Jasper wasn't sure what to make of it when he felt five of the vampires leave, only two coming back down, he shifted a bit, chains clinking as he did, a growl caught on his throat, loud, warning, he wanted them gone.

Most of the vampires who had ever come across him had done nothing but make him scream for death to come. He could feel their eagerness, hope, wariness, hesitancy.

Such weird emotions.

Soon the door creaked open, a man stepped in, blond hair and weird golden eyes, there was nothing but calm in his emotions, wariness, hesitancy, though horror did flare in his emotions, pity, shock.

It made him nauseous.

And angry, he hated to be regarded with pity.

He heard a woman gasp somewhere behind the man, her emotions similar, but there was also such overwhelming sadness, such pain, it made him want to curl and hide, he knew he looked horrible, he didn't need people reminding him.

Silence reigned for a moment.

And then.

-Oh God.- A sorrowful female's voice made him flinch, she didn't sound mocking, but genuinely sorrowful over his state. That was new.

And then the most beautiful creature he's ever seen stepped out from behind the man, she was a petit thing, with short dark hair and the most stunning eyes, her features were soft, almost pixie-like.

He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at her, confusion seizing him over her emotions, why was she sad? Grieving? She didn't even know him… right? But again, every vampire that came here always knew him, everyone always knew him, but he had no idea who he was.

The blond man took a step forward and Jasper growled in warning, he would do well by staying there, the last person to come anywhere near him lost a hand, reason why he ended up with a muzzle in the first place.

He wasn't quite prepared for the man to raise his hands in a peaceful gesture.

-It's alright, we mean you no harm.- His voice was soft but Jasper didn't allow himself to be fooled, he kept growling, he wanted them gone.

The man took a step back and he guessed that would the best he would get, he stopped growling, mostly because he wasn't expecting it to work, it usually didn't work, vampires didn't care about his intimidating act, he couldn't move, he was helpless, he could act as tough as he wanted but he was harmless.

And so they could do whatever they wanted with him, beat him up, insult him, mock him, mess with his mind, humiliate him…

The pixie stepping into the room caught his attention, the blond grabbed her arm and he felt worry and alarm flare in the man's emotions.

And still, for some reason, something twisted in his stomach at the sight of the man gripping her arm.

-Alice-

Alice was her name? Alice… it was a pretty name… it reminded him of something, but he couldn't be sure of what.

-Let me try.- She cut off, why did she sound so desperated? So pleading? Try what? He was so confused, these vampires were acting awfully weird, it put him on edge, of all the people that have come here no one has ever acted so…

Cautious.

She was stubborn, begging, hopeful, all while she held the blond's gaze, the blond was worried, doubtful, hesitant.

He wasn't sure what happened but the blond let her go, she turned back to look at him with those beautiful yet strange eyes, he stared back at her, he felt funny when he felt the air around her grow warm with delight, comfort, happiness, he had never felt those before, at least not directed at him, he couldn't help but frown in confusion.

Even if he was confused, wary, it had been ages since he was able to be in the presence of people without feeling like there were razors inside his brain or worms beneath his skin.

And then her beautiful voice rang across the air.

-Hi, I'm Alice, and that one behind me is Carlisle.- She took a hesitant step forward as she spoke, he growled, he knew perfectly well what she was aiming to do.

And still.

He couldn't bring himself to keep growling. His throat hurt, everything hurt, if she wanted to kill him then so be it, he would at least be happy to see such beautiful face before dying.

-I promise we mean you no harm, we just moved here, and I had a vision of you, you seemed to be in pain, so we came to help you.

Each word was accompanied by a step, he watched her cautiously as she moved, as if approaching some kind of wild animal, her voice was gentle, honest, calm…

It made him relax.

But her words… what did she meant by vision? Did she have some kind of gift? As if reading his thoughts, she answered.

-I have a gift, I can see visions of the future.- The pixie, Alice, said, she was close, way too close, he stiffened, he was quite surprised when she lowered to the ground, he gave her a wary look, frowning when she smiled reassuringly.

