Tooth and Claw

Justice

Even once she was back at the Cullen manor, Charlotte still refused to calm down.
Luckily Jasper arrived a few minutes later to control the situation.
Since no one knew how to console Charlotte, they all just sat around her in silence, waiting for Carlisle to return. Unfortunately this didn't happen until late morning the following day.
"Well?" Asked Emmett, as Carlilse and Alice stepped into the room.
"Charlotte's father confessed to murdering her mother. We then took him to the police station and handed him over to them" revealed Carlisle.
"So we're just going to let him get away with what he did?"
"He will go to jail Emmett. He will pay for his crimes, all of them. We managed to persuade him to confess to all his past crimes as well, including his abuse of Charlotte. He is going to be locked up for a long time".

"What's going to happen to me now?" Charlotte asked quietly.
"Nothing is going to change from our original plan. Before we left we had him sign all the papers he needed to, to make me and Esme your legal guardians. We also put a different date on them, to make it look like they were signed several days ago" replied Carlisle.
"But if he's confessed to hurting me, won't the police need to talk to me? And I expect they'll need to examine me, but if they do that they'll realise that I'm not human"
"That won't happen. I am a doctor, so I can perform any examinations they need me to, and I will just write up a false report. However I think it would be good to stick with the medical illness story, to explain your skin colour, and the reason that your father wanted to hand you over to us in the first place".

"But my father has just been arrested for murder and child abuse, so there's no way I will be able to get out of talking to the police at some point" admitted Charlotte.
"You're right, they will have a lot of questions for you. But I managed to buy you some time by saying that you were in no fit state to answer any questions at the moment" revealed Carlisle.
"How long will that give me?" Questioned Charlotte.
"A few days if we're lucky. But don't worry, we will prepare you and tell you what to say. Since you're under 18 you will also be able to have an adult in the room with you, so I will be by your side. And if you're worried about your thirst, we can have all the interviews take place in wide open spaces, instead of stuffy rooms at the police station".

"Did he... Did he really kill my mother?" Charlotte asked quietly.
"He did... What do you remember about her death?" Carlisle questioned.
"The police said it was a burglery. They believed she was beaten by the burglers, so that she would reveal the location of all our prized posesssions. And since a lot was stolen from our house, that explanation made sense... Me and dad had gone out for the day, but mum had stayed behind as she hadn't been feeling very well that morning" answered Charlotte.

"Did you actually see her that morning, before you left?" Asked Carlisle.
"No. I don't think so. This was 7 years ago, so I can't remember it very clearly" admitted Charlotte.
"Your father revealed that he had killed your mother in an argument the night before. He then set up the house to look like someone had broken in, before taking you out the back door and staying out for most of the day, so that he couldn't be placed at the scene"
"All these years, and I never knew. I never even suspected that he'd had a hand in her death. He didn't turn on me until a few months after her death, and I just assumed that losing her had changed him".

"I know it's hard, but he's locked up now, so he can't hurt you or anyone else ever again" reassured Carlisle.
"There's no chance he will get let off is there?" Asked Charlotte.
"No. Once you've given your evidence, and the police see your medical file they will know that we're telling the truth"
"Good"
"What you said last night, about what your father did to you, why didn't you tell us?"
"Because I didn't want to. You guys already see me as a victim, and if you knew that as well, it would just make everything worse. Emmett and Rosalie already wanted to kill him, and if they knew that too, nothing would be able to stop them from ripping him apart, which would make things difficult for you and your family".

"What did he do?" Questioned Rosalie, who hadn't been allowed on the mission.
Carlisle looked to Charlotte, but she seemed incapable of revealing the truth out loud again, as the courage and hatred she had felt the night before, had completed faded.
"I'll tell you all later" said Carlisle, as he looked at Rosalie, Esme and Bella.
"I still think he's getting off lightly. He shouldn't be able to live out the remainder of his life in some cosy jail cell" admitted Emmett.
"It is not up to you to take the law into your own hands. We did threaten to kill him if he doesn't comply with all our demands, but I have a feeling he won't go against us. However, the choice isn't up to you, it's up to Charlotte, and she doesn't want him dead" replied Carlisle.

"She said that before she learned that he killed her mother. I expect she feels differently now, as she did try to rip him in two back there, and would've succeeded if me and Edward hadn't stopped her" reminded Emmett.
Carlisle turned to face Charlotte, "Have you changed your mind?".
"No. I may have acted impulsively last night, but now that I've calmed down, I've realised that his death won't bring me any satisfaction" revealed Charlotte.
Carlisle raised an eyebrow at Jasper, who shook his head.
"I'm not doing anything right now. It's possible that after keeping her calm for so many hours, there may be some side effects as my power fades. But I'm not controlling her mood right now" admitted Jasper.

"What do you want to do now?" Asked Carlisle, as he turned back to face Charlotte.
"This is a lot to take in. And I think that I just want to be alone" Charlotte said quietly.
"Are you sure that being alone is the right thing to do?" Questioned Carlisle.
"Yes. I just need a moment to process this, by myself"
"Alright then. No one will follow you, you can do as you please, but I'd like it if you didn't leave the house"
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere".