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TRIGGER WARNINGS: Discussions of sexual assault
Chapter 5 – Disagreements (EPOV)
"Sam wants to meet tonight." Emmett's voice is annoyed. Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett had begrudgingly returned home after an attempt at tracking an unknown that led them straight to La Push.
The house had been mostly silent until Emmett's arrival – Carlisle in his study forging documents to replace Bella's at the hospital, Esme sitting in the den looking out the window waiting for her children to return home, and Alice huddled in a corner trying to foresee the future, the present, and the past simultaneously. The only except to the silence was Bella who had whimpered and twisted relentlessly in her sleep until Carlisle injected her with something to ease her anxiety and pain.
His thoughts were utterly tormented, conflicted over whether her previous consent to his medicinal involvement would extend still. Ultimately, her pained moans hardened his decision. She had slept the entire way home due to his pain cocktail – her body absolutely exhausted from trauma and stress – and he wanted her sleep to continue undisturbed for a few hours more.
Part of me was desperate for her to wake up and allow her to see that she was safe. She was home with me now. The other part of me was desperate for her to stay asleep and allow her body and mind to rest for as long as possible.
"When? Why?" Demands Esme. Esme had jumped up excitedly when they entered the house, conflictedly feeling dread and guilt at her excitement. She was hopeful that they had found something and was prepared to help them. Her excitement was apparently – ready to get revenge for the child of hers that had been hurt. But her dread and guilt at murder and violence was slightly debilitating.
I heard these same sentiments echoed in Rosalie's thoughts earlier that morning – excitement at the prospect of hunting and destroying another rapist and remorseful at the thought of another girl having to relearn how to live. In the end, much to her dismay, it wasn't the scent of Bella's attacker and their hunt only led them to the boarder of the Reservation where the pack was waiting, prepared for a fight.
Now, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett had returned home.
"There's no point." Jasper says.
Emmett groans. I can hear him pulling himself away from the door dejectedly. He's ready for a fight. In his mind, and Jasper's, we were already at war with the wolves. They were both fully prepared to fight the wolves to the death.
After all, that's what they had intended to do with us tonight until Jasper negotiated a temporary peace agreement. His intention was not peace – it was fairness. If the Mutts had their leader to lay the charges, we may as well have ours to refute them. We deserved to have equal footing against the mutts.
Carlisle's thoughts are distressed. I don't want a war, not now. Too many lost lives. . . too much pain. "There's always hope, Jasper."
"They believe Edward did this, Carlisle." Rosalie hisses. Her thoughts dart in my direction, filled with grief and pity. Emotions I had never seen in her thoughts before when they fell on me. I ignored her – I didn't want pity right now.
"They're not looking for peace." Jasper agrees.
This is worse than I thought. Carlisle was thinking.
I can't see anything if they're involved. "Carlisle, we have to get away from this." Alice's voice portrayed her uncertainty and frustration. Even Jasper's effort did not dissuade her anxiety. "If they get involved, I won't be able to see anything."
"Carlisle says we can't kill them." Emmett grumbles.
"If we leave, they'll suspect Edward even more." Rosalie says. I'm stunned into silence, shocked by Rosalie standing at my defense so openly.
"If we stay, I'll be blind."
"You already are." Rosalie snaps bitterly. Didn't see Bella's attack, can't tell us anything about who attacked her or why, can't see anything about these scents we keep finding around Forks. . . utterly useless.
Arrogant! Jasper's mind screams at Rosalie. He's furious at the attack on his mate. My muscles coil, prepared to break up a fight if it comes to it. Emmett's thoughts – also preparing to put a block between Rosalie and Jasper – have me more relaxed.
He'll deal with it.
Alice let's out an exclamation of distress but does not respond to Rosalie's retort.
"We can't leave." Esme says, interrupting the silent war between Rosalie and Jasper. "Bella's father is here."
