5. The Journey Begins
Alice had had no trouble in moving through the city streets, walking in the shadows when possible and keeping her umbrella raised above her head when not.
A few people watched her as she passed. A woman holding an umbrella on a sunny day like a Victorian parasol drew attention. However, whenever she felt eyes upon her, she would turn and give a dazzling smile, stunning whoever it was into smiling back and going about their business.
The bank was easily handled, though they had had to call a manager to close an account of her size. A cashier's check in the amount of nearly two million dollars was now securely tucked inside her clutch.
The department store trip had also gone well. She was well known there as she often had her clothes ordered custom with no regard to expense. The salespeople had tripped all over themselves to make sure she had everything she required and for their assistance she had tipped them well.
She wished she could run back to the hotel. She was anxious to return to Jasper, anxious to once again relish in the way he constantly managed to touch her. Whether he was holding her hand or running his fingertips softly down her face, he felt like home.
She was also anxious to leave the city. Things were quickly becoming dangerous and the presence of the press outside the front entrance to the Park Hyatt had swelled considerably in her absence. One glance at Jasper's eyes by an eager reporter could damn them both, she thought with a shiver.
She made her way back up to her room in the same way they had reached it the day before. Once outside the stairwell and in the hallway she could not help but to run to the door, being careful to keep it at a human speed. Still, it was not fast enough for her. She was desperate to be inside.
She turned her key in the lock and quickly rushed inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it. Dropping her bags to the floor she ran across the room at top speed and threw herself into the chair with Jasper, locking her arms behind his neck.
"Miss me?" she asked, kissing his cheek.
The couple of hours of silence had dragged on, passing in slow increments. Jasper had managed to shut himself down, becoming nothing more than a statue, made of stone. Jasper's statue-like form came back to life, however, when he heard the click from the door. He snapped his gaze in the direction of the inoffensive noise only to see a streaky blur flying toward him. His first reaction was surprise which reflected on his face when both eyebrows shot up. Instinctively, his muscles tensed for a conflict, automatically perceiving this brazen approach as a threat. Before he knew it, the little streaky blur had materialized on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck and kissing his cheek.
"Alice..." he said, with all the adoration he could muster. He relaxed considerably and a warm smile stretched at the corners of his lips.
"Of course I missed you," he answered as if it should be obvious and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and pressed his face into the nape of her neck, inhaling her scent as if he were rememorizing it.
She leaned her cheek against the top of his head, one hand reaching up to tangle her fingers in the swirl of curls at the nape of his neck.
Jasper pulled in a breath of Alice's scent as she laid her cheek against the top of his head. The sudden sensation of her nimble fingers tangled in his hair caused a shiver to run through him. Jasper sighed quietly in contentment and pulled his head back to level his gaze with hers.
"I could hardly wait to get back," she said, her breathing deep and even. "I don't like being away from you."
A warm smile touched his lips, as she spoke. "Welcome, home," he said, softly and leaned in giving her a quick peck on the lips. Jasper's smile widened, marginally and he unwound one hand from her back and gently reached up to cup her cheek. "I find it difficult as well," Jasper said, in all honesty.
She touched her forehead to his for a moment, content to be so close to him. She could have stayed like that forever but they had to prepare to leave. She turned her eyes to the bags she had thrown to the floor.
Their shared moment was soon over and Jasper followed her gaze over to the bags on the floor. Lifting an eyebrow, his expression turned confused. "What's all th--" He didn't finish because she cut in.
"Come on," she said, crawling off his lap. "We need to get you ready to go. I have a car waiting downstairs."
She walked over and picked the bags up and set them on the bed. Reaching inside she selected a pair of black slacks, a pearl gray button up shirt and a slightly darker gray sweater. She also shoved a box across the bed toward him which contained a pair of black dress shoes.
