A/N: I like writing Hermione as part of the Volturi, but I agree with some reviewers. Mission after mission would be repetative and boring. So I sort of skimmed over it, but there will be refernce to some of the events later on. Does that make sense? If not, I'll re-write this part after I've given up my not-so-sacred oath to abstain from coffee (I make this oath once a month or so it seems, and it never lasts more than a couple days. I don't know why I make the oath in the first place.)

I closed the Alice poll because I was writing a future chapter, and needed to write in her mate. So the decision is made, and I went with the will off the voters (which I admit was close, it was a two-vote difference). Alice's mate is.... going to be revealed in a later chapter. Sorry, got to have some secrets.

So, moving on, thanks to everyone who left a review so far. They really do motivate me to write, and I've recieved a really good response for this story. So enjoy, and please leave a review. And maybe I'll post the next chapter even quicker (as I'm sure some of you will be asking for after the ending to this chapter).

Mexico was hot, and the days were long, making their work slow. Aro had split them up into three groups, himself, Jane, Renata, Corin, Felix and Santiago in one group, Marcus, Caius, Alec, Heidi, and Demetri in the second group, and her leading Jasper, Chelsea, and Afton in the third. They went after two covens each. The first coven Hermione's group had come across had decimated themselves to the point where there were only five remaining, and were hardly even a challenge. The final one of these, in a last-ditch effort to save her own life, had run into a house where a party was going on. Rather than destroy the revelers Hermione destroyed the vampire, then modified the memories of the humans, and ordered the rest of the group away despite their mutterings of the law. The second group had Jasper on edge, and Hermione knew Aro had sent them after this group for a reason.

"Looks like they've fled," Felix muttered as they came across the old farmhouse Jasper had led them to.

"They haven't fled," Jasper replied, leading the way around the back of the house. A large pile of ash was sitting there, faint wisps of smoke poking through at spots and disappearing almost immediately into the wind. "She's tried to destroy the evidence. We must have come before she was ready, normally she would have scattered the ashes."

"Where would she have gone?"

"She has a favorite place..." he trailed off, leading the way. They crossed a field, hopped over a mostly dry river, and made their way through a long stretch of desert before coming across a couple hills. Without hesitation he aimed for the two biggest hills, and stopped before the entrance to an old mine hidden between the two.

Hermione lit her wand and led the group inside. She could smell three different vampires, and followed the scent through the tunnels until they came across a large underground cavern. On the other side stood the three vampires- one small woman and two large men, standing and looking ready to fight.

"Oh, Maria," Jasper groaned. "So predictable."

"Jasper?" the woman said, starting across the cave. "Is that you?"

"Unless you believe your eyes and ears are playing tricks on you."

"I don't suppose they are. And I can say I'm not surprised to find you in present company. You never were one for the free and simple lifestyle."

"You got greedy," he said simply.

"I was trying to get some of my old glory back," she smiled. "After you left things went downhill. There was never another that could do as well as you. I found one with half your talent, but when things required us to move quickly, I thought it best not to leave the one with the best evidence against me alive."

"You kept your two most skilled as bodyguards, then?"

"Of course. I like living, Jasper. I'm not ready to give up without a fight."

"It is over, Maria," he sighed. "Do something with dignity for once in your life, and let us end it quickly."

"It doesn't need to be," she smiled, stepping towards him and reaching a hand to cup his face. Behind him he heard Hermione let off a soft snarl. He felt a shift in the mood, and he knew Chelsea was working on breaking down the bonds between the bodyguards and Maria.

"You and I did so well together. Come back to me, and we can relive our old glory."

"No," he said simply. "You can fight, or you can give yourselves up, which would make it easier."

"Please, Jasper..." she smiled sweetly. "Remember the good times."

"I try to forget. The worst day with Hermione is better than the best day here."

Hermione couldn't stop the look of shock that crossed her face, but she recovered quickly. She knew she and Jasper were getting more serious by the day, and that it was only a matter of time before she gave herself to him, but it was a shock to see how much his world revolved around her. How many of her feelings were hiding behind that wall she had constructed. What would flow through if she allowed that dam to break?

