Note:

How could May's teeth grow? Well, that's not entirely clear. Certain is the cause: extreme stress. Her own healing gift probably went into overdrive. Over-regeneration.

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Music:

Procession – Queen (instrumental)

Search and Destroy – 30 seconds to Mars

This is who we are – Di-rect (Dutch group)

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Chapter 16: Jasper – Victory?

Arrgh! First Rose's anger and then May's quick burst, they're like knives stabbing me. I had to get away, though I tried not show it to much. I'm supposed to be able to calm everyone, be the reasonable, experienced fighter. But these past two weeks emotions had been so high, so diverse. Today it just spiked. It felt good to get some fresh air and do some patrolling. Emmet was in a similar state of mind, so he was good company. He wanted to do something. Jogging at gentle pace we scanned the area. The only ones we detected were the pack. So far.

"Your wife is quite the handful," I suddenly said to Emmet. He grinned and gave a big sigh. "Yeah, I know, he answered, she just can't handle the uncertainty anymore." I sampled his mood. "That's definitely true, I reacted, but you handle it better." There was a pause as he thought about an answer. "Hmm, he replied, yes, I guess I do right now, but wait until I get my hands on those Volturi bastards." He wringed his hands. And I was sure he'd go all out.

How much things had changed in just a couple of weeks. We were all in such a good place. Bonded more than ever before. Renesmee's birth and Bella becoming a vampire started that off. The happy feelings they created, I couldn't imagine being somewhere else. May's presence only enhanced it all. Tapping into her positive emotions and spreading them around had been easy.

I had worked on myself a lot. Bella could control herself. It made me determined to improve my own control. Hunting more helped, but May had been the key. First the seals, their blood was amazing. Not the taste, but how it made me feel. I never thought an animal could rival with a human. Second was the meditating, something indescribable. It wasn't simple to block everything around me, to zone out.

She took me to the most isolated place in the Olympic area. A small, hidden cave, barely big enough to house two werewolves. (ehm, I mean spirit wolves) So quiet, you imagined yourself alone in the world. There, I only heard her voice as she talked me through it. I only felt what she felt. Playing back every memory like a movie was intense. A confrontation with myself. It took me hours.

Every time after that it got easier to do. Now I could manage on my own. Checking myself at least once a week. I knew myself better and losing control wasn't an issue anymore. Yes, that needed to be tested. Opening a bag of donor blood had been my first move. It meant nothing. A visit to the hospital. I was cool, focussing on Carlisle's stable state of mind. Also something I learned, leaning on others in a challenging situation.

Alice was so proud of me, it was like she was going to burst. Showering me with affection. She would always be the most important person in my existence. Another reason this threat has been hard to deal with. Her constant struggle to see clearly. I hated it. May offered to help, but Alice had resisted, she didn't want anyone else to be burdened. That was only part of it though, I knew, I felt it. Having visions was her gift, something personal.

My phone vibrating in the front pocket of my jacket brought me back to reality. Caller ID said it was Edward, which meant Alice had seen something. I picked up swiftly. "Jazz, Edward said anxiously, go find May, she disappeared just now, Alice can't see her anymore." "Well, I replied calmly, that's because she's with the wolves of course." No big deal. "No, he pressed on strongly, "I mean she really disappeared, Alice looked as far ahead as she could and saw nothing." We reacted immediately, started running fast, towards the big field, unsure why, but Edward didn't correct us. After a minute I put the phone away. Emmet pumped himself up, he was ready. His state of mind became mine, no way they were taking our sister from us!

At one point we picked up her scent, it got stronger the farther we went. But I couldn't sense her anywhere close. We came across her coat, discarded on the ground. I snatched it up swiftly. Several miles from the field the sound of fleeing animals reached us. Something scared them badly. A split second later the ripple of what seemed a roar slapped us in the chest. Emmet reacted immediately; "Whoa! May?" It most likely was her and it meant her emotions were high, out of control. I prepared myself. We pushed ourselves, faster, hurry!

In the distance we saw two young wolves fighting a couple of vampires. I recognised one of them as Afton. Behind them was the torn up body of a female, probably Chelsea. Two other Volturi members were near some trees, May was half way up one of them. Santiago stood in the middle, with his 6'8" muscular frame he stood out. But the pain emanating from him was most prominent. He was shaking his left hand. I also sensed pain coming from May and one the wolves. Other feelings were all over the place. Anger, worry and determination. But I also detected some fear and love.

