Foreword : the title of this chapter is a reference to several works by Beckett – and I take advantage of the fact that Emmett's human surname has a very Irish ring to it – "The Unnamable" (which gives its name to the related OS collection I've started publishing) and "Endgame and Other Fizzles." Enjoy your reading!

So, the 'quality time between brothers' had come.

« The important thing . . . is not to be cured, but to live with one's ailments. »
The Myth of Sisyphus – Albert Camus.

Emmett was beyond satisfied with the arrival of Alice and Jasper in their lives: he loved novelty, and as expected, he hadn't had this much fun in years.

The seer was a small, funny, and cheeky thing; he had to hold back from bursting into laughter when she, with unparalleled confidence, convinced Carlisle and Esme to give her and Jasper Edward's room just ten minutes after they were officially welcomed into the family. All it took was a charming smile towards Esme and the assertion that her visions had shown her that Edward wouldn't mind this forced relocation. The expression on his younger brother's face when he returned from hunting and found his belongings in the garage was priceless. They all thought Edward would explode with rage at this obvious lack of consideration, but the boy suddenly deflated and almost smiled at Alice when she babbled her thanks for offering him 'his room with a stunning view.' Astounding.

The girl was a cunning little monster, and she had brought a gentle breeze of madness into their family by arriving with the intimidating Jasper and his visions of the future, claiming that they had to join them, and that she had 'seen' them become part of their clan. And no matter how amusing Emmett found Alice's manipulative and mischievous side, he did not doubt the sincere desire of his new sister to integrate into their family. He had seen how uncertain and sad she became when she thought they would reject them. She briefly seemed so fragile that his long-dead heart tightened; she reminded him a bit of his youngest sister from his human days, a cheeky but infinitely sweet and kind little thing. Desperate to be accepted and appreciated. Too easy to hurt.

Somewhere, he understood why Jasper protected his companion and followed her everywhere like a shadow: she was a good soul, a person so pure and joyful that no one wanted to see her harmed in any way. Alice was tiny, and she had been left alone and without memories in a damn forest when she awakened as a vampire. It made Emmett angry—even if she claimed to be fortunate not to remember the burning of the transformation—to imagine her lost, terrified, and thirsty with only her visions for company. He could only guess how lonely she must have felt for almost thirty years. It was not surprising that she seemed so close to Jasper and appeared so eager to quickly gain the acceptance of all the Cullens, even if it meant going overboard. The prospect of meeting Jasper and finding them must have been the only thing keeping her sane and preventing her from sinking into despair during all those years.

He didn't want to imagine how he would have felt or how he would have acted if he had awakened in his immortal life without Rosalie by his side. Without a family to guide and surround him. He would probably have become a crazy and very murderous vampire. Emmett hated loneliness; he came from a very large family as a human. His father had died young, but his mother was loving and as solid as a rock. He had five brothers and sisters of various ages, half a dozen nephews, and a bunch of cousins. Not to mention a few close friends he considered as brothers. He had always had a place he could call home and people who cared about him, and he was infinitely grateful for it.

The thirty years of Alice's isolation and Jasper's hellish journey made him realize how lucky he was to have been dragged into this existence by his personal angel. How fortunate he was to have stumbled upon the Cullens.

While he already liked Alice a lot and was very happy to have her at home, it was his new brother who intrigued Emmett the most and with whom he wanted to build bonds. Jasper was strange but in a completely unexpected way. He was strangely normal. His story and the additional explanations provided by Edward had suggested that the man was a time bomb: a traumatized, violent, depressed, and extremely deadly soldier who could explode at the slightest provocation or tear any of them apart at the first misinterpreted gesture; however, Jasper seemed the opposite of someone unstable, brutal, or on the brink of murderous madness. Since he had been convinced that he and his companion were not in imminent danger of death at the Cullens, he was nothing if not calm.

