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Of Lions And Lambs - Part Three	By : Marblez Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Slash - Male/Male Views: 5221 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight and I will not make any profit from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 12
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- 14
Chapter Twelve

Alice was ridiculously bouncy at school the following Monday, even more bouncy than usual which was ever so slightly worrying. Draco had found his eyes drawn to her throughout the day and he had seen her handing out what looked suspiciously like party invites to almost everyone in their year. What concerned him even more was the little smile that appeared on his boyfriends face when he'd asked him what the invites were for, before he vampire had answered mysteriously,

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I can't tell you. Alice…she made me promise to let her tell you. I'm afraid you'll just had to be patient…I mean…you know Alice, she knows the perfect timing for everything."

"Ooook…"

So he'd waited…and waited…and waited…but unfortunately Draco wasn't the most patient person on the planet and by the end of the day…well…he thought he was going to go mad.

He needed to know what the pixie like vampire was up to!

"Enough waiting," he muttered as he took Jasper by the hand and hurried across the car park, coming a stop directly in front of Alice, Edward and a rather shocked looking Bella. "What is going on? What were those invites for?"

"Invites?" Bella mumbled, sounding a little distracted on top of confused.

"The invites she's been handing out to almost everyone in our year today," Draco explained, his piercing eyes locking with Alice's playful ones. She was grinning in such a happy way that Draco knew this was exactly how she'd seen him finding out. "Jasper wont tell me what there for."

"Of course not, I made him promise to let me tell you," she said happily.

"So tell me," Draco demanded when she paused.

"The invites are for the graduation party we are having."

"Did you…did you realise graduation is next week, Draco?" Bella asked, this time sounding more shocked than anything else.

"Er…yeah. There's posters up everywhere," Draco pointed out.

"Bella didn't know," Alice giggled behind her gloved hand.

"I…lost track of the date is all…" the muggle girl mumbled, a glazed look of shock and worry settling over her eyes. Edward put his arm round his girlfriend, squeezing her gently, before leading her to the passenger door of his car, helping her in and even going so far as doing her seat belt up for her.

"I've hired the most amazing lights," Alice said cheerfully as she slid across the back seat to sit in the middle as she always did, having as she proudly pointed out, the smallest bum of the three of them. "And I thought with a tiny bit of magic they might be able to sort of…pulse…with the music. You know? Bright for the fast songs and soft for the slow songs…"

"Er…yeah, I'll have to do a little research for the right spell but I can't see that being a problem," Draco answered when Alice looked hopefully at him.

"Wonderful! And Esme and you mother are going to be so excited when I ask them to do the catering! The cakes they're going to make…" she sighed wistfully, obviously wishing she could taste them. "Oh! And guess what?"

"What?" Draco asked.

"Charlie's coming!" Alice practically screamed, bouncing in her seat enough to physically shake the car. Luckily they hadn't started moving yet. "My Charlie, not Bella's dad…although he's more than welcome to come too if he really wants to but no, I mean my Charlie. I'm so excited! I wrote him a letter last week inviting him and I saw him writing his reply this morning, he's going to come!"

"That's great, Alice," Draco said chuckling, happy for the littlest vampire of the family. He met Jasper eyes over the top of the head and the shared a smile, it was about time that she got someone to love just like the rest of them had. "So, about the actual graduation…any idea what the robes are like?"

Alice's good mood vanished as she winced and that was a very bad sign. Draco prepared himself as she answered softly,

"It could be worse."

"Well that sounds promising," Draco muttered sarcastically, "Colours?"

"Well…it's the school colours so…yellowy-gold with a dark blue sash."

"Ew."

"Yeah, they're not exactly fashionable but we've worn worse…much worse," Jasper muttered, sharing a shudder with Alice as they remembered some of their past graduation robes. "One in particular stands out…1987." Alice made a retching sound. "Let's just say it was very in keeping with the fashion of the time and quite revolting, looking back on it."

"Can we wear whatever we ant underneath or is there, like, a dress code?" Draco asked, frowning at himself for the unnecessary use of the word 'like'…oh no…he was starting to talk like a muggle!

"No, thankfully you can wear whatever you like and you only have to wear the robes for the actual graduation ceremony," Alice said happily, sounding very much relieved about this fact. "Oh, and the photo's of course. Esme always insists on having a photo of us every time we graduate. She's got a huge photo album filled with them. But once the photo's have been taken we can become all stylish again."

