Tooth and Claw

Truth

**trigger warning. This chapter discusses child abuse.**

After Charlotte made it pretty clear that she didn't want to talk about the memory anymore, Carlisle decided to show her to her new room, which was twice as large as her old one.
Despite wanting to be left alone, Edward the mind reader came straight into her room with his arms folded.
"I thought I told you to stay out of my head" Charlotte said coldly.
"Why didn't you tell them the truth?" Edward questioned.
"And what truth is that? What did you see?" Asked Charlotte.
"Your father. You were thinking about him. You said in your head that he killed you"
"You didn't see it happen? So you can't watch every memory I've ever had?"
"No I can only hear what you're thinking right now"
"That's good to know".

"Why did he do it? Why did your father beat you to death?" Quizzed Edward.
"I don't know, you'll have to ask him and read his mind" sighed Charlotte.
Edward frowned, not accepting her answer.
"Eugh fine... My father is abusive. He's been beating me ever since my mother died. All those time I went to the hospital were because of him" she continued.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Asked Edward.
"It's complicated... I guess I was just scared of what would happen. I'd already lost my mother, and I didn't want to lose the only family member I had left. I suppose I was afraid no one would believe me. It would've been my word against his, and I was a hormonal teenager, so who would've believed me over him?".

"You should've told Carlisle. He could've helped you. You shouldn't have had to suffer in silence" admitted Edward.
Charlotte shrugged, "It's done now. I can't change what I did. At least now, I have a second chance at life".
"You have to tell the others" Edward insisted.
"No. I don't want everyone knowing about my past, that's private. I'm only telling you because you can read minds, and I'd rather you got the whole story, instead of bits and pieces" replied Charlotte.

"You have to tell them, because this changes everything. The fact that your father was the one who attacked you, changes the way we will deal with this situation" stated Edward.
"This is my life Edward. I've kept this secret for years. It's not that easy to just come out and tell everyone what happened. It's personal. And it's uncomfortable to say out loud" admitted Charlotte.
Edward's expression softened, "I know it will be hard. But you need to do this. And deep down you want to, I know you do. Once you've got this off your chest, you can finally move on and start your new life with us".
"O.K. I'll do it" sighed Charlotte.
Edward squeezed her shoulder supportively, before turning and leaving the room with her at his heel.

Although Charlotte was prepared to tell the Cullens some of her story, there was one part she wasn't ready to tell anyone. Her fathers punishments would remain between him and her. So to ensure that Edward never discovered the truth, she would try and keep thoughts of it out of her head.
She hoped that this would be easy to do, as she didn't want to remember all of the times that her father was on top of her.

"Charlotte needs to tell everyone something" announced Edward, when they returned to the living room, where all the Cullens, minus Renesmee and Bella, were.
Everyone turned to face Charlotte, making her feel very embarressed and uncomfortable.
"Umm... Well, the truth is. I know who tried to kill me" she admitted.
"I could tell that you did, by the way you acted earlier. And I knew you would tell us when you were ready" replied Carlisle.
"Right. Well, I wasn't actually attacked in the street where you found me. I was just dumped there afterwards. The attack happened in my own home. In the kitchen I showed you all earlier. And my father was the one who did it".

The effect this had on the room was instant, as everyone's expressions changed.
"Your father tried to kill you?" Questioned Jasper, who seemed to be hoping that he'd heard wrong.
"Yes... And if I'm being honest, his actions didn't come completely out of nowhere. He's been beating me for years. Every one of my trips to hospital were because of him. All of my bruises and breaks were down to him" revealed Charlotte.
"I should've known. I should've known you weren't just clumsy" admitted Carlisle guiltily.
Charlotte shook her head, "You couldn't have known Carlisle. No one knew what was really going on behind closed doors. I was too scared to tell anyone".

"I've been treating patients for over a hundred years, I should've noticed the signs" said Carlisle angrily.
"You're a busy man. And I'm not angry with you in any way. I played my part well, so that no one would think there was anything wrong. I did everything I could to make sure that people weren't suspicious of my situation" admitted Charlotte.
"Would he... Would he just use his fists? Or would he hit you with other things?"
"He mostly used his hands to inflict damage on me. But sometimes he would use whatever objects he had near him. He'd kick me sometimes too".

"Then we should kick him back" said Emmett as he clicked his knuckles threateningly.
"Emmett, I know you're angry, but that is not the right way to deal with this situation. We can't lay a finger on him without putting the whole family in danger" admitted Esme calmly.
"No, I think we should let Charlotte take out her own revenge, as I did on my attackers" replied Rosalie as she stood to her feet.
"Rose, in this situation, that would not be a good idea. Esme is right, it's too dangerous for any of us to get involved with Charlotte's father in that way" stated Carlisle.

"Then what are we going to do? We can't let him just get away with it, surely?" Questioned Edward.
"We still need him alive, so that he can officially sign over guardianship of Charlotte. We have to play this by the book for now" answered Carlisle.
"How are we going to get him to do it?" Asked Esme.
"I have an idea" announced Charlotte bravely.
"Go on" encouraged Carlisle.

"He thinks I'm dead right now, so seeing me alive and healthy would give him a good scare. Especially as I look this pale, and I have scary red eyes. If we went at night and frightened him, I reckon we could get what we wanted. He'll want to keep the lid on what he did to me, so he'll do anything he can to make sure that we don't tell anyone the truth" explained Charlotte.
"I'm not sure. I don't think it would be a good idea to have you anywhere near any humans right now, especially him. There's a big chance you will get angry and lose control. If you kill him by accident, it would make things very tricky for us all" replied Carlisle.

"But you lot would all be there to make sure that I didn't kill him" reminded Charlotte.
"I think we should just let you loose on him. It's what he deserves" Rosalie coldly.
"Rose, you're not helping. Alice, can you see if this plan will work or not?" Carlisle asked Alice, who had remained silent throughout the conversation so far.
"I have seen several different outcomes. But the one that comes up most frequently is the result we want. In the vision that ends the best, me, you, Jasper, Edward, and Emmett are there, alongside Charlotte" revealed Alice.

Carlisle sighed, "Alright, fine, we'll do it. And it will have to be done tonight, as we can't risk her father doing anything over the next few days that might compromise our mission".
"Tonight!" Gasped Charlotte, who was in no way ready to face her father again.
"The sooner we get this done, the better. Don't worry, we have the rest of the day to prepare you" reassured Carlisle.

"Yeah, don't worry. If you rip his head off, it's no real loss for humanity" smiled Emmett.
"That kind of behaviour is not very helpful" scolded Esme.
"Sorry" mumbled Emmett, without much enthusiasm.
"It's alright. I can do this" announced Charlotte, as she tried to sound much braver than she felt.
"Yes, you can" encouraged Carlisle.