Author's Note: Some Twi-hards might notice some discrepancies in given dates and Jasper's age. Stephanie has said that Jasper was born in 1843, and joined the Confederate army when he was 16. However, the state of Texas did not secede from the Union until 1861, making Jasper already 17. She also has said that Jasper was turned when he was 20, in 1863. But according to his story in Chapter 13 of Eclipse, he was changed during the evacuation of Galveston during the first battle of Galveston, which happened in October of 1862, which would make Jasper 19. My story keeps Jasper's birth year the same, but his ages accurate for the true historical timeline.

I also took much direct dialogue from Eclipse when Jasper is telling his story to Bella, but only from when he first meets Maria, Nettie and Lucy.

Disclaimer: All Twilight Characters owned by Stephanie Meyer.

Maria

The light from the moon seemed to dim as the night went on, Jasper noticed. It was going to be rough getting back to Houston tonight by this light, he thought crossly. He was tired straight through to his bones, but there was no time to rest. They had only two more days to evacuate the rest of Galveston, and the safety of the women and children were priority before the deadline was up and the Confederates would surrender the city, willing or not.

Jasper walked briskly to the army post for a fresh horse. The private on duty was asleep, and Jasper had to knock loudly on the door for several minutes before a sleepy-eyed soldier opened it. The soldier was prepared to give an ear full to whomever had woken up his sleep, but the tirade was stopped short when he saw the officer standing before him.

"Major Whitlock, sir," the private stood at attention quickly and saluted though he was not in uniform.

"At ease, son." Jasper dismissed him, though the private was probably about his own age. "I am in need of a horse. I intend to return to Galveston tonight to see the rest of the city out safely. Do you have an animal who is rested and sure-footed?"

A look of confusion crossed the private's face, as he was sure Major Whitlock was in desperate need of rest himself. It was not his place to question the Major, however. Major Whitlock was already something of a legend, being the youngest Major in the state of Texas, at the age of 21, and there were rumors he'd lied about his age. When he spoke, people listened, no matter what the issue. He was even able to negotiate the four-day truce between the Union and the city of Galveston in order to evacuate the civilians when neither leader would budge. He was in charge of that evacuation, and Private Richards could tell that Major Whitlock would see every last woman and child out of that city before he took his own needs into consideration.

Private Richards lit a lantern and headed to the stable, choosing the strongest, swiftest horse he had. He tacked the horse up quickly, almost feeling the impatience radiating off of the Major who was waiting by the door.

When the private had finished, Jasper thanked him and mounted quickly for the fifty mile return trip to Galveston. The horse was sound and fleet, and eager to be off as well, despite the late hour.

Jasper flew through the deserted city streets and was about a mile out when his horse suddenly shied at something. The animal danced around a bit, and snorted a few times. Jasper, eager to be on his way, dug his heels into the animal's flanks and urged his mount forward. He was not in the mood to deal with a temperamental animal.

The horse lurched forward a few steps, then balked. Damn, thought Jasper. He briefly wondered if there were a snake nearby, but the night temperature was too cold. Jasper turned the horse around a few times in a circle, then aimed it South toward Galveston, and kicked it again. Again, the gelding lurched ahead and stopped. The horse rolled his eyes, flared his nostrils, and reared. Though Jasper was an experienced horseman, it was all he could do to keep the gelding from bolting.

It was then that he noticed the three women on the side of the road up ahead. They were on foot, and seemingly headed toward Houston. He was confused, sure that he'd gotten all of the evacuees safely into the city and settled somewhere. Being the Southern gentleman that he was, he dismounted, trying to keep a firm grip on the reins of the flighty horse, and approached the women to offer his assistance. The horse disagreed, and jerked his head sharply, causing Jasper to drop the reins. The gelding took off back the way it came, the sound of its hooves pounding the ground ringing in Jasper's ears.

Mentally cursing the horse, Jasper turned his attention back to the women, or girls, as they should be called, for they were barely past childhood. They were, without a doubt, the three most beautiful women Jasper had ever seen. He was struck dumb by their beauty, and he was sure they were not part of his evacuation, for he'd have remembered the porcelain-like faces that stood before him. Their skin was the palest of white, their features delicate and refined. What struck him the most was their eyes. He'd never seen eyes of that color, a deep red, the color of dried blood.

