You. Are. All. The . Best. Sorry to leave you hanging (I love a good cliff-hanger). I stayed up late to finish this one after hearing how eager you all are to find out what happens next. Just an FYI, if I understand FF's rating policy correctly I am supposed to up this to an M rating (some "adult language" and references to violence). I'm sorry if there are typos, I really just wanted to get this published before the weekend! As always, your reviews mean the world to me! Alright, buckle up...

Carlisle's POV

In the almost hundred years that I had known him, I had never raised my voice at Edward in anger. My family believed it was my own "gift". Endless compassion and patience. Perfect self-control. I wasn't sure the reason was so noble as that.

As far as I could remember I had been a passive child. Always dutiful to my father's imposing rank in our family and our community. I had learned early on to lead an unassuming life. Everything went more smoothly when I remained subdued in my father's shadow of piety. My compassion was not so much an innate quality as it was my own form of revolt. My subtle way of renouncing everything my father embodied. Where he sought wickedness, I sought understanding. Where he dealt out punishment, I provided care. He gave no second chances while my forgiveness was limitless.

The first time Edward left Esme and I, we were devastated. Both by his absence and by what we suspected he was doing. But I was never angry. Disappointed, yes, but never angry. Though even then I was disappointed more in myself than in him. I considered myself a failure for having lost him to our most basic instincts. In the years that followed I replayed every conversation, every debate, every argument we had ever had, trying to figure out where I had led him astray. Trying to think of the words I should have spoken. What I could have done differently to help him.

When he returned to us after several years away, black irises encircled in rings of crimson, I welcomed him back into our home, no questions asked. I was overjoyed to have my son back. But heartbroken to see the toll the previous years had taken on him. In some ways, my compassionate reaction to his return had made things harder for him. He would have preferred I berate him, that I unleash the fury he felt he deserved. That I yell and punish and douse our reunion in anger. Even if he knew as well as I did that I was incapable of such a reaction. He could see in my thoughts that I was anything but irate. No, I had allowed my mind to flood with the adoration I felt for him and the relief at having him home. A stream of my most beloved memories of him played out to welcome him home. When he walked forward and threw his arms around me in a rare gesture of affection and asked for my forgiveness, I gave it readily.

But now, listening to Bella speak aloud his words from two years prior, my benevolence was being tested as never before. I was mortified. And above all, I was furious.

Bella's POV

"He said he would always love me…in a way. But he had realized it was time for a change; he was tired of pretending to be something he's not." I felt out of breath. It had been a long time since I had allowed myself to think back on that day in so much detail. And as each word came rushing out, the sensation of having the wind knocked out of me grew with each gasping breath. But I couldn't bring myself to stop. Now that I had started sharing this with Carlisle, I felt my body go on autopilot. It needed to share every last detail. Perhaps there was a vindictive side of me that I'd never tapped into, but sharing Edward's words with his father felt like a release of some sort.

"He said that I wasn't good for him. And he promised that it would be the last time I would see him. That he wouldn't come back. That it would be as if he'd never existed. He said my human memory is no more than a sieve," I practically spat the word, remembering how belittled it made me feel.

Scoffing, I finished, "He said that time would heal all my wounds, and that even if he would not forget he could at least be very… easily… distracted." Was the skepticism in my voice as obvious to Carlisle as it was to me? He could see as well as I could that all time had done was deepen my wounds, not heal them. I realized I was crying angry tears and quickly swept them away with the back of my hand.

As I finished, I could see Carlisle's hands tighten on the wheel. I wondered how hard he would have to squeeze before he broke it, the image of twisted steel and leather flitting across my vision. But then his hands relaxed. And his right one moved to shift gears before bringing the car to a smooth stop on the side of the road. Several seconds passed while neither of us spoke. For some reason I felt hesitant to look at him, suddenly afraid of what I would see in his face. Would he even believe me? Call me a liar? Had his hands been tensed on the wheel because what I was saying was making him mad? Panic and regret began to flood through me.

At last Carlisle slowly turned his head in my direction and the devastation on his face made my stomach clench inexplicably. The entire family had the impeccable ability to hide any emotions that swelled beneath the surface; but he made no attempt to do so now. Seeing such a raw display of pain in his eyes brought fresh tears to the corners of my own.

"Bella, I don't know what to say." Had he spoken any softer I don't think I would have been able to hear him.

I shrugged limply, "There's nothing else to say. You see, you could go anywhere in the world, there was no need to stay so close to Forks. You heard what he said, he will never come back." Never come back. Never come back. Never. Never. Never.

