Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight
A/N: Sorry about the long wait.
Thank you to HappilyEverAfter7 for Betaing
20 questions
"Lets play a game," Alice said suddenly as she danced out in front of Jasper.
"What kind of game?" Jasper asked as he shifted the bag on his shoulder; he had insisted on carrying it.
"We each take turns asking each other questions."
"What kind of questions?" His low voice dripped with hesitancy.
"Anything we want, but we don't have answer questions we are not comfortable with." She added the last part for his benefit knowing he might not want to share certain things with her.
"Okay, ladies first."
"Mmm," Alice said as she looked around at the forest and then spun around walking backwards. "What year were you born?"
"1843."
"Huh. That's a while ago," Alice said as she continued to walk backwards stepping over and around things expertly. "Okay, your turn."
He thought for a moment,. "Your favorite vision?"
"The one of the diner," she admitted. "If I hadn't seen it, I may have spent another thirty years searching for you."
"You wouldn't have just given up and gone to find the Cullens?"
"Hey, it's my turn to ask a question," she said with a laugh.
"I apologize." Jasper bowed his head staring at his shoes as he walked.
The smile fell from her face, "Jasper, it's fine, I was joking. I never would have given up trying to find you."
He thought for a moment. "Why is that? Why wouldn't you have given up?"
"It felt like fate. When I saw you in my vision, it felt like we were supposed to meet, like some outer force wanted us to. I would never just give that up."
The corners of his lips started to turn up just the slightest causing Alice's eyes to light up and her smile to return. "That reminds me, you never asked me about the vision I had earlier."
"I did not want to be rude."
"Jasper I want to share my visions with you as long as you want to listen."
"I'll always listen," he sighed.
"It was of the Cullens, I have not seen them in a while. Rosalie and Emmett are getting married again."
"Again?"
"Yes, they had another wedding a few years ago but I guess they like to get remarried a lot. I think Rosalie likes the attention," she added with a laugh. "'Kay, my turn. Your favorite time of day?"
"Night."
"I prefer sunrises, all of the different colors are so beautiful. I watch it rise every chance I get." She closed her mouth sharply. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling again."
"It's fine, you answered the question I was going to ask anyway."
"Oh, I'm sorry, ask me a different question." She was not really sorry; she had purposely given him the information in the hopes that would help him become more comfortable with her.
"If you could have one thing in the world what would it be?"
Alice slowed eventually coming to a stop and looked down at the ground "To know that someone loves me."
Jasper was taken aback by her honesty that she would open herself up to him like that. Yet with that statement he felt like they were a lot more a like than they were different. "I am sure the Cullens will love you," he said in what he hoped was a comforting voice.
She smiled sadly as if that had not been quite what she hoped to hear. "I hope so," she breathed with a twinge of woe in her voice. She walked forward, stopping at his side and then turned. "It will be easier to talk side by side," she explained. "Where were you born?"
"Houston, Texas."
"Your favorite thing to hunt?"
"Deer, they don't taste the best, but I love chasing them. They move fairly quickly and are graceful, so for me they make the most interesting hunting."
Jasper felt his mouth break into an unfamiliar form as a sound escaped his lips. He had not heard in a long time.
Alice looked up at him her eyes brightly shining with a smile plastered on her face. "I've never heard you laugh before."
Jasper looked down bashfully and mumbled, "It was not much of a laugh."
"It was beautiful and don't worry I will be sure to get a real laugh out of you." Alice then skipped away from his side twirling and dancing out in front of him. "What did you find so funny?"
Jasper hesitated before speaking. "The thought of you taking down a deer."
Alice gave a laugh as she spun around. "Are making fun of my size?"
"No of course not--" Panic washed over his face.
Alice was quick to interrupt him "I tore the head completely off of my fist deer and crushed its ribs. I did not know my own strength."
"We are stronger during our first year."
"That is what Carlisle said. It's your turn to ask a question, in fact you should ask two, because I asked you two."
"Your favorite season?"
