A/N: After I finished my last story, I had several requests for Esme's thoughts about Nessie, Jacob and the others. I decided to try something a little different for this story. I hope you enjoy it. I plan on posting one chapter a week until the story is completed. The next few weeks might get a little crazy but I will work hard to keep to the schedule.
Thanks to miss understood615 for her incredible patience and great beta work. Thanks to ClosetFan for giving me the thumbs up that the story had potential.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer still owns the Twilight universe, the characters, phrasing, and images. I'm just happy to spend some time in their world.
Discovering Neverland
In nearly eight decades, I have not had to worry about cleaning out a refrigerator. Refrigerators are not typically something a family of vampires has need for. In our family, a kitchen and consequently the refrigerator had always been for show. Despite it being only for appearances, I have always insisted that it be a functional kitchen and according to Bella this one would make most home chefs jealous. But still, a kitchen had no use in my family's daily life.
Of course, all of that changed a little over two years ago. First, Edward began dating Bella, a human at the time. As she began spending more and more time with our family, I felt that it was critical that we have something to provide for her in case she became hungry. And then about 9 months ago, Bella's unexpected and unusual pregnancy necessitated a partnership with Jacob and his pack of growing werewolves. When Nessie was born, and Jacob imprinted on her, his pack nearly moved in with us. Food, cooking, and kitchens had become much more central to my life.
Today though, I was stuck cleaning out the refrigerator as I planned for a trip to the store to stock up. Just as I was pulling out some container whose contents resembled more of a science experiment than something edible, I was suddenly tackled by a preschool sized whirlwind with a head of bronze ringlets. My granddaughter, Nessie. How odd to even say that word and yet it was true.
"Good Morning, Nessie. Where are your mom and dad?" I asked her as I looked around. Usually they were close behind but Nessie had recently taken upon herself to try and surprise me. I didn't ever let on that my vampric senses knew she was coming before she entered the house.
"Hi Gramma. Momma and Dad are taking their time coming up from the cottage. I wanted to surprise you." Her bright soprano voice rang with excitement. "They said that I could ask you if I could go with you to the store today."
Hmmm, Edward must have been reading my thoughts again. I was planning on driving up to Seattle to run some errands, and do some major stocking up at the Costco there.
"Nessie, you know you are always welcome to join me but I want to check with your parents to see what their plans are."
Just at that moment, Edward hand in hand with Bella walked through the kitchen door. It had been six months since the confrontation with the Volturi and life had settled into a pleasant routine. However, it had gotten surprisingly quiet recently. With the summer fast approaching, Alice and Jasper decided to spend a few weeks visiting Jasper's former brother, Peter and his mate Charlotte and then spend some time up in Canada. Rose and Emmett chose to resurrect our former plans for a trip to South America to explore some new hunting possibilities and to take what must have been their hundredth honeymoon. I sensed by the look on Edward and Bella's faces that they wanted to ask me something more than would I take Nessie to Costco.
After the standard morning greetings, I let the silence rest between us. Edward knew that I had an inkling that he was going to ask me something so he just jumped into it without formalities.
"Esme, Bella and I were wondering if you and Carlisle would be willing to watch Nessie for us for a couple of weeks. We were thinking of going on a little trip to celebrate our one year anniversary." Edward gave me one of his crooked smiles and waited for me to respond.
"Edward, of course Carlisle and I would be more than happy to watch her for you. And you are more than welcome to return to Isle of Esme for your trip." The look on Edward's face indicated that he was wondering who exactly the mind-reader in this family was.
Bella and Edward exchanged smiles and pulled a little closer together. "Thank you Esme" Bella trilled in her musical voice. "It means so much to us. Our last trip ended so abruptly and though we don't really want to leave Nessie, we know she would be surrounded by people who love her. And we don't expect that you wouldn't have help. Charlie and Sue have agreed to take her for visits and of course Jake and his pack are happy to give you a break."
