Rosalie seemed to understand my urgency and sped the car along the white-covered roads, expertly moving around slippery patches of ice and dodging the occasional branch that had fallen from the heavy weight of the snow. She drover faster than I had ever seen anyone go, but it wasn't fast enough to beat the four-o'clock train, and we sat waiting at the tracks for ten harrowing minutes. I knew then that we would be too late and I sighed in frustration.

"How ridiculous!" I cried, mentally abusing my new brother. "Completely unnecessary!"

"Are you going to tell me what it is that you've seen?" Rosalie asked and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as we waited.

"You'll see soon enough." I shook my head at what he had already done. It was just like I said, ridiculous and unnecessary and so entirely Edward that I almost, almost smiled…but my temper had taken over and I could do nothing but sit in the car and be disapproving of his needless actions.

The final caboose passed by and we were once again on our way, going so fast that I realized Rosalie must have tampered with the Mercedes' engine. It was less than two minutes until we pulled down the snowy drive towards the house and fifteen seconds until my immortal eye could see just what Edward had done.

"Oh my…" Rosalie slowed her car to a stop, not bothering to pull it into the garage in her haste to get out. Jasper was nowhere to be seen but Esme and Emmett were already outside, waiting for us on the porch as we left the car. Part of me, the more temperamental part, wanted to march right upstairs and box Edward's ears. The other part of me, the unfortunately and insatiably curious part, won over and I stopped at the foot of the porch steps, facing the sleek, cream-painted body of what appeared to be our new Ford Victoria.

"Did you see?"

Emmett came bounding down the steps, his eyes as excited as a child's. I, however, was still stuck between excitement and appreciation for what Edward had done and strange unease at his actions. I loved presents as much as the next girl, but this was truly too much.

"Of course she saw, she has eyes," Rosalie retorted as she wrapped her arms about her husband's waist, kissing him hello.

"I mean the inside. The interior is amazing, Jasper already let me sit in it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jasper's seen it?"

Emmett nodded. "Edward didn't say a word about going to get it, but Esme caught him when he came home. She made him get Jasper's approval first."

I bit the inside of my cheek. If Jasper approved…but it was still an extravagant gift. Who in their right mind bought their new family member a car as a get-to-know-you gift? Edward's sanity must be as given to rapid changes as his temperament was…

"If you don't like it, Alice, I can get him to take it back," Esme offered. "I wouldn't want it to make you upset."

"No, no," I said quickly, holding up my hands. "I'm not upset…just taken aback."

The woman stepped closer to place a hand on my shoulder. "I know it seems a trifle extravagant, but that's how Edward expresses his love. He only wished to make sure you felt welcomed by him."

I gave a little smile. That same extravagance that was a mark of Edward also marked me too. It was rather strange, almost as if fate was showing me just how much I was supposed to be Edward's sister, Alice Cullen. Cullen. The name resounded in my head like an echo off a mountainside, beautiful and distracting, making the frustration I had felt with Edward's impetuosity slip away almost completely. After all, it was a wonderful gift, exactly what I had seen and wanted, even if it was far too much. He must have been carefully listening, finding what it was that we wanted so that we would, like Esme said, feel welcomed. It was one of the most thoughtful things I had seen, but I would have to let him know in no uncertain terms that things like this could not happen again. I, Alice Cullen, would not be bought. My trust and love had to be gained through actions and words, just as it had always been. Just because I had added on a new name didn't mean I was a new person.

Still, it was an absolutely gorgeous car.

"There now, that's settled." Esme smiled warmly, her hand still at my shoulder. "Some of your things were sent to the house while you were gone, Alice, and I've got your bed all made up. I believe Jasper's there now."

I smiled up at the woman, and my mother smiled back down at me.

"I think there's someone else I need to see first."

I helped Rosalie to empty out her car before going inside. The door to the music room was open, filling the house with the sound of Edward's delicate piano-playing. I walked upstairs and stood just outside the room. I leaned against the door jamb, my hands still holding my shopping bags, listening to him play and wondering how it was that I could be blessed with such a thoughtful brother…ridiculous, but thoughtful.

"I'm not ridiculous," Edward called out over the music.

