Walking up that hill to Volterra was something Jasper never thought he would do.

From the moment he'd heard of the Volturi, he had made himself one promise when it came to those ancient executioners: he would keep away. He would not seek them out, would not give them reason to seek him out, and he would not in any way cross paths with them.

Oh, he had not expected to live for long at first, but as he survived year after year in Maria's army, becoming her trusted second in command and lover, and his existence was no longer quite so temporary, he made resolutions for this life that he would lead.

Chief among them being that Jasper Whitlock would go through his life as a non-entity to the Volturi.

When he'd met Alice, seen what her gift was capable of and how defenseless she was otherwise, that promise had solidified into a guiding principle. So long as he had Alice in his life, so long as she needed his protection, he would make it so that she never attracted their notice nor their interest.

Of course, he'd never had to act on this in his time immersed in the Cullen coven. Carlisle had been playing this game a long time, and his coven while young had been at it for decades before Jasper and Alice's arrival. When slips were made, or there was a hint that a superstitious neighbor suspected a little too much, they quickly moved. Jasper had rarely, if ever, had to even voice his opinion.

All he'd had to do was concentrate on not being the one who fucked up next (which he, sadly, usually was.)

And then, Carlisle received a phone call.

It almost hadn't felt fair, that after all of Jasper's due and diligent work staying under the radar, Death should come knocking because he was old chums with Carlisle, because everyone is old chums with Carlisle, and now the coven was expected to form a line and file into Volterra.

The invitation was friendly, and Carlisle was completely trusting of Aro's sincerity and of his own safety within Volterra. His only point of contention had been the girl, Bella Swan.

Carlisle's inability to see the problem with going to Volterra had made the situation all the more dire to Jasper: he respected Carlisle, but the man had an unfortunate tendency to see the best, and only the best in people.

He would not be able to protect his family from the Volturi.

Of course, the decision for Jasper had been simple. Alice might not have realized it then, or perhaps lied to herself in desperation, but as of that moment Jasper, Alice, and the Cullens were over. It had been a good few decades, Jasper would be forever grateful to Carlisle for having taken Jasper and Alice in and helped him with the diet, but this was the end of the line for them.

Jasper didn't know if the invitation was a thin disguise for a trap or if it was bizarre but genuine, it hadn't mattered, because Alice would never set foot in Volterra.

But, of course, it seemed that Jasper was the only one who felt this way.

Alice had demanded they go to the Denali. Jasper had agreed, thinking that he might persuade her to a different location in a few months. Of course, with Demetri in the Volturi employ, it hardly mattered where they went. With Carlisle in Volterra, Aro could now find Alice anywhere in the world if he so chose. However, staying in a place that was so easy to track down only served to make Jasper nervous.

More, for all that the Denali were kind, and Jasper appreciated being around friends who could provide numbers, should a confrontation arise (It was a fact of Jasper that he would never, ever, be able to stop thinking in these ways), they were not people him and Alice could ever form a coven with. They would never be more than visitors.

Then, within days, Edward had shown up, having been kicked out of Volterra for loss of control (which Jasper admitted had been a beautiful irony, that Edward should be the Jasper du jour among the closest thing vampires had to royalty). Alice, of course, couldn't leave Edward behind in the miserable state that he was in, and had focused her priorities on comforting him and doing what she could for him.

Which meant that they were, apparently, not getting Edward nor the rest out of their lives.

Alice was happy, in her own way. She was concerned for Edward, yes, but when he had first gone to Volterra, refusing to let Carlisle and Esme go on their own, anxiety had emanated from her like a cloud, one that only went away when Jasper concentrated on plucking it apart. And even then, even when he made it so that her worries for her gifted brother that Aro would surely covet turned into a calm water, even then he could the thoughts spinning in her eyes as she tested various futures, hoping her gift could in some way help Edward navigate the treacherous waters of Volterra.

To have Edward back, then, and so soon, had been a great relief to her, not least because it meant she wouldn't need to worry about Aro stealing him away from her.

Except Edward had been anything but relieved. Volterra had shaken him deeply, whatever had happened there had turned his very world on its head, leaving him trembling in the aftermath days after he had left.

He'd suddenly been concerned for the human, Bella, too, though concern wasn't the word Jasper would use for it. No, the emotions radiating off of Edward, spiking at random moments, were something far stronger, something more raw, a complicated tangle of extreme emotions stretching in every direction, making it so that it was all Jasper could do to remain in the same room as Edward without wanting to scream.

