-You know, she's isn't gonna magically disappear.- Emmett comments, Alice had decided to finally call Peter and Charlotte, but she wanted to meet them halfway to explain some things she hadn't said over the phone.
Like the actual extent of Jasper's current situation.
-Emmett, leave him be.- Came Esme's voice from the living room, everyone was at home, minus Renesmee and Jacob.
None of them has ever seen Peter nor Charlotte, Charlotte did call Alice sometimes, to ask how things were going and how was she, none of them ever gave it mind, Alice had said they were friends from when she was a nomad.
Turns out, there had been more to it, that mysterious friend was Charlotte, Peter's mate, same Peter who had been like a brother to Jasper , Alice had spent a while with them after Jasper's supposed death, neither had liked the idea of her leaving, but they had let her, and Charlotte liked calling to check on her because she worried.
Point is, Alice had called them, apparently, she had initially completely forgotten about that, Emmett couldn't blame her, a lot has been going on.
Jasper's constant nightmares, the memories that got him passing out, his injuries, his issues talking and understanding simple things, or just remembering things.
He had gotten better, a lot better, but he still had a lot of things to deal with, he wouldn't magically heal in three months from the torture he endured for decades.
He did wonder though, how were these two vampires.
~
Charlotte hadn't liked Jasper much.
He had been The Major.
Same man who had made her wish she was dead several times, merciless, harsh, and at times just downright brutal with the training.
And alright, said training kept her alive for as long as she was deemed useful.
But the point still stood, she hadn't liked him, hell, she would thrive whenever María left him incapacitated. A bit messed up, she knew, but when your torturer was left incapacitated that was an amazing day.
Point is.
She hadn't liked at all the idea of Peter wanting to go back for him, but she had also understood that Peter would never not help Jasper.
He might have been a bastard to her.
But he had been Peter's brother.
Not biological, but still brothers.
So, she hadn't stopped him.
She had disliked having him around though, had hated it with a passion for Peter was fussing all over him 24/7, she had at times felt like he paid more attention to him than her.
Childish.
Yes.
But she couldn't stand him.
Then he left.
She didn't miss him.
Hell, she was thrilled when he left.
But then he came back.
With a little pixie trailing right behind him.
He wasn't the same, he looked less like his life was a giant piece of crap he didn't want to deal with and more like he had found something worth living for.
She hadn't liked him still.
But she did grew to like Alice quite a lot.
Alice who forced her to interact with him more than once.
And alright, he did end up not being such an ass, he was sort of nice once you got to meet him, he almost grew on you, though she would rather die than admit it out loud.
Their relationship had stopped feeling as strained and tense in those two months Jasper and Alice had spent with them, falling more into a sense of "I know I speak as if I wanted to tear your throat out if given the chance, but I do care about you".
When she first found out he had died…
Even decades later she couldn't quite decipher if the pain had come from her, the fact that Peter had looked so devastated, or how horrible Alice had looked when they found her.
The idea of The Major dying was as surreal as it was foreign, he couldn't die , she had seen him survive death a dozen times, God, he survived María, what else in the world could be worse enough to kill him?
It didn't make sense.
So, to get Alice's call, claiming Jasper was alive… it was a great hope.
But she tried to not get her hopes high either, last she spoke with Alice she had sounded fine, but vampires who have lost their mates could get a bit… unhinged as time went on.
Charlotte just hoped that wasn't the case with Alice.
She didn't think she would be able to bear losing her, she had become like a sister to her, losing her would be too much painful.
~
When Peter first learnt about Jasper's death he had been more than in denial, because how? How could his brother die? He didn't survive the South for nothing, he didn't fight newborns and vampires in general for decades to be killed by… by what even killed him?
Alice had said she had found the cabin in flames, and that his blood had been all over the place, that she couldn't see him anymore.
And Peter also knew he would never disappear without a trace, much less after making up his mind about seeking out the Cullens.
And still…
He was gone.
