A/N: Sorry about the delay, had to rewrite the chapter after chopping it in half to add a completely different scene from the original one which will be other chapter XD
Forks. -
-I hate deer.- Jasper mutters as he pulls back from the deer's neck, he felt Alice's amusement tickle his skin before she was pulling back from the deer too, he watches the blood trickle down her chin, her lips tainted in red, she licks her lips, almost in slow motion, hypnotizing.
But even then some blood's still trickling down her chin, he reaches out to wipe it away with his thumb, his touch lingering on her bottom lip for a fleeting moment, for a moment, he stared at her lips, maybe a bit too long, because the sudden amusement in her emotions brings him back to realize what he's doing.
And he's quick to peel his gaze away, retreating his hand.
Alice smirks at him, it makes his stomach get fluttering butterflies, she's giving him a look, as if she knows what he's thinking.
And she reaches out to touch his face too, her thumb wiping the blood off his chin, her thumb caressing the scar on his bottom lip, it sends a shiver down his spine.
She's grown extremely touchy since he had covered her face and neck in kisses, he didn't mind, her touch strange enough always made him crave for more, left his skin tingling, he didn't like physical contact, but her touch… he didn't knew what she did to him but her touch never failed to overload his nerves, in a good way.
Usually, when people touched him, it would make his skin crawl, like a sickening shiver that crawled beneath his skin, making him nauseous and uncomfortable, he wanted nothing more to run, he wanted to scream when he couldn't escape the touch.
And while with Alice the overwhelming feeling was still there, it felt comforting, soothing even, it made him feel grounded and his skin tingled all over, he craved to lean into the touch, wanting more and more of that wonderful feeling that slowly brought down the pain of that hypersensitivity that never left him.
It relaxed him and made him feel pleasantly drowsy.
-You can't hunt just predators, it's gonna end up causing havoc for the environment.- Alice's sudden words brought him back to attention, he felt disappointment when her hand left his face, why? He was the one who didn't want to kiss her, he was the one who refused to put name to this between them.
A friendship it wasn't.
Friends didn't look at each other like he and Alice looked at each other, the touches, the sensations, the words… that was… he had no idea what this was.
Friends with privileges? Complicated? Flirting? He knows she loves him, and he loves her.
But she doesn't know that.
Right?
-You listening?- Alice's voice made him frown.
-What?
His answer was a sigh before Alice was grabbing the neck of his shirt and pulling him forward, a fluttering kiss pressing against his cheek, so close to his mouth he felt the air catch in his throat, muscles locking for a full minute as he froze, shivers running down his spine, had he been human his heart would have explode.
She lingered there for a moment, his mind blank.
Her amusement was loud as she pulled back to meet his gaze, and he found himself actually missing the contact.
They buried the deer before going on on their way.
~
Somewhere in Canada.
-You sure this is alright? I mean, don't humans shoot people now days for steppin' into their lands unannounced? You know, shoot first ask questions later?- Jasper said as he let Alice lead him towards a huge corral.
A corral with a handful of horses.
The corral was huge for ten horses, but he guessed horses could never have too much space, God knows those bastards would find the best ways to fuck themselves up, even with a lot of space.
His father used to say that horses loved testing death, it was up to them to keep them from actually succeeding.
Alice had said she had a surprise for him, but he hadn't quite expected it to be this, he hadn't seen a horse since he became a vampire, or well, at least not up close.
But the point still stood.
-It's fine, I asked beforehand.- Alice assured, of course it had taken her a while to find humans willing to agree to let their home open for strangers.
Because while taking Jasper to a public ranch that would allow visits and whatnot, it would be filled with dozens of humans, that wouldn't end well.
She could have given them a check so the place could be hers and Jasper's for the day, but she didn't want to attract unwanted attention nor be the kind of rich person to do something like that.
Thus, she found one that was just a family ranch.
This place belonged to a nice old couple; Anthony and Michelle McLaren, they had agreed to let her and Jasper spend the day around the horses, she had paid them even though the couple had insisted against it, but Alice had managed to convince their grandson; Adam, to take the money.
