ARO HAD GIVEN the Cullens permission to take Mayla back to their home which now resided in Cold Bay, Alaska with the Denali Coven. The Volturi leader had also given them tickets to and back from Alaska.

So, Mayla lay on the examination table in Carlisle's office with the ladder fussing over the dirty-blonde.

Esme walked into the room, a worried look painted across her face. "Carlisle, you haven't hunted in weeks. You need to feed."

Carlisle shook his head. "What if she wakes up?"

Esme sighed. "You know as much about her condition as the rest of us do. We can help her."

Carlisle sighed in defeat. "Come with me?" Esme nodded.

They stopped in the living room on their way out.

"Edward, can you—"

"Yes, I'll check on her every fifteen minutes. Yes, I know how to check the machines and write everything down," Edward interrupted Carlisle. The doctor nodded and he and Esme left.

A few minutes later, the Denalis showed up.

After they had said their hellos, Edward looked at Bella. "I'm going to check on Mayla." Bella nodded before Edward walked upstairs.

"Who's Mayla?" Carmen asked. Rosalie scowled. "She's a—"

"— dear friend of Carlisle's," Alice interrupted, giving Rosalie a pointed look.

"I was going to say problem, but I guess that works too," Rosalie said. Alice smiled triumphantly. Carmen nodded in understanding.

"How'd they meet?" Kate asked.

"They were engaged," Renesmee said, then continued, "when they were human." Rosalie leaned forward in her seat. "What?"

"Yeah. She had to leave though."

"Why?"

"That's for them to tell, not me," Renesmee said. Rosalie sighed and leaned back. "Fine."

Edward walked into the room and sat next to Bella.

"How is she?" Renesmee asked expectantly. Edward smiled softly. "The same." Renesmee sunk into Jacob's arms. "Okay."

The group sat and talked for hours — with Edward leaving to check on Mayla every now and again — until Carlisle and Esme had come back. After the couple had said hello, the group fell into their separate conversations once again.

"Hey, Carlisle, I have a question," Rosalie said.

"Yes?"

"Did Mayla love you when you were engaged?" Everyone stopped talking to stare at Carlisle and Rosalie.

"I'd assume so, yes," Carlisle said, a frown etched onto his features.

"Why did Mayla leave then?" Rosalie challenged. Carlisle sighed softly. "She was pregnant."

"But the two of you were engaged?" Rosalie frowned. "So, she basically cheated on you." Carlisle ran a hand through his hair. "No." He paused for a moment, glancing warily at Esme before he continued, "The child... was mine."

Esme looked down at her hands. She had always known Mayla and Carlisle had a close bond, but she never knew they were that close. And to add salt to the wound, they had something she had always wanted, a child together.

"And you let her go?" Rosalie asked. Carlisle nodded shamefully.

"And she came back and you still let her leave again." Rosalie frowned. Carlisle sighed. "I know. I shouldn't've let her go as I did." Esme's frown deepened and Rosalie nodded.

"Letting her go was a mistake," Carlisle said softly.

Esme stood up. "I'll be back."

She walked in the direction of her and Carlisle's room. Jasper followed the matriarch of the family. Esme sat on the bed in the room, her eyes filled with tears that would never fall. Jasper sighed softly before sitting next to the woman.

"He's not trying to hurt you," the blonde said softly. Esme smiled. "I know. Mayla explained the complicated relationship they have. I'm trying not to get too upset about the way he looks at her. Or talks about her." Esme sighed. "It's just hard." Jasper nodded. "He loves you though. Very deeply." Esme smiled sadly.

Alice walked in and sat next to Esme. "He looks at you as if you're the only thing that makes his life worth living. And when you're not around, and he talks about you, his eyes light up. You mean so much to him, Esme. I know it might be hard, but he loves you so, so much." Esme nodded. Alice stood up and she and Jasper walked to the door.

"Are you coming, or do you want to stay in here?" Alice asked. Esme smiled. "I'll be out in a few minutes." Alice nodded before the two walked back to the living room.

They passed Carlisle, who was on his way to see Esme. Alice smiled at the doctor who nodded his thanks.

He knocked on the door to their room before opening the door, walking in, and sitting next to Esme. Esme smiled at him before she leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Carlisle said softly. Esme smiled. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

The two sat there and talked for hours until someone knocked on their door.

"The Denalis are leaving," Rosalie said softly.

