Disclaimer: Everything in the Twilight universe belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

AN: I was so happy when the reviews for Ch. 4 were positive, and it reminded me to thank you readers and reviewers!

Edward-bella-harry-ginny is a fantastic friend and beta. Justine Lark also gave me some great advice on fixing boo-boos and style issues in this chapter. You're both great!

Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war.
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act III scene i

Ch. 5. Invincible

The soothing sounds of the car engine complemented my awareness of Peter and Charlotte. We had travelled together for many years, and being together again this summer had been nostalgic. Enough time had passed that I could now focus on the relationship we had shared instead of the pain I had felt when I revisited those memories. Peter and Charlotte were well-matched, and both had a pragmatic, easy view toward life. I would have chosen few others to accompany me on this trip. They had survived Maria as well, albeit not for as long as I had. Peter was not my match in combat, but I would choose him immediately after Edward and Emmett. All three knew me and vice versa. Coordinating with any of them was second nature. Charlotte was also a dangerous fighter; I would have ranked her with Rosalie despite her small size.

"This car is impressive," I told Peter. It was a blood red 1990 Grand Marquis, fully restored with vampire-tinted windows. I could appreciate its classic American beauty even if my brothers would have found it trashy. The best part was that the back seat was big enough for me to fully stretch my legs. Vampires didn't need to stretch, but it was psychologically preferable to being squashed in the back of a solar-active subcompact.

"I used those lotto numbers Alice sent me," Charlotte said with a wide grin. "We had fourteen small jackpots in fourteen states. No paperwork, cash only. So, we should thank you for the car." Charlotte rarely showed so much enthusiasm; she was as even-tempered as Peter. Their easy natures had been a balm after the insanity of living with Maria. I still found their presence relaxing.

"The bounty of Alice runneth over," I murmured. Leaving Alice had been difficult. As the plans for this trip had solidified over the past week, she had become more and more agitated, although she hid it well under the guise of searching real estate listings in Minnesota and making bizarre travel plans for Edward and Bella. I knew she was hiding something from Edward, because he would repeatedly have a spike in curiosity immediately followed by a surge of annoyance – this was a classic sign that Alice was hiding thoughts from Edward by reciting something he was unable to penetrate. After thinking in the backseat of this car for eight hours, I concluded that she had seen something vague but troubling about me, and she was concealing it from Edward and me. As long as I didn't speak of it to anyone, she would remain unaware that I had uncovered her secret. The vision had to be vague, or she would have taken steps to counteract it. I didn't understand what had made her conceal it from both of us, but as long as she chose to hide it, I would give her the space she needed.

We'd been driving for half a day already, with about another twelve hours to go before we reached Miami – Peter didn't drive the way our family did. I needed to scout the city and determine the state of affairs. The internet was not helpful in investigating a vampire coven engaging in black market activities. To our great fortune, the season's third tropical storm had coated the entire southeast in cloud cover, and a fourth, weaker storm would make landfall in Miami in the middle of our trip. The rain would make our job more difficult, but it would also cover our tracks. I was not ready to meet Rick of Miami.

"What's your news of Maria?" I asked. It did me no good to wonder about Miami when there was simply no data.

"She's reached a stalemate, as far as we can tell. She hasn't moved in a month, not since she regained Monterrey, but a few nomads have headed in her direction." Peter was pensive, Charlotte concerned. If nomads were flocking to Maria, she was offering something amazing. Nomads valued their freedom of movement and complete autonomy.

"You've heard our speculation that the Volturi are driving the situation in Miami," I said suggestively.

"She's always been independent," Peter answered. "She won't work with the Volturi if only because she would never accept someone over her."

"There are a few things the Volturi could offer her," Charlotte said slowly. "Starting with you, Jasper."

"I don't think so." I didn't think so, did I? She had tried to kill me once but had since attempted to get me to return. "The Volturi don't offer you payment for services. You pay them back for your transgressions, and unless there's something I don't know about, she's not drawn that kind of attention to herself. She's too smart for that. In any case, she would want me as a willing partner. The Volturi can't give her that." No one could give her that. I would not live without Alice. I resolved to show Alice how important she was to me; I suspected this summer's talk about Maria had awakened some lingering insecurities she had about me and my commitment to life with her and the Cullens.

