Writing on the Wall

Chapter 7: Dogs

Bella

All I knew was that I had never been kissed like this by anyone before.

It wasn't what I expected from the polite, gentle Carlisle I knew, at least. But this pleasant surprise only made my core grow in even more need for him. There was no rational thought in my mind anymore––all I wanted was to be as close as I can physically be to this man.

I barely noticed that he'd brought us inside the room already, until I felt the desk hit my lower back. With obvious ease, he lifted me to sit on top of it, and the gesture only increased the warmth between my thighs. He pulled my waist closer to him, and I couldn't help but release the moan I'd been repressing as I felt his prominent bulge hit the perfect spot between my legs.

"Fuck," I swore between his firm, demanding kisses.

He hummed as if in approval to my swearing, trailing his kisses down my neck. I felt his tongue tease the weakest spot under my ear––something he couldn't possibly have known. I unconsciously locked my legs around his hips, toes curling in pure pleasure.

"So fucking good," I swore again breathlessly, without thinking.

"I adore your dirty mouth," he murmured in my ear, his voice deeper and hoarser than I'd ever heard before.

He began to grind himself slowly but firmly against me. I was at a loss with the amount of pleasure I was feeling, I felt like my mind was going to explode. I gripped his shoulders for dear life, my nails digging into his shirt.

The building friction in the apex of my thighs, together with his tongue on my neck and ear, was nearly enough to make me climax. But as if he knew, he stopped all movement abruptly, then wrapped a hand around my neck to make me look up at him.

I'd never seen his eyes so dark in pure lust that it made me shiver.

I decided I needed him right there and then. "Please," I begged.

There was a slight hesitation in his eyes, but an eventual smirk emerged across his lips. Still with his fingers around my neck and jaw, he leaned down to plant a kiss on my lips, whispering against them: "Only you."

Without even fully processing what he said, I felt another set of cold fingers tease the skin beneath the short night dress I was wearing. I immediately moaned and trembled against his lips in understanding. His leg gently pushed one of mine to the side, and I immediately felt the cool breeze under the dress.

He moved his hand on my neck to caress the side of my face. "You want this?"

I wanted to say that there was nothing else I wanted more in that moment, but I couldn't trust my mouth to say the words right. I resorted to nodding my assent instead.

"Then will you keep your eyes on me, love?"

I was willing to kill a man for him at this point.

He moved his hand to hold my back as if to support my weight, while his other hand continued its dangerous wandering up my thighs. Eventually, it reached its destination, and I felt a finger gently apply pressure on that perfect spot. I let my mouth run wild when it did.

"Please, Carlisle," I heard myself begging. "Fuck, I want it, I swear I do."

He smiled innocently. "Want what?"

"You," I admitted. "I only want you."

He closed his eyes momentarily, as if savoring the words. He hummed in approval again, before proceeding to expertly pull my thin panties to the side, and rubbing a finger in my warmth.

"Eyes on me," he reminded me gently.

I obliged, staring at his beautiful, angelic face as his fingers did the work of the devil under my dress. He rubbed my spot in circles lazily at first, and I could swear he enjoyed it when I squirmed at his teasing. Eventually, he gave in and put a finger inside me––

I nearly screamed in pleasure.

I tightened my grip on his shoulders as he pumped a finger inside me. His mouth was slightly agape, and I felt his eyes watch my expression the whole time he was doing me with his fingers. After a few minutes, he slowed his pace and ducked his head on the side of my neck, nibbling softly, and to my delight, added another digit.

"Please," I moaned against his ear, and I heard him grunt in approval once more. "I'm gonna…"

"Do it," he ordered, pulling his head back to face me directly, no trace of gentleness in his voice anymore. "For me."

That did it for me. I came explosively and intensely, in a way that I never had before. I struggled to keep my eyes open and on his as I did, but I succeeded. He didn't blink, and watched every second of the physical manifestation of my orgasm, mesmerized. It felt like an eternity before I came back down to reality, and my core was filled with peace and contentment.

His expression was unreadable as he pulled out his fingers from inside me.

"I…" I began. "That was…"

He pursed his lips. "Too much?"

"What?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "Carlisle, that was…Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

He smiled, stepping closer to me again. Keeping my eyes on him, I took the hand he used to play with me, and brought the fingers inside my mouth.

If he was still generally composed during the whole encounter, he definitely wasn't anymore. His expression turned into pure desire, and he licked his lips as I tasted myself on his fingers.

"It's different," I said when I let him go.

"What is?" he said breathlessly.

"Not being afraid," I continued. "That I can trust you won't hurt me. Not just with your self-control thing, but…everything."

