Chapter Thirty Seven

Carlisle

I watched as Jasper helped Bella from the truck and walked slowly with her up the front steps solicitously and couldn't help smiling, it seemed he had finally found someone to care for.

"You OK darlin'?"

She nodded but even I could see the tension and fear in her face.

"Do you want any help?"

She shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I can cope, Jasper. Let's just get this over with."

I was concerned by her pallor and the high spots in her cheeks, Bella might be in good hands but she had a long way to go before she would be well again. I hoped perhaps after our 'talk' Jasper would allow me to take Bella to one side and examine her, for my own peace of mind if nothing else. I didn't question Rosalie's competence when it came to simple medical aid, she had learned from me, but Bella had already been weak and susceptible before the wolf attack.

I opened the door and greeted them before leading the small party through to the dining room where the others waited patiently.

Rose looked around without smiling or greeting anyone which made me feel even more uneasy while Esme smiled a greeting. Rachel and Edward returned the cold stares remaining silent and eventually Rose broke it.

"No Alice?"

"No, Rose, I decided there was no need for her to be here, the atmosphere is volatile enough between her and Jasper without any more unpleasantness. I'm glad to see you looking better, Bella."

Her words sounded insincere to my ears and from their expressions, I thought Jasper and Rosalie felt the same way.

I pulled out a chair for Bella who looked as if it was an effort to stand and Jasper and Rosalie took up position at each of her shoulders as if they expected an attack at any moment which was absurd.

Yeah, I continued to watch Bella, she was so pale and thin, much like I'd first seen her in the E.R and that concerned me.

"Bella, I hope you had medical attention for those wounds of yours".

She looked up at Jasper and Rosalie and smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Carlisle, I'm quite well".

I looked skeptical,

"Really, you don't look very healthy".

Jasper barked a laugh.

"Well, that's not surprising really, is it, Carlisle? Bella's been abducted, assaulted, kept prisoner, handed over to the wolf pack and various other shit. She's allowed to look a little rough around the edges".

I smiled at him and tried to placate him, he was very touchy when it came to Bella, but I was not the enemy.

"I did suggest she might be better off here, Jasper, if you remember? Esme and Rachel were both willing to look after poor Bella and help her adapt to a normal life again".

"Yes, something you would hardly know anything about" snapped Edward, glaring at Jasper.

Jasper threw a contemptuous glance at Edward before returning his attention to me.

"Carlisle, if I were to tell you that your suggestion would be like leaving the fox in charge of the hen house I guess you'd be surprised, if not affronted".

I was affronted, this was my family and my home even if I held suspicions of my own and I stood up my chair scraping across the polished wooden floor with a screech.

"Yes, I would, and I resent your accusations about my wife, your stepmother, and Edward's wife".

"Oh, there's no need to stick up for me, I'm a big girl now," Rachel said, pulling Carlisle back down.

"Jasper obviously doesn't like what I've said about his little protégée".

She looked at Bella as if she were something nasty laying in the gutter, and I saw Jasper's face grow set and angry.

"Let's all calm down a little, shall we?" said Rose.

Bella took Jasper's arm, speaking to him in a low voice.

"I'd like to say something Jasper if that's OK with you".

Then she turned to me.

"And with you of course, Carlisle, since this is your house."

I gestured for her to go ahead graciously and she stood up, a pathetic, fragile, figure, facing a room full of vampires.

Bella

"First of all, I would like to thank you, Carlisle. Not only for recognizing me in the ER but for caring for me and paying my medical bills. I can' tell you how much that means to me, but most of all I want to thank you for involving Jasper. I think deep in your heart you recognized he is worthy of your love and respect and that he would do all he could to put right a terrible injustice. I think you have been poisoned against him over the years because as far as I can tell, and admittedly I haven't known him very long but I've heard much about him from different people, he's never done anything to give you reason to doubt, or be suspicious of him, but still you did. He has been my savior in so many ways, if not for him I would be dead or married to Jake which would have been the same thing really. I know someone sitting here hates me, but I don't know why. I can't imagine what I've done to deserve the treatment meted out to me but I'm not leaving here until I get some answers, I think I deserve that."

Carlisle

She was right, but then she always had been, she saw beyond our outward exterior to the very center of each one of us and saw the innate goodness in each of us or most of us. I should have listened to my instincts when it came to Jasper, not others. Then when she said that someone in this room hated her and was responsible for everything that had happened to her I stared at her feeling numb because I knew she was speaking the truth, there was no other explanation for events. A member of my own family had arranged for Bella to be murdered, however impossible it sounded.

