Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I do not.

This chapter beta'd by Bronze. I've learned so many things from her. She continues to strive to make me a better writer. I know it's a difficult job...

Mirage

Chapter Thirty-six

CPOV

As I entered the clearing, Jane was standing on a large tree stump. A huge fire was burning. The wolves were sitting together, all tied back to back. Two of the Volturi guards were standing over them, eyes crimson, sneering evilly. Demetri was standing behind Victoria, holding her arms behind her back. Felix was standing over Lawrence, who was kneeling in submission, his hands behind his neck. I flashed back to the pathetic boy I had tried so desperately to fix.

I remember after we left Chicago, we found a cabin near Kewanee, Illinois. After only a few weeks, Lawrence began to come out of his shell. I had hoped he would become assertive, but what I didn't expect was his aggressive behavior towards his brother. In the beginning, he appeared to be so…broken. He could barely feed, and he could only do that if I caught the game and brought it back to the cabin and assisted him.

As I hadn't fed in a few weeks, I asked Edward to watch over his brother. Edward had grown strong and lithe, and I was certain that he could handle the situation for an hour. When I returned, I was shocked to find Lawrence trying to choke his brother.

It was only a month or so later and Lawrence decided he could not live the way his brother and I did. His desire for human blood was too great to ignore. He refused to listen to my pleading. I was certain the guilt would eventually haunt him; however, he refused to listen to my reasoning. One afternoon as we all three hunted, Lawrence simply disappeared. Edward was heartbroken, and I'm certain he was disappointed in my abilities. I wasn't a psychiatrist, and Lawrence was more broken than anything I could fix. Once he came to accept that nothing more could be done to help his brother, Edward and I fell into an easy routine. It wasn't long before I was working at Lancaster Municipal Hospital in Lancaster, Ohio. By chance, I came across Esme Platt. She had been a patient years before, yet on this day, her situation was critical. The beautiful, quiet woman had been brought in, critically wounded, after a supposed fall off a rock face.

I made the decision to change Esme that day. Having Edward was enlightening; he was intelligent, witty and compassionate, yet he couldn't fill the hole in my heart that only a mate could fill. Esme fit in well, and tried to do everything she could to make up for what Edward had lost when his own mother died. Her own tiny boy had died, sending her over the cliff. Edward gave her a new opportunity to be a mother once again. It was obvious she loved him.

One day I came home to find Esme in our sitting room, sobbing tearlessly. I looked for Edward to find out what was wrong, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Esme, love, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

She gasped, trying to calm herself. "He's gone, Carlisle. Oh God, he's gone!"

She was inconsolable. After sitting with her, rubbing her back and waiting for her to calm, she finally was able to put the story together. Edward had come to her today. He was holding his head, telling her a monster was in his head, taunting him, telling him our way of life was wrong. He was missing out. She tried to calm him, but in the end, he stormed out of the house. She tried to follow him, but had lost his scent in no time.

I picked up the scent and tracked our boy for two days. When I came upon him in a clearing, I was revolted. My stomach was churning. Edward, my Edward, was standing over a man, his eyes crimson. The beaten and broken body of a woman lay nearby. She had no heartbeat, yet I could see she had not been bitten. Lawrence stood to the edge of a clearing, leaning against a tree, the corner of his mouth turned up in an eerie smirk.

"Ah, the good doctor has found us. So Doc, blood is thicker than water; pardon the pun. You tried to teach old Eddie here to follow your ways. How long has he been with you now?"

I reached for Edward's arm, but he lurched away, "Don't, Carlisle… just… don't. I'm a monster now. A murderer. I just acted as judge and jury. I had no right. He might have been a monster, but I'm no better. Go home to Esme. I'm not good for you!"

"Son, it doesn't have to be like this. Come on, let's go home."

Edward just pulled away. "I'm not going with you, Carlisle. I'm no good."

I was defeated. Edward was such a special young man, and the fact that his brother had corrupted him broke my heart. I reached out to him, touching his arm and he jerked up his head, pulling away from my grasp. "Edward, you know where to find us. You're always welcome to come home. Nothing you do will change how we feel about you."

