Author's notes (4/8/2015): Made some slight changes to this chapter.

Disclaimer: The song "You'll be in my heart" doesn't belong to me. It's from the Disney's movie Tarzan and sung by Phil Collin. I just thought it was a good song.

Chapter Two

"Mama?" The girl whimpered as she looked around the unfamiliar room. "Daddy?" She crawled out of bed and walked out of the room. This wasn't her house. Where was her mama and daddy at? Her brow creased with worry a four-year-old preschooler shouldn't have, her heart beat quickened and she searched for her parents and came across Carlisle and Esme in the living room, waiting for her. "Where's mama and daddy?" She asked. Carlisle got up and went over to her and bent down to her height.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen, I'm a doctor." He said, soothingly, gently, the way an adult would talk to a scared child. "What's your name?" He reached up and brushed her hair out of her face and saw her brown eyes for the first time.

"I…Isabella, but m…mama and daddy called me Bella." She said, her voice wavering a bit as her eyes swelled up with tears. "Want my mommy and daddy." Carlisle got up, grabbed a throw blanket, wrapped it around Isabella and picked her up, then sat on the couch, holding her close. He didn't speak for a few moments, gathering his thoughts on how to tell the small girl in his arms that her parents are dead.

"Sweetie, your mommy and daddy, they can't be with you anymore." He said gently, "Do you remember last night?" She went rigid and started to tremble as she saw flashes of what happened go through her childish mind.

"M…monsters…." She whimpered. "Monsters hurted mommy and daddy." Tears leaked down her cheeks. Carlisle wiped them away gently and she buried her face as more tears came and her little body shook with sobs. He rubbed her back soothingly. "A…are mama and daddy gone?"

"Yes, little one, they're gone." Carlisle said sadly, "But they'll always be with you," he touched her chest, where her heart is at. "In there, forever and ever." He held the little girl close, and the three of them sat there in silence. Suddenly, Esme remembered something.

"Oh sweetheart, you must be hungry." Bella shook her head, she wasn't hungry. She was tired. Esme looked at Carlisle, worriedly. Aren't humans supposed to be hungry after waking up. Carlisle shot her a reassured look and took Bella back upstairs for natural, non-drug induced sleep. He laid her in the middle of his bed and covered her up and she was already asleep. Carlisle rejoined his wife and hugged her.

"She needs rest right now." He whispered and took Esme in his arms and held her. "I need to hunt," He said and Esme took a look at his eyes, they were darker. He hadn't hunt in a few weeks and didn't get a chance to last night. "I'll be back soon." He kissed her again, a longer, lingering kiss and pulled himself away to hunt.

It was relatively quiet for the next few hours and Esme cleaned up a bit, read a few and garden. She could hear Bella's steady little heart beat and her breathing from even outside, when suddenly, she heard the child cry out, screaming as if something terrible was happening. She raced upstairs and to her room where the girl was twisted up in her blankets, arms reached out. Her face tear stained and screaming.

"MAMA!" Bella cried out and Esme went over and held her arms down, running a cold hand down her face, trying to sooth her the best she could. She wished Jasper was here, to help. "NO! MAMA! HELP!" Bella jerked awake, eyes wild and unfocused from the nightmare, a light layer of sweat covered her forehead. Her breathing heavy and labored from the nightmare. Esme scooped the girl up and took her downstairs and sat with her on the couch, rocking her and humming softly. Soon Bella stopped shaking, her breathing becoming more normal and her eyes droopy.

Esme begun to sing softly, "come stop your crying, it'll be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you, I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. You'll be in my heart, always."

Esme looked down and saw Bella asleep again. She grabbed the throw blanket and wrapped it around her and held her gently as she slept. Carlisle walked in then and went over to her. "Hey, sweetheart, enjoy your hunting?" Carlisle nodded, happily. He was very full and his eyes were back to his golden color. He hurried upstairs at vampire speed and changed into black pants and a button down blue shirt and came back down and plopped besides Esme.

"I've decided we should adopt her." He told her. "Decided while hunting. I would feel awful if we sent her to an orphanage." Esme grinned, excited about having a small child in the house. She always wanted a baby, ever since she lost her son when she was a human. She still thought of him and never forgot his face, his pretty eyes, small hands and tiny toes and fingers. Esme took a deep breath. She would love and protect this girl in her arms just as she loves and protects her five other children.

"Our family's complete." She murmured and Carlisle kissed her forehead.

"And so it is," He agreed, and then added, "But I have a feeling the adventures are just beginning." Bella stirred in Esme's arms and blinked open her eyes and looked around and her stomach grumbled. Carlisle chuckled slightly as he heard the sound. It always fascinated him.

"Are you hungry?" Esme asked as Carlisle got up to fix Bella some food. Being a doctor, he knew what she would need. Bella nodded, she was really, really hungry. Esme joined Carlisle in the kitchen and set Bella on the counter. "Are you allergic to anything?" Bella nodded.

"Vega'bles." She said honestly. Most kids don't like vegetables, and would make up anything to get out of eating them, then said more seriously, "an' peanuts." Carlisle and Esme made a note not to buy anything with peanuts. Carlisle knew all too well what contact with peanuts could do to someone who was allergic to it. Bella played with Esme's hand, trying to figure out why it was so cold.

"Like my hand?" She asked. Bella shrugged.

"Cold." She murmured and pressed it against her warm, feverish face from her crying. She leaned into the touch, savoring the coolness and closed her eyes. Esme looked at Carlisle, worried. Her husband put the food on the table and sat her in the chair and cleaned up.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked, looking over at her. Bella looked up and he went over and bent down. "How would you like to stay with us?" Bella looked at Carlisle and Esme and at her food and shrugged. "It's alright, you don't have to decide now, but we would love to have you in our family. Just think about it?" Bella nodded and resumed nibbling her food, trying to decide what to do.

What would her mommy and daddy say if they were here? How was she to decide? Tears spilled silently from her eyes. How could a four-year-old decide this. She always had an adult tell her what to do, what to eat, when to go to bed, what to wear. Esme and Carlisle could sense the internal battle within the four year old. They were glad Jasper wasn't around, it would drive him crazy.

"Go potty." Bella murmured and got up. Esme went to the bathroom with Bella and let her go potty.

Carlisle sat down and thought about this situation. He wished Alice was here to tell him of the outcome, but his children wouldn't be home for another 40 minutes and it was going to be a long 40 minutes.

To be continued…

Endnotes: Pretty please review?