Disclaimer: Twilight Saga doesn't belong to me, but this version of VampWard is all mine. ;)

A/N: All your reviews for the last chapter have made me smile like crazy. I would like to thank every one of you, who has reviewed, favorited, put on alert or simply... read RoALS. You guys make it worth my time to put my crazy thoughts in writing. Thank you.

A special shout-out and a big squishy hug to my very own granma, DataByteDL-FangirlinGranma for being my personal cheerleader. I love you, Granma. xo

Ready for the next chapter? Read on!

Chapter-6: Just Another Beginning

EPOV

Standing under the shower-head, I felt the hot water cascade down my back, and my mind went to thoughts of her … again.

Fucking hell!

It was like the feeling of her touch on my hand had seeped in through my skin and was now etched into my bones. That's the only reason why the hot shower would remind me of her touch, right?

Yeah, right, I snorted to myself. That sounded corny even to me.

This has nothing to do with this girl, I tried to tell myself. She is a stranger you met in the middle of the road, you idiot. You're just having sort of a delusion because you missed your dinner last night.

I didn't know if being a delusional vampire was possible, but to me, it sounded better than being a mated one—mated with a human no less.

I leaned my head against the cold tile wall of the shower and hoped like hell that I was right. It had to be the bloodlust talking.

~*~*~*RoALS*~*~*~

"Edward? Honey, are you feeling alright?" Esme's worried voice greeted me when I walked into the living room where Carlisle was waiting for me.

I nodded in answer, not really feeling up to talking at the moment.

Esme frowned at me. "You look … distressed."

I wanted to snort at her and say that her dear husband was the one who was making me distressed, but instead, I held my tongue. I knew her concerns for me were motherly, and smart-mouthing her wasn't something I thought she deserved.

So, plastering a small smile on my face, I replied, "I'm fine, Esme. It's not like a vampire can get sick, right?" I chuckled at my dry attempt at humor. "Otherwise I might have been feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of scrubbing hospital bedpans."

She smiled at me, apparently satisfied to see my wit intact. "Oh no, Carlisle won't make you do that. Will you, dear?" she addressed her last question to Carlisle.

He shook his head at me, a small smile playing on his lips. "Son, you know I won't make you do something like that. You are a fully-qualified doctor. So you will be sharing a space in my office and helping me with diagnoses and maybe transcribing a few prescriptions?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and asked, "So I really won't have to walk amongst the sick, bleeding and puking humans and act like I'm the male version of Florence Nightingale, or something like that?"

He chuckled at my question and said, "No, you won't have to do that. One, because I really don't think you'll cut as admirable a figure as Miss Nightingale if you walk around the sick patients with a lamp in your hands; and two, because I know it's against your baser instincts to be so close to human blood and not … uhh." He stopped, thinking for a moment.

"Take a swig?" I offered helpfully.

Esme laughed hearing me and turned to face her husband. "I'm sure he will be a good boy, dear," she said softly. "We've raised a good man."

Her words made me look away, not really appreciating the feeling of guilt making its way to my gut. "I'll … uh … I'll go get my car," I told no one in particular and hurried out of the door.

Just before stepping out of the room, I heard Carlisle sigh as he said to Esme, "I hope so."

Not on your life, Daddy dearest, I thought darkly as I closed the front door behind me.

~*~*~*RoALS*~*~*~

An hour into my first day at Forks' Community Hospital and I found myself ready to gouge my eyes out just so I could get out of there.

All the smells of blood, antiseptic and what-not assault my senses. Plus, the inner ramblings of humans? Don't even get me started on those. Everyone who's breathing seemed to be in pain or thinking of pain or worrying that their loved ones could be in pain.

I was the unfortunate asshole who had to listen to them whine and groan about the shit-storm fate has thrown them into.

"What do you think?" Carlisle's voice brought me out of my pity party, and I raised my eyes to see what he was talking about.

An x-ray plate.

I looked closely at the plate and then stated the obvious. "It's a broken wrist, Carlisle. The kid might have slipped while playing and broken his wrist."

"Hmm …" he looked at the thing thoughtfully before saying, "I think you're right."

His observation made me scoff. No matter how much I hated Carlisle Cullen, he was a great doctor—even I couldn't deny the fact. So why does he need me here?

I didn't realize that I had spoken the words out loud before he turned to look at me—a frown forming in between his eyes. "What?"

