A/N: This chapter contains direct quotes from New Moon.

Carlisle's POV

"There, Alayna. Now doesn't that feel better?"

My five-year-old patient sniffled and nodded as I helped her hop down from the exam table. I turned toward her mother and gave her a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine. You can take her to the pediatrician in a few days to get the stitches removed."

Mrs. Jamison's heart fluttered when she saw my smile. "Thank you, Dr. Cullen," she said shyly. I patted Alayna on the head and turned back to my chart, writing at human speed until they left the room. I raced through the rest of the documentation and walked out, setting the chart on the nurse's station.

"Acute abdominal pain in room three," one of the nurses mumbled without looking up, and I picked up the appropriate chart, heading back down the hall as I read. Just before I reached the room, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Jasper.

No indications of danger from Charlie tonight. Edward already told Bella about the vote, and she intends to decline as long as he opposes. Picking up new levels of unworthiness from her now. Returning home.

I frowned as I read. I hadn't expected Edward to volunteer any of this to Bella, and I certainly hadn't expected her to refuse my offer. I had been weighing the possibility of making such an offer for several weeks now, and the injuries that Bella had sustained last week had given me a new sense of urgency. I had been planning for the last three days about how I should approach Bella, how I could get her alone. But I couldn't think about it with Edward around, and I was hesitant to interfere. But when Esme had suggested the vote yesterday, it had confirmed my determination: Bella needed to be changed.

Ever since that horrible business with James, I had been plagued by guilt. If I hadn't suggested that Edward remove the venom from Bella's system, he wouldn't have thought of it on his own; I was certain of that. Bella would have begun her transformation, and although we would have had to move, she would be safe now. Edward would be safe now.

I wasn't a fool. I knew exactly what he intended to do when Bella's life ended. I knew because it was the same thing that I would do if I were to lose Esme. And this was why Bella had to be changed- to save my son. I loved Bella for herself, and our family would never be complete again if she were to be parted from us. I wanted her as a daughter. But I was doing this for Edward- not only for his life, but for his happiness.

Bella's love had altered my first son in so many ways. It was as if he had come to life- really come to life for the first time. It wasn't that he hadn't found joy before; he had his music, his studies, our family. But he had always been incomplete until now. Bella had called to parts of his soul that the rest of us had never been able to reach, and the result had been miraculous. He was so much happier, and felt so much more purpose in his life. It was a pleasure, and a relief, to watch him grow and blossom as their love grew and blossomed.

But their love had also brought him immeasurable pain. First, he had been consumed by thirst and fear when he almost took her life in the beginning. His fear had only grown as he realized what was happening in his heart, and as he tried to walk an impossible line between loving her and leaving her alone. When all his dreams came true, and he found that she returned his love, his fear disappeared, only to be replaced by a strange combination of hope and grim acceptance. I knew that his greatest, most impossible hope was that Bella would continue loving him for the rest of her mortal life- he had confided in me regarding this. But every time I asked him how he intended to survive her, he always looked away- far away- and said he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

No, I wasn't a fool. This had to be done.

Jasper had been discreetly keeping me informed regarding Edward's emotional developments in recent months. I think he enjoyed it – it was a chance for him to do a little undercover surveillance, and the challenge of keeping Edward unaware of it was the sort of adventure he thrived on. He usually texted me while I was at work, like he had tonight.

How is Edward doing now? I typed in response.

He's mad at you, feels betrayed. Same tragic love, guilt, etc. aiming toward Bella. Nothing new THERE.

I snapped the phone shut as I entered the exam room, smiling at the woman writing in pain on the bed. The smell of bacteria was heavy in the air, and I immediately suspected Stage III diverticulitis. I would have to deal with my son later.

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When my shift was over, I drove home more slowly than usual, giving myself time to think. I could see where Edward's sense of betrayal was coming from, of course. I had been careful to avoid thinking about my plan around him, and I had been equally careful not to place my vote yesterday while Edward was still in range- I had known it would anger him, and I didn't want to upset Bella.

