Carlisle's Diary

Killing an Immortal

Dear Diary:                                                                    April 16, 2014

          Say what? I wasn't sure I had heard clearly. I know I wasn't the only one standing around with my lower jaw on the front lawn. It was two days after the wedding and we were all gathered there discussing what Rogue had told us that night. When my racing thoughts, stopped....well, racing, I.....we stared at Rogue. I know I for one was thinking as to how one would go about killing an immortal?

"You can't.....or rather while they're still immortal." Rogue answered my thoughts.

"Wha....how.....why?" I stuttered.

          At that moment, John and Maria came to stand next to Rogue; it was obvious that their minds were still in turmoil and it was hard for them to speak which is why our resident madam of the cryptic talk was explaining or her version of it. Why? Why would John and Maria die?

"Because it's our choice and we want to." Maria said softly to our total shock.

"You want to? But why?" Jacob asked. John rubbed both hands on his face before answering.

"Because it's our time. Michelle knew that someday it would happen. We certainly weren't going to do it at her wedding. But had agreed and decided upon them returning from their honeymoon."

"You're saying Michelle actually knew that you wanted to die?" Nessie all but whispered as she clung to Bella.

"I'm sorry....John.....Maria.....we don't understand." I said. Rogue spoke up again upon reading Maria's mind. This wasn't an easy thing to talk about.

"Yes she knew. Here's the run down: John and Maria were chosen late in life to be Watchers and 500 years after the fact, immortality isn't wanted anymore. Not everyone can deal with eternity. It's a long time though it passes quickly, even when you're surrounded by family sometimes even that is not enough. Now mind you this isn't something that happens a lot or is even granted. Becoming a Watcher isn't something taken lightly and that's why usually people after the age of 35 aren't chosen. But like I said in the very beginning, we don't know what the catalyst is of who gets chosen and who doesn't. At the time they were chosen, John and Maria felt it was a calling and something they wanted very much so along with Michelle they fulfilled their duties to me and to the rest of the world. But times change and so do minds and bodies. Michelle knew from the beginning of their change of heart that when she would find herself a spouse, it would be time for John and Maria to depart this world. This wasn't a decision made recently but over a very long period of time."

          She stopped speaking and let the words sink in. We all looked at each other and then at the couple and back at Rogue. It was many moments before anyone spoke again. I was thinking of the fact that one could actually choose to leave immortality behind. Rogue, Alexander, Amy, and Corin were the oldest Watchers having been around for over 3,000 years and they never saw their job or their identity as a burden. Then again none of them were over the age of 35 when they were chosen. Alexander was actually the oldest of them all; by two years from Rogue even though his wife was the Queen. They never had children, they never hit the corner of 40 plus, so they never had to deal with living a mortal life for over 4 decades and then an immortal one as well.

          Edward made a slight noise and I looked at him but he was looking at Rosalie. It took me a few seconds to realize what she was thinking. Being the most reluctant one out of us all to be living this immortal life, now she was hearing there was possibly a way out of it. Would she ask Rogue for a way out? Would she leave Emmett and the rest of us in order to fulfill her own version of true happiness? If that was still her version of true happiness, of course. The realization of possibly losing a family member to something of choice as opposed to an act of violence still hurt a lot. We've been through so much together. By then everyone including all of the Watchers were looking at Rosalie who realized what we were all thinking as the emotions played out on her usually stoney face. She looked at Emmett and asked: