Thank you so much IamTheAlleyCat for beta'ing and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You really are amazing. I cannot believe so many of you are getting in touch to say you're enjoying the story. It's giving me so much encouragement to keep plugging away on my Bella/Carlisle WIP when it gets tough to do xxx
Chapter Seven
Carlisle
Though I could have completed the decorating in an afternoon alone, I enjoyed doing it much more at Bella's pace, as it meant I could do it with her. She turned what would have been a chore into something I truly enjoyed, and when she left at the end of the day, face speckled with pain and arms tired, I felt a pang of sadness that it was over and I was alone again.
She came back the next day, though, and the next until, at the end of the week, we were finished. The main parts of the house were a home again, yet there were still things for Esme to work on if she had the desire to.
We had made no more immediate plans to see each other again when I last saw her the day before, as I was sure plans would be cast out of the window once the rest of the family were here. I would see her soon, though, I was certain.
Emmett and Rosalie took their cars from Ithaca straight to the house in Hanover, so they had a long drive across the country to get to uswith Jasper and Alice. Jasper and Emmett could usually find an opportunity to make a bet on almost anything, so I was sure the drive would be turned into a race. The only question was which of them would persuade Rosalie to let them drive her BMW.
My only task for the day of their arrival was to collect Esme from the airport when she flew in that morning, since I had taken the weekend off of work to welcome them. Though Bella was working and would be busy until lunchtime, I had no doubt that she would be finishing her day with us.
One of the good things about the lingering noxious paint smell was that it hid the now fading scent of Bella in the house. I would be able to reveal her presence in my own time and way, as should be my pleasure to do after all this time of secrecy.
I was standing against the wall in the arrivals area of the airport, thinking over my last meeting with Bella while waiting for Esme.
Bella had been teasing, asking if I was going to defend her from Rosalie when she saw her again. I had laughed and said she would be fine. I was sure I was right. Rosalie might be hostile and moody, but Bella would be able to handle it. She was a much stronger person now than she had been before; she was different. It was those differences that I was curious about now. How would the rest of my family react to the changes? What would they say when they knew she was a cop?
At that moment, I saw Esme step through the sliding doors, a small travel bag over her shoulder. I walked to her at a human pace and as we met, I caught her in my arms and kissed her. "Esme," I sighed happily.
She smiled and kissed me back and then, in lieu of a conventional greeting, she said, "What were you thinking about?" Seeing my confusion, she went on, "You were lost in thought, Carlisle. They looked like happy thoughts."
"Oh." For a moment, I considered telling her the truth, but I decided against it. It was fair that they all hear the news at the same time. Also, I wanted to keep it my secret a little longer. "Just hospital things."
"You must be really enjoying your work here," she said.
"I am," I said honestly.
I took her bag, and we walked arm in arm to the exit. When we got to the car in the parking garage, I held open the door for her, and she slid in gracefully. I got in behind the wheel and started the engine.
"How was Alaska?" I asked.
"It was wonderful. Everyone sends their love to you and the family. How was Oregon?"
"It is fine. I like the hospital. The staff are pleasant, and my work makes a real difference. It's a nice area to live in, too. The house is…" I had been talking to distract her from questioning my apparently unusual happiness, but I faltered before pushing on. "The house is a bit of a mess, to be honest. I didn't actually do any preparation for your arrival until last week. The lounge is done, though."
She smiled. "That's okay. I will get to work when we have all settled." She leaned over to pat my hand on the steering wheel. "Have you been working too hard, Carlisle?"
"There is no too hard for us," I said. "But no. I have been making time to enjoy myself." I smiled again as I thought of some of the things I had enjoyed.
She tilted her head to the side. "I am going to find out, you know."
"Find out what?"
"Why you are so happy."
I smiled. "I am sure you will."
We had barely arrived at the house before I heard the roar of engines approaching and knew it was more of my family returning. I set Esme's bag down in the house and went outside to wait for them.
They arrived in a rush of sprayed dirt and skidding brakes. I was watching carefully, and I saw that Jasper was just an inch ahead of Emmett, but I vowed to say nothing when they questioned me as neither of them was a particularly good loser.
The car doors flew open and, for a moment, there was chaos as Jasper and Alice and Emmet and Rosalie celebrated their victories. Then they each noticed what the other was doing, and their celebration turned to confusion.
