A/N: Chapter 3!

For once I have nothing relevant to say apart from that I love Project Team Beta.

Disclaimer: I'm sure you're aware this isn't mine… but what I do own is Shadow, she's awwwwwll mine.


Chapter 3 – What Rosalie Did

The house was large and fancy. It was a family home, of that I was certain. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. Although if I were honest, I didn't know what it was that I was actually expecting to find here.

Across the road from the house there was a large metal fence; shrubbery surrounded it, making it easy for me to sit under. More importantly, it meant no one would be able to see me under here, especially not him. I could tell that this was where he lived. I could smell him. Just the faint scent of him told me that this was somewhere he was regularly. But something told me that he wasn't inside the house, not yet anyway.

It was almost six in the evening. It was November – winter. The nights were darker, and even though Forks was known for its wet and windy seasons, I was still unsure about sitting outside for long periods of time. For even the slightest glimmer of sunlight on my pale skin would cause me to be exposed.

I hadn't seen anyone go in or out of the house the whole time that I had been sitting outside. I was beginning to wonder whether he was actually going to be returning to this house today when I heard a car far off in the distance, travelling down this very road. It was dark, but it didn't stop me from seeing the car turn into the road. I knew immediately that it was Jasper in the car. The tightening of my muscles, the excess flow of venom, the burning in my throat were all dead giveaways to the fact that he was close to me.

I held my breath so that I didn't have to inhale his scent anymore than what was necessary. It wouldn't help anyone if I lost control right now. He pulled up in his car only ten or so metres away from me. It was strange, seeing him again. But what was harder for me to get my head around was seeing him in his normal habitat.

He looked so normal, peaceful almost, as he stepped out of the small green Volkswagen Beetle that he had been driving. He was completely unaware of me, of course, of which I was glad. Because little did he know, he was in grave danger just from me watching him. I was too dangerous right now, even though I wasn't thirsty. It wouldn't stop me if I lost control. I still wanted him. I still wanted his blood. Just because I wasn't thirsty right now, it didn't mean I wouldn't be when his blood was there for my taking.

He stopped at his front gate and suddenly looked around. His eyes fell on me, and I froze. My hands immediately gripped the steel railings that were behind me. His head tilted to the right and his eyes squinted as he looked at me. I heard the telltale sound of the steel railings bending under strain, but I didn't care. I thought he wouldn't see me here. It was dark, and I was in the shadows. How good was his eye sight?

And then, after a second, he turned around, and I let out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding. It was an unnecessary action. But it was a human action. A twisted smile formed on my face at the thought. Maybe I hadn't lost all traces of humanity after all.

I didn't move an inch until he was through the door, and even then I only shifted into a crouch. I heard the mechanisms turning, and I knew that he had locked the doors behind him. I laughed humourlessly to myself; as if something as trivial as one locked door could stop the real dangers that faced him right now.

It was a terrifying thought to know that I was the danger, that I was the one he should be locking the doors from.


It was hours before I finally moved from the shadowy confinement that was my hiding place by the railings. There was complete darkness around me now. Even the street lights seemed to be giving a pathetically small amount of light.

I let my hands extricate themselves from the mangled steel fence that was behind me. I turned to see the clear bend that had formed from where my hands had been moments ago. I quickly straightened the bar out until it looked like it had before I had been there.

Destroy evidence. That was a fundamental rule.

I opened my senses, with the exception of my sense of smell, as I turned towards the house. I could hear him easily. He was asleep. His rhythmic breathing was strong evidence to this fact. But what came to mind was how he was unaware of me, unaware of any danger that I could cause.

I stepped out into the road, moving closer to the house, closer than I had ever been tonight. I was at his front gate even before I realised that I had moved this close. I shook my head. This behaviour was irrational, for I should be widening the distance between us, not shortening it. Did I want to massacre this boy in his bed, only for his mother to find him the next morning?

But I was already reaching for the latch on the gate. I was beyond reason now. I didn't care. I had to see him, and if the consequences of me seeing him were dire, then so be it.

