Forever Mine

by MidnightHalo

When the Volturi is destroyed Demetri is left to protect Aros only daughter. When she's suddenly kidnapped, adopted, and thrown into a life of abuse and torture will she find her escape in the brokenhearted Jasper.

37. Bubble Wrap

As Always: This story is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real locations are used purely fictitiously. Any names, places, or actual events are incidents of the author's imagination. I do not own twilight or the characters. I do own Allie and any character that was not in twilight.

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Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bubble Wrap

Allie

As I drifted, I dreamed.

Where I floated, under the dark water, I heard the happiest sound my mind could conjure up – as beautiful, as uplifting, as it was ghastly. It was another snarl; a deeper, wilder roar that rang with fury.

I was brought back, almost to the surface, by a sharp pain slashing my upraised hand, but I couldn't find my way back far enough to open my eyes.

The freezing water of the river cascaded over my body. I could feel my temperature dropping quickly. As hot as I am it doesn't take much to cool my temperature and the wintery, half frozen, river was cooling my burning skin too quickly. I could feel myself shaking beneath the water but I couldn't move my muscles. I couldn't make myself sit up and I began to panic as my lungs burned for air.

And then, I knew I was dead.

Because, through the heavy water, I heard the sound of an angel calling my name, calling me to the only heaven I wanted.

"Allie! . . . Shit, where is she? Allie!" the angels voice cried.

I tried to make my body move, to go to him and assure him everything was going to be okay but my muscles were locked in place. My skin began to tingle and trembling with the cold.

"Allie! . . . Alice where is she? Allie!" the angel called again.

Behind that longed-for sound was another noise – an awful uproar that my mind shied away from. A vicious bass growling, a shocking snapping sound, and a high kneeing, suddenly breaking off . . .

I tried to concentrate on the angel's voice instead. But I felt as if my lungs were burning. I couldn't breathe but I couldn't move against the weight on my chest.

"Oh shit . . . Allie," I heard his cry and something yanked on my shirt. Cold air stung my wet skin. "Allie, Allie, no, oh please, no, no!" and the angel was sobbing tearless, broken sobs.

The angel shouldn't weep, it was wrong. I tried to find him, to tell him everything was fine, but I could still feel the water, it was so deep, pressing on me, and I couldn't take a breath.

"Kate," another voice said, gently, calmly. "Gently," he ordered. And then away from me, "Tanya run home and tell Esme we need lots of warm blankets and warm water. I'll need the medical suite prepared before we get there I'm going to have to set her leg and she'll need stitches."

"Okay."

"Now Kate," the soft calm voice spoke again.

I felt a sudden shock crushed against my heart. Air was forced into my lungs and another shock surged through my body.

There was a point of pressure against my head. It hurt. Then, as that pain broke through the darkness to me, other pains came, stronger pains. I cried out, gasping and coughing, breaking through the dark pool.

"Allie!" the angel called. My stomach heaved and I coughed and spluttered as the water left my lungs. I gasped for air – my lungs begging for it.

"She's lost some blood, but the head wound isn't deep," a calm voice informed me. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

A howl of rage strangled on the angel's lips.

I felt a sharp stab in my side. This couldn't be heaven, could it? There was too much pain for that.

"Some ribs, too, I think," the methodical voice continued. "We'll need to get her back to the house, quickly, so I can examine her further. But I need to stop the bleeding first, my bag, please . . ."

"Jazzy" I whispered, my voice raspy and small.

"Allie, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, darlin'?"

"Jasper," my voice was a little clearer.

"Yes, I'm here. It's okay, you're going to be okay."

"It hurts," I whimpered.

"I know, baby, I know" – and then, away from me, anguished – "can't you do something?"

"Alice, make me a tourniquet from your belt." I felt a hand on my leg and I screamed in pain. I realized my eyes were closed again. I opened them, desperate to find his face. And I found him. Finally, I could see his perfect face, staring at me with pain and rage in his eyes. "It's time to move her," Carlisle said softly. I felt Jasper lift me into his arms and press me close to his chest.

"Sleep sweetheart, your safe now," he murmured, his lips pressed against my forehead and my eyes closed. "Sleep now, darlin'," was the last thing I heard.

My eyes opened to a bright, white light. I was in an unfamiliar room, a white room. The walls were painted a light cream; over my head, the glaring light blinded me. I was propped up on a hard bed – a bed with rails. The pillows were firm. There was an annoying beeping sound somewhere close by. I hoped that meant I was still alive. Death shouldn't be this uncomfortable.

My hands were all twisted up with clear tubes, and something was taped across my face, under my nose. I lifted my hand to rip it off.

"No, you don't." And cool fingers caught my hand.

"Jasper?" I turned my head slightly, and his exquisite face was just inches from mine, his chin resting on the edge of my pillow. I realized again that I was alive, this time with gratitude and elation. "Oh, Jasper, I'm so sorry!"

"Shhhh," he shushed me. "You have nothing to apologize for, I'm the one at fault here. I shouldn't have let you go alone with Demetri. I should have known better. I trusted him with you, I won't make that mistake again." I could see the pain in his eyes, this hurt him as much as it hurt me. But beyond the pain I saw the fiery rage and distrust. Things would never be the same between the three of us again.

"This is not –"

"It is my fault," he interrupted, pressing his index finger to my lips. "I should have had people guarding him at all times. I should have gone with you or sent Bubba. I should not have let you go with him, into the forest, alone knowing he could turn on you at any moment. If I had lost you today," his voice broke and I couldn't stand to see him in this pain any longer. I placed my hand on his cheek and drew his lips to mine, gently kissing him.

Working to change the subject, I asked, "What happened?" I couldn't remember clearly, and my mind rebelled against me as I tried to recall.

"I was almost too late. I could have been too late," he whispered. His voice tormented. "Demetri attacked you, again. He almost killed you this time."

"I don't understand," I murmured. "Why is this happening to him? Does he want to kill me? One minute he's fine and he loves me and then he's attacking me. Is he that torn between killing me and loving me?"

"I honestly don't know, sweetheart. Whatever's happening, this isn't like the Demetri we know. That Demetri could never hurt you, he said so himself."

"Where's Joshua?" I panicked when I saw his bassinette empty besides my bed. I tried to sit up, but the spinning in my head accelerated, and Jasper's hand pushed me gently down onto the pillows.

"He's with Liliana and Carmen, he'll be back soon," he promised. "And you need to stay still."

I signed, and it hurt. I stared down at my body under the sheet, the huge lump that was my leg.

"How bad am I?" I asked.

Jasper's face contorted in guilt. "You have a broken leg, eleven broken ribs, your right arm is broken and your left wrist is broken, your shoulder was dislocated, you had a little internal bleeding in your abdomen but Carlisle was able to stop it, the back of your skull was fractured, your left ankle is sprained, bruises and cuts are covering the length of your body, and you've lost a lot of blood. Carlisle gave you a few transfusions. I didn't like it – it made you smell all wrong for a while."

I giggled softly, it hurt. "That must have been a nice change for you."

"No, I like how you smell."

"Nothing life threatening?"

"Not this time," he murmured, looking down at my broken body.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours." He said softly. He lowered the rail on the bed and carefully slid in beside me, gently wrapping his arm over my stomach. It felt nice to have his body close to mine again. Comforting.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking around the sterile white room. I didn't think Jasper would take me to a hospital but my injuries could have been that serious that I needed a hospital.

"You're still in the house. You gave birth in this room," he reminded me gently.

"Oh, I don't remember."

"Allie, I want you to stay away from him," Jasper said suddenly. "I don't want him anywhere near you, not until we know what's going on." His voice was even, but his face was black with fury.

I tried to reach his face with my free hand, but something stopped me. I glanced down to see the IV pulling at my hand.

"Ugh." I winced.

"What is it?" He asked anxiously – distracted, but not enough. The bleakness did not entirely leave his eyes.

"Needles." I explained, looking away from the one in my hand. I concentrated on the warped ceiling tile and tried to breathe deeply despite the ache in my ribs.

"Afraid of needles," he muttered to himself under his breath, shaking his head. "Oh a sadistic vampire, intent on torturing her to death, sure, no problem, she runs off to meet him. An army of vampires coming to watch her burn, nothing to worry about, a giant angry bear roaring three feet from her, easy. Getting two tattoos, simple. Her mate attacking and trying to kill her, twice, nothing to worry about. An iv, on the other hand . . ."

I rolled my eyes. I was pleased to discover that this reaction, at least, was pain-free.

"The tattoo was on my back, that was different I couldn't see the needle." I smiled softly. I decided to change the subject. "When can I get out of here?"

"When pigs fly," he murmured.

"I could probably arrange that," I smiled softly, trying not to giggle. "Maybe dress him in goggles and dark brown leather jacket with a matching hat . . . he'd look so cute."

He turned to face me then, stroking my cheek with the lightest of touches. "I was serious when I said I don't want Demetri near you. I can't allow him to hurt you again. Do you realize just how much it hurts me every time I see you lying here in pain because someone has hurt you? It hurts twice as much knowing Demetri is the one hurting you. I should have stopped him. I should have seen it coming. But I trusted him and I shouldn't have. It was only a matter of time before he snapped again and I knew that. We still don't know what's triggering this loss of control. He's your mate Allie, he shouldn't be able to abuse you like this. . . . I could have lost you today."

"Okay," I said softly. I knew the pain of being away from one of my mates. But living in pain until we can figure out what's happening to him or dying . . . well, there really isn't a contest. "I trust your judgment. If you think I'm safer away from him, then I'll stay away from him."

"Thank you," he lightly kissed my cheek and I snuggled down into his body, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Rest sweetheart," he murmured. "We've got a long few days ahead of us. Your only job is to heal."

My fingers intertwined with his hand resting on my stomach and I could feel the weight of my eyelids as the lethargy swept over me.

I could feel his lips at my ear.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Mmm . . . I love you too."

