A/N: Hi everyone! My heartfelt thanks to my awesome serial reviewers, from whom I love to hear their thoughts and theories! Thanks a lot to CoppertopJ, ThatsMzPeachesTYVM, fresh-BLOOD-was-drawn-2night, Velisha Rodrigues, CullenCherries, traceybuie and BridieM! And thanks for all of you favoriting, following and reading!

You have a lot of questions, opinions and theories on this plot, and I love it! I hope this chapter, and the next, will answer the majority of them! I have to say that Edward was a chatterbox, and he simply couldn't stop speaking. I wanted to write about him and Bella and their next step, but it'll be for the next chapter... And we'll know about Heidi soon enough ;)

Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 11

Edward

We left Alistair and Tanya in our meadow, only asking them that they went elsewhere to properly mate, and thanked the English vampire for his help. He barely acknowledged us, too busy staring down Tanya's rack, but fortunately they heard us and ran away before clothes could come flying. I didn't want to linger around them, and neither did Bella. So we kissed for a minute, braced ourselves, then ran back to the Cullen house.

We stayed silent during the few minutes of our run, only talking in our minds. I loved this feeling of being even closer to my Bella this way, as if her mind was wrapped around me and mine around hers. It was exhilarating and comforting.

Don't be too hard on them, Edward, she thought suddenly as we came within a hundred yards of the house. Let's hear them out first.

I will, I vowed, slowing down to a walk, her hand in mine.

She eyed me skeptically, so I gave her my best crooked smile, and she visibly relaxed, giving me a small smile of her own. I hope they'll tell us everything.

They'd better, I thought calmly but with determination. Like I said before, I'd give them the benefit of a doubt, but then I'd see. I had to believe that they hid something from us for our benefit, and not from lack of trust, otherwise this trust would be irremediably broken.

It won't be like that, Bella assured me as we stepped on the back lawn of the house. God, I hoped so. My anger was simmering, but I tried to tone it down, and Bella helped me.

We hadn't made two steps before Alice shot out of the house, yelling above her shoulder. "No, Carlisle, you'll wait! I have to talk to them first! I have to show them! It's time!"

"Alice!" Carlisle pleaded as he came to the French doors she had wrenched open, just as she skidded to a halt in front of us. "Please, it's my mistake! I have to..."

"You had your chance, Carlisle!" she bellowed, angry beyond anything I had ever seen from her usual bubbly self. "And you ignored it! So now let me fix your mistakes, or they'll go away from us!"

Bella froze, a small gasp escaping her, and I scowled at Carlisle who looked in pain. In the house, I could hear murmurs about the spat that had happened while we were away with Tanya and Alistair. The worst fight in the Cullen family, from the few things I could gather. It had been Alice against Carlisle, and she had torn him a new one. She knew that I was seconds away from taking Bella with me and go our separate way should their explanations didn't convince me. And she wanted to prevent it at all costs. Just wait for a few minutes, I beg you, Alice thought desperately in her mind, shooting daggers at Carlisle who retreated in defeat, distress marring his handsome features. Edward, Bella, I promise I'll show you everything. I had to wait, but now it's time.

"Why now, Alice?" I rumbled angrily, my own anger subdued by her truly heartbroken expression. "Why not before?"

She sighed, running a hand over her somewhat tired face, and waved us to the gazebo Esme had built at the edge of the forest, from where we could see the river. "Several reasons. Some good, and some... not so much."

I was shaking with fury, but Bella started to rub my chest as we took place on the white wooden benches, she on my lap and Alice across from us, and I soon felt better, calmer. I would hear her out.

"Thank you," Alice said fervently, having seen my decision in her mind. "But first, I want to apologize. Not on the family's behalf, but on mine. I kept some things from you, with good reasons. But what Carlisle hid from you, I won't take responsibility for it. Heaven knows Rose, Esme and I tried to tell him that he was wrong. So I'll show you what I have to show you, and then you'll go confront Carlisle, and my husband," she added dejectedly. "He should've known, better, but..."

