Chapter 11

One morning a week or so afterwords, Dr. Cullen and I were going to go out with the kids to go bowling as usual. We were running a little behind schedule, so I was frantically running around my apartment, trying to get everything done.

My cat was protesting in loud meows because I hadn't fed her yet, but that was last on my list of things to do.

Dr. Cullen looked at my pitiful little cat with a puzzled expression on his face. I came out of the bathroom and out into the kitchen to unplug the toaster.

"Get Fluffy her toy, I think that will distract her for now." I said.

"Which toy?" He asked looking around the room...there were various cat toys everywhere.

"Umm..." I said looking around, "It's a pink ball with a bell inside of it, nothing too complicated in appearance or anything."

He looked around the room and under the coffee table, but he still couldn't find it. Fluffy's protests continued while I was in my room picking out jewelry.

When I reappeared in the living room, he was still searching for her toy. I had to laugh at him.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"I'm just seeing how it feels to be the one laughing at you for a change." I said.

"I don't see this toy that your speaking of anywhere."

"Hmm...maybe it's in one of those desk drawers over there." I said, pointing over to where my computer sat. "Sometimes I have to put it away or she'll wake me up beating it around all night."

He nodded and walked toward the direction of the desk. I ventured back into the bathroom to finish my hair and makeup. Fluffy's yowls were replaced with the gentle ringing of the bell in her toy, so I knew he had found it.

After a few more minutes I fed Fluffy, and Dr. Cullen and I left the apartment in a hurry so that we weren't too late to meet his kids.

Bowling was the same as usual, I got beat by everyone I would play. Even Bella was better than me now, when before she would get gutter balls constantly. Maybe it had something to do with whatever the heck happened to her after her honeymoon.

I had just been a little suspicious about their entire family for a while now. Some aspects of them didn't make any sense to me. Like how Dr. Cullen could adopt five random children that all just so happen to have topaz eyes, like him, when I hadn't seen anyone besides the Cullen family with topaz eyes in my lifetime. Or how they all seemed to have such a deep connection with each other, with Edward in particular. If I was ever up in the middle of the night because of my dream, I could call the house and someone would answer on the first ring. It didn't matter if it was midnight or three o'clock in the morning, someone would be awake. And they all drove like crazy, even Dr. Cullen drove fairly fast when I wasn't with him in the car. Why would a doctor drive so fast? Let alone allow his children to do so? And I don't recall ever once seeing any of them eat before. Maybe I had, and just hadn't noticed it.

What...did Dr. Cullen only adopt topaz-eyed kids with sleep issues, eating disorders, and maniac driving tendencies...just like him?

And he himself was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was one-hundred percent unhuman to be that gorgeous, that perfect. His vocabulary was beyond my own comprehension. He was always so formal, so polite, as if he had stepped right out of a different century than the one he was living it. No one as perfect as him could be human.

But the biggest puzzle, the oddest thing to me was Bella. How could she have been so different months ago, and now be like this? That had no explanation to me in my mind. She got married to Edward as the Bella I knew, tiny and fragile, and came back from her honeymoon more beautiful than before, and an absolute ace at bowling.

But besides being angels here on Earth, I couldn't think of any other description to fit them. So for the time being, I just accepted everything as a very odd coincidence.

The next day at work, I was exhausted from a long day of classes. I had already done everything that I had been instructed to do, so I had been searching for Dr. Cullen for over an hour. My efforts turned up nothing. After playing card games on his computer for only five minutes, I decided I was bored enough to go ask Gertrude if she needed help. Besides, I had already covered the entire October page of the calender on his desk in hearts.

Gertrude actually did need my help with organizing a few things, but once that was done she had a bunch of stories to tell me. I remained with her until the end of my shift, until I told her goodbye. At least she hadn't bored me to death that day.

I walked into his office and he was in there, it was the first time I had seen him in a few hours. He was standing behind his desk, shifting around some papers, clipping some together and setting them aside. He noticed my entrance, because he looked up at me, but he didn't say anything.

"Where have you been all day?" I asked, checking to make sure I had put everything into my bag and that I wasn't leaving anything behind.

"Oh making rounds. I've been on the move a lot today, going from room to room. Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah I was for a little while, but I decided to help Gertrude, is that ok?"

"Yes that's fine." He said, and it was quiet for a moment, when I heard him walk toward me. I turned around to look at him, and he was holding an envelope in his hand. "When were you going to tell me about this?" He asked. He didn't sound aggravated, in fact he sort of sounded emotionless.

The envelope he was holding was the letter I had received from Alaska University. Truthfully, I had forgotten all about it, even if I had gotten it less than a week ago.

