CHAPTER THIRTY

After the greeting from his mother that Edward thought he would never experience again, he helped her back to her chair but not before noticing that she couldn't take her eyes off the girl who had accompanied him into the conservatory. Esme then gave her son a searching look and he could tell that she wanted an explanation.

Edward introduced Bella to his mother as his fiancee, and after they had hugged and kissed they sat for a while talking and holding hands. Edward told her how they had met, how much they loved each other and that they were planning to get married very soon. He also introduced Alice, who said hello briefly but then disappeared with Jasper eager to make up for lost time. They were out the door before Edward had the chance to thank Jasper for what he had done for him, and they weren't planning to return to the beach house as they were heading straight back to Seattle to look after Molly, and to have some time to themselves!

Edward could tell that his mother was finding it difficult to take in all the new information at once which concerned him, and after a while he left his mother and Bella on their own while Bella was telling her about her parents.

Edward wanted to speak to his father in private and found him in Anthony's study going through paperwork, so he tapped on the open door and went in.

"Hello, Edward. Come in," he said. "I'm just going through Anthony's desk to make sure all the legal stuff has been dealt with."

"Can we talk, Dad," Edward replied and walked towards the glass doors that led onto the deck that surrounded the house. It was late evening by now and the autumn light was fading quickly, but even though the temperature had dropped considerably, he didn't feel the cold any more. Carlisle followed him outside and they sat on canvas chairs for a moment in silence and watched the sea change color as the sun disappeared below the horizon behind them.

Even though Edward was ecstatically happy that his parents had become vampires, he was upset that he had been kept in the dark about their transformations. He wanted to know the sequence of events after Anthony's funeral, which was when he last saw his father. Carlisle had been in excruciating pain during the ceremony, because he had purposely not taken his recommended dose of palliative drugs because they made him sleepy. He had been determined to take a full part in the celebration of his brother's life and to see him off on his final journey. Even though he was in pain, he was mentally alert that day and was able to meet and greet all of Anthony's friends and colleagues who attended the funeral.

"Tell me what happened and why you changed your mind," Edward asked. He carried on staring out to sea as he couldn't look his father in the eye.

Carlisle could tell that his son was disgruntled, but he had no need to be. He had his reasons for not telling him of his intentions, so launched into his story without an apology.

"Just before Jasper left for New York, he told me that Alice was a patient in a mental hospital when she was changed by a nomad vampire, but that's as much as he knows. Alice has never spoken much to him about her life as a human and her transformation. Did you know that Edward?"

Edward shook his head. Neither Alice nor Jasper had told them how they had been changed, so this was news to him.

"Jasper asked me to consider a proposition while he was away in New York. He offered to change your mother, and if the transformation was successful, that is if she recovered enough to live a meaningful and comfortable life, then he would change me as well. If she remained in a vegetative state, then he would kill her as quickly and humanely as possible, or I would end your mother's life if she hadn't turned into a vampire and then commit suicide as I had originally planned. I had about a week to make up my mind while he was away."

"So mom was changed first?" Edward replied incredulously.

"Yes. When Jasper got back from New York, I had already arranged for her to be brought to the house from the nursing home. I told them I wanted her here and that I would arrange for private nurses to take care of her until she passed away. An ambulance collected her the day after Anthony's funeral and she arrived home not long after you left for the airport."

"Why didn't you tell me, Dad?" Edward was crushed that his father hadn't told him of his plan.

"I didn't want you to get your hopes up, Edward. Jasper didn't know whether it would work or not, so we agreed to keep what we planned to do to ourselves. Alice's brain had only been affected by drugs; she had not been suffering from a degenerative brain disease like your mother and so Jasper couldn't guarantee the outcome."

Edward shook his head but was starting to see the logic behind his father's decision.

"Jasper injected your mother with his venom that evening and I sat with her and watched her body writhing in pain. It was probably the worst day of my life and I begged Jasper to end her suffering there and then, but he said that she would come through it soon and to hang on. She woke less than thirty-six hours after she received the venom and recognized me straight away. She also asked for you, Edward, so I knew her brain had been repaired somewhat."

"What happened then?" Edward asked, astounded this was all going on behind his back. He suspected that Alice was probably aware of Jasper's plan, which was why she wasn't complaining that he had been away for such a long time. He realised then that all the signs were there for him to see and he should have guessed this was happening.

"Jasper looked after your mother while I underwent the transformation. Mine took a little longer; slightly more than forty-eight hours."

Edward reflected on what his father had told him and reluctantly accepted that he was right to keep this from him. When all this was happening, he was preparing for his own transformation and also supporting Bella as she temporarily cut her ties with work, family and friends. If he'd have known there was a possibility he would never see his parents again when he flew back after the funeral, he would have found it very difficult to leave. How his father managed to wave him off that morning without giving the game away he couldn't comprehend.

Edward asked another question that needed a frank response from his father.

"Is Mom okay? I mean, does she realize what she is?"

"No, she hasn't got a clue, Edward. We've told her that she's not allowed to eat food anymore, and as she was catheterized for years she's forgotten about normal bodily functions. She knows she can only have the red drink, which she thinks is what has made her better, but she doesn't know that it's animal blood. She accepts everything I tell her without question."

Carlisle turned towards Edward and took hold of his hands, gripping them tightly, and his voice wavered slightly as he spoke.