I turned my head slightly . . . searching. He knew what I was after. His lips touched mine gently and my head buried into his neck as the light closed over me.

---

Jasper

There was a light tap on the door and Liliana and Nathan stepped inside. I watched as Liliana rushed to her daughter. She gently smoothed Allie's damp hair and lightly kissed her forehead.

"What's happening to Demetri?" Nathan asked looking out the window that overlooked the back garden.

"I'm not sure," I told them honestly. "It's happened once before while we were being hunted by another vampire, James. Edward and Demetri attacked Allie then, it was only by luck that I was able to save her. James had tainted his venom with iron and then he bit her."

Liliana gasped in horror. "Oh my sweet little fairy," she sobbed softly. "She's been through so much in her short life. She doesn't deserve her mate turning on her too."

"Carlisle would like to speak to you about Demetri. He's waiting in his office for us now. I've told him Spencer should be able to tell if something is happening to Demetri's mind or if it is him losing control. I have a hard time believing someone would control him this way, he was much too composed."

I didn't want to leave Allie and from their emotions I could see Liliana and Nathan realized it too.

"It's alright Jasper," Liliana said light. "I won't leave her side until you get back. Esme is on her way up now, with Carmen and Alice. Allie has enough to deal with, without adding to her stress. She's going to have to make a few hard decisions when she wakes up, let her rest now." With Liliana's words Esme, Carmen, and Alice walked into the room. Alice held a pile of fresh clothes in her hands, Esme a basin of water, and Carmen had Joshua and his bouncy chair.

I watched Alice rush over to Allie. She tenderly smiled at the tiny sleeping girl and brushed her fingers through her blood matted hair. I felt Alice's overwhelming love that she felt for the tiny fragile girl laying broken before us. Alice pressed her lips gently to Allie's cheek as she brushed her fingers over her cool cheek and leaned her forehead against Allies. I watched as her body relaxed slightly and her eyes closed as her breathing deepened. Something about the small act didn't seem entirely sisterly but I couldn't worry about that now.

"Alright boys, out, out, out, out!" Esme shooed us. "Off you go while we get our daughter cleaned up. It would only upset her more if she woke up still covered in her blood, and in this dreadful nightgown. Go take care of Demetri now, we'll keep Allie safe, Jasper," she promised.

I nodded and lightly kissed Allie's cheek. "I should go check on the situation outside first. I'll meet you in Carlisle's study, Nathan." I nodded to Nathan as we separated and I rushed down the stairs.

As I walked through the living room I saw Bella holding onto a sobbing Renesmee. Bella's body was tense and unfriendly, our guest sensed this and gave her a wide berth.

"How are you doing?" I asked Bella before I passed to go into the yard. I knew that this was as hard on her as it was me. She'd never seen Edward react like this, none of us had.

"How do you think I'm doing Jasper," she snarled. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting and it seemed to get everyone's attention, including Anna who's head snapped up and her icy glare turned to Bella. "First she steals my husband and then she turns him into a killer, oh I'm just fuckin' fantastic Jasper! Do you have any idea what this is doing to Renesmee?!"

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm not upset because of Dad. He deserves everything he gets, he could have killed her!" Nessie hissed, shrugging out of Bella's arms and slowly walking up the stairs with Jacob following behind her.

I was stunned. Bella's rage and anger towards Allie was earth shattering. I felt the growl rise up in my chest but forced it back down. I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.

"Bella, Allie didn't steal your husband," I informed her.

"Don't play dumb Jasper," Rosalie snarled from besides Bella. Her arms wrapped around Bella's waist and Bella leaned into Rosalie's body. "You know as well as we do that the little whore mated with Edward."

And that was the end of my patience.

Before anyone could blink or move I'd lifted Rosalie out of her seat and held her by her neck against the nearest wall. She hung a few inches from the ground growling and snarling as she tried to break free of my hold.

I felt Jack and Peter cautiously making their way towards me and Rosalie.

"Jasper, I'm going to ask you nicely to put my mate down." Jack's voice was calm and controlled. I felt his need to protect his mate rising but it was easier for him to control than my own need to protect Allie.

I hissed as they got a little closer and they backed off, unsure what I was going to do. "I don't know what you two think has happened between Edward and Allie but I can assure you, as her mate and an empath, she does not love Edward in any way."

"Yeah, right," Rosalie said sarcastically. "We all see it Jasper, she's a thieving little whore."

Anna's warm hand lightly brushed against my arm. "My sister may be many things, but a whore is not one of them." I was surprised by the amount of calm in her voice.

"Edward tells a different story," Rosalie growled.

"Edward is out of his damn mind!" I growled. "Were you not there when he attacked us?" How could she not see that Edward had lost his mind, he'd attacked the family. He had Esme pinned to the floor before I could move off the porch, he tore off Maggie's arm, and tried to tear out Carlisle's throat. Was she blind?

Rosalie glared at me but didn't speak. In that moment she slipped, and I could read all her underlying outrage, her jealousy, her hostility towards Allie. I could clearly feel why she was in such a poor temper with me. Why Demetri's attack had not bothered her conscience at all. The feelings left me oddly surprised and curious.

With Rosalie, it was always about vanity.

"Major," Peter growled.

"Speak about my mate that way again, and I'll rip your damn head off," I snarled and dropped Rosalie to the floor. We'd always had a close relationship until I left the family. Rosalie seemed to blame me for the problems that arose within our coven. And now I saw that she was blaming Allie for the problems that arose in her marriage. For Rosalie this wasn't about Edward. It was always about Emmett's love for Allie.

Anna turned her icy glare on Bella and hissed menacingly. "If you're so worried about Allie stealing your precious husband why don't you confront her about it instead of treating her like the town whore." She looked at Rosalie and then back at Bella. "And remember this ladies, you will never understand my bond with my sister. But I will know if you hurt her in any way. Jasper may make the threat but trust me if you hurt Allie, you better run and run fast because I will come after you. And just in case that isn't incentive enough," she looked at the fire place which was suddenly bursting and crackling with bright purple flames. I had a sense that Anna wouldn't hesitate to kill if her sister was in danger. "My gifts are a little more advanced than Allies right now, only because I've had the resources to learn about them and the time to practice them. Trust me, that's just the tip of the ice berg." She turned away from the guests and Bella's shocked expression, walking back into the yard to Demetri and Edward.

I turned to make my way into the yard when Rosalie hissed. "She could be hiding her emotions from you, Jasper."

I didn't bother to dignify that with an answer. Allie could be hiding her feelings from me, there's no doubt about that, but I knew her better than anyone and I knew she didn't have feelings for Edward. I wasn't sure about Emmett. She'd flip flopped on the subject so many times it was a rare occasion if she knew what she felt for him.

"You're just going to walk away from me?" Rosalie shouted. "It's because you know I'm right! Just admit that she's mated with him, it'll be so much easier in the long run."

I left the house and closed the door behind me. When I walked onto the back porch I saw that Garrett held Demetri around his stomach, his arms trapped by his side. He was perfectly still, his eyes focused on Demon in front of him. Emmett held Edward, who had attacked in hope that I wouldn't get to Allie in time, in the same position as Garrett held Demetri. Anna stood in front of both men looking murderous with her teeth bared and her narrowed eyes.

Kate was trying to bring Demetri out of his composed rage while Tanya stood beside Anna, dodging Edward's kicks every now and then. I had never seen Edward so out of control. He was always the perfect one, the one with the most self control besides Carlisle. I'd always thought he looked down his nose at me because of my lack of control. And I could see that Allie saw that too, it was one of the reasons I knew she wasn't mated with him. He'd angered her many times with something she'd heard in his thoughts, something she'd heard about me. Now I looked at him and saw an out of control newborn thrashing around in Emmett's arms. Demetri on the other hand was too calm, a smile played on his lips and his body controlled and relaxed in Garrett's hold.

"How's Allie?" Emmett asked with worried eyes. I felt Rosalie's jealousy rise and the back door slam as she left the house.

"She'll live," I said calmly.

"Can I see her now? Carlisle said I couldn't before." I saw his grip loosen on Edward just a little.

"First things first Em, then I promise you can see her."

I put my hand on Tanya's shoulder. "Why don't you ladies go help Esme and the girls with Allie? Emmett, Garrett and I will stay here and keep trying to snap them out of it."

"What was that with Rosalie and Bella?" Tanya asked.

"They're under the impression Allie has mated with Edward," I answered.

"Has she?" Kate's voice was indifferent. Kate and Tanya had never cared that Allie would mate with multiple partners. Neither of them saw it as a problem as long as Allie was happy, Tanya had even considered the idea herself, although she was more interested in the physical relationship than being bonded with anyone.

"No," I answered honestly. "We'll meet in Carlisle's office in fifteen minutes." I said closing all other conversation.

Kate turned and looked up at me with sorrowful eyes. "I hate seeing her like this, Jasper. What's happening to Demetri? Why are they doing this to her?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Kate. Don't worry about it now, go help Esme. I'll calm them down and see if they remember anything. Eleazar and Marcus took Bubba hunting, they're bringing back blood for Allie and these two. Hopefully the blood will help heal her quicker."

Kate nodded and I watched the girls walk back into the house and disappear up the stairs. I turned back to Emmett and Garrett with the two men locked in their arms. I could feel myself slipping into old patters. I heard Peter, Jack, and Spencer step out onto the porch but none of them came any closer. I could feel eyes on my back as our guests watched the struggle in front of me and Emmett grinned happily.

My military side was coming to the forefront of my mind as I first assessed the situation that was Edward. His eyes were deeply black, burning with hunger and anger. His moved frantically in Emmett's arms, straining against the steel tight grip. Growls and snarls erupted through his chest as he pushed, kicked, and snapped his teeth at anything that came near him.

I turned to assess Demetri. He was perfectly still. His eyes were focused on the second level of the house, the room where Allie slept. From where I stood I could see the girls moving around but Allie was out of sight. He gave of waves of frustration and fury but outwardly didn't show any emotion. His training as a Volturi guard had slipped into place, just as my military side had.

