Chapter Seventeen: In a Galaxy Far Far Away

The Cullen House, January 30th

Alice's perch on the roof gave her a great view of the surrounding wilderness, and a measure of privacy from the family. Save for Edward, but thankfully he hadn't returned from school, probably still nursing his bruised ego. Then Jasper came, rushing into the house and calling on Esme to help. Something dire and bloody, two of the wolves were in trouble. That meant she couldn't monitor that situation because of the block on her visions caused by the shifters.

She had a choice, stay and wait, or go and observe. Curiosity got the better of her and she padded soundlessly to a nearby tree and followed her former lover as they raced in Emmett's oversized truck towards the north along the main highway. Several miles later they turned off. Alice cut along the treeline, staying upwind of the house. There was no activity outside, but there was a lot of activity inside. She closed her eyes and listened, hoping to find out something.

At first it was Eliza talking to people Alice didn't recognize, so she listened passively. Trying to figure out the situation. Then there was a question, the context didn't make sense but the answer made Alice shiver.

"Mom sort of bonded with shadow." Eliza's voice was soft, and unsure.

"She isn't a vampire, at least nothing like we've ever seen. She's faster and stronger, hell with those numbers they should've torn her apart." The male voice was vaguely familiar to Alice, someone from Isabella's past. Someone she had seen in visions… Jacob Black. Alice realized at that moment why the pack had been evasive with the family, they knew Isabella personally.

"My god." Alice muttered under her breath.

"We told you that our bond is unique, we still don't know why. Although we rarely let loose our full power or risk exposure, and possible execution as abominations by our coven." Eliza explained, and Alice realized that this was Isabella and Eliza's house and she was trespassing. She stood and jumped to the ground, landing just atop the snow so softly that she barely left foot prints. Then she turned towards home.

"... I couldn't continue the rest of the way with all of them." The voice was different, cold and a bit alien. Yet it was unmistakable as Isabella. Alice stopped in mid motion, her body starting to shake. It took every bit of willpower she had left not to turn and run towards the house. She had believed Eliza, but to hear the voice that had haunted her for a century was almost too much. She clenched her fists, tensing up as her feet sunk into the snow.

Alice turned slowly around and took several calming breaths, then looked at her feet and kicked away any trace of her movement. Then she took a step as a wide genuine smile curled at her face for the first time in ninety-five years. She took off towards home with a deliberate speed, masking her scent trail along familiar deer lines and keeping her footfalls practically invisible. She let out a laugh of pure joy once she was far enough away from the house so that no one could hear her.

She knew it was a desperate laugh, a sad lonely laugh. But it didn't matter, nothing else mattered because now she had a chance, no matter how remote, to make things right.

The Waterfall House, January 30

"I think I hate mud worse than blood… I really didn't mean to rhyme." Eliza said drying off her hair with a towel as she came down the stairs to find no one waiting. "Huh, well a rhyme told to know one is like a tree falling in the forest."

"I heard you." Isabella said as she passed her.

Eliza frowned and scrunched up her nose, "hmph… So, where is everyone?"

"Seth and Paul are upstairs, as well as Rachel and Leah." Henry said, coming out of the kitchen wearing a bright pink frilly apron with the words, 'World's Best Chef' in gaudy hot pink letters on the chest.

Isabella looked at Eliza, "you might be evil."

"I happen to like pink." Eliza said with a big grin then turned towards Henry, "making food for the wolves?"

"I thought it would be a good idea to fire up the grill on the outside patio. Most are gathered out there." Henry frowned and then motioned with his head towards one of the front rooms. "Carlisle is waiting for you in the study."

"Thank you Henry." Isabella said and made her way directly towards the overly furnished den that Eliza had made look like something out of a mystery novel based in early industrial England. Floor to ceiling shelves full of books lined the interior wall. Thick red drapes with gold trim and tassels were hung up on the bay windows. A large gothic dark wood desk dominated the room and two overstuffed arm chairs were positioned facing it, angled inward with a cigar ashtray sitting atop a heavy cherry wood antique end table between them. Isabella hadn't even been in the room and rolled her eyes as she took in the decorations.

"I told Jasper and Esme to head home. Isabella, I thought…" Carlisle began but Isabella held up a hand.

"I am indebted to you for your help with Paul and Seth. However, that's all it is; a debt. You may request recompense at some point if you wish. You do not get to pretend that we're friends. We are far from that. You cheerfully gave up any rights for me to desire your company, or even acknowledge your existence long ago. I suspect you may recall when, or perhaps it was so insignificant you've forgotten?" The level of disdain felt like a kick to the gut to Carlisle who had genuinely loved her as a daughter. The actions of his family all those years ago were supposedly done with the best of intentions, but perhaps the old proverb was right; the road to her hell was paved with his good intentions.

