Two months later :
Scarlett and Carlisle officially became a couple right from their first date. The whole of forks and la push knew of this. It was the best gossip both schools had had. Bella wasn't to keen on the relationship. Scarlett became a motherly figure to each of the Cullen ''children' . Jasper and rosalie being the ones who were he closest to Scarlett. Of Scarlett wasn't with Carlisle she was with one of her kids , she accepted them as hers when she became public with Carlisle. Scarlett was close to each Cullen child for their own reasons;
- jasper - felt close to Scarlett because she reminded him of his original birth mother, and the way she didn't shy away from him because he was the newest vampire. They'd had a talk about it one night , she had told him she'd stand by him no matter what and that he was much stronger than anyone have him credit for .
- rosalie- rosalie surprised herself when she acted on instinct and called Scarlett mum, she was known in the Cullen clan for hating humans. Rosalie had shared her past with Scarlett one night. Knowing what each other went through and having quite similar pasts brought them together
- emmett- emmett felt close to Scarlett simply because she acted like a mom so kind and loving and she showed immense interest in him when he came back he'd tell her stories about how he'd tackled a bear or a mountain lion and Scarlett would be so enthusiastic about it that it made emmett tell her every time he'd been hunting, or she'd simply challenge him to a console game and kick his butt before getting up and wrapping herself around Carlisle.
- Alice - Alice declared herself Scarlett's personal shopper and Scarlett eager to please the little pixie would often suggest a shopping trip out of the blue , resulting in Alice performing makeovers or redecorating something or other .
- Edward - it took a while for Edward to think of Scarlett as a mother figure due to her being bellas sister. But she was there when he needed advice on how to speak with bella about certain things and what sort of things bella likes. Edward also grew closer to Scarlett when the one night the rest of the coven went hunting and Edward stayed behind playing the piano , he couldn't grasp the next key for a song he was composing. Scarlett pulled up a chair and sat beside him all night long offering sympathetic or praising words when it sounded good. Scarlett actually fell asleep against him that night. Edward never remembered the motherly feeling but he'd like to think that Scarlett was doing the perfect job.
Over all the Cullen children were happy because Scarlett simply made Carlisle happy, and seeing him unhappy for so many years. It was a ,marvellous sight .
The fact that all the Cullen children called her mum and not Scarlett irritated bella . From then on out all bella did was cause problems , that ended up with Scarlett getting Charlie's permission to turn the attic into a third bedroom to hopefully lessen the arguements between the pair. Scarlett ended up staying at the cullens most nights until the attic room was renovated, leaving bella jealous because Charlie didn't have a problem with Scarlett being there constantly but he had a problem with bella and she had to see other friends as well.
One night whilst Scarlett was staying with the cullens, she turned up to an empty house but as she walked to the bedroom her and Carlisle shared. There he was on his bed sitting down and pointing out the window . Scarlett ran to the window it see her adopted children below each holding a sign, emmetts sign said will , roses sign said you , Jaspers sign said marry, Alice's sign said me and Edwards sign said Scarlett?. Scarlett gasped upon reading this and spun to look at Carlisle who was now behind her on one knew with a red velvet box in hand. " I've asked your father for his blessing and she gave it Scarlett so now I'm asking if you'll become Mrs Cullen? Mad make me the happiest man since the dawn of time" Carlisle had asked . Scarlett stood there crying and nodding her head. " of course Carlisle I'd love to marry you, there's nobody else I'd give myself too" Scarlett declared slipping in the ring that happened to be a perfect fit thanks to Alice . It was that night that Carlisle and Scarlett had made love for the first time.