When she slid off of his lap and danced over to the bags on the floor, Jasper's eyes widened. "Oh, no, Alice. I…" He started to protest, but found that he really didn't have the words. It didn't look as if she was hearing it anyway.
"Here," she said. "Put these on."
He frowned slightly, as she started pulling out clothes and laying them across the bed. A pair of slacks, a button up shirt and a sweater, not to mention a fancy box that was meant only for designer shoes. He chewed on his lip nervously. "Um, Alice? What is all this?" he asked. He moved his gaze toward the clothes on the bed, looking at them from the corner of his eye as if they were going to eat him.
"You needed new clothes," she said, confusion making her eyebrows knit together.
He shifted his gaze over to her, briefly before edging over to the bed and gingerly picking up the slacks, sweater and dress shirt and shoved the box up under his arm. "I'll um, I'll be right back," he said, giving her another slightly nervous smile before moving off to the bathroom and shutting the door behind him with a click.
He sat the box on the toilet seat and went to work changing out of his older clothes. He threw them in a pile on the floor and shimmied into the slacks, slipped into the button up dress shirt, buttoning it up rather quickly, and tucked it into the slacks. He then grabbed the dark gray sweater, cringed at the sight of it for a second, and pulled it on over his head. He then turned back to the box and peeled off the top, hooked his fingers around the shoes and slipped them onto his feet.
He turned toward the door, closing his eyes and sighing, unsure on whether he wanted to go out or not. He shook his head, gripped the handle and pushed the door open. Taking in another breath, he closed his eyes and walked out.
"Be honest, how do I look?" He asked.
"Hmmm…" she said, tapping her forefinger against her lips in thought. "No, take that sweater off. Here, try this one instead."
She didn't wait for him to obey. Instead she grabbed the bottom of the gray sweater and pulled it off over his head before he could protest.
"Wait, I--" Jasper started, but he didn't have time to finish because, Alice had already grabbed a handful of sweater with each fist and pulled it over his head.
She reached up and readjusted his mop of curls with expert fingers before turning back to the bed and fishing inside the bag, quickly pulling out a blue v-neck and tossing it to him.
Jasper stumbled back after Alice's attack, half glaring and half shocked. "What was--" he began, but once again she'd cut him off. He was about to demand what she was doing, but it never made it out. Without a word he pulled on the blue v neck.
"Much better," she said, appraising his clothes. "Okay, now coat and hat," she said, handing him the black coat she had bought off the man on their way to the movie theater the previous night. As he slipped it on, she stretched up on her tiptoes and put his hat on top of his head.
Jasper blinked as she darted up and gave him the coat. He sighed, slipping on the coat as she reached up and placed the hat on his head. "I hardly see how all of this is necessary," he complained. But he did need more clothes so he wasn't about to complain too much.
"Now gloves," she announced as she reached back inside the department store bag. She pulled out an expensive pair of men's black leather gloves lined with cashmere and handed them to him.
He grumbled incoherently and rolled his eyes while her back was turned. A quiet sigh escaped him when she pulled out the gloves. All of this was really unnecessary, but he really didn't think she was going to listen. He stood still as she slipped on the sunglasses. He flashed a half hearted smile.
"And last but not least…"
He eyed her speculatively and slipped on the gloves, one hand at a time.
She took a pair of sunglasses out and tucked them over his ears, settling them onto his nose. "There! You're perfect!"
"What um, what do the other ones look like?" he asked, a hint of fear in his tone. He had no idea what she'd bought but he was sure that they probably matched the style of the ones he was currently wearing.
"Similar," she said. "Do you like them?" She turned her hopeful eyes to him, smiling in anticipation of what he would say. He looked very handsome and she was rather proud of herself.
"They're definitely…interesting," Jasper said, giving himself the once over before turning his gaze to Alice, who's eyes were currently on him awaiting his answer. "Of course, I like them," Jasper said, with a smile touching his lips.
