After three days of torture, the fire within her began to subside. Alice no longer writhed in pain, but her body still burned.
Jasper had stayed with her, never leaving her side in the three days she screamed in agony. He spoke to her, used his power to try to keep her calm, and watched as her body began to heal itself.
The wound on her side that had bled so badly as Maria drank from her was gone, without so much as a scar. The bite marks that covered her extremities had disappeared.
Her freckles were once again replaced with flawless, porcelain skin, and Jasper knew that behind her pale eyelids, he would soon find the crimson eyes of a newborn.
Jasper waited patiently as he felt Alice's emotions. She felt calm on the surface, but beneath it, he could feel her fear and sadness.
The burn in Alice's throat was the prompt she needed to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was Jasper. She reached her hand up and carefully caressed his face. He leaned into her open palm, inhaling her scent.
"My Alice," he whispered, staring into her crimson eyes with his onyx.
"I'm so thirsty," she whispered.
"Let's go hunt. Then we'll talk about what happened."
At the mention of it, Jasper felt Alice's fear spike.
"You're safe, love. She can't hurt you anymore."
"Is she…"
"Dead. Without question."
Alice just nodded, standing from the bed in a flash. Jasper smiled softly at her before reaching out his hand. She took it, returning his smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
The couple left through the window, running through the trees hand in hand. Before long, they came across a small herd of deer. Jasper made sure Alice got her kill before securing his own meal.
After they'd drunk their fill, Jasper took Alice's hand and led her back toward the house, walking at a leisurely pace. The fear she'd felt earlier had only slightly diminished.
"Alice. Can we talk about what happened?"
A shaky breath left her lungs as she recalled the already fuzzy memories.
"I fell asleep. I had been so tired from everything that happened. When I woke up, it was almost dark, and I couldn't remember which way I'd come from. And then I had a vision."
Jasper looked surprised.
"You didn't have any other visions while human, did you?"
She shook her head.
"The pain was excruciating. It was just a flash of a vision. All I saw was Maria throwing me against the tree."
"What happened after that?"
Alice could feel the anger radiating from Jasper as he spoke.
"I tried to stand, but the pain in my head made it almost impossible. Then she grabbed me. She said the vampire that turned me human was her second in command and that once I was out of the way, you'd have no reason to stay."
Her voice was no more than a whisper by the time she was finished. Alice avoided Jasper's eyes, knowing he was feeling all the fear that she had felt.
"I was on my way to find you. I knew you wanted space, but it was getting dark. Then I heard your screams. I've never been so scared in my entire existence."
Alice stopped walking then, turning to look at Jasper.
"I didn't think anyone could hear me," her voice trembled, "I was too far away."
"Edward and Emmett were right behind me. We came into that clearing and the first thing I saw was Maria drinking your blood. We were almost too late. I'll never forgive myself for what happened to you, Alice."
"I shouldn't have left. I just couldn't find my way home, and she had already found me. She almost got what she wanted."
"I never would have gone with her. No matter what happened."
Alice gave a halfhearted smile, her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. Jasper gently gripped her chin, tilting her face to look at him.
"I have failed you too many times. I will spend the rest of my existence trying to earn your forgiveness."
"I forgive you already. I hope I can earn your forgiveness as well."
"There's nothing you've done that needs forgiving."
A sob left Alice's lips before Jasper, still gripping her chin, leaned down and gently kissed her. Alice returned the kiss, sending all of the love she felt toward him through his gift.
"Don't even think about changing your decision," Alice breathed against his mouth.
"I see your visions are back," Jasper smirked before deepening their kiss.
Alice wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as Jasper lifted her up, her ankles crossing behind his back. Alice felt her back hit a tree as Jasper's mouth traveled along her jaw and down her throat. They pulled apart just long enough to remove each other's shirts, then hurriedly rejoined their mouths.
Her fingers found their way into Jasper's hair as he unclasped her bra, tossing it to the side. Alice reached between them, unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning the jeans. He shoved his pants down enough to free his erection before ripping the cloth barrier that was Alice's pants away from her body.
In one swift motion, Jasper was buried inside her. A moan escaped simultaneously from their throats. Jasper rested his head against Alice's throat, relishing in the feeling of being inside her. They stayed that way for several moments, until Alice grew impatient, moving her hips to encourage her husband.
"I love you so much, darlin'," he said softly as he slowly pumped in and out of her.
"I love you, Jazz, so so much."
Their pace quickened as they both neared release. Alice's head fell back, hitting the rough bark of the tree. Jasper held her tightly, his teeth lightly biting her throat. With a final thrust, they both spilled over the edge, climaxing together.
Once they had come down from their release, Jasper pulled Alice away from the tree, laying down on the ground with her securely in his arms.
"Can we stay here for a while, Jazz?"
"As long as you'd like, darlin'."
