Now, in my replies to the reviews I've had I've said that there would be many twists and turns to this story... well here is one that could, potentially, change the outcome of this tale. Evil, eh?

Chapter 23.

There was a knock at the door and Bella opened it expecting to find a member of her family standing there. The smile fell from her face as she saw one of the members of the Volturi guard there instead; one she hadn't seen before and she had no idea who they were. Jasper appeared at her side as he sensed her anxiety and they both looked at their visitor. "Aro would like to see you again, Jasper. He's interested in continuing your discussion from yesterday." The stranger said.

"We can be ready in a few minutes."

"He only wants to see you at this time."

Bella clutched at his hand and he squeezed it gently. "I'll be ready in a couple of minutes." He said before shutting the door and turning to Bella. "Why don't you go and spend some time with Rose and Emmett; I'm sure they'd love to see you." He looked at her face and he could see her lower lip quivering, "I'll be okay, baby."

"Why does he want to see you? You will be coming back, won't you?"

"I don't know why he wants to see me but yes I'm coming back. I'm pretty sure this bond thing is a highlight for them and they want to see us go through it more than they want to do anything else."

"Do you know who that was?" she asked him quietly.

"No idea. I'm sure Carlisle would know."

"Why don't we go and ask him?" She said.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be allowed to stop off and speak to dad. Something tells me Aro isn't that patient. You'll have to ask him for me." He could tell Bella wasn't happy with the situation and he wasn't particularly either; but as with many things in the last few months, it wasn't like he had a lot of choice. He opened the door, finding the guard still standing there; a frown on his hard face. Jasper turned back to Bella and kissed her softly. "I'll be back later; I'll come find you in Rose's room."

"Be careful." She whispered. He smiled at her; his fingers reaching up and brushing down her cheek and then he was gone; the door shutting behind him as he strode away from her to whatever was waiting for him. Bella was alone and it was the first time she really had been since she'd… well since she'd died. After a few minutes her brain had switched into hyper-drive and she was frantically walking around the room, trying to find something to do. She glanced at the time and saw it wasn't too early so she decided she might as well do as Jasper had suggested and go to see Rose and Emmett.

She'd barely thought it and she was standing outside their door. She knocked on it and waited for it to open. "This had better be an emergency," she heard her brother say as he moved around inside the room. It swung open and there was Emmett; half dressed, with a frown on his face.

"Sorry, I'll come back later. I didn't mean to disturb you." She turned and began walking back the way she'd just come.

"Bells." He said; sticking his head out into the corridor and calling after her. "Where's your other half?"

She stopped walking but she couldn't bring herself to turn around and see him. "He got called away." She whispered.

Rose was standing in front of her in seconds. "Called away?" There was a frown on her face and yet she still managed to look stunning.

"Aro wanted to see him again… alone." Bella murmured.

"Come on," Rose said, pulling her arm around her and dragging her to the room she shared with Emmett. Emmett shut the door once they were all back in the room and stood watching as Bella was led to the bed and urged to sit down. "Why does Aro want to speak to him?" Bella shrugged.

"Surely you have some idea?" Emmett asked and Rosalie looked at him sharply, silencing him instantly. "I'll go and get mum and dad." He said and left the room.

Rosalie's question was repeated by both her parents as they came into the room not a minute later. "I don't know. All the vampire guard who showed up at our room said was Aro wanted to continue their discussion from yesterday." Esme and Carlisle sat next to her; Esme putting her arm around her waist and Carlisle reached across Esme and grabbed one of her hands. "I told you last night that Aro seemed to be fascinated with meeting Jasper. It was as if he was in awe of him; I think he's very keen to have Jasper join their family." The last part was very hard for her to admit.

"I'm not sure why I'm surprised by this; I should've realized Jasper would spark some interest in them."

"I don't understand. Why would the Volturi be like this about Jasper? I mean I know we all love him a lot but he's still just Jasper."

"Bella, in the vampire world there aren't many that can say they've been through what Jasper has," Esme said softly. "To have gone through eighty years of what he did and to survive it is incredible. That's why they're so interested." Bella still hadn't caught on. "He's a very good fighter; he'd be just what they would want in their guard, Bella."

Bella's eyes widened as realization sunk in. She got to her feet quickly and was walking to the door before she spoke. "I have to go to him; he's in danger."

"Bella, he'll be fine." Carlisle said, walking to her and wrapping her in a hug. "Aro and his brothers are far too eager to see someone go through this bond of brotherhood to want to do anything to endanger that; especially since it'll be Jasper doing it."

His words were meant to reassure her but did little to do so, "I guess there's nothing like an actual demonstration to prove to them how useful he'd be." She murmured; her voice loud enough for the rest of them to hear. Unfortunately none of them tried to persuade her she was wrong.

*B-o-B*

Jasper followed behind the vampire as he walked the route he'd taken with Bella the day before. His thoughts were still with his soul mate and he worried how she was handling what had just happened. He knew the answer though; she probably wasn't, at least not very well. "Will I be with Aro for very long?" he asked; not expecting an answer but trying to get some connection with his companion.

