Chapter 25

Carlisle ran out the front door of Masen and Leah's house, seeing Billy attempting to make his way in their direction from his own house. Charlie's cruiser came flying up a moment later with Sue in the passenger seat and Seth and Luciana in the back. They all got out at once, though from the distance Esme and Emmett emerged, ultimately getting to where Carlisle stood before the rest of them.

"Where is he?" Esme asked, not seeing anyone or anything around them.

"Esme," Carlisle stood between her and the house, which he knew she would break down if she needed to to see their son.

"Where is he, Carlisle?" she asked again, fighting back tears.

"He's..." he shook his head, "Esme... he's..."

She shook her head, refusing to believe what his half of a sentence indicated, "I want to see him."

Everyone else looked on at their painful interaction. Edward joined them by the front door way and Esme knew from the look on his face that she had to get into the house.

Carlisle watched as Esme darted toward the front door. He knew she had the right, but still didn't want her to see their son in his condition. He had no idea if he was still alive, but he knew the chances weren't very likely and sensed that was what Edward had come to tell them.

As she ran up to the house, trying to be stern through fearful eyes, Carlisle threw an arm around her waist and tried to pull her to him to keep her from continuing. "Don't," he pleaded, beginning to cry, "Don't go in there."

Charlie's mouth hung partway open and his eyebrows sympathetically pressed together. Sue's hand clutched his shirt and the other was over her mouth as tears began to fall.

"Let go of me, Carlisle," Esme shouted.

"Don't Esme," he pleaded again, "Please..."

She struggled out of his grasp and pushed him away from her forcefully before rushing inside past where Edward stood.

Carlisle kept his back to the house and maintained his ground just off of the front steps. Everything around him seemed to be obscure and off kilter. As much as he wanted to hear Esme's reaction from inside the house, he couldn't bring his brain to comprehend the words she was using. He looked down at his bloody hands and let tears fall onto them.

Billy began to say something, but Carlisle couldn't make out the words, only seeing his mouth moving like a television clip without the volume. Emmett's feet stuck heavy to the ground as he paced his way to where Carlisle stood and the next thing he knew, his arms were around him.

They stood together for a moment, sensing people walk past them, each showing their own form of sympathy in the form of a touch on the shoulder, or a half hug.

Carlisle glanced over seeing Seth and Luciana at Sue's heels as she walked inside. Charlie stood with Edward by the door, talking, before following them in.

"Billy..." Carlisle managed to say, noticing he had made his way over to them.

"I'm sorry," Billy told him, looking up his damp, golden eyes.

"Look out!" Edward shouted, as a massive wolf snarled and stormed through the front door, sending shards of wood in every direction around the frame. A loud howl rang through the night, adding to what seemed like the finalization of Masen's potential passing. Luciana went sprinting after him before another collection of howls echoed through the reservation.

"Is Masen... is he...?" Billy asked, looking at Carlisle, then Edward, as Carlisle was unable to form a response.

Edward's eyes suddenly looked confused and he glanced around the midnight sky. A moment later, a car pulled up to house upon going, what appeared to be, over one hundred miles per hour.

Jasper and Rosalie piled out of the front seats, as Alice, carrying Caleb in her arms, scampered from the back with Nicole out of one side. Alexandra and Michael got out from the other side. Edward was about to speak, though all of them rushed past him, Carlisle, Emmett and Billy without saying a word. Alexandra and her father made eye contact for a moment, though he didn't try to stop her.

"In there!" Jasper pointed, seeing Masen's lifeless body on the bed, where Esme sobbed uncontrollably holding his hand. Leah was in a similar way, still sitting by his head. They looked up as the six of them entered the room and Alice approached first.

Carlisle entered the room after them and rushed to Esme's side, who's focus was solely on Alice.

"Nicole," Alice called, a little worried.

Nicole, too, kept sighing at the sight of him laying there in a pool of blood. She looked at her mother with a nod, "This is it."

"What's going on Alice?" Esme asked, looking at Caleb's cherubic face as he opened and closed his eyes a few times, struggling with the chaos around them.

"Get the covers off of him," Alice instructed, looking at Carlisle who did as she asked with Esme's assistance. "Come on little guy," she talked to the baby, placing him onto Masen's chest, and tucking him in to the top of his arm.

Caleb twitched and made squeaking baby noises before finally settling in the spot and letting his tiny hand rest on Masen's arm. Both of them laid there, Masen half covered in blood and Caleb still wrapped in a white and blue blanket with a light blue hat to match. He could barely move, though his little fingers fluttered across his brother's arm with an almost uncomfortable movement that he was just getting used to.

Carlisle looked over at Alice, who recognized his stare from her peripheral vision and turned to meet his eyes. She knew what his question was and answered it before he could even ask, "Yes," she said with a nod, then looked at Nicole, and back to Carlisle, "He has the same gift as Masen."

