Chapter 1
I Need a Vacation
"Get packed, we're going on vacation!" I'd never seen Edward so excited to get out of the house. It was true; after all the drama that had happened over the past few weeks, we needed some time away, a little R&R. Of course it wouldn't just be us going on vacation, the whole family was going. Carlisle, Emse, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and, yes, Emmett. Ahh, Emmett. I'd never had brothers before, but if I did, I wouldn't want them to be like him. Don't get me wrong, I love Emmett. It's just that he can be a real dingus at times.
We were going to a secluded island in the tropics. Sun, beautiful beaches, sand as far as the eye can see. Oh, and did I mention the ocean. Yeah, that would mean me having to get into a bikini. I had a feeling I wasn't going to enjoy this. But I packed it, nonetheless.
We got into the car and drove…well; I wasn't quite sure where we were going. If we were going to the ocean, shouldn't we be heading towards the airport? But we weren't; we were heading down a long dirt road. But I trusted Carlisle knew where we were going. Plus, if we were going the wrong way, Esme would have said something to him.
We drove for what seemed like miles until we finally came to little lake. In this lake, there was a pier that jutted out about 15 feet into the lake. And next to the pier, was a sea plane.
"Hello, Bobby!" exclaimed Carlisle. "Is the plane all gassed up and ready to go?"
"Yes, it is, sir. Your plane is all ready for you," said Bobby with a grin.
YOUR plane. I didn't know Carlisle had his own private plane! Edward could see the look of surprise on my face. He smiled at me and gave my hand a little squeeze. We boarded the plane and within minutes we were up in the air, headed for a few days of relaxation and fun in the sun.
Chapter 2A
(Bella)
I Want to Crawl Under a Rock
We touched down on the island several hours later. Although it felt like it should be later in the evening, the sun was still shining and it was a balmy ninety degrees. I checked my watch; 11 a.m. What time had we left? Oh, well, didn't matter. We were here and now it was time to relax.
We gathered up our bags and put them in our respective rooms. Alice decided it would be a good idea for all of us to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. They all agreed; except me. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to ruin everyone else's good time. They all got changed and headed outside. I told them I had to put my hair up and that I'd be out in a few.
I put on my bikini and looked at myself in the mirror. Even though I was a vampire, I still didn't like what I saw. I'd always been self-conscious about my body. I just didn't feel comfortable parading myself around in a bikini for everyone else to see. I especially didn't want Emmett to see me. I'd never hear the end of it. But I had to go out sometime. I heaved a sigh, put on my bathrobe and went outside.
I stood at the door, frozen in fear. It's funny. I wasn't afraid of vampires or wolves, but I was terrified of going outside in a bikini. From where I was standing, I could see Rosalie in her bikini and more than perfect body, lying out on a beach chair with her big sunglasses, "tanning." Carlisle and Esme were reading under the shade of an umbrella. Alice and Jasper were content to walk along the beach, holding hands and quietly talking to each other. And Edward and Emmett were in the ocean, just standing there in all of their manly glory.
I heard Edward call for Jasper, and he quickly gave Alice a kiss on the cheek and went to join them in the water. Alice saw me headed towards them and ran over to me. She looked at me like I was wearing a snake on my head.
"Bella," she said, "it's okay. It's just us here. You can take off your robe."
I didn't move to remove it, and when Alice saw my hesitation, she gently took it from my hands and took it off for me. I was suddenly aware of everyone staring at me, especially the guys. I looked over at the boys standing in the water and saw that Emmett had a mischievous look on his face. I knew nothing good could come of this.
He made a quick glance at Edward and called out to me, "Bella!" Suddenly, Emmett came running towards me. The next thing I knew, he took me in his arms and gave me a big bear hug. He spun me around and set me back on my feet, his arms still around me.
I couldn't tell what was happening or even the look that was on Edward's face, because he had my back to him. One minute, I was in Emmett's arms, and the next he was ripped from me. I looked to my left and there were Emmett and Edward. Edward was on top of Emmett just wailing on him. I looked over at Carlisle and Esme, and they were just shaking their heads and laughing, along with Alice and Jasper, and I heard Rosalie just mutter, "Boys." Emmett was just cracking up, and I had no idea why.
