Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Prologue – Ends and Beginnings

Carlisle POV

Bella was drifting in and out of consciousness on the floor nearby. I could hear her moans upon my entry to the ballet studio. Esme was at my side—Rosalie had insisted that she could handle Victoria by herself and Esme had been reluctant to leave me to face this unseen threat alone. Edward had the blond vampire, James, by the neck and was slamming him against the wall. Without thinking, I rushed to Bella's side, panic enveloping me. I couldn't bear to think of her dying.

I didn't understand my feelings for her—not then. I was so unethical; unorthodox. My son, in love with this young, innocent girl, would kill me if I allowed him to listen to my inner-most thoughts. I had learned to control my thoughts around him, though. I learned to avoid any impure thoughts of Bella in his presence. Sometimes, however, in the middle of the night maybe when I lay with Esme, I think of Bella—imagine her face on Esme's. It was sick, but it happened. In reality, I was centuries old, but physically, I was twenty-three and I thought like any other man when it came to women to some extent. But this was different—Esme considered Bella a daughter—Bella's was my son's girlfriend. How sick was it for me to… to feel something like this for her?

Bella's beautiful brown eyes fluttered open. For a human, she was unearthly beautiful. To me, she was prettier than any vampire I had ever met, even my wife. "Carlisle?" she asked my name, almost incoherently.

There was a crash behind me. I glanced quickly over my shoulder to see Esme and Emmett rushing to secure James. The rogue vampire had somehow managed to catapult Edward across the room and into one of the mirrors that covered the walls. Thankfully it was far enough away where no shards would endanger Bella.

"Carlisle?" Bella asked again.

"I'm here Bella. Everything will be alright. We're here now. James won't hurt you anymore," I promised her. If James came near Bella before his inevitable death, I would be the one to kill that sick, sadistic monster.

A woman screamed, causing me to turn around. James had my Esme by the throat. With one swift movement, her head went rolling across the floor. I felt my body go numb. Dread manifested itself deep into my core. Esme was dead, for the time being. I went to get up, but Bella's trembling voice called me back. "Carlisle… don't leave…"

I felt torn between Bella who needed me and my medical attention, and to my wife whose head was dangerously close to the fire Jasper had started when he entered. He hadn't seen her head. I watched as the spreading flames engulfed Esme's head. The fire had made the choice for me. I turned around to Bella and took off my belt to fix a tourniquet on her leg to stop the bleeding. I felt another porcelain snap and didn't risk a look over my shoulder to see who had been killed this time.

The next moment, Edward was at my side. "What can I do?" my son demanded, his eyes ravaging her body with eminent fear and panic. "Tie this belt around my hands," I instructed as I put my hands on her thigh, covering the wound to prevent blood loss.

Edward did as he was told. A moment later, Bella started to scream. Our gazes flew to her face. "My hand!" she gasped. "God, my hand is burning!"

I looked at her left wrist, and sure enough, just has I had suspected, a bite mark had been gouged into the skin. "He bit her," I whispered.

Edward let out a snarl of rage. "What are my options?" he asked, staring at Bella's agonized face.

I sucked in an unsteady breath as I longed to touch Bella's face. I saw my son's face harden at my thought. I growled at myself inwardly. "You can let the change happen," I offered even though I didn't even want that.

"What's my other option?" he demanded. His voice was trembling with anger and impatience.

"You can try to suck the venom out," I told him. I would have done it by now if my hands had been free. I looked at Edward and watched my son's face at his reaction. I could see the pessimistic dread rise in his topaz eyes. Edward, I thought to him. Save her. Don't let her die. If she changes, it is like dying. You know that. Take away her pain. I would do it, but I'm occupied. Esme is dead… I added at the end. I wanted to think to him that Bella was all I had left, but I tried to hide it. Nothing got past Edward. He looked at me, his eyes blazing with fury.

"I'll deal with you later," he snarled at me. I looked down ashamed, and listened to him as he addressed Bella. "I'll make the pain go away, Bella," he whispered and took his wrist in his hands and brought it to his mouth. He reopened the wound and began to suck out the venom-intoxicated blood. Bella's face began to relax as the pain was taken away, but then her brown eyes began to roll back in her head.

I tried to move my arm to pull him away, but they were locked to Bella's leg. "Edward! Edward stop it, you're killing her!" I hissed at him urgently. I growled and tried to kick at him, but Edward finally tore himself away and stared into Bella's lifeless brown eyes.

At first, I feared that the blood loss had killed her, but her heart still beat. I could hear it strong and powerful. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. Bella's eyes closed and I felt her breathing calm. She still needed to get to a hospital, but I had a feeling she would be alright.

Bella POV

Hell. I had to be in Hell. I felt like my entire body was being engulfed in flames. I screamed in agony as I felt a new, hotter fire singe what used to by my hand. There was no way it could see be a wrist It had to be a steaming pile of ash, but I could feel the pain so real and so true that some part of my hand must have survived the ravaging, unforgiving fire.

