Disclaimer – Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer
AN – Thanks to you all for putting up with my ad-hoc posting schedule, this story will continue to the end, it may just take me a while to get there.
Many thanks again to my wonderful beta, for debates on mind reading, pianos and telephones.
Please note that this story will contain violence in later chapters. I will provide a warning at the start of those chapters.
Chapter Four
Change always comes bearing gifts. ~Price Pritchett
Edward was euphoric walking to his first job.
He could not remember ever having had a job before. Carlisle confirmed this - stating that he did not consider enlisting in the navy during wartime, even if voluntary, a form of employment. (Carlisle was of the opinion that Edward, at seventeen too young for conscription, should never have been allowed to enlist.)
They walked together and Edward tried to hide the smile that came with Carlisle's thoughts. The older vampire struggled not to lecture his considerably younger companion on proper conduct.
Edward decided to let him off the hook. "You can tell me if it makes you feel better."
Carlisle looked sheepish. "No, no! I don't want to insult you. Just - please be careful. Remember to be conscious of slowing your movements, focus on their words, not their thoughts, try to warm your hands regularly…"
Edward rolled his eyes, growling under his breath.
Carlisle stopped abruptly, and turned to face him. Speaking sharply, he snapped, "And NONE of that!"
Edward dropped his gaze.
He wondered how in the span of a few seconds, he had gone from feeling content to being chastised like a newborn.
Carlisle watched as Edward retreated inwards. He was thoroughly ashamed. He should not have taken his stress and concerns out on his mate.
Glancing quickly to confirm there was no one around, he placed his fingers under Edward's chin and raised the young vampire's head. "I am so sorry. I let my anxiety get the better of me." He cupped Edward's cheek with his palm. Can I kiss you?
Edward understood Carlisle was asking as much for forgiveness as for confirmation there was no one nearby. He nodded, moving to join Carlisle in a sweet, gentle kiss.
After a short time, they separated with a sigh, and continued their walk to the Conservatory.
~*.*~
They arrived at the Conservatory front office with more than enough time to spare.
Carlisle watched as Edward filled out his employment contract and the other requisite forms. To Edward's irritation, Carlisle could not resist commenting on his responses.
Finally, tired of the intrusion, he shoved the family details form at his mate. "You might as well fill this in, rather than tell me what to write," and returned to the task of completing his contract.
Carlisle happily complied. He was glad that he could assist Edward with his paperwork, having had so much more experience in such matters.
Once the paperwork was completed, the clerk provided Edward and Carlisle with a tour of the school. They walked around the campus and were shown the different facilities for students and staff before finally arriving at the front of a large four-story building.
A plaque on the front of the building identified it as the Rice Memorial Hall.
As they entered, their guide explained that the Hall contained six large lecture rooms, numerous studios, and over a hundred practice rooms. While he talked, he led them along the ground floor corridor to a wide wooden door at the very end.
Fishing out a large key from his pocket, the clerk opened the door and indicated they should enter the large space within.
"This is the main room. The door to the left leads to your office. You are welcome to arrange the rooms as you wish. The current arrangements are as Mr. Phelps left them. "
The last comment was made with a roll of his eyes. The man's thoughts gave Edward an even clearer idea of what the administrative staff had thought of Mr Phelps.
Their guide waved a hand toward the two grand pianos in the room. "If you need assistance with moving the instruments, you will need to put in a request to maintenance at least two days in advance."
Edward nodded. They then both turned to watch Carlisle who was wandering around the room.
"Well, I shall leave you both to it then." He paused in thought, and then continued. "I almost forgot, the Maestro asked me to tell you that he would drop by between his classes to see how you are settling in. Mr Cullen, Doctor Cullen." With that gentleman handed Edward the key to the room, nodded, and walked off.
Edward shut the door, and then turned to view his new domain.
The room was a large with a high ceiling. The walls were a nondescript cream, with the only features the two wood paneled doorways and four tall windows, two on each of the external walls.