"Edward, she's not like you and me; even vampire venom cannot cure all ills. She knows who we are, she can read a book and hold a basic conversation, but she will never be able to hunt or use all her special abilities discreetly. It's only in the last few days she has started to converse with me, and not just answer questions with little more than a 'yes' or 'no'. Her recovery is going to be slow and I cannot predict at this moment how well she is going to be when she reaches her potential. I could never allow her to go out on her own, or even take her to the store, or the theater, as her actions are so unpredictable. In some respects she's like a child, but with some of the strengths and power of a vampire."

Edward had already guessed this as he could see that his mother was still fragile and had a degree of short term memory loss as she had asked Bella to repeat things she had just heard. Her future care would have to be planned carefully, and he was relieved that Bella had volunteered to move to Connecticut so he could be close by.

"So what are your plans, Dad. Are you going to stay here?"

"For the moment, yes we are. This house is isolated so is perfect for privacy. Jasper has arranged for the New York coven to supply us with animal blood so we don't have to hunt, and they've also agreed to supply us with everything else we need to live here on our own."

Edward realised he owed Jasper a huge debt of thanks for arranging this, especially as Jasper had been unaware of their plans to settle here and that Alice was preparing to follow them sooner rather than later.

Carlisle continued. "I want some more years with your mother, Edward. I want to tell her about you and everything that has happened over the last twenty years. I would like to get the boat out and take up sailing again, and depending on how she progresses, we could travel the world together and do all the things normal retired people do." He laughed when the thought came to him that he could probably win the Americas Cup single-handed, now that he was 'super-human.'

"That sounds great, Dad. Maybe Bella and I could come sailing with you one day."

Carlisle held out his hand again and Edward placed his hand in his and their fingers closed around each other's tightly.

"That would be good, son; really good," Carlisle replied.

Edward eventually got up and went back in the house leaving Carlisle on the deck and found Bella still talking to his mother. Bella was relating anecdotes about their time at school together and how she had asked him to be her date for the Senior Prom and what a disaster that had been. Esme laughed when Bella told her that Charlie had guessed they were having a kiss and a cuddle on the sofa, but didn't admit to it until years later.

Edward watched Bella chatting away to his mom, and reflected on the importance of that night ten years ago. That date had influenced their whole lives. If Bella hadn't plucked up the courage in the science lab to ask him to take her to the Prom all those years ago, they would never kissed, they would never have connected in the way they did, they wouldn't have fallen in love, and they wouldn't have become vampires. Now, on top of all that, he had his parents back when he thought he was going to lose them both. His crying days were over, but he could still sense a wave of emotion washing over him as he contemplated how lucky he'd been and how much he had to look forward to.

Life was going to be good; different and strange, but good.

After Edward had gone indoors, Carlisle looked out to sea and watched the night swallow the last remnants of light from the surface of the water. The first stars were appearing overhead and thin silver clouds were moving quickly across the sky from right to left, pushed along by the wind that was picking up strength and whipping the long grasses that bordered the edge of the beach. Looking at the view before him, he was strangely grateful for those few weeks he had spent living with the knowledge that he was terminally ill, as it had made him notice and appreciate the beauty of the Earth even more. Now, with his enhanced senses, he was seeing the magnificence of the world around him through an even sharper lens and it was astonishing.

He recalled telling Edward that all he wished for was one more day with his mother as she had been before she became ill, in exchange for the rest of his own days, and even though Esme was not fully cured he had been granted that wish and more. Now, if he wanted to, he could extend that gift for as long as he desired. His son had also found happiness with Bella, and he was content in the knowledge that they would have many centuries of love and happiness together.

His only regret was that Esme had not been able to watch her son grow into the man he had become, as he was immensely proud of Edward's achievements, his attitude to life and his honesty that shined through in his work and his personal life. He was confident that Edward would in time discover a treatment for dementia, now that he had the prospect of many decades or even centuries of research ahead of him.

He knew how lucky he was to get a reprieve from his death sentence, but he had already decided that vampire longevity wasn't for him and he wouldn't return home when he took the decision to sail away with Esme. He had told his brother that eternal life was wrong, and he would stand by that statement. He would see the wonders of the world with Esme from their boat, then they would leave it after a natural lifespan, and they would leave it together.

He recalled Aro's words as he left the house on the night they all thought they were going to die.

"Good fortune on your journey, Carlisle. You have raised an outstanding son."

Three score years and ten were enough for any man, well maybe four score years and ten, but anyway the journey Aro was alluding to was still many years away, and he would make the most of the time left to him.

He got up from the chair and took a last look at the sea for the night and went indoors, then into the room where Edward was sitting with Bella and Esme.

"Outstanding son," he said to Edward. "Do you fancy going sailing tomorrow?"

The End

I really hope you enjoyed this story and are happy how it has ended. Edward and Bella are together, forever, and Carlisle and Esme are reunited. Their story will carry on in the sequel, CSI Connecticut, completed in 2015.

The following may sound like someone accepting an Oscar, it's not meant to be but I just have to say ...

Thank you for staying with me to the end of this journey. I really love these characters which is why I'm continuing their story.

Thank you to everyone who has recommended this story on Robsessed and Fiction Sites like Rob Attack, IHOF, A Different Forest and The Lemonade Stand and numerous Facebook pages; you know who you are and you've helped spread the word about this crazy story - mwah mwah.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourite'd and followed (and corrected my errors), plus everyone who has guessed how the story would end - guess what, you were all correct! (Well most of you)! For a new writer it has given me such a buzz to get your responses and at my age a 'lady' needs as many buzzes as possible!

Thanks to everyone involved in Twilight, especially RP, I wouldn't have started writing without their inspiration.

Michaelmas54 xxx (aka Joan)

I'll shut up now and get on with the housework xx