She loved Jasper from all her heart, but I could see that the situation had caused a small rift between them. He hadn't trusted her visions, and had sided with Carlisle against her. She was so hurt. Before I could reassure her, Bella – who was much more composed than me – beat me to it. "Alice, don't resent Jasper, please. We all make mistakes and bad decisions. You can't let this whatever-it-is come between you like this. Just like we'll do our best not to let this come between us and our family either." No promises, she added just for me. But it seems like we'll know everything very soon.

Seems so, I thought, focusing on Alice, who was eyeing us with interest.

"So you two can talk in your minds now, can't you?" she asked, business-like and ignoring her problems with Jasper for now. "And Bella can read minds too."

"Yes," I confirmed, not caring about the stunned reactions in the house. "And we think that my mind-reading has been off lately because I'm unknowingly using Bella's shield."

Alice nodded pensively. "I very much hoped that Alistair would tell you about it. You had to realize it very soon."

I tried, really tried not to bite my sister's head off. Bella squeezed me harder against her, her strength preventing me from making a move. Easy, my love, she told me. Let's hear her out. I fought the red haze that had fallen in front of my eyes, then nodded with a huge sigh. Bella beamed at me, and Alice looked relieved.

"Thank you, brother dear," she said sincerely. "And since that you both can see my visions now, let me show you what I've hidden from you, and why."

She opened her mind to us, and Bella's breathing stopped. It was her first time in our sister's kaleidoscopic visions, and she was soon dizzy. It was truly overwhelming. But I was used to it, so I gripped her waist harder, our minds somehow connected, and we sorted through the memories and visions assailing us together.

The very first thing we saw was the battle in Volterra, and how I reacted after Bella lost consciousness. I saw my feral self, and Alice's visions about it. I saw how it could lead Bella and me to the highest bliss and power we could reach, but also how it could destroy our whole family should the knowledge about it came ill-timed for us. Had we known beforehand about our higher level of mating, we would've been obliterated by the Volturi.

But before I could dwell on it, Alice sifted forward, showing us why she had stayed silent about all of it. Bella had had to lose control on Emmett, to trigger my long-increasing pheromones into giving her my venom. Then Alice had kept Alistair's knowledge for her, since he had to meet Tanya first, for them to mate. Their mating was an essential part of our future against Caius. And had the Denalis refused our plea for help, all would have been ruined.

The more Bella and I saw, the more we understood. Alice had kept a very thin line of chain reactions under control in order for everything to happen at the best time, to save us all. Had we known about Marcus meeting Alistair in the 1800s, or about Heidi's mate Pierre, Suzanne and Eugène before now, we would lose against Caius. Because we wouldn't have understood who was behind all this. And now we knew, for Alice showed us her visions of the future. And I couldn't help my snarl. "I knew it."

"Jane?" Bella repeated jadedly as Jasper came out of the living room onto the back deck, eyeing us with worry. He was afraid that we would attack his mate. But she was just the messenger. She had nothing to fear from us.

"Don't worry, Jazz," Alice exhaled, her visions stopping now that she had showed us everything. And it was huge. My vampire head was pounding. "Everything's okay."

"I'm so sorry, darlin'," he drawled, wondering if he should come. He wanted to ask for her forgiveness, for ours, and protect her from us should we lose our temper. But that wasn't going to happen.

"Let him come, Alice", Bella said at last, hearing Alice's conflicted thoughts. "He needs you, and you need him. Don't let the Volturi come between you two."

She hesitated, but then nodded. Half a second later she was encased in Jasper's arms as he knelt at her feet, and she put her arms around his waist as he spoke, his voice wavering. "I'm so, so sorry, Ali," he was repeating over and over. "I know I messed up. I should've trusted you. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you, Jazz," she said, careful not to think about the why, like Jasper. They both seemed cautious not to show us anything about their disagreement. And I guessed that was because they wanted Carlisle to tell us to our face. So we would wait for our father. Alice nodded in gratitude. "Do you have questions?"

"You could've told us about Alistair before Marcus came," Bella said, but Alice and I shook our heads. I had seen this particular reason in my sister's mind.

"She couldn't, love," I explained to her. "Carlisle had to ask him to come, because of us, and also because of Caius. We need Alistair to track the slimy bastard. Had we asked him differently, he would've told us on the phone, never mating with Tanya and not helping us."