"You both doin' alright?" I asked.

Garrett grinned happily. "Yup, I'm loving this."

"I have him right where I want him," Emmett said happily, his boyish, playful, grin widening. "He might be able to win when we wrestle but he can't beat the brute strength once I've got my arms around him."

I chuckled at their enjoyment of the situation. Demetri snarled abruptly and began to fight in Garrett's arms. This seemed to urge on Edward who began frantically kicking and thrashing against Emmett's grip.

"I was hoping we could talk like civilized vampires," I said. If they wanted to act like newborns I would treat them as such. "Be ready men." I threw out a mixture of lethargy, misery, remorse, defeat, and powerlessness to Edward and Demetri, unfortunately it would hit Garrett and Emmett as well. All four men fell to the ground and I felt bad as I watched Emmett and Garrett slip into unconsciousness like Demetri and Edward had.

Peter, who knew firsthand how to deal with newborns, was at my side immediately. He pulled Demetri off Garrett while I moved Edward off Emmett.

"Was that necessary?" He asked.

"Yes."

I could see Eleazar, Marcus, Bubba, Alec, and Jane coming back from their hunt. When they saw the four unconscious men they picked up their speed, their worry and fear rising as they ran towards us.

"What's happened here?" Eleazar demanded.

"They attacked Allie again," I answered.

"Oh no," Jane breathed. "Is she alright? Did they hurt her?" I noticed Jane at Anna's side, looking up at her with worried, sorrowful, eyes.

"Demetri did a fair bit of damage. She's asleep right now why don't you go into the house, I'm sure she'll be thirsty when she wakes, would you mind –"

"Of course not!" Jane darted into the house and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare Allie's blood.

"Are they unconscious?" Marcuse asked looking down at Demetri.

"Yes. I can render a vampire unconscious, just not through physical means. They'll stay this way until I wake them. Jack, Peter would you mind taking Demetri and Edward into our house. We'll take turns guarding them, I don't want them near Allie until this is over or we've figured out why they keep attacking her."

"Yes, Major." Peter grabbed Demetri and swung him over his shoulder. Once they were far enough away I fed Garrett and Emmett their emotions and awakened them.

"What the fuck!" Emmett growled and shot up off the ground, his body tense and preparing to a fight.

"Emmett language!" Esme's voice floated down from somewhere in the house.

"Sorry Mom!" he yelled.

"Where are Edward and Demetri?" Garrett asked, his eyes darting around the yard.

"Peter and Jack have detained them in our house. They won't wake until I want them to. I want them kept away from Allie until we know what's going on and why they keep attacking my mate."

"That was too cool, Man!" Emmett grinned mischievously. "Does Carlisle know you can knock vamps out?"

"Yes. Focus now Em, we need to be prepared for another attack and the Romanians will arrive in five days. Hopefully before they arrive Demetri and Edward will have snapped out of their trance and can explain themselves."

"How's Allie?" Emmett asked, his eyes searching the house from the outside.

"She's had better days but I'm hoping Arabella and Damon can heal her before the Romanians arrive." I said looking down at Damon in wolf form. He nodded once and disappeared.

My mind wondered back to when Edward attacked the family. If I had seen what he was doing, seen that he was trying to distract me, I could have gotten to her sooner. I never should have let her go alone with Demetri. My instincts were telling me, screaming at me, to go with them but I didn't listen. He's her mate and I didn't think he'd attack her again. The guilt was eating away at me when I felt Emmett's hand on my shoulder.

"Listen, whatever you're thinking right now, this isn't your fault. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Nobody could have seen this coming, Alice and Allie didn't even see. The decision is happening too quickly."

I hadn't realized I'd been projecting my emotions.

"Oh please," Alec scoffed, "of course it was going to happen again, it was only a matter of time. Your guilt is just, Jasper. This was your fault, you could have stopped it, you could have stopped Demetri. Maybe you chose not to protect her, to let him kill her and wash your hands free of her pathetic, needless, existence."

I growled angrily but he was right, this was my fault. I could have stopped this from happening. Allie was hurt because of me.

"Emmett's right," I turned to see Alice standing directly behind me. Her big beautiful golden eyes were filled with sorrow and pain as she looked up at me. "Demetri didn't make the decision to attack Allie, it's why I didn't see it. I can't see what's making him attack her or why he's doing it but I believe it will happen again, I just don't know when. We should be prepared for the worst."

"I won't let it happen again," I hissed.

"Like you weren't going to let this attack happened. But it did, didn't it, Jasper? And you didn't do anything to stop Demetri, what makes you think you can stop him a third time?" Alec grinned.

"You really need to shut your pathetic, rodent, little mouth," Anna said. "You might be Jane's brother but that won't stop me from kicking you into the next century, now shut it."

Alec looked at Anna, stunned. Nobody had ever spoken to him that way before.

With that said we broke apart and I followed Alice into the house. I could feel the pain coming from her body. I'd never seen her look so small, her shoulders slumped, her hair was disheveled, and her clothes torn from the fight with Edward.

"It'll be alright," I said wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "She'll be fine." I promised. Alice simply nodded.

When we entered the living room the family and our guests were gathered, talking amongst themselves. The emotions ran high in the room and I calmed everyone without thinking twice about it.

"How is she Jasper?" Maggie asked, her eyes full of worry, her arm fused back onto her body.

"Did you kill that no good guard?" Randall snarled.

"Allie has seen better days but she's going to heal just fine," I said speaking to the entire room. "No, I did not kill Demetri. There is no point in killing him, it would only hurt Allie more." A few snarls and growls broke out at this but it was understandable. "I want Allie kept away from Demetri and Edward. They're being detained next door until we figure out what's happening. If ya'll would excuse me now I must go see Carlisle." I nodded my head and went on up to check on Allie before going to see Carlisle. I was still thinking about the plan forming in my mind when I stepped inside the make shift hospital room.

"How is she?" I asked Liliana. Esme hugged me tightly and lightly kissed my cheek. I was shocked to see Emmett sat holding onto Allie's hand, I hadn't seen him pass me and head up the stairs. He lightly pressed his lips to hers and stroked her cheek. I felt his undying love for her and protectiveness burst into the room but, unlike other times when I've felt angry with him, I only felt relief and happiness now. This emotion was different than what I've felt from him in the past. I still felt his instinct to protect her and fight for her, I felt his love for her and his lust but it was different than my own. It was true, he was devoted to her and he did love her but not the way I do, not as strongly or as passionately. Spencer had been right, Emmett couldn't love Allie the way I did because he was not imprinted with her. But he could love her and for the first time I was okay with that. If he makes her happy then I'm happy too.

"She seems to sense when you've left," Liliana said softly. "And Joshua is fussy." I picked him up out of his bassinette and gently rocked him in my arms. I turned my attention to Allie and lightly kissed her forehead and calmed her stress filled body.

"Everything will be alright sweetheart," I reminded her and pushed a little more lethargy into her body so she'd sleep longer. "Try and keep her calm, I won't be gone long." I took Joshua with me as I left the room and went to meet Carlisle.

Carlisle's study was buzzing with emotions as I stepped into the room. Joshua whimpered softly and griped my shirt in his small hands. I sent everyone waves of calm and they all turned to smile appreciatively at me. Carlisle sat behind his desk, looking stressed and pained by the afternoons events.

"I haven't discussed it with her yet but once this is over, providing we survive, I'm going to take Allie away. This has all put too much stress on her. She needs time to rest and heal." Carlisle's eyes widened in shock.

"But where will you take her?" he asked.

Alice's face fell. "You're taking her away?"

"It's for the best, until Demetri is himself again and not trying to kill her. I think I'll take her back to Alaska. She loved the house I built her there. The location is remote enough to be away from humans and abundant with wildlife. Joshua would love the snow. We'll probably have to renovate but that isn't a problem."

"And Demetri?" Anna asked curiously.

"I'll talk to him after I've spoken to Allie but I'm sure he'd agree it's for the best. I won't tell him where I'm taking her. I don't trust him to be anywhere near her anymore. I won't allow him to hurt her again." Everyone in the room looked at me in shock but I could see Carlisle agreeing with me as he slowly nodded his head.

"In the mean time?" Tanya asked looking worried.

"For now we keep Demetri and Edward in confinement. I'm not sure what's triggering this loss of control but I won't risk Allie's life by having him around her or Joshua."

"Allie will be upset," Alice murmured.

I sighed. "Yes but she'll understand if I explain my reasoning to her and ask her opinion. I won't force my decision on her but I won't allow him to hurt her either. We'll take the necessary steps and precautions if she decides she doesn't want to leave him." I said firmly. I wouldn't stop her from seeing him but I also wouldn't let her be alone with him either.

"Jasper she's your mate, are you ever truly going to be able to trust him again?" Kate asked.

"No Kate, I won't ever trust him with Allie again."

---

Allie

I didn't sleep well that night. My leg ached and I was beginning to feel more of the soreness spreading through my body. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background. I pulled the pink comforter over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until Jasper curled back into bed with me. Just having him close made all the difference and I was able to sink back into the black unconsciousness.

Thick fog was all I could see out the window in the morning, and I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage.

"What is it baby?" Jasper murmured against my ear.

"It's all foggy and cold and I can't see the sky."

Jasper chuckled and slid his hand across my stomach. "I've been thinking," he began.

"I know," I smiled. I knew what he was going to say before he said it. "If you think leaving Forks is best for our family – you, Joshua and I – then we'll . . ." I took a deep breath and tried to force the words out of my mouth. My body slumped and I sighed a few seconds later. "I can't, I'm sorry, I can't leave him when something's wrong. I can't just abandon him."

