A/N:
Guess what time it is?
It's time for our couple to meet their family for the first time!
Title: Origins: Living in my Future
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: Alice's White Rabbit
Pre-reader: BitterHarpy and brierlynn03
Genre: Supernatural/Mystery
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Mary Alice Brandon had always been different. She seemed to know things that had yet to happen, and the people in town avoided her at all costs. But the cries of 'Witch' or whispers of 'Changeling' wasn't her biggest concern. Someone much closer to her than the townsfolk couldn't accept her differences, and it put her in life-threatening danger.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 23
THURSDAY, MAY 26th 1949 – FRIDAY, MARCH 10th 1950
I burst out giggling as I once again side-stepped Jasper's attack, but when he sighed, I did my best to clamp my lips closed and swallow the following bubbles down.
"Alice, please …" he said seriously, his ochre-colored eyes the lightest I'd ever seen them but also filled with vexation over my disobedience.
"I'm sorry, Jazz," I said sincerely but also with obvious amusement in my tone. A small smile twitched around the corners of Jasper's mouth as it always did when I used my new nickname for him. It had come about because I remembered he'd said his sister used to call him that as a simple shortening of his name, but when I also found out he quite enjoyed jazz music, I added some pizazz to it and exchanged the simple "s" to two "z"s.
When I explained it to him and wrote it out, he'd laughed with such delight I wanted to wrap myself in the sound like a blanket and snuggle down into it forever, and it naturally became what I called him.
His frustration with me faded, but his seriousness remained. "You know I love how much you trust your gift, but could you just try to do it my way, even once? I need to know that you can defend yourself in the tiny possible event that your visions don't work."
"I'm sorry," I repeated and braided my fingers together behind my back, spreading on thick the innocent expression on my face, and he rolled his eyes at my antics, so I went up to him, and he immediately wound his long arms around me. "I can't stop my visions from happening, especially not in a high-stakes situation. I follow them without thinking because they're as much a part of me as my right hand."
"I know," he said, well-aware of how my visions worked after having spent nine months together. "Let's take it slower then. That way, you won't have a reason to jump out of the way."
He positioned us opposite each other again and started to methodically go through every common attack strategy and how to block them or how to use them against my opponent. I found it really sweet that he was so adamant about teaching me how to fight even though I knew his prime motivation was our disastrous New Year's Eve, which we'd mostly left behind us, but it had taken me a few weeks to get Jasper to forgive himself for having momentarily surrendered to his past darkness.
While it was concerning to me how strong a mental hold Maria still had on him, I also understood why. Spending eighty-odd years being emotionally manipulated by the one person you thought you could trust was bound to leave its mark, and I told him that much. He still blamed himself though, and I didn't know what else I could do except prove to him every day that my vow was serious and that I would always be there for him.
"Do you know who would have a blast at a lesson like this?"
Jasper looked up at me as I dangled from the branch I'd latched onto to attempt a leg-lock move he wanted me to know. "I already know you're goin' to say Emmett."
"Well, it's true," I said and offered him a grin. "Although, he's not one to follow rules very well, and he relies too much on his enhanced strength. Eleazar said so when he taught him the basics."
"Who's Eleazar?"
I let go of the branch and landed lightly on the balls of my feet. "I told you about the other family in Alaska."
"No, I would've remembered a second family," he said and sat down on the ground. "But I don't blame you for forgettin' a tiny detail. You've got all kinds of past, present, and future floatin' around in your head, so maybe you saw it in a vision."
"Probably," I agreed and sat down next to him, immediately using my fingers to draw in the soft earth. "There are five of them: three sisters and a mated pair. All of them abstain from human blood as well. Eleazar is a former Volturi guard, but he left Italy when he found Carmen."
"I didn't know it was possible to leave the Volturi. Of course, I don't know much about them except how big a threat they are to the covens in the South."
"I don't really know anything about them either," I admitted. "I know Carlisle spent quite a while with them early in his life, but they've always just been this distant entity who supposedly rules over us all."
Jasper nodded silently, his expression making it appear he was deep in thought, but I didn't know what he was contemplating so hard on until he spoke up after a long moment.
