"I'm so glad this is over," Esme whispered into Carlisle's ear. He didn't know if she meant the whole ordeal with the Volturi or the recent sexual activities they had engaged in. He rolled over, facing away from her to hide his bitterness.

"Me too," He contemplated the past few nights, few nights that should have been passionate, but were more acerbic. Was it him? Was he not showing Esme enough love, devotion? He closed his eyes tight, trying to fight back the desire he had built up in him since more than a month ago.

He had been relieved when the Volturi had gone, and left the Cullen's and Renesmee alone. Partly because he could satiate the burning desire he had for Esme. But she thought otherwise. She was making things difficult, fighting him; she even bit him on the shoulder, leaving a crescent shaped scar.

"How do you think Caius is?" she said, almost worriedly.

"What?" he asked, bitterness seeping from his voice against his will.

"I said how do you think Caius is, is he all right?"

"I'm sure," he said confused, wondering why she was worried at all about him. He rolled off of the bed, and reached for a pair of pants.

"What do you think happened to his wife?" he turned around to face her.

"Love, I know you have high regards for all people, but some are too vile to be cared for,"

"Do you think their wives are that guilty?"

"I do not know, but I wouldn't put it past the Volturi to wed those equally vicious as themselves," he said, now pulling on a button up shirt.

"Do you think opposites attract?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean good and evil, yin and yang, I think opposites are meant to attract,"

"Esme," he said, finding a pair of shoes in their massive closet. "We've been together for about 100 years, and you've never said anything once about good and evil. What's causing these thoughts?"

"Nothing," she said, getting out of bed and getting dressed. She looked thoroughly happy with herself, while Carlisle looked miserable. He walked from their suite, and down the stairs. His shirt wasn't tucked in, and his hair looked disheveled, but it was black out, and only Alice and Jasper were downstairs.

"Carlisle!" Alice said happily from her perch on Jaspers lap.

"Good evening, Alice," he said, smiling.

"What's up? You look upset,"

"It's nothing, but I think I'm going to go for a walk," he said.

"Alright, we'll see you later Carlisle!"

"Yeah, see you," Jasper said.

"Goodbye," he said, opening the front door, and flying down the steps. He raced to the edge of the forest, and vanished in the trees. He ran so fast he skimmed over the small river, and barely touched his feet to the cold snowy ground. He rushed past Edward and Bella's house, and all the way up to the boundary between La Push and Forks. He made a dead stop at the border, and stared warily into the night.

"Need something?" he heard someone say.

"No, Leah, I'm just… running,"

"Good, well you can run on your side," she said, almost as if it hurt her to be mean.

"Well, I am," he chuckled. "What are you doing up this late Leah?"

"Jake wanted me to check who was coming,"

"Seems reasonable, but have no worries, I come in peace," he joked, looking at the night sky, covered in black clouds.

"You're a good guy, Carlisle," she said after a moment of silence.

"Thank you Leah, I believe you have made my day, or night, I guess." He smiled. He could see her fight a smile.

"Well, I'm going to head back," she said. She awkwardly waved goodbye to him, and in less than a second, she phased into her wolf form, and sprinted back into the woods.

"Goodnight Leah," he said, saddened at her quick departure. He sighed and leaned up against a tree. He slid down to the ground, forgetting the time, and the place, and the condition. If possible, he would have been asleep. He sat there quiet, eyes shut tight, with elbows resting on his knees. He heard snow fall from a near by tree, and was snapped back to reality. He looked to the sky, which was beginning to turn a lighter shade of midnight. He turned to run back to the house. He anxiously sprinted back home, coming in through the back door, where now, Rosalie and Emmett joined Alice and Jasper.

"Hey Carlisle," Emmett said, engrossed in a TV show.

"How was your walk?" Alice said, "You're covered in snow,"

"I am? I hardly noticed it was snowing," he shook, and all the snow fell off of him. "Have you seen Esme?"

"She's upstairs, said she was writing a letter," Rosalie said, lying on Emmett's lap. "She was acting a little unusual,"

"Oh, thank you," he said, quickly rushing towards the stairs, and gliding up them, in less than a few seconds. He knocked on their door, "Esme?"

"Yes?"

"Uh, can I come in?"

"Of course," she said, flitting to the door and opening it, smiling. "How are you, my husband?"

"Very well," he said, darting to her level and giving her a swift kiss. "And you?"

