Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight; it is the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thanks to my lovely Beta Biddy429 !!!

Chapter 16

Tears

Edward led me towards an office door that bore the name of Dr Carlisle Cullen, he knocked lightly. I didn't hear anything response but Edward opened the door and pulled me inside with him. I looked up and smiled at Carlisle and before I knew it I was waving lamely at him! He simply smiled back and motioned for me to take a seat in front of him.

"Good afternoon Bella" he said then looked at Edward questionably "Good afternoon to you too Edward, now I know the reason for Bella's visit today, albeit a little early!" He said eyeing his watch, he then looked at Edward and continued "I am however intrigued as to why I have earned a visit from you too?"

"Well as you know Bella has appointment in a little while but she was excused early from school due to a dizzy spell that she took during Biology, they were doing Blood Typing and Bella felt a little unwell. I thought it best to come early for her appointment so that I could drive her home" Edward replied. Carlisle had been looking at his son during this short speech but then quickly looked over at me with concern in his eyes.

"Are you feeling alright Bella?" he asked as he stood up and moved around his desk to my side. I nodded quickly and for some strange reason felt quite emotional and found it quite difficult to stop the tears from threatening. Carlisle's voice was so caring and understanding that it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide my erratic emotions from him, it was especially hard with Edward sitting alongside me. I really wasn't sure that I wanted to share this much with him so soon. He reminded me too much of how Phil used to be that I couldn't hide from him.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was filled with concern as he leaned towards me. I kept; my eyes firmly fixed on the ground until I felt him gently lift my chin to make me look at him.

It's always the same when you feel upset and someone shows you some level of kindness and sympathy, it always makes you want to cry even harder, and this was exactly one of those times so, to my utter disgust the tears began to flow freely. Edward was horrified and before I knew what was happening he had wrapped me protectively in his arms whilst my tears turned to heartbreaking sobs. It was really odd because whilst I was so distraught, at the same time I had never felt more safe and secure as any other time in my life, in the arms of a boy I hardly knew!

Carlisle watched over both of us and handed me tissues to blow my nose a few times. His presence was calming and I knew where Edward had learned to be so empathetic. As my sobs subsided, Edward withdrew slightly and offered me another tissue which I gladly took. I wiped my eyes and blew my nose, which I'm sure resembled Rudolph at this point but honestly could not care less!

He spoke quietly then "Are you okay Bella? You gave us both a fright there!" I sniffed and then gave him a wobbly smile and assured him that I was okay.

Carlisle had returned to his own seat, obviously leaving the consoling to his son, and said "Bella, is there anything you would like to talk to either myself or Edward about we would be more than willing to listen and to try and help you." It was a normal offer but I knew that he truly meant it that if I needed them that they would help me, listen to my sad story and to try and help.

I sniffed once again and said "Oh I am sorry, Dr Cullen, I feel so silly, I don't know what came over me" I said mumbling and looking at my hands wringing the sodden tissue between my fingers.

"There is no need to apologise for anything Bella, as long as you are alright" Carlisle said in soothing manner.

"Just lots of memories and a long day I think" I said regaining my composure. I could feel Edward's eyes on me, probably in case I was about to make a fool of myself again I thought! He said nothing but I noticed that he and Carlisle had shared a moment, almost as though they were sharing their thoughts. I decided that I was imagining it so let it go, my emotions were all over the place so maybe I was developing paranoia too these days, I wouldn't be surprised!

Carlisle broke into my thoughts just then "If you're up to it Bella, I can quickly take an x-ray and you can head home?" I nodded relieved that I could get this over with and get out of this place.

"Sounds like a plan" I replied as I stood and he led me to the x-ray room. Trying not to think I lay down on the x-ray table and let him position both me and the equipment so that the x-ray would be taken right first time.

Not thinking simply did not work and my mind began to wander " before I came here and this whole thing started with Phil and his drinking, the last time I had an x-ray taken it was to ease Clara's worries over how they would make her glow in the dark. I smiled sadly at that, she thought it would be cool but she liked the dark and didn't want to glow all the time. As I lay there I could feel the tears begin to threaten again, I was so deep in my thoughts that I had not realised that the x-ray had been taken and Carlisle was waiting for me to climb down from the x-ray table.

