"Jacob, she's too young!" Edward protested.

"I'm asking her on a date, not to marry me," Jacob said. "You know me. I would never do anything to hurt Nessie."

"No."

"It's not your decision, is it?" Jacob asked. "She's old enough to think for herself."

"I said no," Edward stated firmly. The two men stared at each other a moment before Jacob stomped off.

"I know you're her brother," Lily said from where she was leaning against the wall. "But as someone with an overprotective father, let me give you some advice."

"If you knew the full story, you'd understand," Edward said warily.

The two sat on the couch together. "Edward, Nessie is a smart girl. You can't keep her locked inside her entire life. Trust me. You need to allow her to make her own decisions, or something might happen that you both regret."

"Is that what you did?" Edward asked, hearing her thoughts about her daughter and subconsciously trying to dive deeper into them.

Lily shook her head. "I was angry. My father wouldn't let me go to a party with some friends, but I snuck out anyway. I was seventeen... Turns out he just had my best interest in mind. But the difference between you and him? He didn't trust me enough to make my own decisions. When I got to the party, I instantly knew something would go wrong. But I'm stubborn, and I stayed until it was over before having the only option of walking home. I was about to prove he was right about making me stay home."

Edward could see the story play out in her mind as the human woman spoke, and he fought to keep his face composed as she shared the rest.

"An older guy was there and offered to take me home," Lily said quietly, reliving that night. She offered a small smile, her eyes slightly glossed over as she became lost in the memory. "I didn't know him, but he was friends with my best friend's brother. A college kid. I thought it was cool that he had taken an interest in me, and he seemed nice enough."

"He violated you," Edward said through his teeth. Seeing the story play out in the woman's mind reminded him of Rosalie and what had happened to her. He was seething with anger, with a desire to find whoever had harmed her and serve justice in a way only a vampire could. "He hurt you."

Lily nodded. She was fighting back tears, which seemed to be a thing she did a lot more of lately. "He kicked me out of the car into an alley before driving off. Walking home was the worst, because of all the pain. I hadn't ever been with someone before, and he took everything away from me. I never told anyone what happened. A few weeks later I found out I was pregnant with Elsie. The kicker was, the day before the party I was told my leukemia had gone into remission. I traded one life-controlling thing for another."

Edward looked up suddenly, sharply, and Lily slowly followed his gaze to see Carlisle standing near the bookshelf. His expression was a cross of horror and sorrow, with clear shock in his eyes. He'd come to truly love Lily, in a way he hadn't know for longer than he wished to think about. Lily meant something to him, something he had trouble explaining to even himself. To find out what had truly happened to her took him to a dark place, a place Carlisle hated to go and rarely visited. A place where his true nature as a vampire reared its ugly head and fought to take over. Edward cleared his throat almost awkwardly. "I'll go check on the girls."

Elsie and Claire had been painting at the kitchen table, which was covered in a large plastic sheet to protect the beautiful wood from harm. Embry and Quil had begrudgingly gone and run a patrol for Jacob. Leah was asleep upstairs in Lily's room. It had originally been Carlisle's, but he insisted that she stay in it rather than moving to another. It was odd for Lily to see her things in the closet next to Carlisle's, and two dressers in the room, but she had slowly grown used to it. Carlisle was rarely in the room, other than to pick out a new shirt for the day, and it was typically while Lily was either in the shower or sleeping. Lily didn't mind that Leah was asleep there. It gave her comfort to know the other woman was actually resting for once.

Carlisle gingerly sat where Edward had been only moments before, feeling numb. His expression hadn't changed, and Lily felt her tears spill over against her will. Her voice was a broken whisper. "Say something."

"I had no idea," Carlisle whispered. He was looking forward, but his head was angled toward the ground. "I..."

Lily waited. Carlisle didn't move. It was as if he were literally frozen in place. She knew he hadn't been expecting any of it, but it was her story and she was just trying to help Edward understand that allowing Renesmee to make her own decisions was important. Time passed and it grew dark outside. Family members left the house. Leah came into the room and frowned before pressing a brief kiss to Lily's head and going outside to find the friends she'd traveled with. It was hours later when Lily's tears had fully dried and she found her voice again, speaking when she thought Carlisle wasn't going to attempt it anytime soon. "Carlisle?"