"You should have seen the look on your face!" he said around a laugh. "I was only kidding, dude! No need to go all vampire on me!"
I saw Edward's face lighten up. He smiled and let Emmett up. Emmett held out his hand and they gave each other that manly hug. You know, the one where they take each others hands and then pull each other in and take their free hand and give the one armed hug. It was nice to see that Edward got along with his brothers, especially Emmett.
They let each other go and Edward came over to me and put his arm around me. This was going to be a wonderful vacation.
Chapter 2B
(Edward)
After many long hours on the plane, we finally landed on the island. The weather was beautiful, as always, and I couldn't wait to get our vacation started. It was already 11 a.m. and I wanted to get our stuff put away so I could get outside and just relax.
Since it was so beautiful outside, we decided that we should go swimming. So we put our suitcases in our bedrooms and changed into our bathing suits. I asked Bella if she was going to join us and she said yes, that she'd be out in a few. I headed outside and straight for the crystal clear blue ocean. Emmett joined me and we just stood there, water up to our knees, and just talked.
"So do you think Bella's actually gonna show?" he asked me.
"I think so. She's wanted to go on vacation."
"Twenty bucks says she doesn't."
I looked at him and thought about it and took him up on his offer. "Ok," I said. "Twenty bucks" and we shook on it.
"Man, this is gonna be the easiest forty bucks I've ever made," Emmett smiled to himself.
At first, I thought he was going to win. Bella had been inside for a long time. I was just about to go inside to ask if she was alright, when I saw her walking towards the beach in her bathrobe. I smiled to myself, looked at Emmett and said, "Easiest forty bucks I've ever made." He just scowled at me and I laughed. I called Jasper over to us to tell him the good news and he gave Alice a quick kiss on the cheek and ran over to us.
Alice saw Bella and ran over to her. She seemed apprehensive about taking off her bath robe. I heard Alice say to her, "Bella, it's okay. It's just us. You can take off your robe." I could tell she didn't want to, but Alice gently took it off for her. When she removed it, she revealed a cherry red bikini. She looked absolutely beautiful. I heard what Emmett was thinking. He was doing it on purpose; he knew how to push my buttons.
*Dude, your wife is hot! She's lookin' good in that bikini there. I think I'll go over and say hello.*
He just looked at me with a sly look on his face. I gave him a look that said "don't even think about it."
"Bella!" he called out, then ran up to her. He picked her up in his arms, spun her around, and gave her a big hug. He had her so her back was facing me. He was still hugging her and he looked up over at me with that sly look.
*This feels nice, bro. I might never let go. I like this.*
That was the last straw. I ran up to him as fast as I could and ripped him from Bella's arms and tackled him to the sand. I began to just wail on him. He was cracking up. Why is he laughing? This isn't funny! This is my wife we're talking about here! No one, and I mean no one, talks about my wife that way.
I heard him say around a laugh, "You should have seen the look on your face! I was only kidding, dude! No need to go all vampire on me!"
I suddenly realized that I had over reacted and let him up. He held out his hand and we gave each other a hug. I went over to Bella and put my arm around her. This was going to be one hell of a vacation.
Chapter 3
There Are Others Out There
We played hard outside in the sun. So far, this was turning out to be a wonderful time. It was a beautiful night, so we all headed outside, built a bonfire, and sat around it, just talking. Bella seemed to be having a good time, despite the fiasco that happened this morning. She was laughing and joking with the best of them. It was nice to see her smile. When she's happy, I'm happy.
It was getting later and later. All was quiet, when out in the distance, we heard wolves howl. We all froze where we were and looked at each other. We didn't know that wolves could survive on this island. We thought nothing of it and continued talking late into the night.
