A/N: As always, sending you my gratitude for reading and reviewing:)

Newborns

Jasper felt the incoming storm of emotions before he heard anyone approaching, but it was only seconds later that Edward's car pulled up the driveway just behind Carlisle's.

Peter, who rarely missed anything when it came to his empathic brother, silently moved to sit on the floor by Jasper's feet and discreetly took his hand so Jasper could use his emotions as an anchor against whatever the fuck he was feeling that had him clenching his jaw.

"It's true?" Peter asked quietly. He was right there with his brother in not having any doubt that Victoria was hiding her newborns in Seattle, but getting confirmation never hurt anyone.

Jasper just nodded, then steeled himself a little more against the additional weight of heavy emotions as the rest of the group realized their suspicions weren't unfounded. He couldn't help smiling a little, though, that Leah seemed to have picked up on what Peter was doing and was making a concerted effort to keep her emotions calm. He tightened his arm around her and let both her and Peter feel his gratitude for their thoughtfulness.

Everyone else in the room reined in their worry and fear so they didn't completely overwhelm Jasper. The only exception was Paul, who didn't know the empath well enough to notice the subtle tightening around his eyes. Rosalie may have had the best poker face of the Cullens, but Jasper wasn't far behind, and if you didn't know what to look for it was easy to miss the subtle signs of his discomfort.

Carlisle and Esme walked into a silent room with all eyes trained on them, and Edward and Bella were right behind them.

With the addition of Edward and Bella - more Bella than Edward, to be honest - Jasper was a little worried the meeting would take just as much of a downturn as the last meeting had. Peter and Charlotte hadn't softened at all towards the girl since the night before, and neither had Leah or Paul.

Jasper hadn't heard anyone fill Rosalie and Emmett in on everything that happened after they left the clearing, but someone must have, because the anger in Rose's eyes when she looked at Bella was unmistakable.

"She apologized," Jasper said, too quietly for Bella to hear. "Please try and cut her a little slack. She's young and this is all very new for her," he reminded them all, hoping to keep things calm. Peter and Charlotte huffed a few times in annoyance and Rosalie turned those fiery eyes on Jasper, making him laugh. "She's willing to learn, Rose," he told her. "Just think, you can help teach her everything she needs to know about being a Cullen."

Rosalie got a calculating look in her eyes as she eyed the human, and whatever she was thinking made Edward glare at her. Rosalie just shrugged, completely unbothered.

"Alright," Carlisle started, breaking the slightly tense silence. "Jasper's suspicions appear to be correct. I can't definitively say Victoria herself is there, but I'm positive there are multiple newborns in the Seattle area. Using the number of disappearances as a guide, along with the murders, I'd guess they number between eight and ten. Esme and I discussed it at length on the drive home, and we believe our earlier speculation was correct and there is an older vampire keeping them somewhat in line. It could very well be that Riley Biers is that vampire, based on when he was last seen."

"I know we'd already talked about that being a possibility, but what did you find that makes you think someone's keeping them in line?" Paul asked.

"The police are comparing only the most gruesome killings and attributing them to a single murderer. It's my opinion that some of the murders they are overlooking are also a result of newborns hunting," Carlisle explained. "Those kills are covered up in a way that is very atypical for a new vampire. It is extremely rare for a newborn to think about covering their tracks, or to know how to sufficiently accomplish that."

Alice nodded. "So Victoria taught her first newborn, and let's just assume that's Riley Biers, how to keep from exposing himself and he's attempting to control the ones who are younger than him."

"But newborns are notoriously hard to control, especially when you have more than one to worry about, so he can't hide all their kills," Peter added.

"Exactly," Carlisle nodded. "It's also worth noting that the spike in disappearances is consistent all throughout Washington and stretches down into Oregon, and all of the missing people are of similar ages and backgrounds. The murders, however, are confined mostly to Seattle."

Jasper frowned a little at that. "So she's snatching people from all over the place but then transports them to Seattle before they wake up?" he asked, making Peter shake his head.

