Chapter 9 - Family

CARLISLE'S POINT OF VIEW:

I gingerly laid Caeleigh down on the couch in my study, adjusting the pillows to properly support her head and covering her with the luxurious quilt Esme had sewn decades ago as a gift. I watched over her for a minute, unable to tear myself away without first monitoring her heartbeat, respirations, and circulation. I tried not to worry over her too obsessively. She was healthy, and I had no reason to believe any serious problems would develop. Satisfied that all was well, I flicked the fireplace on to the lowest setting to keep her cozy during the chilly night and exited the room, silently closing the door behind me.

I hoped putting Caeleigh in my office for the night would help her sleep soundly in my absence. It felt wrong to leave. Being away from her tonight would not only be a disruption to the routine we'd upheld for the past two weeks, but I also despised not staying with her after what she'd shared with me this evening. I wanted to hold her all night, protect her. She would be equally safe with Esme, of course. I simply desired to remain at her side. We'd been essentially inseparable since the night Caeleigh had confided in me at the hospital. There was just something very comforting about being within an arm's reach of her.

Although I had another important duty to fulfill, leaving Caeleigh when I knew how attached she was to me felt like a betrayal. She'd reported dreaming that I'd come to save her years ago, and I wished that had been the reality. I hadn't known of Caeleigh's existence at the time; however, I could have rescued her from those circumstances. It would have been possible. The only reason I didn't get to her sooner was for failure of knowing about her, and I had a guilty conscience due to that.

"Carlisle," Esme sang, appearing in front of me with her lips formed into a demure smile.

"Esme," I breathed, pulling her in by her waist and greeting her playfully by rubbing my nose against hers.

"Did your feet get stuck to the floor?" she teased. "You've been frozen out here for fifteen minutes."

I chuckled as I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her lovely scent. "A troubled conscience, I'm afraid."

"What's on your mind?"

"I wish I could've gotten to Caeleigh sooner," I said. "I feel guilty that she suffered for so long. And knowing there are children who are suffering right under our noses… My heart is heavy."

"We do what we can to help children, but we can't save them all. You've told me that yourself," Esme reminded me. "Our donations matter. Think of how much has been accomplished because of that. The food provided, the hospitals built, the wastelands that have been transformed into thriving villages… All of that matters, love. We do our best within the parameters that limit us."

"I know. I'm just burdened by the truth that despite the billions of dollars we give to charity, some children still won't be helped because their problems can't be solved monetarily, and there is very little I can do about that. Take Caeleigh, for example. No amount of money would have prevented her father from abusing her. How many children are in identical situations? Living in households where the parent is a tyrant and the home is an island, and no one even knows that they need rescuing," I vented.

"Carlisle, you need to forgive yourself for what you didn't know," Esme softly suggested. "You respond to and fulfill the needs of others when you become aware of them, and you do everything in your power to anticipate what those needs may be before they actually arise. That is all you can do… That is all anyone can do. Often you do what others cannot. Saving the world doesn't fall on your shoulders, my dear husband."

I responded with a resigned sigh and cupped my wife's sweet face in my hands. "Well, I'm never going to stop trying."

"I'd expect nothing less." She smiled. "So, what's this business you need to take care of tonight? You never did tell me."

"Alice informed me they're stopping to hunt tonight near Vancouver," I explained. "I'm going to meet them. I need to tell them about Caeleigh before they get too close to home; I don't want it to be more of a surprise to them than it already will be. I intend to return before Caeleigh wakes up, but if I'm not back by the time she's up, just tell her I'm on an errand and that I'll be home soon. I don't want her to worry."

"You need to hunt, too," Esme said. "It's been almost three weeks. Caeleigh will notice if your eyes get much darker."

I sighed again, knowing she was correct. "I ought to invent a pill to remedy that."

Esme giggled. "Or, you could just feed on a few deer, which we have an abundance of. Seems like a simpler solution, don't you think?"

"I suppose it is. Lacking in scientific innovation, however," I replied, snickering.

"Are you running or driving?" Esme inquired.

"Running," I answered. "That way I can get to Canada in less than an hour, and you'll have my car just in case."

Esme's eyebrows furrowed, conveying fear and confusion. "Why would I need your car?"

"I'm not sure how the others will react," I began solemnly. "I'm especially concerned about Rosalie and Jasper. In the event that it goes badly and the situation becomes out of control, Alice, Edward, or I will text you to get Caeleigh out of here. Drive to the main airport in Seattle, there's a private jet on standby to take the two of you to Isle Esme. If for some reason you need to run or be in the sunlight, I've prepared a small bag with sedatives that you can give Caeleigh. The syringes are already filled with the proper dosages, and the hypodermic needle is a special nanoneedle that shouldn't cause bleeding. Each injection will keep her out for approximately four hours, and you can readminister as often as needed. If things go down that way, I'll join you in Isle Esme as soon as I can."

