"Jasper, calm down and tell me what this outburst is all about," Carlisle demanded in a calm, steady voice as he approached the raging youth.

"Ya know good God damn well what this is about. Ya're the last person that I should expect ta take leave of his good sense, but once again, I'm proven wrong. Ya've got less sense than what God granted a goat if ya go through with this."

"Baby, it's going to be alright. There's no need to..."

"Like HELL it will be!" the southerner thundered, as he began to pace back and forth like a caged panther, a frustrated growl rolling in his chest.

"Jasper Cullen, you will not raise your voice to your mother," the patriarch admonished sharply, causing his soldier to immediate freeze before lowering his eyes in shame.

"I didn't mean to yell, Momma," he amended in a milder tone. "But pardon me fer disagreein' with ya. There is no way in hell that this can turn out alright."

Esme took a step towards her son, but Carlisle's arm swiftly blocked her path.

"Esme, stay back. I can't afford to be worrying about your safety at this moment," the physician whispered while keeping his eyes fixed on his infuriated boy, and missed the equally annoyed expression on his wife's face.

"I can help, Carlisle," she insisted, while pushing against his arm.

The patriarch held firm as he grumbled, "You can, by keeping a safe distance."

"You better listen to 'im, Momma. Ah don't want ya gettin' hurt, accidental like. This is between me and Carlisle — no one else."

"No body is going to be hurt," Esme declared in a tone that forbade dispute. "Young man, I expect you to settle yourself down this instant. What did you tell me not an hour ago? Did I misunderstand when you said that you would accept Carlisle's punishment without a fuss?"

"No, ma'am, but that was before I found out about this hare brained idea of his. I never took Papa for a stark ravin' loon."

"Jasper," Carlisle interrupted and drew his boy's attention back towards himself. "Obviously you're upset..."

"UPSET? Could you come up with a bigger understatement? This fool-hearted shit is beyond upsetting."

"You're upset about what is meant to transpire this evening. I didn't want that. I didn't want you to know about my intentions before hand, because I didn't want to give you time to brood over it. May I ask how you found out?"

"Alice. She told me ta ask ya ta let me hunt. She's figurein' that'll help, though I can't see how. It's not like a little wolf blood will make it go away."

"Alice?" Carlisle pondered in confusion. "But..."

A deep sigh came from behind the patriarch, causing him to turn to his wife.

"I didn't think any harm would come of letting them talk. They are generally such good influences on each other when it comes to keeping calm," Esme mumbled quietly.

"Here, Momma." Jasper pulled a pale lavender phone from his pocket and tossed it to his mother. "Ya need ta put it back on the charger. It's gettin' a might low."

Carlisle bowed his head and shook it miserably as he rubbed his eyes. "I wish you would have talked to me first."

"It wasn't something that I planned on doing, Carlisle. It was a spur of the moment act, but..." She brushed his hand away from his face and waited until his dark eyes were fixed on her before continuing. "It's better this way. It's better for Jasper to know now, so he has time to come accept what will happen, and I agree with Alice. You should allow our son to hunt first. He'll need all his strength to maintain his control. You can't ask him to battle his instincts unless you fortify him with every means possible."

Carlisle carefully considered his wife's argument then gave a nod of consent.

"Jasper, I'm granting you permission to hunt, but you will stay within our home range, and I don't want you visiting the school, or that boy. When you return, we'll sit down and talk this through."

"We can talk now," the soldier growled between clenched teeth.

"You're not in fit shape to hold this conversation. Go clear your head, and vent some of your aggression on a prey animal to two."

"You think my head's not clear? What the fuck is goin' on with yours? I'm not the one with suicidal tendencies."

The patriarch drew himself to his full height while his gaze hardened in response to the boy's insults.

"Perhaps not, but you are digging yourself into a hole that you will not be able to get out of if you continue with this obstinance. At this moment, you are in no additional trouble and I would like to keep it that way, but if you continue with this disrespectful behavior that will change, my boy." Carlisle kept his voice calm and soft, but there was an undeniable strength and command to the coven leader's tone. "I'll admit that I'm throughly shocked, Jasper. I've never known you to act so insolently."

