*I in no way shape or form, own these characters, or any rights to the unbelievable fortune that Stephenie Meyer is surely raking in due to the invention of these characters.

*Thanks to all of the very kind reviews and critical, that I have received. I love them all, for the encouragement, as well as the teaching. I love you all!

Chapter 4

Fresh Air and Sonnets

Carlisle raced toward Table Rock, feeling as if he had swallowed a load of coal. The thought of just seeing Esme twisted his gut, to the point of physical pain. As the rain turned to sleet and swept past his marble skin, he finally came within view of the flat, rocky outcrop, known to the locals as Table Rock. With his keen eyesight, he could see a lone figure standing near the edge, waiting for him. He slowed to a walk, thoughts swirling around in his head. He wondered what he would say, what she would say. As he approached, his soul ached, seeing her face again, once his dearest friend and lover.

"Thank you for coming, Carlisle." Esme put on her most dazzling smile. Carlisle instantly felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He soon found that he had nothing to say, which let the ball stay in Esme's court. She looked a bit flustered by his reaction to seeing her again, but she continued, with a voice as sweet as honey. "Carlisle, my darling, I have been so wrong. You know as well as I do that my heart was not in what I did." Still Carlisle said nothing, just fixed Esme with an even stare. She decided to change her tactic. "Please Carlisle, please forgive me." Her face had contorted into a portrait of exquisitely painted grief. She stepped forward to touch his face, but he stepped just outside of her reach. What was he doing standing here when he had promised Bella that he wouldn't leave her side. Suddenly, he knew his response to her question as the sleet made scouring sounds on the granite slab that they stood upon.

"Oh, I can forgive you for me, Esme." Her face suddenly looked overjoyed as she reached out to try and touch him once again, but he caught her hand before it could touch his face. He continued. "After seventy years of marriage, sure, people work through this kind of thing. But I can't forgive you for what you've done to Bella." Esme's smile froze on her face.

"Whatever do you mean? She and Edward just shared an infatuation, I'm sure that she'll be just fine in no time. You know how these high school crushes are." The truth hit Carlisle like a freight train. Esme was right. These kind of crushes do blow over, however it is the people that invade your soul and heart, who are always on your mind that are the one's that stick with you for eternity. It was in that moment that he realized that he cared so much more for the young human fighting for her life in his home, more deeply, than he had ever felt for Esme. Sure there had been passion for a time, but it quickly burnt out and all that they were left with was a deep friendship.

"You quite right again, Esme. However, you were my high school crush and as such, your actions have caused 'us' to just blow over. I'm over you."

Her face contorted. "But, Carlisle!" She sounded desperate.

"What's the matter, Esme? This twenty year long affair of the mind, recently turned affair of the flesh turned out to be as fleeting as Edward's devotion to Bella?" His words stung her and once again she fell to her knees. "Go find someone else to tell your sob story to, Esme. I'm done. There is someone in that house, fighting for her life because of your careless actions and now, now, I'm going to return home to her and see to it that she pulls through. I would much rather share her company than yours, so how do they say it these days? Piss off, Esme." Without a second thought, he left her there on her knees, in the sleet. Truly if it were just him, he could have taken her back and ignored her little indiscretion, but suddenly he realized that he felt more deeply for Bella, than he had ever felt for Esme and this perplexed him. As he ran toward home, all that he could think of, was getting showered and warm and dry, then climbing in next to the broken woman who had become an even closer companion to his own heart, than even those who had shared his life for a century.

Charlie arrived, pleased to see Bella calm and listening to Rosalie reading to her. Bella suddenly, in her own broken way, was happy to see her Dad as well. Before Charlie had left, Alice had asked to accompany him home and borrow a few of Bella's personal effects to make the room a bit homier for her at the Cullen's. Charlie of course thought that this was a wonderful idea, in a lighter mood, since Bella acknowledged his presence this evening.

Alice followed him home and was soon in Bella's room. She quickly canvassed her room for all reminders of Edward and collected them into a trash bag, then went to work finding more books to bring with her and other personal effects. As she scanned Bella's bookshelf, she began to see a fascination in eighteenth century literature. She pulled from the shelf, many works by the Bronte sisters, as well as a nice leather bound copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Finally she was surprised to see a work by Jane Austen that she had never read, herself. Sense and Sensibility. "Well." Alice thought to herself. "I guess that I will be catching up on some of my reading as well." She said with a bit of a smile. She thought that she had covered all of Jane Austen, but apparently not.

Taking a quilt, seemingly made of great old T Shirts from various tourist traps from across the country, she showed Charlie what she planned on bringing.

"Sure, sure. That quilt there, Bella's mom made for her. They used to travel all over and go to the craziest tourist traps, collecting T Shirts. She'll like that. As for the books, you are more than welcome. There's also some movies if you want to come back." Charlie blushed a bit, raking a hand through his hair.

"Oh, and Charlie?" Alice was all dazzlement, now."

"Yeah?" Charlie blushed even deeper at Alice's pixie charm.

