I know I was going in order with these outtakes and I still have some more planned for Fate and Love, but this one was written for the Support Stacie Auction. A very generous reader, kim312, bid on me and I really appreciate it. She asked that I write a continuation of Hope with J/B/E leading the Volturi. She pretty much left it up to my imagination, and I was very grateful for that. She did request a lemon…

Thanks TwiCarol for beta reading this and constantly nagging me to write a 4th installment.

Dealing With The Past – Set two years into J/B/E leading up the Volturi. What happens when Mason learns about the trio's unique past? Can a family survive?

EPOV

"Mason, please," I said. "It wasn't like that."

"Then how was it, Dad?" he spat back.

"Look," I said. "It was a long time ago, and it has been forgotten."

"Obviously not," he countered. "If I was able to pull it from Aunt Bella's thoughts, she hasn't forgotten."

"Mason," I pleaded. "As your father, I'm asking you to let this go. It was a dark time in my past, and I've tried to atone for it."

"How did you all hide this from my gift for all of these years?"

"Because it's in the past, and we just don't think about it anymore," I said. "Bella must have slipped up and didn't realize you were listening."

"Does Mom know?" He asked, and it caused me to remember just how much Claudia helped me during that time.

"Yes," I said. "I met her when Bella was pregnant with Cullen. She helped me a great deal."

His next words were painful, for him too, and that's probably why he didn't speak them out loud.

You raped her.

If I needed air, I would lost have lost my breath.

You didn't hear that from Bella's thoughts. I wouldn't believe that.

"No," he admitted. "She was thinking back to her pregnancy and her thoughts wandered. I didn't mean to be in her head, but when she started thinking about what her life would have been like had you been Cullen's father, I couldn't help but stay and listen."

"Mason?"

"Don't judge me," he hissed. "Now I know why you have such a strong bond with Cullen."

"Yours is just as strong with Bella," I said.

"But, you wanted Cullen to be yours. Actually, there was a pretty strong chance that he was."

"Yes," I said. "I did want him to be mine, but there is just so much about my past with Bella that you don't understand."

"I don't want to know," he said. "You're not the man I thought you were." He turned to leave.

"Don't you dare walk away from me," I shouted. "I'm still your father."

"I don't have to answer to you," he said.

"Mason!" Bella said, as she walked into the room. "What's going on?"

"Not now," he said, as he tried to walk out of the room, but Jasper appeared in the doorway and blocked his exit.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked, as he sent waves of calm around the room.

"Nothing," Mason said.

"The emotions you're spewing are not very positive," Jasper said. "I felt them from down the hall."

"It's nothing," he said, as he tried to push past Jasper. "I need to get out of here."

Jasper held out his hand to stop him. "Mason," Jasper said, and judging from his thoughts, he wasn't happy. "You may think you don't have to answer to Edward, but you do answer to me. You're in my chambers, and you will treat me with respect, and right now, I'm not asking as your uncle."

Mason stared at Jasper, but refused to answer him. I knew why he didn't want to tell him about our argument, but this was a mistake he was going to quickly regret.

"Fine," Jasper said,

"Jasper," Bella tried to intervene on Mason's behalf, but Jasper's warning glare stopped her.

It was true, we were a loving, caring family, but we agreed that if this arrangement was going to work, we would have to follow certain rules and criteria. Jasper stepped in for Aro, so that made his word final. Bella and I agreed to that, so we hardly ever challenged him; we really never had to. He was fair and just, and in the two years since Aro's departure and Bella's arrival, we ran a tight but peaceful ship.

"Mason," Jasper said. "I don't know what's going on between you and your father, but you are not to bring family issues here. Is that clear?"

"Yes," he said. "But, how can you stand to be in the same room with him?"

"Mason," I said. "That's enough."

Jasper read our emotions and he knew this was more than a father/son argument, and now that Mason knew the truth, I feared that Jasper could have issues with his own son.

