The hunt they embarked on before returning home lasted the better part of their night. It didn't take long for Alice to have her fill—a couple of does were always more than enough for her—but eventually she began to wonder if Jasper was just stalling. After all, Aro and his companions were still at the house.
Right now, Alice could see that they were lingering around the common areas. She couldn't see exactly what was being discussed but she had a feeling that Aro was going to extend their help, and she knew that if that happened, Carlisle wouldn't turn away any assistance they could offer.
She did toy with the idea of sitting back and watching that happen. Of course, she would have to whisk Jasper off to Alaska first. If Jasper didn't trust them, then she wouldn't either.
But… in her mind she watched as blurry, unclear visions of Aro and his crew tracking down the wayward pair was a tentative possibility.
The timing of Aro's arrival was almost perfect. With just travel alone it would take around twelve hours to get from Italy to New York, and just over half a day ago the news that Victoria was loose hit newsstands.
It was too eerie to be a coincidence.
Eventually Jasper returned to her side, a little more disheveled than usual from his hunts. He pulled Alice into a deep kiss and her mind fluttered straight toward the vision she'd seen earlier. Back before he confessed what he knew about Demetri and the Volturi, he'd been contemplating forgoing their 'month wait' in order to lay her down and finally have sex with her.
Of course it was entirely to distract her—and damn, it really would've—but still. It was a curious detail. One she filed away for later. For when they would have some real privacy again.
Which Alice knew would happen sooner than later.
She filled him in on their plan during their slow walk back toward their property. They would fly to Denali and meet up with the Council there. There was a man there that had information on James and Victoria. Jasper said that it was likely Laurent, Irina's mate, but if he seemed surprised at the information, he didn't show it.
"What are they planning on doing?"
Alice half shrugged as she kept her eyes on the horizon where the sky was beginning to slowly lighten. "No one has made a decision yet. It's likely Carlisle will ask for help, and once that happens I'll be able to see their plan, but," she shrugged again, hating how uncertain things were. "Once we get to Alaska I'll be able to really look."
It also didn't help that too many factors were at play now. Even focusing on Victoria's blurry, ever-changing future wasn't leading Alice to many results. And James' future was somehow even more difficult to track. Whether that was a testament to his skill or a sign of Alice's inability to currently focus, she couldn't tell.
Sensing her growing frustration, Jasper pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "We'll get home, finish packing, and I'll charter us a jet. We can be there by mid-day."
Alice nodded. At least she'd be able to focus on the plane ride. Visions that she couldn't quite focus on fully were constantly flickering in the back of her mind; she knew that once she were fully able to, she would need to sit and really let herself get lost in her head.
The next couple of hours were… awkward. And that was putting it mildly.
When they reemerged Aro seemed delighted all over again, grinning and clapping at the sight of them. At Carlisle's look of concern Alice smiled at him, politely excusing the two of them as they fled to the second floor. She prayed, as they exited the main living room, that no one noticed the way Demetri and Jasper glared at one another.
Unfortunately, it wasn't subtle.
They made quick work of packing, making sure to pack light even despite the fact that Alice had no clue how long they'd be gone for. They simply couldn't afford to bring more than one bag each. There was a chance that they would be moving from city to city after they got all the information they needed from the Council, but again: until Alice could sit down and really look everything was so uncertain.
They didn't leave her room again until it was nearly time to leave for the airport.
Alice had seen that their 'guests' were going to be leaving. But when she realized Carlisle and Esme would be departing with them, her spirits sank even further. She scolded herself for being so upset; after all, she knew that she and Jasper would be leaving sooner or later, but she'd been hoping for at least a small period of time with Esme.
So when Esme eventually knocked on her bedroom door, Alice flung it open so quickly the hinges whined.
Esme laughed when Alice wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection. "I've missed you, too."
"It's not fair," Alice grumbled into Esme's blouse, low enough that she knew the noise wouldn't carry down the stairs.
Esme took a few steps into the room and softly closed the door behind them. "I suppose you know we're on our way out, then?" Alice nodded, not trusting her voice. "How soon are you two leaving?"
"Soon," Jasper remarked from close by. "From here we're going straight to Denali. We'll update you from there."
"Aro has offered his assistance," Esme spoke her words carefully and slowly, giving Alice adequate time to pull back and look up at her, "but before we accept I wanted to get your input."
"You already know what I'm going to say," Jasper spoke, his words clipped.
Esme nodded once before turning her attention back to Alice. "We're going to ask everyone, of course. I want this to be a group decision."
And in that moment, Alice saw what all of her fellow Protectors were going to say. Carlisle and Esme were obvious yeses. That was a little detail that Alice hadn't even needed to look for. They had been friends with Aro and his companions for longer than Alice or Jasper had been alive. Bella and Emmett were going to be simple yeses. In their eyes, it only made sense to accept the offered help. Anything to get this situation under wraps quickly.
Edward's no didn't surprise her but Rosalie's did. In the flicker of a vision she received then, she saw Rosalie justifying her response in a phone call to someone. "It's bad enough we look like incompetent fools right now. But incompetent enough to justify our Founders having to step in? That's an embarrassment. No."
And of course, Jasper's no was another obvious answer.
Alice paused then, and allowed herself to think. Not to see, but to actually think. If she said no, that would lead them to an impasse, which would lead Esme and Carlisle having to graciously decline. No harm done.
But Alice was curious.
James' words from the other day rang through her mind.
"You're not the first person to grill me for information on Maria. The only difference is, they can buy my silence," he'd studied her carefully, "you, not so much apparently."
Then James had broken Victoria out, and not long after Aro and his crew were en route to the Americas.
Knowing what she knew from James, and now with the information she had from Jasper, Alice knew that it wasn't a coincidence.
"I can't see how yet," Alice spoke, choosing her words with the utmost care, knowing that she was about to severely upset Jasper, "but I think that their presence here is going to drive Victoria and James to acting irrational." She turned her head until she locked eyes with Jasper. Alice could see, in his stern expression, that he seemed to already know her answer. As she looked at him, she silently pleaded with him to consider her words. Then, after a tense moment of silence, she spoke. "It might be a good strategy to let them help."
Jasper didn't say anything, but his eyes spoke volumes. Alice hated how betrayed he looked in that moment, but he simply nodded, pulling his eyes away as he stalked across the room. "Fine," he spoke coldly, shaking his head as he moved to retrieve their bags from her couch.
His pain caused fresh guilt to take root in her chest. She would explain to him when she could, but for now, she had to let him feel his hurt. It wouldn't be fair to try to argue her case with him when only hours ago he'd confessed so much to her. When he'd told her how dangerous they were. And when she'd agreed that their involvement had to be avoided.
Agreeing to this made her feel like she'd deceived him.
Her guilt was as strong as her own hurt.
"I have so many questions," Alice spoke, her voice barely higher than a whisper after she turned back toward Esme. "And I have so much to tell you. I hate that I don't have the time to do that, yet."
"The time will come," Esme smiled down at her, her hands reaching forward to grasp Alice's. "I know that." And just those three words were enough to allow Alice to take in a deep breath. "I'll see you—the both of you—when this is all over," Esme spoke above Alice's head, and Alice simply knew that Jasper wasn't acknowledging either of the women. "And we'll be able to catch up then."
"You were supposed to teach me how to garden this year," Alice spoke, her words shaking as she struggled to cling to her composure. It seemed like such a silly, trivial thing now. After all, it was a promise Esme had made to Alice last summer while she'd been outside, marveling at the fresh blossoms and lavishly decorated yard. Before Maria. Before the war. Before Jasper's rehabilitation. Before everything had soured so irreversibly.
