Hello everyone! I have another update for you all! As we are drawing near the end of this fic, things are going to start moving a bit quickly. Be prepared.

As always, I do not own Twilight or its characters.

Bella was pale, more so than normal, when Esme laid her gently onto the hotel bed. She hovered anxiously by her bedside before Rosalie darted forward and grabbed her hand.

"Mom, are you alright?"

Esme turned to Rosalie, a blank expression on her face before it cleared into a beautifully wide smile. She wrapped Rosalie in a hug, catching her off guard.

"I did it, Rose. I left."

Rosalie laughed a tearfilled laugh before she pulled Esme even closer to her.

"Yeah, yeah you did Mom, and we don't ever have to go back."

Esme laughed, pulling back so she could look Rosalie in the face.

"We don't do we?" She looked at Rosalie then, taking in her ruby eyes and the casual way she was dressed. She noticed how much happier Rose seemed to be, there in that hotel room with nothing to her name except her mate. "You and Emmett, were you planning to come back?"

Rosalie frowned, her expression troubled.

"We'd always come back for you, Mom. We just brought help this time."

The door burst open then, Emmett's large body taking up the doorframe.

"MOM!" He hurried to Esme's side, eyes taking in every inch of her. "Are you alright? Did Edward try to hurt you?"

Esme accepted Emmett's bear hug, laughing and burying her face in his chest like she always wanted but was too afraid to do.

"Oh Emmett sweetheart, I think for once, I was the one to do the hurting!" Emmett laughed at her response, gently kissing her hair before letting her go.

"That's damn right, way to go Mom!"

"While this is real touchin', I think we'd better figure out how bad off Bella is. The Major is 'bout to be here in ten minutes, and that's if we're lucky." Peter turned to Esme then, giving her a quick smile. "Ma'am, pleasure to meet ya."

Esme's first instinct was to duck behind Emmett, but then she straightened up and offered Peter her hand. Peter grinned at her before stepping forward and shaking her hand.

"And who might you be?"

"Peter Whitlock, ma'am. I'm Bella's great-uncle, and all around good time." He leaned forward and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. "Between you and me, I'm the best Whitlock, but don't let little one's mate hear that."

Esme nodded and glanced back at Bella.

"Bella has a mate?" She looked at Rose and Emmett for confirmation.

"Yeah, and he can be a scary fucker-"

"Glad my reputation is hangin' on strong." Jasper's words cut off Emmett's response. He was a shadow in the doorway, and his dark eyes assessed the room before landing on Bella. In a blink, he was by her side, taking her hand in his. "Damnit kitt'n, I leave ya for not even a full day…"

Esme watched closely, and was happy to see how tenderly Jasper cradled Bella's hand to him. His eyes snapped up to hers before she could look away.

"Ya scent is all over her. Are you the one that got her away from the mind-reader?"

Esme nodded, but Peter cut in before she could reply.

"How the hell did you know that is who had her?"

Jasper rolled his eyes at Peter before turning to look back at Bella.

"Had a run in with Cullen. Blonde one, Imma guessin' that's the doc?" His fingers flittered over Bella's pulse point, and up towards the bruising inside her elbow before he continued. "He tossed Bella's phone at me, said some nonsense 'bout his son deservin' a treat, then fuckin' threw some newborns at me before I could rip his smug head off."

He looked up then, his gaze dark and piercing.

"This is a needle puncture, what the fuck was that mind-reader doin'?"

Esme stepped forward, but Rosalie caught her hand, stepping up beside her.

"One of the newbies that we took with us from Seattle was in Edward's pocket and we didn't know. She had this power, could knock someone out with a touch?" Rosalie kept her voice strong, despite how unsettling Jasper's gaze on her was. "Turns out it works on vamps, she knocked out the guards we had at the hotel, then got me. From what I could gather from her when I put her back together, she thought Edward loved her. He used that to get Bella."

Jasper's eyes swivelled to Esme, and Rosalie gave her hand a soft squeeze for strength.

"I found Bella in the basement of the house. I...I don't think Edward realized anyone was still there. I was upstairs when I smelled the blood, and when I got down to the basement…" Esme paused, her eyes shading dark in anger as she remembered the scene. "He had Bella on that fucking table! She was all hooked up and he was filling blood bags up like they were, fuck, what do you call them Emmett, dear? Capri-suns?"

