A/N:

If you are my friend on Facebook or if you're subscribed to my blog on my website, this won't be any news to you, but I'll be damned if I don't say it anyway xD

Today, April 10th, is a very, very, very special day for me, and also, kinda, for this story as well.

You see, 9 years ago right down to the day, I posted my very first fanfiction chapter, so this is actually my anniversary, yay! I never would have stayed around this long if it weren't for you guys, and all the friends I've made in the fandom over the years. You are all amazing, and don't let anyone make you believe anything else.

Why does this make it a special day for this story, you ask?

I'm glad you did.

You see, the first chapter I posted, of my very first fanfiction story, is actually the reason why I even decided to write this one in the first place because that story was none other than A Lost Soul; Edward's Origin story.

When that story first posted, it was nothing like it currently is today; riddled with spelling errors, grammatical issues, and language mistakes. The plot wasn't fully thought through, and the characters were flat. However, it remains, to this day, the one fanfiction story I am the most proud of, and that's why I'm currently revising it for a 3rd and FINAL time because I want it to work flawlessly like a companion story to this one :)

Therefore, technically, even though you might not be an Edward fan, you have his story to thank for being able to read this one right now ;-)

Anyway, that was all I had to say up here. Now go on and read the chapter and I'll see you again at the bottom!

Title: Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: BitterHarpy

Genre: Family/Supernatural

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 20

THURSDAY, AUGUST 5th – SATURDAY, AUGUST 28th 1954

"I wish I had a favorite like you do," Jasper said as the family planned a hunting trip, and Edward and I talked about how we wanted to track down a few carnivores this time, as we'd settled for deer the past three months. "I can taste the difference between grass-eaters and meat-eaters, but that's it."

"I'm sure you'll find a favorite someday," Edward encouraged. "I didn't really see mountain lions as my favorite until after I returned to Carlisle and Esme in the—" He stopped mid-sentence and whipped his head toward Alice, which caused the rest of us to follow his stare.

She was standing rigid with her eyes glossed over, trapped in a vision. It didn't appear to be a pleasant one.

Jasper reacted in an instant, not only because of the emotions he most likely felt emitting from his wife, but also because they were as in tune with each other as Rosie and I or Carlisle and Esme. It was the natural reaction vampires had when their mate was in distress.

He tried to soothe her by brushing the short strands of her hair away from her face. "What is it, sweetheart?" he asked in whispered tones. "What do you see?"

"Too close … I didn't know—I didn't see," she mumbled, still in a trance. "No time to leave."

I didn't like what she was implying, and I slowly started to step closer to Rosie in case I had to protect her from something.

Alice blinked once and came back to the present. Her eyes locked with Jasper's, and she placed her hands over his on her cheeks. "She's here," she said, and Jasper stiffened.

Maybe it was his own sudden distress that caused it, or maybe it was a combination of Alice's words and the building stress from the rest of us, but suddenly, Jasper projected emotions that made me want to grab Rosie's arm and run as far away as possible. I couldn't put a name on the feeling because it wasn't really fear but still something very similar to it.

"Who's here?" Esme asked before there was the clear sound of bare feet on our front lawn.

Jasper swallowed thickly before whispering the name. "Maria."

The name was unfamiliar to us because Jasper had never mentioned it, but my guess was that Maria was his creator. When he told us his story, he'd said he was changed by a female and her two companions, but he never gave us any of their names, stating he'd rather forget about all of it. It was understandable, as neither of us could have anticipated anyone from Jasper's past finding him in Canada.

We all turned to Carlisle for guidance. He was the leader and the only one who could decide whether we should flee or stay and perhaps have to fight, depending on what this Maria wanted. After looking over all of us, but especially lingering on Jasper, he stood up from his seat, straightened his clothes, and then walked to the front door. The rest of us followed silently.

Jasper and Carlisle stepped out on the porch together, and as I walked out behind them, I saw a petite brunette woman dressed in what looked like a nineteenth century corset, underskirt, and a torn and dirty confederate uniform jacket. Her eyes were red but dangerously dark.

Thirsty.

As soon as Maria saw Jasper, she smiled. It was a lovely and angelic smile but felt false. "Jasper," she crooned and took a step forward. I was about to step around Jasper to flank him, but Alice beat me to it and entwined her fingers with his. Maria naturally saw it, and she appeared amused. "How cute," she said. "You've found yourself a little plaything. I guess you can bring her with you, if you insist."

It amazed me how she just assumed Jasper would go with her, but then again, she'd had control over him for most of his life, so maybe it wasn't too strange she'd thought that.

"Maria, this is my wife Alice," Jasper introduced through a tightly clenched jaw. "And the rest of my family. What are you doin' here?"

She started laughing, almost manically. "Don't be absurd, my love. ¡Erés mío!"

"I'm not, nor was I ever, your love," Jasper retorted, but the edge to his voice made it clear there were more history between him and Maria than just a creator and her warrior. "Tell me why you're here or leave."

"Why should I explain?" Maria asked, and her smile turned vicious. "You were the one who abandoned me."

