Alice and Jasper had enjoyed each other's company for more than a year, just learning more about each other while traveling. Jasper noticed he felt better when traveling with Serafina, but it was almost as if a switch was flipped when he met Alice. It was easier. She had even taught him the animal blood diet, and although he struggled if exposed to human blood, it was already a big step in the right direction for him. He no longer had to murder to feed. He wasn't surrounded by negative emotions from his victims anymore. Now he spent his days and nights with a little ball of sunshine. He now knew he was capable of happiness, and he loved it. He loved her.
While practicing the diet, they ran into Peter and Charlotte. Jasper was sure it was intentional on Alice's part. He didn't mind; he was happy to see his friends again. They loved Alice; she got along well with both of them. But what they liked about her most was how she had brought Jasper out of his depression. The only thing they couldn't agree with was the diet. Alice did try to get them on board with it. But it wasn't for them, so the deal was when it was time to feed, they would split up and meet back together afterward. At least for a while because they knew Alice's goal of meeting with their family. They didn't want to hinder that goal and made the most of traveling together until then. They all waited for Alice to get another vision of her future family to meet up with them soon.
This night was a feeding night. Their evening ended with them meeting up at a bar near midnight. Alice and Jasper coming from the woods, and Peter and Charlotte coming from the opposite direction after hiding the bodies of their meals where they wouldn't be found. As long as Alice stayed close to Jasper, he felt strong enough to endure the emotions and scents of the humans enjoying themselves around them. They were all sitting in a booth when Alice stiffened. Jasper felt her anger after she cleared her mind of the vision. Peter and Charlotte were skeptical of her ability at first, but after seeing it firsthand, they knew she was the real deal. They were curious about what she saw this time that upset her.
"What did you see?" Charlotte hesitantly asked, noticing the furrowed brows on Alice's always smiling face. She found it strange.
Jasper attempted to soothe her to calm down.
Alice took a breath to try and ease her anger, but she still couldn't help thinking about it again and getting angry, "she's going to cheat!" she finally gritted out.
"Who's gonna cheat?" Jasper asked, bringing more calming emotions to his favorite girl.
"Serafina! I can't believe her!" she scoffed.
"Who's Serafina?" Peter asked.
"Ms. Hart," Jasper answered him.
"You call her Serafina?" Peter asked incredulously, looking between Jasper and Alice for an answer.
"Aren't you scared of her? She's so intimidating," Charlotte added.
"No, I agree with you completely. I find her terrifyin', so I call her Ms. Hart. Only Alice here is brave enough to call her Serafina," Jasper grinned proudly, "but what do you mean she's gonna cheat?" he directed to Alice.
"I saw her. She'll be in New Orleans and meet a very attractive vampire. They're going to sleep together! I can't believe her," Alice shook her head in disbelief.
"Darlin', I'm pretty sure Ms. Hart doesn't have a husband or mate. It's not really cheatin'." Jasper reasoned.
Alice scoffed at him, pushing him away from herself, "she's going to be our family because she'll fall in love with our new sibling when we find them. They're mates!" She crossed her arms and couldn't help the pout on her face.
Jasper hated the push he had gotten. He knew she wasn't upset with him. But he didn't like the gesture and immediately tried to scoot closer to her pleadingly, "darlin', you never even told me who she's gonna fall in love with. Maybe if you did, I could try to help. How 'bout it?"
"No, the less you know, the better. I don't want to ruin it by accident," she said, welcoming his presence near her again, "I know they're not together yet. So, you're right. It's not cheating. But I know what will happen later with her and our sibling. I don't want her to have dalliances now," She frowned.
Her frown caused Jasper to frown; he put his arm around her to let her cuddle into him. "Well, how far into the future was it? Maybe we have time to stop it?" he asked.
"We can help," Charlotte chimed in.
Peter looked at her, nervous about looking to stop a dalliance Ms. Hart might be having and not wanting to offend her. Charlotte also seemed slightly nervous, but she shrugged and gestured to Alice. Peter cleared his throat, "that's right, maybe we can help find her with you all. The more boots on the ground, the better."
Jasper nodded to them in thanks. Grateful for their help.
"Really? You'd help?" Alice asked, perking up and looking at her friends.
"We'll try!" Charlotte smiled.
"Let's head out now, darlin'," Jasper said as he exited the booth and held his hand out for her. Peter was doing the same on the opposite side with Charlotte.
Louisiana 1950
Serafina wandered Bourbon Street listening to the music flowing around herself. No one had bothered her due to the excitement in the air. Many just passed her by. It may have been the weekend. Serafina wasn't sure. Days were blurred together for her. She hardly ever even knew the year she was in. While walking down an empty alley, she felt another's presence. It was too sudden to be human; then she sensed her kind. She rolled her eyes as she prepared for the usual threats. But froze when she heard the distinctly feminine voice.
