The story deals with adult subject matter and occasional description of explicit sexual abuse. Not meant for underage readers. Read at your own peril. And oh, Twilight belongs to SM. This is just a fanfiction.

Beautiful Sorrow

End of Chapter 23:

He could detect that something was off about Elizabeth's voice as soon as she answered the phone. Brushing aside his trepidation, Carlisle clung on to the hope that nothing could be wrong with Edward, or else she would be far more frantic, and whatever else it might be, there's little he wouldn't be able to handle. Or so he thought in his self assured hubris.

Chapter 24

Carlisle, age 18

"Hi. It's me, Carlisle," he said as soon as his call was answered.

"Oh, hello Carlisle." Her voice lacked the welcoming warmth that he had gotten used to in the short period of time that he had known her. He hoped everything was ok with his brother.

"I was just calling to see if I could drop by to check on Edward today. We made plans last week..."

"Right, uh... about that. I'm not sure if today would be any good for a visit. I'm planning on taking him out to the park. There aren't that many sunny days this time of the year. So..." She sounded reluctant and distant.

"Oh, I understand, of course." Carlisle failed to hide the disappointment from his voice. "Maybe tomorrow then?" he asked hopefully.

There was a momentary silence on the line.

"Actually, I'm not sure if that would be a good idea either..." She seemed hesitant. Carlisle could almost picture the scowl on her face as she spoke.

She is avoiding me! But why?

He hastily started analyzing his last visit. Could he have said or done something to offend her? She seemed perfectly comfortable about his proposed visit last Saturday. What could have happened between then and now to make her so reticent to him?

"I don't understand. I thought...why would it not be a good idea?" Carlisle asked point blank.

"Because..." she trailed off on an irate note, as if she was struggling to find the words that would adequately explain her lack of enthusiasm.

"You know what, I changed my mind. I would really appreciate if you could come by today. I think it's only fair that you hear me out. If you are still up for it, could you kindly meet me in... two hours? My place?" she offered curtly.

"Sure, but could you kindly tell me what's going on? You seem upset, apparently by me. But I can't think of any reason why that would be the case. I-"

"We'll talk about it when you get here. I can't stay on the phone for too long; Edward needs me." Elizabeth cut him off, sounding impatient.

"Ok, I'll be there," Carlisle conceded. "Edward is ok, right?" He had to ask before he let her go.

"Edward is fine. See you in two hours. Not sooner or later. Do you understand me?" she answered hastily, emphasizing the time before hanging up with a quick goodbye. This left Carlisle feeling perplexed and more than a little concerned about her sudden change in attitude.

He wondered why she made such a production of the appointed time; why couldn't he go there sooner? Or later for that matter.

He paced away some time until he couldn't take it anymore. He decided to drive over and wait in the car if need be, rather than going stark crazy speculating about Elizabeth Masen's strange behavior.

He stood before her apartment building. He still had three minutes on the clock. It was a sunny day, but the bitter cold hadn't loosened its grip over the November air. After wasting another minute rubbing his hands to stay warm, he decided to ring in his presence.

Elizabeth buzzed him in without a word.

She was waiting for him at her door, but didn't smile when he approached her. Her face held the heaviness of storm clouds and her eyes were puffy. If he had any doubts about her state of mind over the phone, he had none now; she was upset.

She motioned for him to enter without saying a word.

"Please, take a seat," she said when they reached the living room.

He noticed two things as he slowly sat down on the sofa: Elizabeth didn't offer to take his coat which might suggest that she didn't want him to stay too long, and that Edward was not in the apartment.

"Where's Edward?" He addressed the issue that mattered to him the most.

"He's at the park. I called a friend of mine to come by and take him out for a bit. I didn't want him around for this. I know he is only a baby, but he is very sensitive to emotions in the room. He picks up on things," she offered in explanation which didn't help to ease Carlisle's growing sense of panic.

"What's going on? I don't understand..." he asked, trying his best to keep his nervousness from showing.

Elizabeth was still standing. She walked over to the corner of the room to pick up what appeared to be her purse. She retrieved something from it and then slowly crossed the room to take the seat in front of Carlisle.

"Yesterday on my way back from work I stopped by the store to pick up some stuff for Edward. I thought I could use the gift card you gave him," she began as she placed the card on the table between them. "You didn't mention that you put the entire store on the card. Imagine my surprise when I went to the check-out counter."

"I still don't understand," Carlisle said in a perplexed voice.

"When people give gift certificates, they put a few hundred, maybe even a thousand dollars on it if they can afford it. Not a cent less than a hundred grand!" She raised her voice towards the end.

