Jasper's eyes went impossibly wide at hearing his wife's question. "Wh-what?!" he asked. "No!"

"Yes, you do! You thought about it!" she accused while even more venom pooled in her eyes. Then she bit down on her bottom lip like she was desperately trying to keep herself from sobbing.

Seeing her like that felt like a stab to the heart, and when Alice blinked her eyes, tears started cascading down her cheeks.

Jasper felt wretched.

"Alice," he whispered and put his arms around her but she just pushed them away, then got up from the bed and walked over to the window where she covered her face with her hands.

"Alice, please," he begged, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Her shoulders shook, and it took her a moment until she was able to get her breathing under control again and answer. "I know what I saw, Jasper."

He just stared at her. "But I don't," he replied in a soft voice.

Why in the world she would have a vision of him leaving her, he did not know. He couldn't exist without her, couldn't think clearly as long as he didn't know that she was safe and well. She was - and would always be - the most important person in his life.

After another quiet moment, Alice slowly turned around and looked at her mate.

He felt utterly confused and helpless, and the way Alice eyed him, she must have noticed how he was feeling.

He hoped that he could at least hide the guilt over unconsciously causing her so much pain from her, but apparently he wasn't able to as he was also hit by a wave of guilt rolling off of his wife. For a moment he had to stop and focus on nothing but his gift in an attempt to get it under control again. To him it was obvious that he was projecting and that she mirrored his feeling of guilt that he now perceived as hers.

What kind of a husband was he? He had slapped his wife because he had failed to get a grip on himself and snap out of his bloodlust, and now he even tortured her emotionally.

Would Carlisle ever do that to Esme? Would Emmett treat Rosalie that way?

No.

No, they wouldn't.

"Jasper?" Alice asked, sniffing. "I need to talk to you about something."

He breathed a sigh of relief when her sweet voice cut through his painful thoughts. "Yes, love. Of course."

She hesitated. "I... I-I think-," she stammered, then shook her head and took a deep breath. Something about her demeanour changed, but before Jasper could worry about it, she spoke.

"You cannot let this accident knock you down. I know that you are so much stronger than you think, and I believe you should-"

"Alice, no," he interrupted her, holding out his hand to keep her from fooling herself any further. After they had moved to this new place, he had hoped she would finally realise that he could not leave the house anymore. Yes, he would still go on hunts, but that would be during times when most humans were asleep in their beds and not hiking through the forest.

"But-" "It has just happened, Alice," he told her, "We just moved, so why would you try and convince me to go among humans again? I am dangerous, for them and for this coven."

"You didn't feed on him," she argued, but it seemed like it wasn't a strong enough argument for him, because he immediately let out a groan and pinched his eyes shut.

"I would have, you know that."

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "You didn't, that's what matters."

"Still, he died. Another person is dead because of me, Alice, why can't you understand that?"

Her big eyes watered up again, and he could have kicked himself. He loved her beautiful eyes, loved how they beamed with life and showed him even without perceiving her emotions how she was feeling. When they were golden, she was happy and relaxed and excited about something.

But now they were dark and brimming with venom, just because of him.

"It was an accident," she whispered.

"He would have died one way or the other! I was about to feed!" he countered, almost yelling without even noticing that he had raised his voice.

"But you didn't!" she objected in a desperate attempt to make him see reason.

"So from now on I always have to be surrounded by at least 3 members of this coven to make sure that I won't risk draining someone? That is impossible, Alice, and you know it!"

"Why would you go outside on your own?" she asked and wiped the last remnants of venom tear trails from her pale cheeks. "We will always be together, no matter where we are or where we go..."

That again. "Sweetheart, I am sorry, but I will neither go into town nor to school with you. I can't."

"We're in a new place and it's a new chance. It will be different this time, just try it," she pleaded with him.

"No."

"Yes, you-" "Alice!" he shouted and shot up from the bed, "I'm done trying!"

When he realised that he had just yelled at his beloved wife, he let out a gasp and took a step back. "Oh, no. I am so sorry, Allie," he apologised, "I did not mean to yell at you. Please forgive me."

She nodded her head and gave him a little smile. "I know you didn't, Jazzy, don't worry."

He took one step toward her and she quickly closed the distance between them and gave him a hug that he immediately returned.

