9th chapter
The first time, Amanda was able to see clearly again, was, when Vladimir put her back on her feet a few metres in front of a beautiful house in the woods. The rain stopped only a few minutes ago and the smell lingered in the air, even for Amanda to notice. She inhaled deeply, but looked around nervously. She knew she would have to meet that family, they talked about, but she hated it to an extent. It took her two weeks to get somewhat comfortable around Stefan and he was only one person, but there she had to face way more people, who would probably help her in her current situation. She felt Vladimir's eyes on her, checking up on her as they proceeded to get to the main door. When they arrived at the stairs, leading up to the porch, Amanda stopped, eyeing the man next to her nervously. Her hand wandered intuitively to her belly.
Vladimir looked straight into Amanda's eyes, practically feeling her discomfort, but they both knew, they had to do this. He nodded shortly at her, accepting her silent request of staying there and let him make the first contact. He wondered for a moment, if the Cullens awaited them already or if their seer didn't pay any attention to unexpected visitors. He came to a halt in front of the door, ringing the doorbell, while he bit back the smirk that was about to spread on his face.
Once the door opened, he was slightly confused as he saw the young girl greeting him with a wide grin on her face. He was quick to mirror her grin and he noticed how the girl took a quick glance at the woman behind him, sending her a smile as well. Before Vladimir could properly greet the girl, her mother appeared next to her. Shock was written all over her face, when she saw him and instinctively, she pulled her daughter back, shoving her behind her in a protective manner. Bella's eyes stood solely on the vampire in front of her, not noticing the human in that situation.
"Why are you here?" Her voice was restrained, not sure how to react to see him again after such a short time. In a reassuring manner, she stroked over her daughter's shoulder, but it was more to ease her own confusion than her daughter's.
Vladimir eyed her behavior with amusement. He knew, she didn't want her daughter to be around him, or Stefan for that matter, she made it more or less clear, the last time they had stayed and shared a story on how they would gauge out the Volturi's eyes. His lips twitched at the thought of her shocked reaction, but they had just been honest with the girl. "I need to talk to Carlisle," he answered and looked from the girl back to the mother in front of him. "It is a matter of utmost importance." The sincerity in his voice couldn't be overheard, but before Bella could answer, Carlisle appeared at the door.
He furrowed his brows slightly at the visitor, but he smiled friendly. "Vladimir, you came unexpected," he said and nodded slightly at Bella, indicating her, that he would take care of the situation. With a last quick glance at the visitor, they retreated back into the house.
"As always," Vladimir answered, a slight smirk on his features.
"How can I help you?" Carlisle looked questioningly at the man in front of him. He couldn't possibly understand, what he could want from him. He made it clear, they wouldn't fight the Volturi, if that was his intention, but he somehow doubted that.
Vladimir eyed Carlisle sternly, as if he tried to make sure for himself, that he would really need his help. He sighed inwardly, closing his eyes for a split second. "We happen to find ourselves in a situation, that may seem familiar to you." He moved aside, revealing the woman that still stood in front of the stairs, bearing a nervous smile as she looked up at the two men.
Carlisle furrowed his brows as he looked at the woman and back to Vladimir. He knew what he was referencing, but he couldn't really believe it. Involuntarily, he made a step forward and onto the porch. "May I?" He asked, looking at the man, sensing how protective the other vampire was over the woman. After a second, he earned an approving nod from Vladimir, who moved aside a little, glancing at Amanda, before his attention was back on Carlisle, watching him like a hawk as he made his way down the stairs to approach his mate.
Amanda let out shaky breaths as the man walked down to her. His eyes shone with a mixture of confusion and worry, but his friendly expression quickly took over. The woman narrowed her eyes slightly as he came to a halt in front of her; she knew he had to be a vampire, but his eyes had a warm honey-like color, that was far less intimidating than the red eyes, she was used to by then. He eyed her carefully, his gaze lingered only for a split second on her belly, before he put on a comforting smile, when he met her eyes once more. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, pleased to meet you." He introduced himself in a calm and steady voice. Amanda forced a smile on her lips and introduced herself as well, but she couldn't stop glancing at Vladimir occasionally.