Almost ten years passed until he came home, begging for forgiveness.

Today was the second time I had nearly lost my son to Lawrence. The first time he came back of his own accord. I knew he could read my thoughts. For nearly ten years I'd bombarded his mind with compassion until he returned, broken and disgusted with himself, but he eventually had come back to us.

Today, he was broken beyond belief; I had no idea what they had done to him. My only consolation was knowing that his brother would never rip him from our family again.

How could these boys, born of one womb, cut from the same cloth, be so incredibly different? Edward was light. He was joy. He was happiness. Lawrence was black as night. He was evil. The concept baffled me. The two should be identical in every way. I could not fathom how there could be such a stark difference between the two.

A horrific sound, not unlike that of a terrible car accident, pulled me from my reverie. I could hear Victoria screaming over the sound of metal being ripped as Demetri tore her arms from their sockets one at a time.

Jane intervened. "We are not here for entertainment, Demetri. This is a punishment, and it is to be administered swiftly and humanely." With that, her head was ripped from her shoulders. It landed next to the wolves, eyes wide open, the mouth still screaming as it snapped and snarled at them.

Leah Clearwater began screaming hysterically. She was clutching Jake. I'm sure both of them know something evil was waiting for them. Jake looked like he could be sick.

Victoria's head was snatched up and thrown into the pyre along with her limbs and then her torso. A sickening smell filled the air. Leah recoiled, vomiting repeatedly as she thrashed, pulling at her restraints.

Jane laughed wickedly, a spark in her eye. "Uh-uh, little girl. It won't be long. You

don't want to try and escape."

In my head, I begged Leah to sit still. She had no idea what Jane would do to her.

I suddenly felt sick as Demetri and Felix put their hands on Lawrence's shoulders. "What say you, boy? Do wish to say anything in your defense?" Jane sneered. She already knew he was tried and condemned.

He hung his head. "No, ma'am. What I did to my brother and his wife was unforgivable. I'm evil. Please, just set me free. I never wanted this life for myself. I'm so sorry. Carlisle, please tell him I'm sorry."

Before the words were out of his mouth, the screaming started as they ripped him apart. At that moment, I could only imagine Edward screaming as he was tortured and broken. My only peace came from knowing it was over quickly. I'd carry the guilt of bringing Lawrence into this life for eternity. It was a terrible, terrible mistake; he should have never been changed and because of me, Edward nearly died.

I couldn't take anymore. "Jane, thank you for taking care of this. I had to witness it first hand; I hope you understand. I had to be sure he was gone. But I'd prefer to take my leave now."

"What, and miss all the fun?" The evil laugh returned.

"No Jane, I have no desire to see any more."

"As you wish. We won't forget your assistance in bringing this matter to a close. Please don't waste time fulfilling your obligation; we'll be waiting for confirmation of your move. Aro asked me to bid you well, and to let you know we'll be in contact to discuss the human boy soon."

I'm sure I looked surprised. She looked at me, her left eyebrow raised. "You didn't think we'd find out? We always learn of these things, never forget that. We knew of sweet Bella almost three years ago. Don't ever be complacent; it could be your undoing."

I merely nodded my head. "I understand, Jane."

"You may take your leave now."

I ran as quickly as I could to get away. I heard the howls of the pack in the distance and the horrible screams coming from Jake and Leah as they succumbed to their fate. I could do nothing for them. Edward, however, I could help.

Esme and Rose waited next to the Mercedes. I jumped in and drove as fast as I could take us. Once I got through the small country towns on Route15 north, I opened her up and made great time on the highway. A three-hour trip took us a bit over an hour, slowing only to get through residential areas. I didn't mention the conversation I had with Jane. Perhaps one day I would, but for now, I needed to concentrate on my son.

Pulling into Ithaca, I breathed a sigh of relief. Alice had warmed the blood I had stolen from the Forks blood bank, the autologous donations Bella had made in case of emergency. Alice and Bella were trying to get Edward to drink the blood from a cup, but with little success. I think more radical methods were going to be necessary.

I can't believe there's only one more chapter. Amazing! A huge thank you to everyone who has stuck with me!