Thanks to everyone who's read my story up to this point! I hope you like it!

"It's been four days! How long does she expect us to wait?"

Jasper was becoming increasingly concerned for Alice, who after running off, hadn't been seen for the past four days. She never did things like this- scratch that, she never did things like this without Jasper coming with her. It was all he could do not to go racing after her, but even he knew it would get him nowhere. The trail would be gone and they had no way of finding her.

"Just calm down Jasper," he heard Edward say from where he was sitting on the couch with Bella. "Alice always knows what she's doing."

"But she told us herself. She said she didn't even know where she was going, and now no one's seen her for days. What if something happened?"

"You're overreacting," Edward told him, reading the deeper worry in his mind.

"Am I? So I'm just supposed to sit her and wait for her to come back? I can't do that, I need to go after her."

"There's no need for that. The trail's gone by now anyways."

"Would you do it?" Jasper asked, his dark eyes on his adopted brother. "If you were in my position. If Bella ran off without an explanation and told you to wait here until she was done, would you be able to do it?"

Edward sighed, and Jasper turned away, knowing he'd won that conversation. Unable to keep still, he began pacing the living room. What could she possibly have seen that told her she needed to go gallivanting off without any type of explanation? Alice was nothing if not careful. Well, she was a lot of things, but that was beside the point. Jasper was just about to ignore the warnings and go off to find her when he heard it.

It was quiet, almost too silent to hear, but he heard it, ringing through his ears loud and clear. A laugh. A quiet giggle that sounded like twinkling bells in a soft breeze. It was her laugh. He would know that laugh anywhere.

Without hesitating for a second, he spun around and raced out the already open back door. In a flash he was at the bottom of the steps, the rest of his family coming up behind him, having just heard it as well and seen his reaction. The trees were thick behind their house, and she wasn't running, but it was only a matter of seconds until she came into view.

At first, all Jasper felt was relief. She may have taken a few days, but she was back, and she was obviously fine, laughing even. She looked up and a smile flashed across her face when she saw her family standing there. It was then that he saw what was new, and if he had a heart, it would have skipped a beat.

Alice was carrying a child on her back, one that was laughing along with her, and one that was definitely not human.

It was the little girl that stopped him from running, or in his case, sprinting forward to pick her up and spin her around in his arms. His mind raced almost too fast for him to comprehend. An immortal child. But she wouldn't have, never, not in a million years, not when she knew what trouble it would cause. She couldn't have, but what else could it be? And she didn't look guilty about anything, she looked happy.

When Alice finally stopped in front of them, she let the little girl down to stand next to her. The girl was young in appearance, looking to be about ten. She had flowing dark brown hair that stopped just below her shoulders, and her face was breathtaking, as to be expected. Her eyes were blood-red, the red color that newborns eyes were, or a vampire who drank human's blood. When she clearly saw the six vampires standing before her, her eyes grew panicked and she ducked behind Alice, who was about to open her mouth to explain before anyone assumed anything, when Edward spoke up.

"She hasn't done what you all think she has," he said quickly, and all eyes turned to him, including the little girl, who peeked around Alice. "I read her mind. She had a vision of this girl being killed by one of our kind, so she went to rescue her. When she got there it was too late, the transformation had already begun. But she did save this girls life, if not her soul."

No one spoke for several long seconds. All eyes were on the girl, who cowered in fear, except for Jasper, who had been watching Alice since she came into view. Now that she was really back, he couldn't think of what to say to her. Luckily for him, someone else spoke to fill the silence.

"It's good to have you back Alice," Carlisle said, stepping forward to stand next to Jasper. "It seems we have a lot of catching up to do. We should move inside. Is she…?"

He trailed off, not wanting to alarm the young girl, but Alice understood what he was saying.

"She's fine," Alice replied, glancing at the girl behind her and smiling warmly. "We hunted on the way back."

Carlisle nodded, figuring that since Renesmee was out with Jacob, they would have time to talk until they got back, because that was when things would get complicated. He turned to lead them back inside, most of the others following. Alice turned around to face the girl, who was looking very nervous with the current situation, and looked hesitant to follow the others.

"You're perfectly safe here," Alice assured her, bending down to her level. "We'll take care of you."

"But I'm scared," she said, speaking for the first time since arriving, her voice like the wind. Alice smiled sympathetically, knowing how it would be for her, with all that had happened to her in the last couple days.

"Everything will be fine Tayla," Alice promised her, addressing her by her name this time. "I promised you I'd keep you safe, and I will."

Tayla nodded slowly- well, slow for a vampire- though she still made no move to go inside. And then, a sudden feeling of ease set over them. Alice hid a smile, recognizing the trick that was so often used in situations such as this. She straightened up and turned around, seeing Jasper still standing there waiting for her. She smiled, and started walking towards him, Tayla following closely, clutching the fabric of Alice's shirt in her hands. They stopped next to him, and Alice carefully slid her hand into his, offering him that smile she reserved especially for him. This made him smile as well, despite the circumstances.