Carlisle's expression softened, and he traced the side of my face with his fingers, before settling to hold me by the chin. "You will be the death of me, Bella. I swear you will."

He stayed with me that night, a picturesque sculpture by my side. We talked for what seemed like several hours about everything and anything. Eventually, he opened up about the years of his human life, which he strangely remembered perfectly as if he'd only been turned yesterday, about his father who led the wars against vampires, and the internal struggles he faced when he realized he had turned into his own enemy.

"It was the turning point of my life," he said, eyes centuries away from the present. "I had to make a choice––either go the easy way out and succumb to what I had become, or hold on tightly to my principles and on who I believed I truly was."

His theory was that his choice of taking the difficult path was the catalyst to his self-restraint. It had always been in his heart to help, rather than cause pain to others. While his track record wasn't perfect, especially during his early years, nothing beat his determination and compassion. Even Aro and the other members of the Volturi were fascinated by his resolve, and he earned their utmost respect.

"Why did you stay with them in the first place?" I asked.

"I was lonely," he admitted with a bashful smile. "I'd spent several years as a hermit, ashamed of who I was and what I'd become, so once I heard of a higher organization of beings who were just like me, I knew I had to try."

"But they're not…you know, vegetarians," I said slowly.

He frowned. "Unfortunately, no. And I never took part in their feeding. That seemed to further increase their interest in me. I was a phenomenon."

"Why did you leave?"

"I reciprocated their respect as well, don't get me wrong, but in time I knew that I never belonged there. I realized that if I could have this unorthodox lifestyle, then there must be others who could, too.

"While searching for those others, that's when I found…Edward," he said, clearly hesitant.

"I've heard about this part," I said quietly.

There was a moment of silence, before I decided to prod the conversation forward by asking, "And Esme?"

He puckered his lips into a frown. "It may upset you."

I twisted my body next to him, propping my head up on my arm and putting a hand on his chest. "Now I'm more interested."

He laughed, which I realized was my new most favorite sound in the world. "I'd met her several years before––she was but a teenager––when she was brought in with a broken leg. She'd fallen out of a tree. However, I didn't think too much about her, until she was in the hospital again years later. She had miscarried, and was on her deathbed."

"What made you decide to change her?"

He took his time before finally responding. "It wasn't me who decided, actually. It was Edward."

I froze. "What?"

"Edward can read my thoughts, and at the time, I wasn't very good at hiding those I wanted private," he explained. "He sensed my loneliness, and even though Edward was generally good company, he believed I sought something more. A lifetime companion."

"He believed," I repeated. "And was he right?"

"Perhaps," he said, idly playing with my hand on his chest. "Edward strongly believed that Esme was the one, and if I'm to be honest…at the time, I would believe anything.

"Esme was perfect. Still is. She'd already had minor feelings for me back when she was human, so it wasn't very difficult to begin a relationship. I did consider her my wife, and I her husband, for a few decades.

"Eventually, I realized that while she was perfect, we never were. She was ultimately more focused on taking care of the kids––Edward, especially, her favorite––and never really…It's her calling, you see. To be a mother."

I nodded slowly, trying to understand. "Are you saying…You only took the father figure in the family because…"

He smiled sadly. "I never really said it out loud to the others, of course, but it's the unspoken truth of the family. Esme always called it what it was: roles to play."

I took me a moment to process his admission.

"I don't regret changing her," he clarified. "I never will. She's what glues our family together. While she may not be with us now, she'll be back. And when she does, the others will, too."

"So the separation of the family…It happens often?"

"Once in a while," he replied.

We continued the conversation until exhaustion took over my faculties and I passed out. In my dreams, I heard a gentle, soothing voice singing me a lullaby, in a language that was probably too old to be spoken by anyone today.

We reached the airport with an hour to spare. We would've gotten there earlier for sure if I hadn't slept in pretty late, that Carlisle had to shake me gently to wake me up.

Well, seeing his smiling, angelic face first thing the morning was the best thing to wake up to, honestly.

"Kentucky Fried Chicken, anyone?" Alice smiled brightly as she appeared back in to the group in the private waiting area, with a plastic bag from my favorite fast food. It warmed my heart that she remembered.

I took the bag from her hands, but not before handing her a couple of bills to pay for the meal. She looked at me incredulously, opening her mouth in protest, but she eventually obliged and awkwardly took the cash.

Carlisle wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I opened the package on my lap. His face scrunched in disapproval as he took a whiff of the food. "Looks delicious," he murmured sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, gently poking his nose with a finger. "You don't see me judging your diet."

