A/N Many thanks to my beta, Edwardsfirst kiss and prereader, Sazzledazzled for taking the time to look over my mistakes and helping me stay on the right path. And 2brown-eyes for my banner. I did tinker a bit after I was given the edits, so all mistakes are mine.

Thank you guys for reading and supporting me. I owe hugs to all of you for the reviews and words of encouragement. I truly appreciate every one of you.

SM. Owns Twilight, but this little Devil is mine.

THE DEVIL'S PLAN

Chapter 41

All eyes were focused on Edward as Jasper's statement settled over the group. Edward had been holding on by a thread throughout the conversation, they were sure that hearing Satan's true plan for Bella would snap his hold completely. They were left waiting to see which way they would have to jump depending on which person spoke next.

"That can't be allowed to happen."

Jasper, Emmett and Rose let out their collective breaths as they recognized that somehow Edward had remained in control.

"Agreed." Jasper concurred as Rose and Emmett both nodded in agreement.

"How do we stop him?" Edward's voice was calm and even but the white of his knuckles conveyed just how close he was to losing all control.

Once again, Jasper took the initiative and explained how the prophecy that he helped to uncover worked and what roles Satan needed Edward and Bella to play.

"So, if this Aro guy hadn't fucked around with the words, Edward would be…Gone?" Emmett asked as his face took on a green tinge.

"Essentially, yes. Due to the prophet's interference, Edward's soul is still 'alive'. He's still inside and able to exert control over his body, effectively putting Satan to sleep. Otherwise…"

"Otherwise?" Emmett demanded.

"We wouldn't be having this conversation." Rose offered.

"Exactly." Jasper agreed.

"Do you mean that you two wouldn't be helping us?" Emmett looked at Rose in confusion. She opened her mouth to speak but instead stayed silent and looked to Jasper.

"I'm afraid not," Jasper admitted. "Rose and I cannot defeat him alone. Without Edward's interference and control, there would be little to no hope to change anything. I realize that you must hate us for that. But please try to understand the position we're in. We've been sentenced to Hell, regardless of what happens here, our sentence still stands."

Emmett turned to Rose, "Even if we win, you'll go back to Hell?" Rose shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to think about what her ultimate fate might be.

"That's fucked up." Emmett looked at Rose with concern. He silently tugged her closer until she was sitting on his lap. Rose tucked her head into his muscular neck as Emmett put his arms around her. Whatever earlier anger he'd displayed at her perceived dishonesty was now replaced with the worry that even if they were victorious, he might not get to keep her.

"It is." Jasper replied quietly. His own eyes had a faraway look in them as he thought about the human he could be leaving behind.

"What exactly has to happen to end this? How do I save Bella?" Edward's voice wavered slightly causing alarm to the others in the room. "I'm okay," he replied. "But honestly with everything…I don't know how much longer I have."

"Satan's goal must be achieved by the Vernal equinox." Jasper stated quickly.

"The vernal equinox? Why?"

"Because it's four weeks before the rising. Satan's son will gestate for only four weeks." Edward's head spun at Rose's explanation. The thought of that 'thing' inside his Bella was loosening his grip.

"What the hell is the risi-"

"The resurrection." Edward answered his brother, somberly. "Right?" He said, looking at Jasper.

Jasper nodded solemnly. "Correct."

"Why? What will that do?" Emmett asked. Jasper looked at the group before him. He knew that the words he was about to utter would and should, terrify them. He only hoped that they would still be able to function afterwards. Though, he wouldn't have blamed them for that reaction, he knew they were literally humanity's last chance.

"If Satan's child is born before the rising of God's son, he will essentially erase him from history. There would be no resurrection."

After Edward left, Bella and her father ate a small meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Charlie was limited as a cook, but as a single father he made sure he was capable of making a few meals. When he saw the dark circles under Bella's eyes and the despondent look on her face, he leapt into action and made her favorite comfort foods.

"Bella, please eat." Charlie set his own sandwich down to monitor his daughter.

Without lifting her head, Bella tore off a small corner of her sandwich, forcing herself to swallow the crust of bread before pushing the plate away.

"Bel-"

"Leave me alone. I'm not hungry!" Charlie's mouth opened to immediately remind his child to not speak to him like that. But the look on her face tore at his heart and quieted his anger.

"Honey, what's wrong? Please talk to me. I don't know how to help you if you won't tell me what's wrong." Bella lifted her head, affixing her father with a cold stare.