And she kept moving, he didn't find it in himself to growl at her, too curious to know how far was she willing to carry this harmless facade.

Also.

Something about her… it pulled at him, like he could trust her.

-I have two brothers and two sisters, Emmett is huge and people often find him intimidating, but you don't need to worry, he's an absolute goof, he gives the best hugs and he loves playing chess even though he would rather die than admit it.

Why was she telling him this? Why did he care about this Emmett or her family in general?

-He's married to Rosalie, she's the most beautiful person you might ever meet.

Doubtful, he had the most beautiful person right infront of him right now.

-And while she likes to act cold and all bitchy she's actually very kind, and loyal, she's just afraid to open to people, but once she does you can be damn sure she will do anything for those she loves.

She sounded smart, never lower your walls around about just anyone. That's what got you in the kind of mess he was in, had been in, God knows for how long.

-There's also Edward, he's a bit moody, but he's great too, he likes to play chess, and argue with Rosalie just about anything, but he's got a good heart.

Why did he care?

-He's married to Bella, she was turned by Edward four years ago, she used to be really clumsy, and a bit awkward. But she's grown quite the backbone since she became a vampire, she does whatever she pleases even if it gets Edward hyperventilating out of drama, he can be a bit of a diva when it comes to her, but they love each other a lot.

She was sitting before him now, she could very much touch him if she just reached out, but weirdly enough, she didn't, she kept her hands to herself, just watching him with an easy smile, she looked relaxed, as if she was talking to an every day friend.

It made him feel oddly fascinated, how could anyone be so trusting towards a stranger in chains? She didn't seem scared, worried, just a bit sad. Why?

-There's Esme, she's like our mom, she's very kind and caring, she cares about everyone and is awfully patient, she's the nicest person you might ever know, she's married to Carlisle.- She pointed behind her to the blond man, but Jasper didn't even bother looking at him.

He was transfixed with the beauty before him, her emotions felt like a fresh gulp of air, he wanted to bask in her warmness for eternity, who cared if he ended up dead? He wouldn't mind dying by her hand.

-Carlisle is like our dad, he's also very kind, and compassionate, very trustworthy, he likes helping people, he works as a doctor in a hospital.

That got his attention, hospital? As in a hospital full of humans? Was she testing him?

-Do you know why our eyes are golden even though we are vampires?

Curiosity got the best of him as he gave her a look, he caressed her skin with eagerness, he wanted to know, he wanted to know a lot of things right now. Who was this pixie? Why come to him? Why the golden eyes? What did she meant by family? Why was she so eager on helping him? Why so sad for him? Why the pain? The guilt? What was her endgame?

And why did he feel so enticed by her?

-We feed off animal blood, Carlisle taught us so we could live among humans, have a normal life, or as close to normal as we can.

The second those words leave her mouth the second he feels like she's gone mad, what? Animal blood? Was she serious? Was that even possible? Was she kidding him?

-Do you want to get out of here?

That question made him freeze.

-I would like it very much if you came with us, even if you don't want to stay with us afterwards, I would like to help you get better, no one deserves to be in this situation.- Her voice was so soft, and her emotions, God, she was so sincere, so warm, he wanted to drown in her emotions. It made his skin burn and his throat burn and his eyes burn.

He wanted so desperately for her words to be true, for this to not be some kind of hallucination, for her to not be just another nomad messing with his head.

Nomads came and went, all of them with various intentions in mind, some loved torturing him verbally, others emotionally, psychologically, psychically.

Some even brought humans just to kill them before him, make him feel like his insides were melting, like he would go mad with hunger, most of them came for revenge, on what? He didn't know.

But most of them seemed to know him, why? He had no idea, he couldn't remember much, his memories were fogged, muddled, he could barely remember his own name, he was pretty sure it started with a "J" but he couldn't be sure, everyone called him Major, but he was pretty sure that wasn't a name.

