Warnings - Heavy emotional discussions throughout and Trigger alert later half of Chapter

Peter looks me in the eye, then pointedly looks at the house, and back at me, an eyebrow raised. I mentally clip myself round the ear.

"Please, let's sojourn into the house, my home is your home." Peter nods, rolling his eyes at me as I lead the way inside. The Major and Peter follow with Eleazar who indicates to the family to follow not too closely.

I sit on one of the armchairs, angled towards the one that the Major is settling down into. Peter standing at his shoulder. Both uncaring of their lack of clothing waist up, their scars on display. My mate sitting at my feet, with Emmett and Rose taking a similar position on the settee. I look around, searching for Edward. I call out to him in my mind, looking to see where he is. There is a slight movement by the doorway as Edward shifts out of the shadow. He stands with head dropped, not meeting my eyes. The Major's slow drawling voice explains, "He is feeling guilty, ashamed and very confused." I look towards the Major at his comment and note his unconcerned expression. The Major's relaxed and open body language as he observes Edward reassures me.

Movement from Edward's direction catches my attention again and I look towards him. As he steps forward, raising his head his eyes locked on the Major. "Why guilty and ashamed, Edward?" I question him, my voice sharper than usual. I cast my mind back to the poor treatment that I have seen him committing, both to his ex-girlfriend Bella and Jasper.

"I… I caused… my emotions… Jasper helping me that night… it's all my fault." His head drops, his voice cracking at the end. "I'm sorry."

I look over to the Major as he starts to speak, "Edward," his voice hypnotic. Edward looks up, eyes startled, "Come here, Edward." Edward straightens up, walking over to the Major and dropping to his knees in front of him, like a supplicant. A sense of calm spreads through the room - not Jasper's gentle calm, subtle and reassuring but something altogether different. The calm was pervading, insistent, one you have no chance to fight off. It is like the Major himself - commanding and in control.

Edward's face relaxes and his head tilts to the side as if listening to something soothing only he can hear. A voice intrudes on my calm, "Now Edward, are you ready to hear and understand now?" The soft voice questions him.

"Yes, Major," Edward responds. As he raises his eyes to meet the Majors. The look of shame gone leaving only the guilt, tempered by awe and reverence.

The Major nods and turns to look at me. "Carlisle, what has happened to this body and this soul started over a century ago and is best left in the past. In the 1950's an event caused a monumental shift in my psyche, splitting it into two, Jasper and Myself. It was in the late 1950's that Peter and Charlotte got me away from my Sire. Which started the long road to recovery that allowed Jasper to reassert himself and for me to finally rest. Alice and yourselves helped Jasper further. The diet, the atmosphere - family - but, it wasn't until..." The Major's eyes glance towards an unnaturally docile Edward, "Phoenix, that I finally started to heal."

The Major paused, his eyes taking on a distant look. Peter shifted his position to stand so his hip touches against the Major's shoulder, grounding him. Subconsciously, the Major leans into the grounding and takes a deep breath. He takes up his recitation. "In the studio, something happened that pulled both Jasper and myself together briefly. Since then it has been happening more and more often until we arrived here. Jasper's reaction to the whole leaving Forks situation had got buried under other emotions. This continued until he was overrun and almost lost completely to the cascade of emotion."

The Major tilts his head and scrutinises Edward, "As Edward now realises, I have a strong shield for my thoughts. But that's what caused the problem. As Jasper started to fall apart, he grabbed my defensive mind barriers and built it up around me and our beast. Protecting me from his breakdown, and more importantly, protecting Y'all from my beast and me."

I nod to the Major, allowing my understanding to fill me, as I remember calming his Beast, and then it struck me, Bella! I slam my own defences up and start translating the Laws from one language to the next. All the minutia contained within them always blocks Edward from my mind. My intense shock and realisation caused the Major to turn to me. A sense of a query sensation running over me. Mate, Oh my lord, could it be? Peter turns to me, watching my reactions. Everything falls in place. Marcus' visit with Peter and Garrett, Demetri and Felix left behind. Peter needing confirmation… Jasper's pain in his chest, not a reaction to being parted from Peter. I shake my head to myself, how could I be so stupid - if he didn't react like that before, why would he now. But being parted from his mate to be. That would explain all his symptoms, and the Major has explained the final one, the lacking of any reactions from him.

