A/N: JK, the time jump is in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing:)

Tips and Tricks

"I know all of you have seen me and my siblings sparring with each other, either firsthand or through the eyes and memories of some of your pack mates," Jasper started. "But while those styles of fighting could be effective with Victoria, Riley, or another older vampire, they won't be much help with the newborns."

Through Leah's memory of the night Jasper told her about his history, most of the wolves knew at least a little bit about the nature of newborns, but some of them hadn't paid too much attention. It had seemed more like a scary tale of the long ago past. After Jacob, Quil, and Sam's encounters with the two newborns - particularly Sam's - it felt a hell of a lot more real and a hell of a lot more relevant to their own lives, so they all listened closely.

Jasper had Emmett come up first, explaining his approach was most similar to a newborn. When Emmett did a little good-natured grumbling about the insult, Jasper just smiled and explained he tended to rely on his strength rather than strategy.

Jasper talked the entire time, speaking directly to the pack about what he was doing and why, showing them what cues to watch for to try and determine the next move. He even let Emmett grab him a couple times so he could show the wolves how to react if that happened, but the fight was over surprisingly quickly. Given Jasper's history, it wasn't a complete surprise to the wolves, but it was still a little shocking when they saw for themselves just how strong Emmett was.

After that it was Edward's turn, and that fight was even shorter. Jasper had fought for such a long time that it was largely instinct and he didn't think in a linear way that let Edward pluck the moves from his head. Edward's typical approach of strictly being a defensive fighter meant he was flat on his back within seconds.

Just as Jasper reached his hand out to help Edward to his feet, his head whipped around and he glared at Jacob. "You think you can do better? You're welcome to try," Jasper snapped, gesturing for the bratty wolf to come to the middle of the clearing. When Jacob stayed where he was, some fear creeping into his emotions, Jasper nodded. "Thought not. If you want to walk away from a fight without being injured like you were earlier, maybe quit stewing in jealousy and resentment and actually pay attention."

Edward got to his feet, just as annoyed by Jacob's thoughts as Jasper was by his emotions.

"Jesus, he's infuriating," Jasper muttered under his breath as he wiped the dirt from the back of Edward's shirt. While he did, he spoke quietly so the pack couldn't hear him. Like hell he'd give Jacob any reason to gloat about Edward losing. "You can't rely on your gift in this situation. It will be useless against newborns. If you end up facing off against Riley, hearing his thoughts could probably be helpful. He's old enough that he's capable of coherent thought but he won't be skilled enough to make a move without thinking about it first. Victoria is another story. She's centuries old and has a gift that very well may give her the advantage. You can't assume telepathy will win that fight for you."

Edward just nodded, knowing he was right.

Jasper ignored the impulse to roll his eyes when he heard Bella worriedly ask Esme if Jacob had really been hurt.

"Merely a scratch," Esme reassured her, reminding Bella she'd seen for herself that Jacob was perfectly fine when she got back to her father's house. "The wolves heal remarkably fast."

Alice skipped to Jasper's side with a bright smile. "My turn," she chirped.

Jasper nodded and then turned his conscious mind off to the best of his ability. He assumed Alice would be blind with all the wolves in such close proximity, but he didn't want any visions to slip through. If it really did come down to a fight with a newborn army, her visions wouldn't help her.

Alice focused every one of her senses on Jasper, knowing he'd be approaching this fight as a newborn would. She'd never fought a newborn before and Jasper, Peter, and Charlotte had never fought her as if they were newborns, so this was essentially a new experience for her. She went still for a moment as she brought to mind every vision she'd ever had of Jasper training his army while still in the south before the two had met.

Jasper waited for her to be ready, trying to ignore his uneasiness. It felt all kinds of wrong to be fighting Alice this way. He reminded himself that he'd always had faith in her before and that - with or without her gift - she was a hell of a fighter. And going easy on her would do her no favors because Victoria's newborns certainly wouldn't. They'd see a tiny vamp and automatically head straight for her, thinking she'd be the easiest target.

When Alice nodded, Jasper charged.

