A/N: Over four thousand views, absolutely amazing! Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. It was even added to a community. All this gets me excited to write, so keep it up! Please enjoy Chapter 21!
Disclaimer: I am not a professional author and I am not a part of the Guns N' Roses music group.
CHAPTER 21:
DR. CULLEN'S POINT OF VIEW:
Even though she had disobeyed me, I still felt sorry for my daughter. How could I not? This was her birthday vacation and there she was, stuck in bed injured. Of course, being the father I am, I tried to find ways that showed that this was my fault. If only I had stayed by her. If only I had warned her about the dangerous creatures in the ocean.
It was seven o'clock but the family still wasn't back yet. They probably thought that I was enjoying alone time with Ella, so wanted to give us some space. Little did they know that Ella was fast asleep and I was stuck in the living room, suffering in loneliness.
I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard a pained cry. I jumped up off the couch and ran at vampire speed to Ella's room. I threw the door open and immediately went to her side.
"Daddy!" she cried.
"I'm here, Baby. What's wrong?" I asked, removing the blankets I had told her she couldn't use from her leg.
"It hurts," she whimpered.
"Oh, Baby I know. It takes time to heal and will sting until it does. Do you want some more pain reliever cream?" I asked, trying to come up with ways to soothe her pain.
"Yes please. And scar-reducer too," she cried.
I grabbed both tubes and carefully spread the scar-reducer on. I waited till it was dry to put the numbing cream on. She relaxed a little and took a sip of her water.
"I don't think I can sleep anymore," she said.
"Would you like me to sit with you?" I asked.
"Yeah."
I sat down on the edge of the bed, turning to that I was facing her. I spent a few minutes studying her sweet face for signs of pain or discomfort. Finding none, I began a somewhat pointless conversation.
"You are not in trouble, I'm just merely curious as to why you covered your injury with a blanket when I told you not to," I said.
"I'm just more comfortable with a blanket on," she said.
I decided to indulge her. I pulled the comforter from the bed and covered her with it except her right leg. She looked up at me and smiled. I gave her a warm smile back and patted her hand. She patted the bed next to her, ordering me to sit next to her instead of in front of her. I complied, moving delicately as not to jostle her. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her head into my shoulder. I started combing through her hair with my fingers. She gave a content sigh and closed her eyes halfway. Almost involuntarily, I began to sing her a song.
"She's got a smile it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry Oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mineShe's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by Oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Oh,
Sweet love of mine Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, oh
Where do we go?
Oh,
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, (sweet child)
Where do we go now?
Oh,
Where do we go now?
Oh,
Where do we go?
Oh,
Where do we go now?
Oh,
Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh,
Where do we go now?
No, no, no, no, no, no
Sweet child,
Sweet child of mine."
When the song ended, Ella gazed up at me in wonder. I just smiled down at her and stroked her hair again. She allowed me to envelope her in my comfort and accepted all the love I sent her. I pulled her into my lap and hugged her tightly, nuzzling the back of her ear with my nose. She giggled and twisted around to look at me. I carefully turned her so that her legs were hanging off the edge of the bed.
"Where did you hear that song?" Ella asked.
"The housekeeper who used to take care of me when I was young back in London. She had taken care of me since I was born because my mother had died giving birth to me and my father wasn't fit to care for me on his own. She sang this to me when I was upset as a baby and after my father had yelled or taken a whip to me as I got older," I told her.
She looked up, a million questions in her eyes. "Tell me about your human life," she demanded.
"Maybe when you're older, Honey. My father wasn't the kindest man in the London," I said.
"I already know about a few things your father did and I'm not asking for really detailed descriptions. I also have been through a lot worse stuff than what your father ever did to you," she said.
She had a point. I just didn't want to traumatize her by telling her what my father had done not only to me, but to other people as well. Then I realized that it was probably nearly impossible to traumatize Ella. She had seen it all.
"All right, I guess I can't argue with that. I guess I'll just start from the very beginning of my life story. It's quite a long and dreadful story, are you sure you want to hear it?" I asked, making sure. I wasn't sure she knew what she was in for. I had three hundred and sixty-nine years' worth to tell her about.
She nodded. "I haven't got anything better to do with my time."
