Chapter 1- Once Upon A Time

Disclaimer: I think you all know that Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, because if you don't, then… I don't know, actually.

Time is of the essence… Even when you have all eternity. I didn't really see the truth in that until now, seeing as we spent our days moping around in boredom. Since the day was so beautiful I dragged Jasper out to inhale the fresh air and take a stroll around Forks, breaking into a headlong sprint when no one was watching. We ended up sitting in our backyard and throwing rocks in the river. The water broke, splashed, and rippled as each rock we sent flitted across the water. The sun was setting, making the clouds sizzle a brilliant pink while the lake reflected the glorious colors. When the sun finally set, darkness flooded the area, though this was not a problem with our eyes. It was a starless night, again. We preferred the clouds, though, it made our existence easier.

"Jasper, remember when we first met?" I asked him, smiling a little.

We were standing in front of our house. Idly, I wondered how many houses we'd gone through already, because I'd lost count years ago. Jasper's lanky form was next to mine, his arm draped around my shoulder.

"Of course, Alice — how could I not?" Jasper replied in a murmur. "That was the beginning of my real life."

I laughed, jumped up and ruffled his honey blonde hair. You wouldn't believe the love I felt for him. I was so lucky I met him on that day in the diner. We were meant for each other, so it would be just so cruel if Jasper and I never met.

"Jasper Hale, you're just too perfect," I teased him lightly.

He chuckled. "No, I'm not!"

His arm on my shoulder was fidgeting. He was obviously sensing my emotions. I doubted he could find anything but desire or maybe even love, but who knows?

I felt so comfortable around him, not just because he was charismatic, but because of the love we shared that ran deep in my veins. We fit together so perfectly, two puzzle pieces shaped for each other. Jasper was the person I would always rely on. I didn't have to hide my feelings from him, like I sometimes had to do with Edward. Not like I could with his special abilities. Also, it was with him, loving him with every bit of my heart that I felt truly at ease. Even my visions seemed to be less of a nuisance than normal.

There were no ripples in the river now, and the water was so still, it looked like blue glass. The moon was shining brightly, with a pure beam of light cascading down and reflecting off the surface of the river. It looked so much like a dance floor, with the moon like a spotlight. I longed to dance there with Jasper— the crystal-like mirror looked so alluring, but we would have fallen in the river, and even though vampires are very quick in the water, I didn't especially like it when I get too wet.

Though I tried, I could never truly escape my visions, even though they were handy at times. Suddenly, the vaguely familiar shock of finding myself in a different place coursed through me. My mind was somewhere else, but I could still feel Jasper's arm around me tense at my swift mood change.

A building was shoved in front my minds eye as the river disappeared. I could distinctly make out its features. Oh. It was our school, Forks High. That was not all I saw, unfortunately. I saw a girl. She was pretty, in her own way, with medium-length brown hair and large brown eyes. Her cheeks were flushed as the blood swirled around deliciously under her translucent skin. She was Chief Swan's daughter. Her name was Isabella Swan. I'd had a few visions concerning her previously, as well. Isabella was coming to Forks High very soon.

I thought that it was one of those unimportant visions I had. After all, what could that girl do to affect us? That was when I saw Edward's face, contorted into a grimace of pain, his black eyes flashing in anger. He mumbled something like "I have to get out of here."

And, in a flash of blinding white light, the vision of the future was over.

Jasper looked into my eyes. "Alice, sit down. Can you tell me what that was about?"

I sat down, not realizing I had stood. My eyes did not meet his. "Look, Jasper, I'm sorry, but I have to keep this to myself, because…"

Jasper interjected. "Because Edward would find out sooner with two minds in the know, and you don't want him to find out, do you?" Jasper sighed. "Alice, it's okay. You can tell me when you want to."

My face considerably brightened. "Thanks, Jasper."

Silently, in this moment of peace, we gazed into each others' eyes. His golden depths were a mixture of disappointment, understanding and love.

I would've bet the new purple dress I was going to buy in a few weeks with Rosalie that my eyes were no different from his.

"Come on, Jasper; let's just leave it as it is. My life will be that much easier and relaxing." I hoped Jasper wouldn't notice that I was trying to convince myself even more than I was trying to convince him.

He nodded, though he didn't have much of an idea of what I was going on about. "Let's just enjoy this evening, shall we?" He was always the gentleman, that Jasper.

He leaned forward, and kissed me like he always did. When Jasper kissed me, I tended to let go of everything. I loved him that much. Also, I hoped that when he was kissing me, he tended to forget how thirsty he was.

Since Jasper and I had a once upon a time, there would be a happy ending. Wouldn't there?

A/N: A load of thanks to my beta reader, lolafalana. For those of you who have read this chapter before it was changed, you should know how different it is now than it was when I posted it the first time.