Bella:

I called the Cullens' landline, as I didn't remember Carlisle's cell phone number. I had planned on getting it from one of the others, but I was in luck for a change. Carlisle answered himself.

"Hello?"

"Carlisle!" I cried, relieved to finally be speaking to someone in the Cullen family.

"Bella!" he said, his voice warmly affectionate. "Are you enjoying your trip?"

"Carlisle, I…" I stopped, aware that I wasn't alone. Edward's caretaker, Howard, couldn't help but overhear, and what I had to say couldn't be said in front of him.

"Bella?" Carlisle said, sounding worried now. "Is everything alright? Is that Edward with you?"

"No…" I hesitated again, not able to find a way of telling Carlisle that his son had kidnapped me without seriously freaking Howard out. Howard, noticing my dilemma, pulled to the side of the road, and came to a stop.

"Would you like some privacy?" he asked me. "I could use a smoke, anyway."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, reaching for the door to get out of the truck. Howard insisted on being the one to step out, though, and I was able to talk to Carlisle in the privacy of the cab. He walked away from the truck, lighting up a cigarette.

My words came out in a tumble. "Carlisle…Edward kidnapped me. He carried me from my bedroom in the middle of the night in my pajamas, and took me to his place in New Mexico…he's planning on keeping me here for a few years, to keep me from being changed…Charlie thinks we are on vacation…Alice told him…" Suddenly, the stresses of the last few days caught up with me, along with the fears for the safety of those I cared for and the worries over Victoria and her psychotic offspring. My voice broke, and I started crying, sobbing out the rest of my tale as Carlisle listened patiently at the other end.

When I stopped talking, he was silent for so long, I thought we had been disconnected. "Bella, where is Edward?" he finally asked me grimly.

I was stunned into silence for a moment. I had never heard his voice so dark and stern. I was not familiar with that Carlisle; I didn't know he had it in him. I swallowed, suddenly very glad I wasn't Edward.

"Uh…he went hunting," I stammered. Something in Carlisle's new tone of voice compelled me to elaborate. "I borrowed his motorcycle and went exploring, then ran out of gas. Edward's caretaker is bringing me home. He had a phone, and since I haven't been able to reach Alice, I thought I'd try and reach you. I wasn't sure Edward would let me call you, considering what it took to get him to let me call Alice, so I borrowed Howard's phone…" My voice cracked again, and I was mortified, not understanding why I was suddenly so weepy.

"Bella, honey, don't worry about a thing," he said soothingly. "When Edward gets back, you tell him to call me. Immediately. I will come to you as soon as I can arrange for some time off at the hospital."

I nearly sobbed in relief. "Thank you, Carlisle," I said, my breath hitching.

"We all love you, Bella. I intend to keep my promise to you. We will welcome you into our family, whether Edward likes it or not. Do not let it concern you a minute longer."

We said our goodbyes and I was about to hang up when I decided to ask for Alice. "Carlisle, wait! Is Alice there? We've been having trouble getting through to her. I'd like to speak to her."

He hesitated. "I have a feeling Alice is avoiding the two of you for some reason, Bella. I have no idea why. Edward wanted to speak to her earlier, but she made herself scarce."

This came as a shock to me. I could see Alice avoiding Edward, but not me. I couldn't see what reason she could have. We ended the call, and I wiped my eyes, glad for my sunglasses. I flipped down the visor and checked myself in the mirror for signs of tears. Satisfied that I was presentable, I stuck my head out of the window and called Howard back, thanking him profusely and apologizing for inconveniencing him as I handed him his phone.

"It's no problem," he said gruffly, waving me off. "As a guest of Mr. Cullen's, I consider taking care of you part of my caretaker duties."

"That's very kind of you." I said as he pulled back onto the road. "I really appreciate it. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

"Yes, that was lucky. You should be a little more careful out here," he chided me gently. "Things can go wrong very quickly."

"I know," I said, abashed. "I'm from Phoenix, I should know better."

"Well, no harm done," he said comfortingly, and we lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip.

When we got back to the house, we unloaded the bike, and he wheeled it into the garage for me.

"Is Mr. Cullen in?" he asked, taking note of the Volvo in the garage and the jeep out beneath the carport.