I knew which window led into his room just from listening to his breathing. I didn't want to rely on my other senses, especially my sense of smell. I knew I was too close. His scent would take me over, and then it would turn me into the animal that I didn't want to be. Or at least that was what I told myself.

His room was at the back of the house. I smiled grimly to myself, why was fate being so kind to me? It was as if fate actually wanted me to kill him. I tried not to think of the saying don't tempt fate as I looked up at his window.

I didn't take a step back as I leapt the small distance up to his windowsill. The window was open, even though it was a cold autumn night. I disliked how there were so few obstacles between us. I couldn't help but notice how easy this all way for me. I didn't even have to try.

The room was small, with the bare minimum inside. There was a closet in the far corner, with a small cushioned chair next to it. The table was adjacent to the bed, with only a laptop and a small digital alarm clock sitting upon it. It was 3.15am. An old superstition was that bad things started at this time. How ironic. But I didn't care about those superstitions.

All I cared for was what was on the bed. All I cared for was the young male lying so peacefully asleep. His body was only half covered, barely over his waist. His arms were sprawled above his head, which was turned slightly to the left. It was regrettably giving me a clear view of his neck. It was regrettable for him, of course. Just seeing his neck made the venom pump through my body at a quicker rate.

I took another step towards him, running my tongue over my lower lip. Just the taste of the air surrounding me made my perception hazy. Even the taste of his scent was deliciously mouth watering. I shook my head, trying to clear my head. I didn't want to be thinking about how any part of this remarkable human tasted. Especially not when I was this close, for this just wasn't safe.

I took another step towards him. I was so close now, all I had to do was reach out with my hand, and I would be able to touch him. But I didn't want to, did I? Surely ice cold skin would wake him from his slumber, and then once he saw that I was here, he would scream, and would alert the others in the house. Then once they were alerted, I would have to kill them all.

I could just picture the headlines now. Family brutally murdered in the middle of the night, attacker unknown. But that was if I left their bodies to be found. It could easily be something different. Family mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night, no current leads.

What was I doing here?

It was foolish to even believe that I had enough control to be able to see him. To be able to look at him, smell him, feel him and just walk away again without harming him. Who was I kidding?

I took the final step that was between us until I was standing so close to his bed that I only had to move an inch closer and I would be touching him. I looked down at him, wondering what he was dreaming, and whether or not he was aware that someone else was in his room. That someone was this close to him.

I knew that if he moved, even if it were just a slight movement, then it would be enough to push me over the edge. I would inhale so deeply that my throat would burn uncontrollably. The venom would flow through my mouth so vastly, that if I didn't make use of it, it would be a waste.

I didn't realise that I was subconsciously leaning forward. The desire was taking over my body. It was giving into the temptation that was being pushed under my nose by my own doing. For this was my fault; I got myself into this mess, no one else did.

I could clearly see the veins through his pale membrane. I could hear the blood being pumped through his body. I knew that if I allowed it, I would be able to smell it, too. I leant even closer, until I could feel his warm breath on my face. I was so close that if he were to suddenly wake up he would see me. I would move away quickly, of course, but he would still catch a glimpse of me.

But would I want to move away? Would I want to run and hide, hope that he hadn't seen me, hope that he hadn't made the connection to the girl that was in the clearing all those months ago?

But what if I stayed still? What if I didn't move as he looked at me? Would he scream? Would I allow him to? Or would I just stop him before he had the chance?

I didn't see why this mattered. If I was going to kill him, why would it matter if he saw me? If he saw me, then I would be the last thing he'd take with him into death. Would it be so bad for him to see me? Would it give him enough time to work out that when we first met, I was planning on doing the same thing?

Because surely he knew that I was going to kill him. If the red eyes had been anything to go by, surely he would have taken one look at them and realised that I was evil.

My eyes trailed over his innocent, peaceful face. His skin was smooth, blemish free. He had full lips, I noticed, and they were parted slightly as his breath billowed out of them in short bursts.

