The first thing Jasper notices is pain, it's dull, but also uncomfortable, it focuses on his knees and echoes on his shins and thighs.

The second thing he notices is the putrid reek of his own blood, a scent he's all too familiar with at this point, but he can also smell another familiar scent, less unpleasant.

Lavender, spring, sunlight; Alice.

He jerks awake, he jerks awake, the realization of it alone hits him straight on the chest, because he wakes up, just like Alice said he would.

And that… he has no idea what to do with that. Because she didn't lie. She didn't leave him in absolute darkness. She let him wake up again, she let him come back.

She's sitting right beside him, a thick book at hand, from this angle… she looks prettier than usual, the soft expression on her face gives her a different kind of beauty from her usually cheerful one.

And he wonders… what drives her to be so kind to him? So nice? He's never had someone treat him like she did, she didn't touch him nor did she glare at him if he refused to have her in his space. She did seek proximity from him, but if he put distance between them she wouldn't follow.

That alone was one of the many reasons he had inwardly grown so relaxed around her. She didn't keep on invading his space against his will. She didn't touch nor did she fill him with uncomfortable emotions.

And the way she looked at him alone…

It gave him an odd fluttering feeling, he couldn't understand the emotions she was sending to him, but he liked them, he didn't want them to stop.

And something about her in general, at times, he craved to wrap his arms around her and never let go. It was such a strange thing to consider when he couldn't even touch her.

Suddenly, her lips twitched, amusement in her emotions alongside something akind to giddiness? No, that wasn't right.

-How are you feeling?- Her question almost made him jump out of his skin, he watched her flip the book shut and leave it on the nightstand before turning to look at him, a light smile playing on her lips.

-I'm… fine?- He said, hesitant as he looked down at himself, the hem of his pants had been cut and there were bandages around his knees, he felt… weird, the pain and discomfort were there, but not terribly so.

It almost felt like a right kind of pain.

-You will be alright, Carlisle said he's got them all out, you shouldn't try to stand up just yet, you should rest and let yourself heal a bit before you try putting any weight on them.- Alice told, biting back the urge to brush the hair away from his face, she had felt his stare, it wasn't the first time he stared at her.

Alice's felt his stare on her several times, has caught him staring at her, she found it adorable how he would look away whenever he realized he had been caught.

It made her wonder what was going through his head at times.

Still.

She wasn't quite prepared for him to reach out and take her hand into his own, such a gentle hold, she can't fight the smile that breaks out at it, because he's holding her hand, she rubs soft circles over his knuckles, she's held his hand before, for fleeting moments whenever she helps him up or needs to catch his attention.

But never like this, his hand… it's still as soft and warm as she remembers, and as she looks up at him she's met with quite the unusual expression, something about his gaze feels softer, warmer.

And it makes her dead heart almost start beating again.

-Thank you.

Alice feels like those words hold a hidden meaning she can't quite grasp, and still, for some reason, it makes her heart break.

She squeezes his hand in what she hopes can convey him some comfort, she didn't care if the Volturi themselves were to appear, she would have to be dead if anyone wanted to get their hands on him.

Alice refused to let him suffer again, now that she had him she would never let him go, she couldn't protect him before, but she could sure as hell do it now.

For as long as she lived he would never have to suffer anymore.

Ever.

~

Rosalie didn't like Jasper, he gave her the creeps, but against popular belief, she wasn't a heartless person either.

Thus.

She had promised Alice she would look after him, Carlisle was at work, and Esme and Bella had gone into town with Renesmee and Jacob to get some school supplies for Renesmee, her growing had ralentized some once she hit the 12 year old appearance, so they wanted to give her the chance to go to school.

Even if just for a bit.

Carlisle said it would help her develop some "social skills" regarding getting to interact with kids her "age". That she deserved to get a chance to interact with other kids seeing that she's never done so before.

The initial plan was for them to go to school too, but with Jasper around it was safer to not leave Esme home alone, because yes, Jacob had gotten himself a job at Renesmee's school, just to keep an eye on her and the teachers, in case anyone started rumors or something.

Plus, it didn't hurt to keep an eye out for her in general, Renesmee wasn't a regular child, being part vampire meant she was extremely eye catching for humans, it was better to make sure no adult (nor anyone for that matter) around her would get any funny ideas.

Rosalie would shred to pieces anyone who dared to hurt a single hair on that girl.

Still.

Back to the point at hand, Emmett, Alice and Edward had gone out hunting.

Which meant Rosalie had to watch their… guest. Did Jasper even count as a guest when he was technically speaking with Alice? Wouldn't that mean he would end up living here?

