A/N: I'm on a role! Four chapters within the last week! Boo-ya!

This is a set up so it's not really very action filled, but we're coming up on all the cool stuff. I'm not going to make any promises because I'm going to have two major research papers to work on before the end of the school year, both over 10 pages! But I'm also not saying I'm going to stop updating. I guess we'll just have to see.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Read, REVIEW (Pretty Please with flying monkeys!), and Pass it on!

-Wish

Chapter 31: Our Story

I was reading when I heard Bella and Edward again. They were coming up the stairway. Edward was describing each of the rooms they passed as if he were reading them off a list. "Rosalie and Emmett's room…Carlisle's office…Alice's room…" they passed the door to my office, but I still listened. I was curious about Bella. I was curious about her relationship with Edward. I am not proud of my eavesdropping, but I will admit to it.

I heard Edward laugh. "You can laugh," he said to Bella, "It is sort of ironic."

I mentally ran through the list of things out in the hallway they could be talking about.

"It must be very old," Bella commented. I knew what she was talking about instantly. And then I understood Edward's prior comment. Bella had found my father's cross. It was one of the few constants between houses. It was ironic, to find a cross in the house of a vampire. But there were a lot of irony about our residence. For instance, the spaciousness and the openness of everything. Esme had insisted on it.

"Early sixteen-thirties, more or less," Edward was saying.

"Why do you keep this here?" Bella asked.

"Nostalgia. It belonged to Carlisle's father."

"He collected antiques?" Bella guessed.

I guess I would be an antique then, I thought to myself. I wasn't sure if Edward could hear, but probably.

"No. He carved this himself. It hung on the wall above the pulpit in the vicarage where he preached."

There was a moment of silence. Bella must've been shocked at its age, and what it suggested about my age.

"Are you all right?" Edward asked. He was worried about Bella. Had something happened?

"How old is Carlisle?" Bella asked simply. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"He just celebrated his three hundred and sixty-second birthday," Edward said, wryly. He launched into a brief history of my youth and the circumstances of my vampire birth. I didn't listen to this part. I knew it perfectly. I had experienced it. My attention was only drawn back to Edward's voice when he broke off from his tale.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Bella replied.

"I expect you have a few more questions for me."

"A few," Bella admitted.

"Come on then, I'll show you." I heard their footsteps come back down the hallway towards my office. Edward paused just outside the door.

"Come in," I called.

The door opened revealing Edward with Bella in tow. I picked up my bookmark and placed it in the book. I hadn't done much reading anyway.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, getting up and trying to sound inviting. Bella looked at me with new eyes.

"I wanted to show Bella some of our history," Edward said. "Well, your history, actually," He corrected himself.

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Bella added, apologetically.

"Not at all," I insisted. "Where are you going to start?"

"The Waggoner," Edward said, referring to one of the pictures that hung on the wall behind them. I had collected so many by now, and none were the same, or even similar. Some were painted, some were black and white photographs, some were taken just as color photos became available to the public, and some were even digital, printed off the computer on photo paper. Edward spun Bella around to face them. I heard a noticeable increase in her pulse as Edward laid his hand on her shoulder. It seemed Bella loved Edward possibly just as much as Edward loved her. Interesting.

Edward steered her to the left where the older pictures hung. The oldest was a small oil painting of London. I followed them, standing just a few feet back.

"London in the sixteen-fifties," Edward told her.

"The London of my youth," I added. Bella jumped.

"Will you tell the story?" Edward asked me. Bella turned to look at me. I met her gaze and smiled warmly.

"I would," I said, "But I'm actually running a bit late," I admitted. "The hospital called this morning—Dr. Snow is taking a sick day. Besides, you know the stories as well as I do." I'd told Edward all the stories up to the time he joined the family, and then he'd experienced the rest. If anyone knew my story, it was Edward.

I smiled again at them and left, closing the office door behind me silently. I really did have to get going. I would have gladly told Bella my story, but it was a long one and I really did need to get going. I had to work a shift today, even though it was Sunday and supposed to be my day off.

I changed in Esme's and my room. When I passed the door to my office again it was open. Apparently it didn't take as long a time to relate over three hundred years of activity then I thought it did. Edward must've given her the abbreviated version. I grabbed my black bag from my office and closed the door again on the way out.

Alice and Jasper stopped me as I descended the stairs. She and Jasper came down from the direction of Edward's room. They must've been talking with him and Bella. "There's going to be a thunderstorm tonight," Alice informed me. "Emmett wants to play ball."

