(A/N: I decided to make Carlisle tell Bella the whole truth. It will make things easier for them.)

Bella's POV

I watched as Carlisle pondered deeply over his thoughts. He looked as if he was trying to make an important decision about something.

Finally, he nodded to himself. I rose an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sorry, Bella. I was just wondering about how to answer you," he explained.

"Oh. Well...?" I prodded him.

He exhaled deeply. "I have something very important to tell you. I had not planned to so soon, but since I had kissed you, I may as well. It will make things easier for us in the long run."

I motioned for him to continue.

"To answer your question...yes. I do have feelings for you. I have had them since I first laid eyes on you in that paint shop."

My mouth fell in shock and awe. I could not believe what he said! "W-What? R-Really?"

Carlisle bobbed his head solemnly. "Yes, really. It almost surprised me when I noticed this. I have told you that I never had feelings for anyone before."

"Yeah."

For a moment, I was quiet. Then I decided to tell him the truth about something.

"To be honest, Carlisle...I have feelings for you too. It started off as a crush, but then it became deeper within a few days. I have no idea why it has. But then again, I don't know if this is what's suppose to happen. I never had anything more than a crush on anybody," I admitted.

He pursed his lips. "I understand what you mean. But yes...this is suppose to happen. Alice told me so on the day that I met you and took you in. She also gave me the reason why this is meant to be. It was flooring, to say the least," he remarked.

"Is it the very important thing that you have to tell me about?"

"Yes, it is."

"Ah. Well, hit me with it. You said that it would be better if you told me this very important thing."

Carlisle ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know how you are going to take this, Bella. I told you that I was was floored by it, but I don't know how you will feel. All I can promise you is that it is going to change everything for you. It already has for me," he pointed out.

I nodded in understanding. "Well, tell me what it is," I said.

He lay his hand on mine. "Isabella...you are my soul mate. That is why we feel the way that we do for each other. Alice found out that we were after I had saved you."

All I could do was stare at him. "I am...I am your soul mate?!" I gasped.

With a bright smile, he responded, "Yes, you are. I cannot deny it."

I placed my head in my hands, trying to wrap my brain around this. I could not believe that we were soul mates!

But somehow, I knew in my heart that he was. I knew.

Now I understood why I was drawn to him from the second I laid my eyes on him, like Carlisle said happened when vampires met their soul mate.

Oh, this explained everything! Everything was all so apparent now! My infatuation and obsession with him. The electric that charged through my skin when his came in contact with mine. The fact that he was the only one who truly understood me. Why I understood him. Why Carlisle spoiled me. Why I could not refuse him, no matter how much I disagreed with him. Why I wanted to be around him all of the time. Why I shared his moods, no matter what they were. Be it happy, sad, or angry. Why I was closer to him than anyone else in the family.

That Carlisle was my soul mate was the reason why Alice sent him to save me. This was the reason why I was so important to our family.

So Carlisle knew it. He knew that I was his true other half! Everyone did. It was no wonder that "it was too personal to discuss" whether he found his soul mate. He thought that I was not ready to know. Not yet, anyway.

Well, this clarified why he never grew tired of me. If I wasn't his mate, he would have definitely thought that I was irritating. He truly did like me to be around him.

And the presents! This explained why he said that he would give me the "whole wide world."

And...oh my God! This meant that I would also be his children's new adoptive mother!

Realizing all of this made me feel overwhelmed with amazement.

Carlisle was my soul mate! This really did change things for me!

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" I heard Carlisle query, interrupting my thoughts.

"Y-Yeah. This really is flooring, that's all," I murmured.

He chuckled. "Well, you cannot say that I did not warn you."

I had to laugh. "True, you did."

Then we were quiet, both of us mulling over this.

I turn to look at him a while later. "So, what is going to happen now? As far as our relationship is concerned, I mean?" I inquired.