The three lead wolves of the big pack charged in just before us. Sam split off to help May, who moved slower than usual. Santiago noticed us and turned, locking eyes with Emmet. They crashed into each other and started to wrestle. I went after the male with a short afro haircut. He was chasing May up the tree and gaining on her fast. Jumping up I grabbed him by the collar and threw him on the ground. He got up fast, a little confused. We faced one another. His eyes widened at the sight of my scars. He seemed fairly new to this life. It was easy to end him, he had nothing on me.

The Volturi were outnumbered and we won quick. While they were burning May jumped down, relief and worry came off her in waves. She focused on the two young wolves straight away. Walking over to them she asked them how they were feeling and she checked out the injured one. It wasn't that bad, his ribs were healing well. They were concerned about her also, that was easy to detect. Moving forward, the twins touched her face and one of her arms with their noses. Anger flared up from Emmet a bit. Someone punched her in the face?! I examined her right arm first, sliding up the sleeve. Both her upper arms were crushed, in such a way only Santiago could've done that. It sent a chill through me, knowing he got a hold of her, that tight.

Than it occurred to me, the big Volturi guard had been hurting much worse. She managed to break free and she bit him, hard (!). Her gift obviously helped. Good thing she lost her coat. She had been lucky. My attention went up to her face. What was wrong with it? On the outside everything looked fine. Her pain was almost gone. I wanted to touch her mouth, see inside, but she blocked me several ways.

"No, she said firmly, I'm not hurt there, it's something else." Nothing to worry about." She turned to face the twins. "They'll be back to normal this afternoon," she said. I felt a bit confused, what did she mean, was she talking about her teeth? Me and my brother gave her an intense, questioning look. May shook her head. "Please don't ask," she pleaded, her eyes shone with emotion. But that was all, she held back her feelings, just like the day she arrived.

I responded with a sigh and Emmet grunted. We let it go for now. Sam walked up and positioned himself between the twins and May. He locked eyes with her and I felt a wave of gratitude come off him. Everything was quiet. The boys copied his action and felt the same way. It was a little weird, but they'd done this before, like May was linked to the pack-mind. They didn't need words somehow.

Suddenly the twins' mood changed and they got up. It was hard to describe their emotions. But it was clear they cared about her a lot. Standing close to her, they gently put their heads on her shoulders. May practically disappeared from view because of their big bodies.

Emmet was surprised by this action and I guess any vampire without my gift or Edward's would be. But she was very moved and radiated love. To her they were like little brothers and this could be described as a 'wolf-hug'. Her words and small giggle only emphasized what was obvious to me. "It's alright boys, she whispered, we're okay, that's all that matters." Her hands moved up very quickly and rubbed them behind their ears. They hardly noticed because it was so brief. Then it seemed like Sam communicated with her again in silence. After this it became time to leave, everyone had people waiting back home. Werewolves and vampires split up. May waved them goodbye and told them she'd see them before sunset.

I wondered if Alice had seen us appear already. Would she call? We started walking at an easy pace, side by side. I gave May her coat back and she put it on. No one said anything, we were processing it all. Soon enough Emmet was bursting with curiosity. He was also a bit amused about something. May's mood however was slightly gloomy.

This had been her first real fight, she killed somebody. Though it had been an enemy and it was necessary, to save two of her loved ones, it was still a big deal. Especially to her with her healing gift. And we, her brothers, didn't know what really happened, before we arrived. I wasn't sure if May would appreciate Emmet's attempt to lighten the mood. He always tried to make jokes in tense situations. Hmm, how to help a bit? I sent Emmet a sample of what May was feeling and visa versa.

Then I started the conversation. "May, I asked, what happened before we arrived?" Just give us the basics, whatever you're comfortable with." May glanced up at the both of us and gave a big sigh. "I lost control Jazz, she replied, I saw red when Santiago was about to kill Will." I was almost to late, like with Boots." Briefly, the memory hurt her, but she controlled herself by taking deep breaths. "It was chaos after I killed Chelsea, she added, luckily they weren't well organised." She shook her head. "I can't believe Afton started an argument with Santiago." That's what helped me escape." That last bit seemed to lift her spirits a little, her lips curled up at the corners. She finished with a last sentence; "We just had to hold on until help arrived, I knew Sam and some of the others would come."

I thought about that for a moment. And concluded she was right, Aro wouldn't have sent this group. This fight might lead to friction among the Volturi. They lost valuable members. What would this mean for the future? A partial answer came from my phone. "Sweetie! Alice cheered, you're all alright, thank goodness!" I see no more enemies and May will benefit from your talk." See you soon." And then the line went dead. I rolled my eyes, she was always like that. My little whirlwind.

