Book 5: Jasper

I stood over Alice and listened to her describe the scene in her head to Alicia. Alicia was unbelievably talented at drawing.

"It will be outback. Sort of cloudy, sort of sunny. White chairs with a blue fabric overtop on each side of the aisle. There will be a white arch sitting under a weeping Willow tree. Tiffany wanted it under the Willow tree on account of Willow, her cat. It will be decorated with her flowers and mesh fabric. The flowers are weaved all in the arch. The mesh fabric is weaved into an intricate bow on tip of the arch and the ends of the bow are hanging down the sides. Oh, I forgot something on the chairs. Depending on the side they change. There will be a black bow on each chair. The bows will be placed on the side of the chair farthest from the aisle and point towards it. The aisle is complete grass but the sides are framed in blue, black, and white rose petals," Alice said.

My eyebrows went up in surprise at Alice's detail. Alicia looked up. She seemed to have noticed my mood change. She smiled and then looked back to her drawing.

"Are you getting this?" Alice said.

"Oh, she's getting it," Jackson said, astonished.

I looked up at him and he had a similar expression to mine. He must be surprised at Alicia's drawing. It was making me want to see it even more.

Alicia continued drawing as she spoke. "What are you so anxious about, Jasper?"

I jumped at being caught. "Uh, nothing."

She laughed. "Sure."

I know too, muh-ha-ha, I heard someone in my head.

I jumped. "What the hell? Tiffany, damn it! Stop that!" I yelled out loud.

I noticed everyone in the room staring at me with confusion and worry for my sanity.

"Uh... Skip it." I placed my hand on my head, covering my eyes. How embarrassing.

I heard Edward laugh hard from down stairs. It was silent as Edward explained. I then heard Emmett's booming laugh intertwined with Tiffany's bell-like laugh.

I moved my hand and scowled at the corner of the room, making a sound of aggravation. That's irritating.

Alice's laugh broke through my mood and I was immediately happy. Her laugh has always done that to me. A smile spread across my face and I looked at Alice. She smiled at me.

"Ohmygod," Alicia said.

I looked up, confused. "What?"

"Jasper. Your mood is changing like a pregnant woman's today." She laughed. "Pick an emotion."

I smiled again. "Sorry. I know how you feel.

She smiled peacefully and looked back to her drawing. Her pencil moved at inhuman speed. Her peaceful smile grew bigger into one of excitement. She looked up and turned the page around.

My eyes, along with everyone else's, widened. It looked like a storybook picture, the perfect wedding scene.

"Wow," Alice said, excited.

I became excited too. Alice and I have always seemed to share a mood. She could be excited about shoes and, if I was around her, I would be too. Just because of her. I don't know why.

"Like it?" Alicia asked.

"Love it!" Alice said. She jumped over the desk and hugged Alicia. Alicia squealed and then hugged her back as they laughed together.

"Thank you so much!" Alice said.

Alicia coughed. "No problem. Now, can I breathe?"

Alice laughed. "Sorry."

Tiffany busted in the door. "Okay, Alice. I want my sissy. My sissy. My picture. Rawr."

Everyone laughed but me.

Tiffany turned to me. "Do you even know what rawr means?" Tiffany asked.

I shook my head.

"It means I love you in dinosaur," Edward called from downstairs.

"How do you know this?" I called back.

"I've been spending too much time with Tiffany."

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Jacob asked from behind Tiffany.

"Well, I was around her for a long time and I turned out fine," a female voice said. A blonde blur flew through the window and I crouched defensively. I was in front of Alice in an instant.

The woman stood at Alicia's side.

"O. M. G. April!" Tiffany yelled.

"April!" Alicia yelled. They both hugged her. I straightened up.

"Hi guys!" April said. She looked over to me. "You."

"Me?" I asked, incredulous at the disrespect this vampire showed to me in my home.

"Yes. You."

"Jasper," Alicia told April.

"Yes that one," April said, her eyes never leaving my face.

