Carlisle's POV

I had begun to feel nervous as I saw Isabella off of to school the next morning. Esme had sent me a text message an hour ago, informing me that she and our children were leaving Denali.

We expect to arrive in Forks by three o'clock-E

Alice had also sent one telling me that Edward would be joining them when they had reached southern Canada. She told me that he was not as depressed any longer when I asked if he was okay. I did not comment on this, knowing that he would feel worse than ever after I revealed that Isabella and I were soul mates.

I told Isabella that they were returning while she ate her breakfast. Her face turned very pale. I hated making her nervous. She was taking the first two of seven finals tomorrow, and she was afraid that she would not do her best. If she didn't pass, she wouldn't graduate next week.

"Do they know about us yet?" she inquired.

"No. Alice is going to wait until they are home before we tell them everything," I replied.

She bit her lip. "I hope that none of them will be too angry, especially Edward and Esme. I know that the news will hurt them," she murmured.

Exhaling deeply, I stroked her hair. "Yes, there is a fair chance that it will. But they will be all right in the end. Edward will eventually find his mate, as will Esme. They will be happier than they could have imagined possible when they do."

After Isabella was gone, I tidied up the bathroom and the spare room. I sprayed air freshener around the mansion too. The last thing I wanted to hear was that it smelled like our bodily fluids.

I did some online paperwork in my office, then went to the market to buy more groceries. I headed to the bookstore in Port Angeles to see if there was not anything that I haven't read yet. After buying several novels, I returned home.

The rest of the morning and the first half of the afternoon went by quickly. I was in the middle of a novel when I heard the sound of my Mercedes and Emmett's Jeep approaching. I glanced at my watch; it was 3:07.

I laid the book on my desk and ghosted downstairs to wait for them. Both vehicles were parking in the garage minutes later.

Alice and Jasper came through the door first. I chuckled when she jumped into my arms.

"Hi Carlisle!" she declared brightly.

"Hello, there," I murmured, kissing her temple.

I hugged Jasper as Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie walked out of the door. Edward followed them, looking a bit sulky.

Esme gave me a small smile as Emmett and Rosalie embraced me. I returned it with a tiny one of my own, relieved that she did not appear upset.

I went to hug Edward next, but he moved away with a scowl.

"Why do I smell Bella on you?" he demanded.

Alice looked at her shoes. The others stared at me, waiting for my answer.

I was thinking of one that would not cause him to fly into a fury when I noticed that Alice's eyes became unfocused. Then she turned to the door.

"Bella's coming," she stated.

She was right; I heard her Chevrolet zooming up the driveway.

When Isabella stepped out of her truck, she froze. Alice and Esme chuckled as they came with me to say hello to her. Everyone else trailed after us.

I knew better than to kiss Isabella in front of Edward, so I gave her a warm hug. She did not attempt to kiss me, so she obviously knew that it was not in our best interest to as well.

"How are you?" I questioned.

"Good. You okay?" she returned.

"Yes, I'm fine. Did you have a good day at school?"

"Mm-hmm."

Alice embraced Isabella next, then Emmett swung her around.

"I missed you this weekend, Bella," he said.

She laughed. "I missed you too."

Jasper and Rosalie inclined their heads, and she nodded back with a grin.

Esme hugged her tightly. "Hello, Bella. It's wonderful to see you."

"It's great to see you too."

The atmosphere became a little tense when Isabella turned to Edward. By looking at their expressions, it was clear that neither of them were sure about what to do.

Finally, Edward smiled at her. "Hi Bella."

"Hi Edward. How are you?" she queried.

"I am as well as I can be." He leaned down to peck her forehead. I saw him grimace, but he did not make any comments.

Pursing my lips, I waved my hand. "Let's go inside, now. I believe that Alice has told you that we have something very important to discuss."

We headed upstairs to the family room. Esme sat down on the armchair while Edward lowered himself onto his piano bench. Alice and Jasper made themselves comfortable on one of the the loveseats. Rosalie and Emmett plopped onto the other. Isabella and I sat on the couch, but kept distance between us. Edward narrowed his eyes at us in confusion. However, he didn't say anything about this either.

Once we were situated, it grew quiet. None of us could think of anything to say. Alice and I in particular did not know how to begin to reveal to everyone that Isabella was my soul mate.

I could tell from the way that Edward was looking at me that he was trying to read my mind. However, since I was thinking in Italian, he would not understand a word.

Alice exhaled deeply. "I guess I should start talking now before Edward runs out of patience. I won't bring up what happened on Sunday. There's no need for me to discuss what we already know. But the reason why I'm bringing this up is because I had a vision that day which explained why Carlisle and Bella did what they did. After I tell you what I saw, important decisions will have to be made. One had been already," she stated.

