Dear Reader,

I wonder how many times I'll have to apologize to you before I finally start updating this story more frequently. Alas, as my gift to you, I give you two chapters, instead of one. Without giving too much away, these next couple chapters will give you a chance to peek into Alice's past a little. In your reviews, however, please help me decide the following: Alice and Jasper are getting really close to the Cullens; would you like to see the story continue after they've settled in there, or do you think I should just end it? I have ideas to go either way, but perhaps knowing that my readers want to hear more will inspire me to continue. So, let me know(; Thanks for hanging in there all of this time. It's been a long journey, but I've really enjoyed painting this world for not only myself, but for you as well. Enjoy Chapters Fourteen and Fifteen, and don't forget to review!

Much love,
bambi-doe3

Waking up for the second time as an immortal was an absolutely indescribable experience. The dust in the air moved differently than it had before and colors seemed even brighter and fuller. Sounds were cleaner, scents were deeper; it had never felt so good to be dead. I felt my granite limbs twist and stretch, roll and move.; from the tips of my toes to the crown of my head I was newer and better than I had felt in a long time.

Shortly after I had stirred, I turned my head and smiled over at my still sleeping Jasper, whose breaths were even and tranquil. His brow, uncreased by emotion, was smooth, which was a welcoming sight after all of the trials and tribulations we had faced thus far.

Slowly, I leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead, running my fingers through his hair briefly before letting them travel the planes of his face playfully. I had half a mind to wake him right then and there, but recalling the magnificence of the sleep I had just aroused from, I couldn't bear to take a minute from him (even if it did mean staring into his bronze eyes).

So, after abiding by every ounce of self-control within me, I planted a final kiss on his forehead and leapt down from the bed, moseying out to the dinning room finally. Though there were no celestial signs indicating the arrival of morning due to the fact that we were deep underground, I picked up the scent of hot tea and freshly baked pastries, which I could only presume to be Gaston's breakfast.

"Bonjour!" Gaston exclaimed, leaning over a plate of cinnamon rolls and toast. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than ever," I nodded, stilly hardly believing that I was answering his question at all. "It was the best sleep I've ever had."

"What did I tell you?" Lydia laughed upon entering the dinning room, a cup of hot tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

I smiled happily, though curiosity took over shortly afterward. "Is that the newspaper?"

"Yes," Lydia replied, setting both the tea and the paper down in front of Gaston. "You forget my love is still human; he likes to keep up with the times." She gave a signature wink. "Is Jasper still asleep?"

I nodded. "Your batch must've been too strong for him; he's probably still stumbling through a dream land," I laughed.

"Hardly, love."

I turned around to see Jasper shuffling down the hallway, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to groom his sleep-tossed locks.

"Good morning," I said softly, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning to you, too," he replied in that special southern drawl, sending my stomach fluttering in a way only he knew how.

"Breakfast is upstairs for us when you two are ready," Lydia cut in then.

"Breakfast?" Jasper asked.

"Of course! I wouldn't have my two favorite house guests leave with empty stomachs. I tried sincerely to find bears this morning but they just didn't seem to be out; we'll have to make do with deer."

I waved away her disappointment. "Deer sounds perfect!"

"It certainly does," Jasper agreed. "Shall we?"

Even blood tasted better after a good night's sleep. With each swallow I could feel myself growing stronger, feel the crimson rush through my dry veins, so thoroughly satisfied by every little thing. The deer were still warm, which meant that we must've just woken up when Lydia had returned with the hunt and begun to cook Gaston's breakfast. There was plenty of drink to go around for the three of us, and by the time we were finished filling up entirely, there was still one deer left.

"Lydia, we can't thank you enough. The tonic, hunting for our breakfast; you've been the best hostess," I said, trying my best to show how grateful I truly was.

"Don't mention it," she replied. "It's been such a pleasure having the both of you here, even for a short while. I know it's meant a lot to Gaston as well. He fears that I'm not around those of my kind enough, and that I might resent him for that. I don't, of course, but it can be hard sometimes. He values each and every bit of time I'm able to spend with other vampires in hopes that I won't feel so alone. Though he only likes the good ones," she chuckled.

I decided suddenly that now was as good a time as ever to ask about Gaston's mortality. They'd been together more than a decade, yet it seemed almost natural that he was human; as if the thought had never crossed his mind that he might want to be with her forever now that it was a possibility.

"Lydia, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but, I was just wondering about Gaston…"

She nodded, immediately understanding where I was going. "It's just not what he wants right now. And who am I to pressure him?"

"Well," I replied, "quite frankly, you're his wife. Don't you have a bit of a say?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. But it's a big cross to carry, Alice. I'd be asking him to trade a life of stability and reason for chaos and irrational thirst. Honestly, it's not something I can ask of him; he has to want to give it to me."

