Pre Edit Count –   3,664 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter:  All I am Asking For by Lifehouse

Previously:

He nods, and then giving Jasper a look, heads to his vehicle and goes to pick up Bella.  He trusts that Jasper will take care of Alice and this will no longer be an issue.

Once Carlisle has left, Jasper looks down at his diminutive mate. “Alice, you know that Carlisle, as a newly mated Male, is going to be different.  The things he let you get away with before will not be allowed.  Especially when they have the potential to harm Bella.  And you making the decisions for her can do that.  He even gave you the reason.  Do not question him right now.  Or I will be forced to punish you.  For now, let’s go for a hunt, then I will discuss with you the rules, since you need a reminder course.”

Jasper hates to reign back in his mate for any reason, but she needs to understand that Carlisle’s leniency that he gave to her before, will mostly be for his mate now.  Bella can get away with things, more than Alice or anyone.  But that is mostly because of his need to make her happy.  And him being Alpha, that means he will strive to heal her right now, so that she will be there for the rest of his life with her by his side, ruling.

He smiles, knowing that this is a minor setback, but one that needed to happen.  Edward had tried to warn her, he had also.  But Alice has been left too much slack and now she will learn discipline.  But the other side of the coin is that Carlisle has his mate, and once she is healed, she will be amazing.

Now:

Bella and Carlisle had spent the entire day shopping.  Unlike when she did with Alice and the rest before, just agreeing to their choices, Carlisle was courteous and respectful of her, making sure her opinion was taken into account with everything they chose.  He kept reminding her that it was to be their house.  He also was very mindful of her health and made sure she ate and had something to drink with her.   And they did it all together.

They are in the last store, Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Carlisle is having a ball, especially since finding out that she loves to cook, he told her she will have anything and everything to do so.  He also told her he enjoyed watching the Food Network in his free time and would love to cook with her.   With this having been said on the way in, Bella has been entertained to say the very least.

She is laughing as he is reading on his phone about the differences in pots and pans and sharing with her the interesting points that they have.

Carlisle turns to her, a smile on his face as he passes to her the joy she is feeling.  He arches an eyebrow as he asks her, “Now, sweetheart, are you listening to me? We are making supposedly one of the more important purchases I believe.  Well according to these sites we are.”  His eyes are what gives him away, otherwise there is no sign on his face of anything but being sincere in what he is saying.

Holding her stomach, Bella chuckles, “I think it is dishes that are one of the more important purchases.  You see more fights about that one decision than any other in the movies.  No one normally cares this much about the pots and pans.” She is realizing how much more fun it is to shop with Carlisle than anyone.  Ever.

Carlisle shakes his head. “Humans, darling.  Have I mentioned that I don’t always understand these little rituals?” His eyes are so light in color from his mischievousness.  He is enjoying himself, especially feeling his mate having so much fun.

Still grinning, Bella shakes her head.  She looks at the pots and pans around her and finally asks, “Which ones do you want to get?  Whatever it is, I would like to at least have all black appliances in the kitchen.” She really does’t care, since all her life she has made do with the odds and ends of pots and pans.  Never has she cooked with an actual set.  So it really made no difference to her.

Nodding his head as he reads the different reports, Carlisle quickly flips through the items.  He is also taking into account othemedical findings.  Even though she will be turned, and anything medically wrong will be corrected, his beast would not allow them to buy anything that could be potentially harmful to their Mate.  He finally reaches for the Mauviel M’heritage Copper Cookware.  He grabs a couple of different sets, cocking his head to the side as he examines the cart. “I think that will give us all the pots and pans we will need.  Copper is supposed to be great for cooking.” He is thinking of what other things he thinks they will need from the cooking shows he has watched. The decision has been made, he is already moving on to the next item.

Sniggering, Bella lifts an eyebrow, “And that’s why you bought it?”  She knows from the movements of his fingers, he had looked up a couple of things.  And she is aware that if it wasn’t for the fact he couldn’t move too quickly, because the screen of the phone wouldn’t keep up with him, she would have never known anything was odd.

Carlisle glances up at her and, seeing the grin on her face, he told her, “Of course.  Bella.  I am reading all the reviews and recommendations along with what the comments on these particular items are.  They are all reporting these as the best.  However.”  He looks around, and finding an employee, waives them over. “I do think we need more baskets.”