"He's not in danger." Alice protests. "I need to be able to see. As much as I can."
"When have we fled because the mutts told us to?" Emmett demands. "There's a treaty for a reason. If they want us gone, let them be the ones to break it."
"We can't leave." Esme says again, adamantly. "We can't take Bella away from here now." Just think how that would disrupt her healing. . .
"Now is the time to leave, even if it means they suspect Edward. Do you really think Bella wants to be here now?" Rosalie says, her voice furious. "There's no reason to stay."
"Rosalie, we're operating in the human world right now." Carlisle says quietly. "Bella and her father are intertwined in this, and our decisions have to take them into consideration. Charlie was open-minded enough to allow me to take her from the hospital, but we can't leave the state."
"If we leave, there is no chance of us finding who did this." Emmett adds. His empathy for Bella – his sister – was strong.
"It's clear that we can't make that choice." Carlisle says firmly. No one speaks for a moment. The reality sinks in my mind now, and I could hear it in the minds of my siblings and parents.
We needed to stay in Forks. For Charlie, for Bella, to hunt the monster. Consequences with the wolves be damned.
"There are too many possibilities. . ." Alice says, breaking the silence. "I don't know how I missed this. I was watching Aro, Caius, Demetri, and Jane – in case anyone decided to do something against Aro's decision – and Victoria."
"Maybe it wasn't Aro or Caius." Emmett says. "How many guard do they have? Any one of them could have made a decision to come here. . . Get in the good graces of their masters. Who knows?"
Rosalie scoffs. Certainly not Alice.
"I've been watching Bella's future, too." Alice mumbles. "I should've seen . . ." She falls quiet.
Too many enemies . . . Jasper's mental voice was worried. "Aro has been growing concerned with us for some time. Edward's recently trip to Volterra didn't help."
I sigh quietly, filled with my own guilt as I stand. I needed to be downstairs, but I had promised she wouldn't be alone. Esme, sensing my need to be downstairs, floats up to the room.
"I'll watch over her, Edward." She says. I'd like to avoid the discussion downstairs. It's inevitable . . . but I don't want to part of it.
I brush some of Bella's hair from her face, nestling it gently against the bruises on her neck. She was soundly asleep – a rare occurrence since her first night in the hospital. I needed to go downstairs.
"I'll be here." Esme touches my arm, reassuring me. She'll be safe.
I only nod in acknowledge of her words, turning and leave as quietly and quickly as Esme had entered.
Everyone's eyes flash to me as I step downstairs. Jasper steps forward.
"This is exactly what Caius warned us of." Rosalie says, glancing at me. "It's been two months. Perhaps he decided to come check on her." We're lucky to be alive. Technically we've all committed an unspeakable crime. I knew we'd pay for it eventually. . . We should have killed her –
My hiss cuts Rosalie's thoughts off, and she snarls back at me.
My eyes narrow at her. Was she not defending me only moments ago? Did she have no empathy for Bella still?
Alice lays a hand on my arm, reminding me in her thought that violence between us was mostly useless right now. You can get at her later.
"They would have killed her, Rose." Emmett disagrees. Not raped her.
I wince, grateful he had not said the words aloud.
"Caius is not merciful that he would leave her alive." Carlisle agrees solemnly. Alice shudders in the corner.
"And I've been watching the Volturi, Rose. Aro, Cauis, all of them. No one has made a decision about us."
"That you've seen." Rosalie says. Each word is pronounced, each word a bullet that mentally shakes Alice.
"Perhaps it could have been spontaneous enough that it slipped your visions." Jasper mutters, simultaneously unhappy with Rosalie questioning Alice's abilities and with the idea of others' decisions that impacted us slipping through.
"Maybe we're reading into it too much." Emmett shrugs. "Look, there's a dozen scents around Forks right now. We know there's a situation developing in Seattle with a rogue newborn. The news reported two more dead today which brings the total up to six."
