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Are you all ready for the next chapter? Here it is.

Chapter 9 - I'll be seeing you

Forks

Edward didn't follow Carlisle into the house, already knowing what his surrogate father was planning on doing. He still disagreed with all of it, but he could find no fault in the older vampire for wanting to be honest with his significant other. Knowing Esme, she would listen quietly and even respond supportive and understandingly. But then what?

Would this eventually pass? Edward couldn't possibly imagine what sort of past history or connection Carlisle and this Ada shared that would be able to disrupt the love and kinship this family had. Now he was started to feel annoyed with himself, for not going after Ada the minute he caught her thoughts this morning. He should have followed and interrogated her. He could still do that. What was stopping him from going back to Port Angeles and confront her this very moment?

"Hello, brother." A happy voice sounded behind Edward.

"Alice." He greeted her. "Weren't you with Bella?"

"I was." She replied as she moved to stand in front of him. "But my attention is needed elsewhere. So I left. I told her you'll be joining her shortly."

Edward cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "How shortly?"

"Mmm, right about now." Alice smiled mysteriously.

He observed his sister for a couple of seconds. How she stood there with her hands behind her back, swaying back and forth. She'd seen something, but she was trying her best to keep it out of her thoughts. Typical Alice. However she couldn't hide it completely. The longer he stared, the more her thoughts jumped around, until he caught why she was there. Carlisle.

"He just went inside, but I don't think now is the best time to talk to him." Edward told her.

"Oh, I know." The girl replied nodded affirmatively. "All in good time. Now hurry up and go to Bella."

With that said, Alice darted away before Edward got a chance to reply. He arched an eyebrow at the empty spacebefore him. His sister was up to something, that much was clear and she didn't want him to interfere. Considering her urging him to head back to his wife, he figured Bella must know more than he did. Edward turned on his heel and headed into the direction of his house, curious to discover what was going on exactly.

Where the Wild Roses grow

~8~

1656, Hadleigh, Suffolk England

"Do you like it?" She asked him, smiling broadly and with anticipation.

Charles held his gift from Abby aloft. It sparkled in the sunlight. When she told him she had a present for him, he hadn't expected it to be a piece of jewellery. Highly peculiar gift to receive from a girl, wasn't it usually the other way around? But Charles didn't care about that in the slightest. She could have given him a pair of socks and he'd still be over overjoyed.

"I got it engraved." Abby added and she turned the silver locket around for him to see.

"Never forget, ~A~."

Charles lowered his hand and stared into Abby's blue eyes. A weird sensation going through him. The letter A stood for her name, of that he was sure. The words 'never forget', carried some weight behind them. He almost didn't dare to ask what she meant, but he could guess it a little.

"Thank you, Abby. It is a beautiful gift." He smiled.

"It's not too much, is it? You don't have to wear it or anything, I just,-" She suddenly paused and averted her gaze to her hands.

"Why would you give me a necklace if not for me to wear it?" Charles frowned and cocked his head, trying to catch her eyes with his again.

Abby exhaled. "Oh, I don't know. I found it at a merchant stall when they were passing through a fortnight ago. The salesman said a lot of girls in the cities bought them as gifts for people they like. He even offered to engrave it for me without having to pay an extra penny."

It sounded as if this merchant had taken some advantage of Abby's gullibilty. It made Charles slightly angry, but as he looked at the locket, that same warmth he'd felt earlier coursed through his veins once again. She'd bought it for him. Got it engraved for him. What had she just said? A gift for when you like someone? His heart skipped a beat. Had that been her reason for buying it?

Charles wetted his lips and swallowed a lump which had formed in his throat. "It is a special gift then,-"

Abby looked up at him and blinked, her brow forming a frown of puzzlement.

"Considering this is something you buy only for somebody that you like." His voice faltered to a mere whisper. Was it his imagination or did Abby's face turn a bit more red?

"We've known each other for six years now, Charles. Of course I like you." She cleared her throat and placed her hands behind her back. "Everybody else in Hadleigh is extremely dull. I'd never buy a gift for any of them."

"Ah, so this is a thank you for being your only source of entertainment during these long summer months?" Charles let out an exaggerated sigh. "What a pity."

"That's not it. I just told you why I bought it for you."

The boy arched an eyebrow. "Did you? I must have missed it."

Abby huffed. "Liar, you never miss anything."

"If you say it again, I'll know for certain."

Honestly, Charles wasn't even sure why he was teasing her like this. Alright, that was a lie. Of course he knew. He wanted Abby to tell him once more that she liked him. The thought of it made his stomach tingle. He had never heard her talk about Philip that way, and they were supposed to be wed within a few years. If Philip returned, that was.

"It's too late now. You should have listened the first time." Abby's mouth formed a smirk and she shrugged.

"You mean you're scared to say it again."

"Don't be absurd."

Charles stared at her and stepped closer. There was a time when he had been the same height as Abby, but now that he was sixteen he was at least a head taller. He lowered his gaze, staring into her blue orbs.

"You're right. You're not one to be scared of anything." He paused and the upper right corner of his mouth twitched before whispering honestly. "Maybe I just want to hear you say it again?"

All Abby could do was stare back. He stood incredibly close. They'd been close like this before. But it wasn't the same like all those times. Innocent and daring glares to see who would break away first. This wasn't one of those moments. Something had changed. Abby wasn't sure how or when, if it was because of their age or because they'd spent so many summers together since the age of ten. But if she said it again, the way he wanted her to say it and perhaps even the way she wanted to voice it, things would never be the same again between them.

"I bought it for you, because I like seeing your stupid face." She muttered the insult under her breath and stuck out her tongue.

His mouth formed a smile and he slipped the chain with the locket over his head, and then covered it with his hand as it hung against his chest. "I'll never take it off. Thank you, Abby."

Edward and Bella's cabin

He found his wife in their living room, lying upside down on the couch with one arm draped loosely across her face while her other was clutching a book to her chest. She didn't respond as he entered, not even when he stood next to her, his eyes drifting to read the title of the book she was holding. Where the Wild Roses grow. The novel from Ada Rose Willoughby. Bella's silence indicated she was still angry with him. He couldn't blame her for that. After all, he had sort of purposely refrained from telling her the actual reason behind the visit to Port Angeles as well as tricking her into luring Ada to them.

"Alice told me to come see you." He said.

Bella removed her arm from her face and turned around to sit upright, all the while not looking at him. "Did she?"

"More like she mentioned that I should see you. Not an actual order." Edward clarified. He then nodded at the book. "Did you finish it yet?"

"No. I was reading it out loud to Alice when she suddenly stood up, apologized for having to leave but that it was important."

"She said the same thing to me when I saw her. Her attention was needed elsewhere."

"You didn't listen to her thoughts?"

"I did." Edward sat down on the couch next to his wife. "Something about Carlisle."

Immediately Bella set her book aside and searched his eyes. "He's back?"

"Got back about five minutes ago."

"Did anything happen? Did he went to see,-"

Edward shook his head. "No. He left Ada alone. He went around the area to think, but nothing's changed. He doesn't know why he's feeling like this, what he wants or what would be the smart thing to do. He went into the house to speak with Esme."

"Oh?" Bella looked at him with surprise. "He's going to tell her about Ada?"

Her husband leaned into the couch and hung his head back. "Something along those lines. I don't think he knows what to say. But he can't keep this a secret. She'll find out sooner or later that he's not well."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Right now, Ada is on his mind. Constantly. Even when he's talking to me I could see his thoughts going back to today. To the moment he first saw her." Edward paused to run his hand through his hair. "He wants to find out why he's feeling like this. Why she's making him feel all of these things. A person he doesn't know."

Bella furrowed her brow. "Okay, that I understand. But to say he's not well,-"

"Bella, Ada's scent managed to catch him off guard and now she's all he can think of. I know that can happen with our kind. But he's been with Esme since the 20s. We mate for life."

She hadn't been a vampire for that long, therefore Edward couldn't blame his wife for thinking that it was normal to let your eyes wander when someone interesting came along, but that wasn't the case with vampires. Not usually. Once they fell in love it would stick till the end. Though admittingly, Edward was beginning to wonder about that, considering how much of an effect Ada seemed to have on Carlisle when they'd only just met today. If that had indeed been the first time.

"He's really sure he doesn't know her?" Bella asked. "What if they'd met when she was a human? That her blood affected him, as I did with you. That she was his singer, only Carlisle had such self-control that he never changed her but somebody else did and now there's still a lingering hint of that?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't. He really doesn't recall ever meeting her. If she'd been his singer when she was human, I'm sure he wouldn't have forgotten." He stopped and pressed the back of his hand against his mouth. "All I can hope for that this is just a short-live infatuation. That whatever he's feeling will go away after a while. So long as Ada steers clear of him."

