A/N: I wrote this out...because the story has been stuck in my mind for a few days and I just had to write it out!
And just so you know, not everyone is in this one-shot. I own nothing...except Natalie.
I hope that you enjoy it...
Today is March 7th. I never forget the date. How could I really?
On this day, my entire life changed. Even today as I'm doing the usual rounds at the hospital, the thought of what happened on this day is overpowering all of my memory…as it usually does.
I grabbed a stack of files and headed towards my office, my only means of privacy in this place. The files are only props. I already know every single thing about the patients…I just needed them to make it look like I was going to read over them.
When, in fact…I just want to be alone with my memories. As I sit in the large chair, I fold my hands behind my head and just become consumed with thoughts of what happened before that day.
We had only lived in Los Angeles for about two months when it happened.
I had been a slow night in the hospital. That is, until she showed up.
Never in my existence (and I've been around for quite some time I assure you) had I been so awe struck by someone. Not just any someone…a human…a human girl no less.
"What do we have here?" I asked after regaining the ability to speak. She looked up at me, a shy smile on her face.
"Hi. I think I might have broken a rib or something." She blushed a beautiful shade of pink. And for a brief moment, I was stunned. Not in a very long time had someone's blood had this sort of effect on me. I had to swallow a few times before I could even think about approaching her.
"How did a pretty girl like yourself get hurt?" I walked up the side of the bed she was sitting on.
"Well…" she winced when I barely touched her. Either out of pain or because my hands were so cold I still don't know. "I'm going to be in this new movie you see?" she suddenly smiled "my first one…and well, we were doing a run through and a piece of sound equipment fell on top of me…it was my own fault really. I tripped over the cord…and well, now here I am." She laughed and I couldn't help but smile at her. This girl was so extremely clumsy…but she at least had a sense of humor about it.
"How unfortunate." I sighed and felt around her side again. This time though she let out a small gasp and lurched forward into my hands. I instantly felt terrible for having caused her any discomfort.
"Shh, it's okay…" I whispered to her and I looked up at her, wiping away a few tears that had fallen down her cheeks "from what I see and feel, you didn't break anything…you probably will have a nasty bruise in the morning though." I concluded.
"Oh." She leaned back away from me slightly. "That's good to here. So, do I just need to take some medication or something?"
"Yes." I answered her "but, if you're still in pain in two days, I want you to come back and see me understand?" I knew she wouldn't have any pain…I just wanted to give myself hope that maybe she would want to see me again.
"Ok." She nodded her head "do I just come and ask for you?"
"Certainly. You can ask for Dr. Cullen…or Carlisle."
"Alright well thanks Dr. Cullen." She started to move so she could get off the bed and be on her way. But, being the typical patient, she wasn't expecting the pain to come back so soon and she almost fell over.
Though I knew I shouldn't, I grabbed her up so she wouldn't hit the hard floor. Instead, she clung on to the shirt that I was wearing for dear life as I helped her back to her two feet.
"How embarrassing." She mumbled and I couldn't help but lean forward and push some of her hair out of her face.
"What's your name?" I asked her gently and I could hear her heart beat accelerate slightly.
"It's Natalie…Natalie Vasquez." She answered me once she was balanced on her own.
"That's a pretty name." I told her and she blushed again. I wondered if she blushed so easily around other people.
"Yea…my mom loves Natalie Wood so she named me after her…I can't complain, I like my name too."
"Well Natalie, I do hope that everything works out for you…and that you feel better." I walked towards the door and opened it and let her walk out first.
"Thanks Dr. Cullen…" she waved to me and walked out of the emergency room.
I knew it wouldn't be the last time that I saw Natalie. I wanted to see her again. No, I needed to see her again. There was just something magnetic about her. I knew she wasn't my singer because after the initial shock wore off from her scent, it no longer bothered me.
I still remember the look on my "children's" faces when I came home later that night.
Edward, always the serious one, just frowned when he heard what happened. He said it "wasn't right" for me to be thinking about her in that way. She couldn't be more than 18 or 19.
