As always, thanks go out to all my readers, and all who have favorited or are following the story.

To those who commented on the last chapter (elysalol, Guest, kouga's older woman, TheBlueWilderness, Ruiniel, UnderlinedSmile, and Goldielover) Thank you! Words cannot express how much I appreciate your reviews.

CHAPTER 8

AGAINST REASON

Carlisle had lost his mind.

Clearly.

When Bella had first walked in the store, he should have done the sane and rational thing, and rushed out of there. Instead, he had selfishly sought her out, breaking his own rules for the simple reason that he couldn't help himself.

Whenever Bella was around, it was like… like his brain would go for a long and carefree walk, taking all of his common sense with it.

Not only had he engaged his singer in conversation, he had then browsed the aisles with her. If she had been anyone else, it might have been harmless. But Bella was a perceptive woman who, unlike most people, seemed all too aware of his oddities.

As they had guided their carts along the aisles, Bella had noted the dazzling effect he had on women, and boldly pointed it out. As for the elderly man who had hurried past them in order to get away from him, she had caught that, too. Only she hadn't said anything that time.

There could be no doubt, Bella Swan had keen eyes and an inquisitive mind. If Carlisle had any sense, he would keep his distance from her. Instead, he had offered to drive her home, prolonging his time with her in the cramped interior of a car. Real smart, Cullen. Scent-wise, the woman was temptation personified.

As he pulled up next to the covered entrance in front of the Thriftway, where Bella was currently waiting by their shopping carts, her gaze sliding over his Mercedes as he came to a stop, Carlisle blew out a breath and sought to calm his jumbled nerves.

She wasn't even in the car yet and already he could feel the heat in his throat. Worried that his eyes would betray his nature, Carlisle craned his neck to catch his reflection in the rear-view mirror.

Gold. His irises hadn't changed color yet. At least that.

Leaving the car running, Carlisle popped the trunk, and stepped out into the rain. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

At least Bella was dry, the store's overhang protecting her from the downpour.

"You didn't," she assured him, and reached for her grocery bags.

No sooner had she looped a hand through the plastic handles than Carlisle cleared his throat, and leveled a look at her. Now in doctor mode, he cocked a brow, and waited.

"No lifting. Right." Bella yielded with a sigh.

"Nothing over ten pounds," he reminded her with a small, benevolent smile. "I'm sure Dr. Coleman told you, but your body is still healing. Physical stress could raise your blood pressure and cause a bleed." With that, Carlisle opened the passenger door, and motioned for her to take a seat. "Ladies first."

What Bella made of his archaic manners, he couldn't really say. Her tiny smirk could mean a number of things.

Heeding his advice, she abandoned her groceries, and entered the vehicle. Once Bella was seated, Carlisle should have stepped back, and closed the door. Instead, he kept staring at her, and she kept staring at him, with a subtle blend of amusement and confusion on her face.

Doubtless she was wondering why he was watching her, his mouth curved in pure gladness.

It was yet another thing he couldn't seem to help. The rational part of his brain might have been shouting that this was reckless and stupid, but the rest of him didn't seem to care. He liked being around her—this unique and intriguing woman he would give anything to be friends with.

You can't, though, he reminded himself before lowering his gaze and shutting the door. As the rain continued to drip off the overhand, Carlisle placed the groceries in the trunk before returning the shopping carts inside. From there, he quickly retraced his steps, and returned to his idling car.

Closing the door at the same time Bella fastened her seatbelt, he cast a fleeting glance in her direction. Remember the rules, he told himself. Acquaintances were acceptable. Forming human friendships was not.

To that end, Carlisle would drive her to Charlie's house and help with the groceries. But after that, he would put an end this madness by bidding her good night and heading on home, parting ways for what should be the last time—unless he ran into her by chance again someday.

Ignoring the pang in his chest, Carlisle put the car in drive, and set out across the parking lot.

"Thanks for the lift," Bella offered as the Mercedes neared the street. "You didn't have to do that."

"It's no trouble at all. Only I'm afraid you'll have to steer me in the right direction. I have no idea where Charlie lives."

"Sure. Just turn left here."

Following her directions, Carlisle exited the parking lot, while Bella twisted to look over her shoulder. "Um… I think you missed a stop sign?"

"Did I? My apologies."

What Bella mistook for a blunder was actually a habit. Used to moving at blinding speeds, Carlisle didn't always abide by the rules of the road. Thanks to his superior vision and reflexes, there was no risk of crashing; he was always in complete control. But because Bella didn't know this, Carlisle trained his eyes on the road, and refrained from pressing too heavily on the gas.

At first, neither of them said anything. But as they passed in front of Newton's Olympic Outfitters, Bella nudged her chin toward his hand, her curiosity surfacing when she said, "That's an interesting ring."

