WRONG DECISIONS

Disclaimer: The Cullen's, the Swans, and most of the characters mentioned in the story that are known from Stephanie Meyer's beloved Twilight Saga, are all hers and hers alone. I neither have nor wish to pass them off as mine. I do appreciate the fact that she brought them to life and allows us to play with them in our imaginations. The only thing I will claim is the current storyline.

The awesome and talented dowlingnana searched out my errors and corrected them.

He still had questions, but he wanted an answer to the one question that he has hesitated to ask all these years, however, he felt that it needed to be asked now. "Bella, are you still in love with Edward?"

CHAPTER 28: ARE WE NEED AN END?

Bella took the time to consider her father's question before answering. After all of the years that had passed without him, she never stopped to think about what feelings she still had toward her ex-husband. She can't deny that with the birth of the twins Edward hasn't really been absent in her life because her babies were living proof of that fact.

"Dad, love was never the problem; it was the fact that his job became more than what I could handle. Then the final straw was finding another woman sleeping in our bed even though Edward wasn't there.

"Trust flew out the window at that moment.

"However, to honestly answer your question, yes, I do still love Edward and always will. No one else could make me feel as that man could or still can just by being near me.

"But, Dad, nothing has changed that I'm aware of. His job is a determining fact as well as being able to trust him. Trust itself just isn't there right now. I can't speak about the future; all I can do is make my decisions based on what I know now."

Bella stopped speaking and waited to see if Charlie had anything else to say or ask of her. But when time seemed to stretch and he hadn't made any sort of remark to anything she had said, Bella thought that her answer had satisfied his curiosity. She began tidying up the twin's things that were scattered around the room and as she finished up and was getting ready to leave the room Charlie cleared his throat.

"Bella, are you aware that I did a background check on the whole Cullen bunch back when you first told me about Edward and how serious you were about him? I wanted to make sure that my baby girl was with someone that was worthy of her and would be able to take care of her.

"What I found out, although there was no solid evidence, didn't make me very comfortable but I trusted your choices and also realized that love wasn't always the wises guide of a future with someone."

Bella wasn't surprised by what her father was now revealing to her, although she's surprised that it took him so long to let her know that he had checked Edward and his family out several years ago. As she reached that point in her thoughts, she noticed that Charlie seemed to still have more to add.

"I stayed quiet when you married Edward and I stayed silent when you chose to divorce him. You had your reasons for making both decisions at the times that you made them.

"However, when you returned home to start over, I supported your choices. Then you found out about being pregnant with my grandchildren and I had to voice my opinion at that time and again as time passed because I felt that you were making some wrong decisions about letting Edward know about the babies.

"You have a lot of decisions to make over the next few days and over time for the future and all I'm going to say regarding what you might chose to do is to give great thought to everything. Everything that has to do with what Edward's rights are, what your rights are and what is going to be best for my grandchildren as well as to how everything will affect the twins.

"I'm here if and when you need me, but I am not going to say another word about what you should or shouldn't do." And with that said Charlie turned back to watching his sports program.

Bella stood looking at her father for a moment then shook her head with a slight smile appearing. She moved over and bent down to place a kiss on top of his head and whispered, "Thanks for everything, Dad."

After that she left the room to walk upstairs to check on the twins and then to get ready for a quick shower and then to relaxing in bed.

XXXXXX

"Tori, now that your Uncle Caius is gone why don't you tell me the reason or reasons, you're wanting to be involved with dealing with your Uncle Aro. And, while you're at it tell me why you're wanting to get involved in the family business as you're calling it."

"Well, Dad, isn't it a family business since you and my uncles are involved in making all of the final decisions? And before you try to give me some vague answer you need to stop and think about all that I've seen over the years, all that I've been told by James, and then what I've experienced recently with James and then add in all that I've overheard between you and Uncle Caius earlier.

"But by all accounts, Uncle Aro has been the driving force in all of the activities that have endangered a great many people including both you and me. I want to be able to get my revenge in a manner that I can find acceptable.

"Then once I inherit this business, I want to do away with all of Uncle Aro's and Uncle Caius's underhanded dealings and bring everything into the more legal avenues. If we don't do that soon then the feds and other law enforcement agencies are going to breathe down everyone's neck and I'll be in danger of losing you. You're all that I have left. But you can bet that the law isn't going to be too far away with some of the connections that James was going to be using to try to get his own way into taking over and destroying the larger families." Victoria paused at this point with the sound of tears trying to gather and swamp her emotions and as she did pause Marcus opened his mouth to comment but was forestalled by his daughter speaking once more. "Before you say anything, I'll let you know that I'm very much aware of the fact that you're not a complete innocent in everything over the years either."

That last statement of Victoria's closed Marcus's mouth for a bit. He couldn't think of anything to say. However, considering all that she had said that she wanted to do had him looking at his daughter in an entirely different light and with a lot of pride.

"I've been trying to push Aro and Caius toward doing the very thing that you're suggesting but their answer, or rather Aro's answer has always been a 'hell no'. He believes that he can barge in and take over territories that belong to the larger families and that they will let him get away with it. Those families will retaliate without hesitation with the outcome not being very pretty."

