Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight :)

AN: Thank you for the wonderful reviews, I'm so excited to hear the first chapter caught your interest! Hopefully the second one hooks you even more... ;)

"No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected."

- Julius Caesar -

Returning Past

"I'll walk you home," Adrian offered, glancing at the evening sky and probably looking for signs of rain. The end of October was nearing quickly, and it wouldn't have surprised me if I suddenly had to regret the fact that I didn't have an umbrella.

"You don't have to, you know," I answered, turning my back to the bookstore and the brighty-illuminated display window. "I know how early your mornings are. You're probably tired."

Adrian shook his head, smirking. I had to wonder where he got all that energy. "I'm happy to do it," he assured. "It's getting dark soon and I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"I walk this same route every day." I gave a laugh, shaking my head at his worry. "And so far no one has tried to kill me or eat me even though I always walk alone."

Our steps took us to the park that was located beside Lake Erie. I watched the restless waves racing with each other and stopped as I saw a small gap appearing to the thick veil of clouds. The setting sun peeked through it, far away near the horizon.

"It's still not wise of you to walk all alone when it's getting dark," Adrian disagreed. "You should get a car or use the bus or something."

"I can afford neither," I murmured distractedly, not paying much attention to his ranting. I poked Adrian with my elbow so he'd fall silent and watch the beautiful scenery as long as it lasted. "And besides, how on earth do you think you're able to move away if you're already worrying about me?" I asked, watching the light dancing on the restless waves.

"I don't know," Adrian admitted, shrugging. "I suppose I just have to trust you to take care of yourself. You kind of have to because I don't know if I'll ever come back."

I glanced at his face. The light of the setting sun reflected from his dark brown eyes. "I'll look after myself," I promised. "I always have. You've never hovered over me before and if you start now, I swear I'll be the one to put you on the bus or on the train or on the boat or whatever transportation you're going to use to get out of this tedious city you hate so much."

"I'll take the bus," Adrian grinned, now beginning to sound like himself again. "Although, a boat is not such a bad idea... Or hey! A canoe!"

I sighed, wondering if I had accidentally made myself accountable for his death if he happened to drown.

The sun hid behind the clouds again, but I could see its faint glow filtering through the grey veil. I was getting cold, but I wanted to enjoy the scenery as long as it lasted. The sun was such a rare sight in a cloudy city like this.

I clutched the railing that bordered the walkway and prevented anyone from falling into the lake. The metal was cold under my palms and I shuddered, quickly closing the zipper of my coat. The weather was getting really cold. The winter was nearing rapidly – there was no denying of that. I allowed myself a moment to look away from the fading light. Another shudder rippled through me, but this time it felt somehow different. I wondered if I was coming down with a cold. I certainly hoped not.

I glanced at my left, about to suggest Adrian that we should continue on our way; I wanted to go home. But something stopped me before the words got out. I narrowed my eyes in the dim afternoon light as something suddenly caught my attention.

It was a figure standing in the shadows of a small birch tree a few dozen yards away. I was about to turn away, thinking that someone else had been admiring the short apperance of the sun as well. But there was something familiar about the distant figure – possibly the posture. I looked again, narrowing my eyes to sharpen my vision. The fading light didn't make the task any easier.

The figure – a man, I now saw – moved. Taking two calm and deliberate steps forward, he stepped away from the shadows, revealing himself to me completely. He was still far away, but close enough for a feeling of suspicion to wake up somewhere deep inside of me.

There wasn't just something familiar about the figure.

There was nothing unfamiliar about the man watching me from the shadows. I stared, trying to distinguish the eyes of peculiar shade of golden, but I was too far away. But I didn't need to see his eyes to know their color. It was something that was an absolute certainty to me, something I knew for sure. Something that was familiar. Too familiar.

I saw the motion of his head as he nodded, the movement slow and deliberate. The gesture was meant as a greeting, but I was too shocked to even blink. My mind refused to believe what my eyes were seeing, because what I saw was simply against everything I should believe, against everything I ever could expect.

My lips wanted to form a name – to whisper it, to shout it, to make myself trust in my own eyes. But I couldn't speak. My lips were mute but my mind wasn't; it called forth the name my lips had wanted to shape. It called forth the name I had nearly forgotten by now. After all, it belonged to an entirely different lifetime, that name.

Carlisle Cullen.

