A/N I'm sorry for taking so long to update, I've been dealing with a lot of studying, homework, and personal issues. Thank you for all the reviews and alerts, and I assure you I read every one. Enjoy the chapter XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, SM does.

Previously

Before either of them could react, the vampires had somehow managed to open their mouths and held the human's neck over their mouths. Blood filled their mouth, but they refused to swallow. Dumping the bodies to the side, Fred and Randall grabbed them by the throat, causing them both to instinctually swallow.

Once the heavenly blood slid down their throats, Bella and Peter could not stop themselves. They grabbed the bodies and latched on to the necks, draining them of the remainder of their blood. When finished, their vision cleared and Bella was horrified.

Glaring hatefully at her brother and Maria, she backed away, stood up, and ran away.

Peter, shooting an exasperated look at Jasper, followed her.

Chapter Four: Punishment

Bella ran to the clearing that they had been training in before and sat with her back against a tree, eyes closed. How could Jasper just stand there and not even try to help her? She knew that he had to act a certain way around Maria and the other newborns, but surely he could have done something?

She could hear Peter approaching and waiting a few feet across from her. Her eyes opened and tears that would never fall filled her eyes. "Why does he hate me, Peter?"

Peter sighed and sat down beside her. "He doesn't hate you. He's trying to protect you."

Bella snorted. "Yes. He was protecting me by standing idly by while we were forced to drink from an innocent."

Peter shook his head. "You don't see it do you? He loves you and he knows that if Maria sees how close you two are, that she'll use you against him again."

Bella understood, but it had still hurt her. "Why is it that every time he tries to protect me, I end up getting hurt anyway? Maybe it's some sort of sign that I'm not meant to be loved. Look at me. I've been broken beyond repair." She gave him a pointed look, reminding him of their situation.

Peter tilted her chin up and stared into her eyes. "You are definitely capable of being loved! You're beautiful, smart, and strong. And darlin', any man would be lucky to have you as their mate."

Bella smiled up at him weakly, the sincerity in his voice impossible to miss. Before she knew it, she found herself leaning forward, pressing her lips to his.

As soon as their lips met, a shock went through both of them and Bella gasped, her hands traveling up to his hair and pulling him closer. Peter groaned and pushed her to the ground, attacking her lips with more fervor. She moaned as his hips pressed into her, only slightly easing the painful ache that was growing between her legs. She lightly bit his lip and at the same time, shifted her hips up to meet his, causing him to growl. Encouraged, her hands trailed down to his pants, trying to undue them.

Peter immediately jumped away from her, fighting to clear the haze that he was in. Everything in him was urging him to go back to her and claim her, his inner beast snarling MINE! As he took unneeded, gasping breaths, his mind cleared and he couldn't believe what he had done. He had almost taken advantage of his best friend's sister when she was in a vulnerable emotional state. Jasper would kill him if he found out. With a mumbled, "I'm sorry," to Bella, he took off back to camp.

Bella sat up and quickly adjusted her clothes, rejection washing over her. She knew Peter meant well when he said that any man would love her, but she found that hard to believe when not even Peter himself could stand to touch her, love her.

She visibly straightened as she sensed her brother running rapidly towards her.

Jasper rushed over to her and looked her over. "Are you all right? I saw Peter run back to camp and his emotions were all over the place. Did he hurt you?" He tested her emotions, but found that she had closed herself off from him.

Bella responded with a shaky voice. "I'm fine. He must be worried about something else. You know how he gets when his gift warns him about something that he can't work out."

Jasper nodded, deciding not to argue with her about it. It didn't take a genius to work out that something was going on with Peter and Bella. He focused on what he'd come to do. "I'm sorry, for not stopping what Maria did to you, but if she saw me protect you, I knew she'd find a way to hurt you even more. And I couldn't take it if something else happened to you."

Bella smiled softly and hugged him, seeing a part of her brother that she hadn't seen in a while. The protective big brother that would do anything for her. "Nothing else will happen to me. I can protect myself now."

Jasper hugged her back, but couldn't agree with her. Maria could be very cunning when it came to figuring out how to hurt or punish someone. He only hoped that she was right.

A Month Later

Things had been awkward between Bella and Peter since that day. Bella was still a bit hurt from it but had become resigned to the fact that perhaps Peter did not return her feelings.