She snarled, her pretty face scrunched up in anger.

"I couldn't let him do that. Not to Bella. Not to anyone." She met Jasper's eyes then, seeing a similar anger reflected back at her. "I tore his arms off, and then ripped his head right off his body."

Jasper nodded, a quiet sort of respect.

"Ma'am, I appreciate you gettin' my mate back safely." He turned back to Bella, his eyes tracing her face, her gentle breathing. "We've had too many damn close calls lately."

Peter wrangled them up then, ushering the group out of the room so Jasper could be alone with his mate.

As soon as the door closed behind them Jasper was in bed with Bella, pulling her into his arms. He buried his face into her hair, eyes closed tight against the rage and hurt that still stormed inside him.

"Damnit kitt'n. I swear you're fuckin' tryin' to die before your time."

He took a deep breath of her scent and let himself be lulled into a semblance of calm by the sound of her heartbeats.

A few rooms down, Esme sat on a small sofa, Rosalie and Emmett flanking her. Peter smiled at them from his spot across the room and desperately wished that he had even a small amount of the Major's power; if only so he would be able to get rid of how damn awkward it was in here.

"I've heard a lot about ya Esme, but I gotta say, wasn't quite expecting the circumstances of our meeting."

Esme nodded, her hands resting in her lap. She was surprisingly calm, a fact that seemed to unnerve her two 'children'.

"Yes, I suppose you expected me to be the one needing rescuing, yet it became the other way around." She paused, her head tilted as if she was trying to figure out what Peter's angle was. "That is why you are all here isn't it? Something Carlisle has gotten up to?"
"Yes ma'am, it seems your mate has-"

Esme cut Peter off with a vicious snarl.

"Don't. Don't call him my mate. He's hardly my husband, much less my mate." Esme stared Peter down until he gave a hesitant nod, as he learned long ago to fear an angry woman. Satisfied, Esme gave a short nod in response. "Now that's settled, what has he done? Some nonsense about newborns was mentioned earlier?"

Peter nodded again, making a mental note that the Esme that Rosalie described was as good as dead. Whoever this Esme was in front of him surely wasn't a meek abused thing. Not any longer at least.

"Yeah. Seems like Pops has been trying to build a newborn army. Hasn't been doin' a good job of it as we dismantled a rogue faction over in Seattle, but shit's still illegal." Peter shrugged. "And as the Major is the pseudo ruling party over here in the states, we hafta come by and shut it down."

Esme leaned forward, an almost calculating look in her eye.

"The Major? Bella's mate, correct?"

Peter snorted.

"Fuckin' understatement of the century. Those two we're destined for each other. Ain't never seen the Major wrapped up in someone like he is with her, but hell, my niece is damn special so I get it."

Esme leaned back with a contemplative hmm and a small smile on her face.

"And the Major, as you call him, has the same authority as the Volturi? Is allowed to pass judgement without consulting them?"

"They call him the Prince, Mom. It's why we went to him in the first place." Rosalie murmured, reaching out to lay a hand on Esme's shoulder.

"Yeah, imagine our surprise when we found out Bella was there; and a Princess to boot!" Emmett chimed in, giving Esme a quick smile.

"The Major holds authority over North and South America, but I wouldn't call him a Prince if I was you." Peter said, smiling. "He hates that title."

Esme smiled, a genuine one, and gave a short nod.

"No, I don't imagine he does, he doesn't seem the type. Now, the question I really wanted to know." She paused, "You're here to kill him, aren't you?"

Rosalie and Emmett froze, but Peter simply nodded.

"Him and anyone who was aware of the newborns." His gaze sharpened, "Are you going to interfere? Because I'm afraid despite you earning some favor by saving Bella, we can't let that happen."

"Interfere? Interfere?" Esme laughed, sharp and loud enough that Rosalie and Emmett flinched. "That self-righteous son of a bastard deserves everything coming his way and more! Hell, let me be the one to toss his head into the flames!"

She gasped then, her hand flying up to her mouth.

"Oh no! I didn't burn Edward!" She made a pitiful sounding noise of disappointment. "Oh he's probably already put back together by now! What was I thinking!"

