Chapter 2

My first priority was to call home. They needed to know she was in the area, in case she changed her mind about waiting until tomorrow. I would find an empty office to use for the phone call. Reg was probably still firmly ensconced in ours.

My thoughts were so completely absorbed in my family, I had walked through many corridors before I realized I could smell a very familiar scent. Alice.

I dodged several orderlies in my haste to reach my office. She was there, sitting hunched in the chair beside my desk, hands covering her face. She rushed over to me when I entered, and I automatically opened my arms to embrace her.

Beside me, the newspaper rustled as Reg turned another page. I frowned. This wasn't a good day to be sharing an office.

"Alice, honey, what is it?"

I knew exactly what was wrong, but it would seem odd to Reg if I instead asked her about the future.

Alice looked up. It took her a few seconds to get it out. "Jasper."

"Is he in danger?"

"Maybe ... I don't know."

Reg cleared his throat. "I can cover for you if you need to duck out."

I glanced at the newspaper.

"Thank you. I'll call if I find myself needed for longer than an hour."

I put my arm around Alice, and guided her out the door. We took the service elevator, reducing the possibility of encountering any bleeding patients. My daughter appeared blank most of the time, searching her visions. Once we were in the privacy of my car, speeding towards home, she started talking.

"We were at the mall. The boys were doing food shopping, and Rose and I were looking at a shoe sale, when I saw. I saw your meeting with Maria. I was going to run to the market and tell Jasper, but then I saw him ..."

"Leaving?"

She nodded, and let out a miserable whine.

"He'll want to protect you from her," I reasoned.

"But I can't see him returning! What if she makes him go back to the South? If she invents some tragic story about how she needs him to fight in some campaign or she's going to die—"

"Alice, he would never leave you. If you haven't seen him returning, it's because the future hasn't been decided."

She moaned. "I don't want him to leave even for a single second! I don't want him alone with that harpy! I hate her!"

I looked over in surprise as she bared her teeth and growled.

She clenched her hands around the edge of the seat, squeezing the upholstery. "Why did she have to come looking for him? He left. You think she'd take the hint. That she-demon kept him prisoner in that toxic environment, never giving him the chance to see life outside the South. He could have died in any one of her pointless battles!" She took a breath and looked down. Her tone was quiet when she spoke again. "But … if she didn't turn Jasper, I would never have known him. I hate her for that, too. I hate that I owe her for the center of my life."

I shared her conflict. I loved Jasper as a son, and I couldn't imagine my family without him.

But as much as I despised Maria's use and abuse of humans, I would not know Jasper without her.

If I had come across him as a human, I would never have turned him. Even if he'd been dying. In the 1860s, I hadn't yet accepted that turning a human could ever be an acceptable choice.

I reached over to pat Alice's shoulder.

"Here's what we will do. We'll go home, and have a talk with Jasper. Just us, and Esme. I'll convince him to stay."

She looked blank for an instant, and then she smiled. "You will, too."

She leaned over to hug me as best she could, and I had to adjust my grip on the steering wheel.

"What do I say?" I asked.

"I can't see. You might not say anything. Whatever it is, it changes his mind."

I tried to take heart from this, but Alice's confidence was unique to her. Her visions were an odd thing to contemplate. Will I say the right thing because Alice has given me the confidence to know I will say the right thing? Or will it make no difference, whether I had prior knowledge of my success or not? In the decade that Alice had been a member of my family, I had learned not to consider her gift too closely.

Esme came down to meet us when she heard the car in the garage. Her welcoming hug was just what I needed then, and I missed it when she eventually pushed me back. "Home already?" She studied Alice's expression, and then looked back at me. "What's wrong?"

I listened to the ambient noise, and realized the others weren't home.

"Maria has come looking for Jasper. She made contact with me at the hospital."

"Maria? The Maria?"

I nodded.

She looked quickly to Alice. "Does Jasper know?"

Alice shook her head.

"Alice saw him running away if she told him, possibly to confront her on his own. It seems if we discuss it with him together, we can avoid that situation."

"They'll be home in two minutes," Alice said. She sounded nervous. "They all know something is wrong … Rose told them I abandoned a shoe sale."

Esme smiled, putting her arm around Alice. "Poor Jasper. He'll think you've suffered a mental breakdown."

Alice returned Esme's smile. "Well … the sale is still on tomorrow. And the shoes I want will still be there."

I heard Emmett's truck on the highway near the house, and met Esme's gaze. She nodded once, and looked down at Alice. "Let's go on upstairs, honey."

"I'll bring Jasper up when he arrives," I promised.

I stood looking out the front windows, watching as the boys drove up. Emmett was letting Edward drive, and Jasper sat in the front beside him. Emmett didn't seem particularly affected by the situation … he was trying to interest the others in a movie tonight.

