...

The Twilight Twenty-Five
Prompt #: 01
Pen name: stolenxsanity
Pairing: Jasper
Rating: T

Photos for prompts can be found here:
community[dot]livejournal[dot]com/thetwilight25/13912[dot]html

...

My legs propelled me forward as I ran, chest heaving unnecessarily from the perceived physical exertion. Every muscle in my body fought against the action, willing me to just stop, to rest and regroup. I didn't, though. I couldn't. All my energy was trained and focused on one thing: getting away. I knew that Alice knew, her gift as a seer making it nearly impossible to keep anything from her even though I'd tried.

Desperately.

Relentlessly.

I'd spent hours upon hours doing the research once I'd begun to realize my draw to her, this human girl. It hadn't made sense, even to me – a vampire that possessed more knowledge than I knew what to do with. Yet, I couldn't figure out why, if she was Edward's singer, her blood called to me, too. Simple logic – the fact that I was the newest to this vegetarian lifestyle – could have explained it if I hadn't been surrounded by vampires with special abilities.

If Alice hadn't seen it, Edward would have read it straight from my mind. What had started as an unmanageable thirst for her blood every time she was within smelling distance had changed – shifted – into something else entirely. I didn't just want the sanguine liquid that coursed through her body, I wanted her. The moment that the envelope had sliced her finger, all I saw was red as the smell that was so intrinsically her saturated the entire room. I heard everyone else – except Carlisle – physically force themselves to stop inhaling the scent the moment that it hit the air.

All of that, though, had been a mere hum in the background as the monster within me surged forward just as I did. I hadn't even registered Edward's movements until I had crashed through his beloved piano and, as he looked at me, his eyes darkened and angry, I knew that he knew. Every thought that had flowed through my mind about her – Bella – from the urges to drain her dry to the more base, human instincts that I'd entertained was on display for him. The emotions that rolled off of his body fluctuated. It was hunger turned to fear turned to indescribable, crippling anger.

And then, I was pulled up, away from him and the still flowing blood, through the kitchen and out the door. Emmett's arms held me in a vice grip, unrelenting, as I struggled to break free. I could have done so easily but, despite my own emotional state, I didn't want to hurt him. I hadn't wanted to hurt any of them but I had, unwillingly. My decision had been solidified the moment I'd lunged for her, unrestrained and feral. For, as much as I'd wanted to taste the hot liquid, feel it easing the ever present burn in my throat, I couldn't deny the other needs that had invaded without warning.

Alice knew the moment that I had come to this conclusion and, as I thought back in an effort to remember what I'd felt from her, all I could remember was resignation. Edward knew, too. If need be, I'd fight him for her regardless of how she felt about me or the fact that I'd seemingly just tried to kill her.

The surrounding foliage whipped past me, blurring into indefinable shapes as I flew through the forest. There was no doubt in my mind that if Edward wanted to, he'd catch me. While I was the logical, military-minded vampire in the family, he was faster. It wouldn't have taken much for him to catch up with or overtake me, especially in my highly distracted state of being, but he wasn't after me. I would have felt him, heard him, and aside from the slight rustling of leaves all around me and the sound of the wind blowing by, it was silent.

My feet automatically carried me to the edge of the woods that surrounded the Swan house. I could hear Charlie moving around inside and the sports game – baseball from the sounds of it – that blared from the television set. Focusing on the low, flickering glow from the living room, I waited. My body was still, unmoving, as I remained in position until I heard the sounds of Bella's truck coming down the road. Stepping backward into the cover of the tall trees, I tilted my face upward and closed my eyes.

Though my every sense was trained on Edward and Bella and what was happening on the other side of the house, my mind was a maelstrom of thoughts – memories – of my early years as a vampire. There had been many females that I'd come across, both vampire and human alike, but none of them had elicited anything close to the reaction that I'd had to Bella, not even Alice. It was unnerving to realize that I'd spent the last fifty-seven years believing that I'd found my mate – my forever – only to be faced with the prospect that, despite my every confidence, she hadn't been it for me.

