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Chapter Three: Accommodations

CPOV

Clearly this woman didn't know as much about me as she thought, if she entertained the notion that I could have a son. I shook my head negatively in sadness having long ago accepted that I would never be afforded that wonderful experience in this existence. I was about to refute her audibly when she cleared her throat and held her palm up to stay my words.

"Perhaps I should more accurately say that you will be his sire. Where I come from, there is no difference. You will change him, soon if the date on the newspaper you had fetched for me is any indication and he will be your companion for many, many years."

"Who are you?" I couldn't fathom how this enchanting creature could know these things, "How?" Apparently, my vampire cognition was whirling with so much confusion of theories and hypotheses that I was no longer capable of forming complete sentences.

"Honestly, I don't know. One minute I was hiding out from the threat of a newborn army in the mountains with Edward and then..." her eyes seemed to glazed over for a moment, as though her mind made a conscious effort to eliminate something from her thoughts. Finally, she continued, "...then, I was waking up in Cook County Hospital."

I quickly decided she wasn't ready for that conversation yet, so I concentrated on the more immediate matters at hand. "I've set some linens out for you in the third story bedroom. There is a water closet just off the kitchen. I know it is somewhat unseemly for you to take up residence with me on such short notice, but perhaps we can come up with some explanation that will appease the relentless gossip mongers at the hospital."

She looked somewhat perplexed, so I continued, "I have no wish to destroy your reputation my dear, but necessity dictates that you have a safe place to sleep while you get your bearings, so to speak." I hesitated, "And you might have guessed that I will also feel a bit safer with you closer to me and under my roof for the time being."

She snorted delicately, causing a slight chuckle to emanate from my throat involuntarily, "The last thing I need to worry about right now is my reputation, Carlisle. I'd be forever grateful to be allowed to stay with you."

I cleared my throat, embarrassed, but extremely pleased to note that she hadn't limited the length of her willingness to stay here. "Very well, then. Let me show you to your room so you can get situated." I allowed her to gather her things, then climbed the stairs at a slow human pace to allow for her recuperating strength and she followed dutifully behind me. Her scent was delicious and my mouth watered despite myself, allowing me to focus on the monster within and squash any illusions I may have held regarding my relationship to this lovely female.

Unbelievable! Last week, I would never have dared to think there existed a human who, despite their knowledge of what I am, would still willingly take up residence with me. She must have absolutely no self preservation instincts at all. The absurdity of it struck me and suddenly I was chuckling out loud.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing, Isabella. This whole situation just struck me as incredibly odd, that's all."

She scoffed, "That's only because it is."

I had seldom climbed these steps at a human pace, so after what seemed like forever, we finally made it to the third floor landing.

"Bella." She said it flatly like a statement.

"Hmm?" I looked at her with the question on my brow.

"Please, you always called me Bella. Only Charlie... um my father, calls me Bells..."

"Ah. Certainly, if you prefer, Bella..." I mentally harrumphed to myself, I am certainly not, nor do I intend to ever pretend to be her father!

As I opened the door, she gasped, "Oh this is lovely!" she moved like a little girl in a candy shop to the window and threw open the sash. "Oh Carlisle, I love it! Thank you!"

I smiled, pleased to have been able to make her happy for even a moment. "You are most certainly welcome.. Bella." The nickname seemed to be taking root on my tongue.

She started removing her gloves pulling lightly at each finger in turn, "I passed Marshall's on my way here and was wondering, if you might loan me some money to purchase a few more necessities before we have to return to the hospital tonight."

I smiled and gladly pulled out my wallet, grabbing a generous amount of cash to hand to her, "Take your time, Bella. You won't need to worry about returning to the hospital tonight or any other night. I think you should take at least a day or two to acclimate yourself to the house. You are still recuperating and I want you to take it easy for now."

She attempted to protest, but I closed one hand carefully around her wrists and placed the other gently against her cheek. Our touch sparked a tingle that ran through my entire being and was as disconcerting as it was surprising, it was only my vampire advantage that allowed me to hide my own reaction while observing hers. "Ah, ah. I won't hear of it. Go to Marshall's if you must, but I want you to make up the bed and take a nap for at least one hour first."

The feeling of her bare skin against mine was becoming intense, so I quickly moved away from her, trying my best not to accentuate my response. I cleared my throat, "I'll just leave you to your privacy then. Beware, you know I will hear if you do not follow my recommendation."

She looked down at the unmade bed and sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Oh, and Bella?"