I chuckled to myself thinking how hard would it be to watch one small half-vampire half-human child for a couple of weeks? Carlisle and I were responsible. Hadn't I been wrangling 5 vampire teenagers for numerous decades? But something in the back of my mind nudged at me. Remember, Nessie is not only Edward's daughter but Bella's as well. Certainly it was true that Bella as a human teenager had been a danger magnet, but surely Nessie who was more like us than a human would be fine. I quickly pushed the thought away before Edward could read it there. Both he and Bella deserved this time away and I would not begrudge them this gift.
I shooed Edward and Bella out of the house encouraging them to begin their preparations for the trip. It would arrive sooner than expected. "Nessie, darling, we have some shopping to do. Let's head out." Nessie's face lit up in a smile and she began jumping up and down. She did not often get to go out in Forks since her rapid aging would be too much of a curiosity and draw too much attention to her and us. So, when we had a chance to head to a larger city, she was always more than ready for an adventure. I grabbed my purse and the shopping list and walked with her to the Mercedes.
The morning had been overcast but the weather forecaster had predicted showers would begin shortly and sure enough as we began the drive to Seattle the cloud released its contents and rain fell in steady drops around us. Though Nessie didn't have to hide from the sun, I did have to be more careful. With the clouds and rain, I would not have to worry about it exposing me and posing a risk.
I had placed Nessie in a booster seat in the back of the car. She didn't particularly like having to sit in the booster seat nor did she care for being relegated to the back seat. I explained to her that since she still looked like a child under the age of six, she would need to use the booster seat. Especially within Forks' jurisdiction, we needed to follow the rules of the road. How would I explain to Charlie that his young granddaughter was sitting in the front seat of the car without a car seat? He might be on a "need to know" basis, but it seemed to make more sense to just follow the law which said children needed to be in a car seat. Nessie didn't allow the seat location to interfere with her stream of questions. Most young children would be asking how long it was till we got there and could they have something to eat. Nessie was certainly not most children. Instead, today, she seemed to be focused on philosophical questions.
"Gramma, why does the rain smell like sulfur and nitrogen?" chirped Nessie. Hmmm…whatever happened to it smells like "rotten eggs"? And how exactly do you explain acid rain, pollution, and its impact on the environment to a child, even one as bright as Nessie. I decided to take the direct approach.
"Well, when people burn fuel, the chemical particles get into the air and it gets absorbed into the environment causing the rain to become more acidic." This answer seemed to satisfy her before she continued with her endless stream of questions. Sometimes I think she enjoyed hearing her own voice and was less interested in waiting for an answer.
Nessie is extremely verbal for her age and can process many things at nearly an adult level though chronologically she is not yet a year and physically more like a 4 year old child. Her intelligence is a definite testament to the theory that genetics plays a big role in our development and that this might be more important than nurture alone. Unfortunately, Darwin might have had one part of the equation a little more accurate than anyone cares to admit. Not that we were going to be publishing an article to that effect in a medical journal anytime soon though.
Our drive to Seattle flew by and soon, we were pulling into the crowded Costco parking lot. I slid the Mercedes into a vacant spot and reminded Nessie to exit slowly from the car. Nessie for the most part was good at remembering not to reveal some of her special gifts, which might shock the casual observer, but the trip to Seattle had her in an exuberant spirit and I was afraid she might leap out of the car and through the parking lot at a pace that would attract notice.
Though I had made several trips to Costco since Jake and his pack had become such a constant in our lives, the circus like atmosphere never ceased to amaze me. Nessie seemed to enjoy collecting the samples that were at various intervals around the store. She would sniff at them and occasionally take a small taste of whatever morsel that seemed more appealing. Though she could digest human food, she still leaned towards a diet of animal blood now that we had successfully weaned her off donated human blood. Over time, I had also noted that Nessie showed greater interest in foods that Jacob favored such as pizza.