"There will be more Springs for us," Esme's smile was enough to cause Alice's emotions to crest, and when she started whimpering, Esme wrapped her arms tightly around her. "I know," she soothed, rubbing circles on her back, "I know, sweet girl."
But in those few minutes, Alice knew that Esme didn't know.
That she didn't know how every lie Alice told made her feel less like a person worthy of such care and affection. That there was no way Esme knew about the Volturi's supposed involvement in the War of 64'. That Esme didn't know about the way she'd attempted to set up James and Victoria. That she didn't know how horrific it had been to have her real family just within reach and then suddenly so far away.
It wasn't just about gardens and quality time with the people she cared about so thoroughly, but it was how Alice—despite everything—felt like the shell of the person she was supposed to be.
And that was so much more painful than missing someone.
Eventually she calmed herself down, shaking her hands out as she wished Esme luck and promised to call once they landed. Esme walked across the room then, and when she opened her arms toward Jasper for an embrace, Alice felt her heart break when he embraced the woman tightly.
Alice knew that Jasper was still hurt, but his willingness to bid Esme a proper goodbye left her feeling just a flicker of hope for herself.
Ten minutes after Esme and Carlisle left with the European Protectors, Jasper and Alice climbed inside Carlisle's Mercedes and headed straight for the airport.
Alice jumped straight into conversation, knowing that his forgiveness would be easier for her to earn than she originally thought.
"I know you said you didn't want them to help," she began as they pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road, "but something tells me it's worth considering. Just for this." She waited for Jasper to glance in her direction before she picked up her knuckles and knocked lightly against her temple.
It was now known to be her way of defending the things she saw, but this time it was a lie.
Because Alice hadn't seen their involvement helping them positively at all. In her defense, she hadn't seen it effecting them negatively, but her 'yes' had been given to Esme on a whim. She had caught glimpses of fuzzy visions in which their presence caused things to develop quicker, but that was all she had.
Jasper inhaled deeply and held onto the breath for about a minute. Finally, he sighed, and reached over, grasping Alice's hand tightly in his own, and causing Alice's shoulders to visibly deflate.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's hard to make the right choice when there are so many variables at work."
"I know," he spoke quietly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'm just worried."
And so was she.
Their drive to the airport was tense, but by the time they boarded the small jet, Jasper had relaxed somewhat and Alice was eager to open her mind up to all the visions she hadn't been able to sit and sort through yet.
It was just as they were taking off when she unbuckled her seat and walked toward where Jasper was seated across from her. Smoothly, she climbed onto his lap, her fingers lacing behind his neck as she pressed several kisses across his face.
Despite it being a long-haul flight, there was no attendant on this plane—Jasper and Alice didn't have use for such a thing—only two pilots in the cockpit who had been more than happy to hear that the two wouldn't require much attention or even communication.
After all, they didn't want Alice's focus to be interrupted for even a moment.
When she leaned forward and captured his lips, kissing him deeply, Jasper was the first one to pull back, fixing her with a peculiar look. "What happened to sifting through visions?"
"In a minute," she grumbled, shifting so that she was straddling his lap, and when she pressed her pelvis down further, Jasper hissed, his hands moving to grip her thighs. "First…"
When Jasper smiled against her mouth, gripping her by the hips and firmly pulling her back, Alice almost whined. "We are not going to have sex on this plane."
"Why not?" Letting her fingers roam she scratched lightly against his scalp as she pouted down at him, hating that he was so much stronger than she was. She pressed down with her hips again and let out a frustrated huff when Jasper didn't relent in his grip, keeping her only inches away from where she wanted to be sitting.
"Our first time isn't going to be on a private jet."
"But it would be so fun," she leaned forward again, pressing open-mouthed kisses against his neck and jaw, and when she closed her mouth against his neck and sucked, she felt a thrill rush through her as he thrusted upward.
"I'm not denying that," he hissed, and his fingers gripped her hips harder; Alice could feel his hands shaking. "But no. Not with two random humans barely twenty feet away."
Alice finally sat back, pouting. "Even if I tell you they aren't going to know?"
"Yes," Jasper swallowed thickly, letting his head rest back against the chair as he closed his eyes. "Not here. Not now."
"You know," Alice purred, moving her hands from his scalp to his shoulders as he slowly removed his hands from her hips, seemingly trusting her not to keep at it with her attempts at seduction. "I saw what you were considering last night."
Jasper sighed, opening his eyes and fixing her with a tired look. "I was considering a lot of irresponsible things last night."
"Yes, but it hardly feels fair to know that you would've fucked me on the floor of the forest sooner than you would've fucked me in a private—"
"Alice," his voice hissed low as he slapped a hand over her mouth. The way his eyes darkened as she made her crass remarks caused undeniable pleasure to ripple through her. "Please."
She grinned as she climbed off of his lap, even going as far as to roll her eyes at his paper-thin willpower. Alice knew she held the upper hand here. And that if she were truly attempting to seduce him right now, she'd be bent over her seat in minutes…
Alice pretended not to see the desperation in his eyes as she stood before him, adjusting her clothes so they were laying the way they were supposed to. But she leaned forward one more time, capturing his lips in a few more kisses before she sauntered back over to her seat.
She couldn't deny that it felt nice to know that even though Jasper knew they needed to be responsible, he didn't really want to be.
It would make it the much easier to convince him to forgo their 'one month' rule the next time she tried to push the topic…
"Do you need anything else?" Jasper asked as she settled herself back into her chair, fastening her seatbelt so her body wouldn't shift during their flight.
Alice shook her head. "If I see anything important I'll let you know."
Then, she rested her head back, placed her hands on her knees, and let her mind open.
Vision after vision fluttered through her mind.
The initial visions that bombarded her were short, quick things. Snippets of potential futures. Paths that were being decided against and paths that were being taken. Instead of trying to organize them or sort through them, Alice simply let them flow.
She saw Bella and Josie and Lieutenant Barns and Cassie and Corey and the teenage girl from the airport in Alabama and so many people that she'd encountered but didn't have a name for. She saw her sister, solemnly returning boxes to their place in a too-dusty attic. She saw Kate and Garrett, stealing a moment of privacy before her and Jasper's arrival. She watched as Edward called Rosalie and how she ignored his call in favor of texting him instead.
She watched as Carlisle and Esme made calls and sent emails, and she watched as the staff in Newark's Center scrambled to prepare themselves for the visitors they'd have soon enough. She watched as Charlotte joined Peter on the couch of their home, their eyes on the newscast that flashed Victoria's photo and warned of the two dangerous fugitives.
Alice sat, for an undetermined amount of time, as all these futures and glimpses and possibilities flashed through her mind, showing her the immediate, probable future of hundreds of humans and vampires alike.
Eventually, the visions began to slow, and Alice began to push her focus more on a select few people.
Like before, James and Victoria were both strangely difficult to keep tabs on. The visions she received of James were few and far between, but when she got one of him, they were usually longer and more set. Alice had a suspicion she was only seeing his immediate future, and Victoria's absence in these visions only served to confuse her.
Victoria on the other hand was harder to see. Flickers were all Alice received of the temperamental redhead. Flickers of places and scenery and every now and then a word growled underneath the cover of breath and environmental noise. Eventually a flash of lightning and rain flickered across Alice's mind and she opened her eyes and looked across the small plane to Jasper.
"Check weather forecasts and look for thunderstorms."
Jasper looked up from his laptop, almost startled at the fact that she was speaking, and quickly nodded. "Give me a few minutes."
