Carlisle POV
London, 1640s
I ran. What else could I do? It was chasing after me. As I ran, I thought about my family back home, waiting for me. My beautiful wife, Anita, and my young daughter, Bella. I remembered tucking her in bed, promising that I would be back home when she woke up. How bad I feel, having to break my little one's heart when she realizes that I'm not home and never being able to come back to see her or her mother again.
-Flashback-
"Daddy, do you really have to go hunting today?" my beautiful Bella looked at me with worried, teary eyes. She tightly clutched her teddy bear I gave her as a birthday present. A stray tear found its way down her face. I almost broke down in tears every time I saw her with that look.
I got down on my knees to look at her at the same level. I put my hand on her cheek and more tears poured from her eyes. I brushed her cheek with my thumb.
"I'm sorry darling, but I must attend to my duties as their leader. The people of this town cannot rest until those creatures are stopped." I said softly.
"Please don't go, daddy. Mommy and I want you here. Don't go to those scary monsters." Bella whispered.
"I have to, sweetheart. But what if I check your room for monsters and put you to bed? I promise I will be back in the morning before you wake up," I promised her. "I'll be right by your side the moment you wake up and open your eyes."
"Okay," she smiled. "Thank you, daddy. I love you."
"I love you too." I kissed her forehead and carried her to her room. I sat her down on her bed and made a funny deal of searching her room for monsters. She laughed at how I was acting. When I assured her that there were no monsters, she hugged me around my neck.
"I'll be back in the morning, Bella." I told her.
"Promise?" she asked.
"I promise you I'll be back in the morning, little one." I promised.
"Okay daddy. But what if you don't come back?" she asked sadly.
"Don't think about that, sweetie. Of course I'll come back." Fresh tears were flowing down her perfect face by now.
She sniffled. "But- but what if you don't?"
"If I don't, I'll find you, no matter what. Nothing in this world can keep me from coming back to you again."
"M'kay." she wiped her tears with her small fist.
"Can you just do one more thing for me?"
"Sure, daddy."
"Take care of this house and your mommy. And can you also give me the biggest smile and hug you can?"
"Okay, I'll take care of her," she promised. "And this house." She grinned wildly and flung her arms around my neck tightly. I hugged her back, not wanting to let go. A tear fell from my face, but I wiped it away quickly. I never wanted to leave my little girl.
Reluctantly, I let go. I tucked her in bed and read her a story to help her fall asleep. When I felt certain she was sleeping, I got up from the chair beside her bed. I brushed a strand of her wavy, chocolate brown hair from her face, and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. As I walked out her door, I glanced back at my sleeping daughter, smiling in her sleep.
My wife, Anita, who I loved with all my heart, was standing just outside. Her cheeks were stained with dry tears and her eyes still red. I took her face in my hands and kissed her.
"Take care of her," I hugged Anita close as I whispered in her ear. "I'll be back."
"Carlisle, just be safe. Please. For me, for Bella. She needs you to be here as she grows up." She cried.
"Of course, sweetheart. Of course I will. But I must go now. The others are waiting for my arrival." I kissed her one last time, grabbed my coat, and went out my door. Never did I realize that it would be the last time I saw them again.
-End Flashback-
I took a quick glance behind me and the vampire jumped from the shadows, scratching at my flesh, and biting. The burning fire began to rage throughout my body. The vampire had left me on the street for another person who was also on the hunt with me. I was left on the street bleeding to death.
Now what could I do? If my father found me like this, he would have my body burned since I was attacked by the creature. I crawled to a cellar not too far from where I was and I hid under rotting potatoes. Miraculously, I was able to stay quiet, though the burning fire never seemed to cease.
After about three or four days, I had opened my eyes to a new world. I was a lot stronger, and the burning within my body had finally stopped. I came out of the cellar, into the dim twilight. I immediately thought of Bella and Anita, worried why I wasn't home. I wanted to go to them, but I was now a monster that might hurt them. I did what any person would do. I left London and started a new life, with only the dull memories of my beautiful Anita and young Bella to keep me alive.
