A/N: Only one more chapter after this one, the Tournament once again xx Alexis


Bella

I knew I felt it when they arrived; it was like Jasper's emotions were off the charts. How do I know, well he was blasting out nervous energy that was battering against my shield in waves. This was a little shocking to me, this was an emotion I had never seen on his face or felt from him before, ever! I was beginning to actually see something, this was as important to him as it was to me, but for the opposite reason. Was he being made to be the scapegoat by me for the whole family? I was starting to feel I had done him wrong, but I'd hear him out and then make my decision. It's so beyond time this was all put to bed and I could break free of the shackle around my ankles that is the Cullens! As the years have passed I also blame Carlisle for much of their behaviour, he could have stopped a lot of it before I was born.

Taking a big breath and holding Garrett's hand we stepped into the main room. Everyone is there, waiting for me and I am actually quite nervous myself.

"Thank you for this Be..., Isabella," Jasper says quietly,

"Jasper, can you reel in your emotions, even I can feel them!" I say sitting down,

"Sorry, I'm a little nervous over here" he muttered shaking his head at the idea,

I didn't know if it was the weird idea of me feeling him or him actually feeling nervousness, possibly for the first time in a very long time.

"Okay, Major, just start telling us what happened back then, from your point of view and if Liberty has questions, she'll ask. Thank you for doing this Charles, chime in anytime you feel it's needed" Garrett said before sitting next to Charles,

The next several hours were filled with heartfelt pleas for understanding and abject apologies for doing nothing to help me back then.

Jasper

I started talkin' slowly, but gatherin' speed as I began to relax. Takin' everyone back in time, to all that happened almost thirty years ago. The meetin' in Forks with Bella at the High School, and Alice's insistence she was Edward's mate, as well as all her other lies. I should have I admit, left then, but I persevered and kept Eddie Boy's teeth out of Bella. I stopped Rose goin' to the Chief's house to kill her and yes I threatened to kill her myself if they didn't get a grip! That was the first time I told Carlisle they were lyin', but of course, I was not believed and yes I just gave up tryin'. I gave up and even started to join in, to a small degree, because why should they be happy when I was miserable? This was my biggest sin, to do nothin', to sit by and watch them slowly and inexorably tear her down.

But only I knew it was destroying her love for them as well. What I forgot was it was also a loss of her love for me too! I explain when I wrote the original letter while in Denali; I thought I was askin' forgiveness for nothin' other than my behaviour that night. Even then I didn't think she knew that I was forcin' up her sex drive. I should have known better, should have remembered she was smarter than all of us. But like most vampires, we thought ourselves better than the mere human! I told her my jealousy and anger that she would want to give herself to that prick, Edward fuelled my behaviour towards her. So yes, I did calm her down often, and yes, I pushed her to be more assertive with him. Knowin' it would scare him more than he was already.

"But you must beli..., no I beg you to believe that's all I did to you. But to them, well that's a different story!" I said with a little smirk,

Well, I bared my soul and now it was up to Bella, all I can do is wait.

Charles

I always knew the Cullens were odd, but fuck me sideways this was insane! But throughout his whole story and boy is it a story, the Major was telling the truth. The only deception I felt was when he spoke of killing Isabella! So, I gather he told them he would do it, but he had no real intentions to do such. When Garrett looked at me throughout the conversation, I mouthed truth each time. He was both relieved and saddened. I understand that his mate had been hurt by the whole family, but it appears her inability to know for sure if the Major had tampered with her emotions became an obsession. It became her overriding reaction to the whole family and it appears she was wrong. It's of course, not her fault, they all hurt her and after her change, it was solidified along with her shield.

Able to block them all now from seeing, reading and feeling her she was protecting herself. But in that, she started to believe the only one who could manipulate her, most likely had done so and it grew from there. I don't suppose it helped that her mate was friends with him and so she shut him out to in her mind keep herself safe. Basically punishing him for everyone else's sins and because he didn't query it or her, it just kept going for all these years. Now that he, the Major knows why she dislikes him, he has been the catalyst for changing the status quo. This means she will need to rethink everything she believed from their shared past, I have no doubt Isabella is quite capable of this and will take her time to resolve her issues firstly with the Major and finally with the rest of the Cullens.

"Do you want to ask any questions Liberty? We can take a break to let you mull over all that's been said!" Garrett broke the silence by saying,

"Hmm, yes a break would be nice" she replied distractedly,

The Major nodded to me as he left with his mate and the rest of his coven. Makenna was hovering in the background as I rose. I laid my hand on Isabella's shoulder and whispered,

"He spoke the truth!"

