AN: By the way, the silver 'guns' were based on the device used by Caius in Breaking Dawn to assassinate Irina. It was small silver device that flashed and disintegrated her instantly. In my story, the device was modified based on his belief he would be fighting werewolves, hence the longer range. Wouldn't want those suckers getting so close, now would we?

Also, this is a bit of an odd chapter. It took itself in an unexpected direction, so we dealt with some of the things I intended to address, just didn't expect to address them here and now.

xxxxxxx

Chapter 58 - Proven Trustworthy

Jasper POV

Only a few dozen Volturi supporters remained, all making sure there was at least 100 feet between them and any other vampire. I watched as a few of the ones still standing raced forward to end their opponents while they were down, only to be caught by Alec's gift themselves, falling harmlessly to the ground instead. Those still in the back had retreated as far as they could and were now pressed up against the tower walls. I was confused as to why they weren't even looking in our direction, but were instead looking in all directions, as if confused by how or why the others were falling.

"Why aren't they looking at us?" I murmured to Peter.

He smirked at me and flicked my nose. I growled menacingly, and he rolled his eyes.

"Lance," was his only spoken reply, though it was accompanied by a jolt of smug amusement.

Lance. Of course. How could I have forgotten? I thought to myself.

You didn't forget. You just didn't think of it, Major replied in amusement.

I mentally rolled my eyes and turned to locate Lance within our ranks. Sure enough, he was comfortably ensconced in the center with all the wives, seeming to enjoy the pampering he was receiving at the hands of Esme, who apparently believed his insecurities were a result of his lack of appropriate mothering as a child. She was intent upon making up for that now, and he wasn't making any move to stop her or resist her maternal charms. In fact, despite his supposed paranoia of others, he was quite enjoying being the center of attention to all the ladies. I was glad to see Bella's indifference to him, when so many of the other females seemed to hang on his every word. Lance was preening at the positive attention of so many beautiful women, fairly bursting with pride and lust.

He better not direct any of that lust toward MY mate, Major growled, startling the vampires around me, who didn't know why I suddenly started growling.

They immediately began searching for danger, guessing I had detected an attack they had missed. I waved my hand irritably to calm them down and stopped growling myself. I didn't fully relax until I was certain Lance was giving my mate the appropriate respect and distance, not secretly lusting after her. I was amused to realize he was actually afraid of her, intimidated by her indifferent exterior.

"Bella, darling," I called, and she skipped cheerfully to the front to join me. I took her hand in mine and pointed to the battlefield. "It is time to end this fight while the enemy is safely under Alec's influence. We will need your shield, of course, so his gift doesn't affect us as well."

"Certainly, Major," she replied, winking up at me. "Your wish is my command."

"I'll take you up on that later, my little vixen," I whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver pleasantly in anticipation.

Seeing our easy interaction helped relax the rest of my elite unit, since they knew I'd never risk my mate if we were still in danger. The Cullens and Whitlocks took point as we advanced on the enemy.

"Chief, check each of them first as we approach to make sure they are truly under Alec's influence," I warned, knowing how easily one of our kind could 'play dead'. The white wolf ran ahead on spirit feet, easily visible to all, but only manifesting his teeth. He sunk those vicious teeth into each vampire as a test of their lack of sensation. When they didn't respond, we knew it was safe to tear them apart, carefully confiscating all the weapons we found littering the ash covered field.

Some of the silver guns had sunk into the mud when they had fallen from the hands of those instantly obliterated by another, though most of the weapons had been light enough to float on the surface of the muddy soil. I couldn't help wondering how the dirt would affect the mechanism's function. We couldn't afford to leave any behind to be found by the humans after the mud dried. It would be a disaster to let them get their hands on this kind of technology.

We gently set the weapons back down into the trunks that were their original homes, unsure of how stable the guns were, worried they might misfire if handled roughly. The last thing we needed was to set ourselves on fire by accident. I'm sure Caius would be laughing his ass off at us then.

