Alice was bouncing with excitement when she came home from school. She started to run around the house putting pink candles and glass bowls with roses in them on every possible surface. Bella was coming over tonight for her birthday party. I grimaced.

Don't get me wrong; I like Bella and I'm excited for her birthday--I haven't had a birthday since 1863--but she smelled very delicious, and I didn't like wanting to kill her all the time and feeling weak. Edward would probably kill me if I even thought of tasting Bella. Her blood was probably very sweet and delicious if even Edward had trouble maintaining control over her scent.

Venom poured into my mouth thinking of how good she would taste.

Snap out of it, Jasper!! I told myself and shook my head to get rid of that thought and focused on Alice. Her movements were very graceful as she danced around the house decorating for the party. I still couldn't imagine that I was this lucky to have her as my wife. I still thought that meeting Alice was a hallucination and that I would snap out of it and I would go back to wandering cities in a depression.

Alice left the room and went into the kitchen to bake a cake for Bella. I remembered the conversation we had had on this subject....

                                                *****

"Alice?" I asked when I looked at her list of things to do for Bella's party.

"Yes?" Alice was scribbling a ton of ideas on her notepad. The title of the page was: Gifts to Not Get Bella for Her Birthday.

"I don't think we should have a cake," I said.

"Why not?" Alice stopped writing and looked at me.

"Well, I think that Bella can't eat a whole cake and we definitely won't eat it," I explained in a rush. "We would be wasting food." I didn't want my wife to put a lot of effort into something that was useless and then get hurt when she realized that all her work was for nothing. I knew she would be already disappointed at Bella's lack of enthusiamsm at the party.

Alice chuckled softly and continued writing. I quickly gave up on my ideas of trying to talk Alice out of it. She always got her way.

                                                  *****

Once the cake was done, Alice frosted it with pink muck known as icing. It didn't look very appetizing. She set the cake on a table near the piano along with presents, candles, and bowls with roses.

I couldn't wait to see the look on Bella's face when she opened the empty box that Rosalie, Emmett, and I gave her. I remembered the night we had decided on what to get Bella for her birthday...

                                                   *****

"You guys should get her a stereo for her car," Edward told us and then explained how awful the one in her car was. Emmett and I chuckled, amused.

"Okay," I said.

"I can't get her anything, or, at least, I can't spend any money on a gift, but she allows other people to spend money on her," Edward sighed. "You guys can get her things, but all she wants from me is vampirism."

"Oh," Emmett said. "We're lucky, then."

"No need for bragging, Emmett," Edward growled and I suspected that it was something in Emmett's thoughts that made Edward react like that.

Alice entered the room and walked up to us. "You guys should know that if you leave the stereo in the box, Bella will return it." Alice turned around and left to go and tell Rose what we had decided.

"Give her an empty box?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"And install it during the party." Emmett mimicked my wry grin and we smacked fists. This would be perfect.

                                                 *****

Alice went outside then and I followed her. I held the latterns while Alice hung them up. She then put even more bowls with roses outside. We went back inside and Alice made sure that every candle was lit.

I looked at my wife. Her eyes were far away. She was having a vision. I was prepared to go over to her and ask her what she saw, but Alice was too excited to wait for me to ask her.

"They're coming!!" Alice trilled. My whole family entered the room in a flash and we all stood in our places. Alice held my hand and bounced with excitement.

Two minutes later, I heard Bella asking Edward about him showing up in a developed picture she had taken of him. I chuckled softly at the stories about us that humans believed. There were so many untrue myths about vampires. Edward laughed very hard and opened the door to our house still laughing.

"Happy birthday, Bella!!" my family said in unison. This caused Bella to blush and my throat burned. I felt Bella's shock and disgust as she took in all of the decorations. Alice had told me that Bella didn't want to get older and didn't want any attention on her birthday. She wasn't going to get her wishes with Alice around.

Esme and Carlisle were closest to Bella. Esme hugged and kissed Bella's forehead. Carlisle put his arm around Bella and told her about how they couldn't rein Alice in. Emmett greeted Bella and made her blush even more. My throat burned harder.

Emmett left the house while winking at Alice, and Edward shot me a glance that meant to watch myself. Alice let go of my hand and skipped to Bella. I didn't go to Bella. Instead I leaned, smiling, on the post at the foot of the stairs. I felt her emotions. Bella was hurt at how I was keeping my distance. I wanted to go over to her and make her happy, but I was protecting her from myself.

"Time to open presents," Alice said and towed Bella over to the table.

"Alice, I know I told you that I didn't want anything--" Bella started.

"But I didn't listen. Open it." Alice was smug as she replaced the camera Bella had in her hands with the present that Rosalie, Emmett, and I had bought for her. Bella unwrapped the present and opened the empty box.

"Um...thanks," Bella told us. Rosalie smiled for once and I laughed.

"It's a stereo for your truck. Emmett is installing it right now so that you can't return it," I explained.

"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," Bella said and raised her voice. "Thanks Emmett!" I heard Emmett's laughter as he placed the last part of it in her truck.

"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice trilled, extremely excited.

Bella glared at Edward and said, "You promised."

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward told her.

I moved closer to get a better look. Emmett came in and stood behind me. Bella sighed and told Alice to give her the present. Emmett chuckled.

It all happened very fast then. Bella put her finger under the paper and jerked it.

"Shoot," she muttered and revealed a bleeding finger. That was all it took. Bella smelled better than before and I lunged at her with venom flooding my mouth.

"No!" Edward roared, hearing my thoughts. He shoved Bella away from him and sent her flying to the floor along with the cake, flowers, presents, and glass bowls. I slammed into Edward. A snarl rippled from my throat and I tried to move around Edward. I wanted her and she was going to be mine no matter what it took. My teeth were inches from Edward's face. I would kill anyone who would try to take my meal. Part of me told myself to stop trying to hurt my brother and his love and run far away so that I wouldn't hurt anyone, but that part was easily ignored when I smelled Bella's blood gushing from her arm.

I was wild, but I didn't care as long as I could have Bella's sweet and delicious blood flowing down my throat. I didn't notice anyone else but Bella. I felt like an alien to myself, but I didn't care because I needed blood. Human blood. Bella's blood.

Carlisle ordered for Emmett and Rosalie to get me outside. Emmett was unsmiling as he came over to me.

"Come on, Jasper," Emmett said and held me back. He was so strong! I fought against his grip and tried to get to Bella. My eyes searched instinctively for the opponents I would have to face before I could get to Bella. I made a plan in my head. First, I'd kill Emmett and Rosalie. Then I'd kill Carlisle and Esme. Finally, I'd kill Edward. I wouldn't kill Alice. It would be tough, but I would do it if it meant having Bella for dinner.

My teeth were reaching towards Emmett as I tried to rip him apart. Rosalie came towards me and helped Emmett push me away from Bella. She kept a careful distance from my teeth. Part of me wanted her to, but the other part was unhappy. Emmett and Rosalie pushed me out of the house where the smell wasn't as bad. I still fought against them, but I slowly stopped and realized what I had done. I had ruined Bella's birthday by trying to kill her.

I ran into the forest without a backward glance. I was a monster.