A/N: Sorry this has taken a while to get to you... things have been a bit hectic lately. Anyways, here it is....

Disclaimer: I own a brand new Acer Aspire1 netbook... yay! But not Twilight... that's all SM.

Chapter 6 - A False Vision

APOV

"Alice? Is it okay if I come in?" Jasper's voice carried softly through the door.

I knew that he had contemplated simply not coming home tonight; my newly-restored visions had told me as much. And in some sick, twisted, selfish way, I wish he would have taken that path instead of choosing to come home.

Then I would have had more time to get my emotions in check and work through the lie that had to be told to protect those I love.

"Come in."

The look on his face was devastating. I'd never seen him look so defeated before. I felt my emotions getting the better of me and quickly refocused my mind on what I needed to do.

"We need to talk," we both said.

Giving a half-hearted laugh, Jasper motioned to me, "You first."

I knew that in order to pull this off, I was going to have to make myself believe what I was saying. Jasper would be able to pick up on the slightest hint of deception and regret that I might feel. I took and unnecessarily deep breath and began.

"First off, I am so sorry that I left you like that..."

Jasper quickly cut me off, and for a brief moment I panicked, knowing I'd been caught. "I can feel the regret rolling off you, you don't have to apologize. I just don't understand why you thought it had to be Edward who comforted you. Why not me?"

It was at that moment I realized the hard part was not going to be convincing Jasper of what I saw. He had seen me have so many visions over our years together that he had become almost impervious to them.

The hard part was going to be explaining to him why I took off immediately afterwards with Edward and didn't come back for him. I didn't need to be an empath to know that he must be feeling extremely inadequate at that moment.

"Jasper, I'm sorry. It was just... overwhelming. To have nothing and then all of a sudden be hit with such a strong vision... Edward saw it too, so it only made sense that he could help me work through it."

Truthfully, I did feel awful about leaving Jasper there for so long with no word on how I was doing or any justification for my actions. But I knew as soon as the vision was over if I stayed one more second in that field that not only Jasper, but Bella as well, would know that our time was coming to a close.

"Well, you certainly seem to be doing better now. Thanks to Edward, I suppose." Jasper sat down in one of the arm chairs in our bedroom, and his shoulders slumped forward, his head falling into his hands.

I sat on the bed watching him for what seemed like eternity, knowing that anything I said wouldn't help him or myself. Eventually he looked up at me and my heart was twisted with what I saw.

The pain was evident in Jasper's eyes. Their normal golden hue was muted to a dull amber. "Please, Alice. I just need to know what was so bad that you couldn't tell me," he plead with me, "What was so horrible, so terrifying that you couldn't trust me with it?"

At this point, his eyes took on a whole other dimension, the dull amber from seconds before was gone: a blazing gold, full of fury was in its place. Never before had I been in such awe of him.

As he rose from the chair, he seemed like a different man than the one who sat defeated moments ago. This was the Jasper who had existed before I met him in that diner years ago; a Jasper who was going to get answers one way or another.

He stalked towards the bed, covering the distance in two long strides. Before I had even had time to make sense of it, he had me pulled off the bed in front of him, his lean fingers digging into my shoulders.

"I need to know Alice. What did you see? What is going to happen?" He kept his grip on me, his fingers tightening with every word he spoke.

I didn't know how to respond. I hadn't seen this happening. It was a split-second decision on his part and I didn't know if I should stick to mine and Edward's story or just tell him exactly what I'd seen.

I'm sure he could sense my indecision; I could see the fury rising in his eyes with every second that passed without an answer from me. They were wild. In that moment, I was truly terrified of what would happen if I went another moment without responding to him.

"Please, Jasper. You're hurting me."

For the briefest moment, I thought he was going to snap. It was as if his eyes were on fire. And then... nothing. He went right back to the crestfallen man he had been mere minutes before. His hands become loose on my shoulders and I shrugged out from underneath their hold. His arms fell limp to his side as he fell to the floor. I was by his side in a flash.

"Jasper, I didn't mean it literally, of course. There's no way you would ever hurt me. I just... I've never seen you like that; it scared me."

He looked up at me and I was met with the most heart-rending gaze I'd ever seen. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. Our roles were reversed for once: he was the one needing comfort and I the one giving solace.

