Alice

I wanted to get a very nice dress. I wanted to look nice when we met the Cullens and, if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to look nice for Jasper. I chose a black one with a white sash. It was classy. I also bought a pair of four inch heels, a necklace, a wrap and a clutch. For Jasper, I bought a relatively simple dress shirt and pair of pants.I found the perfect coat and scarf. They would look very good on him. It was formal, but not as formal as a tux.

I decided it would be a good idea to get something else. Something for the Cullens, Esme in particular. I thought it would be nice to have some sort of gift. A peace offering. Humans did that all the time. Flowers perhaps? No. They already had plenty of flowers. Esme was a very talented gardener. Humans had it so easy. They could bring something edible.

I decided to place an order for a table. Emmett was going to break the one in the dining room today. That decision meant I wouldn't have anything in my hand when we met. It probably would arrive long after us, but the table would be more useful than flowers or something like that. Besides, I found a really pretty one. It had a carved border of flowers and leaves and it was big enough for all of us. I knew we wouldn't be eating, but maybe we could do something else together.

I found myself thinking about Jasper again. I was always thinking about Jasper. I wished he'd come with me. Did he have something else he wanted to be doing or was he just desperate to avoid shopping? What was he doing now? I had no way of knowing that, but I could know what he would do in a few moments. I took a look into the future.

Jasper

Out of habit, I put the employee to sleep immediately. He dropped on the floor with a gentle thud. I often put my victims to sleep in an attempt to be... humane. He lay peacefully now. I closed the curtains to the store's only window, but didn't bother to close the window itself. I knelt down for my kill, but then I thought of Alice. Alice didn't want me to kill. I'd already committed to humoring her. Slowly, I turned and started to stand up. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

One step at a time, I struggled to get to the door. "Alice, You're doing this for Alice, For Alice, For Alice, Beautiful little Alice, You're doing this for Alice" I reminded myself over and over. It helped tremendously. I was going to make it, but then, a breeze brushed through the window. I got a fresh, strong, dose of the employee's scent.

Alice

I didn't have time to get to Jasper before he hunted the employee. If I rushed toward him now, I would have to watch Jasper take care of the body. I wasn't quite sure I could do that. Of course, I'd slipped before and taken care of the evidence, but I always felt numb after I killed. I wouldn't have that numbness today. I didn't really think Jasper would want me there anyway. In fact, I was nearly positive he wouldn't.

I was surprised to find that I felt worse for Jasper than I did for the employee and his family. Jasper was trying so hard. His face was twisted in genuine pain as he tried to resist his thirst. I couldn't stand seeing him like that. I'd never seen anyone exert so much effort. Poor Jasper.

I decided it would be best to wait for him to meet me. It was a very agonizing wait. I knew that as soon as I was in his arms I would be fine and I was fairly certain I would be able to comfort him as well. If I could just wait until he came, everything would be alright. If he took much longer, I would go and find him.

Jasper

The body was taken care of. Now I just had to face Alice. I considered running from her, but I could never be that cowardly. I would face the consequences of my actions, no matter how unbearable it may seem. I also considered the slightly less cowardly course of not telling Alice what I'd done. There was no reason to upset her. Yet I couldn't do that either. My eyes were bright red. Even if they weren't, Alice deserved to know what I'd done.

I imagined telling her, trying to phrase my confession. All I could picture was Alice's face. Sometimes I pictured her as looking reproachful. At other times, I pictured her as looking hurt. I wasn't sure which was worse. I walked slowly, but steadily. I would face my mistakes. When I spotted Alice, my pace became even slower than it had been, but I remained steady. She was sitting down and her shoulders slumped a little, making her appear even smaller than she was.

As soon as I tasted her emotions, I knew that she knew. She must have checked my future. That worried me. I really didn't want her unfocused when I wasn't around to protect her. I was about to rebuke her, but then, I remembered what I'd done. I would be the one who would have to endure a rebuke. I was the one who deserved to be in trouble.