Alice was frozen in place.
Not because of the red gaze, she had seen that since she could recall, part of her even found it comforting to an extent.
What had her frozen in place was what that single gaze wielded.
Fear.
Such unfathomable fear it made Alice's throat close. Because he was terrified. Jasper. That wasn't a look she had ever seen on him nor one she wanted to ever see again. Confusion tinged his features. Frustration. Hatred. Anger. Guilt. Desperation.
It felt almost as if he was screaming for help with that single look.
A sniffle shattered Alice's heart and served to snap her out of her shock. She was infront of him in less than a second and the second he had her within reach he clung to her. The fear and desperation in the air intensifying under his touch.
-Hey, it's alright, it's alright, you are alright.- She was quick to sooth as she brought her arms around him. Her fingers scratched his scalp as she focused hard on the comfort and love she wanted him to feel. That same strange acidic scent from before was back. It was strong in the air. Stronger than before.
Much like the stench of human blood.
Strong. Intoxicating.
Had he had something to do with what happened to those robbers? No. Jasper would never kill 5 humans and much less had the necessity to dismember them. It wasn't him.
And still.
-Jazz... What happened?
-... I dun't know. I swear I dun't know. I woke up an' I was covered in human blood an'- I dun't know what happened. I swear I dun't know. I-
-It's alright. I believe you.- Alice was quick to cut off as his tone grew more and more frantic. She believed him of course. He would have no need to lie to her.
But then what was it with the blood? And with that scent? It didn't make sense. Something was horribly wrong but what?
-What's the last thing you remember?- She asked softly.
A moment of silence and then.
-... I was in pain. It was so much worse than before, I couldn't- I couldn't even stand up. It felt as if I was gonna explode. There was so much fire. So much pressure. It wouldn't stop and... Then I woke up covered in blood.- He muttered as he pulled back from the hug. His hand resting on his abdomen.- I'm- I was bleedin'.
His voice sounded both unsure and mortified at his own words.
-Bleeding?- Alice found herself repeating.
-Someone shot me... It wasn't... It wasn't human blood. It was black?- He sounded troubled.
-Let me see.- Alice helped him up and back to the bank of the river before kneeling infront of him.
Her focus settled on his abdomen.
The sight that met her got a soft intake of breath leaving her.
He was bleeding.
Not red. Black.
But he was definitely bleeding. That acidic stench.
It was his blood. How was he bleeding?
-Jazz...
-No. I haven't bled before. I would certainly know.- Jasper told as a statement of fact to Alice's incoming question. There was confusion in her emotions. Bewilderment.
Jasper frowned as he watched Alice pull her scarf off, by the time he realized what it was for it was too late for him to be able to stop her.
-Don't give me that look. I can always buy another one.- Alice said as she pressed the blue scarf against his torso.
-I thought it was limited edition.
-So what? I will wash it or just throw it away who cares? I would rather keep my husband alive than a scarf clean.- Alice told as a statement of fact. Jasper despite all couldn't help but smirk at that.
Silence reigned between them for a moment and then.
-I think we should tell Carlisle.- Alice told. The pain. The robbers. This. Something was definitely going on here.
-Tell him? After what happened yesterday?- Jasper couldn't see things going well. He had shouted at Carlisle before storming off and slamming the door of his studio shut.
But he hadn't been able to help it. There had been so much anger searing his insides and the man was acting so authoritative and unfair that he hadn't been able to keep the explosion from reaching Carlisle.
Now? Now he found it stupid. There had been no reason to get mad. To shout. Much less to storm off. Carlisle had been patient and kind and had wanted nothing more but to understand the reason behind his attack towards Jacob. Which was also frustrating. Because the mutt had been doing nothing. Nothing at all.
But when he saw him so close to Esme he had seen red. All he had wanted was to get the mutt as far from his mother as possible. Far. Far. Annihilate the threat!
-Jazz... if you had something to do with what happened with those humans there could be trouble heading our way, they need to know. And this... You are bleeding. This is not normal. Something is wrong.- Alice told. Jasper frowned.
-What humans..?- Alice glanced up at him as she pulled back to meet his gaze.
-It's all over the news. Those five robbers from the store who took that girl were found mauled at the cabin they had been hiding at. Dismembered. Carlisle said it wasn't a vampire. But not even a bear with rabies could ever pull out such carnage. The whole place was wrecked...
