Chapter 3: Lyssann's POV

*I wonder if he has a 'gift'. Well, I guess I'll be finding out… * He's about 50 yards and facing away from me with his hands in his pockets. He looks like a businessman or a doctor or something. "Who are you? What do you want here?" I whisper hauntingly.

His head whips around trying to find my voice. "Who's there? Show yourself!" I see him shift into a crouch. His slender hands and arms extend to the sides of him.

I leap into another tree. Then I keep going til I'm 85 degrees to the right of my previous position. I keep my eyes focused on his face as I reply in my natural tone of voice. "My name isn't important, and I'm not coming out til I know who you are. Your name is…"

"Cullen." He holds out his left hand. He appears to be wearing a men's ring with a crest of some kind engraved on it.

I jump to the ground behind a tree and step out from my cover. *Carlisle? No, it can't be.* I knew a man named Carlisle Cullen in Maine, once, almost 245 years ago. That's before I was a vampire! "Are you related to a Carlisle Cullen?" As I step closer, I realize his eyes are a butterscotch color, like mine. "What do you want, here in my town?" I say reaching out my hand to greet him.

"I'm not related to Carlisle Cullen. I am Carlisle Cullen and I think I'm here to talk to you."

I freeze. I blink. "Oh, really? About what, might I ask?"

He looked as confused as I feel, but he shakes my hand. "Uhmmm, I'm not actually sure. My daughter Alice told me: I needed to be in this clearing on this date to speak to a vampire. She said you would be in need of advice on a subject that is near to our recent experience. I've been wracking my brain as to what that could be…" He shakes his head.

"Well, let's get everything out in the open shall we? I'm Lyssann. I know you probably don't remember me…"

"Lyssann Roper? You're from Maine right? I met you in Berwick, Maine near the Salmon Falls River?" I nod slowly and silently. "It was 245 years ago… next September."

My eyes wide, I look at him in wonder. "Yes, but how do you remember?"

"Hmm… you came to see me regarding… your sensitivity to the weather patterns of our area, isn't that right? I told you that it was…"

"An odd coincidence and not to mention it to anyone or they'd think I was crazy, or a witch." I knew it was rude to interrupt, but I remembered that conversation so clearly, it might have taken place yesterday.

His eyes got wide and focused on mine. "Yes… I'm sorry for that, but in the 1700s, it was true. Well, I certainly didn't expect this type of reunion when Alice had her vision. Tell me, a few minutes ago, I was standing here hoping not to get wet in the storm but then the clouds parted and it became sunny. Was that you?"

I placed my right hand over my mouth. "Yes. I was on my way here with a friend… but I caught the scent of an unfamiliar vampire and sent him home."

"This friend is a vampire?" Carlisle asks softly.

"No." I say quietly, not knowing why, but I trust Carlisle completely. "If he was, I wouldn't have needed to send him away, would I?"

"Is this friend aware of vampires and our world?" He closes his eyes and says "Never mind, I can guess. So, it appears this is what you need advice on, telling this man about you being a vampire."

I look at him, "But I've already told him. He's amazingly fine with it, but he hasn't seen me in the sunlight. He knows about my gift and the regular vampire abilities. What I'm not sure of is…"

"Yes?" He seems surprised and cautious.

"Well, we're not a steady couple, so he hasn't exactly 'chosen me', and he still has family living. If I turned him and he became my mate… How would any of that work?"

"Why would you tell him the secret if this was still undecided?" My new friend asked, astonished.

I hung my head ashamed that I hadn't asked myself the very same question.

"Ms. Roper," Carlisle looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "Why don't we find a place to talk? I'll have to meet him, of course. Then we can discuss how to proceed."

"Meet him? Why do you need to meet him? I don't think that's necessary! He already knows about the threat of the Volturi. He's already worried if someone finds out that he knows about vampires. Why worry him further?" I am surprised at his suggestion.

"Lyssann… May I call you Lyssann? It's so much less formal then Ms. Roper." I nod, so he continues. "If I meet him, I can evaluate the situation better. That way I can also stand witness to the Volturi if necessary. It is the logical way to carry on."

I take a calming breath. "Okay, listen; I live in the brick house at 189 west 42nd street. Meet me and Stephen there in an hour. My housemate doesn't know about the whole vampire thing, but I told her my family died years ago. So, you can be my 'uncle' Carlisle, okay?" As he nods in agreement, I look at my watch. It's been 8 minutes since I left Stephen at the car. I ran faster than I ever had before. If I didn't get to him now, he'd panic. I heard my BMW's engine start up seconds before I could see the car itself.

