Bella drove slowly down the road to the Cullen's house, it was only 2 blocks from her own apartment, she couldn't believe they had been living so close yet never found her. Although to be fair they had only just moved to the area, so it was fair to assume the other night was their first night here. She pulled to a stop at the curb, at the end of their drive taking some much needed deep breaths before starting the car up again and heading down the driveway, which from experience she knew would be long and windy. After a mile she pulled into a semi circular portion of the drive that finished by the front doors, it had flowering bougainvillea either side of the door which just happened to be in bloom, making it appear to be a picturesque house, a house that she knew if Esme had been here, it would have felt like a home, but without her it is just a shell of a house. In Bella's mind she hoped that in time and with Carlisle she could make this a home for them all to enjoy, if their first meeting went according to plan of course.

Just as Bella got out of the car she received a text from an unknown number, but the message she knew once reading it was from Alice, Up the stairs, 3rd door on the right. A. Only Alice would know that Carlisle would not hear her approach the house, too caught up in himself and his emotions to hear the crunch of the gravel or to pay attention to the doorbell that Bella would have rung, so going by Alice's text message she walked in the front door straight up the stair's, stopping outside the door, with her hand hovering on the handle, trying to decide whether to knock first or just walk in, in the end Bella decided not to give Carlisle chance to run or avoid her she just opened the door and watched, waiting for a response from Carlisle to show he had heard her appearance. After she had stood there for a moment she stepped forward, quietly whispering his name, knowing she wouldn't need to say it any louder because he would hear her easily. "Carlisle?" Nothing not a single movement of his gorgeous head to show he had heard her, so she spoke a little louder with a bit more confidence, "Carlisle?" his head shot up in her direction and looked positively shocked, if it was possible to shock a vampire anyway. "Bella? Is that really you?" "Yes Carlisle, it's me" they looked at each other for what felt like a lifetime for Bella, but was in fact mere seconds before Carlisle rushed to her side pulling her into a close embrace whispering her name in a chant as though he thought she would disappear, "Bella, Bella, Bella, Bella, God how I have missed you."

He pulled back to look in her eyes, "Why are you here Bella?" I'm here for you Carlisle was all Bella could think, but she couldn't say that yet, a few other things needed to be said first. "Why did you leave 5years ago Carlisle?" He hesitated for a second before stepping away and sitting on the edge of the sofa, that stood along one wall of his study, indicating for Bella to join him. "What did Edward tell you was the reason for why I left, why the whole family left shortly after I did?" Bella looked down at her lap where she sat next to him on the sofa fiddling with the keys to her car, "He told me it was for my safety, that he would never have changed me and it was safer for you all to leave, he said you had gone ahead and that him and Esme would be joining you eventually. I had no reason to not believe him, although it didn't hurt like I thought it would, to be honest Carlisle, your leaving hurt me more." She left that to hang in the air, for a moment before continuing her story, "Why didn't you tell me yourself about Edward and Esme? I think I had a right to know, they never said a word about it just that you and Esme were getting a divorce. I had to find out from Alice, and even then I only found out a few hours ago!" Bella was starting to get upset now she could feel the tears trying to break free, thinking about all the time she had wasted, and that she could have told Carlisle how she felt for him years ago. But even now she couldn't voice the words she longed to say, that would have to wait till they cleared the air about everything else. She wasn't prepared for what Carlisle did next, Bella was too lost in her own thoughts, He jumped up too fast for her to see, before he started to shout angrily, Bella had never seen him raise his voice in all the time she had known him. "HE NEVER TOLD YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY I LEFT? HE TOLD ME HE HAD!" Bella didn't know how to respond to this, she stood up and looked him in the eye before continuing, "No he never told me, I wish he had so I could have looked for you or something, but he didn't he carried on with me as though nothing had happened, kept telling me that you and Esme were companions not mates and that's why you had drifted apart. I had no reason to not believe him!" to say he was angry was an understatement, he was shivering and she could see the anger flashing in his eyes, he looked murderous, "He led you on carried on as though nothing had happened then dropped you! And you forgave him?" "Yes, Carlisle I did because I didn't love him I realised that before he even left, how could I not forgive him when my heart was never his to begin with, my heart belonged to another I just only realised this when the other person left me."

Carlisle POV

He looked at her then really looked at her taking in her beautiful face that has grown more beautiful than when he last saw her, down to her breasts, which had filled out more giving her a more womanly shape, down to a waist that is small yet just right for her figure, then he carried on looking down, she had the most perfect set of legs that he had ever looked at. Simply put she was breathtaking to Carlisle, she was the epitome of everything he wanted and more than he could ever need.

Taking in what Bella had just said, he looked at her closely, guarded almost wondering who could have captured the heart of such a beautiful woman if not Edward, who was in himself everything most woman wanted, "Who Bella, who did you love if not Edward?" he waited, holding his breathe, although he didn't need to breathe it was still something he didn't feel comfortable doing it made him feel less human. Carlisle watched as Bella squared her shoulders, held her head high and stared him in the eye before answering, "You Carlisle, always you." If his heart could beat it would have stopped at those words, he had waited so many years, thought through every possible scenario in his head and it never quite lived up to actually hearing her say that she loved him, the thing that started him again was the fact that, that was then, this is now. "And what about now Bella? Do you still love me now?" She didn't hesitate in her answer, "You Carlisle, always you, I have loved you for nearly 6years, this is the first time I have ever uttered those words." Her tongue flicked out to lick her top lip when she finished speaking, "Oh God Bella, you have no idea how many years I have waited to hear you say those words, the ways I have imagined you saying them, nothing compares to you saying your heart belonged to me." He stopped then realising she never actually said the words I Love You, just that her heart had belonged to him, and neither had he.

"Bella, I Love You," for a heartbeat they stared at each other, before she threw herself into his arms crying and shouting "I LOVE YOU CARLISLE" before crashing her lips to his, in the most emotional kiss either of them had ever experienced before, his hand came up to frame her face whilst his other hand rested on her lower back pulling her close to his body, whilst her arms wrapped around his neck, fisting her hands in his hair pulling his head lower to deepen the kiss.

In the back of Carlisle's mind he realised they had never actually finished talking about everything, but there would be plenty of time for that, he promised they would finish this conversation, but first he just enjoyed the feel of her lips on his.

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I don't know how long this story will be i have a rough idea of where i will take it, but otherwise, it could be 5 chapters it could be 15 i just don't know but i will make sure you are aware at each stage of the story, so don't worry that it will suddenly end abruptly because it won't. xx