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Bella - BPOV

I gasp for air as Jasper kneels in front of me and takes my hands in his as he continues: "Aro took me to the archives in search of proof that you and I are family, and we found it. Bella, you're a direct descendant of my sister Annabelle. You're a Whitlock, Bella."

Jasper - JPOV

I swallow inaudibly as Bella stares at me with wide eyes. God, why isn't she saying something? I gently squeeze her hands and give her a soft encouraging smile before saying: "Are you okay, pumpkin?"

Bella surprises me by throwing herself into my arms, and I grunt a little as she hugs me tight and says: "Please, don't tell me you were kidding just yet. Please, just let me believe that you're my family for a little while longer." Aro lets out a loud laugh as he moves to Bella's side and says: "We would never be so cruel, mia figlia. You and Jasper are related. Come, we'll show you."

Bella – BPOV

I feel a hope blossom deep inside me as I grab Demetri's hand and pull him with me to Aro's desk. Oh my god, could it be true? Jasper smiles as he follows us and says: "I felt exactly the same when Eleazar and Marcus told me about their findings, Bella. I spent so many years believing that I had no real family left. I didn't dare to hope that what they saw was real, but I also couldn't stop myself from wishing it was.

Rose did the research, and when she showed me what she had found, there was no reason to doubt her findings. My parents and younger brother didn't survive the war, and my sister Annabel died a few months after the war ended. Rose found all their dead certificates and didn't look any further. Aro and I searched the Volturi archives for days, and then he found the piece of information we were looking for. He found our family tree, pumpkin."

I take a deep unneeded breath as I softly touch the document on Aro's desk. I stare in awe at the names of my ancestors, and I can feel venom tears pooling in the corners of my eyes as I spot my name at the bottom. Demetri places a soft kiss on top of my head as I lean back into his strong embrace and says: "Are you okay, amore mio?"

I nod as my fingers trail my name and Jasper's and whisper: "I'm fine. I just don't understand how Rose missed this? I can even start to imagine how different my life would have been if we had known this all along. Oh my god, Charlie … My dad … He …" Demetri hugs me tight as I let out a loud sob and says: "You can't change the past, tesoro."

Jasper nods as he takes my hand and squeezes it gently as he says: "Demetri is right, Bella. I had the same questions when Aro showed me our family tree. So, I spent hours and hours in the archives trying to find out why Rose didn't find the rest of my family. What piece of information did the archivist that made this specific family tree have that Rose did not?

I turned the archives upside down in search of the answer. I was this close to giving up when I found my sister's diary, and there, written on the last pages, was the answer to my question. My sister married a local boy during the war and got pregnant right before he left to fight the war. He never came home. Annabelle was eight months pregnant when they brought her the news of his death. The stress made her go into labor.

The midwife couldn't stop the bleeding, and the doctor came too late. Annabella named her son Jasper Thomas to honor me, and her husband, right before she died. The doctor was a close friend of the family and took my nephew home. His wife had given birth to a son earlier that day, and they decided to raise them together. They told everyone the boys were twins. Jasper Whitlock became Jasper Swan that day, and we would have never known my nephew existed if the midwife hadn't written about the doctor's actions on the last page of Annabelle's diary. I'm forever grateful she did."

Demetri - DPOV

I snicker as Bella throws herself into Jasper's arms again and almost knocks him over with her newborn strength. The smile on Jasper's face as he hugs her close is bright enough to light the darkest corners of hell, and I snicker as he says: "Easy there, pumpkin. You're much stronger than I am right now."

Bella smiles as she pulls back and says: "Sorry, Jasper. I can't believe I get to have it all: a loving mate, a caring father, a family here in Volterra, and you, my family by blood for eternity… What did I ever do to deserve all this? God, I'm so happy I could burst." Jasper snickers as he moves to sit on one of the chairs and says: "There's no one that deserves this more, Bella. You're the most caring and loving person I've ever met, and I'm honored that you're a Whitlock. I love you, pumpkin."

Bella turns to take another look at the family tree, and I shake my head as I see the mischievous glint in her eyes. My mate is up to something, and by the look on Jasper's face, her emotions are telling him the same thing. Then suddenly, Bella turns around with a big smile on her face and says: "Now, Jasper, what do I call you from now on? Great-great-great granduncle?"