Bella is leaning over as she laughs at him.  He is now thinking they need more baskets?  She could have predicted that from the first store they shopped at.  Carlisle shakes his head at his mate and when the saleslady comes over, he asks her, “Is there a way we can set aside this cart while we shop?”

The saleslady looks at Bella as she is laughing, and tells him, “Certainly sir, we will be happy to assist.”  She is befuddled by the young lady’s laughter, but the handsome man with her is worth ignoring any oddness from her.

Taking a deep breath, Bella looks up at the lady and reading her name tag, asks, “Jenna, can we just get one of those scanners?  We are setting up our house for the first time and I expect we will be buying a lot.”  She knows that they will deliver, one way or another.  She and Carlisle had talked about the fact that he couldn’t get the furniture or other things home.  He finally told her that while they set up the house and any work in or on it, they will be staying at the Cullen’s.  To him, the house will be too exposed during that time for him to be easy with her in it at night.

Jenna’s expression clears up and she smiles at Bella. “Of course!   If you will follow me, I will set you up with a scanner.  Will you be taking it home today or do you wish us to deliver?”  In her mind, she is thinking of the bonus she will get for being the top seller this month, especially if the couple in front of her buys more items like the ones in the basket already.

Bella quickly tells her, “Delivery will be wonderful!”

Carlisle chuckles as he is reminded of their previous stops, Jasper or Emmett had appeared to take their purchases to the garage.  He is finding that Bella is as private as he is, which is a blessing since his instincts are driving him to make sure that their home not be scented with any other scents.  The conversation they had earlier had been intense, but Bella had acquiesced when Jasper had overheard them and told Bella that this is an ordinary thing for newly mated vampires.

Carlisle follows the two ladies over and stands behind his beloved, his arms wrapped around her as he rests his head on hers.   He only answers when they ask the name for it to be under as Cullen.  He smiles as Bella says nothing and only takes the scanner once they hand it over.  He lets go of Bella and bows to her, holding out the scanner, “My lady, if you would please start our fun.”  The entire shopping time has been fun for both of them, and he is doing all he can to continue the fun for both of them.

The ladies at the front of the store all giggle as Bella grins at him.  She takes it from him, scans their cookware and then takes his hand as she tugs him away, thanking the ladies as she goes.  She had long ago had decided to enjoy herself, since it is apparent it is making Carlisle act like the young man he is while he is spending the time (and money) with her.  And as she makes it obvious she is enjoying him like that, he in turn relaxes more and more.

Carlisle is thrilled that Bella is taking his suggestion to not worry about money and is scanning whatever she likes.  He lets her know if they somehow picked up the item before, and often leads her to appliances for her to get.

One of the purchases is a Keurig coffee machine, since he had noticed that Bella enjoys a cup of coffee in the morning, and often a cup of tea in the evening.  This way she could have either whenever she liked.

Bella picked out a practical rug to stand on, but Carlisle, when finding out what they were for, had her get the Expresso Gel Mats that offered support for her back and feet.

She  looks at all the different colors the mats come in, trying to decide what would match her idea for a kitchen.  Bella likes the white kitchen she has, but when she and Carlisle stopped by Lowes for some ideas, she found a picture of the kitchen she fell in love with.  And with a Mate who could read in their Bond her excitement for it, he set up for the contractor of that kitchen to meet with them tomorrow.

The lady at the store had loved the design too and showed them the ones they had done for houses in the area.  While the two loved the ideas, they wanted to mix some of their own personalities into it.  It wasn’t the first time Carlisle had used their Bond today to get what she liked.

Bella looks up at him with wonder and exasperation. She is shocked and confused that someone would care that much about her comfort when buying a floor mat. It is something she isn’t use to but is secretly pleased about; someone cares about her so much that they care about those little things. Shaking her head at her mate, she asks, “Are you going to be like this all the time?”

Carlisle wraps his arms around her and smiles down at her, “If you mean by me making sure you have everything that you deserve, then yes.” He kisses her forehead, then her lips.  He is thrilled at how she allows him to show his affection to her in public.

Rolling her eyes at him, she frowns as she thinks about anything else they will need.  After asking Carlisle a couple of questions, she finally comments, “I think we are done with this area.  Now we are up to the area more fights are about.  Any suggestions from you?” She is staring into his eyes, still finding it funny how mischievous he can be, and how his eyes give him away each and every time.