I began to eat, trying to ignore Alice's and Jasper's knowing looks across from me. Before I got to a second bite, however, my phone began to ring loudly in my pocket.

I raised my eyebrows at the caller ID, and while Carlisle pretended to look away, I knew he saw it too.

"Um, Bruce?" I greeted when I picked up the phone. I gestured to be excused from the others, and Carlisle slowly removed his arm from my shoulders to let me stand and walk to the corner of the room.

"Bella!" he greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where are you?"

"Airport," I whispered, trying to keep my voice down, God knows why. I knew the vampires would hear it anyway.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "You didn't tell me you were leaving."

"Sorry, it was all last minute," I explained. "Why'd you call?"

"I was hoping we'd get together, with midterms over and all," he said. "There's this really cool sushi place opening up a couple towns over, and I know how much you like sushi. Damn, I had this whole thing planned. Bummer."

I instantly felt bad. To be honest, I'd totally forgotten about my best college friend ever since Carlisle and I… "We could get some when I get back," I assured him. "My treat."

"Sweet," he said. Bruce was easy to please. It's what I liked the most about him. "It's a date."

I widened my eyes immediately. "I––What––"

"Kidding, Bella. I'll text you, I'm actually driving right now. I know, I'm the worst driver, since I'm reckless and stupid, blah, blah, blah. Have a safe flight!"

He hung up.

Still dazed and confused from the phone call, I walked slowly back to the group and sat myself down on my seat. Next to me, Carlisle's expression was thoughtful, and Alice and Jasper were in their own quiet conversation across from me.

I continued taking my small bites of my chicken. It'd already turned cold.

"What did the boy want?" Carlisle finally asked quietly, looking like he'd been holding back the question for a while.

I swallowed a mouthful. "I don't really know."

He pursed his lips, hesitating to press any further.

"He wanted to eat somewhere," I went on. "I forgot to tell him I was going to Forks."

"Do you usually tell him of your plans?"

I couldn't help it. I looked at him incredulously, and after a second, I let out a fit of laughter. His reaction was priceless––a mix of surprise and shame. "Are you serious?" I said when I finally calmed down.

"I…Yes, I suppose I'm serious," he said, saying the words so slowly, as if they were foreign to him.

I shook my head, before giving him a peck on the cheek. "It's only you."

"Really?"

"Really."

He seemed to relax at that, and gave me a short kiss on the lips.

"I have chicken breath," I protested, pulling away.

"Delicious," he assured me, kissing me again.

I slept nearly the whole flight. First class seats were more comfortable than I was used to, and my lack of decent sleep just put the whole thing against me. Carlisle let me use him as a pillow again––I'd ignored his "Are you sure you don't want something actually soft to lean against" comment––and sang his beautiful lullaby the rest of the trip.

After a few hours that felt like mere seconds to me, we were in Seattle.

When we arrived in town, Alice and Carlisle each rented a car for the next couple of weeks. I rolled my eyes at their predictable choices. Alice, with Jasper's approval, had picked out a flashy Mustang convertible. Carlisle was in luck; his favorite model was available.

"Why am I not surprised?" I said as I hopped in the passenger seat of the AMG.

He merely chucked in response as he turned on the engine, enjoying the familiar purr.

We convoyed on the way to Forks, and the drivers' nearly suicidal speed driving was able cut down the usual four hour trip into three. When I finally caught a glimpse of the familiar "Forks, Washington" sign––just a blur, really, with Carlisle's driving––I immediately felt a wave of nostalgia. While it had been my home until very recently, there was a wistful, peaceful feeling to it now that I had Carlisle by my side, again. It was a usual cloudy day, on the brink of raining, and I could already smell the familiar scent of moss and humidity.

I was home.

We decided to drop by the original Cullen home in the outskirts of town first, and get their baggages settled in. It still looked as majestic as the last time I saw it, albeit dark and empty. It didn't take Alice and Jasper more than an hour to bring the house back to life again, removing the coverings on the furniture and turning the electricity back on. When I stepped into the bright, open house, I felt like I was seventeen again.

But when Carlisle took my hand next to me, I remembered that I wasn't.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he murmured in my ear behind me.

I turned around and looked up at him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "I think there's no place I'd rather be right now."

He smiled, tilting his head to peck me on the cheek. "No strange feelings, being back here again?"

I shook my head. "All I ask is for you to promise me one thing."

"Anything."

I took his cold, stone face in my hands. "Don't. Fucking. Abandon. Me. Again."

He instantly melted at my words, leaning down to kiss me with fervor. "I swear on your heart."