Esme looked horrified. "Alice sees things going badly, doesn't she?"

"A strong possibility, yes," I murmured. "It all depends on Jasper."

"Jasper?"

"According to her precognition, Rosalie and Jasper will take issue with Caeleigh's presence. They may decide that she must be… eliminated for the safety of our family. Rosalie will lash out and take off towards home, but we'll be able to stop her. Jasper on the other hand won't be easily subdued. He's the most skilled fighter in our family, and Bella's shield won't stop him from controlling the emotional environment. Edward and Alice can anticipate his tactics, but Jasper is smart and patient. He'll manipulate us all into a false sense of security and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. If he's in close enough proximity to Caeleigh, we may fail to stop him."

Esme's face drooped with sadness. "I expected Rosalie could be an issue, but Jasper? He's so kind and gallant. I figured his thirst for human blood might present a challenge for us, but he wouldn't kill Caeleigh on purpose… would he?"

My throat tightened. "He wouldn't want to kill her, but he wouldn't hesitate if he felt she posed a threat to our survival. He's particularly overprotective of Alice, and if he thinks Caeleigh will attract Aro's attention to our family once again, he may deem ending Caeleigh's life as the only viable solution to maintaining our safety."

"I think you should turn her into one of us," Esme blurted, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shame. "I'm sorry."

"Esme," I gently intervened. "It's alright. I know you were just thinking out loud. I would be lying if I said I hadn't considered it myself. Truthfully, it's tempting from the perspective that turning her would simplify things for our family and, selfishly, to have the security appended to immortality. Her human fragility would be replaced with immortal durability, therefore curtailing my gravest fears about harm befalling her. However, we both know how wrong it would be if I were to do that. I could never impose this life on someone who has another choice. I won't take away Caeleigh's humanity, not while she's young and healthy."

"I know, and I wouldn't want you to," Esme said. "I'm just afraid for the future so the thought slipped out."

"Remember, we are just being proactive. We're preparing for the worst but that doesn't mean that the worst will happen. There are obstacles we must overcome, and I believe in our family's resilience."

Esme smiled. "You're right. Things will work out. Somehow."

I pulled my wife in once more to give her a sweet, passionate kiss. "I must go."

"Yes, before the kids eat up all the wildlife until there's nothing left for you," Esme laughed, ushering me towards the garage.

After refilling the tank of my Mercedes to the top with gasoline from our private petrol reserve, I kissed Esme goodbye a final time and started for Vancouver on foot. The snow had melted at long last after a colder than usual early spring, and the precipitation had returned to rain. The sky thundered and poured hefty droplets as I ran towards the Canadian border. Despite the storm, I remained mostly dry as my route through the dense forest provided shelter from the rain, and my speed allowed the air to dry away the water momentarily after landing on me.

I prayed that the bright flashes of lightning and booming cracks of thunder hadn't awoken Caeleigh. I gathered that she loved thunderstorms, but humans were often startled by sudden noises even if the source of the sound didn't pose a threat. My instincts urged me to turn around and check on my newest daughter, but I forced myself onwards. I was equally driven to reunite with my other children. I hadn't seen them in weeks, and communication of any kind had been sparse. Mature as they were, they still needed me, and I owed them this meeting.

Vancouver was located northeast of Forks. The route was a near-perfect diagonal shot, although humans could not travel that path so easily. The Olympic Peninsula and British Columbia were separated by the Salish Sea, with Vancouver Island creating a massive barrier. The two cities were only a couple hundred miles apart in distance; however, traveling by car made the trip a five-hour journey as one has to take a major detour to avoid the waters. Traveling on foot was significantly more efficient for a vampire, particularly at night, as compared to driving. Even taking a ferry or boat would be inconvenient.

I arrived at the southern shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Salish Sea's primary outlet to the Pacific. I dove into black, frigid water and swam across the bottom of the strait to Vancouver Island. As I powered through the sea, I swam upon a pod of orcas. I briefly slowed down to admire the beautiful creatures, my eyes roaming over their strong, sleek, barrel-like bodies. The animals didn't stick around for very long, naturally. They acutely perceived me as a predator and swiftly changed course, swimming away in the opposite direction. The orcas vanished into the black waters, and I continued on my way.

Under the cloak of darkness, I emerged from the water onto a desolate beach on Vancouver Island. The beach bordered an abandoned shipyard adjacent to Pacific Rim National Park, providing safe passage through to the northern side of the island. Weaving my way through the sparsely populated parts of the island, I made it to the other side and entered the water again. The Strait of Georgia was the final obstacle to reaching the Canadian mainland; I would be in the mountains north of Vancouver in twenty minutes.

I didn't know my children's exact location, and although I could probably track them down fairly easily, I was counting on them to meet up with me. Edward and Alice's gifts would allow them to find me before I found them. Alice would have seen my path based on my previous decisions, and I would be in range of Edward's mind reading ability any minute now. I slowed my pace, certain that they were near.

