"What do we do now?"

The question hung heavy in the air. There was no answer for it. No one had one. Astrid had something stirring in her head, imagining grabbing a certain person's hand and leaving everyone else to deal with this shit.

"We still fight," Maria's voice shook as she took in the farm. "We'll push back until tomorrow night. Each of us create fifteen vampires, we'll leave them in the woods, and when they wake they'll join us in battle."

Jasper shook his head and looked back at Astrid. She curled her fingers and he strolled over, Maria's voice washing over them. Astrid pulled him close, her finger hooking on his belt loop, her eyes taking him in. He didn't look as injured as Astrid, who's throat he'd finally seen and was frowning at.

"Can you talk?" He asked.

She shook her head but pulled him closer, hoping her eyes conveyed her message. Let's go. This is the time. They could say the Major was killed by the Volturi, like hell they would know what he looked like. If Maria was still set on fighting Benito and the surprise attack from Santiago, she would surely be destroyed. Didn't he see? The Volturi had practically saved them.

"Astrid..." Jasper murmured, his red gaze not breaking from hers. She could see it all in his face, the answer that she had been dreading.

She wanted to scream that it was a dead end. What was the point in staying now? Maria was dead. If Benito didn't get her then surely the Volturi would. He wanted to stay for that? Astrid released her hold on him, pulling back and crossing her arms.

Maria appeared at their side, "Lovers quarrel? How sad. Major, come with me."

He snarled, not turning his head to look at her. She recoiled, shocked at his show of anger.

"Don't think for a second that we're fine, Maria. Fix this shit yourself," He finally broke eye contact with Astrid to look Maria down. "I'm staying to make sure you get your head ripped off."

Jasper manhandled Astrid away from the farm and into the forest. She swatted him away any time that he touched her, tromping over the trees by her damn self. She'd known, deep inside, that Jasper wouldn't want to leave. They could've left at any time, with Peter and Charlotte, or after their secret romps in the woods. One day they could've just not come back. Astrid could've hid them.

Honestly, the moment she'd known was when he'd been so secretive about his plans. If he had been serious she would have been more involved. It had been there all along.

"Astrid, stop," He called from behind, allowing her to be ahead. She knew it was all a ploy and tossed him a nasty look over her shoulder to convey that. "That was a fucking shit show! Maria tossed you to the wolves and more were coming. We can't leave with them knowing about us."

He spoke so calmly and rational that a part of her believed him. How could she expect a life if the fucking vampire police knew about her? Already Dimitri had a vindictive against her and she hadn't burned his body. By now he was being reattached, his hatred for her only grown. Until he was truly dead she knew that he would never let her out of his grasp.

But she could hide. She didn't want a lavish life, just a house in a small sunny town in California was her only goal. Jasper's words solidified that. A life was possible outside of this, there was no doubt. The only thing holding her back was him. Why couldn't he let go like she could?

There was no sense talking now since her throat was still healing. They walked in silence, no destination in mind except to avoid Maria for the time being. Eventually Astrid stopped and breathed, inhaling the smell of the forest with Jasper mixed in. One she had grown so used to.

His arms slid around her waist, solid and comforting. His chest, broad and bloodied, rested against her back. His lips, somehow the softest thing on him, soothed the ache around her throat, kissing at the edge of her wound. Astrid's head lulled back, enjoying the peace and quiet as the sun slowly began to rise. Birds tweeted, fluffing their wings and rattling branches.

There was movement to their right. They turned their head in unison, watching a bear hobble through the branches. Jasper kissed her shoulder, releasing her.

"You need to feed so we can talk."

The mere idea of drinking from the bear repulsed her. Her lip curled and she gave him a look, shaking her head.

"We can't get a human."

He was right. The Volturi was no doubt on their way now. It made being them there that more urgent and it left her no choice but to eat it. Astrid had too much to say at the moment to say no to the revolting blood.

She took the bear down before she could decide otherwise, glad that her gift made it all that much easier to snap its neck without being noticed. She buried her face into its neck, sucking its last heart pump of blood before the blood began to cool. She felt her throat heal the more she drank, no slower than it would if she had been drinking from a human. She finished half of it when she'd felt full and her throat warm, letting it fall with a thud.

Jasper walked up as she wiped her mouth. She didn't stand up when he reached her, his torn pant leg rubbing her arm. Astrid steadied herself before meeting his eyes.

"Did you ever send the patrol to Santiago's camp?"

He was expressionless, "No."

"You were going to have Benito kill Maria and then what?"

"Kill Benito."

"Were you going to leave with me?"

His answer took a minute and it broke her heart, "You would've stayed if I'd asked."

Astrid tried to not let herself be devastated. She knew she would have. If he had asked her she would have forgotten all about another life. To be with Jasper was her happiness, but now there was a chance for a new life. She finally stood, taking her time to look at him.

"I'm leaving."

"No, you're not."

They stared each other down. His jaw clenched and the atmosphere became tense, her skin prickling with aggravation. She didn't back down, resolute to not be here when they all die. She knew the plan had been to have Benito, Santiago, and Maria clash with the Volturi. But now there was twenty barely there Maria's, seventy for Benito, and an army of gifted vampires with the Volturi. Jasper and Astrid had problems with each one, if they tried to escape someone would come after them.

"Things are different. Half the army is gone. Even if Maria somehow pulls this army-in-a-night deal she's trying, there won't be enough of you. Benito will destroy them, and with that small of a group he'll notice if the Major isn't among the bodies. If you're so worried about Benito finding you, now is your chance. Don't you see? It's over, Jasper. She lost, let her die with the rest tomorrow."

Jasper growled, "It's not the end. It won't be until Maria's dead-"

"Go rip her head off right now," Astrid snarled, stepping closer. "I dare you to do it right now, go rip her head off and leave with me."

He grabbed her arms, "You're not leaving. We're going to follow through with the plan, you're going to stay here with me."

"Why? Why do you need another day?" She begged. Couldn't he let her in, just once?

"We can't leave any loose ends-"

"They'll think you died in the fight against the Volturi." She shot back.

"Benito will not fall for that-"

"Just say what's on your mind!"

"Damnit, I don't want to leave!" He shouted, letting go of her to walk away. He ran his hands through his hair before giving her a deadly look. "You had all this talk about fucking beaches and dogs and I'm not made for that. I'm good at this, killing and fucking you and running this shit. I'm finally making progress, I'm not fucking leaving before it's over."

"And you were never going to tell me? Jasper, this isn't a life-"

"It is for me!" He spun on his heels, their faces meeting in a glare. "I am the best at what I do. Even with these mangy newborns I can come out on top, because I fucking love this. I love this life, and when I'm done with Benito I'll take Santiago down, end all this shit."

She recalled every conversation they had. The day he called her doll, his soft confession about why he was intrigued in her, their talk of death on the river bank, but not a single time had he been the one to say he wanted to leave. But not once had he ever said he loved it this much.

"Astrid," Jasper murmured, running a finger down her arm. "Maria will be dead. I'll give you the show you wanted, let you watch her burn. I'll even make a cross for you to hang her on if you want."

"And then what?"

"Then I take over Texas, do things right," He pressed gentle kisses into the crevice of her shoulder. He pulled her into his chest, holding her so she couldn't leave him. "And you'll be with me, won't you doll?"

"How can you be so sure?" She whispered, pulling away. He frowned. "The Volturi is going to end the armies, you know they won't leave until they're done. It's over, Jasper."

"You're not leaving."

He was tugging at her emotions, pulling it all out. Her lust, her companionship, her comfort. It flooded her, making her stumble back from the intensity. It felt like she was under Corin's power again, a comfortable bubble. Jasper strode and picked her up, holding her to a tree as he kissed her. His lips sent waves of ecstasy in her body, his empathy amplifying every touch. His hands stroked her thighs, parting her dress so that his hands could get under it.

"There's nothing more," She bit at his ear before kissing his chin, her fingers clenching in his shirt when his fingers found her pussy. He pushed in two fingers, growling when her wetness only grew with his deep thrusts. "You'll die."

"I'll die doing what I love," He moved fast, cutting Astrid off when she opened her mouth to reply. He took in her expression, tracing her features with his eyes. "This was the plan, doll."

She couldn't deny that. It had always been the plan to have the Volturi and the armies fight, but with the threat looming over her head now having more powers and bodies than she'd expected, her gut instinct was telling her to get the hell out of dodge. Why couldn't he see that? If Maria had her original army, if they hadn't been depleted, Astrid would feel just as sure of this as she had yesterday. But things changed.