"You can't say they were all bad..." she smirked, and there was something in her eyes, the way she looked over at Jasper, that had Hermione seeing red.

"Enough with the talk," she growled. "You know why we're here, Maria, or you wouldn't have destroyed your army and hid yourself. If you want to try to fight, start it. If not, I'll make it quick."

Chelsea and Jasper looked at her in shock, but Afton chuckled in amusement, like he knew this was coming for some time.

With her final pleading look being ignored by Jasper Maria nodded once to Hermione, who brought her wand down in three swift motions, then left the cave without another word.

"I think someone needs some girl time," Chelsea said, faking a smile and grabbing Hermione's hand. "Girl time means away from you lot," she added to Jasper and Afton as they made to follow.

"I think we're supposed to get back to Aro as quickly as possible," Afton muttered. "As it is we won't be able to make it back to Mexico city tonight. We've only got two hours until sunrise."

"All the more reason we should just put it off until tomorrow. They can wait a couple extra hours. And don't you pull that on me," she hissed at her mate. Afton's gift was his power of persuasion- while he couldn't completely influence someone's free will, he could make someone who was undecided or not totally committed sway to his way of seeing things. "Not right now. I want to talk to Hermione. Why don't you two set up the tent or something? We'll be back in a while."

"Chel..." he started, but Jasper nudged him hard in the ribs. "Fine. Be back before the sun rises."

"I will," she said, stepping forward to give him a quick kiss.

"Don't worry about us," Hermione muttered to Jasper, who had grabbed her hand and was staring into her eyes. "I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt it," he replied softly. "If you didn't notice, I'm on your side here."

"The tent is in my bag. And warn Afton that there's only so much magic can repair, so he needs to be gentle on that extra room."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled. "I love you."

She opened her mouth, but stopped herself before the words came out. Instead she pulled him down for a quick kiss, then followed Chelsea towards the hills.

"This seems safe," Chelsea announced as they reached a hilltop. A small town sat before them, mostly dark in the very early morning blackness, just a few lights in windows, a hospital, and a couple cars cruising the streets. "Don't want to be overheard by the men."

"That make it sound like we're about to have one of those girl talks," Hermione grumbled, looking down at a distant police car.

"Yes, but I in no way mean to be harsh. I want to know how you feel about Jasper."

"I like him," she answered blandly.

"How much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you slept with him?" she asked, studying her friend's face.

"Not yet," she shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Why not?"

She replied with another shrug.

"I've really tried to keep from interfering, but I can see what this is doing to Jasper. He knows your his mate, part of him knew it before he turned you or he wouldn't have bothered not killing you. But you've spent the better part of eight months keeping him at arms length."

"I'm still a newborn..."

"Don't hide behind that. You have more control than any newborn we have ever seen, and you know it. If it weren't for the brightness of your eyes I'd guess you were a decade at least. You've even stopped having problems walking around crowds, you can breathe freely. You're just making excuses to put off thinking about where you are with Jasper."

She bit her lip and looked pointedly away. Chelsea was right, but she wasn't going to admit it out loud.

"You need to be fair to him," she said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "He's been very patient. I don't need to know what you think, just promise you'll be doing a bit of thinking."

Hermione sighed loudly.

"I'm worried about both of you, Hermione. It's almost like you're afraid to have a bit of happiness. You're my best friend..."

"I am?"

"Yes. I've known all those others for centuries, and I've never felt the true bond that I do with you. And I know that what you're feeling is truly what you feel because I can't influence you the way I can everyone else."

"You can't?" she asked in surprise.

"Of course not. You didn't know that? None of us can. You can let Aro hear you, but you've shut him off, and I've never seen that before. He's asked us all to try to ambush you with our abilities, try to catch you at a time when you have no chance of putting up a defense. Nothing. And trust me, Alec and Jane have been trying. They're trying to prove that they are better than you in some aspect, but they've had no success. Demetri is going crazy, he says being around you is like trying to read a broken flight schedule at the airport. If he tries to focus on you when you're not near him he says that your location flips through all sorts of different places, like the essence of your mind is jumping from country to country in nanoseconds. And, what's more annoying, if you're touching Jasper you protect him, too. Unwittingly. Which is why I know you're mates. Having your magic almost instinctively make it so he is protected with you. He's tried when you and I are touching, and he can't find you, but he can find me. You only protect Jasper, and he protects you in return. He always puts himself between you and who he deems the biggest threats, even if they aren't threats.

