The bed sank under Carlisle's weight as he sat on the edge with his elbows on his knees and his head cradled in his hands while gathering his thoughts and courage before facing his son. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his hair to comfort himself while he focused intently on the boy in the next room. The next room. Good Lord, Carmen. I would have thought that keeping some distance between us would have been a better idea, but you were bound and determined that we weren't going to be allowed that reprieve. I hope that you know what you are doing because I would think that this would be much more stressful on Jasper and put him on his guard; it's certainly adding to my stress at the moment.

The elder listened to the quiet sounds of movement next door and mentally watched his son begin to pace to relieve himself of his nervous energy. Carlisle laid back on the bed to squeeze in just one more moment of peace before subjecting himself to the conflict that surely awaited him. There was no telling how the soldier would react, but judging by the angry hushed exchange that had occurred behind the closed door at the patriarch's arrival, Carlisle was not expecting to be greeted with open arms.

God, Esme, how I wish that you were here with me because I don't know if I can do this alone. This is going to be anything but easy.

His ears suddenly perked up to the muffled sounds of Eleazar and Carmen quietly slipping out of the house. He knew the reason for their departure was to give him and his son privacy, but he couldn't help feeling a pang of abandonment as his friends left him to his own personal hell. Isn't that what you did to Jasper? Abandoned him when he needed you the most? Carlisle closed his eyes tightly and rubbed them to banish the bitter thought. You didn't abandon anyone. You brought him to stay with family because he needed some separation from the problem. The situation had become toxic and gotten too far out of control. You had to do something radical to save your son even if he ended up feeling cast aside. There is no point in second guessing yourself for something that can't be changed, Carlisle, all you can do is move on. If sending him to Denali was a mistake, all you can do is correct it, but you have to be open to understanding his feelings instead of doggedly sticking to the idea that you did everything right. Maybe this was the wrong approach to use with the Major, but what's done is done. Nothing more to do except to accept your mistake, learn from it and work harder to never put your son in this situation again.

I shouldn't have let it go this far. If I had been firmer with him sooner his behavior may have never escalated and none of this would have ever occurred. Instead you just kept feeding him rope until he hung himself. The doctor groaned inwardly as he rolled onto his side. There was never a good or easy solution to the issue, but your soldier's current state of mind really is entirely your fault regardless of what anyone tells you. You have to repair the damage that you've done to this boy, Carlisle and making him wait and worry about what you're going to do or say isn't doing either of you any favors.

Carlisle suddenly slapped the mattress as he steeled his nerves and immediately noted that all movement in the adjacent room quickly ceased. Slowly releasing a held breath he sat up and with forced calm, rose to his feet. Pausing for a moment, the patriarch bowed his head in reflective prayer asking for wisdom and guidance before slowly stepping out of the door and into the hall.

With feet that felt heavy as lead, Carlisle took the few short steps needed to reach Jasper's bedroom door. Tentatively, the doctor raised his hand and knocked lightly before calling out softly to his son.

"Jasper, may I please come in. We need to talk."

"I've got nothin' to say to you, Carlisle."

"Well I have a few things to say to you and I would rather speak directly to you than to a door."

"The door will make a better conversational companion. I am just not ready for this right now."

I'm not sure that I am either, son. "Jasper, you don't have to say anything if you would rather not. All I'm asking is that you hear me out. There has been a misunderstanding, which is entirely my fault, and I need to try to explain."

"Carlisle, believe me, you have already made yourself abundantly clear. I do understand. I fucked up and lost my standing in the coven. I'll have to prove myself to you before you can trust me with your group again. I get it. There isn't any more to say."

The patriarch forced the air from his lungs in a frustrated sigh. "You don't have to prove anything and you most certainly haven't lost a thing."

"That's horseshit and you know it. I've lost everything."

Carlisle's heart seized upon hearing the anger and pain in his son's tone.

The soldier's voice came again softer and husky with emotion as he murmured, "Maybe not Alice, but I have lost everything else that has ever meant a damn thing to me."

