It was with a spring in her step that Bella undertook her chores the following morning. She turned her stereo up full blast and sang loudly and tunelessly as she washed her clothes, stacked the dishes and tidied up the empty food cartons that she and Angela had consumed their late night meal from the previous evening. She generally found that when her home was tidy her head was a lot clearer, as it gave her the time to think through the things that caused her to fret during the week.

When everything that needed to be done had been finished Bella prepared a casserole, feeling particularly like she had mastered domesticity as she washed and prepared the vegetables before cutting them into tiny chunks. This was quite an achievement for the young woman who spent most nights at work surviving on microwave meals and cans of soda.

Loading the mountain of food into an empty dish and sliding it into the oven, Bella slammed the door with a feeling of satisfaction. All the activity meant that she felt tired even though it was only early afternoon but she knew she had to keep busy in order to resist the temptation to drive over to Carlisle's and make amends.

Her colleague Tyler had invited her to Bella Italia for a celebratory drink that evening and though she didn't normally get involved in work functions, she welcomed the distraction. Tyler was a mountain of a man, well over six feet and about as wide as he was tall with muscles that bulged predominantly through his shirt. He sported a beautifully dark tan all year round and had short, braided black hair that he had professionally redone every few weeks in the local barbers. He had recently proposed to his long term-partner Lauren, who was the total opposite of Tyler in the looks department. Willowy and blond, the two contrasted spectacularly, though personality wise they were the perfect match for each other, he as tranquil as she was neurotic.

Bella had brought them a small hamper from store in Port Angeles that contained a bottle of wine and a picnic blanket. It had seemed romantic at the time, but now she started to wonder whether or not she should have got them something more practical. As she contemplated this there was a gentle knock at the door.

'Alice!' She exclaimed happily, haphazardly pushing aside any thoughts of her visitor's father, 'how are you?'

She looked radiant, wearing a pair of navy blue, boyfriend jeans that had rips at the knees and a strapless stark white top. She kicked her converse onto the welcome mat in the hall as she breezed past Bella and headed straight for her bedroom.

'I'm good thanks,' she started quickly, 'I was gutted that we didn't get to stick to all the plans we made after you fell out with Carlisle though. I was terribly lonely waiting for Jazz to come home on my own.'

The regret ate at Bella as she remembered her broken promise to the girl now sat on her chocolate coloured bedspread.

'I am so sorry Alice,' Bella pulled her into a tight hug as she spoke, which surprised Alice who squealed in response. 'How can I make this up to you?'

'Okay, okay!' Her protests were loud but appreciative, 'I forgive you! Besides, what's got you all worked up? Actually, don't tell me, I already know.'

He had been talking about her, to Alice. The idea dominated Bella's thoughts as she tried to imagine that he had missed her. She couldn't quite get her head around it, that the perfect, handsome, compassionate doctor had missed her, the emotional, overreacting, overwhelmingly unspectacular human.

'What did he say?' She asked interestedly, unable to help herself. Alice looked taken aback, and Bella immediately wondered what she had said to confuse her.

'He didn't say anything,' Bella's face fell and Alice immediately realised the implications of her words. She pulled Bella by the hand and let her to sit down on the bed next to her. 'It seems I've got a little bit of explaining to do…'

Half an hour later Bella was well versed in the additional gifts of the vampire coven. She already knew about Edward's extra sensitive 'hearing' and was reassured when Alice again confirmed that he couldn't hear a single thought in her head. Even the suggestion that he could caused her to be filled with embarrassment given that she was an extremely private individual.

'But Jazz can feel your emotions,' she admitted anxiously, desperate for her friend not to be swamped in the amount of information she had shared. 'He had to leave the house today, he wants to come home and I'm desperate for him to come back too, but Carlisle is having a negative effect on all of us right now.'

Terrified that something bad had happened to him, Bella demanded an explanation. Alice was astounded that Bella really had no idea of the effect she had on him. 'It's you,' she stated simply, with no trace of judgement in her shimmering golden eyes. 'He's been hurting since the day you left. I don't want to put pressure on you about how to deal with this Bella, but I've had to watch all of his choices over the past couple of weeks, and none of them have ended well. On top of that Jasper can feel his pain and it's physically tearing them both apart, not being able to see you, not knowing whether or not you can forgive him or if you even want to. He hasn't worked, or hunted, he never goes out anymore. Emmet and Rosalie, my brother and sister if you like, are flying over from London as we speak to try and pull him out of it, but I already know that it's not going to work. The only thing that can change this is you.'

Bella hung her head in shame as she finally accepted the full responsibility of her decision to put things on hold with Carlisle. It had been a quick-fix, a selfish solution for which she had only considered her own needs and not the consequences that would result for him.

'I want to see him,' she whispered desperately, 'but what if he doesn't want to see me?' Alice furrowed her brow disdainfully.

'If you think that then you have seriously underestimated the way he feels about you.'

Alice insisted that they both go to Tyler and Lauren's engagement party and that they could stop by the Cullen's afterwards. Despite the fact that she was longing to put Carlisle out of his misery, Alice informed her mysteriously that it would be better if they waited, to give Rosalie and Emmet time to digest the news that Carlisle was entertaining the thought of maintaining a serious relationship with a human. Too tired to deal with vampire politics, Bella hesitantly agreed, but it was with a heavy heart that she changed into a pretty, crimson, knee-length dress and allowed Alice to paint her face with makeup.

