If there were such a thing as destiny, then I had surely wronged it somehow. All plans that I had for my life, had always gone awry. I had never felt that I was following the path I belonged on. Somewhere down the line I had rebelled against my own destiny and it had been out for revenge ever since. There was nothing I could do to appease it; nothing to make it any less angry that I wasn't the renowed surgeon my father wanted, or that I wasn't married and on my way to having four kids by the time I was thirty like my mother wanted. There was nothing I could do to make it right.

Surgery bored me. Of course surgeons saved lives, and made countless wonders happen. I applaud them, they do what most people cannot. Beyond that, though, I feel nothing for that field of medicine. They are cold and clinical. Will a person live if they put them on the operating table? Will they have a better quality of life after the surgery? Is the five hours in the OR worth it in the long run? There is a formula involved in the decision making process. And though others may feel comfortable looking someone in the eyes and telling them that their lives aren't worth the risk; I never have. Everyone out there means something to someone else. How can you be so cold and clinical about a humans life and still be able to sleep at night? The night that I told my father that I would not be following him into surgery I knew that I had altered whatever destiny had planned for me.

Women loved me, I knew that. But I felt lonely wherever I went. I had never found that person that could speak to my soul. And I know that doesn't sound like something that is even possible, but I know that it is. All I have to do is look at my parents and feel it deep down. Someone out there can get you, the very core of you. They can understand you without having to say a word,and they read everything that you're feeling right there in your eyes.

Each woman I dated, I prayed that she would be the one. I wanted to bring them home to my mother to say, "here mom, this is the one that will make our dreams come true." Yet each woman made me feel even more disappointed than the last. It would last longer than the previous relationship but inevitably it would end. They would feel that I was not present enough for them, or I would realize that when I looked at them I would never really see who they were. I had always looked at every woman with the potential that I would want her to be. And none had lived up to what I had imagined for them.

Destiny had been cruel to me. It had tricked me, and made me believe that I would be able to please everyone around me. The truth was that I would never be able to please anyone around me. There would always be something to criticize or complain about. And it would make sure that my life was never the same after it had allowed me to be introduced to Isabella Swan.

Throwing my glasses on my desk I questioned why I had ever chosen to teach and have a small private practice at the same time. When I had taken the teaching job it was in favor to a long time friend. Jasper, though several years older than me had always been someone that I had connected with. There was no one else in my life that could tell me everything like it was without offending me or making me angry. He had an uncanny ability to read my mood and talk to me accordingly. When he was in need of a new teacher on campus I did not hesitate to help him out. I never though that I would take it on full time as well as private patients. But staying busy was one way to keep the attention off of my failing private life.

I was a good enough psychiatrist and aware enough of my own denial to know that I was compensating for what was missing.

Pinching the bridge of my nose to release some of the tension that was building up inside of me I tried to calm myself down. At only two in the afternoon I had at least four more patients to see. Mainly depressed housewives and men going through a midlife crisis. All looking to me to fix whatever cracks had started to fall apart in their emotional dams.

It served almost no purpose to tell them that we all felt lonely, and lost at some point. That they would figure out a way to pull through it. The act of talking out their feelings was enough to put them back together. When you feel like your world is falling apart, you feel the need to have someone there to guide you back to safety. That's where I usually come in. Sometimes I have patients that I have had to talk down from suicide attempts; mainly though I am an anchor for people who are going through rough times.

"Lauren," I called out to my assisstant.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen. What do you need?" The smile plastered on her face, and the new orange hue that her skin now took on told me that she was once again in hunting mode. There was some poor man out there that was falling victim to her shrill voice and surgically enhanced body.

"Who is coming in next?" I did my best to avoid looking at her. Any small glimpse her way, or at the many low cut blouses that exposed half of her cleavage caused her to start giggling and asking me if I were ever going to be free for a lunch.

"Well- I uh got a call from Dr. Whitlock," she started nervously. Stuttering was never a good sign. I could feel my stress level start to rise again. "He wanted me to clear the rest of your afternoon. He is coming down in a little bit to have some sort of meeting with you."

"And why wasn't I informed of this early today?" I asked looking at my desk trying to keep my temper in check. It would do no good to chew her out, for the fifth time this week.

"You had back to back clients and then you ran off to your class before I could get your attention. You just walked back into your office now and I was going to tell you." She said so quickly that I knew she could sense my displeasure.

