A/N: Sorry it's taken so long and it's not even that great. Enjoy if you can, and let me know what you think please! More frequent updates in a bit when my exams are finally over. There's a bit of swearing in this, but once again nothing too strong. Thanks for reading, please review!

'To Be Alone With You' is a song by Sufjan Stevens about the sacrifices we make to spend time with that special person:

I'd swim across lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room

To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your goals

To be alone with me


Jasper POV

She was in the back of my car, and I was driving her back to my house for the night. This was the true test of my inner-strength then, and I couldn't help but wonder if Alice had seen this coming. I had the front windows wound down so I could breathe in the outdoor air and try to ignore her scent, but I knew I would have to explain everything soon enough.

"I… like you", I began, trying my hardest to remain focused on the road and not her reaction. I could detect scorn but she was becoming a lot more accepting than she had been. "In fact no," I sighed. "I more than like you. And that's what makes this all so complicated." I glanced up at the mirror and noticed one of her eyebrows was raised slightly, and I couldn't help but smile at this endearing expression of curiosity.

She began to speak slowly. "You've known me for less than a week, and I've hardly spoken to you in that week. How can you possible 'more than like' me?" I tried to interrupt, but she sped up and spoke louder. "Besides which you have a girlfriend, lest you've failed to notice me bringing that little fact up several times. And I mean maybe it's not that serious with her – I don't know – but generally when you live with your other half most people would tend to call it serious."

"I thought you weren't talking?" I smirked slightly, trying to avoid answering her query.

She glared at me, although I could feel laughter bubbling underneath the surface of her stony, jealous outside. I was suddenly very aware that I was focusing more on her beautiful features than I was on the road, and pulled over, not wanting to impair her safety. I turned to her then.

"Have you ever been a long-term relationship? And I mean long, long-term." I realized I was coming strangely close to voicing a worry I'd had for a long time.

She scoffed, and I detected cynicism in her voice; "I'm in high school and I'm constantly on the move. So no. And any of my friends who were in 'long long-term' relationships ended up sick of each other."

I bit my bottom lip, suddenly very aware of myself and what I was saying. "Well then perhaps you'll understand the notion of loving so long that… the thrill leaves you. Alice and I--"

"Hold up, hold up, hold up. There is no way you and Alice have surpassed the thrill of love already. I mean if you were happy enough to shack up together--"

"I think you've misunderstood that. She is, in a sense, part of my family – we lived together before our relationship began."

"You know what? For some reason that doesn't make this any better. So you got with your adopted sister. Fine. But it can't have been that long ago? You're speaking like you've been together forev--"

"Not forever." I rapped my fingers on the dashboard, unsure how to continue. "But I'd estimate 50 years, give or take. I can't exactly remember when it went from friendship to more." This was the easiest way to tell her.

I watched her eyes roll. "You're hilarious. But seriously--"

I sighed, interrupting. "No. Listen, I'm going to tell you something which you're not going to want to believe…"

"What?" She said, arms suddenly flailing wildly looking supremely pissed off, "You're secretly around 70? Jasper do you have any idea--?"

"I'm a vampire." I hadn't exactly meant to tell her like that, but it slipped out before I could control myself. She was the first ever human who I had told.

Her jaw dropped, before she regained her composure. "Oh, and by the way – I'm a werewolf."

Her sarcasm was lost on me and I was horror-struck for a moment. "You're not are you?"

She sighed, "No, Jasper. No, I'm not. I was making fun of you."

Oh. "Oh." Having never revealed this to anyone I wasn't entirely sure how I was meant to 'prove' that I wasn't lying. "I am a vampire though", I tried, miserably.

"Oh God, you're not delusional are you? Typical," she began muttering to herself, "The guys I'm attracted to are either lying bastards or completely delusional."

"So you admit that you feel the same way despite only having known me for less than a week?" I grinned as I teased her. "Despite – what was it you said? – despite the fact that we've barely spoken in that time?"

"Surely the delusional boy who thinks he's a 70 year old vampire isn't mocking me?" There was a smile playing around her lips; it was beautiful, it was sexy, but I knew before I could act on the feelings drawing me to her I had to warn her of the dangers.

Suddenly it dawned on me, and I took her warm hand in my cold one as I climbed into the back of the car. She shivered slightly as her eyes widened – fixed on me- , although this may not have been entirely to do with the cold.

"How do my hands feel to you?" I asked, softly.

Her eyebrows creased slightly, "Cold. Too cold."

"And my eyes? What colour are my eyes?"

"They…" Curiosity passed over her countenance, "They change colour. I remember looking at you once and they were gold, but when you look at me they can sometimes be different. Sometimes…" She looked down at our intertwined hands before meeting my gaze once more, "They're black, like the night." Her breathing was becoming slightly shallow and the feel of her hands against mine was somewhere between beautiful and unbearable.

"And when I eat, what do you see me eat?" This was becoming a little 'big bad wolf', but it was the only way to make her see.

She frowned slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you eat. You were playing around with an apple once in the cafeteria but I swear it didn't touch your lips."

"Because", I said, gently, "I'm a vampire. I do not eat food, rather – I feed on blood. Not human blood; not anymore. I live with a coven of 'vegetarian' vampires, so to speak. We only feed on animals."

"You mean--?" She began, slowly.