"It was too a perfect coincidence." Carlisle says, shaking his head. He sits down on the couch, looking more human that I knew he could with his hands running through his hair and his face relapsed in stress. "Alice and Edward haven't been hunting together in months. . . Alice didn't see anything – "
"No!" I hiss at him, his thoughts ahead of his words.
"Carlisle, you're not suggesting. . ." Alice narrows her eyes. A planned attack I would have seen. "I would have seen a planned attack."
"But you didn't." I mutter to her.
Her eyes flash to mine. "And it wasn't a coincidence. It's too perfect, like Carlisle said."
"What are you suggesting?" Rosalie hisses, her eyes flashing between Carlisle and Alice and me.
"They're playing with Alice's visions." Carlisle finishes slowly, his eyes on Alice.
Alice snarls at no one in particular, looking mutinous. "That's not possible."
"Isn't it?" I demand, grasping her arm so she'll look at me. "Aro saw. . . In Volterra. He saw that you completely missed Bella being pulled out of the water. He knows your visions are imperfect."
Her lips curl over her teeth. "I've been watching him."
"Yes, you have." Carlisle agrees. "And yet your vision only came when I made the decision to call you. It was my decision, Alice, that showed you what happened."
"So, you think Aro is behind this?" Jasper demands, his voice hard. I see his hand flicker to Alice slightly, wanting to protect her.
"If Aro was behind this, they would have sent a vampire and Bella would be like us by now." A growl builds in my chest as I consider my words. How close Bella was to death, to a damned existence.
What a fucking idiot. We should have stayed away. Or killed her after that accident. She doesn't belong in this mess.
No, not necessarily. He would have killed her.
They're too cunning for that. Caius is too cunning for that.
The thoughts bombard me from multiple members of my family, and I narrow my eyes at each one in turn.
"Aro values her too much!" I hiss at them, remembering my time in Volterra and his fascination with Bella's ability to block our gifts. "He wouldn't dare waste the potential she has."
Jasper stares at me. "Perhaps. But Caius had his own ideas, you said so yourself."
"He wouldn't leave her alive." I snap.
"The guard would not defy Aro, neither would Marcus of Caius." Carlisle says, holding his hand up to try and calm us.
Emmett's eyebrows pull together quizzically. He shakes his head. "I think we are reading too much into this. What if it really was a coincidental attack?"
"What do you mean?" Carlisle asks, rubbing the bridge of his nose. I should check on her. . . her fever was a bit high last time.
"At least three vampire scents were in that house and one mutt." Emmett explains. He eyes each of us. "There's no way a vampire or mutt would enter that house with those scents and . . ." He trails off, swallowing thickly. "If could have been a dumb human who took advantage of an empty house with a pretty girl."
"That's absolute bullshit." I couldn't stop the snarl that erupted from my chest. Emmett throws his hands up, surrendering.
"I'm not trying to belittle this, man. I'm just saying it'd take a bold vampire to do this if they knew who her friends were. Not to mention, she'd be in much worse condition if it were a vampire." Emmett insists. "And we know it wasn't – the scent wasn't like ours."
"Exactly – it would take a bold creature to do this." I continue. "Human or not, her friends are dangerous, and everyone knows it."
"Edward, hear him out." Carlisle tells me, encouraging me to listen.
"He had a syringe of Rohypnol. That was planned." Rosalie says, her voice so soft I strain to hear it aside from the thoughts in her head.
I look to Rosalie, appreciating that she is once again on my side. "Jacob got to the hospital less than two hours after I left. The window is too close. He came as soon as I left."
"It would explain why Alice saw nothing." Emmett says, but he steps back to show that his time arguing with me is over. "If they decided it quickly, knowing that you would be back soon. . ."
"Alice's visions are her problem, Emmett." Rosalie growls, her eyes flashing. Emmett touches her arm, wishing he could say something to her without her getting more flustered and angrier. He knew she would be more comfortable and receptive in private, though.
