Chapter 12: Conversation In The Woods.

Disclaimer & Story Warnings: The characters and the world of the TWILIGHT UNIVERSE belong to Stephenie Meyer's. The plot is mine. This story plot is rated MATURE. If you are not 18 years or older, this story is not for you. You have been warned!

"Bella," Carlisle said, not stepping closer. They had all heard every word from the deck, so he had waited until he felt Charlie was far enough away before running at vampire speed to join Bella by the river. After hearing Charlie state that it was for
Bella and him to discuss, Carlisle had quickly told Esme that he had his cell on him. He had every intention of keeping this conversation private and knew that to do so, he would have to take them further away from the house. "I don't know about you,
but I would rather we have some true privacy for this discussion we need to have. My family can hear us from here, so if you will agree, I can take us further into the forest so we have more privacy," he said, holding out his hand to her.

Bella didn't even hesitate but grasped his cold hand and stood up. "Privacy sounds like a good idea," she said, hoping he couldn't hear the nerves in her voice.

Carlisle stepped closer and surprised her when he lifted her into his arms, scooping her up with one arm under her knees and the other holding her securely to his chest. "I am going to run, and we run faster than you can imagine. So if speed bothers you
at all, just close your eyes and I will tell you when we stop, okay?" he asked, loving the feel of her in his arms. She put her own arms around his neck and held on tightly at his words.

"I'll go ahead and close my eyes to be on the safe side," she mumbled, and she closed them and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt him shift a bit but nothing else, so after a few moments she said quipped, "You can go now, I've braced myself."

Carlisle chuckled. "I'm already running," he replied with a smile.

Bella opened her eyes and then gasped and clung to him even tighter, seeing everything blur past her as he ran through the trees. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, and she closed her eyes against the sight, afraid that any second she would feel the pain of
a collision with a tree.

Carlisle smiled at the feeling of her arms tightening, though his heart lurched a bit at the idea that his speed was scaring her. "Don't worry—besides being incredibly fast, our eyesight and reflexes are so great that we would not hit a thing unless I
wanted us to—which of course I don't," he explained, hoping she would calm down a bit. After a few more minutes he came to another part of the river, further up in the mountains. "All right, I've stopped. This is a place I like to come and sit sometimes
for the peace and quiet," he said.

Bella peeked open one eye and then the other with relief when she realized they were no longer moving. "For future reference, I'm not a fan of the speed. Make sure I have my eyes closed if we do that again," She said, only partly joking. She lowered her
arms from his neck, thinking he was going to set her on her feet.

Carlisle didn't, though. Instead, he walked over the log he usually leaned back against and sat down on it, holding her firmly in his lap, not wanting to let her go.

Bella blushed when she realized he wasn't going to release her. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she settled her head back on his shoulder for a moment and just leaned into him while he held her close. "So," she said, after a few minutes of just
enjoying his presence. "You're a vampire," she stated simply.

He chuckled. "Yes, I am a vampire," he affirmed.

"My dad mentioned...he tried to tell me about vampires and mates, then he left to get you," she added, blushing yet again. She cursed that response. "He said this was something for you and me to discuss," she went on to say.

"I very much appreciate your father allowing me to talk to you regarding this situation," he replied carefully.

Bella lifted her head at the words "this situation". Not "this subject". She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"What your father explained about us and how we find our mates, all of it is true. What he left for me to tell you is that the moment I saw you come down those stairs that day Esme and I came to meet you, I felt that instinct, Bella." He moved his hand
to her cheek and smiled happily at her while her eyes widened a bit, staring back at him. "Now I know you don't feel exactly as I do. In fact, I have never heard of a vampire feeling the mating bond while their mate is still human, but I have witnessed
it many times in my years on this earth and I know from the depths of my soul that we are meant to be together," he said.

