Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does and she is oh so very awesome for letting me play with them. Thank you.

Preface

APOV

His hands gripped my waist and slid me up the door. His kisses were passionate and invoked a feeling in me I thought had been dormant since my change. I could feel the passion radiating through his rough kisses. As I tried to take a glimpse of his face, my eyes shot open. The vision had ended, and I was once again sitting alone in my room, wondering who the hell, how the hell, and where the hell that vision came from. I was going to need to be more guarded than usual. I could not risk love in the state that this world has fallen to.

I was sitting on my bed while searching my future again and again, trying to see if I could recapture that vision. It was so intense and so real that I actually felt short of breath, which, if you ask me, was a pretty big feat for a vampire to reach. We didn't need air; we could survive without it. I stood up and grabbed my purse from my nightstand to fish my keys out.

A soothing drive around the city normally did a good job at clearing my senses, and everyone knows that I need a clear head to do anything. My team depended on me, and my future-seeing capabilities. There was only one problem with my gift. I could only see the decisions that were made by others. Everything is subjective to the actions that people make during everyday life, and the smallest of things could change those events drastically. I went on a lot of missions for this reason. If there was the slightest change in my vision that meant someone else was making decisions that affected my team. Then we normally bailed out as a precautionary measure.

Rain had started to pour down, followed by lightening and a beautiful thunder that used to signal a fun sports time for my family and me. It had been so long since we tried to be normal. Now humans knew who we were and ran when they realized we were present. A war had broken out, and it was now the good vs. the evil. Then there were the in between people who were, in all fairness, on the good side. They didn't drink from humans, but they didn't see the point in letting the humans rule us. They wanted their own government and found the rest of who were willing to follow in line as weak. Well, I was far from weak, but I decided a long time ago that what was good for the human, is good for me. Sure, I'm stronger, and of course I will outlive them. They are just human for Christ's sake, but there was something else. Equal rights and crap. I didn't want to be treated different on any scale, and that was why I fought in this war. I fought for equality.

I had passed several different street signs, not really paying attention to where I was going or how fast I was getting there. I just went and hoped I didn't break my heel in the process of pressing the gas pedal too hard. It was dark so humans were not really out at this time. Some sort of city mandate to protect them. I was momentarily distracted when I saw a stranger walking down the street who seemed oddly familiar to me. I couldn't place his blonde hair and statuesque figure with any other vampire I had ever come across. I was miffed so I did what I always do. I searched his future, which let me tell you, was harder than it sounds. When I know the person, it makes things a little easier, but I searched anyways and found nothing but a jumble of confusion. Whoever this stranger was, he was confusing himself and could not make a decision.

I pulled the car over and watched as concern flashed through his eyes. The window rolled down, and I took another look at the golden orbs staring back at me.. Rain ran down the chiseled features of his jaw bone and curved at each scar that marked his history. He was a warrior; there was no doubt about that.. And he was also in need of a dry ride, wherever he was going.

"Need a ride?"

The stranger glanced around in the dark alley and then back at me. There was a small smirk forming on his face that I couldn't help but stare at. He definitely had my full attention.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you shouldn't pick up strangers?"

"Maybe, but I out lived them a long time ago."

"I might kill you."

There was a deep questioning sincerity to his voice. I searched again and decided that he was too confused to kill me tonight, maybe some other night, but not tonight. Every fiber of my being was drawing me to this dangerous creature. I couldn't help but feel a little disoriented by his own confusion regarding whatever matters he had to handle, but maybe I could help make his decision either which way. I probably only had tonight.

"I'm willing to take my chances."

"Not the wisest of choices."

"Are you getting in or will you let my car continue to get rained on through the window?"

"What's your name?"

"Alice Brandon."

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

I turned the name over in my head as he stuck his hand through my car to shake it. How polite could this guy really be? First he tells me he might kill me, then he wants to shake my hand? I was not only getting mixed signals, but I also had several woman's intuition alarms ringing in my head. Maybe he was right; maybe I was being stupid and should leave him here. It only took two seconds for that vision to cross my mind and my foot to find the accelerator.. He pulled his hand out of my car as I whipped past him.

I glanced through the rear-view mirror expecting to see a pissed off vampire in my wake. Instead, there stood a beautiful Jasper Hale with a huge grin plastered to his face. Maybe we would meet again; maybe this world would crumble and we wouldn't. Only time could tell, and I was not searching down that path anytime soon.