Previously: Alec - APOV

We all watch as Felix and Jane carry Alice out of the throne room, and I smile as I see Jasper glancing at Bella's tummy once again with a wondrous look on his face. His attention, however, is pulled back to the middle of the throne room as Maggie takes a step forward and says: "I wish to meet Edward Cullen, Master."

Alec - APOV

Aro smiles as he nods his head and says: "Your wish will be granted immediately, Maggie. We won't keep you from your true mate for a second longer. Demetri, please escort Edward Cullen to the throne room. Bella, my dear, do you need anything while we wait?" Jasper quickly shifts his attention to Bella as she nods and says: "Yes, Master Aro, soda would be nice. I'm getting thirsty. Dad, can you get one for me?"

Jasper raises his hand before Charlie has time to respond, and I can't help but feel grateful for his presence as he says: "One of the twins is thirsty too. I can feel it." Bella chuckles as she lays her hand on her tummy and says: "I bet she is. She's already got you wrapped around her little finger, that's for sure. Dad, can you bring me a cup of blood as well?"

"Of course, Bells. I'll be right back." I smile as he gives Jasper an appreciative nod before rushing toward the kitchen. I snicker as Bella jumps in surprise as her father reappears in front of her fifty-seven seconds later with two cups, one with the soda she likes and one with blood like Jasper suggested. Charlie chuckles as he hands her the two cups and says: "A little jumpy there, Bells? If I didn't know better, I would say you have a bad conscience. Here, drink up so we can tell if Jasper was right about our princess being thirsty."

I chuckle as Bella mock salutes her dad before downing the two cups at record speed. Everyone in the throne room then looks at Jasper as he stares at Bella's tummy with love-filled eyes for a few seconds before saying: "She's content and happy now, and the amount of love she's sending out is incredible. She loves you so much already, Bella."

The awe in his voice has Bella smiling broadly, and I smile as she gently strokes her tummy and whispers: "I love you too, more than I ever thought possible." She then looks at Jasper and says: "Thank you so much for telling us she was thirsty. We've been struggling for a while to find the right amount of blood for me to drink. Carlisle has been a great help, but your gift will make a huge difference. Would you mind helping us?"

Jasper doesn't hesitate a second before nodding vigorously and saying: "I would be honored. They will want for nothing for the rest of your pregnancy, Bella. I'll make sure of it." Bella lets out a relieved sigh as she nods and says: "I knew I could count on you. Thank you, Jasper."

Bella - BPOV

Jasper looks genuinely happy as he turns his attention back to the dais when Aro claps his hands to gather everyone's attention right as Demetri, Edward, Jane, and Felix rejoin us before saying: "Welcome back, Edward. I hope your accommodations are to your liking?"

Edward's eyes dart from one face to another as he nods his head and says: "Yes, Master Aro. I must thank you for your hospitality, which I don't deserve after what I tried to do. Did Alice…" At that moment, Edward finds the information he was looking for in someone's mind, and I cringe as he growls loudly before turning to Carlisle and saying: "You let them kill Alice!? You didn't even speak up in her defense when they asked! Why, Carlisle?"

Carlisle stands tall as he looks at Edward intently, and it takes me a moment to realize that he's showing Edward everything that transpired here today in his mind before saying: "Alice got what she deserved, Edward. She purposefully separated you from your true mate. She almost succeeded in kidnapping Bella and killing the twins. She betrayed us all."

Aro nods as he rises from his throne and says: "Alice was trialed for her crimes and found guilty. Her death was required to keep Bella and the twins safe and to give Alec, Jasper, and you the happy ending you deserve. Now, there's someone here who wishes to meet you, Edward. May I introduce to you: Maggie from the Irish coven."

I watch in delight as Maggie takes a small step toward Edward, and he turns to look at her. The smile on Maggie's face is brighter than the sun when his eyes finally meet hers, but it doesn't beat the look of wonder on Edward's face as he holds out his hand to her and whispers: "My love." Everyone smiles as Maggie lays her hand in Edward's and says: "As you are mine, Mo shíorghra*".

The romantic notion of Maggie's words is not lost on anyone, and I find myself curious to know what she said. A glance around the room tells me that no one is paying attention to me, so I quickly squeeze Alec's hand to get his attention and whisper: "What did Maggie say to him?" Alec smiles softly as he places a kiss on my temple and says: "She called him 'my eternal love' in Gaelic. They instantly recognized each other as true mates when their eyes met. Wasn't it a wonderful sight? I didn't understand just how wonderful until I met you, my Luna. Ti amo."

Alec - APOV

I raise my brow questioningly as Bella's eyes fill with tears, and I gently squeeze her hand as I say: "What's wrong, cara mia?" Bella sniffs as she wipes the tears from her eyes, and I carefully pull her closer as she says: "It was magical, Alec. It makes me wish we had recognized the truth about our bond when we first met. I feel I ruined that moment for you because I'm human." I shake my head as Bella lets out a sob before hugging me tight, and I can't help but smile as I kiss the top of her head and say: "Our story is magical in its own way, Luna. Our souls connected when we first met, never to let go. It took our minds a few more days to realize the truth, but I have loved you from that first second, and I will love you for eternity. I wouldn't want it any other way."

A tear falls from Bella's eyes as she pulls back to look at me, and I gently wipe it away with my thumb as she says: "You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better. I love you, Alec." It's almost as if I can feel her love flow through me as I softly kiss her forehead, and I smile as we both turn our focus back to the middle of the throne room, where Edward is now holding Maggie's hand while talking to Aro.