The elder closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead against the cool wood and lowered his guard to allow his son to experience the sadness that was crushing his heart. "Jasper, you must judge for yourself if my words are true, but at least please hear me out. You are a treasured member of my family and I don't want to lose you. I know that you don't want to hear this, but you are my son; every bit as much as Edward and Emmett. I was blessed the day you walked into my life. I could never have even hoped to meet such an exceptional young man, let alone imagine that he would want to be a member of my family. You honored me that night and I have done a poor job of expressing exactly what you mean to me and to the rest of our family. I realize that I have made some disastrous mistakes lately. I was blind to that fact until just recently."

Carlisle inhaled deeply as he blinked away the venom coating his eyes. "I need my son back, Jasper, but I don't know how to go about accomplishing that task. I am begging you for your help. I'm hoping that together we can find a solution. I'm willing to do anything, but you have to let me know what it is that you need from me."

The doctor listened to the muted sound of slow movements coming from the other side of the door before a loud click of the lock disturbed the stillness left in the wake of his discourse.

"It's open, Carlisle."

With an inward sigh of relief, the elder worked the knob and let himself into the room, but patriarch's moment of relief evaporated at the sight of his son. Jasper stood on the far side of the room with his arms cross, shoulders hunched and back turned towards his father.

He can't bear the sight of me.

Acutely aware of his own emotional state, Carlisle willed away his disappointment and attempted to fill the void left behind with a sense of hope.

"Thank you, Jasper."

The boy shrugged in response.

Easing his way over towards the bed, the patriarch took a seat. "Will you sit with me for a while, Jazz?" He patted the mattresses encouragingly while his boy commanded the elder's complete attention.

"No," came the nearly inaudible reply.

Carlisle's breath escaped in a soft sigh, but he nodded his head. "Fair enough." Resting his hands lightly in his lap he lowered his gaze in an effort to reduce the soldier's discomfort. "It is I who must earn his place back into your life if you will allow it. I'm willing to do that on your terms by whatever means you require."

The youth groaned quietly. "Carlisle, just stop with the senseless mind-fucking. I know that you're trying to pull some sort of reverse psychology shit on me and it's not going to work. You don't need me in your life. You have a full family of individuals who are so much better than me. I don't know why you bother with my hopeless ass anyway. Everyone is better off without me; safer without me. You were right all along. I am a problem and shouldn't be allowed to endanger your kith and kin."

"Major Jasper Cullen…."

"Whitlock."

Carlisle cleared his throat as he began again in a soft soothing tone that carried no hint of rebuke. "Major Cullen, you are most certainly not a problem nor do I view you as a danger." The elder sighed. "I fear that I have over reacted to the incident involving Mister Hayford and I cannot begin to tell you just how sorry I am for that. I wish that I could go back and correct that mistake…."

"I nearly killed that man, Carlisle. I hardly think that your actions could be considered over reactive. That's nothing but hogwash. I was out of control and you needed to step up and do something. We both know it. Don't try to bullshit me."

Carlisle closed his eyes for a moment as he swallowed back a reprimand. Not the time.

"I will not apologize for sending you to stay with your cousins because I still believe that this is for your benefit, but you needed to understand my reasoning behind the decision. I should have kept you from walking out of the study until you realized my motives. That was entirely my failing. When you mentioned the idea of becoming an outcast…." Carlisle inhaled a calming breath as the memory came flooding back. "I didn't do all that I could have done to correct your misunderstanding. I thought that you were just upset and if I gave you some space, you would come around to seeing the truth. I honestly did believe that you would have let go of this crippling thought, but I was wrong. I made you feel unwanted and that is the furthest thing from the truth."

"I've always been an outsider. The position is not new to me, Carlisle so don't trouble yourself to think that you need to placate me."

Carlisle stood and crossed over to the youth. Placing a hand on Jasper's shoulder caused the boy to flinch, but the elder refused to allow the connecting touch to be broken.

