la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

29

Carlisle drove fast on a regular day so it shouldn't have surprised her much that the Mercedes was pulling up behind her not even five minutes after their call ended. Regardless, he lived at least twenty minutes out so it made her nauseous just to think of the petal he was putting to the metal to get to here

She stepped out of the car door it's her keys in hand at the same time he did. "You didn't have to speed." Minerva called out as he strode toward her.

"Of course I did." Carlisle responded with a smile that made her heart warm to the point it took the chill out of her fingers. "Number one, it's freezing. Number two, you have the worst luck. Who knows what trouble you could get into sitting out here." Minerva rolled her eyes, "What happened?"

"It's not like the cold could kill me anyway." Minerva reminded stuffing her hands into her pockets to fight of the persistent cold, "I don't think I let it warm up long enough." She admitted. "The engine started knocking and then it just quit."

"It might not kill you but there's no reason for you to freeze." Carlisle hummed popping the hood of the car with a decrepit creak, "You're not actually supposed to let the car idle for more than a minute." He commented tinkering with the interior of the car, "it's a common misconception. It's better to let it heat up for thirty seconds or so and then drive slowly."

"Good to know it's a problem with the car." Minerva said with a sigh, "I think I have a flashlight, should I grab it?"

Carlisle hesitated a moment, hands pausing over the inner workings of the vehicle before he responded, "Erm.. yes, please. That would be helpful."

Minerva shuffled around to the driver's seat, reaching in to pop the trunk before moving around the back. After a moment of throwing stuff around the trunk she located the emergency bag and began to dig through it until she found a little silver flashlight.
As she straightened up to slam the trunk closed, she practically jumped out of her skin to find Carlisle standing there. "Jesus Christ, Carlisle." She hadn't heard him come around the car.

"Sorry." He smiled apologetically. The moonlight on hhis face had her weak in the knees, especially so close. "You find it?"

"Took me long enough." Minerva breathed out as she clicked it on the light at her side.

"Why don't you wait in my car? The cold might not kill you but it can't be pleasant." Carlisle offered though it came out as sort of a plea.

"Are you kidding? I'm an expert at manning the flashlight." She said with a smile, flashing the light into his eyes for a moment. His reaction was slightly delayed, squinting his eyes shut when she'd already darted the light away. "Besides, if I'm the reason you're gonna be out in the cold like hell I'm gonna sit in the car."

"Suit yourself." Carlisle allowed with a sigh as she followed him back to the front of the vehicle. After a few more minutes of tinkering, he heaved a heavy sigh. "I'll admit, I've got no idea what I'm looking for."

She laughed as he straightened up, "Yeah, you've checked the oil like three times." He gave her a lopsided grin and a little shrug.

"Was worth trying." Carlisle defended reaching up to grab the propped open hood to slam it closed with a thud. His hands rested on the hood for a moment, leaning against it. "Shall we go?"

"Let me just grab my stuff." Wrenching open the driver's side door she braced her knee against the driver's seat as she grabbed her tote bag before groaning as she slid further in to reach over the front bench into the back seat for the sketchbook she'd discarded. She stuffed it into the bag before ungracefully sliding herself back over the bench and out of the car. Slapping her hand against the lock before slamming the door shut, she jumped to find Carlisle had snuck up on her to patiently wait once again. "We've gotta get you a bell." Minerva said with an accusing finger.

"It may be the only solution." He said with an apologetic smile. Her eyebrows furrowed as he headed toward the passenger side of the Mercedes, "What are you-" he opened the door and gestured expectantly. Minerva stammered for a moment, thankful for the dark to conceal the shade of red her face turned, "Dingus" was all she could manage earning a laugh as he closed the door behind her.

She buckled her seatbelt as Carlisle made his way around, cranking the heat up once he was in the car. "You ever get tired of saving my ass?"

He tossed a smile in her direction, "Not in the slightest." Steering the car back onto the road, he drove at an actual human speed. "Are you warm enough?"

"Getting there." She responded and he reached out to turn the heat up a bit more, "How was your day?"

Carlisle let out a pleasant chuckle running a hand through his tousled blonde hair, "My day was good, long." He responded, "How was yours, you weren't just on the way home from the shop were you?"

"No, no. I stopped by the lodge for dinner." She responded, sinking into the leather. "Finally met the chief's daughter." There was a visible shift in the man next to her, his posture—which was already impossibly perfect— seemed to straighten more.

"I haven't had the pleasure." He admits shortly.

"Nice girl, shy." Minerva commented, absentmindedly twirling the gold band on her middle finger.

"That doesn't tell me how your day was though." Carlisle pointed out earning a slight laugh.

"It was okay." She replied earning a sideways glance.

"Just okay?"

Minerva just shrugged, "All the days blend together."

It wasn't a question she was expecting, she didn't have a good answer, "Are those days at least more good than bad?"

"They're alright." Was the best response she could give him. If she didn't have the stomach for the truth, he certainly didn't. Carlisle saw right through her.

"Very convincing." He hummed as he turned down the winding dirt road.

Minerva just rubbed her cheek with her chilled hand, "Monotony doesn't suit me." It was the best excuse she could come up with, given that it was slightly true.

"Do you.." Carlisle trailed off, adjusting his grip on the wheel before he continued, "do you think you'll move on?" Her eyebrows pulled together, "you said you move every few years. Start over somewhere new."

She looked up to the roof of the car like it would provide her answer. The truth was the idea of leaving Forks, more importantly, leaving Carlisle made her stomach twist. It was some kind of depraved self destruction, this inability to tear herself away. It'd been a long time since she was attached to anyone like this.

"Not soon, I don't think." Her throat was a little tight at the thought, "There's just new normal somewhere else. I'm a little too old not to know I'm the problem." She glanced toward him to find him already looking at her, "No running from me."

"No, I suppose there isn't." Carlisle replied softly, reaching out to kill the ignition. She hadn't realized they'd reached their destination. "I'm glad to know you're around a while longer."

She gave him a halfhearted smile. "You wanna come in for a cup of tea for your troubles?"