Such a waste, I thought. It would be a pity that this one boy wouldn't survive the night. He had his whole life ahead of him. But so had I.

I parted my own lips, as I leant into his sleeping form. They had parted around so many necks in the last seven years, and tonight would just be another victim in a long line. My lips were full, like his. But they were tainted with the blood of the other innocent humans that had crossed my path.

Suddenly, I heard a slight creak of floorboards. I knew that I hadn't created that noise. I would never be so imprudent as to make a noise that could give my position away. But then I realised that if it wasn't coming from me, then it was coming from outside the door.

I didn't move, not at first. I allowed my ears to tune in to the new sound. There was someone else outside his door. They were heading this way, I was certain of it. They were moving slowly, trying not to let anyone hear them. But were they trying not to let me hear them? No, they wouldn't know that I was in here. They couldn't know that I was in here.

I soundlessly darted to the corner of the room, hiding in the confines of the curtains that were thankfully draped to the floor. I was obviously quicker than whomever it was that was approaching the room, as they were only just outside the door. I quickly made sure that I was completely hidden.

I didn't know why I was still in the room. I should have left. I would have had time. But I was curious, and that never helped anyone. Without stopping to think about what I was doing, I tore a small hole in his curtain so that I could see through.

I then placed my arms by my sides and stood completely still, statue-like, as I listening to the mechanisms in the door turning. Slowly, the door swung open. I wasn't expecting the person who walked through the door.

It was a small girl. I recognised her as the girl in the photo that had been in his wallet. She was maybe ten or eleven at the most. She had long blonde hair that curled past her shoulders. She was beautiful, even at her young age. She was his sister, of that I was certain. But what was she doing in here at this time of the morning?

I knew that I was about to find out.

She faltered slightly before walking over to the bed cautiously. Once again, she faltered as she reached out to him. I could tell that she wanted to wake him, but it was clear that she was pondering over the idea. She was unsure as to whether she should do it.

I wanted her to. I was willing her to from inside my mind. I wanted to see him awake. I wanted to hear his voice.

No! I couldn't allow my mind to wander. I should have been long gone by now. I should have been getting myself further and further away from this situation. Yet here I was, watching a small girl attempt to wake her older brother. Both of which were completely unaware of the fact that there was a vampire in the room with them. I grimaced. She was shaking his arm.

"Jasper," she whispered. Her voice shouldn't have taken me by surprise, but it sounded so innocent, so full of love and respect. That was just from calling out his name. I was awestruck. Even if I wanted to move, I knew that I wouldn't have been able to, not now at least.

He didn't wake up, so she repeated his name again, this time a little louder than before. He shifted slightly as he awoke from his sleep. He sat up as soon as he saw his small sister. He looked at the clock briefly before turning to look back at the girl.

"Rosalie? What's the matter?" he murmured. He sounded slightly groggy from just waking up, but I stored the sound of his voice in the back of my mind nonetheless.

"I… I can't sleep. I had a bad dream, and I didn't want to wake up Mommy again," she mumbled. Even in the darkness I could see the smile form on his beautiful face. It wasn't a mocking smile. It was a smile full of adoration.

"Do you want to stay in here with me tonight?" he asked in a gentle voice. All she did was nod at him. He threw his covers back, which sent a gust of his scent into my face. But I ignored it as best I could.

Never in my life had I ever seen so much love between two siblings like these two had. It pained me in ways that I thought I could never be pained again. I missed a family that I wasn't even sure that I had. I envied this family.

She clambered onto the bed next to him, and together they lay down in the small single bed. He lovingly covered her with the bedding. I noticed how he wrapped his arm around her waist – protecting her from bad dreams. She smiled contently as she closed her eyes. I knew that she didn't mean for anyone else to see the smile, especially not him.

Soon enough she was fast asleep, yet I didn't move, because Jasper was still wide awake. I could tell by his breathing that he hadn't fallen asleep so easily as his sister had. I was unable to move as I listened to his breathing. He sighed quietly and shifted his weight on the bed a few times before finally, after nearly half an hour, his breathing turned into the rhythmic pattern of sleep.

