A/N: Chapter 3! I am doing pretty well on the updating, aren't I? Something my more usual readers aren't used to ;) Anyway, this one deals less with the romance and more with Jasper's struggles. I felt I really needed to write this. It's so refreshing not to have awful writer's block (God forbid...). I'd also like to say that I'm really sorry to Daisy (edwardcullenaddicts) for being such a lousy beta-reader and not getting anything done on time. Sorry sorry sorry! Won't happen again. I hope you enjoy this, at least, and maybe you'll forgive me?

Anyway, ENJOY!

Chapter 3: Different

He could hardly take it anymore. By their third day together, he twitched and moaned with every passing second, venom flooding his mouth with no apparent reason. Every time he was struck with the pain of it, he would reach over to Alice and put her delicate hand to his cheek. Her compassion made him calmer. He wished he could work his own systems on himself; Alice said his ability to make her calm was startling. But when he was like this, ready and willing to attack an innocent little girl to satiate his unbearable thirst, the only emotions he could bring about were anxiousness and self-loathing. She felt it in the atmosphere; even her generally soothing presence did nothing to help.

She had dreaded their first hunting trip together. She saw how he hunted; it was the one element in her visions of him she did not appreciate. How many innocent people had she seen die by the hands of the man she now loved? Dozens, surely. She knew he couldn't control it, and to some level, she understood. But it still made her nervous to imagine a hunting trip with Jasper. Would he flip out of his already-loose restraint to attack? His desire for blood was a constant jeopardy. And yet, it didn't sway her from her decision to stay with him, nor did it cause her to recoil from his difficulty to keep himself on both feet. In fact, she admired him for not giving up, even after his recurring relapses into a lifestyle he himself thought to be despicable. He was trying, and trying hard, and that in itself made him her indisputable hero.

Her entry into the world of 'vegetarianism' was much smoother than his. It all began when she first saw the vision of the Cullens—it was a very long time ago now, though to her, it seemed like yesterday. She'd been mystified by their philosophy and their way of life. It had been exactly what she was looking for. She'd always felt guilty about that need—the need to drink blood. It never sat right with her to kill for her own benefit. She was thrilled when she saw that yes, there was another way to live and be satisfied. Carlisle Cullen was nothing short of a genius.

She'd had an easy start—because with Alice, every start was easy. She ventured into a wood, her eyes set on a hibernating bear. As soon as she made the decision to change the way she 'ate', she knew that she would do so. Her tackle with the bear was smooth, almost graceful. She found its blood not nearly as satisfying, but knowing that she was innocent, knowing that she didn't need to feed off others to keep herself alive, was worth it. She'd spent too long in anguish, banging her head against the wall after every time she gave in. It was a huge relief to her.

She knew Jasper inside and out. In time, he would grow accustomed to the lifestyle. It wouldn't be easy, not by a long shot. But he would do it, and it would only serve to make him stronger. Their life together would be happy and guilt-free; there was no doubt in her mind.

Jasper told her when it was growing to be too much to bear. His inner southerner felt a little emasculated by the admission of his weakness—but her smile was enough to make him forget all about that. She took his hand and said, "Let's hunt."

He had a pained look on his face as they left the inn. Even the scent of the human clerk made his mouth water; he came very close to attacking him. But with a gentle tug on his forearm, Alice led him out and began to run. He followed her, not stopping to think where she was taking him. He assumed that she was accepting his faults, like he knew she would; that she was taking him somewhere where he could feed on his monthly human. Something felt odd about that. Would sweet Alice agree to him feeding? Was she going to feed with him? Each of these questions flitted past his head as he ran, and he didn't bother to dignify them with his attention.

He felt confused when she brought him to a forest south of Ohio. There weren't any people in sight—not even a faint smell. All he could smell was birds, and the trees, and a small herd of elk. Nothing interesting.

"Wait," Jasper said, stopping her in her tracks as she ventured into the woods. "I thought you said we were going hunting."

"We are," she said sweetly. The air emanating from her was filled with confidence and a certain degree of playfulness.

"But…" Jasper seemed lost for words. "There's no one around here."

"Only the elk," she said, nodding. "Just like I hoped."

He began to understand. Alice hunted… elk.

"I should've known," he said, but not in a tone that was resentful or disappointed. It was more like he was disgruntled with himself for hoping, even the slightest bit, that he would drink human blood within hours.

