betagainstme | Whitlock-Cullen Meeting; 1950

Whitlock-Cullen Meeting; 1950 - Toronto, Canada

It's been two years since Alice met Jasper in the diner in Philly. Two years since they started looking for the Cullens. It's been a pressing search, with only vague clues from her visions, but it's been a nice one. Long days with each other, content in each other's presence.

They've been in Canada for a few days now, the last vision pointing them toward Toronto and a calm feeling settles over Alice as she tangles her fingers with her husband's, that this is it. She's going to meet the family she's so desperately searched for, and she knows them all by name. There's Carlise and Esme and Rosalie and Emmett and Edward.

She ducks her head and smiles as they walk through the woods, her skirt catching on a unruly bush. Edward is who she looked forward to meeting the most. She and he, she Saw, she knew would be the best of friends. He was like her in a way. She'd seen countless visions of them together, silently communicating in a way different than how she and Jasper could speak volumes without words.

A few more miles are walked and she stops, tugging on Jasper's hand, making them stop their leisurely pace. "They're close. You're okay with this, right?"

Because as desperately as she wants to meet the Cullens (and fit into their family dynamic even if she has no idea what a family is like and she just wants them to like her and did her parents ever like her, why can't she remember?), she'd never go if Jasper wasn't okay with it. She'd wander the world by his side if he demanded it of her.

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Alice wants this and, by that alone, Jasper does too.

Even still, he keeps his red eyes trained on the forest floor, hesitant. She's Seen them being accepted, but what if they're not? What if he's not? He's not exactly been having the easiest time with the diet and her visions were subjective, resting on her decision to find the Cullens as of now.

He curls an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, and presses a kiss into her hair. "You know my hesitations, but I've followed you this far and I'd follow you anywhere. Do you think I'd keep you from meeting them now?"

She rests her head on his chest, her fingers curl into his shirt, and she breathes him in. "I just wanted to make sure." She whispers, looking up at him, her gold eyes wide. "You might have changed your mind."

They both know she would have seen that ages ago, but as she sighs and leans against him again, she knows he can feel her own hesitation. She's nervous and Jasper's doubts about being accepted plague her as well.

Edited 2009-04-01 16:40 (UTC)

"Don't be nervous," he murmurs, easing away her nerves until the excitement she feels about finally finding the Cullens gives way again. It was there all the time, bubbling under the surface, he only has to remind her of it.

"Thank you." She whispers as she pulls away, her hand sliding into his again. She looks out into the woods before nodding. "They're this way. A pretty house on the edge of the forest."

She's described it countless times, but it helps her now, helps her get her feet started as she moves toward where her visions have led them.

Jasper follows easily as he lets her lead the way, his hand in hers, and when they come to the edge of the woods, he can see the house she's described for him. It looks welcoming and, from what she's told him of the family over the past two years, he wouldn't have thought otherwise.

Yet, as they near the house and climb the steps of the front stoop, he starts to hover closer to his wife, on guard for anything Alice might not have seen. He does let her have the honors of knocking on the door though. She's probably been itching to do it for years.

She takes a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a moment, her teeth scraping at her lip and then she just leans forward and does it, knocking quickly on the door before stepping back and drawing Jasper's long arms around her, keeping him close.

Even with his help, she feels like she might just burst.

There aren't exactly many people who knock on strangers' doors on the outskirts of Toronto. Carlisle opens the door without delay, even if his mind is already calmly taking inventory of where everyone was in or out of the house.

His first reaction is to take a millisecond to take the pair in. They are a couple, obviously -- female is younger. Brighter. Carlisle thinks of a sparrow and isn't sure why. The male is older. Scarred.

Red eyes. But the female's are gold.

"...Hello," Carlisle hazards in a calm tone, less of a question than he wants to make it into.

Alice grins, fleetingly and her breath leaves her in a soft exhale. He's exactly as she Saw and though there's still a vague nervous sick feeling in her stomach (like when she tried to eat a cupcake once) she knows she got it right. Things are solidifying and once everything is explained, she knows it'll be okay.

"Carlisle," She breathes, ducking her head.

So this is Carlisle. He looks exactly as Alice had described and drawn for Jasper.

Yet, Jasper's gaze narrows as he looks the older vampire over, testing the emotions - confusion, mostly - out of habit. He doesn't know this man, not like his wife does, and he can never be too careful. Especially where Alice is involved.

"Yes," Carlisle answers the only person of the two on his stoop that have spoken to him. No harm in confirming what she obviously already knew.

His first thought is to the Volturi, but the gold --

"Do I know you?"

"Not...yet." She hesitates, wondering how to explain this to him, settling on just...saying it. "I saw you. I've been...I can see the future, sort of. I've been getting visions of you and your family for years."

From experience, Jasper should have known this explanation would not go as smoothly as he'd have hoped. His first memory of Alice was of her trying to explain how he'd kept her waiting and he doubts that everyone would take that as easily he had.

He clears his throat. "She - " She's been looking for you? We've been searching for two years? She wants to live with you? We both do?

He lets the one word he's managed hang in air. He's not really sure how to explain it either.

I wish Edward were back from hunting with Emmett, Carlisle thinks to himself slowly.

Eventually he stops staring and stands aside with the door ajar.

"Won't you come in?" Carlisle invites in a way that also sounds a lot like You people is crazytown, but you haven't attacked me yet so I want to know how you know my name.

"Esme?" he calls to the house at large. "We have visitors."

That's rather unusual and pulls Esme away from her current renovation project immediately.

She has some pencil smudges on her fingers (and cheek) when she enters the room. "Hello," she says, immediately recognizing the visitors as vampires. The young woman's eye color surprises her.

