AN: Okay, I know I really suck at the update thing. I wanted to get this out to you sooner but I had a major block on how this chapter was going to get where it needed to. So sorry to you all, and thanks for your great reviews.

Another thing, not many of you seemed to thrilled by the occurrence in the last chapter, but I hope you forgive me after this one. Let me know.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing, SM owns all, I'm just playing a convoluted game of chess with the pawns she created.

"Jasper?"

There was a warm haze covering my vision, and all of my senses if I was being honest. I could smell Jasper beside me and feel his arm slung over my hips, it was peaceful, like when I was human and woke up to find him wrapped around me.

"Jasper!"

That was what was wrong, so very wrong. I felt groggy, like I'd just been woken up. Except we don't sleep, I tried to listen past the muggy layer covering my conscious brain, but I couldn't hear what I was desperate to, Jay's unnecessary but comforting breaths.

"I'm coming in."

I was vaguely aware of climbing off the bed and pulling on a dressing own before darting to the door in a move that felt too sluggish to be me. I opened the door and slid outside into the hallway.

"Keep your voice down Peter, you'll wake him up." I half yawned.

"Wake him?" I nodded sleepily, needing coffee so badly.

"I don't understand it, and my brain isn't working."

"You two achieved the impossible, you actually tired each other out! Hey Char!"

"Peter! Shut the fuck up. My head is killing me."

"Belly bob, you alright? You look pale, I mean more so than usual?"

"I don't feel good. I need to sit down."

Pete led me to his and Char's room and settled me on the bed. Char appeared in the bathroom doorway, her bright expression vanished as she saw me. "Bells?"

"Coffee. Just get me coffee." I knew the feeling I was experiencing, I had a hangover. A fucking hangover! What was I, fucking human? I felt a mug being pressed into my hands and inhaled deeply. God that coffee smelled good! I took a sip and spat it straight out, it tasted like ash! At least I knew I wasn't a human who'd just had a fucked up dream. But the smell had cleared my brain fog a little and a flood of memories rushed in. "Well shit!" I sighed.

An hour later the four of us were sat around the small table in Peter and Charlotte's room, Jasper was still a little groggy and my brain wasn't quite back up to its usual speed but we were getting there.

"I can't believe we did that."

"Believe it Sugar." Jasper griped from beside me, still resting his forehead on his palm, his face directed at the table.

"Jasper for fuck's sake, sit up and listen to her!"

"I am fucking listening to her Peter! So fuck off."

"This so isn't helping." Char sighed.

"If I find out that one of that skanks minions did this to us I will raze this place to the fucking ground, whether you feel some fucked up need to help or not." I spat at Jasper, neither of us were in a great mood, but I was definitely bitchier than he was. As per usual.

"Who the fuck else do you think it was Bella? Mother fucking Theresa? Of course it was one of her walking, talking dolls."

"Fine, Peter be a lamb and get me a match would ya?" I smiled sweetly at my brother before looking back at Jasper, who now deigned to look at me.

"Don't be fucking stupid." Was all he growled out.

"Fuck you Whitlock." I rolled my eyes as I stood up and made to leave the room, "Don't forget that match Peter." I called back before shutting and locking the door to mine and Jaspers room.

I made a beeline for the bathroom and turned on the shower, still all too aware of the excess of power coursing through my veins. It wasn't killing humans as such that bothered me. It was more which ones. Those two had been a young couple in love, probably with families who were looking for them, or at least would be soon. I didn't want to be like that. If I chose to feed off humans I wanted to do it the 'right' way, killing those undeserving of the life they had, like rapists, paedophiles, drug pushers, that kind of thing, not couples who reminded me so much of me and Jay when I was human.

I stepped under the hot water, trying to get it to wash away the memories of the night before, and to lift the fog that was still slightly present in my mind. I was going to kill the bitch, and I was going to enjoy it, every long agonising second.

"You should stop thinking like that Darlin'." Came the drawl from the bedroom.

"What part of a locked door didn't you understand?" I called back, ignoring his comment.

"The part where you thought it would stop me."

"Just leave me alone Jasper."

"Never going to happen babe, deal with it." I climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself before I walked out into the bedroom.

"Get out Jay. I need some time by myself."

"Feel free to occupy the bathroom as long as you like Sugar, but I ain't going nowhere."

"You know that's a double negative right?" Yeah, that was my witty comeback as I walked to the dresser and grabbed some jeans and a tank top before heading back into the bathroom. My emotions were ranging wildly between abhorrence, love, guilt, lust, anger and out and out rage.

"You're giving me whiplash." Jay called out from beyond the closed door.

"I'm a newborn." I sing songed back to him. I sat on the lid of the toilet for a couple of minutes trying to reign in my emotions, it didn't really work so I headed back into the bedroom where Jasper was sprawled across the bed.

"I don't know whether to kiss you, slap you or castrate you right now Whitlock." I growled as leant against the wall opposite him. He propped himself up on his elbows to look at me a smirk on his lips.

"I know which I'd rather."

"How can this not bother you?"

"It's not the first time and it probably won't be the last time. And it's not your first time either Sugar, remember that girl we shared?"

"This was the first time I huntedsomeone Jay! And you don't seem to think there's anything wrong."

"I'll admit as good as she tasted our choice of target wasn't ideal, but what's done is done."

"Who are you and what did you do with my Jasper?"

"I'm right here Bella. As well you know. What we did was normal vampire behaviour. I won't feel sorry for that. I do feel bad about how it's making you feel though."

"That's only part of why I'm feeling like this Jay. She manipulated us. And I really don't like that. I didn't like it when Edward tried it, or when Jake tried it, and I certainly don't like that that whore thinks she can try it with me."