"Alright, thank you," Esme said. They heard Rosalie's footsteps fade after she had muttered a quick 'you're welcome'.

Carlisle and Esme walked to the living room and said their goodbyes. They walked back to their room and lay down on their bed. The two had talked for a while before Esme asked, "You love me, right?"

She wasn't doubting his love for her, she just wanted to hear him say it.

Carlisle was taken aback. "Of course I love you. Why would you ask that?" Esme smiled. "No reason." She leaned up and kissed Carlisle firmly before he flipped them to where he was hovering over her.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

      THE FOLLOWING DAY Carlisle stood from the bed. Esme rolled onto her stomach, her ankles crossed and hovering in the air.

"What're you doing?" Esme questioned softly. Carlisle opened the blinds, causing light to spill across Esme's face. She closed her eyes and placed her head in her hands, which rested on the mattress. Carlisle smiled softly. "Sorry, love." He sat on the bed next to the brunette and rubbed her back gently.

Esme laughed. She lifted her head and looked at Carlisle. Esme sat up and pushed her husband onto his back, climbing onto his lap, kissing him.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

      CARLISLE AND ESME emerged from their room days later. They sat on the couch and Emmett gave them a look.

"Have fun?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Rosalie rolled her eyes and smacked Emmett upside her head with her magazine.

"Ow!"

"You can't get hurt, Emmett," Rosalie said, re-opening her magazine.

Edward walked into the room with Bella and Renesmee following behind, the youngest holding a pen and clipboard. She sat down next to Esme and handed the clipboard and pen to the vampire.

Do you care if I ask some questions about Grandpa and Mayla?

Esme smiled and quickly wrote, no.

Renesmee nodded and looked at Carlisle. "I have a question." Carlisle nodded, and put his book to the side.

"If the baby was yours, why'd she still leave?"

Carlisle sighed and glanced at Esme. She smiled reassuringly. He took an unnecessarily deep breath. "It was 1656..."

"I love you," Mayla said softly. She smiled before she turned around. Carlisle stood in shock, watching her walk away.

When he could no longer see her, he moved again, turning around and running to her father's house. The wind tossed his pale hair out of place, the falling snow was hitting his face.

Carlisle stopped in front of the door. He knocked and waited impatiently until her mother opened the door, tears adorning her cheeks.

"May I talk to your husband?"

Mayla's mother nodded silently and widened the door for Carlisle to step into. Once he had, and the door was closed, he smiled sadly at her mother. "How are—"

"Carlisle," Adam's happy voice called. "What brings you here so suddenly?"

Carlisle looked over at Mayla's father. "Why did you make Mayla leave?"

Adam's smile faded. "That's none of your concern. She's my daughter, not yours."

"She's my fiancée," Carlisle retorted, then paused. "Please."

Adam shrugged nonchalantly. "Infidelity. She's with child."

Carlisle took a deep breath to calm himself. "I would have helped to raise the child."

"But the beast belongs to another man."

"The child is mine," Carlisle said. He sighed and looked to Mayla's mother. "I wish you the best, Caroline."

The woman nodded before Carlisle walked out of the house. 

"That day," Carlisle said, "I noticed just how many of the features I loved about Mayla she shared with her mother. And how little she looked like her father.

"I looked for hours that day, but I never found her. I searched for months. Almost a year, but she never showed up."

Renesmee smiled softly. "She didn't want to leave you know." Carlisle smiled. "I know."

Rosalie sat up. "How do you know the child was yours?"

Alice sighed. "Really, Rose?"

Rosalie shrugged. "It's a valid question."

"Mayla's not that type of person," Carlisle said. Rosalie scowled. "And how do you know?"

"She wouldn't sleep with someone she's not engaged or married to."

"She wasn't engaged to you two months ago," Rosalie said, turning the page of the magazine in her hand.

"Rosalie," Esme warned. Rosalie shrugged and continued to flip through her magazine. "It's true."

Alice shook her head. "Mayla had reason to."

"Mhm."

"I'm going to go check on Mayla. I'll be back in a few minutes." Carlisle gave Esme a chaste kiss before he left for his office.

He did a quick check-up on Mayla before he grabbed a book and walked to the living room.

He sat down on the couch and Esme sat on his lap with her own book.

Their entire family sat in the room and did their things until they heard shuffling from upstairs.

"Carlisle?"