Rosalie couldn't imagine how that one even might go. The Major settling into a family lifestyle? That sounded like such a terrible joke.

The sudden loud crash from upstairs followed right behind by a grunt caught her attention, no other sound came, she scowled, what the hell had he done now?

She threw the magazine she had been reading, if he was fucking around and tried the same shit he had tried on Edward with her he had another thing coming.

Unlike Edward, when someone attacked her, she liked to be the kind of "hit first, ask questions later".

Still.

As she came up the door and pushed the door open she was met with an empty room, she narrowed her eyes.

But she could hear the soft heartbeat, that was still something she couldn't quite get used to, black bloods had a fucking heartbeat , slower than a human's or even Renesmee's, but there, she followed the sound, circling the bed as she did. She came to an abrupt halt as she caught sight of him.

He was curled on the floor, shaking, pain written all over his face and eyes squeezed shut. What the hell was he doing? Carlisle had told him very clearly that he should stay on bed rest for at least a week before he tried going around walking, just to make sure his legs were healed.

So what the hell did he think he was doing by trying to get up not even two days after his legs were practically torn apart to remove pins encrusted into his muscles?

Did he think his healing was at its prime? He was still extremely underfed, enough that his healing didn't even work, and by Carlisle's assumptions, he had the hearing range of a human.

He was extremely weak to be pulling these sort of stunts.

-What the hell did you do?- Her voice came out harsher than intended.

He flinched at her, he was looking at her as if he had seen Death itself, this before curling even more and looking away, she glanced at where he was looking.

The window.

Closed.

Right, it had been raining terribly this morning, and Alice had shut it so the room wouldn't get soaked.

Rosalie felt some of her irritation subside, right, he did hate closed doors and closed windows, she's gathered that much from Alice's words, and Rosalie did guess it made sense after being locked in that place for so long.

She sighed before going over to the window, she pushed them open, cold breeze blowing in as she did, she turned to look at him.

He was now giving her a hesitant look, well, at least he didn't look terrified now, so that was something, she usually found pride in evoking fear from men, made her feel like she was in control and like they wouldn't mess with her.

But something about this one… she didn't knew if it was because he was important to Alice, or because of all he's been through, but she didn't like evoking fear from him, she didn't like him much, but as stated before, she wasn't as heartless as she made people think.

She had morals, and limits.

And pushing around someone that's been subjected to God knows what kind of treatment for years was not something she wanted to do.

Thus, she approached him, holding her hands up for him to see.

-Look, I know you don't like people touching you, and I respect that, I don't like strangers touching me either, but we both know you won't be able to get back on the bed by yourself.- Rosalie said, coming up to kneel beside him, she didn't touch him.

If there was someone who understood how important it was to have people respecting these kind of boundaries, it was her.

It felt like an eternity before he finally sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat.

-Alright.

Rosalie grabbed his arm, helping him sit up before pulling him up to the bed, she was mindful to not be as harsh as she wanted to, he was hurt, she had to be gentle, now, it would have been easier to just pick him up, but one; Rosalie didn't felt comfortable getting that close to someone she didn't even knew, two; he smelt like a rotting corpse, and three; she had a feeling he wouldn't react well to such a thing.

Once he was sitting on the bed she stepped back.

-What part of don't leave the bed can you not understand? Do you think I'm some kind of doctor that can sew you back up if you rip those stitches?- Rosalie said, regardless of his reason to stand up she was still a bit pissed, because even a child could understand something as basic as don't get up.

He hunched over, refusing to look at her, Rosalie sighed, why did it felt like she was being the bad one here?

-'m sorry ma'am, I won't do it again.

She made a face at the title.

-Don't call me that, and next time just say something, don't go around causing unnecessary trouble.- She said, he didn't answer.

She turned to leave, she was at the door when she heard him.

-Can I ask somethin'?- His voice was nothing but a whisper, soft enough even she had to strain her hearing to catch it.

Still.

-What?

-Could you please give me those?- His request got her turning to look at him, he was pointing at the deck of UNO cards on the desk.

-The deck of cards?- Rosalie questioned, needing to be sure, he frowned, seemingly struggling to answer such a simple question, she didn't push him, she was aware he sometimes had trouble with remembering things.

-...Yes.- He conceded finally, Rosalie went over to the desk, grabbing the deck of cards, she was certain Emmett had been the one to give these to him.- Thanks.- He muttered once Rosalie had given him the deck of cards.

