"No- you didn't." It was like I was losing Jasper all over again. Another piece of him was destroyed.
"No, I still have it and his gift. To me when I was human Jasper and… Peter were the same person. Their hair was the same shade, skin the same texture, and the same look in their eyes. They're still tangled in my head, but I'm trying to see them as different people." Bella turned her back on me and faced Caius. He nodded at her. "Carlisle, you can never have Jasper back completely, but if you choose to do so you can have a piece of him back. Marcus told you about all those files on the various experiments the Volturi conducted. File 218 will interest you. Now leave." I didn't know what to say. I felt like my heart was being tossed around carelessly. I opened my mouth to speak, but promptly closed it.
"Let's go see this file." Aro said while walking out the door. I glanced back at Caius and Bella. He was whispering something into her ear. In that moment they looked like an average couple mourning the loss of a friend.
I followed Aro slowly and I felt myself getting lost in my thoughts. Why did she tell me that story and how much of it was true? Why did she make my eyes permenately red? And what the hell did that file say?
I picked up my pace and passed Aro who was humming to himself. The library was thankfully empty. I went to the row of file cabinets and began quickly searching for file 218. My fingers shuffled through the various files trying to understand the seemingly random filing system. Aro opened a random cabinet and pulled out a thick file labeled '218'. I reached for it, but he pulled it back.
"This is better discussed in my office." He put the file under his arm and began walking again at his same gruelingly slow pace.
"Just tell me what's in the file." I glanced into Bella's parlor. They were gone.
"There are lots of words and numbers in this file." He chuckled lightly, always avoiding answering me. He sat down behind his desk and slide the file across it. I flipped it open and began reading. So many tests all on… revival.
"After my dear sister was taken from us we spent countless resources and decades in hopes of somehow getting her back. This is the closest we ever got to resurrecting the dead. It isn't perfect though, Didyme isn't here after all, but you have more than just ashes. In a jar is an oozing piece of flesh that once composed a piece of your dead son." He gestured to the file. "Keep reading."
The results… would it really be him? Reborn, looking exactly the same, but without all the scars without his memories.
"But… his soul." This called into question everything I believed. If I did this would Jasper still be Jasper?
"There's a reason Caius and I are atheists."
"Marcus still believes…" I said half-heartedly, still trying to work through what was inside of this file.
"Your Jasper would essentially be a baby, and you could actually raise him as your son. Though unlike a human he will have a quick learning curve."
"Would I be pulling his soul from heaven down to earth?" I whispered the question.
"If in fact souls do exist I doubt he's in your idea of heaven. You have his story. You know where his assumed soul rests." I looked at Aro. He was grinning maliciously. I snapped the folder shut.
"What is your angle and more importantly what is Bella's angle?"
"You'd have to ask her that, but I'm happy to tell you my motives. I want him to be a part of the guard. Your son would live under the same roof as you again. What more can you ask for?"
"Other than my freedom and a guarantee safety for my family, including Amelia?" Aro leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands.
"Hmm, you know I can't do that. Let's not forget that you broke the law." Aro looked at the ceiling, smiling. "Jasper's death was a sacrifice to help absolve your sins. Now will you play God and resurrect your son the same way he resurrected his son?" Aro did have a way with words.
"I need time to think. I haven't read the whole file yet, and I need to discuss this with Amelia. I'd also want to discuss this with my family. I'm not the only one who would be effected by this decision."
"Time is plentiful. Take as much as you need. Just remember that Bella is the one in possession of Jasper's remnants. She already burned the last of the man she once loved. Every moment you waste is a risk."