I leaned my head backward against the window and considered Maria dealing with Aro. She was familiar with the Volturi and their tactics, having survived the later southern wars, but she had always been interested more in avoiding the Volturi than in confronting them. I felt confident that Rick was working with them out of necessity; his flamboyant business practices and methods of recruitment into his coven would have made him a target for execution. His apparent ambition would have attracted their attention as well. He was building a kingdom of sorts. The acquisition of wealth was not common in the vampire world; other than ourselves and the Denalis, the Volturi was the only coven with substantial resources.

My cell phone buzzed with a text from Alice. Trouble with Edward. He'll call soon.

"What is it?" asked Peter, glancing at me over his shoulder.

"My brother will be calling in a few minutes. Alice was giving me warning." Even spread over the country as we were today, the Cullen family was still operating as a unit. Sometimes I felt like the black sheep, the one member with continuing bloodlust issues. I had clashed with Edward more than once when I thought he was putting Alice at risk, and I knew he thought I valued her so far above everyone else that I was ready to walk away at any moment. The time had come, however, when I needed to consider the depth of my commitment to the family.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone, but it was Bella calling. "Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"It's Edward; he had what seemed like a panic attack. He thought he saw Sarah." I felt curiosity spike in Peter and Charlotte.

I cursed under my breath. I had many regrets about our meeting with Sarah, not the least of which was letting her get away in one piece. "Is he still panicking? Is he attracting attention?" Looking at the time, I determined they should be in Logan Airport, which was likely contributing to Edward's turmoil.

"No, he's better."

"You should let me speak with him," I told her. She may not have realized it, but her soothing presence had probably already dissipated the bulk of his panic.

"Sure." I heard the phone crackle as it changed hands.

"Edward?"

"Yes." His voice was flat, disguising whatever emotion he was undoubtedly wallowing in. I found talking on the phone with Edward difficult; so much went on below the surface that I felt I only got a small portion of his conversation through the phone.

"What triggered the attack, exactly?" I asked him.

"I saw a woman with Sarah's hair color out of the corner of my eye. I heard a few phrases of Hebrew, and I froze. I knew it was her. I even heard her voice in my head, threatening me." I wanted to curse again. I had been relieved as time passed and Edward seemed to show a complete recovery from his experience with Sarah. Now the other shoe had fallen.

"This is not unexpected, Edward. You saw how Randall was. He was afraid of her even when she was far away. Her gift seems to have a time-release quality, like a post-hypnotic suggestion. You may continue to have flashes of her threats. Just remember not to obey her commands."

"She didn't really give me any. She merely announced she was in control of my life," Edward whispered, undoubtedly suffering from a dose of shame and self-loathing.

I was both relieved and concerned. If Sarah had thought to command Edward, we could have had serious issues. I doubted he would have fallen for something as blatant as "Kill Carlisle," but something more innocuous like "Call Aro" could have been perniciously dangerous. If I wasn't sure that he had told me everything about the encounter, I would be more worried. Still, the fact that Edward felt her control could eventually become a problem.

"She's not in control, Edward. You're stronger than she is." I gave an involuntary surge of calm and confidence. I heard Bella tell Edward they had to get going.

"We'll talk when we all get back," I told Edward before hanging up.

My phone buzzed almost immediately. That was perfect, Jas. He's going to be fine.

"This Sarah is still influencing your brother?" asked Charlotte. The wisping, curling smoke of curiosity suffused her question.

"Not directly. I told you she used her gift on Edward last March. He was in Boston, and he thought for a moment that he saw her. It triggered something like a human panic attack when he remembered the way she tortured him." I needed Charlotte and Peter to understand that Edward was not incapacitated. As much as Carlisle was the head of the alliance, it was Edward and Alice who stood as its right and left hands. We could not afford to have anyone believe they weren't up to the challenge.

And I suppose that answered my question: how committed was I to the Cullen family? As we stood on the brink of what might be two wars, my thoughts were only of our family and the alliance it headed. If I walked away, there were places I could go, and even places I could take Alice, were she willing to leave, but the Cullens were no longer a convenience for me and a safe harbor for my mate. Carlisle had treated me like a son, as had Esme. Bella and Rosalie treated me as a brother. I had a niece who had always loved me. A niece. Finally, I had two brothers who would stand with me against anything. The Cullens were no longer my family simply because Alice had chosen them, and that knowledge was freeing.

