Disclaimer: Twilight is all Stephenie Meyer's creation, claro.

Prologue

It was the screaming that woke him. Trained to be a light sleeper, Jasper was awake and moving with the first yell. His brain moved slower than his feet, and he was racing into the room before his mind even computed that the screaming was coming from Alice.

He flung open the door to her bedroom and his heart almost stopped. She was thrashing on the bed, her face creased in pain, and screaming as if someone were stabbing her with a hot poker. "Alice!" he said loudly as he rushed towards her side.

He put his hands on her shoulders and drew her to a sitting position, shaking her frantically. "Alice, wake up. Alice! Alice, please, wake up."

Suddenly Alice stopped screaming, and her eyes flew open. Their faces only inches apart, Alice's eyes locked with his. Jasper inhaled sharply at the haunted, pained look in her large gray eyes. It was a look he had never seen from her before; a look he had hoped never to see on Alice. She should never know the pain that would put that expression on her face. "Don't touch me," she whimpered, flinching.

Jasper felt his chest tighten. Alice had never backed away from his touch before. His hands let go of her shoulders immediately, but she didn't seem to feel it. "Don't," Alice said again, her voice louder as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

Jasper took a step away from the bed. "I'm not. Alice, I'm not."

Jasper lifted his hands helplessly. He knew he should go and get Esme, but he remained indecisive. He couldn't leave Alice, couldn't tear his gaze away from her, but he knew he shouldn't get any closer to her. So he stood, rooted to his spot, not knowing what to do. "Alice, it's me," Jasper tried, keeping his voice calm and not moving a muscle.

His throat was starting to close up with panic. What had he done? Why was Alice afraid of him? "I'm not going to hurt you," he managed to say.

Alice's face was pressed against her knees. Jasper took a hesitant step forward as Alice started rocking back and forth. "Don't touch me!" she wailed again.

He whirled at a commotion at the door, and saw that Alice's screaming had woken up the rest of the house. Esme rushed in, Carlisle on her heels. Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and Bella were coming down the hall as well. Esme went to the bed and put her arms around Alice, rocking her and whispering into her ear. "I don't know what happened," Jasper said to Carlisle, his words coming out quickly with a bit of defensiveness. "I heard her screaming. She was having a nightmare. So I came in here and I woke her up. Or I thought I did, but then she started screaming again and I couldn't – I didn't know what – "

"It's okay, Jasper," Carlisle interrupted, his voice low. "It wasn't your fault."

Jasper was surprised when his sister pushed past him and sat on the bed with Alice and Esme. Rosalie rubbed Alice's back, soothing her softly. Jasper turned to find Emmett, Edward, and Bella all standing in the doorway. Bella looked as confused as Jasper felt. Emmett looked concerned and resigned, and Edward seemed worried and thoughtful. "This has happened before," Carlisle continued softly. "She'll be fine."

"Fine?" Jasper echoed.

He needed somewhere to direct his anger, his helplessness, and Carlisle was right there. "She's not fine! What do you mean this has happened before? What's going on?"

Author's Note: This is an Alice/Jasper, All-Human story with canon pairings. After this prologue, chapters will be written in the first person of varying characters.