Jasper was reading in their living room when she appeared in the doorway. Her tiny hands gripped the door frame, holding her up, as she leaned into the room.
"Why do I see myself hunting a polar bear?"
He stifled a grin, not looking up from his book, "Don't you think you could answer that one a little better than I could, Alice?"
"Jazz!" He felt frustration nipping at her excitement as she made a face, "Where are you taking us?"
He sighed, putting his book down, pretending that she was disturbing him.
"Somewhere cold," he said simply.
"But where? I can't figure it out," she said, bouncing on her toes.
He didn't answer.
"I'll attack…" she threatened playfully, her innocent face twisting into a menacing glare. He could just detect a glint of amusement in her dark eyes.
"Attack, then," he challenged nonchalantly.
She lunged at him immediately, but he anticipated the forward assault. He jumped up, crouching on the top of the armchair he had been sitting in. His book slid to where his lap had been only moments ago, where Alice was now. She glanced at the book.
"Freud?"
"For today," he answered.
She nodded in acknowledgment and then jumped at him again without warning.
He leaped out of her reach, landing in front of the chair while she landed gracefully behind it. He heard her turn around swiftly, but she couldn't see over the large chair. Jasper knew this. He took advantage of her blind spot and came at her directly over the chair, but she had moved to the side. He landed right next to her.
She grinned at him, saying, "I saw you coming. You're very pre--"
He growled playfully and caught her around the middle, turning her around so her back was against his stomach. He gripped her close to him and whispered into her ear, "You weren't, by chance, going to say "predictable," were you?"
She giggled and reached her free arms backward above her head, locking them around his neck. She tugged to bring his head down until she was bending back slightly and he was bending forward, looking into her upside-down face.
"Of course not," she answered lightly, "I was going to say…pretty."
"I'm 'pretty?' That was your threatening taunt? Well, I guess I would prefer to be called 'handsome' over 'pretty,' but not enough to tackle you over it."
He felt her amusement and grinned at her, giving her a quick peck on the chin because that's where his lips were closest to on her inverted face. Her emotions were amplified by their touch. He was thoroughly enjoying her lighthearted excitement.
She grinned at his kiss and unlocked her arms. He loosened his grip on her enough to let her spin around and face him, but then he pulled her against him again. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gazed up at him, her chin resting right about where his heart was.
"Jazz, where are you taking us?"
"Someplace where polar bears live," he answered, still dodging the question.
He loved to feel her curiosity--she was rarely ever curious, always being able to see the answer. He was not planning to tell her because he knew as soon as he made the decision to tell, she would be able to see it in the future.
She started to protest, but he leaned down and softly met her lips with his to quiet her.
"Shh…" he said when he pulled away, "go pack some winter outfits. Plane leaves in an hour."
Her eyes widened and her face lit up, "Alaska?"
His brow furrowed, confused, "But I wasn't going to tell you…"
She grinned, "I saw what flight we were getting on."
He growled quietly and she laughed as he playfully chased her into their room to pack.
* * * * *
They were in northwestern Alaska. Population…well, Jasper had seen three humans so far. He wasn't complaining.
Alice danced through the town, marveling at how white everything was.
She turned to him then, her dark hair and eyes very apparent against the pallor of her skin and the snowy environment around her.
"Jazz, there's enough to make a snowman!"
"I'd say we could even make two…" he teased.
She stuck her tongue out and then laughed as a small snowflake landed on it. She took it off of her tongue and placed it on her palm, admiring its intricate beauty with wide eyes. She blew it off of her palm then and inhaled the frigid air.
"It even smells cold," she stated, taking everything in at once.
He soaked up the purity of her happiness, pleased to discover that it matched the level of his own. He was just as excited to be in such a remote, cold place with her. He felt like he could be more of himself here.
Just then a door of a local shop opened, sending a blast of warm air toward them, bringing the scent of humans with it. He swallowed, his throat suddenly on fire. He felt Alice's control waver just slightly, drawn to the sweet scent. This distracted him from his own struggle. It had been too long since they had last hunted.
"Alice," he said clearly, not taking another breath just yet.
She tore her stare from the two humans that had just exited the shop and looked over at him, her black eyes slightly fevered, meeting his own.
"We should find those polar bears," she said hesitantly, not breathing either.
He nodded and took her hand, together, they raced toward the coast.