"Bella?" It was Edward's voice I heard from the doorway, he walked into the room and stood beside me, pulling me into his embrace. My eyes were glassy but the tears never fell even as the memories played before my eyes.

"She didn't want to be a firefly all the time" I said brokenly into his shirt. He looked down at me and I knew he understood at least part of my pain. Wrapping my arms around him I took comfort in his closeness.

"Bella. I don't think you should be alone today" Carlisle said as he moved towards me and Edward. I looked at him and nodded, he was probably right. "How about you two head over to our house and I will give Charlie a call to tell him where you are and that you are staying with us for dinner, Edward can take you home later this evening, if that's okay with you?"

I looked up at Edward to see if he agreed, he replied by smiling at me and I nodded. I looked at Carlisle and said "Yes, thank you, that would be really nice, and thank you for calling Charlie for me."

"You are very welcome Bella, it is the least I can do. Now, you too get out of here, I have work to do" he said smiling at the two of us.

Thankfully my emotions were in control by now and I felt much calmer, Edward looked at me and said "Come on Bella, lets get out of here." He was still holding my hand as he led me from the x-ray room out of the ER exit. We both waved our goodbyes to Carlisle and walked holding hands to Edwards Volvo.

"I'm so sorry Edward" I whispered as he drove us to his house. He looked over at me and raised an eyebrow in question. "For falling to pieces" I finished and he shook his head.

"No reason to apologise Bella. I just wish I knew how to make it better" He said softly as looked back to the road. There was no way to make it better, that's what hurt so much. It wasn't long before we had turned into a hidden driveway and drew up in front of a large beautiful white Victorian styled house.

"Wow!" I gasped staring open mouthed at the house. Edward chuckled at me and stepped out of the car and then came over to open the passenger door for me. Still staring at the gorgeous house I took his hand as he led me to the front steps.

"I'm guessing from your reaction that you like the house?" said Edward smiling at me.

"Like it, I love it" I replied.

"Well, I will need to tell Esme, she designed it!" Edward continued.

All I could say again was "Wow, Esme designed this, really, its awesome, I mean she is an amazing designer!"

Edward opened the front door and we walked into the open entrance hall. The only thing that divided the area was the great stairway, on the right stood a grand piano, behind it a great arched window which threw light into the room in spectacular ways. On the left there were settees and chairs in varying shades of white, the back wall was made from what looked like solid plate glass from ceiling to wall. On the other side of the class a beautiful garden could be seen in all its natural glory, a forest in miniature but beyond you could see for miles, the fir trees and the greenery stretching for miles. It simply took my breath away, so much so that I nearly forgot about my emotional state of earlier.

"Mom?" Edward called as he led me to one of the settees and all but pushed me into it. I frowned up at him but stayed sitting in the comfy seat. Shortly after he called, Esme appeared in the hallway looking at him curiously until her eyes rested on me and her lips formed a little 'oh'.

"Well hello again Bella!" she said as she moved into the room and Edward looked between the two of us. I smiled at her and Edward sat down beside me on the settee.

"Hi Esme, how are the hooligan boys?" I asked and she and I laughed at the comment while Edward shook his head.

"Good, good" She replied as she looked between the two of us. Edward had that same look on his face that he had earlier when we were with Carlisle, it was as though they were communicating but without speaking – strange! Maybe I am really getting paranoid, I shook my head.

Esme broke into my thoughts "So what brings you here today Bella?" she asked and I blushed.

"Bella has had quite a long and emotional day so dad thought that she shouldn't be alone, so we decided that it would be nice for her to visit and maybe stay for dinner?" Edward explained and I grumbled under my breath. Edward smirked at me as if he had heard and I stuck out my tongue for lack of a better response.

"I need to learn never to cry in front of a doctor, they get scared" I mumbled but both Edward and Esme looked at me confused. "Sorry an old comment reused badly" I said blushing.