It had taken Peter decades to be able to come to terms with that fact.
He had promised to look after Alice and make sure she would never be alone. That she was safe…
It was the last bit of Jasper that was left, the woman he had loved with his very being, she who saved him from that darkness he seemed to carry so deep within his mind.
He didn't like the Cullens much nor did he trust them.
Carlisle was old friends with Aro, the Volturi had that coven under close watch.
Of course he wouldn't be able to be 100% alright with the idea of Alice being with them, but he had let her go, because he couldn't bring himself to say no to her, to keep her from the possibility of gaining some semblance of happiness and peace after losing Jasper.
Still.
He could have never expected to get a call from Alice, claiming that Jasper was alive, that she had found in in an abandoned church in Texas, he was alive.
He and Charlotte arrived at Texas not even a day after getting the letter, a little sliver of hope threatening to be born the closer they got, because his brother could be alive.
Little did he know the cruel truth that was awaiting for him.
~
-Decapitated?- Peter repeats, he had known it would be bad, Alice's voice on the phone hadn't been right, even more so when she told him there were things that would be better to not discuss on the phone.
But this? He could have never expected it would be this bad, God.
The sole idea of Jasper not remembering a single thing, not even his own name , it made him seethe, fingers curling into fists as he clenched his jaw.
Because if there was one thing he knew, that was that Jasper never liked not knowing, he drew comfort in knowledge, in knowing who and what surrounded him. He needed to know everything about his surroundings so he could be at ease.
The idea of that having been stolen from him…
He wants to kill the Volturi.
To seek María out and rip her to pieces, limb, by, limb, he should have never listened to Jasper, he should have fucking killed her when he had the chance.
She said he remembered his life in the South now, but that didn't change the fact that he was decapitated, and that he had completely forgotten about things.
Meanwhile, Charlotte feels like she might throw up, because Jasper was decapitated, and God, she has no idea what to do with that fact, she could have hated The Major once, but she would have never wished such a thing upon him.
For him to know shit, to be nothing but a blank slate, what the hell was that even for? With what purpose?
-The Volturi did that to him to use it against me, I don't know what are they really expecting from it. They had him for years, but they decapitated him a few months ago, I don't know how could I see him after so long.- Alice's words got Peter frowning in confusion.
-How did they know about you and him?
Alice bit her tongue at that, she knew Peter was not gonna be happy with her next words.
-... I went to Volterra.
-What?!
-I know you told me to stay as far away from that place as possible, but Edward was gonna get himself killed, and I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't lose him, and I couldn't bear the idea of Bella going through what I did either, Aro read my memories, he must have gone much further than I thought, if I'd known Jasper was alive I wouldn't have been so careless, I swear.
-I know that.- Peter said as a statement of fact, dragging a hand down his face, God, this was the exact same reason he had told her to not set foot on Volterra, Jasper had told him, he had left it very, very clear, that if something ever happened to him, to keep Alice as far away from Volterra as possible.
Because Aro would have no qualms whatsoever over using the worst tricks under the sun if that meant getting his hands on someone with Alice's kind of gift, the Volturi wouldn't like a vampire that could predict their moves, or possibly even spy on them.
Much less if she joined a coven with already five members, one of which was gifted with an equally dangerous ability.
Mind reading.
The Cullens were under close watch of the Volturi because of this exact mind reader, because the coven leader was once in Volterra, he had knowledge about them not many did, and conveniently, casually, he had with him a mind reader.
A clairvoyant would just be way too suspicious.
But now it was too late, Aro knew about Alice and her gift, and Christ, he had the feeling he knew exactly what the man was aiming by decapitating Jasper, the why she could suddenly see him.
It was nothing but a trap, give Jasper to her with a broken mind so she will get worked up and run to the Volturi, but something about how simple that was didn't sit right with him, Aro had to know Alice wasn't that impulsive, she wouldn't go barging into Volterra knowing that that's exactly what the Volturi were expecting.
