I stood in Bella's room staring out the window into the night. I was conflicted about the turn of events regarding her change but as her mate it was my job to give her what she wanted and what she wanted was forever. Who was I to argue when I wanted it just as badly as she did.

After Esme's epic freak out on Edward and Alice's revelation that it would all work out there was little resistance from anyone about Bella's decision. I knew what was ahead of me in regards to training her to fight and while I was looking forward to her being less fragile I didn't relish the thought of teaching her how to become a killer. I would need everyone's help due to the fact that neither of us would be able to look at the other as a potential enemy. Having members of the Volturi guard here would be most helpful since my Bella had no relationship to them. It would be easier for her to spar with them than any member of our family.

The only obstacle we had to face came in the form of the Quileute wolves. Our relationship with them was on great terms and I worried that this would be a deal breaker.

"All we can do is ask their permission," Carlisle had said. "If they say no it will be a huge problem. We will have to leave the area and that will leave the people of Forks unprotected from Maria and Victoria. The wolves are strong but they will never be able to protect the town from that many vampires on their own."

"We do not need permission from anyone," Marcus said. "I have not agreed to any treaty so I can be the one to change, Isabella."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I wanted to be the one to do it. I wanted it to be my venom running through her veins for the rest of time. I would allow Marcus to do it if that's what Bella truly wanted but it wouldn't be an easy thing to watch.

We still decided that we would discuss it with them. If they didn't have any objections then I would be the one that brought my mate into this immortal life.

I heard my love begin to stir and watched her sleeping refection in the glass of the window. She wasn't waking up, she was dreaming. She moaned quietly and my name fell from her lips like a prayer. I smiled, knowing that she was dreaming about me. Her emotions were telling me that this dream was far from innocent and that just made my smile grow; along with other parts of me. I contemplated waking her so that I could ravage her but I decided against it. In a few day's time she would never sleep again and I wanted her to enjoy it while she could.

"Jasper, Sam is on his way," Alice said.

I sighed and made my way downstairs and out the back door to meet him. I didn't have a good feeling about my upcoming chat with the alpha wolf.

I took a seat on a boulder at the edge of the river than ran behind the house knowing Sam would easily find me by following his nose.

Within a few minutes I heard the sound of massive paws pounding against the forest floor. There was more than one set which I had expected. Even though we were on good, dare I say friendly, terms they still didn't trust us enough to meet with any of us one on one. I should have been more cautious and had someone out here with me. There was potential for this to turn violent given that I was essentially about to ask if they would allow me to kill a human that they were all rather fond of.

The running stopped and a quiet rustling could be heard before Sam and Jacob stepped out of the trees in human form. Of course Jacob would be with him. The universe couldn't have made this even a tiny bit easy by sending one of the wolves that wasn't in love with my mate.

"What's up, leech?" Jacob said as the approached. "News about the red head I hope."

"Actually I do have some new information regarding Victoria and her plans. It seems she has enlisted an old enemy of mine to help her carry out her revenge."

I filled them in on what Alice had seen. They had heard my story before and were aware of the sadistic shit Maria was capable of. They were good actors and outwardly they appeared not to be phased by the added threat but I could feel their concern. I could only assume it was not only for their pack but for their people and the people of Forks as well.

I also filled them in on the development with Marcus and Bella.

"With the threat on her life they'll be sticking around until it's taken care of. Because she's kin, Marcus feels obligated to extend his protection and help eliminate the threat. He's aware of your presence here and is willing to fight alongside you if you're still willing to help."

"Of course we are," Sam replied. "We can't allow a bunch of crazed baby vamps to come into the area and not do what we can to stop them. I'm almost insulted that you think we would abandon this."

"It's because of what I'm about to ask you that I think you might."

Sam looked at me with confusion while Jacob just looked suspicious. He knew what I was going to ask before the words were even out of my mouth.

"I knew this was coming," he said.

Sam looked at him, reading something in his eyes and I watched as the light bulb came on and he realized what Jacob was referring to.

"You want Bella changed." It wasn't a question.

I nodded, preparing myself for an argument but I was met with none.