Jasper, on the other hand, had just laughed when I told him about how I wish he was there so he could've helped me out…sending Natalie some waves of pain relief of something. He answered me back with "are you sure you didn't want me to send her some waves of lust?"
And then there was Alice. And, as always, she was ecstatic at the mere thought of having another girl in the house because she was the only one. I had to break it to her though that there was a very strong possibility that I wouldn't be seeing her again.
Well, I was proved wrong because exactly two days later, she came back.
"Dr. Cullen, there's a young woman here to see you." One of the nurses popped her head into my office and I was confused. But, the moment she walked in, I smiled instantly.
"Hey Dr. Cullen." She smiled slightly and sat in the seat in front of my desk.
"Hello Natalie…what can I do for you? Are you still in pain?" I asked, concerned for her. She shouldn't have been in pain. So, why else would she be here?
"No…I mean yes…well, no not really just a little sore." She shrugged.
"Well, being sore is perfectly normal. You just need to take it easy for a week or so."
"Oh, well that won't be a problem…" she sighed "they fired me from that movie. Just because I broke one of their stupid cameras." She bit her bottom lip, a classic sign that she wanted to burst into tears but was too proud or scared to do it.
"It was their loss. And, I'm sure another role will come along for you…" I tried to comfort her. Though why she came to me was a mystery. I barely knew her.
"No, you don't understand!" she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I mean…being an actress is my dream…" With no warning, she started sobbing…almost on the verge of hysterics. I was up out of my seat in an instant and found myself with my arms holding her tightly against me.
"It'll be okay Natalie…you can't let one lost role kill your dream. If that were the case, there would be no doctors." I tried to joke with her. "You're not always going to win…sometimes you're going to lose one." I rubbed her back gently until she stopped crying, just small sobs here and then.
"I'm so sorry…I shouldn't be bugging you…you have more important things to do than deal with an over-emotional girl." She said but didn't make any attempt to move out of my embrace.
"No, no I don't. I'm exactly where I want to be."
She finally looked up at me and the moment those green eyes locked with mine, I knew I was gone. I knew that I was in love with this girl. This girl who I didn't even know.
"But…I mean…how?" she rambled, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
Before I could answer her, my door swung open and all three of my children walked inside the room, causing Natalie to jump away from my embrace, like she had just been caught doing something wrong.
"May we have a word with our father?" Edward spoke and Natalie was instantly confused. But, she just nodded and walked out of the room, not giving me a second glance back.
"Just what in the world are you doing Carlisle?" Edward snapped at me once she was gone.
"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He had never spoken to me in such a manner.
"Tell him Alice." He looked over to Alice who was sitting on my desk, a sly smile on her face. Well, at least someone wasn't mad at me.
"I had a vision." She began "And it involved you and Natalie…"
That didn't seem so bad to me.
"Tell him the rest Alice." Edward said
"I saw you changing her Carlisle…into one of us." She said, excitement flying off her.
"No, I will not do that to her…she is perfectly fine. She isn't in harm's way…no matter how I feel about her, I can't do that to her." I looked up at my kids. Edward looked like he was going to break a table or something. Why he was so upset was beyond me.
"Because…" He hissed "You are already in love with this girl. It'll only be a matter of time before it happens…you won't be able to stop yourself. I don't know what you see in her Carlisle…she is just a girl. A girl who isn't that much older than any of us…physically speaking."
"I do not want to bring any harm to her…so, unless she's dying or something of the sort, I will not be changing anyone…I wouldn't give her that life when she has so much to live for…"
"Oh but Carlisle, she would be such a beautiful vampire…you should see it." Alice pouted and Edward glared at her. "Oh, stop it Edward…I haven't even told him the best part yet." She smiled but before she continued, Jasper cleared his throat suddenly and all eyes snapped towards the door to find Natalie standing there, trying to play it cool.
"Oh this is just perfect." Edward muttered.
