Author's Note: I am planning to let Jasper and Alice take turns with telling stories, so this chapter will be devoted to one of Jasper's tales. Thank you to both 'NaleyIsLove23' and 'life takes time' for your reviews – they are very much appreciated! As always, characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. I'm simply borrowing them for entertainment purposes only and will return them when I'm finished, hopefully none the worse for wear.

One of my happiest memories of Alice will always be that of our wedding, watching her glide down the aisle of the small country church dressed in an elaborate white wedding dress that she had designed. I'm sure that if I had still been human at the time, my heart would have skipped at least a few beats as I caught sight of her, albeit on the arm of some stranger we had met earlier that evening that had generously agreed to give her away, for the right price of course. Although she wore a veil, my keen eyesight allowed me to see her face in all its beauty despite the netting. Her black hair was curled under and her eyes were the color of rich butterscotch and sparkling with excitement. I can remember thinking to myself that I must have somehow died and gone to heaven as she smiled at me, practically bouncing in time to the wedding march as she walked forward. I smiled widely as her excitement was catching and almost moved half-way down the aisle to carry her up to where the priest was now standing beside me. Instead, I shifted my weight slightly towards her but managed to keep my feet planted to the spot until she was within easy reach, at which point I removed the veil from her face, took her hand in mine and turned to face the priest. I now recall the ceremony itself as passing by in the blink of an eye, though at the time I can remember thinking that the moment when we would be officially named as husband and wife could not come fast enough. After the ceremony, I offered her my hand, much like Alice offered me hers the first time we met at the diner in Philadelphia. Alice took my proffered hand and kicked her shoes into the air before we ran, laughing like children, into the fading light of the evening. I also remember how proud I felt when I heard the church bells ringing in the distance announcing to all the world that we were officially husband and wife.

I had arranged to spend the first evening of our married life in a small log cabin in the Adirondacks, where we could enjoy our first night as husband and wife before heading off on our honeymoon to Las Cruces, a city in southern New Mexico. I had tried to keep this plan a surprise, though I should have known better than to try and hide something from someone who can see the future. She led the way on the last leg of the journey, though I pulled her to a halt as I made a last minute decision just before she could reach the front door to the cabin that would be ours that evening. She looked up at me with confused eyes and I chuckled. "Now Alice, everyone knows it's customary for the husband to carry his new wife over the threshold of their first home together," I answered her with a wink. It seemed I had just found a chink in her armor: if I didn't think about what I was going to do before I did it, (and in this case I hadn't really thought about doing this because it's so predictable that it's practically cliché,) then she couldn't see what I had in store for her. I'll have to remember that when trying to come up with a gift for her anniversary.

I lifted her into my arms in a flourish, and she in turn wrapped her arms around my neck as I carried her inside. The inside of the cabin was cozy, though somewhat sparse, but since we would only be staying there the one night before heading off on our honeymoon, the surroundings hardly seemed important, especially if I had Alice to focus my attention on. I carried her over to a couch that stood against the far wall, right next to a stone fireplace, and gently lowered her down onto it. I know this might sound silly, but carrying little Alice in my arms like this made me feel like I was carrying a child, and as such, I wanted to protect her fragile form even if she wasn't any more breakable than I am. I then turned to the fireplace with a smile and started placing a few logs in the hearth, ready to light when we returned from hunting. I had specifically asked for a cabin with a fireplace, thinking that even though we wouldn't necessarily feel the cold in the night, it would still be romantic to be able to sit in front of the fire and watch how the light played on my fiancée's – no, we're married now, I reminded myself – my wife's body.

Alice being Alice, she bounced excitedly on the couch for a moment as she watched me prepare the kindling. I turned towards her and she held out her hand towards me. "Aren't you at least going to come and kiss me one more time?" she asks.

"Yes, ma'am…" I laughed and sat down beside her, pulling her onto my lap and placing a gentle kiss to her lips. "You look beautiful, you know," I tell her.

Her eyes crinkle up at the corners as she grins. "So you keep telling me. You know, you don't look half bad yourself in that suit," she answers back. "I just hope you don't ruin it when we go hunting."

I laugh, shaking my head. "I'll do my best. Somehow, I think it'll be easier for me than it will be for you."

"Is that a bet?"

"I'm not generally a betting man, but I guess I could take a wager on that. What would you like to bet?" I ask.

"Hmm… How about if I win, you have to let me pick out the clothes you'll wear on our train ride down to Las Cruces."

Oh no. Knowing my luck, she would make me wear something formal made of really stiff and uncomfortable material, though that might be a good idea to distract me for the short periods of time I have to spend in close proximity to humans (like for instance, when we are waiting to board the train). I gave a nod. "And if I win, you have to let me ask one favor of you in the future with no questions asked."

Alice frowned, her lips pursing together as if wondering what possible favor I could ask of her in the future. Truthfully, I didn't know what that favor could be yet, but since I couldn't really think of anything that I wanted from her at this time, this seemed like the best alternative.

"Alright," Alice said seriously with a sigh. "I agree to your terms." The frown disappeared, her bright smile returning. "So, are you ready to see who wins?"

I laughed and ruffled her hair playfully. "I'm ready if you are."

"Then let's go!" She was up and heading out the door in a flash with me not far behind. We laughed together as we ran through the forest, leaping over logs and brushing against bushes and ferns, searching for whatever animal will become our prey. Eventually we found a small herd of deer that have settled for the night and took our fill.

As we returned to the cabin a couple of hours later and looked at one another in the light of the fire, we discovered that Alice had won the bet. I had evidently run under a bird at the wrong moment and had ended up with some dropping running down my back as a result. Alice was, of course, spotless. I guess it serves me right for taking a bet against Alice I thought dryly as I let out a sigh of defeat. I was to wear a new outfit that would be purchased when the closest clothing store opened its doors the next morning.

