I speed dial Eleazar, pacing back and forth trying to get my turmoil filled emotions under control as I wait for him to answer. His voice comes over the phone, the sound in the background a gentle classical piece, obviously his study. As he greets me, I prepare to respond, "Eleazar, Sorry no time for pleasantries, I need you to get over here now, Peter Whitlock requests your presence. Jasper just knocked all of us out cold, Peter had to pull us out of range… He had a cryptic message for you - Expect the Jasper you met the first time. I hope that makes sense to you."
I hear Eleazar swear under his breath, and then he confirms, "Okay, I'm heading over to yours, I warn you Carlisle, I will be on duty," and the line disconnects. I stand there looking at my phone, what about Jasper horrifies Eli so much, and why?
I look round at the family, all up and about now. Eleazar is coming, he is coming as his official capacity as the Volturi Senior Guard, at Peter's request. Shock is written on each of the family's face, Why did Peter request Eli to be present? Why did he make that warning about how Jasper will be? So many questions…
I hear footsteps approaching from the direction of Eleazar's home, and a blacked cloaked Eli jogs up to join us gathered away from the house. I look over his uniform, he is wearing the insignia of the personal guard, the same that Demetri now wears. As he slows to a walk and takes the last few steps to stand next to me, facing the family, I notice that his face is deadly serious. With a stern nod to me, and a glance over the family, he looks me in the eyes, "Did you ever see Cauis lose control?" he asks. I nod, the memory flooding through me , "Do you remember how to show submission, how to survive the encounter?" he queries.
I frown, the things he is asking, suggesting, he is concerned for us, "Yes, why?" I ask, giving him the lead in for his explanation.
Eli looks over towards Emmett and Edward, I see him calculating how to deal with them and then he smirks, "Well, Cauis is a sweet puppy compared to Jasper, depending on what Peter can manage depends on how great the threat will be." Eli looks at each of the family in the eye. "I am extremely serious, you must follow this exactly or his beast will destroy you, fire and all, and then later, once Jasper regains control, the knowledge of what he did will destroy him, and through him , Peter and Charlotte too." Eleazar looks directly at Edward, "This is not a joking matter, you better pay 100% attention or you will regret it. It won't be me you have to deal with either, Boy!" Eleazar growls out the last word, making Edward shudder.
I continue with the instruction on submission, "You saw the Volturi Guard, the first night they visited. From what I was briefed on by Demetri, the entire guard submitted when commanded to. That is exactly the first stage of a full submission." Eleazar and I continue demonstrating how to submit, explaining the lowering self to knees and baring of the necks, being the ultimate offering of submission to a superior. Giving the strict instruction of saving it for last resort, and then sending them off to build an fenced area and to bring six decent sized animals.
Eli steps close, leaning his head close to mine, "Be on your guard, Jasper is more than you realise, he has friends in high places, he is special, and I Will Not cross him. Tradition is your security, treat him as our equal," He pauses, the look in his eyes telling me that he was considering his next words, "For he is."
I look at Eleazar in shock, admitting the things he has. I know how highly ranked a guard he was, and then my brain starts to connect the dots, the clues I've been given of the past sixty years. Marcus' recovery, personal relationship, turning up with Peter - perhaps because of Peter, Jasper's changes in personality when he fights, or controls a situation. Our equal. Who the hell is Jasper?
My mind is stuck on those two words, Our Equal. Another Coven Leader in his own right? A Whitlock… Who is he? I look at Eleazar, my eyes widening, NO, I shake my head in denial…It can't be.
And then I remember the stern, commanding man in my study, in the dance studio, the strong Texan accent, his fighting ability…
I sit down heavily, my mind just circling on the overwhelming truth of whom Jasper really is.
...
I force myself to head inside the house one final time. I've protected the Cullen's as much as I can, Eleazar will do the rest, now I have to face the Major, my Sire, in full empathic breakdown. The ripples of his pain and loss are tearing into me, each wave feeling like hundred of little knives digging deep into me, shredding me to pieces.
Each step I take closer to the stairs seems to make the beating of the emotional whirlwind intensify and by the time I am actually working my way up the stairs, his horror and grief are lashing against me. It is worse than anything Maria put us through, I feel myself loosing the will to continue onward, the hopelessness of trying to get to him makes the effort seem futile.
I start to collapse to my knees, my hands hit the floor. I push myself ahead on my hands and knees, a soft keening noise from the room ahead gives me the strength to fight onward, towards my suffering brother. I cross the doorway, clawing myself upright by the wooden frame to stand once more, half leaning on what remains from the way my fingers dig into the door frame. I take in the sunken features of my Sire, eyes as black as the sky on a moonless night, the bruising beneath them luckily not as bad as it could have been... Perhaps they actually managed to get some blood into him?