She beamed at him, walking over so that she could reach up and fix his shirt collar. "You look very handsome," she said, admiring the way the clothes she had bought perfectly defined his lean form. "Not that you didn't before but these suit you."
Jasper lifted an eyebrow as Alice stood on her tiptoes to fix his shirt collar. A slight embarrassed smile touched his lips as she spoke. "Thank you," he said, letting his gaze scan over her. "You look amazingly beautiful yourself," he assessed with a pleased smile. The look she was giving him spoke volumes and, even though at the time he'd been less then cooperative, in the end it had all been worth it to see her smile.
"Thank you," she said, casting her eyes down from his appreciative smile. The way he looked at her sometimes with his intensely keen eyes made her feel the need to look away out of shyness, an emotion she was not used to feeling. She chanced a look back to his face as she straightened his sweater to find those eyes were still locked on her now.
"You're very welcome," he said, sweetly. Alice's sudden mood changed caused him to lift an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Alice?" he asked, sensing that he'd embarrassed her somehow. He assumed that Alice wasn't used to compliments of such nature and gently reached out to caress her cheek. "You deserve compliments. I don't see how anyone couldn't see how truly beautiful you are..." he said, his voice dripping with sincerity.
She leaned into his hand. "The only person's opinion I care about is standing right before me."
"Well, you are beautiful to me..." he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
She took the rest of the clothes and folded them quickly, placing them in her small travel bag. "I have three outfits for each of us for the time being so please, no angry bears until we get where we're going," she chided with a giggle.
"I'm going to go change into something more practical," she said, hurrying into the bathroom.
He watched as the tiny tyrant grabbed another load of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. He'd developed a new healthy respect for Alice, a fear that would become ingrained for the rest of his existence of this little, petite vampire. Every time she presented him with clothes, this moment of her forcefully dressing him would forever flash through his mind.
She had no sooner shut the door than she reemerged dressed in a completely different outfit consisting of tan slacks and a white button up shirt. She grabbed her tan trench coat and slipped it on, readjusting the scarf wrapped over her hair and neck and replacing her sunglasses.
He heard the gentle click of the bathroom door and his eyes shot to it, a look of panic in his eyes as she danced out of the bathroom. He took a step back, glancing down at the bags on the ground.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked with a frown. "You look scared of me!"
"Oh, it's just that... Well," He said, stammering slightly over his words, looking for the correct answers. "I have to say, you're very...forceful when you want your way," he said, trailing his words off into silence.
She laughed, the sound like tinkling bells. "Well, I warned you," she said, lifting a perfectly arched eyebrow.
"That you did," he agreed with a chuckle of his own. If he had been smarter perhaps, he would have taken heed to her warning. But Alice seemed pleased and he couldn't bring himself to dampen her mood.
"And I have to confess that this is mild," she said.
"Mild?" he asked, his eyebrows crumpled together in confusion.
"It's only a few outfits. Wait until we get settled and I buy you a whole wardrobe!"
Both of his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then his expression turned to shock. He could sense no deception in her mood. She was serious. Jasper felt a tinge of fear, at her words but his expression smoothed out. "You, um, you're planning on buying more?" he asked, unable to hide the fear that tinged his voice.
"Of course!" she said, looking at him as though he had grown another head. "Why are you so averse to clothing?"
She was looking at him as if he were nuts. He chewed on his bottom lip in contemplation before he spoke. "Well I'm not really… It's just kind of a culture shock," he said, chuckling lightly. "I'm not used to all of these fancy clothes. I'm a nomad." Then he quickly corrected himself. "Was a nomad," he mumbled, moving his gaze to her. "I'm really kind of simple to please. I don't really require much…" he said, trailing off quietly.
"When I start ordering your clothes from Paris, then you can complain," she said laughing. "But seriously, why can't I buy nice things for the man I love?"
"Yes, well, I suppose Paris would be slightly overboard," he said, chuckling. Although he wouldn't put it past her to order from Paris. He was sure in time he would grow used to Alice's dress up sessions by becoming impassive, vacant like a statue as she stripped and redressed him like a life sized doll.