"So if I were to become one of you, I would feel as deeply as you do?" she asked, her voice breathy as the butterflies in her stomach stirred into a swarm. "Not to say I don't feel anything for you," she added, feeling her face go up in flames
once again. "I feel very attracted to you, to be honest, and it's confused me because I never thought a person could really like someone as much as I like you after just meeting them," she remarked lamely. She looked away from his intense gaze for
a second, hoping in the darkness he could not see her red face. Somehow she thought that if his eyesight was so great that he could fly through the forest without hitting anything, she was out of luck in hoping for that.

"I think that even as a human you feel the pull a bit, although yes, it would become much stronger if you were to become like me," he replied, turning her face to have her look back into his eyes. "Just know that I will not bite you without your permission.
You would only be turned if it is truly your wish, as your father said, Bella. I will never do anything to hurt you if I can help it," he said, leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers for a second. "You are my world now," he said quietly.

They both sat there for a few moments in this embrace, their foreheads together and their eyes closed, just enjoying the intimacy of the moment. Being together. "This is so unreal," Bella whispered. "If I wake up and it's all a dream I will be so pissed,"
she added, smiling when he chuckled. She looked up at him and they stared at each other for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her, pulling her into his arms even tighter.

After pulling away to let her breath,he said, "Yes this is a dream, but one that has come true, my Bella."

Bella smiled but her eyes betrayed the question that was bursting to come out of her. "You said you wouldn't bite me. Is that how it's done, how one becomes a vampire?" she asked.

Carlisle nodded. "That is just a part of it," he began. "The myths you've heard are not nearly the truth of what we are. We can walk in sunlight, though we choose not to because it would reveal who we are. Our skin sparkles like diamonds in the sun's
light; which is why we choose to live in a place that is so cloudy and rainy," he explained. "We never sleep, ever. So no coffins." He chuckled when she giggled at the idea, then grew serious once more. "We do feed off of blood. My family and another
like ours that lives up in Alaska are thought of as very strange among our kind for sustaining ourselves on animal blood alone. We have chosen not to kill humans, not to be the monsters we are capable of becoming. We chose instead to live among humans,
and we are happier for it. But this is something we have all worked extremely hard to achieve, Bella. I alone in my family have never killed a human. When we are first changed, especially for the first year, the bloodlust is so strong that it's nigh
impossible to resist human blood. We are like sharks in that way—when we smell fresh human blood it sends us into a frenzy if we don't have control over ourselves," he explained.

"Wow, so I'm in even more danger than I thought," she said, her face showing a look of mock horror. "You haven't even seen my medical files yet; I am the clumsiest person ever and have been hurt and bleeding so many times its not even funny!" she said,
raising her hands to her cheeks, clearly exaggerating her "fear".

Carlisle laughed. "My sweet Bella, as long as you are with me you are safe. I am a surgeon and the scent of blood does not affect me in such a way that I would pose a danger to you, even if you were not my mate," he said, cupping her cheek in his hand.
"But as my mate I should warn you that I will tend to be very protective of you, even without realizing it at times. I hope this will not bother you; it is a fact I felt you should know," he said.

"I think I would be protective of you, too, even though it would be of no help in the state I'm in," she replied, smiling lightly. "But back to the biting—you said there was more to it than just biting me?"

"We vampires have what we know as venom in us. We don't bleed, ever, because our bodies absorb all the blood for our nourishment. But we do produce venom. If...or when...I change you, I will bite, and on instinct I will push as much venom into you as
possible, into your bloodstream. The more venom that's inflicted, the less time it will take for the change to complete itself," he said. He dropped his gaze and looked at their twined hands in her lap. "You need to know, you need to prepare yourself
for this. When venom enters a human body it starts attacking human cells immediately, transforming them into vampire cells. The average change lasts for three days and it is...extremely painful. We've all described it as feeling like being on fire.
That is why if and when I change you, I will push as much venom as possible, so you won't have to experience the burn any longer than necessary. But when it is over you will no longer feel pain, and you will be nearly immortal," he said, looking at
her as she absorbed yet another facet of the life that awaited her.