While she waited she pushed further towards where she could see Victoria and James heading. If she could just catch a glimpse of a landmark or even a flash of the horizon, it might help them pinpoint where they were. But as she watched and waited, she didn't see anything helpful.
"Theres some rain along the gulf, but they're just showers," Jasper commented as his fingers flew across his laptop, "nothing that hints a thunderstorm. The whole country looks pretty dry for the next day or two."
"And beyond that?"
There was a minute of silence while Jasper typed and Alice focused on her visions.
"Nothing concrete yet. We'll have to keep an eye on the radars over the next few days." His eyes flickered up to meet hers. "Any luck?"
Alice shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them. "Not yet." She closed her eyes again, and let her mind drift.
Once more she allowed herself to absorb and collect every single vision that floated through her mind, whether it was of any importance or not.
She watched Josie engage two Containers in uncomfortable-looking small talk, seemingly enjoying the vampires' unease as she forced them to give their opinions on whatever it was she was showing them on her phone. She watched as Demetri and the taller European Protector wandered off in Newark's Center, bickering casually about something unimportant.
Alice watched as Emmett and Rosalie said farewell to one another. Rosalie buried her face against Emmett and sighed, a moment of vulnerability shared between the couple. She watched as Skye sat by in a neighboring room, playing some card game with Corey, who looked delighted at Skye finally being willing to engage in some type of activity.
Then Alice watched herself, restrained and flailing, with arms latched tight around her throat, and then the visions stopped.
Alice forced her eyes to remained closed even as the weight of what she'd seen fell over her. It didn't frighten her the way that she thought it might, instead, the vision of her own death intrigued her.
There were little details to go off of. She could hardly recognize the arms wrapping around her neck and twisting; whether they were James or Victoria's or some unknown third player, she couldn't be sure. All she could take note of was the surroundings. An empty building. A warehouse of some sort, perhaps.
Alice could hardly focus on the fact that the vision was of her death. It seemed like an unimportant, passing detail. After all, Alice was no stranger to witnessing her own murder in her mind.
Slowly, as to not cause any alarm, Alice opened her eyes, only to find Jasper already staring back at her. Concern was evident both in his expression as well as in the atmosphere between them.
Alice forced a small smile on her face. "I'm not getting as much as I thought I would."
Jasper nodded, frowning at her defeated tone. "It's still early on. They've barely been missing for a day now. I'm sure once we get settled and can talk to Laurent and learn more, we'll have a better starting off point."
Alice nodded, quickly unbuckling her seatbelt and clearing the space between them. "How much longer?" She asked as she curled up in his lap, pressing her cheek to his chest and letting his scent waft over her. Hopefully her mental exhaustion over looking so intensely toward the future would be a good mask overtop of her very real concern that was beginning to develop about her last vision. Alice knew that telling Jasper about that vision wasn't something she could very well do now.
Especially since she was still counting her lucky stars that he was even allowing her to help with this. She knew if Jasper had it his way, she'd be locked up in some Containment Center right now—probably in Winnipeg with Rose and Skye and a slew of containers as a protection detail—safe and sound away from the potential harm that seeking out James and Victoria promised.
"We'll be there in about an hour," he wrapped his arms securely around her, pulling her close and pressing his nose to the top of her head, "you were out for a while."
Alice nodded, a little surprised by the fact that she'd been sorting through thousands of visions over the course of almost six hours. It was a bit disorienting, but as she focused on things that she could feel—grounding techniques, Jasper called them—she felt herself calm considerably. Even despite that one, final vision…
"Eleazar offered to pick us up from the airport," he eventually spoke after a few minutes, his hand continuing to trace soothing shapes against her back as she focused on keeping her breathing aligned with his. "I haven't replied yet because I wanted to get your input…"
Alice nodded, "That would be nice, yeah." It would especially help for Alice to meet some of the Council members before they got to their residence in Denali. Anything to help break up the overload of people she'd be meeting, and with that the overload of visions she'd likely receive upon meeting everyone. Thankfully she was already well-acquainted with both Kate and Garrett. And if Kate's 'sisters' were anything like her, Alice was sure she'd be getting along well with Tanya and Irina, too.
Jasper shifted, and Alice almost laughed as she realized he was attempting to open his laptop and type an email with her still planted firmly on his lap. Lifting her head up she placed her hand softly against his cheek, kissing him firmly against his jaw before untangling herself from his embrace. "I can move, Jazz," she laughed as she attempted to stand.
But when Jasper wrapped an arm tight around her midsection, pulling her back onto his lap, Alice squeaked, clamping her hands over her mouth as the noise carried throughout the small plane. Her visions showed her the two pilots exchanging a humorous look, and Alice couldn't help the embarrassment that flooded through her.
So what if she'd wanted Jasper to rail her against the coffee-colored leather seats only a few hours ago? She didn't want these poor humans to think she was actually fucking Jasper on this plane. (Even if she wouldn't have stopped him if he'd decided to go along with her half-hearted attempts at seduction.)
"I can do it just fine with you here," he grumbled as he quickly signed into his email with his left hand, his right still firmly around her. It only took him half of a minute to reply to Eleazar's email, accepting and thanking him for the offer, and once the email was sent the vision of both Eleazar and Carmen meeting them at the airport filled Alice's mind with a light buzzing excitement.
Alice laughed as he tossed his laptop to the side and gathered her back in his arms once more, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead before tucking her head beneath his chin. "You're so affectionate today," she mused, lifting her arms to wrap around his neck, snuggling closer.
"Is that a complaint?" When he began to expel a blanket of warmth and love throughout the cabin, Alice sighed audibly.
Alice snorted, closing her eyes as she sought solace in his comfort. "As if I'd ever…"
"I know you mean well with everything you do," Jasper spoke up after a long moment of comfortable silence, "I just always want what's best for you." Before Alice could open her mouth to protest, or even school her expression into a frown, Jasper continued talking. "And don't try to say that you coming along for this is really 'what's best'. We both know it's dangerous." Alice kept her mouth closed, but she did frown, her cheek still pressed against his chest. "I just want you safe and that makes me act… childish sometimes. I know." Alice felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you. There's never a time where I won't worry about you. But I trust you, Alice."
Pulling back she placed her hand against his cheek, forcing him to look her in the eye.
He was so, so impossibly beautiful. Alice still didn't understand how she had ever focused on his image and thought of anything but the love and care she held for him. The first few decades of her life almost felt like a bad dream, the way he'd haunted her in her mind. Now, she truly saw him.
His sad golden eyes that had witnessed more horror than she would ever imagine. His mane of golden hair that curled messily whenever he let her blow-dry it. Even as she brushed her thumb against the skin of his cheek she felt the familiar scars beneath her fingertips, scars that she hardly took note of now. Scars that she kissed one by one on the bad nights; the nights where Jasper curled in on himself and let his self-loathing win.
This was the man she'd feared and then loved and now, knowing what she knew now, Alice knew that she wouldn't change a single thing about what had ended up happening. Because things were alright and she knew that they'd bealright.
Even if some new, vague vision tried to tell her otherwise.
Slowly he lowered his head, and when he captured her lips in a kiss, Alice responded softly, but eagerly, focusing on sending her own love back to him. He smiled into the kiss and Alice couldn't help but laugh. "I trust you, too. No matter the choices I make and the things I do," she pulled back and looked him in his eyes, serious suddenly. "I love you. I trust you. Everything I do, I do with those two things considered."
He kissed her again before pulling back and sighing. "I wish you would also take into consideration my desperate need for you to keep yourself out of danger."
