In the morning they headed to a nearby diner so Bella could get some breakfast while they discussed their next move. Bella ordered a stack of pancakes, coffee, toast and juice and attacked the plate ravenously when it arrived. The collected vampires chuckled at the enthusiasm with which she was practically inhaling the food.
Bella had been taken aback at first by the sight of Esme with bright red eyes. But she explained her choice to Bella quietly.
"I haven't made a single decision for myself since waking up to this life, and probably not many before that. I didn't choose this life or that lifestyle, they were chosen for me. And now seeing the kind of creatures they truly were I want to be nothing like them."
Bella could understand that way of thinking; she was having similar feelings about diet herself. Esme seemed happy and content with her decision but Bella was worried it was a knee jerk reaction and that Esme would come to regret it given time.
"Don't worry about me Bella. If I have made a mistake at least it is my mistake." Esme said kindly. "I am a big girl I can face the consequences of my actions.
The vampires discussed their various options regarding Edward. Alistair was convinced he was North West ish, he could feel a strong pull in that direction. Esme thought it was likely as Carlisle had friends in the north and if Edward might have run to them, she felt they would be unlikely to turn him away but that was always assuming he hadn't told them the truth about his visit. Felix had been in touch with Demetri but he had no idea where Edward was. He did report that Aro was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Carlisle and was planning to hold a formal trial. He and Caius would hold off with the invites until Edward had been captured as they didn't want him getting tipped off.
Having nothing more to go on they piled into the cars and set off north. After about an hour Garrett flashed his lights to indicate they should stop. Pulling over Felix got out and walked to their car with a huge smile on his face.
"Looks like you are going to need to go shopping Bella. It's cold where we are headed. We have just had a call from Caius, Eddie is scared and prepared to turn evidence on his family in exchange for Volturi protection against them and a mate he didn't know existed. Aro told him he would send some guards to collect him and bring him safely to Volterra where they can discuss things. It appears we are the only guard close so we get to collect him."
"Edward always told me Aro would do anything to have his gift, he probably thinks he can buy his protection by offering to work for Aro." Bella mused.
Alistair laughed a sinister laugh.
"That two faced little shit. He'll do anything to save his own skin. He probably thinks he'll get you thrown in hen." He kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry that won't happen. So where is he?"
"Looks like you are right about north. He's in Denali after all."
"Denali, so that's where he has run off to. I might have guessed." Alistair said in a scathing tone.
Felix just laughed.
"I vote we stop at the next place we find, get your girlie some food and maybe a warmer jacket, while I arrange a plane up there as soon as possible."
Alistair nodded his agreement and started the car up again.
"I don't understand why he would go to Denali if he is trying to contact Aro." Bella asked Alistair once they were moving again.
"Eleazar used to work for the Volturi So he can contact Aro on Edwards behalf. It is a safe place for him to hold up while he decides what to do." He answered. "Eleazar left because he wanted to follow Carlisle's diet. He is a good man but he tired of killing. He has always stayed close to Aro though. He has been keeping us informed on Carlisle's activities."
"The Volturi have had people spying on Carlisle!" Bella sounded incredulous. "Why would they do that?"
"Carlisle has been watched for years. It has been widely known he wants to rule himself. He's never been as subtle as he thought and he has never been able to gather the support he wanted. Truthfully, Carlisle is not as well respected throughout the vampire world as he likes to make out." Alistair looked at Bella with a soft smile. "Most people like him well enough but find him something of an oddity. His ideas on diet garner respect but his views on mating alienate people."
"You knew what he had done to Esme?" Bella was outraged. "You all knew and did nothing. That is appalling. How can the Volturi justify allowing that sort of thing to go on? How can you just calmly allow someone to be treated that way?"
Alistair had pulled over on the side of the road near some trees and a bench. They were not far from what looked to Bella to be a small mall. He turned to look at his furious mate. He glanced across at the other car which had pulled over as well. They had heard most of the conversation and Esme had clearly heard Bella's outraged accusations. She looked devastated and hurt.
"It is not my place to interfere in another coven." Alistair wasn't going to try to placate Bella. In his opinion he had done nothing wrong. "Besides that I only met the couple once over fifty years ago. I was not sure that Carlisle had tied Esme to him in such a way, I had no way of knowing. The Volturi do not wade in and interfere in the running of covens as long as they are not breaking the law. Whilst Carlisle's actions are distasteful they are not illegal. I realise that that is of no comfort to Esme but it is the truth."
Bella looked defiantly at him.
"Bullshit, distasteful my arse. You should have done something, he was abusing her, he would have abused me the same way. How can you just sit there and justify your inaction?"
