A/N: WARNING: Foul language to the Nth degee... Thanks for reading and reviewing (wink, wink, hint, hint)

PROMISES

She felt physically ill, like she had to throw up. She slapped away the tears blurring her vision.

She had to get to the cottage before he caught up with her, lock herself in her room.

She knew he wouldn't break down the door.

He'd promised her that.

But he'd promised her mother that he'd love her for eternity too.

Edward caught up with her at the front door and grabbed her wrist. "I do love your mother. Forever, always, for all eternity."

Reneesme jerked her arm and Edward released his grip to keep her from dislocating her wrist, elbow, or shoulder.

She gave him a fierce look. "I heard what Emmett said… what he saw you doing!"

Edward glanced away. "Emmett was confused."

Reneesme let out a disgusted sigh and opened the front door. "Mom's right, you are the worst liar ever!"

Edward caught the front door before it slammed shut and followed Reneesme to her room. "Reneesme please, if you'd let me explain—"

She stopped in front of her room and turned to face him. "Explain what?"

She crossed her arms and stuck out her chin, and he couldn't help but grin at how like her mother she looked when she was angry or exasperated.

He touched her arms, wanting her to unfold them so he could hold her hands, but Reneesme pulled away from him.

Edward let his arms drop to his sides.

"I love your mother more than life itself—"

Meaningless! You're dead, undead, you can't die!

Edward frowned at his daughter. This wasn't going to go easy for him. He started again, "I waited a long time for your mother—"

"Then why would you…

Edward heard the echo of Emmett's voice in her mind: You were fucking Alice! I saw it with my own eyes…

"… hurt her like that!"

"I would never do anything to hurt your mother, you have to believe me."

How many times had he told Bella, when she was human, that he didn't want to hurt her?

But he had.

More than once.

James… leaving Forks… his suicide mission to Volterra… calling their baby—their beautiful Reneesme—a monster, begging Carlisle to rip her from Bella's womb…

And now Alice. What had he done? Edward ran his hand through his hair.

He looked Reneesme in the eye. "Emmett was," he glanced away, realized his mistake and forced himself to lock his gaze on Reneesme's again, "just being Emmett. You know how he is."

Her expression was sad. "Is Jasper going to hurt Alice when he finds out?"

That was something he hadn't considered.


The sound of Alice's phone buzzing against the top of the chest of drawers interrupted him before Jasper could ask her why she had pushed him away.

He glanced at the caller ID as he picked it up and held it out to Alice. "It's Edward."

Alice snatched the phone from him and twisted it in her hands until she had obliterated it.

He watched, speechless, as she walked into the dark closet and sat down, burying her face against her knees.

He felt her agony shredding his insides and was crouching down beside her in an instant.

"Alice?"

She nearly knocked him off balance when she flung her arms around him. He felt her sobbing against his chest.

"What is it?" He stroked her hair.

"I have to… tell you something."

He sat down and pulled her closer to him, tucking her into his side. "All right. So tell me."

"You have to promise me something first."

Jasper could tell that whatever it was she had to tell him, he wasn't going to like it.

"I'm not going to make any guarantees," he said carefully.

"Jasper, please!"

He sighed. "I'll try. What is it that I have to promise not to do?"

He knew her so well.

"You have to promise me that no matter what I tell you, no matter how angry it makes you, you promise not to hurt… anybody."

She'd almost said 'him.'

Jasper mulled it over.

He couldn't think of anyone--outside of Maria and her bunch or the Volturi—that he'd be angry enough with to want to harm them.

How bad could it be?

"All right, I promise."


Edward pressed redial on his phone and listened as his call went directly to voice mail.

"Damn." Edward shoved his cell phone in his pocket and sped toward the front door.

"Dad, wait! What if Jasper—"

He didn't hear the rest of what Reneesme said, and he didn't care. If Jasper was home and Emmett had opened that big mouth of his then Alice was in danger.


She felt Jasper's embrace slacken and his arms slide away from her.

He clenched his jaw and pressed his fists into the floor. "Did he hurt you when he…when he…"

She heard the floor crack and venom flooded her mouth as Jasper's rage got away from him and struck her full force.

"You promised," she reminded him softly.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her up with him, glaring down at her. "I asked you if he hurt you?"

Alice shook her head.

Edward had been gentle because she had chosen not to struggle against him, but she couldn't tell Jasper that.

The soldier in him would have wanted her to fight him off.

At least try.

But she'd caught a glimpse down the path that decision would have led her; yielding to Edward had been the choice with the least number of lingering repercussions.