"Obviously, I didn't make myself clear enough," Jasper said. "Go find Felix."

"He's training a new batch of newborns," Mason said.

"Well, then I guess you'll be training with them."

"But," Mason began to argue. He knew that working with a group of newborns could be torture, and Felix was relentless. Although we didn't tire, Mason was a crossbreed and he could only last so long.

"Mason," I said. "Do as Jasper asks."

He looked to Bella for assistance.

"Go, Mason," she said. "You come to me later and tell me what the problem is. We'll work it out." She kissed his cheek. Jasper cleared his throat, so Bella just smiled at Mason and then he left.

"Bella?" Jasper said.

"Sorry, he looked so sad," she said. "I didn't intervene on his behalf. I could have argued his punishment."

"We have done nothing but spoil those two boys since the day they were born," Jasper said. "It's our fault."

"They're fine," she said.

"Jasper's right," I said. "We have rules, and you can't coddle Mason and Cullen when we're in these roles. What would the rest of the Guard think? And what about the Elders?"

"Surprise, surprise," she said. "You and Jasper always side against me. Do you think Aro and Marcus did that to Caius?"

"Oh, here we go," Jasper rolled his eyes.

"What?" Bella asked.

"We don't side against you, darlin'," he smiled. "It only seems that way."

"And," I smirked. "I can guarantee that Aro did not call Caius darlin'."

"I can't win," she sighed.

"You win more than you know," Jasper said. "You're what keeps us together. You always have been."

She smiled in satisfaction. "Well, as long as you both know it."

"You constantly remind us," I said.

Jasper took his seat behind his desk. We did away with the thrones and went for a more relaxed setting; a study. It always seemed to work for Carlisle. Bella and I sat in our seats across from him.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Jasper asked.

"The trouble with that radical vampire cell in Turkey has been resolved," I said.

"Peacefully? I hope," Jasper said.

"Well, according to Peter, they refused to stop feeding on the streets in front of by-standers," I said.

"What could they have been thinking?" Bella asked. "Why would they want to expose our kind?"

"I don't know," Jasper said, as he ran his hands through his hair. "I'm guessing when you say that it has been resolved, they no longer exist."

"It's been taken care of," I said.

"I see," he sighed.

"Jasper, I know you don't like when we have to kill, but it wasn't unprovoked. You gave them several warnings. That's more than Aro would have done." I tried to reassure him.

"I'm not Aro," he said. "I'm trying to keep peace in our world."

"And, you're doing a very good job," Bella smiled. "There hasn't been an incident like that in over a year."

"I suppose you're right," he said. "It doesn't make it any easier."

Jasper tried so hard to get away from his past, and he felt that Bella and Cullen redeemed him, so he didn't like resorting to battle or killing. He did a very good job of maintaining peace and order, but occasionally we would have an issue where the Guard would have to step in and do what they did best. In those situations, Peter acted as our liaison and in most cases, carried out orders that he knew Jasper would do himself, if he were there.

"Edward?" Where are you?

"What?" I wasn't paying attention, and that was something I never did. I was a vampire; I could focus on a hundred things at once. I was too busy thinking about Mason. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jasper."

"Edward," Bella said, as she took my hand. "Is it Mason?"

I nodded.

You're in pain. Jasper spoke for me. "Edward, go to him. I wouldn't want to fight with Cullen."

"No," I said. "He doesn't want me right now,"

"Do you want to talk to us about it?" Bella asked. "We're your family."

"We're working," I said.

"Jasper?" Bella pleaded for his help.

"Bella is right," Jasper said. "We're here to help you, the same way you're always there for us."

"Why was Mason so upset?" Bella asked. "That's not like him."

"He was upset with something I did," I said, and I wasn't sure how I was going to bring this subject up without upsetting Bella.

"What could you possibly have done? You're a devoted husband and an amazing father. He knows how much you love him," Bella said. "He must have misunderstood."

