Alrighty! I have basically disappeared from this site for ages and I'm back once again. I'm still working on the next chapter of "Hot Water" so wish me luck!

This is a Bella/Carlisle fanfic, just a little something I thought up, but it is not lemony. In this one, Esme loves Carlisle (shocker!) and Bella and Carlisle have a father and daughter relationship, so bear with me for this one.

And another note, I'm not entirely sure how accurate the French in this fanfic is because I used Google translate. So, if you speak French, or at least know enough of it to prove that I am totally wrong in this one, let me know. If it's wrong, everybody blame Google.

And for all my lovely readers that see this, know that I appreciate every review, favorite and author alert from each and every one of you. You guys are the best! Virtual hugs for you all! *heart*

Songs: "Airplanes" by B.o.B. / "Scorned" by Hypnogaja

Enjoy!

The cool air felt so good to Bella. The sight heat of the earlier day had died down and she was quite happy with the breeze that just began to surface for the first time in two days. For the spring in Forks, although it was normally rainy as usual, it was unusually muggy and much warmer.

In only a tank top and short pants, Bella was reveling in the chemical mix that is air that blew in gently from the open window. It was only seven 'o clock, she confirmed as she looked at the bedside clock; it was way too early to sleep...especially on a Saturday night.

The others had gone hunting, and she was the only one left in this mansion with Esme and Carlisle. For all Bella knew at the moment, Carlisle was probably doing paperwork as usual and Esme was cleaning or decorating another part of the house for the nth time. So was their routine.

In fact, even staying here alone with the two of them was Edward's idea.

"Spend some time with them while you wait for my return. I'm sure they'd appreciate it." he had said only a few hours ago.

That was easier said than done with Bella. She was much more relaxed around Carlisle and Esme than she was with her own parents, but still...

Wouldn't it be awkward? What was she supposed to do anyway?

Pssht. Carlisle probably has more work to do than I do in a single school day. And Esme, I wouldn't dream of bothering her, Bella thought to herself.

Edward's room was dull and dreary, she always thought.

As she looked around, the television was not enticing in the least, and his stereo seemed pointless and like a waste of time. She didn't feel like doing anything, really.

Silently slipping off the bed, Bella made her way out of the room. The air in the hallway was a little less still than in the room and the circulation as she opened the door made her hair ruffle for a second.

The cool carpet of the hallway felt good against her feet as she walked across it.

She reached Carlisle's study and knocked ever so slightly on the door, knowing that he would hear it anyway, without a doubt, whether she knocked harder or not.

"Come in, Isabella," Carlisle's musical voice called from the other side.

Another small gust of wind hit her petite body as she stepped inside the office. Behind the desk that Carlisle was seated at were long drapes that blew with the wind from the huge glass windows.

The windows along the north wall reached from the floor, almost to the ceiling in an intricate design of window panes. The burgundy drapes flowed freely with the air flow, making shallow noises as they occasionally whipped against the side walls. The large mahogany desk that faced the door was typical of something from an older time. It was definitely antique, with a beautiful carving design across the small yet sturdy legs that it stood on. The two chairs that faced said desk were embroidered with a lavish cloth of burgundy and gold hugging the similar mahogany frame. They looked more comfortable than any couch Bella had ever seen, in her opinion.

The floor was a dark wood, shiny and gleaming, polished to perfection...by Esme, no doubt. On the east side of the room was a three-seater brown couch with two burgundy and gold pillows resting on it, one in each corner. The northwest corner of the room held a large bookcase that you would find in a library. It wrapped around the corner from the edge of one window the half of the west wall. Each shelf was filled to the brim with keepsakes and books that probably have been around for centuries, all belonging to Carlisle, reflecting his amazing knowledge. The other half of the west wall held a small metal cabinet that probably held his medical supplies.

Around the entire room, where ever there was wall space not occupied with a large bookshelf or huge windows, there were paintings. Paintings that belonged to Carlisle, some of them that even included him within, hung throughout the office.

All of this was definitely nothing new to Bella; she had been in this very office many times before, with both Carlisle and Edward, and even once with Esme. But, the thing that was always new to her when she walked in was the amount of time it took to take it all in. The office was beautifully designed with an air of nostalgia from a past time. The sheer size of the room and how well it was organized made Bella feel pusillanimous. It was like a new experience for her each and every time she walked inside of it.

She didn't close the door behind her as she walked over to the desk. Feeling like the nervous patient in a doctor's office, Bella took a seat in one of the chairs that faced the desk. By the time she looked up at him, Carlisle already had his folder closed and pen back in the holder, silently waiting her her attention. She blinked in surprise.

"Good evening, Bella," Carlisle smiled brightly, welcoming her into his abode.

She blushed at the formality. "Hi," she said weakly.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did you need something?," Carlisle asked as he folded his hands on the desk.