"Very well. As you know, my father was an Anglican pastor and was married to my mother before she died. He was still very sadistic when she was alive, but not as much so as after. When I was born and my mother died, my father was like a moon with no planet to revolve around. He hated me for about the first two years of my life until he realized that I could be useful to him when I got older. He began to rely less on the housekeeper – though he still kept her around – and cared for me as much as he could himself. He started keeping me by his side as he did simple little tasks, and eventually began to feed and play with me. As time went on, I grew closer and closer to my father. At times, I wouldn't be seen anywhere during the day except for with him. I still remember being a three-year-old boy, being in my father's arms as he preached on the altar. He was hoping to teach me the ways of God early so that he wouldn't have to do so much of that later on. His tactics worked, and I understood much better than most children my age. When I was eight years old, he started giving me tasks and made me really start living the way of God. When I didn't follow his instructions, he spanked me. That eventually turned to using a belt or even a switch on me. As soon as I turned eighteen, my father put me in charge of all of the raids for witches, werewolves, and vampires, for he was getting too old. I was not as quick to accuse as my father and people appreciated my respect for life. When I was twenty-six, I came across an actual coven of vampires. I got my men together, and we set out to kill them. Of course, the vampires were a lot stronger than us and attacked and killed. One bit me, but then left me alone to go help his mate, leaving me bleeding in the street. I crawled into a deserted cellar and stayed there through my transformation. When it was complete, I tried to kill myself. I didn't want to be a monster. After realizing that killing myself was impossible, I got my act together and began studying all sorts of things. That was when I found my calling: medicine. I fed from the blood of animals to attempt to be around wounded humans. I have never killed a human for its blood. While I was practicing control, I studied at several universities to learn as much as I could about medicine."
I paused for a moment. "Any questions so far?"
"No," Ella answered. She seemed truly intrigued by the story.
I continued.
"I was studying in Italy when I came across the Volturi. I liked the idea of peace and some sort of order in the vampire world, so I joined them. I didn't stay with them for long though, only a few decades. They had tried to convert me to my "natural food source" as they called it. They even put a bleeding human right in front of my nose. It was then that I knew I would be able to control myself, thus becoming the great surgeon I am today. I traveled to the United States in search of work. Over time, I found that I was lonely. I hadn't come across one of my kind in a very long time and I couldn't associate with humans other than to treat their medical needs. I moved to a new hospital in Chicago, where I met Edward. I changed him and as we moved to different hospitals around the country, I met all of your family members and changed them too. Jasper and Alice later came into our lives and eventually you did too, completing our family and making it the perfect one it is now. The end," I said, giving her a smile.
"I have some questions," she said.
"Go ahead."
"What are everyone else's stories?" she asked.
"They are not mine to share. You can ask them to tell you, but you must not pry," I told her.
"Okay, fine. I have another question. Are the Volturi good or bad?" she asked.
"It depends on how you look at it. They police our world to make sure no laws have been broken to protect us from humans and they are known to ally certain groups when fighting once in a while, but they can also be very dangerous to everyone. One mistake and you're dead," I said.
"So when they find out about me they will kill our entire family?" she asked, a worried look in her eyes.
What was I supposed to tell her? If they had known, you would have been dead already? No, I didn't think so. I decided to go around the topic as easily and smoothly as possible.
"They haven't found out yet, and I will do everything in my power to keep it that way. If, God forbid, they do find out, you won't be killed nor will any of us. Aro is very considerate toward his acquaintances and wouldn't harm any of us unless we did something extremely inexcusable. If the time ever comes, we will be able to convince him that you are no danger to the secret. You are smart enough not to tell anyone," I said.
"So I have absolutely nothing to worry about?" she asked for clarification.
"None," I said strongly.
"Thanks, I feel better now with that not hanging over my head," she said.
"Good. Do you need anything or do you think you can get some sleep?" I asked.
"I think I'll try to sleep. I'm pretty tired and I won't feel the pain in my sleep. Thanks for everything, Dad," she said gratefully.
I bent over to gently give her a hug. I tucked her under the blankets and kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, Baby Girl."
ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
By Sunday, I was feeling well enough to walk around. Us girls decided that today was the day for shopping. After reassuring Dad about a hundred times that my leg felt fine, we set out into the busy streets. Shopping wasn't going to be an all-day thing; we planned to be back by three. The first place we went to was a jewelry store, where I bought a bunch of seashell earrings and necklaces. Then we went to a souvenir shop, where I got a lot of cool things for Jessica, Lauren, and Amanda. After a quick lunch at one of the nearby coffee shops, we went to our last store: the Hawaiian Beauty Shop.
It smelled wonderful. It was an enclosed, spacious bungalow made out of bamboo walls and polished wood floor. They had all sorts of handmade soaps, lotions, and shampoos. Each item was made from the plants in Hawaii. We spent a few hours in there, and then returned to the hotel around three, me with an aching leg.
"Welcome back," Dad greeted Mom and me. "What did you find?"
I knew that he was really asking, "How much of my money did you spend?" Being the shopaholic I am, I got pretty good at reading in-between the lines.
I winked at him. "Well if you're really that curious, I got this shampoo at the . . ." I trailed off, smirking.
"All right, Smartass, how much did you spend?" Dad asked.
"It doesn't matter. Ella's happy, and so am I, and that's all that matters," Mom said firmly.
Dad sighed and threw his hands up in defeat. He went over to the couch where Edward was sitting and sat down next to him.
"Remind me why we decided to share a suite with two women," Dad said.
"Because you were an idiot saying how nice it would be to be with the family for eleven days plus a day of travel back home. Also you love your wife too much to be apart from her," Edward said, not one bit sarcastic.
"That is true," Dad said.
I rolled my eyes and wandered into my bedroom. I flopped down onto the bed and turned the TV on, giving my leg some time to rest. Dad would not be happy, but I think I might have worked it a little too much today.
Around six, Dad came into my room.
"Are you okay Sweetheart?" he asked, sitting in the usual spot on the edge of my bed.
"I'm fine, my leg just hurts a little," I said. Actually it hurt a lot, but he didn't need to know that.
"Do you mind if I take a look?" Dad asked and began pulling away the covers.
"Yes," I said, pulling my leg away.
He gave me a look saying that I didn't really have a choice. I sighed and allowed him to pull the blanket off.
"That's a good girl," Dad encouraged.
He gently touched it, and then pushed harder. He pushed so hard that I had to pull away. He pinned my leg to the bed with his hand and prodded again.
"Ow! Dad that hurts!" I cried.
"I'm sorry, Honey. I just need to know the extent of the damage. Give me just two more minutes to examine it and then I'll make it better," he said.
"No! Stop! It hurts too badly!" I begged, tears running down my face. He just ignored me and continued pressing down on it.
"I thought this was supposed to be a fun vacation!" I sobbed.
This made him stop.
"Haven't you been having fun?" he asked.
"Well . . . yeah, sort of. It was good at first, but then I got hurt and now it just sucks!" I cried.
"Baby Girl, I'm sorry you got hurt. I know that it's not any fun, but you'll feel better soon. This vacation isn't over yet, keep faith," he said, stroking my hair.
"But I only have two more days!" I cried.
"Honey, you'll get those two days. Tell you what, if you let me take care of your leg, I promise that you will feel well enough to go swimming with the dolphins tomorrow," he said.
"Fine, just make the pain go away," I begged.
"I will."
The next day, I was feeling perfect. I don't know what Dad did, but it worked. I could walk without a limp and touch it without pain. After breakfast, Dad, Mom, and I went to the lagoon to swim with the dolphins.
It was just like a saltwater pond. It was big, but not big enough to be considered a lake. Lagoon was the only way to describe it. The area was surrounded with palm trees – much like everything else in Hawaii – and bright, exotic flowers dotted the ground around them.
We got into the lagoon, but I didn't see any dolphins. Not even a fin or a ripple in the water. All of the sudden, a dolphin popped up into my face and made a laughing sound before diving back under.
"Holy shit!" I shouted.
Dad and Mom laughed their heads off while I tried to bring my heartbeat down to a normal level.
"They've been trained to do that," Dad said, followed by a chuckle. Mom was too amused to speak.
"I'm scared now," I said.
"Don't be, dolphins are very gentle and playful creatures," Dad said with a smile.
"How many are there?" I asked.
"Five. Three are males and two are females," Dad informed me.
