Hello! As you probably noticed, I don't have a posting schedule. I just write when I have time and the inspiration. Please, bear with me!


JASPER POV

Bella is amazing.

She listened to my story without batting an eyelash, and I couldn't feel an ounce of horror, disgust or fear in her emotions either. She even hugged me after.

My already big affection towards her skyrocketed, and it is that same affection that spurs me into motion. "Alice" I grab her hand before she can run outside and start her E.S.S.—as she likes to call it.

"What?" she glares playfully at me.

I smirk. "The Volturi said that they would provide for everything we need. There is no need for this" I gently chastise. She pouts, but I don't budge. After a few seconds she huffs and her shoulders slump. I chuckle and hug her shoulders. "Don't be sad" I say, and snicker mentally—only Alice would be sad over something so trivial.

Suddenly she lights up. "I can still shop for underwear! Yay! I'll go now! ROSE! LET'S GO!" she squeals, and drags Rosalie outside before anyone can stop her.

Everybody chuckles at her silliness. The atmosphere is serene and peaceful, until Bella speaks. "Here I thought a mate couldn't deny their other half, but I guess I'm wrong!" she laughs.

I feel that everybody is confused. I furrow my brows, but before I can speak Esme does. "What do you mean? Alice and Jasper aren't mates" she says, and I see and feel Bella's shock.

"What?!" she gasps, "But Eddikins told me… wait a second… ah, what a fucker, he lied!" she screeches. Esme is too stunned to even chastise her for her language—and it might be also due to the fact that Bella is her absolute favourite daughter, just sayin'.

"Darlin', me and Alice are not mates. We were lovers for almost a year, but we quickly understood that we weren't meant to be" I say, letting Bella hear my drawl—I noticed that she likes it, and it also calms her.

She calms a bit, but it's just a fraction. Fortunately Carlisle saves the situation by pointin' out that Bella should probably go prepare dinner for Charlie. She takes a look at the clock and sprints out the door, a fleeting goodbye flyin' in the air after her.

We all chuckle again and then scatter about, all doin' our own things.

I decide to start packin'. I know it's in advance, but one can never be too ready. Just one of the many things I learned during the Southern Wars.

Speakin' of those.

Why do I have the strange feelin' that this shit is about those?

Hell, it cannot be about the Southern Wars. Bella cannot go anywhere near the shit I experienced the first 100 years of my vampire life. Not because she is unable to take it—hell, Bella can take the apocalypse if she wants—but because she would get excited and would probably want to avenge my early years by destroying the bitch that created me. Not that I am contrary to her demise—hell no. It's just that she would probably die.

And what was that thing about me and Alice being mates? When she told the family that Eddie told her that me and Alice were mated I thought my eyes would fall out of my skull. Why the fuck would he tell her that? That guy is too big for his britches.

As I blur around my study and gather my thing I put them in a duffel bag. I truly hope Alice won't buy me some new underwear.

But I was wrong.

Two days—yeah, people. Two days—later, when Alice and Rose return with several bags in their arms, I'm proved painfully wrong when Rose thrusts two bags of Armani underwear in my arms. But I have it nowhere near as bad as Bella.

She is standing in the middle of the driveway surrounded by a sea of Victoria's Secrets bags.

She's glaring at both females, who were excitedly urging her to go inside and try them. When even Esme joins the discussion sayin' that she would love to see her trying those things on, she caves. She huffs and picks up the dozen-or-so bags, stomping inside. Emmett smirks devilishly as she passes him by.

"Poor Bells" he fake-sighs.

I nudge his shoulder, "Yeah, as if you're not enjoyin' it."

He grins. "Well, what can I say, bro. She's too cute not to" he roars a laugh.

I smirk, too, nodding silently. "So," he asks as we enter the house, "What are you gonna do with the Volturi?"

"What can I do? We're going to go to Volterra, listen to the mission they have in store for us, do it and come back home."

"I hope everything goes as smoothly as you make it sound, dude. Anyway, what was it with Bella and you and Alice being mates? Why would Eddie tell her that?"

I shrug, "I don't know. But now everything is clear, and the only thing I can think of is that Edward is a motherfucking asshole. Period."

He laughs, "I agree with you on that, bro."