"As Jake said we knew this was coming. We will not stand in the way of you making Bella one of you. I have spoken to Carlisle on more than one occasion about your bond as mates and it's not unlike what we experience when we imprint. Given that, if you want to get technical, Jake here broke the treaty first by telling Bella the legends of our tribe regarding your kind and you didn't declare war on us it's the least we can do."

"When?" Jacob asked.

"As soon as possible. I appreciate your understanding about this. I hated the idea of doing anything that would have prevented my family from returning to this area in the future."

"So you would have done it even if we had said no?"

"I wouldn't have done it personally but we had a back up plan just in case."

Sam laughed and shook his head. "Why does that not surprise me?"

I just grinned in response.

We stood out by the river for a short while longer and discussed plans for a new training schedule. The wolves were more than ready to take on Victoria but they would have to spend some time around the Volturi vampires, as well as Bella once she was turned, so that they could become acclimated to their scents and not rip them apart by accident. Although if Chelsea or Afton happened to lose a limb or two in the fray I wouldn't be too upset.

Once they left I decided to go on a quick hunt to clear my head. I had been thinking far too much over the last several hours and my brain needed a break from everything. Giving myself over completely to my vampire instincts was the only way I knew how to do that. A small herd of deer was just close enough for me to sense and I took off in their direction. I would have preferred a predator but this hunt wasn't about sating my thirst.

I leaped into a tree and watched the family as they munched on the local flora. I could appreciate the beauty of these creatures and tried to take the time as often as I could to do so. One of the few memories I had of my life as a human was of deer hunting with my father. He was a wealth of knowledge when it came to the practice and I found myself using some of what he had taught me even now.

I leaped gracefully from the tree and swiftly snapped the buck's neck while simultaneously grabbing the doe and doing the same. The two fawns that were with them looked on as I sunk my teeth into their mother's neck but they didn't stick around long. They turned and bolted into the trees before I could swallow my first mouthful of her blood.

I had both deer drained quickly and with my thirst as sated as animal blood would allow, I buried their bodies and headed back to the house. I didn't make it more than a few steps before I realized I was not alone. I looked up and found Marcus sitting on a fallen tree about twenty yards away.

"Marcus," I greeted, bowing my head respectfully.

"None of that," he said waving his hand. "As far as I'm concerned we are now family and there is no need for such displays. Carlisle informed me that you met with the shape shifters while we were out."

"I did," I answered.

"How did that conversation go? Since I did not see any dead bodies on the lawn I assume it went well?"

I chuckled. "They agreed to allow us to go ahead with our plans to change Bella."

"Excellent. This makes the situation much less messy."

I nodded in agreement and waited for him to continue but he remained silent. His emotions were telling me there was more he wanted to say but he was struggling with it. The slight under current of fear running through him had me more than a little intrigued. What could he possibly be afraid of?

"That's obviously not the only reason you came out here, Marcus. We could have discussed this when I returned or you could have gotten this same information from the others. I can feel that whatever it is you have to say is important though I can't understand the fear you're feeling."

He grinned and shook his head. "That part of your gift must be very frustrating, no? To feel what others are feeling but not able to understand the why behind those emotions."

I shrugged. "It can be at times. With Bella especially. That's the only time that I wish I had Edward's gift, not that it would matter with her."

"You are correct in assuming that I have something to discuss with you. Now that permission has been granted to change Bella I know that you will be the one to do it. I would like to ask you, if she is agreeable, to allow me to be the one to make her a vampire. She is my last living descendant and I wish to keep a connection with her. I would like for my venom to change her into what we are just as it was my blood that gave her life to start with."

Again, I didn't know how I was supposed to feel about his request. I understood where he was coming from and I knew that a part of him had hoped the wolves would deny me when I asked their permission. I stood still as a statue for a long while thinking this over but then decided it wasn't even my decision to make.

"I appreciate you coming to me and asking, Marcus but this isn't my decision. Bella is the one that needs to decide who she wants to turn her so my answer is that, whatever she decides, I will honor her wishes."

"Fair enough." he said. "We will speak with her about this when she wakes from her sleep. I do not wish to overwhelm her but the sooner this is done the better."