Carlisle realized that Elizabeth was not happy about the generosity of his gift card. He personally didn't think he had gone overboard with the amount. It did put a slight dent on his allowance, but nothing a little judicious spending for a while wouldn't fix. However, Elizabeth's reaction told him that perhaps he did cross some unwritten line in the sand. Even if he had, did it warrant all this drama?

"Listen, Elizabeth, I honestly had very little idea what you could use, so I asked the manager there and went with her suggestion. Her calculations looked pretty legitimate to me. I really didn't mean for it to come off as an insult. You could've just told me. I mean, I had no idea it would upset you so much. You don't have to use the card, you know." Carlisle shrugged to express his lack of culpability in the matter that had caused Elizabeth so much aggravation.

"That's what I thought; maybe you didn't know what to get and the salesman sold you the whole store. I thought that when you came by today I'd sit you down and tell you that a baby Edward's age doesn't really need a yacht or an entire store full of toys. I really thought...

"But then I got a call from Mr. Goldsmith last night." She stopped to gage Carlisle's reaction.

"He had some choice words for me. He accused me of... a number of things that I'd rather not repeat. Turns out you didn't clear your shopping spree at the store with your... guardian. And he is convinced I-" She stopped to collect herself as her lips trembled and her voice chocked. She surreptitiously brushed away a stray, angry tear.

"He believes I 'encouraged' you somehow to spend all that money on us. And it was rather difficult for me to deny the allegations when I actually had the fruit of the crime tucked away in my purse. So..." She pushed the card across the table towards Carlisle and looked away, unwilling to let Carlisle see her tears, yet unable to hold them back.

Carlisle sat dumbfounded.

Eleazar had called Elizabeth. Of course he would. Only Eleazar had complete access to, and control over, all his financial transactions. He had never asserted his presence in Carlisle's spending before, but after their conversation yesterday, of course he would look for every leak and hole in the Cullen security, and apply every trick in the book to seal them. That would include nipping the threat in the bud by intimidating Elizabeth Masen.

He was so shocked by the realization that it took a while before anger registered on the conscious part of his mind. He wanted to call his uncle and yell at him for jeopardizing the tenuous truce he was forming with Elizabeth Masen, and for meddling in his personal finances even though he was legally an adult now.

However, he realized damage control would have to take precedence over venting his anger. Thanks to Eleazar, he would now have to apologize to Elizabeth before she summarily exiled him from Edward's life.

"Elizabeth, I had no idea he was going to do something like that. I truly am sorry. He is not my guardian. He is my proxy at the company until I am twenty-one, but I don't need his permission to make decisions about my life; I am not a child. I will talk to Eleazar, and I promise you he will not bother you again. I apologize for the insinuations he made. They were uncalled for and I understand why you'd be upset... but please, you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with it," Carlisle said with genuine conviction.

Elizabeth kept still for a few moments. When she turned her gaze back to Carlisle, she was much more composed than she was previously.

"I believe you. I get it that he is just looking out for you, I can understand that. But make no mistake, Carlisle, I will not be disrespected in my own home. I am perfectly capable of raising my son on my own. I don't need any hand outs or charity. I don't want your money, and my son definitely doesn't need your approval... or acceptance. In fact, I did not ask for any of this. You came into my home; you wanted to know Edward, not the other way around.

"No, let me finish." She held up her hand to stop Carlisle from interrupting. "Edward is the most important thing in my life. I will not compromise his well-being at any cost. That means I will not allow for him to grow up hearing filth about his mother, or being slighted for who... who he is and what he is not.

"I... I honestly was really happy that you seemed to care about him. I don't have any family to speak of, and I know it would mean a lot for him to have one, but I will not let him grow attached to you unless I feel that you understand where I stand.

"The things Mr. Goldsmith said... I know that's what you all think of me. I'm not stupid; I understand how things must look from the outside. You are welcome to believe what you want. But you can't bring your lewd suspicions into my son's life; I won't let you.

"I told you before and I will say it again; I don't need or want your money. Edward is my son. He is not a Cullen. He is not your competition, nor is he your equal. I will not set him up with false hopes and promises. I will raise him the best way I can, within my means. If you want to be a part of his life then you will have to respect my wishes. I will not let you insult me again this way."

Carlisle quietly listened to Elizabeth's grievances and allowed the weight of her words to sink in. She was right; he had come to her with the worst of opinions, and even after getting to know her somewhat better, he continued to harbor much of his old doubts. He was angry at Eleazar for foiling his place in the game, not because he truly believed Elizabeth deserved better treatment. He indeed was guilty of affronting her dignity, and for that he now felt shame.

She had treated him with nothing but kindness from the very moment he had showed up at her doorstep, and even overlooked his initial hostility. However, he had failed to extend the same courtesy to her. He treated her with civility to keep the passage to his brother open, not out of heartfelt regard for who she was as a person.

