A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews! Also, to whoever voted this story as one of the top 100 Twilight stories over at a Darker Twilight, thank you! It made #65 in the top 100 which is really cool!

Anyways, as promised, here is the next chapter. Again, my goal is to have this story completed by the one year mark which is about a month from now *crossing fingers*. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Jasper was desperately trying to keep a tight rein on the anger that he was feeling. It was never a good idea to interrupt a vampire that was clearly overpowered by the need to mate. When he saw Bella standing there, looking as alluring as she did in that dress, he was absolutely overtaken. He had never in his entire existence felt a need so desperate to couple with someone, not even the first time they had finally given in to their feelings.

For days, Jasper had been quietly stewing in worry about what was to occur when they were finally reunited with their family on top of everything else. Despite Bella's assurances, a tiny voice in his head couldn't help but wonder-What if Edward found a way back into her heart or managed to guilt her into staying with him? Jasper did not think that he could stand an existence without her, without Bella by his side.

He knew he needed to have faith in her, trust her and rationally, he knew that she was his mate. But with his irrational worries, combined with the way she looked tonight, Jasper's baser instincts took over. He was going to show her in every way exactly how she was his, how deeply his feelings ran. His vampire had plans to ensure that by the time he was done with her at the end of tonight, she would be sure to stay by his side, for all of time. And now, those plans needed to be put on hold, for a few hours at least.

Jasper flung open the door, the vampire on the other side almost blanching as he took in the imposing figure that stood before him. The vampire wisely dropped his eyes to the floor. "I am sorry to…" he paused. "Interrupt. But Aro has requested your presence immediately. He would like to ensure that his guests show up on time to enjoy the festivities to the greatest extent possible."

Jasper drew an unneeded breath, attempting to center himself. "It is still early as per the time on the invitation."

"Yes, a little. But Aro's instructions clearly were to pick you up at this time."

Jasper bristled. "Fine. Please wait out here. We shall be ready in a minute. As you can see, I am not fully dressed yet."

The vampire merely nodded, clearly not wanting to anger him further. "Yes, of course. Please finish."

Jasper closed the door behind him roughly, resting the back of his head against the wood. He needed to settle all of his emotions. He was seriously on edge in every capacity. The past few days, never mind the past few months, had been completely taxing on him. So much so that Jasper was finding his emotions were all over the place, barely able to restrain himself. He took one more calming breath before turning and walking back into the bedroom where Bella stood, straightening out her dress.

"I am so sorry Bella."

He felt her bewilderment. "For what?"

"For everything. I know the past few days I have been rather inaccessible. I have so many concerns and our lives are about to turn upside down again for third time in less than a year."

Her palm against his cheek was comforting as her eyes searched his. "I still don't understand what it is you are exactly apologizing for."

"I have fears that are irrational at best. I'm afraid when I saw you this evening, every instinct called for me to claim you once more."

Bella rolled her eyes lightly and laughed. "I love you, Jasper. But you really are sounding a bit like Edward. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, to apologize for. You are my mate. It is understandable the need for you claim me just as I desire to be claimed. These past few days, this past year, would be trying on anybody, and you handled it better than anyone else I could think of. As for tonight, I fully expect you to keep your promise."

Jasper began to feel the lust rise inside him once again, but he quickly kept it in check just sufficing with a quick kiss on the lips. "Duly noted. Now, as much as I hate to, it appears that we need to get ready. It seems that our presence is required."

The ballroom was as exquisite as Jasper fully expected it to be; the candlelight throughout the room created a dramatic effect and the fine Italian marble columns and floor made one realize that the setup was meant to impress.

It was an effective method the Volturi employed; the throngs of vampires making their way into the massive space were mostly awed and those that were not were jealous. Jasper was surprised to find that many of these vampires doted on the Volturi and appeared to be very pleased to have them be an ally.

He scanned the room for any sign of vampires he might know, as he was already sure that Charlotte and Peter would eventually make their way in. Most of the vampires were European, based on the accents floating around the grand room. It appeared that the Volturi held more favor locally than abroad.

