|: Cigarettes and Candy :| Carlisle... - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Declan's POV.
I stood next to Carlisle in the Cullens kitchen. He was slicing raw meat and vegetables that Esme was frying. Emmett was working on a salad with Rosalie, one cutting and the other holding the bowl.
I asked Jasper to pick me up from Charlie's early so that I had some time with the Cullens before Bella came over. I wanted to see how they were all feeling and make sure that I would be here before Bella arrives.
Carlisle glanced at me with a smile and placed a knife on the counter. He's been in such a happy mood, him and Esme both. Apparently they're both happy that Edward has found someone. Personally, I feel like everyone is taking their relationship very seriously. They just started dating like two days ago, things need to slow down.
"What would you do, if I started juggling those knifes?" I asked Carlisle, playfully nudging his side attempting to distract myself.
He continued to slice a carrot as his eyebrows rose, "I'd push you into a puddle."
"Wow, that's rude. Ruder then you usually are." I scoffed. "You're in a mood today."
He looked at me with my favorite smirk while continuing to chop. "I do not like the idea of you playing with knifes. You're just a child, you should not be using knifes at all."
My jaw hit the floor, "I'm not a kid, Carlisle, and I know how to use a knife."
"Didn't you stab a man?" Emmett's booming voice suddenly said.
"Are we really going to talk about that again?" I asked, trying to keep the image out of my mind.
"It was badass."
"You did what you had to do."
Both Emmett and Carlisle spoke at the same time, that's when I heard the car outside.
"They're here!" Esme said in a singsong voice.
Her excitement was contagious, I felt giddy and almost high. I briefly wondered if Jasper had anything to do with that.
Jasper and Alice are who knows where, preparing for Bella's scent. I felt bad that Jasper is so stressed and tempted by Bella's scent. He really wants to be more welcoming, but he just can't. Hopefully, someday, it'll be easier for him and he won't have to distance himself like this.
I was curious as to why he's okay around me, so I asked Jasper and Emmett what the difference is between Bella and I. Apparently my blood smells less like blood and more like the repairing saliva I gave Carlisle a sample of. I guess that the antibacterial fluid that's in my spit is also in my blood.
Carlisle said he could tell me for sure after I give him a blood sample, we haven't had the chance to do that yet. Just in case he wants to get it at the hospital, I understand I don't want to give blood in a house full of vampires anyway.
I heard a distant sound of the Cullens front door closing and slid a bit away from Carlisle. We were standing really close together and the last thing I want is for Bella to see that. She'll tease me to no end.
"Here comes the human," Rosalie all but sneered.
Suddenly, I felt extremely anxious. What if all of this is a bad idea? What if this is what gets Bella killed?
Esme turned to looked at Carlisle and I, her smile was grew and her shoulders raised as she let out a quiet squeal of excitement. Carlisle smiled back with the same gesture just without the little squeal. A real shame.
I forced a strained smile but dropped it as soon as Esme turned back away. I looked up at Carlisle with worried eyes and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me to his side. So much for not letting Bella see how close we are.
"Everything will be fine, do not worry." He reassured with his soft smile.
I nodded while biting my lip and reached up to touch his hand that was resting on my shoulder. Just for a moment I let my shaky finger linger on his cold ones before pulling away and crossing my arms.
It would be inappropriate to hold his hand right?
I just want everything to be okay, if this goes badly who knows what will happen. Rose might kill Bella! I know that was her plan, I of course won't let that happen.
Then Edward walked into the kitchen, followed by a nervous Bella. She looked around at all of us and her eyes lingered a little longer on Carlisle and I.
I wonder what she's thinking, seeing me here, tucked under the arm of her vampire boyfriend's dad. It's wild how life works this way.
"Bella, this is my mother for all intents and purposes, Esme." Edward introduced the one family member Bella hadn't met yet.
"Were making Italiano for you." Esme explained, I'm sure with a motherly smile.
"Oh, thanks. You didn't have to-" Bella began.
"She already ate", Edward cut in.
The sound of broken glass made me nearly jump out of my skin. Carlisle arm tightened around me and his other arm wrapped around my front and he's basically holding me now. I tried to keep my heart and mind in check.
"It's just, I know you don't eat and-" Bella quickly tried to explain herself.
"No, we understand. That's very considerate of you." Esme answer the panicked girl.
Rosalie huffed and that's when I noticed the glass at her feet, she had broken the bowl she was holding. Why? Was she really that upset?
She stepped out of the mess, her heels making a soft crunching sound from the broken glass. "Yes. Let's keep pretending that all of us aren't in danger."
"Rose." Esme interrupted her oncoming rant. "She won't tell anyone."
"And what if she does? Does she know the kind of danger we would be in if she told anyone?" Rosalie said back, her tone harsher then I would want if she's talking to Esme.
Finally Alice came in followed by Jasper. "Bella!" She called reaching at Bella for a hug.
"Perfect timing", I mumbled to Carlisle and he nodded back.
"Alice, what are you-"
"Don't worry," Alice comforted Edward. "Bella and I will be great friends."
