The next part is very similar to the part in Midnight Sun, and the parts where they are the same in NO WAY DO I CLAIM AS MY OWN. Just wanted to make that clear.
All too soon the familiar sounds of Edward's car came from the top of the drive. We hastily made ourselves decent, and descended the stairs to greet our family, smiles plastered in place. But something was wrong, something was very wrong. Rosalie stalked in without even looking at us, her expression furious, while Emmett followed her sheepishly, not looking happy at all. Alice and Jasper followed, Alice looking extremely worried, her face almost torn with it, while Jaspers face was set with determination. Edward followed. Words could not describe how he , mingled with sadness, and twisted with determination. I glanced up at Carlisle worridly.
"He feels he may have to leave again," Carlisle murmured so quietly I could barely hear. My stomach twisted again, and we followed them into the dining room.
It was never used as such, as we always 'ate out', as Emmett liked to put it, and it was mostly used for family discussions - serious ones. The knot in my stomach tightened. Carlisle sat at the head of the table and I took my place standing behind him, taking his hand in my own and resting it on the surface. I needed it as a kind of reassurance - I am sure he felt the same. I looked over at Edward. Stay, I thought for him, but he held no smile for me. He turned away to look at the others. Rosalie sat in the chair opposite Carlisle, glaring at Edward with no shame, her gaze never drifting. Emmett sat beside her, wearing a wry expression, while Jasper stood against the wall behind her in the shadows. Alice looked torn, not knowing where to go as the lines were drawn. It was a comfort when she danced over to me and took the neighbouring seat. I saw Jasper look at her uneasily, and for a split second I thought he would join her, but he stood his ground, unmoving and defiant.
"I'm sorry," Edward began, breaking the stony silence. He looked at Rose, Emmett and Jasper in turn. "I didn't mean to put any of you at risk. It was thoughtless, and I take full responsibility for my hasty action."
I felt Carlisle's hand tighten around mine for a moment, and my own stomach dropped at his words. I could only assume what that meant.
"What do you mean, 'take full responsibility'? Are you going to fix it?" Rosalie demanded as she glared across at him, her face still beautiful even though it was painfully furious.
"Not in the way you mean." It seemed that he was working very hard to keep his voice quiet, but his words were some comfort to me. He was not going to destroy the girl. "I'm willing to leave now, if that makes things better."
"No," I murmured, finding myself surprisingly calm. I would not have him leave again. "No, Edward."
He patted my hand soothingly. "It's just a few years."
"Esme's right though, you can't go anywhere now," Emmett said thoughtfully. "That would be the opposite of helpful. We need to know what people are thinking, now more than ever."
Edward frowned. "Alice would catch anything major."
"I think Emmett is right, Edward," Carlisle disagreed, shaking his head. "The girl will be more likely to talk if you disappear. It's all of us leave, or none of us."
I sighed mentally in relief. No one would go against what Carlisle said.
"She wont say anything," Edward quickly urged, throwing a wary glance at Rosalie.
"You don't know her mind," Carlisle reminded him.
"I know this much," he insisted. "Alice, back me up."
Alice looked up at Edward with a weary expression from where she was rubbing her forehead. "I can't see what will happen if we just ignore this." She glanced at Rosalie and Jasper.
"We can't allow the human a chance to say anything!" Rosalie exploded, smacking her hand down hard on the table. "Carlisle, you must see that. Even if we decided to all disappear, it's not safe to leave stories behind us. We live so differently from the rest of our kind - you know there are those who love an excuse to point fingers. We have to be more careful than anyone else!"
"We've left rumours behind us before," Edward reminded her calmly.
"Just rumours and suspicions, Edward. Not eyewitnesses and evidence!"
"Evidence," Edward scoffed, but behind Rose, Jasper was nodding in the shadows, his eyes dark and hard.
"Rose-" Carlisle started.
"Let me finish, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl hit her head today. So maybe that injury turns out to be more serious than it looked." She shrugged, not really caring about how to do it, caring more about convincing us no doubt. "Ever mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. The others would expect us to clean up after ourselves. Technically, that is Edward's job, but this is obviously beyond him. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me."
"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are," Edward snarled angrily.
She hissed at him furiously. I shuddered involuntarily at his words, remembering the night she had come back, her eyes glinting with victory at her murders...
"Edward, please," Carlisle said, raising his free hand to hush him. He then turned to Rosalie. "Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt you were owed your justice. The men you killed had wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. The Swan girl is an innocent.
"It's not personal, Carlisle," she replied through gritted teeth. I could tell she was close to loosing it. "It's to protect us all."
The silence that followed was painful as Carlisle thought through his answer. Edward watched him carefully as he followed his train of thought, and I felt his fingers twitch in mine when he finally nodded. Rosalie's face lit up for a moment, but she really should have realized who she was dealing with. Carlisle would never agree to such a thing.
"I know you mean well Rosalie," he began slowly and deliberately, thinking through each word before he said it. "But... I'd like very much for our family to be worth protecting. The occasional... accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are. To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk she presents, whether she speaks her suspicions or not, is nothing to the greater risk. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk loosing the essence of who we are."
Edward's face showed signs of triumph as he looked at Carlisle with upmost respect.
"It's just being responsible," Rosalie scowled like a child.
"It's being callous," Carlisle replied gently, knowing the battle was won.