I remained rooted to the spot as I watched the two of them sleeping soundly. They were sleeping so peacefully that it made me feel repulsed by myself. I knew that if she had been only minutes later, then she would have walked into an empty room. Or even worse, she would have walked in on me feeding my temptation.

I shuddered. That was not what I wanted, not now, not after seeing this. I had to get out of here, and quickly. I silently made my way towards the window and half climbed out. But I paused, sitting on the window ledge, wanting to have one last look at them. I turned back and burned the image of them together into my mind. Then I jumped.


I silently landed on the balls of my feet just below his window. I didn't know what had just happened in there, or why it was that seeing him with his sister had stopped me from carrying out my monstrous task. But I had known immediately that I couldn't kill him. God knows I wanted to, the monster inside of me wanted to drink his blood until he ran dry. The monster wanted to feel the unbearable pleasure of ending his life. The monster inside of me would have taken immense pleasure in it.

But when I allowed myself to think clearly, to allow the clean air to penetrate my mind, the images that the monster inside of me was creating sickened me to the point that I wished I was not a vampire any longer.

The realisation took me by surprise. Never in my seven years of existence did I wish that I wasn't a vampire. Yet after meeting this small family, I was suddenly seeing things differently.

I stepped away from the house and onto the main street. There was complete darkness around me, apart from a couple of street lights that were dotted further down the road. I stepped out into the middle of the road, crossing it with ease, so that I could get to the other side, and just run.

"I knew you wouldn't hurt him," she muttered softly. I should have known one of them would return. But as I turned around to face Shadow, I was immediately glad that it wasn't Casper who was paying me a visit.

"You don't know that," I replied, shocking myself at how pained my voice sounded. "I was close… so close."

I closed my eyes, remembering how close I had actually come. I had been close enough to touch his skin. So close in fact, that I could even feel his breath against my cheek. I shuddered. He had smelled so sweet, and I hadn't even inhaled properly.

"You would have hated yourself, if you had killed him tonight. You know that," she whispered. I knew that even a human standing right next to her wouldn't have heard what she said.

"He's too young," I said, shaking my head in disgust. I didn't know who I was kidding, yet again. That wouldn't have stopped me if Rosalie hadn't walked into the room. I would have killed him if she hadn't, undoubtedly.

"He's eighteen. You're not even a year older, Alice. In fact, you're younger than he is," she told me. I jumped slightly, turning to look at her instantly. She had addressed me with a name.

"I decided to name you," she informed me with a sheepish smile. "I did not wish to call you young one. I'm only a few years older than you. I can hardly class you as young."

"Why did you use that name?" I asked curiously. "Alice…"

"It suited you," she replied curtly. I didn't notice how brisk her tone was. Instead, I nodded at her. I didn't understand why that name sounded vaguely familiar to me. But I didn't care, I liked the name Alice.

"What are you doing here? Did Marcus send you?" I demanded, changing the subject. I wondered briefly whether they were waiting nearby. I quickly scanned the area quickly, but I didn't see them.

"Marcus doesn't know that I'm here," she replied, looking down at the floor awkwardly. "Not yet anyway."

"So why did you come?"

"Because I know it can't be easy for you having your addiction so close," she informed me.

"What the hell would you know?" I cried angrily. "You have Marcus! He's all you need."

She looked up at me, her black eyes showing a sudden flash of sorrow that went deeper than she ever showed. She was hiding something. I could see that straight away.

"Yes, I have Marcus. But… he's not my heroin. He's not what I crave," she murmured. I could hear the truth in her voice as she spoke. But I didn't fully understand what she was saying.

I inhaled sharply, as I realised. "There's someone else?"

She lowered her head, looking down at the ground once again. I was certain that she was feeling ashamed of herself by admitting this to me. But as I stepped towards her and rested my hand on her shoulder, she immediately seemed to relax.