Their fight lasted much longer than the others, and Leah had to lock all her muscles in order to not move. She knew logically that neither vamp was in genuine danger, but logic went right out the window when Jasper hit the ground, only to immediately spring back up and land a kick that sent Alice flying back fifteen feet. The growls and hisses only ramped up her edginess. There was none of the playful laughter she'd heard any time she'd seen the two of them spar before.

When Bella let out an alarmed yelp, Edward quickly shushed her so she didn't distract either fighter. "She's fine, Bella."

"Why is Jasper being so harsh?" she asked, her voice just this side of frantic. "When they fought before it looked like they were having fun. Alice even won."

"Alice was using her gift then," Edward reminded her quietly. "But as Jasper said, fighting newborns isn't like fighting a mature vampire. They don't think about their moves ahead of time the way older vampires do, so there aren't any decisions for Alice to see. I know it looks brutal, but he'd never hurt her."

Bella just nodded and worried her lip as she watched. Jasper was nearly twice the size of her pixie friend and it didn't seem right that he was the one to fight her. But the Cullens had told her more than once that she needed to trust that they were perfectly capable of keeping themselves safe, so she did her best to push aside her fear.

When Jasper made another grab for Alice's arm, she leaped up and over his head, then immediately spun back around before he could pivot. She flung herself on his back and grabbed both of his arms, then got her feet in between her body and his back. She yanked his arms back at the same time she kicked her feet out, and he landed face-down in the dirt. Alice quickly bent down and put her teeth to his neck and he went completely still. The whole move had taken less than a second.

After giving herself a moment to flop down on Jasper's back to metaphorically catch her breath, she pushed herself up to her feet with a smile. Jasper flipped over onto his back and looked up at her with a huge grin. "Well done," he laughed, sending her all the pride he was feeling.

The Cullens all started hollering and clapping for Alice, and Emmett let loose with a piercing whistle that had Bella covering her ears.

Jasper hauled himself to his feet and brushed his clothes off as he looked at the wolves. "You don't have to be the biggest or strongest to win a fight against a newborn. You just have to fight the smartest."

After that, Jasper paired up the rest of his family - Rosalie working with Esme, Carlisle with Edward, and Alice with Emmett - and walked around giving each of them little tips and tricks. Satisfied that he could take a break, he went and sat beside Sue.

"You okay?" he asked her quietly.

Sue nodded reluctantly. "It's scarier than I thought it would be," she admitted. "Imagining Leah or Seth having to defend themselves against that? As a mother, it's a terrifying thought."

"I'll do everything in my power to keep them safe. My whole family will," he reassured her. "Would it help to see what they're capable of?"

Before Sue could answer, Jasper felt a spike of mischievous from one of the wolves and laughed when Seth darted towards the center of the clearing. "Ali! Behind you!" he called out.

Alice spun around just in time to see the sandy wolf barreling towards her and did a quick flip to the side so he missed her.

Bella sucked in a sharp breath, the idea of the wolves fighting any of the vampires filling her with dread and panic. When she heard Alice laughing, her heart slowed down marginally, but it still didn't do much to lessen her fear. The instinctive hostility from the wolves made it too likely that someone would get hurt.

"They're just playing," Jasper told her, leaning around Sue. "If Alice was at risk, she'd be just as serious as she was while fighting me. But she's not, she's laughing."

Bella nodded a little distractedly, not really believing his reassurance.

"Bella," Jasper said a little more sharply so she would look at him. "Please try and have some faith in us. You think I'd really be sitting here talking to you if I was worried Alice might be hurt? Do you honestly think a single member of our coven would just stand by and watch? Most of the pack isn't like Jacob, so please, stop assuming they all secretly dream of annihilating my family."

Sue felt some sympathy for the girl and reached over to take her hand. "The wolves wouldn't just sit back either if they were worried about Seth. They're just having a little fun. Besides, Jasper is Leah's imprint. The pack would never hurt a member of his family."

Jasper was a little doubtful that Jacob would never try, but he kept quiet. He didn't need Bella to have her biggest fear spoken out loud.

Leah had done well up to that point to focus more on the training than on her imprint or her mom, but she could see the worry in Sue's eyes even as she reassured Bella. She looked at her Alpha and asked if she could go human for a little while and sit with her, then trotted over when he agreed. She nudged her mom's shoulder with her nose and dropped onto the grass in front of her and put her head on Sue's knee.