Just as we were wrapping up our mission, my caution proved to be astute. When Chief chomped on the leg of an outlying vampire, the vamp screamed and tried to roast Chief's hindquarters. Lucky for Chief, his hindquarters were still in the spirit realm, and the fire passed right through him without doing any injury. Of course, Chief promptly turned around and tore off the vampire's head, before he could do any damage to the rest of us.

So much for the element of surprise, I snickered to myself.

At the same time, I heard gasps from many who had joined our army and hadn't seen Chief in action. It was quite amazing to see him what he could do. I had to admit he was one of my favorite secret weapons.

"The ghost wolves are real!" one who had just joined us after Aro's confession screeched in terror.

"Yes, but they're on our side," Peter joked, trying to calm him down.

"They're evil! They're going to kill us all! Just like they are executing these men, so too will they turn on us!" the terrified vampire shrieked. "Quick, grab a gun! Defend yourselves!" he ordered his coven, who hastened to obey.

Seeing them scurrying to obtain the silver flamethrowers and feeling their intent in their emotions, I knocked them down with my gift, sending them the pain of the change, mixed with the despair of losing one's mate. It easily knocked them off their feet, rendering them incapable of further action. I paused, knowing this interaction was being witnessed by everyone and was one of the first actions of the 'new government'. Handling this matter in the wrong way would turn some of our supporters against us and cause us to fight amongst ourselves, much as the Volturi's men just did.

Sensing my turmoil, my mate snuggled against me, lending me her strength. "There are other methods of torture, my mate," she whispered. "Some are even quite pleasurable, though just as agonizing in their own way."

A wicked smile grew across my face as I understood her meaning. Yes, I could take this another route that would show us to be a different regime altogether. I quickly traded those negative emotions for the pleasure/pain of being on the brink of orgasm, but not quite able to make it over the edge to receive the glorious climax awaiting just on the other side. Their screams were replaced with moans and groans, begging and pleas for mercy. They were writhing just as much as before, but the looks on their faces belied the notion of agony, other than the sweet agony of awaiting sexual release. I felt the whole army relax as they realized what they were witnessing, along with their amusement, shock, and chagrin.

I released the leader of the offending coven from my influence, without allowing him his desired release to his dismay. "You are the first to be tried under the new regime," I announced loudly. "The Honorable Charles Swan shall question you and compel you to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Is there anything you wish to say on your own behalf before we begin."

"Only that you are more evil than Aro and Caius combined," he accused, pointing at us.

Charlie stepped forward to do his duty. "Why do you feel we are evil?" he inquired politely, then pushed forth his gift to be assured of a truthful reply.

"You consort with werewolves, the mortal enemy of our kind!" the male answered angrily. "Anyone who consorts with werewolves is evil and should be immediately put to death."

"What is your intention if we set you free?" Charlie asked next.

Good question, I thought proudly. That gets right to the heart of the matter, doesn't it?

"My coven and I will come after you with these flamethrowers and destroy as many of you as we can before we ourselves are destroyed," he admitted uncomfortably. He glared hatefully at Charlie for making him reveal the truth of his heart.

I felt the crowds response to his words and called forth twenty at random, nodding to Carlisle. Carlisle stepped forward and addressed him. "You here are a jury of his peers. You have heard his intentions coming from his own mouth. Do you seek further proof?"

Siobhan was one of the vampires in the jury and the first to speak. "Aye! We have only your word for now that this Charles Swan compels only truth. How do we know he doesn't simply compel confessions, whether they be true or false?"

Her words caused a flurry of whispered discussions throughout the army. All eyes were focused now on Carlisle to see his response to such a challenge. All were well aware of how Aro would have responded. He would have attacked Siobhan's character, demeaning her in the eyes of her peers.

