A/N: Each Chapter will be in two different P.O.V's for now, but it will be obvious who they are. All of them have something to say or add to the plot xx Slipped in another place name for my Facebook group xx Alexis


"Oh thank goodness she's quietened down, that was becoming most annoying. Just like her really!" Alice sarcastically remarked as we came back through the trees,

Well, that was a quick change of heart, so much for them being best friends forever! I wasn't so sure; it was just her quietening because the house was eerily still, as in too quiet. Before we even reached the porch I explained that we were having a meeting and they all moaned and groaned. My patience seemed to be wearing very thin since Edward attacked Bella, yes I know it was all him and I, of course, was foolish enough to let him sway me; let's hope the repercussions aren't too bad! But this deathly quiet is not making me feel very confident.

"That was an order, not a suggestion nor a request!" I said raising my voice for the first time in a very long time,

That got their attention and they all filed into the dining room. I knew I had so much damage to repair and I didn't mean the house! That's when I saw it, a letter lying there in front of my seat at the head of the table. We all saw it at the same time and of course, Edward picked it up. As he went to open it I demanded,

"Is that addressed to you Edward?"

"No, but!" He starts to say as I ripped it out of his grasp,

"My correspondence is still private Edward, until I say otherwise. As usual, you overstep yourself!" I growled angrily and he sat down in a petulant sulk,

I knew before I opened it just how bad things really were. Rose turned to leave and I yelled at her to sit her self-important ass down. They all just stared at me, are they that blind, that dense, that clueless! The house is completely silent, not quiet but silent. We are alone here and they don't seem to be aware of that fact at all! I quailed slightly seeing his official coven seal on the flap, I had screwed up big time, and yes, I had known it as it happened. That little stamp means if this is not resolved to his satisfaction he can take it to a higher level! I had let them all down but each in very different ways, but mostly I had allowed Edward to bring the family to this end. I thought myself a compassionate man, but I'm not! I'm not a man or compassionate as I proved today, by not once checking on Bella's wellbeing until it was far too late!

I scanned the missive and if I could pale I would have, he tore a strip off of me with his pen, how ironic. I have doubts that this fracture in the family can ever be repaired. I foresee a disillusion of our coven looming in the future, but for now, we will await their demands. As Rose would be as much pained by this turn of events as me, I handed it to her first. Of course, Edward tried to take it from her. I flashed out my arm which sent him flying over backwards, as it caught him off balance.

"If I wanted you to have it next, I'd have given it to you! Rose will be as badly hurt by this as me, so she has more right than you. You and Alice are not mated and never were! You have no idea what it feels like to disappoint your mate enough to make them leave you! Therefore you can wait" I sneered,

Yes, most of this was his and as I now understand Alice's fault, but I let it happen and the buck stops with me. I let him do as he pleased and now the piper must be paid as I always knew it would. Edward was sniffing the air, huffing in the dying cells of Isabella's blood. I slapped the side of his head and he glared for a moment before putting his head down.

"Yes, you foolish child, since that's what started this mess in the first place, you would be wise to try and control yourself!" I said in exasperation,

The fact we could all smell it spoke volumes to me at least, it confirmed she had gone! For Esme not to clean it all up meant only one thing, she was angry and unhappy with not just me, but all of us. The glass was gone and the broken furniture had been removed, but the blood stains were still staring at us from the walls and floor! It was a statement from my mate written in blood and I was the only one who understood this fact!

"I'll pack up everyone's things, Carlisle. That way you won't have to pay that price, because Peter as we all know would do it without compunction!" Rose said sadly,

I think she too was seeing the error of her ways, but like me way too late. She was so used to being the centre of our small world and it was pure jealousy that made her dislike Bella. Rose wrongly perceived Bella as stealing our attention from her and trying to take her mate. This was not true, but it was exacerbated especially due to Emmett's feelings for Bella, he loved her. What Rose refused to accept was how they loved each other; it was the only real and true sibling relationship in our family! But to her, there was no such thing as a platonic relationship, because she had never had that herself. Even her own relationship with Jasper was founded on his admiration for her beauty and strength, but he felt more brotherly as time passed, and she still felt it was no more than her due!

Rose unfortunately allowed herself to be entrenched in spite, self-perceived privilege and jealousy and forgot that she wasn't entitled to every moment of Emmett's or anyone else's time for that matter. In other words, my daughter had been selfish and self-absorbed up until now! She handed the letter to Alice as Edward was still sitting on the ground. He was so taken aback by my actions that he just sat there in confusion and didn't appear to be reading anyone else's mind, probably still bemoaning the loss of some of his singer's blood. Alice started to shake as she read Jasper's or should I say the Major's words! He hadn't I realised given himself over fully to his alter-ego, but he was very near the surface and that was all down to us! Oh yes, that was real fear she was feeling, even I could see that.

"Well Alice, what exactly have you and probably Edward been up to? I guess I always knew neither Jasper nor Isabella were your mates since you both treated them so callously. But if the Major is alluding to you coming between mates then you are, or both of you are dead men walking. Deader than you already are" I said in undisguised disgust,

She hung her head in obvious guilt, frantically looking for a vision to save herself. Rose growled before leaning across and slapping Alice so hard she crushed the chair as she fell over sideways. Edward had now gotten up and slumped into his seat once again as Alice tried and failed to get away from Rose. I finally handed him the letter and saw his arrogant self-righteous indignation start to rear its ugly head, along with his petty and childish vindictiveness. How had I never noticed just how immature he was before? Yes, the petty child was going to do exactly that and obviously couldn't care less, if it was me paying the price and not him! I couldn't deal with him, Peter and Chief Swan today, so as Isabella wouldn't be missed until tomorrow Charlie could wait; no he would have to wait.

"You will do nothing Edward; I won't lose any of my limbs for you!" I spat angrily and he flinched,

"I can't see any of them; it's as if they just disappeared!" Alice muttered eventually,

"Of course, you can't. Bella is a shield you stupid bitch, and she won't want you of all people seeing anything to do with her ever again!" Rose snarled as she forced Alice into another chair,

"While Rose packs everyone's things for Peter and Charlotte, Edward, you will repair all the damage that was caused today because of your inability to control yourself! Alice, you will clean up every single drop of Isabella's blood, before Edward starts trying to suck it out of the fixtures and fittings! I know you saw this could happen and would come about, and you did nothing to stop it, no you actively encouraged it!" I said for once as their coven leader,

They immediately started to object, but I was done with their crap for today, actually for a lifetime and lowered my vocal frequency to a coven leader's alpha tone, not that I was a real alpha like him, not by a long shot. But for good or evil I was their leader and they could not refuse. Well, they could but knew they would be cast out because everyone signed an agreement when our coven was formed. Also once again when Alice and Jasper arrived, so not complying meant being thrown out on their ear, penniless! It was my only real bit of control over them, the money! This was something I never thought I would have to use on Edward and Alice! Jasper, Emmett or even Rose maybe, but never them. How wrong was I, yes wrong in everything it seems!

"I'm not asking for your two cents worth, that was an order! Also, all coven credit cards are to be handed over until we can actually access the money. Because as you know Esme dealt with that and she, as you are now aware has left and no doubt locked us out of the funds! When the Whitlocks have left we will have to make a plan on how to cover up Isabella's death! I doubt you thought that far ahead, did you Alice? Edward?" I asked scathingly,

How galling it is to see them for the children they now really are. Unfortunately when it's far too late! But worst of all how bad it feels to know I am beyond pathetic as a leader, a father and a mate! Why had I not listened when Bella begged me to stop this farce of a party from taking place? She wouldn't be out there changing and my mate would never have needed to leave me! But then, if it hadn't been tonight it would have eventually happened because Edward would have killed her one way or another. I felt so damned tired, no I was weary of all the constant drama those two foolish children wrought. There is one terrible thing I have noticed, he has only been gone for just over two hours and both Rose and I have resorted to violence to get our points across, that doesn't bode well for any of us!

"Hurry and clean up the lounge Alice the smell is driving me mad!" Rose demanded as she now left the room to pack everyone's things,

That's when it hit me, the impact of losing his gift was going to be tenfold, they would once more return to the way they were before he arrived. Back to being unable to be around humans for any significant length of time. It hadn't been them improving with the years, but him stopping them from killing random humans. What fools we have all been and I dared to call him the weakest link! I have a feeling I will be sorely proved wrong in the coming days if Rose is already missing his help! I had forgotten, they only started attending school after he arrived and not before! How blindly obtuse have we all been, no, not all of us Esme knew and so too did Emmett. I, it appears really have had my head up Edward's backside for far too long and either missed or ignored a lot of what was happening.

RNFSG

I hate the Cullens and not all for the same reason; each has done or said somethin' to make me see them in a less than favourable light. No, that's not really true, Emmett had never disparaged us. I'm sure the Major had said he defended us a time or two. But the other's goddamn, where to start! Alice that psychotic bitch, she looked down on us, why? 'Cause he always loved us, had an unbreakable bond with us that she could never sever! So she demeaned us and talked trash about us, but it made no difference and she hated that. Hell, every time we saw her Peter ramped up the redneck in him, just to piss her off and it worked every time. I was way more subtle, like for instance wearin' my vintage Prada quilted jacket with my jeans and cowboy boots.