I bit my lip and sighed. "I was planning on waiting a while."

"Why?" He asked simply.

I looked down at the floor. "I don't know, I just wanted some time to think about it."

"When did you get it?"

"Just last week." I answered back, then raised my gaze back at him. "Where did you find it?"

"In your desk drawer, when I was searching for cat toys."

"I forgot all about it."I said.

"Why didn't you want to tell me about it?"

"Because I knew you would tell me to go."

He sighed, but he was smiling. "Brooke you're absolutely correct."

"But do you see my problem?" I asked. "Three months in Alaska. Three months without you."

He was silent, reading over the letter.

"I mean you could come with me, but do you know how weird that would look? For both of us to leave at the exact same time, for the exact same amount of time?"

He nodded, still reading my letter, "Yes you're very right about that. If I was to go with you, people would suspect something."

"Exactly." I said.

He sighed, placing the letter back in the envelope and handing it to me, "And I couldn't leave work, or the children for that matter, for that long of an amount of time."

"I can't leave you for that amount of time." I said.

He actually smiled. "This, coming from the same girl who less than six months ago told me that she was never going to let some guy get in the way of her dreams of becoming a successful doctor?"

"Well," I said blushing, "You're not just some guy, you're the guy."

He raised and eyebrow at me.

"Look I don't know what's wrong with me either." I said. "You're right, I never would have been like this a few months ago. But you've changed that."

"It's only three months Brooke." He said.

"Yes and do you know how many long distance relationships fail?"

"So you can come back as often as you want."

"I'll be taking classes up there, I'll be occupied all through the week, then I'll finally get my weekends to relax."

"Then come back down here only every other weekend."

I didn't respond.

"Brooke, sweetheart, this is not something you can just throw away. This kind of thing only comes around once in a lifetime."

"Yes and I can't throw this away either!" I said gesturing towards him, and I sighed, as I wrapped myself up in his arms. "This kind of thing only comes around once in a lifetime."

He rested his chin on the top of my head as he thought. "You know I was a part of Alaska University's Spring Medical program."

I actually laughed a little, "I should have known."

"It's a fantastic program. It's probably even better since I attended it. You'll love it."

I just listened to him, and hugged him tighter.

"And, " He said, "I actually have a vacation house up there in Alaska you could stay at while you're there. Maybe a few of the kids could go with you, so you have a connection to home."

He lifted my chin up so I looked him in the eyes. "Just think about it ok? Don't give your dreams up for me...no matter how fantastic I am." He kissed me softly, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, I'll think about it." I said.

And I actually was positive that I was telling him the truth.

Friday night Dr. Cullen picked me up from my apartment after my classes were over, in order to take me to his house to have "Monopoly Tournament" night with him and the kids.

It was raining as usual, but it was just a light drizzle, rather than a full out rainstorm. I liked sitting in the Mercedes and listening to the soft sound of the water as we speed through it on our way down the road. The ride was fairly quiet, we didn't have much to talk about. Emmett did call me while we were halfway there. He just wanted to ask me what kind of pawn I wanted, because he decided to be nice and give me first choice.

We pulled into the driveway that I could probably maneuver through blindfolded, I had traveled it so many times. One of the kids decided to be nice, and had already put the garage door up for us. He pulled the Mercedes into its respective spot, and shut off the car. We sat there for a second while I gathered my stuff around and tied my shoe.

He laughed at me, like he always seemed to do.

"What am I doing now that's so funny?" I asked, laughing a little myself.

"You're just very amusing to watch...that's all."

I looked up at him once I finished tying my shoe, and I leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"You're just very amusing to kiss, that's all." I said, mocking him.

He smiled at me, and rested one hand on my cheek as he kissed me again.

Several minutes passed as we kissed...it's funny how little time seems to matter in a situation like that.

He was just starting to be a little less careful with his kisses, when he suddenly jumped away from me rather quickly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, wondering if it was something I did.

Then I heard him curse under his breath, which surprised me, because I had never heard him swear before.

"What's wrong?" I asked again.

He shook his head and whispered, "Viviene"

My body immediately stiffened with fear. "But I thought that she wasn't supposed to be here until next week?"

"I thought so too." He said, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I guess she's early."

"How do you even know she's here?" I asked.

"I can hear a car coming up the drive." He said, turning to face me. "Ok...we're going to have to do something with you. You can't hide in the house, she'll see you. And she might recognize your voice from talking to you on the phone, so you can't just pretend to be a friend of Bella's. You..."

He was rambling on and on about ways to get me out safely, and he kept changing his mind. Now I heard the sound of gravel crunching from a car pulling in the drive.

