A/N: Sorry for the lag in updating. Real life challenges took me away from my story for a while, as they will probably continue to do periodically. I can't promise regular, timely updates, but I can promise that the story will be finished. I have no intentions of abandoning it.

Thanks as always to my friends on UU. You guys are the best! adoraklutz, I'm dedicating this chapter to you because I know how you love my spooky Rose. I lift my coffee cup in your general direction. Sareeswfla, thanks for letting my bounce some ideas for this chapter off of you. You are the best sort of rubber. And whoever nominated this for an Indie, thanks so much. It's good to know someone out there loves Rose too.

The day passed slowly, so slowly. Each distant noise that my keen ears heard, each rustle of the leaves in the forest, I was sure brought the end of my time with the Cullens. I paced, I worried, I behaved, in short, like a human concerned that the end of her life was coming.

If only I'd known, when I was human, when my own end found me that night.

Edward, on the other hand, was immobile. He sat, apparently calmly, on the sofa in the library, reading.

"Your worry will not change what we have done, nor will it change what will come," he said. Sensible advice, yes, but useless to me. I could not lose Esme. If I'd still believed in God, I would have prayed. But God had forsaken me on that dark street and left me to the mercies of men who had none.

So the hours passed in just this way. Edward's reading, my endless pacing.

And then a sound came that was certainly the end of my life as a Cullen. Footsteps. And raised voices.

When Carlisle and Esme entered the house, they were arguing.

"You know as well as I, Esme, that they had to have done this." Carlisle was not his normally calm self. He was actually raising his voice at his beloved.

"And you know as well as I, Carlisle, that if they did, those men deserved it. Have you forgotten how she looked when you brought her here? Do you have any idea the amount of blood I sponged off her body? Where it all came from?"

"I examined her, Esme, I know the extent of her injuries and their cause."

"Then you know as well as I that these men are a menace. They should give them the key to the city, if they indeed had something to do with it."

Esme was…on my side? A glimmer of hope rose in my chest. Edward's face was set like stone. He was readying himself for battle.

"There is never an excuse for violence, Esme."

"Perhaps not, Carlisle, but there is frequently a reason. And if ever someone had a reason for turning to violence, Rose does."

Carlisle sighed. "Esme, she is a newborn. She cannot go down to the city. You know this. But we have evidence that not only has she been there, she has been murdering its residents. Those men may be damaged, they may be vile, but will their mothers and fathers cry less than Rose's did at her funeral? Will they feel their sons' deaths are justified?"

Esme sighed as well. "Of course they won't understand. They do not know the evil living in their own homes. Or perhaps they do, but don't care. My mother-in-law knew what she had raised, what lived with me. She thought, as women who are beaten and broken do, that men were simply like that. So his family never protested what their son did, never lifted a finger to help me. And anyone who came after me would have met the same fate. Am I sorry that he is dead? No. I'm not. His death saved God only knows how many women from a life of violence. And these men's deaths do the same. You stand there and preach to me that all life has value. What about mine? What about Rose's? What about the women who would certainly have suffered at the hands of these men? Do you honestly think that Rose was the first? Or that she would be the last?"

Carlisle was silent for a while. "I understand what you say, Esme. But I cannot tolerate murder. No matter of whom."

"This was not murder, Carlisle. This was justice. You have no idea how Rose suffered. How she continues to suffer. Only I know that. And Edward. Edward can see into both of us in a way that you can't. You said on the way home that you were most disappointed in him. I, on the other hand, am proud. Proud that he cares enough about Rose to help her. If they did this together, the way you think, then he was with her, helping her. He has compassion enough to want to help her suffering end in any way she can."

Edward was listening with his eyes shut, to both the spoken and the unspoken. He murmured, "The tide is turning," and rose from his seat on the sofa.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

"I am going to join the conversation. You remain here for now, Rose."

Soon, Edward's voice joined in.

"Hello, Carlisle, Esme," Edward said, as if he did not know what they'd been discussing, as if they met while on a stroll in the woods.

Carlisle's voice was cold. "Edward. I suppose you know what transpired in town today."

"I certainly do. I was there."

There was silence for a moment. "You admit it, then." Carlisle's voice was flat.

"Naturally, I do. I did not raise my hands to those men, but I did assist Rose."

"How could you? How could you do such a thing?" Carlisle's voice broke. His disappointment in Edward was obvious.

"Because she was determined to have it done, and I wished only to help her heal and keep the family safe. She has done nothing that would point to us, I have made certain of it. She is surprisingly strong for a newborn. She can control herself in a room full of humans. I have seen it. I would have stopped her from hurting the innocent or giving away our secret."

"You have no right to determine who shall live and who shall die." Carlisle's voice was angry, barely controlled.

"And yet you decided for each of us that we should live on, no matter what form. You have decided in many settings, in hospitals and battlefields, in offices and on the street, whom you would treat and whom you wouldn't. As a doctor, you hold life and death in your hand every day. Certainly, some good men have died while some evil men have lived, simply because of your efforts. The death of an evil man can be a benefit. Look at Esme's life. What would you have done if you'd wandered into their home while she was being beaten? Would you have stopped to counsel? Or would you have taken action?"

Edward paused to let those words sink in. "And Esme has healed since her husband died. She has. You must see it. By leaving these men alive, women will certainly continue to die. I have seen their thoughts. Whatever damage the incubus did is likely permanent. They were conflicted, in some cases, about what they'd done to Rosalie, but I heard their thoughts when they saw other women. Depraved, disgusting thoughts, of ripping them the way they did Rose, of wanting to see them crushed and broken underneath them. You must know that this was the only thing to do. Far more lives have been saved than have been taken."

They were all silent for a while. I thought Edward had made some good points, but I didn't know if they had convinced Carlisle.

Esme finally broke the silence. "You know he's right, Carlisle. Men like these do not stop. They don't. And if it gives Rosalie even one day's peace, I say it's worth it."

"And I say you are clouded by your love for Rosalie. Those men have parents who love them, too." Carlisle sighed. "I suppose I can't stop her, can I?"

I stepped into the hall where they were talking. "No, you can't, Carlisle. I need to do this."

He looked at me. His eyes were full of regret and sorrow. "I am truly sorry if I have doomed you to an unhappy existence. I thought I was acting for the best."

I looked down at my shoes. I couldn't bring myself to assure him that this was what I would have chosen. It wasn't. But in my miserable existence, I was discovering family like I'd never known, and that had true value.

"You are my family now," I said. "I am glad that I found you…or that you found me."

Esme rushed forward and grabbed me in a crushingly tight hug.

"I am sorry that what I've done is causing trouble for you," I said.

"No, no, Rosalie," she said. "I'm endlessly sorry for what happened to you that night. I would give you up if I could turn back the clock."

I thought about that. I'd be married to Royce now, if that night had never happened. And how much worse would my life be? What horrors would have happened behind the doors of that mansion?

"I just have to kill them," I said. "I'm sorry, Carlisle."

"I am, too, Rose. But Edward has a point, as much as I dislike what is happening here."

Edward spoke again. "Perhaps we can turn the situation to some sort of advantage. If we have access to these men, we can try to find out the incubus's effect on them, to see what their exposure to one has done."

Edward was very intelligent, and he was playing to Carlisle's one weakness: the desire for knowledge.

"Perhaps," Carlisle said thoughtfully.

Esme said, "You know we will have to move when this is over, Rosalie. It will mean leaving Rochester."

I nodded. "Home is where you are," I said. She beamed at me.

"Well, I have the cabin in Tennessee mostly ready. I was thinking that we'd have to leave soon, since we've been here so long. I think maybe it will do you some good, getting away from Rochester."

I nodded. I didn't know how I felt about that, but I knew that I'd follow her, like Ruth followed Naomi. She was my family now.

The house remained largely silent for the rest of the evening. We were each, I think, consumed with our own thoughts. Edward was probably being bombarded from all sides. I felt a little sorry for him.

Esme and Carlisle left for work early the next morning. They'd spent a quiet evening, but I noticed that they held hands as they disappeared from sight into the trees. I was relieved that the rift did not appear to be permanent.

I found Edward sitting, as usual, in his place on the library sofa. "Thank you," I said.

He nodded, but did not lift his eyes from the page in his book.

"So, what is the plan for finishing?" I asked.

He sighed. "I'm not sure, Rosalie."

I wondered if he was having second thoughts.

"No…not second thoughts exactly. I don't like killing either, you know. I think what we are doing is what needs to be done, but I don't like it," he said. "And I'm afraid you like it too much."

"I can't deny that killing them has made me feel more secure, or that having vengeance doesn't bring with it a certain….pleasure. But I'm not feeling the freedom that I'd hoped for," I said. There was no point in lying to Edward.

He nodded. "If only our emotions healed as easily as our bodies."

I said nothing. I wondered how long we'd have to wait before we continued with our plans.

"Not long. Carlisle spent a long time thinking last night. He wonders if having one of the men here would help with his research."

My face froze in horror. Here, in my home?

"I don't think he'd treat him as a guest, Rosalie. I can't deny that the research wouldn't be good. And it might help us find the incubus, John."

It was easy for Edward to manipulate me. He knew my thoughts, my desires, everything. Much better than I wished.

"I am sorry. I do not mean to invade," he said quietly.

"But you do," I said angrily.

He inclined his head slightly, agreeing with me. His imperiousness was infuriating.

"So you propose capturing one of these men? So Carlisle can….what?"

"He wants to interview him about what happened to you. About what his feelings have been since."

"I can't listen to that…monster…I can't…have him here."

"I think Carlisle may have an alternate location in mind."

"Will I be able to kill him after?" I was mostly sure that I meant the man, and not Carlisle for interfering.

"Probably," he said. "I think Carlisle has made peace with the fact that he cannot stop you. It is an uneasy peace, but peace nonetheless."

I owed Carlisle and Esme and Edward. All of them. This was such a deviation from my plan, though. It felt wrong and frightening.

"Can you let me capture him?" Edward asked. "I'm not sure that you have enough control over your strength. Accidents happen."

"So I have to give you control over the next? Can I at least choose who it will be?"

"If you so desire."

There were only two remaining. I would not give them Royce. And John was long gone, to be found much later. There was Billy Jeffries, who had seen me already, and Richard Hallowell. I knew Hallowell had a large family. I didn't know if they were in danger from him, but they would certainly know if he disappeared suddenly, and if there were no body for a while…

"Billy Jeffries," I said.

"Okay."

"When are you planning on going after him?"

"I'm not sure. I will discuss it with Carlisle when he returns this evening."

And just like that, my killing spree was put on hold.

I spent time over the next two days hunting. I spent time with Esme, listening to her chatter, but I had nothing to contribute to the conversation. I spent time reading. I watched Esme knit and sketch. Minutes upon minutes, hours upon hours, just sitting, watching, waiting. Two days turned into three.

I began to despair that Edward and Carlisle had abandoned their project altogether. Edward finally came to me on the third day, and said, "Patience. I will go out tomorrow."

"Where will you keep him?" I asked. I couldn't decide how I felt, if I wanted to hear Jeffries's excuses for his actions, if I wanted to know the extent of his evil, or if he still possessed any goodness.

"There is a small cabin in the woods to the west. Carlisle and Esme use it sometimes when they desire more…privacy."

I nodded.

"Are you planning to come listen?" he asked me. "Or are you still unsure?"

"I haven't decided, as you well know." I got tired of Edward pretending that he didn't always know what I was thinking.

"I only do it to make people more comfortable," he said gently.

"I know. I just wish you wouldn't pretend," I said. "It's like a lie."

He didn't say anything for a while, then, "Tomorrow. Jeffries will be at the cabin tomorrow, at dusk." He left me alone, and I did not see him until the following day.

The next day, Edward was gone early.

Carlisle paused on his way out the door. "I supposed you know that Edward is bringing Jeffries to the cabin tonight?" he asked me.

"Yes."

"Can I assume that you will be outside listening?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. My feelings on the matter changed often.

"May I ask one favor?" Carlisle made eye contact with me for the first time since he found out of my plans.

"Yes."

"If you choose to come listen to the questioning, will you please bring Esme with you?"

"Certainly."

He nodded, once, and left the house. I was alone, to spend the longest day in my vampire existence, waiting.

I learned at least one thing that day. Vampires have no need to move. Ever. I stood at the window, perfectly still, all day, waiting for some movement in the forest that would indicate that someone had returned.

It was nearly dark before the leaves parted to reveal Esme. She was alone and somber. She entered the house nearly silently, and was behind me before I turned.

"Are you sure that you want to hear this, Rosalie?" she asked.