"Now, baby girl, I don't share my feeding grounds. What do you think you're doing here?" a soft voice called out with a hint of attitude.
"Just passing through," Serafina answered when she turned to look at the woman.
Both women looked each other up and down. The woman opposite Serafina was African American, in her late twenties, with medium-length black hair in very well-put-together victory rolls. Her makeup was exquisite, highlighting her plump red lips. She wore a tight, fashionable short-sleeved dark green dress that went a little past her knees. The dress had a white collar, white buttons, a white belt, and white sleeves. The whole ensemble showcased her curves very well. She also wore white gloves, white stilettos, and green sunglasses, which she took off and held in her hand, not needing to hide her eyes from another vampire.
Serafina always enjoyed fashion after her time in Volterra. Although Sulpicia and Athenodora were mainly confined to their tower or the castle grounds. It didn't stop Aro and Caius from indulging in their fashion pleasures. They would allow some vampires to review the fashion spreading throughout Europe and have them make custom designs for their wives inspired by what they'd seen. And they were very skilled at it. Sulpicia and Athenodora also enjoyed playing dress up with Jane and Serafina, so they'd have some made for them as well. They mainly focused on the cute for Jane and the sexy or elegant for Serafina, depending on their mood.
Even though Serafina constantly traveled alone, she always dressed fashionably. Simply but fashionably. Her dress this evening was a sleeveless white dress with black polka dots. Her accessories included short black gloves, her black hat with a partial veil over her long, loosely curled dark hair, and tall, chunky ankle-strapped heels. Due to how much she walked, she preferred the chunkier heel so they wouldn't wear down as quickly or snap.
"That better be the case; I'm not one for sharing. You should make sure this trip is quick, or else," the stranger said, still allowing her eyes to wander over Serafina's figure.
"I'm not one for threats. So maybe I should extend my trip?" Serafina questioned with her brow raised in defiance.
The woman chuckled as she looked at Serafina, "baby girl, do not test me. You're lucky I didn't kill you on sight. But being another woman, I didn't deem it necessary. I thought you'd have more sense than some of these male vampires who invade my space. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I should show you some manners?" she asked as she sauntered towards Serafina.
"I'm so scared," Serafina responded without changing her face.
The woman flung her arm out towards Serafina. Suddenly Serafina was thrown back into a wall. The air was knocked out of her with the impact. With her shock, she couldn't catch herself and embarrassingly fell to her hands and knees. Looking up at this strange woman who had begun to laugh, she felt her anger rise, but she calmed herself down. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, "so you have an ability?"
"Oh yes, I don't have to get my hands dirty to show you who's boss," she grinned, "such a shame too." She mocked, "such a pretty outfit."
Serafina stood back up and dusted herself off, "you know, I have an ability too," she said as she allowed her eyes to glow, bringing a flame to her hand as she smirked at the woman, "how do you want to die? Should I make it quick? Or should I make you suffer?"
The woman was shocked after seeing the flame but cooled her expression as she made a grabbing gesture with her hands as she looked at Serafina. Serafina's arms were thrown down to her sides against her will. She allowed her flame to extinguish when it happened. She struggled as the woman smirked, "you're full of surprises, aren't you?" she asked, impressed.
"Sure am," Serafina smirked, "You too. But you know, I still have another surprise for you." She gestured with her chin, "look behind you."
The woman kept her arms as they were to keep Serafina in place but turned her head to look behind her. When she did, she looked back at Serafina in defeat, "You're good." She said as she dropped her hands to release her. She was nodding her head in approval.
"Thank you," Serafina responded. A certain appreciation for the strong woman in front of her.
"So, you don't need your hands for your fire? Your little hand gestures make people think they're the source of it, but that's all just show. Am I right?" the woman asked with crossed arms as she looked back at the fire jaguar behind her as it slowly walked past her to stand beside Serafina.
"Exactly," Serafina smiled as she petted the flames until they disappeared, "I'm Serafina Hart. I go by Ms. Hart, and you are?"
"Yvonne Banks," she answered, extending her hand to Serafina. They shook hands, "Sorry about the throw. I've been getting some riff-raff trying to horn in on my territory. I won't allow it. But I respect another strong woman. Welcome." She smiled, "Why are you traveling alone, Ms. Hart? No partner yet?" she asked, releasing her hand after holding it a little longer than necessary.
"Haven't found him yet. Haven't been trying to find him, though." She shrugged, "you?"
"Just me. I'm the same. I haven't really been trying. I prefer working alone. But it's good to have friends, I think." She said as she smirked at Serafina, "if you're staying for a bit, you can stay with me. My home isn't too far from here. Won't need to move for a few months, so it's nice and comfortable. I can show you around. And with the two of us walking together we'll have meals lining up the block to be fed from us."
Serafina grinned, "you know, I'm actually pretty full. Tell me more about your place though, I might need a place to stay."