There it was again; the feel of familiarity. If seeing him suddenly standing in the darkening evening hadn't shocked me so much, I'd have probably felt something else too. Nostalgia, perhaps.

I felt a soft nudge on my elbow, but it wasn't enough to pull me back from the feeling. From the memories of the small town where the trees were too green and the rain was too wet. From the past that I had left behind a long time ago.

Why had it returned now?

"Bella? Bells?"

Adrian's voice seemed to come from far away. I glanced at him quickly, then looked away again to search the shadows of the birch tree with my eyes. To see the familiar person from my past who had suddenly decided to return.

Except... he wasn't there anymore.

Frowning and narrowing my eyes in the dimmening evening, I turned my head, sweeping the park with my gaze. But I saw no one.

"Are you ready to go?" Adrian asked, poking me again with his elbow. "Hey. What's up? What are you looking for?"

"I..."

My answer was left unfinished. Confusion washed over me as I gazed around the empty park, idly wondering if I had gone crazy. Maybe I suffered from lack of sleep – I had the habit of staying up way too late and getting up early in the morning before the sunrise. But was I really this tired? That I actually began to see hallucinations?

"Bella?"

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath, only now realizing that my heart was nearly racing out of my chest. "I thought I saw someone," I murmured, too confused to cook up a quick lie to explain my sudden frantic urge to scout the park.

"Who?" Adrian asked, now looking around the park as well.

I shook my head, waving my hand in a frustrated manner. "Someone I used to know a long time ago," I answered, gazing at the shadows of the birch tree where I had seen the familiar man. "A really long time ago."

Adrian frowned, throwing a dubious glance at me. "I don't see anyone," he stated the obvious.

"It was probably nothing," I shook my head. "The light must have played tricks on my eyes."

"You mean the lack of it?" Adrian chuckled. "It's getting difficult to see." He glanced at me with a frown, tilting his head to the side. "Should I be concerned about the fact that you see things that don't exist?"

"Very funny," I murmured at his jest, still distracted. Still captured by the memory of golden eyes. "But maybe you're right. Maybe I was mistaken."

Maybe I only imagined it, I added to myself.

After glancing one more time towards the shadows of the birch tree, I turned and began to walk to the direction where my apartment was. It was easy to tell myself that it had only been my imagination. That it had only been a trick played by my own mind.

The walk to my apartment seemed slow and long. Adrian kept babbling about something beside me, and I pretended to listen, smiling and laughing at his jokes every once in a while. But truthfully, my thoughts were on something else entirely.

If it had been only my imagination, why had it happened? Why would I suddenly imagine something like that? I racked my brain, wondering when was the last time I had even thought about any of them. I realized that it must have been years – it surprised me a bit. I wondered how it was possible that so much time had passed since my mind had even briefly dwelled on the Cullens. Of course I hadn't forgotten about them – not completely. That short time I had spent with them all that time ago was simply what it was – a part of my past. I had accepted that I had no way to change it, and I didn't even want to. There had been a time when I had felt very differently about it. I had felt regret and sadness about them. About them meeting me, about me meeting them... about everything that had been after. Edward's departure from my life had only reminded me how perishable everything in life was. That nothing lingered. And that's why you had to grasp at every chance and live in the moment. It had been yet another lesson for me to learn; yet another thing life had tried to teach me. And I'd had no choice but to learn or to walk away from it. I had tried to do more than just learn; I had tried to appreciate. Appreciate those few short months I had spent with him, with all of them, and tried to believe that maybe their brief presence in my life did have a meaning behind it despite all that heartache it had eventually caused.

So after a certain amount of time had passed, and after going through those usual feelings you went through after an ending of a relationship – shock, denial, anger, even depression – I had eventually been able to accept. Accept that all that had happened didn't need to be the end of the world. It had been only the end of something that maybe wasn't even supposed to be. Out of sight, out of mind – the simple phrase was more valid than I had even believed.

It had been sort of relieving to get to that stage eventually. The whole process had been about endless amount of tears and moments of bitterness, about sitting in a roller coaster cart from the beginning to the end without stopping to catch my breath. It hadn't been a smooth ride, but I guess it wasn't supposed to be. But eventually I had gotten there. I had reached that much-talked-about acceptance. What had made it all easier was to know that it was all in the past now. That it'd never come back. And I wouldn't have to stress myself out because I'd never see any of them again. They were officially out of my life.

Maybe that's why the acceptance had eventually come so easily. Knowing that they'd never return had been... alleviating.