He pushed me against the wall––familiar, I thought––and lifted me against it. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his hips to support my weight. Just as I gasped against his inviting marble lips, we were cut short by someone clearing his throat across the hall.

"I apologize," Jasper said, not looking sorry at all. "But I believe Bella is due to see Charlie in a few minutes."

I felt my cheeks turn hot at the mention of my dad, and I let myself slide down from the wall. I awkwardly fixed my dress, before responding, "Right. I'll be ready in a bit."

I didn't miss the daggers Carlisle's eyes shot at Jasper as the latter retreated from the room.

"You'll come with me, right?" I asked him. "I already told Charlie you were all coming to visit."

"Of course," he said, his expression stoic. "As your…friends' father, and I suppose Charlie's colleague."

I frowned. "It upsets me too, you know. I'm just asking for a little time."

He smiled then, lifting my hand to his lips. "Take as much time as you need. And besides, we have fun with our charades, don't we, Ms. Swan?"

"Definitely, Professor Cullen," I played along, heart fluttering.

Carlisle

As I drove us closer to the Swan residence, I noticed Bella began to bite her nails more anxiously in the passenger seat next to me.

I wasn't going to mention it, but Alice wasn't having it. "For God's sake, Bella, I just painted those nails last night!" she exclaimed from the seat behind me.

"Sorry," Bella said shyly, tucking her hands under her bottom as if to control herself from biting her nails again. I saw Jasper silently asking permission from the rearview mirror, and after a few seconds of reluctance, I gave him a curt nod.

Immediately, Bella seemed to relax. She leaned her head on her arm by the window, quietly anticipating as we approached the familiar two-story house at the end of the street.

It looked just as I remembered it, although I've only been to her house a handful of times. Beside Charlie's cruiser in the driveway, there was an unfamiliar black Volkswagen Rabbit. It was clearly vintage.

Bella, however, seemed to recognize the vehicle. "Is he…"

Before the car came to a full stop, Bella was already unlocking her door, and soon jumped out of the car. She took her suitcase with her from the trunk in quite a hurry. Both Alice and Jasper looked wary behind me, and after a few moments, we followed after her.

The door was already open when we reached it, and Charlie's eyes were on us as we approached him. His expression was stoic, unsure.

I gave him the warmest smile I could make. "Chief Swan," I greeted, stretching a gloved hand towards him.

He decided to return a tight but genuine smile, shaking my hand. "I see you haven't aged a day, doc. We've missed you around here. I hear Forks General just isn't the same without you."

I chuckled. "Perhaps I'll come visit."

He nodded awkwardly to acknowledge Alice and Jasper. I saw Alice wave at him excitedly, while Jasper merely smiled in return.

"Dad," Bella suddenly said. "Is Jacob here?"

Ah, the Rabbit owner.

Charlie nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Yes, he's in the kitchen, fixing something up. You actually've got to help me out, Bells, the kid goes through the groceries like it's nothing––"

Bella made a strange sound before heading inside before Charlie even finished his sentence. For a few moments, Alice, Jasper, and I stood awkwardly across from the patriarch of the house.

"The other one," he whispered to me once she was out of earshot. "Your boy, Edward. She told me he isn't coming. That true, doc?"

I gave him a tight smile. "Yes, as of now, Edward's finishing his schooling in South America."

Charlie looked instantly relieved. "Good. I mean, well…Bella was very out of sorts for a long time ever since…Well, let's just say I was a bit worried when she called and said she's reunited with you all. But seeing her now, I think she's doing alright."

I felt my chest tighten. "I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience we may have caused before."

He patted my shoulder. "You're good, doc. Come in, all of you."

As soon as I stepped inside, however, a repulsive, yet familiar scent that was similar to the smell of a wet dog immediately invaded my senses. I looked to my side and saw that both Alice and Jasper recognized the scent, too.

Werewolf. We hadn't had an encounter with one in a while.

I casually gestured for the others to stand back as I followed Charlie to the kitchen, where the scent was originating from. There, I found Bella conversing with––or perhaps comforting?––a very tall, muscular, yet clearly young boy with cropped black hair. He was dressed in what looked like a very old shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. As soon as I stepped in the room, he turned alert and instinctively looked up menacingly in my direction.

I decided to step forward slowly, putting my hands behind me. This was our territory, after all.

"Jake, what are you––" Bella began, seeing her friend's countenance turn abruptly. Her eyes turned to me, utterly confused.

"What are you doing here?" the boy spat rather disrespectfully, his stance threatening.

I was silent, but Charlie stood in between us. "Jacob, what the hell's gotten into you? It's just the Cullens."