I rip off my shirt and stagger towards Jasper between the peaks of the emotions hitting me, falling onto the arm of his chair. I reach up and pull what's left of his tee shirt from him, baring his neck and chest to me. No reaction…
"Jay," I call to him, placing my hand over my bite over his heart, tracing it with my thumb, allowing the love for him to rise and fill me, hoping he will feel it. I look him in the eyes, smoothing his hair away from his face, but his eyes vacant, unseeing.
Fear fills me. Am I too late? Is he lost to me? I ask myself. My hands cover my face, as a sob breaks free from my chest. The emotions of the room change slightly, regret briefly weaves between the rest of the heart-breaking cocktail and is gone again. I raise my head and look at my Brother. Did I imagine it? Determination fills me and I push myself onto my feet, and climb onto Jay's lap, straddling his thighs, getting as close a contact with his body as I can. I lean into him until my head is over our bond mark on his neck.
"Jay, I need you to come back to me. We need you. She needs you." I allow my being to be infused with everything I feel for my Sire, my love, adoration, protectiveness, admiration, and I start combing my fingers through his hair - just how he likes it. I lean back a little, caressing his face, his neck, shoulders, rubbing my hands down the length of his arms, tracing my marks on his body, the one over his Sire's cruel scarring. All touches that would usually relax him, help him find balance. My memories surface of the days after I finally got him away from Maria. His wish for me to replace her marks on me. His desire to remove her lasting influence over him by biting into every scar she had bitten into him, to replace her venom with mine. Just as he had been the one to do the same for me in years past.
Still no response, I lean forward into his chest, wrapping his arms around me until they fall loosely against my hips flopping like a rag doll. Small growls start falling from my lips, as I start to lose control over my emotions as the skin contact has started pushing his emotions directly into me.
Images of Rage as he claimed me originally flood my mind. I let my instinct rule me and trace my nose along the length of his collarbone, up his neck line to just behind his ear. His own scent is weak and I can hardly even smell my own scent within him, when it should be interweaving with his own, just as it is within me.
A possessive pain-filled roar explodes out of me, the window panes shaking at the force of the sound. I run my tongue along the same path it always takes before we share in our bond, frantically searching for my scent, unable to find it within him. My tongue returning to my mark on his shoulder, I trace the heavy scarring made by my teeth, gently at first then getting rougher and rougher, growls consistently rolling from me now as I feel the last of my grip on my sanity slipping from me.
I grab his head in both hands, resting my forehead to his. "My Jay, My Major, My Rage. I remember for you! I fight for you! I am yours!" I growl incoherently in fury at the loss of my Sire. My body is shaking in my anguish, my need to connect with him, to find him, to be with him unbearable now. My mouth fills with venom, I know what I need to do now. I bite into his shoulder, into my bonding scar, not gently, not caring, no; I bite him hard, violently pushing my venom into him, all the while thoughts spinning through my mind.
'I'm Yours, I live for you, I need you, I love you!' circulating through my mind. I keep pushing and pushing as much venom as I can produce into the bite until suddenly the emotions of the room change. Recognition wraps around me. I feel his arms wrap around me and his thighs tighten beneath me and then it feels like I am flying backwards across the room. I relax my bite a little, hoping not to cause too much damage and hang on to his body until I find myself on my back, on his bed. A very familiar feral growl rumbling from his chest as his nose traces its way across my neck drawing deep scenting breaths and then I hear a very welcome, "MINE."
His arms tighten around me and his teeth slice into my shoulder equally viciously. My senses explode with joy as I feel the threefold consciousness surround me within the shared mind scape of our bond.
It is then I realise that Jay is still having problems, seeing his mental representation laying next to me looking like he is unconscious. I start to panic, "Jay, I'm here… Please!" As I gently hold his face smoothing his skin with my thumbs.
The Major rests his hand on my shoulder, "Peter, my brother, don't worry, he will be alright eventually, he is just trying to deal with some of my memories from the war." I turn and look at the Major, straightening to a respectful stance, as he continues, "We have realised that until he knows what I went through, we won't be able to mend our psyche back to how it was before Maria got her hands on us."
I nod my understanding, "That explains how long you have been stuck inside your body."
The Major frowns, "How long has it been? I started to lose track when Jay stopped talking to us, we were lucky we were able to break through eventually."
I reported, "It was eighteen days, and then something happened to cause an empathic strike, knocking the Cullen's out cold. They are safe now, outside with Eleazar." Pausing, I glanced at both Jay and the Major, then watched as Rage started pacing back and forwards next to Jay's bed. "I see you have started blending together a bit, whatever you have been doing looks like it is doing the trick."
