Facing my brothers' dark eyes now, the heaviness of the situation began to weigh on me. My shoulders drew close into my ears as I leaned my elbows against my knees, head hanging low in my palms.
"Do you? Do you really know what you're doing Brother?" Emmett shouted rising from his place on the couch. "Because we've already lost the little Pixie once and I won't let it happen again."
"And you believe that Jasper would?" Edward defended disengaging Emmett before he went too far.
I only shook my head in disbelief, lowering myself deeper into the chair. Emotions were swirling and spiraling in the tense atmosphere. I could not determine their origin, be it from me or my protective brothers. I was grateful for their concern for her, but it provoked a deep primal aggression and jealousy.
"Physically guarding her won't do anything now Jasper. We need to find out what happened," Edward too slumped into his chair. "we need to tell Carlisle. We need to know what happened to her so we can assess her danger." He thought aloud. I agreed, but I was not prepared to share her yet. I looked to Edward to share this thought. He nodded and motioned for Emmett to follow him out of the apartment.
Emmett, ever the protector of the family, obeyed reluctantly.
"I'll tell him. I just want a day to selfishly rejoice in her return. To assess the level of restraint I have. To find out what she knows…She said my name." I looked to them with venom glistening in my eyes. "It's her…I know it is, but she looks so different."
"Yeah, she's hot now." Emmett joked, but I was not ready to share in those types of comments. Glaring at him, the color draining from my eyes and venom spilling into my mouth; I could feel my self starting to shake when Emmett threw his hands up in defense and left the apartment Edward in tow.
In the distance I heard him say "Just remember Jasper. Sex while your partner is asleep, is considered rape." Followed by a thud that belonging to Edward's hand smacking him.
I needed a distraction. I needed to see her. I needed to know she was safe under my protection.
I walked into the room quietly so as not to rouse her. She looked peaceful and…cute. I could no longer suppress the chuckle rising in my throat. Alice sleeping was never something I had the fortune to witness. Emmett and I had chastised and ridiculed Edward for watching Bella sleep. I now understand.
I sat in a chair in the corner of the room. I had grabbed my guitar on the way to the chair and now sat thinking of what to play. I strummed a few random cords, and then the perfect song came into my head. I started to play the chorus to Only you by The Platters, very lightly so not to wake up Alice.
I loved having her in our bed again. I loved being able to say our again, but perhaps that was too presumptuous. I was acting under the assumption that she would just remember, and we would slip back into our perfect piece of forever, but I got the impression that that was not going to happen any time soon at least.
As I finished the song, I quickly thought of another and another and another, playing until the first rays of light broke through the heavy curtains. I played In the Still of the Night as my last song. It had been our wedding song in '56 and had never lost its appeal to me. Alice hand picked it for Edward to play a variation of on the piano as she walked down the aisle. More venom began to pool in my eyes. How beautiful she looked that day, and every day after that carrying my name. A southern tradition not lost to time with me; one of many.
I finished the song and sat the guitar back in the corner of the room. It had been so long since I had played. I only played for Alice. As a matter of fact, there were a lot of things that I only did for Alice.
"Jasper?" I heard her call me name so faintly.
I couldn't help it. I ran as fast as I could to her side, using every ounce of venom in my body to spring each leg forward with an impossible speed. I sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her to tell me what she wanted. She wasn't responding. Was she still asleep? Was she dreaming about me? Had I imagined it all?
I smiled down at the thoughts, the rare feeling of mortal youth washing over me. I felt now like a young boy with a forbidden crush, a distant memory burned in the core of my mind, never able to quite take form. This was different though. It was defiantly more than just a crush. It was true love. It was my soul mate.
I looked down and played with my wedding ring on my left hand. I couldn't dare take it off. It represented more than just that winter day in 1956 to me. It represented all of the hope that Alice instilled in my heart and my "soul" that she believed me to still have.
She started to turn. She sat up slightly not realizing that I was there. I felt her disappointment. What had she been dreaming about? I wish I hadn't sent Edward out so that I could ask this favor of him.
She looked around the room first, and then to her right, towards me.
Her eyes shone bright yet still weary with sleep and quite possibly a hangover. It was no matter. She remained impossibly glorious and…perfect. I smiled brighter than I had in a long time. Only a brightness that Alice herself could instill upon my face.
"Yes Darlin'?" I pushed gently if only to establish my sanity.
Her eyes cleared and widened, a surge of emotions pulsing through her now. Even with my experience of Alice, her emotions could sometimes come so fast it was impossible to disentangle the balled mess of 'em.