Alice laughed lightly, closing her eyes and burrowing against him once more. "Sorry. Can only consider two things at a time. Just love and trust." She could almost feel him rolling his eyes. "Safety not included."
When he poked her ribs, she jumped, laughing brightly despite the topic. "You're a terror." He growled, his arms wrapping tight around her abdomen, keeping her planted on his lap.
"Your terror," she corrected matter-of-factly. Then, she sighed. "Once this is all over, lets go somewhere."
"Wherever you want," Jasper hummed as she settled herself comfortably once more. "Wherever you want." He repeated.
As they de-boarded the plane, Alice made a mental note to look up how expensive private jets were. She caught a glimpse of a headline that would be running that night, something about outlandish spending, looking down on their choice of air-travel, and it left her a bit curious. Sure, she knew that it was more expensive than flying commercial, but Alice still didn't quite have too much of a clue how their finances exactly worked.
Only that she had a debit card, a couple of credit cards, and that Jasper had tried explaining things to her once before. In her defense, she'd been bored by the financial talk and decided that making out with Jasper was a much better use of her time.
Once they got home, she'd have him try to explain it once more. And she'd promise to be a more attentive listener this time around.
It was so cold outside that barely any humans registered their presence as Alice and Jasper strode through the minuscule crowd. They were far too focused on staying warm and getting either inside the airport or to their vehicles as quickly as possible to pay attention to the fast-walking vampires.
It took them a minute to find the right car, but once Alice's eye fell upon a monstrous truck that, truthfully, put the size of Emmett's jeep to shame, she watched as doors opened and two vampires climbed out.
"Jasper," a man's voice called out, smiling kindly toward them as he strode toward them, "it's good to see you again." He extended a hand which Jasper shook without hesitation, and when he turned toward her his smile was kind. "Alice," he extended his hand toward her, too. "It's great to finally meet you."
He wasn't as tall as Jasper but, like most of the population, he towered over her. Alice shook his hand firmly, smiling in reply as she studied him. Eleazar possessed beautiful angular features, his dark brown hair messy on his head. Something in his expression reminded her vaguely of Carlisle; it was easy to picture the two together, friends and allies before this larger-than-life job had been thrusted upon them.
It was harder for her to picture the two men at Aro's sides, living in Volterra hundreds of years prior. But knowing what she knew now, Alice had to remind herself that looks could be deceiving.
"It's wonderful to finally meet you," the woman, Carmen, corrected her husband happily as she approached. Then, she held her arms out toward Alice, pressing two quick near-kisses to each of Alice's cheeks, and gently, she held Alice by the elbows and smiled down at her. "We've heard nothing but lovely things about you," her voice had a light accent to it, and between her stylish furs and stunning jewelry, Alice was enchanted with her.
"Even from Garrett?" Alice was amused by the idea that Garrett had said anything 'lovely' about her. If anything, she was sure he'd probably talked at length about her unstable nature, especially considering the state she was in last fall.
Apparently that was the correct response to give, because Carmen and Eleazar both laughed in sync.
"He and Kate are excited to see you again," Eleazar smiled, and when he reached out for Alice's backpack, she handed it over. "And everyone else is excited to meet you."
"Yes, unfortunately we don't travel much," Carmen sounded genuinely sad by the detail, and as she turned to walk back toward the giant truck, everyone else followed. "I'm sure you two understand better than most how busy things have been."
"Have you outsourced at all?" Jasper asked. When they made it to the truck he had to reach up to open the door to the backseat. Alice had to bite back a laugh when he turned toward her and, wrapping his hands around her waist, quite literally lifted her into the vehicle.
"We had to," Eleazar commented, climbing into the driver's seat. "With the number of casualties skyrocketing once reports started flowing in, we had no choice but to bring in help from the Center. We even had containers from Anchorage and Fairbanks come in to help."
"Things were crowded in Denali for a while," Carmen commented as Eleazar started the car and began to pull away. "They still are."
"Unless you want to, we're just going straight to the house and to the Libraries, if that's alright?" Eleazar asked, eyeing the pair in the rear-view mirror. "If you'd like to hunt first, that's always an option, too."
"We hunted before our flight this morning," Jasper nodded toward the man, and Alice could tell he appreciated the offer. There weren't many people that Jasper truly relaxed around, but he seemed almost peaceful where he sat, making conversation with these two Council members. People she'd only heard good things of. People who had been friends of Carlisle and Esme before vampires were known and they lived alongside humans in this complicated new world.
With how relaxed Jasper was, Alice could almost pretend for a moment like they weren't preparing to hunt down a pair of rogue vampires.
"I know Laurent has information for the two of you," Eleazar spoke again after a long moment of silence.
Of course, the peace couldn't last.
"I'm hoping since he knew them years ago," Alice commented, already knowing the basics, despite the fact that no one had told her that yet, "he'll be able to tell us anything to help us locate them."
Eleazar and Carmen exchanged a look then. "If it's not inappropriate of me," Eleazar started speaking slowly, and Alice could see just how carefully he was trying to word his request.
She spared him the awkwardness and laughed. "You can ask. I know you can tell just by looking at me."
"I've never seen a gift like yours before. It's so remarkable how strong it is. Carlisle explained to me how powerful you were, but its easy to not understand the scope of a gift that I can't exactly see. Or, I should say, a gift that I haven't borne witness to." He spoke eagerly, and Alice recognized his excitement as someone who was finally given permission to talk about something they were passionate about. "Has it strengthened through the years to any degree? It's hard to imagine a newborn with such a gift."
Alice bit back a scoff. "If it weren't for this gift I would've been dead decades ago." At Jasper's unamused look, she shrugged. "Well, it's true!" Then, to Eleazar and Carmen. "I wouldn't say it's 'strengthened' but I have much better control over it now than I used to. When I was a newborn I could hardly tell what was then and what was now. My sense of time still gets a little… funny."
"It makes me wonder if… as a child you may have experienced related abnormalities." Then, he turned in his seat to smile apologetically. "Forgive me, I hear your transformation claimed your human memories. I don't mean to mull over such a sore subject."
"I did recently get in touch with living relatives," Alice commented quietly. It was the first time she'd mentioned her sister since her final, disastrous meeting. The pain that her departure with Cynthia left her with was still fresh.
Not once had Cynthia attempted to call since Tim Holmes banned Alice from their house.
Alice hadn't even realized that she hadn't finished her thought. Thankfully, Jasper started speaking on her behalf. "There's no evidence to make that conclusion yet, but I've been trying to explain to Alice that the symptoms on old hospital paperwork would more than support her being gifted as a human."
Alice shot Jasper a glare then, folding her arms over her chest as he dutifully ignored her. But when Eleazar began to agree, Alice's attention was forced forward once more.
"Absolutely. Alice," he made eye contact with her through the rear-view window, his gaze serious. "Are you aware of the role I used to play in the Volturi?"
"Tracking down gifted vampires," Alice nodded, parroting what everyone had told her.
"And humans," he amended. "It was a different time, of course. The Volturi were our law enforcers and I was proud with the work I did." He paused as he slowed the car and turned onto a snow-covered road. "A strong guard ensured capable enforcement. Most of the original guard still serves under Aro, Caius, and Marcus, actually. Of course, their titles differ than the ones most of the world uses. Last I checked only those three actually have used the Protector title. I'm still unsure the official title the guard uses nowadays. They're so…"
"Secretive?"
"Private," Eleazar gently corrected, smiling at Alice's input. "It's been a while since I've seen any of them. They haven't been to North America in, what?" He turned to Carmen, "At least since the forties?"
"Oh, no they're here now," Alice spoke plainly. "I just met Aro last night."
