Chapter 1

The sigh seemed to fall involuntarily from my lips. Is it possible for a vampire to actually die from boredom? I enjoyed working as a doctor immensely, but it was days like this that made my eternity seem that much longer.
Though I abhorred people getting hurt, a small voice in the back of my mind, my less charitable inner self, was begging for something, anything, to happen. Nothing ever did in this small and impossibly rainy town of Forks. I knew I only had myself to blame for my seemingly perpetual state of mind-numbing boredom. I suppose I could have had the family moved to a less dull town in America, but for the purpose of staying undetectable and unnoticeable it was rather perfect, the thick cover of clouds a huge advantage since it meant we didn't have to stay inside all day in an effort to avoid the sunshine.

The need to not raise awareness of my family and I far outweighed any concerns I had about being subjected to this kind of tedium day after day.
The thought of my family brought a small smile to my face. I supposed something new had happened recently. Edward, after nearly a hundred years alone, had finally found his mate. Isabella Swan – a beautiful name.
I had yet to meet her, but from what I had heard from the others, it probably wouldn't be too long until I did – she was apparently a rather clumsy girl, often hurting herself doing even the slightest of movements. If that was true, it was a small miracle that she hadn't been to visit the ER yet.
She didn't know what we were, but according to Alice she would soon. She was getting suspicious.

She seemed far more observant than others her age, and had started to notice that there were numerous things about my family that were different. There was, of course, also the small detail that she was Edward's la tua cantante, and that he had tried to kill her the first time he had met her. Even though he hadn't succeeded, the murderous expression on his face was surely not something a person, especially not one who was as perceptive as Bella was rumored to be, could miss.

After the unfortunate incident I had immediately sent him off to visit our Alaskan cousins in Denali, and he had spent his time there thinking about what the best course of action would be. There had been two options, as far as I could tell; either he leaves Forks, and Isabella, for good and we come up with an excuse for his permanent absence, or he continues living here, battling his instincts.

Since her mind was silent to him – wonders never cease – he leaned towards the second option, and I had agreed with him. I believed him strong enough, especially with the help of the others, to fight the inner demon that told him to rip her to pieces and drink her blood. And so, he came back home, controlled his bloodlust, and tried to get to know her. That wasn't necessarily something I had wanted to happen, it could prove detrimental to her life after all, and when I had found out I had taken him aside and questioned the wisdom of decision thoroughly, reminding him that very few singers had ever survived an encounter with the vampire to whom their blood sang. But I had been swayed by his argument that he was less likely to attack her if he liked her, and when Alice jumped into the fray and assured me that everything was going to turn out the way it was supposed to be, I gave him my permission to continue.

A loud noise from the hallway, an orderly dropping a tray it sounded like, pulled me out of my deep thoughts. With another sigh, I looked at the clock and saw, to my immense surprise and gratefulness, that the agonizingly slow day was finally coming to an end.

I finished the paperwork I was working on, gathering the rest in my briefcase to take home with me and put on my raincoat. I didn't strictly need it – the rain and the cold couldn't hurt me – but I had to wear it so as to not stand out any more than I already did.
The overly pale skin and otherworldly beauty of my family and I tended to be noticed almost immediately, no matter how much we tried to blend in. It didn't help that Alice, and to some degree Rosalie and Edward, refused to buy anything other than the best quality of everything – be it clothes or cars. I myself wasn't entirely blameless in this matter; I did drive a new, sleek Mercedes, and though it didn't stand out as much as Edward's Vanquish or Rosalie's cherry red BMW, it was still highly noticeable, especially in a town as small and rural as Forks, where everyone seemed to be driving some form of truck. Edward's Volvo wasn't quite as eye-catching as their other cars, but it was still slick and glossy, something other cars in this town weren't.
All these things taken into consideration, it was bound to happen that someone would figure out that we were different. That that someone would turn out to be Isabella was a blessing, since she seemed to make Edward happy, something he hadn't been in a long time.

Deep in thoughts, I had somehow made my way out of the hospital and driven back home without paying attention, something that would have been dangerous if I had been human. Alas, I was not, and so the wet and slippery roads weren't a hazard.

Esme, my beautiful and loving wife, met me at the door to the garage and welcomed me home with a kiss to the cheek, and I squeezed her hand in greeting. I could hear Jasper and Emmett arguing about something, most likely a videogame or something equally trivial, in the living room. It was a daily occurrence and one that often ended with broken furniture and Esme scolding them.

Rosalie was at the other end of the garage tinkering away at yet another car, and Alice was sitting in the sofa with an iPad in her hand; knowing her she was probably buying new clothes. Again.

Edward, my first son, and indeed the first vampire I ever changed, was sitting at his piano playing a tune I hadn't heard before. He looked up, raising an eyebrow at my thoughts, but didn't stop the movement of his fingers on the keys.

"That is lovely, son, I haven't heard it before, is it a new composition?" I asked him, not bothering to say it out loud.

"Bella's lullaby," he answered simply, a contended smile stretching across his handsome face.

Though we were all happy to a certain degree, we still felt the strain of our infinity from time to time. Jasper in particular, since he didn't only have his own frustrations to deal with, but had to live with those of the entire family. It was times like these that made me glad that I didn't have that particular gift, though I supposed it could be useful, especially in my line of work. However, I didn't think I would be able to stand feeling everything my patients were feeling; the pain and the suffering.

