So I probably should have called chapter 1 a prologue since it was really short but hopefully this is a little longer. Chapter 2 is all about Jasper, ladies!

Disclaimer: I have written this as a fan of Stephenie Meyer's work and do not claim any ownership to the characters or plot lines of the Twilight Saga novels or anything Twilight-related.

Visions of Love

Chapter 2: Philadelphia

Jasper's POV

At least it was raining. I stepped out from under the red tattered awning of my home for the past few weeks, St. Joseph's Hotel for Men. It was a great place to stay if you didn't want questions asked. Or if you didn't have a lot of money. I flicked the collar of my beige trench coat up around my neck, giving the pretense of protecting myself from the light rain that had just begun falling on Philadelphia. Of course I really didn't need any protection, but the human scurrying along the sidewalk didn't need to know that.

I was hungry. I had been denying myself from feeding since my arrival in the City of Brotherly Love. I felt my lips twist halfway between a grimace and a smile at the thought of brotherly love. The closest I had come to brotherly love in the past century had been my former comrade-in-arms, Peter. Peter and his mate Charlotte had worried about me striking out on my own but I had assured them as long as I stayed north, I would be all right. They didn't put up much of an argument and that had been a relief. To be honest, it was a little awkward being the fifth wheel.

Before Peter, in my human life, I had three older brothers. The memories had faded but I still remembered that it was my desire to be just like them that had led me to lie about my age and enlist in the Confederate Army all those decades ago. I quickly dismissed the memory since it inevitably provoked the thought of my maker, Maria. And I definitely did not want to think about anything remotely vampiric at the moment.

I felt the burning sensation in my throat as the rain-soaked wind carried scent after scent of what I was desperately desiring for my next meal. And the poor fragile humans had no idea how close they were coming to meeting death as I pounded my way down the sidewalk. I had no idea where I was headed. I was still trying to become comfortable being outside during the day. I'd figured the rain clouds would be a perfect opportunity to test myself, walking around the city during the day, enduring the alluring scent of humans pulsing with their lifeblood.

Although it was torture, it was nothing compared to the burden of the guilt of killing innocent humans. You see it was more than just extinguishing a person's life. It sounds harsh, but that I could deal with. It's just a fact of what I am. But it was dealing with the emotions: the fear, the abject terror, sometimes even the glimmer of hope of escape from their fate. I felt it all. I couldn't explain it but somehow I could feel emotions. A mood ring times a million, you could say. I was then able to influence those emotions which could come in handy when secrecy was a must. And feeding definitely made secrecy a must.

The thing was, after feeling all of these intense emotions for nearly a century, I just couldn't take it anymore. Despite never having the need to sleep, I was weary. Lately, I'd even been thinking of going back to Maria and just letting her newborns end it all for me. With that depressing thought, I realized that the rain had stopped. As I glanced up at the sky, it seemed as if the clouds would part at any moment. I suddenly felt a slight panic at the thought of the sun breaking through, exposing my true nature to the humans going about their business.

I quickly scanned the street. Two buildings ahead, I noticed a dull silver diner with a dark green door. The painted letters on the window declared it to be "O'Connell's Diner" and "Open 24 Hours". Perfect! I'd just step in and make sure the sun would stay hidden before making my way back to my hotel. With an effort, I kept my stride at a human pace and approached the diner that looked as if its best days were 30 years behind it. Even better, I thought. It would be dark inside and hopefully mostly empty.

As I pushed the door open, I noticed several things at once. I heard the tinkling bell announcing my arrival. The diner was nearly empty, but a few humans were scattered around, my mouth immediately filling with venom as I breathed in their scent in an enclosed space. Then my body tensed, I felt a growl growing in my chest. Instinctively, my hand went up to push the damp hair out of my eyes and I quickly scanned the dark diner. I was not alone. Yes, there were humans. But there was a scent distinctly non-human. Another vamp. And then she was in front of me. She was tiny. She could be easily dispatched. Or detached as the case may be. Her short dark hair framed her face in spiky tufts. She looked a little like that actress, the one who was always eating breakfast at Tiffany's. (I'd been spending a lot of time in movie theaters. I liked the dark anonymity.) And she was smiling.

I was hit with the strongest wave of happiness…and something else. Something I couldn't define. Something I'd never felt before. Then in the sweetest sing-song voice I'd ever heard, the sweet pixie said, "You've kept me waiting a long time."