Hello my favorite readers!!! I am beyond sorry that this chapter took so long… it was a very very intense and challenging to write and then beta-ing took time and so on… My most sincere apologies…

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing every word.

So without further adieu… this is

An Angel In Hell

Chapter 9

Time is merely a figment of society,

it is change that makes us notice the passing.

Carlisle's POV

The way she cradled his head in her lap and brushed his brown hair through with her fingers, the way her musical voice sounded as she whispered consoling words and apologies, the way her eyes were soft at the edges when she cringed and watched him scream, the way once in a while a brief smile would grace his young face before dissolving back into suffering. While this was the last thing I expected, something that had never crossed my mind, there it was blatantly apparent and undeniable. Isabella was indeed falling for this boy.

Again he screamed, and she hugged him a little closer to herself, "shhhh, Edward, it will be okay, I am right here, I promise it will be okay," she traced her delicate finger over his cheek as I watched from the doorway.

"Isabella?" I whispered and she jumped in surprise. I smiled a little as I saw her shyly turn, "My apologies for startling you, I just wanted to ask and make sure you did not want to hunt before he woke." I watched her completely black eyes sweep over his body, concern written over every inch of her gentle face.

"I'll watch over him," I noted, slowly she looked back up at me as if she needed to know that I was not making a joke. "I swear," I took a step closer and held out a hand, "come, you must hunt soon, better now than after. You can help him more." I nodded reassuringly and kept my hand reaching out.

She ran her fingers down the length of his neck paused then continued down over his bare shoulders where marble muscle was visible now, down his arm and to his wrist where again she paused; she gave extra attention to the places where I had bitten him to make the venom move fastest.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I will return as soon as I can." And with grace and speed she was beside me holding my one hand in both of hers. "Tell him I will be back soon if he screams." Her eyes pleaded looking back and forth to each of mine. "Please Carlisle?"

I nodded "Of course," and smiled lightly, gently prodding her out of the room. Reassured she glanced at him once more as he lay on the bed looking vulnerable and wrong without her beside him. When I turned back she was gone.

Slowly I walked to the side of the bed and placed my hand on the boy's shoulder.

"She cares for you very much, Edward." I could have sworn he smiled for a moment before he curled into a ball trembling as the venom continued pulsing through his veins. "She will be back soon," I said as instructed. And strangely enough the words seemed to comfort him.

I sat next to the bed in a reading chair for an hour, repeating the words Bella had instructed before I heard the delightful sound of little bare feet running soundlessly up the stairs.

"Cailien," I acknowledged when I knew she was in the doorway.

She giggled a little, "Hullo Carlisle," a pause. "Where's Isabella?" She sounded worried so instinctively I turned.

"She is hunting my dear. Is something wrong?" Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

She looked down at the floor and tried for a nonchalant tone as she responded. "No, I just didn't think she would leave him."

"She had to go hunting for at least a bit, it has been far too long," still her expression was twisted in genuine confusion. "Cailien? What's the matter? She will be back soon." I tried to reassure her but instead she looked up at me through her child's face and asked a question.

"Did she ever leave me?" Her inquiry surprised me. I ran over the days when Cailien was changing and found that I didn't remember one instance when Isabella left the little girl's side. What connection could she be making? My mind asked as I watched her trace her foot along an invisible path on the floor.

"No, I don't believe she did actually." I stared curiously at her and watched her expression change slightly into one of relief and decision. I was missing something. "Why my darling?"

Her eyes met mine and I realized at that moment exactly what she was thinking, "No reason," she lied and started walking toward the bed.

"Cailien," I said slowly, her stunning face turned to mine slowly as she realized I had caught her lie. "Why were you thinking about this?"

"I just…" she trailed off looking back at Edward, she reached her small hand out and brushed his hair from his forehead. "I just didn't want…" Again she stopped mid-sentence.

"Edward to replace you," I finished for her. She looked back at me her eyes were the depiction of hope and sadness. I could easily imagine tears dripping down. "Isabella adores you very much Cailien. Edward won't change that." She looked back at him as he screamed and crawled onto the bed next to him.

"She loves him." Her small voice whispered, under toned by his screams. I didn't respond because I wasn't positive if she had meant for me to hear, and was quieted further by the fact that she to had noticed the connection.

Suddenly I heard the front door close and another murmur of feet barely grazing the floor as Isabella flew up the stairs. She entered the room and went straight to the side of the bed. It wasn't until she was climbing up that she even noticed Cailien, who had moved to the foot of the bed watching Edward's every move. Bella smiled at her for a moment then turned her entire attention to Edward who started whimpering louder in pain.

Her hands grazed his hardening muscles, and she let his head rest again in her lap. Immediately he curled up closer to her. When I looked back at Cailien her body was quivering, her bottom lip curled into her mouth and her eyes turned into heartbreaking pools of unhappiness.

I traced her every motion with my eyes as she silently climbed off of the too tall bed and tripped as she ran out of the room holding back sobs. I went after her not acknowledging my leaving to Bella. Outside I could feel the drop in temperature although it didn't affect me. I followed Cailien's footsteps flinching at her miserable cries.

Bella's POV

I registered that Carlisle left the room and yet couldn't seem to make my thoughts encompass anything further. Not with Edward here, for some reason it felt necessary that I devote all of my attention to him, it was literally painful for me to watch him suffer so…and I didn't even know him.

