Alice POV

I had been waiting for eight days already before he came. It was the same routine now, and the staff were used to me sitting there from opening to closing, an untouched cup of coffee cooling in front of me.

He still hadn't showed up. I knew he would soon, my visions were clearer and clearer with every decision he made. Jasper... Major Jasper Whitlock... I had found out his name in one of my visions soon after I was changed, and it had rang in my ears every day since.

My eyes flashed to the door, my heart leaping...

A woman and her little boy strolled in, talking and laughing. She took him to one of the booths by the window, and they sat down as a waitress shuffled over to them. I sighed mournfully and focused on my coffee again. Still no Jasper.

The bell on the door tinkled again, and my eyes slid to the side without my conscious thought.

This time... this time, my heart gave a leap and soared. The tall, ravishingly handsome vampire of my dreams had just walked straight into my eye line, shaking the rain from his honey blond hair.

Jasper was even more beautiful in reality than my visions. His hair hung just so over his alabaster brow, his dark eyes soulful despite the reddish tinge, his features straight and proud. Even the half-moon scars etched across his pearly skin were beautiful.

I hopped from the stool, noticing his start of utter shock as I danced towards him. He knew what I was, and he reeled back, wary. That didn't stop me. I skidded to a halt at his feet, gazing up into his near black eyes – he was so impossibly tall from this angle – and smiled.

"You've kept me waiting a long time." I told him seriously, frowning a little. There was more truth to that statement than he realised. Twenty eight years is a very long time. The strangest expression crossed his face. He looked almost... bewildered, but there was a hint of... indulgence, I thought. He returned my smile, an action that made my breath catch in my throat. Ducking his head in a courteous nod, he said in the deep, musical southern accent that had dominated my head since my very first vision, "I'm sorry, ma'am."

Jasper POV

I hadn't hunted for a few days, and I was hungry, but there was a more pressing concern on my list... exposure. The sun was being held at bay by a few insubstantial clouds after the light showering of rain, and it threatened to break through at any moment. Seeing a small diner up ahead, completely devoid of people save for a mother and child by the window, I seized my opportunity.

The door clanged as I pushed it open, the noise surprising me after the quiet of my run through the woods. I took one step forwards, fighting the burn I felt in my throat, and then stopped dead as a new scent drifted towards me. Sweet, intoxicating... like chocolate and cinnamon and pear.

A vampire.

My eyes flashed upwards, and met the curious gaze of another of my kind. She knocked me back a step. She was petite, with flyaway black hair and thin, pixie-like features, more beautiful than any vampire I had ever laid eyes on before. Her eyes were still boring into me, only they were wrong. A curious, smouldering butterscotch. She was captivating.

The elfin girl leapt from her stool smoothly, and sped toward me, stopping inches away. I gazed down into her odd eyes, a little apprehensive, and felt a rush of satisfaction that was not entirely my own.

"You've kept me waiting a long time," she accused me in the most beautiful, chiming voice.

I smiled as I felt her relief. It was as if she was glad I was here. I nodded at her in polite greeting, all my gentlemanly instincts resurfacing. There was something about this beautiful, intriguing creature... she was angelic, and honest, and dainty.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." I apologised. Her smile nearly re-stopped my frozen heart. Wordlessly, she extended a hand to me. I didn't know what made me trust her, her purity, her sincerity, but I reached out and took her tiny hand in my own, weaving my fingers through hers. My palm tingled as I did this, and it felt to me like it was a sign. As if our hands were made to hold the others. I had never been such a dreamy romantic before, but this golden eyed vampire brought a multitude of emotions to my surfaced, the likes of which I hadn't experienced as a vampire. Or even as a human.

"This way, Jasper." She led me out the door now, letting it swing shut gently behind us. I was not surprised that she knew my name, destiny was a funny thing, but I was worried about the sun.

As if she'd read my thoughts, she turned to me with a grin. "Don't worry about the sun. It's going to stay behind those clouds for another hour or so."

I blinked repeatedly. "How did you know?"

"I've seen it." She beamed.

"What? How?" I breathed, confused.

"I have visions of the future," she replied, perfectly calmly. I stared at her for a moment, utterly flabbergasted, and then I did something that took us both by surprise. I laughed.

I couldn't remember the last time that happened, but I did. I threw back my head and let out a throaty chuckle, relishing in the free feeling.

"What's your name?" I asked suddenly, as I realised I didn't know it.

"Alice," was her instant reply.

Alice... I glanced down at the bright, shiny girl skipping beside me. Alice suited her. Down the rabbit hole, and into wonderland. She was a little like the inquisitive girl of the storybook, I thought.

"Jasper and Alice..." I muttered to myself, unaware that I had spoken out loud until she fixed me with a shocked look. Her surprise turned to glee as she flashed me a blinding, stunning smile.

"Jasper and Alice," she agreed, leading me forwards through the busy street.