"I have a feeling my mother will insist on photo's as well," Draco sighed, shaking his head with a smile, "Or at least she will if she can figure out how to use the camera. She bought it last week and is still having trouble understanding the instructions. Technology is not one of her stronger points."

"I could give her a hand if you'd like," Jasper offered as Edward brought the car to a halt in front of the Malfoy's idyllic little house.

"That'd be really nice of you," Draco said, smiling up at his boyfriend who had appeared at his side of the car, opening the door for him. "I think it would make her day. Although you do realise that this will mean we will have to suffer through even more photos…" he said as he allowed his boyfriend to help him out of the car.

"I think we'll survive," Jasper chuckled softly.

"See you tomorrow!" Alice called out from inside the car as her brother shut the door carefully before heading inside the house with Draco. Jasper could hear the noise as he approached the house but Draco didn't realise what he was walking into until he opened the front door and was greeted with Teddy's very loud screams.

"What's going on?" he asked in confusion, grabbing hold of Jasper's hand as he fought against the urge to panic. He would not let his fear control him any more. It was very unlikely Teddy was in danger, Harry would never put Teddy in a situation where he would be in danger. There was probably a very logical and innocent explanation for the piercing screams…

"He's having a tantrum," Harry said, his voice tense as he stepped out of the bedroom he and his adoptive son shared. He shot both of them a very apologetic look as he shut the door behind him. "He ran away from me when we were out shopping earlier and when I stopped him he started hitting and kicking me. I warned him to stop or he'd be in trouble but…"

"He didn't stop," Draco deduced.

"No, he didn't. In fact he got worse and worse, running away four more times before I gave up on the shopping trip all together and brought him home. As punishment for his appalling behaviour he's got to stay in his bed until dinner time and then it's straight to bed after dinner," Harry explained. No matter how much trouble his son was in he would never send him to bed without something to eat. That had happened to him too many times and he believed that this was one of the factors contributing to his undernourished look. He'd never do that to his son…no matter how much of a brat he acted like. "I'd put a silencing charm up but I need to hear him in case he hurts himself or more likely makes himself sick…"

"I understand, Harry," Draco said reassuringly, "I can always put a blocking charm around my room if needs be. But first is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No, I'm just going to wait here," Harry sighed sadly, moving to sit down with his back resting against his bedroom door. Rubbing at his eyes with his hands he fought back tears. He felt like a monster for making his little boy scream so much but he needed to learn that he can't run off and he certainly can't hit and kick because he couldn't get his way.

"You sure?" Draco asked worriedly, still holding Jaspers hand in what would have been a painfully tight grip in his boyfriends hand wasn't as tough as marble. "I could make you a cup of tea or something…"

"Actually…" Harry sighed sadly, letting his head fall back against the door with a thump, causing his tears to spill down his cheeks. He sniffed softly, wiping them away with the sleeve of his jumper. "A cup of tea would be great…"

"Ok," Draco said softly, smiling down at his upset friend, his eyes full of sympathy. He turned to continue through to the kitchen, expecting his boyfriend to move with hm but Jasper stayed where he was. "Jasper?"

"You go ahead, Draco," his boyfriend said softly, pulling his hand from Draco's before giving him a gentle shove towards the kitchen. Frowning Draco watched as his boyfriend sat down beside Harry, putting his arm slowly around the dark haired teens shoulders.

"I hate making him cry…" Harry mumbled tearfully, wiping at his eyes.

"It's ok," Jasper whispered soothingly and Draco felt the calming waves Jasper was sending out. He smiled softly down at his boyfriend, understanding now why he wanted to stay behind. The empathic vampire must have been able to feel the guilt Harry was feeling and had stayed to help.

Draco felt so proud of his boyfriend, he'd improved so much in the time they had been dating, had gone from a vampire barely able to control his thirst for blood to the man he saw before him now.

"I'm such a horrible parent…"

"No, Harry, you're not. You're a wonderful parent," Jasper said comfortingly, smiling softly up at his boyfriend who nodded in understanding before heading into the kitchen to make Harry his cup of tea.

"Draco," his mother smiled warmly in greeting, seemingly unaffected by the screaming toddler in the other room. "How was your day? Is Jasper not with you?"