So what? What was truly Aro's plan? The man was much too smart to come up with such simple plan, so what the hell was it?
But it didn't matter how much he turned it over in his head he couldn't for the life of him decipher what might be the man's actual plan.
Still.
-Where is he?- Peter questions at last, he could keep on thinking about that once he saw Jasper, he needed to see him, to have the actual visual confirmation that this was really happening.
-Come on, I will take you to him.- Alice says, and a few minutes has never felt as eternal as that walk did.
Peter wanted nothing more but to just run, but he also knew he couldn't, Alice had left very clear how skittish he was with people appearing out nowhere, Peter had no idea what to do with that word.
Skittish.
The house soon comes into view, and Peter sees him.
He's stands at the bottom of the steps from the porch, something about his stance alone doesn't sit right with him, his hair is longer and he's got more scars on his face than he remembers.
And still, it feels like he's been hit by a railroad, hairs standing on end as his vision zooms out.
Because it's seriously him.
Jasper.
He's alive.
And it feels like a huge cloud had lifted off of his shoulders after what feels like centuries.
Because his brother is alive.
And he can't help but pull him into a hug once he has him within reach, needing to make sure this isn't some sort of hallucination, that he is solid and very much real.
-I thought hugs were for pansies.- Jasper's muffled voice reached him, Peter was glad his sense of humor was still intact.
-Shut up, it's 2023, I can hug whoever the hell I want.- Peter refuted with no actual heat, smirking at the snicker his answer got him.
Meanwhile, Charlotte stared, she was quite aware she was staring, but what else was she suppose to do when it feels like the world has stopped?
Because he's seriously alive.
He looks like shit, and like he might need a haircut, but he's fucking alive, Jasper's alive.
Years of thinking him dead… Alice had said he had been chained in the basement of a church, muzzled, starved, impaled down and very much close to crystallizing , and the doctor had found pins on his muscles, pins to keep him from moving, there had also been werewolf venom in his system, ralentizing his healing.
God knows what else had been done to him, she knew it wouldn't take a genius to know the Volturi would want The Major, but it never occurred to her the lengths those sadistic bastards would go to get what they wanted.
And now…
He looked so… weird.
So weak, she had seen his posture, he looked like standing straight at all with no support whatsoever was an absolute pain, he didn't seem like he could hold his ground in a fight at all.
And that fact alone made her instincts reel at the wrongness of the situation, because he should never be put in the same sentence as "weak" and "unable to fight". It made her stomach twist.
He met her gaze from behind Peter's shoulder, dark silver, amusement dancing in his eyes, she scowled at him.
-Missed me?- He questions, holding his hand out for a handshake.
-You wish.- She refutes, and still, even if Charlotte said that, she still found herself taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze, just to be sure he was there, feeling her shoulders relax when he didn't disappear under her grip.
And she never thought she would feel so glad about The Major being alive.
~
Volterra, Italy. -
-The Major seems to be healing fast, shouldn't we act now that the Cullens have let their guard down? Before he regains his strength?- Demetri said as he stared at the reflection on the water, eyes narrowing as he watched The Major wrap his arms around the clairvoyant's shoulders from behind.
It made fire spread across his chest, fingers curling into fists.
-Not yet.- Aro refutes, waving away their most recent acquisition and the main reason he chose to let The Major be found, a 13 year old boy by the name of Einer with the gift of showing any present event, at present time, through nothing but the reflection of water.
He could seek anyone out as long as he had anything from them, be it a belonging or a body part.
In this case, The Major's necklace, he snatched the necklace from the fountain, tucking it in his robes.
-You still insist that Alice will come here on her own volition? You do realize that's a lost cause, right? She didn't come here, not even when she found out we had something to do with it, nor when she saw the brand.- Caius told as a statement of fact, Aro turned to look at him with a dark smile.
-Oh, but she will, in fact, come, I'm inclined to believe it might be soon.
