Alice and Jasper Whitlock, Edward and Bella Cullen

Three months after their return from Australia.

"I'll miss you," Bella whispered into Edward's shirt front as she gripped the lapels harder.

After placing a soft kiss on the top of her head Edward dipped down so that he could whisper into her ear. "I'll be back before you know it, love," he told her softly, his hands making lazy patterns over her back. "I'll call the instant the plane lands and if you want to talk you only have to dial. I'll answer, night or day, I promise."

All Bella could do was nod. They'd never spent a night apart since the one before their wedding and now that their separation was looming Bella was overwhelmed. Her tears came thick and fast after he kissed her once more on the top of her head and then put his finger to her chin to bring her eyes to his. His softly whispered 'I love you' was echoed on a choked sob and then Jasper was reminding them both that it was time to go.

Alice cradled her baby belly with one hand and wound the other over his sisters shoulder as they stood at the windows and watched their husbands plane fly away from them. "Four weeks will go so fast," she whispered and hoped her sister believed the bullshit she was selling. Four weeks was a fucking age and she knew it.

"Yeah," Bella sniffed, wondering if Alice really believed that a whole month was going to fly by without them. By the look on her face Bella thought not but appreciated that her sister was trying to help her make the best of a really shitty situation. "Come on you," Bella huffed, ready to leave the airport now the boys were gone. "Let's stop at Epic Burger on the way back," she suggested with a grin. Alice couldn't resist a burger and her chuckle of agreement proved it as they strode through the terminal a little less fraught than they'd been on the way in.

Half an hour later they sat opposite one another in a booth towards the back of the little eatery. Alice always went for the epic grilled cheese but Bella went for the smaller classic burger but both girls always, always shared a massive peanut butter milkshake on the side. This visit might be in the name of comfort but their tradition stood strong.

"I'm so glad I'm craving burgers and not something gross like pickles or squid," Alice giggled between bites.

"Or marshmallows dipped in chutney or something," Bella laughed, agreeing. "Burgers seem much more normal."

Screwing her eyes up at the thought Alice gave her belly a fond pat. "Nothing else is normal except you little one," she said softly.

Bella could only nod at that. Nothing else was normal.

The first few days after arriving home from her honeymoon had been incredibly busy for Bella. In fact they'd been incredibly busy for everyone in the Whitlock household.

Unpacking had seemed a chore but that turned out to be the easiest of the tasks the little group had their first days back on American soil. So much had changed since their departure!

After Edward told his mother about the plan to buy and renovate the warehouse, then set it up as a music school, the next task the group undertook was to convince Esme to stay on with them at the Whitlock house.

Both Alice and Jasper made the offer prior to the wedding, again during their holiday and again on the flight home. Edward was incredibly humbled and grateful that the couple would open their home to his mother and told them he'd do his best to convince her to stay.

Nobody wanted her to leave, especially the girls who after learning of Alice' pregnancy were in need of a motherly figure to help them both come to terms with the idea of an infant to care for. Esme was flattered they wanted her help and advice considering the mess she'd made of raising her own baby but that was quickly waved away by everyone in the house.

In the end Esme insisted on seeing at least her first assignment as a charity organiser through and after the gala had been held they'd sit down and talk about where they all went from there. She wanted to be able to pay her way but when Edward informed her that he and Bella had been refused when they offered to pay their way she relaxed, just a little.

Edward was relieved she was staying and the others were pleased for him.

Next Edward had needed to be convinced that his dream was doable. Alice needed to be convinced that moving to Australia with a newborn baby was possible. Bella was nervous about studying in a foreign country, that it would be too different from going to college in the States.

Jasper didn't need convincing of anything, it was just his job to convince everyone else. Or so it felt.

He'd been the first to see the potential of the idea and the first to get his head around the logistics of it all. It was Jasper who'd shown Edward the potential of the warehouse and had drawn the imagery that had planted the seed of the dream in the guy's head. Bella had been easier to convince about the music school because she'd been able to see the desire on her husband's face when he told her about it that night in the pub with Emmett.

Convincing Alice that they could make a life for themselves, and whoever their baby turned out to be, in Australia had been the most difficult part of the whole trip. The night before they were to travel home Jasper had spent hours lying in the bed at the little rented house on the mountain painting a picture for his wife.