Jasper looked as if he would be sick.
-I did that?- He couldn't help but ask. He had never ripped humans apart. Vampires? Yes. Newborns? Yes. Humans? Never. There was no point on doing that. No necessity.
-Did you?- Alice questioned, just as unsure as Jasper felt.
-I don't know.
He couldn't recall how did he got so bloodied. The gunshot. He couldn't remember how it happened. Which did nothing but put him on edge. He hated not knowing.
-Regardless of what happened... You weren't at fault. You would never hurt someone like that.- Alice told as her hands came to rest on his cheeks. She knew Jasper. No matter how out of it he was he would never cause such harm against a human. There had to be an explanation for this.
Because that look in him told her that he was as clueless as she was here.
Her thumbs rubbed soft circles around his cheeks. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. A pleased sigh leaving his lips.
-I don't want to tell 'em.- Jasper told as his hand came to rest on top of Alice's.- If the wolves find out, regardless of those humans havin' been criminals, we'll have to leave. I broke the treaty by killin' those humans. Bella doesn't deserve to bid her goodbyes to her father so soon and... What if it was him?
Those last words made any incoming protests from Alice die down, Jasper was now looking at her with uneasiness.
She knew what he meant by "him".
The Major.
She had never gotten to meet him but she had had enough visions of Jasper during his time with Maria to know what he was and what he could do.
The Major wasn't someone she wanted to cross. He was... not someone to rationalize with. He was death incarnated. Born for nothing but death and destruction. The darkness Maria had managed to cultivate inside Jasper...
He was dangerous. Too dangerous. The one who had the South trembling in its boots and he who had stood against the Volturi without an ounce of fear. Slaughtering thousands in its wake without remorse.
If he had done this...
-Why would he come out now? Hasn't it been decades since he last surfaced?
-I don't know.- Jasper has never been able to speak let alone face The Major. A darkness that has lived inside of him since he became a vampire. Too ravenous and merciless for him to be able to acknowledge as part of him.
Maria had taken great advantage of it.
He was something Jasper wished for Alice nor the Cullens to ever meet.
Something that were the Volturi to catch wind of it would be his demise. The Major had done terrible things. Broken laws. Challenged the Volturi...
He couldn't understand what would make him resurface after so long and without provocation. Had the pain been that bad? It wouldn't be the first time pain has triggered The Major into surfacing.
Alice for her side bit her lip. If The Major did do that to those humans... the safest thing here was to not tell the Cullens then. She had heard enough of Rosalie and Carlisle through the decades to know that their thoughts about The Major weren't good ones. She had asked them about him a few times when Jasper wasn't around.
Esme found him frightening. Carlisle and Edward saw him as a threat and the reason to avoid stepping into the South at all costs. Rosalie had called him a beast and a monster she hoped to be dead. Emmett had called him a heartless dick.
Were it to be discovered that Jasper was The Major... She had never been able to see the outcome of such situation.
And because of that she sighed and gave up on the idea of telling them about this incident.
She sometimes wondered for how long she would be allowed to keep him by her side. How long before someone found out who he was and he was ripped away from her.
How long before half of her soul was destroyed.
She leaned forward and gave him an Eskimo kiss.
-We should get home before everyone comes back, don't worry, everything will be alright.- She whispered softly. He gave her a short nod.
~~~~~~~~~~
One shower later and Jasper was sleeping on the bed while Alice took it to sew the hole in his abdomen. In fact. He had fallen asleep in the middle of her sewing the bullet wound. She had never sewn skin before but she guessed it couldn't be much different from sewing clothes.
It wasn't.
He didn't even twitch as she worked. And while she should be worried over the fact that he was sleeping she didn't. That was a trait he had developed this past week which while odd it didn't seem to be tied to anything dangerous.
She found it odd though.
How almost human-like his skin felt. But without the warmness. He was still cold. Maybe not as cold as a regular vampire but still cold. At least he had stopped bleeding which was a good sign.
What she still had troubles processing was his hair.
Free of dirt and blood Alice had noticed something while she dried it. A bright white strand right behind his ear.
That's what had her on edge. Because the bleeding. That strand. Something was definitely not right with him.
Hadn't been so for the past few months. Since the near fight with the Volturi to be more precise.
