A/N: Hey, slowly developing into the plot.. lol… Read. Enjoy. Review…

Starlight

Chapter Two – Best Intentions

"How was your day, Babe?" I asked, the minute I sank onto the couch in the staff room at the hospital, my cell phone to my ear, "Was everything ok at school?"

"Eh it was bearable," Bella's voice was like music to my ears in such a long day there at work, "I think I was just tired. I'm really fine."

"Am I supposed to believe that?" I asked with a smile, hoping she could hear the lightness in my voice.

"Yes," she replied and I rolled my eyes.

My cold heart ached for my Bella, I felt so bad for her. My poor babe, I knew when it hit her, it would hit her hard, and it sure hit her last night. I was determined not to let it get that bad again. She had cried for hours, and I had comforted her the best I could. She woke up a few times in the middle of the night crying as well, and I had been glad I had let her stay. I didn't like the idea of Bella crying alone in her room. If my Bella was going to cry, it was going to be in my arms, I would always be there for her, no matter what.

"Well I don't," I said and she scoffed, "I love you, Babe, I just worry a little too much I think."

"No such thing as worrying too much, Carlisle," said Bella and I smiled, "I don't blame you for worrying. It's I think it's cute that you worry, but it's unnecessary."

I knew I had to do something to cheer her up, despite what she was saying, she wasn't ok. I think it was some sort of intuition, or maybe just the tone of her voice on the phone that had the red flags popping up in my brain. I was trying to think of some way to do cheer her up, if not only for a little while. She had come to expect the perfect boyfriend standards, and I wasn't ready to let that title go away just yet. I enjoyed making her happy, she was my life, my every thought. Someone that meant that much to me, I knew it was my obligation to keep her content.

I felt a little responsible for what was going on too. I knew that it wasn't really my fault, technically, but really that didn't help the guilt. If I had abided by her wishes and hadn't called the Denalis down to assist me in getting her back, Kate would have never met Charlie. Sure, she probably would have at one point, and if I hadn't then Bella would still be stuck in La Push. Even looking back on the situation I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Both leaving Bella as she wished and calling the Denalis for support ended with Bella unhappy and I couldn't justify Bella being upset at all. The powerlessness was eating me alive, and there was nothing I could do about what was happening. I took comfort in the fact that this choice was going to be better in the long run, but in the short run, it was rough.

I knew I had to do something for her –I would do anything for her- I just didn't know what I could do about something like this. The ideal way to do it would be to take her away, just the two of us. Maybe I could take her to the island, the one that we had in the Caribbean Sea, but that was impractical. The whole town would gossip and would be asking why Dr. Cullen brought Bella down to the Caribbean for a week. It would feed rumors and talk that I knew wouldn't help our cause. Maybe I could get home early, just to be with her for a few extra hours, I checked my watch. Maybe I could take her to dinner in Port Angeles. It was a school night so no one would be up there…

"Sweetie, are you still there?" Bella said and I snapped back, my brain was way too easily distracted.

"Yeah, babe I'm here," I said quietly a few seconds before one of the other doctors walked in, and sat on the opposite side of the couch, "Listen, I have to go, I'll try to be home soon, ok sweetheart?"

"Someone just walked in?"

"That's right," I said, and she laughed, "Bye, love you."

"Love you too," said Bella and I hung up, slipping my phone back into my pocket.

"Who was that?" Dr. Gregorian asked, he was more curious than most of my other colleagues, but I mostly attributed that to the fact that he was the only other doctor that seemed to still have his original hip.

"My daughter," I lied and he shook his head.

"That wasn't a daughter I love you," said Dr. Gregorian and I rolled my eyes, "That was a I'll meet you between the sheets, I love you."

"It was not," I replied, mortified, was I really that transparent with Bella too? That hadn't been my intention, but perhaps my desperation for her, that way, was seeping into my tone? I was already making her wait, I didn't want to tease her or make her want it more than she already did.

"Whoa, chillax," He said, his childish way of speaking usually amused me slightly, but my panic was overpowering that, "It's no problem, I won't tell anyone about your honey on the side. What the kids don't know you're dating yet? Afraid your little princess won't like not being your only princess?"