"What?" I said.

"Hold still."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I growled and my eyebrows pulled down. I felt a wave of calm try to get to me. It was like someone putting a blanket over me. It did nothing as usual. But I looked over to Alicia. She was looking at me with an expression I couldn't understand. Her mood was flickering.

I sighed and looked back to April. "Fine."

She smiled at me, an evil smile.

I then wished I hadn't listened to her.

Something sent me flying backwards through the glass wall of Carlisle's office. I went flying down two stories. In mid air, I had steadied myself so I landed on the balls of my feet.

April jumped down and stood in front of me. I stared at her for a long moment. I tensed myself for whatever was thrown at me.

I looked behind April and saw a scene that surprised me. Tiffany was holding back Alice. Jackson held Alicia in place. Alice thrashed against Tiffany, Alicia only slightly struggled with Jackson's hold. Both Alice and Alicia were hissing furiously. Edward and Bella-who was holding Renesmee-came out. Emmett followed, along with Carlisle and Esme. Jacob and Seth came out in wolf form. Rosalie was gone.

My eyes flashed back to April, who was still smiling.

I heard Alice scream. The scream reminded me of the metallic screeching you would hear when you ripped a vampire apart. I looked back to make sure she hadn't ripped anyone apart. Everyone was still intact but I couldn't look at April again. My eyes were locked on Alice.

Her face was twisted in rage. It was coming off her in visible-only to me-red rays. I had seen this once coming from Bella when the Volturi had come to kill Renesmee. It had happened when Edward had been crossing the field to Aro.

Alicia pushed against Jackson with all her might. She kicked his shin. Jackson let go and Alicia flew over Seth and Jacob. She landed as the now-familiar wolf.

April turned around to see what had happened. Her eyes widened as she took in the werewolves for the first time. She gasped and was frightened.

Alicia was growling and baring her dagger-like teeth.

I looked back to Alice and she was kicking at Tiffany with every ounce of strength she had in her tiny body. Snarls that could not belong to a vampire were erupting from her. They sounded similar to what was coming from the three wolves standing in front.

"Tiffany, let go of her! She's about to change!" I shouted.

Tiffany's head had snapped up the minute I had called her name. Her eyes widened, she released Alice, and flew backwards.

Alice exploded where she was standing. The thud and shaking of the ground made everyone jump. Alice revealed her fangs and lurked forward.

April backed away a few steps from them. A few closer to me. She was afraid but had a smile on her face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, April," I said with an evil smile similar to hers.

She didn't turn around. "Why not?"

I stood up and backed away. "Because." I paused. "I can be very scary."

I let the heat quiver up my spine as I changed. Releasing this felt very good. I realized I had been holding in a lot of anger.

April heard me hit the ground and her head turned to look at me. She took in the large, black wolf that was myself. I was the biggest wolf there.

She looked at me with a horrified expression. "Oh. My. God."

I growled a soft, low growl in my chest. And then, when I couldn't contain it anymore, I let it rip up my throat.

Jasper, are you hurt? Alice snarled. The intensity of the question I recognized quickly. It was hatred. It wasn't directed at me though she spoke to me in that tone. She couldn't control it.

No, I thought to her quickly. I'm fine.

Are you sure?

Absolutely, I replied.

Tiffany jumped and stood between Alicia's nose and April.

"Stop!" she shouted. "April, why did you do that to Jasper?"

"Because, he's the one who changed you. And as much as I like to have you in this world, I wish you didn't have to be a part of it. You and Alicia," April said.

"It doesn't matter! What's done is done! And now, we are glad he did it!"

"You are?"

"Of course! Now we have this wonderful family. We didn't have that back then."

The wolves-including me-had brought their growling to just heavy breathing.

"Just stop. I'm glad you're here but you can't attack my family," Tiffany said.

April sighed. "Alright." She looked at my family. "I'm sorry."

She turned to me. "I apologize for using my gift on you, Jasper."

