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Sinking Questions

It turned out that Carlisle was traveling with a companion. Her name was Marianne. Don't worry it was nothing like that. Carlisle would have had to have a special surgery in Switzerland to appease her.

Marianne was a "vegetarian" as well and as a matter of sheer and utterly unbelievable coincidence, we wore the same dress size.

Marianne dressed me up in a gorgeous red dress, which took forever to put on, I might add. These dresses were amazing but boy, they were a pain to get into. I mean, you have to put on the slip, the corset, the slip that goes over the corset, and of course, the dress itself. Not to mention that my hair and the jewelry took just as long. Marianne was having a ball getting me all dolled up. I swear, She was almost worse than Alice was about prom, and this was just a normal, everyday dinner for them.

We walked down the hall to the dining room and I noticed how different people were in this time. When we walked by the people in the hall they would tip their hats or smile and nod. Most people these days- well, in the future- would just ignore you and bump into you without a word. It was so weird to me; all of these people have manners in this time.

Diner was fabulous, I must say. And Carlisle and Marianne's room was like a luxury apartment. There were two bedrooms, each having their own private bathroom, a living room, and a "sitting room." I slept in what was supposed to be Marianne's bedroom. That didn't bother Marianne. She didn't sleep, of course.

Marianne was very bold for this time. She always said what she thought. Which for 1912 was absurd. Women were not supposed to voice their opinions. The very idea was preposterous. A lady was only to speak when spoken to, and when they did speak it was barely above a whisper. I had to strain to her some of the conversation at dinner. But Marianne could always be heard, whether you wanted to or not. She didn't care as much as Carlisle about keeping a low profile. She said and did whatever she pleased. I think Carlisle was only traveling with her so he wouldn't be lonely. Honestly, I thought she would fit in perfectly in the future, and I told her so.

"Oh, merci beaucoup, Bella. You are too kind," Marianne purred. She was from Bordeaux. She had been changed in 1752, when she was twenty-one. Marianne had been introduced to Carlisle in 1879 by his vegetarian-vampire-doctor friends in Italy. He had gone back to Europe for a reunion sort of thing. He hadn't seen her in years until they met in Southampton again. She wanted to see America and Carlisle was planning to go back soon. So, hey, why not share the price, and travel with a friend. And here they sat.

Carlisle had told Marianne all about me after he brought me back to their room. At first she had thought Carlisle had gone off the deep end and had other plans for me. My mouth dropped open at that. Had she ever met Carlisle? He was a doctor for crying out loud! Oi. So anyway she knows that I am from the future (not dreaming) and that I know that they are vampires (the good kind).

So far the had asked med a countless amount of questions about the future. We had covered airplanes, modern art (which was an idea they didn't like), World War II, air conditioning, CDs, movies, and so much more. By the time we had gotten to solar energy I was exhausted.

"Yes, go to bed Bella. You need sleep," Carlisle said standing to walk me to my room.

"Goodnight, Bella," Marianne called.

"Goodnight."

A few hours after Bella had gone to bed Carlisle and Marianne were trying to figure Bella out.

"Are you positive we can trust her, Carlisle?" Marianne asked.

"I think we have to. She knows what we are. It's also obvious that she has spent time with other vampires. She is so calm around us."

"You. She was calmer around you, Carlisle."

"Remember, Marianne, she said she knew me. She also seemed startled to see you. Maybe she wasn't expecting someone else to be here," Carlisle remarked.

"Maybe you have a wife in the future. Maybe that is why she was so surprised to see you with me," Marianne suggested.

Carlisle could have sworn his dead heart had pounded at the thought. A wife, someone he could love. Bella, this strange girl, had told him he would have a son. There was so much hope so many possibilities. He prayed that she was telling the truth. Well, he would find out tomorrow night, wouldn't he? According to Bella, Titanic was going to hit an iceberg, sink, and thousands of people were going to die. What a price to pay for the truth.

I woke up early, around seven or so. I was almost glad to wake up. I had had the most wonderful dream about Edward. It only made me miss him even more. I dreamt that we were back in Forks, that I was waking up to him lying next to me in my bed and every thing was normal- for us, at least. I had made breakfast and we were going to the meadow. It was a glorious day. It ended though, as all dreams do.

I woke up to the sunlight coming through my window. About two seconds after I had gotten out of bed, Marianne came in to help me dress and to do something with my hair. She dressed me in this lacy ivory number that flattered me in all the right places.

Carlisle ordered breakfast for me to eat in the sitting room. Apparently we still had quite a bit to discuss. Marianne still had a million questions for me about the future, all Carlisle wanted to know about was his family.

"How old is Edward when I change him?"

"He was seventeen, in 1918, Chicago," I replied.

"And I just choose him?" Carlisle asked, the perfect picture of puzzlement.

"Well, yes, I guess, but he was dieing of Spanish Influenza. His parents had already died from the disease. He was alone," I looked up at him. "Except for you."

He seemed to think about that for a moment, and then asked, "Are there others in my family?" There was so much hope in his voice. I was happy to tell him that his hopes would come true.

"Yes, there's Esme, your wife. Alice and Rosalie are your daughters. And Emmett, Jasper and Edward are your sons." Boy, did he look like a kid at Christmas, or what? His smile was made of such pure joy that I couldn't help but smile back.

"I have five sons and daughters and a wife?" He stopped and his brow furrowed. "Wait, if you are courting Edward, why haven't you been turned? Is he waiting for the wedding?"

I took a deep breath and more that likely blushed. "Edward wants to keep me as long as possible."

"Why on earth would he want that?" Marianne had said that.

"He doesn't want to rob me of my humanity."

"He would have to be crazy not to turn you. À la folie."

"Marianne," Carlisle held up his hand as a sign to stop, then turned to me, "Bella, I see that Edward want to keep you safe for the time being, but the two of you couldn't really be together. You would be in constant danger. You do know that if he held you too tight that he could crush you, don't you?" I nodded, I knew that all too well. "Bella, do you want to become a vampire?"

French Translations:

À la folie - tecnically means "of the crazy," usually used for terms like "crazy in love"

merci beaucoup(mare-see bo-coo) - thank you very much