She had told them that Jasper loved horses, but that his family couldn't exactly afford one, and because it was his birthday, she wanted him to see them from up close.
It wasn't a lie, at least not most of it, Jasper did love horses, and he couldn't have one because of his vampire nature, animals didn't react well to vampires.
She just lied about the birthday to make it sound a bit more pitiful.
Explaining the medical mask hadn't been as difficult as she had expected.
Jasper had switched the muzzle for a mask under her request, same as he had agreed to wear shoes, she had gotten him cowboy boots long ago, he didn't wear them much, just when they would go out to a public place.
He said he liked the feeling of the sand between his toes.
-You asked beforehand?- Jasper's sudden voice caught her attention and she turned to look at him with a smile.
-Yeah, you said you have never been anywhere near a horse since you became a vampire, right? I thought it wouldn't hurt to change that.
Plus.
She wanted to do something nice for him, he was always the one giving her gifts.
Meanwhile, Jasper couldn't help but feel flickering surprise at Alice's words, he hadn't expected her to remember something that he had said as a passing comment after she had caught a rabbit for the sake of petting it.
She had said she found rabbits "cute".
To which he had said he was more of a horse guy, he hadn't seen one in a while, but he still liked them a lot.
He hadn't expected her to remember something so trivial.
It gave him an unfamiliar yet pleasant fuzzy feeling.
-Mrs. McLaren said we could feed them carrots.- Alice said, pointing at the carrot filled burlap sack sitting close to the corral, though not close enough for the horses to reach.
She he let his hand go and went for two carrots, coming back to him and offering him one.
-Here, give it to one of them.
Jasper frowned as he looked down at the carrot he was now holding, this before turning to look at the herd of horses, it took him nothing but a fleeting moment before he was approaching the corral.
Careful, slow, wanting to test the horses' responses to him, after all, he was a predator, and animals could sense that, especially prey animals like horses. The last thing he wanted was for them to freak out.
When he was sure it was safe, he climbed the fence and held the carrot out.
He might not have seen a horse in a long time, but he still knew how to handle them.
And as expected, a horse approached him, one with a shining dark coat and some white strands on the fleck, it was surprisingly calm, it didn't even hesitate to take a bite from the carrot he was holding out.
He found himself grinning behind the medical mask, as the horse finished the carrot it sniffed and licked his hand in search for more.
He patted its muzzle.
Alice offered him another carrot and he took it, handing it out, a white mare aimed for it, but the dark horse was quicker, eating it without hesitation.
-That is so not nice.- He mumbled, grabbing a handful of carrots before daring to get into the corral with the horses, and he found himself surrounded by horses, sniffing at him and tugging at his shirt, he began handing the carrots out, feeling his shoulders relax as he did so.
This was familiar. Old. Right.
He chuckled when another horse tried to get to his chest from behind where he was holding the carrots against.
It was the same one with the dark coat and the white streaks on the fleck.
-That's not polite. Fat horses can't wear their saddles. Think 'bout the embarrassment that would bring to you.- He said with a teasing smirk. The dark stallion snorted, and he mimicked the sound, giving it a carrot anyway.
A mare approached him then, its coat was such a dark brown that at first sight one might mistake it as black, the white diamond on its forehead reminding him of his own horse.
Lady had been a good mare that he had raised with his father; she had been fast, strong and trustworthy. An amazing horse for long races with an even more outstanding resistance.
He bit back the memories.
The mare snorted as it came to a stop in front of him, bumping its nose against his arm and neighing. He offered her a carrot and smiled when the mare took it from his hand.
He wondered what became of Lady after he was turned, he had taught her well, so he hoped she had made it back to the stables without getting killed by a predator along the way.
The mare pushed him with her head, as did another horse, though this one was a nice shade of grey. He finished giving them the rest of the carrots.
He scratched a few noses and chuckled when the mare bumped her muzzle against his cheek, kissing and licking his neck.