I snorted. Sometimes apologies don't work you bi-

"Jasper!" Edward said, cutting my thought off. I looked at him.

I shot a quick growl and bared my teeth at Edward. Shut up!

He rolled his eyes. I continued to growl and took a step forward. I pounded my foot and puffed out my chest in dominance.

Edward crouched. Bella put her hand on his shoulder. He relaxed at her touch.

"I wasn't being defensive against Jasper, just so you know. I crouched because of that." Edward stabbed a finger at the forest line. I looked at where he pointed, as did everyone else.

Leah came walking out in wolf form. I bared my teeth at her.

Calm yourselves, Leah thought.

Why should we? You have no business here, I thought back.

Oh don't I? My brother is here, in case you forgot.

No one has forgotten. Especially not Alice, Alicia, and Tiffany. I had calmed down enough to start teasing her about something she had no idea was coming.

What do you mean? she thought to me suspiciously.

Exactly what I said. We haven't forgotten. Oh yeah you might want to buy a dress.

Why?

Seth is getting married to Tiffany.

It was totally silent for a moment.

Then Leah lunged at me. I went on my hind legs and and puffed out my chest. Her head rammed into my chest and she fell backwards. She landed on her side. I fell back on all fours. It hadn't hurt a bit.

I don't need this right now, Leah, I thought.

Her blind fury kept her from being able to think She lunged at me again. I used my tactics I used for newborn vampires on her. She was relying on her instincts and I could fight that.

I dodged her easily. Alicia, Alice, Jacob, and Seth were circling us. I decided to phase back as Leah lay on the ground, momentarily stunned with pain. I stood straight up in my normal form. Not a single scratch. Alice's wolf let out a sigh of relief.

I still fought her well, maybe a little better, in this form. She tried to get her jaws around me. It didn't work.

She lunged at me and my hand found her neck. I shoved against it, cutting off her growl and throwing her against the ground. I appeared at her side and threw my fist down onto the sensitive part on her muzzle. She whimpered and phased back involuntarily.

I held her to the ground by the neck. She was able to breathe but she knew if she moved a single inch, I would rip her head off, regardless of anyone or treaty. I moved my face close to hers so I couldn't see her naked body. That would have been indecent of me.

She slowed her breath, then spoke. "I'm sorry. I'll go home. Just let go."

I narrowed my eyes. "You had better. You attack me or any of my family members one more time, and I'll kill you."

She shook her head fast. "I won't. Let go."

I growled in my chest but let her go. I stood up and looked the other way. I heard her changed and run into the forest. Why she wouldn't go home was beyond me.

"What was that about?" April said. Her voice shook. It wasn't harsh. She was afraid to get one of us mad now.

"We have been having problems with Leah for a while. She is the cause of what Alicia and I are," I said.

"And the other three?"

"Jacob and Seth were born with it. Alice, however, was bitten by one of Leah's 'friends.'"

April nodded as she took this in. "I apologize again for the way I acted," she said after a moment.

"It is alright. I accept your apology." My voice had no emotion.

I walked over to where Alice stood in wolf form, more relaxed. I patted the side of her face and her eyes closed. She made a noise in her chest, the equivalent to a cat's contented purr. I smiled and kissed her muzzle.

I looked back to the rest of the crowd. Jacob and Seth had changed back. Tiffany and Seth were hugging. Jacob was holding Renesmee. Renesmee now looked about the age of eight or nine. She was catching up to Jacob fast. Everyone was with their partners. Emmett was gone though, looking for Rosalie I assumed. April just stood there, staring off into space, facing the forest.

I hadn't been paying much attention to her, so when Alice's arms wrapped around my waist, I jumped. She laughed and pushed herself closed to me. I wrapped my arms around her.

"Jasper," she said.

"Yes?" I said.

"Come here."

She pushed herself away from me and dragged me by the arm up to our room. I walked in ahead of her and sat on our bed. She closed the door and came running towards me. She tackled me on the bed and kissed me. I laughed against her lips.