I caught the scent of a moose directly ahead of me and decided to go after it. I attacked quickly, eager to get the task of hunting out of the way as I waited for my children to find me. Even though I had a clear conscience about our vegetarian lifestyle, I didn't enjoy feeding. I hunted because I had to, and I never derived any pleasure from it. I fed most infrequently out of everyone in our family simply because I'd forget to hunt. I could go without blood for a long period of time before the cravings would start, and even once they began, it was very easy for me to resist. If not for needing my eyes to remain gold, I would hunt even less often, once a year perhaps. I would have to revisit my experimentation in crafting a pill to remedy the eye color problem.

"No invention of yours could ever entice me into giving up my mountain lion," Edward spoke from behind me.

I turned around, chuckling. "Hello, my son."

"Carlisle," he greeted warmly, embracing me.

I've missed you, I thought to my first companion in this life. I held him close, knowing he would appreciate the affection. Edward had confided to me years ago that I provided him with the kind of love and bond that his human father could not, and that if it weren't for the example I'd set, he wouldn't know how to be a good father to Renesmee. Even after all this time, Edward continued to idolize me and be motivated by my praises. It mattered to him that I thought highly of him. I always had, he didn't need to work for my approval, yet still he desired to please me.

"You're worthy of idolization, Carlisle," he said in reply to my thoughts. "You and Esme are the best parents anyone could have. The girl was meant to find you."

"Thank you, Edward. Now, as much as I love spending time with just you, I know you should not be alone out here—I recall sending a group of you to Alaska. Where are the others?" I asked.

"Right here," Alice replied, emerging from the trees along with Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Bella, and Renesmee. "Sometimes it's so irritating that you're faster than the rest of us, Edward."

"He might be faster, but he's not stronger," Emmett badgered, cuffing Edward playfully on the ear.

Edward winced. "Ow!"

Emmett smirked. "See?"

Rosalie grinned up at her mate, more than pleased by the exchange. Bella, in turn, glared at Emmett while Alice, Jasper, and Renesmee looked amused. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, smiling as I shook my head at their antics. Children, all of them.

"How was your visit to Alaska?" I asked, hoping to distract them to prevent the situation from escalating into an unabridged brawl.

"Good. It was great to see our Denali cousins again," Bella replied.

"Esme told me they are still grieving. I'm sure each of your presences were a welcome support," I said.

"Yeah, someone needed to rescue them out of their moping and melancholy," Emmett said. "Garrett, Jasper, Edward, and I sure had a hell of a time together. Don't worry, we covered our tracks with an avalanche."

"Thanks to my foresight," Alice chimed in.

"Credit where credit is due," Emmett bestowed.

I raised my eyebrows. "I trust that no humans were injured in the process?"

"Of course not. We were careful," Emmett assured.

"All's well that ends well, I suppose." I really did not want any further details. It was a miracle that the boys' roughhousing hadn't yet sunk the continent.

"They only raised the sea level by a few inches," Edward quipped, triggering an array of puzzled expressions from the others who had not received the context for his comment. "Inside joke."

"It always is with you," Rosalie snubbed.

"Oh, does that bother you?" Edward taunted.

Rosalie began advancing on Edward. "Why I ought to—"

"Rosalie," I interceded, placing a firm hand on her shoulder and gently pulling her away from Edward. She graced me with a dirty look and indignantly shuffled out from beneath my grasp before returning to her spot at Emmett's side. He wrapped his muscular arm across the front of her body, and she relaxed almost immediately.

Turning Emmett was the best decision I'd ever made. Without him, managing Rosalie would be my full-time job.

I heard Edward chuckle quietly to himself. Rosalie's glare sharpened, knowing his amusement was at her expense.

Edward, straighten up please. Your laughter is not helping the matter, I thought pointedly. He instantly obeyed me and acquired a pleasant, neutral mien.

"Carmen helped me make a woven Grazalema blanket for Jacob," Renesmee shared, placing her palm on my cheek and using her gift to show me.

I smiled. "That's lovely."

"As much as I enjoy palavering, there are wild beasts to feed on," Emmett announced eagerly, bringing awareness to a nearby grizzly bear meandering through the forest. "Care to join me in wrestling a bear, Carlisle?"

I rubbed my palms together slowly, thinking through my approach. With pleasantries having been exchanged, I felt that delaying communication about why I was really here would be dishonest. I surmised that Jasper had already sensed there was more to the basis of my visit than what was projected on the surface. He appeared taut and suspicious, and he'd yet to say a word to me. He must have perceived that I was holding something back, that I was waiting for the right opportunity to reveal my intentions. I decided that opportunity was now. I didn't want to prolong Jasper's edginess.