I let out a deep sigh and did my best to not glare at her when I raised my eyes to look at her. There were plenty of times when she let her daydreaming get in the way of her job, but today she was right. I had been so busy today that I hadn't stopped for a minute to even look her way.

"You are right, I have been very busy. In the future please let me know somehow though. It is imperitive that I know of any meetings that come about." I saw her nod her head and drop her eyes. "Have my patients been notified that I have to reschedule?"

"Oh of course," she said snapping her eyes back up to me. "I did that straight away. The ones that I couldn't get a hold of I left voicemails for. They will be expecting me to call them with a new meeting time some time tomorrow morning."

"Good, just remember, the ones with the largest problems comes first—"

"And schedule a bit of empty space in between sessions just in case the sessions run over their allotted time. After two years of working for you I know how you like your schedule made Dr. Cullen," she said giggling once more.

Apparently even after two years she had never caught on to the idea that vapid bimbos just aren't my style and I would never be willing or want to have a date with her. I could barely stomach her as my assisstant. Though she did know how to schedule my patients.

A knock on my office door caused us both to turn our attention to Jasper, who was know standing in the doorway. "Are you busy with something? I can wait a few minutes."

"No," I smiled motioning him inside my office. " I was just being informed that you wanted to meet with me. Thank you Lauren, I will call you if I need anything else," my smile still on my face I nod my head to let her know she is dismissed.

She stared at me dazed for a moment before nodding her head herself and making her way out the door.

"She still has a thing for you huh Edward?" Jasper asked chuckling.

"Please, do not remind me. No matter how many times I turn her down, she always comes back to me after she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend."

Still laughing Jasper folded himself into the chair across from my desk.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Right down to business as usual. First, Alice wants me to ask you over for dinner. She says it has been far too long since you have visited with her."

I laughed and shook my head. "My dearest cousin never thinks I visit her enough. I will abide by any time that she wants to set up. We all know that I have no real option to say no."

"Smart man Edward. And next is the thing that I am going to have use all my powers of persuasion toconvince you to go along with."

"Anything that requires that is a very large favor to ask of me," I said seriously looking at Jasper.

"I am afraid that it is. I need you to take on a patient."

"Jas I am already booked up. I'm holding sessions until eight at night, and then spend most of my night making lesson plans."

"I know that you are swamped. I am too. I would do this one myself but Alice will kill me if I spend any more time away from home. I am running this department, and I still have my practice on the side. Please just listen to why I need you to do this before you say no."

I sighed and shook my head. I would never be able to say no to this gentle man who had been nothing but amazing to me and Alice who had grown up with me like a sister.

"Alright, what's this all about?"

"She's a referral from one of the teachers here. She's been experiencing black outs and exhibiting strange behavior in and out of classes. This teacher has known her for years and has never seen the girl act like this before."

"Are we talking like a schizophrenic break, or dissociative episodes?"

"That's where you would come in my friend."

"Jasper,I don't handle things like that. Emmet is the departments expert in that area."

"And I would send her over to him if he weren't knee deep in the new research study that was just commisioned. He isn't taking patients until its over. That won't be for another six months. Whatever this girl is experiencing, she needs help now."

"I haven't taken on cases like this in years. The amount of research I would have to do to fully treat her is—"

"I can give you an intern that will do all of your research for you. And I can take a few of your patients and give them to Rose."

"Ugh, not Rose. Why can't she just take on the new girl?"

"You know how Rose is. She can be a bit—intimidating."

"That's putting it mildly," I muttered while laughing.

"Edward, there is no one else to do this. You know how to handle people. You understand their minds better than anyone else in this department. I want you to take her because I think she will have her best shot at recovering if she is treated by you. You know how to be gentle with cases like this. Any other problems that you have I can take care of. But I need you to take on this case."

"And you don't want to just order me to do it?"

"I would prefer not to. I know that you are busy, it is unfair to make you take on such a large task without you agreeing to it."

"When do I start seeing her?" I asked knowing that if the girl really needed help I had to do my part to help her.

"She is coming in for a quick consult at three. If you really think that she is too much for you to handle after you talk to her then I will find somewhere else for her to be treated."

"Are you hoping for research papers to come out of this case?"

"You know me Edward, the patient always comes first but—"

"But if I can get a paper published out of it all the better."

"All the better," Jaser said unleashing his full smile on me.

"Ok, what's her name?"

"Isabella Swan."

"You know that this was supposed to end up in Emmet's lap"

"I talked to him already, and he can't take it on. But he is mighty jealous," he answered me with a laugh letting his light southern accent to come through.

