A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story GENTLE TOUCHES is the very same as author ANIMAL8. As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that ANIMAL8 had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to ANIMAL8 page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as ANIMAL8 and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of GENTLE TOUCHES.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

Gentle Touches

Chapter 7 – Working Things Out (EPOV)

I left her alone until the next morning. She had taken a few hours, lying quietly on the bed, before she finally fell asleep, to the relief of everyone. Jasper was becoming anxious because he could feel all of her pain, fear and misery spread throughout the house. The only way he could avoid it was to leave, which he was doing today for some much needed hunting.

I was relieved that he was and I was sure he knew it despite my attempts not to reveal my feelings. He was my brother, but I knew he was the weakest one out of us and I didn't want to risk anything happening to this angel. All it would take was one slip and disaster would ensue.

Rosalie was also going with Jasper. She was still having a hard time accepting that the girl was staying here, even though she had already decided not to object. I tried not to be angry with her, knowing that it would take some getting used to for all of us, but it was hard, especially when I had to listen to her thoughts.

She was upset that we had to change our routines to try and keep this girl calm and settled and not upset her with anything. In my opinion, there wasn't really much to change but that was because I was the only one really taking the time to spend with this angel.

And Alice, of course, but then she had volunteered as well, already viewing this girl as her sister. My father was concerned for my angel, but he was naturally compassionate and he lived to help others, so he also wasn't troubled by taking on the care of this girl.

Overall, Rosalie was the only one who still had any real problem with it. Jasper was still wary, but he agreed that she needed help and it was what Alice wanted and he could never deny her anything she wanted.

I sighed. At least most of my family were okay with this arrangement, though only Alice seemed to really understand the strange bond I felt to the girl. None of us had talked about it, certainly not me, but I could hear from their minds that they saw the way I behaved, the interest I had taken. They all thought about how I had never taken such interest in a human before.

They were all wondering what was going on with me and I honestly couldn't answer them because I didn't have a clue myself. All I knew was that I felt a strong urge, a need, to protect her and help her in any way that I possibly could. She was vulnerable enough to be in need of protection, but I had no rational explanation for why I should want to take up that role so readily.

But there was no denying the strange draw I felt towards her. I wondered if she sensed something as well, but then dismissed that; she was afraid of everything and everyone, so I didn't see why she would be drawn to any one of my family when given that fear.

I waited agitatedly, hoping that I would soon be able to see this angel again, even though I was uncertain how she would respond after the upset of yesterday. My sensitive hearing told me that she was still asleep and the only sounds coming from her room were her calm breathing and the pulse of her heart.

Edward, may I please speak with you? Carlisle's thoughts called to me from his study, but the rest of his thoughts were hidden, to my frustration.

"Of course," I answered politely as I made my way to his room. He was waiting behind his heavy desk when I entered the room and he turned to greet me with a casual smile, placing the book in his hands onto the desk.

He gestured for me to sit and I did so, watching him expectantly. "Hello, Edward," he started, "I've not had a chance to speak with you after your last visit with the girl."

I grimaced, but nodded. I had kept myself locked away, berating myself for my stupidity and thinking over Alice's suggestion, as well as trying to figure out other ways to interact with this girl without scaring her off.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he looked at me intently and I nodded for him to continue. "Well, I believe from what I've been told of some of her behaviour and reactions, that she does understand us, but to what extent I do not yet know. I know that Alice suggested talking to her and I think that would be a very good idea. From my experience, just the sound of someone's voice can be soothing, so even if she doesn't understand what you're telling her, it might help her relax around you which will make it easier to gain her trust."

I listened carefully to his words and to his mind as he pictured the scared patients he had had to calm in order to be able to help them. What he said made sense, but I was wondering about other sounds. "What about music?" I asked curiously.

"Music?" He questioned, leaning his head to the side. "Well, I suppose some soothing music, like classical might be helpful as well, but I would be wary of introducing it to her just yet. What made you ask?"

I thought about when I had hummed to the girl, she had acted as though she was in a trance. It seemed to calm her, enough that she didn't even flinch when I started touching her hair like she would normally do. But I decided not to tell my father that yet, it seemed too private to share at the moment, it was something between the two of us. At least I had a way of soothing her. "No reason," I shook my head.

"Alright," Carlisle accepted, "Let me know of any progress with her and I will need to do a more thorough check on her at some point, maybe in a few days. We will also need to see about getting her to eat something."

"Of course," I acknowledged, but inside I was nervous. The previous check up had not been thorough which was why Carlisle insisted on doing another, but even that had caused this girl a large amount of distress. I dreaded to think about how she would respond to having to endure a full examination.