The escort to the event was Pierre, who turned out to be the official concierge to the Volturi. Once he was no longer subject to the wrath of Jasper, he turned out to be a rather pleasant man. It was his job to lead the two of them about, introducing them to several different clans.

It turns out that each individual they came across was very fascinated to be meeting two vampires with amber colored eyes. On the outside, many were polite expressing a deep appreciation for them choosing such a noble lifestyle, while their emotions revealed their true feelings of amusement, superiority, and in some cases, disgust.

Bella and Jasper were quite aware that they novelty items of the evening. It explained why Aro was so adamant to get them there on time as well. Jasper and Bella were truly part of the entertainment and it was not lost that Pierre consistently emphasized that they were special guests of the Volturi.

It was with great relief that he noticed Peter and Charlotte finally making their way through the crowd. Jasper gave a warning glance at Pierre, who smartly took his leave without another word. He was glad the vampire understood that Jasper had quite enough of being on display for one evening.

Bella smiled in relief. "Finally."

Jasper bent over and kissed Charlotte on the cheek as they appeared. "Thank you for coming to our rescue. You look beautiful as always, Char."

Charlotte smacked his arm playfully. "Why Sugar, I wouldn't talk that way in front of my mate, he tends to get jealous."

Jasper chuckled. "I'm sure he will be okay with a kiss on the cheek."

Peter waived his hand away. "Oh, have a go at her for all I care!"

Charlotte gasped. "Peter! Bella, see what I have to deal with?"

Bella opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. Jasper felt her fingers dig into his bicep, so hard that he almost winced. He turned to her concerned, until he smelt it himself. Human blood.

Waiters began to glide around the room with trays in their hands, the silver goblets atop filled to the brim with the tempting red crimson that ruled Jasper's life for so long. Jasper was certain that Bella's eyes were as dark as his.

"Jasper. I don't think…" she choked out. He spied out of the corner of his eye that some others, including Aro himself, were looking at the both of them. Damn. They was no way that they were just going to let them leave. Not yet at least.

"Hold your breath. There are no humans to hurt here. Imagine it's like a hospital. If Carlisle can do it, you can too." Bella would never forgive herself if she even let herself taste human blood. He could tell it was relatively fresh; it certainly was not donated blood. It took all his strength not to grab a goblet and drink the liquid himself, never mind the temptation that a relative newborn would endure.

Jasper was getting ready to maneuver her at least towards a window, when a waiter appeared at their side. "I was told to bring these to our special guests." The waiter looked at Bella's clear struggle. "My apologies for not bringing sooner."

Jasper took an offered glass, bringing it to his nose. It was an animal, of that he was certain, but not one he had ever had before. He raised an eyebrow, handing the liquid over to Bella, indicating for her to drink. Jasper took the other.

Bella took the drink, quickly downing the cup and placing it on the platter, a more controlled look on her face. Jasper in turn raised the glass to his lips. The blood was sweet, but at the same time, there was a refreshing quality to it. It was not quite as good as grizzly, but it was a close second and provided much needed relief from the human blood around them.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

The waiter handed them each another glass. "Komodo Dragon."

Bella paused mid-drink. "They are on the endangered species list."

Jasper was not as bothered as her about it, but generally, the Cullen's made it a rule to try to restrain from killing off any species. The waiter shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "I suppose so, but we were given instruction to only serve the finest at this Gala and since our special guests do not partake of our normal fare…"

Bella and Jasper finished the last of their drinks. "Thank you."

The waiter nodded and walked off. Jasper looked at her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Much better. I can almost ignore the smell of the blood. Luckily, most of it has been drunk so the smell is not quite as potent."

Peter and Charlotte had gracefully declined their own beverages. Peter looked around. "This is a bit different than our old Gala's that Maria used to throw, is it not?"

Charlotte gave a look of distaste. "Yes, thank goodness."

Bella gave a quizzical look. "How so?"

Jasper leaned in. "Let's just say that the blood was fresh from the tap."

