-This is a waste of time.- Jasper muttered as he stared at the mist outside. Hands resting on the railing.

When he first heard that the Cullens were planning on coming to Canada to join Seth, Paul, Jacob and Leah into the blind search for that rumored pack he hadn't expected it to be so true. In fact.

When Sam found out that the Cullens were leaving and by extension him, he hadn't been happy at all, had sent Quil and Embry along too.

Renesmee had been left with Charlie despite the girl's protests.

She had even hugged him and her sadness had been heavier than it had been since the near fight with the Volturi. It had made his chest ache. A child shouldn't have to feel such emotions.

The ride on the plane had felt odd but it had been quicker and safer than running or driving.

Now here they were, back in Calgary.

Where it all began.

He almost felt nostalgic.

The sudden arms around his waist caught his attention and his hands came to rest on top of her hands. Alice's emotions were bittersweet. Her cheek resting against his back.

-It's not. If there's the slightest chance that you can be saved we will take it.- Alice told, he turned around between her arms, his hands coming to rest on her cheeks, his thumb stroking her jaw as he stared into her golden eyes.

He wanted to stare at her beautiful face while he still could. Wanted to feel her skin and drink in her emotions. Bathe in the warmness that made his chest feel all fuzzy.

Because he had his days numbered and now that he was aware that he would die... He didn't felt particularly panicked, he had always known it would happen, he just didn't expect it to happen so soon and much less in this way.

He bent down and caught her lips in a short kiss before pulling her into a hug, he buried his nose into the crook of her neck. Taking in a deep breath and taking in as much of her scent as he could.

-It will be fine.- Alice assured as her hand came to rest at the back of his head. Coming here when things were so dire... it filled her with a bittersweet feeling. She wasn't sure if to feel nostalgic or what.

Their lives with the Cullens began in Canada. And now their lives with them threatened to end here too. It was such a bad joke. It made her throat burn and her chest ache. Her fingers gripped his shirt as she buried her face into his chest.

She wasn't ready to let him go, who would even be ready to accept that their other half was about to die?

They stayed like that for a while, just relinquishing on each other's emotions.

The sudden clearing of a throat broke them out of their bubble. Esme stood there with the face of a woman with a mission.

-We should leave now.

-Alright.- Alice conceded. Their plan was to split and start searching the forest. Each one of them had with them a cloth with some of Jasper's blood. All in hopes for the scent to be caught by the hopefully-real-pack.

Jasper for his side sighed but still nodded.

Splitting up to search a forest the Cullens knew like the palm of their hand wasn't that much of an issue. The wolves would go a bit further into the mountains while the rest would look across the perimeter of the forest.

Alice and Jasper had stuck together for it was safer for him to not be alone. She scouted the ground and he took it to take leaps from tree to tree. Taking in deep breaths and using his gift to feel his surroundings for any presence.

But nothing was coming up.

Not a sliver of scent at all.

And then shit happened.

As Jasper took a leap and landed a whiplash of agonizing ripples seized his knees. The surprising odd ripple making him lose balance and drop among the branches that snapped and cracked under his weight.

-Jasper!

Alice's shout was followed with him landing right on Alice. Both of them crashing on the ground. The air left his lungs as he sucked in a sharp breath under the impact. For a moment silence reigned between them.

And then.

-You are bleeding.- Alice's panicked voice caught his attention and he sat back. Letting her straighten up too. He stared at the growing stain of black across his side. The shirt had been ripped and he couldn't help but find fascinating that a single fall from a tree had managed to harm him.

Of course Alice didn't find it as fascinating for she snatched the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. There was a gash on his side that gave no signs of healing anytime soon.

-We should call Carlisle. It doesn't seem to be healing.- Alice said as she checked the gash on Jasper's side. Concern clear in both her face and emotions.

-I'm fine, it will heal.- Jasper assured pulling his shirt back down and putting pressure on it.- Come on. We should keep lookin'.- He told before standing up and offering his free hand to her.

Alice took it but she didn't seem convinced. He gave her a peck before washing her emotions with calm.

-I'll heal. I always do, don't worry, just 'cause I can bleed it doesn't mean I'm frail.- He told her as statement of fact. Alice didn't seem convinced but she still nodded.

-Fine.

It wasn't fine.