"Jasper, you know that my words aren't empty, lad. Please look at me. Look me in the eye and see that I'm in earnest. I made a mistake and I have been praying that you will permit me to make amends with you. Tell me what I can do."

Jasper lowered his head a bit further as his leader's sincerity washed over him. Why are you doing this? "Carlisle, I know that what I've done is unforgivable, but must you torture me with all of this sentiment? You want to make amends when there is no need. I can feel your sorrow over what you are about to do, but just do it. I know that I blew my last chance at making things right between us so don't pretend that there still is some option available. Don't tease me with false hope." The boy's voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "It's not like you to be cruel."

A scowl of confusion darkened Carlisle's face as he tightened his hold on Jasper's shoulder and tried to turn the soldier around to face him only to be met with strong resistance.

"I don't understand, Jasper. What are you talking about? What false hopes?"

"God damn it! I know that Eleazar or Carmen, maybe both, have told you what happened. I know why you're here. You can stop pretending.

Yes, Carlisle. Yes, you made a disastrous mistake in thinking that you could redeem a mindless feral animal like me. You thought that you could rehabilitate me, but obviously you haven't been able to. I am Maria's creation through and through. I was well taught and her lessons cannot be unlearned no matter how hard you pray for that to happen. You've tried, Carlisle. God knows that you have. You tried, but you failed or more to the point, I failed you."

"You've never failed…."

"FUCK IT! Yes, I have!"

Jasper rounded on Carlisle suddenly causing the elder to take a step back before their eyes locked.

The dark garnet flecks that glowed in the inky blackness caused the elder to pause for a moment, but it was the emotional pain, fear and regret swirling the boy's eyes which deepened his concern.

"What happened?"

Jasper narrowed his eyes at Carlisle's confusion. "You have to have known. They told you."

"Eleazar tells me nothing of what goes on. Carmen did tell me that you had gone missing for a period of time, but that was only related to me because we were looking for Alice and had reasoned that you would be together. I assure you that I have had no knowledge of this."

Carlisle reached out and touched his son's cheek as he tried to examine the boy's eyes more closely, but Jasper pulled away quickly while averting his gaze.

A suffocating silence hung between the two men before Jasper swallowed hard and muttered, "You had to know."

The doctor slowly shook his head. "No, Son."

"Stop fucking calling me that!" He growled loudly before dropping his voice to a whisper. "It's not as if I deserve it anyway."

Carlisle's heart broke at Jasper's words. The patriarch wanted nothing more than to pull his son into his arms and offer him comfort, but he feared driving him back into his protective shell. Instead he maintained his slight distance and gave a soft sigh.

"I'm sorry that I've upset you, Jasper. Please forgive me my momentary lapse into familiarity, but if that is the reason that you are refusing to accept the title…."

"It's not the only reason." Jasper hissed as he forced himself to meet the leader's eyes.

Carlisle lowered his head slightly. "Maybe once I've regained a bit of your trust then."

The southerner eyed the doctor cautiously for several long moments before his curiosity got the better of him. "If Eleazar didn't call you about my fall from grace, then why are you here?"

"For the exact reasons I have told you. I want to work towards repairing the damage that I have done to our relationship and I also needed to return this to you." Sinking his hand into the pocket of his slacks, Carlisle withdrew Jasper's cell phone and handed it to the boy. "Alice will be expecting your call this evening."

The soldier rolled the phone over in his palm before looking back at the elder blonde with questioning eyes.

"You will only have twenty minutes a day for now. Alice knows this, too."

"Is Alice alright?" Jasper cocked his head slightly to the side as he asked the question.

"She misses you terribly, but she is fine."

"You know that wasn't what I was asking." He switched his focus back to the small electronic device in his hand.

Carlisle closed his eyes and the boy felt the man's anxiety spike.

Jasper turned away as his grip tightened on the phone until he feared that he would break it. "I knew she shouldn't have come. I should have sent her back home immediately. That was all my fault."

"Jasper, you did not force Alice's hand. You didn't even ask her to come see you. Her disobedience was entirely her own fault. Not yours."

"You're wrong, Carlisle. She came because of this." He motioned towards his face with a wave of his hand that the elder knew was directed towards his crimson eyes. "She would have never crossed you for any other reason."

"I wish she would have told me the reason that she came."

Jasper turned back to look at the coven leader. "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"It would have made a difference to me. I would not have been quite as…." Carlisle let his statement break off abruptly as he shook his head sadly.

"Wouldn't have been quite what? Carlisle, what did you do to my Alice?" The soldier's ebony stare hardened as his mind raced through worst case scenarios.

"She was disciplined for her actions and I will say no more. You know that I don't go into details with anyone apart from Esme; not even with the offender's mate. All you need to know is that Alice is fine as you will see for yourself next weekend. She will be coming to see you provided that you behave yourself accordingly over the course of the week."

"Carlisle, if you have harmed a hair on her head…." Jasper snarled, ignoring the elder's words, as his eyes flashed angrily in defense of his mate.

The patriarch's jaw clenched and his eyes darkened several shades as he tightened his hold on his emotions to avoid feeding his son's anger.

With a deep growl rumbling quietly in his chest the elder snarled softly,"Don't you dare threaten me, young man. You know that I would never harm any of my family."

Jasper's eyes ran up and down the man standing before him before he grunted and finally looked away.

"There are many types of harm, Carlisle. You of all people should know that."

Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose and carefully slowed his breath. Once he felt back in control of himself, the patriarch finally released his emotions from their locked down mode to allow his son to feel his concern and curiosity as he returned to his original question.

"You haven't answered me, Jasper. What happened?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? I killed a human in cold blood." Turning back the boy glared into his leader's worried face. "How does it feel to always be right? You knew that I was a threat to everyone around me so you sent me out here to cool my venom. Instead of mellowing out and coming back in line I had to go and prove just how right you were. I really am nothing more than a soulless murderer."

Carlisle swallowed hard as his son's bitter tone tore through him, but he struggled hard to protect the youth from feeling the bulk of his distress in complete disregard of Eleazar's advice.

"Under what circumstances did this occur?"

"I doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that a man died and I was the cause. He's dead and the family that he has left behind has been devastated thanks to a cruel heartless monster."

"The details of every death matter because each is as unique as the life that has been lost. You know this."

Snorting dismissively the boy narrowed his eyes while he tapped a finger against his chin as though trying to recall the event. "Poor bastard must have gone out for a walk and ended up running into the Devil. End of story," was the soldier's flippant response.

"Jasper."

"What do you want me to say? I fucked up. I fucked up and a man died. I am too weak to constrain my thirst. I'm not strong like the rest of you. Animal blood is nothing more than a bridge to my next fix. I'm nothing but a pathetic junkie; a treacherous unstable predatory junkie who has no place being around those you love."

Rubbing his face in mild frustration Carlisle closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. Motioning towards the bed he gently ordered, "Jasper, sit down."

"No. I prefer to stand."

A sternness crept into the elder's tone. "Jasper Whitlock Cullen, everything is not always about what you want. Do you currently consider yourself a member of my coven or not?"

Carlisle opened his eyes and glared hard at his underling causing Jasper to fidget.

Recovering himself, the soldier tightened his jaw as he returned the leader's stare for a few tense moments before finally complying as he dropped his head in submission. Slowly the soldier made his way over to the bed and sat with a quiet huff as he folded his arms defiantly while keeping his head bowed low.

Carlisle gnawed on his bottom lip while his mind wandered briefly over the things that he wanted to say as his son's sudden sadness enveloped him. Walking over to the southerner, the elder crouched down before the youth and look up into his troubled face.

"Jasper, I don't have any wish to correct you. You asked me why I'm here and what I have told you is the truth, but it is not the complete answer. I have taken the week off from work so we could spend some time together; just the two of us. For this week, I am not your father, your leader, or anything of that nature. I just want to be your friend if you will accept me in that capacity."