"I don't think so, love," I said. "He accidentally overheard something in your thoughts."

"My thoughts," she said. "I never think anything bad about you."

"It wasn't your fault," I said. "This was all me."

"He knows about the paternity issue," Jasper said.

"What?" Bella was mortified.

"How did you know that?" I asked. "You can't read minds."

"No," Jasper said. "But, I can read emotions, and the only time you feel that guilty and full of remorse is when you're thinking about what happened with Bella's pregnancy, and the circumstances surrounding what happened all those years ago."

"Edward," Bella said, as she squeezed my hand. "I've forgiven you twenty-five years ago; there is no reason for you to feel remorse."

"I know, but I do," I said. "And, Mason is never going to understand any of this."

"This is my fault," Bella said. "I was thinking about Cullen and his request to become a full vampire, and I started thinking back to when I was pregnant and I guess I let my mind wander back to that time. I didn't even realize Mason was within ear shot. Some vampire I am."

"You always were unobservant," I smiled. "But, it wasn't your fault. You should be able to think about anything you want to think about."

"Edward," Jasper said. "I need you to go find Mason and try to explain the situation to him. Bring him to Carlisle if you think that will help, but you need to resolve this."

"You're worried he'll tell Cullen," Bella said.

"He is going to tell Cullen," Jasper said. "But, I'd like for Edward to tell Mason what happened in his own words. I had hoped that we would never have to revisit that time again, but I think we all knew it was bound to come up."

"Too bad Alice didn't see this coming," Bella said.

"Alice sees everything coming," I said. "Don't let her fool you."

"Why wouldn't she tell us?" Bella said.

"Because she probably thinks it's time for Cullen and Mason to know the truth and if she gave us a heads up, you would have guarded your thoughts." Jasper said.

"So, it's time," I said. "I guess I better go find Mason."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Bella asked.

"No," I smiled. "I appreciate it, but I think I need to do this on my own."

"Once you talk to him," Jasper said. "The three of us will sit down with him and explain how we got through it."

"And, how we healed," Bella smiled. "I love you and I'll make sure Mason understands that." She leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"I love you too," I said, as I stood up and turned to Jasper. "Thanks."

"We've come a long way in twenty-five years and Mason will understand that," Jasper said.

"I hope you're right," I said, as I walked out of the room. I needed to find my son and explain everything. I needed him to understand what happened all those years ago. Right now he was jumping to conclusions, but once he knew the truth, I was sure he would forgive me. He had to.

JPOV

I sat back on the couch in our living room and reflected on the past few days. First Cullen asked if we would turn him into a full vampire. I didn't have an aversion to it, because if he were going to lead the Guard someday, it actually made sense. But, I could feel Bella's apprehension, and so could Cullen. Then we had the issue in Turkey. I had hoped that we could have resolved that in a more peaceful manner, but according to Peter, that wasn't an option. And, now there was the issue of Mason. I knew this was more Edward's problem than mine, but rehashing the past had the potential to blow up in all of our faces.

"I hate that you're so stressed," Bella said, as she knelt down by my head and began rubbing my temples.

"That's nice," I said. "But, I don't have a headache."

"If you were human, you'd have one," she said.

"I'm that much of an open-book, huh?" I laughed.

"Only to me," she said, as she kissed my forehead. I reached for her arm and flung her on top of me.

"That's better," I said. "Now I can see that gorgeous face."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine. "Want to talk about it?"

"Eventually," I smiled, as I ran my hand down her spine. "Right now, I think I just want you, Mrs. Whitlock." I cupped her ass cheeks in my hands and pushed her against my erection.

"Hmm," she smiled, and I felt her sudden surge of lust. "You know with me being on top that does put me in the dominant position."

