EDWARD
Esme hurried down to Garfunkel ahead of us. Alice and I walked side by side down the stairs. Her thoughts had once again taken the depressing route. I could kill Jasper for making her feel like this. I placed my arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on mine.
"I wish you would stop thinking those things. Like I said last night, he the one that doesn't deserve you." I told her. "You deserve a thousand times better than someone who would sleep around with your best friend and sisters. It's his lose not yours."
"It doesn't feel like it." she said.
"I know but give it time and it will." I told her.
"I know. It just really hurts to know how long they'd been doing it."
"I know. But we don't need them. We've got each other."
"You know, you're the best big brother a girl could ask for."
"It helps that you're the best sister a guy could ask for."
She laughed. Her thoughts suddenly went to happy things. I saw iamgines of her playing with a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked nearly identical to Kari.
"I'm guessing you'er hoping for another niece?" I said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I suppose I am." she replied.
"Does it bother you?" I asked. "That she's having Jasper's baby, I mean?"
"Not as much as if it were Bella having the child." Alice said. "Kari never consented to any of it so I really can't complain too much about it. Besides, I really miss having a child around. That fact that it's Jasper's is just that, a fact. Though, from the little I was able to see, the child will end up being more like yours anyway."
"I don't wanna know." I said.
I was enjoying just letting things between Kari and I play out. I didn't want to hear anything Alice saw of our future.
"How do you feel about it anyway?" she asked.
"Confused and little guilty." I answered. My thoughts were swimming with so many thoughts, I didn't even know where to begin.
"Would you care to discuss?" she pressed.
"We don't have enough time."
"They can wait five minutes for us. They owe us that and much more."
She was right. This was something I should probably get out before we discussed it with the rest of the family. I sat down on the landing to the first floor and sighed. She sat beside me.
"I mean I am happy. I'm glad that she decided to have the baby and join us. It's just, I'm not sure if I have the right to be happy. I feel like I might be trying to replace Nessie. I mean, the love I feel for her will never change but I feel like loving another child would be a betrayal to her memory. I don't want to do that."
She smiled gently at me.
"Edward, just because you want to open yourself to another child doesn't mean that you'll love Nessie any less. As your daughter, she'd want you to do what makes her happy. If loving another child as much as you love Nessie makes you happy, she'd want you to do it. Besides, you know how bad she always wanted a brother or a sister. And you remember what you always used to tell her," Alice began.
"If we could give you one, we would." I said. Her words were making sense to me. The memory of my promise to Nessie made me feel a little less guilty about it.
"You have the chance to give her the sibling that she always wanted." Alice continued. "And I know that she's no longer here to enjoy it but I think it might hurt you more if you broke your promise."
"You know, Alice." I said suddenly feeling much better about the situation. "I think you might be right."
She smiled.
"I always am, aren't I?" she said with a small giggle.
"Well, let's get the divorce papers signed so we can get to the fun part of the day." I said.
We both rose and continued on our way to Carlisle's study. I stopped outside the door and knocked.
"Come in." he said.
I opened the door and let Alice step through the door first. I didn't even bother to try to get inside anyone's head. Bella had every except Alice shielded. Bella, Jasper, and Carlisle were already seated. Bella was in the furtherest chair from the left with Jasper on her right. There were two empty chairs on Jasper's right
"Have a seat." Carlisle said and gestured to the chairs next to Jasper.
I sat in the one next to Jasper wanting so badly to strangle him as Alice's thoughts took another depressing dive. She sat in the seat next to me. I noted Jasper had Bella's hand clasped in his. I resisted the urge to rip both hands off.
"Okay," Carlisle continued. "Since I didn't want to make a big spectacle of this and there's plenty of everything to go around, I decided to just have you guys split everything in half. Cars, money, etc. It would make the whole proccess quicker and we'd get out of it without the four of you killing eachother."
The four of us murmured our agreement. I felt Alice and I should get more than half because the other two would be sharing the halves. I knew, however that the next part of the day would be easier if I didn't anger them.
"Now, all I need is a few signatures from each of you." Carlisle finished.
"I was hoping we could have a meeting after we're done here. There is something we need to discuss." I said as the papers made their way around the four of us.
"Of course." Carlisle said.
We finished siging the papers and Carlisle lead us to the dining room. Esme was waiting in her usual spot. The rest of us took our seats where we were last night.
To say I was scared was an understatement. I honestly haven't felt like this since Bella told me she thought she was pregnant with Nessie. It was actually worse this time.
Like last time, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. The big difference was, despite my promises, I had no idea if I could keep Kari and the baby safe. What if they got upstairs before I did?
"You better say something." I heard Alice say mentally.
I took a breath.
"I didn't tell you guys the whole truth last night." I said, my voice coming out cold and detached. I wasn't speaking to my family, I was speaking to my coven. That thought made me sad. "I didn't want to make things worse. The affair only came out last night because we found out that Kari was pregnant."
"What?!" Bella yelled. "You'd better be getting rid of it."
"I gave her that choice but she said no. She wants to have the baby." I said. I didn't add on the rest. Let them get over the shock.
"No, I want it destroyed." Jasper rose. "If you don't do it, I will."
I growled.
"You don't have a say in that, Jasper." I said. "You didn't give her a choice on whether or not to get pregnant so it's your turn not to have a choice."
"To hell, I don't have a say. Whether I gave her the choice or not, I'm still the father." Jasper countered.
"Hardly. Your willingness to give the baby up just proves that you aren't. The fact that you would even be willing to risk putting a human through that proves that you aren't." I argued.
"How is what I did to Kari any different from what you used to do to the other humans?" he asked.
"I learned from my mistake. As much as I love Nessie and don't regret that we had her, I saw the pain Bella went through during the pregnancy. I would never put anyone through that again. Which is why I used a condom every time. I forgot the first and only time with Kari. I just got lucky there but I will never forgive myself. That Jasper is the difference."
"Calm down both of you." Carlisle stated. "I have to agree with them Edward. Think of how hard it's going to be to have that reminder around here. You have to think of the way this would effect the family later."
"Wow, Carlisle." I said. "I would think of the family but the thing is, we haven't been a family since Rosalie and Emmett died. We've just been a coven. So no, that defense isn't going to work."
Carlisle opened his mouth but Bella cut him off.
"So if she wants to have the baby, are you just going to let her die?" she asked.
I shook my head. I knew a Bella rant was on the way.
"So I wasn't good enough to become one of you right away. You fought to find excuses to get me to want to stay human but you're going to change this one without a second thought." Bella yelled.
"Because we don't have much of a choice." I told her. "You always had the choice. I always hoped you would change your mind because I would never wish this life on anyone. So it's either this or her life or the baby's."
"I think we'd all be better off if she were dead. Maybe, I'll go solve that problem now." Bella stated.
"Keep your hands off of her!" I growled at her.
"Once again, calm down!" Carlisle growled. "As head of this coven, I say we get rid of the child. If that means killing the human then so be it."
"What happened to you, Carlisle?" I said still amazed. "You always chose killing as a last result. I mean Esme, myself, Emmett, and Rosalie are all products of innocent lives that you didn't want to see lost. But here you are saying kill an innocent girl and her child." I shook my head unable to believe how much he had changed.
"I'm thinking about everyone here, Edward. It would be too much of a reminder of what we last to have another half blood child around here. I need to look at everyone's well being."
"No." I growled. "She didn't have a choice in this! If anyone should die, it should be Jasper! He did this to her. I won't let you touch her!"
"Look, Edward, this is my house and I'm in charge here. This is going to happen the way I say and if anyone doesn't like it , there's the door." he stated.
"That's where you're wrong, Carlisle!" Esme yelled. I didn't htink I've ever heard her yell like that "If you remember correctly, this house was a gift from you to me. I think it was supposed to but my , it's my name on the deed and all the bills are addressed to me. So technically, it's my house. So this is how we're going to do things, Kari is going to have that child and become one of us. So anyone who doesn't like that can leave." she said.
I could see how hard it was for her to say this. She was very motherly, it must be killing her to tell them to agree with her or leave. I never thought she'd ever give any of us that ultimatum. She was to kind and loving for this. Maybe, the war had changed her. Maybe it made her strong enough to do what needed to be done at this moment.
"So Bella, what do you want to do?" Esme continued.
"I won't live with it. I can't." she said.
"Fine!" Esme responded. "Jasper?"
"If Bella goes, I go." he stated with a shrug.
"Fine." she took a breath. "Carlisle?"
"I can't live in a house with the reminder of the grandchild, I lost." Carlisle responded. "So I suppose, I'm leaving. I'll have our divorce papers sent over."
"Fine."
I noticed her anger ebb away and was replaced with sadness. A divorce was the one thing that she tried to keep him from resorting to. She knew that if the two of them fell apart then there definately wasn't a hope for us to stay a family.
"You have an hour to pack and get out." she said quietly. "And if any of you touches Kari, I'll tear you apart myself."
Carlisle, Jasper, and Bella headed to their rooms to pack their things. I stared at Esme for a minute. She still looked furious but I could see the sadness coming. It was over, the Cullens finally lost everything. The family was no more. I could tell it was killing her. I felt so guilty. I didn't want her to have to do that.
"Thank you so much, Esme." I whispered and threw my arms around her. "I'm so sorry, you had to do that."
"The four of us are still a family. We have to stand up for each other. Kari can't stand up for herself, yet. Someone had to do it for her." Esme said her voice cracking.
"I love you, mom." I choked out.
"I love you too." she whispered.
She held out her arm for Alice to come join us. Alice curled herself into the hug without difficulty. We stood there for a few a moments. I pulled away to head upstairs.
I hit the first step and realized, I waited too long. There was the sound of a door crashing apart. Then I heard her helpless, scared scream,
"Edward!"
A/N: Cliffy, woot! I love those. Let me know what you think. I LOVE REVIEWS!!!!!!!!
