Hi everyone, thank you all so much for being here.

I know this story is probably not everyone's cup of tea.

So to those of you that are reading it...I truly can't thank you enough!

Time to have Carlisle and Ada in one chapter! (for real this time).

Enjoy.

Chapter 7 - Change on the rise

Port Angeles

Insane.

That was the only word he could think of to describe not only the current situation, but also how he saw himself, for Carlisle Cullen was known as a logical individual. A soulless man but with enough kindness and grace to make up for it. Though what he was about to step into could only be called madness. He was acting upon an emotion. Not that that was a problem, but it was an unexplainable one and that was why it was so unlike him as he tended to think matters through before acting upon them.

Yet there he was, standing right on the edge of the town of Port Angeles, alongside his adoptive son and daughter-in-law. Ready to find out what it was that had caused him to lose focus. Find the woman who was responsible for giving him these restless and unexplainable thoughts. Patience was a virtue, something Carlisle had always lived by.

It was never his intention to seek out this stranger who Edward and Bella had met a few days ago. He was planning on leaving that up to chance, despite showing interest and curiosity from the start. But after having spent just a couple of minutes in Charlie Swan's present yesterday, that original intent had lost all meaning.

Carlisle closed his eyes and tried to recall the moment he first caught Ada's scent. It had been swift and fleeting, but pretty distinguishable from Charlie's smell. Carlisle could only guess what might have happened had Ada actually been there instead of Bella's father. He wasn't so sure on how he would have responded. In fact, a part of him didn't want to know. He knew what these things meant or could mean. His main question was, why him?

In all the centuries he'd been what he was, not once had this happened to him. He'd seen it with others, oh yes. He knew many people who had gone through this sort of thing. Encountering a scent which taunted and haunted the mind. Was it really worth finding out why it was now happening to him? Out of the blue, after all this time?

Well, he was curious by nature. But not if that meant creating an unpredictable and unfixable situation for himself and his family. He knew all the well what sort of consequences could emerge from going through with this plan. Curiosity killed the cat and all that jazz. He needed a bit more time to gather his thoughts.

"Perhaps it's a better idea if only one of us heads into town? All three of us confronting her at once might be too intimidating." He said.

His son arched an eyebrow at him. "Wasn't that part of the reason why we're here? To question her for coming into Forks?"

"To question her, yes. Not frighten her, son." Carlisle reminded him.

That was the last thing he wanted to do. If they were to scare her than he'd be stuck wondering about her forever and no doubt it would take a long time before those thoughts were to leave his mind altogether. Worst case scenario, he would go mad for a while. Despite all the warning signs going off in his head, he did believe this was what was needed to satisfy and ease that urge to meet this unfamiliar woman. Edward was probably aware of the fact he'd been thinking about this a great number of times since they'd talked about going to Port Angeles.

"Sounds to me like there is only one logical candidate to head into town." Bella said and she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Naturally all of them had already thought Bella was the best option out of all of them. It wouldn't make any sense for Edward to suddenly show up, he had no real connection to Ada whatsoever apart from the fact that he was Bella's husband. Automatically that meant Carlisle's appearance would be even more uncommon not to mention suspicious and even a little bit threatening. Besides, Edward had already deduced his adoptive father would not be able to keep a straight face or trail of thought once in Ada's presence. Of course he hadn't mentioned any of this to Carlisle.

"Any idea how you'll break the news to her that you brought some company along?" Edward frowned at his mate.

"I figured I'd just be honest about it. But I'll mention that I know she met with dad, before even mentioning either of you. That gives me a way in, don't you think?" She looked up at Edward before shifting her gaze to Carlisle. "Unless you two gentlemen have a better plan?"

The oldest vampire shook his head. "I agree wholeheartedly. Tell her you caught her scent on you father,-" Carlisle paused for a second and cleared his throat. "After that you can easily mention that you're not alone. Though it's likely she might know by then."

Bella nodded. It sounded simple enough as well as truthful. They weren't here to push Ada into a corner for simply visiting the town next door, especially since it was Bella herself who had invited the woman to drop by in the first place. She smiled and threw another glance at her husband.

"Wish me luck." She pecked his lips quickly and darted off towards the town.

Edward and Carlisle watched for as long as they could see her and the minute Bella vanished into a building, the blonde haired vampire turned to his adoptive son. "You didn't tell her about our talk yesterday after she left the house with Alice?"

