Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters used herein. All recognizable characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

Carlisle and Esme left the following morning as planned to prepare the home in Oregon for Bella and Carlisle's upcoming stay. They purchased two beds and beautiful bedding sets, Esme prepared meals for Bella, they cleaned the home from all of the dust settling during the time it had been sitting vacant, and Esme added some touches to the guest room and attached guest bathroom including relaxing music, aromatherapy, strawberry scented shampoo, conditioner and body wash and some ibuprofen and tylenol for any pain Bella may experience.

Esme also helped Carlisle to prepare several items that he would need during his time there with Bella, including gynecelogical examination instruments, gloves, lubricant, and many other toys and items that Carlisle could use with Bella during their trip.

Edward and Carlisle had spoken with Alice and decided it was best for Carlisle to introduce these items to Bella slowly as her comfort with the situation increased. Bella had told Edward privately that she has never even experienced an orgasm on her own, so they knew that discussion of the use of toys and erotic props would more than likely cause her significant anxiety.

Carlisle and Esme returned to their home in Forks late in the evening on Tuesday and spent the following day with one another in private, making love and sharing words of commitment and adoration before Carlisle was due to leave with Bella on Thursday. Edward spent each day with Bella and climbed through her window every night to hold her while she slept. She was restless and anxious about the upcoming events, and had difficulty sleeping unless Edward was holding her, so he did so diligently.

Before they knew it, Thursday morning had arrived. Alice had told Charlie that the family would be going on a camping trip in Oregon, so both she and Edward came to pick Bella up for the trip. After saying goodbye to Charlie, they headed towards the Cullen home on the outskirts of Forks. Alice drove while Edward held Bella close to him in the back seat. When they arrived at the Cullen's home, Bella felt like she was glued to the seat. Edward slowly coaxed her out of the car and inside with him.

Only Esme and Carlisle were present in the home when the three of them arrived. The others had gone on a hunt out of respect for Bella and Edward's privacy. Esme could see the anxiety on the face of the anxious girl and walked over to her, giving her a reassuring hug. "Oh, Bella, honey, please try not to worry." Esme whispered to her, "Carlisle is a very compassionate man. He helped bring me out of my shell after my abusive relationship with Charles. He is so extremely patient and understanding, and he will do everything in his power not to cause you any pain. You are safe with him. Everything will be ok." She said to the nervous girl.

"Thank you, Esme." Bella said to her sincerely. "and thank you for helping him... prepare everything. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you." Bella said, glancing down at her feet. "Of course, dear, Esme said with an understanding smile, I wanted to make sure you have the best experience possible. Carlisle and I both care deeply for you and Edward and want you to have every human experience that your heart desires before your change. We are so grateful to have you joining our family." Esme said kindly.

"Bella," Carlisle spoke, "I have moved your luggage over from Alice's car to my Mercedes and everything is prepared for us to leave. Have you already eaten breakfast? We can get you a bite to eat for lunch on the road, but it will likely be awhile before then." Bella nodded, "Yes, thank you Carlisle for asking. I had some cereal before Alice and Edward came to get me" she said. Bella had forced herself to eat something that morning, but the thought of eating anything heavy right now made her stomach turn.

Edward stood by Bella's side and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. Bella looked up at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before he walked her out to Carlisle's Mercedes. Esme hugged and kissed Carlisle as well, and wished them well on their trip before returning to the house. Edward opened the passenger side door of the Mercedes and Bella climbed in, buckling her seatbelt and gave one final look at Edward while Carlisle climbed into the driver's seat. "I love you, Edward" she said before he closed the door.

As they pulled away from the Cullen home, Carlisle looked to Bella who was trembling slightly in her seat. "Bella, sweetheart, I know you are scared. I promise that I am the same person you have known since you met Edward. I know that you aren't used to spending time alone with me, but please try not to fear what will happen during our time away. If I am going to do anything that I feel may cause you any pain or discomfort, I will talk you through it beforehand and I will do everything in my power to prepare you ahead of time. You do not need to fear me." He said to her gently while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Carlisle." Bella said looking at him. She knew that she needed to trust him if things were going to progress as planned. "So, Bella, have you visited Oregon before?" Carlisle asked her. "Once when I was 12 with Charlie, Billy and Jacob." she answered quietly. "We went there on a fishing trip for a few days, but I don't remember much of it." Since I lived with my mom in Phoenix during most of high school, Oregon was farther than we traveled together." Carlisle nodded his understanding. "It's a beautiful state" he said. I hope to spend some time showing you the beauty of the island. " Bella was glancing out the window and turned her attention back towards Carlisle. "That sounds great, Carlisle. Thank you" she said to him with sincereity.

