A/N: The remaining four pages of the previous chapter and a little extra flashback thrown in. This is the last of the "Carlisle's POV" Chapters, I don't know if he will have any later on, but as of right now this is it. Hope you like it!

"How did it end?

Say it once again with feeling,

How the death rattle breathing

Silenced as the soul was leaving. . ."

How Did It End? - Taylor Swift

Chapter 14: How Did It End?

Carlisle's POV

It hasn't been all that long since Edward came back to us. After we left Forks he went off on his own. There was a time he only listened to the messages we left him to ensure the family was not in any danger, and only called home out of deference to his mother. We gave him time and space, we thought he deserved that much. Little did we know the guilt of the truth had been eating him alive.

I had never been one to anger easily. Time has afforded me patience, the "patience of a saint" as Emmett claims. I had never been angry at one of my children, no matter how many times they slipped and we had to move, no matter their desire for revenge against those who wronged them or someone they cared about. It was an unfamiliar feeling but I felt anger towards my first son for hurting my youngest daughter.

Actions often speak louder than words and our departure had had made it seem that she was nothing more than Edward's girlfriend to our family. That was far from the truth, but it was the impact their move had been designed to leave with her, even if that had not been our goal.

"You have some explaining to do." Rosalie snapped at Edward.

"I know. I know." He runs a hand through his always messy hair. "I don't know where to start."

"Start by answering with what you said to her. You broke her so much that she thought we would leave her to die? I didn't even like her but would have handled that better than you did." Rose prompts.

"Now's not the time for this," Esme interjected. Bella had yet to fall asleep, climbing into the tub which I'm sure was a relief after the travel and stress of the day dies down. There is only so much a human can handle in a day.

"We should never have stood by and let this happen. She's his mate but she's our family." Jasper says.

"You weren't there when Edward came to us and demanded that we leave. He wouldn't tell any of us what he said to Bella or how he left her and he made me swear not to watch him before he went to her," Alice shook her head. "Whatever is happening now, it's because of whatever that idiot of a brother of mine said. I never should have promised him not to watch."

"Edward you need to tell us what you said."

His eyes darkened as he looked towards the ground. "I thought I was protecting her," Edward replied, his voice was strained but I couldn't tell if it was pain or agitation at him being called out. "She saw right through me that day. She knew it was all a lie, and when she said she didn't believe me I-" his voice catches. "I had to make her believe me, I told her the very blackest shade of blasphemy, it felt like it would kill me to do it but I knew that if I couldn't convince her that I didn't love her anymore, it would just take her that much longer to get on with her life. I hoped that, if she thought I'd moved on, she would have as well."

It was all coming together, the unanswered questions, the unbearable guilt he carried.

"The words, Edward. What did you say?" Rosalie snapped, irritated at his aversion.

"The specifics don't matter." He tried.

"Obviously they do matter because you made her doubt her place with us, how much we loved her. What did you say!" Alice growled.

"I said she was just a distraction, okay? That I never loved her. I said we were leaving, just my family and myself." Each word is separate and distinct. "I said I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not. I am not human. I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that." His hands were in his hair, tugging on the roots. "I promised that this would be the last time she'd see me. That I wouldn't come back. I wouldn't put her through anything like this again. She can go on with her life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed. . . Then she asked for you, Alice, but I told her you already left, that you had wanted to say goodbye."

"I hate you Edward Cullen," Alice growls.

"I thought I was protecting her," Edward repeated, his voice strained. "I thought she would be safe, that we were the danger in her life. . . I thought I was protecting her."

"You could have told her so many things," Emmett said as he shot toward Edward and stood over his brother. "You could have told her that you were leaving to protect her, leaving to stop Victoria, instead . . ."

"Instead you told her we didn't want her!" Alice jumped into the conversation, moving from Jasper's side to right in Edward's space. Unexpectedly Alice lunges towards him and shoves him backwards. He stumbles, catching himself before he breaks a vase.

"What do you want me to tell you? I made a mistake. The worst mistake of my existence that almost killed is!"

"It's not about what I want-" Alice starts before he cuts her off.

I could tell what was coming without Alice's gift, it was the same fight she and Edward had been having since our sudden departure. The last time, was right before Alice and Jasper had left to get Bella. There was more anger between them now that we finally knew the truth of what had been said.

"Then what is it about?"

She rounded on him with a vengeance. "It's about what you've done, Edward! It's about what we've all done because we listened to you and Carlisle! It's about the life we ruined, and the life you so carelessly abandoned, knowing what was out there, just lying in wait!"

"I knew nothing!" He hissed and his advance was threatening. "I knew nothing of these dangers, Alice. Do you really think I would have left her, had I known?"

Alice only laughed at him. "It was your job to know," she spat, and she, too, began to stalk forward. "Your job, Edward. She's your mate. . . and yet where were you?"

"Trying to keep her safe!"

"I should have never listened to you. I should have been watching her every day, including the day you left her alone in the goddamn woods!" There's a growl growing from her until she stops like a flip of a switch. Her eyes cloud over before she looks up toward Bella's location.

We hear it then, Bella going completely under the water of the tub. We wait with bated breath until we hear her take one a minute later. I knew by the look on Alice's face that there was a chance she debated not coming up at all.

