Pen Name: MistressElektra

Title: The Luckiest

Genre: Family/Romance AH/AU

Coupling: Carlisle/Esme

Summary: What would happen if Carlisle gave up all the money and the silver spoon he was born with in his mouth for love?

Disclaimer- All is owned by Stephenie Meyer. The Song the Luckiest was written and recorded by Ben Folds.

EsmePOV

I pushed Emmett's stroller down the avenue. I stopped to gaze at the mannequins in the window. They were pretty, with rhinestones and butterflies on the straps. I'd love to wear those to church, especially during Pascha. I sighed and pushed along.

"Oh!" a lady in a black dress and Jackie O sunglasses came out, carrying three giant shopping sacks. "Your baby is just precious!"

I smiled, reminding myself to count my blessings. Everything was so stable, right now. "Thanks," I said. "He's seven months old. I love pretty fat babies!"

"He's so cute! Look at those curls!" she cooed, lifting her sunglasses. I could see she had had a lot of plastic surgery and was a lot older than she seemed. Emmett was asleep in the stroller. "You know, there's an adorable Mommy and me section in there!"

"I'll have to stop by when I have a minute," I said. She ran a manicured hand over little Emmett's fat belly. Emmett sighed. "Thank you."

She smiled, as if she had done a good deed, and hopping into a shiny white BMW the valet had waiting for her.

I never minded being poor. I had grown up poor. It had been difficult to give up the luxuries my first husband had offered me, but... Count your blessings, Esme, I thought.

Carlisle was having a difficult adjusting to being poor. He had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, when he went to the Methodist seminary only to drop out to go back to school to be a doctor. That, his father wasn't extremely upset over. But, when I came into the picture...

I put the thought out of my mind as I pushed the stroller down the street. Behind a small lamp shop, I picked up Emmett while he slept, carefully, and then picked up the stroller. I took the black iron stairs, hoping he wouldn't wake up. On the landing, I got my keys out of my back pocket. It took a few tries to get the key into the door. I thought I knew what "multitasking" meant until I became a mother. I pushed the door wide open and walked in, pulling Emmett's stroller behind me. He began to wake up- he whimpered, he grunted- and it happened- he started crying as I kicked aside his toys on the floor.

I kicked the door closed behind me. "Oh, Emmett, it's alright," I said, patting his back, clutching him to me. His fat pink cheeks flushed through his tears. I kissed him. "I know, this wasn't a nice way to wake up." I quieted his tears to hiccups. His diaper was wet- all the reason why he was cranky.

After I had him in a bath in the kitchen sink and a fresh diaper, he was in a much better mood. I put him on the floor while I started on dinner with the windows open. This apartment was a steal- mostly because we didn't have to have A/C. It was summer, so we'd need a cool meal, not a hot one. I had some cooled pasta salad and fruit salad. For the meat, I grilled some chicken, but put it in the freezer to cool it off before he got home. ll the while, I checked on Emmett throughout.

Carlisle promised me that things would be better after he got his internship. I didn't need promises, I just liked the emotional security and continuity he offered. I had had too many loose canons in my life.

I let Emmett stay up until Carlisle walked in the door. "Daddy's home!" he yelled, picking up Emmett off the floor. He kissed our child on the forehead. "Did you have a good day, Emmers?"

Emmett gurgled in response.

"No 'Honey I'm home?'" I asked, taking his messenger bag and tossing it on the couch.

"Of course. Honey, I'm home," he said, kissing me. "Sit down, I'll finish dinner."

"You've been on your feet all day," I said.

"Nah, I want to do something for my family," he said.

"Put Emmett to bed," I said. "And we'll talk." Carlisle could burn water if you let him.

Carlisle took Emmett to the corner of the room behind the curtain. He strolled back and back forth, pulling the curtain. I got my last look at Emmett and Carlisle. They were like night and day; Carlisle, tall and lanky with his fair, straight hair and Emmett being a cute little tub, with dark curly hair and dimples.

We liked to put Emmett to sleep before laying him down. It was an art and we had perfected it.

Emmett gurgled for a few more minutes before it was obvious he had fallen asleep.

I set the coffee table for us and turned down the lights- but not for the obvious reasons. The less lights, the cooler it was in the apartment. I poured a few glasses of water.

Carlisle emerged from behind the curtain.

"It looks wonderful, dear," he said, quietly, switching on the radio on the end table.

I sat down on the floor and he joined me. Perfect. We dug in.

We spoke softly during the music. His day of rotations were exhausting. I liked hearing about the other medical students in the ER and his ass hole instructors. He never told me about the patients. The Hippocratic oath. He listened to my stories about Emmett, the hair dressers at the salon where I worked and the walk home every afternoon. I told him that Emmett got another compliment. "He's so fat, I'm worried he's got a glandular problem," Carlisle said.

"He's fine," I said. I couldn't take Emmett to a slew of doctors- the state care was still expensive, and I thought the best doctors were not readily available on that plan. "I'll keep him on the breast for a while longer."

"I've got to prepare for tomorrow," he said. "We'll move Emmett to the bed and I'll study by the cradle."

He was dedicated to his soon-to-be profession. He only slept about three hours a night, between medical school and his job in the OR. I had to get a full eight hours or I couldn't function. While I wanted a good life for Emmett, I was completely happy.

We washed the dishes as quietly as possible. Emmett was a pretty sound sleeper, but he, like everyone, could be woken up.

I took a shower and found the bed pulled down from the wall. Carlisle was already at his desk, with a lamp on. "I'm going to bed, now," I whispered, kissing him good-night.

"Sleep well," he said. I picked up Emmett carefully. He snored softly. I loved holding Emmett while he slept. I carried him to the bed and settled him in. I climbed in beside my little Emmers and wrapped my arms around him. He sighed and began breathing deeply again.

As I began to dream, I knew I was going to deal with my first husband eventually. Carlisle and I agreed that we'd tell Emmett that Carlisle wasn't the man who got me pregnant, but he had stood up for me, had been there despite his busy schedule. I had had to take a step out in the unknown, away from the pretty, comfortable home that I had to keep clean or suffer, away from the violence. Evan had hit me after he knew I was pregnant and then showed no remorse. I just couldn't risk Emmett's life like that. I hadn't realized how badly I wanted to be a mother until then. So had Carlisle, leaving the trust fund and everything he had to be there for Emmett and me.

Despite being this poor and having no A/C, I was happy. Really happy. I had love, a family, and a future. It was wide open.