Monster

Summary: Esme's past included an abusive husband… What if that "husband" had been unknowingly turned into a vampire, and he's come back, more than seventy years later, to reclaim his wife? After all, they were never "properly" divorced.

Author's Note: I appreciate the reviews I have received! Thank you! The second part of this chapter is mainly fluff and all that lovey-dovey crap that I love watching in movies.

X

Chapter Two – Lust

As he approached me, another horrid growl erupted through the room.

Rosalie and Alice leaped, defending their 'mother'. It seemed odd, that although I was an unstoppable vampire, I could still feel fear from a man I haven't seen in over seventy years. But then again, the several human years he had tormented me with remained etched into my memories, sometimes haunting my mind whenever something or someone reminded me of Charles. I teetered a bit, feeling unable to help defend my family.

Edward was hunching slightly, but he didn't dare leave Bella unguarded with a sadistic vampire in the room.

A hard hand clamped around Rosalie's throat forced her to stop, mid-air as she struggled in his grasp. "Let go, you bastard," she snarled, her feet kicking in the air. Alice jumped; however, Charles easily stopped her; slamming the heel of his palm into her chest, throwing her to the ground. The wood splintered and cracked, and tables lie toppled over or snapped in half.

Nearby, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle still remained motionless, arms hanging limply at their sides.

After tossing Rosalie, he once again strutted to me, his lips curling into a ruthless smile.

"Esme!" Bella shouted, running forward.

"Bella!" Edward called helplessly, reaching for her. Ignoring him, Bella stood in front of me, firm in stature. Charles, stopping, cocked an eyebrow at her, puzzled and amused by her action. Sluggishly, I lifted my hand, prepared to shove Bella away from the danger.

"A human can't stop me." He laughed.

Bella, I could tell, narrowed her eyes. "Use your power on me," she challenged.

Just as Edward prepared to protect Bella at every cost as a snarl rippled from his mouth, Charles stepped back, stunned as he stared a somewhat smug Bella. I shook my head and forced her behind me, also trying to conceal the smile on my face.

"Interesting…"

Charles, after regaining his normal composure from the shock, stared at me, straight in the eye, and the world around me fell.

I was no longer in a wide, open room full of fuming vampires and a shaking human, but an odd, tiny kitchen, the rich smells of delicious pork and spices lingering all around. My eyes widened as my hand flew to my nose, astonished that I found human food appealing. However, when I saw the attire I was sporting and what room I was in, I near fell to the floor.

I was standing in the home I –as a human– shared with my once husband, Charles. And it was the night I discovered the darkness that lurked within him; the side of him that was finally released, this night, and all because of bottle of foul alcohol.

I cried out, and was shocked as salty, unfamiliar tears streamed down my cheeks.

As quickly as this dream world appeared, it vanished, the image around me leaking. With a slight jerk, I was standing in the same room of my home with three frozen vampires, one human, and three vicious vampires charging at Charles simultaneously.

Unprepared, he was thrown backwards, the sound of glass breaking behind him as he smashed into a mirror.

Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle suddenly broke from their trances, and after seeing Rosalie, Alice, and Edward holding Charles down as he struggled, they came to their rescue. I was puzzled by Edward, who was blocking Charles's eyes, forcing them to remain closed. Carlisle, after a fierce growl directed toward Charles, approached me, a solemn, caring look gleaming in his eyes.

I blinked up at him.

"Esme," he breathed, his arms embracing me as I stood, unmoving in his arms.

Charles, furious, jumped forward, and was out of the house in a split second, paper scattering across the floor behind his abrupt departure. Emmett, after whispering something carefully into Rosalie's ear, was racing after him, Jasper following closely behind. Rosalie glowered, staring after her husband. It seemed like hours of silence as we stood there, amongst the destroyed room.

Alice shakily spread her fingers through her thin, black hair. "Who was that?"

"Charles," I whispered, resting my head against Carlisle. "My husband in my human life…"

Rosalie and Alice gazed at me, pity flooding their –now– never-ending black eyes. Brushing away her ruffled golden hair, Rosalie observed the damage around her, a flicker of rage consuming her eyes when she noticed the shattered mirror. Alice solemnly kicked at a glistening shard of glass.

I could hear Edward speaking to Bella, frustration evident in his rough, velvety voice.