Sue laughed and ran her fingers through the fur on Leah's head. "You loved to lay like this as a toddler. It was the easiest way to get you to take a nap. You'd conk out the second your dad or I started playing with your hair."

Leah huffed and got back on her feet. Her mom wasn't wrong and the last thing she needed to do was fall asleep. She looked at Jasper, rolling her eyes a little to hide how pleased she was at the soft smile he was giving her, and then sent him some curiosity. She looked back at her body, hoping he'd understand her.

It took him a second to figure out what she was asking. "The bag with the clothes?" he asked, and Leah nodded. "Just inside the tree line behind me."

Leah nodded and bounded into the trees to phase, then came running back out on two legs a minute later. "Hi," she greeted her imprint as she plopped herself on the ground beside him and leaned over to give him a kiss. "Is it too soon to have one of us spar with you as a wolf?"

Jasper tipped his head a little as he thought about it. "I'm fine with it, but only if it's with me to start out," he answered after a moment.

"I figured," Leah nodded, knowing Jasper's protectiveness would make him hesitant to let a wolf work with anyone in his family right off the bat. "Jared feels the same, so it would be the two of you."

Alice came running over with Seth hot on her heels, and leaped right over Jasper's head so the wolf had to come to a skidding stop to avoid barreling right into the empath. Leah instinctively threw her body in front of her imprint, who just as instinctively flipped her over his head so she was behind him.

"Hey!" Leah protested as she regained her equilibrium and shoved her hair out of her eyes.

"Sorry," Jasper laughed as he turned around and helped straighten out her rumpled shirt. "Instinct."

Leah shrugged with a smile. "Same," she said, then glared at her brother who looked a little too pleased with himself. "Watch it or I'll tell Mom you failed your math test."

Jasper laughed at the outrage and indignation in Leah's brother, but his laughter cut off when Sue turned to look at Seth with disappointment in her eyes. "Did you lie when you told me you got a B?"

"No, she made that up," Jasper quickly assured her.

Leah huffed with some outrage of her own. "Excuse me, you're supposed to be on my side. That's how this whole deal works, you just back me up no matter what."

Jasper barked a laugh. "Look, a disappointed Sue is as bad as a disappointed Esme. Next time threaten him with something that doesn't put that look on her face."

Leah crossed her arms and grumbled under her breath about rude imprints who don't know how the rules work, then kicked her foot out to knock Seth's leg out from under him. He managed not to face-plant in the dirt, but only barely. Feeling marginally vindicated, she smiled and sat back down. "Edward should probably be at the ready to act as an interpreter if needed," she suggested to Jasper.

He gave her a weird look, not at all following that train of thought. "Since when does Seth need an interpreter?"

"Not Seth. Jared," she laughed.

"Ah," Jasper nodded. "That makes more sense. Save my seat," he said, kissing her cheek before hauling himself to his feet.

Everyone moved to the edge of the clearing to give Jasper and the Alpha some room, and Jasper took a second to figure out the best way to start. "Let's go at half-speed to begin with, and I'll give you pointers along the way. Try and pay attention to my feet, it'll be the best way to anticipate what direction I'm going to be moving," he said, then hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Your teeth are going to be your most important weapon, so you can use them, but carefully. No breaking skin."

"Oh boy," Alice muttered, sitting on the grass beside Leah and shoving her hands under her legs to try and keep from moving. Wolf jaws gripping any part of her best friend made her extremely uneasy.

Leah looked at her with a sympathetic smile, completely understanding her discomfort. "Jared won't hurt him."

"I know," Alice nodded. "Logically, I do know that."

Before either of them made a move, Jasper held up a hand to ask Jared to hold on and then looked around at everyone watching them. "Would y'all please try to calm down?" he huffed. With the exception of Edward, who had the benefit of hearing Jasper and Jared's thoughts, there wasn't a single being in that clearing who wasn't filled with uncertainty and a little bit of fear. Or a lot of fear in Bella's case. "No one's going to be hurting anyone, but your emotions are loud as hell and I'd really like to be able to concentrate."