-I can't give you anymore carrots, sorry.- He said, scratching her nose and smirking when the horse snorted back at him almost in protest. She bumped her head against his chest, eliciting a grin from Jasper.- You do realize eatin' a lot of treats ain't a good thing, right? Like I told brownie over there, you'll get fat, and you won't be able to fit in a saddle. Do you know how embarrassin' that would be? Think about your pride as a horse. I'd a fatass for a horse once, I could swear even the cows were laughing at her when the saddle didn't fit her. You want some beef laughin' at you?
The mare snorted, and he mimicked the sound back, scratching her forehead in amusement. He had almost forgotten how funny it could be to deal with a horse.
He had almost forgotten about the fact that he wasn't alone, if it weren't for the fact that he suddenly realized what was that in the air.
Amusement.
Endearment.
Happiness.
Love.
He turned to look over his shoulder, Alice was sitting on the fence, smiling and giving him such a warm look had he been human his heart would have been racing.
For a moment he felt a flicker of embarrassment over the fact that she had heard such childish sound from him as him snorting back to a horse.
-Mr. McLaren said we could ride the horses if we knew how, minus the spotted mare with the chipped ear because it's expecting.
Alice's words got Jasper feeling giddiness strike for the first time since he was human.
He could ride a horse. All embarrassment forgotten he spun around to access the horses, paying extra attention to their behavior.
And he ended up deciding for the white mare, it looked strong enough and it looked the most relaxed of all the horses. He approached it, he kept himself calm, proyecting his calm, his gift could be felt by animals.
Even if he couldn't feel their emotions nor manipulate them, animals could still feel when he broadcasted his emotions, horses could feel people's emotions to an extent, if the rider was afraid, upset, relaxed, doubtful, they would know, they were extremely perceptive creatures.
He ran his hand across its neck for a moment before hopping on the horse's back, patting her neck and sending calm her way.
And biting back his own pain over the terrible stab on his wounds, but he refused to let pain control him, he could deal with it, had dealt with worse.
-It's okay; you're okay.- He soothed instead, stroking the mare's neck.
He felt Alice's emotions swarm him and he turned to look at her, she was grinning now and giving him an indecipherable look, he got the mare to walk, bringing it to a halt infront of Alice.
-You look quite dashing.- Alice conceded, watching Jasper interact with horses had been a beautiful sight, to see him so relaxed and hear him speak like that, so free and with no care whatsoever over having to keep up his "perfect" image.
It was refreshing, nice, endearing.
And him riding a horse… that was quite the sight, he looked great, it gave her the butterflies, even more so to see that sparkle in his eyes, he was happy.
-Would you like to join me? I promise I won't let you fall.- He said, offering his hand to her.
-Of course.- Alice agreed, grinning as she took the offered hand, and also quite glad she had chose to wear pants this time around.
Jasper helped Alice settle behind him, making sure to keep the horse calm as he did so, and also quite glad he wasn't human when her arms wrapped around his middle, he didn't need her hearing his racing heartbeat, nor seeing his red face.
Small mercies.
For her part, Alice felt rather giddy about this situation, this was the first time Jasper allowed her to hug him from behind, or be anywhere near him from behind.
She rested her cheek against his back, taking in a deep breath and smirking when she felt his hand rest on top of hers for a moment before it was gone.
She felt the horse start moving, and she allowed herself to relax and just enjoy the moment, the sound of hoofbeats against soil, the lulling heartbeats from the herd, the soft breeze, the sounds from the farm; ducks, chicks, hens, donkey, cows, goats, gooses, there was even a turkey.
The smell wasn't much pleasant for her sharp nose, but she could just focus on Jasper's own scent, he smelt nice, like the warmth of the sun, the salt of the ocean, the freshness of the soil in the forest, the wood from the trees where he slept at sometimes.
He smelt like something wild and wonderful, something she could never get enough of.
-You fat-shame horses a lot?- She found herself asking after a moment, still unable to get out of her mind his unusual moment there with the horse, of course she knew there was a funny side to him.
He would let it slip at times, but she never expected it to be like that, she had a feeling Emmett would definitely love interacting with Jasper.
-Sometimes.- Jasper muttered after a moment, feeling a flicker of embarrassment at it. She had heard him; he could feel her amusement, bright and tickling his skin, making his lips twitch.
-Even your own horse?- Alice questioned.