"He's with Harry," Draco explained, dropping his school bag onto the kitchen table as he headed over to the kettle. "I'm making him a cup of tea. He's a bit upset."

"I can understand that," Narcissa said softly, continuing with whatever it was she was doing to prepare their dinner. "I used to feel horrible every time we had to punish you when you were little. You used to sit in your room and cry and cry and cry and my heart would break into a million pieces."

"I don't remember," Draco said softly.

"Of course not, you were only three or four at the time," Narcissa said, sliding the tray of…whatever it was that Draco couldn't identify into the oven. Draco left the kettle boiling away on the counter and moved over to his mother, impulsively sliding his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Don't apologise sweetheart," Narcissa said softly, kissing his hair as she squeezed him back. They held on to each other until the kettle had boiled and then pulled apart, Narcissa brushing her sons hair back from his forehead before both of them returned to their earlier tasks.

"Here you go," Draco said softly as he sat down on Harry's other side, passing the steaming cup of tea to the dark haired teen. "I couldn't remember if you had sugar so it's just got milk in it."

"That's fine," Harry said softly, cradling the cup in his hands as he listened to Teddy's continuing cries. They were getting quieter as he either calmed down thanks to Jasper's ability or tired himself out. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Harry," Draco spoke for both of them.

"You don't have to sit with me," Harry's voice shook as he spoke softly.

"That's what friends do," Draco said, his arm sliding around Harry's waist just under where his back met the door, squeezing him gently as Jasper squeezed his shoulders from the other side.

"Morning…" Draco mumbled happily as he woke from a very nice dream, still curled up in his boyfriends arms as he had been when he went to sleep. Unlike every other morning when he had woken up beside his boyfriend he received no response and when he sat up he found himself facing a very worried looking Jasper. "Ok…I don't like that face. What's wrong?"

"I've been thinking," Jasper spoke softly, not looking away from a spot on the wall, "The situation in Seattle…something about has been familiar but…I've been unable to figure out exactly what it is that's been familiar."

"But now you've figured it out?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Jasper nodded slowly, "The murders in Seattle…I've long suspected they were the work of a newborn vampire, one that hasn't learned control over their thirst." He paused, obviously waiting for the information to sink in for Draco. "I heard your parents discussing today's news earlier. Thirty-Nine people have been killed or reported missing in Seattle in the last three months."

"Thirty-Nine?" Draco gasped in shock.

"Hearing it put like that…it is obviously not the work of one newborn vampire alone. We are dealing with a group or…if my new suspicions prove to be correct…an army," Jasper said, his voice filled with worry and fear.

"An army?" Draco repeated in shock.

"I need to talk with my family," Jasper said, rising from the bed quickly. "We need to discuss the possibility that…that someone is creating a vampire army in Seattle. If they are…well the only logical target would be…"

"You."

Draco was numb with a mixture of shock and fear for all of ten seconds before he flew out of the bed and started pulling on the clothes he had planned to wear to school that day. Hurrying into the bathroom he brushed his teeth in record time, sorted out the mess that was his bed hair so that it at least looked styled and then hurried back to throw himself into Jasper's arms.

"Let me just tell my parents where I'm going and then I can Apparate us to your house so that we can talk with everyone else," he said, pressing a kiss to Jaspers tense lips. "I'm sure Alice will let everyone else know we need to talk."

"Have I told you lately that I think your amazing?" Jasper asked softly, carefully moving a lock of hair that had fallen into Draco's eye, "Or that I love you?"

"Not lately," Draco said with a smile.

"You are truly amazing and I love you, I love you more I could ever have imagined myself loving someone," Jasper said completely truthfully. Draco felt his heart swell as he pressed his lips to his boyfriends.

"I love you too," he responded, "And I will always love you."

Taking Jaspers hand in his own he hurried down to where he could hear his parents talking in the living room. They looked up from the cup of tea they were sharing when the couple rushed into the room.

"Draco? Is something wrong?" Lucius asked in concern, putting his cup down on the table before rising to his feet. Narcissa copied him, taking car to place her cup down on one of the coasters and moving Lucius' cup onto one too.

"Jasper has a new theory about what is happening in Seattle," Draco explained quickly, "We're heading over to his house to discuss this new theory with his family. It's so close to graduation missing one day of school wont matter and I'll let you know what we figure out when I get home."