Edward would demand Alice try to see into her future. This, of course, had been difficult if not impossible for Alice who had never once met Isabella Swan. When that failed, he'd demanded Alice see the results of his own actions, as he quickly planned various attempts to rescue her or else return to the city and convince Carlisle and the Volturi that he could handle his thirst.

And then Edward had started making awful decisions.

He started calling the girl incessantly, it had worried Alice to no end. Alice hadn't been able to see Bella's response, not one, and Edward had insisted that this was perhaps a good sign. He'd left several messages on her phone which blatantly broke Volturi law, stopping just short of shouting "vampire" in pig-latin.

Then, Carlisle called Edward, and the entire house heard just how close Edward's brush with death at the hands of the Volturi had been.

Jasper had known, then, even without Alice's gift, how this would end.

Oh, he didn't want to think about it, not merely because of Edward's gift, but for Alice's sake as well, he did not want to see her lose her favorite sibling and best friend, but… Edward was too stubborn, too sure of himself, and just disrespectful enough of the Volturi that he would do something else, something more, and then–

The hammer of Volterra would fall.

Jasper dreaded it already.

Edward was not Alice. Jasper–he wouldn't say they'd ever become particularly close, had ever even truly become friends, or that Edward had ever done more than vaguely tolerate Jasper's presence, but he would be sad to see him go. They had lived together a long time, longer than Jasper had lived with Peter and Charlotte outside Maria's army, and Edward was–he was one of those idealistic sorts you couldn't help but admire. An emotionally disturbing mess, of course, but weren't they all?

And there was perhaps something, too, to be said of the family charade. Perhaps it was a part they played, but little parts of it had snuck under Jasper's skin, and now, after sixty years by Edward's side, he found that Edward, like Carlisle, like Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and the whole, strange, human charade, felt like home. And, in turn, family.

Still, Edward was not Alice, and as such Jasper had to weigh his worth against Jasper's own life, Alice's, and the rest of the Cullen. When it came down to it, Jasper would let Edward die so that the rest of them might live.

And if Edward knew that, if Alice knew that, then that was fine. Jasper had lived with worse.

Unfortunately, there was one star that shone brighter in Jasper's universe than his own decisions and priorities, and that was Alice. All things Alice.

Alice adored Edward. This was not to say that she loved him or needed him more than Jasper, but she did need him, and he filled a void in her life that Jasper never could. Edward and Alice simply understood one another, Edward was witness to her visions in a way that Jasper never could be, and they relied on one another and their respective gifts. The first time Alice had seen Edward, she had run to him with the world's largest grin on her face and no thought at all to the danger the three vampires there might represent.

And now, Edward was in danger.

He had called them, once, after getting in touch with Amun, to ask how she thought his meeting with the Romanians would go. (And that, of course, had been interesting as Alice had been terrified at how his meeting with Amun would go. She'd been on pins and needles, watching as Amun mulled over whether or not he should present Edward's treacherous head to Aro. He'd never seen her look more helpless.)

Alice had told him not to go. She couldn't see how they'd respond past greeting Edward, accepting his appearance, but after Amun she hadn't wanted to.

Edward had gone anyway.

And then, less than a week later, Alice had seen him meet with the Romanians, speak with them, and then–

There were two paths, and she had seen both of them play out as Stefan and Vladimir contemplated.

Edward was interesting, but weakened with animal blood, his yellow eyes shining with malnutrition for all the world to see. He was lean, too, a boy frozen after lying ill for just long enough that his muscles had atrophied, and now they could never grow back.

More, while he had distance with his gift, he was nothing compared to Aro or Marcus, who combined not only had a depth he lacked but had breadth beyond his as well (as Marcus could see relationships spanning infinite distance so long as one person involved was in sight).

Not that Vladimir or Stefan were much impressed by any gift, gifts in general tended to be seen as an annoyance.

They'd said all this to each other, as if Edward weren't even in the room.

In one path, they simply decided to kill him after that. Alice had buried her face in Jasper chest, and trembled while he held her, dreading this path but unable to look away should it come to pass.

In the other, Stefan and Vladimir nodded to one another, and turned back to look at Edward again. They had smiled, as one. They'd asked about his father, if it was true, as people said, that Edward's father was the very same as the animal-drinker who had lived in Volterra for decades.

(Carlisle, apparently, had quite the reputation in Europe.)