"I agree."

A few hours later found me lying in bed with my mate, watching as she stretched and opened her eyes to the new day. When her eyes met mine she smiled and curled herself back into my arms nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck.

"Good morning, darlin'."

"Morning," she mumbled against my skin.

"Did you sleep well? I know you were having some good dreams there for awhile."

I felt the heat as that telltale blush of hers made it's appearance. I chuckled quietly and grabbed her chin, pulling her face away from it's hiding place.

"Don't be embarrassed, my Bella. I like knowing that even your subconscious mind wants me as badly as your conscious mind does."

"Every part of me wants you, Jasper. Some more than others when you look at me that way."

I hadn't realized that I was looking at her in any specific way but I was sure my own want and need for her was showing in my eyes. I was old enough to this life to be able to control those baser urges but with her I didn't want to. I wanted to spend days, weeks, showing her with my body just how cherished, adored, and loved she was.

I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was meant to be chaste and sweet but that flew out the window the second our lips made contact. I pried her lips apart with my tongue and delved into the warm recesses of her mouth, her light moan encouraging me to kiss her harder. She fisted her hands in my hair and tugged trying to pull me as close as she could. I rolled her onto her back and allowed a small portion of my weight to rest on her, just enough to allow her to feel that I was there. I slid one hand under her thin tank top, brushing the tips of my fingers teasingly over the skin of her stomach. She jerked and started to giggle and I smiled against her lips.

"That tickles," she said.

"I know," I said as I applied more pressure forcing much louder laughter from her.

She squirmed and tried as hard as she could to get away from my tickle assault but it was futile. When her breathing became labored and she started begging me to stop I relented.

"You are a terrible person," she said as she jumped up and headed toward the bathroom.

"You love me," I said.

"Yes I do but that doesn't mean I like you very much right now. You almost made me pee my pants." She glared at me with her angry kitten face and I turned my head to hide my grin.

"I'll make it up to you later," I told her, waggling my eyebrows.

Once Bella was showered and dressed we headed downstairs to the kitchen. Esme had made her breakfast and I as I sat with her while she ate I regretted my decision to turn our make out session into a tickle fest. Watching the way her lips wrapped around her fork and listening to her moans of appreciation at the taste of the food were making it difficult for me to sit still.

Marcus eventually joined us at the table to chat with Bella as she ate. He wanted to know everything about her so he assaulted her with questions about her life prior to moving to Forks. She seemed all too happy to fill him in on what she continually called her boring life. Eventually she turned the tables and began asking him questions instead. It was amazing to listen to his stories and I found myself just as fascinated as Bella seemed to be to hear about things that happened hundreds of lifetimes before even Carlisle was born.

His emotions turned somber when he started telling Bella about his mate, Didyme. While they spent more years together than her human mind could reconcile it was obvious that the pain of her loss had not lessened over the years. Nor would it ever. He still smiled at the memories he shared with us and spoke her name with such reverence that it was like he was speaking of a deity that should be worshiped. I had no doubt in my mind that that was exactly how he had treated her when she was alive. That was exactly how one's mate should be treated.

"Why did you stay with him?" Bella asked after Marcus told us the story of her demise. "I don't understand how you can look at him every day and resist the urge to set him on fire and dance around the ashes."

"It's not that simple, cara mia. I will always hold a grudge against my brother for ruining my forever. Our relationship has not been the same since that fateful day and no matter how he tries there is just no chance of repairing it. I tried several times over the years to end my own life. To escape this world and join mia amata wherever it is that we go when our lives here on this earth cease. My brothers would not allow it and each attempt was stopped so I gave up trying. Killing him would no doubt bring me great joy and a sense of peace and closure. However, Aro is also mated and Sulpicia is as much my sister as young Alice is yours. I could never be the one to cause her that kind of pain."

Bella nodded and sat quietly allowing all of the information Marcus had given her to sink in. I could see his reasoning for why he had chosen not to retaliate but it simply just showed me how different we were. I would move heaven and hell to avenge my mate if someone took her away from me and I would care little about anyone who go in my way.