"You called Darlin'?" I reassured gently with a light smile. This woman and the pure beauty of her would surely be the second death of me.
Anxiety poured over her now and I wondered if everything up until this point had been a mistake. "Where am I?" She whispered groggily.
I began with my best attempt at a reassuring laugh. Surely her own brain would be quite foggy still with the lingering remnants of alcohol in her system. "Do you remember anything about the Walk last night?" I jogged.
She shook her head no with a dizzy look in her now unfocused eyes. "I only remember bits and pieces. I'm sorry about spilling my drink on you… Did… Did you change me?"
Panic began to set in, "There is nothing for you to apologize for little Miss." I attempted to calm myself. "And no, that would be something you thankfully managed to do for yourself. I am sorry however that I didn't have a pair of pants that came close to fitting Alice." I rubbed nervously at my hands and then the back of my neck.
"Oh…I'm sorry…I'm a mess, clearly."
Her the mess?
One thing was absolutely certain, I would never in this eternity or the next understand this woman.
"Alice, you are the furthest thing from a mess. You must be hungry. What are your plans for today Darlin'?" I pushed selfishly. I would hold to my word if wanting to keep her to myself for as long as humanly possible.
"Actually? Nothing."she giggled as I felt venom surge through my body in excitement and anticipation.
"Would you mind if I took you for a breakfast date? Get something back into your system other than hot chocolate and vodka?" I tried as a distraction for myself. A reminder of her true fragility.
Her eyes met mine with such a burning intensity as her eyebrows knit tightly together with a nod.
I rose from the bed, averting my eyes and their hungry gaze from her vulnerable state.
I had pried myself from her for precious moments to launder her clothing in the night. Hugging the pile tightly to myself, isolating her delicious scent saturated within the soft fibers before tossing them reluctantly into the washer.
I held them out to her now, furious at the appliance and any eraser of her existence from this world. It took the forces of every natural occurrence not to reserve an article for myself in the process. A deep and sadistic voice within me wispered now, "The Hoodie". A long hidden part of me that cherished mementos, trophies even, roaring at the idea of my clothing being steeped in her essence this very moment.
She grabbed them gently, not meeting my gaze before rushing into the adjoining bathroom. I had hoped desperately she would find what she needed, but even more so that she would wear the hoodie just a bit longer.
When she exited, something roared loud within my chest at the sight of her. Hoodie still hung loosely around her thin shoulders, brushing the outline of her mesmerizing curves, flaring gently at her hips. The devil inside me smirked.
"You ready Darlin'?" He said.
Her face turned then, a won seriously innocent and enamoring look twisting her features.
"What?" I teased coyly.
"You know what you're doing and I don't appreciate it this early in the morning Mister…Whitlock?" I was very nearly undone at her words. Amusement and something deeper drenched my being.
"Well, it's Hale. But Whitlock was my last name, before I was adopted." I turned my focus back into myself. I would have to watch the leash on my control more tightly.
"I'm so sorry…Gosh. Can we start over?" She held her hand out towards me.
Throwing me right back into her overwhelming presence, I let him toy once more. Drawling deeply, "I'm Jasper Hale. It's a pleasure to meet you Darlin'."
Her eyes darkened and pulled into a feline like angle.
"I'm Alice. I have had a lot of last names being bounced around foster homes and don't really have a preferred one. But to the school I'm Alice Brandon." A grounding giggle erupted from her into the hand that still held possessively to hers.
I had to look away from her, to break this spell she was bewitching me with.
"Alright then Miss Brandon. What would you care for for breakfast?"
"I'm glad you asked Mr. Hale."
She wrapped her hand tightly around the corded bands of muscles straining through the fabric of my light jacket. Venom pulsed through them directly, begging to reach her. Begging her to hold them tighter. Distracted by her mere existence it took more time than I'd like to admit to realize she was headed to the colleges dining hall. Nausea overwhelmed me at the thought.
"We don't have to stay on campus you know Darlin'."
"Oh, I know. We're going to go off campus for dinner tonight, so I can get all dressed up and actually make a good first impression on you."
She bounced along beside me. Her body displaying its assets prominently through the oversized fabric. I bit back a hiss. I needed to feed. This was increasingly dangerous for her.
"You know, I would have bet money last night that there would have been no skipping from you today."
"Oh, my dear Jasper. Never bet against me." The words melted into a familiar place near my cold dead heart. And with a wink I swore I could feel it twitch alive.