Carlisle
He still had to smile at Leah's comment. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she went through the films thoughtfully and was not very surprised when she selected an action film. The choice of film was irrelevant to him, as he probably wouldn't get much of it anyway.
He even managed to pay, but only after persuading her to do so.
Leah was, without a doubt, an unique woman.
Although she claimed not to need popcorn, Carlisle knew enough about women, to buy the largest cup anyway. The girl behind the counter stared at him lost and although Carlisle hardly noticed this anymore, Leah barely bared her teeth and moved closer to him.
Not that it bothered him.
On the contrary. Not only did he enjoy her closeness, it was her jealousy that he inevitably enjoyed. He averted his gaze and had to suppress a grin when Leah muttered some mean comments in the direction of the young woman.
Leah was simply, he couldn't find better words for it, refreshing.
The essence of a vampire was stasis.
It's been the same for hundreds of years. Even the appearance of Bella, Victoria's army, and the wolves were all more or less repetitions of the same game. His family had cupboards full of documents that proved this, ID cards, certificates, accounts, different names and relatives that changed with every move but were always the same.
Even his work as a doctor was fulfilling and happy, but nothing surprised him anymore. The reactions, the smell, the colleagues, the patients themselves, the illnesses were all the same despite different names.
His family, apart from the arrival of Jasper and Alice, also experienced the same cycle over and over again. That Edward found his mate was a surprise, but an expected one. Carlisle knew from the first moment that someone as pure and as good as Edward would find happiness sooner or later.
All in all, there was some consolation in the routine. Or so he had thought.
Because when Leah crashed into his life, he first noticed how comfortable he had made himself.
It was an unfair thought, he was aware of it and immediately felt guilty. Not only to his family, but especially to Esme, it wasn't fair to think that way. But he couldn't help it, the thought just forced itself on him.
After transforming Esme, he never thought that anything romantic could develop between them. It was only Edward who betrayed Esme's affection for him and Carlisle, who in 400 years had never considered the possibility of being loved, was immediately fascinated and drawn to the idea.
It took 80 years to realize that he was only in love with the idea of love, not with Esme himself. He loved her for her personality, for her kindness and her heart. But only now, when Leah was sitting next to him in the dim cinema, with a bucket of popcorn in his arms - which was already almost half empty - he felt his heart and body ache for her.
She noticed his stare and gave him a questioning look. Carlisle leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. It was a date, after all, and his petrified heart felt like it was beating for the first time in nearly 400 years when she pressed herself into the crook of his arm and sighed silently.
As expected, he hardly noticed anything from the film, his thoughts were fixed on the person next to him and his gaze wandered to her more often than he would have liked. Often she would catch him and the corners of his mouth twitched when he heard her pulse quicken. Every now and then he would get himself a popcorn, probably the only food he could eat, and catch her surprised look with a mischievous wink. The blood rushed into her cheeks and he felt a pull in her direction.
In addition to the tempting sight that it offered, there was also her scent, which Carlisle felt in every fiber of his body. Her body, unlike his, was marked by change, her heart was beating, her blood was flowing and in this there were also hormones.
Carlisle was a doctor, he knew the processes, he knew where hormones and other substances were produced and why. He could probably already recognize some of them by their scent - in his patients mostly out of fear and pain, or for other reasons. Usually he registered it and immediately rejected it. It was only natural and it rarely got stuck in his mind.
But Leah's scent was like a drug to him even in its normal state, now that something obviously changed or at least she reacted to his closeness and gaze, it was much worse. He tickled his senses, surrounded him and held him tight.
He couldn't get out of it and didn't want to.
But it triggered something in him that he did not know in this context. It was a monster deep inside that was awakened by the scent. The monster that he had renounced for centuries, a monster that he had locked away with his compassion for humans. A monster who wanted something completely different than blood.
It wanted Leah. And it scared Carlisle.
Finally he tore his gaze away from her and decided not to breathe anymore. He could still taste her scent and the reaction of her body on his tongue and he tried to concentrate on something else.
He concentrated on the warmth that was spreading in his body, he concentrated on the feeling of perfection which gradually flowed through him.
He focused on her hazel hair, which tickled his neck ... and there it was again.
The monster grinned at Carlisle with blood-red eyes and a hideous grimace. He quickly dismissed the thought and concentrated on the film in front of him.
It was an "Emmets Classic" as Edward would drily state, without a plot with lots of explosions and illogical scenes.
And it was already over, apparently he had spent over an hour enjoying being close to Leah and cursing it at the same time.
Carlisle opened the car door for Leah and held his breath. It was childish, that much was certain, but with every passing second his self-control crumbled and, judging by Leah's scent, she soon had none at all.
"Would you like something to eat?"
His voice sounded innocuous and he hoped it wouldn't hear the effect it was having on him. He suddenly felt her warm hand on his and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He'd never really get used to it, nor did he want to.
"No not really."
Her voice was deeper than usual and Carlisle swallowed.
He stared at the street in front of him, his thoughts racing with nervousness, anticipation and panic. He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. Her scent stung his throat, but it was a good sting. It was the kind he couldn't get enough of.
It was a burn that tickled and annoyed the Monster.
"Do you want to go anywhere else?"
He was croaking now and Leah answered curtly with a no.
