Chapter One: Moving On
(Selene's POV)
I grumbled as I sat in a metal folding chair set up for the families of the graduating class. My arms were crossed tightly across my body and I was slumped low in the seat. To put it simply, I was in a pouty mood.
Esme and Carlisle mentally tried to soothe my irritation, seeing as they were sitting on the other side of both Alice and Connor. Connor, which didn't surprise me, ignored my grumbles. It was understandable and I didn't bother me that he was a little standoffish when Rosalie wasn't around. He was new to the family and it would take a little while to get use to us. And us to him.
On either side of me sat Edward and Alice, both laughing at my displeasure, earning glares in turn from me. They both knew why I was acting like this, but they still found pleasure in laughing at me. Alice was in the same position as me, but I wouldn't have expected any company from her in being grumpy anyways. Never from Alice. She was the happy-go-lucky, perky little girl. So it didn't actually surprise me that she was all smiles despite what was going on today.
I frowned as the person giving the main speech approached the podium.
Seriously, I don't know why I hadn't bothered to try, but if I'd wanted to, I could have been sitting in that mass of blue and gold all seated in front of the audience. I could have been sitting with Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett. Well, I would have been the last Cullen in line, next to Rosalie. But the point was that I'd have been getting out of Forks High at the same time as my fiancé. No more pretending that I didn't know what was being taught yet. No more taking on boring days of listening to teachers drone on about things that not even they cared about most of the time. I would have been free to roam during the day with Emmett while Edward and Alice were bored to death in class.
Well, despite how grumpy I was, it was time to be civil. I straightened up in my chair, crossed my legs and folded my hands in my lap. A smile touched my lips in spite of myself. I leaned forward to look around to Edward's other side and smiled at Bella.
"First time for everything. This is you next year kiddo," I said to her.
She laughed and shook her head.
"Yeah. But you know how lonely I'm going to be sitting in line, waiting for my diploma? You three are going an eternity before me." She grimaced, thinking about whom she'd be sitting with, no doubt.
Edward laughed, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.
"Don't worry, Love. It'll only take a couple hours. It won't kill you." He flashed her that crooked smile that usually made her heart threaten to jump out of her chest. And, lo and behold, it had the same affect as it always did on her.
Turning away with a smirk, I focused on the end of the speech that the Valedictorian was making.
"…There have been tears, laughter, good times, and bad times. But all of them are ones that will live in our memories forever. Those times are the ones that will make up how we remember our high school years. Take a look beside you now, and all around you. Memorize their faces. Those are the people you shared those years with. Whether you knew them well, or not at all, they made High School what it was.
But now it's time for us to leave behind this place. Not the memories, but our places here. Now it's time to move on to live our lives outside the school environment, or go on to higher learning. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives. The day we step away from being children and move up to being adults. Good luck Forks High School Class of 2005!"
She smiled widely and nodded her thanks for everyone's attention. Stepping down from the podium, the principal took her spot.
"Thank you Cheyenne. And now, let us begin graduating the class of 2005 with Alexander Aaron. Chad Anderson. Casey Anderson. Alexander Austin. Jessica Ayer. Christopher Bailey…"
She spoke their names loudly and clearly into the microphone so that all the humans could hear whom she was naming. It seemed to take forever for her to teach the names I was waiting for. I'd tuned out pretty much everybody else's, but a wide smile lit my face as she reached my last name.
"Emmett Cullen."
"Go Babe! Woo," I yelled loudly, yelling along with the crowd as well.
He turned towards me, grinned hugely and winked at me. If I'd been a human teenager, that probably would have made me blush profusely, but being a bloodless vampire, it only made me smile widely. I winked back.
The principal rambled off more names until she reached the H's.
"Jasper Hale."
Alice screamed a shrill high pitch noise and jumped out of her seat; clapping as if it were the first time she'd ever seen Jasper graduate high school. Edward, Bella, Connor, Carlisle, Esme and I just laughed, hooted and clapped.
"Rosalie Hale."
