A/N:I am really excited that this story is getting so much attention! It helps keep me going ;) So, thank you so all much for the favorites/follows and reviews! I really appreciate it! Keep inspiring me!

Oh, and happy Friday the 13th, everyone! Stay safe out there :)

Earthshine

Chapter III

"Unbalanced"

…

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."

-Alan Alda

…

[Edward]

As I watched Bella drift off to sleep, her body held loosely in my arms, the blanket wrapped securely around her fragile body to protect her from the coldness of my skin, I smiled and contented myself with watching the subtle motions of her face.

I had never been so thoroughly fascinated with anyone in the entirety of my existence. Each word and every movement was a sacred thing to behold, and I felt so unworthy to be the receptor of her attention.

Not a day went by now that I didn't feel the guilt right along with the adoration I felt for her. The two walked along, side by side. I couldn't escape either one, which made my final decision so much more difficult. I was equally torn in each direction.

On the one hand I, of course, wanted to remain beside her for the rest of her human days. I wanted to be there to experience everything with her. However, when I considered how selfish that was, and how remaining with her would deprive her of that human experience I so desired her to have, I felt myself pulled in the opposite direction.

It was a very frustrating and endless tug-of-war.

As if on cue, my mind began to consider other possibilities, reasons to disregard my impending decision to leave my beloved. The primary one being: It'd be more dangerous for her without me, right? I tried to console myself with that logic, but knew I was only making excuses. I was more dangerous to her than anything else she'd be exposed to, accident prone though she was.

I'd been over this with myself time and time again and it always came back around to the same thing. I was a vampire. I was dangerous to her. There was just no arguing that. She deserved so much more than what I was capable of offering.

If I had the ability to cry, even a slight tearing of my eyes, I'm sure I would've. Countless times. And now, as I watched Bella sleeping without a care in my arms – in the embrace of a predator – I felt the urge again. However, my immortal eyes would produce no reprieve for me.

Bella mumbled and my gaze refocused on her as she snuggled closer and sighed. Her sigh was content and I felt a wave of disgust with myself as equivalent to the pleasure that sigh afforded me. Why could I not just pursue one decision or the other?

I tried to quell my frustration. It was premature. I did not need to be focusing on any of it right now. I still had time, time to enjoy the company of the angel beside me. But…try as I might to avoid reflecting on the trials to come, they lingered relentlessly on the back of my mind. I could never just completely distract myself from them.

My mind naturally took to considering so many things at a time on a daily basis, always full of thoughts – my own and those of others – and I was forced to divide my attention between individual concepts. Due to this, I supposed it was nearly impossible for me to everreally distract myself.

There was nothing Ididn't hate about my existence as a monster.

A sudden light and vibration upon the nightstand prompted my eyes to lift, and I furrowed my brows. My family knew where I was and wouldn't bother trying to reach me unless there was some sort of emergency.

Reluctantly I rose, making sure to keep my movements gentle so as not to wake my darling, and reached for the phone. I looked down to the screen, and my confusion was replaced with a look of surprise.

Vitalia.

I checked the time, saw it was a quarter to midnight, and wondered why she was contacting me so late. It was a text message and I stared at the notification screen a long while in deliberation. I didn't really know why I was so hesitant. I was curious, of course, but I also wanted to disregard it until the morning so that I wouldn't miss out on a single moment with Bella.

I looked to my beloved and smiled warmly as she breathed evenly.

I'd lied to her again – well, rather, omitted. When she had asked how my hunting trip had gone, and inquired over why I had arrived a little later than she had been expecting, I only said it'd been a primarily uneventful trip, and that our prey had been a little more difficult to locate than usual.

I couldn't disclose having met up with Vitalia and her family without also having to explain how and why I knew them, which was something I definitely didn't feel I could reveal. Even considering that conversation, and how it would sound out loud, was enough to make me feel more assured of my own discretion.

I was also sure that Emmett had a few questions for me about it, and I reasoned that I was avoiding going home to delay having that discussion. However, I didstill want to know why he had been guarding his thoughts from me. It put me in a bit of a bind. Perhaps it was worth the discussion so that I could figure out the reason for his odd behavior.