Jasper nodded understandingly. "That makes sense. Have you two discussed it?"

"Endlessly," she chuckled, beginning to drag the deer carcasses into the nearby underbrush. "I think we're really at the point now where all we can stand to do is enjoy every minute of being together. Forever can wait while today is here, don't you think?"

And that was all that needed to be said; she was perfectly correct. As long as they were together today, impending immortality could wait until they were ready to discuss it fully. For now, being in love for as long as they both lived was enough, even if Lydia was bound to outlive Gaston at this point in time.

Silently, I was thankful that mortality wasn't a schism Jasper and I would ever encounter. By deciding, perhaps indirectly, to be with one another for the rest of our lives, we were deciding to spend the rest of eternity together. The thought was something I couldn't dwell on for too long, lest I get overwhelmed. But it was also a thought that brought me great, unspeakable joy.

"As long as we're talking about Gaston, though," Jasper continued. "I was also wondering about something: that dagger he had yesterday-did he really suppose it would do us any harm?"

Lydia smiled mischievously. "Oh, it would have."

Jasper and I looked at each other then, hardly believing that there was even more mysticism in this world. The tonic was enough to exceed our expectations. But a weapon capable of wounding a vampire? It seemed even more impossible than a sleep serum.

"I fashioned the dagger myself out of vampire bone. While wielding it proves to be quite a task for mortals, one jab in the right spot can put a vampire down long enough for someone like Gaston to get away."

"You've trained him well," I said approvingly. "Something like that makes so much sense but I would have never thought of it."

She shrugged modestly. "It took several attempts, but since I've perfected it, it's proved to be useful once or twice."

I didn't want to ask when or how; that seemed like it might be too painful and private. All that matter was that it had saved the love of Lydia's life.

She smiled at another memory neither Jasper nor I could see, and then pulled the last deer away before waving us to begin our decent back down into their hidden home one final time.

Saying farewell was harder than I had anticipated. Even having spent less than 24 hours with them, I felt as if I was leaving a piece of family behind. However, they expressed that they couldn't wait for our next visit, which we promised would be soon. And it would be, I'd make sure of that.

"You travel safe," Lydia said, as if she were a mother. "And tell the Cullens that there is hope in our world; there are those of us who can be decent beings if we try."

I nodded and took her into my arms-one final embrace. "I will," I whispered, suddenly overcome by the words she said. "The both of us will tell your story proudly."

She pulled away and gave me yet another signature wink-the promise of many more to come in the future. I winked back and turned to Gaston. "You keep taking care of her, monsieur."

"Oh, cherie, you know I will," he grinned, hugging me. "She is my whole life."

"Good," I grinned back.

Jasper followed the same path with his farewells, first Lydia then Gaston.

However, when Lydia brought him in for an embrace, she quickly whispered something into his ear; she was careful to keep her voice so low that even I could not hear it. He nodded and smiled at her, parting with the words, "I promise."

Afterward, his farewell with Gaston was just as heartfelt, though filled with much more laughter and joking.

Finally, with many additional hugs and kisses, Jasper and I made the long ascent upward and into the light of day, intent on making this the last leg of our journey.

"I'll miss them," he said.

"Me too," I concurred, trying hard not to think of how badly I would indeed miss them.

He took my hand in his and squeezed it tightly. "I think I really needed that."

I looked over at him as we began to walk, questions in my eyes.

"I needed to see that control exists in our world," he explained. "I know that it does, of course; if it didn't we wouldn't be on this journey in the first place. But," he paused, shaking his head. "It's hard not being able to see it as clearly as you do. You live with constant sneak peeks, you know? You can see that it's real anytime you wish. But me? I've been hanging on all this time, waiting to actually witness it." He looked over at me with a mild smile. "I'm so pleased I was able to preview it here."

For a moment then I imagined the reality that Jasper had lived in thus far on our journey together. Here I was, just a stranger in the beginning, walking into a diner and telling him that there was a whole future for him that he knew nothing about. I'd asked him to give up all that he'd known, all the bloodlust and the familiarity, just so that he could waltz into uncertainty with me, a broken, crazy girl. All the while, for all he knew, I'd been telling him a myth about tame immortal murderers; I'd been telling him something that only I was certain of up until this point. For the first time, I realized just how much he trusted me, and it felt so fine.

"You're a wonder," I whispered, taking him off guard, I was sure. Then again, he understood better than anyone how quickly my thoughts were prone to change.

He chuckled a bit. "Am I?"

"Yes," I breathed, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him close.

"Where's all this coming from?" he asked me, stroking my hair. We had barely made it a quarter mile from Lydia and Gaston's.