Carlisle thinks and asks, “Can it be simple?”  He, in his close to 400 years, has seen some truly ugly plates.  He prefers simple clean lines in almost everything he does.  He even hates the heavy furniture from his era.

Grinning up at him, “Carlisle, I think this will be entirely too simple.” Bella is delighted. So far their taste in everything has matched.

They head off to the dining area and after minimal debate, after they had dismissed the unhelpful salesman, they decided on the Mikasa Crown Jewel platinum for the dining ware, and for the silverware they stayed with Mikasa and got the Harmony set.  They both enjoyed the simple but classic looks.

The rest of the trip through the store was like this.  Neither wanted fancy, they liked simple clean items.  Bella had shown some liking towards unusual items, but normally they were for decorations.  Carlisle remembers most of the items that they had picked out have been the same.  Using that same memory, he only reminds her if he thinks the item might clash, and shows her what they had purchased.  Most of the times, she is thinking of other rooms, or agrees and doesn’t scan it.

When they are finally done, Bella sighs as Carlisle wraps an arm around her waist as they hand in the scanner and he gives them the delivery instructions.  She admits that he made what could have been a difficult day into one that she will fondly remember for a long time.  She leans into him as they make their way to his car, he opens her door once they get there.  Though it had been comfortable most of the day, as the sun sets, the day has cooled.  Carlisle had auto start on his car and used it so that the car was comfortable when she got in.

Carlisle makes his way to his side and smiles as she relaxes into the seat.  He tells her softly, “Your new vehicle has a lot of the same features.  Rose forwarded the invoice to me earlier to make sure I approved.” He had laughed when he had seen that the two of them had bargained the price down.  Not that he would mind paying the full price, never, especially with it being for the other half of his soul.

Bella looks at him with an eyebrow raised. He grins and leans over to kiss her, he holds her cheek as he tells her, “I just approved it. I only looked at the invoice a little while ago when you were arguing with the lady in the bedding area.”  He can’t help the grin at the memory.  The lady was bigger than Bella, but his Bella never backed down.  He ignored the woman’s attempts to bring him into the conversation, always backing Bella when she tried to, finally having to retreat to checking his phone for the updates from his Coven.

Sighing, Bella grumps, “If I want to buy a size larger in flat sheets than fitted, it is my business.  I just like additional blankets.” She didn’t think it really mattered when Carlisle had already argued for her to get what she preferred when he asked why she was looking for separated sets.

He laughs and kisses her on her forehead again.  “We can shop for the rest online, unless you wish to continue, my dear.”  He can sense her fatigue, and will enjoy sitting on the couch as they use his laptop to peruse for ideas and such.  His smile gets bigger as he thinks about how enjoyable it is even for the simple things.

Agreeing with his idea, Bella watches as he effortlessly melds into traffic and heads to their home.  She had a great time, and unlike any time before, she actually enjoyed shopping.  She settles into her seat, relaxing into the smooth comfy leather seats.

Carlisle watches over her as he drives them home, monitoring her emotions in their bond.  He smiles as he realizes how comfortable she really is with him.  He softly asks, “I guess it helps to find our likes and dislikes as we are shopping.” He just leaves it at that, letting her decide if she is too tired to talk or not.

Smiling, she answers him, “That is one way to put it.  But I am happy you talked me into this.  It does feel like the house will be more ours with us making the choices instead of someone else.”  She is looking forward to redoing the Kitchen, the all-white cabinets in there make her worry about staining things.

Reaching over and holding her hand, Carlisle agrees. “That is why I wanted to do it.  It is all up to you how far we take this, my love.  If it was up to me, I would do the whole thing  and donate everything in the house to charity.  That way it will be everything we wish.”  He knows she was only thinking of the Kitchen, but he had caught her looks over the dining room and some of the other rooms the contractor had redone.  If she wanted, he would destroy the house and rebuild it.  As it is, this is the last house she will live in without her input in the decorations and such.

