Chapter Eighteen

Bella

There was a point when I thought Maggie was going to refuse point blank to attend her birthday party if Jasper didn't go, but he spoke very patiently to her, and eventually, she agreed.

"I think you are very lucky to have so many people who want to celebrate your birthday but I do need to go out for a while. I promise you that I'll be back later and you can tell me all about it."

"But you've already been out. Why do you have to go again?"

"Because I'm a grown-up and I have grown-up stuff to do."

She pulled a face then changed the subject, "Does that grumpy man have to be there Papa?"

He smiled, "Yes, my love he does and you should try to be polite to him. I know he won't be grumpy with you if you give him a chance."

Jasper and I had talked at length about Edward's relationship with Maggie and I knew he was right. I shouldn't turn her against him, he was still her biological father. If only he wasn't such a ... Well, if only things could be different between us. I didn't want to go back to him. What we had was dead, but I had a responsibility to be the adult because of Maggie and hope that maybe Edward meant what he had said earlier.

The Volturi had gone to town for her and although there were a few more people than I was comfortable with, everyone gave Maggie plenty of space.

Sulpicia and Athena came over to introduce themselves while Maggie was playing with a mountain of balloons which looked bizarrely out of place to me in the present setting.

"I hope you don't mind us attending, Bella. We couldn't wait to see Maggie. She's such a pretty little thing and she's been a big hit with Aro and Marcus. Even Caius mentioned her last night which is most unusual. We bought a present we'd like to give to your daughter if you approve."

I nodded, they were making such an effort to be agreeable I could hardly be less gracious,

"Of course. Thank you."

There was quite a heap of presents, Maggie was certainly being spoiled but it was her first birthday party so what the hell!

When Edward finally appeared he looked very subdued and merely acknowledged my presence with a nod of his head. He found a place where he could watch Maggie without being seen, but of course, she sensed he was there.

She looked over at him with a puzzled look on her face then went back to opening presents. There were lots of books and craft materials plus DVDs. She'd never seen a TV until we arrived in Volterra and was mesmerized by the cartoons. I didn't want her to become a slave of the screen but to be able to fit in with other children from time to time, she needed some of the same experiences.

There was a small cake and she and I sat together to try it out. Again, extraordinary care had been taken. It had a single fat candle on the top of the pink frosting and her name written in white icing.

"This is nice."

Maggie wiped her mouth with a napkin and nodded, "Not as good as Aunt Maggie's though."

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I'll let you in on a secret. Shop bought isn't usually as good as home-made but no one here cooks so it had to be bought."

She thought about that, "I don't think I'd like it, not eating. I wish Papa was here. He'd eat the cake with us."

I nodded smiling, for Maggie, he would do almost anything, including trying her cooking experiments. My theory was that she just liked to see the faces he made.

Suddenly a shadow hovered over us.

"Hello, Maggie. May I sit with you?"

She looked up at Edward, "If you like."

He smiled in relief, he'd obviously been expecting her to blank him and sat down nervously.

"Thank you. You got a lot of presents."

She nodded, a mouth full of cake prevented more and I stepped in, "Yes, she's been very lucky."

He never took his eyes off her, "I hope you liked the books I chose for you."

She nodded again, "I like books about animals. Thank you."

He smiled at her reply and I got the impression he was relieved to have gotten something right.

"I like your dress."

"Thank you, Mommy bought it for me. I like red."

"Better than green?"

She stared at him frowning, "Yes."

As if understanding that she had hurt his feelings she continued, " I like green too, just not as much. The dress was pretty too, thank you."

Then she turned to me, "Can I go play with Esme now please, Mommy?"

I nodded, "Of course. Just let me wipe that frosting off your chin. It looks like you grew a beard."

She giggled and then she was gone.

Edward watched her run off, "Well that went better than I expected. At least she didn't ignore me."

"Maggie is very well mannered, she wouldn't do that. She just doesn't know or trust you, Edward."

"I understand that. I have a lot to live down. She is very beautiful, just like you, Bella. I was a fool, I see that now. I had everything a man could ever have wanted and I let it all slip through my fingers. Jasper appears to have been in the right place at the right time."