I rested my head on the plain of his chest and closed my eyes. "I hardly know. Sometimes it just takes me by surprise how utterly magnificent you are. So loving, so trusting."

"Right," he muttered. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "I kill an innocent girl, slow you down by bolting to Texas, unearth the darkest skeletons of my past and expect you to revel in them, and then ask you to be with me as if I deserve you." He laughed a little, which I was surprised by since he was bringing up every sensitive issue we'd encountered so far. "I'm perfect, aren't I?"

I pulled away from him and met his eyes with mine. "I'll never make you see, will I?" I smiled but he knew how perfectly serious I was being. "I'll never be able to make you see just how lovely you are, even with all of your faults." I thought of words, then. I tried to think of words that would help him believe me, words that would help him see that all the things he had done were only mistakes; they were mistakes that could be made up, fixed, and forgotten.

And then, as if divinely granted, the word came to me.

"Forgive yourself, Jasper," I whispered.

All the playfulness left him as he measured the gravity and sincerity of my words. I half thought he might become angry with me; I thought he'd assure me that I was asking him to do the impossible and that it was foolish of me to even suppose he could.

Instead, he just pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. "How?"

A small, short laugh escaped from me then. "Love, I don't know," I admitted. "You can though. I believe in you."

There was a long sigh from him as he folded his arms around me and laid his head on my shoulder. Silence passed between us for immeasurable moments as I ran my hands over his back and tried to console him. I mustered up as much empathy, understanding and love as I could so that it would be impossible for him to miss the emotions that rolled off of me. Perhaps knowing that I was there for him so certainly would help him move forward. Maybe, as long as he could remember the future that he held in his arms, he could let go of the past.

Finally, he spoke. "Okay."

"Okay?" I asked, smiling uncontrollably.

"Okay," he repeated. "I'll try."

"Ah, ah," I stopped him. "You will."

He laughed, and then corrected himself. "I will."

I pulled away and kissed him slowly and softly. "Good."

I felt him smile as he kissed me back, his soft hands stroking my temples. "Thank you, goddess Divine."

I giggled. "That's a new one. I rather like it."

"Good," he whispered, running his nose along my collarbone. "I rather like it too."

The air around us changed as I remembered the hunger from before, the hunger that turned beneath our skin like lava beneath the earth. The longer he remained so close to me, the harder it was to focus on anything else.

It was only when his lips neared my no longer beating pulse-point that I froze completely, stripped from my remembering. It wasn't as if he hadn't done it before, but it certainly hadn't carried as much implication as it did now.

He pulled away immediately, his hands no longer holding any part of me.

"That was…" he trailed off. "I am so sorry."

I shook my head and laughed lightly. "Don't be. It's just…"

He didn't even dare to look at me as I struggled with my words.

"It's all very foreign to me, Jasper."

He nodded shortly, probably listening to nothing I said. The self-resentment was evident on his face.

"Hey, we were having a nice moment there; don't ruin it." I took his chin in my hands and made him look at me. "It's a bridge we'll cross when we get there. You don't need to feel badly about anything."

"I know," he mumbled. "I just shouldn't have done that. It was rash and…" he groaned angrily when he could't find the words to finish his sentence.

"Well, what do you expect? We're rash little creatures, darling. It's okay, really, it is."

He shook his head, finally looking into my eyes willingly. "It isn't, Alice." It was very quiet as we began beating around a bush that I had not intended to consider for quite some time.

"I want to wait," he said finally.

He didn't have to tell me what it was he wanted to wait for. I knew. But the reason escaped me.

"Wait for what?" I asked.

"Until we're tied together in every single way possible, alright?" His eyes were sincere and serious.

My mind traveled a million miles a minute as I realized what he was saying. Marriage.

"Oh," I breathed.

Marriage was something I had only dreamed of since becoming a vampire. I honestly assumed that no other immortal thought it was as important as I did. After all, we could live forever; what was the point of mortal traditions? Then again, perhaps living forever gave us all the more reason to make a vow to each other; there was so much more intensity and love in pledging your eternity to someone else, as apposed to fifty or sixty years.

"Unless," he began, unsure.

"No, no," I stopped him. "I agree. I really do."

"You do?" His smile wasn't completely full but it was true.

"I do," I smiled, staring into his eyes. And then I suddenly realized what I'd said and rushed to elaborate. "Agree, I mean! I do agree."

He laughed at my embarrassment, as if telling me it was completely unwarranted.

"I'm glad we can agree on something that important," he said, taking me into his arms again. It felt nice to slip back into ourselves and out of the awkwardness.

"Me too."

I suddenly realized that we'd made absolutely no progress. We could have turned around in no time and spent another day with Lydia and Gaston if we wished. I laughed.

