~ Chapter 44 ~
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware
of what they're going through.
The girl was perfect. Eighteen or nineteen years old, and beautiful, in an exotic kind of way. She looked like some kind of Indian or Native American... whatever. All Tully cared about was that she had gorgeous long black hair and high cheekbones. He tilted his head at her, maybe she was some Asian type, Tully couldn't tell. What was important was that she seemed right for the profile. The specific set of physical traits and scents needed for a potential to survive the process.
Usually when he was looking for recruits, he found people who were mostly acceptable, or close. There was always some margin for error in this process, but he'd had to have his people dispose of more than one failure because they weren't strong enough to survive the transformation process. Not with this one though, there was something special about her that drew him in. She was, as far as he could tell, absolutely perfect.
He put on his best charming smile and went in for the kill, so to speak. He was vain about his appearance, and it worked wonders for recruiting. Male, female, it didn't make a difference, although this was only the second girl he'd tried to recruit.
The first was Amy, and she was so exciting those first few weeks, but as a plaything, she was only adequate. She was pretty in an obvious sort of way, but far too insipid for Tully's tastes. In the end he was surprised that Amy had actually survived the transformation process, mostly because even though she lived, she displayed a meekness that didn't bode well for long term survival. Maybe this one would be better.
It also helped that he tended to prey on stupid high school or freshmen college students. They were almost always easy prey, looking to spread their wings in the real world, just thinking about that made him almost chuckle. So easy, too easy. Fools, desperate to be adults when most of them had no concept of the definition.
That's why his other two were easy to catch. Although jock types always were. Kevin had been his first acquisition, and he was a good second in command, even though Tully knew he'd have to replace him sooner or later. Last and least of course was Tommy, who was a waste of material in Tully's eyes. Lumbering, stupid, but ultimately loyal. He was an attack dog, a shock troop, basic cannon fodder. Which was important as far as his master's were concerned.
To Tully though, he wanted more. He wanted a team he could depend on, but wanted to make sure that none were strong enough to challenge him. This girl seemed different. His senses practically screamed at him that she was a perfect mate for him. That she would be strong, and powerful, but she was a female so he didn't have to worry about his place as alpha in the group. She would learn her place and accept it.
She smiled at him, as he approached but not exactly the way he expected. She seemed almost impatient as he started to lead with his opening line, which he'd used on countless girls over the years. He didn't like to brag, but he'd had more conquests than Napoleon. Okay, maybe he did like to brag, but that wasn't the point. He was expecting the average shyness and demure look, or a quick glance up and down evaluating him. Instead she met his eyes, and examined his face. Her reaction put him slightly on edge. He didn't want to lose this one. So he changed tactics, going for the sympathetic route instead.
"I was hoping you could help me." His charming smile shifted slightly, so that he seemed a bit more in need. He didn't like to sound like he was pleading, but he couldn't deny the results.
"Oh, um... do I know you?" Her voice was pleasing to Tully's ears even though it was filled with slight suspicion. He imagined it would take years, possibly decades before her grew tired of her. Yes, she would do nicely.
"No, I'm sorry to bug you. I'm Tully. I'm totally turned around, and this map is just no help at all." Tully pulled out the campus map he just picked up from admissions, he'd taken the time to unfold it and refold it improperly so that it appeared as if he'd looked at several times. He used his best sincere voice, though he made sure to leak a bit of frustration. When she smiled in understand he knew she was hooked and he had to stifle a smile in satisfaction.
"Okay, um... where are you trying to get to?" She tilted her head at him, waiting for his answer.
"Whitehall Commons, am I even on the right side of campus?" He said with a touch of desperation. Whitehall was where admissions was, and was the most common destination this early in the semester for lost students.
"Yeah, Whitehall is way on the other side of campus. Hmm, I have some time between classes, I can show you. It's kind of hard to find." She seemed a little reluctant, more than he hoped she would be, but at least she seemed to be buying his ruse entirely. Her shoulders visibly relaxed, and her posture opened up slightly. He gave her wide thankful smile, in faux appreciation.
"Thanks for this, someone should get a petition going to put up signs everywhere, this campus is so confusing." He offered trying to sound resigned to his frustration, but still able to find some humor in it. He knew that would ingratiate her to him, if he sounded a little less helpless, just disoriented.
"That's a good idea, I'd definitely sign that petition, maybe you could get it started when you get settled." She said in a pleasant, but slightly off handed manner. He nodded and smiled in response, but the way she said it made Tully a little nervous, and he didn't want to press his luck. So the rest of the walk happened in silence. When they were halfway across campus, they walked through an area that didn't have much traffic, and the buildings faced in such a way that there were very few windows overlooking the path.
She began to lag behind, feeling suddenly like something was off about the whole situation. Unfortunately it was already too late, because Tommy and Kevin popped up out of their hiding spots behind her. Tully stopped and turned to face her with a smug grin splitting his face nearly in two. The woman turned her body and found Kevin and Tommy were right behind her. She turned back towards Tully and frowned.
"That is Kevin, and the big one is Tommy, they are your new brothers. Amy is the one in the Impala over there. You should wave, you'll have a lot in common soon." With those introductions he nodded to each of them, but didn't wait for her to respond. The nods were just a signal for the other men to move, and after a very brief struggle they had her immobilized. He was surprised when she didn't scream out as she struggled in their arms.
Had they had mere human strength, Tully wasn't entirely sure that she wouldn't have laid at least one of them out. As it was, her strikes were specific and brutal, exploiting vulnerable areas in a way that normally would've been very effective. Unfortunately for her, they healed from the minor injuries far too quickly to acknowledge the temporary pain. Still it took all three of them to hold her down until they got her secured.
To his further surprise she didn't show fear or panic when she realized she was immobilized. It was slightly disconcerting to Tully. Instead of panicking and begging and looking for a way out, she clenched her jaw at him, her face set into an expression of pure hatred.
"You have no idea how big of a mistake this is." She said with conviction. Not that it gave Tully the slightest pause.
"I'll see you on the flipside little girl. Welcome to the pack." Tully smiled maliciously, and signaled Kevin to knock her out. He nodded happily, then he let Tommy take a hold of her and punched her across the face with a heavy right hook. She took it and stared at him, her eyes filled with malice and promised retribution. Her steely resolve managed to unnerve Kevin slightly.
"Bitch has some stamina. I knew she was perfect." Tully said with a bit of a giggle. Kevin wasn't amused, he thought he'd put more than enough into that punch to knock out a normal human. Apparently one thing the girl did not have was a glass jaw. He leaned back and threw himself into the second one. He could feel her jaw bone crack under the strain, but she seemed to fight against the pain and kept her eyes open for several seconds before unconsciousness pulled her under.