She was about to leave the room when something stopped her, she threw him a look over her shoulder, he looked so… harmless, frail was more like it.

Alice's words came back to her.

"He was gonna be to you what Edward is to me, you know? You would have hated him at first, but you would have bonded eventually, because you had a lot in common, he would have posed as your twin…"

Not for the first time she found herself clenching her jaw, because truth was that she did wish to have someone like that, she had Emmett, he was her husband, her friend, her confident.

But there was something about the idea of having a brother that wouldn't be like Edward that made her crave for something she never knew she would even want.

A brother.

It still stung, to remember what could have been, what she lost before she could even know she would have it or need it.

How was it possible to mourn something she never even had in the first place?

And still.

Rosalie found herself backtracking into the room, she didn't care about him, she didn't care about something that didn't exist, why should she? She would just be holding on to something that was never there.

Then why?

Why does she go up to him and takes the deck of cards away from him? Why can't she just walk away?

-Pay attention, I'm only going to teach you this once. Just in case you play against Emmett, he likes to complain about how Alice and Edward cheat on chess, but he also cheats when playing UNO.

She's seriously stupid for doing this, interacting with him would lead to nothing but disappointment when he inevitably remembered who he was.

Since when had she begun setting herself up for disappointment?

-You can play with those?- He asks, such wonder in his voice.

-Yes, you can make a move if you have either the color or the number, if there's a red five, and you only have a yellow five, you can make a move. Or if you have a blue four and there's a blue six, you can make a move. You can throw them all or most of them if you throw the right numbers and colors.

At his silence she looks up at him.

He looks troubled as he stares at the cards.

For a moment, she has no idea what's his deal, even kids could grasp such a simple explanation.

Then a thought occurs to her.

-You do know the colors and numbers, right?

-I know the numbers, I can count, but… I don't know how they look like.

Alright, she could work with that, still, something irked at her.

-What about the colors?- She asked again, his silence was answer enough. How the hell did he manage to keep Alice from finding out he didn't knew shit about colors? It was an amazing feat if she was being honest.

Still.

She picked a card, bringing it up for him to see.

-This is how the number one looks like, and this color is green. You know, like the grass, and the leaves from the trees.- Rosalie said as a statement of fact, he stared at it for a moment before reaching out for a card, holding it up.

-What's this color called?

-Red, is that color important?- Rosalie questions, he didn't look like one would after picking up something randomly.

-No.- His answer was quick, too quick, but Rosalie wasn't about to push, if he didn't want to tell her then so be it, she couldn't expect him to tell her all his secrets when they didn't even knew each other.

Plus, red? She could get an idea of the why would he feel attracted to that color, what vampire didn't?

-That's a reverse card.- She said instead, he turned the card around.

-What's a reverse card? What do arrows have to do with reverse motion?- Sentences like that were what made a point to remind people that as clueless as he was, stupid he wasn't.

And for what she's heard, he was a fast learner too.

-That means that if you put that card down you get another turn, or if someone else puts it down they get another turn.- Rosalie explained, he frowned, for a moment, she thought he hadn't understood, and then.

-So the interlocked arrows mean the turn's been reversed?

-Basically, yes.

-And since it has no number you can only put it on the same color as it comes as?

-Yes.- She did had to give it to him, he was a quick learner, but she guessed it was to be expected, regardless of whatever might be wrong with him, vampires were naturally quick learners.

She picked up a 4, holding it up for him to see.

-Now, let me tell you about the card that everyone loves having but that everyone hates being subjected to.

~

Alice smirked as she stood on a hill, she had left Rosalie alone with Jasper for that exact reason.

She wanted her to interact with him, she wanted the Cullens to get to know him, for more than just Emmett and Renesmee to interact with him.

For them to see past The Major.

He wasn't dangerous nor was he The Major.

He was just Jasper, and he was hurt and alone, Alice remembers how terrible it had been when she first woke up as a vampire, alone, having no one at all but her visions of Jasper to keep her company, of the life she would have with him.

She didn't want him to feel alone, he was the last person on this Earth she would want to experience that kind of loneliness.

Plus.

It also helped with the Cullens' relationship with him.

It might be true that what could have been was just that, a could have been, it didn't meant she couldn't aim to get them to develop a relationship with him, who knows, if he sees he can have friends it might keep him from leaving.

She knew she was being selfish, but God, she's found him after so long, she didn't want to give him up without at least trying, she didn't care if they didn't end up together as last time, him staying would be enough for her.

She could be his friend, even if she wanted more, she would rather have him as a friend than not at all. If she could get him to grow attached to this place before he was completely healed she might have a chance at keeping him.