Esme blinked in surprise. "It must have been important if a decision has been made. What happened, and what was your vision about?" she inquired.

"Yes, tell us," Rosalie said.

"Please do," Edward added.

Emmett and Jasper bobbed their heads in agreement.

With another sigh, Alice leaned forward. "My vision showed me that Carlisle isn't your mate, Esme. And Edward, Bella isn't your mate either..."

"THAT'S A LIE!" Edward yelled as he bolted out of his seat in a flash. Isabella jumped, startled.

Alice shook her head. "No, Edward. It's not a lie at all. See for yourself."

He did not move as he read her thoughts. Then his livid expression changed to one of understanding, grudging acceptance, disappointment, and resignation. I also noticed a hint of disgust.

Edward glanced at Isabella and I, then left. I heard the door to his bedroom close a second later. I felt guilty and miserable for his pain, even if it was not my fault.

Esme had not displayed any type of reaction for the entire time, but looked sympathetic when he had gone.

"Don't worry about Edward. He'll be all right after a while," Alice reassured us quietly. "But yes, Bella isn't his soul mate, and Carlisle isn't Esme's. Bella and Carlisle are soul mates. I have already told them this the other day. They completed their bond last night too."

A stunned silence fell upon the room. Emmett and Rosalie's jaws dropped. Jasper's eyes widened, and Esme was thoroughly taken aback.

Isabella hardly breathed; it was easy to see that she was worried how they would take this shocking news. I rubbed her hand comfortingly. She smiled at me and grew less tense.

Esme began to nod slowly after a couple of minutes. "I understand now. It all makes perfect sense."

Jasper inclined his head too. "Yeah, it does."

A grin spread across Rosalie's face. "Mm-hmm. And I'm happy for you both. I truly am."

I could tell that she honestly was.

"So am I!" Emmett proclaimed. "I would be heartbroken if Bella wasn't meant to be in our family!"

We laughed as he spun Isabella around.

"Okay, you can put me back on the sofa now. I'm dizzy," she chuckled a moment later.

Then Esme came over to embrace us. "Neither of you have to worry about me feeling upset because I am honestly glad that you two have each other. I know that you love her already, and that she loves you," she remarked earnestly. She straightened. "I am going to unpack now. I will call our lawyer after that. Since Bella is your mate, there is no reason for us to stayed married any longer." She said this without underlying malice or fury.

I bobbed my head, and she ghosted away. Jasper followed her after punching my shoulder lightly and giving Isabella a quick kiss on the temple. Rosalie hugged us before heading upstairs with Emmett.

"Well," I began, smiling at Isabella. "That turned out better than I thought it would."

She chortled. "I agree with you. Well, I have to get going myself. I need to study for my English and History finals."

"You may do that in my office. I will join you in a bit."

"All right."

We kissed each other lovingly. Then she picked up her book bag as I went upstairs to Edward's room. I needed to make sure that he wasn't feeling too bitter.

I knocked on his door. "Son? May I come in and talk to you?" I queried.

He did not immediately answer. "Yes, I suppose so," he finally muttered in a low voice.

The first thing that I noticed when I entered the room was that he was sitting on his couch. Venom tears were gliding down his cheek.

I rushed over to hug him tightly. I was afraid that he would push me away, but he broke down in my arms. Seeing this tore me apart.

"Edward, I know that you are hurting terribly, and I am so sorry. I would not blame you for despising me," I whispered, cradling him.

"No. I don't despise you at all, Carlisle. Nor do I despise Bella. I thought she was my soul mate...and now that I know that she's not...it breaks my heart. I really do love her. What if I'm not destined to have a mate? I don't want to end up alone," he sobbed.

I kissed his hair. "You should not worry about that. I know for certain that there is someone out there for you...and for Esme. All you need to do is be patient. When the time comes, you shall both find the person that you are destined to be with. I know that you love Bella very much, but your love for her will not be the same, especially after you do meet your true other half. You shall see. Now...please don't cry anymore. You know how much it hurts me when you do."

He gradually settled down. He beamed at me once he had dried his face. "I'm happy for you and Bella, Dad. I would never have imagined that you two are soul mates."

I chortled. "None of us expected this to happen. It has taken all of us by surprise."

"That I believe. But I know that you will treat Bella right. You are a good man. At least I won't have to ask you to take care of her."

"Well, I would never think of doing the opposite. You know me."

Edward nodded. "I would after all of these years."

He and I laughed together. Then he sighed.

"I think that I will travel the world after graduation. It has been years since I have. Besides, it will give me time and space to clear my head and think all of this over."

"But Edward, you know that I had planned to take all of you and Isabella to Cancún for a month as a graduation present."

"Yes. Nevermind, then. I will just go on my worldwide trip in the beginning of August."

"That would be better," I remarked.