Shaking myself from my musings, I couldn't help but glance behind my shoulder. The evening was cool and dark, and I saw nothing behind me but trees shedding their leaves. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Of course it had been only my imagination what had happened earlier. It couldn't have been anything else.

Adrian kept talking about his huge plans when he'd get out Buffalo, but I wasn't buying them – not yet, anyway. His plans would change a million times by the time he even actually managed to leave. Sudden sadness filled me when I thought about it. I had known him almost as long as I had lived in Buffalo. It really was a shame he was such a restless soul. Or then it was a shame that I was so content where I was.

Adrian tried to warm his fingers by breathing into his hands. "Dang," I heard him mutter. "Should have dressed warmer. It's freezing."

"You're such a sissy," I teased him. "It's not that cold."

"Yes, it is," he insisted. "This is why I'm so glad to get out of here. There are so many warm places in the world that it's stupid even to consider staying here. My offer still stands," he added, winking. "If you ever get fed up with all this rain and cold... and boring books..."

"I won't," I assured him. "I can't imagine living anywhere but here."

"It's your loss," Adrian mumbled, turning to an alley with small trees growing on both sides. He walked me to the end of the alley, and we stopped as we reached the place where I lived. I had never been able to stand living in an apartment house, so that's why I considered myself lucky that I had received an opportunity to rent a small house at a reasonable price. If one could call it a house – the place was so small that I could bet that someone might have a larger bathroom than the entire apartment was. But I didn't complain. Even though the space was limited and the house was a little isolated, the rent was cheap. And it wasn't just about the low-priced rent - I had truly learned to love the simple house.

"Thanks for walking me home," I told Adrian, giving him a smile. "You didn't have to, though."

"No problem," he answered. "But I still disagree with you, though. I don't like it that you walk home from work all alone."

"Quit fussing," I sighed. "You know I hate it. There's no reason for you to worry. And besides, you know I have my pepper spray with me all the time. I think you're nervous because you know you're leaving soon and then you can't boss me around anymore," I teased.

Adrian shrugged, a familair grin making the other side of his mouth quirk. "Could be," he admitted.

Sighing, I hesitated as I dug out my keys, turning to him one more time. "Will I be able to see you? Before...?"

"Probably," he nodded. "I'm working nearly around the clock for the next days, but I was hoping if you could help me with my stuff when I leave? I'll inform you when I know it myself."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course. But I still don't understand how you're going to manage with huge amounts luggage with you. How will you be able to tow them around from place to place?"

"I never claimed that I was going backpack around the U.S. or anything," Adrian nudged my elbow, smirking like always. "Just kidding. I'll take what I need and along the way I ditch everything that proves useless."

"That sounds ecological," I laughed, imagining him dumping his stereos on a train station or something. "You little conservationist."

Adrian huffed. "How dare you call me that. That's the most terrible thing anyone's ever said to me."

I chuckled at his jest, exchanging a few more words with him. Then we bid each other goodnight, and I followed him with my gaze as he walked to the end of the alley, turned left and continued to his own apartment.

I stood there for a long time after he had disappeared, looking around me. Turning my back to the dark alley shadowed by the trees, I began to search for the right key to get inside. I closed my eyes, trying to shake the feeling that still kept returning. The feeling that wouldn't leave me be.

I looked over my shoulder towards the dark tree alley. And I saw nothing.

"Don't be stupid," I whispered to myself, pushing the key into the lock. But I didn't turn it. Because something kept stopping me.

It was just my imagination, I kept telling myself. It wasn't real.

Or was it?

Once more, I turned to face the dark alley, pulling the keys out of the lock. Glancing at my right and left and making sure that no one was witnessing my moment of insanity, I took a step forward.

"I know you're out there," I called out, feeling like an idiot. No one in their right mind shouted into the darkness – especially when there was nobody there to hear it. But my lips kept moving. I had to be absolutely sure. "I saw you!" I kept hollering. My voice quieted down, and I continued with a normal volume. Not that it mattered. "You know I did."

I waited. It was very silent – only the traffic of the streets could be heard not very far away. It was a sound I had gotten used to, and therefore it barely existed to me. So I was left with only the silence of the alley and the sound of my quiet breaths as I inhaled and exhaled. Still waiting for something that wasn't even there.

I shook my head, feeling both relieved and chagrined. Told you so, I chided myself. Turning to the door, I began to fiddle with the keys again.