They wound up choosing this second path, and Alice wept in relief.

In one world, Edward chose to deny this, having the instinct to fear what might happen to Carlisle should these men learn of them. They immediately tore off his head, built a pyre, and roasted marshmallows over his grave. Not because they were going to eat the marshmallows, of course, but because they'd picked up the idea from human culture and felt it a befitting way to humiliate their enemies in death.

However, in another, Edward confirmed, and in doing so saved his own life. Now he held value as a hostage.

By luck or else Edward's endless stupidity, given the flashes of paths Alice ended up seeing as the Romanians discussed how best to contact Volterra and which prisoner they should demand in turn for Edward's safe return, it seemed Edward had chosen this last path.

And Alice had crumpled in despair. In one single moment, Jasper was all that was left to her. The family, Carlisle and Esme, and now even Edward were lost to her. All that was left was Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper.

They would not be enough.

This truth had dawned on Jasper as he looked down at his wrecked wife.

Edward had given himself up, and in doing so, given up Alice as well. All that Alice was, was defined by those around her, and one person could not hope to shoulder that burden on their own.

All at once, the thoughts Jasper had had of leaving with Alice, of them making do for her safety and getting by with a few bumps but still getting by, folded up and out of existence.

It wouldn't be a life for her.

Alice hadn't asked, but she hadn't protested either even as she'd undoubtedly watched the consequences of Jasper's decision. And so, Jasper had found himself first on a plane, then a bus, and then climbing a hill in Tuscany.

And now, he was walking into the ancient city of Volterra, keeping to the shadows, waiting for a sentinel to take him into the bowels of the city.

It was only a minute before a cloaked vampire appeared in an alley.

The man took one look at Jasper's eyes, though his eyes had also lingered on Jasper's scarred face, and said, "You're one of Carlisle's."

"I'm here to see Aro," Jasper replied, willing himself to hold only steel in his eyes, the steel that had cut through thousands of vampires over the course of his life.

The man hadn't looked particularly impressed but not outright dismissive either. At the very least, it seemed, Jasper would not be thrown out of the city for his presumptiveness.

"Follow me," he said, and turned around.

He pulled aside a manhole covering, and stepped back, indicating for Jasper to jump in.

For a moment, Jasper's crystalline vision failed him, and he saw nothing in the darkness below, only the darkness itself, endless and consuming. For a moment, terror grabbed hold of him, and he wanted only to turn on his heel and run, far away from this city that represented death.

Then, his vision cleared, and it was only a sewer just like any other.

He jumped in.

The man followed, pulled the manhole covering over to cover their exit, and led Jasper down a series of sewer tunnels, further and further down until they were facing a heavy, iron cast door.

The man pulled it aside, and Jasper stepped into a brightly lit, surprisingly modern-looking hallway with hardwood floors, dark persian rugs, cream white paneled walls, and inoffensive paintings of English and Dutch landscapes adorning the wall. At the end of the hallway it opened into a room like a lounge, with a few chairs and tables scattered across.

It was oddly professional looking, as if Jasper had just stepped into a hallway leading to a well-established law firm.

At a desk was even a secretary, a human girl wearing glasses with the name 'Giulia' inscribed on a gold plate.

She looked up at Jasper's arrival, and smiled. "Hello! How may I help you today?" she asked.

The man spoke for Jasper, "He's waiting here, is Aro available?"

(The idea that Aro had a personal secretary that scheduled his meetings was too bizarre for Jasper to fully appreciate.)

"Same as yesterday. Aro is currently in the library, he said he was not to be disturbed."

The man looked back at Jasper in askance, "Is this important?"

What he meant, of course, was if Paris was on fire. It wasn't, at least, Alice hadn't seen as much when Jasper had left (the Romanians had decided to play Russian Roulette with a pair of kidnapped humans to help decide which guard member they should attempt to exchange Edward with).

"I think that's for Aro to decide," Jasper replied. Then he turned to the secretary. "Is there any chance you could relay to him the message that I am Jasper Whitlock, here to visit?"

The man mulled that over, looking as if he wasn't sure whether he was impressed or annoyed at Jasper's ballsy attitude.

"What's this?" a childlike voice called, and Jasper's head turned to see a small child walking towards him, a frown on her porcelain face.

He had never seen this girl before, but he didn't have to. There wasn't a vampire in the world, who dabbled in his line of business, who did not know who this was.