The Major smirks at me, "Well, whatever happened before you arrived, we were trapped inside here, unable to take control of the body. Both Jay and I tried everything but couldn't get out of here. Now you have arrived, I hope that we should be able to follow you out as we are starving hungry, even Rage could do with a hunt."
Rage growls softly, "Need food,"
I respond, "Sir, I have Carlisle Cullen and Eleazar outside with the rest of the Cullen family, they have got animals nearby. Are you taking charge?"
The Major gives an ominous smile, "Yes, it's time I made an appearance once more. I have preparations I need to undertake. Once Jay has understood and is ready, we will return to our home, to our comfort and joy."
I grin at the thought of the Major with Bella, "You know I love you all, My brother, Jay will come back to us when you are ready."
My mind slowly separates from the bond and I find myself wrapped in the Major's arms, our teeth slowly disengaging, carefully, lovingly healing the deep bites. I spend time caring for him, licking his shoulder and neck, coating it in my venom, ensuring the wounds heal fully.
I feel the Major licking my shoulder also, spending time where the muscle ripped until it heals back as new. I allow my eyes to fall shut, I rest my cheek on his shoulder, nose to his neck, breathing gently and feeling shivers run over him as I breath out. He raised his hands to my neck, one smoothing itself through my hair,gently scratching my back, causing a pleasure filled rumble to fill my chest.
"Let me show you how much I love you, Brother, let me thank you for saving us from being trapped in Jay's mind - I couldn't get out of his defences he built up to hide all this from Eddie boy." He rumbles quietly in my ear.
"I was so scared that I was too late, that I had lost you - it felt like Jay had almost given up…"
My hands relaxed against his arms, as the warmth of the Majors affection filled me, the fire of Rages passion, clearing away all the harm done my Jay's emotions earlier. A cry of pleasure breaks out of me as I tighten my arms as I return my brothers love, and it echoes between us until the Major nips me lightly on the neck, just in below the ear, leaving a small scar to remember this day by. His rumbles of pleasure and happiness bringing a smile to my face, "I've missed you Major."
...
I watch as Peter enters the house, remembering my last look at Jasper before phoning Peter. His face reminded me of Marcus, the Marcus I knew when I lived with the Brothers, empty, grief ridden. Broken sobs come from Jasper's room, heartrending to hear. Peter calling to him and Peter's grief at his Sires non-responsiveness, Peter starts to beg him to come back telling Jasper that he needs him, she needs him. Who is he referring to?
Peter's sorrow filled growls start echoing through the area and then suddenly, a feral possessive roar shakes the windows. Eleazar and I both look up, I can just see Peter face to face with Jasper, licking his neck frantically. Then crushing him and pushing his forceful growls into his neck, odd words being growled loud enough for us to hear, "My Jay… Major… Rage… For you… Yours!" Peter appears to lose all semblance of control, his growls continue becoming more and more feral, his body shaking in fury, I can't tear my eyes away, watching as Peter falls apart until his jaws open and bites into Jasper's neck.
Holding on tightly, if I were to guess pumping venom into him, trying to shock Jasper back, minutes pass, no movement from either of them, my hope fades as the time passes. A brisk empathic touch scours over me briefly, like a light switching on, and then the best sound I could wish for - as snarled "Mine," and I see Jasper move forward into Peter, the pair flying across the room and a crash out of sight of the window. An answering snarl bursts from Peter as I guess Jasper bites into him.
Relief floods through me, as I become aware of the family building a corral for the animals they returned with. I turn to Eleazar, "Tell me, I did hear the rank Peter called him, didn't I?"
Eleazar turns and meets my eyes, nodding seriously in response, "To my knowledge you have 'met' him twice." I raise a questioning eyebrow at him, "Once briefly in your study, after a hunt and then in Phoenix."
I consider his words, "Peter said he had taken action on Bella's behalf - he wasn't joking… Why though? Why hide who he is?"
Eleazar smiles sadly, "He is trying to heal, you mainly know one side of his personality, the quiet, gentle empath. You have yet to truly know the warrior side he created to keep himself sane during the war. When I first met him, he was still Major Jasper Whitlock, by the second meeting, he was only Major Whitlock, Jasper couldn't cope any more with the war and the way his sire was constantly causing him pain via his gift, and so the Major stepping in and protected him."
Carlisle shook his head, "He told me some stories, adding what I know now, makes them a lot clearer."
Eleazar frowns, his head cocked to the side, listening to the house, "I don't know who Peter will bring out of there with him, I hope for Jasper, but I doubt it. It is time the Whitlock's were whole again, and although Peter is a fine leader, Major Whitlock is needed for them to truly be whole."