"I don't like it either."

"Could have fooled me." I bit at him, some of my insecurity leaking out.

"Stop that right now." He ordered.

"Don't tell me how to feel! You're not my father!"

"No, I'm your fucking mate so listen to me!"

"No." We were in each other's faces now and I wasn't entirely sure when it happened. "This is not okay. This is so far past okay it's not even remotely amusing. I am going to tear that bitch and this whole place to pieces and watch it fucking burn. You're welcome to join me, or you can stand on the side-lines and tell me to stop, however futile it may be. But do not, I repeat do not, try to protect her or I will keep you out of my fucking way. You got that, Major?" I growled the last word low in my throat. There was a pause as Jasper looked down at me, though it felt for all the world that he was looking up.

"Yes Colonel." He bit out.

"Good." I smiled coldly. "Peter! Where's that match?"

After a long talk with Peter after I'd barged into his and Char's bedroom looking for the match I had requested, I finally calmed down a little. I wasn't going to light her ass on fire – yet. I could feel Jasper fuming from our room but I paid him little mind at that moment, I was still pissed at him for his complete ambivalence regarding what Maria had done, whilst he just kept muttering something about Newborns and how unstable they were. Soon I'd had enough of his bitching and marched through to our room, coming to a halt directly in front of where he was sat on the edge of the bed.

"Got a problem Whitlock?"

"Yeah. Not that it's any of your business Swan." He growled at me without looking up.

"Well would you quit your mumbling? It's giving me a headache. And if you have something to say about me, say it to my face in future." I started to leave but h caught my arm as I moved, turning me back to face him now he was standing.

"I've got something to say to you. You're behaving like a fucking spoilt brat, stamping your feet because something didn't go your way, and that I'm not reacting the way you want me to. Well boo fucking hoo Bella. This is life. It's not always fair, and it's not always going to go your way, so will you stop acting like Alice when her credit card is cancelled and fucking suck it up?" I yanked my arm from his grasp and stood staring at him, his eyes were almost black and he was radiating a pure anger, the likes of which I'd never felt before. In all honesty I was a little scared, but not enough to back down. I was just about to speak when Peter entered the room and spoke.

"What the hell is going on with you two? Since you got together you've been nothing but sickeningly content, two days here and you're at each other's throats."

"Get out Peter." Was Jaspers succinct reply.

"No. I won't. You two need to pull your shit together, because this plan is not going to work unless you do. So why don't you both calm down, fuck and make up?"

"I said get out Peter." Jasper repeated. "What goes on between me and my mate is no concern of yours."

"And I said no, brother. I'm not going anywhere until you explain what's got you and the Colonel going at each other like immortal enemies."

"She's acting like a pathetic whining newborn, that's what."

"Newsflash Major, she is a newborn. Remember?"

"Can we stop talking about me like I'm not here please?"

"Shut up." Both of them snapped, and for once I listened to them, closing my mouth and settling on listening to them for a while.

"I know she's a newborn Peter, but that's no excuse for her to throw a hissy fit because something happened that she didn't like."

"I disagree, I think you're expecting too much of her self-control. Since she changed she's had a lot to deal with, remembering her past, worrying that she's lost something vital to her sense of self, coming here, facing you sadistic bitch of an ex, planning an action she doesn't agree with and killing not one but two humans in as many days, one of which apparently against her will. That's a hell of a lot to expect any newborn to deal with, even one who shows as much control as Bella does. So her reaction I understand, it's you that's got me confused Jasper. Not even when we were in Maria's army did you act like this, sure you were a bastard but you never hurt those you cared about. And you apparently love this woman. So what the fuck is going on with you?" Peter folded his arms across his chest waiting for a response. He didn't get one straight away. Jasper sat back on the bed holding his head in his hands.

After a few moments he spoke, and his voice sounded almost hollow, though there was an edge of pain. "I don't know Peter. I just don't know. It's like I'm not even saying these things, like someone else has taken control of my body and is spewing forth all of this bullshit. I'm there but I can't stop it. It's taking so much effort right now not to yell at you in anger and throw you out of that window. They're not my emotions, but I can't filter them out." I could see him shaking and all of my anger melted away, I knelt in front of him, resting my hands on his knees as I ducked my head to look into his eyes. Once our eyes met I felt our connection the one that went right down to the core of my being, and realised we hadn't actually looked at each other all day. Through all the anger we'd avoided eye contact. But now I saw Jaspers shoulders relax as he took a deep breath, the anger he'd been projecting vanished and I felt my mental shield snap back into place, I'd never even noticed its existence before, but now I knew it had been missing, something had made me lift it. I was grateful it was back.

"Hey Darlin'." Jay smiled weakly down at me, I smiled weakly in return.

"Hey baby."

"You two are seriously fucked in the head." Peter chimed in.

"No, Peter, this is the same thing that got to us last night." I paused and shifted so I was sat on the floor between Jaspers legs, holding hands over my shoulders, his thumbs massaging my palms in circles, while I looked up at Peter. "You know how Edward couldn't hear my thoughts, still can't hear my thoughts?" Peter nodded. "I think he would've been able to get inside my head over the past eighteen hours. I didn't notice before but something was missing, like I felt vulnerable. My shield, or mental block, whatever it was that kept Edward out was gone. It's back now. It felt like a rubber band snapping into place. That's how they got to me, one moment of weakness would've been all they needed to get in my head. And they got to Jay too. I don't know how they did it but I'm sure as shit going to find out. And if the Skank Whore is behind it, I stand by what I said before. I'm going to raze this place to the fucking ground. But not before I extract a confession. You think The Major was bad when he tortured people, you ain't seen nothing yet."