Alice X Jasper : A little bar in Philadelphia

Jasper felt the rain begin to pour down on him. It didn't bother him much but somehow seemed to mirror his mood. He wasn't happy. He had been aimlessly wandering around for weeks, slopping only to feed when it had been absolutely necessary.

He hated killing people but found he had no other choice. He couldn't stop himself when the hunger got too much, but feeling the fear of his prey every time haunted him. He just wanted it to stop.

*sigh*

He quickly swung into the bar in front of him. He didn't want to draw attention to himself out in the rain alone. It was small and dark, perfect to mask his nearly black eyes. He would have to feed again soon. He perched at the end of the bar, ordering a beer which he would never drink but helped him blend in.

The music blared over an old tanoy, crackling every so often. No one seemed too interested though. There were only one or two humans in the bar, sitting far enough away that he could resist lunging at them. Damn! He wished he wasn't a vampire. Couldn't he just have died instead?

That was when he smelled her. Another of his kind. Vampire. He tensed, ready for a fight. He didn't want to have to kill another and the witnesses but that was always what it seemed to come too. He slowly rose out of the chair, turning to face her as she came towards him.

She was beautiful, even for his kind. She had short dark pixie hair and a matching black silk dress. Her face was angular with golden eyes and perfect crimson lips. She smiled at him, radiating happiness as she recognised him?

Why was she so happy to see him? Why were her eyes so golden rather than scarlet? And why was he so drawn to her? He stood in shock as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the bar into the rain.

'You're late.'

She pouted at him as her sing-song voice broke the silence.

'I'm sorry ma'am.'

He didn't realise he'd replied until after it had come out his mouth. She laughed.

'I am too, but at least I've finally found you Jasper.'

He stared at her in shock. How did she know who he was?

'It's a shame though. I was half expecting you to be in military gear.'

She smirked at him but her disappointment hung in her voice. Who was she? She turned back to face him before realising she was scaring him.

'Oh! I'm sorry. My name's Alice.'

'How?...'

He barely got the word out he was so shocked. She grinned at him.

'I can see the future. Well, parts of it anyway. It changes a lot though. I've been seeing you in my visions for over two years now, before finally today I was sure you'd turn up and you have.'

She smiled at him, happiness radiating from her mixed with something else … he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Something he hadn't really experienced before.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept so long.'

He was strangely sincere, although he'd never known she was searching for him. He was drawn to her though, like his world had suddenly shifted and she was his centre point. He carefully took her delicate face into his hands, cradling her cheeks before hesitantly leaning forwards to kiss her. Shock rippled through both of them as their lips touched. He was more handsome than Alice had ever imagined and a great kisser too.

He suddenly froze and pulled away. Something was wrong. Her visions had never once shown him pull away like that. Alice looked up at him, clearly hurt but he didn't seem to notice. He said nothing, grimacing before he turned and left her alone standing in the rain.

She felt like weeping, if she could in fact cry but no tears came to her eyes. She felt utterly alone for the first time in her immortal life. Why hadn't she seen this coming? What had changed the future so much in a couple of minutes?

She felt her phone buzz impatiently in her pocket. She carefully picked herself of the ground. She hadn't noticed her legs give way. It was Edward. Great. The message glared at her through the screen.

[so, how did it go? What's he really like? When are you coming home?]

She couldn't even bear to push the keys in a reply. She had finally met the mysterious man in her future but he had left her alone, chosen another path. The phone buzzed impatiently in her pocket, Edward getting concerned at her lack of response.

She felt herself slip away. He would be here tomorrow. Brilliant. Her usual enthusiasm for his visits were not surfacing. She finally decided she would no longer look into the future. Tune out of it all. She couldn't bear the same pain as today again. Not ever.