A/N: Ok so first off sorry this took so long. I was a bit intimidated by this chapter i must admit. Then to top it off I had the baby all weekend, which is usually when I wright. Thank goodness for queen of the dammed soundtrack though! Got my head back in the game!

I must also send out a thank you to my reviewers, and add that twilight dose not belong to me.......

anyway enjoy!

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I could only sit and stare from where I now coward in the corner. The upper half of my back pushed up against the wall, while the lower half was curled up into the fetal position. Completely surrounded by 10 other vampires all with the same ominous red eyes.

Fortunately those eyes weren't focused on me. Everyone of them staring intently toward the other end of the large cavern, watching with varied defensive postures what was illuminated by a single lantern hanging from the middle of the battered ceiling high above. I now assumed this extensive cave system to be home. Well there home, I wont be here long enough to call it that. If I hadn't been so terrified by what I now witnessed I would have been high tailing it out of here. While praying to what ever still listened that no one noticed. Instead here I sat stuck to the wall like glue, eyes huge and mouth agape.

I would never doubt Jasper when he warned me about his dark side. Not that I had before by any stretch of the imagination, the way he had run me down and pinned me proved that. He was powerful, and used that power to it's full extent. But nothing in this short hour emersed in this hellish new world could have prepared me for his power in that moment. The confidence and expertise in which he ran into the midst of the five feuding vampires.

Jumping on the biggest one first he dropped him in a second. The others slowing from the waves of lethargy he was sending off. The only problem in his attack was he could only drop one at a time, and the other 4 though slightly subdued continued to snap at each other. The one farthest from Jasper managed to get a bear hug onto the slightly smaller male fighting next to him. Sinking his teeth into him and riping a large chunk of flesh out of his shoulder. At that a loud cry of pain went out. Causing Jasper who had yet to move on from his first tackle, to push out with everything he had. His entire body went flying out about 10 feet before connecting with the still embracing men and knocking them to the ground.

He had somehow managed to drag the other man with him and was now in physical contact with 3 of them. He hooked his free leg around the another one and drooped him in an instant. The other 1 dropped in an instant from the force being radiated threw the 4 vampires Jasper was touching.

Standing up slowly Jasper gave the room a death glare before raining in his emotions. Although you could still feel a bit of calm in the air.

"Maria will not be pleased." He said simply, before walking away, and even I shuttered.

He slowly walked over and settled himself in the corner on the opposite side of the tunnel entrance from me. Leaning his head back he let out a breath and shut his eyes. However he did not relax, nor did I.

I had yet to move an inch from the awkward position I had taken up during the fight. With the exception of my watchful darting eyes I could likely have passed for a statue. The others had all moved as far away from Jasper as the cavern would allow, and much to my relief where all gathered at it's far wall. Once again the sense that jasper would keep me safe washed over me, and I had the feeling he had selected that spot not just to guard the door, but to keep me from harm as well.

A few members of the crowd where bickering quietly amongst themselves. Though what about I did not care to find out. The bitten one was standing away from the group a few feet, and nursing his wounds. Glancing every few seconds at the man who attacked him. The majority however where just standing there, statues like myself.

I suddenly had the feeling of eyes on me and glanced over to see jasper staring at me. I looked down uneasy but he continued to watch me curiously, after a few moments he finally broke the silence.

"We need to figure out what your gifts are." I looked up as he said this, meeting his eyes for the first time since arriving in the cavern. They now held only wonder and that same open curiosity in there ruby depths. He lunged suddenly and then was sitting on the floor in front of me, though not with out a unladylike squeak of surprise from me.

"Sorry." he said settling into cross legged position his back guarded by the wall at my side. He glanced once at the crowd and then turned the majority of his attention back to me.

"Still no thirst?" he asked laying his hand on the back of mine. The burn lit itself for a moment at the suggestion that it should be there, but died out just as suddenly.

"A little when it is mentioned, but not anymore." I replied and he nodded at my response though I realized it was unnecessary. " You felt that didn't you?" I asked looking down at our still touching hands. He simply nodded his response as he was now lost in thought.

"And you can feel the emotions I am sending you..." he let his curiosity poor out of his hand, and I felt it bubble around me like a cushion but it continued to have no effect. "..but they have no effect in changing yours?" He asked once again looking into my eyes.

I pondered his question for a moment, taking my time to decide if I wanted to be truthful with him or not. I concluded that finding out all I could would benefit me just as much, if not more then it would him, and consoled myself with the fact that he could probably feel when I was lying anyway.

However I decided to answer his question with a question. "And you can feel my emotions but not control them?" he nodded again. Unknowingly confirming that he would be able to tell if I lied, and waited expectantly for the answer to his question. I sighed but gave in.

"I believe that I can feel everything you are sending me, but it has no effect unless I want it to. If I let it in it will work but not until then, see." I let his curiosity flow threw me and was suddenly bombarded with 30 or so questions of my own. "I can also make make it stop working at will." I said as I shut off the flow of emotion from entering my body.

He however did not stop trying, and I could tell he was pushing it at me harder then before. I raised an eyebrow in question and he answered. "Just testing. I want to see if your block weakens over time. I have seen a few powers that need to be relaxed and replenished to work properly."

"Replenished by feeding?"

"Mostly yes, some however simply need a relaxed mind to gain back there power."