"And I've never considered you capable of being so damn stupid." The youth bowed up as he matched his father's glare. "If you didn't know me, if you didn't really know what I was capable of, that would be one thing, but you do know and still you continue with this stupidity. You know how dangerous I am, and are willing to put yourself at risk. That's ignorance, Carlisle. If you won't spare a thought to your safety, than at least think of Momma and how it will affect her when you get hurt."

"You won't hurt me." The elder enunciated each word slowly and very clearly. "I do know exactly what you are capable of, son, but it's becoming painfully apparent that you don't."

"What the fuck, Carlisle? You really have lost it," Jasper remarked with a curt nod while staring darkly at his superior. "You ain't right, chief. I don't even know that you're fit to lead the house any longer."

The patriarch folded his arms while a low warning growl rumbled in his chest.

"What was that?" The man's voice was a soft as ever as he cocked his head to the side to carefully study his boy through narrowed eyes, but a tinge of anger colored his tone. "Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe," the solider answered with a defiant glare while his entire body automatically tensed, readying itself to fight.

"Think before you speak again, Jasper Whitlock Cullen. You don't want me to have to remind you of your place — not here, and certainly not now," Carlisle warned before clearing his throat. "So, let me ask you again, are you issuing a challenge to my position or not?"

Jasper stubbornly maintained the lock he held on his father's black eyes for several tense minutes before slowly and ever so slightly lowering his head to glance away.

Esme let out a nervous held breath as her son gradually backed down and she heard his faint drawled, "No, sah." His sudden hanged dog expression broke her heart, but she dared not comfort him yet. As much as she hated to admit it, Jasper had come too close to crossing a very dangerous line with her mate, and that was something that had to be accounted for.

A glance at Carlisle showed that he was still very much alert to any threat from their son. His posture was rigid and the muscles of his jaw twitched at he ground his teeth in anger. She knew that this was not how he had envisioned their day. He had confided in her that his plan was to spend some quality time with their son, but that seemed to have flow out the window all thanks to her lack of foresight. She felt a pounding in her head brought on by the tension of the moment and briefly closed her eyes, but swiftly opened them again at the sound of her son's voice.

"I'll send fer my things," Jasper muttered without looking up.

"What are you talking about, Jasper?" Carlisle asked in an unnatural deep guttural tone.

The Major no longer dared to make eye contact with the enraged elder. Keeping his head low, he coughed to cover his nervousness before muttering, "You'll be wantin' me to go."

"Have I asked you to leave?"

"Not yet, but..."

"Don't assume to know what I'm thinking, boy," the vampire growled while fury marred his features, causing his mate to gasp softly in shock.

"You're angry. I can feel it. You should want to rip me apart right about now."

"I do," the patriarch admitted abruptly, before closing his eyes as he drew several short breath before finally slowing the rush of calming air.

"I don't want to fight ya, Carlisle. If you'll just let me..."

"Silence," the coven leader snarled as his eyes flashed open, barely controlled rage blazing within. He felt the touch of his wife's hand on his forearm, but shrugged off her attempt to calm him before stalking the few steps that brought him directly into his boy's personal space.

Jasper dropped to one knee, his head bowed in submission in an attempt to appease the elder vampire that loomed over him. He would not fight unless forced to protect himself. This was Carlisle after all, his trusted leader and loving father, the one man he respected most in the world.

"Jasper, look at me," Carlisle commanded in the same gruff voice, but the youth merely shook his head and appeared to shrink further away.

A firm hand gripped the soldier's chin and lifted his head, forcing him to meet his father's stormy black eyes. To his surprise, the fury that raged behind the inky blackness was quickly dissipating to be overtaken by crippling sadness, but authority and determination overshadowed the rest of the man's emotions.

"Challenge me again at your peril, Jasper," he clearly warned in his normal low voice. "I wish you no ill will, son, and I would be a fool not to respect you as an opponent, but I will fight for what is rightfully mine. Make no mistake about that."

Jasper glanced away with a nod. "I understand, sir."