Jasper wanted a quieter life than the one they'd had in the States. He'd loved his job at the big law firm but the idea of a small practise appealed to him much more than he'd ever admitted out loud before. A tiny office – possibly on the mountain too – with a few commercial clients and maybe one or two private ones sounded like heaven for him after the pressure and intricacies of his previous job. Alice, having no idea that he thought that way, listened enraptured to the way he spoke about going into private practise.

Raising their child in the quiet, country-like feel of the mountain made sense to Jasper. Though Crossroads had been in its infancy when he'd been a guest Jasper had made friends there that had seen him through his whole adult life and he wanted the chance to be closer to those friends if he could. That his wife had found a friend in Rosalie, a little less so in Emmett but the potential was there, made Jasper happy too.

When he began to talk about raising their child almost alone, without her parents, sister or Edward near Alice choked on a sob. It was dirty pool, Jaz knew that, but Alice was already worried about becoming a first time mother without her sister being close so that sealed the deal in the end.

Not a word about the Whitlock's joining the Cullen's in Australia had been said while the group concentrated on Edward and Bella's decision, but as soon as it was mentioned the dam broke.

The flight home had been filled with ideas and a good amount of laughter and happiness. Bella had secretly been worried and nervous about her sister having a baby without her around. Not because she doubted Alice could do it, Bella knew better than anyone that Alice could do anything she set her mind to, but Bella knew that she'd regret not being close when the time came to watch her niece or nephew being born. Thinking about him or her growing up and having to rely on Skype and email made Bella shake with heartbreak.

Hearing her sister talk about how wonderful it was going to be for the four of them to live in Australia on the flight home had eased Bella's heart and put the smile back on her face. She'd been smiling ever since.

Relaying all the news to Esme upon their arrival home had been daunting but wonderful. Bella worried about moving so far away so soon after Edward and Esme's reunion but she needn't have.

Everyone had been thinking that the move was going to happen quickly. It wasn't. The process was a legal minefield.

The very first enquiry into how to go about applying to migrate left them all feeling worried and nervous and not a little disappointed. None of them had had any idea just how difficult it was going to be.

It would take months, if not years if they couldn't find some kind of criteria that fit their needs, to get to the point where the four of them – and Esme too if she could be convinced to go as well – could up sticks and move to the Southern Hemisphere. Jasper was good at his job but not even he could speed up the process.

As for Esme she'd been shocked to hear of the 'plan' but not unhappy about it. She was overjoyed that her son and his wife knew what they wanted and weren't afraid to try to make it happen. She wasn't sold on the idea of going too, but not wholly unconvinced that a new start might be good for her.

Her application for divorce had been submitted and she'd heard not a single word from Carlisle. Edward begged her to be cautious and to promise to tell him right away if his father showed his face or threatened her in any way. But two weeks after the submission was made there hadn't been a peep out of him and she relaxed just a little.

She admitted to being relieved when Jasper announced his tentative timeline to make it all happen. She was going to have months, possibly a whole year, to spend with her new family. The others, though, weren't so amused.

Migrating to Australia wasn't going to be easy. None of the four who were applying were Australian citizens, none had ever served in their military and none had an existing relative who lived there. Visas for residency on those grounds weren't going to be an option.

Jasper had met with a migration specialist and had been told that his best, personal option was going to be to apply to the Australian Government as a Skilled Applicant. Meaning, as a lawyer with specialisations in several fields within the general law branches he could apply directly to the government for consideration. The migration specialist was hopeful.

If he was selected, and offered a place, he could take Alice and their child along easily. Well, more easily than if they applied separately anyway. It was still a lengthy process with no guarantee of success. And if Jasper was accepted, and Alice and the baby did go, only after one of the three of them had become a citizen could Edward and Bella apply to go too. The timeline for that was so far in the future that it made Edward feel ill and Bella cry.

That plan was tucked away mentally and labelled Plan Z.

The specialist showed Jasper the options open for Edward and Bella and whilst none of those were guaranteed to be successful either they seemed to stand a better chance of being granted residency than he or Alice did. Despite neither of them being skilled in anything they were going to use whilst living in Australia. Edward's business degrees were impressive and they would go a long way to helping the process along but they weren't something he was planning to utilise once he'd been granted a visa, so their validity was arguable. At least that's how it seemed after just the one brief meeting with the specialist.

The news wasn't all bad though. Bella could apply for a student visa and she would be granted it easily because she'd be a self funded student. Meaning she'd be paying her own way through school and wouldn't be applying for any government assistance in Australia to complete her studies. Rose could sponsor her application as her potential or eventual employer too, which would also help. However, Bella's visa acceptance wouldn't guarantee Edward's. It was tricky.