"Welcome home," he whispered, leaning into to kiss her lightly on the forehead. She laughed quietly.

"I missed you," she said in reply, and then the three of them made their way inside the house.

When they were all settled, Alice was seated on the couch, with Jasper on one side of her, and Tayla on the other, one hand held tightly in Jasper's. Alice used her other hand to hold onto Tayla's arm, not forcefully, but a necessary precaution. The young girl had been changed so recently that she needed to be watched and kept in order until she learned to control herself.

Esme sat on the other side of the girl, her motherly instincts never forgotten. This would have made Tayla very nervous, as would the entire situation, but Jasper was still keeping the emotions in the room under control, making her feel more comfortable with the circumstances. Edward and Bella sat on the couch opposite the one they were on, with Carlisle standing beside it, and Rosalie leaning against the wall behind, her expression less than pleased, Emmett by her side.

"Why don't you start by telling us what happened since you left," Carlisle suggested to start the conversation. Alice thought for less than half a second before starting her story.

"Well, Edward told you what my vision showed me. I don't know why, but it told me I needed to save Tayla, so I went to find her. I travelled north for about half a day, until I found another of our kind beginning to feed on her. When he saw me he got scared and ran off. Obviously he didn't kill her, but the venom had spread already. I took her to a safe place while she went through the transformation, and waited with her. When it was complete, I explained to her what had happened, and she agreed to come back here with me.

"It took longer getting back, because we stayed as far as we could away from any humans, and we hunted on the way here. Tayla's agreed to try to live off animal's blood, but she hasn't come in contact with a human since changing. I told her a bit about Nessie, enough to tell her to be careful. Now we just need to decide what's going to happen."

There was silence for a few short seconds as everyone processed the information. A few things stood out in everyone's mind. If the Volturi found out, there would be huge trouble, regardless of who did the real biting. There was also Renesmee to consider. She was part human, and, with the exception of her own mother, she would be hard to resist for any newborn, if it were even possible to treat her as human.

While these thoughts did cross through Jasper's mind, they were almost nothing compared to what he thought about Alice bringing home a child vampire. Maybe her vision had told her to save Tayla, but it didn't make it seem any less foolish. Did Alice really expect to take responsibility for her? He wouldn't go all the way to say he was angry with her, because that never happened. Surprised was a better word. Then again, she was always a very strange girl.

"There is the Volturi to consider," Edward spoke up, saying what he knew was on everyone's mind. "If they learn of this, they'll send someone to deal with her. We won't be able to fight back, because they would have every right to do it."

"I don't think she's dangerous," Alice said. "She seems like she can control herself away from humans, and I think she can learn to control herself around them."

"It's still against our laws," Rosalie added, her expression hard. "Unless she has some useful gift, they'll get rid of her."

"Rosalie's right," Esme murmured, worried for the girl. "They will need to be informed of this one way or another."

"And there's Renesmee," Bella said. "It may have been easy enough for me, but I wasn't exactly your normal newborn."

"You think she can control herself Alice?" Carlisle inquired, his gaze flickering to Tayla, who watched them talk about her, half hidden behind Alice. "If not, then we have an immediate problem."

"It's hard to say for sure," Alice replied, her face twisting in annoyance. "I can't see Nessie, so I don't know what will happen. But when Tayla and I were on our way back here, she was able to think rationally during hunting. While there were no humans in the area, but there was their lingering scent from days before. With a little help, she ignored them."

"Can I ask something?" came a small voice from behind Alice. Tayla peeked her head out, her brown hair falling in front of her eyes, as all eyes in the room turned to her. Jasper was careful to keep the mood under control. Carlisle nodded to her to speak, his face kind. The young girl hesitated a second before speaking.

"I only understood half of what you were saying, but I know you were talking about what happens to me now. Do you know if I can stay here, or do I have to leave? Because Alice said I can't go back home. She said it's safer for me here."

"For now, you can stay here," answered Carlisle. "I'm sure she explained how we only feed on animals. If you can do that as well, I see no reason why you can't remain with us."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few things happened. One, before she could be seen or smelled by any of them, there came the sound of a tree falling down just outside their house. Those who were sitting down jumped to their feet to face the young girl who was walking through the back door. Renesmee skipped happily inside, not yet seeing the new arrival. Alice's arm flashed out, blocking Tayla from moving towards her.

"Sorry about the noise, Jacob knocked a tree down," Renesmee said to them. "Oh, he said they're having a party later, so can I go to-"

She cut off when she noticed the unfamiliar vampire standing in the room.