"You'll be with him until he's finished with you," was the unhelpful response; and yet all too illuminating.

They reached their destination and again the door was held open for him. Jasper walked through and tried to ignore the way his heart sank when it was slammed shut behind him. He was… trapped in a room for a meeting with one of the Volturi leaders and he had no idea what it was about and when he'd be able to leave; or even if he'd be able to leave. He was the only one in the room at this stage and he took the opportunity to look around it. As with the room he was sharing with Bella, it was very ornately decorated and while he had more simple tastes he could appreciate the beauty of it. A door opened behind where the thrones sat and Aro walked into the room; making Jasper pause where he was and turn to face him.

"Ah, Jasper. I see Alec got you here early. Apologies for my delay in getting here; there was a pressing matter I needed to look into."

Jasper filed away the identification of the guard with a mental note to ask Carlisle about him later. "It's no problem, Aro. What did you want to see me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you some more about the bond of brotherhood."

"You told Bella and me quite a lot yesterday."

"There were some things I omitted to tell you."

"You don't need to hide anything from Bella. Whatever you tell me, I will tell her when I next see her."

"Of course."

Jasper looked at Aro, trying to work out what he was hiding. "Are you going to talk to me about it then?" He was becoming frustrated and he could sense Aro's amusement at this; which just served to frustrate him further.

"I thought we'd wait for my brothers to arrive."

Jasper tried to hide his shock at all three Volturi leaders being present for this discussion but he wasn't convinced he was wholly successful. It was just a few minutes later that the door Aro entered the room through opened again; Caius and Marcus walking through it. They both took their seats in the thrones either side of Aro and all three of them sat, staring at one, very wary Jasper.

"Jasper Whitlock…" Caius began and Jasper turned his head slightly to look at the vampire. "As I think my brother said last night, we're all extremely flattered you're visiting us; especially in these circumstances. It's an honor for us to officiate over this ceremony for you."

"I'd do anything if it means Bella is safe from James and will remain with us."

"I can see the connection between you is very deep." Marcus said; his voice softer in comparison to those of his brothers.

"Then do we have to go through the trials? If you can see we love each other, what's the point?"

"It wouldn't be right for us to grant you an exemption, my dear boy," Aro said; his words exceedingly patronizing and increasing the irritation in their recipient. "We have to maintain our standing in this world and it would be viewed by others as unfavorable if we were to treat you as a special case; especially given our past friendship with your father."

"But no one else has ever had to go through this."

"They would still know. Word spreads. It would make us lose respect amongst our kind."

Jasper thought about what he'd said and had to admit he could see the validity in his points; much as he hated to. "Can you give me some idea of when the first task will be; I'd like to be able to tell Bella; it's worrying her greatly that she doesn't know."

"Will she feel any better for knowing?" Caius growled; his voice echoing round the room.

"I'll admit it's unlikely she will; but at least knowing will let her prepare for it." He said; ensuring he maintained eye contact with the three of them. Jasper watched as they all turned to look at each other; it was as if they were silently discussing his request between them. It was fascinating to watch.

It was Aro that eventually spoke. "We will hold the first task the day after tomorrow." He moved from his seat and appeared in front of Jasper in the blink of an eye. "Your family will also need to be present for each task; our guards will collect them and bring them here shortly before they bring you and Bella to meet with us. They will be standing behind me and my brothers to watch the task. You need to explain to them the need for their silence throughout each task; there should be no reaction from any of them at any time and they must promise to adhere to the decisions we make. Any interference from them will result in only bad things happening."

"I understand and I'll convey your message to them."

"I know you said last night that you'd both read through the information I sent your brother but we'd like to talk you through what will happen if you were to fail at any stage; you need to be aware of the consequences." Aro said again; a slightly sympathetic expression on his face.

Caius and Marcus both rose from their chairs and moved to stand either side of Aro. "Aro mentioned to us that he gave you the opportunity to back out of this and return to your home with your family and we'd like to offer you that choice once more." Marcus said; all three of them staring at Jasper intently.

Jasper pulled himself up to his full height; determined to show them the strength they already assumed he possessed; even though they'd never met him before. "There's no need for the offer; my mind is made up and I won't be changing it. I want to do this. The thought of losing Bella is worse than the consequence of failing."

"I'm sure you'll have read in the information that failure will result in your death." Caius said; Jasper nodded in response. "We need to explain to you what that entails. This wasn't mentioned in the text but I located it in another volume just last week; after your father called and said you'd be joining us to do this."

"Go on." He said; suddenly not so sure he wanted to hear what they were going to tell him.

