disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, these are not my characters. Also, in case it isn't obvious, the two lines of dialogue and situation in the diner are taken from Eclipse, page 301.

Chapter 25: Jasper

The rain quickly picked up speed, and soon enough the wind picked up and made the whole thing a storm. I sat with my golden eyes trained on the door, feeling my chest about to burst with love and expectations. He was coming.

A few minutes later, the door swung open. His scent hit me first, a wave of cinnamon and sweet berries and a faint hint of cedar. All of a sudden, I recognized I absolutely loved the smell of cinnamon and berries and cedar. It was delicious.

But I couldn't concentrate on that, because Jasper soon followed. For the first time, I realized how utterly inadequate my visions were.

The first thing I noticed were the dozens of crescent-shaped stars covering his face, neck, forearms. There were so many, but light enough against his skin that I was sure I was the only one in the diner aware of them. They gave his skin an unusual texture, and to any other vampire, would simply scream dangerous. As it was, I was only intrigued. He was tall and lean, with short honey blonde hair. I could see faint traces of a more muscular build underneath his button up shirt, but it was too loose to see much. His face drew my attention next. There was a certain softness to his expression, hidden behind his strained eyes and angular features. The softness, the gentleness, was hardly visible, but I was able to see it in him. I was able to see so much in him.

I effortlessly stood and was halfway across the diner before he had so much as taken two steps in, almost forgetting to act human. It was difficult when he was so close. The man that I had been waiting for, for so many decades – so close.

I processed his reactions as I closed the distance between us. He primarily looked confused, and I smiled in response. I could only hope his confusion would disappear once he realized how we had been created exactly for the other. How together we would be complete. I knew it, and I only needed to show him.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," I said, unable to stop the overjoyed smile that came to my lips. Now that we were physically close, right in front of the other, the intense longing and distant love I had felt from my visions only amplified.

He ducked his head, avoiding my eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, ma'am." He kept his eyes trained on the ground for a few brief moments, but eventually met my golden eyes with his. They were dark, thirsty, but bottomless. Brimming with an unknown emotion, akin to my own. At that moment, everything seemed right in my world. As it should be.

I held out my hand to him, and without hesitation, he took it.

There were sparks, an almost invisible current that now flowed between us. It wasn't an enormous physical stream of energy, but rather a small, but constant, emotional one. One that I knew would never go away. His large hand easily covered my own, and he did so, enveloping my hand in his grasp. We paused for a few moments, and then without a single spoken word, simultaneously stepped outside.

Once we were on the street, rain pouring down our faces and bodies, Jasper turned to me and gave an inquisitive look. And I'm not sure how, but I knew what he was asking. He didn't inquire about me, or my purpose here, but merely where we should go. After a brief moment's thought, I indicated east with my eyes. He nodded, and for the first time, smiled at me.

It was the warmest smile, sweet, breathtaking. But I didn't have much more time to process it, because he pulled my hand closer so that I walked alongside him, and started due east. We walked at a moderate human pace throughout Philadelphia, and I'm sure any human watching might have thought we were insane for not running for shelter from the rain.

That hardly mattered. I didn't hurry because there was no rush. I was already physically close to Jasper, and emotionally more attached than I had ever been in my visions. There was an odd sense of relief that overtook my mind now that my hand was in his. The relief almost felt like carelessness, because so little mattered now. It felt like we could be anywhere, doing anything, but with my anchor it would be enjoyable. And a small part of my heart told me he felt the same way.

We didn't speak as we finally reached the last civilized portion of Philadelphia. Instead, we took off running like one fluid creature. Again, there was no hurry. We ran at a light speed, our hands always entwined tightly together. We reached the Pennsylvania border quickly, and kept running the short distance across New Jersey until we came to the Atlantic Ocean. It had long ago stopped raining and by the time we reached a large expanse of empty beach, we had air dried from the run.

Our jogging slowed to a walk again, until we reached a large natural rock overhanging several hundred feet from the ocean. We took shelter under here, only so as to not be interrupted. Once we were both safely out view, we faced each other. And instead of letting go of our one pair of joined hands, we joined our free hands.

Several long moments passed in silence this way, until Jasper took a tiny step closer. I matched his tiny step with mine, wondering what he would ask first. Finally, he broke the silence, his voice full of wonder. "Who are you?"