Carlisle nodded, "I accept your ire, it was ultimately my decision to leave. However, you should know that it was a split decision. Spare Esme, Alice and Rosalie your hate, they were basically forced to go against their wishes. However, you should know we left because we thought it would be better for you in the long run. Not because we didn't care, or thought you insignificant."

"I don't need your false words or empty lies. You made a poor choice. Now what do you want?" Isabella's voice was clipped and angry, and her expression was dark.

Carlisle pursed his lips, and nodded, "information, those kinds of injuries were inflicted by other wolves. Is there another pack we should be aware of?"

"Here's the short version. I'm sure you've noticed the rise in attacks over the past few months, especially in Seattle, and in other cities as well?" Isabella waited for Carlisle to respond with a nod before continuing. "Eliza and I were dispatched by the Volturi to stop them. Aro has decided it would be better if we remain in the area rather than travel back and forth between here and Volterra. Eliza and I were assigned the west coast, Alec and Jane the east coast, and Felix and Demetri are in Mexico and South America. I was investigating a recent suspicious death in Seattle yesterday when I ran into three vampires working with two wolves. The wolf shifters were eating a human body, and seemed quite comfortable with our kind."

"That's troubling." Carlisle scowled, which looked strange on him. His perpetually kind open face rarely darkened. At least from Isabella's memory of him.

"Quite. We contacted the Quileute, because they're the only wolf shifters I know. I thought at first that these shifters were part of their pack, but they were as confused about the whole thing as Eliza and I. Their entire pack was accounted for, and none of them were near Seattle. They concurred it was a mutual concern, especially if they were killing humans. We agreed to form an alliance, then we spent today searching for them. We found at least fifty shifters in a drainage junction." Isabella said with a heavy sigh, frowning at Carlisle.

"Fifty. How is that possible? Should we be concerned?" Carlisle kept most of the alarm off his face, but he was clearly worried about a potential assault his family would not survive.

"No, we killed them all." Isabella's eyes were intense and he knew she wasn't exaggerating or lying about their accomplishment, no matter how much he hated the idea of killing. "As for how it was possible, we don't know. I have only ever encountered one other shifter besides the pack before." Isabella shook her head, trying to wrap her own mind around the idea of a huge pack of shifters. Either there was a pack that started breeding a couple of decades ago in large numbers, or somehow these shifters were being created.

"Who is Joham?" Carlisle asked with curiosity, his face concerned but clearly he had no idea who he had asked about. Yet the name made Isabella flinch, as she reached out to place a hand on Eliza's shoulder. It took a few seconds to calm down before Isabella attempted to give an answer.

"Joham is a repugnant ancient vampire, and is perhaps the most twisted and evil monster I have ever encountered. Think Mengele crossed with Dr. Moreau and you might have an idea. If we ever catch up with him, he will suffer, then die screaming." Isabella's voice was dark, as her voice echoed through shadow to all the dark corners of the room. Carlisle felt surrounded by her anger for a moment, and felt an involuntary shiver of fear creep up his spine.

He took a deep calming breath before responding, "that sounds personal."

"It is, but that's all you need to know." Eliza said softly, her face utterly devoid of brightness or life. Her own thoughts put together the fact that her biological donor's name was dropped by someone in an unnaturally large gathering of wolf shifters… it had to be connected.

"Most of my family are not fighters, but we have three that would volunteer to help if the need arises." Carlisle offered, knowing that Jasper and Emmett would fight without asking, and Adara would join Jasper in the fight without hesitation. He couldn't speak for Rosalie, Edward or Alice but he was pretty sure they would volunteer as well. He couldn't imagine his wife joining the fight, but it was possible she might, given who it was for. Isabella, alive. It was a chance for the family to atone for a horrific mistake, but it was obvious this would not be solved in a day.

"I'll keep that in mind. For now we plan to let it sit for a few days so that Paul and Seth can heal. Whoever we're dealing with will be hyper-vigilant and will likely keep their heads down. Eventually they will pop their heads out." Isabella said somewhat thoughtfully, she hadn't expected that kind of offer. It wasn't anything that would make her reconsider her position on the Cullens, but perhaps they weren't as haughty and standoffish as she thought.

"Like little prairie dogs, and we'll bash them over the head with a mallet." Eliza cut it with a big grin. Isabella held back the impulse to roll her eyes.