There was one other way that could be tried. It wasn't any more or less problematic than any of the other avenues but it was one that would ensure that the whole group could travel together, live permanently and would also insure that Esme could follow later, if she decided she wanted to.

The program was called the Business Innovation and Investment Scheme and Jasper's migration specialist agreed that it was their best bet. Basically the Australian Government would offer an invitation for residency to anyone who would inject capital, in the form of investment and employment opportunities, should anyone from another country wish to move or set up a business there.

This too was a lengthy process and not an easy one, but the two couples also believed it was their best shot to get what they wanted. It meant doing things in reverse, however.

Both couples had envisioned finding houses first, possibly setting up Jasper's business first as Edward's music school was going to take so long to get up and running. Certainly they had all thought that the baby would be born in its new home country. Now they all knew that wasn't likely to happen.

Edward needed a business plan, models and projections and a mountain of substantiative documentation to prove his claim that he would and could set up a business on the mountain that would generate both income and employment for the state of Victoria.

That meant hours and days of planning. Luckily Edward had those business degrees after all. He never thought he'd be pleased to have them but he was. For the very first time since beginning his education his father's insistence in the field was paying off.

He and Jasper spent hours locked away in the study preparing the documents the migration specialist would need for the application.

Alice and Jasper, as a way to expedite the visa process, had pooled their resources with the Cullen couple and had formed a conglomerate of sorts. The more investment capital they could prove they had on paper would help the application process. With Jasper as a 'director' of Edward's new business he too would be applying for the necessary visas to get him and his family to Australia with Edward and Bella.

Within a month of returning home they had a solid plan and a good start on all the paperwork.

They also had a time frame to work inside of. The specialist told them not to expect a decision to be made quickly and at first that had been disappointing to them all but after a few days the shock wore off and the reality of that settled in. It wasn't so bad.

Alice could relax and enjoy her pregnancy in her home without the worry and stress that such a big move would bring. It also meant that more time could be spent with Esme, who everyone in the Whitlock house had come to adore. The baby could be born in the States giving it American citizenship which would be a boon should Alice or Jasper ever want to bring him or her back for a visit for any reason.

The first major problem with the plan made itself known six weeks after returning home.

The application for the business visa required very specific details of where and how the business was to be conducted. The site needed to be secured, or at least be on its way to being secured or held, in order for the application to be submitted.

A feasibility study had to be conducted on the site and the surrounding area from which Edward would draw his clients. Expressions of interest needed to be posted to make the other businesses on the mountain aware of his plans and they had to be given suitable time to lodge objections.

A town meeting needed to be conducted so that an assessor could make detailed notes about the community's reaction to the new business.

Edward, Jasper and the specialist agreed that those things were better completed in person. After all, if someone had plans to move a new business into their town they'd want to meet them before anything was said or done. It only made sense.

And so, three months after arriving home, and just two days after the successful gala, the boys found themselves kissing their wives goodbye at the departure gate once again.

The four weeks sped by for Edward and Jasper.

Staying with Rose and Emmett had helped.

Edward had put a down payment on the warehouse, pending his visa applications approval, and Jasper had called for tenders for local tradesmen to give quotes for the necessary remodelling that would need to be done as soon as they got the go ahead.

There had never been any interest shown in the warehouse site or the building itself so the current owner was just happy to now have the possibility of seeing something of a return on his outlay. That it was dependant on visas didn't concern him, he was just pleased that he might finally be able to offload the space after two years of it sitting idle.

The two men met with surveyors and an environmental impact group and set them to work on the studies that the government was going to need to see finished before the visa hearings began.

They also met with Australian business experts who helped them work through the mountain of information about owning and running a business in a Commonwealth country. Jasper had his work cut out for him learning about new tax laws and permits and Edward had a briefcase filled to overflowing with procedure and projection information that would all need to be gone over before he even owned the warehouse.

Only one objection to their proposal was lodged with the local council when the notices went up about the music school in the warehouse and that was submitted by the lady who owned a pet store four doors down. Upgrading the electrical and plumbing on the building meant tearing up the pavement and approximately twenty-four hours without power for everyone on their side of the street. The proposal was to do this from the close of business Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, giving then another twelve hours or so overnight if the whole process ran long. For most of the businesses that wouldn't be a problem. The supermarket had its own backup generator, as did the pharmacy and the butchers. But for the pet store owner it meant that fish tank filters and warming lights for reptiles would be switched off. They had no backup arrangements; they usually relied on any outage being brief. A simple solution was for Edward and Jasper to pay for generators and the matter was quickly settled after that. The objection was withdrawn and all parties went away from the meeting satisfied.