Esme's watery eyes snapped quickly in her direction, and Alice nodded at her mother.

"What have you seen?" Carlisle asked them.

Nicole swallowed hard and looked at him, "Good things."

He let in a deep breath and blew it back out again.

Caleb let out a little cry before Masen stirred and began to cough again, sending his baby brother into a crying fit.

Esme clutched Masen's arm as Alice removed Caleb from him and began to speak with a comforting voice to calm him down. Jasper quickly made his way to them both and the baby's cries stopped almost immediately.

"He's not coughing up blood anymore," Carlisle said aloud, making eye contact with Leah. She continued to cry, but let out a smile and ran her hand through Masen's hair, who was yet to open his eyes.

"Masen," Esme spoke, "Honey, it's Mom. Can you hear me?"

He suddenly rolled to his side, continuing to cough for a moment as he clutched onto his midsection before bracing himself and laying flat on his back. All at once, he opened his eyes and gave a deep, quiet exhale while scanning his surroundings. It took him a moment to comprehend the mixture of voices around him, though reality quickly hit him and he sat up.

Nicole let out a childish laugh and looked at everyone, receiving a wink from both of her parents who shared smiles.

"What's going on?" Masen asked, sounding as if he'd just come from running a marathon.

Esme pulled him to her and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Leah did the same, catching both of them in her hug and kissing Masen's face over and over again.

Edward and Emmett looked at each other and let out sighs of relief as Emmett threw his arms around Rosalie, then William.

Bella returned to the room, dragging her father and Sue in along the way and greeted Edward with a kiss as Cassandra darted toward her mother and father.

"Daddy," Cassandra said, almost in the form of a question. Alexandra dried her eyes and lifted Cassandra toward her brother.

"Yeah, honey," he said, looking dazed but accepted her hug next and kissed her on the forehead before handing her off to Leah.

Carlisle looked at his son with a tear soaked face before pulling him up from the bed to give him a long hug.

"What exactly happened, Dad?" he asked, not letting him go.

Carlisle took in a deep breath and cried, placing one hand on the back of his son's head. It took him awhile before he could speak, but when he finally did, all he could tell him was, "I love you, son."

Masen, although understanding the significance of the events that had just taken place, said the words back in a far more nonchalant fashion, "Love you, too." He looked over to Leah, who was still crying and smiling and the two of them shared a hug with Cassandra between them before doing the same with his sister.

Esme turned to face Carlisle and threw her arms completely around him, not wanting to move. She sighed heavily a number of times and cried as her mind fixed itself onto the image of their son lying in a pool of blood unmoving.

Everyone clung to someone in the wake of Masen's close call with death.

"He has Masen's gift?" Carlisle whispered to Esme, who refused to let go of him.

"I had no idea," she whispered back, "Alice and Nicole must have seen it and rushed over here."

Carlisle sighed and held her, looking over at Leah as she did the same to Masen.

"I can't believe we almost lost him," he said, "There is way too much we don't know yet."

Esme didn't say anything. She lost herself in the warmth of his chest and continued to take in deep sighs.

"I'm sorry for lying," he said to her quietly, "I saw you with Caleb and how happy you were," tears crashed onto her as they continued to pour out of his eyes, "I couldn't take that from you, Esme. I'm sorry."

She squeezed him tighter and he could tell she had begun to cry again, "It's okay."

"Let me see him," Masen called, catching Carlisle and Esme's attention.

They turned to see Alice handing Caleb to his older brother, who smiled and looked into the baby's eyes, "Hey, brother. Welcome to the fam."

Renesme entered the house, huffing and puffing, then bolted for Masen upon seeing him on his feet and healthy.

"Whoa, whoa," he said with a laugh, "The baby..."

She smiled and called out loud, knowing Jacob, Seth and Luciana were still outside, "They're all okay guys!"

Luciana entered the house and Seth and Jacob appeared in their human forms in the window with smiles on their faces.

"Come in," Sue urged, wiping away her own tears.

"We're naked," Seth said with a laugh, "I don't think that'd be good for Masen's health right now... or Leah's."

Edward was the first to start a series of laughs, which escalated when they heard Billy scold both of the boys as he ordered them to put some clothes on.

"You know how these wolf phasings go, Dad," Jacob told him, "We have bigger fish to fry right now." He opened the window from the outside and perched his elbows on the frame, "Lock much?" He looked at Leah with a smile.

"I don't think any burglars would have much success in this house," she said back with a laugh, causing leftover tears to creep from the corners of her eyes.

Everyone stayed close by one another for the next hour or so, eventually come down from their anxiety, or grief-ridden, highs. Although the situation with Masen had come to a peaceful conclusion, each of them knew there was a lot out there for each of them to learn about the Children of the Moon.

Carlisle began to wonder if each of these miracle children came with a price, and prayed that no one in their family would ever have to suffer the loss of losing a child.