-She was fat, and she needed to know it.- He stated as a matter of fact. Alice snorted, imagining a human Jasper fondly teasing his horse, every owner of a pet she's ever seen always did great at insulting their own animals, affectionately of course, but still...
It was an interesting thing she had to admit, to insult and degrade something that probably didn't even actually understand the meaning behind the insults, because you loved it and just enjoyed arguing with it in the strangest ways possible.
But again, some people did that too with their loved ones, call them bad names as a sign of affection, like how Rosalie called Emmett "her idiot" even though he was far from an actual idiot as most people saw him as.
Or how Bella loved giving Edward nicknames regarding his paranoia and a second from a stroke for the slightest situation behavior. He loved to drown in a glass of water.
-You had a farm as a human?
-Yeah… it was nice.
-How was it?
-... It was big, sort of like this one I guess, we'd lots of animals; horses, cows, goats, gooses, ducks, chicken, rooster, rabbits, a donkey, there was also a garden with lots of vegetables, we'd apple trees too, and some peaches. I helped build the shelter for the chickens.
Alice grinned as she heard the pride in that last statement.
-A whole shelter? Like those little houses where they keep the chickens at in the movies?- She questioned, just to indulge him.
-Yes, I can build houses too, and stables.
-That's quite amazing.- Alice praised, grinning even more, she could almost feel the pride oozing off of him at her words, cute. And she dared to press a kiss against his shoulder.
Jasper for his side bit back a grin at Alice's words, the feeling of her lips against his shoulder making his chest flutter, her praise, he rested one of his hands on top of hers, stroking the skin with his thumb as he did.
The feeling of her arms around him, her weight against his back, it filled him with such an indescribable feeling, warmth, lightness, but at the same time like his chest wanted to explode, in a good way, he drank in her emotions, relinquishing in the moment.
The comforting sound of hooves, the smell just a farm could have, the sounds, Alice's presence, he wished he could stop time here, when all that that's there is a familiar atmosphere and the most important thing in his life, aligned perfectly, he wanted this to last forever.
Ever since he met Alice he's found himself wishing for moments to last forever, and he isn't sure what to make of such feeling, new and overwhelming, exhilarating.
He could never get enough of it.
-Alice?
-Hm?
-Thank you.
~
Forks. -
Carlisle was just arriving at home when his phone began ringing, as he pulled it out he was met with Eleazar's ID call. He frowned, the man rarely called to not say ever, the Denali weren't particularly big on technology.
Still.
He answered the call.
-Eleazar?
"Hi my friend, how have you been?"- The voice on the other end was serene, but even then Carlisle could still perceive a tense edge to it.
-Fine, it's been fine. Is something the matter?- He questions, straight to the point.
"..."
That silence didn't settle well with Carlisle, he had the feeling he wouldn't like this call one bit.
-Eleazar?
"Carlisle, you and your family should be careful."- Those words indeed did not bode well news, what was Eleazar talking about? Careful about what? Had something happened? Was it related to Renesmee? God, but hadn't the Volturi made peace with her existence?
But Alice had said nothing, was it something else?
-What's wrong?- He ends up asking, needing answers.
"I have gotten word that the Volturi are going at it again, you know Indra? That girl from the 1400's? It's possible it might be happening all over again."
Carlisle stiffened at Eleazar's words, of course he knew about Indra, what vampire didn't? She had been a vampire with the gift to shapeshift into any person or animal, mimicking everything about it, to their abilities and scents to their voices and skills.
Indra had been 14 year old girl from Ireland, turned around the 1400's, she had been known for slaughtering villages, killing humans and vampires alike, people claimed her gift called for it, she could mimic others with such perfection because she ingested their DNA.
She had been a menace to their existence and their secret.
The Volturi spent months searching for her, interrogating all vampires they came across.
She was caught and subsequently killed in 1487.
-Is there another shapeshifter?- He asked, dread starting to take root.
"No, but they are checking everyone's minds, there's a rumor that the one they are looking for is from the South. Considering they are going to the same lengths as they did with Indra…"
-It's a dangerous one.- Carlisle finished, feeling like his mouth was running uncomfortably dry.