Garrett

Damn! That was a whole lot of...; I don't even know what to call it! But the Cullens just went even lower down in my estimation and they were already pretty damned low. The childishness, the pettiness and the out-and-out cruelty was beyond belief. I'm not sure if anyone noticed Peter filming the whole thing, and I'm not sure who he'd send it to? But this is a problem for another time, at the moment I need to concentrate on my mate, my Liberty. So as everyone leaves us I just scoop her up and head for the forest and our private waterfall. It's not huge but it is very private, somewhere we can go and not be disturbed. There are many of these hidden gems around here and this one just happens to be on our property. I slow down as we begin to hear the sound of the cascading water.

No matter the time of year, this place is beautiful, tranquil and an escape for us. Liberty smiled as she realised where we were and wrapped herself around me in a huge hug.

"Sorry soldier, that was a lot to take in at once and now I feel so bad! Have I been blaming him for everyone else's faults?" she asked in a sad voice,

"It's not your fault, you were working with only the knowledge you had. If they had been decent to you none of this would have happened. The Major knows this and has finally given you all the information you lacked. He wants to be your friend; if he didn't care he wouldn't have tried so hard for so long!" I say holding her tight,

Liberty nodded and led me over to the edge of the small pool of deep water that was at the base of the waterfall. Slowly she began to peel off her clothes before diving in and I was right behind her, as I always am. Once I reached her we sank to the bottom and stood there looking at each other. We didn't need to breathe so just stopped and the silence was amazing as always. This was one of our favourite ways to turn off the world, somewhere where we could forget about everything. I could see that look in her eyes, the one that always made me feel special, feel loved and desired. We came together gently, touching from head to toe. Just stroking each other's skin at first. I leant down to capture her lips and she wrapped her legs around my waist, which was my signal to swim us to the little alcove behind the waterfall.

Much as I loved the solitude being below the water gave us, I wanted to hear her moans and feel her breath against my skin. We had made love a couple of times on the floor of the pool in the past, but both of us preferred being on land during our lovemaking. It was slow and languid this time and I knew her shield was over us so nobody could hear us or see us if they came by. The ledge was smooth and almost polished by the constant flow of water over it. It felt nearly as smooth as Liberty's skin under my fingertips. I loved to see her responses to my touch, the quickening of her breathing, the pebbling of her skin and the darkening of her eyes from their red to a port wine colour. The sounds of her purring or growling both turn me on more than I already am; she is my everything, my perfect piece of heaven on earth.

Hours passed as we came together over and over again, this was the true meaning of having a mate, and it wasn't just sex. This was me tending to her needs as she tended to mine; it was our souls connecting and our bond strengthening. This was what the Cullens would never understand, a sharing of mind, body and soul. I doubt even Carlisle gives himself over to Esme so fully and I'm sure Rosalie is too selfish to do it for Emmett. This is part of being a real vampire; this is the way it is meant to be. We lay side by side saying nothing but speaking volumes for another hour before returning to the house. As we walked with our fingers entwined Liberty was deep in thought. At first, I thought she would say nothing before she huffed and said firmly.

"I want to change the plan, the Cullens can have the old house and Charles and Makenna along with whoever comes from Volterra can be in the new house!"

Ah, how the mighty have fallen, well that's fine with me.

Char

I was relieved when I saw Bell and Garrett returnin', she looked determined and it didn't take long to find out why.

"Where are Heidi and Makenna? I want to revise some of the floor plans" she said sketchin' out the new layout,

Ooh, burn! The Cullens are bein' demoted and I bet they will never understand why. Esme will swing it as a positive, but the others will feel sidelined and that's exactly what is happening. I can bet my last dollar Edward will be pissed he's not allowed in the big house at all, even between bouts she refuses to have him riflin' through her things! Plus she really doesn't want either Rosalie or Alice in there either. So as it stands it will be only Emmett, Esme and Carlisle and apart from the grand tour, I don't see them gettin' free rein either. Maybe it's time they all learned there are consequences to their actions or inactions! It's not like vampires ever forget anythin' so they know they let her down. They ain't human anymore so buryin' their heads in the sand don't work none on real vampires!

Later when I told Peter what was happenin' he seemed happy and said this would be a boost for the Major too. He was getting to stay in the main house, so he would take that as a good sign. I have a feelin' she'll forgive him, it might take time, but it's not like we don't have plenty.

Bella

We kinda decided to put everything to one side and get on with the new house. Jasper and I were now on a more cordial note, well, at least I wasn't answering his questions with one-word answers anymore. Tentative smiles seemed to make him happy and me even more guilty for blaming him for something he obviously didn't do. I still hadn't dropped my shield completely, it was down a little and he could feel me, but not yet touch my emotions. It was my first concession after about a month and he was really pleased, Heidi said he was anyway. The whole framework was done and the bottom floor was now finished. Next week they are doing the other two and I was almost giddy with excitement and he felt it. He just stood there with a bittersweet smile on his face.

