- The following afternoon -

Alice rounded into Carlisle's study with a knock on the frame of the open door. She grinned when he looked up from the lap top in the center of his desk.

"Edward said you wanted to talk to me." She whipped around the room, grabbed a decorative chair in the corner by a window and sat in front of him with her hands folded on top of the desk.

"I suppose we can begin the interview now," Carlisle joked, smirking as he closed the top of the computer.

Alice laughed. "This is about the Volturi isn't it?"

He stared back at her and then nodded slowly. "I don't mean to keep pulling you aside for confirmation every five minutes."

"I have focused heavily on Aro," she explained, "Thank God I'm out of high school and don't have finals to study for." Alice smirked and then went on. "He has had a number of talks with Caius and Marcus. He wanted to check in and see Renesmee's progress at some point."

"Do you know when?"

She shook her head. "No - no date has been set. It's just discussion now. Luckily Aro could see in Edward's and Renesmee's thoughts that she was not a danger in terms of feeding on the entire town of Forks." Alice laughed, but Carlisle couldn't manage a smile. He sighed. "Don't worry, Carlisle. Aro doesn't believe he'll gain anything from coming here too soon. Renesmee isn't all that different from when they were here recently."

Carlisle nodded and wished the entire ordeal had never happened. If Aro knew nothing of Renesmee until she was full grown then he would have no reason to check in or investigate. It would have been quite possible that he would have never found out to begin with. After all, prior to the last few years Carlisle hadn't seen Aro in centuries.

"I know it's a worry - to have them thinking of coming here again one day," Alice acknowledged, "But they won't be coming back with all of their main players or the entire coven. It doesn't sound malicious - just curious. And it won't be any time soon."

He sighed. "It would have been ideal to have him never come here at all. I would have been perfectly content with Aro and even moreso Caius never meeting any of you."

"Well, I did have my Italy encounter don't forget." Alice was as carefree as ever speaking of the Volturi. "But, you're right." She sighed and looked down almost solemnly for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring this up."

"No, it's quite alright," Alice assured him, "More than alright." She saw that he was waiting for her to continue. "I just..." She paused and thought for a moment, "People have been wondering about my vision - the one that made Aro leave. I haven't spoken to anybody about it, but Edward knows."

He waited, having been curious about what she had seen, though he never asked. A part of him was afraid to and the other part of him knew that if Alice wanted to open up about it that she would. All he knew for certain was that she explained that lives would be lost on both sides.

Alice looked around and then reached for a small notebook that sat in the corner of the desk. She wasn't about to tell Carlisle about his close encounter with death - she couldn't bring herself to do it. The image of him defending her and losing his life over it was something that continued to haunt her. Another image that haunted her was Jasper - the love of her life - dying on the field that day. Alice knew how close they had been to all of that tragedy becoming a reality and harboring it alone was a lot to take in. She and Edward alike suffered in silence. She was sure Jasper was wondering why she hovered around him so much and had been acting so protective.

Carlisle handed Alice a pen, seeing that her eyes were scanning the desk and the bookshelves that surrounded them. "Here."

Alice swiped it from his hand and took a deep breath before jotting down Jasper's name on the first page in the notebook. It took Carlisle a moment to register what she meant, but then lifted his eyes to meet hers. "You mean...?" Carlisle took Alice's nod as confirmation and she proceeded to say, "I haven't told him - or anybody."

Carlisle's heart sank and he felt for Alice knowing she had to relive that every day. "I'm sorry Alice."

"It didn't happen." She regained her smile and crumpled up the piece of paper before tossing it into the small trash bin to the right of the desk.

"Was there anybody else?" He couldn't keep himself from asking seeing as though she opened the door.

Downstairs he heard his wife's laughter as she played with Renesmee. Edward's elated voice accompanied their interaction and Bella giggled. Carlisle couldn't fathom the thought of losing any of them.

Alice nodded. "Not Esme." She shook her head as she spoke. "Just so you know."

Carlisle let a subtle breath in and out and then nodded. Alice stared at him for an extra second and almost immediately she saw the wheels turning in his mind.

"What?" he asked, suddenly self-conscious.

She hadn't been nearly as clingy with Carlisle as she had with Jasper, but there were times she wanted to just hug him and tell him how much he meant to her - and to the rest of the family. Alice knew if she felt that way that Esme may very well never let him leave her sight. For that, she hoped Edward wouldn't come forward and tell Esme what he had seen of Alice's vision.

"Nothing." Alice smiled again and then rounded the desk, motioning for him to stand up. Carlisle obliged and then raised his eyebrows as she hugged him. He hugged her back and laughed as he grip tightened around him. Alice then left a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Carlisle."

He smiled shyly, "For what?"

"For being a good person. For accepting Jasper and I into the family. For everything."

He shrugged, "You're welcome. Thank you for keeping this family safe. Your gift has certainly spared us tragedy."

Alice nodded. "We all work pretty well together." She winked and hurried out of the room, leaving Carlisle standing with a smile on his face but rather confused at the same time. With that, he sat back down and continued the research he had been doing on the computer.

"He's all yours," Alice's voice came from the hallway and Esme entered with a wave.

Carlisle immediately stopped what he was doing and smiled as she approached him.

"I have a date with you tonight, don't forget," she told him with a smile.

He glanced down at his watched and then removed it, "Eight o'clock - dinner."

Esme laughed and put her hands on the desk. "What's on the menu?"

"Deer... bear... whatever you would like."

She toyed with the watch he put down, noting that he always took it off for obvious reasons when they went to hunt. "What if we went off the beaten path this time?"

"Where would you like to go?" he asked.

Esme shrugged. "I don't have a particular place in mind. Maybe we could hunt north a little. Take some pictures."

Carlisle smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll pack a bag." He began to stand up but she shook he head and motioned for him to sit.

"Finish what you're doing. It's only six. We have time."

"We could go early." He closed the computer and rounded the desk so he could give her a kiss.

Esme hugged him. "I'm going to make dinner for Renesmee." She looked up at him, "But then we'll go."

Carlisle knew Esme loved cooking for their granddaughter and doing all of the things that she would have done with her own children had the option been there. Renesmee certainly filled a void for his wife, and a bittersweet mixture of emotions filled him. "Okay."

Esme kissed him again. "Thank you."

Edward and Bella appeared at the door and the two of them parted for a moment.

"Sorry," Bella waved a hand. Edward smirked at her side and then addressed the two of them. "You guys can go early if you want."

"Yeah, Renesmee, she doesn't need-"

"I have to finish something," Carlisle interrupted them with a smile as he motioned to the computer. He knew Esme wanted to stay for the extra few hours to be with Renesmee and so he figured he could get her off the hook.

"You're sure?" Bella asked. "And sorry to eavesdrop." She felt guilty for her new-found senses.

Edward smiled at Esme, seeing in her thoughts quite clearly that she had no intention of leaving early on her mini expedition with Carlisle. She needed the balance between her family and the alone time with her husband that she suddenly had been craving more than before.

"We're sure," Esme said with a nod.

"Come on," Edward towed Bella by the hand and looked over his shoulder at the two of them before pulling her out of the room.

"I'll be right down," Esme called after them, and then turned to Carlisle again. She leaned up and kissed him. "Thank you."

Carlisle winked. "Eight o'clock." He smiled and sat back down. "Enjoy the time with Renesmee."