"I um…I forgot my sweater." She stammered, walking over to the chair to pick it up. She didn't look up at me. I could tell she was scared.
"Wait…" I grabbed her arm gently and stopped her "please don't go." I pleaded with her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your life Carlisle. I…I don't really understand what you guys were talking about but, I don't want anything bad to happen. I don't want to hurt you in anyway." She broke free of my grasp and tried quickly to make her way towards the door. But, Jasper, my son who sometimes doesn't think before he acts, reached the door before her and blocked her way out.
"You aren't going anywhere." He glared down at her.
"Jasper, what are you doing?"
"She can't Carlisle and you know it. She knows too much now." He said, his eyes still focused on her. It had surprised me at first how quickly Jasper had gone from being okay with her the night before to looking like he hated her now. But then it hit me. Last night, she was just an idea…but now, she knew what we were…and Jasper was very protective when it came to Alice. And, he somehow felt that Natalie was a threat to Alice now because she knew our secret.
"Please…I would never tell anyone about you. I promise." She pleaded with my son. "Please don't hurt me…" she whispered.
"Enough Jasper…" Alice snapped at him. She had never done that before. Reluctantly, he moved out of her way and she couldn't run out of that door fast enough, never looking back at me.
I sighed when I thought back to that afternoon. She had to have been terrified. I would have been terrified of jasper too if I were human.
I thought that it would be the last time I'd see Natalie Vasquez. A part of me knew that it would be best for all of us if I never saw her again.
Fate had another idea I suppose.
It had been six months since that fateful afternoon in my office when I received a call at our home in the middle of the night.
"Dr. Cullen, I'm sorry to be calling you at such a late hour but we have a young woman here who's in pretty bad shape. But, she won't let any of the doctors touch her…she needs to be treated but she won't let it happen."
"Why not?" I frowned but grabbed up my things.
"We think she might have been assaulted…or worse." The nurse on the other end said quietly.
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I said and hung up the phone. I drove as slow as I could.
"Where is she?" I inquired about the patient and started heading down the hallway.
"She's right in there doctor…" I didn't finish hearing her when because when I reached the door, that all too strong scent hit my senses. It had been six months but I remembered it.
"Thank you." I said quickly and walked into the room. My dead heart instantly dropped when I saw her. My beautiful Natalie laying there on the hospital bed, arms wrapped her legs, rocking back and forth gently and tears falling down her face.
"Natalie?" I approached her gently. I knew she was in shock and any sudden movement could set her off. She didn't look up at me. She didn't even react to my voice.
"Natalie, can you hear me…" I called to her again, this time I gently touched her arm. The loud scream she let out wasn't something I was expecting.
"No, no please…just take whatever you want…" she cried, shutting her eyes shut tightly.
"It's me Natalie…" I spoke calmly to her "you're safe now…"
Her eyes snapped open and she stared at me, everything hitting her all at once. In an instant, she was up from her position and locked her arms around me tightly.
"Oh Carlisle…" she whispered my name "Oh it was terrible…" she sobbed.
"Natalie, you need to tell me what happened…" I tried to move her so I could see her face but she wouldn't budge.
"No, please don't let me go…" she clung to me with all she had.
"I won't let you go, but I need to see you…I need to see if you have any broken bones or anything."
She took in a deep breath and finally pulled away from me and sat back on the bed. It was then I could finally take in the full extent of her injuries.
She had a large bruise on her face that started at her right eye and went down to her cheek bone. There were bruises along her arms along with her cut lip. Her clothes were tattered and bloody. I didn't need to be a doctor to know what had happened to her.
"Someone broke into my apartment…" she whispered "and, I tried to stop him. He was going to take my bracelet." She started crying again.
"Natalie, you should've just let him take it…this person could've killed you."
"No, my dad gave me that bracelet a few months before he died. It's the only thing I had left to remember him by. I couldn't let him take it Carlisle…I told him he could take anything else…just not that. And that's when…that's when he started to attack me…and then he…then he tried to you know…" her bottom lip started to quiver as she fought back the flood of tears in her eyes.
"did he?"
"No, I think he heard someone or something so he just ran off..."
And, for the first time in my existence…I had the sudden urge to want to destroy this person who did this to her. He had hurt her beyond belief. He had to pay…
"Do you have any other pain?" I asked her, trying to distract myself form wanting to kill someone.
"No. I mean, it hurts when I take a deep breath...but other than that no."
"You understand we'll have to run some tests on you? Just to make sure everything is okay."
She nodded but avoided my gaze.
I stood and grabbed the things I would need to draw her blood so that they could run the tests on her. The whole time, she didn't look at me.
"Natalie, can you please look at me?"
"I can't…" she whispered.
"And why is that?" I frowned, placing the labels on her blood and handing them to the nurse and she quickly left the room.
"Because then everything will be real and it can't be real between us…you aren't even human." She said and I just laughed gently at her. That was a bit odd for her to say, especially after being hurt so viciously.
"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't hold that against me." I grabbed her face with my other hand and forced her to look at me. "I assure you that this can be very real if you want it to be…" I spoke to her, nothing but truth and kindness coming out with my words.
"I shouldn't have come here…I just…I just didn't know where else to go. Even though I've only met you twice, I felt like you were all I had…the only one who could help me." She admitted.
"You made the right choice." I smiled warmly at her.
"Aren't vampires supposed to be mean?" she finally asked me a few minutes later. "You're anything but…in fact, you're quite charming…maybe even a little seductive." She blushed at her own statement.
At least we were making progress, she was breaking out of this state of fear she was in.
"That is our curse I guess you can say. We're supposed to be able to lure in anyone we so well please…that way they'll never know what hit them when we take away their lives." I answered her truthfully, something I have never told a human being before…why not put it all out there ?
"What??" she gasped, and pulled away from me "Are you trying to say that you want to kill me? Is that why you were so nice to me?" she asked, new tears brimming in her eyes.
Well, so much for that.
"No, of course not…it's just that…well, it's a long story…one I do hope to tell you one day. But, just for now, are you okay simply knowing that I would never hurt you Natalie…I don't know what it is about you but I am….I'm so…"
"In love?"she finished my sentence. "I don't know why you love me…I'm just some girl who walked into your life…"
"You just didn't walk in…you walked in and shut the door behind you." I placed my hand gently on her face "I have not been able to get you out of my head for six months. I don't know why you have such an effect on me but, I don't ever want this feeling to go away." I leaned down towards her slowly and finally, I did what I had been yearning to do for six long months…I kissed her.
"This is so wrong…" she sighed when I gave her a chance to breathe. "But, is it wrong of me that I don't care? I knew there was something unique about you Carlisle…unlike nothing I have ever felt about someone before." She smiled sweetly at me and intertwined our hands together.
"I'm pretty sure it was my devilish good looks…" I smiled and leaned down to kiss her along her jaw line to which she shivered slightly.
"You got that right…" she breathed out "God those eyes of yours…I knew there was no physical way that your eyes could be that golden…so entrancing." She whispered.
"Never in my life have I loved a human…" I blurted out. She just laughed at me.
"Never in my life have I loved a vampire…but then again, I haven't been around for a very long time." She stated "I'm only nineteen…" she answered my unasked question "how old are you…"
"Physically, I'm twenty five." I responded.
"Physically? What's that supposed to mean?" she scrunched her eyebrows in confusion "Wait, then how are those three people your kids? They have to be around my age right? Carlisle, I don't understand…" she pouted in frustration and it was the cutest thing.
"In due time Natalie." I squeezed her hand "I will tell you everything about me. What we are, how we live…"
We sat there in silence for a few minutes.
"What your kids were saying before…the nice pixie girl said something having a vision. A vision about me becoming one of you? Did she mean a part of your family…or literally becoming one of you?"