I guess after all this time it's a shock to him; he used to say my emotions were strong and pure, whatever that meant. So suddenly feeling them must have thrown him for a moment. He muttered a quiet thank you before the Whitlocks took off for the weekend,

"You forgive him then?" Garrett asked me as I watched their departing backs,

"Yeah, getting there. He still played me for a fool, but not the way I thought" I replied and he nodded,

That's what I loved about him, he didn't push me or insist I did things his way; he let me make up my own mind. Only when I was totally wrong would he explain and let me work it out from there. In other words, he was the first man to not try and run my life; he always said that if he needed to change me then I couldn't have been his match in the first place. That's how I felt about him too, I love him the way he was, not some lofty ideal, conjured up in my head. That's just setting yourself up to fail because everyone has the right to be themself first and foremost, then to be your partner second. Not an extension of you like a weak shadow, but an equal. I saw these partnerships all around me nowadays, Peter and Char, Charles and Makenna and of course, Jasper and Heidi.

What worried me was how the Cullens didn't have that and I seriously wondered about Emmett and Rose's relationship! As well as Carlisle and Esme, because they weren't equals either, I used to think they were, but I was young and naive back then. I saw what they wanted me to see, the perfect family and they were anything but! But I think they accept love, human love to be the goal to attain and well, you know where that leads. Divorce more and more often, or separation and even hatred due to a complete breakdown of communication! So it's not really any kind of model to base your eternity on. Anyway, enough about the Cullens, today is the day my dome gets delivered for the guys to put in on Monday. I can't wait.

Makenna

I have really enjoyed our time with the others and having a home base has so many good things on its side. We, Charles and I enjoy the nomadic life, but it would be nice to occasionally have that one place to return to. Maybe not like Heidi having several homes they rotate through or Bell having just the one permanent place for many years, but more like the way Char does it, having a couple of small out-of-the-way places to spend a few weeks at before hitting the road once again. Yes, that seems like the best compromise and it's not like we can't afford it because we definitely can thanks to Peter our financial guru! Maybe a couple here in the US and Canada and one back home in Malta, yeah time to discuss this with Charles.

But we are back in New York State to complete Bell and Garrett's new house, I'm as excited as she is and have learned so much from watching the guys. That really bodes well when we finally decided to build our own place down the line. The dome goes in today and then it's all cosmetic stuff after that. Each of us will take an area to do and leave Bell with only her own space to do after we leave. That's personal to them and rightfully so. Then we'll take a break for a couple of months then rejoin them for the run-up to the Tournament. I'm so happy to be included in their inner circle of friends because much as I like the Denali sisters you can only shop so much! But like me, Bell and Char don't much care for it and it's all done online where possible. They do go with Heidi now and then because they are good friends.

I wonder who the Volturi will bring this time, now that they no longer have Heidi. We did hear that the human receptionist is now one of them, so maybe she will accompany Caius' wife, Lady Dora. Renata keeps us abreast of all things happening in Italy. She knows all about the Tournament, but as Aro can't read her because of her shield she keeps it to herself. Although I'm sure he knows and just lets Caius have his little bit of fun. It's not like it's that important, maybe the trouble with Alice and Edward would have had him interfering, but otherwise, I doubt he cares.

"Oh Bell, it looks so beautiful! I love the way the light filters through it even down here" I say as the dome is finally in place,

"That's how I imagined it and it's perfect, thank you all" she replies quite emotionally,

Everyone has something to do and then we will leave while the paint and varnish dry because they smell atrocious to us. Once they do their own space, Bell and Garrett will freshen up the original house and also leave for a few weeks holiday.

Jasper

Feelin' how happy Bella is now is bittersweet! It reminds me of how much I lost losin' her friendship. But with every day that passes, I feel more from her and know it is her way of sayin' she forgives me for my sins against her. I'm more than happy about it, after all, she had nearly thirty years of baggage to wade through, so waitin' a mere few months is nothin' in the grand scheme of things. We are so close to finishin' everthin' up here before we leave. So that leaves only three months until the Tournament, by then the smell of paint should be gone and we can all breathe again. We could have done it faster, but paced ourselves and had lots of breaks. Not wantin' to take all the fun out of it and make it a chore rather than a pleasure. Bein' around this group of friends really throws a lot of shade on my former life.

I know when we get back it will be all about movin' furniture and all the finishin' touches. Things that I barely understand, or maybe I just don't want to, I've never been one for aesthetics. I just like what I like and well, that's that! But to give Bella her due, she sure has a much better eye for these kinds of things than Alice did. It's not all about the cost with Bella. But whether it fits into the scheme she has in her head. So if it's right it doesn't matter if it cost five dollars or five hundred. I saw her puttin' those Inuit moccasins the Denali's gave her twenty years ago into a glass case in the library. She sees value in things the Cullens would throw away and have many times. I know when the girls see them they will be touched by it, she's a good friend. It's a pity I didn't realise that sooner!