la belle dame sans merci | carlisle cullen

33

Carlisle had been dreading 5 o'clock for the remainder of his shift. He couldn't have a single peaceful thought without the worry of this situation with Bella creeping up again. He hated arguing and he knew that was what awaited the moment he walked through the front door.

For only the briefest moment, the living room was totally empty. He'd only half begun to breathe out a sigh when in the blink of an eye, it was fully occupied. Four sets of eyes stared at him expectantly, Edward had yet to join them.

Carlisle weighed what to say for a moment before he cautiously asked, "Any developments?"

Rosalie turned her eyes on Alice, "Tell him."

Alice wrung her fingers in front of her, chewing on her bottom lip. "I had a vision." Carlisle leaned against the doorframe, "It aligns with certain delusions Edward's been having about Bella being his mate." His eyebrows crinkled, "He thought it'd be insensitive to tell you that. Given the stink he's put up."

Carlisle just rolled his eyes, "What was your vision?"

"There are, erm, two paths." She tucked her feet under her on the couch, "One Bella is like us.. and the other, Edward can't control himself." His hand rests over his mouth as the silence washes over the room again.

"This complicates things." Carlisle murmurs into his palm, "Where is Edward?"

"Doing a lap around the state." Jasper replies, "He needed some time to think."

Carlisle crossed the room to plant himself in the arm chair with a deep sigh. The added information only added extra weight to Edward. The possibility that this human could be his mate was too much to deny. Two very different endings were waiting for him. Lifelong love or lifelong guilt. To pursue the former would be to tempt fate with the latter.

Edward's intervention today had only made things worse. She'd be trying to find out the truth, no matter how much he tried to avoid her. This complication would only lead to more of its kind until one outcome revealed itself as undeniable.

Carlisle was more thankful than ever for his self control. Years of practice had allowed him to subdue the desire to sink his teeth into his love after a few meetings, even if her alcoholic tendencies did make it more difficult.

They remained, sitting around the living room in pensive silence, for hours until it became obvious that Edward wasn't coming back anytime soon. It couldn't possibly take that long for him to do a lap around Washington. Carlisle couldn't blame him, it didn't exactly inspire the need to rush knowing chastising was waiting for you at home.

Once Alice and Jasper excused themselves, the rest followed. Carlisle sealed himself in his bedroom, falling backward onto his bed with a deep sigh. Why couldn't the girl have just stayed in Arizona? It would have saved them all, especially Bella, a lot of trouble.