Looking closely Carlisle noted with approval that there were both blinds and shutters on each set of windows, should Edward need it.
The furniture was arranged as a formal lecture room, with rows of hardback chairs. The two grand pianos appeared to have been positioned almost as an after thought, with the performer facing the wall rather than to the audience.
Carlisle watched as Edward moved around the room. Entranced, he noticed that every now and then Edward would pause, hum a note or two, and listen to the acoustics at that given point. He then followed Edward to the office door.
Upon opening it, they both gasped.
Edward did not take neatness to the level that Carlisle did, and it had often been a gripe of Carlisle's that Edward had a tendency to "leave his things around." But even Edward was horrified at the level of disorder in the room.
The room was a disaster, with books and papers and clothing covering every surface, including the floor. Lifting some of the debris, Carlisle could see that there appeared to be a number of pieces of furniture within the space.
Based on the layout of the building, they knew that this room was of a reasonable size. Unfortunately the clutter made the room appear small and cramped.
Edward looked back through the door to the large room, then back to the office. "I am not sure where to start," he admitted to Carlisle.
Carlisle looked at the chaos in front of him. "Why don't I start in here, get rid of the obvious mess and leave those things you might wish to use to one side. You start working on rearranging your teaching space. We probably won't have it perfect for your first class tomorrow," he paused and sighed. "But it will be a sight better than this."
Edward smiled his thanks at Carlisle. He opened his mouth to reply, but instead paused, tilting his head. Carlisle was about to ask, when they both heard a gentle knock on the main door.
They returned to the main room as the Maestro entered. "Ah! Mr. Cullen! Good!"
Turning to Carlisle, he held out his hand. "Dr Cullen, I am pleased to finally meet you." Carlisle took the man's hand, noting there was no reaction to the coolness of his touch. The physician in him wondered if the older man's nervous system was functioning correctly and wondered how he could get him in for a check-up.
"It is wonderful to meet you. I am so excited that you were able to provide Edward with this unique opportunity. It is beyond our expectations when moving here." Carlisle gushed.
"Well Edward is an unusual talent and I could not let him go easily."
Carlisle frowned at this comment. However, his internal discord was interrupted as the man turned to Edward. "I hope you have had a good look at the room. Did your guide tell you that you are free to rearrange everything as you wish?"
Edward nodded and replied, "I had hoped to rearrange the space to a more informal layout and will probably remove a number of pieces of furniture."
"Good! Good!" said the older man, patting Edward on the shoulder.
Turning back to Carlisle, he asked conversationally, "I understand from Edward that you have travelled extensively?"
"Yes, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to travel after our parents passed away. It gave Edward a unique opportunity to discover and explore his musical inclinations." Carlisle smiled proudly at the young vampire.
The Maestro nodded, "It seems to have been an invaluable experience." He paused. "Edward mentioned you had been to France, Vienna and Greece. I was wondering if, by any chance, you travelled to my home country - Italy?"
Edward's body stiffened. His hands clenched, moving slightly as if to grab Carlisle. They had talked at length regarding their time in Italy, however the effect on the young vampire had been so profound that sometimes his reactions got the best of him.
Edward! CALM! Carlisle warned.
He returned his attention to the Maestro. "We did travel in Italy, but not extensively. Whereabouts in Italy are you from?"
It was a guarded question, and he found himself afraid of the answer. On further reflection, he realized the man's accent was familiar. Too familiar for his liking!
"You probably will not have heard of it. It is a rather unremarkable, little village called La Chiostra. Indeed its most notable feature is its close proximity to the city of Volterra."
The Maestro prattled on about the village of his childhood, but neither vampire was paying attention.
From the moment the human had unwittingly mentioned the city, Edward had frozen in place. Carlisle tried to calm him, directing a constant stream of thought to Edward. It is OK! You are safe! I am here! It is just a coincidence!
He wanted to grab Edward and hold him tight but given the circumstances, opted for another tactic.
