Chapter Info

Title: The Cold Ones

Number: 18/36

Warnings: Angst, light language

Author's Note: Hello, all! I just wanted to say we are officially at the half-way mark for this story. I've been trying to work on getting this one finished as well as work on my TVD stories that need to be updated, but I want to finish chapter thirty-six on this one so once it gets to that one (roughly in eighteen days) then you're not left waiting for the last chapter, especially since these have all gone up rather quickly. So I'll try my hardest to get that done for y'all. :) Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your reviews, thoughts, comments, and questions on this story!

Goldielover: This chapter should definitely help explain her reaction. :) And Brett is coming up soon, lol. He's definitely not gone yet. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

Hannah-Rampage: I absolutely love Emmett! Besides Carlisle and Charlie, he's my favorite male character in this series and so I really wanted a close connection with Abigail and that's what I'm aiming for. So the fact she's slightly remembering, but not really is really killing him. I hate hurting him, but I'm hoping I'll make up for it! Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

AHealingRenaissance: Lol! True... Unless you sledgehammer them to break off their limbs and then burn them... But I highly doubt she would go that far, even if she's upset. xD Yeah like honestly I like Bella, but there are parts where she should've been like "look, dude, enough's enough." One part that comes to mind is in Eclipse (I think it happens in both the book and movie) where Edward sabotages her truck so she can't get to La Push because "it's not safe," and he tells her to lock the window if she doesn't want him to come in. I think she should've kept the window locked, like if dude f-ed up my truck, I think I'd do more than just lock the window. And him sabotaging it just shows he's clingy and controlling. But I digress... ANYWAY, thank you for reading and commenting!

shayna. kasdan: Yes, finally! :D I think everybody had that sentiment, lol even all the vampires. Thanks for reading and commenting!

EclipseRosen: Yeah I think a huge difference is, too, that Abigail grew up there in Forks with the Quileutes whereas Bella didn't, so she's heard the stories more often than Bella had as she heard it just the one time from Jacob who was just telling her a "scary story." Plus she was so focused on finding out what Edward was that I don't think she paid much attention to anything else, while Abigail had heard the story from Billy like Bella did in Eclipse many times. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!

nasmeira: Ah! Thank you soooooooooo much for pointing out Esme's name! Originally she was in the story, but honestly she held no purpose in it (I'm sorry, Esme, I love you!) so I took her out. Like she was just in the background and she was mated to Garrett, but they barely spoke and it was just a hassle to have them there. So I took them out, and I thought I edited out all of her references, but it seems that one slipped through my fingers. I did change it to Bella, because that's what it should've been in that scene. As for Renesme/Carlie, I did make it quick, but Abigail met her in chapter twelve, it's about the fifth paragraph down, ("Sure," she said, a bit uneasily, but she surprisingly felt as safe there as she did with Jacob. She meant what she said to Edward, she trusted him and by extension his family, but that didn't mean she didn't feel uneasy being there. She finally met Rosalie and Carlie, and they all seemed nice enough—though she couldn't tell if Rosalie's look had been jealousy, anger, or sadness; maybe it was a combination—so she knew she wasn't in any real danger.) So Carlie (who really is Renesme, but since Esme doesn't exist, I had to change her name and, like you said, I didn't really like it anyway so I'm fine with changing it) does exist and is supposed to be there, she just hasn't been there a whole lot because she hadn't needed to be. But Esme definitely wasn't, so thank you. :) And thank you so much for reading and commenting!

-Abigail-

Slowly she slid off his lap to the couch behind her and to her surprise and sadness, he let her go without complaint. But she couldn't voice that right then because her mind was wrapping around the fact that sitting in front of her was one of the Cold Ones from Billy's story, another legend of its own that clearly was not actually a legend. It was clear what the Cold Ones actually were, but she was so stunned she couldn't move. How could she not have known they weren't human? How could she not have remembered Billy's story? She heard it more than once and yeah it seemed just like a campfire story at the time, but she remembered how serious he was about it. It occurred to her that he might've known Jacob and the others would phase one day.