"In a moment, Emmett. I would like to speak with everyone first." I watched their facial expressions change, interests piqued by my statement. "Hunting is not my primary reason for joining you. I came because there is something we need to discuss before we return home. Edward and Alice are already aware of the matter, and they've kept it to themselves thus far per my request. I wanted to deliver the news myself."

"What news?" Rosalie inquired. "It's got to be something big, otherwise you would have just waited until we got home."

The thick of the Canadian forest was not my ideal venue for this type of discussion. I preferred to use the formal dining room at home as a conference room. We couldn't use the space for its intended purpose, so I liked to utilize it for family meetings. In a group with such strong and disparate personalities, it was often helpful—and sometimes necessary—to discuss things in a poised, seated manner. That was hardly an option considering we presently stood on the side of a mountain, but even if we could be at the table, I doubted that the setting would help all that much today. Disagreements over far lesser matters than this one had turned explosive in the past.

Edward's eyes were on me, their golden depths full of concern. Having the ability to see Alice's visions and read the others' thoughts, he had a better sense of what was to come than I did. He looked worried.

I turned my attention to Alice. She was focused on something far away—the future, still too indistinct for her to make use of it. Without seeming to think about it, she leapt up onto a fallen tree trunk and sat down, rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. Jasper twitched uneasily and moved closer to her, standing on the ground directly below her. His face was hard and his entire body tense as he waited to be let in on what Alice and Edward knew.

"Carlisle, what news?" Rosalie repeated impatiently.

"When you return home, you need to be prepared that there is a human girl in the house," I informed them.

Rosalie recoiled. "What?"

I quickly did a pulse check on my brood, inspecting their attitudes for signs that things were about to get out of hand. Thankfully, behaviors were relatively stable at this point. I could see Rosalie's vexation growing as she processed the news—certainly an outburst was coming. Edward and Alice already knew about Caeleigh, of course, and were focused on using their respective talents to observe the others' reactions. Rosalie's anger was on the verge of erupting, Emmett looked confused, Bella appeared merely curious, and Renesmee looked excited. Jasper presented identical to his prior demeanor, only his nostrils were flared now and his eyes held a hint of panic. I studied him carefully, and I wondered if he felt I'd betrayed him.

"Allow me to explain. During my shift at the hospital a couple of weeks ago, a teenage girl came into the emergency department seeking medical care. I treated my patient and sent her on her way; however, as I was leaving for the day, I found her out in the cold on the hospital steps. Upon further investigation, I learned that she was in foster care, and her placement at the time was an unsafe environment. I felt compelled to help the girl, and I intended only to assist in finding her a new foster family, but Alice informed me that the girl would die if I didn't take her in myself. So, I did."

Stunned and momentarily speechless, Rosalie fumed silently, her rage evident in her features. Edward growled in response to what I'm certain was a streak of insults being shouted at the top of Rosalie's mental lungs. Rosalie respected me enough to refrain from calling me names to my face, but she wasn't above thinking them at me.

Jasper wasn't as angry as Rosalie, but his face held a rather unsettling look of resolve. Undoubtedly, he'd considered the best course of action for protecting our family. It wasn't difficult to speculate the direction that he was headed. While his intentions made sense from the perspective of putting our family's safety first, he lacked regard for Caeleigh's life. She meant nothing to him, but Alice meant everything. In Jasper's mind, Caeleigh was a threat to be eliminated. He was decided, regardless of the outcome of this discussion. I glanced over at Edward, who nodded once, confirming my presupposition.

I shuddered at the thought of that fatal encounter. The horrific scene played out in my mind's eye too vividly. I saw Caeleigh's fragile little body in juxtaposition with Jasper's deadly strength and ability. As a man of peace, Jasper struggled. But as a man of war, he was more than I could have ever imagined. Supernaturally strong and fast, and possessing the skills of a battle-tested warrior, he was a killing machine by nature. She didn't stand a chance against him.

Which meant that, if things went badly, I would have to protect Caeleigh from my own children. I would have to fight for her, against the others. Defend her from danger and prevent her life from being taken by those whom I loved dearly. I would have to disband from my family and escape with Caeleigh if it came to that. Esme would follow me, but leaving her other children behind would break her heart. Edward and Bella would side with us, but they would likely have to stay behind for Renesmee and Jacob's sake. Emmett and Alice would be caught in the middle between their partners and the rest of our family. Ultimately, they would stay with their spouses, as they should, but everyone would grieve the loss of our oneness.

I'd sworn to always keep this family together, but with Caeleigh's life hanging in the balance, there were certain lines I couldn't cross. I needed to keep her safe, which likely meant moving away with relationships severed. I would carry that guilt with me forever…just as I would carry the guilt of not saving Caeleigh if I didn't take necessary steps against my family to protect her.

I realized the chasm this scenario would create in our family unit, and my heart broke. The damage would be irreparable. I looked around at each one of my children—I pictured Caeleigh's face, too, and I confronted the sickening reality that I couldn't do what was best for all of them. It was impossible. Regardless of what action I took or how creative I could be, I would be letting someone down. Justice and fairness could not be accomplished here, and who got shorted would be directly decided by my actions. I didn't think I'd ever felt more burdened than in this moment.

