Ch.3 The Fallout Continues..
Bella's P.O.V...
Edward had the sense to look slightly abashed. I knew though that it'd be a while before he could forgive Carlisle. I'd already forgiven him. He'd supported me when Edward hadn't.
It occurred to me then that Edward was still clinging to a bit of resentment over that. It had irritated Edward to no end when Carlisle supported the decision to change me. All though the whole family save Rose had agreed that my change was for the best, it was Carlisle's vote that had really upset Edward.
That was the only time I could recall that they'd ever fought. Well until I was pregnant with Nessie. Edward had wanted Carlisle to remove it, forcibly if need be. Carlisle had refused, it was my choice he'd said. Nessie's birth and my change had soothed that over. Or so I'd thought.
"The point of this was because I want to agree to Aro's request. I just wanted to get everyone's feelings on the matter first." Carlisle spoke, drawing our attention back to him. I broke eye contact with Edward to give Carlisle my attention.
"You want us to vote?" Rose asked, her voice held some hurt but she too was moving quickly towards forgiveness. She never could stay angry with Carlisle. Everyone else yes, but she like me had a special bond with the head of our family.
"Yes Kitty." he answered his eldest daughter. Well second eldest if my calculations on Rebecca's age were correct.
"Yes." she said without a seconds thought.
"Sure." Emmett said to the surprise of no one. Much to my surprise everyone else agreed, save of course Edward. Which I'd expected given his current mindset.
"Given your display I don't really need to ask your vote do I Bella?" he asked, shaking me out of my thoughts. I shook my head. He was right I'd cast my vote already.
"That settles it then, I'll call Aro and let him know." with that Carlisle is gone, Esme on his heels. Leaving us kids and a seething Edward.
"How could you Bella?" he asks, seeking me as the target for his anger.
"How could I not?" I return, unmoved by the angry glare. Edward just leaves, shoving James out of his way.
"Let him go. Let him cool off." I tell them as Jasper and Emmett make to go after him. I text Ness a warning in case he decides to run home, which given his emotional state he could.
"Y?" she texts back.
"He's upset with Papa Carlisle." I tell her, which he is, but the reason why is too long for a text message. Her reply to that is a confused face.
"I'll explain it later honey." I text her as Carlisle comes back into the room. I'd only been partly listening to the group talk around me. It seemed everyone agreed about forgiving Carlisle.
"She's on her way." he tells us.
"Carlisle." Jasper calls his name as he turns to leave again. He stops, turning in the doorway to face him.
"I just wanted to apologize to you, on behalf of all of us for how we acted about this. Now I won't lie and say I wasn't hurt. But Bella is right, you've always been there for us when we needed you. Always supported us no matter what, so we should've been more understanding." he says, speaking for all of us.
"Thank you Jasper. Everyone. I'm sorry too for keeping this secret for so long. Aro swore everyone to absolute secrecy about what Rebecca really was." he explains.
"Well we can see why. If it became too well known that children like Ness were possible, it would risk exposing us. We know how obsessed Aro is with keeping us hidden." James speaks now, and he has a point. James is the oldest in the family, after Carlisle. And he too has spent time in the Volturi's company.
"We'll have to go to the airstrip to get her, Aro is sending her on the Volturi's private plane." Carlisle says.
"Esme wants to get the spare bedroom redone, so Jasper, James and Em go see her for that please. Bella, Rose and Alice she wants you to help her clean the house. I have to go to the grocery store." he continues explaining all the things that need to be done to prepare the house for a long term guest. The guys head upstairs to see Esme. We'll have all this done in a day.
Hours Later..
Still Bella P.O.V...
"Done." Alice chimes from the living room.
"Done." I say from the kitchen. Rose is doing the laundry and cleaning everywhere else.
"Done." she chimes from the upstairs bathroom. Just as we finish all our tasks, Carlisle comes back in from his run to the grocery store.
"Bells help." he asks, seeing me standing by the sink. There was a time when Charlie's nickname for me made me sad, but that time has passed. I go out to help him unload more then we'll probably really need. Once all the food is put away, I find myself in the music room. Sitting at Edward's piano.
"He'll come around eventually." James' voice startles me out of my thoughts.
"I know. It's just he and Carlisle have been together the longest. So he feels the most betrayed by this secret. By the fact that Carlisle could've told us Nessie was possible." I talk to my newest brother. Having him around was difficult at first.
It had taken some time, and effort which caused some tension in the family. Especially when James took a snap at me on my birthday. Edward left me, and tried to take his family with him but they refused. So he'd gone without them. That hadn't lasted long before he'd come crawling back. Begging me to forgive him, which I did after I made him work for it.
A.N. As always don't own the Twilight universe, SM does. I just play with it.