A/N: I know that some of you are upset with Carlisle, so I hope this chapter sheds some more light on his situation. Also, Bella's revealed a bit more, as well.

CPOV

I walked into the church and instantly felt a shard of anguish stab me in the gut. I located the pew that my wife had always insisted we sit in every Sunday...it wasn't hard to remember which pew it was because I could see Edward's initials in the back of the pew in front of ours; he'd carved them there one Sunday about eleven years ago.

I sat down in the empty church and looked around me, absorbing the silence. Elizabeth had always loved coming to church, not just every Sunday, but for any functions the church put on. She'd been on various committees, always willing and able to pour all of her heart and soul into the needs of others.

That was just the kind of woman she was.

Now my beautiful Elizabeth was lying in a coffin behind the church, never to sing another hymn or share her boundless love with the rest of us.

I pulled an old picture out of my jacket pocket. My eyes scanned the three happy faces in the photo; it was taken a year before she'd passed away from breast cancer. Her smile was bright and her eyes were full of joy. She stood between Edward and myself, and she had one arm slung around each of us. My own arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, hugging her to me. I wasn't looking at the camera when the picture was taken; my smile was all for the love of my life.

My eyes fell on Edward's face next. His eyes were happy and his grin made me smile. Edward used to be so happy and full of life, but lately he'd been so withdrawn and angry. I knew that my own anger and depression hadn't helped him at all, but I just couldn't seem to get passed my own emotions to reach out to him.

I was going to lose my son if I couldn't pull it together and help him heal.

The same bitter tears that I'd cried since hearing Elizabeth's death sentence three and a half years ago began streaming down my face. I buried my head in my hands, still clutching the picture as I wept for the terrible loss that had torn my family apart.

I'd met Elizabeth in our junior year of college; she'd been so fresh and young, so full of joy and wonder for life. I was the serious, studious pre-med student with no time for fun. Elizabeth had taken one look at me and decided to make me her project, and that was the beginning of everything.

She stood by my side all through the grueling hours of medical school and internship, and she never once complained about the things I couldn't give her in those first years of our marriage. When Edward was born, she took to motherhood like a duck to water.

I'd been the one who struggled to connect with my son between long hours at the hospital and the desperate need I felt for alone time with my wife whenever I was at home. Edward was just like his mother, however; he took one look at me the first time I held him after birth and there was no question that he was determined to love me, even through all the shortcomings I feared as a father.

I'd been given so many chances to be a good father to Edward, and I'd done a pretty good job up until a few years ago. He was always so patient and understanding with me, even if I missed an important sporting event or school function for work...

But now, I was losing him. And I didn't know how to get him back.

The tears came stronger now as I thought of the last conversation I'd had with him. He was so sullen and he seemed torn between so many things. I knew he'd been hanging out with a couple younger guys from our church, but I didn't think they were very good influences on him. The Emmett kid had married a girl who wasn't very committed to the Christian path, and he'd barely even attended high school before dropping out to become a mechanic. The blond kid, Jasper, was covered in tattoos and his only interest in life seemed to be chasing Alice Brandon's skirt.

I wanted to see Edward succeed; he had so much promise buried deep inside. I knew he could be great... a great doctor, lawyer, or politician. He would make his mother and I so proud if he'd only just apply himself to a path with the same passion he seemed to show for that waste of time he called a band.

"Doctor Cullen?" I heard a soft voice ask from behind me. I hastily wiped at my tears and cleared my throat before turning around to see Esme Smith standing there with a concerned look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," she said worriedly.

"Oh, it's okay, really. I needed the distraction," I said with an encouraging smile.

Esme Smith was the widow of our pastor who'd died two years ago. I wondered how well she dealt with her loss, and I imagined she must have gotten through it because she wasn't angry like I was. I motioned for her to come sit down, and she did so tentatively while keeping eye contact with me.

"Are you...okay?" she questioned with a concerned look on her face.

I felt the tears threaten again. "I don't think so," I replied in a broken voice. I saw her eyes drop to the picture in my hand.

"Elizabeth was a wonderful woman, Doctor," she said quietly. She laid a hand on my shoulder, and I felt instantly comforted and safe.

"Yes, she was," I said wistfully.

"You must miss her terribly," she whispered.

"Every day," I whispered back as the tears began to drip once more. "Do you ever miss Tom?" I asked.

"Every day," she echoed sadly. We sat there in silence for awhile, thinking of our loved ones who were now dead and gone.

Finally, she turned back to me and smiled encouragingly. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to the picture. I nodded and handed it to her, and watched as she stroked her fingers over the happy faces. "Edward is such a handsome boy," she said kindly.

"Thank you. I can't really take the credit for it, though; he takes after his mother so much it's scary," I replied, my mind drifting back to the disappointing turn in my relationship with my son.

"How's he been dealing with Elizabeth's death?" she asked.

I sighed and clasped my hands in my lap as if I was about to pray. "He's been so withdrawn and angry, but I can't exactly blame him because I've been the same way," I answered honestly.

Her forehead creased in concern as she patted my shoulder lightly. "Losing someone you both loved so much is an agonizing blow; it's going to take some time to recover," she said encouragingly.

"The thing is...I just feel like I've failed her," I replied brokenly as I began to cry in earnest.

I felt Esme's slender arms wrap around my shoulders, bringing me closer to her warm comfort. "Oh, Carlisle. Why do you think that?" she asked.

"When Elizabeth died, I began worrying about losing Edward too. I've been clinging to him so tightly that I'm afraid it's actually pushing him away," I admitted. I felt the truth of the words stabbing me in the chest, causing an eruption of unbearable pain.

"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked consolingly.

I pulled back and wiped my face once more, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "Well, I just honestly don't know what to do anymore. Around the time Elizabeth was diagnosed with the breast cancer, Edward had just started college. He was away from home for the first time, and he was beginning to branch out and stretch his wings. After Elizabeth died, I guess I was afraid that he would continue to stretch those wings and fly away without looking back."

She nodded in understanding and reached down to grasp my hand between hers. I felt that same warm comfort drift through my body and settle over the pain in my heart, soothing it just a tiny bit. "And now you're afraid you're holding on too tightly and it's going to push him away," she stated.

I sighed, happy she understood. "Exactly."

"May I give you a simple piece of advice?" she asked me. I nodded. "Talk to him. Tell him what you just told me."

I shook my head. "He's so stubborn, you know? I don't know if he can understand this without knowing what it's like to be a parent. What if I can't fix this?" I said, voicing my deepest fear.

"Well, you've got to try, Carlisle. That's the only thing you can do," she replied with another comforting smile.

BPOV

I walked into the house and called out "I'm home!" I threw my backpack by the coat tree and shoved off my shoes before padding into the kitchen, looking around for my mother. The house was silent, but both her and my father's cars were parked in the driveway.

A disgusting thought occurred to me, and I shuddered. I hightailed it to my bedroom and found my iPod, prepared to plug my ears in case any grotesque noises started coming through the paper thin walls.

I could hear their voices, but it sounded like they were just talking, so I laid my iPod down and found the book I'd been reading. I was settling into the pillows on my bed to get comfortable when I heard my mom suddenly start shouting.

"That's just it, Charlie! You never understood why I didn't want to live here!" I heard Renee shouting.

I sat up, my ears pricked for his response, but his voice was too quiet. I heard her again, this time yelling, "No! Stop trying to talk me out of it! I said I've had enough!"

Dread settled into my stomach as I listened to my parents fighting; I'd never heard them fight like this before. My mother was always so cheerful and silly, fun-loving and light. Charlie was always quiet and reserved, preferring to keep to himself. I'd always wondered how the two of them came to be, and now I wondered how the two of them would continue on.

"I said I want a divorce! A divorce, Charlie! Surely you can get that through that stubborn head of yours!" she shouted.

I felt pain stab my stomach at her words. A divorce? My parents had been married for over twenty years, how could they get a divorce now? Wasn't that supposed to happen in the early years, when things are obviously not working out?

I slumped back on my bed and dropped my book. I was completely stunned. Part of me wished I could hear my father's responses to my mother's shouts, but the other part of me wished I'd never heard anything at all.

My world was full of the knowledge of pain and abuse against animals that is routinely dismissed, so how could I have missed the pain going on in my own home? I could no longer ignore the little signs that I should have seen before now; the way my mother had "lost" her wedding ring a couple months ago or the blankets on the couch every morning. I'd turned a blind eye to these symptoms of a sick marriage, because... well.

Because everything about my life, with the exception of my family and my friends, was full of struggle every day. I fought for animal rights, I struggled to educate people about the state of our environment and the enormous population of starving people...all of these things could be helped through veganism, but most people just weren't interested.

The real trouble came when I would run into someone who was ignorant about veganism; they would dismiss me as a "tree hugger" or a "bleeding liberal hippie" who subsisted off carrot sticks and pot. I was always ridiculed in high school by the kids who hated anything different than late-night trips to Denny's and a kegger on the weekends.

Being a straight edge vegan girl in a small, isolated town never failed to bring the frustration of a million people just like me, spread out across the world. I was in the minority here, by far. These people wondered why I couldn't just let these atrocities go and be like everyone else. They teased me relentlessly until I would feel so much futile anger inside of me that my hands would shake.

That's why I'd taken so much hope and comfort from OCS's music. They were local kids, apparently more local than I'd imagined, and they fought for what was right. They never seemed to waver in their steadfast dedication to veganism and animal rights, and I was always encouraged by them...even in the darkest of times.