Edward placed a hand on my shoulder, and I immediately gave him my attention. I expected him to voice a concern for me to answer, but in waiting for him to speak, I quickly discovered he wasn't seeking my responsiveness. He was comforting me… Quite the reversal of roles.

Rosalie's rage had quelled enough for her to regain the power of speech so she could chew me out.

"What you've done implicates us all," she hissed.

"The same could be said for when you brought Emmett home," Edward retaliated, jumping on Rosalie before I could respond. He was deeply affected by the content of my thoughts and probably blamed his sister for the painful predicament I was in. "We were already on the Volturi's radar because of the size of our coven at the time, not to mention the number of friendly acquaintances Carlisle had gathered over the centuries. Human or vampire, the Volturi could use any new addition as an excuse to come after us to try and get what they want. Let's not forget the only reason that Aro knows what Alice can do is because you told me Bella was dead."

"It's not my fault that Alice was wrong," Rosalie shot back.

"That's enough, both of you," I asserted, my voice both gentle and final. "It's not lost on me that this decision comes with risk to our family. I had planned to discuss it with all of you first before bringing the girl home, but circumstances unfortunately made that impossible. I understand this news comes as a bit of a shock, and I take full responsibility for the impact this has on each of you."

Rosalie glared at me balefully. "What do you mean 'take full responsibility'? Are you going to fix it, Carlisle?"

I nodded. "That's why I am here. I wanted to give all of you the opportunity to speak your mind. It's not my custom to move forward on serious matters that affect our whole family without first having a family meeting. As I said, this scenario unfolded quickly so I didn't get to talk with you beforehand. I understand this may be troubling, you may feel it was a breach of trust or an abuse of my leadership. Please, I welcome you to raise any problems with me now so I can give them the proper attention."

"That's not what I meant," Rosalie stated, her tone growing darker.

"She's asking if you're going to get rid of the child," Edward revealed, full of disgust for his sister. "That's how she wants to fix it. By killing the girl."

I couldn't say I was surprised by what Rosalie was insinuating; however, I was disappointed. I had hoped that Bella's pregnancy had taught her how to have compassion for the vulnerable, but it seemed as though her worldview still hinged upon her own self-interest. Her primary motivation for protecting Bella had been to further her self-serving ambitions. She'd expected Bella wouldn't survive the birth, so she'd intended to raise the baby in her place and accomplish her own quest to become a mother. I did feel abundant sympathy for Rosalie's situation; her desire for motherhood could never be attained in the way that she wanted.

In the years after Renesmee's birth, Rosalie had thrown herself into scientific research on vampire procreation. She'd become utterly obsessed with the pursuit once she knew that Emmett was able to produce sperm. She was fiercely determined to unlock her own fertility. She thought that if a male vampire's reproductive cells had the ability to undergo gametogenesis, then certainly females did too. I'd entertained her hypothesis initially. Prior to Renesmee's conception, I'd held the belief that vampires could not pass on genetic material. Having been grossly incorrect about that assumption, I was much more open minded when Rosalie brought her ideas to me. We'd spent thousands of hours pouring over every article of research, myth, and legend on the topic, but the fact that it was not possible for female immortals to gestate became apparent to me fairly quickly. Although female vampires carry ova similar to human ova, the perpetual state of her body results in a total absence of a menstrual cycle. Even if she could somehow begin this reproductive cycle again, her frozen body wouldn't conform to accommodate a growing and changing fetus. Rosalie had been rather reluctant to accept this truth, understandably, but after several failed attempts involving hormone treatments and in-vitro fertilization, she decided she would let the matter rest for the time being. Of course, she didn't let it go entirely. She redirected her focus to developing new biotechnologies that could make childbearing possible for her. I didn't see a path to success there, every attempt had failed so far, but I was happy to help her with anything she brought to me. It was the least I could do.

"Obviously, no one will…hurt the girl," I stated, looking directly at Rosalie while I spoke to declare in no uncertain terms that she would not get her way on that one. "The protection we provide each other extends to her as the newest member of our family."

"Does she know what we are?" Emmett asked.

"Not yet. I'm still considering how to break the secret to her, and I would welcome each of your suggestions," I replied. "I can't say whether or not she has noticed anything different about Esme and myself. It may be harder to prevent her from seeing the oddities once the whole family is home and she sees all of us together."

Rosalie's palm smacked against a tree with a loud bang, and the wood crumbled beneath her hand. "We can't allow the human a chance to say anything! Carlisle, you must see that! Even if she never finds out exactly what we are, it's not safe to let her have suspicions about us. Think about the ramifications of her being seen with us! We live so differently from the rest of our kind—you know there are those who would love an excuse to point fingers. The Volturi is just waiting to catch us in some real trouble. We have to be more careful than anyone else!"

