I hit the 100 reviews mark and I'm sooo stoked!!! (Not sure if you use that slang over-seas ;) Thank you to everyone who reviewed and made this possible, please keep them comming.

So, here's the next chapter, and its quite long compared to the last few chapters as a thank you to all my reviewers!!! Here goes....

Jasper had grown increasingly still as I recounted what had happened between Charlotte and myself.

"…she just kept pushing me and eventually I snapped."

"You hit her?" he asked in surprise.

"Twice." I all but whispered into his chest as he held me tight against his body, as though trying to absorb the guilt I felt over it.

He kissed the top of my head. "Now I wish I hadn't sent her away so quickly." he said

"No, I'm pleased you did." I told him, he frowned at me in confusion "She was only doing what she thought was best for everyone." I explained

"But she caused you to feel like this." he said, referring to the culpability and remorse he could feel from me.

"Yes, but it also made me realise she was right – the others need to know they have to follow my orders, and there will be consequences if they don't."

Jasper let out a low growl "They wouldn't dare – "

"-to disobey you" I finished his sentence "They need to obey me, and not just because we're mated. I may not like or enjoy disciplining them but I will if I have to."

"Alice," he said quietly "I never wanted you here, to see me like this, to become like me … you encapsulate everything that's good and right in the world into your tiny frame and I don't want to change that. You're just so innocent." I knew he hadn't meant it as condescension but it still annoyed me.

"Don't do that." I said harshly, pulling away from him slightly for easier eye contact "Don't make me into some perfect woman. A delicate flower you're afraid will be ruined. There's more to me than that and you know it. And don't make yourself out to be worse than me" I added, I hated when he would blindly ignore my faults. "We've both done things in our past that we're not proud off, nor am I ignorant of what we are discussing; of what I am considering - I know what methods are employed by this and other covens."

"I just…" Jasper began before trailing off, unable to articulate himself.

"I know." I said, understanding perfectly what he was trying to say "but I need to do this, and you need to stop trying to protect me from everything. If this is to be a proper Southern Coven capable of standing up to the Alliance then we will all need to play our roles."

He let out a sigh, "Okay." he agreed quietly

"And think, this'll mean I need a whole new wardrobe to match – I was thinking leather and latex." I added grinning, showing him that even if I had to harden my heart to others, I was still me.

He was unable to hold back a smile at that.

We stood discussing different tactics and plans until Leah and Sam returned.

They entered the room looking grim but resigned and I was pleased to note their packs were not with them, hopefully this meant they had decided against fighting us.

"So?" Jasper asked without preamble.

"We agree that fighting you would be pointless, but at the same time we cannot help you when it goes against everything we stand against, so we have decided to return to La Push. If you fail we'll be needed there to defend the humans anyway." Sam explained although I could see he was not content with the decision.

Jasper nodded, "Alright. When do you plan to leave?" he asked

"As soon as possible" Leah responded

"Can we get you anything for your trip?" I offered but both declined and less than 10 minutes later we watched their retreating forms as they raced homewards.

I had little to do for the next few hours and so decided to go to the training area to watch the mock fights and hopefully refresh my knowledge whilst we waited for Peter and Charlotte to return – with the wolves gone they no longer needed to train the Newborns away from us so Jasper had called them back – it was more convenient to have them nearby.

Randy's POV

We were training around the back of the house when she came into view. She was short and not how I would have pictured Jaspers mate. Indeed it was a surprise to all of us that he even had a mate, let alone another coven.

I watched her round the corner of the building and had to smile, it was gratifying to know that in a fight I would undoubtedly come out best.

I could not explain my dislike for her but something about her presence just rubbed me the wrong way.

She looked over to me and made eye contact, I could see some unidentifiable emotion burning in those strangely golden eyes as she surveyed me levelly, almost haughtily.

Self-righteous Bitch I thought at her you're only where you are because Jaspers your mate, I, on the other hand, am here because of my effort and hard work. You think you're a vampire but really you're a weakling human in a vampire's body.

Her eyes darted to another vampire watching us from across the yard a millisecond before I heard a growl erupt from his chest.

"Edward, I'll handle it." she called to him before turning her attention back to me.

He looked as though he would argue but then his expression changed and he backed off.

She advanced towards me, her movements almost stalking.

She came to a stop just before me and had to look up to meet my gaze, it was almost comical our height difference. "So Randy, you think that I'm only here because I'm Jaspers mate?" she asked lightly

Holy Shit, please don't tell me she's a mind-reader. I thought – it's not that I was embarrassed about my opinions but I knew Jasper would be pissed when she told him – which I'm sure she would do the second she had the opportunity.

I considered if denial or honesty would be my best route here, thankful she didn't give me enough time to work it out.

"You're right." she said in a hushed, but menacing, tone. I noticed in m peripheries that a crowd was beginning to gather. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jasper. I don't like war, I don't enjoy killing, I find no rush of adrenaline when my life, or the lives of those I love, is on the line."

I felt a surge of triumph as she admitted this, her eyes brimming with passion.

"But where you see all those things as my weaknesses, I see them as my strengths. I will always fight ten times harder than you, kill with ten times the vigour you ever will because I have something more precious than my own life to protect."

She stepped back a few steps so she no longer had to tilt her head to look at me. "You all think you're better than me." she called to the surrounding groups, tauntingly. "Better fighters, better leaders." She was now striding about as she talked and I began think she was actually enjoying herself "You forget that I have over a hundred years of experience, have had to face many more obstacles than you ever could have in your few brief months since being turned. Yet still you feel superior?"

Then her eyes locked back on mine and she stopped pacing to face me head on "Try me." she challenged.

APOV

I watched as his body tensed in preparation.

I had to admit that giving that little speech had been fun, as would the coming sparring. Being here with Jaspers southern coven had re-awoken something of me that I had not experienced since Jazz and I had joined our family.

When it had been just Jazz and I, we had been different – wilder, without the social conventions that were so much a part of the human façade. And while I was fairly content with the way of life my family had adopted, being here was…freeing, it allowed me to give myself over to my instincts.

I grinned to myself as I saw his attack a second before he sprung.

I closed my eyes and sidestepped as he lunged for me. I was equally immersed in the present and the future, this was what felt most natural to me – being able to react off my visions rather than peoples present behaviour. I normally refrained from doing so because I knew my family found it annoying and the humans would just have thought it odd and it'd have drawn unwanted attention, but now, sparring with Randy, I could do so without hesitation.

For all that I supported our lifestyle, if I were honest with myself, the other vampires were right, we were denying our very nature by living in the constraints of a human world - vampires were meant to be free, unrestrained and wild, to run with abandon through the forest, to move without having to constantly slow ourselves down, and here in the South, I could allow myself to be completely myself.

He lasted a grand total of two minutes, and 110 seconds of that time was more because I wanted to prolong the experience than anything else.

I ended it with his arms pinned behind his back, almost dislocating it and my teeth at his neck, biting down to just pierce the skin. I held him there for a couple of seconds before releasing and stepping away.

The surrounding group was silent, still. I knew they were surprised and impressed, exactly the reaction I wanted from this whole encounter – if they were to respect me they needed to know I knew what I was talking about and could actually defend myself.

A moment later Peter stepped out of the ring and came towards me, as I had seen he would. He and Charlotte had arrived back as we had begun sparring.

"Now," he said, turning to the crowd that had gathered to watch "who can guess how she bested him?"

The A/J conversation was not as intense as I had planned, but anyway.

I know I dont normally do random peoples POV's but I thought I needed to so I could show how the others regarded Alice. I quite enjoyed the whole confrontation - did you? REVIEW and let me know!!