"Yeah."
Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose, a southern vampire gone rogue? How could this even be happening? Indra had been horrible, God forgive him, but her death had been the right thing to do, she had killed dozens of innocents.
She had been… a serial killer among vampires.
If the Volturi were using the same methods used on her search with this rogue one… that meant it was an extremely dangerous one, skills, gift, who knows, but dangerous nonetheless, God, he just prayed it wouldn't come anywhere near here.
Indra had killed dozens from the Volturi before she could be subdued, and she had been 14, he didn't want to imagine how someone potentially adult sized with Indra's same danger tag could fair against the Volturi.
Against anyone in general.
Even more so if it was a vampire from the South.
He just hoped it was as far from here as possible.
Away from his family.
Because the Volturi looking for a vampire like that meant danger.
Most terrible danger.
The kind of danger Carlisle might not be able to protect his family against.
~
-Do you ever wonder if a vampire could survive in outer space?- Alice questioned, it was night already, and she and Jasper had come back from Canada a while ago, both of them had at some point ended up laying on the sand.
Alice was quite comfortable with her current position, her head resting on his arm, same arm he had around her shoulders, his fingers carding through her hair absently in the most lulling fashion ever, she was pretty sure that had she been human she would have long fallen asleep.
One of her legs was drapped over his own, her arm over his torso, she made a point to not put too much weight on the last one.
She didn't want to aggravate his injuries.
His other hand was with hers, fingers entwined. He seemed rather content, had been so since the visit at the ranch.
-I guess it could… but it would need a rocket like humans to protect itself from the fire that comes from getting out.
-True.- Alice conceded.- What about other planets though?- She was asking to the air once again, just letting her mind wander.- I mean, we don't really need oxygen, and pressure doesn't do much to us, maybe ralentize our movements, but not much damage.
-... Alec actually made a whole essay on that once, forced me to proof read it even though we both knew he didn't need me to proof read it, I think he just wanted to show it off…
And it had been an entertaining reading Jasper had to admit.
-A vampire in Mercury could actually do well, at night that is, durin' the day… the sun's three times larger and more than 10 times brighter than it's here on Earth, it can push temperatures as high as 800, it would be high enough that it could actually lead the vampires to die by spontaneous combustion.
-So daytime is hell on a planet?
-Somethin' like that, nightime is more on the freezin' side, the temperatures range from -150 C to 425 C. There's no atmosphere there, though there's traces of helium, but that won't do a thing against vampire, 'cause as you said, vampires don't need to breathe, a human could last up to two minutes in there without their spacesuit if they were to hold their breath, we could last for an indefinite amount of time if we kept ourselves to the cold side of the planet.
-That… sounds cool actually, what about Venus?- Alice questioned, part of her genuinely curious about the answer.
-That one… no, a vampire cannot survive on Venus, it's one of the hottest planets to not say the hottest planet, the temperatures can reach up to 847F, not sure how those numbers work, but Alec said it's a lot, kind of like walkin' into an oven, the pressure is also about 90 times greater than that of Earth. People would get squashed by the pressure there, a vampire would also get squashed, we can take a lot of pressure, but we still were originally human, our bodies wouldn't be able to take such pressure. There's also the fact that it rains extremely corrosive sulfuric acid, a vampire, much like a human, has no chance at survivin' in Venus without proper gear.
Jasper at times surprised himself with how much he could remember from the most random of things, like Alec's honest to God essay on vampires and other planets, that kid was obsessed with science, ironic considering vampires weren't something science related at all, much less gifts.
But who was he to judge?
-We could survive on Mars though, it's mostly cold, and a practical desert, there's giant dust storms that can cover the planet in dust for weeks, small wind patterns that can kick up "dust devils," like desert tornados, but that's nothin' a vampire cannot handle.
-It would be fun then, to go to Mars and mess around with the humans, think about the uproar that could create.- Alice said, grinning over the idea of it, a vampire in Mars, that sounded as hilarious as it sounded stupid, in a good way.
Humans would have either a field day or a crisis with that one.