* another month later*
Bellas PoV:
They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday, Bella!" while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped was a hundred times worse than I'd , sensing my distress, wrapped an encouraging arm around my waist and kissed the top of my 's parents, Carlisle and Scarlett impossibly youthful and lovely as ever were the closest to the door. Scarlett hugged me lightly and then Carlisle put his arm around my shoulders."Sorry about this, Bella," he stage-whispered. "We couldn't rein Alice in."Rosalie and Emmett stood behind them. Rosalie didn't smile, but at least she didn't glare. Emmett's face was stretched into a huge grin. It had been months since I'd seen them; I'd forgotten how gloriously beautiful Rosalie was it almost hurt to look at her. And had Emmett always been so big?"You haven't changed at all," Emmett said with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always." "Thanks a lot, Emmett," I said, blushing laughed, "I have to step out for a second"he paused to wink conspicuously at Alice"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone.""I'll try."I let go of Jasper's hand and skipped forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light. Jasper smiled, too, but kept his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs. During the days we'd had to spend cooped up together in Phoenix, I'd thought he'd gotten over his aversion to me. But he'd gone back to exactly how he'd acted before avoiding me as much as possible the moment he was free from that temporary obligation to protect me. I knew it wasn't personal, just a precaution, and I tried not to be overly sensitive about it. Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens' diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much harder for him to resist than the others he hadn't been trying as long. Yet he seemed perfectly at ease with Scarlett .
"Time to open presents," Alice declared. She put her cool hand under my elbow and towed me to the table with the cake and the shiny packages. I put on my best martyr face. "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything" "But I didn't listen," she interrupted, smug. "Open it." She took the camera from my hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box was so light that it felt empty. The tag on top said that it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Self-consciously, I tore the paper off and then stared at the box it was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. I opened the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty."Um thanks." Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. "It's a stereo for your truck," he explained. "Emmett's installing it right now so that you can't return it."Alice was always one step ahead of me. "Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," I told them, grinning as I remembered Edward's complaints about my radio this afternoon all a setup, apparently. "Thanks, Emmett!" I called more loudly. I heard his booming laugh from my truck, and I couldn't help laughing, too. "Open mine and Edward's next," Alice said, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand. I turned to give Edward a basilisk glare. "You promised." Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed. He pushed in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look. "I didn't spend a dime," Edward assured me. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaving my skin tingling from his touch. I inhaled deeply and turned to Alice. "Give it to me," I chuckled with delight. I took the little package, rolling my eyes at Edward while I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.
"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny all happened very quickly then "No!" Edward threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest. Jasper tried to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's grabbed Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggled on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on the shock, there was also pain. I'd tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. Only now did I feel the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.
Emmett, Rose, get Jasper outside." Scarlett told them . Unsmiling for once, Emmett nodded. "Come on, Jasper."Jasper struggled against Emmett's unbreakable grasp, twisting around, reaching toward his brother with his bared teeth, his eyes still past 's face was whiter than bone as he wheeled to crouch over me, taking a clearly defensive position. A low warning growl slid from between his clenched teeth. I could tell that he wasn't , her divine face strangely smug, stepped in front of Jasper keeping a careful distance from his teeth and helped Emmett wrestle him through the glass door that Scarlett held open, one hand pressed over her mouth and 's usual happy face was ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Bella," she cried as she followed the others into the yard."Let me by, Edward," Carlisle murmured.A second passed, and then Edward nodded slowly and relaxed his knelt beside me, leaning close to examine my arm. I could feel the shock frozen on my face, and I tried to compose it. Scarlett returned with a towel in hand."Here, Carlisle," Scarlett said, handing him a shook his head. "Too much glass in the wound." He reached over and ripped a long, thin scrap from the bottom of the white tablecloth. He twisted it around my arm above the elbow to form a tourniquet. The smell of the blood was making me dizzy. My ears rang." I'll get your bag love" Scarlett said to Carlisle."Let's take her to the kitchen table," Carlisle said to lifted me effortlessly, while Carlisle kept the pressure steady on my arm."How are you doing, Bella?" Carlisle asked."I'm fine." My voice was reasonably steady, which pleased 's face was like was there.