Bella looked over at the bookshelf and Carlisle looked with her for a split second.

"Did you want a book?," Carlisle asked.

"Yeah. I was kind of bored, to tell the truth," she blushed again. "I was just looking for something to do. And I figured reading is a great hobby."

Carlisle chuckled.

"That it is," he nodded. "But I'm sorry to say that Esme and I are not very entertaining hosts, are we?"

Bella instantly regretted what she said.

"Oh no! Not at all! I didn't mean-," Bella began.

"I know what you meant, Bella," Carlisle smiled. "I understand. It's just a bit quieter without the others here. Believe me, I miss them sometimes as well. They seem to take the life of this house with them when they leave...no pun intended."

Carlisle smiled slyly and Bella giggled at his words.

"Yeah, it is kinda quiet around here," Bella said. "Especially without Emmett laughing 24/7."

The happy air of the conversation filled the room and lifted the boredom from Bella almost immediately.

"Well, if you did want a book, have your pick. Though I must warn you, some of them are far too ancient for your likes," Carlisle chuckled. "That is, unless you appreciate Christopher Marlowe, who wrote even before my time, or you really adore the works of Rousseau and the poems of William Blake."

Bella was mesmerized at the way the names rolled off his tongue, like he had mentioned them for ages. Which he most likely did...he probably even met them personally, she thought.

"William Blake," she said. "Like The Tyger and The Lamb?"

"Correct," Carlisle seemed impressed. "Those do seem to be the most popular."

"Well, other than those poems, which we studied in school, I have no clue about other writers or works of the time," Bella laughed.

Carlisle joined in the light laughter.

"I did not think so," he admitted. "In any case, you can go have a look. Let me know if you find anything of particular interest."

"Okay," Bella said and rose from her chair abruptly.

She felt as if it was almost a sacrilege to touch the ancient texts. She personally didn't think that Carlisle should trust her so much with such priceless items.

The bookshelf towered above her, touching the ceiling. She didn't know where to start, so she just looked at the nearest shelf that was eye-level with her. Gently touching the spine of each book as she read the title, Bella began to look for something interesting to her. She could feel Carlisle's stare against her back as he watched her search.

"Did you find anything?," he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Silently and gracefully, he flitted over to where she was standing.

"Not yet, really," she said.

Bella blinked and did a double-take as she passed over a handful of books in a specific area.

"These are in French," she said, both a question and statement at the same time.

Carlisle watched her face carefully, reading her emotions. Many years in the field of medicine sharpens your skills at reading and interpreting human emotions significantly. This ability of this skill is multiplied ten-fold for Carlisle, especially after working as a physician for more years than any other man. Enhancing this talent is his compassion, that allowed him to connect on a more emotional level with any other being.

At this moment, it was easy to tell that Bella was surprised and excited. The look on her face alone gave it away.

Carlisle gently touched a finger to the spine of one book that had a French title.

"In England, Bella, you know that people speak English," Carlisle began. "Not just English is spoken...it is proper English, different from what you would learn here in America. The spellings are not significantly different, but they are not the same as here. The British dictionary has many different phrases and meanings and even some completely foreign words that you may have never heard of."

He paused, looking at Bella for conformation that she was indeed on track, following his train of thought. She nodded in return and he continued.

"Well, have you heard of the Anglo-Saxons? And the French relation with England?," Carlisle asked.

Bella nodded positively.

"Along with the times before them, William the Conqueror, Thomas Becket and various others, paved the way, so to speak, for the future of English history. As in the history of any other country, in any place in the entire world, the history and culture determines the corresponding language of a region. For example, what languages would you learn in an American school at this moment?," Carlisle said.

Bella bit her lip as she thought for a second.

"Many of them. A lot of schools teach Spanish, French, Italian, Latin and some I think even Japanese, Chinese and maybe even German. Why?," Bella said.

"Why? You tell me why you believe that schools in America teach so many diverse languages," Carlisle said in response.

Bella looked at the floor, thinking about what she could answer with.

"Well...," she said. "Because...because there are a lot of different cultures in America. There are people of every different religion and race here in the United States."

"Exactly!," Carlisle smiled. "That is exactly it. Way back when, Britain's relation with France was much more prevalent than its relation with Spain or Germany, or any other European country for that matter. Bella, you could legitimately see France on a nice day from the southeast coast of England. And even today, if you look into it, you would be able to spot in a second that our cultures are so similar. That is how communication works."

Carlisle seemed like he was in his own world of reminiscence at this point, entranced in his own history.

Bella nodded. "So...why French?"

Carlisle smiled gently.

"In Britain, French would be a second language for more than three-quarters of the population. Because of this, by default, going to school meant that you would learn your second language to be French. When you start in elementary school in the US, do you not start, by default, learning Spanish?"