Then, the pain began to dull. It felt like someone had finally heard my screams had thrown a bucket of soothing cold water onto my torched body. I tried to let out a soft moan on relief, but my throat was dry. All the screaming must have dried my throat. I opened my eyes and kept them focused on the blond haired angel, and the bronze-haired man crouched beside me, holding my wrist to his mouth.

"Edward!" the angel gasped. I saw him make a move to stop the bronze-haired man, but his hands seemed to be glued to my upper thigh. It was then that I became aware of the angel's ice-cold hands so close to the apex of my legs. I wanted to blush. I felt my vision blur, and I got a sudden feeling of light-headedness. In my state of half unconsciousness, I saw the blond angel try to kick the man holding my arm. I wanted to tell the angel not to hurt himself, but that felt more than stupid. The man holding my hand finally pulled his face away from my hand and I slowly faded away into a reassuring darkness.

As I drifted off, I heard the angel's melodic voice whisper in my ear. "We'll take care of you Bella."

And I believed him.

Carlisle POV

When we got Bella to a hospital and she was safe, I finally began to grieve for my wife. It was only then did I realize what this meant—Esme was dead and I would never see her again. She was gone—burned so we could protect Bella… She probably thought that I would find her headless body and put her pieces back together like I had done before in another way when I helped her rehabilitate from the damage her previous husband, Charles, had done to her. I didn't go to her. I stayed with Bella. I left her to die.

Edward was examining my thoughts as we waited in Bella's room. I was pretending to be checking her pulse, but it was just an excuse to be in the same room with her. I couldn't focus. All these thoughts were swimming around in my head making it impossible for me to rest. I felt like I definitely needed to go to a priest and confess all of my sins. I could start with the fact that I was a vampire and eternally damned to hell… Yeah, if that didn't make him break out the crucifix, then I don't know what would.

My son opened my mouth to comment on my thoughts, but was cut off by the door opening. I looked up to see Alice enter. Her face was shocked and plastered with a look of horror. "Alice, what is it?" I asked, laying Bella's arm down and going to her side.

Edward was growling. "No. NO!" he yelled.

Alice and I both looked at him fearfully. Edward looked at Bella lying in the bed, oblivious of his rage. He then looked at me, his eyes blazing with undisguised fury. "YOU!" he shouted. "YOU, YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Edward stop it!" Alice growled, stepping in front of me as Edward began to stalk forward. "He doesn't even know what's going on."

Edward shook his head. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

I stared at Alice, and then at Edward. I was stunned beyond words as I saw the rage on my son's face, and the worry on Alice's. I couldn't imagine what my own face looked like. Alice gazed at me with sad eyes, and then looked at Bella in the bed. I, too, looked at the beautiful girl with brown hair lying in the bed. Even Edward watched her, and then looked back at me. In a way, I knew what Alice's vision was about, and it was not going to end well.

Edward POV

When Alice entered the room, I immediately searched her thoughts, seeing the worry on her face. When I saw what she had seen in her vision, I was engulfed in blind rage.

I saw things from Alice's perspective, the watcher. I wasn't actually there, I was just watching the scene unfold. At first, Bella was in Carlisle's office, getting her arm stitched. They were talking when Carlisle looked up and looked in Bella's eyes. She stared back, her own brown doe-like eyes shining with curiosity and a new emotion—admiration? It had to be. But then, the strangest thing happened, Carlisle took Bella's chin in his hand, and pulled her face up to his.

The two kissed, softly at first. Bella seemed hesitant, but a moment later, her doubts were forgotten and she locked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Carlisle wrapped his own arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He then let his hands wander he back, touching her. I growled at this point. I couldn't believe how both of them were betraying me like this!

Bella shifted closer and hitched her legs around Carlisle's hips. Carlisle let out a soft moan, and Bella's enter body shuddered. Carlisle's excited manhood was now poking her right under her dress. It was at that moment, that I, Edward, burst in through the door, yelling and hissing in justified rage.

When I was done watching that vision, Alice had yet another one that she had seen swirling around her scatter-brained mind. It was dark, but I recognized it as Carlisle's room. A beautiful woman with brown hair and brown eyes lay on the bed wearing an old ripped gray t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I recognized her as Bella, but this wasn't my Bella. She had a strange look in her eyes, almost like she had been changed some way.

Carlisle came into view a moment later, shirtless. He smiled nervously at Bella, and climbed onto the bed with her. Bella pulled him close to her and kissed him deeply, locking her arms around his neck. Carlisle put his hands on her waist and rubbed her skin. He then gently took the bottom of her shirt and pulled it upwards—I stopped there. I didn't need to see more to know what happened.

"No. NO!" I yelled and jumped up from my chair. I was not going to let this happen.

A/N: So, what do you think? Should I continue? I got this idea while in the shower... Don't ask. I was having a Carlisle fantasy. I was leaning up against the cold shower wall pretending that it was Carlisle behind me... Don't comment, I know I'm fucked up, okay? XD Anywho, thanks for reading and please review!