Hi guys!
I thought it would be the right time to post something new :-)
This is a story based on accountingprofessional's wish! (Carlisle walking in on Edward and Esme arguing.) I did my best and I hope it turned out the way you imagined!
EVERYBODY: I hope you enjoy reading it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!
"I'll be back soon," Edward informed his mother casually and walked through the living room towards the kitchen, his keys clinking in his hand.
Esme sat on the couch, currently going through a gardening magazine.
Merely two weeks ago they moved to this little town called Forks. Carlisle had a job at Forks Community Hospital, the children were enrolled in Forks High and Esme busied herself with perfecting the house. It looked cosy and wonderful, so now it was time to take care of the garden.
But there were so many ways to perfect the garden that she had trouble deciding on what she wanted it to look like.
Maybe a formal garden? Or a rampant one? A Chinese garden looked nice, but would it go well together with the style of the house? Hm ... maybe an English garden then? Or a mixture of both?
"Where are you going, dear?" Esme asked and slowly peeled her eyes away from the magazine, still deep in thought about different styles, flowerbeds and fountains.
A fountain ... but wouldn't it lose its appeal when there was the river nearby? Yes, probably. It wouldn't look right. Too bad, fountains were pretty.
"Just outside. I won't be long," he answered and hoped her thoughts about the garden distracted her enough so she would let him go without further questions.
"Edward," she said with a sigh. But when she saw him walking on, she called after him. "Edward? Please come back here for a moment."
He moaned quietly, knowing exactly what she assumed he was about to do, and he had to admit that she was right. Slowly turning around on the spot, he faced his Mom.
She closed her magazine and put it on the coffee table, then stood up from the couch and took a few steps to close the distance between them.
"Are these the keys for the Volvo?" she asked and eyed the silvery thing that poked out from his fist.
He turned his head away, already knowing what she was about to say.
Esme looked at him with sad eyes and reached out to rub his upper arm comfortingly. "You know you cannot drive the car just yet."
He huffed. They had that talk so many times already. Sure, he should know better by now and just accept the fact that he couldn't drive his car for the next few months. But sometimes his frustration came to the surface and he tried again to plead his case. Or he just did whatever he wanted instead - it depended on his mood and temper.
"Edward, it's only for a few months. They'll be over in no time and then you can drive your new car."
He scowled at his mother's words. Sure, she always tried to comfort him and he loved her for that, but right now it was just infuriating.
He took a step back to break the physical contact.
She sighed and let her hand drop back to her side, sad that she didn't succeed in comforting him but she had half expected it already. He seemed on edge and it was hard to see him that way, but what could she do? He would just have to wait for a while.
"It is my car," he grumbled.
"Yes, it is, dear. But that doesn't change the fact that you cannot drive it yet."
"Mom! You are being unreasonable!" he suddenly exclaimed, frustrated with his mother because she obviously didn't understand.
This town was just as boring as every other place they have ever lived in. Going to school was nothing but a dreadful job that had to be done and staying home all the time had lost its charm long ago.
All he wanted was to take his gorgeous car for a spin. He wanted to feel the smooth leather of the steering wheel under his fingers, hear the purr of the engine when he accelerated, pushing his silver beauty as fast as it would go. He had begged Esme to help him get this car, even though he knew it would stay in the garage.
"Edward, your father didn't want you to have the new car before you would officially be able to drive it; he had his doubts. I only convinced him to get it for you early because you promised to start out as fifteen again," she reminded him. They moved to Forks just a few weeks ago, and Edward was already unhappy. Driving would lift his mood and she knew it, but they needed to keep up appearances.
He clenched his jaw before replying, "I changed my mind."
"You are already enrolled in school, you cannot change your mind now. Just be patient."
Pah.
Just be patient. He had heard that sentence more times than he could count. Just be patient.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, trying to keep the irritation that was building up at bay.
But it did not work.
"You have no idea how hard it is!" he burst out angrily and gestured around with his hands. "And Rosalie is always teasing me when she drives us to school, she never stops!"
"I will talk to her," Esme assured, nodding her head to show him that she took it seriously.
These two were always bickering and teasing each other. She and Carlisle had hoped it would get better with time and they would eventually stop, but they had the feeling that it got even worse.
"That is not the point!" he complained. "My car is standing in the garage, all ready to be driven, and you want to keep me from that!"
Esme could understand the frustration her son was feeling, but it wasn't fair of him to blame her for it and even vent his rage on her.
"Edward, did something happen today that aggravated you?" Esme queried carefully. Rosalie's teasing couldn't be the reason for this outburst, so she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Talking might help.
"Yes, my car standing in the garage and you keeping me from driving it," he said through gritted teeth.
"Oh Edward, please. Stop that now. Why don't you play the piano for a while, hm?" she suggested. Music always helped him to take his mind of things, so it might distract and calm him now. He surely couldn't enjoy being miserable.