"Let's get out of here." Tully ordered. Tommy picked up the unconscious girl and cradled her gently as he made his way towards the old barely running Chevy Impala that Tully was 'restoring'. He reluctantly opened the trunk and laid her inside, she was pretty, and he hated seeing pretty things hurt. Tommy didn't have much in the way of smarts, but he had never been mean, not until Kevin and Tully found him. He tried repeatedly, but he just couldn't fight the orders of his Alpha, no matter how ugly those orders were.
The trip to their lair, as Tully liked to call it, was a short one. The former frat house had mostly burned down in a fire the year before, all that remained was a cavernous basement. They had been using it for a couple of months since it was located a block away from the edge of campus. It was isolated, and no one thought to look around it. The only real downside was the pervasive smell of ashes, but it was something they had learned to lead with. Amy timidly held the door to the basement open for Tommy who was carrying the girl who was already fighting to wake up. Kevin and Tully followed behind them.
The space had been emptied out for the most part. The unfinished space had cinderblock walls, a poured concrete floor, and a couple of pieces of furniture. The electricity had never been shut off, so the mini fridge they set up by the old sink worked to store the catalyst. Tully made his way over to the fridge with a wide smile on his face. Kevin lingered by the stairs, he didn't like the screams that came during the transition. It reminded him of his own fever dreams, dreams that haunted him every time he closed his eyes.
Tommy laid the young woman as gently as he could, without looking like he was treating her gently, on an old cot that had its frame bolted to the floor. Amy repressed a smile, she loved the way Tommy cared. In another life she might've even liked him. He was sweet, even though he was a bit dim. It was a shame to her that neither Tully or Kevin could see he was more than a meat shield. Sure he was nearly seven feet tall and built like a linebacker, but he had such a gentle soul. She leaned against the wall opposite from the stairs, because she liked keeping as much distance from Kevin as possible. She reasoned the less noticeable she was, the less likely he was to hurt her.
Of the three of them, Tommy was the only one that hadn't used her. Technically she was Tully's mate, but Kevin helped himself whenever Tully was in a good mood. Lately it wasn't so often, because the last three recruits had died during the transition. Tully seemed hopeful this time, which meant maybe Amy would get to have a few nights alone. No, if Tully moved on to this girl, Kevin wouldn't hesitate to claim her as his. Wolf politics, she mentally sneered at the idea. Her eyes were vacant as she took in the sight in front of her, holding in her compassion because it wasn't like it did any good anymore. Arguing or even showing displeasure with Tully could end up very painful for all those involved. He was their "Alpha". She wasn't sure how he came up with that title, but it meant no matter how much they wished otherwise, they couldn't do anything against his orders. A fact he liked to remind them of ten or twenty times a day.
Tully pulled the kit out of the fridge and quickly prepared the syringe. The dark pink liquid was thick and viscous, but at least it didn't take much for it to work. Tully loved this part, he always watched with perverse pleasure as the new recruit writhed in pain. "Tommy, she might fight so get the restraints." Tommy obeyed his master, and pulled up out the handcuffs attached to the metal frame of the cot and clicked them onto her wrists and ankles.
Her eyes started to open when Tully pressed the needle into her arm. She started to open her mouth when he depressed the plunger. The effect was immediate. Her body started to contort as muscle spasms racked her body in the kind of pain that would make even the toughest person cry in agony. Then she began to radiate heat, as her temperature shot up by ten degrees in seconds. Even though the pain was obvious, she only gritted her teeth, and let through a small moan occasionally. For twenty minutes she pressed against her restraints, as her body twisted again and again.
Tully stared in fascination. In all the times they'd done this, he'd never seen anyone hold in the screams before. He was proud of the fact that he had gone almost a minute without screaming in pain when he was changed. Tommy had retreated over to Amy, and stood a step in front of her just in case things turned bad. Amy played with her nails, unwilling to look at the poor girl suffer. Kevin had inched his way over to the couch that was facing the cot but didn't sit down, instead he opted to lean against one of the arms. He was also intrigued by the relative silence. Then the links holding the cuffs on her right hand gave way. Tully stepped back in shock, a new recruit shouldn't have the strength to do that. Kevin immediately moved in to secure her hand, using a zip tie to attach it back to the frame of the cot.
"That shouldn't be possible." Tully's face had hardened. He'd been warned of abominations, but he hadn't encountered one before. Doctor Tepes had personally explained the correct way to administer the catalyst. Doctor Tepes had showed Kevin how to do it, over Tully's protests, just in case he needed to take over as Alpha, god forbid.
Kevin tensed up, waiting for the zip tie to give way, or one of the other handcuffs. A few seconds later she stopped moving, her breathing returned to normal, and the extreme heat coming off her settled to a proper one-hundred and eight degrees. Tully smiled crookedly, that was fast for a transition. At least she'd survived it. The only explanation he could think of for her display of strength was that the cuff holding her wrist must have given out from repeated use, the other recruits must've weakened it for her. He clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.
"Well we have a new member. She'll be out for a few hours, so Amy, take Tommy and get her some food. Kevin, why don't you look around for our next recruit. I'll handle her orientation. We can probably get one or two more from the campus before we need to move on." Kevin nodded. So did Amy and Tommy. Although Amy wanted to stop him, she couldn't do a thing when he spoke as their alpha. Tommy gave her a look, he wasn't naive no matter how simple he was, he knew what Tully meant by 'Orientation'.
Then there was a roar, unlike anything any of them had heard. Terror filled their hearts, and they all froze in place. Tully responded with an involuntary jerk of terror, the jolt of the sound was so unexpected that he snapped his head around in shock. Tommy squared his shoulders off ready for a fight. Kevin started to shake, unable to make his feet work. Amy stood in shock, ready to run, but more curious than anything else. What had Tully done to this girl?
An instant later her form erupted, and in her place a giant black wolf stood on the cot snarling at Tully with pure rage in its eyes. Tully sneered, and shed his shirt, though he didn't wait to remove his pants before shifting over the course of five seconds, into a wolf himself. Amy looked between the two wolves in confusion. Besides Tommy, Tully was the biggest of the group by quite a bit. This girl was nearly half again his size, it didn't make sense.
Kevin followed Tully's lead and shifted himself, his mangy dull brown fur was still standing on end, and he couldn't quite force his tail form between his hind legs. Tommy dutifully shifted as well, and so did Amy, although she lingered for a few seconds past what was appropriate for the situation.
"I told you. You've just made the last mistake you'll ever make." The girl's voice came through clearly to Tully, even though he hadn't brought her into the pack officially yet. "My name is Michele Black, I'm the daughter of Jacob Black, and you've just pissed me off."
The voice was like nothing any of them had ever heard. It radiated with a power and rage that made Tully's alpha voice look meek and tiny by comparison.
Tully tensed waiting for the attack, but he wasn't prepared for her speed. She had his throat between her jaws in a micro-second. In the next instant he felt a searing pain as the bottom part of his muzzle was pulled away. Blood splashed on Michele's black fur, as Tully fell, dead before his head even hit the ground. She turned towards Kevin who was the closest, but he had already turned to run. She almost went after him, but the other two were still a threat.
