Thank you all so much again for the amazing response this has gotten!

Quick note, I'm moving house on Monday. We've had to pack up and move really quickly (our house had dodgy electrics and then flooded and got condemned, it was a whole thing), so nothing got set up ahead of time and we'll be without internet for 2 weeks! (UGH) So while I'm getting very reacquainted with my DVD collection and fretting over not being able to work on my dissertation a month before it's due, I'm only going to be able to upload chapters when I haul my steam engine of a laptop to my parents house and nick their internet for an evening. I plan on still putting out two chapters for two weeks, but I think it'll be a 'get em when you get em' situation. Thanks for bearing with me!

Many thanks again to my boyfriend and my best friend who finally told me I've been formatting speech marks incorrectly my whole life!

Even though Bella was completely aware of how vampires worked, it was still unnerving that Carlisle looked exactly the same, if he were going to a very high class fancy dress party. The face of the man she had left behind the day before was completely unchanged, down to the length of his hair and the flecks of golden brown in his eyes. But what was even more strange was that his voice was different. She had not expected any differences. How many times had Edward pointed out how unchanging they all were? Yet Carlisle spoke with a lilt that Bella assumed was his English mother tongue, not the soft American twang she was expecting.

"Can I help you?" He asked again, swinging the door closed behind him and propping it shut with a waste paper basket. "I must say it is rare for me to get visitors I don't know these days. Did someone send you?"

Bella shook her head numbly, somewhat unsure of where to start. She had focussed all of her time and energy on finding her father, she should have put some into rehearsing what to say to him. In fact, any rational being would have it all set out in their head, maybe even some notes on paper. Did she spend the hours she waited doing something so clever? No. She distracted herself and procrastinated on the most important part of her plan. She chastised herself. Stupid Bella.

Carlisle furrowed his brow. "What's your name?"

That was probably a safe place to start. "My name is Bella."

"Okay, Bella. What is it you're doing here?"

"I'm looking for you," she replied.

Carlisle set his sturdy leather bag on the ground and sat at his desk, then gestured to the chair in front of it for her to sit in. "Well you have found me, what can I do for you?"

She sat across from him and he finally looked into her golden eyes. "You're a vegetarian? Are you with the Denali sisters?"

She shook her head, "No. But I do know them."

He said nothing, this was a difficult enough conversation without it being awkward. Bella sighed, it was so difficult to find a gentle place to start that she would have to just jump into the middle.

"You're my sire." She said.

Carlisle frowned. "I have no recollection of turning you…" For some reason, Bella was expecting a less calm response. Indignance maybe, he could even accuse her of lying. But no, just a quiet 'I don't think so'.

"You can tell by scent though, right?" She gestured to herself, "smell me."

He inhaled, and an eyebrow raised of its own accord. "Yes, you do have my scent… but how? I genuinely cannot remember turning you, I swear. I have never been one to turn people and pay no mind to the rest of their existences. I have only sired two before and that was under Volturi orders."

Bella squeezed her eyes shut. "That's because you haven't yet. Turned me, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"The Volturi have this girl working with them," Bella said. "She's gifted. She is able to reverse time."

"... reverse time?"

"Yes, someone with a shield has to touch her while she reverses it and they will be sent back unchanged. I have a shield, I was touching her, I am now back in time. The Volturi organised the whole thing. They'd just suffered a massive defeat from the Romanian coven and set it up so that I would go back to destroy it before the rebellion could start. In order to make it 'worth my while' as Aro put it, I was sent back further so that I can make changes for my family."

Carlisle stared at her in silence, she bit her lip. Now she had put it out there, she realised what absolute word vomit it was. No one in their right mind would believe her. Carlisle was an intelligent man. A man of science. Maybe that meant he would be swayed by her evidence, maybe not. But all Bella had was hope and that was not a comfortable situation.

"And I am your family?"

"You're the head of it."

Carlisle continued to stare at her, a wrinkle formed between his eyebrows. "What time did you come from?"

"November, 2012."

Carlisle rubbed his hand over his forehead and eyes, a strangely human gesture. "I know the Volturi is capable of something like this, but you must understand that it is hard to believe."

Bella nodded, "I understand." She produced the photo of her, Carlisle and Jasper. "I have proof."

Carlisle took the picture with a delicate touch. "It's so clear… and in colour!" He exclaimed, Bella smiled at him. "This is the future?"

"Yes," she replied. "That's the future."

He hungrily searched the photograph, taking in every pixel and smear of the glossy coloured ink. "This is incredible…" he whispered. "In all my existence I have never seen such a thing, a moment perfectly preserved, as clearly as you would see it with your own eyes."

"And that was just an old polaroid camera!" Bella joked as she rummaged through her bag, "You should see what they could do with professional equipment!"

His excited eyes shot back up to hers, "Can I? Do you have any?!"