Jasper was going to leave it at that, but Peter, being Peter, needed to elaborate. "They had them chained to the walls, and over the music that was being played, all you could hear was the screams in the beginning. Then as the night wore on, one by one, their voices would die off, until nobody was left. That is when the Gala officially ended."

Bella shuddered. Charlotte smacked Peter upon the head. He looked at her like she was insane. "What in the hell was that for, woman?"

Jasper smiled but rolled his eyes. There were times that Peter reminded him so much of Emmett. Charlotte gave him a pointed look. "Nice Peter. Thanks for giving Bella that image in her head."

Bella shuddered somewhat jokingly. "Thanks Peter. I will be thinking of that all night."

Peter smirked, looking between Jasper and her. "Oh, I certainly doubt it will be all night if Jasper has anything to say about it."

This time, Jasper gave Peter the smack across the back of the head, before turning away from the conversation. As he had done all evening, Jasper gave the room a casual glance, almost as if he was just taking in the general splendor of it all. However, Jasper knew well enough that Volturi invited everyone at this Gala for a reason. Be it politically, socially, economically or some nefarious reason that Jasper would never be made privy to.

But what Jasper looked for, was some additional reason that himself and Bella were there. He was sure that they did want them there to keep an eye on them, make sure they did not roam anywhere they were not supposed to. But he had a nagging suspicion that there was more, than that and entertainment, and that did not sit well with him.

He did not see anything out of the ordinary. Marcus stood a little ways off, cornered by a woman who was trying desperately to get the single vampire's attentions for the evening. She was failing miserably if the look on his face was any indication. Caius was with his wife Athenodora, milling about the room, greeting various guests. Aro was surrounded with vampires all trying to gain favor. He appeared quite in his element.

The guards were the ones he was most interested in, however. The ones that were in attendance were dressed properly for the occasion, but like Jasper, they were very much alert of their surroundings, often surveying the room. But that appeared to be the extent of it. He was curious to see where Jane, Alec, and Delilah were at, but they had not been in attendance all evening.

Jasper turned his attentions to the beautiful vampire at his side yet again, his hand falling gently on her waist. Bella's eyes questioned him, seeing if everything was alright. He nodded. So far, nothing truly appeared out of the ordinary. He could feel her relax underneath his touch.

The music began to waft throughout the room. The guests, at least the ones who had been in attendance before, took this as their queue to move away from the dance floor, instead lining it. The four of them followed suit awaiting what was going to happen next. An Austrian waltz began to play, and Jasper noted with amusement that it was one that Edward had played before, Shubert's Death and the Maiden. Jasper knew Aro must have had great amusement in choosing the first song.

The crowd parted, allowing Aro and his wife Sulpicia to walk onto the dance floor. Caius was right behind with Athenodora. Marcus stood on the edge of the crowd, not participating. They effortlessly danced in time to the song, and Jasper was struck with how regal it all appeared. The whole evening was flawlessly staged for the Volturi to appear just that, the kings and queens of all of their kind. The rulers. And it worked for most in the room, Jasper amazed at the amount of envy filling the room.

When the song finally ended, everyone clapped politely with Aro and Caius bowing their heads ever so slightly in thanks. The other guests begin to join them on the dance floor, preparing for the next dance.

Jasper surveyed the room yet again, nothing much changing. He smiled at Bella. "Darlin', want to show them how it is done?"

He had never danced with Bella before. Even at her wedding to his brother, he had stayed far away, choosing to avoid any mishaps that important day. Now however, he was anxious to have her in his arms, bringing her around the dance floor.

Jasper had always secretly prided himself on his dancing; as a human, his mother had insisted that himself and his brother learn to be proper southern gentlemen and learn to dance. Jasper even had a vague remembrance of dancing with a pretty female at a Cotillion, just prior to joining the war.

But he could care less about the female he had danced with all those years ago. Instead, his sole focus was of the beautiful creature in front of him. He guided her out to the floor, placing his left hand where the silk fabric of the dress met the bare of her perfect back, his right hand clasping firmly with hers. Jasper led her around the floor and for minute, let the rest of the world fall away.