Yvonne smirked knowingly, "oh, it's very comfortable. Hope you don't mind sharing a bed."
"Strange, we don't sleep. Guess we'll have to figure out something else to do in your bed," Serafina innocently said.
Both women laughed as Yvonne gestured for Serafina to follow her toward the alley exit. Too caught up in their joking to notice the vampires nearing. Their confidence in their abilities also blinding them for the moment.
"What a coincidence!" a voice Serafina recognized shouted. She looked up to see Jasper in front of her, "Darlin' Ms. Hart is here!" he called. Serafina felt several others approaching. She was confused as she was only expecting Alice if Jasper was there.
Soon she saw Alice, Peter, and Charlotte.
"Yeah, no. This is not okay," Yvonne suddenly said, crossing her arms over her chest, "you said it was only you. I'm alright with letting you stay in my feeding grounds, but you can't bring a group. Baby girl, get them to go." She said, shaking her head.
Alice soon jumped in her excitement and took off quickly to Serafina, where she hugged her tightly, "Serafina! I missed you!" she said.
Serafina awkwardly patted her back, "you really aren't afraid of me, are you?" she asked.
"Nope," Alice smiled happily, letting her go and stepping back.
"Maybe I should fix that," Serafina said as she allowed her eyes to glow. Getting a small flame onto her hand and flicking it at Alice.
"No!" Jasper shouted, about to rush forward.
"Stop! It's okay, Jazz!" Alice said, making a stop motion with her hand. Her smile was even more prominent as she had already seen this happen in her vision. She was excited.
The flame engulfed Alice's hair, and the smell of burnt hair lingered in the alley before the fire was extinguished.
"I can't believe you allowed her to be out in public with that choppy hairstyle. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Don't worry. It's fixed, Alice. I know it's short, but it looks good now that it's even. Trust me." Serafina said, crossing her arms and looking at the group before her.
Yvonne nodded next to her, "thank you. That was bothering me like nobody's business. It looks much better this way." she looked to Serafina with a smile, but then looked contemptuously at the others, "Now when are they gonna leave?" she asked, bristling with how uncomfortable she was feeling with so many others invading her territory.
"We can be on our way now, but Serafina is coming with us!" Alice happily exclaimed.
"Why would I do that?" Serafina asked curiously with brows furrowed.
"Because you promised," Alice suddenly looked like a kicked puppy as she looked at Serafina, "I thought you kept your promises?" she was using her big sad eyes.
"Can't even stay the night?" Yvonne asked, already knowing the answer after seeing the face the tiny woman was making.
"Afraid not," Serafina answered, "I did promise after all. But I didn't say how long I'd travel with them. So, I may go with them for a bit and come back to visit. Would that be alright with the boss of this territory?" Serafina asked with a seductive smirk at Yvonne.
"Baby girl, as long as you leave your friends, I'll welcome you with open arms," she grinned back, "it was nice meeting you, Ms. Hart." She winked.
"Likewise, Yvonne," Serafina grinned. Then she looked at the group, "where are we going anyways?" she asked as she walked toward the exit, leaving Yvonne behind.
Alice froze for a moment. Jasper held her hand and felt her joy; he was confident he knew her vision. Alice cleared the vision from her mind and looked at them with an even bigger smile, "Pittsburgh!" she said excitedly.
Serafina was unsure why she was so excited but nodded as though she understood, "well, alright then, but I'm just going with you all there. Then I'm gone, just to be clear."
Peter and Charlotte knew what Alice saw as well. They looked at each other and turned to Alice and Jasper, "actually, we're going in a different direction. It was nice traveling with you two," Charlotte said as she hugged Alice.
"Don't be a stranger," Peter added as he clasped forearms with Jasper in a sign of brotherhood, "and it was nice seeing you again, Ms. Hart." He said with a nod. Charlotte mimicked the gesture with a timid smile at Serafina. Then the two zipped away.
Serafina was still skeptical of Alice's ability. She didn't even consider that this meeting was staged, "lucky for you two, you found me when they left." She said as she turned at the end of the alley heading north to Pittsburgh.
"I agree! I'm so happy things worked out this way!" Alice said with a slight skip to her step as she looked back at Jasper and gave him a quick wink. He shook his head with a smile from his amusement.
"Why Pittsburgh?" Serafina asked, looking down at Alice.
"I'm pretty sure our family will be there," Alice said as she held her hands behind her back and slowed to walk beside Jasper.
"Oh, so your ability decided to work again?" Serafina asked jokingly, never looking back and just continuing her walk.
The couple behind smiled knowingly to each other, "We hope it'll work this time." Jasper said with a shrug, "you never know; maybe this is it."
"I'm sure it will be," Serafina nodded to appease them, all while unbelieving. She would take them to Pittsburgh, then be on her way.