I'm So SoRRy I haven't updated in forever guys!!

My mom forgot to pay our phone bill, so I didn't have internet there for about a month. Then, if you'd visited my page sometime in that time, I went on Vacation, so I wasn't able to update. I had planned to finish before I'd left, but the whole phone bill thing screwed me up, so again, SoRRy!!

Also, thanks to all who reviewed last chapter!! All the reviews were Lovely!!

Disclamier: I Do Not Own Twilight or Nintendo Wii. Promise!!

ch. 19 - Coming To Terms

Edward POV

I had definitely thrown Bella for a loop when I had told her that Carlisle was the doctor who had taken care of me and my family, that much was obvious.

But she hadn't looked at me like I was crazy.

Instead, I'd seen only shock and, finally, understanding in her face when she'd looked back at me.

She hadn't said anything after I'd told her, only put her arms around me and offered warm comfort, which I only loved her all the more for.

And she'd given me the strength to finally face Carlisle about my history.

Which was what I was on my way to do now.

Granted, it had taken Bella two days to get me over my fears, but she hadn't given up, and after I'd caved and let her know I was going to talk to him today, she'd discreetly made her way downstairs.

Which basically meant that she was giving me space to sort out what was going on in my head.

There were so many things that I needed to ask Carlisle Cullen, but the most important one kept surfacing to my mind, pushing all the others back.

Had he been the one to change me?

But if it had been him, why had he not taken care of me?

Obviously he was a compassionate vampire, from the way he'd taken care of Bella and let all of us stay with him...

That confusing reasoning had made my head ache from all the questions until I'd finally gotten tired of running around in circles.

It was time to find out the truth.

Carlisle's office was easy enough to find, it being on the second floor, and I knocked before hearing his voice telling me to come in.

He was sitting at his desk looking through a stack of papers, but as his eyes found mine, he let them drop and made a move to stand.

I held my hand up. "No. Stay. I just wanted to talk about..." My voice trailed off, making things even more awkward, but I managed to recover. "Well, you know, everything. Do you have time," I asked as I slowly made my way to his desk, my eyes studying the papers he'd had.

Maybe I should come back later, the part of me that wanted to chicken out whispered.

"Of course. Sit, Edward." He gestured to the black leather chair across from him, and I sat down slowly.

Now it was too late to back out.

Bella POV

Two days. We'd been with the Cullens two days now.

And I still wasn't used to the whole "The Cullens Are Vampires" thing. Sure, before I'd gotten kidnapped, I could tell at school that the Cullens were different.

Strange.

But I hadn't seen them as evil, just different from everyone around them. Myself, I saw them as mysterious, beautiful people.

And that view hadn't changed even though I'd come to see that their beauty marked them for what they were.

"You're going down, sweetheart," Emmett threatend, breaking through my thoughts.

"We'll see, honey," Rosalie shot back.

I focused my eyes back on the TV screen from my position on the couch and smiled to myself. Obviously their love for Nintendo Wii was also one of their competitive hobbies, which I was learning they had a lot of.

They were a passionate pair, Emmett and Rosalie.

And not just at video games.

Ugh. A shiver went up my spine before I could stop it.

I'd had to bury my head into Edward's shirt last night as I'd laid on the couch in what was becoming our room, unsuccessfully trying to block out the noises they'd been making from their...activities.

Those two had definitely made me blush. Edward had only laughed at my reaction.

"Hi Bella!!"

I looked up just in time to see Alice flop down on the space next to me.

"Hi Alice."

She gave me a charming smile before turning to study Emmett and Rosalie.

Out of Edward, me, and herself, she'd been the one who'd adjusted the easiest. Heck, from the way she'd gotten comfortable here, you'd figure she'd been with the Cullens for years. And was it just me, or was she really comfortable with Jasper at times??

"Getting amusement from this, I see," she accused as Rosalie and Emmett went at it, their gazes locked on the screen. I actually think I heard Emmett growl at her at one point, which only got her even more riled.

I cast Alice the innocent look. "Who me? Getting amusement from this? Of course not."

We both laughed, knowing full well that that's the only reason I'd been sitting here.

We both continued to watch their game, until about ten minutes later when Rosalie was claimed the winner. And being Rosalie, she'd had no problem rubbing it in Emmett's face, which prompted him to put her in a bear hug, refusing to let go until she'd learned her lesson.

Emmett's strength reminded me of what I'd wanted to ask for a couple of days now.

And before I knew it, I had blurted, "So all of you have a special ability?"

The question wasn't really directed at anyone specific, and I was sort of horrified I'd even spoken the words, but Emmett answered quickly, grunting as Rosalie wiggled in his arms.

"More or less. As you can tell, mine involves loads of strength." He paused to put his mouth next to Rose's ear. "And while it really isn't an ability, this one here has the beauty of a goddess."

Rosalie's immediately quit her struggles. "Aw, I love it when you say that," she crooned as she brought his head down to hers for a very R rated type of kiss.

I looked away quickly.

Needless to say, I probably wasn't going to be getting any more answers from him, but Alice picked up the slack.

"I can see into the future, Bella. Well, I can see what might happen in the future. It's all based on what decisions the person in my vision makes."

