"Chatty, aren't they?" Alice Cullen asked as she stepped out on the back porch of the place that no longer felt like home.

"Just trying to keep us on edge," Jacob Black replied without turning around to look at her. He recognized her voice and she knew it.

"Well, it's working," she sighed bitterly. Jacob couldn't suppress a tiny smile at her dark joke.

Life had been pretty rough ever since finding out that his beloved Bella was pregnant with a demon child that was literally sucking her life away. What was worse was that Bella actually wanted to keep that horrid thing. Personally, Jacob would've just phased into a werewolf and torn the creature right out of Bella, but he knew she'd kill him if he did. Or her overprotective, blond-brained sister would. Jacob hated her. Though, to be fair, he hated all the Cullens. They were the reason his Bella was suffering. And they were vampires. As a werewolf, he was duty-bound to hate those bloodsucking killers. He was duty-bound… But he wasn't known for always following his duty. The proof was right behind him…

No, the proof was right beside him. Alice had come closer during his angry reverie and now she was at his side.

"What?" Jacob shifted uncomfortably. He'd never been so close to a vampire before, unless it was for an attack. He sensed no hostility here though. He never sensed hostility from Alice. Well, maybe not never, but seldom. Alice could be just as evil and disgusting as the rest of her family, but she seemed to be the kindest of the bunch and hadn't bullied Jacob unnecessarily since last week. For a Cullen, that was a record. And besides, Jacob had grown fond of her over that past week. It was mostly because Alice hated Bella's evil demon-fetus as much as he did.

Alice hated Bella's brat for two reasons. One was the reason she shared with Jacob: it was killing Bella. Bella was Alice's sister. Having to watch Bella decay right in front of her was far from fun. Jacob could empathize. Alice had even told Jacob she was willing to help him rip the child out, but of course, they both knew such thoughts were mere fantasy. The next reason Alice hated the fetus was a bit more personal. Alice had the ability to see the future, or at least, she used to be able to. Ever since the fetus showed up in their lives, Alice's visions had gone dark. No matter how hard Alice tried to get something, Bella's future remained dark and she succeed only in giving herself a massive migraine from trying too hard to conjure up something that wasn't there. Jacob cursed the fetus again.

The only consolation Alice had was in the werewolves, oddly enough. To be specific, it was Jacob that she had come to like the most. She still found his wet-dog smell repulsive and she found his arrogant, brooding nature obnoxious, but their shared hatred of Bella's fetus had brought them together to some degree, as sick as that was. It was also during this past week, while Alice was bonding with Jacob, that she learned something else about the werewolves. They, like Bella's fetus, were another blind spot for Alice. She couldn't see their futures either, but unlike the fetus, this darkness didn't hurt. Instead, it was just the opposite. Whenever Alice was around the werewolves, although the future would go dark for her again, it gave her relief instead of pain. It was like some weird painkiller for her inner eye. Any wolf worked, but Alice always chose Jacob. She didn't know why, but she was drawn to him most of all, even beyond their shared hatred of the fetus that was killing their Bella.

Alice had actually grown ill from being in the same room as the fetus and the rest of her feuding family, so that was why she was here now. She had come outside for the sake of fresh air that wasn't tinged with death, decay, and despair. Seeing Jacob out here too had been a bonus. Already, his painkiller power was working on Alice and the agony of her mind's inner eye was being soothed. She drew closer to him until their arms nearly touched. She had the feeling that this made Jacob uncomfortable, but she didn't care. They were friendly enough now and she had no intent to harm or harass him. He would be fine with them this close because there wasn't anything hostile about it. But he did ask, at least out of curiosity if not out of outright distaste. Alice decided to answer his question with her own question.

"I can't just be next to you?" she asked.

"Umm, ok," Jacob answered. He had been unable to read Alice's true intent from that short statement and since he didn't want to start another fight (especially not with the one vampire he actually liked), he let the issue drop quietly. Alice could sense that his curiosity was not sated, however, and she continued on, trying to give him a proper answer.

"See, when I'm with you, it's like shutting my eyes," she confessed. "Everything goes away."

"Ahhh," Jacob rumbled lowly. He had almost forgotten what the werewolves were able to do for Alice. It was strange, but this realization made him happy. He felt oddly satisfied knowing that he was helping Alice instead of hurting her. That was something new.