"You really want us to join your family," he stated simply as if it was a watertight fact.
"Why do you say that?" I asked, wondering where his complete confidence in the statement came from.
"You've been talkin' about them more frequently lately, and every time you mention them, I can feel the longin'." He turned to me with a soft smile. "I wouldn't have expected anythin' else from you. When you love someone, you love with your entire bein', and these people became your family from the second you had your vision of Carlisle. If I'm honest, I thought you'd start to insist before I could make up my mind, but you haven't, and I appreciate that."
"Of course," I said. "I love them, but I can also live without them. I can't live without you."
He reached for my hand and entwined his fingers between mine. "I know, darlin'. I'm right there with you." He paused for a beat, but then he made up his mind, and I saw what his decision would lead to.
Before he could say another word, I had tackled him to the ground and was raining kisses all over his face. It caused him to laugh, but then he grabbed my waist and rolled us over so my back was on the ground, and he hovered above me.
"Really?" I asked him. "You're sure?"
"Yes. I was reluctant at first because I didn't dare believe a settled and peaceful lifestyle was possible, but these past months, I know you've shown me what just a fraction of that life could look like, and I like it. Now, I can actually envision myself with them and believe I might even fit in."
I took a hold of his shirt and pulled him down for a proper kiss. I loved hearing, no matter how cautiously hopeful it was, that he believed in himself enough to say he could see himself with my family.
But then, he let out a soft sigh and pulled away. "I'm still strugglin' with the diet. Maybe I always will; I don't know, but I still want to know that I can do this without killin' a human for a year before we search them out. Are you okay with that?"
"For you, I'm okay with anything," I said and cupped his cheek with my hand.
He placed his own over mine and smiled. "I love you, my darlin' Alice. You're everythin' and more than I ever thought I wanted or needed."
"I love you, Jasper."
We sat back up, but he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me tightly to his side. "My last kill was in February. That will be our benchmark."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
{=LMF=}
We were perched up in a tree several miles away from my family's current residence, too far away for Edward to pick up on our thoughts and in a direction where our scent was traveling away from the house.
I had wanted to search them out earlier in the month when Jasper had successfully passed his one full year of exclusively feeding from animals, but he had advised against it and said the likelihood of us being turned away was higher if all five of them were home when we reached them.
When I then saw that Edward and Emmett planned a week-long hunting trip out of state, both of us saw that as our perfect opportunity.
"Emmett and Edward are the fighters, right?" Jasper asked.
"Emmett more so than Edward, but I wouldn't call either of them real fighters," I said. "Eleazar taught them some of the basics that would do them little good in an actual fight, but out of the entire family, yes, they'd be their offense."
Jasper chuckled next to me, and I turned to give him a confused look.
"What?"
He shook his head in amusement. "I hadn't realized I'd rubbed off on you so much. You sound like a proper strategist."
I laughed with him before we returned to the issue at hand. "I always thought it would've been better if Edward was close when we found them since he'd see the truth in our minds."
"After Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie have accepted us, then yes, that will be to our advantage, but if we'd approached them at full strength, you know my scars would make them react with instinct and fear instead of logic, and he'd most likely believe we were lyin'," Jasper explained, and I understood his reasoning.
So, we waited a full day after Edward and Emmett had left before we finally touched the ground and started to slowly walk through the snowy forest toward the main house. Jasper clasped my hand in his and projected a perimeter of tranquil energy around us, and I soaked it up to rein myself in despite my anxious excitement over the fact that I was mere minutes away from physically meeting half of my family for the first time.
To announce our approach, at the first hint of their scent, we started to make noise by deliberately stepping on branches and snapping them in half, dragging our feet through the patches of snow, and running our hands over the bark of the trees we passed.
The estate was huge, which wasn't too surprising since it was situated in one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Philadelphia, and we passed an unused tennis court and large covered pool before we even set foot in the actual backyard.
"I understand the luxury hotels now," Jasper said softly next to me, and I had to suppress a giggle because the French doors had just been opened by a very cautious Carlisle, a defensive Rosalie, and a tense Esme.
