AN: Alice and Jasper have always been two of my very favourite characters. So here's a chapter that I really enjoyed writing, and I hope you enjoy reading! Review! ^_^

Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from my own ideas.

Encounters

We were back in the castle now. Back in Volterra. Back in Italy. Back home.

But, I couldn't seem to stop thinking about our encounter with the Cullens. Everyone else, of course, hadn't thought a whit about it, rather choosing to focus their attentions to more pressing matters. Like, for example, the approaching war.

But, still, I just couldn't seem to...

I mainly avoided the newest temporary members of our coven. Of course, they were not accepted. They wouldn't be, not until they had gone through the same realization and ritual that I did. And they wouldn't. They were just too devoted to the Cullens, having joined the Volturi out of necessity rather than opportunity.

But it was not nearly as bad for them as it was for me. They had each other, and their love was strong. Stronger than mine and Edward's, at any rate.

It was easier to think about him now that we were on separate continents, but my mind still pored over our meeting. When he had approached me, his arms spread apart, it had almost seemed as if he were going to embrace me... What was I to think?

To distract myself from these troubling facts, I instead thought of Alice and Jasper.

Jasper was guarded, as could be expected, the military man as always. He kept his distance from all of the Volturi, with the ancients and Jane in particular. I understood that he had developed a healthy level of respect for them during the newborn wars of the South.

Alice was another matter altogether. I kept spying her steal confused and excited glances at me, every time I interacted with a member of my coven. It was obvious that she still thought of me as her sister and friend, but I wasn't sure that I felt the same way about her. She, or at least her coven, had abandoned me.

But, as Jane had said before, this was only temporary. To grow closer, to let myself give in to my heart's desires, would make everything on the whole more painful for everyone involved.

I was sparring with Felix about a week after our return to Volterra. Jasper watched from about twenty yards away, leaning up against the far wall casually. I was doing my best to ignore him.

"Come on, little sister," Felix teased playfully. "You can do better than that,"

I growled menacingly in response, and glanced over quickly to the far wall. Jasper was smiling widely, his grin breaking his pale face in two. "Shut it, Fifi," I replied angrily to Felix.

"Fifi, huh? That's my nickname, is it? Well, I don't know if it suits me, Bella," He flexed his muscles thoughtfully. "It's awfully feminine."

"Oh, please,"

Felix grinned and continued. "But hey, if that's what Jelly Bella Bean wants, that's what she gets, right?"

A fearsome growl ripped its way up my throat and through my bared teeth.

"Nice kitty,"

I couldn't hold back any longer. I reared back and launched myself at him, fingers hooked into claws.

And then we were a blur of various limbs, moving at vampire speed. To a human it would have seemed as though we weren't there at all. Just a large, cavernous room, its only inhabitant a single blond-haired angel watching the empty air from one wall.

My eyes were focused on Felix. He lifted an arm to strike my left side and force me back, but I ducked under his blow and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him sprawling.

I stood back in satisfaction, crossing my arms to admire my handiwork.

Felix whipped back up to face me, and instant mess of furious snarling. "That trip was a dirty trick, Bella. Play fair!"

I nosed up to face him square on, standing on my tiptoes in a futile attempt to reach his face, though I still fell short about a foot. Frustrated, I used my shield to form a solid mass of air beneath my feet, and levitate myself until I was level with my brother.

"The Volturi," I hissed, "Don't play fair."

I looked again to the far wall, to see Jasper looking on in astonishment. He obviously hadn't expected me to beat such a seasoned fighter like Felix.

"Whatever," Felix growled, still somehow managing to sound nonchalant in the same instant. He turned his back on me and stalked away. I waved at him in farewell. He didn't really mean it.

When he had gone, I sighed and collected my thoughts for a moment. I didn't realize that Jasper was beside me until he spoke over my shoulder.

"She misses you, you know,"

I quickly spun to face him, crouching into a defensive stance.

"I hope you know me well enough, Bella, to know that I would never attack you. Alice cares for you too much,"

I shrugged, but straightened nonetheless. "Sorry,"

He shook his head and chuckled wryly. "No you're not,"

I rolled my eyes and hissed slightly, not really meaning it. I just didn't have it in me to attack Jasper. I jumped high, bending my knees gracefully to get enough force to leap all the way to the rafters, hooking my nails into one and swinging around to sit on the top. I noticed the grooves in the edges. This was the same specific rafter above which I had hid from Demetri, during our first sparring session. That was the day that they stopped shunning me. I sighed again.

Jasper had joined me. "Do you mind?" he drawled comfortably in his Southern accent.

I shook my head, despite the bit of common sense nagging at my mind. "No,"

He settled into position. "It's very strange, seeing you as a vampire, I hope you realize. After Edward keeping such a tight leash on you when you were human," I snarled at his name. "I can't seem to think of you as being just as unbreakable as we are."

I shrugged my assent.

He looked at me, then, and his tawny eyes flashed. "You snarled, just now. Why?"

"None of your business," I snapped.

Jasper grinned. "My, my, vampire Bella is irritable. Human Bella was much friendlier, although admittedly more fragile."

I rolled my eyes again, trying to feel annoyed but not quite succeeding.

"But she does miss you. Alice."

"I am not a Cullen, Jasper."

His eyes narrowed, his marble forehead creasing in confusion. "And nobody said you had to be."

"Can we talk about something else, please?"

We were both silent for the space of several seconds. Then, Jasper spoke. "You have a very interesting gift, Bella."

I looked at him in surprise. "The shield, you mean?"

"If that is what you call it."

"What else can it be called?"

"Telekinesis?"

