AN: Alright let's keep this story moving! Thank you, most gracious reviewers, seriously friends, your words mean the world to me. I'm still struggling to get back to the longer chapter length, I haven't had as much time to write lately so I prefer getting out little bits of the story when I can instead of waiting for some magical 25th hour in the day when I can sit down and write like a maniac. Anyways, as always please don't hesitate to tell me what you think!

Carlisle's POV

The more I spoke, the more Bella's face lost its color. My mind harbored a moment of doubt, wondering if I should be the one telling her all of this instead of Edward himself. But I dismissed the thought. I had caused her enough pain already due to my failure to intercede as any decent father-figure would. As I finished my explanation and the ensuing apologies, she began to shake from head to toe. Esme saw her trembling and met my eyes, concern evident in her questioning look. An infinitesimal shake of my head was enough to reassure her. We simply waited in silence, allowing Bella time to process all of the information I had given her. I was not sure how I expected her to respond. Several emotions flickered in her eyes in quick succession. Another minute passed before she took several deep breaths and her lips turned up slightly, hinting at a smirk that surprised both Esme and I.

"Okay, well that explains a lot." Bella spoke without meeting our eyes. It was obvious her mind was moving a mile a minute. "You know, after Jacob's friend found me in the woods, Dr. Gerandy checked me over. A few weeks later, Charlie talked about bringing me back in to see him. I could tell he thought I had lost it. I think there was a part of me that thought that, too. Though I knew Dr. Gerandy wasn't going to be able to fix anything."

I could picture it all too easily, Charlie and Dr. Gerandy sharing concerned looks behind Bella's back. Unbeknownst to them, a supernatural problem beyond their capabilities at the root of Bella's pain. At the root of her deathly silence.

"But," her voice paused, taking on a cautiously optimistic tone, "if what you are telling me is true, then I was not crazy. I wasn't weak. In fact, I reacted pretty much as you had feared I would."

Her words held me beneath a crushing weight. I hated that she had been forced to spend months thinking that she might have gone crazy after all. Her relief was evident. And it didn't come from hearing me say she was Edward's mate. No, she was consoled to hear that there was a logical explanation to how she had reacted to his disappearance. "No, Bella. You were not crazy. And you certainly were not weak."

Another small smile settled across her face. A peaceful smile. She thought for a moment more before her eyes suddenly scrunched up. Then she turned her head in our direction and fixed me with a questioning gaze. "Can I ask you both something?"

Esme and I answered at the same time. "Anything." "Of course, dear."

"Well, it's just, if you suspected that the separation would have such an effect, why did you let him go through with it? Couldn't you have stopped him? Convince him otherwise? Or at least stayed behind while he left?" The smile had disappeared from her face as her voice grew more nettled with each question. I could feel my face twitch as I kept myself from wincing. Her questions were just and served as painful reminders of how we had failed her. Esme reached out and placed her hand on my arm, giving me an encouraging nod.

"When he came to me and spoke of his intentions to leave, I did initially balk at his plans. As did most of the others." I shared a knowing glance with Esme, my own face chagrined in response to the pointed look she sent my way.

I continued my story, knowing I owed her every ounce of the truth. "But, I could see his determination. And his stubbornness." At that, Bella nodded in understanding. "At the core of his arguments was his fear for you. Fear that our world would hurt you. That one of us would hurt you. That he might hurt you. And not just physically. Last fall you and I discussed a subject that has always weighed heavily on Edward, the idea of the soul. The way he saw things, your presence in our world would either end with your physical demise or your soul's demise. And the thought terrified him."

Bella's regard was thoughtful, though I could sense a growing impatience. She had heard this all before.

"To a certain degree, I understood him. His concerns were justified. But what we-, what I, allowed to happen because of that fear, is not. You see, in the nearly one hundred years that we have lived together, Edward has rarely asked something so desperately of me. Every sudden move that the family had to do to protect one of our own, he never said a word. Every time we have asked him to keep an eye on the thoughts of those around us, in the name of protecting our secret, he has done so dutifully and without complaint. When he begged me to leave, I could not bring myself to say no. I felt as though I owed it to him. But what I realize now is that by agreeing to his demands, I denigrated my commitment to you, Bella. I owed things to you, too. We all did. You have always given us your unyielding love and acceptance, and we failed you. Yes, we thought Edward would race back to you within days, a couple of weeks at the most. But then he began his pursuit of Victoria-"

"Victoria?" The fierce look on her face transformed into one of shock.

"Yes, Edward feared that she would seek revenge for our family's destruction of her mate. He was of the opinion that she would return to you eventually, a mate for a mate."

Bella's eyes widened further, "An eye for an eye, right."

I rushed to try and reassure her. "We have no proof that she is planning anything. I think he just needed something to work towards, to feel as though he was still keeping you safe."

At that she scoffed, "Right, his 'distractions'."

"In some ways, I suppose, yes. He left several months ago to track her. And he has only contacted us a handful of times since."

Silence settled over the room as Bella took in all of the new information.

I tentatively changed the direction of our conversation. "We have another day or two before the change must begin. Whatever you need, whatever questions you have, please know that you can come to us. There are a few-"

"There is one thing." Bella interjected.

"Of course, anything."

"I'd like to see Alice."

Before either Esme or I could respond, the sound of squealing tires resounded from the road. I could hear the car race up the driveway, gravel spraying at every bend in the narrow road. Bella's head turned sharply towards the front door at the sound of a car door slamming.

The three of us spoke in unison, "Alice."