This chapter is rated 'M' for language and adult themes.

Previously: Bella breaks down and feels hopeful that she can finally move on.

Bella's P.O.V. (2051 words):

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." ~Winston Churchill

.:!*!:.

Things were finally starting to fall into place. Two months after my huge breakdown, I found myself standing in the living room of the house in Houston that was finally starting to feel like home. I was staring out the window, lost in my thoughts as I watched the sun rise.

Turns out I had a gift that was a bit more complicated than I'd previously thought. Like I'd known before, I was a mental shield. I could block mental gifts from working on me, but I could also move that shield to cover others. It was something that Jasper and I were both pretty excited about. Aro had been excited about it as well. Figures, right?

Charlotte and I got along swimmingly, which was strange. She was very... affectionate, which would have made the old me feel awkward. As it were, I'd swat her ass back, and return her little pecks. It didn't take me long to realize that it was just how she was. She wasn't hitting on me or anything. It was just how she expressed herself, and I found myself enjoying how open she was. It was relaxing. Char was funny and kind, and she was beginning to become family to me.

Another thing that was strange to me was Peter. He'd been acting weird recently. I would walk into the room, and he would shift to my movements, like opposing magnets. His expression was always guarded near me, yet he would go out of his way to assist me or make me laugh. I'd asked Jasper about it after explaining his behavior, and Jasper had been genuinely shocked. He seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but he wouldn't tell me. He claimed that it wasn't his place, and I couldn't really argue with that.

Jasper had I had been getting more open with each other recently, and we'd taken to having huge make-out sessions. We would have taken that final step in our physical relationship if it weren't for me. It wasn't that I didn't want to have sex with Jasper, because I really did, but I kept flashing back to the first time Maria had used her gift on me to seduce me. My shield would begin flashing up and down while my body would automatically move to defend itself.

This had been really embarrassing for me until something quite similar had happened to Jasper. As it turns out, Maria haunted him too.

.:!*!:.

"I love watching you hunt." Jasper whispered in my ear as he rubbed against me. "You are so focused, so powerful." I moaned. I couldn't help it. I had barely finished draining a wolf when Jasper had tackled me to the forest floor. We had taken a three day hunt to northern California for a change of scenery. Peter and Char had stayed back to hold down the fort.

"Attracted to power, are you?" I teased, and Jasper chuckled. The depth and huskiness of his voice caused me to buck up into him, which turned his chuckle into a low growl. I could feel him tense as he tried to keep from projecting. I didn't want him to be uncomfortable. "I definitely wouldn't mind if you used that gift of yours." I said, dragging my nails down his chest gently. He froze, and I watched as his eyes went dark and glazed over. His gift leaked out, but it seemed forced, manufactured somehow.

"I don't- I can't..." His voice trailed off, emotionless and monotone. I tried to fight off my fear and panic at his reaction.

"Woah, Major. You don't have to do anything. I just didn't want you fighting against your gift. I wanted you to know it was okay to use it if you wanted to." I consoled, brushing my hands along his arms, trying to push my affection and guilt to him. "Whatever I said, I didn't mean to hurt you."

After a while, I finally got him calm enough to explain to me what had gone wrong.

"I'm sorry I reacted that way." He whispered, still looking a bit glassy eyed, but they were golden again, which lessened my worry. "Maria used to tell me to 'use that gift of mine' as she scratched my chest. It just brought back some unpleasant memories. I swear it wasn't you."

"Hey, I understand. I do it all the time, remember?" I said, relaxing completely when I was assured he was going to be alright. We were going to be alright.

.:!*!:.

"Swan, can I talk to you?" Peter asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. His face was carefully guarded, as was usual of late. I nodded, and he shifted uncomfortably. "Could we talk alone?"

"Sure." I agreed, shocked. I couldn't imagine what he'd have to say for me that he wouldn't want his mate or Jasper to hear. I lead the way into the desert night, making sure we were plenty far from the house and any kind of human population. I turned to face Peter. "What's up?"

"I practiced a bunch of different ways to explain to you what the hell has been going on with me, but I couldn't really come up with one that wouldn't hurt you, but you need to know. Consequences be damned, here goes nothing." He said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. I had no idea what the fuck he could possibly mean by all that, but it almost sounded like a warning. "When you sent Riley away from the camp, he had barely made it across the Kansas border before breaking. I'd never seen anything like it. He fell to his knees, froze up, and cried tears of venom and blood, much like you did two months ago. He didn't move for over two weeks."

"Peter..." I warned coolly, knowing what he meant by hurting me now. What he was trying to explain had better be damned important.

"No. You need to hear this." Peter insisted, and I narrowed my eyes but let him continue. "When he finally snapped out of it, the Major demanded Riley to come to him. I'd know the look on his face anywhere. It has been my own too many times for me to count. He reacted to the Major's command. Riley even fell to his knees before my leader at one point. It was only Riley's need to secure your future that gave him any power over the Major. As you're well aware, I've known for a long time that you were my creator's mate, but it was only then, when your second responded to the commands of your mate that I realized what was happening..."

"What are you saying, Peter?" I pressed, not understanding where he was going with this.

