I got sidetracked writing happy fluff for the future, so this chapter took a bit longer than I thought it would. I warned it would be 5000 words long, and it's just over 5000 words long. It'll likely be the longest chapter of the story! Please don't hate me, it's broken up into sections so it'll be easier to come and go if it's too much to read at once.

Thank you Anita Simons, lucefatale, and paninihead for your reviews! Hope there's some good cuteness in here! A huge thank you to everyone who's favourite and/or followed this story!

Chapter 17 - September, October and November 2004

September

Carys left the Vales' that Sunday afternoon, making the long journey back to Forks with more than a few questions running through her mind.

Firstly, she wondered about her parents.

Rachel had told her they'd planned on surprising her with the news of her new sibling, but all Carys could wonder to herself on that first stretch of her drive was when exactly they'd been planning on doing that.

Phone calls home to London were few and far between, the cost to both sides meaning they relied on emails unless there was something important to speak about. Surely... Surely this was something that would have warranted a phone call? Or, at the very least, an email?

Her parents hadn't been planning on travelling to Seattle until December that year... That would have meant...

Carys put the thoughts of her parents out of her mind as she passed Port Gamble and tried to concentrate on something else.

Something which wouldn't lead her further towards the conclusion that perhaps her parents were waiting for as long as they could before telling her that there wasn't a place for her in London anymore... Or that they needed her to come back... Or that they'd sent her to Forks because they wanted her gone... Or how selfish and silly she felt in thinking any of those things and more.

By the time she hit Port Angeles, her wish to think about something else had led her mind to return to the record lying on the seat beside her, and she fought the urge to pull over so she could study the picture again.

She'd been so sure. So sure.

The unanswered questions from the night before flooded her mind again for the next half hour of her trip. It was as if they consumed her in their ridiculousness.

The more she pondered them, the more she questioned herself.

She was seeing things, thinking things, imagining things.

What was wrong with her? Was she really so in love with Carlisle Cullen that she was even seeing his family in places and times they never could have been?

The mere fact she'd thought it was Rosalie - that her mind hadn't gone to grandmother as it should have, compounded things.

She needed to stop. Needed to get her head together. Needed to get past her feelings for him before she became more than ridiculous to herself.

Carys gritted her teeth as she pulled to the side of the road just before she reached Lake Pleasant.

Her hands shook slightly as she removed the earrings she'd been wearing almost constantly over the past month and held them in the palm of her hand, stroking her fingers over the twin pearls one last time.

She let out a deep breath as she opened the glove compartment and slid them in, thinking to herself that she'd transfer them to her jewellery box when she got home.

She wouldn't ask about Rosalie being in the picture that night, anyone would think she was going mad. She'd give Carlisle the record, check if Alice was okay, and leave it at that.

Leave all her thoughts of them at that.

After all, there was no them - would never be a them. Not in the way her heart wanted there to be, anyway.

As she restarted the engine and headed out on the last short leg of her journey home, Carys thought over her list again, adding one last point.

One - Carlisle has a girlfriend.

Two - He would never think of me in that way even if he didn't have one.

Three - He has five kids, and so he's got enough on his plate already.

Four - He's at least nine or ten years older than me.

Five - It would ruin our friendship and I'd never get to see him or speak to him again because there wouldn't be anyone to buffer us.

Six - He's one of the best friends I have.

Seven - I'm probably leaving soon anyway.


Early October

Carys ran into Carlisle a week later in the hospital parking lot.

When she'd heard he'd been working nights to cover Dr Snow she'd felt relieved. It'd meant she'd had time to prepare herself for the inevitable onslaught of feelings that came when she saw him again. It'd meant time to put the silly thoughts that had plagued her out of her mind.

Friends, she reminded herself quickly, that's all I want him to be, that's all we are. Friends.

"Carlisle! Wait up!" Carys called, stopping him in his tracks when he was halfway to his car.

The expressions of relief and happiness which flashed over his face as he crossed the lot towards her made her heart hurt a little, but she forced herself to remember her list.

Reopening the door she'd closed seconds before, she bent over and climbed across the front seat to grab the record she'd been carrying around since her trip to Seattle.

As she slid backwards and pulled herself out of the car again she nearly jumped realising Carlisle was already by her side, watching her with something she couldn't put her finger on burning in his dark eyes.

"This is for Rosalie," she told him simply, holding the record out to him with a smile.

Carlisle seemed confused as he took the offering. "For... Rosalie? My Rosalie?"

Carys wasn't surprised at his reaction, she really should have worded it better than she had.