But this pixie…

For some reason she felt familiar, safe, important.

But he had no idea who she was, he's never seen her before.

She didn't seem to harbor ill feelings towards him though… was she seriously gonna free him? Her eyes told him that yes, she would.

All he had to do was nod and she would free him.

And for the first time in a long time, he felt it.

Hope.

And that felt like such a deja vu for some reason.

-I need to reach out so I can take the muzzle off, is that alright?- She asked, her voice soft, he was hesitant over it, the idea of anyone at all touching him made him want to reel, scream, lash out, but if she couldn't touch him how would she free him?

Thus.

He swallowed his panic and gave her a short nod, flinching as the collar around his neck dug against his spine over the action.

The angel knelt on the ground, reaching out, her arms around his head, she was so close he could smell the lavender, feel the coldness of her skin, the warmness of her emotions, he bet her emotions would feel even more wonderful if he were to touch her skin directly.

But he didn't.

He couldn't help but shudder when she touched the back of his head, last time someone touched the back of his head he was left with a ringing in his ears that lasted days.

But pain never came, instead, he heard leather snap, and soon the pressure on his head was gone, the angel manevoured the muzzle off his face, so gentle, she threw the muzzle away and he had never felt so much like crying like did at that moment.

She stared at his face with such an awestruck expression, he wasn't prepared for the wave of fascination in her emotions, amazement, wonder, relief, hope, pain, sadness…

Not disgust, not hatred, not rage…

But just as quick her emotions fell back to calm before she went back to snapping chains with her barehands, always careful to not hit him, avoiding touching him as much as possible, but he still couldn't help but flinch everytime she did touch him, it burnt to be touched, he didn't want her to touch him, because every touch was a promise for incoming pain.

But he did want to be free, he had never been as close to freedom as he was now, he wouldn't mess it up over something as trivial as physical contact.

It wasn't until she reached for the one around his waist that he tensed and sucked in a sharp breath, biting back any pained sounds, he had almost forgot.

The horror that seized the air made him moan in pain, no, why? He wanted to push her away, but his damn arms wouldn't move.

And God she was suffocating him, his skin burning as the horror and pain sliced through his veins, clawing beneath his skin, he could hear people talking but he couldn't focus.

He should have know better than to lower his guard, they wanted what everyone wanted, torture him, but why this? Why make him believe he could finally be free? Why?! What more could be done? What had he done for people to hate him so much?! Why couldn't anyone just leave him be?!

Someone touched his back and he flinched, snapping and snarling, no muzzle meant he could bite, his bite might not be that dangerous right now but it would still serve to rip skin apart, he tore fabric, not flesh though.

-It's alright, you are alright, I won't hurt you, I just want to help you, you heard Alice, I'm a doctor, I help people regardless of who they are, it's my job. And right now, you need help.

He glared at the blond, he was furious, did he seriously expect him to believe such stupid story? They wanted to torture him, they wouldn't set him free, they just wanted to mock him. They wanted to hurt him like everybody else did! He pulled a guttural growl from the depths of his core, angry, he wanted them gone, both, now.

-I'm Carlisle Cullen, what's your name?- Of all things possible that was not what he had been expecting, what did he meant? Didn't he know his name? Everyone who came here, vampires that was, knew his name.

Was this some kind of test? Was he tricking him? But the man looked genuinely curious, his emotions sincere, he stopped growling.

Who were these vampires?

He tried to speak, but that just made his throat fire up, a coughing fit seized him, each cough making his stomach and back explode into a million fireworks of absolute agony, God it hurt.

-It's alright, don't speak, it's alright.- The angel's voice was calm as she spoke, her hand coming to rest on top of his head.

But not even that was able to calm or even sooth the sudden supernova that pierced right through as something was yanked out, he saw white and his mind went blank as a scream tore out of his throat, it felt like his throat would split open but he didn't care, because the pain!

