Bella speaks with Carlisle

The last few days Edward has been acting distant and more brooding than usual. I think it's because of Jasper attacking me on my birthday. I also think Edward is planning something and that I need to talk to Carlisle. Edward is out hunting today so this is my chance.

After school I drove to the hospital and asked to see Carlisle, but they said he had quit. Now I'm on my way to the Cullen house. I turn in on the narrow driveway and after a while I'm in front of their beautiful house but it looks… dead. I hurry inside the house but freeze when I see the living room completely empty except for Edward's piano. Huh, maybe the furniture smelled blood or something? I continue up the stairs and look quickly into the others' rooms. They are as empty as the living room.

"Carlisle!" I yell as I walk towards his office and then there's a small puff of wind behind me so I turn around. Carlisle is standing there, dark and pained eyes but most of all he looks completely filled with sorrow. He embraces me tightly and I wrap my arms around his waist slightly confused.

"What is it, Carlisle?" I ask softly as I relish his fatherly embrace.

"Nothing, my sweet daughter. What can I do for you?" He gathers himself as he let's go of me slowly.

"I'm wondering if something is wrong or if Edward is planning something. Why did you quit your job? Where is everything and everyone?" I ask and he swallows thickly.

"Bella… Edward thinks you are in too much danger around us. He has asked us to move." He says as he places his hands on my shoulders. I freeze and then I shake my head slowly.

"You can't be leaving me." I whisper. He sighs and pulls me close again. I sob violently against his shirt as he comforts me. "I don't want you to leave." I whimper and he rubs my back slowly. "Why can't he just change me?" I sob and Carlisle sighs again.

"He wants you to have a chance to start a family, Bella. We all want you to have the privilege of children." He says gently. I freeze and look up at him slowly.

"That's why?" I ask, barely audible for me and he nods solemnly. "But Carlislie… I'm infertile. I can't have children even as a human." I say softly and he looks surprised at me, then he looks worried.

"Are you sure, Bella?" He asks and I nod.

"They had to remove my uterus when I was fifteen because of some complications when they removed my appendix." I say and he suddenly disappears in front of me, only to be back a second later. He gives me his phone.

"It's Jasper. Please talk to him." Carlisle pleads, hope in his eyes and I take the phone confused.

"Hi Jasper?" I ask and I hear a sigh.

"Hi Bella, how are you?" Jasper asks in an incredibly sad but polite voice.

"I'm… well except that you all are planning to leave me." I say and the other side is quiet, I sigh. "Jasper, I don't blame you and I'm not afraid of you. I need your help with Edward. You know how much I love him, how much I love all of you. Please Jasper, come back." I plead and everything is completely silent for a while then he exhales loudly.

"I'll be there in an hour." He whispers and then hangs up. Carlisle smiles and takes the phone, calling someone else.

"Hi love. You need to come back. Bella knows and told me quite a surprise as well. Tell Alice to get Edward here no matter what you have to do." Carlisle says and I realise he's talking to Esme. He wraps an arm around my shoulders as he leads me downstairs and continues speaking too rapidly for me to hear. He gets me seated on the counter in the kitchen since there's no furniture left. He gestures for me to wait and I nod so he disappears for a few minutes before he's back again.

"Come Bella." He murmurs as he pulls me down gently from the counter and leads me out to his car. He gets me seated in the passenger seat and then he gets into the drivers seat. "I'm sorry to have to do it this way, but I need to hunt before the others get back and I don't want you too far away. Alice warned me that Victoria is looking for you, she only just found out. So I'm going to drive us a bit out of town and then bring you with me as I hunt." He explains and I look surprised at him. "You don't need to worry about me hunting you, I don't act on my instincts as I hunt." He adds and I nod stunned then I take a dee breath.

"I wasn't worried, Carlisle, I was just surprised." I say and he smiles gently to me and I realize just how dark his eyes are. "When did you hunt last?" I ask and he sighs gently.

"Three months ago." He says and I gape at him. They usually hunt more than once a week.

"Carlisle." I shake my head and lean my back against the seat.

"I haven't had time with work." He grumbles and I raise an eyebrow.

"You're a vampire with a human job. I am sure you have enough hours in your day to hunt if you follow the human schedule." I say and he sighs.

"I don't want to talk about it, Bella." He says in a slightly harsh tone. I nod a little and stare out through the side window. After a few seconds he sighs. "I didn't mean to sound as harsh as I did Bella. It's just that-"

"You're hungry so you're short tempered." I interrupt. He smiles a little to me and turns in on a small road that heads straight into the woods. It's one of those places that gives every woman that is alone chills down her spine and it feels like someone is watching you.

