Ha, took me long enough to update…

Stephenie Meyer thought up these beee-u-ti-ful characters.

Thank you Lhia for being my beta! And I love all my reviewers! (very much)

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"They don't make CG smoke, Alice!" I exclaimed. "There's absolutely no point!"

"Of course there's a point!" She jumped up and glided to the television. "This highly paid actress- here," she said, jamming her finger onto the screen, "-doesn't want to pick up chain-smoking again, but the director insists that it gives her character the right 'air'."

"The right air?" I asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

Alice confirmed.

"You're incredible, Alice," I laughed, shaking my head.

"Of course I am!" She smiled. "You are too, undoubtedly."

"Thanks Al." I rolled my eyes.

"It's true! I never thought Edward would ever be happy." She dropped down next to me on the couch. "You've done so much for him!" she said cheerfully.

"I thought this was going to be a boy-free afternoon?" I said in a lame attempt to change the subject. I could already feel the compliments revving up a blush.

"What's the fun in that?" She turned her whole body to face me, "No male specimen is present to overhear our conversation." I watched as Alice pulled her legs onto the couch and brought them up under her chin. Her moon-pale face was lit up with excitement. "Edward, Jasper, and Carlisle are hunting, and Emmett is doing who-knows-what with Rosalie." She counted off each person on her fingers.

"You've really been looking forward to this, haven't you?"

"I always look forward to bonding time with my favorite little human!"

"Is that a term of endearment, or have you finally decided to eat me?"

"Bella!" she exclaimed, her jaw dropping in disbelief.

I laughed, "I was only joking!"

After a slight pause she answered, "And if you really wish to know, I'd consider it a term of endearment more than anything."

"Drat, I thought I'd finally convinced you to change me."

"Your persuasive skills won't work on me." She waved a finger. "Plus, I doubt Edward would be very happy."

"Smear Edward, he likes me warm just a little too much."

"Men are selfish, selfish creatures." She shook her head in a seemingly apparent reserve.

"Yeah," I said in an equally distant tone, "too bad."

Alice's golden eyes flicked up to mine, and when our eyes caught, we both guffawed at our previous reflections.

"Too bad I love 'em." I howled with laughter.

Alice was in mid-laugh when she froze. I watched in wonder as her eyes unfocused and were entertained by some scene unknown to me. She was undoubtedly having a vision.

I watched as the knuckles in her marble hands pressed through her skin as she squeezed her hands into little fists. Her golden eyes faded to brown. After a few moments, she opened her mouth and took a raspy breath as she pulled out of her vision and back into the room.

I was reaching a consoling hand towards her shoulder, but she stood faster than I could blink. I could feel the panic emanating off her before she disappeared. I stood, using the table as a balance, and followed the echoes of her voice through the mansion. I finally found her with a phone pressed against her ear. She spoke quickly, but as the conversation progressed her voice became wracked with sobs.

"He'll kill him if you don't." was the only thing I could hear through her broken sentences. She stood for a few moments more with the phone cradled against her ear. I watched her shoulders gradually slacken with relief as whoever on the other line consoled her. After a time, she hung up the phone with conscious gentleness, and slowly turned to me.

"You have to leave." She whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Every part of her looked weighed down, "Nothing yet, at least."

We stood staring at each other in silence.

"I'll take you home."

I nodded and she walked passed me with her eyes on the floor. I followed silently.

Alice was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive home. When she pulled in front of my house, she gave me a small, sad smile, the meaning completely veiled to me. I lifted a corner of my mouth in a half-hearted attempt to smile back. I pushed open the car door, and walked inside, glancing behind me every couple steps.

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I glanced over at Jasper in the passenger seat next to me. He had his head hanging out of the window.

"You look like a dog," I smirked. "I just thought I'd inform you of this."

He pulled his head back inside and propped his feet on the dashboard. After a few minutes he asked, "So, what do you think the girls are doing?"

"Why do you care?"

"They could be talking about anything." He examined his hands.

"But they're probably talking about us."

"Not probably," he laughed. "Without a doubt."

Carlisle chuckled behind me.

"Let's just do this quickly so we can go home and stop their gossiping."

"Any other reasons, Edward?" Jasper asked jokingly.

I chuckled, "Maybe one."

I drove into the woods as deeply as the Jeep would allow, but eventually the trees became too closely spaced for the vehicle to go any further. I easily lifted myself out of the Jeep and planted two feet firmly on the ground. I turned and looked at Jasper on the other side of the car; he nodded at me, the color in his eyes already swallowed by his pupils. Carlisle was behind me, but I didn't have to turn around to know that he was ready. The affirmative from his mind floated through mine, and he leapt past me. I felt the corners of my mouth lift into a smirk as I gave myself over to my instincts.

I ran into a glade and stopped in the center. I took a deep breath. Each smell was distinct. I could separate and name every scent that passed through me. I exhaled out of habit and rolled my shoulders. I'd found my prey.