She was quiet while she thought about it. Yes, she was a clumsy person, having hurt herself frequently in one way or another since she was a little girl. She was not a stranger to pain, but what he described seemed daunting. She'd burned her hand once
when she was teaching herself to cook mac and cheese. The doctors had said she was lucky they were able to use skin grafts to fix the palm of her left hand, and even luckier that as deep and horrible as that burn had been, she had retained some nerves
and could still feel with that hand. But the pain from that burn was one of the few incidents she had never forgotten. Can I do this? Can I face this kind of pain for days with no relief until it is over and my humanity is gone for good? she
thought. Then she looked up into his eyes. She knew she liked him. She felt the butterflies in her stomach swarm once again at the intense gaze he bestowed on her and knew that somehow, she would do this for him. For both of them. "Okay," she said,
her decision made. "I don't look forward to pain, never have. But it won't last forever, just a few days, and then we can be together," she said, her words quiet but firm.

Carlisle leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. When he leaned back he simply said, "Thank you, my Bella."

~{}~

"Do you think we should call them?" Charlie asked after nearly chugging his whole beer.

"I think they will be fine, Charlie. Knowing Carlisle, he is explaining all the details of what it would mean for her if she were changed. How it happens, what to expect. As much as he would want to, he will not sugar-coat the truth. He will tell her
about the pain of the transformation and make sure she knows it all so she can make the informed decision we all know she is likely to make," Esme said, laying her cold hand atop his on the table. She alone sat with Charlie on the deck while Billy,
Harry, Sam, and the others of her family all conversed down by the river, discussing the upcoming training of the wolves.

"I'm man enough to admit I'm scared for her, and for me," he said, his words a bit gruff though quiet. "I wonder if we can keep her here with us while Carlisle goes to meet Aro in Seattle, now that she knows," he pondered out loud.

"Charlie, if you had to go meet someone who was dangerous, would you leave her behind where you could not get to her quickly when you knew you could keep her safer if she was close?" Esme asked him.

"She will be safer the further she is from that Aro character, if you ask me. Why invite trouble by taking her with him to Seattle?" he asked her.

"Charlie, we have told you about Aro. Besides being a collector of talented vampires, he is himself talented. He is used to having power and abusing it as well. If he does not react well to what Carlisle tells him, Aro could act out against him just to
prove how powerful he is. If Aro manages to touch Carlisle and see his every thought, everything that has happened to him, Bella will become a target. Aro would likely send some of his guard to grab her and use her as leverage. But if Bella is with
Carlisle in the city and Aro sees she is guarded, he would not do that right in Carlisle's face. That is not his style. He is a strange vampire, Charlie. He is very capable of ruthless things, but Carlisle is a longtime friend regardless. Aro would
never do anything right in his face and risk alienating all of his 'friends'. Yes, the Volturi rule through fear, but they also try to maintain respect as well," she explained.

"None of that makes any sense," Charlie exclaimed, looking at her fiercely. "You say they are old friends and he wouldn't disrespect Carlisle to his face, but he would take advantage if Bella was not by Carlisle's side or close by?" he all but growled
at her.

"Charlie, if Carlisle were to leave her behind and Aro saw their connection through his touch, that would be like inviting him to come and take Bella. Like Carlisle was not protecting her as he would be expected to do for a mate. But with Bella there
it will be clear to Aro that she is precious to Carlisle and Aro would not dare overstep," Esme explained, hoping Charlie would understand.

"So keeping her close shows how much he cares for her," Charlie said, understanding at last.

"Yes," Esme replied.

Charlie was silent as he contemplated those words. "I still would rather I went to Seattle as well," he said.

"I know you would, but Edward and I will be watching over her while Carlisle meets with Aro. We will keep her safe and we will keep you informed of everything as it happens. The moment Aro is on his jet back to Italy I will let you know," she promised
him.

Charlie looked over at her amber eyes and for just a moment as he gazed into them, his anger bled away and in its place he felt a peace he hadn't felt in a long time. "Thank you, Esme," he said. He wanted to say more but he knew the others were in hearing
distance by the river. He promised himself he would get her alone sometime soon.