"I think so," I said.

"No matter what he says, it won't change anything. It won't make things better. It may well make them worse." She reached out with one hand and gently touched my cheek.

"I have to. I don't know why."

She nodded solemnly, and took my hand. She led the way out of the house, and we began to run. We ran west, a long way, it seemed. We finally came to a stop outside a small stone cabin. I could already hear voices inside. I walked slowly, as if sleepwalking, toward the small house.

Esme called after me, "Rosalie!" I did not turn.

One of them was in there. I could smell him. Stale alcohol, a faint whiff of funereal chrysanthemum, and the rich smell of his blood. I fought back my thirst with the thought of who he was, what he did, and why he was there.

The conversation was oddly cordial. I could hear that he was frightened and crying, but there wasn't screaming. I'd expected it for some reason, but now that I was listening in, I couldn't really put my finger on why. Mr. Jeffries was, after all, in the company of Carlisle and Edward Cullen. As strange as the encounter was, they were well-known around town, and I'm sure he had no real idea of the amount of danger that he was truly in.

"Why-why-why am I here?" Jeffries sobbed.

"You are here because we have some questions for you. Before Rosalie Hale died, you met a man named John, correct?" Carlisle's voice was kind, friendly.

"Y-y-yes…he knew Smythe. Or Stephens. I can't remember. He knew one of us, and he joined our group."

"When he joined the group, how long had you been at the bar?"

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Why would we do that?" Carlisle asked.

"Because Smythe is dead, and Jackson and Stephens. And the other day…I saw…I saw…"

"You saw what? Calm down…we can't understand you."

"I saw Rosalie! She was following me, and then Stephens and Jackson were dead. Is she a ghost?"

"I don't believe in ghosts, myself," Edward said.

"But…I saw her! I did!"

"Let's not worry about that right now. Okay? Let's go back to that night at the bar, shall we? How long had you been there?"

"It was…most of the afternoon. John came in after dark."

"I see. That's good."

Esme touched my shoulder. "Are you all right?" she whispered.

"Yes. How did they get him here?" I asked.

"Apparently, Edward found him in the club. He'd already had quite a bit to drink. He'd been to his friends' funerals today, so it's understandable, I suppose."

I looked down, not sure how to feel. She stroked my shoulder lovingly.

"Edward waited for a while, and then slipped something Carlisle had given him into his drink. When Jeffries went to sleep, Edward took him, and then brought him here."

"Didn't anyone see Edward?"

"Edward's very fast," she said reassuringly.

I refocused on the conversation inside the building.

"So is it safe to say that you were all intoxicated by the time John joined your group?"

"Yes." Jeffries let out a sob. I wanted to break his teeth. How dare he cry? How dare he?

"It's okay, Jeffries. We're not going to hurt you." Carlisle was soothing my murderer. It was nearly more than I could stand.

"Relax, Rosalie. It's going to be all right." Esme cooed over me, stoking my back.

"Now. Did John touch you or share a drink with you?"

"A cigarette. He was kinda touching people. He liked to pat people on the back, stuff like that. He was very friendly."

"Were you hoping to meet a girl when you left the bar?"

"I-I-I-I was." He sounded ashamed.

"Okay. Did you have anyone in mind?"

"No. I remember hoping she'd be blonde. I like the blondes."

"What were you planning on doing when you met a girl?" Edward asked this one, and his voice was frightening. His words were sharp, and I could imagine the face that went with it.

"I don't know," Jeffries wailed. "I just…was…thinking that I'd really like to meet one."

"I see. Did you see any girls before you met up with Miss Hale?"

"H-h-h-how did you know?" Jeffries's voice trembled with fear. I smiled a little.

"That's not important right now. We are trying to piece together what happened that night."

"Why? What do you care? She was killed by a vagrant….everyone knows that. And you…you're a doctor. You're not a policeman. HOW DID I GET HERE?" Suddenly Jeffries became enraged.

"That is not important now, either. All you need know is that you must answer our questions." Edward's voice was eerily calm. "And please, do not shout."

"I WILL SHOUT IF I GODDAMN WELL—" His voice cut off with a gurgle.

Carlisle's voice sounded weary, "Edward, I have been lenient, but you will not harm our guest. He cannot very well answer our questions if you harm him, can he?"

