Author's Note:
Thank you for reading this story, I really have enjoyed writing it. I've finally decided to edit the whole story, and I apologize for not doing so sooner. The whole story can be read, even while it's being edited. I hope you enjoy the story if you haven't read it yet, and if you've read it before I hope you enjoy the little extra details. Thank you so much again to everyone who has given such positive comments on the story! =)
Sarah heard her mother call her from downstairs, she wanted to ignore her but couldn't. She had a visitor waiting which caused her to drop everything she was doing. Her tear soaked face was quickly wiped clean; she never liked to cry in front of people. Slowly making her way down the stairs, she saw a man eyeing her. Sarah was a little uncomfortable, and she tried to avoid his warm golden eyes. She couldn't help but blush slightly while looking at her mother who was introducing her to him. There was an odd thing about the man that made her like him instantly, and yet she was generally a shy person. Her mother started to introduce both herself and Sarah, which was an odd thing for Sarah. Most people knew who they were, which meant this was a total stranger to them both.
"Carlisle this is my daughter, Sarah. Sarah this is Carlisle, he was a very good friend of your father's." Sarah went to shake his hand smiling slightly. His hand felt colder than her skin, and she tried not to shiver from it. She smiled slightly before she remembered to be polite; her father had always insisted she be polite. "Nice to meet you Carlisle." Sarah found herself staring into his eyes, as if she was drawn to them. A small butterfly flew around in her stomach, making her wonder what caused it to take off in the first place. She saw her mother smile at her, before going off to work for the day. She was left alone with a perfect stranger, and she tried to act polite. It was hard for her to remember everything her mother had taught her.
Sarah decided to try and start with the basics of what she knew, and simply just went with it from there. "Please have a seat. Would you like anything?" Carlisle sat down in the chair smiling from feeling so welcome. His voice was soft, yet Sarah heard it very clearly. "No, thank you." Sarah sat down across from him trying to break the silence. She to at least try to have a good conversation, which when she was shy was a hard enough task. "May I ask what you do for a living." Carlisle laughed ,smiling slightly trying to hide his amusement from her question. Everyone always seemed to judge people by what they did for a living, and yet Sarah must have asked the question from routine. She didn't strike him as the type of person to be judgmental.
Carlisle looked at Sarah when he spoke; it allowed him to notice details that would tell him more about her. "I'm a doctor at the local hospital and yourself?" Sarah blushed slightly looking down a little embarrassed by the question. "I'm a student at the university here in town. My father wanted me to go there, and I felt obligated to go after what happened." Carlisle looked at her seeing the family resemblance so vividly. It almost pained him to see the resemblance; her father had been a close friend to him through all those times. He felt that Sarah deserved a little comfort in the fact that her father was indeed a good person. "Your father was a very good man. I feel so honored to have known him." Sarah smiled trying to fight back more tears slightly; the memory of her father was still so painful.
Sarah's sadness showed through her voice a little as she spoke. It didn't bother her anymore that Carlisle would see how sad she was. There was an odd level of trust, and she simply wanted to know what was going on her. Ever since he arrived, her mother had acted oddly and now she was meeting with him. Her voice still sounded a little bit sadder than she intended it to sound, but she couldn't help it. He had given her father a compliment that she needed to hear. "Wh-What brings you here?" Carlisle crossed his legs and looked up shifting slightly in his seat. He often forgot the simple things during a conversation, but with Sarah he seemed to be forgetting them more and more. He enjoyed an intelligent conversation, and he could see that Sarah was a bright person.
Still he knew that she might not like what he had to tell her, and that would be a difficult moment. They were still practically strangers, and yet they were in ways a family. "Well once your mother told me about your father, I came to see you. I made a promise to your father to take care of you a long time ago." Sarah stood up going to the fireplace unable to fully take in what he had told her. "Why, why would my father want a stranger to take care of me?" Carlisle stood up standing behind her; he simply studied her father's picture on the mantle above the fireplace. He chose his words very carefully; there was still a need for secrets between them. "Because your father knew I'd be here for you. That's the simple reason he chose me to take care of you."
Sarah pushed him roughly, her anger building when it seemed not to affect him. "You've never once shown your face here! Why should I care about a formality? A simple promise you made?" Carlisle picked up her father's picture handing it to her gently. He knew that her anger was grief, and that it wasn't directed at him. She was truly frustrated at what fate had done for her. His voice was still soft, and it showed no anger when Sarah heard it. "It's what your father wanted Sarah, please believe me when I say that. He wanted you to grow up learning so much more than anyone else can teach you." Sarah looked at him taking her father's picture from him, starting to cry softly again. Her tears ran down her face, and yet she didn't care that he saw her cry.
Her voice was hard to understand, because she was still crying. "I keep expecting him to come back. Just walk through that door any second and give me a hug. So many things here remind me of him. I can't sleep, I can't eat, and I see what it does to my mother. Can you fix all this? Is that what my father wanted you to teach me?" Carlisle pulled her into his tight embrace, slowly running his hand through her hair. He knew how to calm her, how to comfort her, and he was surprised she clung to him as he held her. "Princess, I can't teach you that but I can help you fulfill what your father saw for you. I promise to keep only his interest in mind, as well as your own. Everything is going to be okay, it will just be hard for awhile." He hoped that his words would calm her, and he could feel her stop crying against him.
Sarah looked up into his eyes, her own were filled with the remains of a few unshed tears. Her voice spoke softly, as if echoing his comforting voice. "What did you call me?" Carlisle smiled slightly looking back at her; she was a very observant person. "I called you princess. Your name means princess; it's why your father named you what he did. You were his princess, and he told me that once. I thought that might be of some comfort to hear again. I know it doesn't bring him back, but at least you can hear it again. I will never try to take your father's place within your heart, but I promise to at least raise you how he wanted." Sarah simply looked at him for awhile, trying to process all the information at once. Carlisle's promise wasn't an easy one to accept, or simply reject either.
Carlisle hugged her tight feeling her bury her head against him. It was an odd moment for him, never having any human ever be so close to him. He could hear her steady heartbeat so strong against his chest, as if it was fighting to overcome her sadness and grief alone. Carlisle gently ran his fingers through her hair again a he spoke. "Come with me to my house, you can live there. I'll teach you so many things and you'll meet my family. Get a break from all the memories around this place, until you're ready to face them again." Sarah nodded slightly; she knew her father wanted this for her. "I'll have to ask my mom, but yes I'd like to very much if you'll have me." Carlisle smiled taking a good look at her before smiling.
He knew that Sarah thought everything through, and she seemed to think of every detail. Carlisle had met Sarah's mother a long time ago, and recently discussed the whole thing. That was why Sarah had been left alone with him; her mother knew this would be easier on her without her there. Everything was done with Sarah's best interest in mind. Carlisle knew that Sarah needed to know that, otherwise it might be harder on her than it had to be. "She told me it was okay. We discussed it well before I ever came back here. That's why she left you alone, it wasn't to abandon you. She knew it's what I came for, and thought it might be easier this way. Pack your things and get ready, I'll wait down here." Sarah rushed to pack a few things into her bag leaving most of it behind, trying to forget and move on.