"Quick!" He said, reaching over and opening my door for me. "Go out that door over there, and hide along the side of the house. Once the coast is clear, I'll send Edward out to take you home. Don't leave that spot, don't try to run away, and don't make too much noise." He instructed.

I simply nodded, so scared I could barely think. All I managed to take in as I ran quickly out the side door in the garage that lead to the backyad was the fact that Viviene was actually here, right here, in the exact same area as me, and that I had to get away fast.

I got out just in time, because as soon as I managed to crouch down, hidden from the window in the door, I heard another voice with Dr. Cullen's. Even though I had only heard her voice twice, I could have picked it out anywhere. And it still managed to send chills down my spine.

What could have been only minutes felt like hours to me, and I decided to risk taking a peek through the window, just to get a quick glance at her...and when I allowed myself to do so, I gasped.

I asked myself why in the world Dr. Cullen was willing to have me over her.

She was tall, very tall actually, and dressed as though she was a movie star. She wore too many diamond rings and bracelets for me to count. Designer boots, a fur coat, and a purse that had to cost at least a million dollars itself. She had short, black hair in a curly bob. Same pale skin, same topaz eyes. She was beautiful beyond description.

But then as I looked at her closer, and listened to her as she spoke, I could see that hint of evil that he had always described. It was then I realized why Dr. Cullen picked me over her.

"Did you miss me sexy?" She asked him, playing with his tie.

He looked like he was suffering the most ultimate form of torture. "Terribly." was his only response.

She laughed, evilly of course.

"How long are you here for?"

"Oh..." She said, getting closer to him, "I leave Sunday morning for Peru."

"Peru, that's a new one for you. I thought you preferred Europe."

She laughed again, "Not as much as I prefer you...Doctor."

He didn't respond.

"How are the children?" She asked. "Did they miss me too?"

"The kids are fine. I'm sure they missed you. You certainly missed Edward's wedding however."

"When was that?" She asked, still flirting with him.

"August."

"Oh, I guess I forgot. Where I was I then?"

"Do I ever know where your at?"

"I call you."

"Sometimes." He said, and sighed, looking in my direction.

"Well, " She said, finally releasing his tie and running her hands over his chest, "I'm here now."

And then she kissed him.

I immediately ducked below the window so I didn't have to watch. I didn't know whether I should cry or puke. Or both.

I decided not crying, and not throwing up in Dr. Cullen's backyard would be the best idea. After I managed to compose myself, I allowed myself to have one last peak through the window.

They were still talking, but they were getting ready to walk inside, when Viviene suddenly glanced my way. I gasped and ducked quickly, smacking my head against the side of the house in the process.

I heard the door that lead into the house close, and I curled up in a ball to keep warm for the time being.

I sat there for only a few minutes before I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. It was Edward, as Dr. Cullen had promised.

"Come on, I'll take you home...but be quick and be quiet." He said as he ushered me into the Volvo.

The ride back to my apartment was quiet, up until we pulled into the parking lot. Then Edward turned to me with a very sympathetic look on his face.

"Look, " He said, "I'm..um...sorry that Monopoly night had to be postponed."

I couldn't help but laugh a little, since him and I both knew that Monopoly night was the last thing in the world that was of concern to me right now.

"It's alright." I said. "We can shceduale it some other time."

He nodded in approval.

"Thank you for bringing me home Edward."

"It's the least I could do." He replied.

I got out of the car and walked back to my apartment in silence.

When I looked at the clock on my bedside table, I saw it was only seven thirty, but I was exhausted. So I changed into my pajamas and laid down in bed, my mind racing with thoughts.

It took me a while to fall asleep, but I finally did. However, I was dreaming again. But this time it wasn't my usual dream, it was kind of similar, but very different at the same time.

Instead of being inside a castle, I was outside. Instead of wearing a dress, I was wearing the clothes I had been wearing earlier that day. I was still sitting, still waiting, like I always had been in my previous dreams, but I was watching the rain fall around me, rather than watching fire or absolute darkness. And I wasn't bitten this time, instead I just heard a chilling voice behind me that was scarier than any attack.

"Dr. Cullen's mine sweetheart." Viviene said. "Never will he ever belong to you."

That was enough to wake me up in an instant. When my eyes flew open to search around the room, in order to make sure she wasn't really there, I felt my heart pounding in my chest.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, as I rolled over and closed my eyes.

That dream had been even worse to me than any of the others, because I actually believed that this one had the potential to not only be a dream, but reality as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my story! Please shoot me a review letting me know what you think so far. I'm always open to suggestions as well! Thanks!

~Hazl~