Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.

Chapter 14: Laurent- Faith

I watched as Bella ran off with Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper left to go hash out the treaty. I looked around to see Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice, but Esme was no where to be found. I guess you could say that I was falling under her motherly spell. Suddenly she appeared and she was buzzing around.

"Come inside kids!" I bristled at being grouped with the kids but followed her in nonetheless. Rosalie opted to stay outside and wait for Emmett. Once inside, Esme commanded Jasper to begin emptying out his study.

"Why me?" He asked. Just what I need: to get on Jasper's list.

"Now dear, just think back to when you and Alice got here, I seem to remember Edward being displaced," Esme pointed out.

Jasper glared at Alice, "Woman!"

"And," she added, "since Laurent and Bella are guests of Edward, it only seems fair."

I wanted to feel bad, but I was amused. It felt like I was getting him and Alice back for trying to steal Bella, which I might reluctantly admit that I didn't believe now. I guess this made us even.

Esme put her hand on his shoulder trying not to look amused, "Calm down Jasper, you can put your things in Carlisle's office." She broke out in a grin and I wondered how Carlisle would take it.

"Do you want some help, man?" I asked in my amusement.

"No, I think I'm going to get Alice to help," he said as he smirked at her.

They filed upstairs and I sat down on the couch with Esme.

"We were considering going back to Ithaca, but in the end we all decided to stay here. The hospital welcomed Carlisle back without hesitation and the kids didn't really want to start fresh just yet. Now of course because of you eye color right now, you really can't enroll in the high school with the rest of them, but you're welcome stay here at home with me and Bella." Esme rambled on.

"What makes you so sure that Bella wants to stay?"

"Because I have faith that things will work out. And hope, lots of hope. You've gotten Bella through a lot, you just need to have a little faith yourself."

I nodded.

"There really isn't a reason to make Jasper move, I don't-"

Alice came bounding down the stair, "That means we get to go shopping!" The pitch of her voice climbed with ever syllable.

"-have anything," I finished anticlimactically. Alice dove onto the couch so that she was sitting right next to me making Esme laugh.

"Bella told me that you picked out Chanel! We are going to have so much fun together I can see it. We need to get you measured and oh, there's so much to do! You need sunglasses now, look at yourself, red eyes! Come on!" She pulled me off the couch and dragged me over to the computer. She was so exuberant.

We probably would have fun together, I always did like fashion. Well, not so much that I liked it but that I had an eye for what looked good.

"I bet you'd love this pair I saw in the most recent A|X catalogue, oh, and those pants..." She went on and on pointing at various things on the computer screen.

"Those are nice, but I don't have any money."

"That's okay, actually, I set you up with an account while you and Bella were away. It's been earning dividends for a week and a half now, so trust me, you'll have plenty of money soon."

It was stunning to see how much faith this family had that Bella and I would return and that we would be staying.

"Will you keep doing that? I mean, investing money for me?" I asked, "Oh course I'll give you back whatever it was that you initially invested."

She offered a compromise, "How about this, I'll do your money... if you keep shopping with me."

"Deal."

Outside I could hear the sounds of someone running home. And then kissing... and more kissing, and then moaning.

"Baby, you should have seen me handle those wolves," Emmett told Rosalie and then I heard clothes ripping.

She moaned, "Oh, that is so hot, I bet you showed them." Then there was more moaning and kissing and clothes being torn and I looked up to see Alice laughing silently at my discomfort at the situation.

"Is it always like that?"

"Ever since I've lived here, that's how it's been. You get used to it," she said and her laughter wasn't so silent anymore. "Look at your face! HA HA HA!"

That was the third time today that someone had made a comment like that. Just then Carlisle walked in the door with a little smirk on his face, "Laurent, I wanted a few words with you, please?" He saw the look of discomfort on my face, "I have something to show you away from the house, far away." He raised his eyebrows at me and I was by his side in a flash.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to show you the Quileute border. It's a few miles from here," he said as he nodded enthusiastically and knowingly.