"I'll be back in a few hours to check on Seth and Paul." Carlisle said without reacting to Eliza's comment.

"That's fine Carlisle." He nodded and headed out without another word. He had a neutral look on his face, but internally he was crying, knowing his choices had caused real harm.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Eliza tried and surprising Isabella nodded once in agreement.

"No it wasn't, but I'm not looking forward to tomorrow." Isabella said giving into to Eliza's request without saying it directly.

"School?" Eliza blinked and began to smile widely for the first time all afternoon.

"I don't see an excuse not to go." Isabella's shrug was about all Eliza was going to get, but it was enough and she immediately pulled her mother into a big hug.

Cullen Residence, January 30th

Carlisle wanted a shower, he wanted to hold his wife. He wanted a million things, but mostly he wished he could turn back time. Make a different choice. The coldness of Isabella's reproach made him shudder. Her lifeless eyes and terrifying show of ability cemented home the fact that she was not the bright beautiful girl they had known a century earlier. She was lethal, and had suffered a great deal because of his choice.

"I need to call a meeting. Where are Edward and Alice?" Carlisle said as he entered the lower living room with the fireplace and the piano. His voice sounding as tired as he felt.

"Alice has been missing for hours, and Edward never came home from school." Emmett explained as Edward chose that exact moment to come into the room.

"I guess we can wait for Alice." Carlisle said almost hoping to put off revealing this truth to her especially.

"I'm here." Alice said from upstairs, Emmett and Rosalie both looked deeply confused.

"We didn't hear you come in." Rose said as Alice bounded downstairs, her expression was very different from this morning. She glanced around the room, and looked at the blood stains on Carlisle, Jasper and Esme with a raised eyebrow. Her thoughts screamed curiosity, as she masked the fact that she knew exactly where they had been.

"The wolves needed help." Jasper said with a frown.

"Killing cats?" Rosalie guessed with a smirk.

"Two of their pack were gravely injured, we've spent the last few hours getting them patched up. I will be going back and forth over the next few days to monitor their progress. But first we have some major news to discuss."

"Where do we even start?" Esme asked her husband, and he shook his head at a loss.

"I guess we should start with the big news, Isabella is alive." Carlisle didn't have enough patience left to build it up and just blurted it out for everyone to sort out on their own. The room gasped collectively, even Alice who had spent the last several hours building up a new persona, one of fake desolation. She knew it was a lie that she couldn't keep forever, but she had to play a long game to find out how deeply Edward's betrayal had gone.

"How is that possible?" Rosalie said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We don't know. I've managed to confirm that they are members of the Volturi, and that Eliza is effectively her daughter." Jasper explained, and that drew a few curious looks especially from Emmett, Edward and Alice. Although Alice already knew those details.

"Daughter." Emmett said with a bright smile, his excitement and enthusiasm for the news was obvious.

"Again, we do not have details, but Eliza addressed Isabella twice as 'Mom'. Given how much they look alike, it is safe to assume Isabella had a child at some point, who also ended up as a vampire. Perhaps before the confrontation with Victoria, if that even happened." Carlisle added, the explanation didn't seem quite right to him but he couldn't think of another logical answer.

"Victoria? I doubt she had anything to do with this." Edward said incredulously, while shaking his head in disagreement.

"Right Edward, of course the vicious vampire who wanted to hurt you wouldn't go after the one you called mate." Rosalie said with a biting sarcasm, leveling a deadly glare at him.

"There's no proof of that. It's clear that Bella went to the Volturi, with her mental block which would be enticing them. I bet Aro couldn't read her either so it would make sense he offered a position in the guard." Edward said with a touch of hostility, utterly incapable of accepting even a hint of culpability.

"She's a part of the coven, not the guard." Carlisle corrected.

"Well… that doesn't matter. I think this is wonderful news! Isn't it Alice?" Edward said, sweeping Alice up in his arms and swinging her around a couple of times. Alice closed her eyes at the initial contact and managed to fake a small burst of laughter. Yet his touch made her skin crawl, and she had to actively think about the news as if it were new. He set her down, and held onto her shoulders. The focus of his attention for the briefest of moments, she allowed her thoughts to dwell on 'Bella'. Conjuring her brown eyes and smile, a random memory from a shopping trip. Something innocent and boring for Edward to quickly ignore. He squeezed her shoulders and turned away immediately.

"I can't believe it, what is she like now?" Alice asked with a big excited smile that made both Esme and Jasper do a small double take. They both knew her too well, and she knew she would have to try harder around them both.