She tried not to let their palpable shock amuse her. Especially as they both did a double take to look back to the two Protectors in the back seat. Her amusement was quickly stifled by the curiosity she felt when the couple exchanged a serious look.
"I had no idea they had plans of visiting."
"Neither did we." Jasper's unamusement was clear in his tone. "Along with Demetri, Felix, Renata, and a few others."
"Wow," Carmen spoke bluntly. Then, she turned toward her husband. "Perhaps that's what Tanya texted us about." She turned back toward the pair. "Tanya texted us asking us to call her just before we pulled into the airport. I suspect perhaps that was the news she wanted to deliver."
"We'll know soon enough." And if the car started to move a little bit faster at that revelation, Alice pretended not to notice. A strange silence seized the car then. Not quite uncomfortable, but it left Alice with a handful of questions. Questions she knew she'd be asking Jasper the second they got a moment alone.
Reaching over, she laced her fingers with his, and stared out the window, marveling at the beautiful mountains and the stark-white snow, shining in the sun.
After about an hour, it was clear to Alice why they required such a large vehicle. The road they eventually turned onto was hardly even a road. As it traversed the harsh climate with ease, Alice found herself wondering if there was even pavement beneath the packed snow it dragged them across.
"The Center is a few miles that way," Carmen pointed out the window, drawing Alice's gaze. "We wanted it to be accessed easier from the base of the mountain range. It's little, but its enough to make it so that we don't have to drive into town to get basic work done."
"I thought the Libraries would be at the Center," she mused aloud.
"We tried that for a couple of decades," Eleazar commented. "Thought it would be better to separate our work with our outside lives. But we very quickly realized how unrealistic it was."
"And some of us like to take our work home with us," Carmen's words were clearly pointed at her husband. "With the way the weather gets, it only makes sense for the Libraries to be close. Certain documents can't be exposed to temperatures outside a certain range so climate control, among other factors, are carefully monitored in the Libraries."
"I'm excited to see them." And she was. Especially with the visions she was getting now, showing her just how massive they were. It made their home library look like a broom closet.
"You'll have full run of the guest house while you're here. Perfect if you just want a place to keep your things and shower."
"We appreciate that, but we'll likely be spending most of our time in the Libraries."
Alice shot Jasper a wry look at that. Of course she understood how time was of the essence currently, but she didn't want to turn down any level of hospitality.
After all, there was still a chance that with Aro and his guard allowed to help, they might find James and Victoria far quicker than Alice and Jasper could.
Perhaps that was the reason Jasper wanted to get straight to work and stay on task. He'd already informed her that finding the wayward pair was a mission he had to fulfill in order to put him back into the good graces of the general public. And it was a solid plan. But with the continuous lack of visions Alice was receiving of James or Victoria, it made her wonder if it was due to circumstances out of her control.
And despite her reluctant 'yes' she'd given to Esme that morning, Aro's involvement was certainly out of her control. (She had a feeling it was out of all of their control, now.)
Soon, all thoughts of the strange, old vampire were wiped clean from her mind as they reached the top of the mountain and Alice was able to marvel at their home.
It wasn't as much of a singular house as it was a compound. Multiple houses decorated the area, some smaller structures located further away, planted on the decline on the other side of the mountain. The image of all the giant, wooden homes made Alice think back to Josie's magazines. It looked like an expensive ski resort more than it resembled a series of houses. But Alice knew that this was the home and work place for the Council of the Americas.
"Wow," she couldn't help but press her forehead against the window as Eleazar pulled the car up outside the gigantic main building, central to the large compound. "Is this where you live?"
"Not quite," Carmen spoke as Eleazar put the car and park and they opened the doors. "This is where we work. There are houses all up and down the mountainside, and even on the North end of the mountain to our East." She gestured vaguely as Alice excitedly opened the door and hopped out, not even waiting for Jasper to help her down. "But," Carmen pointed to the structure directly to the left of the large building, "I mean it when I say he didn't want to be far."
Eleazar and Jasper appeared on the opposite end of the car just as Carmen placed her hand on Alice's shoulder and began leading her toward the main building.
"Come, come. Your shoes will be wet if we don't get you out of the snow."
Alice eyed her tennis shoes, quickly realizing why Jasper had tried to get her to pack her boots. But of course Alice had waved her hand at the suggestion, knowing that she preferred running in her sneakers instead. She hadn't thought about the fact that the snow would be deep.
He smirked at her as she caught his eye, and had to resist the urge to stick her tongue out at him.
They were barely through the threshold of the building when a familiar voice rang out.
"Well, well… look what the cat dragged in."
Alice found herself grinning as she turned and watched Garrett approach. It had been a long time since she'd seen the tall, sandy-brown haired man. "Good to see you."
"You too, shortie." Alice grinned as he held his arms out for a hug, walking into his waiting arms without hesitation, laughing when he squeezed her tightly. He nodded toward Jasper curtly. "Rebel."
"Yankee." Something in Jasper's grin told her that this was an old joke. And when Garrett placed her down he stepped forward to shake Jasper's hand, smiling all the same.
"I was just on my way out actually," Garrett adjusted the cuff of his sleeve as he spoke. "Don't want to be lingering during all this heavy talk of past connections and what-not." He shrugged at Alice's disappointed look. "Besides, I butt my head into too much of this Council stuff for my own good."
Eleazar snorted at that. "You're certainly the most well-informed civilian we have."
Garrett shot the man a sly smile. "And it's a title I'll wear proudly." Then, he turned back toward the two Protectors, nodding at each of them as he spoke, "Major. Pipsqueak." And with a goodbye kiss on Carmen's cheek, Garrett was gone.
"Come," Carmen began to stride forward, beckoning them to follow. "They should be gathered in the great room."
Alice marveled at the chandelier that hung in the foyer as they passed; it made the one they had in their home back in Rickett's look like a cheap imitation. This mansion felt less like a home and more like a building designed to impress. And impressed, Alice surely was.
It didn't take them long to reach what Alice assumed was the 'Great Room'. It was truly that; a huge room, high windows letting the light cascade down on the wood finish of the walls and the furniture. There wasn't too much in terms of sitting space; after all, unlike their home in Ricketts, it didn't appear to be designed with human visitors in mind.
That was an interesting difference to note. But the Protectors were intended as liaisons. The Council members weren't.
There were bookshelves and computer monitors decorating the perimeter of the room, with a huge, white, square table in the center of the room. It wasn't until she walked further into the room when she realized what it really was: a projector was mounted overhead, pointing directly toward the large central installment.
At the edge of the room, four vampires watched as they entered. And when they began to move, Kate was the first to approach them.
"One of these days we'll have to meet up when the stakes aren't so high," she remarked, grinning and folding her arms across her chest as she reached them.
"Maybe in a few years," a woman with curly, strawberry blonde hair spoke as she approached, "Let's allow things to calm down a bit before we go scheduling social visits." She smiled up at Jasper, "Good to see you back in action again, Jasper. You had us all worried there for a bit."
Jasper smiled wryly, "So I've heard." Then, to Alice, "This is Tanya. Tanya, Alice."
"As inappropriate as it might be, I'd like to thank you for killing Maria." Tanya turned and eyed Kate. "Never have I been more jealous of my sister here than when I heard she was already acquainted with the woman who finally ripped that monster's head from her shoulders once and for all." Tanya leaned forward and took Alice's hands between hers, gripping it tightly. "As far as I've come to understand, you don't get enough credit."
Before Alice could shake her head, and turn away the compliment, Jasper's hand was on her shoulder, and he was speaking. "Believe me, you're right about that."
