Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Chapter title is from Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

--

Eight weeks had passed. Two months had gone by without any contact with Alice.

The day after, Jasper knocked on her door. He heard nothing. But he felt the rejection and hurt seeping through.

She never answered.

Day after day, Jasper would knock. And day after day, Alice refused to even acknowledge his presence.

His mind easily kept track of the dates. In one week it would be Christmas, but there was barely any holiday spirit inside the house.

He cold only blame himself for that. If Maria had hadn't intruded with such poor timing, maybe Jasper and Alice could actually be talking, spending quality time with one another. No, they definitely would be.

Many times he considered leaving, but every single time he weighed that option a pain seared inside his body. The thought of being away from Alice tore Jasper apart. What Maria said was right: He was attracted to Alice; he needed her.

Never before in his life did he feel like this: The desire to fulfill her each and every wish, to cherish her and hold onto her forever.

This longing Jasper held for Alice cared him. These emotions he was experiencing were so new, so foreign.

Yet another part of him relished the fact that finally he met someone who turned his life around, someone who saved him from the very depths of hell. Someone named Alice.

The way her glorious smile would light the room, the way her musical laughter brightened his day. Every part of her was just simple amazing.

Jasper walked over to the large mirror near his bed and took off his shirt, gazing at all the scars that adorned his chest, shoulders, arms, and neck. He winced as memories of the past flooded his mind, each one reminding him just how those scars got there in the first place.

The reflection revealed a change man, someone blessed by an angel.

Did Jasper love Alice?

As much as he rejected that idea, the change deep inside his amber eyes told him yes, yes he did.

After fifty six days of battling this question, he finally found his answer.

But he didn't deserve Alice.

His past created him into a monster, a ruthless creature who was to be damned to the eternal fires of Hell.

And Alice deserved someone who would love her unconditionally love, adore, and please her.

Could Jasper do that?

Yes he could. He would love her to the end of time. He would do anything for her. If she needed someone to protect her, he would be there. Hell, if she wanted him to wear a dress, he would. Just to please her.

Then it was time to finally tell her.

And now that I'm stronger, I have figured out,

How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul.

And I know I'll find deep inside me,

I can be the one.

--

Alice sighed.

It hurt. Everything hurt.

She didn't even try to see the future; she tried her hardest to block them. But it wouldn't work.

It just didn't matter anymore.

After what Maria and Jasper had done, Alice broke. Something inside her died.

She loved him, ever since she woke up in the darkness. His face was her first memory of her life. Ever.

However, Alice didn't realize how much she loved him until two months ago. The burn of Maria's venom was nothing compared to the grief she when she found out Jasper slipped from her grasp.

Before everything happened, she thought he would just be a silly infatuation, someone who she accidentally developed feelings for. She was incredibly and horribly wrong.

As her eyesight became hazy in preparation for another vision, Alice gasped at the sight.

An image flashed in front of her eyes, just long enough for her to distinguish two individuals locked in a passionate embrace: Alice and Jasper.

Her mind screamed no, refusing to believe what she saw. That was wrong, completely wrong. But her heart stated otherwise. Deep down, she hoped with all of the world that the vision would come true.

Alice loved Jasper too much to let him go.

Cause you're my, you're my

My true love, my whole heart.

Please don't throw that away.

--

There was a knock on her door. The fifty seventh time.

And Alice opened it.

"Hi," she said quietly, glancing at Jasper's eyes quickly. She was too nervous to look at him for longer than a second.

"Hey." His tone matched hers.

Both stood awkwardly against the doorway. Neither could come up with anything else to say.

After a long and apprehensive silence, Jasper cleared his throat. Alice snapped her head up to look at her; he immediately felt guilty once he saw the pain in her eyes. The pain that he caused.

"Would you like to go on a walk with me?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. For some reason, he was ten times more on edge after he asked her the question.

If Jasper had a heart, it would have been beating furiously and erotically.

It seemed forever till Alice responded. A simple nod from her was all it took for him to burst joyously inside his mind. But the emotions she was carrying at the moment ruined the temporary happiness. She was hurting. It was evident in her appearance as well, her eyes filled with grief.

Jasper broke into a run and looked behind to see that Alice was following. He was leading her to the small lake he accidentally discovered one day in the middle of hunting alone. Its timeless beauty, tranquility, and grace reminded him of her. Since he wanted to talk to her, the lake seemed like the perfect place.

After fifteen minutes, Jasper stopped, Alice doing so as well. He walked swiftly as the trees began to thin, a sandy shore appearing.

He turned around and took her hands in his. Surprise flickered on her face before irritation replaced it. She attempted to wrench her hands out of his grasp, but he held on tightly and refused to let them go.

"Hear me out," Jasper begged, his face looking desperately at Alice. She turned her face away and her jaw clenched.

"Five minutes," she said, looking out at the moon shining over the lake.

He nodded, struggling to compose his words. It was best to start at the beginning.

"Alice, my life before you was a complete nightmare. I killed without second thoughts, always fighting for my own survival. Never did I love or be loved. But all this changed when I met you," Jasper said earnestly. Hopefully, Alice would feel the transparent honesty in his voice.

"Suddenly, I had the desire to learn how to live again. Before you, I always knew I was missing something, something special. I didn't realize at first that it was you. I don't think I realized it until it was too late. Until I lost you.

"But Alice, I don't want to let go of you. I will never let anything hurt you. I will always stand up for you. I will always be there.

"Please understand, nothing happened between Maria and I. It was her and Derek. I think the only reason she called my name was because she knew you would misinterpret the situation. I regret everything that occurred.

"Do know, I was nothing before I met you. Please realize that. For a century, I wandered around this earth without a reason to be. But now I finally found my reason. And that reason is you.

"You are everything I can only ever dream of becoming. You are everything I want. You are my life. You are undeniably the most remarkable creature I have ever met in my entire lifetime, human and non-human. You are my savior."

Alice's golden irises stared into Jasper's. He could feel the complete turn of emotions inside her body. That was all it took for him to go on, to finally confess.

"Alice, I-I love you." He poured all of him into those three words, his gaze piercing right into her soul.

Ever so gently, he cupped her face in his hands and lifted her whole body so his lips could meet hers.

Their kiss was sweet and passionate, too good to be true.

After what felt like hours, Alice and Jasper pulled away. She pressed her forehead against his and smiled, joy and love radiating through both of their bodies.

"I'll show you that somewhere deep inside me, I'm the one," he whispered, capturing her lips for yet another kiss.

Alice pulled back and grinned. "I love you, too."

I will never let you fall.

I'll stand up with you forever.

I'll be there for you through it all,

Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

--

AN: Finally! I actually wanted to wait a few more chapters before he confessed that, but I realized I just couldn't. I decided there was enough tension and turmoil to show them that they did love each other.

Haha, yeah. Hope you enjoyed it!

I think 'Your Guardian Angel' by RJA is the perfect song to describe Alice and Jasper. They really are.