With my decision made, I turned to my right and ran through the woods. I floated over all the obstacles the forest had placed before me, and heard each branch rustle behind me as I passed.

The monster wasn't as strong as it normally was when I hunted. Usually I was ravenous, but now that I was with Bella I took every possible opportunity to hunt, and the thirst was never intolerably intense. The more frequently I hunted, the safer she was with me. The thought of Bella made the monster subside further, and I felt pride swell in my chest as I realized how much control I could wield while hunting.

I froze as I heard the cell-phone in my pocket ring. The cheerful chiming seemed ironic in such a morbid situation, and I chuckled as I went to answer it. I brought it out and glanced at it long enough to see that the caller was from home. In a flash, I brought it to my ear.

"Edward?" Alice's voice was panicked.

"Yeah?"

"Is Jazz with you?" she asked shrilly.

"No, he's not with me."

"Edward, you have to find him. Now."

"Why?" I began walking swiftly now, in the direction of Jasper's blurred thoughts.

"I saw him-" I heard her breath catch.

"Do what, Al?" I pressed.

"There's a human there!"

I froze, and asked quickly, "How clear was your vision?"

"Very," she choked. "It happens soon, Edward! You have to find him now!"

"I will, Alice, don't worry."

"He'll kill him if you don't," she warned through shuddering sobs.

I heard a few more phrases of consolation float out of my mouth, but the majority of my mind was focused on Jasper and my reaching him on time. I was running swiftly now. When Alice was finally appeased with my reassurances, I dropped the phone back into my pocket.

My feet tore at the forest floor as I sprinted. I sent the dirt flying into the air every time I kicked my foot off the ground in preparation for the subsequent stride. The human's smell and Jasper's attention to it filled me at the same time, and I pushed my legs harder.

I was gaining on him quickly. I knew that I would overtake him before he reached the human, but I was at a loss as to how I would restrain him. I didn't know how my strength would hold up against his after running such a distance at the speed I was going. All I could do was hope that Carlisle would reach us in time.

They had just come within my sights when I heard a shotgun go off. I saw Jasper drop to one knee, taking the bullet, but he straightened his back and took one step in the direction of the man. I saw him pull away his lips and bare his teeth, which were currently stained red with blood from his last catch.

Jasper's eyes lifted off the man and onto me barreling towards him, then he launched at his prey. I flew from behind the man and met Jasper with an explosion of sound, shaking the ground and knocking the man onto his back. I pushed at Jasper's chest with rigid arms. There was blood running down his chin and onto his shirt. The normally clean, practiced, and perfected act of draining prey neatly had been interrupted by this man. The human's appearance caused Jasper to rip away from his former prey without any further consideration to his cleanliness.

Jasper's thoughts floated through my mind. To say that he had more than one thought is inaccurate. He only had one, blood-thirsty thought residing in his mind. He was determined to kill this man. I was saving him from the monster and from himself. The monster would destroy him. If he did quench his thirst with this man, his sanity would return, but he would be incapable of looking Alice in the eyes again. Without a doubt, the shame and grief would surface, and he would be lost.

Jasper pushed against me, and I was forced back a half-step. His black eyes flicked over my shoulder and burned into the man. A deep, guttural noise rose out of his chest and cut through the stuffy air. He tried to force his way past me, but I was unrelenting. He lifted his eyes to mine and bared his teeth.

"Move," he growled. Jasper could easily have made me move, if he'd thought to use his ability. Luckily for me, though, this never crossed his mind.

"No, I won't let you pass."

I didn't have to turn around to know that the man was preparing to fire again. The clicking of the metal was enough to give away his actions, but the gun was of no concern. Jasper was the main danger to all present.

I felt the bullet collide with my back, causing enough pain for me to slightly lessen my defense. Jasper pushed me backwards. I managed to flip around to meet the fall with my chest instead of my back. In my new position I could witness the approaching ground. I caught myself, my nose just brushing against the floor and I exhaled. The slight breeze I created lifted the dirt off the ground, and sent it swirling up into my face. My hands were planted firmly on the forest floor before I bent my elbows and pushed against the ground, righting myself.

To the human these motions would have happened within seconds. My righting myself would have looked to him as if I was being pulled up and back by some invisible thread attached to the square of my back. This amount of time was not long enough for the human brain to register that there was a vampire hurtling towards him. He would be taken completely unaware.

I began running at Jasper, but knew my efforts were in vain. He would take down the man before I could stop him. When Jasper was mere steps away from the human, Carlisle flew out from behind the surrounding wood and tackled Jasper from the side, once again sending a crack of thunder through our surroundings.

Jasper ripped at the arms that restrained him, and Carlisle clenched his jaw in an effort to halt the cry of anguish I knew was climbing up his throat. I reached Jasper and twined my hands around his wrists and pressed them to his chest. Carlisle then moved behind him and wrapped an arm around his neck.