"I didn't see any point in it. I'm sure she would have an opinion or two had I told her." Edward paused and slipped his hands into his pockets. "I'd be lying if I said your thoughts didn't worry me in the slightest."

"That makes two of us, Edward." Carlisle admitted. "I'm sure you can tell I've been replaying yesterday's event over and over again in my head. To think such a little thing has gotten me all worked up."

"I take it you haven't mentioned any of it to Esme as of yet?"

Carlisle didn't like the look his son was giving him as it was filled with judgement. He shook his head. He didn't want to worry Esme over nothing. He'd told her about Ada visiting forks and he then immediately mentioned heading to Port Angeles with Bella and Edward to confront her. Carlisle had tried to stay as calm and logical about it as he could. That had been difficult, as in all the decades they'd known each other, he'd never lied to her. But what he had done now was withholding part of the truth and of that he wasn't proud either.

He had to get this over with. Find out what all of this meant. Ada's scent had knocked him off his senses. Whose to say what would happen to him the minute he'd see her? The only good thing was that she was like them. One of their kind. Carlisle was convinced if she had been human, it would have become a real problem. A death problem.

"I see you're suspecting the same thing I've been thinking of." Edward noted and he turned his gaze back to the town. "It's probably a better idea for us to stay here and let them come to us."

Edward was right and Carlisle didn't need to say anything for it was obvious the older vampire agreed with him. But he hated the waiting. There was no telling how long it would take Bella to convince Ada to meet him. If she was even willing to do so at all. It would be easy for him to head into town, locate her scent and follow her from thereon. Of course, he could let it go. Never find out what it was that captivated him so. But could he really?

::::::...::::::

Bella caught onto Ada's scent as soon as she had entered the main street of Port Angeles. Only a couple of minutes later did she spot the woman. The first time they'd met had been in the local bookstore and then the second time it was Ada who had been waiting for her arrival with the ferry from Canada. Today, Bella caught her entering an antique shop. The young brunette hurried in after the older woman, slightly wondering why Ada chose to enter the establishment instead of turning her way. After all, she must have noticed her presence at least a couple of seconds ago?

With a heavy feeling in her stomach, Bella walked through the door and shut it behind her. Ada was standing only a few feet away from her, reaching for what looked like a small porcelain cup on a nearby table filled with other trinkets. She watched closely as the redhead raised her arm, tilting the cup slightly before turning it towards the window, she closed one eye as she stared at something inside the small object. Bella cocked her head and frowned, ready to greet her but Ada beat her to it.

"I see you have decided to visit again." She spoke softly. "Does this mean you finished the book?"

"I,- no, actually." Bella replied, a little taken back by her light-hearted demeanour. At least she had been right about one thing, that Ada had noticed her back on the street before walking into the shop.

"Have you ever heard of lithophane?" Ada continued absentmindedly. "Quite an interesting work of art."

She suddenly paused and extended her hand towards Bella, who, with a confused look, took the cup and copied the exact procedure she'd seen Ada perform. As she held it up towards the sky, an image appeared in the bottom. The face of a woman. Bella lowered her arm and the print vanished. She flicked her eyes to the right and caught Ada staring at her. There was that uncomfortable feeling again.

"I think I've seen something like this before." She replied and carefully set the piece of porcelain back in its original spot.

"Just an ordinary object, until the light hits it." Ada said softly. "Feels relatable, wouldn't you agree?"

It was easy to understand what she was referring too, though Bella had no idea why she was bringing it up. Suddenly Bella got the nagging feeling that Ada was very much aware that she hadn't come to Port Angeles alone. Most likely she carried Edward's scent with her, maybe even a hint of Carlisle? She wasn't sure, but she didn't like the way Ada was looking at her. It gave her a feeling of guilt, as if she'd done something bad behind the other woman's back.

"Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about." Bella quickly said changing the subject.

The upper right corner of Ada's mouth twitched a little, indicating that she'd already figured that out. "I'm listening."

"You were in Forks yesterday." Bella stated shortly. "You met a policeman there. Charlie Swan?"

Ada stayed silent for a couple of seconds, observing Bella from behind her sunglasses. Suddenly she reached for them and took them off. Bella watched with great anticipation as she was greeted by a pair of warm orange eyes. Not red. Strangely enough, she felt a little relieved by that.

"I remember him. Very kind man." Ada said.

Bella nodded. "He's my dad."

The other woman stared at her for a moment and then cocked her head. "Your father?"

"Yes. I haven't been like this very long." Bella explained, though it was hardly necessary to do so still she felt a need for it. "I'd like to thank you for, you know,- not harming him."