"Erm, yeah, I ran into Rosalie and Alice like a week ago in this little record shop in Seattle. Rosalie seemed really sad to leave it so I just... Is it weird? It's weird, isn't it?" Carys sighed through a grimace and shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she tried to work out how to explain it in a way that didn't make her seem like a stalker.

"I ran into them and Alice called me over, but then she had this sort of... I don't know, she didn't seem well, said it was a headache? Rosalie took her off, but she'd been kind of staring at that record pretty hard I guess, and I just... I don't know, I bought it?"

"Rosalie and Alice mentioned they'd run into you, but Rose led me to believe she'd been less than polite." Carlisle sounded apologetic and then paused for a moment before he continued, his dark eyes boring into Carys'. "Alice gets migraines, it was likely one of those."

Carys smiled, wondering over how the light made his eyes appear so different as she accepted his explanation of Alice's migraine. Rosalie's and Alice's reactions suddenly made much more sense than they had over a slight headache.

"Rosalie's a teenager and she was nice, just protective of her sister." She lowered her voice a little and leaned in, glancing about her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm an adult. Most teenagers don't tend to get excited about the prospect of bumping into their father's work friends."

"Oh don't worry, I've definitely noticed," Carlisle told her with a half-smile as he pulled himself to his full height and paused for a moment, looking down at the record in his hand. "I must admit I'm still finding myself at a bit of a loss...?"

"Well, I guess I just felt bad that Rosalie had to leave it behind so she could help her sister. I remember looking at books the same way she was looking at that, and how much I regretted it if I missed out. I just bought it before I realised it was a stupid decision!" Carys laughed a little, trying to get him to drop the subject.

"I'd say it was more of a kind gesture than a stupid one," Carlisle praised, his smile deepening.

"Yeah, well, you didn't see how much it co-!" Carys broke off before she inadvertently let slip the price, and adjusted her shoulder bag. "Anyway, I should be getting in before I'm late. Have a good day Carlisle, sleep well."

"Wait," Carlisle reached out a hand but stopped just before he touched her, "how much was it? Let me-" he reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a well-padded wallet, cutting off when Carys waved his hand away.

"No, that's ridiculous. I bought it. I knew the price. I made the choice."

"Carys, that's ridiculous," Carlisle calmly protested, holding his wallet out in the same way he'd held out the coffees the year before, "I can-"

"No!" Carys argued, laughing her objection as she cut across him. "Put your money away!"

"Carys, just-" Carlisle broke off once again as he pulled five notes from his wallet and held them out to her.

Carys shook her head and quickly checked the coast was clear before she ran across the parking lot, feeling incredibly childish as she did so. Still, that didn't stop her from pausing by the entrance to poke her tongue out at him.

It wasn't until she was checking her coat pocket for her chapstick halfway through the day that she realised why Carlisle had been smiling at her so smugly when she'd turned back.

"That sneaky son-of-a-"


Late October

"Hey!" Carys stage whispered as she cornered Carlisle by the coffeepot in the empty staffroom two and a half weeks later. "You overpaid me by three hundred dollars! And now you've been avoiding me, so I can't give it back! What sort of person are you?"

Carlisle grinned, displaying his perfectly straight teeth as he placed his mug on the countertop and then crossed his arms. "Well, you wouldn't tell me how much it cost, therefore I was forced to guess. And I've been on nights, so I suppose we must have just missed each other."

"Oh no," Carys shook her head and wagged her finger, stepping closer so he could see her eyes and wouldn't think she was seriously angry at him, "you seem to forget I work in admin, Carlisle. I know you switched back to day shifts last week, it was all Sandra could talk about."

Carlisle laughed quietly as Carys struggled not to join him and instead to hold onto her mock-annoyance.

She narrowed her eyes for effect, though her amusement showed in the form of a brief smirk. "How old are you Carlisle?"

"Thirty-two," came the slightly too quick response.

"Hmm... Well, this all makes sense now, doesn't it?" Carys nodded, a mockingly serious gesture as she stroked her chin.

"It does?"

"Yeah, I mean... Thirty-two?" Carys shrugged and widened her eyes as her hand dropped to her side. "You're pretty ancient, aren't you? No wonder you've managed to forget the value of money!?"

"Okay, okay," Carlisle laughed again and raised his hands between them in supplication. He dutifully took the notes she thrust at him a moment later. "I'll take back it back, I'm sorry. What was I supposed to do, you weren't-wait!"

Carys ran from the room with an evil laugh, leaving Carlisle to sigh heavily as he fanned out the four notes he now held.

