***This is the third installment of my Fate/Love/Hope Trilogy…you must read Fate Has Brought Us Here and Love Will Keep Us There for this to make any sense. Trust me!

***I need to shout out a huge thank you to three very special ladies because without them there wouldn't be a third installment. Thank you Jasper's Darlin Kathy, Jasper's Izzy and TwiCarol aka Sayitoutloud73 for doing more than just proofing this chapter. You helped more than you'll ever know.

***Disclaimer…after three stories I still own nothing.

JPOV

Bella was sprawled across my chest panting from our final round of love making for the night. I tangled my fingers in her hair and waited for her breathing to return to normal. She grew more beautiful each day and I never seemed to be able to get enough of her.

She was so content in her new life, but really how couldn't she be? She was rather lucky as far as vampires went. She got to have a baby which is relatively unheard of for our kind and she was able to keep her father in her life. She never had to experience that awful newborn stage and she never once craved a human. That was a battle I struggled with for many years and it wasn't until Bella came into my life that I fully gave up on that side of myself. If there was ever a doubt that I may have had about ending her life and making her one of us it was easily put to rest. Bella was happier in this life with me than she had ever been as a human, and she always managed to find a way to show me just how much she loved her life.

"Good morning, darlin'," I said as I ran my hand down her back in one long stroke. I could feel her disappointment that the night we had just shared was coming to an end.

She stretched her body and gazed out the window, "Morning already? How'd that happen?"

"You were extremely busy last night and the time must have gotten away from you." I smiled as I thought about just how many times we got busy. No, I would never be able to get enough of my gorgeous girl.

"That means you have to get ready for work now?" she pouted.

"Yes, there's an early faculty meeting that I have to attend."

"And I guess the department head can't miss," she was hopeful that I would skip the meeting so that we could have more time together. It seemed as though Bella couldn't get enough of me either.

"No, sweetheart, I need to be at that meeting," I said regrettably. "We're creating a whole new curriculum for next semester."

"You tell them you can't teach anymore classes. I don't care how popular you are."

"I'll tell them I have strict orders from my wife who happens to be a terrifying vampire." She was right though, my schedule was already jammed packed and I just didn't see how many more classes I could add to it.

"I don't like when you are away from me," She crawled up to my lips and gave me a kiss full of lust and desire. My cock twitched at her actions. I groaned, but I was thankful that the vampire in me always allowed me to recover rather quickly.

She giggled, "What Professor Whitlock?"

"Don't you act all innocent," I kissed her back. "Join me in the shower before Cullen wakes up."

She hopped off of me and darted for the bathroom. I smiled at my eager girl.

I stood up and glanced at the picture of Cullen and Bella on my nightstand, and couldn't help but become overwhelmed with the feeling of love that I had for the two of them. They were my life and I couldn't imagine existing without either of them. We had made a place for ourselves here in Seattle and it suited us. I felt so fulfilled with my job at the university and enjoyed the work I was doing there. For the first time in my very long existence I felt as if I had a purpose. I was at peace and I had Bella to thank for that. I loved my role as husband and father and couldn't wait to get home each night and hear all about my little family's day. If someone would have told me that this is where I would have ended up after all of the horrible things I had done in my early life I never would have believed it. Alice didn't even see this coming.

Cullen was growing so fast. He was only three, but his speed and physical strength had far surpassed the other children his age. Carlisle was extremely impressed with his intellect too and was positive he had a grandson who would follow in his medical footsteps. He studied with Carlisle for hours each day on a wide variety of subjects. Bella was worried that he was going to have a hard time adjusting to the outside world socially because he didn't get much interaction with children his own age, but we just didn't see how integrating him into preschool was going to be possible. He was a child prodigy and his vampire uniqueness made it almost impossible for us to enroll him in school. There was no way that we could bring that attention down on him, and with his gift I knew too well that feeling the emotions of all of those strangers would be too much for a child to handle. I assured Bella that once he was older and knew how to deal with what we were then we could let him go to school, but for now he had to stay with us. I had to protect him and isolating him from the outside world was the only way I knew how. Carlisle felt certain that his intelligence would allow him to adapt to the human world rather quickly once we felt the time was right. Cullen didn't seem to mind. He loved being close to all of us and we were the only influences he ever knew. And as far as a playmate, well, Emmett seemed to fill that void rather nicely. I swore sometimes they were on the same level, but then again, Cullen may have been smarter.

By the time I reached the bathroom Bella was already in the shower humming softly to herself. The scent of her floral body wash engulfed the room as the steam began to rise up out of the glass doors. I stepped in and immediately felt her desire kick in as I wrapped my arms around her waist and began placing open mouth kisses on the back of her neck.

"You smell so good."

She leaned her head back granting me access to those beautiful waiting lips. Her body was lathered in soap so that made it easy for me to slip my hands along her stomach and ribcage. She let out a small moan when I circled my fingers just at her entrance.