"I'm sorry, he went hiking today," I lied quickly. "He said he'd be back before dark."

"Pity. I would like to meet him some day."

Ah. So he had never met him. I was wondering how that worked. I couldn't see how Edward could maintain in-person contact with these people, without the question of his not aging coming up.

"Perhaps he will drop by during our stay," I said lamely.

"I doubt it. He never does. I think he likes his privacy, and we respect that. He's a very generous employer."

"I can imagine he is," I agreed. "He's the most generous man I have ever met."

When Howard's truck had disappeared down the road and into the trees, I went inside to busy myself and await Edward's return. I grabbed a quick snack, and decided to make salsa verde cheese enchiladas for dinner, to keep myself from thinking about having to tell Edward that Carlisle was expecting his call. When I was done, I covered the casserole dish and put it in the fridge, ready for the oven later, and decided to go for a walk. I changed into shorts and put on my new hiking boots with thick socks, and then headed out to explore the area around the hot spring.

I blushed when I got to the spring, remembering the tender, intimate way Edward had bathed me, and trailed my fingers in the hot water. Then of course I remembered the night before, and the forceful, almost violent way he had made love to me. I blushed harder, feeling a little weak at the knees at the memory, glad that Edward wasn't here to see my flaming face. The intensity of my sudden lust for him overwhelmed me, and for one crazy moment, I debated taking off my clothes and slipping into the water to take care of a most pressing need. Not to mention let the hot water ease some of the delayed soreness that was starting to make itself felt in my legs, especially my inner thighs. I probably had some serious bruising. I decided against an x-rated dip, and averting my eyes from the spring, I carefully rounded it and continued on down the path.

It was a lovely day. I had never felt better. It was a relief to have unburdened myself to Carlisle and to have placed myself in his hands. I could now be confident that I would soon be joining Edward and his family as a vampire. Carlisle would not allow him, or anyone else, to stand in my way.

Now that my dreams were going to become a reality, I started to think about what I would have to go through to get to where I wanted to be. The pain, I knew from being told, was excruciating, and it could last for days. I didn't handle pain very well, but could handle staying human and aging while Edward didn't even less. I had no choice. I would just have to endure it. And then the thirst…I was a little worried about that too, but I was in the perfect place to spend my first few months as a newborn, getting used to what I had become, and the new urges that accompanied the change. I picked my way carefully down the rocky path, my thoughts returning to Carlisle.

I was looking forward to seeing him. I had so much I wanted to talk to him about, so much to ask him. Edward had already told me about, and even shown me, the worst that there was about being a vampire, but I wanted a more balanced view, and Carlisle seemed like the best person to give it to me. I realized with a pang of regret that Carlisle was becoming more of a father to me than my real father. I felt a moment of guilt. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to break my ties completely with Charlie, and I already loved Carlisle as much as I did my dad. Unfortunately the things that preoccupied my mind most these days were things I could not discuss with Charlie. It had to be Dr. Cullen.

I felt a sudden stab of longing to hear my dad's voice. I would have to call him tonight. I hadn't spoken to him in two days, and I didn't want him to start bugging Carlisle and Esme. And there was Renee to consider too. I had not checked my email in a while; she must be getting frantic, though I am guessing she would have heard from my father by now. Still, I needed to get in touch with her somehow.

And then there was Alice's strange behavior. What the hell was going on with her? I could not understand why she was avoiding us. She helped us with Charlie – or rather she helped Edward with Charlie – and then dropped off the radar. It couldn't be because she didn't want to be the one to change me, as she knew Carlisle had promised me he would do it. It was baffling.

I also wanted to talk to him about the brief flashes of time during which Edward seemed to be able to see my thoughts and feel my feelings. I was ambivalent about the whole thing, and I was hoping it would not turn into a regular thing. I valued my mental privacy greatly, but I also relished the idea that I could show Edward how much I loved him in a way no one else could. I just hoped I could gain some control over the process.

As I walked I became so focused on my thoughts of Edward, that I stopped paying attention to where I was placing my feet. When my weight suddenly dislodged the large stone I had put my foot down on, I lost my balance, and started sliding down the incline in a shower of rocks and dirt.