"I'm still unsure about it. I don't want to do the wrong thing with her. I'm not meant to treat her."

"You were the one that always said you were being screwed over by fate. Maybe it's just screwing with you again."

I nod my head and chuckle."I wouldn't be surprised. Call me with the details for dinner?"

"I'm sure that Alice will do that for me. Emmet and Rose will be there."

"She still won't give up on trying to get those two together?"

"She truly believes that they are meant to be. Its that whole Paula Abdul thing about the 'opposites attract'. Alice when on a whole rant about it the other day."

I threw back my head and laughed. Alice was really a one of a kind person. She always had her own ideas and theories on how everyone could be happier in life.

"Don't forget, three o'clock. Isabella Swan."

"Send Lauren in as you go out please, I need her to clear up my schedule."

I spent the next half hour waiting for the new patient and figuring out which patients would be referred over to Rosalie Hale. She was hard and domineering; but she had to be in a medical field that took her gorgeous looks as a sign that she was beneath them. In truth she was one of the best psychiatrists that Seattle had to offer. She had many papers published on obsessive compulsive disorder and how to treat it. Any person looking for therapy would be lucky to be seen by her.

I did understand why Jasper did not want the new patient to be seen by Rose though. She looked at every patient as an opportunity to get published. And while some patients did not mind, more of them wanted to feel like they were something other than a medical paper in waiting. And whenever they confronted by Rose about it, it was going to turn into a nasty fight.

There had been quite a few people that had stormed out of her office believing that she did not care about them as people. Those were the ones that couldn't see past her ambition and professionalism. She was distant and nearly cruel not because she wanted to, but because she had to. She felt every persons pain almost as if it were her own. She had a large heart that she did not want anyone to know about. She cared for every patient that walked into her office as if they were family to her. When I had figured out how she operated, she threatened to castrate me. It was true Rosalie fashion.

"Dr. Cullen, your new patient is here," Lauren said sticking her head in to peek at me.

"Thank you Lauren. Have you gotten all her insurance information?" When she nodded her head I grabbed my pen and pad and nodded back at her. "Alright then send her in. You can go home early today, Isabella is the last patient that I will be seeing today."

"Thank you so much, I just met a new guy named Tyler, and I'm supposed to meet him for dinner—"

"The patient Lauren."

"Of course. Come on in," she said curtly before closing the door on her way out.

I stood back, stunned by the woman that was standing in my doorway. She was no more than twenty five with brown eyes that were so large they seemed to swallow me whole when I was looking into them. Her body was long and lithe and she was at least half a foot smaller than me.

"Isabella, please make yourself comfortable. You can sit in a chair here or lay on the couch if you would like."

"I think I'll sit," she said timidly shuffling towards the chair as if she was unsure of every step she took.

"Ok Isabella, why don't you tell me why you're here."

"Bella."

"Sorry?"

"Just Bella. I don't like to be called Isabella. Everyone usually sticks to just calling me Bella."

I could do nothing but stare as her alabaster skin flushed with a rosy pink and turned her high cheekbones a delicious shade of pink. I knew what she was in my office for, but I was a man. And it would never matter to any man where they met a woman, or how. They would always appreciate the beauty that was in front of them.

"Alright then, Bella, why don't you tell me why you're here today."

"I thought they told you why."

"They did, but I want to know what you think. I know what they think, now it's your turn."

I waited a few minutes as she stared at her hands and fiddled with her fingers. "Is something wrong Bella?"

"I don't know. I guess not. I just didn't expect it to be like—well like this."

"What would that be exactly? Did you expect a larger office?"

"No, I just thought that you would be older. I mean I've heard of you, girls talk about you all the time. How hot you are and everything. I just thought that they meant in that older man, Robert Redford type of way. Like a sexy grandfather."

I laughed and stared at her as she tried to control her blushing. "Do you see me as a sexy grandfather type?"

"Definitely not as a grandfather. At least my grandfather never looked like that when I was growing up."

"What was he like?"

"He was—old I guess. I didn't really see him very much. He lived up here in Forks while my mom raised me in Phoenix. We would visit a few times a year. He was always old to me. And I don't think I ever heard of anyone say that he was a sexy grandfather. I don't know. He was always just Grandpa to me."

"What about your father? Was he there in Phoenix?"

"No, he stayed behind in Forks. My mom walked out on him when I was still a little baby. She wanted some big type of adventure."

"Did she get it?"