Carlisle explained to me that under no uncertain terms was I to have any sort of slip-up while we were all in Forks. It would violate the treaty. I started to tell him about David but he stopped me and told me that Bella already told him. He didn't want me to beat myself up. I wondered if should leave but Carlisle told me that he had faith in me. I realized that he and Esme were very good for each other. He asked me if I had any intentions of returning to Irina in Alaska and, no, I did not ever intend to 'go home' to Irina. All in all, I really liked Carlisle. I really liked that he didn't speak condescendingly to me at all. Next to him, I was the oldest person in this family but aside from Bella, I was the weakest and Carlisle was willing to accept me any way.

I managed to learn more about love, friendship, family, and humanity in the last few weeks than I had in the last two and a half centuries. This was a good place to be and I felt like I could truly belong here.

~o~x~o~x~o~

We all crowded around Alice, except for Emmett and Rosalie, who were still away but thankfully further from the house. We watched Alice's facial expressions like a T.V. screen. We knew she was getting visions of Bella and Edward. It all started when she started gasping in surprise every couple of minutes and we begged her to tell us what was happening but she wouldn't.

Then she would sigh.

"Laurent, will you get the door?" Alice asked even though there was no knock yet. I got up and about half-way to the door the knock came. I smiled to myself, Alice really was something.

I put my hand on the door knob and opened it slowly, I had no idea who it could be. Needless to say, I was stunned to see Irina standing in front of me. I didn't know what to say and it had been almost two months since the day I left. She threw her arms around me and held me tight.

"Why are you here?" We both asked at the same time.

I pushed her away gently and gestured for her to go first, it wouldn't hurt to hold back a little.

"I came to find you, I was afraid that something happened to you and then there was that call and you said about killing Bella and I was so worried but then no one heard from you again," she rambled on and on and I had half a mind to tune her out but decided against it. Apparently I did miss something, "...do you love her?" She paused from her ramblings to give me a sad look.

"Uh, what?" I said and I shook my head a little to try to clear my thoughts.

"I smell someone all over you, is it... is it... is she? Is that why you left?" She was misconstruing everything. Part of me just wanted her to believe that and just leave, but I couldn't do that. I had to set her straight.

"I left because we're not right for each other. There's something missing and I don't know what it is but I didn't think it was fair to string you along so I left. I'm so sorry that I've hurt you, and I'm know that you see me as your mate but I can't be. I left thinking that maybe I just needed time or distance or something and I thought, just maybe, I might come back if things started to make sense but they don't. And for us, they never will." It hurt to say those words and I wish that the Cullens weren't all behind me. I looked over my shoulder but everyone must have left to give us privacy. I was grateful.

"For us? But not for whoever has their scent all over you?" She looked crestfallen.

"You're probably smelling Bella," she opened he mouth to interrupt but I held up my hand to silence her, I didn't want her to misunderstand any longer, "while Bella and I have gotten very close over the last few weeks, there is nothing romantic about our friendship. In fact, Bella is off with Edward somewhere right now. I know this may hurt, but I didn't leave you for anyone."

I motion her to proceed, I knew there had to be more.

"Please," was all she said. It made me think of what Bella said to Edward. I wondered if Bella was making the same plight to Edward. There was no doubt that her's would be better received than Irina's.

"Please, just come home. I'll do whatever you need, we can live anyway you want, just... anything! Please!" She begged.

"I'm sorry, Irina, I can't. It's not fair to you or to me." I put my hand on the side of her face and just held it there as I looked into her eyes. She mistook my gesture and leaned into me and kissed me. It was a slow and pleading kiss. In a way, it reminded me of the kiss that Bella and I shared in that every movement felt off and every breath of her's that entered my mouth was wrong and now I knew that for sure.

"Please," she said as her final plea.

I just shook my head 'no'.

She took off running and I never saw her again. I sat on the front porch steps and contemplated my love life. I wondered if someday I would find someone special. Bella showed me how unexpectedly things can happen and the Cullens showed me the importance of faith and I had to have faith that he would to come to me someday. After all, I had time.

ooooo

A/N: Want more? Check out my newest story, Vendetta... it's deliciously DARK.

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