Hullo ha!

If you're thinking this is Jasper/Bella *smacks you with a rolled up newspaper* NO!

But seriously, only canon pairings, I'm all good with branching out into fan pairings but they just don't sit

well with me for Twilight. Soul mates and all that romantic shit…oh yeah some cursing because mostly everyone in Twilight is well over seventeen and I can rate it so.

Next, this is a major Jasper centric (get it? Pun! Major Jasper seewhatididthere?) cause he really, in my opinion, has one of the more interesting unexplored backgrounds, and he's just a sweetie.

I don't do character bashing so don't think I don't like a character if that's what it sounds like. I am able to like Jacob as Bella's best friend, and yes I even like Rosalie in all her bitchy glory but I might tone it down here because I can and all that.

(Whew, I think all this author power is going to my head)

There will be OCs, no Mary Sues, except Bella (joking!), but I think you'll like them alright.

They're really only there to facilitate the Jasper angst.

So onward soldier! And remember,

Happy reviews make for angsty characters!!!!

Honestly, keeping up appearances for the small townsfolk of Forks was the last thing Jasper Cullen wanted to spend his Saturday doing, but since he had been the only one available, the meaningless chore of grocery shopping fell onto his shoulders.

Jasper wondered if Edward and Alice had already known about Carlisle's little task yesterday, and that had been the reason he'd gone hunting alone so they could throw the task to him while his four siblings went a day later claiming they'd been too busy to hunt until today.

Alice probably thought she was doing him a favor. All the humans around him were hardly appetizing due to the horrid smell of human food glazing over the coppery scent that always had him reeling with sickening hunger.

The basket he held in his hand contained mostly food of Bella's favorites, and he chuckled as he picked up a small carton of milk. Esme had told him he didn't need to get too much since she'd just gone shopping at the beginning of the week.

"Buy only a little more than Bella will eat in a few visits." He was also told to make sure to buy mostly well preserved foods so that they would keep for a while until their resident human got to them.

Speaking of his soon to be sister, underneath all the raw meats and sushi Jasper caught a whiff of Bella's unusual human scent, and he followed the trail. He was rounding the aisle and he saw her, but she was looking down at what he supposed was a shopping list, and hadn't noticed him, or anyone for that matter as people moved aside to let her pass.

It was a wonder she hadn't tripped yet, knowing how clumsy she could be.

Jasper on the other hand stood his ground, clearing his throat right before she would have ran into him, all too aware that with how fast she had been walking it might not have been safe to let her hit him.

She startled from her reading and looked up from her list, Jasper could feel the pleasant surprise coming from her at seeing him standing before her.

"What are you doing here?" Bella laughed, obviously sharing his feelings of utter absurdity at the charade his parents felt the need to keep up.

"Shopping for you, my little human sister. For your small size you sure do eat a lot." Bella huffed and walked around him, but Jasper could feel no anger coming from her for his joke, and he followed.

He allowed her to shift through the basket in his arms, and found that she was quite pleased with his choices, except for the milk he had just picked up which she returned to the freezer and pulled out another that Jasper thought looked exactly the same.

"It's skim milk," She replied, as she placed it in the basket, "It's how I keep my "small size"." Jasper couldn't help but chuckle at her sarcasm.

He followed her around for another twenty minutes, watching her find different variations of easy to cook dinners for her and Charlie and helping her with the large case of water which he placed under her cart like it was a loaf of bread. Once she was done he followed her to the check out line, moving in front of her down to the clerk ready to pay with Carlisle's credit card.

"We're together," He said motioning to both his small basket and Bella's full grocery cart.

"JASPER!" She hissed sharply when she realized what he was doing. He smiled at her outburst and began unloading her items from her cart onto the belt.

"I'm not being nice," He whispered to her, "This way, we get to skip another trip here this week and maybe next since it looks like I'm buying so much." She smacked his should lightly as he hauled the water from under her cart onto the conveyer belt.