Esme's just as Alice saw her as well. It's not particularly comforting though, not when she's positive they think she's absolutely insane. Her hand reaches back for Jasper's and she grips it tightly.

"Uhm, maybe I should...we should introduce ourselves first. This is my husband, Jasper Whitlock, and I'm Alice."

"And you...already seem to know my name, but I'll go through the formality anyway. My name is Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife Esme; the rest of our family are around. I'm sure they'll be making appearances shortly."

Carlisle retreats further, somehow finding a chair to sit in without really letting his eyes leave the two vampires who have walked up to his door.

"I'm sure you can imagine I have questions for you."

Jasper squeezes Alice's hand, hoping to alleviate any tension she feels and offer what comfort he could. She's nervous and he hasn't been much help, too cautious after years of looking over his shoulder.

He takes a deep breath, turning to Carlisle.

"As Alice said, she can see the future." His gaze darts to Esme, who he thinks missed that particular insight. "She's had glimpses of your family for sometime. How you've lived on animals instead of... She's wanted to meet you."

He looks to Alice, correcting himself: "We've wanted to meet you."

"So, you've been following the same diet we have?" Esme asks, standing behind Carlisle and putting her hand on his shoulder.

She's intrigued by these newcomers.

"Yes." Alice nods. "When I saw how you lived, I wanted to do the same. It's not been easy, of course, and I have made my mistakes, but it's better this way, I believe."

"Why."

It's important.

It's also directed at Jasper.

Jasper can't help but feel like he's going to ruin this for Alice when Carlisle directs the question at him. He drags his gaze from Alice with reluctance to meet the other vampire's.

"I too, like Alice, have a power. I'm able to manipulate the emotions of others." He demonstrates by exuding a happy mood no one can ignore, one that brings a smile to everyone's face and is almost immediately snatched away. "But I can also feel what everyone else does and the stronger the emotions, the worse it is.

"I take no pleasure from killing, but I'm not like Alice," he admits, squeezing his wife's hand apologetically. "I may never have considered this if it was not for her."

Alice stares up at Jasper, her protests on the tip of her tongue, but she keeps them from spilling out, instead glancing over to Carlisle and Esme. "It just...feels right. I have never...met someone I couldn't like. I mean, I haven't met everyone ever, but I did meet a lot of random people traveling and..."

She grins up at her husband, quick and fleeting and just for him. "I managed to make friends with everyone in a diner when I went in every day for weeks. I can't imagine killing anyone that could be a good person. And if they're not, I'm not the one to make that judgment. And since I saw the way you lived, there was never any other way for me."

Except when she made her mistakes...but everyone, even this family, made mistakes.

Esme listens to both of them, wishing that Edward was there to determine if they were telling the truth. Of course, she is getting a very genuine vibe from them.

"So you want to join us? And are willing to commit to living the same lifestyle we live?"

It's obvious to her that the two are in love. They remind her of her and Carlisle when they first got together in a way.

Carlisle's eyes widen at his wife slightly. Two more people in the house and another couple to boot. It's a lot.

Their answers though. Coming to him.

"And since I saw the way you lived, there was never any other way for me."

They looked for him and his family. For his cause.

Carlisle doesn't realize he's smiling.

"Yes." Alice breathes, nodding. "I...we so want to join you and live this way. It would easier, I feel, to do with the help of...a family."

There's just something about the way Alice says the word family, with quiet reverence.

And their differences, Alice and Jasper...Jasper didn't turn Alice. They're too different.

They look abandoned, in one way or another. It cuts at Carlisle.

Keeping his tone light, Carlisle curls his fingers to support his chin, talking over them. "Edward and Emmett should be back soon," he starts vaguely. "You both...might as well meet everyone. Before decisions are made."

Jasper doubts that his wife needs to wait that long to make a decision on their part. She's been waiting for this and, maybe if he was honest with himself, he has too, relieved that he hadn't ruined their chances.

"Thank you."

He squeezes Alice's hand and he shares a tiny smile with her.

With Emmett away on a hunt with Edward, Rosalie had taken the opportunity to tune the engine of her 1948 Pontiac Silverstreak. She had been too caught up in her work to take notice of the arrival.

But Carlisle had promised to come and help, perhaps even let her make a couple of modifications to his own car. He hadn't shown up and, mildly annoyed, Rosalie had gone in search of him.

She didn't expect to find him and Esme talking to two strange vampires when she walked inside the house. Rosalie placed her hand on her hips, ignoring the oil smudges on her jeans and face. She simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for the explanation that better come fast.

...Oh dear.

"Alice, Jasper, this is Rosalie."

To Rosalie: "Play nice. Please."

"Hi, Rosalie." Alice smiles, taking in the other vampire. "You're...very gorgeous."

Even more so than in real life. It's a little weird.

Rosalie only stared back. Carlisle told her to play nice. This situation could not be good.

She ignored the compliment. "What are you doing here?"

"Rosalie," Esme said, her tone warning. "Alice and Jasper are interested in our way of life."

Alice had warned him of Rosalie's tenacity, yet her pugnacity was something else. He immediately tenses, taking a half step ahead of Alice, and sends a calming wave through them all without even thinking about it.

Probably not the best way to introduce his gift to Rosalie, manipulating her emotions against her will, but his first thought was of Alice and he'd be damned if he was going to let the blond be curt with her. His wife doesn't deserve that.

Edited 2009-04-26 05:58 (UTC)

Carlisle feels it first.

"Jasper, please." It's quiet, a request more than a command.

To Rosalie, Carlisle does his best to keep humor away from his face. Perhaps Jasper will be of use with you. "Alice and Jasper have been living as we do." Or trying to. "If they wish to continue doing so with us, that possibility is open to them."

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Whitlock-Cullen Meeting; 1950 - Toronto, Canada

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