I leaned my back against the window again, listening to the nineties dance music Peter had chosen for driving his vintage car. I sensed they both needed to hunt before we reached Miami, and in fact they began discussing whether they should hunt the next time we stopped for gas or closer to our destination. They planned to slip over to the Appalachian Trail and find a few lone hikers unless they found a reasonable target beforehand. I had hunted past satiation to discomfort with Alice just before our respective trips, at her request, of course. Dealing with my family's suppression of bloodlust was simple compared to being around vampires who embraced it. I was going to stay with the car.

Some hours later, I was reading in the backseat of the Monte Carlo in the parking lot of a truck stop off I-81, waiting for Peter and Charlotte to return. My phone buzzed, and a glance showed me it was Emmett calling. He and Rose had stayed behind in Millinocket.

"Emmett. Did something happen?"

"No. I heard Edward had a Sarah-flashback. Do you think it's like acid?" What was Emmett's fascination with the seventies culture? He hadn't been this interested when we actually lived through the decade.

"I have no way of knowing, Emmett."

"Is he okay? I can't call him because he's in the air right now."

"He was already better when I spoke with him. He's with Bella."

"Five hundred says he calls you about it before he heads back." Emmett was clearly bored; this wager wasn't even much of a challenge.

"A thousand says he doesn't," I countered. This was a safe bet for two reasons. Alice hadn't sent a text telling me not to take it, and I was taking Edward's side. When he heard about this, and he certainly would hear about it eventually, it was Emmett who was going to get creamed.

"Deal. Hey, have you heard from Alice? How's the house hunting going?"

"She's texted me, but we haven't spoken."

"Is Peter there?"

"No, they've gone hunting. I'm waiting in the car."

"You reading?" asked Emmett.

"Yes, a book on Lewis and Clark by Ambrose."

"I thought you hated Ambrose," said Emmett.

"Well, I don't like his Civil War history. I thought I'd give his work another chance by reading something I don't have first-hand knowledge about." The book had been in my possession for many years, but I had resisted opening it until now.

"Yeah, makes sense," Emmett said absently. His fascination with history was focused on pop culture of the late twentieth century. "Hey, I think I hear Rosalie. Talk later."

I thought for a moment that torturing Emmett would involve putting him in an empty room. He'd panic in boredom in less than sixty seconds.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

We had been under cloud cover since north Georgia, and now as we approached north Miami, the rain began to fall.

"How do you want to handle this?" asked Peter.

"I want to find a lone vampire, a wandering scout or guard, or even just someone out to hunt, and engage him in conversation. I thought I'd pass myself off as a nomad interested in joining Rick's coven." I didn't need much information, just enough to begin planning. Miami was a blank to me at present.

"What do you plan to do with this vampire when you're done?" asked Charlotte. Again, I felt curiosity from her, but no concerns. The death of a random, unknown vampire would not disturb her. I had a slight twinge of guilt; I knew Carlisle would not like my plans, but he had given me carte blanche.

"I suppose that will depend on how the conversation goes," I replied.

Peter's eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. "How do you propose to find this lone vampire?"

I held up my phone. "We'll drive through the city. At some point, I'll choose to begin looking. If Alice can confirm mission success, we'll be off."

"How do you want us to help?" asked Charlotte.

"I'd prefer not to fight fair," I told her. "That's why I want a lone vampire. I'm not taking on the whole coven."

"Whoever you find will know you aren't alone. You have our scents on you; they'll know you're with a coven." Peter was insightful, as usual.

"Yes. I thought I'd hide our numbers, but only if you can agree." I let them know my strategy, and Peter and Charlotte reluctantly agreed the plan was good.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

We quartered the city for hours. With its surrounding suburbs, Miami was a vast, sprawling area. The logical place for Rick to house his coven was somewhere near the waterfront; if he was into drug trafficking, the waterfront seemed ideal. Then again, a remote airfield closer to the Everglades would serve as well. His campaign to attract the urban youth suggested the rundown neighborhoods littered with gang graffiti. With vampire speed as a factor, we couldn't rule anything out in advance. Each choice I made led to an immediate text from Alice; either I was choosing too well, and we would find a large group of vampires, or else the search would be fruitless.

We approached another suburban area with upscale homes and businesses. We were on the outskirts of town; the Everglades began just beyond the freeway about a mile or so ahead. We passed a country club, and I considered exploring the golf course. Palm trees, small hills, and bushes dotted the green expanse; visibility was limited due to the driving rain. My phone buzzed, and I knew we had hit the jackpot. This is it. Wear sunglasses.

Peter found a parking spot on the street. With the weather so unattractive to humans, this was a relatively safe place to be out. Who would wander onto a golf course in the midst of a tropical storm?