"Hi," Renesmee greeted her curiously, her head tilting to the side. While she had been warned, Tayla was completely unprepared for the girl that stood before her. The scent was enough to drive her senses wild. She bared her teeth unconsciously, and a small hiss escaped her lips.

"You told me about her," Tayla managed to get out, her throat burning. Alice nodded, her eyes flashing between the two young girls, unable to anticipate what was going to happen, what with her blind spot with Renesmee. Everyone else in the room, save for Jasper, who still stood by Alice's side, moved subtly to guard Renesmee, who didn't seem to recognize the danger in the room. Without thinking about it, Tayla took a small step forward.

Alice closed her hand on Tayla's arm, gently but firmly, keeping the girl from taking another step. Another small hiss escaped her lips, and she looked up pleadingly at Alice.

"It hurts," she whimpered, her gaze flicking back to Renesmee, who still made no move to leave the room. Jasper worked to keep the mood calm, but it was difficult with a newborn.

"I know," Alice replied after a moment. "But you'll get used to it. It's easier than you think."

Before anyone else could say anything, everyone but Renesmee cringed slightly at the new scent that entered the air. A second later, Jacob burst into the room, laughing, obviously from the tree he had somehow knocked over, and stopped next to Renesmee.

"Hey, did Nessie ask about-"

He cut off as soon as he saw Tayla, baring his teeth and stepping in front of Renesmee.

"What's this?" he hissed, feeling very protective of the girl he guarded. She peeked around him, still having received no answers about Tayla. Her hand pressed lightly to Jacob's arm, silently asking him what was going on.

"I don't know," he replied to her unspoken question, his eyes never leaving Tayla. "What is going on?"

"Alice rescued this girl from being killed," Carlisle explained to them. "That's why she left. They just returned. She wasn't able to stop it before the venom spread however. We were just deciding what to do."

"Is she dangerous?" growled Jacob. When Alice looked to Tayla, she looked almost frightened now, while still thirsty.

"That's hardly necessary," Alice said in reply.

"I said, is she dangerous," he repeated, a noticeable edge to his voice. Alice sighed.

"This is the first time she's been exposed to anyone with human blood. She hasn't attacked yet, which is a good sign."

"Why don't you take Nessie back to our house," suggested Bella, trying to remain calm while she was really worrying for her daughter. "We'll meet you there soon."

"Fine. C'mon." Jacob agreed. Renesmee took his hand and he swiftly led her out of the room, and soon they were out of sight. Everyone relaxed when they were gone, including Tayla, who visibly calmed down. Alice released the girl's arm from her grasp, and managed to get her sitting on the couch again.

"Why was my throat burning?" croaked Tayla, who was still trying to fight against her urge not to go chasing after Renesmee.

"I told you that she's half human," Alice told her. "You're still young, and her blood will appeal to you more than animals will. Don't worry, we all know what it's like. In a few months, it will be easy."

Alice knew she was probably exaggerating a bit, because it normally took around a year to learn the type of control it took not to attack every human you came in contact with.

Feeling that tension in the room was peaking, Jasper did his best to control it, but it was hard when he couldn't even control his own emotions. He was dying- theoretically- to speak with Alice alone, but he knew it was hardly the time to ask. However, whether it was his ability reflecting his current mood, or the fact that his family knew him very well, they all seemed to pick up on this.

"Why don't you let me take Tayla to get cleaned up," suggested Esme, smiling knowingly at her adopted son. "We can let Alice and Jasper catch up a bit."

Tayla's expression turned panicked, but that quickly subsided with a little help from Jasper. Esme smiled warmly at her to help keep her at ease.

"It'll be alright," Alice assured Tayla, everyone standing up now that the conversation was clearly over. "I won't be gone long. Go with Esme, she'll take care of you."

With some reluctance, the young girl agreed. Esme led her upstairs, followed by Carlisle, while Bella and Edward disappeared to go meet Renesmee and Jacob. Rosalie was looking very annoyed, and she departed upstairs to her room with Emmett in pursuit, leaving Alice and Jasper alone downstairs.

"Shall we walk?" Alice asked, gesturing to the open back door. Jasper agreed, and the two of them walked out into the woods together, happy to at least be together again.

Don't worry, I will go into what happened when Alice was gone with more detail, probably in the next chapter, and if not the one after. Now, the main characters of this story are obviously Alice, Jasper, and Tayla. I may do small parts every once in a while about the others, but most scenes will include one of the three of them. I'll be sticking with 3rd person for the entire story.

Now, when I checked in my settings to see how many people actually read my story, the last time I checked the number was at 88. I have two people who have reviewed so far (sistergrimm97 and twilighter706) and just to let you know, I allow anonymous reviews, and I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of my story! Thanks for reading!