After two weeks of meetings with officials from the local government the two boys got to do something a little more fun and a whole lot more stressful. They spent four whole days meeting and talking with every single business owner on the mountain. Even ones that weren't directly in the main street where the warehouse was.

They were greeted warmly by those who already knew them. Well, those who knew Edward anyway. Jasper's stay at Crossroads had been so long ago that anyone who had owned a business back then had since moved on. But all in all they got a good reception.

Some people thought they were nuts but didn't object to them trying to make a go of it. Others thought it was a good idea but in the wrong location. A few thought it was great because they had children who already wanted to sign up and some thought the two 'yanks' had more money than brains. But nobody really objected to them trying it.

In the third week of their stay a community meeting was held at the pub. All the business owners they'd talked to came as did a few from further afield who either had businesses that were likely to be impacted or were just curious.

Tentative plans were laid out on huge sheets of draftsman's paper on long tables by the front door so that everyone who came along could see what Edward's idea entailed. Rose and Emmett came too and actually sat with Edward and Jasper in the very front row at the meeting. Pete was in the row behind and had a grin on his face a mile wide throughout the whole thing.

All in all the meeting went well and the official sent by the government to take notes went away smiling with a folder filled with good comments on the little white cards that had been handed out at the beginning of the meeting.

The fourth week of their trip was filled with more meetings with local officials and the immigration office in the city. So many forms were filled out in those days both boys were worried about getting a wrist strain injury by the time it was all done.

The application for the visa, and Edward and Jasper's application for consideration for the Investment and Innovation Scheme, were handed in by two very nervous men at the end of their last meeting. With that done it was back to the mountain for dinner and drinks with their hosts who were just as nervous as the two boys were.

Everything hinged on that application and they all knew it.

The nervous tension on the mountain was broken the night before Edward and Jasper were due to fly home again. Rose, who if asked would say the decision was made against her better judgement, had agreed to let Emmett's fireworks team put on a display to see off a huge group of corporate guests who were also leaving the mountain the next day.

She needn't have worried. Emmett loved his new job, and his crew, and the display went off with a bang, but not a hitch.

After an agonisingly long flight Edward and Jasper emerged from customs tired, cranky and not nearly convinced that they'd done enough ground work to appease the Immigration Gods. Two very nervous but very excited wives met them at the arrivals gate a few days later.

Six months after their arrival back from Australia (and two months since the boys returned from their 'mission')

Esme handed her very pale son another cup of horrible hospital coffee before taking her seat next to him in the dingy waiting area. "Any news?" she asked, cringing at the feel of the hard plastic chair biting into her butt as she sat.

"Not a word," Edward croaked before taking a gulp of the sludge in his cup. "What could be taking so long?"

Esme grinned around her own cup. "Babies work to nobody's timetable, darling," she laughed. "You took eighteen hours to come and that was after the four hours I'd been having contractions at home and didn't realise."

"Twenty-four hours," Edward huffed. "Christ."

"It's all worth it, I promise," Esme told her shaking son.

"It had better be," Edward huffed again.

The whole process of this pregnancy had seemed alien to Edward. Living in the same house as a pregnant lady had been weird but not altogether unpleasant. He'd enjoyed watching her belly grow. He'd enjoyed watching his wife's reaction to first kicks and he'd loved every single progress picture his brother and sister in law had brought home from their doctors appointments. He'd stared at them for hours. It was fascinating to watch the progression from tiny nondescript 'lump' to tiny human being.

He'd enjoyed the planning in the months that had led up to this day too. It had been fun to referee arguments about names and to have someone to side with when the girls got their backs up about something or other baby related. And they nearly always did. He and Jasper had been chased from the house on numerous occasions for daring to have an opinion on something to do with the baby that went against what the girls – his own mother included – deemed 'a brilliant idea'.

He'd been fascinated to watch Alice' moods change as her body had and he'd even found a little humour in watching his brother in law try to navigate those moods. Nothing was too much trouble as far as Jasper seemed to be concerned. If Alice wanted ice cream at four in the morning Jasper got it for her. If she wanted her feet rubbed with watermelon scented lotion Jasper rubbed them. He fetched and carried, ran errands and still managed to have a smile on his face at the end of every day.