"Why'd you do that?" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Bella stared up at him, her body trembling – not because of his anger, but what she had witnessed, I could tell. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?" he continued, his hands gripping her shoulders as he pressed her against his chest, the same way Carlisle was comforting me. "He could have killed you, Bella… I can't live without you…"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie roll her eyes dramatically.

"I knew he couldn't use his power on me," she explained. "And he was going to hurt Esme, so I stopped him."

Edward growled. "Yes… And you forgot the fact that he is a sadistic vampire that could kill you without his power."

"Oh, she's alright, Edward," Alice chided. A burst of wind, coming from Jasper and Emmett's arrival, caused wisps of her short hair to billow around her head. With a wide grin, she danced over to Jasper, her arms held out as she embraced him.

"We lost him," Emmett announced, irritated.

Carlisle growled lowly. "How did you lose him?"

"We're not sure," Jasper explained with displeasure, his hands gripping Alice's waist. "But he seemed to have led us in the wrong direction. When we realized this, his scent was already lost." His eyes darkened. "There was another vampire… We accidentally went after that vampire…"

Edward's eyes furrowed. "Another vampire? That's definitely not a coincidence."

"Yeah," Emmett chimed in, rubbing the top of his head. "We thought so, too."

Edward, his eyes trained on Bella, spoke with sarcasm. "Oh, two hostile vampires in Forks… Great."

"What the hell did he do to us?" Emmett asked. His eyes had wandered to where he once stood, frozen as images I couldn't fathom plagued his mind. Rosalie's hands moved up and down his arm. Leaning against him, she rested her head – somewhat exhausted, I noticed.

I decided to speak.

"He has the power to make you see and feel whatever he wants you to see and feel," I explained, still trying to rid myself of the scene that had been replayed in my head. "And I guess you freeze while it's happening."

Emmett's eyes narrowed to slits. "It was if I was in a nightmare."

"Why were you shielding his eyes?" I asked Edward.

He sighed. "When I saw what was going on in his head, and figured out how his power exactly worked – he needs to be looking at you, basically straight in the eye, for his power to take effect. So I wouldn't let him look at anything," he chuckled darkly.

"Who was he, anyway?" Jasper asked, his eyes knotting together when Alice gave him a livid look. When her eyes caught mine, I shook my head, and smiled sympathetically. It's okay, tell him, I mouthed. She gave me a slight nod.

"His name is Charles, and he was Esme's husband in her human life," Alice answered. At the word husband, Carlisle stiffened a bit, his hold on my arms visibly tightening. Steadily, I let my arms move away from him, much to his disdain.

I stepped forward, hands shaking. "And I don't know how he is a vampire or how he found me…"

"Don't worry, Esme," Rosalie said in a sweet, caressing voice. "We'll stop him from…" She paused. "Whatever it is he wants."

Me, I spoke in my head, melancholy. He wants me…

The mere thought of him 'having me' caused a wave of terror to unleash in my heart. Clutching my shirt, I twisted the fine cloth, unsure of how to deal with the emotions I was feeling right now. As the shirt wrinkled in my tight hold, stress clasped my body. If I were human, I would have never been able to compose myself long enough and I most probably would have fallen to my knees if it weren't for Jasper, who was currently sending calming energy waves in my direction.

He wants me, I repeated in my head.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Edward watching me with hopeless pity. Realizing he had read my thoughts, I looked away. Sighing, Edward grasped hold of Bella's hand and started to lead her out of the house; carefully moving her around the jagged shards of broken glass.

"I'm bringing Bella home." Then he was out of the house, his car already speeding away, and we each knew it'd be a long time before he came back. There was no chance he would leave his love unguarded with a savage vampire in Forks, parading around as if this town were his own buffet. Charles was savage, and what he wanted, he was going to obtain at all costs.

I grimaced.

A savage vampire who wants me all for himself…

-

"Where are Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked while sitting casually on the sofa, a novel placed in my hands as I skimmed rapidly through each word. Carlisle, who had just entered the room, stopped, and stared out the window. The only sight was a long stretch of green.

"Out hunting," he replied, his voice strangely –almost– monotone.

I straightened up, my legs uncrossing. "What's the matter?"

What's the matter? I scolded myself. My previous 'husband', who is now a manipulative vampire, is doing everything in his power to have me as his own, just like he did, decades ago. And not only that, but he hit me in front of Carlisle.