* * * * *
The coast was completely deserted, not a human for miles. They scanned the view of the Chukchi Sea as they stood on the shore of ice. The smooth, solid ice went out for about 200 feet before turning into deep blue water with chunks of ice floating in it. They could see quite a few bears out in the middle of the sea, some swimming, some floating on the ice.
"We're swimming for our meal?" he asked her, interested in the idea of hunting in water. He hadn't ever done that.
She slipped into a vision before shaking her head, "I don't see us swimming for it…" she glanced around until she discovered what she was looking for. She smiled.
"This way."
He followed her down the coast for about half of a mile until they came across two giant white bears. "Perfect," she whispered, her lips curving up to reveal her shining white teeth.
He slipped into a crouch next to her. "Bet I can catch mine first. Loser has to try a sea lion."
They had seen quite a few sea lions on their walk to find the polar bears, but neither thought they looked at all appetizing or fun to hunt.
He felt her emotions dim as she slipped into a vision. She smiled, coming out of it, "Deal."
She started to sneak up on the bear closest to her. The fact that she had been so willing to take his bet probably meant that she would win, but he didn't care. He'd play anyway.
And so they hunted. He had to chase his for a moment before he leapt onto it's back. He quickly glanced to see if Alice had won yet just in time to watch as she flung all 90 pounds of herself onto the 300 pound bear, wrestling with it for a moment before she sunk her teeth into its neck.
His curiosity had lost him the bet. He laughed and shook his head before giving himself over entirely to his instincts. He played with his bear for a moment before finally burying his head into its coarse fur and biting. His venom took effect on the bear almost immediately as he drank the bland warmth from the nape of its neck. His thirst wasn't entirely quenched as he finished the bear, but he was satisfied. He felt full enough.
Alice skipped over to him, not a drop on her. Her eyes were their warm honey color again as she grinned at him, "I win."
"You knew you'd win," he said laughing.
She shook her head, "Actually, I saw you winning. I'm happy to be wrong this time though, I'm really not in the mood for sea lion."
She was proud of herself, he could feel.
He smiled at her, "Well, a bet's a bet. Let's find me a sea lion…"
* * * * *
"I do not like sea lions," Jasper stated plainly as they walked along the ice.
Alice chuckled, "They pretty much taste how they look, I assume?"
"Worse," he said, "I don't want to think about it anymore."
She laughed again before starting to skate along the ice, changing the subject, "Have you ever ice skated before?"
He shook his head, grateful to get the memory of the sea lion out of his head, "Never."
"Never never? Not even when you were human?" she inquired.
"Never never. We didn't get a lot of ice in Texas," he explained.
He watched as she gracefully skated away from him before jumping into a twirl in the air and landing perfectly, "I don't think I've ever skated either," she said.
He admired how beautiful she looked, part dancing and part skating, before joining her.
"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.
She smiled at his gesture and took his hand, "You may."
As they glided around on the ice together, the sun poked out from behind the clouds. He watched as she took in a breath at the sight of him, his scarred body sparkling in the sunlight. They had seen each other many times in the sunlight before, but something about the way the ice reflected the light as well made both of them look even more beautiful. He was equally mesmerized by the smooth diamonds of her skin.
Jasper then skated further out, beckoning her to come with him. She followed swiftly and joined him where the ice met the ocean. They danced along the edge of the water for a moment and then he led her right into the water with a splash.
Her emotions sparked with delight as they floated together, laughing and swimming as the frost gathered in their hair, though the water did not feel cold against their skin.
"Let's see if we can see up through the ice," Alice said suddenly before diving under the water and swimming under the ice where they had just been standing a short time ago.
Jasper followed her until they were both submerged four feet under the ice, looking up.
Everything was more beautiful underwater. The water was mainly clear with little flecks of ice floating around them. The flecks reflected the sun that shined down through the transparent ice above them. It was so silent, so tranquil.
Jasper felt a twinge of desire from Alice as she peered over at him. She looked otherworldly, her white skin casting sparkling rainbows around her in the water. He had never seen anything more utterly gorgeous than she.
He swam closer to her, looking at the beauty of her glowing face, taking in her warm love for him. She touched his face then and her desire for him was amplified. He was overwhelmed by the intensity of what he felt from her and on his own. He could think of nothing but her.
They made love under the silent waters of the sea until it was dark enough to surface to the stars.
A/N: I know this one covered a lot, but once I started, I kept seeing more things they would be doing while visiting Alaska!
And thank you, all of you, for your amazing reviews. I review replied if I could, and to SM and alicegirl9898, I thank you too for your kind words. Review again please…I'm always interested in your thoughts!
