AN – Welcome to my newest muse, he just kinda popped in and pushed everyone else out of the way so that he could get his story told. I won't put a long note here so you can read and enjoy. So without further ado…I give you Unconventional Convention!
Chapter 1 –
Bella watched out the window as the plane taxied up to the terminal. Looking out at Sea-Tac as the plane came to a halt, she couldn't ignore the excitement she felt about being this close to Forks, her home, that she had fled over seven years ago. Trying not to think about why she had fled to Houston, TX she prepared to disembark the plane.
Following the crowd down the ramp, she went to the baggage claim to get her one lone suitcase before heading over to the rental desk to pick up the keys to her wheels for the weekend. She took the keys and went outside to her rental, stopping just outside the doors to soak in the typical Washington weather, overcast and dreary. As much as she loved the sun, there was a part of her still that loved this weather more. With a sigh she moved on to her rental, a Dodge Charger, and laughed to herself about the car. Seven years ago she wouldn't have cared about the comforts this car offered, she would only have cared if it got her from point A to point B, like her truck did.
As she pulled out of the airport parking lot, she smiled fondly as she thought about her truck. When she decided to go to college in Houston, she had given her truck to the pack in La Push knowing they could use it to haul the wolves around and Jacob would be able to keep it running for them. Charlie had understood her need to leave, but he sure hadn't been happy about it. He made sure to come down to Houston to visit her as often as he could as she had refused to set foot in Forks again.
Seattle wasn't really Forks, so she had agreed to suffer through the trip as it was required for her to graduate with her medical degree. Her last assignment for class was to attend this medical convention that was going on all weekend. Pulling into the parking garage for the hotel that the convention was being held in, she allowed herself to actually feel happy for the first time in years. Getting her medical degree was the only thing that had kept her going after she graduated high school. It gave her something to keep her focused on moving forward.
Walking up to the check in counter, Bella waited for the young man working the desk to finish with the current guest standing in front of her.
"Welcome to the Westin Seattle, are you checking in?"
Bella looked up at the young man, not having noticed that he had finished with the person before her. "Yes, I need to check in for the medical convention as well as my room for the weekend."
"I can get both of those handled for you. What is your name?" The young man asked as he started typing on the computer.
"Isabella Swan."
"Alright, Ms. Swan, I have you checked in for the convention and I will give you your badge and itinerary momentarily. Let me get you checked in for your room first." A frown creased his face as he read the screen.
"Is there a problem?" Bella asked, hoping that she hadn't forgotten to do something to confirm her room.
"Not anything we can't fix." He paused to type something into the computer. "It seems that we over booked the floors that we set aside for the convention and you are the last to check in."
"What does that mean for me?" She asked, fisting her hands in worry.
"Well, as this was an error on our side, we will upgrade you to the next available room."
As she listened to his fingers type away at the computer, Bella felt her good mood slipping away. She had saved up for this weekend and had only managed to get enough for the room, car rental and a little bit of spending money in case she managed to get out of the hotel for a bit. This room upgrade was going to wreak havoc on her savings account.
"How much more is this going to cost me?"
"There will be no additional fees, Ms. Swan, as this was our error. We are going to set you up with a better room at the rate of the room you had originally requested."
Bella sighed in relief. "That works."
He chuckled. "Alright, it appears that you will be on the fifth floor in one of our suites. Let me get this all set up in the system so you can head up. I will have someone bring up the receipt as I need to wait for my manager to approve everything in the system."
"Thank you."
"Alright, Ms. Swan, I apologize for the issue. Here is your badge and itinerary for the convention." He handed her an envelope. "Also, you will be in room 5105, here is your room key. Please let us know if there's anything else we can do for you and someone will be up shortly with your printout."
She took the room key and headed over to the lifts, taking one up to the fifth floor. Letting herself into her room, she took in the furnishings of the living room area she found herself standing in. Just the size of this room told her that the suite was going to be totally wasted on her as she was alone and didn't plan on entertaining anyone as she didn't know anyone at this convention. She had been the only one in her class that chose this convention to attend; the rest had chosen to go to the one in New York. Putting her bags in the bedroom, she went back to the living room and sat down with the itinerary. Looking it over, she saw that the seminars didn't start till the next morning, but there was a dinner being provided for the participants and speakers. Looking at her watch, she saw that dinner would be in about thirty minutes.
Deciding she wanted a shower before dinner, she stood and moved towards the bedroom when she heard a knock on her door. Going to open the door, the first thing she noticed was the same young man from the check in desk earlier standing in front of her. Then she noticed a blonde headed man enter the room directly across from hers and close his door without turning around. At first she thought she had recognized him, causing her breath to hitch, but then she realized that there was no way he would be here, they had moved out of Washington over seven years ago and it was too soon for them to move back.
The sound of a throat being cleared brought her attention back to the man standing at her door.
Bella blushed and smiled shyly at him. "Sorry, umm, hi."
"Hello again, Ms. Swan." He smiled at her and held something out to her. "As promised, here is the printout of the charges for your stay here this weekend."