"I have been telling you what's wrong, but you refuse to believe me." Charlie was momentarily taken aback by the coldness reflected in his daughter's voice and eyes. But his parental need to protect his daughter at all costs quickly overrode his surprise.

"You mean all of that nonsense about the Devil? You're damn right I don't believe it, it's ridiculous and I refuse to allow you to keep entertaining such nonsense. I thought you'd moved on after you spoke to Esme."

"You thought I moved on? Are you serious? I showed you mom's journal. I told you I heard Grandma Swan's warning at Halloween. I went to the church and read what Father Ignatius's journal said about our family. I have the dreams th-"

"Enough!" Charlie exploded. "I will not have you entertain such absolute garbage. This insanity has to stop! Look at you," his tone calmed after looking into the desperation that seemed to radiate from his daughter's eyes. His child was on the edge and he was at his wits end on how to pull her back. "Honey, you're harming yourself with these ridiculous thoughts. You don't eat, you look like you haven't slept in days. I thought you had moved on from this shit, but over the last week you've gotten worse. What's changed?"

"Changed? The only thing that has changed has been that I've finally found someone who believes me when my own father refuses to even listen to me."

"So, it's that boy. He's been filling your head with this crap. Well, I can put a stop to that-"Bella's wild laughter stopped Charlie in mid-sentence.

"You're going to put a stop to what?" She laughed. "Edward isn't causing the nightmares. He's not the one that has been killing off our ancestors for centuries. He's not the one that's coming for me-"

"No one has been 'killing off' anyone. And no one is out to get you. Bad luck follows us. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"'Bad luck'? Do you even know the extent of our so-called 'bad luck'?"

Before allowing him to answer, Bella started retelling the family history. "What about the fact that both families have the same last name? The Black-Swan and White-Swan line ends with me. You don't think that fact points to something nefarious?"

Charlie, sighed and rubbed a shaky hand across his face. When Renee had started insisting that there was a dark force at fault for the tragedy that had befallen their two families, he had no idea how deep her feelings were or how desperate she was. Charlie Swan was a strong man, but he wasn't too strong to admit that watching the same emotions flit across his daughter's eyes and hearing the same nonsense come out of her mother's mouth all those years ago, wasn't scaring the absolute shit out of him.

"Bella, that's a coincidence. I always thought it was fate that our names' meanings were the same. But it means nothing-"

"Mom's paternal grandmother died from an asp viper bite! Her grandfather died in the battle of Britain."

"Sweetheart, lots of people died in the war. That's not-"

"-Did you know that both of mom's grandmothers and her mother were pregnant when they were murdered?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "What? Where did you, how did you…?"

Bella pushed on. "Did you know mom was pregnant when she died?"

Charlie's face lost all color. "What the hell are you talking about? Your mother was not pregnant when she left us."

Bella shook her head. "Dad, in her journal, you saw what she wrote. She promised to save her children."

"Bella, your mom wasn't in her right mind…I would have known." Charlie felt his whole body lean forward as the soup and sandwich he'd eaten churned and bubbled in his gut as pieces of memories flashed in his head. He remembered that Renee had become obsessed with her family history, babbling about a curse and demanding that Bella be baptized. He reached back and recalled that for weeks leading up to her disappearance his wife had pushed him away whenever he tried to be affectionate. Her sleeping patterns were off and she was moody and irritable, but he'd attributed it to her being angry with him for not believing her theories. They hadn't been intimate for two months before she left. "I would have known." He repeated softly to himself.

