Happy Reading
DISCLAIMER - ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYERS.
STORYLINE BELONGS TO ME.
We all came to stand around the monument erected for Charlie, hugging and expressing our goodbyes before going our separate ways knowing the this may be the last time we all see each other for awhile, however content in the knowledge that friends and extended family has been formed out of tragedy, which is a bond that will never be broken
Bella POV
We make our way back to our houses and I pause one last time to gaze back at Charlie's picture on the monument, it was one of him in his uniform standing next to his cruiser in front of the house.
I thought that would be best since I had torn the house down but still give people an idea of what used to be here.
As I turned I watched as Jacob gave one last hug to Billy who had silent tears running down his face, even knowing that this would not be the last time that he saw Jacob. I smiled as Jacob grasped Asha's hand in his and started towards us for the slow walk back home.
I guess I should not have been surprised that Asha agreed to come with him, since a mate and their imprint can't be apart for long and he will also have the added bonus of having someone close who is exactly like him.
Asha agreed that it's a great thing that he imprinted on Airic as her protector because it would give him the opportunity to grow with her and see what raising a child would be like.
Asha and I have become great friends, we have so much in common from the music that we listen to the need to have quiet time to ourselves. We also seem to have the same clothes sense so I have someone else to go shopping with besides Rose and Alice.
But the best part is that we both refuse to be Barbie's for Alice to dress up and play with, both our men love us the way we are.
I honestly believe Asha has been the best thing to come into Jacob's life since I meet him, but also because now he will have someone to talk to while he's with us that knows exactly what he is going through. It will do him good to have her with him as well as adjust to our new living environment and they would also have the forest to run free in.
After much consideration the family decided that we wanted to be as far away from civilization as possible, so a remote region of Montana that we women found by looking over a map of the state was what was decided on.
We wanted something that a person would have to hike to in order to get to, or have some kind of monster truck to maneuver up what would be left of the road once we finished our renovations.
We were going to go with Nevada or Colorado but wanted someplace where none of the family had lived before, literally giving us a fresh start after the tragic issues that we have dealt with up until now. We wanted to go somewhere completely new.
We stayed another two weeks getting the last of the items put into storage until we got the house together. Things are extremely hectic and tense for the whole family, Jacob and Asha included as they are now a part of our extended family. We decided to travel mainly at night since the vampires didn't need any sleep and it allowed those who needed sleep to get it.
We had so much to do, but between Carlisle and I we kept everyone busy especially Esme. Don't get it twisted Carlisle and Esme are still the patriarchs of this family, however Esme was having a hard time and everyone kind of let me step in to relieve the stress.
Esme is in pain and hurting after what Edward did, but something tells me that it's deeper than that and she is not talking about it. I think she was more affected because of Edward's betrayal than she let on.
I realize how much grief she is going through and that she needed to express it, little did I know that it would be over something as simple as the piano.
Esme and I were sitting down putting the finishing touches on the house, or mansion as I like to think of it. Esme asked what the additional room was downstairs next to the game room that I had set up for the boys.
You could have dropped a bomb in the house the silence was crashing around us as the family waited for my response.
I hesitated then told her that I wanted it to be the music room and then I hurriedly suggested having the piano shipped to Utah and put in storage.
Suffice it to say I got the reaction that I wanted and she needed to have – Esme became hysterical.
I held her in my arms and soothed her encouraging her to let her grief and anger out or it would eat away at her every day from here until eternity and that was energy that she could use towards something more productive. I acknowledged that he was her first son and reminded her that she was not at fault for how he turned out.
I held her head between my hands and replayed the images I had gathered of their first years together showing her that he was not always like this and gave her hope that something along the way, some outside influential force had turned him into the person that he is today.
I told her she raised him the best she could with what she had and that she needed to remember him as he was in the beginning.
By then the rest of the family had left to give us a little privacy while Jasper and Carlisle stayed close by – because Jasper was sending her waves of tranquility to keep her sane. While Carlisle was at a loss to figure out how to help her overcome this pain she is in.
After her hysteria had quieted down some, I finally told her "you have to let him go so that you can find out whether or not he's ever meant to come back to you as they son you knew. You have to let him go Mom."
Hearing me call her Mom finally cracked the façade that she was living and breathing in and she finally broke down completely. I sat rocking her trying to soothe her until I could get Carlisle's attention because he was drowning in sorrow for his wife and his son.
I whisper, "Dad?" in a questioning manner as he rushes forward to pull her into her arms and as I release her I kiss him on his forehead whispering, "We'll talk later, I promise."
It took Carlisle two days to get Esme back to herself again and in their absence Jasper and I picked up the slack to keep the family together and focused. Although I appeared calm on the outside, I was freaking out on the inside – because of my latest vision.
Well brothers it appears our plans to destroy Carlisle and his family have not gone according to plan.
I still have not had a chance to speak to Jasper about it and I have been putting off my major talk with Carlisle so that I did not have to tell him about this latest vision.
Carlisle has enough to deal with without needing to be bothered by this right now, so I will keep it to myself until we get settled in Montana.
We had delayed our leaving so that Carlisle and Esme had the time she needed to come to terms with what happened to her son.
How was I to tell her and Carlisle that his actions were not his own and that he is being influenced by another, one of whom even I can't see.
Jasper could tell that something was bothering me but we still have not had the time to spend together so that I could inform him of what is on my mind or the vision.
Right now we are in Seattle making last minute shopping for a car for Jasper and I, we decided on a burgundy Hummer 3, I have to say it is quite a beauty giving us the room we needed for the children as well as much needed cargo space for holding food and any clothing that we would pick up on the side.
The rest of the family is running their errands as well – Esme, Alice and Rose are shopping for clothes for themselves taking the children with them as well. Tomorrow while the men take care of last minute details and watch the children the woman are going to treat Esme to a day at the local spa.
The men were out doing a little bonding and hunting while Jacob and Asha were spending some quality time bonding together while looking for a truck for them. They decided that they would get one vehicle now and another later on if it came around to them each needing one.
I laughed because Jacob was taking well to living with the Cullens and had no qualms about spending obscene amounts of cash; it took him less time than me to come to terms with that.
As Jasper pulls out of the dealership on our way to meet the family back at the hotel we are staying in for a couple of days he grabs my hand twines his fingers with mine and says to me, "Bella, I realize that we went about this in the most unconventional way, but I want you to know that you can tell me anything, no matter what it is. I want our future to be based on the ability to be able to tell each other anything."
Jasper pulls to a stop in front of the hotel and turns to me asking me, "What's been eating you up lately?"
I take a deep breath and say, "The Volturri is responsible for Edwards's condition, a first step in attempting to destroy Carlisle and the family."
A/H – I realize it's short but my job is taking up all of my time, people keep calling in and what time I have when I get home I sleep. I will attempt to update again tomorrow writing while I have time on my break. Thanks for your continued support and please let me know what you think of this chapter.
