"We're going to be too late!" Jasper yelled at his brothers.

Why had he let her stay gone so long? This was his fault.

"Jasper, stop. We're going to get her, she's going to be alright."

Jasper had left the house to look for Alice when the sun had started setting. That was when he heard her screaming. Edward was on his heels, along with Emmett, running in the direction of the sound.

The more Alice screamed, the faster they ran. They crossed a scent that Jasper immediately recognized, forcing him to push himself impossibly faster.

"Hold on, darlin'," he said quietly, praying they could get there in time.

At the end of the scent trail, Jasper saw a scene that ripped a snarl from his chest. Maria pulled away from Alice, now laying completely still on the forest floor. Her heartbeat was too quiet, too slow.

"She's as good as dead, Major. Let me finish my meal, and then we'll talk."

In a blink, Jasper had torn Maria's head from her shoulders, his vision red with fury. Without a second thought, he dropped to his knees beside Alice.

"What do I do?" His voice shook with fear and anger.

"You have to bite her, Jasper, but I fear we may be too late."

Jasper leaned down and opened his mouth to bite her throat, when the faint sound of her heart stopped beating.

"No!"

Jasper bit her throat and tried not to think of the fact that he could barely taste the blood because Maria had been that close to draining her.

"Bite her pulse points too. I'll do chest compressions to get the venom flowing."

Jasper moved around her body in a flash, biting all of Alice's major pulse points as Edward kept her heart pumping.

Emmett had disposed of Maria's body by the time they were done.

"Emmett, call Carlisle. Tell him it doesn't look good."

"Already on it."

"Jasper, we need to take her home. We've done all we can do out here."

Jasper nodded without taking his eyes off his wife. She looked like a corpse, almost completely drained of blood with no chance of coming back. He scooped her into his arms, noticing the blood soaking her shirt.

Once they reached the house, Carlisle hurried them into his medical room.

"Edward, continue chest compressions."

They worked on Alice for what seemed like hours. Carlisle was confident that they'd gotten the venom to move through her veins enough for the transformation to take place.

Jasper sat beside Alice, rubbing her pale skin gently, waiting for something, anything to happen.

Everyone jumped in surprise when Alice's back arched off the hospital bed and she screamed.

"Carlisle," Jasper growled.

"The venom is working, son. We just have to wait."

"She can hear us. She's scared. She never remembered the change the first time she went through it," Edward filled them in on Alice's thoughts.

Jasper bent down next to her head, running his hand through her hair.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'm right here. It'll be over soon. I love you so much."

Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle left the room, wanting to give Jasper some space.

"I'm so sorry, darlin'," he whispered to her, a sob erupting from his lips, "the pain will be gone soon."