Chapter 11: After the fall

Edward PoV

My mind was racing with all that just happened, and if I didn't have Marie's head currently cradled in my arms, I wouldn't be sure I could believe what had just happened.

"Carlisle." I could hear the worried and agitated state of my voice.

As I glanced up to my adopted father, I saw my worry mirrored in his eyes. I was becoming more anxious as the seconds passed and took a moment to glance up at Jasper and Rosalie to see that their expressions also mirrored my own.

It was at this moment that Alice re-emerged from the kitchen, the extra plate she was holding falling from her hands as she froze in shock at the scene in front of her. It shattered upon contacting the ground and she jumped back as if the noise had harmed her.

Rosalie made to aid Alice by seeking out a broom to clean up the pieces of the shattered plate, while Jasper moved to Alice's side to make sure she was okay.

"What happened?" Alice asked turning her gaze to look from the unconscious girl in my arms to Carlisle.

"I was asking questions, as I needed to gauge how our guest was doing, as would be standard protocol in a situation such as hers. However, my questions seemed to bring her to a place of agitation and fear, which resulted in her passing out. We have no way to know for sure what thoughts caused such a reaction until she wakes again."

"Carlisle!" Alice screeched, "could your doctorly concern not have waited until she was at least well fed? The poor girl had barely woken up from whatever ordeal Edward saved her from last night!"

Alice had a point, and I could tell that Carlisle felt remorseful, it was written all over his face. I shuffled and moved to take Marie into my arms once again and stood, careful to avoid the shattered plate which Rosalie was now sweeping up.

"Alright, well, what's done is done, Carlisle would you help me get Marie back upstairs, and Alice, could you prepare a damp rag for Marie's head?"

I moved without waiting for a response, as my biggest concern was making sure that Marie was taken care of. As I made my way back to my room I could hear Carlisle on my heels, and as I passed mother's door I could hear her stirring, most likely she had been awoken by the commotion downstairs. I glanced over my shoulder at Carlisle and saw that he was looking to the door to mother's room.

"Carlisle, I think I can make it from here, it seems Marie left my door open when she wandered down to breakfast this morning. Go, check on mother, perhaps you can explain to her all that has occurred since last night."

"Yes, I… I think I shall." Carlisle said, already moving to enter my mother's room. "Just come to get me when she wakes, I shall like to do a proper examination of the girl this time around." And with that he opened the door to mother's room and made his way to her, closing the door behind him.

"Good morning, dear." I heard him say through the door before I made my way to set Marie down in the center of my bed once more.

Before I could even stand from placing Marie in the bed, I hear footsteps crossing from the door to the opposite side of the bed. It was Alice with the damp cloth, she immediately moved to rest it across Marie's forehead.

"I'm worried brother." Alice said glancing up at me while her hand came to rest on Marie's arm.

"As am I Alice." I said, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

"I heard Carlisle talking to mother," Alice said with a faraway look in her eyes.

"She is doing fine Alice – "

"I know she is!" Alice barked, her voice no louder than a whisper as the cut me off. "But I worry that this whole crazy situation we have found ourselves in will be too much for her." There was a waver to her voice, and I could tell that Alice was trying with all her might to hold her tears at bay.

I reached my hand across Marie, and laid it comfortingly atop her own, which still rested on Marie's arm. It was a bad move on my part. I had only meant to comfort my sister, but in doing so I had placed myself at a less than appropriate distance from Marie's sleeping form. I patted Alice's hand in a soothing way once more before retracting it as smoothly as possible, before anyone could catch me in such compromising proximity to this girl who had already captured my heart.

Alice and I stood in silence for a while, as she kept an eye on Marie, checking her temperature, and fidgeting with the blankets around her. I had moved to the more appropriate distance of leaning against the wall nearest the door to my room. How I wished that this distance between the girl who had taken over my world was not necessary. We knew no more about this girl than that she had an inscribed locket around her neck. She had a family somewhere, and could even have a betrothed, but one thing was certain, she was not mine, no matter how much I wished it.

"It will all be fine Alice… it has to be fine." I said fighting back the lump that had formed in my throat.

We had already lost father, though we were beyond lucky to have Carlisle, mother was still sickly, and now we had Marie. This stranger had weaseled her way into our hearts, and she had barely been conscious in the hours that we had known her.

"I hope… more than anything, that you are right brother dear." She said, tearing her tear-filled eyes away from Marie.

Alice and I sat with Marie for a while longer before we heard Carlisle clearing his throat from behind me. We both had been so lost in thought that neither of us had heard his approach.

"Your mother is awake, and has requested to see the both of you, I have asked Rosalie to come and assist me with checking over Marie, to make sure that her fall hasn't changed her condition." Carlisle said, adopting the doctorly tone we were used to. "Afterward, I would like if we could all reconvene in the dining room to discuss what needs to happen next."

Alice and I both looked at him warily as he stepped into the room, both of us reluctant to leave Marie, though we knew that she was more than safe in the hands of Carlisle and Rosalie. But when Rosalie appeared at the door to my room moments later, Alice and I knew we had no more reason to linger, so we filed out and made our way to mother's room. Alice rapped her knuckles lightly on the door, and moments later we heard a faint "come in."

A/N: Hello again! I know that recently my updates have been frequent. I had initially planned to space out updates by at least a week, but I was just so excited to be finally working on this story again after so long. But in updating more frequently I have burned through my log of finished chapters and caught myself in a bit of a writer's block, so chapter updates will have to be spaced out a bit more so that I can catch myself back up. I know where I want the story to go, I just have to write it. With that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please feel free to review. Your feedback will only help this story get better.

~Rylandra