A/N: I am so sorry for the wait. To be honest, I haven't been working on any of my stories for a while. My grandfather recently passed away from COVID so I've been dealing with that for a minute. It truly reminded me to take a break when I absolutely need to, and I am sorry it was at the expense of you guys. I am ready to get back to it though, and I hope you guys enjoy. My inbox is always open if you ever need to talk :)

Hickory met honey in a flash of memories that Gabriel hadn't remembered. Had they happened yet? Alice's wide eyes stared at the white tiles as she tried to come up with some explanation even though she was still going through the motions herself. Gabe began a brisk walk toward the parking lot and Alice followed.

"There has to be a logical reason for this!" She yelled in utter desperation.

"Why? Why does everyone say that when there is no logical reasoning for anything that happens!" Neither one was sure who he was yelling at, but they both knew the reason.

"Because, um, everything happens for a reason?" Now Alice was unsure of herself, which had never happened before.

"Listen, none of this," he gestured between the two of them, "makes sense, ok?" He pulled at his hair from the root, hoping the answers to life would come to him. "Nothing in my entire life has ever made sense, least of all this."

Alice understood. The confusion of life as a rising adult was hard enough without the knowledge of the supernatural or parental deaths. For the first time in almost a century, Alice had no words. Even she could not muster a reason for the spiritual pairing bestowed upon them, and she wasn't sure anyone else could, either.

"I came here to live with my dad, get through senior year, and go to Harvard. Now, I can't even sleep at night because I can still hear the pack's thoughts, and they're just so loud." Alice understood that, too. Well, to some degree. Even though there was no watching out for Victoria or an unknown hybrid baby, her visions still made her head pound. She wished they would turn off, even if it was just for a week. Though, with Jacob and the pack around more often, they did turn off, and she rejoiced in it. She knew that wasn't an option for Gabe, and she pitied him.

"Massachusetts is nice." Alice gently placed a hand on Gabe's shoulder.

"Tell me about it," Gabe muttered. The disdain in his mouth had yet to match the warmth on his shoulder.

"I'm from Mississippi," Alice said, "One of the lesser 'M' states." Gabriel laughed and Alice swore it was the most beautiful sound. She swore he called angels with the bells that rang from his mouth.

"Never been."

"Consider yourself lucky." There he went again, hailing ethereal beings.

The first date they went on was the next Saturday. Rosalie chastised her sister for having to shop for an occasion she was more than well prepared for.

"But I was not prepared for him," Alice claimed and Rose's words ceased. Renesmee begged her aunt to wear purple because it looked so good on her! While Rosalie pleaded that she wear red because it flatters pale skin more! Bella stayed home.

Alice decided on blue, she'd seen Gabe wear enough of it to determine it was his favorite color. Her fashion keen eyes told her that royal blue stuck out to him, as his royal blue hoodies and shirts were cleaner and better taken care of than the rest of his clothes.

The restaurant she chose was dim, but light enough he could still see her topaz eyes. Gabe noticed that Alice's dress was his favorite color and he wished it was all she wore.

"Come on, I wanna show you something," Alice beckoned after the bill was paid and Gabe had eaten both of their plates. She led him to a small clearing at the top of a hill, where the stars shone brightly over the Forks skyline. "I come here to think sometimes. When it all gets to be too much."

"It's beautiful," Gabe said, even though he hadn't even looked to the sky.

"This life that Carlisle provided for me, I'm so unbelievably grateful for, but sometimes, I find myself resenting immortality."

"Why?" Curiosity overcame Gabe.

"For starters, I miss the sun. I miss sunbathing during the summer, even though my mother always said it would ruin my complexion," she laughed, then frowned, "I miss my mother, even though I can't remember her that well. That's one of the few memories I do have from my human life. Apparently I had a sister, Cynthia. Do you know how much it hurts to not be able to remember your own sister?"

"No, and I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like for you, waking up one day and not remembering who you are."

"More than anything," Alice said, "it hurts. It's like there's this part of my brain...and my heart that's been cut out and I tried so hard to find the pieces but they're sharper than the jagged edges of the holes they left."

Gabe grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers, "I felt like there was a piece cut from my heart when my mom died. That still doesn't feel right to say, wow. I miss her so much everyday but I think I found comfort in the fact that it won't hurt like this forever. I just hope that one day I can wake up and the pain won't be there anymore, but I know that's unrealistic."

"Pain is what makes you human."

Alice and Gabriel spent everyday together after their date. She showed him around Port Angeles, marking her favorite stores but telling him that her "most favorite" stores were actually in the likes of Paris and Milan. He told her that he never left the country and she promised she would take him there someday soon. To anyone passing by, they would assume that Alice and Gabe had been together for years, and it even felt like that to them. Every moment they spent together was a stitch in the holes that came from the tragedies that brought them together. Even though it might take forever to completely heal them, they decided it was worth it.

On the day that Safina came home from the hospital, the Cullen family, along with Gabriel and the pack, realized that no one had told her about the newest couple. It was clear that Jasper had realized that too, seeing as his eyes widened at the sight of Gabriel's hand around Alice's waist. They decided to explain themselves once the party ended, and everyone had gone home.

Jacob stuck around, seeing as he could explain imprinting best. That, along with his divine right as Alpha, lead to him ushering everyone out of the house.

"So about Alice and Gabe…" Safina began before Jake held his hand up, silently cutting her off.

"Gabe imprinted on Alice a couple days after you were admitted to the hospital," He explained.

"And imprinting is?"

"Imprinting is a spiritual connection between members of the pack and the people that the spirits deem important to us, rather it be in love or in spiritual development." Jacob's eyes went to Nessie, who gave an encouraging smile.

"So it's like...spiritual love at first sight?" Safina asked, confused.

"Not necessarily. It can mean that, but only if that's what the imprintee wants. The spirits decide this, not us. Oh! An example is Nessie and I, I imprinted on her when she was a baby, that made it very clear to us that it was a spiritual development imprint, and not one that would become romantic. That's just gross." Jake, along with everyone else in the room, shuddered.

"So that means that the spirits decided that Alice wanted a romantic imprint?" Safina had a much better grasp on the idea now.

"Exactly! Imprinting is much more than a 'decided love', it's a predetermined spiritual connection." With that, the serious conversation was over and Safina began to poke fun at the couple.

For a moment, all was well.