"Well that's where things get complicated." Carlisle said with a small shake of his head. "She's hostile and violent. There is a darkness to her that lends credence to your Victoria theory, and her abilities are unlike anything I've seen."

"I've never seen one of us move that fast, although I've never seen an ancient let loose with their full power." Jasper added, sighing deeply.

"She is also very cold, and I believe she thinks we don't care about her, which I suppose is fair. We did abandon her." Esme said, directing her gaze towards Edward at the last minute.

"Whatever happened to her, I just need to talk to her. She'll come around. She is after all Bella, my Bella. I have to go see her!" Edward said excitedly, and half turned to leave right away.

Carlisle held up his hand, "Wait, before any of you go anywhere. They're still recovering from what happened today and they said in no uncertain terms that I am the only one they will accept on their property."

"Did they say how they got involved with the Volturi?" Alice asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Her mental focus on the moment, asking for information was always the easiest way of keeping surface thoughts moving.

Carlisle shrugged, "I plan to ask that myself when I call Aro. I don't know how their paths intersect, but I'm very interested to find out more."

Calawah River, January, 31st

It was several hours later, in the very early morning when Jasper finally found Alice perched on a large rock jutting out over the Calawah river to the East of Forks.

"Are you okay?" Jasper's voice brought her out of her head, and she shrugged. The clouds from the earlier rain were clearing. It was rare to see the stars in the night sky, so she was watching the clouds turn translucent allowing small peeks at the heavens above. Her visions had been spotty for a long time but she had known Jasper was coming, and this was going to be one of those conversations where she had to admit things she didn't want to admit.

Alice sighed, one of her hands sliding through her hair. "I don't know. Can't you tell how I'm feeling?"

Jasper shook his head, "your emotions are very difficult to parse, they are shifting and mixed. But I can distinctly feel shock, excitement, happiness, sadness, but above all a seething anger. I can only guess what you're thinking, but I'm not Edward, and you're not easy to read most of the time."

Alice raised an eyebrow, "oh and you know what's going through Edward's mind?"

Jasper snorted, "Edward is easy to read, full of excitement, hope and expectation. I tried to talk to him after you left, he thinks this is fate. It was all I could do to keep him from charging off to see her tonight. I had to explain to him again that the wolves were on edge and they'd likely attack first and ask questions later." Alice sighed softly as Jasper continued, "he has convinced himself that Bella is avoiding him because she needed to concentrate on the stuff for the Volturi and she didn't want to be distracted. He fully expects her to run into his arms the first time she lays eyes on him. He won't listen to me when I suggest otherwise. He's very certain of himself. I haven't felt him this excited… in a very long time." Jasper stopped and looked at her before murmuring softly, "please, tell me what you're thinking?"

"Ninety-five years ago I made a choice. The consequences of that choice are sitting several miles north of here. We left her alone, with only her wolf friends for support, while that bitch went after her and her family and friends. We have no idea what actually happened to her, or why she is the way she is, but simply joining the ranks of the Volturi wouldn't have turned her dark. Nor does it account for Eliza. I've searched the memories of my visions to see if there was something I missed. The last vision I had of Isabella was strange, she was about to jump off a cliff but changed her mind. Then Harry Clearwater died and she was wrapped up in that pain. So I turned my focus away from her life. When I looked again a few months later the vision was dark. I didn't know what it meant, and I was terrified to think that she was dead. So I never investigated… I should've checked to make sure she was alright. But Edward, and his threat. I just couldn't risk it."

"I don't know if he was ever serious about that threat, but I get it." Jasper hoped he was right, but he honestly wasn't sure.

"You know, being able to see the future kind of ruins any chance of surprises. But I didn't see this. I still can't see her, or Eliza, and I don't know why." Alice opened her eyes with a sigh looking at the sky, "did you pick up anything from her?"

"I got only a few hints of emotion from her. That mind thing she had that blocked Edwards telepathy must be stronger as a vampire. I only got small indicators, when her emotions were particularly strong or close to the surface. She was very angry, especially at mention of this ancient vampire, this 'Joham'. That sort of anger is deep and personal, and both Bella and Eliza felt it acutely. They hate him. I'm not sure I've felt hatred so deep before." Jasper shuddered slightly at the emotions that he'd felt for a few brief seconds. "Alice what are you hiding, because I don't know if we can trust Isabella or Eliza."

"I promise I'll tell you everything when the time is right, but for now I need to keep things hidden. For Isabella's sake." Alice said, hoping that would be enough.