Edward stopped by the door, letting the others out before driving the truck into the garage. Rose was the first inside, carrying bags of shopping in each hand. She stopped when she saw me, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Carlisle, I thought you were ..." She frowned. "We're not moving, are we?"

"No, Rose, not yet." I looked past her, seeing Jasper slipping in quietly behind Emmett. He was looking around, and I had a good idea who he was hoping to see. "Jasper, there's something we need to discuss ... would you mind accompanying me upstairs?"

Jasper met my gaze, radiating worry and concern. Edward appeared in the kitchen doorway, staring at me blankly as he read my thoughts. He folded his arms when he found what he was looking for, and gave me a look like he wished his gift could work both ways.

"It's all right," I assured him. Alice sees a good outcome.

He nodded.

Emmett punched Jasper on the shoulder with his free hand. His other was taken up with two bags of human food. "What have you done, bro?"

"It's probably what he's going to do," Rose mumbled.

"No one has done or is going to do anything," I said, trying not to cringe as I felt Jasper's embarrassment.

"Sure." Emmett slapped Jasper on the back. "Nice knowing you, bro."

"Leave it alone, Em," Edward said mildly. He wandered off towards the lounge, and Emmett followed him, turning back once to grin at Jasper. Rose went to the kitchen to start putting the human food in its correct place. Jasper stood as still as the antique lamp beside him. My reassurance had done nothing for his mood.

I gestured for him to walk up ahead of me, trying to send him some calm. It seemed to help, because he began climbing the stairs.

As soon as he entered my study, Alice leaped up and wrapped her arms around him, knocking him against the wall with the force of her greeting.

I quietly closed the door behind me, and moved to join Esme on the couch. Alice released Jasper, and then pulled her mate over to a chair in front of us. He sat down slowly, and she sat on top of him for good measure.

"Alice, what's wrong?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he looked up at me and Esme. "What is it?"

I was about to talk, when I heard the sound of a stair compressing under the weight of someone's foot. I frowned, and zipped across to open the door. Both Emmett and Rosalie were on the stairs, doing their best to appear completely uninterested.

I sighed.

"All right, come on in, then. Edward, you too. But please, let Jasper be the one to talk."

Whenever we had family meetings, Jasper hardly said a word, unless specifically asked a question. I was sure it wasn't that he had nothing to say; he simply wasn't the kind to interrupt and talk over people, and his siblings provided enough conversation to last an eternity.

Emmett, Rosalie and Edward filed in quietly, and stood in front of my gallery wall.

Jasper appeared highly uncomfortable at being the center of attention. He looked at me with a pleading expression as I returned to my seat beside Esme, and I felt the urge to share the information I had yet to reveal.

"Jasper, I had a visit outside the hospital a short time ago. From Maria."

His eyes widened, and I saw his grip on Alice tighten.

"It's her," Edward confirmed.

"She asked me for safe passage to visit you."

"No," Alice said, slapping Jasper's chest. "You're not going anywhere!"

He looked down at Alice, and then back at me.

"What did you say?"

"I said I would discuss the matter with you, and then meet with her tomorrow to give her your answer. The decision is yours, Jasper."

His gaze became unfocused for a few seconds, and we all felt his anxiety. Then he moved to stand up, shifting Alice aside.

"I won't put anyone in danger on my account. The best thing is if I go and meet with her somewhere else. Far from here."

Alice clung tight, preventing him from standing. "No!"

"I won't have her anywhere near you, Alice."

"I can take care of myself!"

"I could be wrong, Jasper," Esme said quietly, "but it sounds far more dangerous for you to meet with her alone than with all of us present. She would hardly attack you when she was outnumbered seven to one."

I entwined my fingers in hers, squeezing gently.

"Esme's Advanced Tactical Analysis, 101," Emmett said, grinning at his mother.

She gave him an affectionate smile.

"Carlisle said it's my decision, and I decide to go and meet with her alone," Jasper said, radiating determination. I knew he was a second away from using his gift to influence the situation.

"It is your decision," I confirmed, "But you should take into consideration that it will be our decision … no, it will be our duty … to follow you in the interest of your safety. And considering you will be weighed down by Alice, you won't be able to shake us."

Emmett chuckled. "Right on."

Jasper looked at a loss for a moment, clearly realizing his vision of making this a solo mission wasn't a possibility. With Alice seeing the future, and Edward reading his thoughts, he wouldn't be able to sneak off.

He sighed. "You don't know her. She's not like you. Any appearance of civility is just that … an appearance."