"He hurt you, Allie. He attacked you and tried to kill you," Jasper growled softly and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't you growl at me," I pulled his face closer to mine and pressed my lip against his for the briefest moment. Jasper growled deep in his throat and I felt the shiver run up my spine. "I like it when you growl," I said as my fingers brushed through his hair. "I won't leave him but I'll let you take every precaution you want. I won't be alone with him, I won't let Joshua be alone with him, I'll start training with Kate and Anna incase he attacks again. At least if I have better knowledge of my gifts and how to use them I can protect myself a little more. I'll stay with you and Bubba at all times. Whatever you want, but I won't leave him when he's in need."

Jasper sighed. "Alright, but you do everything you just said and if he attacks you again we're leaving."

"Deal." I nodded firmly.

Over the next ten days I began my training sessions with Jasper. Emmett was more than willing to help Jasper teach me to fight but he was quickly disappointed when Arabella and Damon couldn't heal my broken bones. Unfortunately I was stuck with the broken leg, the four broken ribs, a broken ankle, and my broken wrist until they healed the natural way.

Although I couldn't fight I could still watch. Jasper and Emmett showed me the basics and the techniques I could use without having to involve me physically. Zafrina taught me a few neat tricks that she demonstrated on Jasper and Emmett. Even Peter tried to teach me a few things but I still felt as if my knowledge was impossibly basic especially without the practice.

So instead of focusing on hand to hand combat I learnt how to fight using my gifts with my two eager teachers Kate and Anna.

Some of the visitors found my education entertaining, and some even offered assistance. The nomad Jimmy took a few turns and I found his teaching styles to be quite informative, although he wasn't impressed when I locked him in my shield and couldn't figure out how to drop it and free him. I fought once again with Zafrina who tried multiple times to pierce my shield and blind me with one of her illusions.

I grew quite close to Zafrina and her sisters and enjoyed their company. I could see Joshua was fascinated by Zafrina's gifts as he reached out fearlessly towards the large vampire. She held him gently in her arms and I watched as his eyes stared blankly into space. A second later, Joshua's dazzling smile lit up his face. He blinked rapidly and his fist curled into Zafrina's shirt. His arms and legs kicked out in excitement and Zafrina's lips twitched into her hard version of a smile.

After that, it was hard to keep Joshua away from Zafrina and her illusions. I worried, because I was quite sure that Zafrina was able to create images that were not pretty at all. but through Joshua's thoughts I could see Zafrina's visions for myself – they were as clear as any memory I've ever seen, like they were real – and thus judge for myself whether they were appropriate or not.

Jasper was thrilled to have the Amazons with us because Zafrina was enormously talented; her gift could make a very dangerous offensive weapon. Not that Jasper was asking for Zafrina to side with us in the battle, but if the Romanians did not pause when they saw our witnesses, perhaps they would pause for a different kind of scene.

Zafrina was intrigued and amused by my gifts, especially my ability to teleport – it was something she'd never encountered before and she was eager to help me learn to control my gifts.

Every minute of the day that I wasn't with Joshua or Jasper or leaning to fight, I was in the backyard working with Kate, Benjamin, Zafrina, Maggie, Alice, Anna and Eleazar to try and strengthen my gifts.

Each time we practiced I gained more control over my gifts. I could successfully hold my shield up while being attacked by multiple gifts without it weakening. As time passed I learnt how to trap an attacker inside a single orb of my shield, creating a steel impenetrable cage that nobody could break through, and still protect my family in my shield. And then as I practiced more I was able to imprison multiple attackers, in multiple single orbs, at various points in the large clearing where we practiced.

Eleazar was fascinated by my shield. It was something he'd never seen in a gift before. It's uncommon for a shield to break off and encage an assailant while still protecting the people around me.

I worked closely with Alice to learn how to control and open my mind further, allowing my visions and telepathy to strengthen. While fighting hand-to-hand Alice taught me how to avoid my attacker and strike at the right moment. I watched her and Jasper fight and kept my eyes trained closely on each of Alice's swift movements as she saw how Jasper would attack and then at the right moment she would strike and win. Jasper helped me learn how to meditate and control the amount of noise in my mind constantly. Jane taught me how to create the illusion of pain in my enemies like she does; it's the one gift I've never been comfortable using and without Demetri and Jasper I could never turn it off. But after her extensive training sessions it became one of my most dangerous and strongest gifts, although nothing was as strong as my shield.

With the help of Anna, Garrett and Peter I spent hours trying to figure out how to aim and blow up an exact target without all the windows and televisions in the house exploding. Anna has the same ability I do but she has more control than me. It seems my gifts were all tied to my emotions and when I'm upset my gifts are uncontrolled and deadly. I'd even learnt how to master my telekinesis, although I had that one down before my training began. But my aim was better and I could successfully braid Renesmee's hair without lifting a finger.

It was a lot harder to learn how to control and master reading everyone's worst fears. Zafrina was the only one strong enough to pull herself out of the illusion and it was only because she replaced her fears with an illusion she'd conjured in her mind. I did find it easier to read the fears around me without putting everyone into the illusion. The gift separated in a way, I could read the fear and I could put them into the illusion but I could also finally do one without the other.

In all honesty, unlike in the past when I've been too nervous to use my gifts, I now loved it. I grew stronger and more controlled to the point where I could raise my hands quickly without throwing something across the room or blowing something up. Everything seemed to be clicking into place finally.

One afternoon in the middle of the week I was practicing in the back yard with Kate and Anna when there was a low commotion from the front yard. I heard Carlisle speaking over a babble of surprised voices.

"Who sent you?" he asked someone, his voice unsure, slightly upset. Jasper, Emmett, and Bubba were at my side in an instant. Jasper handed me Joshua and lightly kissed my temple. I saw his eyes shift up to Emmett and he mumbled something I didn't catch.

"Stay with Allie," he murmured before darting off into the house.

"What's going on?" I asked. Emmett wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his body. My head rested against his chest as his tight embrace circled me.

"Who is it?" Anna asked from beside me.

"No one sent us," the deep whispery voice answered Carlisle. I was immediately reminded of the ancient voice of Marcus and Aro in my dreams and I froze.

"S'okay Miss Allie," Bubba said. His arm wrapped gently around my lower back and he moved closer to Anna and Emmett.

My grip tightened on Joshua and I cautiously walked around the house to enter through the kitchen door, listening to what I couldn't see.

I knew the front room was crowded-almost everyone had gone in to see the newest visitors – but there was barley any noise. Shallow breathing, that was all.

Jaspers voice was the one that responded. "Then what brings you here now?"

"Word travels," a different voice answered, just as feathery as the first. "We heard hints that the Romanian coven was moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. We have no part of their coven and do not agree with the way they conduct themselves. We may not have liked the Volturi but this bunch of children is destroying all we have worked to gain."

"And obviously the whispers were true. This is a very impressive gathering, more so than the last."

"We are not challenging the Romanians," Jane said in a strained tone. "There has been a misunderstanding, one we're hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Romanians to listen. We didn't –"

"We don't care what they say you did, little witch" the first voice interrupted. "And we don't care if you broke the law."

"No matter how egregiously," the second inserted. "We've been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to fall and when it finally happens we are made a mockery of by our own country."

"The Romanian coven that took leadership wants one thing, to kill Princess Alana and gain her title and her power," the first said.

The second continued, "If there is any chance they will fall we will be here to see it."

"Or even to help defeat them," the first added. They spoke in a smooth tandem, their voices so similar that less sensitive ears would assume there was only one speaker. "If we think you have a chance of success."

"Allie, darlin'?" Jasper called to me in a hard voice. "Would you come here and bring Joshua, please. Maybe we should test our Romanian visitors' claims."

It helped to know that probably half of the vampires in the other room would come to Joshua's defense if these Romanians were upset by us or this was some sort of trick I had yet to see. I didn't like the sound of their voices, or the dark menace in their words. As I walked into the room, Emmett's arm still tight around my waist, Bubba behind me with Anna following him, I could see I was not alone in that assessment. Most of the motionless vampires glared with hostile eyes, and a few – Peter, Tanya, Kate, Jimmy, Zafrina and Senna – repositioned themselves subtly into defensive poses between the newcomers and me.

The vampires at the door were both slight and short, one dark-haired and the other with hair so ashy blond that it looked pale gray. They had the same powdery look to their skin as Marcus and Aro, though I thought it was not so pronounced. Their sharp, narrow eyes were dark burgundy, with no milky film. They wore very simple black clothes that could pass as modern but hinted at older designs.

The dark one grinned when I came into the room. "Well, well, Jasper. You have been naughty, haven't you?"

"I would have expected better from you myself," the blonde one grinned at Marcus and Jane. "You enforced these same laws hundreds of years ago." He chuckled darkly.

And then Anna moved out of Bubba's shadow to stand beside me. Her eyes were narrowed and her smile bright, exposing her sharp glistening teeth. "Boys," she smirked. Their eyes widened in shock.

"Twins," they breathed together.

"Stefan, Vladimir, I'd like you to meet my mate," Jasper said in a hard tone, "Princess Alana Rosetta, our son Joshua and her sister Princess Anastasia Rose." Their eyes widened a little more but they didn't bow or offer me or Anna their hand. "They're half vampire half fairy."

"We don't care either way," the blond responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "As we said before."

"Then you're welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our plan to challenge the Romanians, as we said before."

"Then we'll just cross our fingers," Stefan began.

"And hope we get lucky," finished Vladimir.