'Those cap sleeves look amazing on you,' she complemented honestly, 'but if you don't sit still and let me finish doing your mascara I'm probably going to poke you in the eye. And I can't promise that it won't entirely be an accident.'

Bella remained completely rigid while the process was completed and the pixie next to her joked about how good a vampire she would be. Bella didn't linger on this thought, knowing it would probably only lead to heartache when Carlisle decided that he couldn't, or wouldn't, change her. She didn't even know if it were possible having failed to wait for Carlisle's full disclosure about her family history, but right now her main priority was to get through tonight so she could go and set things right with him.

Bella Italia was crammed with people by the time they arrived later that evening. It had been decorated with colourful fairy lights in the window and a huge 'congratulations' banner was pinned across the front of the restaurant. Lauren looked absolutely stunning in a thigh-length, figure-hugging dress and a pair of strappy wedges and she clung onto Tyler as they made their way around the floor, greeting their friends and family who clung onto them joyfully. Lauren's oversized, clear diamond ring was on full display, her hand clasped tightly around a tall glass of pink champagne so the rock remained in permanent view.

'Bella!' Tyler shouted, pulling her into a quick embrace, which she immediately withdrew from upon the receipt of a scathing glare from the soon to be Mrs Crowley, 'I didn't think you would come!'

With the perfect amount of over excitement, Bella joined the façade flawlessly,

'Tyler, you're going to be getting married, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Congratulations to the both of you!' She finished her sentence with a pointed nod towards Lauren to make it clear that she was addressing both of them. Fortunately, Alice's talent meant that she returned with two full glasses of dark liquid before the conversation managed to become too awkward. Accepting the glass gratefully, Bella allowed herself to be escorted into the dance floor, which she only went near as a very last resort.

Mike Newton appeared as soon as Alice disappeared to the ladies room to change her contact lenses. She had opted for hazel tonight to co-ordinate better with her outfit, she had changed into a cream tunic which she had brought to Bella's, having already seen where they were going to end up.

'Wanna dance?' He slurred barely coherently, clearly he had already spent more time than was necessary at the bar. Bella tried to back away from Mike's outstretched hands but she wasn't quick enough, and before she knew it she was being forced to rock uncomfortably close to him, completely out of time with the music. As soon as the song was finished, she mumbled an excuse and joined her so called escort in the rest room.

'Why did you let that happen?' She seethed, attempting vainly to redo her hair in the too-small mirror. Alice looked petulant.

'I can't do everything,' she protested, 'you're a police officer, you deal with hardened criminals every day, but all it takes is a moment alone with an interested guy for it all to fall apart? Besides, I just saw something important, and we kind of need to go.'

Edward was the only one in the Cullen household when they arrived only minutes later. Despite her best attempts at interrogation, Alice would not relent and divulge what the hurry was about so it was in stony silence that they drove back at vampire speed.

'Hey girls,' Edward muttered uninterestedly, which further confused Bella as to why they were there. She found herself wondering what it must be like to be able to hear the thoughts of everyone around and questioned whether or not Edward could actually trust anybody he knew, given he heard what they were secretly thinking without any control over it. She had just about decided that this was a gift she wished that she had when he gripped her by the forearm, pulling her out of her reverie.

'You should wait upstairs,' he advised in a whisper, 'the others are just about to arrive, and it would only be fair to give them a moment to acclimatise to having a human around.' She did as she was told and felt her head swirling with anxiety as she worried whether or not Carlisle's extended family would accept her.

The thoughts swam around her mind and it were as though they were audible, taunting her. Unable to take the cacophony of noise she found herself ending up in Carlisle's bedroom, where she threw herself on his king size bed and buried her head in his pillow disdainfully.

Noting the makeup stains that she left there, she immediately regretted the action and struggled to wipe the beige and midnight stains. When they wouldn't budge she flipped the pillow, hoping that he wouldn't notice the damage. Unfortunately, with especially talented vampires around, there wasn't much that went unnoticed in the Cullen household.

As the family returned noisily Bella could hear a million and one questions being aired and her stomach tightened as she realised she would never be able to live up to their expectations. She listened for a second, before trying hopelessly to tune them out.

'I wonder what she looks like.'

'Is she pretty?'

'Is she tall?'

'What is it about this girl that's got Carlisle so interested?'

'She must really be something.'

'Come on, it's just a human, she can't be that special.'

The last comment stung and it was at this point that Bella decided to make her presence known. She stood at the top of their stairs, knowing they would hear her movements, and they all fell into total silence as they saw the beautiful young woman standing nervously above them.

And then they exploded again in a barrage of noise. They all wanted to greet her, to touch her and to ask her about her background. Whilst she was talking to Emmet, who really was just a large, muscle-bound teddy bear, she overheard the comment that forced her to leave.

'I knew it, she isn't all that. Just a little girl who got wrapped up in the good doctor's charms. This will never last, she's just so ordinary, and for all the control she might think she has over him, she's going to get her heart broken in the end.'

She broke off her conversation with Emmet and Jasper without volunteering any kind of explanation. Carlisle had waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs, allowing his family the time to warm to his partner, and she had just a split second to watch his face crack painfully as she turned her back on everybody he loved, retreated to his room defensively, and cried.