Carlisle stroked my hair. "We will move at a pace that is comfortable for us. Once our relationship has gotten stronger, we will eventually have to consummate our bond. However, we are not going to worry about that yet. From now until then, we can date each other and continue our relationship. We won't let anyone that I know to find out that we are together, though. It could draw unnecessary attention to me because of how old they believe I am," he stated.

We are together. That sounded perfect...

"No, we don't want that at all," I agreed. Then I added, "I can't even express how happy I am to know that you are my soul mate. You are a very good person, Carlisle. Plus you are intelligent, mature, kind, adorable, and generous. And you have looks that any man would kill to have. Not to mention that most women would desire to be with you because of them. I'm glad that I won't need to censor my thoughts about you, or keep myself from showing you how I feel about you anymore."

He nodded. "I am too. The only reason why I was barely able to contain myself around you is because I did not believe that you were ready to know that you are my true other half. But as I told you minutes ago, it was necessary for you to after I kissed you."

"I understand. But I don't want you to feel sorry for telling me that I am, or for kissing me."

"You have no need to worry about that. I'm not sorry for kissing you anymore. I liked it myself."

"That's a relief. I wouldn't want you to think that it was horrible."

"I would never think that it is when it was you I kissed, Isabella."

My cheeks tingled as I bowed my head and smiled. It was going to be some time before I would be used to him calling me that.

For a while, I rubbed his arm as Carlisle did the same. I looked up at him and he grinned. I smiled back.

I rose my hand and laid it on his cheek. I did not know why I did it, but I felt the need to. He didn't appear to mind it, though. In fact, he leaned into my touch and kissed my palm. I caressed his face and hair.

"Carlisle?" I murmured.

"Mmm?" he whispered.

I found myself reddening again. "Please...kiss me again?"

He was doing just that in the blink of an eye. He also drew me closer to him.

The kiss was passionate as he held me. A second later, he ran his tongue along my lips. I was thrown off by this at first, but I quickly recovered. I opened my mouth a little, and he slid his tongue into it. We moaned as it clashed with mine.

Carlisle's POV

Oh God, my Isabella tasted so sweet. But I expected nothing less than that.

I explored her mouth slowly, taking my time. Isabella did the same with me, tiny groans of approval escaping her. I was pleased that she liked how I tasted.

I moved away so that she could breathe a few minutes later. She grinned when there was enough air in her lungs.

"That was quite a kiss," Isabella commented.

"Yes, it was," I agreed.

She ran a finger along the couch. "Did you really mean it when you said that we are together?"

I nodded. "I did. And we may as well be. We are meant to be, after all."

"Well, yeah. That's true."

Frowning a little, I inquired, "Do you want us to start our relationship now? If you prefer to wait, I understand."

"No...we can start it now. I don't mind. There is no reason to put it off if we are soul mates."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Are you certain? We don't have to if you feel that we should wait..."

She lifted her hand and shook it. "I mean it. I do want to be with you now. We can just take it slow and let it keep building from there."

"That sounds more than fair and reasonable. Now there are some things that I have to tell you before we proceed."

Isabella indicated for me to do so.

"All right. First, you and I are both new to dating. That being said, forgive me if I don't do as well as you'd like in the beginning," I remarked.

"Don't worry. I know that you will do great for the most part. But I understand what you mean. And forgive me for the same," she added.

With a nod, I smiled. "I will. The next thing is, vampires and humans tend to get very jealous when somebody flirts with their mate. This is a warning so that you understand what is happening if the situation arises," I admonished.

She pursed her lips. "I will do my best to handle myself."

I rubbed her hand. "Good. And I will also do the same. One more thing...I do not expect you to slip into the role of being a mother anytime soon. But I will make sure that the children give you the respect that I expect them to give me."

She bobbed her head. "That's good. Everything sounds pretty straightforward. I just hope that we won't have to deal with too much craziness."

"I pray that we won't either, but we will try to make things go as normally as possible. By the way, you should finish your ice cream. It's melting."