"I know who they are. You didn't tell me anyone else was coming." His stance remained the same, and I was afraid he'd turn right then and there. Bella was too close to him…I had to do something, anything to calm the animal down.

"Hello, Jacob," I said smoothly. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I believe I've met a relative of yours."

Unfortunately, that seemed to make the situation worse. His nostrils flared and he stepped forward in pure hostility. "Don't you dare talk about my family like you know anything. Especially not after––not now."

"I don't understand," I said. "But as much as I don't want to pull this card, your relative and I made a deal. You remember that, don't you?"

That seemed to sober him up, but only barely. He still looked extremely agitated, but his stance crumbled. Before he stormed out of the room through the kitchen back door, however, he looked back to grimly say: "If it were up to me, it wouldn't matter anymore."

"What the hell was that?" Charlie said, absolutely dumbfounded. "I'm sorry, doc, he's not usually like this."

"No worries," I assured him. "I believe our…reputation at the reservation hasn't died down yet, despite our absence."

"Right," Charlie contemplated. "I just didn't see that sort of thing in Jacob. I'm sorry."

Alice and Jasper entered the room, most likely sensing the werewolf had left. They looked at me, their expressions questioning. I had no answer or explanation to offer them.

I turned back to Bella, who had seen the entire exchange. Her mind seemed to be trying to piece something, anything together, but was unsuccessful. I deduced then that Jacob's secret was unknown to her.

"Car––Dr. Cullen, may I talk to you outside?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows, but Alice was quick on her feet to distract him, with Jasper on her heels, conveniently keeping the man relaxed. "Charlie, I hear you haven't been doing well…"

I followed Bella to the backyard, where she had begun pacing and anxiously biting her nails again.

"Explain," she demanded simply.

"I…can't." It was the truth, I was bound by the treaty. Part of the requisites was that we were not to share each other's secrets.

She didn't know that, of course, which made seeing the look of betrayal on her face even more painful. "I thought you said we could trust each other."

I began to feel exasperated. "Love, I literally can't. Please believe me when I say that if I could, I would tell you everything. But I'm unfortunately bound."

I took a step towards her, but she took a step back when I did. "He's my friend. I've never seen him act like this, ever. I know he's going through something tough, with his dad and all, but he would never act like that. Unless…"

I waited patiently.

"Is it bad?" she asked quietly. "Whatever it is, is he in danger? Is he gonna be okay?"

Strangely, my first reaction was to be miffed towards her acute concern for him. If only she knew the boy could hold his ground very well on his own, even against me. "It's nothing like that, Bella. And I highly suggest that if answers are what you seek…You take them from him."

"I hate this," she sighed, but stepped closer to me. Her hands wandered to the sides of my coat, twisting the fabric between her slender fingers. "I hate secrets, I hate how everything's always complicated. It makes me feel like…like you're slipping away––"

"I'm not," I said firmly, lifting her head to face me. "I made a promise, remember?"

She nodded. After scanning the vicinity quickly and confirming no eyes were on us, she tiptoed and gave me a short, but chaste kiss.

As soon as we said our goodbyes to Bella and Charlie for the night and hit the road, Alice released the question she'd been keeping for what was probably several hours.

"What in the world was a werewolf doing in Charlie's house?"

"He's young," Jasper noted dryly. "He's a Black, too. He couldn't have transformed any earlier than a few months ago."

I was silent for a moment, my mind racing a million miles a minute. We hadn't had a werewolf outbreak in Forks for several decades, as the only vampires in the vicinity––us––posed no threat to the community.

"Why now?" I finally said. "When we're out of Forks? Why the outbreak now?"

Alice suddenly grunted in frustration. "I…I can't see visions anymore, Carlisle. I know you told me not to look, but…I can't see Bella."

I widened my eyes in alarm, nearly stopping the car. "What?"

"I don't think I can see past Black's pack of mutts," she spat. "She's probably planning to see him. Tomorrow morning, at the latest."

I stared straight ahead, mentally weighing my options. I could go back and tell her to stay away from their kind––they were very unpredictable and dangerous, after all––or I could…

"Let her," I said.

Both Alice and Jasper looked alarmed. "Carlisle––"

"I trust her," I cut them off, keeping my eyes forward. "She said he's like family, and she seems to care a lot about him. That means he wouldn't hurt her."

"And if he does?" Jasper asked quietly.

I sighed, gripping the wheel tighter. "Then the treaty's off, and we avenge her."

A/N: Hope the plot is getting interesting for you! Just to give you a little heads up, this will be a 14-chapter fic, plus an epilogue with a surprise at the end. :)