As I stood there waiting for Jasper to get his head out of his ass and figure out what I was looking for, I let my own mind wander slightly, thinking about the implications that were staring me in the fucking face that I was currently blind to seeing. Lowering my head, I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, giving my gift free reign to do it's thing.

I knew enough about this to know that at some point, I would finally be given the whole picture and not just snippets. The ISSUE is, the situation keeps changing. I never said that my gift was infallible, never thought it was without its bugs. I knew this wasn't the case and there was holes and room for error in anything I was told by whoever lived in my skull. It was just that sometimes the holes were bigger than others and there was a larger margin of error. Unlike the mutant midget, my intuition wasn't based on the choices of others. What I was told was going to happen exactly as I am told it will. HOWEVER, that said, the voices I hear leave out some shit that could, or could not, be important. They don't want to get that shit wrong any more than I want them to, so they keep some things to themselves until they have all the information on the situation and then I get the picture painted stroke for stroke. I know a lot about it and I like very little of it, but the main thing, the one that will be the deciding factor on how this is handled, is still just right there out of my reach.

I knew that my Sugar was the main target of this bullshit but though I knew that, I was having a little bit of a hard time understanding why. None of this made the damnedest bit of sense to me. Why would the Cullen coven pay someone to kill a human, only to save her from them, and then offer up MORE cash? Though it didn't make sense, I was positive that the answers lie in the Major's big 'ol brain. He was a silent observer, a watcher; a listener. He heard or saw something over the decades he was pussified that held the answer to that. I just had to figure out how to go about getting it out of him when I wasn't completely sure what I was even after. The dots were there, all I had to do now was connect them and then solve the puzzle.

I am fully convinced that I loved riddles as a human.

I felt arms circle my arm and looked down at my mate, seeing a look of scared contemplation on her face, causing my brow to draw a bit. "What's up Sugar?"

She shook her head a little bit and bit her lip, "I feel like I'm being watched."

I blinked at that before looking up at Jasper when he snorted a little, "Get used to it, Darlin. My guess, Aro is having Alice checking in on you to make sure you're alright since there is no one within miles of here but the four of us."

She curled her lip a little, "I don't like it. I felt this when we were in Mexico too and I didn't like it then either. I feel... exposed." Well, that explains how Aro knew where to find us.

Jasper just smiled at her, "I know the feeling. I spent nearly 70 years being spied on."

Izzy wrinkled her nose and grunted, "tell me again why you didn't just rip her head off and be done with it? From what I can tell, you're a big boy and are perfectly capable of making your own decisions, right or wrong, and don't really need a babysitter."

He just shrugged at that, "while I am inclined to agree, you would be surprised at how wrong that statement is... or was, Whichever."

Izzy just shook her head a little before looking back up at me, "So, what's the plan now?"

I hummed in my throat a little and cocked my head to the side. "Currently, I am waiting for Jazz here to answer a few questions for me. After that, depending on said answers, I'll let you know."

She just groaned before pulling away and crossing her arms, a pout on her face. "This is really starting to border ridiculous. I mean seriously, in the last three weeks, I would have that thought that if they had the fucking balls to have me hunted like they did, they would have also had the fucking balls to show themselves. Personally, I think that they are nothing but a bunch of fucking pansies and without the two that Aro now holds, they got nothin'."

She then looked up at Jasper, "You said once that fuckward could read minds and I saw first hand that the little imp looking thing could see into the future. You were their front line of defense, so really, without the three of you... what could they really have?"

Jasper considered that question a moment before looking up at me, "friends in high places."

I cocked a brow at that, "beg pardon?"

He was silent for a moment more before crossing his arms, "They have, or Carlisle rather, has friends all over the place, all across the spectrum of vampiric hierarchy. Some are gifted with abilities, others age and others experience. We know that preservation is the number one instinct that we have and there is not a single vampire out there that wouldn't literally do whatever they had to, to survive. The entire coven is now on Aro's radar for bringing a human into our world and there is not a one of them that would willing serve a day on the guard for doing so."

'Ask about the big one.' The fuck? What the hell does that have to do with...

Holding up a finger, "The big fucker, what do you know about him?"

Jasper looked a little taken aback at that, "Why?"