"Bella, can I ask you something, why do you have an issue with hospitals?" Edward asked and I looked at him blankly. Cocking an eyebrow I looked at him and he sighed. "You were distraught, I have never seen anyone so upset like that did something happen to you in a hospital, did you have a bad experience?"

I just looked at him blankly, not knowing what to say or where to begin. Edward spoke again, this time almost a whisper, "Bella, you mentioned something about Fireflies in the hospital, something about she didn't wanted to be a firefly all the time and glowing in the dark, what did you mean? Is it something to do with that?"

I thought to myself then what to say "Well, it's just that I miss her so much, she was all the family I really had, well if you call my drunken father family........." I could not continue as yet again I felt the tears begin to threaten.

"Who?" Edward he asked hesitantly.

"My baby sister, my mom died in labour." I said and Esme gasped and instinctively moved forward to offer comfort to me, "Clara had leukemia she died two days before my 16th birthday."

My voice broke then and I lost control as the tears streamed down my face. Esme wrapped her arms around me and cradled me to her as though I were her child. She rocked me bath and forth until my sobs subsided. I felt her shift and then realised that she had moved to allow Edward to take me into his arms where I belonged.

He whispered soothing words softly into my ear, words that were too low for me to understand but soothing nonetheless. I did not know how long we sat like this for but when he gently moved me back from me to look into my face, it was then that I saw the light shining in his eyes; his eyes were a beautiful amber shade. That was not the most striking thing I noticed about him at that moment however.

My distress suddenly forgotten, I then noticed that the sun had shone in through the massive window behind us and made Edwards skin glisten as though there were a layer of diamonds glistening on his pale skin. I was in awe at this point and gently lifted my hand up to touch his face, he simply smiled at me and said "what is it Bella, what do you see?"

"Edward, what are you, your face, it's......... shining, like...... diamonds?"

"What do you think we are Bella?" he asked and I looked at him in confusion. This was not a time to roll my eyes, I thought to myself. I quickly peeked a look over at Esme and she seemed startle and confused at this turn of events.

"Bella, please?" Edward whispered, I replied quietly.

"Well, I don't know for sure, I mean I have thought about it, I've considered some theories and stuff. It's all just guessing of course but my first guess is some sort of fey or maybe immortals like Dorian Grey. Am I close, even a teensy but?" I asked nervously, my mouth dry. Esme looked at me shocked, Edward looked speculative.

"Fey as in fairies?" he asked clearly amused. I nodded my head and looked at him.

"Immortal, possessing incredible strength, beauty and other powers and gifts" I said and his face fell. "Some even feed off of the energies of other beings and distain consumption of lesser foods" Edward looked thoughtful at that and I smiled.

"Well, am I right?" looking at him expectantly.

"No Bella, you're wrong, sorry to disappoint, but I have another question, Dorian Grey, as in cursed and greedy with an aging painting hidden in the attic, are you sure about that?" He said with a laugh in his voice.

"Well, of course I'm not sure about that, I would not put you in the same category of a fictitious story about a man given a gift and tainted by worldly desires of those close to him, certainly not!" I responded thinking about the horrible story behind a portrait and a lost man.

"Have you any other ideas then?" he asked. I sat and mused for a minute or two, I looked at his skin with the diamonds glinting, beautiful and breathtaking, Esme was the same, so lovely.

"Er, I was thinking..........um, now please don't laugh at me, this one is wa......y out there" I stumbled.

He was getting impatient now, "Bella?"

"Okay, okay, well you are vampires, don't get mad at me because I know you go out in the sun and stuff, I don't know about the eating as, well I've never seen you eat so maybe you have some sort of stash of human blood here at home or something....."

He stops me before I make a complete fool of myself, "Bella Bella Bella....!"

"Wha.......t?" I asked not wanting him to start laughing at me or angry.

"Yes, we are vampires, but you have a lot of wrong ideas about us, for a start we do not need to sleep in coffins, stay out of the daylight and hide in the dark, we do not have vats of blood stores in the cellar, we do need to stay out of the sun because of what I look like right now, now THAT would scare people! We do not eat human food; a lot of stuff that people think of vampires are really just myth and fiction. A lot of books have been written about our kind and have made us look really bad to the point that we are evil!" He scoffed, "That and humans seem to like the idea that we can easily be defeated."