Carlisle jolted out of his trance and looked at her. His eyes were filled with a compassion Lily had never seen before- in anyone. She felt as if his whole soul was feeling for her pain and suffering. Carlisle placed a hand on her cheek, holding her the way one holds a glass object. She could feel in his touch that he was concerned about harming her, though she had no idea why. Carlisle's voice was gentle. It was a voice she recognized him using with certain patients at the hospital but slightly changed to fit just what she needed. The voice carried a love that Lily had never known before. "What happened to you... It isn't something I would wish on anyone. If there was a way to go back and change it, I would. I would take all that pain and torture away."

"I know it was stupid," Lily said quietly, leaning into his hand just the slightest. "My own stupidity got me into trouble. I wouldn't change it, though. Elsie is everything to me. I can't imagine my life now without her."

Carlisle nodded once before pulling her gently close and wrapping his arms around her. His embrace was cold, but Lily found it comforting. After a moment, she looked up at him. Carlisle looked down at Lily, feeling her eyes on his face, and offered a slight smile before blinking, though she didn't know that it was solely for her benefit. The man had no true reason to blink. Carlisle's blink caused Lily to blink the same way a yawn from one person goes around the entire room. Something in Carlisle's eyes was different than before. Lily smiled at him briefly before realizing his face was slowly coming closer. She wasn't sure which of them were moving but didn't stop it from happening. Their lips met in a gentle kiss.

It wasn't the way Lily imagined it would be. No sparks were flying, no fireworks in her head. Instead, it was a deep, intense, warmth that started in her heart and spread throughout her body. Lily leaned forward slightly, her desire to deepen the kiss, and found her lips molding around his cold ones. Before Lily could fully process what was happening, Carlisle had pulled back and was looking at her with wide eyes. She could see so many emotions there: fear, desire, uncertainty. He cleared his throat and looked away quickly, his words almost strained. "I- Excuse me."

Carlisle stood in one fluid motion, leaving Lily curled on the couch, and faced away from her. Lily bit her lip in worry. "Carlisle? I'm sorry."

"You have no need to apologize," Carlisle said instantly. He didn't turn around.

"But I do," Lily said in a small voice. "We both know that my leukemia isn't going away, no matter how strong I get. When I go back to work I'll probably only have two surgeries left in me. It's not right for me to lead you on like that. I... I'll tell Elsie we're going home tomorrow. Thank you for everything."

Lily turned and walked to the stairs in silence. She felt a slight wind and blinked, seeing Carlisle was blocking her way. His eyes were sad. "Don't leave. Please."

Lily looked from Carlisle to where he had been standing and back. Her faced paled slightly as her heart raced in surprise. "Wha-Wh-How? Y-you were... What?"

"There's a way I can save you," Carlisle said. The way his voice sounded, Lily could tell he was pained by the thought of whatever he was saying. He had the look of someone who was about to do something they didn't believe in.

"No-" Lily started. Her thoughts were coming back to her and she shook her head. "It's cancer, Carlisle. Even if there was a cure, nobody is going to give it to me. I'm a nobody."

"That isn't true," Carlisle argued, his voice insistent. "I have a way."

Lily sighed and ran a hand through her loose waves. She shook her head. "I'm tired. It's late."

Carlisle stepped aside and allowed Lily to begin up the stairs. Once at the top, she felt the same small breeze as before and jumped, seeing Carlisle once again in front of her. She began to tumble backward when Carlisle snatched her to his body and turned so his back was to the stairs rather than hers. The entire thing happened in less than three seconds. Lily's heart was beating erratically and her eyes wide with fright. Carlisle's face softened, as did his grip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Vera, please trust me. I can help you."

Lily shook her head, though it wasn't in denial to his request. Nothing about him was adding up anymore. Her head was full of confusion and she didn't know what was happening anymore. She'd always kept an open mind when it came to things that contradicted science, but her brain ran on proven facts. She knew for a fact that no human could move as fast as Carlisle had been. She knew for a fact that no human could be as cold as any of the Cullens and live. She knew that gold wasn't a natural eye color. What Lily didn't know, and couldn't quite figure out, was what it all added up to. At the pleading look Carlisle gave her, one word escaped Lily's lips without her permission. She wasn't sure if she was questioning the way all the evidence added up, or questioning the way he intended to help her. "How?"