I rose to Jasper's defense immediately, "You're wrong there. Jasper was the right man. There's a difference. I'm not going to dig up everything that's happened, Edward. You just have to accept that Jasper and I are together and that Maggie regards him as her father. Not you."

I waited for Edward to become angry or argumentative but he just sighed heavily before continuing.

"I had a long talk with Carlisle last night. He didn't pull any punches. I know that what happened was my fault. I just hope you'll allow me to keep in contact. I'd like to try and build a relationship with Maggie as she grows up. She might even decide that I'm not such a monster in time."

"You're not a monster, Edward. I never gave her that impression and neither did Jasper."

"Oh, I know. It was my 'brother' who persuaded me to attend the party. I wasn't going to."

I frowned, genuinely surprised.

"Jasper did?"

"Yes. he's more of a man than I am, it would appear. He said that I was Maggie's biological father, there was no hiding that, and it was up to me to forge a relationship with her. That neither you nor he would attempt to stop me as long as I was sensitive to Maggie's needs."

I was taken aback, "Oh, I didn't know."

"I suspected that you didn't. I should tell you that I spoke to the Volturi earlier too. I told them I had no further objections to you leaving with Maggie. That I would work with you to build a relationship with my daughter. There is no point in attempting to fight you. It would only cause antagonism between us and push Maggie further away from me. I see that now."

"So that's why Sulpicia and Athena are here with Marcus and not Aro or Caius. I did wonder. I'm grateful to you for that, Edward. Thank you."

"No. I should thank you for being a better person. I'm glad you've found happiness with Jasper. Maybe I'll find the same one day. At least I have Carlisle and Esme. Provided I can explain things to Rose and Emmett. Last time I saw them Emmett wanted to rip my head off."

I sighed, he seemed genuinely remorseful, "He and Rose understood what I needed. I'm sure they'll forgive you too, in time."

He sighed, "I hope so. Anyhow, I'm going to say goodbye to Maggie and then I'm leaving. Will you let me know when you find a base so I can write to her?"

"Of course."

I watched as he went over to his daughter and knelt at her side to speak to her. She glanced at me quickly for reassurance and then turned back and listened to him before nodding. They chatted for a few minutes and then he left.

Maggie was out on her feet by the time the party broke up and I carried her back to the suite to find Jasper waiting there for us. He took her from me and carried her through to the bedroom, stripping off her shoes and dress and then covering her up with the comforter.

"One night without a bath won't hurt her and she's deadbeat. I take it she enjoyed her party?"

I nodded sitting beside him on the couch and stretching tense muscles. "She had a great time. There's a pile of presents almost as tall as she is waiting downstairs to be collected. Everyone was very sweet to her."

"I thought they would be or I wouldn't have let you go alone. Remember I'm still your protector."

I smiled leaning against him and feeling the nervous exhaustion leave my body.

"For always. By the way, I had a very interesting conversation with Edward this afternoon."

"Right."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to speak to him?"

He shrugged, "It just occurred to me that Maggie needs all the family she can get and I can afford to be magnanimous. After all, I got the love of the two most important girls in the world. There are too many children without parents and I think once he's considered it Edward will see that being Maggie's friend is better than losing her altogether."

I sighed, "You're a very wise man, Jasper. I just wish you could work out a solution to my other problem."

"You mean, Charlie? Carlisle told me that he's causing waves."

"I know and I feel terrible. He would be over the moon with Maggie but how can I tell him about her? The Volturi aren't going to be too happy if they find out. Besides, I plan to become a vampire, Jasper, and that means I can't see my dad again, doesn't it?"

"Well, I can't see your father swallowing a story about vampires in Forks anyhow but maybe you could see him, Maggie, too. At least in the short term."

"How?"

"I know it's a stretch because Maggie is so developed. I mean he knows you've only been married for about a year and you weren't pregnant at the wedding. I mean even if you were you couldn't possibly have a child as old as Maggie appears. It's just not possible. How about you introduce her as your foster daughter or adopted daughter? He's still going to think it's crazy but he might swallow it if you give him something to work with."

"But she's growing so fast, Jasper. We could only get away with it once."

"True, so how about giving him a choice? He can believe that and see you and Maggie at least for a while or he chooses not to see you ever again."