I left his room and forced myself back downstairs so I wouldn't be tempted to pace outside the room where the girl slept. The rain was pouring outside now, battering heavily against the window panes as it was driven by the wind.

Emmett looked up from the television screen when I came into the room. "Hey, man," he greeted, "Thought you'd be up with that girl."

I shook my head slightly. "She's asleep," I told him. Didn't think it would stop you, he thought. I glared at him. "I don't want to disturb her," I explained. I looked around the room, suddenly noticing how empty it felt. Esme was bustling around the kitchen, cleaning and Carlisle was still upstairs. "Hey, where's Alice?" I asked, frowning.

He looked at me peculiarly. "Dude, she went shopping about an hour ago. Something about needing clothes for the human? Didn't you hear her go out?" He asked, facing back to his Xbox game.

I hadn't, most likely too caught up in my thoughts about the girl. My frown deepened when I thought about her shopping. I told her to leave it for awhile, but I guess it made sense to just be prepared. We didn't exactly know when she was going to be capable of getting around normally.

"What was all that about last night?" Emmett asked suddenly, drawing me abruptly from my thoughts. I saw him remembering hearing the angel's distress as I tried to soothe her and I winced at the memory.

I sighed despondently. "I made a mistake," I admitted, "I moved too far past her comfort zone and she reacted. Thankfully, not as badly as when Carlisle had to examine her when she first arrived."

He nodded, still paying attention to the game he was playing before pausing and looking at me, strangely seriously. "Edward, man, I know you're probably beating yourself up about this, but there's no need," he said severely, "She's more relaxed with you than anyone else, but while you make progress there is bound to be moments where she isn't comfortable and you need to be able to help her, not freak out about it."

It wasn't often that Emmett came out with something as serious as this, but when he put his mind to it he could produce some brilliant advice. So I knew to take his words to heart as best as I could. "Thank you, Emmett," I said, clapping him briefly on the shoulder.

"No problem, man," he answered, already back into his game and facing away from me. The wind picked up at that moment, sending another flurry of icy rain colliding roughly with the side of the house.

Upstairs, I heard the distinct sound of the girl whimpering and I froze, my head snapping in her direction even from where I was. Emmett had also looked up and turned to grin at me, saying, "Go ahead, what are you waiting for?"

I nodded to him for a last time before dashing up to my old room. I waited outside, listening to the sounds from within and only then did I quietly enter and close the door after me.

On the bed lay the angel, but the first thing I noticed was that she was still asleep. I hadn't so far seen her asleep yet, not properly, and I couldn't help but notice just how peaceful she seemed when she wasn't completely afraid or mistrusting. She looked so young as well, her face smooth of any signs of stress that plagued her in her waken life and her soft lips slightly parted.

The second thing I noticed was that, while she was deeply asleep, she also appeared to be very restless. Curious, I stayed standing where I was, just watching her. Every so often the wind would blow the rain harder and each time she would twitch or toss in her sleep.

She still maintained her protective pose, her body curled tightly together as if she feared attack while she slept, and every movement she made seemed to orient around her defence. The thought made me sad as I stared at her fragile form. She shouldn't have to fear anything.

I knew I secretly wished that she wasn't afraid of me, but I tried to push that away from the forefront of my mind. It was a selfish thought that I knew I shouldn't be entertaining. If I wanted her trust then I was going to have to earn it and I intended to do just that.

The girl tossed again, a pained noise escaping her mouth and I was beside the bed before I could blink. "It's okay," I whispered, as though she would somehow hear me in her sleep. She didn't respond as she continued to shift restlessly.

I had an idea then. Slowly, I sat down next to her, careful not to jostle the bed, and started humming to her as I had done yesterday, before I ruined the small contact I had made. My hand stretched out hesitantly to run my fingers across her hair, sweeping it away from her beautiful face.

Amazingly, she relaxed as I sang to her and surprised me by unconsciously turning ever so slightly into my touch. I couldn't stop the grin from spreading over my face, but I knew it couldn't last. At that point the girl stirred and began to open her eyes.

I pulled my hand away as she opened them to stare at me in surprise. Her body tensed and she growled sharply as she realised how close I was to her, but I remained still as we eyed each other. "You're okay, Angel," I said softly, stroking her hair again as she reflexively flinched from my touch.

She stared at me and her intelligent brown eyes showed her wariness, but I thought I caught a flash of hope in there as well. And that gave me hope.

A/N: I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.