Bella took the proffered paper and glanced at the balance due, shot a confused look at the man standing before her and read over the printout again. "There has to be something wrong with this…"
"No, Ms. Swan, everything is correct. When I contacted my manager about approving the upgrade with the same rates as the prior room, he informed me that your suite had already been paid for. There are no charges for your stay with us this weekend."
"But, I…I don't understand." She whispered. "Who paid for it?"
"Alas, Ms. Swan, that I cannot tell you. My manager was the one who handled this and he was under strict orders to leave the payment as anonymous."
"Oh, well, I would have liked to say thank you to whoever paid for it." She looked at the printout again and then at the door across the way, but dismissed the thought before it even started. "Thank you for bringing me the receipt and for all your help."
"It was nothing, Ms. Swan. Please enjoy your stay and let us know if you need anything else."
Bella watched him walk away before closing her door. Going back to her previously vacated seat, she absent mindedly picked up the itinerary and glanced over the different seminars, not really seeing anything. Her mind was stuck on trying to figure out who would have paid for her room and the only conclusion she could come to was Charlie. He was the only one that knew she was here, other than her professors back in Houston.
Glancing at the clock, she saw she only had about fifteen minutes until dinner was being served. Going into the bedroom, she grabbed a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Less than ten minutes later she was dressed in a pair of jeans with a black camisole. She finished off the outfit with a red button down and her black cowboy boots. Looking at herself in the mirror as she rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, she smiled at the changes Houston had made in her. Thanks to the setting, she spent most of her free time outside with her only friend there, learning to play the guitar and learning her way around horses. Her life really had changed.
Grabbing her badge and room key, she did one last look in the mirror to make sure her makeup and attire were presentable and headed out of the room. Once downstairs, she followed the convention signs and joined a queue to enter the main conference room. Looking around, she hoped to see maybe one or two faces that she recognized from class, but she knew that she wouldn't.
Walking into the conference room, she saw that tables had been set up so that everyone could choose where they wanted to sit. She was hoping for assigned seating, that way she wouldn't feel so shy about locating a place to sit. With a sigh, she moved over to the side of the room where the drinks were being served. Looking over the list provided, she asked for a glass of Riesling and turned back to survey the room after taking the glass offered.
Bella noted that there were more people at this convention than she had expected, but she had to remember that the crowd before her also included the speakers. Seeing that most everyone had started gathering in groups, she saw a table along the far wall that was still empty so she quickly made her way over there. Claiming a chair that had her back towards the wall so she could watch the room around her.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, if you could find your seats we will be serving dinner momentarily."
Bella looked to the front of the room and saw the same young man from the check in counter walking away from the stage that was set up in the front of the room. Turning back to the room, she caught a glimpse of a tall well-built man walking away from her and she thought it must have been the same man who had the room across from hers once she saw the blonde hair. Studying the way he carried himself she found herself wishing that he was really there. Shaking her head, she took a drink of her wine and nodded to the people that were moving to take the available seats at the table.
Dinner passed in a blur of wine, lasagna and polite chat. Before she was aware, dinner was over and everyone was heading back to their rooms. Deciding it had been a really long day; she took the lift up to her floor and stepped out just in time to see the blonde man duck into his room. Walking down to her room, she wondered if she was ever going to see more than just the back side of the blonde man in the room across from hers.
Going into her room, she changed into her pjs and curled up in the bed. Just before turning off the light, she remembered the itinerary and went back out to the living room and checked to see when the first seminar started. Glancing at the paper she saw the first seminar started at nine the next morning and breakfast was being served at eight. Shuffling her way back to the bedroom, she set her alarm for seven and turned the light off. Closing her eyes, she thought about the blonde man and the family that had left her seven years ago.
Groaning at the sound of her alarm, Bella threw her arm out to hit the snooze button, completely aware that she would be forcing her way out of bed so that she wouldn't fall back asleep. Almost like she was sleep walking, she moved into the bathroom and took her shower before picking out her outfit for the day. Looking in the mirror, she had to laugh as it was basically the same as what she wore to dinner, just a white button down this time over a red camisole. Grabbing her itinerary and her tablet she headed down for breakfast.
Grabbing a coffee and a muffin, she moved to a table closer to the front but along the same wall as last night. Setting everything on the table, she turned on her tablet and got everything set up for the seminar. Munching on her muffin, she watched as the other participants meandered through the room, talking to people they knew and finally finding a place to sit. It wasn't long before the first seminar started and she was totally engrossed in everything the speaker was talking about.
Before Bella knew it, they were being dismissed for the lunch break. Looking around, she saw that most everyone got up to stretch their legs, just to grab a drink and sit back down at their tables waiting for the food to be served. She followed their lead, stretching out her legs and back before getting some ice tea to drink for the afternoon seminars. Lunch passed by quickly for her, she was lost in the notes she had taken from the morning.
Preparing her tablet to start the notes for the next seminar, she saw that it was going to be about working in the ER and how to handle the stress of that position. She noticed that there was not a name provided for the speaker, which was odd. They must have had a hard time getting a speaker for this one and didn't have time to update the itinerary before it was printed, she thought. She had to admit to herself, this was the seminar she was the most excited to be at. The ER was where she was planning on working once she finished her residency. With a sigh, she refused to think about the reasons for choosing the ER and turned her attention to the podium as they were calling everyone back to their seats.