I could read Esme's mind by the look in her golden eyes her face showed exactly the pain she held inside. No matter how much she loved Edward, no matter that he was her first son and had seen her through the hardest times of her newborn year and the memories of her human husband's abuse, she couldn't look at Bella without wanting some kind of retribution for her condition. The moment it had become clear that this girl had brought her son to life, her place in Esme's heart had been cemented forever. She knew it was wrong, knew that looking for any kind of vengeance in this situation would help no one, but still, she felt that he needed to know just how much damage he had caused.

If my wife could, I know she would have shed tears for the damage we had done. As it was her eyes were too bright, too worried, to hide what we both knew to be true. We had done this to Bella, had broken her with insidious, treacherous lies in the name of kindness and love, and I knew Esme felt the same fear that I did— the fear that even now, our words and actions might be too late. The fear that while she was with us physically, her trust had been too badly breached, her heart too cruelly broken to accept us again.

"We're changing her now, right?" Rosalie asked. She was clearly torn but knew this was the final option left.

"If it is what she wants," I said firmly. "I will not take her choice away from her, but I will make the offer." Bella is in this situation because of the decisions others have made for her. "If we are going to win her trust back, I think we need to allow her to be involved in as many decisions concerning herself as possible, including this one."

Bella's transformation was the best solution for all. It would be safer and more practical, not to mention that we would not have to fear Edward trying to get himself killed once Bella died. Our family would be complete, but I could not help but feel guilty at the weight we've placed on her small shoulders, the fact that we would be taking Bella's life away from her, in a sense. I've never taken the life of someone who had another choice but I guess there wasn't all that much choice left in the current situation.

"Carlisle's right, she's has been a part of our world since the day Edward brought her home, there's no going back. . . If she wants to be a vampire then we should change her." Jasper says.

"She already made the choice, Carlisle," Alice adds.

"By coming here, I'm sure she has, but she will still have the option until her heart stops."

I walk the few steps over to my first son, resting my hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. "I don't deserve her forgiveness." He mutters.

If the roles were reversed, would you forgive her? Would you take her back? I think towards him.

"Of course."

"Then you have your answer." Your connection as mates is equally strong for both of you. Bella's nature is one of acceptance and forgiveness, but personally, I'm glad she's finally been able to speak openly about her feelings. She was right when she said we all broke her trust, and we all need to earn it back. I don't doubt that we will, but to hear her stand up for herself like that was truly wonderful. Despite everything that's happened to her, she has matured into a very strong young woman. She'll make an exceptional vampire and a perfect addition to our family.

"The tragedy of life is not death; it's what we let die inside of us while we live"

-Norman Cousins

It had been a few years since the conversation but I had perfect recall, like it was yesterday. When the state of not knowing had finally encompassed us Esme and I had been together in the living room in quiet contemplation. She fixed a vase of flowers and I ran the duster over the high shelves.

"How do you think Bella is doing?" Esme asked the question on both of our minds. In the few months since we left her, we had yet to hear anything more than the short few words Edward told us before leaving himself.

I sigh, unsure which answer would be best to hear. "I hope she's handling it well, but I don't know for sure."

"I'm sure it's nothing-" she started, her mother's intuition coming through.

"It's something if it concerns you." I take a step to close the distance between her and me and pull her to me.

"How does it not concern you?"

"It does. I miss her every second. She was our daughter as much as she was Edward's mate. Our family isn't complete without her but we owe her a chance at a human life."

"Even if she doesn't want it?" Her question hung in the air between us because we were painfully aware that her words were true. I think it's safe to say that if given the option, Bella would have chosen a life with us over anything else, and we didn't honor that.

The thought hadn't left our minds and after I came home from work the next day I had an idea.

I decided to call Billy Black. I knew he had been close with Charlie and hoped he would be able to check on Bella for us. Esme and I had been debating making the call but with Alice and Jasper away together we had no other way to check on our youngest daughter. I hoped we could put our differences aside as I dialed the number I had saved since the treaty had been made.

"Cullen," the disdain in his voice was clear.

"Mr. Black. I hope you are well," I try to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Fine."

"If you don't mind me asking, how is Bella doing?"

Billy grunts into the phone, otherwise silent for a moment too long. "She's fine. not that it's any of your concern."

"We care about her deeply, Billy. Leaving was the best way to keep her safe." I hope he couldn't read into the indecision and regret in my words. Esme gripped my hand harder.

"No complaints here, Doctor. She's doing fine."

"You have my number. Please use it if she needs anything or if something is wrong. My daughter is watching out for her but she can't see everything. . . We wanted to give her a clean break."

"We're taking care of her. We'd never cast her out."

"You have to understand that we love her like a daughter. This was the safest option while not breaking our treaty."

"Much appreciated," he grunted. He was angry which isn't anything new.

"I won't keep you any longer, Billy. Please reach out if needed, we love-" The sound of the dial tone cuts me off. "Her, deeply." I finish a little lackluster.

"What are we going to tell him?" she asked.

Ah, now that was the question. "The truth," I replied quietly.

Esme pulled back. "He should understand." Then a slight pause "he'll understand."

I nodded, but my heart wasn't in it. "I hope he does." I did believe Edward would come to understand why I'd done what I'd done, eventually but as I brought my mate into my arms again I yearned for the day when we were all together again, Bella included.

"Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?"

How Did It End? - Taylor Swift

A/N: Two Chapters in one day, as promised. The next update will most likely be for "Hell Was The Journey," if you haven't checked it out I hope you will. Please Review!