The Major continues his explanations. "Unfortunately, the defence Jasper utilised blocked me from halting his emotional crash. We nearly lost him, if not for your call to Peter. As it is, Jay is still in shock, trying to understand everything he has realised and felt since arriving here." The Major's eyes lock with mine, "Pain isn't an issue for me, I am helping Eleazar with his at present, as well as Peter's. Otherwise, Peter would be in the same state I was in right now. The distance and time away from Charlotte are too great to carry on for long, without support. How many days was the longest we were away from Charlotte?"

Peter grimaces, "Twenty five days at the height of the war, Major." My eyes widen, knowing the ache I suffer whilst at work, let alone days apart, and then it sinks in. Jasper must have been feeling it all along - ever since that night. It has been over a month, my heart aches for him. The Major's eyes soften and a tide of gratitude washes through me.

"Anyway, once Jay pulls his mind together, he will start showing up through me. We will continue our healing, to become one once more. Until Jay accepts all he has realised and allows himself to feel again. We are stuck with only me here," His voice changes, becomes dark and sarcastic, "And I am a product of my Sire. I am the one who rose up and put up with everything my Sire threw at me. I pushed Jasper deep inside our psyche so he would remain as untouched by her evil - I could handle her, he couldn't. Not when she was at her worst - it's bad enough he has the memories. But he doesn't have the empathic connections to what happened. Only the empathic ghost images, thank heavens."

I nod my understanding to the Major, it is obvious from his scars on his upper body what she did to him, well to me it was. I look towards Emmett and Rosalie. I can see by the looks on their faces that they are both processing all they have heard, but are accepting in general. Esme is leaning into my leg, looking up at the Major's face, tracking her eyes across his neck and over his heart. I am certain she has put together from the state of his body and her experience as a human. In a much milder form, but I am sure she understands what she is seeing.

I turn my gaze to look at Edward, his eyes still focused on the Major, the awe on his face is starting to get unnerving. I start to get curious about what the Major has done to him, I have never seen Edward like this, so doting and in awe of anyone. The Major looks at me, smirks and then looks at Edward. His face loses all trace of emotion, his eyes darken to a dark honey from the gold that has been there since he fed. His lip curls as if he is going to snarl at Edward. But instead, he spits out a command, "Go sit on the settee," and then ignores him, his whole air about him dismissive.

Edward's face falls, hurt and lack of understanding become the dominant expression. He rises and does exactly as he was commanded. Something about his reactions is nagging at my mind. I start searching through my memories trying to track down the thought or memory that is calling to me. As I am doing that, I watch Peter move forward and kneel next to the Major's knee. Peter leans sideways so his shoulders are in contact with the Major, and then the Major moves his knee to put pressure onto Peter's side. That bugs me even more, what is it about Edward's and now Peter's reactions that are bugging me.

The Major tugs lightly on one of Peter's curls making Peter brighten up, "Well Carlisle, have you figured it out yet? I know it is bothering you…"

I close my eyes, the image of Bella laughing and joking with Marcus' guard is there. Such a wonderful scene, with Jasper in the background watching over her. His eyes bright and happy. The scene changes to Edward and Bella returning from the kitchen, her face adoring and doting. To the side of the room, Marcus, Peter and Garrett are dragging Jasper out of the back door.

I open my eyes in shock, prey memorisation, that's what Edward did to her. A snarl slips out, in reaction. To put his own 'believed' mate in that, the thought disturbs me, the poor child. But she isn't Edward's mate, not at all, she belongs with the Major. No wonder Marcus has her down as a Whitlock, and they are guarding her so well. My voice still rumbling as I speak, "Prey Memorisation, something I never teach!"

"Yes." He snarls in response. "He treated Little One like Prey, hurt her, scared her." He smirks darkly, "Well, he is learning to regret he ever did that. He is learning how it feels to be on the other end of it." Peter's eyes are digging into Edwards' head. It is obvious that Peter is visualising something. Edward keeps glancing from Peter to the Major and flinching. "As you felt once Carlisle, my gift has many sides to it. Although Jasper tends to refrain from using the more, how shall we put it, devastating sides of the gift, I don't. I use my gift to the fullest measure, as Edward is appreciating right now." The Major shifts his eyes to Edward, and in a silky voice, asks, "Aren't you Edward."