Jasper nodded, and looked around, and then stood up, "I'm going back to the house. Do you want to join me?"

Alice shook her head. "I need a few hours. Tell them I'm hunting if they ask."

Jasper nodded and hopped down to the ground before he turned to speak quietly and somberly to Alice. "I will tell you one more thing. Do not make the mistake of assuming you know Bella. She's different in so many ways. Edward can't see that and he may well be a fool, because I don't know how that's going to go if she shows up for school tomorrow. She may have loved him, but I don't know what feelings still exist there. Unfortunately for the rest of us, we are starting from square one with her. Less than that, if her actions are indicative of her true feelings." Without another word, Jasper left Alice alone with her thoughts.

Alice looked up at the sky, hearing the faint sounds of Jasper moving away. She closed her eyes and for the first time in a long time thought of Isabella, only of her.

Forks - Ninety-Six Years Ago

Isabella's loose brown hair hung down around her face like a curtain, which she was using to sneak glimpses of the table towards the back of the Cafeteria. Five beautiful faces, all with the same gorgeous amber eyes. Two were fair, two were dark and one had red hair and a chiseled jaw. The red haired boy, which Jessica told her was named Edward, was looking at her intensely, for reasons she couldn't fathom. But it was the small one with dark hair, named Alice, that stole her attention. She wasn't sure she should meet her eyes, but there was something about her that drew her gaze.

Then they locked eyes for the first time and Alice gasped in shock as a powerful vision flooded into her mind.

Isabella's eyes were black with thirst, but she was smiling warmly. Pulling Alice into a tight hug, followed by a kiss so pure and passionate it shook Alice to the core. They were mates, completely and totally, staring out through a massive window dominated by a strange green and blue planet far below them.

"Our new home." Isabella said as she moved behind Alice and wrapped her arms around her waist. The familiar feel of those arms conjured images of intimacy that cemented the fact for Alice that they were perfect for each other.

"I wish he was here." Alice mumbled, her eyes glancing down at the beautiful gold rings on each of their left hands, flashing to a ceremony in all white, surrounded by the green of a lush forest. There were tearful declarations of love, then they were dancing like fools until the wee hours of the morning. Followed by a week spent in bed on Isle Esme, never parting for more than a few seconds.

"Me too." Isabella said, squeezing her lover just a little tighter. The thoughts of the long struggle all those years ago with the Volturi, ending in Carlisle's death. They were both traumatized and grieving over two centuries later.

"Mom?" The voice came with a small knock on the door. Isabella turned towards their daughter and sighed softly, letting go of Alice.

"Yes Bree?" Isabella asked, moving towards the door.

"Esme was wondering if the two of you would be coming down to the main hall for the landfall party?"

"Of course, just give us a few minutes." Isabella smiled at her. Bree chuckled silently and turned away back towards the meeting room where they had set up the party.

"Bree thinks we just have sex all the time." Alice said getting lost in the vision.

"Hardly, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to take you to bed lately. It is far too low a number." Isabella said as she crossed the room and rested her arms on her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly.

"Never enough if you ask me." Alice murmured as she kissed her wife back. The taste of her lips lingering as the vision ended and she felt her body shiver in anticipation. She glanced with guilt towards Jasper who gave her a strange look.

Then she looked toward Edward, who was still staring at Isabella. Bella, she would go by Bella in this version of reality. As that future shattered into a thousand pieces, and the taste of Isabella's lips faded from Alice's future memories. Edward's mind focused on Bella, her scent, which Alice knew was intoxicating, drove him wild. In that one moment, despite his later claiming that he tried to fight it, he'd made the decision that he wanted the person who should've been Alice's true mate.

She stood without another glance toward the family and left the cafeteria, keeping her mind carefully blank, so Edward would never know. Even if he had thought to look while he was so intent on reading the new girl there was no way he would have caught that flash of a vision before he broke it. Alice skipped her afternoon classes, and headed into the forest to grieve a future she would never have.

The following days she watched helplessly as Edward left for Alaska, and was tempted to try and reach out to Bella to reclaim her future. But it was too late, and Bella was infatuated with Edward for some reason. Perhaps a mix of confusion and attraction, especially after he almost killed her during their first interaction. Over time Edward finally allowed Alice to interact with Bella without Edward's constant attention. But Alice had to be careful, because the vision that hinted at love had blossomed into a full undying love for her human friend.

Alice had to spend her time with Bella focusing on the frivolous, shopping and fashion. She tried to actively think of her as a sister instead of a lover. Slowly morphing her love into something unrequited and chaste. Yet in certain moments she shared her feelings through actions, such as gifts or parties. Taking point in the mad dash to Phoenix in a futile attempt to keep her safe from James.

