A/N: I'm getting lazier and lazier, aren't I? Oh, alas, here you go!

Enjoy!

Oh, by the by, Cormack will return in the next chapter, and you can imagine him looking like Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time, without the hook of course ;)

Jasper struggled and fought back with all his might as he was dragged deeper into the forest by the four newborns that had ambushed him.

"Get moving!" A newborn from behind shouted at him and slapped him across the back of his head. Jasper grunted as he fought back.

Soon enough, they reached the rocky wall, hidden into the forest, away from everything.

In front of them, there was an opening. A cave, it seemed.

The newborns halted a moment, before they shared glances. Jasper stopped as well, including his writhing.

Again, the newborns tugged harshly at his arms and brought him through the mouth of the cave.

. . .

Alice and Emmett was sat staring out from the cliff where Emmett had left Jasper recently.

"This was the last you saw of him?" She asked.

"Yeah, where he practically chased me off." He corrected as he crossed arms.

Alice let out a sigh of frustration. Her overprotective fool…

"Alright, alright… Let me just… Give me a moment." She told him as they climbed down from the peak. She was leant against a tree where she placed her index fingers against her temples.

Emmett stood before her as he watched her intently.

Alice shut her eyes closed and concentrated. She kept a mantra going on in her head, repeating over and over.

Jasper, where are you… Jazz… Please, where have you gone…? What has happened to you?

She focused on this sentence and found her strength in it, knowing she had to get a clue of his whereabouts - dead or alive…

Then, as quick as a lightning, she received the vision she wanted. The pictures she was looking for.

Newborns… Dragging Jasper with them… Her warrior was taken away… Into something dark and moist and cold.

He was forced down to the ground, held down as he growled at the figure above him.

A woman's laughter… Dark shadows were slowly fading away from her sight…

With an overlook over his location, the vision was no more.

Alice let out a gasp as she snapped back to the here and now and sunk slowly down the trunk. The wolves really made this hard for her.

Emmett swiftly as an arrow crouched down to face her. He shook her shoulders gently.

"What did you see, Al?" he asked concerned.

It took her a while to respond him, since she hadn't even figured it all out yet.

"He's alive. He's captured, but he's alive," she spoke after a while.

"Where is he?" Emmett asked her as he let go of her shoulders.

"Nearby. He's in a cave far over there," Alice said as she pointed deeper into the forest ahead of the peek.

Emmett looked after her finger, before returning to her.

"We gotta get the others," he told her as she helped her stand. She grabbed her forehead before shaking her head slowly, as to recover from the vision. She followed him as they ran back to the others, the sunset rays licking their backs.

. . .

Far into the forest in the cave, there were sounds of struggle and angry yells. One particular vampire in the cave was pacing back and forth restlessly as she waited. She waited and waited, but he would not come.

Cormack, what are taking you so long? She thought to herself.

She then heard the loud voices, which made her turn to face the direction of the mouth.

"Maria!" the big male called. Maria sighed as she figured the big brute had dragged something into the cave.

"Jackson, I specifically told you to disturb me unless it was-"she began whilst turning around. Her face churned from indignant to surprise once she saw what the four had dragged along.

"Important…" she finished, her voice lowering with falter.

Right before her, the one she had desired back to her side by far too long, was trapped by her loyal newborns and held down like a defenseless animal - Jasper Whitlock, the man who left her, here, only a swipe away from death.

His golden eyes met hers crimson red ones, his reflecting anger and fury, whilst hers only showed calm, power and alleviation.

"Hello, Major." She greeted softly whilst she watched him struggle against her guard's strong grip.

"Maria." He answered. It was far by friendly, she knew, since he spat her name like it was venom. He didn't associate her name with anything else.

"Long time no see." She said casually as she stepped closer to him. Jasper pulled his head back as she reached a hand to his chin. She placed her fingers under it and inspected his face whilst humming in thought.

"Hmm, you've changed since the last time I met you. You look… Healthier." She told him, with slight irritation to her voice. Jasper yanked his head away from her fingers like she burned him and she dropped her hand down at her side again. He could almost feel the shock spreading in her body as she reacted to his hostility.