"We both know changing people isn't easy, so I'd bet every dollar I have that at least ninety percent of those missing people are no longer among the living," Peter said. When Emmett huffed a laugh, he shook his head with a smile. "Not like us. We're still among the living, aren't we?" he laughed, gesturing to the three beings in the room still in possession of a heartbeat, before shrugging casually. "Most of those disappearances are probably turnings Victoria failed at or meals for the baby vamps that she dumped in the Pacific."

"So they're waking up somewhere else and Victoria's covering up the first kills?" Rosalie suggested. "She's been around a hell of a long time so she knows how to clean up after herself. Maybe she takes them to Riley once an infusion of blood has calmed them down enough?"

Jasper tipped his head a little as he tried to put himself in Victoria's shoes. It was true that human blood was the quickest and easiest way to get a newborn to settle, but something about that scenario didn't seem quite right to him. He didn't think Victoria would put herself at risk like that. "I'm not so sure," he said after a few moments. "We already know she's purposely keeping Alice blind, and I think it's safe to assume the whole reason for that is so we don't know what she's planning. If I had to guess–"

Alice cut him off with a frustrated growl. "She's keeping herself completely hidden. She's probably biting people and then dumping whoever she doesn't drain with Riley before they wake up so the newborns never see her face."

Charlotte nodded her agreement. "She knows about all of the gifts in your coven, so she's covering her ass. If she lets Riley make all the calls about the vamps once they're awake, you won't see her decide anything to do with an army. And if y'all ever happen stumble on any newborns in the area, there's no risk of Edward's gift immediately giving her little game away."

Peter let out a frustrated sigh and looked at Bella. "I'm not trying to be an asshole, I'm really not, but could you maybe quit spilling this coven's secrets?"

Bella's eyes went a little wide at being singled out like that. "What do you mean?"

"You told the whole pack - which, I'd like to point out, included multiple wolves who you already knew were extremely hostile to this family - about Alice, Jasper, and Edward," Peter explained. "I can't say for sure Victoria overhead either that conversation or any conversations that followed that you weren't around for, but we know she's been hanging around the Reservation for months, learning everything she can. How else would she know exactly where the treaty line is?"

Bella's eyes went a little wider and she quickly glanced at Jasper and Alice, then looked up at her boyfriend. "I'm sorry, I didn't think–"

"That's always your excuse, isn't it?" Rosalie snapped, interrupting her. "You never think before opening your mouth."

"Rose," Esme cut in before Edward could snap back.

Rosalie nodded to acknowledge the warning but stayed quiet. She had no intention of apologizing.

Bella looked around the room warily for a moment, then took a deep breath and clutched Edward's hand a little harder. "You're right," she said quietly, looking at Rosalie. "I don't always think before speaking, and I don't always think things all the way through. It's been politely pointed out to me that once I'm a Cullen, I have to think about more than just Edward and myself."

Assuming it probably wasn't Edward who'd made that particular point to the human, all the vamps looked at Jasper, some a little suspiciously. "I was polite!" he defended himself with a laugh.

Bella gave him a small smile. "He was," she assured the rest of the family. "But more importantly than that, he was honest, and I needed honesty more than I needed delicate handling," she said, then looked at each Cullen with a little more uncertainty. "I have no experience being part of a family. Most of my life it was just my mother and I. So I know I'll probably make some more mistakes along the way, but Jasper said he thought all of you would be willing to help me learn. That if I have questions, I should ask."

Before any of the Cullens could reply, Leah sighed in irritation. "Maybe start with your own family. There's more to the world than just Edward and Jacob, even if they are the only ones you focus all your attention on. You've got a dad who wants to be part of your life but you just keep on hurting him over and over again. When Jasper suggested putting other people first for a change, did you even think about Charlie?" she asked, getting more pissed with every word. "I get that Edward is the center of your world, I get that you've got some weird dependency on Jake, I get that you're desperate to join this family, but you're still human and you have a human family who loves you, even if it is small. Maybe try to put those people first for a change."