Then that lovely summer, where she had almost unfettered access to Bella, and showered her with affection as much as possible. That time spent away from Edward was full of a shared intimacy. While platonic on the surface, Alice was amazed at times how openly Bella accepted her touch, and how they always inevitably held hands. They would snuggle close together watching television or when they had the privacy and talked endlessly about every topic that held interest for either of them. Yet it was torturous for her, because Alice could never let it slip that she felt anything more than friendship the dark haired human who owned her heart.

Then the birthday party. That stupid fucking party. Alice had to go for pretty wrapping paper, made from foil. So when Bella sliced her finger it actually drew blood. Jasper, having known his relationship with Alice was over for months, lashed out at Bella relenting to his jealousy and thirst. Then Edward just threw her back, as if she were just a bag of possessions instead of a living breathing person who he was trying to protect. Alice lingered as long as she could, but even she had to run while Carlisle patched up Bella's wounds.

That evening after Bella was home safely Edward called a meeting.

"We have to leave." He said solemnly.

"Why, we're still early into our cycle." Rosalie said, scrunching up her nose in distaste.

"You know why, we can no longer risk Bella's life." Edward said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Um, then we turn her. She has said multiple times that's what she wants." Emmett said in confusion.

"Force her to abandon her father and mother? Or any chance at a normal human life with children." Edward said defensively.

"She has never once said that she wants a normal life, quite the contrary." Rosalie countered, and Edward gave her a look of surprise. He never expected her to rise up to defend Bella in any way.

"It doesn't matter, she is my mate and I feel this is the best course of action." Edward said as though that were the end of the argument.

"We should give her the choice, if she wants to come with us we could never deny her that wish." Esme said forcefully, and Edward nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, but if she choses a human life will you give in to my request?" The question was pointed and indisputable from a certain perspective, however Alice wasn't about to let go that easily.

"No, we're not leaving. Not yet." Alice said, literally putting her foot down.

"I'm with Alice, I will not just uproot after only three years. We just got settled, I refuse to start school again so soon." Rosalie stood, standing beside Alice in a show of support. Alice glanced back and gave her a small smile.

"Edward is right, we need to make sure there is some distance from her. I mean if she is to remain human." Jasper said with a frown, risking a small glance towards Alice.

"I'll turn her if you refuse Edward, she has made her choice to be with us." Alice said shaking her head, knowing that Bella would accept the offer without hesitation.

"She has expressed that desire, but unless she is actually given the choice we do not know how she will decide." Carlisle posited, although it didn't come off quite like he intended as Esme stood and gave him an angry look.

"Carlisle, when someone says something once you can make a supposition that they may not mean it. Bella has expressed her desire to join us in practically every conversation she has had with me personally, and I can almost guarantee the same for everyone here, especially you Edward. Isn't that true?" Esme's point seemed to shift the mood of the room, and everyone looked at Edward almost daring him to try and counter it.

"Not at all, she mentioned it last year at Prom, but not since then. She seems quite content with how things are between us. Which is why this is so hard. If she wants this life I cannot deny her, but I have a strong feeling she will not abandon her father and mother." Edward looked sad, almost despondent over the idea.

"Bullshit, I'll go get her and we can ask her together right now!" Alice practically shouted. Her voice was full of disbelief and anger.

"You will do no such thing, she has been through enough!" Edward actually raised his voice, getting close to Alice who was also at the point of screaming she was so angry.

"Enough, we will talk about this civilly." Carlisle stepped between them and everyone separated to opposite sides of the room. The conversation continued, while not as heated it was no less divisive. Eventually Carlisle grew tired of the back and forth, as both Emmett and Jasper had very little to say.

"I need to take a headcount of who is on which side at this point." Carlisle said holding up a hand during a particularly angry exchange between Alice and Edward. "I will go around the room, please state if you wish to stay or go. Jasper."

"Go." Jasper glanced at Alice who gave him an angry look. "But if Bella wants to come with us I will gladly accept her into the family."

"Noted, Esme?" Carlisle asked.

"Stay, I will not abandon my daughter unless she explicitly wishes to sever ties with us." Esme said, holding her chest, clearly in some emotional pain. Rosalie pulled her into a hug.

"Of course, Rose?" Carlisle turned towards Rosalie with as neutral an expression as possible, he didn't want to give away how he was feeling about this whole situation until he knew where everyone landed.

