3. Frozen in Time

We drove for what seemed like hours through twisting and winding two lane roads up and down and around mounds of earth that I would not actually refer to as 'mountains'. They were really more like moderate foothills. I had to admit that the area had potential for making a decent home for our kind. There was a fairly large human population, but they tended to be clustered in relatively small towns and areas with great expanses of land between where very few people appeared to reside. There was also a great deal of wildlife in the area. Granted they were smaller animals, the largest being the occasional black bear or buck, but they were quite plentiful.

Finally we turned down a winding dirt lane that abruptly ended about a mile up the side of a steep hill, but Ginny gunned the engine and continued to plod at a slightly precarious angle up the side. Now the large rugged vehicle that had seemed a bit over the top in an urban setting appeared quite necessary.

A few more miles across a bumpy overgrown trail long since neglected, we pulled in front of a beautiful large log cabin on the top of a medium sized hill with large windows that looked out in all four directions at the far stretching untouched wilderness. Ginny pulled the beast of a vehicle into a large metal garage on the far side of the meadow located just before the tree line and got out reaching back to grab our luggage before turning to me with a smile.

"Well, it's not the Ritz, but it's home," she said as she showcased her home with her hand before leading me toward the back door.

I followed her in to the house to find that it was full of very quaint and homey touches. It was feminine, not overly designed, but very welcoming. As I followed her through the den with the large rock fireplace, past the dining room and kitchen and into the living room where the staircase leading upstairs was located, I noticed that every room was covered with pictures that ranged from very old yellowed photographs from times gone by to more recent color photographs and everything in between. I didn't stop to linger over any of the faces in the pictures as we made our way to the staircase and up to the second floor.

It wasn't until we stopped in front of the second door on the left and she turned to face me that I realized that she had been speaking to me the whole way through the house and I hadn't actually heard a word. I stopped and focused on her words, "…please feel free to make yourself at home." She opened the door in front of her and led me into another cozy room with a queen size wooden framed bed draped in antique looking quilts. "You have your own bathroom over there and you can come and go as you please. I never lock the doors since nobody could really get here besides our kind and well, locks don't do a whole lot of good when it comes to them anyway. If you feel the need to hunt, it's safest to go north and west, this place is at the southern edge of a very large forest preserve, so there are no settlements in those directions, but there are towns located as close as ten miles south of us and twelve miles east. If you need anything at all, please feel free to ask."

She placed a green duffle bag on my bed explaining that it contained some clothes and supplies for me and then left the room closing the door behind her. I stepped slowly toward the window and looked out over the green curtain of nature beyond the clearing. I could hear the birds singing in the distance and while the sun seemed to shine brightly here most of the time, we didn't have to be concerned about staying away from it because we were so secluded. I sighed as I could practically see my Alice standing in the middle of the clearing below with a wide smile on her face and her hands lifted to the sky as she would spin in circles reveling in the warming rays. Tearless sobs racked my body again as the vision of my Alice faded. I felt so incredibly dead inside, what made me think that this was a good idea? What made me follow this incredibly kind stranger away from the peace I so desperately longed for?

I stood by the window looking out on the sea of green beyond, but not really seeing it at the same time. I barely registered that the sun disappeared and reappeared twice before I finally managed to pull myself back to the present suddenly registering the burning ache in my throat. I needed to hunt and sooner rather than later. I turned and walked out of the bedroom door and down the staircase to find Ginny curled up in a large wingback chair reading Gone With The Wind with silent tears streaking down her face. She looked up at me and smiled at me as I nodded to her and told her that I needed to hunt. She nodded in understanding and returned her gaze to her book as I continued my stride to the front door and opened it stepping out into the bright sunlight.

I stood for a moment gazing up at the giant ball of warmth in the sky and then struck by the memory of my vision I raised my hands and turned in circles picturing my Alice spinning along side me. I could almost hear her giggles and for the first time since I lost her, I felt the tiniest sense of peace. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and sighed when I found I was alone. I whispered a prayer that God grant mercy on my family and begged him to allow them into heaven before turning to run north into the wooded hills beyond the clearing.

I was gone a little over twelve hours filling myself with a half dozen large doe and a buck I found grazing in a valley about thirty miles northwest of the cabin after which I sat in a dark cave I found nearby and let the darkness surround me for several hours before finally returning to Ginny.

I walked in to find her sitting on the couch with a laptop on her legs as she typed furiously with a look of determination on her face. She looked up after she finished her paragraph and smiled, "So, did you have any trouble findin' some good game?"

"No, I found a valley about thirty miles away that seemed to attract herds of deer. I managed to catch several. I should be good for a couple of weeks now."

"Good, good." We both sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments before I excused myself to return to my room and as soon as I was out of the room her furious typing resumed. I wondered for a moment what she could be writing, or to whom, but the thought was fleeting and then I was back in my world of grieving.

I have to say; Ginny was very patient with me. We went on like this for the next two months. I stayed in my room most of the time, mourning the loss of my family and only leaving to hunt before returning once again. Ginny was always around when I would emerge, typically sitting in the living room engaged in some form of entertainment to pass the time…never pushing, almost always smiling.