Amy stared in disbelief at the limp body of Tully who had shifted back to human after the vicious assault. Tommy on the other hand was focused on Michele, and had put himself between her and Amy. Michele stared at him for a long moment before anything happened. Then suddenly he felt something press into his mind, it felt different. It was the opposite of Tully and the painful scream he projected into his pack's mind whenever he issued orders. Though at the moment it was filled with rage. "Do you back down?" Her voice was crystal clear, and her will was undeniable. It was the easiest thing in the world to simply back down, to submit to her power. Except he couldn't let Amy be hurt so he puffed his chest out.
"I won't let you hurt her, she's been hurt enough. I'll die first." His heavy voice echoed in both their minds, and Michele could tell he was absolutely sincere. Then a soft hand touched the side of his face, and he turned to find Amy there, her face serene, accepting. She turned to Michele and locked eyes with her.
"I swear we didn't want to hurt you. We didn't have a choice. When Tully said something it was like... our bodies had to obey, and... if we tried to fight it... or even argue. He punished us." She bowed her head in a gesture of subservience.
Michele motioned towards Tommy as if asking for confirmation of what was said. Tommy nodded once in agreement. Then as if a switch had been turned on, they both felt a surge of power and connection unlike anything they had experienced before. Michele just stared at the two new members of her pack, it was a rush, and it was so much more than what she had imagined when her father had tried to describe it to her. The two people in front of her were looking at her with confusion. They didn't understand what had just happened. She sent out a command for Tommy to change back to human and he obeyed instantly.
Michele followed suit a moment later, and took a deep breath, looking at the two of them. "Did he do this to you?" She asked after a moment of contemplation, gesturing with an arm toward the cot she had just been cuffed to.
"Yes... he did. He injected us with whatever that was and then it's pain, and then we turn into wolves. There has been others too, but the last few have died. What are you?" Amy asked curiously, her voice nervous and timid. She still had no idea what had just happened.
"Apparently I truly am my father's daughter. Stay here." Making the last bit an absolute command she turned and in an explosion of fur again she was up and running out of the house.
Michele let her rage take over, as she followed the scent trail of the one that had fled. She wasn't going to let him get away. Not after what he tried to do, what he would have done. She felt the pure power of her form, and a dark exhilaration, as she felt her newly awakened animal side thrill at the idea of the hunt. Her massive paws barely touched the ground as she chased after his scent.
It didn't take her long to catch up, Kevin was in a full out panic flight mode, and didn't seem to have a plan on where to run. He was just running. She caught up to him and charged him from the side, knocking him to the ground. He was up on his feet in an instant, growling threateningly.
She didn't even bother to give him a chance. She pounced.
The fight was over in less than three seconds. For a girl who grew up watching her father and many members of her family fight and claw. It didn't matter that she had just shifted. This wolf was slow and awkward in his lunges. Just like before she latched onto his vulnerable throat and ripped it out. It dawned on her as she watched him writhe on the ground for several seconds before he shifted back to human and went totally still, that she'd just ended two lives. It was almost too much to take in.
She let herself tremble from that new pain for a moment, before she pushed down the conflict and looked around for a place to hide his body. There was a nearby bush that would work to conceal him until at least tomorrow, it would work for now, she didn't have time to properly hide the body. At least she was fairly certain he would be classified as a death by animal attack.
Not sparing the body a backward glance she turned and made her way back to the house she had left. Taking the time to calm her rage. . She should've trusted her gut, Tully smelled wrong from the first moment he walked up. She didn't have the senses of either of her parents, but hers were sharper than most. She was just brought up too well to abandon someone in trouble. She shifted back into her human form as she descended the stairs of the ruined frat house with a small smile. Once she was in their presence again, she couldn't deny the connection she felt to them. That new relationship demanded at least some explanation.
"My father tried so hard to keep me from this, but I guess it was inevitable. I'm from a long line of shifters, werewolves, I was born to be an Alpha. Whatever Tully injected in me just triggered my birthright I think. I guess school's over for the year, shit I was gonna graduate with a perfect attendance record." Michele sighed slightly, then glanced at the cot where the tatters of her clothes remained from when she originally shifted.
"Do you guys have some extra clothes?" Michele asked a little feeling suddenly very exposed. She wasn't sure who these people were, but they were a part of her life now. So she had to start somewhere. She also knew what she was going to next. She had to go home. Her parents needed to know about this.
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Carlisle stared out the window, gazing out at the night sky without really seeing it. He was too lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't believe how in less than twenty-four hours, the family he had built, who had been such an integral part of his life for nearly two centuries had fallen apart so completely. What was worse is that he had no clue where it had all come apart.
That wasn't quite true. Carlisle knew, but he didn't want to admit it to himself yet. He couldn't comprehend that his first son was that disturbed.
"It's not your fault you know." Tanya's distinct and very feminine voice drifted from the door behind him. her voice had always been a source of great comfort for Carlisle, because she meant so much to him. Since they met in New York all those years ago, after she and her coven had fled to the America's to get much needed distance from the Volturi.
How they came to have a bond, closer than any sibling, was a long story, and one he thought of often. The fact that the Denali's had come to their own decision to choose a humane diet, made them all a part of a very small circle, which only reinforced the connection between him and her coven. Given Tanya's own remarkable restraint, he often thought she could be an excellent doctor in her own right, even though she showed no interest or inclination to do so. The rest of the family though were just as precious to him, even if he didn't share nearly as close a relationship with them.
Carlisle didn't turn to speak to his visitor. Instead he shifted his gaze to stare at her transparent reflection in the window. "What are you doing up here?" He asked with a bit too harshly then he intended.
"Eleazar and Carmen just spent an hour with Esme trying to calm her down. They were trying to make her understand the same thing that I'm here to make you grasp as well." Tanya said, her voice gentle.
Carlisle's mouth twisted into a grimace, "What is this grand realization that you want me to see?"
Tanya smiled a little bit, her smile conveyed her endless compassion and understanding. He envied that ability sometimes, although he also had endless compassion, he often had trouble understanding the motivations of others. "It's pretty simple really. The breaking of your family is not your fault."
Carlisle couldn't help a scowl that crossed his face, his voice still too harsh. "I beg to differ."
Tanya's eyes locked onto his own, finding him through the reflection in the glass. The transparent panel acting almost like a barrier between them, keeping this conversation from seeming too real. Maybe that's why he was here, in this room, Edward's room. It had occurred to him over the course of the afternoon that everything Edward had put in there was simply decoration. Nothing of substance, no pictures or keepsakes. Even his massive music collection was general, it didn't show specific taste, it was like he merely had everything that fell under the classical genre because he had no real opinion about what he liked. It made Carlisle wonder, did Edward care about anything?
Carlisle hadn't left his son's room since Edward ran off earlier in the afternoon . He'd spent hours just staring out the window where Edward had gone, wondering how and why things had turned so sour. After a while though Carlisle felt he needed more, he needed to know why.