Then I felt it. The cool current of air that brushed against my neck, making shivers run up my spine. I turned around in an instant. The keys jingled as they slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground at the same time as a loud, startled cry escaped my lips.

I raised a palm to my chest, my back pressing against the door. Trying to even out my breaths, I stared at the man who had suddenly decided to appear from the silence of the evening. I was too shocked to say anything rational. My heart kept beating frantically, the rush of adrenaline not only making me alert but also very short-tempered.

"Don't do that!" I heard myself shout. "For heaven's sake!"

Carlisle took a step back and held up a hand in a calming gesture. "I'm very sorry," I apologized quietly. "I had no intention to frighten you. You were calling out, and I thought that you were aware of my presence."

Hearing his smooth voice caused me to be taken aback for a moment. I'd never get used to the way their voice sounded. The memories I had long ago left behind didn't do justice to the sound of his tenor.

I forced the bewilderment out of my mind.

"I – I thought I only imagined you earlier!" I managed to stutter. Indignation was still present in my voice. I didn't even try to hide it – that's what you got for sneaking behind people in supernatural speed...

"I'm terribly sorry," Carlisle said again. "I did not mean to startle you. It was foolish of me to move so silently." He glanced at the ground where I had dropped my keys, reaching down to pick them up. Then he offered them to me, gauging my expression.

I took the keys without meeting his gaze. I was still too shocked to know how to react, how to feel. What was he doing here? After all this time?

Carlisle took a step back again, apparently wanting to respect my personal space. I raised my gaze from the ground, studying the man with blond, swept-back hair and golden eyes. I studied the pale skin of his cheeks, the serious expression on his face... And I suddenly felt like I had stepped into a time capsule. It had been eight years – eight, long years – and yet it seemed like no time had passed. He looked exactly the same. Nothing about his appearance had changed. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but for some reason it was. The notion was just difficult to comprehend – you saw someone you had seen nearly ten years ago, and naturally you expected some sort of change to have happened.

But there were no changes. Eight years hadn't altered him a bit.

Carlisle was studying me as well. I wondered how much eight years had changed me; how far I was from the insecure teenager he had once known.

Far, I thought. I wasn't the eighteen-year-old girl I had been the last time he had seen me. The one who had dreamed about the endless life of an immortal, the one who had been ready to give up her whole future for the love she had felt for someone who was forever trapped inside the body of a seventeen-year-old. That person had been a man in many ways, but also just a boy. And I hadn't been an adult, either. I hadn't been as mature as the situation had demanded. I had been so sure about myself, so ready to give up everything I had known, everything that was important. Charlie, Renée, Phil... I shook my head at the thought, not able to understand the mindset of that young girl I had once been.

I wasn't that eighteen-year-old anymore. I was still the same person, but in different ways. Grown ways. The years had done that – the years I'd have given up so easily back then.

I was suddenly very happy that I hadn't.

Letting out a deep breath, I lowered my palm from my chest. Carlisle noticed the small change in my stance, venturing to search my eyes.

"I apologize again," he said quietly, seeming truly sorry he had scared me like that.

"It's fine," I breathed. "It's not like you gave me a heart attack or anything."

Carlisle smiled at my poor jest. There was something forced in the expression; the smile didn't reach his eyes. It barely reached his lips. I wondered again about the reason behind his seriousness. As a person, Carlisle had always been warm and compassionate, and this new atmosphere around him felt very foreign. There was some odd seriousness in him, something that hadn't been there before. The air around him exuded it.

He turned his head to look behind him, as if to observe his surroundings. His demeanor wasn't nervous, just oddly tense.

I decided to break the silence. Now when the initial shock began to fade, I was able to wonder what he was doing here. He surely had a good reason – otherwise he wouldn't have come.

"Why are you here?" I asked, causing Carlisle to turn his gaze away from the trees behind him. "I'm sure this isn't just a social call." There it was again, in my voice; indignation. I wasn't sure what to think about his presence. What to feel. Carlisle was supposed to belong to that certain part of my past. To that one, small part that hadn't even lasted that long. And the past shouldn't return – especially if you had made an effort to leave it behind you.

Carlisle licked his lips. Maybe it was a human habit he had learned over the long centuries. "I'm sure my arrival is not something you expected," he began slowly, searching my eyes. "And I know my sudden appearance may upset you. I understand it completely." He paused for a moment, searching for words. "But I wouldn't have come unless it had been absolutely necessary."