But if he did choose to leave…

It would break her, but she wouldn't stop him.

If that's what he wanted then so be it, there was nothing she could do about it, she was just happy he was alive, that she got to meet him in the first place, to spend time around him…

̶B̶̶u̶̶t̶ ̶s̶̶h̶̶e̶ ̶d̶̶i̶̶d̶̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶̶a̶̶n̶̶t̶ ̶t̶̶o̶ ̶l̶̶o̶̶s̶̶e̶ ̶h̶̶i̶̶m̶, ̶s̶̶h̶̶e̶ ̶w̶̶a̶̶n̶̶t̶̶e̶̶d̶ ̶t̶̶o̶ ̶k̶̶e̶̶e̶̶p̶ ̶h̶̶i̶̶m̶.

She would never forget the fantastic memories she got to make with him.

~

Jasper wasn't gonna lie, Rosalie terrified him, there was this oppressive aura around her that made him want to look away, her face was emotionless, but her emotions were a storm; annoyance, disgust, wariness, mistrust, more annoyance.

But there was also exasperation, determination, amusement.

The few times he's seen her her sole presence seemed to impose danger, the kind of person one shouldn't mess with.

But having her here, sitting right across from him and playing this weirdly colored cards game with him…

It's strange, because he had been sure she hated him, so how come was she here? Why was she helping him? He couldn't understand.

But he wasn't about to complain, whatever her motives, it felt nice to be able to put name to certain colors and shape to numbers, it made it easier to understand things Alice had told him in the past, certain things movies and shows.

It made him feel less stupid.

Because it did infuriate him at times, to not know things, to feel like he knew things but failed at grasping them, he hated it, because at times it felt like he's seen and heard some things before, but he can't pin point the where.

And sometimes, when he sleeps, he can hear whispers, see shapes that move through shattered glass, but he can't grasp any of it.

Attempting to do so just makes him end up with terrible headaches.

He hates it.

He wonders though, about who had he been, the nomads had hated him, resented him for who knows what, for a long time he had thought that he deserved it, that he might have been a terrible person and that because of it the world hated him.

Even if he had no idea what he had done, it must have been horrible to gain so much hatred, to deserve all the things done to him.

But then these vampires…

He knew they knew who he was, but they weren't hostile, they didn't trust him, but they weren't hostile.

And he wonders what's their connection with him, Emmett hadn't been of much help when he had asked him… he wonders…

-Do you know who I am?- The question is out before he can stop it, and his stomach twist when he feels the flickering alarm before something akind to relief hits. Such weird mix.

-Do you know who you are?- Rosalie asks, that question had caught her off guard, for a horrible moment she had thought he had, in fact, suddenly remembered something, but then she realized he was genuinely asking out of curiosity and not some cliché line from a movie.

He gave her a frown at her question.

-No, but you do, I asked Emmett before, if we knew each other, if that's why you were helpin' me, but he just said "not exactly". That doesn't really answer anythin'. But I can feel you mistrust and wariness, how anxious you get sometimes, so I gather you know who I am. Right?

Rosalie cursed his stupid face, he was giving her such a desperated look, begging at her to tell him something he definitely would be better off not knowing.

The world didn't need The Major coming back, and he certainly looked like he could have a chance at a normal life without his memories.

But Christ, those damn eyes.

-I do.

He perked up at that.

-We didn't know you personally, but we did knew about you. And trust me when I tell you you don't want to know what we know of you.- Rosalie told as a statement of fact, she wasn't about to tell him the truth, he could beg her all he wanted.

But Rosalie would rather die than be the one to tell The Major things that might make him come back, she might be selfish, might be in the wrong for thinking he didn't deserve to have his memories back.

But truth was, the world was a better place without him, thousands of vampires died because of him, humans were slaughtered, vampires were almost exposed to the world several times because of him.

With how evolved humans have become, with technology mainly, were The Major to come back they would all be in more danger than they had ever been.

So call her selfish, a vile person, but she wasn't about to let The Major come back.

Plus, he was better off like this, he wasn't hurting anyone, he might have been a good person caught in a terrible situation, as Alice liked to put it, he might have spent a year and a half with Alice, but that didn't change what he had done.

And no one knows what had been going through his head all those decades, no one knows what had drove him to do what he did for as long as he did, what had stopped him from leaving if that's what he wanted?

So, even if she knew she didn't got to decide, which she did got it wasn't, she at least wanted to keep him like this for as long as possible.

Harmless, not a danger to anyone.

