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Days crept past, I would eat and sleep and function as normal. I would smile at my family and speak when they spoke to me. Mostly though I sought out the refuge of the secret garden I shared with the twins. I would sit in the swing, swaying gently and staring into nothing. Sometimes I was alone, other times they would sit in the garden with me, sometimes telling me stories, other times just sitting in the silence, on the third day I heard Jane singing softly, her voice was soft and melodious. When she sang Alec gave a sigh of content and lay back in the grass, he looked almost as if he slept. The few good memories of their past comforting them. I was becoming the thing I hated in my mate, a shell, living for the people I loved and hated for loving me, if they didn't love me, they would not hurt with me and I could let the pain consume me but they did love me. So I ate and slept, I smiled and I talked but all the while I ached, except those hours in the garden where the blissful numbness would fall over me and I would feel nothing again, not pain or fear or love.

The twins sometimes spoke but never required me to speak, to interact. They left me alone, giving the only comfort they could, their undemanding presence and love. As I sat, I knew there were times silent tears would fall down my cheeks. The twins absorbed my pain as if it was their own sharing it with me as they shared their own with each other and now with me. Over those hours, I learned every secret they had, every pain they had suffered and by the second week I began to share mine with them. The pain of my father not fighting for me when Renee left him, the loneliness of being so different from my peers, of needing to take over grocery shopping and paying the bills by eight because Renee would forget. Laundry and cleaning, cooking and grocery shopping, all the mundane everyday things my erratic mother would more often then not, forget. She loved me, which I never doubted but she was a free spirit, not meant for the realities of being a mother, for her it was all about love and emotional support, imagination and trying new things. She never stuck with anything or anyone, not until Phil. By the time she met him I was tired and almost happy to let him take over being the adult. I told them about moving to Forks where it was cold and wet and I was again different from peers, living with a workaholic father who was as emotionally distant as I was and while he, like my mother, loved me with all his heart, he did not know how to be a father. At that point, I didn't really need one. Then Edward and Alice. Having a best friend for the first time, my first crush, the betrayal of them both. I told them about Emmett and Rose and every little thing I could think of. I had no secrets from them in that garden, nor they from me.

The heat of summer was strong as I wandered through the castle. I had run out of things to tell the twins and they me, so now we sat in silence or listened to Jane singing in the hours we spent there. Now I could look at them and read their every mood, with a flick of her eyes or a nod of his head they could communicate things to me in a secret language that had once only been shared between them.

Demetri still cooked for me, the hour of breakfast spent together in relative quiet. At night I would go down with Vicky and we would both help him cook or just sit and talk with him. Sometimes, Chelsea and Felix or another of the guard would come down, though I noticed the closer I became with the twins the more those outside those I called family seemed to avoid or fear me. I felt their eyes on me in the throne room but ignored them all.

I played chess with Caius and learned Italian from Athenodora. Sulpicia taught me to paint and play the piano; Vicky and I would watch movies, paint our nails and spend time with James. I saw less of James than I usually did. I missed him but part of me was glad he was busy. He saw into my soul and I could see in his eyes that he knew how much I still hurt and I could see how much that hurt him. I wondered if he was so busy or if in part he avoided me outside the throne room, unable to face my pain as I could not face the shell that had become my mate. I knew in my soul he was stronger than the evil that ruled his life so long. I wished I knew how to make him better. To heal him. But didn't. Seeing him filled me with pain and rage. No matter how badly I wanted to simply love and support him, something deeper refused to let me. It came from the place in me our bond existed. The part of me that knew he was my mate knew he needed to fight back or we would both wither away. He wouldn't fight me though. He couldn't seem to be able to. Perhaps we had found each other to late. All he knew was suffering so now we would both suffer, for eternity all because I couldn't heal him, because I didn't know how. The bond screamed at me to make him fight, to show him how strong and good he really was but wouldn't see it. He couldn't see the man he was, the man he always was, under the things that he had done.

Weeks faded into each other and before I knew it, Farragosto had arrived, the August 15th celebration of the rise of Mary to join her son in Heaven. It was a bigger party than New Years' here and marked the last month of my life. On September 13th, my twenty-third birthday, I would die and awaken three days later, reborn a vampire, to live an eternity of endless days. Aching for the man my mate was meant to be.

I lived odd hours in Volterra. Vampires didn't sleep but night was the busiest time with the sun so often shining so I most often slept with the morning sun as most were waking and woke to the heat of the afternoon sun. After breakfast, I spent a few hours in the garden before going to the throne room. I stood between the twins a while waiting for Aro to release us and the festivities to begin, I had always enjoyed the Italian holiday and I loved watching the pre-dawn Perseid meteor shower from Caius' tower.