Carlisle smiled proudly at her though and replied, "Excellent question, my dear Siobhan! I certainly do not expect you to blindly take my word for it. We have other vampires in our midst here today that also have gifts of truth, do we not? By all means, let them come forward and give their testimony so that all of us can be sure in our hearts that true justice is being done."

Eyebrows shot up all around at his calm, reasonable, and logical reply.

Whispers circulated through the crowd from many voices, "Yes, yes we do have others who know truth. We can prove the truth or falsehood of these claims through vampires we know and trust."

"We don't have to rely upon their words or their testimonies. We can judge for ourselves!"

"Let us test them and know the truth for certain, one way or another. No more blind trust in our leaders. Let them prove themselves trustworthy!"

Siobhan smiled broadly at the responses she got, both from Carlisle and from the crowd. "Aye, Carlisle. My own Maggie is one such gifted. She knows without doubt when one speaks truth or falsehood. She has never steered me wrong, and if she says tis true, then I'll have no more doubt. Come forward now, Maggie and give us your testimony on the words you have heard spoken here."

Despite their relatively reclusive nature, Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie were well known in the vampire community as a straightforward and honest coven, uninterested in drama, politics, squabbles, fighting, and the like. Their territory was relatively small and isolated, thus not coveted by others, and they were perfectly content with it. Thus, their testimony carried great weight with those gathered, knowing of their independent natures and high level of integrity. This was a coven that couldn't be bought at any price.

As Maggie confidently made her way forward, another vampire spoke up, volunteering, "My Charles is gifted to know when one speaks truth or lies."

All eyes turned her way, and I recognized a vampire named Makenna, who had originally been on the Volturi's side with her mate, but had defected to our side as soon as Aro began confessing. If her mate did indeed know when one spoke the truth, their rapid defection made sense, as he would have instantly known Aro's horrible words were all true.

Her shy mate waved halfheartedly and nodded. "Yes, I have that gift," he admitted.

"Go forward," the crowd urged. "Go forward and testify for us."

xxxxxxx

Third Person POV

Makenna pulled her reluctant mate to the front, knowing his testimony would satisfy all those who had defected from the Volturi side this morning, having mingled and conversed with them over the past few days as they all waited at the castle for something to occur. That something had arrived, but it wasn't at all what they had been expecting. Instead of fighting a war against werewolves, a common enemy to all vampirekind, they found themselves smack dab in the middle of a revolutionary war, a military coup. So many accusations had been made in such a short time, turning their formerly orderly world on its head, and many of those vampires needed something solid to cling to in this time of chaos.

Makenna decided to offer up herself and her mate as a rock for all the vampires who had dutifully waited in Volterra with her and Charles for the unknown menace to approach, believing the Volturi were doing their job and protecting them all. These vampires knew she and Charles had waited patiently alongside them and weren't in Carlisle's employ. They could trust her Charles to be objective, revealing the truth whether it was in Carlisle's favor or not.

Honestly, Makenna rather expected to catch these new leaders in a lie, not trusting any vampires to be as good and moral as these purportedly were. She was determined to expose them to everyone else, to kill the hero worship she had encountered upon speaking with others in the gathered rebellion. A vampire who had never drank human blood, that spent a hundred and fifty years becoming immune to the scent of it so he could be a practicing physician, even performing miraculous surgeries to save the lives of his human patients? she thought. Preposterous!

So Makenna stood proudly by her mate's side, lending him strength, surrounded by her friends and allies, ready to support her mate in whatever he declared to all and sundry. Charles was deeply nervous, also believing he would be exposing Carlisle's regime as liars, sure Carlisle couldn't possibly be as good as all his supporters believed. Charles feared he would be destroyed for reporting the truth and that his mate would be punished as well, as would have happened under Aro's reign. He didn't want to challenge these new leaders, even if he didn't believe in them. He believed they were deadly, and that's all that mattered to him. He wanted to take his mate and run far from here, far from the scrutiny of such formidable men, hiding like he had done up until now.

