Okay, I know I suck at life. I'm really sorry for not posting in forever. To make it up to you, I'm posting this chapter as well as a bonus lemon chapter I wrote. Thanks to my reviewers for chapter 10: '-'IncubusHelen'-', Epic Skittles, and EdwardISLestat. You guys are fabulous! Also, thanks to those of you who've alerted me and this story. You guys rock, too:D Enough of my babble...see you at the end of the bonus lemon chappie!

Chapter 11

Getting into the castle was easier than I'd thought. Although, it might have had something to do with the heavy, dense waves of lust I was sending out. One by one, each vampire I met ran off to find someone or something upon which to slake their lust. I would've chuckled to myself at the sight of Volturi guard members running around like chickens with their heads cut off, but keeping my own desire in check while trying to remain unseen took up all of my attention.

Yes, that was my brilliant plan: make the guard so horny they stop doing their duty and start doing each other. So far, it was working, which shouldn't have surprised me but did anyway. My eyes found a large gathering of guards outside a set of double doors made of heavy oak. At the same time, I smelled the most miraculous scent: gardenias. Samantha is in that room, my mind and heart cried out. I had to fight to keep my feet planted and stay out of sight. I tried to be patient as I sent the most ferocious wave of desire at them that I could manage.

After about three minutes of being bombarded intensely, each of the twelve guards in front of Samantha's door disappeared. My heart was rejoicing, but my mind was still concentrating on staying where I was…this time because of my need for my wife. You try making everyone around you want something so badly one can taste it and not want the same thing.

Because I was concentrating so hard, I missed the doors being flung open wide. I knew of nothing until a tiny body had thrown itself into my arms. Her arms wrapped themselves around my waist as mine automatically did the same. Gardenia flooded my nose.

"Samantha," I whispered, burying my face in her soft hair.

"Jasper?"

Her tone questioned her own sanity. I smiled, holding her tighter.

"Yes, my only love."

Her sobs confused me.

"What's wrong, darlin'?"

I could barely understand her through her crying.

"This is all my fault! You killed yourself because of me…now we're both dead! Jazz, what will our family do? This is going to destroy them."

"You aren't dead, lovely, and neither am I. We're both perfectly fine. Well, now that we've found each other again."

"But…how…why?"

She finally looked at me then and I was rendered speechless. Her eyes were now a beautiful shade of honey gold; the emotions in them floored me. I heard my own sharp intake of breath but couldn't fell like a fool for gasping like a girl. My fingers went to her face without permission, lightly tracing her lips and cheeks and anything they could touch. Happiness made me feel like I was floating. I watched her eyelids flutter closed with satisfaction; her lips parted under my gaze, much to my delight…and horror. We had to get out soon and had no time for distractions. I shook my head as I gripped her shoulders.

"I'll explain later. Samantha, we have to leave now," I whispered as I shook her gently.

"Oh, God. Get me the hell out of this God-forsaken place, Jasper. Please."

I obliged quickly, dragging her with me as I ran full speed through the dank corridors of this prison. The guards were occupied elsewhere, so all were still absent from their posts. Thank God for miracles, I thought as we ran into the city itself. A quick scan of the wall told me where it was low enough that we could scale it without attracting attention.

I signaled to my wife and helped her over. Following her, I smelled the scent of pine and maple as we ran into the forest surrounding the walls. Her tiny hand in mine squeezed and I glanced at her. The smile on her face caused one just as radiant on mine. She's here. I set her free. She's HERE!

My POV

I'd stopped dreaming of Jasper and our family a year after I'd left. Seeing my brothers and sisters and parents being torn apart made staying in Volterra that much harder. Jasper's agony was unbearable. I forced myself to stop seeing their futures; they were bleak and almost made being here not worth the trouble.

Therefore, seeing my husband outside my room came as a shock. Okay, the second biggest shock of my life, if I'm going to be accurate. That moment came in a close second to finding out he'd survived the accident. As he led me out of the city and through the forest, I gave my mind time to adjust to the fact that he was really here…with me…now, in reality, not in my fantasies.

My happiness overflowed as I let myself believe what was happening and I almost started bouncing around like Alice. Jasper sensed my euphoria and sent it back at me with a grin on his face. My own dopey grin matched his as we approached Florence. Civilization seemed to bring me back down to Earth and I stopped us suddenly as confusion set in. He stared at me, silently asking what was wrong.

"Jazz…what are you doing here?"

His face fell a bit before he hid the hurt behind an emotionless mask.

"No, that's not what I mean. Of course I'm glad you're here, but…why? And why the hell is everyone else?"

"Do you really want to know?"

I nodded vigorously. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. I had a second to wonder why he was angry as he led me to the closest fallen tree and sat me down. I stared up at his tortured face.

"You aren't going to like this, my love. Please, hear me out before you do anything rash. Do you promise?"

I nodded. He stared at me intensely and I sighed, raising my right hand and holding up my index, middle, and ring fingers in a habitual sign from my childhood. What, I was in the Girl Scouts.

"I swear I will do nothing until you're done talking. Get on with it, hillbilly."

