Hopefully, this answers some questions and raises some new ones 3

It was dark and chilly as Jasper hurriedly ran into the park where Alice sat on the swingset wishing he'd thought to grab her a jacket; she must have been cold clad in just a t-shirt and ripped jeans. She swung slowly back and forth, halfheartedly dragging her feet through the dirt beneath her. Jasper slowed to a walk with his small, scared friend finally in sight. Just hours ago, they'd received word that not only was she being 'allowed' to go back home, but she was also leaving that night.

With an hour to go before the car would arrive to transport her back to Seattle, back to her father, Alice had disappeared. Jasper knew precisely where she had gone, the small park just a mile from the house. They found it shortly after Alice had come to stay with The Cullen's; it was located just off a rarely used trail almost hidden behind the tall hemlock trees. On occasion, they met there sneaking out at night to talk, both knowing exactly where to find the other when life got too heavy. He hadn't said anything to his aunt, uncle, or sister; he preferred to keep the space a secret. Besides, he knew she needed some time alone to process the abrupt change.

"Alice," He called out when he was just a few feet from her causing the girl to turn and greet him with a melancholy smile that didn't quite reach her fearful eyes. He waited patiently for her indication for him to approach, only coming closer when he received a nod from the girl.

"It's just not fair." She'd lamented as he leaned against one of the steel poles that made up the swings' structure. "I don't care if he's completed whatever the fuck guidelines or therapy or whatever. He's not going to change, I give it a month, and everything will go back to the same. You know that just as well as I do."

She probably wasn't wrong; his experiences with his own mother had proved that pattern. "Well, write to Rose and me. If it gets bad, I'll let Carlisle know."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the autumn breeze blow fallen leaves across the playground. She finally broke the silence. "Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Stay in touch, please. I'm going to miss you so much, promise you'll write, text, e-mail, call. Fax if you have to. Just don't disappear; I couldn't handle that." Her words came out soft and pleading.

"I swear, Alice."

"I should probably go back now, shouldn't I?"

"Probably." He agreed against his own desires if there was anything he could do to prolong her stay. To keep it just the two of them in that small park, he would do it. Sadly, he was only a fourteen-year-old boy helpless to the ways of the system. No matter how much he loved her, there was nothing he could do.

Alice rose from the swing, moving across the park to stand on the seat of a picnic bench. "Come here first." He followed curiously, unsure what she was doing. He stopped just in front of her, eye-level for once. "I want to kiss you, goodbye... if that's okay?"

He nodded in affirmation, heart racing as she leaned in, pecking him sweetly on the lips. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. They'd hugged, cuddled, kissed on the cheek. But this was their first real kiss, long and sweet, both communicating the unspoken feelings they shared. She pulled away, leaving him breathless before taking a deep, resigned sigh as she jumped down from the bench, grabbed his hand, and led them both into the night back to the Cullen residence. To her fate.

Jasper's eyes snapped open, jarred awake by the blaring beeping of his alarm. He quickly slapped the large button to silence the offensive clock before throwing an arm over his eyes. Today was the day, Alice Brandon was returning to Forks high, so of course, he'd dreamed of their last encounter. He was excited to see her again; he'd missed her like crazy over the past three years. Hardly a week went by when Alice didn't interrupt his thoughts. He wanted so badly to know why she'd never responded to his attempts at contact. Why all of his letters had been sent back. Jasper kept every one hidden away in a shoebox under his bed. After a year of this, he'd finally given up; he still wrote to her from time to time but never mailed them.

Alice had been the one person in his life to understand him, his past, his complicated relationship with Coleen- he couldn't bring himself to call her his mother. She'd been patient, and understanding knew how to relate to his emotions without making things about herself. She was fun to be around, always ready for a crazy scheme with the cutest radiant smile that lit up her entire face and made her blue eyes sparkle. So while excited, he was also worried. It was impossible to know what to expect from seeing her again.

Fully dressed, he stared at himself in his bedroom mirror, taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease the nervous sick feeling in his stomach. A light knocking sound on his doorframe broke him from his concentration. Knowing it was time to go, he followed Rosalie downstairs, tentatively ready to face whatever the day had in store.

It was time for lunch, the school day halfway through, and he hadn't seen her at all yet. He'd looked out for her in the halls, stared at the door in all of the classes they would potentially share, hoping she would walk through the door. He'd begun to wonder if she'd maybe been avoiding him. But as he entered the cafeteria with his friend Emmett to see her sitting between Edythe and Bella at their usual table, he was hit with a wave of relief. What better time to catch up than the most social time of the day. Jasper snuck occasional looks to the table as he absentmindedly collected a random assortment of food onto his plate in the lunch line. A process that took entirely too long for his liking.

Finally, lunch tray in hand, he made his way over to the table, settling into the open seat next to Rosalie. Jasper wasn't certain what he'd been expecting. He didn't think after three years she'd rush over, and they would resume their relationship as they'd left it three years ago. It was a significant chunk of time; they'd certainly both grown and changed. Maybe he'd expected her to greet him with fondness, to see if he wanted to catch up.

The reality, however, had been the furthest possibility from his mind. Alice glared, her eyes full of fury, and lips curled in disgust when she caught sight of him. He could never have fathomed she would slam her slice of pizza onto her lunch tray before storming out of the cafeteria.

He stared at the empty space where she'd just been with knitted brows, more confused than he'd ever been in his life. He'd known they wouldn't immediately be best friends, but he hadn't expected her to outright hostile. Ignoring the varied expressions of his friends and sibling group, Edythe with her mouth hanging open. Emmet was holding back laughter, likely a stress reaction to the intense display. Rosalie biting her lip, debating if she should follow after the girl. He focused on Bella Swan, who played with the peas on her plate, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Bella..." He tentatively opened, "Do you happen to know what I did to Alice?"

"I've been sworn to secrecy," The girl sheepishly responded, still staring down at her plate. "I've tried telling her you're not a bad person, but it's no use. I was barely able to convince her to give Edythe a chance. I wanted to warn you... but I didn't have a chance, and Edythe refuses to get involved. I'm sorry, Jasper."

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