He felt a twinge of sharp pain spiking from behind him and knew that she'd hurt her hand on his shoulder. Quickly dropping the case of water on the counter he spun around making sure to do so at a normal human pace and carefully took her hand in his own.

The skin on her knuckles was red and he could tell they would be a bit bruised later. He saw red rush to her cheeks and thought for a moment how cute his little sister was. He wondered if he had he ever thought a human was this cute?

His brother sure knew how to pick a mate.

"Please don't tell Emmett about that. He'll laugh until he actually needs to take a breath." Jasper cooled over her embarrassment and sent a wave of ease to replace it and also to block out the soreness in her hand.

"Don't worry, nothing's broken."

"Um…dude, some people don't have all day! You can make out with your girlfriend later." Jasper growled over Bella's shoulder at the tall man who was waiting impatiently behind them, but went back to unloading her cart.

Once everything was rung up and added he swiped the card roughly through the machine and grabbed the font of the cart that was now filled with their bagged purchases and led the way out the store and into the parking lot. Bella could tell he was still irritated and left him alone until they reached her old truck. They separated the item's that Jasper had picked, which only consisted of four bags, and had loaded up the back before Bella felt the need to speak.

"You probably shouldn't growl like that in public." She teased, finally allowing Jasper to let his serious face slip with a smile.

"You sound like Edward."

"Do I?"

"Yes, him and Esme are always telling us things like that. Usually though, it's Rosalie, she makes this high-pitch growl when she's angry. It actually really funny. Ask her to show it--." Jasper stopped mid sentence, his knees buckling underneath him suddenly as if he'd been hit square in the stomach.

The bags he held fell to the ground and Bella's skim milk opened, splattering the bottoms of her jeans.

"Jasper?!" Bella raced to his side as he held onto the edge of her old truck, blinking rapidly like he was trying to recover from getting the wind knocked out of him.

Bella had only ever seen a vampire in pain a few times while underground in Voltrerra and in the forest, both had been her Edward suffering under the powers of Jane. She didn't know if the expression on Jasper's face was in fact pain or something else, he looked as if he was more confused.

"Jasper!" She made sure to move carefully, not knowing what to expect from him.

"Edward." Jasper hissed her love's name through his teeth as if calling for his help. His hand went up to his temple and he shook his head roughly, trying to rid himself of the daze that clung to his mind.

Jasper slipped down to the ground, his golden eyes focusing on something past her.

His cell phone began to ring and the sound only seemed to make things worse for him like the noise itself was scraping against his ear drums.

With hands badly shaking Jasper attempted to hand the phone over to Bella only to have it slip through his fingers and clatter to the floor. Bella knelt next to him and picked it up quickly.

Not even looking at the caller ID knowing it must have been one of the Cullen's, she flipped open the cell and spoke.

"H-hello?"

"Bella…," Edward's worried voice seems to calm as soon as he heard her. "What's wrong with Jasper? He made me scare away our hunt and his thoughts are so jumbled. I can't hear-."

"I-I don't know, he seems hurt. Edward somebody should get over here. We're at the Supermart. I don't know what to do. Jasper?" She tried calling his name again but she was met with the sound of his grinding teeth.

The empath's blonde hair fell over his eyes and Bella could clearly make out the pain he must have been feeling from the way his jaw muscle twitched.

Edward spoke again, his voice crackling from the bad reception the mountains provided.

"Bella, he's worried. Ask him if he smells another vampire around."

"Jasper. Do you know if there's another vampire nearby." Jasper snarled at her, startling Bella and causing her to squeak and move back so suddenly she dropped his cell phone.

She heard Edward's voice coming from the ground but she didn't pick it back up.

"Bella!!" Edward was sounding more worried by the moment, he had obviously heard his brother but had no clue what was happening.

"You have to get out of here Bella," Jasper hissed, once again shaking his head as if he could clear away the mysterious fog. Something seemed to be affecting his senses.

