Don't Hold This War Inside

"Is there anything you need?" Carlisle asked when they got to his apartment.

Caroline shook her head as she moved her trunks to the corner of her new room. "Nothing, thank you. Although I do believe some rest and a little food will do some good." she said as politely as possible.

Carlisle smiled. "Of course. I think it might be best if you ate first. I shall have one of the maids bring up something to eat." he replied before closing the door behind him.

Sighing, Caroline plopped down on her bed and stared down at her hands, the hands that she thought would permanently be intertwined with Jasper.

She shook her head.

She had to stop feeling like this, but how could she? Her heart belonged to him and everyday she felt an ache in the empty space where it used to be.

A knock on the bedroom door startled her from her thoughts. "Come in." she said quietly.

In walked a maid with dull blonde hair and hazel eyes. "Here you are, madame." she said with a heavy Irish accent.

Caroline ate her food quickly and followed it with a glass of water. "Thank you..."

"Lucy. My name is Lucy." the maid answered with a warm smile.

"Lucy. Thank you for bringing me my food." Caroline said with a tired smile on her face. Lucy nodded and handed her a blanket from the armchair near Caroline's bed.

"Lie down, dearie. You do not honestly believe I'll let you freeze to death. This house is always so cold." Lucy said, more to herself than Caroline.

When Lucy vacated the room, Caroline got comfortable under the blankets and lay there in the bed, staring at the wall. She was trying to fall asleep and moments later, she did.

"He certainly does look delicious. You cannot kill him, Maria." A blonde woman whispered to a slightly older looking woman with dark hair.

"Perhaps you are right, Lucy. What is your name, sir?" The woman presumed to be Maria replied, staring with fiery red eyes at Jasper.

"Major Jasper Whitlock, madame. If you don't mind, I really must be going." he answered, though his voice seemed entranced and glazed over, like he wouldn't be going anywhere.

"I am afraid I cannot let you do that, Jasper. You see, you could be extremely...valuable to us and I simply cannot let you get away." The woman Maria said.

"Enough talk, Maria. You have no idea how thirsty I am. We've been waiting for someone like him." a woman with black hair said from next to the blonde girl.

"Patience, Nettie, patience." Maria said slyly.

The fear in Jasper's eyes made itself known as the three women rushed at him, one biting his neck, another biting his wrist, and the other on his chest.

Jasper screamed in pain and agony. As he did so, he tried to say the name of the only person that was on his mind.

"Caroline."

Just then, Caroline shot up in her bed, screaming an agonized, pained, and fearful scream. Sweat drenched every part of her and tears were unconsciously streaming down her face.

Her bedroom door was thrown open and in rushed a very concerned Carlisle.

He took in the sight of a screaming Caroline and told one of the maids to get her a glass of water.

He wrapped his arms around her and told her multiple to times to calm down, that it was only a nightmare, but she wouldn't listen.

Her screams turned into sobs as she collapsed in Carlisle's arms.

The nightmares seemed so real and she couldn't help the feeling deep in her chest that it probably was.

As much as her mind told her that what she'd dreamed about was impossible, she knew that what she saw had to be real.

After all, the only person she recognized from the dream was Jasper.

"It was so real!" she sobbed over and over again.

"What was? What did you dream about?" Carlisle asked, going into doctor mode.

Caroline calmed down after a few moments and recounted her nightmare to Carlisle.

"I have no idea what those things could've been but they were the ones who killed my Jasper. They are the reason he is dead."

She thought Carlisle would have told her that what she dreamed was nonsense and that she should drink some water to calm her nerves.

She got the exact opposite.

"Caroline, do you believe in your heart that those things killed Jasper?" he asked.

Caroline looked at him as if he'd grown a third head.

"Of course, I do! But I shouldn't. Things like that do not exist." she said, trying to convince herself that what she was saying was indeed true.

There was a look of conflict in Carlisle's eyes and he blinked before handing her the glass of water that had been sitting on the night stand the past few minutes.

Caroline gulped it down quickly and looked at the large grandfather clock that stood against the wall.

"Why, it's nearly dinner. How could I have slept so long?" she asked.

"I assumed you would want to rest for quite a while. I did not want to disturb you." Carlisle answered, still concerned for Caroline.

She sighed and looked down at the wedding ring she still wore on her finger, biting her lip slightly as she did so.

"He was so stubborn." she mused to herself with a slight laugh.

"I beg your pardon." Carlisle replied, still looking at Caroline.

"Jasper. I told him we could go to Mexico until the war was over. He said that he had a duty to his country, to the South," she said fondly.

"God, how I hate the South." she spat venomously.

Carlisle sighed. "There is no room in the world for hatred, only respect and love." he said, as if from memory.

"And where did you hear that?"

"A friend of mine." Carlisle replied neutrally.

"He must have been a dreamer." Caroline said, looking out the window. She was not surprised it was still raining outside.

"He was, indeed."