Aro smiled slightly and then reached into his robe and pulled out an ancient looking sheet of parchment; a sheet he handed to Caius reverently. Caius slowly unrolled it and Jasper thought how unnecessary the whole process was because they knew exactly what was written on the paper. Caius cleared his throat; another unnecessary action. "If the applicant should fail at any stage throughout the trials the bond is automatically forfeit and will be irredeemable by any other coven member." He lifted his eyes from the paper and met Jasper's; pausing slightly to ensure he'd absorbed his words. "If the applicant survives the task but is unable to continue further this will be deemed as a failure and he'll be taken into Volturi custody until retribution can be enacted." Another pause and Jasper just wanted to shake him and tell him to get to the point. He sensibly decided to hold back from making that bold move; knowing it would do far more harm than good. "The applicant will be given the choice of the punishment he receives. The options are as follows: the applicant can choose to be killed at the hands of the Volturi guard; or they can select a member of their coven to perform the task; or finally they can choose to have their life ended by the person who created them."

Aro continued for his brother at this point. "We've done some investigation and Demetri believes it would only take a few days to locate Maria and for her to make the trip to Volterra, should you select that choice."

Jasper wasn't sure he liked any of the options he'd been given and now more than ever he hoped he didn't fail the tasks. "Is there anything else?" he asked; his mood descending even further the longer he stayed in the room.

"Yes." Caius said, "Whichever option the applicant chooses; the retribution will be carried out in the presence of the Volturi; the guard and family members and the family of the applicant. In the time between failing the task and this point, the applicant can be surrounded by his family." He stopped and rolled the sheet back up; passing it to Jasper before speaking again. "I'm sure your father will want to study this text; for his own peace of mind."

"Was there any questions you had, Jasper?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, actually there is." Jasper paused slightly to collect his thoughts. "Aro said yesterday there was a chance of the bond not taking. How big a chance is that likely to be?"

The three vampires shared a look and finally Caius spoke again, "It's not something that has been tested that much; we tried it three times after the law was created in order to see if it worked and the success rate wasn't fantastic; one worked; one was a partial success but resulted in the two bonded mates dying and the third was completely unsuccessful."

Jasper's mouth ran dry as he took in what they'd said. His hopes were fading the longer he was in this room and he wasn't sure he wanted to ask the next question. "If the bond is effective; are there any side effects; other than ensuring Bella won't be taken from us?"

"As my brother just stated, we've only actually seen the bond work once, however there was a subtle shift between the two vampires that wasn't there beforehand," Marcus said, "It's hard for us to determine whether it was as a result of the two vampires involved or whether it'd always happen that way."

"What do you mean by subtle shift?"

"As you've already learnt there needs to be a pure love between the two vampires; once the bond is in place, this seemed to deepen even further and the connection between both of them was stronger and they were able to almost sense each other from a great distance."

That almost made him smile as he heard those words but something occurred to him that made him pause. "What happened to them? After you tested the bond and found it worked, what happened to them?"

Aro took over from his brother and Jasper could see the sorrow on all their faces as he spoke, "There was an incident; a few decades before we met Carlisle. There was trouble brewing in Mexico; I'm sure you're aware of it and Surilia was part of the guard we sent; her mate being left with us here. It was a mistake on our part not sending him with her; he suffered her absence greatly and in hindsight he should've gone with her; maybe if he had she would've come back and they would both still be with us."

"She died?" he asked; hating being able to hear the hesitation in his own voice.

"Yes. She was caught unaware by a newborn vampire and died before any of the rest of the guard could step in to assist." Caius said; his voice softer as he spoke of someone who'd obviously meant a great deal to them.

"What happened to her mate?" There was silence again and Jasper wished he could take back the question; the hair was standing on the back of his neck and he was sure he could see where this was heading.

It was Marcus who finally answered, "Vincenzo took her death particularly hard; we knew of her death before our guard had the opportunity to contact us because he felt it. He described the feeling once he was able to talk as saying it felt like he was on fire; that he felt her burn," Marcus looked at Jasper intently and Jasper was shocked to see the emotion in all their eyes. "Four days after she died, he was gone." Marcus continued; his voice quiet; almost reverent as he spoke of what happened. Understanding must have shown on Jasper's face because the elder vampire nodded, "Over the days it was as if he shut down and then on the fourth day his body just crumbled before us; collapsing into ashes in this very room."

Jasper stood there and wondered how the conversation had taken this turn; surely if Edward and Alice had known this they wouldn't have put them through this. Would they? "So you think there's a danger this could happen with Bella and I if the bond was to take?"

"It's a possibility." Aro said, "It's the reason we've given you the option to back out of this because there's a risk to you both and we'd hate for your parents to go through this just to lose you both anyway." Jasper didn't know what to say; for the first time since he'd accepted his relationship with Bella, he doubted his decision about whether he wanted to do this. "We'll let you think about this overnight; you have a lot of information to take in and it would be unfair of us to ask you to make this decision now." Jasper nodded and the door from the room opened behind him.

TBC

A/N: (Hides from sight)... Well I bet you weren't expecting any of that... let me know what you think and yes, today I've left you on the edge of a cliff. Oops. Please review. Next chapter tomorrow.