Bella eyes danced with humor. "Strauss' Vienna Blood Waltz? How… appropriate."

"Yes, the Austrian's were quite morbid in naming their compositions it appears."

She laughed. "Yes, I guess you are right. Didn't think of it that way."

Jasper twirled her along to the rather lighthearted song, his eyes only on her. He remembered Bella being extremely uncomfortable with dancing as human, but here, she was as graceful as any other vampire in the room. "Don't think for a moment that I have forgotten what I plan to do to you later." Jasper murmured softly.

Bella faltered slightly, but quickly regained her step and composure. "I was counting on it." His companion countered. "How much longer is our presence required here, anyway?"

"I am afraid it will be a while longer. Once other guests begin to filter out, we can see about making our excuse to leave."

"Well, I hope it is not all night."

Jasper stole a kiss on the dance floor. "Me too, Darlin."

He spun her around a few more times as the strains of the song ended. The string quartet did not immediately begin another song as he predicted. Whispers began to fill the hall as word spread that there were seven figures that were now in the entryway of the grand ballroom. It was certainly unorthodox for anyone to arrive late to a Volturi event, never mind several hours late.

Jasper could not see who they were from his immediate vantage point from across the room; there were too many others blocking his view. The mystery was quickly answered however, as familiar scents wafted through the air, hitting Jasper and Bella like a brick.

His hold on Bella tightened as she gasped, her eyes widening. Aro dropped his wife from his arms, talking animatedly to one his guard, as he made his way through the crowd. The room was now almost silent, with the exception of Aro greeting his newest arrivals, quite pleased with himself.

"What a pleasure that you have finally arrived! Come, come. We have been awaiting your arrival all evening!"

Aro led the seven into the room, waiving his hand at the string quartet to resume their playing. The vampires around them took up dancing once again, as Jasper and Bella stood, not moving, firmly in place. Jasper noted that there were many in the room such as Caius and the guards who trained their eyes upon them, curious to see what Bella and Jasper's reaction would be.

This time Bella led them off the dance floor, her eyes falling on the vampires that were making their way closer to them now, in clear view. The familiar faces of his old family were the ones that mattered most out of the seven. He barely took notice that Jane, Alec, and Delilah escorted them all in their finest wear as well.

Finally, Jasper snapped out of it, mentally chastising himself for not thinking sooner that Delilah's absence was significant. Surely the Volturi's latest prize would have been something they would have wanted to flaunt and show off.

They made their way over to the seven. Carlisle, as always, was polite to Aro, but Jasper could feel the anxiousness that the patriarch felt along with the others. His Bella was rightfully livid that the Volturi seemed to deem this atmosphere as appropriate in which they were to be reunited with her coven. Jasper shook his head yet again, that they did not demand more concrete rules as to the changes ahead of time. They had left far too many gaping holes in what the Volturi could get away with in this situation. Jasper was well aware that this was all for Aro's sport.

It was with the last heavy step that Jasper and Bella stood in front of their families. Jasper quickly surveyed each one of them, and with relief, he noticed that their eyes shone back with reconizement among a plethora of other mixed emotions.

Aro turned his attention to Jasper and Bella. "Ah, wonderful! You are here. As promised, here they are. I am sure that the six of you would like to get reacquainted now."

Aro looked on with amusement, waiting to see what would exactly transpire next. Jasper was not about to let that happen. Jasper controlled his fury, choosing his words carefully. "I am sure you understand that we would like to have this reunion in private, away from so many strangers."

Disappointment lined the ancient vampires face. "But they have just arrived! Very well, if that is what you would all prefer. Feel free to take your leave if you would like with them for the next several hours; Jane and Alex have generously offered to act as escorts for all of you this evening, but will allow for your privacy. In regards to our previous arrangement, we shall expect you to comply shortly after dawn; you will both be given your orders at that time. Delilah, if you should come with me, there are a few people I would like you to meet."