Bella was panicking, she couldn't just leave him here, but for some reason Jasper had told her to leave. That meant something dangerous must be heading towards them.

"Jasper I'm not-" She spun around when she heard it, her hair whipping in the cool air of the twilight as she looked for its source.

The growling and snapping sounds she'd heard before had surrounded them, and Bella could see at least four large men approaching from the back of the supermarket.

Oh, how she wished she hadn't parked on the side so no one would park near her. The side parking lot was nearly empty, only employees and the occasional biker parking there. But she knew no human could help them against at least four vampires rivaling Emmett's large size.

Jasper leapt up from the ground, stumbling just slightly and clumsily took her into his arms without warning. Bella wondered if he wouldn't tip over as he swayed on his feet, but Jasper managed to still gently hold her to him and send a growl in the way of the immortals that were taking their time approaching.

Jasper pulled her only slightly tighter to him and curled his spine, poised to run. Bella couldn't believe it when she felt him attempting to send a wave a calm to her, but it was weak and disappeared before it could even settle. For him to be worried about her emotions at a time like this...

"Jasper…" Bella tried to ease his worry and keep the fear from her voice, but it was so hard, and Japer was as still as a statue.

"Bella…I'm sorry. I can't find an opening that would be safe enough."

Her heart dropped in her stomach. Jasper had his eyes glued to the vampires that had finally stopped and formed a wide circle around the two of them. Bella noticed two more had come from behind and completed the circle.

This time Jasper did manage to put more force behind a wave of calm and it stayed, settling over her easily when he sent it.

"What do you want?" Jasper made no attempt at pleasantries like Carlisle normally did; he could probably feel what their true intentions were.

"What's the great, Major Whitlock doing with a human?" One of the larger of the group questioned.

Bella could tell that there was no respect coming from the man, only mockery as he used the title.

"She is my sister." Bella was surprised to see a soft upturn of Jasper's thinned lips.

"She smells too good to turn," A second spoke sniffing the air. Jasper's shoulders were shaking, the tremors noticeable to everyone. "You seem to agree."

"You wont be taking her. Our coven is already on their way, leave now."

"We are well aware of that, two are only a minute away, four more right behind them. We are only here to deliver a message from someone you should remember…"Ella lo consigue, o la suya coven dados"."

The foreign words must have meant something to him because Jasper couldn't help but project a large wave of surprise and panic, exploding out and over her like a burst of energy. His shock didn't last for more than a second and he composed himself, snarling and clutching Bella tighter.

Jasper's reaction seemed to please the other man, for he laughed and motioned for them to retreat; their work done with enough time to escape the rest of the Cullens.

With them gone Bella attempted to finally calm her erratic heartbeat. Jasper seemed to be having trouble, and Bella realized he was unconsciously gasping for air he no longer needed. Without the threat of attackers Jasper's strength left him and he stumbled before falling again to his knees still holding her.

"Jasper." Bella wished to calm him, like he was always calming her, but it seemed as if her whisper had hardly even reached him. He still gazed past the line of thin trees where the vampires had fled, his pupils slit so much she could hardly see anything but a thin black line.

"Jasper, Bella!" Carlisle's strong voice reached her from across the parking lot, but hardly a half a second later he was right next to them kneeling on their left while Esme crouched to their right.

She took Bella's face in her cold gentle hands, and inspected her, moving between her and her unresponsive son.

"Jasper," Carlisle spoke, nothing in his voice but absolute authority, "Give Bella to me, and calm yourself." And despite the tone his father had used Jasper didn't comply, not really growling but making an odd noise in his throat that reminded Bella of the whine Jacob would make in his wolf form.

"Carlisle!" Alice's soft, musical voice called to her father, and Bella saw her, Rosalie, Edward, and Emmett had arrived as well. Edward wasted no time moving before them, breaking Jasper's focused gaze on the tree line.