She frowned up at him. "I get plenty of credit," she grumbled quietly. Kate and Tanya laughed in sync.
"Regardless, I think it's only fair that we also extend our gratitude. From all of us," and with a wave of her hand she gestured toward where Carmen and Eleazar stood behind Jasper and Alice, before turning toward the remaining two vampires, who were still standing back.
The third woman was just as blonde as the other two, and just as beautiful as well. Her attention never once swayed from the man at her side as she stared up at his dark features. Alice didn't have to be an empath to see the worry swimming in her eyes.
The man, with his long, black dreadlocks and glowing, golden eyes was instead staring at Jasper and Alice, something akin to fascination on his face as he took in the newcomers.
Jasper had already informed Alice that he'd yet to meet Laurent. The man had only been recently involved with Irina in the past ten years or so. Much like Garrett, he wasn't a member of the Council, but he did reside in one of the cottages on the mountainside with Irina.
Alice watched as Laurent grabbed Irina's hand in his and took several steps forward. "It's both an honor as well as a pleasure to meet the two of you," he bowed slightly as he approached, and his accent somehow made him seem all the more refined in Alice's eyes. He reached forward and shook Jasper's hand before also taking Alice's. "I… hope I can be of any help at all to you."
"Alice this is my sister Irina," Tanya introduced the woman who had yet to speak up, "and this is Laurent."
"It's lovely to meet you," Alice spoke, locking eyes with Irina only to be shocked by the woman's icy gaze. "To meet all of you," she quickly turned the attention to all of the inhabitants of the room, knowing thanks to her visions that she would have to be careful around Irina for some reason. Why? Alice couldn't quite tell, yet.
"I have information that I believe may be beneficial to you. On James and Victoria."
"Of course," Jasper nodded. And when Irina and Laurent shared another long look, Alice forced her gaze away, feeling somewhat uncomfortable at the interaction.
Alice almost expected for them to get shuffled into another room, or to go gather at a dining set like Carlisle had done the night she'd arrived in Rickett's last year. It was a shock to remember that the way that her fellow Protectors acted wasn't very usual.
Because of course they didn't need to sit down to gather around each other and talk. It was simply one of those socially acceptable things they did to seem more normal, and less intimidating to the humans they worked with.
As far as Alice was aware, humans had no role in Council duties.
Laurent, thankfully, jumped right into his tale.
"I was grandfathered into the system around the turn of the century. I'd been in North America for only a decade or so by that point, and was… intrigued by what was happening. But when the Volturi deems something law. Well…" He sighed, "You go along with it. And I was willing, of course. Secrecy was most of the struggle back in the old days. But I quickly learned that some people were very good at keeping things quiet, and weren't too willing to give up their ways.
"I wasn't quite the model citizen, I must confess," he spoke with a sigh. "I spent many a year partaking in Underground dealings, keeping things below the surface. And that's where I met them."
"Hold on," Alice felt silly for interrupting, but she knew that suddenly everyone was on a page that she hadn't quite reached yet. She looked up to Jasper for an explanation.
"Black market," he explained simply.
"Sorry," Alice offered Laurent a smile, a bit embarrassed. "There's still a lot I don't know about."
"It's alright," Laurent smiled back at her, gracious despite the interruption. "I would describe it—dealing and trading and the sort—as a way for many of our kind to still get away with clinging to our old ways."
"Trading…?" She knew she was so close to understanding, and still felt silly, standing there amongst all these old, smart powerful people, yet not even having a basic understanding of what a black market for vampires would entail.
"Blood," Laurent spoke calmly, and it was the obvious answer, of course. "Human blood, that is." Then there was a slight pause, "I take it, you know little of the rotted underbelly of our world."
"She knows enough," Jasper's words were a short defense, but Alice knew that Laurent was right.
"I've been busy in my first year here," she shrugged, quickly pushing back her embarrassment. She had to remind herself that while she had learned plenty about the law, there was still very little she knew about those who broke it, and got away. "My training has been more immersive than anything. But I think I can keep up," she encouraged, hoping that the fact that she knew little about their black market would be viewed as something more understandable, given the newness of her position.
She didn't need the damn Council members thinking that she didn't know anything.
"You really did go from small town nowhere to the highest office around, huh?" Kate grinned as she poked fun, and Alice rolled her eyes, silently grateful for the comment. Alice could feel some of the tension in the room break.
"I'm a trained seamstress. Not a politician."
"So Rose tells me."
Alice had the opportunity to look half-offended by the time Carmen clicked her tongue and Eleazar spoke up, his words scolding. "Kate, please." But Alice was already grinning back at her.
Laurent continued speaking. "Trading was big those first several years. Lots of time was spent looking for ways to make consumption something that everyday folks could get away with. But travel… the market for travel was much bigger."
Alice understood that fully. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her that only high-ranking vampire officials, such as herself, could freely travel throughout the country without having to jump through a hoop or two in order to book a flight.
While talking on the phone to Charlotte a couple of months ago, Alice found herself shocked when they had to turn down Alice's invitation for her and Peter to come visit. After all, they hadn't seen Jasper once since he'd been released and sent back to Ricketts. Alice figured that seeing his old friends would help in his recovery.
But Charlotte had sadly turned down the invitation. For both good reason—there was much work to be done to rebuild in the Pacific Northwest—and ridiculous reasons—getting both time off and the approval for cross-country travel was something they didn't have the time for.
"I will never deny my actions in those early years," Laurent spoke, his gaze flickering between Alice and Jasper, "but later on, I utilized services in the Underground solely for travel purposes. So, I travelled illegally. Saw the world, met others, hunted abroad." He lifted a hand at that detail, "Legally, I mean."
"And that's how you met them," Alice spoke, her voice in awe as she saw, in her mind, Laurent provide the connection.
He nodded. And if he were surprised she put two and two together, he didn't show it. Alice wondered idly if he knew about her ability. She knew the Council members were all aware. And Garrett, despite not being a member, or even a government official to any degree (cadets had more clearance than he did) knew about her gift.
But Garrett had also been in Manhattan and seen her while she was in the trenches of some awful visions.
Alice figured it was safe to assume that Laurent knew, but she figured it was likely best to still keep things vague until she had confirmation.
"They were in Tanzania, where they'd been for some time. I still don't know the full story about how they got there or what they were doing, but they were looking for a passage back to North America, and I had the connections. So, we made a deal. I would help them to get back to America and they would make good on their end of the bargain.
"They claimed to be untraceable, you see. I suspected something of an ability from Victoria early on, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. They bragged about the places they'd been and the sights they'd seen. They talked, at length, about how freeing it was to fly under the radar the way they managed, and I was curious.
"James told me early on about his hunting ability. They attempted to goad me into admitting that I possessed my own ability but," he held his hands out, shrugging, "I am simply without one. They were disappointed in that. We were halfway through with the journey when that happened. I had the suspicion that if I hadn't been offering them an easy way back into the country, they would have disposed of me.
"That was another one of many tales James' had to share. He was a hunter, and claimed to have tracked 'every creature you can imagine,' were his words. I met them with golden eyes, but they didn't make it a secret that they preferred to feed on humans. Well," he made a face, "I suppose I should be saying 'he'. James did most of the talking for Victoria. She viewed everyone that wasn't James as a threat, and she made no secret of her disdain for me. The only reason she tolerated me was because James had plans for when he made it back to the States."
"What year was this?" Jasper asked.
"This was only '49. We finally made it back to the U.S. the following spring, and I was somewhat of a companion of theirs for a few years afterward. I stayed out of curiosity, really. I jokingly asked James to find me a white reindeer and three days after we made it back he led me straight to one. It was remarkable. I'd never seen an ability like his.