Fear pulsed through him like a shockwave, and he almost bolted then and there.

"Jane," the vampire next to Jasper greeted calmly. Then, nodding over at Jasper he noted, "Carlisle has a visitor, wants to speak with Aro."

"Jasper," Jasper said, his voice far breathier than he could ever remember it having sounded before.

She nodded, and turned to look at Jasper, taking in his eyes and scars. Unlike most vampires, she didn't even blink at the scars. Of course, she of all people would have nothing to fear from him. "Thought your name was Hale."

Jasper almost choked on his answer, and he heard himself fumble his words, though at least he didn't divert his eyes to the ground as he spoke, "It's a fake name. Whitlock is my real name."

"Carlisle's coven has too many surnames," Jane complained to Jasper's companion, "I can't keep them all straight, and it's not like anyone needs them. Maybe if they were all named John, or something."

Shaking her head, she continued her musing. "And really, if you're going to use fake surnames then I don't get why you keep your first names. Rosalie, Carlisle, Esme, I'm sorry, but all of those names attract attention, so much attention. Just go with… I don't know, but something more anonymous. Nothing anonymous about Carlisle Whitlock, gosh, that's a mouthful."

"That's it, you're Jasper Hale now," Jane decided, pointing at Jasper and daring him to refute this. Jasper Hale nodded weakly, he was now Jasper Hale, this was his destiny.

"Alright, you wanted to see Aro, I'll take you."

"Yes," Jasper said gratefully, "Thank you."

She gave him an odd look, and then frowned. "Come to think about it, Aro told me you have terrible control. Ah, how about you wait in the throne room? I'm sorry, but you really can't eat Bella," she said.

For a moment, Jasper just blinked in confusion, and then remembered why Carlisle was supposedly here in the first place. The girl, the human girl who had smelled so good that Edward had lost control. Yes, that would be very bad.

"I'd prefer not to," Jasper hastily said, "I'll wait wherever I need to."

Jane nodded, and started walking, while the vampire that had escorted Jasper left, presumably off to patrol Volterra again.

After a half-second, Jasper realized he was meant to follow Jane. He ran after her.

"Of course," Jane chatted, "Renata's always with her so you wouldn't get the chance. But it's bad enough that your brother slipped up in front of her like that, Marcus had to take his head off - Marcus! - so we really can't afford another slip. She'll figure us out."

"I… heard about that," Jasper said, carefully neutral.

"And that," Jane sighed wearily, "is why you'd really think, after all these years, people would get it into their thick skulls that I'm not an immortal child. I can control myself just fine around Bella, Carlisle Cullen's best controlled progeny cannot. Someone's in danger of slaughtering villages, and it's not me, you know?"

There was something very pointed in the way she looked at him.

Jasper couldn't help his raised eyebrows. From the sound of it, from the bubbling of her emotions, Jane had been just dying to talk to someone about this ever since Edward was banished.

Still, he hadn't expected her to bring up her age. It was like meeting a man in a wheelchair, and he instantly starts talking about his wheelchair.

He'd imagined this wasn't something the Volturi talked about, period, at least not Jane and Alec themselves, and certainly not to strangers.

Truth be told, he hadn't really thought those two would have personalities. It was stupid, in retrospect, but their age, their gifts, the fact that they were the most fearsome two vampires in the world and represented death itself to immortals, had made them appear to Jasper like ideas, not people. He had pictured them, when he heard about the witch twins, and imagine to cloaked porcelain dolls, expressionless and emotionless as they spread death wherever they went.

Though, of course, being Jane, Jasper couldn't imagine anyone would dare disagree with her or slight her to her face. That was a course of action only for the hopelessly suicidal. Given that, she could say whatever she wanted.

He wondered if he should feel an odd sense of kinship with Jane as he, too, hadn't been as upset as he should have been when Edward was sent home in humiliated defeat. It'd been nice, not to be the one who lost his head for once.

"Of course, and no offense, but I'm not sure your coven's all that invested in any of this anyway," Jane prattled on, "Oh, Carlisle definitely is, and his wife seems to finally be on board, but you have Edward who is now banished from the city and the other two vamoose not a few days later. And even then, this morning, it was only Alec and I at meals. Nobody showed up for lunch, not even Renata and Bella!"

She gave him an incredulous look, like 'can you believe it?'

Jasper felt he was supposed to say something to this, to be frank, he was too terrified not to, "That's terrible."

This, it seemed, was a perfectly legitimate response.

"Frankly," Jane continued, "it feels like he and I are the only ones who are taking this in any way seriously. We show up, we play trash hockey, we make conversation about human things, like, ooh, Tuesday we talked about how our dentist appointments had gone. We've researched for this! And then the others just sit there in silence with Bella, which is missing the whole point of these meals! Today, when they didn't show, Alec and I decided to screw it all, we're playing human anyway. It's the principle of the matter."

Jane barely stopped for a breath, "And when I say others, it's just me, Alec, Renata, and Carlisle at this point. All the others, poof, gone. Even the wife bails on meals, which, I mean, why is she even here then? She doesn't take class with Bella, she only would ever see her at meals, so why is she here?"

"I'll talk to Carlisle for you," Jasper said.

Jane shot him a wry smile. "That's great, but the thing is, Aro is supposed to be the one doing that. He's the one directing all of this, and he's been spending so much time with Carlisle anyway, so it's not like he hasn't had the chance. And yet, apparently, they've been so busy that Aro hasn't had the chance to tell Carlisle this one simple thing. Just– seriously, what could possibly be keeping them so busy, that Aro can't say "Hey, Carlisle, could you do the thing you came here to do"?"

"England" rang out very clearly in Jasper's head right then, along with the memory of how much mirth Carlisle had been feeling when he said it. Carlisle had thought it was very very funny.

Jasper settled for a grunting sound that could be interpreted either as agreement or Jasper's disgust with Aro and or Carlisle for failing to take whatever this was seriously.

"And the worst part is, I looked forward to this. It's so different! You were in the Southern wars, so you know all about what I usually do. Go to a place, see, butcher everyone. Done deal. You know?"

"Yes," Jasper croaked, willing his knees to hold firm and not collapse under him.

"Now I have the chance to do something different, to sit around and pretend I'm Jane Tyler, a fifteen-year-old human who's in Volterra studying art history. Alec and I are from Pittsburgh, it's in America. The plan was for us to bond with Bella over how American we are. We learned the names of so many fast food chains! When am I ever gonna get a chance like that again?"

Jasper made sure he looked suitably impressed.

He must have done a good job as Jane continued, "And I like her, Alec likes her too, she's very funny for a human. Alec thinks she's like that Charlie Chaplin fellow in the pictures, she's always falling down or running into things and makes the funniest faces when she does it."

Jasper… was not sure that was something that should constitute liking a person. He could see Emmett saying as much, though.

"And yet we don't get to spend any time with her, because Carlisle and Aro are completely hogging her. Weirdly, though, it seems like they don't want her spending time with Marcus, which I thought was the entire point of this thing. It's like this plan has been completely abandoned."

Jasper made another grunting noise which he hoped sounded appropriately offended on her behalf.

Noticeably absent from Jane's tale was any mention of Bella's cancer.

Well, that had never mattered all that much to Jasper anyway, but it was gratifying in a way to catch Carlisle out on his ridiculously transparent lie.

They finally made it to the throne room. The name was appropriate, it was a very large, circular room that looked as if it had been inspired by the pantheon. Only, unlike the pantheon, this room had not been stripped for parts. The marble flooring and pillars were intact and in excellent condition. Against the wall opposite the doorway were three, large, chairs which represented Volterra's three kings.

They were currently, ominously, empty.

"Wait here," Jane said, "I'll fetch Aro."

Jasper only nodded.

At this point, if Jane was a bubbly child who secretly wanted to be an actress instead of the Volturi inquisitor, Jasper had to wonder what Aro would prove just as surprising.

Well, he supposed in a way Aro already had, Jasper had not foreseen Aro pursuing Esme, of all people.

Jane disappeared through an opening in the wall, and soon enough the sound of her footsteps faded.

This was either a castle built by someone with a mastery of acoustics, or it was terrifyingly large.

About a minute went by.

Then Jasper heard the desperate rush of someone sprinting towards his location.

Jasper's eyes widened as Carlisle, golden hair in complete disarray and dressed in what looked like a Volturi cloak not quite made for his build and falling only to his ankles, rushed into the room.

"Jasper!" he cried as he skidded to a halt, his eyes wide.

A foreign scent wafted off of him, right into Jasper's face.

"Carlisle," Jasper said in turn, the name almost coming out like a question.