-... Was I a bad person?- His voice alone makes something twist inside her, he sounds… dejected, like he knows the answer but is still clinging to hope.

Even if it's futile.

-Yes.

Rosalie's never been one to lie, and she wasn't about to start now, sometimes, people needed to hear the truth.

And still.

Something about the how his shoulders drop, about his gaze…

He looks defeated.

Like whatever hope he had held had crumbled, like Rosalie had crushed the remaining light from his eyes.

And she hates being the one responsible for it.

But what was she suppose to do? Lie?

Still.

-Just because you were bad it doesn't mean you have to still be so, people change, you know? Your past doesn't exactly have to define who you are.- Rosalie said, fighting to think about what would Carlisle say in a situation like this.

He still didn't seem convinced.

-I killed people in the past, and so did Edward, doesn't mean it defines who we are.- She found herself saying, they did deserve what they got, the bastards she killed, and the assholes Edward killed.

Those had been the worst of the worst compared to the dozens of innocents The Major killed.

But she felt like she needed to tell him something, telling him he was bad and leaving it like that didn't sound like something that might end well, not for him, and not for them.

Thus.

Giving him some sympathy wouldn't hurt.

-But if 'm bad, why did you help me? Wasn't I payin' for what I've done? She said it was punishment, if 'm a bad person and that was my punishment, then why let me out? Aren't punishments made to avenge those who've been wronged?

-That was not punishment.- Rosalie snaps harshly, The Major might have been a vile bastard, but this, what had been done to him, he didn't deserve that, no one did.

-But-

-That was torture, not punishment, and no matter how horrible someone is, torture is not the answer, that's…- Or well, some people did deserve to be tortured.

But not him.

He hadn't been that vile.

The Major might have been a demon of the worst kind, but no one ever said anything about him torturing children or being a rapist, she might be biased, but to her, only someone who's done something that vile deserved torture.

He never crossed that line, Alice watched him way before he left South, spent a year and a half with him, she would have never given him a second thought had he been that inhumane.

Point was, he didn't deserve what was done to him.

-Torture is not right.- She said at last.- Alice saw you, we couldn't possibly leave you there, initially, we didn't knew who you were, but even if we had known we would have still fred you, because no one deserves that.

Not even him, he might have been a killer, but at the end, while not justified, she could somewhat understand what had led him to it, southern vampires had for a long time had to kill to survive, an environment where only the strong survived.

Becoming a walking killing machine who evokes fear with his sole presence would have made him untouchable, his best bet to be safe had been to become a nightmare for others.

As she had said before, if this is what he was without his memories… he might have had been good had he not been forced into that lifestyle.

Because some people were just born bad, and even without memories their darkside would still make itself known through vile acts.

And so far, the worst thing he's done while being in his right mind had been to call the sun a planet.

So, Rosalie wanted to hope part of him was capable of goodness, even if while like this, she didn't want to be stupid enough and hope for a harmless situation when he regained his memories.

Still.

Something caught her attention.

-Who is she? The person who said that that was punishment?- Her question makes him duck his head, his attention back on the cards.

And then.

-María.- It's such a soft whisper.

-You saw her?- Rosalie asks, if that woman was the reason he had lasted so long in that place… she might come looking for him when she realized he was gone.

-... She came sometimes.

-How often?

He shrugged.

-Can we not talk 'bout her?- His request came before Rosalie could even try to ask anything else. He wasn't looking at her anymore, in fact, he looked quite tense.

-Fine.- Even if Rosalie said that she felt a bit nauseous though, because how? María was supposed to be The Major's creator, right? And considering Major Jasper Whitlock had disappeared while being uninjured.

Had the woman come across him? What had led her to turn him? Had it been premeditated? Or was it a coincidence? Turn him into a monster when he still had a life ahead of him and then turn him into an even worse monster to seize lots of territories.

And then abandon him and torture him, break his mind until he's forgotten even his own name.

Rosalie's never been more glad that Carlisle was the one who found her as she was now.

Meanwhile, Jasper grabbed a red one, he stared at the card.

The dark haired man with the weird robes, the red robes, red eyes, red-

He put the card down, no, if he didn't think about it it didn't happen, if he didn't remember it it didn't happen, because not remembering was much better than having to feel like he might lose the sliver of sanity he has left, and he can't break.

Not until he knows who he is. What he did.

If he's gonna leave he at least wants to know who he is.

He wants to leave with at least some knowledge of what he did so wrong for the world to hate him so much.

Maybe this way, he won't do it on his next life.