"Stay. I don't want to leave yet anyway, and Bella deserves a chance to tie up her life before joining us. Even if I don't agree with her reasons, it's her choice." Rosalie determination and acceptance surprised most of the room and there was a brief moment of silence before Carlisle moved on.

"Yes, well... moving on. Alice?" Carlisle was doing the math, this would come down to Emmett and himself. Although the painful truth was the only real way he could justify staying was if Emmett sided with Esme, Alice and Rosalie.

"I'm staying, even if the rest of you go." Alice crossed her arms and stared hard at Edward.

"You do that, and I'll end her life. She is my responsibility, my mate. You have no right to make that choice." Edward leveled a dangerous look at Alice, and she could tell instantly that he would actually go through with it. Alice almost stepped back in shock and horror.

"What? How dare you threaten that you sanctimonious coward! You would kill Bella to spite me?" Alice shouted, forcing Carlisle to raise his hands as Alice began to towards Edward in pure anger.

"Edward, that is a barbaric threat. You cannot be serious." Esme said with real disappointment in her tone, shaking her head at him. Edward didn't even flinch.

"I mean it, because if I have to choose between her life and her soul, I'll gladly take the burden of preserving her soul." He sounded almost like a religious zealot, his tone like he was reciting a sacred oath.

"Who are you to decide what she chooses? You are unbearably arrogant to believe you can dictate her choice, even worse you are dictating my choices too Edward, I will not just abandon her." Alice spit out towards Edward, any love they may have had for each other was washed away by a single threat leveled at Bella. At the same time she was terrified he would go through with it.

"Enough, we haven't finished the vote. Emmett?" Carlisle interrupted before Edward could respond. Emmett was staring at Edward with a look of pure anger and frustation.

"I was gonna vote to stay, but Edward you leave me no good choice now. If you kill Bella I will have to kill you, so fuck you. I vote to go. Asshole." Emmett was seething, but Edward looked smug, because he knew how his father would vote, with him.

"That leaves it to me, and honestly this is not an easy choice." Carlisle looked down before taking a deep breath, "Edward, you need to give her the choice, but as of now we are leaving."

"So if Eddie comes back saying she doesn't want to come with us, you expect us all just to pack up and leave without her?" Rose said bitterly.

"Yes." Carlisle said simply, causing Rose to get up and storm out of the room slamming a few doors in the process.

"How can I say goodbye to her?" Alice said feeling a constricting in her threat from the intense emotions welling up from deep inside of her. The idea of never seeing Bella again was almost physically painful.

"I don't know, it'll be too painful for me." Esme said pulling Alice into a reassuring hug.

"Me too." Alice closed her eyes and buried her face in Esme's shoulder, hoping against hope that things would go well the following day.

Calawah River, January 31st

Alice shut her eyes tightly on the memory. Hating herself for being so weak, letting herself believe Edward and his lies. He had destroyed her chance at happiness twice, and she wasn't going to give him the opportunity to do it again. She stood up and started back towards home, her thoughts ordered and ready for any passing inspection from Edward. Yet as determined as she was to uncover the whole truth, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at Isabella's feet, apologize and do whatever it took to show her how sorry she was, how wrong she'd been. She wanted to wrap her arms around Bella and never ever let her go.

She made it to the house just as everyone began to settle into their overnight routine, the exception being Edward who was busy composing something new instead of randomly playing something old. She pushed into the living space, and sat next to him at the piano. A perfect warm smile on her face, of course it was utterly false, but her mind held nothing but pleasant thoughts.

"It's so nice to see you smiling again. I could never understand why you were so upset." Edward gave her a warm smile of his own. "This one's for her, something new to make her smile just like you are right now."

"That's good Edward, but I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page. We are probably going to see her tomorrow for the first time. Do you know what we might expect?" Alice sounded genuine, a question born of fear. In truth she had a pretty good idea what to expect on her first interaction with Isabella.

"I expect that she will recognize my reasons and accept me with open arms." Edward said with utter confidence, as if Isabella had been waiting for him with bated breath.

"And if she doesn't?" Alice asked with an innocent look.

"I don't see that as a possibility. She must've known I didn't really want to leave her back then." He continued to play, and Alice almost smiled. He had finally slipped up.

"Wasn't that her choice? I mean you gave her the option to come with us, right?"

"Well, not exactly. She took my words badly, thinking that I didn't want her." Edward said pausing his finger movements and turning towards Alice.

"Oh, but she did choose to stay with her father and have a normal human life right? I mean that was what we all agreed on?" Alice asked nodding with a mildly sad but appropriate sigh for the situation.

