A/N: wow! The response to this was amazing! And just for the first chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed I love hearing what people think about things. And welcome to everyone who has favorited and followed this story. I have a clear mindset on where I want this to go, I have from the beginning. The drama won't come until later but it won't be too much later. So, how about our couple finally meet? I know there are differing opinions about the mating pull and bond for vampires. In this story it's instantaneous. Just wanted you to know. Also, Thursday will be my set update day for this story.

Chapter Two

Bella

I couldn't believe it! It's been a week since I moved to Forks and here I was, already making the acquaintance of the Emergency Room staff. I was opening a box at work, Newton's which I will be working at Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays- the grocery store will be Tuesdays and Thursdays which gives me Fridays and Sundays off- and I cut the hell out of myself with the box cutter I was using. Sliced the palm of my hand wide open! Why did I have to be so damn accident prone?! Thankfully I was still able to drive myself.

As I sit here in the waiting room, waiting for my name to be called, I absentmindedly rub my chest. It hasn't been as bad as it was in Phoenix, but it's still there and I'm starting to get irritated at it. I wish I could just figure out why it was there.

Just then a nurse called my name.

"Bella Swan?"

"That's me," I say as I get up and head towards her. She nods and leads me back into an exam room.

"Have a seat on the bed and tell me what happened." Which I did, my face getting redder and redder as the story came out. I hated times like this. It was embarrassing for people to see what a klutz I am. I mean, there's no plausible way I should have cut my palm and yet, here I am!

"Oh dear don't be embarrassed these things happen all the time. Let's have a look at that hand and then I'll get Dr. Cullen to determine if you need stitches. Ok?" I nodded and set my hand on the small rolling tray she pulled up to the side of the bed.

She took a look at my hand, then she got up telling me she'd be back soon with the doctor and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I sat there thinking about how accident prone I was and lamenting my luck. As I did I realized the ache isn't as bad as it was when I came in. That's weird.

Carlisle

As I make my way to exam room two, the teenage girl with the cut hand, I can't help but think about Jasper. I don't know what is wrong with him. He's been acting as if he is waiting for something, something huge. It's been a chore to get him to go to school with the other three, he just wants to stay at home. When we asked him why, he just said that he feels like something is coming and he needs to be there when it did.

He doesn't know what it is though. I have my suspicions because I've also noticed that he keeps rubbing his chest, which is leading me to wonder if maybe what he's waiting on could be his mate. The chest aching is one of the signs she could be close by. If that's the case all I can say is, finally.

Luckily graduation is tomorrow and then he'll be able to stay home like he wants so badly. Rose, Emmett and him are all graduating, Edward will next year. The earlier we start at a new place the longer we can stay, baring any complications that is. I asked him to come in today during my lunch break so I could talk to him. I plan to discuss mates and ask if he thinks that could be what he's waiting on.

As I enter the room my thoughts go back to my patient. She is looking down at her hand, which is still laying on the tray, so I can't see her face. I notice her smell though. It is strange that I would tune into that since I'm around different humans all day. Why would hers stand out? She smells mostly floral, of Wood Laurel, Lilacs and Philadelphus or Mock Orange as it's also called. Under that though I can smell Italian coffee, one of the many new things introduced to England around the time of my youth. She smells of home and I can almost see the streets of London, the people walking the filthy streets, the new horse drawn carriages called hackneys, smell the chimney smoke.

I can also almost remember my father sitting at his desk pouring over documents about removing England from the Catholic influence of Charles I. As well as the papers of what he felt were dens of vampires and covens of witches, as well as packs of werewolves. He was quite often wrong though and many innocents were killed.

Bringing myself back to the present I clear my throat and she looks up at me, giving me yet another shock. She looks like my Anne. I can remember few things from my human life. It was, after all, 343 years ago, but I can remember the face of my wife. Her smile when I would come home, her gentle loving nature, her mahogany brown hair and honey brown eyes. This girls eyes were a darker shade of brown but her face was the same. Same shape, same nose, same lips, even the same freckles. It was like my Anne was sitting in front of me once more and I was taken aback, to the point of speechlessness. She peers at me quizzically.

"Dr. Cullen? Are you ok?" Her concern for me breaks me from my reverie.

"I'm sorry my dear. You look like someone I once saw in a portrait and it startled me." Of course I can't tell her the truth, she can't know what I am.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Swan." Shaking my hand with her uninjured one she watches me for a moment, the debate she is having with herself clear in her eyes.

