DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of Twilight or its world, just my little obsession with it and the original character that popped in my head months ago.

I never thought much about my hazy human life since I became a vampire. But from time to time I wondered what happened to the family I left behind before going off to the war but not much. Back then, during the Civil War, it was difficult to track people down or even find accurate death records. So eventually I let it go. It wasn't until I was a little over four centuries old that I discovered a truth I wish I never found.

"I'm not saying we should go somewhere super conspicuous, but Forks is one of those places that don't change much." My niece Renesmee spoke to me.

"It's your birth place how can you get sick of it?" I replied.

"The same way you get sick of Aunt Alice swapping the clothes out of your closet all the time."

It was true, my wife Alice did tend to do that every year or so. I learned to keep the articles of clothing that I really favored buried in plastic bags out in the woods.

She saw where they were of course, but seeing as how they were still there, I guessed she knew I didn't want them to end up in yet another Goodwill bag.

"Well, you know it's not up to me where we go."

"But Grandpa, dad and everyone else values your input." She added. "I just wanna be within a decent distance to a party town and a beach! I'm so sick of clouds and rain and snow I can't take it anymore Uncle Jasper! I know none of you guys can get that, but not everyone in this family sparkles. And maybe at a beach Jacob wouldn't look so out of place without a shirt on."

I smiled knowing I was in a lose, lose situation, she had been taught well by her aunts.

"I'm not making any promises." That was all it took.

"Yes!" She squealed. "You're the best Uncle Jazz!" She threw her arms around my neck for a few seconds before dancing off.

"What was that all about?" Alice asked coming around the porch her arms filled with shopping bags. She saw me glare at them before I responded.

"Really, I think I all boils down to hormones." I pecked her on the cheek before grabbing a few of the bags from her hands. "And what's this all about?" I mocked. "Am I gonna lose another drawer again?" I really hoped I wasn't.

"No, I think for now you're safe." She smiled back. "But I do have something in this very small bag that I think you'll like." She swayed the tiny pink bag on one finger. I knew what kinds of things came in bags like that, the best kinds, and it was always something more for me then her. "And I have it on good authority that the house will be empty tonight." She added as we climbed the flight of stairs to our room.

I stopped for a minute and as I smiled I shook my head and asked. "Do you ever get sick of being a know it all?"

"Never." She lightly tossed the bags on our bed then headed for her vanity.

I sat down the ones I carried next to the rest before trying to sneak a peek in the bag that now had come to fascinated me so.

"Ah, ah, ah, no peeking, you'll just have to wait." She teased.

"Oh, come on just one little look?" I help up my index finger as she took the bag from me.

"No, but I will give you a clue," She said as she leaned close to my face tangling one hand in my hair. "It currently matches your eyes." She breathed in my ear making me wish the house was empty now. Plus I became aware this morning that at some point in the night my eyes had turned black from thirst, and Alice looked good in black. I usually didn't hold out this long to minimize temptation but I had been waiting for Alice to return. Now I was planning a much shorter hunting trip.

"Well, what do you say we leave these bags here for now and go take care of the thirst factor?" I pulled her on my lap by her hips holding her there.

She let out a little giggle before speaking. "I have to change first."

"Of course you do." I kissed her lips hard before releasing my grip on her.

She got up and headed to the over sized walk-in closet. I followed her leaning against the door jam watching her undress. She must have felt my eyes on her because she turned around to look at me as she pulled on a new top.

"What?" She asked suspicious.

"Nothing, just after four hundred years I still can't figure out how I deserve someone like you."

She wrapped her arms around my waist and stood on her tippy toes to get closer to my face.

"And I'm sure in another four hundred you still won't get it." She kissed me gently before giving me one of her drop dead smiles I loved, no pun intended.

"Everyone will be gone an hour after dark." She added.

That meant roughly 5 hours "Well, we should get going don't you think? Lady's first." I gestured to her and followed her out the back door.

As I hoped we had kept our hunting trip brief, I knew it wouldn't be long before I was right back to square one so I was thinking about making another one with Emmett and having a little fun. Alice was all business at hunting times; it was Em who I could count on if I wanted to make a game out of it.

We took our time walking back to the house hand and hand even though it was well after dark and the house would for sure have been cleared out. Alice had filled me in that the alone time was at her request. Which would have made me self conscious but I had grown accustom to it decades ago.

Mine and Alice's relationship tended to be more on the private side unlike that of Rosalie and Emmett. In the time since I found my new family I had attended well over a hundred of their weddings versus just the one I had with Alice not long after we first met. And I wouldn't have minded so much but Rosalie had me and Edward on a rotating schedule for best man duties, still regardless of whose turn it was I had to stand up so it did get a little annoying. I was thankful Bella was on the shy side so the one she and Edward had centuries ago was enough for her.

I had let my mind wonder over the things that could be done having the house to ourselves and it got me thinking maybe this next move we didn't follow the family. We'd done it many times before usually lasting less than a year before gravitating back when we started to really miss them.

"So I was thinking, what if we headed for Philly instead of back to Forks?"

Philadelphia was a place me and Alice knew well, it was the city I met her in all those decades ago, the diner was long gone but the place still had the same sentimental value now as it did then. We also kept a house there which had been left vacant for too many years.

When she didn't say anything I looked over to see her eyes staring off into nowhere.

"Alice?" Judging by the look on her face it was nothing good.

"Someone's in the house. A vampire wi-" The disturbed look she held quickly changed to terror. "Nessie." Was all she said before we were running full force through the Canadian forest.