My mind returned to the issue at hand, and I looked to the phone in my grasp. I examined the name – each letter of it repeatedly – as I tried to arrive at a decision. One, quick message wouldn't do any harm, right? I wouldn't miss much from Bella at all. Maybe a few seconds or so.

Besides, I was wasting a lot more time in my pondering the matter, and I knew that if I did decide to hold off, that it'd be just another thing on my mind that I'd be curious over. In order to devote my full attention to my darling, without distraction, I supposed it'd be best if I simply sent a hasty response.

Mind made up, I flipped the phone open and selected my message tab before reading over what the girl had sent me.

Vitalia: Hey, Stalker! You awake? (: Oh, wait. What am I saying? Of course you are. Stalkers are up at all the long hours of the night. It's the best time to indulge those habits of yours, isn't it? (;

I smiled, resisting the compulsion to chuckle as well so as not to wake Bella. I shook my head at what the girl had written before swiftly keying a response, my movements so quick that the entirety of the message was composed and sent in under 4 seconds.

Edward: Correct again. I'm awake and indulging my habits. So, in the future, you'd best refrain from distracting me during these 'long hours of the night'. I'm quite dedicated, you see.

I closed the phone and, rather than rising again, placed it into my pocket and wrapped my arm around Bella, feeling that warmth from her even through the thickness of the blanket she wore. However, it was no sooner that I'd done so, that I felt another vibration from my phone.

I deliberated again but, my curiosity, already indulged once, returned even stronger as I felt a need to know how she had chosen to respond to my comeback.

Vitalia:Oh, I see. I'm not your first victim then, am I? (;

Edward: Not hardly.

I didn't lower the phone this time, instead opting to at least continue and complete the conversation. In a few minutes, I would simply tell her goodnight and then I could go back to my devoted attention to my darling.

When my phone lighted again, I found myself almost eagerly shifting my eyes across the words on the screen. I definitely wasn't too fond of the text messaging method of communication, as it so completely cut me off from a great influx of information; there was no possible way for me to hear the accompanying thoughts to what was being said. However, I was willing to just make do for now, and obtain what information I still could.

Vitalia:I didn't think so. You seem to really know what you're doing. And your brother mentioned that it was a bad habit of yours. He's really cool, by the way. I'm glad I met him. I had a lot of fun with you guys!

I found myself in the rare position of trying to figure out how to respond to that. It didn't surprise me that she would have fun with a pair of vampires, given our dangerous nature. However, what I was trying to sort out was whether I could respond in kind.

Fun. Had I had fun? I remembered feeling very anxious to get the hunting trip over with so that I could return to Bella, and I also recalled feeling annoyed and frustrated when me and Emmett had to intervene for Diego with that bear.

But then, somewhere along the way to their camp, after meeting Eden and seeing Vitalia, perhaps during the race, I had seemed to lose track of the time, my competitive side taking my focus as well as my ponderings over the girl herself and my debate concerning whether or not to allow myself to get to know her better.

I'd enjoyed myself. Somehow…I had, and I didn't really know how to feel about that. It…unbalanced me a little. I reread the text, the words warm and open, and my mind grew conflicted.

Should I feel enjoyment with anyone aside from Bella? Should I have permitted myself to be distracted that way? I lifted my eyes to my love's sweet face, watching as her brow twitched and as her lips parted upon an exhale of breath.

Another vibration demanded my returned attention to the mobile screen.

Vitalia:You think too much. I realized that about you today. You're thinking right now, aren't you?

I tilted my head, and an amused smile crossed my face. Even from a distance, she still somehow managed to read me. That was perhaps one of the strangest aspects to the entire situation. Her inadvertent ability to read me so accurately. What she said, though, succeeded in momentarily redirecting my attention to considering a response.

Edward:Well, I suppose it's just another habit of mine. Emmett and I also enjoyed our time with you and your family. He is definitely an entertaining person to be around, and so I'm not surprised you took a liking to him.

I kept it formal and focused on Emmett. It seemed the best way to answer. I sighed and lowered the phone, eyes instead drifting up towards the ceiling. Was it wrong to find enjoyment elsewhere? My mind stubbornly returned to that inquiry.

I felt like it was. I felt like, somehow, I was being unfaithful to Bella. As if I was tarnishing what we shared. She was my sole source of joy. The very center and all that mattered in my universe. To share that part of me with someone else, that enjoyment of mine...would take away from, at least in part, what I should be giving entirely to Bella.

Even now, I was choosing to continue texting Vitalia rather than hold and admire the beauty beside me.

Another vibration had me lowering my eyes slowly and looking to my phone a bit reluctantly. I decided that I would end the conversation and think over this situation more thoroughly. It had been imprudent of me to even offer the girl my number in the first place.

Vitalia:Well, he isn't the only one I've taken a liking too (; You're very interesting, Eddy. The reason I wanted your number was so that I could learn more about you. I don't run into people like you every day.

I already knew her reason from her thoughts, but hearing her actually say it only accentuated the openness I already knew to be a part of who she was. It was almost laughable what she said at the end though. I had no doubt that she hadn't met anyone else like me. Not many people encountered vampires on a day to day basis. Our two species just weren't meant to mingle.

But, interesting? She thought me interesting? Nothing could really be further from the truth. I didn't know what she expected to learn from me, but it wouldn't be much. Her hope was a vain one. If I eliminated all things vampiric, I wouldn't be much of anything. All that would remain was that very small glimmer of my humanity which Bella managed to call forth. Even that was slight though, and so frequently silenced by my selfishness.

And Vitalia had taken aliking to me. That was perhaps the worst of it. What she liked was that danger her subconscious undoubtedly detected, that part of her which sought and flourished on a good thrill.

Edward:I imagine not. Still, don't expect to learn much from me. I'm not a very open individual, and those things I am willing to share wouldn't be of much interest to you. Anyway though, I'm going to bed. Goodnight.

I dutifully keyed out a final response before closing my phone determinedly. I rose to set it back on the night stand, then lowered myself beside my beloved and returned my arm to encircle her waist. I breathed her in, that glorious and delicious scent of her, while my eyes scanned and studied her face.

I heard my phone vibrate, but I forced myself to ignore it. Vitalia was undoubtedly arguing against what I had said, as most everyone seemed to do. Everything about vampires drew the human species towards us. We were interesting and attractive to them and, try as I might to dissuade them – my own beloved Bella included – it always seemed a wasted effort. They were a very susceptible race.

…

Bella stirred at about nine in the morning, Charlie had already come and gone, and I looked on eagerly as those soft, brown eyes opened to greet mine. She smiled tiredly and then shifted closer, looking to the blanket as if it were somehow offending her.

I chuckled a little before thrusting it aside and allowing her to scoot towards me and nuzzle her head against my chest. I lifted a hand through her hair and gently stroked her dark strands before delivering a soft kiss upon her forehead.

"How did you sleep, my love?"

"Fine," she said before sighing. "I wish I didn't have to sleep so long though."

"It's important. I envy your ability to sleep at all."

"Yes, but…" She trailed off and I glanced down at her while she fiddled with my shirt nervously.

"But?"

"…I wish I could be awake with you."

It warmed me to hear such an admission from her, even if they were misplaced, and I held her just a little tighter.

She eased into me and released another sigh, and there was a silent moment before she continued in a mumbled set of words.

"You know, if I was…like you…I could."

I tensed at the turn in conversation as it brewed in me a frustration I always felt whenever she brought it up. I thought I had made it clear to her already that I was not even considering doing that to her. That I couldn't. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. The times in which she endeavored the topic were scarce but, whenever she did, without fail, we'd end up arguing over it.

And I really wasn't in the mood to argue.

So, in an attempt to thwart her, I merely looked to her with a smirk and decided to try and distract her. I don't know if she was ever reallydistracted from what she really wanted to discuss, but I'm sure she recognized how stubbornly I was against obliging her that conversation.