After that day, they slid back into their old routine of friendship and took turns hiding the contested $100 with each other until Carys' water bill came in on the same day her car started making a strange noise. She greatly appreciated that he didn't comment on the abrupt end of their game, or how she suddenly understood everyone's complaints about the local mechanic.


November

By November, Carys still hadn't heard from her parents. They'd not so much as returned an email since Rachel had called her to let her know she'd told them Carys knew about her future sibling.

Carys hadn't admitted her upset to anyone, nor had she mentioned her mum's pregnancy as she thought of it as a secret she wasn't supposed to know yet, let alone share without permission.

Her musing and, in her eyes, selfish thoughts the day she'd driven back from Seattle had quickly been replaced with worry. It was a feeling which only grew as time passed and her inbox remained empty of messages from her parents.

The only times she managed to forget her worries were the times she spent with Carlisle. Even those had been few and far between recently, the arrival of winter having brought enough illness and injury with it to keep both Carlisle and Sarah on the wards.

She'd mentioned to Carlisle in passing how she missed their regular chats when they bumped into each other in the hall one day and was rewarded two days later when Carlisle entered the staffroom just as she finished her lunch.

Sitting down across from her with a happy smile on his face, Carlisle watched her as she put the lid back on her tupperware.

"What's up with you?" She asked him, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion when he seemed content to wait until he was addressed.

"Nothing," he assured her, "I've simply realised something."

"Which is...?"

Carlisle's smile deepened as he sat forward a little in his chair. "What happened a year ago today?"

Carys tilted her head, wondering if Carlisle hadn't suddenly found himself with a screw loose.

"Think, Carys. It'll come to you."

"I..." She shook her head and scoffed. It was a strange enough request that she found herself giving in and trying to think all the way back to early November the year before.

A minute later she sighed and slumped back in her chair, realising Carlisle had no intention of giving her so much as a hint. It wasn't really fair, she thought to herself. It was probably his staring at her which was making it so much harder.

Carlisle's pager went off just as she gasped.

"How did you remember!?"

"I have a good memory," he told her as he stood up and slid his chair back under the table, "and I tend to remember the day I meet one of my closest friends."

"Wait, you're just going to leave?" Carys asked him, sitting up in shock as he walked away.

He waved his pager through the air in answer but paused just before he left the room, pulling an envelope from the pocket of his white coat which he threw in a perfect arc to land on the table in front of her.

When she opened it, she was unsurprised to see it contained a small contact card and a note which read: I thought it was time we exchanged numbers.

That night, she texted Carlisle as she loaded the dishwasher so that he would have her number too and was surprised when he replied a few minutes later, asking if she was free for a call.

They chatted more often after that, and by the middle of the month, Carys found it hard to remember a day which went by without speaking to him in one form or another.

Their friendship deepened so much over that short time that she, oddly enough, found it easier and easier to push down her feelings for him. It was as if the more she spoke to him, the less she missed him. The less she missed him, the easier it was to ignore the way she felt.

By the time a new rumour began to circle the hospital towards the end of the month, Carys' first inclination was to warn Carlisle than to find excitement in the possibility of it being true.


Late November

"So Sandra's on the warpath," Carys warned Carlisle when she caught him grabbing a coffee in the staffroom that day, keeping her voice low as she sidled up to him.

"Good afternoon to you too, Carys," Carlisle greeted quietly, pouring his coffee down the sink and starting again.

One thing she'd learned since they'd started talking on the phone was that Carlisle appreciated a bit of gossip more than he liked to admit. He seemed to know all the goings-on in the town, even more so than Sarah. Knowing that made Carys greatly appreciate the fact that he took such an interest in the mundane trials and tribulations that came with working in the admin office.

"Sorry. Good afternoon Carlisle," Carys grinned before she checked behind her and stepped closer, repeating, "so Sandra's on the warpath."

"Are you going to tell me why, or do I have to guess?" Carlisle responded with an indulgent smile as he slowly reached towards the coffee pot.

Carys chuckled but just about stopped herself from commenting on the fact his movements could make a sloth jealous.

"Well... I don't know who, but someone told her you don't actually have a girlfriend, and she's determined to ask you about it."

"She's what!?"

Carys nearly laughed out loud at the mildly incredulous expression on Carlisle's face.

"I told her not to. I mean, I know for a fact you have one, but-"

"You know for a fact, do you?" Carlisle questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well yeah," Carys responded, slightly confused, "you do, don't you?"