The last sentence was probably meant to convey that he apologized for his sudden arrival, but my mind interpreted it differently. Words escaped my lips before I had the chance to stop them.

"Well, I'm sorry you felt the need to come," I heard myself say. My voice was surprisingly calm despite the sudden anger I felt. "I'm sure it must be terrible for you to be in my presence."

Carlisle shook his head. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way. You misunderstood." He fell silent, glancing around him again quickly. "I meant that I'm sorry to disturb you like this. It's not right that I have to, after all this time. I have no wish to bring trouble to you. To intrude your life."

I softened a bit, noticing that I had folded my arms across my chest without deciding to do so. He noticed my defensive posture; he was still watching me carefully.

"Why are you here, then?" I asked again. Curiosity began to conquer the annoyance. I searched his face again, trying to interpret his expression.

"There's something you need to know," he answered. "And as I said before, I wouldn't have come unless it was important. But it is, and you're the last person who should be kept in the dark about it." He hesitated, watching my reaction. "For your own safety."

I quirked my brow in disbelief. "My safety?" I asked. "Do you care to elaborate a bit?"

Carlisle glanced around him again. It was almost as if he was constantly fearing to be overheard by someone.

I let my arms to drop from my chest. "Maybe you should come inside," I suggested, even though I doubted that a set of walls could prevent anyone of his species from eavesdropping. Although, I didn't even know if it was a vampire he was worried about. Maybe there was another reason for his tense demeanor.

He hesitated. "I'd better not," he declined. "I don't wish to intrude."

"You're not intruding when I'm inviting you in," I assured, feeling my fingers going numb from the cold. Turning to the door, I began to fiddle with the keys. "And besides, it's freezing out here."

I shivered as warm air surged to greet me. Carlisle hesitated for a moment more before coming inside after me. He closed the door behind him, gazing around him uncertainly. I had to wonder what he thought about my tiny place. For a man who had gotten used to living in huge houses and mansions, it must have felt like he had just stepped into a closet or something. I saw him gazing around the living room that was attached to the kitchen. That pretty much described it all. In addition to this room, the apartment consisted of my bedroom and the bathroom down the hall. I also had a small library – well, at least I liked to call it a library. How else could I describe a room that was so full books they barely fit in?

I gestured Carlisle to step further. He hesitated again. There was almost something shy about his behaviour.

"I know it's a little cramped," I offered to say, instantly wanting to kick myself. I shouldn't have to apologize because I happened to live in a small apartment.

Carlisle frowned, shaking his head. "I think it's wonderful," he stated, and it sounded like he really meant it. But his tone was distracted, almost like he was deep in thought.

Shrugging my coat off, I went to sit down in one of the armchairs, telling him to sit down as well. He chose the couch, keeping his usual distance. It was almost like he was afraid to sit too close to me. Maybe he was afraid I'd punch him or something.

I looked at him under my brow, suddenly thinking that maybe this was just a dream. It felt like it. It seemed surreal that I had a vampire sitting on the couch of my living room.

Carlisle gave me a questioning glance as he noticed my scrutiny. Shaking my head, I decided to be honest with him.

"I can't bring myself to believe that you're actually here," I murmured, reaching out for the book that sat on the coffee table. I began to fiddle with it, suddenly feeling the need to do something with my hands. I glanced up to see his reaction; he was very quiet.

He was gazing at me with his topaz eyes. "I understand it might be difficult to believe," he said quietly. "Considering how... abruptly we left." He paused, a small smile curving his lips now. "I'm actually very surprised that you're taking my sudden appearance so calmly. I expected..." He shook his head, pausing.

"What did you expect" I asked, curious.

Carlisle laced his fingers, leaning forward. "Anger, perhaps," he stated, turning to look at me again. "Mostly that."

"You thought I was going to start raging at you when you showed up?"

He didn't answer. He fixed his eyes upon the wooden coffee table between us, once again seeming to be at a loss of words. But his silence managed to answer my question pretty well. I drew in a breath, leaning my elbow on the arm of the chair.

"I guess... I guess if you had showed up a few years earlier, I probably would have been pretty mad," I confessed.

Carlisle glanced at me. "But now?"

I shrugged, struggling to find an answer. Struggling to find out what my current feelings were. I was still so surprised about his sudden arrival that I was still just mostly confused.