"Dad, I think she told Father Ignatius about the baby." Charlie's red rimmed eyes met his daughter's. "In his journal, he vowed to protect mom and her children from the Devil."

~~~TDP~~~

"We need a plan." Edward's calm and concise statement surprised everyone.

"A plan? Didn't you just hear him," Emmett screeched, pointing at Jasper. "We're fucked! Game over!" Rose snuggled her head into Emmett's neck, attempting to console him. Edward looked at his brother's tear-stained face and watched the big man's shoulder's shudder with his sobs. Edward breathed out a long sigh and turned away from Emmett.

"How do we stop him?" Again, his voice was remarkably calm for the current situation. Jasper opened and then shut his mouth, weighing his words carefully lest the Devil decide to make a rapid reappearance.

"Jasper, tell me."

"Honestly, I'm not sure." The deposed demi-god admitted.

"Fucked! We're all fucked!"

"Emmett, calm down. Throwing a tantrum isn't going to help matters."

"Calm down? Are you shitting me? We were just told that the end of the fucking world hinges on us stopping your girl from fucking and bearing the Devil's child and she thinks he's you! How in the goddamned world can I be calm?"

Rose and Jasper shared a quick glance, both visibly worried. They were all playing a dangerous game. If Edward lost his hold, Satan would reappear in an instant.

"Emmett, baby, look at me." Rose guided Emmett's chin towards her so he could look into his eyes. "I know you're scared, I know you feel as if everything is hopeless. But I need you to listen to me. If I didn't think there was a chance of stopping him, I wouldn't be here with you," Emmett lifted his eyes to hers. "I know it's a horrible thing to say, but if I didn't think there was a way to save humanity, to save you. I would still be on Satan's side, protecting my own skin. Please don't give up. Do it for me." Their foreheads touched gently as they held onto each other.

"She's right. Neither of us would be here if we didn't believe there was a way to stop him."

"You keep saying that, so you must already have an idea of what can be done. Time for coddling is over. I need to know everything and I need to know now!" Edward's raised demand jolted Jasper out of his daze.

"The prophecy states that the Vessel must give herself to Satan of her own free will. Or his seed will not grow."

"Vessel? Seed? What does that all mean?" Emmett asked.

"It means that he can't force Bella to have sex with him. She has to do it without coercion or force."

Emmett absorbed his brother's words for a moment before moving Rose off his lap and standing up to face Edward and Jasper.

"Oh, so that's it. The whole plan hinges on stopping a scared, confused teen girl from losing her V-card to the only person who supports and believes in her, her boyfriend." Emmett huffed.

"Yes, that's it exactly." Jasper agreed, pleased that Emmett seemed to be done with his tantrum.

"'That's it'? Do you people not have porn in Hell? Jesus, that's basically the recipe for every teen girl to give up her virginity!" Emmett snorted and threw his hands up.

"But surely she is not thinking about her sexual needs at a time like this?" Jasper sputtered as Emmett laughed.

"We're talking about the end of mankind but with Rose sitting on my lap, I still thought about sex at least twice."

"That's ridiculous!" Jasper exclaimed, throwing up his hands in disbelief.

"Really, Mr. Fertility God? Tell me what you did the minute you landed here and had control over your own life again." Jasper's mouth opened and closed at Emmett's taunt before looking at Rose. Her wide-eyed guilty response was missed by Emmett but not by Edward. Though, he vowed never to address it.

"Um, ahh…" Jasper stuttered, looking just as guilty as Rose did.

"Exactly, you fucked the first woman you came across. It's human nature. And although Bella has a lot of shit going on right now, I know she's hot for my brother and given even a little push she'll jump." Emmett clapped his hands as if he'd just solved all of their problems rather than making things appear a lot more hopeless.

The group once again fell into silence as each one of them took in Emmett's words.

Rose had been a goddess of love. She knew exactly how humans viewed sex. She'd used it against her own attendants, she'd given sex out as a reward to her most devout followers, she'd had mothers and fathers offer themselves to her if she would spare their child from sickness or death. She knew Emmett was right. Bella was only human.

Jasper sat heavily on the bed. How had he missed that piece of human nature? He'd experienced it several times while in this plane. His confidence was shaken.

"If it hinges on her wanting to have sex with him…me, then I have to make sure she doesn't want to."

"And just how do you plan on doing that, little brother?"

"I-we, have to figure out how I can stay in control for a longer time and more often. I'll have to undo everything he's done. I have to get her to believe me and not him." Edward's plan sounded simple enough, but he was at a loss as to how to get it done.

"Edward, you have been present for nearly two hours, how are you doing it?" Jasper's question seemed simple enough to answer. However, in reality, it was far more complicated than they could comprehend. The very fact that he was able to displace his dark roommate was in itself somewhat of a miracle.

