Ugh- Sorry guys. This chapter is a lot shorter than I wanted. I hit the stopping point a lot sooner than I thought I would. Also, I'd like to thank all my reviewers! And just everyone who is reading and enjoying my story!

Chapter 7: Isabella Swan

They didn't hate her. Far from it, actually. Instead, they felt sorry for her. It was a pain sitting in the same room with them, listening to their thoughts about how sad, and unfortunate her imprint was. It wasn't that terrible. She had to admit that she probably started it— with her prior dramatic episode that involved: crying, wallowing in self pity and the excessive intake of chocolate.

She was okay with it now, or at least she was as okay as she could be. Carlisle was amazing. But then again, no wolf could ever despise their imprint; so of course she thought he was. The only problem was…he didn't even know about it. It had been over twenty-four hours since she imprinted, and that was the last time she saw him. The pain was there; the agony that was bubbling inside of her, like boiling water—ready to spill over. She felt like any moment now, she would implode. She needed to see him.

Their thoughts were getting louder: Poor, Dani. How is she ever going to face that bloodsucker? Can't believe she imprinted on a leech. How will they ever be together? She must feel so bad about it. Could be worse. At least he doesn't drink human blood.

Vampire this—vampire that. Dani had enough. "Okay!" She shouted, standing up, giving the whole pack a pointed glare,"This-" She gestured wildly with her arms, "needs to stop!" She let out a huff as she continued, "Right now." She finished firmly.

No one said anything after that. And that was probably because Dani didn't even give them the chance. She got up, gathering her things. She looked at them now, standing little straighter, shoving her nose in the air to retain some of her dignity. "I'm going to the hospital to clean out my locker"

"Your locker?" Jared asked, rolling his eyes, "Is that code for—I'm going talk to Carlisle—or something?"

"Oh, shut it." She scolded, swiping her keys off the table.

"Of, course it is." Embry laughed, "She only worked there for… like what?" He looked at Dani now, raising a brow, "Two weeks?"

"Yeah…so what could she possibly have in her locker?" Jared agreed, chuckling softly.

Dani twitched, her ears pounding; and undoubtedly red with anger. "I'm going—clean—out—my—damn locker!" She shouted through gritted teeth—briskly turning and stomping out of Emily's house, muttering expletives under her breath.

She bounded to her car, tossing her bag in the passenger seat before heading to the hospital. The drive was a rough one, because Dani was a nervous wreck. Her hands constantly threatened to slip off the steering wheel, and her body felt so numb; that she nearly lost her footing on the gas pedal. "Oh my gosh." She breathed, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Can you just calm down?" She asked herself. She turned on the radio, blaring the music full blast as she flew into the hospital parking lot. She took deep breaths, trying to relax. She was flustered, and the pack was partially to blame; however, Carlisle was too. Although her irritably wasn't because of Carlisle per se, but because of her lack of Carlisle.

She tapped both palms on the steering wheel, her eyes staring at the little horn embossment on the center. She took steady, even breaths, before forcing herself out of the car…before she changed her mind.

She walked towards the hospital entrance: Shoulders back, chest out, chin held high. She was oozing with confidence; that was until she actually walked through the door. She morphed back into a puddle of goop. She shook her hands out, wiggling her fingers to stop the sudden tingling. She rubbed her hands down her pant leg, before closing her eyes and taking a calming breath. She opened them slowly, then her feet began to move again, taking her to the locker room. Upon entering, she searched the room, thankful she was alone.

She quickly unlocked her locker, shocked that the combo hadn't changed. She didn't really need to clean it out, but she figured she should at least look legit, just in case Carlisle was creeping around the corner. Which he was. The moment she closed her locker, he was standing there, just behind the now shut door. Dani squeaked, nearly jumping out of her clothes.

"Jesus, Carlisle! You can't do that!" Her hand was on her chest, her eyes wide with fear. Although her fear dissipated at once, turning into relief. She felt better now, lighter. The taxing feeling that clouded over her vanished; However, despite the abated weight lifted, her throat still seemed to constrict and her heart still felt tight in her chest.

Carlisle chuckled, shaking his head in an apologetic manner, "I'm sorry, Dani. I caught your scent…or at least I assumed it was yours. So I followed it." He was staring at her now, trying to understand why... what was once a wet dog smell, was now over powered by the warm inviting fragrance of various wood, warm spice and lavender. "I'm surprised you didn't notice me here..." He said, coming out of his daze.