"I'm not having this conversation with you," I said and he laughed as I stood up and went over to the side, the coffee maker was empty again, I made myself busy refilling it for everyone else.

"She's pretty right?" He said, "Yeah, you're good looking, I've seen the nurses around you. I bet she's super model style gorgeous."

I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from saying something. I finished with the coffee maker and walked out into the hall, over to the surgery board by the main nurses' station. I was scheduled for a non – emergent valve replacement at four, but other than that I was free for the day. I was supposed to catch up on my paper work, I had been ignoring it to spend time with Bella. I usually let it stack up a bit and took it home with me where I could do it all within seconds. I wondered silently if I could push the valve replacement up in the day so that I could get home.

"Hey, Cullen," said voice from behind me.

"Hello Chief," I said, he had been trying to surprise me with his presence, and I let him even though I had known he was heading over here for several minutes.

"Carlisle, I need you to cover for me, the first week in May," He said, "I'm giving you notice now because I just got an invitation to my niece's wedding. It's in Florida and I wanted to treat the grandkids to Disney while we're all down there anyways."

"Of course sir," I said, Chief often left me as acting chief when he went on vacation with his family… family… that was it!, "Chief, since you're talking about vacations anyways… I was thinking I'd need to take the kids on vacation over February school vacation week. Bella's been really depressed since her dad died, I just thought I'd take them all down to the Caribbean for a week or so. That way the kids can hang out and relax, would you mind?"

"Sure, Cullen, you never take vacation," said Chief, "It's such a shame what happened to Charlie, I went to grade school with him. Do what you can to get that girl smiling again, will you?"

"I will," I said, if only he knew, "Cora?"

"Yes, Dr. Cullen?" The nurse at the station's head popped up as she replied.

"Can you push up my valve replacement, I want to get home early," I said and she nodded.

"The patient's visiting with her family at the moment, they're really nervous," she said, She's going to be perfectly ok, believe me, I was worried so I asked Alice this morning, "I'll give them a few minutes then I'll send a couple interns in there to prep her for surgery."

"Thank you," I said as my phone began to ring in my pocket, it was Alice, "I really don't have that much time to talk."

"I know," she said then added as if it was one word, "But we're seriously going? Oh we haven't been there in ages!"

"Yes, now don't spoil my surprise," I said, and I could almost see her smile.

"I'm guessing Jazz and I'll be stuck in the guest house for the week?"

"We'll talk about this later, Alice," I replied, I didn't know if I trusted myself in the big house alone with Bella, "I really have to go."

"No you don't."

"Good bye, Alice."

I was thoroughly distracted in surgery, and I knew, had I been human that I would have messed it up. Though, my vampire senses and quick hands helped me to, despite being totally submerged in thoughts of Bella, pull it off quite nicely. I sent the elderly woman off to post op while I went to tell the good news to her family. I smiled at them as I entered, and I watched their faces lighten up as I walked over. That was the best part of the job, and with such a low mortality rate, I was at the top of all the hospitals want lists. They just didn't understand why I wouldn't leave Forks, and I knew not to put too much stock in my ranking, it didn't really have anything to do with me. It was only because of what I was, not who I was.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Cullen," said her husband and I nodded.

"It was a cake walk," I said, winking charmingly at his granddaughter, she looked about four, "I expect a very quick recovery period."

I reached over the counter of the nurses' station behind me and picked up a Dum-Dum out of the little mug where the nurses kept them. They were supposed to be for the little kid patients, but I couldn't resist. I handed her one and she smiled widely.

"Thank-you, Dr. Cullen," she said and I smiled as I turned and handed the woman's chart to the night nurse.

"Page me if there are any complications," I called over my shoulder as I ran off towards the locker room.

I took a quick shower so that Jasper wouldn't have to smell the blood on me when I got home. Then I got dressed, in one of the shirts that Bella had picked out for me on the last shopping spree we went on with Alice. I smiled the entire way home, happy with the mere prospect of spending a week with Bella, freely under the hot sun. I found myself planning out all the places I wanted to take her once we got to the island.

"She's in the shower," said Alice, the moment I walked in, before I even had the chance to ask her where Bella was, I opened my mouth but she answered before I asked, "Yes, we already fed her,"

"Thank-you," I said, putting my coat on the hook and setting my briefcase down by the door.