In the end we had pulled together more than eighty-three witnesses – the Irish, Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie; the Egyptians, Amun, Kebi, Benjamin, and Tia; the Amazons, Zafrina, Senna, Kachiri, Huilen and Nahuel; the Romanians, Vladimir and Stefan; the English Alfred, Albert, Beatrix, and Gwendolyn; the French coven, Florence, Dominique, André, and Leopold; the Japanese coven; Miki, Ryo, and Tomoko; the African coven; Femi, Masego, Amadi, Babafemi; the German coven; Gunda and Katrina; the Volturi, Marcus, Alec, Chelsea, Afton, and Santiago; and the nomads, Peter, Mary, Randall, Charles, Bishop, Jimmy, Lorena, William, Joseph, Silver, Charlie, Bill, Eric, Pam, Samuel, Carrie, Jonathan, Tony, Morgan, Aaron, Emily, Penelope, Rachel, Phoebe, Lisa, Bartholomew, Miranda, Douglass, Mac, Taylor, Derek, sally, Barry, Clive, Sarah, Daniel, Jamie, Andrew, Hilda, and Zelda. And of course there were the werewolves and the werecats, and the shape shifters. Arabella and Damon had sent Wendy, Sheila, and Zachary to us. Then my mother's family, my sister and her mates, and our family and the Queen who would arrive only hours before the Romanians. Not to mention everyone else that packed into our two houses, Forks was literally overrun with the supernatural.

Aside from the Volturi and the Romanians, it was probably the largest friendly gathering of mature creatures in immortal history.

We were all beginning to be a little bit hopeful. Even I couldn't help it. Joshua and I had won over so many in such a brief time. The Romanians only had to listen for just the tiniest second. . .

The two Romanians that joined us – focused only on their bitter resentment of the ones who had overthrown their empire fifteen hundred years earlier and were now destroyed themselves – took everything in stride. They seemed mysteriously delighted by our alliance with the werewolves and the werecats. They watched me practice with eager eyes, they watched me answer unspoken questions, they felt as Jasper calmed down the room of excited vampires or a heated argument, they watched as Alice and I looked into the future and Renesmee talked to people through her mind, they watched Kate zap me over and over again when my shield broke, watched Benjamin pull geysers of water from the river or sharp gusts of wind from the still air with just his mind, they watched my mother and I practice as she taught me about my gifts and my heritage, they watched my mother and her mates interact with one another, watched Anna and I grow closer day by day and watched as we physically and mentally fought one another in one of her lesions, they watched as Jane and Alec joined our fight and watched as I joyfully obliterated Alec in one of our fights, they watched as Joshua easily threw things or people across the room and Arabella and Damon switch from human to dog in an instant, they watched the animals as I commanded them and learnt how to fight with them beside me and against me, they watched the new comers practice their gifts and take their turn to stand with me and against me, they watched as Alec and I fought again and again and on occasion they watched as we physically fought, they watched my relationship with d Jasper grow with every passing day and their eyes glowed with their fierce hope that the Romanians had met their match.

We did not hope for the same things, but we all hoped.

---

Jasper

Just two days before the Romanians were due to arrive Allie was sat motionless on the couch beside Anna, her eyes heavily glazed over, only her hand moving swiftly across the page could be heard in the silent tense room.

"What is she seeing?" I demanded.

"I have no idea the werewolves are blinding me!" Alice hissed angrily from Allie's feet, her head resting on her knee.

"I'm not sure either," Edward muttered from beside Carlisle, squinting his eyes, "the pictures are moving too rapidly and there are so many of them." I felt his unease as he watched Allie. I'd only allowed him into the house if he promised to stay with Carlisle and Eleazar. Bubba was tense and nervous behind Allie, his eyes continually scanning the room for any signs of danger. Demetri had gone hunting with Marcus and Jane hours ago and was due back soon.

"Allie?" I shook her shoulders slightly and her head turned to look at me, although she wasn't seeing the room around her.

"Something's wrong," she murmured sullenly. "Everything is . . . changing? . . ."

"What is it that's changing? The Romanians?" I asked, my eyes were focused on the Romanian two watching Allie with excited hopeful eyes.

"Yes and no. It'll snow tonight and settle tomorrow, that's when they will arrive."

"What else? Do you know the exact time?" I questioned her the way I always have, the way I learnt with Alice while we were married.

"No, the afternoon or late morning. We'll be safe in the clearing until they arrive . . ."

"What is it darlin'? What do you see that you're unsure about?" I gently stroked her cheek and her eyes slowly closed. Her head leaned into my touch.

"I'm not sure," she whispered. "There are too many decisions to be made. I see foot prints, human and animal, in the snow. A startlingly white blanket of snow in the clearing. I see snow on the trees in the forests and icicles dripping from the branches. I see white on the ground and white in the sky. But nothing else, it's just white and snowy like a painting. It's beautiful but there's nothing else but trees and snow." Her eyes focused on my face and she frowned at me. "What does that mean?"

"I have no idea . . ."

Many low discussions began at the same time, but it was the Romanians I listened to. Maybe because Vladimir kept shooting glances in Allie's direction and I didn't like the way his keen eyes were looking at her. There was a hunger there that I'd seen before, not a hunger for blood far from it in fact.

"No matter the outcome, word will spread. It's time our world sought new leadership and saw this Romanian coven for what they've become. They'll never fall if everyone believes they can do no wrong."

"At least when we ruled, we were honest about what we were," Vladimir replied.

"But we did not go as far as exposing vampires to the entire human race." Stefan nodded. "We also never put on white hats and called ourselves saints," he shot a look at Marcus as he came through the door but the old master wasn't listening to the two Romanians gossip like old women at the beauty parlor. I noted quickly that Demetri wasn't with him and turned my attention back to the Romanians.

"I think the time has come to fight once again," Vladimir said. "How can you imagine we'll ever find a better force to stand with? Another chance this good?"

"Nothing is impossible. Maybe someday –"

"We've been waiting for this day to come since they took leadership, Stefan. And they've only gotten stronger with the few years they've had it." Vladimir paused and looked at Allie. He showed no surprise when he saw her watching him, too. "If the Romanians win this conflict, they will leave with more power than they came with. With every conquest they add to their strengths. Think of what that newborn alone could give them" – he jerked his chin to Allie – "and she is barely discovering her gifts. She gains a new gift sporadically though her years by the time she reaches her hundredth birthday she could have more power than anyone in the world! And the earth-mover has only grown stronger since our last visit." Vladimir nodded toward Benjamin, who stiffened. Almost everyone was eavesdropping on the Romanians' now, like me. "And the illusionist and the fire touch, the mind reader and the psychic, the two witch twins and the empath, the tracker is the best of his kind and the shield, the lie detector and the gift reader, the brute strength and the thought projector – they will build their armies up with this bunch and become indestructible."

Stefan looked around the room shaking his head. "I see your point. Indeed, they will gain much if they win."

"More than we can afford to have them gain, wouldn't you agree?"

Stefan sighed. "I think I must agree. And that means . . ."

"That we must stand against them while there is still hope."

"If we can just cripple them, even, expose them . . ."

"Then, someday, others will finish the job."

"Or the Princess will finish them."

"She is very young, talented, but young. She could not rule our world with so little knowledge of it."

"Ah, but she would have advisers. Her mates would be by her side and I'm sure her coven would not abandon her. Eleazar and Carlisle know as much about our world as Demetri and Marcus. She would have brothers and sisters as we had. Other's around her that know the laws better than anyone else."

"But, she is the daughter of Aro."

Stefan waved his hand, dismissing the statement. "It means very little. Blood ties mean nothing when one participant has been destroyed. We have seen she is nothing like Aro. She wears the crest of the Cullen's not of the Volturi as I expected when we arrived."

"She is too emotional to rule, to kind. She is not a killer."

"There is nothing wrong with that. Perhaps our world needs a warm heart. She is passionate, I would not say that is a downfall but an uprising. To have someone with the strength and the passion could be beneficial."

"Perhaps your right. A woman in charge could change things for the better." Vladimir nodded slowly in agreement.

"I'm sure of it brother. At the very least she can't do much more damage," Stefan shrugged lightly. They locked eyes for a moment and then murmured in unison.

"It's the only way."

"So we fight," Stefan said. Though I could see that they were torn, self-preservation warring with revenge, the smile they exchanged was full of anticipation.

"We fight for the Princess," Vladimir agreed.

Though I'm sure it was a good thing to have the two Romanians on our side; from Allie's strange visions and her emotions, I could see Allie was keeping something from us, and I was sure the battle was impossible to avoid. In that case, two more vampires fighting on our side could only help. But the Romanians' decision still made me nervous. I didn't trust them to not betray us.

"We will fight, too," Tia said, her usually grave voice more solemn than ever. "We believe the Romanians will overstep their authority. We have no wish to belong to them," her eyes lingered on her mate.

Benjamin grinned and threw an impish glance towards the Romanians. "Apparently, I'm a hot commodity. It appears I have to win the right to be free once again."

"I'll stay, but it might be to your detriment. I will join them if that's the road to survival. You're all fools to think that you can defy the Romanians." Amun scowled, then sighed, glanced and Joshua and Allie, and added in an exasperated tone, "I will witness that the child is of no danger to our world and that you are the deadliest weapon I've ever seen. That's nothing but the truth. Anyone would see that."

"That's all we've ever asked." Allie smiled brightly.

Amun grimaced, "But not all that you are getting, it seems." He turned and shook his head at Benjamin before leaving with Kebi.

"This won't be the first time I've fought to keep myself from a King's rule," Garrett said in a teasing tone. "Here's to freedom from oppression."

"We stand with Carlisle," Tanya added "And we fight with him."

"They are our family," Kate smiled and winked at me.

The Romanians' pronouncement seemed to have made the others feel the need to declare themselves as well.

"I will fight for Allie," Peter said in a hard voice. His eyes shifted down to Allie, I could feel her unhappiness as he stared at her and instinctively I wrapped her in my arms.

Jimmy stood suddenly, standing in the center of the room. "I will speak on behalf of all nomad vampires here; we will fight for the Princess. But we will not let her rule us as the Romanians and the Volturi once did." As he passed Allie he bent to her swiftly "I'm sorry but that's how the majority feels."

Allie giggled softly and shrugged her shoulders. "It's fine by me I don't want to rule you. I'd rather not have to take my throne if I don't have to. I agree change is needed but I don't think I am the one that should make it happen, at least not yet." Jimmy winked at her and rushed back over to where the nomads were seated together.