"It depends on how you define adventure. She dated a lot. Maybe to her that was an adventure. But she never really did anything else besides teach grade school. She bought a small house for us, and that was about it. We never really went on vacations or anything. She just had the boyfriends."

"And did you like them? Were the boyfriends nice to you?" I asked looking at her becoming increasingly stressed.

"Boys are never nice. They are mean and tell you things that aren't true."

I sat back and looked at her demeanor. Where she was sitting up looking around the room nervously before, she was now slumped with her brow pinched together. There was something that was happening inside of her head at the moment.

"What kind of things do boys tell you?" I asked gently watching her reaction to my question.

"Just stuff." She shrugged and began chewing on her had somehow become smaller in the chair. She sat as if she were a young child about to be scolded. Though she was unsure when she first walked in, this was a far cry from what she was exhibiting before.

"Nothing specific?"

"They used to tell me I was ugly all the time. Without a lot of money I couldn't get the things that other girls had. But they didn't have to tell me that I was ugly. I didn't want to be ugly."

"Well I'm sure that they would think you are very beautiful now."

"Don't lie to me!" she screamed out in a piercing tone. With her hands over her ears she shook her head back and forth almost desperate to not hear anything else I had to say.

I sat back in the chair stunned at her outburst. I had patients that had gone from crying to throwing things across the room, but they had escalated to that point. Whether it had happened in five minutes or thirty seconds, there was a progression in emotion. All I saw with Bella was a shear outburst of anger.

"Bella, Bella look at me. Bella I'm talking to you," I called her name several times before she responded to me. "Bella, can you tell me what just happened?"

"What just happened?" her voice was confused and a bit apprehensive. Whatever was happening with her, she had had these types of epsiodes before.

"Yes Bella, tell me what happened just then. Why did you get angry?"

"I didn't get angry, I was just talking to you about my mother and being in Phoenix with her."

"Yes we were talking about that. And then you got very angry. Do you remember?" I asked her studying her face, trying to note the differences that were there.

Her muscles were now more relaxed. There was no more crease between her eyebrows, and her mouth had relaxed showing off her wonderfully full lips once more. And somehow her voice seemed slightly different. She sounded a bit more mature now then she did right before her angry outburst.

"No, I don't remember that. I just remember talking to you about my mother. I know you asked me about her boyfriends, but I didn't answer you. I didn't want to answer you. I didn't want to think about it."

"Is it a hard subject to talk about?"

"It just makes me uncomfortable." But her body language said far more than her few words. With her feet tucked under her, she looked as if she wanted to disappear into herself.

I nodded my head as I started writing notes down on my pad. "Then we won't talk about that right now. This is just a get to know you session. So tell me, what are you studying right now?"

"I am currently working on my masters in literature with a minor in creative writing."

"Sounds wonderful. How old are you?"

"Twenty five. I had to take a year off of school to save up for grad school. And when I had enough money I decided to come back here and finish off my education here. It's not too far away from my father. He got sick not too long ago and I like to be close enough to take care of him."

"Has that been hard on you? Taking care of a parent while trying to finish school can be very challenging."

She shrugged and looked back down at her hands. "I guess, but who else is going to do it. He's my dad, I have to help him."

"Why did you choose literature as your major?"

She looked at me a bit surprised by my question. I know that everyone expects that you walk into a therapists office and have all these deep, theological questions thrown at you. They all want to have some earth shattering epiphany that first day. The truth is, every patient is different. So to know what would work best for them, I get accquainted with them. I let them share bits of personal information that can be more telling than they realize. Any epiphanys that they have need to come on their own time from their own hearts and minds.

"I told you, it's just a get to know you session. I am not here to try and pry into the deepest, darkest parts of your life."

"But you're a shrink, that's what you're supposed to do. Isn't it?"

I threw my head back and roared in laughter. The way that she had said her statement with such determination. Only to end it with such uncertainty was adorable to me. She sat with wide questioning eyes wondering what she was doing in my office if I was not going to force all of secrets out of her.

I felt my breathe leave me in a rush as she let a wide smile cross her face. It seemed to light her up from the inside out, and I was beyond speechless watching it happen.

"I'm so sorry, that must have seemed like such a stupid thing to say. I let my mouth run away with me."

"It is perfectly fine. If you can't let that happen here then when can you let it happen?"

As we sat and stared at eachother from across my desk I knew then that I should have given her over to another psychiatrist in the department. Isabella Swan was going to spell major trouble for me. But everything inside of me said that I simply did not care.