A/N: Wow, TWO reviews….geez, this breaks my heart. But I want to thank my two reviewers…it's because of you guys that I'm still writing. I hope you make comments on this chapter. I would like to get my review count up to 5 before continuing. I would ask for 10, but I think my story is getting lost in the shuffle.

Carlisle: *slams the door shut as the fangirls scream outside* "Isn't this supposed to be Edward's job?"

Me: (snickers) "Well, you do realize that women have a thing for doctors AND vampires…when you put them both together, the result is a character begging a story to be written for them.

Carlisle: "They can't get in here, can they?"

Me: (continues pecking at the computer) "Not in theory. It is my story, after all."

Carlisle: (lounges on narrow twin bed) "I'm not getting to leave anytime soon, am I?"

Me: (grins) "No."

Chapter 4

The night was cold and rainy, just as they'd expected. It had been almost three weeks since Carlisle and Dawn had met and they were equally upset with each other. Neither made a move towards the other. Carlisle knew, deep down, that it was only a matter of time. On one hand, her scent was so faint that he could easily ignore it, but her presence chased his thoughts around. He felt strange about having fought with her. In addition to just craving her blood, he also craved her presence around him. He couldn't stay angry when he remembered the day at the mall. Despite his raging thirst, she had made the clouds over his soul lift. Knowing that they were angry with each other gave him an aching, empty feeling. Now he understood why Edward had such a hard time staying away from Bella.

But he didn't want to be controlled by her! He didn't want to crawl towards her like an alcoholic begging for whiskey. Carlisle sighed and closed the book he was reading with a snap. There was nothing he could do to get his mind off of her. He'd already gone for three runs, gotten ahead on most of the paperwork, and cleaned the entire house (much to Bella and Alice's surprise). Still, nothing worked. He'd paced restlessly around the library, unsure of what to do.

He'd seen clearly that he'd hurt her feelings, but she deserved it. Who did she think she was? He didn't mind confidence, but he despised arrogance. Arrogance was always a trait that led to one's undoing. Something told Carlisle that she was clearly used to getting her way.

But something in him tugged at his frozen heart. He looked down at his own chest, wondering what his own heart looked like right then.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Golden eyes stared back at him. Had it really been three-hundred something years ago that his eyes were a charming icy blue? So much had changed...he was far from the same man that had chased his father's imaginary demons in medieval England. His face looked youthful and ancient at the same time. Having lost Esme made him seem so much older.

The lightning flashed and thunder rocked the house. The electricity flickered and went out, leaving only the soft glow from the fireplace.

"CARLISLE!" Someone yelled up the stairs. He hurried to the top of them, slightly annoyed that his alone time was interrupted.

"Jake found somebody in the woods," Edward said in a grave tone, "she's badly hurt."

He didn't have to ask to know who the 'she' was. Carlisle cursed under his breath and slid down the banister.

He didn't have to go very far. Jacob was still standing in the living room, dripping wet and butt-naked. Bella had sent Renesmee into the other room to keep her from seeing him. In his strong, muscled arms, he held an unconscious woman.

"Bring her in here," he sighed wearily. Even though it was very rare that they had visitors, Carlisle had a special room set aside for medical purposes. He usually reserved this room for Renesmee or the werewolves. Jacob lay an unconscious Dawn on the table. She was bleeding from a gash in her forehead. The blood flowed red this time, and he wondered if her blood changed colors as she transformed. Maybe it helped her fit in better. He noticed several splinters of wood in the gash, which he removed quickly.

She had two broken ribs, which he taped up, a broken wrist, which he put a brace on, and a dislocated shoulder (same arm as the wrist) that he had to pop back into place. After he was sure that there were no more injuries to attend to, he stood over the table, silent. His nose flared. She didn't smell...right. There was a bitterness to her usual beautiful scent.

When he figured out what it was, his forehead creased in disgust. She was intoxicated. There was enough alcohol in her system that it would have made her do something really stupid. The sour smell of vomit also faintly marred the air. He just hoped she wouldn't need to do it again.

"We found her beside a fallen tree," Jacob said, "we think lightning might have struck it and it fell on her later when she walked underneath it.

That would explain the gash full of splinters.

"How bad is it?" Bella asked.

"She won't be happy when she wakes up," Carlisle joked half-heartedly, "but she'll live."

Deciding to make life a little easier for her, he gave her an injection of morphine, hoping that it wouldn't hurt her.

He stayed there with her for a long time. Watching her sleep, he crossed his arms over his chest.

Stupid. So stupid. Why did you go out into the woods DURING A STORM of all things WHILE DRUNK?! Have you no common sense whatsoever?! I wish that anyone but you had been my singer. You have made my life a living Hell. I don't know WHY I give a damn whether you live or die.

"That was harsh."

Edward stood in the doorway. Carlisle's head had not moved from its rest in their hands. He said nothing.

