Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Twilight!

Jasper was taking a short break from everything going on in both the human and supernatural world for the time being. Since Leah had been sedated – the drug had been deemed by Carlisle to be harmless towards both her and the baby – he knew that he should take a breather while he had the chance. It was almost as if the empathetic vampire carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and in some ways he truly did. One wrong move would destroy everything he had worked so hard to protect in the first place.

Jasper was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard Edward coming out of the house to stand next to him until the other vampire spoke. "I could hear your thoughts from all the way upstairs; figured you could use someone to talk to."

Jasper sighed, but knew that, if anyone could understand how he felt, it was Edward. So he had no problem spilling his guts to him. "Sometimes, I have no idea what I'm doing. Everyone's counting on me to be the leader when some days all I really want is to be a follower. The followers have it so easy, no one is expecting them to make the hard decisions." Jasper paused for a moment before continuing. "Every move I make puts someone's life at risk. No matter which way I go there will be loss, and as the leader of this rebellion that's something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of eternity, should we come out of this as victors."

Edward took a few moments to muse over his thoughts before replying. "Being a leader is never easy, Jasper, but someone has to do it. Nobody expects this to be a battle where no lives are lost. Of course there are going to be casualties – in war, there always will be. The only thing we can do is pray that, in the end, everything we have sacrificed will have been worth it."

The honey-blond vampire sighed again. "How can you say that when you have as much to lose as I do, should this go wrong? What are you going to do if something happens to Angela?"

"I won't have to worry, because nothing's going to happen to her," the mind-reader replied with more confidence then he actually felt.

"How can you be so sure?" Jasper questioned with true curiosity.

Edward shrugged his shoulders not sure how he would be able to explain his feelings in a way that Jasper could understand. "I just know. I'm not sure how I know this, but I do. I have faith in your ability to lead us not only to victory against the humans, but to the freedom all of us supernatural beings deserve. What you need to do now is learn how to have faith in yourself, because without it we are indeed doomed."

"It's hard to have faith in oneself when the odds are so highly stacked against us," Jasper replied, once again looking at the sky. "When I fought alongside Maria, I never had to worry about things like this because, in all honesty, I didn't care who won or lost. I have too much at stake this time around. I never realized how much difference love can make. I understand now why people always say how having emotion behind a cause gives you a stronger chance of winning. Our numbers may be less than the humans, but I feel that we have a chance against winning. If I was still fighting for Maria I wouldn't hold such hope."

The other male vampire understood completely. "Emotion is a very powerful thing if used the right way. I know that you fear the outcome of this fight Jasper, but I'm telling you to use your strengths. Leah and your child are your strength, the love you have for them is what you need to remember you are fighting for. Every single day, I remind myself of Angela and what would happen to her if we lose this battle. She gives me the strength to keep fighting, even when I would rather throw in the towel."

"I don't know how I'll survive if I lose her," Jasper muttered trying to push the image of his love dead from his mind. It was one of his worst fears, second only to the thought of losing both her and his child. "I know she's capable of taking care of herself, but that doesn't mean she should have to. I'm here to watch over her and I cannot do that if Leah insists on going behind my back on these renegade missions of hers. I know she's told me that she wouldn't do it again, yet you and I both know that she will. It's just part of who she is."

"If it will make you feel better, I can keep an eye out on her for you," Edward offered, wanting to help take some of the stress off of Jasper's shoulders. "I'll make sure that she's not planning anything, and if I catch a thought which makes me feel otherwise, I'll tell you right away. Leah's like my sister and, even though I understand why she tends to go off on her own, I also know that, especially with her current condition, her behavior isn't exactly conductive to safety. She'll be annoyed, no doubt, but it's not the first time I've annoyed her." He grinned. "I guarantee you that it won't be the last, either."

The southern vampire smirked as he thought of his lover's reaction. "I would hate to be you if Leah ever catches. I may be immortal, but she can be quite scary when she wants to be. Don't worry though; if she tears you apart with her teeth, I'll try to find all of the pieces and put you back together."

The bronze haired mind reader frowned. "That's not at all reassuring."

Again Jasper smirked as he patted Edward's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "It wasn't meant to be."

AN: I want to thank my beta reader again because I have this flu and I am just blah.