"Literally…but, I swear Natalie…I will never let things get that far. I would not ruin your life just for the sake of being with your forever." I slipped out and her eyes widened.
"Forever? You mean…you can never die Carlisle?" she whispered. I just nodded.
"Then I guess there's only one thing left for you to do." She sighed after a few minutes of deep thinking. She sat up in the bed and turned her head to the side, away from me and giving me a glimpse of that beautiful neck of hers.
"What are you doing Natalie?" I laughed, placing a kiss in the spot but pulled away quickly.
"Isn't this how it works? Or is this only how it happens in the movies?"
"How what works?"
"Well, how does one change into one of you?" she looked a little annoyed as to why I hadn't figured this all out.
"What!" I stood up from the bed, stunned by what she had just said.
"You said that you can live forever Carlisle…and I want to live forever with you."
"Natalie, I don't think you know what you're saying. You don't want this life…to live forever, never changing…you would be giving up so much. I can't let you do that."
"But…" she stared at me "I want to be with you…I love you." She whispered those three magic words. "In this life, I don't really have anything. No one would miss me. I have no parents or any other family…but with you…" she smiled "I could have everything…and that's good enough reason for me."
"No Natalie…I promised myself that I would never change anyone else they were dying…because there would be no other choice left for them…"
"Well, I got pretty close tonight, doesn't that count for something?" she frowned.
"That isn't funny."
"Please Carlisle…" she asked, getting up from the bed and slowly walking towards me "I figure you've been taking care of people for quite a long time…don't you think it's about time that someone take care of you for once?"
"But…" I leaned down and rested my forehead against hers "we don't even know one another. What if you one day you realize that I wasn't what you expected me to be and you hate me for doing this to you?"
"I'm willing to take that chance…and I would have all of eternity to get to know and love you…please, we could be so good for each other."
"I think…" I whispered "I think that you've been watching too many love stories." I smirked and she just laughed gently.
"Perhaps…but if that's the case, then you Dr. Cullen…are my knight in shining armor."
I couldn't keep fighting her on this anymore.
There was this inexplicable bond between us. A bond that defied logic and reason.
It didn't make sense yet, it felt right. Like she was the one I had been searching for.
And, who was I kidding? I knew there was no way I could live a life without her in it.
"Lie down." I ordered her and she looked at me confused for a second before realization hit her.
"Is this going to hurt?" she asked, looking up at me, a little fear in her eyes…along with love.
"Yes." I was honest with her. "It'll be the worst pain you have probably ever felt….you're going to literally feel your body shut down on you. And, I know it'll be hard but, please don't scream. I need to take you out of the hospital as quickly as possible after I do it. But, I promise that I will never leave your side…"
"Okay." She nodded slowly. "Wait, where are you going to do it?"
"Here." I touched the side of her neck gently "Why?"
"Just wondering." She shrugged and she lay back and shut her eyes.
"Just remember that I love you." I whispered in her ear before I placed my lips against her neck…I could feel her pulse accelerate against my lips and I knew there was no turning back now. In one quick moment, I bit her…letting the taste of her flow thru my lips. For a moment, I lost control somewhat but I was able to gather myself and pull away from her. I watched as she bit her bottom lip in terrible agony, trying to hold back the scream that was forming in the back of her throat.
Natalie's blood was now flowing thru my system as was my poison in hers. We were now forever a part of one another.
I quickly grabbed her in my arms and headed for the door, making sure that there was no one coming. Since it was late, it was pretty quiet. I walked as quickly as possible, Natalie's grip around my neck growing tighter as the burn began to flow all throughout her body.
"Shh, hold on beautiful..." I said as I laid her in the backseat of my car and drove as quick as I could to our home.
All three of my children were waiting for me on the front steps by the time I got there, all of them with different expressions. Before I could say anything, she finally let out the most heartbreaking scream I had ever heard.
"Please don't leave me…" she cried, grabbing hold of my hand. I could feel her life slowly slipping away each time her grip loosened on me. After some more screaming, it just turned into small whimpers of pain as she faded away from her human life and into the next…into the immortal life. I tried to remember everything about her in her human form. Especially those green eyes which I knew she would never have again.