"She's really made you angry, hasn't she?" Edward asked, although he knew the answer.

"I can't stand her," came the terse reply, "how can la tua cantante be such a trial? Was Bella anything like this?"

Edward laughed.

"Sure she was. I couldn't read her thoughts at all, which complicated matters. She always seemed to be in the way or in some sort of trouble. I felt like she was always in danger. But as far as agreeability, she was much easier to be around, I imagine."

The thunder banged violently outside, rattling the windows. Rain continued to beat at them in a relentless pace.

"If only she was a human," Carlisle sighed.

Edward stared at the being laying on the hospital bed.

"She's the most unusual mind I've ever read," Edward said, suddenly fascinated, "she's human, but she's not. She's a half-breed. Real Sirens are silver. She's lived as both and feels like she never belongs. She eats human food, but she feeds off of the energy of others. She really was just trying to help you earlier. She feels a lot of remorse for the way she spoke to you; it even permeates the dream she's having right now. She thinks she loves you though she realizes she barely knows you. She can shape-shift into different forms and she's..."

Edward made a face.

"She's spied on us numerous times. She realizes that I can't read her mind when she's in an animal form. She knows vaguely who Esme is and she feels guilty because she knows that you're not quite over her yet. She's never been in love at all...she has no clue how to handle it. She's always seen men as a food source and not an equal partner."

Carlisle's anger subsided a little bit. He couldn't judge her harshly due to inexperience.

"She's still unconscious isn't she?"

"She's asleep enough that she won't wake for a while."

Edward left him with his thoughts.

Carlisle had a couple of ideas and curiosities. It gave him something to think about besides his irritation. Within a couple of hours, he had drawn some of her blood and taken one of her feathers and hair.

"Hmm..." he mumbled, examining something under a microscope. He scribbled something down in a notebook.

She had twenty-seven pairs of chromosomes and two hearts. He supposed that when she flew, they helped keep her cells better oxygenated. She had huge lungs in addition to two hearts. The bones in her legs and feet were stronger and had more cartilage to withstand harder landings. The feathers were waterproof, meaning she could fly immediately after getting wet. When the next morning dawned, wet, cold, and gray, he had gathered a lot of information on his singer. He closed the book and put it in a drawer when she started to stir. At some point during the night, he had gently placed a pillow under her head and covered her up. She stirred, then moaned painfully, shielding her eyes from the light.

"Ohh...what a night..." she groaned. She stopped in surprised when the brace on her wrist brushed her face. She looked at it in surprise. Then, feeling her taped ribs, she pulled the collar of her shirt up to examine them.

"What the Hell?" she asked, her voice scratchy and rough.

"My thoughts exactly."

He didn't mean for his voice to sound so hard, but it did. She winced, staring at her covers guiltily.

"I guess I deserve that," she sighed, "and I probably deserve this nasty headache. But I don't remember anything after the beginnings of the storm."

"A friend of mine found you in the woods," Carlisle said crisply, adopting the business-like tone of his profession, "a tree fell on you while you were intoxicated."

The way he said the word intoxicated stung her heart like acid. She blinked back the tears that threatened to form in her dark eyes. They were more from embarrassment than anything. If only she'd let him go yesterday instead of making him angry...

"I suppose you think I'm the biggest fool you ever met," she mumbled, burying her face in one arm, "I certainly think I am."

Carlisle went through the motions of checking her injuries.

"Very immature, yes. I've met others who top my list for fools, though."

It didn't make her feel any better.

"You'll stay here for a couple of days at least," he told her, "you shouldn't take much longer than that to heal. I'd rather you didn't leave this room. There's a bathroom through that door. You can wear the gown on the counter."

Dawn hadn't realized that she was only in her bra and underwear. She flushed brightly, wishing she could melt into the floor.

She heard the door close. Then, she allowed the tears of embarrassment to flow to the surface. She couldn't believe the way she'd acted yesterday. She'd been so spoiled, thoughtless, and selfish. She hadn't really equated Carlisle's feelings into the equation at all and now she hated herself for it. Deciding to get cleaned up, she went into the bathroom. Scrubbing away the mud as best as she could, she sighed. She'd always thought she was beautiful, but she was beginning to question it. Now that she turned sideways, she was a little pudgier than was fashionable these days...and her chin seemed too long. Sighing in frustration, she unfolded the gown.

It wasn't a regular hospital gown like she expected. It was a white silk nightgown that slipped easily over her head. Surprisingly, it fit her perfectly. How did that happen? She was larger-framed than any of the Cullen women by several sizes.

She was feeling rather drained by the time she'd managed to get washed and dressed. Staggering back to the bed, she slept for another two hours.

When she woke up, the delicious scent of pancakes was wafting into the room. A knock on the door made her hearts thunder.

"Room service," a female voice called.