Edward looks at the Major again, reverence and hope in his eyes, and in a soft, voice he answers, "Yes, Major."

Peter looks at the Major, and the Major nods. Peter looks back at me, and takes a deep breath and releases it before starting speaking. "I have been caught accidentally in that part of the Major's gift a couple of times and volunteered once. Once Charlotte figured out what was happening to Bella. We explained to her and demonstrated to her how it works. We let her experience it with the Major holding control over me. So she saw a red-eyed vampire doing it but was safe at the time. I then offered to be the subject so Bella could observe it in process herself. The Major did exactly the same thing that I had done to Bella. To allow her to associate each individual feeling with each action. This included making me feel abandoned, discarded, unwanted, but trapped inside myself. Which is exactly what Edward had been doing to Bella ever since Phoenix, as far as we can work out."

The Major and I both turn and glare at Edward, who drops his eye line to the floor. I work through options in my head recalling Marcus's recommendations. "Edward, is that what you were doing to Bella? Mesmerising her?" I demand.

Edward peeks up at the Major with his dark eyes staring holes through his head, flinches and looks to me. "Yes, I guess that is what you could call it." I fight back a snarl at his glib answer. Edward's body language changes, becoming cocky, unabashed. His mouth twists into a smart-Alec expression that I thought I had cured him off a good few decades ago. He mouths off, "It was so easy, the first time was at her place. She was sitting the other side of the table from me and was looking into my eyes, and she slid right under." He frowns, remembering something, "It didn't last long, so when I redid it, it was harder, took longer. She ended up with a nosebleed and a headache, but it was worth it." His face takes on a darkly triumphant smile at his success with her. He licks his lips, "She bruises so easily too. I could at least mark her that way, even if I couldn't get her away from you all to drink from after that first time in Phoenix."

Before I have time to react, a pair of snarling vampires blur past as the Major and Peter explode out of their seats towards Edward. Furious growls rolling from their chests. They impact against Edward. Peter restraining his left arm at his shoulder and wrist, along the back of the settee. The Major has hold of him by his chin and arm, immobilising him. His hand wrapped around Edward's neck. His thumb and forefinger digging into the hinge on either side of the jawbone. The rest of his fingertips digging into his neck along the artery line.

"You bruised her deliberately, not satisfied with controlling her movements, and choices. You harmed an innocent!" The Major snarls in his ear.

"Bad choice Edward," hissed Peter in his other ear, "And what about how you left her in the forest to come here?"

The Major's growls become deeper, with feral sound to them. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" The word's spat out, through clenched teeth. The Major's body is now quivering with pent-up rage, Peter's not far behind him.

"I… I… I took her for a walk behind her house to break up with her, and… and I left her there." Edward stuttered out.

The Major cocks his head on the side, "Essence of truth, but LIES." He turns and looks at Peter, his iris's black, "Peter?"

Peter snarls at Edward, then cocks his head so he can make eye contact with the Major. "He tried to compel her to offer her arm, her blood to him. She resisted his attempts. Then was cast to the ground when he received a text which interrupted him. He then belittled her, scent tasted her neck liberally and then threatened to come back for her. She withstood everything he did until he was gone and then broke down."

The Major's face twists into something I have seen once before. The atmosphere of the room instantly changes. The appearance of a powerful commanding presence. A fury whipping around warning us not to interfere. "Boy, did you make a mistake touching her." His mouth twists into a nasty sneer, "You harmed a lady, which is bad enough on its own. But you threatened a member of My Coven, a protected human of my Coven, it doesn't matter whether you knew it or not. YOU HARMED HER!"

He pushes himself away from Edward, his nails damp with venom. He stands across the room looking at Edward with disdain. "Captain," he pauses, letting Peter come to attention. "Allow Edward to see the punishment for disrespecting my coven. The punishment I assigned for Enrico and Henry. They treated a female of my army with similar disrespect, and I felt his reactions as you recited his deeds. He was taking pleasure in listening to them, I bet he was imagining what he did just the same as Enrico and Henry…"

Peter pulled Edward by his venom weeping neck, into a kneeling position in the middle of the floor space. He grabs him by the chin, lifting his face to have eye to eye contact with him, "Watch my thoughts, Edward."