"I don't know. I don't feel as if I'm doing anything different."

"But you must be. You've never been able to hold on for this long before." All eyes were on Edward as he pondered his current emotional state.

"What are your emotions right now?" Rose asked. Edward closed his eyes for a moment, tuning everyone out as he attempted to empty his mind of everything but his emotions.

"Anger, disgust, hopelessness, fear…" His response faltered as he took several deep breaths. " But, I also feel love. I can't explain it, but knowing that Emmett forgives me and that Bella loves me so much, that settings she's overlooked all of the terrible things I must have said and done as the Devil, and the things I've done myself, gives me strength. And the love I feel for her makes me want to do all I can do to save her. Save everyone."

"Perhaps that's the key?" Jasper uttered quietly. "We use love to fight him. I mean, it's basically the antidote to everything that he stands for. Unconditional love."

"Unconditional love." Edward repeated. "Could it really be that simple?"

"Maybe." Jasper answered with a shrug.

"Okay, how do we get Ed's batteries all charged up on love?" Leave it to Emmett to break things down into the simplest terms..

"Hmmm, you feel love towards you brother right?" Edward nodded.

"I never stopped loving him."

"Even when I was being such an ass towards you?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett, I deserved all of your ire-"

"Stop; you didn't. And I know that now." The brothers shared a glance and a slight head nod.

"I think we just have to get you to experience those types of emotions so you can use it to keep your power."

"How?" Edward asked, slumping back down to his seat.

"I've got it!" Emmett exclaimed, before striding over to the door and sticking his head out."

"Kodi! C'mere buddy!" He added a whistle and another call as the group heard the unmistakable clomps of the Cullen pet coming up the stairs.

"Hey, buddy, how are ya doing?" Emmett walked out into the hallway to greet the happy puppy. "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are." Edward smiled as he heard his brother play with Kodi. "C'mon, don't you wanna see Edward?" Emmett opened the door wider, Kodi bounced in with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He followed Emmett with no reluctance, until he saw who else was in the room. Instantly, he stopped and crouched low, emitting a growl in Edward's direction.

"It won't work Emmett. He thinks I'm him." Edward's shoulders instantly drooped at his puppy's rejection.

"Give him a minute. Call him." Emmett said. "I'm sure he can hear the change in your voice just like we can."

"Kodi Bear, come here, buddy." Kodi barked and backed up against Emmett's legs.

"Keep going." Emmett encouraged. Edward slid down from the bed to the floor. He spread his legs and once again called his puppy.

Kodi stopped barking, cocked his head and wiggled his ears at Edward. "Come here boy. It's me, Kodi. I promise." Edward patted the floor between his legs. "Please, Kodi." Suddenly, Kodi's eyes lit up and then he launched himself towards his boy.

"See? I told you it would work." Emmett beamed as his puppy and brother were reunited in a flurry of fluffy puppy licks and ear scratching. The exhilaration at being reunited shone on both Edward and Kodi's faces.

"I'm sorry I've been...gone." Kodi cocked his ears at Edward's admission for a second before licking his cheek.

"I think he forgives you." Emmett whispered, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Edward, how do you feel?"

"I feel stronger." Edward looked up at Jasper in surprise.

"I don't know exactly how these feelings will help in our war, but at least it's a tool in our arsenal." Jasper, ever the strategist was already running down scenarios in his head for the battle to come.

"I need more." Edward exclaimed, standing up from the floor. "Where's mom?" he asked, brushing the Kodi hair from his jeans.

"Uh, dude, do you think that's a good idea? You've-he's been pretty brutal to her. If you deviled out on her, I don't think she could handle it." Emmett wanted to help his brother lose the horned devil on his back more than anything, but he would not take a chance with his mother.

"I know," Edward said solemnly. "I need to begin making up for him and I...I really need a hug from my mom." Emmett nodded. He understood the healing power his mother's hugs provided.

"Okay, but if you start to lose it…"

"I won't." Edward promised.

With Kodi in tow, the group made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Esme was standing at the counter with an open cookbook. She was contemplating on whether she should even put in the effort to make dinner. Emmett rarely stayed home long enough to eat and Edward ate whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, giving no consideration to the fact that she might want to share a meal with him. And who knew if Carlisle would make it home tonight? Esme sighed and took a drink from her ever present wine glass.

Edward watched his mother from across the room. The sadness weighing on her was so heavy that her shoulders drooped with the weight. Emmett's earlier words about him 'deviling out', came back to him.