"Need I concern myself with this happening again?" The vampire within rumbled though the man's soft tone, accepting the youth's challenge, but the soldier shook his head as he pressed both knees into the dirt while attempting to lowered his body further.

Carlisle looked down at his boy for a moment in uneasy silence before drawing a quiet breath and placing a gentle hand on Jasper's head.

"There's no need for that, son. Please, stand."

The youth shook his head. "I shouldn't have... I had no right." The southerner closed his eyes, but felt as his leader crouched down in front of him. His father's thumb grazed his cheek, but applied no pressure. Instead Carlisle vocalized his request.

"Jazz, please raise your head. I have already accept your submission. There's no reason for further appeasement."

"I've disgraced myself and you with my disrespect. A show of submission doesn't wash that away, and apologies are pointless." The youth glanced up with a pleading look in his dark, glassy eyes. "Isn't this enough proof of my lack of control? Please, Papa, don't make me do this. I don't know what I would do if I ended up hurting you."

"You won't hurt me."

"Just now I could have, and that's without the addition of my instinct to defend Alice. Can't you see that? It's a weakness in me that can't be fixed."

"What I see is a very determined, strong-willed man. A man with a will strong enough to control his instincts. Yes, you could have attacked me, but you didn't. You could attack me this evening, but you won't. You have the strength within you to control your nature. You prove that every single day, Jasper, but you won't allow yourself to see it, and I'm afraid that we've done little to help you understand your true power. I want to change that, and I want to start tonight."

Carlisle sat down and looked up at his son while Esme walked up behind Jasper and placed her hand lightly on his shoulder to offer a measure of comfort.

"Your father's right, Jasper. I didn't realize that until this very moment, but he is correct. You are much stronger than you've ever been given credit for. I fear that we're the ones who have burdened you with all of this self doubt, when in reality you could have the best control of us all."

Jasper's head drooped as he shook it slowly before barely whispering, "That don't make a lick of sense."

"But it does, son. It makes complete sense," Carlisle replied. "Think of your accomplishments. We've already been down that road several times. I've proven it to you with example after example, just what an exceptional job you do when it comes to controlling your urges around humans."

"This is different."

"No, honey. It really isn't," Esme cooed as she lovingly stroked his hair.

"Yes, ma'am, it is," he insisted as he glanced up at her. "My need ta protect my Alice is a butt load stronger than my thirst. I would kill or die to see her safe."

"But you have faith in me," his father injected. "You've proven that by your submission. You would never bow to someone you didn't trust."

"I trust you with my life, but I don't know that I trust you with Alice's." Jasper meet Carlisle's eyes with an apologetic expression. "I don't want my doubt hurtin' your feelings, Papa, but I don't know what I will do once I feel Alice's fear and suffering. And before you say it, I know she'll be scared. Every last one of us is when that time comes around. Oh, most of us try our best to hide it, but we still feel it, and you know that I'll respond worst to Alice's feelings than I do to my own. I could take your head off without even knowing what I'm doing."

"What if I allow you to calm Alice and ease her fears? Your interference must be minimal, of course. I need our little troublesome pixie to learn a good lesson, but there is no need for her to fear her punishment. With that in mind, I will allow you to take an active role in alleviating that factor of her emotional distress."

"I don't know."

"You will be seeing to your mate's comfort and giving her support when she can use it the most. What more could she ask for in this situation? What more could you really give?" Carlisle inhaled deeply before allowing his tone to retake its authoritarian edge. "You and your mate have both behaved very poorly. You've made bad choices, Jasper and that must be corrected. As much as I would like to, I can't over look what happened, especially when I see such an utter lack or remorse from the both of you. This will happen either way, but I'm giving you a chance to make it a little easier on your wife. In your place, I would accept that opportunity and accept it when offered."

"You know I'm willing to do anything for Alice. That doesn't even come into question. I just don't think I can do this at all. What if I fail? What if I can't control myself? What if I hurt you... or worse?"

Carlisle heaved a sigh as he glanced up at his wife, knowing that the same questions continued to replay in her head. Steading his gaze back on his son, he softly let firmly replied.

"I won't let you fail. I respect your skills as a fighter, Jasper, but I know that I can defend myself in the unlikelihood that becomes necessary. I know better than to underestimate you..."

"No, you overestimate me," the youth interrupted with in a low growl. "That's the problem."

"Such a thing is completely impossible. You have lived up to every one of my expectations for you, and then some. You have never let me down, not once, son. You are exceptional, and I'm going to prove that to you tonight." Carlisle snaked his hand behind Jasper's neck and gave him a supportive squeeze. "This will be a more in-depth learning experience than the usually rather simple modification of your poor behavior. You, young man, are going to learn to trust yourself once and for all."

The soldier swallowed hard as he stared at the scars that marred his arms, each the mark of a vampire that he had battled, defeated, and dispatched. A shudder ran through him at the thought of a new wound, a new trophy, from a new victory — one that would fill him with pain, remorse, and shame for the rest of his existence.

"Carlisle." He spoke the name with whispered reverence. "What you're asking..."

"I know, son. I know how hard it is. Believe me, I do. I also know how cruel it seems, but it's something that you need to experience if we can ever hope to move you beyond all this worry and doubt."

A firm, yet gentle hand lifted the southerner's head until he was staring into his father's honest eyes.

"We, your family, put that doubt in you, and it's up to us to help you release it. Because of your sensitivity, we went out of our way to isolate you from opportunities that could result in failure, and in doing so have caused you to internalize failure as a character trait. That is the furthest thing from the truth, and a great injustice that I inflicted upon you. I kept you home, away from humans, far longer than I had with any of your siblings when they were newborns, and you were well beyond the newborn stage. When you were finally allowed to go out, you were always buffered by a companioned — just like a newborn. Even now, we tip-toe around situations that may prove difficult, and shield you from them whenever possible."

Carlisle's gaze fell for a moment while he ran a hand through his hair and sighed to himself as guilt bubbled up to the surface. He had struggled with these thoughts for sometime, but voicing them now made him realize how factual they were. As well meaning as their actions had been, as a group they had done a serious disservice to Jasper. They had filled him with doubt and crippled his confidence in the name of protection and love. How could such good intentions go so horribly wrong?

A firm grip on his upper arm brought his head back up to see a look of bewilderment on his son's face.

"Are you okay, Papa?"

"Not really, but I will be," he reassured before continuing. "As I was saying, Jasper, this problem is not in you. It stems from the rest of us. You had to feel our concerns, our doubts, and you began to internalize them. We've treated you like a toddler all these years, when you are a mature, capable, level-headed young man."

"I'm not always so level-headed," the Major admitted with a weary grin. "If I was, we wouldn't be in this mess, regardless of anything else."

Carlisle conceded with brief nod, then cleared his throat. "Mostly level-headed."

"There ya go."

"Everything else I've said still stands. I should have never allowed my worries to affect you, and I will undo what all these years have done — the first step of that starts today. I trust you and your abilities, Jasper. I have for a long time, but I've done a poor job of showing it. For that I apologize, and now must ask you to do something that you haven't been allowed to do in decades. I need you to trust yourself.

I do have the ability to keep the both of us safe. I won't let you harm me, or anyone else in his family. I can restrain you, but I know that I that won't be necessary, because you will do this on your own. You have always been stronger than your instincts, now let me prove it to you."

The soldier stared into his father's earnest eyes for several seconds before looking up at his mother for support against his foolishness, but the matriarch simply smiled in response. They both radiated such confidence in him that Jasper found himself agreeing to Carlisle's ignorant plan.

"I don't suppose that I have much choice in the matter anyway."

"Not very much," the elder blond agreed with a faint smile as he felt the boy's mood shift towards acceptance. Standing, Carlisle offered Jasper a hand and helped him to his feet. "You did bring this on yourself. Your behavior demands consequences, but ultimately you can always refuse."

"No, I can't. This is my family. That's not something you can just walk away from," the soldier said with great sincerity, while brushing the dirt from his knees. Looking up, he met the united front that, for better or worse, were his parents. With an internal sigh, the youth pushed aside his lingering trepidation and drew himself to attention before his leader. "Papa, I will never be convinced that this is a good idea, even if we do survive intact, but it's not my call. I know the rules. I willing broke them, and have to be held accountable just like anyone else would be. The consequences of my actions are entirely your call, but I will ask once more that you reconsider you decision, because I really do think this is a case of seriously pissing into the wind."