"Dad, do you have any ideas how we can put a stop to all that Uncle Aro is setting in motion?"

"Not at the moment but I do have a few thoughts that might work; I just need the time to give them more consideration before making any moves."

"Just please be sure to include me. And, from what Uncle Caius was saying do we really have the time for you to consider things for too long?" Victoria tells him and then asks before she leaves his office.

XXXXXX

Esme had held onto her temper and had remained silent until she and Edward had returned to Seattle and entered their suite at the hotel. But once the door closed, she was about to launch into giving her son an earful until he kissed her temple and told her that he'd see her later as he dashed out the door.

Edward was heading back to join the rest of the menfolk at the warehouse to join back into helping deal with the rest of James's ragtag riffraff.

Edward knew that he was going to have to deal with all of his family once they were all gathered back together and hear about how he had handled the situation with Bella and the twins. There was going to be a lot of yelling and condemnation about what he had told Esme and what he was going to be telling the rest of his family: all decisions concerning his children would be made by him and Bella, no one else.

XXXXXX

Aro was getting very discouraged with the answers he was getting from this Irina bitch that Caius had hooked up with. She proved to be more stubborn than what appearance at first glance led one to believe.

He thought that just by threatening her at first would loosen her tongue, but it didn't go as he had planned or at least hoped it would. So, he had resorted to a more physical method, unfortunately, she continued to maintain her silence when asked questions concerning the Cullen brats and their mother.

More intense methods were used but somehow, she still managed to keep quiet and took the details to her death. That caused Aro to regret that he had pushed too far too quickly instead of taking his time. His impatience took control and in less than twenty-four hours after taking the bitch she was gone.

He was going to have to keep this information from Caius for as long as he could or there would be problems between the two brothers due to Caius becoming so emotionally involved with the woman.

In his opinion none of this would have been necessary if only Marcus hadn't been such an ass by refusing to be a part of getting a hold of the brats. Aro knew that he would have been able to control the Cullen's by having the brats as leverage.

But now because of the death of this bitch all of his plans were being threatened to fall apart and any advantage is on the verge of being lost. Why couldn't it be as it used to be in the old days, the three of them against the world.

All the breaks came their way and they managed to move up and to build the organization that they have now. Along the way Marcus married and had Victoria who some punks thought they could use along with his wife against the Volturi brothers but unfortunately, they found out that the brothers protected their own with only Marcus's wife losing her life.

And now when things were coming their way to be able to take their place among the major families everything seemed to be going wrong and tension was being brought between the brothers.

Aro just couldn't understand why Caius who seemed to be on board in the beginning was now starting to waiver because of the bitch that had just died and Marcus has found a conscious because of Victoria. Why can't they see that this is their big chance and just like in the past it was time to not let anything stand in their way?

XXXXXX

James was feeling the beating that he had received from Edward the most. He wasn't sure if he could believe everything, he had been told so he felt that he needed to continue to maintain his silence.

The bashing he had taken in that cabin by someone along with the beating he had just been subjected to was making it very hard for him to think but he still had allies that would bring this bunch down. He just had to give them a chance to find him.

XXXXXX

Charlie had sat thinking about all that had been said today and Bella's admission about her feelings concerning Edward Cullen. And the more he thought about some low life taking his grandchildren the madder he got, so with his anger building he came to a decision. One he knew he needed to take to be able to have peace of mind. So he placed a call to his ex-son-in-law.

"Edward, tell me where you are! I'm coming to Seattle, and I need to be the one to deal with the scumbag that took my grandchildren."

It was when he heard Edward start to say something that Charlie cut him off by saying, "I know all about your family. Just like your family ran a background check on Bella and her family, let's say that I did the same thing to all of you.

"I know what you and your family did in the past and what you are trying to accomplish now for which I applaud you for doing. And before you ask about my sources, I'll tell you this much; I do have some friends in the know that aren't quite law abiding as the average person is.

"So, cut the crap and tell me where you are because I'll be leaving here in about ten minutes and I'm coming to Seattle with a score to settle."

And with that said Charlie cut the connection, walked over to get his gun while leaving his badge behind and left. He drove to Seattle in his pickup leaving his police cruiser behind also.

XXXXXX

Edward turned to look at his family and told them about the phone call and the fact that Bella's father was on the way to Seattle to take a hand into dealing with the shit heads that they were dealing with at the moment.

Just as Edward had gotten through telling his family about Charlie's coming to join them his phone dinged with an incoming message. Edward opened his phone and saw the message was from Charlie. "Your family can handle anyone else that you wish but the leader is mine and mine alone. He had better be alive and waiting for me when I get there."

AN: Esme is angry with her son. Bella answers Charlie's question. Aro has managed to kill Irina without getting the answers that he wanted. Caius and Marcus are going to team up against Aro. Victoria had made her declaration about being a part of the action. And Edward has been told by an angry Charlie that James was to be left for him to deal with once he arrives in Seattle. What can happen next?

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