A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy reading. :)

Chapter-18: Doubting Minds

BPOV

I sat still for a long time after Edward left my place that night, going over everything he told me about who he used to be and who he was. And even when I finally got around to actually going to bed, sleep evaded me.

I tossed and turned until it felt like I was trying a win a losing battle with my mind which seemed to be too occupied with all things Edward to settle down for a good night's sleep.

After a while, I sat up, leaning my back against the headboard of my bed as I decided to take a closer look at my thoughts.

The first thing that bothered me about what Edward had done was the ease with which he seemed to have lied to me … again and again. A small part of me wondered that if I was to have any sort of relationship with him then how I would be able to trust him after all those times he had blatantly lied to me.

And then there was the issue of his diet. He said that he preyed on humans … humans like me. In fact, he had confessed that he was planning to kill me the night we met. That made him a murderer.

That's what kept playing in a loop on my mind. Although I didn't have a family while growing up, but Angela's father had given us a sheltered life—as much sheltered as we could be living in a group home. And going from that sheltered life to dating a murderous vampire? Yeah, I was a little bit hesitant.

Finally, there was the little problem with me being exactly what might make him thirsty … a human. I knew that he had promised me again and again that he wasn't going to hurt me … that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that. But in the back of my mind, a question still lingered … what if?

But if I was being honest to myself, the thing that scared me the most about him was the intensity of what I already felt for him and what I could see in his eyes as they looked into mine. It isn't natural to feel this strongly about someone in such a short period of time, is it?

I laughed at my thoughts. Here I was, trying to figure out if my feelings for a boy were natural while the boy in question was a supernatural being. Talk about irony!

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

When I couldn't figure out my own thoughts, I decided that I needed help from someone I trusted to get me out of any kind of glitch I might hit like he had done all my life.

Without even looking at the time, I picked up my cell phone and before I could chicken out, I was dialing his number.

He picked up on the second ring, his voice alert and loving at the same time—as always. "Isabella? Are you okay, my child?"

The sound of his voice instantly made me feel homesick for the people I had left behind in search of myself. "How are you, Father?" I asked back, hoping that he wouldn't detect the sadness in my voice.

"Oh dear child!" he said softly. "How can I be anything but well with God looking after me? Tell me about yourself though. What's troubling you?"

"Troubling me?" I tried to wave off another bout of sadness as his words reminded me of the Sunday prayers he conducted at the home. "Can't I call you without any trouble following me?"

He laughed at my teasing question. "Of course you can. You're my good child, aren't you?"

A smile made its way to my lips and I said, "Yeah. I'm sure Angela would have a laugh out of that."

He made a pfft sound. "She knows it herself and she's proud of being the bad egg … so to speak."

"She's not though …" I started, ready to defend my best friend.

"I know she isn't, sweetheart, and I love you both equally. So please tell me what's gotten to you like this?"

How does he know …?

Apparently, Father Webber could guess where my mind would end up because he added before I could try to shrug that notion off. "Isabella, I might not be your birth parent, but I was the one who saw you grow up with each passing day. I could tell that you're stressed the moment I heard your voice, and I noticed the time. It must be after midnight in Washington?"

"It's just after 1 a.m.," I mumble, suddenly feeling ashamed for thinking of lying to him.

"Exactly," he replied. "And you're awake at this hour when I know that you have to go to work in the morning." I opened my mouth, but he continued. "Angela told me about it. Congratulations on the job, honey."

"Thanks," I said and then sighed. "Father, I need you to guide me like you've done numerous times in my life."

There was a whispered promise of "Always" from the other side of the line before silence fell between us, and I knew that I had his full focus.

I tried to think of what to say for a heartbeat before deciding to just let the words out of me. "I know that lying is a sin, Father, and that someone who commits that sin isn't one to be trusted. You taught me that."

"No, Isabella, I taught you to be on your guard against those who lie, but I never said anything about not giving them a chance of winning your trust back."

I frowned. "So I should give him a second chance?"

He answered slowly, "If you think that the person deserve a second chance, and if they show remorse for their actions then perhaps you can consider it. But always remember that your trust is something very precious. Whoever it is, they'll have to earn it back. All you can do is to offer them the chance of doing so. Have they given you a reason for their actions?"

Yeah, a supernatural one, I thought to myself before responding to him. "Yes, but it's so … different from what I had expected to hear that I don't know whether he's lying again or not."

"Honey, when humans lie, they tend to stick as much close to the truth as possible. So if what he's told you seems too farfetched, it can either mean that he's telling the truth this time or that he's a very bad liar."

I looked down at my bandaged hand and then murmured, "I think he might be telling the truth this time, Father."

"Then he deserves a second chance," he said before chuckling. "So it's a he, is it? Do you want me to fly out there and give the boy a scary-father-of-the-girl talk?"

His words made me laugh and when he spoke again, I could hear the laughter in his voice as well. "There's my happy little girl."

I smiled at his endearing words. "Thank you, Father, for always being there for me."

"Of course, sweetheart. You know you're no different to me than my Angela. It's quite late in there. Sleep now, Isabella. I'll talk to you later."

With our goodbyes said, I dropped the phone next to me and settled in for the night. This time, sleep didn't hesitate to come to me.

EPOV

"You know if you tug on your hair any harder, you might actually be able to make yourself bald. And no matter how much I love you, I'm not going shopping for wigs to hide your bald patches."

I stopped my pacing and whirled around to find Esme standing just beyond my door with an amused smile on her face.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I brought my hand away from my head. "I'm just …"

"In love," she finishes for me, and my eyes immediately snap to hers.

