surface.
"Hmm. I am not sure. His name does sound familiar. Perhaps I've heard of him?" He replies rhetorically. His head tilts and his unruly locks of black hair fall into his face, shadowing his eyes.
"Perhaps when we meet this Carlisle Cullen, you will remember." Jasper suggests. He is not a talker usually, but around his mates he has no trouble speaking. It is around everyone else that he stays silent and watches his surroundings.
"Smart thinking darlin'." Hadrian teases gently.
Alice smiles in amusement. "There is also Esme Cullen, Carlisle's mate. Then there is Rosalie and Emmett Cullen who are also mates. Then there is Edward who has no mate." Jasper and Hadrian nod in understanding. "Edward is telepathic," Alice continues. "I'm precognitive, Jazz. Which means I can see the future, glimpses of people's decisions. Rian is teaching me how to get visions by touch, as well as see into someone's past." Jasper feels his interest peak at how Hadrian is able to help her if he has no real idea on how her ability works.
"I have four abilities," he responds to Jasper's interest with a small smile.
Jasper is surprised. It is unheard of that a vampire has more than one special ability.
"One of the abilities I have is Ability Replication or Power Mimicry as most call it. I have to be in close proximity to that individual, whether touching or being beside the individual of the ability I'm trying to copy, so to say. However, there's always a downfall to it." Hadrian pauses for a moment as he gets his thoughts in order.
Alice and Jasper sit silently, patiently waiting for Hadrian to continue.
"Whenever I imitate a talent, it becomes permanent. The downfall is that if it is a human I am copying from I can easily kill that person if I keep in contact with them for too long. That is why I can never touch a human for more than a few seconds," he explains as he looked between his mates. "If I'm around a large group of vampires with abilities, my power will duplicate those skills and it will weaken me for a few hours as my body processes this power. It's not just abilities I can copy, it's also memories, knowledge, talents like playing the piano or learning a language." His eyes go dim as he loses himself in his thoughts.
"To replicate from a human, I momentarily become that human, as my power copies everything that human is. I could end putting them into a coma if I touch them for too long. I've done it before, when I first became what I am, and tried to control this ability," he explains with a shake of his head as he thinks back to when he was newly changed. "I have been known to lose control of these gifts. It's been a few centuries since I've lost control in my long immortal life."
"What happened to make you lose control?" Jasper inquired quietly as he looked over at Harry.
"The last time I lost control I had driven everyone within a thirty mile radius insane and caused a massacre. The ability I lost control with is called Empathy Reflection...it's the ability to enhance one's emotions and with how much I felt at the time as an immortal, no human would be able to stand it...and so...they went insane." Hadrian explains as he runs a hand through his silky raven black hair. His brilliant colored eyes are filled with deep reflection. That particular memory seems to be a weight on his shoulders.
A heavy silence settles over the three as Jasper and Alice think this new information over. Alice snuggles up against Hadrian, wrapping her arms around his waist as she leans against him.
Jasper wraps his left arm around Hadrian's shoulders and sends him soothing emotions.
The darkness in Hadrian's eyes shows the pain and regret he feels for losing control like he did all those years ago.
"It wasn't your fault." Jasper finally says with a small frown gracing his lips. "You couldn't control it and it happens sometimes." He can understand how Hadrian feels. He too has lost control over the years with blood lust, killing any human within reach. Those moments still haunt him and always will.
"Exactly," Alice chimes in, "you couldn't have known it would happen," she says as she kisses Hadrian's cheek.
Hadrian smiles at his mates. If only they knew just what sort of monster he truly is. That will be for another time. He can't bring himself to speak of the horrors and atrocities he has committed in his past. Not yet anyways. "Shall we go find the Cullen's now? I believe the rain has stopped." Hadrian remarks in an attempt to take the attention away from himself. As old as he is, Hadrian has had too much attention on himself. That is why he no longer likes dealing with the politics that came with being the oldest being alive. The supernatural community has such a vast population of creatures and the laws that he had created, to give them the chance to be more humane than he ever was. Being as old as he is, life gets tedious. Though he knows now that he has his mates it shouldn't be so bad any longer.
The three mates turn towards the windows to see a still overcast sky, though it has indeed stopped raining. Even if it is windy and chilly. One of the best parts about being a vampire is never having to really deal with feeling cold or hot. Though that is certainly a different story when a vampire was in bed with their mate. Then they felt everything.
"Oh this is going to be so much fun!" Alice exclaims excitedly as she slides out of the round circular booth.
Hadrian chuckles at his ecstatic little pixie and slides out behind her. He holds out a hand behind him for Jasper to grab.
The younger vampire quickly grasps his hand and stands beside Hadrian who interlaces their fingers together. He is five inches shorter than Hadrian, who stands at six-foot-two. Hadrian is a foot taller than Alice and Jasper is eight inches taller than her.
"Ready little Pixie?" Hadrian teases with a smirk to his shortest mate. Alice grins brightly as she entwines Hadrian's other hand with hers and quickly drags her two men behind her, skipping out of the diner as she does so.
"Is she always like this?" Jasper asks with a smile and a bright glint in his dark red eyes. He notices how Alice releases Hadrian's hand and head off ahead of the two male vampires. Her eagerness to find the Cullen's is clear in the way her eyes sparkle in excitement.
"You have no idea my love." Hadrian replies with a chuckle and steps through the doorway of the diners entrance/exit. He walks out into the cold and crisp afternoon. It smells of fresh rainfall and dewy grass, one of his favorite smells.
"Come on you slow pokes." Alice calls out from down the street.
"After you," he gestures with a hand and a quirk of his lips.
Jasper laughs, feeling free for the first time in centuries. With a glance at his older mate he quickly runs after Alice with Hadrian not far behind him. He is definitely going to enjoy this new life he has been given by the two things he loves the most: Alice and Hadrian.