Carlisle glanced behind him to check the sparsely occupied staffroom and shook his head, sending her an apologetic half-smile. "I'm afraid not..."

Carys gasped as she shot him a sympathetic look. Over the past few weeks, she'd thought something was different in the way he acted around her, but she'd never have dreamed it was because he and his girlfriend had broken up. She laid a hand lightly on his sleeve, feeling incredible remiss in not having checked more often if he was alright.

"Oh god," she whispered, "when did it happen? Are you okay?"

"Oh Carys, you really are lovely, aren't you?" Carlisle's light golden eyes captured hers with an expression verging on admiration.

She didn't really know what to say and was rather thrown for a few moments until a light cough behind them made her automatically step away to the other side of the coffeepot.

"You'll never guess what I just heard?" Sarah spoke excitedly as she announced herself, sliding into the space between them.

"I don't suppose it would have something to do with my relationship status, would it Doctor Martins?"

Carlisle appeared to find the situation more amusing than Carys thought he should have. It confused her.

The three of them glanced over their shoulders in unison and when they discovered the staffroom was now empty, gave up all pretence.

Sarah turned to face the room and leaned against the countertop, shoving her hands in her pockets. Carys propped a hip against it, crossing her arms as she turned towards her two best friends in Forks, and Carlisle mirrored her on Sarah's other side, crossing one leg in front of the other for good measure.

Carys stood up a little straighter, wishing yet again that she could make any movement look half as elegant as Carlisle did with ease.

"It would, yes..." Sarah agreed, deflating with a small sigh. "Who told you?"

Carlisle nodded his head in Carys' direction and Sarah narrowed her eyes playfully at her.

"It's not my fault I literally work opposite her!" Carys complained, holding her hands up. "Don't shoot the messenger because you were too slow!"

Sarah huffed but turned a teasing smile on Carlisle a moment later. "So... Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you don't really have a strawberry-blonde stashed away at home."

Carys suddenly wished Sarah had waited until Carlisle had a mouth full of coffee before she asked him because the look on his face could only have been trumped by hot liquid spurting out of it. It was odd that he never seemed to be quite as comfortable with other people as he was with her and she found herself wondering, not for the first time, whether he had many other good friends in town.

"Strawberry-blonde? That's rather specific."

"So you're not denying," Sarah rounded on Carlisle, "that there was a blonde?"

Carlisle seemed to bristle slightly under the interrogation for a moment, but then the ridiculousness of the situation caught up to him and he smiled gently. "The only strawberry-blonde I know is my cousin Tanya, and no, I'm not inclined to dating family."

"Pretty sure you're the first Cullen I've heard say that in a while!" Sarah smirked as she pushed away from the counter and turned, backing through the room.

Carys couldn't help the laughter that burst from her in response to Sarah's teasing, and she imagined if she looked to her right she'd find Carlisle was glaring at her.

It took a minute or two for her to calm down. When she did, realisation struck and she found it was her turn to round on him.

"Wait... When did you say you broke up?"

"When did I say who broke up?" Carlisle asked, scratching his neck lightly as he glanced away.

"Carlisle..." Carys' voice dropped lower as she crossed her arms again. "...you did have a girlfriend, didn't you?"

Carlisle swallowed, his eyes darting to the side.

"Well. You see..."

"You didn't!?" Carys gasped her shock, her mind whirling as she realised whilst he'd never denied he had one, he'd never confirmed her existence either.

Carlisle was saved from having to answer by the tannoy which broke the tense silence half a minute later.

"Carys Vale to Reception, Carys Vale to Reception."

Carys started and whirled, seeing her confused expression mirrored on Carlisle's face. It was the first time she'd been called over the tannoy, and she couldn't work out why.

"I think you'd better go," Carlisle told her, tipping his head to the side a little. He smiled a moment later as if he'd guessed something and added, "it sounds as if someone's here to see you."

"But who's-oh my god. Oh my god!" Carys squealed her sudden realisation and leapt at Carlisle, wrapping her arms around his neck.

When he returned her hug it felt as if steel bands were being wrapped around her waist pulling her against an equally hard chest, and all thought left her as she pressed her cheek to Carlisle's shoulder.

She closed her eyes and melted against him when his arms tightened, his body curving about hers as he slid one hand to the middle of her back where her hair hung loose against her blouse. It was as if everything fell away and nothing existed beyond his hold.

And then as suddenly as she'd thrown herself into his arms, she was released.

