Don't Hold This War Inside
If You Love Something, You've Got To Let It Go
September 12, 1946
Jasper sat in the diner staring at the cup of black coffee the waitress had given him when he walked in. He couldn't drink it, of course, and if he did, he'd probably throw it up anyway. And he wasn't even thinking about the coffee to begin with.
He had been thinking of Caroline. She had been dead all these years and he still couldn't believe it. Charles had thrown in his face the fact that he killed Caroline and he still couldn't get over it. Jasper missed Caroline like she had been the air breathed.
"Are you Jasper Whitlock?"
Jasper spun around and saw a short girl with slightly spiked, black hair and wide red eyes staring back at him.
"I am. Why?"
The girl laughed and, to Jasper, it sounded like bells. "I'm Mary Alice Brandon. But I prefer Alice. Just Alice."
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Brandon." Jasper said politely before turning away from her and sighing. He had wanted to stay alone and now some girl was interrupting that for him. It wasn't that he had anything against her, she was just invading his space right now.
"Wait! See, I have these visions and sometimes they happen and sometimes they don't. But I saw you in one of them and I saw us, you and I, going to meet Carlisle Cullen. He feeds from animals." Alice said.
Jasper turned around and glared at her. "Excuse me?"
Alice didn't look frightened or deterred. "Yes. They're vampires who--"
She was cut off when Jasper got up and walked out of the diner. He heard her following behind him as he walked to the bus station.
"Wait!"
Jasper threw himself onto the bench, inwardly seething when Alice joined him again. "What do you want?"
"I know you feed on humans. I can tell by your eyes, but you don't want to do that anymore. The Cullens feed from animals and they're just fine! I want to take you with me!" Alice pleaded.
Jasper sighed. Everything the Alice girl said had been true. "Fine."
Meanwhile In New York City...
"And so, that was how the Civil War began. I would like a four page essay on it due this Friday." Caroline said to her class.
She laughed at the groans she got and began putting her papers from her day in her satchel. As soon as the students cleared out, Caroline felt a presence in her doorway. She looked up and saw George standing in the doorway.
"Hello." Caroline said, throwing some old papers into the trash.
"We have a problem."
Caroline looked up at him. "What is it?"
George stepped inside the classroom and walked to her desk. "Vienna found a boy in the locker room. He was trying to hang himself."
"She didn't--"
"She turned him."
Caroline gasped. "But, why?"
George sighed. "She said he was too young to die. I think it had to do with--"
"The camps. She probably saw people younger than him die every day. George, we're going to have to leave New York."
He nodded somberly. "I know."
Meanwhile In Ann Arbor, Michigan....
Carlisle sat in his study looking intently at Caroline's diary. Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett had no idea he owned it. None of them even knew who Caroline was. He knew she was out there somewhere and that she had little to no memory of him or Jasper.
He knew Jasper Whitlock was not dead as Caroline believed. Carlisle just hoped in his heart that Caroline would return one day to him. He hoped she never saw Jasper again. He hoped she would always be happy.
Of course, being a vampire, that was a hell of a lot to ask for.
Just then, Emmett came into his study. "We've got visitors."
Carlisle quickly hid the diary and got up. "Who are they?"
"I don't know. The girl's name is Alice Brandon and the boy's name is Jasper Whitlock.
Carlisle felt everything spinning around him. Emmett could not be serious. How the hell had Jasper come to Carlisle specifically? Did he even remember Caroline? If he did, would he know that Charles had turned her.
"Carlisle, are you alright?" Emmett asked, concern in his voice.
He grabbed the edge of his desk for support. "Why are they here?"
"Apparently, the girl Alice has visions and saw her and Jasper coming to us. They want to feed from animals as we do." Emmett explained.
Carlisle frowned. "You can't be serious."
"That's what they said. Look, is something wrong with them being here?" Emmett asked. He could sense that there was a reason Carlisle didn't want Jasper there.
Carlisle sighed and told Emmett to close the door. "I am going to tell you something that no one else in this house knows." And he explained the entire thing to Emmett: the moment he met Caroline, where she was from, how she and Jasper knew each other, their time with the Volturi, and Caroline's accident.
"Wow." Emmett said when Carlisle was done.
"Do not tell a single soul in this house, do you understand?" Carlisle asked.
Emmett nodded. "Of course. Your secrets safe with me. Now, I think you'd better go downstairs before everyone else gets worried."