"What makes you think the Volturi will leave us alone as long as we just follow the rules?" Edward scoffed. "What's to stop them from coming after us at any time and for any reason? Their goal isn't punishment. It's power, it's acquisition. Aro wants Alice, and he won't give up regardless of whether we help this young girl. So we might as well take the risk and make a difference in her life."

"If taking in this kid pisses off the Volturi enough that they'd pay us a visit, I say that's a strong mark in favor of helping her. Let them come. I long for the day we get to fight those tyrants," Emmett boasted enthusiastically.

"Can we focus please?" Rosalie complained, exasperated. "This issue needs to be addressed. This charity case of Carlisle's presents a real danger."

Jasper nodded, his eyes hard.

"Rose—" I tried.

"Let me finish, Carlisle. It doesn't have to be any big production. The girl was recently injured and went to the hospital, right? So maybe that injury turns out to be more serious than it looked. Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up." Rosalie shrugged. "Nobody would fault you, Carlisle, for having compassion on the girl and impulsively bringing your work home with you. The others—the Volturi—would expect us to clean up after ourselves, that's all. Technically, that would make it your job, but this is obviously emotional for you since you're already so attached to the girl. You know I'm capable of control. I would leave no evidence behind me."

"Yes, Rosalie, we all know how proficient an assassin you are," Edward snarled.

She hissed at him, and they prepared to pounce on each other. Emmett and Bella stepped up to come to their respective significant others' defense. Alice, who was only half-listening to the drama that was occurring, simply rolled her eyes and slipped back into her trance, watching the future that hinged upon Rosalie and Jasper's precarious reactions to what I'd set in motion.

"Edward, please," I said, mentally requesting that he not fuel the fire. I turned to my spirited daughter and began addressing her with a calm authority. "Rosalie, I looked the other way in Rochester because I felt that you were owed your justice. The men you killed had wronged you monstrously. This is not the same situation. The girl I've taken under my wing is entirely innocent."

"It's not personal, Carlisle," Rosalie said through her teeth. "It's to protect us all."

There was a brief moment of silence while I thought through my answer. This wasn't the first time a choice I'd made created conflict within our family, and every single one of us had made choices in the past that impacted everyone else in a difficult way. Sometimes the choices were wrong, and other times the choices were good but still challenging to work through as a family. The latter was true of my decision to bring Caeleigh into the fold. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I'd done the right thing. She was worth the risk, and I wouldn't let her be harmed for the sake of falling in line with the Volturi's decrees. The chassis of my ethics was not built on sand. I never compromised on issues of morality.

"I know you mean well, Rosalie, but… I'd like very much for our family to be worth protecting. The occasional… accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of what we are," I said, choosing my words carefully so as to not set her off, and choosing to phrase my statement in the plural to include myself despite never having slipped in order to keep the others from feeling judged by me. "To murder a blameless child in cold blood is another thing entirely. It is a senseless and abominable act. I believe the risk she presents, whether she attracts unwanted attention or not, is nothing compared to the greater risk. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves and serve only our own interests, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of who we are. In my belief, we risk the damnation of our souls."

Silence fell over our group, and in that moment I knew my words had resonated with my family. I examined each of my children. Edward looked at me in admiration, as did his mate with a small smile on her face. Jasper appeared troubled, his respect for me clashing with his steely resolve. Alice was still entranced by her visions, but she oriented herself towards me in a manner that informed me she aligned with my sentiments. Emmett's expression was wry, but he gave a single nod letting me know he wouldn't fight me on this. He was just displeased that Rosalie was disgruntled. Renesmee approached and placed her hand on my cheek, communicating to me that she loved me very much and was excited to have a new friend. I smiled and kissed her forehead, and she returned to her place between Edward and Bella.

Rosalie stared down at the ground. I released a long sigh and slowly walked over to stand next to her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and waited patiently for her to respond. She finally looked up at me—scowling, but we were making progress.

"It's just being responsible," she argued.

"It's being callous," I corrected gently, rubbing her arm. "Every life is precious."

"So send her to a good boarding school. There's no reason she needs to stay with us," Rosalie sneered, though the forcibleness of her voice had reduced. It seemed I was beginning to get through to her.

"I would agree with you under different circumstances," I told her. "Although caring for her from a distance would be the safest plan for everyone involved, this affair requires a more intimate strategy. The girl has suffered greatly, and the emotional wounds she bears can only be healed through loving relationships. She needs a family. I pray you all will join me in the effort to give her one."

Rosalie sighed heavily and her lower lip pouted out, but Emmett intervened before she could get going again. "It'll be fine, Rose," he encouraged in a low voice.