And soon all he could do was start shaking as his voice died down, fire pooling into his abdomen, his back, he wanted to cry, but of course tears wouldn't come out.

He felt exhausted, in so much pain, he was hungry, miserable, he just wanted it all to end.

And then the world went black.

~

Carlisle snapped the metal around the boy's waist, Alice had to shift him in her hold so Carlisle could tie his scarf around the boy's abdomen to at least lessen the loss of blood from where he had yanked the steel bar from.

He reached for the collar around his neck, he had to be careful with that one too, a piece of it was digging right into his spine, whoever had done this had made sure he would be in pain all the time.

When Carlisle was sure there were no more chains or shackles he picked the boy up, he was pretty sure that had Alice been taller she would have carried him herself.

Carlisle hurriedly made his way upstairs, Jasper cradled safely between his arms, he was quite tall, probably close to Emmett's height, but unlike Emmett he was slender, Alice walked right beside him.

-He's going to be okay.- He felt the need to assure his daughter, it wasn't until they were outside, back into the light of the day, that Carlisle noticed something, the boy's skin, his clothes, it was old and long dried.

But he knew it.

It was blood.

And he also had bite marks all over his neck, forearms and hands, at least for what he could see past the grim staining his skin. Who was this boy?

-Carlisle.- Edward's voice caught his attention and he was quick to make his way over to the van, Alice opened the door and Carlisle left the boy inside on the backseat, Alice climbing with him.

He closed the door, going over to sit in the front with Edward.

~

-They are here!- Emmett called as the van pulled on the driveway, he was as excited as he was apprehensive over this new acquisition, Edward had said he was an empath, he could feel and manipulate emotions, but for the looks of it, as long as Bella had her shield up he wouldn't be able to use it on them.

Carlisle stepped out of the van along with Edward.

-He's unconscious, he was in worse shape than I had anticipated.- Carlisle said as he opened the door to the backseat where Alice was at with the unconscious vampire.

Carlisle managed to get him out, shifting him in his hold as he did so so his head wouldn't be left hanging aimlessly, he had a feeling this boy wouldn't take well to having his neck exposed like that.

-Isn't that a uniform from the army?- Bella's sudden words caught everyone's attention.

-What?- Where did she see the army uniform?

-His clothes.- She pointed at the worn out blue pants and then at the worn out vest with the few remaining golden buttons.- You don't recognize that?

From up close Carlisle did had to admit it looked familiar.

-Holy shit.- Emmett couldn't keep himself from exclaiming as realization sank in over just where he had seen that uniform.- He's from the Civil War period? Wait, wouldn't that make him seriously old? Like, 1800's old?

Bella frowned as she left the porch, she could swear she had seen that face before, sort of, he was… different? No…

-Bella?- Alice called, confused over her sister's stare, as if she was trying to figure out something.

-I think I have seen him before.- Surprise seized the air.

-Where?

-I'm not sure…- Bella stared at his relaxed face, she looked at the uniform, then back at him.

Then realization hit.

Had she still been human her heart would have leaped in awe. He looked a bit older and more… inhumane, but it was definitely him.

-Jasper Whitlock.

-Who?

-He's that Major from the Texan calvary, the one the history teacher made us write an essay about, he looks different but I'm positive it's him.- Bella said turning to look at Alice.- It is him, right?

Alice gave her a nod as a response.

-I should take him upstairs.- Carlisle said, the poor boy was unconscious, he didn't need people gawking at him, Major Jasper Whitlock, that was an interesting turn of events, if he was from the 1800's…

He definitely must have fought in the vampire wars, a soldier turned into a vampire would be quite useful, even more so one with his rank, but wasn't he too young to be a Major? He couldn't be older than Emmett himself.

He took him to the guest room, carefully depositing him on the bed, there in the light of the room he could see what he had missed before, his clothes had been once upon a time soaking in blood, some parts of his shirt had been sewn shut more than once, the vest was missing a few buttons, and the left knee of his pants had been torn.