For just a fraction of a second, I considered shrugging it off and not telling him what I was thinking, but then I thought, what the hell, it's not like I'm afraid of what he thinks!

So I straightened my shoulders and decided to call him out on his bullshit. "Why am I here, Carlisle?"

"I already told you, son, I need you to help me out …"

I cut him off with a wave of my hand. "No, you don't. You're a vampire, Carlisle. So it's not like you're gonna get tired of brown-nosing your human patients and will need me to step in while you take a break."

His eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words didn't come out. He closed it and stayed quiet for a few moments. Then he sighed. "You're right. I didn't bring you here for me; I brought you here for you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Now it was my turn to feel confused.

He sat down on his chair and closed his eyes, as if preparing himself to relive a bitter memory. When he finally started to talk, his voice was raspy and with a detectable note of sadness in it. "Edward, son, I know you think your soul was damned when you were turned."

I don't think so, I know so, I thought bitterly. You are the one who damned my soul.

As if he could hear my accusation, he looked up at me. "Your mother and I believe you've come very far from the troubled teen who had jumped from the window that night almost a century ago," he said. "You just need to feel a little compassion."

"Compassion?" I asked, feeling my eyebrow raise in sarcasm. "Are you kidding me? You've brought me here to make me feel compassionate? Toward humans?"

I was seriously starting to question his sanity when he answered me with a shake of his head. "You don't get it yet. As an immortal, when you'll see humans succumb to death, you'll feel their pain and you'll feel compassionate to help them."

"As compassionate as you did when you turned me into a vampire?" The words came out of my mouth sounding like an accusation—exactly how I meant it.

He closed his eyes again. Son, I know you hold me responsible for this, he thought to me. And while I'll confess to feeling selfish for turning you just to have someone to talk to, I will never regret saving you.

I simply stood there, not wanting to go into that argument again. Finally, I asked, "Now that I know why I'm here, can I leave?"

He opened his eyes to look at me. "You don't feel like you can help people by being here? Saving lives can feel rewarding …"

"No," I cut him off. "It doesn't feel rewarding to me."

My clipped answer made him purse his lips and then he nodded. "Very well then. Give me one week."

"One week for what?"

"For changing the way you feel right now," he replied slowly.

I scoffed inwardly at his simple-mindedness. If I didn't change in a century, I sure as hell am not gonna change in a week, old man.

"Fine, a week. That's all you get."

He held his hand to me to shake. "It's a deal then."

BPOV

The sound of Bon Jovi crooning somewhere from my left woke me up. With my eyes firmly closed against the morning light, I reached over and felt around for my cell phone.

Gotcha!

"Hello?" I answered with my just-woke-up-but-still-too-sleepy raspy voice as I tried to open my eyes.

"Sweetheart, did I wake you up?"

The voice made my eyes open with a snap and I struggled to sit up on my bed. "Father? No, I mean … yes, you did, but it's okay," I was stuttering to get the words out while trying to stop my emotions from overpowering me. I missed this man so much.

He laughed softly in my ear. "Angela said you called her yesterday."

I felt guilt wash through me for not calling him and mumbled, "Yeah … I was gonna call you today …"

"It's all right, sweetheart. I know you love Angie like your own sister, and as long as I know you're doing good, I'm okay."

"Thank you, Father," I whispered. "It means a lot to me."

"Isabella, my dear, please know that despite you not being my biological child, I love you just as much as I love my Angie," his voice sounded deeper with emotions. "I pray for you everyday. The home isn't the same without you here."

His words made my eyes sting with tears and I suppressed a sniffle as I responded. "I love you and Angie too, Father. Please tell everyone that I miss them."

"I will, my dear." After a short pause, he said, "I should let you go, sweetheart. You'll want to start your first day with a smile on your face."

Hearing him say the words he used to say to all of us when we were mere kids, did put a smile on my face. "Bye, Father."

He murmured a goodbye before hanging up and leaving me smiling at my hands. Maybe today will be a good one.

~*~*~*RoALS*~*~*~

Half an hour after the phone call, I wasn't feeling too optimistic about the day anymore. I had found out that the water-heater in the bathroom needed to be repaired, and I was too much of a coward to venture upstairs even in the morning light.

Still slightly shivering from my cold shower in the morning, I sat on my bed looking down at my array of breakfast selections:

A Hershey's bar.

