A/N: Right... well... remember me? It's been a while, hasn't it? So I wouldn't blame you if you don't. Or if you have lost interest in this story. Sorry about that. You can read my profile page if you want a good explanation. Mostly it comes down to working on my own book and getting ready to move to Scotland to get my PhD. So, yeah, I've been busy. But I felt so bad about not updating this, I forced myself to get it done last night. It's not long, and it's certainly not my favourite chapter, but I need to get back into the swing of this story. Hopefully I won't keep you waiting another 3-4 months! Hope you enjoy, and, again, sorry about the wait!

Disclaimer: The Twilight Series and all recognisable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. Only this rather lame plot is mine.

Chapter Four: Conflict

Jasper rushed through the woods, going as fast as he could. He had to make it back to base before nightfall. Two nights away were bad enough, but three nights would be difficult to explain away.

He had known it was foolish to stay with Edward, even if he did need more time to recover. Even now when he stretched his arms and legs the sensitive skin of the bite marks would burn from the leftover venom. But there was no time for healing – not when you were in Maria's army. Over the years, many young vampires had succumbed to wounds that were left untreated, but rather than seeing it as a negative reflection on her leadership, Maria only thought them weak.

Jasper wasn't weak. He couldn't afford to be.

He tensed in preparation the moment he passed over the territory boundary line. Jasper knew that Maria would know he was back before he even stepped foot in the camp. There were lookouts all around, hiding in the trees and behind every large knoll and boulder. Someone Jasper didn't even know would surely recognise him and alert Maria that he was back. That was the problem with being a general. There were so many vampires that Jasper would never know all of them… but they all knew him. And any excuse Jasper gave that they could twist to gain Maria's approval would be taken without hesitation. Maria was top bitch, and everyone else had to backstab their way into survival.

It was the only way Jasper had survived as long as he had. It wasn't just his ability to control emotions, or the way he could command the newborns that had helped him last that long. It was his recognition that if he wanted to live, he would have to fight for it, never trust anyone, and stay in Maria's good graces. If that meant turning a fellow vampire in for tyranny, then so be it.

As soon as Jasper walked into camp all eyes were on him. He looked around the weathered and dreary tents for a familiar face before he spotted Peter running towards him.

"Jasper," Peter yelled out. He stopped in front of him, and a rush of nerves hit Jasper as he took in Peter's face.

"Peter," he greeted. "Is Maria angry with me?"

"Angry? Jasper, she's furious. What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I was out."

"Out? What the fuck does that mean? Jasper, you just left! Why would you do that? She's been raising hell all night. Two newborns were killed just because they got in her way."

There was a twinge of guilt, but Jasper shrugged so he would keep his calm facade. "I needed to get away. If newborns got killed, that was their own damned stupidity. I'm not responsible for them."

"Well, she wants to see you."

Jasper knew exactly why Maria wanted to see her. She needed to assert her dominance over him. But Jasper wasn't in the mood and despite knowing that it wasn't wise, the rebellious side of him wanted to make her wait just a little bit longer. That way when he did finally meet her, it would be on his terms rather than hers.

"I'll see her after I clean up," Jasper said as he began walking towards the large cave that was the home of Maria and her senior officers.

"Jasper, I really think –."

"She's waited this long, she can wait a few minutes longer."

"Fine, but don't blame me after she kicks your ass," Peter warned.

"Just tell her that I'll be there later," Jasper snapped.

Peter backed up and shook his head in disbelief. Jasper was one of the few who would stand up to Maria, but even he was smart enough not to push it when she was pissed. Jasper knew he was playing with fire by making her wait, but he was tired and if he was completely honest with himself Edward's words were starting to come back to him.

Jasper didn't want to be under Maria's thumb for the rest of his eternal life. He had resigned himself to this fate, at least until Maria was killed or won the war. But now Edward was offering him something he had never thought he would get – his freedom. It was stupid to get his hopes up. Edward was passing through and eventually he would get sick of Jasper and move on. But it wouldn't leave Jasper's mind, and at least while Edward was there Jasper could imagine being free and happy.

The cave Jasper lived in was dark and cold, but as a vampire Jasper never noticed. Each general and commander had a branch of the monstrous cave to themselves. Jasper's was slightly larger than the other's because of his high office, but none were as large as Maria's. He even had a circular area at the end of the tunnel that served to make his place less 'tunnel-like'.