Jasper sat in the diner staring at the cup of black coffee the waitress had given him when he walked in. He couldn't drink it, of course, and if he did, he'd probably throw it up anyway. And he wasn't even thinking about the coffee to begin with.
He had been thinking of Caroline. She had been dead all these years and he still couldn't believe it. Charles had thrown in his face the fact that he killed Caroline and he still couldn't get over it. Jasper missed Caroline like she had been the air breathed.
"Are you Jasper Whitlock?"
Jasper spun around and saw a short girl with slightly spiked, black hair and wide red eyes staring back at him.
"I am. Why?"
The girl laughed and, to Jasper, it sounded like bells. "I'm Mary Alice Brandon. But I prefer Alice. Just Alice."
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Brandon." Jasper said politely before turning away from her and sighing. He had wanted to stay alone and now some girl was interrupting that for him. It wasn't that he had anything against her, she was just invading his space right now.
"Wait! See, I have these visions and sometimes they happen and sometimes they don't. But I saw you in one of them and I saw us, you and I, going to meet Carlisle Cullen. He feeds from animals." Alice said.
Jasper turned around and glared at her. "Excuse me?"
Alice didn't look frightened or deterred. "Yes. They're vampires who--"
She was cut off when Jasper got up and walked out of the diner. He heard her following behind him as he walked to the bus station.
"Wait!"
Jasper threw himself onto the bench, inwardly seething when Alice joined him again. "What do you want?"
"I know you feed on humans. I can tell by your eyes, but you don't want to do that anymore. The Cullens feed from animals and they're just fine! I want to take you with me!" Alice pleaded.
Jasper sighed. Everything the Alice girl said had been true. "Fine."
Meanwhile In New York City...
"And so, that was how the Civil War began. I would like a four page essay on it due this Friday." Caroline said to her class.
She laughed at the groans she got and began putting her papers from her day in her satchel. As soon as the students cleared out, Caroline felt a presence in her doorway. She looked up and saw George standing in the doorway.
"Hello." Caroline said, throwing some old papers into the trash.
"We have a problem."
Caroline looked up at him. "What is it?"
George stepped inside the classroom and walked to her desk. "Vienna found a boy in the locker room. He was trying to hang himself."
"She didn't--"
"She turned him."
Caroline gasped. "But, why?"
George sighed. "She said he was too young to die. I think it had to do with--"
"The camps. She probably saw people younger than him die every day. George, we're going to have to leave New York."
He nodded somberly. "I know."
Meanwhile In Ann Arbor, Michigan....
Carlisle sat in his study looking intently at Caroline's diary. Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett had no idea he owned it. None of them even knew who Caroline was. He knew she was out there somewhere and that she had little to no memory of him or Jasper.
He knew Jasper Whitlock was not dead as Caroline believed. Carlisle just hoped in his heart that Caroline would return one day to him. He hoped she never saw Jasper again. He hoped she would always be happy.
Of course, being a vampire, that was a hell of a lot to ask for.
Just then, Emmett came into his study. "We've got visitors."
Carlisle quickly hid the diary and got up. "Who are they?"
"I don't know. The girl's name is Alice Brandon and the boy's name is Jasper Whitlock.
Carlisle felt everything spinning around him. Emmett could not be serious. How the hell had Jasper come to Carlisle specifically? Did he even remember Caroline? If he did, would he know that Charles had turned her.
"Carlisle, are you alright?" Emmett asked, concern in his voice.
He grabbed the edge of his desk for support. "Why are they here?"
"Apparently, the girl Alice has visions and saw her and Jasper coming to us. They want to feed from animals as we do." Emmett explained.
Carlisle frowned. "You can't be serious."
"That's what they said. Look, is something wrong with them being here?" Emmett asked. He could sense that there was a reason Carlisle didn't want Jasper there.
Carlisle sighed and told Emmett to close the door. "I am going to tell you something that no one else in this house knows." And he explained the entire thing to Emmett: the moment he met Caroline, where she was from, how she and Jasper knew each other, their time with the Volturi, and Caroline's accident.
"Wow." Emmett said when Carlisle was done.
"Do not tell a single soul in this house, do you understand?" Carlisle asked.
Emmett nodded. "Of course. Your secrets safe with me. Now, I think you'd better go downstairs before everyone else gets worried."