Thinking over his suggestion, Bella hesitantly asks, “But how far would we take it?”  She really liked those other pictures.  The house reminds her of a country home.  She has always hated that and would actually enjoy the Cullen’s house more.  Which makes her wonder…

Glancing at her, Carlisle tells her, “Bella, we can redo the house, and even hire someone to remodel it.  It is not like we wouldn’t have a place to stay until it is done.  I want it to feel like our home, inside and out.  I know we liked the look of that kitchen and agreed to do that room, but sweetheart, I could feel that you wanted more.  I just want you to be happy in our home.  If you are happy, then I will be.  But if you later wish we had changed the house, we can always do it then.  It just would be easier to do it now.”  He doesn’t push anything, but tells her the facts.  He will be happy with whatever she likes.

Biting her bottom lip, Bella thinks it over.   On one hand, it would be a great waste of money to her.  The house is fine and they can make do with it the way it is.   But on the other hand, to have it the way they want it, to make it both theirs, “Yes.  I know it is a waste of money, but I want it to be ours.” She is embarrassed, but she knows that he will feel it if she is not 100% happy with the house.  And the possibilities…

Carlisle raises their joined hands to his lips and kisses her hand.  “Darling, nothing is a waste of money if it makes you happy.  This will always be our home.  We may leave at a later time, but unless you don’t want to, I wish to keep these houses.  I will also be looking into purchasing the surrounding land to make sure it remains the same as it is now.”  He gives a sheepish look as he tells her, “I will always want to keep the place where I met my Mate and started our life together.”

She grins.  “Carlisle!  Don’t tell me you are a romantic!”  She can’t help but tease him.

He grins. “Guilty as charged.  And my love, you will just need to get used to it.  Because I cannot imagine it being any different.” He knows that he will keep on the way he is.  That is a part of Mating, it changes who you are, allowing you to be more.  Which makes sense since you only had half your soul until you meet your Mate.  How could you be set for life if you have been missing half of your soul?  It only makes sense that he would change in some ways.  And Carlisle is changing to make life better for his Mate, like most males in his position.

Bella is grinning as they pull into their driveway and within seconds, Carlisle has her door opened and is escorting her to the front door.  Taking the key she had given him earlier and unlocking the door, he lets her in.

Carlisle resets the alarm after relieving Bella of her jacket.  Sometimes, those vampire speeds makes things a lot easier.

Bella is walking towards the kitchen as she hears the shutters on the windows close.  She looks over her shoulder at Carlisle with the question on her face.

Carlisle has removed his jacket and hung both of them up before following Bella.  He explains to her, “I don’t feel like any company right now.  And the steel covers over the windows will show that.  Also, I feel better about it until we get the house the way we like and I…well…”  He looks a little sheepish.

Sighing as she opens the fridge to grab a bottle of water, Bella tells him, “Carlisle, whatever it is, I won’t get upset.” She has a feeling though that this may be one of those hard conversations.  Carlisle doesn’t embarrass easily.

He grins as he moves behind her, and lowering his head to her ear, he tells her, “Even if I tell you I basically need to scent or mark the house and surrounding area?”  He knows that this will embarrass her.  It embarrassed him when he had learned of it.  And it was even worse when Jasper was the one who brought up that as King, he will have to mark to establish his home areas.

Bella laughs.  “Scent like a dog or a cat?”  She is getting curious since he is avoiding the subject.

Carlisle looks away as he tells her, “It actually depends on the Alpha.”  This is not a conversation he will enjoy with his shy mate.  But since it will probably come up often until Jacob’s marks are gone, it is one he will need to have with her sooner.

Looking at him, and realizing this is a vampire thing, Bella walks to the living room and frowning lightly at the flowered couch, she sits down and waits for her mate.  It is a comfy couch, but flowers everywhere is NOT her style at all.

Following her into the room, Carlisle catches Bella’s distaste for the couch and is happy that she is agreeing to redo the house.  He could deal with it the way it is, and is pretty sure Bella had decided the same thing.  But he personally does not like the house as it is decorated.  It is like it is trying to convey southern charm too hard.  He is looking forward to seeing Bella’s style and wonders idly why Alice thought she would like this.  But then, it could have been that she never saw Bella saying anything against it and thought it would work.

That is something that Carlisle had noticed about Alice, she thinks she knows everything, but in reality all she sees is the actions people do.  This is what he and Edward do, as Alpha and Beta, to find the weakness in the gifts of their coven and make sure they are aware of it.  It really helps that Jasper is an Alpha by all rights, but is willing to be under Carlisle.  As Jasper commented in the past, he can feel the difference in Carlisle when he asserts himself.  It is what makes him one of the four vampire Kings, and why it works in their world the way it does.