It'd been a while since we'd played baseball. The last storm that'd come through Forks had been when Peter and Charlotte were there. We'd played football then. It was their favorite game. But our game of choice was baseball."

"I should be home in time, if some emergency doesn't happen while I'm there. Are Rosalie and Emmett back?"

"They're in the garage." Esme came in from the back door. I assumed that was where she'd been, with Emmett and Rosalie in the garage. "You know how Rose likes to tinker."

I gave her a quick kiss. "I shouldn't be home too late." I looked back at Alice and Jasper. "Count me in."

"Already did!" Alice replied smugly.

"Told you," Jasper muttered, picking her up and carrying her off. I looked back down at Esme and laughed. She just shrugged.

"I'll see you tonight," I said, giving her another quick peck on the cheek as I passed her. I left the house and walked to my Mercedes in the garage. Emmett was sitting on the floor, holding up the back tire of Edward's Volvo. Rosalie's feet were visible from under the car.

"I hope you're not sabotaging his car," I called to them.

"It'll still run," Rosalie protested. "It'll just stall if he goes above 100."

I sighed as I tossed my bag onto the passenger's seat of my Mercedes. "Rosalie," I said warningly, "you should know better than to tweak other people's cars without their knowledge."

"You really think Edward won't figure it out?" Emmett said sarcastically. "He probably knows already."

Rosalie slid out from under the car, "Besides, I guess I'll just have to take back that extra 20 mph I gave your car, if that's how you feel."

I looked back at my sleek, black vehicle. I wouldn't mind going a little faster.

"I'll let you decide what's right," I informed them. "Esme and I have tried to give you all the proper values, but it's up to you to use them." I slid into the driver's seat and shut the door.

I heard an exasperated sigh as I started the engine followed by Emmett saying, "I hate it when he plays the guilt card." I chuckled to myself as I backed out of the driveway and onto the highway, headed for the hospital. The guilt card worked every time.

The entire time I was at the hospital, my mind was only half on my work. For a regular doctor, this could be extremely dangerous. But I didn't need to have my full attention on my work. It was easy enough for me, and my mind didn't work the same as a human's. I could afford to think about other things, such as the upcoming game that night. I wasn't sure if Edward was bringing Bella or not. I didn't think to ask before I left. Most likely. Edward wouldn't want to leave Bella alone, and baseball wouldn't be dangerous for her. Well it may be, with Bella's luck.

"You're working again, Dr. Cullen?" Brett, an EMT and registered nurse, asked. He'd been on the scene during the car accident. It'd been Edward's acquaintance with Brett that had kept him off the back-board. Otherwise he might've been unable to come tell me Bella had been in an accident and his involvement. Brett seemed to genuinely like Edward.

"Dr. Snow called out sick," I replied, scribbling a note on a patient's clipboard. Brett worked to change the IV of another patient in the next bed over.

"That's ironic!" He laughed. "The doctor's sick this time." He laughed again.

"I guess it is," I replied with a chuckle.

"How are Edward and everyone doing?"

"They're good," I replied.

"I heard your boy started dating the Swan girl after the accident. I guess saving a girl's life earns brownie points, huh? Not that Edward needs any brownie points."

"Yes, Bella's a very nice girl." I moved on to check the patient's chart Brett was working at. The patient, an older gentleman, was sleeping peacefully after suffering a fall and breaking his hip. We were monitoring him carefully for signs of complications, like pneumonia.

"I figure he brought her home already, right? That boy of yours has some good manners. You and Esme must've done something right."

"We try. And yes, she was just over earlier today. I believe she's going to play baseball with us later on."

"Baseball? I didn't take you for an athlete, Dr. Cullen."

I laughed. "Well, Brett," I said, looking up from the chart, "It is the American Pastime. Also it's a bit of a family tradition."

"Well…" Brett finished off with the IV and sighed, checking his work, "I hope you all have fun. If you ever need an extra player, I played some ball in college. I'm always up for a game."

I smiled to myself. The thought of Brett, trying to play with us was comical. He'd be blown away at the first pitch! "I'll keep that in mind," I promised him, trying to be polite. "I think Mr. Fischer over there can be discharged by the end of the week," I told him, gesturing back to the last patient.

"I'll put in the paperwork," Brett promised. "Good talking to you, Dr. Cullen."

"It was good talking to you too, Brett," I replied.