Her attention was brought to the present when a vision of the Cullens arriving hit her. She was quick to finish her task before snipping the thread and pulling his shirt down so as to hide the wound.
And after Alice was done putting the items away she had enough time to get downstairs before the others arrived.
She had worked up a lie with Jasper to explain his red eyes, he stole a bag of blood from Carlisle's studio. She had stole one when Jasper was showering and had buried it quite deep somewhere in the forest.
That was their best shot to be honest.
-Is he back?- Those were Esme's first words the second she caught sight of her daughter.
-Yeah...
Esme sighed in relief at that.
-What did he do?- Edward questioned as he caught on Alice's mannerisms. She looked like she always did whenever Jasper did something.
-That's-
-He didn't kill those humans did he?- Rosalie cut off.
-Of course not. But I believe that what happened is an issue that concerns no one but Carlisle and him.- She stated. Carlisle frowned at that.
-Where is he?- Carlisle asked.
-Upstairs, but you should wait until later if you wanna talk with him, he's... resting.- Alice told as she noticed Carlisle intending to go upstairs. Understatement washed over Carlisle's face.
It was no secret that when Jasper was put under too much emotional input he would grow sort of exhausted and he would put himself in a similar state of that of sleeping but not quite. He could still be aware of his surroundings. He just was too emotionally overloaded to react to it.
It wouldn't be a surprise that he had reached his limit after all that had happened these past weeks.
And it would give Carlisle a reason behind Jasper's attitude from yesterday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time Jasper woke up it was to nothing but such soreness and exhaustion he did nothing but roll on the bed and go back to sleep. The burn in his stomach barely registering.
The second time he felt no better but this time a comforting warmness was eveloping him. Love. Affection. Calm. Fingers threading through his hair and a familiar humming coming from somewhere above him. He sighed in content and let the darkness take him back.
The third time rather than waking up someone was the one who woke him.
Red met brown.
Renesmee was staring at him. Her chin resting on top of her hands which were on the bed. For a moment both of them stared at each other without a word.
There wasn't fear in her emotions. Just plain curiosity.
She has never been afraid of him. That didn't mean he was one to interact with her. Children were weird and he felt awkward interacting with them. Plus. Their emotions were too intense and loud for his liking.
That didn't seem to deter Renesmee's attempts to approach him.
-You smell funny.- Renesmee's voice broke the silence. Jasper couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.
-You smell funny.- He reiterated sitting up and wincing at the pull on his stomach. He should have healed already.- Why are you here?- He asked. Renesmee was most of the time either with her parents, Charlie, Jacob or Rosalie.
-I heard that you weren't feeling well so I came to watch over you.- Renesmee told as a statement of fact as she stood up from her crouching position and took a seat on the bed.
Jasper felt a pang of guilt at her words, she was always so eager at any possibility to interact with him, and he always did so great at avoiding her. He never carried her as a baby either, never allowed himself to be pulled into babysitting duty.
All because part of him didn't trust himself near her. Even if her scent was that of a pleasing perfume he still didn't trust that he wouldn't harm her were he to smell her blood.
And still, despite their near non-existent relationship, she still called him uncle. It was a funny title if he was being honest.
-Do you know where's your aunt Alice?- He questioned, he couldn't feel Alice's emotional signature in the house.
-She went hunting with aunt Rosalie and my mom. Why do you have a white strand of hair?- She asked curiously.
-I dyed it.- Jasper answered easily. Renesmee frowned for a moment before crawling on the bed and sitting at his side. She gave him a serious look, reminding him that she may look like a child but her mind was way wiser than a child's.
Then she proceeded to whisper the oddest question ever.
-Uncle Jasper... Do you have secret ice powers?
He bit back a smirk at that. Sometimes it was easy to forget that smarter than average or not she was still nothing but a child.
-Not that I know of.- He told.
-I promise I won't tell anyone if you do.- She assured seriously. He found it amusing truth be told.
Yet, before he could say anything else, the door opened to reveal one surprised Carlisle, Jasper couldn't exactly blame him, he wasn't exactly known for going anywhere near Renesmee.
-Dear, would you mind leaving us alone? I need to speak with your uncle.- Carlisle requested.
Renesmee gave a short nod before throwing her arms around Jasper who couldn't help but tense under the unexpected gesture.
