It was a little-known fact that Jasper Hale was good at dancing. Yet it was one that Alice savored, allowing her the opportunity to glimpse one of the few carefree pleasures of her husband's former life. Alice loved to dance, and the graceful movements, turns, and steps seemed to flow naturally from her. What a rare occurrence it was to see Jasper, normally so rigid and protective, in a near childlike state, laughing and turning and twisting to the country rhythms and corny lyrics.
The Cullen family had recently moved to Mandan, North Dakota. It was June, leaving the family ample time to move into their home, learn the hunting patterns of the local wildlife, and settle in before the start of the school year. One early August morning, just before dawn, Jasper padded into the spacious bedroom he shared with his wife. He found her sprawled on the chaise lounge, or as sprawled as his 4'11" pixie wife could be, reading the latest edition of People. Jasper couldn't begin to understand his wife's obsession with the latest celebrity gossip, yet he could feel the waves of contentment pouring from her. As he entered the room, she looked up, cocking a jet-black eyebrow in the eye as Jasper smiled sheepishly. "What are you up to?" She asked, adopting her own mischievous smile. She eyed the size 4 cowboy boots in his hand.
"I was wondering if you'd care to dance." Jasper said in a low, baritone voice. He stretched out the cowboy boots, laughing softly as his wife snatched them eagerly and examined the worn-in leather and whimsical, swirling design. "There's a barn dance tomorrow night. It would be a sincere honor if you'd accompany me." His excitement grew as Alice jumped gracefully up from the chair, clapping her tiny hands together.
"Oh, Jasper! Yes!" She practically squealed. "Though I must admit—I don't know how to—What is it called? Barn dance?"
"Line dance." Jasper corrected with a chuckle. "It's okay, my love. It's simple, repetitive, and fun. With your natural grace and intuition, you'll pick it up in no time. If Emmett can catch on, you certainly can." His eyes seemed to glisten as he remembered Emmett's bachelor party. He had insisted on going to Nashville, despite the throngs of people and natural bar scene. Fortunately (and thanks to Alice's gift), they arrived in Tennessee just before a freak blizzard blasted through the area. The Cullen boys were the only ones in the honkytonk, save for a few brave souls who ventured out in the storm. It was there that Jasper had stunned his brothers and father figure with his dancing ability, a memory that had somehow survived over 100 years, a supernatural transformation, and years of physical, emotional, and mental war devastation.
Jasper snapped out of his reveries as a feeling of dread—not his own, he noted- washed over him. He watched as his wife tore open their closet and began rifling through dresses. She held the boots up every so often and was muttering to herself about color palettes and the place of denim in country apparel. He wasn't quite done with surprises yet. He gracefully crossed the room and towered above her, wrapping his arms around her torso. "Esme is finishing a dress for you, my dear." Jasper whispered against his wife's ear, and he reveled in the feeling of her needless breath hitching from the simple action. She turned around to face him, a wide smile filling her face.
"Well don't you think of everything." She leaned on her tippy toes and softly pressed her lips to his. He pulled her closer, appreciating the radiating waves of comfort, love, and excitement.
That evening, Alice emerged from their bedroom in a red and white checkered halter dress. It featured a baby doll neckline and a tea length hem, and its full skirt circled gracefully around her as she spun to show off the ensemble. She wore a slightly ripped denim jacket and a red bandana in her hair. Ruby red lips popped against her porcelain skin, and the outfit was made complete by the perfect pair of light leather cowboy boots. Jasper whistled softly as she nearly danced toward him with light, airy steps. He was sporting his own country look: A fitted pair of blue jeans were accented by a long sleeve, red button-down shirt. He was sporting his own pair of cowboy boots, and a white cowboy hat sat atop his honey blonde locks. In that moment, Alice could nearly see the seventeen-year-old boy he had been, lying to the Confederate generals that he was, indeed, old enough to enlist.
"Where are you two going? The rodeo?" Rosalie asked from the kitchen, smirking at her "twin" who had already told her of his plans for the evening.
"Oh, Alice, dear, that dress is simply perfect on you!" Esme gushed, approaching her daughter and touching the fabric with pride.
"You better watch out, Alice," Carlisle warned with a teasing smile. "Jasper here really knows what he's doing." He grinned towards his newest son, seemingly sharing an inside joke from Emmett's legendary bachelor party.
"It's true, Alice." Emmett piped up, as if he could read his father's mind. "Dude will knock your socks off…!" Edward smirked from his place on the couch, enjoying the mental picture he was seeing from his siblings' minds.
"Shall we?" Jasper asked, offering Alice his arm. She accepted it gratefully, and soon Bella's vintage, red Ford sped down the back roads of Mandan. It was the one thing she had insisted on keeping from her human life, despite its age and questionable reliability. Alice had practically begged Bella to borrow it, arguing that it would look much too out of place to show up to a barn dance in her own baby blue BMW.
The barn itself was in the middle of nowhere. Twists and turns spotted with hills and dense prairie zoomed past them as they traveled deeper into the North Dakotan farmland. When they arrived, they parked in the grass and walked hand in hand to the barn. As they approached the dense throngs of people, Jasper sucked in a deep breath, preparing for a long night of tempting smells. With Alice by his side, he knew he could do this. A live band was playing, and the stage was littered with guitars, banjos, drums, an upright bass, and a full-sized piano. An upbeat country song filled the stuffy, dimly lit barn, and lyrics of unrequited love, the importance of family, and sexual tension danced through the air. Jasper turned to Alice and was pleased to see she was grinning from ear to ear, excitedly watching the skilled dancers moving in synchronized, learned steps. On cue, they would clap along to the music; this action seemed to spur a new set of dance moves as they stepped backward, forward, backward, and forward again.
They found an open area on the dirt dance floor and Jasper stretched his hand out to Alice, bowing slightly. "Ma'am," he said in a low voice, looking up at her with honeyed eyes. She graciously took his hand, and soon they were simply stepping and rocking to the music. "No cheating by looking into the future," Jasper whispered to her, grinning as she crinkled her nose at him. She eventually nodded, though, and soon Jasper was giving instructions, clapping, and stomping and turning gracefully with the music. Alice was impressed, and she caught on quickly. Soon, it was time to up the ante.
"I think you're ready to move onto more difficult moves." Jasper said as the band ended a slow tune. Someone began picking on a banjo, and the crowd cheered in approval. "Follow my lead." Soon, they were in the middle of the dance floor, stepping and clapping and stomping and rocking to the beat of the music. Jasper nodded to her, and as they stepped apart and back together, he grabbed under her arms and begin to spin. She lifted her legs in the air and felt herself turning over Jasper's shoulders and then through his legs; her hands were then in his, and she was yet again stomping and clapping rhythmically to the music. She squealed out in delight and was so grateful to see a side of Jasper that so few had the pleasure to see. His eyes were carefree, and a smile was nearly permanently plastered to his face. He was so confident and graceful, commanding yet soft in his instructions. His laugh was infectious, and anyone looking at him could tell he was genuinely enjoying himself.
They danced like that for hours. If they had been human, they would have left exhausted, sweaty, and famished. Instead, they walked arm in arm, simply enjoying each other's company, the one constant in their recently uprooted lives. As they sped back to Mandan, Jasper could sense Alice was formulating a plan. "What is it, my love?" He asked, turning to her.
"Well, you showed me how you enjoy dancing," Alice began with a smile. "I think it's my turn. In a few weeks, there's going to be a live jazz band performance with swing dancing in Fargo. Would you care to join me, Mr. Hale?"
"It would be an honor, Miss Cullen." He replied, squeezing his wife's hand. "An absolute honor."