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Life isn't fair, life doesn't care about your money or your skin color. Especially in 2020, this year when a mysterious disease ruins everyone's plans. But if you ask Alice Cullen how it was at the end of that cursed year, she'll tell you that everything was as perfect as it could be.
Yes, because Alice, at the height of her 20 years had hoped that the disease would go away during the summer. She had hoped so hard that she had made plans for the winter. And this is the reason why there were 6 cars parked in front of her childhood house on December 31st. If there was one thing well known about Alice Cullen it was her love of organization. She had arranged everything to make the celebration of this December 31st memorable. She even started doing it in July. This is how little Alice found dresses and suits for all of her closest guests and sent them out on December 1st.
We can say a lot about Alice's way of doing things. Bella would definitely say the dress didn't suit her, Rosalie would find something to say about the color ... but not this time. No, this time Alice had thought of everything, no one could find anything disagreeable about the clothes she had sent, nor about the directions she had given.
So, in each of the 6 cars parked in front of the little house are people that Alice loved. Not just friends or family… people who really matter to her ... to them.
In the first car, were Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. If the first was her adopted brother, the young woman was her best friend. The way Edward became her adopted brother was not a simple or even happy story. They don't often talk about it. It wasn't her story, not her secret. But things were what they were, and Edward was now her brother. He had gone from being a best friend to a painful little brother ... But Alice had to admit it, that was how she had managed to bring them that day. To make them put on the clothes she had bought for them. They had tossed them a simple "you can do it for me, your big sister you love" and Edward had to admit he owed her that. At the very least he could put on a jacket and put on a green tie. With Bella, it had been much more complicated. They had spent 2 hours on the phone where Alice had argued that it was imperative that she put on this green dress she had chosen. That she had taken it sober only to please her and that no we didn't see her breasts too much ... and that anyway only Edward was going to be able to really see her neckline. In the end, when Edward had sent her a picture before they left for the party, they were perfect.
In the second car was Rosalie Hale-Whitlock and Emmet McCarty. Alice had let Jasper take care of calling his twin sister to let her know how the evening was going to go. She had to admit that everything was easier when Jasper asked Rosalie something. It wasn't that the sultry blonde didn't like Alice, but rather that she liked being the master of her destiny. This is why it was Rosalie who had taken the first step in her relationship with Emmett. It was Rosalie who had asked him to marry her. Rosalie who had proposed that they moved in together a year before .... It was Rosalie who had chosen their apartment, Rosalie who took care of the preparations for their wedding. Alice had to admit that Rosalie had a lot of ideas, but her sister-in-law also knew she was good at preparing for the evening. So it was together that they were preparing the great Rosalie’s Days. Alice took care of everything that was invitation, the course of the evening and the little details, Rosalie was her first client. So for this evening of December 31, Alice had chosen the red color for Rosalie. She had bought a long dress that showed off all of her curves, as Rosalie liked to do, she had bought a tie to match her dress for Emmet, and a small pocket square.
When Emmet had received the package on the 1st, he called Alice straight away, only to tell her that he had received the delivery.
- Tell me overexcited little monster, are you sure you've taken the right size for the dress? Cause I don't think I can wear it without breaking it
Emmett had always been the one who was able to say anything without hurting. He had always been the one who could have fun with nothing, someone as happy as Alice ... but above all someone who was able to find the right words to make people relax, Stop stressing over things as trivial as a dress.
- The dress was for Rose ...
- I thought you wanted to show off my muscles with this cut ... but hey ... I think that would have made my ass too big!
It was usually this kind of comment from the gentle giant that made people smile. Even on the other side of town, Alice couldn't stop smiling or laughing.