"Why are you happy?" Emmett asked Jasper. "I won."
Jasper laughed. "At Mah-jong, perhaps. I was the clear winner of that race."
"Oh, here we go," Rosalie said disdainfully. "We won." She tossed back her hair and walked away from them to greet Esme with a hug. "I missed you."
"And I you," Esme said, cupping her cheek in her hand.
Rosalie came to me next, and I smoothed a hand through her hair as I hugged her. "Hello, Rose," I said when she pulled back.
Emmett and Jasper were still arguing, and Esme was attempting to soothe them while also greeting Alice.
I watched it all, happy in the moment. It was almost perfect, only two people missing from our number would make it so. I wished they were there. I wished in that moment that Bella was there already. She would enjoy seeing Emmett's and Jasper's disagreement.
Emmett was mid-tirade, but Jasper's bright, amused eyes snapped from him to me. His brow furrowed, and he said my name doubtfully, almost concerned.
"Hello, Jasper," I said, slightly confused.
He shook his head, as if shaking something off, and turned back to Emmett. "Fine. You win. I lose. Let's leave it at that."
Emmett looked disappointed. One thing he loved more than winning a bet was winning an argument. He and Edward would have some blazers that Emmett engineered and Edward, even knowing he was being set up, would be unable to not join in.
"Shall we go in?" Esme asked. "I want to see Carlisle's decorating."
I gestured them all in ahead of me and then entered, taking in their reactions to the room. "Wow," Alice said happily. "This is great."
"It is," Esme said, turning to me. "I love the color."
I smiled. Bella would be pleased to hear that.
Emmett threw himself down onto the couch and wriggled. "Comfy."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Emmett, it would be comfy for you even if it was made of nails."
"I was being polite," he said sardonically. "It's a couch. They're green walls. What am I supposed to say about it?"
I laughed, and all eyes drifted to me. Jasper looked confused again, and he tilted his head to the side as he appraised me.
"What's wrong, Jasper?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just…you seem different?" He framed it as a question.
"I…" I hesitated. I wasn't sure what to say. Surely, this was the moment to mention Bella.
Evidently following his own chain of thought, Emmett said, "Carlisle, why do you have a person print in the paintwork?"
All eyes followed his line of sight. Sure enough, if you looked, there was the faintest outline of a human shape in the paint, even though I had painted over it twice.
"Oh," I said lamely. "Well, I had a little assistance painting."
"You hired people in?" Esme asked. "Carlisle, if I had known how little you wanted to do it, I would have stayed to do it myself."
"It's not that," I said quickly. "I had a friend help me."
"There's another vampire here?" Jasper asked, immediately tense.
"No. She's human. Definitely human." I drew a breath and said in a rush, "Bella is here."
There was an explosion of noise, voices, whoops in Emmett's case, and shaky breaths from Esme.
"Here as in here?" Alice asked.
"I've not hidden her in the attic, Alice. She's living in town."
"How is she?" Esme asked, her eyes wide and imploring.
"She is very well. Wonderful, in fact. We met a few months ago, shortly after I started at the hospital."
"The hospital!" Emmett said with relish. "Tell me she tripped again!"
I thought back to our reunion and her causal words, "I shot him." It wasn't time for them to know that. It was Bella's story to tell, if she ever wanted to. The fact she was a cop was definitely for her to tell them. It was her surprise to spring.
"She didn't trip," I said with a fond smile.
"I can't believe I didn't see this," Alice said, sounding stunned. "I wasn't looking, I promised I wouldn't, but I should have seen her with you."
"Perhaps that's it," Jasper said. "You promised you wouldn't, so you were subconsciously blocking her."
"Perhaps," Alice said in a musing tone.
"Tell us everything," Esme implored. "What is she doing here. How is Charlie? And Renee?"
"Is she happy?" Surprisingly, it was Emmett who asked the most important question.
"She is very happy," I said. "Her life is good. As for the other questions, I think the answers to them would best come from Bella herself."
"We can see her?" Esme asked. "I mean, does she want to see us?"
"She does," I said. I checked my watch. "She is working at the moment, but her shift ends at noon. I can see if she'd like to visit…"
"Please," Alice said eagerly.
I picked up my cell from the table and hit the speed-dial I had assigned to her. It rang a few times, and then her bright voice answered.
"Hey, Carlisle. Have they descended?"
