Chapter Fifteen
Jasper POV
Dana opened her eyes and felt relief that her suffering was over. I would never allow her to be hurt again. It was just Alice and I with Dana. I didn't want to overwhelm her with too many scents and stares. It would be easier to take care of her with less people trying to help out.
"Hi, Dana," said Alice softly, not wanting to startle the Newborn. "Remember me?"
Dana stared at Alice for a long moment. In that moment, I felt her emotions flick around like a slide show on fast-forward. Confusion, wariness, recognition, confusion again, relief... then her red eyes slid to me; fear, recognition, hurt, more fear, anger. I knew she was going to hate me for all the pain I put her through in the last three days. I was then completely thrown by her next emotions while staring at me; her anger faded and was replaced by sadness, then reluctant acceptance, and then, amazingly, forgiveness. I would spend eternity trying to deserve that forgiveness.
She turned back to Alice, the whole exchange lasted less than a second.
"Alice, right?" were Dana's first words as a vampire.
"You remember!" Alice squealed, clapping her hands. "And after only meeting me once!"
"You left quite the impression," Dana said dryly. "I took one look at you and knew there was something... I dunno... off about you. You and Edward."
"You remember Edward too!" Alice squealed in delight.
"Yeah, Bella wouldn't shut up about him all week. It's great to know they love each other so much." Dana seemed so calm. I remembered what Bella had said about Alice's vision, I could truly believe it, just seeing the girl before me. But that didn't mean I was going to let my guard down.
Dana turned back to me, then. "I don't believe we ever had the pleasure of being introduced, before things got off on the wrong foot."
"Jasper," I said. I looked directly into her eyes. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, that I...did this to you." I hung my head in shame.
She stared at me for a long moment, she seemed to be thinking something over. She turned to Alice. "Why does my throat hurt?"
"You're thirsty. You're a vampire now, so you thirst for blood."
Dana looked horrified.
"But you don't have to drink human blood," Alice amended hastily. "You can hunt animals like the rest of our family."
"Okay," she nodded. She still seemed to be piecing things together. Dana turned back to me. "Why did you bite me?"
"I couldn't help it, I'm sorry. You smelled like nothing else I've ever encountered."
"So you hunt animals?"
"Yes, but I'm not the best when it comes to control," I continued to hang my head in shame.
"So even though you hunt animals, you still crave human blood?"
"We all do in some way," Alice interjected. "The urge is just easier to control for some than it is for others."
"Okay so I think I've got it, correct me if I'm wrong: You and your family hunt animals instead of humans, but human blood is still appealing—"
"More appealing," Alice corrected.
"More appealing," Dana amended. "So one day a vampire who hunts animals, and doesn't have the greatest control over his more natural urges, comes across a human who smells more appealing than all others he's encountered. He tries to drain her blood but is unsuccessful because he is pulled off before he can finish the job. As a result, the human changes into a vampire herself. Is that about right?"
"Er... yes," said Alice delicately. "More or less."
Dana turned back to me. "Okay, so the way I see it is this: That vampire couldn't control the urge to bite that human, and therefore, through no fault of his own, she becomes a vampire."
I looked into her eyes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Through no fault of his own... It was spinning around in my head. Did she really believe that?
"I forgive you, Jasper," she said softly. "I know that if you had the choice, you wouldn't have done it. The grief in your eyes is proof enough."
I smiled weakly. I would definitely be spending eternity earning that forgiveness
A/N: R&R