"Eight years is a long time," I eventually managed to answer. "Not for you, maybe. But I suppose it's a very long time to carry anger with you. It's not healthy to do that."

Carlisle seemed to listen carefully. "I agree that it's a long time," he stated quietly. A small frown furrowed his brow. "But are you not at all resentful, then? Does it not upset you that I am here?"

I thought about his question, hoping that I had a clear answer to give him. Something that explained everything I felt at the moment. "I'm confused," I finally confessed. "I don't know what to make of this. I can't understand why you're suddenly back."

He nodded. "I see. I realize the situation must not be pleasant for you. And I have to apologize again for interfering like this. If we had an option, we would have left you in peace."

It felt strange that he kept apologizing for that. After all, I had never been the one who had asked them to leave in the first place. He made it sound like I had begged them to leave me alone and now I was upset because he had suddenly returned. The thought made me realize that even though I wasn't angry anymore, I was a little hurt by their actions. How could I not be? Even though my life after getting over Edward had been great and fulfilling, it still vexed me that it had been so easy for him to leave me. And it wasn't just about him. I guess it bothered me that the whole family had agreed to leave me behind without a second thought.

"Are you alone?" I asked, a little relieved that at least one emotion had become clear to me. "Or are the others here as well?"

A strange expression passed on Carlisle's face, but it was gone before I managed to decipher it. "Not everyone," he answered evasively.

I nodded, idly hoping that I wouldn't have to meet the rest of his family too soon. At least not right away – I had to sort out my feelings about this whole thing first. And besides, I had to wonder if they even wanted to see me. From Carlisle's words I figured that unless something compelling hadn't come up, he wouldn't have come to see me in the first place.

He was looking around the living room now, his eyes finding a row of photographs sitting on the table across the room. Familiar faces observed us from the wooden frames; my parents, old friends I had gone to college with, Adrian and me a few weeks after we had met... there were even a couple of landscape pictures I had taken during my traveling before coming to Buffalo.

A tiny smile lifted the other side of Carlisle's mouth as he studied the pictures. It was the first, genuine smile I had witnessed from him during the evening. Then he turned to look at me, and began to measure me with his gaze from head to toe, and again I had to wonder how much I had changed since the last time we had been in the same room. Physically, I still looked pretty same – or that's what I thought. My hair was maybe a bit longer, my face a little less round and childlike. I was still slender but no longer awfully skinny and bony like I had been as a teenager...

Suddenly I felt self-conscious under his gaze. I cleared my throat, trying to figure out something to say. But he was faster.

"How have you been?" he asked softly. I wondered why he felt the need for small talk, but then I realized that he seemed truly interested.

I shrugged, tapping the book in my hand with my fingers. "Fine, I guess," I answered shortly. If he was waiting for some deep and thorough life story, I'd have to disappoint him.

Carlisle sensed my reluctance. He gazed at the floor, an expression on his face that I could only describe as regretful. A small sting of guilt made me want to take the curt answer back. Carlisle had been always so kind to me, and something told me that he wasn't the one who deserved any possible resentment I might still harbor.

I was just about to apologize, but then he lifted his gaze, a timid smile on his lips. He drew in a deep breath, beginning to search for words.

"I'm sure you're getting impatient to learn why I'm here," he began, not waiting for my answer. "The reason for my sudden arrival is the unexpeted occurence that took place some time ago. I must confess that still, at this very moment, we don't know nearly as much about the situation as we would like." His speech was slow-paced and his words more or less vague – I wasn't much wiser than one minute ago. "However, we have a reason to believe that you may be in danger," he continued, giving me a look that was more or less apologetic.

"What else is new," I muttered under my breath.

Carlisle was silent, waiting until I met his gaze again.

"I know it must frustrate you," he said, "to know that our existence may have endangered your life again. And I'm deeply sorry about it."

"Don't be," I answered. "Because I'm a problem magnet, remember? So whatever mess I've managed to get myself into again, it's pretty plausible that I've caused it myself."

Carlisle shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Then tell me what this is about," I suggested. "Who or what supposedly endangers my life? The most unsafe moment in my everyday life is when I cross the street."

He rose from the couch, beginning to pace. It baffled me - I had never seen him do that during the short months I had occasionally spent time in his presence.

"There are many questions yet to be answered," he sighed, stopping his pacing and turning to look at me. "And I'm sorry that I don't have more information to give you."

I studied his distressed expression, feeling myself softening a bit. "So what makes you think I'm in danger? What's happened?"

