Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters: they are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I just daydream with them a bit.

Rated M for profanity, violence and potential adult situations.

Author's Note: Thanks everyone for reading and the wonderful feedback! I read all your comments, questions and suggestions and love hearing your thoughts and speculation. :-)

Chapter 27

Jasper POV

Through the night and into the next day I drove the others hard, putting them through their paces. We need to be ready, I justified my attitude, surveying their abilities. Or at least as prepared at we can be. I couldn't have the Volturi arriving to see a half-assed team who preformed sloppily.

Time after time I had them review defensive formations, run through drills, and practice offensive strategies. No one complained at first, understanding the need to be ready to confront an army. They practiced with renewed vigor; even Esme threw herself into training.

Eventually, their unflagging stamina gave way to frustration and tension. Things fell apart when Emmett misread Peter's signal during a match. He tackled Charlotte rather than Esme, nearly tearing off an arm in the process. Charlotte skidded across the ground, leaving a groove in the hard packed dirt in her wake.

Instinctively protecting his mate, Peter leaped onto Emmett. He grabbed his hair, pulling his head to one side in preparation of a bite. Rose rushed to Emmett's assistance, vainly attempting to pry Peter away from her mate. Shit! I thought, sprinting to break things up. This is getting out of hand.

As Peter lowered his head, Isabella pulled up a shield around Emmett, forcing Peter off his back. Unable to hold on to his prey any longer, Peter slipped from Emmett, landing on Rose. He snarled and snapped at her, struggling to get out of her choke hold. Pissed off, Peter clawed at Rosalie's arms, his razor-sharp nails digging into her flesh with a high-pitched screech.

"Damn it!" Rose snarled in pain, dropping her arms from Peter's neck who instantly turned on her. Before I could move to stop Peter from harming Rosalie further, Isabella had already encased her in a shield.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Peter bellowed. He stomped over to Isabella, bending his face so they were nose-to-nose. "Did you see what that asshole did to Char?" He pointed at Emmett, still encased in the immobile shimmering box Isabella had created. "How dare you intervene to protect him!" Peter ranted on and on, venting his bile at my Belle.

I nearly slugged Peter for his insolence, but stopped. Isabella can handle it, I reminded myself. Taking up a position behind my asshole of a brother in case he grew out of control again, I folded my arms and waited to see what my Belle would do. Peter is foolish to goad her. Does he not remember that she can slice off he head without lifting a finger?

My glorious mate stood tall, hands on her hips, her chin lifted. Her silence screamed displeasure; her eyes could have bored holes through Peter's diamond hard skin. Had I been in his position, I would have known better than to criticize her willingness to protect someone for whom she finally ran out of steam and began to cower under Isabella's furious glare.

"Are you done?" she hissed, her voice icy. Peter quailed at her tone, taking a step back. "How dare I? How dare I?" Isabella growled fiercely. "What the fuck were you thinking, Peter? Yes, Emmett screwed up, but Charlotte is fine. You nearly took off his head over an accident! And look what you did to Rose, who was just trying to keep you from seriously hurting her mate. This is practice, training! You went too far. Of course I was going to protect them against you."

Isabella poked Peter in the chest and he took another step back, bumping into me. He flinched at the contact, and I could feel his unease and fear spiking. "You are lucky that I didn't remove another limb of yours just to teach you a lesson," Isabella snarled. "Don't think I won't. You need to remember that we are all on the same team. We cannot fight each other; don't forget who the real enemy is."

Peter hung his head and I could feel his remorse. Isabella sighed and ran her hands though her hair, her anger slowly dissipating. "Now you have something to tell Emmett and Rose, and then I want you to get out of here before I change my mind and chop off your dick—since it seems you think with that rather than your brain."

Peter mumbled an apology to Emmett and Rose, then joined Charlotte who promptly smacked him upside his head. With a deferential nod to my Belle, they headed inside. "I guess this practice is finished for now," I commented dryly. "Why don't you all take some time and cool off."