"Because you were goin' to turn on me!" Not even Alice's touch appeared to have much effect on Jasper's anger, and even though he wasn't actively projecting, all of us could feel the taste of the rage bubbling inside of him. "I left so you wouldn't force my hand and make me kill you."

Maria's smile fell, and she sighed as if she were regretting something. "You're right. You were always right about such matters."

I could tell she wasn't genuine. Even without gifts, it was blatantly obvious to me. She was a master at manipulation, that much I could tell, and if I hadn't heard it from Jasper before, I might have fallen for her act. Not now, though.

"I was always loyal to you, Maria. I saved you from Nettie and Lucy. I helped you destroy them, and yet, you betrayed me. How could you do that?" Once again, the pain in Jasper's voice made it clear there was more to the story than he'd told us. For a second, I wondered if they'd perhaps had a romantic relationship at one point and whether Alice knew about it.

"I was scared. My warriors were so loyal to you I thought you'd turn them on me," she said, effectively turning the blame around and portraying herself as the victim. "But if you were dead, they'd be loyal to me. I was wrong. I see that now. I need you, Jasper."

Jasper vehemently shook his head. "I'm not goin' back. I was only a puppet to you, but here, I have a family who cares for me." He promptly placed his arm protectively around Alice and pulled her tighter to his side. "I want you to leave. Now."

Maria's red eyes hardened when she understood pleading wasn't working. "I was afraid Peter would have tamed you too much." Her tone was accusing and disgusted, but it got the desired reaction out of Jasper.

"Peter had nothing to do with who I am today," he spat back at her. I subtly placed my hand on his shoulder, but whether it was to restrain him or give him support, I wasn't sure of myself. For a millisecond, Maria's eyes shifted to Alice, and her body tensed as if she wanted to attack. It had most likely been her intention because Jasper growled ferociously. "Keep her out of it," he warned through the rumbles in his chest.

"Ricardo took Nuevo Laredo from me. Don't you remember how hard we fought for that territory? How it felt when we won?" Maria continued, seemingly trying a different strategy.

"Forget it. I'm done with that life. I'm done with you."

Her eyes blazed with fury. "I created you! You belong to me!" she screamed, but Jasper was unfazed.

"I only belong to myself and Alice," he replied, much calmer than a second before. "This is the last time I'm telling you to leave."

A crooked smirk softened Maria's angry features. "You've never been able to resist me, mi amante," she said seductively and blinked with her large eyes while taking a step toward us.

I immediately reacted in defense of my brother and squeezed myself in between him and Carlisle to make a statement to the woman who wanted to take him from us. She would have to go through me first. "I suggest you let my brother be, or you'll have to answer to me," I said and crossed my arms to display my strength. Rosalie and Edward followed suit and stepped closer to Jasper to show our solidarity.

She met my eyes steadily and cocked her head to the side. "Impressive friends you keep nowadays. However, I hope you haven't underestimated me. You know me, Jasper. I wouldn't come here alone."

As if on cue, two sets of footsteps started by the tree line, and two Hispanic males of my own size walked up behind Maria and flanked her sides. "Juan and Carlos are my bodyguards," she explained sweetly. "They're here to protect me."

"From who?" Jasper asked. "Me?"

Maria didn't reply, but it was all the answer Jasper, and the rest of us, needed. Maria was scared of Jasper and needed cannon fodder in case she'd have to flee.

"I don't want to fight, but I will if I have to," Jasper stated, and since he could feel all of us were backing him, he continued without hesitating. "We outnumber you by four, so odds aren't in your favor. Add to that, your bodyguards are barely a year old, and you're not a fighter." Jasper was confidant enough to let out a skeptical laugh. "We're givin' you a chance to leave without any consequences if you promise you'll remain in the south from now on. Don't ever come and look for me again. It's over, Maria. Accept that."

"Please, Jasper." She tried pleading again with a pout. "If Ricardo attacks, I will lose everything. He will kill me without mercy. He will burn me alive without tearing me apart first. I need your help."

I couldn't detect a falter in Jasper's stance, but maybe Alice could because she wrapped her arms around his waist as if to physically keep him with her.

Jasper sighed. "If Ricardo doesn't, the Volturi eventually will. You can't continue forever, Maria. I'm sorry. Now leave."

It was a stalemate for the longest moment, and then Maria jerked her head toward the trees to signal her bodyguards to move. She followed them dejectedly, but before she disappeared, she looked over her shoulder at Jasper with longing eyes.

Once we were positive they were out of earshot, Jasper turned around to face us. "We have to leave immediately. She'll be back. She might have given in now, but she knows what she wants, and Maria doesn't give up that easily."

"You call that giving up easy?" I asked him in shock. "She all but knocked you out and dragged you away!"

Jasper didn't say anything about my comment. Instead, he told us what we'd have to do now. "We'll have to disguise our scents. Hide our tracks." He and Alice disappeared upstairs, and the sound of their packing followed.

"He wants us to leave within ten minutes," Edward informed us. "And that we only pack what's absolutely necessary. Only what we can carry with us."

