Chapter Four:

Possibilities

The dawn came too soon, the bright rays of light streaming through my windows. I pulled the curtains sharply, plunging the room into darkness once again. I could hear Carlisle downstairs, preparing yet another cup of tea in the kitchen. I shook my head to myself, still uncomprehending of why he insisted on pretending to be human, even after all these years of knowing him.

I sighed, looking around at my painting supplies and trying to decide what I would work on next. We had only been in this house for a few months, but it seemed as if I had already painted everything there was to see from this room. I desperately wished to go outside, but so long as the sun was shining, I was trapped beneath the shade that this house provided.

I went downstairs into the kitchen, where Carlisle was currently sitting at the table with the ceramic teacup pressed to his lips.

"Good morning," I greeted, offering a smile. "Did you enjoy your beauty sleep last night?"

Carlisle chuckled lightly. "Why, yes I did. Did you get to finish your painting?"

I nodded, sliding into one of the wooden chairs and crossing my legs. I adjusted my dress and leaned against the table. "So, will you have to go into work tonight?"

Carlisle nodded. "Earlier, if the sun permits it."

I raise an eyebrow as I glance at the brightly lit courtyard through the kitchen window. "It doesn't look like that will happen."

Carlisle shrugged, setting down his cup and fingering the handle. "Maybe, but I can sense a storm coming. I guess we will just have to find out later." His smile was contagious; my fingers flittered in the air above the table, as if I too had a cup that I was absentmindedly playing with.

"I hope you are right – I am sick of being trapped inside this house all day. I need something new to paint."

"You never were an indoor person. Just be careful if you do go out," he cautioned, "you never know when the sun might reappear."

I smile reassuringly. "You worry to much, Carlisle. I won't venture far."

True to Carlisle's prediction, clouds quickly replaced the bright sunshine of the early morning, although it was still warm and light outside. I packed my basket and picked up my easel; ready to take advantage of the short time I would have outside of the house. Carlisle was in his study reading when I left, and I tipped my wide-brimmed hat to him as I passed the open door.

My hair was pulled up into a loose braid and pinned into a bun, appropriate for a young woman such as myself, although my dress was probably longer than fashion dictated. My flowing summer dress concealed nearly my entire body; it's long sleeves protecting my arms from any unexpected rays of sunlight, as the cloud cover wasn't yet dense enough to ensure that no sun would come through. The white hem brushed the tops of my feet as I walked out onto the porch, and I adjusted my scarf around my neck, making sure that any bare skin was covered.

There were few people out on the street, and I smiled politely to all of the neighbors that I passed. I walked by the church, waiving to the pastor, and towards the pond just a few blocks away. The ducks at the pond waddled away from me and toward the water as I approached, and I laughed to myself as I watched them flee from me.

I set up my easel under one of the weeping willows along the bank, unpacking my basket carefully. I removed my white gloves, tucking them into a pocket in my dress and loosened my scarf so that it was draped around my shoulders. My shoes were the last to go, sitting neatly next to my basket on the blanket of thick green grass.

The breeze was light, scented by the foliage surrounding me. I held my palate delicately as I painstakingly began to paint the beautiful scene before me. The ducks floated peacefully along the surface of the water, which rippled as they swam. Water lilies collected along the banks, and songbirds perched on the trees lining the embankment. I hummed softly to myself, swaying slightly from side to side. My chiming voice added to the music created by the birds far above my head.

I lost myself in the moment, calm and happy to have escaped to this beautiful place. It was lovely.

Soft steps alerted me to the fact that I wasn't alone, the wind carrying the scent of the human who was approaching me. I recognized the sweet scent, but paid it no mind as I continued to paint. As a human, I wouldn't have been able to hear him, so I pretended that I couldn't.

When he was only feet away, he spoke, his velvety voice carried on the wind. "Miss Cullen."

I twisted around, a look of surprise already on my face. "Edward," I smiled, "I didn't hear you coming," I lied as easily as one would take a breath of fresh air. "What a pleasant surprise."

"I thought you were taught during the day by your uncle – or, well, I suppose he isn't your uncle," he stammered.

I giggled as his face flushed. "You can keep calling him that – or you can call him Carlisle. I don't mind."

He shook his head. "It would be improper for me to reference him so informally when I don't know him."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Improper," I mocked his tone, touching up a couple of flowers on my canvas. "You weren't concerned about impropriety when you came into my house yesterday, without a chaperone."

He blushed even fiercer and looked at his feet. "I shouldn't have come in. I should have formally asked if we could go for a stroll with someone to watch us."