"Jasper, I'm right here, thank you for protecting Bella." He spoke sincerely and the relief in his voice was practically tangible to Jasper.

Edward finally seemed to call Jasper back, and he relaxed upon seeing his brother.

Edward would keep their Bella safe.

Without Edward having to ask, Jasper carefully transported Bella over into his waiting arms. Without her to occupy them Jasper's arms dropped uselessly in his lap for a moment until he rose.

Bella looked up as Jasper stood on shaky legs.

She couldn't quell the curiosity, "What did he say to you?" She asked him remembering the panic and hoping against hope that it wasn't more trouble for her family.

Jasper smiled at her fondly, and she was suddenly finding it hard to keep her eyes open. She frowned at his guilty smile and wondered why she was suddenly so tired.

Before she fell asleep Bella whispered her brother's name, her tone filled with so much gratitude for keeping her safe so she could return to her Edward, but everythign was fading, and she was suddenly unable to fight against the levels of exhaustion overpowering her other senses.

She turned her head to lean against Edward's shoulder and let the darkness come.

=T=W=I=L=I=G=H=T=

Edward hugged his love softly to his chest, her soft breathing was more than enough to calm his frazzled nerves.

"Jasper." Alice was trying to pull her unresponsive husband in the direction of their home, but Jasper wouldn't move until Edward did. Once Bella had been safely placed in Edward's arms Jasper's eyes had jumped back to the tree line, as if waiting for an ambush, and he moved aside to let Edward pass before taking Alice's hand tightly and following, training his ears to listen for even the smallest snap of a twig, on edge their entire run back home.

The Cullens reached the house quickly and Jasper collapsed on the sofa, his long legs hanging over the side.

While everyone else was settling in for the explanation he found Alice near him. "She's okay?"

His voice was cracking as he asked her, and his wife nodded, brushing his soft blonde hair from his eyes.

"She fine." Jasper's shaking hands found Alice's face and he pulled her to him, kissing the crown of her head and taking in the scent of her as if memorizing it.

"What the hell happened?" Emmett growled apparently having waited long enough and quite possibly using all his restraint to keep from shouting and waking the sleeping Bella.

Jasper looked up from Alice's hair and rubbed a scarred hand over his face.

"Were they just looking for a hunt?" Rosalie asked the calmest of all of them, but Jasper saw her eyes flicker to Edward and the frail human in his arms she would soon call her sister.

"It's me." Jasper clenched his fists and pressed them to his eyes not able to look at his family knowing the trouble he'd brought to them.

"What the fu-." Carlisle raised a hand to silence Emmett.

"Jasper, we are not all mind readers like Edward."

Whatever had happened to his powers was still effecting his emotions and Jasper couldn't help but growl, not really at his adoptive father but at the question he didn't feel like answering.

"It's Maria, she sent them to give me a message, that she wants me back." Alice gasped and moved to take his face in her hands.

"She can't have you!" Jasper placed his hands on top of his love's, relishing the warm, soft skin, never wanting Alice to take her hands away.

"Alice, I don't know how many she has gathered with her. She sent six of her men just to send me her message. Imagine how many she'll bring to kill us if she doesn't get her way."

"Don't be so negative Jas, we just took out twenty newborns a month ago." Emmett laughed. Excitement was spiking off him, and it only made Jasper angrier.

"Is that how many you think she has?" His enthusiasm for a fight had always had Jasper worrying for his brother's safety. That stupid eagerness for battle would get him killed one day.

"We can get the mongrels to fight with us again. They'll help if Bella's in danger-which she always is anywa-." Jasper leapt up from the couch and grabbed the nearest vase, hurtling it at the wall next to where Emmett was standing and effectively silencing him. His family was shocked. He was always the calm one who cooled any situation with ease, and seeing him this upset unnerved them all, even Alice.

"None of you are in danger! Don't you get that?! None of you are fighting anything because I'm going!"

Emmett was silent as Jasper yelled, and didn't make a sound as his brother collapsed back onto the couch, where even Alice was hesitant to reach out to him.

