A/N Thanks again for all your reviews. And hey, this time you didn't have to wait so long for an update. Yeah me!

Anyhow, you are probably wondering what kind of welcome will await Jasper at casa Whitlock. So without further delay, I give you the next installment.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

I made it to Colorado, Peter's and Charlotte's current choice of residence in record time. It only took me a little over 36 hours to get there. In order to be able to drive at high speed, I had been avoiding the major roads. And I had been fortunate. No cop had stopped me, and my car hadn't broken down again. That and the sole need to stop to get gas, made it possible to arrive at their house before my passenger had awoken from her unconscious state.

The entire trip the girl next to me didn't move or even make a sound. I had to glance over to her pretty frequently, since her emotions didn't give anything away. Her heartbeat has gotten stronger, and from what I could tell she was now indeed sleeping. That was proof that she was making good progress in her recovery. For a moment there I wondered if she was comfortable, in this awkward half sitting, half laying position. But then again, pushing the seat as far back as possible was the only thing I could do for her right now … and it was a nice thing to start with.

I didn't know what I would have done, if she'd awoken prematurely. Since my power didn't seem to work on her, I would have no means to keep her calm, well other than to knock her out. Oddly, that idea made my gut twist and turn.

Here we go again with the awkward, touchy feelings … I moaned. I could hardly wait to get to Peter. Not to get rid of her, but to find some much needed answers.

As always my friends had taken residence far away from any human population, in the depths of the woods. This time it was at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Yes, they fed of humans, but they never hunted close to where they were living. It was a necessary precaution; one I couldn't relate to due to my unwillingness to settle down permanently or temporarily even, but it was one I could understand. We needed to be careful with everything, not to raise any kind of suspicion, which was why Peter and Charlotte constantly changed their hunting ground.

The house was fairly easy to reach by car, which was certainly a plus this time. I really had no intention to carry the girl, since touching her had such a reverse effect on me.

I finally pulled up in front of the house, and shut down the engine. The house was two stores high, and in my opinion definitely too big for just two people. Who did need so much space? Especially a vampire, who was neither in need for sleep or in need for a place to cook, which made at least two rooms obsolete … but besides that, I liked what I saw. The house was entirely made of wood, which was probably why I liked it so much. It had a homey feel, despite its size, reminding me of my human days. I could actually see myself, getting comfortable here … if only for a duration of my probably short stay.

I could sense that both Peter and Charlotte were home. And not a second after I'd climbed out of the car, Peter was by my side.

"Hey, Major! We didn't know you were coming. To what do we owe this pleasant surprise?" He greeted me with this trademark grin.

"I'd thought I'd come visit you guys early this year." I replied, nonchalantly. "I hope I don't come at a bad time." I added in a playful tone, earning me a wholehearted laugh from my brother.

"Well not this time. But you know you are always welcome here." He said, his eyes drifting from me to the sleeping girl on the passenger seat. "Who's your friend?"

I didn't get the chance to answer his question, to explain the situation. His mood suddenly changed 180, from playful to full-blown angry. His eyes were fixed on the girls exposed neck, on the scar I'd left there. His back tensed, and he let out a low, menacing growl. I knew I was in trouble. But I had no idea what for. I couldn't imagine it was because I brought a human with me. Despite the fact that we all used to dine on human blood, we weren't ruled by bloodlust. As long as we fed regularly, our self-control was just fine. So we had no problem to interact with them, whenever necessary.

I tried to get his attention with a fake cough, but he just spared me one meaningful look, telling me to shut the hell up. Under different circumstances I wouldn't have followed his silent demand. But this was his turf, his home, and I was only a guest. And therefore I had to follow his rules.

Charlottes chose this exact moment to make her appearance in the yard. "Hey, Jasper, welcome home." She greeted me enthusiastically. She didn't seem to have sensed anything amiss yet.

Peter turned around, facing his wife. "Char, sweetheart, please take Jasper's friend upstairs and make sure she is comfortable. I'll be right there. I just need to have a word with the Major … in private." His voice was cold, almost detached, but otherwise he kept his emotions mostly in check, not wanting to scare his mate.