It was Connor's turn to be exuberant. His hands came together so loud that they sounded like thunder cracking through the football stadium.
"That's my girl!" He yelled, hooting the whole time she was on the stage.
She laughed and blew a kiss to him. And, in the most cliché, but cute all the same, way, Connor's hand went up and acted as if he'd caught the kiss. Holding his fist up to her as if in a toast and then putting it in his pocket.
It was kind of strange to see just how perfectly Connor and Rosalie fit together. I couldn't quite explain it, but I knew that Rosalie was happier than she'd ever been. And that was enough for me to allow my judgment of Connor to be passed at him not being a threat to our family. He seemed harmless in that sense, but there was also a fighting spirit in him that I knew would be very protective of what was his. Rosalie was in safe hands with a mate like him.
With my fiancé and my sibling's names out of the way, I slipped out of my seat to go to where Emmett waited for the rest of his graduating class to get their diplomas. None of the teachers were going to stop me, I knew for a fact. They all thought I was an angel and I pretty much had free reign of anywhere I wanted go. Even if I weren't a vampire, that intimidated them just by my walking by, I would have had no trouble getting to Em.
There was a slight breeze blowing into me, taking my scent away from Emmett's direction, so I crept quietly up behind him. A girl, I'm pretty sure her name was Alyssa, a few people down from him spotted me and a look of confusion crossed her face. I smiled kindly and lifted a finger to my lips and then pointed to Emmett. Alyssa glanced in his direction and then understanding flashed across her features. She grinned at me and nodded.
Once I was right behind Emmett I jumped up on his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist, planting a light kiss on his cheek. He jumped at my touch, which was something you didn't witness very often with vampires. It was almost impossible to sneak up on one. Well, unless you knew exactly how to sneak up on them. Having known Emmett for decades, it made it pretty simple for me to surprise him.
His boisterous laughter filled my head, causing me to laugh as well. You just couldn't not laugh once Emmett started. It was practically impossible.
Jumping down off his back, I grabbed his hand. He took a few steps back, getting out of line. Together we snuck away from everyone, this time, nobody taking notice of our disappearance.
Taking the lead, Emmett led me out of the stadium and into the surrounding trees. Once we were a good way in, he pushed me against the truck of one of the few red woods around and planted a kiss on my lips, all in one fluid movement.
"Oh this is much better than standing around in there," he growled playfully.
I kissed him back quickly, but then pulled back, slipping under his arm and disappearing around the truck of the tree, giggling. Poking my head around the other side to face him I smirked tauntingly.
"Really? Cuz I was under the impression that you wanted to be there." Oh yes, taunting him always worked wonders.
A dark eyebrow raised over one of his eyes and a playful glint met my challenge. He couldn't win this game, but he loved a challenge and never failed to try. In the end though, I always gave in, gave him a way to feel good about his efforts.
Emmett fell into a half crouch and growled. It was completely harmless, and I smiled wickedly, following his example. A slight hiss slipped between my teeth, and I darted up the tree. I hadn't been reading Em's mind though. And was surprised when I felt his arms coil around my waist before I was half way up the tree. He yanked my grasp away from the branch I was currently clinging to and launched us back to the ground.
"Gotcha Babe!"
After landing perfectly on his feet, he rolled, ending up on top of me. My arms were pinned above my head, and my hair was sprawled out on the ground around me. Emmett was straddling my waist with his legs hooked so that his feet were pinning my legs right under my knees.
Yet another growl escaped him before his lips were attacking mine. Releasing my arms, he rolled again so that hi was sitting and I was kneeling in front of him, his legs spread to allow me to wiggle a little closer. Our lips never left each other during that. But after a few minutes of letting him have his way, I took over again. I couldn't be having him forget just how much he couldn't push me around.
Moving my hands from where they were tangled I his dark hair to his shoulders, I pushed him down so that his back was on the ground. He didn't mind that at all. Large hands grasped my hips, coiled around my waist and then back to my hips. His lips trailed down my neck, across my spaghetti strapped shoulder and then back to my lips.