On that note, I stood up to leave. He did also and embraced me.

"I love you, Dad."

"And I love you, Edward."

Bella's POV

I went to Carlisle's office and plopped down onto his sofa. I took out my study guide for English. I would study that for two hours, then study for my history final.

Carlisle joined me after I had been reading for ten minutes. He knew that I didn't want to be distracted, so he just gave me a quick kiss, making me chuckle. After that, he made himself comfortable on his lounge chair while poring over a book.

Thankfully, the noise in the house was kept down to a minimum. The next four hours went in almost total silence.

My head was throbbing by the time I put my notes away. I sighed wearily. "Carlisle? Do you have any aspirin?" I grunted.

He nodded. "Yes, in one of the cabinets in here. I'll get it for you along with a cup of water. Hold on," he requested.

Carlisle disappeared and returned in a flash. I thanked him before taking the pill and washing it down. I glanced at the clock after that. It was 7:58.

"I need to head home. I would stay, but Charlie will probably get suspicious if I keep asking if he minds me spending the night here. Plus, I would like to go to bed early so that I can have the right mindset for my finals."

"That is a very good idea. Would you like me to be with you, or do you prefer to be alone?"

Pondering this, I said, "You may come over, but if it's all the same to you, I prefer that we don't do anything."

Carlisle smirked. "Not even a quickie?" he joked.

I grinned. "Maybe we can do that. It depends on how I feel."

"What time do you plan to go to sleep?"

"At ten, so you might want to come around nine."

"You can expect me at that time, then."

He and I kissed for a long moment. Once I was able to breathe, I pecked him on the cheek.

"I'm leaving now. You don't have to walk me to my truck. See you in a bit."

Carlisle placed a smooch on my nose. "That is guaranteed."

I strolled out of his office after kissing him one more time.

"Bye, everybody!" I hollered.

"See you tomorrow, Bella!" "Good night, dear!" "Good-bye, Bella!" "Try to get plenty of sleep!" came from all over the house.

I was heading down the stairs to the first floor when I noticed that Edward was standing near the bottom. He did not appear to be upset like he was earlier. To my astonishment, he looked genuinely enthusiastic.

"Good evening, Bella," he murmured.

"Um...hi, Edward," I returned in a confused voice.

Neither of us could think of what to say next. I was sure that there were a lot of things that we desired to tell each other.

I stepped up to him a couple of minutes later. "Edward...I'm sorry."

He lifted his hand. "No, Bella. You have nothing for be remorseful about. It is not your fault that you and Carlisle are mates. Nor is it Carlisle's."

Sighing deeply, I agreed. "I have to go along with that. But I am sorry if you are hurt by this."

"Well, I cannot lie. I did feel hurt initially, and I still do somewhat. However, I am going to be all right. I just wanted to let you know how happy I am for you and Dad. You know that all I wish is for you to be happy too...even if it is with someone else."

"You know that that's what I want for you too."

Edward kissed my temple. "I will let you go now. You do need good night's sleep for tomorrow. And Bella...I love you, no matter what."

I patted his back. "I love you too."

I had just opened the door when he stopped me.

"Oh, and I apologize for frightening you earlier, when I yelled. I did not intend to," he remarked.

"Don't worry about it. It was an accident," I pointed out.

The trip home passed by quickly. When I entered my house, I saw that Charlie was not here.

I went upstairs to my room and threw on my pajamas. It was 8:35. Knowing Carlisle, he would likely be here at 9:00 on the dot.

Smiling to myself, I laid down on my bed to wait for him.

Carlisle's POV

At 8:59, I said good-bye to Esme and my children.

Esme had a brief word with me before I left the mansion.

"I called our lawyer as I told you I would. We need to have a talk when you are off from work tomorrow or sooner," she stated.

"Certainly. I shall return before 5:00am, then," I declared.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

I nodded to her and ghosted away. I made it to Isabella's house at exactly nine o'clock.

She was her laying on her bed when I peeked into her open window. I tapped on it before climbing inside.

We kissed each other hungrily as if we had been apart for years. And since Charlie was gone, we were able to have that quickie that I had mentioned an hour ago. I made it hard and fast, just as we both liked it.

Isabella drifted off into a heavy slumber after we had calmed down from our intense orgasm. The moonlight pouring in from the window shone on her face, making her look more beautiful than ever. I could not help but kiss her.

At four thirty, I reluctantly lifted her off of me to put on my clothes. She stirred, but grew still after a minute.

Before I went home, I laid a note on her pillow.

Good luck on your finals, Isabella dear. I will see you again tonight. I love you.

-Carlisle

(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! That turned out better than you expected it to, didn't it? I hoped you liked the chapter. There are more surprises to come, especially a BIG one that I have planned, so stay tuned!)