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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 year

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This Love Came Back To Me - Preface

Here it is! Almost!! This is the Preface to the Eclipse Reader insert fic that I again, have been promising for far far too long. The rest of the chapters will be up, hopefully soon.

Summery- I was completely overwhelmed with this looming dread. This wasn’t just about Bella anymore. Though that was bad enough, this involved me now. Despite how often Edward disregarded my safety and despite how desperately Carlisle tried to protect me from this;

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 3207

Warning- Uhhh this is just the preface. There really aren't any warnings yet. But I'll let you know.

Notes from me- My name is Claire and September 3rd is my birthday! I wanted very much to post, at the very least this part today. SO! I finished writing the whole book. I still have a lot of typing and editing to do but I do have a very close date set. This is only the Preface. I can't wait for you guys to see the rest.

This is the 3rd book of probably 5, So follow for updates.

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

When Carlisle surprised me with a trip to Ireland, I didn’t know what to expect exactly. I got to his house on a clear afternoon and he wasn’t in his usual spot by the door to greet me. In his place were four fully packed suitcases.

“Carlisle?” I didn’t have to yell, I knew he heard me, and yet, no answer came. I moved to study the suitcases. I read his name and address on one tag and my name and his address on the other. In the front pocket were our passports, though I couldn’t recall ever getting a passport made. With a soft laugh, I asked just loud enough that I knew he could hear me, “Carlisle, what is all of this?”

And then his arms were around my waist. I felt his cool breath on the crook of my neck, and could hear the smile in his voice as he whispered “You said you want to see the world. I promised I would show you.” He placed delicate kisses to my pulse point as I looked inside the passport.

All of the information was mine, the photo was from my ID photo. Even knowing that this wasn’t made entirely legally, I still turned to him and couldn’t help but smile when I saw the grin on his own lips. His hands turned with me and rested on my hips.

“I didn’t mean we had to go right now. How…? How did you do all of this?”

His smile didn’t falter, “Do you really want to know?”

“No…, But-”

He laughed. “Alice packed the bags. I… handled the rest of it.”

“I won’t ask you to elaborate. My dad is the sheriff, so it's probably better that I don’t know about the broken laws.” I draped my arms over his shoulders and ran my fingers through his hair. “Where are we going?”

He grinned again. I would do absolutely anything he wanted when he smiled at me like that. “I haven’t paid for anything, yet, but I was thinking we could go to Ireland. I’ve got some friends there I haven’t seen in a while. I would love to introduce you, but-”

“They wouldn't approve.” It came out so casually. I knew very well that there were few vampires who abstained from human blood the way his family managed, and even fewer who kept in human company. I was hardly fazed.

He nodded, “They’d make an attempt, but they do not have the same level of control… even if it wasn't on purpose…” And then he let the conversation drift back to just Ireland, clearly less casual about his friends eating me than I was. “There are beautiful castle hotels that we can stay in with gorgeous views… and I thought, it might be nice to get away for a week. Just the two of us.”n

I had to admit it did sound very enticing. Not to mention how persuasive the way he kissed my neck up to my jawline up to my lips was.

The trip was perfect. We spent so much time doing completely average tourist things, but we also found time for the ‘not-so-average’ tourist things; just a lot of alone time together. Some things, you only get to do because your boyfriend is a 300 something year old vampire.

The idea of the experiment was brought to my attention a few days into our trip. Here, since there wouldn’t be any other trace of me to cause distraction, we could test Edwards theory that I couldn’t be tracked. This was cause for much debate in the Cullen house because they knew me and they knew how to look for me. Carlisle believed that he could track me solely based on scent. He believed he wouldn’t lose control and eat me in the process.

Which is precisely how I ended up hidden deep inside a ‘small’ patch of Irish woods. I wasn’t exactly lost, I walked for roughly an hour in one direction hoping to lose the vampire, but not the way back. I kissed Carlisle goodbye two hours before he would set out to find me. I ran out of energy pretty early and then hiked for a bit more.

The woods here weren’t unlike the woods at home. I could navigate them well enough but it was still exhausting to hike through them with little to no paths. Eventually I gave up and found a fallen tree to sit on. I figured since I was out here anyway, I might as well get some writing done.

With the return of the Cullens, my poems became less edgy and existential and flowed into something more peaceful and beautiful. It became the poetry of someone who was content with their life and was excited to see what came next.

However, it was incredibly hard to focus with the knowledge of just how alone I really was. Instead of putting pen to paper I let myself become absorbed in the woods around me. The wind in the trees, the chirping of birds, it all kept my focus. While I could recognize the anxiety I felt, it was also very serene here. Maybe I could just push the panic aside knowing that any second, he would be with me again.

Then the woods around me seemed to still and I smiled at the open page before me and wrote the first six words that filled my head.

“The silent comfort of being found”

I wasn’t scared. I didn’t hear him at all, but he didn’t frighten me as his arms wrapped around my waist. But to be fair, I had been expecting him. I felt his lips grace my neck and the sound I made only encouraged him to kiss me more.

“I found you, Dove.” He whispered in my ear.

“I knew you would.” I hadn’t intended to sound so light but he made me feel like I could float away. I leaned back into him, relying more on him than the log. He didn't budge.

“I think Edward might have the right idea though,” He said in between kisses. The confusion in his voice almost made me turn to look at him but I didn’t want to interrupt the attention. “I couldn’t track you on scent alone. I knew I’d find you, but… at times it was like you’d never been there at all. But I felt pulled to you all the same.”

I couldn’t help the way I melted into him, I turned just enough to rest my forehead on his chest; he continued to kiss my neck and only pulled back to look me in the eyes. “I think I’d be able to find you wherever you went, though I would be interested to see if Edward could track you.”

I felt a soft chill up my spine at the idea. “You wouldn’t let him.” I pointed out.

“No, I wouldn’t.” He kissed my cheek and pushed my hair out of my face. None of his family had the control he had. If any other vampire tracked me out here, I wouldn’t make it home.

When I looked into his eyes, they were still bright and golden. There wasn’t even the smallest trace of instability.

I just wanted to kiss him and forget about everything for a while. Life was chaotic and he made me feel grounded- even when I was ‘lost’ in a foreign forest. He sighed and rested his forehead on mine. “It’s getting late… I should get you back to the room.”

“Are you going out tonight?” I would never try to stop him from seeing his friends. Of course I wanted him to see his friends, I just didn’t love the idea of being alone. It would only be a few hours. I could handle it. I had a feeling he knew how I felt anyway and that’s why he hadn’t gone yet. I wasn’t about to make it worse.

“I might.” He placed a delicate kiss to my nose, I giggled. “Siobhan might come looking for me if I don’t visit soon, since she knows I’m here. I can stay with you until you fall asleep, you won’t even know I’m gone.”

I doubted that, but I played it off. “I can handle that.” I kissed him quickly to reassure him. “Carry me?”

“Of course, Cara.” I grinned at him and put my notebook back in my bag. As soon as I was ready, and without saying a word, Carlisle lifted me with ease into his arms. He carried me out of the woods so much faster than it took me to get in there, I almost thought I hadn’t gotten that far.

He slowed and we broke through the treeline at the back of the hotel. There were a few couples and families sitting in the yard enjoying picnics and watching the stars.

I had to hold back my laughter as he set me down. I whispered so that only he could hear me, “That couple totally thinks we just had sex back there…”

He laughed, placed a kiss to my hair, and threw his arm over my shoulder. In response, he whispered. “I am far too much of a gentleman to just take you against the first flat surface in the middle of a forest.” As he walked, he grinned and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He leaned in and breathed, “I will not be able to say the same, once we are back in the room.”

I shivered at his words. I’m sure the blush that heated my face confirmed what they were thinking, even though it wasn’t actually true. I hid my face in his shoulder as we walked.

When we got on the elevator he kissed me like he fully intended to keep to his word. I hardly noticed when it opened on our floor. Luckily he did, and even more luckily, there wasn’t anyone waiting to use the elevator.

He walked backwards and led me towards our room. He swept me off my feet again before we even reached the door. Once we were inside, and the door was firmly shut and locked behind us, he sat me on the first available table and made me forget my own name.

We lost a few hours. We took a shower and he made me food as I sat on the counter watching him cook. He let me fall asleep on his chest as he read War and Peace . I didn’t notice when he kissed my forehead, or told me he loved me. I didn’t notice when he left or when he came back.

I don’t think I could get used to the peace I felt there. Carlisle drove me to a beach on a very cloudy day, as the sun was setting. The water was cold but I stood in the ocean and let the waves crash around my feet. I let him spin me around as we danced to the sound of it all. I let myself get lost in all the love I felt for him.

I twirled out as far as our joined arms could stretch and he spun me back in. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He kissed my ear.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered and I probably wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t right by my ear. He leaned back and cupped my cheek with his hand. I almost didn’t notice the coolness anymore.

He studied my face, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone. He looked into my eyes like he was trying to memorize their color. He spoke again, though I could hardly make it out. “So beautiful.”

I leaned up and kissed him and he met me halfway. His hand moved from my cheek to lift my chin. When we eventually broke apart I smiled up at him.

“You know I love you, right?” I asked.

He laughed at me, “I would certainly hope so.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead before adding, “I love you, Y/n.”

It took a lot of sweet talking to convince me to get out of the ocean and to go back to the room.

Despite how much I really did not want to, we had to fly home eventually, rushed only slightly by a frantic call from Alice. Apparently, Victoria would be passing through Forks and Alice thought they’d have a pretty good chance of catching her this time. However, they weren’t going to tell Bella, and she demanded that Edward go to Jacksonville with her. With Edward out, our family was now, not only down in numbers, but also down one mind reader who could hear her before the rest of them could, so Alice was frantic.

Of course they could still rely on Alice's visions, but with the wolves hunting too, things could get missed. I wondered if it would be safer if we just told Bella what was going on. I wanted to tell her what was going on, but I knew she would probably use herself as bait if she knew.

If she knew though, we could convince her to take Dad to Jacksonville and Edward could stay and fight with the rest of his family. I think we’d still fly home though. I would never ask Carlisle to not stand with his family, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them to defend themselves. I hoped it wouldn’t come to a fight anyway.

Victoria was alone, and revenge hungry. Maybe they could take her out quickly, and then it would all be over.

We caught a flight out of Ireland at nearly 1 in the morning, after Alice called. We made it through security and to our gate with 30 minutes to spare. I was ridiculously tired, given the time. I knew I had to at least board the plane before I passed out. Which I found increasingly harder the longer I sat with my head on his shoulder.

“Y/n?” His voice was soft and he elongated each letter of my name.

“Hmm?” I didn’t have the energy to really answer, but I did lift my head to look at his face.

His gaze met mine and he wore a delicate smile. “Where would you like to travel next?”

Confused by his spontaneous question, I asked, “You want to start planning our next vacation before we’re even home?” He laughed and shrugged.

“Seemed as good a time as any. If only to help you stay awake.” I yawn on cue, as if to prove his point.

“Okay, okay!” I couldn’t help but laugh with him. I took a second to think about it before sighing. “Part of me wants to fly off somewhere warm and secluded, but another part of me thinks that… maybe we should stay home for a bit.” I could see the confusion flash across his features, “I just mean- Dads been getting on to me about getting back to a ‘normal’ life” I put air quotes around the words.

I continued, “Maybe, if I get a job, he'll settle a bit. And- related but kind of a side note- Bella is going to graduate soon and then…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the thought.

His face softened, “I understand, Cara.”

“I want to travel more with you. Once some of the dust settles.” I put emphasis behind my words and lifted my hand to caress his cheek. He placed a kiss against my palm.

“That sounds like a good plan.” I broke eye contact with him to yawn, pulling my hand back to cover it. He chuckled, “You can sleep on the plane. I don’t think they will let me carry you on if you’re unconscious.”

I sighed dramatically, “But this flight is only an hour and a half. It’s hardly worth it. Then we’ll be in London for 3 hours before we get on another plane.”

He raised an eyebrow while listening to my reasoning, “You can sleep on that one too, you know.”

“ Oooor I could stay up for the first flight, spend extra time talking to you, then sleep for all of the second flight.” I matched his expression, a huge smile shining through the exhaustion on my face.

He didn’t seem convinced, “Can you stay up for nearly five more hours?”

“Is that a challenge?”

“No-”

“Because I accept!” We didn’t stop laughing even as he kissed me and when we boarded the plane I ordered a hot coffee. I looked him in the eyes as I took the first sip, sending us both into another fit of giggles. We were still laughing as the plane took off.

I stayed awake during the first flight just fine. I drank two cups of coffee and I had to keep talking. Though Carlisle didn’t seem to mind. I spent most of my time trying to convince him that Howl’s Moving Castle was a better book than War and Peace . He, of course, respectfully disagreed, but said he would give Howl’s Moving Castle a chance. I celebrated the win for at least getting that. I wasn’t all that serious anyway, but the debate kept me awake.

Now, getting off the plane proved significantly harder than expected. I could hardly drag myself through the airport. I could already feel the jetlag pulling me down and we hadn’t even changed time zones yet. We stopped at a shop and I got a soda, hoping to only stay awake long enough to get on the next flight. I kissed him every chance I got, mostly to keep myself busy; but also, it was quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do.

Kissing Carlisle Cullen in a busy airport was definitely up there with: kissing him in the rain, or in the woods of Ireland, or on the cliff by his house. All I wanted to do was kiss him. He was always more than happy to oblige.

When we were finally on our flight home, I rested my head on his shoulder and pulled the travel blanket over us. He squeezed my hand.

“What’s the plan?” I asked, my voice heavy with exhaustion.

“We get you home,” He kissed my head for emphasis. “Then this weekend, Edward will keep Bella safe in Jacksonville. The others have arranged a party of sorts on the reservation- some kind of sporting event. Which should keep your father busy… and we think it would be best if you stayed down there as well, despite how much I wish I could keep you with me.”

I yawned and he chuckled into my hair. “Sounds like a very safe plan.”

“We’ve all worked very hard to make sure it is. I’ll spend forever ensuring your safety.” I would have kissed him if I had the energy to lift my head.

“At least until I’m like you…” I could feel the sleep washing over me. I allowed my eyes to close. He kissed my hair again and rested his chin on my head.

“Probably even then.” I felt it, more than I heard it, as I finally drifted off to sleep.

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#carlisle cullen #twilight #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #reader insert #masterlist #iaitt #this love came back to me #tlcbtm #eclipse #Screaming

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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 month

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This Love Came Back To Me - Chapter 2

It's Finally Here!!!! I can not apologize enough for how long this took to get out. But here it is! I hope you love it.

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 8,775

Warnings- Vampires- and all the things that go along with vampires (blood, biting, age gaps, sparkling, dramatics) a lot more swearing this time. There's some minor injuries and some very minor character death. mentions of vomiting (2 actual vomits, due to injury) Battle, fighting and planning. It's all very happy I promise.

There is no imprinting and there never will be <3

Notes from me- My name is Claire and this! This is finally my third love child. I started writing this on the 27th of July in 2022. I lost hope a few times but it's here and I hope you love it. Thank you, so so much for staying with me.

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3 (Preface, Ch 1)

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

I had gone home for most of the duration of the school day. I wasn’t sure what to expect when Alice called me halfway through folding my laundry.

“Is everything alright?” I barely had enough time to get it out before she was yelling on the other end of the line.

“If I lose this car because of Jacob Black-”

“Alice, could you please calm down for a second?” I could hear the sound of her heels on the hardwood floors as she paced. “What is going on?”

“Jacob Black showed up at the school and Bella ran off with him.” I had to bite back a laugh. Somehow I knew she would manage to escape. I stayed as quiet as I could manage while Alice continued, “Edward is going to kill me and take away my Porsche all because Bella wants to throw herself head first into danger.”

“It will be fine, Alice. Just… don’t call them, okay? I’ll go down to La Push and check on her and report back.”

“I don’t think that will make anything better. Carlisle will just be angry at me too.”

“He’ll… get over it.”

She sighed, “Just make it quick, okay?”

“Of course.”

I did not leave as quickly as I could have. I stayed long enough to switch over the laundry. I did the dishes and cleaned out the leftovers from the fridge. I hoped that my stalling would give Bella some time. I wouldn’t drag her home if she wanted to stay, but I also didn’t want to ruin her time.

They weren’t at the Black house when I got there. I waited for a few moments, just in my car, not wanting to chat with Billy if it wasn’t necessary. I could wait here and hope they come by, but couldn’t return to Alice empty handed.

Of course, I wasn’t there for five minutes before Sam was knocking on my car window. I sighed but got out as he held the door for me.

“Y/n? What’s up?” He almost sounded concerned.

I crossed my arms across my chest. “I’m just looking for Bella.” I said like it wasn’t

obvious.

“She isn’t here, but I’m sure they’ll swing by later. Did your leech send you out here to scope out the situation?”

I pulled my lips into a tight line. “No one sent me. He wouldn’t be all that excited to know I was here.

“He doesn’t know?” He smirked and I wanted to smack him. “I didn’t take you for a rebel.”

I forced a laugh. “I’m not rebelling. I can do whatever I want- Could you just drop the wolfy bullshit and tell me where my sister is?”

His grin didn’t falter. “Probably on the beach, but you don’t have to worry about her.”

I moved to get back in my car but he still held the door. “I’m not-”

“She’s safe here, you know?” I nodded. “There probably wouldn’t be a safer place if Jacob had his way.”

“She’s happy with Edward. She’s safe with him too.”

“Sure, Sure…”This time I smiled warmly at him. I knew he was being genuine. I was still annoyed but I could appreciate his efforts. “I might agree that you’re safe with Carlisle… But Edward and Bella?”

“They’re young and in love. We’ve been there.” I pushed his arm lightly; He barely moved. I did not think too much about what he’d just said about Carlisle. “Sometimes we choose what's wrong for us… Sometimes what’s wrong for us is exactly what we need.”

I didn’t mean it as a jab, I didn’t know the whole story between him, Leah, and Emily, but he winced. “Maybe you’re right.” His voice was less cocky. I might have felt bad, if it wasn’t Sam.

I didn’t have time to dwell before Bella and Jacob were pulling up. When she got her helmet off I couldn’t tell if she was happy to see me or annoyed.

She walked over to us with her hands in her jacket pockets. “If you’re here to kidnap me again, I won’t go.”

“I’m not. I’m just here to check in… And then I got caught up chatting with Sam.”

If she knew I was lying she didn’t call me out. She just bit her lip and nodded. “I’m okay.”

“I see that.” I tried to smile at her, but the rain was picking up so I only winced. “I’ll be at the Cullens, to help soften the mood before you get back.”

“Did Alice… Call him?”

I shook my head. “No, thank god. She called me and I told her I’d come check on you as long as she promised she wouldn’t call them. It’s best to try to not make things worse for ourselves.”

She smiled, “Thank you… I will be back later.” They drifted towards the house and Jacob opened the door for her.

“Have fun!” She didn’t turn back around. I pushed off the side of the car and tried the door again. Sam hadn’t moved.

“Y/n…” he hesitated but took a step back and let go of the door. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“You either, Sam.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but I didn’t stay long enough to hear it.

Alice was still pouting on the hood of her car when Bella got home. She must have seen her coming because she didn’t budge, if anything the pouting only became more theatrical.

“I haven’t even had a chance to drive it.” She sighed

“Sorry,” Her words were acid.

She was soaking wet and shivering. “You should probably take a hot shower.” I tried.

“Yep.”

Alice could tell as well as I could that something happened with Jacob, but where I was more covert about it, her curiosity was plain on her face. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“Do you want to go to Olympia tonight?”

“Not really. Can’t I go home?”

Alice and I both winced. “Bella…” I tried.

“Nevermind,” Bella said. “I’ll stay if it makes things easier for you both.”

“Thanks,” She sighed in relief.

Bella went straight upstairs and took a shower before going right to bed. Even Alice didn’t stay in the main living space for long. I went to Carlisle’s room and fell asleep reading in our bed.

I felt a shift in the mattress just as the sun started to peek through the trees. I smiled up at him, more asleep than not, and rested my hands on either side of his face.

He kissed me quickly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I’m glad you did. I missed you.” He kissed me again. “Did Alice fill you in on the weekend's events?”

“She filled us all in on the key points. She also said you’d have more to tell me. Edward laughed. Should I be concerned?”

“Hmm~ Maybe~” My sleepy smile didn’t go away. “When were you going to tell me you bought me the Prius?”

“Oh… Well.” He laughed nervously, knowing he’d been caught. “Are you certain I haven’t told you about that before?”

“Nice try,” I kissed his nose. “but I think I would have remembered you mentioning it before.”

“I apologize for not telling you, though I think you would have questioned my sanity If I had.”

“I do that anyway, so that’s not really a valid point.”

He laughed loudly at that and kissed me again. “I promise I will tell you before I buy you a car next time.”

I giggled against his lips. “That’s all I ask.” I could feel myself falling back asleep so I lightly pushed him so he’d lay flat. When he did, I laid my head on his chest. “I went to La Push.”

“I’m aware.”

“I spoke with Sam for a while.”

I let my eyes close as he ran his hand through my hair. “How did that go?”

“ ‘s Weird…” I didn’t try to stop myself from yawning. “I feel like we really could have been friends, but it's too complicated now to try.”

“He was nice, though?” His arms tightened around me slightly. It made my heart flutter.

“Yeah he was nice. He even kinda said that we were good together… in not so many words.”

He sighed and I placed a soft kiss on his chest.

“I know you guys don’t think it’s safe for us, but I saw her with Jacob today, I saw how Sam felt about it, and I truly think it will be okay.”

“I trust your judgment on this.” I knew he did. It was more Alice and Edward that put up a fight. “I think Edward is coming around. I think if she really wants to go back, he’ll let her go.”

“Good.” I didn’t feel the need to voice my opinion on him letting her. Carlisle knew how I felt about that anyway.

I yawned again and Carlisle chuckled. “Get some rest, Mon Coeur. Everything else can wait until the morning.”

“I don’t have any more stories to share. I just missed you.”

“I won’t have to go into the office tomorrow. We’ll have the whole day.”

I leaned up and he met me halfway. The kiss was slow and made my heart skip a beat. I wanted to stay right there forever, but I was officially too tired to keep my head up. I snuggled back into his chest and slept for a few more hours.

Carlisle woke me a few hours later and convinced me to go downstairs where he was finishing up the breakfast he’d made for me. We very often had the best conversations over my breakfast, so that particular morning I used the time to bring up Bella and Rosalie's conversation from the other night.

She had filled me in on most of her backstory in small ways throughout our almost friendship, but I was still pretty lost on his part in it all. I never wanted to press, but that morning, with it so fresh on my mind, I couldn't help my curiosity.

He let out a heavy breath and for a second I thought he might not tell me anything. I didn't want him to feel like he had to. I almost told him to forget it, but right then he started, "I was just a simple family doctor when Esme, Edward and I moved to Rochester, New York. Our family was still so new, but I was overcome with pride in them. More importantly, I was satisfied with what we had built together.

"At the time, I didn't see that this wasn't the life they would have chosen for themselves. I had no idea, despite the fact that I felt the same way." They had all made this very point multiple times. It's why we needed Bella to be sure; Why I needed to be sure. I never wanted to regret him.

He continued, "Edward had just returned to our little family but he was still angry. When I brought my concern to Esme she seemed to think he was just lonely and if I found him a companion to share a love like ours he would be happy." His phrasing was delicate, like he was afraid I would be upset by it. When my expression remained unbothered, he went on. "I should say, the night I found Rosalie, I wasn't looking for her. I had honestly brushed Esme's comment aside, knowing it was far too selfish to turn someone for that reason alone.

"As I was walking home that night, suddenly all I could smell was her blood. I followed it to her almost on instinct. I found her lying on the ground dying, and I didn't even consider that she might have preferred to die. I just wanted to save her."

He sighed as he took out a plate for the food he'd made for me. "During her transition Esme's previous comment surfaced in my mind. Maybe she was the missing piece to our family. Maybe she could help Edward in a way Esme and I could not. I found comfort in the fact that I had at least given her a chance.

"That's not to say that I regret turning her. I love her and she is such an important part of this family. I could never regret her. I do wish I had considered her wishes."

My chest tightened as he spoke. He had carried this guilt with him everyday for all of these years and it made my heart break for him. Of course, I didn't believe he was entirely without fault here, but I also didn't entirely believe that she hated her existence. Maybe it wasn't the life she would have chosen, but I knew, and I think a part of him knew as well, that she had found happiness in this life too.

"Carlisle… You couldn't have known." I tried to assure him but he smiled softly at me and brushed past it. I thought he might change the topic completely, but he expertly plated my omelet and slid it across the table to me before continuing her story from his perspective.

"Edward’s immediate upset was very disheartening and now, with hindsight, probably should have been the first clue that this wouldn't work out. I wanted her to live, I wanted her to be happy. He was certain my actions would affect our lives negatively. I suppose, in a way he was just being selfish, though I’d never tell him that.

“I think that’s when the guilt set in. I’d taken this young girl with her whole life ahead of her and cursed her with this life-”

I had to stop him. I said his name, the disbelief heavy in my voice. Despite this, he still smiled. “It was a long time ago, Dove. We’ve all grown to think differently over time.”

“But you still hold all of that guilt. I can see it. I don’t think you’re being fair to yourself.” I was soft. I wanted to be comforting even if he swore he didn’t need it.

“I’ve had many years to look at the whole picture. Every single one of them that I’ve turned, hate this life.”

“Emmett doesn’t” I added.

He laughed, “No, I guess not. Rose and Esme, on the other hand, never stopped longing for basic human desires. Edward still believes himself a monster. For a long time I couldn’t help but blame myself for that.

“Eventually I came around.” He mentioned quickly, soothing just a bit of my frustration. He continued, “Rose continued to be so strong. She got her revenge on all the men who had hurt her all the while never tasting human blood.” He was clearly very proud, even if he didn’t entirely approve.

“She killed them?” I asked.

“She did…”

His grin didn't falter and for the first time this whole conversation, I smiled too. “Good for her.” I added.

He laughed. “I can’t say I was necessarily excited for her to go out and kill them, but I couldn’t fault her after what they’d done. And she never considered leaving us. Even when I told her we’d have to leave New York, or that we’d have to change our names and abandon everything. She handled it all with grace and she never expressed an interest in going her own way. I offered her that choice and she laughed and politely declined.” The guilt on his face turned into fondness.

No matter what these kids did, he loved them more than anything. They were the reason he is the compassionate family man I knew and loved. I leaned across the bar and he met me in the middle for a quick kiss.

When I sat back still smiling at him, he finished the rest of the story. “I was very surprised when she brought Emmett to me. I never expected her to want to change another human, but she looked me in the eyes and said the very thing I had said to Edward about her. ‘I couldn’t just let him die, it was too much.’

“He surprised me too. Not only did he survive some gruesome injuries long enough for Rosalie to bring him to me, he also handled the transformation like a true fighter. He hardly called out and his heartbeat was strong and steady until the very end.”

“Perfectly matched, aren’t they?” Like they were meant to find each other- as cheesy as that was.

“They brought out the best in each other and, in turn, the best in our family. I’d like to think that after all this time, Rose is content with her life. Even if she still wants more for the other still-human women in her life” The way he put that was very pointed at me and Bella- I chose to let it be. Rosalie was allowed her opinions. I, of course, wasn’t running headfirst into immortality, so most of her opinions were mostly directed at Bella.

Sometimes though I still caught on to her lack of enthusiasm for my choices as well.

I was all too content in my life as it currently stood for any dramatic changes, so I let it be; he continued to talk about our family and the changes he began to see in Edward. He moved to sit next to me as I ate. I leaned closer to him as he finished.

I wanted to kiss him again. And this time I wanted to kiss him and get lost in it for a very long while.

But Carlisle froze in his spot. His eyes went wide before they squeezed shut. He had stopped breathing.

“When was this?” He waited a tiny second. “How?” I wondered who was answering his questions and from where- and if it was the reason for his sudden change in demeanor.

His hands tightened slightly around mine and he pulled me up. “Carlisle?”

Without answering, he pulled me into the living room where Alice and Jasper sat perfectly frozen on the couch. I tried again, “What is-”

“It’s all right, Y/n.” I sighed impatiently at his interruption. I wondered if he’d forgotten I couldn’t hear the other end, and at that point, had no idea what was going on, but I didn’t speak again. I could tell just how wrong something was. Alice sat half in Jasper's lap, leaning against him like she needed the support. Her face was in her hands.

I wondered if she had a headache. I wondered if they could get headaches.

Jasper's powers danced in the air. I felt it swirl around me. I wished I could feel the calm it offered, but like always, I didn’t. I nodded in thanks to him anyway.

Then Rosalie and Emmett came into the room. Rose sat next to Alice on the couch to offer her more support. Emmett stood causally on my other side. Though the reason was still unknown, his presence added a bit of comfort.

“Another day, another crisis…” Emmett joked and bumped me with his shoulder. Despite my panic, I managed a chuckle.

Carlisle hissed, “Emmett. Not now.”

He was angry- outraged really. I had never seen him like this and it really drove my worry home. I placed my hand on his arm. “Carlisle… What is going on?”

He softened immediately, as if he really had forgotten I couldn’t have known. He pulled me closer to him. “It will be fine.”

“Edward will be here soon. He wants you two to follow the scent.” Alice mumbled from her spot on the couch, vaguely gesturing to Emmett and Jasper.

“Sure thing, Boss. We’ll be back.” He leaned forward to kiss Rosalie. Jasper followed him out the door.

Carlisle led me to the couch. “You should sit.” I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t roll them, but sat anyway. He stayed standing next to me.

I felt Alice get up from the couch at the same time Rose’s hand held mine. I turned towards her as another wave of panic hit me. Even Rosalie was trying to comfort me, but no one would explain what was going on.

A blanket of silence covered the room and it made me so uncomfortable I wanted to scream just to tear it apart. I almost did. I almost screamed the same question again, but then Edward was there next to Carlisle and Bella sat next to us.