"Good, as well, the sun will come up soon, you should probably get dressed," she said turning around, and quickly sealing an envelope. He felt the need to press her on the matter of the letter, but sighed, knowing that his clothes were soaked, and in bad need of attendance.

"Esme? There is a letter here for you," Edward said, passing her a rather plain looking envelope. He stared at her for a second, giving her a puzzling look.

"Nothing to worry about my son," she said, rather hastily, darting up the stairs to the room her and Carlisle shared.

"What's wrong Edward?" Bella asked him, noticing his confused look.

"It's a letter from the Volturi, I think," he said, speaking lowly to only Bella.

"What? Why Esme? Shouldn't they be talking to Carlisle, if they need to talk at all?"

"I'm not sure, I can't understand Esme's thoughts, and they seem so…"

"So what?"

"Unclear, crazy, jumbled, I start to hear one thing then she skips to something else, I don't even know what she was thinking about the Volturi…," he said, starting to become concerned.

"Wow," Bella said, "I think they've both gone off the deep end. Carlisle's been miserable, she's been so sketchy. I wonder what's been going on,"

"I don't know, I haven't really picked up on Carlisle's thoughts, but I have seen him, rather despondent,"

"Use Bella level words," she said. He laughed.

"He seems like he's lost his best friend" he said.

"Grandma?"

"Yes, little Renesmee?"

"I don't like my curtains, Momma said to ask you for help,"

"What's wrong with your curtains love?"

"They're blue, I don't like blue,"

"Well what color would you like them?" Esme asked, as she hoisted Renesmee on her lap. The little girl thought for a second.

"I want…" she gave up trying to talk, and rested her hand on Esme's cheek.

"Ooh!" Esme said, after seeing the images the little girl sent to her, "It looks like you want the rainbow!"

"Rainbow?"

"A rainbow is something very beautiful that comes in the sky after it rains, it's made of all the colors, red and orange, yellow, and green, blue and purple,"

"I want a rainbow for my curtains!" she said excitedly.

"I will make them for you myself,"

"Thank you Grandma!" she said, hugging Esme, and then jumping off her lap and running back to the living room. "I feel so old being called a grandma," she said to herself.

"Well, you're not exactly a teenager," Edward called to her from the living room.

"Oh Edward," she said, embarrassed.

"We love you Esme!" Bella called, with Renesmee's hand on her own cheek.

"Thank you and you're welcome Renesmee!" she said, smiling on the inside.

"To tell you the truth Edward, I'm confused. One minute she'll be her normal self, the next, someone I don't know, and truly don't like, and it's hard to find someone I honestly dislike,"

"The Volturi,"

"Yes well, hardly anyone likes the Volturi,"

"She's been thinking about the Volturi more frequently. More specifically Caius, every now and then, she'll be completely focused on something, and then she'll suddenly think about Caius,"

"I wish I knew what was going on," Carlisle moaned desperately.

"Carlisle, I'll try to help the best I can, you have to see that everyone is concerned. Even Renesmee wonders what's wrong with Grandpa. We're all here to help,"

"Yes, I am very thankful for that. My family is something I'll always have," he said shakily.

"Let's start from the top, what happened this morning that caused this recent incident?" His question was answered as soon as the thought came to Carlisle's mind. Edward sighed.

Esme was in their room, working on Renesmee's rainbow curtains, while everyone was away. Carlisle at work, Renesmee, Jacob, Bella and Edward visiting Charlie, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper and Emmett were hunting up north, and she had the whole house to herself. She was humming, working at the sewing machine. Carlisle had come home early, for no reason in particular, and came upstairs, as usual. He walked in, and Esme didn't look up, or even acknowledge that he was there.

"Esme?" She continued to ignore him, busy at work. He walked over and touched her on the shoulder. She hissed at him, turning around in a flash, knocking over the chair she had been sitting in, and defensively crouching.

"Esme! It's me!" he said alarmed. Her stance hadn't softened.

"Why are you here!?" She screeched.

"I came home early, please settle down," he said.

"You've got to ruin everything! You have to come home thinking you own this place, like you deserve to be here! Well stop! Everyone has a right you know! You get to leave and go to work everyday while Esme gets to stay home and make sure the house is clean! You're lucky I'm busy! Because I would have you in pieces on the floor if I wasn't afraid you'd get all over the curtains! Now be gone!" she shouted.

"Esme! Please…"

"Go!" She shrieked, now picking things up and throwing them at him, with force.