Emmett and Rose went off to nurse their wounds and Esme headed inside. While the others were regrouping, I had Isabella work on her shield, setting her to exploding boulders and cacti. I could sense her enjoyment as she vented her own frustration on the local flora.

She did well, sending pieces of rubble and debris flying in all directions. It was a useful aspect of her talent, though we discovered that it had a limit on the range. Isabella could not project her shield much more than 10-15 yards, which meant that for it to be effective in battle, she would have to be directly int the fray.

After a few hours, I called the others back out. However, instead of having them fight each other, I tested Isabella to see how many individual shields she could produce and hold at once. It seemed that the when she was focused, she was able to shield us all.

Once we determined her ability, I had the others attempt to distract her to see if she would be able to produce shields under pressure. She could do it, but she was slower than when she was not under attack. We will need to have her shield us before battle, I stored the information for the time it would be needed.

Finally confident that we would not look foolish, I ended our practice. "We need to discuss a few things before the Volturi arrive," I informed the others, leading them inside.

"First of all, it is important to understand that the Volturi put a lot of stock in ceremony. Under no circumstance should you speak directly to the brothers unless they address you first or tell you otherwise." Peter had learned the difficult way—he had marched up to Caius and tried to be chummy. Caius had not been amused, setting Jane on Peter to teach him his place. After that incidence, Peter never tried to make friends with the brothers.

"I know it may be difficult, but try to be polite and respectful. Remember that they are our leaders and treat them as such." I went on to briefly describe the brothers and the guard, explaining what I knew of their personalities, characters and gifts. Emmett, Rosalie and Esme were concerned, but it was important that they were informed. The Volturi generally were not merciful of mistakes and I would not have anyone offend them out of ignorance.

"Secondly, we need to discuss your status," I addressed Rosalie, Emmett and Esme. "Carlisle could try to justify his actions by saying he was retaliating against me for stealing his coven members."

"That's fucked up!" Emmett protested. "Carlisle pushed us away, you didn't make us do anything."

"Yes, but all the Volturi will care about is that you are still technically members of Carlisle's family. They do not care about intent, but the letter of the law," I explained.

"Are you saying that you're kicking us out?" Emmett joked.

"No," I assured them. "I have a proposition for you. I would like to invite you to become official members of our coven."

"Ah, isn't that sweet!" Peter sang in a syrupy voice. "The Major is adopting new children."

"Callate, Peter!" I barked. "This is no time to fuck around."

Emmett and Rosalie gazed at each other, having a silent conversation. Finally, they turned back to me. "We'd love to join," Emmett spoke for them both. "Do we have to have a ceremony or something?" Peter guffawed at Emmett's remark and I rolled my eyes. Just what I need, another comedian.

"Very well, we are glad to have you. You will need to sever ties with Carlisle to ensure that any hold he may have over you is relinquished. If gave you any tokens of membership, you must either destroy or return them. I will set you both up with money and access to our general funds. Your eyes will go a long way to establishing our claims, for Aro knows that Carlisle insisted on his family abstaining from human blood." Turning to Esme I asked, "And you? Will you be joining us as well?"

Her face displayed her confusion and I could sense her deep sadness, loss and betrayal. Though her mate had forsaken her, she could not just walk away from him. "I don't think I can," she finally sobbed. "Until there is no hope left, I cannot willingly abandon him. I am a Cullen and will remain so."

I had anticipated her answer and prepared a back up strategy. "Since you were left behind by your mate and sire, I formally offer you sanctuary until the time that he is capable or willing to resume your protection and care," I said ceremonially. That will take care of Aro, I thought, knowing that he would likely read my memories.

"If questioned, you will need to be honest," I told everyone. "There is no need to hide the truth; indeed, deception is futile. Transparency will only foster trust and aid us."

"You make it sound as though you are not certain they will side with us," Isabella commented warily. "I thought you called them because they would help us."

"I believe they will," I answered. "However, nothing is set in stone. They will be fair and just according to their interpretation of the law. We are simply ensuring that the law is on our side. There is no need to worry, just be cautious and thoughtful."