"It doesn't have to be difficult for you. I don't want it to be." Jasper whispered, everyone could tell he was emotionally spent.

Alice sobbed, and although her eyes were shining, tears refused to fall from her golden eyes. "Why didn't I see this coming?" She wondered angrily. Jasper looked at her through half lidded eyes, pained at her sadness as he felt it leaking into him.

"I think…they have a vampire able to null our powers, and minds."

"That must be why you're being such a dumb ass." Jasper ignored Emmett and continued.

"I was practically screaming at Edward but I heard him telling Bella he could hardly hear me, and I couldn't feel Bella's emotions after a certain point. I could hardly feel Esme and Carlisle when they were right next to us."

Carlisle rubbed his jaw, remembering something he had come across during his years.

"I've only heard of one other vampire who could do that, but she works with the Volturri, and would never side with an army of dangerous, uncontrollable vampires." Carlisle explained.

"The disorientation was erratic, like a newborn who didn't quite know how to control their power yet." Carlisle nodded absently, taking in the information and heading to his study.

"I'm going to call a few contacts that should know what Maria's been up to. Ever since you and Alice joined us this has always been a possibility and I wanted to be prepared. We wont do anything tonight, alright, son?"

"Alright." Jasper couldn't help but agree softly, feeling the overpowering mixture of worry, protectiveness, and love that came from Carlisle as he disappeared into his office.

Bella mumbled something for the first time in her sleep, that sounded very much like 'Alice, no, and dress' and everyone laughed, letting the tense atmosphere in the room ease for the time being.

Esme bent down and kissed her human daughter's forehead and spoke quietly to Edward, suggesting he take her home for the night.

"We still need to hunt." Rosalie remembered. Jasper noticed his siblings' eyes were pitch black, the stress of the day probably not helping their hunger.

"I can't leave Bella." Esme took her gently from him, giving Edward time to argue, but he didn't.

"Why don't I take her home and watch her, you four go, they don't seem to want to hurt her, but just in case I'll stay with her until you get back." Edward nodded, and gave a pointed look to his large brother.

"No bears. We find the first thing big enough and are back here as soon as possible. Jasper maybe you should come with us?"

"No I'm too spent, and I'll make too much noise, but don't take more than two hours, it might be too soon for her, but Maria might see this as a opportune time to attack with us all divided." Everyone nodded and his four siblings sped from the house, intent on feeding as fast as they could.

Jasper turned to his small mother who truly looked the part carrying Bella in her arms.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Esme shook her head and smiled at him.

"Rest your mind, Bella and I will be alright for an hour, which is, I'm sure all Edward will allow himself the time to hunt." Jasper nodded and watched her leave. He exhaled slowly as if he were physically expelling the weary emotions that had been left floating in the room and tipped his head back shutting his eyes and enjoying the dark.

After a good half hour of quiet resting, Jasper moaned and rose from the couch. Moving over to where Emmett had been standing earlier he winced at the broken remains of one of Esme's favorite vases.

Moving into the kitchen he noticed the four bags that he'd bought with Bella sitting on the counter. Someone must have grabbed them before they left, and he wondered if Bella's old truck was still sitting in the parking lot.

Chuckling halfheartedly he placed the slightly smushed cereal boxes and the half empty carton of skim milk where they belonged and bent down to grab the empty trash can they kept under the sink. Walking back into the living room with it so he could clean up the mess he began scooping handfuls of the shattered glass into the bin.

"I'll have to buy her another one." Jasper whispered to himself out loud, but quiet enough that Carlisle wouldn't hear him from his study. He wrapped his fingers around a rather large piece and moved to place it in the bin as well.

As his hand hovered over the bin ready to drop the broken piece he felt as if his hand was suddenly on fire and he cried out softly, surprised. The glass fell with the other pieces and he pulled his hand to him, inspecting it, not really believing what he was seeing.