"Have you ever thought about leaving Volterra? I mean wouldn't it make it even a little easier if you didn't have to be around him all the time?"

"Leaving the safety of our stronghold is, again, not that simple, Isabella. As with any ruling family, human or otherwise, we have acquired enemies over the centuries. My brothers and I are not afforded time outside the city walls often, and when we do decide to leave, each trip must be planned meticulously and we must travel heavily guarded. Chelsea always travels with us as her gift is invaluable when dealing with hostile vampires that would like to see our heads on spikes."

He didn't elaborate about Chelsea's gift and Bella didn't ask. I was already aware that she had the ability to create false relationships and understood how her gift would be paramount if they happened across anyone wanting to do Marcus harm. She would be able to create a fake bond, forcing the hostile vampire to become loyal to Marcus. Carlisle had told me that he suspected this was how the Volturi retained such large numbers in their guard and I tended to agree. While I respected the Volturi the fact that they kept themselves hidden away in their castle in Volterra instead of venturing out into the world to see how it has changed over the centuries made some of their methods archaic and more than a little unjust. They were judge, jury, and executioner in our world.

"So after this is over I won't get to see you much unless I come to Volterra?" Bella asked.

I held my unneeded breath. The thought of Bella anywhere near Volterra, and Aro, set me on edge in a way that I couldn't even begin to describe. If I had it my way she would never even meet the other two brothers, much less spend any actual time in their presence.

"Now that I know of you, cara mia, I intend to visit you as often as I can. You and your family will always be welcome guests in Volterra but I fear, by the look on young Jasper's face, he worries about you spending time in my home. I must admit I have my own reservations as well."

"Oh?"

He smiled indulgently at her and stroked her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "Don't concern yourself with such things right now. We have more important things to discuss, which brings me to the reason I have come to speak with you this morning. As you are no doubt aware, the wolves have agreed to look the other way and allow you to be changed."

Bella looked to me expectantly with her eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, darlin'. I just haven't had the chance to tell you about my meeting with Sam last night. He said that because Jacob technically broke the treaty first they were willing to allow your change. I'm sure they aren't overly thrilled with the idea but that's to be expected."

"Well this is good. That means that eventually we can come back here. I know how much Esme loves this house."

I reached down and squeezed her hand. My Bella was the most selfless creature I had ever met. Rather than being concerned for her own safety she had been worried that Esme wouldn't be able to return to her favorite home.

"Yes, "Marcus agreed. "Their permission makes this situation much easier to manage as well as allowing us to retain an alliance with them for what is to come. I wonder, cara mia, if you would allow me the honor of being the one to change you. As I have expressed to Jasper, you are my last remaining descendant. As it was my blood that gave you life, I would love nothing more than to have my venom give you eternity. It would mean the world to me to keep that tie, that bond, to you."

Bella looked surprised at his request. She was feeling torn and I knew without having to ask that she was concerned with hurting my feelings if she said yes.

"Don't do that," I told her. "This decision is yours and yours alone, darlin'. While I would love nothing more than to have my venom running through your veins forever I won't be mad or upset if you choose to let Marcus do it instead. He has a good argument and regardless of who "creates" you, you will be a Cullen and my mate. Nothing can change that."

She nodded slowly and gave me a small smile. I squeezed her hand again to reassure her as I projected my feelings to her. I wanted her to know without a doubt that I was being honest with her.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" she asked. "I know we don't have a lot of time."

"You can take as much time as you need," I said.

She nodded and reached up and kissed Marcus's cheek. She then turned to me and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. She stood from her seat and we watched as she washed and dried her breakfast dishes and put them away. The menial task kept her hands busy and she did it slowly but I knew from her emotions that her brain as going a mile a minute. Once that was done she headed up to her room. All that was left for us to do was wait.

A/N: Thank you to those of you that reviewed the last chapter. I was glad to see that I still have some loyal readers after my extended absence. I considered officially putting this story on an indefinite hiatus while I tried to regain my inspiration but it seems as though there was no need. I will be starting the next chapter as soon as this one is posted so look for an update in a week or two (sooner if work stays as slow as it has been). See you then!