"My name is Alice. And like I said, I've been looking for you a very long time, Jasper." I addressed him by name at the end, and saw his eyes light up in further confusion. His grip tightened by a small degree.

"How do you know my name?" His eyes searched mine, as if seeking an unspoken answer.

Despite all of the times I had thought about how I would explain myself, nothing could have really prepared me for the lack of mental clarity when he was looking into my eyes. It was like my brain shut off for a moment, distracted by him. I waited a few beats, and then decided the best way to explain would just be to plough through. "I'm… I'm able to see the future. Ever since I woke up–" here I paused, but figured there would be time for explaining that part later. "– as this, as a vampire, I've been able to. Sometimes it's only flashes, but some things are extraordinarily clear." I gave him a shy smile, suddenly feeling very self-conscious of my ability. "You were always extraordinarily clear."

Even before I was done speaking, his forehead creased slightly in a frown. He took both of my hands in one of his, covering them in the center with both his own. "Why did you feel insecure just now?" he asked me in a quiet voice.

This time it was my turn to be confused. How had he known about my moment of self-consciousness, and later insecurity? I wondered briefly if I was truly that easy to read, when he shook his head. "Now you're confused. So… I assume you don't know about my ability?"

Jasper had an ability? I processed this for a few moments. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. From the interactions I had seen in my visions, and particularly from how Jasper hunted as of late, he did seem to respond differently than normal vampires. He was always responsive to things I could not see, and always looked pained to hunt. I had always assumed it was because he was particularly sensitive, but apparently this was his own ability. And I had never thought about this because none of his companions had ever verbalized it. It suddenly made a surprising amount of sense.

When I didn't answer, he nodded briefly. "You said you can… see the future." He had paused, and I heard a trace of disbelief in his voice. "I can sense emotions. I feel… very strong ones emanating from you."

I was sure that had I been human, I would have blushed furiously. It occurred to me now that he was aware of the intense longing I felt for him, all of my love and excitement. My embarrassment only lasted for the briefest millisecond. I realized that I was glad he could sense my emotions. There was no way I would be able to properly verbalize them. Similar to how words were failing me now. "I didn't know. I am only able to see your actions, what will be done and spoken. You never said anything."

"Well, in my defense, I know next to nothing about you." As he spoke he gave me a small smile, and the tension that had been building up between us was broken. My confusion and anxiety at lack of knowledge disappeared, and I felt very calm. Oddly peaceful.

"There's plenty of time to learn," I told him, then decided to experiment a little. I knew from what he had told me that he was able to sense my emotions, and I wondered if I could somehow affect them. It was then that I closed my eyes for a moment, and concentrated on what I wanted him to feel from me.

I focused on my hope for the future. I called on every vision I had ever had about him, and on the optimism that accompanied visions of Jasper. I thought about how we would someday be happily part of a large family, one that would accept us as their own. I thought about eternity together. I was filled with hope.

Then I shifted my focus and thoughts to the current still running between us where our hands were joined. Besides optimism, I zeroed in all of the love that overflowed then I thought of Jasper. I had had decades to let it develop and grow, so that now, in his presence, it was overwhelming. It felt more like a reunion than a meeting. When I opened my eyes to see his response, I noticed his eyes were absolutely shining.

"So much," he whispered. "How is it possible?" I could hear awe in his voice, but found myself unable to explain. He must have understood, though, because he didn't ask again, and he never would.

We stayed frozen in time for several long moments. Then I saw it happening in my mind's eye, even as his hand was barely breaking away from my own. My breath caught, and I felt a swirl of emotions: love, happiness, excitement, nervousness, anxiety.

His hand stopped midair, somewhere between my hands and my face. I saw a flash of intuition cross his features, but then his hand resumed moving until it rested lightly on my face. His thumb grazed my cheek lightly, and he gave me a heartbreaking smile. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered. "I'll never be able to surprise you, will I?"

Before I had a chance to answer he leaned down – a very long away – pausing a second inches from my face. I knew he would need no verbal answer, and instead let my emotions take hold. With a little contented sigh he closed the distance between us, pressing his lips to mine.

author's note: I am ridiculously nervous. I hope I did this justice. Let me know what you think! -pokes the green button below-