Just being with him made life worth living. Having him in my life made drinking blood seem not so pricey. The price of immortality dulled into a backdrop of worries when his smell was all around me. Nothing beat the feeling of knowing that Emmett loved me, no matter how stubborn or temperamental I could be. He ignored my personality flaws, claiming he loved me even more because of them. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend eternity with.
I wanted to live in this moment for just a few minutes more, but the echoing voice of the principal calling the last few names pulled us out of our little piece of heaven. We needed to get back to the stadium before too many people noticed that Emmett was missing.
When I pulled away from him, he groaned.
"Come on. Just a little longer," he complained, smiling brilliantly up at me.
I dipped down, pecked a kiss on his lips and then stood, pulling him up with me.
"Sorry Em. I've monopolized you for too long for right now."
His face scrunched in good-natured disappointment. I laughed and put my index finger under his chin, tilting it up like he'd done so many times to me.
"But don't worry. We have forever to make up for the lost time."
With that, after brushing the leaves and dirt off of my clothes and his graduation gown, we sprinted back to the stadium. Emmett fell back in line with his classmates and I slipped into my seat, acting as if nothing had happened in the time since I'd left.
Edward and Alice turned to me; smirks and raised eyebrows dominating their faces. Ignoring them I stayed facing forward to watch the caps fly into the air.
(Esme's POV)
Carlisle's hand was clasped tightly in mine as two of our sons and one of our daughters walked forward to get their high school diplomas. Again. It didn't seem to matter how many times we attended a graduation for any of our children, because each and every time I still got this sense of pride in them and a little choked up. If I could cry, I surely would have had a few tears trickling down my face. They, right after Carlisle, were everything to me. And each time they were handed a diploma still felt like the first time to me.
And to be honest, I loved that that hadn't changed. It meant that there was still something to take pride in, no matter how many decades passed. Never had it matter that they weren't truly my kids either. That tiny detail didn't take away from the fact that I felt every bit their mother, just as they saw me in that light.
Selene passed in front of me not long after Rosalie and Jasper had taken hold of their diplomas. Once she was free of our row, I smiled leaning in to whisper in Carlisle's ear.
"There she goes. Impatient as ever," I said adoringly.
Carlisle chuckled in response. "I'm sure Emmett will be please though."
I laughed nodding my agreement. I was sure Emmett would be ecstatic to have a distraction for a few moments while the rest of the class graduated. He was just as impatient as Selene was. And they were perfect for each other.
Smiling to myself, I turned to ask Edward something. But when I faced my son, I noted that he and Alice were snickering conspiratorially with each other.
"What are you two up to now?" I asked, snapping into mom mode.
They kept laughing quietly and shook their heads.
"You don't want to know Esme," Alice whispered to me, leaning towards me.
My eyes looked down past Edward, and took in Bella's shaking frame. She was laughing along with them. Instantly I knew what was going on. It really could only be one thing. Alice had had a vision of Em and Sel, while Edward had been listening to one or both of their minds. And then once they had started laughing, that must have attracted Bella's interest, which of course caused Edward to fill her in. Oh, Lord help them if Selene only knew how nosy her siblings were. Well, actually she already knew how they were. She'd known Edward since she was a human child, and she and Alice were generally close as sisters since Alice and Jasper showed up on our front porch decades ago.
"You really shouldn't spy on your sister. She deserves some privacy," I said, trying to sound as authoritive as I could.
This brought on a whole new round of laughter. I believe Edward even snorted somewhere in there.
"Mom, she's been spying on Bella and me since the moment she knew I was in love with her. I think a little privacy is due there as well." He retorted.
"You know she's just trying to keep an eye on you. She trusts you and she knows you have everything pretty well under control, but you know she's protective. Selene just doesn't want anything to happen to Bella, is all. You know that perfectly well," I said back, leaving no more room for discussion.
My son knew I had a point. And it shut them up for the time being. Just in time too, because I saw Selene, out of the corner of my eye, slipping back into the stadium to return to her seat.