Jasper shakes his head as he rolls his eyes and says: "Very funny, sweetpea. You're my sister in this life as Annabelle was my sister when I was human. So, brother will do quite nicely. " We all laugh as Bella lets out a happy giggle and says: "Just kidding, big brother. You better get used to that because that's what little sisters do."

Jasper snickers as Bella wraps her arm around my waist and leans up to kiss me. She gasps for unneeded air as a wave of love and pride washes over us and smiles brightly as she turns to look at her brother and says: "I love you too, Jasper." Jasper smiles as he stops projecting and says: "Would it be okay for you and Demetri if I were to ask Alice to take up a permanent residency somewhere close to Volterra? I can't imagine living on another continent than my sister."

Bella – BPOV

I know that I would have been crying happy tears if I were still human as I throw myself back into Jasper's arms, and I hug him tight. Aro snickers as he pats Demetri on the shoulder and says: "I dare you to say no to his request, Demetri. I believe my daughter's reaction to that would be quite amusing to watch." Demetri shakes his head at Aro's words, and we all laugh as he says: "No, thank you, Master, I like my head where it is."

I smile as I turn to look at my wonderful husband and say: "Are you sure you don't mind, Demi?" He shakes his head as I walk back into his strong arms, and he smiles softly as he says: "I see no reason whatsoever to say no to something that will make you unbelievably happy, amore mio. Your happiness is my number one priority; you know that."

I stand on my tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips and say: "I love you so much, Demi." He smiles softly as he brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear and says: "I love you too, tesoro." He then turns to Jasper and says: "I might know a few villa's nearby that have a lot of potential if you don't mind putting in some hard work. They are in serious need of renovations but can be turned into gems if done correctly."

Jasper smiles brightly at Demetri's words, and I can almost feel the happiness radiating from him as he says: "That would be perfect, Demetri. I bet Alice is jumping from joy up in our room as we speak." I giggle at the thought and say: "It will be fun to have both of you back in my life, Jasper. No shopping trips though! I still hate shopping, and that won't change, no matter how hard she tries. So you can tell her straight away not to bug me about that."

Jasper snickers as he nods in agreement and says: "I'm sure she has already seen this whole conversation in a vision, darlin'. But I'll remind her from time to time. You know how she gets when fashion is concerned." I shiver as I think back of her endless rants of my lack of fashion sense back in Forks and say: "Oh, I know, that's why I'm telling you to stop her."

I smile as Jasper sends me a wave of reassurance and says: "Alice missed you a lot when Edward made us move. We should have fought harder to stay. We should have known that Edward would pull a stunt like that. We let you down, Bella. When she had the vision about Demetri being your true mate, she was so happy. She did everything to make sure that Edward wouldn't ruin things and almost kicked herself for not seeing his plans to use Jacob beforehand.

My Alice can be pushy, but she loves you very much, Bella. If she has to choose between being your sister for the rest of eternity or taking you shopping once, she'll pick…"

Jasper's words get interrupted as the doors of Aro's study fly open, and Alice rushes into the room while yelling: "an eternity of sisterhood!" I laugh as Alice hugs me tight while Aro raises a brow at Demetri and says: "Still certain that you have no reason to say no to Jasper's request. I can think of at least one thing quite easily, captain."

Demetri - DPOV

I smile softly as I nod at Aro's words and say: "I can see what you mean, Master, but I'm still certain. If Bella is happy with Jasper and Alice living nearby, then so am I." Aro nods approvingly as he looks at me and says: "I know that I don't have any say in the matter, but I'm happy to call you my son-in-law, Demetri. Fate couldn't have picked a better man for my daughter than you."

My answer gets interrupted as Alice starts nodding frantically at Aro's words and says: "I know! They are so cute together. It's like a match made in heaven. I wished I could have been here for the wedding. I bet it was even more beautiful in real life than it was in my vision. I…"

Bella and I snicker as Jasper quickly lays a hand on Alice's shoulder to stop her while Aro rolls his eyes at her and says: "Mrs. Whitlock, do you plan on making this a habit? I can't say that I'm looking forward to you interrupting my conversations or barging into my study whenever you feel like it." Alice stifles a giggle as she bows her head slightly and says: "My gift showed me that you would be more amused than annoyed by my sudden arrival, Master Aro. Was the vision wrong?"