I surveyed the others. "Any other questions?" No one spoke up, though a nervous undercurrent permeated the room. As we had covered all the pertinent details, I dismissed everyone with the stipulation they be ready to greet our guests the next morning at 7 a.m. The Volturi were always punctual and frowned upon tardiness.


The next morning we gathered at the front of the house, prepared to greet the Volturi. I stood in front with Isabella, Peter and Charlotte to my right and Rosalie and Emmett to my left. Esme anxiously hovered in the background.

I had instructed Isabella to keep her shield lowered as a symbol of our good faith. Therefor I was able to feel her odd mixture of emotions. They were a swirl of recognition, confusion and discomfort. "Deja vu?" I asked her, recognizing her feelings. "Why do you feel that we've done this before?"

"Because we have—well, Emmett, Rose, Esme and I have. We were waiting like this at the Cullen's house when you came. It all seems so familiar," she told me.

"Then maybe I ought to be worried," I told her with a smirk. "Last time you met me—I can't risk having you swept off your feet by some other man."

She gave a slight giggle at my lame joke, swatting me on the arm. "As though that could ever happen!" My distraction worked; she went back to waiting less worried than before.

We didn't need to wait long. Approximately 5 minutes to 7 a.m., a trail of dust was discernible in the distance; the Volturi had just turned down our long drive. Moments later two black stretch limos pulled up in front of the house. The drivers, both vampires, exited and opened the rear passenger doors in tandem.

"Always the spectacle," Peter mumbled. I glared at him, effectively shutting him up.

Out of the first limo stepped Aro with his personal shield Renata, followed by Marcus. Jane, Alec, Dimitri, and 5 lesser members of the guard exited the second car. All were dressed in their typical cloaks and hoods, shading their skin from the blinding sun. Aro glided up to us, Renata dogging him faithfully. Marcus stood by his side, the guard fanning out behind them.

I nodded respectfully in greeting and saw in my peripheral vision that the others followed suit. "None of that, none of that, Major Whitlock! We are old friends, are we not, Jasper?" Aro insisted, his voice warm and gracious. I raised my eyebrows, surprised at his reaction.

"Welcome, Aro. We are pleased to have you here," I replied correctly. Old friends? Acquaintances, yes. Colleagues, perhaps. But friends? That is not the term I would use to describe us.

He held out his hands and I placed mine in his. He stated, eyes glazed as he read my thoughts. "Yes, I see. You were quite right to contact us." He released my hand and turned to the others. "Will you introduced me to your coven?"

"Aro, I'd like to introduce my mate and fiancé, Isabella Swan Whitlock," I said, turning slightly to my Belle.

Isabella stepped forward, standing straight. I felt no fear or uncertainty from her; she was proud to be next to me and introduced as my mate. "Pleased to meet you," she said genuinely with a gentle smile. I swelled with pride to have her with me.

"My, my; my dear," he cooed. "Your name is appropriate, Bellisima. You are very beautiful. I can see why your Major was drawn to you. May I?" He held our his hand for her. Isabella glanced briefly at me for confirmation and I gave her a slight nod. She lightly placed her hand in his. After a moment he cried ecstatically, "Nothing! Incredible! Are you consciously blocking me?" He asked.

"No. As far as I know, my mental shield is always up and I've never found a way to lower it. On the other hand, my physical shield can be raised and lowered consciously. I can also place it around others, which then protects them from physical and mental attacks," She explained briefly.

"Yes, I saw," said Aro, with a kind smile that was at odds with his typical demeanor. "And it appears that you have the ability to use it as a weapon as well! You are a very gifted young lady. I look forward to a demonstration and speaking with you more."

He turned to Peter and Charlotte. "And of course I remember your faithful lieutenant Peter and his mate Charlotte." They nodded, thankfully keeping their mouths shut. "But who are these?"

"This is Emmett McCarty and his mate and wife, Rosalie Hale." I introduced them. "They were once members of the Cullen Coven, but have decided to join us instead."