FELIX POV

As I board the private jet that will land in Sea-Tac—the airport where Major Whitlock and Bella will be waiting at—I do my best to avoid Heidi. She's such a fucking nuisance. She uses her talent to try and have sex with everyone, but apparently she still hasn't realized that it only works on humans and weak vampires. And I am neither.

"Felix, we have in front of us a ten hours flight," she purrs, caressing the muscles in my arm with her fingers. I want to snap them in two. "We should make the most of it."

I snort. She thinks she's so beautiful and seductive, but she's just a lure for the humans. "Yeah, you're right. I'll fly the goddamn jet, while you try to remove all of that hideous make-up from your face. In another room" I snarl, and slam the door that conducts to the cockpit, ignoring her indignant cry.

I seriously hate Demetri right now.

He should have been the one to accompany me, but he just had to go and claim our human secretary—Gianna—so that he could have his way with her then drain her. It sounds cruel, but if a human is not worth changing, we don't. we need to keep the population of vampires under a certain limit, or the consequences could be devastating.

Demetri claimed Gianna yesterday morning.

When we left an hour ago he was still fucking her and she was still crying in pain, begging us to help her. She probably didn't know that we knew she had tried to seduce Master Marcus (without success obviously) and force her way to the top of the vampire ruling council—which is why her death is so cruel.

I quickly prepare the jet and get us airborne.

The hours fly by, mercifully without hearing Heidi's whiny voice. At the end of the tenth hour of flight I hear a human's voice through the radio. I deal with the human fairly easily and get permission from the control tower to land. I speak through the intercom to alert Heidi that we are landing in a few minutes, because as much as I want to, I can't lock her inside the plane. Unfortunately.

I land smoothly and park the jet into a private hangar. I walk out from the cockpit and immediately Heidi tries to link her arm with mine, but I push her away. As I said, a nuisance.

We run outside—luckily it's a cloudy day—and go to the meeting point where we should meet with the Major and Bella. I can't wait to see her again. When she first came to Volterra she was—albeit scared and fearful of us—a pretty little thing, and I teased her by calling dibs on her just to see her reaction. She didn't disappoint, she glared at me with a playful glint in her eyes. I liked her immediately.

I also noticed a bit of strain between her and the Cullen boy. I hope she left the asshole, she can do better than that.

We enter the airport and walk—there are humans around us—to the private lounge we have booked to meet them in.

The glass of the walls is blurred so we can't see what's inside, but I can hear an heartbeat. Surely Bella's.

I open the door—one must be a gentleman even toward annoying creatures like Heidi—and as she enters, I hear her gasp of surprise. I follow after her and my jaw falls to the floor. Heidi is slobbering all over Major Whitlock, who looks like he wants to behead her, but my eyes are all for Bella.

Before I can reconnect the mouth-brain filter, I blurt out a surprised "Damn, Bella, you look hot!"

Heidi immediately turns to me, outrage shining in her eyes. She glares at Bella, looking her up and down. "This child? Hot? I am hot, not her" she sneers.

Both me and the Major snort, while Bella is blushing a cute shade of pink. "You're not hot. You're plain slutty, while she is elegant. There is a big difference" I say.

And it is true. Heidi is wearing a pink leather mini-dress that barely covers the essentials, with fuchsia sparkling stilettos and a shitload of too-heavy make-up. Bella is sporting a skin-tight white t-shirt—that enhances her gorgeous curves magnificently—and a pair of burgundy capris pants. No heels for her, just a pair of black ballerinas, and a bit of mascara. Nothing more nothing less.

Heidi snorts and sneers at Bella—who beautifully ignores her—and both me and the Major assume protective stances.

"Heidi, I suggest you go inside the jet and wait" I say, a dangerous undertone in my voice.

She looks shocked, "What?" The Major then speaks up, "You heard him, lady. Go the fuck in the jet" he says. Heidi growls but nobody budges. Then she stomps outside with an hiss toward Bella, who doesn't even bat an eyelash. I knew we would be great friends given the opportunity. And I tell her as much after Heidi is out of earshot.

"Really? Well, I'm honoured" she smiles.

I rub my hands together. "Well, shall we go now? Are you ready?"

They both nod. I escort them to the hangar and we depart in less than an hour.

I can't wait to go back home. I just hope that Caius will take to Bella as fast as I did just now.


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