Carlisle felt a wave of confusion rise off his son, but at the same time he was pleased to find Jasper's fear lessening.

"Edward and I were alone for nearly three years before Esme entered the picture which gave he and I time to bond. Emmett... Well, Em has never met a stranger. You and I however have never had a real opportunity to just spend time alone. Some things that I have recently discovered have led me to believe that you see me quite a bit differently than how I really am. I need you to see the true me instead of the titles that I carry. This week is just for us. No hierarchy, no games, no barriers. The playing field is level and we will interact as equals. Do you think we can accomplish that?"

Red eyes flicked up to lock onto Carlisle's. Jasper stared into the soft compassionate dark golden orbs before finally nodding once.

Carlisle placed a hand on the boy's knee and gave it a light squeeze as he offered a reassuring smile.

"Good, but before I give up my authority completely I need you to know that you are never to castigate yourself like that ever again. I have zero tolerance when it comes to anyone speaking disparagingly of my son and we have been down this path before. By rights, I should be branding your behind with my belt right now, but that will start this week off on the completely wrong footing. Please take a bit of pity on me, Jazz and don't put me in a position where I feel compelled to follow through with correcting the bad habit."

"Old habits..."

"I realize that, but please."

Jasper sighed heavily. "I'll try."

Carlisle nodded safe in the knowledge that his son would attempt to meet him half way. "Now, please tell me what happened surrounding this human's demise."

In fits and starts, Jasper worked his way through his retelling of the hunter's death while Carlisle listened intently to every word. The elder's emotions remained neutral through most of the tale, only rolling into disappointment at the boy's confession of attempting to conceal the murder.

With an easy fluid motion, Carlisle settled back to sit on the floor as he mulled things over in his mind while his boy watched him intently.

"I know that I've let you down. Don't feel the need to protect me from that. I let myself down, too. It's like I said. I'm weak and can't control my thirst as the others can. I don't have a fraction their willpower. I can never be one of you, Carlisle. It's time to face that fact and stop lying to ourselves and each other."

Carlisle shifted his gaze to his son, but remained silent for several moments. When he finally spoke his voice was extremely gentle.

"Jasper, there is very little truth in that statement. Every day you prove just how much restraint you possess. Controlling our natural drive to feed on humans is a constant struggle for us all. It might appear easy, but it's not."

"Carlisle, you work in a hospital. You're around blood constantly and yet it doesn't tempt you."

The doctor glanced away and placed his fist against his lips to mute a chuckle before looking back into his son's eyes. "Is that really what you think? Oh, Jasper, you give me far too much credit for having superpowers. It's true then; reading all of those comic books back in the sixties has indeed had an effect on your perception of reality.

No, my dear boy. Trust me, I am tempted each and every day. The pain in my throat gets to be excruciating at times and it is indeed a constant struggle not to satisfy my thirst when the means to do so is so readily available."

"But you don't give in."

"I have had a great deal of practice in abstaining over the centuries. You have no idea how long it has taken me to gain the control that I need to have to work at the hospital, but that is also a perfect example of your control. What has taken me centuries, you have managed in a little better than, what? ... sixty years?"

Jasper raised a quizzical brow as he held the elder's gentle gaze. "How in the hell do you figure that?"

"Look at what you have accomplished. You worked with me at the hospital for a few days. Not once did you lose control. I was never in a position where I feared that I would have to restrain you because of your thirst. That is remarkable, Jasper and you accomplished that level of control in a very short period of time."

"I don't know, Carlisle."

"I do and I don't want to hear any more talk about you being weak. You are an incredibly strong individual, but you simply won't allow yourself to see it. You focus on your failures when you should be celebrating your successes."

The youth groaned before giving the man at his feet a disbelieving shake of his head. "I would not exactly call that a success."

"Then what would you call it?"

"A little bit of flaming luck."