Edward responded, not to Carlisle, but to Jeffries. "You will not shout. Do you understand? Good. You will answer the doctor, understand?"

Carlisle took over once more. "Edward! That's enough! Now, Mr. Jeffries, did you meet any other young ladies besides Miss Hale that evening?"

"No. No, I didn't." Jeffries sounded weary, defeated.

"When you stopped her, did you intend to assault her?"

"I didn't stop her. Royce did."

"I see. What were your feelings when you saw Miss Hale?"

"I was surprised. And I always felt…attracted to her. She was very beautiful."

"But she was Royce's fiancée, correct?"

"Yes. I was surprised when he started touching her in front of us. And I remember…someone…urging me to touch her too. I don't remember who it was."

"Think for me."

"I think it might have been John. But there was so much noise, and he was passing around a bottle. So he may have just been passing me the bottle?"

"Do you remember much of the assault?"

"Too much," Jeffries said. "I think about it all the time."

"Have you ever had the same urges before or since?"

"I-I-I…never did before that night. But now…I…"

"You've had similar urges since then?"

"Yes," Jeffries said. If I didn't have vampire hearing, it would have been inaudible.

"Does this worry you?"

"Yes! I know it's wrong, but I just…can't….stop thinking about it."

"When you got home, were you ill? Did you have any unexplained injuries?"

"I had some scratches, but I think Rosalie did that. And there was a scab on the back of my neck that I didn't remember. It itched."

"May I look at your neck?" Carlisle asked politely.

I couldn't see what happened then, but it became clear that Carlisle's inquest was coming to an end. I didn't know what would happen next.

"I believe you have a visitor," I heard Edward say. Esme's hand on my shoulder pushed me gently forward, and she whispered, "Go on."

Carlisle was leaving the cabin when I reached the door. "I wish you didn't have to do this," he said.

"But I do," I said quietly. Carlisle looked sad, but he nodded. I watched as he and Esme disappeared together into the woods. Carlisle walked very slowly, as if he'd aged a hundred years during the questioning.

I entered the room silently. Jeffries was sitting in a chair, unbound. Of course, Edward and Carlisle could keep him under control quite easily. He looked terrible. He was sweaty, pale, frightened. His eyes were tightly shut. He did not want the visitor he was about to receive, and he knew it.

Edward said sharply, "You have a guest. Eye contact is only polite."

Jeffries opened his eyes and immediately screamed.

Edward once again reminded him of his manners. "Do not scream in the lady's presence. Quiet, please."

Jeffries and I stared at one another for a long while. I felt slightly sorry for him, having listened to what had happened that night. But I did not forgive him for what I had gone through.

Surprisingly, Jeffries was the one to break the silence. "If you are not a ghost, what are you?"

I shrugged. "Not what I once was."

"I am sorry for what happened to you."

I didn't believe him. I looked at Edward, asking. He shook his head. "He is reliving that night, in detail."

"So, looking at me, you'd rather think of that than of what I might do to you?"

Jeffries was silent. Edward supplied his thoughts: "He does not think that you could harm him. He thinks he is stronger since you are a woman."

I smiled. "Really?" I asked him. I reached out and grabbed an arm, crushing all the bones within it. His eyes bulged, and he screamed once more, but stifled it quickly, apparently remembering Edward's instructions in etiquette. He began to whimper.

"I am going to kill you," I said. "I don't believe that you are salvageable. Thank you for that. I was beginning to wonder if I should go through with my plans. But knowing what you are now, I know what I must do."

Jeffries's breathing began to quicken until he was panting. "I'll make it quick," I assured him. I walked behind him because I couldn't stand looking at him any more, grasped his head in my hands and twisted until his neck broke. He slumped over and fell from his chair.

I looked at Edward. "I want to get rid of the body. I don't want Carlisle to have any more involvement in this."

Edward nodded. "I will collect some samples from the body for Carlisle. He will want them eventually."

"I'll wait outside," I said.

Edward took some time. I found out later that he took hair, a sample of flesh on the neck, blood samples, and saliva samples. At the time, I did not care at all, but what we learned that night was important, and the ramifications would be felt in many circles.

All I cared about was getting rid of the body and moving on to the next extermination, as I'd come to think of them.

I was growing weary of the killing.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated, even more than Rose appreciates a good dump site for Jeffries's body.