"Um, maybe I shouldn't talk-" Kodi interrupted his thought with a happy bark as he toddled into the room. Esme turned from the counter at his greeting.

"Hey, buddy where have you-Edward…" Esme forced a smile onto her face. "Are you hungry? I was just about to start dinner." Esme hurriedly returned to perusing the cookbook. All Edward ever wanted from her lately was food.

Edward's shoulders dropped at the cool look in his mother's eyes. He didn't know what the Devil had said or done to his mother, but he knew that she was hurting because of it and he was to blame.

He felt a not-so gentle push on his back. "Go." Emmett urged.

Edward let out a deep breath, stood tall and called out to his mom. "Mom, can you make tacos?"

Esme looked at her son. "You want me to make you tacos?" She couldn't keep the surprise from her voice.

"I'll help." Edward offered, walking into the kitchen and heading for the large stainless steel refrigerator. He opened the door and grabbed the lettuce tomato and cheese. "I'll take care of this if you-"

"I'll cut the onions." Emmett announced heading over to the sink to wash his hands. Esme stood stunned at the sink as her boys proceeded to get out cutting boards and knives before setting out on their self-assigned tasks. "Well, I guess that leaves the hamburger and the tortillas for me."

Jasper and Rose stood back as the Cullen's worked. They weren't sure what to do.

"Hey, you two can set the table." Emmett pointed towards the stack of plates and silverware basket on the island counter before him. Jasper and Rose quickly moved to do as they were bid, taking the plates and basket into the dining room, leaving the Cullens alone.

As Edward chopped tomatoes, he kept glancing at his mom. She wore a smile on her face as she prepared the taco meat and corn tortillas. On impulse, he put his knife down and quickly moved to put his arms around his mom, hugging her from behind as he wasn't sure he could keep his composure if he had to look in her eyes.

Esme; startled at the surprising but welcomed affection. She put her spoon down and patted her son's hands. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"No."Edward choked out.

Alarmed, Esme tried to turn to face him, but Edward held her still. "Mom," he murmured into her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I've been...out of sorts these past few months and I know I must have said and done things that weren't...nice. But I love you and no matter what I say or do, don't ever forget that." Esme could feel her son tremble at her back as her own tears escaped her eyes.

Esme, was at a loss as how to comfort her obviously distressed son. "Honey, it's going to be okay." She patted his arm, doing whatever she could to allay his fears. "I'm your mother, there's nothing you could say or do that will change that." Edward collapsed a little more onto Esme's back.

"Thank you." He sobbed, knowing that there was indeed something he had already done that could lose her forever, and he'd unwittingly already set it loose on Earth. But he was going to fight until the last breath left his body to fix things.

Esme couldn't take it anymore. She forced his arms from her waist so she could turn and look at him. What she saw nearly broke her. Her baby's beautiful green eyes were glistening with unshed tears and his handsome face that no longer bore the soft features of her little boy but rather the hard angles and masculine shape of a young man did nothing to hide the anguish he was feeling.

"Sweetheart, it's going to be okay. " She promised, gathering her six-foot-two son to her five-foot-five frame and held him tightly. She rocked him and whispered how much she loved him.

"Mom..." Esme looked up to see her other baby watching them with tears in his own eyes.

"Come here." She beckoned. Emmett joined his mother and brother, wrapping his arms around both of them. Kodi whimpered and pushed in close to his mom's legs, wanting to be included in the family hug.

Esme hugged her boys. She hugged the babies she'd birthed, the young men they'd become and she hoped that the assurance of her undying love, would carry them into the men that they would soon become.

The taco meat sizzled and snapped on the stove. "Oh my, dinner is burning." Esme exclaimed, pulling away from her boys. She turned the meat down and wiped her eyes on the nearby hand towel. "If you guys are ready, we can eat."

Emmett and Edward each wiped their own tears and finished their chopping. The Cullens were joined by the Hales and for a brief time, all seemed right with Esme's world. Her son's were once again acting like brothers. Although there wasn't a lot of laughing or revelry going on around the table, she was pleased with the amount of companionable conversation taking place. Even the Hale twins were grating less on her nerves than usual.

"Mom, I think I'm going to take Kodi out for a walk after dinner." Edward announced, slipping the thrilled puppy a morsel of cheese under the table.

"I think he would love that, sweetheart." Esme replied, taking a sip of her water.

"I'll go with you." Emmett announced.

"I think it would be a good idea if we all went." Jasper interjected.

"Yes." Rose agreed, glancing at Jasper.

At this point Esme didn't care what the peculiar Hale twins were doing with their glances, as long as her boys were getting along.

"I think that's fin-"