Carlisle looked down at himself, seemed to realize what Jasper was seeing, then back at Jasper. He was utterly mortified, nonetheless, his panic won out and he asked, "You came with news?!"

"Yes," Jasper said, and reflexively used his gift to help Carlisle compose himself. Also, perhaps, to help Jasper compose himself in turn.

For as long as Jasper had known him, Carlisle had not been what one might call a sexual creature. To be honest, the very idea of Carlisle having sex with anyone was a bit of a non-concept to Jasper. Oh, he and Esme certainly loved each other, but sex didn't appear to be something either needed from the other and so Jasper had shrugged and been on his merry way. (Not to mention Rosalie and Emmett had enough sex for that whole damn house.)

And yet here was Carlisle, very clearly caught in the middle or just after… thinking about England.

Jasper knew he should say something, anything, inform Carlisle of what had happened to Edward, but…

Carlisle had been in the middle of sex.

"Right, sorry," Carlisle said, recognizing that Jasper had helped to calm him down, "I'm ready, what's happened?"

Jasper opened his mouth, but just then, Jane and a dark-haired man with oddly translucent skin and hazy eyes that matched Alice's description of Aro to a 't' walked in.

Jasper was now standing before the man who ruled the world.

And he was every bit as disheveled as Carlisle, though notably wearing his own clothes.

"'m leaving," Jane muttered, and, with a glare directed at both Aro and Carlisle, she ran from the room. A cloud of outrage, distress, and sheer shock followed in her wake.

"Jasper?" Carlisle questioned, then seemed to remember that Aro, king of the vampires, was in the room, "Right, you'll want to speak with Aro too. Aro, this is Jasper, my other son. Jasper, this is Aro, I'm sure you've heard of him."

Being introduced to the man by Carlisle as if this was simply Aro down the block, Aro from the Italian coven who likes art and happens to also run the Volturi, made the whole situation somehow even more absurd.

Once again, Jasper couldn't help but think to himself that Carlisle Cullen was a terribly bizarre creature.

Jasper decided he'd just best get on with it, "It's about Edward."

Carlisle stiffened. He looked as if whatever Jasper was about to say, those words would have the power to crush him.

Jasper didn't dare look at Aro, but he felt the man's resolve hardening, he had a very good guess as to what Jasper was about to say and he had already made his decision.

Jasper–he supposed that was a possibility. He would have thought Alice would tell him if Edward's execution at the Volturi's hand was certain but–perhaps Edward's odds of survival, torn to pieces by the Romanians, was so low that anything offered him a better chance of making it through this.

Even informing Aro of Edward's poor attempt at insurrection.

Jasper raised his chin and forced himself to look directly at Aro.

The man was smaller than Jasper had envisioned, both smaller and slighter. Jasper positively towered over him. As did Carlisle, for that matter. However, just the same, even without his cloak and without sitting in his throne, there was something about the way he'd held himself that would have made Maria seem weak and unconfident. Power oozed off his shoulders, his very being, and there was no hint of self-doubt or a lack of confidence in him.

Had Jasper been facing him on the battlefield, he would have resigned himself to a long and bitter fight against an enemy who might very well win. And it didn't matter how thin his skin looked, how glazed his eyes, how foreign and out of time his long dark hair seemed, this was not someone to be trifled with or disrespected.

He wondered how Carlisle and Esme could ever look upon that man and see someone they would go to bed with. Yes, he supposed to some, that power, that sense of standing before a true king, would hold appeal, but Carlisle and Esme had never been drawn towards such things.

Jasper, on the other hand, was quite frankly terrified.

Wordlessly, he offered up his hand.

Aro's eyebrows raised but he wasted no time in taking it. He closed his eyes as he held it, firmly enough that Jasper could feel his grip, but not so firmly that Jasper couldn't have broken away if he wished. Jasper could only wonder at what Jasper Whitlock's life would look like to this man who had seen the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

He wondered what Aro saw of Alice. Oh, he'd already seen her through Edward, Edward had confessed to that, and Edward had a much more damning view of the ins and outs of Alice's gift but Jasper liked to think he knew her in a way no one else did. And in Jasper, Aro might decide that Alice was valuable enough to not bother with waiting as he appeared to be currently doing.

Jasper's only solace was that he, now, no longer knew where Alice was or where she would flee. If Aro ever came for her, Alice would see it coming, and they could make it a merry chase for centuries to come.

Aro smiled slightly, an enigmatic expression.