"But you are," I insisted, coming to sit on the harp stool I had been perched on yesterday. "That was completely unnecessary."

He smirked down at the keys. "I wanted to make sure my sister didn't hate me."

"What a silly thing to say…though it is a very nice car."

"That it is."

"And you're not allowed to buy something like that again."

Edward laughed lowly. "We shall see. And you think I'm being extravagant."

He looked pointedly at the many bags resting at my feet and I smiled embarrassedly.

"Besides, Jasper told me about all the things you've bought him," he continued. "And how you've accepted his gifts without a whimper."

"That's different!"

"And what about all the things you bought for this friend of yours? Her name…started with an M?"

"Marlene." The word tumbled from my lips, making my heart ache a little. Poor Marlene, with her life now so full of heartache because of me. And I hadn't even gotten a chance to say goodbye!

Edward held up a hand. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. If you really want, I'll return the car and say nothing more about it."

"No." I shook my head. He was being far too kind as it was, stopping me from remembering such sad things, offering to return something he had put so much thought into. "You're right and I'm being hypocritical. I just wanted to make sure that we were going to start off on the right foot, that I liked you for you and not for some expensive gift. But now…"

"Now?"

Now I know that you didn't mean it like that. I know that something somewhere knew we were meant to be brother and sister.

Edward smiled a little at my thoughts.

A rumble went through the house as Emmett came thundering up the stairs. I noticed through the open door that he was chasing his wife, and I began to see glimpses of the activity they were in pursuit of, an activity I most definitely was not meant to see.

"Oh, God…" Edward groaned, stopping his music to press one hand to the bridge of his nose.

"Hearing their thoughts?" I guessed. It was bad enough that I could see my new brother and sister's coupling, but to hear the passion running through their minds…

"And yours," he added. "And I thought hearing it couldn't get much worse – but seeing it? Ugh."

I almost laughed at the reversal of our thoughts.

"You'll get used to seeing it," Edward said in a slightly bitter tone. "They have their fun so much, Carlisle paid to have all the walls on the second floor sound-proofed."

I raised my eyebrows at this extravagance but then thought of how this architectural endeavor might be of use. My mind ambled to thoughts of Jasper and I and our newly-delivered bed…and then I realized with a start that Edward could hear those thoughts just as easily as I could think them.

"I…I'm sorry," I hastily apologized. He shook his head.

"No, I'm used to it," he murmured, returning to his music. His face was wiped clean of any hurtful looks, yet I wondered if he actually was not bothered by the constant romantic thoughts of two, now three, couples living with him. I could see how Carlisle and Esme's hearts were in the right place by wanting him to have a mate of his own. Even Tanya's misguided attempts didn't seem so misguided now that I wanted Edward to be happy.

"No pity, please. I can't stand it."

I abruptly stopped thinking such simpering thoughts, ashamed at myself.

"It has nothing to do with you," Edward insisted. "I'm just tired of everyone thinking the same thing. I couldn't handle it if you did too."

I put my arm around his shoulders. "I won't then."

"Good. Now go see Jasper, you're all he's been thinking about today."

A big grin spread across my face. I knew Jasper thought of me just as much as he confused my own head, but to have it so blatantly confirmed…any worries I had ever had of Maria or other women or even human temptations were entirely gone now. "Thank you," I whispered gratefully to Edward.

He smiled. "For the car or easing your mind?"

"Both." Feeling more at home with him than I had with anyone before – save Jasper – I bent to kiss the top of his bronzed head before scooping my shopping bags back up, heading out the door and down the hall towards Jasper and my new bedroom. I nudged the half-closed door with my foot and it slid silently open, not disturbing the astonishingly handsome man who lay on the bed, reading a thick book. He looked so peaceful and godlike that I paused there in the doorway to stare, taking in the way his tight caramel-hued sweater defined the muscles of his arms and chest, his breathtaking eyes as they quickly skimmed the page, his honeyed hair falling gracefully across his forehead and onto the pillows, blending in with the pale yellow linens. He was lying propped up on his side, facing me and the door, looking exceptionally comfortable on our new bed and so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed I had entered. He was so handsome and intelligent and perfect that I doubted he could really be mine. But no, the diamond on my left hand sparkling in the lamplight reminded me that he was, and I smiled to myself before scampering up onto the bed next to him, laying on my stomach. Only then did he look up from his book, a slow smile easing onto his face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I said and kissed his cheek. He turned his head, changing the course of my lips.