Jasper tuned out everyone's emotions but Edward's. He'd thought earlier about how badly Edward reacted when anyone pointed out his flaws, but he reacted equally as bad when anyone pointed out his mate's flaws. And that reaction was even more extreme when the criticism was coming from someone who didn't particularly like Bella.

Edward, in an uncharacteristic move that surprised everyone, bit back every rude thing he wanted to say about the wolf and swallowed down his anger. They had much bigger problems to worry about than Leah's disdain for his mate.

Unfortunately, Bella didn't bother trying to hide her anger. "I said I would make an effort to do better, Leah," she snapped. "The least you could do is try and do the same."

Leah glared at her with fire in her eyes. "I don't make the same mistakes in my life that you do. I don't take the people who love me for granted and treat them like shit. And I don't owe you anything, not my kindness and not my respect. You've never done anything that makes me believe you deserve either. Your father, on the other hand, deserves both. He's put up with all your bullshit without ever protesting."

When Edward's rage spiked and he opened his mouth, Jasper cut him off. "Don't," he growled. "This isn't about you. It's not about either of us. It's between Bella and Leah, and Bella's not a child who needs you to always jump in and defend her honor. She's got a mind and a mouth of her own, and she's perfectly capable of defending herself."

Bella was caught somewhere between anger at Leah and a weird kind of gratitude to Jasper. He definitely wasn't defending her, but at least there was one person in the room who didn't see her as a helpless child.

Carlisle figured he ought to cut in there before anyone else could wade in with their two cents, namely Rosalie, who looked ready to offer her unhelpful opinion on Bella's character. "Considering what's ahead of us, fighting amongst ourselves will do us no good," he said, not only looking at Bella, Leah, and their mates, but at everyone in the room. "I'm not asking any of you to change how you feel about one another, but I am asking that you all treat each other civilly."

Almost everyone in the room nodded their agreement, even Peter, Charlotte, and Paul. Bella's nod was more than a little grudging, and Edward just clenched his jaw and turned to glare out the window, rather than at all the people he wanted to glare at.

Jasper took a deep breath and shoved aside his anger, reminding himself that if wasn't at all reasonable of him to expect Edward or Bella to grow up overnight, or because of a single conversation.

Peter, knowing what Jasper was thinking, very quietly whispered "Progress, not perfection," which made Jasper snort a laugh. It was the phrase Charlotte had used most often in the years after she and Peter had gone back to rescue Jasper. The empath had been a little too edgy for any of their good for at least the first year after leaving Maria's army. The dude saw a threat everywhere. Getting him to let his guard down, even when it was just the three of them on their own with no one else around, was an uphill battle.

Every baby step, every time his eyes softened, she would nod and say that phrase with a smile, pleased with his progress. And every time he pushed Peter and Charlotte behind him to protect them when they encountered another of their kind, every time he lost control of his gift and she was overwhelmed by his despair, she would mutter that phrase under her breath as a reminder to herself to be patient.

She also used it once Jasper finally settled into a more peaceful life and learned the joy of being mostly carefree, which often led to him and Peter acting like complete fools.

Charlotte looked at Peter and Jasper - who were both smiling in spite of the threat they were currently facing because of Victoria and her newborns - and laughed, her eyes practically brimming with love. Her start to this life may have been a little more rocky than most, but she was so grateful to have gotten her mate and her brother out of the deal.

"Can we circle back for a second?" Paul cut in. "I know Leah and Bella sidetracked us with their bitchiness, but Peter–" he started, but was immediately interrupted by Leah very loudly protesting that she was nothing like Bella.

"To be fair," Alice cut in. "I think it was actually Rosalie's bitchiness that led to our derailment," she said, shooting her sister a wink. Rose just smiled and shrugged. She knew she was a little bit of a bitch.

Paul just ignored both of them and glared at his best friend. "I didn't say you were like Bella, I just said you'd both interrupted the conversation with a little bitchiness. Jesus," he rolled his eyes. "I'm so fucking grateful I'm not tied to either of you harpies. Rosalie maybe wouldn't be so bad. Hotness covers up a multitude of sins," he added with a laugh, then looked at Jasper, who was smothering a smile. "As I was saying. Peter said changing people wasn't easy, and I know you changed both him and Charlotte, so what was your success rate?"

