AN: Hey you guys, so this is what I've been working on for three days now and I've become so obsessed with the story line I've finished fourteen chapters in all. I'm not sure how I'll do updates, maybe two a week for a while seeing as I already have seven weeks covered that way but I can tell you that the more reviews I get the quicker I will post chapters and write more. So yeah, those of you who read my other stories I want to offer my greatest apologies, I just kind of lost my passion to write for a while but it came back and this is what happened so anyway, please review and such and enjoy this new story.
Chapter 1: Let Her Go
"Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself."
― Deborah Reber, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning
Where You Belong
Summary: AU, all human, Carlisle and Esme are set up on a blind date by their relatives and quickly fall in love but how will their five children blend together? Can the lovebirds build a family together or will something tear them apart? Will they learn where they belong?
Carlisle POV
"All I'm asking is that you give it a try." My brother Aro insisted again.
"You know that I don't want to date yet, it's too soon." I argued.
"Carlisle, I know you love Elizabeth and I know she also loved you, a person that loves you that much wants you to be happy, dating could make you happy." He told me patting me on the arm. "Caius and Marcus agree with me you know, and they love the woman we are trying to set you up with, it's Eleazar's sister-in-law, how bad could she be? And what's the worst that could happen? You don't hit it off and that's that, at least you tried."
"What would I tell Rosalie and Jasper? Don't you think my dating could upset them?" I asked.
"Tell them you're going out tonight, and that is why they are coming over. Tell them Jane got lots of makeup and clothes for her and Rosalie to play dress up with and Alec got the new Xbox one for him to play with Emmett, tell them anything you want, you don't have to tell them that you're going out is going out with a woman. You don't have to tell them of Esme unless you know that you two are getting increasingly more serious." He suggested.
"You're not going to leave me alone until I agree to this are you?" I sighed.
"No, I'm not." He insisted.
"Fine, alright, I'll go. I'm warning you though; I don't even really know how to date." I told him. It had been years since I had been on a date. After Elizabeth's death five years ago, I had devoted all my time to my kids and to work hence no time to date or to really get out much. Now, Rosalie and Jasper are eleven years old and finally seemed to have moved on from their mother's death.
"I will call and tell Eleazar the wonderful news." He said as he clapped his hands and left my office.
After Aro left, I went back to work, paperwork to be exact. Being head of pediatric trauma at Seattle Presbyterian meant lots of paperwork. I felt my pager go off signaling a trauma coming in. I got up, slipped on my white coat, and hurriedly went to the ER to be filled in on the upcoming trauma.
"What do we have?" I asked a nurse as I slipped off my lab coat handing it to a nurse and put on a trauma gown and gloves.
"Fourteen year old female took a hard blow to the head on the soccer field and has not regained consciousness last I've heard." She told me.
"Alright, let's get to the ambulance bay." I told the trauma team around me. We walked outside and waited for the, as I could hear the sirens, nearby ambulance. "Let's keep in mind although the child is a teenager she will still be very scared and still is a child. Don't treat her like a baby but don't treat her like an adult. Be kind and gentle, ease her fears."
Soon after I told the team of my instructions, the ambulance pulled up. A paramedic got out and rushed to the back of the ambulance. "Fourteen year old female, Lacey Paige Harris, took a kick to the face and has not gained consciousness since. Pulse is normal, breathing well regulated, otherwise healthy, there is a large gash on her forehead that's probably going to need stitches."
As he opened the door to the ambulance and pulled the gurney out, I saw a fairly small fourteen year old. "Okay, go ahead and page neuro and set up a CT scan." I ordered.
During the stitches, a longtime friend of mine, a pediatric neurosurgeon, Eleazar Denali answered my page. "You paged me?" He asked.
"Fourteen year old female took a kick to the head in a soccer game and remains unconscious, her pupils are unequal and…" I tried to continue but Lacey began having a seizure.
Eleazar helped me get her on her side until the seizing halted. "Okay, let's get her to the ER she's got a brain bleed."
"You're going in blind?" An intern asked him.