"I see that they have abandoned Carlisle's foolish diet. A wise decision," he told them. "If you will allow me?" Aro first read Emmett's and then Rosalie's thoughts. "Very insightful. I regret to see that my old friend Carlisle is so altered. You were sensible to align your loyalties with our good Major here."

He turned his gaze to Esme, studying her eyes. "And I believe you must be Carlisle's mate, Esme," he addressed her solemnly. "Please allow me to convey my condolences. He was foolish to abandon such a treasure." I felt Esme bristle at the insinuation that she had permanently lost her mate. I knew she still held out hope that he could be redeemed and returned to her side.

"But I am being remiss. Please allow me to present my brother, Marcus." Marcus made no indication that he either heard, nor cared what Aro had said, staring blankly ahead. "Caius had to stay behind to attend to business in Volterra." Aro explained, not bothering to introduce the guard members.

After the formal introductions were complete, we gathered inside the living room to continue the conversations. The brothers sat regally on the couch while the guard stood behind. At Aro's gesture, we took the remaining seats. "Jasper, have you formed a plan of action?" Aro asked, cutting to the chase.

Apparently we are finished with pleasantries. "I've been training everyone for battle, but I have only a basic strategy. I wanted to wait until we had more information before solidifying our plans," I explained. I had learned my lesson about running into situations blind.

"We went Felix up to Washington to survey the situation. I expect him to report back in a few hours," Aro said. "Until then, we have other business to attend."

"No, you think?" Isabella blurted. She used sarcasm to deal with stressful situations, and now was no exception. "You mean you didn't fly all this way to chit-chat? Maybe you can start by explaining how you knew about me." I squeezed her hand in warning. We didn't need to push the Volturi's graciousness.

Aro must have guessed at my concern, for he chuckled jovially, "Please do not be uncomfortable, it is quite all right." I sensed no irritation, only mild amusement coupled with affection, very similar to the feelings of a grandfather towards a precocious grandchild. It was worlds apart from what I expected and had experienced. Somehow in only a few moments, Isabella had managed to twist the leader of the Vampire world around her finger.

"To answer your question, Bellisima, we received a letter informing us of a gifted newborn in Arizona. They mentioned your name and talent, but failed to indicate that you were the mate of the illustrious Jasper Whitlock," Aro apprised us. "I must admit that we had already mobilized before your mate called us, hoping to come and persuade you to join our guard. It was how we were able to arrive so quickly. However, I know that Jasper is unlikely to part from you and as of yet we have been unable to convince him to join us. I don't suppose that you will change his mind?" He added hopefully.

Isabella leaned forward intently. "Who told you about me?" she asked curiously, completely disregarding Aro's indirect offer.

"Alas, that is a mystery," Aro replied airily. "The letter was sent anonymously, and the scent on the paper was on we had never encountered."

"But the only people who know I was a vampire are either her or..." She trailed off, concern spiking.

"Or in Forks," I finished her sentence.

"It was not Carlisle," Aro assured. "We would have known if it was."

"That leaves the Seer," I commented. "Carlisle's 'daughter'" I clarified. "She is able to see the future based on decisions people make." But why would she inform the Volturi about Isabella, I wondered. It made no sense; Carlisle could have contacted the Volturi directly. Unless the Seer wanted them to come and take Isabella away, thinking that it would come to a fight. She did seem to bear Isabella a grudge. Or perhaps Carlisle had the Seer do it for him. There were just too many questions and not enough answers.

"Whoever it was, I am glad for the opportunity to meet you," Aro insisted. "You are an exceptional young lady. Had I not seen your change for myself, I would never believe you are only months old. It is almost as thought you were destined to be one of us!" Isabella shifted in her seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable to be the center of attention.

"She is beyond exceptional," Marcus spoke, his voice clear and low despite disuse. Aro turned to him, his eyes widening slightly at the unexpected speech. "I see a great connection between her and her mate. They are tied as surely and completely as two could possibly be, almost as though they are one instead of two." He stared at us as though he could see cords binding Isabella and I together.