Jasper turned his head to the side and looked at the empty space where their bed had been early this morning.

The bed on which Edward had violated his wife.

He could only guess at how violent the encounter must have been—obviously violent enough to destroy their bed.

Why was Alice trying to protect Edward by lying to him?

She felt his outrage and was reaching for him but he was too swift, her fingertips brushed his arms as he bolted away from her and flew out of their room.


Edward didn't make it past the front door.

Emmett was standing there, blocking him, glowering at him. "You sick son of a bitch," he hissed.

"I don't know what Alice told you but-"

Emmett grabbed Edward in a headlock and squeezed.

"She didn't have to tell me anything, you fucker! Not after I listened to her cry while she spent 45 minutes in the shower trying to scour off what you did to her!"

Emmett tried to twist Edward's neck but Edward squirmed and maneuvered himself to keep Emmett from gaining enough leverage to decapitate him.

"I didn't—" Edward and Emmett crashed into the wall next to Reneesme's room and fell to the floor grappling with each other.

"I'm only gonna tear your head off for a few minutes…just long enough for it to hurt like hell when you re-attach it."

Emmett lunged at Edward's head.


"Dr. Cullen, please call extension 27-21. Dr. Cullen… 2-7-2-1."

Carlisle glanced over his shoulder. "Jackie, will you ask the operator to take a message, please?"

"Of course, Dr. Cullen."

Carlisle gave Mrs. McCall a reassuring smile and leaned down to continue closing the complex laceration on her son Brandon's leg.

He had to force himself to keep it to a human pace. His cell phone had been vibrating against his hip, alerting him to fifteen missed calls, twelve voice messages, and seven text messages, but he couldn't stop mid-procedure.

"Dr. Cullen it's your daughter. Renee…?"

He chuckled as Jackie stumbled over his granddaughter's name. "Reneesme."

"Reneesme, and she said it's an emergency."


Edward ducked his head away from Emmett's thick forearms and dense biceps and rolled.

If he could gain a clear shot to the front door and make it outside, he could easily out-pace and out-distance Emmett.

Edward scrambled to get to his feet—he looked like a sprinter, with his fingertips against the floor and his right leg extended behind him, and would have escaped Emmett

if he hadn't been struck motionless by the figure standing in the doorway.


Esme heard Alice shout, "Jasper please, stop! You can't—" before her voice cut off.

She saw Alice standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring straight ahead. "Alice?"

Alice blinked and took three quick steps forward before another vision stopped her.

She gasped, looked at Esme, ran forward a few feet then succumbed to another vision.

Esme watched as Alice dropped to her knees, collapsed on her side and began convulsing.


Carlisle wet his hands, pumped the soap dispenser, and quickly lathered his hands and rinsed them before drying them on a paper towel.

He walked over to Mrs. McCall and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder. "Dr. Harris should be in shortly and, again, please accept my apology—"

"No, please, it's all right Dr. Cullen," Mrs. McCall gushed. "It's an emergency. I understand."

She let out a high-pitched nervous laugh. "Boy, don't I understand." She looked at her son. "Doctors' kids can have emergencies too, right?"

Carlisle smiled at her. "Yes, and thank you for your understanding, Mrs. McCall. Brandon."

Carlisle unclipped his vibrating phone once he was in the hallway. "Reneesme, what—"

"Carlise, something's wrong with Alice," Esme's voice interrupted him.

"Esme? Is that why Reneesme's been calling?"

Esme said, "Hold on for a minute, darling… she's coming around."

He heard her ask Alice what was happening and Alice said, "Too many decisions, outcomes, futures, flashing, flashing."

He heard a sharp intake of breathe and then Alice's voice, "We have to stop Emmett…Jasper…"

Carlisle heard what he thought was most likely Esme's phone clattering against the floor.

"Esme? Darling…?"


The look on Jasper's face was pure murder and Edward couldn't help but shudder.

Jasper's eyes flicked from Edward to Emmett. "You hold him," Jasper ordered Emmett.

Jasper stepped inside the cottage but didn't approach Edward.

Instead, he made his way over to the fireplace.


A/N: Ooo, I know...I am SO wrong for ending the chapter at this point. Is Emmett REALLY going to let Jasper throw Edward's dismembered body into the fire? Or will Esme and Alice have to be the voices of reason and talk him down? Will Jasper listen to them? Where the hell is Bells when Edward needs her? And Rosalie...? Yeah, Edward probably does not want her to show up. That's like adding fuel to the flame (pun intended.) And you have to know father figure Carlisle is on his way home after he talks to Reneesme, who is most likely cowering in her room, crying for her mama.