"Yes, Alice and the others are all vampires too. When… When I have fed my eyes are golden, when I am hungry or filled with bloodlust then my eyes become black." I felt slightly sheepish admitting all of this to her.

"But if that's the case, why do your eyes go black around me?" She spoke as though she already knew the answer.

"Did you honestly think I was disgusted by you the first few times we met? Your scent, it calls out to me, willing me to…" I couldn't finish that sentence, instead stating, simply, "You are my singer."

She smiled, dazedly as she attempted to correct me, "Possessive much? I'm a singer, not your singer."

Smiling back at her and absent-mindedly pushing a stray hair behind her ear, it was my turn to correct her, "No; a singer is the one person whose blood sings out to the vampire. It is not often vampires will find their singer, and now I've found you I'm…I'm struggling." I couldn't quite believe I was admitting this to her, admitting that me being around her was a danger to both of us. "The reason I covered my mouth, and tried to back away from you was because I feared that you would be my downfall; you would be the reason I disappointed my family by straying from our vegetarian way. But then, you sought me out too, and – not having anyone to advise me – I realized that perhaps you were my test. Can I be close to you without harming you?"

She withdrew her hands from mine, scanning my expression. I tried not to react to the sudden loss of the delightful warmth she offered. Tried not to feel sad that Alice's hands were icy cold like my own. Serena's emotions were varying wildly, as though she was in the midst of some deep internal struggle. "This vampire thing…You're being serious, aren't you?"

She finally understood.

"I must emphasize that I have no desire to harm you, just… an overwhelming urge to be with you." If I could have, I would have blushed at my blunt sentiments.

"Shit", she spoke, probably as articulately as she could manage in that moment. "So, I'm attracted to a vampire who's in love with the scent of my blood?" Her calm demeanor wasn't fooling me, and I took her hands once more as I sent out relaxing vibes.

Looking soothed, she closed her eyes – "How are you doing that? Do you have superpowers or something?"

I couldn't hold back my laughter at this; "I'm an empath; it means I can tell what everyone around me is feeling, and if I so choose to I can manipulate their emotions. I'm not exactly superman."

"You're not that dissimilar", she mused, opening her eyes in amusement. "A quiet, attractive guy who doesn't seem to get too involved with anything, but underneath there's all this crazy shit going on."

"Eloquently put", I grinned before getting back into the front of the car, explaining, "It's getting late - I should probably get us home. It's only about ten minutes now." I started the car, and for a moment a pensive silence filled the air before I noticed a growing curiosity emitting from Serena.

"You have a question?" I raised an eyebrow to Serena as I glanced back at her.

She piped up, smiling sheepishly at my observation, "I was just wondering; how exactly did you all become vampires?"

And so, for the remainder of the journey I recounted my tale as thoroughly as I could. It felt oddly relieving speaking so openly about it all to someone normal. She made a great audience too, her reactions never over-the-top yet somehow evidently attentive; I felt privileged to be able to share my story, as opposed to the normal cursed feelings that underpinned my existence. In less detail I informed her what had happened with the rest of the Cullens, and she remained just as fascinated by their stories; I couldn't help but notice her eyebrows furrowing and the growing tinge of jealousy as I hastily spoke of how Alice and I had found one another. Slowly I realized I wasn't paying attention to what I was saying anymore, my mind wandering away trying to figure out just what I was doing. Did Alice know this was happening; did she know what was inevitably going to happen that evening? I made a mental note to give her a call later on to try and talk through everything without revealing too much.

Surprisingly I'd managed to sustain Edward's Spanish Flu story despite my mind being elsewhere, and thankfully the thoughtful silence only fell again as I parked the car.

As I held open the door for her and she stepped out into the brisk night she looked up at me, her close proximity meaning I could feel her warm breath.

"So, if he'd met a vampire my dad could still be alive – like you?" She was trying to sound lighthearted, but I could feel the thud of depression escaping her.

I took her face in my hand, smiling sadly, "I'm hardly alive, Serena. This existence of mine – though eased by being surrounded by my loved ones – this existence is not life. Your father was lucky to be able to face the next challenge instead of being stuck in this…this frustrating limbo."

And then she kissed me. I can still remember it all so vividly; the cold air, the clear sky and the crescent-moon smiling down at us as her foreign warmth spread to me and I kissed her back in ways I had imagined since that first time I had seen her. As her mouth opened the taste of her blood was so close, hidden beneath the thin layer of her hot skin. So close.

I pulled away from her, taking a sharp intake of breath before I met her beautiful, emerald eyes. "Why aren't you scared? I could really hurt you."

She beamed as she looked up at the stars, before replying, "You could, but you won't. My life at the moment isn't exactly fantastic. Taking the risk of falling in love with a vampire who wants to suck my blood is probably the best thing I've got going for me. Besides, you've controlled yourself all this time; I think I can trust you." Her sweet lips met mine again, and I reveled in her taste, her exotic heat and the lustful, affectionate emotions pouring from her, mixing with my own similar feelings and enhancing them.

I pulled her towards the house, breaking away from her to quickly open the door, and then as we entered our mouths found each other once more. Moving up the stairs our lips remained fervently locked as I guided us to my bedroom.

"What about Alice?" she murmured into my lips, causing sensations to spread from my lips to the now upright hairs on the back of my neck.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and then kissed her again; "She'll understand." Whether I was trying to convince Serena or myself was unclear. To finally be alone with Serena, I didn't care either way.