"It has nothing to do with the attacker." Rosalie continues. "This is all Alice."
"That doesn't make sense." Alice argues, her voice growing in volume and seething.
Edward, you have never blamed me for not seeing something or missing something in the future. Even when Bella jumped off that cliff. Let's not start now. Alice says, her eyes pleading. I'll figure this out.
I nod at her once, slowly so no one else sees.
"Alice can't see the wolves, Rosalie." Jasper hisses. He was becoming tired of everyone blaming Alice. Alice's visions had never failed her before, except when it came to the wolves. But that seemed to be an issue with them more than her. Nothing about this situation made sense.
The attack was clearly not a spontaneous decision, but it was impossible that the decision had crept through when Alice was keeping such a close eye on our enemies and on Bella.
"How did you not hear anything while you were there?" Jasper asks suddenly, his eyes wide as he turns on me.
"I heard nothing unusual." I respond quietly. "I wouldn't have left her if there was something concerning."
Carlisle sighs, shaking his head. He was utterly confused and devoid of answers.
"You should have heard something if the attacker arrived within an hour after you left her house. We were still close to the area." Alice tells me, her expression blank.
"I heard nothing." I repeat again. It was true. The only thoughts surrounding us had been Bella's neighbors, most of which were busy with their weekend chores and plans.
"The easy way to figure this out is to just ask her." Jasper says, his voice frustrated. She knows what happened. We can't do anything without the information she can give us.
Rosalie and I hiss at the same time.
"You have no right to ask her." Rosalie snarls. She takes a step forward, sinking into a slight crouch. Emmett's hand comes down on her shoulder.
"Calm down, Rose." He murmurs.
"This is a matter of her future, Rosalie." Jasper snaps back.
"And this is a matter of her current state. She's not well." I respond, my voice just as angry. "You don't know how she'll react."
"I get it." Jasper exhales deeply as he speaks. "She's vulnerable. She's scared. She'll probably have a panic attack if she thinks about it too much. But –"
"Well, I refuse to ask her." Rosalie growls. "And I won't let anyone else do it either. She has the right to keep this to herself. It's bad enough we all know she was assaulted."
"Alice's can't see a thing." Jasper continues as if Rosalie hadn't interrupted him. "We don't know who did this. We can't don't even know enough to determine if there was a plan behind it."
"Work with what you have." Rosalie snarls. "He used Rohypnol which means he's weak. He's human. He can't evade us for long. He's a dead man when we find him."
"I'm with you, babe." Emmett says quietly. "But we don't know any of that for sure."
Rosalie hisses at him, her expression furious. "If any of you dare try to ask her, you'll have to go through me."
"Enough of this." Carlisle stands up, looking outside as the sun was setting. "I'm sure the pack is waiting." We don't need to give them more of a reason to be anxious.
Alice stands beside me – close enough that our arms can brush. It was her silent and secretive reminder of the bond we shared and every intentional touch on her part made me feel slightly better despite the horrid events of the last few days. She keeps her thoughts focused on the pack – not trying to communicate with me at all, for which I was thankful.
The boarder marking the Quileute reservation is silent and still, as if the trees rooted in the soil beneath our feet know what is happening.
Six wolves stand before us. Tall – their heads high and their stance wide. Sam was in the center, his eyes glowing. To his right, Paul and Embry were waiting for their command. To his left, Seth, Leah, and Jared. Jacob Black was not here tonight.
He was a coward.
I glance at Carlisle on my right. He looks to me, and then turns to face Sam and the rest of the wolves. He takes a step forward, making Jasper take a step forward as well.
"Thank you for meeting us." Carlisle says after a moment, as if we had been the one to call this meeting.
Leah growls, her teeth bared, her mind wild with disgust.