Emmet used the moment to speak. "Come on May, he said, cheer up, we won didn't we, everyone came out alive, I feel like celebrating." He bumped her shoulder lightly. She grunted, but couldn't help a small smile forming. "You did well by the way, he continued, made it easy for me to take down Santi." It was really no fun for me like that." She didn't react, so he stopped her and suddenly picked her up for a big bear-hug.

"Em, put me down! She squealed, I'm unable to match your strength, covered up like this!" He laughed and only lifted her up higher, her feet off the ground. "I know, he beamed, and that's a good thing right now." Oh boy, he shouldn't have done that. She was determined to free herself. Lightning fast she did the only thing she could and pressed her lips to back of right hand. Then she swung her feet down, hooked his left leg and made him stumble. That loosened his grip and she was out of his hold. Spinning around him, she kicked his butt and sent him to the ground. That was sooo funny! I burst out in an all out laugh, on my own! They couldn't help their own outburst. Emmet scared off numerous animals in the vicinity.

It took us a minute to calm down. Afterwards my brother had more questions. "What is it with you and the wolves?" he asked. "It's like you can read their minds. "Have you been hiding some shapeshifter thing from us?" May rolled her eyes. "Nope, she said, I'm just good at reading body language." And I've gotten to know them well, it isn't hard to guess what they might be thinking."

Emmet cocked an eyebrow. "And what was that?" he inquired. She shuffled her left foot. "Well, euhm, she mumbled, the same thing I was I guess." Relieved that it was over, worried about one another and other stuff like that." She felt uncomfortable saying that they thanked her and cared for her. So I did it for her. Hey, I'm the one with empathy gift here. "So, Em concluded, that last move was like a … 'wolf-hug'? May grinned and nodded.

"Cool!" he said. Then we were silent a while, only a little over five miles to the house. Without thinking we slowed down our run. I looked at May, who seemed quite at peace now. One question was still bugging me, so I tried again. "Will you tell us now, what happened to your face?" "No!" she answered firmly, It's not important and personal." Pleading again with her eyes she added: "And make sure Alice stays out of this too!" She felt strongly about this and expected me to comply with her request. I gave a small sigh and decided she deserved some privacy, we had so little here.

After another mile or so we noticed Jake and the others coming towards us. As they came into view, still as wolves, Seth and Embry pushed themselves to the front. Straight towards May, who dodged their attempt to knock her over. They turned and wedged her in between their bodies, under her arms, so she was off the ground. Only her head was visible.

"Ooh, not again!" she exclaimed while slapping them on their backs. They let out a barking laugh before releasing her. May retaliated by ruffling the fur on their heads and scratching their sides to make their back legs move. You know, like one would with a dog. Jake sent off a mischievous vibe. He managed to give Emmet a quick lick on the face. Dodging one of his hands, our alpha joined the others again. They were all acting like kids. Back home we got a big welcome and lots of hugs.

Inside our mother had cooked up a storm. She just wanted to do something! Jake and the pack happily tucked in and Nessie also ate, a piece of dark chocolate. She recently discovered it and deemed it to be real tasty. We talked a little about what happened, but no one mentioned May's face or mouth. I guess Alice didn't see it, or decided to keep it a secret. Soon someone turned on some music and a party started. That lasted a few hours until everyone with a heartbeat got tired and went to sleep.

Edward and Bella took Nessie to the cottage. We climbed the stairs to our rooms. May opted for one of her meditation spots. Alice and I lay beside each other on our bed. Finally she could relax. Pulling her close, I asked her what she had seen in her visions. She confirmed my earlier suspicions, she knew something happened to May's face, but kept it hidden. While she talked, she revealed she caught some snippets from the battle. She'd been intimidated by May's actions a little. At least that's what I felt from her. We needed some comfort and held each other closely.

Around two p.m. we were all up again, though some looked still sleepy. The phone rang just before 'warrior woman' walked in. Sam called to ask her if she cloud meet them in an hour. She was fine with it, back to her old self. Coming up to me and Emmet she gave us a huge smile, showing all her teeth. They looked perfect, normal. So we decided not to think about the whole thing anymore.

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Is this enough about the fight? Or would you like a bit from May's POV? (would become a seperate small story)

I'm also thinking about writing about May's birthday. A funny story about kareoke night.