Carlisle's black bag was already on the table, a small but brilliant desk light plugged into the wall. Edward sat me gently into a chair, and Carlisle pulled up another. He went to work at stood over me, still protective, still not breathing."Just go, Edward," I sighed. "I can handle it," he insisted. But his jaw was rigid; his eyes burned with the intensity of the thirst he fought, so much worse for him than it was for the others. "You don't need to be a hero," I said. "Carlisle can fix me up without your help. Get some fresh air." I winced as Carlisle did something to my arm that stung. "I'll stay," he said. "Why are you so masochistic?" I decided to intercede. "Edward, you may as well go find Jasper before he gets too far. I'm sure he's upset with himself, and I doubt he'll listen to anyone but you right now. "Yes," Scarlett eagerly agreed. "Go find Jasper." "You might as well do something useful," I 's eyes narrowed as we ganged up on him, but, finally, he nodded once and sprinted smoothly through the kitchen's back door. I was sure he hadn't taken a breath since I'd sliced my finger. "Bella," Carlisle said softly. "Do you want me to drive you to the hospital, or would you like me to take care of it here?" "Here, please," I whispered. If he took me to the hospital, there would be no way to keep this from Charlie. So that's what he did he fixed my arm up and sent me home so they could all see to jasper even Scarlett came with me . When we got home I didn't see Edward in my room like I had most nights and he wasn't at school the next day , but when I got Home from school Edward was at my house waiting for me ."Come for a walk with me," he suggested in an unemotional voice, taking my hand. I didn't answer. I couldn't think of a way to protest, but I instantly knew that I wanted to. I didn't like this. This is bad, this is very bad, the voice in my head repeated again and again.
But he didn't wait for an answer. He pulled me along toward the east side of the yard, where the forest encroached. I followed unwillingly, trying to think through the panic. It was what I wanted, I reminded myself. The chance to talk it all through. So why was the panic choking me?We'd gone only a few steps into the trees when he stopped. We were barely on the trail. I could still see the leaned against a tree and stared at me, his expression unreadable."Okay, let's talk," I said. It sounded braver than it took a deep breath."Bella, we're leaving."I took a deep breath, too. This was an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared. But I still had to ask."Why now? Another year""Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisles getting older people are starting to notice . We'd have to start over soon regardless."His answer confused me. I thought the point of leaving was to let his family live in peace. Why did we have to leave if they were going? I stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.
He stared back a roll of nausea, I realized I'd misunderstood."When you say we," I whispered."I mean my family and myself." Each word separate and distinct.I shook my head back and forth mechanically, trying to clear it. He waited without any sign of impatience. It took a few minutes before I could speak."Okay," I said. "I'll come with you."
"You can't, Bella. Where we're going It's not the right place for you.""Where you are is the right place for me." I argued
"I'm no good for you, Bella." Edward said bluntly"Don't be ridiculous." I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. "You're the very best part of my life.""My world is not for you," he said grimly."What happened with Jasper that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!" I argued "You're right," he agreed. "It was exactly what was to be expected."
"You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay" I reminded him."As long as that was best for you," he interrupted to correct me."No! This is about my soul, isn't it?" I shouted, furious, the words exploding out of me somehow it still sounded like a plea. "Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you it's yours already!"He took a deep breath and stared, unseeingly, at the ground for a long moment. His mouth twisted the tiniest bit. When he finally looked up, his eyes were different, harder like the liquid gold had frozen solid."Bella, I don't want you to come with me." He spoke the words slowly and precisely, his cold eyes on my face, watching as I absorbed what he was really was a pause as I repeated the words in my head a few times, sifting through them for their real intent."You don't want me?" I tried out the words, confused by the way they sounded, placed in that order."No."
I stared, uncomprehending, into his eyes. He stared back without apology. His eyes were like topaz hard and clear and very deep. I felt like I could see into them for miles and miles, yet nowhere in rheir bottomless depths could I see a contradiction to the word he'd spoken."Well, that changes things." I was surprised by how calm and reasonable my voice sounded. It must be because I was so numb. I couldn't realize what he was telling me. It still didn't make any sense.
