Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.

Rewriting My Destiny

A/N: This story is written as a collaboration by both Xo BellaItalia oX and DeathQueen26. We hope that you enjoy the story and look forward to reading your reviews.

Chapter 14

(Jasper's POV)

Bella and I decided to walk back at a human pace in order to continue to talk and prolong our alone time before we arrived back at the house where there was no privacy and other vying for Bella's attention. I held her hand in my own, our arms swinging in between us as I held the picnic basket in my opposite hand as we chatted away.

"So, next thing you know, he fell head first down that well!" We chuckled, going on to tell Bella some of our more memorable human memories from when we were kids in an attempt to fill in some of the blanks that she had from her flashbacks. "Lucky for him, I caught his feet an' you ran ta get yer papa, who was out in the nearby fields on his horse helpin' with the plow. He gave us all an ass whoopin', but it didn't teach us any lessons, 'cause the very next day we were out there again, playin' around that well!"

Bella let out a giggle and shook her head as she joined in with my laughter before we drifted off into silence.

Finally, she began gnawing on her bottom lip – a nervous human habit she always had that I had found quite endearing – and peeked over at me from under her lashes. Her emotions shown bursts of hesitation, as well as curiosity and happiness.

I looked over at her, gently giving her hand a squeeze and bringing her attention fully on to me.

"What's on yer mind, darlin'?" I asked her, pressing her to speak up in an attempt to subtly let her know that she can always ask me anything without worrying about my reaction. I made a point to send her my emotions so that she could feel this for herself.

Bella obviously understood my silent communication, as her lips quirked up in a grin while sending me her own emotions, echoing her gratitude, trust and love.

She swallowed thickly and let out the breath that she had taken in before looking back toward the trail. "I was wondering if you could tell the the story of how you became a vampire and ended up with the Cullen's. I know that I wasn't with you when you left the South, but it's still something that I've been wondering about. Also, I really want to try to fill in as many blanks as I can in an attempt to try to get my memory back."

I pulled us to a stop, placing the picnic basket at our feet and reached to take her opposite hand in mine. Running my thumbs along her knuckles in a soothing manner, I spoke, "Bella darlin', you know that whether you remember or not won't affect our relationship one way or another. You are my mate. I love you now and I will love you forever, whether you miraculously remember all of our past together or you never do." I promised her and slowly began to lean in to brush my lips softly over hers and pressed our foreheads together as I looked into her eyes. "We can make our own new memories."

She closed her eyes and smiled before I pulled back a placed a feather light kiss on the tip of her nose and pulled back, causing her to open her eyes and look into my own.

"I appreciate the fact that you said that." She admitted as she reached up and cupped my jaw with her dainty little hand, her thumb massaging my jaw bone. "You have been so wonderful throughout all of this and I fully plan on making new memories. It's just that I want to remember our past together for myself, as well as for you and Peter and everyone else. But even if I am not able to recall it for myself, I want to be able to know about it, even if it is second hand through you or Peter."

I nodded. "Alright, darlin'." I agreed, releasing her hand and pulling her along as I began. "As you know, I was a Major in the Confederate Army. I lied about my age when I first enlisted at seventeen and had risen through the ranks quickly until I was twenty, being the youngest Major in the Texas Calvary even with them thinking that I was really twenty one."

"After evacuating the women and children in the city of Galveston, I had stayed behind and did one last lap of the city; making sure I didn't miss anyone. When I was satisfied, I began my track to catch up with the rest of my men.

"About a mile from Galveston, I discovered three women on the side of the road and like a good soldier, I offered them my aid. I thought they might have been stragglers from the group. Though, as I approached them, I realized that they were all stunningly beautiful. There was a blonde, a brunette, and a Hispanic woman. I hopped off my horse and approached them, bowing to them in greeting. Their beauty stunned me into silence."

..:: Flashback ::..

"He's speechless!" The brunette giggled.

The blonde leaned forward, smelling the air around us. "Mmm…lovely." She sighed referring to what I now know was my scent. She opened her eyes and they were pitch black.

"Patience, Nettie." The Hispanic woman scolded her, putting her hand on her shoulder as she looked to be inspecting me from a distance. "Concentrate." She whispered.

"He's young, strong…and an officer too!" The brunette remarked.

"But don't you sense it? There's something else there too." The Hispanic woman told them. "I want to keep this one." She smirked.

"Then you better do it Maria." Nettie said. "I can never stop once I've started." She ended in a whisper.

"Very well Lucy, take Nettie hunting. I don't want to have to watch my back while I'm trying to concentrate." Maria told them.

The two seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving me alone with Maria. At this point, I was a little frightened, but I held my ground. I was not accustomed to having to fear women. I was raised to protect them.

"What's your name, soldier?" Maria asked, bringing me out of my shocked state.

"Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am." I answered politely.

"I hope you survive, Jasper." She said as she approached me. "You may be of great use to me."

She leaned in, as if she was going to kiss me. At the last second she struck; biting into my neck. The last thing I saw before I succumbed to the pain was Maria's smile.

..::End Flashback::..

"I woke up three days later in an old barn. From there, Maria introduced herself and her two sister's as Nettie (the blonde) and Lucy (the brunette). They explained to me what I was and about the war's that were going on in the south under the human's radar." I explained.

"Can you explain a bit about the wars?" Bella asked uncertainly. "I remember being in the Southern Army, but I still don't understand what was happening there. I haven't had the flashbacks of you explaining them to me, yet. So, I'm a little confused."

I gave her hand a squeeze and shot her a small smile. "Of course, darlin'." I agreed before beginning. "In the south, even to this day, there are small armies of newly made vampires lead by a seasoned vampire. It all started when vampires began to realize that if a few vampires claimed a specific territory, or city, that they would be able to feed more often and not risk being discovered as opposed to many vampires feeding in that city.

"A vampire named Benito came up with the easiest way to accomplish this. He created a bunch of vampires and used them to fight his battles and protect his territory. You see, during the first year, the vampire is at its strongest, most vicious. It is because they still have their human blood in their tissues and after the first year, it starts to fade and they become like a regular vampire. After that first year, they would be destroyed and he would start again with a new batch of newborns. Benito won his territory and began expanding; others began to follow his example creating their own armies." I described.

"And Maria was making this kind of army?" Bella questioned obviously for verification purposes.

"Yes. She was very good. I was her first soldier aside from her sisters. She created 9 more after me. She trained us herself. I was very good. I never lost a battle to this day. I was the fastest, strongest, and most level headed of the bunch. She began to show favoritism towards me, which made the other's jealous. (At this time they were all men). I was rewarded often." I cringed, remembering Maria's 'rewards.'

"What kind of rewards?" Bella asked narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

I swallowed thickly. "It varied, depending on how pleased she was. It was usually extra feeding privileges, a particularly sweet smelling human, or sex." I mumbled.

"Wait," Bella pulled us both to a stop. "You had sex with Maria?!"

I let out a long sigh. "Yes, but it wasn't until after you were...gone." I struggled with the word. "I was in a bad place at that time and I wasn't myself. You know that I would never betray you if we were together." I promised as I looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry baby." I apologized wholeheartedly as I reached up and ran the backs of my fingers across her cheek.

She looked down and sighed before nodding. "It's okay. I can't blame you for anything that happened after my demise. I just hate to think of you with anyone else." She gave me a sad smile. "Continue with your story?"

"Sure. Anyways, the others became jealous of her favoritism towards me, even if I never agreed to sleep with her as I was still married to you and trying to get my thirst under control before going back for you. I couldn't bring myself to live without you and I continuously had this tight pulling feeling in my chest telling me to go back for you. The other newborns frequently tried to pick a fight with me and I ended up killing them often. Though Maria was agitated that she had to create new soldiers, she still was pleased with my abilities. After she learned of my gift, she became even more ecstatic.

"Once my newborn year was up, we discovered that instead of my speed and strength waning like the rest, it only increased. Maria was thrilled and ended up making me her second in command. I was put in charge of creating new soldiers, training them to fight, keeping them calm and focused with my gift, dealing out the punishments, and destroying them once their year mark was up.

"Since I finally had control over my thirst, I immediately went back for you. I found you at night out in the barn sitting on a hay stack and looking out the window into the moon. You were crying. Your father had just died as well, leaving the property to you and Peter. You were all you had left to each other.

..::Flashback::..

It broke my heart seeing her cry as I quietly entered the barn. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice my approach until I was about five feet away from her, where I stopped.

"I'll be in in a little while, Peter." Bella spoke lightly sounding very distracted.

"My Belle?" I spoke, swallowing thickly as the venom pooled in my mouth.

Bella whipped around, recognizing my voice, and gasped, her hand lifting to cover her mouth in shock. She dropped it after only a few seconds before leaning forward slightly as if for a better look, even in the dark.

"Jasper?" She asked, as if unsure if her eyes were betraying her.

I nodded as I took another two steps forward. "Yes, it's me."

Tears began to pool in her eyes as she stood from the hay stacks and collapsed into my arms, taking my face in her hands. "They said you were dead." She cried. "How is this possible?!"

"I'm so sorry." I hugged her as tightly to my chest as I could without breaking her and pressed a kiss to her temple.

She pulled back and looked at me full on in the face for the first time, and noticed that changes that have been made to my body from becoming a vampire.