"I don't know. I don't want to put him at risk but I hate to just vanish from his life."

"I doubt if he would accept that anyhow. He's a cop, he's going to want answers. Why don't you reach out to him? Ask to meet and see how the land lies. Then you can decide. The lie about you being ill is believable, you're still looking pale and a little fragile. If you decide the only thing is to say goodbye then at least you'll get the chance to see him one more time."

I thought about this. I could just vanish and leave my dad with unanswered questions but would he pursue Carlisle and put his existence in danger? It was such a mess.

Too tired to think about it more that night I snuggled down on the sofa in Jasper's arms and fell asleep instantly.

The next day I received an invitation to meet with the brothers and they told me that Edward had renounced his intention of fighting for his daughter.

Aro studied my expression as he spoke very cautiously,

"It would appear that someone has talked some sense into him. It's also clear that although Maggie is very wary of her father he does have feelings for her and perhaps they could be encouraged gently?"

"I think that's a possibility. I have promised to update him on her progress."

Marcus smiled, "That's a very mature decision, Bella. It's a shame that it's taken such a terrible mess to make Edward grow up. It would appear there is hope for him, however."

"Does this mean we are free to leave?"

Aro sighed and I tensed, had they been merely softening me up for the blow?

"We see no reason why not, provided you keep a close watch on her interactions with humans and if there are any concerns that you bring them to us. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Yes, and thank you."

Aro smiled, "We do get a bad press, Bella, and we are not unreasonable people. We just have to act decisively when our subjects are vampires. We will of course be keeping an eye on your little family from time to time but it will be unobtrusive I promise you. We hope to hear very soon that you have joined us although we do understand that there will be a certain delay under the circumstances. We are trusting you to continue to keep our secret, after all, you have good reason to now."

I understood and told him so amazed they hadn't put more pressure on me.

The meeting broke up soon after but as I was leaving Marcus asked if he could speak with me in private. Once more my apprehension spiked but he appeared well disposed and had spoken up for Maggie and me all along so I pushed it back down again as I followed him to his study in the archives.

"Please, Bella. Sit, make yourself comfortable."

I looked around at the book-lined walls with approval. How wonderful it must be to have the time to read so many and they were so varied going by the few titles I could read on their spines.

"I suppose I should get to the point of asking you here. I am interested in what you plan to do about your parents. As you know it is against our laws for you to tell them about us. Therefore you will find it impossible to explain away your daughter.

We both know that you will become a vampire very soon, how could it be otherwise as you plan on spending the rest of your life with Jasper Whitlock? I'm sure your father is not a fool. As a police officer, he would soon notice the changes in his daughter. I can't speak for your mother but I rather doubt that she is a fool either."

I was about to say that I was going to remain missing as far as they were concerned but something made me pause. I didn't want to lie to this man who had been so helpful to me.

"Jasper and I have discussed the subject. It seems whatever I do could be dangerous either for Charlie or for Carlisle and his family."

He nodded, his eyes fixed on my face.

"I feel bad about just vanishing leaving him to worry about what happened to me and assuming the worst, especially as I will be happy and safe but I don't want to put his life in danger."

"Yes, it's quite a quandary. Would your father be willing to join you in our world?"

I laughed, "He wouldn't even believe there is such a world. My dad sees the world he knows and only what he knows to be in it. He'd probably have me certified if I started ranting about vampires and hybrids."

Marcus nodded sagely, "Yes. I think we all felt that way once, we just forget. Well, keep us informed of your progress, Maggie's I mean. You can always reach me here if I can be of any assistance."

"Thank you, Marcus, for everything."

"I knew from the moment I first set eyes on you that you were going to test us. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Goodbye, Bella."

He stood and offered his hand which I took. His touch was cold but gentle and he smiled as I thanked him once more before leaving him to his books.

We left Volterra the next day flying back to the States although I still didn't know what I was going to do about Charlie. We didn't know where we were going either. A trip back to Maggie's farm was as far as we got and it wasn't until we were aboard the flight that I remembered the envelope Maggie had given me for Jasper. Well, we were leaving Volterra so I guess it was time to give it to him if I could find it!