She was upset now, of course. How had Edward managed to make her feel even worse about herself? And how had he managed to extract her promise that she would refuse my offer? I shouldn't have waited this long. If I had gotten to her first, I might have had more success. But Edward had a steel grip on her heart – just as she had on his- and he had somehow manipulated her into feeling unworthy of immortality, or of him, or whatever it was. I hoped that it hadn't been intentional, but I was still angry at him for hurting her.

Yes, I was angry. I was angry at myself for not letting Bella begin her transformation when it should have happened. But at the moment, I was mostly angry with my son. Why did he have to keep hurting her like this? I loved Bella as my own child, and Edward's stubborn determination for this to end tragically was trying my patience.

I took a deep breath and quieted the monstrous rage threatening to rise in my throat. I would be patient with him- I must always be patient with him. I would have to be patient forever. Although Bella had changed Edward's heart, he was, at his core, still the same seventeen-year-old I had found back in 1918. It wasn't that Edward hadn't grown in the decades since then, but that growth had been painstakingly slow. Most of his development had been due to the additions to our family – each person had taught him something new, and it had been a pleasure seeing my children bring out the best in each other. But despite that slow growth, and despite the changes that Bella had wrought in his heart, Edward was still seventeen. He was still impulsive. He was still arrogant. And he still had a maddening tendency to organize the world around him into absolutes.

Edward would always be trapped in late adolescence in terms of his emotional development, as well. He had been a sensitive, responsible young man when I had frozen him at seventeen, and the change had only intensified these features. His new level of sensitivity had given him an enormous emotional spectrum, and his sense of responsibility had morphed into a crushing obsession with duty and atonement. And his ability to read minds only made the these traits more burdensome. He had fallen into the cycle of introspection and depression more than once, and it was always a balancing act when I had to step in and snap him out of it. He was seventeen, after all – a man, in many ways. And I was only twenty-three.

Our bond had never been easy to define. I was his creator, and he was bound to me by venom. I would never have forced him to remain with me, but he had returned my love almost immediately, and had been happy to stay. We fell naturally into a father/son relationship, and, except for his rebellious period so many years ago, he had always understood his need for my occasional guidance. Edward's talent made him one of the most powerful vampires in the world; my ability to manage him, and to keep his loyalty, was undoubtedly the greatest achievement of my life.

But parenting him- that had been an entirely different challenge. The usual goal of parenting a seventeen-year-old is to prepare him for adult life, to gradually release him into independence. But Edward was poised forever on the edge of manhood, and he would never be able to achieve true emotional or social maturity. It wasn't that he wasn't able to leave our family, to be independent if he wanted to. But he had tried that once, and it had been disastrous. Besides, he loved every member of our family deeply, and no longer had any desire to be parted from any of us.

It was rare that situations like this came up, where Edward and I truly clashed, or where I felt that I needed to intervene or exert my authority. When they did come up, I always felt inadequate for the task, and he was well aware of that fact. Yet he had always chosen to submit to my leadership- so far.

I didn't relish the thought of meddling in his relationship with Bella, but this was getting out of hand. If I had wavered before about making my offer, I wasn't wavering now. The burns that Bella had received, and the ensuing danger that it had placed my family in, had opened my eyes. Emmett liked to joke about how Bella was a magnet for trouble, but he was absolutely correct. Bella had a frightening tendency toward injury and dangerous situations. We had only known her for less than six months, and in that time, she had been almost killed by Edward himself, almost killed in a car accident, trapped by a vicious gang in Port Angeles, severely injured- and bitten!- by a murderous vampire, and, just last week, the trouble with the burns. And now we learned that she was living right in the middle of a deadly feud between us and our mortal enemies! It was almost laughable to presume that she could have a long, healthy life ahead of her; Edward's plan of keeping her alive for the next seventy years simply wasn't going to work. Something was bound to happen eventually – something that he couldn't save her from.