Bella nodded again. She could distinctly remember the days when she had to learn as well- those horrible times when she could never pronounce anything correctly because she could simple not roll her tongue. But it was true, she knew, that many schools would automatically enroll students in Spanish as a second language and then give the option to switch languages later in life.

"That is because it is the most popular language in most of the US," Carlisle said. "I learned French as a child in England. Even though I cannot remember the times so clearly before my changing, I still remember being able to speak French. Still today, it is to me like English is to you. I know it well. Imports from France were rampant throughout Britain...and they still are, even to this day. That is how I have all these books in French, for the lack of a more concise explanation."

"So you can read every single one of these books...perfectly?," Bella asked.

"Yes," Carlisle answered simply.

Bella's face lit up immediately. The excitement had grown in her through his tale of English culture. It seemed like a fairytale to Bella. She was simply mesmerized and Carlisle could tell.

"Teach me something!," Bella smiled. "Teach me how to say something in French, please!"

Carlisle laughed at her sudden eagerness and how excited she really was for such a small ability of his.

"What would you like to learn?," Carlisle asked.

"Um...how about...'My name is Bella' in French?," Bella smiled.

"Alright. Je m'appelle Belle," Carlisle pronounced beautifully.

Bella looked so amazed by this and her mouth dropped open at the beautiful and flawless sound and accent of his French.

Carlisle chuckled again.

"Je m'appelle Belle...wow. That sounds so pretty!," Bella smiled, trying to pronounce the foreign words.

Just then, Esme appeared in the doorway, opening the door a bit and entering the room.

She smiled slyly and looked at her husband.

"Pourquoi êtes-vous lui enseignait le français?," she said.

"Comme elle était curieuse, mon amour," Carlisle spoke back.

Both of their accents were flawless and Bella was just taken aback by this new discovery of hers.

"Oh, no fair! English is nice too, you know," Bella giggled.

Esme and Carlisle laughed lightly and Bella fake-pouted. Esme walked over to where Carlisle and Bella were standing.

"I was wondering what you two were doing talking for so long," Esme turned to Bella. "No wonder you got occupied- his history is brilliant, isn't it?"

She curled into Carlisle's arms, smiling at Bella.

"It is. I wish I knew more French so I could attempt to talk with you," Bella said. "But, I just can't speak anything else besides English...and even that in and of itself is a challenge sometimes."

More laughter filled the room as all three of them were as content as ever.

"So, Bella, did you have supper yet? I can fix something for you if you'd like, since you're spending the night in any case," Esme asked.

"Um, I actually didn't," Bella said. "I'll make something myself, don't worry. I don't want to be a bother."

"When are you ever a bother?," Carlisle asked as he put a hand on Bella's shoulder.

"When I-"

"The correct answer is 'never,'" Esme smiled. "How does macaroni and cheese sound? Or something else you might like..."

"That's fine!," Bella smiled. "Macaroni and cheese sounds really good to me. Thanks, Esme."

"It's no problem, dear. When you two are finished, you can come join me downstairs and then we can all watch a movie together," Esme said.

Without another word and with a truly loving smile on her heart-shaped face, Esme flitted out of the room and back into another part of the house.

"So, how was that for your first ever French lesson?," Carlisle smiled and put his hands in his pockets.

"It went well, I guess, for the first time," she replied. "I just wish I had your beautiful accent."

"With practice, you can," Carlisle assured her. She smiled as he put his left arm around her shoulders and gave her a half-hug.

"And plus, don't tell Esme yet, but I bought some popcorn and ice cream for the movie later. Alice assured me that you love chocolate ice cream and plain butter popcorn when I went to the store," Carlisle whispered in her ear. "She would think I'm spoiling you."

Bella laughed loudly.

"Alice is always right...and consider those words unspoken," Bella said. "Thank you for all this."

Carlisle laughed again, flashing her his brilliant white smile. "You're very welcome, ma fille."

Bella looked up with a questioning glance.

"What does that mean?"

"Ma fille means my daughter," Carlisle said as he pulled her tighter and kissed her forehead gently.

Bella's mouth made an 'o' shape as she blushed.

Carlisle could distinctly hear her heartbeat accelerate and the blood flow to her cheeks rapidly.

"I know how to say 'the best dad in the world' in any language," Bella grinned as she looked up at him, her cheeks still red.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow looking down at her.

"And how do you say that in Spanish?," he asked.

"Carlisle Cullen," Bella said.

She hugged him tighter and held him close as he fully wrapped his arms around her small and warm frame. She reveled in the confort and love of the hug as he kissed her forehead once more.

"Je t'aime, ma Belle," Carlisle said with every ounce of truth in his entire being.

And Bella didn't have to speak French to know exacly what he was saying.

And that's a wrap! I thought it was kinda cute at the end, but I still think I could have done better. But that's just me because I'm a perfectionist and I think that all of my stories suck. So, leave me a review with your opinion! :)

Thanks for reading!

(30 May, 2010)