We were just about to go inside, when I heard a voice that was none of the family's. They couldn't hear it, of course; only I could. I knew that there was something odd about this, but I just couldn't think of what. We headed back inside the house and went to do our own things.
The next day I was outside by myself, just wanting solitude from my wearisome family and all their banter. I heard them again; they were somewhere behind me. They were trying to sneak up on me; that wasn't going to work. Before they could "surprise" me, I asked them, "What do you want?" They were shocked that I could hear them and they could understand me. They told me that they came in peace and were curious as to whom these visitors were. The rest of the family must have finally smelled them; they came running out of the house. I felt Bella throw out her shield to protect us. They stopped short and just stood there, staring.
"It's okay," I calmly told them. "They mean no harm." I felt Bella slowly and cautiously remove her shield. Suddenly, something that no one expected, they transformed into humans. But not just any humans; they were Native American. I could feel the family tense up again. Jasper was trying to control the mood of everyone there.
Finally, one of them spoke. "Hello, we mean no harm. We come in peace. We were simply curious as to who you were. We've never had visitors like you before. My name is George and this is my brother, John."
Emmett didn't like this at all. Thinking he was being funny he asked, "Hey, George and John, where are Ringo and Paul?" He just laughed, looked at Jasper, and they high-fived each other.
He was being rude and I didn't like his tone. I just glared at him out of the corner of my eye and said, "Emmett, shut up."
"Come on. You've got to admit it was kinda funny."
"No, it's really not."
Carlisle looked at him and said, "Emmett. Shut it."
Emmett took Carlisle's advice and was quiet. He looked sorry for what he did. Carlisle welcomed them to sit down and they did.
George looked at Carlisle and said, "We know what you are. We can tell by your scent." The whole family seemed to tense. "But we won't tell. You can trust us."
Somehow, we all knew that we could. We eased up and let the conversation flow. Esme offered them something to eat and drink and they willingly accepted. After they had eaten, Carlisle asked them where they come from.
"We are from the La Push tribe. Perhaps you have heard of them."
We were shocked. Carlisle said, "Yes, we've heard of them. As a matter of fact, we know them personally. That's odd because we've never seen you there before."
They both got sad looks on their faces. John said, "That is because we were shunned by our pack and exiled to this island."
"Why?" Esme asked.
George heaved a sigh and said, "For murder."
Chapter 4
Web of Lies
"Murder?" gasped Rosalie. I could feel the family tense once again. Before we judged them, Carlisle decided that we should hear their story first. It was George who spoke.
"Many years ago, we lived in La Push as a part of our tribe. As you know, once the men in our tribe reach a certain age, they begin a transformation. Not only from being a boy to becoming a man, but also a physical transformation of the body. My brother and I were once respected Elders in our tribe; this was back when Ephraim Black was the leader of our tribe. Between the three of us, we ruled with a firm but loving hand. We made sure that whatever disputes or arguments arose within the family, that justice was done.
"For the most part, we lived in peace and were loved by many in our tribe. There were, however, some that did not like us. There were five rogue youths in our tribe that did not like to abide by the laws of the tribe and way of the wolves. The number one law was that we do not harm humans. They had a fight with some of the other wolves in the pack and they were found guilty. They did not like this; they did not like this at all. Well, one night, they decided to get even.
"All was well the morning that we awoke. Suddenly, these five rogue youths came running out of the woods. They were yelling and pointing at us saying, 'They did it! They did it!' We quieted them down and asked what happened. They said they went for a walk in the woods that morning and found five humans dead on our land. They said they found scraps of clothing with blood on them; and the clothes belonged to us.
"Remember, I said that we made sure justice was done in our tribe. So it surprised me when they did not conduct a full investigation. Needless to say, Ephraim Black was very upset with us. Despite us being as close as blood brothers, he did not believe that it was not us. He removed us from the tribe and exiled us to this island, and we have lived here ever since."
The mood of the group suddenly changed from fear, to sadness, to curiosity. "But was it you that did it?" asked Carlisle. George looked contemplative, as if he was thinking of how to frame his answer.