And still, such relaxed face, he looked almost innocent, harmless, like a kid playing dress up.

-Can I stay with him?- Alice questioned as she appreared by the door.

-No, it's best if he's alone when he wakes up, I wouldn't want him to feel cornered or like attacking the first person he feels.- Carlisle said, Alice seemed ready to protest, but she gave in, nodding instead.

He knew she wanted to be with him, but Carlisle didn't felt comfortable leaving his daughter alone with a man he knew nothing of, much less when he could be potentially dangerous.

For now, he needed to make sure he wouldn't lose more blood.

-Can you bring me the first aid kit?- He asked turning to look at Alice, she nodded at him before disappearing.

Carlisle sat at the edge of the bed and untied the scarf before carefully unbuttoning the vest and then the once upon a time white shirt.

The sight he got would have made his blood run cold had he been human.

Thousands of scars littered the entirety of his torso and chest, some more ravenous than others, a handful from gunshots, shrapnel.

He was definitely not normal. Who was this boy?

Still.

He tried to focus on the hole on his sternum which oozed with black blood. He wasn't healing at all nor would he heal when he had been starving for so long, dark veins spread across his hip, he noticed.

-I got it.- Alice called as she appeared at the door. She gave the kit to Carlisle before stepping back.- How are you going to seal that wound?- She wondered, a vampire's skin was awfully hard, even Jasper's.

-Using my venom to get the needle through his skin.- Carlisle told grabbing the needle in question, he hoped he didn't wake up in the middle of the sewing.

Carlisle didn't really feel like having to ask him to be restrained, that wouldn't go well for anyone.

Thank God he didn't wake up.

~

-Major Jasper Whitlock; Youngest Major of the Texas' cavalry. Joined at the age of 18 and got promoted to Major two years later. Rumors say he wasn't actually of age when he first joined. He was well liked by his men for his charisma and bravery.

Emmett had taken it to look the name up and read it out loud for the whole house, he was actually excited over this, the guy had been a real soldier, how cool was that?

-Says here he disappeared in 1863 while helping evacuate civilians. It was believed that he was on his way to the battle of Galveston when this happened. His horse was found two days later an due the blood on this one's saddle it's believed he must have been injured and subsequently killed. His body was never retrieved.

-He was a spy for the Union Army.- Bella felt the need to add, that was an important detail to not forget. Emmett looked positively awestruck at the revelation.

-He was a spy?! Dude that makes him like the coolest vampire ever!

-Are you sure it's him?- Rosalie asked as she watched her husband stand on the couch, as if he were some kind of excited child. What was so great about a soldier?

-Of course it's him, look, his hair is shorter and he's missing the scars, but it's definitely him.- Emmett said, turning the phone towards Rosalie and showing her the black and white picture.

It was him, his hair was short and he was missing the scars, he also looked younger, but it was him without a doubt.

-We found our own Captain America, or Bucky Barnes, we just gotta wait to see which one he is, I personally hope it's Cap, he's like seriously cool, a bit of a nerd but cool.- Emmett stated with a grin. Rosalie rolled her eyes.- Wait, if he disappeared in 1863 doesn't that mean he was turned in 1863?

-Your point?

-Doesn't that make him like, older than us? Than Esme?

That was an odd thought.

-Alice, are you sure it's him?- Rosalie asked, turning to look at her sister in question, she was staring at her phone, apparently, she never realized he had made it into the history books.

She turned to look at Rosalie for a moment before smiling, she looked more happy than Rosalie has ever seen her and that was saying something.

She would seriously need to make sure this guy didn't got any funny ideas.

-It's him, I have seen it, he's going to have our eyes, I'm not sure how long will it take, but he will be one of us. I know he will.- Rosalie frowned at her, she wanted to tell her to not get her hopes up, they knew nothing about this guy, for all they knew he could be some sort of creep.

But part of her was seriously hoping for this to be it, Alice needed some sort of distraction so she would stop shopping left and right, plus, it would do her well to have someone to spend time with, someone that wasn't any of them.