"Ok," Lucius agreed after a pause, his eyes giving way that his immediate instinct had been to keep Draco close. "Just…make sure you stay safe."

"I will," Draco promised, stepping closer to his boyfriend as he drew his wand and concentrated on Apparating them both safely to the Cullens spacious living room. Jasper shut his eyes as they world began to warp and spin around them and actually managed to remain standing perfectly still for the first time when they appeared exactly where Draco had intended them to.

"Jasper. Draco." Carlisle greeted them from where he and Esme stood close together near the glass wall of the room, watching the morning news on the television mounted on the wall. "Alice had a vision of you needing to talk to all of us about the situation in Seattle. We are just waiting on Edward and Bella."

"I also saw you skipping breakfast," Alice said brightly as she entered the room, carrying a tray filled with the most delicious smelling Full English Breakfast Draco had ever seen. His mouth was literally watering from the smell as Esme gently manoeuvred him down onto one of the seats. "I hope you like it. It's the first time we've attempted something English and way back when we first had you over for the day we did promise you an English meal so…enjoy!"

And despite the tense atmosphere in the house he really did enjoy the meal - it was every bit as good as the cooked breakfasts he'd had at Hogwarts. By the time he'd cleared the plate and Alice had spirited it back into the kitchen with a happy laugh Edward's car was pulling up in the driveway outside.

"Did you see that they're considering a serial killer now?" were Edward's first word as he stepped into the room, throwing that mornings paper at his father.

"They're had two specialists debating that possibility on CNN all morning," Carlisle sighed deeply, nodding to the now muted television still playing on the wall.

"We can't let this go on," Edward said, his voice tense as he held Bella close.

"So let's go now," Emmett said enthusiastically from where he leant against the wall behind the sofa that Draco and Jasper were sitting on. "Im dead bored." Even Bella and Draco with their limited human hearing heard the hiss coming from upstairs. "She's such a pessimist," Emmett grumbled.

"We'll have to go sometime," Edward conceded softly as Rosalie descended the grand staircase, stepping calmly around Alice who was perched at the bottom. Her beautiful face was expressionless as she made her way over to her husband.

"I'm concerned," Carlisle said, shaking his head, "We've never involved ourselves in this kind of thing before. It's not our business. We aren't the Volturi."

"I don't want the Volturi to have to come here," Edward said quickly, his worried gaze shooting to Bella. Draco remembered that the only way they'd escaped from the Volturi the last time had been because of Alice promising that he and Bella would become Vampires. "If they come now they will see that Bella and Draco have not been turned and that…that would not be good…"

"And we shouldn't forget what is happening to all those innocent humans in Seattle," Esme murmured, her voice shaking with emotion and worry. "It's not right to just let them die this way."

"I know," Carlisle sighed, slipping his arm around his wife's shoulders. "Now, Jasper, you have a theory you wish to discuss with us?"

"Yes," Jasper said, squeezing Draco's knee as he rose from his seat, moving across the room so that he could stand and face his family. Edward gasped loudly.

"I hadn't thought of that," he murmured, his eyes locked with Jaspers, "You're right, that has to be it. Well…that changes everything."

"What, Edward?" Bella asked softly.

"I think you'd better explain it to the others," Edward said to Jasper who nodded in agreement. He was already prepared for the difficult conversation that was to follow. "What could be the purpose of this?" Edward asked in frustration, letting go of his girlfriend as he began to pace, his gaze fixed on the floor, obviously lost in his serious thoughts.

"What is he rambling about?" Bella asked, looking worriedly from her boyfriend to Jasper, "What are you thinking?"

Jasper sighed, shifting uncomfortably. He didn't like the fact that everyone was looking at him, waiting for the answers. Draco made as if to get up, planning to go to his side and give him strength…but then Alice was there, pulling him back down onto the sofa with her deceptively strong hands.

"You're confused," Jasper said softly.

"We're all confused," Emmett grumbled.

"You can afford the time to be patient," Jasper told him, the commanding tone in his voice silencing the giant vampire instantly. "Bella should understand this, Draco too. They are part of our family now." He paused, his gaze moving to Bella's confused face. "How much do you know about me, Bella?"

"Not much," the muggle girl admitted.

"No," Edward answered the silent question he'd received from Jasper, their eyes locking briefly as Edward paused in his pacing. "I'm sure you can understand why I haven't told her that story. But I suppose she needs to hear it now."