A Kellogg's Strawberry Granola Bar.

A Kellogg's Blueberry Granola Bar.

My personal version of a Breakfast of Champions.

I was just leaning toward the Blueberry Bar when there was a knock on my front door. Leaving my breakfast on the bed, I walked to the door.

"Who is it?"

My question was answered by a cheery sounding Rachel Black. "Good morning, bestie."

I cursed my luck and pasting a polite smile on my face, opened the door. "Hey, Rachel …"

Before I could even wish her a good morning, I was pulled into a smothering hug by my self-proclaimed bestie.

"Oh for God's sake! Let the girl breathe, you crazy whacko!" A voice said from somewhere behind Rachel, and I looked up to find a girl near-about my age standing there.

She wasn't overly beautiful, but her black hair and almost black eyes made her look pretty. There wasn't any over-the-top enthusiasm on her face as she looked at me, but an understanding in her eyes made me feel like she was a good person.

Rachel let go of me to turn to face the new girl and said in an exasperated voice, "Lee, if you're gonna act like a sour-puss I don't know why I bothered to bring you with me."

The girl scowled at Rachel and said back, "First, don't call me Lee, Rachel. And second, you didn't have to bring me."

They both looked like they might go for a hair-pulling wrestling match, so I intervened. "Hi, I'm Isabella," I said brightly to the other girl, holding my hand out to her.

"Figured," she muttered, eyes still trained on Rachel. "I'm Leah, by the way. Leah Clearwater," she added, turning her eyes to me.

"She's my cousin," Rachel interjected.

Leah rolled her eyes heavenward. "It's such an honor to be so," she muttered, making me let out a small laugh.

The corners of her mouth quirked upwards as she heard me laugh.

"Oh shush! We're here to take you to breakfast, Isabella," Rachel said, pushing Leah to the side and sliding in between the two of us. "Then we'll give you a short tour of the town, yeah?"

"Oh! Thank you. That sounds like a plan," I told her with a smile. Maybe I was wrong to judge her so fast.

~*~*~*RoALS*~*~*~

"You're so lucky you don't have to go to high school here," Rachel told me as we made our way back to the house.

I looked at her in surprise. "You're still in high school?"

She shook her head, laughing. "Oh God, no! I graduated a few years back. I was just saying, Forks' High isn't a place for the soft hearted, you know?"

"Why?"

It was Leah who answered me. "It's filled with skanks who steal your boyfriend, and fucking assholes who don't know how to keep it in their pants," she said with a scowl on her face.

"Wha …?"

Rachel stopped me with a hand on my arm. "It's just full of high school drama, you know?"

I had a feeling that she was trying to tell me to drop it, and judging by Leah's still scowling face, I decided that it was the best course of action … for now.

"Hmm …" I nodded noncommittally. "So can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure."

"Do you know where I can find some work around here?"

Rachel's eyebrows rose as she considered my question. "I thought Charlie and Reneé left you an inheritance?" Her words sounded like a question.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "That's what Jenks said, but I don't like living off any inheritance they might or might not have left me. I'm just looking for something temporary until I decide where I want to go to college, you know?"

Rachel stared at me for a moment and then started to say slowly, "I guess you can pick up a few shifts in the diner …"

But Leah cut her off. "Do you like books?"

Her question threw me off. "Of course. I love reading. Why do you ask?"

She smiled a little. "There's a bookstore nearby. The lady who owns it is my mom's friend. I think she might hire you."

"Really? That's great!" I told her, finally feeling hopeful of my day. "Thanks a lot, Leah."

She shrugged and nudged my shoulder with hers. "I'll take you to the bookstore tomorrow if you want?"

"Yes, please."

Rachel gave me a slightly less-smothering hug before handing me the groceries she was kind enough to carry for me on our way back from the supermarket.

Wishing them good night, I walked inside my empty house, feeling better about my stay in the Town of Forks.

A/N: So … thoughts?

Share them with me and leave a review!

I have bad news, guys. I have an exam in the upcoming week which means sadly, there will be no updates on next Friday.

However, you might get a little present from me on the 15th … that is if you read Over The Counter. ;)

And also, my MaytoDecemberRomance Contest piece is now posted on my profile. It's titled Effortless. Give it a try and let me know what you think?

Song rec for this chapter: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World.

Thanks for reading.

Until next time.

Take care.

Ann