We arrived at the train station in plenty of time, our train not being due to leave until noon. Alice had also bought a new dress to wear; this one was a simple lavender frock that accentuated her slight curves. She had dressed me, as I had predicted, in something fashionable and somewhat uncomfortable, though I had to admit that I actually liked the way this suit looked on me and wished I had elicited her help in assisting me to find the one I had worn to our wedding the afternoon before.

After boarding the train, we headed straight for our berth and pretty much stayed there for the duration of the trip. I was thankful that we had thought to wait until the day after our wedding to board the train south, since our wedding night hunt helped to stave the blood lust for the duration of the trip.

We thankfully arrived in Las Cruces just after nightfall, and were thus able to escape from the train without drawing much attention to ourselves. We still wore the same clothes we had departed in, and I didn't want any of our fellow passengers from the train beginning to spread rumors if they saw us in the street still wearing the same clothes. We headed towards a hotel on the edge of town, making arrangements to supplement our wardrobe with a couple of extra outfits to avoid arousing suspicion.

We were only about two blocks from the hotel when I first sensed that we were not alone, that there was another vampire nearby, one whom I recognized immediately from the past. I immediately tensed, old instincts setting in as I searched for the source of the scent that now seemed to waft in my direction, taunting me. My immediate concern was to protect Alice, since I knew I wouldn't be able to live without her.

I spotted the source of the scent across the street about half a block away. It was Maria, hunched over her latest victim, a small child of maybe 5 or 6. She tossed the body aside as the direction of the wind changed and turned to gaze at Alice and me with her blood-red eyes almost seeming to glow in the moonlight. Maria was the last person I had expected to see here. Evidently she was just as surprised to see me, since she let out a snarl of disgust and rage. "Jasper, I thought you had gone to live up north with Peter and Charlotte." She practically spat out their names, and I crouched even lower as things became more complicated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another vampire that I recognized, one that I had trained just before leaving Maria's coven, stepping around the corner.

"Stuart," I address the other vampire. "I didn't know Maria kept you."

"I no longer had you to train the newborns, Jasper. Out of all the newborns you left behind when you walked away from us, Stuart was the most talented fighter. Why would I not keep him?" Maria answered indignantly. "But I see you have found yourself some new company too…" she nods towards Alice, who is trying to peer surreptitiously at the others from behind my back.

"My name is Alice," my sweet angel answered. Her voice quavered a little – she had heard me speak of how dangerous Maria could be if you didn't know how to fight – but she jutted her chin out stubbornly as if to deny her fear.

"Well, Alice," Stuart's eyes narrowed as he gives a crooked grin. "What say we have some fun together while Jasper and Maria catch up on old times?"

By this point I was seething with rage. How dare they try to talk to my Alice? How dare Stuart suggest separating the two of us? While I had little doubt that I could take Maria, I didn't like the odds of Alice having to go up against Stuart – Maria was right in what she had said, he had been a good fighter. "Just stay behind me and you'll be safe," I whisper to Alice, trying to block her from Stuart's view.

"No," she answers back stubbornly. I had never heard her say this word to me and it took me by surprise. Alice grasped my hand before moving to my side. "If there is going to be a fight tonight, then I'm going to stand and fight beside you." She gave my hand a squeeze. "I have faith that if it does come down to a fight, then we'll win."

I shook my head no. I couldn't let her risk her life, not now, not ever. "No, I won't let you do this," I said to her, trying to push her back behind me, but she stood firm.

At that moment, Stuart pounced at Alice and I moved to block, releasing Alice's hand so that I could use both my hands to push Stuart back. I had no desire to kill anyone tonight, but if he were to lay one finger on my Alice, so help me God…

Maria's brow furrowed at my protective actions – she had never seen me protect anyone but her before – and she moved to attack Alice before I have a chance to react. Alice spun just as quickly out of the way, darting in another direction so quickly that I hoped there were no humans witnessing our fight. The last thing we needed was a visit from the Volturi…

Stuart launched another attack, this time towards me, and I was forced to turn my attention towards my attacker. I quickly deflected his blow towards my chest and grabbed his arm, swinging him around before pushing him into a nearby brick wall. The brick crumbled under Stuart and he growled as he came at me again, pushing me back this time. I gripped his shirt, twisting it as I propelled both of us around so that I landed on top of him. I was vaguely aware of the grunts and growls coming from a few feet away and felt a sudden surge of panic, hoping that Alice was not being hurt. I needed to end this fight with Stuart as quickly as possible, so I used my leverage to decapitate my opponent, making quick work of him before taking out a matchbook from my pocket and setting the body alight. I turned my attention towards the other fight and was glad to see that Alice didn't appear hurt. Maria didn't look any worse for wear either, though as she glanced in my direction and saw the fire, she realized that it was over and turned on her heel and fled into the night.

I turned to Alice. "Are you alright?" I asked her. Alice simply smiled and nodded.

"Why didn't you run away? You could have been hurt!" I asked as I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to impress upon her how frightened I had been for her safety.

"Jasper, during our wedding ceremony I agreed to stay with you always. I'm not going to run away when you need me most." I frowned, confused by what she meant. Alice sighed before responding to my silent question. "If I had run away, it would have been easier for them to gang up on you and kill you. I couldn't let that happen, not when we're just beginning our honeymoon together." We both smiled. She was right, of course, and it seemed I owed her my life once again.

Even now, so many years later, it still seems like Alice and I are enjoying our honeymoon. Every time I look at her I am overcome with adoration, and every moment she is near I can sense the overwhelming love that she feels for me, just like when I saw her walking up the aisle on our wedding day. All of this makes me thankful that I not only found my soul mate but my second chance at life.