'Will you stay with me tonight?' Carlisle looked entirely innocent as he requested Bella's company. Aware how it sounded, he elaborated quickly, 'I'm not asking anything of you, not at all. It's just that after what happened with Rosalie tonight, I'm not ready to let you out of my sight just yet.' He drew her against him and kissed her gently on the cheek, his cold touch cooling her feverish skin.
Admittedly the attractive, though malicious vampire's comments had hurt, both the ones she had thought and later those she vocalised, but Bella was less concerned now that she had witnessed first-hand the lengths the doctor would go to in order to ensure her wellbeing. Not wanting to leave him either, she quickly nodded before explaining that she hadn't brought any of her things. Naturally already Alice had 'seen' this and jumped out of her chair to go and share her designer wardrobe but Bella was able to call out to her before she got too engrossed in her mission.
'I don't need any of your stuff thanks; I'll just borrow one of Carlisle's shirts.' The pixie sighed dramatically and returned to the kitchen, where her father was preparing an omelette for Bella, insisting that she eat before even thinking about going to bed. He was a picture of perfection as he navigated the kitchen effortlessly, with his crisp white sleeves rolled above the elbow and his collar undone. It was hard to believe in that instant that he was anything other than entirely human.
'Bella,' she huffed, clearly put out, 'please don't tell me you're going to ruin all my fun now that you're inside my head.' Carlisle chuckled heartily at her obvious pout and Bella answered before the situation developed into a full blown tantrum.
'Alice, I don't need any extra abilities to know when you are going to take the time to dress me up in all your clothes. I really do appreciate the offer, but I'm going to eat my food and hit the sack, it's been a tiring day.' Alice was glad that Bella hadn't called time on their dressing up sessions, but she was still upset at the missed opportunity. Aware that she was still flirting with disaster, Bella continued to appease her. 'Tell you what, I'm off this weekend, why don't we go into Port Angeles and I'll try on anything you want?'
The vampire lit up as though Bella had just promised her the world. Unaware of Alice's previous sufferings and the lonely start to her supernatural life, she didn't realise that she had. For all her bouncy hyperactivity, it was difficult to comprehend that Alice was a young woman in search of her own identity. She found it difficult to fit in because she had to maintain a certain level of distance between herself and anybody she associated with in order to prevent their secret from being revealed, and this was something she resented because it meant she was forced to live an isolated existence, save her own family. Alice dearly loved all of the Cullens, but being able to spend time with Bella meant more to her than she would ever say.
'Okay, I guess it could wait until Saturday. But Carlisle can't come; I don't want him to see you until I'm finished!' Alice ran up to her room, Jasper in tow, so that she could plan their day together, one that would be uninterrupted by family disputes and superpowers.
'Come on then, it's bedtime for you.' Carlisle whispered as he pulled Bella's fringe out of her eyes and lifted her head slightly as it fell onto her chest. Her eyes drooped and she groaned as she fought consciousness, wanting nothing more than to remain in her comfy chair undisturbed. When he realised that she wasn't prepared to budge, Carlisle picked her up effortlessly and carried her up to his room, laying her on his bed as though she were breakable. Fully clothed, he rested her head on his thick pillows and tucked her in so she would be warm enough next to his icy body. Bella looked completely peaceful and the doctor smiled to himself as he was immersed the serene surroundings before leaving the room so he could collect a glass of water should she wake in the night.
Bella clearly noticed his absence, despite her fatigue, because she called out as he closed the door behind him. Setting the glass on the table with incomprehensible speed and precision, he peeled back the heavy duvet and curled up alongside her so that she could return to her sleep uninterrupted, gazing at her in appreciative adoration the entire time.
No matter how many samples he took, Carlisle just couldn't figure out how Bella had suddenly acquired the ability to hear other people's thoughts. He was annoyed with his own lack of understanding; meanwhile she and Edward were having a brilliant time now that they each had the other to share their talent with.
First he taught her how to tune out the voices that she didn't want to hear so she wasn't overwhelmed by the nonsense that she had been forced to endure for the first few days. She practised all of the time and as the Cullens were so used to Edward's constant accidental invasion of their privacy, none of them seemed to mind that Bella too knew what was going on in their heads.