"You should start getting ready. You have a morning shift, correct?"

She was silent another long while, before she slowly nodded and sat up, slightly frowning but looking to me as if she had been expecting that response from me. Attempting a smile, she let me sit up and kiss her, before she stood and gathered her things for a shower.

I watched her go and then liedd back down, staring up at the ceiling again and trying to keep myself calm. Bella just had no idea what she was even asking. It bothered me that she was so willing to throw away her life for me, though I didn't exactly blame her as much as I blamed myself. I was the cause of it. I had intruded on her life and was now causing her to feel those unnatural things.

I absently glanced across the room as I heard the shower head switch on, and my eyes fell on my phone. I remembered that I hadn't read Vitalia's final response. Considering that I was going to look eventually and that there was nothing better I could be doing at the moment anyway, I reached over and flipped the device open.

Vitalia:Ooh, mysterious ;P I'm glad you're not open, it just makes it so much more fun for me to take on this challenge! And let me be the judge of what interests me and what doesn't. Sorry, but that's up to me, Eddy. You don't get any say there. Night! Talk to you later (; And don't you think for a second that I actually believe you're going to bed, stalker. I know better than that.

Inadvertently, she'd seen through even that lie. I smiled slightly, and reread the message. A part of me felt a little bad then as I considered some of the things I had been thinking the night prior. However, I still needed to really consider the matter before continuing to converse with her.

Thoughts returning to the context of the message, I found it interesting that, rather than seeming to feel any frustration at being told how closed off I was, it instead fueled Vitalia. She almost appeared to preferit. How strange. I'd never considered it like that before. With Bella…it was always so frustrating that I couldn't read her thoughts – that she was so often closed off.

Considering it as a challenge though…maybe, inadvertently, that's what I'd actually been doing all along. Maybe that was part of the draw she had on me. It had been the very first thing I noticed about her, after all. It had made me curious and I had pursued that curiosity. It had led me towards my fascination with her.

Interesting.

Predictably, Vitalia had argued against my claim that my revelations would be uninteresting to her, and I found myself content with the knowledge that she was at least somewhat on the normal scale of things. Still, her forceful refusal left hardly any room for me to refute it.

She was right, after all. Only she could determine such a thing, but I held firmly to the belief that her determination would align with my proclamation.

…

After I drove Bella to work, I received a phone call from Jasper. It was a little strange to me, as he rarely ever sought me out, and so I answered my phone with a bit of caution. Was something wrong with Alice? I voiced my concern, but he hastily assured me that she was fine.

However, it turned out that it did pertain to Alice, and I smiled and shook my head as I listened to his explanation. Their anniversary was in two days and he wanted to try surprising her this time.

I felt for him, I really did. It was virtually impossible to surprise Alice with anything and I knew that one of the joys of gift-giving was being able to offer the receiver something they didn't expect.

I agreed to try my best to help him and told him to meet me outside of the hospital in town. I had to meet with Carlisle about some tests I wanted him to run. Bella had developed an allergic reaction the prior day when we'd gone to our field, and he said he would aid me in determining the cause so as to avoid it in the future.

Jasper was a little hesitant – always being very cautious when it came to hospitals due to his strained control – but he mentioned that he figured it would be alright as long as he was outside and downwind of the emergency bay.

I ended the call with him and my eyes lingered on my phone another moment longer as I considered Vitalia's last text. I felt the urge to respond, but I hadn't made up my mind whether to continue our conversation or not.

Returning the device to my pocket determinedly, I kept my eyes fixed on the road and my mind on my destination. Indecision was a curse of mine, obviously.

About five minutes later – a route that would've taken at lease fifteen for those abiding by speed limits – I pulled into a space near the front of the hospital and then made my way towards the main entrance with a leisurely stroll.

The ladies at the front desk knew me and the rest of my family by now, and they often disregarded protocol and procedure for us. That natural charm of ours was to blame for their cooperation. I sauntered up to them and greeted each by name in a smooth, cascading voice.