Peter did have feelings for her but resolved to keep things strictly platonic between them, not wanting to become anything more when she was so emotionally vulnerable. He didn't want her to regret anything that happened between them.

Since then, they had silently resolved to just forget that it had ever happened. And they definitely didn't want Jasper to find out about it.

Which brought them to this day. Bella and Peter were now helping Jasper to train the newborns that Maria had brought them a few weeks ago. They were a rather unruly bunch and they had all suffered bites from them. When Bella had first been bitten, Peter had gone into a rage and would have destroyed the newborn that had done it if Jasper hadn't restrained him.

Afterwards, Jasper had made Peter go hunting, explaining that it was likely that his newborn tendencies were just now starting to present themselves. Bella somehow doubted it, but couldn't figure out any other explanation for his strange behavior.

From then on, Peter did not attack the newborns, but when it was his turn to train the select few that had harmed Bella, he found a way to punish them. He just couldn't stand the fact that someone had marred her skin.

Bella usually just laughed it off, saying that it made her look more dangerous and made others feel more reluctant to try to take her on.

Bella and Peter were definitely not as experienced fighters as Jasper, but they were certainly far more skilled than any of Maria's newborns. They rarely saw Maria much at all, as she was always 'away', supposedly gathering information on other armies they planned to fight in order to gain more territory. She always left Jasper in charge, something she had done several times even before Bella and Peter joined her army.

Once Maria had seen Bella and Peter fighting the other newborns, she decided to promote them to Captains, answering only to Jasper and herself. They were observing the newborns now as Maria walked towards them.

She went over to Jasper and trailed her hand down Jasper's arm, gazing up at him lustfully. Bella could see Jasper visibly stiffen in response and Maria purred. "Oh Major, don't be that way. We enjoy each other's company, do we not?" She winked at him and Bella had to fight to keep her hiss at bay. She knew that Maria practically forced Jasper to have a sexual relationship with her and it angered her that there was nothing they could do about it.

Maria sighed and straightened, her eyes narrowing. "Very well. I'll deal with you later. We will be fighting Juan's army in two days time. I expect the newborns to be ready by then."

Peter's eyes widened. "Two days! Why so soon?"

Maria glared at him. "How dare you question me! Why not now? You've been training for two weeks now and I want them to fight at the peak of their strength. We march in two days and that's final." And with that, she flitted away, presumably towards her tent.

Jasper glanced at Bella and Peter. "Are you sure you're ready to do this? After this, there's no turning back."

Peter rolled his eyes. "We will fight with you for as long as you're here."

Bella nodded in agreement. "I won't leave you here alone with that bitch." She turned to Peter with a twinkle in her eye. "Mock fight in the clearing?"

He grinned. "I do need to gain back my pride somehow." He looked at Jasper. "Coming?"

Jasper shook his head. "I'll stay here with the newborns."

They shrugged and took off, arriving at what they called 'the clearing' since they had cleared up the area so much due to their fighting. They faced each other, circling and eyeing the other appraisingly.

Seconds later, they attacked, the loud thunderous sound of them colliding resounding around them. They recovered and Bella attacked him, trying to maneuver through his defenses, going for the 'kill.' But Peter returned her attacks blow for blow. Frustrated, Bella began to attack him with renewed fervor, using her emotions to power her moves. Peter narrowed his eyes and did the same. Their growls and snarls were the only sounds heard, their fighting having scared most of the wildlife away. As Peter began to strike several well-aimed hits in succession against her, Bella's anger caused her to kick him almost thirty feet away.

Snarling, he jumped up and almost charged towards her, his instincts screaming for him to win the fight. He collided with her, dodging her snapping teeth and struggling limbs. He pinned her to the ground, his teeth inches from her throat. "I really hope you're more effective in battle."

Bella, smirking, looked up at him. "Ahh, Petey. I let ya win. Couldn't have you moping around in defeat forever." She easily maneuvered herself from under him and they both got to their feet. She patted him on the back. "Nice fight, Peter. Now let's go eat."

Two Days Later

They were all waiting impatiently for Maria to show up and tell them their next move. The newborns were getting restless and it was frustrating that she would make them wait for her when she had practically ordered them to be ready.