"Esme!" he said, frantically dodging things. She hissed and launched herself at him; he was knocked backwards into the door, cracking it in half. She scratched at him furiously. "Esme! Stop!"

Just then, there was a ding, a small bell.

"Ooh! Cookies are done! Renesmee loves cookies," she said, prying her self off his body, where his now shredded clothes hung.

Carlisle cradled his face in his hands.

"Edward, I don't know what happened. I touched her shoulder! I didn't do anything…"

"I can hardly believe she would do something like this," Edward said, looking at the floor.

"What am I going to do?"

"I would try talking to her, maybe while there some of us around, she seems to only act like this when you are alone. No one would believe it except for the broken windows and doors," Carlisle ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's like she was bi-polar, or had multiple-personalities. But Vampires do not get human diseases and syndromes; she's got to be acting off her own accord," he said hopelessly.

"Maybe something rubbed her wrong from the day the Volturi came, I mean, its only been a month, she could still be shaken,"

"What were you saying, about her thinking about Caius?" Carlisle asked.

"She thinks about him a lot, he pops in her thoughts throughout the day,"

"Why… why Caius, of all people to have on the mind, why him?"

"I don't know, we'll have to find out,"

"Esme, is there something you want to talk about?"

"I don't think so, why, is there something wrong Edward?"

"Uh no, it's just that, Carlisle's really concerned, we're all concerned really, about you,"

"But why would anyone be concerned?"

"Um, well, you've been acting oddly,"

"How so?"

"Well, you broke one of Carlisle's arms…"

"Ha, no, I don't have it in me to break any ones bones; I'll leave that to Jasper and Emmett,"

"And you tried to stab him with a kitchen knife,"

"I could never do that, even if I wanted to,"

"I have it right here," he said, pulling a mangled piece of metal from his pocket.

"Is this a joke? You guys are so funny, going out of your way to try and make me laugh," she said, merrily.

"Esme, we didn't push Carlisle out of your window, and we didn't destroy your bed frame, and we didn't take a knife to his wardrobe, and we–,"

"Edward, I don't see what you're getting at!"

"Esme there's something wrong, and I would really love to just help you, but you've got to tell me why you're so mad at Carlisle all the time,"

"I'm never mad at Carlisle, why would I be mad at him!"

"Esme, I know you've been a little, upset, over something, and I'd just like to help,"

"Edward, this is enough," she said with finality. He sighed and walked away. He walked out the backdoor, and a little ways into the woods, where Carlisle was waiting, standing towards the river with his hands in his pockets.

"Carlisle, she denied all of it,"

"I told you, when she's herself she acts like she doesn't know what you're talking about, and then she gets angry when you press the subject,"

"Let's go for a walk," Edward said, setting off at top speed. Carlisle followed. The two ran North and then East, each lost in there own thoughts. They stopped at a clearing, somewhere hundreds of miles away from home.

"Edward, I appreciate you helping me, I don't know what I'm going to do,"

"I'm sure you can solve this on your own, I just want to help," he said, smirking.

A phone rang.

Carlisle dug his phone from his pocket and clicked talk.

"Alice? What's wrong? Is it the Volturi? …We'll be home…alright,"

"Someone's coming,"

"Yeah that's what Alice said,"

"No, there's someone coming…" Edward said facing the East. Carlisle listened closely, as he heard the sound of wind rushing, and an occasional twig snapping.

"Alice said they would show up in a clearing…" Carlisle said.

"Well here's a clearing, get ready," They both stood, braced for danger, waiting as sounds of the crunching underbrush got closer and closer. Almost unexpectedly, someone rushed past them. Half a second went by and they could no longer hear the snapping coming, it was going. Edward and Carlisle looked at each other for a second, and then ran after them. It wasn't long before they caught up, who ever it was wasn't running that fast.

"Hey! Excuse me!" Edward shouted as they sped behind the person. They looked around, almost blindingly unaware that two people were right behind them. The person went wide-eyed, and ran faster, almost losing Carlisle and Edward. They chased the person almost all the way home. Suddenly the person stopped running, letting the two run past. They realized the person wasn't in front of them and ran back to where they stood.

"What do you want? You obviously don't want to kill me, so can I please, run in peace?" the woman said. She was tall, toned, and her hair was dark brown, and it obviously was curly. Odd ringlets poked out from behind her ponytail. She was voluptuous , and also wearing nothing. There seemed to be bite marks all over her left shoulder. Aside from her being unclothed, she was a fairly normal vampire-looking woman, except her eyes were a deep shade of gold.