So he started searching, looking for a reason. The music was the first thing that jumped out at him. Then he noticed that Edward's laptop was still on, he flipped it open and was surprised that there was no password blocking him. Once on the desktop, a picture of Isabella taken using a telescopic lens dominated the screen. The picture bothered him for some reason, and it took him several seconds to figure out why. Her deep red eyes looking down, creating the illusion of someone demure and subservient. This forced Carlisle's hand, even though he hesitated a moment before his curiosity got the better of his respect for Edward's privacy.
Buried in a maze of nested folders were hundreds of pictures of Isabella, and a few short videos. Although a few were taken by hand, using the camera still sitting on the shelf behind him, the rest were obviously not as high in quality. It was disturbing to see a whole progression of pictures devoted to the day by day recovery of Isabella after the blast, but it was even more creepy when he figured out that the rest of the pictures and video had come from the local high school's closed circuit security monitoring system. Edward had apparently managed to break in and make copies of her brief time in the school.
The whole thing struck Carlisle as being... very wrong. Edward's voyeuristic obsession with Isabella crossed some fundamental lines, it seemed to be far more than the burning for an old flame, or unrequited love. There was a level of fixation that was not only unhealthy, but potentially dangerous.
Carlisle frowned, and finally glanced back at Tanya again, thankful that she seemed to have taken no offense to the tone his voice. She moved around the Chaise lounge and sat down gracefully before responding. "Do tell." Her voice was inquisitive, but didn't add any undue pressure. It was a simple request, not a demand.
Carlisle sighed a little bit, his tense posture slumping into defeat. "I must have gone wrong somewhere. My entire family is gone, for one reason or another, except for Esme who is a wreck right now, and I have absolutely no clue how to go about fixing any of it."
Carlisle fell silent as he replayed the conversation with Edward from earlier in the day. He had gone with Jasper, more to prevent a confrontation from escalating than to side with either one of them. Then he heard the despicable things that Edward was saying on the phone to Aro. It took everything just to stop Jasper from jumping into the room right then and taking Edward's throat. Carlisle couldn't get the image of Jasper's expression off his mind. That mixture of rage and disappointment echoed his own disgust and pangs of betrayal he felt about his son.
Maybe it added to the anger Carlisle felt when he stormed in and demanded an explanation from Edward. Carlisle had been rarely so aggressively confrontational throughout his life, he usually preferred to keep a cool head, so that he could keep tempers diffused. What was more surprising though, was the fact that they had caught Edward off guard at all when they stormed into his room. It was literally the first time that that had ever happened, you don't just walk up on someone when your thoughts are literally broadcast to them constantly. It made Carlisle wonder if maybe there was something wrong with his son, and maybe that was what was causing his bizarre behavior.
To make matters worse, Carlisle wasn't sure if it was the events of the day, his aggressive approach, or just the fact that he had managed to surprise Edward that caused his troubled son to lash out so coldly in response. Or what if it was even worse, being exposed like that made him reveal something that was tied to a deeper issue that Carlisle had never seen before.
Then there were Edward's accusations, which still rung in Carlisle's ears. He recalled the memory, which he had replayed so many times that he couldn't really hear the words anymore, "I told you! I told all of you all those years ago we shouldn't change her. I told you she would be sacrificing her soul! Even though I was giving up a mate, and I loved her more than anything, I gave her up! Now look at her! She's a monster. She tried to kill me. She's torn our family apart! Instead of everyone realizing I was right, she's gotten everyone to turn on me like it's all my fault!"
Carlisle hadn't been able to argue at the time, he couldn't find the right words to contradict him. Yet they felt wrong. He couldn't believe that Isabella was a monster, and he couldn't believe that his entire family had judged Edward so unfairly.
There was something more there, because he simply couldn't ignore what Edward had said about his sisters to the Volturi. No matter what they had done, that was unacceptable on every level. He had tried to respond with that, but that response just seemed to shock Edward.
Carlisle wondered how Edward could have possibly thought that Carlisle would condone something like that or its implications. To be so shocked by something so obvious spoke to a level of irrational dissociation with the world that was beyond troubling, it was borderline schizophrenic. When Edward shouted that everyone was turning on him, for a moment Carlisle wondered if Edward was about to attack him. Had he really suffered a mental break? No, if he had, he wouldn't have just stormed out, leaping out of the second floor window without a glance backward.
As for Isabella, Carlisle just couldn't piece together all facts about her in a way that reconciled the full picture. Isabella was obviously different physically from normal vampires, and her ability to survive and heal the burns she had received when their house exploded, was nothing short of extraordinary. He couldn't get his head around that fact alone. When he tried to put that fact together with the memory of witnessing her and daughter taking apart an army of newborns, he felt perplexed and confused. Not to mention what had happened when Eliza had bitten Bree. The newborn's body was literally tearing itself apart sending the girl to the edge of death, and then after Eliza bit her... suddenly, the girl was not only NOT on the verge of death, but seemed completely whole. Carlisle had even kept his eye on Bree over the course of Isabella's convalescence, waiting for any of her previous symptoms to reassert themselves. However, the she really seemed cured.
Those were just the physical changes. Equally as concerning were the changes in Isabella's personality. When he found out she was alive, he had suspected that she would be angry at them. Carlisle wasn't so naïve as to think she wouldn't hold a grudge for them leaving her behind, not matter how reluctant most of the family was those actions initially.
What he couldn't fathom was how she changed so completely. Anger was a motivator, but her personality was totally gone, as if someone had re-written her. What could be the impetus to cause such a startling change? Carlisle was of the opinion that becoming a vampire didn't change you, so much as it distilled who you were to a more vivid and undiluted version of your previous self. The recall his vampire abilities granted him, allowed him to vividly bring up all memories he had of her. Shy, tentative, awkward, both socially and physically, and caring. Those were the qualities he attributed to her, although thinking back he did see something she kept buried most of the time. A strength that made him sure that she could've handled immortality.
She never wavered, she never looked away, even in the face of certain death. She chose to sacrifice herself for his family, and for her mother without hesitation. She put herself in such danger that it was remarkable that she survived the encounter with James. Even more telling was the walked knowingly into a den of vampires without so much as a word to her father in warning. If she had become a victim of their loss of control, no one would've known about it. Those simple and subtle displays of inner strength were totally lost on Edward, that's clear now. He was so convinced she was weak, that he used that weakness as an excuse for them to leave her behind.
That day, that miserable day when he made them leave. He'd had to spend hours with Esme, calming her down in an almost impossible attempt to keep her from going to Isabella on her own. It broke her when they left, leaving behind a child, so vulnerable and alone. Left to the ravages of time and predators both human and vampire. It was an impossible request that Edward had demanded on the family. But out of love they consented, and Carlisle had always regretted it. Even though she hadn't wanted to go with them.