-Feel better soon.- She said before releasing him and climbing down the bed, running out of the room.
As the door closed behind her Jasper turned to look at Carlisle, red meeting gold. He followed him with his gaze as this one came to sit on the bed.
Silence reigned for a moment.
Then.
-I see you are feeling better.- Carlisle said, there was relief in his emotions, much like there was something akind to guilt and disappointment.
-I am.- Jasper muttered, he knew what the man meant, he only "slept" when his gift became too much to deal with.
Once again silence reigned between them.
-Jasper, I know that you still have a hard time with this diet. I know that these past months hadn't been easy on you, much less this past week. I also know that I may have been a bit too tactless by keeping human blood in this house. But none of that excuses you from stealing and going behind my back.
Jasper didn't answer.
He did had to admit that he thought about stealing that blood a few times. It was stupid for Carlisle to keep human blood stored in a house full of vampires and expect nothing to happen. That was like waving a steak infront of a starving lion and expect this one to do nothing about it.
Still.
-I know, I apologize sir, it won't happen again.- Jasper stated avoiding his gaze and evoking as much shame and guilt as he could. He wasn't an empath for nothing. People often forgot he kept his manipulative charm from his human life, that it didn't just magically disappear after he got his gift.
And each and every Cullen was so easy responding to it.
Alice had learnt long ago to not fall for it though, so there was that.
Carlisle for his side sighed. He had expected himself to get more mad with Jasper once he was well but he couldn't really bring himself to. It wasn't his fault but Carlisle's. He knew Jasper still struggled with this diet and making it known that he kept human blood in his studio hadn't been wise at all.
There was also his lashing attitude from yesterday after attacking Jacob unprovoked. It was no secret how much his mood could deteriorate when his gift got overloaded. He was usually so composed and quiet it was easy to point out when he was declining.
Just that he had never gotten as aggressive as he had done yesterday.
Still.
Jasper never spoke to people when he needed help. He had the habit to think he could deal with everything alone, that sort of thinking had gotten him in a lot of problematic situations.
Like that incident in Canada.
That was still up to this date the worst incident to have ever occurred in school with one of them involved.
Jasper's gift much like Edward's was the kind of gift that could be overloaded. No one knew this at the time so no one could have ever expected to have him having a panic attack. He had locked himself in the locker room but of course one of the teachers eventually got in.
That day had taught everyone the true extent of how Jasper's gift worked.
His gift wasn't like Jane's. He couldn't make people feel false things under an illusion.
No.
His gift quite literally could affect how people's brains worked, could manipulate people's bodies into reacting however he pleased.
At the time his emotions had been so intense and so out of control that when it hit the teacher it had caused her aneurysm to rupture.
Needless to say she ended up in the hospital.
Jasper had disappeared from school and hadn't come back until midnight.
Carlisle hadn't allowed him to go to school for a few months after that. Because the kind of damage Jasper could do with his gift wasn't as harmless as he had first thought. His gift was dangerous. The most dangerous in the house. Alice and Edward's gifts weren't built for fighting like Jasper's. His could do actual damage.
And if he couldn't control it it was better to keep him away from humans who could end up gravely injured. The teacher thankfully hadn't died.
Still.
Back to the issue at hand. Jasper had a terrible habit to keep quiet when he wasn't feeling well. That had rose a few arguments between him and Alice.
Not that that did any good. He was still just as stubborn, and something told Carlisle that the one to blame for his stubbornness over refusing to seek help was Maria.
God knows that woman had messed him up terribly.
It was because of her that despite the years Jasper still held a withdrawn attitude, mostly towards him.
It stung if he was being honest, Jasper was his son and he loved him dearly, so to have him still being so wary of him... it hurt. Because he had tried so many times to bond with him, but all without avail, it was like trying to get past a wall that went up and up with no end whatsoever.
But he also understood that considering his background he wouldn't see on a bright light those with a single sliver of authority over him. He was obedient and quite loyal, but he didn't trust Carlisle.
He didn't seem to trust anyone but Alice.
Carlisle wondered if he would ever warm up to him. If he would ever get to feel like he was more to Jasper than just "the coven leader" or "Carlisle".
But all things considered he guessed he had improved quite a lot compared to how near feral he was when he first arrived.