"Hold on." Bella moved closer to him. "I get what you're trying to say, I don't want anything or anyone to jeopardize Esme and Carlisle's relationship. But it's not our place to say what they can and can't do."

Edward didn't want to hear it. He knew she was right. In the end none of this was up to them. But he couldn't help feel guilty. They wouldn't even been having this conversation if they hadn't met Ada in Port Angeles. Though that was just wishful thinking on his end. For what this was meant to happen? What if Ada and Carlisle did know each other from somewhere? Carlisle was over three hundred years old, he could have forgotten all about it. But what if those memories were to come back?

The Cullen residence

Carlisle walked through the hallway towards the back of the house. Esme tended to sit in that particular parlour room when it was late at night. It was the room with large book cabinets and the grand piano. Plus it overlooked the back garden, the tall trees and during winter time you could even see the mountains in the distance. As predicted, Esme was there, sitting in a light grey sofa chair while reading a book. She looked up as soon as he walked into the room, smiling sweetly at him.

"I was wondering when you'd be back." She said. "Edward told me you decided to go for a long walk after spending the day with him and Bella."

"Did he now?" Carlisle returned her smile, though not as elaborate.

Esme got out of the chair, set her book aside, and wrapped her arms around her husband. It was already happening. Carlisle stiffened at the loving embrace, which Esme noticed immediately. She pulled back to look at him with her bright golden eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked, raising her hand to wipe a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"We need to talk."

It was a phrase that nobody liked to hear as it was usually associated with something negative, which in this case was true. Carlisle didn't know where to start but he had to tell her something. Tell her what was going through his mind since,- well, since yesterday morning. Good grief, it had only been since yesterday. Somehow that made him feel even worse. He guided Esme towards the couch situated next to the sofa chair. She kept her eyes on him at all time, while he tried his best not to avert his too much.

"You haven't been acting like yourself since yesterday." Esme said as she sat down. "I wasn't sure but seeing you now, after you've been gone for hours since Bella and Edward came back, I'm beginning to worry"

"You always see right through me." Carlisle sighed.

"Actually, we all see it, dear. You're quite an open book, you know." She let out a soft chuckle.

It was true. He tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Around humans it was different, he had to be focused on his self-control, which at the same time made it easier to hide his emotions especially if the situation called for it. He was a doctor after all. But he didn't have a poker face around his family. He was surprised how much he managed to hide today when he met,- he suddenly cleared his throat and kept a firm grasp on Esme's hands.

"I met Bella's father yesterday, at the hospital. There was a scent hanging around him. A scent from one of our kind."

Esme nodded. "Yes, I know. The woman Bella and Edward met in Port Angeles. It's why you went with them today to talk to her. Ada Rose Willoughby, right?"

"Yes. Of course you know." Carlisle replied. This wasn't new information to her. Perhaps it was better to get straight to the point. "But,- something happened."

"Today?"

"And yesterday."

This time Esme did fall quiet while staring at her husband. She didn't like the way he sounded when he said that. It was clear to her that this entire conversation was going to be about Ada. but what exactly? A heavy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

"You know you can tell me everything."

"I know." Carlisle gave her hands an extra squeeze. "Well, as it turns out. It seems Ada Rose Willoughby might not be as unfamiliar as I'd initially thought."

"She isn't?" Esme replied with slight surprise. "You mean, you recognised her?"

Immediately Carlisle shook his head. "No. I didn't actually. But according to Edward, she sort of recognised me."

Esme frowned. "According to Edward?"

"He overheard her thoughts. He's quite certain."

"Alright, so she supposedly knows you, but you have no idea?"

"None at all."

Rather unexpectedly, Esme let out a soft chuckle. Carlisle eyed her quizzically. "What?"

"You are really something, dear. For a moment there I thought you were planning on telling me something extremely unpleasant." She said but then her smile turned more serious. "That being said, I can tell that this is bothering you?"

Somehow the conversation was taking a slightly different turn than Carlisle had anticipated. Of course he hadn't come up with any plan on what he was going to tell Esme about Ada. About how she was on his mind ever since he smelled her scent yesterday, and now that he'd seen her it was even worse. Esme was right about one thing, all of this was bothering him immensely and he didn't know how to solve it without hurting anyone. Himself and his family.