"I'm good with that," I smiled. "Unless…"

"No," she said, as she ripped open my shirt and ran her hands down my stomach and to my belt buckle. "You just relax and let me take charge." She had my pants off before I could respond. She lowered her lips to my chest and trailed open-mouthed kisses down my torso, taking her time as she reached the area just below my belly button. It was torture, feeling her cool breath inches above my twitching cock. It was a good pain though, and it made me savor her every move.

"I want to taste you, Jasper," she whispered against my thigh, as she licked her way up to my straining erection. "Don't stop me."

I gripped her hair and guided her to me, "I won't be stopping you, Bella," I said, as she scraped her teeth against my tight skin. I growled as she took me fully into her mouth. That was my girl, she wasted no time, and I was grateful for that.

She took the base of my shaft in her hand, as she moved her skilled mouth up and down my length.

"God, Bella," I moaned. "Do you know what you do to me?"

"Hmm," she hummed around my cock, and I could feel how much she wanted to please me.

I continued to tug on her hair and that always made her suck me harder, bringing me to that much needed release. I thrust my hips into her mouth, causing me to slide as far down her throat as she could handle, which was pretty far considering she wouldn't gag or need air.

It didn't take long before she had me tumbling over the edge. I never had any control when it came to Bella, and she always knew exactly what I needed.

She looked up at me through her lust filled eyes, as she licked me clean.

"Taste as good as you had hoped?" I asked.

"Better," she smiled, as she crawled up to meet my lips.

I captured her lips against mine, and kissed her with want and desire. I needed to feel her. I flipped her onto her back, and hiked her skirt up over her hips, quickly tearing off her soaking wet panties. She licked her lips and seductively smiled at me.

"Now it's my turn to be in charge," I said, as I lowered my lips to her stomach.

"Just the way I like it," she whispered, as she tangled her fingers in my hair. I kissed my way down her lower body, only skimming over her heated center. I felt her frustration as I smiled against her inner thigh.

"Patience, my sweet girl," I whispered. "I always give you what you want." I licked and sucked on her inner thighs, as I pushed my fingers inside her moist heat.

"Ahh…" she moaned, as she arched her hips off the sofa. "Jasper…"

I continued to move my fingers in and out of her tight body, and she began to move with me. I could feel her climax quickly approaching, so I pulled out of her and spread her legs apart. She didn't protest because she knew what was coming next. I trailed my lips back up her body, stopping to worship her thinly covered breasts. I sucked her nipple into my mouth, right through the material of her dress.

"Jasper," she moaned, as she tried to pull me up to meet her. "Please…"

I was rather enjoying assaulting her breasts, but I could feel how tightly wound she was. I knew it wasn't fair since I had already had my release, but I knew the longer I made Bella wait, the better her orgasm was.

"Stop torturing me…" she cried out. "I need you inside of me now. I know you can feel that."

Now she was frustrated, so I decided it was time to give her what she wanted; before objects started flying around the room, courtesy of her gift.

I smiled as I slipped up her body, pressed my lips against her mouth, and positioned myself at her entrance. She wasted no time as she reached down between us and inserted my rather erect member into her slick folds.

We both cried out at the same time and then I started to thrust slow and deep, allowing her to feel every inch of me. This would never get old.

"Oh…" she said. "So good…"

"Do you like it like this, Bella?" I moaned against her jaw.

"Yes, Jasper," she said, as she wrapped her legs around my waist, causing me to slide completely inside her. I continued to move inside her and after a few minutes, she was clawing at my back and screaming out her release. She shuddered over and over, and as I continued to pound into her, she released again. I knew making her wait had its advantages.

"Harder, Jasper," she screamed.

I grabbed her hips and lifted her to me, as I thrust as hard as I could. She held on to my shoulder and kissed me passionately, sucking my tongue into her mouth and biting on my bottom lip.

"Bella, oh darlin'," I screamed. "I can't…" I wanted her to cum with me, so I projected my desire onto her and before I knew it, we were releasing all over one another. It was incredibly satisfying. I lowered her onto the sofa, and dropped down on top of her.