Never. He would never come back and this emptiness within me would never be filled again. The worst part was that despite all that, beneath the layers of anger, confusion, and desperation that I had been cloaked in for two years, there remained a flicker of the love I had felt for Edward. Wasn't there a saying, something about love being the source of all grief? It felt as though no matter how upset I got, no matter what I did, what I took, my world remained anchored to his. It was impossible to tell where the grief ended and the love began. It felt like I would never be able to sort through the delicate balance of emotions that coursed through me. Although frankly, the idea of sorting through them was exhausting to even imagine. All I wanted was to stop talking about it. I wanted to sleep for hours. Or days. I needed to escape. I needed to get back to Will's.

"You did not deserve that, Bella," Carlisle spoke slowly. "What he said to you was cruel and inexcusable; and more than anything else, it was untrue. Every single word of it." Even with so little light in the car I could see the way his eyes darkened as he spoke. It gave me goosebumps.

But while each word should have felt liberating, they were mostly just devastating to me. I sighed, my tirade having sapped every last bit of my focus and energy away from me, "Please, Carlisle. Don't-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "I am just as much to blame as him. I could have stopped him. We could have refused his appeal to leave. We could have come back. All I can hope for is the chance to explain. It was a wretched thing to underestimate you as we did, Bella, and for that I will be eternally sorry." His gaze bore into mine. I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, and to refute what he was saying. Because I was realizing that I was not ready to hear his side of things. I didn't want to hear about what the Cullen family was doing or should have been doing while I was being carried out of the woods by a pack of wolves. Or while I was saying a silent goodbye to Charlie before leaving town, fully expecting to die at Victoria's hand by the end of the day. I didn't want him to explain because I knew I could not handle it. Not yet, and maybe not ever.

Because despite what Carlisle was saying, despite him telling me that Edward had lied, the fact remained that Edward was not here. He had stayed away as he had promised. So at least that part of what he'd told me was true. And if that was true, what's to say the rest wasn't as well? If Edward said I wasn't good for him then I did not want to hear Carlisle try and make excuses for him. I did not want him to seed any kind of hope in me. Because I knew I would not survive having my hopes crushed in such a brutal way once more.

So I said nothing in response. The aftershock of having released all of that pent-up pain was beginning to feel almost as debilitating as coming down from a high. As the adrenaline rapidly drained from my body, I struggled to form even one coherent thought.

Carlisle must have sensed my discomfort, my growing dissociation. "Thank you for opening up to me, Bella. I know it was not an easy feat for you and I am deeply grateful to you for what you've shared. You don't have to say anything more. All I ask is that you think about what I've said, and perhaps one day allow me the chance to speak with you more on the matter. You deserve to know the truth and to do with it as you please."

All I did was nod. His request was innocent enough. And besides, if all went to plan I would be disappearing the next day anyways. He would have to track me down if he wanted to try and convince me that what Edward had said was a lie.

Neither of us spoke for the rest of the drive, but Carlisle did keep glancing over in my direction. It would have annoyed me if I hadn't been too drained to care. Eventually the streetlights of Eugene began to flicker past the windows and I found myself feeling relieved to almost be back.

"Are you sure I can't drop you off at home?" Carlisle asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"The park is fine," I muttered. He didn't look convinced but pulled into one of the parking spots and cut the ignition.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

I opened the door and slipped out, pulling my backpack up over my shoulder. "Yeah. I'm fine. So, tomorrow then? Can you come back and meet me here?"

"Certainly. I'll be here at ten. If that's alright with you?"

"Ten's fine. And uh, thanks. I do appreciate it, you know."

"Of course, Bella. Please be safe tonight."

"Bye, Carlisle." I shut the door and began the short walk back to Will's. For a brief moment I envisioned myself turning around and running back to the black sedan still parked behind me. The image confused me. Shaking the thought away I trudged on. The neighborhood wasn't particularly dangerous or anything but I still did my best to hurry home.

The lights in the house were off when I approached the back gate. Hopefully that meant Will was already asleep. I wondered if Carlisle had actually left to go home or if he was lurking somewhere nearby to keep an eye on things. The thought of him doing so made me feel a little reassured, but also nervous. Will could be unpredictable, and I didn't want Carlisle overhearing any of his numerous manners of outburst. Stopping in front of the screen door, I stooped down and dug the spare key out of my bag. Having managed to slip in without making any noise, I opened the kitchen cabinet above the fridge and pulled out a can of coffee. When I pulled back the cover it did not reveal an aromatic blend from Mexico or Peru. Instead, I found the small plastic bag I had been hoping for. Knowing that I was close to sleep already, I only took one out, enough to keep away the withdrawal symptoms I had come close to experiencing a couple of times over the last few months. Plus, there was less of a chance of Will noticing if I only took out a bare minimum.