"Okay, I'll bite. What do you want?" I asked. I kissed her again.

"Just you," she replied. She kissed me again but this time did not stop. We laid on the bed kissing for who knows how long.

Alice froze, as a vision overtook her. I helped Alice sit up on the side of the bed.

I put my hands on the sides of her face and pulled her face an inch away from mine. "What is it, love?"

Her eyes were wide as she spoke. "The Volturi."

I growled and closed my eyes.

"I don't know what they are after."

"Let's go." I released her face but kept a hold on her hand. I pulled her outside. Everyone was nervous. Alicia, Seth, and Jacob were in wolf form. They had all caught the scent.

I turned to Alice. "Do you have control of yourself? Can you change?"

She nodded. "Yes. I can do this. I can fight if necessary."

My eyes tightened. I didn't like the thought of her fighting.

Alice noticed the change in my eyes and pulled my face down to hers. She kissed me passionately. I didn't like this kiss though. It was full of fear.

"Don't worry," she said.

"Don't be scared." I saw the denial on her lips. "Because I know you are. I don't need my gift to know that. It was the way you kissed me Alice."

"Alright fine. I'm scared." She paused a moment. "Jasper, if anything happens, you know I-"

"Don't," I said. "Don't tell me goodbye. No one is dying."

She looked up at me with sad eyes. "I love you."

"I know. I love you, too, Alice."

"I know."

I smiled at her and she smiled back.

She became serious. "Alright. I'm ready."

I nodded. "I will be at your side."

We changed quickly and walked up to the front, with the other wolves. Many black cloaks walked out of the forest. I made sure I was in front of everyone. I crouched and growled.

"Be calm," Aro said.

I shook my large head.

Aro's eyes narrowed but his eyes focused on someone else. "You. You have failed us."

It surprised me who spoke.

"I do not wish to do your deeds anymore," Jackson said. "I truly love Alicia. I will not harm her."

I turned my head to face them. Jackson was crouched.

"You cannot simply just relieve yourself. You have to follow through," Caius said.

"Well I'm not going to," Jackson said.

Caius smiled. His smile made my fur stand straight up. "We'll see about that."

Caius appeared in front of Jackson in an instant, holding him by the neck. Alicia growled and lunged. She tackled Caius, her jaws about to lock around his head.

Alicia! Jacob screamed the thought. Stop!

Alicia stopped. She slinked over to stand in front of Jackson. She growled and the sound frightened even me. Part werewolf or not, she is still a vampire, and our kind does not allow one to attack their mate.

I hurried and phased back. I ran over to Alice. "Hmph. You breed mutants," Felix said.

"What?" I said acidly.

"Just what I said. The half human half vampire child, the shape shifters, and now you, a vampire that can change into a wolf the size of a nine foot tall man."

I growled.

Alicia and Alice phased back as well.

"Oh, sorry. There are three mutts here," Felix said tauntingly.

"We are not mutts," I said. "This wasn't our choice."

"As far as I'm concerned it is."

I went to charge at him. Alice held onto my shirt. I looked back at her and she shook her head, her short hair bouncing around her face.

I nodded and muttered, "Fine." She released my shirt and I turned back to the Volturi.

"Haven't you bothered us enough?" Edward said.

"We came for him. He has gone back on his word," Aro said, pointing a finger at Jackson.

"What do you want with him?" Alicia asked.

"We have come to see if he has gone through with his plan," Caius stated. He turned to Jackson. "And if you refuse, you will be eliminated."

Alicia growled, but didn't move.

"Caius, my dear friend, now you know that's not true," Aro said. He smiled at Jackson. "We will not harm anyone. But you might."

"What?" Jackson asked.

"Sarah."

A woman came forward, wearing the same black as everyone else. She had the brightest red eyes I had ever seen. This put me on edge.

She smiled at Jackson. I heard him cry out in pain. My head, along with Alicia's, snapped to look at him. His knees were beginning to bend and he was grimacing in pain.

