This is the end now, really. I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did. See you at the next one. Please review.

Chapter Ninety Six

Jasper

Sam agreed to meet us at the Cullen treaty line when we told him we had a warning for him. There were two wolves with him and he was the only one who phased.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I'm afraid the Volturi have been informed of the possibility of werewolves in this area. Is that going to be a problem if they send out a search team?"

"That would depend on how big a search party they send and for how long. Since the Cullens are all gone we aren't gaining any new pack members and most of the old ones have stopped phasing altogether."

"Are there enough of you to protect the Tribe if the Volturi do turn up?"

"Why? Are you offering to help us"

"If you need it yes."

Bella looked at me rather shocked,

"I was thinking more of Bella helping you actually."

When she heard this she smiled.

Sam

The last thing we needed were more vampires here, especially as the pack was rapidly shrinking and the guys happy to resume their normal lives in the main. If the vampires returned it would start all over again. The offer of help from Bella was unexpected but more welcome, she was almost an honorary wolf after her relationship with Jake in the early days.

"So who told the Volturi about us?"

There was a pause,

"We don't know as yet."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"We've already told the Volturi that there are no werewolves here but they wont see the distinction between werewolves and shape shifters when they come"

"When?"

"Oh they'll come, I can't tell you when but they will come. We'll try to find out more and as I said we'll stand beside you if you'll accept our help."

"Stay in touch"

"We will.

Bella

When we'd driven off I turned to Jasper,

"Do you know who leaked the information about the wolves to the Volturi?"

"Yes. I think I do."

"Are you going to tell me who it is?"

"Not until I find out more"

"OK. Are we going back to the others?"

"Not yet, I need to make some calls first."

Jasper

We booked into a hotel and once we'd hunted I asked Bella to go out for an hour so I could make some calls in private. My first call was to Peter.

"How are things?"

"Fine, very quiet here. How did you get on with the dogs?"

"I spoke to Sam. He's not happy about the Volturi coming on a fact-finding mission."

"No shit! So you coming home now? I guess not or you wouldn't be phoning".

"I need you to do something for me Peter on the quiet"

"Oh sneaky work. I love all that shit, what do you need"

"I want to know what Rose and Emmett are doing."

"Say that again? You want me to spy on Rose and Emmett? What exactly am I looking for Major?"

"I want to know if they're communicating with anyone. Can you do that?"

"Hey, you're talking to the master of sneaky dealings, but why?"

"Someone is talking to the Volturi and I'd hate to think its one of us."

"Yeah but who else knows about the wolves?"

"Someone who calls them werewolves which makes me think it's not one of us but I have to be sure. Let me know if you get anything."

"Will do Major. So when are you and Bella coming home?"

"Soon. I need to know when the Volturi are going to Forks. Think you can get that info as well?"

"I'll ring round. Someone will help for a small commission I'm sure. Take care Major."

My next phone call was going to be more difficult but it had to be made.

"Major Whitlock here, I need a favour."

"What?"

"I need to know who is communicating with The Volturi from The Whitlocks or the ex Cullens, Emmett and Rosalie. Can you do that?"

"I can, the question should be will I?"

"How much?"

"I hate to talk money. Lets just say you'll owe me one, a big one."

"Its a deal but I need the information fast."

"As quick as I can."

I had a really bad feeling about this, I couldn't see why anyone would want the wolves wiped out. Peter hated the wolves, Rose hated the wolves, Emmett I wasn't so sure, Charlotte had kept her opinions to herself. The thing was, did someone want to make a wolf free Forks their home or did they want to cause problems for us? If the Volturi found wolves in Forks then we were guilty of lying and the Volturi would kill us all, did anyone want us dead that much and why? Was there someone who knew while we were alive they would never be safe if we found out their guilty secret? Did we have a Volturi spy in our midst? Someone who wanted something from the Volturi and would get us killed in order to get it? None of it made much sense but the feeling wasn't going away, and I'd hate to be right.

Bella

I stayed away as long as I could but when I got back Jasper was sitting cross-legged on the bed staring at the phone with a frown on his face.

"No luck Jazz?"

"No not yet, but things are becoming clearer slowly."

"Nothing to tell me yet?"

"No not yet. I'm waiting on a call or two."

I joined him on the bed,

"Can I distract you for a while?"

I kissed his throat and put my hands around his waist pulling him close,

"Any time darlin'"

I had just removed his shirt and pants when the phone rang,

"Leave it"

"I can't"

He snatched the phone from the bedside cabinet and answered,

"Yes?"

I didn't catch the voice before he jumped off the bed in his boxers and headed out onto the balcony talking very quietly. He obviously wanted to talk privately so I stripped off and got in the shower. I was washing my hair when I heard the door slide open and felt Jasper join me. I kept my eyes closed as he ran his hands through my soapy hair

"I love you Bella, I am crazy about you and always will be, so why?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him,

"Why what?"

"Why did you tell the Volturi about the wolves?"

"I didn't"

"I know you did. I thought it was Emmett or Peter but I couldn't understand why they would say anything about the wolves being werewolves. Nothing made sense but then I got the call I'd been waiting for."

I sighed and got out of the shower wrapping a towel around me and walked through to the bedroom. Jasper followed me grabbing my arms and pulling me hard to his chest before kissing me roughly and scratching my throat with his teeth.

"Tell me"

"We needed something to discredit Rose and Carlisle's work with the blood substitute. If Aro knew it was true research she wouldn't survive a year. By linking it with the werewolf story it would do just that. Aro and Caius believed the message was a letter Esme posted just before Carlisle killed her. Esme was already discredited in their eyes after the last fiasco, but Caius hates werewolves so he would have to make sure. By bringing werewolves into the mix it made the whole thing seem stupid. If the Volturi send a search party to look for werewolves they wont find any. Now Sam has been warned he'll keep the few wolves he still has in human form. There's no need for them to phase, there are no vampires around, and when the Volturi turn up I'll shield them for a long as it takes. See I can be as devious as you Major Whitlock."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have told me?"

That made him stop for a second before answering yes,

"You hesitated, see Jasper there's the small part of you I don't have yet. You still think like The Major sometimes. Make the decisions unilaterally and tell the others when they need to know. Did you tell anyone exactly why you were asking them to do what you were asking?"

"Only Peter and only part."

"See. I rest my case. I want the Major as well as Jasper Whitlock."

"You have a point. I'll try Bella but I've been alone so long."

"Not any more Major, we're a unit now."

She was right and suddenly I felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I didn't have to make the decisions and give the orders alone any more. My Bella was my other half and I would treat her as such in everything I did. Put simply there was no Major any longer.