I shifted not paying attention to the vampires who came to speak to the Kings. A minimal shift in my sister had me focusing on her. A flick of her eyes to Caius and my eyes went to him. He was waiting for me to look and when I did, he lifted his hand to drum his fingers on the arm of his throne. I smiled at him in gratitude. I began to listen to what was happening in the throne room and as the vampire went to stand to the side of the throne, I moved forward to the dais. I heard the doors open behind me as I reached it but Aro ignored them as he offered his hand to me to ascend the steps, kissing my knuckles before releasing me. Caius stood and moved to the right of his throne, offering his hand to me in a formal gesture to help me sit. Grateful, I squeezed his hand before releasing it. I could not stand as they could for hours, so while I preferred to stand with the twins when the time here was limited, after an hour, I grew restless and needed to sit, since my true place was at Caius' side, when he noticed me tiring I was moved to sit with the brothers. This was common enough to those present in the past four summers I had spent here, though visitors were often shocked. Since I usually did something shock worthy to vampires not residing with the coven I was used to the slight inhale of breath that accompanied this adjustment. I was not however used to the angry growl.

As Caius shifted to stand to the right and in front of where I sat, I saw Carlisle and Esme Cullen, Peter and Charlotte and a black eyed Jasper.

"Carlisle old friend." Aro called out, breaking the tense silence that had fallen after this action and Jaspers reaction to it. "Welcome, I see you have expanded your coven again."

"No, no," Carlisle blinked and focused on Aro as though he had been in a daze, "These are the Whitlock's, their coven and mine are here together."

"Ah yes, of course, and where are the other Cullen's?"

I couldn't take my eyes off Jasper, I wanted to run to him and run away at the same time. I could hear my heart beating against my rib cage and wondered how many vampires in the room could hear its erratic beat as well.

"They have chosen not to accompany us this trip." Carlisle spoke up, I instantly knew he was hiding something.

"Why?" I demanded. "Why are you even here?"

His head whipped to me so fast I could almost not follow the movement, he watched me a moment before Caius spoke, his voice low and warning "My daughter asked you a question."

It was rare that I was acknowledged for my place here so even some who lived here were shocked at this. All of them seemed incapable of speech.

"Perhaps an easier way, as speech seems difficult at the moment" Aro suggested holding out his hand.

Carlisle stepped forward, taking his, Esme clutching his other arm but staying behind him.

I saw him tense, "And why are you here?" he turned away from the Cullen's, I had only heard the anger in his voice once before.

"Brother?" Marcus inquired, his bored tones as disinterested seeming as usual, though I knew he would not have spoken if he were not curious.

I could almost feel the tension radiating off Caius and wondered what Jasper was feeling as I watched his eyes growing ever blacker.

"I came for my mate." His voice was hard and final; it sent a chill to my spine. This was not Jasper Hale, this was the God of War and he was to be feared. My hands shook with the effort not to run to him. I wanted to scream and cry and thank the gods. My mate lived. He was here. He had come for me.

"You are not the only one who comes for her." Aro hissed at him. I tore my eyes from my mate, forcing my attention back on the others.

Caius growled and dropped into a crouch. Instantly Jane and Alec were on either side of me both crouched low, eyes black.

The room was seconds away from all out battle. Everything moved in slow motion as the twins crouched and a wave of lethargic calm spread over the room. I stood knowing Alec understood my request and would not cut off his senses. I also knew, that the God of War had a lot more in his arsenal he could have hit the room with, he was trying to prevent carnage not begin it. As I stepped forward, the twins flanked me. Caius looked at me worried but stepped aside, still affected by the false waves of calm emanating from Jasper.

"Who comes for me?" I tore my eyes away from my mate again to look at Carlisle, "Is it just your son or is he working with the Seer?"

He sighed, "I believe he has Alice helping him. Please Bella. We came to the Volturi to beg his life. He does not know what he is doing, this is suicide, we know that but he doesn't seem to. He needs help. Please, let us just take him home."

"You took him home in New York and again he comes for me. How long until I am safe from him?"

"Bella please, he loves you, he just wants to help you; to make things like they were before James took you."

"James didn't take me, I went with him, it was my choice. Why wont any of you accept that?"

"He loves you, Bella, you are his mate, a vampire mates for life, just the one true mate in all our existence, of course he would do anything to protect you, even if its from yourself." Esme pleaded.