Charlotte finally caught on. The tension in the air was palpable. I could feel her confusion, but also her resolve to carry out Peter's order without any hesitation. She didn't respond with words, only with her actions. She moved quickly to the passenger side of my car, opening the door and pulling the sleeping human into her arms. The girl didn't budge, still completely out of it, which was probably a good thing under the circumstances. Charlotte gave me one last fleeting, inquisitive look, before I watched her flitting back into the house, cradling the girl in her arms, almost protectively. It looked kind of funny, since Char was slightly smaller, but I didn't dare to laugh. Peter's sudden mood change was still bothering me, making me rather edgy.

"Come with me." Peter ordered quietly, far too calmly for my liking. Something was up I just didn't what. He turned his back on me, making his way into the surrounding woods. He had managed to clamp down his feeling, like so many times before. But I knew that this time he hadn't done so to spare me, quite the contrary. This was not a favor, but a strategy. He was hiding his true intention from me. I could tell from the tension in his back, that he was pissed. Every fiber of my being screamed at me, to stay on guard, to be prepared for a fight, but this was my best friend, my brother. It was hard to think of him as my enemy. Maybe the knowledge that I was more skilled than him, when it came to man on man combat, gave me the false sense of security.

Peter walked deep into the woods, and I followed him wordlessly. It was obvious by now that he really wanted to talk to me without being overheard by his mate. I just couldn't imagine why. He came to a sudden halt in a small clearing, but didn't turn around to face me. I could hear him breathing hard, like he was trying very hard to calm himself. What the fuck was wrong with him?

I left a few feet distance between us, just in case, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, rubbing the back of my head. I could take the suspense any longer. "Look, Peter, if it is a problem for you and Char, I'll just leave and take the girl with me …"

Apparently that was the absolute wrong thing for me to say. Without any warning Peter whipped around, grabbing my right upper arm, and hurling me through the air. I impacted with a nearby tree, almost uprooting it. Because his attack had taken me by surprise, I didn't even manage to land on my feet. Instead I landed flat on my stomach. A second later Peter was on my back, pinning me securely to the ground, using his entire body weight.

"You will do no such thing." He growled into my ear, venom dripping from his mouth, barely missing my skin.

I finally had enough of this. I used all my skills to free myself from his restraint. I managed to get a hold of one of his arms, using all my strength to throw him of over my shoulder. He landed a few feet away. Peter was one of the strongest vampires I've ever met, but he was no match to me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I snarled, crouching, ready to attack him. He got up, but he showed no indication to attack me again.

"What wrong with you, brother?" He spat, shaking with anger. I only allowed him feel what he was feeling, because I knew better than to use my gift on him, when he was like that. even though it seemed an impossibility at the moment I was fairly certain that he would calm down eventually … on his own. He just needed to get it all out. "Since when do you keep a pet? And what the hell did you think by bringing her here. Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what that hell-bitch had done to my mate?" Hurt and disappointment was evident in his voice and his face, but not only that, he let me feel it as well, almost crushing me with its weight.

I left my defensive crouch at once, slumping against a nearby tree trunk. How could I have been so careless? Guilt and shame threatened to consume me very quickly.

By bitch he'd meant my creator, Maria. Of course I haven't forgotten. As a vampire I would never have the luxury to forget anything. If we were lucky we could manage to suppress the most unpleasant memories ... but only until a word, a sound or even a whiff would trigger them. Just like now …

Countless pictures of Maria torturing Charlotte when she was still human came to the forefront of my mind.

My creator was the most sadistic vampire I knew, feeding on humans over and over again, using them as refillable blood bags, instead of just draining or turning them. She had taken great pleasure to cause them pain, unnecessary pain in my opinion. More than once Maria had tried to persuade me to take a human pet as well, but in the end I'd made her believe that I wasn't strong enough to withstand the temptation their blood represented. She knew that she couldn't force me to do it, so eventually she gave it up.