Makenna's friends and allies were divided. Those who knew Carlisle personally knew he spoke only truth and was every bit as good as his other followers espoused. They eagerly awaited Charles's confirmation of that fact. Those who didn't know Carlisle were just as skeptical as Makenna herself and awaited Charles's denouncement of the new regime.

"Ah, another Charles, how interesting," Carlisle murmured, as Charles took his place at the front of the proceedings, along with Maggie and the jurors.

"T-truth," Charles whispered.

"Just call me Charlie, Carlisle," Charlie Swan insisted. "You know I prefer it anyway."

"T-truth," Charles whispered again. Maggie didn't bother responding, believing this idle conversation unimportant to the matter at hand.

"Ask your first question," Carlisle directed Siobhan.

"What exactly is your gift, Charlie Swan?" she inquired.

"I can compel others to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, whether they want to or not," he explained.

"Truth," Charles and Maggie both declared.

"Can you compel anyone to speak falsehoods?" Siobhan asked.

Charlie's eyebrows shot up, then he frowned and furrowed his brows. "I don't know. I've never tried. I'm not sure how I would go about doing that or why I would even want to do that."

"Truth!" Charles and Maggie boldly announced, nodding to one another.

Turning to the prisoner, Siobhan asked, "What is your plan of action if you are released?"

"To kill all those who willingly associate with werewolves," the male replied with a sigh, knowing he was convicting himself, but unable to lie, thanks to Charlie's gift.

"Truth," Charles and Maggie calmly asserted.

"Any other questions?" Carlisle inquired.

"Yes, I have a few!" Makenna shouted, narrowing her eyes at Carlisle in challenge.

He raised his eyebrows at the hostility in her voice, but politely waved for her to continue. "By all means, please ask."

Surprised to be given the floor so easily, Makenna briefly hesitated, shifting gears. She had expected to have to fight to get the answers she wanted, to be given the run around as to why she didn't have the right to ask her questions. "What are your intentions in taking over the Volturi, Carlisle?"

Carlisle smiled patiently. "My main intentions in leading this rebellion were to expose the lies the Volturi kings have told the people and the atrocities they have committed while hiding behind a façade of justice, as well as to rescue my children, who have been tortured mercilessly by Aro for the past few months. I was aware that our army would likely overthrow the kings, leaving a void in governance that must be filled. However, I personally have no desire whatsoever to become king of our kind. I have a very fulfilling life with my family and through the medical work I do in the human world and would willingly give up neither to become the ruler, or one of the rulers, of our world. As such, I also believe that much power should not be in the hands of one or even a few vampires, as power clearly corrupts. My personal view is that our kind should be ruled by a Congress or a Parliament of some kind, something similar to the United Nations, but without all the human issues and mistakes. I believe we should each serve in terms, perhaps of a decade at a time, before rotating, giving every vampire an equal chance to rule on the Council that governs us. No one coven should have more than one member on the Council at the same time. This will keep the balance of power safely divided amongst us, so that no one group has enough power to seize control of our world."

"Truth!" Charles and Maggie reported in awed voices.

"It is the complete and utter truth, unadorned by any hint of falsehood in either word or manner. His heart is in agreement with the words of his mouth," Maggie added, her amazement and respect clearly audible in her voice.

Charles nodded in agreement. "I did not detect even the slightest deception."

Makenna was absolutely floored. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Charles to confirm Carlisle as the real deal.

Meanwhile, the jury had conferred and reached a verdict. "We, the jury, find the defendant guilty as charged and sentence him to be executed for the good of vampirekind," Siobhan intoned. Each member of his coven was called forth individually to speak for themselves, and each gave the same answer, the fear of werewolves having been the glue binding them together. Each received the same sentence and were executed by the jury themselves.

As the last of the prisoners burned, Makenna was ready to ask another question that was bothering her about the whole Cullen leadership. "What is the intention of the ghost wolves, Carlisle?" she demanded.