I didn't even bother to kick off my shoes or take off my jacket before dragging my feet to the couch and collapsing onto its cushions. Setting my phone on the coffee table in front of me, I finally allowed myself to be pulled back under the fog of a synthetic sleep.

Will's POV

It felt like the goddamn phone had been ringing for hours. The sound of it vibrating against the glass top of the living room table kept going on and on, grating on my nerves.

"Bella!" I shouted from my bed, "Pick up your freaking phone!"

She didn't answer me and the phone kept buzzing, so I groaned and pulled myself out of bed. Making my way into the other room, I spotted her passed out on the couch. The screen of her phone lit up once again but didn't ring, a text message then.

"What the fuck have you been up to all night?" I muttered to myself. Picking up the phone, I glanced down at the screen. Three text messages and two missed calls, all from the same unknown number. My curiosity piqued, I looked at Bella to make sure she was still asleep, then clicked on the first message.

I will see you back at Jefferson Park at ten. Get some rest.

Who the hell was she meeting? I felt a surge of jealousy race through me. The message had been sent around two in the morning, is this the person she'd been out with all night? I scrolled down to the next message, which had come a little after ten this morning.

Is everything alright, Bella? I'm at the park now, I'll wait in the car.

The last message was the one that had just made the phone buzz, received at 10:23 AM.

Forgive me, but I am beginning to worry. I will wait a little while longer, but if I don't hear from you soon I will try my best to reach you another way.

I didn't know who this guy was (instinct told me it was a guy) but his messages were really starting to piss me off. Sure, Bella and I weren't "official" or any of that bullcrap, but I had basically saved her from being stuck out on the streets. She owed me. I reread the last message before clicking reply.

Be there soon.

Stuffing the phone in my pocket, I glanced down at Bella again and pictured her with some other guy. I scowled. She had been acting so weird these last couple of weeks but I had just chalked it up to her overdose the other day. Now it seemed like she was keeping all kinds of secrets from me. I made up my mind to go scope out whoever this guy was and then come back home and confront her about whatever the hell was going on with him.

Carlisle's POV

My anxiety was steadily intensifying as each minute passed with no news from Bella. I sent one more text message, promising myself that if she did not respond I would return to her house.

After dropping her off in the middle of the night, I had watched her walk away for a few minutes before getting out and following her on foot. My feelings of foreboding were too strong for me to simply leave her there in the dark. After a short walk she entered a house two blocks away. While remaining hidden in a nearby tree, I listened to her move about the house. It sounded as though she was in the kitchen digging through the cupboards. I was not foolish enough to believe she would not take another dose of the medication, and sure enough even from my distance I could hear the sound of a small bag of pills being pulled from a tin can. I dared not move or breathe as she gulped one down. Ever since my first encounter with her I had decided to always keep a dose of Narcan with me, just in case. The weight of it in my pocket now was the only thing reassuring me about the current situation. But she simply shuffled into another room and collapsed onto a couch or bed. I continued to listen for a few more minutes, but her breathing remained more or less normal as she fell back into a deep sleep.

I decided to remain outside for a little while longer, just to make sure she really was okay; and from my spot in the tree outside I was able to hear the slumbering breaths of another person in the house. Based on the sound of the light snoring, I assumed it to be a man. I couldn't help but wonder what the status of their relationship was. What was his role in her obvious addiction? Had he been the one to cause the bruises I had spotted? I was embarrassed to admit to myself that I had already designated him as guilty without having anything to back up my conclusion.

Once an hour had passed and nothing more had happened, I dropped silently to the ground and ran back to the car. With a little luck, the other members of my household would be out and I would be able to retrieve the necessary documents for Bella while remaining unnoticed. It rankled me that I was actively hoping not to see Esme and the others, but I had not yet fully digested the information Bella had shared with me. And while I was usually capable of hiding my distress from humans, it would not be as easy to do so around other vampires. Especially not an empath. And especially not my wife.

As I pulled into the driveway, the first thing I noticed was that several lights were on inside. Luck was not on my side, then. Before I turned off the car I sent a quick message to Bella and then took a deep breath. I had barely stepped foot into the entryway when Alice appeared before me.

"Carlisle, what is going on? Why are you not at the hospital?" Her eyes were sad, and I realized how much my evasiveness was hurting them as well. It was so rare for any of us to keep information from one another, and me doing so now was causing visible distress. "I saw you driving out west."

My eyebrows rose at the discovery she had seen me during my drive with Bella, "You saw me driving? Yes, turns out there was a scheduling error at work, I decided to go for a hunt-"

"I didn't see you hunting," Alice interjected.

