Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight…

A/N: Yeah, so I felt left out of the student/teacher fictions… and I like them a lot so I figured I'd take a whack at it… Carlisle x Bella… All Human… AU tragedy flash backs or explanations to come, think it'll all be Carlisle's POV, but don't hold me to that… Read. Enjoy. Review.

Bridges

Chapter One – Homecoming

Dr. Carlisle Cullen

I had gone to Medical School, I had done all the hours and put in all the effort, I just couldn't bring myself to continue on to be the great surgeon everyone was expecting. I couldn't do it anymore; I had been living as a ghost too long. So, I dropped out of Medical school in my last few months, it was the home stretch and everyone was expecting great things from me. I can still remember all my professors' faces when I announced that I was leaving to take some teaching courses. That was the last thing everyone expected, myself included. I always just had this illusion that if I became the best surgeon the world had ever seen, I could bring them back. Them, I needed them back, so long I let them drive me to study my hardest and work as hard as possible.

I just couldn't stay there anymore, it had been seven years since the accident. Now I was twenty eight, and I needed to get away from the city, I needed to go back to Forks. I was born in Forks, that was where I started out, and now I needed a new beginning. I walked off the plane at Forks airport and headed into town. The chief of police's car was in front of me, I wondered if Garrison was still the chief as he had been when I lived here as a kid. Boy, that guy hated me, he was always trying to catch me doing something wrong, not that I ever did actually do anything. He just didn't like me because his daughter was one of my many groupies, which I ignored, for the most part anyways. What I mean by for the most part, that I wasn't rude when they tried to talk to me, but I didn't exactly like that they followed me around.

While Chief Garrison hated me, the newer guy, Charlie Swan, had befriended me rather quickly. As the newest member of the force my junior year, he was stationed at the high school, there were a lot of fights back then, so much so that we had our permanent cop there with us. Charlie was a good guy, and an even better cop, he was always friendly towards me, and well, all the other "good kids" in school.

I pulled up next to the cruiser at the next red light to see if old Garrison would remember me. I looked over and to my surprise, I saw Charlie, and I smiled a little as I tooted my horn in a friendly fashion and smiled when he looked over to me. He smiled back and rolled down his window, and I rolled down my own.

"Oh, so it's Chief Swan now then?" I teased him light heartedly as he chuckled.

"Yeah, so it is, what're you doing back here, Carlisle? I thought you blew this town a while ago," said Charlie and I nodded more solemnly this time.

"Yeah, well things change," I said, I had always known that I'd have just a little explaining to do when I got back.

"Yeah, I heard about that, sorry, you ok?" said Charlie, and I knew how much of a leap it was for Charlie to get personal.

"I've been doing better lately," I said, then gave him a weak smile, "One day at a time, you know."

"Yeah," He said, "Hey, why don't you pull into the diner for dinner? My treat."

"All right, Chief Swan," I said as the light turned green and we drove through the light and we each took a left into the small town diner I remembered from my high school days.

I got out of my car and watched as Chief Swan got out of his, he gave me a little awkward hug and then I heard another door slam behind us as we stepped back.

"So, what're you doing back in town?" He asked as the most beautiful girl I had ever seen walked up next to him.

"Teaching," I said, trying my hardest not to let Charlie catch me looking.

"Oh?" said Charlie as we headed into the diner, and I nodded, "You teaching up at the high school then?"

"Yeah, it hasn't changed much has it?" I asked, still trying not to look at the beautiful young woman as we walked in and sat down at the corner booth, and the girl slid in next to Charlie, across from me.

"No, Bella's starting there tomorrow," Charlie said, "Oh, sorry, this is my daughter, Bells, her mom's going across the country with her husband so she came to hang around with me for a while."

"Hello, Bella," I said, happy for an excuse to look over to the beautiful girl, "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," said Bella, "Last week."

"So you're a senior then?" I said, "Well, maybe I'll have you in one of my classes. I'm teaching Honors Anatomy and Physiology this year."

"Yeah, that's one of my courses," she said shyly, and her voice was so perfect, but my mind was chastising me, she's nineteen, Carlisle.

"So I guess it's Mr. Cullen to you then," I said with a little chuckle, and she smiled, "Well, don't call me that outside school, makes me feel old."

"How old are you now, Carlisle?" Charlie asked as the waitress brought Charlie his usual, and from what she said mine and Bella's favorites from when we were younger.

"Turned twenty eight last month," I replied.

"Yikes, you're both making me feel old," said Charlie, "You were one of my favorite kids up at that school, you kept yourself out of trouble."

"Yup, let me just shine my halo up a little bit," I replied, reluctantly pulling my eyes off Bella and turning my attention back to Charlie, "Hey, is Mrs. Torpo still the secretary?"

"Yeah," said Charlie, "I had to talk to her to get Bella enrolled."

"Oh," I said, rubbing my hands together mischievously, "That should be fun."

"You were such a charmer back then," said Charlie, "You had that whole office eating out of the palm of your hand."

"Eh," I said, "What can I say?"

Bella smiled a little bit into her French fries as she dipped one into the small pool of ketchup that was on the die of her plate. I finished my meal and thanked Charlie for the food and we headed back out to the cars.

"Where're you staying?" Charlie asked as we reached the cars and I opened my door then watched them over the top of the car.

"I bought a house out on the edge of town. Not a big place, but big enough for me, it's out near the old river," I replied and Charlie smiled.

"Ah, right," said Charlie and Bella nodded, even though I knew she had no idea where we were talking about, and I chuckled.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Bella," I said and I nodded to Charlie, "I'm sure I'll see you around, Chief Swan."

I got in my car and waited for them to pull away with a friendly little toot. Then I broke down, I punched to the right of the horn on my car and totally flipped out. I started to cry as the rain came down, and I remembered the rainy day so many years ago now. I stopped immediately, knowing that I wouldn't be able to function enough to drive out to my house if I didn't stop myself then. That's the way I had been living, disguising my pain and let it go when no one was around, that's how I managed my pain, living from day to day the best I could.

I drove out of the driveway and headed out to the house. It was the house I had always admired as a kid, and I was looking forward to living there. While they were on my mind, as they always were, Bella was too. The beautiful young Bella, Charlie's daughter, she was one of the most beautiful women I had seen in my life. She was cute and shy and – Carlisle! I chastised myself again. She's nineteen, she's your student, you're going to have to cool it.

Though I had to say I was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow at school. I quickly did the mental math for our age difference, twenty-eight minus nineteen was nine. Nine year age difference wouldn't be that bad later on, but while she's in high school? While I'm her teacher? I knew though, I just had to have her. It had been seven years, and they would have wanted me to move on by now, right?