"We," he paused, "we want to talk, I'm Carlisle, and this is Edward,"

"Nice to meet you," she said sarcastically, "But I really must be going," she said, taking a step, ready to run.

"Wait! Wait, why would you think that we don't want to kill you?" Edward said.

"Oh you do want to kill me? Great, see ya!" She said, darting off. They ran back after her, speeding up and jumping in the way of her running.

"No, I meant, why would there be a reason for wanting to kill you," She eyed them, suspiciously at first. She met Carlisle's eyes and gasped. His eyes were on the verge of blackness, but she could still see hints of gold.

"You…"

"Yes?"

"Your eyes," she said, almost in a whisper. "They're gold,"

"So are yours, as I can see,"

"You're not going to try and kill me right?" she said, quickly glancing at Edwards eyes too.

"Wouldn't cross our minds,"

"She's being tracked," Edward said to Carlisle.

"Tracked? Is that what it's called? I always referred to it as 'murderous rampage'" she said.

"Why are you being tracked?" Carlisle asked, not unkindly.

"It's because she feeds off of animals, like us,"

"Well that's not the whole story… and how do you know anyway… are you in on it to? Sneaky little…" she flew off running in a random direction.

They both chased after her again, this time not bothering with getting in front of her, but both tackling her to the ground. She quickly slipped out of their grasp, and rolled to stand up. She got in a low crouch, ready to fight.

"Listen, we don't want to hurt you,"

"That was never our intention,"

"Then what do you want!" she growled, ready for them to strike.

"We just want to talk,"

"Then talk,"

"Well, why exactly are you being tracked?"

"How does he know everything?" she asked, warily.

"Edward has a special gift, he can read the thoughts of others," She stared at him.

"No, I don't think that Elvis is still alive," he said, trying not to sound arrogant after reading her thoughts.

"That is beyond creepy, you're friends with him? How do you deal…?"

"You get used to it, but can you tell us why you're being tracked? We might be able to help you," Carlisle said.

"Um, well, I drained this wolf… and I guess it was someone's pet,"

"Not a werewolf," Edward said to Carlisle.

"Werewolves? Those guys are amazing! I've never got to talk to one… the only one I've met tried to kill me,"

"They are pretty, complex, anyway, you are being tracked because you fed off of someone's pet?"

"Yeah, how was I supposed to know that a wolf wandering alone on the woods was somebody's pooch, it didn't have a collar,"

"How many people are following you?"

"About three, there was just the one at first, me and him fought, but then he got his buddies, and now they're all coming after me, and I can't attack three at the same time, odds aren't in my favor,"

"There must be some ulterior motive behind them wanting you tracked. When did you last see them?"

"Way back in Montana or some other state with wide expanses of emptiness,"

"You should have gone through the southern states with more population. Big open spaces aren't good for hiding,"

"Yeah, but these guys are stupid… I left my scent on a bunch of wandering deer,"

"How'd you do that?"

"My clothes,"

"Oh," Carlisle and Edward both said in unison.

"So where were you living before they started tracking you?"

"I don't know, I just kinda drifted, I hail from New York, so I mainly lived in the New England area, but now…"

"What's your name?"

"Oh yeah, I'm Shelby,"

"Well, Shelby, me and Carlisle, and my whole family would gladly welcome you into our home," She stared at Edward, and then shifted her eyes to Carlisle.

"You, and your whole family, feed off of animals,"

"Precisely," Carlisle said.

"And you've got a family? Like how big?"

"Well, there are 9 of us, 10 if you count Jacob,"

"Who's Jacob?"

"He's a very dear friend of the family that I think you would be fascinated to meet. Now including Edward, we have an active militia, eager to eliminate any threats upon themselves, family or friends,"

"How Emmett likes to fight…"

'Indeed,"

"So, you're inviting me, in your family…"

"Yes,"

"You're very generous to strangers,"

"Strangers are people too," Edward said.

"Then I'm in,"

"Good, I think they'll be excited to meet you, but here, why don't you take this," Carlisle said, swiftly unbuttoning his long sleeve shirt.

"I can't take your stuff," she said.

"Please, it's the least I can do," he said, handing her his shirt.

"Thanks," she said, shrugging it on her shoulders and buttoning it up. It came to a little below her thighs.

"Shall we?"