Chapter 4

Off to Alabama We Go!

I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of the door waiting. I stared at the door intently, using the fact that I didn't need to blink to my advantage. I was hyperaware of everything, every smell, every movement. Waiting for him to return, he'd only been gone a short amount of time, an hour at the most, but it'd felt like years since I'd seen his face, smelled his addictive scent, felt his strong hard hands against me.

This time I did slap myself in the forehead. "Stop it, Alice!" I shouted at myself. "Jasper is an acquaintance…acquaintance…acquaintance," I chanted. I tried to distract myself, I'd need to go shopping soon, I hadn't gone shopping since Pittsburg! I was due for a nice dress. What would Jasper buy? I wondered to myself. I saw a vision of Jasper in a clean cut black tuxedo. It was breathtaking… His blonde hair sat against his shoulders, looking at me with the most entertaining expression on his face. He looked at me with his hands arms held out letting me see how the tux fit him.

Something knocked me out of my vision. A scent, I could smell him dashing up toward the room. I froze and forced myself not to run through the door to meet him half way. I heard his footsteps slow until he stood right outside the door. He hesitated at the door for a millisecond. I couldn't wait any longer! I ripped the door open, hoping I hadn't ripped it off the hinges. I flung myself at him without thinking. My arms wrapped around his body and I felt him stiffen.

I was filled with relief. I was so glad to see him. I was glad to know that he'd kept his promise. That he wanted to be near me…No! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! I felt his hands timidly slide around me and hold me against his strong square chest.

When I could finally manage to speak I mumbled a small thank you against his perfectly toned body. We slowly made our way toward the bed. "What do we do now?" Jasper asked me. I looked up at him from my laying position on the bed, his thumb caressed my hand gently. His touch left a warm trail down my skin. I felt his hand drift to the cuff of my sweater.

That's when I saw them. They were all running down a dark road. Edward was running in the front, followed by Carlisle and Esme, in the back were Rosalie and Emmett. They were passing a large green sign that read "WELCOME TO ALABAMA" in large bold white letters. I could hear mumbling in the background, it was Jasper, though I couldn't make out was he was saying.

"Alabama…" I muttered.

"Alabama?" I'd heard him this time.

"That's where Carlisle and they are headed next," I explained.

"So you want to go find them?" he asked me. I was suddenly nervous as I prepared to propose a coalition. "I hope it's not asking too much…I want us to find them." I stared into his eyes looking for an answer but found only excitement.

"Alabama is a big place you know," he reminded me kindly. I slipped my arms around him, euphoria flooded through me, I could see him now, he would come with me to find them. He leaned down so his head rested against my shoulder, his skin was strangely warm against mine.

I smiled. This meant longer together. In the past ten hours, I wasn't sure how but I'd become completely and wholly addicted to this wonderful man. And what's more, he wanted to be near me. It was an odd feeling knowing that. That he enjoyed my company. It was like he thought of me as some prize, as if he were the winner, not vise versa. It was hard to think that this man was the same I'd seen ten hours previous in that diner. The one who was so in need, so crushed, so hurt by his past was the man that now held me in his arms, crushing me to him. I could see that he had started healing.

After managing to snag some money from a few closed shops we headed toward the train station. Most of the humans on our train avoided Jasper and I as we slinked back to a cabin alone. I sat across from Jasper, smiling at him from behind my sunglasses we'd bought for our excursion south.

"How are we going to find them once we get there?" he asked me.

"Just like I found you," I answered smiling. "I will have to pay very close attention. It will take some time, but it's the best I can do." It wasn't a necessarily good plan but it was the only one we had. I leaned back and closed my eyes.

We road in silence for two hours before another vision came to me. I could see Emmett and Edward running through a wooded area. They were hunting, smiles spread across their lips as they raced each other between the trees. My eyes shot open and I informed Jasper on what I'd seen.

"Carlisle cannot go because he has to work," I added.

"What does he do?"

"Oh, he is a doctor," I said leaning my head back again.

"A doctor, as in, he treats humans…humans that have blood?" he asked, his voice fluctuating with doubt.

"Yes, yes."

"Are you sure he doesn't feed off them?" Jasper was suspicious. I wanted to laugh, Carlisle appeared to be the most controlled of the entire family.

"No," I assured him. "His eyes are always yellow-gold."

"Animal blood makes their eyes yellow…but, your eyes are red, why aren't they yellow?" I frowned and was hit by a train of guilt.

"Remember, I killed a man before I met you. Human blood makes our eyes red; it will take a while before the animal blood changed it back…" I sighed. I felt him reach out and clutch my hand in his. The warmth streamed through my body like an electric current making me gasp. I smiled over at Jasper and his face was gentle, he seemed happy. His finger grazed across my hand slowly.

I wanted to be happy with him, I didn't to be filled with the pool of hurt that was now fermenting in my gut the whole trip. Not while I had hours with Jasper at my disposal. "Can you make me happy?" I asked, suddenly remembering his special gift. He looked at me confused.

"I mean now, can you make me feel happy now?" I clarified trying to hide my smile. "Yes…" he replied eyeing me with mischievously. "Well do it. I want to feel happy."

As soon as I asked I could feel my lips turn up into a smile and my body relax. I was happy…so was he. I leaned back again and closed my eyes. I left my hand in his, the warmth of his body extremely pleasurable. That was how we spent the rest of the train ride.

Once we finally arrived in Alabama Jasper checked us into a hotel called Hotel L'Amour. Our room was beautiful! With pearl white walls and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the main room it looked more like a scene from a fairy tale then a hotel room.

I walked toward the window that looked out onto the small Alabama road. "I can see them more clearly now because we are closer," I told him. Jasper was sitting on the bed reclining against the pillows.

"I was thinking…If Carlisle is a doctor that means he must be registered at a hospital. Do you know his surname?" Jasper's idea only proved his brilliance, I had never thought of that. But alas, it wouldn't be able to work. I wrinkled my nose in frustration.

"I can see things that they do and things that they say, the information I gather is restricted to what I am able to see and hear and I haven't heard him use his surname yet. But that is an excellent idea. If I can't get lucky and hear his last name we can check the nearest hospital. They must have a list of all doctors in the state."

I smiled at him, not meaning to look like a child staring into the window of a candy shop; he smiled widely at me making me look away in embarrassment. "We should get some clothes though. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. We can go shopping in town."

Just the thought of shopping made my jumpy. Finally! A chance to buy some nice, new clothes! I was ecstatic to see Jasper in the tux as I had pictured in my vision. I grinned with giddy. He sighed deeply, men, no matter their species hated shopping, didn't they?

He stood and joined me at the window, looking into the midday sky. "Well," he began taking my hand. "We'd better go now because it's four already and we don't want the stores to close…" he look at me, his eyes dancing with anticipation. "Unless you want to break in."

I smirked wickedly at him. "No, no. Let's do this the normal way, like everybody else."

Wow. You guys are just sooooo FREAKING AWESOME! Thank you so much for all of your reviews and comments, it's great to know that some of you think it's as good as the original. Once again a HUGE bear hug goes to Taz, cause your just awesome like that! This is my first Twilight 'fanfanfic' (ty taz rofl) and I'm soooooooooooooo glad it doesn't totally suck, like my first fanfic ever did (sigh). Hopefully you guys have had a better MardiGras than I did, urgh, we Americans are soooooooooooo violent ~.~ I did have a great Carnaval though, you can't never beat the real deal. Heehee, I love being mixed....