Chapter Nineteen

Peter

Once he'd drained the deer The Major looked over at me,

"You took your time"

"Hey, if you'd have told me I'd be playing hide and go seek I'd have been quicker. What the fuck happened? You still look like shit by the way"

"Thanks Peter. I feel like it too. How long have I been out of it?"

"About two years although parts of you have made a break out"

"What?"

"Well perhaps you'd like to explain Grace to me"

"Grace? Didn't I dream that?"

"Ah, no. Grace exists. She's at our place with her mother Bella"

"Grace is Bella daughter? What happened? Did Edward run away? Too scared by the idea of being a father. What a thought, Edward a daddy."

"I don't think you quite understand Major, Edward left after your party. Bella hasn't seen him since"

"So are we talking immaculate conception or does Grace have a human father? Why is she with you? How do you know her?"

"Whoa, one question at a time."

I told him the story from the beginning, Alice's calls, meeting Bella, the baby, Alice's story and with each revelation he looked more shocked.

Jasper

This story was more fantastic than any dreams I'd had, Alice had set Bella and Peter on my trail and told the story of Bella's baby being mine. I couldn't work out her angle and she was wrong anyway.

"Alice said it was Carlisle?"

"Yeah, so did Bella, at least I think that's what she said. So much has happened, let me go back over it."

I watched as he replayed the calls in his head,

"Now I think about it she said she thought Carlisle was involved, but Bella was being drugged by him. I saw the prescription."

I needed to think about this, my memory didn't fit with what Peter had said, was I at fault?

"You want to ring the girls?"

"No, not yet. I wouldn't know what to say."

"How about hello baby"

"To who?"

"Either, both, who gives a shit. She's your daughter."

"So Alice says and you don't usually believe anything she says. Have you seen this child?"

"Well no but Char has and she's convinced."

"Well I'm not. Its crazy. I never even kissed Bella, let alone slept with her. She's as crazy as Alice."

Peter

I thought he might react like this after all he'd been through but I knew as soon as he saw the kid he'd know if it was his.

"Well I'd better ring them, I said I would"

He got up and went slowly to the door

"I'm going to shower and dress, get the rest of this shit off me"

"You gonna talk to the girls?"

"No"

I rang and Bella answered as if she'd been sitting waiting,

"Peter. How's Jasper?"

"Better for feeding"

"Is he there? Can I speak to him?"

"Ah, he's gone hunting."

"You just said he's better for having fed. Is he there?"

"He's busy, in the shower Bella, very tired and confused"

"He doesn't believe us does he? About Grace?"

"Well its a shock after what he's been through but I'm sure he'll get his head round it eventually."

"I get it Peter. Thanks."

She handed the phone to Char who proceeded to rip me a new one!

"Where's The Major? Bella's been a nervous wreck waiting to speak to him, get him on the phone now Peter, I'm not asking you I'm telling you, he's not the only one who found all this a surprise."

"Hey I tried. He wont talk to her, what am I supposed to do?"

"Its his daughter, tell him to get the hell out here now the coward. I don't care if he's been on Mars for the past two years, someone got enough out of him to produce a baby, perhaps he'd like to explain that."

Bella

I was afraid this would happen, we didn't belong in this world, in his world, but neither did Grace belong in my world, she would be a freak to be prodded and poked. I couldn't keep her but I couldn't let her go, what was I going to do? As I thought about this my cell phone went and I looked at the number expecting it to be Charlie with yet another threat that if I didn't come home or ring him he'd set the FBI after me. It was all bluster but he was worried about me. If he knew the fix I was in he'd be even more worried. It wasn't his number though so thinking it might be Alice I answered going outside so I didn't have to listen to Charlotte and Peter arguing about Jasper and Grace.

"Bella?"

"Rosalie? How did you find my number?"

"It wasn't easy. Are you OK? Alice rang, said you might need some help, something about a baby"

"I don't know what to do Rose."

I started to cry, hearing a friendly voice and knowing Rosalie might be able to help me. She loved babies and maybe she could find Grace and I somewhere safe to go, away from the father who didn't want to know about her. I explained the situation with Peter and Charlotte and she sounded pleased she wouldn't have to take them both on to get me away. She sounded rather shocked to hear about Jasper, I think she was amazed that Carlisle would do such a thing to her "brother" and wanted to know where he was but I couldn't tell her, I didn't know.

"Bella I've been looking for you, I'll come get you, don't worry. We'll work things out"

Rose was the answer to my prayer.

With relief I told her where I was and she promised to be with me soon and asked if it was possible for me to get out of the house undetected.. I went back in to hear Char still talking to Peter, insisting on talking to Jasper who wouldn't speak even to her. I went upstairs and packed my things and Grace's then wrapping her in a blanket I went down the back stairs and left the house. A walk would clear my head and I'd see Rose that much sooner, as long a Char didn't notice me missing. She'd probably think I was in the bedroom with Grace at least for a short while and she was totally caught up in her furious row with Peter at the moment.

Peter

I'd had enough of being shouted at by Charlotte so I threw the phone in the shower,

"Its your mess Major you take the flak. I'm sick of getting my ear chewed off"

He caught the phone without thinking and I heard Char,

"If you disconnect me Major I'll come there and rip your head off, now you listen to me. You aren't the only one who's been through shit. Bella's suffered too, that baby is yours, she even looks like you and she's an empath."

"What?"

"Yeah, she does the same tricks as you, makes her mum feel better when she's depressed and she picked you out of a photo, how do you explain that?"

"How old is it?"

"It's Grace, that's her name. She's six months old but she's grown really quickly."

"You sure she isn't Edwards?"

"Don't you dare try that one. God, Carlisle knew what he was doing didn't he"

"Carlisle?"

"Yes, the great Dr Cullen."

"Carlisle is mixed up in this?"

"Of course, isn't he?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Who put you in that tank if not him?"

"Rosalie"

"Who? Rosalie's a Hale not a Cullen"

"She was thinking about changing back to Cullen, she's used it before. She's a doctor too by the way. I think you've been blaming the wrong person."

It clicked, the two rooms, two name plates, Dr Cullen, shit!

"Bella thinks its Carlisle too, her doctor said it was a relative of Carlisle and she took it for granted it was him just in another guise."

"Get her on the line."

"About fucking time!"

He glared at me still naked and dripping wet but worried now too.