And when Edward demanded to know what happened, Alice answered him.

“I have no idea. I didn’t see anything.” She crossed her arms and chewed her lip. I couldn’t tell who was more angry between the three of them, Carlisle, Edward or Alice. I just wished I knew why.

“How is that possible?” His patience had clearly run out.

“Edward,” Bella said with quiet disapproval.

I, again, wanted to make them tell me something- anything, but Carlisle interjected before I got the chance. His voice was significantly calmer than before, as he tried to mediate. “It’s not an exact science, Edward.”

“He was in their rooms, Alice. He could have still been there- waiting for them.” my brows furrowed. My heart rate accelerated.

“I would have seen that.”

Edward threw his hands up. I wanted to do the same. “Really? You’re sure?”

I finally broke, “For the love of god! Can anyone tell me what the fuck is going on?” Alice held back a laugh at my outburst, but it was Bella who finally answered my question.

“When Edward came over earlier, he noticed another vampire- we don’t know who- had been in the house.”

I forgot to breathe, my eyes were locked on her. “Dad-”

“Is okay. He was home but had no knowledge of the intruder. Whoever it was looked in every room, but mainly in yours and Bella’s.” Edward filled me in on the rest, clearly very annoyed- or maybe just worried. He added, “And Alice missed it.”

I was suddenly freezing cold and shivering hard. Carlisle was next to me on the couch with both of his hands clasped around mine. I let myself lean into him.

Alice’s voice was cold when she answered. “You’ve already got me watching the Volturis’ decisions, watching for Victoria’s return, watching Bella’s every step. Do you want me to watch Y/n’s too? Because we already know how well that will work. What about their rooms or the whole damn house? Edward, if I try to do too much, things are going to start slipping through the cracks.”

“It looks like they already are,” he snapped.

That’s not fair, I thought but I couldn’t make the words come out. Edward huffed a laugh.

Alice retorted, “She was never in any danger.” By she, she meant Bella, I had been here. Of course I hadn’t been in any danger, but it still sounded like she was trying to comfort both Edward and Carlisle. “There was nothing to see.”

“If you were watching Italy, why didn’t you see them send-”

“I don't think it was them,” Alice insisted. “I would have seen that.”

“Who else would leave Charlie alive?”

I winced. Carlisle squeezed my hands. “Who else would have bothered with my room? No one has been interested in me before now.”

Alice sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Helpful.”

“Stop it, Edward.” Bella whispered. I wanted to thank her. He really was being unreasonable. His head jerked in her direction. He was still so angry he almost looked like he was going to yell at her too. I probably would have lost it, if Carlisle didn’t have my hands.

But then he took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. “You’re right, Bella. I’m sorry.” He looked at Alice. “Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable.”

“I understand,” Alice assured him. “I’m not happy about it either.”

“Okay, let’s look at this logically.” Edward took another deep breath. I was still shivering. “What are the other possibilities?”

As if on cue, everyone softened a bit. Carlisle kissed my hair and sat back leaving only one hand on mine. Rosalie got up and stared out the window. I wished I could comfort her.

Bella and I shared a long look. I was forever hoping she knew how happy I was to have her with me in this- even when it was awful like this. I knew I couldn't do it alone, so I was happy to have her at my side.

Carlisle spoke first. “Victoria?”

I shook my head. “She’s never been interested in me before. She’s never even thought twice about me.”

“Maybe she’s considering you an easier target now.” His voice was so soft, like he was tiptoeing past a bomb. He could probably tell I wanted to scream again.

“But I didn’t know the scent. He might have been from the Volturi, someone I’ve never met…”

This time Alice shook her head. “Aro hasn’t sent anyone to look for them yet I will see that. I’m waiting for it.”

Edward’s head snapped up. I waited for him to be mean again, but he wasn’t “You’re watching for an official command.”

“You think someone’s acting on their own? Why?” Carlisle questioned so I didn’t have to.

“Caius’s idea,” Edward suggested. His panic cracked his resolve again.

“Or Jane’s…” Alice added. “ They both have the resources to send an unfamiliar face…”

Edward scowled. “And the motivation.”

“I don’t see the point though. If they were meant to wait for me and Bella, Alice would have seen it. Obviously they had no intention of hurting us- or Dad for that matter.” I said. A small part of my panic turned to basic confusion.

Bella winced when I mentioned Dad again. I pulled away from Carlisle to hug her while whispering, "It's going to be fine, Bella." It had to be.

"The question remains, What was the point?" Carlisle asked. I was glad he understood my confusion.

"Checking to see if we're still human"

"It's possible, and would explain why they checked Y/n too."

Rosalie sighed and it was loud enough to make me and Bella jump from across the room. For the first time since the boys left she turned away from the window and looked towards the kitchen. I guessed that Emmett and Jasper were back, and from the annoyed look on Edwards face, they didn't have an answer he wanted.

"Long gone, hours ago." Emmett announced, disappointed. Rosalie moved to his side and he threw an arm over her shoulder. "The trail went east, then south, and disappeared on a side road. Had a car waiting."

"That's bad luck," Edward muttered. "If he'd gone west… well, it would be nice for Jacob and the others to make themselves useful."

I kinda wanted to laugh, it always sounded silly when Edward tried to insult Jacob, But Bella winced at his words so I didn't. I just rubbed her back between her shoulders.

Jasper looked at Carlisle. "Neither of us recognized him. But here." He held out something that looked similar to a tree, just a small tree. I wanted to laugh again. When Carlisle took it from him and held it to his face, I did laugh. He turned his head just slightly away from me to hold back a laugh as well. "Maybe you know the scent."

"No," Carlisle said, serious again. "It's not familiar. No one I've ever met."

"I mean… Hypothetically, couldn't it just be some random passing vampire?" Everyone turned to look at me like I'd lost it, so I added "Of course not in that they just happened to pick our house to drop in randomly. Just maybe this person was a bit curious. All of your scents are all over us. Maybe they wanted to know why."

"Why wouldn't they just come here then? If they were curious?" Emmett challenged.

I laughed softly. "Not everyone is as brave as you can be, Emmett. But from an outside perspective, our family is huge and consists of mainly gifted vampires. They might be a bit intimidated. Dad wasn't hurt. They didn't stick around for us to get home. It could be someone who's just passing through. Someone who caught our scents and wanted to see what was going on.”

I think I was trying to convince myself that there was no immediate threat. It was an easier pill to swallow that someone was passing through rather than someone with malicious intent. I looked at Bella for backup, but she looked like she was plotting. I didn't want to know what was running circles in her mind.

"I don't think so, Y/n…" Alice interjected, pursing her lips. "The timing of it was too perfect… This visitor was so careful to make no contact. Almost like they knew I would see…"

I shivered again, pulled completely out of my false sense of security. I knew it was improbable. I knew they were trying to get to the bottom of this. Deep down, I knew that this person definitely had bad intentions.

But I had to hope, if only so I wouldn’t start screaming.

Carlisle squeezed my hand. "He might have had other reasons for avoiding contact." He reminded her and reassured me. I smiled at him in thanks. He kissed my hand.

"Does it really matter who it was?" Bella asked and I squeezed my eyes closed and placed my head on Carlisle's shoulder. "Just the chance that someone was looking for me… isn't that reason enough? We shouldn't wait for graduation."

"No, Bella," Edward and I said in unison. I didn't look up.

He continued. "It's not that bad. If you're really in danger, we'll know."

"Think of Charlie," Carlisle reminded her. I could kiss him. "Think of how it would hurt him if you disappeared."

"I am thinking of Charlie! He's the one I'm worried about. What if our little guest had been thirsty last night? As long as I'm around Charlie- as long as we're both still human- He's a target too."

"Nothing is going to happen to Dad, Bells. He's lived in this supernatural infested town long enough without problems." I tried to sound comforting.

"His daughters weren't bringing them to his house then." She clearly wasn't comforted.

"We're just going to have to be more careful." Edward added. He had faith in our family. That was comforting; at least to me.

"More careful?" Bella repeated in disbelief.

"It's all going to be fine, Bella," Alice Promised.

Bella sat back, accepting we wouldn't budge no matter how much she begged. That night at least, she would stay human.

I drove home early the next morning, but I still managed to miss Dad on his way out. Bella said that he was gone before she woke up too and, knowing him, he probably left before the sun was even up.

I walked into the kitchen to find Bella and Edward discussing why he had to leave just because Jacob is stopping by. I rolled my eyes at the cliche, but appreciated Edwards diplomatic approach.

I did wonder just how far he planned to go. I doubted he would leave us completely alone, but I also knew he wouldn't stay close enough for Jacob to know. I assumed that he would lurk back with Jasper, but stay ready to spring into action if need be. He nodded once in my direction with just the tiniest smirk on his lips and I knew I had guessed correctly.

He turned his attention back to Bella. "I'll be right back." I heard him laugh as she walked him to the door.

I figured it was as good a time as any to pick Bella's brain a bit about Jacob; Even if it meant I had to interrupt her grumpy grumbling as she cleaned the kitchen.

"Hey, Bells?"

She jumped and nearly dropped the glass she was placing in the sink. "Y/n! I thought you'd gone back upstairs."

"Nope… Still down here." I giggled. and waited a small second for her to get her breathing right. When she smiled at me I continued, "So, why is Jacob coming over?"

"He wants to check our rooms for the scent of that vampire…" I cringed at how nonchalant she said it. "And I decided to forgive him. For what he said before…"

I didn't mention that she never told me what he'd said before, I knew it wasn't kind. I let it go. "I think… I guess it wouldn't hurt to have their help in this too." I pulled my lips into a line and she nodded. "Though, it would be much easier if they could just get along- if the three of you could get along in general." I paused to gauge her reaction but when she laughed so did I.

"Wouldn't it?" She bit her lip and looked at the dishes in the sink. I thought for a second that she was going to say something more, but she didn't. She got lost in her thoughts and I didn't want to bother her again. She focused back on the dishes and I started to help by putting away what was already clean.

There was a kinda demanding knock at the door and before I could go answer it, Bella was calling for Jacob to come in. I wanted to vanish. It's not that I had anything against him, I just didn't trust myself to not tell them to get over themselves.

Despite just telling him to come in, she still jumped when he spoke. "Should you really leave your door unlocked like that?" And when he noticed he made her splash dish water on herself, he added "Oh, sorry."

"It's not like a locked door would stop anything after us anyway." I said while she tried to dry the front of her shirt.

"Oh… Good point, Y/n," He agreed before adding, "I didn't see you there."

I had to laugh. "That seems to be pretty common." I nodded.

Bella squinted her eyes, like she was judging him, clearly in her own world. "Is it really so impossible to wear clothes, Jacob?"

I laughed out loud. If they were going to discuss Jacobs nakedness, I definitely did not need to be in the room. I left them to talk and, for the first time in the hours since I'd gotten home, I went upstairs.

I hesitated by my bedroom door. I knew that no one would be in there and yet, I couldn't make myself open the door. I stood there and looked at it and even reached for the handle, but that was as far as I got.

Instead, I turned on my heels and walked down to Dads room. His door was already open and, of course, he was not inside. His bed wasn't made, but his room wasn't messy. It smelled like him- Warm, musky, and dusty. It smelled like home. I wondered how much it smelled like him to the others if it smelled this strongly to my human nose.

He'd never lived anywhere else in his adult life. He probably smelled like this place. It was probably one in the same. I heard Jacob's heavy footsteps as he stomped up the stairs. I laid on Dads bed in an attempt to stay out of his way.

It was comforting in a way I hadn't really expected. Like how it was when I was a child and I'd run in there to hide from the monsters under my bed- Only this time there really had been a monster in there. I shivered and pulled his blanket up around my face. I couldn't let myself cry; I knew I wouldn't be able to stop.

It wasn't long before Jacob poked his head in anyway. He was quiet then he kinda took a sharp breath. "Hey, Y/n. I didn't know you were in here-" I laughed, he continued. "This rooms clear- No vamps in here. Is this Charlie's room?"

I nodded.

"That's good. That they didn't come in here…" He looked across the hall towards the other rooms. "Your room reeks though. Like they were in there for a while. Touched a lot of stuff too, like they were looking for something."

I stared at him, eyes wide open. "I-" I wanted to scream again.

"But it's good! ‘Cause I can really smell them in there. Bella's room reeks of Cullen, so it's hard to get only this new one. But it being all over your room… helps." I knew he was- however unsuccessfully, trying to calm me down.

I sighed and smiled softly at him. "Thank you Jacob."

He grinned wide. "No problem! Hey uh… Sam asked if I would mention that he needs to speak with you."

"Of course he does…" I shook my head, already annoyed.

"There's a bonfire tonight. You could come-"

"I couldn't." Mostly because I didn't want to deal with Sam, but also I didn't want to impose. "I've got plans with Carlisle."

"Sure. Sure. But could you at least call Sam so he'll get off my back?"

"I'll consider it."

He grinned again. "Thanks, Y/n!"

Then he left before he said anything else. I threw myself back on the bed. I didn't want to go back down there while Jacob was still there and as soon as he left I heard Edward get back. So I stayed in my dads bed trying to convince myself to go into my own room.

Eventually I decided to just rip the bandage off. I walked to my room and again, hesitated by the door. Only this time, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and swung the door open on the exhale.

Jacob was right. My room was a mess. It was honestly so much worse than I could have expected. My dresser drawers were open. The closet was open and missing some of its contents. Even my laundry basket was knocked over.

But what shocked me the most- My entire bed sheet and my pillows were gone.

For a long moment I was just frozen in the doorway, staring at the mess my bedroom had become. I didn't notice how bad I was shaking. I kept thinking I wanted to clean up my room but it was too overwhelming.

Whoever this was, was in my room. They went through all of my things. They stole my bedsheet. And I could not fathom why. I think that's what scared me the most.

All this time, even though I had been running with them too, the rogue vampires only wanted Bella. So I didn't understand why they were suddenly interested in me.

I stood there for a long while until I couldn't handle it anymore. I went far enough into my room to set my laundry basket up right. One of the only things still in it was one of Carlisle's sweaters- A navy blue one he'd worn when we'd gone to the library. He swore it looked better on me and he didn't need it anyway. I agreed to take it because it smelled like home. It still smelled like him.

I threw it over my head, decided the mess could wait, and went downstairs to meet up with Bella and Edward.

As I drifted downstairs, Bella was explaining to Edward why she thought Alice had cleaned her room. "-that was lying around, my shirts, my socks, and I don't know where she put them."

As I approached Edward went rigged.

“No, I think Y/n is right. When did you notice your things were missing?"

"When I got back from the fake slumber party…"

Then Edward looked at me, which made Bella look at me. My eyes went wide and I guessed that he wanted me to answer the same question. "Oh… I-I haven't been home. So. Today? My bed sheet is gone and some of my clothes…"

I hadn't considered that maybe it was Alice, but Bella was known for not looking at the whole picture. I didn't think that made much sense anyway.

Edward shook his head. "I don't think Alice took anything. Not your clothes, or your bed sheet. The things that were taken, these were things that you'd worn… and touched… and slept on?"

"Yes. What is it, Edward?" I didn't know how she hadn't pieced it together yet.

I couldn't tell if Edward was angry or confused. Or both. "Things with your scent?"

"Oh!" She breathed and I knew it clicked for her. They stared at each other for a while and If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was reading her mind. “The visitor…” she muttered.

“He was gathering traces… evidence. To prove that he’d found the both of you?”

Again, I found myself at a loss for why.

Bella actually whispered, “Why?”

“I don’t know. But, Bella, I swear I will find out. I will.”

“It also doesn’t make sense. Why did they clean up Bella’s room and tear mine apart? Why do they care about me at all?” My questions were mostly rhetorical. I knew there weren't any real answers yet.

He was kind enough to entertain me anyway. “You’re right, I have no idea why their focus has extended to you as well. But the state of your room makes a bit of sense… Your scent is hard enough to trace as it is , but if you haven’t been sleeping here and because you always smell like Carlisle- I would guess he couldn’t find a solid trace of you-”

“And then he got frustrated and trashed my room?”

“Maybe. It’s just a running theory. I will bring it up with Carlisle.”

Bella sighed and laid her head on his chest. I was already overwhelmed and I’d only dealt with it for a day. I didn’t know how they had managed it for so long.

Edward pulled his phone out right as it started ringing, only briefly checking the number. “Just the person I need to talk to,” Once he answered my heart started to race a bit. “Carlisle, I-”

I could hear his voice over the phone. It was low and fast. Edward looked very focused. I hoped nothing else was falling apart. “I’ll check it out. Listen…”

He went on to explain mine and Bella’s missing things, though it sounded like he was just as confused as we were. Carlisle sounded very concerned about my situation. I wished I could kiss him.

“Maybe I’ll go…” His eyes drifted to Bella. “Maybe not. Don’t let Emmett go alone, you know how he gets. At least ask Alice to keep an eye on things. We’ll figure this out later.”

Carlisle said something made Edward look at me. “Yeah. I’ll have Jasper go with her. I think that’s a good idea. I’ll talk to you soon.” He got off the phone, sent a quick message to Jasper I guessed, then turned to Bella. "Where's the paper?" he asked her.

"Uhm, I'm not sure. Why?"

"I need to see something. Did Charlie already throw it out?"

"Maybe…"

Then he was gone and I looked at Bella to see if she had any idea what was going on. I don't think she did. Half a second later, Edward reappeared with Jasper in tow. Despite my utter confusion I smiled warmly at Jasper.

"Hey, Y/n. Carlisle asked if I could bring you to meet him at the hospital." I wasn't sure how it would work or why exactly he wanted me to meet him there but I was more than willing to go. So I just nodded and he grinned. Any ideas to call Sam and see what he wanted went out the window.

"I'll-... just need to grab some things." I walked upstairs before anyone said anything more to me. I heard them resume making plans, I really just had to grab my keys and bag from Dads room. I couldn't even look into my own room again.

I went back into the kitchen and they were still talking, but I only caught the end of it. "I'll have to tell you soon. When there's time. It's a bit lengthy…"

She sighed and set her head on the table "What a mess."

Both of the guys chuckled softly before Jasper turned towards me. "Ready?"

"Sure…"

I said my goodbyes to the others. I told Bella I loved her and then we drove to the hospital in silence. He drove my car with the windows rolled down, so it wasn't terribly awkward. I thought that the windows being down might help ease some of his tension, and he was breathing so I figured I'd guessed right.

Though it was a bit strange, I was grateful he was willing to bring me to Carlisle. When we pulled up to the main entrance, I thanked him before I got out.

"It's really no problem, Y/n." He was the perfect southern gentleman as always. "I'll drive your car to the house. Carlisle will probably want you to come home with him anyway."

"You're right. Thank you… again."

He laughed, "Of course. One last thing… When I tell Bella my story, I'd like for you to be there as well. I think it might help clear some things up."

"Oh! Sure. We can make that happen."

"Alright. Then I'll see you later?" He gave me another crooked smile and I got out of the car. I thanked him again and he just laughed and drove towards his house.

I went straight to Carlisle's office. The receptionist was expecting me and informed me that Carlisle was in a meeting, but should be done quickly. I sat in his office chair and pulled the sleeves of his sweater around my hands before laying my head down on his desk.

He really didn't take long- Five, ten minutes tops- and when he was finally in the room he crouched down right in front of me.

"Are you alright, Dove?" His voice was heavy with concern. He placed a steady hand just above my knee.

"I'm okay- overwhelmed, but okay." I moved my head from his desk and rested it instead against his forehead.

"I am so sorry, Y/n. I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

My heart broke for him. "I know you will." I whispered. I smiled softly at him to really express my point and when he pulled back to look into my eyes, I kissed him. It was really cathartic. All I wanted to do was wrap myself up in him and hide from whatever was after us this time. Kissing him felt like I could do just that.

Remembering where we were, I eventually did pull back. "How much longer do you need to stay here today?"

"We're actually good to go now. They'll call if I'm needed, but I don't imagine they will. I thought we both would feel a bit better if you were here with me. He brushed my hair back and kissed me quickly before he added "If I'm being honest, I think I would feel significantly better if you were with me more consistently." There were a lot of implications in his tone but my brain was too cloudy to decipher his meaning.

When he saw how confused I was he continued. "If you were willing… If you wanted, I would be elated if you moved in with me."

As his words processed my eyes went wide. I held up one finger so I could think. I believe he chuckled and told me to take my time, but I couldn't be sure; I was too focused.

I spent most of my time at his house, moving in with him wouldn't be a huge change- if it didn't feel like a huge change. It felt official. I wasn't ready for marriage and I think most would agree that for our particular circumstances, marriage could wait.

But I did want to live with him. I knew that meant living in a house full of vampires, but they were my vampires. I wondered how they would feel about living with me. I hoped it wouldn't bother them too badly. I hoped it wouldn't be unbearable for Jasper.

Because I really wanted to live with them. I thought about my Dad. Bella would also move out in a few short weeks. If I moved out, he would be alone. I'm sure he knew we'd move out at some point. I still felt guilty that it was now. For now at least, I wouldn't be far.

And I wanted this.

I wanted this.

I felt my cheeks warm as I blushed. I smiled at him and realized he was speaking again. His sentences were jumbled and he hardly put spaces between each word.

"-you do not have to. I know that we've only just gotten back and I would completely understand if this is too soon. I just want you to be safe and comfortable-"

"Carlisle." He froze and saw the smile on my face. He almost cracked a smile too. "I want to. If you're serious, I would love to move in with you."

For a second, he looked like he was processing. I gave him the time he needed, just as he had with me. When it cleared he held my face in his hands and kissed me. I melted into him immediately.

Sure, we would have to tell my dad eventually, but for right that second I could just focus on him. Whatever came next we would face it together.

I caught Dad right before he went to work one morning, though he was already in uniform and only had to lace up his shoes. I floated down the stairs just before he could reach for the door handle.

I took a deep breath and rushed the words out, “Hey, really quick before you go… I was kinda thinking about moving in with Carlisle.”

He raised his eyebrows and turned to look at me. I couldn’t quite read his expression. “Oh, really? When?”

“I-I. Well, he asked me- a few days ago now. And I thought about it and decided I really did want to, so-” I stammered my way through my response a bit taken off guard. Thankfully he interrupted me with a laugh.

“No, Y/n, I mean when were you planning on moving out?”

“Oh…” I didn’t know. I hadn’t really thought past telling him. I'd basically already had started living there, without out-right saying it. "Most of my things are there, so I guess now." I waited for him to react, but he just nodded.

"Will You need help with your furniture? I'm sure Bella won't mind if we use her truck."

"No, No. I think I can leave most of it here… If that's okay with you." I threw the last bit out in a rush. I didn't want to assume I could.

"Of course, Kid. It's not like I've got plans to turn your room into an at home gym. You'll always have a space here."

I bit my lip, suddenly fighting back tears. "You're not mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" His confusion was genuine.

"I…" I took a steady breath. " I just thought you might still be upset that they left. I mean they haven’t been back that long and I wasn’t sure you’d be ecstatic about me moving in with him right now… And also you haven’t been alone in a long long time so-”

“Y/n, Honey, It’s okay. He crossed the room to wrap me in a tight hug. “It’s not like you're moving to a different country; you’re just going across town. I want you to be happy, I want you to start your life.”

He leaned back and smiled at me before wiping a tear from my check. I wasn’t sure when I’d started crying. He continued, “Now I won’t lie to you and say that I’m all that excited for you to get this serious so soon after they hurt you but- I do trust your judgment. I know you’ll be okay.”

I nodded and said, “You’re right, I will be.” then quickly asked, “Will you be alright?”

He laughed. “I will be alright, too. And, in the worst case, you can always come back.”

It was my turn to laugh. I pulled into him again and hid my face in his chest. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, kid. I always will.”

Taglist!

@jakanddexter67 @a-not-so-poetic-poet @bridge597 @cestlavie03 @gaymazinglula @short-potato @jennyamanda8 @daisydreamingsims @arg888cam

#twilight #carlisle cullen #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #twilight x reader #iaitt #reader insert #this love came back to me #tlcbtm

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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 month

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This Love Came Back To Me - Chapter 5

It's Finally Here!!!! I can not apologize enough for how long this took to get out. But here it is! I hope you love it.

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 6,235

There is no imprinting and there never will be <3

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3 (Ch 3, Ch 4)

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

Carlisle’s Point Of View

The more people we took out, the harder it became. They didn’t see us coming. They were barely trained. Some of them were only children.

Yet, I didn’t hesitate.

Their numbers were dwindling, they had to know then that they were going to lose. I watched as most of them decided to go down fighting but out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow dart back into the trees. In any other circumstance, I might have let her go, but she was heading towards the path that would lead her to Y/n.

I had her pinned to the ground before she made it too far into the trees. I cradled her in my arms, facing her away from me. She was so small. I actually did pause.

“Please!” She sobbed. Though it didn’t sound like she was pleading for her life, I couldn’t bring myself to end her at all after it.

I twisted her out of my arms and launched her into a tree. If she’d run again, I would have stopped her and ended it, but she crumpled in on herself. She was backed into a tree analyzing me too.

“Please,” she said again. “I don’t want to fight.”

She wasn’t begging because she wanted to live; she wanted this to be over. She wanted to die. It caught me off guard, but I stayed ready. “Neither do I, child.” She was only a child. I wanted to be kind, even if these were her last moments. “We’re only defending ourselves.”

She seemed shocked by this. “We didn’t know,” She explained. “Riley lied. I’m sorry.”

I was truly frozen.

If I could spare her, shouldn’t I try? I didn’t wish this girl any harm, but I had my family to consider. I could accept her surrender, but would they? I wouldn’t put Y/n at risk by bringing her into our home. But she was shaking and she was a child. So I couldn’t kill her. I crouched in front of her. She flinched back.

“I will not harm you. I never wanted to harm any of you.” I said with as much kindness as I could muster. “Will you surrender to us? If you do not try to harm us, we promise I will not harm you.”

She didn’t hesitate. She nodded over and over very quickly. “Yes,” she whispered, “Yes, I surrender. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

And I believed her. I held out my hand and helped her to her feet. “We’ll go meet with the others now… What is your name?”

“Oh.” She still held on to my hand. “Bree.”

I smiled and nodded. “Bree, let my family regroup for a moment, then we’ll have some questions for you. If you answer them honestly, you have nothing to fear.” I didn’t like threatening her, but I didn’t want her to assume my guard was down. Where Y/n was involved, my guard would never be down.

We talked towards the clearing but Jasper met us before we got too far.

“Carlisle?” He was just checking on me but as soon as he saw her he was ready to attack.

I held out my hand. I said his name but it sounded more like a warning than I’d met for it to. He stared at me like I’d lost it. For a second, I thought that I had.

“What’s going on?”

“She doesn’t want to fight. She’s surrendered.”

Though he was still hesitant, he did fall back. “I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. We can’t have any of the newborns associated with us when the Volturi come.”

“Jasper, she’s only a child.” I understood where he was coming from, but I couldn’t kill her myself. I trusted him to stand by my choice, at least to that point.

“It’s our family on the line here, Carlisle. We can’t afford to have them think we broke this rule.”

“They won’t. I know how they think. If they assume she’s one of ours, it might be the only chance she has. If they still dislike it, they’ll just kill her to punish us.”

He really thought about that for a moment but wasn’t convinced. “This is too dangerous.”

I took a step towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. “You know I can’t kill her. I have to give her a chance. She’s just a child.”

He glared at me, but he sighed. I almost smiled at him.

“I don’t like this. At least let me take charge of her. You don’t know how to deal with someone who’s been running wild for so long.”

“Sure.” I smiled at him then. “Though I handled you well enough.” He glared at me again with no actual malice behind it.

“We need to be with the others. Alice said we don’t have long.”

I scanned the sky above the trees to find a distant and familiar plume of smoke. I prayed to whatever would listen that she was okay.

Y/n’s Point Of View

Seth continued to nudge me with his nose until I locked eyes with him. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. I couldn’t look up for long before the world started spinning again and I had to put my head between my knees.

I could feel the shock setting in. I tried to focus on Seth’s breathing, and Bella and Edward’s hushed conversation, and the crackle of the fire. But when I remembered what was burning, I threw up again.

I heard Seth walk away only to come back a moment later accompanied by the sound of plastic. I opened my eyes just barely as he sat down a bottle of water.

I chuckled, “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure I could make myself drink it, but I was still grateful he’d brought it to me.

Next to it he also set down a set bandage wrap, which I could only guess were for my head. I didn’t exactly know how to dress a head wound, but I figured anything was better than bleeding out. Carlisle could fix it later.

Just as I thought his name, I felt as if I could breathe a bit easier. The fight would have to be over there too. Edward wouldn’t be so calm if it wasn’t, or if someone had been hurt. I knew I was probably in shock but I could breathe a bit easier knowing it was over- really and truly over.

I took a small sip of the water he brought me. It was so cold it hurt my teeth but it was still warmer than the snow. When it didn’t immediately hurt my stomach I took another, larger sip. That was all I could handle.

As I put the cap back on- Seth’s body went rigid and he sharply turned to Edward.

“What’s she doing?” Edward asked and Seth whined. I could only tear my eyes from them for a second to find Bella, who was horror struck. Everything passed in slow motion. She didn't look like she was breathing. Edward dropped to his knees. Seth howled, though it sounded more like a scream. It was so loud and broken, my ears were ringing.

“Edward! Edward,” Bella sounded so distant though she was still in the same spot just kneeling in front of Edward. From the pain in his face I knew it was bad.

I tried to sit up- to move closer but I was still bleeding and I didn’t want to make things worse. Seth winced and howled again. It took everything in me not to call out to them.

“What’s happening?”

“We’re fine, we’re going to be okay,” Edward gasped. “Sam- Help him.”

Something like relief washed over me. It wasn’t relief, but he was using the pack plural, which meant Carlisle was safe and the danger wasn’t here. I wasn’t relieved because the agony on Edward’s face meant that something had happened to Jacob.

Bella either hadn’t caught on to that part or her panic was masked by the shock. She had started to melt. Edward easily caught her. While supporting Bella at his side, he moved towards me.

