Plot summary: Carlisle is overwhelmed. His family are all slightly mad. Life really isn't going his way today.

I don't think there's anything in this chapter that needs warnings, but let me know if you spot something. Same goes for spelling and grammar - I do try but I'm bad at it.

Chapter 2

"Well, shall we go inside?" Esme says at length, suddenly realising that they're all still standing around on the drive. The rabble are quick to obey their honorary mother, trooping into the house and taking up position in the lounge. Carlisle pauses for a fraction of a second at the bottom of the stairs, considering trying to escape to the peace of his study, but Esme still has custody of his hand and he lets her pull him onwards to the couch.

Emmett is twitching, clearly bursting to ask Carlisle to try to change again. Only Rosalie's disapproving glances are holding him back. Not that Rosalie doesn't want to see it. They were all distracted during the transformations before and now their collective curiosity is practically buzzing in the air. They also collectively understand it would be in poor taste to ask. That is, apart from Emmett who just thinks his wife is a spoilsport.

"I can't go to work, can I?" Carlisle says at length, his initial panic beginning to settle into acceptance.

"Probably not right now. I'm sorry." Esme answers quietly, pressing gently into his side. He doesn't say it doesn't matter. It would be an obvious lie. His work is what he has shaped this whole existence around.

In some ways, he is prepared, though. With the pace that technology is developing, they have known for some time that their current way of life is unsustainable. Perhaps it is best that he is forced to stop working before he has to make the choice to walk away himself. Ripping the band aid off and all that. It doesn't do to dwell.

"I have to learn to control it." He says for lack of anything else. He looks over towards Alice and Jasper, the most likely sources of knowledge.

"You will." Alice says confidently, exchanging a private look with Edward. A few different emotions flit across Edward's face as he sees whatever future she has.

"Not the time, Edward." She adds more sharply. His eyes widen.

"No, not the time." He agrees.

"And for those of us who can't read minds or see the future?" Rosalie bites out.

"It's going to be fine, Carlisle." Alice smiles at him reassuringly. "You'll get it under control in no time."

"Thank you, Alice. I could still use a little instruction though if you have any to give."

"What were you thinking about, the first time it happened?" Edward takes over. "Something must have triggered the change, so go back to that moment and remember what you were thinking and feeling."

"I was thinking about the girl, Bree. The moment of her death. How I had hoped we could help her."

"Visualisation, then, coupled with strong emotion. It's as good as any place to start." Edward says.

Carlisle nods, focusing on his youngest and oldest son. He knows Edward's face like the back of his hand and knows Edward himself almost as well. Every sweet, lovable, reckless, infuriating bit of him.

"Hey." Edward complains, but there's no real offence in it. He can feel his creator's love and fondness in every thought.

Carlisle smiles slightly then refocuses on his task. It's a little hard, though, with their audience. He can't help but be distracted by the eyes on him. The weight of observation keeps reminding him of what he's trying to do, and while he's trying it seems he'll never succeed.

"I wish you wouldn't anyway. The last thing we need is two of him." Rosalie says eventually, flicking a strand of golden hair over her shoulder.

Carlisle's eyes turn to her and apparently that's all he needs. In a split second there are two Rosalies in the room.

"What she said." Edward complains, looking horrified.

Meanwhile, Emmett is grinning, his mind clearly in a very different place. "Hot." He says, with a little eyebrow wiggle. He is treated to matching disgusted grimaces from the two, plus similar expressions from the rest of the family. If any other members are secretly entertaining similar fantasies, it's kept private.

Except from Edward, who can read their minds, and Jasper, who can feel their arousal.

It's a bad family to have secrets in.

"Erm." Carlisle crosses his arms over his chest uncomfortably and glances around. The gift does not appear to extend to convenient clothing alterations, and while his clothes presumably had no problem hanging over the small frame of the girl who had died, Rosalie had some extra shapes that don't conform too well to them.

