Chapter Thirty Eight

Bella

I was torn, a huge part of me wanted to tear Edward limb from limb for what he had done to Charlie but a small niggling voice at the back of my mind told me that the Guardian leader was right. I was a vampire now yes, but that didn't mean I had to become a killer, not of humans or other vampires. I had already punished Edward by taking away his gift but it didn't seem enough, it wasn't enough to satiate my thirst for revenge so what did I do now?

Jasper grabbed Edward and pulled him upright shaking as a terrier might a rat.

"You're lucky to be alive this far Edward. You make a single hostile move or try to escape and you are dead. Understand?"

He nodded looking imploringly at Carlisle and Esme but Carlisle shook his head while Esme turned her back on him.

"You can't kill me."

"Really? Why not?"

"You know the Volturi watch us, if you kill me they will retaliate, I'm valuable."

"Correction, were valuable, not any longer but you're probably right. Don't worry though., we'll think of something. Emmett, Rose, take Edward out of earshot while we decide what to do with him and if he tries to run, rip his legs off."

Jasper

Emmett took Edward by the arm and marched him off towards the tree line, far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear our discussion.

"I can't just let him walk away from this Jasper. He murdered Charlie and almost murdered me."

"I agree, so maybe we should hold a trial or at least a hearing, that way everyone can express their feelings openly. What do you think?"

Bella nodded, she was happy to be able to express her feelings and I hoped at the end she and the others might just be amenable to an idea I had.

Carlisle gestured over to Emmett and they marched a subdued but slightly more confident Edward back.

"Well? Finished your little Kangaroo court have you?"

"Actually it's just about to start Edward. We have decided that everyone should get the opportunity to tell you just what we think of the things you have done."

He scowled but said nothing as Bella stepped forward,

"You are the worst kind of scum, you tried to steal me away from Jasper and when that failed you tried to kill me. You murdered Charlie when he tried to save me and you tried to pin the blame on the wolves. Not only are you a cold-blooded killer of the innocent, you are a liar and you betrayed your own family. I'm glad I stripped your gift away and I hope it never returns."

He flinched but still said nothing, he knew how I felt so I stepped back to allow Carlisle to confront him.

"Edward, you have betrayed not only me and all I stand for, all I taught you to stand for, but the whole family and if Bella were to decide you should die I would back her whatever Johnny H said but I think that is too easy, there should be a way to make you suffer as you made Bella and her father suffer. I disown you."

This time there was no hiding the shock he felt and I understood that he had really believed Carlisle at least would find a way to forgive him.

Esme astounded us all by slapping him so hard that he almost lost his balance.

"That is for hurting Carlisle, how dare you disgrace us in such a way. How could you take human lives in such a selfish and arrogant way? I never want to see you again Edward."

Rosalie merely spat at his feet while Emmett spoke only very briefly,

"You aren't worth wasting breath on."

But as he turned his back on Edward he was joined by the rest, one by one, until I was the only one still facing him.

"You heard Carlisle and I know everyone else feels the same way, you should suffer long and hard for your crimes and I think I might know a way to accomplish just that."

The others turned back but no one looked at Edward who stood head down looking stunned.

Bella

We were all curious to hear Jasper's solution,

"What are you suggesting then son?"

Jasper frowned looking stressed before answering Carlisle.

"There is a way to keep him alive, out of Volturi hands and made to pay for his crimes but I'm not sure if I can swing it."

It was the first time I had heard Jasper sound nervous and that worried me. I grabbed his hand,

"How Jasper? Tell me."

He continued to look at Carlisle for a minute longer and I saw understanding dawn in the latter's face.

"Oh! But are you sure son? It means contacting her again and you spent decades trying to forget about her."

Her? I felt my hackles rise and Jasper turned to me as he felt my jealousy and anger.

"Whoa Bella, don't get angry or that gift of yours might kick in. There's nothing to worry about, I was just thinking that Maria might help us out."

Maria! His sire, the woman who had held him in thrall for so many years? The one he thought he was in love with? Over my dead body!

"No, you only just managed to escape her before, what's to say she won't try to get you back?"

He smiled at me and my anger evaporated,

"Bella, Maria knows me, she knows I would never go back to her and she had no one who could try to force me. Besides I hadn't planned on visiting, just a call."

"How do you know she'll even speak to you?"

"She's a woman, she won't be able to resist hearing what I have to say."

Edward crumpled when he understood just what was being suggested and I finally looked at his face again. It was stricken and he fell to his knees begging us not to do this to him but I just smiled.

Jasper

I wasn't exactly eager to speak to my sire but she was probably the only one who could keep Edward safely away from the Volturi and I knew from personal experience that she could make his life a living hell if she chose to. Besides, the thought of passing on a new "pet" to torment would be more than she could bear. Edward had no gift any longer but he was strong and intelligent and Maria valued brains. Give him a century or two to lose his attitude and, if he survived, he might just find himself valued! It took a couple of calls to find out where Maria's camp now was but eventually I got a contact number and with Bella hovering at my shoulder I rang.

It didn't take long to explain the situation and Maria was delighted at the thought of getting her hands on a prisoner. She liked having a pet as I had explained to Bella although I hadn't gone into graphic details at the way she treated such "visitors". That was much too painful to dredge from old memories. I knew she would hate Edward's arrogance and do her best to break him. Also, the chances of a successful escape from her compound with its limitless supply of newborn soldiers were nil. Peter and Charlotte had only succeeded with my help and I had been extremely lucky but then I was still the commanding officer at the time which gave me an edge.

She even sent a small unit under the command of my replacement, Nathan, to pick Edward up from as rendezvous point on the Mexican border. Bella was adamant that I was going nowhere near my former "lover", Carlisle and Emmett volunteered but that was vetoed by Esme and Rosalie so in the end, I roped Garrett and a couple of his fighting friends in as escorts.

It was finally over and although Bella and I accompanied Garrett and his friends to Texas we stayed away from actual the handover. Apparently, Edward made one final plea for mercy but was pushed roughly into the hands of Maria's unit who took him silently away into the Mexican countryside.

Bella and I decided to stay in the South for a honeymoon although we hadn't managed the wedding yet and after a few weeks alone I took her to meet my friends in Boulder. She was still working hard to control her thirst but had adapted quickly to her new life and I knew my life was now complete. As to whether we would rejoin the family, I would leave that choice to Bella although we both knew she would always be welcome, just as she would always be considered a part of the Cullen family.

THE END.

Merry Christmas to all our readers who celebrate and Happy Festive season to others. Love Jules and Kat. XX