I tried to get his attention. “I’m bleeding…”

“It’s okay, Y/n” He held up a hand like he was trying to assure me. “It’s okay.”

I nodded and he looked at my head wound for a brief second before wrapping it. “Carlisle will need to clean it, but you might not need stitches.”

I had to close my eyes as he wrapped my head. He pulled it tight. It almost hurt. I didn’t say anything more.

“Seth!” Edward shouted. I hoped nothing had gotten worse. “No! You go straight home. Now. As fast as you can!”

Seth cried soft and low. My chest tightened.

“Seth, Trust me. I’ve got them.”

Them, I thought. He was going to carry both of us. I opened my eyes wide. The wolf starred Edward down for one second longer before taking off.

“Edward?” I forced his name out. “What’s-”

“I need you to hold on. Can you do that?” I didn’t know if I could. “Y/n, I have to carry Bella. I need you to hold on to me.”

I was terrified, I was weak, but for Bella, I could do this. I nodded.

He tried to smile at me. “Good. We’ll be with Carlisle soon.” That was a comfort, at least.

Before I knew what was happening I was on his back. I was grateful that I couldn’t choke him, because I used all of my remaining strength to wrap my arms around his neck and hold on. I hid my face in his shoulder so I wouldn’t see the world zoom past us.

“Edward,” Her voice sounded so broken I thought she actually did know something had happened to Jacob. “What happened, Edward? What happened to Sam? Where are we going? What’s happening?”

“We have to go back to the clearing,” His voice was distant. “There was always a chance, but when it became clear we passed the message to Seth and Sam. The Volturi decided it was time to intercede.”

If they were coming, they’d seek out all of us. It was better not to make it a challenge for them. The last thing we wanted at this point was another fight. As Edward explained it to Bella she made a strange sound. I wondered what she was putting together.

He tried to soothe her, “It’s all going to be fine. Alice can see that.”

“The pack?”

“They had to leave quickly. The Volturi do not honor truce with werewolves.”

I knew he was running out of places to divert her questions. She was going to put together that Jacob was hurt. She wouldn’t take it well. He hadn’t taken it well. My heart broke for them.

She got desperate. She begged him to tell her. I almost told her myself but he finally explained it all in hushed tones. “The pack missed a single newborn. It was over, they were cleaning up. Alice couldn’t have seen…”

“What happened?!” She tried again.

“Leah got cocky. I imagine she was trying to prove something to Sam. She went after him by herself.”

“Leah,” she repeated, sounding relieved. I hoped he couldn’t hear the way it broke my heart. “Is she going to be okay?”

“Leah wasn’t hurt” He forced the words out.

He told her we were almost to the clearing. I risked a glance at the clear sky. When I saw the smoke I felt sick and hid my face again.

She asked him again to tell her who was hurt. It took him a long time to answer. I knew it hurt him just as much to say it. But she needed to know, if she hadn’t figured it out already.

“Jacob,” He said.

“Of course.” It was all forced.Then it was silent.

I think she passed out. I almost thought to check, but I could tell we were still moving and I could still smell the smoke from before, So I kept my eyes squeezed closed. We’d slowed significantly anyway. I hoped it was almost over.

As soon as I thought the words though, we did stop. And before I could react I was being pulled off of Edwards back and into Carlisle's arms.

He breathed my name. It was so light I almost missed it. I buried my face in his chest. He held me there until he noticed my bandage- or he smelled the blood, I couldn’t be sure.

“You’re hurt.”

“Only a little. Edward said it might not need stitches…” My voice was cracked and broken.

He kissed my forehead and gave me a firm look, “I will look at it when we are home.” though his eyes said he wouldn’t let me down play this.

He didn’t let go of my hand and he led me over to where Edward had set Bella down.

Edward confirmed my earlier suspicions. “She fainted after I told her about him.” He didn’t need to specify, the pain in his face said it all. “She’s still unresponsive.”

“She’s going to wake up in a moment, Edward.” Alice called from somewhere. I couldn’t tell where.

At the same time, Carlisle assured him, “It’s just the shock. I imagine they’ll both have to recover from it tonight.”

I wanted to lie and say I was alright. I wanted them to focus on her, but I remembered the way he looked at me just a moment before and thought better of it. Carlisle held Bella’s wrist and checked his watch.

Once he’d assured Edward again that there was no cause for concern, I asked them “How’s Jacob.”

I regretted it as soon as I saw Edward's face. Through Jacob and the pack's thoughts I knew he had felt his pain, but there was something more than pain there.

“He’ll fully recover.” He was answering my question while comforting his son. Edward’s shoulders relaxed a bit.

I grabbed Bella’s hand. “Did you hear that, Love? Carlisle said he’s going to be okay.” Her hand tightened in mine.

Alice confirmed that Bella could probably hear us.

“We’re out of danger now. We’re safe.” I tried. There was a break in my voice.

Edward tried telling her again that Jacob is healing already and he and Carlisle would go check on his progress as soon as they could. She could barely whisper Edward's name when she opened her eyes. She asked again if Jacob was okay.

“I examined him myself,” Carlisle confirmed. She took in every word he said. I smiled encouragingly at him. “His life is not in any danger. It will take a few days for him to be completely recovered- his injuries were… extensive. But he will recover. Sam and Paul got to him quickly. They took him home so they could help him recover. Once he phases back and we're done here, I’ll be able to do a full assessment.”

“He’ll be back to normal?” She asked Edward this time.

He nodded, “Yes, Bella. He won’t have any permanent damage.” She didn’t look convinced. She looked like she wanted to run and check on him herself, but Alice announced that we only had three minutes until the Volturi arrived.

It never felt like there was enough time.

We got Bella on her feet, albeit mostly supported by Edward. Carlisle and I moved to the middle of our family. He looked towards the opposite side of the clearing. I wondered if they could see them yet.

Though my thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream that came for a small girl I hadn’t noticed Jasper was guarding. Carlisle left my side for a moment to aid Jasper. I just watched in stunned silence.

“She surrendered,” Edward told me and Bella. “Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesn’t approve.”

I couldn’t say that I did either, not with Bell this close to her, but she was just a girl. Of course Carlisle would offer. She barely looked 16. He was patient when he spoke with her. He reminded her that our family wouldn’t hurt her.

She wanted Bella, of course. She hadn’t even noticed me. I was grateful again for my relative invisibility.

“Self control is possible and it is the only thing that will save you now.” He continued.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to tell her to hold on and that it would get easier, but it was better that she didn’t notice me. And I didn’t want to give her false hope.

I had to look away from her as Carlisle returned to me. He took my hand and kissed my temple. He was positioned in front of me. Alice was in between me and Bella and Edward was just in front of Bella. The rest of our family formed a united front around us. Only Jasper stayed back to guard the girl- or to guard us from her.

I shuddered.

I almost felt safe, but there was still something dark looming over us. I could hardly stand the silence by the time a group of people in gray cloaks appeared on the other side of the fire.

“Hmm”

Though my knowledge of vampires outside of the Cullens was limited to Riley and Victoria and now this newborn, I could tell this Jane girl was powerful. I knew enough about her to fear her even before I saw her. The men behind her weren’t as intimidating, but I knew better than to underestimate any of them.

Edward welcomed her and she pushed the hood off of her head. In one fluid motion the others did too. It was eerie the way they moved in sync with each other.

“I don’t understand.” Her voice was like a song while utterly uninterested. Her eyes were locked on the girl.

“She surrendered.” Edward said again.

“She was never given a choice, I thought, if she ceased her attack on our family, the right thing to do would be to give her a chance.” Carlisle explained.

“That is irrelevant,” Jane pressed.

He was tense, but unsurprised. “I understand.”

“Well I must say,” she seemed annoyed. “I never expected you to be able to clean this up, and walk away unharmed. How many made it here? With the destruction I’d think about thirty?”

“There were eighteen, including the girl. All of them were untrained.” He answered.

“All newborns? Who created them?”

“Her name was Victoria.” Edward answered this time he nodded towards the pillar of smoke up the mountain. It looked much farther away than I would have thought possible.

“I am to assume you took care of her then, Edward?”

“I did. And the boy she was with.” His tone was harsher than hers. Where she sounded bored, he sounded irritated.

“Hmm, twenty. I’m impressed.” I followed her eyes as he looked at the girl by Jasper. “You there… Your name.”

Jane smiled at the girl and I couldn’t take my eyes off her face. Before she could answer, she was writhing on the ground. Her screams were the only answer she gave. I looked at Carlisle who only winced, then to Bella for some kind of answer as to what was going on. She looked equally remorseful. Then it was quiet.

“Your name,” Jane repeated.

“Bree,” the girl gasped.

Jane’s smile grew and Bree screamed again. I pulled closer into Carlise’s shoulder- his grip tightened on my hand. I wondered if he’d tell me what was happening later. I wondered if I even wanted to know.

Bree explained what she could remember, after she was able to stop screaming. She agreed that there were around twenty of them, that Riley had ‘trained’ them to look for me and Bella. It was the first time she looked at me, but she wasn’t as crazed as she was before.

“But why? What did this Riley want with these humans?” Jane was almost confused, beyond her amusement.

“He said that the yellow-eyed vampires would kill us if they knew we existed. He said it was only a matter of time before they tracked us down and all he wanted was to live in peace. He said it would be an easy fight, and once we’d won we could keep their prizes for ourselves.” Her words made my skin crawl. “But he said our minds weren’t safe. He said we couldn’t know who created us and we couldn’t know any plans because once we did they could use it to destroy us.”

“It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part,” Jane added.

Bree nodded. I was grateful whatever Jane was doing to her had stopped so she could speak. “Everything happened so quickly. Riley never came with us. I didn’t want to fight. That one” she nodded towards where Carlisle and I stood. I looked at the snow below our shoes, trying to fade into the background. “said they wouldn’t hurt me if I stopped fighting.”

“Ah but that wasn’t his to offer, young one.” Her voice was gentle. It was still unnerving. “Again I’ll admit that I’m rather impressed. The odds were stacked against you and yet here you all stand, unscathed. Though, I can’t say I’m terribly surprised Bella and Y/n are at the center of this.” I hated the way she said our names- like she was just trying to prove they knew them.

“Victoria held a grudge against Bella,” Edward said in lieu of an actual explanation.

She laughed like she understood anyway. “They do seem to bring out the wildest reactions of our kind. Her gaze met mine and I completely froze. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Y/n. Aro will be quite disappointed he didn’t get the chance.”

“You’ll have to give him our regards.” Carlisle said.

“Of course.” Jane smiled at him. This time my grip tightened on his hand. “He gave me specific instructions not to harm your human pets this time. But that does remind me, Caius will be very interested when he learns that they are still in fact human. Perhaps he’ll decide to visit.”

“The date is set,” Alice told Jane. That was news to me, but I tried to hide my surprise. I knew it wasn’t exactly true for me, but I couldn’t be sure about Bella. Maybe they had set a date. Maybe they were just exaggerating the truth. I tried not to think about it.

Jane’s smile faded just slightly, but her eye never left Carlisle. “It was nice to meet you as well, Carlisle- I’d thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again.”

I was so lost by her comment, but Carlisle nodded.

She sounded bored again. “Take care of that, Felix… I want to go home.”

“Don’t watch,” Edward whispered. Carlisle pulled me into him so I was facing away. It didn’t stop me from gasping when I heard him break her apart. I held my breath again when the new smoke hit my nose.

When I looked around again, Jane and the others were gone.

Edward took Bella off of her feet again before she could collapse. She curled into him but didn’t say anything. Alice went with them to the house while the others agreed to make sure everything was cleared up.

Carlisle watched after them for a long moment before asking me if I thought I could make it home without passing out.

I wasn’t certain but I nodded anyway. He told me it would probably be best to keep my eyes closed.

He carried me the entire way home. I was immensely grateful just to be in his arms. I couldn't tell how bad I was shaking. I wouldn't have been able to walk home if I tried, not that he would have let me, anyway.

When we got to our home, Alice and Bella went to Alice's room to get Bella cleaned up. Edward went to Carlisle's office to gather medical supplies while Carlisle looked over my head. Edwards original assessment had been right, I didn't need stitches, but Carlisle still wanted to clean it and keep an eye on my symptoms.

“You definitely have a concussion.” He made me follow his flashlight with my eyes again. “But it doesn't seem to be getting worse. I don't suspect there is any internal bleeding.”

He kissed me over and over. He promised me it was really and truly over. He promised he would return home quickly- that he just had to check on Jacob, he had to reset his bones. Even I winced at that but I couldn't remember the last time I'd spoken.

He helped me lay out on the couch with my feet propped up by multiple pillows. “Just in case,” I nodded. “Rosalie will be here to check on you in a bit,” I nodded. “Stay like this for as long as you can manage.” I nodded one more time.

He dropped a blanket over me; It smelled like him. I smiled softly at him. He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead.

“I love you, Y/n” I nodded, he chuckled.

Just a minute later, Edward came downstairs and all of the pain on his face broke my heart. I found a little courage and said his name.

He froze, Carlisle froze too. They both looked at me. My voice was shallow but I spoke as clear as I could, “It doesn't have to be this hard, Edward.”

“I-” He tried.

I didn't let him. “No, just listen.” It was hard to speak, but I had to say it since it seemed no one else would. “It doesn't have to be either or. You don't have to choose. Neither does Bella. It doesn't have to be this cheesy vampire vs werewolf cliche. You can choose to just be happy.”

This time he looked out the window, towards the woods. My eyes filled with tears. He let my words sink in.

“Just don't close any doors. And don't let them close any doors. Let yourselves be happy.”

He nodded once, mumbled a thanks, then left.

Carlisle watched after him for a moment. I caught his attention and said, “I'll have about a million questions when you get back.”

“I'm sure you will.”

I whispered, “I love you.” He smiled softly at me before following his son.

I layed there in silence content with just letting the time pass when Rosalie got home. She sighed and sat on the floor in front of me.

“Thank you, Y/n.” Her voice was clear and perfect. “Get some rest.”

I didn’t sleep. I don’t think I could have if I tried, but I let my eyes close and just breathed.

Carlisle came home a few hours later. He helped me sit up, while keeping the blanket around my shoulders. He checked my eyes with his flashlight, and once he was satisfied with my condition he helped me to my feet.

It was then and only then that I was allowed to do normal human things. I drank water, had a snack, and went to the bathroom. All completely mundane things and yet it didn’t feel real. I couldn’t believe it was real. I wondered what everyone else was doing- how they were coping.

Carlisle was watching me as I stared out the window above the sink. Even though he had told me a hundred times before, I had to ask, “It’s really over?”

He softened and stepped closer to me. “It is.”

“Hmm…” was all I managed. I ran the water over the plate I used in the sink. I just watched it run. It was normal, despite the fact that it didn’t feel normal at all. After a while he delicately reached around me and shut off the water.

I watched the last few drops as they fell. He held my chin between his finger and thumb and turned my face towards him. I could tell he was checking my pupils. It made me laugh. He smiled too.

“Can we go to bed now?” I asked in between giggles.

He checked his watch, like he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Then he nodded, “I think that’s a good idea.”

I laughed even more when he lifted me into his arms and carried me to our room. We laid in our bed facing each other, absorbing the familiar feeling of home that surrounded us. I was again covered in the heavy blanket from before, though now it was mostly between us.

“I think I'm okay.” I whispered.

“You don't have to be…” he whispered in response. “No one expects you to be okay right now.”

“I know.” And I did. I had been through a lot- we'd all been through so much, and at that very moment, we were okay.

I woke the next morning to the sun coming through the trees- really warm sun, filling the room with light and dancing off his skin. I stretched. He kissed my temple just below the bandage.

“How are you feeling this morning, Cara?” His voice was soft and I could tell he was assessing me again.

“Alive.” I answered, honestly. I couldn't tell much, but I was alive. I smiled at him and kissed him. He melted into me. He kissed me back, but it wasn't as passionate as we normally were. I think he was still afraid I was breakable, worried he'd hurt me. I tried to prove him wrong by kissing him harder.

And I think it worked because when I parted my lips, he deepened the kiss. He still followed my lead, but he pushed his hand into my hair and pulled me closer to him. I could have stayed there all day- could have kissed him until the sun sunk back down below the trees, but my thoughts circled back to the day before.

“I have questions.” I reminded him.

He chuckled and gave me space to sit up. “Please ask away.”

I didn't think he could have been fully prepared, but I tried to start easy. “Is Aro in love with you?” His mouth fell open, I reworded my question so it wasn’t completely unhinged. “It’s just the way they all talk about him, and your time with him. It feels like there’s history there. And yesterday Jane was all ‘I thought Aro was exaggerating’ and I don’t even know what that could mean-”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t either. Aro has always been… infatuated with me. I wouldn’t call it love, but he- he’s always had an obsession with things he didn’t understand. Or, in my case, things he couldn’t control.

“When I found them, I was at a very low point in my new life, but I had one consistent habit he couldn’t train out. He tried several ways to get me to break, but I never did. He was obsessed, it went on for years, I left before it could really break him. To answer your question, history, yes. Love, no.”

I nodded, slowly taking in what he had said. “He wants Alice and Edward… Shouldn’t we be worried that he’ll want you too?”

“He wants Alice and Edward for their powers. I am not gifted in a way that would benefit him in the long run. If he had any remaining interest in me, It would just be to keep me as a pet.” The thoughts I had at his words were wild, I kept them to myself for his sake.

“Slight… topic shift. The girl yesterday, Bree…” I saw the discomfort on his face, I wouldn’t press the topic too much. I knew he had just wanted to save her. But my question wasn’t about his choices on the battlefield. “When Jane looked at her and she started screaming… What was happening?” I still wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but the words were out before I could think better of them.

“Jane is gifted. Though her talents are more harmful than those in our family. She can manipulate someone’s mind to inflict terrible pain.” Even he winced as he said it.

“And she was specifically told not to use that… power on me and Bella?” As grateful as I was for the order, I didn’t understand it.

“That surprised me too. Her gifts don’t work on Bella-”

“Like Edward can’t read her mind?” I asked.

He nodded. “Neither can Aro. She seems more or less immune to any of our gifts that affect her mind. Jane doesn’t actually harm you, it just makes you think you’re in pain.”

I had to weigh his words in my head. “And you think that her powers would work on me?”

“There’s no way to be certain, but I think Aro asked her not to try just in case, to keep a bit of peace between us.”

“I don’t think I get it though…” I laid back, dramatically. My questions just begged more questions. I was tired again already. “What’s the difference?”

“Bella has always been safe inside her own head, whereas you seem more physically safe from us. Jasper's powers work for Bella, but not for you. He physically manipulates the emotions of people around him, but he can’t with you. Alice see’s how people's decisions affect the path they’re on, but she can’t see your decisions, just how they influence other peoples.

“It’s just a theory, but it will be interesting to see how it develops. If you both become vampires, you both may have your own gifts to add to our family.”

That flowed perfectly into my next question. “Alice said the date was set?”

He ran a soothing hand down my arm. “Most of that was embellished, but Bella decided that it could wait a few more months. Through me, she has seen flashes of you as a vampire, but it’s never set in stone. I believe they’re working on forming a more solid plan for Bella since-”

Cutting him off, I heard Alice’s delighted scream all the way from our room. The sound made me sit up right. The world spun a little as alarms sounded off in my head. Carlisle sat forward slowly, wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my shoulder.

“It’s alright, Dove.” He chuckled, “Alice is just excited because Bella is letting her plan her wedding.”

“Wedding?” His words didn’t help my panic much. I checked the date on my phone, suddenly afraid that I’d slept much longer than I thought. “What did I miss?”

He laughed, “They kept a good secret. Edward asked a while ago, but Bella only agreed the night before the fight. Bella has apparently decided this morning to allow Alice full planning privileges.”

“Oh…”

“Everythings fine.” He assured me.

“Oh.” I said again, still processing.

“There’s coffee downstairs.” He grinned at me and pushed my hair behind my ear.

“Thank god.” I didn’t have the energy to ask more questions anyway.

We didn’t hurry downstairs. I didn’t hurry to make my coffee. I kept getting distracted by kissing him. He was more than happy to oblige.

We were still in the kitchen by the time Alice was leading Bella through the house and towards her room. She was already talking about fabrics and designers. Bella waved sheepishly at me as they drifted up the stairs. I laughed and turned to face Carlisle.

“She already has a dress?”

“She’s very excited.” He passed me my coffee and I took a long drink. It was warm and it helped in ways I didn’t know I needed. I took another sip. “I’m sure Alice will let you help plan. If you wanted.”

I held up my hands “I’m good! Alice has it handled, I’m sure.”

He laughed, “She does. Though you might be the only one who can rein her in if she goes too far. Bella’s tastes are a bit more subtle than Alice’s…”

That made me laugh. “Just a bit.” I agreed. “Our dad is going to freak.” I took another sip of my coffee.

“You could probably help there too.” He smirked and I rolled my eyes, though I knew he was probably right. “That is, if you support them.”

I was caught off guard and a little confused. “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t given your opinion on their marriage.” He clarified. “In fact, you’ve never really shared your opinion on marriage at all.”

I guess I hadn’t really considered it. “Oh… I’ve never really been around marriages to form an opinion.” I told him. “I’m not against it- like my dad might be. And I do think they’re quite young… but I guess… When you know, you know.” I smiled at him and his eyes lit up.

He was on me in half a second, holding me to him and pressed against the counter. My hands were in his hair. Where he was delicate this morning, he now burned with passion.

I completely melted. Only to be interrupted again by Alice.

“Y/n!” She was suddenly in the kitchen with us, but unphased by the state of us. “You have to go with me to Seattle! We have to get dresses made!”

Carlisle braced his forehead on my shoulder and I threw my head back laughing.

Taglist!

@jakanddexter67 @a-not-so-poetic-poet @bridge597 @cestlavie03 @gaymazinglula @short-potato @jennyamanda8 @daisydreamingsims @arg888cam

#twilight #carlisle cullen #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #twilight x reader #iaitt #reader insert #this love came back to me #tlcbtm

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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 month

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This Love Came Back To Me - Chapter 4

It's Finally Here!!!! I can not apologize enough for how long this took to get out. But here it is! I hope you love it.

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 11,920

There is no imprinting and there never will be <3

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3 (Ch 2, Ch 3)

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

While I tried very hard to sleep, I really just laid in our bed curled up next to Carlisle with my eyes closed. Like Bella, I refused to not be in the clearing with them while they met with the wolves to train. I knew sleep was important and yet I couldn’t calm my mind.

He chuckled as I started again “Y/n?”

“I can’t turn my brain off…”

He lifted my chin so he could see my face better, “I can tell. Is it something I can help ease?”

“Maybe…” My eyes met his and I found just enough courage in them to ask my question. “Before us… Was this common?”

“I’m not sure what you mean-”

“Like, before you met me, and Edward met Bella, how often did you guys have to prepare for war?”

“I see. Well, I can’t say that we’ve ever had much of a reason… before now.” He ran his hand through my hair. His confusion still lingered on his face, “Why do you ask, Dove?”

I didn’t want to scare him. I didn’t want to make him worry that I was scared of him or of this life we’d made, but the panic attack earlier wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. My heart beat just a bit faster, he held me tighter.

“I’m worried- only a little- that this will never end. I feel like around every corner there's just more danger. I just keep waiting for the dust to settle and for things to calm down… but what if it never does?”

He listened to my every word and when I’d gotten it all out he moved to his side. I shifted so our faces could be even with each other. He held my face again.

“I have faith that this will pass.” He brushed back the hair that had fallen onto my face. “In just a few days, we’ll have taken care of the newborns and hopefully their source-”

“But we don’t know their source,”

“Yet. But we will. Then soon we will catch Victoria. The Volturi will be quiet for a while, even more so once Bella is a vampire. We’re caught in some turbulence right now, but it will pass.”

“Except once we are vampires, then we’ve broken the treaty and the wolves will be after us. And we can’t seek solace with the Denali’s because they’re mad at us. And the Volturi might give up once we’re vampires or they could just pick another reason to chase after us to get at Edward and Alice.” I took a deep breath

“Is this what you were crying about earlier?” When I nodded he sighed, not out of anger or frustration, but there was something like sadness in it. Like he was only upset that I had carried this with me all day or that he wasn’t sure how to ease some of my worry.

He started again “I know it’s hard to see right now, but things will calm down. At the very least, you’ll be much less fragile than you are now.”

I almost smiled, “I guess I’ll feel a little better when I’m nearly indestructible. I could fight alongside you. It would be easier to breathe through.”

He winced slightly, “We’ll… cross that bridge when we come to it. Hopefully we never have to.” he kissed my forehead and pulled me into his chest, before resting his chin on my head. “We’ll take it day by day and figure it out together. You should try to rest, Cara. It’s going to be a long night.”

With his arms around me and his comforting words replaying in my head, I was finally able to fall asleep. It felt like I’d just barely closed my eyes, but when he woke me again it had been over two hours.

It was still hard to keep my eyes open as we walked into the clearing. Almost everyone had gotten there before us, save for Bella and Edward, who were only a minute behind us. Jasper looked much more relaxed, Alice looked like she already couldn’t wait for this to be over. Rosalie also didn’t seem terribly excited but Emmett ran over to hug me.

“Hey guys!” He greeted the four of us. “Bella, Y/n, are y’all practicing too?” he said with a smirk.

“Definitely not. I’m more of a ‘cheer from the sidelines’ kind of girl, but you guys have fun.” I laughed.

“Thanks, Y/n.” Edward grimaced. “And, Emmett, let’s try to not give them any ideas.” He said them, but I knew he meant Bella. I smiled at him anyway.

Calisle took my hand again and I pushed in closer to his side. “When will our guest arrive?” He asked Edward.

“A minute and a half-” He continued, but I missed the rest of what he was saying while I wondered how he knew. I wondered if people's thoughts sounded different from further away, or if he could see their surroundings through their thoughts.

I consciously reentered the conversation when Bella asked “They’re coming as wolves?” and sharply turned my head towards Edward.

He nodded, cautious of our reaction. I winced and looked up at Carlisle. I’d never seen them as wolves before, and I wasn’t sure that I was all that excited to see them now. I didn’t think I’d be able to tell them apart enough to keep up.

I heard Edwards sharp intake of breath, saw the slight hint of a smile grace his lips. “Prepare yourselves- They’ve been holding out on us.” Which was one of the most confusing things he’d said.

Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who was confused. “What do you mean?” Alice demanded.”

He just shushed her, which was… unhelpful to say the least.

Carlisle gave my hand a quick squeeze before dropping it and they all moved to their positions. This part was easy to grasp, though I was given the rundown before meeting the others here. Rosalie would almost be at the start of the line, but she would also be a few steps behind Emmett. Jasper knew the most but Emmett was the muscle, so they would be the closest to the wolves. Carlisle fell in line next to them, because he was our diplomat and held most of the pack's respect.

Edward, of course, would have been up front as well, but we knew Bella would be glued to his side, so he stayed back. Alice stood to the left of me with Bella on my right and Edward to hers.

“Damn,” Emmett whistled “Did you ever see anything like it?”

I couldn’t see what they were talking about, so I studied their shock. Carlisle and Edward looked the least shocked, but the others looked like they couldn’t believe their eyes. Bella, thankfully, looked as confused as I felt.

“What is it? I can’t see” she whispered.

“The pack has grown.” Edward murmured into Bella’s ear, though I was sure it was only loud enough for our family to hear.

The clearing was still and silent and despite how hard I tried, I could not see what they were still taken aback by. I watched the shadowy forest until I caught just a glimmer of something beyond the trees. Bella gasped as she counted in twos. I wished I could tell what she was counting.

Edward muttered something else, but I missed because Carlisle took a casual step towards them. I knew the plan. Edward would translate, Carlisle and Jasper would lead. Every one of their breaths was planned out yet my heart stuttered as he stepped away.

“Welcome,” he greeted, what looked like nothing except flickers of sparkling… eyes? Were those eyes? They were so high up, I would have guessed they were in the trees.

“Thank you,” Edward responded, his voice flat and unlike his normal tone. I guessed in an instant that he was matching Sam’s tone. I had to choke back a laugh as he continued. “We will watch and listen, but no more. That is the most we can ask of our self control.”

I rolled my eyes.

Carlisle nodded once and answered, “That is more than enough. My son Jasper-” he motioned towards him, but Jasper didn’t move or even breathe “-has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I’m sure you can apply this to your own hunting style.”

“They are different from you?” Edward asked for Sam.

“They are all very new- only months old to this life…”

Carlisle explained newborns in a cautious and practiced way though the rumble from the treeline seemed more excited than cautious. Even as they settled lower to the ground their excitement was palpable.

When Jasper walked further into the clearing my eyes focused on him. He didn’t seem to acknowledge the group behind him at all, but still spoke loud enough for them to hear. He continued Carlisle’s description of the newborns and I think my blood froze over. I had heard most of this before, but it all seemed more daunting in the clearing.

In front of me stood everyone I could lose in the next four days. I couldn’t bear the thought of it. As Emmett stepped up next to Jasper, I looked at my feet. Alice wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I was beginning to wonder if I should have stayed home when I heard the boys start practicing.

Around them, everyone froze. It was over quickly, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of them until it was. Emmett and Jasper moved too quickly around each other for me to fully understand each movement. Jasper was always just a step ahead of Emmett. Emmett was always just a touch too slow to get his hands on Jasper. And then Jasper was behind Emmett, his teeth hovering just above his neck.

Emmett swore.

It sounded like everyone let go of the breath they were holding at the same time. There was even a rumble from the trees.

“Again,” Emmett insisted.

“It’s my turn,” Edward protested from Bella’s side. Bella tensed, but said nothing. I’d guessed that she probably couldn’t get any words out now if she tried.

But it was actually Jasper who spoke up next. “In a minute. I want to show Y/n and Bella something first.”

I froze as my name was spoken, not terribly excited to be acknowledged. Alice gave my shoulder a light squeeze before skipping over to him.