We quickly located a cart and Nessie deftly climbed in as I began to maneuver through the crowded aisles. Nessie had my list and a pen and was calling out items to me. Napkins, paper towels, trash bags – check. Laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, air freshener – check.
"Don't forget eggs, milk, cheese, Gramma" chattered Nessie. I did not really need the list. My memory was quite good, but Nessie seemed to enjoy crossing things off as we piled the items in around her. In the meat department, we stocked up on hamburger, steak, chicken, and pork. The wolves were certainly carnivores. Human food still was slightly repulsive to me though I was becoming more accustomed to seeing and smelling it.
With our cart more than overflowing, I positioned us in a line to wait for the next available cashier. It was not unusual for humans to notice Nessie with her long bronze ringlets cascading down her back and chocolate brown eyes and alabaster skin. She was truly a beautiful child. Most shoppers assumed that she was my daughter so I always had to chuckle silently to myself as the occasional passer-by would overhear Nessie referring to me as her grandmother. I would just smile and shrug my shoulders. I might look 26 but in reality I was old enough to be Nessie's grandmother several times over.
After paying for the food and supplies, and loading up the car, the return trip to Forks mirrored our trip to Seattle. No sooner than I had turned the key in the ignition than Nessie was pelting me with more questions. This time she had moved onto the concept of war. Where did the child come up with these questions?
After a moment of silence, I could nearly hear the wheels of her mind turning. Quietly Nessie asked "Gramma, do Vampires fight each other the same as humans fight each other?" I was stunned into my own moment of quiet. "Why do you ask that Nessie?" I responded.
"I was just thinking about the time when all the Vampires came to visit us in the winter and the angry vampires in the cloaks." Yes, Nessie would easily remember all of the details of each of our visitors and the confrontation in the forest clearing with the Volturi. Though the situation never got as far as a battle, the emotions and tension from that day would certainly have made a lasting impression in her mind.
I decided honesty would be the best response. "Sadly, Vampires do at times fight one another just as humans fight against one another. However, your grandfather and I have always sought for peaceful resolutions with our encounters with all those around us." Nessie seemed to accept my answer and fortunately did not inquire about vampires vs. werewolves. I took an unnecessary deep breath and was thankful for the peaceful silence of the remaining drive home.
As we arrived at the house and I began to unload the car, Nessie hurried to open the door for me. Edward and Bella had heard us arrive and joined me in putting away all the supplies and food. While we worked, Nessie flitted in and out of the kitchen. During one of her trips, I noticed that she held a book in her hands.
"Momma, what is this book?" Nessie inquired of Bella. She held up a worn hardbound book.
Bella glanced over and smiled at her daughter. "Oh, it's my old copy of The Adventures of Peter Pan from when I was a little girl. I was going through a box of books that I had brought from Grandpa Charlie's and I found it near the bottom. I thought that maybe you would enjoy reading the story with me. I remembered loving the tales of Neverland and Peter, and Wendy, and the lost boys when I was a little girl." Edward piped in and shared with Bella and Nessie how he had enjoyed the tale as a child and particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Peter and Captain Hook.
The excitement of a new story was taking hold of Nessie and her eagerness was evident in her eyes and at the corners of her lips. Though she could easily read the story on her own, Bella and Nessie both enjoyed the closeness of sharing a story together. Edward and I encouraged Bella to join Nessie in the living room while we finished putting things away. I could hear them as they settled on the love seat and Bella's clear voice carried the beginning words of the story throughout the room….. "All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this forever!'"……
The afternoon passed by in a lazy manner with Bella and Nessie curled together reading The Adventure of Peter Pan. Edward played the piano quietly in the background providing the story with its own unique musical score. I climbed the stairs to my room and began to think about my next project as the music and words filled my head. It had suddenly occurred to me how I might be able to keep Nessie entertained this summer while Bella and Edward were away.
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Quote is cited directly from The Adventures of Peter Pan, original copyright © 1911 by J.M. Barrie, chapter 1, page 1.