"Try it," she cooed, touching her palms to his chest. He already felt somewhat persuaded. "It's how I live."

Of course he stood no chance. He felt reluctant to hunt the elk—even their smell wasn't nearly as inviting as a human, dull and stale. It felt funny to hunt after hopeless, mindless creatures such as the elk, but as he watched Alice gracefully down one with ease and a certain degree of pleasure, he felt encouraged to follow.

He began to stalk one of the larger ones that Alice intentionally left for him. She watched from the sidelines, ready to spur him on, as he smoothly and elegantly danced around the group, taking in its scent, spotting the most appetizing. His pounce was delicate and yet impatient and eager. He sucked down the blood with subdued gratification, the repulsive taste too much for him to ignore. When he let the dead animal drop to his feet, he still felt dissatisfied—the burn still raged in his throat. Alice was behind him not a second after he was done, her arms wrapped around him, whispering in his ear.

"I know," she said understandingly. "But it's sustenance. And it's much better than nothing. I assure you, you'll get used to it."

It was amazing to him how much she understood him without needing to ask. It had been exactly what he was worried about.

"I'm… I'm not full," he whispered timidly to his guide—his willing teacher.

She rubbed her hands up and down his torso. It felt fantastic. "There are still more. With animals, you can feed whenever you want, and as much as you want. You don't ever have to worry about taking lives. You can drink until you're satisfied… and never even stop to think about it."

Her words made sense to him. Hadn't this been exactly what he wanted since he left Maria? To feed and feed without feeling like a cold-blooded murderer? Despite the fact that animal blood wasn't quite like human blood, it was like binging on fatty foods and knowing you won't gain a pound. If the elk blood hadn't tasted so unsightly, Jasper would've thought this too good to be true.

He nodded, and reluctantly, she let go of him. They ran together through the forest until they spotted some deer; Alice, who was already used to the blood, only drank from one. Jasper savored three more, urging himself to believe this was just as good as the blood of humans. Of course it wasn't, but it dulled the burn to nearly nothing. That was enough.

After about thirty minutes, Jasper got his fill. He smiled along with Alice and they began to make their way out of the thick woods.

But, Jasper soon noticed, things weren't going to be quite so easy. As the trees thinned and the couple emerged from the shadows, a horrible, mouth-watering scent hit Jasper straight in the nose. He had just drunk enough blood to sustain him for a month, but this… The smell was driving him insane by the second. Sensing this, Alice held tighter onto Jasper's hand and wrapped her body around his arm, restraining him. She began leading him to the human.

"What are you doing?" he demanded quietly, screeching to a halt. She was leading them right in the human's direction.

"You can do this," Alice said softly, resting her head against his muscular arm. "I know you can. All you need is to see for yourself." She nodded toward the human—a girl in her late teens, dressed in outdoorsy and laid back clothes—as if urging him on. She continued to walk forward until the girl noticed them.

"Hello," Alice said to the girl, smiling warmly. "Are you lost?"

What was Alice doing? Jasper could hardly keep himself from pouncing on the helpless girl, the very smell of her making his thirst resurface.

"No," she said, smiling as well. "I'm waiting for my father. He's looking for a place to start a picnic in the woods."

Jasper held his breath as tight as he could as the girl's flooded the air around him. He tried to focus on the aura of emotions around her, and around Alice; anticipation, certainty, joy, and distinct relaxation from the girl.

"I'm Alice," Alice said with her high, singsong voice, smiling widely. "This is Jasper. We've just gone for a walk. It's lovely there."

"Evangeline," the girl said just as nicely. "And it is. We come here every week."

Suddenly, Jasper felt like he was being held down by the weight of a thousand anvils; a man, a pleasant expression on his face, joined their small gathering. More blood. More temptation.

Alice continued to make small talk with the pair—nodding and smiling, while Jasper stood there, stiff as a rock, trying not to give in. You just fed, he urged himself. They're innocent people out for an afternoon picnic…

It felt like forever had passed when the father and daughter trumped into the forest with a picnic basket. As they drifted off, he allowed his muscles to loosen and heaved a sigh of relief.

"You did it!" Alice exclaimed, turning around to fully embrace him. "You did it," she repeated softly, her head resting against him.

And he did. He smiled and allowed his arms to creep around his little teacher -- his little angel.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! PLEASE REVIEW NOW!