Edward's grateful Jasper chose to say something, but he's more relieved for the soft words that come from Alice. The futures are back to normal. Their family and the long road the spins into eternity, where the details shift but the days, and their life, is concrete.

For once Edward's expression doesn't even twinge when his own becomes muddled and unclear with Alice's dual path for Bella.


His eyes shifted from Alice, at Jasper's shoulder, to Carlisle with what appeared like an easy shift. To focus his eyes were his thoughts both wouldn't and already had, reflexively from the moment the door opened.

To what Carlisle was, and was supposed to be, when the memory of what had been still rang so loudly.