Her presence, her soothing scent and her love felt so good that he never wanted for this moment to end. With her, he could forget about his past and the trouble he had while trying to fit into the life this coven was trying to make humans believe they led - with her, he could be himself. He could let his guard down and rid himself of all the worries he had and that were torturing him. Well, as long as they were home and not surrounded by humans.

"I love you," he whispered.

"And I love-"

When suddenly music sounded over from Edward's room, Jasper felt Alice's shoulders tense and his mood changed in an instant.

Not even this second was private. Edward knowingly and willingly interrupted and ruined this moment, destroying his chance of properly apologising to his wife and letting him feel what he longed for - her forgiveness.

His nerves were raw.

Edward's constant interruptions and intrusions, his self-doubts, the fact that he disappointed his wife non-stop and the guilt about Rosalie thinking she was to blame for his inability to control himself were altogether too much for Jasper at the moment. He let out an infuriated growl and sped over to the door, ripping it open and stomping out into the hallway.

That was the last straw.

He guessed it was "Pushin' too hard" by The Seeds, a song chosen by Edward to provoke him – and it had worked. He saw red after just the first few words.

Yes, he killed and endangered everyone. He didn't need Edward to tell him that he was pityful. But he truly loved his wife, and nothing would ever change that. He wasn't pushing too hard, he needed her to forgive him and let him tell her how much he loved her. He had told her so often already, so why in the heck was he pushing too hard now?! She could refuse to forgive him, but that would be for her to decide, not Edward.

He ignored Alice trying to hold him back by shouting that he should stay here and not do it, because he was already at his brother's door and kicked it down, making it break out of its hinges and destroying the wooden door frame with a crashing sound that was impossible for anyone to overhear.

Edward backed up into one corner of the room, his eyes wide, and he held his hands up in a placating manner.

"Don't Jasper, calm down. I'll turn the music down!" he called immediately, but did not dare move an inch from his spot. He looked like he really wanted to hurry over to his player, but he feared that he would eventually have to turn his back on his enraged brother - he really did not want to imagine what would happen if he did.

Jasper was mad, absolutely mad, and he was projecting. His anger was coming off him like heat waves from the hood of a car and he either did not notice or he couldn't care less at the moment.

But Edward felt too nervous to be fully impacted by his brother's emotion anyways, and so he just continued to camp in the corner and scan his brother's mind in case he would suddenly lose it and attack him.

Jasper was dangerous in a mental state like this.

"Why do you do this? Why can't you just leave us alone?!" Jasper raged and bared his teeth at him.

"Please Jasper, it's not what you-" "Woah woah woah, calm down, you two," Emmett ordered from the hallway, Rosalie and Esme right behind him. Maybe Alice too, but she was too small to see behind big Emmett.

"Don't get involved," Jasper snapped at him.

"Let's go outside, Jazz. Come," Emmett suggested, hoping it would make his empathetic brother stop cornering Edward in his own room. As the oldest, he felt like it was his job to defuse the situation, and maybe it was a good thing that the room was filled with Jasper's anger as it was helping him to make his voice sound more imperative and strong.

Jasper was a hell of a fighter, and while Edward could anticipate his manoeuvres, it would still be brutal. In the heat of a battle both would get injured and then eventually regret having thrown punches at the other - Emmett needed to prevent a fight from happening.

"Stay out of it!" Jasper shouted, pointing a warning finger at his dark-haired brother while he stepped even closer to Edward. His eyes were pitch-black, and the room was practically vibrating with his fury and anger.

But Emmett wasn't fazed by that and just entered the room, shoving the door lying on the carpet out of the way with his foot. "How about you hit me, not this little pantywaist. Punch me as hard as you can, come on. Show me what you got, brother."

Seeing that it got even more dangerous now as she could feel Rose tense beside her, Esme pulled at Emmett's arm so she could push past him and stand in between him and Jasper - she really didn't need yet another child involved in this. But Emmett didn't let her pass and just held his arm out to keep her out of the line of fire in case Jasper would indeed charge.

Jasper snapped his head around. "I said: Stay. Out. Of. It," he growled and narrowed his eyes at Emmett before he turned his head back around to glare at Edward once more.

"Jasper, that's enough! You will step away from your brother and calm down," Esme ordered in the most authoritative tone of voice she could muster.

"No." was all the blonde enraged vampire replied.

"You will do as I say, Jasper. Step away from him right now."

He looked back over his shoulder and straight into his mother's hard eyes. He really wanted to punch Edward, hurt him, but he could not ignore a direct order. Esme was in charge here, she was ranking way above him, and so he let out one last intimidating growl at Edward, curling his lips dangerously, before he slowly took a few steps backwards. His arms and shoulders were still tensed up with raw anger and he was prepared to break Edward into a million tiny pieces if he dared to attack him the moment he would be standing with his back to him.

One false move and you're dead, mindreader...

He whipped his head to the side when he felt a hand on his arm, but he managed to hold back a growl and his black eyes quickly turned a shade lighter at seeing that his mother was the one curling her dainty fingers around his wrist.

"Move to the side, please, and turn off the music," Esme requested while looking at her other children standing in the doorway, and they quickly made room for her and Jasper. She pulled her wayward son after herself and out of Edward's room into the hallway.

Once they had left Edward's room, she could hear the girls and Emmett quietly entering and just a second later the music stopped playing. Rose and Em were now trying to get Edward to tell them what the heck had happened, but Esme had other, more urgent things to worry about than them pestering Edward.

The door to Jasper and Alice's room was still wide open, and Esme stepped into it, then pulled at her son's arm so he would follow her into the room before she shut the door to have a private conversation with him.

"What was that about?" she asked when she turned around and leaned against the closed door with her back, folding her arms across her chest while she waited for an answer.

He huffed, then turned away from her.

Of course he was upset and still furious with Edward, but even though Esme granted him a moment to take a deep, calming breath and tell her what she wanted to know, he kept quiet about the incident.

She pushed away from the door and took a step toward him. "Look at me and answer my question," she demanded. "Why were you about to attack Edward?"

And then, even though he valued obedience, he just didn't reply. Telling her that Edward always put on music to annoy him and that he read his mind sounded too... childish and too much like tattling.

He wasn't a toddler - he was a soldier, a fighter, and had been Second-in-command of a newborn army. While right now he was a nothing and the weakest link of this coven, he still couldn't get himself to behave like a silly, immature boy. And maybe there were even more reasons why he had felt the sudden urge to rip Edward apart, but his mind was still so occupied with rage, that he just couldn't think clearly.

"Jasper," Esme said in a softer tone of voice now, obviously having managed to shake some of his anger off and regaining control over her own emotions. Worry tinted her voice as she spoke again. "Please talk to me."

He hesitated before he slowly turned around, keeping his eyes on the floor. "There is nothing to talk about."

She tilted her head to the side and pressed her lips together for a moment, watching him. It was obvious that he wanted to keep the reasons for his sudden anger to himself, but she truly wanted to help her son and therefore needed to know. A problem could not be solved by ignoring it.

"But I think there is, dear."

"No, I'm sorry, Esme. I won't do it again," he replied and glanced at her, before he averted his eyes again.

"I really do hope you won't do that again," she told him. "You know we don't tolerate fighting as a way of dealing with disagreements."

"I'm sorry."

"It's Edward you will have to apologise to, not me, honey."

His jaw clenched at the mention of his brother's name, but he obediently nodded his head and said, "Yes, Ma'am."

She sighed, then headed for the bed and sat down, patting the spot next to her. Maybe sitting down together would help him relax a little, she figured, and he might feel more comfortable opening up to her.

Luckily he complied, and when he was seated, she placed a hand on his forearm and gave it a gentle rub.

"This cannot happen again, Jasper."

"I know," he replied, "I will accept whatever punishment you see fit."

"Jasper," she sighed, "not so fast, please. It doesn't feel right to punish you when I don't even know the reason why you broke down your brother's door and then cornered him in his own room, about to attack him."

Why would she care about the reason behind it?

He had broken the rules, and it didn't matter why he had done so.

When he didn't reply, she scooted a little closer to him until their knees touched. "You frightened him," she told him in a soft voice, "and you frightened me."

"That wasn't my intention, Ma'am." He sounded almost robotic, like he had just switched off his emotions.

Well, it had been his plan to intimidate and threaten Edward so he would finally stop interrupting and provoking them. But he had never meant to scare his mother. Esme had nothing to do with this. He was affecting more and more people, just because he was so weak and couldn't get himself under control. It was frustrating.

"Tell me what got you so riled up, Jasper, please. I promise I will listen and not interrupt you."

Even though he didn't want to make her feel like he didn't trust her, he just couldn't get himself to tell her what she needed to know. "Please don't take it as disrespect, but I don't want to talk about it."