The remainder of the drive consisted of small talk between the two of them and Carlisle did his best to keep Bella distracted by asking her questions about her childhood, her family, her favorite books and places she wishes to travel once she has been changed. While the upcoming events of their long weekend in Oregon were constantly nagging in the back of her mind, Bella was grateful for the distraction.

About 7 hours later, they had reached the Oregon coast. Carlisle had contracted with a ferry company for transport of them and their vehicle to the island, and the ferry driver was awaiting their arrival. Carlisle drove the car onto the ferry and slowly the boat made it's way across the water towards the island. After unloading the vehicle, Carlisle paid the ferry driver, who took off in the ferry and headed back towards the mainland. Carlisle pulled the car into the attached garage of the home and moved quickly around to the passenger side of the Mercedes to open the door for Bella. After doing so, he offered her his hand to help her out of the car. Bella took it and thanked him.

"Welcome to McCaffrey Island, Bella." Carlisle said with a smile. Our family purchased the island about 15 years ago, and built a home here a few years after. It's a small island, only a few acres, but I hope that you will find it comfortable and inviting." Bella was amazed by the beauty of the island. Tall trees towered around the home, giving it a sense of seclusion and privacy. Beautiful green and blue toned water lapped at the shore around it, but it was the beauty and tranquility of the home that took Bella's breath away. "This is amazingly beautiful, Carlisle." Bella said, eyes wide taking everything in. Bella immediately fell in love with the home and it's rustic charm. It was clear to her that Esme had put her heart into the design of the home.

"Bella," Carlisle said, "would you like me to give you a tour of the house?" Bella nodded before replying that that would be wonderful. Carlisle placed his hand lightly on the small of her back and started to guide her through the home. It was an innocent enough gesture, and Carlisle knew that if this trip was go to as planned, they would need to start somewhere when it came to physical touches. Bella tensed for a second and held her breath before letting it out slowly and letting Carlisle guide her through the home with his hand on her lower back.

He guided her through the spacious ranch home, first showing her the kitchen, living room, deck area, basement and master bedroom and bathroom. Bella became noticeably more tense and her heart rate and breathing accelerated when she saw the king sized bed in the master suite. "Bella, sweetheart, it's alright. I can hear your heart racing." Carlisle put his hand on her shoulder and slowly turned her to face him. Bella was looking down at her feet, so Carlisle put his fingers under her chin and gently tilted her head up to look at him."Bella, please look at me. It's okay to be worried. We won't rush into this and I will be gentle and take my time. Why don't we see the rest of the house?" Bella nodded "Thanks, Carlisle for being patient and understanding" she said.

After Carlisle had showed her the remainder of the house, they came to the last room. The door was closed and Carlisle reached for the handle. "Bella, this is the guest room that Esme set up for you. I respect that there may be times this weekend that you feel the need for some personal space. I hope that you will find this room to your liking." Carlisle spoke kindly to her. The room had a queen sized bed with cozy blankets, a stack of some of Bella's favorite books including a few of the classics, and some relaxing music to choose from. The attached bathroom had strawberry scented shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, as well as body lotion, a hair dryer, hair ties, ibuprofen and tylenol, aromatherapy shower tabs and a sound machine that offered a vareity of sounds including "thunderstorm", "rainforest" and "ocean waves".

Bella smiled and thanked Carlisle for being so thoughtful and for going to the trouble of setting up a separate space for her. "It was no trouble, Bella. Esme enjoys taking care of others, and it was a pleasure for her to set up this space for you. If you ever feel the need for some space during our trip, I will respect that and stay out of this room. Please do not hesitate to take some self-care time anytime you need it." Carlisle said sincerely.

"Bella, why don't we get you some dinner, and then afterwards, perhaps we can sit together on the couch and relax while watching a movie." Bella nodded and said "that sounds great." They proceeded to the kitchen where Carlisle preheated the oven and pulled a small pan of lasagna from the freezer to bake. While the food was baking, Carlisle distracted Bella by pulling out a deck of cards. How about a game of "Go Fish?" He winked at her. Bella laughed and said "a sophisticated man like yourself takes pleasure in such a simple child's game as "Go Fish?" she asked. He chuckled "sometimes it's the simple things that bring joy to life" he said.

He dealt them both a hand and they played a few rounds before the oven timer beeped that Bella's dinner was ready. Bella ate quietly while Carlisle joined her at the dining room table. After dinner, Carlisle quickly cleared Bella's dishes and then took her hand and guided her towards the living room. "Bella, what movie would you like to watch?" After debating between an action film and a chick flick, they opted for "The Notebook" and they both moved towards the couch.