"Good morning, Linda," my eyes shifted, meeting those of the woman standing beside her, "Annie," my eyes shifted again, "and Suzie."

They smiled and greeted me in turn, their thoughts at once flustered. I withheld a smirk at their predictable reactions and continued.

"I'm here to meet with my father. Is it alright if I go back and see him?"

"He's with a patient at the moment," Linda replied, as she was by far the most practical of the three. "But, it should be alright. He's just finishing up. He's in exam room 204."

"Thank you," I responded as she handed me a visitor's badge, my tone containing only utmost sincerity and appreciation.

Then, I turned, felt their eyes on me, and made my way to the elevator. There was only an elderly man standing there beside me and, as the doors closed and we journeyed in a brief silence, I considered how I, if nature had been allowed to run its course, would look something like he did right now.

It was how I was supposed to look.

The doors opened and I stepped past him quietly. He was observing me with a look of confusion, and I wondered if he recognized the older spirit inside of me. Well, whatever spirit there was to find, at least.

I ignored his stare and continued down the hall, redirecting my focus and trying not to hone in on any of the pained and anxious clutters of concerned thoughts around me.

A heavy scent of chemicals and the dull metallic of old blood invaded my nose as I continued forward, my senses all a little hyperactive within the enclosed building. Hospitals were usually rather unpleasant to visit. I was sure Carlisle had to be at least partially immune to it by now. He'd spent almost all of his life practicing medicine.

Before I reached the designated exam room, my phone vibrated and I paused to look down at the message. For a fleeting moment, I had thought maybe it was Vitalia, demanding I reply or accusing me of spending too much time thinking, but I saw Jasper's name.

Jasper:Alright. I'm outside whenever you're ready. Don't know if you can hear my mind or not so, just in case, here you go.

I could, if I concentrated on his mind through the hundreds thrumming around me, but I appreciated him making it easier for me. I keyed a quick response in affirmation, before placing the device back into my pocket and continuing forward. I frowned at my initial reaction though. Had I been hopingthe text would be from her? Why did it even matter to me?

Again, I felt a little disconcerted. I didn't know what to think or what the right thing to do was. I needed to focus my attention on Bella, and I just couldn't allow anyone else to distract me, even fractionally, from her. Right?

It was frustrating though because, try as I might to ignore it, I was still curious to learn more from Vitalia. The image of her with that flower in her hand, her eyes looking in wonder at that simple, ordinary thing, kept replaying in my thoughts.

Why?

That unnerved me most of all. She shouldn't be on my mind when it was far better occupied with thoughts of Bella. The constant back and forth was putting me into a very uptight sort of mood.

I reached the exam room and tried to push aside my ponderings until later. Right now, I could focus on the tests that I needed Carlisle to run, and the expedition Jasper and I were about to endeavor.

However, no sooner had I succeeded in partially distracting myself, than the thoughts of Carlisle and his patient invaded my mind. 'His patient…' my eyes lifted to peer in through the horizontal window. It was Vitalia.

What was she doing here?

'Yeah, that antiseptic kinda burns a little,'she was thinking.

'This girl,'Carlisle noted as he continued his application of the ointment onto her shoulder, where I saw a rather deep-looking gash. 'She looks a little beaten up.'He frowned. 'This might need stitches.'

So, she had gotten herself hurt. Again. Of courseshe did. And now she was here and making things difficult for me. I breathed in deeply and debated whether or not to enter. Usually, when Carlisle was with a patient, I would at least knock or simply wait to enter.

'Would it be wise to-'

Not unlike what she often seemed to do, I cut off my train of thought and thrust the door open, a little annoyed with my own head for being so fickle. It was just back and forth all the time without reprieve. Perhaps entering had been a little – if not very – impulsive of me, but I didn't care. I'd had enough for one day. I had come to meet with Carlisle, and this little girl's presence was not going to stop me.

They both looked to me as soon as I stepped into the room, and my eyes fell to Vitalia. She was simply sitting there on the hospice bed, unassuming and unaware of the frustration she was causing me.

