Carlisle was next to her in an instant, pulling her into his broad, comforting embrace and soothing her with whispered, unintelligible words. He held her close to his chest and stroked her hair gently as sobs wracked her body ruthlessly.

Bella replayed Rosalie's comment in her head, over and over. She tried to think logically about it, to pretend that she didn't care about the opinion of a single stranger, but her insecurities won outright and she cried uncontrollably despite the doctor's gentle protests.

'Bella,' he mumbled into her hair eventually, 'tell me what happened.' It was more of a tender command than a request, and the nudge she needed to allow her emotions to overflow as the words tumbled haphazardly from her mouth. When she finished recounting what she had heard, Carlisle's brow was furrowed with frustration.

'Oh Bella, you really have no idea. Please, would you join me in my study?'

Oblivious, she followed him mutely to the room next door where Edward was patiently waiting, his head in his hands. He looked up when they entered and swept his overgrown fringe out of his eyes, which were dimmer than usual. After exchanging a dark expression with Carlisle, he moved across on his chair so there would be space for Bella to sit down.

'You put so much weight on the belief that you are human. You think that you can't possibly compete with any of the supernatural, but that Isabella is where you are sorely mistaken.'

Bella smiled as her full name slipped effortlessly off of Carlisle's tongue and she relished how it sounded in his musical baritone. He sat opposite her, pinning her in place with his gaze and pulling her blood sample out from one of his oak drawers, having been unable to look at it while she was away.

He started tentatively, unsure how she would react to his bringing up the subject that had previously required her to put their relationship on hold. He hoped that their time apart had provided her with enough space to digest all he had told her, but he was still cautious about broaching the subject knowing that he still had not been entirely forgiven.

'Last time we spoke, I told you that your grandmother was a vampire and your grandfather a werewolf,' he glossed quickly over the fact that she had reacted badly and ran from that very room. 'That obviously had implications on the blood sample that I took from you after you first trip to the hospital.' He paused so they could share a brief smile at that first, happy memory. 'I think I know what happened.'

She looked up at him through her smudged makeup with tear-stained but interested eyes. Although it had hurt them both getting this far, she resigned herself to finally hearing what he had to say.

'I think you're made up of a combination of both vampire and werewolf genetic codes. Charlie knows that you have carried some werewolf traits because of how strong you are and how quickly you heal, but why not him? The answer was so obvious, I could have kicked myself. It was the introduction of the vampire genes from your mother's side of the family. We know that werewolves only start to phase once there is a sufficient influx of vampires within close proximity, so stacking two totally different types of supernatural DNA on top of each other was only going to ever have the same effect. The trouble is that both of these components are fighting for dominance and have effectively cancelled out any remnants of human activity. I drew two conclusions from this, one; that you have a choice to make as to which of the paths you wish to follow and secondly; that you are further from being human than any of the vampires in this house, so when you feel like you can't compare with us you are completely and utterly incorrect.'

Bella's jaw dropped in shock as Carlisle told her she was a vampire/werewolf hybrid. It was completely unheard of and she knew immediately what her choice would be if she were forced to decide between the two.

'What do I do?' She asked resolutely, wanting to do so immediately. Carlisle smiled at her determination,

'You don't have to choose right now. I'm just pointing out that there is no way of knowing whether you are made up of enough vampire DNA to stop you from phasing, or whether the werewolf influence could get in the way of you ever truly becoming like us.'

The three of them sat in stunned silence as they contemplated the possibilities before Bella, and the fact that she was so much more than any of them had expected. She didn't feel as though she had any supernatural qualities, nor did she really think she was that different compared to any of her human friends. As though he had read her mind, Carlisle answered.

'Of course, you have to bear in mind that you have grown up with both vampiric and werewolf abilities so you're not going to feel any different just because I have told you what is scientifically correct. But just know that I wouldn't tell you any of this if I were not one hundred per cent certain it were true.'

Because she couldn't really believe it, she didn't feel any more worthy of Carlisle's affection now that she knew the truth, though she appreciated his attempt to comfort her. Edward seemed to sense something was amiss as when he finally spoke, Bella didn't understand what he meant.

'Tell her.' It was a simple statement, but the order was clear. Carlisle shook his head deftly and Bella knew they were having one of their 'private' conversations.

'No,' he replied defiantly, 'it's too soon for her to know.' Bella's eyes widened in disbelief as she realised that Carlisle's lips weren't moving as he spoke. Can vampires do that? She wondered, as they continued their conversation, unaware of the catatonic change in atmosphere.