"There's a few things that I was wondering if you would mind taking out to the trash?" Alice opened the bag. With one look at the pictures of Edward floating around, he smiled and laughed.

"I'll just follow you out with this and leave it out for them to pick up tomorrow morning. Say, I like the way that you think, Alice Cullen."

Alice giggled, shyly and gave Charlie a quick hug goodbye, leaving him smiling stupidly in his driveway as she pulled away in her yellow Porche.

Arriving home, she felt a bit of anxiety about how things had gone between Carlisle and Esme, but the sudden feeling of absolute peace that hit her as she walked in the door, halted her in her tracks. Managing a quick look at Jasper, he quirked an eyebrow at her and patted the seat next to him. She quickly floated over to him and leaned her head in to hear what he had to say.

"So Carlisle comes home, soaking wet, without Esme and was whistling like he had just been out for a hunt." Jasper was all smiles. Alice seemed perplexed. "So I follow him upstairs, feeling a sense of peace that I have never felt from him before and somehow, a deep seated reguard, let's just say. He showered, singing all the while, changed and went back in to take his place next to Bella." Alice raised her eyebrows at this. Trying to see into their future, all Alice could see was a copy of Sense and Sensibility. This confounded her. Quickly, she began digging through the box of books that she had brought and decided that she had to read this book. Giving Jasper a quick kiss, she excused herself.

"It seems that I have some reading to do, honey." Jasper flashed her a smile as Emmet was dragging him off to play another game of Halo Reach.

As Alice passed Bella's bedroom door, she stopped to look at the scene before her, thoughtfully. Bella, face still tear streaked, rested alert in Carlisle's arms as he read Wuthering Heights to her. "Oh, this is my favorite part." Bella's voice rang out, though hoarse. Carlisle smiled down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead, before continuing on with what was apparently Bella's favorite monologue from the story.

Carlisle's voice rang out with the deepest drama as was fitting the scene. Bella was caught up in his own features as the scene rang out with his beautiful voice.

'May she wake in torment!' he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. 'Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there—not in heaven—not perished—where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer—I repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you—haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!'

Bella sighed, contentedly and then Alice watched as she cuddled into Carlisle's chest as her eyelids began to flutter closed. Realizing that her breathing had changed, Alice felt as if she were spying on some intimate moment as Carlisle stopped reading and stared down at Bella's sleeping form. Suddenly, he quietly folded the book shut and set it aside, placed his freed up arm around her an bent his head to place a gentle kiss on each of her eyelids. Alice jumped back, not wanting to interrupt this most personal of moments. She put her hand to mouth and had to stifle a pixie giggle. Suddenly, she remembered her vision and looking down at the copy of Sense and Sensibility, she retreated to her room to devour her lost Jane Austen.

To Carlisle's delight, Bella managed to sleep through the night, with no nightmares. In the morning, she awoke and blushed as her stomach let a mighty growl. Pleased to hear that she was hungry, Carlisle insisted that he make breakfast for her, himself, while she took a few of her human moments.

With the help of Rosalie and Alice, Bella soaked in the most wonderful bath that she felt she ever had enjoyed. She relished the feeling of shaving her legs. Still wobbly, they helped her out of the tub, fresh and smelling of her usual and very own strawberry shampoo and conditioner, thanks to Alice's foresight to snag them while at Charlie's the night before. Wrapped in the towel, Bella suddenly froze at what Alice had laid out for her to wear.

"What is this? Where are my sweats?" Bella was blushing a deep red over a long, very modest, but silky, light blue nightgown.

"Your sweats are in the wash, Bella. I'll order some more for you if you love them so much, but don't fret yourself about that nightgown. Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother would have worn it.

"Only if she were some kind of Pariah!"

Rosalie couldn't stifle her laugh over the argument. Finally they got Bella to put on the nightgown and settled in bed, just in time for Carlisle to appear in the doorway with a very fancy tray. Fresh, hot buttered apple cinnamon muffins sat in a plate with a glass of orange juice, and even a camellia inside of a small vase, graced true. Alice elbowed Rosalie, who gave her a very strange look.

Bella met Carlisle with a smile as she propped herself up on her pillows.

"Now, there's my girl!" Carlisle was delighted to see her smiling. "Try Carlisle Cullen's very own apple cinnamon muffins."

"Carlisle," Bella blushed, "you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

"No problem at all, let's just see you keep it down, or it might just hurt my feelings." Carlisle gently lowered himself down next to Bella on the mattress and spread a napkin in her lap, taking just a sliver of a glimpse at her satin nighty.

It seemed that everyone in the house came to see if the resident human would keep her food down this morning. Bella took one bite, then two, and a sip of orange juice. Her eyes brightened. "Mmm, these are delicious. Thank you so much Carlisle." Carlisle seemed to be on cloud nine at Bella's compliment. Suddenly, it all came back to Alice. She had read Sense and Sensibility the night before. She tried not to let her overly romantic mind take over, but it was almost as if Edward had been Bella's wildly romantic and deeply passionate Willoughby. Could it be that Carlisle was her Colonel Brandon? Alice decided to try and bump it in the right direction.