-I do hope you are right.- Is all Rosalie finds herself saying instead.

She hoped Alice was right, for their sake.

~

Jasper woke up to such a throbbing in his stomach he couldn't bite back a pained moan. His throat felt as if a burning rod had been shoved down it, even his skin was burning, and he couldn't for the life of him stop shaking, his back hurt a lot too.

He groaned as he fought to sit up, a pitiful sound that he refused to acknowledge as a whimper left him when the change in position caused even more pressure to build up in his head until it felt as if his skull was about to blast open. His fingers dug against it as a gag left him.

Shit.

He sucked in a sharp breath as a sudden wave of nausea threatened to overtake him. His throat burnt, it burnt like the flames of Hell themselves.

It took him longer than he was willing to admit to realize something, the surface he was sitting on, it wasn't the familiar hard floor, it was soft, he winced as he blinked rapidly, this was…

A bed?

He glanced towards a window, window, the breath caught in his throat when he saw the trees outside, branches dancing gently as the wind blew, rain hitting the glass softly, for a moment that's all he could focus on, all the pain, completely forgotten.

And as a bird landed on a branch he found himself scrambling off the bed, he crashed on the ground, his legs refusing to take on his weight, but that didn't stop him, not even the explosive pain across his insides, the rippling electricity on his elbows.

He dragged himself up to the window, forcing his limbs to move, craving desperately for the window, once he reached it he shakily got on his knees, fiddling with the lock before pushing the window open, it opened, the fresh air flooded the room, filling his lungs instantly, even with the grey clouds the brightness made his eyes sting, the few droplets of rain landing on his skin, the wind blewing on his hair.

He stared wide eyed at the outside, fingers gripping the sill, he faintly heard it crack beneath his grip, his vision blurred, his chest felt tight, so tight, it burnt and burnt until he was left hyperventilating. What was this? What was this? What was this?

The fresh air, it was so real, the rain, the wind, he could almost taste the damp earth, the rain, the sun.

He could see it, feel its warmness as it peeked from among the clouds, bathing the world in its warmth.

He was shaking, grip on the sill slipping as he fell on his backside, the wind filled the room, rain landing on him as the wind changed its trayectory, and he had no idea what to do but wrap his arms around himself, he was free, free.

No more chains, no more muzzle, no more nomads, no more darkness, no more darkness. He was free, venomous tears blurred his vision, sobs wrecking through his body.

He was free.

And he never knew freedom could feel so overwhelming.

He felt… he didn't knew how he felt. Exhilarated? Scared? Overwhelmed?

He glanced back outside, out into the grey skies, clouds swirling angrily, the first rays of sunshine leaking right through the clouds, he could hear birds chirping, could smell the aftermath of rain…

He craved to go outside like never before, but he couldn't even stand, even sitting straight was proving painful.

The sudden knock on the door startled him, he quickly turned around, biting back a wince as his neck screamed over the action, the blond man from before stepped in, his emotions… calm, sadness, sympathy, compassion.

Jasper tensed, growling before backing off against the wall, the man, Carlos? Carlie? Charlie? He couldn't remember his name well, raised his hand in surrender, as if placating some kind of wild animal, he was holding something on his other hand, clothes.

He glanced down at himself and realized for the first time that there was a bandage around his torso.

His vest and shirt open.

He touched the bandage curiously, this before tensing and growling as the man drew closer.

-I know you can't do much now, but I brought you some clothes, if you want to take a shower, it's right behind that door.- Carlisle said, placing the clothes at the end of the bed and pointing at the closed door at the end of the room, all he got was more growling in response.

He had heard him wake up, everyone had, also heard him fall, but he had kept Alice from going upstairs, Edward assured he wasn't doing anything, he was just…

Desperated to get to the window, for what Edward had said, such desperation, the sobs, how long had that poor boy been locked down there? How long since he last felt the wind? How long since he last saw the sunlight? For what Edward had said… nomads had come and gone, for the way he put it, definitely not to do good.