All the Cullens immediately forced themselves to make their emotions calmer for the empath's sake, but it took a little longer for the pack to do it, having no experience with that kind of thing. Jacob didn't even try, but Jasper wasn't bothered. One wolf's turbulent emotions weren't enough on their own to distract him.

When Bella's emotions remained unchanged, Jasper apologized to Jared and asked him to wait another moment. He walked over to the human and knelt down in front of her. He couldn't even bring himself to be annoyed with her because she was genuinely terrified. He reached for her hand but waited until she nodded before he took it. "Can I calm you down?" he asked quietly, not wanting to embarrass her.

Bella clutched his hand tightly and nodded. Her heart was lodged in her throat and it was hard to breathe. So slowly that she probably wouldn't have known what was happening if he hadn't asked permission first, her panic started to recede. Eventually she was able to take a deep breath, then another, then another.

"Everything's fine," he reassured her in a whisper. "Neither of us are angry or hostile, and my only goal is to make sure the wolves can protect themselves. Jared's only goal is his pack's safety."

Bella nodded again as tears stung her eyes. She was embarrassed that she was falling apart a little, but Jasper just sent her some reassurance and tipped his head for her to look at the rest of his family. Bella lifted her eyes and saw no one was looking at her with anger or scorn or judgment. Not even Rosalie. Mostly they just looked sympathetic and understanding.

"No one thinks any less of you for being worried," he whispered. "You've also had a lot to absorb in a short period of time, and nearly all of it is scary. There's nothing wrong with being afraid."

Bella took one more shuddering breath and discreetly wiped her eyes as Edward pulled her a little closer. "Thank you."

Jasper just smiled and stood up, then looked at the telepath. "Make yourself useful. Tell her our thoughts the whole time so she knows it's friendly," he suggested before walking back to where Jared was waiting patiently.

Bella watched closely as Jasper started guiding Jared, and Edward quietly telling her every thought they were having actually helped her more than she'd thought it would. It made the scene transform from a battle between mortal enemies into being more like a tutoring session with a student eager to learn. They were also moving slowly enough that even her human eyes could keep up, and it wasn't hard to see that Jasper was only using a mere fraction of his strength.

Looking at the rest of the pack helped ease Bella's worry even further. They were watching intently, but they all looked relatively calm. Jacob looked the most on edge, as if he was barely holding himself back from charging into the clearing, but Bella was finally starting to believe the others when they told her Jacob wasn't exactly a good indicator of the way the rest of the pack felt. Her heart sank a little that her best friend had so much animosity towards the Cullens while the other wolves managed to overcome that animosity, both because of the threat they were facing and for Leah's sake.

She sighed and looked away from him. Nothing she'd said up to that point had made any difference, so she doubted there was anything that would make him change his attitude.

Sue was watching with a slight amount of worry, but she had a small, proud smile on her face. "He's a natural," she whispered to Leah.

Leah just nodded in agreement. "Wait, which one?" she asked a moment later.

"Both," Sue laughed quietly. "But I was talking about Jared."

"He is," Leah agreed, thinking it was a shame Jared wasn't the true Alpha. He'd only been in the role a short time, but he was an excellent leader of their pack.

When Jared came at Jasper from the side and managed to gently bite near his rib cage, he didn't move out of the way fast enough and Jasper jabbed his elbow out and caught the wolf behind his jaw. "Don't stop moving. The newborns are all going to be faster than we are, so they'll retaliate quicker," he told the Alpha. "They won't think strategically, though, they'll just do the most obvious thing - like ramming you with their elbow or kicking out a foot. Come at them from the side, but don't stop moving. And if you get your teeth in one of them, you need to mean it."

Jared huffed a little in amusement and looked at the empath, making Edward chuckle. "He says he can't mean it with you," he explained to Jasper. "He's very consciously trying not to take an actual bite out of you."

"Fair enough," Jasper laughed and nodded at the wolf, sending him the pride he was feeling. "Aside from not moving out of the way quickly enough, you did well. Did it help the pack to see it from your eyes?" he asked. "To see how to translate our moves into moves that will work for you guys?"

Jared nodded.