"It's nice to meet you as well Dr. Cullen. I can tell you now I'll need stitches, I'm used to these types of injuries." This concerns me, why would she be used to them? Was she abused? Is she abused? Her chart merely says she was at work and that she's 17.

"Let's take a look at that hand." I pull the rolling stool up to the tray and, after pulling on a pair of medical gloves- which I didn't really need as we vampires were incapable of spreading germs- check her hand and see the cut was indeed in need of stitches but not too bad, no more than ten or so. It is literally right in the middle of her palm, so she'll still have use of her fingers.

"You're right, you do need about ten stitches. I'm just going to numb the area. I saw on your chart that you don't have any intolerances to medications. So I'll probably write you a prescription for a mild pain relief. It'll be stronger than over the counter Tylenol but not as strong as Vicodin. This way you can still work and such without getting drowsy. That sound good to you?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Alright, let me get everything I need to stitch your hand." I begin to pull out the sutures and the needle with the local anesthetic I will use, as well as the iodine wipes to clean the wound and the suture scissors. Once I have everything I need I return to my rolling stool and get to work.

Bella

That was really strange, when he saw my face it was like he journeyed off into another world or something the way he was staring off into space while staring at me. Then he said I looked like someone he had seen in a portrait. So far everything about this is strange. How could I look like someone in a portrait? I don't know this man and he doesn't know me but he remembers a face enough to think I look like them? It's just weird.

As he gathers what he needs for my hand I think about how he looked when I told him I was used to these types of injuries. He looked concerned and for some reason it makes me want to reassure him. Which is also strange since he's a stranger and what he thinks of me shouldn't matter.

"Just so you know, when I said what I did about being used to this, I meant because I'm really accident prone. My parents used to say that I could trip over my own shadow." I watch him contemplate what I said and see him relax slightly. So I was right, he was worried someone used to hurt me. Glad I could put that to rest.

Once he's done he wraps my hand to keep the stitches clean, takes off his medical gloves and then looks up at me, his eyes gazing in to mine as if trying to figure out why I looked so familiar. His gaze wandering over my face until it becomes uncomfortable. He finally looks away and, continuing to keep silent, he writes out the script for my pain medication. Then, as he hands it to me, he finally speaks.

"Take the pain medication as needed, put something over your hand like a plastic glove or something to keep the stitches dry when you shower; and thank you for putting my mind at ease. We do often see abuse victims come in and it's my job to report it. Now I know you're not one I can rest easy that you will be ok, well as ok as a clumsy person can be." And he gives me a smile. It's a warm, friendly smile. One I can't help but return. He helps me off the bed and walks me out of the room.

"Welcome to Forks Bella. I hope not to see you here again."

"Me either Dr. Cullen, me either."

I walk down the corridor towards the sliding glass doors leading into the parking lot. Just as I walk through them, too busy looking at the script he gave me- which is never a good idea on my part- I walk straight into someone. Falling back on my ass, my hand hitting the walk beside me to try and stop myself from laying out on the ground. I cry out in pain just as I hear a soft curse and feel cool, but strong hands on my elbows.

I'm aware of being picked up and set on my feet, of hearing Dr. Cullen behind me asking if I'm alright while a soft Texas accent asks the same in front of me. I don't pay any attention to either. All I can see is soft honey blond hair that falls to strong, broad shoulders covered in a black long sleeved button down. Of gold colored eyes staring intently at me while awaiting my answer to if I'm ok. Of soft full, pink lips and pale skin and a strong square jaw with a slight dimple in the chin. Dear sweet baby Jesus who is this man and where did he come from and can I have him?

Wait! What? Suddenly I'm being picked up into equally strong well muscled arms and carried back into the hospital and to an office. I'm vaguely aware of Dr. Cullen saying he's going to check my stitches and make sure I didn't pull any. I'm too focused breathing in sandalwood and sun and staring at beautiful gold eyes.

Carlisle

When Bella leaves I head back to my office. Could she be a descendant? I never tried to find out what happened to Anne and our son, Samuel. It was too painful to go back and see what life they may have been leading once I was gone. I couldn't risk it in the beginning anyway because I could have easily killed them. It took a great deal of willpower and many centuries to finally be as comfortable around human blood as I am now. I enjoy being a doctor and that certainly helps me resist the bloodlust. She looks so much like Anne it's uncanny.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by a commotion outside my door. I go out to see what happened just in time to see Jasper picking Bella up off the ground, my office being close to the entry doors to the E.R.- which I requested since it wouldn't matter where I am in the hospital I'd still pick up all the noise that would bother the other doctors if they were in this office themselves. I can see there's a little blood coming out onto her bandage so she must have run into him, gotten knocked over- cause hitting a vampire would do that to a human- and hit her hand using it to catch herself. But that's not what draws my attention the most.