Carlisle stepped quickly away from her, a studiously calm expression on his face as he ran a slightly shaking hand through his hair, and Carys stumbled, holding out a hand to steady herself on the countertop as her senses slowly returned to her. She couldn't say she felt nerveless exactly because every nerve-ending she possessed seemed to be shooting fire through her veins.

The excitement she'd felt when she'd realised her parents might have come to visit had dulled completely. It couldn't compare to how she'd felt in his arms. Nothing could.

Even now, her heart was thudding so heavily in her chest that she could feel it, could hear it. She was sure he could too.

"I erm... I think my parents are here," her voice sounded strange to her ears as she felt a blush burn her cheeks and she struggled to catch her breath, "I should go check..."

Carlisle nodded slowly with a faraway expression on his face as Carys whirled about, leaving the room.

She was horrified with herself.

She'd not just overstepped the mark, she'd pretty much vaulted over it. What if she'd ruined their friendship? What if she'd just made it obvious she wasn't over him? He'd just got through admitting he was single... What if it looked like she was immediately trying to jump his bones? Wasn't that likely why he'd gone along with the rumour in the first place?

She didn't want her feelings to get in the way of whatever time she had left in Forks to spend with him, but how was she supposed to deal with it if a mere hug set her off as it had?

It took more than a few deep breaths and the entire walk to reception for her to calm down enough to feign excitement when she saw her mum.


She found her by the main desk, chatting to Sarah.

"Carys!" Sarah complained when she saw her, "why didn't you tell me your mom was coming to town?"

"I didn't know," Carys replied shakily, covering herself by returning her mum's hug.

"I wanted to make it a surprise," Amy told her, pulling away with a rueful grin, "at least, I wanted one thing about this trip to be a surprise, anyway!"

"Well colour me surprised," Carys declared with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, looking around before turning back to Amy with a questioning look.

Amy brushed a hand over her slightly rounded belly as she responded. "Findlay stayed in Seattle to spend some alone time with your grandparents so it's just us for the weekend." Something in the look she threw Carys suggested they talked about it when they were alone. "I thought it'd be nice to meet your friends, see how you're settling in."

"I've been here almost 14 months," Carys chuckled, taking the hint. "I think I've settled in by now!"

Sarah nodded in seemingly long-suffering agreement. "It's like we've had her for years," she joked with a sigh, leaning over the desk behind Amy to grab a file. "You two have to come and have lunch at ours before you go, I know Monica'd die if she didn't see proof of how well Carys is gonna age!"

Amy preened at the compliment and Sarah sent both mother and daughter a wink before she headed off to call her next patient.

"You were right about her," Amy told her daughter with a grin, nodding towards Sarah's retreating back.

"You only think that because she told you you look young," Carys argued back, shaking her head with a smile as she finally wrestled control of her frazzled senses. She checked the time with a glance at the clock above the reception desk and remembered she needed to get back to work. Urgently.

"Mum, d'you mind-"

"Nope, you go!" Amy cut across Carys with an understanding smile. "I saw that diner you like on my way through town, I'll grab a sandwich or something and wait 'til you're finished."

Carys fiddled with her sleeve and frowned her concern. "You're sure?"

"Well I'm not going to wait around here, am I?" Amy countered, rolling her eyes. "I'll meet you there when you're do-ooooh, wait... Who is that!?"

Carys glanced over her shoulder and then snapped back to face her mum, heart thudding as she willed a blush not to give her away when she spoke quickly. "Look, mum, I've got to go, but I'll see you later?"

Amy shooed her away absentmindedly, staring at Carlisle with an expression Carys wished she'd never seen and prayed she'd never used.

Carys whined softly in horror and raced away from her mum just as the receptionist leaned over the desk.

"That's Doctor Carlisle Cullen." He informed Amy, hardly bothering to lower his voice. "And if what Sarah's just told me is right, he's very single."

Carys' embarrassment was complete when she caught Carlisle's eye on the way past and he raised an eyebrow, a faintly amused smile playing about his rosy lips before he turned back to the file he'd been examining.

As she pushed the doors open, his low musical voice called out to his patient and she found herself hoping against hope that it wasn't her mother she heard sighing loudly behind her.

A/N: Nope, Carys' birth surname isn't Vale, but she goes by it after being adopted. It's so much her surname now that she doesn't mention her other one. We'll find out what her birth name is as we go along and learn more about Carys' childhood.

This chapter also got away with me (think we can see a pattern emerging here...) so November will be continued in the next chapter. We'll have a nice hit of Amy/Carys and Sarah/Monica/Carys time, and then perhaps a bit of Carlisle/Carys flirting to round us out.