Everything about this boy intrigued me, his scent, his perfect marble-smooth muscle, his rough voice, his mussed bronze hair, even his eyes. Sometimes his eyelashes would flutter and I would catch a glimpse of the changing color. At first there were just flecks of blood red in the shocking green background but now it seemed to be the other way around.

I let my fingers slip through his silky soft hair and brush the sides of his face, as I thought about the future ahead of him. He is forever damned to the life I am also. He will have to learn to take lesser lives in exchange for the greater. Or maybe he won't, my mind reminded me.

What if he didn't choose the path I had? What if he chose to take human life like our nature told us to? My mind reeled with possibilities.

"If only…" I couldn't finish the sentence I had whispered into the dark room. If only he could care for me somewhat, I would help him, my mind finished only to myself, where I knew it was safe to think such things.

I could no longer deny it. There was something about this boy, this man. It pulled me to him, made me feel as though he possessed me to the very core of my being. With every minute I spent with him, I realized how hard it would be to let go. I had never even talked to him, never kissed him, never danced with him, nor had he courted me, yet, I was infatuated with him.

I couldn't understand. I barely even knew him but I would've done anything to keep him safe, to make him happy, even if that meant I was not going to be able to be in his life.

"Edward." The word floated mindlessly from my lips, and as it did I felt him tense beside me. A hoarse groan came from him and he shook a bit. "It's aright Edward; I 'm here, wake up soon." I whispered to him and gently stroked his cheek.

"h-l" he mumbled painfully, barely loud enough for even me to hear.

"Hm?" I said leaning down so my face was only inches away from his. I scolded myself for not listening harder the first time. I could tell he was struggling to talk, but instead he crumpled into whimpers of pain. "It's alright," I whispered although in that moment I wanted more than anything to know what he said.

He screamed for what seemed like hours, loud enough for Carlisle to enter the room and tell me it was nearing the end. He thrashed on the bed and tried to tear at his chest. And all I could do was lay as close as I could and hold on tight, hoping that I was doing something right.

"Help!" he screamed out, my ears caught it perfectly this time. Carlisle again returned in the doorway as I felt the guilt build up in my heart.

"Talk to him, Bella." Carlisle voiced from the hallway. I peered desperately back at him, asking for help myself. "Tell him your name," he whispered, urging me on with a lift of his eyebrows.

"My name?" I asked, trying to understand. He nodded once and then retreated back into the house. Edward's body tensed suddenly into a ball trying to overcome the pain.

"Isabella Marie Cullen." I said hoping he could hear me over his own screams. "My name is Isabella Marie Swan Cullen." I had forgotten about my real father's last name and internally scolded myself.

For a second he quieted although his body still shook he didn't. I let my fingers slip through the slightly thicker gorgeous bronze hair that lay upon his head and tried to calm him.

"I was born in England in 1886 to Charlie Swan and Renee Parleai, but further than that I am not really sure who or where I am from. I am sorry, I wish I had more to tell." He had only let a few cries escape his as I talked so I tried to continue hoping it was some kind of comfort. "Carlisle Cullen is the man that helped you, he had to bite you or you would have died. He is an amazing doctor and adopted me as his sort of daughter when I was changed. You will adore him, everyone does, he is one of those sorts of people that you cannot help but want to be around, he is gentle and kind, and smart and knows almost everything and anything you ever would like to know."

I looked down at Edward who looked to be…sleeping?

I carefully crawled off of the bed scared beyond anything else that I would wake him and quietly walked to the dresser, picking up the candle that laid there and finding a match in the drawer. The light was dim but I could already see the room, I just hoped it would give him some comfort was he to wake. I turned a little too quickly and the flame went out, I scowled and turned back around quickly looking about for another match.

"Isabella?" I froze and slowly turned. His words were velvety smooth underneath the raspy sound that screaming had left in his throat. He was sitting up when our eyes met and my long dormant heart seemed to stir in my chest.

I couldn't find a word that best described him. He was beautiful. Angelic. Beyond anything I had ever seen. His blood red eyes seemed to search my soul. My lungs were past the ability to speak so I nodded and struggled for a smile. "Isabella?" he whispered again, and again I nodded.

"Y-yes," I managed to choke out, staring straight at him. Slowly I watched expression change; I had never seen something more amazing than the smile that graced his perfect face.

He shifted on the bed but I jumped from my stationary position and walked to his side instead. His expression changed a little as I walked towards him, our eyes never leaving each other's gaze. I reached the side of the bed and stood still as his hand very slowly reached out. It was shaking slightly as it brushed my cheek.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his fingers a little. He cradled my face in his palm and carefully stood up. I looked up at him and he looked like he was about to collapse into tears.

"Thank god." He cried and desperately pulled me into his chest wrapping his arms around me. "Thank god," he whispered over and over into my hair as he clung to me, making sure I was real.

When my body started to respond again my arms immediately wrapped around his strong torso, my cheek pressed into his chest, and my eyes shut tight not wanting to open and realize none of it was true.

I started doubting my view on this existence I was bound to. This was hell; every aspect of this existence is like living through a nightmare. However, how awful could Hell really be if you had an angel to live through it with you?

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