Maybe Edward needed a firmer hand.
EDWARD CULLEN! STOP! THIS! NOW!
Edward's eyes snapped to Carlisle's. Embarrassment and shame flashed across his features.
Carlisle's eyes flickered to the unobservant human. We will talk later. Make your excuses and walk away.
He noted Edward's hesitation. It is alright. I love you.
Carlisle smoothly picked up the conversation with the Maestro. Edward waited a moment before he politely excused himself to look at the pianos.
Edward stepped away from the two men, leaving them to talk further. He headed for the grand pianos at the far end of the room. Edward did not want to think about Italy today. He did not want those memories to ruin this wonderful day.
He was annoyed at his reaction. While Carlisle had assured him that he would become more and more reconciled to their time there, it upset him that he could not hear the country mentioned in polite conversation without feeling panicked.
Edward walked up to the two grand pianos. He was pleased to see they were Baldwin Grand Pianos, second only in quality to Steinway (of which Edward's own piano was one). The choice of the Baldwin's made sense for the Conservatory, as they were designed and built locally in the nearby city of Loveland.
Moving around the two instruments, he commenced his inspection, checking each part and noting anything that he needed to repair.
Having performed as complete an inspection as he could without additional equipment (which he would bring from home), he sat at the better of the pianos and lightly began to play.
Carlisle's conversation with the Maestro had moved from Europe to topics closer to home. The Maestro lamented the inappropriate behavior of Mr. Phelps and the mortification for the young girl's family. "If I had had even an inkling, I would have separated the two immediately," he sighed.
Carlisle felt sympathy for the man who had been put in a highly embarrassing position by the action of his staff member.
"I will tell you now," the Maestro continued, "The remaining young lady's parents have expressed concern that another young, single man has been hired and have suggested that a chaperon be present in classes."
Carlisle nearly laughed out loud at the thought that Edward may be a risk to a young girl's virtue.
"I can assure you, Maestro, such attachments are the last thing on my brother's mind." He said solemnly.
Edward chuckled quietly, as he continued to play.
The Maestro nodded. "I have assured the girl's family that Mr. Cullen is very different to Mr. Phelps. Unlike Mr. Phelps, Edward is settled in Oberlin with his family. Your reputation as a doctor and as an honorable man has preceded you, and therefore Edward by relation."
Carlisle dipped his head in acknowledgment, and if he were capable of blushing, he would have. He never felt comfortable with praise of his character.
"Besides," the Maestro continued quietly, bending his head toward Carlisle. "Anyone that enamored with music has no interest 'innamoramento', as you say 'falling in love', with anything, or anyone."
They both turned to watch the talented young man as he wove his magic on the keys. The Maestro's words triggered something inside Carlisle. He wondered for a moment if the other had spoken true. Could Edward share his passion and love for his music with his passion and love for Carlisle?
One day, would he choose one over the other?
Which would he choose?
Picking up on Carlisle's distress, Edward ceased playing, closed up the instrument and crossed the room to the others.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Maestro. I hope that I can live up to the challenge." Capturing the older man's attention, Edward moved surreptitiously in front of Carlisle, allowing the latter to re-group.
"There is no doubt that you are well up to this role, young Edward." Patting Edward on the shoulder, the Maestro then turned and shook Carlisle's hand before heading towards the door.
Upon reaching the threshold, he turned back, "Edward. I will drop in on your first lesson tomorrow - that is, if you do not mind? To provide you with assistance, should you need it."
Edward smiled, knowing full well this was not a request. "Not at all, Maestro, I would be grateful for your support."
With that the Maestro nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Once the door was closed, Edward leaned back into the other, who in turn wrapped his arms around him.
Turning in his mate's arms, Edward looked Carlisle in the eye. "Music will never be more important that you." He reached up and touched Carlisle's cheek. "Without you to inspire me, there is no music."