I was the first in the door and immediately I could smell the new scent of the intruder but I couldn't hear the usual humming of Renesmee's heart.

Alice gave me one look before disappearing back outside.

I moved forward through the house in complete defense mode. Whoever was here was playing games.

"You might as well come out now, one way or another you'll be dead before you have a chance to escape." It was then that she appeared. A face I remembered, but not really.

"Jasper, wow, Maria was right you are certainly intriguing, as far as immortality goes." A small blond woman with red eyes told me.

I could say nothing back to her, only stare.

No, no, not her, please tell me not her. Was all that kept running through my head. It was the familiar heartbeat that caused me to break eye contact and look toward the kitchen.

"Uncle Jazz? I'm sorry I know I'm not supposed to be here but I really need-" Renesmee stopped when she saw the predator standing in our living room and remaining speechless.

The blond woman turned and looked at Nessie but didn't speak or move.

"Nessie." Alice whispered from behind her taking hold of her arm to pull her back. Renesmee complied.

"Get her out of here." I spat.

Alice took Nessie's hand and once again disappeared out the door.

Once I no longer heard the blood pumping I knew it was safe to speak.

"What are you doing here Ariana?" I asked in an emotionless voice.

"Really, that's all you have to say after four hundred years?" She didn't look hurt in the least in fact she was smiling a wicked smile.

"Yeah, that's all I have to say, that and maybe sorry." I sounded a little cruel even by my standards.

"Sorry? For what?" She questioned.

"For what you've become." I looked at her red eyes and didn't see anything.

"Well, don't be I'm not." She started pacing back and forth and I was still on edge.

"I gotta say you're looking a little scary there Jazz."

I knew she was referencing my dominate scars.

"Yeah, well we all got a past." I commented.

"And quite a past you have, so I'm told." She stopped pacing and looked at me. "Aren't you gonna ask how I know your Maria?" Never once since she spoke did she stop sounding so sarcastic.

"The thought crossed my mind, and she's not mine." I felt the need to add.

"Small detail, anyway she's the reason for all of this. Why I'm a monster, and not to brag but also why I look so damn hot! Figuratively speaking." A dark smile crossed her lips. "You see after she turned you Maria came looking for me. She caught me up on what you'd been doing for all those years without so much as a letter letting those who loved you that you were ok. And she had every intention on me being in your army. Turns out I wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, so before she could put the axe on me I fled." She said keeping it short.

"Why would Maria go after you?"

"You really can't think of a reason?"

After thinking about Maria's personality one reason did occur to me.

I huffed. "Maria always did value powers." I must have gotten it right for she didn't object.

"Not in my case." She added. "But you even as a human you were always special. So what's with the Uncle Jazz?" She laughed as she changed the subject.

"She's my niece."

She laughed even louder.

"You're niece? Now how is that possible? I mean she's obviously human, which by the way you might want to get her heart checked it's running a little fast."

"She's more than human and over two hundred years old." I didn't know why I felt the need to tell her about Nessie but it seemed appropriate.

"So she must be one of the infamous half breeds." She now moved to sit on the couch closest to her, and it took everything I had not to fly at her.

"Don't call her that, she's better then you and I could ever hope to be." I hissed; if there was one thing I hated more than this blond woman it was someone trashing my niece. I would even say I was more protective of Nessie than Alice. But not by much.

She held her hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm holding a white flag here."

"Finding that hard to believe, so just tell me what are you doing here?" I finally remembered my original question.

"I'm looking for a change, I'm getting sick of my old routine, and a few weeks ago I ran into Peter and Charlotte they tipped me off about where you were, how you…live. And here I am." She held her palms up and smiled.

"A change? Ariana I think you're someone better suited for the Volturi then with me."

"Exactly, that's what I'm looking to change!" She said it like I finally got it but I still didn't.

"You're a wild card Ari, I can feel it all over you, and I won't risk my family for you." I was stern on that.

"You're family? You're family is dead Jasper that's not exactly news." She said finally snapping out of that sarcasm shit and into a 'fuck you' tone.

"And that's why you'll never fit here." I replied.

She got up from the couch and walked to stand next to me. I didn't show it but I never let my guard down.

"I remember a time when you would have called me family." Now she looked a little hurt, but she wasn't really feeling it.

"That time is long gone." I looked her dead in the eye. "You're not her anymore." The hurt look still hadn't left her face. Maybe that was why I decided to give her mercy maybe not. "Now you better leave before I change my mind, and if you can't tell I don't lose."

She got the message as she started to retreat silently.

"And Ari?" I cringed at the nickname I had used for her when we were human.

She turned to face me again.

"Do yourself a favor and don't stick around town, don't make me regret letting you go."

And then she left without another word.

I waited a few minutes before retrieving my phone from my pocket and dialing Alice.

"Hello?" Alice answered a little worry in her voice.

"Hey, are you two alright?" I asked.

"We're fine are you ok?"

"Yeah, but I think it's best if we reschedule our evening. Where's Renesmee?"

"She's sitting here with me, Edward and Bella."

"We should get everyone back to the house."

"Ok, we'll be there in five minutes, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, I'll see you soon. And Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm truly sorry our evening was ruined."

"Don't worry about it babe, I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

I hung up the phone and sat down holding my head in my hands. I had a feeling Ariana wasn't going to heed my warning. If I could only remember one thing about her as a human it was determination, and I found it hard to believe she had lost that in this life. It wasn't over…not even close.