It sounded incredibly weird and Bella had no clue why she was even thanking Ada for not attacking her dad. She already knew how Ada was around humans. After all, she was on friendly terms with the people of Port Angeles. Chances of her attacking anybody in Forks, would have been slim to begin with.

"Is that why you came this way? To thank me?" Ada frowned.

The news of the cop being Bella's farther was quite the surprise for her to hear. The other tidbit on how Bella hadn't been a vampire for very long wasn't. She smelled new. But that made everything even weirder. Had she been living in Forks from the moment she got changed? Peacefully? And with her father near. The girl already had golden coloured eyes. Did she have this insane amount of self control that she'd been able to feed on animals from the moment she got changed? It was intriguing and fascinating.

Bella shook her head. "No. I came to see you because of the fact that you were there. In Forks"

A little weight slowly fell of Bella's shoulders now that had come to the point of telling Ada the truth as to why she was there. The next step was going to be more difficult, letting Ada know that she hadn't come alone. Of course revealing that Edward had come with her, wasn't the problem. The tricky part would be telling her about Carlisle. Bella could only hope that Ada would understand why they'd taken him along.

"I'm not sure I follow?" Ada replied and she crossed her arms. "I thought I was welcome to pass through?"

Immediately Bella bit her bottom lip. She and Edward had made it obvious to her that she was welcome to visit them if she happened to be in town. But right now she made it sound as if Ada should have asked for permission first.

"You are. Really, you are welcome. But Edward's family,-" For a second Bella paused and let out a loud sigh. "As I told you before, they are the most kindhearted and welcoming people that I know. But it seems your visit to Forks was...surprising to them. They're simply being cautious."

Great. Ada ran a hand through her hair. Clearly her going through Forks, with the hopes of doing so without Bella, Edward, or anybody from their coven noticing, had failed. Despite going early in the morning with hardly a soul around. Had she not run into Bella's father, she might have pulled it off. But how was she suppose to know that the cop was related to the girl?

It didn't matter. She'd made a choice and now she had to face the consequences. She couldn't blame Edward's family for responding this way. It was what happened when trespassing through another coven's territory. One was most likely met with suspicion or hostility, not a pair of open arms. Even with Bella and Edward's support behind her, apparently that had not been settled with the rest of the vampires who lived there.

"Was it your father who told you about me?" Ada asked.

Bella shook her head. "No. It was Edward's father actually. My dad and him talked later that same day and he mentioned meeting someone. But Carlisle had already caught your scent on him."

Her scent. Of course. That short moment of shaking hands with Charlie Swan had been more than enough to leave a trail behind. Now they'd sent Bella to Port Angeles to confront her about it. How convenient. Probably because they knew each other, and Bella was the one who had initially invited her to visit Forks some day.

"Am I right to assume that you're here to give me some sort of ultimatum?"

"An ultimatum?" Bella blinked. "No. But Carlisle wants to know what he's dealing with. There have been troubles in the past. As I said, he's,- we're merely being cautious."

Ada scoffed loudly, not liking the way Bella said we. "Right. I understand."

She grabbed her sunglasses and put them on again. With one final look at Bella, Ada headed for the door. It all happened so quickly that Bella hardly had any time to react. Ada's hand was on the doorknob, ready to walk out of the antique shop. Was she going to make a run for it? Bella couldn't let that happen, she had assured Carlisle and Edward that she was the most logical choice to confront Ada without scaring her. Though the other woman seemed more upset than afraid.

"Ada, wait." Bella shouted after her. "Carlisle is merely here to meet you. He doesn't think you're,-"

In a split second, Ada stopped and turned around to face her. "I beg your pardon?"

She yanked her sunglasses from her nose and stared at Bella intensely, her gaze strong. Yes, she most definitely was upset. "You brought someone here?!"

"It's only Edward and his father. Nobody else. He means no harm, Ada. Really he doesn't. He just wants to meet you." Bella had said it a couple of times already and still she tried to sound as sincere as she possibly could.

Ada turned her head towards the large window and looked out into the street. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and there was no sign of Edward or this Carlisle. Besides, she would have noticed had anybody else been here aside from Bella. But the girl was no liar, meaning that her husband and his father were probably nearby. She closed her eyes and lowered her shoulders. So much for peace and quiet. This had been her own fault, anyway. She should have waited for Bella to more properly invite her and then scout ahead.

"You're saying I should considering this a friendly visit?" She asked.

