I think you will all LOVE this chapter. I am super excited about putting the chapters out now that something interesting is happening in the story. The first part is cont. from last chapter's Alice's POV. OHHHH i love this chapter! Beware of the major cliffie at the end, though. Hate to do it to you, but I always imagined posting it that way. Please review and you will get the next chapter very soon! (At 48 reviews. Wanna make it 55? That would make me to the chicken dance on my bed. After that, i would immediately post the next chapter, i swear!!)

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That night, I sat on the floor, waiting for Jasper. He was still downstairs, sharing hunting stories with his boastful brothers. The trip had been great…and wonderful--and unhuman.

I cringed in the dark. Why was this all so suddenly hard to handle? Was it those strange visions I'd been having lately? Of that girl? The ordinary one that I saw falling over things a lot and flushing with pink a lot? I couldn't make sense of her--she must be just some other human transferring soon.

But why was she popping up before my eyes so often? What was her purpose? Seeing her blush that delicious pink only made me wish I could blush myself. That was what triggered my emotions lately. Seeing this girl and all her humanity…eating food and liking it, walking in the sunshine, bleeding when she fell down--which was often I found. My head felt numb and light. I pressed my cheek to the cool hardwood floor.

Silence.

Just like Jasper's chest. It only held a hollow heart--like a casting of something that once was. Unliving. Undead. Silent.

I was horrified to let out the tiniest sob--like a kitten's cry or a squeak of a shoe on a shiny surface. Very soft. I never cried about this. I knew I was to keep myself in check--why--

"Alice? Alice!" Strong arms gently but urgently picked me up like a rag doll. I could only see his silhouette in the darkness. I felt almost sleepy in sadness…

"Alice!" his voice made me shudder. All that worry was aimed at me--I was causing him so much stress for my silliness.

He read my reaction wrong and immediately stiffened. He felt rejected by my shudder.

"No, no, Jasper! Come--come here." I sat up and rushed to hug him back, gathering folds of his shirt. He limply returned the embrace, unsure. My voice was a little shaky.

"Please tell me everything, Alice. You will feel better." He turned to face me. I grimaced.

"No, it won't. I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you. You've had such a hard vampire life and I'm the one complaining." I sighed, frustrated with myself. Jasper leaned forward, his becoming-visible eyes pooled with suspense and worry. For me and my eccentric behavior.

I let it out.

All of it.

"I just wish we were normal. Like this silly little girl in my visions lately! I want it so bad it hurts--! I want to have a big family dinner at the dinner table and not smell like pine and be sticky with sap afterwards. I want to have girl friends over. I want you to not have to be so trapped in yourself. I want to grow up and maybe have a job and a family--but I can't. Then I feel bad about even thinking about staying human; if I was I'd have been in an asylum and away from you and Carlisle and the others--forever. You were right. Being together is the only good thing about being a vampire."

I hitched on an uneven breath. Jasper nearly mirrored me. He'd soaked up my emotions, saw them, and reacted like me. He bit his lip and looked away, yet opened the arms I'd wriggled out of to face him. Trembling, I wrapped into his arms.

I moved two hours later. I stared at his face. His eyes were closed in thought. He probably wanted to be human even more than me. I was selfish, true, and I was locked away and left for savagery, but Jasper had been forced into battle. Endless bloodshed, killing, pain, scars, injustice, starvation. It read in his wary eyes sometimes. "I'm so sorry." I whispered. He shook his head once, briskly.

"You said you've been having visions of a girl?" he asked, as to avoid my apology. It was so like him not to blame me here. I sighed.

"Yeah. She had brown hair and eyes. She's real pale, too. Probably nothing--just a high school transfer student."

Jasper's brow pinched. "Then why is she so important?"

I shrugged, smiling a little now. "I get weather forecasts, too, remember? Not exactly on the top of my priority list."

Then he curled down to kiss me. His jaw moved slowly. I did feel better, though--not the fake joy Jasper could inflict. He knew I disliked the false emotions. They only numbed, not healed. I'd always very calmly insult him when he did such a thing to me. He wouldn't help but laugh and I would feel better in both ways. His leps felt so soft…and I tasted his unique flavor and sniffed his scent.

It was Saturday morning--no school. I was glad--it would be hard to shake off this private session. Jasper only held me and rocked me slowly on the ground for a long, soothing. I couldn't recall a time when we really discussed our feelings for our immortal lives and what we'd never have. It was a grim topic for us all.

Hearing Rosalie coo at babies made me realize how much she wanted to be a mother--and how much I did, too. I'd graduated many times, but what would it be like in Esme's shoes--to see her child get her diploma? Esme got that--but life stopped there and rewound. No grandchildren, no birthday greetings from afar, no 'Dear Mom I got an apartment' letters.

I sighed, wondering if Edward was aware of our thoughts. Edward must feel terrible--at least I had Jasper to comfort and relate…I stopped thinking of what Edward lacked. I stretched my neck to kiss Jasper's throat. I felt the smooth upraising of a scar, and looked away. Whenever I looked at one of his scars I felt pity that I couldn't reign in. Truly, the pity was still blended with love and admiration for my brave soldier.

I sat up and took his hand in my palms. I stroked his hair, combing the tendrils with gentle touches. He melted in my hands, leaning his head back and sighing. His lips parted and he closed his eyes peacefully, like a person immersed in a lovely bath.

Yes, this grief had faded. Talking made it feel better. It was numbed--still there, but weaker and masked for the moment. I kissed Jasper.

EMMETT

Jasper and Alice emerged at about noon. "What were you two doing? 'Sleeping in'?" I air quoted. Alice looked at Jazz like they had an inside joke. "Ew, ew, double ew--"

"Oh, come off it, Emmett." Edward interrupted sulkily from the chair, flickering the TV screen. "Just because that's what your night consists of doesn't mean everyone's is." he hissed. I sorta shrank back; so did Rose behind me. This would have worried Carlisle and Esme had they not been hunting…

Edward felt our gazes and stalked out of the room. I pressed my lips together, No one scolded my playful banter--it was just always so predictable of me. I mean, I didn't mean to upset Ed. He usually at least snickered at my innuendo jokes. Or ignored them. Never snapped at me for them.

I tugged at my cap and Rosalie squeezed my arm. "He's just moody." she whispered.

Surely Jazz and Alice hadn't noticed in their own little crisis, but Edward was acting odd, too. Wouldn't play piano, hunted more than usual…

The next day, we heard about Bella Swan.