A/N: Ugh, this chapter gave me fits- it was sooo hard to write. But it's an important transition chapter and hopefully things will start to pick up a little faster from here. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line, SM owns the characters I'm just having fun with them.

Peter POV
"We're goin' back to Springfield aren't we?"

I really didn't like this idea. I couldn't see anything good coming from associating with that strange coven. If the two we had met were any indication they were a crazy bunch. Unfortunately, I knew my mate and I knew if he was even stopping to think about it then his mind was already made up.

"Pete, I just want to meet the others and see how the group as a whole interacts together. I might need to apologize for attacking the pixie seer but the idea of a family intrigues me. I know they may not accept us but who's to say we can't build our own family? What about that?"

I could see how hard he wanted me to try this, look into this crazy idea of vampires acting like humans, but for the life of me I could not stop the hurt from building in my heart. Why was it as soon as we escaped the hell hole we were living in, I was no longer enough for my mate? Why did he suddenly need more than I could give him? For the first time in my immortal life I suddenly felt unworthy.

As I dipped my head to hide the tears I could feel building up in my eyes I felt my mate's arms wrap around me and feel the purr build deep in his chest. "I'm so sorry Peter, please don't feel like that! You are my whole life, my only reason for continuing to exist! You know I love you, right? I would do anything for you- anything you need. All I am asking is that you do the same for me. Can you do that? Can you at least think about it?"

Damn, talk about a guilt trip, Major. I knew he was right though, he had sacrificed so much of himself just keep me alive back in camp. I don't think he even knew who he was anymore and the past few weeks he was trying to figure himself out and redefine our relationship all at the same time. I pulled back and looked in his eyes, shocked to find a lost little boy staring back at me. He looked so vulnerable I couldn't do anything but nod my head and agree with him.

"Can we at least stop for a bite to eat first? Maybe find somewhere to be alone for a little while? Let me take care of you Jasper, I need you right now." Or at least, I needed him to need me.

We headed back toward the nearest town we had passed while running and found a run-down bar near the railroad tracks. Drunks were always the easiest prey and my personal favorite choice of victim. Each drunk man I kept from going home was one less mother and child that would get a beating that night. That was my philosophy anyway. I stuck my hand in my bag and fingered the tarnished pocket watch that was my last link to my human life. It was the only thing of value my Pa gave me, and I had to steal it off his dead body after I killed him. I tried to give it to my Ma but she wouldn't take it; she told me to sell it and use the money to buy some food but I kept it hidden for years. I made it my mission to deserve that watch in a way my Pa never had. Real men carried pocket watches and real men took care of their families. When I married Charlotte she took that watch and had it cleaned up and my initials carved in the back- P.W. I wish I could remember what the W stood for but I lost that memory in the burn when I was changed. Jasper said it didn't matter, I could use his name, Whitlock, and the initials would still match. Just one more thing he gave me.

I was brought out of my musing by the sound of the back door opening and a drunk man stumbling out. I looked at Jasper and he cocked his head to me, wanting me to take this one. I grabbed the back of the guy's shirt and pulled him between us and asked if he would share with me. Keeping my eyes locked on my mate's I waited for him to bite on his side before I sunk my teeth in the smelly neck before me. I loved sharing meals with Jasper; feeding and fucking always goes hand in hand for mated vampires.

As the body ran dry, I tossed it away and leaned over to lick a stray drop of blood from the corner of Jasper's mouth. He pulled me in for a bruising kiss, tangling his hands in my hair while I reached for the waistband of his pants. He groaned when I pulled away from his kiss but growled when I dropped to my knees in front of him. Just as I got his pants opened, the door behind us banged open and I heard a startled voice say, "What the hell is this? Get away from that boy, what do think you're doing?"

Jasper looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Guess we're not done eatin' yet, huh? We WILL pick this up later, ok Peter?" he said, before we each grabbed one of the men who came out and made quick work of our supper. We took the gun from our first victim, and put it in his hand after shooting our other victims in the chest and then shot the gunholder in the head. Arranging the bodies to look like a gunfight gone bad we took off running toward Springfield. I guess scenes like this is why that boy said they drink from animals. I wonder if they drop the deer carcasses off at the butcher on their way into town or what.

Jasper POV
I could tell Peter was frustrated by our interruption earlier but I kept thinking over what that man had said. He called me a boy and he thought Peter was hurting me or taking advantage of me or something. I didn't really know why it mattered but it made me nervous about what would come of our relationship if we did indeed join the everyday human world. I already knew from Edward's reaction that he didn't approve of Peter and I together, although I honestly didn't care what he thought. But tonight's experience made me realize that we might have to act different around humans than we would around other vampires. I had a feeling that living in the human world would mean conforming to what they considered "normal" and I was pretty sure a 19-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man would not normally be involved romantically.

I had already been forced to hide my feelings for my mate for years, was I really willing to go through that all over again? Was an education and the possibility of a family really worth that? I guess what I had to think about was what was more important, what the humans around us thought, or what my mate knew to be true. If I could reassure him at home, would he be willing to back away in public? Denying my mate was the same as denying myself, and what would that cost me in the end?

Peter and I ran back into Springfield in the early morning, just after dawn. The humans were mostly still sleeping but there were enough out and about that we had to slow to a human pace as we entered the sleepy streets. I had decided to pick up the trail of those two vampires and see if I could find where they were going to be living. I wasn't sure if they would be there but we could always wait for them to come back. We had passed the tree where we met them before and continued to follow their trail around to a large house on the edge of town that bordered the forest to the north. Made sense for vampires that would need lots of animals to survive, even if it did seem wasteful when they had a whole city in front of them ripe for the pickin'. No one was home but the scents were all over the house and grounds, along with two more unfamiliar vampires. Others of their family? I could feel Pete's nerves pick up as we encountered the strange scents but taking his hand in mine seemed to ease his worries.

"Guess we'll wait here for a bit. Pretty nice place they got here, huh?" I asked Pete.

He looked around between the house and barn. "Yeah, between this and them clothes they were wearin', they obviously ain't hurtin' for money!"

I settled down under an elm tree in the back yard and held my arm out to my mate. "Come sit with me for a bit. I don't think we've just sat together since the morning we left." I pulled him down between my legs with his back against my chest, his favorite way to sit, and put my arms around him . Setting my chin on his shoulder I took a moment to just breathe in his scent and calm myself. He leaned his head back against me, shutting his eyes, and for a moment I wondered why on earth I would ever want more than this. We sat peacefully together for several hours as the sun rose and the sounds began to pick up in the town below us. Just as Peter sent me another wave of his love I felt six new vampires on the very edge of my gift and sat up straighter, looking toward the northeast where they were approaching.

"I can feel 'em comin' Pete, so that boy can probably hear us now. Let him know we ain't lookin' for a fight, we just want to talk." I said as I stood up, pulling him with me. I made an effort to look relaxed while still keeping myself ready for a fight, while Pete stood at attention just behind my right shoulder. I appreciated him knowing I wasn't ready for him to face this strange group by my side, it was taking all my self-restraint not to slip totally back into my role as Major.

As they broke through the trees in front of us I saw the boy and girl from before on either edge of the group, with two more mated pairs in the middle. The tall blonde male and huge black-haired male immediately put themselves in front of their mates while still trying to make themselves look non-threatening. I guess the boy had instructed them on who we were and what to do. They stopped about ten yards in front of us and studied us for a minute before the blond male stepped forward with a warm smile and held his hand out to me.

"Hello son, my name is Carlisle Cullen. I'm very pleased to meet you."