I cast my mind back to how respectfully the name 'Whitlock' is spoken by nomads that I have encountered, and the respect the Volturi Guard gave Jasper when they visited. "I've never seen Felix so quiet in my life, when Marcus visited me last time." I comment to Eleazar.
I hear a window slide open, and look over to Jasper's room and watch as the two half naked men jump out of the window, take a visual reconnaissance of the area and then stride towards the corralled animals. The family retreat back towards Eleazar and I, as we watch as the animals start to panic and then suddenly still. Their racing hearts calming down, as Peter and Jasper walk amongst them, looking, choosing which one will be their meal.
They both rest their hands on the necks of two wolves, snapping them and then consuming them both. The other animals just calmly moving away gathering in a far corner from the two predators taking their fill. They repeat their choosing and devouring again, discarding the corpses outside of the corral. Then Jasper grabs one last one, growling out, "Peter." Peter looks over at him and he swiftly moves to Jasper's side, "Share with me, brother?" Peter chuckles as takes a firm grip on the animal with his left hand, then reaching out his right covering over Jasper's heart, who reciprocates the gesture, and then they bite into the wolf, drinking, staring into each others eyes.
I was captivated, every word Jasper told me about their bond comes back to me, as I see it in action. Eleazar's soft voice whispers, "You should have seem them fighting together, like two dancers weaving around each other, no one could get near them. They just instinctively know where each other is, even when they give over to their beasts."
All the while I am just watching the pair, as they finish with the wolf, throwing down the corpse, raising their free hand to the healing bites on each others shoulders, gently, lovingly, checking its state, then Jasper grabs Peter's hand, pulling him close into a hug, and Jasper soft voice says, "Thank you Brother!" He releases him from the one armed hug, stepping back the air around them ripples briefly and I see Jasper's relaxed pose, straighten further, becoming the stance of a military officer. Pride, duty, honour and sheer authority exuding from the man who had been just Jasper, but no longer.
Peter's face splits into a broad smile, his eyes shining brightly as he watches his Sire turn and move to join us. I feel my family fall behind me into couples, as Eleazar had directed them previously. Eleazar straightens himself, assuming the stance of the Senior Guard I remember from many years ago. I draw myself up straight, pulling the traditional greeting to the front of my mind.
As he approaches, Peter marches forward and steps forward next to the Major, "Before traditional greetings are exchanged, I request the Volturi representative and Coven leader witness to the change of leadership of our Coven." Peter looks directly at Eleazar as the senior ranking vampire present.
Eleazar steps forward, "I, Eleazar, former Chief of Guard to Marcus Volturi and representative of the Volturi Coven in this region will stand witness," and formally bows his head briefly.
I step forward, "I, Carlisle, Coven leader of the Cullen Coven, will stand witness," and I firmly bow my head briefly.
As I look up, Peter and Jasper face each other with great ceremony. Peter reaches up removing Jasper's Coven Crest, "By removing your crest, I remove your rank within the Whitlock Coven," placing the crest into Jasper's hand, then reaching up and removing his own, more ornate crest, turning it and raising it to his lips briefly. "I return the rightful, leadership of the Whitlock Coven to you, Major Jasper Whitlock," as he clasps the crest around his neck. Peter then fluidly drops to his knees at the Major's feet, "I throw myself on your mercy, that you find me worthy to continue to serve."
Jasper removes the amber teardrop pendant from his old Crest, attaching it to his own crest. "Rise, Peter, Second in Command of the Whitlock Coven, continue to serve the Whitlock's as you always have." Clasping the crest around Peter's neck, and then turning to face us both.
Eleazar and I both speak, "Heard and Witnessed."
Major Whitlock turns to face me, and formally speaks in the language of tradition, ancient Latin, "Greetings, Carlisle, leader of the Cullen Coven, I, Major Jasper Whitlock, of the Whitlock Coven, request the right of Shelter and Hunt in your region for myself and Captain Peter Whitlock, in the spirit of the laws we all hold dear."
"Greetings, Major Whitlock, leader of the Whitlock coven, I, Carlisle, grant you the right of Shelter and Hunt in our region as long as you need it, for you and Captain Whitlock, in the spirit of the Laws we hold dear,"
The Major steps back next to Peter, a slight smirk spreading over his face, "Guard" The Major's voice barks, bringing Eleazar to attention. "Dismissed," Eleazar performs the Volturi guard acknowledgement of a superior, and then removes the cloak, dropping his 'Volturi' attitude to that of the Coven Leader I have known so long. My mind explodes with thoughts, Eleazar wasn't joking when he made his off hand comment earlier, as a Volturi guard he just acknowledged the Major as his superior. Eleazar sighs with relief as he folds the cloak and stows it into a pouch on his belt.