"Good, we can continue on like this tomorrow, but I think we should call it a night," Jasper said, knowing Bella was teetering on the edge of sleep and that some of the wolves had school in the morning.

"Patrols," Alice reminded Jasper.

Jasper nodded and looked back to Jared where he was walking towards the rest of his pack. "It's been a long day, and the next couple weeks are going to be busy for everyone, so why don't y'all take the rest of the night off to get some sleep. My family can cover in and around town and along the treaty line, and as long as Leah and Sue have no objections, I can spend the night there so you've got someone covering La Push."

Jacob growled at Jasper, who sighed in irritation.

"I didn't say I'd roam freely. Your Reservation isn't so large that I can't use my gift to keep an eye on things. I think it's highly unlikely to happen, but if anyone does show up near your land, I'll just wake Leah up. I assume you don't have a problem with her roaming around freely," he snapped. Then he took a deep breath, pushed aside his anger, and looked back to Jared. "If you're willing, I think it would be helpful if we made the patrolling schedule together to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Not only do we need to cover the mountains throughout the park, but we'd like for there to be someone covering Bella and Charlie at all times."

Jared hesitated for a moment. He had no problem sitting down with Jasper or Carlisle to schedule joint patrols, but the idea of taking the rest of the night off made him uneasy. Since the beginning of the pack, there had always been at least one of them out there in wolf form. But it was nearly two in the morning and his pack was tired, so he looked at Edward to translate for him.

"He says thank you," Edward told Jasper. "He'll come to–" he cut himself off when Jared turned to glare at Jacob. When he heard Jacob's thoughts, he just barely kept from rolling his eyes. "I'll stay with Bella and Charlie tonight. She won't be unprotected," he told Jacob through gritted teeth.

Jared stared the russet wolf down, the two of them having a silent conversation, and when Jacob growled at him, Jared growled right back.

"Jesus. In about three seconds he won't have to worry about Victoria or her newborns," Rosalie muttered under her breath. "I'll be the one to kill him."

Jasper just laughed because he felt exactly the same. "Bella, would you be so kind as to tell your friend that you're fine with Edward spending the night at your house to keep an eye on you and your dad?" he asked the human. "He seems to be under the mistaken impression that only he can keep you safe."

Bella scowled at Jacob. She was too exhausted to deal with his jealousy and anger. "I'm not sure you're the right one for the job, Jake," she snapped. "Weren't you just hurt trying to fight a newborn?"

"Oh damn!" Emmett whisper-shouted with a huge dimpled grin.

Jasper felt the hurt in the wolf at Bella's words but couldn't find it in him to give a single fuck. He was at the very end of his patience with the boy.

When Jacob turned and ran towards home, Edward just picked right up where he'd left off. "Jared says thank you, Jasper. Assuming Carlisle's okay with you being the one to do it, he'll come to the Clearwater's in the morning to come up with a schedule with you."

Jasper looked at Carlisle, who nodded. "That's perfectly fine with me."

After that, the gathering broke up. Jasper hesitantly offered Sue a ride so Paul could run home as a wolf, and she immediately accepted. Alice asked if she could come with them as far as the treaty line, so Leah stayed human and the four of them said goodbye to the others and walked into the trees. They didn't walk at a human pace, but they weren't using anything close to their regular speed. They spent the walk answering all the questions Sue had, explaining where things stood, what they knew, and what they were still unsure of.

When they got to the treaty line, Alice gave Leah a hug and wished Sue a goodnight. "I'll patrol along the line until morning, Jas. Come find me when you and Jared are done."

Jasper was a little worried about Alice's emotions, but he just nodded. If she was keeping quiet about something, there was a reason for it. He just really hoped it wasn't yet another complication they'd need to scramble to deal with.

"Peter and Charlotte found one abandoned warehouse near the docks with six newborns," was how Alice greeted Jasper the following morning when he met her at the treaty line. "They caught sight of a vamp they thought was Riley who was leaving when they got there. They took a chance and followed him from a distance and he went to a house about fifteen miles away."

"Victoria?" Jasper asked.

Alice nodded. "They didn't get too close because they didn't want to trigger her gift, but yes, that's the assumption. The scent trail was heavy enough that he seems to go there pretty frequently."