He gently touched his lips to Carlisle's, and then relaxed into the other man's embrace, and felt the tension caused by the Maestro's well meaning, but distressing comment dissipate until a peaceful warmth filled him and he had forgotten the incident entirely.
They stood relaxed in their embrace for a long moment, before separating with a sigh. The shared a light chaste kiss before heading off to complete their respective tasks.
Carlisle tackled the chaos in the office. He worked quickly and methodically and soon the only items left in the room were the rescued furniture and a large pile of manuscripts, sheet music and text books he had kept aside for Edward to review.
Having finished his task, he ventured into the main room to find that Edward had stacked all of the hard wooden chairs against one wall and was sitting on the floor, deep in contemplation.
"Are you trying to build a tower?" Carlisle joked, looking at the stacked chairs.
Edward waved a hand at them, "I don't want them, but I am not sure what to do with them."
Carlisle raised a finger. "I think I know just the place!"
Edward received an image from Carlisle of the back of the building, where the rubbish bins were located.
He frowned, "I don't think the school…."
"Hush!" soothed Carlisle. His thoughts continued to a set of stairs leading to the building's basement, and a large room, clearly for furniture and equipment storage.
"Perfect! Thank you!" praised Edward.
They moved the chairs downstairs and brought up two rectangular objects (once extricated from their packaging, Carlisle could see they were sturdy platforms).
"You have much more room to work with now, room even for another piano," observed Carlisle.
"It's a shame the department cannot afford them," sighed Edward. "For this level of student you need a premier grand piano," he waved his hand in the direction of the two instruments. "The Baldwin grand pianos are a premier instrument, but despite being locally made, they are still expensive."
Carlisle frowned. He felt that there was something wrong with the classroom having only two pianos. "How many students will there be in your class?" he queried.
"Four students and myself," Edward replied.
Carlisle recognized the problem. With only two pianos for four students, the time allocated would be less than necessary for progression.
"How will you manage with only two pianos? How did you predecessor?" He was genuinely concerned that Edward might be less than successful.
"I cannot really speak for my predecessor. However from what I have gleaned," he tapped the side of his head, "his method of teaching was mainly lecture based with practice and performance time rationed out."
Carlisle snorted in disgust.
"I will probably have a rotation schedule: two assigned paper composition, notation and theory while the others play. I will most likely swap them every other day, until I can work out if there is a more natural arrangement based on the skills and preferences of the students."
He noted that Carlisle's frown has deepened while he talked. Trying to appease the obvious concern he added, "It is fine. It will do for now. If it becomes a serious problem, I always have the option of bringing mine from home."
Carlisle grimaced at the thought of removing Edward's piano from their home. It would be like removing a piece of him. Edward would have to leave home to play, reducing his time with Carlisle. Listening to Edward play was bliss and in Carlisle's opinion, his second favorite use of Edward's fingers.
He felt strongly the need to voice his opinion in the matter. "I would hope that things do not come to that. I would be concerned if the piano was moved from our home."
Edward raised his eyebrow in response.
It was his piano. He loved his piano.
It had perfect touch, tone and pitch. He knew what sound would pour out of it no matter the key or the tempo. It was his! Did he not have a right to do whatever he wanted with it?
He wanted to reply, but Carlisle had already moved on to another topic. "So, are you missing anything?"
"Chairs," replied Edward.
"But -" Carlisle protested, thinking of the chairs they had only just relocated downstairs.
Edward explained, "Oh, they were no use. I need comfortable chairs that they can sit in to compose, or have discussions. Not to mention when they sit to listen to each other play some of the longer compositions. I didn't see anything like that down stairs…"
It was Carlisle's turn to interrupt. "Come with me."
Feeling a sense of déjà vu Edward followed Carlisle into the office and stopped amazed at the large space he now had at his disposal. Stacked to one side were ten wing-backed, cushioned chairs that Carlisle had found.
"Will these do?" Carlisle inquired, with a very satisfied smile.
"Again, perfect! Thank you."