He continued, “I know you worry about her, I want to show you why that’s not necessary.”

I very much did not want to watch this fight, but I never took my eyes away. She seemed so small in the clearing. Jasper floated quickly around her, never really touching her, even though it looked as though Alice never moved. She stood there, smiling, with her eyes closed.

I was completely in awe of her.

I blinked a few times trying to focus only on Alice. I watched as Jasper reached out, but his hands continued to find nothing but air. She was like a fairy, disappearing and reappearing just out of his reach. Their every move matched the others. It was mesmerizing. But as quickly as it had started, Alice was on his back and playfully biting his neck.

“Gotcha,” she said and she kissed his throat.

“You truly are one frightening little monster.” Jasper chuckled.

There was more rumbling from the treeline, but it was impossible to make out what was going on. I glanced quickly at Edward.

“It’s good for them to learn some respect,” He murmured, amused. Then he spoke louder. “My turn.”

Alice traded places with him instead of returning to my side. I was fine with it, knowing Bella needed the support this time. “Cool, huh?” she asked us.

I only nodded, but Bella managed the word “Very,” as Edward met his brother in the middle of the clearing.

Alice pulled closer to Bella and for a second it looked like she was whispering to her, though I couldn’t hear a thing. Not wanting to intrude I shifted my gaze to find Carlisle. He, of course, was intently watching the boys in the field, but I guess he felt my eyes on him and he turned to me.

When his eyes met mine, we were the only ones in the clearing. His eyes were clear, his smile was confident. It was steadying. I took a deep breath and smiled back at him. He looked back at Edward and Jasper first, but I did have the confidence to watch them as well.

They were evenly matched. Where Jasper relied on his instincts, Edward read his moves in his head. Where Edward had speed, Jasper had experience. It went on for longer than the rest. Neither of them ever really gained the upper hand. There was a chortle from where the wolves lurked that made both me and Bella stiffen.

Carlisle cleared his throat.

They instantly broke apart, laughing and grinning at each other like nothing happened.

“Back to work,” Jasper agreed. “We’ll call it a draw.”

As Edward returned to Bella, Carlisle walked up to Jasper and my chest tightened.

It wasn’t as seamless as Jaspers and Edward's fight. Carlisle was deliberate with every blur of motion. It was hard to watch, not only because I could barely see them in the dim morning light but this was Carlisle and the fight felt so real. He didn’t hiss or growl the way the others had. He was calm and calculated. Every move he made mattered and every step he took had a reason. He moved like a well-oiled machine. He moved like he was over three hundred years old and had done this a hundred times.

And Jasper still managed to lay him out flat on his back.

I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut. I knew I didn’t need to panic, but my heart picked up a beat and Bella grabbed my hand. I opened my eyes to thank her only to find that Carlisle had made his way over to me.

He smiled warmly at me and his eyes lightened slightly. He placed a cool hand on my cheek. “It’s only practice, Mon Coeur. I’m alright.”

“I know…” I felt a bit silly and didn’t add that it was only practice right now. That was the thing about practice, it normally led to something real. I dusted grass out of his hair.

There was more grumbling from the trees that I could only assume at this point was the wolves. A small, mischievous smile danced across my face and I placed a hand on his cheek before leaning up to kiss him. There was another grumble then a huff. I laughed and held on a bit tighter to him, if only to resist flipping off the trees.

This time Carlisle fell in line beside me and his arm stayed firmly around my waist. We returned to silently watching the rest of his family practice.

During each fight Jasper spoke little bits of instruction. He was an excellent teacher which did make me feel kind of sick. I hated to think about how many times he had to do this. I hoped it didn’t hurt him to do it now.

He seemed confident and encouraging, despite my worrying. “Just like that. Concentrate on the sides.” His words were smooth even as Emmet threw him around. “Don’t forget where their target will be. Keep moving.”

Carlisle watched every move. It was probably easier for him to keep up. While Jasper and Rosalie fought, all I could see was a blur of blonde. Even Emmett seemed tense during that one. Carlisle seemed to analyze everything. I held on to his arm for support.

Edward watched beyond the trees. As the morning turned to day and the sun started shining a bit more in the clearing, Bella looked more and more tired. It got to the point where I genuinely thought she’d fallen asleep standing there. Edward caught on to my thoughts and whispered to her. “We’re about finished.”

Jasper nodded confirmation and turned to face the treeline where the wolves lurked. His calm and collected demeanor returned to his usual tense and brooding one. “We’ll be doing this tomorrow. Please feel welcome to observe again.”

Edward agreed in his Sam voice. The humor of it was still not lost on me. Then he turned towards us and said “The pack thinks it would be helpful to be familiar with each of our scents- so they don’t make mistakes later. If we could hold very still, it will make it easier for them.”

“Certainly,” Carlisle said to Sam. “Whatever you need.”

For a split second the forest seemed to rumble to life but just as quickly, everything stilled again. There was only the buzz of anticipation bouncing between Bella and me.

I don’t know what I imagined but it definitely wasn’t this. They stalked towards us and my breath caught in my throat.

Their eyes glowed and they were huge and there were so so many of them. I didn’t make a habit of hanging out with actual wolves, but they had to be so much smaller than the beast crawling towards us now. I’d never seen anything like it. I understood the others' reaction from before.

The one who led the pack had to be Sam. Even as he creeped forward I could tell he would tower over me. More than the fact that he was the lead, he was the biggest and there was something so familiar in his eyes, it had to be Sam. I wanted nothing more than to bury my face and hide in Carlisle’s chest, but doubted heavily that that was an option. I was still shocked and frozen when he stepped up to smell Carlisle.

In any other circumstance, I would have laughed, but my brain was still reeling. Sam winced then looked at me. I gave him a soft smile and he nodded once before he moved on to Jasper. I searched the rest of their faces for anyone else I recognized, but fell short. I thought I’d at least know Jacob, but I only caught him when I saw the way Bella looked at the russet colored wolf.

When it registered for her too, she lit up and he looked just as excited. The way the three of them existed together resembled magnets. Bella fit perfectly at Edwards side and still leaned in closer to jacob. And Edward seemed a bit more at ease when Jacob stepped up- like the pack made him nervous but Jacob was a steady comfort.

Honestly, I wished they would put aside their drama and see what was right in front of them.

Of course, he just scoffed. Bella looked up to notice everyone was watching their strange interaction. When her eyes met mine she smiled softly in understanding but Edward sighed and asked her “Ready to go?”

Before she could answer he glared back at Jacob. Anything that had been between the three of them was tense again.

“We’ve not quite figured out all the details yet.” Edward answered an unasked question. I might have thought he was speaking to me if it wasn’t for the way he glared at Jacob.

Sam, as well as Jacob, seemed bothered by his response. I wondered what had been asked.

Edward continued, “It’s more complicated than that, don’t concern yourself; We’ll make sure they’re both safe.”

What are you talking about?” Bella demanded.

“Just discussing strategy.” Edward answered casually, though I could clearly tell there was something more to it.

Jacob looked confused as well before he took off back into the trees. Everyone seemed to still: Carlisle pulled me closer to him. Bella looked hurt. I wondered if I’d missed something. The others followed after Jacob.

When Jacob came back out though, he was alone and human again. I breathed a sigh of relief for Bella knowing that she wouldn’t have to miss half of a conversation that was clearly about her.

However, as Jacob got back to them, I noticed that Carlisle wasn’t pulling me into him so much as pulling me closer to Edward and Bella. Whatever they were discussing, he wanted to be a part of it too. I was glad we were on the same page.

“Okay, bloodsuckers, What’s so complicated about it?”

“We have to consider every possibility,” Edward said, his tone was understanding. “What if someone gets past you?”

Jacob was less understanding, “Okay, so leave her on the reservation. We’re making Collin and Brady stay behind anyway. She’ll be safe there.”

Bella glared at Jacob, “Are you talking about me?”

“He definitely isn’t talking about me,” I said under my breath. Carlisle chuckled.

Jacob continued, this time a little more understanding of our presence, “I just think it would help to know what their plan is for the two of you during the fight.”

“You can’t stay in Forks.”

Carlisle nodded and added, “If someone got past us, it’s the first place they’d look.”

Bella’s eyes met mine as we had the same thought. Her face was paler than normal as she forced the thought out. “Charlie?”

“He’ll be with Billy,” He assured her, “If my dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he’ll do it.”

“There’s a game on Saturday. That’s enough to get him down there without more blood shed.” My voice was breathy and I was thankful that Carlisle still held on to me. Bella’s thoughts were all over the place. She drifted off on a sidebar that had both Edward and Jacob chuckling while I weighed my own options.

I didn’t want to stay in La Push. Not that there was a problem with La Push exactly, just that it felt like everything was happening around me all of the time and while I wasn’t excited to be involved, I was this time. I also had no interest in being in the clearing when the fight was happening.

So that left me wherever Bella was. And brought their conversion back into my focus.

“You could hide them here…” Jacob waved his hands around him at the forest around us.

“That… seems impractical.” I said. There wasn’t anywhere to hide out here and with Bella’s luck, I didn’t like the idea of her being so close. The only upside being that the Cullens and the pack would be able to get to us quickly if things did go south- Then again so could the newborns.

Edward agreed with me, “Their- Our scent is too strong and combined with mine and Carlisle’s, especially distinct.”

“It’s what they’re being trained to look for. We’re hoping they’ll catch ours and come straight to the clearing, but-”

“We’re not sure exactly which path they’ll take because they don’t know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us..”

I swear the three of them made the same pained face at the same time. Carlisle held me tighter.

“You see the difficulties.”

“So what’s the middle ground? Can’t stay home, can’t stay here. What makes this work?” I asked.

“Wait a sec- My scent disgusts you, right?”

“Hmm, not bad.” Whatever was in Jacob’s head seemed to make sense to Edward because he decided to call over Jasper.

Edward breathed a heavy sigh and Jacob held out his arms to Bella. Nobody moved.

“We’re going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail,” Jacob explained.

Bella still didn’t move. She only looked more confused. I watched, silently preparing to bolt the second anyone tried to pick me up.

“You’re going to have to let him carry you, Bella” Edward said, completely unbothered. Bella frowned.

Jacob called her a baby. Then his eyes flicked to mine. “Y/n is easier to hide. Even Carlisle had a hard time finding her when he tried. I think if she just walked in front of you, you should be able to cover her scent. It’s just Bella who can’t touch anything.”

Relief washed over me. Carlisle chuckled and kissed my head. When Jasper made it over to us Edward explained the plan again, though I was certain he’d overheard.

Both Edward and Jacob looked at me. Bella just looked pouty. “I guess I’ll scout ahead.” I joked before leaning up to kiss Carlisle’s cheek before walking into the trees.

I walked far enough ahead so I wouldn’t disturb any conversations between the two that needed to be had. I also needed to focus on my footing and the amount of steps I’d taken into the woods. Jacob kept up enough that if I looked over my shoulder I could see them. After a minute or two I felt confident enough to turn, and loop back to the clearing. I resurfaced further away than I thought, but I didn’t get lost.

It was just Edward and Carlisle when we got back, and while it looked like they weren’t having the most pleasant conversation, Carlisle’s face lit up when he saw me. I couldn’t help but skip over to him.

When Alice and Jasper were back and Bella was on her own feet again she asked “Well?”

“As long as you don’t touch anything, Bella, I can’t imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent.” Jasper grimaced. “It was almost completely obscured.”

“And there was no trace of Y/n at all. I wouldn’t have even known she was there if I hadn’t watched her walk in front of them. A definite success.” Alice agreed.

“And it gave me an idea.”

“Which will work,”

“Clever,” Edward agreed.

“How do you stand that?” Jacob muttered.

I laughed, “You get used to it. And sometimes, if you wait long enough, they fill you in!” It made at least Carlisle laugh. Bella still looked at Jacob sympathetically.

Edward ignored us and turned to me and Bella to explain. “You two are going to leave a false trail to the clearing. They’ll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work.”

“But me? How would I help in this situation?” I figured this experiment proved that I was untrackable.

“Not ‘untrackable’- just not easy to track.” Edward said. “But they have your scent memorized. If you touch everything-”

“And with nothing following you to cover it up-” Jasper added.

“They’ll have no issue. Then when they catch the rest of us in the clearing, they’ll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears…”

“Yes!” Jacob cheered. I wasn’t sold on his enthusiasm but Edward smiled at him.

Their comradery was only cut short when Edward scowled at Jasper. “Not a chance,”

“I know, I know.” He wasn’t exactly smiling, but definitely plotting. “It was just a thought.”

“What are you thinking?” If I could read anything in Edwards sharp shift in demeanor, whatever it was was never going to happen. Yet I couldn’t help the curiosity.

“If either of you were actually in the clearing, it would drive them insane. They wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything but you. It would make picking them off truly easy…”

“Absolutely not.” I said at the same moment Carlisle said “It’s out of the question.”

“Of course,” he backtracked. “It would be far too dangerous.” Though he didn’t seem convinced it wouldn’t happen.

Jasper chuckled under his breath and took Alice’s hand again. They walked back over to the others and I tried not to weigh the option.

Not Bella, never Bella… but me. Could I be there? I shook the thought out of my head and returned to what they were saying.

“-it’s thoroughness, not callousness.”

Jacob snorted.

Another moment passed between the three of them that they seemed completely unaware of. Jacob moved closer to Edward, Bella moved closer to Jacob, without letting go of Edward. Time didn’t move around them.

But Edward refocused on the logistics. “I will bring Bella here Friday afternoon to lay the false trail. You can meet us afterwards and carry her to a place I know. Completely out of the way, and easily defensible, not that it will come to that. I’ll take another route there.”

“And then what? Leave them up there? With just a phone?” He was annoyed somehow. At least fed up with our plans.

“It’s not ideal, but it should be safe enough… Unless you have a safer alternative.” Carlisle remained patient with him.

Jacob lit up, smug but ready to share his thoughts “Actually I do?”

“Oh again, not bad at all.” Edward smiled so warmly at him that part of me wondered if there was pride on his face.

Jacob smiled back at Edward before facing Bella, if only to keep her involved in the conversation. “We tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the younger two. He’s still too young, but he’s stubborn and he’s resisting. So I thought of a new assignment for him- cellphone.”

“And, Carlisle, you can bring Y/n out here early Saturday so her false trail is a bit more fresh. Then, Seth can walk her up the mountain to meet up with Bella and swap places with Jacob. Distance isn’t a problem?”

“Nope.”

“Three hundred miles?” That’s impressive.” The way he looked now only proved that it was pride on his face before. It was even brighter this time.

I looked to Carlisle to see if he’d caught what I had. He smiled like he had. I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the training and the new information and the battle strategies, but it was nice to know that we were still on the same page about this.

“It’s a good idea.” Edward was hesitant, like he was afraid of revealing more than he meant.

“Having Seth Clearwater there is very comforting.” Carlisle said.

Edward nodded, “Even without the instantaneous communication. I don’t know if I’d be able to leave Bella there alone. To think it’s come to this though! Trusting werewolves!”

“Fighting with vampires instead of against them.” Jacob added in mock disgust.

“Aww, our little cliche is coming to a close.” I joked.

“Well, almost. They’ll still get to fight some of them.” Edward said. His smile did not fade.

Jacob beamed at him, “That’s the reason we’re here.”

Carlisle carried me home. I was unaware just how tired I was, but when he held me I fell asleep almost immediately. I didn’t even wake up when he placed me in the bed. I really slept too. I didn’t dream or budge, I just got the rest I so desperately needed.

I only got up when I felt like I couldn't physically sleep anymore. Carlisle, of course, was right beside me, reading a book with a title in a foreign language.

I cuddled into him. He threw his arm around me allowing me to lay my head on his chest, all without disturbing his reading, still he placed his book on the nightstand. He kissed the top of my head.

“Good Morning, Dove.”

“Hmm… What time is it?” Based on the light that came through the windows, I didn’t think it was still morning, not that I’d correct him anyway.

He glanced at his watch. “Just after 2pm.” I was a bit surprised that I’d slept that late but was grateful for it. “Would you like to go downstairs for coffee?”

When I nodded, he helped me get upright. I steadied myself against him then leaned up to press a quick kiss on his lips. We broke apart and he took my hand leading me downstairs.

“The others are in the kitchen talking.” He told me. I nodded, though when we rounded the corner I noticed they weren’t talking much. Emmett sat on the counter and Rose was standing between his legs, facing the others. Alice was cutting fruit and dropping them into a bowl in the running sink. Jasper was making coffee.

I knew all of this was for me. It still surprised me how generous they all were.

Alice looked up and smiled at us, like she had been expecting us. “Good morning, you two!”

I smiled back at her. “Thank you… for all of this.” I gestured to the whole of the kitchen. They laughed.

“It’s no trouble at all, Y/n.” Jasper pushed a cup of coffee across the counter to me. It was perfect- That wasn’t a surprise, atleast. He looked at Carlisle, “Alice said earlier that their numbers are down to twenty.”

She hummed and handed the fruit bowl. “Nineteen, now.”

Emmett frowned, “They’re picking themselves off…” He almost sounded disappointed. Knowing him he probably was.

“It will be an easy fight then.” Carlisle clearly still didn’t feel any of Emmetts excitement.

“If we can make Bella cooperate…” Alice was annoyed.

They all looked at me. I popped a grape into my mouth. “What’s she planning?”

“She doesn’t have a plan. She just wants to be in the clearing.”

My brows furrowed. “And that would be bad?”

She said “Very” and at the same time Jasper said “That depends on who you’re asking.”

My eyes darted between them, waiting for one of them to elaborate.

Jasper spoke first. “Her scent would drive the newborns crazy. They’d go straight for her. We could wipe them out and clean the whole thing up nice and easy.” His confidence made Emmetts grin grow wider.

“Would she- or me, I guess- would we be safer-”

“Absolutely not!” This time it was Alice and Carlisle who spoke at the same time.

I looked at them, my eyes wide. After taking a bite of an apple slice, I said “Take a breath. I don’t want either of us there, really. But if it’s safer- for all of us, I’d like to at least consider the option.”

“The fight would be easier but you both would be more of a distraction. It wouldn’t be safe.” It was the first time Rosalie had spoken and if I’m being honest, it caught me a bit off guard. “If anyone lost control…” she winced and trailed off.

Carlisle finished her thought. “Or if any one of them got past us, you two would be all that they could focus on- All any of us could focus on.”

“Exactly!” Alice added. “They’d be focused on you. We’d be focused on you. It would make us too vulnerable.”

“So… more dangers than benefits? We’ll stick with plan A.” I took a slow sip of my coffee and Alice sighed.

She took out her phone and had it to her ear before any of us could ask who she was calling. “Edward…” She said it as if in answer to our unasked question. “I warned Bella that I’d tell you if her plans got more defined. She plans on trying to find a way to the clearing, but she just gets lost. You have to make her understand the dangers. Y/n gets it.”

Whatever he said made her soften a bit, then she said “She’ll listen to you.”

He said something and she agreed before hanging up. I took another strawberry out of the bowl and ate it. “In my defense, I would try to stop Bella before she wandered aimlessly into the forest.”

They all laughed. “It’s a valiant effort, but she’s too stubborn. You both just end up getting lost.”

I wouldn’t argue this. I didn’t know the woods beyond the marked trails very well. I highly doubted I would have any idea how to get where they were fighting from wherever they left us.

Though we would have Seth. I hated the idea of little Seth anywhere near the fight almost as much as I hated the idea of Bella being there. But I know Bella wasn’t including him in her plans, or Alice wouldn’t be able to see it. I didn’t want to give anyone any ideas so I kept my thoughts to myself and hoped Bella wouldn’t think of the same thing.

Jasper and Emmett discussed how exactly the newborns would attack. It was all very gruesome and from this conversation alone I was glad I didn’t have to be in the clearing. Also my heart hurt for Carlisle. I held his hand with both of mine while they casually chatted about how to kill these people. Feral or not, and even though we hardly had a choice in the matter, I could see the toll it was taking on him.

He would do what it took to protect his family- to protect me- but he would carry it with him for a long time. I wished more than anything it hadn’t come to this.

I think he saw me worrying. He smiled softly at me and kissed my forehead. He held his eyes closed and lingered longer than normal. I think the kiss was as much for my benefit as it was his. I let him stay for as long as he needed.

When he pulled back and our eyes met he really did look brighter. I kissed him quickly. The other boys droned on and on about the fight ahead of them, but for that moment, it was just me and Carlsile in the room. The only thing that pulled us back to reality was Alice’s small gasp and her phone ringing.

She set it to her ear and said “You can’t.” Of course it was hard not to panic , but despite her dramatics she didn’t seem too bothered. “I guess. I’ll use the time to get Charlie on board with her having a weekend with me.” She sighed and hung up again.

I couldn’t take the suspense. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothings wrong, exactly. Edward decided to sit out.” Emmett bellowed in laughter at her words. I hadn’t caught on.

I scanned their faces for any clue but found nothing. “Sit out of what?” I asked.

“The fight.” She answered, like it was obvious. I guess it should have been, but it also didn’t seem possible.

“What?” I demanded. “Why?”

“Bella asked him to. He’s going to stay with the both of you up the mountain so she doesn’t join us in the clearing.”

“But-”

She turned to face Jasper. “I’m going to go sit with Bella while he comes here to talk logistics.” She kissed his cheek and disappeared. I was stunned that they were entertaining this. Carlisle wrapped an arm around me and ran a soothing hand over my arm.

“It’s going to be fine, Cara.” he whispered in my ear.

Emmett’s booming and over confident voice filled the room “More for us then!”

I didn’t miss the way Carlisle flinched, or the way Rosalie sighed. She stood a bit straighter and walked out of the room. Emmett called after her but didn’t follow. I was tempted to follow her, but I wasn’t sure what I could say to comfort her.

I couldn’t fault her for needing to step out. All of this was overwhelming and I wasn’t even going to be there. I couldn’t Imagine what it was like on their side of this.

I matched her sigh and stood as well but only to make another cup of coffee. Before I even had time to put the pot back, Edward was in the kitchen.

His hair was disheveled so I guessed he had run here. I resisted the urge to straighten it for him and just finished making my coffee. He stood on one side of the island while Jasper and Emmett stood on the other. Carlisle came and stood by me.

It felt like a movie the way the four of them stood around the island discussing the upcoming fight. It felt like there should be a map with little flags and figurines. As silly as it was, I was happy to be a part of the discussion.

Before they could get too invested in their own plans, I asked “Bella asked you to stay with her- us?”

He softened a bit. “She did.”

“Why?”

“She… didn’t enjoy the idea of us ‘leaving’ again.” he put air quotes around the word leaving, though I could tell he sympathized with her. “I will stay with the two of you and Seth and she’ll stay out of the clearing.”

Carlisle held my hand a bit tighter and I wondered briefly what he saw on my face.

“We’ll be just fine.” Jasper added.

“Hell yeah! I can pick up his half-” Emmett was clearly perfectly fine with Bella’s decision.

As they fell into the rearrangements, I couldn’t help but understand Bella’s side. I almost wished I would have thought of it before her; wished I had asked Carlisle to sit out instead of Edward, but I could never ask him to choose between me and his family. I was completely surprised that she could ask that of Edward. It was selfish of her, but I didn’t blame her at all

I quickly turned to Edward. He didn’t act like he’d caught on to my thoughts. I hoped that if he had he wouldn’t rat me out.

They continued, unbothered.

“-We'll go hunting tonight after meeting with the wolves.”

“Seth will meet with Carlisle in the clearing to carry Y/n to Bella and Edward early Saturday morning.” Jasper was all business and Carlisle nodded.

My eyes danced between them. “Seth Clearwater is not carrying me anywhere.”

They all laughed like I'd told a joke.

“Seth will just be there as a precaution.” Carlisle soothed, “Just in case they can track you, Seth will be there to mask your scent.”

Jasper added “You walking in front of Seth while he's a wolf will be more than enough for that.”

“Oh… Right. Good.” I was terribly uninterested in a child carrying me anywhere, werewolf or not.

“It will work.” Edward continued, though I didn't know who his words were meant to comfort. I nodded along.

I double- triple checked everything in my head. Dad would be on the reservation with Billy and the baby guard wolves. Bella would be with me and Seth and now Edward, in the mountains far enough away. My new found family- the love of my life, had trained for this and would continue training until it was time. It was a solid plan.

Though they had continued talking while I got lost in my thoughts, when Edward spoke again, he looked directly at me.

“It will work.” He said again.

I nodded once, both in thanks and acceptance.

It will work, I thought. It had to.

We were back in the clearing just three hours later. The sun hadn't even really set yet. I wondered how Bella got past Dad, but I probably didn't want to know. They still showed up last.

The training in front of me was more physical than the night before. Edward only joined in when Jasper asked him to. Carlisle left me with them when he went to face off with Rosalie.

Edward stayed long enough for Jacob to join us. They chatted quietly with one another for a few moments. Clearly lost in their own world. I pretended to be distracted by the grass and tried not to think too loudly about how well they completed each other.

Edward joined the others in the clearing when they started doing two-on-one pairings. Those were equally as hard to watch. I could barely stand it when it was Carlisle against Emmett and Edward. My chest was tight and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

But then Rosalie was next to me- albeit as far from Jacob as she could possibly be. Without saying a word she took my hand. It was overwhelmingly comforting in a way I did not expect. I took a tiny step in her direction and laid my head on her shoulder. She didn't move to even breathe, but I think she did lean into me.

Carlisle got Edward down every time but Emmett was trickier. If Carlisle focused on Edward, Emmett would get him down and if he focused on Emmett, then Edward would. They tried this over and over and each time he was a bit more sure of himself.

When he finally got both of them down I had to squeeze Rosalie's hand to keep myself from cheering.

Carlisle swapped places with her answer she went against Alice and Edward. Even when it wasn't Carlisle fighting I still had the hardest time watching. I leaned into him the way I had with her.

They were good. They were confident.

The plan would work.

Bella came over and stayed with us Thursday before they laid the false trail. The others went hunting and they wouldn’t be back before the fight. I hugged them all as tight as I could and tried very hard not to let it feel like a goodbye.

I had to have hope that I would see them all again. It made me sick.

They left while the sun was still up. Carlisle held me close as I watched the treeline they disappeared into. I was still standing there when Edward and Bella pulled in.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and pulled myself together before they walked on to the porch. They didn’t seem phased by me at all. Carlisle held the door open for them and I followed in behind them.

“Have you eaten?” I asked Bella.

She nodded. “I made burgers at home for Charlie and ate one before I left.”

“Good… That’s good.”

“Are… Are you guys staying here tonight?” She asked. Edward chuckled.

I looked at Carlisle and he smiled at me. I felt like I was missing something.

“We’ll be here, but I believe we’ll be in our room all night. You’ll basically have the place to yourselves.” Carlisle assured them.

Oh, that’s what she meant. Her face fell into something that looked like disappointment. I was glad that I did not have super hearing. I wasn’t sure if the house was sound proofed enough for the vampires, but I could be blissfully unaware.

“We’ll be upstairs…” Bella was leading Edward up the stairs. I had to hide my face with my hand to not laugh. Carlisle led me to the kitchen.

I knew he expected me to be hungry. I couldn’t find the energy to actually be hungry but I got the leftover fruit from the fridge. He got me a glass of water. I made a show of drinking it.

I scooted a piece of pineapple around in the bowl with my fork. “It’s… so quiet.” I whispered, in an attempt to not disturb the peace.

“It is.” He stood next to me leaning against the counter with his hands in his pockets. To anyone else he would have looked relaxed.

“How are you feeling?” I didn’t really have to ask. I’d watched his honey eyes scan the treeline a hundred times. I took note of his heavy and occasional breaths. His eyes met mine and I melted. I placed my hand on his face and just held it there. He kissed my palm.

“I’m… I am confident in our family. It’s just…” His voice was so low. I stepped closer to him and his hands rested on my waist. He dropped his forehead to mine.

“I understand.” This is scary. I wouldn’t say that aloud though, instead I pressed in to him and said “I know. I’m here.” As soft as I could manage.

His eyes were closed. I felt him nod. I kissed his nose. He took a slow, deep breath.

I leaned back and met his gaze again. “It will be okay.” He at least sounded more confident.

The next day was much like the last. Bella and Edward got up early and were already downstairs by the time Carlisle peeled me out of bed. I wasn’t expecting Alice to be home but I was more than grateful to see her.

She said she was only there to share the news about the snow storm, but she also had a private conversation with Bella. While it was happening Edward looked more and more uncomfortable but when Alice got back she looked happier than ever. Bella, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to vomit.

I did desperately want to know, but thought better of asking. Bella would tell me eventually. Worst case I could probably convince Carlisle to.

I tried not to think about the fact that I couldn’t guarantee when or if I could.

Alice left when Edward and Bella did. I hugged Bella for a long time knowing that I would see her in just over twelve hours but also fearing the worst.

“Be safe.” She nodded. “Text me when you make it up there.” She nodded again. “Stay warm tonight.”

She laughed, “I will, Y/n”

This time, I nodded. “Okay. Good.” I hugged her again. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

I hugged Edward just as tight.

As they left I called after them “Be safe!” I thought I saw Edward smile before he lifted Bella and ran off towards the clearing.

This time, Carlisle held me in his arms on the couch while I cried.

It was hours later before I settled down. He put on reruns of Buffy. I cried off and on but drank the water he brought me and ate the pasta he made later in the night. After a while he brushed the hair out of my face and asked, “How are you feeling, Dove?”

“Like the world is caving in around us.” I tried to smile at him, I’m sure it looked pathetic. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

“There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.” He leaned in and kissed me softly. “I had something made for you. Would you like me to give it to you now?”

Hesitantly, I nodded. “What is it?”

He chuckled. “I'll go get it.” completely unsure of what to expect, I tried not to panic waiting for him to get back. Luckily, he was only gone a few seconds before he appeared next to me again. “It’s a bit soon, and I know right now isn’t the best time, but I want you to have this… Well, in case-”

“Carlisle?”

“Yes?”