"Yes. And it is time that Draco hear it too," he said softly, his gaze seeking out his boyfriends briefly before he looked down at his arms and began to roll up the sleeves of his sweater. Draco knew exactly what his lover was exposing, the first of the many scars that covered his arms. He knew how difficult this must be for him, knew how much he hated exposing his scars and more than ever he wanted to go to him but once again Alice held him firmly in his seat.

"Oh," Bella breathed in realization. "Jasper, you have a scar just like mine."

"I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella," Jasper smiled sadly, pushing his sleeves up past his elbows, exposing the dozens of crescent shaped scars layered over the top of each other, again and again, some thin, some deep but all undoubtedly painful to receive…

"Jasper, what happened to you?" Bella gasped, sounding horrified.

"The same thing that happened to your hand," Jasper said, his voice quiet, his hands rubbing up and down his scarred forearms, "Repeated a thousand times. Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar."

"Why?" Bella gasped. Draco had been waiting for the right time to ask this question of his boyfriend, desperate to know the answer.

"I didn't have quite the same…upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely," Jasper said, looking away from Bella and focusing his gaze on Draco's worried face. "Before I tell you my story you must understand that there are places in our world where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries…"

Draco listened in silence to the story that followed, his gaze never breaking contact with his boyfriends. As he heard about the vampires of the South and their war over territory something tickled at the back of his memory. When Jasper began telling them about the vampire named Benito, Draco couldn't stop himself from frowning. He knew that name and he knew the story Jasper was now explaining…but how? It took him to nearly the end of Jasper's re-telling of the story to connect all the dots in his memory and remember being taught about the vampire Benito in his seventh year Defence Against The Dark Arts class, taught to him ironically enough by an evil Death Eater who regularly practised the Dark Arts.

"The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. This was another chapter of our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like. I spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacán."

At this point Jasper shuddered, closing his eyes and finally breaking the eye contact between the. Draco felt his worry increase as he realised that for the first time he was seeing his boyfriend frightened by something that wasn't to do with him. Alice's hands tightened on his shoulders, keeping him in place before they released their grip enough to rub his shoulders soothingly.

"It was enough that the fever for the conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our present way of life," Jasper said, softly, his eyes opening once more but this time his gaze was distant, fixed on the wall behind Draco as he lost himself in his memories. "But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors were quick to stake their claims in the South. It didn't take long before covens began to dispute again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you'll forgive the expression. Vendetta's abounded.

"The idea of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more careful this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and given more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to return.

"The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now and then, someone would go too far, speculation would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue…" here he trailed of, staring at the wall in silence until Bella spoke up, her shocked voice little more than a whisper,

"That's how you were changed."

"Yes," he agreed softly. Draco gasped, pressing his hand to his heart as it clenched painfully within his chest. Jasper…his poor boyfriend had been created…for a war? How could anyone do that to him? Slowly Jasper continued, this time telling his own story. "When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when I joined the Confederate Army in 1861. I lied to the recruiters and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away with it…"

The pain in Draco's heart increased as he heard his lovers horrifying story, heard about the war he participated in as a human, heard about Maria, heard about what he was forced to do for her, heard about how he had had to defend the evil vampire when her "ally's" Nettie and Lucy had turned on her, heard about the fighting he had been forced to endure in her search for power…

"Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us - they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness…we did dispose of them," his voice faltered and Draco heard Bella give a shocked little gasp but he couldn't tear his tear filled eyes from his boyfriend to check and see if she was ok. "My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before everything changed…

"Decades later, I developed a friendship with a newborn who'd remained useful and survived his first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I like Peter; he was…civilized - I suppose that's the right word. He didn't enjoy the fight, though he was good at it.

"He was assigned to deal with the newborns - baby-sit them, you could say. It was a full-time job. And then it was time to purge again…"

Draco had been glad to hear the Jasper had at least had a friend in the horrible world he had been living in but then hearing what had happened, how Jasper had been ordered to kill Peter's mate and had instead allowed them to flee bringing Maria's wrath down upon himself…Draco wondered how much of a friend Peter had really been for him to just abandon Jasper like that.

"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive. Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. She'd never felt a moment's depression, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me - sometimes there was fear…and malice - the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my existence, when Peter returned.

"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. In five years, they'd never had a fight, though they'd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem.

"In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn't have to kill Maria. I'd been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance."

