sorry it took so long

Alice

I couldn't believe it. I hadn't expected him to reject me. He had seemed to like me. I knew I loved him. I had loved him since I first saw him, though I had been a bit reluctant to admit it. I'd seen a vision of him down on one knee with a silver ring in a beautiful box. I knew I wasn't mistaken in what I saw. I couldn't believe I'd ruined everything. I was always so bold and outgoing. I liked being extroverted, but it wasn't worth losing Jasper over. Nothing was worth losing Jasper over. I looked into his eyes.

Then, I experienced something new. I cried. Vampire style. There were no tears, just sobs that shook my body. I felt so out of control. Maybe humans felt like that often. I didn't want Jasper to see me like that. Knowing it wouldn't help, I turned my back to him. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "No" I muttered, trying to sound composed. He didn't take the hint. "Alice? He said quietly. I shook his hand off my shoulder "Leave me alone" I told him. My voice sounded slightly colder than I'd meant it to. He walked away and sat down on a log. A look into his future told me that he would leave for good if I told him to go away again. I was glad he wasn't leaving for good now. I took a few moments to calm down. Then, I was ready to make up with him. I still didn't understand why he'd rejected me and I was hurting, but I wasn't about to lose him as a friend over this.

I sat down next to him and swallowed my pride "I'm sorry" I offered, trying not to be so forward. "You have nothing to apologize for." He said gallantly. "Did I upset you?" I asked, then I couldn't reign in my emotions "I'm sorry. I saw a vision of you proposing so I thought you wanted to marry me. I'm sorry." He sighed "Alice, I do want to marry you. I know that I barely know you, but I never want to leave you. Nevertheless, it would be wrong. You need time to make sure this is what you want. I'm a killer Alice" His voice became cold. "You can do much better." Was that all? "Jasper" I told him gently "I don't need time. I can see what's going to happen. I will never stop loving you." He smiled. "One week." He sighed "At least wait a week. Make sure this is what you want." That was more than fair.

Jasper

"Alright. One week." She said brightly. At least she was trying to be reasonable. Within a week she would have a fairly good idea of what she was getting into. Then, she kissed me. It was the best thing I'd ever experienced. I kissed her back. When I tasted her emotions, I saw that she was enjoying it as much as I was. Impossible, but true. She had apparently forgiven me, though I had not really forgiven myself. I had never made a woman cry before. It was awful. She pulled away. "What kind of wedding do you want?" She asked. "Alice." I said, making my voice as stern as I could "Spend a week to think about it. A week is not a long time. Don't spend it making decoration plans. I want you to spend it deciding whether you really want to get married." She laughed "Yes sir."

She was so stunning when she laughed. "Thank you." I said. Still sitting on the log, she laid her head in my lap and I ran my fingers through her wild hair. I loved her with all my heart, and remarkably, she seemed to love me too. I kissed the top of her head. "We need to get you a new shirt" she remarked suddenly. I dug my hand into my pocket and handed her my wallet "Would you mind picking one out for me. In my current state I would attract a good deal of attention." She skipped off "You don't have to stay here. I'll find you easily enough." She informed me. I nodded. "Hide and seek?" I teased. She stuck her tongue out at me cheerfully. I ran up to her and kissed her head again, then wondered how I would spend even ten minutes without her.

Alice

Blue. He would look good in blue. But then there was that dark gray. Or the green. He would look stunning in anything. I had never shopped for anyone but myself before. I had really been missing out. I had almost handed him his wallet back because I intended to buy everything as a gift, but I wanted to keep it until we were together again. A reminder that we had finally met.

As I was shopping, I took a quick look at him. He was getting very anxious. I felt guilty and hurried. There was a fairly long line and I found myself tapping my foot impatiently. I wanted to see Jasper again.

Jasper

How long could it possibly take her to pick out a shirt? I had turned my tattered shirt inside out so that he blood wouldn't show. Now I was wandering Philadelphia trying to find her. I was unconformable, but her safety was the priority.

Finally, I saw her running up to me. I breathed a sigh of relief and then my jaw dropped. I saw why she had taken so long. Her quest for one shirt had become several wardrobes. In a flash, she pulled me into an alley. "Which one do you want?" She asked. I gave a helpless shrug and she laughed quietly. She slipped a shirt from one one of the many bags. I was surprised that the amount of money in my wallet had bought this much.

Of course, I didn't mind her spending my money. I was just worried that she would want something for herself and I wouldn't have the funds. She handed me the shirt "How about this one?" I nodded my approval, trying to act enthusiastic even though I saw little difference in the shirts apart from their colors. Even then, I saw several of some colors. She had her back turned to me so I changed quickly. I felt much better when my scars were covered. She handed me new shoes too. I hadn't realized how worn out my old ones had become. I felt a little ashamed appearing before her looking so disheveled.

"Thank you for doing this Alice" I said quietly. I loved saying her name. Alice, Alice, Alice. Perfect. She started gushing to me "It's really no problem. It was so much fun! They had so much to choose from. These will all fit and they'll look good on you." She threw her arms around my waist, impulsive as always. I kissed the top of her tiny head. "Oh! I almost forgot" she exclaimed suddenly. She handed me my wallet, still full. I shot her a quizzical look. "I just used my own money" she said lightly, then picked up on my concern. "You only wanted a shirt and I decided more would better. It wouldn't have been fair to use your money."

I sighed "Alice, you can use my money anytime" She smiled "I know. I just chose to use mine this time." I reached into my wallet to compensate her. She shook her head. She was so mesmerizing. I didn't have it in me to argue anymore, so I contented myself by promising that I would pay for whatever came next. Her eyes slipped into that out of focus look that accompanied her visions. Once again, I got worried. I knew she would be fine, but that didn't ease my anxiety. I felt very alone as I stroked her hand, sighing with relief when she came back to me. "Fine." She snapped playfully "You can buy the train tickets." She promised "Where are we going?" I wondered. "Well right now I thought we would go back to the woods where we can talk. It's almost 9:00" How had it gotten to be that late? I knew she was dodging my question, but I could pester her later.