Alice entered the room. Dawn's disappointment was hard to hide, but her stomach rumbled in spite of her terrible headache. There was also (thankfully) a cup of coffee on the tray as well. She downed half of it in one drink.

"Thank you," she said, genuinely meaning it.

"You're welcome."

Dawn savored the hotness of the coffee. It burned going down, but it reminded her that this wasn't all a dream.

"Edward and I both know who you are, so I won't bore you with the details," Alice said, pacing around the room, "and I'm sure you know who all of us are."

Dawn nodded. She was too busy eating to speak.

"I knew you were coming."

Dawn swallowed.

"Yeah, I figured you did," she mumbled weakly.

"Carlisle needs some time," Alice said, "you came on rather strong yesterday."

Dawn sighed in frustration.

"Does the whole world know I acted like a complete jack___?" she asked irritably.

"Not the whole world, but close to it. It can be fixed, though."

Dawn sighed. She wished that the pounding in her head would retreat so that she could think better.

"How would I fix something that big?" she mumbled.

"Well, controlling him isn't the way. He needs to know that you care about his feelings."

Dawn watched as the dark-haired vampire left. Tired out simply by eating, she fell asleep. She didn't even wake when Carlisle came in to inject more pain medicine.

He paused to look at her sleeping face. Could he really resent her? He wasn't sure about anything anymore. Frowning, he brushed her cheek with his fingertips. Her face was hot against his touch. She'd been blushing a lot recently. From the expression that Alice had, he suspected that she'd had something to do with it. Alice had looked like the cat that ate the canary. In fact, she and Edward were both looking very smug. It annoyed him that they were keeping him in the dark.

Renesmee's party went off without a hitch. She'd devoured her share of the cake, then she and Jacob had gone off to hunt. They had more fun hanging out with each other than they ever would with the others. Carlisle was relieved to have done something to get his mind off of the injured Siren in the other room.

Alice went back in to check on her. She didn't say anything, but Carlisle saw her go out of the corner of his eye. It was fine with him; the less contact he had with her, the better. He supposed she'd been trying to apologize earlier, but he wasn't quite ready to accept it yet.

Dawn wasn't sitting in the bed when Alice came in. She was sitting on the window seat, staring out at the landscape. She looked like a painting, watching the rain beat against the glass.

"Feeling better?" Alice asked, wanting to draw her out of her obviously depressed mood.

"Yeah, I guess," Dawn sighed, "nothing stings more than my pride. Being in bed all day gave me plenty of time to think. I was pretty obnoxious yesterday. You would think as much as I deal with people's feelings I would have behaved better. Apparently, being twenty-one for centuries doesn't make me any smarter."

Alice was quiet as she said that. The wheels in her head were turning. She seemed truly sorry now. Maybe she wasn't going to be as wrong for Carlisle as they all originally thought. Last night, as she'd slept, the rest of the Cullens had held a meeting. The rest of them now knew what was about to take place, even Renesmee, who was sworn to secrecy. Jacob, Seth, and Leah, who were also considered part of the family, were also let in on it.

"Want a piece of cake? My niece just had a birthday," Alice said, offering her the slice. A faint smile appeared in Dawn's eyes even if it didn't reach her mouth. While she was eating it, Alice joined her on the window seat.

"I think you're being much too hard on yourself. Everyone makes silly mistakes now and then. No one's perfect."

Dawn swallowed and was about to say something, but Alice cut her off.

"Have you ever been in love, Dawn?"

"Truthfully? No," she admitted, licking a smear of frosting from the corner of her mouth, "I've heard about it in songs and stories and I see people kiss or hold hands, but I've never experienced it. Sometimes I think it's make believe. Men that I've fed from have told me thousands of times they loved me, but it's only because I gave them what they wanted."

Alice didn't ask. Instead, she decided to help the rather disheveled-looking Siren.

"It's not so much about what you want," she said, taking the empty cake plate and setting it on the counter, "it's about what he wants. Carlisle and Esme were together for about sixty years."

Dawn nodded.

"That is an awfully long time to know someone."

"He won't give his heart to just anyone," Alice continued, "right now, when he looks at women, he's still comparing them to Esme and it's something he can't help. It's going to take a lot of time, a lot of trust, and a lot of effort. You have to start thinking about what makes him happy."

Dawn nodded.

"If he feels like he's being forced into something, he won't react well," Alice told her, "he's used to being a leader. You've got to show him that you'll be supportive of him."

Dawn was now forming a mental list. She was beginning to understand (at least vaguely).

"But how do I fix the mess I already made?" Dawn asked.

Alice resisted the urge to grin. The Siren was beginning to learn some humility. If she hadn't, she would never have asked for her advice.

"Ask him if the two of you can start over. Carlisle's usually pretty forgiving."

"Okay," Dawn said uncertainly.

Alice left her to think things over. As she passed Edward, they shared a knowing grin.