I laughed merrily, the sound of my own glee lifting my spirits considerably. Telekinesis? Jasper looked on patiently, waiting for me to get over my amusement. "Something funny?"

I grasped my side as if I could physically restrain my giggles. "No, not really. It's just funny the way you said it. No, my gift is not telekinesis."

"Then what?"

When we visited your home, did you notice Edward's confusion, when he couldn't read our minds?

I saw his admission in his lion's eyes. "That was me. It's a mental shield, understand. I can extend it beyond my own body as well."

"Then how did you... levitate?"

"Well, my shield has the ability to retain a physical state, as well."

"I see." He did not.

I grinned. "It's pretty cool. You'll see it more in action when we go into battle."

"Yes... Battle." His eyes seemed to shine with the possibilities of a fight.

"You'll have to teach us, you know. Jane won't be pleased, none of them will really, but they'll have to deal with it. I'll arrange it with Aro." I noted.

"You need additional training? I thought that the Volturi was more than prepared for such an event."

I shook my head. "Not with the fighting, obviously. I thought you would have guessed that. We need insight into Maria's mind, from someone who knows her personally."

"Ah."

"In fact, I'd best be off to do that now,"

I leapt off of the rafter, turning several somersaults before landing gracefully on the ground. I couldn't resist showing off. My own confidence shocked me, even now.

Jasper followed me and grasped my shoulder before I had taken more than a few short steps. He stared at me piercingly before relaxing his grip, reading my emotions.

"You will speak to her? Alice." As if I didn't know what he was talking about.

I sighed. "I will. I promise."

I, of course, procrastinated. Every time there was an opportunity to speak to Alice, I put it off, postponing the inevitable. And all the time, she was just staring at me sadly. It was enough to drive me mad.

Finally, we spoke. But it wasn't I that started the conversation.

I was sitting in one of our common areas, reading a book in a corner while I simultaneously watched Demetri and Heidi, engaged in a game of chess.

Alice was watching me from where she sat alone on a white leather couch nearby, her legs curled up beside her. Jasper was off making use of the training yards, or else speaking to Aro about Maria and the war to come.

She was toying with her raven hair, twirling a spiky section around her finger again and again.

"Why do you hate me now, Bella?" she said softly, almost too quietly for even my vampire ears to pick up.

I looked up at her in surprise. "I don't hate you, Alice."

She stood and came to sit beside me. "Then why don't you ever talk to me? We used to be so close." Her voice, while still bell-like, was strained and rough.

And I was suddenly filled with an inescapable, over-powering remorse, unlike anything I had felt before. Poor, poor Alice. She had never done any harm to me, never hurt me in the slightest. What did she do, to deserve this? To deserve everything that I had done to her. I had ignored her, had avoided her, made her feel horrible. And she had always been my sister, my best friend, my comrade and confidante.

"Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry,"

I folded her small body into my arms, and we sat like that for a little while, minutes passing without attracting either of our notice.

Finally, we both pulled away from the hug. Alice grinned, pixie-like in her cheerful demeanour yet again. "I'm so glad we're friends again,"

"Me too,"

It was nice to just forget about all of our current troubles for the time being, and just spend time with Alice. I told her of my change, how Victoria bit me, and then we chatted for a time about silly, ridiculous things like yellow Porsches and fashion designers.

We discussed our favourite travelling destinations all over the globe, with mine in particular being Venice.

"I love the gondolas!" Alice squealed excitedly, then sighed. "So romantic with Jasper,"

She immediately looked guilty and glanced at me quickly, not wanting to remind me of Edward. But I smiled dreamily along with her. "Yes, I'd like to take Demetri with me, sometime."

Alice frowned, the corners of her small mouth turning down sharply. "Demetri?"

I nodded. In truth, I wasn't sure at all about my feelings for Demetri, but I couldn't have Alice making assumptions when it came to Edward and I. I watched the thin layer of hope in her eyes shrink out of existence.

"But I thought..."

My words had an edge to them, I'll admit, as I said, "You thought wrong,"

Being Volturi had hardened me in some ways, but I still felt remorse as I watched her falling face.

"Bella," she pleaded desperately, "Edward loves you, more than anything in the world. You're soul-mates!"

I shook my head in disbelief. Edward could not love me. It was impossible, and I was not going to hold on to shreds of immaterial hope.

Alice's eyes narrowed slightly, and she looked almost angry. "Can you not give him another chance? Trust me on this, Bella, Edward's love for you is very real."

"He abandoned me, Alice. He left me in the woods alone. He never came back. And did he ever come looking for me? No."

"But... but he did, Bella!" She choked back a tearless sob. "Didn't you wonder why we were in Forks when you found us? You were reported missing, there was a...funeral. He was devastated. Carlisle could barely stop him from going to the Volturi to ask for death!"

I smiled despite myself. "That wouldn't have accomplished much."

"How can you be smiling, Bella?"

I sighed. "I appreciate your attempts, Alice. I really do. But for now, I'd like to talk about something else."

Alice huffed angrily. "Fine." She collected herself, then continued hesitantly. "Actually, there is one thing I wanted to bring up with you. Bella, I never saw your future. All that time, the entire year you were in training here, I never saw a thing. I assumed that you were still in Forks, safe, but obviously I was wrong."

I thought on this. Alice had seen nothing at all... How could this be possible?

"Alice, the only thing that cancels out your visions is..."

"Werewolves.."

We stared at each other in confusion and synonymous understanding. "But..." I stuttered.

Another moment passed, then I stood quickly, a blur in my haste. "Alice, I need to go speak to Aro... now."