Bella visibly relaxed and nodded. "Edward and I vouched for you. He just wants to validate that for himself."

The older vampire couldn't help but feel a little cornered. This was a very confusing situation. Being chased away from a place was easier to understand. Now she was actually being put into a position to proof a point? She had a couple of options here. The dumbest and most cowardice thing to do would be to pack her things and leave, simply because she was not in the mood to mingle with other people. She hadn't been here that long, so would it really matter?

Another option was to pretend as if none of this bothered her and simply tell Bella to leave with her family, all the while promising them that Ada would never step foot in Forks again. Of course, the mature and polite thing to do was to swallow her pride and kindly accept meeting this Carlisle Cullen. Considering he was Edward's father and the one who decided to come here, no doubt he was the head of their coven?

Ada licked her lips and slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"Where are they?"

::::::...::::::

A buzzing sound was suddenly coming from Edward and the brown haired vampire reached for his phone before throwing a quick look at Carlisle.

"It's Bella." He said.

Carlisle watched with anticipation as his son answered his phone. Bella's voice sounding loud and clear from the other side. She'd found Ada and told her everything. They were heading their way within a few seconds. She then hung up without saying goodbye. A nervous wave shot through Carlisle's body. So, it was happening and soon. He clenched his hands into fist and started to pace towards the edge of the woods, his gaze focused on the town of Port Angeles.

"You're rambling." Edward said flatly as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"My apologies, son." Carlisle replied. He was in no place to stop them.

The thing Carlisle was most concerned about was how he would react the minute Ada Rose Willoughby was to come into view. Though the thing that worried him the most was her scent. Perhaps they should have brought Jasper along, to keep his emotions in check. But adding another vampire to the mix would have probably been a worse idea. Carlisle was a man who had an incredibly self control around humans, surely he could exert the same discretion with another one of his kind. Despite the way he'd reacted yesterday.

"There's still time." His adoptive son suddenly spoke. "If you feel this troubled, you can still leave and go back to Forks."

But Carlisle shook his head. "No. Whether I deal with this later or today. It has to be dealt with."

"Not necessarily. I can explain to Ada she's not welcome."

"You mean you'll lie." Carlisle corrected him.

Edward pressed his lips in a tight line. "If what we fear is true and this goes wrong, there will be more than one person getting hurt."

He paused, turned his attention back to the town and bobbed his head.

Carlisle followed his line of sight and spotted his daughter-in-law far into the distance walking through the main street of Port Angeles. Next to her was another woman. One he could only assume was the famed Ada Rose Willoughby. He watched, quiet and anxiously. His throat felt dry and it ached. Ada was taller than Bella, her face oval shaped and her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. An odd sight during a cloudy day. She wore the same clothes Charlie had described to him yesterday. A chestnut brown raincoat and a red scarf.

They were heading into his direction at an incredibly slow pace. They had to because of the people walking around in town, but it was agonizing to say the least. Carlisle straightened himself and folded his hands in front of him. And then he moved them again, this time placing them behind his back. He could hear Edward scoff and caught him shaking his head from the corner of his eye.

Eventually, Bella and Ada were at a safe enough distance to set off at their regular speed. What would have normally taken a couple of minutes, now merely took a couple of seconds. There she was standing in front of him without him even fully realizing it. Red hair with a hint of gold. A straight nose, strong cheekbones and heart shaped lips. Carlisle finally had a face to put to the name. Ada Rose Willoughby.

"Ada, good to see you again." Edward spoke loudly. "Allow me to introduce you to my adoptive father. Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, meet Ada Rose Willoughby."

As soon as Carlisle heard his name, he instinctively extended his hand towards Ada and thankfully managed to say a full sentence. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Willoughby."

However, Ada didn't accept his gesture. Instead, she reached for her sunglasses and slowly pulled them down. With squinted eyes, she stared into his, causing Carlisle to feel even more uncomfortable than he already was. His hand still hovered in the space between them and he fought the urge the taste the air with his mouth. His kind didn't need to breath, but now he was even trying not to sense anything. She had to say something. Break this silence. Create a conversation which two individuals meeting for the first time would normally have.

"Carlisle Cullen." She repeated, finally speaking up.

A lump began to form in the older vampire's throat. "I am."

She lowered her eyes and placed her hand in his, giving a polite shake. "I was told my presence in Forks created concern?"

Her touch was warm, her grasp firm yet gentle. But it was her accent that drew his attention. English. He couldn't recall if Edward or Bella had ever mentioned that. A small detail, but one that caused him to smile broadly.