He smirked slightly at that before he launched into the tale of his solitary storming of Volterra. Terror swept through me at the thought of him utterly defenseless stalking through the castle and I was frozen with fear. My hands gripped the log under me, shredding it to sawdust without a thought. My mind vaguely registered Jasper's voice and soothing presence through its haze of fear, but nothing actually touched my awareness until his hands gripped mine tightly. His power was unstoppable when he touched me, and I felt the calm flood me. I blinked and Jasper's worried face filled my vision. He let out s sigh of relief when he saw my eyes once again focus on reality.

"Thank God. Are you all right, darlin'?"

A thrill ran through me as I heard that pet name for me in the first time in fifteen years. All that time alone finally came back to bite me in the ass and I collapsed into his arms, sobbing my dead heart out. He murmured incoherently to me as he calmed me; terms of endearment and words of love settled me as his artificial calm filled me. My husband's every nuance filled my senses then: his smooth granite skin, his wonderful vanilla-sugar-caramel-fresh air-woodsy scent, the way his solid arms protected me needlessly and so much more. I was overwhelmed.

"Jasper, I'm—"

"Shh. Don't say it. I know you only did it to save us. Thank you for that, by the way," he said, grinning down at me.

Without knowing what I was doing, I rode the wave of love and desire I felt and threw myself at him. I attacked his lips as my momentum rolled us off the log and onto the ground. His hands gripped my backside and a growl/moan slipped out of my mouth. Heaven had found me here on Earth as his lips moved down my neck, brushing my collarbone. My fingers buried themselves in his hair. If I never have to stop this, it will be too soon.

A warm rush of air snapped me out of my haze. My eyes slowly blinked and focused on the empty space right in front of my face. Where the hell is he? I shook my head and glanced around me; I spotted my husband gripping a nearby tree trunk for dear life. A rush of disappointment hit me, followed by the burning of rejection.

I knew it…he doesn't want me anymore. I've hurt him too much. How could I have expected him to take me back after I abandoned him for fifteen years? I heaved a mental sigh, trying to hold back the sob in reality. Jasper's eyes met mine, confusion clear in their tawny depths. I looked away, unable to stand seeing the revulsion that was sure to follow. Guilt flowed through me as I remembered how I had thrown myself at him.

"Jasper, I'm sorry for throwing myself at you like that."

His grin was quick as I glanced at his glorious face and fell as I looked away again.

"Don't be, Samantha."

I rolled my eyes, rejection's stinging making me angry.

"Whatever, Jasper. Let's just get the hell out of here. I'm tired of this country and tired of being—"

His huge hand cut off my speech. I glared up at him, silently asking what his problem was. A shadow of hurt flashed in his eyes before it was hidden behind his mask. I nearly flinched as his hands slid down to grasp my biceps; his grip could've torn off someone's head.

"Not before you tell me what the hell has you so pissed off!"

I sighed, not wanting to do this at that exact moment.

"It's nothing I don't deserve for what I've done, so it's not your fault."

He was silent for a moment and I could feel him scrutinizing my face. It wasn't uncomfortable, just unwanted because he could always read me well.

"Son of a whore's john! You think I don't want you. Am I right? Am. I. Right?"

Each word was punctuated by a shake. My neck flopped back, exposing my throat to him. Not wanting to fight, I spoke quickly.

"Yes, damn you! Let me go so we can get the fuck out of this god damned town!"

I struggled to free myself, but his grip was iron. Seeing the futility in fighting, I stilled and waited for him to get whatever it was out of his system. My body tensed for the blow to my heart I knew was coming.

"How could you think I don't want my wife?"

My eyes snapped to his, disbelief flooding me. The love and adoration in his eyes was my undoing. Word vomit spilled from my mouth like he knew it would.

"I abandoned you, Jasper. We've been apart for fifteen years and ninety percent of that was miserable for you and the whole family. That pain was my fault! How can you want me? I'm a horrible person, Jazz, I—"

"No. You are the bravest, strongest, most loving and generous person I've met. These years have been Hell for you, too. Samantha, your actions saved nine lives. Don't ever be ashamed or apologize for that."

I stood in silence, staring up at his smoldering eyes. My life was suddenly complete again in that moment. My arms wrapped themselves around him and I buried my face in his chest.

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock."

His hands skimmed over my back, soothing as they made their way up and down my spine. A sigh of contentment slipped from me as I heard his reply.

"You are always and forever my life, my love, my wife. I've missed you."

In that second, I was determined to show him how much I missed him. My lips brushed across the small bit of collarbone that was exposed as my nimble hands quickly unbuttoned his shirt. He groaned as my hands brushed his bare chest and I grinned…until his hands stopped mine. I pouted up at him.

"I want you so badly it actually hurts, lovely, but we have to get out of here. They'll be realizing you're gone soon and we have to be gone before they do."

I knew he was right. Leaving became even more palatable when I thought of a way to occupy our time on the flight(s) back home. Grinning, I took his hand and streaked through the forest after him, grateful for airplane bathrooms.