"Yes, something I've managed well without you." He said.

"Right, with that little family of yours. I see," Maria said as she started pacing again, never leaving his eyesight.

"What're we gonna do to him?" The male called Jackson asked.

Maria grew thoughtful for a moment. Even though he was here now, that didn't mean he was alone. She knew him that much.

However, the rest of his company could be out there somewhere, and that may put her plan in danger, which she wasn't going to let happen.

"You three gather up the army- prepare for an attack. You, Tom come with me, and take him with you." She ordered them as she turned to walk deeper into the cave. She didn't have the time to wait for Cormack.

But he sure was going to pay when he arrived.

Three of the vampire guards left the cave quickly as lightening and the remaining one restrained his grip on Jasper. He growled at the guard who took his side.

Suddenly, as he scanned his face, he reminded him of someone else - he recognized him through Amy and Beate.

The guard, an ample, middle-aged man, had light brown hair mixed with grey and his skin-color was closer to Amy's skin-tone than the usual chalky color. His small, blood-red eyes were peering down at him.

His nose was equal to Beate, and Amy had a mouth alike his. He had a stubby beard which gave him a shaggier look than the description he had received from the sisters.

Yes, he was sure; this was the father of Amy and Beate.

. . .

When Alice and Emmett had arrived back to camp, everyone assembled around them immediately. Edward spoke first.

"I saw it. Are you sure we can rely on what you saw?" he said.

"It was forced, Edward. We can't be 100% sure, but that's what we got. We have to try!" Alice said desperately.

"Carlisle?" Emmett called, waiting for orders. Carlisle ran a hand behind his neck with a sigh before speaking.

"We'll get him back, Alice. But we have to coordinate this attack first." He said, meeting everyone's eyes to look after hesitation. He wasn't disappointed when he saw eager and determination burning.

"Alright, I have an idea. We could do it this way…" Edward suggested as they began planning the attack. Once and for all.

. . .

Three guards were standing outside the cave to prevent anyone from entering. They were pacing restlessly back and forth before the mouth, hissing at one another now in annoyance.

Suddenly, they heard a short whistle. Their heads whipped in the direction of the taunting sound, and saw a small female standing on a fallen log not too far away. They immediately placed her in the 'enemy box', and growled at her.

"You want me? Then you'll have to catch me first!" Alice said to them and waited for them to react, and when they practically threw themselves into chasing her, she jumped off the log and ran her way to the planned location.

She turned her head now and then and saw they were closing up on her, even though she sprinted for all her might. She knew the newborns were fast, but she wouldn't guess this fast!

She saw there were boulders before her which she intended to pass. To do so, she had to climb them.

She looked over her shoulder once more and she saw one of the newborns stretching an arm after her as he closed up on her. She gasped in surprise at the sudden change and she half scrambled, half jumped up the rock. She missed the newborn by an inch as he had tried grabbing her when she climbed over, but his hand scratched the stone's surface instead, leaving clawing marks on top of it. He growled at his own failure and took off after her with the others.

"Whew! They're fast… But not fast enough!" Alice said to herself as she sprinted onward. She didn't have to go much further, but right now, she figured staying alive through this chase would be best to focus on.

She sprinted up past the trees and roots and dodged a roc know and then. Once she reached the top of the forest hill, she took a turn and ran east. Downwards the hill there was a rocky pathway and some massive rocks spread out in the gutter.

Alice stopped only for a Nano-second to hear if they were after her still, and almost became anxious when the sound of abstracting branches had grown much more silent.

She didn't give it much thought before she threw herself down the hill. She skipped down the slippery rocks and dirt and landed gracefully down at the naturally grinded gravel.

Here we are, she thought as she ran through the labyrinth-like rocks.

She noticed that only one newborn was after her, and when she turned her head forward again, she was startled by the second newborn jumping down from a rock at her side. She stopped and backed up for a moment.

The newborn had stopped running and was walking her way with a vicious grin spread on his face. She quickly looked downwards the way she came and saw that the first newborn had the same expression as he closed up on her.