-How can you be so sure?- Alec asked this time, Aro's smile became even darker.
-I sent our dear friend to rattle things over there, given the right push, he might end up dropping off the edge, and of course with that might come a revelation she won't be able to ignore.
-Care to enlighten us?- Caius asks as Aro stays quiet.
-I told you before, there's no greater enemy for a vampire than their own feelings for their mates, it's so easy to make them go blind with hatred, their instinctual need to protect what they claim to be theirs is their perdition, same as it will be her perdition.- Aro told as a statement of fact.
He knew Alice's feelings for The Major, knew what she might be willing to do for him, and Aro knows she won't be able to ignore what comes next, much less if she's also triggered by her presence and actions towards The Major.
Like he said, there was no greater enemy for a vampire than their own feelings for their mates.
Hatred, anger, impulsivity, it all merged into a ball of utter chaos that led to either death, or capture.
The latter is what Aro was aiming for her, and once he had her, The Major would follow, he might not be able to use him anymore, but as long as he had The Major with him, Alice would have no choice but to be compliant.
-You mean… that? - Marcus questioned, struggling to not show his disgust as realization of what Aro was speaking of hit.
Of course he knew that had been more than just an act to humiliate and degrade The Major, but for him to want to use it to pull the clairvoyant into a trap…
It made him nauseous, and pitiful that this is how things had gone for those two, he had tried to help The Major, but he had failed at making successful the chance Marcus had given him.
Much like he was failing at keeping Alice from being taken.
And he wonders when did Aro became twisted enough to use mates to manipulate those he wanted.
-Wouldn't it had been easier to do it yourself? Quite sure he would have reacted all the same, if not worse, if it had been you.- Caius said, knowing full well what Aro spoke of.
Aro gave him a look.
-Don't be ignorant, he's being monitored way too obsessively by those Cullens, they never leave him alone, and I have the advantage here. Also, if you have forgotten about it, we can't risk bringing too much attention to ourselves, people are still too focused on us after the hybrid's dilemma.
-That wouldn't have happened if we had killed her like I told you to.- Caius snaps dryly.
-Her time will come when it has to come, that was not the right time, trust me.
Caius scoffed, excuses, Aro should have killed them all when they had the chance, that way, they could have gotten rid of those useless Cullens, and Aro could have gotten his hands on that stupid clairvoyant, the shield, and the mind reader.
Hell, they could have killed all those damn mutts too.
But no, he had to go and act like things were alright, like no crime had been committed, as if they hadn't assembled their own army with several gifted freaks.
He could never understand what was Aro's need to make everything so complicated.
And still.
-You think we should still be trusting her after what she did last time?- Caius finds himself asking.
-Who?
-María, should we still trust her after what she did? Or what? Have you forgotten she set Oliver on Felix?- Caius reminds, she had set the dog on Felix just because of The Major being decapitated without telling her first about it.
Such a stupid woman, who did she think she was? She had no right to question the Volturi's actions. She was lucky she was even still alive, she was even only alive because of how The Major reacted to her.
Reason Aro had even seeked her out to help them catch The Major.
Once he was re-captured there would be no need to keep her around anymore.
-She will do what she has to do, it's in her nature, she believes The Major is hers and hers alone, as long as she thinks she can have him, she will do as told.- Aro told, smirking, there was no easier target to manipulate than a vampire who let their emotions control them.
-Aren't you worried she might kill the clairvoyant?
-If she knows what's good for her, which she certainly does, she won't lay a finger on her.
~
-How was my relationship with her?- Jasper asks, Peter had taken him for a walk, and Jasper had complied, it was nice to get away from the house, from all those emotions and all those people he inevitably never could quite bring himself to trust 100%.
But Peter was familiar, he knew Peter, he had told him about that night where the Volturi and María turned up.
About how stupid he had been by underestimating the enemy, such a rookie move.
-Alice?- Peter questions, even if he had the feeling that's exactly who he meant, he needed confirmation.
-Yes.
-You loved her, a lot, I could see it, and you cared 'bout her, a lot. Why? Did somethin' happen?- Peter asked, he had thought things were alright between them, Jasper had seemed fine with Alice, so where did this come from?
-No… it's just… I don't know, she kept the truth to herself for months, she could've told me the truth from the beginnin', why didn't she? And I keep wonderin' if maybe, just maybe, she didn't really want to tell me, that maybe she just told me 'cause she was forced to it by the circumstances.
Jasper said, because that was something he still couldn't stop thinking about, what if regardless of Alice's emotions for him she, deep down, didn't like him anymore? He knew nothing about her, what if she had learnt how to trick his gift? What if she was just making him feel what she wanted him to feel?
What if she actually felt completely and absolutely disgusted by him now? He was broken, damaged in ways he might never heal, what if she was just helping him because she felt obligated to? Would explain why she hasn't tried kissing him again, he was the one who had asked to kiss her.
He was the one starting most of the contact, never her, what if she was just putting up with him because she felt bad for him? What if she didn't love him anymore and he was just making her uncomfortable?
-Have you told her about this?- Peter's voice caught his attention, he was giving him a raised eyebrow.
-No, what for? She's just gonna lie about it, just like she lied these three months.
-You don't know that, weren't you the one who told me that the secret to a good relationship is to communicate instead of overthinkin' everythin' and makin' everythin' worse than it actually is?- Peter said, remembering Jasper's words.
Those had been the words he had told him when Charlotte kept giving him the cold shoulder, he had thought she was mad at him because she hadn't been as alright with him bringing The Major with them as she had first said.
Turns out, that hadn't been it, she had been mad about him spending more time with Jasper than with her, he had been so worried about Jasper he hadn't even realized he had been ignoring her.
-She lied to me, for three months!- Jasper snaps, because he's tired of acting like it doesn't bother him, because he loves her, and it eats at him the idea of her feigning it all, that she doesn't love him, that she is just tricking him into believing what he wants to believe.
That all of this is just a lie to make him feel better, because his mind is broken and they are all just taking pity on him.
-How am I suppose to believe anythin' she says when she kept somethin' like that from me? I don't remember her, for all I know she learnt how to trick my gift long ago. She-
-Hey!- Peter cut him off, grabbing his shoulders.- Look, I've no idea what happened these past months, nor why she lied, but I do know one thing, and that is that she does love you, she isn't lyin' nor actin' nor whatever the hell is that you think is happenin' here, she's helpin' you 'cause she cares about you. If it truly bothers you that much you should seriously talk to her about it.
Peter said, because God, why the need to drown in a glass of water? Peter has never met someone who didn't follow his own advices like Jasper Whitlock did. Why overthink everything when he could literally just ask her? He got it, he didn't trust her word because she lied to him, trust was something Jasper has always had troubles with.
And he had trusted Alice with his life, for her to lie to him for three months… that must have hit him hard. Still, he could tell he wasn't really mad, just… hurt, afraid.
-Jasper, you can't expect her to just know what you're thinkin', you've to talk to her, you trust me, right?- Jasper frowned at him.
-What kind of question is that? Of course I do.
-Then trust me when I tell you that whatever is it that you're overthinkin' about, it's not true, alright? Just talk to her.
Jasper didn't answer, of course he wanted to ask her, and while he knew she might have lied to him because she blamed herself for his apparent death he couldn't help but feel like she had also lied to him because she didn't love him anymore.
She didn't want him to know the truth so she wouldn't have to go back with him, much less now when he was so… broken. What if all her kindness and care were lies? What if asking her made it all end? He didn't want it to end.
Because he loved her, and while he doesn't remember her he can't imagine his life without her, he wants to bask in her warmth forever, to hear her voice, feel her touch and see her smile, forever.
He would rather live in a lie than lose it all.