"It'll be ok," Emmett soothed Rosalie as she sighed and stuck her lower lip out in a pout.
"The question is," Carlisle continued with a sigh, "whether we should move on?"
"No," Rosalie moaned, rolling her eyes. "We just got settled! I don't want to start on my sophomore year in high school again!"
"You could keep your present age, of course," Carlisle suggested.
"And have to move that much sooner?" she asked with raised eyebrows and folded arms.
He shrugged, and I smiled. The atmosphere was lighter now a decision had been made, and now the only worries that seemed to be present were Rosalie's petty concerns.
"I like it here" she emphasised. "There's so little sun, we get to be almost normal!"
I smiled at the unlikeliness of that.
"Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. We can wait and see if it becomes necessary. Edward seems certain of the Swan girl's silence."
Rosalie snorted, but no one seemed to bothered about her any more. The battle was won, she was overruled, and it was clear that she would go along with it, even though it did bother her. Carlisle looked up at me with a relived smile, and I couldn't help smiling back. Our family was still together, the Swan girl was safe, and life looked good again. I barely noticed Jasper and Edward talking as I let my momentary happiness wash over me. It wasn't until I heard Edward gasp in horror that I paid attention, my happiness evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.
Edward's face was horrified, but Alice did not seem to notice as she spoke to Jasper. Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle and I froze, our eyes fixed on Edward and Alice.
"I know you love me. Thanks," Alice began, talking to Jasper and ignoring Edward. "But I could really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill Bella. First of all, Edward's serious and I don't want you two fighting. Secondly, she's my friend. At least, she's going to be."
We all froze in place. No human could afford friendship with us, no human ever wanted it truely. No human would get the chance, unless bonded with another vampire. And that went against everything we worked for - keeping the secret.
"But... Alice..." Jasper gasped.
"I'm going to love her some day, Jazz. I'll be very put out with you if you don't let her be."
We all were still frozen, appart from Alice. She seemed thrilled as she gazed into the future - the Cullen's future. "Ah," she sighed, the future now clear to her finally as Jasper gave up his course. "See? Bella's not going to say anything. There's nothing to worry about."
She spoke the Swan girl's name as if, already, they were the closest of friends. It did not worry me as it should have done; instead, I felt nervous for the conformation of my suspicions.
"Alice... what... does this?" Edward choked, his expression still that of horror.
"I told you there was a change coming," she mused. "I don't know Edward." Her forehead creased again as she searched the future.
"What, Alice? What are you hiding?" Edward asked desperately.
Emmett grumbled in the background as Alice shook her head. I glanced at Carlisle briefly. He was watching Alice and Edward intently.
"Is it about the girl?" Edward growled angrily. "Is it about Bella?"
Alice's jaw was set, but she seemed to have a lapse of concentration when he spoke her name.
"NO!" he roared, standing up so quickly he knocked his chair flying.
"Edward!" Carlisle rose quickly and placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. Edward didn't even register it.
"It's solidifying," Alice whispered, her eyes sparkling. "Every minute you're more decided. The're really only two ways left for her."
Something in my head finally clicked. Edward was falling in love with Bella Swan. My heart swelled, and joy spread through me as I realised what it meant. He would no longer be the only one left out, he would have someone too. All those solitary nights he spent in his books, at his piano or in the forest, would finally be filled with another. Someone he could spend the rest of eternity with, someone to make forever worth living. This would turn his whole world upside down! But would it be forever? a small voice at the back of mind asked. She is only human, after all. Would she become one of the Cullens? Surely Edward would never allow it. He believes our souls are lost. Would he sacrifice his lover's soul, in his opinion, for himself? I truely had no idea.
"Fall for a human?" I asked in a stunned voice. Despite my joy, I could not comprehend it. "For the girl he saved today? Fall in love with her?"
"What do you see, Alice? Exactly," Jasper demanded in his deep voice.
"It all depends on whether he is strong enough or not. Either he'll kill her himself - which would really irritate me, not to mention what it would do to you - or she'll be one of us someday."
I gasped. So he really would allow it. I refused to let myself believe the other option, so I had to believe that he would turn her immortal.
"That's not going to happen! Either one!" Edward shouted, his face agonized, not wanting to accept it.
"It all depends," Alice repeated slowly and carefully. "He may be strong enough not to kill her - but it will be close. It will take an amazing amount of control. More even than Carlisle has," she added thoughtfully, glancing over at him still standing with an arm on Edward's shoulder. "He may just be strong enough... The only thing he is not strong enough to do is stay away from her. That's a lost cause."
A long paused followed. I looked at each of the faces in the room. All were blank, aside from Edward's. His was still twisted painfully.
"Well, this... complicates things," Carlisle sighed, breaking the silence once again.
"I'll say," Emmett guffawed. I wanted to slap him, and slap him hard, not something that was usually in my nature.
"I suppose the plans remain the same though," Carlisle suggested, ignoring Emmett. "We'll stay, and watch. Obviously, no one will... hurt the girl."
"No," Jasper agreed quietly. "If Alice sees only two ways-"
"No!" Edward cried in a strangled growl. "No!"
Despite seeing him in pain, I was overjoyed at the thought of Edward finally finding someone. He had been alone for too long. He turned suddenly, and walked out of the room stonily. I reached out to touch his arm, but he ignored it. Even before he was out of the front door he was running.