"Thanks for that extra boost at the end," she smiled, as she played with my hair.

"Anytime," I laughed. "Advantages of being married to an empath."

"Feel better now?" she asked.

"Much," I said, as I shifted our positions and pulled her onto my chest. We lay tangled in one another for a few minutes, but I could feel her mood shift.

"What is it?" I asked.

"More advantages of being married to an empath," she smiled.

"Tell me what's troubling you," I asked, even though I already knew.

"It's Edward and Mason," she said. "I hope they can work through this. Edward doesn't deserve to have his son judge him for what happened all those years ago."

"Mason is a very determined young man," I said. "He feels deeply and he loves you very much, so of course he is upset right now. He is feeling all of the anger and shock that we all experienced many years ago."

"I just hope he gets over it and realizes that it's in the past, and it has nothing to do with him," she said.

"Bella," I said. "You need to prepare yourself."

"For what?"

"If Mason, who isn't an empath, can feel this way, well, it's going to be much worse for Cullen."

"We'll make him realize that Edward made a mistake, and everything worked out before he was even born," she said. "I know my son, he'll get this."

"I know," I smiled, when I thought about what an amazing man Cullen had grown into. "I have a lot of faith in him."

"He feels that," she said. "He wants to make you so proud, and I think that's why he's asking to be changed."

I felt her disappointment. "Why does that upset you so much?"

"It doesn't upset me," she said. "I knew the day would come. I can't really explain what it is that's bothering me. We're vampires, so why shouldn't Cullen be?"

"No," I shook my head. "You're not okay with it, and I think I know why."

"Enlighten me, please," she said, as she rubbed my chest with her finger tips. "I want to be okay with it, because I know this is what Cullen wants."

"You're afraid that once he gives up his human side, he won't be a part of you anymore," I said. "But, that couldn't be further from the truth."

She didn't say anything.

"Am I right?" I asked.

"Aren't you always?" she smiled.

"Why didn't you just tell me that's what it was?"

"Because I was being silly," she said. "I know that he'll still be my son, but the human side came from me, and now he wants to give that up."

"To be like us," I reminded her. "He's always wanted to be a vampire, Bella, and surely you can relate to that."

"I guess I can," she said. "And, I'm actually surprised that we held Cullen off this long."

"So," I said. "Can I tell him we're okay with his decision? He's waiting very patiently."

"Yes," she said. "If it's what he really wants to do, then we should let him."

I hugged her closer to me, "It's the right thing to do, especially when he takes his rightful place among the Guard."

"Are you going to do it?" she asked. "Because I can't. I've never turned anyone, and I can't start with Cullen."

"I'd be honored to do it," I said. "But, Cullen has someone else in mind."

"Oh," Bella said, once she realized who I was talking about. "Does that bother you?"

"No," I smiled. "It seems only natural. I may be the leader of the vampire world, but Carlisle is still the leader of this coven, and he seems to have a knack for it."

"You're a really good father," she said, and I felt how proud she was of me.

"I also owe that to Carlisle," I said.

"Cullen has so many wonderful role models," she said. "I know he'll be incredible."

"You're really okay with this?" I asked.

"I am," she said. "It's the right thing for him to do, and he's done everything we've asked. He trained with the Guard while attending college. He's managed to stay out of trouble."

"For the most part," I reminded her. "We did have many wild years before we got to Italy."

"I remember," she laughed. "But, I meant since we took on our roles here. He's a good man and he gets that from you."

"The only reason Cullen and I are who we are today is because of you, Bella," I said. "We can feel how much you love us."

"And, I always will," she said.

I squeezed her closer to me. "I love you, Bella," I kissed the top of her head. "With everything I have."

"I know," she said. "You're my life, you always have been."

I had to admit that the day turned out much better than it had started. But, Bella always had a way of making that happen.

***So, that kind of leaves us wide open for a 4th installment. I'm not there yet, but I left the door open.