Isabella started and looked at the bowl in her hand. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about it."

"No one would blame you for that after what I had just revealed to you."

"You're right about that."

I kissed her one more time before she ate her ice cream. None of us did much after that. We just remained there and silently enjoyed each other's presence.

XXX

(The following week)

Schools reopened that Wednesday. Isabella had received her transfer documents from Clearview on Tuesday, but everything wasn't situated until Friday. Luckily, she was able to begin school at Oakland High on the following Monday. Her new state ID arrived in the mail early too.

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie took her shopping to buy new clothes for school on Saturday evening. I heard her try to explain that she didn't need any more than she had already, but they pleaded with her to let them. She gave in after a while.

"Fine. Just don't expect me to buy anything too revealing," Isabella stated.

"Don't you want to look really nice for Carlisle?" Alice inquired.

Everyone in the house already knew that we were dating.

"Yes, of course I do. What I meant was that I don't mind wearing revealing clothes, as long as they don't reveal too much," Isabella pointed out.

"We understand," Rosalie said. "You aren't the type to wear clothes that are too revealing anyway. Close-fitting will do."

When Isabella came to tell me that they were going to the mall, I lent her a wallet. "It has five hundreds dollars in it, plus a few credit cards in case you spend all of the money. Feel free to go nuts," I smiled.

"No, I can't take this! It's too much!" she exclaimed.

I waved my hand. "Nonsense. You should see how much the girls spend altogether."

They were gone for three hours. When Isabella returned, she had about ten shirts, five jeans, seven dresses, eight skirts, and four pairs of shoes.

Isabella and I spent a lot of time together during the week. I sat with her at mealtimes and cooked for her. I also found things for us to do. I took her to see a film that she had desired to watch. I knew a secluded place near the house where we could take walks and make out after sunset. With each passing day, I felt our bond grow little by little.

I loved being with Isabella. And she always made it known that she loved to be with me too.

XXX

Bella's POV

(Monday morning)

I was out of bed and in the shower before dawn. I wanted to arrive at my new school before eight thirty. Since Alice begged me to let her curl my hair and pick my outfit, I set the alarm at five o'clock.

Within ten minutes, I had finished washing up. Alice was sitting on the bed waiting for me. The curlers that she had planned to use were already beginning to smoke.

"Good morning, Bella! Are you excited?" she inquired.

"Not particularly," I grumbled. There was nothing I hated more than being a new student. I trembled as I remembered how shy I had been when I started first grade in the middle of the school year, after I had moved to New York City from California.

Alice smiled. "Well, I'm sure that everything will go fine. Come over here. If I'm quick, I can finish doing your hair before six fifteen or six thirty."

I perched on the bed and Alice started to comb and brush my hair. She sectioned it into different parts before curling it.

By six twenty-five, she was finished. "What do you think?" she queried, turning me around so that I faced the mirror on my dresser.

Somehow she had managed to style my hair in corkscrew curls. How did she do it? "It's good. I like it," I responded.

"Thanks. Okay, now for your clothes." She rummaged in my drawer for a minute. "Aha!" she proclaimed, taking out a hot-pink t-shirt with five buttons lining downwards from the collar and navy-blue jeans. She also went into my closet and pulled out a white jacket with fur on the sleeves and collar. "Here, wear these. You're going to be the best-dressed girl in school!"

"I'm going to school to learn, Alice, not overthrow people with your fashion sense," I remarked with a chuckle.

Once I had put on my clothes, I went to the kitchen. Carlisle was sitting there with a stack of paperwork.

He glanced at me. "Good morning, Bella. How are you today?"

"I'm alright, thanks. What about you? Did everything go okay at work?"

"Yes, everything went well, and I am fine. Thank you."

Carlisle went to the stove and fixed me a bowl of oatmeal. Then he placed it in front of me with a glass of milk.

I grinned. "Thanks."