Edward also watched the changes in the house with interest. There were many shopping expeditions and his mother proved to be a font of knowledge for all things baby so all the boys had to do was pay for it all and be there to unpack and unload whenever the three women would return from yet another excursion to the mall. Nursery furniture was duly delivered and assembled. A mountain of tiny clothing and all manner of linens were paraded in front of him on a daily basis, and Edward oohed and aahed along with Jasper as was expected. It wasn't too difficult; a lot of what came into the house was bloody adorable anyway!

With no progress to speak of in the visa application he'd found himself painting pale yellow daisies from a stencil onto walls in the nursery one day and assembling a crib the next.

Everything, all of their plans and expectations, had seemed as though they were all way ahead in the future and that he was sitting idle just waiting for them to happen. So he filled his days preparing to be the best uncle he could. He listened when the girls explained how things needed to be done and at night he read books about parenting and how to take care of a baby. It was fascinating and gave Bella endless things to tease him about.

The whole process had been a delight from his point of view.

But now, now that Alice was in labour, things had seemed to happen so quickly. Too quickly He didn't feel ready to be an uncle even though he'd had the better part of a year to get used to the idea and was armed with the best knowledge the bookstore could provide. He didn't feel ready to leave America even though every plan he had put him on a path to do just that.

Bella was ready though. He knew that. She was unable to make any solid plans for her own future until they got an answer on the visa situation, so she'd been in limbo too. But she'd never once whined about that. Nor had she dwelled on the parts of the plans she had no control over. She had done everything asked of her even though nothing she'd been tasked with went anywhere near to helping her achieve her own goals, only his. And she did it all with a smile on her beautiful face.

She'd neither obsessed nor seemed to worry; she'd simply gotten with the program and helped her sister prepare for motherhood.

And she seemed to do that easily too. She'd shopped and fussed, been stern when needed and indulgent when Alice was having a tough time. She'd rubbed swollen ankles too and prepared some bizarre meals along the way, still with that smile on her face.

Even now that her sister was very likely in some considerable pain Bella would be right beside her, hand in hers, with that smile on her face and encouragement and support dripping from her lips. It's who and what she was and Edward loved her for it.

"I need more coffee," he told his mother. Raking a hand through his already dishevelled hair he stood ready to make the long trek from the maternity ward down to the cafeteria but as he went to move down the corridor Jasper burst out through the waiting room doors.

He seemed to just stop mid stride, so Edward thought, and as he looked his brother in law over he worried for just a heart beat that something had gone wrong. But then a grin so wide it threatened to tear open the guys mouth formed and Edward blew out the breath he'd been holding.

"It's a girl!" Jasper crowed as Edward began his walk back into the waiting area properly.

"Congratulations!" Edward cried as he reached for his best friends hand and shook it firmly. Tugging the guy into a hug, with many a back slap and choked chuckles, Edward did his best to hide his stray tear.

Esme, beaming too, folded Jasper into a tight hug and gave him hearty congratulations as well. She did nothing to hide her emotions, however. "And Alice, how's she doing?" she asked.

Edward kicked himself for not asking himself.

"She's great," Jasper beamed proudly. "Exhausted but she's doing great."

"Does she have a name yet?" Esme asked, making Edward cringe for not asking that either.

Jaspers smile was brilliant. "Yeah," he whispered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alicia Marie," he said quietly.

"Bella's middle name," Edward mumbled to himself as he stuck out his hand again.

Jasper clutched at it purposefully. "Bella's middle name," he agreed with a grin. "They're just cleaning her up and then you can both come on back," he said as he took out his cell phone and handed it to Edward. "Will you call my folks and let them know that she's been born? Tell them they're welcome to come see her right away here, or, if they want they can come to the house in a few days. Leave it up to them, yeah?" he asked hesitantly.

Edward didn't know much about Jasper's family because the guy hardly ever mentioned them, but it was obvious from the way he'd posed the question that he wasn't expecting them to come running.

"What about Renee and Charlie?" Edward asked carefully.

Jasper bit his bottom lip for half a second and then smiled hopefully. "After what the girls did at your wedding I don't think they're going to care, but you can try."

"I'll call them," Esme offered and Jasper gratefully accepted the offer.