With a mild grin, Carlisle glanced down and shook his head before looking back at his soldier.

"Your disagreement has been well noted, and I will think further on the matter, but you should realize that I am unlikely to change my mind."

"I do realize that, but I can always hope for a miracle."

"Hope springs eternal," the elder quipped as he ruffled his son's hair. "Now go hunt, and mind what I told you about staying away from that boy. If I get another visit from Charlie Swan today..."

Jasper held his hands up in surrender. "I'm not going anywhere near, DeYoung — ever. I'll admit that I would love to check on Alice, but I'm not stupid enough to go by the school. I think I've gotten myself in deep enough."

"That's a very astute observation, son. I only wish that you would have come about it a little bit sooner."

"Me, too, Papa. Believe me. I would give anything to take back what I've done and get us all out of this situation."

"I know, but now we just have to deal with what we've got in front of us and move beyond it. Everything happens for a reason, Jasper."

The youth groaned while raking a hand through his hair. "Why does it always seem to be me, though?"

"Maybe because you're the only one strong enough to weather the storm, and serve as an example to your siblings. I'm sure that they learn from your mistakes, so if it's any comfort, I'm sure you help them stay out of trouble."

Jasper snorted. "I guess that's a good thing, but I don't think what I've got going on is strength. I think stupidity is a better call."

"Stubbornness," Carlisle gently corrected. "Now, go. Have a good hunt, and make sure that you're back before Alice is due home. I would like to address this issue and get it behind us as quickly as we can."

"Yes, sir."

Jasper immediately took off across the yard and disappeared behind the thick cover of brush and trees. As he vanished, the elder gave a silent sigh. He never expected this to be easy, but he had hoped for a little less drama when he finally told his son of his decision. Still, with his inner beast still heaving in his chest, Carlisle couldn't help but acknowledge how much worse things could have gone. He and his son had both dodged a bullet, and hopefully had become stronger for it.

The feeling of an arm wrapping around his waist shattered his thoughts. Glancing down, he was met by the the loving gaze of his beautiful wife. Leaning down, he brushed a lock of hair away from her face before kissing her gently then pulled away with a quiet sigh.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle. I thought that talking to Alice would do..."

He placed a finger lightly against her lips to shush her while he shook his head as he took her into his arms. "It was going to happen one way or another. It's not your fault, love. I was wrong to make you feel that you were to blame."

"But I told him to call."

"And in the end that was a good thing because now there can be are no surprises. Plus, having him hunt was an excellent idea. Anything that helps take the edge off of his aggression is welcomed."

"I still don't like this idea of yours."

"Why does that not surprise me?" he asked with a smile, as he lightly tapped his finger against the tip of his mate's nose.

Esme gave a soft grunt of dissatisfaction, but laid her head against his chest, breathing in his familiar, comforting scent. "Are you planning on punishing him for his disrespect just now?"

The elder shook his head. "I don't think he meant it as a challenge — not really. If he did, we would be locked in a battle right now. He was just upset and didn't know how to handle what he was feeling."

"He'll still expect you to want retribution. You are his coven leader, after all."

"He'll have to learn to live with disappointment," the doctor said while his smile was weakened by the sorrow he felt from having to punish his children. "He will be disciplined for lying, leaving the house while on restriction, and going somewhere that he was specifically forbidden from going."

"And the damaged done to the boy's property?"

The blond thought for several moments before sighing softly. "I think a couple of weeks on house arrest will suffice. Alice won't be going anywhere either, so they can keep each other company."

"But, he could have hurt that child, Carlisle. He didn't attack him bodily, but it was still an attack. Surely this is his worst crime."

"No, sweetheart. His worst crime is lying to you and disobeying. I will find an anonymous way for him to partially compensate the family for the repairs, since that is only fair, but he actually showed a great deal of restraint. I'm very proud of Jasper for being able to do that. I will not punish him for walking away from temptation."