Carlisle shifted a little in his position, he realized that the woman was nervous and insecure, but he knew why Vladimir brought her there and therefore he had to make her at least feel somewhat comfortable. Thanks to his years of practice in the medical field, he knew being calm and move on at her pace would be the best he could do. "I am a doctor and I will try to help you if that's ok with you." He observed her reaction, how her gaze flickered to the other vampire and back to him, as if she sought confirmation. Truth be told, Carlisle knew nothing about the relationship between the two, but he doubted that Vladimir would act that way, if he didn't care about the human in the slightest. He focused on the woman in front of him for the moment, though. Once he saw a nod from her, Carlisle's smile widened a little. "Alright," he almost whispered and turned around. "Let's get you inside, I need to run a few tests and you are probably tired from your journey." He glanced back at the woman but proceeded to ascend the stairs again. When he reached the door, he turned around to see their visitors following right after and he led them straight upstairs and into his study.
Amanda, being too overwhelmed by everything in that situation didn't notice the other close-by vampires in the living room. Her eyes laid solely on the man in front of her. Vladimir, on the other hand, noticed the other vampires immediately. He could smell them and he heard their low whispers, debating on why he would return and why he would tag along a human. He couldn't hide the grin as he continued listening to their quiet conversations, their mumbles and even low hisses as they came to no conclusion for his appearance. He was used to such behavior and for the time being, he decided to rather find enjoyment in their silly conversations and reactions than to grow annoyed. He knew it would happen in the not too soon future, but, even when he hated to admit it, for the moment, he needed them. They were the only chance for his mate to survive the whole procedure, so he would play along as long as he needed to. He only hoped, that once Amanda was turned, she would be able to control herself quick enough to return as soon as possible.
Once they arrived in Carlisle's study in the upper floor, Amanda eyed the interior. Her eyes roamed over the various bookshelves and the undeniably beautiful view from the large window in front of her. She let her eyes wander further until it landed on multiple instruments she only knew from hospitals. She wondered, why a vampire would have such an equipment, but she remembered him telling her that he was a doctor. Amanda focused on the machines and the couch and she gulped a little. When the door shut behind her, she twitched immediately, the sound pulling her out of her trance of observation.
Carlisle walked over to a small cupboard, taking some utensils out of it and prepared them on the close-by table. He turned to Amanda with a comforting smile and pointed at the couch next to him. "If you may," he said and looked patiently at the only human in the room.
Hesitantly, Amanda obeyed. She walked slowly over while trying to concentrate on breathing evenly. She sat down on the couch and looked over at Vladimir who still stood at the door. Her eyes looked pleadingly at him, crying for help to ease her uneasiness, but he remained on the spot. He gave her a short nod, signalizing her that he was indeed aware of her pleas and would intervene if he saw fit. His eyes left her after a few seconds, settling on Carlisle instead, clearly indicating him, that he wanted an explanation to whatever procedure he wanted to begin.
Carlisle's eyes were trained on his patient. "Please, make yourself comfortable." The smile still stood in place and he could feel how she slowly calmed down in his presence; not enough to trust him, but she seemed to trust Vladimir, who in return relied on him and his expertise. When Amanda lay down on the couch, one hand still on her slightly bulged belly, Carlisle could feel the intense stare of the other vampire on him. He powered up the machine next to him and turned to meet Vladimir's gaze. "I will try to make an ultrasound, just in case. We weren't able to see anything with Bella, so it's just to make sure we even out all possibilities." He eyed the man in front of him, not sure if he even understood what he told him, since he had no use of any medical technologies or information of their usage. Carlisle waited a few seconds in case one of the others wanted to voice a question. "Furthermore, I'll take a few samples of blood to run some tests and check her vitals if she needs further medication." He directed his speech to Vladimir, though his eyes darted back to the woman that still lay on the couch.
She tried to breath calmly, the way Carlisle talked indicated Amanda, that he had practice in human medical terms, indeed. She had questions, so many questions that she felt as if her head would explode any second. But she didn't feel comfortable enough to actually speak up, instead she decided to trust Vladimir on this and let Carlisle proceed with whatever he was about to do. She knew the machinery next to her, she knew what an ultrasound was for and how it was used, though her knowledge came only from movies or brochures at her gyn's office. She slowly pulled up her shirt to her breasts to reveal her bare belly. She looked through slightly widened eyes at Carlisle, who had a reassuring smile on his lips, once more.