Unless she had. Had Edward lied to them to force their departure? Had he been that manipulative? No, there was no way he could've done that to Esme, or Alice who loved her as family. Even Rosalie was hurt by their departure, although at the same time she respected Bella's choice to stay human. Was that strength all she had left, and if so what had happened to her to strip the rest of her away to such an extreme degree.
This Bella wasn't just darker, she was violent, angry, and powerful. She radiated that capacity for violence, with an aura of barely restrained rage most of the time. She was more aggressive and uncontrolled than he had ever imagined her being, even during her newborn phase. She wasn't shy, or tentative, and she certainly wasn't physically awkward anymore though that was to be expected, but she wasn't socially awkward either. She seemed to radiate an extreme apathy towards people's opinions of her flashes of deep empathy from her. Glimpses that reminded him of the Bella he remembered. Mostly in her interactions with Eliza and then Bree, and even to a lesser extent the wolves when they were around. However she seemed to have a high level of contempt for everyone else around her, as if she absolutely didn't care one way or the other. For all the world it seemed like she was a modern day Sword of Damocles, ready to snap at any minute.
However, there had to me more to what was going on. Alice hadn't left because of Bella. Carlisle frowned slightly, mentally correcting himself. Alice hadn't left just because of Bella. Edward had obviously hurt her, so she had walked away and asked to join another coven seemingly without any hesitation. It was the falling of the first stone that heralded an avalanche. Rosalie and Emmett had followed, and Carlisle knew that in all likelihood Jasper and Adara had followed as well.
On one hand he couldn't believe the family they had built for over a century, had splintered and shattered in one day. On the other hand, he couldn't believe the level of Edward's anger and selfishness, in wanting to hurt his siblings. What bothered him most of all was that Alice, Rosalie and Emmett all seemed to be incredibly angry, for something that Edward had done to Alice, he just couldn't figure out what. He felt like it was staring him in the face but he was missing it.
He truly didn't know what to do.
"Carlisle, all children grow up some time, then they chose their own path, and all you can do is hope you've done your best raising them. Some will stumble and fall, others will make the right decisions and stand tall on the foundations you've created for them. However, your family is not made up of children learning to be adults. They are adults pretending to be children." Tanya's voice was gentle, but firm.
When she got no verbal response from him she continued. "You are younger than I am. And sometimes I wonder if you don't really understand how unprecedented your situation has been."
She paused for a moment, waiting for a response, when she got none she continued. "You must understand how unusual your situation is. You've spent the last two hundred years building a family made up of strangers. My sisters and I spent many years growing close, we had constant fights those first two centuries or so. Somehow you have made family based on nothing more than love and a vow to retain your humanity together. Without intimidation or a power structure to keep them in check. Our mother was strong, and kept us in line those first couple of centuries. We learned to love her as our mother, but not at first. When she died, we almost split apart. If I hadn't stepped up to lead, we might have parted ways."
"But you didn't. You stayed together." Carlisle said softly, his head cast down in contemplation.
"Yes, we did. We found that love was more important, but that is not a natural impulse for our kind. Perhaps it is because of our diet, perhaps it is a depth of compassion within you that you share with your family. Either way, you have a family. Sure, some of your members may have ventured off for a few years early on, but as far as you've told me… nothing of late. That is unheard of in a coven; especially one with no… method of keeping members in line. It's just natural for people to want to spread their wings, to be in control. Yet none of your family has felt that in… what? A century and a half?"
"The same could be said of your coven. Laurent and Garrett were nomadic before joining you. They have not strayed either." Carlisle met her gaze with a new sense of resolve. Convinced that he was not special in the slightest.
Her tone was quiet and gentle, almost contemplative as she responded. "Not exactly. We don't advertise our problems. It is a daily struggle to maintain our commitment to each other. I alone have no mate, and because of that I've spent a majority of my time keeping the threads of our family together. It is hard, yet rewarding work. Yet I get none of that from you. Sure, you have minor disagreements, but rarely are you required to mediate major ones, or spend time going around to members soothing their feelings toward one another, and reminding them that differences in opinions aren't always personal. Which makes your family different. Honestly I attribute most of that to you, because you are unique among vampire kind."
Carlisle frowned at that, shaking his head almost immediately, "I'm not special. I chose this lifestyle, much as you and several others did."
Tanya was shaking her head almost immediately. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. Yes, our diet makes us part of a relatively small circle, but what I'm talking about is you. You are one of the few vampires in this world who makes no enemies."
Carlisle raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. She rolled her eyes at him before continuing, her voice firm. "You don't make allies, or connections. You have no concern for power struggles or challenging others for dominance. You treat all but the most despicable among our kind with respect, and forge relationships without any expectations. You make very few enemies throughout this world. Anyone who knows you speaks of your compassion. The Volturi themselves wanted you, despite the fact that you offered them no special abilities that would strengthen their standing in any way. As I say you're unique."
"What does any of that have to do with anything here?" Carlisle asked, his tone reflecting a touch of the bitterness he felt about his family abandoning him.
Tanya smiled a little bit, "You are a very compassionate man. You think the best of everyone. It can sometimes blind you to their faults. You know that you avoid vampire politics. As much as I respect you, and even love you, it's not an arena you'd excel at."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Carlisle admitted softly, turning back to the window and leaning forward to rest his forehead against the glass.
"I would be astounded if you did. The seven of us have just finished discussing it. Whatever is going on, is vampire politics at its worst. Whoever this Joham person is, obviously has some major designs. Designs like this don't just come together in the spur of the moment. It takes years, maybe even decades of planning. Anytime a vampire had tried something on this scale before, they've had to account for the presence and inevitable involvement of the Volturi. Except in every single instance before when the Volturi saw something as big as this seems to be coming. They stomped enemies or anyone who would disturb the balance, into the ground hard and fast. So this Joham is being very careful, and obviously has a contingency plan set up for a way to deal with the Volturi." Tanya shook her head slightly, she had argued with Eleazar on this point. She had refused to believe anyone was suicidal enough to challenge the Volturi, but Eleazar had hammered against her stance in a logical way, and she'd been forced to concede the fight.
"You know there is no love lost between the Volturi and my coven. They killed our mother. They don't enforce our laws as much as hold the threat of extermination over all of our heads if we break them. However, this new player, Joham, seems to have a desire to kill covens for no other reason than they're there. So he's obviously not going to be any better if he does ultimately win and take over. No matter if his plans have been in place for decades, he's a major threat to our way of life." She shook her head in disgust.
"The Volturi have been unchallenged for how many centuries? Now they're facing something that may be their first true challenge. Like I said, vampire politics at its worst, a play for power from one party, while another tries to cover all their bases. Only now, there are two major wild cards mucking it up for both sides. Not only that, but they are two former Volturi enforcers no less. The Assassin and the Executioner." This caused Carlisle to turn back towards her, his expression still mostly embittered, but now there was a curiosity that hadn't been there before.
"Why do you keep calling them that?" Carlisle asked a bit more angrily than intended, though it effectively changed the subject which he was more than happy to do. The machinations of horrible people doing horrible things never sat well with him. Hearing conjecture about a threat that could take down the Volturi unnerved him to his core.
Tanya shrugged a little bit in response. Her expression clearing showing her discomfort with the subject. Her hatred of the Volturi had colored her opinion of Isabella since she rescued them from that newborn army. "That's what rumors have called them for years. I don't know when, or from where the nicknames originated, but from what I understand it started because they were suddenly very active about fifty or sixty years ago in Europe. They put down threat after threat, newborns, regular violations and risks of exposure. They got the nicknames because that's how they did their jobs. Quickly, efficiently. They didn't seem to have the typical Volturi flair for reveling in the agony of any vampires they put down. Garrett tends to keep his ear to the ground and in contact with old friends and resources better than I do. As far he's heard they never prolonged the death of someone just to do so. They also didn't go out of their way to create body counts. With them, I never heard of someone who was 'punished' because of guilt just by association, or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Carlisle shuddered a little bit, he had heard of more than one coven that had been destroyed because of the offenses of a single one of their members, even if the others pleaded ignorance. Jane and Alec in particular were especially brutal in this regard. They tended to prefer just to leave a clean slate rather than risk leaving any loose ends.
"As I told you a week ago. A lot of it is just rumors and conjecture, the only reason I was able to identify them is because of the rather identifying tell of the Ex—I mean Eliza's violet eyes, and they're always together, so I was able to identify... Isabella as well. Before seeing her, I thought the description of her having 'eyes that are black as death itself' was simply hyperbole." Tanya shook her head slightly, she'd gotten off track.
She sighed a little bit, she knew of Carlisle's distaste for politics. "My point is that they're now two massive wild cards with some major axes to grind against both the Volturi and this new player. Not only that but now they're not alone. They obviously have, I hesitate to call it an alliance, but clearly they have some kind of truce with the Quileute wolves. Still, when all is said and done they are a fledgling coven with far too much power. Alice alone would level most playing fields, add Isabella and Eliza to that group and to say they are formidable is a bit of an understatement, even if their leader is untested. I think it's very likely they are going to be the ones to throw sabot into the cogs of the war machinery that's spinning up right now. Not to mention, they've got one side wanting them dead already, and I bet they piss off both sides before long."
Her statement seemed to hang in the air for several minutes as Carlisle seemed to process and consider everything he had been told. "What is it you're saying?"
"What I'm saying is that just because things changed today, that does not mean it's the end of the world. Yes, the coven you led split up today, but I'll be honest and say that I'm surprised that a split hadn't happened sooner. As I told you before, even my coven hasn't been as consistent as yours has. Irina and Laurent left for almost 25 years. When Kate met Garrett, I lost them for almost 40 years. They each had their reasons for leaving, and each had their reasons for coming back, but just because they made decisions on their own and those decisions were to leave, doesn't mean that you're helpless to make your own decisions." Tanya's voice was soft, and almost encouraging now.
Carlisle raised his eyes to meet Tanya reluctantly for a moment, before dropping his gaze in defeat. He didn't want to admit that she was right. Rosalie and Emmett had gone off a few times to be a married couple, and so had Jasper and Adara, but never for more than a decade, and never permanently. They had always promised to return, with hugs and smiles. The largest split had come when they left Isabella behind all those years ago, and even then it wasn't for that long.
Finally he turned back towards the window and met her eyes in the reflection. "I'm not sure what to do."
"What is it you want?" Tanya asked quietly.
Carlisle was quiet for several minutes, while Tanya waited for his response. Finally when he spoke, his voice was weary and he slumped a little bit, almost in defeat. "What do I want? I want my wife not to be downstairs nursing a broken heart. I want to not have to worry about being attacked by some bloody army. Most of all, I want…" He trailed off for several long minutes his eyes cast down at his empty hands. Finally he looked back up and clenched his jaw a few times, "I want my family back."
Tanya nodded once, as if it was the answer she had expected. "Well your wife is downstairs, and she needs you, but before you go to her, you have to make a decision."
Carlisle tilted his head as he met her eyes again.
Tanya's voice turned hard, she hated to be the one to tell him or present it to him like this, but at the same time, someone needed to say it. "You have to decide what part of your family you want back."
Her eyes bored into his intently cutting off any reply. "I know you. I told you, your compassion is one of your greatest qualities. You want to all sides to just forgive and for everyone to get along again. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Adara all left for a reason. It won't be something you can just smooth over between them and Edward. I'm telling this as your friend, and a member of your extended family. You have to pick a side. But chose well; from all appearances, one side will ally you with the Volturi and against Joham. While the other side will puts you in conflict with both."
Tanya's voice cut into Carlisle, and as much as he wanted to deny her words he couldn't. His jaw worked slowly as he stared back out into the night. When he spoke once more his voice was merely a whisper. "What will you do?"
Tanya frowned a little bit. "I'll admit, there are honestly no particularly attractive options available, at least on the surface. We talked about it, and despite some concerns, we have come to our own decision."
Tanya's eyes moved away from Carlisle for the first time since she arrived, instead looking past him to the shadowed forest outside the window. "We know that the Volturi will be coming for their wayward enforcers. They don't take rebellion well at all. I doubt we've done anything that would make them turn their ire toward us for that. However, they're not exactly known for their restraint, and if someone like Jane is leading they might execute us out of spite. That means the most logical option for us is to get the hell out before they arrive."
Tanya ran a hand through her hair and crossed her arms as she shifted her weight back and forth, a clear sign of her agitation, which also came across on her face momentarily. "However, there's a couple of problems with that. The most obvious being; where would we go? Also what would we do? As Garrett brought up in the conversation, what happens if this Joham person decides to come after us again? We were lucky those two were here, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to stop running, and eventually they would have caught us. I doubt that even our combined forces would've been enough to take out that many newborns."
Carlisle turned his head to look at her fully, "So what did you decide?"
Tanya sighed a little bit, "We were split. I wanted to go into hiding, Irina and Laurent thought that was the best idea, let things ride themselves out. Garrett and Kate absolutely refused; they said that one way or the other they were going to stay. They are friends with your family, and don't want to leave them. Besides, you know Garrett… he can't resist a "noble" cause."
Tanya saw Carlisle's mouth twitch in the barest approximation of a smile at her last statement before she continued. "Surprisingly Eleazar and Carmen sided with them. Eleazar said that if there was one thing that the attack on us proved, it was that we can't afford to be neutral, even if we don't know all the players. So we're going to stay in the area. Garrett and Kate are going to try talking to your children, and to this… Isabella, to see if we can come to some sort of arrangement. Though for the moment we were planning on staying here… if we're still welcome."
"You know you don't even have to ask." Carlisle's response was out of his mouth almost before Tanya had finished the sentence.
Tanya nodded with a happy smile, she didn't feel it was right to just assume they were welcome.
Silence descended on the room, neither one wanting to intrude on the thoughts of the other. Finally, Tanya spoke up, not wanting him to sink down into the same thoughts he had before, "What are you thinking?"
Carlisle squared his shoulders and looked up at Tanya, "I think I need to talk to Esme."
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Carlisle stepped up to the doorway of Esme's private studio. Despite the fact that they were married, both of them had long ago come to the mutual realization that they each just needed their own space at times. Whether it was to work, or indulge in a hobby, or just have time with their own thoughts. This room was her private area, and served as more than just a studio, it was also a gallery, and held all of her most prized possessions.
One part of the room was dominated by a drafting table with a large aged wooden top, stained a light tan. In the center of the wooden top was a plate of white backed glass, although it was currently covered by several large sheets of paper. The legs were wrought iron and finely detailed. It was clearly old, and very well maintained. The stool that usually sat next to it was instead placed by the massive easel that dominated the other side of the room. Esme was sitting forward on the stool, painting furiously in harsh brush strokes. The canvas depressing with each swipe of her brush.
She beat the brush against the easel after dipping it in turpentine, then quickly mixed a new color on her palette from several blobs of oil paint. The speed and precision of her work always impressed Carlisle, even though she was supernatural, he marveled at her technique. Not that he could see her work from this angle, the easel was facing the far window, leaving whatever she was painting obscured from view.
He knew that Esme was aware of his presence, since he'd made no attempt to hide his approach. However she made no move to acknowledge him. He assumed she was painting a landscape portrait, letting her mind focus on a vista she'd seen, which was an outlet for her. A method that gave her a chance to calm down. It was something she did on the rare occasions when she got truly upset, or angry.
Almost unconsciously his eyes drifted to the walls of the room, and the bigger than life size portraits that hung there above the chair rail. They almost always captured people's attentions when they entered the room. Drawn to one or another, they almost inevitably drew compliments on their exquisite detail and haunting realistic quality. Very few humans had seen them, and those that had were convinced they were photographs, because they were so breathtakingly beautiful. Done with details far beyond what any human could hope to replicate. Even more, Esme didn't have to rely on someone holding a pose. Instead, she used the perfect memory that all vampires had, which allowed her to pick the pose and expression that most spoke to her.
Carlisle allowed his eyes to trail over each painting. They were so lifelike, they looked almost like the real person was sitting in the frame. In a lot of ways she had captured a split second of the past, as if these paintings were window's into the subject's very soul. For Carlisle they sent a shiver of pain up his spine, because almost every painting was of a member of their family. He let his gaze sweep across the room faster than usual, normally he would admire Esme's talent, but today he was too much in pain to be reminded of the people they represented. Except something stopped him in mid-sweep.
Two large blank spaces stood out where portraits had once been hung.
One of them was the only portrait of someone who wasn't technically a part of their family, but should've been. That portrait was the reason that Edward seemed to avoid Esme's gallery like the plague no matter where they moved. After the events of the day, so many pieces fell into place. Little things that made no sense to him before, or things that didn't seem to connect, now stood out like glaring red flags. Carlisle had always had his suspicions that Alice spent time in this room, but the time she spent in here was erratic. It didn't seem to be predictable in any fashion that he could detect. Now all of a sudden it did. Alice spent as much time as she could in this room, time when Edward was away for any reason.
It was Isabella's portrait. It struck him that it might be the last remaining image of her as a human.
It showed her as the nervous and shy girl they once knew. The awkward smile on her face, her chocolate brown eyes sparkling with mirth, and mild irritation. Esme had created the painting almost immediately after they left Forks all those years ago, when Bella had decided not to join them. Esme mentioned in passing to Carlisle one day, that Edward had argued with her once about having the painting up at all. Esme had told him in no uncertain terms that this was her private space, and that no matter what happened, Esme would always consider Isabella a daughter to her.
Carlisle understood both sides of the argument; however he felt that the coldness between the two that stretched two or three years after was a little bit extreme. Then again, maybe she felt something in his actions that created the gap in their relationship. A gap that had never fully been healed.
But now the picture was gone and in its space was nothing. Beneath the empty space, bent in half was the frame for the picture. The portrait was still inside and folded in half neatly right along Isabella's mouth. It left just her brown eyes showing, as if she were staring into the room.
The other portrait that she tore down was of Edward. It too was on the ground beneath the space that it had formerly been occupying. There was a difference though, whereas Isabella's portrait was simply snapped in half, Edward's image was absolutely shredded into pieces. The scraps of canvas were lying in a pile beneath splintered frame, with tattered bits of fabric still clinging to the few sections of the frame left intact.
Carlisle stepped into the room and moved up until he could see his wife working on the canvas in front of her, though he still couldn't see the canvas itself. Her expression didn't surprise him. He felt another stab of pain when he took in the look of unbearable hurt that was on his mate's face. That hurt was mixed with a dreadful anger, mirrored in her frenzied painting.
It was an emotion Esme rarely expressed so he didn't really know how to approach her. He wished he could reach out and take those negative emotions into himself for her, to blot out her pain. Not that he was sure he could bear it himself, but if he could, he would, without a second's hesitation.
He stopped halfway across the room, without intruding on what she was working on. When it became apparent to Carlisle that she wasn't going to talk, he broke the silence, "Are you that angry with her, that you tore her down from the wall?" His voice was soft and gentle as his focus was now completely on his wife.
Esme's response was not what he expected. Her head shot over to glare at him, and a sneer of pure rage passed over her face. For the first time in his life Carlisle was almost afraid of his wife.
"I'm not angry with her." Esme practically spit out at him, though the movement of her brush didn't slow down for an instant as she repeated the process of cleaning the brush mixing a new color.
An expression of confusion crossed Carlisle's face, "Then why did you did tear her portrait down?"
Esme's brush stopped moving the instant Carlisle's question left his lips. She froze for a moment, then she carefully set the brush down, then her head lowered and her shoulders slumped. "Because… that's … that's not her anymore. She's not the same."
Her voice sounded so hurt that Carlisle immediately moved toward her and wrapped her gently in his arms. She didn't try and resist, instead her fingers curled into Carlisle's shirt and she squeezed the fabric tightly enough that he felt the seams start to give way under her grip.
Finally he let his eyes fall upon the portrait she had been painting. As always it was a masterpiece, even if she had only finished the face, neck, and hair, and none of the background. He couldn't deny that it was accurate. The image was of Isabella as she was now, ruby red eyes starting out intently with her relentless intensity captured perfectly. The expression on her face was one of mild anger and a hint of accusation. He could almost imagine the portrait begin to move as it started an angry or biting tirade.
Carlisle wanted to tell her, to reassure her that Isabella would forgive, she would eventually let that anger go. He wanted to reassure his wife that they weren't shut out forever. That this woman she'd always thought of as a daughter would come back to her. He wanted to reassure her that what had happened was just a temporary disagreement. He wanted to say all of those things. But he didn't. He couldn't. He wasn't sure he could lie that well.