Drat.

"Um… I do." She said, thinking of the crystal clear wedding photo safely tucked in her bag. "But you may need to wait. I don't want to tell you too much."

"Oh…" he sighed, "Well so long as I don't have to wait a hundred and fifty years, I will manage. I assume that telling me too much will change the sequence of events, prevent you being sent back in the first place and cause all manner of problems?"

"No, actually." She replied, "It's confusing, but Aro said that won't be an issue because I wasn't sent back in time, time itself was reversed. So because of my shield, even if we prevent my birth, I will be completely fine. Like it's separated me from my past self. It's confusing and I'm not sure if I understand it. I'm more worried that if I tell you too much you won't enjoy things as you would have done."

"Ah I see, you'd rather things happen organically?" His eyes strayed back to the photo in his hands, "This truly is extraordinary… not only the photograph itself, but the clothes we are wearing… what is that black thing poking out of my pocket?"

"That's a cellphone," Bella paused. "Have phones been invented yet?"

"Telephones? A few years ago," Carlisle grinned like a child at a candy shop. "I saw one last year, it looked nothing like this… and who is this man with us?"

"That's Jasper Whitlock," Bella replied, pointing at the blonde man stoically smirking at the camera. "He's another member of our coven, the only one alive right now."

Carlisle nodded, his smile shrank. "Our coven…"

"I take it that you believe me?" Bella searched her father's face for the answer. "I know it's mad and ridiculous and I probably haven't explained it very well, but I promise you I'm not lying. I have more proof if you need it!" She held up the cassette player and letter that Carlisle had prepared for himself.

His eyes narrowed, "What is that?"

"It's a cassette player."

"A cassette?"

Bella decided it would be easier to just show him. She checked the tape was in correctly and pressed play, Carlisle looked on with wide eyes.

"It is the year 2012, this is Carlisle Cullen speaking. If all has gone as planned, it should be myself that I am speaking to, as well as Bella - no doubt. In case there is any trouble believing in what she says, allow me to provide further proof.

You are Carlisle Cullen, born in 1640 to an Anglican vicar. The last words your father ever said to you were to check the chapel wood shed, it was going to be a cold week. You have been living in the US for three years now and you still find it strange. I hope this is enough to convince you of Bella's honesty, I have written more in the letter addressed to you.

I sired Bella to be part of my coven and my family. I know you don't have them yet, but she does. She has gone back to change events, so that we might all come together again with less heartbreak on the way. She is doing us a great service. Trust her. Look after her. She is more than our progeny, she is our daughter."

Carlisle's scared eyes met Bella's as the tape clicked off. "That was my voice, but different."

"Different like you'd been living in America for 150 years?"

"Yes, I suppose so…" Carlisle sighed, "You have convinced me. I see no way that what you have presented could be faked. It is just a lot to process…"

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for believing me. It's a lot to deal with, I understand."

He gestured to the device in her hands, "What is that thing?"

"It's a tape player," she grinned. "I don't think it'll be invented for another 90 years though, so don't get too attached."

Carlisle let out a laugh. "Well, what is your plan? Do you have a plan?"

"I have somewhat of a plan," she said. "This has all happened very quickly. There are six members of our family, not counting us. Everyone wrote me instructions on what they want changing in their lives. I haven't sat down and read them all yet because I wanted to find you first."

He nodded, "So you are going to read all of your instructions and then decide what to do?"

"Yes. My next step is to find Jasper," she tapped him on the photo. "He's in the South right now."

Carlisle's face aged twenty years in a split second. "Don't tell me he's in the Southern Wars."

"Yeah, he is."

"... and you mean to infiltrate and bring him back?"

"That was the plan, yeah."

Carlisle held her gaze for a moment. Bella was actually quite impressed that within thirty minutes of being a father, he had already mastered the 'why are you doing this' look. She was, of course, aware of how stupid she was to waltz into a war zone. Jasper had made that clear enough. But even though he and Edward had shielded her from the worst of what happened there, she knew it was pretty damn bad. She had three scars of her own; gifts of venom that had carried through to her vampire life. One from James, one from Victoria, and one from Carlisle. To her three, Jasper had hundreds. So many that they criss crossed over and spiraled around his skin. She could shield him from the worst of it, she could halve those scars.

"He gave me specific instructions," she clarified. "And made it very clear that I wasn't allowed to risk my life."

"Just venturing south of Oklahoma risks your life." Carlisle heaved a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his disrupted hair. "I assume you are not planning on leaving right this second?"

"No," Bella replied. "I have time."

"Okay, excellent." Carlisle finally smiled again. "I believe you, I swear. I just need some time to process all this before we go running south."

She grinned sheepishly, "I'm sorry I've burst in here - broke in here actually - and just declared myself your daughter and now you're stuck with me and my death wish."

