A/N: These wonderful characters and all things Twilight still belong to Stephenie Meyer. What a bummer!
Carlisle POV
Once we were all gathered together we could finish discussing the details of Edward's plan. Esme, Alice, Jasper, and myself were all sitting around the dining room table, waiting for the others. Emmett was helping Rosalie with some final preparations with our vehicles, and Bella and Edward were on their way down the stairs. As I watched them enter the dining room, I couldn't help but notice that they were no longer two individuals, but two halves of a whole. I had to smile to myself the way their love reminded me of myself and Esme.
It occurred to me that this would be the last family meeting at this table, in this house, for almost a century. We would come back eventually, once we could safely establish ourselves as a new generation of the Cullen family. Until then, we would live in our house in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, then perhaps move on to stay in Alaska for a while.
Because of everyone's hearing abilities, we had all been privy to Edward explaining the basics of the plan to Bella. I had to admit that I was as surprised as he was to hear her quick acceptance of the idea. Although I was proud of each member of my family, my admiration for my newest daughter continued to grow daily as I witnessed her inner strength and unwavering love and devotion to the family. She was truly a Cullen, whether she and Edward were technically married yet or not. Edward looked at me and smiled, hearing my thoughts, as he held out a chair for Bella and sat down next to her.
Rosalie and Emmett arrived at the same time Bella and Edward joined the group.
"Okay," I began. "All of us except Bella understand what has to be done here. We all wish that none of this was necessary, of course," I looked at Rosalie and Emmett sympathetically when I said this because they were the least enthusiastic. Rosalie hated to move, and Emmett felt that he was being denied the opportunity to partake in a good fight. "But the important thing is that we stay together as a family and keep each other safe, from all threats that may arise." Everyone knew I was speaking of more than just the wolves. We also had to avoid raising any red flags with our acquaintances in Italy.
"Rose, are the cars all ready to travel to New Hampshire?" I asked.
"Yep. I'll keep some tools in my trunk just in case, but we should be all set."
"Great. Thank you, Rose. And how about the packing, Alice?"
"Most of the clothes are all packed, except Bella's and Edward's. I'll go finish theirs in a few minutes. We'll probably have to buy some things when we get there, but that's normal for a family moving to a different climate."
"And gives you the opportunity to shop, of course." Edward teased. Alice just smiled and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
"Esme, how about household items?" I asked as I held her hand across the table.
"Everything we normally take for a move is in the big truck already. All of our sentimental items, plus those necessary to keep up appearances."
"Okay, then. Jasper? Have you contacted Mr. Jenks?"
"Yes, although he wasn't thrilled about being woken up at three in the morning, he said he understood that these things can sometimes be urgent after I assured him twice his normal rate for the paperwork, licenses, and records for the eight of us. I've instructed him to send them overnight to a post office depot in Boston. We can pick them up on our way to New Hampshire."
"Fine, then. It looks like those details are in order. Now, Bella, how are you handling everything?"
Bella just looked at me for a moment, as if trying to figure out what the right answer to my question was.
"I'm fine, I guess. I'd just like to know what my part is. I mean, I know how to do it, I just don't really understand how far I need to project and to who. And how do I know who to erase memories from and who to give memories to? And which memories?" She started to look confused and anxious again, and Edward quickly wrapped an arm around her for comfort.
Jasper sent a wave of calm over the room, and Bella gave him a sheepish smile and seemed to relax just a bit.
"Bella, I know you can do this, and everything will work out fine. You wouldn't bet against me, would you?" Alice's reassurance seemed to have a positive effect on Bella. We all wanted very much to believe that her visions were allowing her to see a successful outcome. Of course, with her not being able to see the wolves, her visions were extremely tentative.
"Bella" Rosalie spoke then. "Listen, I may not be thrilled about moving, but I know that we're doing the right thing here. I know you can do this and help us get our lives back to normal. You're my sister, and I love you."
Bella looked stunned. We all did, I think. Rose was not known for her encouraging words.
"Yeah," Emmett added. "And hey, if anything goes wrong we get to kick some serious werewolf butt!!" and slammed his fist on the table.
"Emmett!" Edward hissed at him.
"What?" Emmett raised his shoulders innocently, and Edward just shook his head.
"Bella," I continued, ignoring Emmett's remarks, "I've written out a plan that you can use if you feel comfortable with it. I want you to read it over and see if everything is agreeable to you before we decide on when to carry it out."
"Okay." She said, sounding uncertain, and I handed her the paper that detailed an outline of whose memories were to be altered and how.
Bella began to read down the list of people she would have to specifically target, then suddenly gasped. "Um, Carlisle?"
"Yes, Bella?"
"This says that Charlie and Renee will believe that I died right after graduation. Is that really necessary?"
"It's my belief that it will be necessary, yes. It will be easier for them to accept that you are really gone that way. Right now they still believe that you ran off with Edward after Mike's death. After an unknown amount of time, they will most likely begin to look for you. Allowing them to become aware of your new life would only put them both in grave danger. Does that make sense to you?"
"Yes, I suppose so. It's just sad, though. Charlie had some nice memories of Allie, and this will erase those completely since she wasn't born for another seven and a half months." Even through her brave face, there was a heavy sadness.
"But it will also erase the grief and the guilt he feels over everything, love. He will no longer hold himself responsible for your unhappiness or Allie's death." Edward explained.
Bella thought about that for a moment, then nodded her head with more resolve than before. She knew that Charlie had felt terribly guilty about believing Mike over her, and that Charlie had been right outside their house on that terrible night.
"I know you aren't aware of this, but there is another danger here as well. The wolves suspect our involvement in Mike's death. It will have to be explained some other way in order to avoid any investigations by anyone, human or otherwise."
"But, Carlisle, there isn't any explanation for Mike's death written here." Edward noticed while reading over Bella's shoulder.
"Yes, I thought I would leave that decision to Bella and let her do whatever she is comfortable with."
"I'm not sure what I'm comfortable with, though." Bella said.
"Well, it's not something you have to decide this minute, of course. I would suggest that we all spend the next hour making the final preparations for our departure, and then meet in the living room to be there for Bella while the transition takes place."
Everyone nodded and headed out of the dining room. Rosalie and Emmett went out to hunt while Jasper went to assist Alice with the last of the packing. Bella sat at the table staring at her hands, and Edward looked as though he didn't know what to do with himself.
"Edward?" Bella looked at Edward intensely, locking her eyes with his.
"Yes, love?"
"Can we go to our meadow one more time?"
"I would love nothing more." Edward smiled and took Bella's hand, leading her outside.
Esme and I went to finish up some things in my office, and I hoped that Edward could persuade Bella to relax so that this would be an easier task for her. I had to believe that her emotional strength would hold up and that pushing her abilities farther than she ever imagined would not have devastating effects.
OK, so today is my birthday!! Presents = reviews!! It might seem that the plan is being a bit drawn out, but it will all be worth it – trust me! Please let me know what you are thinking! I love to hear theories, thoughts, comments, suggestions…. Thanks for reading!