I can see Emmett in the corner of my eye, his arms tense. He was only here to level the playing field. Emmett, Jasper, and I were most equipped to take on the wolves. Carlisle was blind with compassion, and Alice was blind in another, much more unusual, way. Rosalie had opted out of the meeting in favor of staying to protect and watch over Bella with Esme.
This is not a meeting for pleasure. Sam's voice was displeased. Jacob informed us of an attack on Bella.
I look toward Carlisle, repeating the words tersely.
The lies of her attack. It was one of them, filthy, murderous bloodsuckers.
Jacob's a wuss. Can't believe he took her straight back to their arms again.
They probably killed her by now. Sam, we have to act.
We know it was you, you monster.
This breaks the treaty. What are we waiting for? Let's do this!
Be quiet! Sam's voice finally overpowers the others', and each of them fall silent at his order. The power of the alpha command, apparently, silenced them. I'd heard Jacob talking to Bella about it once. Sam, more or less, could control the others while in wolf form.
You have the right to explain yourself, vampire. I'm losing patience with your kind.
I was impressed Sam had yet to lunge – perhaps, far beneath the thoughts I could read, he truly believed I was not responsible for this.
"They're not convinced it wasn't me." I spit between clenched teeth. Carlisle frowns.
This is going to be difficult. Carlisle looks toward me, and then back to Sam. I don't know what Jacob told them. . .
Jacob was not here in the clearing for me to scour through his thoughts. Where was he hiding? What was he hiding?
"My son is not responsible for this." Carlisle says, his voice hard.
Show us proof.
"Jacob has been to her room. You know as well as the rest of us there was another scent there." I snap. Alice touches my arm, reminding me to be civil. Not even seconds later, I feel Jasper's calming influence fall onto the entire clearing.
Sometimes I hated Jasper. Sometimes I wanted to feel angry. Right now, I was more than grateful he was pacifying me. I breathe deeply, trying to remind myself that the mutts were not my enemy tonight. My wrath was awaiting someone else entirely.
"Edward was not here when the attack occurred." Carlisle says, his voice full of conviction. "You must see reason, Sam. If we were as cruel as some believe, I would not have worked to help Bella live once her life was in my hands. She would not be at my home recovering under our care."
She's not in the hospital anymore? Sam's voice rung with horror. What goes on in your house, away from prying eyes, is uncertain.
I relay the words, my voice muted, and my body numb. The clearing is quiet for a long moment.
"Bella is family." Alice finally says, her voice strong despite her strangled state of mind. "We only want what's good for her and to protect her. She is safe with us right now. If you need to check on her to ensure her well-being, you're more than welcome." Her voice held a false sense of calm, and I knew that she was just as close to snapping as I was.
"Just know, mutt, that our patience wears thin, too." Jasper's voice is taunt, and even Carlisle does not admonish him for the words. Instead, Carlisle looks to me to add something, but I stay silent. I did not care what the wolves thought. Bella would be alive and safe as long as I was with her – wolves be damned.
Carlisle was trying to placate them. Alice needed them out of the picture and out of her visions. Jasper was trying to defend the family. I simply wanted to return to Bella.
Sam's thoughts are a frenzy for several long moments. They overpower the mental voices of his counterparts. He's shifting through the facts – cognizant of the scent Jacob had shared through his memories. He knew that it was not a vampire. He knew it was not me.
If you say this is not you, then who did this? Sam's voice was hesitant. He did not want to admit he believed us.
"We don't know." I respond flatly. "None of us recognize the scent."
What do you know? Paul demands coldly. Sam, despite wanting to berate him for interjecting when not asked, steps aside to allow Paul to speak.
I can feel my fists clenching. Nothing. We knew nothing.
"They want to know what we know about her attacker." I tell my family. Jasper's face goes hard immediately, his eyes narrowing.
Why? Jasper questions.
"Jasper?" Carlisle looks to his newest son. Jasper grimaces, weighing the options. Telling them would not be detrimental, but it went against his instincts to share vital information with others who were not allied with him.