"Everything goes away," he echoed softly, just to fill the silence, but the moment he said this, he felt… different. Yeah, everything went away for Alice in a literal sense, but it worked on him as well in a more metaphorical sense. Being with Alice, for him, was also like taking a painkiller because, just for a moment, he was allowed to be as bitter and cynical as he pleased. He was able to escape the family feud his own wolf pack was facing. When he was with Alice, all of his bad thoughts and guilt went away because Alice knew how to cheer him up. It was not by being excessively bubbly or giggly, but it was by just listening to him and not making a big show about having to be in contact with him the way the others did. For some reason, when Alice was near, Jacob didn't feel so helpless or hopeless anymore and she set him at ease even in his angriest moments. He also felt shy, now that he thought about it. She was so small and beautiful and her words had held that deeper message that unnerved him. It was like she was admitting she knew how he felt about her and that she reciprocated, kind of. But being read like that bothered him. As if Edward didn't do it enough. He finally shook his head slightly in awe. He never thought he'd lived to see the day where he, a werewolf, would be in close and comfortable companionship with a vampire. Yet here he and Alice stood, side by side under the moon.

Right beside him, Alice's mind was running a similar track. Alice had not meant her words in such a superficial or obvious sense either. Instead, like Jacob, Alice's words had carried a deeper and more grateful meaning than what she was letting on. Of course, yes, Jacob did act as the world's best aspirin, but there was so much more to it than that. Being with Jacob set Alice at ease in ways she didn't comprehend and being with him was like a breath of fresh air and relief. Nothing else in the world really mattered when she was with Jacob. She was no longer bearing a burden when she was at his side. There was something relaxing and enticing about him and it wasn't just the painkiller power. Instead, when Alice was with Jacob, she was free to turn her back on her own family just for once and she didn't have to suffer their bickering. She didn't have to feel the weights of responsibility and indecisiveness when she was with Jacob. Even though he was suffering the same inner turmoil she was, he seemed so relaxed that Alice found it infectious. It was weird, but true. Oh! What a world Alice lived in! To be closer to a werewolf than her own family!

"Well," Alice amended after a moment of silence. "everything except the wet dog smell." The pair of them laughed softly and even though it was somewhat sarcastic, there was a sincerity in it as well. Jacob couldn't stop a small chuckle because although this was somewhat of an insult, he knew that Alice meant it in a funny way. If any other Cullen had said it, he might've socked them in the jaw, but not Alice. It was funny when she said it. Honestly, it was a pretty good joke too. Alice, herself, was chuckling. It was a lovely sound. But she was laughing because hearing Jacob laugh made her feel oddly happy and hopeful. Knowing that she was the one who caused that laugh made her feel even prouder. For once, she wasn't tearing people apart, she was bringing them together… Oh, what was happening to her? Bah! Who knew or cared? Life had been so hard! She was entitled to a break! She was allowed to cut the act. She was free from responsibility now.

"Well, I'm glad I could help somebody," Jacob said finally, breaking Alice's train of thought. His words took a moment to sink in, but when they did, Alice felt her un-beating heart thump. She was more touched by this reply than expected, but that seemed to be the way Jacob worked on her, always doing more than expected. He was amazing. He was a boy and a man at the same time. He was able to retain some level of innocence and love while also being responsible and honorable when duty called. It was no wonder she'd grown attached to him.

Jacob was thinking along similar lines, feeling warmth radiating from the icy cold midget-pixie-vampire at his side. He was sincerely glad to see her smile and he was proud to know that he'd caused it. It wasn't often anyone smiled because of him anymore. Actually, they would usually get pissed off. It was nice to think that at least someone appreciated him to some degree even if it wasn't the person he had expected. Besides, seeing Alice struggling for hope made him realize how much they really had in common. She wasn't as manically happy as he first believed. Maybe she, like he and Edward, also knew how to hide her true feelings. She just wore a smile instead of a mask of indifference. Jacob really was to have her as a friend. She wasn't half bad and she had already proven that she was so strong in many ways. He really did like her and being her friend certainly beat being her enemy. Small as she was, she could pack a punch.

So, for the next half hour, werewolf and vampire stood side by side on the back porch under the moonlight, standing in peace, friendship, and support, each taking away the other's pain, even if it was only a temporary fix. Neither minded much at the implications of it all. It didn't even cross their minds. After all, when they were together, they were all that mattered. Everything else went away.

AN: Inspired off the deleted scene in BD P1. I ship these two, for some reason, so here's the result.