"Hmm, I wonder why that is." I tried to sound nonchalant, giving a slight shrug as I moved to go around her.

"Carlisle- what are you trying to hide from us?" Her eyes widened, hurt obvious in the depths of the onyx.

I sighed and looked down, ashamed. There was only one option left.

Trying my best to give my voice a consoling tone, I explained, "Please, Alice, believe me when I say that everything will be alright. But there is something I have promised to keep to myself for a while. I have no doubt that some day soon I will be able to tell you all. And I will. I am desperate to. But please, for now I need to handle the matter on my own."

"Are we in danger?"

"No, we are not in any danger."

"Is it Edward?"

"No."

She narrowed her eyes at me, trying to gauge the truth of my words.

"And you promise me you will eventually share with us whatever is going on?" She lifted her chin and quirked her eyebrows at me. Ready to catch me in a lie.

"I swear to you, Alice. When the time is right you will know everything."

Her eyes became unfocused for a minute before she exclaimed, "Okay! I see that you will sit us down to divulge the secret eventually, though for some reason I can't see what it is." A slight pout formed at the corner of her mouth. "I've been having these weird gaps in my visions lately, it's unnerving."

"Perhaps you could give Eleazar a call, get his opinion on the matter?" I suggested. The gaps she mentioned had been on my mind lately as well, ever since discovering she had not been able to identify Bella in the vision of me changing someone. But I was not sure I could discuss my theories with Alice without giving something away. It was yet another reason for me to feel guilty about keeping such a large secret from them.

She hummed her agreement, but still looked at me with some degree of skepticism, obviously aware of my attempt at a diversion. "Yeah, maybe I will. I'd better be going. Esme and Jasper went east to go hunting. I had a vision of speaking to you earlier in the evening and made up an excuse to stay back. But I actually do need to hunt."

"Good idea. And thank you, Alice. For your concern. And for your understanding on the matter." Gratitude seeped into my words.

"Of course, Carlisle. I trust you are doing what is best." And with that she flitted out the front door and disappeared in the night. If only I could trust myself as implicitly as she did.

An approaching shape at the other end of the park pulled me from my memories. He was quite tall, I estimated just over 6'1". His clothes were nondescript, jeans and a t-shirt with a black button-up left open. His blond hair was trimmed short on the sides but stuck up on top in the style I had seen many young men sporting these days. But what struck me most about his appearance was the glowering looks he was casting left and right as he made his way through the parking lot. Something about him made me uneasy. My defensive instincts kicked into gear.

He strode towards a bench beneath the trees. It was situated between the sidewalk and the parking lot and permitted him to continue his not-so-discrete scanning of the cars before him. One of his legs bounced rapidly up and down. After a few minutes he muttered a string of curse words under his breath and took off the way he had come. The same direction Bella had gone last night. I forced myself to wait a couple of minutes before turning on the car, afraid to draw his attention to me. Something told me I had likely found the source of the snoring from the night before and I was determined to follow him back unnoticed.

I took a different route to the house, parking just around the corner and in the opposite direction of the park. The problem this time around was that I could no longer hide under the cover of a starless night. While the sun was thankfully not out there were still a handful of people milling about, walking their dogs, mowing their lawns. It forced me to move more slowly than I would have liked.

But finally I found myself in front of the small, unkempt yard. And just as I took one step up the front walkway, a low voice boomed out. Without even seeing who had spoken I could picture his face. For I was sure now that it was the man I had seen just minutes before. A vampire's instincts were usually more than accurate.

"Who the hell is it, Bella! Who!"

"It's no one, Will. Just drop it, please." Her voice was shaky, as though she had just woken up. Or was feeling ill. Taking a rapid glance at the neighboring homes, I snuck along the side yard and around to the back of the house. Had I been human I knew my heart would be beating uncontrollably. But as it was, the only thing my unbeating heart could do was feel a phantom constricting, the way it sometimes did when the body foresaw something the mind could not yet see.

"Don't lie to me. Who were you supposed to meet?"

"Knock it off, Will. It was just some guy from the bar last night. Nothing happened. You're acting crazy" Even from my spot outside I could sense Bella's fear, and could hear how she struggled to make up a story. Both of them moved into another room, the kitchen again I guessed. They were now mere feet away from me, just on the other side of the wall.

I knew I needed to get her out of there. But in the name of maintaining my family's secrecy I needed to do it without Will seeing. My mind was calculating multiple different options simultaneously and within a fraction of a second. I was quickly coming to the conclusion that the best case scenario involved me causing a distraction out front and then removing Bella from the house using the back door.

Just as I moved to head back out front and ring the doorbell, Bella's scream rent the air.