Jasper stripped his clothing and went to the bowl and pitcher in the corner of a small hollowed section he had designated as his bathroom. The pitcher was beneath a crack in the wall that dripped water, and Jasper used that to wash his body and hair. He didn't have a mirror, so he didn't know if his face was free from markings. Once done, Jasper examined the clothes he had just removed. They were refined and well made and a bit tight on him. But that made sense considering they were Edward's. Jasper's clothes had been torn beyond recognition, and Edward practically forced Jasper into a pair of his clothes. Jasper also wondered if it was just another way that Edward had managed to bring himself back into Jasper's life. Now he would have to see him again to return the clothes.

Jasper picked up the green oxford shirt and gently fondled the soft, pressed material. He folded the shirt neatly and then the trousers and made sure to hide them deep beneath his own clothes. While not every vampire's scent could possibly be known by Maria, so she could never know that Edward's scent didn't belong in the camp, having any scent other than his in the room would be a recipe for disaster.

After he dressed, Jasper felt like he had kept Maria waiting long enough. He left his small room and made the quick trek to Maria's part of the cave.

His rooms were the closest to Maria's, and Jasper expected that she put him there because she had hoped he would become her lover. The idea made Jasper sick. He had no interest in fucking his tormentor – no matter how many brownie points it might get him. So he resisted all of her attempts and after years of rejection, she turned somewhere else. But she made Jasper keenly aware that she still wanted him.

That was another hitch in Edward's plan. Not only would Maria fight to the death to keep her general, she was fiercely jealous and would never let Jasper leave her to go with someone else. Jasper had no trouble imagining her killing both Edward and himself for trying to escape.

That line of thought quickly squashed any fleeting hope he may have had. If course it was ridiculous to think about. There was no way in hell that he would get away. This was his life. And a beautiful Yank couldn't do anything about it.

He rapped lightly on the stone outside Maria's chambers, but he didn't bother to wait until he was allowed to enter. He strolled in confidently and stopped right in front of the couch where Maria was filing her nails into deadly points. Her flowing black hair draped over her shoulders in waves perfectly surrounding a pale, perfectly formed face. If Jasper hadn't know the evil within her and if he didn't have very vivid memories of those nails tearing into flesh, he might have thought she was beautiful. Thankfully, Jasper learned of her evil moments after he had been awoken to this life, so she had never tempted him.

"Where have you been," she asked, her light tone intentionally masking her anger. But Jasper wasn't fooled. Not anymore.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I was injured and recovering. I found myself in the woods and stayed there for a while. Then I did some patrols."

"And that is it?"

"Yes. Where else would I go?"

"Well you were gone for so long…" Maria trailed off and for the first time she acknowledged him with a cold look.

"Running patrols," Jasper repeated. "Nothing more."

Maria eyed him, and Jasper could tell that she didn't believe a word she said. "Well what did you find?"

"On my patrol?"

"That was where you were, wasn't it?" She asked. She went back to filing her nails and Jasper was sure she was making sure they flashed in the candlelight to remind him of her power.

He didn't bother to defend himself – it would only be admitting his guilt. Instead he plopped down onto the chair across from her and propped his feet up on the table.

"I didn't find much. Just a few nomads around. No one from any other clans."

"Nomads? On our land?"

"No, they were in the no-man's, so I left them alone. Just passing through, I guess."

"Well keep an eye out for them. Nomads should know better than to come down here unless they feel like… helping our cause," Maria said with a smirk.

"They shouldn't be back, so it's not necessary."

"Well make sure they're not. Did you find anything else? What about that vampire that was sneaking around last week?"

Jasper felt his brain stutter for a moment when Maria mentioned Edward. There was no way he could let her know about Edward. Jasper didn't know why, but something inside him screamed at the idea of Maria knowing anything about Edward.

"He was a traveller. I threatened him and scared him off. He didn't smell like any of the surrounding clans, so I let him go."

"Really? Because Holly said she smelled a new vampire in the town – like he had been staying there. Are you implying that there is another visiting vampire?" She asked.

Jasper kept his stance and looked her in the eye while he subtly manipulated her emotions to make her more lenient. "If I say the vampire is gone, he's gone. Holly is a bitch who will say anything to make herself look better. I have everything under control."

Maria eyed him but Jasper could feel his abilities working on her. Finally she nodded and looked back to her nails. Jasper assumed he was dismissed and turned to leave until Maria's voice called him back.