"If she's already seizing that means it's spreading, there's no time to wait on CT." He told her.
"Okay, page OR 3, it should be open, and let's go people." I told them as we began wheeling Lacey to the OR.
During surgery, once Lacey was more in the clear, Eleazar took the opportunity to talk about my date. "So Carlisle, I hear you're taking my sister-in-law out tonight."
"It appears so." I told him. "I'm not so sure about the whole dating thing still but since my brothers are insisting so much, I decided to abide with their request."
"You'll adore her; she's got one of the kindest hearts I've ever seen." He told me.
"Was she resistant at firs too?" I asked.
"She has been through a lot lately; her divorce is slightly fresh seeing as it was only finalized a year ago, she was resistant." He told me.
"Well we have one thing in common already." I smiled.
"Be good to her Carlisle." He said his voice a mix of pleading and threatening.
"I wouldn't dream of being anything less than a gentleman." I told him.
"I'm not going to tell you her story, that's not mine to tell, just know that she has been through a hell of a lot and if she is shielding you off it is due to the fear of being hurt, that would be why." He told me.
Why would she shield me off or be afraid of being hurt? What had she been through lately? Maybe this date would bring lost of unexpected surprises.
Esme POV
"He's a delightful man Esme." Carmen insisted.
I sighed; my sister was all about getting me back in the dating pool soon. "You understand why I'm resistant don't you?" I asked her.
"Of course I do, I assure you however, that Carlisle Cullen is nothing like Charles." She promised.
"What is the likelihood of you dropping this if I don't go on the date?" I asked her.
"Zero because I won't drop it." She told me.
"Fine, I guess one date won't kill me." I finally agreed with her.
She squealed. "I knew you'd agree! Okay, so drop off the kids with us at 4:30, we will feed them, you'll meet Carlisle at Canlis at 6:30."
"Why would I drop them off so early?" I asked.
"So that while Eleazar watches them I can get you ready to go out." She smirked.
"Canlis has got to be one of the most expensive restaurants in Seattle." I said shaking my head a bit.
"That's alright, Carlisle can afford it." She insisted.
"You're saying he should pay on the first date?" I asked surprised.
"I'm saying he won't have it any other way. Like I said, he's not like Charles." She told me.
"What's he like?" I asked.
"So you are excited?" She asked.
"I just want to know what I'm getting myself into." I told her.
"He's handsome, very, very, handsome. He's got honey blonde hair and dashing blue eyes. Very built too, he works out, mostly running. Hey there's an idea for a second date, you both run." She told me.
"Who said anything about a second date?" I asked her raising my eyebrows.
"You will, after you meet him, Carlisle is a very likable man, perfect gentleman, so perfect sometimes it's hard to believe." She told me.
"Tell me more about him." I insisted.
"He's head of pediatric trauma at Seattle Presbyterian Hospital, that's how Eleazar met him, he's a wonderful father." She told me.
"Father?" I asked. "He has kids?"
"Two, twins to be exact. They're eleven, Rosalie and Jasper, Jasper is very quiet. He spends his time reading mostly, he reminds me a lot of Edward actually however, he's like Emmett in the sense he's great at baseball and track. Rosalie, she's like an onion in the sense you have to peel her back layer by layer, but also like an onion, after her first layer, they get easier to peel. You see her first layer is anger, dislike, but after that, the next layers to get to her true self are about a thousand times easier." She explained.
"Why is Rosalie so angry?" I asked.
"She and her mother were very close, after Elizabeth's death she put blame on every person she could, especially Carlisle. She blamed him for not coming to pick her up from the ballet studio that day and her coming instead. She finally got past that though and they are as close as a father and daughter can be." She told me.
"What do I tell the kids about tonight? They're so afraid, so afraid of men in general. You know how long it took them to begin trusting Eleazar again, how will they trust a stranger?" I asked her.
"Don't tell them it's a date; tell them you're going out. If things kick off with the two of you then you'll explain to them, they might not trust him at first, but like with Eleazar, they will in time." She told me.
