Is It Black Or Is It Noir?

Return Of The Matriarch

Everything was going along smoothly, the six had bonded into a strong working relationship and their friendships too blossomed. Bella was finished her PhD and now they were discussing her change and when it should be. They knew thanks to Alice it would be an easy transition for her, so it was just deciding when and where?

But until then it was business as usual and Bella was working in the office full time now, catching up with paperwork and clearing her and Peter's calendars for the next few weeks. Ashley could manage with Jasper's help while she was away. They thought to have a little holiday first and then she would be changed before they returned.

"Good Morning, Whitlock, Whitlock & McCarty Investigations. Bella speaking can I help you?" Bella answered the phone in her usual manner,

"What? Since when? It says Whitlock & Whitlock only here! Let me speak to my son" the voice on the other end says sounding confused.

"Your son Madam, who exactly is your son?" an equally confused Bella asks,

"Jasper Hale and now Emmett Cullen, obviously! Now let me speak to one of them right this minute" the woman demanded and in doing so put Bella's back up, she couldn't abide total rudeness for no apparent reason.

"I'm sorry Madam; there is no one by either of those names here. Can I help you with anything else?" Bella asked in a controlled but fake sweet voice, knowing now who she was speaking to,

"Let me speak to Jasper H..., Whitlock right now you stupid girl! Tell him it's his mother" Esme blasted and Bella did the only thing she could without losing her temper, she hung up.

"Jasper? Some rude woman claiming to be your mother just rang! I'm sorry but after she called me stupid, I hung up on her" Bella said apologetically as the phone started to ring again,

"No worries Bella, I'll handle this!" Ashley said with a devious smile.

"Good Morning, Whitlock, Whitlock & McCarty Investigations. Ashley Whitlock speaking can I help you?" she asked in a cool voice,

"Ashley? Is that you dear? It's your mother, I wanted to speak to Jasper, but your dim receptionist wouldn't put me through and then hung up on me!" comes the arrogant reply.

"Your not my mother and never were! My future sister-in-law is anything but dim Esme, I can assure you. Now what do you want with my husband?" she said scathingly, as Jasper raised an eyebrow at the husband part,

"I..., husband, future what ...? What in God's name is going on there? What have you done to my family?" Esme blustered.

"Me nothing! While you, on the other hand, abandoned them on a whim! Threw them out when it no longer suited your needs! Blamed me for that useless idiot's Death! Need I go on Esme? I repeat, what the fuck do you want?" Ashley said with so much hatred and loathing in her voice.

Esme Cullen was stunned, angered and confused. Was that what they thought? Why was Ashley so hostile? That wasn't what happened at all, was it?

The events since Alice left and just before Edward died started to fly through her mind and were not a pretty sight. Viewing them from someone else's point of view they were damning. Because yes at Edward's instigation it's true after Alice left, Jasper was thrown out of the family by Carlisle and she had said and done nothing to stop it!

Looking back on the aftermath of Edward's death, yes they both had treated Ashley very badly. She had done nothing and yet they held her directly responsible for his demise. Refusing to blame Alice when it seemed she was really at fault, instead of Ashley.

Finally just leaving Emmett and Rose to care for a newborn and hiding at Isle Esme, licking their wounds at the loss of one child. They had pushed aside three others to grieve for Edward, what kind of parents were they? But then they were not their parents at all, were they? Why on earth would Jasper help her now?