Aro lets out a big sigh as he plops down in the chair behind his desk and says: "No, it was not, and you know that. But 'more amused' doesn't necessarily mean that I like it. Refrain from doing so in the future." Alice lowers her eyes as she nods and says: "Of course, Master Aro."

Aro nods approvingly at Alice as Jasper pulls her close and places a kiss on top of her head. Alice smiles as she leans into his embrace, just before her eyes glaze over as she's pulled into one of her visions. Aro, Bella, and I wait quietly as Jasper holds Alice during her vision, and we raise our brows questioningly as Alice emerges from her vision and jumps into Jasper's arms with a loud 'yes!'.

Jasper snickers as he notices the strange look on our faces and says: "Alice and I would like to offer our services to the Volturi for any period you see fit, Master Aro. I know that Bella already forgave me for what happened on her birthday and that she has accepted us back in her life. But we still broke the law when we left her behind alive all those months ago. No apology will ever make up for the grieve we caused her. Nothing we do will ever erase those memories. We can only aspire to do better in the future and to never let her down again."

Bella – BPOV

Alice smiles encouragingly as Jasper turns to look at me and says: "What's wrong, pumpkin?" I shake my head as I take a deep unneeded breath and say: "I don't understand why you're doing this, Jasper. You already agreed to train me for god knows how long. You're moving to Italy, just to be close to me. I know that you would never hurt me willingly, ever again, so why would you want to join the Volturi?"

Jasper snickers as he looks at Demetri behind me and says: "Bella, darlin', we broke the law. Me being your family doesn't change that. Alice and I need to be punished for that, and by joining the Volturi ranks, we'll be able to spend more time with you. You might not agree with our plan, but I can tell that your husband and your father are thrilled."

I frown as I turn to look at Demetri and find him smiling one of his beautiful smiles as he says: "Jasper is right, amore mio. I would have suggested it to the masters myself if Jasper hadn't suggested it. I've been playing with that idea since we met him in Forks. We can use a gift like his and Alice's. Surely you can see that?"

I nod as I stand on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips and then turn to look at my father as I say: "And you, papà? Do I even want to know why you are so thrilled about this?" Aro simply shakes his head as he says: "I doubt it, mia figlia. Let's just say that I've been asking Alice and Jasper to join us for decades, and I started to believe that it would never happen. To say that I'm thrilled might even be an understatement. Be glad that they suggested this, Bella. God knows what sort of punishment Caius would have come up it."

Alice nods at Aro's words and says: "We will all be so happy, Bella. I've seen it." Aro smiles as I look at the woman that has been my sister from the moment we met, and I roll my eyes at his curiosity as he says: "Would you mind showing me, Alice?"

Alice smiles as she walks his way and extends her hand. It is then that my eye falls on the Withlock family tree once again. I move back to the desk and let my hand wander across the names of my ancestors as Demetri moves to stand behind me and says: "What is going through that lovely head of yours, amore mio?"

I smile as I lean back into his chest and say: "I still can't believe it, Demi. It's a good thing that we don't sleep anymore, or I would think this was all a dream."

Demetri snickers as he leans down to kiss the top of my head and says: "I think that every day since I found you, cara mia." A sudden thought crosses my mind as my fingers trace Jasper's name on top of the family tree, and I turn to my father as I say: "Papà, how did this family tree of the Whitlocks end up in the archives? And why was Jasper never told of it?"

Aro lets go of Alice's hands as he turns to me and says: "When we founded the Volturi, Marcus suggested we gather as much information as possible on every vampire out there. Not to check up on them or to use against them, but to help them if they ever wanted to know more about who they were before they became a vampire. At first, Marcus did all the research himself, but as the number of vampires grew, it became too much work for him alone. So we attracted skilled vampires to help him out.

Every vampire on earth has free access to our archives if they want to search for answers about their human life or their descendants. It's a well-known fact, but it's also true that many of our kind fear us. Volterra is usually not a place vampires visit freely when given the choice. I suspect that's why Rosalie never came here to check her research. We can ask her at the meeting if you want?"

I shake my head at his words and say: "It makes no difference for us anymore, papà. It would only make her feel bad, and that's not what I want."

Aro smiles at my words, and I can see the pride in his eyes as he says: "My beautiful daughter with her big heart… you make me so proud. Are you ready for the meeting, Bella? I can hear Jane coming down the hallway to get us."

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