As classes came to an end, I was given a new and wonderful duty, making arrangements for Emmett and Rosalie's wedding! The guest list wasn't long, just the vampires from Denali and a couple of Carlisle's coworkers, but I was going to make sure that everything would be prefect for Rose. She and Emmett had been great siblings these past months, both to Jasper and me. Emmett was making a point of continuing to engage Jasper, even though his record hadn't improved much since their first bout. Rosalie had been getting Jasper to help her with the cars, and although he didn't have a ton of interest, the interaction was proving good for him.
I was both excited and interested to meet the other vampires who had chosen to find a new food source. Carlisle had told them about Jasper and I when we arrived, but this would be our first opportunity to meet. I hoped our novelty wouldn't distract from Rosalie and her wedding; she wouldn't be pleased with that. On the other hand, I knew Emmett would sweep her off soon after the reception started anyway, so it was unlikely. And he was going to ruin the dress! I stomped my foot making a dent in the floor, but let my anger go instantly. They were going to have fun destroying it, and it wasn't like anyone else was going to wear it anyway. Most of the lace would be salvageable.
I saw that the day would be cloudy but dry, so we held the entire wedding in a local park. I even had a piano brought in so that Edward could play. He and I were there, waiting for the Denali vampires to turn up. They were due in about fifteen minutes. Edward toyed with the keys, playing something I'd never heard before. "New?" I asked.
He nodded. "It's just a theme I'm working with, still isn't coming together though." He sighed and turned to Jasper and I. "I'm surprised you aren't helping Rose prepare," he said knowing that I wanted to.
"I wanted to be here when the guests arrived. Besides, I'm going to need to be here." He heard my thoughts — Jasper was going to need me when the humans arrived.
"Right. I wonder how Tanya and her family are."
"They're doing very well, of course."
"You can see them even though you've never met them." He shook his head.
"I can see them because they are coming to see us," I clarified. Even as I said it, I let my vision slide to their arrival, just minutes away. I saw Tanya leading, a strawberry blonde in a green dress. The color was quite becoming on her. Next Irina and Kate were arm in arm. Both with straight pale hair, they looked like biologic sisters and wore the same shade of blue, though in differing styles. Kate's was reminiscent of Marilyn's look while Irina had a decidedly Hepburn quality to her wardrobe. I appreciated both, very chic. The couple was last. Eleazar in dark pinstripes and Carmen in red. Both had dark hair and the odd complexion that resulted when vampires had darker skin. They all bore bright smiles as they approached and Kate even tossed her head back to laugh at something Irina whispered in the vision. I came back to the present. "See, they're well."
Edward nodded. "And they're here," he said.
A flash, Edward dancing with Tanya. I followed that further and Edward hunched his shoulders. He wasn't surprised though, I could tell. He knew Tanya would pursue him. He just didn't want to know how it ended. Or did he? "Edward?" I asked before looking ahead.
"Yeah, go ahead," he muttered as the cars drove up. I only half saw the vampires exiting their vehicles; I was still watching Tanya lead Edward into the trees of the park. She kissed him, and whispered, "Aren't you lonely, Edward? Wouldn't you like some companionship?". He shook his head and pulled her hands from his neck, hanging his head and working his jaw. She walked back to the dance floor, her step a little less gay than before.
He nodded morosely. "Not too bad then."
I put a hand to his shoulder. I'm sorry it's difficult for you. I'm sorry you don't feel the same for her. I'm sorry you don't feel that way yet. You will. One day." I scanned ahead,scrying. Much was different around them, but he was approaching a brunette with obvious intent. Her back was to us, no clues who she was. But it was coming. His love was out there.
He met my eyes now. "Thank you."
I shrugged and pulled him up. "Introduce us, you lug." I turned him to the guests.
"Tanya!" He greeted her with a hug. "It has been too long."
"Yes, Emmett and Rosalie's last wedding I believe," she said with a laugh. I noticed she squeezed him more tightly than he did in return. I looked to Jasper out of the corner of my eye and his face was slightly contorted. He was sharing Edward's awkwardness. He could feel both of their emotions and the distance between them.
I squeezed his hand. "They'll sort it out," I assured him in a whisper.
"Did Carlisle tell you about the addition to our family?" Edward asked Tanya, still holding her hand as he turned to face us.
"Only that there had been one. Well, two, I see now."
"This is Alice and Jasper," Edward introduced.
"Two gifted?" Eleazar exclaimed moving around the women to examine us. "And such a powerful gift. Forgive me. I'm Eleazar," he introduced himself, taking my hand.