"Stephen!" I look at his face and see the most wonderful expression on it: desperate hope! I smile at him "I'm alright! We're alright!" I open the driver's side door and pull him out to hug him gently. * He is a human and I must be careful.* His arms add some force to our embrace. I allow myself a glimmer of hope.

"What happened with the other vampire?" he whispers. "Is it still around?"

I took a deep breath and said, "He is like me: he doesn't hunt humans. His name is Carlisle Cullen. He came to talk to us. Come into the car. We're going to my place." I look up… the clouds fold in on the sun. We get in; I hit the gas and lock the doors. "Stephen? For your own safety you need to meet with this man. He can help if the Volturi get involved, but he can also help us avoid their involvement altogether. I knew Carlisle before I was turned. He's trustworthy. He's also a doctor." I hear his heartbeat start to speed up. I take his hand in mine and tell him, "Don't worry. I'll be with you the whole time. He is a really nice man. Justine is going to be told that he is my 'uncle.' She can't know about him and I; that's important." I pull into my driveway and looked him in the eyes. "We have a few minutes 'til he gets here. Are you thirsty or hungry?"

He shakes his head and meets my gaze. Then he speaks softly, "I'd like you to know, that, of all the girls who've been clamoring for my attention, you are the only one I see worrying about me and my safety. The others like my looks or my house or want to spend my money or get me to model…"He swallowed. "You just want to spend time with me. It's nice." He blinked and looked away. "Wow, I've been waiting to say that all day."

I look up to the sky… the rain begins… I go to open my door and he's already there. I let him help me out of the car. We stand there just staring at each other. "I've wanted to do something since the day we met…" He tilts his head to the side with a questioning look in his beautiful eyes. I bring my hand to his cheek and guide his lips to meet mine. We are kissing! We are kissing in the rain! It feels like my head is spinning; I wonder how it's affecting him. As I stop the kiss, I open my eyes. His are closed, but his hand is still cradling my head. It feels wonderful… magical.

He opens his eyes and shakes his head with one brow raised. "I wasn't done yet." I feel his other arm wrap around my waist. If I had a heartbeat it would be speeding up. As it is, my breathing hitches. As his lips touch mine, I can't help myself; I run my fingers through his hair and hold him close. All of a sudden, I hear my front door open.

Justine starts whooping for joy. "Alright Lyssa!!! Nice! Wahoo!!" I really don't want an audience so I pull away just a little.

I kiss Stephen's cheek and whisper in his ear, "Later."

I hear a car pull up to the curb. I look over to see a black Mercedes S55 AMG. Its windows have an extra dark tint that looks like it could turn noon to dusk. *Definitely Carlisle's car.* I thought. I glanced up again… the rain turned to mist and then stopped, leaving just a cloud cover.

I feel Stephen try to move his arm from my waist, but I tighten my hold on his. Carlisle steps out of his car smiling. "I guess that issue is settled then." He says low enough only I can hear him.

"Hi, 'Uncle' Carlisle. This is Stephen. That's Justine, my housemate. I told you about her, remember? She has the downstairs; I have the upper 2 floors. Let's go in before it starts to rain again." I wink at Carlisle and Stephen rolls his eyes.

Justine's face looks disappointed, "I'd love to stay but I have a yoga class. It was really nice to meet you Uncle Carlisle." She mutters under her breath, "She has an uncle? Why didn't she ever tell me about this 'uncle' Carlisle of her's? Whatever…" She shakes her head and steps into her Toyota Camry.

Carlisle chuckles silently as we walk toward the house. "So, Lyssann, why don't you tell us a little about yourself? When and how were you turned? How did you make the decision to only consume animal blood? Has anything momentous happened to you since you were turned? It will help if I have a tiny bit of history to go on while we discuss the future. I'm also very curious."