“What is it?” I asked again, smiling this time. I kinda loved it when he got all flustered. In his hand was a jewelry box, but it was too long to be a ring- I didn’t have to panic too much. He opened the box and showed me before he said anything else.

Inside the box was a locket on a delicate silver chain. On the front of the locket was the Cullen crest. My hands were shaking when I took it from him. I opened it to find one side was empty but the other had a dried petal from a lupine flower.

I was crying again. “Carlisle, it’s-”

“Again, I know it’s early, and we aren’t married, but you are a part of this family. I left the other side open so you could put whatever you wanted in it…” His eyes were soft and his voice was so genuine. If he wasn’t still holding the locket I might have tackled him. “It felt important… that you should have it now.”

“It’s perfect.” I didn’t know how to express just how much it meant to me but I started with “Thank you.” then demanded “Well, aren’t you gonna put it on me?”

He laughed when I turned away from him. I pulled my hair up as he put it around my neck. As soon as it was clasped I turned back to him and flung my arms around his shoulders and kissed him like the world might not end the next day.

I kissed him like I needed it to survive.

When we finally broke apart, his hand still caressed my cheek. “Would you like to get some rest, Cara?”

“No,” my voice was breathy.

“Then what do you want?”

“I want you to make me forget the world is caving in.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up in the smallest hint of a smile. “I think I can manage that.” Then he kissed me again like he fully intended to try.

I wouldn't say that I slept soundless that night but I definitely slept better than I had been.

The sun was just barely peeking through the sky as I got ready. I tried to dress warm with lots of layers but we still had to lay my false trail to the clearing. I packed my coat, some water bottles and a first aid kit in my hiking bag instead. Carlisle was already down in the kitchen making me a large thermos of hot coffee. I hoped it would last through the fight.

I fiddled with the locket around my neck for a second; still unused to the weight of it. When everything was packed, I took a deep breath, steadied myself, then met Carlisle downstairs. He smiled softly when he saw me. I kissed him every chance I got.

We walked hand in hand through the woods to the clearing. I touched everything I could. I hugged the occasional tree. But we hardly spoke at all. I felt like I had so much to say but no words to say them. I didn't want this to feel like goodbye. I couldn't let it be goodbye.

When we made it to the clearing, the sun was just barely shining but the snow had finally stopped. I couldn't believe how cold it was. Carlisle’s hand was almost warm in mine. I hated how long it took to lay the false trail and to walk to the clearing. I hated that I still had so much longer to walk with Seth. More than anything, I hated this feeling of doom that threatened to choke me.

As we broke through the treeline I saw Seth, Sam, and Leah whispering in the center. Leah was angry and was trying to get something through to Sam, though he only looked annoyed. I didn't know Leah had made the pack. Honestly, it almost made me panic more.

Carlisle pulled me into him but I was frozen in my spot. I forgot how to breathe. I locked eyes with him and shook my head.

“Y/n…” He was in front of me, his hand in my hair. “Breathe, Y/n.” He spoke slowly. This time I nodded. He was always able to calm me down. I didn't have time to panic now anyway. I took a deep breath in when he did and out shortly after.

Get to safety- then panic. I could handle that. I nodded again. He smiled and wiped a tear from my cheek.

When I tore my eyes from him I found Sam again. He was closer, but Seth and Leah held back. Carlisle turned to face them too without letting go of my hand.

“Y/n, Carlisle.” He greeted us as he walked a few steps closer. “Leah and I thought it might be safer for everyone if I walked with you two. I will have plenty of time to make it back before the newborns get here, according to your psychic.”

“It couldn't hurt I guess…” My voice sounded so weak. He chuckled.

“We should leave soon. It's a long hike.” I winced. Carlisle took my coat out of my bag before handing it to me. “We'll give you a moment…” He slung my bag over his shoulder and stalked towards the others.

I buried my face in Carlisle's chest in the tightest hug I could muster. He squeezed me just as tight.

“It will be fine, my Love.”

I took another deep breath. “It will.”

“Only a few hours.”

“Hours.” I repeated

He chuckled against me. “Faster if you let him carry you.”

“Absolutely not.” He laughed again. I leaned back to watch him- to memorize this moment. “Only a few hours… and the others?”

“They'll be here soon.”

“And then it will be over?” That one sounded more like a question.

He nodded. “Then we'll be back together.” He was confident.

And then he kissed me and it hurt my heart. I could hardly stand it. My fingers pulled tightly at his scarf and in his hair; certain that if I let go, he would disappear completely. I pulled him closer to me and he pulled me closer to him.

In only a few short hours, he would be fighting alongside our family to save mine and Bella's lives- to put an end to an army that was created to destroy us. And yet he kissed me like our timer wasn't out.

His lips pressed confidently to mine. They were firm, and soft, and sweet, and confident like he knew that this whole ordeal would be over soon and we would be together again, just safe.

He pulled away first because I certainly wasn't going to. I still chased his lips and kissed him a few more times.

His voice was low when he said “You have to go”

My breath was too shaky. I couldn't force any words out.

“I'll be right here, it will be over quickly, and then you'll be safe.”

“You have to be safe too.”

“I will be.” I looked into his eyes as he soothed out my hair. Somewhere behind him I heard a distinctly wolfy sigh. I flipped off where the sound came from.

Carlisle chuckled softly. He helped me put on my coat and wrapped his scarf around my neck. I pressed it to my face and breathed in this warm tea and fresh honey scent.

I stood on my toes to kiss him again. I said, “I love you, Carlisle.” all soft and breathy.

“I love you, Y/n.” He was soft and confident.

I found the strength to take a few steps back. I watched his eyes soften as he took in the goodbye I refused to say. He held on tightly to my hand until I got to Sam, who was a large black wolf and much closer than expected.

I squeezed my eyes closed and turned around before opening them again. A single tear fell from my eyes and left a stinging trail on my cheek. I held on to his hand until he couldn't reach me anymore. I hated how dramatic this was. I hated how much it hurt.

Seth ran ahead of us. Sam walked patiently by my side. I didn't look back at Carlisle until I was certain I wouldn't see him.

I knew I wouldn't have the strength to keep going if I did.

The hike was long and miserably cold. I almost gave up and allowed Sam to carry me a few times but my pride was too large, so we suffered. I had my headphones in and playing my music so loud I couldn't hear if he sighed at my stubbornness anyway.

And just as it became unbearable, we broke through the trees into the little clearing Edward had picked out.

Edward met us outside the tent. “Thank you, Sam, Seth.” He nodded in both their directions, but when I looked at Sam, his eyes were focused on me.

I nodded once and thanked him. I meant it more than I could put into words. He bowed his head and pressed his nose to my palm. It was cold and wet and I pulled my hand away. “Ew, Sam…” But I chuckled, and I could tell he smiled too before running off the way we came.

“Be safe!” I called after him. I heard a cocky bark in response and rolled my eyes.

Edward smiled softly at me and said “If you could give us just a moment.” I nodded and he retreated into his and Bella's tent. I could only guess that he was going to console her given that I couldn't hear much of their muffled conversation.

I sat on a rock next to Seth, who just huffed dramatically any laid down beside me. He really did look like a puppy who had been told ‘no’. I reached down and ruffled the fur between his ears. He huffed again and I laughed.

I pulled Carlisle's scarf to my nose again and closed my eyes tightly. I hoped that if I focused enough- if I could block everything out- I would open my eyes again and it would all be over. It almost worked, but Seth sat up abruptly, and let out a little bark.

Edward unzipped their tent and helped Bella stand up outside of it. I couldn't quite hear his words but Bella moaned, “Alice is so small.”

He chuckled, “That might be a problem… If it were possible for someone to catch her.”

Bella's gaze found Seth sitting in the snow next to me, then she saw me sitting on the rock beside him. She breathed my name and ran over to me. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I was a bit surprised by her sudden burst of physical affection, but grateful nonetheless and hugged her back.

Another noise from Seth stirred us both, though this one was more of a whimper. She turned sharply to Edward.

“What's wrong?” She demanded.

“He's just angry he's stuck here with us. He knows the pack kept him out of the action to protect him. He's salivating to join them.”

She glared at Seth. He huffed again.

“The newborns have reached the trail- it worked like a charm, Jasper's a genius- and they've caught the scent of the ones in the meadow, so they're splitting into two groups now, as Alice said,” He sounded proud as he stared in the direction I'd come form

As grateful as I was that he was narrating for Bella, it was hard for me to hear. I didn't have the same comforts Bella did. Carlisle was there. I felt sick.

I heard him say they'd made it to the clearing. I heard him cheer on Leah. He said to let Sam lead, probably to Jacob. I wondered if they could hear him through Seth the way he could hear them. I try to drown it all out. I tried to not think.

But then a sharp silence fell over all of us. No one breathed. No one moved. I didn't let myself guess what was wrong.

“Edward?’ I tried, but my voice was barely a whisper. He held up a hand. I purposely breathed slowly and listened to Bella's panicked breaths. I feared the worst, but if I didn't know, Bella wouldn't know either. She was just panicking. There didn't have to be a reason to panic.

A part of me shattered as Edward urgently whispered “Go, Seth.” and while he ran off and everything shifted around me, it felt like time was frozen.

Edward pushed me behind him, Bella next to me, protecting us both from something I couldn't see yet. I tried to back further away but my back hit a wall and I noticed we were against a cliff. I couldn't run if I wanted to.

We were trapped. As if on reflex, I grabbed Bella's hand like I could protect her from whatever was coming. And even though I didn't know what was coming, I knew it was bad.

Thankfully, Bella put my question into one simple word. “Who?”

“Victoria.” He spoke her name like a curse. My stomach lurched as what he said sank in and what followed made it worse and worse. “She's not alone. She crossed my scent, following the newborns in to watch- she was never meant to fight with them. She made a spur-of-the-moment decision to find me, guessing that you both would be wherever I was. She was right. You were right. It was always Victoria.”

I was shivering to my core. I was too out of it to hope that any of us would make it out. But was grateful he'd sent Seth away. Grateful that Carlisle wouldn't have to watch me die- if it came to that. I wished briefly he'd pick up Bella and run- wished I could hide well enough to throw them off and give Carlisle time to find me.

There wasn't enough time.

Before I could even blink there were two vampires walking casually into the clearing, the sun dancing off their skin. I'd never seen Victoria. I'd never seen any vampires outside of the Cullens.They were beautiful. They were young. The woman was maybe my age, but the boy didn't even seem to be Bella's age. He was just a boy. I wanted to cry. I didn't think I could.

Nothing moved for so long. I kept my fingers intertwined with Bella's. I watched Bella's face. She never took her eyes off Victoria. My eyes danced between all of them.

I just barely caught Victoria lift her chin in Edwards direction. I stepped in front of Bella, if only to give him time.

“Riley.” Edward said in a soft pleading voice.

Everyone froze again.

Edward tried to reason with the boy. He tried to get him to realize Victoria had lied to him. I only saw confusion on his face. I wanted to see doubt.

Edward tried again from a different angle, “She doesn't love you, Riley. She never has. She loved someone named James, and you're no more than a tool to her.”

Victoria hissed at his words. Then the smallest glimpse of doubt did flash on Riley's face. Edward continued his negotiations, but it was so hard to focus on his words. The ringing in my ears muffled most sounds.

There were multiple steps between Edward and us now. Victoria monitored each step he took, trying to find the best vantage point. I swallowed a breath and her eyes locked on mine. For a moment she looked surprised, then she just looked annoyed.

Edward whispered. “Last chance, Riley.”

The boy didn't move, but he looked at Victoria like he was lost.

She snarled, but her eyes never left mine. “He's a liar, Riley. I told you about their mind tricks. You know I love only you.”

I wondered how she got him to believe her. She had no inflection in her voice. Her voice was careful and practiced, but there was no love there. Riley regained composure. Her eyes tore from mine when Edward took another half step forward.

Then there was a growl from the trees.

Seth lurked out and threw Riley to the ground. Victoria screamed. I wanted to get away- to get Bella away- but I didn't have anywhere to go. My heart was racing and as the real fight was kicking off I couldn’t keep up with everyone's movements. At times, Riley was on his feet, others he was buried in the snow. Chucks of rock landed at mine and Bella’s feet.

Not rock- chunks of Riley. I truly felt so sick.

Victoria looked torn between bolting and trying to get at Bella. While she hardly acknowledged my presence at that point, I still stood between her and Edward. She’d have to get me out of the way. I shuddered at the thought.

“Don’t go, Victoria,” While Seth was attacking Riley, Edward shifted his taunting to Victoria herself. This would end here, one way or another. Edward wasn’t going to let her get away. I didn’t want to watch it play out. But I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. “You’ll never get another chance like this.”

She hissed at him. He dismissed her connection with James. He mocked the way he’d killed him. It worked the way he wanted; She attacked him again.

Everything was a blur. There was so much happening, and because I couldn’t keep up it felt like nothing really was. There were sounds from all directions- of teeth on stone, Edwards taunting, Bellas ragged breathing- I couldn’t stay focused on one thing. I wanted it to be over. I didn’t want to see the outcome.

I’d never been so scared.

We were losing. Edward promised Victoria that she’d never get to Bella. Somehow that brought me comfort too, but their fights continued. And Seth was soaring through the air and crashing into the wall next to us. I barely managed to dodge him as he hit the snow beside us and the rocks that showered down around us too.

I got back on my feet and helped Bella to hers again, just in case we had to run. I stepped in front of her again. I tried to reassess the situation just as Riley charged towards Seth’s mostly unmoving form. Victoria was on top of Edward in the snow.

We were losing. I never thought I’d be the type to freeze, but there I was. I couldn’t do anything. I focused on Bella’s face. She was focused on her arm. When she looked at me I only saw desperation in her eyes. She winced and inhaled sharply.

I breathed her name.

All of them turned sharply to Bella when she gasped. I was still positioned in front of her, so I even had to turn to see the blood running down her arm.

Then Riley was there. His hand was in my hair throwing me out of his way before I could process what was happening. I knew I hit the ground. I felt the snow fall around me. I felt my head hit something sharp but I couldn’t open my eyes. It was all too much. I couldn't watch my sister die.

I curled into myself. I pressed my hand to my forehead. It was warm and wet and sticky. I waited for it to be over.

I heard Seth snap, followed by more sounds of teeth on stone. Then this metallic ripping that was straight from my worst nightmares. I still squeezed my eyes closed and held pressure to my head.

“Victoria!” His plea was loud and too close to me. I tried to inch away but I don’t think I moved.

Then Riley’s screaming stopped.

“No,” That was Edward’s voice, much further away and smooth. I allowed myself that little comfort. “Stay just a little longer.”

More rustling for a few more seconds followed by nothing. Everything was finally still.

I felt Seth’s nose press into my side. I still couldn’t open my eyes. He huffed and paced towards where Edward’s voice had come from.

“Get every piece,” He sounded busy. No one mentioned Bella.

That thought alone pulled me back to the present. My eyes shot open searching for her. Edward and Seth threw chunks of rock into a fire. I hadn’t even smelled the smoke.

I didn’t breathe again until I found her. She hadn’t moved an inch but I was yards away. He’d thrown me further than I noticed. I was very lucky that only my head was bleeding. None of my bones felt broken.

And Bella looked fine. In shock, but alive and fine.

It was over.

I sat up and the world spun. The sticky sweet smoke hit my nose and I threw up in the snow.

Taglist!

@jakanddexter67 @a-not-so-poetic-poet @bridge597 @cestlavie03 @gaymazinglula @short-potato @jennyamanda8 @daisydreamingsims @arg888cam

#twilight #carlisle cullen #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #twilight x reader #iaitt #this love came back to me #reader insert #tlcbtm

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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 month

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This love Came Back To Me - Chapter 3

It's Finally Here!!!! I can not apologize enough for how long this took to get out. But here it is! I hope you love it.

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 12,927

There is no imprinting and there never will be <3

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3 (Ch 1, Ch 2)

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

“I think I've upset Bella…” Alice said before she threw herself onto the couch next to Carlisle. She had just gotten home from school and normally she came in and gossiped about her classmates, but she was clearly wrapped up in this situation with Bella.

I let Carlisle take the lead, though we both had to hold back a laugh. “Why would you think that?”

She sighed. “Well she didn't say she was mad, but I told her about the graduation party and she didn't really fight back? And then I thanked her for the gift she's going to buy me, but she hardly seemed phased. And when we started to drive her home she asked what day it was and when I said the fourth that's when she got all weird.”

The date made me freeze too. I turned sharply to face her. “Today is June fourth? You're sure?”

“Not you too…” She groaned. “What is wrong with the date?”

I took a deep breath. “I'm sure it just took her by surprise. Its- it's really close to graduation.” I had to force the answer out. Carlisle kissed my hair. “I didn't realize it was so soon either…”

I was only guaranteed ten more human days with my sister. Only ten days until everything changed and I didn't know when I'd see her again- or any of them for that matter. Carlisle promised to stay with me, of course, but the others would probably leave with Bella and Edward. I didn’t know if I would see them again until I was ready to become a vampire too.

I shivered and leaned into Carlisle.

“I don't see her changing right away, Y/n” Her face softened as she saw how tense I’d gotten. “She may be determined, but Edward won't let anyone change her until everything in Seattle is settled and even then there’s still the intruder to worry about.”

“We don't know how long that will take. We still don't even know what's going on.” I pointed out.

“That's her point, Dove. She still has plenty of time.” He whispered.

I tried my best to not roll my eyes. Bella was going to push every one of their buttons until she got her way- rogue vampires be damned. I couldn't hope for the best when Bella was involved; I knew I had to prepare for the worst.

“Honestly, I'm just glad she didn't throw a fit about the party. I've planned it all perfectly.” Alice moved on from my worries.

I sighed but didn’t disrupt her joy, “How many people are you expecting?”

She beamed, “Almost seventy, currently.” It was Carlisle's turn to tense, but Alice casually pressed on. “I invited everyone from our graduating class, and Bella's family. Nearly everyone agreed to come too.”

“Seventy? Bella is okay with seventy people being here? Will Jasper be okay?”

“Jasper is around more people at school everyday. He'll be fine.” She brushed me off but Jasper did give me a soft smile in thanks from his side of the room. Alice continued, “Bella doesn't exactly know how many people are coming…”

Carlisle and I couldn't contain our laughter. “That's why she didn't freak out.”

“She. Will. Get. Over. It. I'm excited. This party will be perfect.” Without another word, she got up and floated up the stairs.

I turned so I could hide my face in Carlisle's chest, though it barely muffled my laughter. He still laughed too and soothed my hair.

“This is a mess…” As our laughter died my thoughts went back to the beginning of the conversation. It was overwhelming. Between moving in with Carlisle and Bella's graduation looming, and whatever was going on in Seattle, at times it felt like the walls were closing in.

But Carlisle held me close and kissed my forehead and whispered, “It will be alright. We'll get through this together.” And I believed him.

The Seattle News had been playing on the TV for over an hour now, though it was too low for me to make out what was going on. Carlisle filled me in occasionally with a simplified version. I knew he was sugar-coating it. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know the truth. They discussed things from the news in hushed voices, but nothing changed enough to please Alice and whatever she was seeing in her visions. Mornings like this often gave me more anxiety than clarity.

Still, Jasper calmed the rest of them and Emmett tried to distract me. Somehow, he managed to get Rosalie to play a game of Uno with us; she was winning.

They turned to face the door seconds before it opened. Carlisle whispered to me that it was just Bella and Edward so I could relax a bit. I was always more at ease when we were all together, but I had to pick on Bella just a bit.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” I called over my shoulder as they walked into the living room.

She smiled at me. “Ditching is healthy.”

It made Emmett laugh, “She can just catch this lesson next time.” Which made both Edward and Rosalie roll their eyes. He completely missed it or chose to ignore them. “Want us to deal you in?”

“Rose is winning.”

Bella sat next to me and shook her head, as Edward walked over and handed Carlisle a piece of paper.

“Did you see that they’re considering a serial killer now?” he asked.

Carlisle sighed. “They’ve had two specialists debating the possibility on CNN all morning.”

“We can’t let this go on”

“Let's go now, I’m dead bored.” Emmett dropped his cards and walked over to Edward. Rosalie hissed at his word exactly as I gasped. The rest of the room was unphased. Emmett muttered something under his breath

But Edward agreed, “We’ll have to go sometime.”

The alternative was letting the Volturi handle it, and none of us wanted that. I also knew how heavily the death count was weighing on Carlisle. They would act and they would probably do it soon. I shivered.

“I know,” Carlisle sighed.

“Oh,” Edward said sharply, turning his head slightly to look at Jasper. “I didn’t think of that. I see. You’re right, that has to be it. Well, that changes everything.”

The entire room froze, staring at Edward like he’d sprouted a second head. I only tore my gaze away long enough to check with Bella, who looked the most confused.

“I think you better explain to the others,” Edward said, still only talking to Jasper despite the annoyance growing on everyone's face. Edward started pacing and mumbling and Alice joined us at Bella’s side.

“What is he rambling about?” She asked Jasper. “What are you thinking?”

Noticing the attention on him, Jasper shied closer to Alice, but his eyes danced between Bella and me.

“You’re confused.” He said as if it wasn’t clear. He knew exactly how confused we all were. I chose to not point it out.

“You both need to understand this. Since you’re part of us now.” Bella looked shocked, but I was too confused. He continued, “How much do you know about me?”

Emmett gave up and sat down dramatically next to me. He picked up his cards again though there was no way I could focus on Uno now. He sighed.

“Not much,” Bella admitted.

Jasper stared at Edward, who looked to meet his gaze.

“No, I’m sure you can understand why I haven’t told her that story. But I suppose she needs to hear it now.”

When Carlisle was met with the same questioning gaze he held up his hands. “It wasn’t my story to tell.” I almost laughed.

Jasper nodded, clearly at a loss as to where to start. He rolled up his sleeve and held his arm out to Bella. I wondered how his arms played a part of this until I saw what his fingers traced.

His arms were covered in lots of little crescent shaped scars.

I gasped and then Bella seemed to get it too. “Oh, Jasper, you have a scar exactly like mine.”

Jasper smiled faintly. “I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella.”

He was polite, but his face was unreadable. Bella’s scar was given to her by James. I’d guessed that she had been bitten, but no one ever explicitly confirmed the events of that night with me. I could tell from Bella’s reaction alone that the same could be said for Jasper. The sheer volume of bites stunned me to silence.

Bella stared up at him. “Jasper, what happened to you?”

“The same thing that happened to your hand,” he answered in a quiet voice.”Repeated a thousand times. Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar.”

“How?” I wasn’t sure what I was asking. How did he get bitten so many times? How did he survive? But he understood, and started his story.

“I didn’t have quite the same… upbringing as my adopted siblings here.” As he spoke his voice went cold. I hated it. I knew his past was worlds away, but I wished I could protect him from it.

“You should know, before I go further, that there are parts of our world you haven’t needed to see. In the north it’s easy for us to blend in. We don’t have to fight for territory. We can coexist. But in the south, immortals only come out at night, while spending their days plotting this never ending war.”

“Fighting for what?” I didn’t want to ask, but was glad Bella did.

He almost smiled. “To them, territory is power. They all want the places where they can feed without much notice. If there was one coven, who controlled a densely populated area, they could hunt freely. Each coven would have to fight to keep the land in their control.

“Wars broke out all across the south. Some with more effective tactics than others, but there was one that won out. One vampire, Benito, claimed most of Texas and northern Mexico in a matter of weeks, he was unbeatable.”

“How did he do it?” my voice was shakier than I expected it to be.

“He created an army of newborn vampires. Newborns are nearly impossible to control. Their thirst is really the only thing that controls them. And they’re just as likely to take out themselves as they are to take out an enemy. He created more as they destroyed themselves and when it came down to a fight, he’d walk away on top.

“When the surrounding covens realized what was happening they created armies of their own, though it was often too late.

“All hell broke loose- and I mean that more literally than you could possibly imagine. We immortals have our histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, either.”

“So, as the body count rose to unthinkable numbers the Volturi stepped in to clean up the mess. The entire guard came together and sought out every newborn in the bottom half of North America. They killed Benito first, and sought out his followers. If anyone had a newborn within two thousand miles of Mexico City, the entire coven paid with their lives. Our kind will always remember this too. The Volturi didn’t ask questions. They didn’t offer second chances.

“When the Volturi returned to Italy, the southerners left behind were quick to reclaim land. They were smarter, quieter this time. These newborns were carefully selected and thoroughly trained. And, though rarely necessary, the Volturi will step in to clear out the cities. But they let the quiet ones- the careful ones continue.”

He looked lost in his own thoughts as he stared at his arm. I almost reached out and grabbed his hand for reassurance, but thought better of it.

“That’s how you were changed.” Bella whispered.

He nodded. “I lived in Texas, just outside of Houston. I tried to join the army in 1861, but I was seventeen and they saw right through me. I didn’t really want to fight, but I had watched the horrors that had fallen on my community and I wanted to help. So many innocent people died because the confederates didn’t stop to consider how the civilians would be affected.

“I was young and dumb, but I had a way with people. I had to lie a lot, to get battle plans, or uniforms, but people trusted me. I used that trust to lead women and children away from battlegrounds.

“That night wasn't any different than the rest. I had just led a group of young women to safety and was headed back to Galveston. I didn't want to waste time, I didn't stop to rest. I was maybe an hour out of town when I saw three women walking alone. I was afraid they were stragglers.

“Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadn't been together long- Maria had rounded up the other two- all three were survivors of recently lost battles. They all had their own goals but they all agreed on one thing. They wanted territory.

“Maria was the one who turned me. Said she ‘had a good feeling’ about me. I didn't know what she meant at the time. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run. Of course, I didn't know then that running would do me no good. Still, I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. If I had been right and they had needed help, I wanted to help them; I was completely frozen in place.

“Maria grew quite fond of me- she began to depend on me. And in some ways, I worshiped the ground she walked on. She put me in charge of the army she was building. I still had so little understanding of my powers but as long as I could keep everyone calm and quiet, Maria had use for me.

“For her, I fully trained an army of twenty-three. We fought a group of only eleven and only lost four of ours. And because we were so well trained, we did it without attracting notice. The city changed hands without any human being aware.”

“Maria was greedy and she'd made a few too many enemies. Though things did quiet down for us over time, there are still small battles. Power is a dangerous thing. Many still seek vengeance. They won't easily forget.

“I made her newborns- dozens at a time- that I then destroyed after a year of each new life. Every life I took weighed heavily on me. Each time, I hesitated more and more. I'd made fast friends with a newborn named Peter. He was strong so Maria let him live and he was in charge of helping me dispose of the rest. As much as it weighed on me, it really took a toll on Peter. And one day he met his mate- A newborn named Charlotte. She brought him back to life, but she ran out of time. Instead of ending her, he told her to run. He took off with her. I was supposed to track them down. I never did.

“Maria was irritated with me for that…

“Five years later, Peter came back for me.” I could tell by the change in his demeanor we were getting past the scary stuff. He was still tense, but he smiled softly at the memory of Charlotte and Peter. I didn't know them, but I was grateful for their part in his life.

“Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. I walked away without a backwards glance. Maria didn't track me down. She didn't fight for me. I was grateful I wouldn't have to kill her. We weren't close but we'd spent so many years together… I don't think I could have killed her if I tried.

“I didn't realize how depressed I'd gotten until I was far out of it. Always worse after I hunted. Always tearing away pieces of what soul I had left. I felt the savagery of the newborns for years, the hatred that filled our every battle, but also the fear of every human I killed.

“It broke me…

“I went my own way. I tried so many ways to keep some sense of sanity, but nothing stuck. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline… challenging. I still haven't perfected that.”

I was so lost in his words, I almost laughed. His face softened into a peaceful smile. It was a nice change; one I was grateful for.

“I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day- something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough no one would notice them, though that meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little.

“She was there- expecting me, naturally.” He finally chuckled and so did I. It was clear as day how much happier he was. “She hopped down from the high stool at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly towards me.

“It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. But she was smiling, and the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before.”

“You had kept me waiting a long time.” Alice was next to him suddenly, wrapping her arm in his, their fingers intertwining. “And you ducked your head, like a good southern gentleman, and said, ‘I'm sorry, ma'am’. She laughed at the memory.

Jasper smiled at her like she'd hung the moon. My heart melted. “You held out your hand and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope.”

As infatuated with his story as I was, I knew the reason he told it now. There was an army forming in Seattle. Alice and Jasper smiled at each other as they recounted joining the rest of the Cullens and I struggled to follow along.

I caught the end of something Edward was saying, “When I got home, all of my things were in the garage.”

Alice only shrugged. “Your room had the best view.”

Everyone laughed. I played along and laughed too, but Carlisle could tell it was forced. His hand tightened around mine ever so slightly.

“That’s a nice story,” Bella said. Everyone looked at her like she'd lost it- even me. She quickly clarified. “I mean the last part. The happy ending with Alice.”

“Alice has made all the difference,” Jasper agreed. “This is a climate I enjoy.”

Finally, Alice went back to the point of the story. “An army,” she whispered, “Why didn't you tell me?”

I was glad I wasn't the only one worried. Though I could barely force the words out, I needed to ask, “And you guys plan to face this?”

“We don't have much of a choice, Cara.” Carlisle's voice was soothing as he pressed into my side.

Jasper answered only Alice's question, “I hoped I was mistaken. I hoped that maybe I just saw the similarities because of my past. It simply doesn't make sense for there to be an army in Seattle. No one would want to claim it for power when there isn’t anyone to oppose. No one would even defend it.

“But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally out of control. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let it go on so long.”

“What can we do?” Carlisle asked his son.

I sat forward and placed my face in my hands, resting my elbows on my knees. They continued to make plans. Jasper wanted us to find an advantage. I couldn't really hear past the blood rushing around in my head. I wanted to vomit. I was so sick of that feeling.

“Maybe we won't have to.” Edward’s voice broke through my anguish, though I wished it hadn't. “Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is… us?”