"It's a family heirloom," he replied, mixing lie with truth. The ring bore his family's crest, it was true, but instead of being handed down, he'd had it commissioned soon after he had changed Edward. A ring for himself. A leather cuff bracelet for his first companion. Then finally, a pendant necklace for Rosalie.

"It's very beautiful," Bella offered as his gaze flickered to her delicate hands. No ring. Recalling the man who had rushed to her bedside shortly after her surgery, Carlisle wondered where he was. Perhaps he and Bella were having romantic troubles. Or then maybe the man had gone back to Seattle to fulfill professional obligations.

Setting his pointless contemplations aside, Carlisle reached for his collar, and loosened his tie by a fraction. His throat was definitely burning now. A glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed that his eyes had darkened a little, too. Uh-oh.

If the weather wouldn't have been so cold and wet, Carlisle would have vented the space by opening a window. But because Bella was in the car, he turned on the heat instead, hoping the air would lessen his thirst and lighten the color of his eyes.

As uncomfortable as he was, Carlisle had to own that it wasn't as bad as before. Compared to the time he had climbed in the back of Bella's battered car, his reaction was a lot more manageable. At least he wasn't fantasizing about sniffing her neck this time.

Outside the car, the rain was quickly lessening to a drizzle, and the roiling clouds weren't as dark.

His mind going back to their conversation in the store, Carlisle broke the silence by saying, "Earlier, you mentioned that you'd majored in English. What do you do, Bella?"

"I'm a proof-reader for a home and garden magazine."

"A proof-reader," he echoed before asking, "Do you enjoy it?"

Bella gave it some thought. "More or less. It's not exactly the job I envisioned when I was working toward my degree, but at least it's in my field."

"What was it? The job you envisioned."

"Honestly?" Her eyes narrowed in contemplation. "I'm not quite sure. I love the English language, and I love written words. There's a part of me that loves the idea of sharing that passion. For a while, I thought maybe teaching? But then I decided it wasn't for me."

"Is there a particular reason why?"

Unbeknownst to Bella, Carlisle was no stranger to teaching. Whenever he and Rosalie would move, the two would often reinvent themselves, alternating between professions in order to blend in. While Rosalie bounced between being a college student, staying at home, or taking odd jobs as a mechanic, Carlisle usually alternated between medicine and teaching at a university level. Back in the early 2000s, he had changed things up by studying electrical engineering and computer science over at MIT. The subject might have been out of his usual field, but he found it quite useful, especially when it came to erasing his digital footprint, something his coven did on a regular basis.

To his right, Bella was still weighing her answer. "I think I just have a hard time imagining myself in front of a class," she said before giving a shrug. "When I graduated, I applied at several places. A few newspapers, and a publishing house. But then I landed that job at the magazine, and I ended up staying. For a time, I liked it well enough. If I'm being completely honest, I'm getting rather bored with it now." Her chin lowered for a moment, and he caught that blush again. "Thirty years old, with no real clue what I want to do with my life. Isn't that sad?"

"No," he countered softly, then looked to the road. "There was a time in my life when I felt… I guess the word I'm searching for is… lost? Like I was on this aimless path."

As he drove down a curving section of road, his mind went back to those lonely years of wandering the English countryside. No friends. No sire to guide him.

Carlisle met Bella's eyes again, his mouth curving a little when he added, "But I eventually found my purpose."

"Medicine," she guessed warmly before saying, "But you're, what? Thirty?"

"Thirty-one," he answered automatically, falling back on his cover story.

Physically Carlisle was frozen at twenty-seven, but in reality he was much older than that. At three hundred and seventy-seven years old, he was practically a relic. "I finished my residency last year," he said, adding yet another lie.

Given his religious upbringing, Carlisle believed that lying was a sin. But as a vampire living amongst humans, it was simply the way of things. In order to conceal his secret, and protect his family, he had to lie. It was unavoidable.

At first, Bella seemed mildly confused. "That's pretty much the norm, though, isn't it?" As soon as these words left her mouth, Carlisle realized his blunder. "If you were a licenced doctor by the age of thirty, you couldn't have floundered for that long."

Unable to refute her observation, he sidestepped by adjusting the air vent. "Where are my manners. I forgot to ask if you were warm enough."

"I'm comfortable, thanks." When Bella's pulse quickened unexpectedly, her fingers clutching the seat in a white-knuckled grip, Carlisle followed her gaze straight to his speedometer, and realized he was speeding.

"Sorry." His smile turned sheepish. "I tend to drive a bit fast."

"A bit?" She gave a nervous laugh. "My dad might like and respect you, but if he ever sees you driving like this, I guarantee you're getting a ticket."