Slowly he nodded and steered the car towards the reservate. He didn't dare to take another breath and so he remained silent. Leah didn't seem to mind because she was lost in thought too. She gave off a warmth that was even more intense than usual and Carlisle wanted to back away.
In one swift motion he drove to the house and got out of the car hastily. He inhaled the air and concentrated on the forest, the earth, the moisture and the animals that gave the air its scent. Gentleman as he was, he dived to Leah's door and was surprised that she had been waiting for him. She got out and stepped close to him.
Carlisle inevitably backed away and looked at the house. He could hear Seth's heartbeat and the softly whirring music coming from his headphones. Carlisle exhaled gratefully, with Seth in the house he would have more self-control and Leah would hold back too.
But did he want that?
Slowly the desire began to pass from the monster to him and the idea of losing control seemed more tempting with every passing second.
Leah
A little hesitantly, she glanced at Carlisle out of the corner of her eye. He worked in constant conflict with himself, he looked for her closeness and shortly afterwards withdrew a little, only to then re-establish contact. She suspected that he was too decent to just give in and was amused and excited to see how long he would hold out the game.
It was clear to her, her body gave her away and showed what it wanted and Leah fully agreed with it. But she was also aware of one thing, if there was something to happen, she would have to take the first step.
She judged Carlisle to be likely to dance around each other for decades until Carlisle would overcome himself.
And honestly, she didn't have the time. Not even close.
She waited until they were in her room, she loved Seth, but decided that it was his own fault should he see anything. At least he knew about the date, and Seth was old enough to know what would follow ... or at least should - if it was up to Leah.
The nervousness rose in her and Leah decided to let her instincts run free.
It was better to trust her wolf than to question every movement, and so she approached him like a predator its prey. The closer she got, the darker his eyes became and his breathing became shallower as well.
She felt her fingers twitch and decided not to hold back. Slowly, as if she didn't want to scare him, she touched his cheek and watched with satisfaction as his eyes suddenly closed. The light, fine eyelashes fluttered briefly and he watched her under half-closed lids as she came closer and closer.
As expected, he was rooted to the spot and if Leah's urge wasn't so strong, she would probably retreat again. But her body no longer obeyed her, apparently the wolf had lost patience with her. The closer she got to him, the closer she could study his face. His skin was flawless, his nose and cheekbones were prominent and looked like an image of Achilles or Apollo, mythology was not one of her strengths.
Although she was completely taken with him, she still registered the slight movement he made in her direction until her lips touched.
The feeling that flooded her because of the contact was indescribable and Leah didn't even try to suppress a sigh. She tried the unfamiliar feeling and grew more impatient with every passing moment.
It was lovely but it wasn't enough. Would it ever be enough.
She bravely touched his lower lip with the tip of her tongue and was almost startled when she heard a deep rumble that came from his throat.
She suddenly felt his hands, which were holding on to her hips. He just opened his mouth slightly and Leah immediately took the opportunity.
Things turned over and Leah suddenly felt a pressure on her back, apparently Carlisle had pressed her against the wall and pressed his lips and his body to her, as if his life would depend on it. His fingers clawed into her flesh, bringing with it a sweet pain that Leah was only too happy to endure.
Her hand went to the back of his neck and she pulled the soft blond hair to press him even closer, which was impossible. It fitted perfectly to his unyielding shape and she unnecessarily pulled him closer by his collar to feel his whole body against hers. Now she clearly felt the effect it had on him and arched her back to press the obvious bulge in his pants.
Again she heard a deep rumble that came from his throat, it should scare her but for Leah it was like a siren singing.
His hand went to her neck and he pulled it back slightly, although he hardly exerted any pressure, she followed the movement willingly and groaned loudly when he kissed her neck.
What began as a light and gentle kiss quickly degenerated and his touches became more uncoordinated and demanding. She could still feel his fingertips on her neck and hips as they dig deeper into her flesh and just as she surrendered to the feeling, she felt a sharp pain in her neck.
She screamed in shock and suddenly Carlilse was gone. Cool air took his place and Leah found him at the other end of the room.
He was breathing heavily as if he couldn't breathe and stared at her with wide eyes. It took a few seconds for her to move and she grabbed her neck. The area was damp and warm, the pain it caused and the metallic scent confirmed her suspicion that her skin had been breached. It wasn't very deep, but deep enough that she was bleeding easily.
Confused, she looked at Carlisle who was still in shock.
His lower lip was treacherously red and when he reached for his mouth with a trembling hand, his gaze flickered from her to his now bloodied fingers.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at his hand with so much hatred that he looked alien to Leah. She would never have thought that such an expression would be found on his angelic features. Carefully she took a step towards him and opened her mouth, but when she saw how frightened he looked at her and what self-hatred and pain was hidden in his still black eyes, she stopped again.
Again his gaze wandered to his fingers and Leah only saw a bright mixture of colors which disappeared from the room. She grabbed her neck again and noticed how the wound was about to close. It still hurt but obviously he had already pulled his poison out because the pain was manageable.
There would probably be a scar, but that was the last thing Leah thought about. Only now did she really understand what had happened.
He had bitten her.
Carlisle had bitten her.
And the frightening thing was that it didn't bother her. She should be disgusted or angry, but she wasn't. The only thing she could think of was the devastated look on Carlisle's face.