"You know the strength of the bond between a second and his leader. You also know the power for the bond between mates. Tell me though. Which one is stronger?" Peter asked.

"The bond between mates." I answered without pause. It was the only reason Peter had survived away from Jasper for such long periods of time. He'd had Charlotte. It was the only reason I was able to go on now. I had Jasper.

"Mates belong to each other. They share everything with one another... fears, hopes, laughs, secrets." Peter took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. "Tell me to do something."

"Excuse me?" I questioned, growing even more confused.

"What? Are you stupid? Are you scared? Come on. Just do it." Peter challenged, and I hated to admit that it was getting to me. He seemed to notice, and he grinned. "Oh, so Boss Swan is scared to give Peter Whitlock a command. That's hilarious. You really are pathetic. I can't believe Maria submitted-"

"Stop it." I ordered in a deadly calm voice, and I saw Peter shudder as his gaze dropped. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to tame my anger. It hit me suddenly. Peter had just followed my command like Riley always had. My jaw fell open. "Oh God. Please, tell it to me straight, Peter."

"The stronger your bond to Jasper becomes, the stronger ours will become as well." Peter said. "If I'm right, very slowly, I'll become your second-in-command too, although not to the same extent Riley was. Tell me, are you still cold?"

With a start, I realized he was right. My right side still felt empty, and I didn't feel as full as I had with Riley before me, but I wasn't as cold anymore.

Without a word, I placed a hand on Peter's shoulder to reassure him (of what, I wasn't sure), and I turned to go back to the house. I needed some time to think.

.:!*!:.

Two days later, I was standing in the room that Jasper and I shared, staring at the wall. I'd talked to Jasper about Peter's theory, and we'd decided that whatever happened would happen. Jasper didn't seem to mind sharing his second with me, and I honestly couldn't imagine it any other way at this point. I would have wanted to share Riley with Jasper too, if he were still here. It felt right.

Arms came around my waist, and I smiled slightly.

"You looked very contemplative there, darlin'." Jasper commented, placing an open mouthed kiss on my neck, causing me to shiver. "Hmm... looks like we're in the same mood."

I couldn't hold back the small giggle as I turned and crashed my lips to his. He wasn't gentle as he pulled me against him and growled into my mouth. I licked his bottom lip, requesting entrance, but he surprised me and sucked my tongue roughly into his mouth, dragging his teeth along it. His growl never stopped. He thrust me back and into the bookshelf on the wall.

Suddenly, his gift was let loose, and I could feel everything. His lust, affection, fear, and determination became my own, and I understood them. I wanted this man as much as he seemed to want me. He was my mate, and I was dangerously close to falling in love with him. He seemed to be in the same boat in the respect too. He feared losing me, he feared opening up to me, he feared things he didn't even comprehend. On top of all that, he was determined to make us work. He wanted us to work. I could feel how much he longed for it, and I wanted it too.

There were no fireworks. There was no pillar of heavenly light that shone down on me. It was just Jasper and I, and for the first time, Maria was no where in our minds.

I tore off Jasper's clothes, and he removed mine in kind. We hardly kissed and touched before neither of us could take it anymore, and we moved to the bed. He kept projecting his emotions the entire time, so when he entered me, I felt his relief, his liberation, and his complete joy. My eyes filled with venom, and I closed my eyelids. I didn't even notice I was smiling until Jasper kissed me.

"Open your eyes." He demanded in a soft, gruff whisper. I listened without thought, and my gaze met his. Our movements were unrushed, yet frantic. He was loving, yet unyielding. I was overwhelmed, yet content. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of and more, and just as all the emotions building in me were becoming too much, Jasper groaned. "Isabella..."

And we fell together.

We lay in silence for a long while. I felt at peace for the first time in longer than I could remember. I was unsure whether I'd ever felt this way. I inhaled Jasper's scent, feeling totally satisfied. I concentrated on the wonderful emotions I was feeling, and the moment I identified the strongest, I said it aloud.

"I love you, Jasper."

"I love you too, now and forever. Marry me?" He whispered, causing me to smile and become teary eyed. I nodded and hugged myself impossibly closer to him. He returned the embrace with just as much strength. He projected his happiness onto me, and I sighed. I had a feeling everything would be just fine for the Whitlocks.

Mrs. Whitlock... I liked the sound of that.

With my head on Jasper's chest, I smiled bigger and let myself imagine the endless future that was stretched out before me. It was going to be a bright one, of that, I was sure.

A.N.: Oh my God! I totally wasn't going to have him ask her to marry him! lol this story kinda ran away with me. I wasn't originally going to have the Romanians or the Volturi in it either, and you can see where that got me! I think it turned out better this way anyway.
Please let me know what you thought of the half-lemon I put in there. With how emotional this story was, I didn't want to put too much smut into their moment. :)
UPDATE NEWS: One more chapter! Holy crap! Who else is excited and sad at the same time to finally see it end? The story will be finished next week, on May 13th. My goodness, look how far we've come!
POLL NEWS: I'll be taking the poll down in exactly a week, so please vote!
Thank you guys all so much. I couldn't have done this without you, my dear readers. This is the final stretch. Don't give up on me now! We're almost there! =D