"Say, Carlisle. How about we reward Bella with some fresh air if she can keep breakfast down."

Carlisle looked curious. "How would you suggest that we reward her?" He definitely looked interested.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe since the rain has died down, that maybe we could wrap her up snug and warm and maybe you could read to her out of Shakespeare's Sonnets. I brought them from her house last night."

Carlisle looked at Bella thoughtfully. "Sonnets, huh? What would you say to that, Miss Swan?"

Bella blushed a bit, but played along, though she was week and her voice was soft. "Why Mr. Cullen, that sounds delightful."

"Sonnets it is then. But first, I want you to rest for a bit, it's still a bit chilly after that storm last night. Perhaps this afternoon." Bella seemed agreeable to this as she finished off half of the second muffin and washing it down with the orange juice.

"Wow, I feel much better, but eating made me sleepy." Bella was visibly getting tired with all of the exertion. Rosalie stepped forward and took the tray and napkin from her lap. Carlisle held out his arm, once again to her and she cuddled into his side and quickly drifted off to sleep.

As Alice watched Rose pass her in the doorway, Rosalie gave Alice the most slight of winks.

Charlie stopped by after work that afternoon and was overwhelmed with the changes in Bella. Carlisle made sure not to be sharing the bed with her, out of respect for Charlie, so Charlie sidled up next to his "Bells" and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She still looked so frail and she had lost weight, which was very apparent on her already slight frame, but Charlie was overjoyed to see her talking and hearing that she had eaten quite well at breakfast. After he and Bella said their goodbye's, Carlisle walked Charlie to the door.

"Now would it be asking too much, Chief Swan, if Bella continued to stay with us for a while? She is doing so much better, but I fear that she could easily slip backwards if we let her go too soon." Carlisle tried to be as delicate as possible.

"Well, how long were you wanting to stay, I mean, I have no complaints. She is obviously doing much better today, but I have my concerns about her returning to Forks High." Charlie confided this in Carlisle and Carlisle thought about it for a few moments.

"I think that I could offer a solution, if you are willing. Of course it's completely up to you, Charlie."

"I'm open to anything that you have to suggest right now, Carlisle. I owe my daughter's life and well being to you. What do you suggest?"

"Well, it may sound a bit strange, but let her stay here with us and complete her Senior year online. That way she could continue to recover, which to fully recover after the experience that she's had could take months. I can only imagine what trying to face friends at school might do to her delicate mental condition."

Charlie thought hard for a while, rubbing his chin as he considered. Finally he couldn't help but see the truth in Carlisle's suggestion. "Yes, I can see your point. But I would never want to impose upon your family." Charlie had his pride.

"Charlie, it is absolutely no imposition. Bella is a joy to have around and I would be more than happy to have her around the house. Jasper and Rosalie graduated last year and I'm sure that they would be a great help to her."

With this, the two men shook hands, Charlie, clasping Carlisle on the back. "Well, I can't thank you enough, Carlisle."

"Just don't be a stranger, Charlie, okay?"

Charlie nodded and headed out the door to his cruiser.

Though cloudy, the day seemed to be warming up to a brisk fifty seven degrees. Carlisle decided against bringing Bella outside, but instead opted to open her window and spread the quilt that her mom had made for her over the duvet, while he read sonnets to her. One in particular stuck out in his mind, his favorite that he looked forward to sharing with her.

That afternoon, Bella sat, watching Carlisle's face as he read Shakespeare's Sonnets to her. She felt herself being drawn in by the clear, crystal like sound of his voice and the honey color of his eyes as they changed with the emotion of each sonnet. She blushed just as she realized that she had been staring.

"And here, Bella, is my favorite sonnet. Shall I read it for you?" Bella nodded, smiling up at him and blushing yet again. Carlisle's beautiful voice began to read as Bella's mind took in the words.

"Ah, here it is. Number 116. Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved

Bella sighed as he finished reading. Her mind began to sweep over the meaning of the sonnet as she felt tears prick at her eyes, suddenly. It spoke of a love that doesn't demand one or the other to change who they are, but stands fast unto the very end. Suddenly Carlisle noticed Bella's tears and realized that now may have not been the best time to share that sonnet with her. He could have kicked himself.

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, he cuddled her in closer. "I'm sorry, Bella. I must have exhausted you. Rest, little one."

"You won't leave?" Bella's voice quivered with her emotion.

"Not until you order me away." That got a small smile out of Bella as once again, her exhaustion overtook her and she drifted off to sleep with Carlisle's scent surrounding her. It was becoming even more necessary to her ability to sleep, than even the sedative that he hadn't bothered giving her at all today. Carlisle watched her with a pained heart, after realizing what the sonnet must have reminded her of. It was a bit of a shock to him, that the sonnet reminded him of the way that she loved. Without reserve, for Edward, even unto death. The last thing that Carlisle thought before he reached to set the book down and turn off the lamp was what a fool Edward was to have overlooked just what he had in the palm of his hand.

*Exerbts from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare's Sonnet number 116.

So, let me know what you think. I love discussions.