Ok, Draco conceded silently, maybe Peter had been a good friend to his love after all. He had helped him get away from the world. Jasper went on to tell them about his time travelling with Peter and Charlotte, how his depression never lifted. In fact it increased with every person he killed. A choked sound escaped him when he heard the conclusion Jasper had come to all those years ago - that because of his empathic abilities he felt every single emotion of his victims as he killed them.

"It began to be too much," he continued softly, "The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn't feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing - killing anyone, even mere humans.

"Yes I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline…challenging. I still haven't perfected that but…I'm getting there," he finally looked away from the wall and met Draco's eyes once more, the desolate expression he had been wearing smoothing into an almost peaceful smile.

"I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day - something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little.

"She was there - expecting me, naturally," he chuckled once, nodding to Alice who grinned up at him. "She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as I walked in and came directly toward me. It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That's the only interpretation of her behaviour my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before.

"'You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said."

"And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman," Alice spoke up from beside Draco, her hands still rubbing his shoulders soothingly, "and said, 'I'm sorry, Ma'am.'" She gave a happy little laugh at the memory.

"You held out your hand, " he said to her, smiling softly, "and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope."

Draco tried to control his jealousy but…it was tough.

"I was just relieved," Alice laughed happily up at the vampire whose story was being told, "I thought you were never going to show up."

"She then told me that I shouldn't give up hope, that she had a gift - she could see the future. And in my future she had seen that there was someone out there, a 'fallen angel', who would help heal my heart and ease the pain I felt in my soul. I thought she was…well I thought she was mad to begin with," Jasper chuckled softly before moving to kneel in front of Draco. His hands reached out and cupped the blond wizards face, his thumb wiping away the tears lingering on his mates cheeks. "But she was right, of course. I did find my 'fallen angel' and together we're healing our hearts and our souls."

Not even Emmett said anything to disturb the romantic scene everyone was witnessing, instead they all waited until Alice jumped up from her seat beside Draco, allowing Jasper to take her place before he continued with the rest of his story.

"Alice then told me what she'd seen on Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe hat such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them," Jasper said, sharing a grin with the pixie like vampire who bounced happily over to stand beside Bella.

"Scared the hell out of them, too," Edward said with a roll of his eyes aimed in Jaspers direction before focusing his attention on his girlfriend. Draco leant against Jasper side as Edward continued to tell the story. "Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak," he nudged Alice playfully, "who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into."

Jasper chuckled, shaking his head fondly at the memory. Alice giggled.

"When I came home, all my things were in the garage," Edward continued.

"You room had the best view," Alice said with a shrug, grinning at her brother whose room she had apparently stolen all those years ago. The rest of the family shared a burst of laughed as Edward's annoyed glare gave way to a fond smile.

"That's a nice story," Bella said softly.

"Er…" Draco began, wondering just what story she had been listening to.

"I mean the last part," she hurried to defend herself, "The happy ending."

"So…an army," Alice mumbled, breaking the happy mood as she looked across at Jasper, her best friend, "Why didn't you tell me? Tell any of us?"

"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. No one to defend it from," Jasper continued, explaining his theory and his assessment out loud. "But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It is only going to get worse."

"But…shouldn't the Volturi stop them?" Draco asked, confused. "Isn't that their job? Won't they step in and…do whatever it is that they do?"

"They should do," Jasper said, his voice serious once more, "Actually, I'm surprised they've let this go on so long. It's not like them to be so…lenient."

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked.

"If we want to make sure that the Volturi don't get involved then we will have to act and act soon. We will have to destroy the newborns before they do any more damage or draw any more attention," Jasper explained, "I can teach you how, teach you the best ways to fight a newborn. It's not like fighting a normal vampire. They are stronger, much stronger and they care very little for tactics. It won't be an easy fight, especially if it is to take place in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. But maybe we can lure them out…"

"How?" Draco asked softly, even as Edward spoke up from the other side of the room, his voice every bit as serious and worried as Jaspers,

"Maybe we won't have to. Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is…us?"

A/N I tried really, really hard not to make the second part of the chapter a re-telling of the book. I hate it when that happens but…it was tough. I didn't want to alter the genius that is Stephanie's story of Jasper's past so I hope all I've done is do justice to her original work and add my own little twists here and there. As ever comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Of Lions And Lambs - Part Three