"Not exactly, the conversation was strange and I never really got a chance to ask her." Edward frowned, but then quickly shifted into a sympathetic smule and shrugged slightly.

"Edward, what did you say? You have perfect recall, and I imagine she does as well." Alice asked, concern creasing her brow, as she painted the facts with a very large obvious brush. He could hid behind his lie anymore.

"It's not important, because she is here and soon she will be back with us as my wife." He smiled brightly and started to play again. Alice smiled back and had to stifle her own inner reaction to his arrogant presumption.

"Right, very true. But you have to wonder how she took what you said all those years ago. Maybe she holds a grudge for how you left things?" Alice spelled it out for him, knowing the family was now listening.

"I did nothing wrong." Edward said as he missed a note and stopped, slamming the cover for the keys.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything. I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page when we start to interact with her. The last thing we want is to give her the wrong impression." Alice leaned back shaking her head.

"Right, well, truth is I never gave her the option. Are you happy now? The point is moot, we left and she would never trust your word over mine." Edward pursed his lips and stood moving towards the window looking out the back.

"You did what!" Rosalie shouted as she came flashing into the room, followed on her heels by Esme, Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper and Adara.

"I made the choice that was the best for everyone involved. A white lie to protect you and Bella." Edward said as he turned to look at everyone gathered.

"Isabella." Carlisle corrected. "I am very disappointed in you Edward, that lie nearly broke this family apart. Now you reluctantly admit the truth to us because you know it will get out."

"It was my choice, you all tried to dictate the terms for my decision. I knew what was best, and all of you were too blinded by emotion to do it rationally. So yes, I did not give her the choice to come with us. Which was for the best no matter what happened afterwards." Edward gestured angrily, he had no intention of backing down or apologizing for his actions.

"She disappeared, her friends and family were killed and now you say we could have avoided all of that because you chose for her and for us? Screw you Edward. Don't bother talking to me, ever." Rosalie said storming off.

"Let me guess, you agree with her?" Edward looked at Alice who slowly shook her head.

"She was your mate. Ultimately it was your decision." Alice said with her mind completely blank, the lie now practiced and easy. Although nothing about his choice made sense, it lacked passion and compassion. It wasn't something based on love, and she couldn't figure out why. Edward looked at her, obviously trying to dig deeper into her thoughts, but a look of frustration crossed his face briefly before he smiled at her.

"I'm glad you understand, maybe we can figure out how to move forward from here?" He said hopefully.

"Maybe. It'll take some time, and we need to see what Isabella wants us to do." Alice clarified with as real a smile as she could fake, when all her body wanted to do was retch from the toxic emotions he had conjured. She didn't want to hate, but she did now. Alice hated him with every fiber of her being.

"I see you've already adopted her new nomenclature, I guess it wouldn't hurt to call her Isabella." Edward said with a big grin, pulling Alice close. She relaxed into his embrace although she wanted to scream at him to get as far away from him as possible. Carlisle and Esme both looked at the two of them and sighed in relief that there wasn't going to be any more drama, despite Rosalie storming off. Not even Emmett had followed, because they all knew she would cool off and come back in a couple of hours.

The family separated again, while upset about Edward's lie they had once again written it off as something acceptable. Except, that wasn't remotely the case, as each sat in their respective spaces and pondered what they wanted to do moving forward. Esme had already started on a new portrait of Isabella and Eliza standing together to hang in the gallery beside the rest of the family. Emmett lost himself in a game, shooting people gave him a very slight bit of catharsis, but he still wanted to throttle his brother. Jasper and Adara left to hunt, and spent the next hour actually talking about the whole mess. Alice stayed close to Edward, trying to keep herself blank or superficial. Rosalie left the house and walked several miles towards school lost in thought. Her own anger at war with her actions a century ago. Wondering if her anger even justified?

Everyone in the house mulled over the lie, and what it meant moving forward. Yet no one was going to blindly accept it, not until they heard from Isabella. The only one sure of the outcome was Edward, who went back to playing his piano as if tomorrow was a sure thing.


Author's Note:

As you might expect (especially if you have read the original) things are probably not going to go well for Edward. The flashback and the vision felt important, and gave us a glimpse of that Isabella and Alice could have been, but do not expect any potential relationship to function exactly the same. So the lie is out, the family knows and yes this is a departure from the original. Alice being more proactive is a change, but I think it is for the best here. She was very passive and broken in the original, and while she is definitely not the same Alice as she was in the novels, she will be a bit stronger overall.

Next Chapter: Dismemberment and Sporks