But he did want to know the truth, he wanted to know if it was all a lie or if she truly cared, because while he would love to live in a lie…
What if she wasn't happy? What if she was annoyed? Uncomfortable? Disgusted? He didn't want her to do things she didn't want to do but felt like she had to to keep him happy.
That's not the kind of life he wanted to live.
Not if she was hurt in the process.
He could understand if she didn't want him anymore, he was beyond ruined, so many scars, he would freak out by the simplest of things, be stubborn and just flat out annoying, hell, he isn't even showered again.
And he knows he looks terrible, pathetic, disgusting, nothing no one could ever fathom to be around. His hair was a mess, he didn't shower, he moved weird, and he wore clothes that looked like he didn't put effort at all in dressing, just sweatpants and sweatshirts.
It was a wonder she even decided to act nice when he looked so hard on the eye.
But if Peter was right…
It would be nice if she still loved him, no one's ever shown him such commitment, to think she might still love and care about him, could there truly be someone who would feel like that towards him?
He always saw soulmates as such an odd thing, I mean, he knew vampires mated for life, he knew that while there might be the occasional fling, at the end, all vampires were bound to one person and one person alone, some lived their entire lives without meeting them.
Others found them as humans.
Others lost them.
The loss of a soulmate could be so intense some vampires went insane, others fell into a suffocating depression, and others became hell bent on revenge against whoever had taken their mate from them.
And others fell on the suicide path.
That was how intense the loss could be.
He never believed in such things while in the South, soulmates were stupid stories humans and people in general made up because the idea of having someone who would understand and love them unconditionally was pleasant, an idea for those with tons of insecurities to feel better over thinking someone had been made specifically for them.
Someone they would be able to be their true selves with and never worry about saying or doing the wrong thing, someone who would accept all their imperfections instead of trying to turn them off or make them disappear.
For vampires… he had heard it was a somewhat similar reaction, with the slight difference where you would feel an intense and immediate connection that felt deeper than physical attraction at first sight.
You would feel a sense of comfort and ease in each other's presence, safe. Trust. And whenever they touched you, you would feel an intense sense of inner calm.
Still.
It was stupid. Stories made up by lonely people to comfort themselves, it wasn't true, it wasn't.
And still.
He remembers when he first saw her at the church, he didn't knew her, had never seen her before in his life, and he had still felt completely smitten by her.
He had felt himself drawn to her since the moment he saw her, he kept seeking her out, he had warmed up to her touch with a frightening ease, he let his guard down around her with such unnerving ease too, why the hell did he trust so much someone he barely knew?
Was it true? Had it seriously happened and he couldn't even remember it? How could this be? People like him didn't have that kind of thing, he wasn't- why?
He wasn't special, there was not a single good thing about him, he was a simple broken man, stained, corrupted, he was soaking in innocent blood, with a darkness in his mind that could become a weapon even against himself. His mind was fractured.
What could he offer? How could she be his soulmate? How could she love him with such ease even when had become twice as damage than he had once been? It didn't make sense.
But all the signs he had found strange were there. All along. She cared so much, she let him get as close as he wanted, she agreed to the kiss, because she might actually like him.
She hadn't been obligated to cut his hair, nor to comfort him, not even to stand his stench when he first refused to shower, not even to take him looking for berries, nor to carry him around at the lake.
And it filled him with hope.
To think she might actually love him.
That he had finally found a soulmate.
-Alright.
A/N: I blame Demetri's sick interest in Alice on that Tumblr post about how Demetri's actions in the movies towards Alice and Jasper scream that he's jealous of the latter and that he's interested in Alice. He always goes for her neck and he slapped Jasper when that was literally unnecessary. Or how he was involved in Jasper's death in Alice's vision. Could be reading too much into it, could be not, who knows, I just know it changed my perspective regarding Demetri's interactions with Alice
PS: I have officially finished plotting out all the chapters for this fic, means all I have to do now is write them