Jasper laughed and looked at him a little incredulously. "First of all, don't be a misogynistic dick with this crowd. You won't make it out of this room alive. Secondly, how is that not sidetracking us?"

Paul just shrugged. "I'm curious, so sue me."

Jasper didn't answer, he just looked at him silently with an eyebrow raised.

"Fine, noted," Paul huffed, pretending to be bothered. "Rosalie, I'm sorry for being a misogynistic dick and implying your beauty was more important than the very small part of your personality that seems a little bitchy. I'm not even sure that falls into the category of misogyny, but whatever. It probably falls in some other equally offensive category. Satisfied?" he asked Jasper.

Leah just rolled her eyes at her bestie, but didn't miss the amusement on most of the faces in the room, so she was glad he'd used his particular talent to lessen the tension in the air.

"Yes, thank you," Jasper nodded with a grin. "As far as my success rate goes, it's nowhere near as high as Carlisle's. He's right up there at one hundred percent, so if you're contemplating going a different direction in the future, he's your man."

Paul barked a laugh. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind," he nodded.

"Perhaps we could get back on track now?" Esme asked with an amused smile. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, but she couldn't deny being grateful for it. Her emotions when she'd arrived home with Carlisle had been turbulent and she hated being the cause of any additional strain on Jasper. She knew, however, that she'd only feel better once they started working on a plan to deal with Victoria and her army. Esme could tolerate an awful lot, but she couldn't tolerate a threat hanging over her family's head.

"Right," Carlisle nodded with a matching amused smile, and Edward couldn't entirely fight a smile of his own at the way his thinking in that moment was nearly identical to Esme's. They truly were a perfect match.

Before Carlisle could say anything further, they all heard a single wolf howl. By the time another one echoed through the forest two seconds later, Leah and Paul were up and running out the front door, phasing on the fly as they leaped off the porch. Jasper was beside Leah before all four paws even touched the ground, and Peter, Charlotte, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett were right behind him.

Knowing he had no way to communicate with Leah on his own to find out what was wrong, Jasper called Edward's name over his shoulder. To the telepath's credit, he didn't even attempt to protest. "Stay with her?" Edward asked Carlisle and Esme as he stood up, knowing they were more than capable of keeping his mate safe, even if leaving her made him a little edgy.

"What's happening?" Bella asked frantically, clutching harder at Edward's hand as he tried to pull it free from hers. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go with them, Bella," he said gently.

"What? No, you can't leave!" she gasped. "Oh my god, that was a wolf, wasn't it? Jake!" she shouted in a panic, her face draining of all color.

Edward had to bite back his annoyance and hurt. Of course it was the wolf she was worried about. "Everyone will be fine. Just stay here, please."

When Bella stood up, refusing to let go of his hand, Carlisle put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I sound insensitive, Bella, but we don't have time to argue about this. Esme and I will stay here with you, but you need to allow Edward to go find out what's happening. Right now, he's the only one who can. Please. Try and have some faith in this family."

Bella wanted to cry and scream that Edward shouldn't be leaving her behind if there was any danger, but she squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered Jasper's words.

"When you join our coven full-time, you'll have seven other people to consider. Your wants and needs won't always come first."

She nodded and reluctantly let go of Edward's hand. Then she opened her eyes and was flooded with shame as Leah's earlier words also came back to her. She hadn't thought about Charlie, only about Edward and Jacob. "My dad," she choked out through a throat tight with too many emotions.

Edward nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "We'll keep him safe, I promise," he assured her and then wasted no time racing out the door to catch up to his siblings. "Will one of you–"

"We'll do it," Rosalie interrupted him. She didn't particularly want to miss whatever was going on, but Peter and Charlotte certainly weren't leaving Jasper's side and if there was even the slightest chance Alice could see around the wolves, she needed to stay with him also. "Is he at home or the station?"

