Penname: javamomma0921

Derivative Fiction

Rating: T.

Disclaimer: All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

Prompt: Hostile

Hostile

"We're not alone," I whispered, the vision owning me.

We were lying in the middle of a Rainforest clearing, surrounded by fronds of multi-colored leaves. They were swaying in the gentle breeze and dusting us with warm, leftover dew. Jas didn't catch my tone at first. He was lazily picking at a large fern leaf.

"What is it, baby?" he drawled. "A jaguar? A python? I always wanted to wrassle a snake."

He was flexing his hands in a mock show of strength when I grabbed hold of his arm, in need of contact. Instantly, his mood changed; he gripped my other hand in his and his strange orange eyes were focused solely on mine.

"Tell me what you see."

"He's coming this way. He's being careless because he doesn't think anyone else is in his forest. He preys on the surrounding villages and hunts the women especially. He's a true monster. When he finds us, there will be a fight. You will win, but he will get away. Jas, he makes my skin crawl."

"How long?" His voice was hard and his jaw line set. Jas knew how to fight and he wasn't afraid of this stranger.

"You should be able to smell him soon."

He got up swiftly, shrugging into his clothing and I followed suit. His eyes were darting around the clearing and I could see he was checking for weaknesses in our position. He coolly began taking down branches which blocked lines of sight, rearranging the clearing to suit his vision. When his eyes settled on me however, his face nearly crumpled. The warrior who had been stalking the clearing was gone and the man I loved was back, scared and vulnerable. He was in front of me in a flash.

"You need to go. You can't be here when this happens."

"That's not what I saw," I said simply.

"Alice, I won't have you hurt. I couldn't stand it." He ran his fingertips down the front of my face and the intimacy of the gesture made me shiver.

"I belong where you are. Always, remember?"

"You don't fight," he growled.

I knew better than to argue with him. It was something he needed to say and now he needed to focus. The other vampire would be here soon. When the time came, I would do what was needed. His concern was sweet, but entirely unnecessary.

"He's coming," I said.

Jas kissed me before turning away and it was the first time I didn't like his kiss. It was desperate and needy and final. It was a goodbye. It steeled my resolve even further as I kept my eye on the future. No, we would walk away together.

The vampire arrived in the clearing already in a hostile pose. He was crouched, red eyes flaring, sizing us up and not liking what he saw when he appraised Jas's large, scarred appearance. I could feel the waves of calm rolling off of Jas as he approached the newcomer, but it wasn't enough to quell his hostility.

"Who are you?" the vampire hissed.

"Name's Jasper. This here's my mate, Alice. We're here on a honeymoon of sorts…don't want no trouble. What's your name, friend?"

He hissed back at Jasper, effectively negating the term "friend" from the discussion. He was fighting to resist the calm that Jasper was throwing at him. I looked into the future and I saw his name. I also saw the reaction that the vampire would have once I threw myself in the middle of the melee. I had to take the chance. I couldn't see the end result if only the two of them kept going at it, but I surely knew what would happen once I stepped in.

"His name is Joham," I said, taking a step in front of Jasper. Immediately, the other vampire growled lowly at me. "He likes the ladies, don't you Joham? The human ones in particular."

"What are you?" Joham growled at me. "How do you know me? What do you want?"

Jasper began to feel the fear rolling off of Joham and I could sense his tension releasing. I smiled inwardly. Joham didn't believe Jas's story about our "honeymoon"; he thought we were sent to stop him. And I thought it wise to play upon that.

"Oh, I think you know what I am," I sang.

"I can explain," he said, but I held up my hand.

"We don't want your excuses," I said, my voice hard. I felt Jas at my side, his hard body flush with mine, creating a barrier. It gave the impression that we were in a place of control.

"What do you want?" he whined. Jasper was now throwing fear at him and Joham was wallowing in it. He was putty in our hands.

"Leave," Jasper said. His voice was deadly. "Leave this forest and leave our sight. If you're lucky…we won't follow you."

Joham was already backing up away from us, his hands splayed in front of him.

"I understand. I will leave. You will never see me again. You and your masters are kind and forgiving. Thank you. Thank you."

He turned and was gone. It was almost comical how quickly his attitude had changed when he thought I was a member of the Volturi.

"You are one wicked little vampire, you know that?" Jasper said, his teeth at my ear.

"Don't ever underestimate me, my love."

"No, I don't suppose that's very wise, is it?"

He turned me to face him and his eyes were lit with a impish grin.

"I'll race you there," I said, seeing where he wanted to take me.

"Go," he whispered and was gone.

He would win the race, but I would get the prize.

A/N: I don't know if this is totally canon, but I so wanted a confrontation between Jas and Joham. And I love the idea of Alice showing Jas that she can take care of herself. She is possibly one of the strongest female characters in the book; I think stronger even than Rosalie because she is able to be strong and kind at the same time. Rose sometimes has trouble balancing the two. Can you tell I love Alice? Anyway, let me know how you enjoyed our wicked little vampire in this chapter. I love hearing your thoughts! ~Jen