A/N - Short and sweet.......thanks to my beta beauty, ChangedbyEdward, just for being her wonderful self!! LOVES YA bb! Christmas hugs and cheer to all my girls......you have been my best present this year!

To everyone - wishes for a beautiful holiday with the people you hold dear to your hearts - ENJOY the SEASON!!!

Stephenie Meyer - thanks for these wonderful characters - she owns all. On to Chapter 15.......see ya in the New Year!!


(Jasper's POV)

I listened as Alice quickly filled Carlisle in on what had transpired, stressing to him that he needed to be prepared for Edward's arrival. She hung up the phone and moved closer to me, curling her body against mine with her head resting on my shoulder.

"It will be alright, Jazz. It will be tense, but everything will be okay." Her gift to see the future definitely had its perks, especially when I knew that I didn't have to race off to try and stop Edward from destroying Carlisle. It actually made me chuckle because as angry as I knew Ed was, I also knew that if he were able to kill Carlisle – I would then have to spend the rest of my days trying to stop Edward from destroying himself as he would be unable to cope with the guilt of what he had done. Things were never boring with the Cullens.

I kissed the top of Alice's head and pulled her close, nuzzling against her skin. "How is Bella?"

"She's still out, but Carlisle said she is close to the end." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "She is going to be exquisite."

"Well, I just hope she is exquisitely well-behaved! It has been a long time since Carlisle and Esme had a newborn on their hands. I think we should probably head back to Seattle as soon as possible."

"We will, Jasper. But they aren't alone. Rose and Emmett arrived this afternoon so stop worrying so much and kiss me." She chuckled as I sighed dramatically and pulled her close, giving in to her request, all the while praying that her visions were accurate.


(Edward's POV)

Landscape and signs flashed past me as I tore out of Forks, driving as quickly as I could without taking the chance of being pulled over. Bella had always worried that Charlie would catch me speeding through town and forbid her to ever get into a vehicle with me again. I had assured her that it would never happen, but I never dreamed that it would be for this reason. An overwhelming sense of sorrow washed over me – not just for Charlie, but also for the anguish that Bella had been caused by yet another of my kind.

My kind. Now her kind. The thought that Carlisle had damned her to this existence was beyond my comprehension. How could he have made this choice? Why did he betray my wishes? Every reason I had left Bella in the first place was for nothing! All the time we had been apart, Bella's stay at the sanitorium, Charlie's death, everything we had put ourselves through was for no reason! How could I ever forgive him? How could I ever forgive myself?

I slammed my fist against the dash, instantly regretting the action as Alice's rental felt my wrath. A huge hole gaped in the dashboard – I knew immediately it would be up to me to have it repaired before she returned it. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, fighting the urge to snap it in two. I needed to get to Seattle and a broken steering wheel would not help that situation.

Time seemed to pass in a blur as I focussed solely on the road ahead. Luckily Alice had left all the coordinates in the rental's GPS system so I soon found myself traveling through the gates of the newest Cullen property. I pulled up to the house and exited the car, unsurprised to find a welcoming committee at the door.

"Well, if it isn't my long-lost brother." Emmett leaned against the door frame, watching my every move as I climbed the stairs to face him. "How've ya been?"

Football stats and scores raced through his mind as he studied me carefully.

"Em, I have no quarrel with you – just get out of my way so I don't have to do something I will regret." I heard a snarl from behind me and turned to face Rose. "This doesn't concern either one of you!"

"What do you mean it doesn't concern us?" Rosalie questioned as she pushed her manicured nail into my chest. "Every single thing you have done since SHE came into your life has concerned us!"

"Back off, Rose…"

"Or what, Edward?? What are you going to do? It's done! Get over it already!" She moved to stand with Emmett, the two of them blocking my way inside. "You should be grateful that Carlisle had the balls to do what you couldn't!"

Sensing that Rose had said too much, Emmett placed one hand out as if to hold me back from striking her. "Ed, man, you gotta chill out. This isn't going to do any good here. Rose is right in saying that you can't change what's happened and now you and Bella can be together, right?"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way," I ground out through my clenched teeth. If they wanted a fight, then so be it. The door opened behind them and my mind went blank as I pushed past them and threw Carlisle against the wall. "MURDERER!" I shrieked as Emmett and Rosalie grabbed my arms to restrain me. Plaster and wood fell to the floor as Carlisle slowly picked himself up and dusted himself off.

"Let him go." Carlisle spoke calmly as he moved towards me, his eyes glimmering with the hurt that the one single word had caused. I felt my siblings' hold on me lessen and I shrugged them off, knowing that any quick move on my part would bring on another tackle.

"How could you do it, Carlisle?" I spat out. "How could you betray me this way?"

"Betray you?!" Carlisle's voice rose and his approach on me quickened aggressively. "Edward, you have betrayed Bella and this entire family! How dare you come here, questioning my actions when we have not heard from you in months! Do you have any idea what you have put this girl through?"