A radiant glow surrounded her features. I could see it, no matter how nonchalant and composed she was trying to act. She may have fooled the surrounding human with the fact that she had probably 'just gone up to use the restroom', but we, here family, knew much better where she'd been. But I also knew that whatever she and Emmett had been up to hadn't been everything some people might have expected it to be. Surely all the students who knew they were a couple presumed that they slept together. But the truth was that Selene was making them wait. She'd gone other routes before. Her last marriage she felt had been done all wrong. Selene wanted so much more for her and Emmett and was putting every effort into making that happen. Including holding off on 'sleeping' together until after they were married. And Emmett was just fine with that.
He'd even started everything out perfectly from the beginning, whether Selene knew it or not. Even though Carlisle and I were both of their parents (I know it sounds strange, but bear with me) he'd still taken the incentive to ask our permission to ask Selene's hand in marriage before proposing to her. In my eyes, that was just about one of the cutest things any of them had done. Emmett had even seemed nervous, where he's usually one of the most confident people I know. I was proud, yet again, of him for doing that though. He knew what Selene felt was the right course to move in, and he was running right through it with her.
Standing up, once the humans all started moving around, trying to find their graduates, I pulled Carlisle behind me going to do the same thing. Edward, Selene, Bella, Alice and Connor trailed behind us as well. I could tell that Selene, Connor and Alice were getting antsy. They just wanted to get out of her, away from human eyes. And we would have to soon anyways. We'd been lucky that the cloud cover had been exceptionally thick today, even though it was the middle of June. But that luck was running out as the sun began to break its way through the fluff.
"Congrats Kitty," Carlisle said as we reached Rosalie first.
She laughed and rolled her eyes returning the hug he'd pulled her into.
"I'm proud of you Sweetheart," I said, taking my turn to hug her.
"Esme. I've graduated so many times before this. It's nothing special." She laughed.
It was so good to hear that sound coming from her. It had been so long since I'd seen her completely joyful. Things have been looking up for her ever since Connor arrived in her life. He's made her happier than I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. It made me believe that there was hope yet for Rosalie to become more pleasant to Bella in response to things falling into place for herself.
I wanted to cry again. I really did.
"It doesn't matter to me how many times you graduate Rose. Every time still feels like the first time I saw you take the diploma."
My smile widened and I kissed her on the cheek. Moving out of the way for Connor, who picked Rosalie up and swung her around the moment he got his arms around her, I followed Carlisle to where Jasper and Emmett were surrounded by everyone else off in the deeper shade of some trees.
As I was going up to Emmett to congratulate him, a couple of families were walking by, so Emmett wrapped his arms around me in a huge bear hug and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Mom for all the support! Never could have done it without you."
He was holding back laughter, and as soon as the families were out of earshot, he let it out. He was doubled over cracking up. We all knew I had nothing to do with his getting through high school…again. Any one of my kids could sit in class, not even listen, and still pass with flying colors. That was the vampire in them, not a mom kicking their butts to do the work. But I joined in the laughter anyways and hugged him back.
"You're welcome Em," I said, playing along even though there were no longer any humans within earshot of our little gathering.
"And congrats to you as well Jasper."
I turned my smile on him and gave him a hug.
"Thank you Esme," he replied in his southern twanged voice.
I was about to say something else when Alice chirped up.
"We should probably get going you guys. The sun's going to be breaking through the clouds in about ten minutes."
Carlisle nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Let's head home and you guys can celebrate however you please." A knowing smirk crossed his lips and his hand tightened on my hip, pulling me closer.
Everybody nodded their agreement, and began walking towards the car, all involved in their own conversations. Carlisle and I trailed behind our children in silence. I loved just listening to the hum and buzz of their voices filling up the air. It soothed my mind to have their noises fill my mind and my life. A family was all I had ever wanted when I was human, a family of my own, to raise. And though I hadn't raised any of the people in front of me, I still had the maternal instinct alive inside me. They were my children, whether we were blood or not. Granted some of them are technically older than me, but that fact just never mattered. They were my kids through and through.