"Mmm…I don't know. I love all the seasons. I guess it would have to be a tie between spring and autumn. I love all of the beautiful flowers that bloom in spring; I really enjoy picking the wildflowers. And in the autumn all of the leaves changing into such vivid colors they are so much fun to play in when they fall to the ground too. I don't like how all of the tress are bare during the winter though, it makes me feel lonely, but I love the snow. Summer would be my least favorite because there is no real change. Next question?"
"Have you taken a dancing class?"
"No, I don't believe I have, I just love to dance, it makes me feel so free. What's your favorite season?"
He shrugged his shoulders "I don't really have a favorite." Alice nodded, excepting his answer. He swallowed thickly before asking the fear present in his voice "Why is it that you are not afraid of me?"
Alice cocked her to the side. "Why would I be afraid of you?"
"My scars should be enough of a reason."
"That is a stupid reason to be afraid of you."
He looked at her confused for a moment, "Everyone is."
"Well then everyone is stupid." She stated it with such confidence, and he wanted terribly to believe her.
"It is a warning to our kind that I am dangerous."
"You're not dangerous, at least not to me."
"Clearly you have never seen me fight," he said with a disgusted tone.
"I have and that is how I know I don't have to be afraid of you. I know you won't hurt me."
"Are you saying you're a better fighter than me?"
"No, I don't know how to fight, I am sure if you wanted to kill me you could, but that is just it, I know you would not want to kill me."
"You have quite a bit of trust I me."
"You're not a man of war, you don't enjoy violence."
"When I was seventeen, I ran off and joined the army," he countered as if trying to prove her wrong, maybe on some level he was trying to see just how much of him she could take. He did not get the response he expected.
Alice stared at him in shock for a moment, her eyes turning sad. "You've been fighting for almost sixty years." She then smiled softly at him. "You're very strong, I don't think I would have the strength to survive something like that." Jasper's nose crinkled in repulsion as the thought of her being in the southern wars crossed his mind. "Are you okay?"
Jasper blinked his and looked down to see Alice looking at him with completely worried face. "I'm fine, just reliving some memories."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
Jasper shook his head dismissively. "It's fine, I'm the one who started talking about war. I really should be the one apologizing, war is not an appropriate topic to be discussing with you."
Alice smiled reaching out and taking his hand. "You're such a gentleman. But you can tell me anything you want, I'll always listen."
He was speechless but he knew there were some things he could not tell her, instead he settled for a nod.
Alice then smiled and closed her eyes, sniffing the air. "Would you like to get something to eat?" Jasper grimaced slightly at the memory of the deer blood, causing Alice to look at him sympathetically. "It's a bear, they taste better than deer."
"We could try it."
"Okay, this way." Alice picked up her pace so they were running through the forest.
Once they were close enough to the bear they came to a stop, watching it for a moment. "There is a herd of deer near by that I'll go hunt, we'll meet back here okay?" Alice suggested.
"The bear would not be enough to share?" Jasper asked.
"I didn't know how you would feel about sharing, I don't mind drinking deer."
"You said that it tasted better, it would not feel right for me to let you drink something that does not taste as good as what I am drinking."
"It's fine, Jasper."
"I insist."
Alice smiled "Alright."
After a few minutes the bear was dead and they were both on the ground feeding. Jasper seemed to have less trouble drinking but was still struggling. Alice pulled her lips from the animal licking up the blood that had stained them. She watched as Jasper continued to struggle with his feeding and within a few more minutes he had drained the rest of the bear's blood.
"You did not seem to struggle as much," she said giving him a bloody smile.
"It tasted better."
"I'm glad." She looked out over the field, softly feeling Jasper's eyes on her. She turned to look and watched as he lowered his eyes causing her to smile. "Come on," she said as she stood up and held out her hand. He reached out taking it, engulfing her small hand. "We've got a long journey ahead of us." He stood and they both disappeared off into the forest.
A/N: Sorry about the long wait, I hope it was worth it.
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