She nodded, looking at the entire family before bowing her head towards them and taking her leave. Jasper was not surprised to feel a little animosity towards the redhead coming from the group.

Carlisle's once again kind eyes fell on the two forsaken vampires. He gave a small smile. "Bella. Jasper. I… we… are so happy to see you again and cannot express how sorry we are for everything we have put you through."

Jasper spoke first. "Carlisle… don't. This was not your fault, just the same as it was not ours. But this is not the time or place to be discussing any of this." Jasper looked around the room at the vampires that were not so discreetly watching their movements. He caught Peter's eyes and Peter simply nodded to him in understanding. Peter would keep an eye on things here. "We can go back to our room if you would like to get reacquainted somewhere more…. discreet."

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. Of course, son. Lead the way."

Bella and Jasper led them down what was now becoming all too familiar halls, to the suite that they shared. Jasper was relieved to observe that Jane and Alec stayed guarding the outside of the room, at least giving an appearance of privacy.

Jasper quietly shut the door behind him, turning to see Bella leading their family to the main sitting room. The four of them all sat on one side, facing polar opposite to the both of them. It seemed like an eon that they all sat like that, just staring and looking, evaluating, trying to figure out exactly where it was that they should start.

During this time, Jasper in took all of their emotions, evaluating them one by one, making sure that they were genuine, before then trying to decide how to make the present situation more comfortable for them all.

Bella had finally been the one to break the silence, her voice soft but strained. "When were your memories… restored?"

Carlisle again was the one to speak up. "The Volturi came for us several days ago. They brought us to Volterra, with the understanding of attending the Gala. It wasn't until they came to get us for the party that Jane and Alec instead brought us down to the throne room, where we then met, excuse me, reacquainted, with Delilah. Once our memories were changed, we were then given several minutes to adjust to our new situation and were brought up to the party where we caught up with you."

Jasper raised his eyebrow. It explained how overwhelmed they were all feeling and also helped him understand why they were all so quiet. Bella and Jasper glanced at one another and she continued. "Where are Alice and Edward?"

If their pain and guilt was evident on their faces before, surely, it was five times worse now. Esme spoke up. "We don't know. We arrived in Italy all together, but when we arrived here, we were separated. I don't know what they are doing with them!"

Jasper sought his inner calm. He had been doing that a lot this evening. Alice was here and has been here for days. He knew that Bella was thinking the same of Edward. He relaxed Esme, and she smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Jasper."

Jasper nodded. He needed to know more, he needed to be sure that their memories had been fully restored. His voice was quiet. "We need to know. What do you remember? From before and after."

They all glanced at each other. This time Rose had been the one to speak. "Everything."

Bella looked at her sister. "What do you mean, everything?"

Rose looked her straight in the eye. "I mean, I have every single memory from before that weekend you went to explore colleges with Jasper. I have the memories of Jasper coming with Alice to join our family, their weddings, you coming to Forks, your first time meeting Edward, us leaving you, coming back, and your marriage to Edward. I remember every single little thing."

Bella swallowed deeply, and grateful tears brimmed in her eyes. She was as aware as he was that Rose was telling the truth. But Rosalie was not done.

"And then I remember everything else. I remember a whole other life. I remember Alice coming on her own with tales that she was meant to be one of us. I remember the first time she met Edward and how obvious it was that she was to become his mate. I recall us living as a family of six for decades. I also remember two strangers invading our living room, claiming that they were part of the family, claiming that they were Cullens and being almost convincing that they were telling the truth. I remember being so protective of our family, I would have torn those two limb from limb if they did not leave our house immediately."

Jasper grabbed his mate's hand and squeezed. "When she changed your memory…"

Carlisle nodded, and Jasper now understood the undercurrent of confliction that had been there with the four of them this entire time. Carlisle spoke. "When she changed our memory backs, she couldn't erase the memories that she had falsely created. We know they are falsehoods, but they are no less real to us than our true memories."

Of all the things Jasper had been prepared for, that was not one of them.

A/N: Well now… were you expecting that? You know what to do. Hit the button.