~*~

"I'm ready to talk now Alice."

It had been so long since either of us spoke that I was uncertain whether or not I actually heard him or not. I pulled away from him slightly and looked down. He was staring up at me and I was sure if it was possible he would have tears streaming down his face.

"Okay," I replied meekly, "where do you want to start?"

He chuckled before nodding his head towards the bed. "Maybe we should get more comfortable first. I have a feeling this may take a while."

I stood and reached out my hand for his. I was almost certain he wasn't going to take it, but he did eventually place his hand in mine and raised himself from the floor.

We sat on the bed, backs to the headboard, side-by-side. I chanced a peek over at him and was met with an expectant look. I shrugged my shoulders at him, not sure where he wanted me to start.

Sensing my uncertainty he said, "From the beginning Alice."

I was running through the forest at what seemed like warped speed, though I knew it was nowhere near fast enough for Edward to catch me. I could feel him close behind me; his agile steps too quiet for anyone else to hear.

"Alice, I can hear your thoughts, you know. You can't hide from me."

At that moment, I took a quick turn and headed for the field where we played baseball from time to time. I stopped on the far side of it, turning to face where I was sure Edward was going to emerge from.

I waited... it was as if he had disappeared. I couldn't find any vision of him. Then it overtook me like no other vision has before. I was completely ensnared by it. I didn't even realize that Edward had approached until the vision was over. I realized he had seen the whole thing.

"That still doesn't tell me what you saw." Jasper said, giving me the 'I know you're hiding something' stare.

I knew this was the moment of truth, he was either going to buy in to it or not. If he didn't accept the false-vision, I had no idea what was going to happen. I gathered my wits about me and began.

~*~

"So, that's it?" Jasper looked at me, one eyebrow cocked up questioningly.

"Yes, it is. When Edward and I got back to the house, we sat here and worked through all the different ways to try and fix it and finally came up with one that worked. So, it's all taken care of now.

We called everyone and told them to stay on vacation for a bit longer, that we had a surprise planned. They all bought it and then I got another vision where everything worked out just fine. So, there's no need to worry."

He relaxed visibly before leaning over and engulfing me in hug.

"Darlin', there was no reason why you couldn't share that with Bella and me. If anything, four minds working together could've come up with a solution a lot quicker: thus saving you and Edward all that time of worrying."

I choked back a sob, not able to believe that he had bought the lie so quickly and without question.

"Come on, Alice. No more feelings of betrayal. I may not be happy with your decision to leave me out of it, but it's done with and everything is going to be okay. Isn't it?"

I closed my eyes briefly, taking a moment to gather my wits about me and looked up into his eyes. He looked down at me with adoration that I knew in that moment I had committed the worst sin imaginable and somehow gotten away with it.

"Yes, Jasper. Everything is going to be just fine."

JPOV

It was all too simple, really. Her explanation had bordered on comical.

When she had finished, the only thing I could think to say was, "So, that's it?" For a brief moment, she felt a sense of panic. She probably thought that I didn't believe her, and in truth, I'm surprised at how easily I accepted what she said. But, Alice had never once in our decades together lied to me, there was no reason for her start now.

She then explained to me how her and Edward had come back to the house and figured out how to prevent the vision from ever occurring. Leave it my Alice to want to try and figure things out on her own; not wanting to trouble any more people than necessary.

I told her how if we had all worked together we could have come up with a solution much quicker than her and Edward had. In fact, it would have saved us all the hurt and agony if she and Edward and been forthcoming to begin with.

I heard a mangled sob escape from Alice's throat, along with a sense of betrayal. Sure, she should have told me about the vision, and I told her as much, but I understood to some extent why she didn't.

"Everything is going to be okay, isn't it?" I asked her. I looked down towards her pouring out my love for her.

She looked back up at me and a small smile played across her face. "Yes, Jasper. Everything is going to be just fine."

Knowing that sitting there any longer would just cause her feelings of guilt and betrayal to magnify, I pulled her up off the bed swiftly. She gave a small gasp and pulled away slightly.

Shit, I thought to myself, I've done gone and scared her again. I can't believe I lost it like I did earlier!

In order to avoid her taking my actions the wrong way, I bent her over backwards and trailed kisses up her throat until I reached her ear. "How about a little hunt and then we come back here and see if we can salvage that movie night?