Holy crow!! "The future? Whoa..." I murmured, trailing off in awe.

"Yeah. And you know that Edward can read minds. Well, everyone's except yours, that is."

I found myself smirking at that, and Alice grinned at me in reaction.

"It drives Edward crazy, you know," she commented before continuing. "Anyways, Jasper over there has the ability to feel and manipulate the emotions around him."

I cast a glance over towards the doorway, just now seeing Jasper. How long had he been standing there?

I hadn't even noticed him.

But I guess that's what you get when you're around a vampire who likes to keep to himself most days and is deathly quiet at times. I suspected he'd had a lot of practice at it. And while I didn't know why, I had a feeling that he'd been mistreated badly during his life, which cause him to draw in on himself.

And emotions?

"How," I felt myself asking before I could stop, which prompted him to cast a glance over at me. "I don't mean to be rude," I tacked on.

Obviously he'd been listening to Alice and I.

A blush heated my face before I could control it, not that I probably could anyways.

Jasper's eyes darkened, but he only shrugged his shoulder at me before abruptly turning and leaving the room.

What had I done?

"It's not your fault, Bella," Alice soothed as she caught my expression before turning around again to face Jasper's retreating form. "He hasn't restrained himself from human blood as long as the rest of them have, and your blush gets to him."

"Oh." Oops. Time to switch the topic. "So... How does his ability work?"

Her eyes lit up. "Well, for example, he can calm you if you're scared or frightened, or even excite you. His abilities even go so far that he can even make you sleepy."

"Really," I asked in amazement, an idea taking form in my mind.

"Yeah. Perfect for a certain mission of yours, from what I see," she hinted, giving my shoulder a nudge.

My smile was probably blinding as I turned to her.

Just like that, I'd found the missing piece to help me complete my unfinished business.

And Jasper was it.

Edward POV

"You were there. In Chicago." I tried not to make my tone accusatory, but it came out like that anyway. So much for the effort.

"I was," Carlisle agreed without any hesitation.

"You were my family's doctor." Again, it sounded like I was making an accusation at him, but I couldn't seem to turn the tone off.

"Yes, I was the one who took care of you and your family when you were brought in."

Okay, so at least we were both clear on how we knew each other.

Now time for the hard questions.

My voice was soft as I asked, "Carlisle, what happened with my family? With me? I knew I'd been dying in that hospital, so how did I end up a...vampire?" My throat had gone dry, and it took everything I had to get the words out.

His eyes were kind, and I knew he understood. "You sure you want to hear this, Edward?"

I gave a curt nod. I had to know after so many years of being in the dark.

He sighed, as if dreading his task, but agreed. "Alright.Your father died first, Edward. He was already very sick when your family had been brought in, and there wasn't a lot we could do for him. As for your mother, she was strong. One of the strongest I'd ever treated with the influenza. She saw how you suffered in the bed next to her, and she didn't want you to die as well."

My voice came out unsteady as I asked, "How bad was I?"

"To be truthful, you were going to die very soon Edward. The illness was too far gone in you. But your mother... Your mother knew that I wasn't human. How she did, I do not know, but she demanded I do all I could to save you, even if it meant..." He stopped, and cleared his throat uneasily, his eyes darting away from mine.

Even if it meant changing me, I thought, finishing his sentence.

The realization stung, and the anger that came with it was no better. "So you were the one that changed me?" Now I meant that to sound like an accusation, which it did very nicely.

Anger shot through my veins, and I felt myself rising out of my chair. If he'd changed me, he'd left me out on my own, not even bothering to tell me what had happened to me or what I'd become.

By God, if he was the one who'd done it, he was going to burn in--

"No, Edward. I came to get you that day, but you were gone. I asked the doctor on duty, and he told me that he hadn't gotten around to checking on you yet." He took a deep breath and cast a look out the window. "It was at that moment that I knew you were gone. I had thought you dead, which is why when you showed up on our doorstep, I was shocked."

I slowly sank back down. "So you didn't change me? You weren't the one that changed me and left me to fend for myself?"

He shook his head, eyes hard. "No, Edward. I'd already thought of you as my own son in that hospital because I'd grown so attached. I never would've left you or anyone else alone after the change."

I could tell he was sincere. "So...who changed me if you didn't?"

Carlisle slowly shook his head at me. "I do not know. We may never know."

So for all my questions, that was the only one that would go unanswered.

Since I had lived with the Volturi, the question had been vital. I'd needed it answered.

But now...

Hmm... Maybe I didn't anymore.

Maybe it wasn't as important as the other things around me.

Suddenly, who had changed me wasn't an issue anymore. What was important was that I'd gotten where I was today, regardless of what the odds had been.

I had my sister back, found my soul-mate in Bella, and now, as I sat across from Carlisle, maybe a real home.

A real family.

I had no idea why God would decided to grace me with all of this. Surely I was an abomination in his eyes just for being what I was.

But I wasn't going to take anything for granted ever again.

Never.

So there you go. Another chapter. I'm sorry if some of you had to go back and re-read some of the chapters over again, but I wanted to get this out as fast as I could, so I didn't put a recap on it. Sorry about that.

Anyway, Reviews are LOve, and you DO LOve me, Don't You??

BroodyBrittney23