"I was…distracted." She told him honestly, knowing she would have normally smelt him there, although his scent was different. Before she actually saw him that night, he and Rosalie smelt like death and mold. But now, he smelt like sandalwood, vanilla and cedar. It was a pleasant smell, and she found herself wanting to lean closer to him. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was breathtakingly beautiful. His eyes were pure pools of butterscotch, warm and inviting. She felt her hand twitch, her desire to touch his face nearly unbearable.

He looked at her with a seriousness now, causing her throat to constrict and her heart to pound. "Dani…" He began, locking eyes with her, "How is everything? Since the change? I didn't get a chance to talk to you the other night…you seemed… otherwise engaged…"

Dani exhaled, giving him a quivery smile. "I'm sorry." she said softly, moving to sit down on a bench. Carlisle joined her, his eyes never leaving hers. "What was that all about? I was a little worried that you decided to give into your nature and hate me."

Dani shook her head, placing her hand gently on his forearm, however she removed it abruptly, afraid he'd somehow feel her need for him. "No…no…Carlisle. I could never hate you. I was just shocked you know…seeing vampires for the first time after my change. The smell…it just…it was a little overwhelming." She assured.

Carlisle cracked a smile, "Are you saying you were overwhelmed by our odor?" He was seemingly amused.

Dani laughed, shaking her head. "Yep. Pretty much." She bit her lower lip. She needed to tell him about the imprint, but she wasn't ready.

"I'm glad you phased…" He admitted softly, "I was worried about you. Humans knowing about our kind…it's dangerous…" He glanced away from her for a second, his mind drifting to the Volturi amongst all the other worries that seemed to plague his mind as of late. He looked at her again, his mind suddenly at ease and a comforting feeling bubbling inside him. "Have you had any contact with A.J.?" He asked, hating to destroy the mood with such a sour question.

Dani's chest heaved, her fist clenching, "Yes. He was at my house when I got home that night…"

Carlisle's eyes widened, anger flashing in their depths. "What? I'm sorry. If I would have known, I would have never let you-" Dani cut him off, shaking her head vigorously. "Carlisle. It's fine. He did try to hurt me…but Sam and Paul came. They sent him home. That's when I phased…" She said tersely.

Carlisle looked relieved. "Thank goodness." He uttered. Dani smiled at him, opening her mouth to speak but was rudely interrupted by the intercom.

"Doctor Cullen, please report to the X-ray, Doctor Cullen, please report to X-ray."

Dani grumbled, watching as Carlsile stood. He looked down at her, letting out a regretful sigh, "I'm sorry we must end this so soon, but I'm being summoned." He mused, offering his hand to help her up.

Dani stared at his smooth pale hand for a moment, before deciding against it. She stood on her own, refusing his help…afraid of her reaction to his touch.

Her rejection didn't seem to bother him, and if it did, he had a good way of hiding it. "Bye, Danielle. I'll see you around I suppose." He gave her a quick nod, leaving the locker room at once.

Dani watched him go, the heavy feeling falling over her again. She continuously sighed, trudging out the hospital and to her car.

As night descended, the moon and stars were entrancing above La Push. Not even a remnant of a cloud could be found, giving the ground a luminary glow. But it wasn't the glimmering halcyon sky that reflected in Dani's eyes; it was the bouncing flames from the bonfire. Dani sat close to Leah, watching the blazing wooded hearth. Despite the fact that the pack was being noisy and rambunctious, Dani felt like everything around her was mute, including herself. She never said a word since she arrived, and she wouldn't be sorry if she didn't for the rest of the night. Dani was despondent again, letting herself sink into her abode of misery.

They were waiting for Jacob's arrival, so they could start the council meeting. Dani wasn't quite sure if she was excited about the meeting—if that was even the proper term for it—they mostly just told Quileute tribe stories and berated vampires.

Dani heard tires plod through gravel, headlights abating the natural glow from the limpid sky and blazing fire. Dani squinted, watching two figures emerge from the vehicle. She couldn't make them out because of the intrusive haze of smoke, that left her with an opaque view. She assumed one was Jacob judging by the car.

He was with Bella. They were in sight now—Seth greeting them excitedly. Dani watched Bella closely, wondering if Billy knew Bella was coming. Although, Dani was sure Jacob would never have invited her without permission from Billy and Sam. Dani heartily wished Carlisle was sitting beside her now. She wondered if they would ever grant Carlisle the privilege to join a council meeting. Then again, vampires were sort of on the roast, and making him uncomfortable would be the last things she'd want. And her uncle Billy still didn't know about her imprint—she was terrified to tell him. Billy had a very strong disliking for the Cullen clan, and to find out his niece imprinted on the patriarch of the coven, would probably shake him up.