Carlisle couldn't understand how someone could just see someone else chained and muzzled and just do nothing about it, the boy, Jasper, didn't seem dangerous despite how much those scars said otherwise, those scars… he definitely must have fought in the vampire wars, those scars were nothing but proof of how many had tried to kill him.

And how many had failed.

He might be weak now, but Carlisle had to thread carefully with this one.

Black bloods could become seriously dangerous if provoked.

Right now though, his main concern was getting him to relax so he could call Emmett to bring the blood and the venom, the fact that he wasn't reacting to the smell wasn't good at all, how depleted were his senses? A vampire who didn't feed for long became somewhere close to a human, but not quite, he was still stronger and faster than average, same as his senses.

Though his body might also be weaker due the lack of venom underestimating him could be dangerous.

-I don't mean you any harm, alright? You are safe here, I promise, no one here is going to hurt you as long as you don't hurt us.- Carlisle said as he lowered to the ground, he wanted him to relax, to know he wasn't in any danger, but he also needed him to be aware that if he attacked he would be attacked back, Carlisle refused to have his family harmed.

Jasper kept growling and hissing, and Carlisle made sure to focus on calm, he had to remember he was dealing with an empath here, he needed to keep his emotions calm, comforting, honest.

-I just want to help you, but I can't help you if you won't let me. I have something for you, but I need you to calm down first, yes?- Carlisle kept his movements open, slow, relaxed, all as he came to sit at arm lengths from the growling boy who had hunched over, legs close to his chest.

He was taking a risk here by putting himself within reach, but he trusted Jasper wouldn't attack him if he saw Carlisle as harmless, he was growling, but those onyx eyes held nothing but fear, confusion.

He was terrified.

And his words rather than calm him down got him snarling at him before he was pouncing.

The movement was so unexpected Carlisle found himself pinned against the ground. His blazing glare promising nothing but pain.

But he was weak.

And so Carlisle had no problem overpowering him, in less than a second he was the one pinning the boy against the ground, fingers curling around his wrists as he held them against the floor, his own leg across the back of his legs, keeping him from trying anything else.

He didn't quite understand why the boy stopped growling so abruptly, nor why he suddenly went lax, the eye he could see was shut tightly as he began shaking.

-Carlisle, let him go. He thinks you are going to hurt him.- Edward's voice made him release the boy immediately, backing off, Jasper quickly scrambled away, curling by the corner of the room, he was hiding now, arms above his head as if to shield himself from any incoming hit.

It didn't settle well with Carlisle.

-Jasper.

He flinched at the name, before he was looking at him from behind his arms, the way he was looking at him… curious yet confused.

-Your name, is it Jasper Whitlock?- He asked, needing confirmation regardless of Alice's insisting over it being him.

Silence was his answer.

He was staring at the floor now, he had stopped shaking at least, he looked awfully lost, confused, frustrated.

-Carlisle, I don't think he remembers who he is, he's wondering about whether Jasper Whitlock is really his name, and how do you know it. All he knows is that the name feels familiar but he can't quite place the why.

Edward's voice came from downstairs, making Carlisle frown, was he amnesiac?

-I don't think it's amnesia, he knows he was a soldier at some point, he knows he is a vampire and what a vampire is, he knows he's an empath, and that he was turned by a woman named María but… his memories have a lot of gaps, like, lots of gaps, he doesn't know why he was chained, why did those vampires went there seeking revenge against him.

That… Carlisle had no idea what to do with that. Selective amnesia then? Selective amnesia happened as a response to an extremely traumatic event, the mind's way of protecting itself.

It had been linked to overwhelming stress, which might have been caused by traumatic events such as war, abuse, accidents or disasters.

María… where had he heard that name before?

Then it hit him.

María, South, Major, Soldier, Scars, 1800's.

Oh God, he knew exactly who the frightened vampire before him was.

The Major.