It would be three days before Natalie would open up those beautiful eyes of hers again.
"Dr. Cullen?" a voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked up and smiled at the nurse who was standing in front of my desk.
"Yes?" I asked politely.
"You have a visitor…your wife?" she eyed me funny. The fact that I was married to someone so young was sort of baffling towards the staff here. Especially since it was a small town.
"Oh, okay…thank you." I nodded to her. After a few moments, I felt her presence in the room and I smiled before I even looked up to see her.
"Can I help you?" I asked and she just walked over to my side of the desk and sat on it, her legs dangling over the edge.
"Yea, I think I might have broken a rib or something. Would you mind taking a look?" she teased.
"No problem." I stood up and grabbed her hands in mine, bringing her up so that I could kiss her. Turning her, I pressed her against the bookshelf behind my desk…
"Mm, Dr. Cullen…" she laughed "I don't think we should be doing this…we might get into some trouble" she laughed some more but pulled me tighter against her.
"It's alright beautiful…we're married. We're allowed." I ran my hands up along her sides, causing her to both sigh and giggle.
After a few minutes, I eventually pulled away from her, pressing my lips against her forehead before releasing her from my grasp.
"That was nice." She sighed, sitting with me in my chair.
"Yes, yes it was. May I ask what prompted you to come visit me today Natalie?"
"It's March 7th silly…you didn't think that you're the only one who remembered did you? I wanted to come see you…where else I would be but with you?"
"I knew you would remember…" I admitted. "It is quite the important day isn't it?"
"Mhmm." She sighed.
March 7th…exactly fifty years ago today, Natalie became one of us. The moment her eyes opened and saw me, she was no longer Natalie Vasquez…but rather, she was and forever would be Natalie Cullen.
The woman who I would love more than anything in this life.
"How are the kids?" I joked. It was part of the charade we had to put on.
Though Natalie was physically the same age as Edward, Alice and Jasper, we still went on saying that she and I were their adoptive parents. People were always stunned when we would tell them. We said she was twenty three versus nineteen. That way it didn't look like I had married a teenager. But, I did and I didn't care.
"Oh those kids." She laughed. She didn't really seem them as her kids…more like her brothers and sisters. They were all much older than her in actuality, having been born in much earlier times. "There was a new girl in school today…you know, the police's chief daughter?"
"Oh, yea that's right." We had been living here for a little over two years now and in this small town, you knew everyone and every latest news gossip.
"Her name's Isabella I believe…anyways, let's just saw the kids had a very interesting day."
My eyes suddenly grew concerned.
"What happened?"
"Well…from what I hear, Jasper almost took a swipe at her during lunch." She sighed, feeling remorse for Jasper. He had the worse self control due to his 'upbringing' and often times found it hard to control his bloodlust. "But luckily he stopped himself. Well, Alice stopped him."
"And then, she sat beside Edward in their Biology class and well…according to him, her scent hit him like a ton of bricks. It took all he could to not take her right then and there." She said "that poor girl…but, I have no doubt that Edward will be able to control himself around her…"
I had to smile to myself. In the years since Natalie has joined our family, things haven't always been easy. Edward didn't really take a liking to her at first. He was mad at me for changing her…he was mad at her for wanting me to change her. And then, when she got back in face and told him that he was jealous…he was furious with her and didn't talk to her for a month.
But now, they are like the best of friends. The only arguments we get sometimes come from Jasper…because well, there are times when he picks up on Natalie's feeling and emotions towards me and they become too much to handle.
"Is that why you came?" I suddenly laughed "Did Jasper kick you out again…"
"Hey.." she pushed my shoulder "It's not my fault that I love you so much Carlisle…sometimes the desire overpowers my mind…"
"Oh, well that's good to know I can still make you feel such a way."
"Ha, you will never stop making me feel this way."