"You don't need to be embarrassed by your kooky relatives," Emmett said, folding his arms. "You should meet some of Carlisle's friends." He shuddered. "Besides, I can be more uncivilized than her any day of the week." He winked at Rose.

"What does she want, anyway?" Rose asked, while tickling Emmett under the arm.

"I wish I'd been there," Edward said. "I could have found out. She told Carlisle she just wants to see why Jasper is happier here than in the South, but that could be a front."

"Carlisle, you should tell her to go away," Rose said.

I had kept my eyes on Jasper while the others were talking, trying to gauge his likely course of action. He kept his head down until he heard Rose's suggestion.

"I can't see her giving up easily, not after coming all this way," Jasper said. "It won't be just about looking me up. She must want something."

"Perhaps Edward should accompany me tomorrow. At a distance, in order not to scare her off. But close enough to read her thoughts and confirm her intentions. Alice, do you see any complication with that plan?"

Alice looked blank. "The future keeps changing. But I don't see any of us in danger." She rubbed Jasper's hand and then gave him a pleading look.

He looked at her and they shared a moment of silent communication, and then he addressed me.

"Very well. Tell her I don't wish to see her."

I looked to Esme, and she nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled," she said.

Her tone was calm, but there was worry in her eyes.

The others filed out, Emmett leading the way. He'd quickly lost interest in the situation and was already trying to engage Edward in conversation about the movie he wanted to see. Jasper went last, Alice still clinging to his arm.

Esme stood up, pulling me with her, and reached up to kiss me. "Do you have to go back to work?" she asked.

"It's incredibly tempting to call in sick," I said, running my hands down her back.

"I wouldn't tell on you."

We shared a hug, and then I reluctantly let her go. "I'm hoping Lana will forget she ever saw Maria. It's best if I'm not away too long."

"When did you arrange to meet Maria tomorrow?"

"After midnight, by the lake." I rubbed my head. "She was different than what I expected. So young and small, I find it hard to believe she ever ruled over a large southern territory."

Esme smiled. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"In her case, most definitely." I frowned to myself, remembering the story of Jasper stopping to help Maria, seeing only a lost girl on the road to Galveston. I would have fallen into the same trap.

Esme reached up to kiss me again, and then took me by the hand, leading me to the door. It was a comfort for me to know she would be here with our children while I was at the hospital. From the top of the stairs, I could see them in the lounge.

Rose was lying with her head on Emmett's lap, reading a magazine while her mate watched TV. Neither of them were bothered by the situation, or at least they didn't show it.

Alice and Edward were sitting on the other couch, Edward quietly observing while Alice sketched with a pencil on a drawing pad. I was surprised to find Jasper was absent. Edward looked at me, and then shifted his gaze to the window. I followed his prompt, seeing my third son outside on the deck. His posture was still and alert.

Esme nodded at me as I walked down, knowing I was weighing the wisdom of going out to speak to him before I left. The fact that Alice had decided to give him some space was telling.

It was probably best to leave him alone, but I knew if I did, I would spend the rest of my shift thinking of little else but Jasper.

I used the front door to go out onto the deck, approaching slowly to give him the opportunity to warn me off if he didn't want my presence right now. He didn't move at all from his statue pose, and I took that to mean I was not unwelcome. I rested my arms against the barrier, trying to balance his desire for space and my desire for closeness.

"There's plenty of time to change your mind, if you have second thoughts," I said. "Call me at the hospital if you want to talk it over."

He gave a small nod, while staring straight ahead. I concentrated on how much I cared for him, knowing he would feel it. After a few seconds, he visibly relaxed and looked me in the eyes.

"She's my problem. I want to handle this alone."

"Because you don't want anyone else inconvenienced?"

He nodded. "I cause enough problems for all of you as it is."

Jasper had convinced himself he was a liability right from the first time we had to move due to his actions, and I had never managed to talk him into thinking otherwise. I tried to find ways of involving him more in the work necessary to maintain our human charade, in the hope this would help him feel like an asset. But Jasper felt his failures deeply, and there was little that would budge his negative self-image. Still, I would never let his remarks slide.

"We all cause problems, and we all find solutions for each other. That's part of being a family. We also protect each other. You would do the same for any of us."

Jasper sighed, and nodded once.

I started to leave, but I looked back, deciding there was something I had to ask.

"If it did happen to come to a fight between you and Maria ... do you think you would win?"

Jasper, unlike his brothers, had a very accurate view of his own fighting abilities.

He considered it for a moment. When he replied, he spoke quietly enough that only I would be able to hear. "Physically, I could win. Psychologically ..." he looked away.

"I understand."

"Can you tell her … I send my regards, but I've turned the page on her chapter of my life. And I hope she understands."

"I will tell her."

I touched his shoulder as I left, sending him some love.