I grimace but agree. *I'm not very good at telling stories.* I think to myself. I lead them up the stairs and into my living room. *Oh, well… here goes.* "Make yourselves comfy. I'll try to keep to the essentials. Just after my 17th birthday, I started noticing that the weather affected me differently then anyone else. If it rained, I was sad. If it was sunny, I was happy. If it snowed, I was angry, and so on. It was almost a year before I thought: maybe it was the other way around… So I went to see our village doctor which was you, Carlisle." I take an unnecessary breath and watch Stephen's face as I continue. "That was 2 years before I was changed into a vampire. The year was 1764…" Stephen stares at me. He sits on the couch, not touching me but he's nice and close. His eyes widen slightly. He takes a breath and motions for me to go on. *He seems to be taking this well, but I'll try to make it as short as possible.* I decide silently. "Thank goodness it was Carlisle, because anyone else would've accused me of witchery. I went on with my life, but one day I was walking in town with my fiancé. He was dragged off by a stranger with a knife. I was left alone in the street, terrified. My father had to come pick me up from the general store. Felix was missing for 3 days. He showed up at my family's farm on the 4th day; it was cloudy and rainy. You had left town barely 4 months before this happened. He took me for a walk around the front yard and told me I was not the woman who could make him happy. I didn't really think about it at the time, but he was trying not to breathe. He broke the engagement and left town never to be heard from again. I wasn't precisely in love with him, but he was a big man and I felt safe with him and my father and his were friends. You understand?" As he is sitting next to me, Stephen holds my hand tightly. It comforts me. "A few weeks after he broke it off with me, he came back. I never told anyone… I never had the chance. He came to the farm while I was alone. I was in the barn, milking the cow, he was very rough with me and he bit me several times." I show my scars as I speak. "Once on the neck, once on my wrist, and then he ripped my bodice and bit my… well, he bit me where only a husband has any right to look. Then he left me to find my own way in the now cruel world where I was going to be hunted." My eyes felt a slight tingle as I looked to Stephen. "That's how I was turned. It was 1766. Since then I've thought I would always be alone. I vowed: if I ever turned someone, I would give them not just the choice but the companionship I was denied."

Carlisle inspects the 2 wounds I am willing to show. "Wow. How did you avoid the witch hunters and other dangers, especially during those 3 days?"

I hear Stephen's stomach growl so I smirk and say, "Would you like something to eat now? I think I have some Ellio's pizza." He nods and makes a funny face. I continue my story as I put his pizza in the microwave. "I was aware enough to affect the weather, so I kept it sunny and hid in my family's storm cellar. Nobody looked for me there. Here you go, love." I hand him the plate and a glass of Coke.

Carlisle half smiles at me, "You know, my son had a human girlfriend until recently. It was a very interesting experience for our whole family. Some of us learned how to cook to accommodate her appetite. My son, Edward's, life was changed dramatically by his Bella. She changed everything for all of us…"

"Why 'until recently'?" I ask, confused. Stephen looks at Carlisle's composed face and stops chewing.

He watches my face intently, as if divulging a highly dangerous secret. "Well, about a year ago, Edward and Bella were married and gave birth to a lovely baby girl and the delivery very nearly killed her. That made it necessary to turn her into a vampire. She healed and we had to deal with the Volturi because someone told them we had made an Immortal Child." Seeing me flinch, he had an edge to his voice as he said, "She's a hybrid, half human… half vampire. Little Renesmee has changed my family more than Bella did. We've had one heck of a year."

Stephen finishes his pizza and sips his drink. I put his dish in the sink and feel compelled to ask, "How long were they together before she was changed? WAIT… How is it possible they had a baby?" His story just sank in. Stephen excuses himself for a human minute.

"About a year and a half with a breakup of around 6 months." Carlisle shakes his head and looks me straight in the eye. He whispers in a hard voice "If you love him, don't leave him for any length of time. It will do neither of you any good. I speak from personal experience. Both of you should decide now and not ever change your minds. I watched my son torture himself for 6 long months and Bella nearly went insane from the distance between them. God willing, nobody I know will ever go through that again. As for the baby, they conceived while Bella was still human. Apparently, vampire males can impregnate human females, but vampire females cannot become pregnant."

Stephen comes back, so we continue our previous conversation. "Do either of you have any questions before I move on?" Carlisle had none but I see a strange look in Stephen's eyes. I hesitate to ask, but I must trust him to know what he can handle and what he can't. I place my hand on his and say, "What is it? You know you can talk to me about anything."

I hear him whisper, "You said he was rough with you… Did he just beat you or was there more to it? Did he… violate you? It's important, to our relationship, that I know how scarred you are not just physically but emotionally as well. Did the b$trd rape you?" His eyes sear into me. It feels like he is looking into the depths of my soul. I can't lie to him even if I wanted to.