"And, you're ready for me you naughty girl," I said as I pushed my erection into her back.

"Looks like I'm not the only one ready," she smiled. "Don't waste anytime."

I moved her closer to the opposite wall placing her palms flat against it. "I'm always ready for you," I growled as I pushed into her throbbing, wet sex.

"Oh, God… Jasper…" she moaned out in pleasure.

I placed my hand on the wall over hers and wrapped my other one around her waist pulling her closer to me. I buried my face in her neck as I began to slowly thrust in and out of her. After all of this time together you would think that for as many times as we had made love we would grow tired. That didn't seem to be happening and we never fully satisfied our need for one another. This was not a bad thing.

"Bella, I can't get enough of you," I whispered in her ear. "I constantly think about being inside of you."

"I'm yours Jasper…always," her need to have me fill her so completely was increasing by the second. "Don't stop…"

I gripped her hips and pushed her closer to the wall as I peered down so that I could watch myself slide in and out of her tight little body. The sight of that alone was enough to make me cum, but not before I satisfied Bella. I slid my left hand up to caress her nipple as my right one slipped down to her clit. She shuddered as soon as my fingers began massaging her, and I could feel her climax beginning to build which in turn threw me right over that proverbial edge.

"Jasper…" she moaned out my name and with that I released deep inside of her.

I turned her around to face me and gently kissed her lips. "Is that what you wanted?" I asked.

"Always," she smiled. She quickly rinsed the remaining soap off of her body and kissed me sweetly on my cheek. "I'll let you shower in peace now," she smiled and if that wasn't enough to get me going again. I reached for her, "No, no, Professor Whitlock, you'll be late for that meeting." She quickly hopped out of the shower.

"Tease," I laughed, but only because I knew that there were only fifteen hours to go before we could do it all again.

I quickly showered, dressed and went down to the kitchen where I found my best friend eating his pancakes. His eyes lit up as soon as I walked in.

"I knew it would be you," he smiled.

"And how did you know that?" I asked.

"I sensed you and then I felt how happy you were," he informed me. "You're always happy to see me." He was too smart.

I scooped him up out of his chair and kissed his head, "That's right, Cullen, I'm always happy to see you." I placed him back down but I dreaded his next question.

"Do you want some pancakes? Grandma made them for me." He put some on his fork and held it out the same way he did at almost every meal. Cullen didn't fully get why he was the only one in the house that ate food, so he constantly felt the need to share with all of us. We tried to explain, but he wouldn't hear of it. I think he liked watching our faces as we choked down the food.

I sighed but he had the same power over me that his mother did; I simply couldn't say no. I opened my mouth and he shoved the fork in. I graciously swallowed them. I was actually getting used to sampling his food and although everything tasted like dirt I was learning to tolerate it.

Bella giggled, "How was that, daddy?"

"Same as yesterday, mommy," I rolled my eyes at her. Bella always seemed to get out of eating Cullen's food.

"Uncle Emmett ate some with me too," he said. "He said they tasted like poop."

"Lovely," I'd have to talk to Emmett about proper language around Cullen.

Carlisle and Esme walked into the kitchen and Cullen jumped off of his stool and right into Carlisle's waiting arms. "Good morning, Dr. Cullen," he smiled. Lately he had taken to referring to Carlisle in the formal sense.

"How are you Cullen?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Do you know how many bones there are in the human body?" he asked.

"I do, but why don't you tell me?" They played this medical trivia game about twenty times a day and Cullen always knew the answer. Carlisle radiated with pride every time.

Cullen rolled his eyes, "That's an easy one, two hundred and six. Duh!"

We all laughed at him and he sucked that right up. He loved to entertain us.

"Good job," Carlisle kissed him and put him back on the stool. "We'll work on something harder tonight."

"Cool," he said. "Can we learn about blood?"

"See, he is one of us," Esme said. "Now eat those pancakes before they get cold."

"Blood it is," Carlisle assured him.

"Carlisle," Bella said. "Have you heard from Aro yet?" I knew the impending homecoming of Alice and Edward was weighing heavily on Bella as it was on all of us, but as the three year anniversary of their departure approached there was still no word on when they would return.

"Not yet, sweetie, but I'm sure we will know soon," he told her. I felt a bit of doubt coming from him, but before I could intervene Cullen chimed in.

"Dr. Cullen isn't sure," he said as he finished his last bite. His empathic abilities were second nature now and he never had any problems determining who was feeling what.

"Thanks for that astute observation, Cullen." Carlisle patted his head. "I see the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." He smiled at me.

"Do you think there will be a problem?" I asked.

"Carlisle, no," Esme said and I felt her worry crash into me. "They promised."

"Esme, don't worry about anything. If I don't hear from Aro soon I will go to Italy myself and negotiate their return, but we all have to remember that Edward and Alice seem to like their new lives and I don't think that they consider what they are doing a hardship." He was trying to reassure Bella and Esme, I felt that.