"Home," Edward answered. "And thank you."

Rosalie rolled her eyes as she and Emmett veered off to head for the Swan's house. "We're family, asshole. That means we look out for each other. Besides, I like Leah and she'd be pissed if anything happened to him," she added.

Then it was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. He kept quiet, though, because Rosalie had mostly offered to guard Charlie because of how easily the man had accepted the brother she was closest to, not because of Bella or Edward, or even Leah. Edward hadn't heard in anyone's thoughts that Charlie had called Jasper 'son' while they were fishing, but apparently he had, and when Jasper told Rose about it, it had made just as much of an impact on her as it did on Jasper.

Leah was only vaguely registering what was happening around her, far more focused on what she was hearing and seeing in her mind. She was, however, aware enough to know that the Cullens were making sure Charlie was protected, so she focused for a moment on sending Jasper her gratitude.

Jasper smiled at his mate, finding it sweet that she made the effort. Not wanting his sappiness to split his focus, he looked at Edward. "What's happening?"

"Give me a second, there are a lot of voices to untangle," he answered as he tried to decipher one wolf from the other just by their mental voice. "I think the other wolves are Sam, Jacob, and Quil. Jacob and Quil are still in their territory, but Sam veered off a few minutes ago and headed southeast towards neutral ground. They came across the scent of two vampires, but neither of them are Victoria," he explained after a few long moments. "One crossed onto their land and the other split off and headed in the opposite direction."

"Where–"

Edward cut Jasper off as he altered his course slightly. "The one in Quileute territory is running north now, towards the treaty line."

"Leah, tell Quil he can cross," Jasper said quickly as he followed Edward and Leah's lead. "Can you see what's happening with Sam?"

Edward took another moment to focus on the wolf traveling away from them. "Whoever the vampire is, Sam's close enough that he can see him. He's fast. The vampire, that is."

Leah gritted her teeth as she tried to push herself faster, even as she debated what her next move should be. If the unknown vamp closest to them crossed onto the Cullen's land where she thought he would, they had a good chance of cutting him off. The other vampire, however, had led Sam far enough away that she wasn't sure any other wolf could catch up to them. When she saw the vampire abruptly stop in his tracks and turn around so he was headed straight towards Sam, her steps faltered slightly and she let out a fierce growl just as Paul abruptly changed course and took off running to the east.

"Shit," Edward cursed. "He–"

"Where?" Jasper asked, not needing Edward to translate, knowing that whatever was wrong was happening where Sam was.

"Straight shot southeast, eight miles. Maybe ten," Edward answered quickly. "Newborn."

Jasper wasted no time, he just immediately changed direction and pushed himself as hard as he could. "Stay with Leah," he called to Edward over his shoulder, feeling his slight indecision. "If y'all are getting closer to the treaty line, having you there to act as an interpreter may be necessary."

Leah briefly debated following her imprint, but Jacob couldn't cross the treaty line, and she didn't want Quil to be on his own on the Cullen's side of the line when she knew he was uneasy about being around them.

Alice also briefly debated following Jasper, but she knew she needed to stay with Leah and Edward. She thought Peter and Charlotte would probably go with Jasper, so if it came to a fight and it was a newborn they were facing, she was the one with the best chance of ending it before anyone got hurt. Edward was purely a defensive fighter who used the thoughts of his opponent to guide his moves, but newborns didn't think the same way an older vamp would in a fight. As for the wolves, none of them knew enough about how to fight vamps, and they knew virtually nothing about fighting newborns.

Alice assumed it was down to her to keep Jasper's mate safe. And Edward. And Jacob and Quil. Damn. That was a lot of weight on her tiny little shoulders. Well, maybe not Jacob. She wouldn't mind all that much if a newborn got a hold of him for a second or five.

While Alice was lost in her thoughts, Peter and Charlotte exchanged a brief glance. After a wink from Peter, Charlotte nodded and peeled off from the main group to run alongside Jasper, staying silent so she didn't break his focus.