Alicia ran over to Jackson with a worried face.

I heard a woman and Aro laugh. I did not turn my head to see if it was the woman with bright eyes.

Jackson had fallen to his knees and Alicia knelt beside him.

"Jackson, what's the matter?" Alicia asked as her hands fluttered helplessly. Her voice sounded whiny. Her emotion, she felt helpless and weak, put out with herself.

"Alicia, get away from me. Something's ha-" Jackson cut off with a short, quick intake of breath.

Alice's tiny arms wrapped around me tight. I pulled her close to me.

Jackson's eye flashed brilliant red. His wide eyes became normal size. He lowered his face and smiled. I didn't like it.

His hands locked around Alicia's arms. He pulled her up with himself. He threw her across the field in a straight line.

I gasped as I saw where she was headed. I moved Alice out of the way just as Alicia smacked into me, causing us both to fly back and hit a tree. My back hit the tree and Alicia's weight added to the force. I groaned in pain.

"Alicia, are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded in response. I turned her around to look at her face. Her eyes were like a deer in the headlights of a car. I shook her. She shook her head fast and tight.

"Sorry," she said. "What happened?"

We both looked at Jackson.

I took in a breath and quickly let it out. It came out as a growl. Jackson had Alice by the neck. I hissed.

I released Alicia and ran to help Alice. When I got there, I froze in my tracks.

He had knotted his hand in Alice's hair and pulled her head to her shoulder, exposing her neck. He had her choker in one hand. His teeth were mere inches from her neck.

"Move another step, and her head comes off," Jackson said.

Everyone froze.

"Good." Jackson smiled. "Now, Jane!"

Jane reached into her cloak and pulled out a small, round, black shape. She threw it. Immediately after it hit the ground, smoke was everywhere. I couldn't see a thing.

Finally when the smoke cleared, I could see. What I saw made me wish I couldn't.

The Volturi was gone. Everyone in the family was still there. Except Alice. Jackson had taken her. I could feel that my eyes were wide. Everyone was staring at me, waiting.

"Alice," I whispered. Everything went black.

My eyes opened. I heard a deafening scream and realized it was mine. There was a sharp pain in my chest. It was emotional pain, but it was so bad it had become physical.

I also felt a pair of hands on me. My eyes focused on Alicia. She had tears streaming down her face and she was worried.

I was breathing hard, but I managed to get my voice to work. "Alicia. Alice is gone, isn't she?"

She brushed her hand along my cheek. It dawned on me that I was crying. "Yes." Her voice broke on the word and a new tear ran down her face. Her eyes closed.

The pain in my chest spiked for a short moment. I held my breath to keep from screaming again. When the pain settled, I let my breath out. It had come out as a grunt rather than a sigh.

"Jasper," Alicia said. "Calm down. Please. Putting yourself through pain won't help."

"I know," I replied breathlessly. "Anytime she's in danger and away from me it hurts. When she went with Bella to Italy, it hurt. She was going to the Volturi that day. This time, she has been taken by them. It's a lot worse now than it was then."

"Don't worry. We're going to go get her."

It took me a minute to register that. "You're going to Italy? With who?"

"Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Emmett, Tiffany, and the wolves are going. You and I are to stay here. April left..." She trailed off because of my expression and mood.

I was furious.

"I'm not staying here. Alice is in Italy with the Volturi, n danger, and you expect me to stay here and do nothing! That's not going to happen!"

"Jasper-"

"No Alicia! I can't." My voice was filled with pain on the last word.

She looked at me for a moment then stood up. I realized she had been knelt beside me. I was in mine and Alice's bed. She walked to the door and called for Edward.

A few moments later, Edward came into the room. I stared at him with narrowed eyes. I didn't want to talk to him. He was probably here to talk me out of going.

"I don't care if you don't want to talk to me. And yes, I am going to try to talk you out of going," Edward said.

