Chapter 28
"Please let me explain," Delilah pleaded. She looked Caleb in the eye.
Rosalie burst through the front door, nearly bearing her nails and teeth. Her aggressive burst into the room seemed to shock both of them, and Delilah jumped.
"You're involved with this?" she bellowed. "I heard it all just now from outside."
"No," Delilah began to shake her head.
Caleb looked at the two of them, not knowing who's side to take. He could see the anger flaring out of Rosalie's eyes and it was directed scornfully at Delilah. She began to charge, but he stepped in her way.
"Wake up Caleb!" Rosalie yelled, "She's involved."
"No I'm not," she said again, sounding completely defensive.
"Just wait," Caleb protested, putting a hand up. He stood protectively in front of Delilah.
"Wait for what? For her stab you in the back? You're standing the perfect position for it." Her words cut him like a knife.
"Let me just explain," Delilah pleaded again. "Give me a chance to."
Rosalie straightened her posture, but her eyes were still like daggers as she still wore an icy glare.
"I did go down to see Randy," she admitted. "I did."
Caleb turned partway toward her, still in between the two women. "Why?"
"Because... I felt guilty. I felt guilty for what happened. It was something I did when I lived with Caius too, but I never said anything."
"What do you mean?" he asked, "What did you do when you lived with them?"
"I visited the families of the victims." Delilah put a hand on her forehead and shook her head, "I couldn't live with the guilt of killing. I couldn't justify it, even though I wanted the blood to make my own pain go away. I felt bad. I looked up the Mancini house in South Beach and I went down there to tell them I was sorry for their loss."
"When?" Caleb asked her. "I'm with you all the time."
"I said I was going hunting," she said, "I told you I was meeting up with Alex one time, but I didn't. I went down to the house. I knew you wouldn't look into it any farther than that because you..." Delilah stopped her sentence, regretting the rest of it because it openly showed her deceit, "because you trust me."
"Why wouldn't you come clean when we were all discussing this?" Rosalie asked, stepping forward. Again, Caleb looked on edge and slightly fearful that the two of them would end up in a physical altercation that Delilah would undoubtedly lose.
"Everyone began talking about the women who visited him as some sort of villain right away," she explained, "If I had said it was me then, well, I don't know. I was afraid what you would all say."
"Why change your name and lie if you have nothing to hide?" Rosalie continued to question.
"So he wouldn't know who I was," Delilah went on, "The same way that Edward and Bella did."
Caleb and Rosalie looked at each other, unsure of what to think. He began to feel badly for accusing her, but a part of him wasn't one hundred percent sure. Rosalie looked highly skeptical and while she was out of her defensive crouch, she stood with her arms folded across her chest without changing her facial expression.
"I'm sorry for lying," she said, looking briefly at Rosalie, then locked eyes with Caleb. "I just knew you wouldn't let me go down there, and I felt like I had to."
Esme, Bella and Emmett came rushing in through the door together with the children intact.
"What's going on?" Esme asked them, seeing everyone's tense positions. "Alice called and said to get her as quickly as we could."
No one said anything at first, though Emmett was looking Rosalie in the eye to try to gain some direction. They could all tell that something was highly out of the ordinary, but didn't know what.
"Where's Edward?" Rosalie asked, looking at Bella, "The only time I need him and he's not around."
"He's out hunting with Carlisle," she said, "Why? What's going on?"
Esme's eyes shifted from person to person.
"Delilah's Janice," Rosalie said, waving her hand angrily as she spoke.
The three of them looked at Delilah with the same awe-filled expression.
"Wait, what?" Emmett asked.
"She went down to visit Randy," Rosalie went on, "I heard these two going back and forth about it. I was outside in the garden and I caught wind of their conversation."
"I went down there because I felt guilty," Delilah explained again. She was about to continue, when Rosalie silenced her with a hand and a quick statement.
"We'll see when Edward gets back," she said with a stern ring to her voice, "And Jasper. Jasper can tell if you're lying sometimes by the type of mood you're in."
"Alice said-" Bella started, but couldn't finish because Alice and Jasper burst through the back door.
"Oh, thank goodness," Alice said, pretending to wipe her brow with a smile. She looked at Delilah, appearing overly calm compared to everyone else in the room.
"Thank goodness for what?" Rosalie asked.
"Oh," she smiled again, "Um, I just saw another circumstance that's all. I'm glad you're alright Delilah."
"Alice..." Rosalie said, shaking her head. She looked annoyed at her sister's cool, happy demeanor.
"Well, you couldn't make up your mind, so I wasn't totally sure if Delilah was going to get out of this misunderstanding unscathed."
"Misunderstanding?" Esme and Emmett asked at the same time.
"Yeah, Delilah didn't do anything," Alice told them, waving her hand, "Sorry Del. I didn't catch this until late."
"She just said she went to Randy's," Rosalie said, nearly bellowing.
"She did, but she has nothing to do with any of the nonsense that's going on. Edward will see it too. She lied, but I'm sure she and Caleb will work past their minor trust issues."
Caleb looked back at Delilah, still appearing confused and hurt over the situation.
"I'm sorry that I went down there without you Caleb," she said, "I'm sorry I lied to you." Her eyes scanned the room, particularly caring of what Esme might have been thinking, "I'm sorry to all of you."
"Volturi by blood," Rosalie said lowly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. She pushed past where Jasper stood by Alice and stormed out of the room.
Emmett looked at Esme, then to Caleb and finally Alice. He quietly excused himself from the room, seeing that things were under control and went to go speak privately with Rosalie.
Alice looked at Esme and mouthed the words, "It's okay."
Esme gave a very subtle half smile that only lasted for a split second. She was nervous, and was accustomed to the feeling because of the curveballs life had continuously thrown at them.
Bella looked confused, but followed as Esme trailed slowly out of the room on Alice's friendly wave. They each glanced over toward Caleb and Delilah as they went, and for a moment Esme contemplated going to speak with her son in the living room, but decided to give them a minute alone. She knew Alice was about to fill her in about what had happened in their brief absence.
Delilah stood silently, thankful that Alice had intervened, but already had a heavy feeling in her chest from the way Caleb stared at her.
"We should talk," she told him with a nod.
