I woke up around midnight, sweating. I looked up and realized I was in Jasper's room. He was there, staring at me. "Were you watching me while I slept?" I asked, slightly weirded out.

He shrugged. "Edward used to do it all the time. Bella never minded, and she talks, too."

I already knew Bella talked in her sleep, of course, I'd heard her babbling during sleepovers. But Edward watched her? I had to admit, that was kinda creepy.

Jasper could tell, and he laughed. "I won't if you don't want me to," he said.

I shrugged. "I guess it's not that big of a deal, weirdness aside. But isn't it...I don't know, boring?"

Jasper smiled. "When you never sleep and live forever, pretty much anything becomes interesting."

"True," I agreed. "I wonder what I'd do with that much free time if I was a vampire. Probably shop," I mused.

I saw him stiffen slightly. I didn't get why, but then I realized I had talked about me being a vampire. "Are you really against it that much?" I asked, a bit crushed.

He sighed. "I don't want you to end up like Rosalie, hating immortality."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I don't want kids. I don't think I'm quite cut out for that."

"Mmm," he said, seeming distracted. I tore my gaze away from his impressive book collection and looked at him instead.

His expression surprised me. It was one I'd seen often on Edward's face as he gazed at Bella- one of nothing but love. I had to admit, I'd been a tiny bit jealous, wondering why no one could look at me like that. I'd been too blind to realize Jasper had had the same expression when he looked at me for weeks.

Slowly, he tilted his face towards mine and gently pressed his cold lips to mine.

It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss- Jasper wasn't comfortable enough with his thirst for that. Still, in the brief seconds when his lips ghosted over mine, I decided I wouldn't have it any other way.

As he gently pulled away, I noticed something was off. His eyes weren't the soft gold I was used to, but a dark black, staring at me hungrily.

"Jasper?" I asked carefully. He tilted my head and I felt him smell my throat.

I was suddenly scared. My heart beat faster, increasing my blood flow. I was sure I probably smelled very appetizing to a thirsty vampire right now.

"Jasper, please..." I whimpered as I felt his teeth lightly graze my neck. This wasn't him, this wasn't the Jasper I knew. This was a hunter, ready to eat his prey.

As he was about to bite, I felt his body get thrown away from mine. I opened my eyes and saw Bella standing protectively in front of me. Her arms wrapped around me as Edward tried to restrain Jasper.

I let out a shaky breath. Jasper finally calmed down, the fire in his eyes disappearing. Bella picked me up and dashed down the stairs, away from the monster that wasn't Jasper.

"Are you okay?" asked Bella, concerned.

"Yeah," I said, my heart still pounding. "I'm fine."

She took me downstairs and gave me a glass of water which I didn't drink. I was still shaken up by how close I'd been to death in those few moments- and at the hands of Jasper.

Bella sat there with me, not speaking, until the sun started to rise.

Jasper was suddenly in the room, but at the other end. Away from me.

"Alice," he said, "You can't stay here. You have to leave."

"But-"

He cut me off. "You can't stay here. I'm dangerous. I don't want to hurt you. Edward agrees, too."

"Jasper, the Volturi-" started Bella.

"They shouldn't be much of a threat if Alice doesn't tell anyone. We trust her enough now to know she won't."

The next thing I knew, Edward was taking me back to the mainland in the family's boat. I had tried to protest, but even Bella agreed that it wasn't safe for me to be around Jasper anymore. That's when I suggested that it would be a lot easier if someone just bit me, but Jasper had gotten angry at that, saying there was no way he'd let that happen.

"Would he rather have me stay away from him than be turned into a vampire?" I asked Edward, the ocean wind ruffling through my hair. I had been under the impression that he'd really loved me, but maybe I had let myself be deluded and what we had was nothing more than a way to pass time.

"No," he said, "but he knows how unpleasant the transformation and the first few years as a newborn is. He doesn't want you to suffer through that. And he thinks that you'll change your mind about him."

"I-"

"I know," he cut me off. "But really, Alice, he's dangerous. This is for the better."

I sulked in my seat until he dropped me at the mainland where I waved goodbye and headed towards the airport.

When I finally reached home after the long flight, nothing had changed since I'd left, but it felt different. I knew it was just because I'd left my heart back at the island.

I started unpacking, taking my time. After all, I had nothing but time now- no Renesmee to entertain me with her childishness, no Bella to continue being my best friend even in her new life, no beautiful beaches and endless sun, no supernatural creatures, and most importantly, no Jasper. I was back to being a normal girl in a tiny, boring town.

There was a knock on the door, and I stopped rearranging my drawers to answer it. I opened it to see Embry. "Hey, come in," I said.

He did. "Jake told me you were back."

"Yeah, well, I am."

He nodded. "So you know everything?"

"Yup," I said.

His eyes ran over my tired, puffy face. "He also told me about you and the bloodsucker."

"Yeah, so?" I said, not bothering to argue with him about the bloodsucker comment.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah," I sighed. "Just...you know."

He nodded in sympathy. "Well, I just came to say...I'm here if you need a friend."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Embry." He'd been my friend since the very beginning, the one person I could trust. He would always be there.

He'd help me get through this.