Sorry for the long wait! Here's another little snippet of the wedding day :)

I am dumbfounded. I stand stock-still and try to make sense of Alice's words, but I just don't understand. It can't be true; Fred left me, of his own free will. Why would he return, and why now?

"Bree? Did you hear me?" Alice demands. "Fred is on his way here. Here! Where we're about to hold the wedding of the century! A rogue vampire!" Alice is horrified at this thought, beginning to panic in spite of Jasper's attempt to cool her down. "Bree, you can't let him get this far. You have to meet him and stop him before he gets too close!" There is a lengthy, stressed pause before she blurts, "Well?!"

I snap out of my reverie. "Um," I begin tactfully. "Of course I'll go... meet him... Uh, do you know what he wants?"

"No," Alice admits. "I couldn't hold on to the vision long enough; it was far too repulsive." She makes a face.

I feel the corners of my mouth twitch upward. "Yeah, he has that effect on people."

"We noticed," Jasper pipes up. They both look like they've swallowed something bitter - no doubt recalling their first experience meeting Fred - and I can't help but chuckle. "Doesn't it bother you, too?" he asks me curiously.

"I'm not immune to it, if that's what you mean," I explain. "I feel the repulsion, just like everyone else. At Riley's place" - I can't help but spit his name with old contempt - "I used to force myself to endure it, to get as close as possible to him so that no one would mess with me. It was really for my own self-preservation, and man, did it suck. Over time, though, he began to gain a better control over his 'ability'. He started to let me in, almost like there was a bubble of normalcy directly around him. I didn't have to 'endure' sitting by him anymore. We became friends, sort of - or, as close to friends as you can get in a place like that." I look down at my feet.

Suddenly I miss Fred very badly. Of course, I love my new friends in a way I didn't know was possible as a vampire - but Fred is different than they are. He is more like me. The Cullens are so very skilled at interpersonal communication of any kind, where I am certainly not, and Fred is even worse than I am (for obvious reasons). I remember the days we spent playing cards on the floor of the safehouse, watching our fellow coven members tear each other to shreds for a war effort that was not their own. Neither of us really seemed to require communication then: just companionship. It is a unique partnership we had, and one that I am unlikely to be able to replicate in the future.

I wonder if it is too late to save it.

"When should I leave?" I ask Alice boldly. I am eager to meet my old (?) friend. Then it hits me - what if I miss the wedding? Part of me is relieved at the thought of escaping that room of people, but the larger part of me would be devastated to miss such a significant event in my family.

She is confused by my sudden earnestness, but answers, "He won't be here until later; he has a long way to travel. But he'll definitely be here before the reception ends." Alice shakes her head worriedly. "The reception... Oh, no..."

"Don't give it a second thought, Alice," I try to reassure her. "I'll handle it. There's no way I'll let him affect this wedding." I offer a small smile. "Now, as for myself, I can't make any promises."

Alice looks like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders as she rushes to hug me fiercely. "Thank you! I knew you'd come through." She backs up to briefly hold me at arms length. "And you'll be fine, I've told you!" she bops me on the nose, chastising me for my lack of faith in myself. Then, before I know it, she has flitted off to put on a wedding.

Jasper looks after her with a loving look that makes me ache for Diego. I haven't felt sad about his death in some time, but it hits me suddenly, with full force. Jasper, of course, feels my sudden shift in mood and snaps his attentive stare to me. "What's wrong?" he asks.

I shake my head, not to say that nothing is wrong (because it would be stupid to try to hide that from someone like him) but to indicate that I don't want to talk about it.

But he presses me. "You don't want to meet Fred again? I'll go in your place if you prefer. We just thought it would be easier for him if he met a familiar face. But I can certainly deal with the newborn myself." One glance at his scarred skin was proof of that.

I shake my head again. "It's not that," I assure him. "I'm actually really excited to see Fred." Which is the truth. But Jasper is still not convinced. I sigh. "I'm just missing someone, okay?" I say softly, looking away. I begin to walk out the door.

"You feel very deeply, you know," Jasper says, making me stop in the doorway. "It's sort of impressive."

I'm not quite sure what to say to that. "Um, thank you?" I turn around.

"No, no, what I mean is..." he trails off, scouring for words. "You're very emotively overpowering, no matter what the emotion may be. It's so strong that sometimes, I almost think that I'm the one feeling your emotions before I realize that I'm only sensing yours. And yet, you maintain your composure very impressively. Every time you get angry, I'm instantly on guard; I know what someone of your age with that kind of attitude is capable of. But by the time I'm ready to stop you from acting on your instincts, you've already 'fixed it' somewhere inside you. I know what Edward says - that you can control your instincts through logic and compartmentalization - but emotions as strong as yours are rarely logical. Especially for someone of your age, who should be constantly overpowered by rage and bloodlust." He shakes his head. "It just doesn't make sense. And it's not fair, either. The switch from human blood to animal should be a process that takes you years - maybe decades - to achieve! But somehow, you've completely mastered it in just a couple of months!"

"Now, I wouldn't say that," I correct him, perhaps a bit harshly. "There's nothing easy about the way you live. Absolutely nothing."

"Believe me, I know." For a second, I see Jasper in my position, weaning himself off the blood of humans in favor of animal blood. Telling himself it will be worth it in the end, trying to escape the ghosts of his past, motivating himself with thoughts of Alice. Being persistent, patient. Making mistakes. Trying harder and becoming better. He did have the roughest time transitioning, of all the Cullens; at least, as I understand it.

I realize something. "It comes down to strength of will, doesn't it?"

His eyes snap up to mine. He holds my gaze for a very long time, studying me. He seems to want to bore straight into my brain and discover its function. "Yes, I think it does," he murmurs distractedly. His eyes narrow as another long, awkward staring contest ensues. Finally, he shakes his head, exasperated. "I don't understand it! You've been alive for what? Five, six months? I've got nearly a hundred fifty years under my belt! How can you possibly act as if you are older than I am? Can it really be something as simple as pure will?" Another head shake. "Somehow, I can't believe that."

I consider this. "If it weren't for will, this entire life you've built wouldn't exist at all. Carlisle's will to resist murder at all costs, Edward's will to protect Bella... Your entire world is run on pure will. Why is it so difficult to believe in it now?"

Jasper shakes his head. "Because you must have some truly iron will. I mean, nearly Carlisle-caliber will." I give a start. Carlisle? I'm nowhere near as strong as Carlisle; he's basically perfect.

Jasper appraises me. "That wasn't an exaggeration. Did you not realize how remarkable you are?"

Why does everyone seem to keep saying that? I shake my head and turn away. "No," I say firmly. "No, I'm nothing. I'm just me." And I leave to check on Alice before he can disagree.

Eh. Don't really have anything else to say. Review? :)