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Preview will be on my blog Thursday morning

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all thing Twilight.

Bella

I am just waking up and don't know what the hell is going on. Jasper's not in bed and the house is eerily quiet. I look over at the clock and its 9:46. I don't remember going to sleep last night, but I'm guessing Jasper must have put me in bed. I really wanted to talk to him last night, but I couldn't find the right words without taking my frustrations out on him. I know we should have been talking, but all I wanted was a release. I needed him to make me feel better. Shopping with Rosalie and Esme wasn't too bad, but Rose wouldn't stop throwing questions at me. Adding that on top of all the stress I'm already under was more then I could handle. I know I need to find Rose and Esme later to apologize. As for Jasper, well hopefully we can talk about what's been bothering me. I'm sure with him being an empath this can't be a picnic for him either. This has to be hard on him, especially with the way I've been acting the last few days.

I stretched out on the bed and thought back to yesterday. Rosalie had some very nice ideas for the wedding. She let me pick out my own dress, which I was really surprised about. She even got the seamstress at the dress shop to agree to have it done in time for the ceremony. I really wish I had told her how grateful I was. Especially since I was such a cranky, nasty mess. Esme was also a saint. As far as I know she had already gone ahead and ordered the cake.

I really started to lose it when we were at the florist. We were looking at flower arrangements when Rose asked me, "Calla lilies and irises or calla lilies and roses?" It was a simple question, really it was, but it was also one that I didn't have the answer to and I just snapped. I stormed out of the flower shop like a child and went to wait in the car. When Rosalie and Esme came out they looked hesitant to talk to me. I couldn't blame them though. I took a few deep breaths and tried to ease up a bit. When they finally saw that I had relaxed a little they told me about the flower arrangements that they ordered. They explained that they didn't want them to not be ready in time and that's the only reason they did it without me. Here they are just trying to help me and I flip out on them. I'm still extremely embarrassed by my behavior. I wish I could have held on to my frustrations just a little bit longer.

When I realize I'm not going to get anywhere with all this obsessing and over thinking I get out of bed. I decide to just go downstairs and face the music. I also want to find out why it's so damn quiet. It's been somewhat of a rule that everyone would do things at a human level while I'm in the house; which normally means talking and walking around, so that why the quiet is making me so uneasy. I throw on my pajamas and make my way downstairs. I walk into the living, thinking that's where I'll find everyone, but the only person I see is Jasper. He's sitting on the edge of the couch with his head in his hands, confirming what I already know, something is wrong.

"Jasper?" I walk over to the couch and take a seat next to him.

He can sense my hesitation and worry without even turning to look at me. Then he answers, "Don't worry, Darlin'. I've just been waiting for you to get up. We need to go meet everyone in the clearing." He turns and gives me a small smile before laying his hand on my knee and giving it small squeeze for reassurance.

"Why is everyone at the clearing if everything is okay?"

"The Volturi got here earlier than we expected. Everyone went to meet with the pack about an hour ago."

"I'm going to get dressed. I'll be ready to go in a minute."

Jasper nods in agreement and I race up the stairs to get dressed. As I'm scrambling around the room to find some clothes to throw on I realize that everything is happening so fast. I had forgotten that the Volturi were coming today. I can understand what has Jasper's face looking so worried. I didn't want the others to be alone with the Volturi any longer then they needed to be. It wasn't as if they would do anything to the family, it was just that everyone hadn't made it a secret about their dislike for the brothers. My family thinks that everything they do is about power. Proving they have it, using it for their own needs and bending people to their will. Maybe some things are, but I believe they do a lot of good too, but I can also see the family's point of view as well.

I pull on a pair of jeans and on old t-shirt. I figure if we're going to be running through the forest than there's no reason for me to get all dolled up. I threw on my old chucks and ran into the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth and throw back my hair. I race back down the stairs, half expecting Jasper to be waiting by the front door.

"I'm in the kitchen." He yells out.

The last thing on my mind is food. I just want to get out of here and go join the rest of our family. "You really don't have to do that, baby. We should probably get going."

"You didn't eat dinner last night. Besides, you and I need to talk before we go anywhere." He moves away from the stove and turns to rest his back against the counter. His eyes bore into mine; he's silently pleading with me to give him something, anything.

I nod, letting him know I understand and it's fine. After last night, I already knew it was coming. Jasper's not the kind of man that holds his tongue. It still surprises me that we work together so well; we really are polar opposites. Jasper is strong, a fighter and even though he has a big and genuine heart, he's not afraid to tell people how he feels. Until everything happened with Alice and Edward, I was always the type of person who walked on eggshells; frightened to upset anyone by saying how I felt. With Jasper that all changed; and for the better.

I take a seat at the kitchen table and watch as Jasper puts my food on a plate. He sets my breakfast in front of me, sits down in the chair next to mine and gestures for me to start eating.

"You eat, I'll talk." He runs his hands through his slightly disheveled hair and takes a deep breath, "Look, what happened last night can't happen again. I know that you're frustrated, I'm frustrated too. I'm ready for this whole mess to be over, so that we can move on with our lives, but we have to be able to communicate. We're all aware that you feel like you're a burden."

Before he continues he pulls my hand away from the table and takes it in to his own. He looks me in the eyes as he speaks, "But you are not a burden, Bella. Don't try to argue with me. I'm an empath, so I feel what you're feeling. The only time you're anywhere near a burden to me is when you leave me wondering what your emotions mean or where they're coming from. I don't want to have to guess what's going on with you. I want us to be able to talk about it. Together. The last few days you've been on edge and I had hoped that you would come and talk to me before things got to be too much for you to handle, but that wasn't the case. What happened last night could have been very dangerous for you. I won't let you put either one of us in that position again. Do you understand?"

I'm not too sure that I do understand. I get that he wants me to be able to talk to him when something is wrong, but can't he see, or better yet feel, how much better I am today? A big part of me being frustrated came from not being able to spend time with him. We haven't even had a full day to ourselves since we went to Italy and we weren't even together then. I love our family, but being together all the time just doesn't work for me. My family isn't very big and for the most part we're private people. I'm not used to having no privacy at all and here, everyone can hear everything I do, everything I say or every single sound I make. Jasper and I haven't talked about it, but I hope that after everything settles we can go out on our own for a while.

"I know that I need to work on communicating with you and I will. I'm sorry I didn't come to you; I just didn't want you to worry. I'm not going to apologize for last night, though. It was exactly what I needed and I do feel better."

He stands up as he slams his hands down on the marble table, causing it to crack. "If my hurting you is what makes you feel better, then I don't think I can assist you anymore."

I shake my head furiously as I try to understand what he said. "What are you talking about, Jasper? You didn't hurt me."

"Stand up."

He grabs my arm and pulls me up from the table. Before I know what's happening, he has my pants undone and pulled down around my knees. He moves away from me and motions to my legs. I look down at my bare thighs and let out a loud gasp at what I see. My left leg, from hip to knee is covered in black bruises. My right isn't as bad, just a few small, round marks. I look back up at Jasper, who looks like he would cry if he were able, and I start to speak, "Baby, I don't even feel them. I didn't last night and I didn't this morning. It was an accident. I know you would never try to hurt me."

"I did hurt you and it could have been much worse if I had lost control. You give me more credit then you should." He takes a step forward, closing the distance between us and strokes my cheek lovingly, "I can't lose you, Bella, not ever."

I rise up on the tips of my toes and place a chaste kiss on his lips. I feel terrible that he's even thinking about what could have happened. I should have never put him in that position. "I'm sorry." I whisper. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks, as I think about what I'm going to say next. I hesitate for a minute, taking my lower lip in between my teeth to try and calm my nerves. "Umm, Jasper? After I'm turned…uh… we can do that right? I mean, you won't have to worry about your control?"

He throws his head back and lets out a deep, boisterous laugh, "No. We won't have to worry. We can do anything you want."