He turned to gaze at Rose, Emmett, Peter and Charlotte. "She also has strong attachments to the others in her coven; nearly as strong as the bonds between a sire and their progeny, or what is typically seen between mates. They—love—her?"

It was a question, as though he did not understand the reason for the relationship. In our world, familial relationships were not the norm. Covens were typically small and held together by the desire for protection, rather than mutual esteem.

"Already cords are forming between her and us. She is anchoring us to her, pulling us in like a magnet. We are tied to her as surely as we are tied to each other." At his pronouncement, Marcus resumed his typically bored attitude, leaving the room in a shocked silence.

"What do you mean I am tying everyone to me?" Isabella asked. "I'm not doing anything!"

"Perhaps not consciously," Aro replied thoughtfully, tapping his lips with his forefinger. "But it is a very interesting insight. I saw how your mate was drawn to you, even when you were a human. The mating bond typically does not engage until both people are vampires. Have you never wondered why not one, but two covens would be attracted to a mere human? For though you were quite beautiful in your fragile state, it is very uncommon for so many to unconditionally accept someone who is not one of us."

I was stunned. Could Isabella have another passive gift? I had always assumed that my immediate devotion was because we were mates, but Peter, Charlotte and the Cullens had all been drawn to her, accepting her as one of their family. Even the guard was emanating feelings of acceptance; even kindness and familiarity which was very unusual. They granted respect only when earned, familiarity after decades, and rarely ever kindness.

Isabella mulled over Aro's comments. "Does that mean that I have another gift? Or is it part of my shield?" She wondered out loud, asking the question I had been pondering.

"It could be another gift," Aro began slowly. "Though if so, it is imperfect. Not everyone with whom you have interacted has fallen under your spell, have they? Most likely it is just that you are a kind, alluring young woman. I saw you though your mate's eyes; you love those around you completely, without reservation—even those who have not earned, nor deserved it. It is a rare gift to give one's heart fully. Even to an ancient, jaded man such as myself, that is attractive. Our human traits are augmented after the change; perhaps that quality was elevated when you became one of us."

A phone beeped, interrupting the conversation. A guard answered and handed it to Aro. He listened for a moment and asked a few questions in rapid Italian. Ending the call, Aro handed the phone back. "It appears you are right in your assessment of the situation in Washington, Jasper," Aro stated. "Felix was able to count 30 newborns."

30! Fuck! I thought, immediately beginning to weigh our odds. Carlisle has gone even further than I imagined. That many would be nearly uncontrollable for someone with little experience handling newborns.

"He also saw Carlisle and a short female with black hair—I assume that is the Seer you spoke of? A third vampire—a male—was with them. Felix mentioned that he was greatly disfigured. Do you know who he could be?" Aro's question interrupted my planning.

"No," I answered, recalling all of the vampires I had ever encountered. "I know of no one fitting that description." I'm the most disfigured vampire I know, I thought ruefully. I'm more scars than not.

"It hardly matters," Aro waved off the issue. "They are in clear violation of the law and we must act. You will come with us, of course." He told us, leaving no room for argument. "As you are directly involved, we will want your assistance and input."

Aro stood, clapping his hands. "Very well. We will plan on the way. As wonderful as this reunion has been, I do not wish to prolong the encounter any more than we must. Isabella, my dear, won't you ride with us? Of course your mate and coven may accompany you. We have more than enough room."

Isabella nodded, accepting Aro's proffered arm. As he escorted her outside, she looked back, giving me a small smirk. I could sense her bubbling humor and I recalled my earlier pronouncement that I should be worried that another man would sweep her off her feet. Well, fuck me, I thought, shaking my head ruefully at the sight of my mate arm in arm with the leader of our world. I guess we're not in Kansas anymore.

A/N: So what did you think? Were the Volturi what you expected? (They weren't what Jasper expected!) What about Marcus's revelation about Bella pulling people to her? Things are speeding up; we're going back to Forks in the next chapter. Thanks everyone for reading! :-)