Fingering my paintbrush, I replied, "You did ask if we could go for a walk. I just told you I couldn't."

He came round to stand beside me, catching my gaze. "You continue to perplex me, Bella."

I shrugged, continuing to paint. "After living the places I have, seeing so many cultures, the many ways that people interact with each other, can you blame me for not adhering to such strict forms of contact?"

Edward was silent, thoughtful. "I suppose that I cannot."

I changed colors, tapping my brush against the canvas.

"You didn't answer my question," he finally said after a long pause.

"Hm?" I hummed in response, focusing on my painting.

"I thought your uncle homeschooled you during the day."

I nodded thoughtfully, pretending to be preoccupied with my art while I thought of a response. "Carlisle teaches me, but he lets me go out sometimes, especially when the weather is nice like today."

Edward glanced around skeptically. "This is what you call nice weather?"

I took a moment to look at my surroundings, as Edward would see them. "I suppose it's not what you would call nice, but I like it. It's good for my skin," I told him, remembering my excuse from the other day.

"Ah, yes," he nodded, hooking his thumbs into his suspenders. "This is the type of weather that that would be preferable."

I smiled, inviting him to sit down, while I continued to paint. Edward, ever curious, asked me to tell him more about where Carlisle and I had traveled, and I obliged his requests, speaking easily as I added to my artwork.

Eventually, I could hear his stomach growling, and it occurred to me that it was now well into the afternoon. I checked my pocket watch, only to find that I had kept Edward here for over three hours.

"I'm sorry," I say, turning to him. "I lose track of time when I paint – you must be famished. Don't let me keep you from anything."

Edward stood, brushing down his trousers. "You are far more interesting than anything that I could have waiting for me. Although," he allowed, "I will confess to being more than a little hungry."

He smiled easily at me, holding out his hand. "Would you care to join me for a late lunch?"

I turn to face him, a look of regret already in place. "I would love to," I began, carefully fabricating my excuse, "but I should probably go home soon – Carlisle will be expecting me."

Disappointment flashed across his face for an instant, before he wiped it clear and replaced it with a soft grin. "Another time then. May I walk you home? I don't want you finding your way into another alleyway," he teased.

I decide to entertain his offer. "Yes, you may."

I packed up my things quickly, handing the unfinished painting to Edward to hold while I collapsed my easel and readied my basket. I adjusted my hat and slipped back into my shoes, tightening my light scarf around my neck. Lastly, I delicately pulled on my gloves before picking up my basket and allowing Edward to take my easel from me.

I was just stepping out from under the tree when a gust of wind flipped my hat off my head and sent it skittering across the grass. I laughed lightly, about to retrieve it when a gap appeared in the cloud cover and sunlight streamed into the clearing.

I recoiled under the tree instantly, dropping my basket and pulling my scarf up to shield my face from the glittering light that reflected off the pond and managed to penetrate the dense cover of the tree.

Edward was after it before I could utter a word, putting down my painting and chasing it several more yards as the wind picked up again. He caught up to it before it went into the pond, fortunately, and started to walk back toward me, a silly grin on his face. His hair shone in the light, redder than before, and his green eyes drew me in.

He extended his arm, offering the straw hat to me. I took it gratefully, dropping my hold on the scarf only once it was firmly in place on my head.

"You really don't like the sun," he commented, standing under the beaming rays as he waited for me.

I shook me head. "It doesn't…agree with me."

"How did you manage to live in Egypt if you are this sensitive?"

I stooped to pick up my basket. "I bundled up like I am right now and mostly left our residence at night. It was too hot during the day to go out, anyway."

Edward nodded, picking up the forgotten canvas and accepting my explanation, which was mostly true. I still didn't want to walk in direct sunlight, so I convinced Edward to wait for another minute until the cloud cover was sufficient.

As we walked back toward my street, I decided to use this opportunity to ask Edward about himself, as I had been doing all of the talking the last few days.

Edward chuckled as I pried him with my questions. "There isn't much to say, really. I've lived in Chicago my whole life, which is not nearly as exciting as your worldly travel experiences."

I shrugged. "Sometimes, I wish that we stayed longer in the places we have lived. There is something very intimate about being familiar with a place – with having memories of growing up and people you have known your whole life. Carlisle has been the only constant in my life."

He nods, his green eyes thoughtful once again. A long silence stretches between us, but it isn't awkward. The wind was starting to pick up, I was glad that I chose to go home when I did. It would begin to rain soon.

"I don't have any siblings," he says suddenly. "My parents wanted another child, but the doctor's told my mother she couldn't. My father has to travel to New York on business several times a year, so my mother and I keep each other company."

I nod. "What does your father do?"

"He's a lawyer. He wants me to go to law school next year." The look on his face told me that he was holding back more.

"You don't want to go," I guessed.

Edward looked at me. "Not really. I just…don't see the appeal. Don't misunderstand me, I have a great deal of respect for what my father does, but…"

He trailed off, and I knew exactly what he meant. "It isn't the right fit for you."

"No," he shook his head. "It doesn't seem like something I would want to do for the rest of my life."

I carefully stepped around the trees, taking Edward's offered arm to help me up onto the road, unneeded as it was. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of your life?" I asked, dropping my hand from his arm and watching him.

He stared ahead, his fingers twitching as if he wished to run them through his hair once again, but my belongings occupied them. "I'm not sure," he started, his tone changing to confusion. "I have thought of being a doctor."

"A respectable profession," I assured him.

"Yes, very respectable. However, and I know that it is unrealistic…" he trailed off, his eyes worried, as if he was afraid that I might judge him based on his answer alone.

"What?" I prodded, wanting to hear the answer. "I won't judge you for your desires in life."

He sighed heavily. "I know, it seems that of all people, you would judge me the least. I suppose…I have always wanted to play piano, for a living mind you," he added hastily. "I already play recreationally."

I smiled kindly. "That is not an unrealistic idea."

"It just feels…like it would be foolhardy," he explained, looking up the clouded sky and shrugging. "Being a doctor would ensure my future, while being a concert pianist…well, the success in that is limited to the pianists skills. I'm not sure if I'm talented enough for that."

I nudge him with my elbow so that he turns to look at me. "I'm sure that you are more talented than you know. It sounds like you play because you want to, because you love doing it. When you do something because it is your passion, especially music, where your emotions are poured into the work, you will be more talented than any person who plays without putting their heart into it."

We had come to a stop at the corner where he had escorted me to the other day. I turned to face him. "Your life is too short to waste doing things that you know won't fulfill you." While I had not lived as long as Carlisle, not even a full human lifespan, I knew that I had all of eternity to do what I loved. Edward, in his humanity, was not graced with having such time.

"You are probably right," he said, although I could tell he was not entirely convinced. "What about you, Bella?" he asked, changing the subject. "What do you plan to do?"

I smiled, leaning back and exhaling. "Well, I'm still young," I hedge, "and I have time to figure out exactly what I want to do. Being a housewife never appealed to me. I think I will just continue to paint, for now. Nothing else seems like it will satisfy me as much as painting does."

"Well, you are very talented."

"Thank you."

I reach for my easel, preparing to carry my belongings the rest of the way home. The trees surrounding the house were near, although the dwelling itself was nearly invisible. Only one of the gables poked through the dense trees to prove that there was, indeed, even a house there.

"Oh, I can carry these for you," Edward offered, not loosening his grip. "You are already burdened, and your house is not far."

I give him an incredulous look. "Exactly. It's not far at all. I have held you captive with me long enough; go home, Edward."

He chuckled. "Not captive. Enthralled," he corrected.

"Nonetheless," I said, taking the easel from him and tucking it under my arm. He surrendered the painting easily. "I can go on alone from here."

I waved and turned to walk down the street. "Bella!"

I looked at him over my shoulder. "Yes, Edward?"

He hesitated for a split second. "May I see you tomorrow?"

My brows furrowed for a moment, confusion spreading through my mind at the thought that a human would seek to spend time with me so actively. "Yes," I answered, glancing at the sky, reassured by it's grey coloring.

Edward grinned widely, positively thrilled. "I will come by at noon, if that is alright with you?"

I nod, "What did you have in mind?"

"Would you be interested in a small picnic at the pond? Chaperoned, of course, by your uncle."

His interest in propriety amused me. "I don't think a chaperone is needed, unless you plan on defiling me," I joked, and he blushed. It even extended up into his ears, this time.

"I should insist that someone else be present, if only to ensure your virtue," he explained, but I shook my head.

"My uncle does not need to supervise us. He trusts me, and he probably will not be at home tomorrow, anyway."

Seeing that I was not going to give in, Edward ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "You win, this time, Miss Cullen," he ceded.

I walked away, pleased with the thought of spending a little more time with Edward, and without the intrusion of a chaperone. The social ideologies of today were quite ridiculous. As a vampire, I was more than capable of taking care of myself, and the idea of having to be looked after insulted me. Further, I didn't really care what humans thought of me.

It started to rain as I approached the house, and I turned to give Edward, who was standing dutifully on the corner where I left him, a small wave before I was shrouded by the trees.