"I,- I want to, I need to find out who she is. There is a connection, Esme. I can't stop thinking about it."

None of those things were lies. But the fact that he was purposely avoiding certain words or phrases said more than enough. Yes, he wanted to be completely honest, but he also didn't want to cause unnecessary worry and hurt. Not until he knew with certainty who Ada Rose Willoughby was and what her connection was with him. For all he knew Ada was just someone who he had met long ago, perhaps only just once for a fleeting moment. And once she was to leave Port Angeles or even the state, then all of those feelings and emotions would vanish along with her.

No. No, now he was lying to himself. He'd seen it happen to others. He knew very well what was happening to him, even if he didn't want it to happen.

"Then there really is one solution, isn't there?" Esme said.

"I'm listening."

"We should invite her to our home."

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't you think so? She's probably just as confused as you are about this. At the same time, it gives me an excuse to meet her." Esme explained further.

Carlisle wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. Had Esme really just suggested to invite Ada to their house? To meet her and the rest of the family most likely. Oh, this could not end well. Or maybe it was exactly what he needed. Exposure could cure a patient of a disease or obsession. It could also mean the end of them. Great, he was rambling now. If Ada was to come over and he couldn't handle it, he could always come up with some excuse that the hospital had need of him.

"Carlisle?"

Esme's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Mmm?"

"What do you think?"

"Yeah. Who knows? It might help us solve this riddle."

On the edge of Port Angeles

Not a single light was currently shining inside the one storey log house. She hardly noticed it as she didn't need lights to see where she was going. A benefit of being a vampire. She felt on edge tonight and she blamed it on meeting the Cullens today. Though it wasn't because of all of them. The only one who'd managed to shake her up was the head of that family. Carlisle Cullen.

Three hundred years. Give or take. She wasn't exactly sure on the date. But it had been at least three centuries since she'd seen him. Part of her still wished this was just the universe playing a trick on her. That Carlisle Cullen was a descendant and not the boy she'd spent her summers with. You never know what he might have been up to during his young adolescent years when she wasn't around. Ada shook her head. No. No, matter how many scenarios she could think of, she knew it was him.

She clasped the locket in her hand tightly, when a knock on the front door startled her from her thoughts. The lights were out, who could possible be bothering her at this time of night? A foolish trespasser no doubt. Ada grunted with annoyance but walked towards the door. She halted a couple of steps in front of it. Through the class window she could see the shape of a person. A short haired girl and from the look of it she was not a mortal.

"Hello!" The girl waved and spoke loudly but with a soft chime in her voice.

Who on Earth was this?

Reluctant and warily, Ada reached for the door and opened it. Quietly she let her eyes wander up and down to observe the stranger. She was here with some sort of intend, that much was clear. Deliberately ignoring the private property signs. Nobody knew where Ada lived. So who was this girl entering her space?

"Who are you?" Ada asked, her voice cold and uninviting.

"I'm Alice. Alice Cullen." Alice replied as she stuck out her hand politely. "You must be Ada. Bella's told me so much about you. She's my sister-in-law. You know her. I love your book."

The amount of words and information coming from this girl was immense. Also quite intense. Ada stood frozen in her spot, rather dumbfounded. She ignored the extended hand.

"Alice Cullen." Ada repeated. A Cullen. At her house. This girl was Bella's sister-in-law? Ada narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry. This is going to sound rude but,- why are you here?"

"I don't plan on staying long, I just had to see you for myself." Alice answered with a smile. "Oh, and also to bring you a message."

Ada arched an eyebrow. "A message from?"

"My mother. My adoptive mother Esme. She wants to invite you to our home. I'm sure you'll receive a more proper invite soon enough. But I'm just here to inform you that just between you and me,-" Alice paused, retracted her hand and leaned forward. "I think it's best if you don't accept it."

Her expression soon changed into a warm smile again and Alice took a step back. "It was lovely to meet you, Ada. I really do like your book. I mean that."

And then she left, leaving Ada alone in the door opening of the log house. The older vampire stared into the dark distance for a couple of seconds before heading back inside and shutting the door behind her. What just happened?

And on that note, I'm leaving it there.

Alice is just being protective of her family, because who knows what she's seen? We'll find out soon enough.

I hope you're all still liking the story and I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great day!