Present Day
I sighed and ran a hand through my blonde locks. Today was my "birthday", the day I became a vampire. It wasn't a happy day for me. No one understood that I kept a mask of happiness over my true feelings of sadness. Even Jasper. If only my beloved Anita and Bella were here with me. I had a sudden feeling of sadness as I got out of my study. The feeling I always had on this day. The day I knew I would never be able to see my family again. Though my human memories were dim, I still tried to remember them.
I remembered when Isabella was still a baby and Anita and I were playing with her, marveling how we could both create something so beautiful and lovely. I never told anyone about Bella or Anita, even my love, Esme. She knew something was wrong, but didn't bother to pry me about it, and that I loved about her.
I walked to the living room where I was greeted with six pairs of golden eyes. Esme came up to me and gave me a hug, which I gratefully returned while Alice took a picture. I smiled. It was wonderful spending time together as a family.
My kids gave me their presents and went back to what they were doing. I was happy that they knew I was happy, but on the inside, I wasn't. Another feeling of sadness and grief washed over me, and I knew it wasn't Jasper. Edward and Jasper both looked at me worriedly with concern and came up to me.
"Carlisle, what's wrong?" they asked me.
"Nothing," I said.
They looked at each other and then back to me. I guess they knew that I wasn't telling the truth. "It's not nothing, Carlisle. What's going on?"
"It's nothing, boys."
"Carlisle," Edward began. I looked up at him. "I know there's something going on with you. What's wrong? Does it have to do with those two people you keep thinking about?" I nodded. "So they're from your human life?" I sadly nodded again.
I felt like I was about to cry just being reminded of Bella and Anita, and knowing that I had to live with the pain of never being able to see their lovely faces again. Jasper cringed from the waves of sadness, but he let it slide. Jasper went back to sit next to Emmett and play a video game while Edward still stood across from me.
Before Edward left to sit with his siblings, he put a hand on my shoulder and said, "You can tell me or Esme anything, Dad. You can trust us with anything." Of course I could tell my first son and wife anything. Those two were the closest thing I had to having a normal family again.
I smiled at him and thought a thank you to him in which he nodded as if saying "you're welcome".
I went upstairs to mine and Esme's room and to our balcony overlooking the surrounding forest and sighed. I looked to the stars and remembered when I would tell Bella that when a person is gone from this world, they become one of the stars of the sky and watch over the people they love so their loved ones are never alone. They are always being watched over by people that love them dearly.
I sighed again and closed my eyes. I wished that I could know what happened to my Bella and Anita after I never came back home and broke all of the promises I made to them that unlucky night. I couldn't bear to think of my loved ones' faces when they found out I broke their promises to be with them. It broke my heart to think of how it was my fault that they had to suffer and I wasn't able to come back to comfort them.
Esme came up to join me on the balcony and rested her head on my shoulder while holding my hand. "Carlisle," she whispered to me.
"Yes my love?" I replied, not taking my eyes off of the evening sky.
"Edward told me what happened earlier, and I want you to know you can tell me anything."
I stroked circles on her hand with my thumb and smiled softly. "Thank you, darling. But I don't think I'm ready to tell anyone yet."
"It's okay, Carlisle. I understand how painful it must be to think about your human life."
"Thank you again, Esme."
"You're welcome, Carlisle."
Our sweet moment was ruined by one of the kids, most likely Emmett or Jasper, cursing the other loudly for winning and Alice yelling at them at how Esme would be if they started a fight over who won like last week.
Esme and I shook our heads in slight amusement but otherwise kept our eyes glued onto the beautiful starlit sky. I wondered to myself that if my sweet innocent Bella had become destined like me to become one of my kind, would she be looking at the same sky I am right now? I doubted it, but then again, destiny always has funny ways of messing with a person.