"You would think so, wouldn't you? After all the 'evidence' they found? But no, it was not us. Ephraim Black could have testified as to where we were. At the time the murder happened, we were with him, having a meeting. It was the five rouges that did it."
This saddened and angered me. How could they do something like this to one of their own? I mean, killing innocent humans is one thing, but not believing your own brethren?
"How could they do such a thing to you?" Esme asked.
"I don't know," replied John. "We've been asking that question for years. We thought Ephraim Black was our friend and brother. But he had changed, somehow, over the previous weeks."
"I knew those wolves were no good," Rosalie scowled.
"Now, Rosalie, we can't judge the entire tribe," Carlisle reminded her. After all, these things happened before many of them were born; before Jacob was even born. But something must be done. There must be something we can do for you to help you get back to your family."
"That's very generous of you," replied George. "But we didn't exactly leave on good terms; I don't think we'd be welcomed back."
Before they transformed back, George told me, "If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask and we will be there." They thanked us for the meal and the companionship and trotted off back into the woods.
"That's just so sad," Alice said. "How could they do something like that?"
"Well," sighed Carlisle, "you have to look at it from their perspective. Would you want someone that had committed murder to live amongst you? But the fact that they didn't conduct a full investigation is just bizarre. I would have thought that Ephraim Black would have believed them."
The family turned around silently to walk back to the house. I stood there, staring out into the distance. I sent a message to them telling them that we believed them and that no matter what anyone else says or thinks, we will know different. I heard one of them say "Thank you" and they faded into the darkness.
I felt Bella come up behind me as she slipped her hand into mine. I squeezed it tight and held her close.
I heard her sigh deeply. "I feel bad for them. I wish there were something we could do."
I turned toward her so she was directly in front of me. "You can never tell Jacob about this," I warned her. "It would only start a feud among the pack. Promise me, Bella."
She looked me in the eye and promised. We turned around and headed back, hand in hand, towards the house. What a night.
Chapter 5
Worn Out Welcome
The trip home was silent. No one seemed to be thinking anything. We couldn't stop thinking about George and John. We tried not to be angry at the wolves, since many of them weren't even around when it happened. But it was difficult, nonetheless. It was even harder not to be mad at Jacob because it was his grandfather that sent them away; which isn't fair to him because Jacob wasn't even involved and wasn't born at the time. So we tried to focus on the here and now and remember that the tribe was different now than it was 25 years ago.
We were home for two days when I received a message from Seth telling me to meet him right away. I took off for the woods as fast as I could and found the whole pack, sans Jacob, standing around. When I got closer, I saw that there were two men on their knees with their hands bound behind their backs. Closer still, I saw that these two men were George and John. They were beaten and bloody. I saw Sam standing to the right of them, and behind him were Paul and Embry.
"George? John? What are you doing here?" I asked.
Sam looked puzzled and asked, "How do you know these men?"
"We met them while we were on vacation on the island and these two men just happened to be there at the time. We later discovered who they were and found out they lived there."
"And what? You told them it was okay to come back?"
I growled at him and the pack took a defensive stance. I reigned in my temper and backed off. "No, we said no such thing. Carlisle did offer to bring their story back to you to tell you that we met them but they said no. So why they're here is beyond me."
I felt another presence enter the forest. A gentler one than any other standing here right now. It was Renesme. She stepped out of the trees and said boldly and confidently, "They're here because of me."
We all just stood there, stunned. I didn't know what to say. Should I be angry? Proud?
"They're here because of me. I told Jacob where you were going on vacation and he said he remembered an old story he'd heard about two brothers that had been exiled to that island for committing murder. Then when you came back, I heard you talking about them and I knew it was true. I went out looking for them and told them that it was okay for them to come back because things are different now; but apparently they haven't. Things haven't changed. It's nice to see that this is how you treat two of your brothers, especially when they're innocent."
"That's where you're wrong, little girl," Sam said. "They aren't innocent. There was all the evidence that pointed to them. Evidence don't lie."
