Quinn O'Connell was the pretty girl in pink, the homecoming queen and all-around straight-A student. Most people saw her as uptight, narcissistic but most importantly... They saw her as a control freak with her perfect blonde hair and patronising sm...
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The O'Connell cottage sat silently in its nestle- once an escape, now a sanctuary and to the people within, they had brought their sadness into its warmth. Quinn sighed as she watched the leaves flutter down from the tree beside the window. Soon, when the snow finally stuck to the ground, they would be fighting for their lives and their moods followed the coldness of the world outside. The prospect of snow no longer warmed Quinn's heart- instead, it chilled her. A few miles away, at the main house, Bella was training to use her shield and all the others were growing stronger- They were preparing for a war.
Slowly making her way through the house, passed the crackling fire and toward one of the few bedrooms, she frowned. The sound of drawers opening and closing quickly caught her attention as Quinn rounded the corner and she came eye to eye with Carlisle Cullen. The man sat beside their chest of drawers, a suitcase open on the floor as she shoved clothes into them. They were making the cottage their permanent residence while their house was full of vampires.
Carlisle shoved the drawer violently when it wouldn't close easily and it caused Quinn to blink in shock- seeing his obvious expression of distress.
"Hey, hey" she soothed, at his side in a second, on her knees. The doctor sat back on his heels when she appeared, looking away from her and the blonde girl sighed as she smoothly shut the drawer he had been struggling with before turning to the man himself. Quinn reached up and took his cheeks gently- frowning as he looked away. "Carlisle, look at me" she pulled her face to meet her gaze. "Talk to me"
"What can I say that hasn't already been said?" he stressed, eyes closing and her thumb traced over his cheekbone in a continuous motion that made his face relax. The doctor reached up and held his hand over hers- stopping her from moving away even an inch.
"Tell me how you feel Carlisle. You have just as right as everyone else to be upset. Tell me what's going through that head of yours... You don't have to be the calm one all the time... Not with me" her voice dropped to a whisper at the end as his hands took her face in return, causing her hands to fall though she knew that he needed this, it was like a security blanket to him.
"I'm going to lose everything" his voice shuddered. "My sister, her new fiance, my sons, my daughters, my grandchild, my friends- My fiance. I can't lose you, Quinn, I can't. You are everything. Without you, I will be like a human living without air. We haven't had any time yet, I haven't given you the things I promised you. I can't" and he cracked out a sob that broke her heart in ways she couldn't comprehend as she pulled him down into a tight hug in her arms, running her hand through his hair and down his back in two motions she knew would soothe his nerves. "We've already lost Alice and Jasper- my son and my daughter and we may never see them again. We could die on that battlefield and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not strong like the others- I'm not fast- I don't have any power to protect you with, Quinn."
"Oh, Carlisle" she breathed. "You are so much more. You are compassionate- and you are brave, you're smart and you're real. You're everything I've ever wanted- Everything I've always needed. You don't need to be anything other than what you already are. I don't know how long we have and you know that I can't promise you it will all be okay but I can promise that even being one of the weakest vampires- I will fight with all that I am, for you and for our family. You have me now, Carlisle. That is one thing I can absolutely promise you. I am yours. And you've given me everything."
It seemed like gravity was at play that day- it wasn't a conscious decision to throw themselves at one another, their lips were drawn together and they were absolutely happy about it. The bed seemed too far away as they crashed passionately into the rug in a twisted tangle of lips, kisses taking their hold and touches lingering. And it was absolutely true- none of them knew what would happen, whether they would be around in a months time to tell the story of the Volturi but they did know for certain that they had the present- they had the right now and they were together.
Quinn O'Connell was the one person in the world that Carlisle Cullen truly confided in. He wanted to be strong, brave and calm for his family who always looked for him in the face of danger but deep down- as they risked losing it all- He was terrified. He was terrified for the family he could no longer protect.
The feel of her in his arms that night was enough, at least for now, to keep him calm. But she spoke the truth- she was his and he wouldn't take that for granted for a moment longer.