“Oh for fucks sake…” I whimpered. Carlisle almost laughed at my outburst as his thumb traced comforting circles on my hand.

There was a silence in the room as everyone took in Edwards words. There were various states of confusion. Bella seemed the most lost. But Edward, Jasper, Alice, and Carlisle seemed to understand the gravity of it all. I just wanted them to say it and get it over with.

Alice spoke first, “They're not coming after us,” she insisted, her eyes dancing wildly. “Or… they don't know that they are. Not yet.”

I couldn't hope that they weren't after us. “What can you see, Alice?”

“Flickers,” Alice answered. “I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of.”

“Like they can't decide if we're worth it? Or they don't even know what they're doing?”

“I don't know…”

“Wait…” We all faced Edward while he tried to make sense of what Alice couldn't. “Not indecision- Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision.”

I sigh, “So it has to be the Volturi.”

“But I would see if they decided to come…”

“Unless they aren't acting directly. It has to be them. You said Aro read your mind in Italy, right? And he's always wanted the two of you.” I gesture between her and Edward. “So, he calls in a favor, someone who would do as he says without question.”

Rosalie agreed with me, “Someone in the south… someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance- if they take care of this one small problem… That would explain the Volturi's sluggish response.”

“Or their lack of response at all. The only question left is why?”

Despite his comforting, I think Carlisle was just as confused as we were. “There’s no reason for the Volturi-”

“It was there,” Edward interrupted. “I didn’t expect it so quickly- his thoughts were all over the place and the others were… louder, I guess. But like Y/n said, he wants me and Alice by his side. He’d have the present and the future right in the palm of his hands.”

“He would kill the rest of us just to have you two?” Emmett asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“But it does, if he wants to weed out the competition. Carlisle has what he wants, a large coven of loyal and gifted followers. If he had someone take us down, sparing only Alice and myself, then we would join him and there wouldn’t be another large powerful coven to oppose him.” Edward added.

It was Carlisle who interrupted this time. “They’re too committed to their mission. They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they’ve worked for.”

“They’ll clean it up afterward. A double betrayal,” Edward’s voice was grim but not surprised. “No harm done.”

“No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Not to mention the mess. Whoever this is has no clue what they’re doing. This has to be their first time making an army- I’d put money on it. It’s too hard to believe the Volturi are involved. But they will be.”

The stress around the room is palpable- even as Jasper worked to calm the space around us.

Emmett clapped once, pulling focus. “Then let's go! What are we waiting for?”

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a long glance. Edward nodded once. My breath caught in my throat.

“We’ll need you to teach us, Jasper,” Carlisle finally said. “How to destroy them.” As much as I hated the idea, I knew how heavily it would weigh on him. I couldn’t muster up much strength, but I looked at his face, I watched his eyes, and I squeezed his hand- If only so he knew I was there with him.

Our eyes met for the briefest moment and he kissed my forehead before returning to the conversation.

Jasper added that they would need extra hands. “Do you think Tanya’s family would be willing? Another five mature vampires would make a huge difference. And then Kate and Eleazar would be especially advantageous on our side. It would be almost easy, with their aid.”

“We’ll ask,” Carlisle answered as he took out his phone. He kissed my hand before pacing in front of the windows. Edward pulled Bella to sit between him and I on the couch. Across the room, Carlisle spoke quickly and quietly but everyone in the room remained tense.

My eyes never left his face.

Edward groaned from the other side of Bella. “Damn it. Damn Laurent to the deepest pit of hell where he belongs.”

“Laurent?” Bella whispered. I tore my eyes from Carlisle to her. She looked more scared by the name than she had been of Jasper's backstory.

While Edward read his fathers thoughts, I tried to get her attention. “Which one was Laurent again?”

“James’ coven. Moved to Denali, found me in the meadow.” She shivered.

My mouth formed an ‘oh’ but we focused on Carlisle’s phone call again. I had never seen him quite like this. He was almost begging whoever had answered, but his tone was firm and calm.

“There’s no question of that,” he was suddenly angrier than before. “We have a truce. They haven’t broken it, and neither will we. I’m sorry to hear that… Of course. We’ll just have to do our best alone.” He hung up the phone without another word. His eyes watched the fog out of the window.

I was on my feet before I even knew what I was doing. My hand found his, he pulled me into him. I buried my face in his chest and he rested his chin on my head.

“What’s the problem?” Emmett asked.

Carlisle answered, “Irina and Laurent were… romantically involved. More so than we knew. She is still angry with the wolves for their part in his death.”

Edward took over when Carlisle couldn’t go on. “She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission.”

“No!” Bella gasped.

“We would never agree to those terms.” I said, to help calm Bella’s nerves.

“Neither would I. Laurent had it coming,” Edward growled. “And I still owe the wolves for that.”

“So it will be an even fight…” I looked at Jasper and he nodded.

“We may still win. We have the upperhand in skill, just not numbers.” His eyes left mine to only glance at Alice. When he found me again, there was a bit more panic on his face.

If they won this at all, not everyone would come home.

Edward, Rosalie, and Carlisle went hunting a couple of days later. He expected to only be away a few hours- twelve at the most, since they weren’t going far. The original plan was for Bella to hang out at our house so the three that were staying could keep her out of trouble. She opted out to go see Jacob- which I thought was a better plan anyway.

However, that did leave Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and myself to our own devices.

Normally I would have been very excited for Bella to get a chance to see Jacob, but right that very second, I really wished she was there to at least mediate.

Emmett was laying on the kitchen floor dramatically. “We are in way over our heads.” I giggled as Alice stomped over to him. “How are we going to make over a hundred cupcakes in just a few days?” He acted like we were forcing him.

“It’s only a hundred and forty! I want every guest to at least have two. Bella’s graduation is important.” She sounded exhausted, not that that was possible- and not that I could blame her, Emmett was kind of acting like a baby.

She looked at me so she could beg with her eyes to get him to cooperate. Jasper just laughed and continued scooping batter into the trays.

Emmett just groaned and rolled over to his stomach. “Go on without me… I won’t make it.”

The glare on Alice’s face was the only thing to hold back my giggles. I would never say it, but I almost agreed with him. We’d been at this cupcake thing for more than an hour and we still didn’t have any cupcakes in the oven. In Alice’s defense, she bought eight cupcake trays and we had two ovens, so once we got this batch in we’d only have to do it one more time to be over her goal anyway.

I decided it would be best not to offer any input for either side. I liked my head exactly where it was. Instead I nudged Emmett with my foot. “All you have to do is crack a few more eggs. Then she might let you off the hook.”

“I won’t even ask you to decorate!” Alice’s tone was sweet- too sweet. I knew as soon as she said it she was up to something.

I might have been the only one to notice though. Jasper continued with his task and Emmett got to his feet. He grumbled a little more, but continued cracking eggs.

I’d hoped the moment passed, but then Jasper said, “She wouldn’t want you to decorate anyway.”

I froze, Alice’s eyes went wide.

“Boys-” I warned as Emmett picked up two eggs from the carton.

“Jasper, please don’t-”

“Wanna elaborate, Cowboy?” Emmett pressed. Their matching smirks were the only thing reminding me that while they were only playing, things could easily get very messy.

“I mean… The cupcakes would look like shit if you decorated them.” Emmett threw one of the eggs as soon as the words left his lips. It hit the center of Jasper’s chest with an oddly satisfying splat. “Hey now,” he laughed. “Let’s not start something Y/n will have to clean up.”

I definitely would have made them clean it up, but I kept my opinions to myself.

Emmett gave me an apologetic smile, but his focus didn’t leave Jasper. “I bet I can make prettier cupcakes than you can.”

Jasper’s smirk grew. Alice almost danced with excitement. I caught on to the couples scheme. Poor, sweet Emmett had no idea.

“Really now?” Jasper’s southern drawl was dangerous. “You wanna place bets?”

Just like that, Emmett took out his wallet and set a one hundred dollar bill on the counter. Jasper laid down two more.

“Winner takes all?” Now Emmett smirked and held out his hand.

I quickly added, “Loser cleans up!” just so Alice and I didn’t have to piece the kitchen back together.

“Sounds good to me.” Jasper shook his hand, then faced me and Alice. “Ladies, Do you want to judge?”

“Absolutely.” Alice said. Her smile matched Jaspers.

“As long as Alice gets final say. It’s her party.” And I did not want to be caught in the aftermath.

Alice and I proceeded to supervise the boys competition. I half listened as she talked through the rest of her party plans and half watched out the back window for Carlisle return.

It was so easy to be comfortable with them. They always made me feel like I belonged. I was constantly surrounded by this overwhelming sense of family and belonging. Somehow, despite everything, the Cullens felt like family. Like coming home after an extended trip to open arms. Like a part of me missed them before I even knew them.

And like a part of them missed me too.

“I think Bella invited some of the wolves…” The annoyance in Alice’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Jasper's gaze was on me, a soft smile on his face. I blushed and pulled my focus to Alice. “I can barely see it anymore.”

“Jacob’s coming here?” I asked.

“I guess… Or he’s trying to decide. It comes and goes in flashes. It’s really hard to plan a party I can’t see.”

Everyone laughed but Alice.

“I think that’s how most people feel, Sweetheart.” Jasper kissed her cheek.

“I’m serious! I haven’t been able to see anything for hours. What if I’m not making enough cupcakes?”

Emmett looked up. He had icing on his cheek. I hid my giggles with the back of my hand.

“I can make more. I’m in the zone now.” he offered without any prompting.

“You’re the best, Emmett!” Alice skipped over to him and threw her arms around him. Jasper and I made eye contact again and laughed to ourselves.

By the time he ‘ran out of steam’ he had made two hundred and six cupcakes.

Jaspers were a bit prettier but we let Emmett have it for being such a good sport. (and for doing most of the work.) I was still anxiously watching the front door. They talked about something on the TV. I only pretended to be interested.

It wasn’t long before Carlisle had his arms around me. I’d barely turned around before I heard Edwards tires screeching out of the garage.

Still, I leaned up and kissed Carlisle.

Now that Carlisle was back, Emmett moved towards the garage to meet up with Rosalie. “What’s his deal?” He asked Carlisle over his shoulder.

“He didn’t go into much detail. Something happened with Bella at Jacob's. He said they'd be here shortly.”

My eyes darted to Alice who looked just as concerned as I felt. I wasn't sure if he knew more and just didn't tell me yet. I tried not to panic.

“I haven't seen anything… Jacob is still too involved. But I'll keep you updated.” She painted on a smile and turned back to the TV.

Carlisle ran a soothing hand over my arm. “I'm sure it will be alright. How was your day?”

I didn't let his efforts to calm my worry go wasted. I knew Edward would be normally a bit jumpy when they'd get back, especially when Jacob was involved. They were probably right. It was probably nothing. I took a deep breath and answered his question.

“Alice wanted to make cupcakes for the party. Emmett was kinda a baby about it at first, but the ones he made came out really nice.”

“Well, there aren't any scorch marks in the kitchen.” the corner of his mouth turned slightly upwards slightly. “That is an impressive feat in and of itself.”

I laughed with him. “I supervised!”

“She was great!” Alice added.

Carlisle’s smile was soft as his eyes met mine. “She always is.”

I, of course, melted into him. I hid the color in my cheeks by burying my face in his chest. I felt his soft chuckle as he held me tighter. I continued with the shift in conversation. “What about you? How was your trip?”

I felt him sigh. “It went smoothly, though it did end abruptly. I think we were finishing up anyway. The quick trip will definitely help in the long run.” I understood his meaning without him having to elaborate. I wanted them to be as prepared as possible, that was all I needed to know.

For just a moment we fell into comfortable small talk about the day's events. Alice complained some more about her lack of visions involving the party.

Until Alice froze and spoke quickly. “Finally! They're almost here. Bella thinks she's broken her hand.” She focused on Carlisle, “They want you to look at it.”

“I'll go get my bag.” He kissed my forehead and disappeared up the stairs. I went out into the garage just as they were pulling in.

Bella and Edward were already getting out of the car. Emmett was holding up his jeep so Rose could work under it. Somehow, I was unphased. I noticed the way Bella was babying her hand and that took my focus.

I asked, “What happened? Are you okay?” At the same time Emmett asked, “Fall down again, Bella?”

Her soft eyes shifted from me to glare at him. “No, Emmett. I punched a werewolf in the face.”

Shocked, I stared at her. Emmett, of course, burst out laughing. I managed to push my panic aside. “Who? Why?”

I wasn't sure I actually asked until she stopped glaring at Emmett to answer me. “Jacob kissed me.”

My confusion faded to anger. I had to bite my cheek to contain it. “Why?”

“Because he's an entitled, selfish, piece of-”

From her spot under the Jeep, Rosalie laughed and announced, “Jasper's going to win the bet.”

Edward winced and tried to pull Bella faster into the house but she froze in her spot.

“What damn bet?” My anger with Jacob shifted back to general confusion, with just a touch of anger. I was already tired of their bets after the cupcake debacle and while I had no idea what they'd bet on, I had a terrible feeling about it.

Bella looked between the boys and demanded, “What bet?”

“Let's get you to Carlisle. Y/n, is he in his office?” I knew he knew exactly where in the house he was and was just trying to use that to shift her focus. I didn't answer.

“What bet?” Bella insisted.

“Thanks, Rosalie.” His arm tightened around her waist and he continued forward.

“Edward…” the concern was heavy in my voice but it also came off as a warning. I didn't want him to pick a fight with Rose. I also wanted to know about the bet.

“It's infantile,” He shrugged. “Emmett and Jasper like to gamble.”

I rolled my eyes.

She didn't drop it there. She tried to turn back, but his arm was tight around her waist. “Emmett will tell me.”

He sighed, finally giving in. He probably knew that neither of us would drop it. Bella could get Emmett to tell her, I'd get Carlisle to tell me. “They're betting on how many times you… slip up in the first year.”

The horror on Bella's face matched my own. I suddenly felt like throwing up and wished I had never asked.

Bella repeated his answer to elaborate. “They have a bet on how many people I’ll kill?”

“Yes.” He sounded annoyed, I couldn't help but agree. “Rosalie thinks your temper will turn the odds in Jasper’s favor.”

Bella looked lost. I was grateful we were still walking towards Carlisle.

“Jasper's betting high.”

“It will make him feel better if you have a hard time adjusting. He's tired of being the weakest link.”

“Sure. Of course it will. I guess I could throw in a few extra homicides, if it makes Jasper happy. Why not?” Her voice was flat and distant.

“I- That's so fucked up actually…” I didn't want to think about what they thought Bella would be like as a newborn vampire. Or that that was right around the corner.

I definitely didn't want to know if they'd placed bets about me.

“They didn't,” Edward answered anyway. “They talked about it, but it's not certain when- or if you'll be like us. Also Jasper thinks you're too much like Carlisle. It wouldn't be wise to bet high.”

I cringed, wanting to throw up again.

He squeezed Bella a bit tighter. “But neither of you need to worry about it now. In fact, you don’t have to worry about it ever, if you don't want to.”

Bella groaned and Edward pulled her a bit faster to the dining room. I didn't think it was her hand that was bothering her, but I was grateful he wanted to get her to Carlisle faster. I was more than willing to be closer to him as well.

Carlisle looked at Bella's hand for all of two minutes before agreeing that it was broken. He wanted to take her to the clinic for a legitimate x-ray and proper cast, but they came to a compromise. She just had to wear a brace and let him check on her regularly. She promised to be good and follow the doctor's orders.

Bella was out of it. Edward fussed over her multiple times, but she wasn't in any pain. Carlisle gave her some pain meds just in case.

Even as she hugged me before they left, she seemed off. I wondered if she really was just tired or if, like me, the idea of their bet threw her off.

When they were gone, Carlisle walked with me to our room. I was ready to pass out. The weight of the day was finally catching up to me. I couldn’t believe how tired I’d gotten in just the last 30 minutes.

Carlisle laid in bed next to me; both of us on our sides, facing each other, our hands joined between us. We laid there for a moment, just existing together, but my curiosity did get the better of me.

“Did you know?” I asked, just barely above a whisper.

“About the boys bet?” I nodded and he sighed. “Not exactly. I knew of the debate that started the bet. I knew that Jasper had joked that once Bella was a newborn, he wouldn’t be our biggest concern. However, they knew better than discussing it around me or Edward. I only heard in passing what Edward gathered from their thoughts.” His tone was apologetic, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I’m not upset with them.” I specified. “They’re just being silly. It’s just… It’s weird to think about what we’ll be like… after.” I felt like my voice sounded as distant as Bella’s did earlier.

“You don’t have to-”

“I know. They didn’t even bet on my… outcome.” I almost laughed. “The idea of it though, somehow makes this all feel more real.”

He did laugh. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” I rolled over to my back and stared at the ceiling. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. “I guess I just couldn’t imagine it before. Like a part of me held on to the fantasy of it.”

“But since Jasper's story… and then today, after they mentioned the bet… It’s like now I can see it. I can see Bella with red eyes and cold skin. I can picture myself like you. It’s just so real.”

I turned back to him and his eyes were on me. I could tell he was analyzing my words, but his gaze wasn’t harsh. He was calm and soft and collected just like he always was- all while trying to decide if I was panicking.

I caressed his face. “I still want this… eventually. Not now-” I smiled softly at him and he smiled back. “But at some point, I still want to be like you. You just have to promise to love me if I accidentally kill people.”

He moved so he was positioned a bit over me, without putting any actual weight on me. “I will always love you, and I think I can manage keeping you in line.”

“That’s good…” I leaned up to kiss his nose. “Someone has to. It might take all of us to keep Bella in line.”

His lips lifted on one side in a half smile that made me melt. “Are you betting high?”

I playfully glared at him. “I am not betting… But if I had to guess, I think Bella is stubborn and she doesn’t really take no for an answer. And if this spring was any indication she has a flair for the dramatics- justified or not.”

He thought over my points for a moment before nodding. “You have excellent points. It’s a good thing there’s six of us.”

“And some overly attached wolves.” I giggled.

“I have nothing to wear!” Bella said into her now empty closet. I sat on the floor leaning against her bed. I started in the bed but as she pulled out all of her clothes I was quickly booted to the floor. “At this rate, I’m graduating in this!” she gestured towards herself and her old sweats and baggy sweater.

“You will not!” I insisted. “We’ll stop at a store on the way if we have to.”

“We don’t have time!” She glared at the pile of clothes. “Stupid, thieving, annoying vampire!”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Alice said “What did I do?” while leaning casually beside the open window.

“Holy shit- Alice!”

She just laughed and added “Knock, knock.” with a grin.

“Is it really so hard to wait for me to get the door?”

“Or at least shoot either of us a text first so you don’t give us a heart attack?”

“It’s more fun this way.” Her grin got a touch wider “Anyway! I was passing through and I thought you might need something to wear.”

I giggled as Alice tossed a white box on the bed. Bella looked like she was relieved and also like she might throw up.

“Admit it,” Alice said. “I’m a lifesaver.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Bella muttered. “Thanks.”

“Well, it’s nice to get something right for a chance. You don’t know how irritating it is- missing things the way I have been. I feel so useless. So… normal.” She cringed. I had to laugh.

“How could you?” I joked at the same time Bell said “Eww, normal?”

Alice laughed. “Well this makes up for missing your annoying thief- now I just have to figure out what I’m not seeing in Seattle.”

Maybe it was the look on Bella’s face or the way Alice said our two problems so closely together, but it clicked. All of it lined up perfectly. I quickly scanned Bella’s face as she put it together. Her eyes darted between me and Alice as she tried to judge if we’d caught on. I nodded but Alice remained unmoved.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Her question barely had time to settle before she moved to open it for her. “Pretty, don’t you think? I picked blue because I know it’s Edward’s favorite on you.” Bella wasn’t listening. She looked completely dazed.

I stood up and grabbed Alice’s hand. “Alice.”

At the same time Bella whispered “It’s the same.”

Alice didn’t get it. “What is?” she demanded. “You don’t have anything like this. For crying out loud you only own one skirt!”

“No-” Bella cut me off.

“-Alice! Forget the clothes, listen!”

She still hadn’t caught on, her face softened with disappointment “You don’t like it?”

“Listen, Alice, don’t you see? It’s the same!”

“The uninvited visitor, our missing things, the newborns-”

“Yeah! Thank you, Y/n!” She seemed a little less frantic knowing I understood. “They’re together.”

Alice froze, the dress fell from her hands delicately back into the box. “Why do you think that?”

“Remember what Edward said? About someone using the holes in your vision to keep you from seeing the newborns-”

“Right! And I brought up that I thought that maybe they were just curious as they passed through-”

“Then what you said before, Alice. The timing was too perfect.”

“Someone ‘Just curious’ wouldn’t have taken our things.” I added air quotes around my own words knowing now just how wrong I was. “And they were way too careful not to make any contact.”

“Because he knew you would see that.”

“You were right, Alice. He has to know. There’s no chance it’s multiple people who not only know, but are also using the holes in your vision at the same time.” Bella looked at me. Alice was still frozen.

Bella continued. “The one making the army is the one who stole our things.”

Alice stayed completely unmoving for quite some time. Around a minute in, I sat on the bed, trying my best to mind the pile of clothes. More time passed in silence. I was afraid she'd gone into shock.

Then she whispered, “You're right.” Her voice was hollow and completely detached. I wasn't convinced she was okay. I worried she was panicking. “Of course you're both right. And when you put it that way…”

“Edward had it wrong.” Bella whispered. From where I sat, it was hard to make out what she said. “It was a test… to see if it would work.”

“To see if he could get in, get our scent, and get back out unharmed.” I added.

“As long as he didn't do anything you would be watching out for.” Bella continued.

“Like speak to either of us… or eat our father.” I shivered.

“And he didn't take our things to prove he found us. He stole our scent… so that the others could find us.”

Another moment passed without a sound. None of us breathed. We were right. We had to be right. It was clear Alice knew it too.

“Oh, no,” she mouthed. Alice's stillness quickly became a panic that rivaled my own. Bella somehow looked relieved.

“Well,” she whispered. “Everyone can relax. Nobody's trying to exterminate the Cullens after all.”

Her words confused me. I just stared at her for a beat. “Relax? That's what you got from this?”

“If you think that one thing has changed, you're absolutely wrong.”

I teetered this line of understanding where Bella was coming from and outright disagreeing. This wasn't about the Cullens, which was good, but there was a ravenous army of newborn vampires after the two of us. If we could just turn ourselves over to them, maybe they'd leave our family alone. “But the Cullens would never let them get to us. No one will back down without a fight.”

“You're probably right- But at least we know what they're after. That has to help.”

“Maybe,” Alice muttered before she started pacing Bella's room.

When Dad knocked on the door both Bella and I nearly jumped out of our skin. Alice kept pacing, unbothered.

“Aren't you girls ready yet? We're going to be late!” I was sure he was more bothered that he had to wear a tie than he was about being late.

“Almost. Give us a minute.” Bella said hoarsely

His tone changed from frustration to concern immediately “Are you crying?”

“No. I'm nervous. Go away.”

Once he had grumbled his way back down the stairs, Alice whispered again, “I have to go.”

“Why?” Bella and I asked at the same time.

“Edward is coming. If he hears this…”

“Go, go.” Again, Bella and I spoke in unison. I knew that Edward wouldn't have the best reaction, which was easily an understatement.

“Y/n, can you keep him out of your thoughts?” Alice asked. My eyes went wide, not having considered the issue, but I nodded.

“I can try. I've never done it on purpose, but I’ll really really try.”

She did not look convinced. “If you can't keep him out, just keep your thoughts busy with literally anything else.” I nodded again trying to plan what to think about for the entirety of the graduation.

“Put that on,” Alice commanded before going back out the window. Bella looked at me and I just walked out of the room without another word- unsure of what to say anyway.

Dad was in the kitchen, looking at the paper, grumbling something along the lines of “-that girl is going to be late to her own damn graduation…” but I couldn't really hear him over the roaring in my head.

Could I just choose to keep Edward out of my thoughts? And, if I couldn't, could I really keep my head busy enough for him not to catch on.

And, possibly the hardest part, could I sit next to Carlisle for the entire graduation ceremony like nothing was wrong. He would be able to tell the second he saw me that something was off and I would have to be able to still not think about it and not tell him when he asked.

I poured what was left of the coffee into my travel mug, knowing very well it would not help the pit in my stomach but I hoped it would at least give my brain a bit of a caffeine buzz. As I finished making my coffee, Bella rushed downstairs. Dad complimented her and asked about her dress. She thanked him. She mentioned Alice.

I wasn't paying attention.

Once Edward arrived I thought about all of the shoes that I owned. I tried to just think ‘no Edward’ but didn't want to trust in that alone. They just as quickly drifted out to the cruiser. Dad kissed my check on his way out.

“I'll be right behind you guys. I'm almost ready.” I mumbled and Dad nodded but I didn't hear if he said anything. I shut the door behind them and for a second leaned my head against it.

I whispered to myself as I heard the car pull away. “It's no big deal. It's just an hour- maybe two. I can do this. I can do this.” I breathed a heavy sigh and straightened my dress. “I really hope I can do this.

I turned my back to the door to put on shoes. I looked one last time in the mirror by the door. I opened the door but immediately shut it back.

Quickly, I ran through the house and made sure every window was shut tight and locked. I made sure the back door was locked and double checked the front door was locked before heading to the school.

I got to my seat mere seconds before the ceremony started. Carlisle had chosen a seat that was next to isle and left the seat next to him for me. My Dad was just behind him with Billy and Jacob. I tried my best to smile politely at Billy. I didn't even look at Jacob.

Carlisle stood and placed his hand on the small of my back as I passed. He kissed my cheek and whispered “You look stunning, as always.”

I mumbled my thanks and it took a single second after I sat down for him to ask, “What's happened? Are you alright?”

I almost let my guard down. My mantra of ‘No Edward. No Edward. No Edward.’ almost paused, but I managed to get a grip. “Nothing’s happened. Everythings fine. I’m okay?”

His eyes squinted slightly, like he was analyzing every syllable in my words.

“I promise I will tell you about it later.” I smiled as best as I could at him. I poked the middle of my own forehead twice before repeating the motion on his.

“Oh,” He mouthed. “I understand.” He didn’t press though his grip did tighten ever so slightly around my hand. I kissed him quickly and Dad cleared his throat behind us. I let myself giggle.

When Principal Greene started the ceremony I repeated every word he said in my mind.

I clapped and cheered when Alice was called. She appeared, accepted the diploma, and disappeared just as quickly; I pretended not to notice. Edward followed after and his general confusion was clear. I continued to clap but my cheering was cut off when his sharp gaze met mine.

His expression didn’t change beyond confusion. I breathed a sigh of relief but sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in my head anyway. Even Jasper walked across the stage just as tense as Alice had been. Carlisle continued to cheer for his family as they graduated again.

As the next names were called he said under his breath, “He’s not sure what, but he can tell all of you are hiding something.”

I said nothing and continued the lullabies in my head.

When Bella’s name was called, Dad stood and cheered. Jacobs cheering was the loudest and though I rolled my eyes, it did make Bella crack a small smile- even if it was a little forced.

I stood and clapped with everyone else at the graduates moved their tassels and threw their caps. The kids started meeting up with their families and friends. I planned my escape route just to get stopped by Dad and Billy.

Dad asked if I wanted to go out to eat with them, which I could politely decline since Alice had made the party such a big deal. He bought it easily, said goodbye to me and Carlisle, before leaving with Billy and Jacob. Thankfully Jacob said nothing to me the whole time.

As soon as they were gone, Carlisle put an arm around my waist and started to walk with me to my car. He turned his head to face me as we walked, one eyebrow raised. “Y/n?”

“Carlisle?” I’d switched from lullabies to 80s love songs. If he was still in my head, I Wanna Dance With Somebody would have to work as a distraction.

“Will you please tell me what is going on?”

I shushed him. I doubted anyone could even hear our conversation over the crowd of families but I wasn’t going to risk it now. “As soon as no one can hear us.” I assured him.

The plan was that I would drive separately to the graduation and Carlisle would follow me back to our house after. That way I could help Bella get ready in the morning and then I could help Alice set up after the ceremony. I didn’t think the plan had changed and he walked me to my car like everything was normal. His arm stayed around my waist our entire walk. I figured we’d made it out of the woods without Edward finding out and freaking out.

But as we walked up to my car, Carlisle said, “I understand why you didn’t want to tell anyone in there.”

My eyes shot open and I turned to face him. “She told him? Is he alright? Is he freaking out?”

“He’s… not calm. But he will be alright, Mon Coeur.” He opened my door. “I do hope you have a bit more understanding than your sister, who seems to think that this connection solves everything.”

I didn’t move to get in the car. “I know it doesn’t. I think it’s probably worse…”

“It’s definitely worse.” He drew his lips into a line. “I’ll see you at the house. I will be right behind you the entire time.”

I nodded and kissed him. His car was behind mine before I even left the parking lot.

Alice gave everyone tasks. As soon as we walked in the door we were assigned balloon duty. I could hardly focus on the balloons. I popped three and let go of more than I could count. I giggled everytime they shot across the room. Alice sighed and took the remaining stack from me.

“I think that’s enough balloons… I’m going to get the music started. Y/n, why don’t you change into your party clothes?”

I looked down at my clothes then at Carlisle and mumbled, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“Nothing!” She said quickly. “It’s just that this is a party, and you look like you’re going to a graduation- Oh! I have the perfect dress!” and then she vanished up the stairs.

Carlisle only chuckled once he’d heard me laugh. Edward and Bella came in before Alice came back down. Edward was normally hard to read but his face really gave nothing away as to what he was feeling.

“Edward!” Alice had emerged from upstairs, seemingly unaware how much she’d startled me. Carlisle chuckled and rubbed my arm. “I need your advice. Should we give them familiar and comforting or educate their taste in music?”

“Keep it comforting,” Edward recommended. “You can only lead the horse to water.”

Alice nodded and started the music, placing whatever she decided was too ‘Educational’ in a separate box.

Bella looked down at her blue dress and mumbled. “I think I’m underdressed.”