"Interesting." Jasper remarks, ignoring his discomfort. "The restriction of the change to the physical form and the way he sort of morphed rather than just instantly became different suggests it's a physical transformation and not just some sort of projected image. Have you noticed his scent? We can still smell Carlisle in the room of course, he's here all the time, but his actual scent right now is Rosalie's. That would be very useful in evading pursuers."

"Incredible. I wonder how far it would extend. Edward still hears your thoughts as your own. Do you think transforming into someone with a gift would allow you to use it, or is that tied to the mind rather than the body?" Esme contributes.

"I do not think the transformation can be totally complete. I did not experience any difficulties with bloodlust, and we know that we each experience human scents differently yet to me Bella's scent has not changed. Assuming these characteristics or comprehensions and our gifts originate from a similar place, I do not think I would take them on." Carlisle answers, hoping desperately that he's correct. The last thing he needs is the threat of more gifts to manage. He tries not to read too much into it when Edward squirms and glances at Alice.

"Never mind that - if he were to become a human would he have a heartbeat? Blood? Would he retain his current strength or be as fragile as a human is?" Bella asks. They look at her in shock for a moment before all eyes turn back to Carlisle in expectation. He smiles weakly under their collective gaze.

"I'm not even sure how to return to myself, never mind become a human." He points out, pushing down a little thrill of hope. If he could take on the body of a human, then the possibilities were almost endless. He could blend in anywhere. His family couldn't, though. "In any case, if I do keep part of myself and that part is innately vampiric then I'm not sure the forms would be compatible. If we are not technically alive, how could I sustain a living body?"

"Everything else about vampirism and gifts is completely logical and explainable, of course. Carlisle being able to transform into a human, that would be the weird thing." Emmett chimes.

"Yes, thank you, Emmett. Point taken." Carlisle can't help smiling fondly at their resident friendly giant. "I suppose we will have to wait and see. Apart from Alice, of course, and by extension Edward, who I'm sure already know." He raises his eyebrows at the pair, but they aren't in the sharing mood right now.

"Spoilers." Alice trills, her easy grin reassuring him that at the very least his newfound gift isn't about to usher in their destruction.

"Still, though, any clues as to how I might control this more easily?" Carlisle pushes. "I would rather like to be myself again now."

"What do you feel when you change?" Jasper asks, seeing that Alice isn't planning on responding.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I don't know how but I didn't even notice until everyone reacted. After that I was aware that I was a different height, but somehow I didn't actually feel the shift."

"That does seem peculiar, particularly as the transformation isn't quite instant." Jasper replies. "Do you feel anything else unusual?"

"Well…" Carlisle thinks carefully, cataloguing exactly how he has felt since the new-born battle ended. "Since the fight there has been this sort of tingling sensation, like something in the back of my mind that I just can't quite reach. I presumed it was a symptom of my conflicted feelings and not a genuine physical change, but I suppose it could be related." He admits. Jasper sits forward in excitement.

"That must be your mental manifestation of the gift. Reach out to it, try to get a sense of its shape. If you're familiar with how it feels you might get an idea of how you change and begin to be able to control it."

Carlisle does as he is told, trying to concentrate and ignore the way Alice and Edward have both tensed as though they're preparing for something. Sometimes life with those two around feels impossible. Mind you, he can now apparently shape shift, so he isn't exactly one to talk.

Closing his eyes against the stares of his family, Carlisle attempts to enter a state of more meditative calmness and focus on that elusive thing in his mind. It hovers just out of reach, like an idea he can't quite catch hold of. He prods at it tentatively and is surprised to find it reacts like a real, tangible thing, rippling out through his mind.

He opens his eyes and looks around in wonder. The world is draped in gold threads and everything is connected like a giant cobweb. It's like first waking up as a new-born again and realising he can see every little detail.

It's magical.

For a moment all of his worries melt away and he tugs on one of the threads just to see what will happen. Then an ornament goes flying across the room and shatters one of the French doors. They all startle and just like that the threads are gone.

Carlisle stares at the mess, willing it to disappear. It doesn't. Despair sinks over him once more.

"I think that was me." He admits dolefully, still in Rosalie's voice. Edward meets his eyes for a moment and offers a falsely cheerful smile.

"Surprise!"

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