"The packs will fight with the Cullen's," Jacob said suddenly. "We're not afraid of vampires," he added with a smirk.

"Children," Peter muttered.

"Infants," Randall corrected.

Jacob grinned tauntingly.

"Well, I'm in, too," Maggie said, shrugging out from under Siobhan's restraining hand. "I know truth is on Carlisle's side. I can't ignore that."

Siobhan stared at Maggie with worried eyes and sighed softly. "If it comes to it," she said, "we will stand with Carlisle's family and fight with them."

"Perhaps you should concentrate on keeping it peaceful." Carlisle half smiled.

"You know that won't help," I wasn't sure what they were talking about.

"It couldn't hurt," Carlisle said. Siobhan rolled her eyes.

"I fight with my sister," Anna said firmly. Her mates didn't seem happy about her declaration but she ignored them, turning to face Allie. "I've spent twenty-five years looking for you, I'm not about to lose you now." she gently threw her arms around Allie and hugged her sisters broken body.

In the end everyone in the room had declared they would fight against the Romanians if it came to it. I caught Allie smiling slightly when her eyes glazed over but she quickly blinked the vision away.

"It's clearing up," Alice nodded knowingly and darted out of the room suddenly.

That was the end of the dramatic speeches for the night. The group slowly dispersed, most off to hunt before the Romanians arrived, some to while away the time with Carlisle's books or televisions or computers.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to play with your food?" I called to Emmett.

"Oh, hey Jasper!" he shouted back, grinning and waving at me. The bear took advantage of his distraction to rake its heavy paw across Emmett's chest. The sharp claws shredded through his shirt, and squealed across his skin.

The bear bellowed at the high-pitched noise.

"Aw hell, Allie gave me this shirt!" he grumbled under his breath.

Emmett roared back at the enraged animal.

I sighed and sat down on a convenient boulder. This might take awhile.

But Emmett was almost done. He let the bear try to take his head off with another swipe of the paw, laughing as the blow bounced off and sent the bear staggering back. The bear roared and Emmett roared again though his laughter. Then he launched himself at the animal, who stood a head taller than him on its hind legs, and their bodies fell to the ground tangled up together, taking a mature spruce tree down with them. The bear's growls cut off with a gurgle.

A few minutes later, Emmett jogged over to where I was waiting for him. His shirt destroyed, torn and bloodied, sticky with sap and covered in fur. His dark curly hair wasn't much better. He had a huge grin on his face.

"That was a strong one. I could almost feel it when he clawed me."

I chuckled. "You know if Allie saw what you just did she'd probably blow off your balls."

"It's better than eating humans," he mumbled, looking a little worried.

"I'm not sure she'd see it that way, she doesn't like animal blood. She'd rather buy blood from a blood bank than kill at all."

Emmett smiled softly. "Will she ever be able to hunt with us?"

"Not unless she can focus her mind and block out the animal voices. It would be too painful for her otherwise, like she were listening and feeling the animals die all at once." I knew she wanted to try it but wanting to try it and actually doing it were two different things. I'm not sure she could hunt for herself, even if she could successfully block her mind and emotions, she's just not the type.

"We'll just have to hunt and provide for her then," Emmett said firmly. I enjoyed the way he wanted to protect her, to hunt for her and care for her. "Were you able to track down that mountain lion for her?"

"Of course I was." I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of Allie, do you think I don't know what's going on?"

"W . . . what do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"I can feel it Emmett. You . . . Allie . . . I feel the lust and desire you have for her. Is it a need to fuck my mate or is it more? What's going on, exactly?" I wanted to know. I'd felt their lust for one another since they day I introduced them and it had only grown stronger since.

"I . . ."

"Do me a favor and don't deny it any longer. If it's more than lust talk to Allie but if you're just looking to screw around with my mate that isn't going to happen. Allie isn't that type of girl."

Emmett growled. "I would never do something like that." I could feel the rage and anger pouring out of him and calmed him instantly. "I know she isn't like that, and I would never treat her with so little respect. I just . . . I don't know what I feel and until I know for sure you can't say anything to her, promise me Jasper."

"I won't say a word," I promised him. "But you need to figure this out before Rosalie attacks Allie."

"Why would Rosalie attack Allie?" Emmett growled protectively.

I groaned. Why did things have to be so complicated? "Rosalie is jealous that you have a desire to be intimate with Allie. She's enraged that Allie was able to take you away from her. She's jealous of the relationship you have with Allie, the lust you feel, the fact that you think Allie is prettier than she is. She has a lot of negative emotions towards my mate right now."

"But Rosalie . . . isn't she mated with Jack?"

"Yes."

I sighed. Emmett came to sit beside me on the rock. He brushed his hand over his face and looked down at his shoes.

"So Rosalie's jealous?" he grinned.

"Yes," I hissed.

"Hmmm . . . . Well, in all honestly it doesn't matter does it?" he asked. "She left me long before I asked for the divorce. I'm a free agent. I have feelings for Allie but with everything that's going on right now I don't think it's a good time to tell her."

"No." I agreed.

"And . . ." he trailed off, his eyes searching the forest for something.

"And what?"

"You don't want me to be with her. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you Jasper, if you want me to keep my distance I will."

I thought about that for a moment. It was an option to consider. But then if I sent Emmett away Allie would hurt more than she already does. I sighed. "No," I said firmly. "Allie would only hurt in the long run if you did that. I'm not opposed to you being with her. I'm not planning on leaving her at any moment you understand. If she's mated with you there's a high chance that she'll want to be with both of us . . . at the same time. You have to be okay and ready for that because unless she tells me to leave I will stay. As weird as it sounds I like watching her with Demetri. I like holding her in my arms while he makes love to her. But we each like our time alone with her too and I will give you that. But you should remember that she will be my wife, my imprint, and she is Joshua's mother. Knowing all of that, if you still want to be with her . . . I won't stop you."

"Are you sure, Jasper?" he asked unsure.

"Besides Peter you're the closet person I have to a brother, I can't imagine being linked through Allie to anyone better, Em."

He grinned and then turned to look at me curiously. "Can I ask a personal question?" he wondered.

"Sure."

"Do you and Demetri have an imitate relationship?"

I chuckled. "Is that what's worrying you?"

"I'm not sure how I feel about it . . . that's all." he shrugged. I could feel his embarrassment and his hesitation as he spoke. "I mean, it's no big deal to me. I've done it before when I was with Rosalie. I was trying to save our marriage at the time and make her happy. But you're entirely different and so is Allie, she's definitely not Rosalie."

I had no ides he'd been physical with another man before. I was shocked that Emmett, of all people, had experience with another man. I couldn't imagine it. He seemed to be such a ladies' man.

I shook myself out of my thoughts. "No, Demetri and I have chosen not to cross that line. I'll warn you, though, Allie can be very jealous at times. Personally I think it's cute when she gets jealous about me being with someone else. She isn't against the idea of including someone else in our relationship, male or female, but she doesn't like the idea of me being physically imitate with them. But there are many forms of love that I haven't taught her yet. A physical relationship with no emotional ties for example, or a physical relationship between three lovers with no bounders. Do you want to be with me or Demetri in that way?" I never thought I'd be discussing this type of thing with my brother. I never thought he'd be asking me these questions. With my knowledge of all things Emmett I couldn't honestly see him with a man. But then, even with Rosalie, he was the more sexual of the two of them, the more experienced and outgoing.

"I'm not sure. I mean that type of relationship doesn't bother me, especially if Allie was there. But I know I don't want to date you. I don't have those types of feelings for you. In a way when you're with Allie, when I see you together, I feel the strong urge to be with both of you. I'm not in love with you, Jazz but . . . .UGH I don't know!" he growled and ran his hands through his hair. "I just always thought you were with Demetri that way. Physically but not emotionally."

"Why don't we take it slow and see how things go. Allie needs to feel comfortable with all of this, I won't do anything that she disagrees with. However I'm not sure how I feel about being intimate with you either, I suppose it wouldn't hurt any to try it once and see what it's like. I don't love you in that way either but you're right, when I see you with Allie I feel the link forming between us through her. If you chose to tell her about your feelings and finalize your mating then we'll explore all options. We're naturally sexual beings, it's perfectly normal to want to form a physical connection and nothing more. We're not like humans in our sexual habits. And Allie is unlike anyone I've ever known."

"Okay . . . . one thing at a time. Allie comes first and then we'll see how things go." He sighed. "Do you think we should be getting back?" he worried. "Will she be alright? What if Demetri attacks again?"

Besides Allie forcing me out of the door, I'd only left her knowing Demetri was safely locked away in our house. Bubba was under strict orders to keep Allie safe. I knew he wouldn't disappoint me and from his emotions towards Allie I knew he wouldn't let her be hurt again. She and Joshua were two of the very few people to earn Bubbas fierce loyalty.

"If you're finished," I replied.

"Yes," he frowned.

"What is it, Emmett?" I asked.

"Have you ever thought about how fragile they all are? How many bad things there are that can happen to a mortal?"

"No."

"I mean, I wasn't much match for a bear that first time around, was I?" he murmured. "Bears! Can she control bears? Do we know for a fact that she can control them?"

"Yes."

"I mean, it would be her luck wouldn't it? Stray bear in town. Of course it would head straight for Allie."

"She attracts animals, it's only logical." I said, unsure where he was going with this.

"She could run into a bear . . . or get hit by a car . . . or lightening, do we know what happens if she's struck by lightning? . . . or what if she falls down stairs . . . or gets stabbed in a convenient store . . . or a plane she's on falls from the sky . . . or she drowns . . . or the house sets on fire . . .or gets sick – gets a disease!" The words burst from his mouth like a storm. I felt his relief but it was overshadowed by his worry and anxiety.

"Emmett, you sound like a crazy person, do you know that?"

"But think about it Jasper, anything could happen to her! She could fall in the shower and hit her head. She could bleed to death before we find her! Or she could get shot in a drive by!"