Taking the phone Edward agreed to make the call to Jaspers parents and told the guy to get his ass back to his wife and daughter.

"I have a daughter," Jasper mumbled, shaking his head as though he could hardly believe it was true.

Once he'd gone back into the delivery room Edward nodded towards the phone to let his mother know he was going to make the call and then he settled back in to do as he'd been asked. The call was brief. Jasper's mother answered and after Edward had relayed the message she asked him to let the happy couple know that they'd call in a few days and make arrangements to meet their granddaughter after that.

Disconnecting the call Edward could only stare at the screen. "They're not coming right over," he told a concerned looking Esme.

She patted his hand and smiled softly. "Families can be strange," she said. "But they can also be wonderful, darling. You're his family too now and you're here. That's what counts."

"I hope so, mom," Edward replied sadly.

"My turn," Esme sighed, taking the cell phone from Edward's had.

The call was swift. Renee accepted the call because it was Esme but as soon as the news was delivered the call disconnected.

"I guess that's that then," Edward sighed, shaking his head.

"They've been informed. Now it's up to them," Esme told him with a firm nod of her head as she handed the phone back.

Neither of them particularly wanted anything to do with the Swans and both were secretly pleased at the likelihood that the baby's grandparents would be staying away.

Meeting Alicia Marie Whitlock was a wonderful thing for Edward. She had Alice' jet black hair but her father's ice blue eyes. She was also the tiniest little thing Edward had ever laid eyes on.

He balked when she was placed, by her beaming father, into his arms for the first time but the instant the little girl looked up at him he was lost. He was her uncle and the second her eyes locked with his he knew he'd do everything he could to be the very best uncle he could be for her.

"She's beautiful," Edward told her parents sincerely. "So perfect," he whispered to her alone.

Bella kissed the top of his head as she came to stand beside where he sat with his niece in his arms. Gazing down at her husband with a tiny baby in his arms Bella's belly did a little flip. Now certainly wasn't a good time to be thinking about babies of their own, but watching her husband fall in love with their niece made her ache for a time when everything would be settled enough for them to try.

Nine Months after arriving home from Australia

Esme Cullen became Esme Platt quietly. She sat in court with her son at her side and tried to listen intently to the advice her lawyer was giving her before the hearing was to begin.

Her hand trembled in Edward's. She hoped she looked more 'together' outwardly than she felt on the inside. She hadn't slept the night before. She'd tossed and turned, all manner of awful scenarios playing out in her mind about how the day would go.

Would Carlisle say hurtful things? Would he yell at her and stare her down in an attempt to intimidate her? Would he be awful to their son who had been nothing short of wonderful to her over the past months?

Almost worst was the thought that he'd do none of that.

If he simply sat and stared straight ahead and didn't seem to care one way or another that three decades together was coming to an end would it hurt her more than his anger would?

The process of unravelling her marriage had been a surprisingly easy process for Esme. Harvey had prepared her for a fight but no fight came. At least it hadn't in the months since she'd filed the submission anyway. Carlisle could still make things difficult at the hearing, but so far things had gone smoothly.

She had not heard her husband's voice once since the day she'd left him. He hadn't contacted her or attempted to see either her or their son in any manner.

Esme had wondered often in the past months if he even knew that his son was married now? Did he know that she'd been working? Did he know or care that she lived with a new family? Would he be interested to hear about baby Alicia or even about the planned move to Australia?

Watching him walk towards the table at the front of the courtroom Esme thought not. His back was ramrod straight. He looked exactly as he had the last time she'd seen him. His shoulders were squared and his gait showed no sign of faltering as he strode to his lawyers side and then took a seat beside him. They began whispering and Esme turned her eyes away.

Edward squeezed her hand and she smiled at him gratefully.

Twelve minutes into the hearing she saw a little of the Carlisle Cullen she knew so well when the judge asked her lawyer to provide the official reason for the application for divorce. When Harvey's booming voice rang out, telling everyone in the gallery that spousal abuse was the reason, Carlisle stood and slammed his hand down onto the table so loudly Esme jumped in her seat.

"That's a damn lie!" he'd shouted as his lawyer tugged on his sleeve and pled with him to be quiet and to sit back down.

The judge reminded Carlisle that such outbursts were not welcome in the courtroom and then he asked Harvey to provide him with any proof he could regarding the claim. Harvey, as he'd promised Esme prior, simply stood and asked to approach the judge's bench. Granted permission he took with him an envelope that contained the CCTV footage Esme had seen that day in his office. The judge asked Carlisle and his lawyer if they were aware of the contents of the envelope and when Carlisle's lawyer said that he was the judge excused himself to his chambers to watch the tape.