I wrapped the other around his shoulders, hugging him. "I have heard much about you, Eleazar. It's wonderful to meet you."
"You can really see the future. So clearly?" he asked.
I nodded. "Though clear, it's not always easy to interpret. I don't always know when and where. I spent years looking for the diner I would meet Jasper in, knowing only that it was a diner on a rainy day. Not very helpful."
"Yes." He was petting my hand now, lost in thought.
"And your wife?" I prompted, trying not to ignore those behind him.
"Yes! Carmen! The light of my world, Carmen. This is Alice. She can see the future. Her mate is Jasper. He can sense and manipulate emotions."
Jasper flinched. He hadn't read as much about the Volturi or talked with Carlisle about it as I had. I knew Eleazar's gift, how it was useful to the Volturi, why he had left.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Carmen!" I hugged her as well.
"Alice, cousin," she murmured.
"And I am Tanya," she said, coming forward to take my hand. I hugged her as well as Irina and Kate in turn. Jasper settled for shaking hands, or kissing them in the case of the sisters. I eyed him jealously, but with a smile, and he knew I wasn't jealous at all. I heard a very quiet growl, though, and it seemed as though my blood surged.
"None of that," I complained, coming to his side. "We have guests. Later," I said with implication.
That was when the humans arrived; I stayed very close to Jasper's side after that. The ceremony itself was short — a justice signing the register alongside Esme and Carlisle, Rose and Emmett. The happy couple had a few dances and cut the cake before Emmett tossed Rose into a convertible and zipped away.
Carlisle made sure to introduce us to his coworkers, and Jasper did an excellent job, shaking hands with each.
"There, was that very hard?" I asked. "You did excellently," I praised.
"It was hard... but not impossible."
I kissed his cheek, my pride glowing. I saw Tanya coming back into the park. "Tanya?" I asked stopping her. "Are you all right?" I knew she had just left Edward.
"I. Yes. I'm fine, thank you, Alice." Her smile was tentative.
"I'm glad," I squeezed her hand. "You can talk to me anytime if you need."
She nodded, and it was probably just occurring to her that I knew what had just happened. "I'll bear that in mind." She snapped up one of the human guests and began moving with him to the music. The man seemed completely astounded that this beautiful creature had just chosen him. Not that there were tons to pick from tonight. I shook my head.
"Well, I think I'm going to go chat more with Kate and Irina. I'm curious to learn more about them. Join me?" I asked Jasper.
The Denalis stayed for a couple of days and we got to know each other. Tanya eventually did confide in me with her sisters. "I just don't know what I lack. I mean, what is he looking for?" she moaned.
We all shook our heads. "It's not something you lack, Tanya," I assured her. "He's just... waiting for something. Maybe some switch that needs to be flipped in him. I don't know. But it's not you. I promise you that."
"Not me," she huffed.
"No, not you. He's just frigid," Irina teased. "Let's light his room on fire, that'll warm him up!" She laughed and actually ran for the basement before Edward reached her and threw her into a wall with a laugh.
"Oh, no, you don't, you pyromaniac," he teased her.
"I'm so glad I don't live with you," Irina whined. "I don't know how Emmett gets away with any fun with you around." She pouted now.
Kate laughed too. "Don't Kate," Edward edged sideways as Kate approached.
"Let Irina have her fun," she said, continuing to walk very slowly toward Edward.
Esme was chuckling now and I couldn't resist looking ahead.
"Oh, no. You don't really want to let them get away with this do you?" I asked Esme.
"Will it only damage Edward's things?" she asked.
I shook my head in disbelief. "Yes."
"Then I'll go get the extinguisher from the garage," she said, walking away.
That was when Kate reached Edward, and he fell in a heap when she touched him. The two sisters bolted down the stairs and Edward rose a second later and ran after. I could already smell smoke. Esme threw the extinguisher down the stairs and the smell changed.
Tanya wasn't laughing. "Well, that didn't make me feel better. I hope they had fun."
"They did. Edward is livid," Jasper told her. "Oh, I think Kate's knocked him out again. How does she do that?"
"She can shock the system of the one she touches. Instant paralysis. Brief, but inescapable," Tanya told him.
"Very good," he said, and I knew he was thinking of battlefields and strategies.
"We aren't fighting anyone, Jasper," I reminded him.
He shook his head. "Of course we aren't," he agreed.
"Eleazar? I think I'm ready to go home," Tanya said abruptly.
I gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to have met you," I told her honestly. "Don't let it bother you."
"I'll try," she said. "It's easier from a distance."
I nodded. "It's not you," I reminded her.