"What do we have here? A family dinner and no one thought to invite me?" The smile that had been affixed to Esme's face since they'd all sat down disappeared at her husband's harsh words.

"Carlisle, you haven't been home before ten for almost two months." Carlisle's eyes blazed as he looked at his wife.

"And your point is?"

Esme sighed and closed her eyes briefly. "Carlisle, please sit down. I'll warm the meat and tortillas." Esme got up and left for the kitchen.

Carlisle sat down and watched his wife disappear through the door before turning his eyes to the others around his table. "Jasper, Rose don't you two have a home? You're always here."

"Dad, Rose is my girlfriend." Emmett warned his father.

"Yes, I'm well aware that she has attached herself to you." Emmett opened up his mouth to protest Carlisle's description of his and Rose's relationship. "But her brother? Why is he here?" Carlisle asked, looking around at everyone for an explanation. When his eyes landed on his youngest son, his demeanor took a dark turn. "Oh and look who decided to join the family tonight; the boy who couldn't keep it in his pants."

"Carlisle!" Esme exclaimed, upon entering the dining room with the warm food.. "That was uncalled for! You owe our son an apology."

"You know what's uncalled for?" He asked no one in particular. "I'll tell you what is uncalled for, getting a call today from the kid that you mentored, letting you know that he now has the job that you worked your whole fucking career for but lost because your sixteen-year old son couldn't keep himself from fucking your boss's wife! That my lovely wife, is un-fucking called for!" Carlisle slammed his fists on the table in frustration, causing everyone to jump in surprise.

"I understand that you're upset but you've got to stop blaming Edward. He's been through enough." Esme's eyes narrowed at her husband in warning.

Jasper watched Edward from across the table. Carlisle's emotions and cruel words were going to destroy everything they'd achieved this afternoon. He only hoped that Edward could hold on, but if his balled up fists and reddening face were any indication, Satan was starting to knock on the door.

Carlisle ignored his wife's warning. "He's been through enough? How about the rest of us? Let's take a family vote. Emmett, do you think that Edward has been through 'enough'" Carlisle looked at Emmett in anticipation of his son backing him up.

Emmett licked his lips and shook his head. "Actually dad, I think he has been through enough." Emmett raised his eyes to meet his father. "And I think mom is right, you owe him an apology." Edward's body relaxed slightly, but his fists remained tightly clenched.

"An apology? For what? For cleaning up his mess and sacrificing my career, everything I've worked for. Why would I apologize for that?"

"Apologize for not being there for him!" Emmett demanded, pushing away from the table with such force that his chair fell to the floor. "Apologize for caring more about your goddamn career than you do about your son. We ignored him, we weren't there for him and she was! She took advantage of a lonely kid and we were so caught up in our own lives to notice that he was drowning! You need to stop blaming him for Marcus's pettiness and for not being strong enough to stand up to the hospital board and demand that they give you the job that you deserved when he wouldn't. Instead you gave up and now you blame everyone but yourself." Emmett's big chest moved rapidly as he took in deep breaths, attempting to not reach out and punch his father. "What happened is as much our fault as it was Edward's."

"You sit your ass back down and don't ever speak to me like that again!"

"What are you going to do about it?" Emmett leaned forward onto the table.

Carlisle pushed away from the table, his fists clenched at his oldest son's challenge.

"Emmett, Carlisle, sit down. We can figure this out without fighting. Please. " Esme begged, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"Stop!" Edward's voice rang out loudly throughout the room, taking everyone by surprise. Rose looked worriedly at Jasper. What would they do if Satan decided to appear now?

"Edward, man, you okay?" Emmett's voice lost a bit of its edge as he assessed who was speaking.

"It's me." Edward assured him, while Esme and Carlisle looked on in confusion.

Edward turned his head towards his bewildered father. "Stop yelling at mom and Emmett. You're angry at me. I get that, but what Emmett said was also true." Carlisle's eyes flared at his accusation.

"You don't know what you're talking about. We gave you everything you cou-"

"You gave me everything but your time and attention." Edward paused as he thought about the conversation he'd had with Bella all those months ago. "You never went to one of my golf tournaments."

"Golf tournaments? Please! Don't you blame what you did on-"

"How many of Emmett's games did you miss?" Edward asked. "One, two maybe three his entire high school career?"

"Emmett's games were at night. Yours were during the day. I couldn't just leave work to-"

"You couldn't change a shift to make one? Yet, you had every Friday night off since I was 12 years-old to attend his football games."

"You listen to me, young man. You've been given a very easy life. Nice house, the best education, a car when you turned 16, there are plenty of things we've given you. Don't you dare-"