Half an hour later and she still could smell the intense scent of his blood. So intense and fresh. The stain on his shirt had gotten bigger and he was looking too pale for comfort. His gaze too dark and a thin black co-web had spread across his cheek.

-What? I'm fine.- He told as he noticed her look, but even he had a hard time believing it. He felt... not right. His head hurt and the gash wouldn't stop burning nor throbbing. It wasn't comfortable at all and to top it all the world would zoom out at times.

He wasn't fine. He was, maybe, losing a bit too much blood.

-Let's go home for now.- Alice said as she reappeared at his side as he stumbled. Her grip firm. Jasper bit back any protests.

He let Alice lead the way back home.

~~~~~~~~~~~

-Maybe you should stay here, you are in no condition to go walking around.- Carlisle said, he wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Jasper's skin was so easy to stitch on, like a human's.

-I'm not sittin' here while everyone else goes out. I'm not some damsel in distress who needs others to save me.- Jasper couldn't help but snap. He didn't want to sit here and do nothing.

-I'm not saying you are, I'm perfectly aware of what you are capable of. But I don't think it's safe for you to go walking around with this weather when even a tree can harm you, what if you get sick? You are hurt now, I won't have you exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.

-But-

-I know you aren't fond of relying on others, but at least try to do so now, just this time, please?- Carlisle requested as he finished stitching the wound. Jasper didn't seem pleased at all with his words, in fact, he was glaring at the wall, he liked to do that whenever Carlisle tried to talk to him about relying or trusting others.

Carlisle had come to figure out through the years that Jasper's reaction was based on the fact that most of the time he wasn't sure how to react to being spoken with such calm, kindness or understanding.

He can still remember the first time he scolded him. Even now he could still see the scratch on the wall from where Jasper had slammed the chair against after Carlisle assured him he wasn't mad over his slip.

Jasper was... a complicated character he couldn't still decipher. The untamed vampire who had a hard time trusting others but that wouldn't hesitate a second to help whoever needed it.

-I killed those humans at the campsite.- Jasper's sudden words caught his attention and for a moment he wasn't sure on how to react. The unexpected confession catching him off guard.

But if he gave it thought... part of him had suspected it. After what Sam had said and then what Jacob had told them along with the fact that he had developed glowing eyes... He had had a suspicion that Jasper had been the one who had done that.

And while he knew that was wrong at least those humans hadn't been innocent. And he hadn't harmed the abducted child. Plus. If he acknowledged that fact there would have been a higher chance for the pack to find out and regardless of those humans' actions they were still humans.

They wouldn't have reacted well.

-I don't remember it but I did woke up soakin' in blood. I kept it quiet 'cause I thought that The Major had done it.- He was still staring at the wall when he said those last words.

When he first arrived he had chose to lie. About his past. His gift. Everything.

Because the Cullens didn't need to know that he could blind people with rage. Drive them mad with pain. To death with despair. Or that he could pierce people's emotional signature and force their bodies to biologically react certain ways.

Or that he could bring entire armies to the ground if he put his mind to it. It was hard considering the kind of focus he needed for it but not impossible. It was this feat what gave him the name of The God Of War. He who ruled any battlefield he stepped on. Once he stepped on it it was certain victory. He was a force to reckon. A merciless and vile killer. Skilled and cruel. His skills and gift made him one of the most dangerous vampires to ever exist. A vampire with no humanity left.

He was The Major.

The South's Terror that made the South tremble in its boots for decades. The one vampire who went against nature and held a bite no one else could understand. He gave the southern vampires their terrible fame of bloodthirsty killers. Still. He dissapeared in 1940. People thought him dead. He was meant to be dead.

Which good.

That's what he wanted.

If he was dead he could start with a clean slate.

And start with a clean slate he did.

He thought this life could be his forever.

But now that his death was imminent... He didn't see reason to keep up the lies. He wanted them to know the truth before he died. He didn't want to die with lies on his back.

Carlisle's shock was deafening. Surprise. Disbelief.

Flash of fear.

~~~~~~~~

Carlisle felt himself freeze at Jasper's words.

The Major? Had he heard right? What did Jasper had to do with The Major? That vampire was... not one Carlisle wanted to cross.

But something told him that had happened and he hadn't even noticed it.

And all of a sudden a lot of things made sense. The unnatural amount of scars. Maria's obsession with him. His skills. His odd knowledge about newborns. The insinuation that he trained armies of newborns to fight. His gift.