"I entertained his games for a while after that. We exchanged stories, advice, ideas. I learned that they'd also been grandfathered into the system, but they only checked in when absolutely necessary, missing counts here and there due to their travels and their way of life." Laurent shot Alice a peculiar look then. "You can't quite attend your meeting with your census advisor with dark red eyes."
"I called it quits with them after one particular disagreement." He paused then, and when his eyes turned toward Irina, she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she was looking at Tanya, her eyes hard. "It was in 1957. Your leader, Carlisle, had just made a declaration about a new member."
"Bella…" Alice breathed, horror falling over her as the visions of the story Laurent was about to tell flashed through her. "He wanted to hunt her down."
Laurent nodded, grimacing, "He viewed it as his greatest challenge yet. To kill a Protector before she could be granted immortality… the idea consumed him. He truly believed he could do it and he could get away with it.
"It especially didn't help that they dragged her from city to city, in an attempt to try to convince people that it made sense," Laurent's eyes locked on Jasper then. "Forgive me. That's still a decision that baffles me."
"I fully understand," Jasper nodded. Alice wondered what Jasper had personally thought about it after he joined up. After all, he hadn't known much about the Protectors or their inner workings outside of the intel that Maria fed to him. She wondered if Maria had filled him in on the Protectors of the Americas plan to change a human for service.
As Laurent continued speaking, Alice made a mental note to ask him about it.
"I parted ways with them after that. I contemplated leaving an anonymous tip—I didn't want the girl murdered—but I knew that if the news ever came to light they would know it was me and," Laurent paused, shivering. "I never accompanied them on their hunts involving humans, but I'd seen enough of James in action to know that he wasn't to be trifled with. It was a cowardly thing to do, I recognize that now." He locked eyes with Alice and held her gaze. "But Isabella had the entirety of the Protectors on her side. I only had myself."
Alice found herself nodding without meaning to. But despite how awful of a tale it was, she understood why he did was he did.
"Of course, I recognize that the girl was turned soon after and of course, she's with you all now. So whether James ever attempted to go through with his plans, I'm unaware," Laurent looked up at Eleazar at that remark.
The dark haired man shook his head. "No. Things were relatively peaceful up here for the entire process."
Alice wanted to make eye contact with Jasper then, but forced herself to keep her eyes on Eleazar as he spoke. She wondered if the Council members knew that, although she hadn't been on the 'need-to-know' list, she'd found out about Renesmee accidentally. So, she knew that their 'relative peace' was absolutely not acknowledging the shit-show they went through with keeping Bella alive long enough to make her immortal.
A part of her was eager to get Carmen or Tanya alone. Maybe they'd be willing to give her some anecdotes from that time. After all, Bella claimed she'd been unconscious for the last few months of her pregnancy. And Alice didn't think her friend would fault her in being curious about that entire process.
She could claim that learning about it was good for educating herself for work purposes.
It was an argument that was pretty solid, too. Especially with the amount of things she still didn't know about the legal and illegal things that went on in their world. Her embarrassment just a few minutes prior was proof enough of that.
"Either way, it was the last time I saw either of them for a long time. By that time I knew that James was dangerous, and that it would serve me best to disengage from him, and I also had learned all about Victoria's gifts too."
"Evasion." Alice nodded, feeling at least confident that her talent was at least on file now, in a way. (Of course, only those who could understand the coded language on Victoria's paperwork, or where to even look for such a thing, would know this.)
"But you see, this is where they become more dangerous," Laurent fixed her with an almost-reproachful look. As if her dismissing it as an 'evasion' talent was dismissive of what they were truly up against.
And maybe it was.
"Separately, they are both immensely talented. I've never seen a tracking ability quite like James'. It truly is as remarkable as it is terrifying. And Victoria is just as lethal. James told me the story of how they met, and it's not a pretty one. He hunted her for years. James told me that Victoria was the first person he'd ever known that was able to evade him. Eventually, Victoria's curiosity won out, and she allowed him to catch her. After that…" his voice trailed off, as if he knew that he didn't really need to elaborate.
At this point they all knew the two were mates.
"So while individually they both carry powerful talents, together it's… not magnified, but their gifts play on each others so well that I'm afraid they're nearly impossible to track down. And back in '64, I will admit that I tried. With the state that the world was in, I knew that they'd be my best bet at survival; I knew they'd be able to avoid detection as well as attack. Of course, I never got anywhere close to figuring out where they were hiding out that year.
"And after things settled down, I continued on with my life. Traveling abroad a few more times until coming back in the 80s to roam the countryside again. But the world had changed so drastically that it was getting harder and harder to exist in the Underground without detection. Especially concerning travel. And of course, that was the main thing I sought out.
"But not only." Jasper's words were serious.
Alice knew then, that she wasn't imagining Irina's coldness. Because before the woman spoke, Alice saw it.
"If you guys are going to arrest him for things that happened decades before, then—"
"Irina," Tanya's voice was stern.
"Please, they are here for information," Eleazar pleaded with the blonde woman, who was still in some type of stand off with Jasper. "We are not, nor have we ever been, the people who stand in the way of justice, Irina. Might I remind you of your oath." And then his words were scolding.
"Irina," Laurent's attention was fully on the irate woman. "I want to help." He lifted a hand, placing it gently against her cheek, but it took a long, tense moment before she pulled her gaze from Jasper and looked back up at her mate. Alice looked away again, uncomfortable at the affections once more, and hating that she understood Irina's frustration.
Because that was exactly the way Alice felt like acting every time she heard anyone say anything bad about, or insinuate anything awful concerning Jasper.
After their shared moment, Irina was quiet, and Laurent turned back toward the pair.
"I will never deny what I've done. I served quite a few years in custody back in the 80s, after James and Victoria found me again." He paused while Irina adjusted her grip on his hand. "They tracked me down in '84. James wanted me to help him with a new 'assignment' he'd been given. I never received too many details about what the assignment was, but the way he worded the request made me immediately suspicious."
"Why?" Jasper asked.
"Because for James to have an assignment meant that someone was keeping tabs on him. It meant someone had to have some sort of influence or impact over him. You see," Laurent shifted on his feet, and Alice's eyes were glued to his stern expression. "James, in all the years I knew him, never worked with anyone. Not even with myself. I was simply a convenient connection for him to have. So for him to have an assignment, meant he was working not just with, but forsomeone. And that was not good."
"That meant there was someone out there that had something to hold over his head." Jasper speculated.
"Or something to offer him," Carmen mused. "Something he would want."
"What was the assignment?" Eleazar encouraged. That was when Alice realized that the other council members—except for maybe Irina—had no idea about any of this.
There was a good chance they knew about his rocky past, and Alice was sure they'd known about him being 'in custody'; whatever that meant. But it seemed Laurent had kept plenty of things to himself.
"He needed my connections. Again, he wasn't good at working with people, so he wanted to rely on me so he wouldn't have to make his own connections and deals in the Underground. But before hearing what he wanted I was already hesitant. I'd begun to grow weary with the double-life I was leading. I thought maybe settling into a normal life wouldn't be as much of a terrible thing as I thought it would be."
When Irina reached out with her opposite hand, grabbing his hand with both of hers, Alice felt sad. It was similar to what Jasper had confessed to her, after hiding out after the War of '64, waiting to be found and tried for his crimes.
"James needed a way to get in touch with suppliers. Direct connections. Its not something that I possess. Again, I stayed on diet for the most part throughout my years flying under the radar. You learn quickly in the Underground that the last thing you do when talking to any of your contacts is make demands outside of their areas of… expertise, you could say.