She hasn't looked away from my son and while he's asking her if she's alright, he hasn't looked away from her either. Well I'll be damned! Fate has a wicked sense of humor. My possible descendant the potential mate to my adopted son, who just so happens to be human and he's the most dangerous vampire in our world. Who would have ever thought he'd be mated to a human! This complicated some things though. If the brothers find out I'm sure it won't matter to them who he is or that I'm a friend. She's human and can't know of our world.

Things are about to get interesting and I only pray they turn out well. I check her stitches, she hasn't acknowledged me at all, just continues to stare at him. She didn't pull any thankfully but she's bleeding a bit, which doesn't seem to be bothering him at all which makes me feel my suspicions are right. He'd never be attracted to his mates blood. It wouldn't bother him at all.

"Bella? Bella!" She finally looks at me, a dazed look on her face.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Cullen. Are my stitches ok?" I have to control my urge to chuckle at her.

"Yes my dear they are. May I introduce you to my son Jasper? Jasper this is Bella Swan. She just moved here."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella."

"You too Jasper."

"Well, Jasper how about you drive Bella back to Newton's? Take her to get that script filled first."

"Certainly if that's alright with you Bella? I thought you needed to talk to me Carlisle."

"Not anymore. Bella is this arrangement ok with you?" She looks at Jasper as if she doesn't want to walk away from him.

"Yes, thank you so much. My car is just outside in the parking lot."

"Lead the way ma'am." I watch her small smile as he calls her ma'am. Yep, things are getting ready to get interesting. Watching them leave I notice the way they gravitate towards each other, they're so close their fingers are brushing.

Bella

As Jasper drives me back to work, stopping at the pharmacy on the way to fill my prescription, I think about all that has happened. The ache in my chest is gone. I have the overwhelming desire to touch this man who I don't even know, and it hurts to think about him walking away when he gets me back to Newton's. He pulls into the parking lot and turns off my car. This is it, the moment I was dreading.

"Can I take you to lunch? You need to eat with those pills." A life line! One I'm not about to dismiss!

"Let me go in and ask Ted, Mr. Newton I mean, if I can take my lunch."

"I'll be right here darlin'. Take your time." His Texas accent calling me that term of endearment makes me shiver. Dear Lord I am in trouble!

"Be right back." I get out and head back to the office where Ted is sitting at his desk going over invoices. He looks up when I walk in.

"So Bella is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I only needed ten stitches. He didn't say I couldn't come back to work so if it's ok with you can I take my lunch real quick so I can take these pain pills and then I'll come back and finish my shift?"

"That's fine. Mike's out on the floor so the shop is taken care of. Just be careful with that box knife next time would you," he says with a chuckle.

"Yeah, it's one of the hazards of being me. I'm really accident prone. This probably won't be my only trip to the E.R., they'll probably get to know me by name soon!"

"Wow, you're that accident prone? We should wrap you in bubble wrap then!" That makes me laugh.

"I doubt that would even protect me." He laughs with me and then I head back to Jasper and my car. We head to the diner and as we walk to my usual table I say hi to the regulars like me. There's Mark who runs the art gallery. Susan who's the librarian. As well as Fern and Bob, two of the local old men who like to sit outside on a bench and watch the people walk by.

Today though there's a new edition. A tall man, hugely muscled. He must be 6'6" and 250 lbs of pure muscle. He's also russet skinned with black hair so he must be one of the Quileute tribesmen. He spies Jasper and gives him a frown when he takes me in next to him. Jasper merely smiles and gives him a nod. Whatever just passed between the two men is over and the other man smiles back and just shakes his head and turns back around to his meal.

"So, what would you like to eat?"

"I usually just get a sandwich and fries and a coke. How about you?"

"Oh I already ate. But this will be my treat. Call it an apology for knocking you over."

"There's no need for you to apologize, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Yeah but I was, I just didn't move fast enough to avoid the collision. Please, I'd be honored if you'd accept my offer to pay for lunch." The way he speaks, like some southern gentleman from another time, makes me swoon. I just nod my head.

"Ok, thank you." The waitress walks up then and I notice Jasper stiffen. I look up and see it's the little pixie haired girl from last Saturday. She's all smiles and bubblyness.