"And Jasper? If I find out you've been lying you'll wish you had been captured by another clan and killed by them," she said with a false sweetness.

Jasper didn't acknowledge her threat and tried to walk confidently from the room. As soon as he was out of her eyesight, Jasper's shoulders sagged. He didn't know why he thought this would work. Maria would never let him go. She'd kill him and Edward first.

But Jasper fully intended to take advantage of Edward's naivety. He had denied himself someone who cared for him for so long, it was nice to have someone want to be his friend. So Jasper was going to take advantage of it… at least until the time came for him to force Edward away from him.

Jasper didn't understand the pang of fear and longing that went through him at that thought, but he pushed it from his mind and went out to the camp to find out what he had missed during his two-day absence.

Edward tried to distract himself from missing Jasper, but it just wasn't working. After a few days of not seeing him – and many visits countless tourist destinations that never seemed to take up enough time – Edward was losing his mind. He had hoped that Jasper would return quickly, even if it was only to return the clothes; but there was nothing. He had no way of knowing where Jasper was, and even if he did, Edward knew how dangerous it would be for him to just drop by. That didn't stop him wanting to, though. It took everything in him not to run throughout the woods looking for Jasper.

Finally, a week after Jasper had arrived at his doorstep, Edward opened the door to his room to find a note attached to the door. His name was on the front in a handwriting Edward didn't recognise. He took the note curiously, but stopped when he caught the scent on the paper. Excitedly, he opened the letter and read the short note.

Meet me at 12 PM. Your hotel. Keep the door unlocked and stay away from the windows. ~J.

Edward frowned at the curtness, but at least Jasper had contacted him again. The rest of the day he was an excited bundle of nerves. He had never thought he'd feel this way about another person. Sure, when he had watched Carlisle and Esme together, he had dreamed of one day having someone so turned into his needs, someone who would love him unconditionally and for eternity. That his mate was Jasper was beyond anything he had wanted, and he decided that, whatever he had to do, Jasper was worth it. Even if he had to fight for him, Edward would do it.

At midnight Edward did as Jasper asked. He unlocked the door, shut off the lights for good measure, and stood in the corner of the room away from the window. After a five minute wait, Edward sensed Jasper's quiet thoughts and the knob on the door turned. Jasper quickly closed the door behind him, then went to the window and peaked out through the curtains.

"What are you doing?" Edward whispered.

Jasper glanced back at him and then straightened out the curtain. "I'm making sure I wasn't followed."

"Was there a risk of that?"

"There's always a risk of that. I really don't understand why the fuck you never realise how dangerous this is."

"I don't care," Edward said, squaring his shoulders.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You are the stupidest person I've ever met," he muttered.

Edward shrugged and moved away from the corner. He sat on the bed and patted the open space next to him. Jasper hesitated for a moment, but then he sat down, though to Edward's annoyance, he kept some significant space between them.

"I brought your clothes back," Jasper said. He handed Edward the pile of clothes Edward hadn't even noticed he had been holding.

"Thank you," he said. "Is that the only reason you're here?"

"Yes," Jasper said. Then he faltered and shook his head. "No."

"No? Then why are you here?"

"I just… I just had to get away," Jasper explained. "It was too much. Being away for a few days, it just made me…"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine."

Despite Jasper's insistence, Edward knew Jasper was lying to him. Images of fights, blood, and pain flicked across Jasper's mind, and Edward knew they were recent.

"Really?" He asked. "Because I think you aren't telling me the truth."

Jasper was quiet for a moment but then he shook his head. "It wasn't anything unusual. Just the typical fights."

"Are you hurt?" Edward immediately asked, as he looked Jasper over. He couldn't see anything, but with Jasper that didn't mean anything.

"No, I'm fine," Jasper answered. His tone was dark, though, and Edward knew something wasn't right.

"Who isn't fine, then?"

Jasper really looked at him for the first time that evening, and Edward could hear his shocked thoughts that he had actually figured it out.

"Another clan," he confessed. "Maria, she – she decided that we needed a sneak attack. So in the middle of the night, when they weren't expecting us, I led a team into their camp and we… I… we dealt with them."