When Alice realized Peter was still beside her, she shot him her best smile. "Thanks. I've got Leah, Edward, and Quil, so Jacob Black is your responsibility."

Peter just laughed and nodded his agreement. "I'll accept that challenge."

When Paul changed direction slightly, Jasper and Charlotte exchanged a confused glance. Jasper had his gift pushed out as far as it could go and Charlotte was a hell of a tracker. They knew they were definitely on course to where Sam and the newborn were, so they didn't know what was making the wolf alter his course. Charlotte knew Jasper nearly as well as she knew her mate, so she stuck close to the wolf's side while Jasper stayed on the path they both thought was the correct one. Neither of them were willing to risk Leah's best friend being in danger on the off chance they were wrong.

When Jasper started hearing growls and snarls through the trees ahead of him, he shifted most of his focus away from his gift. He couldn't risk his steps faltering in the slightest because of the anger and rage he was feeling from Sam and the newborn. He was vaguely monitoring the emotions of everyone else still on his radar, but the bulk of his attention was solely on getting to Sam in time.

The newborn didn't seem aware that anyone was approaching, but if the unmistakable flare of panic from Sam was any indication, he knew another vampire was closing in on them and he assumed it wasn't anyone friendly.

"Just stall as best you can," Jasper said through gritted teeth as soon as he knew Sam was within hearing distance. "Try and come at him from the side if you can," he directed him. "And don't stop moving."

Just as the two came into view, Jasper saw Sam successfully dodge the newborn's arms and then immediately spin around unsteadily to try and take a bite out of his side. The newborn screeched in rage and kicked his foot out, sending the huge black wolf flying back thirty feet with a howl of pain. Jasper felt an answering flare of pain from the direction Paul was running and he cursed the pack mind. If Paul felt it, Leah probably did too.

"Get up, get up, get up," Jasper chanted under his breath as the newborn looked at the downed wolf with a smirk, oblivious that he was being watched. Jasper knew from experience that it was useless to try and calm a baby vamp down with his gift in this type of situation, so he focused instead on sending Sam all the determination he could muster.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Sam pushed himself up so he was standing, but Jasper could see that his back leg appeared to be broken and there was an alarming dip in his rib cage.

"Fuck," he cursed, and put on one final burst of speed.

Just as the newborn took a step towards a slightly swaying Sam, Jasper lunged for him and the two of them went skidding across the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, uprooting at least one tree. The newborn let out a screech of rage at being thwarted, and when he realized his arms were somehow pinned at his side, he turned his head and bit down on the closest piece of flesh.

"Motherfucker," Jasper growled, shifting slightly so the asshole beneath him was completely immobile and wrapping his hand around his throat as he glared down at him. "Would you mind taking your fucking teeth out of my arm, you piece of shit?"

Paul and Charlotte came flying in then and Paul immediately went to Sam's side. Knowing he was seconds away from collapsing but was desperately trying to stay on his feet, Paul let Sam lean against him and took all his weight. He may be an asshole, but he was still his pack mate, which - however unfortunate it was at times - meant they were basically family.

Charlotte came to a stop beside Jasper, and even though she'd heard him clearly, she was still outraged to see her brother with a newborn attached to him by the teeth. It was like she was being transported straight back in time. She hadn't been a fan the first time around, and she was even less pleased this time. She leaned down and grabbed the growling newborn's jaw. "Quit it," she snarled, squeezing until his bones started to creak.

At the pain, the newborn's eyes started focusing and he looked up at her. He immediately flinched back into the ground when he caught sight of the few scars of hers that were visible.

Despite the situation, she snorted a laugh. "You think these are bad, I'd maybe suggest not looking at the man holding you down who you're currently biting."

The newborn's eyes shot to Jasper and his entire emotional palette was immediately made up of nothing but an instinctive fear. Jasper just rolled his eyes. For the most part, that reaction stopped bothering him a few years after joining the Cullens with Alice. After everyone had adjusted to his scars, they never thought twice when they caught sight of them. No fear, no panic, nothing. It was enough to let go of that weird combination of anger and shame he felt about them. "Let go before she breaks your teeth."