In the third car are Alice's adoptive parents and Jasper's aunt and uncle. This is actually what brought them together at the time. Doctor Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme had welcomed Alice and her little sister, Cynthia, after discovering that the two girls would be spending the holidays at the hospital. Both had passed the New Years with the Cullen’s. Cynthia was just old enough to remember and Alice was still very young. But it was the first meeting they'd had with their future family. Then their visits had started to become a little more frequent, until reaching one weekend per month. It was at this point that Dr. Cullen suggested that his wife provide a more stable place for Alice and Cynthia. The formal adoption happened much later, when Alice was 17. But she had been a Cullen since she was 14.
For her saviors, the people who had given her love when she had only a little sister to protect, Alice had chosen the color silver. A beautiful black and silver dress reaching to Esme's knees, a dress equal to the woman Esme Cullen was to Alice, a mother, a guardian angel, and the sweetest person the earth has known. Of course, Carlisle paired her up in a cute black suit. he was also the only one to have a black shirt to accentuate the contrast with the handkerchief and his silver bow tie.
The 4th car housed Charlie Swan, Bella's father. For many, it was something strange, but for Alice it was the least thing of the guests. Not because he was Bella's father, but rather because he was the one who had watched her grow up. Alice had had the joy of growing up with Bella her whole life. She had spent more time with Bella as a child than with her own parents. Charlie had become like a surrogate dad when her own dad started drinking. Charlie offered her a bed when she did not want to go home after her mother died. Charlie had given him Bella's old clothes when her father was too busy with drinks to notice that her clothes were too worn out to wear. It was therefore normal that she invited him today. She had reserved the color blue for him. A nice tie and a new suit just for the town sheriff.
The 5th car was currently empty, but it belonged to Jasper's father. William Hale-Whitlock, was already inside the house. Dressed in his best clothes, he had served most of his life in the navy. He had become a ship's captain, and it was in his uniform that he had presented himself today. A beautiful suit that he wore with pride, he even left on all of the medals that he had won during his 30 years of service. William was the only one Alice couldn't find a costume for. Not that she didn't want to do it or that she was intimidated by him. But nothing could represent him better than this uniform so she just asked him to wear it. William had brought with him a photo of his wife who had died three years earlier. Michelle had been a force of nature. She had fought 2 cancers before she died. For Jasper, it was important that his mother was there, even if it was only a picture.
Then the 6th car was the one Jasper and Alice were driving. Parked there for 3 days now without moving. Alice made sure everything was ready before the holidays. So she didn't need to move or anything.
Jasper was pacing in front of the large window of the house. Inside, the lights let everyone see what was going on. Alice was making sure everything was okay tonight. It was something unusual. In fact, Jasper never imagined spending the New Year this way. but as gatherings had been banned, the event could not be done otherwise. Jasper had offered to change the date for Alice but she refused. Always saying that everything was going to be perfect. The 2020 epidemic had already affected everyone. Alice had refused to let it go, to let the new regulations destroy all her efforts of the past few months. The event was to stay. It would be different ... but it would be maintained.
At 6 pm, when the sky was already dark, Jasper went to carry four bags outside, one for each car. Inside each of them was a small cold meal, a glass of apple juice, and a piece of cake for the desert. The minimum was to eat everything together. Rosalie gave him a big smile as Emmett tucked in the bags and gave him a final joke. Edward and Bella gave him shy smiles. Carlisle had a broad smile on his face while Esme already had tears in his eyes. Then there was Charlie ... Charlie looked at him politely as he always had. Charlie had always had a hard time demonstrating what he was feeling ...
Walking inside, Jasper changed his shoes to get clean ones. His father, William, went to put his wife's picture in the window so that she would look inwards like everyone else sitting in their cars. It was then that Cynthia walked into the room, wearing a beautiful lilac dress. She approached the window and made a big sign of hello to everyone. She had a broad smile on her face. Normally she lived with Carlisle and Esme, but her adoptive parents had accepted that she spent the 2 week Christmas vacation with Alice and Jasper. The 11-year-old girl had carved out a place for herself in her extended family. She wasn't just an adopted child, she was a sunshine, just like Alice was her age. Charlie considered her to be an extension of his family. Emmett loved playing baseball with her, Rosalie loved combing coming her hair putting on makeup. Bella and Edward shared her love for books… She was a nice child that everyone loved. Meme William and Michelle had fallen under her spell even before Alice and she officially came into their lives.