Carlisle parks on the road and exits the door quickly. He helps me out of the car, then he looks hesitantly at me and I smile.

"Should I get on your back or do you want to carry me?" I ask. He smiles relieved, lifts me up gently in his arms and takes off running. I hide my head against his chest and think about how unlike Carlisle this is. He is usually so well planned and human-acting. Suddenly he jumps up into a tree, more agile than anyone I've met before. I look down to see we are far away from the ground and there are two bears underneath us. He places me quietly on a thick branch and then he gives me a serius glance as he wraps my arms around another branch in front of me. I nod that I understand not to let go… I'm not that stupid. He gives me a quick smile before he drops off the branch, landing without a sound behind to bears. In one lighting fast move both bears are dead and he kneels beside the biggest and kisses it's neck gently… no he bites it. He lifts it a little closer to himself and I see how he swallows the blood. He looks like some kind of God… not as good as Edward, but he's a vampire… He is very good looking. He moves onto the next and repeats the process, when he's finished he looks quickly up at me. His eyes are a brighter amber than I ever seen before, I give him a small reassuring smile and he smiles back before he grips both bears by the gruff of their necks and lifts them up, pulling them with him effortlessly. It looks… bizarre. He stops at a big tree and lifts the tree, throws the carcasses under the three and puts the three back in place. There's not a trace left of what just happened, it didn't even take ten minutes. Carlisle walks back towards me at a human pace, then he jumps up beside me on the branch.

"Come." He says as he gathers me gently in his arms and drops down from the branch and then he runs again. Suddenly he stops and puts me down gently on my feet and leads me towards the car.

"Are you okay, Bella?" He asks softly and looks down at me with his now bright amber eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine." I smile at him and he relaxes a little.

"I hope I didn't frighten you too much." He says and I smile wider.

"You didn't scare me Carlisle… I actually thought it was fascinating and beautiful in some odd way." I say and he smiles a little to me, then he stops and looks into the woods. I look between him and the woods several times before I see another pale man walking out, then I smile and walk towards him.

"Hi Jasper." I whisper as I hug him and he hugs me back gently, before looking down into my eyes. His eyes are also that extremely bright amber.

"Hi Bella, I'm sorry about your birthday." He says as he smiles condolatory and I shake my head a little.

"Don't worry Jasper. I'm not upset with you." I say and he smiles at me and nods.

"We should head back, the others should be there when we get back. I heard from Emmet that Edward is trying to escape from them." He says and looks up at Carlisle who nods. We get into the car and Carlise drives us home during silence. When we get home the cars are parked in front of the house. I take a deep breath as I get out of the car and walk with the others inside. They are all gathered as beautiful marble statues in different places in the living room. Emmet is holding Edward tightly against the wall and Alice is staring dangerously at Edward.

"Hi Bella dear." Esme says gently as she hugs me and I relish her embrace.

"Hi mom." I whisper back and she gasps and hugs me closer.

"I love you so much." She whispers and I return her embrace as hard as I can.

"I love you too." I whisper, then she smiles gently and walks into Carlisle's arms.

"What did you want?" Rosalie asks bluntly, earning several growls and I roll my eyes at her. I walk over to Edward, Emmet and Alice and put my hands on Edward's cheeks.

"Edward, I love you with all my heart but sometimes you are incredibly stupid and arrogant." I sigh and Emmet laughs loudly but I silence him with a glare. "You need to speak with me. There is not only you in this relationship and while I understand that you want me to have a human life, much like the one you missed out on, it's not what I want… or what I can have." I continue and the air rings with silence. Edward's dark eyes meet my own and he relaxes slightly in Emmet's hold and caresses my cheek gently as Emmett releases his hold.

"What do you mean, my Bella?" He whispers softly and I sigh.

"Edward, I can't have kids." I say and he freezes before he pulls me into his arms.

"Why not, love?" He whispers and I sigh.

"A surgery went wrong and they had to remove my uterus. I'm infertile." I say and he hugs me tighter.

"I'm sorry, love, you're right I should talk more with you." He says and I nod.

"You can't continue making all decisions on your own." I say seriously, he nods and hugs me even tighter. I relish in the embrace even though it's slightly too tight. "You are one incredibly stupid vampire." I whisper and he chuckles as he nods.

"I know I am." He murmurs and holds me closer.