Dedication: This chapter's for Harlequin-Raven, for being such a loyal reviewer. If anyone wants to read amazing Jasper/Alice pieces, head to her profile. I strongly recommend her oneshot collection, 'Everyday Moments of Perfection' and her multi-chap 'Siren's Call', which has what I believe to be some of the best fanfiction ever written!

Chapter Three: The Change

Jasper frowned as Aelic chuckled. Finally, the vampire would show everyone what his power could do, and he obviously revelled in the attention. The blond could feel his gloating and superiority yet he also felt an underlying sense of genuine pride. It was the same feeling he received when any vampire talked about his gift.

"I will do the transformations one by one. I have to be there when the heart will begin to beat again, in case it should be too weak to work on its own. It only happened once, out of a few dozen, and I doubt it would happen to any of you," he said, pushing back a strand of sleek blond hair. "The transformation itself takes about five minutes, and you'll have to stay inside another ten to get used to your new senses and body. It takes longer than I thought, since walking and seeing will be very different."

It was silent for a few moments, everyone lost in their own thought.

Jasper was the one to break the quietness. "I want to go first," he suddenly announced, staring straight at Aelic.

Alice's face was hesitant as she grasped his hand. Her worry was evident in her golden eyes; she knew that he was mostly doing this for her. "Are you sure, Jazzy?"

He dipped his head. "Yes." He couldn't help the next thought that made its way onto his mind. 'If it's a trap, I don't want any of my family to be the ones to fall in it.'

No one noticed when Edward frowned worriedly.

Esme reached over and gave Jasper a kiss on his forehead. "Good luck, son," she chirped with a smile. Then, she brushed back his blond hair. "Next time I'll look in these eyes, what colour will they be?"

His eyebrows raised lightly, suddenly wondering about the answer. He pushed through his memories, remembering how he had been so proud about his yellow eyes, which had turned from red, to brown, to black, and finally to its desired colour. Yet way before that, he remembered gazing into the water, staring his war uniform proudly. His eyes had sparkled. The eyes of his mother. "Blue, if I remember correctly."

His second mother smiled warmly.

Alice was studying the floor intensely. There was a small frown tugging at the side of her lips as she whispered, "I wonder what colour my eyes were..."

Jasper's expression softened considerably as he reached over to be able to stroke her cheek. She looked up at him and her cheerful expression returned, the emotion not entirely her own. She clapped her hands and looked at the time, then outside the window. The clouds were rolling, announcing rain for the night, yet she knew what tomorrow's weather presented. "It's almost seven... Could we do it now?"

"This early?" Aelic asked, surprised. "You will be tired within an hour or two and will need a few hours of sleep."

Alice nodded excitedly. "I want to be up early tomorrow..." Her smile widened at the prospect of going to sleep, an experience that she had absolutely no memory of.

The black-haired man smiled ruefully. "Then let's do this. What's the order?"

"I'm going first," Jasper repeated.

Before anyone could slip in a word, Alice stepped forward. "I'll go after him!"

Then, Rosalie piped in. "I'm third."

"And last, I guess," Emmett grumbled good-naturally. "Whatever, I can enjoy watching you all squirm in pain as a vampire."

"Then follow me," Aelic told Jasper, then retreated towards the rooms Esme had prepared for the transformations.

Jasper shut the door behind them, then looked around himself. The guest bedroom had been almost emptied, safe for a sheet-less mattress. Carlisle was standing beside it, having insisted upon witnessing the entire procedure. He was silent, though his emotions were a mix of excitement and worry. Jasper smiled weakly. He knew that to Carlisle, it was entirely impossible, and yet the man was as curious as a child.

"Lie down. It'll be quick, though painful," Aelic warned as he knelt beside the mattress.

Jasper shot a look at his father as he obeyed, resting on his back.

Carlisle smiled down at him. "It'll do you some good, son," he murmured. "A few days without any bloodlust is one of the best gifts you can get. Enjoy it greatly."

He nodded sternly. He had agreed to this plan only for Alice's sake, though now that he thought about it, he was quite eager for the experience himself. He stared hard as Aelic as the man focussed, concentrating on the task at hand. Then, he reached down and touched Jasper's temples, the tips of his fingers glowing slightly with a bloody red light.

Then, Jasper's world became an array of flames.

He remembered screaming during his transformation to his vampire life. Maria had been with him the entire time, running her hand through his blonde locks soothingly, her smile his only solace. However, this time, he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. He knew, subconsciously, that Carlisle was with him; sometimes he could feel his father's gentle hand holding his gritted one, though he felt his own grip growing weaker with every passing second.

It felt like years. It was as though someone was breaking every bone in his body, submerging it in boiling water, and then hacking at it with poison-tipped needles. All the noise around him dulled in comparison to his yells, as he screamed until he couldn't even hear the sound of his own voice. His mouth was still moving, however, and his breaths didn't seem to soothe his burning lungs.

However, in what felt like centuries later, something happened. Something lurched within himself. Then it happened again. And a third time. It became faster and faster, then fell into a rythmic beat.

A single thought made its way onto his mind. His heart was beating. He was alive.

And then, Jasper Whitlock opened his eyes, and took his first real breath in decades.

A/N: Yay! Another (short) chapter within the week!

Thank you so much for the few reviews I got!!! Yay!! I'm so happy, I finally have the motivation to write more!

Now, only two people gave answer for the Carpe Diem 'contest', so both will get the prize. If you still wonder about the exact reason I chose this as the title, it's because of the context in which it is sometimes used. As the two ladies guessed, Carpe Diem is translated as "Seize the day", and that's pretty much what Alice and Jasper will do - make the most of their 24h. However, sometimes the phrase is used in caution, to remember that you could die any day, so it's a bit of a 'live every day as if it's your last'. For our favourite couple, it's more than a warning; it's the absolute truth. So congratz to Harlequin-Raven and Ilithya!

So there. Thanks for reading! Shoot another review please! :)

Take care!