"The two of them will have a great role to play," Bella acknowledged, and Alice nodded seriously as she made Jasper rise and sit down next to her. She had forgiven him, and I had no doubt that the two of them would soon mend their trust. They were as much in love as Bella and I were.

"Yes. And I simply couldn't tell anybody about it. Even they can't know. The decision's not been made, but you saw what I saw. One of Tanya's decisions will affect all of us, and she has to be with her mate when it happens. I saw very early that without Alistair, and the two of you, Caius and his goons will crush us. We need him, and we need you two on this higher level of mating. But one speck of sand in the machine..."

"I understand now," I conceded gracefully. "And I don't resent you anymore, Alice."

"I know you did," she said unhappily, her eyes bright with unshed venom tears as Jasper hugged her harder against him, wincing. "I'm sorry, guys."

Bella hugged me harder too, and spoke softly. "It's in the past. Everything's on the table now, and we won't say anything to Alistair and Tanya. The outcome..."

The decisions they would have to make, according to Alice, would happen during the battle against Caius, and would affect all of us. In short, life or death. No pressure. So indeed, we would keep this piece of information to ourselves. They didn't need it in the midst of their mating.

Bella giggled at that thought, alleviating the tension. "No, they don't need any more pressure. And I guess that we won't see them for long hours."

"I guess not," I shrugged, daring Alice to watch for them in her vision. She smirked, and I caught a glimpse of a hairy torso and breasts and moans before she shut me out with the latest silly TikTok cat video. "Alice," I groaned.

"They're so cute together," she defended with a mirthless laugh, causing Jasper to smile as our emotions were considerably lighter. "He's a virgin, poor thing. But Tanya is... taking very good care of him." Bella groaned too.

"No porn right now, please," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "We don't have time for this."

"No, you'll make your own soon," she said more seriously, and Bella stiffened. "Relax, Bella. Everything's happening as it should be, and will be all right. I promise you. Edward will feel much better, and the two of you... well, you'll see."

She was blocking us again, but this time I knew it was for our sake. We had to discover things for ourselves for this to work. I think so too, Bella said silently. I leaned over her for a kiss. I needed it, and I needed her. Soon, she vowed. Now we must go see Carlisle.

Yes, I said, my shoulders sagging. I feared that what he had to tell us wouldn't be to our taste.

Alice smiled apologetically. "Better do this now," she suggested. "You'll be... otherwise occupied for a few hours afterwards, and you'll need the time to digest the news."

We rose to our feet, and followed Alice and Jasper to the house, where an uneasy silence had fallen. I squeezed Bella's hand, and decided not to beat about the bush. "I guess that those news are about Jane's phone call a month ago?" I said out loud, my voice rumbling with renewed anger. "Now it would be nice to actually know about it, since it seems to be about us and all."

As we stepped into the crowded living room, my eyes immediately fell on Carlisle, who was standing next to the foyer, his eyes regretful. He had messed up, and he knew it. He knew that the trust Bella and I had in him was very fragile now, and maybe broken. But he would tell us everything, and ask for forgiveness. He didn't want to lose two dear members of his family. He loved us, and told us so.

"Strange way of showing it, Carlisle," I couldn't help but snort, making him recoil as if he'd been slapped. "Now speak. We'll soon see if Bella and I still belong to this family or not."

"Please, Edward!" Esme begged, jumping to her feet and rushing to us, taking our hands and clasping them desperately, horror on her face. "Please hear him out, but please don't leave! Of course you belong to this family! Please, my son, my daughter, don't leave!"

My heart broke at my mother's utter panic and her beseeching eyes, and I couldn't help but take her shaking frame in my arms, Bella's hand on her back as she dissolved into heart-wrenching sobs. I noticed that the Denalis, Marcus and Heidi were eyeing us with sympathy from the couches, but I couldn't hear their thoughts anymore. Rose and Emmett looked dejected but resolved, to keep our family together, I assumed. Alice and Jasper took chairs near Carlisle, who seemed to have aged twenty years in the span of a few minutes. We truly were at a turning point.

Edward. Bella's voice reached me in my confusion. My love, we can't leave them. Carlisle made a mistake. We'll forgive him.

I don't know if I can, love, I admitted honestly.