~*.*~
Edward, full of renewed enthusiasm, set about (with Carlisle's assistance) completing his teaching space.
After having moved the furniture (and instruments) to his liking, Edward returned to each piano to ensure that their relocation had not done any harm.
Carlisle stood in the middle of the room admiring their handiwork. The space was now wide and opening. Each piano was situated on a raised platform in (as dictated by Edward), the ideal performance position in respect to the audience, which would sit in the centre of the room on the recycled wing-backed chairs. (Each with its own raised writing table, which had been discovered in the basement storeroom.)
The chairs were arranged in a circle, but could easily be shifted to face one or both of the instruments. Pushed to the side wall, for use when required, were two blackboards on casters (for ease of movement and practicality.)
The new arrangements allowed the size of the room to be fully appreciated. In fact, Carlisle could see that there was room for at least one more (possibly two more) pianos without cramping the space.
Looking at his watch, he noted the time. He wandered to the nearest piano, under which Edward was lying on his back, tinkering.
"Edward, I am going to head off to work now." There was no comment or acknowledgment from underneath the instrument.
"Edward!"
"Hmmm?" a distracted noise came from his mate.
Carlisle, exasperated, pulled Edward out from beneath the piano. "Edward Anthony Cullen!"
"What? Sorry Carlisle! Was there something you needed?"
He gave a small sigh. Edward getting caught up in his music was not unusual. However, it became frustrating when he needed his mate to focus on him.
"I am going to work now. Are you going to stay here all night or go home?"
Edward though about this briefly, "Probably stay here. I want to go through the music and texts you found in the office."
"Alright then, you can pick me up at the end of my shift at 6am and walk me home." Carlisle instructed.
He requested Edward collect him from work as much as possible for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he found it enjoyable to have his mate escort him home. He enjoyed talking about his shift and the events of the evening, without all the distractions of the house. Secondly, he still had the lingering worry that he might once again come home to an empty house. By making Edward come to him at the hospital, he was assured of knowing where his mate was when he walked in the front door.
Carlisle gave Edward a peck on the cheek and made his way to the door.
"Carlisle!"
He stopped and turned.
"Thank you!" It was a genuinely happy expression of gratitude and made Carlisle glow in its warmth.
The older vampire smiled and blew him a kiss. "You are welcome Love! I'll see you at 6!" And he left the room.
~*.*~
Carlisle wandered into the Allen Memorial Hospital with more than enough time to prepare for his shift. It had taken him no time to get to work. Cutting across campus, the distance between Edward's building and the Hospital was less than a quarter mile. The close proximity gave him great comfort, as he was not far away for those times when Edward would need him.
As he was early, Carlisle was able to attend to one or two things before his shift started.
Leaving his office to meet his colleague for handover, he hummed tunelessly, pleased with himself for being able to settle them into Oberlin so smoothly.
The evening swept by, Carlisle felt content, the most he had in a very long while. Thinking back on it, he wondered if that last time he was this content was during their honeymoon.
Carlisle exited the building at 6am and was pleased to find Edward leaning against the hospital wall, waiting for him. He noticed that Edward had changed clothes since he had last seen him, and carried his piano maintenance kit.
Morning, Love.
They set off in the direction of home. Carlisle looked pointedly at the bag. "So what have you been up to?"
Edward grimaced, "I had to tune the pianos. I could not have stood another day with them being as they were."
Carlisle chuckled, sure that no one other than Edward would have noticed anything off with the instruments.
Edward smiled at Carlisle's thought. "Also, they needed some string repair and dampening. I could not open the lids without them being so loud, they could only be played one at a time."
Edward smiled satisfied with the work he had done. "How was your shift?"
Carlisle proceeded to regale Edward with the events of his evening. The hospital was the largest in the area. As such it saw a number of cases that would not normally be seen in a town with the population the size of Oberlin's.