Carlisle rested his hand on hers, "I have always yearned for family, but never wanted to condemn someone else to this life against their will. I assure you, I am perfectly happy to be 'stuck with you'."

Bella breathed with relief. When Carlisle said his past self would be willing to accept her story, she didn't dare believe it. But now she faced her tremendous task with her father by her side, and she felt a rush of hope that she had been devoid of since Aro Volturi appeared on her doorstep.

"Well," Carlisle said. "Since we have time, may I propose a location change? I assume life will be very different in the future, do you need help adjusting?"

"Oh my god, yes please." Bella replied in a rush. "I have no idea what I'm doing, people kept giving me funny looks in the street and I don't know why."

Carlisle flinched at the blasphemy but to his credit said nothing. "Most likely because your hair is unbound and uncovered, and your dress looks to be built to accommodate a bustle cage, which you are not wearing." If he could blush, he most certainly would. "In addition, forgive me... it is rather clear that you are not wearing undergarments. Or petticoats, which is completely unheard of for humans, even the poor."

"Oh!" Bella suddenly felt self conscious, despite being covered down to her ankles. "It's funny. I've read so many books from this time period and it just didn't occur to me that I needed petticoats!"

"It does not bother me," Carlisle laughed. "Many nomads prefer to keep a similar state of undress, or worse. However, I suggest we travel north to remedy the situation. We can hardly go to a human dressmaker. You said you know the Denali sisters?"

"Yes! Or well… I used to." Bella shifted in her seat. She dreaded having to explain her story again, but couldn't help but be excited at the prospect of having more familiar faces around her. "In the future we called them our cousins."

"Well to me thus far, they are simply friends." Carlisle stood and pulled a large trunk from underneath his dresser, which he started to fill with books. "They are currently living in Quebec. I propose we travel there so they can teach you the nuances of living in this time. I believe they would be more qualified than I."

"Sounds good to me!"

Having only been without her father for two days, Bella wasn't expecting how relieved she was to have him by her side again. He wasn't her biological father, she was obviously well aware of that. But even though her body and soul were formed by Charlie Swan, her maker in her new life was Carlisle Cullen. As her memories of being human faded away, Carlisle stepped proudly into the role Charlie left.

Bella sat next to him on the wagon he had procured ridiculously quickly. All his belongings sat secure in the back, for them to deliver to a house he owned on the border. They would most likely need to be flexible for the next few years, he had told her. Valuables were a hindrance they could not afford. Bella couldn't help but agree.

They had been on the road for over two days, held back by the maximum speed of the two horses pulling them along. Thankfully, they were not confined to travel in the waking hours and would simply change horses every now and then and go on their way. Bella was aware that if they pulled the wagon themselves they most likely would have gotten there in half the time, but it would have looked incredibly strange to others on the road. They passed the time telling each other stories, of the past and the future. Carlisle was fascinated by Bella's accounts of international wars, technological innovations, and gender and racial equality. Her clumsy description of the discovery of Penicillin filled him with a joy so potent it was visible. She handed him his letter from his future self about halfway through their journey, and he impressed her greatly as he controlled the horses over rough terrain and read the fifteen page compendium at the same time.

When Carlisle told her they were a few minutes away, Bella finally collected the courage to read Jasper's letter to her. It was long, yet concise, and included several bullet points so she would absolutely understand. She would have taken offence at how dumbed down it was if she wasn't so intimidated by this insanely complicated plan. There were even diagrams of fighting moves, and an intricately drawn map of the area she would find him in. It ended with another plea to not put herself in danger for his sake, which she chose to ignore.

"Jasper's plan is for me to go find him in the beginning of January," she told Carlisle.

"So we have a little over a month," he replied. "Exactly how dangerous is this plan? It doesn't place you in the middle of a newborn army, does it?"

It absolutely did. "I'll explain the whole thing to you once I have my head around it." She said. "It's a very complicated plan, he thought of every single possibility. I kind of need a flowchart."

"He sounds like quite a tactician."

"Youngest Major in the Texas Cavalry."

"Was he?" Carlisle smiled as he pulled the horses to a stop in front of a plain, but beautifully situated large log cabin. "I look forward to meeting him."

He rushed around the wagon to gallantly help Bella down. It was something she would usually feel was unnecessary but she was genuinely struggling with her excessive skirts.

"A ranger and his family live here to take care of the house for me," Carlisle led her to the front door. "I would sell the place, but it is difficult to find safe places to store precious things."

The front door swung open and the smell of fresh blood assaulted Bella's nostrils. Carlisle just tensed, but Bella threw her hands over her nose and mouth and stopped breathing immediately.

It was a possibility that a vampire had been here. With her breath held, Bella could not tell. She could hear seven distinct heartbeats, but tried her best not to listen to the sullen, wet thumping of ambrosia pumping through their veins.