Blood poured from where the glass had apparently broken his skin and pooled through his fingers to drip on the floor.

"That must sting. You should be careful when you handle glass."

Jasper spun around almost falling over. How had he not heard anyone sneaking in?

"You should be careful with glass." The boy repeated nodding to where Jasper sat with his other hand resting on the pile. Jasper felt the shards on the floor cut into his palm and he hissed and when he pulled it back surprised he saw multiple shards sticking into the skin.

"Do you know how scary it is having a human body? I'm young so I can't control it just yet. That's why Maria doesn't let me fight too much." The young boy spoke pleasently and crouched down a foot away from where Jasper sat, unable to move and tear his eyes away, the boy was an otherworldly type of beautiful, something about him made Jasper's heart…

"What are you doing?" The child smiled at him, his red eyes sparkling and even in the dim light of the living room his red hair was highlighted.

"Do you feel weak? Humans are so fragile, but you must have forgotten what it was like. Do you prefer your immortal body? I like being a vampire, but I still get to eat candy and ice cream if I feel like it." The small red head moved closer only inches away and fear like Jasper had never felt welled up in his veins.

He felt truly powerless for the first time in 143 years.

"Maria said I couldn't feed from you, but she was right, you do smell good as a human. I just had to see for myself." The spell was broken and Jasper's skin returned to normal, the cuts from the glass gone, as well as the blood. The only sign that it had even happened was the remaining drops that were drying on the floor.

Jasper growled at the child, and kicked out, but the boy was faster and dodged the foot easily.

"Maria said you were strong, but that's odd, she's never lied to me before."

"You're young." It wasn't a question but the boy nodded.

"Just under a year. I suppose that's why Maria's looking for you. My sister and I will be weakening soon and she wants to remove us from the front lines permanently. She needs a strong soldier to lead." Jasper wondered if this sister he talked about was the one with the ability to nullify their powers.

"She sent you to get me." The boy's red eyebrows disappeared behind his bangs.

"Have you realized you don't have a choice?" Jasper shook his head defiantly.

"I haven't led that lifestyle in too long, I can hardly stand against twenty newborns as I am. She won't want me back."

"She's already prepared to recondition you to the ways of our true nature. All you need to do is come with me." Jasper could feel the pain in his hands returning and the wonder creeping back into him, effectively shutting off his instinct to fight.

Wasn't there something he had to keep safe. "My family." He whispered, trying to form a whole sentence and failing under the boy's gaze. "Don't…you have me. Don't' hurt them."

The boy nodded quickly but the promise didn't reach his eyes. "Whatever, let's just go." Jasper took the hand that was extended to him in a daze and allowed himself to be led to the door. He couldn't remember moving so slowly in a long time.

He hadn't heard the door to his father's study open but Carlisle's strong voice floated to his ears and sounded almost as wonderful to Jasper as the boy's had.

He was asking Jasper if he recalled the last place he'd seen his sire, but when he didn't receive an answer he looked up, panicked when Jasper wasn't where he'd heard him last, cleaning up the glass in the corner.

Carlisle's eyes quickly found his son looking unnaturally healthy, dazed eyes focused distractedly on him, and holding the hand of a pale boy with red eyes and red hair.

Quicker than the boy could do anything Carlisle had ran the length of the room and pulled Japer away from the him.

Carlisle was shocked even further when he heard a decidedly loud snap in the place where he'd grabbed his son's arm. Jasper didn't even cry out, and when Carlisle turned, blue human eyes were staring past him, the boy's power unbroken, Jasper still mesmerized by the red gaze, not even registering the pain of a broken arm.

Carlisle felt anger pooling in him, and he carefully backed away with Jasper behind him, all too aware that somehow his son's arm had snapped like a twig when it shouldn't have.

"What did you do to him?" He questioned.

The boy merely smirked at him showing his sharp fangs and two missing front teeth that would never grow back.

"You should be careful when handling glass."