But this wasn't about Jacob, not this time. She saw that and handled that awhile ago. This time it was Carlisle, and what he was. Not human. A Cold One. "Vampire," she whispered, not even realizing she had uttered the word aloud until she felt distress coming to her from...the other side of the room?

She looked up in alarm and found herself alone on the couch and her eyes sought him out quickly, and only did she breathe again when she saw him. Standing behind the leather chair, eyes agonized and guarded as he watched her gather her thoughts. Why's he over there? she thought. Oh. Oh. No no no, he thinks I'm going to be afraid of him. No no, oh god, baby, no. I'm not afraid. Never afraid. Why should she be afraid? All he's done is protect her and love her; why should that change who he is? She had been afraid for thirty seconds when Jacob phased, but he didn't ease her into it and let her draw her own conclusion like Carlisle did. Plus, she was in love with Carlisle and she knew there was nothing that could change her mind.

Standing up, she saw his body tense and the way his face changed, it was clear he was waiting for her to run. Instead she shocked him by crossing the room, rounding the desk, and wrapping her arms quickly and tightly around his waist. She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling the scent that was pure Carlisle, and breathing out slowly as her eyes closed. He took a second longer to hold her and she could feel his fear and apprehension. So she decided to try and take that away by leaning up and drawing him into a kiss, which she felt him easily surrender to.

It was shorter and a bit more chaste than the others, but it was still wonderful and she was smiling as she pulled away. "Girl could get used to that," she said dreamily. "You spoil me."

His eyes were wide. "You're not afraid?" he asked in wonder, and she was delighted when she saw the pain leaving his eyes.

Her eyes grew tender and she shook her head. "Never," she confirmed. "I love you. The fact that you're a vampire doesn't change that. I question my intuition because I had no idea, but I'm not afraid." She grinned. "Besides, walking me into it is a much better way than suddenly becoming a wolf and leaping at me."

Carlisle's eyes went hard for a moment. "Believe me, I talked to him about that."

She clicked her tongue. "He would never hurt me."

"You and Bella must have had conversations when you were young about forgoing your self-preservation," he said dryly.

She giggled. "Well we grew up in a boring small town. What else is there to do besides riding motorcycles and cliff diving and becoming best friends with werewolves?"

He sighed in exasperation and she giggled again. "You just might be the first woman to give a vampire an aneurysm. Please never tell me about motorcycles and cliff diving."

While she had only ridden a motorcycle once before, when Jacob took her home a few nights ago, she had gone cliff diving plenty of times. She was never afraid of heights so as a ten year old, she was jumping off the highest point and laughing the whole way down. Charlie found her one day and yelled so loud that all of La Push could hear him, and then he dragged her back to her dad who yelled at her some more. After she was ungrounded, she did it all over again, and was just better at hiding it.

But she didn't tell him that, she could tell by the look on his face that he would not enjoy that story.

"Or about the time that Jake and I stole Charlie's gun and shot out the a tire in my dad's truck?" He looked so horrified that she had to kiss it away and run her fingers through his hair. He still looked a bit angsty so she tugged him back to the couch and curled up with him. "Don't worry. I'm slightly smarter than that now."

"Slightly," he mumbled sarcastically and held her tight. After he calmed down from the image of her with a gun—honestly they hadn't been thinking when they did that because it was a heavy gun and she nearly got her foot instead—she managed to ask him some questions.

"How often do you...eat?"

"We can go a few weeks without anything, but those of us who choose to live with humans go more often."

"Is it hard being around humans without feeding from them?" She wasn't dumb, that's what vampires did, and while it didn't excite her, she knew she was safe and she knew that that's how the food chain worked.

But Carlisle frowned and shook his head. "My family is different. We only drink from animals. None of us want to be monsters and we refuse to become murderers to sustain ourselves. I knew from the moment I woke up and realized what I was that I didn't want to be like the others."

"When were you changed?" The question blurted out at the poor segue and she blushed. He, however, smiled.

"1663."

She's pretty sure her jaw hit the floor as he laughed fully at her. "So...I guess it's true that looks can be deceiving then?"

"Oh yes," he agreed. "Physically I still look the age I was turned, but I'm much older than I look."

"How old were you?"

"Twenty-three."

He was born in 1640, she thought. "I guess it's a good thing I've always liked older men." He laughed again at that and nuzzled her neck. "Is it hard for you?" He looked puzzled. "Being so close to me. I'm human and I know that, for example, it's hard for me to be around a pepperoni pizza without eating it, let alone kissing it."

He blinked. "Are you comparing yourself to a pepperoni pizza?"

"Well if the crust fits... C'mon, pepperoni is the most scrumptious and I know I'm damn delicious."

He blinked again and then burst out in laughter. "Oh, my sweet Abigail..." She was so proud of that laugh that she grinned widely. "You're very delicious, but no it's not hard for me. How else could I be a doctor? I trained very hard for a very long time, and human blood no longer effects me."

"I suppose that makes sense..." She paused. "But I'm still delicious?"

He chuckled and kissed her pulse point. "Baby, you're devine." He grinned. She giggled back and leaned her head to the side so he could kiss along her skin.

"I have another question," she murmured before he distracted her.

"Shoot," he mumbled against her skin and her eyelids fluttered.

"When there are vampires out there and girls who look like they're straight out of Vogue... Why did you pick me?" He froze. "I mean... Carlisle, you're beautiful. And I'm no Rosalie. I just... It's not that I don't believe you, but I'm still curious why you're with me and not someone..." She paused. "Someone more in your league."

He didn't say anything and she wasn't sure if it was because she said something wrong or he didn't know what to say so she pulled back a little. He was looking at her with melancholy and she frowned.

"You really don't know, do you?" he asked, his voice full of soft, sad wonder.

"Know what?" she murmured.

"How utterly breathtaking you are." Her breath caught and her eyes moistened. "You're beautiful, Abigail. Every part of you. Your delicious skin, your soft hair, those beautiful emerald eyes." Her heart clenched and her body swayed a little bit. He shook his head in disbelief and caught her before she swayed too much. "What I don't understand, is how you don't see it." He sighed. "And I'm not just biased because you're my mate. Everyone knows how beautiful you are."

"Everyone?" she whispered, catching that first and then tilted her head some. "Mate?"

He nodded. "Everyone." He paused. "Even Jacob, though I know that's platonic." Her nose wrinkled up.

"Yeah, because otherwise ew."

He chuckled. "You have no idea how much it thrills me to hear you say that. For a moment there in the beginning, I thought I had competition."

She scoffed. "Please. Like there could ever be anyone for me but you."

His eyes softened and he kissed her again. But before it got too much, she broke it—for the first time—and pulled back some. "Mate?" she wondered again.

He nodded sheepishly. "Vampires mate for life. Has Jacob told you about wolves imprinting?"

She thought for a moment. "I think he said something in passing when he mentioned Sam and Emily, but nothing much more than that."

Carlisle nodded. "Well it's kind of like that. But with vampires it's not as instant as it is for the wolves. When a vampire finds their mate, they are lost to them. Devoted to them in every way. There's an overwhelming urge to not only take care of them, but provide and nurture them as well." He paused. "Plus we're extremely possessive and protective. It's incredibly hard for me to allow you around the others, even though I know you're mine and they won't hurt you." The words "you're mine" had shivers racing down her spine and he smiled. "It's an instinctual thing. Most vampires hole up somewhere private for awhile to take care of their mate and allow those instincts to even out a bit. I don't have the opportunity to do that here, even though I want to whisk you away and growl at everyone who comes near you. Even Alice. I almost lost it when she hugged you." He shook his head.

"You've been feeling that since we met?" she murmured, fingers in his hair.

"Yes," he said without hesitation, something hiding there in his gaze that was gone a moment later. "But before you acknowledged this, it was easier to control, but just barely. Now that you've given yourself to me, it's harder." He paused and glanced away. "Since you're not a vampire, I can't make love to you, it's too dangerous." Her entire body went warm, shifting back to the beach dream, and went bright red a moment later. If he noticed that or how her heart stuttered or her breath caught, he didn't say anything. "But if that did happen, there would be no coming near you. I would be insufferable."