Settling on the couch and pulling his mate to him, Carlisle prepares for one of the more embarrassing conversations he may ever have with his mate.  But nothing could be worse than Jasper telling him the difference.

Sighing, he starts, “When a vampire is unmated, they basically rub their scent on everything.  It is time consuming simply because scent markers done this way rub off.  Between Jasper and I, we have come up with a way to have it last longer without the ways of a coven who drinks humans.  They use the bodies of the drained humans to mark their grounds and to help with their markers.  Their venom from the draining process for some reason stays longer, and the decomposing bodies actually carry their scent. But since my coven does not do this, and animal carcasses don’t carry the venom at all, we had to come up with a different way.  Plus as King, and an Alpha, my scent is pretty strong as it is.” He winces as he bluntly tells her this.  The normal ways of vampires are animalistic, more than the Alpha of Alpha’s.  This is what he and the other Kings are called, Alpha’s of Alphas.  Or King.  Depends on the age of the vampire.  And what they are is so rare that Aro thought that the three of them were the only ones.  Not even Stefan and Valdimar were like them.  Marcus thinks it has to do with the reason why Carlisle was able to resist human blood too.

Bella nods, then says, “But I take it that it is different for a mated vampire?”  She is listening, telling herself she needs to learn everything Carlisle has to teach her about her new world.

Rubbing his head into her hair he tells her, “Yes.  Basically when a vampire mates, the male will gain the ability to scent permanently, but the female has to be there also.  And for Alpha’s, well, we will see if you will be scenting along with me too.”  He has closed his eyes as he tells her this.  This is the part he had demanded from Jasper.  He could not understand how he could allow his Mate be out in public like this.

Turning her head, Bella stares at him with her mouth open. “Me?  Scenting??”  She feels Carlisle’s embarrassment and that alone is a huge clue that she will not like this next part…

Staring into her eyes, Carlisle tells her, “When a male vampire is mated, they basically carry something in the one of two bodily excretions vampires have which will carry their scents.  Jasper thinks it is because a male is mated, they scent their females this way.”  At her blank look, he bluntly tells her, “Cum.  When males are mated, their cum becomes saturated with their venom and scent.  Alpha’s even more.  That is why the female joins their mate, since they in turn are very possessive over the male and literally can’t not be there.  It is actually thought of as being very sensual for a mated couple to scent their areas.  Some females are able to ejaculate or as it is commonly called, squirt, and with their bodies being scented so much by their males, it joins the scents and makes the territory basically unable to be taken over.  The only thing that will eliminate it is possibly another Alpha pair.”  He decides to take the route Jasper did in telling him, bluntly and with as little emotion as possible.  He has left out the part that when mated, the pair is driven to mark their areas.  The only reason they wouldn’t is if the area is already scented by a more powerful pair.  That is why his mated coven isn’t out marking, because they know he will take care of it as their Alpha.

Bella has been red for most of his frank conversation.  She stutters out, “Cum?”

Carlisle nuzzles into her neck, trying to release the stress she is feeling from the conversation.  “Bella, to be frank, vampires only have two bodily fluids.  Our venom and cum.  And my cum is basically blood infused with some venom, no semen.  For some unknown reason, the trace amounts of venom in a male’s cum is basically worthless, it is as though the blood that is somehow mixed with it eliminates the poisonous aspect of the venom.  If, for instance, we have sex before you are turned or do anything else sexual, nothing will happen to you, except you will carry my scent on you.  The only way you can turn is with my bite.  When you wake, after the transformation, I will take you hunting, and normally during this time, we would Mate formally as vampires.  Then somehow our bodies change.  No one knows why, and believe me, there have been quite a few who have tried to understand it.  However, it is quite hard since most vampires don’t have the ability to stop from claiming their mates when they see them.” He is sending his love to her, hoping that this will help.  He knows how embarrassing this conversation this can be for his mate who had given up the idea of touching someone, much less being able to have sex.

Swallowing, Bella asks him, “So I am causing you pain by asking to remain human?”  She is trying to understand everything he is telling her, and is managing, but her mind took the information he has given her and realized that for him to hold back could be causing him pain.