With our combined strength, we were able to lower Jasper onto the ground and keep him there. I climbed onto Jasper's chest and pinned his arms on either side his head. I knew Carlisle was restraining his flailing legs. His calm, methodical thoughts ran through my mind like a marquee.

Jasper's black eyes were wide with fury and his mouth was agape. Moments later he released a powerful roar that sent vibrations through my body. His hands curled into fists, and I could feel the tendons in his arms rise through his skin. He pulled against my hold with all the strength he had. His back arched with the effort and he sent another roar echoing through the forest.

I turned around and frowned at the man sprawled out on the ground. "I suggest you run." When my warning was received with a blank stare, I roared, "Now!" His mind was blank- nothing but raw fear inhabited it- and he remained frozen. I rolled up my upper lip, exposing my teeth, and growled at him. The sound was amplified by the close proximity of the trees surrounding us. They were pressing in on our conflict, giving the air a heavy consistency.

The fight or flight portion of his mind finally kicked in, and he no longer tried to fight, but scrambled to his feet and made off in the opposite direction.

Jasper's black eyes were boring into me. Carlisle and I were the only things standing in the way of him and the instincts of the monster. There was no doubt that he would have killed this human if we had not been present to stop him, and if Alice hadn't called.

"Let me go!" he roared. He tried to roll over onto his side, but I brought my knees onto his chest and leaned all my weight into him. With all my attention on my keeping him on his back, I left many weak points in my restraint. With a grunt, Jasper ripped one of his arms away from my grasp. He thrust the heel of his hand into the bottom of my chin, making my head ring. I didn't loosen my grip on his other hand, but he continued to push my head upwards until I was looking at the trees hanging over us.

I used my free hand to press Jasper's face to the side, crushing his cheek into the dirt. We remained like this, without moving, without breathing, for an undetermined amount of time. All I knew was that the little light that could be seen through the trees was lessening. The coming of twilight seemed to calm him. The death of another day was something all of our kind reflected upon. His growls weakened and he dropped his hand from underneath my jaw.

I lowered my gaze onto him. His eyes were closed tightly. I moved my hand from his face when the first intelligible thought ran through his mind: I'm sorry.

I stood slowly. My hands hovered over him for a moment in case he decided to attack again. When he didn't, I straightened my back and took a step away. Carlisle followed suit, and released his legs.

The ride home was accompanied by a dark, looming silence. I sat behind Carlisle, who was driving, and next to Jasper, who was staring intently at the headrest in front of him. I didn't want to carry their worries on top of mine, so I remained in my own head. I wasn't even curious as to what they were thinking.

I needed to see Bella. I needed to hold her. I needed to reassure myself that I was capable of being gentle, of holding her to my chest without breaking her. That alone would allow me to forget what I've become. Dusty feelings tended to emerge and shake themselves off when I felt her breath waft into my face. Human feelings. Feelings that I'd hardly begun to acknowledge when they were of most use to me.

I knew that this entire trip could be our downfall. The man could recognize us at any place, at any given time- and we would be ruined. I would be ruined. I would have no more human feelings to cultivate. No roots to secure my dusty remnants. I would erode away.

Alice would know if the man had decided to turn us in. This thought sent a bolt of hope through my bones. I pulled out my phone and dialed home, when it wasn't answered I called Alice's cell. Each ring was an excruciating wait. The century behind me felt shorter than these mere seconds. Finally, I heard Alice's voice greet me. I went straight to the point.

"Have you had any more visions?" I asked quickly.

"No."

"No mobs surrounding our house with pitchforks and torches?"

"No," she answered mechanically. "Can I talk to Jazz?"

I looked to my right and caught Jasper's eyes. He shook his head just enough for me to catch. No, I can't.

I pressed a hand over the mouth of the phone. "She's worried about you."

I can't.

"She's distracted. She doesn't have visions when she's distracted. We need to know what this man plans on doing. Or if he's planning anything at all."

You should have let me kill him.

I shook my head somberly. We both knew what would have become of him if he had: an empty shell. He would be jumping five steps backwards- no, more than five. He would have been irretrievable.

I held the phone closer to him and nodded my head in its direction. "Just take it."

He did. He held it away from him for a moment, just staring at it, and then he brought it to his ear and grunted his hello.

The conversation I overheard consisted of general questions pertaining to his well-being, but I could tell that Alice wanted to see Jasper in person. She needed to stroke the last vestiges of his humanity. To make them flame again and consume the monster in his mind. When he was finished, he didn't hang up. He shoved the phone in my direction.

I pressed it to my ear. "Alice?"

"I took Bella home, so don't worry about her."

"Thank you, Alice." I had a difficult time suppressing a sigh of relief. "Is that it, then?"

"Yes," she said stiffly. "You'll be welcomed to a human-free house."

I nodded, but then remembered that Alice couldn't hear nods over the phone, so I thanked her one last time and slipped the phone back into my pocket.