"You're as delusional as your son. Edward is not my mate. He was warned to leave me alone. If he moves against me, he moves against the Volturi. Best that you stop him, if you wish to save him, because should he attempt he will suffer the consequences, whatever my father and uncles should deem those to be. Coming here was a waste of time."

"Bella, please, Edward would not hurt you…"

"Enough. He would take her from her family. Lock her away. I have seen all that you have learned of his plans for my niece. He has broken Volturi law already, allowing a human to live with the knowledge of us with no plans on changing her. Now he defies our order to leave her and her coven alone and plots to kidnap a Volturi princess. Our mercy is in not hunting him down. Find him and stop him and he may return home with you. If he steps foot in the walls of Volterra he will face judgment for his crimes."

"Leave now and do not return unless you have been summoned here." Caius growled.

"I believe the absent mated couple who remain close with our princess is exempt from that order, any other Cullen had better not be found in Italy." Aro added, dismissing Carlisle and Esme.

"Now, the Whitlock coven, I must first say, you are quite welcome to stay and join my guard." He looked from the Major to the Captain and Char, his voice had returned to its usual friendly overly polite tones. "No. Well then, shall we discuss why you are here?"

Jasper growled at him and the others behind the main guard shivered in fear.

"We will not allow anyone, not even a mate, to take one of our coven unwilling, especially not our princess, who as you might imagine is rather well loved. She is as always able to come and go as she chooses."

Marcus and Caius were both flanking Aro now as Jane and Alec stood flanking me where I remained standing in front of Caius' throne.

I felt a flood of emotions; calm, trust and acceptance filled me, "Come here mate." I was walking towards him before I even thought about it. When I reached the steps I lifted a hand and stopped the twins from following me further, if the God of War was out to play, I was not about to risk them.

I stepped down and walked to where he stood still flanked by Peter and Char whose eyes had gone as black as his. I trembled as I stopped standing only a foot away from him.

"You fear me." His voice was quiet, "Do not fear me mate."

"I fear the control of my free will." I replied and after a moments quiet all the manufactured emotions faded from me, though I could still felt the calm he pushed out at the room. "You can control who feels and does not feel your gift?"

"I have learned control of this gift long ago. You have right to fear me."

I stepped closer to him and lifted my hand to his face, "Why now? Why come after me now?"

"Come with me. I will return you with the dawn. You have my word if you will trust it as you did once before."

I turned away from him and looked to my family. I could see the anxiety in Jane and Alec, they were silently screaming at me not to go, to come back to my place between them where they could protect me. Caius and Marcus both nodded. Aro was the only one to speak, "Return safely to us, princess."

I did not look at the others only tried to send my reassurance to the twins with a small smile. They had moved closer together since I had moved away and I saw in their eyes acceptance of my choice though they were still tense with anxiety for me. I turned back to Jasper and followed him out of the throne room. We walked in silence out of the castle and down the streets where the last partiers were stumbling home.

"You brought me out here for a reason, came here for a reason." I asked, curious but still a little numb.

"I came for my mate."

"And where were you when I was right in front of you!" I snapped angry all of a sudden.

"Fighting. I know I just rolled over and let things happen for a long time. Everything you said was true Bella. The night I heard you and Char fighting, I listened to you cry from the edge of the woods and when your emotions drained and you slept, I went back out into the woods. Peter and I fought, believe it or not he was yelling at me for hurting you, for letting my mate hurt so badly. We took out trees and battled a long time, until he said something that pushed me over the edge. In my rage, I hit him with fear and really attacked him. He just sat on his knees; head tilted in submission reminding me who he was and who I was; it was the only thing that kept me from killing him. Early that morning I killed three hikers in my rage. I spent the next day fighting to lock the beast back in the cage. That morning I was hiding my eyes from you in shame. I might have heard what you said but I didn't really hear it Bella. Everything Char told you was the truth, I saw what I did and knew I was a monster, a demon straight from hell. After you left, I knew what you said was true but I couldn't fight the part of me that hated the God of War. I hated that I hurt you even more. I went into the woods and curled up. Two weeks later a family of hikers passed near enough to smell, I was starving, I took all of them out, two men, two women and a child, no more than eleven." When the blood lust faded and I saw what I had done it only reminded me what I was. I buried the bodies and took off, went South to Texas, first time since I left Maria. I found my way to the town that I grew up. Not a town anymore. There are a few old houses but the town was moved several miles away. I stayed there a while and then I found my way to the place Maria changed me and went to the first compound we had lived in. It was there James found me."

"James?"

"He attacked me."

"What?"