He saw now that Edward didn't exist in a vacuum and he couldn't be selective about welcoming him, and only him, into his life. Edward was a part of Elizabeth Masen, just as he was a part of his parents. The two components could never be separated, and he decided that he would never again attempt to do so.

"I understand, Elizabeth. I apologize. I've been disrespectful with my words and actions. I give you my word it will never happen again. I am sorry for my uncle too. He is looking out for me, I know, but how he went about it was wrong. I promise you that he will be dealt with.

"I... I would be grateful if you'd still let me be a part of Edward's life. I would like that very much, but I... but I realize that it is your prerogative. And if you let me be here, I assure you that I will not give you any reason to regret your decision." Carlisle chose his words carefully. He had a new found respect for Elizabeth and he truly wanted to earn her acceptance, not demand it by force or intimidation.

Elizabeth didn't respond immediately. She gazed at him with uncertain eyes, as if trying to ascertain the depth of his pledge.

Carlisle waited for her verdict, but when she didn't speak for over a minute, disappointment seeped into his mind. He wouldn't be seeing Edward that day, and maybe never again.

"I should probably go," he said as he stood up with a downcast face. He picked up the gift card from the coffee table and gave it a dirty look as he pocketed it for later disposal.

He was about to cross the threshold when Elizabeth spoke. "If you like to, you could come to the park with me. They've been out for a while. I should bring him in."

Carlisle turned to look at Elizabeth, noticing that much of the hard edges were gone from her face.

"I'd like that very much, thank you," Carlisle said as he gave her a smile of gratitude. He understood that she was giving him a second chance that she wrestled with at length. It wasn't to be taken lightly and he had no intention of blowing it.

Elizabeth closed the door behind them and they walked to the nearby park in relative silence.

"There they are." Elizabeth spotted her friend soon enough and nudged Carlisle to guide him in the right direction.

Carlisle saw a woman close to Elizabeth's age sitting on a park bench with a stroller stationed next to her. When they were close enough he was much amused to notice how bundled up Edward appeared in all the winter gear his mother had placed him in. As was usually the case, Edward's mere sight relaxed Carlisle enough to make him break out into an unadulterated smile as he leaned down to take a better look.

Edward displayed his lone-tooth with customary enthusiasm as his gaze fell upon Carlisle, though the flaying of his limbs was significantly restricted by the confines of his swaddled wrap. He reminded Carlisle of an Egyptian mummy which made his smile grow even wider.

"Thank you so much, Gracie. I owe you one! I got it from here," Elizabeth addressed her friend as they approached her.

"No problem, Lizzie. Edward's a delight to be around. Besides, it's the least I could do after all the times you babysat for me. So, did you finish your errand?" Gracie replied as she curiously eyed the strange, young boy who had accompanied her friend.

"Yah, I did. Thanks to you." Elizabeth noticed her friend's inquisitive glance and contemplated ignoring it at first, but then changed her mind. Much of her life in the last few years had been shrouded in secrecy, something she felt was warranted at the time but later came to regret. She didn't want her old mistakes to taint her son's life. She decided in favor of a name-only introduction.

"Where are my manners! Carlisle, this is my friend and colleague, Grace Fowler..." She gestured towards her friend.

"It's nice to meet you," said Grace as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Carlisle responded politely. "I'm Carlisle, Carlisle Cullen. I'm Edward's brother."

Elizabeth suppressed a gasp as she looked at Carlisle's face. Carlisle nodded slightly in acknowledgement. It was not lost on either what a momentous declaration Carlisle had just made.

With a simple acknowledgement, he had irrevocably tied himself to Edward, not only in his heart, but in every aspect of life in the future to come. It was a bond that would grow in strength with time, and stubbornly refuse to budge even when he would try to shake it loose many years later as it would face and fail the ultimate crucible of loyalty.

AN1: Story rec - The Lies We Tell Ourselves by ysar
I had no idea ysar wrote ExB stories. Imagine my surprise! This drabble fic is awesome and ansgty. Take a look!

AN2: Come find me on twitter: ToTheDreaming.

A huge round of thanks goes to lulabelle98, for making all this readable. She is all kind of awesome.

Thanks to Detochkina for pre-reading and pointing out holes the size of Chicago! Brilliant woman, that one.

Thanks to WutheringBites for validating my story at Twilighted. I am most grateful.

Thanks to Dinx219 for WCs and for being the awesomest friend. You rock! Please check out her stories.

I am thankful to all those who've read, alerted and fav-d my story. But reviews are like snowshoes in a snowstorm. So, kindly review so I don't fall on my face. The weather forecast is not looking too good up here!