"Get down and shut up!" A croaky man's voice screamed from upstairs. Definitely not a vampire then.

A woman's scream prompted them to run up the stairs to the master bedroom. Four armed men stood over a mother kneeling in front of her children. The bleeding body of a portly, kind faced man laid on the floor beside them.

He hadn't been dead long. His blood flowed over the rough floorboards, licking at the nails and dripping through the cracks. Wasted, this was wasteful.

Bella didn't realise she was stalking forwards until Carlisle stopped her. He pulled her behind him and replaced her hand over her mouth with his. The sudden change of scents confused her senses and gave her momentary relief from the red haze that scrambled her thoughts.

"Who the hell are you?" The leader asked, moving his rifle to point at Carlisle.

"I am the owner of this house." He growled. "You will put down your weapons immediately."

The thugs definitely thought about it. Though Carlisle had angelic blonde hair and a kind face, any vampire was scary when murderously angry. Bella was sure that her face was distorted into a snarl that probably scared the children they were trying to save more than the men with guns did.

"Make me." The leader grunted and thrust his gun in Carlisle's face.

Carlisle exhaled slowly, calmly reached up, and clenched the barrel of the gun so hard that the metal melded together and the entire thing bent towards the ceiling.

The humans in the room stared open mouthed. Carlisle spoke to the leader. "Run."

Three of the men dropped their weapons and ran from the room without a backwards glance. Bella heard the door slam shut and the crunch of their feet on the road outside. But one remained cowering in the corner.

His rifle shook in front of him. "What the hell are you?!" He sobbed. "You're a demon! A demon sent from hell!"

"If I am a demon, then why are you not running?" Carlisle asked.

He took a step forward and the man panicked. He squeezed his eyes shut and shot ahead of him, not caring where the bullet landed. Unfortunately for him, it hit Bella in the shoulder.

Carlisle was on him in an instant. He wrenched the gun out of his hands and pinned him to the wall by his throat and the offending arm. The man choked and grappled for help, but could not escape the iron grip. He gasped at the snap of his arm breaking in two.

Bella had to stop this. It wasn't her Carlisle. Her Carlisle was gentle and kind and would never hurt a human.

Her Carlisle was also used to his family facing danger. This one was not.

Bella needed to speak, but that meant she needed to breathe. The ranger's body was cooling in the corner, but still smelled like heaven on Earth. Bella dared a glance at the children sobbing on the floor. Think of the children. Think of the children.

She took a breath and her throat erupted in burning flames. She could not prevent the hiss escaping her lips and the tensing of her legs to pounce, on the poor dead soul and every teasing, delicious heartbeat in the room.

Think of the children. Think of their children. Think of what wonderful lives they will have.

"Carlisle." She croaked through gritted teeth. "Stop. Don't do this."

He turned to her, his eyes were black with rage. "He tried to kill you."

"And he failed." She gestured to the small ashen hole in the shoulder of her dress and the crumpled bullet lying innocently on the floor. "Let him go. Don't take a human life. This isn't you."

Carlisle closed his eyes and sighed. He increased the pressure of his fingers on the man's jugular vein until he slowly fell into unconsciousness. He lowered the man onto the floor, snapped a nearby chair leg and stole a bootlace to create a makeshift splint for his shattered arm. After taking a moment to collect himself, he finally turned to the mother and children on the floor.

"Are you hurt?"

Several hours, a trip to the constable's office and a generous donation of a wagon later, they set off once again. This time on foot.

"Well that was eventful," Bella joked.

Carlisle stayed silent.

Bella couldn't bear the awkwardness. "So you're sure Mrs Mulberry won't say anything?"

"She's a good woman," he replied after a moment. "She recognises that we saved her and her children's lives. She won't tell anyone. I doubt anyone would believe her if she did."

The tension broke and they spent the remaining run to Quebec in companionable silence. But Bella's thoughts were racing.

She had never seen this side of Carlisle before. Yes, he was protective, and yes she knew he had killed other vampires before. But he had always been the diplomat where the others were the muscle, infinitely wise and merciful, valuing life above all else.

His own words echoed around her head. "If this old version of me disappoints you, I am truly sorry." She had never truly acknowledged the possibility that the great, unmovable Carlisle might disappoint her. That he might be less of a man than she needed.

Another part of her screamed to the contrary. Of course he reacted the way he did. Despite his incredible control, he still experienced blood lust. His mercy and respect for life meant that he hated murder and evil above all else. An attempt was made on her life, and he snapped. "All I ever yearned for was family, and you are my family."

Bella argued with herself until the forest turned to snow and her indecision carried her all the way to Quebec.

I hope my version of Carlisle wasn't too controversial! He's still the same man, but I think his protectiveness would come out in different ways when he's not quite used to his daughter being in danger. He's gonna have to get used to it though!