Bet you guys think I died in a corner somewhere, right? Well, good news: I'm actually alive, I've just been suffering from a horrendous case of writer's block. The doctors say it's the worst case since Edgar Allan Poe's half-finished manuscript – and he still hasn't finished that one, by the way. :P

Bad news: "Broken" is on temporary hold while I untangle the plot. I will finish it though, that's a promise. Feel free to come after me with pitchforks, but please remember that if you kill me with said pitchforks, the wait for an update will be significantly longer.

Big apology to Midwinter Sun! I misspelled her user name last chapter. Don't forget to check out her story, Heart of Ice.

My other recommendation is You May Now Kiss The Bride by vjgm. It's hilarious, you won't regret reading it.

Jasper's POV:

"Are you sure?" I asked Carlisle, pausing at the door. My voice was too fast for Bella to hear, though I doubt she was paying attention anyway. I could feel the fear and doubt pouring off of her in suffocating waves, though neither one was because of my presence.

"You are better equipped to help her through this than anyone," Carlisle murmured back, his words only a subtle sigh to human ears. The calm assurance he felt backed up his statement. "She needs to know she can get through this. That it won't last forever."

I nodded and glided into the room. Our whole conversation had only occupied the span of a few seconds, but it seemed much longer to me as I mulled over Carlisle's words.

Bella truly did look horrible. Alice had obviously done her hair, but she had done nothing for the deep circles under Bella's exhausted eyes. And no amount of makeup would wash away the fear drenching her face.

And her emotions…I tightened my mental control and sent out a wave of calm and reassurance.

Her face relaxed the tiniest bit. "Thanks Jasper," she sighed.

Something about her seemed…I couldn't put my finger on it for a moment, but she looked at me then, and it hit me. That haunted expression in her eyes…it was like looking at myself in the mirror.

My doubts that I could really help her faded away. Rosalie and I were probably the only ones Bella knew who could understand that level of fear.

She shifted her gaze, and I realized I'd been staring at her.

"Sorry," I murmured.

I was reluctant to tell her my story, for several reasons. And there were parts of it that I would never speak of again. But I could see it was necessary...I would have to keep a tight grip on my emotions; I tended to project whatever I was feeling if I wasn't careful.

"Carlisle ever tell you how I was changed?" I asked, deciding to just plunge right in.

She shook her head, and I braced myself for what promised to be a very unpleasant trip into the past.

"You know I joined the Confederate Army. Well, the night I met Maria, we were evacuating towns of women and children. I was already an officer, and still hadn't seen any fighting – youngest major in the Calvary," I said, with a flash of pride.

"Anyway, it was almost dusk that last night, and I was just doing a routine check. I was about ready to turn around and rejoin my soldiers when I saw them…"

She was beautiful – it was her beauty that caught my eye from the start. Even in the fading light I could see her lustrous curls, the perfect lips smiling up at me. Her eyes were hidden under the shadow of her dainty hat. There were two others with her, each looking tiny and out-of-place in the forsaken outskirts of the town.

"Hello," I said, puzzled, but jumping at the chance to play gentleman. "I'm Major Jasper Whitlock. Can I be of service?"

I dismounted and bowed to them, waiting anxiously for their reply.

The one on the right, a short brunette, leaned over to speak to the pretty one. "I like him, Maria, but you'd better do it. I can never stop once I've started."

I was puzzled, but I didn't have time to sort out her words. The middle lady stepped forward and took my face in her hands. "I hope you survive," she murmured, her voice a seductive caress. "I really do like you."

She pressed her lips to my neck.

The burning was unlike anything I'd ever experienced; it raced through my veins, turning my insides to ash. Liquid fire licked at my fingers and toes.

For three days I burned in hell.

"Jasper? Jasper?"

It was Bella's voice that brought me back to reality. I blinked, forcibly stopping the tremors that tore through my body.

"I'm okay," I assured her, remembering that I was supposed to be the one helping her. Fine job I was doing with that.

"We don't have to talk about this," she began, but I laid my hand on hers, surprising both of us. "Yes," I said, "we do."

Promising myself I wouldn't break down in front of her, I took a deep breath that I didn't need and slowly immersed myself back into the past.