They cornered her against a rock, having her backing up against it. She looked from newborn to newborn and wondered where the third one had taken its way.

So this is how I'm going down. Outsmarted by newborns, she thought depressively as they closed up on her.

This had not gone according to plan.

Alice then heard a raging yell from above her, followed by a metal-clashing sound and in the blink of an eye, a torn off head dropped down from above. It landed on the ground in the middle of her and the newborns and they watched it roll a foot in confusion before they turned their attention up again.

Edward came crashing down on the newborn at Alice's right and killed him off quickly. Alice took her opportunity and attacked the remaining newborn.

After a few kicks and blows, he too was dead.

Edward stood up straight and met Alice's gaze.

"I thought I told you to be careful," he said, sounding much more scolding than intended.

"Yeah, that kinda went downhill. These guys are smarter than you think," she explained.

"Well, we're smarter." He said seriously. "C'mon." he urged before they ran back.

Now that there weren't any guards to hassle with, they could proceed with ease.

When they reached back to the others, Garrett was the first to meet them.

"We've had some trouble while you were gone. The newborns have been infiltrating through here, so we should advance now." He said.

"What about Jazz?" Alice asked.

"We'll have to get him later." Garrett told her gently.

"He could be in danger!" Esme exclaimed back.

"No, he's not." Amy suddenly spoke.

Everyone turned their attention to her, and Garrett lifted a brow in waiting for an explanation.

"I told you, Maria doesn't want anything to do with you. She only wants Jasper, and therefore, she won't harm him." She explained.

"Much." Beate piped in. Her sister gave her a look that clearly said 'not helping'.

"Well, I'm not gonna stand here and do nothing!" Alice hissed to Garrett and jumped up to grab a branch, using it to swing herself up on a rocky ledge.

"Alice, it's a death sentence!" Edward called after her.

"He's my mate, Edward. What would you do if it was Bella?" she said. He didn't answer her as her words hit him. She cast him a last look and with nothing else said, she took off.

"Amy, this is your turn. Alice can take care of herself, but with your ability, she will actually survive. Go!" Garrett told her. Amy responded with a firm nod and took off after Alice.

. . .

"You really thought I'd let you go that easily, Major?" Maria said as she looked down at Jasper who was still held down.

"Well, after over 50 years with no sound from you, I thought of us as done." He answered bitterly.

"You're wrong, we are definitely not done," Maria told him, just as gently as ever.

Jasper scanned the woman he had followed and obeyed for years, when he was a part of her Mexican coven.

She too, had changed. Not physically of course, but her stature had changed.

Her petite body moved with the grace all vampires had, but her body seemed… broken. He noticed several bite-marks upon her skin and her right arm didn't seem to fit just right. Maybe she had used her venom to mend it back after a battle? Her arms didn't swing naturally at her sides, either, which gave her a stiffer walk.

Her ebony hair was flowing freely down her back, matching the color of her denim jacket in dark grey. Underneath it, she wore a bleached burgundy blouse. Her black slim jeans were hugging her legs, as were her black leather boots.

Her Mexican appearances were highlighted with the black eyeliner applied around her crimson eyes.

To Jasper, Maria looked like a villain now, rather than the superior leader and supporting friend she had once been back in her coven.

"How could you do something like this, Major?" she asked him after a moment of silence.

"I believe I am the one captured at the moment," he growled sarcastically as he unsuccessfully tugged his arm out of Tom's strong grip.

"Stop with your insolence! You know darn well what I mean. How you left me when I was about to lose it all. You left me with all the responsibility of the army. I was lucky to even maintain the control of them whilst the battle of the eastern side raged on." Maria explained whilst looking him dead in the eye.

"That wasn't my problem at the time. And if I remember correctly, you were going to get rid of me. And you blame me for leaving?" Jasper said, puffing at the last sentence.

Maria stopped.

"I was considering dismissing you." She simply answered.

"Exactly. You were planning to kill me like the rest of the lot you called useless. Was I useless to you? No, I don't think so. So quit the bullshit, and tell me what you want with me!" Jasper roared, a sudden burst of fury erupting from him, which caught Maria on guard.