It was my seventy third day in this house and I sat on the bed staring at the far wall lost in my own thoughts when my gaze focused on the framed photo hanging above the headboard. It was a very old and faded image of a beautiful woman standing next to three very young children. I moved closer to observe more closely and saw writing on the matting that surrounded the picture. Scarlett, Josephine, Virginia, and Victor August 12, 1894 Corpus Christi Texas

I looked closer at the picture, examining the features of the beautiful woman looking stoically at the camera. She appeared to have long dark hair that was pinned primly upon her head and while she closely resembled her mother, there were other features that differed from her mother's that must have come from her father. You could tell from looking at her eyes that she had a keen wit behind the beautiful façade. The children surrounding her were equally as stunning and all appeared to have the same glint of intelligence behind their eyes.

This photograph piqued my curiosity. I began to wander around the house examining the many photographs hanging in the various rooms upstairs, with the exception of the master suite where Ginny resided. I didn't feel it was right to intrude on her personal space. I finally encountered her as I stood on the staircase observing the framed photos lining the wall, face after face each frozen perfectly and lovingly in time. Each and every image, no matter the age, had been lovingly framed and labeled with names, dates and locations. She came to stand next to me as I stood in shock at a picture of a slightly younger Bella posed with her mother Renee at what appeared to be a wedding. Bella's face was smiling, but the happiness I had known behind her eyes during her time with Edward and my family was strangely absent. The label read, Renee and Bella Swan July 6,2002 Phoenix Arizona.

Ginny began to speak echoing the thoughts I had only moments before, "She looks so dim there. She really didn't come to life until she met your brother you know. You all filled her life with so much love and acceptance that she had been missing so much of her life. I was so pleased to see the change in her."

I turned to stare at her in disbelief again. "You saw her after she came to Forks?"

"I always observed from afar Jasper. I never came to Forks while Bella lived there, but in many cases I keep track of my family members by inserting myself in the periphery of their lives. I had developed a distant friendship with Renee and was able to see pictures and gather information through her once Bella moved away. Actually that may be part of the reason why she accepted your kind so readily without fear, not that she was ever aware, but you weren't the first vampires she had ever formed an acquaintance with."

I shook my head as I tried to process the new information. Every time I spoke to Ginny I felt as though I walked away with far more additional questions than answers. Soon she began leading me around the house telling me about the people in each photo. It was staggering to see how many people she had looked over across the centuries as her line of descendants multiplied with each generation.

We spent the rest of the night and most of the next day discussing her progeny and what it was like to know they were out there, that she lived on in flesh and blood all of these years later. Sometime toward mid morning the next day the conversation came back around to our past.

A flash of guilt hit me when I realized that I had actually managed to go the majority of our entire conversation without thinking of my family at all, the last time having been while we were discussing Bella's photo. I took a deep breath and I thought of the fact that this was what Alice wanted. She directed me here for a reason, she wanted me to move on with my life and learn about my past. I wasn't sure I would ever accomplish the first part, but I could definitely manage the second.

"Ginny, do you think that we could try to bring up some more of my memories of our past? I'd like to learn more."

She smiled a wide beaming smile and nodded. "I'd love to Jasper. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes, I think that maybe I finally am."

"Okay," she said with a smile as she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I was sitting at a large table covered in fancy china and surrounded by men in officer's uniforms all droning on about boring subjects. Ginny sat to my right and was engaged in a conversation with Timothy Blackwell who had become a fellow officer in my unit joining the same day as me. He had grown up a lot since the days that he used to torture Ginny and dip her curls in his ink well at school. If it weren't for my insane jealousy I would probably actually like the man, but I could never get over my frustration at the fact that when we hit our preteen years Ginny and I drifted apart and due to their family connections and growing up next door to one another they had grown together. Eventually Timothy attempted to court her, but his advances were rebuked. My frustration was beginning to visibly bubble to the surface when to my great relief Ginny turned to me and spoke.

"Any news on your new orders yet Major Whitlock?"

"No ma'am, no official word yet, but I keep hearin' whispers of Houston."

"It makes me nervous you goin' there. I know it's not really the front, but I've heard a lot of stories of people goin' missin' that way and rumors that they were captured by the Yankees. Oh please watch yourself Major." She looked so genuinely concerned that I couldn't resist reaching over to touch her delicate gloved hand.

"I promise you Miss Benjamin, I will be ever vigilant." She visibly relaxed and the wide smile that spread across her face warmed my heart and set it into speedy palpitations that grew even faster the she glanced down at our hands and back up through her eyelashes as a beautiful pink glow illuminated her cheeks.

I was so lost in the bask of her beautiful glow that I had forgotten that we were in the presence of others until I heard a deep voice at the end of the table clear harshly and I looked up to see Mr. Benjamin frowning down at me disapprovingly. I looked down and my eyes grew wide as I noticed my indiscretion and blushed as I quickly pulled my hand away from hers folding it with my other in my lap and holding it tightly there so as to not have another unconscious slip.