Her eyes widened and she gasped, cautiously reaching up to run her fingertips under my crimson eyes. "Your eyes..." She whispered out loud. "You're so cold..." She continued on. "How is this possible?!"

..::End Flashback::..

"I explained everything to you and gave you a choice. I was selfish and I wanted you, my mate as I immediately realized as I looked at you in the first time in the eyes as a vampire, with me, vowing that I would protect her from the others and knowing that with my new position, I would not allow her to be killed after the first year. You were stunned, but having the proof right in front of you, you believed me and didn't care what I was as long as we were together.

"However, you wouldn't abandon Peter, as you were all he had left. We decided to tell him everything so that when you disappeared for a year until you got your thirst under control he wouldn't worry." I explained, seeing the memories in front of my eyes as I explained. "He was a little more hesitant to believe but when he did, he demanded to come with us.

"I left you for a week to get your affairs in order. You left the farm to my parents, since they were neighbors and we left into the night." I paused thoughtfully. "Maria wasn't happy, but went with it, even making Peter my Captain and you her General since I wouldn't change my Major rank from my human life. Charlotte joined us five years later, becoming her lieutenant and then another five years passed, we planned our escape. Maria caught wind of it and killed you, hoping that with you out of the way, I would have no choice to stay and I did begrudgingly.

"It was after this that my depression started. It got so bad that my mind ended up creating an alter ego in order to cope. Peter calls it my Major mode. He is the Major of the Southern Armies. The one the legends speak about. If you ever meet him, whom I have no doubt that you will, he won't hurt you. Just be respectful and submissive. He is a very dominant man and demands respect from all of those around him. He is cold, calculating, and ruthless. Maria gave him the nickname, 'the God of War'.

"As the years past, I helped Maria and her sisters expand their territory. Our army was well trained and with my experience in the art of war and Maria's leadership, we were unbeatable. But Maria got greedy and her sisters were becoming jealous and tired of Maria. They began to show signs that they were going to turn on Maria and I in their emotions. So we destroyed them before they had the chance."

"One day, it we were ordered to dispatch all the newborns that were at their one year mark. Peter was acting strange and his emotions were all over the place. I had learned that Maria had added Char to the culling list. I couldn't see him go through what I was going through, so I told them to run, that I would tell Maria that they escaped. I could feel his gratitude and familial love for me. I was punished severely for their escape.

"Five years passed since I let Peter and Char escape and my depression had gotten way worse without them there. I can't tell you how many times during those years that I contemplated suicide. Letting myself get destroyed in one of the many battles, fueling the newborn's emotions so they would attack and kill me, tossing myself into a fire...even Maria's patience was wearing thin by then. I began to feel the same emotions I felt from Nettie and Lucy right before they turned on us. I knew I either had to destroy her first or be prepared to die. I had tried talking to her about what was bothering me but she wasn't at all sympathetic to my conundrum. I realized then that she never loved me. I was only her puppet and she pulled the strings." I could feel my voice begin to shake as I relived my past with each word I spoke. Bella wrapped her arms around me and held me close as I continued with the rest of my story.

"I was on my way back from hunting one night when I smelled Peter's scent nearby. He showed up and went on to tell me that Maria lied to all of us. That there is a better way to live up in the north, that vampires lived among the humans without their knowledge and didn't fight for territory. That they had run into many of our kind and it didn't end in a fight. Needless to say I was shocked and in that same conversation agreed to leave with Peter. We met up with Charlotte the next town up and they took me to their home in Montana."

"More years passed and my depression became worse again, especially seeing Peter and Char together, but it was especially worse after feeding. I couldn't understand it until Peter realized that it was always at its worst after hunting. It turns out I could feel the emotions of my victims as I killed them and it brought on the depression. I tried to feed less but I would always end up getting so thirsty that I couldn't resist and would slaughter more than one human, bringing back the depression. A few months later, I decided to go out on my own for a while.

"More months past and I ended up in Philadelphia. It began to rain, so instead of staying out in the rain, I ducked into a diner as to not bring attention to myself. Once I was inside, I immediately smelled another vampire and my senses were on high alert. I watched as a little pixie like vampire hopped off her stool and bounced right up to me. Her emotions intrigued me. They were so pure and happy. 'You kept me waiting a long time,' she told me. I ducked my head like a good southern gentleman and said 'my apologies ma'am.' From there she went on to tell me about herself and that she could see the future. That we were going to be joining a family that fed on animals. At first I was a little skeptic because it didn't seem realistic. But watching her hunt and her golden eyes proved me wrong. I agreed to go with her and two years later, we showed up on the Cullen's doorstep and have been with them since."

(~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~)

Author Note – I loved how she did that. Rather interesting if you ask me. Now what will happen next? How will Bella react to everything she has learned? Stay tuned til then keep reading and reviewing...

~*Dragon*~