"Still," Esme said. "I want them home." She cleared Cullen's plate and took his hand. "Let's go get all of that syrup off of you, Mr. Sticky."

Cullen laughed, "Mr. Sticky? Oh, I get it."

"Bye, Cullen, I'll see you tonight." I bent down and kissed him goodbye.

"Bye, professor," he smiled and I felt how amused he was at himself.

Bella smiled at him and told him that she would be up in a few minutes to help him get dressed. She looked at Carlisle for more assurance.

"Bella," he took her hand. "I will get them home."

"I just want us all to be together as a family. Three years was such a long time especially with Cullen advancing so quickly. I feel like they have been cheated out of those years."

"Bella," I said. "Carlisle is right, while we have been here living our lives something good has happened for Alice and Edward. They found lives with Felix and Claudia. They are not alone and the work they are doing doesn't seem to be bothering them."

"So what," she demanded. 'We're just supposed to leave them there? Forget that they are part of this family?" She was frustrated.

"Of course not, Bella," Carlisle said. "That will never happen. I have faith that they will come back to us. It hasn't even been the full three years and the Volturi can be very stubborn when it comes to following the rules that they institute. Try not to worry about it."

"I trust you Carlisle," she kissed his cheek. "You're both going to be late for work."

"You're right, I'll see you both tonight," and with that he was gone.

"You're still worried," I said.

"Stop being an empath," she smiled. "I'm fine."

"You're lying and I can no sooner stop being an empath as I could stop being a vampire."

"I want them home, Jasper." She placed her head on my shoulder. "All of them."

I sent her a calming vibe as I kissed her head. "I'll make it happen Bella," I promised her. "One way or another."

"They sacrificed so much for us and it isn't fair if they have to stay any longer than they have to." I felt her despair and guilt.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I pulled her closer to me. "They wanted to go in my place so that we could stay together. It will work out Bella, I promise."

*******

My day was progressing rather quickly. I had attended the faculty meeting, and taught two filled- to- capacity lecture halls; my classes were quite popular these days and always filled during the pre-registration process. I heard around campus that my classes seemed to have a calming affect on the students; I couldn't argue. I put up with Emmett through my lunch break and finally had a few minutes to myself before my next class started.

I graded papers as I thought about taking Bella and Cullen to the island over the winter break. We had gone over the summer and we had such a great time that I thought by December they would be ready to go back. I even thought it might be nice if the entire family joined us including Edward, Claudia, Alice and Felix. They just had to be home by then, but I didn't have a very good feeling about this whole situation. It all seemed too easy to me. The fact that Aro accepted Edward and Alice in my place was all a little convenient, but at the time I wanted nothing more than to stay with Bella and Cullen so I didn't question it. But now as the three year deadline approached I just didn't see their release going as smoothly as we had all anticipated.

Alice had visions of her and Felix returning, but she had no idea when that would be. Felix promised to leave the guard and follow Alice, but Alice seemed content with her life in Italy and if Felix was happy with his job I didn't believe that Alice would push him to leave. Edward had fallen in love with Claudia almost from the beginning of his arrival in Italy, and the few times that I had seen them over the years, their love seemed to be growing. They were happy and I didn't know if bringing him back to Bella was such a good idea. He still loved her and always would. I had accepted that fact long ago, but I didn't think that Claudia would be able to deal with all of his unresolved issues. Putting Bella in Edward's direct path might not be such a great idea for any of us.

I felt guilty for having these thoughts especially since Bella so desperately wanted them home, but something wasn't sitting well with me, and I couldn't help but think if we changed things, we would be setting something in motion that we would never be able to come back from. It was just a feeling, but a strong one none the less. And if there was one thing I was extremely good at, it was feelings.

My phone began to vibrate effectively pulling me from my unsubstantiated thoughts. I glanced down at the display screen; well, if that wasn't a sign… he never called me during the school day.

"Hello, Edward," I said.

"Jasper," before he could finish I cut him off.

"I was going to call you today. It seems as though your nephew would like piano lessons and he only wants to take them from you."

"That's great, but you have to listen to me." I felt the panic in his voice and focused on what else he was feeling. It was harder for me to use my power over the phone, but it could be done. He was throwing off some serious negative vibes. The news couldn't be good.

"Is something wrong with Alice?" I asked. "Or, has Aro denied your request to come home?"

"Alice is fine, Jasper," he took a calming breath. "But, you need to come to Italy immediately. We seem to have a situation."

And so it began…those baseless feelings I had a moment ago just became a reality.

***And here we go (much earlier than I expected to post)! I hope it was everything you were expecting. This one is going to be a bit more involved because I had to come up with something to top the paternity issue (No pressure here…bites nails!). I seem to get a little more intricate with each installment. I hope you don't mind.

***Well? What did you think? Should I keep going?

***Chapter two is almost ready but please follow me on my blog for updates and teasers. Cullen818 dot blogspot dot com The link is on my profile page.