"Stop it. I'm going whether or not you want me to. You can't stop me. As soon as you leave, I'll just go on my own," I hissed.

"I thought that would be your answer. That's why I spoke to the wolves."

My eyes widened in surprise. He hired the wolves against me?

"You would tell the wolves to harm your own family, just to keep them somewhere? I thought you were better than that."

"It would be best if you stay behind."

"Well you're wrong."

"No. I'm not. I know what to do."

"No, you don't! You don't know a thing about this! You have never been through this before!"

"Jasper." He looked at me like I was a complete idiot. "I thought Bella was dead when I went to the Volturi. I know what they are capable of."

"That's completely different scenario! They didn't have Bella, ready to kill her!" I could feel the wetness rolling down my face. "You don't know what it's like to feel as though you have a chance to save the one you love and you're not acting on it because of someone else standing in your way!"

"Calm down, Jasper," Edward said.

"Calm down? That's all you have to say? Telling me to calm down is supposed to make me feel so much better. If I calm down it will fix everything!" My voice was thick with sarcasm. Abruptly, the sarcasm faded. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while Alice is with the Volturi. I just can't." Why couldn't he understand?

"I do understand, Jasper," he said.

"No, you don't! If you did, you would let me go!" I thought about it for a moment. "Do the others even know?"

He sat there, motionless, silent.

"They don't, do they?" I waited for him to answer. When he didn't, I stood up to go tell the others.

I went to walk out, but Edward put his hand on my shoulder to stop me. I turned on him-the tears were rolling without an end in sight-and pushed him towards the wall. He hit the wall and it cracked.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs. Everyone was in the room.

"Do you know what Edward has told me?" I ignored the shocked faces. They had never seen me cry. I don't even remember the last time I cried.

"No. What is it, Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

"He told me I was supposed to just stay here and do nothing, while the rest of you went to save Alice! Then, if I tried to follow, he hired the wolf pack against me!" I felt like a child tattling on their older sibling but I didn't care. I would do anything to go.

"Edward? Is this true?" Carlisle's gaze focused behind me, where Edward stood.

"Yes," Edward said.

"Edward!" Bella said.

"It's better if he stays-"

"No it's not!" I cut Edward off.

He continued as though I hadn't spoken. "-because he will go there and start a fight. He could get himself killed."

"You don't trust me enough to handle myself?" I asked.

"No, I don't," Edward replied.

I stared at him with my eyebrows up.

"Edward! Jasper can come. He would be useful, not a liability. Besides, it's his wife they have," Bella said.

I settled my expression back-eyebrows pulled down, mouth in a tight line, eyes blazing. "Thank you Bella. And Edward, I can't believe you."

"You can't come," Edward stated.

I was about to yell at him when Carlisle spoke, stopping me.

"Edward, Jasper will come. We will all go. We'll leave Renesmee with Jacob. We all need to be there. Bella has a point. Alice is his wife. Besides, the more time we waist arguing, the more time we give the Volturi time to do something."

"I'll tell the pack. I'll have Jacob come get Renesmee," I said.

"Jasper, why don't you let me," Alicia said cautiously, afraid I was going to yell at her I assumed.

"No, please," I said calmly. "I need something to do."

She nodded.

I ran out the door and dove over the rail by the top step. I hit the ground in wolf form. I found their scent immediately. I ran into the forest-not too deep-and found Seth and Jacob.

I stopped and put my ears up to show the urgency. They looked at me.

Jacob, Seth, I thought to them.

Yeah? they both thought.

Tell the pack that we are all going to Italy. And Jacob, we need you to watch Renesmee while we are gone.

They nodded and shot off in the direction they were needed.

I laid down where I was despite the hurry I was in. I started to whimper. The emotional pain had decided to make itself known again. My chest ached. I suddenly stoop up and howled an earsplitting howl. Anyone could tell of my agony. When I stopped I howled again. I realized this was a wolf's way of screaming.

I howled again and again.