"Hello, darling," he said, only it was more like "darlin" than "darling" and I grinned at his adorable, barely-there accent. "Did you have a nice time with Rosalie?"

"Very nice," I answered.

"Do we have anything left in the bank?"

I hit his shoulder with a touch light enough to severely bruise a human.

"Sorry." His impish grin made me forgive him. "So did you see what Edward got us?"

I nodded. "It's ridiculous, don't you think?"

"Hmmm…maybe a little overzealous, but he was only trying to be accommodating after being so stubborn." He gave me a funny stare. "You didn't say anything to him, did you?"

"I saw it before I knew what had happened," I admitted. "But I figure it's like you said. He was only trying to make up for what he did. Even though it was obscene and unnecessary."

"I found it thoughtful. And it's a gorgeous piece of machinery."

"True. What are you reading?" I asked, toying with the onion-thin pages of his book, desperate to change the subject from something I now felt I had overreacted about.

"Educating New England." He lifted the book and put it on one of our new mahogany bedside tables, the same beautifully carved pieces as our beautiful new four-poster bed with matching dresser and armoire. "Alice, today while you were gone, Carlisle asked me a question. Did you see it?"

I shook my head, smiling a little. "No, I was too busy looking at the stores."

Jasper laughed. "Finally, something I've kept from you. Too bad you have to be shopping not to see."

I hit him again, harder this time.

"Sorry, sorry."

"Forgiven. Go on, are you going to tell me what Carlisle said?"

"Well," Jasper began, his eyes staring not at me but at his fingers as he drew idle swirls on our yellow bedspread, "he asked if I'd like to go to school."

"School?" I could feel my forehead wrinkling, a physical expression of the confusion I felt.

"Night school, specifically. At a university."

I sat back a little as my confusion turned to shock. Carlisle had suggested that? I bit my lip, trying to imagine…or envision…Jasper in a school. No decision had been made yet and nothing came to mind, and it made me a trifle worried. I had to admit, it was a perfect idea. With his voracious reading and incurable search for intelligence, Jasper would be an ideal student. Of course, this ideal student was also ideally human, or at least a well-controlled vampire, both things Jasper was definitely not.

"I know what you're worried about," he said quietly. "And I'm worried about that too. That's why I'm going to take every precaution I can: hunting before I go, only going at night, sitting in the back of the class, all that."

He sat up a little, reaching down to take my head in his hands. "This is something I've always wanted to do, Alice, even before I realized what it really was. I never knew I could go to school before, and now I have the opportunity standing right before me. Don't you think I should take it?"

And as worried as I was for him – and for the other students that would be sitting in his classes – I knew he should.

"Yes," I murmured, laying my head on his chest. He sighed, and I moved up and down with the rolling of his lungs.

"Please don't say yes because you think you ought to. I want to know what you really think."

I paused. The truth sometimes hurt, and I wanted nothing more than to never hurt this man for the rest of my days.

"Please, Alice."

I sighed. "I said yes because you want it so badly. And you'd do so well in the classroom, I know you would, but…what we are makes it difficult. I just don't know if you'll be able to handle yourself around a professor and students teeming with blood."

I tried very hard to ignore Jasper's tongue licking his lips at the thought.

"I'm more than taking that into consideration," he replied, his deep voice echoing into my ear pressed against his chest. "With your help, we should be able to see anything too terrible coming. And Edward even volunteered to join me at the school, but Carlisle said he still has one more year to go. Emmett's going to come instead, and he'll put a stop to anything if I…well, you know."

"Where are you going to go?" I asked, still unable to see any concrete picture.

"Carlisle suggested Dartmouth. It's only an hour away, and he thinks I could make it, though I'm not so sure. It's been a very long time since I've had any formal schooling." He sighed and went on. "So I was thinking about Middlebury College. Less formal. Less crowded."