Minutes later, she finally showed up, a slight smirk on her face. "My apologies, I was finishing up a few things." They could practically tell from the tone of her voice that she was lying.

Jasper straightened and settled into the stance of a soldier. "Where do we march?"

Maria smiled. "Juan's army is gathered only a few miles from here. Go west for about two miles and you should be able to follow the scent from there. Good luck, mi soldado." And with that, Maria walked away into her tent.

Bella turned confusedly to Jasper. "She's not coming with us?"

Jasper snorted. "Maria never fights. She just sends out her soldiers to gain more territory."

Bella scowled. "Well, let's get this over with, shall we?"

They sped off, Jasper leading, Peter and Bella not too far behind him with the newborns trailing behind them. For once, the newborns were somewhat calmed, since they knew that if they won this battle, they would get more blood.

The scent of many vampires became even more pronounced the closer they got to the area that Maria had told them they were gathered. When they were about a half mile away from them, Jasper lifted one hand to halt them. "We will have to be careful from here on. We still have the element of surprise and I want to work that to our advantage."

He cast a calculating look on their group. "I will take half of the group and attack dead on. Bella, you will take half of the remaining newborns and attack from right, Peter will attack from the left with the rest of the newborns. Any questions?"

Peter shook his head, his face serious. He didn't want anything to happen to either of them but knew that this must be done or they would be punished.

Bella grimaced but said nothing. She just wanted to get over this battle as quickly as possible. Though she hated the thought of killing, there was no other alternative.

Jasper nodded. "I'll go first. Attack from your areas in fifteen seconds."

He took off with his group of newborns and it didn't take long for them to hear the growls and snarls in the distance. With a grim nod to Peter, they ran to attack from their separate directions.

As they arrived in the midst of battle, Bella noticed that Juan's newborn army was scampering around. There was no order to their counterattacks. They really had caught them off guard.

Bella saw that Jasper was fighting newborns left and right, almost going through them as if they were annoying flies. Peter had a very determined look on his face, his every move carefully calculated.

Snapping out of her scrutiny of her companions' progress, Bella delved into battle. Her first opponent was a burly male. His bright red eyes identified him as a newborn and Bella ducked to avoid his attacks. She smirked at him as he swung at her, obviously relying too much on his strength in his attacks. She dodged to the side, and easily dismembered him, leaving his pieces there to be disposed of later. She allowed herself to sigh in satisfaction before turning to find her next victim.

Bella was almost immediately assaulted by two volatile newborns. Their eyes were crazed and didn't even seem to be focused on destroying her, rather attacking someone else in general. She simply stepped to the side and moved on, seeing them attacking each other in her peripherals.

This went on for several minutes, and Bella lost count of how many newborns she destroyed. She had received bites from several newborns when more than one attacked her at once. She tried her best to ignore the sting of the venom and was just turning to look for who she would attack next, when she felt two arms wrap around her midsection.

Bella struggled to release herself from the vampires grasp, hissing and snarling to get out of his grip. Remembering her training, she stilled, relaxing her muscles and was able to slip out of the vampire's grasp. Spinning around, she confronted him with a growl.

This vampire was definitely one of the more experienced vampires and she narrowed her eyes as she shrewdly figured out her next move. He smiled at her malevolently, his eyes almost mocking her, clearly assuming that she would be an easy target.

Bella hissed at him once more and attacked him, tearing off one of his limbs in the process. He roared and charged at her, obviously surprised that she didn't attack like any other newborn. His arm lay twitching on the ground and venom leaked from his shoulder.

Bella smirked at him and stepped aside at the last second. "That had to hurt."

He snarled and ran at her once more, managing to land a blow to her chest that sent her reeling into the air, but she was able to land in a crouch a few feet away. She narrowed her eyes and faked like she was going to rip off his other arm and instead leaped into the air, planning to behead him.

But she wasn't fast enough since he grabbed hold of her arm and nearly wrenched it off. Bella grimaced and jerked away, pushing her dislocated shoulder back in place. She glared at him, now more determined than ever to destroy him.

Bella ran towards him and slid between his legs, quickly rising up and jumping on his back, ripping his head off of his shoulders before his hands could throw her off him.