I can feel Bella tense as Edward suddenly looks at her and says: "Dear Bella, I can never apologize enough for what I tried to do. I could easily claim that Alice misled me and put all the blame on her, but I chose to believe her even though, deep down, I knew better. I saw Alec's memories of rescuing you in Port Angeles, of his meeting with Master Marcus, and of all the moments he missed you while he was on a mission in Romania before coming to find you. I knew he was speaking the truth when he claimed you as his true mate, but I had already fallen in love with you at that point. So my wish became the father to the thought. I made myself believe that you would love me too.

When Master Marcus showed me your bond, I realized how wrong I was to think that. But now, after meeting my true mate, I understand the power of the love you both share, and I know you would have hated me forever if we had succeeded in our plan. I will gladly accept whatever punishment the Masters see fit, and I promise you, Bella, I will never be a danger to you or your children again."

I gently squeeze Bella's hand as she takes a deep breath and says: "I understand your desire to love and be loved, Edward. It was the same thing I longed for until I met Alec. I'm relieved that you have finally found the person who can fill that desire for you. I will accept your apology, but that doesn't mean that I'm ready to forgive you for what you tried to do. Loving someone can never be the reason to murder innocent children. At that moment you truly were the monster you tried so hard not to be. I don't want you anywhere near my children until you've proven to the Volturi that you can be trusted again. As for your punishment, that is for the Masters to decide."

Marcus looks incredibly proud as Aro nods approvingly and says: "Well spoken, Bella. Edward, you have shown genuine remorse, but as was said at the end of our previous meeting, we can't leave your actions unpunished. So, Edward Cullen, for the attempted abduction of Bella Volturi and the attempted murder of her children, we sentence you to one hundred years in service of the Volturi. You will be granted the opportunity to live with your mate in Ireland during that period, but you will be ready to aid us whenever we see fit. You will be trained by Felix, before you leave. And you are to stay away from Bella and her children during that time. Any attempt to contact her before she grants you that privilege, will result in your demise. Is that clear?"

Edward looks resigned as he submissively bows his head and says: "Yes, Master Aro. I will serve you with honor." I shake my head at the big grin that appears on Aro's face as he claps his hands and says: "Marvelous! With that settled, we can move on to the next person that was wronged by Alice's traitorous ways. Major Jasper Whitlock, you are a smart man, so I assume you have now put two and two together. Or am I wrong in that assumption?"

I notice that Bella takes another deep breath as Jasper shakes his head before saying: "No, Master Aro, you are not wrong. I'm just finding it very hard to believe, even though I can feel it in every fiber of my body." Aro simply smiles as he nods and says: "Ah, yes, the joyous feeling of having your mate close. There's nothing quite like it. How can we help you believe that you've finally found that one person that will complete you?"

Jasper hesitates for a moment, and I find myself staring at him as he turns to Bella and says: "Is your daughter really my mate, Bella? Is that why Alice tried to kill her and her brother? To keep me from meeting the one person who would love me for eternity, even though I don't deserve it after all that I did wrong?"

Bella - BPOV

I can't stop the tears from falling as I remember the hell Jasper went through to get here, and I nod my head as I say: "Yes, she is, and don't you dare say that you don't deserve to be loved. Peter told me your story; and it takes a very strong man to survive everything Maria put you through. You got out, and you never looked back. You strive to be a better man every damned day. Peter and Carlisle will attest to that; I'm sure of it. So stop bringing yourself down, you are a wonderful person, Jasper, and I don't want to hear another peep from you that says otherwise. Remember I will be your mother-in-law one day. You better not start pissing me off already."

Peter lets out a roar of laughter as I finish my rant, and I giggle as Jasper tries to stop himself from laughing as Peter says: "I knew I liked her for a reason, Char. The God of war has a mother-in-law! That's just epic. Why didn't I think of that?" Char smirks as she wraps her arms around Peter and says: "Well, he will also have Alec, Charlie, Marcus, Jane, and Demetri to watch out for. Not to mention the major ass-kicking we still owe him. Serves him right for ignoring us for all those years."

I gasp for air as an enormous wave of remorse and longing washes over us, and I close my eyes while I take a second to regain my focus. I snicker as I open my eyes and find Charlotte with her arms wrapped around Jasper, almost hugging him to death, while Peter says: "God, woman, you can't say you want to kick his ass one minute and then hug him like this the next. Talking about mixed signals. I'll have you know I was looking forward to the ass-kicking part, and you're ruining it with this lovey-dovey stuff."

The look on Char's face as she turns to look at Peter would make an entire army run for cover, and I giggle as Jasper shakes his head and says: "I see that some things never change. You still talk first and think later, brother. I can't even find the words to express how much I missed the two of you. I'm so sorry I let Alice come between us. I can never apologize enough for that."

Jasper grunts a little as Char hugs him even tighter after saying that, and Peter smirks as he says: "Death by hugging. I can imagine there are worse ways to go, Major. Welcome back, brother." Jasper shakes his head as he looks at Peter and says: "I bet there's a lot more to all this than you've told me so far, so I probably don't deserve to be forgiven this easily, Peter. A monster…" I clear my throat immediately when I realize Jasper is going to bad-mouth himself again before shouting: "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Jasper!"

Peter smiles as he pats Jasper on the shoulder and says: "Isn't she awesome, Major? Char and I had the best time watching over Bella while you played house with the demented witch. I'll think of a way for you to repay us, don't you worry."

* Mo shíorghra = My eternal love

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