"And what if he doesn't walk away the next time?"

"There won't be a next time. After this evening, he will not want to repeat his mistake." Carlisle suddenly leaned back a little to give himself a view of his mate. The patriarch narrowed his eyes while cocking a curious brow. "Wait a minute. Whose side are you on? I thought it was your job to dissuade me from punishing the children?"

The brunette nodded. "When they don't deserve it."

"Hm. So now there are times that correction is deserved?"

Esme huffed as planted her palms against his chest and pushed herself out of his embrace. "Our children aren't perfect, Carlisle. They make mistakes and need to be corrected — like Jasper challenging your authority. That doesn't mean that I have to like it, or that physical punishment is the best method for handling their errors, but I'm not the disciplinarian of the family. No one has to listen to me," she bitterly groused.

Her husband caught her before she could get out of his reach, and hugged her tightly. "Where is this coming from?"

"I screwed up. If I had handled Jasper better when I went to the school..."

"Esme, you didn't do anything wrong. Jasper has a hard head. It's not always easy to get through to him, but you managed and did a fine job."

"No I didn't. If I had, he would have never left the house last night. I didn't want you to have to punish him. I don't want to be the 'Wait until your father comes home' mother. I should be able to handle my own children when they get out of line."

"You do, sweetheart. They respect your authority."

"It doesn't seem like it."

Carlisle pushed her back and sighed as he brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Let's look at it this way, when was the last time you had an issue with Edward? Or Emmett? Or Rosalie?" The elder suddenly narrowed his eyes in thought before looking back at his wife. "Scratch that. Rose is not the best example. She's a hellcat at the best of times," he said with a grin.

"I don't have problems with Rose," Esme stated with a sniffle.

"Then see, I'm right. They obviously respect you, and Rose is the hardest to handle out of the lot."

"But Jasper..."

"This was an isolated incident. Anyone can have a bad day, love. If you don't think that there have been times where they ignore me, you haven't been paying attention these last hundred years," Carlisle said with a smile.

"You don't listen to me," she quietly accused.

Briefly closing his eyes, the physician drew a slow breath as he resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Edward can be here the quickest. He's not as strong as Jasper, but between the two of us, we should easily be able to subdue the Major if it comes to that. Take the children hunting this evening, but have Edward stay near enough to monitor my thoughts. If I need him, I will signal him."

"But Emmett..."

"Only has brute force. I won't need that. Edward's ability makes it easier to communicate a problem with him, and allows him to predict Jasper's next move if a fight ensues. In this case, he is the best man for the job. I won't need force, Esme. If I need anything, it will be finesse, but you also have to remember that I'll have Alice with me. Jasper responds best to her. If a problem arises, she will be able to subdue him, though I don't see our boy needing any of that. He'll be fine. We just have to have faith in him."

Cuddling back against her mate, Esme sighed. "I wish I had as much confidence as you do, but I just can't help worrying."

"I know, a stór, but I promise you everything will be fine," he replied as he kissed the top of her head before laying his cheek against it. "It has to be."


AN: Sorry about the wait, guys. I really have been trying, but my life has been just a tad insane, and Jasper wasn't very helpful with this chapter. *glares* I really should have just turned Carlisle's vampire side loose and snapped his ornery butt back in line.

Okay. And now I need some help from y'all. I've been invited to write a story for Fandom For Leukemia and Lymphoma to be included in their 4th Annual Fandom Charity event. Their timing was perfect since two weeks I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I'd appreciate it if those who are able to, would be willing to make a donation towards the fight against cancer in any of its many forms. Please google Fandom4LLS for more info about their fundrasier. (since the site won't let me put the web address) *rolls eyes* It's a worthy cause, and a donation would net you a collection of stories, including something from yours truly. Maybe an outtake from "DJ" or "Pasts". Maybe another of Emmett's great adventures. Haven't decided just yet, and very open to suggestions; this is where I really need your input. What would you all like to see? Please share your thoughts and ideas, because after surgery, my muse seems to have gone on a bit of hiatus. Hasn't left me, but not being terribly helpful.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following along and supporting me all this time. Y'all are by far the greatest group of folks around.