It was a nervous wait for those in the courtroom but the judge was swift. Not five minutes later he returned to his bench, began proceedings again and sternly told Carlisle that his outburst earlier seemed a little ridiculous in light of the footage he'd just seen.

Twenty minutes later Esme was standing in court confirming that she didn't want alimony. She confirmed that she wished to be disassociated with the family business and that she was aware that by doing so she relinquished any future claim to any income from the operation of the business. A single tear fell as she confirmed that she didn't wish to make any claim for any asset within the family home and that she was prepared to sign sole ownership of the property over to Carlisle immediately.

She listened carefully to the judge's advice that seeking no financial settlement might not be in her best interests but after Harvey confirmed that his client was aware of the ramifications of the decision the judge had to be satisfied that she knew what she was doing.

Her divorce was granted quickly after that. The judge determined that the marriage was henceforth ended and Esme walked out of court a free woman.

Edward swept his mother into the waiting car without looking back as his father emerged from the court himself. He had no desire to be in the man's presence and there was nothing that needed to be said, or heard, by either party. His mother was now divorced and that suited Edward just fine.

There was no celebration when the car arrived back at the house. A simple meal was had as usual and the early evening was spent marvelling at Alicia's beauty as she gurgled and played on a baby blanket in the living room.

Apart from a brief moment of self indulgence, and a few tears in the powder room downstairs, Esme held herself together and did her best to look forward to her new future.

Returning to the living room Esme asked the question everyone had been hoping she'd ask now that her divorce was final.

"Is the offer to join you all in Australia still open?"

Ten Months after arriving home from Australia

The thick white envelope bearing the seal of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia had arrived with the day's post and Esme, Bella and Alice had stared at it for twenty minutes before deciding to leave it on the kitchen counter unopened until the boys returned from that days mission.

The three women did their best to keep themselves busy, and their minds off the contents of that envelope, as they went about their day.

The boys had an early meeting with a stateside consultant from the engineering firm they'd decided to use in Australia to discuss the drawings the draftsman had just delivered the day before.

Everything was still tentative though. Without the green light on a visa no forward progress could be made and everyone involved was getting impatient.

The arrival of the envelope would either make or break them and the girls knew it. Alicia included. She'd been restless and fussy since the mail had been delivered, picking up on the tension her mother and aunt did badly trying to hide. Even Esme couldn't soothe her, the baby must have known that all three women were on tenterhooks.

"Where are they?" Bella hissed for the fourth time in as many minutes as she took yet another look at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. "How long does it freakin take to ask a guy about where to install some toilets?" she asked nobody in particular as she poured herself another cup of coffee from the pot.

Shifting Alicia to her other arm Alice agreed with a huff. "I know, right? It's been five hours."

Bella decided enough was enough and called Edward's cell. It went to voicemail. Holding the phone up for Alice to hear the recorded message she quickly ended the call and slid the handset across the counter in disgust. Alice handed the baby to her sister and called her husband's cell only to get voicemail too.

"I say we open it," Alice hissed as she too shoved the handset across the counter with a huff.

"You can't," Esme chided with a grin as she came into the kitchen. "It's not addressed to either of you personally," she chuckled, pointing her finger first at Bella and then at Alice. "They'll be home soon enough and you'll be put out of your misery. Give the baby to me and go and sit outside while the suns still out."

Alice transferred a wriggling Alicia to Esme and cocked her brow at Bella. "You coming?" she asked.

Bella sighed heavily and followed her sister outside to the terrace. It was rare that either girl had their hands free these days. Alicia occupied one or both of them almost constantly, and so Bella tapped Edward's lighter on the table monotonously.

"You can have one, you know," Alice giggled, nodding towards the crumpled pack of cigarettes on the table.

Neither Edward nor Bella smoked when the baby was present and Bella rarely had one without Edward present, if at all. Edward, since the visa application had been submitted, smoked more and more as his nervousness grew. Now, though, Bella took one gratefully. She lit it and sat back to enjoy it.

"It's a pretty thick envelope," Alice mused.

"Yeah," was all Bella could add. Thick wasn't necessarily a good thing. It could be full of paperwork telling them why their application had been rejected just as easily as it could've been stuffed full of official forms telling them it was.