Carlisle turns to look her in the eye. “Bella, the only pain you cause me is the worry I have when you are not by my side.  You need this time to heal from all the damage caused by the past years, and quite frankly I am happy to have this time to be us.  When you change, well, most newborns are out of control.   There are some exceptions, Peter, Jasper’s brother being one of them, but he has the ability as he calls it, to just know shit.  He told me that if we take the time to prepare someone for the change, there is a huge possibility that the newborn won’t be as bad.  If you don’t mind, we want to do that with you. Anything to make the change easier is something I wish for.” He is pulling his fingers through her hair, to calm both of them.  No male mate likes the change.  It causes pain to their mate, and during the time, because of the pain of their mate, the males are uncontrollable.

Bella thinks about it.  She tells him carefully as she tries to articulate her thoughts, “I don’t know much, but it would make sense to me that they would be out of control if they suffer from 3 or more days of burning then awaken to a new reality.  I would be angry and out of control too.”

Carlisle smiles. And this is another reason they are suited well for each other.  “And that was Peter’s exact argument about it.  Since then, we have not changed anyone nor have Volturi unless it was done in a life or death situation.”  Noticing she is tired, he tells her, “Enough lessons tonight.  I won’t be scenting our home until all the changes are done.  And we will work on that tomorrow when we meet with the contractor.  I can’t imagine him being upset in getting more money. However, right now, I want to take a bath with you, my love.” And just like that, the mischievousness is back in his eyes.  He promised to take it easy, but not to not tease her.

Not being able to help herself, Bella blushes.  “A bath with me?”  She is thrown by the 180 the conversation has taken.

Carlisle has stood up, easily carrying her with him, “Well darling, we did shower together.  And while I know you are not ready for more, I am not going to let you take two steps back from the step it is.  I love you.  Your body is that of a goddess to me, and all we will be doing is relaxing in the tub together.  This will get you used to me, and will let me view my mate’s body.” He grins as he entertains the thought.

Then Carlisle gets playful with her, “Plus how will we know if the bathtub is large enough for the two of us?  I absolutely love baths, and I want nothing more than to enjoy that time together at night for the two of us.  If we need to add it to the renovations, well this is the best way to find out.”  He carries her through the master bedroom, again noting the cuteness of it, that is nothing like he has found Bella’s style to be.

Bella huffs, but when he turns his amazing eyes on her, she shyly looks down.  “You’re right.  But, we will be taking this slowly.  Not one minute saying yes, then next minute begging for everything?” The last is said with a direct look to his eyes, letting him know she will not back down on this.

Knowing why she is asking he sets her down in the bathroom, and looking at the room favorably, he sets her on the counter as he turns on the taps.

He tells her as he smells a couple of what he has heard Rose call Bath Bombs in a jar on the floor and dumps in one that looks like a heart with a smell of Roses and Jasmine, “No, this is nothing like me spending our money.  This is getting you comfortable with your mate and I will not allow anything to rush this but the two of us.  No sex at this time.  All I am asking for is that we start to get comfortable with each other and our bodies.  Everything else will come when it does.  And when you want me to go faster, I will.  But only when you ask, love.”  He smiles.  And as the scents come from the bath, he tells himself that he will make sure that she will always have a supply of these.  And since he knows that Rose knows where these came from, he will make them treats for her as Emmett does for Rose.

Bella nods in answer to his comments, Carlisle takes her in his arms and he kisses her.  “Nothing means more to me than you and our love.  I will even turn you and still wait if that is what you need.  Bella, I love you.” And that sums it all up to him.  He loves her, and will do anything, even move heaven and earth to make her smile.

Bella smiles up at Carlisle and tells him with a hand caressing his face, “I don’t think it will take that long.  Just keep doing as you are doing already, and I will work on it.” She looks at him slyly, “You make it hard not to want to do more.  Just give me some more time, dear.”

A smile lights up Carlisle’s face and he tells her, “We have all the time you need.  Now get ready and I will be waiting for you in the tub.”  With that he turns away from her and before she can say anything, he strips and she watches the fine ass that is her mate’s get in the tub.  “No, I don’t think it will be long, Carlisle.”  With that she leaves to grab a robe, Carlisle grinning as he watches her leave.

Final count, 5,885 words.

Fairfarren~Wendy