"Hello, my name's Alice and I'll be your waitress. What can I get ya?!"

I order my usual as Jasper stares her down. She turns to him and smiles and suddenly he's looking at her warily, but gives her a nod. Weird, they didn't say anything.

Alice

As I saw, my opportunity to get in with the Cullens arrived in the form of the couple themselves. I'm so happy to see they're clearly smitten with each other. So far so good. I can sense his mistrust of me the moment I walk up. Of course he can smell what I am and knows he doesn't know me. I tell him at vampire speed that I just came here and am no threat to him, I need to speak with Carlisle and I'd like to change my diet. He gives me a quick nod and I head off to grab Bella's order. She's too predictable by far but it does help that I can see the future and knew she'd order her usual.

I got a job here at the diner so that I would have a way to keep an eye on Bella without being that weird creepy stalker type. It also gives me a way to be around without causing issues with the Cullens. I saw that I need to simply pose as a nomad wanting a new way of life and that would explain my scent around Bella because she would become Jasper's girlfriend and I would be around her a lot. They couldn't know the real reason why I was here though.

Only Jasper and Bella can. Their thoughts are the only ones that are safe. The final piece of our enemy's puzzle can't find out the truth about who I am or about my gift. Out of Volterra I'm vulnerable even with my mate a few miles away in Port Angeles. With the mind reader in their family, that player will know who and what I am the second he reads anyone's mind but mine- because I know how to keep him out, Jasper for the same reason and of course Bella will have her gift.

Right now though, the most important thing is to introduce myself to these two. I'll meet the others tomorrow after graduation. I know Jasper will be watching Bella afterward, to see if he can meet her again. She'll go down to the beach since it'll be warm but cloudy. He will meet her there and ask if she'd like to meet the rest of the family Tuesday, after her shift. I will reveal myself slightly then. Just so they can know they can tell her what they are. Aro himself told me this was alright. I'll make it subtle though, make it seem like it was rumors I had heard in changes to the laws.

If everything goes according to plan can reveal my true self to Bella and Jasper a day or two later.

Jasper

I couldn't believe it! My mate. A human! She's beautiful. Long mahogany brown hair that falls in waves to her waist, chocolate brown eyes that hold so much pain it makes me wish to take her into my arms and hold her forever, to ensure pain never touches her again. Her pale skin is flawless, except for a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. I can't believe it's possible she's mine, but the ache is gone. When I picked her up off the ground she was so light, but her body is curvy. She's at least a foot shorter than my 6'3" frame.

She's so small and dainty I fear anything and everything could hurt her. The most miraculous thing though is that she seems as in awe of me as I am of her. A monster like me has found himself in love with a small, delicate human and all I can think of is making love to her. Marking her as mine. It's too soon for all that though. I need to learn more about her and I won't become intimate with her if she isn't aware of what I am.

That puts her in danger too, since it's against the law for humans to know of us. But I will protect her with my life and surely the brothers will understand, I will change her when she's ready after all; and she is my mate. I finally get her to agree to let me pay when a woman walks up. She's short with spiky black hair and I know immediately, despite the brown contacts, that she's a vampire. I stiffen, preparing myself to attack her if she tries to hurt my Bella, but she simply takes her order and then surprises me.

"My name is Alice Brandon, I'm a nomad looking for the Cullens. I was told Carlisle can help me stop feeding from humans. I mean you no harm, or any of the humans here. Can I meet Carlisle tomorrow?"

"My brother, sister and I have graduation in the morning but that afternoon is fine. Just follow our scents from the hospital, that'll be the strongest since Carlisle is there most often."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose we will."

And with that she flounces off to get Bella's food. Suddenly I have the strange feeling everything we know is about to change. I just don't know if it will be for the better or worse.

a/n: I hope Alice's explanation of getting the job- she got it before the vision showing her the in to the Cullens so she wasn't originally planning to use it as anything more than to keep an eye on Bella- and the rest, like Jasper and Bella being the only two she tells of the truth as to why she's there. We all know they all got really good at hiding their thoughts from Edward, but that sometimes things could slip. Alice and Jasper keeping him out would be second nature. Jasper because he hates the intrusion and Alice because she will have trained to do so. Then of course Bella has her gift and Alice would know what it is since she's a Volturi and they would have more knowledge about gifts than Carlisle and then. We'll get more into the dangers and the truth in the next few chapters. But I can't wait to see your theories on how the puzzle piece will be.