Esme reacted forcefully, jumping to her feet in outrage.

"That's quite enough, Bella. Do you have any evidence to back up this preposterous accusation? We welcomed you into our family and treated you like a daughter, how could you say such wicked things?"

"Yes, Bella. Who told you we were responsible? Him I suppose."

Edward flicked a dismissive finger in Jasper's direction.

"I warned you what he was like when I first met you. I guess the bump on the head made you forget that too? As for you, Rosalie, I'm not surprised you'd be taken in by Jasper, you always were too fond of him. I'm surprised you bothered keeping Emmett around."

Rosalie's face clouded with anger,

"Why don't you crawl back into your hole, Edward. No one was talking to you."

Jasper tensed too, but Bella put a hand on his arm and after looking into her face he relaxed slightly, nodding his head.

"I protest Bella. It's the height of bad manners to throw around accusations without any proof".

She looked at Rachel skeptically.

"I don't remember mentioning you, Rachel but if the cap fits.."

Then she turned to me and I saw pity cloud her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle, I know you're in the dark as much as I was but one of the women in this room paid for my murder. We had it straight from the man she hired."

I looked around the room at the familiar faces staring back at me, Esme or Rachel? One of them was responsible? Really? I had suspicions about Alice but it seemed I had been wrong about her.

I locked eyes with Jasper and knew the truth, just as he had, after all, there was only one person in the room who had even known Bella at the time but why?

I looked at Esme who sat smiling placidly opposite me,

"Is this true, Esme?"

She tried to look shocked and hurt but these emotions didn't reach her eyes, they looked amused and slightly bored with the proceedings.

"How sweet of you to zero in on me and without a single shred of evidence. Where is this man I was supposed to have hired? Bring him in, let him accuse me face to face."

"He's dead."

She nodded smiling more broadly now.

"Of course he is, How convenient for you, Bella. Do you have any evidence at all?"

"Do you deny it?"

She glanced around the table then sat back with a sigh of resignation.

"No, it's true and please try not to look so shocked, Carlisle. Anyone would think Bella was worth your pity and we all know that's not true. Besides, I'm not responsible for the situation she found herself in if my orders had been obeyed she would be cold and planted six foot down months ago. Blame the man who took the contract and reneged on it. Oh, you can't can you? He's dead, what a pity."

It was plain to see that Bella hadn't been sure Esme was the one responsible and it had come as an equal shock to Rosalie. For myself, I was so shocked by her attitude I couldn't speak and I glanced at Edward whose face was a blank mask.

"You, Esme? Why?"

Esme turned to Rosalie,

"You need to ask me that? Did you really think I was just going to sit back as the family I loved and worked so hard to care for fell into ruins?"

She shook her head in despair as if her motive should have been clear to everyone and sufficient to explain her extreme actions.

Esme

I could see they still didn't understand and stood up to continue my explanation, there was no point in any more secrets, the time for that was long past. Besides, poor Carlisle sat there with his mouth open like a stranded fish and despite everything I still loved him and didn't want him to look an even bigger fool than he already did.

"Before I say anything else, Carlisle, I just want you to know that I never meant harm to any of the family. I love them all as if they were my own flesh and blood and that is the only excuse I need for what I did".

He looked at me with total bafflement on his face, unable to accept that I was guilty as charged but dismissing him I turned to glare at Bella Swan, the girl who just would not die.

"I love my family, it was strong and united, we loved each other and cared for each other as a family should. I was proud of my sons and daughters, for the struggle they fought to stay vegetarians, for their unquestioning loyalty to Carlisle and myself. We were the perfect family in my eyes, and then you arrived."

I glared at Bella ignoring her two champions, this was my time and she was going to listen to me.

"I had to stand and watch as you slowly destroyed my family, ripping it apart a little at a time. First, there was Edward."

I took his hand across the table and held it tightly.

"My first son, the clever one, the talented one, the most fragile. You captured his heart and made him so happy that I welcomed you with open arms into our family. And how did you repay me? You brought the nomads into our life, risking us all, but we stood by you, even turning to murder to keep you safe. James was a vampire, one of us, but we slaughtered him for your sake. My poor Alice and Emmett became murderers to keep you safe and still we were blind to the chaos you were causing. My beautiful fragile Alice who had offered you nothing but friendship was betrayed by her own husband for you. They took you away to keep you safe but while you were there Alice saw her future. It was bleak without the man she had lavished so much love and patience on. Alice knew you would tempt Jasper from her in time.

I turned to Carlisle.