"But just how far did you look, Sam? Did you look past that long snout of yours?"
All of the wolves bristled at that and started to growl. "Sam, Renesme, let's just cool it. There's no need to start a fight right now," I said, trying to calm them both down.
"You'd better keep your daughter in line, bloodsucker," Paul snarled.
Seth let out a low guttural growl and I gave him a side glance to tell him to knock it off. I looked Sam in the eye and gently took Renesme by the arm and led us both back to the house.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" I asked as we started heading home.
"Well, no, not exactly," she admitted sheepishly. "I was kind of hoping that I could talk to grandpa Carlisle and see if he would help."
Oh, child, I thought. You would use Carlisle's name to help you in your quest? He would do it, too, she knew this.
"Alright," I sighed. "Let's go see him."
"Of course I'd be willing to help, my dear," Carlisle said. "What would you like for me to do?"
"I need you to go down to the police station and ask to see the evidence from the murder. Do some tests on it and see what you can find. I want to prove these men's innocence."
Carlisle and I drove down to the police station as fast as we could. We pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. We went inside and walked over to the front desk. The guy behind the desks tag read "Officer Tullmore." The man looked up at us and instantly recognized Carlisle.
"Hello, Dr. Cullen," he replied. "What can I do for you?"
"Hello, Ivan. I need you to retrieve something for me. About twenty-five years ago, there was a murder in La Push. I need to see the evidence from that case."
He immediately got up from his seat, walked to the back of the corridor, and over to the filing cabinet marked "Cold Case Files." He searched until he found it. He walked back over to Carlisle and me, leafed through it, and handed it and the bag of evidence to Carlisle.
"It should all be there," he said. "Why do you need it, if you don't mind my asking?"
Carlisle looked up from the file at him and said, without hesitation, "I need to re-run some DNA tests from the evidence. Somehow someone misplaced them and they got lost."
The man didn't ask questions, he just nodded his head. We thanked Officer Tullmore and left for home.
"I'll need DNA samples from both of you," Carlisle explained to George and John. "I'll run some tests and we'll get the closure you've been looking for."
George and John willingly gave Carlisle a DNA sample and he headed down to the hospital. I went with him. My daughter got him involved in this and I sure as hell wasn't going to let him do this on his own.
I made a very good assistant. Whenever Carlisle asked me to get something for him, he told me where it was and I'd fetch it for him; or if he needed me to look something up, I'd look it up. It was getting late into the night and Carlisle was still working.
"This is just so strange," he said as he shook his head and looked at the computer screen. "I've tried everything to come up with some kind of DNA match but cannot find George or John's. There are none on any on these clothes. It's like they've been wiped clean. Whoever did this did a very good job at making sure they wouldn't get caught."
He looked the clothes over again, this time under a microscope. I saw him smile as he scrutinized the evidence.
"Bingo."
He looked up from the microscope and smiled at me. "I finally found something that may not belong to George or John."
He scanned it into the computer and did a search.
Carlisle's and my eyes opened wide and we stood there staring at the screen. Carlisle gasped and breathed, "Oh, wow."
Chapter 6
So the Truth Finally Comes Out
We came home and as soon as we walked in the door, Renesme came running to us.
"Well? What did you find?" she asked.
Carlisle and I both looked at each other. We didn't know how to tell her.
"Well," Carlisle cleared his throat, "we found some rather interesting evidence."
Reneseme and Bella stood there, staring at us. Bella raised her eyebrows and said, "Well?"
Carlisle and I both looked at each other and he said, "We found blood on the evidence that did not belong to George or John. None of their DNA could be found on any of it."
"But wait," Renesme said, "George and John were convicted of killing those humans. The police have the evidence on file."
I smiled at her. "That's where you're wrong. They were only seen as guilty in the eyes of the tribe. However, they never found out who did it, so it became a 'cold case.' The guy working at the police station must be fairly new, because he didn't ask questions when we asked for it. If he'd have been there when it happened, he would have known that there was technically no evidence."