He looked away into the trees as he spoke again. "Of course, I'll always love you in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human." He looked back, and the icy planes of his perfect face were not human. "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that.""Don't." My voice was just a whisper now; awareness was beginning to seep through me, trickling like acid through my veins. "Don't do this."He just stared at me, and I could see from his eyes that my words were far too late. He already had."You're not good for me, Bella." He turned his earlier words around, and so I had no argument. How well I knew that I wasn't good enough for him.I opened my mouth to say something, and then closed it again. He waited patiently, his face wiped clean of all emotion. I tried again."If that's what you want."He nodded whole body went numb. I couldn't feel anything below the neck."I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much," he said.I wonder what he saw on my face, because something flickered across his own face in response. But, before I could identify it, he'd composed his features into the same serene mask."Anything," I vowed, my voice faintly stronger.
As I watched, his frozen eyes melted. The gold became liquid again, molten, burning down into mine with an intensity that was overwhelming."Don't do anything reckless or stupid," he ordered, no longer detached. "Do you understand what I'm saying? Also Carlisle hasn't told Scarlett about us leaving yet so you can't say anything to her bella that's what Carlisle needs to do". I nodded helplessly. Scarlett wasn't going eyes cooled, the distance returned. "I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself for your sister and for him."I nodded again. "I will," I seemed to relax just a little."And I'll make you a promise in return," he said. "I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't come back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed."
As he spoke those words he was gone.
Scarlett's PoV:
I came home from my day of shopping to see a load of cars parked outside my house. As soon as my car door slammed my dad came running out " Scarlett you haven't seen bella have you she's been missing nobody's seen or heard from her since Edward picked her up from school" dad was shouting his eyes were read from crying. " I'll phone the cullens place again" dad said already dialling a number , what I heard next made my heart break." The cullens aren't there Charlie they've left town " billy told him , Charlie slammed the phone on the table. I couldn't take the pain in my chest , everything hurt. They couldn't have left they wouldn't not without saying anything. No matter how many times I phoned each of my kids and my fiancé there was no answer. Looking at my ring , I sat and cried." Didn't Carlisle tell you ? Scarlett didn't you know anything about this?" Dad asked placing his hand in my shoulder." Does it look like I knew to you dad we were supposed to get married , I thought of those kids like my own they were all my everything and now it's been ripped from me and I have no explanation as to why and now bellas missing?!" I screamed , but I couldn't stop the tears coming down my face. Picking up my car keys , I rushed over to the cullens house where I spent many nights with my family. A small piece of me had hope they were still hear, as I burst through the door , it was clear they'd gone all of the cars in the garage had gone all that was left was a suitcase of my things alone with pictures of me and Carlisle and pictures of me the Cullen kids. Feeling instantly sick I ran to the bathroom and threw up . Never had I felt so empty and betrayed, I thought I meant more to each of them than to just leave without saying goodbye at least. Taking my suitcase with me I drove home my priority now was to find bella. Pulling outside the house Jacob had arrived with friends once I'd been gone. Taking my case to my attic room. I spotted a note on my pillow.
Dearest Scarlett,
It's with great upset that I tell you that me and my family have to move on, we can't stay in forks any longer after what happened to bella at her party it's clear we aren't safe to be around you or bella. Don't think for one minute that I dont love you Scarlett because you are everything to me. I'll be nothing but an empty shell whilst we are apart . I hope you can forgive me my love if there was another way to do this without anyone being hurt them I assure you we'd have done it . We will all miss you Scarlett. More than you'll know keep yourself safe
I love you more than life itself
All my love
Carlisle
By the time Scarlett had read the letter she was absolutely heartbroken it was true they had left her , what could she do? Putting the note safe Scarlett started Walking downstairs wiping her eyes just as a man appeared from the forest line carrying bella. Scarlett ran out as Charlie took her from the guy she recognised as Sam . All bella kept repeating was " he's gone" . Standing bella to her feet she walked towards Scarlett ." They're gone scar they've all gone" bella cried making Scarlett cry to. Scarlett wanted to tell bella it was her fault she should have been more careful but instead , Scarlett doubled over and threw up again. Charlie looked on at his two little girls both heartbroken and one sick . What could he do ?