It was true. In the time we have been together, sometimes when I kiss her…or when we're together, it's like being together for the first time. I treasure every kiss…every touch.
Not because I'm afraid she's going to be gone one day. But simply because I love having those memories of her.
"So, do you have any special plans for today?" she asked
"I think maybe we should go hunt Natalie…your eyes are looking a little black."
She just scoffed. If there was one thing she hadn't fully gotten used to doing…it was the hunting. She said it was "weird" and she didn't really like doing it. But, she did it because she had to.
"I guess so…but I'm not really craving blood at the moment…" she bit her bottom lip and trailed her fingers up the front of the shirt I was wearing slowly. If one thing she retained from her human life, it was her shyness and innocence. No matter how many times we have been together, she still gets a little timid when it comes to displaying physical emotion towards one another.
"Me either." I shrugged "but perhaps it's best we save that for later…I don't think the staff would appreciate it if we broke this expensive desk here…"
"If you say so." She sighed "What time do you get off?"
"In approximately three minutes." I looked at the clock. She sat patiently in my arms, waiting for those three minutes passed.
"It time." I whispered in her ear and she jumped up and grabbed my hand.
"Thank god." She laughed and literally pulled me thru the door.
We, as always got a few glares as we walked through the hospital.
Just as we were about to walk outside, the sound of an arriving ambulance pulled up.
"Dr. Cullen!" one of the nurses yelled "we have a car accident victim…eighteen year old girl, possibly might need surgery." She looked at me and I instantly looked down at Natalie who had a sympathetic look on her face.
"Go Carlisle…save her…" she whispered and with a quick kiss, I rushed back into the ER as she quietly made her way back to her car.
The young woman did end up needing surgery. She had the same color eyes as Natalie once had. And, as I finished the surgery, I kept thinking about Natalie and all she had done for me.
When I walked into the house later that night, I noticed that everyone else was gone…I took off the jacket I was wearing and made my way up the stairs into our bedroom. Natalie was instantly off the bed and into my arms.
"How is she?" she asked.
"She'll be fine…she needed surgery but she'll be okay." She nodded.
"You know, I had to promise Alice a whole day of shopping, a tour of a Civil War museum with Jasper and a classical music concert with Edward to get the house to myself."
"Well then…" I picked her up in my arms "I guess I better make it worth it right?"
"You better." She laughed as I kicked the door shut behind me.
"So, will it be worth it to do all those things?" I asked sometime later, looking over at my Natalie…who had a look of pure happiness on her face.
"Oh, very much so." She nodded her head. I reached over and took her hand in mine.
"I love you so much Natalie…you have given me so much over these past decades…"
"Are you kidding me? If anything, you're the one who's given me so much. I was just the girl that walked into your life." She reminded me.
"Mm, but you're also the one who shut the door and never looked back. You just gave up everything to be with me…and it's my dearest hope…" I looked into her eyes "that it hasn't been in vain?" I pushed some of her hair away from her face, so that I could see the scar that I had left on her. It wasn't visible to humans but it was clear as crystal to me. I let my fingers trace it gently as she slid her eyes shut briefly.
"Nothing has been in vain. I have done nothing but love the time I have been able to spend with you… as clear as that scar is to you…know that I will always belong to you."
I wrapped both arms around her and brought her closer to me, just letting her scent surround me as we lay there for hours, not doing much…
Fifty years ago, my entire life changed.
Someone walked into my life and she never looked back.
She gave up everything for the sake of being with me forever…a man that she didn't even know.
We were virtual strangers who somehow fell in love with one another at first sight.
All my life, I have been the one to take care of everyone else…never noticing just how alone I was.
And then Natalie showed up and showed me just how good it could feel to be taken care of. To know that someone loves you…and wants nothing for you to be safe is one of the best feelings in the world.
I promised her that I would never leave her side and, I vow to keep that promise for all eternity.
So, was it any good? I just had to write something with Carlisle in it because I've been reading really good stories about him lately, lol.