Carlisle laughed quietly. "All success has a little luck factored in, but you succeed because you work at it. You work on your control every day. Think about it, Jazz. Each day that you walk out of the house and interact with humans you are tempting fate and each night that you return home having not spilled a drop of innocent blood you have conquered your thirst. Is that not the definition of success?"

The elder gave his boy a few minutes of contemplation before pushing forward.

"And dear Lord, Jasper five days out of every week nearly without fail, you fling yourself into a writhing pit of out of control hormone driven human emotions that is High School. That would inflame anyone with a gift such as yours, but you do a phenomenal job of controlling your response to that bombardment. Every day you step out into a war zone of temptation and arousal and yet you maintain a near iron clad control. That my lad, is astounding.

Will there be missteps here and there? Will mistakes occur? Of course they will. We're not superhu…" Carlisle caught himself quickly causing his son to laugh. "Scratch that, but you know what I mean. We're not perfect, Jasper. We will make mistakes. All we can hope to do is learn from them so that we might be better able to avoid them in the future."

Jasper ran his hand through his fair locks as he inhaled smoothly. "Alright." He gave the elder a slight nod. "For argument's sake, let's say that I buy into this rambling lunacy of yours. If I am this phenomenal example of control, then what am I doing here?"

Carlisle gazed down at his hands resting lightly in his lap as he appeared to become lost in thought.

"I don't think that's where you'll find the answer to my question, Carlisle." Jasper smirked as his leader raised his head and met the boy's brilliantly clear crimson eyes.

"No, I suppose not." The doctor gave a slight smile as he acknowledged his son's reprimand. "You are here because everyone needs a little break every once in a while.

I honestly never intended for this to be a punishment for you, Jasper; please believe me. I do understand how hard it is to be separated from your mate so while that is punishing, what I was really striving to do was to give you a reprieve from the turmoil in Forks."

Carlisle glanced down at his hands once more as he continued quietly.

"The Hayfords were having an intolerable effect on you as a whole. Amanda was tugging at your heart while her father was inciting you to violence at every turn. The strain on your psyche, made even worse by the amplifying effects of your gift, was tearing you apart right before my eyes. I felt that I needed to remove all temptation before you ended up doing something that you would regret."

Looking up the elder met his son's impassive gaze.

"That is why you're here. I'll concede that I kept Alice at home in the hope that feeling the distance might remind you that your first responsibility is to your family. It appeared that your quest for vengeance for Amanda had changed that focus and that your family was taking a backseat in favor of the wellbeing of a stranger. That protectiveness was also giving you tunnel vision. You saw only what you wanted to see instead of what truly was.

I don't know what else I can tell you, Jasper. What I do know is that I should have explained the situation and the reason for the actions that I was taking more thoroughly. I should have done more to make you understand that this wasn't a punitive measure; some sort of retribution. I simply thought that you would have reached that conclusion on your own, which was my biggest mistake because leaving you in that gray area only succeeded in causing you greater suffering. Please believe me; that was never my intention."

Carlisle let out a soft sigh while maintaining eye contact with his boy. While the soldier appeared to remain unmoved, the elder could feel the hurt that rolled off his son; a pain that had been brought on by his words. A shudder ran through him as he tried to shake off the feeling of his boy's anguish and suppress his desire to go to Jasper and hug him until the pain finally subsided. Nothing would have given Carlisle greater comfort, but he was unsure of how Jasper would react and didn't wish to force the Major into deeper stress than what already engulfed him. Instead the patriarch held back his comforting embrace and decided to wait for his son to make the first move.

Jasper studied his leader with an expression of cool detachment which he had perfected over the years he had spent leading Maria's army. The soldier was well aware of the effect the look had on others and was pleased to feel Carlisle's anxiety rise a notch when subjected to it.

"So, knowing that turning me into an outcast was not intentional, I guess you expect me to just forgive and forget this entire incident? Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, Carlisle, but I'm afraid that I'm just not that good of a man. Turning the other cheek has never been a strong point in my character."