"Probably to give her updates. The warehouse they found, they could see it from the water?"

Alice nodded again. "Yes. You should have no problem getting close enough. There were also two oil drums with fires burning. Peter thinks it's the way Riley keeps them in line - seeing how quickly they go up in smoke is enough to make even a newborn wary. If you get them riled up enough, they'll use the fire."

Jasper looked at her when he felt her hesitation. "What else?"

Alice sighed quietly, sad that so many humans were losing their lives because of Victoria. "They think there were two still in the process of being changed."

"So assuming the two who'd been with the ones we killed yesterday are still in a separate building, we're up to ten? Twelve with Victoria and Riley?"

Alice just nodded.

Jasper took a couple minutes to think through their options. It had been many, many decades since he'd killed a human, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was being an effective soldier. "If I can get close enough to the two who are still baking, I can… stop the change. It's not all that uncommon for a human heart to fail under that kind of stress."

"That's just a polite way of saying kill them," Alice tsked him, but then she sighed again. "That might actually be a kinder fate. They won't wake up and be thrust into a fight they don't understand."

"And it's probably the least suspicious way of decreasing her numbers," he pointed out.

"And you can do that without getting too close?"

Jasper nodded again. He didn't find the idea particularly appealing, but he'd do it. And Alice wasn't wrong, it probably was a kinder fate. Any newborn who came after his family, the pack, or Bella would never be allowed to live anyway. So whether it was death before waking up as a vampire or death after, the end result was the same. There was also the advantage that the fewer newborns who were hiding in Seattle, the lower the death count would be from keeping them fed.

"Then you should probably go tonight," Alice said a little reluctantly. "We have no idea how long ago Victoria bit them and you'll need to move quickly if you want to get to them before they wake up."

The two walked in silence for a few minutes. "What else?" Jasper asked, knowing there was still something she wasn't saying.

Alice didn't answer right away, trying to search the future for a solid answer. "I think we need to try and find Maria before she gets anywhere near Washington," she answered after a minute, pushing aside her frustration when her searching proved fruitless.

"I don't disagree, but anything in particular making you suggest that?" he asked curiously, though he was pretty sure her worries were the same as his.

"The wolves. Leah in particular. If Maria gets wind that there are shapeshifters capable of killing our kind? And if she learns one of those wolves is your mate?" she said, trailing off at the dread that filled her just thinking about what she might do.

Jasper nodded because he'd already come to the same conclusion. Maria lived for the fight and she'd scheme to get her hands on anything or anyone that gave her better odds of winning every battle. He had no intention of letting Maria get within a hundred miles of his mate or her pack. "Have you seen anything else about her? About where we might find her?"

"Damn," she cursed under her breath. "I meant to ask Peter and Charlotte if they knew anyone named Matthew. I had a nearly identical vision as the last one, where she was asking if the person knew whether or not Matthew was still alive and if they knew where he might be."

Jasper frowned a little at that. He had no idea who Matthew was, why he was so important to Maria, and why Alice was seeing visions of her asking about him.

"Are they on their way back?" he asked.

"Slowly, but yes. There's a bit of patchy sunshine in and around Seattle for a change so they need to be a little more cautious. They should be back in a couple hours."

"Alright," Jasper sighed. "We'll make some plans when they get back. If I take Peter with me tonight, would you mind leading the training with Charlotte? Jared was hoping to meet a little earlier than yesterday. Around seven."

"Of course. Are you thinking about taking Leah?" she asked after searching for the outcome and seeing Jasper and Peter's futures disappear.

Jasper laughed. "I'm not sure it'll be down to me to ask, I have a feeling she's going to insist. Which I honestly can't blame her for, because I'd probably do the same if the situation was reversed."

Alice got a little creative and used her trick of searching further into the future to work around her blind spot. "If you're able to stay in the water, she should be fine. It'll be enough to cover her scent. And your mission will be successful," she added. She looked at him in concern and took his hand. "Are you going to be okay with this?"

Jasper just nodded again, resigned to putting himself back into a mindset he thought he'd left behind for good nearly a hundred years before.