The newborn immediately unlatched his teeth from the his arm and Charlotte released his jaw. "I… I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I–"

"I didn't say you could talk," Jasper growled. He pinned the newborn with fear, rather than his own body, and hauled himself to his feet. He put his foot on his chest and reached down to pull his leg off at the same time Charlotte pulled his opposite arm off. Both ignored his screams as they tossed them into the trees. Hopping off-balance was a little too tricky for most newborns to master, especially when they were disoriented and in pain. "Jesus, were they always this annoying?" he grumbled as he looked at the new bite mark on his arm.

"Yes," Charlotte laughed. "You're slipping, brother."

"I haven't fought a newborn in like eighty-five years!" Jasper defended himself. "I forgot they lead with their teeth."

Charlotte just smiled, perfectly aware Jasper was just trying to make light of the situation. They both knew tacking a baby vamp mid-hunt was a risky move, but it was one Jasper was willing to take. Saving a member of Leah's pack, even though he loathed that particular wolf, was worth it.

Charlotte gently took his arm and studied the torn flesh. "Silly thing to forget," she scolded quietly, tracing some of his other marks. "Lick it," she said, raising his arm to his mouth.

Jasper looked at the wolves when he felt their confusion. "It gets the foreign venom out," he explained, then followed Charlotte's orders when she pointedly cleared her throat. "There, good as new," he said, showing her his arm and then looking at Paul. "Is Leah alright? And the others?" he asked, and Paul nodded. "Did they catch the other newborn?" he asked, wishing the silver wolf could speak. Paul nodded again, this time with a feeling of satisfaction. "Alright. That's something, I guess. Can you walk?" he asked Sam.

Sam's eyes darted to the vampire on the ground.

"He's not going anywhere," Jasper assured him. Feeling more confusion along with some anger and suspicion from the black wolf, he nodded his understanding. "He's only still alive because I want Edward to read him. The more we know, the better prepared we can be."

Sam's eyes again darted to the vampire on the ground.

Jasper shook his head, understanding what Sam was thinking. "He's not going to answer any questions from me or Charlotte just now. Between the pain and disorientation, and the fear I'm flooding him with, his thoughts aren't coherent enough for me to get any answers. Once we get him to Edward, I can let up a little and he can snoop in his head for every nugget of information he can gather. So, can you walk?"

Sam only managed a few unsteady steps forward before his back leg buckled. Jasper felt the wolf's frustration and determination as he gritted his teeth and tried again. It was only Paul moving quickly to take his weight again that kept Sam on his feet.

Jasper knew Sam didn't want to show any vulnerability in that moment, and he wasn't a complete dick, so he mentally rearranged his plans so Sam could hold onto some of his pride. He just needed to buy a little time, because he remembered Leah telling him the wolves healed really quickly. "Maybe we should just hang here for a while. Is Leah still with Edward and the others?" he asked, and Paul nodded. "Good. If they can come to us, it'll make our lives a hell of a lot easier. I'm not real eager to carry him," he said, gesturing to the newborn quaking with fear on the ground. "And I'm definitely not giving his leg back. Will y'all use your mind link to talk to Leah? Edward will hear it in her thoughts that we're in need of his particular skill set."

Paul huffed a wolfie laugh, but it was barely two seconds later that he nodded at Jasper and did his best to try and send him what he hoped was reassurance. He knew Jasper was purposely trying to keep things calm, but he also knew he was edgy about not knowing for himself that his mate was okay. He debated phasing back to fill the empath in on what happened with the other newborn, but he didn't want to leave Sam as the only wolf when he was injured.

Jasper just gave Paul a grateful smile and plopped himself on the ground. Charlotte sat beside him and the wolves followed their lead. They sat in silence, and Jasper pushed his gift out so he could feel his mate and his family as soon as they entered his range. There wasn't anything else to do but wait for Edward to arrive and tell them everything he could glean from the newborn's mind.