J.

The two arguing figures turn around simultaneously. The others are still too consumed with their victim.

'Oi!', one of them yells, stepping forward. 'Quién eres tú?!'.

I try not to breathe in when I answer. 'I'm looking for Laeticia'.

The other one frowns. 'You're in the wrong place, gringo'. His voice tells me he's not willing to discuss it.

'Am I?', I ask, curling my fingers into fists.

The two men look at each other, then at me, and both take a step forward. 'Yes'.

I hear my knuckles cracking. The sound seems to pull the other two from their trance and slowly, wiping the blood from their chins, they raise from the floor, their eyebrows pulled into furious frowns.

'I'm going to ask again', I say, growling. 'Where is Laeticia?'.

The vampire on the far right glances over his shoulder so quickly I would have missed it if I were human, but I'm not. The door on the other side of the room seems to call out to me. The corners of my lips curl upwards.

They are upon me the moment I take my first step. I send two of them crashing into the wall, barely missing a torch. I work the third to the ground as I sweep the legs from under his friend. He grunts loudly, grabbing at my wrist and shoulder, but I've been waiting for this moment for days, and nothing will be strong enough to stop me now.

I send the third into the wall and dive onto the fourth, just as numbers one and two stand up again. My fists crash down into their bodies, filling the room with the sound of breaking porcelain. Their hands grab at my legs, shoulders and wrists, but I'm quicker and more experienced than all of them. My right arm wraps around number three's throat and I twist it furiously, sending a loud crunch through the room. A furious snarl escapes from number four's throat. I intercept him as he comes flying. My fist sends him crashing into the staircase, crumbling the stone beneath it.

One and two look at each other for a second, ready to jump. I stand across from them, my legs spread and bent, my fingers curled into fists, my lips pulled over my teeth. 'Come on', I growl.

They come at me quick as lightning, wrapping their hands around my arms to subdue me, but I twist and escape, taking number two down with me as my arm wraps around his head. He chokes under the pressure, clawing desperately at my face. I lay my hand flat on the side of his face, ready to make an end to his miserable existence… and then the door opens.

'STOP!'.

The four of us look up, frozen in our fight.

'Release him'.

My eyes meet Laeticia's, and I slowly let go of my victim. He claws at his throat as he stumbles towards his friends.

Laeticia glances at the floor where her third vampire lays, head separated from shoulders.

'You killed Manuel'.

I step forward, and her three remaining protectors step towards me in defense.

'I need to talk to you', I demand.

She frowns. 'There is nothing for us to discuss'.

'The Volturi have my partner', I say.

Besides the overwhelming anger I feel radiating through the room, I now feel something else. A faint wave of guilt and sadness, gently washing over my body.

'I'm sorry', she answers. 'Genuinely. But I can't help-'

'I know they have Eduardo'.

Her eyes widen, and her lips become a hard line.

'He's your partner, I take it'.

From the corner of my eye, I see number four rising from the busted staircase.

'We can save him', I add, straightening my spine. 'And Alice'.

Laeticia scoffs.

'We cannot win from the Volturi. No one can'.

'We can if we fight them together', I argue. 'You, me, my family, and… these'. I gesture around the room.

'What is your name, again?'.

'Jasper Hale, ma'am'.

She smiles softly, not unkindly. 'Jasper', she whispers, stepping slightly closer. 'I'm sorry to say this. Truly, I am. But our partners are lost'. I feel the mood in the room shift. Instead of anger, there is now a sense of sorrow. 'I've thought of everything, trust me. I even joined them, because they promised to release him if I helped them kill your family. Obviously –', she looks around the room, pausing shortly on her dead friend 'I was foolish to believe them. So I ran, and now I keep running'.

The wave becomes bigger. Sadness washes over me and doubles down as it mixes with my own.

'It doesn't have to be that way', I answer, calmly. 'My family is gifted. We are your best chance of retrieving your partner'.

Laeticia wavers, but I see no conviction in her eyes.

'Jasper, I-'.

'What other choice do we have?', I demand, loudly. I step forward, and this time, her vampires stay put. 'To live our eternal existence without them?', I ask. The thought alone crushes me. 'To kill ourselves?'. I see something in her eyes that tells me she's considered it. 'If we must die', I say, softening my voice. 'Why not make our deaths useful?'.

Laeticia opens her mouth, closes it again, and looks at her three companions. They say nothing, but their faces betray their thoughts. One of them steps forward.

'Do you honestly believe we can save him?'.

'I believe that we are the best shot you'll ever have', I answer.

The man and Laeticia look at one another before he says 'I'm in'.

I nod slowly, quietly rejoicing in my mind.

'Jasper, meet Victor. Eduardo's older brother'.

I look at Victor and smile ruefully. 'For family', I acknowledge. He nods. 'Anything'.

'I'm in, too', the other one answers. 'My name is Ángel'.

'Well', Laeticia whispers, a sad smile across her lips. 'I wouldn't let you try without me'.

The third vampire looks at her, at me, at his friends, and then at me again.

'Not a chance', he growls, baring his teeth.

'Javier-', Laeticia starts.

'No!'. He moves closer toward me, staring furiously into my eyes. I curl my fingers behind my back, ready to go.

'He murdered Manuel. He tried to murder us. He'll murder us again if we follow him'. His eyes don't leave mine as he says it. The accusation of being a murderous, bloodthirsty monster doesn't quite faze me the way it usually would.

'I'm going'.

'Javier-', Ángel reaches for his friend, but Javier spits before my feet, turns around and disappears up the flight of stairs.

'Let him go', Laeticia says, softly. 'We cannot force him to die for us'.

She looks at me with apology written all over her face. 'He and Manuel were … close'.

I stay stoic.

'So', she continues. 'They have your wife?'.

I nod.

'I'm sorry', she sighs. 'I never wanted this to happen… truthfully'.

I don't say that it's alright, because it is not. She took control of my mind and turned me on my family. She brought me back to a place I spent a century trying to escape. She was willing to kill innocent people for her partner.

But I also don't blame her. Now that Alice is gone, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to get her back. If I have to kill somebody… anybody, I will.

'What's the plan?', Victor asks, a frown of determination written between his brows.

'Alaska', I say. 'Kupreanof Island, to be exact'.