The little girl opened the televisions which were on a wall that could not be seen from the outside. She opened the webcam and started the call between the family members. The first to appear on the video were Emmett and Rosalie.
- Hi!
She greeted them with a tone that was way too sharp.
- Tell Alice that you can't even see if I'm wearing my pants or not.
Was Emmett's response to her greeting.
- Emmett, that's the minimum in the civilized world for wearing pants!
Esme's laugh followed by Carlisle's was heard ... then after a few minutes of trial and error, Charlie appeared on the screen. On their respective tablet, everyone could see each other. They were all close enough that they could also make out what was going on inside.
- Okay. So can everyone hear me? I have started the registration ... I will send it to you tonight after the meal!
With those last words, the little girl stepped away from the TV and returned to the window to place Jasper and William over the red "X" that had been traced on the floor by Alice much earlier in the day. William was in the center of the window, much closer to the wall than to the window. Jasper was to the right of the window in plain view. Cynthia started the music before stepping out of the room. While everyone could hear the music individually and could also hear each other speak. they were nevertheless all very silent. Then after a few minutes of waiting, Cynthia returned with a bouquet of flowers in her hand followed by Alice in a light white dress.
Alice wasn't there to pick a dress at random. She had chosen a beautiful dress that accentuated her fine lines, which made her look like a little fairy or a princess. A white dress streaming at the bottom which ended in a lace top.. Something delicate just like the young woman was. She did not wear veils, nor accessories like a crown. She had lilac-colored flowers in her hands, just like her sister's dress.
Meanwhile, Jasper looked a little stressed, seeing her enter in her beautiful dress, a smile appeared on his face. Sometimes he wondered how he had managed to capture the attention of the beautiful woman standing in front of him. This woman who would be his. William, who was a naval captain, had authorized a marriage ceremony. And that was exactly the right thing to do today. Although the situation was different from any other marriage he had celebrated, he knew that his son and his daughter-in-law really wanted to get married today. They both wanted to end this year on a high and this wedding on a day that was meaningful to them. And what day could be more meaningful than the day they met?
Jasper looked out and towards the televisions one last time to see the people who were important to them. After Emmet gave him a silent thumbs-up. Jasper motioned for his father to begin the ceremony. To the perennial question of whether anyone wanted to oppose the marriage, no one spoke. But who would have had a single reason to want to keep them apart for just one more day? the only person who could have ruined this marriage was not invited! It was to say how much Alice's father was not an important member of this family. When William tells them they can kiss. Jasper looked at Alice one last time with a smirk. he gently took her jaw to make her look up as he leaned down to kiss her tenderly.
- it was time! Always lower them first!
Emmett had just removed the silence from his tablet and allowed himself to say out loud what he had been thinking about for so long.
- kisses are disgusting!
Cynthia retorted while making a face of disgust and covering her eyes with her hands. As if that could erase the memory of her sister kissing her new husband. The teenagers were all the same. What made the adults laugh.
If one day someone had told Alice Cullen, now officially Whitlock, that she would marry in front of a webcam ... without having the right to hug her parents. She would have called people crazy. Yet that was what the year 2020 had brought. After having kept distance from the people she loved. After having done everything not to catch this disease. She was getting married in front of a window, so that the people she loves assisted in some way at her wedding. Yet it was the most important choice she had made. And she was sure she would never want to do it again. Not that she didn't like weddings. It was rather that she knew that despite everything, her marriage had been perfect.
She had gathered the things that mattered most. The people she loved, the good food, the good looks… and the apple juice since Bella was not allowed to drink alcohol at the time. She was now Mrs. Whitlock, it was the best way to leave the year 2020 and enter 2021 ... whatever Jasper's tender kiss at midnight was not bad either!