The tall blonde girl spoke first. "He's speechless!" Her voice was soft and delicate, like a chime ringing in the breeze.

The second girl leaned in toward him closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Jasper was still too stunned to speak as she murmured, "Lovely." Her hair was paler and longer than the tall one, but with features that were very similar.

The third woman was a tiny brunette, whose features were also very similar, was clearly Mexican. She quickly put her hand on the second girl's arm, and spoke what Jasper took to be sharply though with her melodic voice it didn't sound to be so.

"Concentrate, Nettie," she instructed the second girl.

It was easy for Jasper to see in those few seconds that the tiny brunette was in charge. A vague sense of danger was slowly creeping over him, but just then a soft breeze blew over them, carrying their scent to him. Jasper inhaled deeply and felt a wave of desire rush over him as he breathed it in.

"He looks right – young, strong, an officer…" The brunette paused. Jasper tried to speak again, but found no voice in his throat. Her voice was so soft and beautiful, he could think of nothing he'd heard like it before. It captivated him. "And there's something more…do you sense it?" she asked. "He's compelling."

"Oh yes," Nettie agreed, breathing deeply again as she inched closer to Jasper.

The brunette again laid her hand on Nettie's arm and cautioned, "Patience. I want to keep this one."

The tall blonde spoke again, "You'd better do it Maria, if he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them."

"Yes, I'll do it. I really do like this one." The brunette eyed Jasper up and down while still no sound came from him, the feeling of danger was steadily returning. He was confident the talk of killing was serious, and briefly wondered if they would kill him. Jasper had been taught to protect women, not fear them though, and he dismissed the idea as quickly as it had arrived. "Take Nettie away, will you?" Maria continued, " I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus."

"Let's hunt," the tall girl said and reached for Nettie's hand. Nettie put her own small hand in the taller girl's and they wheeled around to sprint toward the city. They were so graceful, their dresses billowing behind them as they seemed to take flight right in front of Jasper's eyes.

He turned back to stare at Maria, and until that moment, Jasper had never believed in ghosts. Suddenly, he wasn't so sure. Every fiber in his being was telling him to run, that this tiny brunette woman was a threat to him, supernatural or otherwise. But his feet refused to obey, and he had a fleeting thought that he wouldn't get far regardless.

"What is your name, soldier?" Maria purred in her musical voice.

Jasper finally found his tongue, unable to be impolite to any woman, ghostly or not. He ducked his head in true Southern style and responded, "Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am."

"I truly hope you survive, Jasper," she continued. "I have a good feeling about you."

Maria stepped toward Jasper and inclined her head as though to kiss him. Jasper's instincts were screaming at him to run away, that it was not a kiss that this woman was after. But he was rooted to the spot, unable to break the trance her red eyes held him in as she leaned in closer.

Maria's teeth sank easily into Jasper's neck. Jasper screamed and immediately fell to his knees, the pain the most intense, all-consuming feeling he'd ever experienced. It radiated from where she had bitten, from his neck, flowing down his body, into his torso and limbs. He tried clawing at her, but she was too fast for him, biting him repeatedly on his arms as well, causing small fires to erupt and spread from those points as well. The pain was excruciating, as though he was being burned from the inside out. Jasper fell to the ground and writhed in this torture, clutching, clawing, grabbing anything he could. He tried crawling away from her, but found that it did no good, he had nowhere to go, the pain was too great for him to move. The screaming continued, as his mind grew numb and stopped functioning. He knew nothing but the searing fire coursing through his veins.

Maria stepped back and watched, a small satisfied smile on her face that she had been able to stop. It wasn't easy, once she tasted the blood, but her self-control had grown. Her goal was a solid one, and if she focused on that instead of the warm, fresh blood, she found it was easier to pull her mouth away. Jasper was going to be important, and she couldn't let her thirst get in the way of her goal.

She picked up the writhing, screaming officer in her strong icy arms, and sprinted to her hide out, a small outcropping of buildings about five miles outside of the city that had been abandoned long ago. This was where she was building her army, keeping the newborns until she had the strength to fight. Maria left Jasper there, and returned to the city to hunt.