I pursed my lips a little, "Remember what the redhead said? The big one had friends or family in the area of Maria's camp. They have to be humans because we were all over that area and would have heard about them, at least in passing, if they were joining up with other vampires. Especially in camp because we would have had to have been told if they were allies or enemies so we didn't kill them on 'accident'."

Jasper shrugged a shoulder, "he's 70 years old from Tennessee. I cannot imagine him having ties there unless they are really old family friends. If that's the case, the Cullens have been toeing the human/vampire line a lot closer than we thought for a lot longer than we thought. IF the ties we were told about are real and they are human, this..."

Izzy hummed a little before cutting Jasper off, "What if the information Victoria gave us is wrong, but not by her own fault?"

We all just looked at her a moment before the suspense got to much and Garrett snapped, "Go on."

She glared at him a little, "well, excuse me asswhip, that I MIGHT want to think this through a bit. Bite me fucker." After a little huff, she looked over at Jasper, "What if they really did tell her that so when she was caught, she could relay it?"

Jasper hummed in his throat, "But, why would they actually GO there if it was a ploy?"

She giggled a little, "dedication? Think about it this way; they know that there would be no way you would EVER go back there without a damn good fucking reason. Had we not crossed their scent on the way to the camp, would we have kept going? They had to give incentive and since they have some sort of deal with the bitch of the eon, they were safe from hostility in being in her territory. We were led to believe that she didn't know about them so we would go, get detained, and they had enough time to put their plans into action."

Jasper and I locked eyes at that. Mother fuckers. If that was even partially right, they have had weeks worth of a head start on this. In that time, any brain dead vampire could lay the groundwork for just about anything.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, "Alright, so, let's assume that they have brought in friends, gifted and not. What kind of powers are we talking about?"

I felt Izzy shudder a little before looking over her shoulder. Looking where she was, I dipped my head, "What is it, Sugar?"

Her face scrunched up a bit as her eyes started to roam a bit, "I still feel like I have eyes on me." I watched her eyes roam the treeline a little more, "this feels different than Mexico. That was nothing but a blip, this is constant." She gave the trees another roaming before locking on one area where she nodded towards, "it's coming from over there."

I squinted my eyes on the spot she indicated, my lips pulling from me teeth a bit. Gently pushing Izzy towards Garrett, I didn't even look his way as I spoke, "Take Izzy inside and keep her there. I don't care what you hear, feel, THINK; You KEEP her ass there this time or I will rip your head off and shove it up your ass".

I jerked my head to Jasper and with a nod from him, we were off, going opposite directions towards the woods. Once we were in the trees, we were once again transported back and molded back into one. Plus, this was an area that we both knew like the back of our hands seeing as this was the first property that I ever bought and he help with the expansion and construction of the grounds.

If there was actually someone stupid enough to be here, they were about to really hate life.

JPOV

Snarling like a ficking dog, I took to the trees the moment that the scent caressed my nose. He was good, I would have to give him that much. It takes a LOT to get around my gift. It's not impossible, nothing is, but it takes a fuck of a lot to do it and I honestly didn't think he had it in him. Never underestimate the stupid ones apparently. A mistake that I will never make again.

The difference between us though; I was smaller, lighter and better at both stealth and tracking. The fucking retard wasn't leaving the woods in one piece, that much was a guarantee.

I could see him only a few hundred yards ahead of me so I shifted my path so I stayed downwind and get in front of him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Peter closing in the same way I was. He was upwind and when the one we were hunting caught his scent, he would turn my way and BAM, it would be over.

I moved into position just as Peter dropped to the ground, making enough noise to be heard, making the trespasser do just as I thought he would and head right for me. I shifted my weight and counted down from five and dove out of the leaves, spearing him right in the gut, tackling him to his back. We tumbled a little, but even though he was twice my size, Emmett was never any actual match for my expertise when it came to capture and containment.

During the tumble, I got him to his stomach, got his massive arms crossed behind his back before opening my mouth and biting roughly against his neck; not enough for decapitation but enough to gain full control over him if he wanted it to stay that way. Once I had that, I pumped him chock full of compliance and calm to keep him subdued and get him talking once Peter got closer.