I pulled over to the side of the road, stopping just before the gas station on the right. The gas station was just over three miles away from our home, and the edge of Edward's range- when he was listening for me. I didn't even know if he was home now, but if he was, he was probably still upset and waiting to talk to me. What was I going to say to him? That he was being a fool? That I loved him, and I wanted him to be happy? That I was his creator, and that I make the rules?

But how much did my opinion even matter? I knew I could never bring myself to change Bella against her will. But if she was truly determined to wait for Edward to change her, she was going to be waiting for a long time. Would she change her mind? Perhaps if I explained my offer without Edward present…

I felt the anger begin to rise again. This was ridiculous! Why should I need to go behind my son's back to convince his mate to save his life? Maybe if I put it that way to her, I'd get some results. Yes, that might have to be a last resort. It would be cruel, and it would break Edward's trust in me even further, but if it saved his life, it would be worth it. Of course, he would never forgive me, and he and Bella would leave us.

I slammed my hand into the steering wheel, denting the plastic. I sighed and carefully began to bend it back into shape, quieting the monster as I worked. If Edward was angry- truly furious, as he could be sometimes- then it was even more important that I stay calm.

I really had no way of knowing what was waiting for me at home. And I couldn't text Jasper to ask, because I couldn't risk Edward being there to overhear Jasper's thoughts; it would only make this worse.

I decided it would be best to approach Edward this time from a position of authority. I didn't want him to mistake my resolve in this matter, and if I approached him too passively, he would turn it into a debate. Yes, that was best. But I would wait to see what mood he was in. Depending on that, I would decide whether to speak to him with firmness or gentleness. If he was on one of his guilt trips, I would need to handle things a bit more delicately.

I started the car again and pulled back out onto the road. As I passed the gas station, I began focusing on the cases I had seen in the hospital today, along with my first-ever attempt to translate A Tale of Two Cities into Chinese.

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The house seemed quiet when I drove up. I heard a video game running, and chatter coming from both the living room and the attic. I smiled to myself- at least the front door was still intact. This week.

As I walked up to the porch, I heard Edward's voice coming from the living room. "I'm not angry at you, Esme," he said, and he sounded calm.

Perhaps I had been too hasty. Perhaps Edward was ready to discuss this rationally. But as I opened the front door, I found myself ten inches from Edward's face, and he was furious. He had saved it for me, then.

His fists were clenched at his sides, and his face was trembling as he tried to control the accusations that were no doubt on the tip of his tongue. I frowned back at him in challenge, and opened my mouth to speak, to demand he come outside to speak with me.

He beat me to it, though. "Carlisle," he finally ground out through his teeth, "I'd like to speak to you… alone."

The room grew suddenly silent, and over Edward's shoulder, I saw everyone staring at me. Jasper scowled at his brother's back in frustration. He didn't appear to be doing anything to help, though. No doubt he had had enough of Edward's theatrics for one day.

"So would I, Edward," I answered sternly, and confusion flew across his features for the briefest second. He hadn't expected me to be angry, as well. Good. "Come on," I ordered, and I turned, walked back out the door and broke into a run, resuming my mental translation project.

I didn't wait to see if he was following. I ran at my top speed for two miles, stopping just before he caught me. I climbed up into the top branches of a giant fir. Forcing him to follow me, and to come up to meet me, would annoy him. But these little demonstrations of my authority usually helped to calm him down. I hoped they would work today; I didn't think I had ever seen him this angry at me before.

As soon as I settled on the tree branch, Edward appeared on the ground below, scowling up at me. But my plan had worked, and by the time he sat on the branch opposite me, he was still angry but no longer trembling. I let him collect his thoughts for a moment before I spoke.

"I see Jasper has informed you of my vote, and of the offer I intend to make."

He pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head as he looked away from me. "How could you, Carlisle?" he finally murmured. "This was a private matter between Bella and me. How could you support this absurd business about voting on her mortality?"

"Listen to me, Edward," I said firmly. "This ceased to be a private matter the day you brought Bella home to meet us. She is a member of this family, human or not. I love her- we all do."

"I'm not questioning your love for Bella," he growled. "Though I'm beginning to question your love for me. How could you vote against your own son?"

This was too much, even for him. I had to put him on the defensive. "I didn't vote against you, I voted for her. The fact that you are opposing her is your own affair. The real mystery to me is that you even put us in the position where we had to overrule you! I don't understand it!"

"Don't understand?" he asked incredulously. "You of all people should understand! You know how I feel about Bella being turned, how I feel about destroying her soul-"

I sighed in exasperation. Not this again. Edward was the only vampire I had ever met who believed – or even cared- that our kind was incapable of keeping our souls intact. We had been through this debate a thousand times, and I still couldn't understand his logic. "Regardless of that particular belief, Edward," I said, "the bottom line is that Bella wants to be with you forever, and you're refusing her. Why, it's practically a death sentence! I didn't know that you were capable of such cruelty!"

He sucked in a breath, clenching his teeth. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," he murmured dangerously.

"You don't seem to realize what a gift Bella is trying to give you," I said softly. "I have created four vampires, Edward, and none of you had a choice. She wants this."

"You're proving my point, you know. Just look at Rosalie!"

I ground my teeth, struggling against my own anger now. Edward knew how much I regretted changing Rosalie, and he was trying to twist my argument against me. "Again, I'm trying to demonstrate the difference in those two situations," I said patiently. "Bella knows what she is getting into."

"She thinks she does," he corrected.

I looked at him thoughtfully. "Ah… I think I understand now. This isn't just about Bella's soul, is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. You're afraid that Bella will regret it later, that she'll resent you for taking her life away… aren't you?"

He just looked away angrily- I had my answer.

"That's ridiculous, Edward. Have you so little regard for the strength of her love?"

"None of this matters, you know," he muttered. "She won't do it."

"I disagree, son. She'll change her mind."

"No, she won't." He looked just a bit uncertain, and I jumped on it.

"She will when she realizes what's at stake," I said slowly.

His eyes snapped back to mine. "What are you talking about?"

"Edward," I said coldly, "I'm not an idiot. I know that you have no intention of surviving your mate."

His eyes darkened and he began trembling again. "You wouldn't," he whispered.

"I'd rather you not put me in that situation," I said carefully. "But you've chosen not to live without her, and that doesn't leave me a choice." Don't misunderstand me, Edward. I don't want to interfere at all. But this path that you're bent on… it's not going to happen. I won't allow it.

He just stared at me for a moment. Then he lashed out, slamming his fist through the trunk of the tree, a few inches from my face. I watched the treetop as it tumbled slowly through the fingers of the neighboring trees, settling quietly on the forest floor.

He knotted both of his hands in his hair, leaning his face into his wrists as he struggled to compose himself. "She knows about that, as well," he mumbled.

"You told her?"

"It was last night," he sighed, letting go of his hair. "She was wondering why I wouldn't change her, how I could so easily let her die and move on after her death. I didn't mean to tell her… it just slipped out. I just couldn't let her think for another second that she meant so little to me."

"And she still didn't change her mind?"

"That was when we got to the soul bit."

I turned away and leaned back into the trunk that Edward had pulverized. I was surprised – and impressed- that Edward had been so honest with Bella. He had given her a lot to think about, though he hadn't intended to. It might be best to give her some time to sort through everything. I would wait until the end of the summer before speaking with her about it.

Edward sighed in relief when he heard my thought. I turned back toward him and waited until he was looking into my eyes. "Edward, she will be eighteen by then. She will legally be in a position to disappear if she wants to. We could set things up so she could survive- it would be just as if she left home."

He stiffened. "Jasper said you would wait until graduation."

