BPOV

Dr Carlisle was a kind man, kinder than my father a policeman, there seems a genuine spark to Carlisle's soul. He was gentle when examining my injuries and didn't ask me anything, he seemed the perfect match for what I knew of Esme a kind sweet women who would stop at nothing to care for those she loves, and while his hands saves lives hers create bombs.

"There you go Isabella all patched up" smiling made him look even younger I would guess 40s to 50s though he looked no older than 30. I have learnt over the years true age can be determined from the eyes and gait of a person, no matter how much plastic they inject or in the Cullen's case what god-like mix of genetics they have a person who has lived, truly lived will have a calmer more patient spark in their eyes and will walk with a pace of many years on one pair of shoulders.

"Thank you dr..." with a small chuckle he smiled crookedly.

"Please, call me Carlisle I am technically retired" I couldn't help the gasp at how old that makes him, I can muse till the cows come home but come on this man looks hot, like an elderly version of Robert Patterson, yes I use to indulge in my soppy vampy films. At my raised eyebrows he grinned.

"Early retirement" with that he started to pack up. No matter where I have been people are nosey; in school, work, hospitals, they all ask questions, where are you going? What happened to your face? You tripped again! And more recently why I was in that alley? It threw me that he was so willing to give me my privacy, later I imagined it's a nice psychological tactic he has used over the years to gain trust so the next time he chats they spill their guts.

"Well… Thank you… you all seem to be very nice but what is going to happen to me?" Screw being subtle and fighting my way out, in all fairness so far they had taken me to a massive mansion and treated me, maybe if I act helpless enough they will cave and let me go. Looking at the date on his watch I reckoned I was unconscious for about a day sleeping, so that gives me two days to get back…

"Isabella do you know who we are?" interrupting my thoughts I frowned unconsciously tugging my bottom lip automatically racking up points for the lost girl look. He raised his eyebrows almost as if he could see right through my soul to my thoughts.

"No… but considering I'm here you don't believe that" I went for bitter honesty expecting it in return and when it did it was like a blow.

"No" one kind act to give hope and one word to rip it away. Tears formed in my eyes before I could stop them, I must be more tired than I thought come on Bella focus. He saw the impact it had and hastened to reassure me and what he said next threw me more.

"Oh I don't doubt your word, but through the pain in your eyes I see intelligence and being kidnapped and then treated should give enough clues that someone of your abilities can connect" as if we were in a lesson he sat in the chair opposite adopting a teacher like pose.

"Ok..? I know whatever you are you're not legal?" it sounded like a question and thankfully he treated it as such.

"Depends who's laws you follow" a dark chuckle followed that and he glanced away looking to the window, deep in memories I dread to think of.

After a few minutes the pain in my head was just growing worse "Please just explain I'm tired."

"My name is Carlisle Robert Cullen, my brother is Edward… no dear not that Edward ha we may look young but even that is beyond genetics, Edward Masen senior. No don't interrupt I will explain, our father was called Aro Masen, and he along with Marcus and Caius, our uncles founded 'The Orchard'. A very prominent business, dealing in things from narcotics to hits, yes my dear I'm afraid my family are assassins and drug dealers. Why Orchard? Well you'll see the irony later but for now suffice to say it was a harmless name to cover our less than harmless careers. Not Aro he is a ruthless man, retired, but still occasionally he demands reports.

Those three created one of the most powerful crime empires in the world, we have hands in many countries' underworld pockets. I am the younger son of Aro, so luckily I escaped the childhood my brother had. All the three wanted were three sons; once Ed was born he was the prince. When I came along I was left to my own devices luckily, and found out medicine was my passion. But Ed was exposed to an extreme training regimen the same one Edward was in. It striped away compassion, sympathy and pity technically creating the perfect killing machine.

You see Edward my dear is an assassin, we all have our jobs in the family, but he is our leader now and through that comes a huge responsibility especially with my dear brother hanging over his shoulder. I don't know what he will do with you, I truly hope nothing bad, the very fact he bought you here and didn't kill you shows that there is hope. Over the years I tried to save as much of his soul as I could and I hope that this will make him see the changes this family so desperately needs. I understand how scary this is and you probably want to get back to your family so I promise you Bella give me what you can of my nephew back and I will do my best to help you." He finished his speech and watched me warily.

To be honest my mind was blank, all that information was just too much and I didn't know how to react. Assassins? Crime lords? That sort of stuff was on TV it didn't exist in my world, sure there was evil but nothing on an organised level. I wanted to laugh at what he said but with what I had seen and let's be honest he didn't strike me as a practical joke person.

I vaguely heard someone else enter the room and glanced up still half muddled in my thoughts as I tried to focus on a small short brunette. She bent down saying "Bella? Helloooo?" I smiled uncertainty and she instantly squealed… wow caffeine addicts, I used to work in a coffee shop and even then they usually were a few octave's lower. Seriously this place just breeds beauty; she looked eternally young, tiny like a doll with a dangerous edgy pixie cut.

"Hi! I'm Alice, Edwards's cousin would you like a tour?" her voice was so damn high and perky, her fast words reminded me of a three year old on haribo. But not one to pass up the chance to escape, Carlisle made me feel safer than I had in a long time it was too dangerous to be around him, I nodded. With a quick confirmation from him Alice dragged me up and from the room; I left without a look at Carlisle I couldn't help him and his nephew… I couldn't even help myself.

Walking out the room and into the main foyer of the house I started to feel excited this was my chance I could see the layout and plan how to run, I am sure there is a way there must be, sizing Alice up she's so tiny I bet I could take her…though remembering Esme delicately shape that C4 I'm not sure.

"Okaaaaay now we have so much to see! Oooh where to start! Basically we live on one large compound surrounded by a huge wall with a lot of security and another huge house just outside where all our guards and trusted friends live, we each have our own wing of the house ooooh!" Stopping for a second she looked like she had truly lost it, her eyes widened and she started into nothing while clapping her hands. For a second I thought the rattling off long sentences without a breath had actually caught up with her.

"Alice…?" At her name she squealed and ran at me for a hug, instantly I flinched away curling in on myself. Stopping gracefully mid-flight she frowned slightly, but then just as quick it was gone and the 20 watt smile was back.

"I know where we should start" after only spending a few minutes alone with her that sentence terrified me, god only knows how hyper she could get or worse what happens when her caffeine filled blood crashes…

"Ok…" wary now as she slowly put her arm through mine and then promptly ran off outside, oblivious to me tripping after her.

"Come one! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Oh this is going to be great I can just tell, I have a feeling you are going to love this!" She was crazy, I was with a crazy woman, and not my depressive crazy but honest to god delusional crazy. Maybe this was there form of torture. Let me loose with the mental women and see how long till I break… damn they're good.

"Alice what…?" where we had stopped outside was a little inside the trees I saw earlier and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"This is part of 'Esmes paradise' as she likes to call it, the women has a serious green thumb. Every acre is split into different sections, different plants, flowers, moods, countries, specimens even; my mother is one organised genius, she takes flower power to the extreme" chuckling at the bad joke she looks at me expectantly.

"Wow its beautiful…" trailing off I take in the wide ring of trees surrounding a beautiful meadow, the light hit the trees and reflected to the grass perfectly and created a golden glow, it was the most peaceful and beautiful sights I had seen in a while and made a small spark of happiness light in me. I just wanted to ditch my shoes and run through the grass, to see if it was as soft as it looks, go and examine the trees perhaps climb one, basically I felt like a child in the summer.

"Indeed now as I was saying oh you can see over there that is the wall, about 10 feet of barbed wire newly implanted last year, security cameras and patrols, it's like a fort designed to keep our enemies out" smirking at me as if she knew my thoughts of escape, impossible the pixie wasn't a mind-reader.

"Wow" ah shit the same word but this time it wasn't awe in my voice it was defeat, staring at the wall and absorbing her words it seemed impossible to escape. Just as quickly my happiness disappeared and a familiar wave of pain and loss filled me. Please forgive me I tried but how can I reach you, this is only the defensives I can see, how can I outwit trained killers, god if you can hear me please let me go back.

Oblivious to my dark thoughts she continued in her annoying manner "ah I forgot I have to go take Jazz's armour to him, ohhh he is part of a RPG, role-playing and war games society, where adults in town gather to role play old wars, this month is the civil war, hmm he does look yummy in that armour. So excuse me I won't be a minute, would you prefer to stay here? Ok that's cool see ya, I'll be back soon" I didn't even notice she hadn't waited for an answer or that she seemed to be pretty smug about something. No, my mind was focused on the despair one wall had caused me.

Alice went inside to collect an order of something or the other to be honest I was glad she left me alone. Standing here in the meadow type clearing with a ring of… oh they were apple trees, I used to love apple trees my grandma swan had an orchard much smaller than this… the memory made me feel worse as I started at the greeny-red apples and tried to stop the sob in my throat. I couldn't when I remembered those happier days the pain drove me to my knees a keening cry escaped my throat. Escape! So futile this place was like a fort and one way or another they all seemed to want me here forever. A wall of darkness surrounded me blocking out the serene beauty as images flashed over my mind pain causing me to collapse further and curl up.

EPOV

I don't know what the hell that pixie was thinking bringing the girl here to my private place. We all had them as a place of reflection even my father, in our line of work it was essential, and we needed time to ourselves. My fathers' was his own personal armoury, Uncle Carlisle's' was his hospital on the edge of town, although retired he volunteered there. My Auntie took care of the acres of ground but her greenhouse housed some of the rarest flowers in the world she disappeared for days at a time to it if she was particularly upset. Alice had her dress making room, Jasper his library, Rose her garage and Emmett… well he had his video games I guess, the big teddy was rarely sad.

The point is this clearing was mine ever since I was a kid everyone knew no one came here without an invite and for Alice to do that full knowledge this is where I was and were I didn't want her to be... that damn women took it too far this time this is her fault! I have to follow through it's going too far they are all going to succumb and we don't know who she is or how big of a threat she is I have to do it. Swallowing down the feeling of nerves, what the hell? I have done this so often to prettier women as well since when do I get nervous? I pulled out my glock, feeling the cool metal and reassuring weight as I sighted her. Something strange happened then she fell, at first I thought she had tripped but no she was crying. Oh god that noise I had never heard anything like it before she was just curled up keening. In a way this warmed my heart and solidified my decision she was in pain, my family in danger I was doing the right thing. I lined her in my sight and flicked the safety, my finger slide onto the trigger.

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