Bella's head rested against Edward's bare chest where his shirt had fallen open slightly. I wondered that her ear hadn't got frostbite yet. Her thick wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders and brushed against his stone torso. His arms were wrapped around her shoulders, encircling her in a dazzling halo of sparkling skin, and he had laid his cheek on the top of her head. Their hair, his bronze and hers mahogany, clashed spectacularly. A small part of me wondered whether I could persuade Edward to dye his hair, but I knew he'd refuse. Not that he was vain, but he wouldn't see the point. Maybe Bella would let me… I pushed that to the back of my mind to deal with later.

Edward's control astounded me. I remembered how he had looked on the day he first met Bella Swan. He had dived into the car, gasping as though he had been drowning – and actually needed the air. The look on his face had scared me then: he looked so panicked and desperate. Desperate to get away, to escape her.

And look at him now! He had his nose pressed into her hair as though her scent didn't even affect him, and he was clinging to her like he never wanted to let her go.

I watched them like that for a while, my own head leaning on Jasper's shoulder. The four of us were utterly content, and it was a moment like a jewel in the necklace of life, unequivocally special, never to be repeated in exactly the same way.

My family often accused me of having far too much energy (not literally, of course, since a vampire can never grow tired), never stopping for a quiet, calm moment. I blamed it on my gift; I was always eager to arrive at the next event and, since I knew what was coming, I couldn't just wait for it. I ran and grabbed it with both hands and began looking forward to the next moment. There was no opportunity to just be, because that was in the present tense and I did not live in the present. Even when I wasn't specifically looking for something, visions would pester me constantly, and I could sort of feel it when the future changed at all. All in all, it wasn't conducive to living happily in the present moment.

I did wonder if it had anything to do with my forgotten past. Whether my initial childlike innocence and enthusiasm had worked its way into my personality. Vampires rarely experienced a real change, so the way I had seen the world for the first time had had a huge part in shaping my character for the rest of eternity. I had been a child then, and so I was a child now. The only tame immortal child.

This was a rare moment where I was content to simply sit and watch, revelling in the love-filled scene and in the sensation of Jasper's arms holding me close to him.

But all things must come to an end, and soon I saw Bella's shoulders heave with a sigh; I felt my own lungs deflate in sympathy. The day was ending, and soon I would begin my perpetual race to reach tomorrow.

Later, I would think: this was the end? Yeah, and I'm a werewolf.

I blinked, and brought myself back to Jasper. He smiled as I shifted. "Have I won, then?"

"Pretty much done and dusted," I answered. "They're just about to head back to her truck."

Jazz grinned in triumph, just as Esme came downstairs. Of course she'd heard that.

"Are they both fine?" she asked.

"More than fine," I smirked. "Absolutely in love. Edward's such an idiot, he should have spoken to her ages ago, and to hell with what he thought was right."

Esme frowned at my choice of language and my less-than-complimentary evaluation of my brother's intelligence, but Jasper laughed.

"Edward's so concerned with what's right, I'm starting to worry he'll begin refusing to turn left at a crossroads!"

I giggled too, until I felt a twinge from my sixth sense. I probed it gently, and could sense a connection to Edward. What now?"

"Hang on a sec," I said to my mother and husband, and slipped away, isolating the source of the twinge, tuning into it like a radio. A picture blossomed in my head.

Edward was running through the forest, the dappled sunlight throwing odd jade beams from his skin. He ran at his full speed, faster than the rest of us, and on his back was Bella. I felt like laughing aloud at the look on her face; her brown eyes were as wide as saucers, her lips clenched tightly together, and her complexion, always so pale, was whitening further and further until she could have passed for a plain vampire wearing contacts. Edward, on the other hand, was elated; he found speed exhilarating and Bella delightful, so careering through the forest with her body so close to his must be pretty enjoyable.

I was about to pull out of the vision and relay it to Esme and Jazz when another decision was made, and another twinge touched me. I darted forwards a few minutes, a few miles.

Edward and Bella, by that rusty monstrosity of a vehicle, her sitting on the cushioning ferns, him kneeling before her. Edward pauses to check his control, then leans forward and touches his lips to hers. Then black.

I knew why the vision had cut off: Bella didn't know what he was planning and therefore hadn't decided how to react.

Well, if her reaction was anything like mine, she'd be in trouble.

"Oh. My. GOD!" I shrieked.

Esme visibly flinched at my sudden exclamation and Jasper immediately started trying to calm me down, but so far he was failing miserably.

"What happened?" Esme cried, tensed to run, but I grabbed her hands and was spinning her round the living room, laughing in utter delight.

"Alice!"

She tried to disengage her hands so I let her go and pulled Jazz into a crazy, whirling dance instead as Esme staggered back.

"Alice Whitlock Cullen!"

Even the use of my full name failed to stop me. My whoops of celebration grew in volume.

"If you don't calm down this minute, you will not be shopping for a month and you won't be round to meet Bella tomorrow!"

That stopped me. I froze mid-whirl and Jasper collapsed in an ungainly heap on the floor. Within a tenth of a second, I was sitting on the sofa, my hands demurely folded in my lap. I couldn't quite stop my excited bouncing though, and the world vibrated before my eyes as I fought for composure.

Esme glared at me. "Now. What happened?"

"Nothing yet," I answered immediately. The look on my mother's face prompted me to hastily continue. "I'm not even entirely sure it will happen, he might change his mind. Plus, she doesn't know how to react – yet – so I can't see exactly, but he—" I stopped.

"Alice—" Esme began in a warning tone, but I ignored her for a second. I darted forward a few hours, until Edward got back, and checked her reaction if I told her first, or if I left it to him. After all, it was his relationship.

It only took a moment and then I shook my head at Esme. "I'm not saying. It's Edward's secret."

Esme looked about to protest, but Jazz felt my certainty and determination and sighed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to watch this properly." With that, I left them again and rejoined Edward and Bella.