"No," he growled, turned away from her and made to leave the room again.
"Edward!" She called and hurried after him.
"Edward, you will stay here," Esme said decisively when she came to a halt in front of her son, blocking his way to the kitchen. She didn't like being strict with her youngest son, especially when he was upset, but she couldn't allow him to drive.
He lifted his head and scowled at her.
"I'll be careful. No one will see me, all right? Trust me."
"No, you will stay here. I cannot let you drive that car when the whole town thinks you are fifteen."
Completely annoyed, Edward exhaled loudly. "I won't drive through Forks."
"The police is not just in Forks, dear."
He groaned. "I can hear them before they even know that a car is coming!"
But that information did not change Esme's mind. "I said No."
"Why? It works perfectly. I didn't get caught yesterday, so I won't get caught today." He ground out, before realizing that, although he did have a point here, Esme definitely wasn't the right person to tell this to.
Oh, why did he just say that? The brief car ride yesterday made him cocky, there was no other explanation for it. Maybe he should have paid more attention to Alice's visions. But it was too late for that now.
Her eyes widened and she placed a hand on the kitchen counter as if to steady herself.
"You drove the Volvo?" She asked in disbelief and squinted at him.
He immediately shook his head. "No, I -"
She held up her hand to stop him. "Edward, please take a moment to think about what you are going to tell me now. I don't like to be lied to."
He swallowed nervously. In his Mom's eyes and mind he could see the determination to lecture him about lying if he would dare to do so, and he averted his eyes.
"You drove the car even though you know you are not allowed to?"
She could see his left eye twitching infinitesimally - he always did that when he contemplated something, but probably didn't notice himself.
"Please don't lie to me," she added in her usual soft voice.
It sounded almost pleading to Edward, and he looked up into her warm, golden eyes. No, he wouldn't be able to look at himself in the mirror ever again if he lied to her now. He was so blessed to have Esme as his mother, this warm-hearted, sympathetic woman.
Yes, sympathetic. She would understand his need to drive and forgive him, wouldn't she?
After reading her thoughts, he felt horrible.
He disobeyed her, but she was only worried about him being unhappy; there wasn't even the slightest trace of anger.
"Yesterday I drove to the beach and back again while you were hunting," he admitted, then looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Mom."
She folded her arms across her chest, eyes fixed on her son. "I cannot believe you would betray our trust like that."
He didn't need to be an empath to feel her disappointment. Of course she was disappointed, he broke his promise. It was selfish of him to ignore their agreement and he certainly felt bad about it ... but maybe she should try and put herself in his shoes for a change! He was older than the others, well, except for Jasper, and he still had to play the youngest member of the family along with Alice. Every time they moved - it wasn't fair.
Alice somehow didn't mind; every day was exciting and fun for her and she normally didn't drive much anyways.
But he enjoyed driving, he loved it - he needed it. It was one of his favourite hobbies and it was vital for his sanity. Maybe that was a little bit exaggerated, but his new car was so perfect and beautiful that he could hardly contain himself. His bad conscience about driving without permission vanished gradually when he read Esme's current thoughts and heard her voice them just a second later.
"This cannot happen again, Edward. I know you love that car and want to drive it, but defying us and risk being seen is not the answer. You need to excercise patience."
Pausing for a moment to let this sink in, she then continued. "I want you to give me your keys now; you will get them back in a few months. Right now I cannot trust you to refrain from using them."
The room was silent, while Edward looked at her in disbelief. He hoped she wasn't serious.
But seeing in her mind that she was dead serious and not about to budge, he failed to keep his temper even. "Leave me alone."
When he turned away from her and wanted to round the counter to reach the door to the garage, Esme spoke up again. "Give me your car keys, please."
He stopped his movement, but did not face her and certainly did not comply with his mother's request.
She had one hand on her hip, while the other one was palm up in front of her, waiting for him to place his car keys in her open hand.
He could see himself through her eyes. Messy hair, keys clutched tightly in his hand and his jaw set. It was embarrassing to look like an obstinate child, it really was, but right then he couldn't care less. He was quite irritated with his mother and it was very hard not to yell at her right then.
Esme cleared her throat to let him know that she was still waiting.
She wished so much for him to just comply, so they could move on to talking. Something bothered him and it wouldn't get better anytime soon without addressing this matter.
But he remained petulant.
"Please Edward, hand me your keys," she said again when he did not move.
"No."
"Edward, I am serious. I think you are much too tempted to drive that car as long as you have the keys. Now give them to me."
"Stop treating me like a child!" he exclaimed, then wheeled around and took a long, calming breath before continuing. "I can judge for myself."
Esme shook her head. "Please do as I say. I don't wish to see you miserable anymore, so please hand me the keys."