"I just want to help you, dear."

"I know and I really appreciate it, but there is nothing that I need help with."

She looked at him like she doubted that he truly believed what he had just said, but eventually she just let out a soft sigh. "Jasper, we just need to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"It won't," he promised.

She looked him deep in the eye, still hoping he would change his mind and open up to her about what had angered him to that extent that he would want to physically attack his younger brother, but he did not say a word.

Worry and love engulfed him, and when he fidgeted a little, feeling uncomfortable that her affection for him was so strong, she nodded her head and patted his knee. "All right, Jasper."

He watched her stand up from the bed and turn to face him, then fully expected her to slap him across the face for his disrespect of the rules and his disobedience as that's what he would have done, but she only reached out and let her hand run through his thick blonde curls.

"For now I want you to stay in your room, you hear? I think it'll help you calm down and give you a chance to think about what happened and what might have happened if you had attacked your brother. If you feel like talking to someone or you don't feel well, call for us."

He let his gaze drop to the floor, but nodded his head. "Yes, Ma'am."

She left with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. He hadn't given her the chance to help him, and she was so worried that it physically hurt her and made her feel restless and nauseous.

Jasper buried his face in his hands when the door closed.

Great, what a son he was...

But now that he was alone in his room, he could finally concentrate on blocking his family's emotions again and getting a grip on his own.

He tried to breathe slowly and evenly to get rid of the last remnants of his anger and agitation. No, he couldn't let that child rile him up like that again. He already had a whipping coming, he didn't need to add to it. And standing in front of Carlisle, still looking angry and not in the least repentant... that wouldn't be awfully smart, even though he probably deserved a lot more than Carlisle could ever dish out.

He just didn't understand what this had been about... Edward and Rosalie weren't the closest, even though they had known each other for quite a while now. But he wasn't sure why the boy would annoy and provoke him like that to avenge his sister when he knew that Carlisle would take care of his punishment.

And if he had really punched the boy, then he would be dead now. Neither Carlisle nor Esme would have let him get away with hurting him, but he doubted they would just kick him out. They knew exactly how dangerous he was for humans and it would draw attention to them if people suddenly went missing in this town just because he wasn't able to control his urge to feed.

Why did everything have to be so difficult now?

When he was a child, a human child, he had needed his family. His parents had helped him grow into the responsible and brave young man that he had been back then, and when he had been changed into this, he had often thought back to his parents and his sister and remembered what it had felt like to be a part of something as beautiful as a family. A sense of belonging, a sense of trust and safety and knowing that he would always be loved no matter what was what he felt when he let his fuzzy memories play out in his mind again. It was the exact opposite of what he had experienced when he was in charge of a newborn army. Maria turned humans into newborns, and he trained them and beat them into submission until they were of no use to them anymore. As soon as that happened, he killed them, then forced the younger newborns to pick up the pieces and throw them into a fire. Whoever refused to obey him was pushed into the flames and left to die.

These two things, his human life and his early vampire life, had been well-defined and he had always known what to expect.

But now?

He already knew that things were handled differently in this coven, because otherwise they would have finished him off a long time ago. But truth be told, he was of absolutely no use to them.

Edward's record player was suddenly turned on, but just when the melody started sounding over to him, Jasper could hear someone enter the adjoining room and then muffled voices.

The music died instantly, and after three loud slapping sounds and a whimper coming from Edward, it was silent in the house again.

Jasper still felt safer to continue to block everyone's emotions... but he had to admit that hearing his brother getting smacked was oddly satisfying and he would have loved to let in some of his sulkiness just for the laughs.

He would have seriously hurt him and that wouldn't have ended well, for neither of them, but apparently the mindreader was more than capable of getting himself hurt without his doing.

A quiet snicker escaped him, and he actually did feel better now.

Grabbing a book from the bedside table, Jasper let himself fall back onto the soft pillows on his and Alice's bed and sighed before he opened the book and began to read. He wanted to intensify the feeling of being a little less tense and angry, and so he figured that some distraction in the form of a novel was a good way to go. It wouldn't be long until he would be a nervous wreck again.

Maybe half an hour passed and just as he started to get lost in the story, he heard a soft knock and caught the faint smell of Carlisle through the closed door.

"Jasper? Come with me, please."

Thanks for reading and reviewing! :-) I'll update Trophy Hunting next and then I come back to this story. Ok, bye!