" I dare, dad! I dared to want your attention. I dared to crave your understanding and for just a minute, your love! Yes, I fucked up! Tanya gave me attention. Do you know that she came to my tournaments before we even started the affair? Esme gasped. She had no idea how early Tanya had begun chasing her son.

"Tanya said that someone should be there rooting for me. And I drank in every moment of her attention because I wasn't getting yours!" Edward slumped into his seat with his head down. He'd just admitted to his parents the truth that he'd only accepted after he'd begun his sessions with Felix. Guilt and blame had gotten him into this predicament. He didn't know how or if he'd be able to foil the Devil, but he was done with being an afterthought in his family.

"Edward, I had no idea we'd done-"

"Mom," Edward held up his hand and interrupted his mother. " I'm not mad anymore. And I don't want you to feel badly, but I'm not going to sit in silence anymore and pretend that everything was fine and I was the only one who fucked everything up. I know what I did, and I will forever be sorry for what I did and the people I hurt, but I'm going to move forward, and I think you should too." The room fell silent. Esme got up from her chair and pulled her youngest son into a firm hug. Her tears fell onto his shirt as she apologized to her son. "Mom, it's okay." He said quietly, patting her back gently. Esme pulled back and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling him down to kiss his forehead.

"I love you so much and there is nothing you could ever do to change that." Edward soaked up his mother's promise, wondering if her love would hold if he wasn't able to stop the horror he'd unwittingly set in motion.

"Carlisle, don't you have something to say to Edward?" Esme urged. Carlisle looked at his wife; he tightened his lips and took in a ragged breath. Esme watched him, fearing that he would not be strong enough to be honest with himself or their son.

"Edward, I…" Carlisle started and then fell silent, watching his wife embracing their son. Edward pulled away from his mother and met his father's eyes. Father and son stared at each other, blue eyes meeting green. One set of eyes so overcome with guilt, they could barely hold the other man's gaze, and the other set stared calmly, waiting for his father to finally forgive him.

"I'll be in my office." Carlisle announced, breaking eye contact with his son and rushing out of the room.

"Stubborn fool." Esme muttered under her breath. "Edward, he'll come around. He loves yo-"

"It's okay."' Edward brushed off his month's statement. As much as he needed his father's forgiveness and understanding, he had bigger problems to attend to.

"No, it's not. But hopefully it will be soon." Esme said, smoothing the hair that had fallen across Edward's forehead. "It will be soon. " She repeated.

Edward blinked hard and staggered a step back from his mother. "Edward, are you-"

"No, no it's okay," he replied holding out a hand to halt her forward movement. "I'm okay; it's just been a long day." He looked pointedly at Emmett.

"Yeah, um, I have a bunch of homework to get to." Emmett said quickly. From the look Edward was shooting him, they needed to get him out of there as soon as possible. "Mom, if you leave the dishes, I'll get to them-"

"Don't worry about the dishes. I'm actually looking forward to cleaning up from a family meal. You two go ahead. You can do your homework and Edward can lie down…"Esme could only watch as her sons and the Hale's were already moving toward the stairs. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me," she said to Kodi. "Tonight wasn't perfect, but I got a hug from my boy. I feel like celebrating, how about a little cheese in your food bowl?" Kodi thumped his tail excitedly and followed his mom into the kitchen.

"You okay, bro?" Emmett asked, as the group entered Edward's room. Edward dropped heavily onto the bed. His eyes looked distant and his normally pale exterior and taken on a tint of yellow. The night's events weighed heavily on the boy. His chest moved in short bursts as if he were struggling to breath.

"No, I'm not. Everything is crashing in...I feel him. I'm losing… What the fuck are you people doing in here?"

What do you think? Do they have a chance?

I hope you and yours are all healthy and safe. I would apologize again for the the long delay in updates and tell you that it won't happen again, but I can't lie to you. With everything going on right now, I'm finding myself absolutely spent at the end of the day. And have very little energy to do anything once I leave work and navigate through all of the protocols necessary just to get home safely. I swear, I'm getting anxiety whenever it's time to leave the house for the grocery store.

My heart and gratitude goes out to all of you working in the service and medical fields. You really are our country's backbone. Hopefully, if We all do what is necessary now, the sacrifice our nurses, doctors, grocery store clerks/stockers, waste management workers, truckers and everyone else who still get up every morning and goes out there to make our lives as normal as possible, will not be forgotten.

Stay home. Stay safe. Stop the spread.

Until next time,

ruinedbyrob