Carlisle

Carmen had called me and told me about a small chat she had with Violetta. It made me even more worried now, knowing she was worse than we had thought. Esme had helped me forget about it for Saturday night, but by Sunday morning I was worried sick again.

"Look, we'll leave now. We can get there earlier and you want." Rosalie said.

"No, you guys are having fun."

"We've had our fun." She said.

"You wanted to go to the Earthworks gallery today..." Esme said.

"I'll go another time."

"No, we can pack everything and go to the gallery now, and then go home from there." Emmett said.

"That works." Bella nodded.

We were sitting in the dining area downstairs in the hotel. We had been asked multiple times if we wanted anything, and Emmett gave in and ordered something. He was picking at it and leaving bits in napkins.

"Are you enjoying that?" Alice asked him.

"We've got to keep up the charade."

"You know, not all humans eat breakfast."

"No I did not know that."

"I never used to." Bella said with a smirk.

"It's bacon. It can't be that bad right? It's animal."

"Flesh, not blood. But try it, I dare you." Jasper smirked.

Emmett smiled, "Challenge accepted."

"Oh no…" Esme whispered quietly to herself.

Emmett took a bite and chewed once before he gagged and spat it back out. "Definitely not the same as blood."

I laughed, "I used to have to eat human food all the time."

"I am so sorry." Emmett said as he moved the plate away from him.

I smiled.

"Okay, let's go pack and go to the gallery then." Alice stood up and we all followed her out.

I picked up Esme's bags as she walked back in from the bathroom, double checking that she had all of her stuff. There must have been worry on my face, because her eyes filled with concern. "Carlisle, she'll be fine. She's with Mason right now, and Carmen and Eleazar will be keeping a very close eye on her until we get back. Don't worry yourself."

"Esme, that's going to be our responsibility when we return. Imagine what you went through as a human. That's what she is going through right now, just under different circumstances."

"Maybe this time I'll understand what it did to the ones around me." She said quietly.

I stared at her for a second before she stepped forwards and kissed me once, "Don't think about it right now. Enjoy your time with me and the others. You can worry again when we drive home."

I nodded and kissed her back before walking out of the room. She followed behind me and stopped at Rosalie's door as they exited.

'Just give me the damn bag Emmett!"

"Fine! Take it!"

"Thank you." I heard the smile in her voice as she talked to Esme when they walked behind me.

We stopped and waited outside of Bella and Edward, and Alice and Jasper's rooms.

Their doors were open and I watched as Bella laughed at Edward as he tried to close her bag.

"That goes in the other bag!"

"Why the hell do you need so many bags!?" He laughed.

"If you let me do it, we could be outside right now."

"You do it then." He stepped back and watched as Bella took one thing out and moved it to the other bag, closing both with ease.

"You're a wizard, Bella."

She laughed and picked her bags up. "Harry Potter? Really?"

"What if wizards were real too? Not just us?" He asked as they walked out to us.

"Oh my god that would be so cool!" Emmett said.

"Grow up." Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Guys, come on." Esme said as she stood in the door way of Alice and Jasper's room.

"He's freaking out." Alice said.

"I am not freaking out!" Jasper called out from the bathroom.

Esme walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Great." Rosalie said.

"He's just as worried about Vi as Carlisle is. Carlisle is just better at hiding it."

"I'm struggling." I said quietly.

They talked as Esme and Alice tried to calm Jasper down. She was telling him the same thing she told me, and eventually the door opened again.

They walked out and Esme returned to my side, "Let's go."

"Finally." Rosalie said.

"Shut up." Jasper snapped. "You could have gone without me."

"Emmett didn't want to." She claimed.

"No, you didn't want to." I corrected as we walked down the hall.

"Huh! You're a liar." He laughed at her.

"I'm about to slap you so hard."

"And so we turn back into ourselves again." Bella rolled her eyes.

Edward and Emmett laughed.

We had spent a while at the gallery. Rosalie and Esme were fascinated by everything there, despite Esme already seeing most of it all in the past. I kept checking my phone every couple of minutes. Jasper and I had trailed along behind everyone else with different things on our minds. I knew Esme was just as worried and stressed as I was, but she did well covering it all up.

I drove home faster than I had driven there. Esme had told me to slow down several times, and Alice looked really stressed in the back whenever I accidently sped up. Emmett was keeping up with me in his car behind us.

"Carlisle, you're going to hurt someone if you don't slow down!" Alice said.

"No I won't."

"Emmett will." Esme said, looking behind us.

"Maybe you should let Esme drive." Alice said.

"Esme is a terrible driver, and she doesn't exceed the speed limit by much." I said.

"Because I like to not kill other people! And not crash my own car!"

"Calm down, my reflexes are better than yours." I said as I went around a curve, not slowing down by much.

Esme phone rang and she put it on speaker, "I know Edward, we're being dangerous, but Carlisle won't slow down."

"Yeah, you're pushing it. Even Emmett thinks it's a bit much."

"Imagine having Renesmee in this position." I said.

"Yeah, I know, just try not to kill anyone? Please?"

"It's fine!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. See you later." Edward hung up the phone.

"Do you really want me to slow down?" I asked.

"No." Jasper said. It was the first time he had spoken since we got in the car. Every so often he would glance at Alice, but each time she explained that Mason must still be with her.

"That's good right? I mean, she won't do anything stupid when Mason is around." Esme said.

"He's got to go to the reservation some time. What if the Denali's are hunting? Renesmee still isn't going back."

"Breathe Carlisle. She promised she wasn't going anywhere. That she would be there when we returned."

"But in what state?" Jasper whispered.

We reached home at around 5 in the evening. Violetta was standing on the porch with Mason at her side when we pulled up to the house. I got out of the car and opened Esme's door.

"Go to her." Esme whispered as she moved to the back of the car.

I flashed up the staircase and hugged Violetta.

"Oh, hey dad…"

"You have no idea how worried I have been."

"I told you not to be."

"That was before Carmen called me." I said.

She hesitated, "I'm sorry."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"I was going to, I just didn't know how. I thought it was easier for me if Carmen told you, but I didn't consider you."

I looked up as Carmen and Eleazar walked out of the open door.

"Hello Carmen, Eleazar. Thank you for coming here early." I shook Eleazar's hand and kissed Carmen's cheek.

"It was no problem. You've got quite a problem between Ness and Vi though…" Carmen said.

I nodded.

"Is she still at the reservation?" Bella asked, still standing by Emmett's jeep.

Eleazar nodded. Violetta walked down the staircase and over to Esme.

Esme dropped her bag and hugged her. Esme kissed her forehead touched her cheek. "We were all terrified."

"I'm sorry. I was going to tell you some time." Violetta whispered.

"I know. It's hard." Esme smiled sympathetically and hugged her again. "Go to Jasper. He's worried sick."

I watched as Esme brought her bags up the staircase and greeted Eleazar, Carmen and Mason. When I turned back around, I saw Jasper hug Violetta.

"What are you thinking?" Esme asked me quietly.

"It's just...different. I've never really had a suicidal person to care for outside of the hospital who was actually able to end their own life. At least it was near impossible for you to do it."

"We'll get through it." Esme assured. "How did you get her to open up to you so easily?" She asked Carmen.

"I don't really know. I just talked to her and she said I was easy to trust, even easier than you. Then I told her you were probably less likely to tell Carlisle anything than I was. I did tell her that it was a lot better and easier to let people in, and that she needs to take the chance."

"She tells Jasper more than she tells me." Esme said.

"She'll come around." Carmen nodded with a smile.

"Wait, less likely to tell me?" I asked.

Carmen nodded again, "She didn't really want me to tell you anything that happened, but then I explained that it was important and that you needed to know, so she told me something she could never bring herself to tell you, knowing that I would."

"Why couldn't she tell me?"

"She doesn't want to disappoint you. She tried her hardest to please you, to keep you happy with having her around. I don't think she really knows how being a parent works. She never really had anyone around to love her unconditionally, and that's what she's trying to achieve. She doesn't know that it's already there." Mason said. "She's really trying to be happier around you all and think of the positives, but it's not really working for her right now."

"Ah, she told you at lunch." Carmen said.

He nodded, "Your doing, I assume. Thank you."

Carmen smiled, "No problem. I'm the child whisperer, apparently."

Esme laughed, "You're just a person whisperer I think."

"I take pride in my work. I think I did pretty well." She said as she watched Violetta hug Rosalie and Emmett spin her around.

"You did very well. She's not normally this affectionate." I said.

"She missed you all." Eleazar said.

"And she's been very stressed. I think she's happy you're all back to distract her." Mason said.

"Well, she'll be working with Kate tomorrow." I said.

"Can I test my shield with it?" Bella asked, "I'm curious as to how much it can protect me from."

"I don't know, Bella. It's pretty dangerous."

"I can take it."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You say that now…" Esme said quietly.