Jasper's hand tightened around mine to restrain me even more since he could feel how much I wanted to just sprint up to them and throw my arms around all three of them at once.
So many years of visions of these people, and I was finally, at last, standing in front of them. Despite their guarded appearance, all I could see were the people who had gotten me through the toughest times of my life—especially Carlisle. Without him, there was no way to know how I would've ended up.
And he didn't even know it yet.
The three of them walked out into their backyard, and Jasper stopped us at an appropriate distance away to show our peaceful intent.
"Can I help you in some way?" Carlisle asked us. His voice was tense, but even so, just hearing him speak to me was like music.
Then he registered our eye-color and immediately exchanged uncertain looks with both Esme and Rosalie.
Knowing that Jasper appeared more threatening because of his scars, I took it upon myself to talk for us and took half a step forward, letting go of Jasper's hand. He didn't like it because the warrior in him was always ready for a potential confrontation, and I was essentially in a vulnerable position.
It didn't matter that I knew there was no danger. My visions were already assuring me.
"Yes," I said pleasantly with a smile. "You can definitely help us, Carlisle."
He narrowed his eyes at me but wasn't nearly as tense as before. Our diet had definitely reassured him, much like when they had encountered Tanya's coven. "Are you acquainted with a friend of mine? Is that how you know my name?" he asked, and all I could do was shake my head as my smile grew wider.
It was getting harder to contain myself with every passing second. This was one of the moments I'd waited for my entire life.
"No, that's not how I know your name, nor is it how I know all of your names. Esme"—I nodded at her and softened my smile to be more friendly—"Rosalie. And I know Edward and Emmett are out hunting, but I'll get to meet them when they get back."
"You will?" Esme asked softly, her expression as confused as I was certain the others felt.
"Yes, I'll have plenty of time to talk to them later, so I can give all of my attention to you now, and I'm so happy to finally see you and talk to you in person!"
"What is she on about?" Rosalie said under her breath to Carlisle, and Jasper placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"Darlin', I think you'd better introduce us and explain everythin' before you get ahead of yourself," he said and softly brought my excitement down to a more manageable level.
"Of course," I said, shaking my head at myself. "It's not my intent to make you uncomfortable in any way. This is just a very big moment for me." I placed my hand over my chest, and I could see how Rosalie zeroed in on my nails and how there wasn't a speck of dirt or blood underneath them, which was very common with true nomads. "I'm Alice, and this is my partner Jasper. I have a gift that allows me to see fragments of the future. Visions, if you'd like. That's how I know your names."
There was a moment of silence, and I knew it was because they didn't know how to respond, but then, once he'd processed the new information, Carlisle spoke up again.
"Nice to meet you both," he said in his signature pleasant manner. "You'll have to forgive our stunned behavior, but you've managed to render us almost speechless."
"I know the feelin'," Jasper said, his own smile softening the appearance of his scars. "I went through the same emotions as you are when I met her as well." His statement confounded them even further, and he elaborated. "I've a gift as well. I can sense others' emotions, project my own, enhance what's already there, or even alter them if I so wish."
"Premonition and pathokinesis," Carlisle breathed out. "Two very rare gifts. That's fascinating." He took a deep, unnecessary breath to collect himself, but I could still see he was itching to ask questions, almost with the same level of excitement that I still felt. "You said we could help you in some way. Why don't you come inside, and we'll talk. I'd love to hear how you came upon this unusual diet we share."
I almost exploded when he invited us in, but I used all of my might to wrangle it in and wrapped myself around Jasper's arm instead as we started to walk inside. He chuckled at me and placed an affectionate kiss on the top of my head, definitely reveling in the happy emotions I was bursting at the seams from.
Still, as great of a hold as I had on myself, some of it seeped out as we sat down in Esme's floral sofas. I was, ever so slightly, bouncing up and down on the plush cushions, too eager to keep everything under control.
Rosalie remained standing while Esme and Carlisle took seats opposite us, and I wasn't particularly surprised she was the one who remained mistrusting and cautious. She was very protective of her family unit, something she and Emmett had always had in common, and with him and Edward away, it was natural she took on the role of protector.