“You’re perfect,” Edward disagreed.

“Alice is just over dressed,” I added.

She ignored me and said to Bella, “You’ll do.”

I laughed. Bella thanked her but her voice still had hope when she asked “Do you really think people will come?” Alice made a face at her.

“Everyone will come.” Edward confirmed. I watched Bella deflate. I wasn't too excited about the party, but I was excited to watch Bella try to navigate the house full of people.

Then Alice continued barking orders. I followed along, completing small tasks for her. Bella held on to Edward while we floated around. I doubted he would have let her go, but I also never saw her try. The guys moved as Alice commanded, all while discussing battle strategies for their attack on the newborns in Seattle.

I wanted to throw up.

They still had no backup. Tanya’s family refused to send any aid, and of course there was still no chance they’d change Bella early. Yet they still had every intention to charge in before the army got too close.

Jasper looked about as nervous as I felt. Trying every angle he could think of just to swing the odds in our favor. I hated that it wasn’t looking like a bright outcome. Not to mention they had no idea what they were going to do with me and Bella during the fight.

I didn’t like the idea of staying in forks and waiting it out. I wouldn’t let them divide their numbers by making anyone stay behind. Bella looked like the thought alone would drive her mad.

But then the doorbell rang.

Everything shifted immediately, going from betting odds and battle strategies to teenage house party. The stress melted out of the room, while still clinging to me. Carlisle smiled, Jasper moved to Alice’s side. Alice turned up the music, pointed at me, and mouthed the word ‘change’, before dancing to get the door.

I let out a harsh laugh and kissed Carlisle’s cheek and drifted upstairs to put on whatever it was that Alice deemed party worthy.

I was a bit thankful, actually. Not only to get out of my dress and- with any luck- into something a bit more comfortable. But I was thankful that even for just a moment, I could take a breath and try to push some of the panic aside.

I shut the door behind me and took the biggest breath I could muster; granted, it was shaky and broken. I tried again. And somehow that one was worse. I hoped that with the music and the chatter even the Cullens couldn’t hear my gasps. I moved from the door as fast as I could and sat on the edge of the bed. My hand went to my chest.

I knew that at least tonight we were fine. They weren’t coming to get us tonight and now that we had a more clear picture, Alice could probably see them coming. I didn’t have to panic.

And yet… There I sat. Panicking.

I was completely overwhelmed with this looming dread. This wasn’t just about Bella anymore. Though that was bad enough, this involved me now. Despite how often Edward disregarded my safety and despite how desperately Carlisle tried to protect me from this;

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

I was shaking and crying before I even realized. I’d been in there for a while when there was a soft knock at the door followed by another that was a bit more demanding. I had just enough time to wipe my tears and sit up straighter before the door cracked open. I saw Jasper's soft blonde curls before it registered that it was him.

“Y/n?” His accent was thick with concern, even as he just said my name.

“Jasper… I-I” I tried to breathe again. “I figured you were Carlisle.”

“Alice had him step out to get ice. He figured he’d be back before you noticed he was gone. But I heard you crying… thought I could lend a hand.”

I smiled softly at him and he took a small step into the room. He left the door cracked just slightly so the noise filtered in. I took another deep, settling breath.

“Alice might come lookin for ya if you don’t come down soon, but I might be able to stall her a bit longer.”

I almost giggled but it got caught in my throat. He handed me a tissue. “Thank you, Jasper. I really should get down there.”

“No problem. Though, I wish I could do more to ease your panic.”

I sighed, “Thanks for always trying…” I took his outreached hand and he helped me to my feet. I held on to him a bit longer just to make sure I was stable on my feet. I thanked him again.

He chuckled and grinned softly. “Happy to help.”

I turned to let him go but stopped before he could. “Uhm… one last thing?” He nodded. I sighed and my lip trembled. I pushed past it and said, “Are our numbers… completely hopeless?” I had to look out the window and blink back my reamerging tears.

“I wouldn’t say hopeless… I’m just not quite used to playing with the disadvantage. But, I’ve never lost a fight. I don’t plan on startin’ now… Especially not now when my family is involved.”

I pulled my eyes back to his and saw the sincerity there.

He nodded and I nodded and he continued. “Everyone will be alright. We have to be confident.”

I nodded again and mumbled my thanks.

This time when he went to leave I didn’t stop him. I quickly changed into what Alice had laid out, though I did forgo the heels.

I made my way down the stairs. Alice was pointing Carlisle to where she wanted him to take the ice but Jasper took it from him and nodded towards me. I mouthed one last thank you in his direction before meeting Carlisle’s warm gaze. His soft smile and bright gold eyes almost washed my panic away completely.

He saw it anyway and when his arm wrapped around my waist he pulled me close to him. His free hand went to my chin, lifting it so he could see my face better. I felt my cheeks heat.

“You’ve been crying. Has something happened?” His tone was hushed even as he scanned me for obvious injury.

I giggled and shook my head. “I’m fine. I just got overwhelmed.” When he just looked at me with one eyebrow raised, I lifted a pinky. “Promise! It’s no big deal. We can talk about it later.”

He didn’t look happy about it, but he interlocked his pinky with mine before fully taking my hand. We walked into the main room where the bulk of the guests had started hanging out.

He pointed out to me that the largest tower of cupcakes was nearly empty. I was glad they were doing well with the crowd after all the work Emmett and Alice put into them. A few girls walked up and gave compliments to Carlisle about our home. Some were obviously flirting with him. It made me giggle every time. His hand never left the small of my back.

Everything was going smoothly, until it wasn’t.

Bella was talking with Jessica and Edward, then Edward walked off, just fast enough to still seem natural. Bella looked around for a second and then something caught her eye behind us. I turned and saw Alice frozen in the doorway. She looked like she could hardly stand on her own.

Carlisle froze too. I sharply turned to face him again and whispered, “What’s wrong?” The quiver in my voice was only loud enough for him to hear.

“I’m… not sure. Stay here, I’ll find Edward.”

Two seconds after he walked off and I walked over to where Bella had met Alice, the doorbell rang.

I only caught the end of what they were saying. “I have to talk to Carlisle,” Alice had said. Then she was gone and Bella said to the space where she’d been, “No, Alice, wait!” before swearing under her breath.

I touched her arm and she still jumped. “Where did they go? What is going on?”

“I have no idea… Where is Carlisle?” I could tell she was just as lost as I was.

“Looking for Edward.” The doorbell rang again. “Should I get that?”

“No.” She started heading for the stairs. I continued to stand there, confused.

“Hey, Bella!” I didn’t expect to see Jacob. As a matter of fact, I’d never expected to see Jacob in my house at all. Definitely after the shit he pulled the last time she hung out with him. But there he was, in my living room with two of his friends. Though it was clear, at least to me, that his friends very much did not want to be there.

Bella also did not want them to be there. She waved back at him when he waved, but still turned and disappeared into the crowd. Jacob disappeared too and I just stood there with my hands in the air.

“I… don’t worry guys. I’ll handle the party hosting. It’s fine…” I said sarcastically and just loud enough that they probably heard. Something was going on, and instead of telling me- or Bella from the looks of it, they ran off to have a secret little meeting.

I scanned the crowd looking for a single vampire or at least Bella, but all I found was the back of Jacobs head. I guessed he was talking with Bella but I did not want to get involved. I had nothing nice to say to him, So I walked away. I moved into the room picking up and throwing away abandoned plates and empty cups. I was in the middle of wiping icing off the table cloth when Alice’s cool hand wrapped around my arm.

“Shit! My god- Alice… you nearly scared me to death!” I put a hand on my chest to try to slow my heart beat. Her face didn’t change.

She looked panicked.

“Alice, what’s wrong?”

“I need you to come with me. Where’s Bella?”

I looked at the crowd again. “She’s over there with-” before I could finish she disappeared, “with Jacob…” I pulled my lips into a tight line, but headed towards where I’d last seen Bella.

Alice was already there, whispering to Bella. They started to walk off with me trailing behind when Jacob blocked their path. “Hey, not so fast.”

Alice and I demanded in sync, “Excuse me?” I glared at him but her eyes stayed wide.

“Tell us what's going on.”

“How about you-” I took a step forward, but Bella held her hand to stop me.

Jasper appeared next to Alice and I'd never been so excited to see him. Jacob, on the other hand, took a step back. I could barely hold back my laughter.

“We have a right to know.” Jacob muttered, still glaring at me.

I had to bite my tongue. Jasper stepped in between us. Jacob and his friends tensed.

This time Bella stepped in, laughing just slightly to play it cool. “Hey, hey… This is a party, remember?”

No one moved. I glared at Jacob and Jasper as they had a seemingly never ending staring contest. Alice was the first one to soften.

“It's okay, Jasper. He actually has a point.” Jasper did not relax.

“What did you see, Alice?” Bella asked, like she could not handle the anticipation a second longer.

Alice took a moment before her eyes left Jacob and met Bella's anxious gaze.

She answered loud enough for everyone to hear. “The decision has been made.”

“You're going to Seattle?”

“No,”

“No? What do you mean, ‘no’?” I asked even though I had a sinking feeling I did not want to know.

Bella looked like I felt; Her face paled as she figured out what she meant. “They're coming here?” She choked out.

“Here?” I couldn't comprehend what they were saying. How could the army come here? The boys in front of me looked equally as confused. Nothing felt real.

“Yes.”

“To forks.”

“Yes.”

“For?”

Alice nodded, in understanding. “One carried your things. Your red shirt and your pillow case.”

“But… they can’t come here. It’s too close. Dad is here- Bella-” My voice didn’t sound like my own.

“I know,” Alice agreed with more sadness in her eyes than I had the capacity to understand. “But it doesn’t matter where we stop them. There still won’t be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search.”

“No!” Bella whispered.

My eyes locked on Jaspers. Just an hour before, he’d said our numbers weren’t hopeless. I wanted to beg him to have that confidence now. I needed them to find a way to stop whatever end we were coming to. He only watched Alice.

Bella grabbed my arm and pulled my focus. I felt the world spin. “Then we have to go meet them!” Her voice was shrill.

“Bella!” Alice scolded.

“Hold it,” Jacob spoke for the first time in a long time. He looked caught between anger and confusion. “What is coming?”

Since they decided to talk about it so openly, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to explain but I still whispered. “Newborn vampires. Like a whole bunch of them.” I hated how small my voice was.

“Why?” He pressed.

Alice took over for me. “For Y/n and Bella. That’s all we know.”

“There are too many for you?” he asked.

Jasper was deeply annoyed with the question. “We have a few advantages. It will be an even fight.”

A terrible thought passed through my head. I tried to push it away but Jacob grinned in a way that could only mean he was thinking the same thing. “Jake- no…”

No one acknowledged me.

“No,” Jacob said. “It won’t be even.”

“Excellent!” Alice hissed. I was frozen. Bella was frozen. Alice and Jacob just grinned at each other. “Everything just disappeared, of course. That’s inconvenient, but, all things considered, I’ll take it.”

“We’ll have to coordinate,” Jacob started but all of the noise was overwhelming. Their words sounded like mush. The music was too loud. I squeezed my eyes close and took a few deep breaths while Alice, Jasper, and Jacob casually discussed fighting an army.

I felt a cool hand brush against my arm though I couldn’t tell whose. I locked our fingers together and opened my eyes to find Rosalie. I didn't know when she’d gotten there but I was grateful she had.Bella was too distracted to notice we’d left.

Wordlessly she led us out of the crowd and safely into the garage. It was considerably quieter in there. She took me straight to Carlisle's side then she moved to stand next to Emmett. I mumbled my thanks to her as I wrapped my arms around him. While normally, his presence alone was enough to calm my heart rate, at that moment I still felt like I was drowning in panic.

Carlisle said something to the others in a tone too low for me to understand as he pulled me close to him. He kissed my hair. Only when I was completely surrounded by him did I feel like I could even breathe. His hold on me didn’t loosen.

“Find Bella and Alice. End this party on a positive note. We can reconvene later.” He sounded calm. Everyone followed his instructions without another word to either of us. I’d only just heard the door to the garage shut behind them before Carlisle shifted me back and lifted my chin so he could see my face better. “Everything will be okay.”

I wasn’t crying. I could have, at any second, but I was afraid that if I started I wouldn’t be able to stop. He ran a thumb over my cheek anyway. I held it together better than I thought I would, but maybe I was out of energy to fight and panic. I let his confidence soothe me and nodded softly.

I didn't believe him- but I wanted to. I wanted to believe that with aid from the wolves we'd make it out of this unscathed. No one would be hurt. We'd be safe again. But the worry I felt was bigger than me.

So I just let him hold me. He dulled the ache with soft kisses to my face. He kissed me and held me right where they'd left us in the garage until there was only silence around us. As much as I needed this- as much as I needed him, I could tell by the way he held me that he needed me too. The kisses to my head and face and neck reassured him as much as they did me. When we finally drifted inside everyone was gone. We went upstairs to our room so I could try to get some rest.

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#twilight #carlisle cullen #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #twilight x reader #iaitt #arent we just terrified #this love came back to me #tlcbtm

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futuremrsdrcullen · 1 month

Text

This Love Came Back To Me - Chapter 1

It's Finally Here!!!! I can not apologize enough for how long this took to get out. But here it is! I hope you love it.

My life was in danger.

It was never going to end was it?

Word Count- 10,397

There is no imprinting and there never will be <3

As always, I DO NOT own The Twilight Saga. All rights go directly to S. Meyer.

Read on AO3 <3

Masterlist <3

I love you <3 Thank you for still being here <3

When our flight landed in Portland, I could hardly stay awake long enough to get to the car. Carlisle held my hand as I used him for support as we made our way through the airport.

Being in Portland typically meant the drive home would take a bit longer than if we we’re just in Seattle, but the Cullens rarely drove under 100mph, so it didn’t take nearly as long.

Carlisle didn’t want me anywhere near Seattle and, after hearing all that was going on, I couldn’t say I disagreed. The knowledge that another vampire was reeking havoc worried me more than I let on. So many people had already been murdered, and the numbers continued to grow.

I wasn’t really worried for my own safety, I knew Carlisle would do everything to protect me. I also knew that Edward and Jacob would do everything to protect Bella; even if Jacob wanted to pretend he hated her most of the time.

My main concern was that if this got too loud- if my family had to go to Seattle to ‘handle’ it, we didn’t know what they were going there to handle. We didn’t know how many vampires were there. We didn’t know who was there. If this was so out of control that the Cullens had to step in, who else would also step in. They assured me every time that it wouldn’t come to that and if it did, they could take care of it. It didn’t make me feel better.

We drove home from Portland in only three hours. Thankfully we went to Carlisle’s house rather than mine. I knew Dad would have a hundred questions about my trip and probably more about Bella’s upcoming trip, that I wouldn’t have the energy to answer. I hadn’t given Dad an exact date for our return yet, so a few more hours away wouldn’t hurt.

I took a deep breath as soon as we walked in the front door and Carlisle turned sharply to me. If I didn’t know him as well as I did, I probably would have missed the worry on his face. I smiled warmly at him, trying to ease his concern.

“It’s nice to be home.” I whispered. His eyes lit up at the word home; Not his house, but home. I really did feel at home here. I was sure Edward or Jasper had caught on, but with Carlisle, I told him through small gestures. I claimed a side of the bed. I filled the bedside table with my things. He made room in the closet for my clothes. (I didn’t have time to actually bring clothes over, before Alice bought stuff for me.) I brought over my toothbrush and my pillow and my favorite towel and somehow he was still excited to hear me call his house home.

He wrapped me up in his arms and I hid my face in his chest.

“It really is.”

The others trickled in slowly. We greeted them from our spots on the couch. He of course told me who exactly was coming before they came in. I still looked up over my book and smiled at all of them.

Alice informed us that Bella and Edward would be coming over to hang out later so I made a small meal for the two of us. I knew that Dad was definitely home from work now and I knew that Edward was going to bring up their trip to Jacksonville. I was just happy I didn’t have to be home for that conversation.

When Bella and Edward got to the house, I could tell she was irritated, but she was also clearly happy to see me. She plopped down on the couch between me and Alice, and wrapped her arms around me.

“Welcome home! I missed you! How was your trip?” I couldn’t help but giggle as I hugged her back. Edward and Carlisle shared a look. I wondered how much was being shared that we couldn’t hear. Carlisle’s hand briefly tightened over mine.

I chose to play along and keep Bella distracted. “It was good. Ireland is beautiful.”

“I bet! I should add it to potential vacation spots.” She shared a look with Edward who looked triumphant somehow. I guessed that Carlisle told him how the tracking went. “Edward sprung on Dad that we're going to Jacksonville.” She practically glared at him.

It made me laugh again, “How did that go?”

“So bad.” She ran a hand over her face. “I hate it when he treats me like a child.” This time Carlisle chuckled from my side, though I don’t think she noticed. “He hardly questioned your trip.”

“I’m 21…”

“Yeah and I’m 18!” She rolled her eyes. “I just want him to trust me-”

“He doesn’t trust me…” Edward added. Everyone in the room was smiling softly, save for Bella, who looked like she could fight someone.

“Well he’s just going to have to get over it. Though it might have been easier if I could have eased him into it.”

“I highly doubt that would be better.” I tried. “At least, if Edward is there, he could take it out on him.”

She threw her head back and sighed, hopefully realizing how childish this felt. “He shouldn’t…”

“No he shouldn’t-” I moved from Carlisle's shoulder to hers and ran a hand through her hair. “-but he’ll get over it.”

“If we’re lucky… When are you planning on heading home?”

“Later, maybe tomorrow. I’m not sure yet.” I caught on to the shift in conversation. As I went along with it she already seemed to lighten up. “I made soup, if you want some.”

“Hmm. Maybe later. How did the hunting thing go?” she asked like she had been waiting for the chance.

I felt Carlisle wince, “I didn’t hunt her… I tried to track her-”

“Sure, sure. How did it go?”

I blushed and he squeezed my hand. “He found me… I didn’t get too lost.”

“Obviously. But did you track her?” Edward asked, even though he probably already knew the answer.

I moved again, back to Carlisle’s shoulder, he held me closer. “I could, at times. However for the most part… It was like she was never really there at all.”

“Because. She’s. Not. Trackable.” His confidence was over the top. He said the words like it proved a point he’d made a hundred times.

“Sometimes.” Carlisle added.

“I could try-” Edward started.

“Absolutely not.” I knew he wouldn’t let anyone else try, and I didn’t really want to try with anyone else either.

The room got quiet for a minute. I squeezed Carlisle’s hand this time.

Bella stood abruptly and changed the subject. “We should play chess!” She walked over to their cute little chess table that sat by the window and chose which side she wanted to sit on. “I’ve been practicing. I think I can at least beat Jasper.”

That awarded her a handful of laughter from the room.

“Challenge accepted.” Jasper sat across from her and the battle began. Edward and Carlisle stared at each other for a few seconds more, before Edward nodded once and moved to stand by Bella.

Bella did not beat Jasper.

I drove Bella home later that night. Carlisle kissed me like he wasn’t ready for me to go. It almost convinced me to stay, but I figured it was better to go see Dad, rather than have him chase me down. Edward kissed Bella and whispered something to her. I’m sure it was something like ‘ I’m gonna climb in your window the second your father is asleep. ’

His soft chuckle meant I was right.

Carlisle walked me to my car and held open the door for me.

“I love you.” I whispered before kissing him again.

“I love you.” Followed by another short peck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…” I sighed.

When we got home, Dad was watching some game in the living room. I really thought Bella was just going to move upstairs and try to not catch his attention. I wondered how bad their conversation earlier went if even now she felt the need to avoid him.

“Could you come in here, Bella?” He called. Bella winced and froze. She looked like she wanted to bang her head on the wall. Instead she managed to drag herself into the living room.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“Did you have a nice time- Oh, Y/n! You’re home too. How was your trip?”

I laughed a little, thinking Bella might use his distraction to bolt, but she didn’t move. “It was good. I got you a souvenir mug, but it’s in my bag.” I motioned towards the door; I hadn’t thought to bring my suitcase in yet.

He waved me off, “We can get it later. Thank you.” I could tell something was bothering him. He turned to face Bella. “Bells?”

“Yeah, good… My day was good.”

“What did you do?” I hadn’t figured out why he was being so weird, and Bella looked at me like she was just as lost.

She shrugged. “Hung out with Y/n, and Carlisle and Alice and Jasper. Edward Beat Alice at chess, and then I played Jasper. He buried me.”

I walked further into the living room, Bella followed behind me. She even sat next to me on the couch. Dad sat forward in the recliner and muted the game, which genuinely took me by surprise. Instead of showing it, I pretended to be very interested in the fringe on the couch pillow.

“Look, there’s something I need to say. .. Y/n, I think you can back me up here.” My eyes went wide. He looked like he had been punched in the gut.

“What is it, Dad?”

He sighed. “I’m not good at this kind of thing. I don’t know how to start…”

Bella stayed quiet, looking at his face. I was starting to catch on and really wished I could be anywhere, but here. I held back a laugh, covering my mouth with the back of my hand, and stared out the closest window.

“Okay, Bella. Here’s the thing.” He got up from the recliner and started pacing back and forth across the living room. He kept his eyes on his feet. “You and Edward seem pretty serious, and there are some things that you need to be careful about. I know you’re an adult now, but you’re still young, Bella, Y/n is too. We also had a talk similar to this. But there are a lot of important things you need to know when you… well when you’re physically involved with-”

It took a lot of strength to contain my giggles. I was grateful that Bella finally caught on.

“Oh, please, please , no!” She begged, standing immediately. “Please, tell me you are not about to have a sex talk with me, Charlie.”

I almost winced when she said his name but it was like watching a train wreck; I could not bring myself to look away.

“I am your father. I have responsibilities. Remember, We’re just as embarrassed as you are, right Y/n?”

“I am not involved in this.” I tried to sound serious, but couldn’t hide my giggles.

Bella continued to try and stop him. “I don’t think that’s humanly possible. Anyway, Mom beat you to the punch about ten years ago. You’re off the hook.” She tried, but I knew it wouldn’t work.

“Ten years ago you didn't have a boyfriend,” he muttered, I could tell how much he wanted to change the subject.

“I don’t think the essentials have changed that much.”

Except that they had, just not in a way that Dad could provide advice for. There was no way the talk Renee and Bella had ten years ago mentioned vampire sex. And, though my knowledge of basic human sex was nonexistent, I was probably the only one here who could really explain it to her. Still, I very much did not want to do that. So I continued to bite my tongue and watched this play out.

“Just tell me you two are being responsible,” he pleaded. He looked like he wanted to fall over dead, rather than actually hear her answer.

“Don’t worry about it, Dad, it’s not like that.” I knew at least that much was true. Carlisle wouldn’t tell me much- Thank god…- just that Edward didn’t want to test his control the way Carlisle could with me.

I also knew my input here would just raise more questions and therefore be of no help. I just stayed quiet and tried not to laugh too hard.

“Not that I don’t trust you, Bella, but I know you don’t want to tell me anything about this, and you both know that I don’t really want to hear it. I’ve been open minded with Y/n, I know times have changed.”

She forced a laugh while I forced back another. “Maybe the times have, but Edward is very old-fashioned. You have nothing to worry about.”

I wondered what that meant exactly, but quickly decided I did not want to know.

Dad mumbled, “Sure he is.” I stood and walked toward the kitchen. “Y/n, please.” I froze but didn’t turn around.

“Ugh!” She groaned “I really wish you were not forcing me to say this out loud, Dad. Really. But… I am a… virgin, and I have no immediate plans to change that status.”

They both cringed. I let out a sharp bark of a laugh. Dad seemed to believe her, thankfully. I started moving slowly toward the front door. Hopefully slow enough that they wouldn’t notice.

I heard her continued pleas as I tiptoed out of the room. “Can I go to bed, now? Please.” I didn’t hear his response but based on her heavy dramatic sigh, I guessed he said no.

I went out to my car so I could bring my suitcase in. I wanted to wash my vacation clothes and grab the mug for Dad and the necklace for Bella.

I also wanted to get as far away from that conversation. I would have driven back to the Cullens house if Dad wouldn’t have caught up with me. It wasn’t even that long before he was outside next to me, helping me with my bags.

I made eye contact with him and immediately burst out laughing. He did too.

“You were no help back there.” He sounded stern but he was still laughing.

“I didn’t think my opinion would have been all that appreciated. She’s going to do her own thing anyway.”

He winced, “I know… If she comes to you… for advice or… help-”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe, Dad.”

“Good. Good…” He nodded and moved towards the door. “Thanks kid.” He drifted back into the living room without another word. I took my suitcase and headed upstairs.

I stopped by Bella’s room. Her door was open just a bit, I pushed it open a bit more as I knocked. “Bells?”

When I peaked in she was sitting on her bed focusing on the window. I doubted that Edward would be back yet, so I wondered what she was focused on.

“Oh, hey. What’s up?” She looked up and smiled at me.

“I’m sorry about Dad. That was-”

“Awkward?” She laughed and I nodded. “It’s fine. He ended up giving me more freedom by the end of it anyway.”

“He was definitely easier on you than he was on me. At least yours didn’t involve bananas…” I chuckled.

“That would have been so much worse…” We both laughed, “Hey… about that…” She was hesitant. I was afraid to push her. I just watched as she processed what to say. “Do… do you and Carlisle…”

She cut off but I caught on to her meaning. “Oh, uhm… Yeah.” I think my answer just confused her more, so I added, “But it’s Carlisle…So we don’t really have to worry about his control…”

She made a face like that had never even dawned on her. I was grateful that at least Edward had considered it.

She nodded. “Oh! Right. Of course.” Her face was still lost.

“Just be careful, alright? And if you need anything…”

“I’ll come to you first, I promise.”

I nodded and turned to leave. I paused for just a second and added. “It may be too late… but don’t think about it, Bella. Just go.” I looked out the window again then down the hall.

It was the push she needed. She grabbed her keys and ran back downstairs. I laughed and headed towards my room.

It, in fact, proved to be late. Her truck wouldn't start, so only a few moments later, she was stomping back up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door. I thought I heard her close her window, but I knew she wouldn't stay mad at Edward long. Even if he was being overly controlling.

I hoped she wouldn't give up.

I knew Bella was safe in Jacksonville. I knew that there were five Cullens against one Victoria. But I still couldn’t quell the panic in my chest the entire time I was down in La Push.

I couldn’t tell what game was on TV, despite how much Dad and Billy were yelling at the screen. I bit my nails so much they hurt. Between intense moments of the game, Dad probably asked me a hundred times if I was alright.

I stuck to the standard ‘I’m fine…’ and ‘I’m just distracted’ though I don’t think he bought it. I manically turned my phone off and on again, over and over hoping a message would appear.

But, of course, it remained undisturbed.

I tried to nap on the couch, but everything was too loud. Desperate for a just moment of peace; I wandered out to the porch, muttering to Dad that I just needed air. I saw the concern on his face, but he didn’t follow.

As soon as I was outside I pressed my forehead to the cool siding of the house. I wasn’t even out there for 5 minutes before Sam walked up and ruined my quiet. I wasn’t expecting to see him at all and honestly, I didn’t really want to see him. As he approached me I really did try to resist glaring at him.

He didn’t offer me an overwhelmingly warm greeting, just “I heard you were back from your trip. Thought I’d swing by and say hello.” I caught on to his meaning and rolled my eyes. “Jacob will be visiting Bella when she returns as well. Just to check.”

I choked out a laugh. “Well- with me at least, you have nothing to worry about yet.”

“Yet?”

I shrugged. I had no interest in playing their game; no intention of giving him any information on my plans- or lack thereof.

“It would break the treaty…”

“It’s my choice.”

“It puts every single person in your life in danger.” I knew he had good intentions, even if he was being a jerk about it.

I shrugged again, just to piss him off. He actually scoffed.

“I know you have a family to protect, Sam, but so do I. Bella is stubborn and this is what she has decided. She won’t give up, she doesn’t care about the treaty. She wants to be one of them. That being said, there are a bunch of people who now want her dead. She won’t be safe until she is one of them. I understand that you think otherwise. I know that you’re trying to protect your family, but I have to do what's right for mine as well.”

He looked like he was at least considering it, but he still shook his head. He was quiet for a long moment before stepping down the porch.

“... I have to get back… Just, try. Please?”

I tried to catch the meaning in his words, but there were too many possibilities. I nodded and grinned at him, hoping to get him to lighten up a bit. He didn’t. Once he fully disappeared into the trees, I rolled my eyes and went back into the house, out of the rain.

Dad went straight to bed when we got home, seemingly unaware of my overwhelming anxiety. He got up the next morning, made himself eggs and toast, kissed my forehead and went to work like everything was completely normal. He didn’t have any idea that it wasn’t.

I knew the Cullens had taken him going to work into account. I knew Carlisle wouldn’t leave me or my Dad completely unprotected. It was the fact that I still hadn’t heard anything from them at all that made me spiral. Bella and Edward’s flight would be landing in Portland in an hour or so. I thought that I would have heard something from them by then and the fact that I hadn’t had me biting my nails until they hurt.

I was nearly at my breaking point, I had my phone in my hand, his number dialed. I tried to will myself not to call; I didn’t want to distract him, but the need to hear his voice and know that he was alright outweighed that logic.

I almost hit the call button when I heard his knock at the door. I got the door open a second later and threw my arms around his neck; he, of course, caught me instantly. One of his hands went into my hair and the other wrapped firmly around my waist. For a moment, we didn’t kiss, we didn’t say a word, we just held each other and breathed each other in.

And then he kissed me and he felt like he always did. His cool lips on mine sent warm waves through my whole body that I didn’t think I could ever get used to. I kissed him and let him kiss me right there on the front porch for the whole town to see.

If I was being honest, I wanted everyone to see us. Because he was alive. Because I was able to kiss him like this. The panic I had felt before had risen to my throat. I felt like I could choke on it, but then he was there, kissing me the way he was, washing it away completely.

He pulled back and I breathed a giggle. I hadn’t realized I was out of air, though thankfully he was always one step ahead of me.