Still rubbing Esme's back, her eyes narrowed on me. I did for you, and what you did was a thousand times worse, she reminded me, making me gasp in remorse and pain. The blow was low, but I deserved it. I'm sorry to pull this card, my love, but you have to understand. Our family loves us, and we love them. Sometimes we do stupid things out of love, and out of misguided wants to protect those we love.

I shivered a little, and held my trembling mother tighter against me. Bella was right. I loved my family. I could overcome this, and forgive them. Hell, Carlisle and Esme had forgiven me when I ran away to kill and drink human blood, and welcomed me back, no questions asked. The thought sobered me quickly, and put everything in perspective. Carlisle had hidden a conversation from us, and maybe a few more things. We weren't on the same level of sin here. Who was I to judge him, when he had never, ever judged me?

You're right, love, I thought wearily, sagging into Esme's embrace, who gripped me harder. I was so tired. I needed my mate.

I could feel myself becoming dazed, and was relieved to hear Alice taking things into her capable hands. "Jazz, bring Edward the mountain lion's blood, please. He needs it right now. Esme, make him lie onto your couch."

I felt my mother's grip on me shift, and soon I found myself lying on a comfortable couch, Bella kneeling right next to me, her hands roaming my face. "Stay awake, my love," she ordered me gently, concern etched on her face. "It'll be the last time you feel so weak, I promise you."

I wanted to answer her, but I couldn't utter a single word, or even shake my head. The next thing I knew, Bella was holding me on her lap, and Esme was holding the large bottle of blood I was greedily gulping down. It was cold, but tasteful, and I felt my strength return little by little, with each sip of the crimson nectar. I drank another bottle Rosalie went to fetch for me, then felt strong enough to sit upright next to my doting mate.

"Feeling better, young Edward?" Marcus asked me, his face grim. I nodded. "Good. Then please hear Carlisle out. He too had good reasons to hide things from you, or so he's been led to believe."

I faced Carlisle, who was still standing, wringing his hands. His anxiousness was peaking, so I shot a sideways look at Jasper, who nodded infinitesimally. A few seconds later a heavy layer of calm was floating around us, and we all sighed. "Thanks, Jazz," Bella said with a smile. "Carlisle, we're listening."

Our father looked marginally better, but he was still stressed out. I couldn't hear his thoughts, and for once I didn't want to. I wanted his explanation to come in his own words, in his own time. So I told him what I was feeling, sensing Bella's pride and understanding through our touch. "Please tell us everything, Dad. We will listen. Just listen, without mind-reading. And know that we won't go anywhere. Bella and I are Cullens, and will always be."

At my words, Carlisle's usual composed demeanor crumbled right in front of our eyes, and he ran at our feet, kneeling and grasping our hands. "I'm so, so sorry!" he stammered, eyes bright and gasping. "I never meant to break your trust! I was told not to tell you anything, and I was misled! Please forgive me!"

"Of course we forgive you, Dad. We gathered that it was Jane who ordered you to keep silent," Bella said as I grabbed Carlisle's upper arms and made him rise back to his feet. I would never have my father, to whom I owed so much, kneel in front of me ever again. And I told him so. He broke down completely then, slumping in my arms, and I held him as he sobbed for the very first time in more than a century.

It was heart-wrenching, and it dissolved the last dregs of my remaining anger. I couldn't stay mad at him. He had made one mistake, and put his trust where he shouldn't have. But that was my good, compassionate father down to a t. He believed in people, always. I couldn't hold a grudge against him. "It's okay, Dad," I whispered in his ear, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't've been mad at you."

"You have every reason to be mad at me," he countered soberly, already regaining some composure. His thoughts were coming to me in small fragments, and he truly felt better knowing that Bella and I didn't resent him.

"No," Bella assured him, patting his arm as we pulled away, our hands still on our arms. "But please tell us everything. Alistair told us many things, and I assume that with what you know we'll have the full picture."

Carlisle nodded, and I released him. I sat back down next to Bella, and Carlisle went to sit across from us, taking Esme on his lap. The two of them looked better, and their touch visibly comforted each other. I took Bella on my lap too, our hands intertwined, and she leaned back on my chest, her head on my shoulder. We ignored Emmett's soft catcall, and simply waited.