"Alright, I hope everyone enjoyed their lunch and the break. If everyone is ready we will move on to the first seminar for the afternoon. I know that most of you are interested in this seminar as it will help you to decide if you want to be a trauma doctor or work more predominantly out of your office. We took our time in getting the next speaker as we wanted to make sure that we only had the best for you. So without further delay, let me introduce to you, Dr. Carlisle Cullen."
Bella snapped her eyes up from her tablet in time to see him walk up next to the man who had been introducing everyone and shake his hand. She couldn't believe her eyes. She had never expected to see any of them again, let alone Carlisle. She felt her nervousness and worry start to overwhelm her just as he stepped up to the mic.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I trust that you have all enjoyed having your ears talked off by the previous speakers. I promise that I will be following in their footsteps." Carlisle paused to scan the room, but stopped when he met Bella's confused stare. "I promise there will be time at the end for you to ask your questions. I will answer every one of them that I can."
Bella watched as he took the mic off of the stand and started to walk back and forth as he went over the pros and cons of working in the ER. She tried to take notes but was lost to what he was saying as he moved around the front of the room. Every few minutes his gaze would be drawn back to her and her nervousness would spike just a little. She had no idea why he kept looking at her, although she had felt like he was making sure that she was still in her seat. Many times during his seminar she had felt the need to run away, not sure if she could deal with being around any of them again. They had all left her without even saying goodbye.
All too soon she found the seminar to be over and she watched as Carlisle walked to the back of the room to speak with a few of the other speakers. Feeling a bit light headed after sitting through the seminar, she glanced at the next seminar and found it to be one that she did not need to attend. Quickly gathering her things, she made a hasty retreat from the room and almost ran to the lifts, waiting impatiently for one to arrive to take her to her floor.
"Isabella?"
Bella sighed as she heard his voice call her name. Everything in her told her to ignore him and run for the stairs, but she found herself turning around against her will.
Carlisle smiled at her. "Hello, Isabella."
"Carlisle." She responded, barely able to get it passed her suddenly dry lips. Just then the lift arrived and the doors opened.
Carlisle gestured for her to step into the lift and followed in after her. Leaning over, he pressed the button for the fifth floor and stood behind her.
Bella was still so shocked over his appearance at the convention as well as him talking to her, that she was going on auto pilot. The doors opened and she stepped out onto the fifth floor, automatically turning to head to her room. She was fully aware that Carlisle was following behind her. Stopping at her room, she watched as he opened the door to the room across from hers. She snorted quietly to herself as she realized that her earlier thoughts about the blonde man were true.
Carlisle turned back to Bella before stepping into his room. "Isabella, I know that you may not want to have anything to do with me, but I would enjoy the chance to talk."
"I…" She stammered, not sure how to respond to the man who left her without a goodbye. Just then she realized that his leaving hurt her the most and she wasn't sure how to deal with him. With a sigh, she responded without giving it a thought, letting instincts take over. "I would like that."
Carlisle visibly relaxed and gave her a soft smile. "Thank you, Isabella. I will let you be now. I do not have another seminar until tomorrow afternoon, so please, just knock on the door when you are ready."
She stood in her doorway staring at the empty space before her that just held the man who has now managed to completely confuse her way of thinking. With a sigh, she walked into her room, closing the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she wasn't sure what she was doing. Never in the past seven years had she even thought about what she should do if she ever ran into any of the Cullens.
Walking over to the living room, she set her stuff down on the table and all but dropped into a chair. What was she supposed to do? He had left her without a goodbye and only now was she realizing just how hurt she had been over that. Yes she missed the rest of the family and Edward leaving her had completely torn her apart, but the fact that Carlisle had left without any thought to how it would affect her was the most painful part of it. The rejection she had felt from the family hurt but his rejection hurt the most as he had always been so accepting of her.
As she thought, she kept glancing at the door, almost expecting him to knock on it or to be able to see through the door and see him standing there, waiting to talk to her. Shaking her head to clear her delusional thoughts, she decided there was no better time than the present, so she did the first thing that came to her mind.
"Carlisle." She called softly, knowing he would hear her if he was still in his room. Sure enough, not ten seconds later there was a knock on her door.
Getting up from her chair, she walked over and opened the door. What she found there was slightly surprising and breathtaking if she was being honest with herself. Carlisle stood there, looking as handsome as ever, but he was dressed more casually than she had ever seen him. Gone were the slacks and sweater, in their place he wore a pair of dark washed jeans and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The top buttons left undone to give just a tease of what the flesh underneath would look like. But what really caught her attention was how unsure he looked. Never before had Carlisle portrayed anything other than complete assurance that he knew what he was doing.
"Isabella." He said softly, drawing her attention back to his face. "I'm…"
To be continued…
AN – ok guys, what did you think? It started off as a one shot, but when you have Carlisle as your muse it is hard to keep it short. Send me some reviews and let me know your thoughts. I am currently working on the next chapter so I should have it up soon.