"He said many things to provoke me and he attacked. I fought back. The beast was free, it was what he wanted, your brother is one crazy fucker, I removed limbs before sense returned to me. He's lucky I didn't take off his head and luckier I didn't roast him."

I felt my heart speed up as I tried to remember when I saw my brother last, the days all blended together, had he been in the throne room tonight? No, I was sure I hadn't seen him today. Was it yesterday? Or the day before? I felt a gentle wave of calm and glared at him.

"James is fine, tracking Edward to be sure he doesn't do anything really stupid."

"So what happened then? After removing his limbs?"

"Just one arm and leg and a chunk of his shoulder."

I rolled my eyes, "obviously you put him back together if he's hunting Edward."

"Yes. I came to my sense and began yelling at him. He told me if it brought me back to myself enough to defend you then maybe I'd find you and stop making you suffer so it was worth the risk to anger the Major. His emotions were overpowering, so much love, anger and pain. Your brother loves you, values your happiness more than his own existence. We talked a long time. He told me his history and his mate told me hers. Together they told me all they knew about you. I replayed every conversation I had listened to. Everything I knew about you, every word you spoke and emotion you felt. Peter and Charlotte came then and we went back to the last place we had served under Maria. James also provided us with the location of her demise." He chuckled, "Peter said if he could piss he'd of done it on the spot. We all relived every memory of that time and I saw it with new eyes. I was not the hero you claimed me to be to Charlotte, as you said, the legend is often different than the truth. I was a demon from hell and there is reason that I am feared, but I also see now what Charlotte and Peter saw. The reason Peter befriended me, the few good differences I made. I saw the things that the legend Victoria was told was born out of and I'm glad they had a symbol of hope. I'm ashamed now only that I did not kill Maria long ago. I had the power to but I let her evil infect the world, helped her for a very long time and then when I left I abandoned so many others to her evil. I let her control me and then when I wanted to be free of her control and the monster she created I let myself be controlled by another manipulative bitch. I'm ashamed of this to, ashamed that I did not see you when we met in Forks, that I let her blind me. Then New York, even knowing all you called me was true I did nothing, I let you hurt, wallowing in my own misery, still fighting not to become Maria's monster. I believed that I could only be one, Alice's puppet that you despised or Maria's monster that you would loath."

"And now? Why are you here now? Who are you now?"

"Jasper Whitlock, the youngest Major in the history of the United States Army, feared Vampire Major of the Southern Wars and slightly damaged man."

"Jasper?"

"I went after Alice. She saw glimpses of the beast I kept locked away and knew to fear him. She should have feared me more. She believed her visions would make her untouchable. That she would see and avoid all danger. She was wrong."

I shivered at the darkness in his tone but I did not fear him, as he spoke something had settled inside me. This was not Maria's Major or Alice's Jasper, this was truly my mate and he had come for me. "Why are you here?"

"I came for my mate. If she will accept the scarred man that I am."

"We all have scars Jazz."

"Yes and I still have a long way to go to reconcile who I am with who I was, with Alice, with Maria and before the change. First thing is getting my mate."

I shivered, "She will be born one month today. I die on my twenty-third birthday and wake on September 16th, a vampire."

"A Whitlock?"

I nodded in agreement, "but also a Volturi and Gigandet. I will never abandon my family Jasper, they might live in different covens as I might but they are still my family."

"A powerful family to be feared. No one will ever harm you again, mate, if they try I will kill them."

"Edward?"

"When James tracks him I believe he will find the pieces with Alice and her mate, the fool really should have stayed out of it, as he was only defending his mate and I cannot fault him for that, I only removed one arm. He can put it back on and is likely fixing Alice. Next time I will not be so forgiving as not to burn the pieces, though I did bring you a piece of each of them… you can burn them or mail them back if you wish." He held out his hand and in his palm were two oval shapes, I looked closer and realized they were fingers, one male and one female pinky finger.

I launched myself into his arms with tears spilling down my cheeks. He held me tightly to him but did not restrain me when I moved away. I only moved enough to kiss him. All the pain, loss and love flowing out of me and into him, I felt it rebound and grow, the pain and loss fading as the love became stronger and mixed with lust. I pulled at his clothes, needing to feel his cool skin against mine.

It was a frenzy to come together but he was more gentle than if I were made of the finest crystal. With him deep inside of me, both of us momentarily sated, I finally felt free, peaceful, loved and happy. I was finally home. My mate was alive, Maria and Alice had not broken him, just damaged him a little, but we were all of us damaged. My mate was here, he had come for me and nothing would ever separate us again.