I felt my eyebrows pull up as I started to shake my head. "I've got no idea what you're talking about."

She walked fully inside the room then and strolled right up to face me. The fact that the top of her head barely reached my shoulders didn't bother her just a little bit as she waggled a finger in front of my face. "Edward Anthony Masen, don't lie to me, young man. I may not be able to read your mind, but I can read your face."

I couldn't help it anymore and grinned at her then. "You do remember that in vampire years, I'm older than you, don't you?"

"Smartass," she said, giving my ear a tug the way only a mother would. "I do happen to have a perfect memory, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm your mom. I know you."

Hearing her words, the snarkiness left me as I nodded slowly. "I'm not in love though. Love is for pansies, like Emmett or Jasper."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I love all of my family. So does that make me a mega-pansy then?"

"No …" I stopped talking, figuring that no matter what I said, I'd probably dig myself dipper into the ground.

Good boy, she thought to me. She walked toward the couch at the corner of my room and took a seat before patting the spot next to her.

Begrudgingly, I obliged.

She smiled at me and asked, "Now tell me, what has you trying to tear a hole in the floor at this hour?"

I tried to think of a way to say something offhand, but in the end, groaned and blurted out, "Why do humans sleep for so long?"

Her smile morphed into laughter. "Humans or just one particular human?"

I shrugged because if I was being honest to myself, it was just one human for me, but damn it! I didn't like being honest about this.

She reached over and took my hand in hers. "Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you tell me what's bothering you? You're like my own son, honey, and I want to help you. Please let me?" Her eyes pleaded with me to open up and finally, I decided to do just that. Maybe just maybe having a pseudo-mother wasn't a bad thing?

So I spilled my guts and told her everything about how I had tried to break it off with Bella and how I had gone right back to her crawling on my knees and begging for her to take me back. Of course I didn't divulge the little bits about the venomous bitch I had to kill to protect my Bella, but I did tell her that my frustration had made me almost kill a human that day … almost.

She gasped and tightened her hand around mine, but didn't interrupt until I stopped talking. Then she asked in a shaky voice, "Is the girl—the one you attacked—alive?"

"She was the last time I saw her," I replied.

She let out a sigh of relief, her eyes moving heavenwards probably in a silent prayer of thanks.

Oh mom! Only if you knew about the others!

"Have you heard from Isabella yet?" Her question made me stop my train of thoughts, and I shook my head.

The frustration creeped back in. "No, she said that she needed to think and that was it. She's still sleeping, I think."

"Then give her time, Edward," she said softly. When I opened my mouth to protest, she silenced me with a raised hand. "We're immortals. All you have in your hands is time … a lot of it. So give her some. If that brings your mate to you then that's the best use of your time right there."

In a quiet voice, I asked, "How do you know that she's my mate? She might just be a human girl …" Even as the words left my lips, I knew I was lying, and apparently, so did Esme.

"I know that she's your mate because her presence in your life is changing you. You've been acting a little different in the last couple of days," she said, giving me a soft smile. "She makes you want to be a better person, Edward. I can see it in your eyes. I could hear it in your voice when you talked about attacking that human girl."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Her answer was one I never expected to hear. "We, vampires, are constant, honey. We don't change … unless it changes forever. That type of change can only be brought on by our soulmates … the one person who we love more than anything in the world. And believe me or not, I can see those changes in you. She's your soulmate."

Soulmate of a soulless monster? I thought dryly. How poetic!

Esme put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Give her the time she needs and then go back to her when she calls for you because believe me, she will call you if she feels this bond between you two."

Without another word, she stood up.

"Thanks, mom," I said to her. She smiled and nodded before taking her leave, leaving me calmer than I was before.

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

The phone call came while I was helping Carlisle re-bandage Timmy's arm—he had come for a follow-up check up.

In all my existence, I'd never been so anxious to take a call as I felt when the sound of my ringing phone filled the exam room. I opened my mouth to ask Carlisle to take over, but by some miracle, the asshole actually understood before I could even get a word out.

Take the call, Son. I'll wrap this up, he thought to me as he pushed me away from the patient's bed and took over. I simply gave him a quick nod before stepping out into the hallway outside his exam room.

Seeing her name on the caller id sent all the worries from the previous night rush back in, and I quickly answered the call. "Bella?"

"Hey," her soft voice responded from the other side. "Are you busy?"

"No. I can talk if you want to."

She was silent for a moment before saying, "Can you meet me for lunch? I know you won't eat, but we need to talk."

There it was—the famous line from all breakup stories in those ridiculous trashy romance novels Alice reads to Jasper … out loud, I might add.

"Sure," I answered slowly. "I'll meet you in five minutes."

Ending the call, I put the cell phone back inside my pocket and started making my way to her, hoping against hope that she wouldn't say no to me.

Maybe Esme was right about that thing as well? The word that starts with an L? Who knows?

A/N: What's she going to say? We'll find out next week. ;)

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ICYMI, RoALS has been nominated for All-Time favorite Twilight Fanfic, Favorite Otherworld Fanfic, Favorite Romance Fanfic, Favorite Undiscovered Fanfic, and Favorite Work-in-progress Fanfic in the Fanatic Fanfics Awards along with a few other ones for Over The Counter, The Perfect Light and a couple of my one-shots. Thank you to whoever nominated me. Your love for my crazy stuff makes me sappy-happy. You can check out all the nominations by following the link below:

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Song rec for this chapter: Second Chances by Imagine Dragons

Take care.

Ann