"Are you sure this is necessary?" asked Charlotte uneasily.

My phone buzzed again. It will work. All is forgiven.

"Necessary, and it will succeed," I told them both. I was uneasy as well, for all it was my own plan.

Charlotte climbed into the backseat with me, and Peter looked away. "It has to be strong enough that no one will notice Peter's scent, at least, not from a distance," I told her softly. I made myself think of Alice, and the way she looked at me and me alone. The venom pooled in my mouth, and I leaned over towards Charlotte's neck. She shut her eyes, and waves of doubt and distress came rolling from her. I backed away. "If you're this upset, I don't know if I can do it."

Charlotte's doubt solidified into resolve, and she pulled me back towards her. I held her gently, releasing the tiniest heat of lust into her so that she would be able to respond. I carefully coated her neck with my venom as she did the same for me. I apologized silently to Alice as Charlotte's touch ghosted over my skin, and I deliberately decided how I would greet Alice when I returned to Maine. Peter was fighting to control himself; his knee-jerk reaction was to rip us apart from each other. I released her and backed away.

"I think you'll know when to appear," I told them. Charlotte nodded, and Peter turned his head back. I could see his nostrils were flared and his lip curled involuntarily. The scorching heat of his anger threatened to sear away my brain. "Hopefully you can channel some of that anger at our target." Apologizing would only set him off. I put on my sunglasses, and left the car.

I ran out onto the golf course. The wind was strong, gusting to about 80 km/hr, coming from the east. I was standing on the top of a hill, between stands of palm trees, when I saw the figure approach from the west, from the direction of the Everglades. I knew the instant I was seen; the figure froze, and I sensed curiosity, mixed with confidence. From this distance, with the driving rain obscuring vision, I wasn't sure what I was facing. With the wind at my back, there was no scent for me to discern. I adopted a stance of neutrality, standing tall and openly on my hilltop.

The figure approached, just slightly above human speed, and stopped about 300 m distant. The figure was male, nearly my height, but broader. Something about his stance tickled my memory. Forgetting was impossible, but retrieving the correct memory was not always immediate. If I had a scent, I was sure I would know him. I sensed recognition – and surprise – from the figure.

"Jasper, Maria's invincible general." I recognized the voice at once. He gave me an appraising, confident look, as he approached to just under 200 m. Without my gift, I would have never known that fear skittered through him like fast-moving clouds across a moonlit night, chased just as quickly by curiosity and apprehension. The rain made a curtain between us, but the misty distance was now no impediment to our heightened senses.

"Hardly invincible, Gavin. It's been a long time."

"Mmm. 1931 in Mexico City. Nearly a century." Gavin was a tactician, one I grudgingly respected. He could not have laid plans for this meeting, though. I was the only tactician since the beginning of time to have a psychic at my side. Still, I needed to be careful.

"And proof in itself that I'm not invincible." One of Maria's many plans to take on more territory had been stopped by Alejandro of Mexico City using Gavin as his second-in-command.

"Oh, I'm no fool. If you'd been able to choose your own time and your own ground, you could have beaten us. Maria was too ambitious and too reckless on that attempt." I didn't answer. He was right, and I had argued with her at the time, but Maria had been unable to back down from her goal. I had no wish to revisit this part of my past, but it had dogged my steps during the whole trip. I focused my gift to subtly encourage his garrulous nature.

"I am surprised to see you. The rumor was that you were dead by Maria's hand. She won't let anyone speak your name in her presence." Gavin was cautious and curious. He wanted me to talk more.

"We parted on less than amicable terms," I said. There hadn't been a fight, but I had known one was coming. I had a feeling that someone may have paid with a shortened life when Maria realized I had slipped away.

"Ah. I wondered. She lost Monterrey again soon after your disappearance."

"Were you the one who helped her regain her favorite city?" This could explain a few things, like Maria's recent territorial moves and her attraction to the nomads. Gavin was a famous fighter in the south, at least to anyone with a memory long enough to remember him. Other than Maria, Alejandro, and myself, there were few left who could. If a long-lived nomad spread rumors about conquests with no retribution from the Volturi, Gavin could draw others to his banner.

"You've heard of my recent exploits," he said, pride infusing him.

"Only rumors," I admitted. Neither of us had made a move yet aside from our mouths. If one of us moved even an inch, the fight would begin.

