✔️Compulsive (Carlisle Cullen)

one hundred & seven

"You're Quinn" Jacob stated as he looked down at the blonde who was walking by his side down the stairs to follow the mind reader and she smiled tightly back at him. "Bella's spoken about you before. You're the new one. Carlisle's mate"

"That's me, seems you already know me well enough." she returned with a small, quiet laugh.

"How did you get roped into this conversation?" he wondered as he held the door open for her and she frowned as she stepped through, realising that his small amount of respect for her must have come from his trust of Carlisle.

"I'm unlucky enough to be his best friend" she teased, gesturing to Edward who was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed firmly over his chest. The mind reader rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else about her remark as Jacob coughed out a tense, uncertain laugh.

"I always knew you'd destroy her" Jacob persisted and Quinn sighed as she slumped to sit on the porch steps. She wasn't clear on why exactly she was there but Edward had been hanging around her side at almost every hour of the day- She knew that it provided him with at least some calm in all the chaos. She could only register this as Edward did the same for her, in Carlisle's absence.

"She thinks that Carlisle can turn her at the last minute" Edward informed, ignoring Jacobs remark and the wolf looked over to Quinn, seeing her unreadable expression and knowing that it wasn't a certainty. "Like he did for me and Esme."

"Can he?"

"The probability is... Slight" Quinn piped up, seeing how uncomfortable Edward was with the conversation. His world had gone from its happiest to being shattered in the blink of an eye.

"And if her heart fails" Edward continued, swallowing down the sadness and even Jacob- who chose to hate the mind reader- Could see how effected Edward was by this situation. His world would end without Bella in it. "...Look, Jacob. I need you to do something for me." Jacob scoffed at the words. "-For her." Edward reiterated. "You have a connection with her, that I will never understand. Maybe you could talk to her, change her mind. Just keep her alive."

"And if I can't?"

"If she dies, you'll get what you always wanted. To kill me" and Quinn couldn't help but cringe at the words as Jacob reentered the house to talk to Bella, smiling uncomfortably at Quinn as he did so and leaving Edward and Quinn alone. "If he can't get through to her... I" he stopped, shaking his head and she stood, making her way over to him and pulling him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his chest. Edward responded with the same intensity, holding onto her tightly.

"Edward" her voice was a harsh whisper. "Please."

"Quinn, I-- I can't live without her"

"Please, you could try?... For me? For Carlisle?" she didn't pull back but felt him tense.

"Quinn... Would you try? Would you try and live for me, if you didn't have Carlisle?" Edward returned in a broken whisper and she frowned.

"I would have to, because I know that that's the thing he would want the most. I can't say for certain. Please, I'm not asking you for anything, you don't have to make any promises. We don't know what may happen but... If something happens to her" Edward cringed. "At least try" Edward didn't reply but Quinn knew that the thought was now planted in his head and he would have to consider it, at least for a second. "Have you spoken to her?" she questioned, stepping back and out of his arms.

"I try but... I can't tell her the things she wants to hear" he frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Quinn, that I have been spending so much time glued at your side but I... you make me feel better, at least even slightly."

"It's okay, Edward. You do the exact same thing for me" she smiled gently. "And that's what best friends are for, no? To help one another."

"Regardless... Thank you. How is everyone doing?... I feel, so disconnected from the family now" he frowned and she smiled as she continued.

"Carlisle is collecting a human blood supply for the delivery which is... Difficult for Jack. He's thirty-seven, that's old but not that old. Jasper and he have formed something of an... Allegiance because of it. They're in the same situation. Jack wants to be there for Esme but with her spending so much time with Bella, it's difficult. Alice can't seem to get far enough away from the situation, she's not okay, Ed. Maybe you should talk to her? It hurts her, to not be able to see."

"Carlisle?"

"Is stressed but trying his best. He knows that without Bella, he loses you too. You're his son Edward. He needs you. When he found out that you were going to the Volturi... It broke him... And it broke me too. It's just given him more of a drive to save her. I haven't really seen him much recently if I'm being honest" she swallowed.

"I'm sorry, that I have ruined your relationship" he glanced down and she frowned.

"You haven't" she rolled her eyes, sighing. "Carlisle and I are fine. Better than fine even. I am sure we can handle being busy." she reassured him as the pair of them slowly migrated to sit on the porch steps together, distracting themselves from eavesdropping on the conversation upstairs.

"And how are you? I spend near enough every day at your side and still can't tell how you're doing, not without looking into your head. And you know I don't like doing that."

"I am surviving."

"How is the blood situation? I think we all seem to forget that you're still not very old." he chuckled and she frowned, nudging him.

"Just because you're an old man" she mocked in return, laughing slightly, glad to see a ghost of a smile in return.

"Seriously though, Quinn. How are you?"

"It hurts, of course, it does. Like someone is shoving a white-hot poker down my throat, but I have enough strength to resist" she winked. "Don't worry about me, Edward. I'm A-okay"