~{}~

"So my father sounded as if he would follow me into that life, if I chose it," Bella said suddenly out of the blue. They had been sitting for who knows how long, just being there in the moment, with her situated in Carlisle's lap, in his arms, her head
resting on his shoulder.

"When I realized what was going on, that I felt that pull towards you, I told Charlie immediately. Alice saw what was happening and called me with the excuse of an emergency at the hospital so I could talk to your father in private out front," Carlisle
told her honestly. "He drove Esme home, and after he vented his frustration at the situation she let him know that he would not have to fear losing his daughter to eternity. She told him he would be welcome among our family and we would turn him as
well if he chose it. So that he could stay with you," he explained.

Bella was quiet for a few moments, her eyebrows scrunching up a bit as something occurred to her. "Wait...I..." she began, scrambling up from his lap and striding a few feet away from him. "Alice told you all about this coming war years ago, before I
started seeing my father in Forks. Knowing him, he could have kept me from ever getting involved. I know my father—if he had known about all this, he would have cut me out of his life to keep me safe," she said, sounding so sure and so serious. "But
he didn't, he begged and convinced my mother to let me into his life, to let me visit. Alice had to have known, she had to have seen me here," she said, trying to get her thoughts straight. She turned around and eyed Carlisle seriously. "My moving
here—even though it was my idea, there was no point to it, was there? Did she know you would be pulled to me as a mate? Did she know—did my father know—that my plans for school…all of it…was pointless?" she asked, starting to feel angry.

Carlisle stood up and walked towards her, but when she took a step back to keep him at bay he did not touch her. With sadness in his voice he answered her questions as honestly as he could, knowing that was the only way for them to have a chance of moving
forward. "When we approached your father with the truth so he would know what was coming and could prepare himself for it, he was still in negotiations with your mother to have you come visit. Your father debated on that very fact of whether he should
bring you closer or push you away for your own safety. The point is that before all of this, Alice saw the Quileutes wiped out if they were left on their own. They would be discovered one way or another if they were not forewarned and allied with
us. She saw that if we came here and stood with them and recruited as many as we could to stand with us, it was our only chance. She said that if your father were to leave you alone in the world, him being allied with us would draw attention to you
regardless and you could be taken for leverage. Your best bet for survival would be with your father—with us," he said.

Before she could interrupt, he went on. "As far as our connection, I'm almost positive she saw that I would feel the pull, that I would find my mate in you." He walked forward and raised his hands slowly, sweeping her hair back away from her face and
cradling it carefully in his hands. "She never once told me what would happen. Edward may have known because he can read minds, but she never let it slip to me," he said, eyeing her carefully to make sure she could see his sincerity. "As for your
own plans for your life, you're right—if you choose to be changed it will not matter for now. But you need to remember that if you choose life with me, after the conflict is behind us you can pursue any future you desire, once your thirst for blood
is under control. I've been to school many times, have dozens of degrees, and I have chosen to be a doctor. He said,lifting her chin so she would look up at him. "Nothing you have planned for your life, nothing you have done, is pointless. Everything
you have done has brought you here to this moment, with me, my Bella." He lowered his forehead to hers.

"Bella, I am sorry that all of this is upsetting your plans. But I promise that this is not the end, but the beginning," he implored, finally pressing his lips to hers softly, allowing her to pull away if she wished.

Bella did pull away and looked into his eyes. "Plans change, I get it. I can promise you that when all this...craziness is over and you have helped me gain control of my bloodlust, I will want to pursue my education, and possibly a career," she said,
taking a deep breath. "I know I just met you and I don't feel this pull as you do, but I believe I feel enough to know that I won't do any of this without you. As crazy as this all is, I feel it. I feel that you are my future," she said, smiling up
at him.

"Oh,Bella. My Bella," he said, and he pulled her into his arms and held her closely, kissing her lips and smiling in return. "You have made me a happy man indeed with such words," he said, and he kissed her again.

Author's Note: So... yeah this is so not happening as I had 'sort of' planned lol. But If I know the plot bunnies as I do, things will still continue to get interesting one way or another lol. I hope you enjoyed this... so much more to come. Please read and Review!