"Alright, so I'll drop Emmett, Edward, and Alice off at 4:30 and then you'll help me get ready right?" I asked.
"Yes, don't worry about bringing what you'll be wearing, I will have that all ready for you when you get here." She said excitedly.
"I've got to get to the school, Alice has some second grade play thing that I've got to get to." I explained.
"I'll see you in a little while." She told me as I stood and left the little café.
The drive to the school I began thinking how crazy this was, going out on a blind date. I still wasn't very comfortable around men, let alone strangers, but I was going to give it a shot for Carmen.
When I arrived at the school, I headed straight towards the second grade hallway and to my daughter's classroom. Other parents were just arriving so I knew I wasn't late. Little Alice saw me and squealed running to me as quickly as she could and jumping into my arms.
"Mommy you made it!" She exclaimed.
"Well of course I made it; I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I told her kissing her forehead.
"What about your clients?" She asked.
"They weren't as important as you." I told her happily.
Being the only female law partner at Newton and Yorkie was fun, I loved my job but I would always love my kids more.
"I got to go, sit in the very front row!" She told me running back to the group of kids getting ready for the play.
I did as Alice suggested and sat in the very front row awaiting the play. It was cute, very cute; the kids were reenacting the pilgrims coming over in light of the season. Thanksgiving is in three weeks and St. Nicholas Catholic School has been teaching the kids of the true meaning of thanksgiving hence the play.
After the play, we were allowed to take our children home for the rest of the day if we could and seeing as I had the entire day off I decided to do just that.
"You want to go do something fun?" I asked her.
"Yeah! Can we go shopping?" She asked happily.
"I guess so, what store?" I asked helping her get her rain coat and boots on. The coat and boots were matching, red with white polka dots, Alice would have it no other way, everything had to match.
"Can we go to Vineyard Vines?" She asked.
"Of course baby." I told her taking her hand and heading to my SUV. Vineyard Vines was her all time favorite store, the majority of her wardrobe was from there, and I had needed to buy her some winter clothes anyway with the cold and snow approaching rapidly.
At the store, I let Alice pick out some sweaters, pullovers, jackets, long sleeve shirts, and some pants, skirts, and leggings. After the shopping spree it was time to go get the boys from school. I drove to the elementary school carpool line first picking up nine year old Edward.
"Hey mom!" He told me.
"Hey honey, how was school?" I asked him.
"It was good, my math test was really easy." He told me.
"That's good, I'm sure you did great on it." I told him as I made my way to the middle school pick up line.
Twelve year old Emmett quickly got in the car. "Hey mom, can I try out for basketball?" He asked.
"I guess so, when are tryouts?" I asked.
"The day we get back from Thanksgiving break so that means I have time to practice!" He told me. "Do you think Uncle Eleazar could help me get good?"
"I'm sure he'd love to." I told him. "Speaking of Uncle Eleazar, you three are going to go over there to spend the night tonight. We are going to go home and pack some clothes and then we'll head over there."
"Where are you going?" Edward asked curiously.
I didn't know if I should do like Carmen said and tell them I was just going out or if I should tell them the truth. "I'm going out with a friend for dinner." I told them. "It'd be too late to come get you guys when I finish, you'll already be asleep."
"What friend?" Alice asked curiously.
It was the moment of truth now, the truth or a lie. "You guys haven't met him, his name is Carlisle."
"You're going out with a boy?" Emmett asked slightly nervous slightly angry.
"He's just a friend and it's only dinner." I promised him.
"Is it a date?" Alice asked.
Now this was something I hadn't planned for. "Yes honey, it's a date." I told her.
"Is he going to be our new daddy?" She asked innocently.
"It's only our first date." I told her.
"Oh, okay." She said.
I dodged a bullet on that one. "Are you guys okay with this?" I asked my sons.
"Do we have a choice?" Emmett asked.
"I'll take your opinions into account." I promised.
"So that's a no?" He asked.
"Not necessarily. What do you guys think?" I asked.
"I don't like him." Emmett said simply.
"You haven't even met him." I told him. I haven't even met him.