Reneseme ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Not wanting her to forget who the real "hero" was, I went "Ahem," and motioned over to Carlisle. She gave me a look that said she knew and gave him a hug as well.
"Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
She suddenly realized why she did this. "Oh! We have to go tell George and John!"
We ran over to La Push to tell everyone the good news. I told Seth we were coming and he ran out to meet us as soon as we got there.
"So what's this big news you have for us, brotha?" he asked as he smiled.
"Where's Sam?" Carlisle asked.
"He's inside. I'll fetch him." He ran inside the house and, following him and Sam, were Paul, Quil, Embry, Jared, and, yes, even Jacob. Sam approached us with caution. He motioned to Paul and Jared to go get George and John.
"Seth tells me you have some news."
Carlisle stepped forward and said, "Yes. We did our own investigation and found some rather interesting things about this case."
Carlisle went on to explain what he did and how he came upon the conclusion he did. "So, as you can plainly see, George and John are innocent of this crime."
"Wait," Sam replied, "that doesn't necessarily mean anything. They could have wiped the evidence off themselves and planted someone else's blood on that clothing."
"I knew you'd say something like that," Carlisle replied. "That's why I would like to ask John and George to convey their alibis, one at a time, as to where they were at the time of the murder."
George gave his story first. He said that, at the time of the murders, he and his brother, John, were in a meeting with Ephraim Black, Billy Black, and the rest of the tribal council. He also went on to say what they talked about and discussed. They brought John back in and he conveyed the same story.
"And so we still don't have any doubts, I have asked Billy Black to convey his story to tell whether or not George and John were there at the council at the time of the murder so we can know if they are telling the truth or not."
Billy was wheeled out into the midst of us by Jacob. He gave his recollection of that fateful night and told it exactly as George and John had said it was.
Sam and the whole pack just stood there, stunned. George and John had looks of relief on their faces to know that their family, their brothers, finally knew they were innocent.
Sam stepped forward with his head down and said, "My brothers, can you ever forgive us? Can you ever forgive me?"
John stepped toward him and said, "Brother, there is nothing to forgive," and smiled at him.
Sam smiled back and took both of them in a loving embrace. We all just looked at each other and smiled. Sam stepped back from them and looked both of them in them eyes.
"My brothers, we would like to welcome you back into our tribe, into our homeland. Please, stay with us."
George and John both looked at each other. "That is very, very kind of you, Sam," John replied. "But I think we are going to have to decline your offer."
Sam looked surprised and asked, "Why?"
"Well," George said, "we've been away for so long and alone on our island that we've grown accustomed to the quietness and solitude that it brings. We are just so grateful and happy that we are now accepted once again into our family. We hope you can understand."
Sam seemed a little disheartened and sad. But he looked up at them and said, "I can understand. Thank you for being honest with me. But remember, anytime you wish to come home, do not hesitate to do so." Sam smiled at them and they in return.
Chapter 7
The Lone Wolves
Later that night, as George and John prepared to leave, we met them on the shores of the ocean.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" asked Esme.
John smile at her and said, "Yes, we are sure."
Jacob stepped forward and shook both of their hands. You are always welcome on Quileute lands."
They thanked Jacob and he stepped back, putting his arm around Renesme.
They approached Carlisle and our family and thanked us heartily for all we had done to help them. "You're welcome," Carlisle said with a smile.
They approached Renesme and she came forward. "And thank you, young lady, for showing us great kindness and for seeing the truth when others wouldn't." They both kissed her on the cheek and turned to walk away.
They looked back one last time and then disappeared into the forest. We all turned to walk away, back to our normal lives. I took Renesme in my arms and gave her a hug.
"I'm proud of you, you know that?"
She didn't say a word, she just continued hugging her father.
"Hey, dad?"
"What, dear?"
"You wouldn't happen to have any estranged or distant relatives, would you?"
I pulled away a little bit to look down at her. "Don't even think about it."
She pulled me closer and giggled, "Just wondering."
With Renesme on one side and Bella on the other, I put my arms around both of them as we headed back home.