Carlisle chuckled. "There is only one spirit wolf, Makenna. This white wolf, whom we call Chief, is the only one with the power to choose whether or not to manifest himself in the physical realm, in whole or in part. He is not a werewolf at all, but simply a wolf, as he cannot change his form to human or anything else. He is actually the manifestation of a vampire's gift. He is created and controlled by a vampire, Billy Black, Tanya Denali's mate."

"Truth," Charles whispered, shocked by this turn of events.

There were gasps of incredulity at this piece of news, and both Billy and Tanya chose to come forth, hand in hand. Many were surprised merely to learn Tanya had finally found her mate, after being alone for a thousand years. It was obvious to all that Billy and Tanya truly were mates though, in the way they interacted with one another. The most telling aspect was the fact that Tanya only had eyes for Billy and no longer flirted in the slightest with any other males, to the dismay of the males and the relief of the females.

"Yes, I can see from the bonds that this wolf is indeed part of this vampire, a shared soul," Marcus announced. "It is different, yet similar to the soul mate bond shared by Billy and Tanya. Quite intriguing! It is unlike anything else I've ever seen."

"Truth!" Maggie declared to all from her place behind Siobhan, even though she couldn't actually witness the interaction herself in her current position.

"Yes, truth," Charles agreed, nodding his head, but not taking his eyes off the spectacle in front of him.

Makenna was quite shaken. Everything she had believed to be true yesterday had been turned on its head today. "What of the other werewolves then? The ones you hold protectively in the center of your army?"

Carlisle smiled again and replied, "They are not werewolves, my dear. You can see for yourself they are out here in broad daylight, far from the night of the full moon. They are shape shifters who simply happen to take the form of a wolf. They bear no relation to the Children of the Moon, protect humans rather than eat them, and are not contagious. Rather their supernatural talent lies in their genetic makeup and is passed down solely from parent to child. Their purpose is to protect the people of their tribe from being eaten by vampires. Billy Black was of this tribe, hence his spirit wolf, the form he would have taken had he transformed before he was turned."

"Well, if their purpose is to protect their tribe, why are they here with you fighting in a vampire war?" Makenna queried suspiciously, after receiving the nod from Charles.

Carlisle nodded amenably. "Excellent question. One of their number is mated to Jane, Chelsea's biological daughter, so they are essentially part of our extended family."

"Truth!" Maggie and Charles crowed in shocked disbelief. Even though they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was true, both were having great difficulty wrapping their heads around it. It seemed so impossible. How could it be true?

The resounding shock echoed throughout the entire army, at least through all but the Cullens, Whitlocks, and Denalis. Most people had never been aware that Jane was Chelsea's biological daughter, so that was only one of the surprises unleashed by Carlisle's statement. The next was the revelation that Carlisle considered Chelsea and Jane to be part of his family. This was a new development, one that disturbed any who still questioned Carlisle's position of power, despite the testimony to the contrary. He had such a gifted coven already. Many wondered how and why he added such powerful vampires to it. Some even made the leap of realizing that if Jane were Chelsea's, then Alec was too, making him also part of Carlisle's new family.

Of course the biggest shock was the claim that a wolf was mated to a vampire. How could natural enemies belong together? This seemed utterly ludicrous in the minds of most of the vampires present. Even if they weren't true werewolves, being shape shifters instead, their purpose in existing was to kill vampires, right? So how could one who exists to kill vampires possibly be mated to one? Didn't their instincts drive them to kill each other?

The questions were rampant amongst the crowd, who now demanded answers. Makenna continued her role as spokesperson. "Carlisle, we demand that you introduce all your family members and explain their relationships to you and to each other."