He sighed in resignation and let a smile slip to his features. "I suppose, I shouldn't complain," he admitted. "But I just want to be with you. Clothes aren't my first priority. You are," he stated, simply.
She stood on her tiptoes again, but this time it was to kiss him. He enclosed his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He soon found himself completely engulfed in her. He worked his lips against hers, leaning into the kiss.
She broke away from the kiss. "And you're my first priority, which is why I buy you nice clothes," she said tilting her head back to look at him with a coy smile and leaning into his chest.
He pulled back to catch her smile and let slip one of his own. "Well, I love them," he confirmed with a sweet smile. "You have very good taste and I'm sorry for acting like a baby," he said quietly and cradled her head gently against his chest when she leaned into him.
"You're welcome," she said, still laughing. "After all, you might as well get used to it."
"Yes, I suppose I will," Jasper answered with a chuckle, squeezing her hand lightly. Almost instantly, he'd realized he couldn't live without this woman at his side. As he held her hand now and looked over her wondrous expression, her childlike gaze and perfect features, he felt the pure warmth that radiated off of her and touched his cheeks and face. The warmth which he sought. The warmth which he would fight for to no end.
"I think we're ready now," she said, moving to the bed and throwing the travel bag over her shoulder.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, wary as she nonchalantly threw the travel bag over her shoulder. "Yes, I hope so," he said, glancing toward the bags on the ground nervously.
"Let's go," she said, reaching out to take his hand.
"Alright," he said, a smile lighting up his face as he reached out to meet her hand with his own. "Let's get out of here," he said, flashing her a smile and moving over to the door. He opened it for her, and turned to look at her expectantly.
She smiled and stepped around him and out into the hallway, umbrella in one hand and his in the other. As soon as he had shut the door she was dragging him down the hallway and into the stairwell.
The cab driver had stayed where she had directed, behind the hotel and in the shadows of the building. Alice popped open the umbrella and handed it to Jasper so he could lift it above both their heads.
Jasper followed her out and gladly took the umbrella and raised it above both of their heads. He let a fleeting smile touch his lips, shifting his gaze down to Alice. As they moved up to the cab, Jasper slipped around her and popped open the back door, holding it open for her.
"To the bus station," she said, sliding across the street and keeping her head down. The light was dim in the cab, and the driver seemed more interested in the hot dog he was eating than either of them, but she didn't want to take any chances.
Jasper held the umbrella over her head until she was safely in the cab, then closed it and slid in next to her, closing the door with a muted thump. His gaze went to Alice as he held his hand out for her to take. "Where are we going?" he asked, in a low tone.
"We'll take a bus to Chicago," she said, seeing the future clearly in her mind. "It will be cloudy there for the next two days. We can go by foot from there if you wish. It might be safer that way. We won't have to risk exposure and we can hunt as needed as we move west."
Jasper nodded, shifting his gaze to Alice. "Going by foot might be a little more…inconspicuous," he agreed, turning his gaze down to their hands and furrowing his brows in thought. "I think it might be more plausible as well, if we're going to be hunting along the way," His voice remained soft, as he spoke. "Will we be staying in hotels along the way?" he asked. They could probably get by roughing it, but he didn't want subject Alice to something she wasn't accustomed to doing.
"Well, we don't need to rest so I suppose not unless you want to stop along the way," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"No, I don't need to stop anywhere," Jasper said, smiling warmly as he slipped his arm around her shoulders to pull her close to him. He kissed her hair gently and let his chin come to rest on the top of her head. "Is there anywhere that you need to go?" he asked, awaiting a response.
Alice didn't answer. Her eyes stared into nothing as a new vision took over her senses.
The beat of silence between caused Jasper to flicker his gaze down to Alice in concern. "Alice, is everything ok?" He asked, with worry in his tone.
