Chapter Twenty One

Carlisle

I came into the lounge from the clinic to find a heated discussion taking place between Alice and Edward on one side and Esme and Emmett on the other. Things had been tense since Bella attacked Rosalie and I first thought this was just another argument about whether we should turn our backs on the girl and leave her to James or Marcus. Edward and Alice were suspicious of his motives for taking her in the first place.

"You do realize if Marcus is trying to collect gifts then he might well be getting ready to stage some kind of attack on Aro, Carlisle? Which would put us right in the firing line? Is the girl or your friendship with Marcus worth that price?"

I thought the real problem for the two of them was that neither's gift worked on Bella, Alice couldn't see her future or ours while she was here and Edward couldn't read her thoughts which frustrated him tremendously. Personally, I thought it was a good lesson for the two of them in how the rest of us lived all the time.

However on this occasion, I was mistaken. The problem was Rosalie's suggestion that Bella would never learn to trust us unless we showed her that we trusted her.

"Allowing her into the rest of the house is plain suicide, the first chance she gets she'll kill us all, she's already told us that on numerous occasions, not forgetting the attack on your mate Emmett, or had that little incident slipped your mind?"

Emmett scowled at Alice, an expression rarely seen on his amiable face and it made her sit back a little in her chair.

"I hadn't forgotten Alice but thanks for reminding me. I trust Rosalie and if she says Bella is capable of holding her anger towards vampires in check then we have to give her a chance. What's the alternative after all? Spending the rest of our lives in those suits? Hell, I can't even get one to fit me."

Alice scowled back at that but it was Edward who spoke up,

"The rest of our lives? There is no way that girl is staying with us, she should be gone already, she can walk and I think we should give her back to Marcus and before you say it, I don't care what he's got in mind for her, it's none of our business."

"Edward, that will do. Show a little pity, the girl has been through a terrible ordeal lasting years. Surely we can show her that not all vampires are monsters. I will not agree to her being sent back to that James, or Marcus for that matter."

Esme rarely showed her annoyance or put her foot down but when she did everyone took notice,

"Now, if you feel the experiment is too dangerous then by all means make yourself scarce for the day. Jasper has told us he will ensure there are no accidents. He will feel if she gets ready to attack and stop her."

"Well that's reassuring, let's just hope he isn't overconfident. I have a sneaky feeling he's intrigued by her."

"

Are you saying you don't trust your brother?"

There was a deathly hush,

"I didn't think so. Well then, I suggest we speak to Bella Carlisle and see what she has to say unless you have any objections to the suggestion."

I knew better than to oppose my mate when she was in this kind of mood so I just smiled,

"Certainly, let me just check on my patient first."

I hadn't wanted to go back to work at the local clinic but Rosalie was adamant she could cope with Jasper's help and I didn't want her to think I felt otherwise. Besides, since the attempt on Rosalie's life she and Bella seemed to have come to an understanding. It was almost as if Bella had decided if Rosalie could continue to hold out the hand of friendship after such a deed then she could, in turn, trust her. What her feelings were towards Jasper I didn't quite understand. They rarely spoke, and Bella stopped baiting him and seemed content for him to be around, a silent figure in the background. I had suggested he might like to take some time off now Bella no longer needed his gift but as he pointed out, we might well need his gift if she didn't. Besides which only his lightning reflexes and his instinct had saved his sister's life.

Bella

I tried so hard to keep hating these strange vampires, after all, I had seen I thought it would be easy but every day became harder. They were nothing like Diablo or his people, not like the soldiers who guarded me or the fighters, newborn vampires. I tried to trip them up, I even tried to kill Rosalie but nothing I did or said made them act any differently towards me. I was treated with gentleness and courtesy by everyone even those I knew were afraid of me.

Rosalie became the first vampire I even found any warmth for, maybe that's why I tried to kill her, hoping I would feel differently or she would, should she survive, afterwards but nothing changed in her demeanour to me.

What did change was my attitude to her and more importantly to Jasper? Why I couldn't hate him as much as I did Diablo when he reminded me so strongly of my tormentor I couldn't begin to imagine.

Yes, he reminded me of Diablo but there was a vast difference between the two. Diablo exuded an air of evil and revelled in torturing and murdering both humans and other vampires while Jasper… well, Jasper had an air of danger around him, as if he could be violent if the need arose but there was something else, a sense of peace, a sense that this man did not want to be what nature, or vampirism, had made him.

I knew, with no way of knowing how, that he would never harm me, whatever the provocation. After all, he could and probably should, have killed me when I attacked Rosalie but instead he had risked his own life and then kept me too sluggish to do anything more until the situation was resolved and any danger averted. I had wanted to ask him why but I always felt tongue-tied in his presence these days and a little ashamed at the way I had baited him in the early days.

When Rosalie told me that I was to be allowed out of this room I was elated but also shocked. Was this a trick? Would I find myself back in Diablo's camp when I opened the door? Carlisle told me the same,

"I'd like your word that you won't attack anyone Bella after all, this is my family and I love them all. I'm taking a huge leap of faith allowing you to wander freely and I'd like to know you will not betray my trust."

"I could promise and be lying."

"Yes, you could."

I wasn't sure what to say but something stopped me from lying to him. At the same time, I knew that if I betrayed this trust there would be no place for me on this planet, I would have indeed become the monster Diablo had wanted me to be. So, now was crunch time, I had to choose which path to take.

"If you try to betray me I will kill as many of you as I can, but if you are telling the truth, if I really am safe here then you have my word."

He nodded,

"Fair enough. Well let's start with a show of faith on my part shall we?"

He lifted his visor off and laid it on the edge of the bed then pulled off his gloves before offering me a bare hand.

"Shall we take a walk?"

I tensed as he opened the door but there was no one waiting for me, no Diablo and I walked at his side, slowly and stiffly, walking was still difficult, my legs didn't always do what I wanted them to and I was nervous being in such close proximity to him.

Human touch, or vampiric touch for that matter, was something I had little experience of. I was rarely touched and never held or cuddled once I was snatched and since my poisoned blood was discovered I had never been touched except by this man and his "daughter" and even then only with latex between us.

Now I felt his cold hard flesh against mine and it was strange, to feel anyone's hand in mine. I flashed back to my mom holding my hand, my dad swinging me up in the air by my hands and grieved for everything that had been denied me.

I felt a presence at my back and whirled around ready to attack but it was Jasper walking slowly behind and I knew he was their insurance policy. I had no doubt he could knock me out in an instant but it didn't matter, I had no intention of breaking my word, so long as they didn't.

"Would you like to rest? Or can you make it to the house?"

I looked up not concentrating on my feet for a moment and saw I had emerged from a short hallway into the fresh air and before me stood a house, gleaming in the afternoon sun which reflected off the huge glass expanse of windows.

Standing at the door was Esme smiling at me encouragingly but I felt a sudden panic, this was all too much for me, I wanted to run but then I felt another hand clasp my free one, Jasper was there and the panic was gone. I could do this, I nodded and we walked slowly to Esme who greeted me, taking my hand and inviting me inside. We couldn't go through the doorway together but it was Jasper's hand I continued to grasp tightly and Carlisle who dropped back to follow with Rosalie.