"Anything?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close to him, "Mmm hmm. Tell me… did you have something in mind?" He starts places soft kisses down my jaw line and I groan in frustration. Damn him for starting something he can't finish.

"Jasper, you have to stop." I try to push him away, but he refused to budge. "Seriously, we need to go."

He pulls away and gives me his best pout, "Fine, but we will finish this later."

I can only nod in response. I'm torn between wanting Jasper to take me, right here, right now and wanting to get to our family. I pull up my jeans and sit back down at the table. I quickly finish my breakfast and throw my dish in the sink. Jasper, knowing me so well, suggests that I use the restroom before we go, so I do. As I'm washing my hands realization hits; I'm about to be the only human in a field full of super naturals.

What if something goes wrong? What if Jasper is right and I can't trust the Volturi? Calm down! Jasper, along with the rest of the family, won't let anything happen to you. Just relax before you set Jasper off again. That's the last thing he needs!

When I'm sure that my inner argument is over, I take a few deep breaths before leaving the restroom and going to find Jasper. When I walk out of the door he's already there waiting. "Don't worry so much. Trust me they aren't going to try anything. Besides, with the wolves, we have the upper hand." He says with a smirk. Damn the sexy empath vampire!

"Why do they want to meet with the pack anyway?"

He puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me out the door. "They didn't. I suggested it. They need to see how the wolves operate and I thought it might help them understand that this isn't their territory. Now, hop on."

I jump on Jasper's back, wrap my legs tight around his waist and my arms around his neck. I bury my face in the crook of his neck and try to concentrate on the scent of his skin. If it wasn't for the feeling of the wind blowing, I wouldn't even know he was running. It isn't long before he pats me on the leg and tells me to open my eyes. The place where we've stopped is a place I know all too well; we're roughly twenty feet from the clearing.

I get down from Jasper's back and straighten my clothes. I let out a huff before asking, "You ready?"

"I've already seen them, Darlin'. It's you that has to be ready."

I nod, letting him know that I'm okay. Jasper wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side. We walk into the clearing, where we find our family on one side, the pack on the other, and the Volturi in the middle. The distance between them isn't much and everyone seems to be getting along. I do notice that Carlisle is off to the side and I wonder if they have spoken with him yet. Rosalie and Emmett start walking toward us, both with worried looks on their faces. We meet them half way and stop. I step away from Jasper and wrap my arms around Rose's torso. I know the others can hear me, but I whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry."

She pulls away and plants a soft kiss on my cheek. She grabs my shoulders and looks me over, "I'll let it slide this time, but if you ever yell at me like that again, I'll kick your ass." She smiles playfully, before looking over her shoulder and groaning, "Come on. They're over there working on a plan to find Edward and Alice." That worried look graces her features once again as she glances at me briefly. She takes my hand in hers and leads us over to the large group in the middle of the clearing.

As I approach the others I quickly greet each member of my family with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. I look at the pack and find myself shocked. I know Jake said they gained two members, but seeing them all together like that is overwhelming. Sam, Jake and Paul, being the only wolves in human form, are standing to represent the pack. The other five are all sitting quietly behind them. I wave to say hello and all three return the gesture.

I turn to the brothers and of course, Aro is the first one to say hello. He grabs my shoulders and kisses each cheek lightly before saying, "It is always a pleasure to see you, Isabella."

I give him the best smile that I can under the circumstances and ignore his statement completely. "Aro, how was your trip? You got here sooner than I expected."

"Yes, well, you can thank Ana for that." He says pointing to a small brunette, whom I've never met before. She is beautiful. She reminds me of Aubrey Hepburn and if I had to guess, I would bet that warm smile never leaves her face. It's hard to imagine that such a sweet looking girl could feed off of humans. "She pulled some strings and got us on a private plane. It worked out much better for us."

"Good." I say before turning to Marcus. He takes my hand in his and shakes it softly.

"It's good to see you, Bella."

"It's good to see you too." I am glad to see Marcus. He is such a quiet person and no matter what anyone else believes, I know he has a kind soul.

Caius has yet to look at me, so I guess I'm going to have to be the one to initiate our greeting.

"Caius, glad you had a safe flight."

He takes a minute to look at me, but when he does there's something in his eyes that I haven't seen before. He looks almost timid. "Thank you." He says, then looks over to Aro and scowls. "Bella, I was hoping, if you have a minute later, that we would be able to talk." He looks back at me with a solemn expression.

"Sure, why don't I get caught up to speed and then I'm all yours." I can tell he didn't really want to talk to me, but I am intrigued by what he might have to say.

"I'm coming with her." Jasper says with a stern voice.

Caius chuckles darkly, "I expected nothing less, Mr. Whitlock."

"Jasper. While you all are here, please, call me Jasper."

Caius turned his attention back to his brothers and asks, "Shall we fill Bella and Jasper in?"

Aro nods in Caius' direction and looks at Jasper and me excitedly, "We haven't had much time to discuss, but as you know, Carlisle has been having trouble getting in touch with Edward and Alice. We would like to take care of things while we are here so we don't have to make another trip back. Well, not for that reason anyway. From the information we've been given, we believe they have left Alaska. Demetri, Jacob and Seth will leave tonight just to make sure. If they are not there, Demetri is a wonderful tracker, the best, and he will find them."

I shake my head, trying to clear it of confusion. "What do you mean Jake and Seth? They aren't going anywhere." I say looking at the brothers.

Jacob takes a few steps forward and speaks up, "I volunteered, as did Seth. We will be fine, Bella."

"He's just a kid," I yell. "What about my wedding? I can't get married without you there. Why would you agree to this? Why the hell would you want this?" Tears start to stream down my cheeks as I think about my best friend and little Seth Clearwater out hunting vampires.

Jacob walks up to me, takes my face in his hands and wipes my cheeks with his thumbs, "We love you, Bells, and we're ready for this to be over too. I. Will. Be. At. Your. Wedding. It's important to you, so it's important to me. And trust me, Seth can take care of himself; none of us would have agreed to it if he couldn't." He pauses and takes a look around, "All of this is for you, Bella." He gives me a quick hug and turns around to join the rest of the pack again.

Jasper wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his chest. I fist my hands into his shirt and sob into him. I will never be able to live with myself if something happens to them. No matter what Jake says, there is no reason that they have to go, especially not with two other members of the guard here. No one moved or made a sound while I tried to gain my composer.

"Bella, would you like to go home?" Jasper asks.

I pull away from him and shake my head, "I want to get everything out of the way. Take it all in at once, ya know?"

He smiles at me and then looks at the brothers, "Anything else we need to know?"

"Like I said, we haven't had time to discuss much. We would like to speak to Carlisle tonight. Of course, the rest of the family is welcome to attend. As you know, Eli is the main reason we've made this trip and we would like to get to know a little more about him; if he is willing. We also have some business to discuss with the pack and I hope to do that before Jacob and Seth leave." He looks over at Sam and asks, "If that is alright with you."

"Fine." Sam says. His facial expression is stern. It was obvious from the moment that Jasper and I arrived that Sam was all about business. Neither him nor Paul look happy about being here.

Aro nods, "Perfect. Now, does anyone have anything they would like to say before we go our separate ways?" His question is directed at the family, but no one says anything. "Alright, then we will meet you back at your house later this evening."

I watch as Caius motions for Felix with his finger. He whispers something in his ear, before looking at Jasper and me. "Bella, Jasper, would you mind taking a walk with us?"

Jasper and I just look at each other and shrug. I know the Volturi brother's don't go anywhere without their guard, but I'm a little uncomfortable with Felix. He has been very open about his attraction to me and even though I find him less abrasive then the rest of the guard, something about him still rubs me the wrong way.

"He would never hurt you." Jasper whispers.

I look at him to try and understand where he's coming from with that comment. Before I wasted too much time thinking on it I decide to say fuck it and throw caution to the wind. I love and trust Jasper and need to start acting like it instead of second guessing everything, so I look back at Caius and answer, "Let's go."

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