Edward:

I had fed well, and had delayed going home long enough. I'd left the house shortly after Bella had fallen asleep again, and run higher up into the mountains, finding an abundance of deer very quickly. I quickly sated my thirst, and spent the rest of the day aimlessly wandering the mountains, considering the dilemma facing me.

I was not looking forward to our upcoming talk. I had avoided thinking about her changing during this trip, but I had made her a promise, so I didn't have a choice. I had to think about it. I still had no idea what I would tell her though. I knew, and had known all along, that I couldn't keep her hidden away from my family forever, but I had been desperate enough to try, to buy myself some time. Vainly hoping she would come to her senses.

I just couldn't seem to let go of her humanity. I could not see her changing as being the solution to all our problems, as my family did. To me it was an intolerable desecration. The fact that it was and should be Bella's choice alone could not sway me either. I knew I had no right to dictate to her on this, but I was unable to give in. I was trapped in my inflexibility, unable to go forward or back, frozen in this course of action. Sighing, I looked up at the sky. The sun was getting low and I wanted to get back to Bella before dark.

I had just started off at a leisurely jog when I suddenly went temporarily blind. Confused, I stumbled and went down on one knee, bracing myself against the ground with one hand.

It was Bella. Somehow, she had opened up to me again. I heard a distant scream, and at the same moment felt Bella's fear, seeing a roiling mass of churning rock and earth. As she fell, her only thought was of me.

Alice's vision.

I roared in terror and broke into a dead run. I cleared ravines and scaled vertical faces in seconds, absolutely mindless with anguish. I snapped thick branches like twigs as I ran, even taking down a small tree in my flight, all of it registering only in a blur of grief.

I reached her in minutes, and came to a stop as soon as I had her in my sight. There could be no doubt any longer about it being Alice's vision. The incline, her clothes, the way her body lay among the rocks, it was all right. And all so horribly wrong.

I dropped to my knees. As I had yet to draw breath, my drawn out scream was soundless. God, no… I mouthed wordlessly. Bella, no…no, no, no…

I had never longed for death, or at least the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness, more than I did at that moment. I had 'lost' Bella before, when I thought she had killed herself by jumping off a cliff; but as unthinkably horrifying as that had been, it paled in comparison with the reality of seeing her lifeless, broken body splayed out in front of me. I slumped forward, prepared to never move again.

Then, a miracle occurred.

I heard a low moan. My head snapped up, and I focused all of my senses in on her. I had been so blinded by pain and grief that I had failed to notice that she still breathed and had a heartbeat, not to mention the lack of a head wound. I could smell blood, but not enough to indicate serious injury. I was at her side in a second, sucking in a tearing breath so I could speak.

"Bella," I choked out. "Oh God, Bella…please…"

Just like that, my resistance to her being turned into a vampire shattered. When faced with the reality of losing her to death again, her humanity seemed like a small price to pay for keeping her. I did not understand what had happened; all the elements of Alice's vision were there, except the most frightening one. Bella's skull wasn't bashed in. She was alive, and her vital signs were stable.

I had been convinced she was dead. I knew what it felt like to lose her, and I could never go through anything like that again. That is all it took for me to come to terms with her becoming a vampire. I did not like it, and I certainly couldn't do it myself, but I could no longer be opposed to the idea. She moaned again, her eyelids fluttering.

"Bella?" I said gently, keeping a tight rein on my fear. "Bella, don't move. You have taken a bad fall; I need to make sure you are ok." I paused, choking up. "Oh, Bella...I thought you were dead..."

"Edward?" she whimpered, opening her eyes. They were glazed with shock. "Oh, Edward…everything hurts…"

"I know, sweetheart." I smoothed her hair back from her face, carefully feeling for bumps on her head. "Can you move your legs?"

"Ouch!" she yelped. "Yes, but I think I hurt my ankle."

I ran my hands down her arms and legs, testing the joints and probing for broken bones. Aside from scrapes and bruises, some of them quite extensive, she seemed to be in one piece.

"Put your arms around my neck, Bella," I instructed her, carefully lifting her into my arms. She cried out softly, wincing. "I know, baby…It's ok," I murmured. "I've got you. You are safe now. I am going to take you home and we are going to treat your cuts and scrapes, you are going to have something to eat, and then we will have that talk."

Cradling my life carefully against my chest, I headed into the growing twilight, bound for home.

To be continued…