'Edward,'my father began to admonish. 'I'm with a patient. '

But then he must have caught the recognition from her as she continued to stare right back at me. She grinned, a strangely knowing sort of smile, before her thoughts revealed why.

'Aha! I knew it, they're related! Is he another brother or something? Those eyes. So weird, but they're unmistakable.'

"Eddy," she greeted me, before motioning to my father. "I had a suspicion that you were related to the good doctor here."

"Oh, really?" I couldn't help but ask, the sarcasm heavy. "And the name 'Dr. Cullen' didn't give it away?"

My father's thoughts again reached me. 'Ah, so you know her. Is her family the one Emmett told us about yesterday?'I wasn't at all surprised that Emmett had spoken of the event to everyone, and I subtly nodded to confirm his inquiry.

"My mind didn't go there," Vitalia shrugged in answer, my tone not effecting her in the slightest. "You're just 'Eddy' to me." She then looked between us again, "so, is he another brother of yours? My dad mentioned that you have two."

"I'm his father," Carlisle smiled kindly at her. "Adoptive, that is."

And, at that, I suddenly felt on edge for some inexplicable reason. That explanation would definitely be questioned by Vitalia. Even considering it now, it seemed very outlandish.

Her brows furrowed, and I watched as she looked deep into his eyes. 'Adoptive father? But…those eyes. It doesn't make any sense. Wait…oh! Of course.'

'She's very perceptive, Edward,'Carlisle silently stated, a warning in the tone of it.

Vitalia's eyes quickly shifted back to mine, "you wear contacts, don't you? All of you. That's still really weird, but kinda funny too."

'Wonder why they do that,'she thought to herself, but her thoughts were cut off by me before she could allow them further study.

"That's right," I answered smoothly to the girl.

'…interesting conclusion,'Carlisle silently remarked.

She chuckled, and her thoughts continued. 'And he looks so serious while saying it too. Hm…adoptive father. I wonder what happened to his parents. That'd be kinda sad if he lost them. Maybe these people just…all want to look like a real family. Maybe that's why they do it.'

"Are all of you adopted then?" She asked.

I nodded.

She smiled and then looked to Carlisle, "well, that was very nice of you, sir."

He nodded and graciously accepted her compliment with a smile.

'He's like running an orphanage of golden eyed people,'she quipped.

I had to resist chuckling at that despite myself. This girl…her thoughts were as strange as ever. My mouth fought to form a smile as I watched Carlisle finish cleaning her wound. I looked to her face then while her attention was on him, and tilted my head as I considered her.

She, once again, had made her own assumption, I had gone along with it, and then she accepted it without further question. It was an easy sort of arrangement. She also…didn't seem to be holding my failing to respond to her text against me.

What was the harm in simply conversing with her? It would give me something to do during those times which I usually only spent waiting around. I could continue considering all of this further, but I knew I'd only be keeping up the same indecision with myself. I needed to decide what to do here.

Bella had been the one to take on a second job, taking away from time we could've spent together, and so why couldn't I enjoy myself during her absence? I usually drove myself mad with impatience, and so perhaps this would help to alleviate that. It might even aid me in clearing my head so that I could actually make a sound decision where my darling was concerned.

Convincing myself that this would eventually help Bella, aided me in being more accepting of the idea of speaking with Vitalia. My smile widened, and I arrived at my decision.

My posture more relaxed, I crossed my arms and waited until the girl glanced to me. When she did, I indicated her shoulder.

"So, what happened there?" I teased. "Did the bear fight back?"

I could feel my father's eyes on me as my tone and expression shifted. His thoughts were somewhat confused and a little surprised. However, he didn't stare for long, and dutifully returned to his work. I suppose I couldn't really blame him for the reaction, as I had never been a very social sort of person. The first individual outside of our family that I had bonded with outside of my family was Bella.

He wasn't the only one wondering why Vitalia was an exception to that.

The girl grinned widely at me. 'Hm…he seemed a little tense coming in here. Has a lot on his mind, I guess. Like always. Still, he looks a little better now. That's good. I was hoping what I said last night didn't offend him or anything.'

My smile softened at that, and I again felt a bit of remorse at having abruptly ended our conversation. Of course she'd wondered that. It was definitely a logical explanation for my behavior.

But, she still didn't mention it aloud, and instead responded with a wink. "I wish, but sadly no. No bears involved. This," She slightly lifted her shoulder, "is from my dad's skinning knife. He was swinging it around, showing off in front of mom and I walked by and got clipped by it. She gave him a pretty harsh lecture afterwards, but I felt kinda bad for him. Daddy can get pretty down on himself when he messes up."

"Ah," I nodded, watching the scenario in her mind and shaking my head. It was so typical of that family. I could definitely understand Diego's feelings on that matter though. Making a mistake like that, hurting someone you cared for, was one of the very worst things. "Are they here with you?"

"They went to lunch down the road. Told me just to call when I'm ready to leave." She sighed and looked to her shoulder, "my mom doesn't really like hospitals, she prefers all those natural medications and remedies and things, but this baby here was pretty deep and daddy thought I might need to get it stitched."

She looked back to me, "and what are you doing here? Barging in like this."

"I'm just here to speak with my father," I responded easily. "Nothing too serious."

"Hm," she mused as a smirk formed. "Something top-secret, no doubt. Classified, stalker business."

At that, I swore I saw a fleeting smile form across Carlisle's face in reaction to her comment. I think it it's safe to say that my family had been a bit concerned with my behavior when I'd first taken an interest in Bella. I suppose it was understandable too. I just…couldn't help myself. Even I'd questioned my own sanity.

"I don't know how you're always so right about these things," I played along.

'Finding the humor in something like that,'Carlisle was thinking in continued surprise. 'That's unlike you, Edward. It's…a good change though.'I could tell he was trying to be delicate about this and, now that he'd pointed that out, I realized he was right.

Usually, I would feel a little annoyed with others calling out my thoughts, just because I didn't always want to acknowledge them myself. However, Vitalia's way of approaching it was different. She wasn't calling me out on it to reprimand or tease me. Hell, she wasn't evenserious about it. She simply didn't realize how right she was.

And, for some reason, it encouraged me to play along too. Somehow, it made it a little easier for me to deal with that shortcoming of mine.

"Well, young lady," Carlisle said to her. "I think we can get away with not stitching this, aright? I'm just going to use some surgical tape to hold it in place and put a bandage over it for you."

"Really?" She asked, looking to him excitedly. "That's great! I didn't want to have to worry about stitches."

'Talk about a serious inconvenience,'she thought, and I smiled as I heard that. It wasn't as if it'd be much of one, realistically. She was dramatic.

Carlisle chuckled softly before focusing on the bandaging process.

Vitalia winced briefly, before breathing out and relaxing herself. My eyes noted the scratches along her arm from where she'd fallen, and I shook my head again. She was destined for disaster, and it would not be of my doing.

Once my father was finished, he stood and smiled down at her, "well, it was lovely to meet you, Miss Santi."

"And you," she nodded. "Kind of freaking me out that I've been running into Eddy so much though."

Carlisle nodded, "yes, I'd say it is a little strange. Life's just funny that way sometimes."

"Mhm, it is," Vitalia winked up at him. "It has a sense of humor."

I just watched their exchange silently. It certainly did. It had a rather cruel sense of humor sometimes too. I wondered then if she'd ever been exposed to any sort of tragedy. Her approach to life was so positive, that it didn't seem at all tarnished by misfortune.

This was what I wanted for Bella. This was what she deserved. To live a normal life, like this girl, to enjoy every stage of it. I was the only one holding her back from that.

"Well, you're free to go," Carlisle said to Vitalia before motioning to the door. "Will you be paying upfront or do we need to send an invoice somewhere?"

"My parents will probably just pay for it when they get here," she answered. "I'll wait outside and have a smoke or something."

'Oh dear,'Carlisle thought at that. It was his usual reaction to hearing that his patients smoked, especially teens.

Which, for that matter, Vitalia was not even eighteen. I wondered if maybe her parents had bought a pack of cigarettes for her. No, correction, her father. Her mother was far more sensible. Smoking though…it was extremely harmful to the health of human beings. It didn't exactly surprise me that she had formed such a hazardous habit though.

'Oops,'Vitalia's eyes widened a little at seeing Carlisle's reaction. 'I'm underage, probably shouldn't have said that. And he's a doctor too. Damn.'

"I see," my father replied, smiling to her. "That works then. I'll just notify the nurse in reception then.'

"Cool," Vitalia nodded, relieved, before gathering her things, and then hopping off the bed. She smiled to Carlisle a final time before approaching me and lifting a finger to give the side of my head a little flick.

I stiffened, not having expected the contact, and she winked.

"Stop thinking so much," she said. "It's taking you an awfully long time to respond to my text."

I smiled widely at her. So, she just couldn't help bringing it up, after all. However, being who she was, she had approached it in a jesting manner.

"I'll work on that," I responded, before looking to her with a forced expression of sincerity, for I already knew that the words I would next speak would go unheeded. "And you stay out of trouble."

"Ha!" She laughed, "Right. Me? I prefer to stay introuble, Eddy. I love it."

And her eyes were gleaming as she voiced that. Even the very thought gave her a thrill. The girl was beyond ridiculous. However, it made me so curious. Curious to explore and study that mindset of hers. I didn't really understand why I was so drawn to it.

In the back of my mind, I noticed that Carlisle was busying his mind with an inventory of his supplies. Was he also distracting his thoughts as Emmett had done? Did I even wantto know what they were thinking?

"I suppose you're a lost cause then," I replied to Vitalia, that liveliness in her eyes again capturing my attention. It was a remarkable thing.

"Pretty much," she said before lifting her hand in a half-wave. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye," I said with a nod.

"Bye, doc!" She hollered to my father, and he bid her a parting word in turn.

Then, she turned and left, her parting thoughts mostly centered on amusing self-anecdotes.

"Edward," Carlisle called out to me, eyes watching me closely. I wondered why he was looking at me that way, but he offered me nothing, only held out a hand for the vial I held. A vial of blood that I had asked Bella to procure for me. It was sealed tight so as to aid me in resisting it.

I blinked and looked down at it, having briefly forgotten.

I handed it to him with a slight frown. Why had I forgotten that, and why did it not bother me as much as it should? My father eyed me another moment before turning to prepare the testing slides. I looked away and to the wall across from me.

It was silent, save for the steady hum of inner voices throughout the hospital, until I heard my name, and I honed in on whichever mind it had been voiced from.

Jasper.

'-hope Edward hurries up. I mostly just smell antiseptic, but I'm still picking up on the blood from her wound. Don't know why she has to stand next to me. Oh, good. She's lighting a cigarette, that'll help. Not that it's a good thing that she's smoking. Maybe that's selfish of me.'

My eyes widened and then I closed them to instead see through the eyes of my brother as he stared at Vitalia, who had just exited the main entrance and sat on a corner of the walkway ledge, not ten feet from where Jasper was standing. She smiled at him, before lifting her cigarette and lighting it. She inhaled deeply and a cloud of smoke left her lips.

'That really hits the spot,' she thought.

I relaxed a little, only just realizing I had tensed at all, and prepared to listen to whatever exchange might take place between Jasper and Vitalia. I suspected it wouldn't take long for her to try and strike up a conversation, no matter how unnerving Jasper might be to most.

If she wasn't at all uneasy around me, Emmett, or Carlisle, I surmised that, if she was to ever feel any form of anxiety from a vampire, it would be from him.

Furthermore…through Jasper's mind, he might be able to give me some insight into the girl's actual feelings; confirm if there really was any fear coming from her. I was beginning to wonder if it was just nonexistent in her.

It was going to be a very interesting thing to listen to.

To be continued…

A/N: I'm very enthusiastic about the next chapter. I love Jasper's character ;) Just a little a teaser for you there ;P It will be from Vitalia's perspective too, so, like Edward, you can gain some further insight into her character. I'll update as soon as I can!