Carlisle took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course. I would be happy to introduce my family to you. First is my mate, Esme. Our children, whom I turned myself are Rosalie and her mate Emmett. I have another son, whom I changed first, who is currently imprisoned in pieces within the tower, along with his mate Alice. My youngest, my daughter Bella, was changed by my brother Jasper, who is also her mate. Jasper Whitlock, my brother and second in command, has a brother and sister he sired, Peter and Charlotte Whitlock. Bella's biological father from her human life is Charlie Swan. Charlie is mated to Chelsea. Chelsea's biological daughter Jane is mated to Jacob Black, a shape shifter. Chelsea's biological son Alec is mated to Renata. Jacob Black's biological father, Billy Black is mated to Tanya Denali. Tanya's biological sister Kate is mated to Garrett. Tanya's biological sister Irina is mated to Laurent, and they have a daughter Bree. The Denali sisters' parental figures are Eleazar and Carmen. The other shape shifters here are cousins to Billy and Jacob Black. They are Leah and Seth Clearwater, Quil Ateara, and Embry Call. This is my family who are all directly related to one another, many through biological bonds."

"Truth," Maggie and Charles declared, unsure of how to feel. Carlisle believed himself to be related to 23 vampires, 13 of whom had powerful gifts, and 5 shape shifters. If they stood together, who could ever stand against them?

Thinking she had caught him in a ploy, Makenna sneered, "If Bella's biological father is a vampire, then how is it you call her your daughter?"

Carlisle smiled at her indulgently, knowing he had nothing to hide. "Bella's father was changed a while after she was, by Tanya, without Tanya's knowledge of his relationship to Bella or that Bella was with us. Bella suffered a severe head trauma prior to being changed, which resulted in a newborn vampire with a blank slate." He paused there as the crowd whispered amongst themselves, sharing what they knew of those changed after head injuries. He nodded to himself, hearing anecdotes depicting some of the same experiences they'd had with her. The difference was that his family were the first to carry one of those newborns forward into maturity, all others having been destroyed before they made it that far. "My family raised her as our own, teaching her everything from scratch. She is now a fully mature vampire equal to Major Whitlock, completely capable of acting as his mate in all things."

Everyone was blown away once again. It had long been believed such vampires could never 'grow up' and must be destroyed, the same as immortal children. Carlisle had just proven that belief to be false, and Bella herself was here as physical proof. Many lamented the unnecessary death of individuals they had hoped to save by changing and then later destroyed when they behaved like immature children, believing the change had failed and fearing exposure.

Jasper was eager to begin the assault on the tower and bring Caius to trial, wrapping up the battle once and for all, but he knew this was a critical step to be taken before the crowd could trust him and Carlisle to bring Caius to justice. He could see how easy it would be for the crowd to be sidetracked by all these new revelations, so he tried to return the focus where it belonged.

"Listen, everyone, do not forget that the battle is not yet over, nor the enemy fully vanquished. Our questions and arguments out here have served to give the enemy time to prepare who knows what technology or booby traps within the tower to decimate our number. Let us not lose sight of the goal in the midst of all the rest. We have all of eternity to delve into the mysteries of the vampire mind and of mating proclivities that draw together the most unlikely pairs as soul mates. Meanwhile, Caius is busy plotting against us!"

"Hear, hear!" Peter added. "We don't know how many more guards and weapons await us within the tower walls."

"Why not simply bring down the tower, instead of risking entering it?" someone suggested.

"My children are in there!" Carlisle protested.

"Falling rubble will not do permanent injury," another shouted. "Would you risk us losing our lives to more of those guns rather than let a few rocks fall on them?"

Carlisle sighed and rubbed his temples. "You are right. Though I'm loathe to cause them more pain, it would be safer to bring down the tower and search through the rubble than risk an ambush within. We must do what is best for the greater good."

This decision, more than anything else Carlisle had said, convinced the crowd he was a man of his word. The fact that he would value their lives over the comfort of his children, demonstrated he was willing to put his money where his mouth was, to truly live up to the ideals he spouted so easily.

Just as he was about to give Benjamin the order to create an earthquake to bring down the tower, Marcus gasped and stumbled backward. All eyes turned to the ancient, wondering what had occurred to get such a reaction from him. His eyes were wide and black as he hastily scanned the crowd before him. He took a deep breath, concentrated, then tried again. "My Didyme! She's here!" he whispered in disbelief. "I can smell her! How can that be?"

