Alice

I led him deeper into the forest. I knew what I was doing. I'd learned how to hunt animals by watching the Cullens. I'd practiced until I was confident and graceful. I'd even caught an eagle last week. He followed me without a word. He trusted me completely. Come to think of it, I trusted him too. Even taking into account watching Jasper's future, I really didn't know him much. I wondered how to explain the hunting of animals. I waited until we were fairly far in.

As I turned to face him, I found it difficult to focus. He was tall and lean. I felt the urge to run my fingers through his hair, but I resisted. He had defined features. I wanted to stare at him for hours, but I knew I couldn't. That would be selfish. He was thirsty, probably to the point of pain.

"Vampires can hunt animals instead of humans." I informed him. His eyebrows shot up "It's not as satisfying as what you're used to" I continued apologetically "But it's better than starving yourself. Just follow your instincts. One moment." I searched the future for nearby humans. When my eyes came back into focus, he was kneeling on the ground in front of me with one hand on my cheek "Are you alright?" his face was very concerned. "Yes. I'm fine. I was just looking." He tilted his head. "For what?" he wondered. I explained to him and he slowly stood up.

I pulled him by the hand until we came across a herd of dear. Perfect. Safe, easy dear. I pointed quietly. He wrinkled his nose in disgust "You really expect me to hunt that?" I almost snapped at him, but found myself laughing instead. "Fine. We'll try something else, but I'm warning you: it won't be the same as human blood." He nodded. I decided to try one more time "Are you sure you don't want a deer for your first time?" He nodded "Anything but that" he begged. I was worried about him, but assured myself that he would have no problem hunting.

We came across a jaguar "Better?" I asked. "Barely" he said theatrically. I rolled my eyes. That changed his attitude. He looked repentant "I'm sorry. I'll try." He ran off before I could reply. I had a quick deer, giving him space. I preferred predators, but wanted to set a good example for Jasper. When I found him again, he was just finishing up. As he stood, I could see that his shirt was almost completely destroyed. He stood still, tall and lean. I had already known what his chest and arms looked like, but seeing it in real time was truly horrifying.

Jasper

I had hunted carelessly. I was in a hurry to show her that I could be a good sport, even if hunting animals was ridiculous. How had she managed it? What had given her the idea to try? I'd never even heard rumors of such behavior. Had she just randomly decided to try? Had she met another vampire who had taught her? Perhaps it was conman knowledge and I'd missed it. I doubted any of the vampires I'd met would be interested.

My clothes were bloody and torn. I was used to having very calm, if not asleep, victims. I was sure that next time I would make a cleaner kill. The taste of the blood would take some getting used to. A lot of getting used to. It had made the painful ache in my throat disappear, but it hadn't done anything else for me.

I heard her light footsteps and stood up. Only after I was up did I remember how destroyed my clothing was. My shirt had gotten the worst of it. I had taken off my coat to hunt. My shirt had been long sleeved: the only kind I wore. The blood was embarrassing, but it wasn't what had caused her tiny jaw to drop.

Her emotions were a mixture of pity and anger. I slowly shrank back, but she was at my side in an instant. She slowly touched several of my scars. Her anger grew. I had somewhat prepared myself for her disgust and fear. I was not ready for this amount of anger. Anger this strong had always been followed by an attack. I knew that I could not raise a finger to defend myself against Miss Alice. I couldn't focus enough to calm her down. I couldn't even look her in the face. I had no choice. Cowardly as it was, I had to run.

Alice

He was fast. I must have really offended him by touching the scars. I couldn't help it; I was so full of pity for him. I was also more full of anger than I'd ever been: anger for those who had dared to hurt him. Now he'd left me. I was hurting, but not ready to admit defeat. I looked into his future to find where he was headed... perfect. I could cut him off and apologize. I was fast too.

Due to my shortcut, he passed me without noticing. I grabbed his wrist. He stopped immediately. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I won't touch them again" I vowed. Then, I realized my hand was on one of them. I quickly let go of his wrist, shooting him my best apologetic look. "You aren't angry anymore?" he asked. Angry? I hadn't been angry at him. Then, I realized that I had been angry. I remembered that he could only see emotions. He couldn't see the logic behind them. "I wasn't angry at you." I told him. He looked surprised and relieved, then suspicious "Who were you angry at?" He didn't believe me. I almost touched the scars again, but stopped myself "The monsters that did this to you. I'm sorry I offered you. Please forgive me." I begged.

I couldn't wait for his answer. I looked ahead. He was going to look confused and say "I wasn't offended. I thought you were going to attack" When I rejoined real time, he was holding my hands. He looked concerned.

Jasper

I told myself that she was just looking into the future, but that didn't ease my anxiety. When she came back, she smiled brightly "I wasn't going to attack you." Then she put on a pout "Don't ever run away from me like that again" I nodded "I won't." I promised. She threw her arms around me "Thank you" I knew that I shouldn't, but I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Let's go" She said, pulling away. "Where are we going?" I wondered. "I don't know. Let's just walk. You can tell me your story." I laughed "You already seem to know it" I pointed out. She rolled her eyes "I can't see the past. I've had to piece your history together from things Peter and Charlotte have said."

I didn't want to tell her my story, but there was no getting around it. I decided to attempt a compromise "If I do, will you tell me your story Miss Alice?" She smiled "You can just call me Alice. We're going to be really close friends" I liked the sound of that. I wanted to be around her forever. Perhaps some day we could even be more than close friends. Someday, I would ask her to marry me. "Oh Jasper!" she squealed "Yes! We'll have the best wedding ever! We have to get you a tux and I need a dress. What kind of flowers do you want? Should we do it today or give more preparation?" This was a truly remarkable young woman. And she wanted to be with me for the rest of her life. "No" I said quietly.