My mind sprang to life with visions of Jasper tucked away in the back corner of a not-at-all-crowded classroom of nighttime learners, his scholarly bow tie adorable but ridiculously out of place among the ten or so working class individuals also seeking an education.

I nodded. "That seems about right."

Jasper's face broke out into an enormous smile. "You really think so?"

"No, no," I corrected. "I see so."

He was so intently earnest that I had to let him go. There was nothing more I could do about it. The defeat was absolutely worth it for his kisses.

"Do you want to see what I bought?" I asked mischievously as I drew away.

Jasper gave me a wary glance. "I'm not too sure now."

"Don't make me hit you again."

"Fine, fine. Time for the fashion show."

"If you don't want to, I can just –"

"Go ahead, Alice."

I grinned and went to pick up my shopping bags, discreetly shutting and locking the door as I did. Flashing a grin, I skipped into our connecting bathroom, shutting that door as well.

"How long are you going to take?" Jasper called after a few minutes. I was sitting on the edge of the tub, pondering over which skimpy outfit I had lain on the floor to show him first.

"I can't decide!" I shouted back, hearing a noise that I think was a snort in response.

"You have a gift, Alice, wouldn't now be a good time to put it to use?"

Why didn't you think of that, you silly girl? I skimmed through my mind, wondering which one would look best. The pink chemise? The ivory? The chartreuse?

The black. Definitely the black.

I grinned to myself as I slipped into the corset, twisting my arms so I could lace it tightly. The garter belt, the stockings, the panties were all perfect, and I finished my negligee off with a pair of little black heels buried in the bottom of another bag.

"Are you ready now?"

I almost laughed at his impatience. "Yes, now," I called out as I opened the door. Jasper was still laying on the bed, his perfect nose buried in Educating New England. I cleared my throat and he looked up. The book fell to the bed and bounced down to the floor as he zoomed to my side, moving faster than I had ever seen him do.

"Do you like it?" I asked, my voice coarse with the intense feeling I was having…or he was giving…or a combination of the two. He opened his mouth and shut it, almost as if he couldn't even make a sound; I would have laughed had I not felt so keyed up. His eyes were wide with shock and desire and he reached his arm out, stroking the back of his hand against the satiny-smoothness of my corset. He swallowed, one big gulp, readying himself to speak.

"Yes. I like it very much."

His hand at my waist moved around to support my back while the other unoccupied hand reached down to cradle the back of my knees, picking me up in one swift motion and carrying me to the bed.

"Breaking in the new sheets?" I teased as he laid me against the smooth linens.

Jasper laughed huskily and crushed his mouth to mine, tracing his tongue over my lips until I met it with my own. He moved to kiss my cheek, my neck, my collarbone, stopping to run his lips and tongue over the tops of my breasts peeking out over the corset. I edged one stocking-clad leg between his thighs, rubbing against his straining erection. I pressed a little harder as he groaned and stopped altogether when he freed my breasts from the constraints of the corset, keeping the whaleboned black satin on nevertheless.

His hands were skimming down and he was whispering something wonderful and oh-god-right-there-don't-stop. I rushed to remove his clothing, an act he helped along with his one free hand until he was completely undressed, kneeling on the bed like some mighty but forgotten god. I ran my hand across his scarred chest downward until I was between his legs. I brushed my hand across the tip of his member, thrilling in the shudders and half-closed lids this caused. As I pleasured him, he was doing to same to me, both of us trembling and crying out until it almost became too much and I pushed his hands away.

"Please," I begged, gasping for breath. "I need you."

That was enough. He began to unsnap the clasps of my garters, kissing me as he did it without looking, a trick he already knew that I was too busy to wonder how he had learned. I threaded one hand into his golden hair, using the other one to begin pushing my stockings down.

Jasper's hand firmly grabbed my wrist, stopping me. He pulled back from our kiss to shake his head, his face still so close that our noses rubbed together.

"No," he said in that low, throaty voice that caused me to quiver. "Leave them on."

He moved back so that he could use both hands to slip off the black panties I wore. Once they were discarded, he clasped the garters back onto the stockings, keeping his icy hands on my thighs and spreading them wide. He moved one hand up to the side of my face, the other to my breast, just above my quieted heart, as he entered me, and we became lost in that primal pleasure we knew so well.