Jasper stayed far away from Bella and Alice walked back to him, wrapping an arm around his side. Jasper's face was stone still and I could tell he was holding his breath.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he forced out through clenched teeth.
Bella smiled shyly and repeated his words.
I leaned into Carlisle side once I realized that this wasn't going that bad. I mean, sure, Rosalie broke a bowl and got very upset but for the most part, everyone is getting along. Even Jasper said hello!
Edward led Bella out of the kitchen with a few glares at some of us. He's clearly embarrassed and I bet I would be too, but from my point of few this is all pretty funny to me.
"I think that went well," Carlisle joked, squeezing me for a moment with a soft chuckle.
"Rose? Clean that up." Esme stated pointing at the mess on the floor.
Rosalie sighed and looked at the broken glass.
"Y'know, you could've just put the bowl down." I joked.
Rosalie looked at me with a small smirk, "that wouldn't have been nearly as dramatic now would it?"
I giggled as I saw Carlisle roll his eyes. They're such a dramatic family, I love it. I fit in pretty well.
Alice stepped up and put her small hands on the island. "It's definitely going to storm, thats means we can play right?"
"Of course, go and tell Edward, also ask if Bella would like to join." Esme answered the excited girl.
Alice squealed and took Jasper's hand and dragged him out of the room behind her. It's still odd for me to think of them as a couple.
They told me that the two are, not just together but are married, a few weeks ago, same with Emmett and Rosalie. They don't act like a couple in public because obviously that would be really weird for adopted siblings to be dating.
At least they're smart enough to know that.
I can't believe I had no idea since they didn't try to hide it that much at their house. Then one day Alice kissed Jasper and I was extremely confused. I've always been a little blind when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Emmett and Rosalie were more obvious, they can't keep their hands off each other. It's actually kind of gross but they're happy. Rosalie needs a fun guy like Emmett to keep her from being so serious.
"Come on, Dec. let's go upstairs." Carlisle stepped away from me and pulled me by my sleeve to the staircase.
"What did you just-, did you just call me Dec?" I asked as I stumbled on the fancy stairs.
"Yeah," Carlisle answered from the top of the stairs. "Is that okay?"
"It's fine," as said as I reached his side, "it's just that no one calls me that except for Adam. I wasn't expecting you to say that."
He smiled and lead me in the direction of his room. I've never seen his bedroom before, why is he taking me there now?
"Why are you taking me here?" I questioned as he opened the door and pulled me inside.
"You need clothes, I can't take you to a muddy field in those clothes." He responded going straight in the direction of what must be the closet.
I looked around at the large room, taking it all in. The walls are painted a deep shade of blue but the natural light made the room look bright. There's three vases of fresh flowers on different pieces of dark wooden furniture.
By the large window, there's a single fancy chair with a small table next to it. On the table rested a few books of different sizes. I could see from the window that he has a view of his garden.
I stepped closer to the dresser to get a better look at the flower arrangement. Lots of white roses sat in a slim glass vase, the smell of flowers was nearly overwhelming but was oddly comforting.
Carlisle stepped out of his closet and tossed a garment at me. "Here."
I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it off, quickly pulling the grey striped shirt over my binder.
"I'm starting to think that you don't really care about my clothes, you just want me to wear yours." I teased.
"You caught me." He adjusted his scarf and crossed his arms over his chest.
My gaze briefly focused of the dark navy scarf, he's always wearing a scarf. It's like his thing, why?
He went back to closet and within seconds stepped out in a new shirt. Another grey striped baseball shirt that matches the one I'm wearing.
"So is there another vampire family you play against or what?" I questioned as he finished buttoning his shirt.
He hummed a soft laugh, "no, it's just us."
"So what, three against four?" I asked.
He looked at me with a smirk, opening a drawer and pulling out a striped scarf. "You'll see."
I kept my eyes on the scarf as he put it around his neck. What is it with the scarves? I'll just ask.
"Hey, Carlisle?" I started.
He looked back at me with a raised brow. "Yes?"
"You where a lot of scarves." I continued.
A smile started to form on his lips, "yeah?"
"Is there a reason? I mean, there doesn't need to be but I was just-"
He raised a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Shh, shh. It's okay. Slow down."
His finger dropped and I took a deep breath as he did the same with hand gestures indicating I should copy him. I swallowed and looked at his shirt and matching scarf again.
"Well?" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
"I feel most comfortable with my neck covered. Protected in a way." He explained pulling me to sit on his large bed.
I looked at my hands as I thought. I've heard all the stories of how each of the Cullens was changed, and all of them were purposely changed. Except Carlisle, he was just a snack really. Even the woman who changed Jasper intended to keep him alive.
"That night, the night you were bitten, it was really violent wasn't it?" I said, avoiding meeting his eyes.
A cool finger under my chin guided my eyes to his. "Yes. I guess you could say I'm still a little traumatized."
I shook my head in mild frustration, pushing his hand away. "Don't say it like that. Trauma doesn't just go away because time passes."
"I know," he looked down and away from me almost shamefully. "However I feel childish, holding onto a security blanket like a scared child."
My heart clenched and I shifted on his bed as I realized he was letting me into his private thoughts. He's told me his story and about most of his life but never the bad stuff, never how certain events have effected him.