Peter however, seemed to have no plans on asking any questions right at the moment if the eyes of the Devil were anything to go by. There wasn't even a sliver of white to be found in the onyx orbs. His teeth were bared and there was a deep, dark rumble in his chest. Once he was right in front of us, he crouched down, putting his hands on the ground and getting nose to nose with the behemoth of a vampire. When he spoke, his voice was a growl and hard to understand if you didn't have any experience with an actually pissed off Peter. When I heard it again, I was transported back 88 years into the past, to the one and only time I have ever seen him lose his temper.

Flashback

"I don't rightly give a fuck. When I say something, I expect it done EXACTLY as I say, when I say. Ya understand maggot?"

The younger vampire before me was shaking and probably overly glad he could no longer piss himself as he nodded, "Yes Sir, Major. It won't happen again."

I smirked wide, "You're Goddamn right it won't." Taking a step back, three executioners pounced on him, ripping him into teeny tiny pieces before stepping out of my way. I took another hit from my cigarette, blowing the smoke out of my nose as I crouched down in front of his face. Glancing at the cherry as I twisted my wrist making the smoke dance around before looking back in his eyes, "Because I ain't gonna let it." Then I flicked the butt onto the pile of quivering body parts not move a muscle, even as the others jumped five feet back, as they caught and ignited, shooting a pillar of fire into the air.

I watched the reds, yellows and orange dance and swirl around, taking in the warmth and letting it warm my stone skin. I would have stayed there for a while longer had there not been a commotion on the other side of camp. Heaving a hard sigh, I stood and made my way over to see what the fuck was going on and find out who my next victim of the night was gonna be. This was just gonna be one of those nights, I could feel it. I had already burned five and looked like there was about to be a sixth.

Stupid little mother fuckers.

There was a ring of older soldiers caging in a group of what looked like nothing but a bunch of newborns. Rolling my eyes, I brought my fingers to my lips and blew a whistle, telling everyone to shut the fuck up and stand down. There was a scramble and dash causing me to sigh a little before focusing my gift and sending out a choking wave of chill out causing more than a few to actually fall to their knees from the strength.

Looking out over the area, "So, anyone wanna tell me just what the fuck is going on?" When no one volunteered to tell me, I growled, "That wasn't a fucking question. Someone better speak the fuck up before you all get your asses beat."

I was hit with a 'kick to the dick' wave of deception and vengeance before someone called out, "He started it!"

I looked over at the one that called out and saw a month old newborn then looked to where he was pointing, cocking a brow when I saw he was pointing at Peter. Turning back to the accuser, I crossed my arms and just stared at him, waiting for him to falter. There was no part of me that believed that, even taking the emotions I was feeling from him out of the equation. Peter didn't start shit, he ended it. When he held fast to that claim, I turned back to Peter and the look of murder on his face, "Captain; explain yourself."

His head snapped to look at me, eyes dark and blank of all emotions. This was a first. Peter was probably the most emotionally driven vampire alive. To see none in his eyes meant nothing good I was sure.

However, before he had a chance to say a word, there was a new voice from behind me, "His explanation is not relevant, Major, and you know it."

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Maria gliding towards the crowd. God dammit, I could have handled this without venom shed if she would have just stayed out of it. Cocking a brow at her, "The fuck it isn't. As one of my officers..."

The bitch gave me the most condescending look she ever had, "But he is MY officer and I say it doesn't matter. You know the punishment, Major, and he is not above it. If you are incapable of following orders as well, you can join him."

Pursing my lips and narrowing my eyes a little, I quietly growled in my throat before turning back to Peter, seeing his eyes spark with malice before once again going blank. Knowing him as well as I did, I dosed him, taking away his will to fight and forcing him to his knees before calling the order for dismemberment.

When it wasn't followed by the one for death, Maria saddled her little ass right up behind me, lowering her voice so only I could hear her, "Do not tell me that you refuse to destroy him."

I gave a slow shake of my head before looking back and down at her, "Of course not. However, he is the reason that we win 98% of the battles we go into. Do you really want to lose that edge you have with him still alive? He's still a youngin, still has spirit. Let him learn his lesson then put him back on the front lines."

Maria gave that thought a tumble through her mind a minute before nodding, "Very well, Major." She walked past me and up to the body parts that littered the ground. She cocked her head a little before bending down and picking up his arm and using it to dig a hole in the ground. I just cocked a brow at her, wondering what the fuck she was doing. Once I figured it out, I actually felt like throwing up. She was using his own hand to dig a hole to bury his head.