"You have to understand that Marcus chose me, I didn't choose him. I love Marcus, I really do. But nothing compares to what I feel when I see him, when I saw Alexander. He doesn't know of me of course, I would never expose him to something as dangerous as myself, not ever."

"But you want to," I whispered, though I already knew the answer. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"More than anything," she said, sighing. I was unable to say anything more. I don't think there were any words that could be perfect for this situation. So we remained silent. Until finally the silence was broken by her quiet chuckle, as she lifted her head from my shoulder.

"You know, you're the first person I've ever told that to, about Alexander, I mean. I would never dare tell Marcus about him. Who knows what it would do to him. Although, I'm surprised he doesn't know yet. Then there's Casper, I wouldn't trust him one bit with something as precious as this."

She was silent for a moment. "But you know what the worst thing is? It is for me to know that he's near, that we are near. I don't think I could bear it if they knew where he was and happened to be near him. If they were thirsty at the same time, I would protect him at any cost."

I waited in the darkness, as my mind processed what she had told me. She was protecting this man. She didn't want any harm to come to him, even though the most dangerous thing around him was her.

"This is why I came here tonight," she continued. "I battled with my own thoughts for hours, before I finally gave in and searched for you. I had to hide from Marcus. I don't know what he'd do if he knew what I was planning. I knew you would be here, especially after what Casper told me. I knew you would want to find him. I just hoped that I wasn't too late. I thought that I was, but when I didn't smell the fresh blood, I knew you had not been able to."

"I just couldn't do it," I whispered, sounding broken. "I was so close. His skin was so close. Then his sister came in, and I watched them together. I shouldn't have thought twice about taking her life too, but I was frozen. Even the burning in my throat had died down, only slightly, but still. Then they fell asleep together, and I… just couldn't do it."

I hung my head, and closed my eyes. I was telling her everything I felt, and I didn't even know whether I could trust her yet.

"It will get easier, you know, the burning. It won't be so hard the more you spend time around him. You'll never be able to properly be around him. Only one small lapse in concentration and…."

I was glad that she was unable to finish her sentence. I was certain that she was thinking about Alexander, and about how he makes her feel. I knew that was one of the reasons why she didn't want to ever introduce herself to him. It would only take one small lapse of concentration and he would be… dead.

I shuddered at the thought of killing that boy that was only a few hundred metres away from me. I just couldn't. I wouldn't. I couldn't quite understand why I was feeling this way. I hardly knew him, and moments ago I was seconds away from killing him. But it seemed the more I thought about it, the more I became disgusted by the idea.

"Thank you, Shadow. Thank you for making me see the light in this very long tunnel," I said, smiling weakly at her.

"I'm just glad I got here on time," she replied as she returned the smile.

"I'm glad, too," I told her. I genuinely was glad that she had come to find me. Even though I had thought I wanted them to leave me alone and never bother me again. We smiled awkwardly at each other, feeling the petty friendship that we had made in this brief meeting.

"Are you certain that you do not wish to join the coven? I would benefit a great deal from you being there. I could do with another female to correspond with. It would give me someone to relate to."

I grimaced at her words. I wished she hadn't brought that up. "I'm sorry, but you know that it isn't going to happen. Not ever."

She sighed. "I understand. We will always be there though, you know that. I will always be there for you, Alice."

The road was silent as she disappeared from my view. I knew that what she had said was true. She was always going to be there for me. I knew that one day I would want her there for me, in my very long journey.

I turned to look back at the house for the last time tonight. It was silent, apart from the faint sound of the family's rhythmic breathing as they slept. I knew that I would come back. I also knew that I would be there for him, even though he would be unaware of me. I would protect Jasper as Shadow protected Alexander.


A/N: So, what did you think to that? Do you like Shadow? Do you trust her? Let me know.

Isn't big brother Jasper just the cutest? If you've read my other story Lost in Orbit, you'll know that I love writing big brother Jasper.

Please review! It would make my day.