After a few minutes, and a lot of Jasper's help to diffuse the last emotions, Carlisle spoke up. "Again, Bella and Edward, I'm sorry. You already know that I trusted the wrong person, and that I didn't listen to half of my family, who repeatedly told me that I was wrong. Esme, Rose and Alice were right, and I wasn't. Jasper sided with me, but he was the only one."

"I stayed neutral!" Emmett, our big endearing goofball, proclaimed proudly, making all of us chuckle. "I didn't want to be involved, and I was too busy watching the best reruns of the NFL of the last decade anyway."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I asked, shaking my head, and Bella giggled. I loved that sound, and hugged her tighter in my arms, kissing her soft spot below her ear. She moaned in my head, and my cock stirred. I stifled a groan of my own. A few more minutes, I told myself sternly. We will take our time together later.

Jasper glanced at us with an amused expression, a mischievous grin on his face. I ignored him, and focused back on Carlisle. He was gazing at us, remorse still showing, and went on. "About a month ago, Jane called me. You already know that I kept in touch with Felix, so I was a little surprised to hear about her. She usually doesn't contact us. But I heard her out. And she asked me some questions about you two. How you were, if Bella was still fainting sometimes, if you made love more..."

He trailed off, embarrassed, but I shrugged. Bella and I were thinking in sync, and through the light of Alistair's story we knew where it was headed. Jane knew about us. "Please go on, Dad," I simply told him.

He exhaled, squeezing Esme a little harder, then began again. "I was very surprised about her line of questions, but nothing was a secret, so I told her. And then she told me that you two couldn't know about it, because she had seen where it would lead you, and you would end up crippled. She told me that being aware of this would make your pheromones multiply even more, affecting your strength and brains, and would turn you feral. So I had to monitor you, and prevent you from... biting each other."

Bella froze, but I simply shrugged. I had never trusted Jane, and I knew why. She was mortally afraid of us. "She lied," I stated calmly.

"I realize that now," Carlisle murmured dejectedly. "But she made me swear not to tell you anything, claiming that it was for your sake. I am a man of one word, and I assumed that since she's been around for more than a millennia, she had seen something similar happening before."

"You thought that she was acting out of the goodness of her heart," Garrett sneered, his anger aimed at the blonde, small vampire reigning in Volterra.

That made every vampire chuckle again, and Carlisle nodded sheepishly. Esme piped up, rubbing her mate's chest. "You've always believed in the best of people, dear. But not everyone has as good intentions as you have."

"I can't help myself," Carlisle confessed, a little jadedly.

Bella had to intervene at that. "And that's what makes us love and respect you so much, Dad. We can't blame you for what is such a strong trait of your personality."

Carlisle beamed at her then, his shoulders sagging in relief, and a new spark in his amber eyes."Thank you, sweet child."

He took a deep breath, slowly looking around at all the vampire faces surrounding him, his family, and spoke. "Caius was already on the loose when Jane called me, so I didn't think that the two things were linked."

"Neither did I," Jasper chimed up, gazing apologetically at Alice who was slowly shaking her head. "And since Alice didn't say anything about what was really happening since she couldn't, I thought it was safe to trust Jane on this."

"You knowing would've been a disaster," Alice said somberly, snuggling into Jasper's lean frame. "Like everyone else. I hated to have to keep silent."

"We know," Rosalie assured her, surprising me a little. She was the wariest of us all, and the least forgiving. "It's over now. Carlisle, please go on."

Our father nodded, then squared his shoulders. "After the last events, and an in-depth talk with Marcus, Heidi, Eleazar, Carmen and Esme, I realize that Jane fooled me, and that I've been wrong to trust her word. Since Alistair knew what was going on but didn't tell me anything similar to what Jane told me, I started to doubt her word. And now here we are. So, we know that Jane lied to us, and that Caius wants to kill Bella and Edward. But why?"

Bella and I shared a look, and a thought. Tell them, she urged me.

So I did. "It's because Bella and I are about to reach the highest level of mating, and that it'll give us powers beyond everything known to any vampire. Jane lied to you to manipulate you, and she's using Caius like a puppeteer to do her dirty work. She wants to kill us because we are a threat to her."

I'm sorry to cut here, but this chapter is long enough... On second though, not so sorry, after all! I hope you'll tell me what you think !;)

See you next week, and take care!