Dani was so caught up in her thoughts of Carlisle, she never noticed Jacob standing in front of her. "Dani, hey." He said, waving a hand in her face. Dani blinked rapidly, looking up at him, still dazed. "I'm sorry, Jake. What is it?"

"This is, Bella." He said, gesturing towards the slender brunette. Bella lifted a hand, waving awkwardly; however, smiling kindly. Dani smiled back at her, mirroring Bella's wave. "Yeah, I know." She studied Bella for a moment, giving her a once over, before meeting her chocolate gaze. "It's nice to finally meet you…because you know…it's always a little weird watching a girl's window at night, when you don't even know her." Dani said lamely.

Bella laughed, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear, "Yeah…I can imagine so…I'm glad it's less awkward for you now." She teased. Dani chuckled, shaking her head in agreement, "Totally…I feel so much better about it now. It's like this giant weight has been lifted."

"I'm glad I could help." Bella said, taking a seat next to Dani, with Jacob on the other side of Bella. He was grinning, this big giant goofy grin. The surprising chemistry between Dani and Bella obviously made him happy.

Dani never wanted to judge Bella—she didn't know her—but at the same time, there was something about her that bothered Dani. But after meeting her, all negative feelings ceased to exist. Dani liked Bella.

Bella held her hands out towards the flames, attempting to garner their heat, despite the fact that it was warm outside. But if anyone knew Bella, she loved warm things, which made her choice of boyfriend all the more ironic.

Bella finally looked at Dani, searching her face for assurance. She pursed her lips together then parted her mouth to speak, "Are you…the one who imprinted on Carlisle?" she asked in a whisper.

Dani was surprised by Bella's question. She couldn't give her a prompt answer, instead she looked at Jacob suspiciously; however, he just remained quiet. "How did you know about that?" she queried, her eyes demanding a response from Bella.

Bella took notice to Dani's intense gaze, guilt suddenly flooding over her. "I hope I wasn't too bold…I was just curious. I was just questioning in sheer concern for him-" She rambled.

"No, it's fine. But does…he know?" Dani felt all color drain from her face, her heart thumping heavily in her chest.

"No." Bella said quickly, shaking her head. "He doesn't know. Edward read Jacob's thoughts earlier today…that's how he knows…so he just mentioned it to me. He hasn't told him, I promise."

Dani let out a long sigh of relief, nodding thankfully. "Okay…I just want to be the one to tell him."

Bella smiled at her sympathetically. "I understand." She studied Dani's face gain, still unsure if she should talk about it. "Edward said Carlisle has been alone for a very long time. Edward's sister; Alice, has visions. She's never seen a mate in his future. He's so supportive of his family, never complains, and always goes out of his way for them…but Edward knows that even though he has family, he's still a little lonely…I hope that you two…could work something out." She confessed.

Dani gave her a quivered smile, nodding in agreement, "That sounds like Carlisle…" She said, her heart aching to see him.

"Work something out?" Jacob said, feeling a little on edge by the conversation. "He's a vampire, Bella…I don't see how she could want to be with one of those bloodsucking demons…no offense."

Dani shot Jacob a deadly glare, although Jacob wasn't even focused on her—his abhorring gaze was planted on Bella. She caught a whisper of his thoughts, frowning deeply. Jacob wasn't referring to Dani and Carlisle. He was talking about Edward and Bella. He only said that to invoke emotion from her, it was an attack on her relationship with Edward. He wanted her to feel guilty. She looked at Bella now—it worked. Bella was biting her lower lip, her brown eyes cast down.

"Jacob…shut up." Dani said suddenly, shooting daggers at him. "Love isn't prejudice, it's accepting and limitless. When a person truly loves someone, the preternaturalness of said person doesn't matter. And the disapproval from an outside source is irrelevant. And I'm afraid you are that outside source." She informed, her tone steely and cold. She exchanged a mutual glance with Bella; whom smiled in thanks.

Dani sympathized with Bella now. Dani was once that outside source—the one who couldn't understand. Dani wanted Bella to see that Jacob was the proper choice, that she was silly for loving a vampire. And because of the imprint, Dani now understood.

And it wasn't as if Jacob imprinted on Bella. She could explain this to him, try to make him understand; however, having a chat with a lamp post would prove to be easier. Dani loved her cousin, but she was worried about him. He was fighting a battle that he was sure to lose. He was breaking his own heart. Breaking his own heart… Dani's lips parted in realization, gasping quietly. Dani realized that all her misery— all her heart ache— was coming from herself. She was breaking her own heart. Control. She needed to take control, and tell Carlisle. The task wouldn't be easy. How do you tell someone that they're your soulmate?