Instead he looked over at the remains of Edward's canvas and frowned. "And his?"
She suddenly pushed him away from him, with a hiss of anger. Carlisle stared at her a little stunned, she'd had rarely expressed her vampire instincts vocally. That was a sign of pure fury. It was a measure beyond anger or even rage, it was deep and internal, primal. The kind of emotion reserved for only the deepest hurt, unadulterated burning hate, or the purest love.
Esme's hiss was loud enough to stir the rest of the house, and Tanya whispered a soft cry of concern. Esme shot a look down at the floor in her direction, but didn't say a word. Instead she looked back at Carlisle and fixed him with a glare that could level a mountain. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't quite figure out how to modulate her tone so that the house wouldn't crumble from the power of it. After a few moments she restorted to a harsh whisper. "That… that… thing is not my son. He's dead to me." She bit off into a long snarl as her rage got the best of her momentarily.
Carlisle kept his voice soothing. "Esme, I know you're upset but he's not entirely at fault for-"
"Don't. You. Dare!" Esme, although growling, managed to enunciate each word clearly as she cut Carlisle's protest off.
Carlisle started to object, but she held up a hand and calmed herself down enough to respond in a manner that was quite a bit closer to rational. "Whatever he is, that is not the man we helped to raise together. He isn't lost, he isn't demented. He's manipulated this family and concealed his true self from us. In return for two centuries of love, he's turned against us in the most vile way imaginable. Isabella was right to do what she did, I only wish she had ended him. She showed him more mercy than I would have knowing what he's done to my family."
She paused, taking in Carlisle's shocked expression and addressed him specifically. "I heard the argument you had with Jasper and Edward, and then I put two and two together. Something clicked in place, something that has been bothering me since we left that day. When I heard what he said about our daughters, I knew he lied. He lied about Bella's wishes all those years ago."
Her shoulders began to heave as the rage that she'd just barely leashed, began to assert itself again. "He did something to Alice too, something so horrible that when she learned the truth of it, that truth forced her to leave without a second thought. The only thing I can think of is the one thing that I just couldn't believe... at first. I think Alice had some kind of vision, a vision perhaps of her and Bella together. A vision that Edward saw and prevented from happening."
Esme stared at Carlisle, his expression remain shocked and uncomprehending. Her voice rose, this time careless of who might hear her. "Don't you get it, he destroyed her life, all of our lives, for what? Spite, ignorance, intolerance ... pure greed... hate? I don't know, and after today I don't want to. He's directly responsible for what Bella has become, it's his fault and ours. We... abandoned her. He forced me to abandon my daughter. Which is something I'll carry forever. A pain that can never be erased, even if she's gracious enough to accept us back into her life."
Her voice dropped to harsh tones once more. "I don't know what's happened to her, I can't imagine what happened that's turned her so dark, but it had to be horrible. It had to be something that tore away at her to such a degree that she's a shadow of what she was before. For that alone he's a monster. After hearing what he wanted the Volturi to do with our daughters, well that's reprehensible. There is absolutely no defense you can give me that would excuse his actions. There is nothing you can say that would even allow me to consider forgiving him, not now, not ever. So yes, he is dead to me."
Carlisle opened his mouth to protest, but... there was nothing he could say to refute her tirade. She was absolutely right. As much as it had been paining Carlisle to consider it, admitting it was even worse, but he couldn't hide from the truth. Edward had gone too far, he had done too much. If his wife was right about what he did to Alice, that created a pattern of deceit stretching back over at least a century. How long had he been concealing things, how often had he used his knowledge of their thoughts to manipulate them?
Esme's anger started to ebb away, and she slumped again, shaking her head. "I want to go to her. I want to beg her to forgive us. I want to hold her and tell her I love her. I want to take back the last century, I want... I want my Bella back. She's gone isn't she... I'm never going to get her back am I? I should've known then, I should've known it was a lie. I knew what she wanted. I knew how stubborn she was. Now... we've lost our entire family to him, to his selfishness. God, what are we going to do?"
Carlisle shook his head slightly and pulled Esme into tight hug. The earlier conversation with Tanya rang in his head. He took several moments before responding. His voice was steady despite itself. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to stay here, with the Denali. We aren't going to chase after our children. They need a chance to live, without our shadows hanging above them, or our hands held out below them as a net to catch them if they fail. I know they aren't children, as much as I want to see them that way, but we can't be in charge anymore. We have to trust that they'll make the right choices, but we're not going to abandon them either. If they need us, and I think they will in the days to come, we'll be there. We'll always be family."
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Author's notes: Yay! Chapter!
1) I'm sure some of you would be irritated by this chapter. Wanting to get right back to Alice/Bella. But other things have been happening and we needed to bring light to those.
For those of you reviewers who felt bad for Esme especially, i thought we should get a look at her character. Also, for those of you who thought I just had the Denali just kinda hanging around... BWAHAHAHA! Many plans coming down the line. As for Carlisle and Esme... will they reconcile with Bella? We'll see. ^_^ It ought to be fun at least. I do however hope you got insight into the family, into their reactions. I hope you liked them.
2) As for Michele, I'm hoping you like her character. It felt off to both Samantha and I that Jacob wouldn't have any family. Well this is a double bonus, a glimpse into the method of Joham's lower ranks, as well as a kick off point for Michele. Seriously... if Leah, Seth, Jacob and co weren't upset before. Even unknowningly, what they tried with Jacob's daughter? Shit just got real! O_O
3) Samantha Minuet's Co-Author's Note: Well, at least we kept our promise and got this one out sooner! This chapter was very much needed, even if it does delay the progress of some other plot lines. I'm personally very proud of the way Esme and Carlisle came to realize how horrible Edward is (mostly Kathryn). Also, blame me entirely for Michele, I came up with the character. Although I think her section does provide some insight into the way the Joham's side functions, to a limited extent at least. Until next time!
4) Samantha is, as always, an amazing person to collaborate with. Half the time's she's the heart in this story, the other half she's the mind. Also, for those of you who haven't given it a shot, she's begun rewriting her Secrets and Convenants story, and started reposting chapters going in a whole new direction. I'm happy to be her secondary for it! If you're at all curious, go take a look! It's worth a read. (Probably easiest to do an Author search for Samantha Minuet)
5) Also, we're collaborating on another fic, that may soon see the light of day. This one will be a Harry Potter fic (tentatively titled Harry Potter and the Hand of Sorrow.) and do alot of playing around in that universe. So those of you who enjoy our writing, I'll hope you'll give it a shot. Hopefully it won't be too much a retread of other fics. It's not up yet, but soon. Though the updates for this story may come slower. We've still got a long way to go. So never fear! :D
6) Can you spot the Star Trek reference in this chapter? First reviewer who does gets a sharp-eyed shout out in the next chapter!
7) As always we love reviews! If you give a particularly long or amazing review even if you dislike a chapter, we shoot you a message to talk about it!
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