All of it.

All this time he had had living under his nose the one vampire who all vampires in their right mind hoped to never cross in their lives.

And still. Despite the flash of fear he couldn't for the life of him bring himself to fear him as much as he had feared the stories about him.

Because all he could see was a broken boy who had suffered way too much in life, all he could think about was how skittish and withdrawn he had been when he first arrived, how the sole action of touching him could make him flinch, the panic attacks whenever he got overwhelmed or grabbed out of nowhere.

How could he fear that?

How could he fear someone who would get all excited over the simplest of things in life? Someone who tried so hard to be better? Jasper had one of the kindest souls he had ever met. Regardless of what he did in the past Carlisle knew that he was no longer that person.

He was tense now. More than Carlisle ever remembered seeing him. Uneasiness oozing off of him and fingers curled into fists.

And still he had such a dejected look. Almost as if he was expecting Carlisle to reject him or something.

He had the sudden wonder if this was the reason Jasper was still so withdrawn despite the years. Maybe he was scared that they would reject him once the truth came out, thus, he refused to get attached.

-Jasper, regardless of what happened in the past I need you to understand that that doesn't define who you are. You are not that person anymore.

Carlisle's words caught Jasper off guard and he couldn't help but glance at the man.

-You belong in this family, no matter what happens or what you become, you will always belong in this family. And in this family we help each other, you can rely on us, none of us will rest until we find these people, if there are rumors that means someone must have seen it, and we won't give up until we find them, okay?

Carlisle's words...

-Why do you care so much? The venom in my veins isn't even yours... Wouldn't it be easier to just send me away? You've no responsibility whatsoever over me.- Jasper found himself saying.

-Didn't you hear what I just said? You are part of this family, you are my son, we may not be related in any way but I still love you as if you were mine, if anything happened to you it would pain me greatly, understand? As your father it's my job to make sure you are safe, and I won't rest until I know your life is no longer in danger.- Carlisle told firmly.

Jasper wasn't sure what to make of the odd warmth in his chest. It was such an odd swirl of warmth and it made his throat burn. It made his shoulders drop and his chest hurt. Not an uncomfortable pain but a nice one? He couldn't understand it. Those words... He didn't even knew he needed to hear them.

The weight of his honesty alone made him feel so strange.

And then there were arms around him. For a moment he couldn't help but tense but it didn't last long for that weird warmness and pain in his chest increased. Much like the heat in his throat.

A sound stuck at the back of his throat. One he refused to acknowledge as a sob. But the venomous tears that began running down his cheeks made it impossible to not acknowledge.

And he hated how he clung to Carlisle as if he were a damn child. He wasn't even sure why was he crying, but the feeling in his chest seemed to be the culprit, and he couldn't stop the damn tears.

He hated the circles being rubbed on his back and he hated the comfort washing over him. He hated it all.

Because deep down he craved his comfort like he had never done. It could be because death was imminent. Because he would lose this family he had started to finally accept as his. Like he could fit here.

He was gonna lose Alice.

-Everything is going to be alright, we will solve this.- Carlisle assured firmly, hugging Jasper wasn't something he had ever dared to do considering his known aversion for unnecessary physical contact, but the way he had reacted to his words...

Something about his eyes had pushed Carlisle to hug him, he hadn't expected him to break down on him, and there was something about hearing him cry that made him feel too lost for comfort.

All of this mess... had Maria turned him knowing what he was? What would eventually happen? Or had it been just pure coincidence?

If they managed to find the pack in time and Jasper managed to survive... would leaving him with the pack be safer? What would the Volturi do if they found out that a werewolf had been turned into a vampire and survived? Moreover one from the Labonair bloodline? Carlisle wasn't stupid.

He knew that that bloodline was one of the two most powerful bloodlines among werewolves. Bloodlines the Volturi made sure to eradicate, eliminate the royals and the werewolves would grow disorganized enough to become easy targets.

He wondered if that's how Jasper came to those witches. Had his biological parents abandoned him with witches in hopes to hide him from the Volturi?

If things turned out alright he would have to do something about that mark. He couldn't allow anyone to see it. That mark alone was enough to put a target on his back. It would make it harder to convince the Volturi that he wasn't a danger were the situation to arise.

And Carlisle knew that it would arise.

No one could ever hide from the Volturi forever. Much less them.

He just hoped he could protect his family when the time came.