She squealed a little bit as I lifted her back up. "Okay, but no more games of hide and seek, those don't seem to be playing out so well," she said with a little smirk on her face.

"Off we go..." she said in her sing-song voice as we ran down the stairs and out the door, hand-in-hand.

~*~

"I feel completely and utterly satiated," Alice said, rubbing her belly.

"I think I can hear it just sloshing around inside of me."

I couldn't help but laugh at her words. "Hunting humor" as Emmett and I called it was not Alice's thing. In fact, Alice, along with the rest of the family, was into the mantra of "get in there, get it done, and get out as quickly and cleanly as possible". Emmett and I were the only ones who made a sport of it.

I did away with the evidence of our hunt and we leisurely made our way back towards Forks.

As we approached the beginning of our land, I led Alice away from Edward and Bella's. I wasn't sure if they had finished talking yet or not and most definitely didn't want to disturb them.

"Jasper, it's fine. I think we all need to talk anyways." Edward's voice carried through the woods.

"Damn mind-reader," I mumbled under my breath.

Alice just rolled her eyes at me before pulling me towards the cabin.

A few minutes later we strolled up the pathway just as Bella flung open the door. I could see Edward standing a few feet behind her. I got the feeling that their discussion may not have gone as well as mine and Alice's.

"Well, it sure took you long enough to get here," Bella said, walking back into her living room, leaving the door wide open.

I gave Edward a questioning look, to which he quickly shook his head. This just confirmed my suspicion that they were still working things out.

Would you mind if I tried talking to her? Or Alice? Maybe she just needs a less biased opinion.

Edward swung out his arm in a 'have at it' motion towards Bella. But before I could even take one step, Bella had twirled around, a look of unparalleled anger marring her features.

"I'm right here you know!" Her voice reverberated throughout the cabin, as did the back door coming off it's hinges when she attempted to slam it.

Dead silence followed for a brief amount of time before Alice released my hand. "I'm going to go talk to her. It'll be better if it's me. Trust me." She looked from me to Edward, as if waiting confirmation. Edward nodded his head towards the backdoor.

Giving me a quick peck on the cheek, Alice darted out the door following Bella's tracks.

I wasn't sure if I should go back to the house or stay here with Edward and wait it. The air was thick with uncertainty.

"Um, well... I'm gonna head back to the house... wait for Alice... you know." I had never in my life been at such a loss for words. I had no idea what to say to Edward, if I even wanted to say anything to him.

Just as I turned to leave, Edward spoke, "I think we need to talk Jasper. I'm kind of glad that Alice and Bella aren't here. I think there's some things you need to tell me, right?"

I gulped, knowing this conversation wasn't going to be easy. Edward knew all about my conflicting thoughts concerning Alice, and, having not quite come to terms with them myself, didn't know how I'd go about explaining them to him.

"Seriously, Jasper? How long have you known me? And honestly, I've made my share of stupid mistakes, so who am I to judge?"

I could feel the sincerity and worry coming off him and relaxed, knowing that he just wanted to help me. I leaned up against one of the kitchen counters, "What do you want me to say?"

Edward walked into the kitchen, mimicking my pose. "When did you start feeling like she was keeping something from you?"

I thought back and it was quite clear to me when it had began, "The night of Renesmee and Jake's wedding. I had been getting this odd mixture of feeling from her lately, and I wasn't sure what to make of it. So, when she admitted to me after the family meeting that she hadn't been having visions I kind of freaked. Why would she keep something like that from me? Why didn't I realize that she wasn't having visions.I mean, I swear that occasionally she would have one. I'd come in our room and she'd be all spaced out. So, it just didn't make sense that she would be telling me she hadn't had any."

Edward nodded, "I see what you mean. I think there might have been some misunderstanding on all our parts. From what Alice told me, she was having visions occasionally, but nothing long-term. Jake and some of the other pack members were around so much and were so intricately involved in every decision made in our day-to-day lives that it rendered her blind when it came to the visions. Does that make sense?"

I thought it over for a minute, "Yeah, I suppose it does."

"But..." Edward prompted.

"But I still feel like she's been hiding something. She's been so.... distant... lately. It's like she's pulling away from me in anticipation of something, but I have no idea what."