I've done what Aro asked, I've strengthened Jasper's bond to the Volturi, but if you left right now he'd be right behind you."

"Wait, you've influenced Jasper?"

"Aro has me do it for everyone," she shrugged. "But I can't do it with you. Why do you think Jasper's taken to calling them 'Master' so easily? It wasn't even a challenge, as military-minded as he is. Another soldier awaiting his assignment. But in his mind Aro is the Colonel to your General. He has to take orders from Aro, but your orders trump his."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted by you implying our relationship is like enlisting," she chuckled.

"It's not like that. But you need to think about the two of you. Eight months is a long time to hide from your emotions."

"A couple minutes alone, please?"

"Of course. I'll be at the bottom of the hill. There's a cave down there with some paintings, I want to see if I can figure out how old they are." She gave Hermione a tight hug and kissed her cheek before disappearing as quickly as the wind.

Hermione looked back down towards the town as she sat on a large boulder. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and visualized the last remnants of her wall falling down. She let her true emotions, the ones she had been trying to keep at bay, rush over her, knowing that she was well away from anyone's influence. Jasper's face immediately swam in front of her eyes, and she paid attention to the feelings that came crashing over her. Lust, but she wouldn't deny that before, though she did try to control it around Jasper. Goodness knows what would happen if she radiated lust, and he returned the favor. Trust. Protectiveness and a bit of possessiveness. Nothing unexpected for someone who had been seeing someone for nearly half a year.

What surprised her was the lack of certain emotions. She used to hate him. But that was nowhere in her mind. She expected to feel restrained, and she felt quite the opposite. Just the sight of his face in her mind had her grinning uncontrollably. It was time to reward his patience with her. It was time she acknowledged her true feelings. Chelsea was right. She was making every excuse to keep her feelings from coming to the front of her mind, but she was adjusted to her life, and there were no more excuses.

The sky was getting pink just on the horizon, so she ran down the hill to find Chelsea emerging from the cave.

"Any longer and I would have had to come drag you back down," Chelsea smiled as a greeting.

"Find your cave art?"

"Found some pictures that look like they were drawn by twelve year olds a couple weeks ago. I don't think cavemen focused so much on breasts."

"You don't know for certain. You haven't been a vampire that long. For all you know cavemen were as obsessed about breasts as the average man today is."

"Which is why Felix stares at yours."

She snarled. "There might be a rule against destroying our own, but I'm just about ready to break it."

"Jasper will break it for you if he doesn't cut it out."

"I can't help it if I have a nice set."

"Don't get the vampire ego, okay. We know we're hot. It's design."

"You don't let me have any fun."

"You'll have plenty of fun if I think you decided what I think you decided, judging by that smile plastered across your face," she smirked as they reached the clearing where the men had pitched the tent. "Just keep it down."

"You should bloody talk," she hissed. "We heard a good deal of it last night before I gave up and cast a silencing charm."

They were both giggling as they entered the tent. Chelsea and Afton immediately disappeared into the spare room to spend their day together. Hermione rolled her eyes and cast a pre-emptive silencing charm.

"Thank you," Jasper smiled, then he motioned towards the couch while reaching for the book they were currently reading together.

"I actually have something different I want to do today," she said, biting her lip.

"Really? What?" he asked, looking confused.

Sighing she let down the shield she placed to keep him from exerting too much influence over her emotions. He could immediately feel the lust she was radiating. A primitive sort of noise, halfway between a growl and a purr, erupted from his throat before he had the chance to stifle it.

"Be careful with those emotions around me," he hissed through clenched teeth as he fought to keep his control.

"Not tonight," she replied, staring right back into his eyes.

Three seconds passed where neither of them moved or spoke. She was wondering if he was trying to find a way to let her down gently, if he was rejecting her in some way, when he jumped over the couch, snatched her up into his arms, and carried her towards the main bedroom almost before she could register that he had moved.