"Not to make the offer. And that was before I knew how much you had told her. Edward, I know this is difficult for you, but you must understand. Your plan to keep her human simply isn't viable. The risk to her aside, just look at the danger our family has been placed in this week. This isn't about just you."

"Yes, I regret that any of you had to be involved," he said quietly.

"We don't regret it, son. All of us – Rosalie included- are gratified to see you so happy. You had been alone for far too long. You, of all people, deserve happiness. Can't you see we are only trying to help you?

"Yes, I see that," he admitted in a far-off voice.

"Edward, when I changed Esme… well, you were there. There was no time to think. I was losing her so quickly, and all I could see was the impossibility of living without her. It wasn't even a choice- do you remember?"

He nodded.

"Now, did I or didn't I destroy her soul that day? What do you think?"

He looked up at me warily. This was the point in the debate he always shied away from- when I challenged him to accuse me of the very thing he was refusing to do. Even in the rare times that we were angry at one another, Edward found himself unable to speak against me, especially on this matter. He was just too good.

He smiled sadly. "No, that's you," he said slowly. "I think on the day you changed Esme, you were so blinded by love and urgency that you didn't give it a thought."

"So, what you're saying is that I didn't steal her soul?"

"Not intentionally…."

"And yours?"

He frowned. "I thought we were talking about Bella."

"We are. The problem here is that you've had too much time to think about it. If you found her dying somewhere- let's say it was tomorrow- what would you do?"

"That's not going to happen," he said quickly.

I crossed my arms. "Let's say it did happen. Can you honestly tell me that you would sit there and watch her die? As she begged you, with her dying breath, to save her? Could you really stop yourself from keeping her, just on the off chance that you were possibly right about her soul?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know."

"That's all I'm asking, son. I'm asking you to consider that you might be wrong, and that Bella may not have as much time as you think."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I sighed, finally placing my hand on his shoulder. "I'm not threatening you, Edward. I'm just asking you to accept the fact that you can't protect her from everything. None of us are going to change Bella against her will. But once she is eighteen, I am going to make the offer, and I am going to make sure she understands everything involved. And if you still aren't able to support me, I'm going to ask that you not be present when I speak to her." I don't want it to be this way. I don't want to interfere- I want this to be your decision. But if you can't make that decision by the end of the summer, then I'm going to have to make it for you.

He was silent for several minutes after that. I desperately wished to borrow his gift, just so I could see what he was analyzing now.

"Right and wrong, actually," he mused.

"You don't have the monopoly on morality, son."

"I know."

He suddenly dropped down to the ground, and began walking slowly back to the house. I dropped down as well, walking several paces behind him. I watched him as he walked, the rising sun glistened off the back of his arms as he held them stiffly at his side- he was still thinking.

I would do anything to take his burden away. Edward was my first child, but the last to find love. I just wanted him to be able to gracefully accept the gift that Bella was aching to give him- and then they could be truly happy forever, like Esme and I were. I wanted that for him.

Edward hadn't been able to choose the immortality that I had given to him, and I knew that at times he was truly sorry that I had done it- though he could never bring himself to accuse me. But I had never been sorry. I wasn't sorry because Edward was wrong about our souls. I had always known he was wrong. I only had to look at the strength, goodness in him, the light that shone out of him to know that he was wrong. One such as Edward couldn't exist without a soul. And now, now that love had burst open his cold heart, I was even more sure. He wouldn't be capable of the mind-shattering love that he felt for Bella, if he were truly an empty shell. He wouldn't be capable of all these doubts, and he wouldn't be so obsessed with doing the right thing. He wouldn't be so concerned for Bella's soul if he didn't have one himself.

If nothing else, I was glad I had brought him to this decade, to this town- so that he could love her. Even with all the complications that his love had brought- it was still worth everything.

He slowed to a stop and turned his head back halfway, nodding slightly. Then he began walking again, swinging his arms freely in the glow of the sun.