"We have the scent." Jasper says, his voice slightly cold. He and Emmett had gone to Bella's room and tracked the scent for as long as they could. They were not successful in their endeavor. "We think it was a planned attack."
Planned? The thought echoes multiple times throughout the pack, along with more confusion and some insults thrown our way. Some wolves were not entirely convinced of our innocence.
Sam does not silence his mutts this time.
What makes you think it was planned? Sam steps back into his spot, pushing Paul aside. His thoughts fly back to Jacob – the memories Jacob had shown of him running Bella to the hospital, how he fought with Carlisle until he finally relented and allowed her to be taken through the doors of the ER.
"He wants to know why we say it's planned."
"The timing – perfectly between Edward leaving and Jacob arriving." Jasper explains. "And perfectly dodging each of our gifts so we didn't know what happened until it already occurred."
"Whoever did this was careful not to kill her." Carlisle adds, his voice upset. "Bella's injuries are severe, but not life-threatening."
Interesting. Sam says, though he did not seem interested at all. While you may have convinced us of your innocent this time, I'm sure you understand these events change nothing. Bella has made her choice and we will honor it. Our generosity will not become a habit – don't test our patience again.
My teeth snap together tightly at his thoughts. Bella had made her choice, and so had Jacob Black.
"I'd expect nothing else." I hiss in response. Carlisle looks at me, his eyes questioning.
Sam continues as if I had not spoken. The treaty still stands. You may not come onto our land or near our kind.
"I'm sure you can understand why we might not extend certain courtesies when trying to catch this monster." I hiss at him. Alice puts her palm against mine, again reminding me to stay calm. We're here to placate them. To keep them out of things.
Crossing the border will be a violation of the treaty. Sam repeats. Any other human harmed will be a violation of the treaty. We are prepared to respond such a threat.
"Noted." I hiss.
We may have offered protection to some in your absence, but it is not our responsibility any longer. We take care of our own.
With Sam's final words, the wolves slowly retreat back into the trees and disappear together.
"Well?" Carlisle asks me after a moment, his eyebrow raised curiously.
"They want us to stay off their property." I hiss. "The treaty still stands."
Emmett breathes a sigh of relief. Good for them, fucking idiots. Finally got their brains back into their thick skulls. Of course we didn't do this to Bella.
"So, they'll stay out of it?" Alice breathes, relieved.
"As long as we stay off their land, they don't care what happens." I snap, enraged. "They don't care what we do with Bella – whether she lives or dies. They only take care of their own."
Hypocrites. Protectors only when it's convenient for them.
Carlisle nods, grimacing. He was not happy with this meeting. "There's no shortage of protection for Bella now. We take care of our own, too."
I growl, my fist connecting with a trunk of a large tree. The wood groans, cracking and toppling over three other trees as it falls. I was furious. Furious with the wolves, for abandoning Bella. Furious with myself for allowing her to fall into the hands of danger to begin with. Furious with my brothers and sister for not being able to track down the monster today. Furious with Carlisle that, despite his best work, Bella still had weeks of physical recovery ahead of her.
We did take care of our own, and I needed to take of Bella. She is mine to take care of. Mine to avenge. Mine to protect.
"Where are you going?" Alice demands, her eyes wide, her hands outstretched as if they were about to catch me.
"Hunting." Tracking. Destroying a monster.
"Edward," Carlisle starts, his voice warning. "She needs you at home right now."
"I can't do anything for her right now." I respond, my voice harsh as his mind infiltrates mine with images of Bella's injuries. I wasn't a doctor – I couldn't heal. I was a vampire – I could kill. "Not while he's out there . . . Alive."
"Yes, you can." Carlisle insists. There's so much you can do. She needs you home with her.
"When she asks for me, I'll be there." I snap in response.
That's not fair to her. Alice tells her, though she was debating whether to join me in my hunt.
"Take care of her, Carlisle."
