Reliving the Moment
Esme POV
I look outside, hoping to find some inspiration for my new blueprint that I've been working on. The fall leaves are beautiful reds and yellows, the river that flows just beyond the woody area behind the house rushes. A small group of deer softly walks on fallen leaves. The sun that makes our skin sparkle rises slowly above the clouds and tall trees that surround our home. It's a new day, but if it were a few decades ago it would have been the start of a new journey in life.
The two words "I do" were said with acceptance and honesty. They were said in front of a minister, Edward, the Denali Clan, and some of Carlisle's other vampire friends that I had yet to meet at that time. Those words bound us with a ribbon of devotion and affection; they are forever engraved in my heart as well as Carlisle's.
A strong hand on my shoulder awoke me from my all-too-real daydream.
"Yes Emmett?" I wonder what this is about; hopefully the new TV isn't broken…
"All of us are going hunting, mom." His response brings a smile to my face. Mom.
"Are you taking Nessie?"
"Yup."
"Have fun, be safe,"
"Okay, we will be back sometime tomorrow afternoon."
With that, all of my children Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, Rosalie and Nessie walked out the back door.
The house suddenly turns quiet, the clock says 8:00 AM, just a half hour before Carlisle gets back from his night shift at the hospital.
I continue on the blueprint, a bedroom is just finished before Carlisle steps in through the door with a pleasant smile on his face.
He walks over to me and gently squeezes my shoulder. I stand up to give him a hug; he's been away for a while.
He rubs my back slowly, "Today's the day."
"Our anniversary."
"Where are the kids?"
"They went hunting, probably to give us privacy, you know Alice…"
A fond smile touched his lips as I reach down to grab his hand.
"Ah, yes, Alice. Speaking of Alice, do you know if she got Jasper the guitar yet? The one she has been seeing him with lately?
"I'm not sure, but today it's just going to be us."
A smile of recognition hit him, but I can't help myself, seeing him happy makes me happy.
Both of his hands were holding mine, our fingers intertwined.
"I remember you were so funny that day." Carlisle says as he leads me to the center of the room. It didn't take much thought to know what day he was talking about, it was our wedding day.
"You were shaking as you walked up to the altar where I was standing. Only the minister couldn't tell, you were so fragile and beautiful in the white gown. It was impressive how quickly you recovered from being bitten, but you still didn't stop the habit of blinking every time you looked at me."
I look deep into his pure eyes and say, "I was blinking at the sun."
He smiles widely while staring me back in the eyes and moving us in a carefully choreographed slow dance.
"Edward told me later that you thought I was as bright and as handsome as the sun."
"You were and still are."
When you got up to the altar on Edward's arm, you took one look at me and smiled." With that, Carlisle freed one of his hands and brushed his finger tips across my lips. He took my hand again.
"I," I began, "Esme Anne Platt Evenson."
"I," he repeated "Carlisle Cullen."
"Do so solemnly swear," He led me in slow circles across the room, not once breaking our gaze into each other's eyes while we repeated that line together.
"To take, Carlisle Cullen."
"Esme Ann Platt Evenson."
We said each other's names at the same time.
"To be my lawfully wedded husband."
"wife."
Again, I said husband while he said wife at the same time.
"Our first public kiss." He announces, while winking at me and then bending down to kiss me on the lips, exactly like at our wedding.
Carlisle's eyes sparkled at the memory, "We had our first dance together."
He let go of one of my hands and spun me around slowly. Now I realized why Alice insisted on moving the furniture around.
"You were the most graceful dancer." I recall.
He pulls me in against him so my face is leaning into his chest. Both of his arms form a circle around me just above my waist, while I mirror him.
"Then," he continues, while still moving us around the room, "I picked you up after a full night of dancing and crossed the threshold."
Unexpectedly, he picks me up with one arm behind my neck and one behind my knees. Gently, he sets me on the couch, and then sits next to me. I grab a hand that rests on his knee and hold it tightly with one of mine. He puts his arm around my shoulders and I lean into his side, my head fitting perfectly in the dip of his neck.
Carlisle breaks our intertwined hands and uses his to cup my face, a habit he learned from Edward and Bella. I look into his warm butterscotch eyes and our eyes connect for a fraction of a second before he leans in to kiss my forehead sweetly.
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Questions anyone?
Q: Why does this take place in the fall, during the morning and not the night?
A: While the night might have set a different tone to the story, I chose the morning and the fall because the sun is shining. Esme compares Carlisle to the sun, much like Bella does in BD which is an allusion. I also chose the day time because Carlisle is devoted to saving lives, its work that he loves, so I thought I should show him doing something he loves besides spending time with Esme. The red and yellow leaves that I mentioned symbolize love.
Q: Why is the river put in the beginning of the story?
A: It's more of a reminder for me, the writer, that I need to keep the story flowing…did it flow?
Q: Why is it Emmett that told Esme they were going hunting instead of someone else?
A: I kind of felt that I had a lot of Alice in there already, so I decided Emmett because Edward and Bella are also brought up later in the story. Also, because Emmett seems like a really funny, crazy, and wild person. So, it was nice to show that he had a soft spot for Esme.
Q: Esme seemed to worry a lot, why did she?
A: I always thought Esme was a natural worrier, as much as I love her character; she needed to have some worries in there.
Q: Why is Alice brought up the most out of the "kids"?
A: I used Alice the most in this story to show the difference between personalities and how it seems that everyone has a place in that family. Esme is the mother figure, a worrier. Carlisle is the father figure, the strong one you can look up to. Emmett is the fun, crazy brother/son who does everything out of love. Rosalie is the tenacious, stunningly beautiful one. Edward is the calm but overreacting one. Bella is the one that Edward can't live without, just as much as the rest of the family. Nessie is kind of a mystery but loved. Alice is the quirky, i-love-to-shop one. Jasper is the hesitant, smart, and experienced one.
Q: What's the purpose of Jasper having a guitar?
A: Jasper having a guitar is completely my choice. I can just see him with one, but it's also an allusion to Jackson Rathbone who plays him in the movie. Jackson loves to play guitar [and so do I]. Alice's vision of Jasper with a guitar is in there to show the significance and importance of everyone in the family.
Q : Why did you have Carlisle and Esme say words at the same time?
A: It seems to have a stronger effect I think, then when they say [almost] the same thing at the same time.
Q: What's with the threshold part?
A: It's an allusion to Breaking Dawn, I felt that I had to tie the stories together somehow.
Q: Why are Esme and Carlisle dancing the whole time they are talking to each other?
A: I honestly don't know why I have that in there, it's probably just because it makes the day more real and rounds the story out more.
Note: The term "graceful dancer" is brought up, but some people might not have realized that "Graceful Dancing" is a song by the band Blue October, which happens to be my favorite. Next to The Beatles, of course.