-I guess it would, a shame there's no food up there though.- Jasper said, living in a desolated planet would be so relaxing though, but he guessed it would be troublesome too, humans were all over the planets, the slightest sign of life in another planet would so not go well.
But he guessed Earth was prettier and more comfortable, lots of food and comfortable spots.
And Alice was here.
-What about Jupiter? I mean, I know we can't land on Jupiter, it's just a giant ball of gas, but it would be fun to take a dive through it.
-A dive through it?- Jasper bit back a smirk at those words, leave it to Alice to want to take a dive through a planet, he did admit it sounded a bit interesting, like the kind of thing someone would put on their crazy to-do list if they could actually do it.
-Yeah, it would be fun to tell people I took a dive through a planet.
Jasper couldn't keep back the snort at Alice's answer, her amusement infectious.
-Well, sadly, I don't think you would be able to dive through it, the gases inside are highly pressurized, could probably crush you.
He was quite amused over the disappointment in her emotions, as if she had actually intended to take a dive through it and he just fooled her plans. Could people even go to space freely? Or was it just some humans who were allowed?
But Alec had said that someone could technically go to space if they built their own perfectly functional rocket, it wasn't exactly illegal to leave the planet.
Still.
Back to the point at hand.
-What of Saturn? I love Saturn, I know it's also a giant ball of gas, like, it could float in a large enough ocean, but I also know it rains diamonds there, not hard diamonds, sort of like jello diamonds because of the temperature and whatnot, but the point stands, taking a dive through that would be amazing. Or running on the rings, the rings are pretty.
Jasper grinned at Alice's words, she had quite the amazing view of the world, wanting to dive through a planet, could it even be considered a planet when it was nothing but a giant ball of gas with a nice shape and color? Just floating in the same spot… it was weird.
-Well… the freezin' average temperature is about -285. But much like Jupiter the pressure would crush you, same as Uranus and Neptune, the latter could even fly you around due its seriously fast winds. Pluto, that one you could land on, and considerin' it's an extremely cold weather… vampires could survive there.
-But Pluto isn't a planet.- Alice felt the need to point out.
-It's a giant ball in the middle of space, it's not burnin' like a star and you can land on it, pretty sure that's a planet.
-Or a moon.
Jasper turned to look at Alice with a bewildered look.
-Pluto is not a moon.- Jasper told, mortified over what he just heard, Alice grinned up at him.
-It could be.
-It ain't.
-But it could be.- Alice teased, grinning as his frown deepened.
-No, it's not being pulled towards a planet nor nothin'. It's not a moon.
-Alright then.- Alice conceded with a condescending tone, biting back a smirk when he frowned.
-It's not.
-I know.
-Good.- Jasper held Alice's gaze, both of them staring into each other's eyes, for a long moment that's what they did, just let themselves be lost in each other's eyes.
Nothing but the sound of crashing waves filling the air, sizzling foam, the feeling of soft sand beneath them.
Their faces inches apart, foreheads touching, Jasper brought his hand up, fingertips resting on Alice's cheek like a fluttering touch that filled her stomach with butterflies, having him so close was exhilarating, were she human her heart would have been pounding in her chest.
He was so beautiful, and those eyes, they were such a bright red, it gave him such a wild air, an air she wasn't ashamed to admit to find quite alluring.
-Has anyone ever told you that your eyes sparkle in the moonlight?
Jasper's sudden words broke through the night like a soft whisper that made the air catch in Alice's throat, a pleasant shiver running down her spine, a smile breaking out, had she been human her face would have been burning over the intensity with which he was looking at her.
Those words.
He had an amazing way with words, she had to give him that, he always managed to catch her off guard with such near poetic compliments.
-You look beautiful tonight.- He said again, there was something in his gaze, Alice couldn't for the life of her decipher it, but it was as intense as it was warm, it made her feel… strange, in a good way.
She felt the soft touch on her nosetip from his own, Eskimo kiss.
It filled her with thousands of fluttering feelings, warmth, lightness, home.
-You look beautiful too.
A/N: Not sure if the expression of "likes drowning in a glass of water" is used in English, but it generally means someone is making a big deal out of something small