"Right," she said. I looked to Jasper, he shook his head. She didn't feel any better about herself. I tried to look ahead for Tanya. There was someone coming for Edward, surely someone was coming for her, too. But if there was, I didn't find it before I was interrupted by Eleazar and Carmen's goodbyes.
Irina and Kate made their way up the stairs clinging to each other while laughing. "Where'd everyone go?" Kate asked.
"Alaska," Carlisle said with a smile. "They just left though. You'll be right behind them if you leave soon. Don't feel you need to, though," he added quickly. "You're welcome to stay longer."
"I don't know if I'd agree with that," Edward muttered, tromping up the stairs. I suppressed giggles at the smudges and ashes on his suit. They hadn't done serious damage, but it was bad enough. The girls laughed louder.
"We'd better go before he gets really mad," Irina declared.
"Goodbye hug?" Kate offered with a look that insured pain would accompany it.
"I'll pass, thank you," Edward hissed.
I laughed and stepped into the hug. She didn't shock me though. "You've got enough electricity in that hair of yours, I think," she said through laughter.
"Good to have met you," I said and then hugged Irina as well. "And I think I'm glad I live with Emmett instead of you," I admitted. "I don't want to guess what sort of antics you get up to without someone like me or Edward to hold you back."
"Oh yes, you do. You want to do them, too." She chuckled. "You are trouble, Alice. I can tell." She kissed my cheek, and I giggled again.
"Goodbye!" I called out the door after them. I liked my new cousins.
"You could have warned me. I would have put my favorites somewhere safe," Edward moaned behind me.
"I didn't know. They really did just come up with that on the fly. You knew as soon as I did."
He narrowed his eyes at first, but then smiled knowing I was being truthful. "And Tanya?" he asked.
I tried again, was there someone for her out there? Some time? I still couldn't find it. I closed my eyes and hung my head sadly.
"He's out there, you just can't see him," he told me, trying to make me feel better.
"Sure. That's it," I mumbled and then twirled my way to Jasper for a kiss. "Cheer me up?" I asked.
He smiled and lifted me in his arms.
I enrolled in two more night classes as Edward finished his High School run. Emmett and Rosalie came back after a few months. I was glad. It was almost too quiet in the house without them. I shook my head thinking of what I'd gotten used to hearing. On a spring day, I saw Emmett looking at the kids playing baseball in the field behind the house.
"Wishing you could join them?" I asked.
"Yeah, but I think I might draw attention," he said with a chuckle.
"Play with me instead," I suggested. "Just decide to do it. Tonight, after dark."
"Uh, Okay," he said, confused. "I can dig up a bat and ball."
We would draw attention with the noise. "No, not tonight." The noise, the cracking, like lightning. I started looking ahead for a thunderstorm. "Friday night. Let's ask the others to play, too."
"You know you don't make any sense, right?" he checked, following me into the other room.
"Yep," I said with a smile.
Friday night we played baseball for the first time. It was the perfect June storm. The rain was sheeting, but we didn't care. Emmett wanted to pitch. I connected with it easily and ran for Jasper and first, Carlisle on second and then saw Edward coming out with the ball. I slid into third, knowing I couldn't make it home before he threw it to Esme there.
"She cheats!" Edward declared, coming out. "She knew she couldn't make home. She also knew when the pitch was coming." I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Well you can't take a base then, or pitcher. You know when we're going to steal." I shouted back.
"Fine, you pitch. You don't know they're going to steal until they decide to, right? You all hear that?"
"Shut up!" I yelled, jumping on him and covering his mouth with my hands. "If they can't figure that out on their own then I get the advantage. OW! You bit off my finger!" I started punching his head and shoulders while he tried to dislodge me. I landed on my butt with a thump and picked up my finger. He was laughing. I made a run for him and he took off into the trees.
I returned to the pitchers mound instead. "Well I guess this will be my post for a while." I held my hand up to Esme and she threw me the ball.
Rosalie took the bat with a big grin. "This was an excellent idea, Alice," she said, preparing for my pitch. She missed the first but cracked the second out to Edward. I looked ahead to see how far she'd get. I ran to third to catch Rosalie and the ball.
I grunted as she took out my legs. "Well it's not a kick to the face, but it hurt," I complained, getting up. She laughed at me. I ran to the mound and wound up for Emmett. I held and waited until I knew he was getting impatient before snapping the pitch. He missed. Edward was laughing behind me.
"We have to do this the next time the Denali clan is here," I told all of them as Esme threw the ball back to me.
That would be a while given that Edward and I were moving to Philly at the end of the summer.