She looked up at me with a question in her eyes.

"Take off that corset contraption before trying on any new clothing. They are simply not conducive to health or hard work."

She smiled widely, "Gladly, Carlisle."

With that, I left her and sped down to my study. I had intended to read my latest journal, but instead ended up concentrating more on the sounds Bella made. I felt strangely content, just imagining her movements as I heard the fabric of the new sheets snap open above the mattress of the bed and float down to rest unfurled upon the top of it. An oddly pleasant feeling overtook me as I listened to her skirts swishing around the room above me as she tucked in the sheet corners and then the feathers jostling against the ticking as she picked up each pillow and put on their cases.

I imagined her hips swaying as she bustled around the bed, fluffing up the freshly encased pillows and then her footsteps as she walked to the dresser where the soft yellow blanket was folded. As I listened to her huffing and puffing, I tried to imagine what it was she was attempting and evidently, failing to do. Then, I heard her call me. She only spoke my name lowly, but it felt as though a siren had sounded in my solar plexus. I was at her door immediately. I spoke softly through the closed door of her room, "What is it, Bella? Are you alright?"

I heard her skirts swish as she opened the bedroom door, "I m fine, I just can't get this corset off by myself. Please help?"

I smiled, "Of course." I couldn't help but observe the soft swell of her beautiful breasts forming a tantalizing cleavage above the corset's bodice. The creamy perfection of the skin on her shoulders was emphasized when she turned around to present me with the pesky laces that had her trussed up like a Thanksgiving Turkey. It would have been an easy chore, but I took my time untying them, appreciating the beauty before me as I inhaled her luscious scent. It was done all too soon just the same. "Can I do anything else for you my dear?"

I thought it was a gracious offer, but Bella giggled a bit and turning waggled her eyebrows at me mockingly, "Not at all, but thanks just the same."

If ever I could have blushed, it would have been then. She put her hand lightly on my chest and pushed me backwards, to which I responded readily. The door clicked closed almost tapping my nose, because I was evidently so unwilling to step backwards an inch farther than required of that delicate hand. It took my body almost thirty seconds [an eternity] to turn around and head back down to the study.

As I retreated, the engorged member between my legs made himself known and that blush would have had me sporting purple cheeks by now. I've seen countless naked bodies, men and women. I have touched and handled some of the most beautiful female bodies known to mankind. None had ever, ever affected me like this, at least not without some conscious effort on my part. Still, I had to admit I was now carrying a full mast hard on and this bad boy was not going away willingly. I required a distraction because I was loathe to take care of him in my usual manner with Bella under this roof.

I headed for the solitude of my study and my journals with a purpose. A few minutes later, I heard the soft rhythmic breathing of Bella's sleep emanating from the upstairs bedroom and I smiled. Her heart beat was a welcome new sound that had a decidedly calming effect upon me. She had barely arrived and already she'd brought life and hope into this dark and dreary house and if I was to be honest with myself, to my existence as well. I had preoccupied myself with study and research for centuries now, trying to justify my habitation of this planet by healing humans. But, I was tired. If I had to be completely honest with myself, I was bored and lonely. Bella had changed all that in an instant. I suddenly hadn't been able to wait to go to work while she was there at the hospital, now I was ever anxious to get back home since she was here.

I listened to her heartbeat, memorizing the sound. Honestly, I think I could pick that sound out from wherever she might stray, it was so melodious and unique. She was the miracle I never knew how to pray for, suddenly stumbling into my existence from out of nowhere. The journal lay untouched on top of my desk, it was boring, reading theories and hypotheses drawn from poorly drawn samples but thinking about Bella was intriguing. Where had she come from and however did she manage to get here? What had happened between her and this Edward person that had made her so upset?

I shook my head and once again, attempting to clear my thoughts of these questions so that I could concentrate on more immediate things, such as how best to accommodate her now that she was here and how could I convince her to stay? And most importantly of all...why did it matter to me so much? It took only a few moments more of self examination to realize, that after over three centuries of self-imposed isolation, I had finally changed.

BPOV

When I woke up, it was much later than I had intended. Carlisle was right, I was still tired from my ordeal. But, I needed to get some clothes for regular household attire and work. Much to my chagrin, I quickly realized there would be no way I could get into my only dress without the corset. And, I couldn't get into that corset alone. I sighed, resigned and defeated speaking softly, "Carlisle?"