"She also knew Isabella Swan would be ultimately responsible for the demise of the Cullen family."

I saw his expression, he didn't believe me or couldn't, not yet, so I concentrated on explaining it to him as simply as I could.

"Despite all that, dear Alice threw Bella a birthday party, wanting to show her that we all forgave her for causing us so much grief. She tried to sidestep the future she had seen come to pass, but fate was too strong. Jasper ruined it all by attacking Bella over a single drop of blood, even though the rest of us overcame our natural instincts. He attacked her and forced us to take measures to keep her safe once more. Brother fought brother to keep her safe and at that point, I knew Jasper wasn't one of us, he had never been, and now he showed his true colors."

I threw Jasper a look that showed him just how much I detested him before continuing.

"My darling Edward, realizing he couldn't keep Bella safe, made the ultimate sacrifice, breaking his own heart by leaving her and insisting we did the same. I lost my beautiful house, my wonderful family, my eldest and dearest son, and all because of Isabella Swan. Then, to my relief and delight, Edward met Rachel and they fell in love. She was much more suitable for him and I was glad he was happy, but even then Bella wouldn't leave us alone. After going to stay at her mother's leaving us free to return to our home, she came back. Edward wouldn't come home while she was still there, and she decided to marry the filthy shapeshifter so she'd never leave. Never allow us back to the home I had spent so much time and love building."

I checked Carlisle's expression but I could see he still wasn't getting it and I banged my fists on the table to get his full attention.

"I wanted my perfect family back together but with her around once more and living on the Quileute Reservation it just wasn't going to happen. I had to do something, so I called Alice. She'd gone to Denali, heartbroken because Jasper had finally shown his true colors and left her. She gave me a contact, someone who could make Bella disappear without involving the family. We had to look spotless, there could be no way to trace it back to the Cullens. So, I made the arrangements and paid for her to disappear and she did. Once the excitement died down Edward and Rachel came back to us, and little Alice. We were all together again and I was happy, I had my perfect family back all happy and content or so I thought. But still we couldn't break free from her influence. You and Emmett just wouldn't stop talking about her, how she had injected some freshness into the family and on and on as if she was a saint or bitch just wouldn't die even after her death."

Bella looked white with shock while the others were listening to me but didn't seem to be hearing what I was saying. Were they all stupid? Only Rachel nodded her agreement and that gave me little satisfaction, I wanted Carlisle and Rosalie to see things the way I had seen them and understand why I had acted as I had.

"Then, just as things finally got back to normal the bitch reappears in the very same hospital where Carlisle is working. That's when I knew I'd never be rid of her. You even called me in to help, Carlisle, then ruined everything by calling Jasper, the one person I never wanted to see again, the other poisoned apple in my barrel. I tried to dissuade you from contacting him, but as usual, you went your own sweet way. I acted the concerned mother figure to find out what Bella knew of the last two years and once I realized she had no memory of what had happened I breathed easier again. I contacted the incompetent ass who had failed me and he set two men to do the job properly, but just as I feared Jasper got in the way, something he seems only too apt to do. When he took her away I was helpless, until I asked Alice and Edward for help".

I smiled at Edward and he returned it warmly.

"My darling boy offered to help dispose of her by giving her back to the Quileutes, at least on the reservation she would be out of our hair. We'd lose our house in Forks but it seemed a small price to pay in the event. They almost succeeded too, if you hadn't stuck your nose in again, Carlisle. Jake and the wolves had her but it seems she can always find someone willing to help her."

Jasper snarled a warning low in his chest but I ignored him, he wasn't going to do anything in front of all these witnesses, besides, Edward and Carlisle wouldn't allow it and there was, of course, my ace in the hole, but back to that later.

"Alice warned me that Jasper and his group of savages had found out about Oscar and I knew the game was up. They would track him down, he would eventually tell them about Alice, which would, in turn, lead to me, and we would end up right here. I had hoped not to involve you, Rose, or Emmett."

I looked at Rose.

"I'm very sorry my love. You should have stayed in Nepal."

I sighed then smiled at them all.

"Well, I couldn't kill Bella, and I knew I'd never get past Jasper and his two savage friends so here we are. I can't say I'm sorry Bella, that would be a lie, I'm not, and I'd do it all again without a moment's hesitation. My only regret is that I didn't succeed but I won't watch you finish the destruction of my family that you started three years ago. You've left me no choice, Bella. I'm very sorry Carlisle, Rose, and of course you, Edward, but as I say I've run out of options."

As they stared at me in bewilderment I turned to my ace in the hole.

"I think it's time, Rachel if you please."