"It's not childish. I still love stuffed animals, that's childish." He smiled softly at my words, resting his chin on his hand. "Please don't feel embarrassed."
"I'm not embarrassed," He admitted. "Simply a little bit introverted. Another reason is that, my scars a higher on my neck then everyone else's. I prefer for them not to be visible."
Nodding my head I looked back at the flowers on his dresser. "So, your kind keeps the marks from when you were changed. I figured that you wouldn't have scars."
"Would you like to see them?" He asked, his voice taking on a shy note.
I furrowed my brows, "only if you're comfortable showing them to me."
He nodded and pulled his scarf and shirt over to the side, revealing the skin of his neck and some of his collarbone.
I moved so I was sitting on my knees so I was tall enough to see the marks. I've seen bite marks on Emmett and Alice but I had always assumed they got those at a later time, not from being changed.
Carlisle's scars were different though, less clean. Instead of the two crescents I've seen before, his are rough and jagged. Clearly the bites were not taken carefully, he was just a snack for a hungry vampire. He wasn't bitten with good intentions like the others were.
There was two, one on the point where his neck meets his shoulder and one higher up on his neck. The one on his neck barely resembles a bite, that's how messy it is. If anyone saw it, I doubt they would think it was a bite.
"They look," I paused, trying to find the right word. A word that wouldn't make him feel worse about the scars. "Rough. And painful."
"There's another one on my shoulder that looks nicer." He fixed his clothes and looked at his hands shyly.
"Three? Why did he bite you three times?" My throat felt tighter and I clenched my fists.
He looked at me and shrugged. "Maybe, he was angry with me. I was hunting him after all."
Carlisle narrowed his eyes and reached for on of my fisted hands. He gently unwound my fingers and held my shaky hand between two of his own. My heartbeat sped so fast that I could hear it echoing in my heated ears.
"He probably thought you were an asshole, little did he know you were just a sweet little boy." I teased trying to lighten his mood.
I want to see his smile again.
He cringed and shook his head, "Don't you ever call me a little boy again."
"Or what?" I challenged as pulled my hand away from his.
With a mischievous smirk, Carlisle reached a hand towards me. Before I knew it I was on the floor, my hands holding me in a sitting position and my nasty boots resting on Carlisle's fancy leather shoes. I can't believe this guy pushed me off the bed.
I let out a gasp, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. "Carlisle Cullen! How could you!"
His hand reached up to silence his laughter, but really all he was doing was keeping me from seeing his lovely smile.
"That wasn't nice!" I hissed standing up and fixing my twisted oversized shirt. "I thought you were the kindest guy in the world!"
His laughter continued as his eyes squinted shut. I reached forwards and pushed his shoulder, laughter of my own bubbling up in my chest.
Carlisle stood with a breathless sigh, "let's go. We'll be heading to the field soon."
He started walking towards to door and I stayed where I was, a shocked expression still on my face.
"You're not even gonna say sorry?" I looked at him, my eyes still large.
"No, I think my actions were justified." He took a few steps until he could reach me then grabbed my wrist softly.
I let him pull me along through the house until we were in the garage. There was a few cars and multiple shelving units and the garage doors are already opened.
Carlisle stopped our walking and opened a cabinet door. Inside was a barrel with at least fifteen baseball bats in it. There was another basket that was filled with new looking baseballs.
"Do you own enough bats?" I questioned sarcastically.
He grabbed one of them and a passed me a couple baseballs. "I like collecting them."
I smiled and tilted my head at him. "So you're a big baseball fan, it's more then just family fun isn't it?"
He led me to his car as Esme came through the garage door. "I love baseball," he opened the back door for me, "I collect baseball cards, too."
I climbed in the car with a small giggle, I took the bat he handed me and smiled up at him. "Like I've said before, you're really cute."
He shook his head and closed my door and Esme climbed in the passenger seat. She put on a baseball cap and turned to look at me.
"You're making him blush." She commented with her signature soft smile.
We laughed together as Carlisle got in the drivers seat. Starting the engine, he quickly drove out of the garage and turned down the dirt road.
I sat with the few baseballs in my lap and the bat balanced between my knees and sighed happily. I'm having a really good day. Everyday I spend with the Cullens is fun but today in particular has been so nice.
Everything I was worried about, shockingly, didn't happen. Bella is alive and well and Jasper was okay and even Rosalie was better then I thought she'd be.
I had a nice time with Carlisle and grew closer to him which was unexpected. I wasn't planing on having a deep conversation with him today but I'm glad he let me in his personal bubble, even if it was just for a moment.
Plus, I had fun cooking with Esme. I didn't think she would really know how to cook considering she doesn't eat, but I was wrong. She actually cooks a lot for the local soup kitchen, I was invited to help next time if I would like.
I've never had such a large group of friends and it makes me so happy. I always just had Adam, it was always just the two of us. Now I have too many friends, I almost can't fit time in with all of them. I'm doing things I would've never thought I'd want to do.
I'm going to watch them play baseball! I know nothing about baseball, but I'm so happy and excited to see what happens.
I haven't been in a mood like this in who knows how long.