Astrid pushed Jasper away, fighting the urge to pull him back and fall into him. He snarled at her reaction, pressing her once more back. He caged her with his arms, lip curling with anger. Astrid didn't break eye contact, not this time.

"If you want your last fight you can have it but know that you won't ever be Maria or Benito. You are Jasper, you are more than this, you are not some war lord." Astrid spat the last word, frustrated that he couldn't understand.

"And you want some fucking normal human life after this? Do you ever think we'll be the same? I have shredded families apart, fucked you on dead bodies, I've had the best nights of my life in massacres. I'm not giving that up."

Astrid hooked her ankle between his and he fell with her on his chest. She tried to see every part of him that she could in his eyes, the part that had made her so infatuated with this man. He had fought countless battles, loved it, but hated killing his comrades. She knew there was good in him, perhaps damaged, and he was too scared to see what was left after the army ended. What would the Major be without Maria?

"Now, Jasper, we can do that whenever we want. We can do it in London, have an orgy and tear all their throats out. We can burn a fucking church down because there are no more rules," She pressed into him, hoping he understood. "It'll be your rules."

His face was stone, "You're not leaving."

"No, I'm not."

Astrid moved off of Jasper to sit. They stared at each other before she looked at the sun, wishing she could feel its warmth on her for just a split second. Wasn't she due for a miracle?

"You're scared."

Astrid was scared shitless. Maria was pulling some magic trick to save her ass and the Volturi were in town. She was scared that it wasn't leaning in their favor. But even in all that, she couldn't let Jasper die alone. He was all she had. She promised Peter she would watch out for him.

"Yes. I don't want to die."

Jasper's fingers curled around her hand, "You won't."

She looked at their entwined hands, their granite skin trying to sparkle in the sun, "You won't either."

"No."

Astrid sighed, "Why do I feel like that's a lie?"

"It's not," He tugged her hand. "Come back."

She straddled him, the torn dress opening to expose her legs without his assistance. The emotions flooded back, but this time it wasn't her own. It was a peculiar feeling, like something building in her chest of content and relief. She rubbed at her chest while her other hand went into Jasper's hair, enjoying the honey blonde locks in the sunlight.

Birds flew behind them, disrupted from resting. Astrid and Jasper stood, immediately hearing the running feet coming from that direction. Astrid was relieved she'd drank, feeling back to a hundred, but Jasper hadn't drank from the bear. She glanced at him, his shoulders rolling and expression darkening as the vampires came closer.

Then the wind changed and a scent, one that she'd missed, carried to them. Their stances relaxed as Peter and Charlotte, clean and well dressed, appeared through the tree line. Peter's brunette head was a missed sight, his smile large as he walked towards Jasper, arms extended in greeting.

"Hey there, brother."

Jasper didn't deflect Peter's hug and it was a true reflection of his feelings for the man. They hadn't seen each other since Astrid had snuck Peter out of the barn, their last moments together tense, but it seemed that all was better. Charlotte, her hair shorter now, skipped to Astrid's side to give a hug herself, pouting and saying that she felt left out.

"What are you doing here?" Astrid asked, relieved more than concerned. Was this her miracle? To have two more trained vampires at their side was all that Astrid had needed to get through tomorrow.

"Had a feeling that shit got real down here. We came past Galveston and the whole town is burning, what the fuck happened?" Peter crossed his arms, looking like a parent upset with his children after a night out.

"The Volturi. They cleaned out half the army," Jasper looked between Charlotte and Peter. "We're fighting Benito today."

"Are you serious? Man, you're really in it for the long haul," Peter shook his head before looking at Astrid. "And let me guess, you're fine with his suicidal plan."

"He's getting his last fight and then he's out." Astrid threatened Jasper more than said it.

"Well shit, I can't see myself talking you out of it. What do ya' say sugar, ready for your first fight?" Peter teased Charlotte, appearing at her side to rest his arm on her shoulder. They seemed more relaxed, like the humans Astrid would spot on patrols.

"I was trained for it." Charlotte quipped.

Peter and Astrid stared at their Major with complete trust. If he wanted them to rip apart a town, they would gladly do so. If he commanded them to kill each other, Astrid would make sure she was the last one standing. She would go to any length necessary to make her Major happy.

He licked his lips, "It's time for Maria's reign to come to an end."