Peter laughed, followed shortly by Emmett, and then Rosalie.

"Aw Ma, I think it's alright. We all know the Major wanted a piece of him anyway." Emmett said through his laughter, "Besides, pretty boy is probably crying over the scars right now anyway. His little mate is probably just as bad."

Esme gasped again.

"Oh Alice!" She said, as if she just remembered the newest member of their 'family'. "She probably hates me now!"

"Mom, it's okay, Alice is a spoiled brat anyways-" Rosalie tried to say, but Esme cut her off.

"I should have taken one of Edward's hands." She looked up at them with a seemingly innocent amber gaze. "The one with that hideous promise ring on it that Alice insisted he get."

Rosalie stared for a moment before breaking out into a new round of giggles, setting off everyone else in the room.

"You're ruthless Mom. I love it."

Edward hissed as Alice delicately rubbed a little more of her own venom into the seam at his shoulder.

"Careful Alice! That stings!" His petulant tone made her frown, but she didn't say anything. Well, at least not out loud. "Don't you dare Mary Alice, this is just as much your fault as mine! How did you not see this coming?"

"I told you Edward, my love," Alice sighed, rubbing at her temples for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last few hours. "As soon as you took Bella you vanished from my sight. Besides, you know the future is based upon decisions! I never would have thought to keep Esme in my sight!"

"Wretched harlot of a woman." Carlisle muttered from his spot at his desk with his head buried in his hands. "I should have known better. You can never trust a woman."

"Father…"
"Do not correct me, Mary Alice!" Carlisle roared, his head snapping up to glare at Alice. She shrank into Edward's side at the sight of Carlisle's darkened gaze. "After all, did you not fail Edward? Just now, did you not fail Edward, your mate, and me? Me as your father?"

Carlisle sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Nevermind, it matters not now." He straightened up and gave Edward and Alice a smile, his eyes back to their constant light honey color. "You two are the only ones who are truly important, and we have been blessed enough that Edward is alright."

Alice straightened up, giving Carlisle a tentative smile in return. Her smile brightened when Edward gingerly moved his arm around her shoulders.

Carlisle strode forward, placing a ginger kiss on each of their foreheads before sweeping towards the door.

"Come now, we must go to the newborns, make sure they are adjusting well." He gave a short laugh, looking over his shoulder at them. "After all, what is it that they say? The next generation is our future!"

Alistair shifted himself deeper into the shadows as he watched the Cullens enter the warehouse. It was surprisingly easy to hide himself from the mind-reader, and he had to tamp down a snarl thinking how such a weak vampire had managed to hurt his Princess with his manipulations so.

He back-tracked a few miles out, and then took out his cell-phone.

"Go for Peter."

"Captain, I have the location of the warehouse. It is the only one that I've managed to clock the Cullens going to the past few days."

Peter hummed over the line, and Alistair waited.

"Good work, Al." Alistair tamped down his annoyance at the nick-name. "I'm going to fill Garrett in, and he's going to take your post over."

"Understood. Where am I to go?" Alistair had been shuffled so much the past few weeks that he almost longed for the solitude of a nice tall tree to perch in. Peter's tone was serious when it came over the line.

"Ya done your part, Al. But you might want to head back to the hotel, Bella's in recovery and-"
"What? What happened to the Princess?" It wasn't in Alistair's nature to cut people off, much less people as important as the Captain, but Bella had quickly become one of the few that he considered worth his effort.

"There was an incident, it's been taken care of, but as we all know how important Bella is to you...well, I have the feeling the Major is gonna want you as body-guard."

"I'll be there shortly."

Peter laughed, and Alistair tried not to bristle at the sound of it.

"At ease, Al. Get yourself a snack first. The Major is with her now so your 'Princess' is secure. Besides, we're going to need everyone at full strength tomorrow. Game plan starts as soon as the Cullen's leave the warehouse."

Frustrated, but unfortunately seeing Peter's logic, Alistair grumbled something over the line and hung up. He glanced around at where he was in town, and seeing a RedCross location, he smiled.

Time to rob a blood bank.

So! What do we think? Y'all know I love to hear from you, and I'm in constant awe at the love this fic gets. I'm overjoyed that so many of you didn't see Esme coming! Here's to hoping that I can keep surprising you lot.