Peter looked at the Major and smirks at him, he knows exactly which episode the Major is thinking of.

There had been a young female who was attractive and kept catching the eye of a lot of the soldiers. The Major irritated with the way the female soldiers mistreated and had laid down the law. Making it clear that no one was to grope or otherwise assault one of the soldiers. No one broke his order until Enrico and Henry came across a lass named Netty, who was rather well built, to be polite. The Major felt her distress and pain and went over to investigate. He discovered Enrico and Henry pawing all over the woman, with her clothes ripped. He was growling and hits Enrico and Henry with an overload of emotions. He pulls off his shirt and gives it to Netty and lets her go and clean up.

The pair marched in front of a tribunal of his older vampires for court marshal. The outcome was the loss of the tongue and hands of each of them. Locking them up naked, the privilege of clothes lost. The soldiers to let them know exactly what they think of them twice a day for two weeks. The Major requested to induct them into the feelings Netty felt at random times over the day for the two weeks.

Peter escorted the women to castigate the men twice a day for the two weeks. Even Peter flinching at some of the vile insults and verbal attacks he got to hear. The Major made a point to look the men in their eyes whenever he was there. Ensuring that they were feeling the issue and they were learning from it.

Once the memory replay had finished. Peter turns to Edward and asked, "So do you think you can stand to feel what the men felt? At random times over a two week period?"

Edward stands up straight, his face cockily smirking. "Of course I can. I have felt Jasper's emotions before, I am sure he cannot make me feel what I made her feel, he has no idea of what she felt." Both Carlisle and Peter exchange a look. Their eyes darkening at his words and they feel a flash of fury sped around the room.

Carlisle turned to the Major, "Major Whitlock, please do as you feel fit, he needs to learn a lesson." He turns his head towards Edward and looks at the smirking face, and snarls, "One I will not save him from." Edward rears back from his Sire's snarl, but still, the look on his face stays and there is no backing down.

I look over at Peter, his lip curled at Edward's idiocy. Smirking I ask him, "Should I use the emotions I once showed to you?"

Peter smirks back at me, "That would be a similar feel to what she went through." He turns to look at Edward, "You made an error in judgement. This isn't Jasper, who was holding back his abilities. This is my Sire, Major Whitlock - and now you are going to learn what it means to cross the Major."

I stride in front of Edward and half snarls at him. My eyes fixed on Edward' as my gift reaching out and keeping tabs on Edwards state of being. I open up with the full extent on my empathy. Letting Edward feel what the victims felt when they couldn't fight off the men.

At first, I dose him with a sense of minor concern, building into a mild panic. It morphs into fear, and then a sense of realisation and horror. A growing violation along with the panic and horror mixing turmoil within him. It grows into bruising pain over the arms and back. Finally, a crescendo into the numbness and worthlessness.

As my gift is unfolding the hell that the victims have been through upon him. I watch and feel his reaction, keeping an eye on his body language. I am waiting for the indications that his mind has taken enough strain. Taking it just far enough for punishment, not to break him - that is something best left to the Maria's of the world.

I sense Peter snap his eyes up at me. I glance over and see him watching me. His own emotions full of love and support, giving me a backdrop to keep myself grounded. As my eyes return to Edward, I finally feel his confidence start to wear down. I watch I see his hands involuntarily go to his upper arms massaging them, a frown creasing his forehead. The panic and horror build further and then I twist it into gut-wrenching pain. The same feeling Jasper and I felt every time he twisted her mind with his prey memorisation. I watched as he felt the absolute change in his entire emotional palette as his devotion changed to numbness and worthlessness. I held it there for a short time, and then carefully extracted myself from his emotions. Leaving him as he was to start with, without the long-term effects that the victims both older and recent feel.

I turn my back on Edward and walk over to my seat next to Carlisle and sit down. I brush the back of my hand against Peter's to give him a little reassurance of my presence. I can feel his own emotions quaking at seeing the punishment doled out.