"Jasper, Jasper, Jasper…" Maria cooed disappointedly. She knew he was about to lose it, which she of course wasn't going to let happen.

She made her way over to him and bent down to his level, with the same prudent look on her face.

"You are here to help me regaining all the territories I've lost because of you," she began with a gentle, seductive voice.

"In your dreams, Maria," he answered angrily.

To his surprise, a small smile spread across Maria's plump lips. She stood up again and walked casually around, scanning the cave walls, running her hand on the stony wall as she walked.

"Yes, I am dreaming. We all have dreams of some sort. I however, have a dream where my army is the most feared and the superior, not to mention rich of powerful warriors. With that, we can have all the space we need, and more. We can feed wherever we want, and fight all that's in our way, having us grow stronger with every victory. But, you see, my dear, I cannot receive such luxury without you. You've proven yourself to be most useful to me once, and I know you will do so again. All you have to do is to let go of all your grudges of the past, and we can rule. Together." Maria spoke greatly, but also dreamingly. Seducing has been one of her strongest abilities, after all.

"If you think I will return to you side ever again, then you're dead wrong. I have my place in this world, and it's not with you. And even if I did get back to you, do you think that would change anything? Both you and I know the truth, and it's as simple as this; your hunger for power will be your own destruction, with me, or without me." Jasper told her truthfully.

Maria looked at him with dagger-shooting eyes. How dared he allege something like that? Power was what she needed! It was what rightfully belonged to her!

"Oh, you have really gotten brainwashed by that precious coven of yours, haven't you? The idea of peace is just a term invented by cowards. There is never peace, there will never be peace in this world, and there will be only battle between the superior and inferior. I plan to stand as the superior in this world, Jasper. Where do you stand?" Maria asked him, her powerful energy surrounded her.

Jasper admitted he was impressed by her effort and charisma, but alas, it didn't work on him. He would stay with his decision, whether she liked it or not. In this case, she would be greatly displeased.

"I stand where we all should stand; where we belong. I almost pity you for believing power is the answer. Well, guess what; it isn't. Power is only a term of cover from perishing what life is throwing your way. You know, there is two ways of using power: You can use it to make everyone around you fear you and doubt your leadership after a downfall. Or you can stand as a worthy leader and have everyone respect you by the right usage of power you've earned to have. And above it all, we are immortals, Maria. Isn't that enough?" Jasper said to her, and in truth, it had her attention.

The Jasper she had once known wasn't there anymore – it had been replaced by a wiser one, a philosophic one and in truth, she was starting to doubt it if she actually wanted him back at her side.

She shook the feeling away, knowing he could sense it and faced him once more.

"Oh, Jasper, of course power is the source to success. It's just that it sometimes works better motivated by fear than by monetary gain." She said with a smirk on her lips.

Jasper was taken aback by her choice of words. He had said those same words to Bella when she had asked him of his working relationship with J. Jenks, the Cullen's source and forger of illegal documents.

"You know, Jasper, I believe at this moment, you fear as well. You fear for you coven, your so-called family which is out there as we speak, fighting my well-trained army." She said as she stood before him with a raised chin. Jasper growled at her words and silently cursed her.

"They are out there, sacrificing their lives for you. What will you do after this, Jasper? What will you do when you're the only one left? You can't do anything, because you have nothing left. There is no one who can save you now…" Maria sneered at him whilst she locked eyes with him.

"I'd like to test that theory." A threating voice echoed from behind her. Maria whipped around to see the voice's owner, and recognized the person as the one she had barely seen at Jasper's side in Calgary - Alice.

Alice was walking down the opening of the huge cave and stopped once she reached Maria and Jasper. The two guards growled dangerously at her but Maria raised a hand to silence them.

"Alice!" Jasper called, not as a call for help, but as of fear of her presence here. He knew she would be killed the instant she came in fight with these two vampires, and that was something he definitely couldn't risk.