"We can't take the bus," she said suddenly. "Driver, take us to the edge of town."
When she spoke, the tone of her words caught his attention. "Why, what's wrong?" Jasper asked, letting his fingers trail down her arm soothingly as he spoke. "Are you wanting to hunt?" he asked.
"Oh come on, lady," he complained.
Alice reached in to her pocket with her gloved hand and shoved two hundred dollar bills at the man without another word, careful not to let the sleeve of her jacket or blouse ride up and expose her skin. He looked at it from a moment as though she had lost her mind and then decided he didn't care.
"You got it," he replied, taking the money from her and returning his attention to the road.
She settled back into the seat placing her head on Jasper's shoulder again.
Jasper's gaze flew between Alice and the cab driver during their little tiff. The cab driver was reluctant up until Alice persuaded him with money. For whatever reason, she wanted to get out of town without a fuss and in a hurry. His gaze fell on her contently when she settled back into place and laid her head against his shoulder. Once again he slid his arm back around her shoulders and hugged her close.
The bus is going to break down and strand the passengers. Everyone will get off the bus and go into a nearby restaurant to wait for another bus. The restaurant has large windows and lots of sunlight..." she explained trailing off as she snuggled into his chest. "We'll get farther on foot."
Jasper listened contently, frowning slightly when she mentioned the bus breaking down. "Then, I suppose…" he started, hugging her close as she snuggled into him. "We'll be going on foot," he said, shifting his gaze down to hers and cradling her head against his chest. A look of awe crept to his features at the sight of her nestled in his arms. "I'll follow you anywhere, Alice," He murmured.
"And I, you," she agreed.
They both grew quiet, barely breathing as the cab driver exited the city. He asked Alice where exactly he should drop them off and she replied for him to stop as soon as he saw forest. He shook his head but obeyed.
Alice stared off into nothing, not even bothering to blink behind her dark tinted sunglasses. There was no need. She was, however, acutely aware of Jasper's sporadic breathing and the feel of him next to her. To a human, he would feel as cold as a corpse but to her he was pleasantly warm and she luxuriated in this warmth as she lay against him in silence.
The ride was quiet for the most part, aside from their breathing. Jasper's gaze was concentrated out of his window, watching as the buildings gave way to forestry. The signs of civilization became scarcer except for sporadic spots as the scenery transitioned. Except for Alice's occasional weight shift, he really didn't pay attention to much else.
When the car finally pulled over it was late afternoon, almost evening. Alice peered out the window to find they were on a two lane highway with thick trees on either side. Nodding her approval she reached inside her pocket and produced another one hundred dollar bill. The cab driver eagerly reached out to take his massive tip but Alice held onto the bill.
"You never saw us," she said, her voice strangely intimidating from someone so small.
The cab driver stared at her for a moment, obviously unsure as to who exactly he had ferried to this location. Finally he nodded and Alice released the bill which he greedily stuffed into his jacket.
As time moved on, his ears caught the sounds of Alice's voice which became accompanied by the driver's. Coming out of his little daze, Jasper shifted his gaze over to Alice who was paying the cab driver. "Thank you," Jasper said, without looking at him and reached down to grab Alice's bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder. "I'll be carrying this," he said, grinning widely.
Alice shook her head with a smile. "Ah, always the gentleman..."
"Of course," Jasper said, letting slip a smile of his own. Of course he would always be a gentleman. Alice was far too important to not be put on a pedestal.
He popped open his door, quickly slid out of the cab and moved over to her side, popping open her door. "Alice," he said, sweetly and held out his hand to take hers. He'd almost said 'ma'am' but knowing Alice's aversion to that word he'd decided against it. Instead he used her name. A soft, gentle smile accompanied the gesture.
She slipped her little gloved hand into his and slid out of the car, shutting the door behind her. Grasping his hand, she stood for a moment as she watched the cab drive away until it disappeared all together.