The dinner continued and I tried to converse with the other officers around me, but I desperately wanted to talk to Virginia some more. I genuinely hoped that we could rekindle some of the camaraderie we had shared in our youth. I finally saw my opportunity as dinner came to a close and our hosts invited us all to join them for brandies in the sitting room. We all migrated together into a large formal sitting room where a large fireplace on the far wall was already rumbling with large warming fire. The sitting room shared a common doorway with a billiard room where the majority of the officers gathered after collecting their brandies from the globe bar on the far side of the room leaving just a few quiet stragglers behind in the sitting room to visit with Mrs. Benjamin and Virginia.

I stood at attention by the fireplace as I distractedly examined the painting of the family hanging above the mantle and the few framed photographs sitting daintily on the long shelf. Virginia's status as an only child was quite evident in the fact that every photograph was of her. My smile grew wider with each picture I examined. One was of her dressed in a Cotillion gown standing on a grand staircase, the next was of her reading a book on a large window seat, but the final one caused my smile to break into a full on toothy grin as I saw Virginia, Tommy, and I standing side by side along with the rest of our classmates for a class photo when we were not more than ten years old. She had been a beautiful little girl, but she had grown into a breathtaking woman. I was a bit lost in my memories and evaluations when I heard a soft voice behind me that made me jump.

"Remembering old times Major?" I turned to see her smiling as she took a small sip of iced tea.

"Actually, yes Ma'am, I was."

"Seems like a million years ago doesn't it? Oh how nice it would be to go back and be a child again…to not know of war or death or sadness." She moved to the window with her back to me and looked out into the night with a sigh before turning to me and saying only loud enough for me to hear, "I'm serious Jasper, you watch yourself out there. I have a bad feeling about that area. Promise me you'll be careful." There was a softness in her eyes and a genuine concern and all I wanted to do was comfort her more than anything.

I reached my hand out to rest on her forearm as I gazed back into her sky blue eyes with all the seriousness I could muster. "I promise you Virginia, I will be careful. Don' be scared my dear," I whispered back. She smiled a small sad smile before taking a step back and raising her voice again to return to our formal conversation.

The group of party goers continued to visit quietly until the clock struck eleven and we all collected our outerwear and began to make our way to the door, thanking our hosts for the wonderful dinner and company. I kept finding reasons to stay behind eventually making myself the last one to leave. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin bid me good evening and left the room leaving Virginia and I alone in the foyer. I bid her polite good night and turned toward the door when I felt her small warm hand on my forearm.

"Jasper, could we perhaps see one another again before you leave? I miss spending time with you. I miss my best friend. Please?"

"You know it would be an honor Virginia, but it would be highly inappropriate," I answered in a frustrated whisper wanting nothing more than to reunite with my oldest friend.

"Oh propriety be damned!" I gasped in shock and shook my head.

"No, I won't let you ruin your reputation."

She shook her head and smiled, "Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, always the steadfast gentleman. If we found a way to invite a few others along for say a picnic then it would be a completely acceptable social outing with escorts."

I smiled and took a deep breath pushing it out in fast huff. "That actually sounds quite lovely."

Her eyes sparkled and then grew brighter as an apparently brilliant idea struck her. "Actually I have the perfect idea! Most of our old classmates are still in the area. Perhaps later this week or over the weekend we could arrange a class reunion of sorts. We could invite Timothy and also Angela, Charles, James, Michael, Laura, Elizabeth, and Daniel all still live in the area. This could be great fun!"

I smiled widely at her excitement. "It sounds perfect. Now if you will excuse me Miss Virginia, I must depart. You know where to reach Timothy and I when you know more about the picnic?"

She nodded and I took her hand placing a gracious kiss on the back of her hand with a bow as she curtsied in response and I walked out the front door and made my way to the officer's quarters.

I felt the warmth of Ginny's hand leave me and I was once again sitting in her living room. I looked over at her and smiled. Even back then in the midst of her life as the belle of the ball, she was already fighting against convention. I could hear her words echo in my mind Oh propriety be damned! and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"And what may I ask is so funny?" She asked looked at me with an amused look on her face and her hands propped up on her hips.

"Oh Miss Ginny, you always were a spitfire weren't you?"

She laughed openly as she threw her head back shaking it slightly. "Oh Jasper, if you only knew how true that was!"

We sat and talked the rest of the night as Ginny asked me to tell her about her early years after my transformation and my involvement with Maria's coven and the vampire wars of the south. Her eyes bulged in horror at some of the tales I shared about the things I had witnessed in my years with Maria and my familiarity with newborns and how they react. She looked at my neck and exposed portions of my body with sadness and understanding as she finally put together the scars with my past. I told her about Peter and how noticing my despair convinced me to leave the coven and seek life elsewhere on my own. She listened intently never once taking her eyes off of mine.

Finally with the break of dawn, we decided to take a break from our story weaving. It had been quite a while since either of us had hunted and so I offered for us to go together if she wished. She happily accepted and we ran off together in search of game to quench our growing thirst. It wasn't the same as spending time with my family, but the more I learned about my past with Ginny the more comfortable I became with her. We quickly located and dispatched a small herd of deer and a small family of black bear before deciding we had met our needs and returned to the house that was slowly starting to feel more and more like a refuge and less like a prison.