Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer. She's the brilliant woman who invented these amazing characters and their story in the first place.

AlicePOV

I was waiting for him.

It had been 28 years since I had woken up from the dark, remembering nothing of my past; not knowing who I was or what I was. I was alone, trying desperately to figure out what to do… and that was when I saw him for the first time.

Vision: A pale young man with honey-blond hair is standing in a small clearing in the woods, facing a tiny woman with short dark hair. He lifts his hand – hesitates for a brief second – and then gently strikes her cheek. He sighs with content in his voice… "Alice".

I sighed now too. 28 years. More than ever I was longing to finally meet him.

I knew he was going to be here, in this city, in this bar; it was only a matter of time. However, I had the feeling it was going to be pretty soon.

The door was opened and closed throughout the whole day – I never saw the beautiful face I had come to love through my visions. He didn't know me yet; he didn't know it was him who had kept me from going crazy in my very first moments as a vampire.

The next day was the same again. I spent it in the bar, waiting. I was sure he would be worth it. All of a sudden – when the door was opened once again – I knew something was different this time. No human could smell this appealing. I looked up and I could feel a smile appearing on my face. Finally. I hopped of my high-stool and moved almost silently to stand in front of him.

He tensed, I flashed him smile and he relaxed immediately.

"You've kept me waiting a long time."

He hesitated for a moment, then ducked his head like a southern gentleman and answered "I'm sorry, Ma'am."

I held out my hand, longing to close some of the space between us. The second he touched my skin I felt like I could fly. It felt so good, so right; it was as if the world stood still.

I wanted to make this moment last forever, but I was brought back into reality when I looked into his eyes. They were almost black, only at the edge I could see a little bit of crimson.

"You're hungry." It wasn't a question but a statement.

He ducked his head again, and answered in a low voice I could barely understand. He seemed to be ashamed of it. "I'm a monster"

I lifted my hand to touch his cheek gently. "You're not."

We left the bar where the scent of humans was lying thickly in the air. He didn't let go of my hand, but after a few minutes he stopped abruptly, causing me to bounce back slightly.

"I don't mean to be rude Ma'am, but may I ask your name?"

I chuckled softly. I had forgotten to tell him, after all he couldn't see the future. "I'm Alice."

"It's nice to meet you Alice. My name is Jasper Whitlock."

"I know."

His expression changed from amused to confused. He definitely was questioning my sanity. I couldn't help but laugh; anyone would believe I was a freak, because I was!

"I'll explain later."

We continued walking at an average human speed towards the borders of the city, where the little house I had rented was situated. Just before I could open the door, I slipped into a vision.

Vision: I'm sitting on the couch in the living-room; Jasper is standing in front of me, staring down at me. His expression is hard; he is struggling with himself. Finally he makes up his mind, and whispers: "I want to try."

"Alice!" I found myself back in reality with a concerned Jasper at my side. His hands were on my shoulders as if he'd been shaking me. "What is wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shock you.", I tried to calm him while I lead him towards the living-room.

"Alice, one minute you were here, the next minute your mind seemed to be miles away. Please tell me, what did I do wrong?"

I turned back to him, only to see he had situated himself at the far end of the room. I sighed, sat down on the couch and began to explain, never letting my eyes off of him.

"I'm really sorry you saw me like that without being warned. The thing is I do have a special talent. I see the future. Well, I only see parts of it, and it isn't stable either. However there are some visions that haven't changed since I first had them. And they are the reason I knew I had to find you. They led me to you… though I have to admit it took us far too long to finally meet."

He crooked his lips into a small smile.

"So it wasn't my fault then?"

I grinned. "Well, actually it was. The vision was about you."

His face fell. "Was it a bad one?"

"No, it wasn't at all. I saw us talking in this room."

"Oh, alright. Are you going to tell me what about?"

"Yes and no." I bit my lip and wondered where I should begin. It wasn't as easy as I had thought it would be. Even with my special talent I was still afraid he was going to run away from me. I mean, how do you tell the love of your existence whom you've only met a few hours ago that you want to spend eternity with him? Moreover the future wasn't set in stone; it was just a possibility. What if he changed his mind and left?

"Why are you so worried?" This question of his took me by surprise.

"How do you know?

"It's rather panic than worry. And it's making me anxious. What's wrong?" I fought back a smile, as I felt calm wash over me. "Well, that's better. Now you're much more at ease."

"How did you do that?", I asked curiously.

"You're not the only one with a special talent. I can feel emotions around me as well as I can influence them."

I was impressed. I had thought I already knew him better than myself – which wasn't that difficult – but this definitely surprised me. I've had had no idea.

"Alice…" his voice brought me back to reality. "Tell me what you've been worrying about."

I sighed, though I was ready to tell him. "I saw you for the first time about 28 years ago when I woke up to find out I was a vampire. Over the years I kept having visions of you, but mostly I couldn't see where you were. I also had – or in this case have – visions about the two of us joining a coven of vampires who live peacefully among humans. They have golden eyes like I do."

"I've been wondering about the unfamiliar color of your eyes. Why aren't they crimson?"

"I do not feed of humans, I only drink animal blood. It's the lifestyle one of these vampires I see us with came up with. He's a doctor and completely immune to human blood. He didn't want to be a monster, and neither do I."

Suddenly he moved to stand in front of me, his eyes locked on mine.

"Is it really enough?"

"No, the thirst is never fully satisfied. But it is enough to be able to abstain from humans." I stared at him with the same intensity he was looking at me. "It is enough.", I confirmed once again.

"I want to try.", he whispered back.

I flashed him a smile.

"You're extremely happy now.", he stated.

"I am. Come on, I'll show you where you can find delicious deer. For the beginning they will do." I took his hand, and led him out of the house towards the woods. "Don't worry Jasper, you'll do fine. I have faith in you. I'm so glad you chose to come with me instead of running away frightened by the little freak I am."

"You're incredible."

After our meal – we had found some deer deep in the woods where no human ever went – we kept walking silently, our hands entwined again, until we reached a small clearing which I recognized immediately. It was the one from my first vision I've had of him. I let go if his hand, and twirled around. He laughed quietly while he was watching me. I stopped and returned his gaze, our bodies only a few inches away from one another.

He lifted his hand, and stroke my jaw. He sighed. "Alice"

I glanced at him, quickly lowering my eyes again. If I could blush, I would have been red as a tomato.

He bent down slowly, and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "But I still don't understand why you believe in me", he whispered against my skin. "You deserve someone so much better than I will ever be. Just look at me… I've been a monster far too long. I'm not worth it."

I wanted so badly to comfort him; to make him see how much he meant to me. He was the one and only thing I really needed; I couldn't imagine eternity without him. I flung my arms around his neck; pleased when he returned my hug. I hoped he would hear the sincerity in my words as I began to speak: "Jasper, never say that. Nothing you have done in your past or whatever your future actions might look like will ever change the way I feel about you. When I woke up from the dark it was your face that kept me from going crazy. You saved me! And now that I finally have found you, I won't let go ever again. I need you, because without you my existence would be senseless." My voice became quieter as I poured out my soul to the love of my eternity. I pulled back so I could look into his eyes. "Don't leave me…"

Instead of answering he bent down then, and softly brushed my lips with his. I felt an unknown, strange electric shock flow through my whole body, and subconsciously pressed myself even closer to him when he deepened the kiss, unaware of anything else than him.

Far too soon he broke away, breathing unevenly. Not knowing what else to do I took a step back, but he pulled me against his chest again. I let out a sigh. In his arms I felt safe. And when I heard him whisper "I love you too, Alice.", I knew I was where I truly belonged.