"Well, what is he like?" He asked.
"He's a very kind man, he has two kids, and he's a doctor." I told him.
"How did you meet him?" Edward asked.
Man this was really turning into an interrogation. "He's a friend of Uncle Eleazar."
"Fine, go on the date, that doesn't mean we'll like him." Emmett told me.
I couldn't help but smirk. Emmett was very protective of me, it was cute actually. The drive home was quiet after that, Alice fell asleep in the car, Edward was reading a book, and Emmett was playing some video game. Once home, we all got out of the car after waking up Alice and packed up the kids' overnight bags. We barely had any time before it was time to head to Carmen and Eleazar's. We piled back into the car and began the fifteen minute drive.
Carlisle POV
After my patients were stable and my shift was over, I was finally able to go pick up my kids from school. Luckily Rosalie had dance practice and Jasper had a student body government meeting so they didn't have to go to after school care. I drove to St. Paul Episcopal School, top school in the state of Washington, second in the country, and to the middle school area parking my car and sending a text to both of my kids.
Jasper was the first to the car opening the door and climbing in the back of my BMW M3 black edition.
"How was school today?" I asked him.
"Fine" he answered simply "some kids got into a fight at lunch."
"Really, what was it about?" I asked.
"Rosalie." He rolled his eyes.
"Two boys were fighting over your sister?" I asked.
"Precisely, it was rather entertaining actually." He laughed.
Boys are already fighting over my daughter at the age of eleven, better start cleaning the shotguns. "Who was it?" I asked.
"Sebastian and Alex, apparently, Alex wanted to ask her out but Sebastian had already called dibs." He informed me.
"Was Rosalie upset?" I asked him.
He laughed. "Rosalie took it as a compliment."
I saw my daughter skip to the car still in her dance clothes, shorts and a t shirt, but wearing her pink rain boots. "Hey daddy." She said climbing in the car beside her father.
"Hey baby, how was your day?" I asked.
"It was good, Sebastian and Alex got in a fight." She sighed.
"Yeah, your brother was telling me about that, are you okay?" I asked.
"Boys are stupid." She laughed.
"Remember that as you get older." I told her.
She giggled. "I'll try."
"So, you guys are going over to Uncle Aro's tonight to spend the night." I told them.
"Cool, where are you going?" Jasper asked.
"I'm going out to dinner with a friend." I told them.
"Like a girl?" Rosalie asked.
"How did you guess?" I asked her.
"You're blushing and if it's one friend it's probably a girl because it's kind of weird for two men to go out to eat dinner together." She told me.
"You're a very observant girl did you know that?" I asked.
"It's simple logic really." She told me. "Is it like, a date?" She asked.
I sighed; I was hoping to avoid that word with them for awhile. I decided to be honest with her. "Yes, it's a date."
"Is she, I mean, do you, are you guys serious?" She asked sounding a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, it's our first date. She's Eleazar's sister-in-law." I explained.
"What about mom?" Jasper asked.
"Pal, it's been five years since your mother died, I think it's best for us if we try and move on." I told him.
"But don't you still love her?" Rosalie asked sadness filling her voice.
"Of course, I will always love your mother, that will never change." I told them.
"So why do you want to date someone else?" Rosalie asked, I could hear tears in her voice.
I pulled over so I could look at my kids. This might not be the best time or place for this conversation but it was happening.
"I still miss your mother, every day I miss her, no one can replace her to me or to you, but your mom would want me to be happy, she would want all of us to be happy, and I think moving on can help us all be happy." I explained.
"So you think mom would really want you to go on this date?" Jasper asked.
"I do." I told him.
"Well I guess we can't argue then, just don't forget about mom okay?" Rosalie suggested.
"I could never forget your mother." I promised.
I pulled back onto the road and drove. No one could ever replace Elizabeth or make me forget her, that was true, but I needed to move on. For a long time I didn't think I needed to move on, I thought I owed it to Elizabeth to remain single but now, I wasn't so sure, I thought maybe this truly was what Elizabeth would have wanted.