"Esme never appeared to be unhappy or abused in any way, she didn't look ecstatic and Carlisle did appear overbearing but that was his nature. Just because she was quiet and shy is no excuse to accuse her 'mate' of abuse."
"But he wasn't her mate." Bella insisted.
"We didn't know that." Alistair yelled at her.
"You may not have but they did, they practically admitted it." She yelled back pointing toward Marcus and Felix. "If they have had people watching him all this time then they knew, they knew and stood aside doing nothing. Were they hoping someone would come along and take care of him for them, or that Jasper would lose his temper one day and wipe them all out." She was disgusted.
Alistair growled furiously.
Bella sat quietly looking at her hands. She and Alistair rarely argued, as a rule he was fairly laid back and calm about things, hardly ever raising his voice. She wasn't afraid of him, just unsure what to say next. Everything he said made sense and in a rational mind was perfectly correct. But Bella was filled with righteous indignation for what had happened to Esme and what could have happened to her. The thought of what Carlisle and Edward had planned for her made her blood run cold.
"Iseabail hen. What happened to Esme, what might have happened to you is horrible but you would have survived. You would have been content mostly, it wouldn't have been horrible at the time, just looking back when the 'thrall' I suppose, was broken. Esme is unharmed and can recover, she can have a long and happy life with her mate now. That is one of the perks of living forever, you have time to build your happily ever after and if I know Felix, Esme's will be very happy."
"It just seems so wrong, that you all knew and sat back and did nothing." She got out of the car and turned her back on him walking across the grass to a bench seat.
Alistair moved to follow her but Esme stopped him.
"Bella darling, thank you for defending me. It means a great deal that you are outraged on my behalf but I want you to be honest with me. When you were dating Edward and in love, did I appear anything other than content and happy?"
Bella looked at Esme with tears in her eyes.
"No, you seemed fine, you laughed and smiled but you were always in the background. I thought you were shy." She laughed wryly before continuing in an agitated tone. "But vampires are good actors. How was I to know the truth? How do I know all this isn't just an act now? That Alistair isn't trying to co-opt me into the Volturi? That they didn't get wind of my gift and decide they wanted me for themselves? Our whole relationship could be an elaborate hoax just like yours was. I mean let's face it, how would I know? He said he removed all the venom but I only have his word for it. What if he has lied the whole time? You could be lying to me right now. Both Alistair and Edward have both said how bored they get, how they need distractions. I might be nothing more than a distraction."
"Bella enough." Esme said firmly. "You are being ridiculous. Why on earth would you think that of Alistair? He is besotted, any fool can see that."
Glancing over to where the men were leaning against the cars. Bella could see the hurt on Alistair's face, the others looked embarrassed.
"Now I realise your human mind processes things differently but really? Why would you question everything now? It's just silly. And Alistair was right, I wasn't unhappy. Not at the time. Even if they had stepped in, only killing Carlisle would have made a difference. And what would they have used to justify that? He was kind to me. He loved me in his own way. I know he did." Esme sighed then smiled. "What's done is done. It's over now; I have the time to make a new life for myself. There is no point being resentful and angry, it'll get me nowhere and I don't want to live that way."
Bella looked up and met Alistair's eyes. She lost herself in them; they held all the truth she needed. Nothing in their relationship was fake.
"I am being silly aren't I." He nodded. "Oh god I am sorry. This has obviously been more stressful than I thought. Sorry Esme, sorry guys." They nodded and smiled. Alistair said something to Felix. Esme smiled and kissed Bella on the cheek before getting up and taking his hand. The four of them made their way into the mall. Bella was thoroughly embarrassed. She suddenly found the ground between her feet fascinating.
"I am sorry. I never really thought any of that. It's just.." Bella took a deep breath and looked up into the eyes of her mate who had materialized in front of her. "It's just I've always felt inferior. With Edward I always felt so insecure and it all just overwhelmed me again. I mean you're a vampire, gorgeous, perfect and all that. Why would you really want a human like me?"
"I honestly don't know hen." Alistair said. That made Bella gasp in shock. But then she remembered. He was nothing if not honest. "I didn't choose you. I wasn't looking for you. But I do know you are perfect for me, perfect in every way. And I never want to be apart from you. I love you so much Iseabail. Please believe me."
Looking into his eyes she couldn't not believe him. It was all there for her to see, his love, his fear that she wouldn't believe him and his hope for the future. She realised that she had to stop being an idiot. No one had certainties in relationships so why should she be different. You only ever had their word for things and it was enough. She trusted him, it had to be enough. Yes the last few days had been stressful but that was no excuse for behaving like a child. She was letting things go too far and was overreacting, that had to stop. Bella refused to be a baby and she refused to allow the Cullens to affect her again. Leaning toward him she kissed him slowly.
