Author's Note: This story is from Alice's POV, set during Breaking Dawn. I know it's short, but hopefully you'll enjoy it. Same rules apply as with the previous chapter – reviews are appreciated and all characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Rubbing my temple with a soft moan, I wished for the umpteenth time that there could be pain killers for vampires. Or at least that I could sleep and maybe get some relief from this migraine that was going into its tenth day. It feels like someone is trying to use a jackhammer to give me a lobotomy, I thought with some annoyance. To make matters worse, I heard Jasper drop the book he was reading with a soft 'thump' and I cringed inwardly at the noise as my eyes darted in his direction. What I saw made me feel instantaneously guilty for letting him see my pain. Jasper was watching me from across the room, concern evident in his beautiful eyes, now black from his having refused to leave my side over these past couple of weeks to hunt. He was worried about the ongoing headaches that kept me hidden in the attic like a bat in the belfry while the rest of the family stayed with Bella. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
I simply nodded in response, but let out a hiss of pain at the movement. Okay, maybe I wasn't feeling as well as I was trying to pretend. Jasper was at my side in less than a second, picking me up and carrying me over to the chair, sitting me on his lap. I curled up against him, enjoying the contact as I listen to his even breathing. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug and placed his chin gently on my head, and in that moment I felt like nothing could possibly harm me while I am secure in his arms. While I could still feel my head throbbing, somehow it didn't seem to bother me quite as much, not when I had Jasper there with me. One of his hands moved upwards to cradle my head, and his fingers idly stroked my short black hair. In response, I tilted my head back to look into his face and couldn't help but give a weak smile as I gazed into his bright eyes. "Thank you," I said simply, trying to convey in those simple words just how thankful I was to have him there with me, so that even if Jasper couldn't sense my feelings, he could hear it in my voice.
"You're always welcome, Alice darling'" he answered with a hint of his southern accent showing in the inflection of the word 'darling', "though I haven't done anything to deserve your thanks. Not recently, anyway."
I placed a kiss to the side of his jaw, just above his pulse point. "You're here, aren't you? You're helping me to deal with not being useful anymore."
"Now hold on, Alice. Just because you haven't had any visions lately doesn't mean that you're not useful anymore." I pursed my lips together in frustration and embarrassment as he said this, reminding me of what we both suspect are the root cause of my migraines – that they are the result of me working so hard to force myself to have another vision of the future, to see what it will hold for Bella and the rest of us. As he saw my reaction, and undoubtedly felt it radiating off me too, he let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I just… I hate seeing you in pain like this, my sweet Alice. And even more than that, I hate the feeling of powerlessness that I can't seem to do anything about it."
I couldn't help but smile in amusement as he made this last statement, because although he doesn't seem to realize or believe it, he is anything but powerless when it comes to making me feel better. I reached up to brush my hand against his cheek, trying to portray just how sincere I intend to be with what I am about to say. "Jasper, I realize that everyone is busy doing what they can for Bella, but you're the only one who's also trying to do what you can for me too. That, more than anything else, will help me to get through this and hopefully keep my sanity."
Jasper laughed and placed a gentle kiss to the tip of my nose. "That's a pretty tall order, darling. From what I recall, you stayed in an asylum for a while." I gave a laugh in return and slapped him playfully, glad that he no longer seemed to look as tortured, and as I laughed I realized that maybe I'm not as tormented either. I know that the love that Jasper and I share is eternal and, like the yin and yang sign where the two halves compliment each other perfectly, that we are one, stronger together than we are as individuals. I'm thankful that I was able to find him, thankful for every day – every moment of the day – that we are able to spend together. And the knowledge that he will love me even if lose my visions forever made me feel like the luckiest person in the world.
"I love you, Jasper," I announced, reaching up to plant a kiss on his lips.
He returned the kiss and squeezed me tightly to him. "I love you too, my little angel," he answered as he broke the kiss for a moment. "And I always will."