Edward didn't say anything as he tried very, very hard to see it from Jasper's point-of-view. He tried to understand why Jasper would do something like that. But Jasper could sense his horror, and immediately his guard was back up.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," he spat. "You say you want me to tell you things, but will you do this whenever I do? This is my life Edward; it's not pretty. And if you can't handle it then you should fucking leave."

"It's not that!" Edward defended, but he wilted under Jasper's glare. "Alright, so maybe it's a little like that. I'm trying to understand, Jasper, I am. This is just not anything I would ever do, so it's hard to put myself in your shoes."

"You don't know what you would do in my position! No one does. So don't you dare judge me because I'm doing what I have to do."

"I'm not judging you, Jasper! I'm sorry if I'm horrified by what you have to do, but I'm horrified for you. It breaks my heart that you have to do this. I just want you to be happy and free from all this so you can live your own life." With me, he added silently in his head.

"I still don't understand why you care, but I'm beginning to believe that you actually do."

"I do," Edward insisted.

Jasper sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "I don't want to talk about this any more. I want to talk about something good. You've heard about my life. Tell me about yours."

"Well I told you about Carlisle and Esme. They're the closest thing to a mother and father I've ever had. Well, since my real mother and father, that is. But I can't really remember them."

"Do you miss them?" Jasper asked, referring to Carlisle and Esme.

"Yes," Edward admitted. "But I'm glad I left them. If I hadn't, I'd have never came here and met you."

Jasper looked at him, and for the first time, Edward couldn't hear what Jasper was thinking.

"I guess I'm glad too," Jasper finally said. "Though I still think you are an idiot for sticking around here."

Edward couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at Jasper's words. Finally it seemed like Jasper was acknowledging the pull between them. He obviously didn't know they were mates yet, but he would eventually figure it out. Jasper wasn't as in tune with his emotions as Edward, so it didn't surprise Edward that Jasper would mistake the pull of his mate for mere curiosity.

It would only take time. And Edward was willing to wait.

"Yes, well, I think it's more stubbornness than stupidity, personally."

Jasper snorted as he stretched his arms above his head. Edward was momentarily distracted by the small patch of skin exposed by the act, but he thankfully managed to hide it well. "Of course you'd think that," Jasper was saying when Edward finally was able to clear the lust from his head. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're taking a serious risk being here. Maria has asked about you. I think I managed to convince her that you're gone, but if I didn't…"

"You're worth it," Edward blurted out before he even realised he had spoken. As soon as he realised what he said, Edward snapped his jaw shut and shifted his gave to the molding on the wall.

But he couldn't help himself as he listened in to Jasper's thoughts. At first Jasper was confused by Edward's words, but slowly he began to realise what Edward had said. And, worst of all, he pretty accurately figured out what it meant.

"Edward, I…" he stopped and took a deep breath. "I- I'm not good for you. If you…. I mean, I guess now I maybe understand why you're so persistent about this, but you really shouldn't be… attracted to me. It won't turn out well. I can't be what you want." Or need, he thought. It is nice, though, to think that there's still something good enough about me to attract the attention of someone like Edward.

Edward didn't acknowledge his thoughts, though he assumed Jasper realised he could hear them. "I don't care what you think," Edward insisted. "I don't care. I wouldn't change how I feel."

"This won't end well."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. Edward, I…"

Edward bit his lip and looked back at Jasper. Jasper's face was a mixture of confusion, worry, and a small, small glimmer of hope. "I'm not expecting anything from you," Edward said, softly, and, he hoped, earnestly. "I just want to help you because you're beautiful, but you've been corrupted. I want you to experience the life I have. I want to take you away from here. You're always welcomed to stay with me. Carlisle and Esme would love you."

"Edward…" Jasper sighed.

"Jasper, stop. I'm not asking you for anything. Now you know where I stand. But I want you to trust me first. So please," he begged, "please just forget I told you that. It was too soon, a slip, and I know you don't need that right now."

Jasper looked at him, and to Edward's horror, stood up. "I- I need to go. I need to think about this."

"Jasper –."

"It's fine, Edward, it is. But there is more than just you and me in this. I need to have some time to myself. I'll contact you again when I'm ready."

And before Edward could say another word, Jasper was out the door. Edward sighed and dropped his head between his knees. There was no doubt in his mind that if he were human, he would be crying. He worried that Jasper would avoid him now.

He worried that his mate was slipping through his fingers.

A/N: Yeah, so not my favourite, but hopefully you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! R&R. ~AJ Kelly