"When college acceptances come the envelopes are thick," her sister chimed in, startling Bella because she'd been thinking exactly the same thing.

"Mine was," Bella chuckled, thinking back to the horror on her mother's face when that letter had arrived saying she had a place at university.

"If that's a letter issuing visas for us all you'll be applying to schools," Alice mumbled.

"Right away, yeah," Bella agreed. Leaning forward she held her cigarette off to one side and stared at her sister. "Are you scared?" she asked.

But Alice was already shaking her head. "Nope," she said easily. "Not one bit. The decision was a hard one to make but now that it's made I'm not afraid. I'm excited. And we'll all be together so it'll be an adventure for us all."

"And if that envelope isn't a visa?" Bella asked from a thickened throat.

"Then the boys will find another way," Alice said firmly. "Nothing worth having is ever easy."

"Don't I know it," Bella muttered just as the house phone rang.

Both girls were on their feet instantly but Esme, still in the kitchen, got to it first.

"Hello darling," she said into the handset as the other two women skidded into the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt at the counter. "It's Edward," Esme mouthed to them before returning to her call. "I'll let them know," Esme said. "There's a letter here from Australian Immigration for you boys and the girls are going crazy waiting for you to get here, so hurry," she chuckled.

The call ended quickly then, the boys were just as eager to read what the letter had to say as the girls were, so when Esme announced they were only a few minutes away Alice and Bella started clapping and hopping from foot to foot in anticipation.

It might have only been four minutes from the end of the call until the sound of tyres crunching on the gravel drive could be heard, announcing the boys return, but it felt like hours to the women.

Hurried kisses hello were made and then both boys were dragged to the kitchen by their wives, the offending envelope lying there staring up at the five of them ominously.

Edward, too nervous and shaky to do the honours handed it to Jasper. As nervous as his brother in law he did his best to rip it open quickly. He tipped its contents out and then took up the accompanying letter.

"Come on, come on," Alice begged, clutching his arm.

"Give me a second," Jasper chuckled, reading. "Jesus Christ," he muttered as he read it.

"Oh god, it's bad," Edward sighed, his hand already raking through his hair as despair settled in his gut.

"It's really not that bad," Jasper said quietly, still reading. He turned the page over and finished the last paragraph and then handed it to Edward who immediately began reading it himself. "Well, ladies..." Jasper began but was cut off by Edward.

"Holy shit," he shouted as he came to the end of the first paragraph. "We've been issued visas, all of us, but there's a catch," he told the frantic women.

"The visas are the main thing though, right?" Bella asked hopefully, going to her husband's side.

Edward slid a hand around her waist and pulled her to his side. He kissed her just once at the temple and then winked at Jasper.

"That's true, Izzy, the visas are the main thing," Jasper agreed and then grinned. "There's a stipulation on them though. We have three months to get the business up and running or the whole things kaput."

"Holy shit," Esme gasped, instantly covering her mouth with her hand at the curse that would never normally slip past her lips. "Three months?" she asked a still grinning Jasper.

"Yep," Jasper chuckled. "Three months and there has to be a music school with pupils enrolled on that mountain. You up for the challenge, Ed?" he asked, clapping his brother in law on the back.

Edward, still reading and still stunned at the speed with which the whole process was going to have to come together now could only nod. Bella squeezed him tight and read the letter along with him as best she could with his hand trembling as it was.

Alice was staring at Jasper, her mouth agape. Esme was clutching the kitchen counter for support.

"Ed?" Jasper asked again.

"What? Sorry," Edward muttered as he handed the letter to his wife.

"You up for the challenge or what?" Jasper asked, smirking.

Edward raked a hand through his hair once again and then drew in a steadying breath. "I'll call the agent and close the deal on the warehouse," he said pointedly to Jasper. "You call the contractors and tell them work starts today, or tomorrow, or whenever the hell the times right for a normal workday to begin in Australia."

"I guess that's a yes," Jasper chuckled. "Looks like I've got a few calls to make, darlin," he told his wife who had begun to smile. "Can you three girls get cracking on the travel arrangements?"

"Consider it done," Esme said before either of the sisters could agree.

"Looks like we're moving to Australia!" Bella whooped before she was pulled up against her husband's and chest and kissed thoroughly.

A/N: Thank you for reading.

Another piece of this epilogue is being worked on, and then there is one about the 'bad guys'...

Please review.