It was all Jasper could do not to tremble.

"Well?" Carlisle prompted as Aro's eyes finally opened.

He let go of Jasper's hand and Jasper immediately snatched it back, as if he'd been burned. Though, of course, the damage had already been done.

"Edward found the Romanians, as we expected," Aro told him. Carlisle closed his eyes in dread.

Jasper winced, he'd wondered that himself. Edward had not spoken to Alice for very long, and Alice had had to parse through what Amun had said from her visions, but he'd wondered if Amun, on deciding to instead inform on Edward, had known exactly where Edward would be headed.

"And they decided to hold him hostage," Aro continued.

Carlisle's eyes snapped open. "He's alive?" he breathed.

"For now," Aro finished, "Though Jasper is afraid that it will not be for long. I agree with him."

Carlisle shook his head, uncomprehending. "Wait, hostage? What do they want? What could they possibly want from me?"

Carlisle looked at Jasper in confusion, "Is it money?"

"Gods, they would," Aro said, and Jasper caught a flicker of wry amusement before he continued, "Unfortunately, they, ah, hope to extort me."

Carlisle looked completely lost. "That… why?"

"They wish to exchange Edward for a member of my guard of their choice. They're torn between Jane, Alec, and Chelsea," Aro explained, still darkly amused by all of this.

Carlisle only stared. At this point he wasn't even confused anymore, he was simply in a state of utter incomprehension.

"Edward informed them that they were indeed correct, and that the Carlisle Cullen he wished to save from my evil clutches was the Carlisle Cullen who had once spent decades in Volterra. It is well known, among the European vampire population, that you were my lover."

"Oh, god," Carlisle muttered, closing his eyes again. Jasper felt the mortification, and deep embarrassment coming off of Carlisle.

Feeling nice, he eased it. Oh, he had no idea what to make of Carlisle's decisions anymore, but he still respected the man too much to let him marinate in embarrassment, not while there was anything he could do about it.

"Don't 'oh, god', that bout of idiocy saved your son's life," Aro chastised, "Otherwise they'd be roasting marshmallows over his ashes, and I wish that was a metaphor."

At Carlisle's horrified look, Aro explained, "The Romanians were always rather crass."

Carlisle's emotions turned into bafflement, though the terror for Edward remained. "Literal marshmallows? They buy marshmallows, and…"

"Yes," Aro said, "I imagine it makes them feel very manly. If Edward had a wife, I imagine they'd ah–take liberties with her instead. So they settled for marshmallows."

Carlisle stared blankly for a moment, processing.

Then, something in his eyes seemed to wither. "What happens next?"

"Jasper came here, out of love for his wife, in the hope that in informing me I might put together an ensemble of my guard to catch the Romanians off guard and rescue Edward before they inevitably lose their patience," Aro further explained "Also hoping that I would not execute Edward for his blatant and ridiculous attempts at treason."

Carlisle closed the distance to Jasper, and touched his arm.

He didn't say anything, but Jasper felt the appreciation, the deep and profound gratitude for what he had done more clearly than any words could have conveyed.

Appreciation and heartbreak. Carlisle now saw something in Jasper that was tearing his heart in half, and it was not his own pain over Edward, but as if he was watching something that Jasper couldn't quite see in himself yet.

Carlisle turned to Aro. "What will you do?"

Aro thought on Carlisle's words with a long, damning, pause, then he said, "I don't know. I–we have no charter, nothing written in paper, but I do not make these decisions alone. We have never done such a thing before, there is no precedent. I must consult with Marcus and Caius."

And then Aro, like Jane before him, surprised Jasper.

He cared.

There were countless of emotions bundled up within the man, and Jasper could see, now, that he had been trying to restrain himself, to stay zen around Jasper until such a time that he would no longer be surveilled, but something in the words he had to say to Carlisle was so devastating that it broke his control, and Jasper could feel it all - his resignation that there was nothing to be done, his dread at what was to come, and the small, flickering, frantic hope that burned brightly, that Jasper had never expected to see.

Jasper wasn't sure which was stronger, his own hope, or his sheer shock, that—

Aro, the leader of the Volturi, did not want Edward to die.

There was a chance, an infinitesimally small chance, that Edward could live, and Jasper's trip would not have been in vain.

Aro looked about the room, "We should do it here, with you both present. Jasper, you will have to give details to the others and–be persuasive. It may very well come down to your word alone."

Well, that wasn't intimidating.