Once she was done, she then used his own hand to shove the dirt back into the hole. She then tossed the arm with the rest of him, stood and brushed the dirt from her skirt before turning to me, "Pick him up and put him where no one will mess with the pieces." I blinked at her a few times as she looked back at his body, "what do you think Major; six months, a year? How long do you think it will take to break that spirit of his?"

I shrugged, "hard tellin', Mistress."

She tapped her finger to her chin a few times, "Let's make it a year, just to make sure he learns that lesson you were speaking of."

This wasn't gonna break him... it was gonna piss him off if not drive him insane.

For the following 364 days, I avoided that spot like it would kill me if I touched it. I could feel different emotions still coming from him since the brain was still functioning. Everyday the anger, the resentment, the vengeance, the loathing grew and I said nothing to anyone about it nor did I do anything to take it away. Peter was entitled to it, owed it. Whatever happened when he was dug up was nothing that could not be foreseen with a little common fucking sense. However, even though I knew what he was feeling, I never could have imagined the viciousness he was going to show on the dawn of day 365. All I did over that year was send him a little reassurance, some measure of contact to keep him sane so I wasn't forced to destroy him when the time came.

As the sun was cresting the horizon on that morning, I put his body back together outside camp, leaving it under the guard of a few newborns that had no idea who he was and three older ones that did, one of which being the one that accused him, before heading into the city to get some blood so I could put his head back on. Once that was done, I went to get the head, pumping it full of sedation so he didn't try and bite me when I went to pick him up.

Once he was out of the ground, I said nothing, the look in his eyes telling me everything I needed to know. I smirked as I left camp, tossing his head to the then newborn, "Put it on."

The guy, Mark I think, gave me a look that told me just how little he liked the order making me cock a brow, "You're old enough to know not to question me. Put. It. On." Then I leaned on a tree trunk and waited.

He looked at Peter's head before sighing lightly and turning to the body that was being held up, but not restrained properly, and putting it on, holding it in place as the venom did its thing and fused head to body.

He never saw it coming.

Peter ripped free of the piss poor hold, diving at the son of bitch with a snarl and proceeded to tear into him like a wolf with a deer carcass. In three seconds there was nothing left of him and Peter rounded on the others, doing the same to them. If they tried to run, he gave chase, catching them and mauling them too. I was actually shocked at the fact that he could do this without eating first.

I was shocked even further when I found myself laid out on my back with Peter nose to nose with me, his hand wrapped around my throat. It was the look in his eyes that held me where I was. I knew they were black having seen them when I picked up his head, but it was what was IN them that startled me into inaction.

He was still growling, he teeth were bared and dripping venom on my chest. When he spoke though was when I realized that Peter was the devil in the flesh. Not even I was this fucking demonic when pissed off. It was a little difficult to understand with the growl, but I got the jist.

"Only warning, Major. Do that shit again and Satan will cringe when he sees what I do to you. He will vomit at the sight and quiver in fear at the thought of ever seeing me. Do you fucking understand, asshole?"

I just nodded at him to which he snarled and snapped his teeth at my nose before twisting away from me and finally attacking the humans that were beginning to wake up. Once he was fed and the bodies were burned, he turned back to me, his eyes still holding that same malice from last year, his voice still shrouded with a growl when he spoke, "For the fucking record, I didn't do shit. That piece of fuckall was goin' against one of the few morals I got left. Ain't no asswipe gonna be rapin' no one where I can see it, ya hear? Remember what I said, you ever try that again, I will end you."

End Flashback

Knowing Peter, he meant that. I wasn't scared of him, but I did know that if he got something in his head, he would move Heaven, Hell and the cosmos themselves to see it through and as I watched him stare at Emmett right now, all I saw was the Peter from that day, the same malice and pure pissed offness that actually sent a tremor down my spine as I held the mammoth to the ground.

As that growl covered voice reached my ears, I tried to translate it as fast as I could in case I was told to rip his fucking head off.

"You got guts, I'll give ya that; and I'm gonna use 'em to hang you in my house like a fucking chandelier." Then he turned those demonic eyes on me, "Take his head. We got work to do."

Off the head came like a dandelion top.