That was the moment, Carlisle started to ignore Vladimir completely. He turned into his professional working mode and only concentrated on his patient and her wellbeing. "If you feel uncomfortable or distressed, please don't hesitate to tell me," he said in a calming voice. "No one is going to hurt you, I'm here to help." Carlisle knew that some women preferred to be treated by a woman when it came to such intimate medical treatments.
"It's alright," Amanda whispered and a smile flashed over her lips. She was uncomfortable, but she knew it had to be done. After all, her pregnancy was dangerous as far as she knew and therefore, she should be treated as early as possible. She watched his skilled movements as he started the procedure, while she tried to get a look on the monitor, but to her untrained eyes, she saw nothing. A squirming chaos of light and dark areas, but nothing more. She cocked an eyebrow as she noticed the frown on Carlisle's face. For a split second, she envied him for making sense out of that mess on the screen. Amanda sent a quick glance to Vladimir, whose eyes stayed on the other man. She closed her eyes for a second, turning her head to face the ceiling. She was tired, their journey was exhausting and she wanted nothing more than to be cuddled up in a nice and comfy bed under a thick, warm blanket.
With a sigh, Carlisle ended his first treatment. He handed Amanda a few paper towels, so she could clean up herself, while he did the same with his machinery. "As predicted, I can't see through." It was more a statement to himself. He had to check, there was still a possibility, that Amanda would be pregnant from another man and having a perfectly healthy human baby. After all, he didn't know her, so he had to rule out the possibility and hope, he had. He shut down the machine and turned to the table. His eyes travelled over the utensils he took before, deep in his thoughts, he allowed himself to pause for a moment. During that time, Amanda cleaned herself and pulled down the shirt again, a somewhat relieved sigh escaped her throat as she sat back up. Slowly, Carlisle pulled up the sleeves of his shirt, before he took the syringe. When he turned, his eyes fixated on Vladimir for a moment, signalizing him, that he would proceed as intended. "Now, I only need some samples of your blood, after that you can rest if you want."
Amanda took off her thin dark-green jacket to give him better access to the crook of her arm. She watched his every move, but flinched slightly, whenever his ice-cold fingers touched her skin. She was used to Vladimir's cold touch, but that felt different, his was bearable, almost refreshing, while Carlisle's was just unwelcomingly cold. Stefan never touched her like that, they shook hands the first time they had met but after that there was merely more than that. Amanda was by far no person that enjoyed much physical contact, with one exception. Though, she already learned, in their short time in that house, that Vladimir was not too eager to openly show affection. She didn't mind, in fact she was somehow glad. Throughout her inner turmoil, she barely noticed how Carlisle proceeded quietly, already being done and pressing a small piece of cloth on the crook of her arm, where the needle was just a second ago. Amanda blinked a few times, before she took over to press on her arm to stop the blood from flowing. In the past, she donated blood quite frequently, she knew at least that procedure well enough. When he finally put a plaster on, she smiled thankfully at him, before she put on her jacket again.
"Well, let me show you, where you can stay and rest for the moment," Carlisle said and rose from his chair. He wanted to help Amanda down from the couch, but she jumped off carefully, her eyes on the vampire at the door, who couldn't hide the small smirk on his lips at her actions. Carlisle led the pair further down the hall until he reached a door to his left. He opened the door to let them in. "This is our guest room, please make yourself at home. If you feel comfortable enough, you can come downstairs, if you want."
Amanda strolled further into the room, eyeing the large bed in front of her, before her eyes darted further to the desk on the far right, next to the window. The bookshelves were filled with many books and placed next to two comfortable looking chairs and a small table between them. On the other side of the room, she spotted a wardrobe. "Thank you," she said and turned to Carlisle, who nodded with a smile.
"You're welcome," he said with a smile and turned to Vladimir. "I think we need to talk downstairs." Carlisle turned to leave, to let Amanda rest for the moment, which she was grateful for. He stepped out on the hallway, waiting for Vladimir to follow, who eyed Amanda shortly, nodding slightly in her direction, before he followed him. "I bet you two didn't come alone?" Carlisle asked once the door was closed. The vampires made their way downstairs slowly, while Vladimir had a smug smirk on his face. Before he could answer, their sensitive noses caught a very distinctive smell of wet dog, accompanied by an angry voice from outside.