"Em, this is Forks, I doubt she'll get shot at and if she does she won't die from it. She's immortal not mortal. She won't die if she falls in the shower and hits her head, she can't get sick."

"But how do we know that?" his teeth clenched together, and he was abruptly infuriated. "She's had a lot of near death experiences this month."

"Ah," it made sense now. "I understand now."

"Finally! So what I think we should do is bubble wrap her . . ."

I chuckled. "I'm not bubble wrapping my mate, Emmett. Allie is going to be fine. Yes, she's been hurt a lot this month but she isn't going to die from a few broken bones. She will heal and she will move on with her life the way she always has. She's immortal; those things you mentioned won't harm her."

"Are you sure?" He frowned. I felt his need to protect her but now I'd told him about Rosalie's jealousy I also felt a hint of anger and unease from him. He knew as well as I did what Rosalie was capable of.

"I'm positive," I smiled softly and heaved myself off the bounder. "C'mon lets go home and you can tell her about the bubble wrap." I chuckled again and shook my head as we walked back towards the house.

When we arrived home Allie was curled on the couch with Anna and Alice. Joshua lay sleeping in his bassinette at her feet, as usual Wallace and Bear were curled into the bassinette with Joshua and duchess and Max were on guard by Allie's feet.

I went straight to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands. I gently kissed her wrist and then her cheek, brushing my head into her neck.

"How are you feeling darlin'?"

"I'm a little tired," she murmured. "Anna and I have been practicing since you left." I looked down at her leg realizing it was no longer in the black boot. "Carlisle said my leg has healed. He told me to be careful but the X-rays show that everything is fine. Did you have a good hunt?"

"Yes, Emmett and I had fun."

"Monkey did you get a grizzly?" she yawned. Alice shifted to sit at Allie's feet and I slid into her position, pulling Allie into my arms. Her head leaned against my chest as she looked up at Emmett.

"Yeah," he bent down to look into her eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Listen Jasper and I were talking and we've decided—"

"You've decided," I corrected.

"I've decided that there are too many things in this world that can hurt you, I don't want you to be hurt again. With that being said, I'm going to wrap you in bubble wrap to keep you from injuring yourself. It won't stop bullets or knives or vampire teeth or diseases or lightning but for now, until I find something else, it'll help."

Allie frowned and looked up at me. "What's he talking about?"

"You've had a lot of near death experiences this month, Emmett wants to keep you safe." She seemed to catch on then and turned back to Emmett, taking his hand in hers.

"Monkey, bubble wrap isn't the way to go. It should only be used for two things, shipping breakable items across the country or sex," my eyes widened at her second use for bubble wrap, "since we're currently not shipping me off and we aren't having sex we don't need bubble wrap. Those things you mentioned won't kill me, besides the vampire teeth. I'm as indestructible as you are, trust me I've been though worst."

"But you could have died Allie," Emmett grumbled.

"But so could you, do you want me to wrap you and Jasper in bubble wrap . . ." her eyes lit up in excitement and she looked back at me.

"Maybe later," I chuckled.

"I know you're worried," she said softly placing her hand on Emmett's cheek, "and I know you only want to protect me but bubble wrap isn't the answer."

Emmett sighed. "Alright," he huffed.

"Maybe we should just suffocate her with it, get it over with," Rosalie growled.

Allie cringed back in her seat, burying herself deeper into my chest and Emmett and I growled angrily.

"Rosalie!" Esme scolded.

Anna's eyes were suddenly a bright, brilliant, crimson. She moved to crouch in front of Allie, her eyes narrowed and her body humming with power and heat. "I think I warned you," Anna hissed in a low menacing voice, "not to hurt my sister again."

"Anna," Jack growled.

Anna snarled, not breaking eye contact with Rosalie. "Just because she's your mate doesn't mean I won't kill her," Anna growled.

"If you attack my mate, sister, you'll force me to attack you and I'm sure you don't want that," Jack growled in return and crouched in front of Rosalie.

Allie's eyes were darting from Anna to Jack, her body curled nervously into mine as Emmett and Alice moved closer to her. Peter and Bubba stood behind the couch, directly behind Allie.

"Jack, you couldn't stop me if you tried and we both know it."

"Maybe not but I'd die protecting my mate," Jack bared his teeth as Tristan rounded the corner. He hissed menacingly and moved to Anna's side, couching next to her. Seeing the uneven fight Rosalie was next to her mate, crouching and growling at Tristan.

Growls and snarls echoed in the room and Jack took a step forward.

"Stop it," Allie hissed quietly. The four sparing vampires didn't listen and I could feel her anger rising.

"Come on big brother, let's see what you got," Anna smirked as she moved closer to Jack, her teeth bared and her hands in tight claws.

"Stop it," Allie growled louder this time. "Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!" her voice grew louder and louder with each word and they finally looked up at her and I was able to control the situation a little better. "Rosalie if you have something to say to me, say it and stop acting like a complete bitch. Green is not your color, it doesn't suite you and with both know it. You know, I've heard so much about this loyalty you have for your family, the automatic instincts you have to protect your family from outsiders and I get it, I'm the outsider here. But it seems to me, right now, all your doing is working to hurt me. I used to think you were a trustworthy, respectable, loyal, protective, intelligent, beautiful woman and now when I look at you all I see is scared, immature, little girl. If you don't want me to be with Emmett, just say it already! I'm so sick of your snide remarks and your god damn running commentary. If you love him, tell him, if not get over it and move on woman! You have a wonderful, warm, kindhearted, man beside you, trying to protect too from my sister who needs to stop trying to kill people. I do not like death and I will not stand for it in my house, you want to kill you do it outside in the yard. And you," she turned to glare at Bella. "If you're so concerned about your precious little husband why aren't you with him right now? Why haven't you spoken to him since he attacked me at the warehouse? If you think he's my mate why don't you use your words like a big girl instead of glaring at me every time I walk into a room?" she paused for a moment and I noticed her eyes darkened dramatically. I'd never seen this side of Allie before. "Listen to me because I will only say this once, I am not mated with Edward. I do not love him in that way, I see him as a brother, a friend, and nothing more. You'd know that if you'd asked me in the first place. And you!" she turned back to Jack and growled angrily. "If you so much as touch one hair on my sisters head I will blow off your balls. Are we understood?" she growled. Nobody spoke. The silence echoed in the room as everyone stared at her in shock. She'd never had an outburst like that before. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my lips, I liked this dominating, angry side of her. "I said are we understood!?" she shouted a little louder.

Rosalie and Bella silently nodded their head and Jack slipped back onto the couch, his arms wrapped tightly around Rosalie's waist as the door swung open and Marcus, Demetri, and Jane walked into the house.

"Anna?" Jane's eyes darkened a little and she rushed over to the little fairy. "What happened?" she asked placing her hand on Anna's arm. Anna shuddered and her body uncoiled slightly. I felt her anger drop significantly as she tore her eyes away from Rosalie to look at Jane. "It's okay," she murmured. "Rosalie wouldn't dare hurt Allie. She's going to have to get over herself and move on with her life." Jane hissed. She giggled and looked up at Allie. "We could hear you yelling from across the forest."

Allie blushed a delicious rosy pink and curled herself back into my body.

I could see Demetri hesitating, wanting to come to Allie but not trusting himself. Her eyes were locked on his, I felt her fear of Rosalie but it was overshadowed by her love for Demetri. She squeezed my hand and beckoned to him with her finger. I couldn't help but smile when his face lit up. He was across the room and in her arms before a full second could pass.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured over and over again.

"Shhhh . . . it's okay now," she whispered, pulling me closer to her and Demetri. "It wasn't you doing those things," she said firmly, looking into his eyes. "We'll figure this out. We'll make it stop, I promise." He nodded slowly. "I will protect you," she promised.

"I love you," he whispered. "Both of you." Allie smiled brightly and crushed her lips to his. His arms locked around her, his hands on her back, pulling her closer to him. I pressed myself against her back, nuzzling my head into her neck and placing my hand on Demetri.

I knew I wouldn't trust him completely for a long time but for Allie, I'd try. She loved him with all her heart, she always had and she always will, nothing and nobody would ever change that.

"Let's go home," she whispered.

I grabbed Joshua's bassinette just moments before Allie teleported us to our house.

"I'll go put Joshua to bed," I chuckled as Demetri and Allie began ripping each other's clothes off.

"Hurry back," Demetri said, his eyes locking with mine. "I need to be with both of you tonight, please Jasper."

"Alright," I murmured and squeezed his hand before letting go and giving them a little privacy for a few minutes.

Something strange was going on, I was sure of it. I was also unsure what was happening with my relationship with Demetri. I didn't fully trust him not to hurt Allie. But at the same time I wanted to be with him as much as she did. Was it possible that our relationship was deepening and changing as much as my relationship with Allie? Were Demetri and I headed in the same physical direction as Allie and I? I wasn't sure. All I knew is I needed him as much as I needed Allie. I didn't like to admit that it broke me a little when I saw him hurting her that way. It wasn't just his relationship with Allie that was on the rocks but my relationship with him also. We were such a huge part of each other's lives, being away from him is as painful for me as it is for Allie.

I tucked Joshua into his bed and warned Wallace and Bear to guard him. And I went to join my mates, eager to feel them both.

"Is there room for one more?" I grinned seeing Allie arch her back as Demetri thrust into her already spasming core. Demetri growled softly as Allie withered in bliss under him.

"Get your sexy ass over here, cowboy," Allie purred.

I didn't need any more convincing.

The next two days Demetri, Allie and I stayed in the clearing where she'd seen the Romanians arrive. She said the Romanians have a tracker, thought not a good one, and would be tracking Demetri. I wondered if it would surprise them that their prey didn't run. Would that make them wary? I couldn't imagine the Romanians ever feeling a need for caution.