Triumphantly, Bella removed the rest of his limbs and turned to survey the battlefield. She gasped as she saw the devastation around them. Body parts were scattered all around the ground, most of them twitching and trying to reattach themselves back to their bodies. A sickly scent made her wrinkle her nose. Someone had started a fire and were burning the body parts.

Glancing at the survivors, Bella saw that they had lost most of their army, there was only ten newborns left from the almost forty they had left with.

Locating Peter and her brother, she rushed over to them. Peter was absentmindedly rubbing his arm, several vampire bites evident, while Jasper seemed intensely frustrated about something.

As soon as they saw Bella, they scanned her body for injuries. Peter and Jasper growled when they saw the bites, but said nothing. Bella rolled her eyes and looked at Jasper. "What's wrong? Did you kill Juan?"

Peter snorted. "He ran away when he realized that there was no saving his army."

Jasper clenched his fists. "I almost had him. If it weren't for those newborns that attacked me at the last second…"

Peter nodded. "About that, don't you find it a bit suspicious that there were far more newborns than Maria made it seem to be?"

Bella narrowed her eyes. "I swear, if that bitch purposefully withheld information from us…"

Jasper sighed and placed a calming hand on her arm. "Relax. As much as I dislike Maria, I don't think that she did. She wants this territory and I don't see why she would want to sabotage that in any way."

Bella and Peter sighed, unable to think of any possible motives at that moment.

One of the higher ranking newborns walked up to them, reporting directly to Jasper. "We have finished burning the bodies, Major."

Jasper nodded. "Gather the newborns and let's head back to camp."

They took off seconds later and arrived back at camp in less than a minute. Maria was standing in front of her tent, waiting.

Jasper quickly dismissed the other newborns and waited for her to speak.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Did you complete your mission?"

Jasper was clearly uneasy but concealed it well. "Yes."

Maria walked over to him, slowly circling him until she stood behind him. "Why do I feel as if you're hiding something from me, Major?"

Jasper grimaced, his instincts screaming for him to turn around and defend himself, but he knew that would only cause him to be punished. "Juan got away."

Maria sighed. "You're telling me that you were able to destroy his entire newborn army, but couldn't manage to kill their leader?" She stood in front of him now, lifting her hand to touch his cheek before slapping him hard enough for fissures to appear on his skin before it quickly healed.

Maria glared at him. "He was the most important one to kill! He should have been your first priority! You may have destroyed his army, but he could easily make more!"

Maria sighed again, shaking her head. "I'm very disappointed in you, Major. I'm afraid I'll have to punish you."

Jasper immediately stiffened and Bella couldn't keep the intense hate she had towards Maria off her face. Thankfully, Maria didn't notice, but if the malevolence in her grin meant anything, she definitely had something terrible planned for them. Peter remained silent, but he was practically boiling with anger inside.

Maria stared calculating at Jasper for a few moments before she spoke again. "It seems you have several bites on your skin, so I won't mar it anymore. I want you along with your captains to destroy all of the newborns. They have outgrown their use."

Peter spoke up. "If we get rid of the newborns, we would be defenseless if Juan was able to rebuild his army."

Maria narrowed her eyes at him. "I will take care of it. Don't question my orders, Captain." She began to walk away, talking over her shoulder before she sped into a run. "I'm going hunting, when I get back, I expect the newborns to be gone."

Jasper turned towards his best friend and sister, knowing this would be hard on them. "Let's get this over with."

Venom tears filled Bella's eyes but she knew that there was nothing that they could do about it. If Maria found out that they had disobeyed her, there was no telling what she would do. She comforted herself on the hope that perhaps this would give the newborns peace and that they would be in a better place.

She had to continue to repeat this mantra in her head as she tore through every newborn, alongside Jasper and Peter, trying to ignore their screams.

A/N See guys? No cliffhanger XD I know Peter is being completely oblivious despite his claims to 'know' shit. Don't worry, I'm getting a bit annoyed with it too, but Peter has to remain annoying for a little while, sorry. Next chapter, Charlotte and prepare yourselves to maybe dislike Peter…don't worry this is still a Bella/Peter pairing, it just might take a few chapters to get there. It's going to be a bit angsty in the next chapter, so prepare yourselves. Now review please, and tell me what ya think.