|Falling for a Cullen| |Carlisle Cullen Fanfic |

Chapter 4

"Where's Ashley"? Alice asked. "I haven't seen her for ages."

"Four days", Edward corrected her. "But you are right; something's wrong. Carlisle has stopped thinking again."

"You mean you did hear him think while Ashley was here?" Bella exclaimed.

"There wasn't much, but something", Edward answered. "While they were in the forest, when I and Jasper sneaked after them, I could hear his thoughts. First, he thought that Ashley looked cute with her wet hair in a mess. Then there was complete blankness while he went hunting."

"He hunted while she was there?" Bella exclaimed.

"She waited for him where he'd left her", Edward quickly explained. "When he returned, he was worried about her health."

"I sensed that too", Jasper said in his usual, calm voice. Edward nodded; he'd expected Jasper to sense it as well.

"The last thing I heard was him thinking 'I am sorry, Esme'", he finished the story.

"And during these four days, yet again nothing?" Alice asked. Edward nodded.

"Nothing."

"Ashley, you need to see a doctor", her concerned mother said on the phone. "Come back home, darling, we'll take care of you."

"Mum, I'm fine", Ashley sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "I can't depend on you and dad all the time."

She covered the phone so that her mother wouldn't hear her coughs.

"Please, Ashley", her mother pleaded.

"Mum, I've got to go", she interrupted. "I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone and closed her eyes. Carlisle had been right about her getting sick, but that was not the main reason for her staying at home. She was afraid to face the Cullens. And why shouldn't she be? She'd kissed their father, as if she was some kind of a cheep whore!

No, the Cullens were the last family she could consider meeting.

A silent knock on the front-door made her open her eyes. Who might that be? She slowly got out of bed and put on a second jumper, before walking out to the door. When she saw her unexpected guest through the window, she froze and turned even paler. Outside stood Carlisle Cullen.

What should she do? She couldn't leave him outside her door just like that, that'd be rude, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to let him in either.

He made the choice for her, as he opened the door himself.

"You should think of another hiding-place for your key", he said and placed her second key on the kitchen table. Ashley looked away.

"Your school called and asked me to check on you", Carlisle continued.

"I'll be fine", Ashley mumbled, before she coughed again. Carlisle looked at her.

"I hear that", he said. "You'd better lay down, Ashley."

She walked back into her bedroom and lay down in bed. He pulled up a chair next to her and started to examine her.

"Carlisle?"

"Yes?"

He didn't look at her, but it didn't really matter; she didn't dare to look at him either.

"I'm sorry."

He lifted her gaze towards her face and noticed a single tear fall down from her eye.

"I don't know why I..."

Her voice faded away and she coughed once again, leaning away from him to spit in a bucket on the other side of the bed.

"I know", Carlisle said. "And I also have to beg for your forgiveness."

Now she looked at him, her forehead wrinkled in surprise.

"My forgiveness?"

"I didn't tell you everything", Carlisle answered and put away his tools. "You see, Ashley, the reason I and my family moved here was that my wife, Esme, got killed."

Ashley stared at him.

"Oh, Carlisle, I'm so sorry", she whispered. "And I made everything worse by doing that, didn't I?"

"No", Carlisle answered and looked at her. "The thing is, you didn't. I've been mourning Esme since the day she was murdered, weeks ago, and even though I will always mourn her and blame myself for not being there, saving her, I now also know that I need to go on."

"Who killed her?" Ashley asked after a while.

"A vampire", Carlisle answered. Ashley stared at him once again. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"You told me that black eyes indicate that the vampire is thirsty", she whispered. "And red eyes that he or she has drunken human blood... what do your golden-brown eyes symbolise?"

He sat still in silence, waiting for her to look at him again.

"You are a vampire, aren't you, Carlisle?" she said and opened her eyes. "That's how you could tell me everything about them, and why your skin is so cold..."

She hesitated and coughed again.

"And you're always pale", she continued. "And in the forest, you disappeared so fast and when you came back, you weren't even a bit exhausted."

"All you say is true", Carlisle agreed. "I am a vampire."

He rose from the chair and looked out through the window.

"But I've never used human blood to satisfy my thirst", he continued. "Both me and my family survive on the blood of different animals. That's how we can be around humans without biting them."

"You mean you've... never even tasted human blood?" Ashley asked, still a bit shocked by the news.

"Only when I changed some of the others", Carlisle answered.

"You mean... bit them..."

"Yes", Carlisle said and nodded. "I spread a poison, that every vampire carries, in their veins."

He sounded sad and he still refused to look at her.

"They were all dying when I did it. Edward, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett..."

He hesitated, before turning towards her.

"You need to rest, Ashley", he said. "I need you to take these pills once every fourth hour while you're awake. You'll be better soon."

He placed a bottle of pills on the table next to her bed. Ashley sat up straighter, about to protest, but Carlisle shook his head and pushed her back down with one hand on her shoulder.

"Rest", he said. She sighed and nodded. Carlisle smiled briefly and stroked her cheek.

"I'll tell you more soon", he said and placed his cold lips on her forehead. Then, faster than the wind, he was gone.