"None at all, miss Willoughby. You are most welcome to pass through."

Edward cleared his throat loudly, drawing attention from everyone there. This was not what they had discussed. Carlisle was dismissing everything they normally told unfamiliar vampires who came to Forks. His eyes flicked between his father and Ada. "Maybe it's best to lay down some ground rules? Forks is our territory after all."

Carlisle straightened himself and let out a low chuckle. "What my son means is that,- we don't feed on humans, miss Willoughby. I can tell from your eyes it is a rule you live by too?"

He cocked his head and stared into those pools of warm amber. They weren't as golden as his family's, but their shade still held evidence that Ada had not fed on human beings in a while either. He felt a little tug and he looked down to realize that her hand still resided in his. With a sheepish smile he opened his fingers, allowing Ada to retract her hand.

"I do try." She replied.

"In that case, I think we've got nothing to worry about. What do you think, Bella?" Carlisle looked over Ada's shoulder at his daughter-in-law, who had just been eyeing her husband with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah, definitely. I'm sure Ada can understand where we're coming from." The brown haired girl said as she walked over to Edward, who placed his arm around her waist pulling her closer.

It seemed he had more to say on the matter. But the look Carlisle was currently giving him, preventing him from doing so. There was a lot more going on at the moment than any of them were probably noticing. But Edward's gift allowed him to pick up on a thing or two. Namely what the two people standing in front of him were thinking. There definitely was enough to be concerned about and it wasn't whether or not Ada was going to kill anyone in Forks.

"Right, well,- I'm glad we got this out of the way. We will leave you alone, Ada. Sorry, for the surprise visit." Edward gave a short nod with his head, which Ada returned. He then turned to Carlisle. "We should go back."

Carlisle had heard his son loud and clear, but he stood frozen in his spot, his gaze focused on the woman only a couple of feet away. Surely they could stay a little longer? They'd only just met, it was only natural to take minute to get to know each other better. Not here, of course. The location didn't fit the situation. He was about to open his mouth when all of a sudden a strong hand slapped onto his shoulder.

"One step at a time, Carlisle." Edward spoke firmly, giving a little squeeze to emphasize that it really was time to go.

"I'm afraid I must take my leave as well." Ada added and she took a couple of steps back. "It was lovely meeting you."

"Wait,-" Carlisle said out loud, but it was too late. Already Ada had turned on her heel and made a run for it. Back to town. To Port Angeles.

A quiet spell fell over the three people who she'd left behind. Edward removed his hand from Carlisle's shoulder and ran it through his hair. Bella stared at him with slight worry in her eyes. Something was troubling him.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

But Edward didn't reply, his attention set on his father. He looked at him with a scowl adorning his face. "You were ignoring me deliberately."

"Son, not now." Carlisle waved his comment away.

"Yes, now." The other male continued. "You were this close to inviting her into our home. Normally I would have had nothing against it, but after what happened yesterday, I,-"

"I said not now!" Carlisle's voice boomed across the forest, causing a flock of birds to fly out from amongst the trees. "Please, I understand what you're saying but I,-"

But he didn't continue. Just as Ada had done, Carlisle also turned his back on them and swiftly darted off in opposite direction, disappearing into the shadows of the woods, leaving behind a very confused Bella and highly agitated Edward.

"Okay, now I'm certain that I'm missing something. Here I was thinking that had gone really well." The girl sighed and looked up at her husband. "You know more, don't you?"

That he did. Though it not much had changed. Carlisle's part in all of this was still the same. There was no answer as to why Ada was having this effect on him. And there was no way to know what the consequences of this encounter were going to be, but it had left Carlisle even more confused than before. As for Ada, her thoughts had provided Edward with some new information. Seeing Carlisle had done something to her too. Though she managed to hide it well. Had Edward not been able to read her mind, he never would have thought anything of it.

Do I know you?

"Edward?" Bella pulled on his arm and he looked down at her. "Should we go after Carlisle? Or head back home?"

Going after Carlisle was the last thing he wanted to do. It probably also was the last thing that Carlisle wanted. He needed some time alone.

"We'll go home, for now. If Carlisle is not back by nightfall, I'll go look for him."

And that was Ada and Carlisle meeting each other for the first time. Or was it? I was contemplating on just letting Carlisle lose control, but then I figured he wouldn't do that in front of them. Except for that little outburst at the end.

Hope you all enjoyed that and please leave a review as I would love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time.