"They've been flying," he stated. "Rumors begin to grow about an open vampire war, about the Volturi turning their backs on this side of the world." His pride shifted to speculation. "Your name would draw them, too, Jasper. I still hear people describe your exploits with awe. If you threw your hat in the ring, you'd be courted from Atlanta to Houston to San Diego."

"But not in Miami?" I asked. This was the question he really wanted answered. Where was I going, and what was my plan?

"Rick would not want to upset Maria." I perceived Gavin's emotional state as a darkening sky, one ripe for lightning and tornado. There was the still but heavy sense that preceded the violent storm, the pregnant pause before nature unleashed herself.

"You're here on her behalf?" I pushed him gently; anything stronger than a brush would cause him to erupt. Our conversation was nearing its end. He would be honest because he never intended for me to leave Miami alive.

"Rick admired her skills with armies, although he's taken her tactics to a new level. His selection of followers has been...inspired. Vicious humans make excellent vampires. I'm here to offer suggestions regarding his difficulties with a rival in Ft. Lauderdale." With those words, Gavin sealed his fate. His abrupt disappearance would cool the relations between Maria and Rick; neither would know who caused his disappearance. A rival in Ft. Lauderdale could be an ally for us and would likely have good intelligence on Rick's coven.

"Where is she, Jasper?" Gavin asked abruptly, his aura turning brisk with calculation.

"Who?" I asked, trying to appear that I masked concern or fear as I manipulated his confidence.

"I smell your mate on you. Where did you hide her? She must be close by." Gavin's head cocked a fraction. "There she is. How lovely." Satisfaction emanated from him as he spotted her.

Charlotte appeared from behind the palm trees, appearing to be timid. She was so tiny, nearly Alice's size, and her hesitant approach was very convincing. She was far enough away from me that she appeared vulnerable to attack.

"Char, get back," I hissed at her, while increasing Gavin's confidence another notch.

"You could not have found anyone more different from Maria," Gavin guffawed. He was preparing to spring, an obvious plan of attack open to him now.

With his first move, all hell broke loose. I charged him as he moved, and Charlotte adopted a crouch, ready to maneuver when he approached, but remaining at her original position. I hoped she could hold out if he got through me, because skilled as she was, she would be no match for him. I collided with him with an enormous crash, which threw us both back several meters. He had fallen to one knee, but was on his feet before I could fully regain my footing. He feinted toward me, trying to gauge my reactions, as we both circled. He was trying to maneuver between us, and I was keeping Charlotte at my back. Although I couldn't see her, I knew she was continuing the pretense that she was too timid to join the fight.

The second charge was mine to instigate. We crashed together, snarling, and I let the sunglasses fall as we wrestled, our feet gouging enormous trenches in the wet, well-groomed grass as we both sought traction, neither one of us able to get an arm free to land a blow or able to find an opening for our teeth. When our eyes locked, he gasped.

"You're one of them," he spat, his disgust a slimy, cold mud which I intensified a hundredfold. He backed away from me suddenly, still ready to spring, but disturbed to have been in close contact with me. Charlotte used his momentary distraction to land a blow on his right side, dashing away as soon as the hit connected. I followed up with resounding hit to the left side of his head, but he managed to twist his head fast enough to rip my forearm with his teeth. I growled at the pain, but more so in annoyance for letting him get through my guard. I backed away, appearing to be retreating, and gave him another surge of confidence on top of his disgust. He was completely focused on me and was nearly upon me when Peter attacked Gavin from behind, launching himself square onto Gavin's back. Charlotte and I converged, and Peter successfully decapitated Gavin with a combination of teeth and a sharp twist as we took off his arms.

I rubbed my forearm to try to ease the sting and reveled in Charlotte and Peter's elation. He used the moment to embrace her and erase my scent from her.

Charlotte laughed and swiped the sopping hair off her face. "Closer than it should have been," she said.

"You know, I think you've got all those scars because you're just a step too slow, old man." Peter grinned at me, no grudge held.

"If I'd wanted comments like that, I would have brought Emmett. Let's burn the garbage and go. I've seen as much of Miami as I care for at present." Alice would be waiting.

AN2: Next we'll see what happens to Benjamin and the Egyptian coven.

The Indie Twific Awards nominations are open until Jan. 28. These are for lesser-known fics, defined as those with fewer than 30 reviews per chapter for works in progress or less than 1000 for completed works. It's a fun way to participate in the fandom and a fantastic way to find good stories to read. The link is on my profile from last round's nomination of The Cold War. The address is theindietwificawards dot com.