“I was so worried.” I whispered against his lips.

“Everyone is fine.” He answered the question I was too afraid to ask on my own. He leaned back and held my face with both hands. He looked me over again and again, checking for obvious signs of distress; His eyes were locked on mine. “Nothing happened here, right? You and your father are unharmed?”

“We’re completely fine.” I kissed his nose to reassure him. “Did you guys…” I trailed off again, too afraid to form the words- Did they kill her? Of course I wanted her gone, but I really hated the idea of any of them in a fight against her or even killing her.

“She got away.” He sighed and I leaned further back to see his face, to try and read his expression. I hoped he would crack a smile and say he was kidding.

He didn’t.

He continued, “She kept crossing the treaty line, Alice couldn’t keep up once the wolves were involved. Emmett crossed too, to try and get to her but Paul attacked him-”

“Oh no…” I covered my mouth with my hand.

“He’s all right, Cara.” I still hadn’t moved my hand so he pressed a quick kiss to the back of it. “His ego may be bruised, since she used their distraction to get away from us for good, but otherwise unscathed.”

“She could still come back.” I whispered. If she was still out there, this wasn’t over.

He nodded, “But Alice will see when she chooses to. I trust that we will be capable of stopping her. It will be alright, Dove." He pressed his cool hand to my cheek and kissed the tip of my nose before he asked, "How was your weekend?" Clearly trying to change the subject.

I chewed my lip while debating if I was going to let it. "Fine…" I breathed it more than I said it. I wouldn't let it go, but it wasn't pressing right now. "Sam came by Billy’s house… He wanted to see if I'm still human…"

He barked out a laugh. "Because of our trip?" When I nodded, he added "I suppose it would make more sense that we'd leave for a while to do it."

“We weren’t even gone that long… I don't see why it matters anyway.” I understood why the wolves thought it mattered, but what I didn’t understand was why it mattered more than what Bella and I wanted.

He gave me a small kiss on my forehead and I pulled him into the house and towards the living room. We had a few more hours before Dad got home. Bella and Edward’s flight wouldn’t get in until well after eight. We have a few hours to be ourselves. After this weekend I would take every single second with him I could.

“I wish the treaty could be updated, ya know?” I asked him and he chuckled in response. I fell dramatically onto the couch, and he delicately sat beside me. “Could we petition to add a ‘Swan Clause’ to the Cullen/ Quileute Treaty? Like- If a human chooses to be bitten, of sound mind and body, the treaty will not be void.”

He laughed, “If only we had thought ahead- though I highly doubt any of us could have seen you two coming.”

“That’s… Fair.” I got as close to him as the couch would allow without actually just sitting in his lap. “I never really saw you coming either.” I kissed him quickly and we settled into the couch.

We only had a single moment of peace before the shrill sound of the phone ringing came from the kitchen. I bumped my forehead against his shoulder. If I’d gone any harder it probably would have hurt. He looked concerned but I waved it off.

“Are… you going to answer that?”

“I don’t wanna…” I pretended to pout and he laughed before kissing the spot on my head that hit his shoulder.

“I could-”

That response made me sigh more, “You don’t want to either. It’s Jacob again. He’s already called like four times today to talk to Bella. Dad told him earlier that she wouldn’t be in until late but he keeps calling anyway.” I didn’t move towards the phone, it continued to ring.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow.

I choked back a giggle “I haven’t answered him… I like to feed into the drama.” I smirked and he laughed again. I waited for the phone to stop ringing before adding “She’ll call him back when she gets home.”

His smirk matched my own, “That is- If you tell her he called…”

Which, in turn, made me laugh, “Exactly! You get it.”

Carlisle went home well before Dad got off work. Dad could still tolerate him, but they definitely weren’t as close as they once were. It was really only Edward that he ‘hated’. I just tried to not push his buttons more than I had to.

There was a comfortable silence over the house. I made dinner and did the dishes after we ate. As the game played on the TV, I pretended to read while really counting down the minutes until Bella and Edward would be home. I wondered if only hearing her voice over the phone would be enough to convince Jacob that she wasn’t a vampire yet.

Dad answered one call before taking my side ignoring his calls, though it was clear how annoyed he was each time he called. He didn’t ask a single question.

If I had answered I would have said something snarky like “For the love of god Jacob would you get a fucking life?” or “She is never going to pick you over him. Please leave us alone.”

Carlisle was right. It was better that I didn’t answer the phone.

When Bella did get home, I was grateful Dad was calm. He didn’t try to pick a fight with Edward. He even went out of his way to hold the door for him as he carried Bellas stuff in, without moving to slam it in his face.

It was nice. It was progress.

“Welcome home, kid.” His voice was high and loud. I could tell he meant it. “How was Jacksonville?”

“Moist. And buggy” I couldn’t imagine it. I was very comfy in my world of rain and moss. I was not interested at all in adding heat. I wondered if she would ever miss the warmth more than she let on.

“So Renee didn’t sell you on the University of Florida?”

“She tried. But I’d rather drink water than inhale it.”

Dad moved his eyes toward Edward, more out of obligation. “Did you have a nice time?”

“Yes.” He was as polite as ever. “Renee was very hospitable.”

I piped up before the tension suffocated me, “That’s awesome guys!” probably a bit too enthusiastically. Bella walked over to hug me. I didn’t miss the quick ‘ thank you’ she breathed. “We really missed you around here, Bells.”

She dropped her arm and went to take her things upstairs but Dad stopped her before she got too far.

“Would you call Jacob first? He’s been bugging us every five minutes since six o’clock this morning.”

I took over for him, “Dad promised we’d have you call back as soon you got in the door. I debated not telling you at all.” Dad nudged me with his elbow. I rolled my eyes. “It didn’t stop him from calling.”

Bella looked lost, “Jacob wants to talk to me?” I had been a little lost too until I remembered the reason he was calling.

Edward barely moved beside her. I could just barely see the uneven lift of his chest from his forced breath. I was sure he caught the reason for Jacob’s calls in my thoughts and instantly felt guilty.

“-just said it was important.” I only caught the end of Dad’s answer before, as if on demand, the phone started ringing again. I pulled my lips into a tight line and looked at Bella. She desperately tried to decipher what I wouldn’t- couldn’t say in front of Dad.

“That’s him again. I’d bet my next paycheck,” Dad muttered.

“I’ve got it,” she hurried to the kitchen, Edward on her heels. Dad drifted back into the living room.

I stayed in the doorway with no idea which way to go. When the phone stopped mid-ring, I decided to follow Dad and get the details later.

Though part of me hoped Jacob wouldn’t tell her anything at all.

I should have started job hunting. My dad not-so-subtly kept bringing it up. I knew I could get one if I tried, but I hadn’t even started trying. Instead, I was sleeping in, waking up around 10am, taking a quick shower, and going to the hospital to spend Carlisle’s lunch break with him.

At breakfast, when Dad asked me if I’d contacted any jobs yet I smiled and lied, “I’m still looking. I haven’t heard anything back yet.” I don’t think he bought it, but he was willing to let it go.

Still I didn’t look. I was out the door and avoiding my problems before 12pm.

I hadn’t been in his office for more than 15 minutes before Bella texted me. As soon as I read the first message I knew somehow Jacob had told her about what the Cullens were up to this weekend. Carlisle read the message when I handed him my phone and he froze.

NEW MESSAGE FROM DANGER MAGNET-

8:29- What happened? What do you know?

8:32- Y/n… please? I’m losing my mind

8:33- Edward is being elusive. What do you know?

“Why didn’t we have a plan for when she found out?”

“I imagined that Edward would have a solution for this-”

I glared at him, “Really?”

“I know, I know. I also assumed we’d have more than 12 hours before Jacob told her. It’s hard to manage these things since Alice can’t see the wolves.”

I sighed and braced my forehead against my hand. “I didn’t expect her to know I knew immediately either… What do I say to her so she doesn’t hate me?”

“She won’t hate you. I doubt she's even mad at you. She's very likely only mad at Edward."

"Until she learns that I've known about it since we were in Ireland." He did wince a bit at that and I let my head fall to his desk. "What do I say?"

He chuckled and took my phone again. He typed out a message to her and handed it back to me for approval.

I may need more context for what you're referring to. -9:10

"That doesn't sound like me at all." I sent it anyway and he laughed. Then I added,

aren't you in class? -9:11

9:12- I can multitask.

9:12- What happened when I was in Jacksonville with Edward

9:12- between the Cullens and Victoria?

9:12- and Emmett and paul???

What has Edward told you? -9:13

9:14- like I said, he’s being elusive. He keeps saying nothing happened when clearly something happened..

9:15- What do you know?

I took a deep breath before I hit send. Carlisle placed soft, reassuring kisses to my neck.

I really don’t know much. Honestly, Edward would be able to tell you better

than I could. I’m sure it was some huge vamp V.S. wolf cliche. Carlisle has

assured me that everything is fine. -9:17

9:18- Aren’t you with him now?

Carlisle’s at work. -9:19

Lying by omission felt better than outright lying. She had to know I was with him anyway. I knew I didn’t have the answers she wanted and it would have been harder to hear coming from me. I wanted Edward to tell her. She stopped responding to me for a long while.

I immediately thought that she was indeed very mad at me. Carlisle decided to try to distract me by kissing me til I forgot my own name.

It worked amazingly well until my phone dinged again and pulled me right out of it.

10:01- I am holding you personally in charge of telling me about the dangers they try to hide from me from now on…

I understand. -10:04

10:04- Also… Ask Carlisle if Edward can fly a plane.

I turned my head to face him, brows furrowed.

“He can.” My mouth fell open. “I can too.” He casually added. I again let my head fall against his desk, still amazed at all the things they can do.

The week was chaotic to say the least. Bella swore she wasn’t phased by the prospect of Victoria lurking even though she continued to jump at every sound. She would gravitate towards whatever person was closest so she was never by herself.

Mainly she just tried to use it as leverage to be turned sooner.

Thankfully, Carlisle shot that down quickly, “There are six of us Bella. And with Alice and Edward on our side, I don’t think Victoria’s going to catch us off guard. I think it’s important, for Charlie’s sake, that we stick to the original plan.”

He squeezed my hand as he said it like he was trying to calm my nerves. I wasn’t as nervous anymore. I trusted them to keep her safe, while holding off as long as they could on actually turning her. I also knew she wouldn’t give in- that she would demand to be turned sooner, rather than later.

It helped that they were so thorough in making sure that this was truly what she wanted. No matter what reason she came up with, they refused to change her before she graduated.

The most comforting thing of all was how normal everything else was. They continued to plan their mandatory “camping trip”. Carlisle still felt the need to convince me everything was fine. I could hardly tell if he was trying to convince me or himself.

“I’ll only be gone for a few days…”

“I know-”

“We won’t go too far, so if anything happens-”

“Carlisle-”

“-just call or message me and I will come straight home-”

I couldn’t contain my giggles as I set my hands on either side of his face. “My love, Honey, Sweetheart…. I promise, I’ll be okay.”

He sighed and kissed the palm of my hand. “Okay… I know.” The worry melted from his face and he smiled softly at me, “You mean the world to me, Cara. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not the one you really have to worry about.”

“I do anyway.” He took a step closer to me and gave me a small kiss. “Alice and Jasper will be hunting close by.” I raised my eyebrows. “For Bella’s sake.” He emphasized.

“Okay, that’s fair.” He laughed and actually kissed me that time. I always hated the goodbye kisses. Even though I knew he’d come back, these kisses always felt like poking a scar.

I could still remember how much pain I was in before and when he kissed me like that, I could feel it again. I kissed him like I couldn’t.

He pulled back and rested his forehead on mine. “I love you.”

“I love you.” My voice was just barely above a whisper. “Come home to me.”

“I will… It’s just a few days.” He kissed me again and then he left through the front door. I stayed in the living room watching the front door and hugging my own chest.

I gave myself a few hours to mope around. I cleaned the kitchen and made the bed since they wouldn’t be used again until they got back. I went outside and hesitated on the front porch for a long moment, watching the trees, wishing I could stay right there and wait for his return.

When Bella texted me saying she had made it to Jacob’s house, I sighed. I hoped she would get to spend the day with him, yet still worried the Cullens were just going to come home to get her. I locked the door behind me, got in my car, and drove to Dad’s house.

Dad welcomed me from the kitchen with a generic “Hey, Kiddo!” Probably because he didn’t know which one of us was walking in. Still, he met me in the doorway and gave me a one-armed hug. “How was your day?”

“Nice and quiet. Some of the others left early, so it was just me and Carlisle.”

I didn’t miss his wince. “That sounds nice…” I had to laugh at his response, he quickly changed the subject. “How’s the job hunting going?”

Panicking, I said “Kinda slow… I haven’t heard back from anywhere yet.” Hoping he would accept that and move on again.

It almost worked.

“Have you got in touch with the manager of the cafe? What was her name Dorris? Deana?”

“Debbie…”

“Debbie! Right- Have you called her?”

I winced. “Uhmm… not yet.”

“I can call her up, if you’d like.”

“Oh, no, It’s okay.” I felt my face heat up. The last thing I wanted was for my Dad to call and get my job back. Also, I didn’t even know if I wanted that job back in the first place. “I’m sure they’ve already replaced me anyway-”

“Sure, well… Just let me know-”

He was cut off by a firm knock on the door. While he turned to look, the sound made me jump. Goosebumps covered my body head to toe and I was completely frozen in my spot.

“Are you expecting someone?” I whispered like a child hoping that the person at the door would assume no one was home and just go away.

Dad made for the door, it took everything in me not to grab his arm. “I’m not, but maybe Bella locked herself out.” He didn’t know she was with Jacob. I wanted to beg him to not open the door, but I couldn’t find a reason why he shouldn’t.

I nodded slowly and let him go. “You’re probably right.” I sounded confident. I really had no clue what had me so freaked out. It wasn’t like he’d throw open the door and Victoria would just be standing there, yet my heart stayed in my throat.

Then he swung the door open and it was just Carlisle.

Despite how confused I was, it took everything in me not to run and throw my arms around his neck. Instead, I checked my watch. It had only been four hours since he’d left.

“Dr. Cullen, it’s good to see you.” He didn't sound completely sarcastic. He shifted to the right so I could get out a little more between them. “Is everything alright?”

“Good afternoon, Chief Swan. Everything…” His smile shifted just a bit but he still came off fairly calm. “Well, may I speak with Y/n privately for a moment?”

“Sure,” Dad turned to me and gave me a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders and stepped out onto the porch. “Just… let me know if you need anything.” He softly shut the door behind me.

Still a little surprised he was there, I started “What’s up?” like I didn’t already know.

“Where is your sister?” Yeah… there it was.

I didn’t want to lie but I felt the loyalty to not rat her out. I had to think on my feet. “She went to work.”

“But she left early… Where did she go?” I could tell he was growing impatient; Not with me necessarily, but with the situation. His eyes were darker than he normally let them get. They needed to hunt and my sister recklessly disregarded their feelings on the matter.

Of course, I wasn’t on their side about it. Bella had every right to see her friends. And their argument that she wasn’t “safe” there was incredibly hypocritical. I agreed that she was a danger magnet, but she was just as safe in a room full of werewolves as she was in a room full of vampires. There were members of both parties that were hardly in control of themselves and no one had hurt her this far.

I crossed my arms and attempted to not roll my eyes by staring directly at the ground. “Kinda feels like you already know where she is…”

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, “Y/n-”

“Don’t- Don’t start this again, please. You know I’m not going to stop her from seeing her friends. She has every right to do so.” His face softened. I could tell he wasn’t there to argue with me and if I had to guess, Edward sent him here anyway. I also softened a bit, “I hate that you guys came home because of this…”

“Edward is practically losing any sense he had left.” He wrapped his arms around me and whispered the next part, “He threatened to break the treaty-”

“He can’t!”

“He won’t.” He assured me. “I agree with you that he is being unreasonable about this. It would be easier if they came to some sort of compromise.”

“They won’t. She’s just going to keep doing this.”

“So is he, I’m afraid.”

When I sighed he softly kissed my forehead. I buried my face in his chest. It felt like I was back in his living room. I didn’t know how much time I had with him. I didn’t want to say goodbye again so soon. I was so thankful that Bella had at least bought us this time.

Like he was reading my mind, I felt him shift back to get a better look at me. I, in turn, looked up at him.

“I don’t want to say goodbye again.” I was so glad he was supporting my weight because his words melted me in his arms.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” He grinned and I leaned forward to kiss him. “But maybe Bella and Edward’s dramatics bought us a few more days.” I matched his grin.

“Hmm… you're probably right.”

He kissed me and this time it didn’t feel like another goodbye. It was slow and sweet and when he kissed me like that the whole world disappeared. I lost track of time. I could have stayed there forever, with one of his hands on my face while the other rested on the small of my back, kissing him like we could defy time itself.

But, like always, he pulled back and chuckled under his breath. I chased his lips with my own for one more short and sweet kiss.

“Your father has peeked out here three times.”

I playfully rolled my eyes, “Nosey old man… I told him I’d go job hunting today.”

“You still could.”

“I know. And I probably will. But after- since you’re home anyway- Could I come over?”

“Of course you can. I want you to,”

“Good!” I stood on the tips of my toe, even if it wasn’t entirely necessary and pressed another quick kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you later then?”

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Have a good evening, Cara. Good luck with the job hunt, not that you need it.” I wasn’t sure if he meant luck, or the job, but I felt more confident anyway.

We kissed one more time and I watched as he walked to his car. When he got in, he waited for me to go inside the house before pulling away.

His belief in me was just enough to give me confidence, and less than an hour later I was dressed nicely and out the door. Or it could have been the excitement to spend more time with him later.

Without a doubt, I was, for sure, getting a job. I didn’t have a single plan, but I was determined. I stopped at a few places and was met with the same “We’ll get back to you in a few days” that I’d been getting for months.

Part of me wished I had brought Carlisle with me- he was impossible to say no to- but I didn’t want a job just because he got it for me. It wasn’t that I was unhireable exactly, just that word travels fast and less then a year ago I just stopped showing up to my last job.

In a final attempt to come home with some good news, I parked my car in front of the cafe. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go in. It was unlikely that I would even be able to get my job back. I would have stayed in my car and gone home if I hadn’t promised Dad I would try every option.

Instead, I took a deep breath, tried to steady the shaking, and got out of my car.

Debbie was behind the counter. It really did feel like a weight lifted off my shoulders, even though she was the one who let me go in the first place. I felt like if I had any chance at all, she held it in her delicate hands.

I think she liked me. Once she saw me in the cafe she did light up a bit. She came right around the counter and hugged me.

“Y/n! Honey! It is so good to see you.” She had the only southern accent in Forks that could rival Jaspers. She was born and raised in a small town outside of Nashville, but moved to Forks with her wife Sylvia. They opened Spoons together and the rest is history. “How are you? How’s your Daddy?”

“We’re good. Not much going on really.” I laughed. I really did miss her.

“That’s good. Is there anything I can getcha?”

I took another deep breath and thought- I could do this, I had to do this… “Actually… I was wondering- And if not it’s completely okay, I’d totally understand. But I guess I was wondering if you would rehire me?”

“Oh… Well, Honey. Let’s sit and talk for a sec,” any hope I had vanished from my body. She walked me over to a table to let me down easily.

We both sat down and she smiled sympathetically at me. I tried to get ahead of it, “It’s really okay-”

“It’s just that, I want you to be in the best place mentally that you can be. And you were a great employee, but when he left-” My chest tightened, I tried not to let it show. “-you completely shut down. I want you to fully heal rather than pretend that nothing happened.”

I hit my head on the table. There it was again. The idea that Bella and I were ‘pretending like nothing happened’ circulated better than most of the air conditioners in this town. “I’m not…”

“You and your sister welcomed them back like it was nothin’, but we all saw how torn up y’all were. Now, I completely respect your decision, but I don’t think it’s right to go back to how your life was before. Maybe it would be best if you found something new. Maybe make time for your friends.”

She was trying to be delicate; trying to tell me no, without flat out saying no. I sighed and nodded, “Thank you for the advice…” Unsolicited or not. “I’ve applied to a few places in town.”

The seriousness melted from her features as she said “See? That is so good, Honey! I’ll put in a good word for ya for sure. Can I get you a coffee before you go?”

And just like that she was behind the counter again. I didn’t bother telling her that I hadn't mentioned where I’d applied. I didn’t get the chance to pass on the coffee before she was pouring it. She even threw in an extra one for Carlisle. I almost laughed. She didn’t know the whole story and she was just looking out for my best interest.

I took the coffees and waved as I left. I still thought so highly of her for that.

Carlisle met me at the door when I finally gave up. If no one called, at least Dad couldn’t say I didn’t try.

“How did it go, Love?”

I rolled my eyes and softly laughed, “I’m unemployable…”

He laughed with me. “I can not fathom that that is true. I see you went to the cafe.” He nodded towards the coffees in my hands.

“She tried to keep it delicate, but it’s a solid no.” I held his coffee out to him, “I hope you don’t mind that it’s gone a bit cold.” I joked.

He actually threw his head back laughing.

The guys stayed until Thursday, and then Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper and Edward went hunting in Northern California. The goodbye didn’t hurt as much the second time, though I still hated every second of it.

Alice and I picked up Bella from work in Edward’s Volvo after deciding it would be better to approach this as a united front. We were singing along to the song on the radio when Bella got out. Well- Alice was singing, I was mumbling some of the lyrics I knew.

“Hey, Alice , Y/n?” She had to shout over the music, even still I hardly heard her. “Where are the guys?” I knew she really just wanted to ask about Edward.

I watched as Alice ignored her. She almost looked annoyed, but she never stayed annoyed with Alice for long. She even made a point to cover her ears as she shut the door. I couldn’t help but laugh.

I reached over and turned the music down.

“What’s going on?” I could hear the anxiety in her voice. “Where’s Edward?”

Alice shrugged, “They left early.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed, I wondered what was going on inside her head.

“All of the guys left early so we could have a slumber party!” I added, trying to give her some context and quell some of her panic. She was not convinced.

“A slumber party?”

“Are you excited?” Alice crowed.

Her eyes shifted between our faces, clearly still skeptical, and possibly a bit angry.

“You’re kidnapping me, aren’t you?” shit …

Alice laughed and nodded. “Till Saturday.”

Bella’s mouth fell open and her eyes shot to me, hoping I could dig her out of this somehow. I grimaced, “I cleared it with Dad.”

“You’re staying with us two nights and I will drive you to and from school tomorrow.”

She turned her face to the window , her annoyance hadn’t budged at all.

“Sorry.” Alice said, although she didn’t sound even a little bit sorry. “He paid me off.”

“How?” She practically hissed.

Even I hadn’t heard that part, I turned quickly from Bella to Alice as she answered, “The Porsche. It’s exactly like the one I stole in Italy.” I winced at the nonchalance in her tone. She had stolen a car? Sometimes it was still hard to wrap my head around what happened in Italy. I typically tried to not think about it.

Alice continued, “I’m not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it would take to get from here to L.A.- I bet I could have you back by midnight.”

She took a deep breath. “I think I’ll pass.” She trembled a bit. I chuckled softly. I guessed that Bella’s adrenaline seeking did not extend to speed driving.

And in no time at all we were pulling into the Cullens garage. Between Emmett’s Jeep and Rosalie’s BMW sat a gorgeous yellow Porsche. I wanted to roll my eyes but thought better of it and looked around the room instead. When I saw the covered car farest from us, I knew immediately it was Alice’s Prius.

Alice hopped out and went to stoke her hand over the hood. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

“Pretty over-the-top,” Bella grumbled.

Curiosity got the best of me. “What are your plans with the Prius?”

“Oh, well you didn’t drive it while we were gone- or at all since we got back, so Carlisle wasn’t sure you still wanted it…” Her eyes didn’t leave her car so I looked wide-eyed at Bella, who was frozen.

“Alice?” Bella and I said in unison, but where my tone was questioning, hers sounded like a warning. I had no idea what secret I had just uncovered.

“Shoot…” Alice normally had a habit of saying more than she should.

“Why would I want your car, Alice?” I raised my eyebrows.

“It was never my car…” She winced and my mouth fell open. “The day your car died, Carlisle bought that one for you. But you can’t be mad at him and please don’t let him kill me for telling you.”

“I…I’m not mad. I might kill him though.” I still laughed softly. “He barely knew me then!” I really wasn’t mad, just very shocked.

“But it worked out, right? Because now you’re in love.” Bella added, trying to ease the tension.

I wasn’t even tense, but it was a bit fun playing it up. I jokingly glared at her. “How long have you known about this?”

“Since I’ve known they’re vampires, basically.” It was her turn to wince.

“Traitor!” I pointed at her, still laughing.

“Hypocrite.” She shot right back. I loved when she joked like this. It really helped me feel like things were nearly normal. “Clearly the Cullens just buy people cars to get what they want. He gave you that just for two days of holding me hostage?”

Alice made a face, which made me make a face.

Bella gasped. “It’s for every time he’s gone, isn’t it?”

Alice nodded and Bella slammed her door, stomping toward the house. Alice didn’t miss a beat; she just danced right alongside Bella, despite the dramatics. I stayed a healthy distance back.

“Y/n, don’t you think this is just a bit controlling?”

Her question was addressed to me but was obviously aimed at Alice. Probably with the hope that Edward was still close enough to overhear as well. He wasn’t. They’d left hours before.

“ A bit? Bella, you know I’m on your side about this-”

“Not really.” Alice answered as if I wasn’t. “Neither of you seem to grasp how dangerous a young werewolf can be. Especially when I can’t see them. Edward has no way to know if you’re safe. You shouldn’t be so reckless.”

Bella met my gaze with a glare that matched my dramatic eye roll; Only, Bella was brave enough to voice her thoughts.

Her voice was like acid. “Yes, because a vampire slumber party is the pinnacle of safety conscious behavior.”

I really laughed at that, but so did Alice. “I’ll give you a pedicure and everything.”

It really wasn’t as bad as Bella made it out to be. Alice painted her nails, I made junk food, and Alice put on a few of Bella’s favorite movies. Even Rosalie hung out in the main living space, just quietly and predominantly in the background.

“How late do you want to stay up?” Alice asked Bella as she finished her toenails.

“I don’t want to stay up. We have school in the morning.” Bella continued to be grumpy despite how cheery Alice was, though this did make her pout a little.

I laughed, “You could ditch. We could go shopping.”

“Being a little irresponsible is healthy.” Alice agreed.

Bella ignored us. “Where am I supposed to sleep, anyway? Can’t you just keep me under surveillance at my house?”

That would never work and she knew it.

“What kind of slumber party would that be?” Alice shook her head in exasperation. “You’re sleeping in Edward's room.”

She seemed content enough with that. I understood her hesitation. She didn’t know he bought her a bed for his room and the idea of sleeping in there without him probably felt very lonely.

But she pretended it was fine and switched topics.

“Can I go back to my place to get my things, at least?”

Her persistence was hilarious. I smiled at her, “You know we already took care of that.”

“Fine. Can I use either of your phones?” She looked between us and I moved to hand her mine but paused when I felt Alice’s icy hand holding me back.

“Charlie knows where you are.”

“I wasn’t going to call Charlie.” Bella wasn’t really glaring at her; she knew this wasn’t entirely her choice either. “Apparently I have some plans to cancel.”

“Oh.” I moved again to give Bella my phone as Alice weighed her options but she didn’t budge. “I’m not sure about that”

“Alice!” she whined loudly. “C’mon!”

“Okay, okay. But use mine!” She called as she floated out of the room. I had to roll my eyes, it made Bella laugh a bit. When she was back she held out her phone to Bella. “He didn’t specifically prohibit this…”

Bella stepped away and I tried not to listen too closely to her conversion with Jacob. It wasn’t my place to eavesdrop. I figured whatever he had to say would probably piss me off anyway. He wasn’t known for being reasonable. Hell none of them were. It was something I’d grown to accept.

Alice sat between Rosalie and I and placed her head on my shoulder. We fell into a comfortable silence. The only sounds came from Bella’s muffled phone call and the movie. Of course my mind kept drifting back to Carlisle. They wouldn’t be back until at least Saturday, and though I already missed him, I wondered if Bella would try to sneak out again.

I hoped she would as much as I hoped she wouldn’t. I also knew that if she tried I wouldn’t stop her.

Alice was gone and next to Bella again, but Bella was already dialing another number.

“I don’t think he’ll have his phone on him.” I assumed they were talking about Edward. Though I doubted he wouldn’t have his phone given Bella’s perpetual need to cause chaos for them.

“If he doesn’t I can try Carlisle…”

“It’s fine, I’m not trying to worry him too much. I’ll leave a message.” I nodded and giggled around my glass of wine. Alice glared at me.

“You are in trouble.” She was so angry. I really wished I could hear what she would say to him when he got back. Clearly still annoyed, she ended the call after a few more threats. She snapped the phone shut and gave it back to Alice. “I’m done.”

Alice grinned. “This hostage stuff is fun.”

“I’m going to sleep now,” she announced Alice followed behind her.

I laughed and shook my head before taking another sip of wine. Rosalie laughed too but hers was more sarcastic. “Must they do this the hard way?” She asked as she stood, her gaze followed Bella upstairs.

“They thrive on it.” I responded. I knew how she felt. I wished I could make it easier for her somehow.

“If Bella would just see the whole picture. If I could give her some perspective somehow…” Her voice trailed off, like she was distracted by coming up with a way to make Bella want to stay human.

“You should talk to her. I don’t think she knows your story. I think your opinion matters more to her than she lets on.” I set my hand on her arm and she met my gaze. “It matters to me too, Rose.”

Her face softened and she nodded. “Thank you, Y/n. You’re right.” She got up and started up the stairs but paused for a brief moment, “Sleep well… when you go.” then she was gone

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#twilight #carlisle cullen #twilight fanfiction #carlisle cullen x reader #im always in this twilight #twilight x reader #iaitt #this love came back to me #tlcbtm #reader insert

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