Delighted by her teasing, Carlisle eased up on the gas, and saw the tension leave her shoulders.

For the next few moments, Bella seemed content to stare out the passenger side window. As he watched her profile in silence, Carlisle found she looked rather cute today, all bundled up in her coat, her wavy hair framing the side of her face.

Outside the car, the weather was still gray, but the drizzle had ceased altogether. As Carlisle deactivated the wipers, Bella's voice broke through the relative quiet.

"I hear your family has a long history in the area."

Carlisle's defenses went up, his stone-like body tensing as he threw a sideways glance at her. "Who told you that?"

"Charlie says that the Quileutes knew one of your ancestors. A century ago or something."

Oh, this wasn't good. Not good at all. Even if her information was wrong, it was much too close for his liking. What were the Quileutes thinking?! Divulging information, even half-truths, to the Chief of Police was not the way to protect their secret and honor the treaty.

Guessing that they had done so to explain their boycott of the hospital, Carlisle swallowed his displeasure, and tried to quell his worries.

It'll be fine. It's a harmless misdirection.

But if Bella or Charlie started digging…

They won't. He was just being paranoid.

Left with no other choice, Carlisle went along with the Quileutes' fabricated story. "My great-grandfather lived in the area, yes. But only for a time." Seeing the lingering question in her eyes, he told her that he knew very little about him.

"I see." There was a pause, and then, "What was his name?"

"His name?" Carlisle's throat bobbed. He had to think fast. "Carlisle Cullen. I was named after him."

To his relief, Bella shifted to stare out the window. A minute or so later, Carlisle felt her eyes on him again.

"So, where are you from originally?"

This was easier. He was prepared for that question. "I spent my formative years in London, England. But I've lived in many places." That was actually the truth. Now for another lie. "My father moved around a lot."

"Ahh, well that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Back when you were examining me at the hospital, we were talking and for a moment, I swear you sounded British." Bella was about to say more, but then her gaze darted past the windshield. "Charlie's house is just down the street. Over there on your left." Pointing, she told him it was the white one with the trees in front.

Relieved that their drive was at an end, Carlisle activated the turn signal, and pulled into the driveway. But as he helped with the groceries, carrying her bags inside, a part of him was saddened by the fact that he and Bella were about to part ways. Most likely for the last time.

"Just leave them on the counter," she instructed upon entering the kitchen.

Doing as she asked, Carlisle studied the space with a curious eye. Small and somewhat dated, the chief's home was clean and welcoming. Cozy seemed like a good word for it. When he spotted the old touch-tone phone on the wall, Carlisle's mouth twitched in nostalgic amusement. Well, that brings back memories. He and Rosalie had bought one just like it, back when they first came out. Except theirs had been white instead of pantyhose beige.

Turning toward Bella, Carlisle indicated the grocery bags. "Do you need help putting things away?"

"I'm pretty sure I can manage, but thank you. For this, and for giving me a lift."

"It was my pleasure."

"Um. I was going to make some tea. Do you want some?"

Carlisle waved a polite hand. "Thank you, but I really should be going."

"Right. Of course."

But neither of them moved at first. Instead, they just stood there. Remembering the promise he had made to himself, Carlisle eventually willed his feet to move. Seconds later, they were at the front door.

"I was nice to meet you, Isabella."

"It was nice to meet you, too, Dr. Cullen."

"Carlisle."

"Carlisle," she repeated.

Like him, Bella was still smiling, yet there was something in her gaze. Almost like she was sorry to see him go.

The moment stretched on. As the two shared a low chuckle, Bella fidgeted, while Carlisle fiddled with his car keys.

"Alright, well…" He indicated the door.

Reaching for the handle, Carlisle reminded her to take it easy. He had taken a step outside, and was bidding her a good night when he noted something, and came to a sudden halt.

The sky above their heads was still covered in clouds, but to his dismay, the western horizon had begun to clear. Though he and Bella were both shaded by the house, the same could not be said for his Mercedes. Because night had yet to fall, the sun hovered just over the horizon, casting warm orange light all around.

Trapped with nowhere to go, Carlisle panicked a little, at least on the inside. If he left the porch, and stepped out into the light, the refractive nature of his skin would betray him.

"Is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Hiding his nervousness, Carlisle promptly gathered himself. And then he had an idea. "You know… on second thought, I think I will have that cup of tea."

"Yeah?" Her confusion was evident, but as he nodded, stating that tea would be lovely, her smiled broadened and she motioned toward the entryway. "Alright, well… come on in, then."

I guess our boy is stuck at the house for a little while longer. ;-)

Anyway, thanks for reading! I don't normally beg for reviews, but if you feel inclined, I would love to hear from you.