He pecked my lips. "You are quite welcome."

I ate my breakfast in silence. He continued on with his work, so I tried to eat as quietly as possible.

When I was halfway through my breakfast, he spoke. "You must be nervous, starting at a new school all over again," he noted.

"Yeah. I hate being the new student," I sighed deeply.

"I am sure that nothing will go wrong. Besides, I know that you must be a smart student. You will be all right. And there may be other children there who will be new as well, after...after what happened two weeks ago," he concluded morosely.

A lump rose in my throat, and I had to swallow a sob that threatened to escape through my lips. "Mmm," I grunted while trying to prevent myself from bursting into tears.

Carlisle reached over and took my hand. "I apologize for saying that. I understand that it is still a very tender subject for you. Don't cry, my dear. I did not intend upset you."

I sniffed. "I know that you didn't, but I can't help it sometimes. I miss my Mom and Charlie and Phil so much."

He patted my arm gently. "I know, sweetheart. Believe me, I do. If they are alive, I'm sure that they miss you too, and are wondering if you are okay. I am quite certain that they would be happy if they knew that you are being well taken care of. And they would be excited knowing that you're going to a new school."

I did not comment on this.

In no time at all, I was done and heading for my room to get my backpack. I checked to make sure that everything was in it before putting on my jacket. I peered at the clock. It was 7:25. I put my book bag on and left the room.

"You certainly are ready to go," Carlisle observed. "Do you have everything that you need, including your keys and your lunch money?"

I nodded.

"Good. The school isn't far, only eight blocks. It will take about ten or fifteen minutes to get there," he added.

"All right. Which way do I go?"

"Just make a right when you leave the house. Then make a left and keep going in that direction. The school won't be hard to find; it takes up the whole block. When you get there, make sure that you go to the main office. It's on the first floor, room 114A. You have to get your class roster."

Then he embraced me tightly. "Good luck on your first day. Be careful and don't forget to enjoy yourself a little," he whispered, kissing me deeply.

I hugged him in return. "I'll try to, Carlisle. Good-bye," I breathed.

He rubbed my back. "Good-bye, my dear."

After shouting a good-bye to everyone else, I left the mansion.

Carlisle's POV

When Bella had left, I couldn't help but feel worried about her. From what she had told me once, she was normally very shy about meeting new people. Would she be all right? How would she get along in school, especially if the students learned that she was a part of my family?

None of my children had never mixed or mingled with anyone at Oakland, or any other school, preferring to keep to themselves for reasons only known to us.

This had obviously broken an unspoken law among their classmates. Even though it didn't hurt them after a while-and at first it did, when they had to go to school at the beginning of their vampire years-my children revealed to me that they faced a substantial amount of ridicule. Sometimes, when things were going really bad, it took everything in their power-well, mainly Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie's because they had quicker fuses than the others-to keep them from getting into an argument, fight, or both.

Knowing this, I could barely repress a shiver, and I felt more uneasy. I hoped that none of the students would treat Bella too unfairly. If they did not know my children, they could learn about them simply by listening to all of the gossip (and not to mention lies.) I knew that Bella could be one tough cookie, but her emotions had been quite fragile lately, and understandably so. I didn't want her to get hurt. But perhaps she will be fine.

I would never know until I found out later this afternoon.

Bella's POV

By 7:48 I had arrived at the school. I took a deep breath before opening the door. Here goes nothing, I thought.

I stepped inside the building and gazed at my surroundings. There was not much to see except for a corridor full of gray metal lockers lined up on either side, save for the entrances to classrooms. A good number of students were in hall, putting their belongings in their lockers or talking and laughing.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, I bowed my head and made my way down the corridor, searching for room 114A. I located it without a problem. It was just around the corner at the right end of the hallway.

I entered the office and strolled up to the front desk. The lady behind it, who appeared to be around Carlisle's age, looked up when I had cleared my throat.

"Hello. May I help you with something?" she greeted enthusiastically with a bright smile.

