She waited, nursing the same cold cup of coffee that had sat in front of her for the last two hours untouched. The waitresses had a bet going on how long she would sit at the end of the bar staring at the door.

Alice was well aware of this wager but paid no mind to it. She had bigger things to worry about, this was her eighth day of waiting for him. She had seen in her vision that the decision had already been made to come here, she just couldn't pinpoint exactly when. It didn't matter, she would have waited months or years if that is what it took to finally meet her mate.

The rain crashed hard against the sidewalk outside the glass doors, and Alice felt a glimmer of sympathy for the poor souls who dashed past seeking shelter under jackets, bags, and umbrellas in their quest to find shelter. She decided to take another glimpse to determine the best approach to take. Each scenario she played through ended vastly different from one another. She finally settled on the least likely to spook him, the direct approach, but even that would be a gamble. It would all depend on which version of him turned up, which she still wasn't entirely sure of. Their personalities were so intertwined it was hard sometimes to differentiate between the two in her visions.

Just as the waitress approached her to ask if she needed her cup reheating for the fourth time, she was distracted by the chime of the bell above the door. Her eyes transfixed on a tall, rigid, specimen with beautiful curly brown hair. Every bit the southerner complete with brown cowboy boots and a Stetson. Agitation was clear across his face.

Alice pulled herself together, this was it. If she didn't approach him then, he would surely bolt. She glided gracefully from her stool with the widest grin, she couldn't help it, even in precarious situations such as this she almost always held a smile. There was too much sadness in the world not to smile if you had the ability.

Jasper caught the scent of another vampire and froze on the spot. Should he run? fight? It would be a bloodbath for sure if he stayed. With so many humans there would definitely be casualties, but he was never one to back down from a fight. He heard the Major rumbling, willing himself to be let out. He scanned the room to assess his options before stopping on a small pixie-like creature approaching his left flank. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and despite himself, he couldn't help but stare at her. After all, she didn't seem threatening.

"Have you lost your senses!"

The sudden intrusion from within was enough to snap him out of his reverie, and he stood up a little straighter, tension returning to his shoulders, fully on guard.

Alice came to a stop in front of him, grin still plastered across her face. The first thing he noticed was her honey-golden eyes. How could that be? Her scent screamed vampire to him, but her eyes were something else.

"You've kept me waiting long enough"

That knocked his resolve; her voice was like music to his ears, and he couldn't help but dip his head and return a southern gentlemanly reply.

"My apologies ma'am" who was this woman he thought. "I am Jasp..."

"I know who you are," she replied cheerily, not realizing how intimidating that statement would be to him.

He let out a low warning growl, not loud enough for mortal ears but definitely enough for her to hear, and took a step away from her, head lowering ever so slightly.

"Oh no! Not like that!" She was going about this all wrong. If she didn't salvage this quickly, he could bolt, or he could make an appearance, and that would do no good for anyone. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, but of the two of them, Jasper was the most likely not to lash out, resulting in collateral damage. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise! My name is Alice. Please won't you sit with me for a moment so I can explain?" She flashed her best innocent expression, silently praying he would take the bait.

Jasper studied her a moment before straightening himself for the second time since he entered the Diner. "very well" he gestured towards an empty booth away from the counter where she had previously been sat. If he was going to go along with-whatever this was, he would take as much control as he deemed necessary to ensure his safety, though something was telling him she was no threat to him. Once they were situated he wasted no time getting to the point. "Go on then. explain" he demanded in a low harsh voice.

She ignored his tone, she only had one chance to get this right. "As I was saying my name is Alice, I know you don't know me but I know you" seeing him tense again she hurried on "you see I have a - well I have a gift."

This piqued his attention he'd come across many gifted vampires in his time and it always intrigued him how many different types of gifted vampires there were. he bid her to continue, wanting as much information about her as he could voluntarily gain.

"I see things. Visions really. Of things that haven't happened yet and well you were my first" She trailed off still unsure how he would react.

"your first?" he repeated unsure of where she was going with this.

"yes. my first vision when I was turned. I saw you... standing by a chestnut coloured horse in a field" she lied. that was in fact her second vision of Jasper but she was not yet willing to tell him that he had given her her name in her first vision, on account of her remembering nothing of her human life. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she knew she trusted him wholeheartedly but she also knew he didn't trust her fully yet and something like that could be hard to understand.

"So you saw me in your vision and what? Just had to meet me?" he chuckled when all she did was nod. She was an enigma to him, an intoxicating enigma unlike anything he had ever seen, and he knew in that moment he would follow her anywhere just trying to figure her out.

He was pulled from his thoughts by an intense feeling of apprehension and fear. Searching for the source, he noticed a rather timid waitress approaching their table.

"Can I get either of you anything?" She addressed Alice, refusing to make eye contact with Jasper.

For the first time since entering the diner, his throat burned. He hadn't fed today, and he mused to himself that she would make a good meal. He bathed the waitress in feelings of peace and comfort, laying the groundwork for when he approached her later. Which did not go unnoticed by Alice.

"Just two coffees, black, no sugar please." Once the waitress had left, she turned her attention to Jasper. "Don't," she warned softly.

"Don't what?!"

Alice ignored Him. It was a slip, and she knew it. He broke through for a moment, but she would not acknowledge his presence until they were far away from anyone who could suffer the fallout. "Jazz, you had a question," she smiled, hoping to take his attention away from the waitress who was now busying herself behind the bar making their drinks.

"Your eyes," he said as he slowly moved his attention back to her, "What's wrong with your eyes?"

For the first time, Alice faltered. Did he really think there was something wrong with them? She was hit with a wave of disappointment, before it quickly disappeared and was.

"Thank you," she smiled, acknowledging Jasper's attempts to alleviate the upset he had unintentionally caused. "And there is nothing wrong with my eyes. I have, shall we say, an alternative diet which causes this color," she explained, gesturing to her eyes.

"...alternative diet..." That stumped him, he had to admit.

"Yes, I don't drink human blood. My diet is strictly animal blood."

He simply balked at her, unsure if she was joking or not. Their kind couldn't survive like that, could they? He was pulled from his thoughts again by the sudden realisation that the diner had become increasingly busier. His throat burned unbearably with thirst.

"Shall we take a walk? The rain has stopped and it might be nice to get out into the fresh air hmm?" Alice tried to pull his focus back to her. She could see he was reaching his limit around the humans.

Jasper hesitated he would much rather wait around until he could pick someone off unnoticed but seeing his hesitation Alice took the choice out of his hands, standing up she linked her arm around his and pulled him towards the door.