"I'd pick that back up," said Alice, and I did, watching Alice curiously for an explanation, "She hasn't done her homework yet either. Apparently her and Jasper spent their study period doing origami instead of their homework."

"Origami?" I asked Jasper as he walked in and he nodded.

"She didn't feel like doing homework," said Jasper with a shrug.

I found myself jealous of my "children" a lot of the time. They got to spend the entire day with Bella, without anyone thinking anything of it. I was jealous that they got to go to school with her period. I missed her, a lot during the day. Nothing was unfair if not the weight of age differences. If it came out that Jasper and Bella were dating, nobody would care, they actually expected it. I would do anything to be able to sit in a study period with Bella and do origami with notebook paper. If only I could figure out how to become younger.

"Ok," I said, and headed towards the stairs.

"Carlisle," said Alice, and I turned around to listen to her, "She had a… bad day at school today."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said as I started up the stairs.

When I hit the top of the stairs I could still hear the shower running, so I went into my study to drop off my briefcase. I shut the door behind it and went and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Almost done," Bella called as I heard water hit the bottom of the tub.

"Take your time, Babe," I called back, "I just wanted to let you know I was home. I'll be in my office ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a few," she said, she seemed distant and I walked back across the hall to my office.

I heard the shower shut off when I was about halfway through my paper work, so I slowed down. I liked to do our 'homework' together it made everything seem almost normal. I was still done by the time Bella walked in, she took a while primping. I rolled away from my desk as she slipped in the doorway, dressed in one of my shirts - that I never actually got to wear, she just told me to get it, then stole it - and flannel PJ pants. She came right over and sat on my lap as I wrapped my arms around her.

"What's wrong?" I asked, kissing the top of her head, whispering into her hair.

I would have realized something was wrong even if Alice hadn't given me the heads up, she looked out of it.

"Nothing," Bella said and I just looked down at her knowingly, "I don't want to talk about it, just something that happened at school. They're all gossiping about you, Alice, Jasper, it's mostly just you, which is the part that bugs me. But in two hundred years, they'll all be dead, and I'll still have you."

"Whoa, Babe," I said, kissing her ear. I knew what she was talking about, while the nurses had learned to leave me alone, I still had many admirers in the town of Forks, "You're feeling insecure or something? Because I'd like to point out that you're the one in my arms right now."

"I know," said Bella, "Its just annoying not being able to tell them to shut up, your mine."

"Oh?" I said, the possessiveness in Bella caused me to have to hold in a growl, "Well, I have something that might cheer you up."

"What?" she asked, kissing my jaw as I repositioned her so that she was more in my arms rather than just sitting on top of me.

"I am taking you, Alice, and Jasper to Kaytrin, it's a little private island in the Caribbean Sea. I bought it a while back, and named it after my mother. It should make for an excellent vacation," I said, "I was going to save it for our honey moon, but I figure you need some cheering up."

"You were going to invite Alice and Jasper on our honey moon?" she asked, teasing and I rolled my eyes.

"No, I needed to pass it off as a family vacation," I said and Bella smiled as she leaned up and kissed the tip of my nose.

"We can still pretend that's it's our honeymoon, right?" she asked innocently and I shook my head.

"You're incorrigible," I said, and she laughed as she leaned up and kissed me, deeply, "I'm glad testing my control is fun for you."

"It is," said Bella, fixing my collar as she stood up, and walked over towards the door, "I have homework, you coming?"

"Sure am," I said, as I followed her into her bedroom.

We sat on her bed and I rubbed her shoulders and back, with the occasional kiss to her neck while she was doing her homework. I knew I was distracting her, but she was getting it done, which was what mattered. I wondered what she would want to do once she was changed. I had no doubt that she would still love me, it was more of wondering what she would want to live life as. I knew she wanted to go to college, get a degree in something. I pondered the thought of college, maybe I could pass for college age if I dressed down a bit. I could go to college with my wife. The word wife in my thoughts struck a chord, and I smiled to myself.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Bella asked as she put her books back into her bag.

"I think you can guess," I said as I leaned over and tickled her sides, she doubled over in laughter as I pulled her back towards me, kissing her sweetly.

"I think I can too."