"Um, yeah. I'm a new student here. My name is Isabella Swan. I came to pick up my schedule," I stated timidly.

Recognition lit up in the woman's eyes. "Oh yes, that's right. Hold on, I have it right here."

After shuffling through a stack of papers, she pulled one out and gave it to me along with a yellow slip. "Were you in Advanced placement at Clearview?" She had apparently read my schedule.

"Yes."

"Well, that explains your roster. There you go, and your locker number and code is on the yellow paper. Enjoy the rest of your day. Oh, and by the way, I am Miss Valentina."

I inclined my head. "Nice to meet you, and thanks."

I scanned the roster as I headed for my locker. Yep, I had the same classes, but in a different order. I had Physics first, then Algebra II and World History II. Followed by those classes was lunch, and after that, I had Spanish II and English/Language Arts. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I would have Gym instead of Spanish.

Once I had checked to make sure that I could open my locker, I put two notebooks in it that were set aside for English and Spanish. I wouldn't need them right away. I didn't put my jacket in my locker, in case they turned on the air conditioners.

My Physics class was on the second floor, Room 208. The teacher wasn't there yet, but a few students were. They frowned in curiosity, eyeing me with interest.

"Nice outfit," one of them commented. She was a girl with red hair, gray eyes, and a thin nose.

I smiled weakly. "Thanks," I muttered, looking around for a place to sit. I chose a double-desk in the back of the room and pulled out a book to read until class began.

Over the next several minutes, more people arrived. I didn't pay attention to them, but I had a good feeling that they were wondering who I was.

Finally the teacher, Dr. Hendrix, lumbered into the classroom. "Hello, everybody," he announced. "We have a new student joining us today."

Oh, no, I thought.

He grabbed a couple of books from a shelf, then he took a paper out of his desk. He picked up a roll sheet and squinted at it. "Can Isabella Swan come up to the front of the room, please?"

My face grew hot as I did so.

He beamed at me. "Good morning. I'm Dr. Hendrix, your Chemistry teacher. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"You too, and I prefer to be called Bella," I remarked. I may have been feeling nervous, but I was determined to make myself clear in regards to using my name.

"Oh, okay. Everyone, this is Bella Swan," Mr. Hendrix declared. "Please make her feel welcome and help her out with anything that she may need." He turned to us. "Now, here are the books that we will be using for the remainder of the year, and a syllabus. Don't lose your textbook, please. Otherwise, you'll have to pay $150 for a new one."

"Yes, sir," I mumbled before heading back to my desk as fast as I could. I didn't want to be under any more scrutiny than necessary, and I hated Mr. Hendrix for introducing me to the whole class. Besides, it was evident that I stood out; no one else in the room was wearing ridiculously expensive clothes. Damn it! Why didn't I buy some plainer-looking outfits?!

The rest of the morning went by sluggishly. Nothing major happened during the rest of my classes.

My Algebra II teacher, Mr. Robertson, and my history teacher Mrs. Davies were kind. I especially liked Mrs. Davies. She had a good sense of humor. I was grateful that neither of them chose to introduce me to my classmates.

I had pizza and salad for lunch. I sat by myself; no one had volunteered to join me. Then again, I did not expect anyone to.

Señorita Ordóñez was one of the most boring teachers I ever had. I supposed that she wouldn't be, if she didn't speak in a monotone voice. On the plus side, I would only have her for three days out of the week. However, I was certain that I was going to ace the class in spite of her, which goes without saying.

Mr. Lawrence, my English instructor, was okay-neither good nor bad. There wasn't much to say about him.

It turned out that we were reading the same book-Night, by Elie Wiesel-just like the twelfth graders were in Clearview. We would also be reading Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and To Kill a Mockingbird. I had bought them already, which saved me the trouble of going shopping.