I fell back against the wall as Carlisle hurled thought after thought at me. Memories of finding Bella, broken in the hospital, her slow recovery with he and Esme at her side, the details of the nightmares that Bella had shared with him, and the devastation of having to tell her about Charlie and Victoria.

"Don't talk to me about betrayal, Edward. Not unless you want to talk about it on a two-way street."

"I know I made mistakes, Carlisle. But you have damned her. I thought you were the one person who understood my stand on this, yet you are the one who has taken her life." I slid to the floor, my hands resting against my knees. No matter how this continued, I knew violence was not the answer. As angry as I was at my "father" for what had transpired, the one hit to him had caused me more anguish than I wanted him to know. I knew that I had not hurt him physically – he most likely could snap me in two if he wanted, but I had done more damage to our relationship with that single hit and word than ever before.

"Do you not think I have guilt, Edward? I know what I did. I took a life, a healthy one, and that is something that I will have to live with for the rest of my existence!" Carlisle moved towards the door and stared out into the oncoming twilight. "But what kind of life did she have? She fell in love with you and then lost you. She suffered, Edward, even more than I showed you. I don't know what you said to her when she left, but you broke her spirit. And then, just when things seemed to be improving – Victoria returned and she lost Charlie." He turned to face me. "I did the only thing I could to make her pain lessen, Edward. No father wants to see a child in pain and you are not the only one in this family that lost her when you forced us into exile."

I glanced around the room to find us alone. Rosalie and Emmett had disappeared from sight the moment they realized we weren't going to tear each other apart. The silence was deafening as I let his words sink in. I knew that leaving Bella had been difficult on everyone but had no idea that their feelings for her had run so deep. I leaned my head back against the wall and sighed. "I just didn't want this life for her."

"I understand that. I really do. But as Bella so eloquently pointed out to me just before I started her change, it really wasn't your choice to make."

I stared at him in silence.

"And Edward, if I had it to do over again and she had realized that before we left, I most likely would have changed her then if it would have meant that we would not have fallen apart." He moved towards me and slid down against the wall so we were side by side. "I have missed you."

Unable to look him in the eye, I stared at the floor, studying the pattern of the marble tile. The swirls seemed to move as if in a dance and I sat entranced for a few moments as I gathered my thoughts. "I never meant to hurt her. I lied to her that day, Carlisle. I told her that I didn't want her to come with me. That I didn't love her." I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, the pattern of the marble still moving in my mind. "I am not sure she will ever forgive me."

"Surely you must understand how Bella interpreted what you told her, Edward. She thinks that you considered her beneath you, unworthy of your love. It broke her in the worst possible way – yet she still loves you." He sighed and stood, moving again towards the door to look out into the night. "When we told her about Charlie, her first thoughts, after processing what had happened, were of you and whether or not you were safe from Victoria. Her devotion to you is unwavering, even when it most likely shouldn't be."

"I know I don't deserve her, Carlisle. But I can't live without her."

"And now you won't have to. I can't promise that the road will be easy, Edward, but I do believe that you will be able to win her trust back. I just hope that you have learned to cherish it after these past months."

"Can I see her?"

"I am not sure that would be the best thing – not yet. She actually hasn't awakened yet, although we are expecting that to happen shortly. Esme is with her – she hasn't left her side since I bit her. I think it would be best if you made yourself scarce for the next few days." He saw me move to argue and raised his hand to stop me. "I know you want to make things right, Edward, but we have no idea how she will be as a newborn. Give Esme and me some time to adjust Bella to her new life. You have been gone for months; surely you can wait another day or two."

The thought of spending another moment away from her was heartbreaking, but I knew he was right. I still could not condone the choice he and Bella had made, but I knew that it would not keep me from her. I nodded slowly and stood. "I will be close, Carlisle, if you do need me." I moved towards the door and felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned back to face him, unsure of what to expect.

"I know you are angry with what has happened, but I hope you will, in time, come to understand why I did it and will be able to forgive me. But I need you to know how much you mean to this family and how much we missed having you with us."

I never expected to hear these words after I had acted so horribly only a short while before, but his words warmed my entire being. Without hesitation, I moved into his open arms and returned his embrace, grateful to know that I was still welcome.

"Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go back upstairs and check on Bella. I know the next few days will be difficult, but I promise we'll take care of her and you will see her soon."

I watched as he disappeared through a door on the second floor and then moved to head outside, only to find Emmett once again waiting at the doorway.

"Rose said to tell ya that she'll fix Alice's rental, but that you owe her, big time. She's talking jewels, man, so you better be ready to pay up." He snickered as I shook my head in defeat. "C'mon, I'll give ya a lift to the nearest hotel and you can fill me in on how we missed ya in Rio."

I followed him out, my mind already counting the moments until my return.


End of Chapter - reviews would also make great Christmas presents!!!!