"We should get going if we want to make it to the Cullens tonight," I said, pulling away but taking his hand in mine.

"Yes, ma'am," he winked.

Moving ahead was so natural. As we always had, we talked endlessly about anything and everything. Never letting go of one another's hands, we sometimes ran, sometimes bounded, but mostly walked through the lush greenery, hiding our shinning skin from the world around us.

After a while, I began to poke fun at him.

"So, darling," I began. "Are there anymore Marias I should know about?"

He rolled his eyes but he wasn't serious. "What does it matter to you, beloved one?"

I shrugged, carrying on with our playful conversation. "I just think that the woman you're intending to spend eternity with deserves to know about any other jealous ex-girlfriends."

He grimaced, playing along completely now. "Well, there was this one girl," he sighed. "Her name was Olivia; she was just the prettiest dame in the county."

"Oh?" I glared, still acting.

"Of course," he continued, "I was five years old and she was my twenty-one year old nanny. It would never have worked between us."

I laughed and kissed his cheek. "You're a funny one, darling."

He shrugged and leaned into my kiss. "I try."

It wasn't long before he turned the question around on me, though it wasn't playful anymore. He really was wondering if there had ever been any other men in my life. At this point I was sure he was confident enough in our relationship to take whatever I said in stride. But it still felt weird beginning this discussion. I owed him an answer, though.

"There was Luken," I began.

Jasper's face was completely placid and level as I continued, so I knew that this conversation would leave us right where we had begun it: completely unhindered by the past.

"We met shortly after I was turned. We were just sort of forced into companionship with one another; loneliness does that to creatures like us. We were both still feeding on humans at the time, though I had already begun to develop a conscience.

"I think we wanted really badly to love each other, especially after how long we'd been traveling together aimlessly."

"How long?" Jasper asked.

I bit my lip, wondering if I'd have to pay for the answer. "Just up until last year sometime."

"Wow," he replied. He was amazed, not hurt.

"Yeah," I laughed a little. "But even after fifty years of being the closest of friends, we knew that things would never work between us. At least, we became entirely sure of that shortly before we parted ways a year ago."

"What made you leave one another?"

I shrugged. "We were in love with different people. We just didn't know it yet."

His eyes had questions in them again.

"Luken and I share a gift. Just as I can see into the future, he can do the same. About a year ago, he began to see visions of an immortal named Pauline. And he knew right then and there that that was who he'd been searching for. He loved me in his own way, but we knew we weren't meant for one another."

"And who did you see?" he asked, genuinely curious, no jealousy in the question. I was surprised that he hadn't put it together in his head yet. How could he believe that there was not only one other man, but two?

I laughed. "Jasper, it was you."

His smile was untamable. "What?"

I laughed even louder. "Yes, you silly thing. That's when I'd decided to come find you."

"You mean to tell me you'd been searching for me for nearly a year before we even met?"

I shrugged. "Not the whole time, no. It took a great deal of time to work up the courage to actually find you. But, be it fate or some other divine power, I knew that I couldn't go on pretending to love Luken if I was having visions of you. I knew that you were supposed to be someone important, and it was moot trying to ignore that."

"So how long were you actually searching for me before you finally found me?"

I bit my lip again, wondering what he'd think. He wouldn't pass judgment, I knew that. But he might think I was a bit of a creepy girl.

"Six months, maybe," I replied finally. "Even after all this time I'm not particularly gifted. It took a while to pinpoint where you were."

He shook his head and looked at me the way he did when he was absolutely enamored and amazed.

"What?" I asked.

"I think I should just get used to the fact that you'll be surprising me pleasantly for the rest of eternity. True?"

I laughed. "Maybe."

"I guess I've got a lot of loving to catch up on, then, hm?" His eyes peered into mine sweetly and he gave me a little eskimo kiss with his nose.

I nodded and smiled widely. "I guess you do."

He kissed me and we continued walking.

"How far are we now?" he asked, looking up at the setting sun.

I closed my eyes and saw them in my mind, feeling their presence so near.

"Really close," I answered. "We can't be more than ten miles." Excitement overwhelmed me suddenly.

I opened my eyes and Jasper's face said it all. He was so ready to meet our new family. I thought then of how uncertain we had been at the onset of our journey, just wanting to 'meet them.' Now we were set on staying with them for good. Regardless, it felt nice being resolved and ready.

"We're so close," he smiled. "I can't believe it."

We heard the noise together then. My nose knew it was no mortal; not a drop of blood was near us for miles. I wondered then if it might be one of the Cullens. My wonder, however, was answered when he emerged from the brush, as if summoned by the story I had just told Jasper.

"Luken?"