"Truth," Maggie whispered in awe watching Marcus from her vantage point beside Siobhan. She had to take a step forward and peer around her coven mate to see him from her position.

Marcus's eyes hastily scanned over the crowd, but didn't see the vampire he would have recognized anywhere. His brows furrowed in confusion. "I know I smelled her," he muttered. Closing his eyes, he began sniffing the air, turning his head in all directions. Then he began taking steps in each direction, hoping to discover where the scent was stronger. Alas, he was confounded by the swirling wind, which scattered her fragrance in all directions.

Perceiving the source of his difficulties, Bella sought out Benjamin. "Benjamin, please control the wind, so he can track down the source of the scent that reminds him of his lost love."

Benjamin nodded and cheerfully stilled the wind, allowing only a gentle breeze to blow in a single direction. All eyes shifted back to Marcus, whose frenzied frustration now dissolved into hope and amazement. His feet shifted carefully, gliding as if in a dance, initially hesitant but quickly emboldened. His path led him straight in front of Maggie, who was staring at him wide-eyed in confused consternation. He opened his eyes, his onyx ones instantly capturing her burgundy ones. All her concern melted away, forgotten and unknown, as she swam in the sea of blackness.

I am home, she thought to herself, pleased with her revelation. At long last, I am finally home where I belong.

The soul mate bonds began wrapping inexorably around them the moment their eyes met. Marcus could see them in the periphery of his vision, though he was caught up in her sanguine pools, seeing his happiness, his eternity contained within.

"You are my mate," he whispered to her.

"Truth," she whispered back unthinkingly.

"You do not look like Didyme, but you smell exactly the same," he declared. "How is that possible?"

She knew through her gift he was speaking the truth, yet it didn't seem possible or even probable. "Perhaps your memory is faulty?"

He chuckled in response, replying, "We are vampires, my dear. Our memories are perfect."

Out of curiosity, Carlisle joined them. He inhaled deeply and gasped in surprise. "Now that you mention it, I remember this scent. I'm surprised I didn't make the connection before, but the other reference to it is one I had dismissed in my memory banks long ago. I came across a nomad with this scent during my travels through Spain in 1722. She had olive skin and dark black hair, hung to her waist, which she kept in a tidy braid. I spent a few days with her, sharing my beliefs about hunting and the sanctity of human life. Unfortunately, she disagreed with my hunting style and went to hunt in the city of Madrid. She was caught trespassing on the territory of an established coven and was killed before I could reach her to intervene. The offended coven quickly caught up with me as well, and I would have met the same fate, if it were not for my animal drinking ways. Because I did not feed on humans, they did not see me as a threat and allowed me to continue on my way."

Intrigued, Jasper joined them. He inhaled Maggie's scent, which triggered a memory for him as well. "I remember this scent too! I changed a blond haired, green eyed human female back in 1879 to join Maria's army. She was nice to have around, brought up everyone's spirits in her own way, a regular morale booster in a girl-next-door kind of way. As a vampire, her scent was identical to this one. Unfortunately, she was killed in a battle with Benito's coven when she was ten months old, just after Maria had decided to keep her past the year mark, thinking the benefit she gave to morale far outweighed the trouble of continuing to feed her after she lost her newborn strength. We all mourned her loss for years afterward."

"Tanya? Have you ever come across this scent before?" Carlisle asked, gesturing her over to the confounded couple.

She inhaled deeply, several times, appearing lost in thought. Finally, she nodded. "Around eight hundred years ago. She had very curly, dark blond hair, and was very tall for a woman, close to six feet. She was part of a small coven I only met briefly, as one of their members created an immortal child. The Volturi Guard swept through and destroyed all three of them, even though only one was truly guilty."

She looked thoughtfully over at Chelsea. "Chelsea, why don't you give it a try? You're even older than I am."