Though we'd argued countless times about it, Allie and Joshua stayed with Demetri and I in the clearing. I understood her need to be next to us, we only had a few hours left to be together. She's spent so little time with Demetri in the past ten days I could feel the effects beginning to take hold of her.

Demetri had done so well in the past ten days that, with me beside her, I didn't put up a fight when Allie explained that he'd need to come with us. And in all honestly it was nice to be together again. I'd missed him just as much as Allie had. Our relationship didn't seem whole until we were all together. I understood why Allie wouldn't leave him. If I was being honest I couldn't have left him this way either, although that isn't to say that I trust him completely. I still can't allow Allie to be alone with him for too long and if she is alone I'm within the house or close enough that I can get to her in time.

We had not had a last grand scene of farewell, nor did we plan one. To speak the words was to make it final. It would be the same as typing the words the end on the last page of a manuscript. So we did not say our goodbyes, and we stayed very close to each other, always touching. Whatever end found us it would not find us separated.

It started to snow again the second night we were camped out in the clearing. This time, the tiny flakes did not dissolve into the stony ground of the clearing. While Joshua slept Allie stayed curled up to Demetri and I but never once did she close her eyes to rest.

"He's not my mate," she said softly as she watched Joshua's tummy rise and fall. His small body, covered in thick fabric and blankets, was also blanketed with a layer of heat from his talented mother. She could warm even the coldest of hearts, even without her gifts.

The only noise around us was Joshua's light snoring and the dog's heavy breathing and Oliver's light snores. They'd all insisted on coming with us.

"Who sweetheart?" Demetri whispered.

"Peter is not my mate," she said looking up at us. "I feel no desire or love towards him. And he is madly in love with his wife. Seems they had a slight disagreement before he arrived here, Charlotte was approached by Maria and asked to join her coven once again. Charlotte refused so Maria, being the young school girl she is," – Allie's voice dripped with sarcasm – "told Peter that charlotte agreed and they were leaving for Texas the next day. Charlotte of course denied everything because it was not true and Peter got angry and left to come here."

"He told you this?" I asked.

"No. Someone, I'm not sure who, contacted Charlotte and she arrived a few minutes after our departure. They're making up now." She giggled lightly.

"Peter isn't in love with you?" Demetri asked. We both shifted slightly closer to her, which was almost impossible. She was sat between us on our laps with the baby in her arms.

"No, we have no sexual, physical, or love feelings for each other at all. We talked about it and we'd both feel more comfortable being just friends. He'll keep in close contact with us when this is over, if we all survive, but he won't be moving in anytime soon."

"So there are only two more things left to think about," Demetri said lightly.

"Emmett and Edward," we both said together.

Allie shuddered slightly. "I don't have any love feelings for Edward. . . . he . . . he . . ."

"He what sweetheart?" Demetri asked softly.

"He scares me. After the attacks and him threatening to kill Jazzy, I have no romantic feelings for him at all. He doesn't think Jasper's changed, he still thinks your unable to control your blood lust and at any minute you'll run off to the Romanians, he blames you for the attack at the warehouse, he has no faith in Jasper's control, he thinks Jasper shouldn't try and push his thirst because of all the slips he's had in the past, he still thinks you're faithful to the Volturi, he's controlling, bad tempered, over baring, possessive, bigheaded, and married. The last I checked he was madly in love with Bella and I have no desire to take him away from her, I have no desire for him at all. I don't trust him," she said firmly. I noticed Demetri's body shifted uneasily and I felt the tense waves rolling off his body. I calmed him and felt Allie take a deep breath.

"And Emmett?" I asked.

She cringed.

"Maybe we should wait and talk about Emmett after this, if I'm lucky we won't have to have the conversation at all," she said sheepishly.

I growled softly. "Don't talk like that. We will survive this. And we will have that conversation."

"Okay, but not now," she murmured snuggling into our bodies. She giggled softly and looked up at us again. "Strange how you didn't ask about Alice. I've felt your jealousy and anger when Emmett, Edward, and Peter are around but when I'm with Alice all I feel from you is trust and love and happiness and Spencer did include her when he told me about my six mates."

"I'm not worried about Alice," I said honestly. I wasn't sure why, woman or man I didn't want to share Allie with anyone but when I see her with Alice I know how happy she is, she glows almost. I've seen them snuggled up together when they're watching project run way or America's next top model and they always seem so connected but it's different than how I feel when I see Demetri with her, it's still physical but the connection is different. Like any man it turns me on to think of Alice and Allie having a physical relationship. I'm not entirely sure how I'd feel if she ever expressed a desire to take their relationship further, all men have a fantasy of seeing two women together but when it comes down to it I'm not sure how I'd feel. "I can't say the thought doesn't turn me on, it absolutely does, but she's my ex-wife and I'd feel awkward having any type of physical relationship with her myself."

"I'd feel angry if you did that," Allie growled, "but I do understand how you feel. It's the same way I feel when I think of you two being together. The thought is very appealing to me, to see you both physically together wouldn't bother me at all, it could be very arousing. It could even strengthen and solidify our bond more than it already is and I don't object to it. But I feel jealous and insecure at the same time. I'd never stop you from doing it but I don't think I'd be happy about it either. In a way, if you were both together, it's like saying I'm not enough for you. And then that makes me feel guilty for not letting you have something you want because you let me be with each of you and technically it's saying the same thing. I couldn't live without either of you. But this is Alice we're talking about and it's different for men than it is for women."

"It's not that different," Demetri murmured. "But I can't say I'd be as perturbed by Alice and Emmett as I am of Peter and Edward. I like the fantasy of watching you with another woman. It's a thought that's passed my mind before when I've seen you both together. And I can't say I wouldn't want to see you with Emmett, he's a good man. His thoughts are honest and gentle towards you. He's just as protective of you as we are and, like with Jasper, I feel a connect with Emmett when I see you both together. The thought of you with all three of us is very arousing but I'm firmly against you being with Edward."

Allie's delicate eyebrows knit together and she looked up at him, turning her body so she was facing us.

"Why is that?" I asked curiously. I'd noticed his relationship with Edward had grown stronger . . . something had shifted and I knew Allie felt it too. There was something more going on, something Demetri wasn't telling us and as I felt his guilt and shame I knew it would be something that could possibly break Allie.

"I know it will," he said reading my thoughts. "I have to tell you both something but I'm not sure now is the right time."

"It could be the only time we have left," Allie murmured.

"You're right," he sighed. "I'm so sorry sweetheart, I never meant for any of this to happen. You have to know that I love you so much."

"I love you too. Tell me what's happened and I promise we'll make it better, we'll fix it." She gently stroked his cheek and he smiled sadly.

"For the past few months, since we got back from Isle Cullen, I've had strange feelings for Edward, feelings I've never had before. At least I thought I did. I tried to ignore it but the feelings only got stronger."

"Do you love him?" Allie asked softly. Her eyes glazed over but she shook herself out of the vision. "Are you sleeping with him? Is this why you've been so distant with me?"

"No," he said firmly. "Yes . . . I don't know anymore." He growled softly.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Allie asked firmly.

"No . . . I don't think so . . ."

Allie frowned and looked up at me in confusion but I had no idea what he was talking about either.

"I don't understand, how can you not know? Either you are or you aren't sleeping with him."

"I don't remember," he said softly. "There are parts of my memory that are completely blank. I don't remember attacking you the first time or the second time but I remember I wanted it to stop. I remember not wanting to hurt you." he took one of her hands in his and grabbed my free hand as well. "Look into my mind, see what I see."

Allie's eyes snapped shut and I could suddenly see Demetri's memories as Allie shifted quickly though them. When she came to the first blank, black, void she gasped. Then there was another, and another, and another, and another, and another, until the blackness clumped together in his mind to create a blank, abyss, of nothing. There were no memories, no thoughts, nothing.

"I don't want you to be with Edward because he's dangerous. I don't know if he's doing this or if it's someone else. I don't know if I'm having feelings for him or if they're fabricated by him or someone else. I don't know if I'm sleeping with him," he sobbed. "I just know I want it to stop." I could feel his pain bursting out of him in waves of torturous agony. His confusion and his anxiety were sky high but it was his loss of memory and his agonizing pain that worried me most. This type of emotion, so strong and powerful, could change a vampire irreversibly.

"Shhhh . . . It's okay," Allie murmured and wrapped him in her arms. "It's okay, we'll fix this. I promise, Jasper and I won't let anything hurt you again." She pulled me closer to them and my arms wrapped around their locked bodies.

"Why aren't you angry with me?" he sobbed. "You should be angry, you should be screaming at me for what I've done."

"It wasn't you," Allie said simply. "Someone is controlling your mind, making you hurt me and feel things for Edward. If you have slept with him I can't blame you for that, not if you don't remember it and clearly you don't." She pressed her lips to his and buried her head into his shoulder. "We are your mates and we are going to fix this, Jazzy and I will keep you safe but you have let us."

A heart breaking sob broke through his lips then and my arms tightened around their bodies.

"Everything will be okay," I murmured, kissing her cheek. "I'll keep you both safe." I said firmly. I felt Allie's pain as she watched her mate sob into her arms.

She looked up at me suddenly, tears welling up in her eyes and overflowing like little waterfalls. "Let's take Demetri back to Alaska. Just the four of us, for a little while. I won't let him be hurt again, Jazzy."

"I agree. We'll get though tomorrow and I'll make the arrangements." I pressed my lips to hers and fed them each a dose of calm and love and peace. They'd need to rest before tomorrow.

"I love you both," she whispered.

"And we love you." Demetri and I curled into her body then, burying ourselves into her heat and love. We spent our last night talking about the future and what we each wanted. We made plans to leave Forks and go home to Alaska, our first home together. All night Demetri and I kissed her, touched her warm skin, we never took our hands off her body but it wasn't sexual. Joshua lay between us, his soft snores were rhythmic and soothing. We kept our little fairy locked in our arms all night, praying that dawn would never come, and we would never have to say goodbye.