I observed my daughter's attitude shift to one of begrudging acceptance. I wasn't worried about her going after Caeleigh anymore. I could see that she would yield to my decision and not act against it, no matter how infuriated she was with me. There was a predictable pattern with Rosalie that had proven true time and time again over the years. She would vehemently disagree with me on something, often to the point of a wrathful outburst on her end, but she would always submit to my authority.

Jasper remained unmoved.

It spoke volumes that he had not tried to calm Rosalie down with his extra faculties, nor did he now try to rile her up. He was holding himself aloof from this discussion—above it.

I understood why. Before he and Alice had met, he'd lived in a combat zone, a relentless theater of war. He knew the consequences of flouting the rules; he'd seen the grisly aftermath with his own eyes. He admired me as much as any of the others did, and he was content to follow my lead…until he thought Alice might be in peril.

"Jasper, listen to me," I began carefully. "I know what you're thinking, and I can't let you do it. Violence solves nothing."

His rebuttal was solemn. "I take no pleasure in it, but you've given me no choice, Carlisle."

"Jasper, there's always a choice," I replied, keeping my tone muted yet firm. "Following through on your plans will haunt you, son."

"None of my previous kills do," Jasper said coldly. "I've made peace with who I am and what I've done."

"No, you haven't," Edward divulged, calling his brother out on his falsehood.

"Oh, shut up, Edward!" Rosalie splintered, her rage surging. "You should know better than to use mental gymnastics on Jasper. You're a manipulative little—"

"Rosalie," I warned.

"Are you sure we can't just send her somewhere?" Emmett questioned. "She's fifteen, right? She can make it on her own. Set her up with a fake ID, fudge her birthdate so she's an adult on paper and can operate in the world. Open a bank account in another country and funnel money to her through international channels so it could never be traced back to us. Hire a private security team to keep her safe, and Alice can watch for potential threats so that we could get in front of them without interacting with the girl at all. We might have to move again so she doesn't come looking for us, but that way she'd have a good life. For a few million dollars, she'd probably be willing to forget you exist."

"I can agree to that," Jasper muttered. "It significantly reduces the risk to us, and we could monitor her to make sure she doesn't compromise our secrecy."

"Then she'll kill herself," Alice said, her eyes glazing over as she peered into the future, studying the possibilities. "That was her plan before Carlisle helped her. If we leave her, she'll complete that plan. She can't handle any more relational losses."

Rosalie's eyes lit up. "Brilliant. That solves our problem without any of us getting our hands dirty."

I cringed involuntarily, repulsed by Rosalie's words. "We cannot drive her to take her own life. That would be the same as murdering her." I began speaking to Emmett. "That's not a terrible suggestion, son, and ordinarily that would be an excellent solution. However, the root of the matter is that the girl needs something that no amount of money can purchase. She needs the bond of family. Even with our protection, without our love she will die."

"We can't let that happen," Bella contributed. "The huge hole that had been punched through my chest by Edward's absence, by your absence, nearly killed me. The only reason it didn't was because I had Jacob, and Charlie. Even my highschool friends helped me hold on since they provided a distraction. If this kid has no one, losing you will be the end of her. I don't need Alice's predictions to know that. I speak from experience."

Accepting Edward's decision to leave Bella had been one of my worst mistakes. I shouldn't have agreed to it, but he had been very insistent and convincing. Abandoning her had a negative impact on all of us, Edward most of all, and Alice second for having to watch Bella drown in misery. Jasper suffered too because of Alice's emotions, and Esme and I had both been heartbroken over losing a girl we considered to be our daughter. Witnessing our children struggle in the aftermath had been tough as well.

It dawned on me that I was experiencing how Edward must've felt when Bella came into our lives and during the trials surrounding her integration into our world. The déjà vu was a little uncanny. Perhaps that was why he was swift to support me in this endeavor.

But I needed to know what Jasper was going to do.

"Jasper," I prompted.

He met my gaze, his face torn and weary, devastated and determined. Jasper, ever a peculiar paradox—wearing his heart on his sleeve while emanating the coldness of a warfighter.

"She should have died, Carlisle. I would only set that right."

"I will not allow it," I declared, emphasizing each word.

"And I will not let Alice live in danger, even a slight danger," Jasper immediately countered. "You don't have to fear losing Esme to the Volturi the way I have to fear them coming for Alice. You don't feel the weight of the world on your shoulders over your mate like I do over Alice. You haven't lived through what I've lived through. I've shared my memories with you, but that's nothing compared to the firsthand experience. You don't understand."

"I'm not disputing that, Jasper," I replied softly. "But my son, I'm telling you now, you will not harm my daughter."

"And you will not endanger my wife," he contended in a cool, even tone.

We stared at each other. Not glaring, no animosity between us, but measuring the opposition. I felt him sample the mood around me, testing my determination. He needed to figure out how to manipulate it, how to create a lull in my safeguarding so he could get close enough to Caeleigh. Jasper wasn't sadistic. He may even use his gift to calm her down, influence her into a peaceful emotional state as a form of psychological anesthesia. Doing so would make carrying out his design easier not only on Caeleigh, but also on himself. He wouldn't feel her fear because he'll have stunted it. He would make her final moments as painless as possible for both of their sakes.