I reached for my iPod and found their first album, turning it up as loud as I could stand. I laid back on my bed and tried to lose myself in the fire of Tony's impassioned vocals. I stayed that way, singing with my eyes clenched tightly until I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder.

My eyes snapped open and my earbuds fell out. I paused the song and looked up at my mother with wide eyes. "Mom?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey. Did I scare you?" she asked. I shook my head dumbly and stared at her, willing her secrets to show on her face.

Instead, all I saw was a fake smile plastered there. I sat up and grabbed her hand. "I love you, Mom," I said quietly.

Her eyes looked sad and panicked at the same time, but her smile never wavered. "I love you, too, Bells. Where did that come from?" she asked.

I guess we were gonna play it like this, then. "Oh, no reason. I just felt like reminding you, I guess," I said while I kept my eyes glued to hers.

She pulled away from our staring contest first, and I felt a small perverse sense of triumph. At least I knew I wasn't the one lying in this conversation.

"Where's dad?" I asked, not-so-innocently.

She looked down. "Oh...um, he had to go out. There was a call about a...an accident," she lied lamely.

I nodded as if I believed her and let it drop. "Oh, hey, did you get more tofu at the store?" I asked, changing the subject.

She grasped onto the new topic with the desperation of a drowning man. "Oh! Yes, I did. I got four packages, and I put two in the freezer and two in the fridge, just like you like," she replied happily.

I smiled, but it felt hollow and the effort hurt my face. I was an honest person, but now...now when I wanted the truth more than anything, I couldn't bear to ask for it. I would make myself wait until she was ready to tell me.

"Thank you, Mom," I said with false cheer. Renee nodded and patted my hand before standing up and walking back to my bedroom door.

"Oh, Bella? You'll have to fend for yourself tonight; I'm going out to run some errands," she told me without looking back.

Her statement felt like a bad omen, and I couldn't ignore the sense of sick sadness that washed over me at the thought. I wondered why this had to be happening now, right after finding out the truth about Edward "Tony Masen" Cullen and his fake identity.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who'd been faking it.

I felt the anger rise as I wallowed in the self-pity threatening to overtake me. Why could nothing ever be the way it seemed?

I suddenly felt surrounded by illusions, and I wanted...no, needed, to find an outlet for all this disgust.

Without another thought, I turned on my radio and tuned it to the college radio station. Sure enough, Edward's voice poured through the speakers as I grabbed my phone and dialed.

"Listener, you're on the air," I heard Edward say.

"Hello, Edward. This is Bella," I said into the phone.

"Hello, Bella. What's on your mind?" he asked. I wondered if he recognized my name and voice, or if he had no clue whatsoever.

"I was just wondering if you would ever consider having Tony Masen on your program," I replied with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

There was a moment of silence, and I could tell the situation was sinking in on Edward's end. He quickly cleared his throat. "Sorry, folks, we've lost the phone call. Stay tuned while we go to commercial," he said into the microphone.

I smirked in perverse anticipation as I waited for him to come back on the line. I wasn't disappointed.

"What the hell do you want?" he muttered into the phone, obviously furious with me.

I felt all the hurt and confusion swell up inside of me, and the need to release it became unbearable. My heart found a target and took aim, letting loose a torrent of anger.

"I want to know what would happen if everyone found out about your little deception. After all, you have quite the following," I said nastily, thinking of both his music and his involvement in his church and politics.

"What's it to you?" he replied, obviously angry.

"I like to look at it this way: I'm a harbinger of truth, dispelling myth and ignorance wherever I go. I can't stand by and let the enemy infiltrate my scene with false idols," I sneered.

"'False idols?' You have no idea what you're talking about, little girl," he growled.

"I'm the same age as you, asshole. Just take a moment and consider how your big fucking joke will come crashing down around your ears when many realize what a fucking fool you've made of them!" I yelled, feeling the tide of nasty emotions swelling up over my wall of self control.

"You think my life is a fucking joke?! You have no clue. The world doesn't revolve around you, Bella. The world is a fucked up place where fucked up things happen, and people just have to do what they can to get on with things. You act like I owe you something, but I can't be responsible for you and your needs. I have enough trouble seeing to my own needs, thank you very much," he responded with fury coloring his tone.

"That's bullshit and you know it. How can you make music like you do and then turn around and act like you're one of them?" I asked, feeling the impotent rage boiling in my blood.

"I have to get back to my show," he answered, his voice going flat.

"Fine. Just remember one thing: I'm not fucking around. I won't let you mess with my friends and make a fool out of me any longer," I said with a note of finality.

I heard the phone click in my ear, and I knew Edward had hung up on me without comment.

I'd wanted to put this pain on someone else, and now I had. As the adrenaline faded, however, I realized that maybe I hadn't done the smartest thing by calling him out on his radio show.

I mean, sure, he probably deserved it.

So why did I feel so disgusted with myself?