"He needed names. He demanded them, really. And I told him I wouldn't give those to him. That it was against the code of conduct. That if he wanted those connections he would have to handle it himself." Laurent inhaled slowly. "He didn't like that. So he told me that if I didn't do it, I'd have 'some sorry regrets' he said. I knew James, so I recognized a threat when I heard one.
"I thought about it long and hard for a couple of days. I reached out to my contact and told them to cut all ties with me and that it was best to have me blacklisted. It was something I had been considering doing for a while. Even after months away from certain illicit activities, it was always very easy to feel the draw back to that particular lifestyle. I'd been contemplating getting myself blacklisted for a long time before then, even if to simply force myself to leave that life behind.
"Then, I took myself into my assigned center one day. I sat down with a few Captains and spent a few days telling them everything. Then I waited a few weeks for one of their 'specialists' to come speak with me," he turned his eyes toward Jasper then.
"We have a very, very small group that specialize in keeping tabs on Underground happenings," Jasper spoke generally. "You probably spoke with someone on that task force." Then, to Alice, "It's very small. Only a handful of people are on it."
"The woman, Rae, knew her stuff." Laurent nodded, as if impressed. "When I told her I had myself blacklisted, there wasn't much information I could provide for them outside of some of it's inner-workings. But all the information I provided Rae with wasn't really news to them." He half-shrugged. "It was my willingness to talk at all that made my sentencing rather light. I never messed with trading but five years self-control was all they required of me." He shrugged, "Easy enough work for someone who'd been resisting the temptation of human blood even in situations when it had been offered."
"I'm assuming you have a record, then?"
"Yes, technically. But as you know, Underground handlings are rather hush-hush. So that isn't listed there. But my general crimes: unauthorized travel, illegal hunting, census dodging. That's all recorded."
"Did you talk to them about James?" Alice asked, eager to learn more and put the pieces Laurent was laying before them all together. "And where was Victoria during this?"
"I'm not sure Victoria's whereabouts. It was rather odd. I'd never known them to be without one another. But yes, I did inform them that my actions in bringing myself into the center weren't entirely selfless. But giving authorities one name doesn't do much. I never got a surname out of James, and I didn't know where they were supposed to be residing. When James wants to find you, he does."
Alice felt an involuntary shiver race down her spine.
"What can you tell us about their gifts? Anything you noticed that would be useful?" Jasper lifted a hand and placed it on Alice's back, keeping her grounded as she struggled with her growing unease.
"Victoria's evasion ability doesn't just make her hard to track. Even when you're in close proximity to her, she's hard to hear. She's very, very quiet. I can not tell you the amount of times she would appear or disappear from close-by and I simply wouldn't hear or notice."
Jasper nodded along as he spoke, and Alice wondered if this was something he already knew. As time passed it was easier for Jasper to think back and sort out his real memories from fake ones. Skye's distorted images had a hazy, lingering quality to them, he'd informed her not too long ago, whereas his real, waking memories from that time felt disjointed, with pieces missing.
"She's also wickedly fast. Not only is she hard to track, she's hard to catch. I was shocked to hear she was among those taken into custody last fall. Not because your cadets aren't talented," he spoke quickly to Alice, "but because I know how difficult of a feat that is."
Something told Alice that the only reason Victoria had been taken into custody that night was because she had likely seen it as a way out. A way through the system and back out again, where she could live 'free' once more.
After all, Victoria had been labelled a victim of Maria's very early on.
"And James?" Alice eyed Jasper as his jaw twitched as he spoke the name. "What about him?"
Laurent paused for a long moment, his eyes staring blankly at a point on the floor as his mind took him far away, back to a time where he lived as close to the 'old days' as you could get in their post-integration world. Then, he sighed, and looked back toward the two Protectors.
"James is dangerous. Know that much, and don't forget it. Please. He's clever. He is sadistic. He's done things that I don't feel comfortable discussing here, or in the presence of ladies. And that is only things I've witnessed from him. That has nothing to do with the nightmarish tales he's proudly bragged to me about. About how he hunted the 'undesirables'. The discarded and forgotten humans that lived on the streets, that rotted away in hospitals.
"I truly can not recount these tales for you here," Laurent tore his gaze from Jasper and Alice to look at Irina, and toward the other occupants of the room, "but I need you to know that right now, James isn't hiding and waiting for this to blow over. He isn't cowering in fear or thinking of a quiet way out. He is biding his time, and he is planning something. I can tell you for a fact that he most likely thinks of this as a game, and that whatever he is after currently, he will stop at nothing to get."
"What do you think that is?" Kate spoke, her eyes hard. "As someone who knows him to some degree, what do you think he's trying to get now?"
"I don't know. Back then it might be a way to secure his freedom. To ensure that he could continue living his previous lifestyle. But with Victoria in the public eye, that possibility died the moment her mugshot was syndicated. There's no more living privately now. So, if I had to chance a guess," his eyes fell back to Jasper and Alice. "I would be very, very careful with your hunt for James and Victoria. I understand the need to bring them to justice, and I recognize the dangerous nature of your job, but these two are deadly. A lethal pair that, if you underestimate them, it will have consequences."
Jasper nodded, and Alice spoke up, "Thank you," she managed half of a smile, despite not feeling very comforted over his words. If anything, her anxieties were running freely now. "I know that was probably very hard for you to share."
"I regret to inform you that my intentions perhaps are not as altruistic as yours." Laurent eyed Irina at his side as he spoke. "I fear that, as an old connection, I may be a target for them as much as you and your comrades are. I fear that they may try to hurt those closest to me in order to gain some leverage if needed."
"It's important that you told us this," Carmen encouraged, her lovely face smiling sadly toward the dark-haired man. "We can have an extra patrol stationed at the base of the mountain for the time-being, knowing that the are could be on their radar."
"Josie," Alice's heart was suddenly in her throat.
"She already has a protection detail in place," Jasper soothed quietly, moving closer to Alice as he used his ability to soften the edges of her sudden fear. "I assigned a security team to her myself. She'll be safe."
Alice let out a breath of air as she flickered through a few quick visions, watching as Josie encouraged a pair of vampires standing awkwardly in her living room to join them on the couch for another episode of Judge Joe Brown. It was the vision of her chatting with Emmett on the phone that calmed Alice down massively.
She'd have to text the both of them once she and Jasper got more settled in the Libraries.
"Thank you," Jasper nodded toward Laurent, before turning back toward Tanya. "We'll need as many thorough maps as you can provide us. Anything to help me familiarize Alice with their potential paths and anything to help me figure out where they might be next."
Kate hummed, "If anyone can hide out in the wilderness undetected for any amount of time, it's probably you, huh?" She mused, referring to the years he spent hiding from The Protectors right on their own lands.
Thankfully, Jasper smirked at that, pleased that someone was on the same page as he was. "Precisely."
"On it," Tanya nodded, having retrieved some sort of tablet when Alice wasn't paying attention. As her perfectly manicured nails tapped away on the touch-screen, Laurent and Irina quietly said their goodbyes. Alice watched, empathy still potent, as they fled the room. She didn't have to be Jasper to know the woman was fearful for her partner's safety; she understood that feeling far too well.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Jasper's eyes stared at the spot where Laurent and Irina disappeared around a corner. She could only imagine the emotions he was sensing from them in that moment.
Silently he reached over and took her hand in his, gripping it tightly.
Despite not having Jasper's ability, Alice knew he was just as worried about her as Laurent was about Irina.
She just hoped that the feeling wouldn't get the best of him.