Edward didn't say anything and the kitchen went silent for a minute.

The silence was broken by Bella and Alice's laughter as they made their way back towards the cabin.

"Look, Jasper. I'm not going to say anything to Alice. First off, it isn't my place. Secondly, you do have a good point. But it very well might be that Alice was just so shocked to be having such strong visions after such a long time of not having anything solid that it freaked her out."

"That's exactly what she told me," I said, running my hand through my hair in disbelief. How could I have been so dead set on wanting to believe the worst about the one person who I valued more than anything else?

"Don't beat yourself up about this. It's perfectly human to wonder "what if". Not that we're human or anything, but yeah... I'm just rambling now. Point is, she's your wife. You know you can trust her, right?"

That was what it all boiled down to. Was I willing to put my trust in to Alice again? She had never once given me a reason to doubt her. Keeping her lack of visions from me was the first and only time she'd ever kept something from me. Edward's explanation made perfect sense, I just don't know why I didn't buy it when it came from Alice.

"Sometimes we just need an outside opinion, isn't that what you said earlier about Bella?"

"Yeah, man. Look thanks for talking with me. I really appreciate it." I said, extending my hand to him.

"Jasper, we're brothers. We can hug this out," Edward said laughing. He pulled me in to one of those awkward man hug/back pat things just as Alice and Bella walked back in.

"Well, well. What do we have here? Can't leave you alone for a few minutes without you getting all emotional can we?" Alice teased.

Edward and I pulled apart awkwardly, looking back and forth between each other and our wives, before laughter broke out between the four of us.

Alice flitted over to me, wrapping her arms around me. "So, about that movie. Who wants to head back up to the house and watch it?"

"Um, I have something I want to say," Bella said, fidgeting in place.

Edward walked over to her and grabbed her hands, "What is it Bella?"

"I am so sorry about snapping at you all earlier. This was just a very new, and very scary experience and I didn't quite know how to take it. I know you were just trying to help."

Her nerves were on end and if she didn't calm down soon we were all going to on edge. I pulled away from Alice, giving her a quick kiss on her knuckles before I walked towards Bella. I stopped a few feet in front of her.

"Bella, you need to calm yourself. No one blames you for your reaction. If anything, I should be the one who is sorry. I sat there for hours in silence when I could have been helping you work through this.

Nothing excuses Edward and Alice's leaving like they did," I paused, looking first at Alice, then Edward, both of whom look ashamed, "but the past is the past. It's done and over. There's no way to change the events of the past 24 hours, but we can move past it, can't we?"

Bella looked up through her eyelashes, looking each of us in the eyes before responding, "Yeah, I suppose we can."

Edward, Alice, and myself let out a collected sigh of relief.

"But, can we maybe stay here and watch the movie?" Bella asked.

I rolled my eyes at her, "Of course."

Alice and I sat on the love seat as Bella and Edward picked a movie. I leaned over to Alice's ear and whispered, "So, your talk with Bella seems to have gone well." Alice shivered beside me, she always did claim it tickled when I whispered in her ear.

"As well as can be expected. I think it's just like Edward told you, sometimes an outside opinion is needed."

I'm sure if it had been possible I would have paled at her admission she had heard some, if not all, of mine and Edward's conversation.

Probably sensing my tenseness she leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Relax, Jasper. I only picked up on the tail end of it, even I am not that intrusive." She gave a small smirk as she pulled away.

"She's right Jasper, we only caught the last few things you said to each other, but she definitely is that intrusive. You know she'll be bugging you and Edward for days."

Alice picked up a pillow and chunked it at Bella, narrowly missing her head.

"I'm not that bad am I?" Alice pouted.

"Yes, Alice. You are. Now let's watch this movie. I've been waiting 24 hours for this," Edward said, hitting the play button.

As the opening credits began, I let myself relax into Alice's side. I felt content in that moment, but it was soon marred by a tiny feeling that this wasn't the end of things.

A/N: At this point, chapter 7 is almost complete. I just have to finish it and get it to Megsly so she can beta. I'm hoping to get it to you no later than Thursday evening b/c I'm going to visit Megsly this weekend and am hoping she kicks my ass into high gear. lol. Also, we're about to be getting out setting the story up and some action's gonna be coming soon, so yeah... be on the look out :)