He sat down again. "Alice had a rather disturbing vision about you some time ago," he answered. "It was very sudden and unexpected because she has... well, refrained from searching your future during the past years."

I quirked my brow, feeling a sudden sting of pain somewhere inside me. I forced the feeling away, thinking that I had no reason to be upset about it. So what if Alice hadn't been observing me and my future? She had no reason to.

"After we left Forks, Edward wanted to be sure that we don't confuse your life any more than we had," Carlisle continued. "That's why he told Alice not to look into your future. I was rather surprised to see she obeyed," he added, almost to himself. I waited silently for him to continue, but he stayed silent, seeming to be lost in his thoughts all of a sudden.

"What was this sudden vision about, then?" I decided to ask eventually.

He looked at me, considering. I had a feeling he was trying to choose his words carefully, but I couldn't figure any reason why. Why didn't he just cut to the chase and tell me what was going on?

"Something threatens your life," he simply answered. "Or someone. As I told you earlier, we still aren't too sure about the details."

I quirked my brow, glancing at the book I still had in my hands. Returning Past, the cover said. It was the copy of the same book I had put behind the display window of the store this afternoon and wondered about the strange sensation the name was giving me. I pushed the book back on the table, my movement abrupt and hasty. Carlisle gave me a confused look, his golden eyes creeping to the book. Despite the dim lighting, I was sure that with his enhanced eyesight it was no trouble to read the title.

"So," I began to say, drawing his attention back to me. "Why are you here?"

Carlisle frowned, opening his mouth, but for a moment he didn't say anything.

"Because of what I just told you," he answered carefully, apparently not understanding what I was getting at.

"Yes, but I still can't understand what this has to do with you guys. You're not obligated to keep me alive."

I expected Carlisle to look away again. For the whole evening he had seemed to be unusually tense and even insecure, most of the time avoiding my eyes. That's why I thought there was no reason for him to change his behaviour now. I expected him to start struggling to form an answer and look away when he had none to give me.

But he didn't look away. He looked at me straight in the eye, not turning away when I met his gaze.

"What?" I asked when he had been silent for a full minute.

He licked his lips again, glancing down at the floor for a very short moment. Then he looked back at me and began to speak very slowly. "Bella," he said, and I vaguely realized it was the first time he had spoken my name during the evening. "Do you honestly think that we could have just ignored Alice's vision? And done nothing to prevent it from coming true?"

I tried to interpret his tone. It wasn't angry, and I hadn't expected it to be. Carlisle never lost his composure. He sounded just very serious. Maybe even a little hurt.

"I don't know," I answered eventually as the silence grew too heavy.

Carlisle was very quiet for a moment more. Then he ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long breath. "I'm very sorry to hear that you feel the need to question it. Our desire to keep you safe."

"I'm not questioning it," I disagreed, idly wondering if I had done just that. "I'm just very confused. You disappear all of a sudden and then you suddenly come back eight years later, saying that I'm in danger..." I shook my head, idly realizing I had gotten up from the chair. "It's just so contradictory. Do you care or do you not care?"

Carlisle rose from the couch as well. "Of course we care," he answered quietly, calm as ever.

A humourless laugh left my lips. Without looking away from his golden eyes, I asked him the question that had burned my lips for the whole evening. For the whole eight years.

"If you care, then why did you leave?"

Carlisle swallowed. He opened his mouth to say something, but a quiet sound coming from the pocket of his coat stopped him. I watched him as he dug out a small cell phone and frowned at the small screen that shone brightly in the dimly lit room.

"I'm sorry," he said. I didn't know if he meant the cell phone or was it an answer to the question I had asked. "I must take my leave," he sighed, shoving the phone back into his pocket. "But I'll be back and we'll talk about this. I promise."

I watched him as he began to walk to the door with slow steps, turning around once more.

"We are keeping an eye on your surroundings," he informed, searching my face. "There's always someone close by if anything unusual happens. But nevertheless..." He paused, making sure he had my attention. "Nevertheless, keep your eyes open."

I only nodded at him, unable to say anything.

Carlisle walked to the door, opening it but not stepping outside. He glanced over his shoulder one more time, capturing me in the hold of his golden eyes. I saw nothing but worry and warmth in their depths. "Your friend who walked you home earlier," he began. "I have to agree with him. It's not wise of you to walk alone after dark."

Then he stepped through the door, closing it quietly behind him, and he was gone.