Carlisle didn't have time to call the hospital or notify our landlord of our departure. Jasper said we'd have to make all those arrangements once we were safely hidden from Maria. If Jasper's urgency hadn't been so tangible, I would have made a joke about him fearing such a small woman as Maria. As it was, I knew he knew Maria better than anyone else, and if he thought there was reason to fear her, then I had to believe him.

Rosie and I started toward the garage, but Jasper stopped us and shook his head. "We have to leave the cars. Anythin' that Maria can track has to be left behind."

"But it's a six-cylinder Corvette!" Rosie exclaimed, distraught. "Do you have any idea how sought after they are?"

The car was her baby. She'd bought it only a few months ago, and while it functioned properly already, Rosalie wanted to see if she could make it go faster. She spent most of her time in the garage underneath the hood of the thing.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Jasper apologized. "We can't take it with us."

I wrapped my arms around my despondent wife and soothed her to the best of my abilities. She was still sad when I let her go, but at least, we were on our way back across the border to America. Where we'd end up was still a mystery, but I had a feeling it would be a long journey.

{=DITM=}

"Do you really think she'll find us here?" Rosie asked three weeks later. "We covered our tracks pretty well."

We sure had. We'd zigzagged over the Canadian-American border, swum across several lakes, and even changed clothes to leave the jackets we'd worn in places to confuse whoever could have tracked us. Finally, we'd decided to stop in Millinocket, Maine. It wasn't the largest of cities, but we'd lived in smaller before.

Jasper hoped the large quantities of water close to the city would diffuse our scent further.

"We can't underestimate her. It'll be our loss. We should come up with an offensive strategy. Next time, she'll have her entire army with her." Jasper was sitting across from Alice, who was concentrating on her visions, and he was frozen solid in place. He absolutely refused to move a single inch.

"Why would she risk her entire army to get you back?" I asked. "She must understand she can't win over us as long as you're on our side."

"Don't get arrogant, Emmett. I know what Maria's armies can do with much more experienced vampires than yourself," he warned and moved just enough to give me a hard look. He most likely thought I was being stupid, but he hadn't really listened to what I was saying.

"Yeah, when she had you to train them," I said, and Edward perked up.

"Right!" he agreed. "Her army will be as undisciplined as it was before she had you."

"I'm sure she's picked up a few new tricks in my absence," Jasper said, but he was much calmer now and actually allowed himself to relax a little bit. "She wasn't losing her wars before me. She always chose her soldiers with care, and she always had the upper hand in numbers. If she were to come here, we wouldn't stand a chance."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Morbid much," I mumbled even though I could, sort of, understand his anxiety. In this case, it was Alice and him who were the most in danger. Had it been me and Rosie, I would, maybe, have acted similarly. But probably not.

"Let us all hope it won't come to that," Carlisle said, always hoping to avoid a fight.

"But if it did, how could we possibly win? None of us, apart from you, Jasper, have ever seen a real fight. I'm not even sure I can fight," Esme admitted, but Jasper gave her a reassuring smile.

"Everyone can fight, and I will, naturally, train you all myself. I've already taught Alice a few tricks, although she prefers to rely on her visions despite me warning her not to do so. You never know when you might stumble across a shield that renders your powers useless."

I shot up from my seat, eager to start the lessons right away. I hadn't had a proper teacher since Eleazar, and he had said himself that he wasn't a warrior. Jasper was. "I'm ready to go at it now."

An almost evil grin spread across Jasper's face. "It wouldn't be a game, Emmett. I wouldn't hold back."

"I wouldn't want you to," I replied with a wink, but just as Jasper was about to rise to the bait, Alice came out of her vision and announced us to be safe from Maria. I felt the urge to cuss but refrained because both Esme and Rosie would reprimand me if I did.

Alice grabbed Jasper's hand to go upstairs to their room, but before they could become too enthralled with each other, I called out a reminder to Jasper.

"I still want those lessons. I expect them now."

Jasper gave me a look over his shoulder. "I don't go back on my promises."

I nodded, pleased with the answer, and then turned to Rosie. Alice and Jasper's idea to take some time for themselves wasn't half-bad. "C'mon, babe, let's go hunting," I told her and took a hold of her hand. "I'm … thirsty," I said for the others benefit even though all of them knew I wasn't talking about blood.

As Edward groaned at my poor attempt at disguising my intent, I laughed.

A/N:

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Maria!

Do you think Jasper handled her well? Do you think Emmett read Jasper's hesitancy correctly? What do you think of him going into protective brother mode?

Obviously, this scene will be analyzed even deeper in Jasper's story later on, but Emmett is a bystander so I clearly can't go into too much detail here.

Tell me, do you think this scene was as you imagined? Or have you imagined fighting? Snarling, growling, and biting? Have you imagined Jasper killing Maria at this meeting?

I am sorry to have disappointed you then. I just feel that with Jasper wanting to leave that violent life behind, while an instinct within him would scream to kill Maria and grab Alice to flee, he still wanted to make a statement to show he's left it all in the past.

And also, I believe Jasper said in Eclipse that Maria was still alive, but I could be wrong about that :-P

Anyway, on this 9-year-anniversary of mine, and until next week,

Stay Awesome

So many kisses and hugs your way!