'She needs to know,' Edward growled audibly, knowing she would hear his cryptic reply.

Bella considered whether or not she had completely lost her mind as she heard Carlisle's reply though his set expression did not change.

'No, Edward. Do not push me on this. I will tell her when she is ready to hear it.'

'If you don't tell her now, she'll never get over what Rosalie said, no matter how many science classes you drag her through.'

Carlisle's expression finally changed to one of horror.

'Edward,' he thought back desperately, 'please. I need to be sure that she feels the same way before I explain; I don't want to scare her. She wouldn't be able to understand yet just how completely I love her. '

Bella almost fell off her chair as she overheard the final sentence in their conversation.

'You, you love me?' She questioned in a voice seeping wonder and uncertainty. They both answered her observation at the same time.

'You heard that?' Edward demanded, his face almost comical despite the serious circumstances.

'Isabella Swan, I have been in love with you since the moment I first laid eyes on you, and every moment I have spent with you since has only solidified that.' Her heart melted as he finally spoke the words aloud that she had been so terrified of hearing, though at that moment in time they were exactly what she needed to hear. Ignoring Edward's persistent questions, she rose from her chair to sit on Carlisle's lap so she could reply. Placing one hand on his cold cheek, she kissed him gently on the lips before whispering softly.

'And I, Carlisle Cullen, am in love with you too. But I'm scared…' He dismissed her fears with a smile that caused her spirits to soar. Nothing could possibly touch her when she had such a caring, powerful protector.

'Whatever it is Bella, I promise we will work it out. I won't let you go for a single second.' He ran his hands through her hair and kissed her back so gently she was left wondering if their lips had actually made contact, or whether she had imagined the spark she had felt as he pulled away.

Realising that he was not going to be able to make any progress with the love-struck pair, Edward left the room after noting that he could no longer listen to Carlisle's gushy thoughts.

'You need to hunt.' Jasper observed as Edward re-entered the living room morosely. He shot an angry look at Rosalie who was doing a poor job of feigning innocence with a book propped open on her lap.

'And she needs to wind her neck in,' he spat furiously, 'Bella can hear what you're thinking, idiot! And besides, that was a horrible thing to say.'

Rosalie stood, fangs bared, and the untitled volume fell to the floor with a noisy clatter.

'How was I supposed to know that the freak could hear what's going on in my head? She's supposed to be human!'

Carlisle was in the doorway in an instant, a severely happier Bella trailing nervously behind him. He radiated fury and Bella had to admit that he did look a little scary when he reverted to his natural form. Fangs bared, he had to fight his own nature not to fall into a defensive crouch, so instead he pointed to the front door and shouted at the vampire who had just spoken words that made his skin crawl.

'Out, now! I won't hear a word spoken against Bella in this house. She is a part of this family and you should know better than to treat her so disrespectfully. Don't even think about coming back here until you are ready to apologise and have stopped acting like a newborn!'

Rosalie grabbed Emmet, who knew better than to protest against her when she was so ready to explode, and strutted past the pair in as pretentious a manner as she could muster. Just as she passed Bella, before she reached the front door, she let out an angry hiss.

In a nanosecond Carlisle was nose to nose with her, speaking so quickly and so furiously that Bella couldn't understand what he was saying. She could however, grasp the theme of his thoughts which were both protective and violent. It wasn't until she heard him mentally that she could really appreciate just how much effort he was having to put into his own restraint at that very point, as close as he was to lashing out.

Whatever he said had the desired effect on Rosalie who immediately turned and sauntered out of the house, going to great lengths to slam the front door behind her with such force that the glass panel cracked with a smash. Leaving the glass strewn dangerously over the floor, Carlisle turned back to Bella to ensure her welfare, who fought him away affectionately.

'Carlisle, I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I don't want you fighting with you family because of me, really I'm fine.'

Naturally, he wasn't' having any of it so he sent her to sit in the living room under the supervision of Alice, Edward and Jazz while he took care of the mess that Rosalie had left behind. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Bella finally gathered the courage to ask Alice the question that had been bothering her for most of the night.

'What you saw earlier, at the party. It was this, wasn't it?'

With a playful glint in her eye, Alice chose not to answer for fear of upsetting Carlisle. Instead she winked and thought deliberately,

'I'll tell you everything tomorrow, but for now you just need to look after Carlisle. He won't rest until he is certain that you're okay, so try to look happy, alright?' Bella nodded silently and Edward chuckled audibly at their exchange.

This who hearing voices thing might be completely messed up, but Edward and I are definitely going to have some fun with this, she thought, grateful that nobody else in the room could hear.