"You do realize that this is quite a challenge for me." Jasper told her.
"I know, but I'm not asking you to. I don't need you to do anything for me." Alice reassured him.
"I want to, though. It feels…right," he said, thinking quite seriously.
Alice laughed at his concentrated expression, "Jazz, it's our one year anniversary. I'd be happy spending it however, wherever, as long as we're together."
He had brought it up a few times the past few days, but as their anniversary came closer, he found himself talking to her about it even more. He wanted to surprise her, to find a way to totally flabbergast her--but it was nearly impossible. She Saw everything!
He really couldn't complain. He loved that she Saw so much, especially since she always Saw them together, no matter what the situation. It was reassuring to know that such a light would always be with him. He had a hard time grasping the fact that he got to keep Alice in his life for what could be forever, according her visions.
She knew that he was trying to surprise her, but they both knew that if he was trying to plan something, she couldn't be surprised. He would have to act on impulse…it was the only way.
"It's very difficult for me to not plan something. I'm quite skilled at planning things…" he talked more to himself, trying to figure out any other loopholes to surprising her.
"I haven't ever been to Paris…" Alice smiled, her eyes blank while in the vision, "the shops look spectacular…"
He sighed, "We'll go to Paris. Next week. The day after tomorrow. Whenever you want. But we can't do it tomorrow. It wouldn't be special enough…"
"The city of love wouldn't be special enough?" she teased with a grin.
"It's too cliché," he thought out loud.
"Oh yes, I'm sure that most star-crossed vampire lovers celebrate knowing each other for a year in Paris. Way too cliché."
He could feel her playfulness in her emotions. Happy, carefree, warm.
"You're enjoying my suffering very much, aren't you?" he teased, the serious façade slipping briefly.
"Not very much. I just like to see your decisions. It's…eye opening. I'd never seen Paris before you thought of possibly taking me there," she explained.
Her emotions were wistful, reflecting on what she had seen based on his ideas.
"What did you see that was your favorite so far?" he asked, wondering which idea she was remembering.
"Paris really does look nice. I think I'd like it very much. But it would be fun to see Texas. It looks warm. Or…I don't really know much about the one thing I saw. It came more in the form of a photograph…it didn't move. So I guess it was just a fleeting thought... it was night, and there were colors…in the sky?" she was puzzled, thinking about it.
"Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights. They appear in the sky very far north sometimes. No one really knows much about them yet…I read a small article about it a few months ago," he explained.
She smiled, "Let's see it all one day."
He agreed with her, loving her excitement, "We will."
She closed her eyes, nodding, "Yes. Its more certain. We will…I can't tell when. But we will."
He gave up, smiling as he watched her coming out of her vision. She met his gaze warmly.
"Alice, I'll stop trying to surprise you. What shall we do for our anniversary tomorrow?" he asked.
"You're giving up so quickly?" she ran her fingers along his scarred jaw line.
He grabbed her fingers with his own and pressed his lips to them. "I guess so. You're right…as long as we're together, we can do anything we want."
She smiled, "Sounds right to me."
* * * * *
"It's been one year," she said, squeezing his hand.
"That's the stool you were sitting on." Jasper told her, glancing into the window.
They stood outside of the diner in Philadelphia, one year after their initial meeting. Both had decided it would be pointless to go in--they wouldn't order anything anyway. Plus, they were just passing through…they would catch a flight out of Philadelphia to Paris in a few hours.
"It's the same man inside as it was last year." Alice noticed.
They were both lost in the memory for a minute.
"That first sight of you Alice…" he couldn't put it into words. She understood though and went up on her toes to kiss him lightly on his chin, but he managed to surprise her. He lifted her to meet his lips and caught her in a more passionate kiss than she had intended, or anticipated. He loved the flutter in her emotions, almost what her heart might have done if it was possible.
"I'll never forget the first sight of you either, Jasper," she told him after he set her back on the ground gently.
"The vision or the diner?"
"Well, both. The vision was…" she shook her head, "it was everything I was for you," was all she could say.
He felt the urge to kiss her again, but she went on, "And then in the diner…you were so wary at first, so nervous, so beautiful. I couldn't believe I was finally seeing you outside of my visions," she grinned, "you're even better in person, you know."
They exchanged the exact same look, both feeling whole, complete. He spoke first, "Shall we continue the stroll down memory lane?"
She nodded and they walked hand in hand down the street, eventually getting away from people, to the woods where Alice had first introduced him to animal blood.
As they walked through the woods, he saw a solitary white flower growing near them and it hit him. The epiphany. She would be totally taken by surprise because this was the first time he thought of it this way.
He bent down on one knee to pick the flower, and she paused, waiting for him. But he didn't stand up. Instead, her hand still in his, he met her warm butterscotch eyes. With his other hand he held out the flower to her and said,
"Alice, I love you. And I let you feel that. And you love me. And I feel that from you, everyday, no matter what. And I want us to feel that love, the best feeling I've ever known, for the rest of forever. Will you marry me?"
Her eyes widened and he finally felt what it was like for her to feel pure shock. He grinned and after a second, she did too.
"You got me," she told him.
"I did. I surprised you. I achieved the impossible," he was proud of himself.
She leaned down, (though she didn't have to lean too far), to kiss him fervently. He took her face in his and kissed her back, their emotions flowing intensely.
He broke free from her quickly to gasp out, "So…yes?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed unnecessarily. They sank together into the dirt, surrounded by the trees.
Needless to say, they missed the flight to Paris.