Alice locked eyes with Jasper once she saw him behind the Mexican vampire, and for a moment, it was as if they were the only ones there. Her glistening eyes told him that she was fine, but that she was worried for him. Jasper looked back at her with the same smothering gaze.

Maria's voice, however, broke their contact.

"Took your time getting here," Maria stated as she furrowed her brows. She turned around to face her.

"Yes, well, I appreciated your welcoming committee. Not sorry about killing them, though." Alice spoke as she shifted her weight on her feet.

Maria growled silently and looked her dead in the eyes to search after any sign of bluffing.

But Alice returned her cold gaze, never faltering under Maria's red glare.

Those had been some of her finest newborns, but she had some trouble believing the little, female vampire had taken them all on by herself.

"Let me try to understand you right… You thought killing my newborns would make this any easier? I'm not sure I can tell if that was brave, bold or foolhardy," Maria said whilst taking one step forward.

"Let him go, Maria." Alice demanded firmly, ignoring her question, whilst keeping her eyes on the female before her.

Maria was rather amused by her bravery, but she wasn't going to let him go that easily. She let out a slight sneer before she started walking around Alice, encircling her. Her guard however, stood where he were as he held Jasper down into a firm lock.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, I need him, in more ways you cannot imagine."

"Really, I haven't seen any 'Open Hunting Season on Jasper'- signs nearby," Alice said sarcastically as she watched Maria's every move cautiously like a hawk.

"Don't play witty with me, missy." Maria threatened with a slight snarl.

"Hmm, I thought you like playing around. Just like the way you've been playing controlfreak since day one. No wonder you became alone," Alice spat at her. Maria bared her teeth at her in respond.

"Yes, Jasper left me, but that doesn't mean he was allowed to." Maria said, having Alice lifting a fine brow.

"Oh, I wasn't really talking about Jazz," She said cleverly. Maria eyed her suspiciously.

"I meant Delgado." Alice said calmly. Maria halted at the mentioning of him.

"Don't you bring him up in this!" She yelled at her.

She had lost Delgado after their coven was slaughtered, whereas she was the only survivor. It was after that she had begun hoarding vampires until this day. Delgado had been her mate and they had been inseparable. They were as thick as thieves, and his death had devastated her.

"Think about it, Maria. All of this," Alice said as she gestured to the vampires behind her with her hand. "All of this was because of his death, wasn't it? You built this army to avenge him. But you know what? This isn't avenging him. You fulfilled that task a long time ago. This is lunacy, what you're doing." Alice told her observantly. She turned her body so she could face Maria completely.

Said vampire was now paralyzed in shock of her little speech. True, the main reason she made this happen was because of her mate's murder, but the fact that this vampire she had no interest in whatsoever, the mate of her former right hand, knew of her past, froze her into a remote position. Memories flowed through Maria's head, and as each memory went by, a wave of anger came crashing in. And that wave wasn't from Jasper. It originated from the fact that the only thing that mattered to her in this world, was taken from her. She had nothing else to fight for, except for her territories, but those too she was in jeopardy of losing.

"Do you wish anyone to feel the same way you did when you lost him? To feel the sorrow and anger you feel, even now after all these years? I wouldn't owe anyone to live with that, Maria. Would you?" Alice asked her in a gentler voice.

With every word, Maria shook with anger and fury. She hadn't spoken much of him to anyone, and here she came, spewing up buried memories she swore to never bring up again.

Jasper couldn't do anything but watch the scene before him. He remained silent in fear that if he said anything, it would trigger a reaction in Maria; having her do something he knew she was capable of doing.

"Let him go, Maria." Alice said again as she looked pitifully at the quivering vampire before her.

Jasper knew what was to come. He felt her anger and stress building up, and as she bared her teeth, she exploded.

"No!" was all he could say before he watched Maria lunge herself at Alice with an infuriated roar.

A/N: Man, that took me awhile! I'm not really satisfied with the dialogs, but it'll do for now. I just gave Maria's unnamed mate a name, and I thought Delgado would be fitting.

So, I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll try uploading the next chapter by next week!

Until then, I bid you thanks! (For reading, reviewing etc.)

See ya!

~Dragon