As my contemplations on the last nearly six decades with Alice continued, all the little nuances of our relationship that I'd once considered endearing qualities in her reared their ugly little heads. My hands clenched into tight fists at my side as a low growl built up in my chest. She was demanding, to an extent, a side effect of knowing what would happen beforehand. Everything was always planned, meticulously, right down to the most insignificant of details to match up with her visions, flawed as they were. Everything I did – we did – was dictated by her visions of a future that only she and Edward were privy to. She decided what I wore, when I hunted, what I spent my money on, any gifts that were to be bought for her or the rest of the family. Nothing was a surprise and spontaneity wasn't a word that she understood.

In the beginning, after we'd first met at that diner in Philadelphia, it was easy to let her have her way and instruct me on what to do and when to do it. I needed the direction then, needed to know that there was a life outside of the death and destruction that I'd known for the twenty-two years that I'd spent fighting in the vampire wars of the south. Not only had Alice's presence offered me that solace, she'd also given me an alternative to taking lives out of necessity for sustenance. Desperate for that change, I'd clung to her like I was a drowning man and she was my life raft.

Before Alice, there was nothing. My life – or existence, rather – was one of solitude and constant traveling. The female vampires that I'd come across after I'd left Maria were nameless, faceless entities, despite my perfect recall. It wasn't that I didn't remember them – thoroughly – I just didn't think about them. They'd been nothing more than a means to an end.

The sound of the front door as it opened, though quiet to human ears, pulled me out of my ruminations. Pushing the limits on my inherent vampiric abilities, I made sure that Edward had left before advancing on the house stealthily, the practiced ease apparent as I moved. I had no idea, yet, what my intentions were or why I had decided to come here, of all places. The draw was simply magnetic, unavoidable. In seconds, I'd scaled the tree outside her window and was perched on one of the bigger branches while they swayed to and fro in the breeze.

Even from the outside, through the siding and wood and glass that separated me from Bella, I could smell her; feel her pulsing and wet heart as it thumped against her chest steadily. Swallowing back the venom that had accumulated in my mouth, I leapt lightly to the window. The tips of my fingers latched on to the sill and I lifted myself up noiselessly to slide inside. Her room was dark, quiet and comforting and permeated with her scent. As I inhaled deeply, the fire that had died down to a dull ache in my throat raged to life once more, and for a moment, I felt intoxicated – high or drunk – off of it.

I knew my eyes were wild, frenzied and darkened to coal black as I continued to breathe in and out. If Edward did it, got accustomed to her fragrance to the point that killing her was no longer an option, I could do it, too. I would do it.

Disclaimer: Twilight and any/all recognizable components belong to SMeyer.

A/N: As much as this annoys le holster, Vi0lentSerenity, I've got a bit of an affinity for J/B. I wanted to explore, with this prompt, the possibility of Alice not being Jasper's true mate. I hope that I did it justice, despite the cliffhanger, and that you all enjoy the read. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.

And, of course, I have to thank the ladies that pre-read/beta'ed this for me for, without them, nothing of mine would ever get posted. No, really. They harass me until I post things. Honest. To. God. Ask them. In no particular order: naelany, gypsysue, Lilacs46 & Ahizelm. And, to my ficwife/holster (you know who you are), thank you for trying to read this (despite j/b being your absolute hard limit). I love you something fierce.

What is "The Twilight Twenty-Five?"
The Twilight Twenty-Five – or TT25 – is a LiveJournal community that challenges the authors who have signed up to write twenty-five one-shots and/or drabbles using predetermined prompts as a starting point over a three month period. A drabble is defined as a work of fiction that is no more or no less than one-hundred words, even while, in this context, a one-shot is defined as a work of twific that is a minimum of 1K words.

Where can I find this LiveJournal Community?
The link is posted on my FFn profile.