Chelsea nodded with trepidation and slowly approached, worried about what she might find. After inhaling a few times, she shook her head. "I don't recognize it, but then again I rarely left the castle in the beginning. Alec? You were sent out on missions most often."

She backed up and made room for Alec to take her place. He frowned as he inhaled deeply with his eyes closed. His frown deepened as he inhaled her scent again, more slowly this time, holding it in his lungs as he considered it. He released it all at once and opened his eyes again to look at both Marcus and Maggie. He grimaced as he shared his knowledge. "I do remember the time Tanya mentioned. I was on the mission sent to destroy that immortal child. All three of the coven members were found in the presence of the child, hence the sentence for all three of them. Knowledge of the existence of such a child without reporting it is considered accessory to the crime and bears the same penalty. I can say that due to my gift, none of them suffered. They didn't feel it when they were torn apart and burned. Though I was not the one who carried out the sentence, I did witness it."

Before anyone could say anything in response to his revelation, he added something else. "I never realized it before now, as I wasn't looking for a connection before, but I did encounter this same scent about twelve hundred years ago as well. In that case, the scent belonged to a short, brown haired, dark skinned vampire, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were chasing a rogue feral newborn who came across her just before we caught up to him. He had her already torn to pieces and starting to burn when we arrived on the scene. We took care of him, but it was already too late for her, so we added the rest of the pieces onto the fire. I used my gift then to ease her pain as well, as she had been forced to witness the burning of her body parts, feeling the flames as if they were still attached."

"What is the meaning of this?" Marcus asked, wide eyed, both alarmed and amazed at the same time.

"If the scent clings to the soul, then this same soul, the one soul that matches your own perfectly, has been born human and become a vampire at least six times," Carlisle speculated. "That would lead to the belief she is clearly destined to be a vampire, and if she has been your soul mate each and every time, she was destined to become a vampire as a way of trying to get back to you!"

Bella nodded and excitedly added, "Each time she was born with a different body type and in a different part of the world. If we are truly attracted to the soul within a person, regardless of their exterior, then it makes sense that our soul mate could take any form. If they cycle through all different types of humans, reincarnating over and over until they are reunited again, then we have an explanation to how a wolf can be mated to a vampire. It isn't the exterior that matters, but the souls inside!"

There was much discussion over this possibility, which actually gave hope to those who had yet to find their mates, knowing now it was just a matter of time. If they missed them somehow the first time around, or even the second or third, they would still get another chance to hook up with them as long as they didn't stop looking. Even the wolves were cheered by the idea, knowing that as long as they kept phasing, they had all the time in the world to find their imprints.

"Either way, I am eternally grateful to have a mate. Maggie, you are the most beautiful woman in all the world in my eyes, and even Didyme ceases to exist for me. You are my everything, my life, my forever. Please do me the honor of remaining by my side for all eternity?"

"Absolutely, Marcus! I can tell your words are heartfelt and truthful. I too am thankful to be blessed with a mate and couldn't be more pleased with the man chosen to be mine," Maggie replied.

"Truth!" Charles declared, swinging Makenna around lovingly in his embrace. "Love - the ultimate truth!" He proudly kissed her in full view of everyone, sweeping her off her feet and reminding her to trust him no matter what else life threw their way. Relaxing into his arms and eagerly returning his kiss, she finally accepted that the Cullens were every bit of what they were purported to be. In a world where so many impossible things were now being proven possible in front of her very eyes, she was ready to accept that good people really did exist after all.

"Now that all that is settled," Jasper shouted over the din of kisses, hugs, and congratulations. "Benjamin! Bring down the tower post haste!"

xxxxxxx

AN: Hope the soul part wasn't too confusing. I know this isn't what you were expecting this chapter, but I hope it was still worth it.

Don't worry! I've been working really hard, and I've nearly finished the next chapter too. I promise it begins with the destruction of the tower . . .