I just sat there looking at him with a stupid expression on my face. He spoke then "What do vampire's eat Bella?" he asked me and I actually laughed at him which made Esme smile but Edward frown.

"Edward you have just told me you don't drink human blood so what else is there? I mean I know you obviously don't drink human blood or you would have killed me and half the school by now but then you wouldn't live in one place very long and going to school and being a doctor would be stupid" I said trying to get Edward to stop reacting like I was the one that was immortal and blood drinking.

"Bella" He sighed and I looked at him like he was nuts. Then I realised he wanted me to run away screaming, I giggled as I realised this and the look on his face was hilarious although I personally thought he was aiming for a look of horror! As if I was about to run away from him screaming, as if I could!!

"Edward... if I were going to run away screaming it would have been weeks ago, when you saved my life and I first thought of the whole 'other' thing" I said and he looked at me in anger which quickly changed to happiness, it was amusing for a moment to watch the two emotions fight for control of his face.

"Bella, I do not think you realise, it is very dangerous to know about us, dangerous not only for us but for you too" Esme spoke suddenly although she seemed happy she looked worried, what I would have called a mom face!

It was Edward who spoke again "Bella, we could kill you, does that not worry you?"

"Edward, you could never kill me, you love me too much!" I could not resist saying that just to see the look on his face!

As Edward was in shock at this point, it was Esme that continued with the discussion. "Seriously Bella, you do understand how dangerous we can be, especially to you as you have become so close to us?"

"Yes I do understand Esme, but I also trust each and every one of you, I just know you would never hurt me, none of you would. I have not known you long but you are like a mo.....ther to me" my voice broke on the last words.

"Sorry" I mumbled and she reached out and pulled me into her arms, my head resting on her shoulder as I pulled myself from the past yet again. She rubbed little circles on my back in a soothing motion and I clung to her for a few minutes before letting her go and look down at my hands.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked genuinely concerned, I nodded and looked at her smiling my watery smile. She brushed the few tears gently from my eyes and smiled at me.

"Sorry, you just reminded me of my mom" I said my voice almost hollow. "She died when I was eight."

"Oh what a tragic loss for you, having lost both your mother and your sister" She said as she took my hands in hers. I nodded mutely "Edward fetch a glass of water for Bella please?" she said and he vanished the reappeared in a second holding a glass. I looked at him and cocked my head to the side thinking okay, speed goes on the list too, "Edward, don't startle her please" She scolded as she took the glass and handed it to me.

"Thank you, you're such a mom" I said taking a sip of water as she beamed at me. Once I had taken as much of the water as I wanted, Edward reached out and gently took the glass from my hand returning it to the kitchen. Once again he was back as in front of me as though he had never left in the first place – amazing it was!!

"Thank you for the compliment my dear" She said smiling at me, her eyes glowing.

"I miss them both so much" I told her, surprising myself as I did not cry. I had cried so many tears for them, I really needed to stop it, I was not doing myself or them any good whatsoever.

"I can only imagine my dear" She said softly pushing a stray hair behind my ear.

"It really isn't fair at all" I whispered, "I can see them so clearly but never have them here with me." There was no need for words, we sat there quietly, Esme thoughtful and caring, Edward worried and pensive and me, well I was mourning as usual and sad.

I realised that the silence had continued for a short while, I turned and noticed that Edward was sitting on the floor just simply looking up at me. I giggled at the sight of him in a pose that a toddler would have taken so I patted his head in a comforting gesture and Esme chuckled.

"There now, Good boy" I cooed and both Esme and Edward laughed heartily.

Edward did speak at that point and said "Hey, you would think I was some kind of mutt sitting here, and what do you go and do, pat my head!" We all smiled and laughed at his comment.

Esme then rose and excused herself saying that she had to go and call Carlisle. Both Edward and myself sat on the settee just looking at one another, what I saw in his eyes only mirrored the comment I had made to him earlier. Maybe this was my coming home, maybe life would only get better now and I could be happier.