Carlisle in particular was especially good at hiding thoughts that he did not want either Bella or Edward to hear. He simply put up a barrier that, despite all their playful attempts, neither of them could break, so effectively they weren't able to 'hear' anything that he didn't want them to. Bella was secretly glad about this because she wanted the doctor to be able to confide in her because he wanted to and not because he felt she would find out anyway.
Next they planned to work on Bella opening up a little so that she could direct thoughts towards Edward, rather than all of their conversations being one way. This was a little too difficult for a novice though, so they practised what she could do until she had developed the ability enough to move forward. She still particularly struggled to determine what others were thinking compared to what they didn't verbalise, so they spent the majority of their time working on improving that before Bella went outside and found herself in an unexplainable social situation.
Bella was tormented as she returned home at the end of her shift in the early hours of Friday morning. It had been a difficult night and she was completely exhausted, yet the horror of what she had encountered meant that she would be unable to close her eyes and feel safe for some time.
She screamed when she turned on her living room light and saw the figure crouched in the window frame.
'I thought I told you not to do that!' She exclaimed breathlessly when she recognised Carlisle, 'you almost gave me a heart attack.' He drew her into a strong embrace and inhaled her scent deeply, satisfied that she was safe.
'Sorry,' he uttered into her hair, 'I should have used the front door but Alice saw that you needed me and I, well I couldn't help myself. Are you okay?' He gracefully jumped through the open window and landed silently on the thick carpet. Although she couldn't hear what he was thinking, she did get the general impression that he was worried about her and the discomfort was evident in the way he reached for her possessively, unsure whether he was prepared to allow any distance between them.
Bella eventually pulled away and sat on the sofa next to him, resting her head on his chest. She was comforted by the rhythmic movements of his breathing, knowing he performed the unnecessary action out of habit rather than any real requirement.
'No,' she answered finally, resting her hand on his stomach, 'I don't think I am okay. I'm not okay at all.'
It took several attempts, but eventually Carlisle managed to coax from her the reason for her unhappiness.
'I heard them, Carlisle. Every time I went out to a job tonight I could hear what the animals were thinking, the hatred, the lack of remorse, the anger. It's enough to make you crazy. I know what these people have done and I have absolutely no way of proving it, I tried to tune them out but their thoughts were just so powerful, it was like I didn't have a choice but to listen to them and I can't bear it. People are going to start asking questions if I intercept these people before they go and fulfil whatever it is they have planned but I can't just sit back and let it happen. I don't know what to do, doing nothing isn't an option, that's for sure, but it's tearing me up not knowing where to go from here.'
A single tear spilled from her wide, innocent eyes as she searched him for answers, and he caught it, closing his fingers around the isolated drop. For a short while they were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts, until Carlisle finally broke the silence. He pulled her onto his lap and held both of her small hands in his larger ones, wanting as much physical contact as was reasonably possible. Bella had never felt as safe and secure as she did in that single moment and her heart ached as she realised the extent of her feelings for the man beneath her. She longed to be able to tell him, but she simply couldn't find the words so she leant into him, willing him to understand.
'I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through, but Edward had similar difficulties after he was turned. For a while he even took the law into his own hands and sought to punish the murderers and rapists that plagued the city. But it turned him into something that he wasn't prepared to be. He drained people before they could commit the horrific crimes they had planned but in doing so he became the one thing he feared and despised the most; he was one of them.'
Bella listened to Edward's story with rapt attention. She had no idea that he had experienced so much pain.
'Maybe I should talk to him?' She finally suggested. Carlisle made a small, agreeable sound that reverberated through his chest and the movement made Bella smile.
'I know it's hard to believe right now, but for all the bad you hear, for all the horror, there is more in this world that is worth holding on to. You just have to learn to look for it in the right places.' Bella kissed Carlisle appreciatively, thankful for his wisdom. With a small grin that finally reached her eyes she whispered,
'I think I learned where to look already,' and with that, he whisked her off to her room.