I kept my eyes trained on my son while reaching into my pocket for my phone. Without glancing at the device, I opened Esme's contact and typed a single word.

Go.

My thumb hovered over the send button. I didn't want to activate the escape plan, uprooting Caeleigh and transporting her to the other side of the world—likely having to drug her multiple times in the process—would be stressful and traumatizing as she'd barely gotten settled in our home. But I would have to initiate it if Jasper didn't back down in the next thirty seconds. I wasn't taking any chances. I believed in my son, he had a good heart, which was why he would do whatever it took to protect Alice, even if it pained him.

"Jazz," Alice said, interrupting us. "I hate to ruin the staring contest, but can we talk for a minute?"

He held my gaze for a moment longer, and then looked at her. "Don't bother telling me you can protect yourself, Alice. I already know that. It doesn't change—"

"That's not what I'm going to say," Alice interjected. "Leave the prophesying to me. I'm much better at it. Anyway, I was going to ask you for a favor."

"Anything," he vowed.

"I know you love me. Thanks. But I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill our new little sister. First of all, Carlisle is quite serious, and I don't want our family to be split apart. Secondly, she's my friend. At least, she's going to be very soon."

Jasper closed his eyes and sighed with frustration, shaking his head. "Alice…"

"I'm going to love her someday, Jazz. And you will too. I'll be very put out with you if you don't let her be."

Alice's eyes went blank again, the future shimmering before her as Jasper's resolve floundered in the face of her unexpected request. He wavered, and that was sufficient.

"Ah, there we go!" she tittered. Jasper's moment of indecision had cleared a new future, relieving her from the fog of uncertainty. "Crisis averted!"

Jasper seemed a bit stunned. Alice's emotions affected him more deeply than anyone else's. It was her joy and hope that had pulled him out of the dark pit of misery he'd been trapped in after living violently for so long as the executioner for Maria's coven. Alice saved him, and he would be hard pressed to do something against her wishes. He wouldn't cause her sadness, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

My body flooded with relief, releasing a tension I hadn't been aware I was carrying. With an unclenched jaw and relaxed shoulders, it was time to bid a temporary farewell and go home. Running instead of driving back with them would afford me the time I desperately needed to ensure a smooth introduction. Dawn was approaching, Caeleigh would awaken soon, and I needed to prepare her for the family's return. Esme would be ecstatic to hear that this assembly had gone relatively well.

"I'll see you all at home in a few hours."

A/N: Hey y'all, it's been a while. Honestly I thought the writing of this chapter would go a lot faster than it did, but I'm glad I took it slow. If I may say it humbly: I think I knocked it out of the park on this one. I'm really proud of how it turned out, and I hope you like it too. You'll have to let me know how the reading went for you. Carlisle telling the rest of the coven about Caeleigh was a huge challenge. It was really difficult and frustrating at times to where I just deleted it all and walked away, thinking I would never be able to hammer out that moment. For a while there, everything I wrote felt wrong. The biggest hurdle was getting deep enough in all of the characters' heads so I could figure out how they would each respond to the news and how they would interact with each other. As you know, staying as canon as possible is really important to me, I wouldn't want to augment the established Twilight characters that we all know and love. I spent a lot of time rereading parts of the novels, referencing the guide (which I just purchased recently in order to help me with this chapter, believe it or not), looking at the fandom wiki pages, reading character analyses, scouring every related Reddit thread I could find, and thinking a lot about each of their personalities, values, and relationships, as well as how their backstories, gifts, and everything that has happened in the saga up to this point would affect how they act in this situation. I had to know them well enough to understand how they think, and then try to convey that from Carlisle's PoV. I took my time with it and didn't try to force anything, so I hope I did all of them justice and that the "why" behind their actions is clear. You'll have to let me know.

One last thing. I decided to go back and edit my first few chapters. If you've reread Chapters 1-4 recently, you may have noticed they're a bit different. I have more of the story ironed out at this point than I did when I began writing, and I felt the first few chapters could be improved. No significant changes will be made, I'm just enhancing the overall writing and adding in some elements to make them stronger. For example, Chapter 1 includes some more insight on Caeleigh as a character, what she was going through at the time, and I also added a bit more between her and Carlisle at the hospital to help better convey their connection at that first meeting. Chapters 1-4 are edited, so if you'd like a little treat while you wait for Chapter 10, go ahead and reread those. I'm not expecting post-publishing edits to continue much past Chapter 5 or 6, but I will review everything I've published so far and decide from there. I will mark the editing date at the top of the page of consecutive chapters as I go through and edit them so you don't have to try and figure out if you've read the most refined version. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I'm excited to get your feedback on this chapter and others!