"Bella?" His voice was immediately outside the bedroom door, if I didn't know better, I would have thought he'd been standing there all along. But I was well aware of the vampire's ability to move so swiftly it seemed to us mere mortals as though they'd materialized from thin air. Even though I was sitting on the side of the bed clad only in my chemise, I was unconcerned. My privates were covered and after all this was Carlisle.

"Please come in. I need your help to get dressed, again, I'm afraid."

He must have picked up on my forlorn tone, "What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked as he magically appeared, sitting next to me as though he had been there all along.

I smiled at the endearment, but stared blankly at the whale bones and satin in my lap. "I can't fit into that dress without this." I sadly held the corset up for his inspection, then felt his cool hand gently touch my chin and lift my face up to his.

His clear amber eyes stared into mine as he spoke, "I can't bear to see you torment yourself with that thing again. May I propose a temporary solution?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Why don't you wear some of my things around the house for now? I can pick up a suitable skirt and blouse that won't require the corset on my way to work." He gently pulled the satin corset from my grip, "You can use them to go shopping tomorrow, OK?"

"But..."

"You should be resting now anyway." He smiled at me as he destroyed the garment while I watched, effectively trapping me here for the time being. His hand traveled lightly over my shoulders and then tucked me into his hard chest. Being held in his arms was much more comforting than it should have been and I found myself melting into his embrace. Then he quickly kissed my forehead and stood up. "Just wait here a moment, I'll be right back."

No truer words were ever spoken, he was back in a blink with a choice of trousers, belts, suspenders and shirts in his hands. "I realize they will be quite large for you, but at least they'll be comfortable." He laid them on the bed beside me and headed out the door, "I'll be in the study if you need me." Then I was alone.

I took the smallest looking pair of pants and rolled up the hems. The shirts were all enormous, but I managed to roll up the sleeves and tuck the tails of one of them into the waistband of the trousers and shore them up with a belt that needed a new hole punched into it, but it seemed to work ok without it. Fortunately, the stockings and high heeled boots helped with the excessive length of the trousers and made walking around a bit easier. God, I missed my t-shirts and jeans, not to mention my sweats and sneakers.

Once dressed, I made my way down to the second floor and began my search for Carlisle's study. He wasn't difficult to find because, apparently, this Carlisle liked to smoke a pipe. I peeked around the door to find him sitting at his desk, a journal propped in front of his face and his heels crossed on top of his desk, a very familiar looking desk, in fact. "Knock, knock," he smiled at me, looking past his pages.

"Come on in, let me inspect you!" he grinned. I bounced into the room, happily unencumbered and danced in a circle for him, holding out my arms.

"What do you think?" I giggled.

"I think my clothes have never looked so good!" he said merrily, joining my mood. "Are you hungry at all yet?"

"No, not really. I am a little thirsty though," I admitted.

"Let's get you something from the kitchen, then, shall we?" He stood up and walked around the desk to take my hand. But when I willingly turned to give it to him, the cross at the far end of the library caught my eye.

"Oh Carlisle!" I exclaimed, as I sprinted across the room to examine it. "Your father's cross!" I reached up to touch the bottom of it. I began to gush, my words almost running into each other with excitement, "I shouldn't be surprised, I mean.. I know you've had this forever, but I guess, well you could have had it in storage or something."

His eyebrows were propped up in surprise, his eyes boring into me with unbridled curiosity. I continued by way of explanation, "It's just that everything is so alien here, it's wonderful to see anything at all familiar." I turned to look at his disbelieving expression, so I spoke softly as I approached him again. "You once told me you felt it was not only the last physical remnant you had of your father, but also the only surviving reminder of your human soul."

Shaking his head, a smile crept over that distant expression of his as he admitted, "Yes, I guess I do feel that way, though I can't say I've ever actually said that out loud to anyone."

I nodded knowingly, my heart ached for him. Edward had told me Carlisle's history, he was still so alone at this point in Chicago. Nearing total despair and working ceaselessly to help the humans as a penance for the foul creature he believed himself to be, Carlisle's action of changing Edward would be the first thing he'd ever done for himself. It would be the turning point for his existence. His new companion would bring him out of himself to find new hope and... Esme. "You will, to me. Edward never believed he had a soul. We never could convince him..." my voice trailed off as the sadness began to overtake me for a moment.

"Bella, we'll talk about all this later, OK? Right now, let us concentrate on getting you something to drink from the kitchen." With that he took my hand and while our connection sparked and tingled, he pulled me out of the library and away from thoughts of Edward.

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