Wearin' things they didn't make in her skinny-assed size, funny how she never mentioned that to the others! No talk of how much better my tastes in clothes were compared to her eighties reject, fashion sense! Carlisle, I hated his pretentious holier than thou attitude! Just 'cause he don't drink from humans don't make it wrong! He's the weirdo not us, but oh no, it's a mortal sin and we should be shunned. Funny how that doesn't extend to the Volturi, the coward daren't say anythin' to them! As for his weak as dishwater mate, who Peter says has suddenly after all this time gotten a conscience! She lets them all walk all over her day in and day out. Don't she see she's nothin' more than a servant in that coven? The only two who ever treated her like a person in her own right are the Major and Emmett.

Yeah, I don't like her 'cause she's weak, no she's meek! She ain't human no more so why is she still actin' like the downtrodden little woman? She acts all polite when we meet, but has she ever defended our right to be us? No! Then there's the Ice Queen, she thinks the whole world owes her. Why? 'Cause she's a looker or due to her bad start in this life? Oh no, 'cause her real daddy was a bank manager! So what, he was just another social climber tryin' to tie her to old money and look where that got her. She ain't the only female who had a rough start; I was turned to be a whore for the Major. I was violated by other newborns before he and Peter saved me. But I don't beat everyone over the head with the fact, day in and day out. No woman should have to endure that, but it's a fact we all too often do.

What I hate is how she won't accept what she is; she's a vampire and move on with her life. Why waste years lamentin' what's lost forever? There ain't no do-overs or take-backs this is a done deal! Then there's him, the most puffed-up pretentious, overblown asshole known to man or vampire! I have met many vampires but he is the most superciliously annoyin' ever! It's not as if he's that intelligent or has that good of a gift, it like him it's mediocre. The only one who thinks he's special besides himself is Carlisle! Edward like Rose thinks he's special just 'cause his father was a lawyer and was a partner in a Law Firm. Again so what, my father was the Mayor of our town, do I tell everyone over and over? Nor do I insist they treat me as somethin' special. No, I don't 'cause I ain't human no-more, and it's irrelevant!

I bet if we researched their families they wouldn't be that shit hot now. In fact, I know Eddie-boy's family are all gone, the firm is gone too in the Wall Street Crash! He has the house and his mother's jewels only 'cause of Carlisle, nothin' more. Am I bein' too harsh on them, some might think so, but I haven't even touched on how they have treated the Major. He is my sire, my brother and my friend and they treated him like he was dirt! They expect him to control all their baser emotions while vilifyin' him for his thoughts. He got no thanks, he got treated like an extra in their home and yet he has never until now retaliated! He has put up with it all because of Alice, yet he is the one who does the most for them all and I hate it. They seem to forget who he is, who he was and now who he will be once more.

This day had been a long time comin', but he needed to rebuild himself, find that inner peace and yes find his mate. Alice sure as hell ain't that to him, just a companion and everyone should have known that but she lied! That's the thing with seers, who knows what the truth is, sure as hell not them! Alice wouldn't know the real truth if it jumped out and bit her on her skinny ass! Damn, they just rub me up the wrong way. Anyway, I'm standin' outside a modest house that belongs to Bella's father and Peter told me to get as much of her stuff as won't be noticed for now. He knows somethin' else is about to happen but not what or when for now, but it will be soon. Just lookin' around her room tells me I'll like her, it's lived-in and quirky. The glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceilin' are fun and the strand of fairy lights for the sheer hell of it, are too.

This girl likes things, but don't need them to survive and she seems to dislike wastin' money for the sake of it. Yup, she's my kind of girl and damn, right at the back of her closet I see a pair of cowboy boots, well we'll be takin' them. I'm gonna leave all that blue crap that Alice obviously bought for her, it all seems to be at odds with her own taste. Oh, look flannel shirts my kind of woman, they smell like sunshine and desert sand. She must have brought them with her and hasn't been allowed I betcha, to wear them! Well, that's about all I can take without it being noticed, but I did find her stash of money and her documents so that's a plus, Damn, her dad smells just as good as she did, just more manly. Must run in the family that touch of moreish-ness!

Ah, I hear the truck; Peter must have gotten all of the Major's stuff no problem, pity I'd have liked Carlisle to lose a limb or two!

"Hey baby, any problems" I ask my sexy mate as we load Bella's stuff in with the others,

"Nah suga', but I still got that feelin' somethin' is about to go down!" Peter said winkin' at me,

"I still don't understand why you needed this big of a truck?" I say climbin' in the passenger door,

"Me neither, but it'll come to light soon enough! It usually does Char, it usually does" Peter answered not carin' one way or the other till it happened,

With the kind of gift he has, Peter has had to learn patience. Otherwise, he'd go mad tryin' to work it out, sometimes things happen right after he gets the info drop, other times it could be years! However, for now, we were just goin' to meaner off back down to Omaha in Nebraska to check on our place near there. We don't often get the chance to check on them all so this will be a nice little road trip for us both.