Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters do not belong to me.

I hope you enjoy this fan fiction. Reviews and PM's, as always, are welcome and appreciated.

Carlisle and Esme had a falling out a few decades after Breaking Dawn, and as a result are now split up. Esme moved out, although still lives in Forks, and Rosalie and Emmett live with her. They and the other children do visit both houses frequently, not letting their bonds with their separated parents diminish.

Esme

I finished straightening up the house for the third time this morning. The Denali coven was coming down to visit and was staying with me, instead of Carlisle.

"Esme, you have moved that vase twice already." Emmett and Rosalie had been watching me.

"You need to relax." Rosalie said.

"This is the first time they have seen us since Carlisle and I…went our separate ways. I think it will get very tense, very quick. The least I can do is make the house more comfortable." I said, moving the vase back to wear it was before.

"When are they getting here?" Emmett said. He wasn't talking about the Denali's.

"Alice said they'll be here in a few minutes." Rosalie replied to him. "She said that few minutes ago."

I sat down on one of the empty couches, and someone knocked.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to knock?" I asked Edward through my thoughts.

He opened the door and they came in, "Sorry…" He said.

"Whoa. I don't think our house had ever been this clean…" Alice said.

"Yeah, Carlisle never wants it that way." I thought to myself.

"Can you please try not to accuse each other of stupid things for one day?" Edward said.

Carlisle and I made brief eye contact.

"I told you…" I said to Emmett and Rosalie.

"Wait, I thought you meant it would be tense between you and the Denali's?" Emmett said.

"Hey, grandma." Renesmee entered the house with Jacob at her side, saving me from replying to Emmett. She hugged me, followed by Rosalie and Emmett. It had been days since she'd seen us.

"When do they get here? We have something on tonight…" She continued.

"Why can you not clear one night for your family?" Bella asked her.

"I have been home all week." She defended.

"You haven't seen Esme all week. You haven't seen the Denali's in months."

"We'll spend tomorrow here."

"Hi Jacob." I greeted him. No one had yet except for Edward.

He smiled, "Hey."

He had been a lot nicer since Carlisle and I split. Maybe he felt bad, or maybe he just felt more comfortable when not everyone was so protective over one another. He knew that I didn't mind him being a part of our family, and he now knew I would stand up to Carlisle if something involving them both would happen.

Of course, I still loved Carlisle. My god did I love him. I still felt weak every time our eyes met, or when I saw him smile, but I couldn't admit it. Not when he felt differently. He seemed happier now that I had left, but I was miserable, falling apart. I didn't show it around him, or anyone. Not even Rosalie, but when I was alone, my world crumbled when all I craved was the touch of my soul mate.

Jasper and Edward made eye contact before looking at me. They smirked. "What?"

They shook their heads and laughed. I glared at them.

Carlisle snickered.

"What is your problem?" I snapped at him.

He went to reply with something that would probably break my heart, but Rosalie appeared between us to intervene. "Stop! Can you at least pretend to get along while we're around? You have no idea how torturing this is for us, and our family is going to continue to fall apart if you cannot control yourselves!" She looked at me, then to Carlisle.

"Sorry…" I said quietly.

Carlisle stayed silent. "I didn't expect an apology from you…" Rosalie whispered to herself, although she meant for Carlisle to hear it.

Carlisle looked at her with a shocked expression before his eyes moved back to me, "So you're changing her opinions on me now?"

"I haven't told any of them anything." I defended myself, offended by his accusation.

Edward cleared his throat, reminding us that he knew everything. We both looked at him. "You better not have told any of the others. Not even Bella…" I warned through my thoughts.

Carlisle sighed and turned around, walking back out of the house. I killed me to push anger towards him, as it didn't exist for him. No matter what happened between us, I was never able to stay mad at him for longer than a day. I caught a glimpse of heartbreak in his eyes before he had turned around. If only he still loved me, maybe it could change back to how it used to be. Perfect, no arguments, no choosing sides.

I could feel myself slipping, and I stood up and disappeared up the small staircase before I fell apart in front of my children or grandchild.

Once I was safely behind closed doors, despite Edward knowing my thoughts, and Jasper sensing my agonising hurt, I felt like they wouldn't know. I sat on my bed and broke.

Edward

"What is she doing?" Alice asked Jasper and I.

We looked at each other for a moment. "She still loves Carlisle. She is hurting really badly at the moment." Jasper said quietly.

"Every time he used to look at her, she could see the adoration he held for her. She can't see it anymore, and it kills her. They do still love each other. Extremely. But neither of them thinks the other feels the same anymore." I explained. "She's falling apart up there." I was talking quiet enough that she wouldn't hear.

"She isn't herself anymore…" Emmett said.

"Neither of them are." Bella agreed.

"I'm going up to her." Rosalie stood up.

"No, Rose." I stopped her.

"I am not going to sit around here while she's crying up there. Every time I see them in the same room, but not together, I feel like another bit of me dies. I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. I suggest someone go to Carlisle, too. God knows he is probably just as broken as she is." She walked up the stairs quickly.

"I'll go find Carlisle." Alice said quietly.

Esme

Rosalie knocked quietly on my door before walking in. She closed the door behind her silently and fluttered to my side. She knew what was happening, probably because of Edward or Jasper, and she hugged me

"Esme, we were talking about it down there, and I just think you should know that he does still love you. More than words can describe. And I know you still love him."

"Mu unconditional love for him does not change anything." I whispered.

"I don't know why you are so hesitant to believe that he still feels the same as he did 100 years ago. Esme, you were his one, most selfish act. He bit you because he wanted you to be his for eternity. Eternity hasn't ended."

I didn't know how to reply. I wasn't going to make peace with Carlisle with just hope that he would want me again. I wasn't going to do anything unless I was certain he wanted me. Unfortunately, there was no way for me to truly know if he did. All I knew is that I wanted him. No, not wanted, needed.

"The Denali's will be here soon, let's go downstairs." I said. I pulled myself together quickly and walked downstairs beside Rosalie.

I didn't hear Carlisle return, but he was back, and had Alice talking to him with a serious tone. He caught my eyes as I walked by, ignoring their conversation. I didn't want to eavesdrop. I didn't want to break our eye contact because I thought I saw something spark, but it went as quickly as it came.

This was it. I was going to keep myself together from now on. I would no longer cry over Carlisle. I wasn't going to make my children feel the same pain I did. I wasn't going to argue in from of my granddaughter, and I was going to behave in front of our guests.

My god did that promise to myself disappear quickly…