Carlisle shook his head. "I don't expect you to forgive and forget anything, Jasper. I know that I have to prove myself worthy of forgiveness and I realize that will take time. As for forgetting; even if that were possible, I would hope that we would never forget this has happened. This is a learning experience for us both and I hope its lessons last the remainder of our existences."

The elder tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he picked his next words carefully.

"I need to learn how to communicate with you better so we have fewer of these lamentable misunderstandings in the future. The best way to learn is to see things from the other person's perspective." He opened his eyes and looked back at his soldier boy and took in a steadying breath. "That is yet another reason for why this week I want to be on equal footing with you. From the moment that I stepped out of that cab, I have been placed under Eleazar's authority the same as you. I get the same twenty minutes a day to talk to Esme as you have with Alice. There is no contingency plan that allows for me to step outside of the rules without reaping the consequences of misbehavior. I need to experience what I have asked you to endure so that I can know precisely what you are going through."

"But it's nowhere near the same thing so you can never know what I'm going through. You are safe in the knowledge that come the end of the week you will return from exile to fall into the waiting arms of your wife and be surrounded by the love of your family, while I have to remain here. It's easier to endure when the end of the torture is within sight; much more difficult when it stretches out beyond reach.

And while I am certain that Alice will be happy to have me back after my sentence has been served, I can't say that about the others. I will not be surprised if they discover just how much smoother the household runs without me getting in the way, so why in God's name would they want me back underfoot after that? Hell, in their place I don't even know if I would accept me back after all the horseshit I put them through."

"We've all endure much worse."

"BULLSHIT!" Jasper reached out and grabbed Carlisle's right arm in a firm grasp. Swiftly the soldier jerked the shirtsleeve up to expose his leader's forearm and the clearly visible new scar that marred his pale flesh. "I fuckin' bit you and this wasn't the first time that I've allow myself to get lost in my temper. I think Rosalie is the only family member who I haven't hurt...yet. Probably the only reason for that is the fact that she'd knock my punk ass out while the rest of you still try to reason with a deranged fiend. Good God, even dear sweet Esme has fallen victim to my outbursts. They shouldn't have to put up with that and I wouldn't blame them if they decided not to deal with this lame duck any longer."

Carlisle resisted the urge to pull free from his son's hold. Instead he glanced down at the scar and whispered, "You've never hurt Alice."

"What the..." Jasper released the doctor's arm and threw his hand up in the air to halt any response as he scoffed before turning away. "I've hurt Alice more than anyone else. I hurt her every time I lose control. I may have never physically hurt her, but I do much worse. I make her worry. I get myself sent away so she has to suffer loss right along with me. In the past she has had to endure not getting to go to events or promised outings because I got my sorry ass grounded and she wouldn't allow me to stay at home alone. Yes, I know that it was her choice to stay home with me, but I knew that she would make that choice and yet I still screwed up knowing that she would basically end up punishing herself. Every time I get into shit my mate suffers so don't you ever say that I've never hurt her. That's a completely lie and it's an unbecoming trait that doesn't suit you at all, Carlisle."

"Jasper, it was not a lie, but I can see your point which feeds into the idea that we tend to hurt the ones we love. It is something that we have to be mindful of; the effect that our actions have on those around us." Carlisle ran a hand through his hair out of nervous habit as he exhaled softly. "Sometimes even our best intentions cause pain."

Jasper studied the elder blonde as he became lost in his own thoughts. The harsh regret that poured off the man made it easy for the boy to tell what he was thinking about. Inwardly, the soldier groaned, but buffered his emotions so as to not allow Carlisle to feel his annoyance. Placing the pointed toe of his boot on his leader's knee, Jasper gave the man a light shove and was rewarded by having amber eyes turn towards him once again.

"Quit." The simple word was uttered with quiet confidence in the manner of an order.

"I can't."

"Of course you can." Jasper expelled the wasted air in his lungs with a loud sigh. "I don't like it and I'm still pretty pissed off, but I did need to get away for a bit. That jackass homed in on my buttons and was getting off on pushin' every last one of them any chance he got. I wasn't exactly making that tough for him, either.