"They have," I said solemnly, and she laughed. "We were wondering if we could see you at some point."
"Sure," she said easily. "I've got another couple hours on shift, but I'll come by right after. That okay?"
"That is perfect," I said. "I will see you then."
We exchanged goodbyes, and I set the phone down on the table again. "She is coming soon," said, unnecessarily as they would have heard both sides of the phone call perfectly.
"Wonderful," Esme said, clapping her hands together. "There are things we need to do."
The room seemed to buzz with anticipation as the time ticked down to Bella's expected arrival. Rosalie, whose reaction I was most unsure of, was sitting beside Emmett on the couch and looking calmly interested as I was questioned on Bella and her life. I didn't know why they continued to ask when I was determined to tell them nothing and they would be able to find out for themselves soon enough.
Then, out of the quiet traffic sounds passing on the highway, there was the sound of a car pulling onto the drive.
"Here!" Esme gasped. "She's here!"
"I believe she is."
I stood and made for the door. Before I could reach it, Alice was there, rushing past me to get outside. I stopped and stood back to save myself from being bowled over by Emmett as he followed her. I gestured the others out ahead of me, and then followed them out. Alice stood at the bottom of the steps, leaning forward slightly as if that would reduce the time of waiting to see Bella. Jasper stood beside her, his hand on the small of her back. Emmett was standing on the porch with Rosalie and Esme. I made my way down to wait with Alice. I wanted to be there, at the forefront, so Bella would see me first.
As confident and strong as she was now, this was a big thing, to see them all again, and I wanted to be there for her as a buffer.
There was a sound like rushing wind as everyone drew in a sharp breath as the patrol car drew around the corner of the trees that hid the house from the drive until the last minute.
"What the…?" Jasper started.
Emmett's eyes bugged. "She's a…"
"Cop," Rosalie said tonelessly.
I smiled to myself, enjoying the moment.
Bella pulled to a halt and, after fumbling with something for a moment, opened the door and climbed out. With a rush of Bella's name, Alice was across the space, and Bella was in her arms in a moment.
Bella looked startled at first, but her arms quickly came up to hold Alice, and she laughed softly. It seemed that Alice didn't care what uniform Bella wore or what she did, as long as she was there.
"Hello, Alice," Bella said gently, resting her cheek against Alice's spiky hair.
"Oh, Bella, I missed you so much."
An unnameable emotion flashed across Bella's face at her words. It was gone too fast for me to be able to define. But then Bella was smiling and saying, "I missed you, too." Then she sucked in a breath and said, "Little too tight, Alice."
Alice leaped back, releasing Bella and dropping her arms back to her sides. "Sorry."
Bella shook her head, smiling fondly, and then turned her attention to Emmett. "Hey, Em."
"You're a cop," he said stupidly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Observant."
She turned from him to Esme, but Emmett seemed to snap out of his shock-induced inertia. He rushed forward and swept her into his arms, spinning her twice and making her laugh freely, before he set her down again. "Geez, Bella, look at you," he said, awed.
Bella looked surprised, but then Esme was there, hugging her, and she seemed to forget Emmett in favor of enjoying Esme's embrace.
When they pulled apart, Esme cupped Bella's cheek in her hand and said softly, "You're so beautiful."
Bella smiled and turned to where Rosalie and Jasper were standing at the bottom of the steps. I wondered how she would react to them. She and Rosalie had never bonded, and Jasper had last been seen by her being bodily dragged from the room while he struggled to get at her and her flowing blood.
She smiled though, waving a hand in greeting and saying, "Hey," casually.
"Hello, Bella," Jasper said while Rosalie just nodded slightly.
"Shall we go in?" I said.
There were murmurs of assent, and Rosalie led us inside again. I walked at the rear behind Alice and Bella, noting Bella's hand clasped in Alice's. It made me smile. Bella made for one of the plush armchairs she had chosen. She sat and leaned back against the cushion, looking comfortable in the room she had helped create.
Alice perched on the edge of her chair, and the rest of us took seats around them on the other couches and chairs.
"Would you like a drink, Bella?" Esme asked.
"Sure," Bella said. "I think I left some soda in the kitchen last time."
Esme smiled. "We have coffee, and juice and teas if you'd prefer."
Bella looked confused, and I explained. "While you were at work Esme made the house human-guest-friendly."