"And do yours need to be replenished?"

"No my gift is always strong."

"Gift so its just the one? Can there be more then one?"

"Oh there can be, you I believe have more then one though they might in reality be connected. Its to early to tell." It did not escape my notice that he skipped over the first question but I took that as confirmation.

"Mine doesn't seem to be tiring."

"I know, but it could take awhile you are a newborn, do you have to focus on it at all?"

"No. On the contrary, I have to focus to let it in, and to stop it I simply have to stop focusing on it."

"Ah. It would seem you are a shield, and a very powerful one at that, I have never before encountered a shield that could stop me."

"A shield?" I asked confused.

"Yes you can protect yourself from the effects of others gifts. I doubt any can work on you. Also I think you might be able to project. To use your shield to protect others."

"And you have worked with other shields?"

"In the past yes, I have also fought against one before, but like I said they couldn't block me. I have never even heard of one as powerful as yours seems to be." He replied with a frown that I couldn't quite figure out. I thought I had a pretty good idea though.

"I intimidate you." It wasn't a question.

He looked up surprised by my statement. "A little, I admit. That's not the reason for my frown though, you I fear are one of a kind, competently irreplaceable. Yes I'm sure a shield such as yours could be found again, but coupled with your unexplainable clear head and apparent lack of hunger, you are a true marvel to behold. A newborn with the mind set of an elder, and the control to rival any I have meet. Of course we have yet to see how you react to a humans scent." I cringed at that, and he squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry I have a feeling you will have the majority of your control left when that happens." Somehow that didn't help, but I let it go not wanting to get derailed. Something was still bothering him.

"This all sounds good to me, so what is wrong?"

"Well it is good, in a lot of ways. But it also means you have to train harder then the others, we have to work on both fighting and use of your shield. Not to mention any other gifts you may have, we have to test your control..... and we have to be quick about it all."

"Why?" I prodded felling that I was on to something.

"Why do we have to hurry your training?" He clarified. I nodded urging him along.

"Well your gifts, wont make you very popular, rather they will make you a lot of enemy's. Maria will love you, which is good, you want to stay on her good side trust me. But others will hate you. Our enemy's will want nothing more then to watch you burn, and they include some in this cave." He added in a lowered voice, that was barely above a whisper.

I could feel my eyes getting huge during his speech, and I now looked past him to stare at the others who where still spread out against the far wall of the cavern.

They where mostly men, the few woman where huddled in a group as far from the others as the walls would allow. I could only guess why, and that thought just served to terrify me more. Dragging my eyes back over to the men I took them all in slowly. They where all huge. In fact it appeared that Jasper was the smallest of them all. At least when it came to build, for he was quite tall.

When my eyes traveled over to the last of them, a round faced man with a vary large intimidating frame, I got caught. The man seemed to sense my gaze and looked up to capture my eyes. I gulped at the look in his, and averted my gaze. I still caught a glimpse of the wicked smile that crossed his lips before Jasper let out a sharp growl. Causing the man to instantly dropped his gaze, and his mouth turned back down into a frown.

"I see what you mean..." I said still shaken by the look in the mans frighting red eyes.

"He wasn't one of the ones I was referring to." Jasper said quietly looking back at the crowd. I tried to follow his gaze but wasn't quite able to before he turned his eyes back to me.

"We should get to work." He said with an urgency I had not heard from him before. I gulped again but nodded my agreement.

"Good now are you sure you arn't thirsty?" The look I gave him sent him backtracking. "I only asked because you would be stronger if you feed, stronger then any in this room."

"Even you?" I asked with a smirk.

"Well yes, but I know what I am doing and you don't." He replied in a manner that would have seemed smug if not for the worry still plainly written on his face.

"So what do we start with." Was my only response. He smiled slightly.

"Physical attack. The shield will take longer so you should be ready with a back up." He replied as he stood gracefully pulling me up to stand beside him.

"First off I want to test your instinct, I usually don't do this with newborns, but with your clear head its worth trying. I am not going to help you, just go at me with all you have, my only rule is no teeth. Alright?"

I nodded big eyed once again. He smiled reassuringly, before backing up a good 15 feet. Once he was set he motioned me forward.

I really had no idea what to do, and to be honest I felt more then a little freaked out about going up ageist him. Especially after seeing him single handedly take down 5 vampires at once. But after reminding myself about his gift not working on me, and guessing that his comments about newborns and being stronger probably meant I was about even strength with him, I felt a little better. I slowly stalked froward, still not knowing quite what was expected of me, I glanced over and noticed that all eyes where on me now. Lord help me, I thought as I scrambled for a way to not make a fool of myself. I smiled as the plan formed in my head.

As quickly as I could make my small body move I was sprinting away from Jasper. I could sense the shock coming from him, as my foot pushed me off the floor and I ran up the wall. When my feet where slightly above my head I pushed off once again, and went flying across the ceiling. I reached out smoothly and grabbed hold of the stalactite hanging directly above Jaspers head. Swiveling my body around I dropped down landing directly on top of him, and pining him face down on the floor.

"Now hows that for instinct?" I asked standing up and offering him a hand. I laughed at his expression, apparently it was his turn to have big eyes.

"Incredible." Was all he was able to stammer out, before another voice broke the silence.

"Vary impressive. Sorry Jasper but I do believe that I have a new favorite."