I'm not impressed by your decision, but I agree that something had to be done. I know that and so do you. Don't get all het up about it. There's no point so just quit it."

Jasper felt the moment that Carlisle's tension broke. There was no denying the sensation of relief that crashed into him and the elder immediately took on a lighter less worn out expression that made the boy smirk. Just words, Carlisle. Didn't say anything that you didn't already know. As the soldier watched the coven leader visible relax, that reaction drove home the point of just how profoundly powerful words could be.

The Major gave another little shake of the foot that still rested on his father's knee. "Carlisle, I'm sorry for a lot of what I have said to you." He glanced down as he dredged up recent memories. "To Alice, too. Aw, hell I have a lot of apologizing to do; a whole lot. I know it's a flimsy excuse, but I was hurt and confused and I took that out on you pretty needlessly."

"There's no need for apologizes, Jazz. We both made some mistakes. Would you agree with that?"

"Yep, though I think mistake is a bit of a euphemism."

Carlisle smiled. "I don't believe that I'm comfortable enough with your more colorful terms so let's just stick with mistake."

Jasper nodded as he muttered a quiet, "sorry" which Carlisle was quick to wave off.

"Why don't we try to just look at this as a lesson learned and move on? I certainly would love to leave it all in the past and start anew."

"Same here, but I'm still…." Jasper shook his head as he grimaced slightly at finding himself at a loss for words.

"I know, Son."

The boy's eyes flashed to the elder's as he gave a single shake of the head causing Carlisle to sigh softly.

"Maybe in time."

"Maybe, but not yet."

Carlisle nodded. "Deep wounds take time to heal, but we'll work on it together."

Getting to his feet, the patriarch reached a hand to the soldier and helped him up. Giving Jasper a light slap on the back he smiled. "How about filling me in on what you've been up to?"

Jasper snorted slightly. "Been doing some horticulture and a bit of pottery. Of course we also have dance nights, which Eleazar just loves." He rolled his eyes and laughed slightly before a serious expression stole across his face. "Oh, and if you are serious about being on the same level as me, let me warn you, don't make any cracks about the Inquisition. That dawg don't hunt. Trust me."

"Duly noted."

The youth looked at his leader for a moment taking special note of the question in his eyes before he sighed and wrapped his arms around the elder.

"We'll work it out, Carlisle. It's going to take time, but you'll see. Just don't try to rush it."

Tears sprang to Carlisle's eyes as he returned the embrace. He already knew that it would take time and a great deal of effort to heal the chasm that separated their tormented souls, but the fact that his son was willing to take this first step with him brought everything into focus. For the first time since the morning that he departed Denali while leaving his soldier behind, Carlisle truly believed that they would work things out and his family would once again be whole. He would take his boy's advice and not rush a resolution, but for now he would simply enjoy how right it felt to once again hold his son in his arms.

AN: Sorry it took so long to get this sucker updated. First I got myself sick and then my computer caught its own virus and I darn near lost the chapter. Happy to report that we are now both... mostly healthy, but at least up and running.

Happy to announce that "Dark Justice" was nominated and won First place in the "Most Promising Twilight Fanfiction - canon" category of the Energize W.I.P. Awards. This could not have been possible without the wonderful support of my readers and I can't begin to express how much all the support means to me. Thank each and every one of you. You guys are simply the best!

Now we have a nomination for the Non-canon Awards. Actually we have nominations in three categories. DJ for Non-canon Fic, yours truly for Non-canon Author, and Jazzy for best quote due to his banana colored smiley face contacts. *grins* We'll have to see how we do once voting starts, but I have to say I'm amazed that people enjoy my silly little story enough to honor it like this. Thanks again, y'all.

Thanks to my wonderful hard working beta Splinter. Yep, I agree. Jazz has issues but hopefully I can get him straightened out.

Going to take a bit to get Carlisle and Jasper's relationship back where it was before this whole thing started. Hopefully a little bonding... at Carmen's expense ... will help that along the its way.