"No!"
And that was when the argument started.
Neither of them noticed the black Mercedes driving up to the house.
Carlisle came home from a long day at the hospital. It had been quite stressful, but he liked it that way. And now he was looking forward to a calm, relaxing evening with his beautiful wife and children.
He waited for the garage door to pull up, before he drove on and parked his car in their spacious garage, right between Rosalie's BMW and Edward's new Volvo.
Wherever they moved, a big garage was an absolute necessity for this family.
After pulling the keys from the ignition and loosening his tie a little, he stepped out of the car and immediately heard a loud voice from the inside of the house. Somebody was shouting, he noticed, only interrupted by a calm and even voice, then shouting again.
What was going on?
There usually wasn't much arguing in their home, maybe the occasional bickering, but this here sounded much more severe.
It couldn't be Rosalie and Edward, because every time these two got into an argument, neither one of them could keep it down.
"No! Stop asking this from me!"
Yes, this was definitely Edward's voice, he noticed, and he was very unhappy with something.
"Edward, do you wish to keep this up all night? Hand me the keys, now. I've had it with your defiance."
So Edward was arguing with Esme.
Frowning, Carlisle walked up the flight of stairs and opened the door to the kitchen, hoping he could help settle the disagreement.
"And I've had it with your stupid requests!" Edward shouted right into his mother's face.
Carlisle's eyebrows immediately shot up in surprise. This argument would stop right now, he decided.
What has gotten into Edward that he would disrespect his mother like that?
He took a few long strides until he reached his wife and son.
Esme had her back to him, whereas he could see his son over his wife's shoulder.
Edward's eyes widened when he noticed him standing there.
"What's going on here?" Carlisle asked with a frown creasing his forehead and waited for a reply.
Esme turned around and her expression softened - she looked relieved that he was finally home.
And seeing that Edward was still gaping at him, he got the impression that Edward had done something that he wouldn't approve of.
"We are having a slight variance, Carlisle," Esme stated.
"And what seems to be the problem?"
Esme glanced at Edward, hoping he would snap out of it now and see reason. She was willing to keep his 'little trip' from the day before a secret from Carlisle, if he would only comply now and hand her the keys.
Thankfully her husband was here now and the argument was over. Edward wouldn't test his father's patience like he did hers, she was certain of that.
"Edward?" Carlisle asked, waiting for him to answer his question.
But instead of admitting what he and Esme had been arguing about, Edward averted his eyes.
At least he was calm now.
So Esme looked Carlisle in the eye and nodded once, indicating that the matter has been taken care of.
She closed the distance between herself and her son in a few strides, then gently took the car keys from his hand. He did not resist.
"Thank you, Edward," she said lovingly and ran her hand up and down his upper arm.
And then, before he could even realize what he was doing or where his anger was coming from, Edward ripped the keys from his mother's hand again and pushed past her on his way to the garage.
He heard a sharp intake of breath and the shocked gasp that escaped Esme's lips, but it didn't make him stop. He did not turn around to apologize, even though his shoulder had bumped hers.
With the keys in his hand, he was standing between his beautiful, brand-new silver Volvo and his Dad's Mercedes almost instantly.
All he wanted now was to get away from here as quickly as possible so he could think. He felt ashamed of himself, but didn't really know how to deal with that emotion right then.
What was wrong with him?
But before he could put the key into the keyhole of the driver's door, his father appeared in the garage and looked at him over the roof of the silver car.
"Edward!" he called, still trying to understand what he just witnessed. His son had forcefully taken the keys from Esme and then practically shoved her. It looked so rough that it was easily bordering on attacking her. "I want you to explain yourself."
Edward glowered at him. "Later."
"No. Edward, this behaviour is so unlike you. Let us go back inside and talk about what got you so riled up."
Edward blinked once and Carlisle could see that his son reached a decision.
He shoved the keys into the keyhole and Carlisle watched him, perplexed.
Un-be-lievable. A perfect display of blatant disobedience.
So Carlisle walked quickly around the car and stopped next to the hood.
"Give me the keys, you will not drive this car just yet," he told him sternly.
"No."
And that was enough for Carlisle.
If Edward wasn't willing to comply, he would have to take matters into his own hand.
He took a step forward and reached out to take the keys from the keyhole, but Edward was quicker.
He forcefully pulled the keys out and reeled his arm back, out of his Dad's reach.
The sudden scratching sound that followed this action was nearly earsplitting.
Like fingernails on a blackboard.
Edward's eyes were wide with shock and, if possible, he turned even paler than usual. He gulped and stared at his father while slowly letting his hand sink to his side.
TBC...
Phew!
I'm so bad at finding the right stopping point, but I hope this one is okay :)
What do you think of the first chapter?
Please, please REVIEW!