Bella sat down on one end of the couch and Carlisle moved towards her. "Bella, if you're ok with it, I think it would be help us become more comfortable with one another if we cuddled on the couch. Would you be alright with that?" Carlisle asked her. Bella nodded and said, "Sure, Carlisle. I know you're right and we have to start somewhere." Carlisle smiled at her and said "don't worry, we are taking things slowly and I want you to be able to enjoy the movie." He grabbed a large fleece throw blanket, sat down on the couch, and held his arm out for her to snuggle in next to him. Once she was laying up against him, her back to his chest, he covered her with the throw blanket. "That's it." Carlisle spoke softly against her hair.

He pressed play on the remote and just held her while they watched the movie. During the scene where Noah and Allie visit the old rundown house and almost make love for the first time, he could hear Bella's heart rate increase and breathing accelerate. Carlisle could tell that it was a mixture of arousal and anxiety. He took advantage of the moment and slowly ran his fingertips up and down her forearm. She jumped a little at his unexpected touch. He stilled his movements and whispered to her "Shh, it's ok. Just relax into me. It's alright to feel this way, Bella." He could sense that she was becoming more aroused by his tender touches.

Bella was starting to regret her choice in movies. She was still feeling anxious, but at the same time, an intense feeling of warmth was building in her core. Leaning against Carlisle's perfectly toned chest and feeling his fingers dance lightly across her arm was doing things to her insides that she wasn't expecting or feeling prepared for.

"I've got you, Bella. Just relax and trust me." Carlisle spoke to her in a low and husky voice while he continued his teasing caress of Bella's arm. Slowly, he lightly pulled Bella's hair away from her neck and to the side before leaning down and whispering with his cool breath into her ear "don't think, just feel." before placing a gentle kiss on her neck. Bella shivered as goosebumps formed on her skin.

Pulling back, Carlisle continued to hold her for the remainder of the movie. It was clear to him that Bella was becoming more comfortable around him and for that he was grateful. He knew that it would take awhile her to feel ready for what was to happen during their trip. As the credits started rolling across the screen, Carlisle switched the TV off and spoke again. "Bella, it's nearly sunset and the beauty of the colors reflecting on the water is not something to be missed. Would you do me the honor of joining me on the dock to enjoy it together?" Carlisle asked her.

Bella smiled at him genuinely. "Sure, Carlisle. That sounds wonderful." He stood from the couch and extended his hand to her to help her up. Bella stretched her arms dramatically above her head and Carlisle found himself admiring the way her breasts pressed against her tank top. Bella noticed him staring at her and gave him a shy look before brushing her hair out of her eyes and glancing down at her feet. He quickly berated himself for lusting after his son's fiancee. His time with Bella this week was merely a means to an end and he knew that he would do well to remember that.

"Shall we?" he asked Bella with a charming smile as he offered her his arm to take. "Always so chivalrous." Bella said and smiled as she took Carlisle's arm. "I'm nothing if not a gentleman." he said with a wink. Carlisle was becoming caught up in his thoughts of what he would like to do with Bella as their time together progressed, and he mentally scolded himself at just how "un-gentlemanly" some of those thoughts were.

As they made they way towards the dock, Bella was overwhelmed by the view and shivered a little, breaking out in goosebumps. "Are you chilly?" Carlisle asked her with concern in his voice. "I'd be glad to run inside and grab you a jacket." "No, I'm not cold, the weather is perfect, the view it perfect, I guess my emotions just got to me." Bella said quietly. "I understand," Carlisle spoke again. "If there is one thing that I've learned in my 365 years on this earth, it's that one can experience some of life's most awe-inspiring moments by simply being still and recognizing the ethereal beauty of nature."

Bella smiled at him. She had always respected Carlisle as the head of the Cullen family and a wonderful doctor who cared deeply about others, but now that she was spending time with him just the two of them, she was beginning to see that there was so much more to him that she hadn't seen before, like the way he saw the value in the simple things in life like a game of "Go Fish" and how the look in his eyes when he engaged in conversation with her told her that he valued what she had to say and she was worth his full attention. She felt cared for and loved.

When they reached the shore, Carlisle took Bella's hand and they made their way to the end of the dock before sitting and dangling their feet off the end. Carlisle put his arm over Bella's shoulder and she found that she wasn't tempted to pull away from him this time. Instead, she leaned into him and rested her head against his side as they watched the sun slowly set with so much color that even the most beautiful water color painting could never compare.

"May I kiss you, Bella?" Carlisle asked her. Bella looked up at Carlisle and found herself getting lost in his ochre eyes. She noticed that their usual color was slowly becoming darker. Eyes becoming heavy lidded with desire, Bella felt her heartrate quicken and nodded her assent, turning her body slightly towards Carlisle. He stared deeply into her eyes for a second before softly touching his lips to hers. He briefly lingered there before he pulled back and gazed into her eyes again and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "You are so beautiful." Carlisle whispered to her.