Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or any of its characters.

The War

Jasper's POV

It had been eighty years since the family left Forks. Our lives were far from how they were back then. Our world was in utter chaos. In the last several years, a huge war had broken out between the Volturi and another group. It wasn't like the southern wars. This war affected the entire vampire world. All of us were being forced to make a choice. Those that didn't want to make a choice were forced to alienate themselves from the rest of the world.

That was where we were now. Our family had been forced into hiding so we weren't brought into the war. See Carlisle refused to fight. He always refused to fight. He didn't believe in war or killing. He was the ultimate pacifist. A fact that would no doubt be his undoing.

Personally, I had no aversion to fighting. In fact, I sort of missed it. I missed the excitement and trepidation of going into battle. I'd even given some thought as to the side I'd choose when we were forced to make that choice. And that day would come. There was no getting around it. The time would come where we would no longer be able to stay out of it.

Suddenly I was pulled from my thoughts by Alice's frantic voice. "Jasper!"

I immediately turned to see Alice in the doorway. "What is it, Alice?"

"We need to have a family meeting in the living room now!" Alice said urgently before running out.

I followed Alice out of the room and downstairs to the living room. The rest of the family was already there waiting. I took my seat next to Alice.

"Alright, Alice, you have the floor," Carlisle said. I felt the nervousness come off of him in waves. He knew what this was about. We all did really. There was only one thing it could be about.

"They found us. They're coming for us and they're going to make us take a side," Alice said.

I was not surprised in the least. As I said, I knew what it was about and I knew that we would eventually be forced to fight. About the only thing that surprised me was that it took them this long to find us.

Edward frowned as he stared at Alice for a moment. It was obvious that he was reading her mind. "It's the others, not the Volturi? I thought you couldn't see them."

"I usually can't. As you can see, I didn't see much. I just know they're coming for us," Alice said.

"So then now we make a choice and we fight," Emmett said. I could feel his sheer excitement. Emmett always loved a good fight.

"No, Emmett, we will not fight. We will not be a part of this war," Carlisle said.

"And how exactly to you plan to stay out of it? You heard what Alice said. They're coming for us," Rosalie said.

"They can't make us fight," Edward said.

I rolled my eyes at Edward's sheer stupidity. "I always knew you were thick, Edward, but are you really that naive? Of course they can make us fight. They can't make us fight for them, but they can certainly force us to choose a side. Did you really think you could stay out of it forever? That you could live your perfect little pacifist existence while our world is fighting the nastiest fight to ever exist?"

"Jasper, that's enough. As I said, we will not fight," Carlisle said with authority.

"Then you'll be killed," I said bluntly. These were soldiers we were talking about. If we refused to fight, it would be the same as joining the other side in their eyes. They would attack. If we didn't defend ourselves, we would die.

"We could go. We probably have enough time to get out of the area," Alice said.

"I will not run like a coward!" I growled. The actions, or rather inactions, I'd taken so far were enough to label me a coward. I hated that fact. I had only done it because Alice had begged me to. This was where I drew the line though. I would not run away from this confrontation. That was the second worst act of cowardice in my book. It came second only to flipping sides when things looked grim.

"So you would rather fight with these barbarians?" Edward asked in disgust.

I glared murderously at him. "Are you trying to say that all soldiers are barbarians?" I would seriously mess him up if he said that. I was very passionate about my time in war. Being a soldier was an honor. It was something to be respected, even if the war itself wasn't. I would not allow anyone to dishonor it.

"I'm sure that's not what he's saying, Jazzy?" Alice said.

I ignored her and continued to glare at Edward. "Let me ask you something. Do you think you would've lived the cozy little life you've had, human or vampire, if it weren't for the actions of the soldiers who fight in war? Because I can tell you right now you wouldn't. So if you ever call us barbarians again, I. Will. Kick. Your. Ass!"

"Jasper, please stop. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Esme said.

I kept glaring but didn't say anything else to Edward. I'd made my point. Now it was time to get back on topic. "I meant what I said. I will not run."

"They'd be able to find us anyway. They are vampires after all. We wouldn't make it far," Rosalie said.

"Perhaps we can reason with them. Get them to see that fighting isn't the answer," Carlisle said.

I rolled my eyes. "And perhaps you can get every vampire on the planet to stop drinking from humans. You're insane, Carlisle. If you had tried that crap with me and my men while I was in the Confederates or even in Maria's army, we would've laughed at you before launching a full-fledged attack against you. You're going to have to give up this pacifist crap before it gets you killed." With that, I got up and left the room. I'd had enough.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The next day, we were all waiting anxiously for the inevitable to come. Carlisle was still refusing to fight. He was still talking about trying to talk the soldiers into peace. It was his funeral if he tried something like that.

The rest of the family, aside from Emmett, were reluctant to fight as well. I couldn't blame them. They'd lived very sheltered lives. The closest any of them had come to a real fight was when we destroyed James, and that was nothing.

Soon I heard a knock at the door. I left my study in a flash and was downstairs in about a blink of an eye. The rest of the family had gathered as well.

"I guess this is it," Alice said nervously.

"I'll get it. I'm best equipped to deal with them," I said before making my way to the door. When I opened it, I was left dumbstruck. There were five vampires there waiting and I recognized every single one of there. Peter and Charlotte were on either side of the door and two others that I knew from Carlisle were standing just before the porch.

It was the vampire in the center that held my attention though. It was a woman I never thought I would ever see again. And if I ever thought I would see her again, I never thought I would see blazing red eyes looking back at me or feel the sheer power radiating off of her.

"Hello, Major Whitlock," the familiar beauty said to me.

If I thought there was any chance it wasn't her before, it was gone the second she opened her mouth and spoke to me. I looked her right in the eyes and spoke almost inaudibly. "Bella."