He spent most of his days floating around Alice, occasionally casting her intense looks and smiles of silent adoration, and passionately devouring all the books provided by Carlisle while scribbling frantically in notebooks. While one might have expected someone with such a background to be in a sinister mood or constantly prostrate, he seemed, on the contrary, rather serene and happy, always polite but with occasional dry humor, briefly interrupting his readings to engage in their conversations and making strange amused half-smiles at what either of them said. Emmett was a good judge of character, and he was convinced that, against all expectations, Jasper was a good guy and that once truly relaxed and acclimated to them, he would be fun and pleasant to be around. Emmett liked Edward a lot, but the kid was a perpetual adolescent with all the associated drawbacks: sullen, sensitive, and temperamental. Honestly, he had enough of an eternally prickly personality to handle with Rosalie... and Edward didn't have the devastating charm, hidden fragility, and sharp sense of humor that made him adore his wife despite all her rough edges. Besides, he and Edward had few common hobbies, hunting aside. He was looking forward to having a less irascible companion, closer to his chronological age and perhaps with similar interests.

Emmett sniffed the surroundings eagerly, searching for the scent of his first prey. It had been more than forty minutes since he, Edward, and Jasper had separated, and he had reached his initial goal. To maximize the chances of a fair competition, they had decided to split at the forest entrance and each go in a different direction at human speed, reaching a specific location on the estate before starting their hunt: Jasper had headed north to find a kind of small natural cave, Edward had gone east to reach a waterfall below, and he himself had to stop near an old orientation table to the west. Each of the defined points was about 3.11 mi from the forest entrance through which they had arrived.

Emmett focused: a herd of deer 1.30 mi to the north, a lynx couple 1.80 mi to the east, a wolf near the lynx, a male bear 3.11 mi to the south, two other bears, probably a female and a cub, 2.10 mi to the northwest of his position... he vaguely sensed Edward's scent about ten kilometers to the southeast but did not smell Jasper's. Either the man had moved too far away, or he was already running, making his scent diffuse. He hesitated for a fraction of a second but decided to chase the male five kilometers away instead of tracking the two bears to the north. They hadn't marked the rules of their competition very strictly, but Emmett would not consider, in any case, a cub as a second worthy target.

He reached the male in less than 4 minutes: the fight was brief but intense, the animal struggling like a devil as Emmett fought to cleanly break its neck and quickly drain it of blood. He generally liked to play a little more with his prey, especially bears against whom he held eternal grudges, but today he had a competition to win; he would savor his second target more. He sniffed the air again: the female and the cub were now more than 5.60 away; he very faintly perceived a smell resembling that of a bear 4.35mi to the east, but... there was something strange, no heartbeat and acidic blood residues in the air, the bear was already dead, certainly the work of one of his brothers; it struck him suddenly, the smell of another bear 3.11 to the northeast, an older female. He started running with all his might. If the corpse left to the east was any indication, one of his brothers was very close to this perimeter and his second prey. He could sense the presence of another vampire nearby: Jasper.

No way was he going to let victory slip away! He sprinted as if his life depended on it. The closer he got to his target, the more perceptible the scent of his new comrade became. The first thing Emmett noticed when the female came into view was that she was not alone. She stood on her hind legs and looked furious and frightened; facing her was Jasper, legs half bent in an attacking position. He was about to leap. Emmett made his decision in a fraction of a second: if Jasper's teeth touched the bear's throat, he would win the game; he had to prevent him from achieving his goal in any way. Emmett leaped forward, with the outline of a plan in mind: collide with his brother and push him a few moments away from the female's trajectory. Jasper stood on a rock by a winding stream; he was about to be thrown directly into the water upon impact, and if he was destabilized enough and took more than a few seconds to get up, it might be enough for Emmett to take ownership of the prey and bite her.

That was his plan. But Emmett never had the chance to collide with Jasper, and hell broke loose.

He was just inches away from his new brother when Emmett realized the extent of his actions. He hadn't thought it through and had undoubtedly made the most foolish decision of his existence. Jasper's furious expression and wild eyes pierced him before he heard a sinister growl and was hit full force by a terrible wave of fear and rage as the man's body moved faster than Emmett thought possible, avoiding their bodies from colliding at the last second. He had never seen a vampire move like that; it was like watching lightning strike. The next thing Emmett knew was that this whole situation was going to end very badly. He desperately wanted to apologize and try to calm the empath, but he was incapable: the terror and fury he felt paralyzed him entirely, and all that could come out of his lips was a growl of a cornered beast. Jasper seized his right arm almost violently enough to tear it off and delivered a brutal kick that sent him crashing against a tree over 1000 feets to the left, letting out another menacing growl as he crouched and bared his teeth. The man's movements were almost as fast as Edward's but much more abrupt and mechanical. A burning anger mixed with an atrocious feeling of terror consumed Emmett even more.

The seconds that followed were absolutely blurry for him. The only thing he would remember later was the certainty he had at one moment that Jasper was going to kill him. He was going to die today. Overcome by primal fear and still enraged, Emmett let his instincts take over and threw himself at the other man with the intent to hurt him as much as possible. To survive at all costs.

The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground with incredible violence, the earth cracking beneath his granite body, Jasper's hand around his throat and his teeth deeply embedded in his right forearm, which he had raised to try to push him away. The man was almost lying on top of him to keep him immobile, and one of his knees was painfully pressing into his stomach. He tried to struggle, but the pain in his arm pulsed to the point of making him weak, and the strength of Jasper's fingers around his neck made him feel like he could be decapitated at any moment.

"Calm down. Not a move!"

A brief order, spat out in a tone so low and grave it could have been a growling.

Emmett felt a strange sense of lethargy tinged with dull resignation spread through him... not exactly fatigue but rather a total and detached exhaustion, as if all his fighting spirit had suddenly deserted him and his limbs were heavy and useless. He had a feeling of numbness, as if his mind was slowing down and he could fall into some sort of half-sleep. Never since his transformation had he experienced such a sensation. It was unsettling. So, this was how Jasper had subdued the recalcitrant newborns from his time in the South… The newborns he had executed by the hundreds. By the thousands.

"St... stop, please... I'm really sorry."

He managed to choke out the words through his tight throat in a breath.

The fear had almost disappeared, but lost in his ocean of calm and defeatist gloom, Emmett could faintly feel traces of confusion, sadness, anger, and... a sense of betrayal. Emmett suddenly realized that these were not emotions Jasper was deliberately sending him, but what lingered of his own feelings seeping involuntarily into the wave of lethargy he was trying to drown him in. Like the terror and rage he had felt earlier, they didn't belong to him; they were the empath's emotions.

Damn it. He was so stupid.

How could he have thought for a moment that it was a good idea to jump on a traumatized guy who barely trusted them? He had been married to Rosalie for over fourteen years; by hell, he should have known better than anyone how to treat someone with a violent past. A ticking time bomb, Edward had suggested... and of course, it had to be him who set it off by trying to take the man by surprise just as he was starting to relax a bit. He had never made such a fucking big mistake. Carlisle was going to kill him.

"I'm sorry... I'm stupid... I didn't think, I didn't mean to hurt you."

The grip around his throat loosened a bit, and Jasper's teeth finally released his arm. The bite burned atrociously, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from groaning. Jasper's entire body remained tense against him, and a deep growl escaped him. Now that Emmett could see his face, he felt a violent guilt enveloping him. The man looked more devastated than furious. He thought he had never messed up so badly with someone.

He heard Edward's tense voice rising to his left. In his panic, he hadn't even heard his younger brother approaching.

"Jasper, please. He's telling the truth; he didn't really want to attack you. He just wanted to make you fall into the stream to get to the bear before you. He realized it was stupid, and that you would think he was attacking you the moment he approached you, but it was already too late for him to stop his movement. He likes you, he never wanted to scare or hurt you. You must be able to feel how guilty he is now. He's really sorry."

Edward's fervent plea seemed to bear fruit. Jasper suddenly released his grip and leaped backward, seemingly wanting to put as much distance as possible between them. He stood rigid, eyeing them with cold defiance. His shirt had torn significantly during their struggle and was now open, revealing a good part of his marked chest. The sight was chilling.

It was crazy... Vampires were supposed to be immortal, but there were obviously places where their existence hung by a very thin thread. Was this the result of almost a century spent warring?

Emmett's instincts were running wild at this sight, urging him to flee immediately, but he managed to ignore them, sitting up but remaining on the ground, one hand raised in a gesture of surrnder. He observed Jasper's scars, wondering if his guilt could increase with this reminder of the kind of person he had attacked. Almost all visible skin was covered with traces, and there were obviously not just bite marks... Hundreds of marks characteristic of fangs sprawled, intersecting on a good part of his throat, on the visible junction between his arms and shoulders, and on his sides: battle scars obtained in combat. The rest of the marks, however, about ten of them, were rather spaced on his chest and abdomen, dark and perfectly round... Emmett wasn't sure what could have caused them. There were very few things that could penetrate a vampire's skin and leave lasting marks. To his knowledge, there were only two: venom and fire.

It looked like burn marks... It vaguely reminded him of the photos in an article from a medical journal in Carlisle, showing abused children with cigarette burns on their arms. Except the holes were much bigger, and the edges seemed more regular.

The realization hit him, a sense of horror slowly rising within him. Edward had said that Jasper's creator had done "unnamable" things to him. Torture? How do you torture a vampire? Did she use some kind of tool heated to white-hot to pierce him? Several times? The thought was revolting, even nauseating, but...

He glanced at Edward, who gave him a weak nod. His brother looked almost sick, his complexion more grayish than usual, he looked like someone about to faint. Looking at him, Emmett felt that the marks covering Jasper's skin were just the tip of the iceberg, and that there were many more "unnamable things." Invisible marks and cracks.

Notes:

I know you've been waiting for this chapter for a while, and it's quite short (sorry ^^"), but the rest of the explanation between Emmett, Edward, and Jasper will come very soon. I'm aiming to publish the next chapter next week.

For those who find Emmett's gesture a bit foolish: it's true that it's a cliché to have an impulsive action from Emmett derail Jasper shortly after his arrival at the Cullens. However, I needed a violent "event" for Jasper to engage in a fight and use his power offensively during the hunt. This kind of reckless but not malicious action is consistent with Emmett's personality. Don't worry, he'll make up for his blunder in the upcoming chapters. With his sincere and kind nature, he has the best chance of calming a traumatized empath on the verge of a nervous breakdown ;)

Regarding the suggestion that Jasper was tortured during his time in Maria's army, I hesitated a lot. I don't want to include dark elements just for the sake of it, but this element seems credible and interesting to explore in the historical context of the fic. Maria ended her human life during the Mexican War of Independence, an extremely violent conflict where torture was common among both the authorities and the insurgents. Maria, who is described as cruel and ruthless as a war leader, likely resorted to drastic methods to keep the vampires in her army in "line."

If we assume that her relationship with Jasper was more a master/slave relationship than a typical leader/subordinate one, the hypothesis that he was tortured seems credible. We know that Maria used blood as a reward for her army and starvation or death as punishment. This wouldn't really work for Jasper, as killing to feed is a constant torment for him. She would have had to keep him under her control in another way... perhaps by manipulating him through a toxic and one-sided romantic relationship, as suggested in the Twilight movies. In most toxic relationships, psychological violence can evolve into something more physical and torturous over the years... and Jasper stayed eighty years in Maria's army. I will elaborate more on this aspect in one of the OS in the collection "Unnamable"

In short, the torture and past relationship between Maria and Jasper are elements I hesitated a lot about at first but ultimately find essential for this story (I will detail my reasons further in the next chapter). Don't worry, I know where I'm going with this ;) See you soon ! ^^