Or like Edward hear their every agony-filled thought, or, like Alice, see the inevitability of their death before it had even occurred, knowing there was nothing I could do to save them. Aro had always thought of my control of my bloodlust as a gift, and I knew many of my kind agreed, but I had never seen it quite that way. Hard work and a strong will, more likely, but that was not something he would find interesting, and my continued survival, and that of my family, hinged on us being a novelty to him.

"Are you alright, Carlisle?" Jasper asked from his place in front of the game he and Emmett were playing, "you feel a little restless."

I sighed inwardly at the lack of privacy, but sent him some of my happiness at finally being home again.

It seemed to mollify him.

I didn't wish to blacken the, for once, light atmosphere with my rather dark frame of mind. They deserved their happiness. Edward especially.

He had, of course, heard everything I had been thinking, but it didn't seem to dampen his happiness in the slightest.
It had been some time since Edward had been this cheerful, I mused. It must be Isabella.

"Bella," Edward interrupted my thoughts, "she likes to be called Bella. And you're right, it is her."

At the sight of his smile, my own spirit seemed to lighten considerably.

"I'm very happy for you, son." I told him with a smile. We could all hear Rosalie hiss in derision as she threw down what sounded like a wrench on the floor and made her way into the house.

"I can't believe you're okay with this, Carlisle. That girl is going to figure out what we are, it's only a matter of time. Do you want the Volturi to come after us?" She came to a stop in the middle of the living room, an angry grimace marring her beautiful face as she looked directly at me. "We should leave. Now! Or kill her, either will do."

"No one is going to be killing anyone." When she continued to look at me defiantly, I continued. "And that's an order, Rose."

She nodded her head grudgingly at my words.

"Of course nobody is going to kill Bella." Alice interjected while rolling her eyes. "However, I think Rosalie is correct." Alice was interrupted by the low growl coming from Edward.

"Edward! Don't growl at your sister." Esme admonished.

"But mom," he pouted, "she wants us to leave."

A horrified gasp left Esme who looked absolutely dismayed at the notion of Edward leaving us.

"Only Edward," Alice defended, pausing before she continued, "the rest of us should definitely stay."

"Will Isabella be hurt if he stays?" I asked, concerned for the happiness of my wife if it was decided that Edward should leave.

"No, she won't, as you well know, Alice!" he said scathingly, an angry look on his face.

"Is that true, Alice? She won't get hurt?" I asked, concern in my voice. If there was any reason to believe she was in danger, I wouldn't hesitate to have him removed from the vicinity.

"Well, no, she won't, but…"

"You see! Nothing will happen to her." Edward cut her off, looking decidedly smug.

"Hmm. If Edward doesn't hurt her, I don't see the reason why he has to leave, Alice." I said slowly, sitting down on the sofa. She was obviously worried about something.

Still thinking heavily, I turned my eyes to the coffee table in front of me and the sketch of Isabella that lay on top of it. Alice had made it a few days ago from a vision she had had of her becoming one of us. When Edward had seen the drawing, he had started smiling smugly.
And rightly so, she was utterly beautiful.

Her long, chocolate-colored hair falling in gentle waves down to the middle of her back, framing an exquisite face. Her eyes a bright crimson that was starting to blend with our family's signature honey-color, creating a swirl I could get lost in if I weren't careful.

I looked away from the drawing, noticing Edward looking at me through narrowed eyes, his expression alternating between suspicion and anger; he evidently didn't like the direction my thoughts had taken.

I didn't either.

I stood up quickly, not wanting to dwell on my thoughts while they weren't private, and making my way to the back door I announced to the room that I was going on a hunt.

Once I had made my way out into the woods surrounding the house, I let instincts take over and started hunting.
Hunting always came as a relief to us. Not only did the blood nourish and replenish us, the hunting in itself let us rest our ever-working minds, allowing us to just feel. It was freeing, to say the least.

This was especially true for my family and I.

For a vampire speed is natural. Speed in the way we move, in the way we talk, and in the way our brains work, everything just works faster. Humans' movements are slow, and so acting like one can be a difficult and tedious undertaking, and since we had chosen to live and work amongst humans, we had to undergo that struggle every day to make sure we weren't exposed.

Once my thirst was satiated, and had I reassured myself that I was a long enough distance away from the house that Edward wouldn't be able to hear me, I got to the task of getting my thoughts into order. I didn't understand why they were so chaotic. All vampires were distinctly beautiful, a trait meant to make it easier for us to lure our prey, and I had seen more than enough in my time as one of them that this one, that Isabella, should be nothing special.

Perhaps she wasn't. As an empath, Jasper had probably been experiencing Edward's feelings of desire and longing, and had projected them onto me. Yes, that sounded plausible.

Sufficiently soothed by my rationale, I slowly began making my way back towards my home, enjoying the feeling of the setting sun on my skin, a novelty in this part of the U.S. Its warming rays had made it through the thick cover of clouds while I was deep in thought.
When I got closer to the house I started putting up my mental guards again, for though spontaneous thoughts couldn't be kept from Edward, my 'mental guard' kept the thoughts in the back of my mind safe from his invasive gift.

I sighed heavily for what felt like the hundredth time today. The lack of privacy between us could be a trial sometimes. This was further confirmed when I opened the door to the house and was met by a distrustful glare from Edward. I immediately thought of the key points of the conclusion I had come to during my hunt, and to my immense relief he seemed to be somewhat appeased by the logic in the explanation.
If I did not entirely believe in it myself, I made sure he wouldn't know.