"Please," Carlisle said and gestured to us. "We'd love to hear your story."
Jasper turned to me, indicating I should start, which, of course, was the most logical strategy. Better soften them up with my life before going into his violent and bloody past.
"I had quite the confusing start to this life, and even now, thirty years later, I still can't make much sense of it," I started and felt encouraged by how intently all three of them were listening. "I woke up with total amnesia. I had no idea who or what I was. There wasn't a single memory from before the second I regained consciousness. Not even the change itself."
The last part caught Carlisle's attention, and he leaned forward, his interest piqued. "You don't remember your change? At all?"
"No. It's all gone. Jasper's encountered a couple of vampires who've suffered similarly but not quite as extensively, so if you know more about it, I'd love to hear it," I said somberly. A huge part of me hoped Carlisle had the answers I'd been wanting all my life, but I was also fairly certain I'd be disappointed.
He sighed in contemplation. "I'm afraid my only theories are that you suffered through a traumatic event before your change, one so life-altering it might've caused damage to the hippocampus in your temporal lobe. It's where memories are stored."
I nodded and immediately discerned from Carlisle's expression that it meant I'd never remember my past, which perhaps was a good thing if remembering meant memories of a traumatic life ending with amnesia.
Quickly pushing those feelings away, I focused back on the present with another smile. "At least, I had my visions. And I had you." I looked right at Carlisle, and he was visibly taken aback.
"You had me? In what capacity?"
"Well, I was alone when I woke up. I don't know what became of my creator or who they are, but they weren't around, so I had to rely on my visions to tell me what was going on. Luckily, one of the first I had was of you talking to Edward and answering his questions about this life. You changed him about two years before I was, so having visions of you guiding him helped me immensely. And then even more so when Esme became one of you."
"You mean you've followed our lives ever since you first woke up?" Rosalie asked tersely, clearly not fully convinced everything was acceptable just yet, but I'd always known she'd be the hardest nut to crack.
"Yes," I said honestly while looking at her. "Whatever reason I was given my gift—call it destiny or fate—it was decided early on that you'd all be a part of my life, and without my visions of you, I probably would've run into trouble before I even matured."
"And you've seen everything?"
"Most of it at least, and between you and me"—I leaned forward as if I was about to tell her a secret—"you're without a doubt the most stunning bride I've ever seen." I was laying it on thick, but I knew flattery was the quickest way through Rosalie's armor, and it worked because she cracked her first smile, even as she tried to mask it. "I can't wait to help you find the perfect dress for your next renewal ceremony. I'll make sure Emmett won't know what to do with himself."
And with those three sentences, Rosalie's defenses crumbled, and she relaxed and gingerly sat down on the armrest of the sofa.
Carlisle and Esme exchanged amused looks, definitely knowing what I'd accomplished, and they were impressed.
"So where have you been all this time?" Rosalie asked much more softly. "Why have you stayed away?"
"I'm afraid that's my fault," Jasper said, and they all turned their attention to him. "She had to find me first, and my past is, unfortunately, not the happiest, which I'm sure you've already figured out from my appearance."
Carlisle nodded while taking Jasper in, his eyes shining with his innate compassion. "I know what those scars mean. Some of the guards in the Volturi coven also have them. Battle scars they call them. You're a warrior?"
"Former. I left that life behind a few years ago, and then I found this little barrel of gunpowder, and I've never been happier."
"That's nice to hear," Esme said and quickly threw a glance at Carlisle's profile, most definitely thinking about the change in Carlisle when the two of them decided to pursue a romantic relationship.
Jasper nodded in agreement before he settled in to tell the rest of his story.
A/N:
It was so much fun to finally explore what happened the day Alice and Jasper wandered into the Cullens' backyard! In the two previous Origins stories, being from Edward and Emmett's perspectives, they had already arrived and Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie had accepted them.
Tomorrow, you'll see what happened when Alice the Whirlwind took over Edward's room!
See you then, and as always,
Stay Awesome!