She slowly let out a breath and her fingers trekked through his hair again. She thought for a moment, running her words through his mind, and slowly she smiled. "What would you say if I said I feel all that, too?" His head snapped up, his eyes gazing at her in wonder. "I assume it's not as strong as you, I'm not a vampire. But I feel it. I don't like others coming near you. I don't want you out of my sight. I want to always feel you touching me."

"That's right," he whispered.

"Is that why I got sick?" she wondered. "It wasn't food or anything. It was being...there." She didn't go into more detail; she didn't need to. They both remembered the story and as it was, his eyes went black again and he growled low in his throat causing her to smile slightly and move more hair with her fingers until he calmed down.

"Yes," he hissed. "Your body was rejecting the male." He spit out the last word and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Good. I'm glad it has that reaction. Maybe next time I'm around Dr. Jones, I can throw up on him."

The tension eased and he laughed, nuzzling her neck and she instinctively tilted her head to the side for him. "If you do, please make sure I'm there to watch."

She giggled. "I promise." She kissed his jaw. "I have another question."

"Anything, sweetheart."

"Why would it be too dangerous for to make love?"

He froze and she felt his muscles bunch under her hands and she pulled back. She saw the black eyes and expected anger, but instead found immediate carnal hunger. She gulped as it went straight south and her breath wheezed out.

"I could hurt you," he finally said through a voice thick with hunger and her body rocked. She blushed as she felt the signs of his own arousal on her backside, but refused to acknowledge it. "I'm too strong. I could crush you. If I let go of my control for one moment..." He shook his head.

"We can't try?" she whispered.

He groaned softly with longing, pressing his face to her neck and shook his head. "I have control around blood, but not that. I've never made love to a human."

"Good," she growled out quietly, making him smile.

"I don't know if I could control myself, so we can't." He paused. "And recently we found out it's possible for a vampire male to get a human female pregnant. But the female's body isn't compatible and the human goes through intense pain and eventually dies or has to be turned." He paused again. "Just ask Bella."

She gasped and pulled back some. "Carlie." He nodded. She knew Bella was different and figured out she turned, but she never would've guessed Carlie was her biological daughter. But Abigail sighed sadly and shook her head. "It wouldn't matter anyway, though. I can't get pregnant."

He froze. "What?" he whispered. She nodded.

"I found out about ten years ago. Imagine being twelve years old and learning you'll never grow up to be a mom like you've always wanted." She sighed. "But I've learned to live with it now. Doesn't mean I don't want it, but I can't have it. So at least you won't have to worry about that." She tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

He was silent for a moment, his eyes sad as he flickered over her face. "I'm so sorry, my love," he whispered, nuzzling her neck and rocking her gently as she shook her head.

"Don't be. It's not your fault, it's not my fault. Just how things happened." She shrugged. "And I understand about your reservations with your strength. I'm not going to push you, Carlisle, but if you decide you can... Well, I'm here. I want to." She smiled softly.

He let out a slow breath. "Believe me, I want to. But I won't risk you for anything, sweetheart. You're the most important thing in creation to me. I would give every ounce of venom, give my life and my soul, to keep you safe. There's nothing and no one I would put above you, especially my own pleasure."

"I'm sure it would be mine, too," she whispered, cheeks heating as she grew breathless at the thought of the beach dream. Her riding him... She nearly shivered, but managed to hold it back.

His chuckle was strained. "Maybe, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. He had something to say and seemed to ponder it before casually saying, "Have you ever been with anyone?"

She knew what he meant and for a moment thought of teasing, but knew he wouldn't see it that way. It would only hurt him, and she knew fairly well that everything he said went for her as well. There's nothing she wouldn't do for him, nothing she wouldn't do to keep him safe and happy and unhurt.

"No," she finally whispered and he let out a breath of relief. "I've known my whole life that I was a girl who needed to be in love to give that up. And I knew I could only give it to the man that I knew would be my forever." She paused. "That's why, if you decide we can try, it's yours."

His eyes grew large and then filled with such love, adoration, and devotion she almost cried. "Oh, my sweet Abigail..." That's not the first time he said that, but it warmed her and she leaned in for a deep kiss.