Finally, the school day was over. It was a good day, on the whole. At least I hadn't been bothered by anyone. I had a small pile of homework from my Algebra, History, and Spanish classes. For English, I had to read chapters two to four of Night, plus fill out a worksheet. That would be a doozie. As I had mentioned before, I had read the entire novel already. I would wait to do my Spanish homework, since I didn't have that class tomorrow, but I liked to finish all of my homework on the same day that I had received it. If I had time to do so, that is.

After leaving Oakland, I headed home. Many of the other students took a bus or drove, but those who lived nearby like I did were walking, just as I was.

Carlisle's POV

Fifteen minutes later

I was watching television in the living room with the kids when I heard Isabella approaching. We turned as she entered the house and stepped into the room. Her expression was calm; she must have had a better day than I had feared. I sighed in relief.

"Hello, my dear," I announced, getting out of my chair. "Did everything go well on your first day of school?"

Isabella embraced me. "Yes, it went fine," she replied.

I kissed her. "Did you make any new friends?"

"No, not yet. But maybe I will soon."

Then she greeted everyone else before saying, "Well, I'm going to do my homework," she stated.

I nodded. "Certainly. Oh, and I left a couple of gifts for you in your room," I proclaimed.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smirk. "More presents? You didn't need to get me any, you know. Half of the presents that you give me are really unnecessary; I can't do anything with them, and I don't know what I'm going to do with them either. Why do you buy me so much stuff?"

"Because you are a genuinely kind, sweet, selfless person who deserves the best in life, that's why," I murmured, tapping her nose. "And even if you can't use half of your presents for anything, they are simply there for you to enjoy and take delight in."

Flushing pink, Isabella whispered, "Oh alright, if you say so, but..."

"Ah-ah. No buts." I wagged my finger.

"Whatever you say."

I gestured in the direction of her bedroom. "You may go and see your presents."

Bella's POV

Just as I turned to leave, a news bulletin appeared on the TV screen.

"It has been more than a week since the terrorists have attacked the Twin Towers," a male news anchor declared. "While many people had been killed in the plane collisions and the collapses, several have been found alive in the rubble. A few of them, miraculously, have no serious injuries..."

The only thing that I could do was stare at the TV. There were people who survived the collapses? I almost didn't believe it!

Could it have been even marginally possible that Mom or Charlie or Phil were alive as well? If they were, that would be so wonderful! I missed them so much, and I would be beyond happy if I were to find out that they had not been killed at all.

For the first time in what seemed like years, I felt a glimmer of hope.

Carlisle laid a hand on my shoulder. "Isabella? Are you feeling okay?" he queried.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how amazing that it is that people had lived even though a tower practically fell on them," I nearly whispered.

"Ohhh, I understand. And it is a miracle," he agreed.

I bit my lip. "Do..do you think that my parents and stepfather may have survived as well?"

Everyone looked thoughtful.

Carlisle pondered on my question too. Then he sighed deeply. "I won't lie to you, sweetheart. I highly doubt that they had...but perhaps they did. If other people had, then there is a chance that they may have also."

"Do you think that we could look for them? If they had been found, and they are alive, maybe they could be in a hospital somewhere."

He pecked my lips. "Yes, we could, if that is what you wish. I can call every hospital in Manhattan and see if I can locate them."

"And we can all help," Esme volunteered.

"Yeah," Jasper added.

"We certainly can," Rosalie announced.

Alice, Edward, and Emmett nodded.

I smiled. "Thanks Carlisle, everybody."

Carlisle hugged me. "It isn't likely that...things will turn out all right. But don't give up hope, Isabella. Don't give up on hope," he murmured.

(A/N: PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! Do you like how everything went? What do you think of how Bella and Carlisle's relationship is going so far?

I apologize for not updating in a while. I have been busy during my summer semester and the beginning of this one. But here is the chapter!

Please do not forget to pray for and pay your respects to those who had lived and died 13 years ago today. And please do not orget to do the same for their grieving families and friends. God bless them.)