"I love you too Alistair. Sorry for being such an idiot."
He nodded and sat beside her.
"Well you were being a bit of a drama queen. What brought that on?
"I don't really know." She answered honestly. "Things just got to me, but I'm ok now."
"So what are you going to do about Edward?" Bella asked trying to distract herself from her previous embarrassment. "Are you going to kill him or take him back to Volterra?"
"I haven't decided hen." He answered carefully. "Do you think he was just doing as he was told? With his gift he would have known all Carlisle's plans, do you honestly think he wasn't in on it?"
Thinking back to her interactions with Edward before in Forks and more recently Bella couldn't say in all truthfulness that Edward wasn't in it up to his ears.
"No you are right, some things may have been at Carlisle's insistence, like attracting me for example but I think Edward has dreams of ruling too. He is too arrogant to ever accept he is destined for normal. I guess now he is destined to die." She paused for a second. "Will they all die?"
"I don't know. Edward, Alice and Jasper might be given the option to work for the Volturi. Their gifts would be handy, but could they be trusted? Rose and Emmett could be given that option as well. It all really depends on what Aro reads from them. Were they manipulated? I find it hard to believe Alice and Jasper were. Or were they in full agreement, that's more likely. Carlisle will die, that's the one thing I will insist upon." Alistair turned to look Bella in the eyes. "He has to die for what he wanted to do to you, for what he tried to do. Edward too if I get my way. But for Esme's sake as well. She will never truly be free until Carlisle is dead. I think she may want to light him up herself. She was very angry when she learned about his actions. Edward may not make it to Volterra if she loses her temper and I won't get in her way. Might hold him down for her though." He chuckled at that thought and wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulder.
The others returned at that moment, Esme was smiling broadly and holding Felix's hand. Garrett and Marcus were laughing at something too.
"Gotten over your little tantrum have you sweetheart?" Garrett asked plopping down next to her and slinging his arm around her shoulder knocking Alistair's off in the process. "I've been thinking about it and I think you might be right. This asrehole's only with you for what he can get. So why don't you and me run off together, we can find a nice little place somewhere and shack up for the next decade or so. Clothes will be optional of course."
Laughing Bella kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks for the offer, I'll think about it and get back to you in maybe a century or so. Might have got bored of Al by then."
'Al' growled at that.
"You know what Gar." He said pushing his arm away from Bella "That wee friend of hers would be perfect for you. Free spirit, cute, very opinionated, tattoo's piercings and drives me up the wall. Like I said perfect for you."
With that he whisked Bella onto his lap and gave her a loud, smacking kiss.
"But you keep your greasy, rebel paws off my mate." He punched Garrett on the shoulder, knocking him off the bench.
Laughing Garrett got up and dusted off his jeans.
"You were rebelling long before I was mate." He then picked Bella up off Alistair's lap and kissed her on the cheek before setting her down. "Your friend sounds like fun" he whispered in her ear before he was knocked to the ground again by Alistair. The two then engaged in a wrestling around on the floor, throwing jibes at each other while Marcus and Felix laughed loudly not bothering to break them up.
For Bella is was great to see her mate look so happy. Not that he hadn't been happy when just the two of them but she realised that these men were his family, they shared a deep bond. She and Esme were now a part of that family and the thought made Bella feel all warm and fuzzy.
"It is wonderful to see isn't it." Esme said as though reading Bella's mind. "I know the Cullens told me I was family but I feel it now, this is my family." She swept her arm out at the writhing pile of vampire limbs, Felix had clearly decided to join in while Marcus looked on in fatherly indulgence.
"No one will hurt you again Esme." Bella said, "They won't let them. Neither will I."
"No I think I am realising that" she answered slowly, then smiled warmly at Bella " and no one will hurt you again either."
Esme handed Bella a bag containing a box of pasta and a drink. And another containing a jacket.
"Felix has chartered a jet, It will be ready when we get there. We can fly up to Denali and then fly Edward back to Volterra." She said while leading Bella away from the flailing legs of the still struggling males. "At this point I am planning on letting him live but it very much depends on what he says to infuriate me when we get there."
"So he's going to die then." Bella deadpanned. "Because there is no chance the idiot won't say something wrong the moment he opens his mouth."
"Very true." Esme responded equally as straight faced.
"Tell you what." Bella suggested with a big grin. "You do the ripping and I'll do the lighting up. How does that sound?"
"Bella dear, that sounds like the most sensible thing I have heard you say today."