"Thanks," Bella said. "But there was no need. I've been making out fine with it how it was before."
"I wanted you to feel welcome," Esme said.
"I do," Bella said quickly. "And I'd love some juice."
Esme beamed at her and flitted from the room. She came back a moment later with a glass of orange juice, which Bella sipped and set down on the coffee table.
"So," Emmett said slowly, "Bella, you're a cop."
Bella nodded. "Yep."
He didn't seem able to articulate the question he wanted answering. He blurted, "How? What? When? How? Why?"
There was a ripple of laughter around the room, Bella included, and then she said, "Good questions all. How? I went to college and then the academy. What? You answered that a couple times yourself there, Em, a cop. When? I've been on the roster about a year and a half now. Why?" She glanced at me, and I wondered whether I would hear the 'silly' reason at last. "Because I was done being the damsel in distress."
Jasper leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean the damsel in distress?"
Bella rolled her eyes. "Where do I even start? Okay, the nomads. The ballet studio. Laurent in the meadow. Victoria and her newborns."
There was a rush of indrawn breath again, and Esme whispered, "Newborns?"
Bella nodded. "Long story. Carlisle can fill you in. The point is, I would have been dead if it wasn't for you guys when James came for me. And then the wolves saved me from Laurent, Victoria, and the newborns. I was done. I couldn't be a superhero the way you guys and the wolves are, but I can be the best a human can be. I went to college thinking about myself and came out thinking about other people."
I smiled at her, and she slightly nodded in return.
"When you say wolves…" Emmett started.
"Ah, yes," I said. "I should have mentioned. The wolves are back in La Push. Bella says there is a pack of ten now."
Rosalie hissed. "Ten!"
"Yep," Bella said, unconcerned. "They phase in relation to a vampire threat, and the threat was pretty big with Victoria."
I felt the tension in the air and rallied for a way to disperse it. The wolves were something the family and I would need to discuss alone, just to set their minds at ease. I didn't want Bella and Rosalie in the same conversation about that topic as it would end badly. Luckily for me, Emmett used his uncanny knack for lightening the atmosphere in a room by saying, "Carlisle said he met you in the hospital but that you didn't trip. Did you maybe fall instead?"
His eyes were alight with excitement, and I turned to Bella to see her reaction. She looked equally as amused as she lowered her voice and leaned forward to speak as if only to him. "No, Em. I met him there because I was checking up on the man I'd just shot."
There was a beat of silence, and then Emmett broke into raucous laughter. Feeding from his amusement, Jasper smiled, too, and Alice grinned. Even Esme was smiling politely. They thought she was joking.
Bella looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.
"Hold on," Jasper said suddenly, looking between us. "You're not joking, are you?"
"Nope," Bella said happily. "I shot a man. I didn't kill him, though, did I, Carlisle?"
"No, Bella, you didn't kill him," I said, then feeling they may as well know it all, I went on, "You tore the brachial nerve which required fine surgery and will need months of physical therapy to repair. But no, you didn't kill him."
They all looked stunned. Bella looked indifferent. I thought that, though it was a shock for them, it was better that they see early on that this wasn't the Bella they had known before. They would have to get to know her all over again, just like I had.
"What happened?" Esme asked.
Bella considered her for a moment. "He was robbing a Mini-Mart. When I got there, he had a knife. I told him to drop it. He did. Then he pulled a gun. There were civilians in there, so I did what I had to do." She glanced down at her watch. "Anyway, I've got to head out. I'm meeting some of the guys at the range later, and then I'm going to need to sleep before I go back to work."
"You're leaving already?" Esme asked, her face falling.
"Afraid so." Bella looked to me. "You got the nightshift?"
"Not until Monday," I said apologetically. I would have liked to have one of our late-night meetings in my office to talk again in private.
"I'll see you then," Bella said brightly, then waved an arm vaguely at the rest of the room. "I'll see you all soon. Carlisle has my number." She stood, hugged Alice who was looking forlorn now, and made for the door.
I followed her out to the door and waved from the porch as she got into the car and turned. She tapped the horn once and then drove steadily onto the dirt-track that led to the main road.
So… That was the first family meeting. It wasn't what I was hoping for when I had the idea, but the characters led me here, and it seemed right that it wasn't perfect. They were expecting an older version of the girl they knew, and she's not that person anymore.
Until next time…
Simaril xxx
