la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

31

Carlisle always found leaving difficult, prying himself out of her company when his cup was empty. Given whatever beverage she offered him always tasted like liquid detritus, it took him much longer than average to get through it. As a result, there was no prolonging his stay after that.

As difficult as it was, there was always serenity that followed. Replaying their conversations in his head, committing every little facial expression to memory. He could imagine this was what micro-dosing a drug felt like, taking just enough to get by, relishing in the effects and then longing for it when the high fades.

The fifth degree whenever he came home smelling like bergamot and incense had lessened substantially. He'd get a disapproving side eye but they'd taken his sentiment to heart. His transgressions threatening their secret had fallen to the back burner in light of Edward's issue.

Returning from his impulsive trip to Alaska, Edward's spirits were no higher than when he'd left. The Bella issue was just something he'd have to deal with, he'd settled on that. Rosalie had realized that Edward's resolve was much more of a threat than Carlisle's. After all, it wasn't like Carlisle was at risk treating his singer like a keg stand.

As Carlisle hopped up the stairs into the house with a slight spring in his step, he could feel the energy was already off. Alice and Jasper were leaned against the kitchen island with a splash of newspapers ahead of them.

"Carlisle, look at this." Jasper said with a frown drawing him over. Every headline said something along the lines of brutal slaughter, animal attack, murder-spree continues.

A frown settled on his lips. "You think it's our kind?"
He pulled an paper closer to scan his eyes over it. They'd had their eye on some bizarre activity sweeping across the west coast but it had jumped quickly.

"Possibly," Alice said looking up at him, "If it is, they're getting closer. Look." She slid the one in front of her closer, The Seattle Times with a headline of a bloody massacre in downtown Seattle. "More than one."

"We'll keep our eye on it." Carlisle sighed, rubbing the side of his index finger against his upper lip. "If it gets any closer, we'll have to involve ourselves."

It wasn't the potential danger for the townsfolk that bothered him so much as he trekked up to his office. The afterglow of Minerva's company had all but faded and been replaced with a deep dread that settled like a rock in the centre of his chest.

The blood of a witch was pungent, a decadence to their kind. An open window would carry her scent far on the wind like blood in the water. It hadn't really occurred to him before. Other vampires didn't often emerge in their region and if they had, Carlisle never had a human to worry about. Not to say he didn't worry about the townsfolk but he certainly hadn't had a close, personal relationship with one before now and not one who's very breath rang the dinner bell.

Carlisle couldn't even warn her. There was no way to way to warn her without revealing himself. She was a sitting duck. Even if her magic could protect her to a degree, what if she didn't know vampires existed? Maybe she could hold them off but could she kill one? More than one? The speed would make it a futile fight and the idea shook him to his core. Would Alice see it? There was no decision for Minerva to make but to defend herself and if it wasn't an immediate threat, the vampire's decision to kill her might not show up on her radar.

Carlisle sunk into his chair, the powerlessness weighing on his shoulders. He'd worried about her being killed but it hadn't been something right on the horizon before. Even after the car accident, before he'd really felt the gravity of being close to her, he hadn't fretted about her survival because he was there. It was something he could fix, something he could handle. Now, all he could do was wait. Apprehensively looking at the danger over the horizon and hoping it would be in his power to do something about it.

"You're torturing yourself." A voice said from the doorway snapping him out of his haze. "You were in such a good mood when you got home." Edward commented leaning on the doorframe.

"Yes, well.." The blonde rubbed the side of his face tiredly, "I hadn't considered the possibility before."

"Humans are fragile." Edward reminded, "even the magical ones. Maybe it's better you consider it now to prepare for when it comes." Carlisle just frowned, looking down at the mess of papers on his desk. Edward had never been one to look on the sunny side but he'd been even more pessimistic lately. His obsession with the chief's daughter had put a dark lens over his outlook on life which none of the family thought could get any darker. "It's not pleasant but I'm not wrong. Hopefully it doesn't come to that."

Carlisle pressed his lips into a firm line, "We'll monitor the situation." He responded shortly. The nice thing about Edward was you didn't need to tell him you were finished talking. He'd hear it in your thoughts and vanish so like that, he was gone. There wasn't much he could do about the way the rain clouds which permanently resided over Forks had culminated over his head but Edward did little to fight them off. He succumbed, letting the rain in without resistance. Though he maintained that he'd keep a short leash on himself, the ordeal had shaken him to his core. Anything that wasn't his issue was impossible to speak to him about. He'd become a victim of monomania and there was no breaking him of it.

It was all Bella, Bella, Bella. Why can't I hear her thoughts? What is she thinking? What if I can't control myself? Should I leave? Should I convince her to leave? Should I ignore her? Should I be friends with her? Should I stay away? Do I be nice? do I be a jerk so she wants nothing to do with me? No answers ever satisfied him, all he cared about were the questions.

It would only be a couple of years. Less than that even. Then graduation would arrive and they could go their separate ways forever. Carlisle suspected it would be a very long year and a half for all of them.