I gathered the courage to swim out into the middle of the lagoon. Soon I was surrounded by five giggling dolphins. One ducked under and bumped at my feet with its nose, making me freak out. Another one gently grabbed onto my hand with its teeth and tried to pull me with it.
"They want you to play with them!" Mom said.
I decided to play a little trick of my own. I grabbed onto one's side fin and began to swim with it. It pulled me along, which was really fun. The biggest one even let me get on its back! That was a wild ride; it ducked under the water and whipped all around the lagoon. I started splashing at one and it splashed back, making a total wave go over my head. I could hardly swim away to breathe.
"Never challenge a dolphin to a splashing contest, it will win!" I told my parents. They laughed and dived into the water with the dolphins. We all played together, which was so much fun. We swam with the dolphins until dinner. I went to bed that night feeling a lot better than the night before.
DR. CULLEN'S POINT OF VIEW:
Tomorrow would be our last day of vacation. We wouldn't be able to do anything Wednesday since we had to be to the airport by noon. Our flight was at two and we would be to Seattle by eight in the West Coast time. We would get to the house at about nine which would be enough time to give Ella a quick snack and then send her to bed. I hated having to make these plans, Ella loved Hawaii. I would have to promise to take her back someday.
As I went over every single event of the vacation, I concluded that it was pretty good. Sure, we had some rough spots but those were easily overcome. I realized that with a human in the house, there were never any patterns. With only vampires, there's only so much to do in a lifetime and we've almost done it all. Every day was just the same, now, you never know what will happen. Ella's changed our lives so much and I wouldn't ever want it any other way.
ELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I woke up feeling recharged and ready to rage. I knew exactly what I wanted to do today, and I couldn't wait to do it. Everyone was going to participate whether they wanted to or not. I wasn't asking for very much, just some family time. I wanted to end the vacation the way it started.
After getting into my pink bikini, I ran out into the living room to find everyone already there in their bathing suits. Thank you Alice! I grabbed my towel off the chair it was drying on and headed toward the beachfront door.
"You all already know what we're going to do, so get off your butts!" I ordered.
We all ran out onto the beach. It was perfect, with no one else there. I plunged into the water, fearless now. My siblings and I all played in the water obnoxiously while Dad and Mom just sat on the beach, watching us. Emmett was showing off by swimming in place – I didn't even know that was possible, even for a vampire – and I was getting really irritated. I swam under him and tugged on his shorts. Not hard enough to pull them down, but enough to make him freak out. Everyone laughed their heads off while Emmett gave me a murderous glare. Okay, not really, but you get what I mean. He tackled me and then we had a splash fight. When that was over, Emmett whispered something to Edward and they leaped out of the water and ran up to Dad and Mom. Edward swept Mom off of her towel and carried her bridal style to the water while Emmett hugged Dad's legs to pick him up and carry him to the water. They threw them into the water so they landed with a splash. I guess that was how you get the Cullen parents to participate in your obnoxious activities. We played until sundown, and after a glorious dinner out, I fell asleep happier than I had been in a long time.
Wednesday morning came much too soon. Mom was helping me get all of my stuff together so that we could head for the airport. I moved sluggishly, taking as long as possible. I got slower and slower and eventually refused to do what I was told until Dad told me to shape up or I wouldn't be allowed to have a sleepover with The Clique that weekend. I instantly moved faster than I needed to and we got to the airport at noon. After going through security – at which I behaved this time – we went and sat in the gate. The plane came shortly after and we boarded. We had first-class seats again and I chose to sit with Dad. I just felt safe with him. This plane ride was better than the last one, there were less bumps and I knew what to expect. We landed in Seattle and shoved all of our things into the two cars. The drive home didn't take as long as it seemed to get there, and we were unloading before I knew it. I quickly unpacked then flopped into bed, totally exhausted.
The only thing in my life I looked forward to now was getting Angel back tomorrow and having my friends over for a sleepover. Like Dad said, all good things have to come to an end.
Or did they?
A/N: Goodbye Hawaii! Hello Seattle! Things will be returning to normal now, or should I say "normal for the Cullen's" right? I hope you like the chapter and please review, favorite, and follow! Also please vote on my poll. It will be up for a while yet but right now four people have voted on two different answers making it even, which will not work. I'll update as soon as I can!