Summary: Bella and Carlisle never expected to be reunited after hundreds of years apart. They had all but given up when they meet in the forest of Forks, Washington. (Bella/Carlisle)
Carlisle Cullen has been alone since his change in 1663 in London, England. He had been engaged to the love of his life before that future was stolen from them. Five years after his change, he went back and discovered that Isabella had gone missing shortly after his change. It was no more than a year. Carlisle knew he was going to be alone for eternity. He couldn't see how anyone else could be his soulmate. Isabella Swan was it for him, and he vowed to remain true to her memory. Many vampires and humans alike has tried, but he couldn't find it within him to betray Isabella's memory.
The only one in his coven that knew about Isabella was his son, Edward. Rosalie, her mate Emmett, knew nothing about her. It was too painful to think about her, let alone talk about her. And he never shared the house that he had built for Isabella five years before they were due to wed. That house would forever belong to Isabella.
It was now the 1930s, and they had just made a treaty with the neighboring tribe. They could not bite or feed from a human or the treaty would be void, and a war would start, or they were to leave and never come back. As he was going into work at the hospital in the little town of Forks, Washington, he came across another vampire's scent. Female from the fruity and floral scent. She smelt like strawberries, peaches, and cherry blossoms. It was a relaxing scent. Carlisle pulled over, and scanned the forest, before zooming into the woods, wanting to locate the scent. When he located her, he was stunned.
"Isabella..." he greeted, smiling as she raced towards him, smiling and laughing. "Carlisle," she muttered into his chest. He beamed when he saw that she was still wearing his mother's engagement ring.
"When were you changed?" he asked. "A week after you disappeared," she said. "I've been looking for you ever since. I figured if I had been changed, then chances are, you had been too," she explained.
"Oh, sweetheart. If I could have, I would have been there with you. I went back home after five years when I was sure I could control myself, and discovered that you had gone missing shorty after I had," he explained, holding her close. "None of that matters now. We are together again," she said, beaming up at him. He was relieved when he saw she had gold eyes. He had nothing against human drinkers, but it was good to know that Isabella didn't give into temptation.
"Do you know your sire?" he asked. "I wish I didn't. He's dead. I killed him when he wanted me to kill a child. I took the little girl home, all the while holding my breath, but when she bit her lip, I almost couldn't resist. An injured mountain lion had been close, and before I knew it, I had drank from it. Up until then, I had been starving because I had refused to kill humans," she explained. "It was five years after my change that I fed for the first time," she said, watching his eyes blackened in protective rage.
"You starved for five years..." he muttered angrily. "It was either that or feed on humans, and that I would not do. I know I could have gone after wrong doers, but I refused to play God. Granted, I could have fed from blood bags, but by then, I was content with my choice in diet," Bella said, causing him to beam in pride.
"I'm so proud of you," he said, before kissing her for the first time in years. They sighed at the contact. "Do you still want to get married?" he asked. "Yes, but I think we need to get to know each other again before we take that step," she said, hoping he wouldn't get too disappointed. "That is okay with me, sweetheart," he said, smiling. He couldn't wait to marry her, but he could wait a few more years if that was what she wanted.
"Are you alone here?" she asked. "No. I changed three young adults when they were on their death beds. They deserved better than the hand fate dealt them. Edward was the first, then Rosalie, her story is hers to tell, and Emmett. I view them as my children," he explained. "I would have changed them, also. I do have one childe, but before I could go back for her upon her awakening, I ran into trouble with a nomad that wanted to kill her. I led him on a wild chase long enough, so she could change," she explained, wanting so much to find her child. Alice was a ray of sunshine. She had taken care of Alice since she was seven years old, when her poor excuse of a father left her in an insane asylum.
She hadn't been anywhere near insane, but Alice had visions, and saw her father kill her mother, so he could be with his mistress.
"What's her name?" Carlisle asked. "Mary-Alice Branden. She goes by Alice," Bella said with a soft expression on her face. Alice was her pride and joy. Since Bella knew Alice was still out there with the Sire bond in place, she made sure that Alice had everything she needed whenever they saw each other again. She had her own home, and a trust fund that Bella added to monthly.
"You will see her again," Carlisle said, hugging her close. He had never been separated from his children, and couldn't even imagine it. His children meant everything to him. "I know," she said, knowing that she would due to Alice's visions. Bella knew that Alice would wake up with no memories due to the electric shock therapies those monsters had inflicted on her. Bella couldn't stop it without exposing herself, but she did go back after Alice had changed, and killed everyone that had hurt her. She may have not drank their blood, but she still killed them.
"Uh, I may not have drank blood, but I did kill humans. I killed the ones responsible for hurting my child. The doctors and her father, and his mistress," Bella said, biting her lip. "I understand," he said, after what Rosalie had done to the men who killed her.
They didn't want to be separated after so long apart, so Carlisle decided not to go into work, and stayed with his mate, catching up on everything he had missed. He was proud of her accomplishments. Turned out, she had two gifts. One beinging a shield, while the other was the ability to glamour herself or others anyway she pleased. It was still frowned upon for women to work, so she had glamoured herself to look and sound like a man, so she could earn money. She had more money than she knew what to do with.
As they caught up with each other, Carlisle and Bella were feeling their mating bond emerge, and become iron steel cables connecting them together. They knew they were mates way before the bond began to form, and they couldn't be happier that they found each other again.