Biting a human didn't always result in turning them, only the insertion of our venom into their bloodstream would accomplish the task. It was mostly a choice, a kind of conscious act actually … but only for an older, more practiced vampire. The younger ones usually had no need for such a skill anyway, since they were driven solely by their bloodlust, hence their nonexistence of self-control over the production and usage of their venom.

Poor Charlotte had to endure this torture of being repeatedly fed upon for almost half a year, longer than any other human. Actually she had been the only one to survive this in the end, well more or less. She was finally rewarded (Maria's term not mine). I had been the one to turn her into one of us. For a minute there I had considered disobeying Maria's order, and just giving her the only true reward – death. But her feelings of gratitude and longing made me change my mind, and go through with the plan in the end.

What I hadn't known back then was the fact that Peter had already fallen in love with her, and she with him. Sure, I'd known that he had been the one to take care of her, see to her human needs, like getting food, and tending to her wounds, but nothing more. They'd only managed to keep their true feelings hidden from me, because I'd never seen them together. They both had been very careful, knowing that the discovery of their relationship would have meant the death for both of them.

But Peter has always been very cunning, which was part of the reason he and his mate had managed to escape a year later … with a little help of their friend. Me. I'd thought I'd owed it to them both. It was the least I could have done to atone for my sins. And five years later they had repaid the favor, by coming back for me.

Char once told me that it has been Peter's love and strength that had kept her fighting for survival in the first place. They really were meant to be together … for better or worse, and all that romantic crap.

I finally found my voice again. "I'm sorry, Peter, I hadn't thought how it might look." I said, sending him my sincerity along with my apology. Peter sank to the ground, yet avoiding to look at me, but at least he was willing to hear me out. "Just so you know she is not my pet. You know very well, that I've never agreed with Maria's torture measures, any of them, quite the contrary." And with that last statement it was clear if I wanted Peter's help, I had to give up my plans to feed on the girl again, at least not without her permission.

Fat chance she is going to give you that … My demon protested, weakly though.

We will see … I shot back. I was more than surprised, but he seemed to be somehow appeased with my snappy comeback. Whatever … I was just glad, because dealing with one opponent was all I could handle at the moment.

As always, Peter was oblivious to my inner argument. "But you fed of her." It was a statement not a question. After seeing the evidence with his eyes, there was no way to deny it.

"Yes I did." I affirmed.

"But why haven't you drained her, or just left her there, if you couldn't finish the deed? Why bring her here?" Peter demanded.

"I wanted to drain, believe me … it was really hard to stop at all. Her blood tastes like nothing else I've ever experienced …" I stopped, when I heard his warning growl.

Okay, getting of topic here, I chastised myself.

"Anyhow … Maybe it'd best I start at the beginning. I stumbled across her two days ago …" I told him everything from the first moment I'd laid eyes on her until I'd placed her in my car, and took off. I skimmed the detail of my inner musings, just giving him the cliff notes. He listened quietly, getting calmer with each passing moment. Well, at least there was that. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't think it would be prudent to leave her there, not with all the unknowns. Hell I don't even know her name." I groaned in frustration.

Peter finally met my eyes. And the jerk was smirking at me. "She must be something real special to have you so wound up tight … I mean aside from the exceptional taste of her blood, which you won't get to sample again. Do I make myself clear?" I nodded once, rolling my eyes. "Well then … let's go back to house, and wait for her to wake up. I have to say from what you've just told me, I find myself mightily intrigued as well. She knows about us … but she is still alive. It's a miracle!" He jumped on his feet, leading the way. He was his old self again, all fun and enthusiasm.

"Yeah, she is quite the puzzle." I murmured, getting up myself.

We walked slowly back to the house. To be honest I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I took solace in the fact that I had Peter on my side now … sort of.

A/N Well … that wasn't the warm welcome Jasper had hoped for. But can you blame Peter for his reaction. I certainly do not, given the circumstances. How do think Charlotte will react?

I hope that chapter answered the question why the human girl hadn't been changed when Jasper had bitten her. No venom had entered her system, and now you know why. Well at least part of the reason ;-)

Until next time. Leave me some love.