On arriving home, Carlisle changed his clothes, and they immediately left to hunt. Much to Edward's annoyance, Carlisle discouraged any 'extra-curricular' activities, insisting that he had much to do at home. "You could also spend some time preparing for your first class," he suggested to Edward.
Later that morning Edward reviewed a number of the items rescued from the office. He spent much of that time gently cleaning a copy of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 which, to his horror, had been excessively covered with gray lead notations. In a nearby chair Carlisle was sitting, totally absorbed in one of the many medical journals he received by subscription.
Just at that moment the telephone rang. Carlisle reached over to answer it. "Hello, Cullen residence." He paused. "Yes, Maestro, Edward is right here, I will put him on."
Edward moved to the telephone. "Good morning, Maestro."
His interlocutor was very excited, "Edward you must come and see something right away. I will not tell you over the phone, you have to come and see!"
"Of course Maestro, I will be there as soon as possible!" he replied, more than slightly intrigued at the reason for all the excitement.
"Good! Thank you, Edward. I will see you soon." The phone disconnected. Edward stood holding the receiver in astonishment.
He had often wished his talent worked down the telephone line, with the pair of them having had a number of conversations theorizing why this was not possible. In the end they concluded that, no matter the reason, he could not read the mind of the person at the other end of the line.
Carlisle looked bemused. "Is everything alright?"
"I am not sure." Edward replied, returning the receiver to the base. "He wishes me to go back as soon as possible. It is all very strange."
Carlisle put down his journal and stood. "Well, why don't we go and find out what this is all about." He gently took Edward's hand and led the perplexed young man out the front door.
On arriving at the music building, Edward was surprised to find the Maestro pacing outside the front door. The man stopped and beamed when he saw Edward and Carlisle approach and quickly led the two vampires into the building.
"It is truly amazing. The administration was contacted early this morning about a possible donation to the Conservatory. They were going through the process of how they could proceed, when the person advised that the items were already here!" He opened the door to Edward's teaching space and gestured for the others to enter.
Edward stopped, frozen. The room was certainly different. In addition to the two instruments he had carefully restored last night, there were now two other - brand new - Baldwin Grand Pianos.
"My goodness," Carlisle exclaimed. "Where did these come from?"
The Maestro turned to Carlisle, his excitement palpable. "We have no idea. Only that they were donated anonymously after being purchased from Baldwin's yesterday. The donation came with the request that the pianos be used in the Masters program."
The shock was wearing off. Edward was able to focus on the conversation. He narrowed his eyes at the terms of the donation. He focused on Carlisle's thoughts, and found his mate was studiously concentrating on an article from his medical journal, and in hindsight he realized that Carlisle had been thinking about this journal since before they had left the house.
Edward wandered to the first of the two new instruments. Both had been set on platforms identical to those on which the original pianos sat, and were arranged in a configuration that complimented the new room layout.
He turned back to the two men, just as the Maestro was taking his leave. "Well! I shall leave you both to it. Is this not a wonderful surprise, Edward?"
Edward nodded, flicking a look at Carlisle. "Yes, Maestro, it is wonderful. Thank you for insisting I come down."
Maestro departed, leaving Edward and Carlisle alone in the room. The former was looking intently at this mate, while the latter seemed to be absorbed with the floor.
Edward strode up to Carlisle, pushed him backwards and up against the wall. Carlisle's gaze became concerned. He had wanted this to be a wonderful surprise for Edward but was now anxious that he had made Edward angry.
"Oh, hush!" chastised Edward. He leaned into Carlisle, kissing his mate forcefully with intense passion.
He rested his forehead on Carlisle's.
"Thank you, Carlisle."
Carlisle sighed with relief.
"You are most welcome, Love."
Carlisle recaptured Edward's mouth, pouring his desire and need into the kiss. Edward moaned, pressing himself firmly against Carlisle, feeling spikes of pleasure as their hard lengths rubbed firmly against each other through their trousers.
Carlisle pushed off the wall and grabbed Edward around the waist.
Let's go christen your new office.
~*.*~