Carlisle has every reason to feel stressed or furious.

"Charles," he said, a pang of malice in his deadly calm voice, "Isn't going to have you." He stared at me, his eyes a perpetual black. "For that matter, he's not going to get any where near you."

I choked.

"No one said he wanted me," I lied, tossing the book aside, and standing to my feet. Outside, large grey clouds hovered in the bleak sky, tempting rain to fall. With the silence that shrouded the house, it seemed everything from outside could be heard – the gentle humming of a cricket; the occasional screeching of tires of the road farther away; the tilting and swaying of green-coated branches. But even these somewhat serene sounds couldn't ease away the lump in my throat.

He eyed me. "Edward told me what you were thinking," he admitted, pacing the room. I stared at the floor, feeling flustered for once in many years. I suppose the first time I've ever really felt awkward was when I woke up –after leaping, hopefully (back then) to my death– to find a beautiful, blonde man that I absolutely felt infatuated with kneeling above me, nothing but care in his eyes – Carlisle.

Care that Charles was never able to show with me.

"I'm just scared," I, too, admitted. In truth, I was actually terrified. I was a vampire –I was a walking weapon, unstoppable– but seeing the monster from so long ago broke me in ways I've only felt when my baby died and I nearly lost Bella. Charles would forever terrify me; human or not, dead or 'undead'.

In a flash, he was standing in front of me, his fingers spreading through my chestnut hair. "You don't have to be afraid," he whispered, the back of his hand brushing against my pale white cheek. "I'll protect you… You have a family who'll protect you."

"I really don't need protection from him," I sighed, stepping away slightly. "I'm a vampire – I should have been able to stand up to him."

Carlisle shook his head. "He… abused you." He cringed. "With an experience such as that, Esme, I'd be shocked if you weren't traumatized by his very presence. Maybe…," he mused, "You felt suddenly human, as if it were an old scene from your past were he was about to…" His voice faded.

"Hit me," I finished.

Carlisle frowned, displeased by my mood, but probably even unhappier with the way things have gone.

"I'll be alright," I assured, clasping my hands around his in a steely, sure grip. He brought them up to my eyes, and cupped my face, a deep feeling of sorrow settling in his gleaming eyes. "Everything will be alright," I continued; more for his benefit.

Suddenly, another question formed in my mind. "What exactly did Alice see right before Charles came?"

"She told me, when you went upstairs, that it was just him…" His voice trailed off, bitterness blazing in his eyes. "Him hitting you."

I nodded, but couldn't stop my hand from moving to my cheek were his hand had connected – painfully. It was odd – being hit like that, especially when I was a vampire and I haven't felt physical pain in ages.

"It's seven vampires against one," I added, "How hard can-"

"Two," Carlisle interjected, staring down at me.

I blinked. "What?"

"Seven against two," he repeated. "Remember how Emmett and Jasper accidentally tracked the wrong vampire? Well, we think that vampire might be working with Charles."

I closed my eyes, praying. "Do you know who the other vampire is?"

"They were close enough to smell the vampire, but too far to specify if the vampire was familiar."

I shrugged; my hand pressed against his chest as I leaned against him once more. "Well, it's still seven against two," I murmured into his smooth shirt, feeling content as his arms circled around my waist. "They can't overpower us."

"But Charles's power," Carlisle cut in, "It's very useful – he can easily trap us just by staring at us."

I lifted my head to stare up at him. "Edward can read minds and Alice is psychic," I whispered. "Not to mention we're intelligent and tactical. It'd be easy to outwit them, right?"

"Edward said Charles is clever and manipulative," Carlisle murmured, his lips brushing against my neck as he became lost in my scent. "But gullible," he added with a half-hearted chuckle.

I lifted my chin, my body heating as his lips explored my neck, my throat, my collarbone… The worry embedded in my heart slowly began to fade as I raised my arms to slide my hands under his shirt. His lips were on mine instantly, my upper lip resided on his bottom one as we kissed sweetly.

"EMMETT!" Rosalie's shrill voice erupted through the entire house, bouncing off walls…

With a heavy sigh, we moved away from each other, and headed for the door, Carlisle's tucking his shirt back down. I smiled sheepishly. Sauntering down the stairs, I could see a murderous Rosalie with an annoyed expression on her divine face, and Emmett, an innocent grin on his face as they strolled into the house.

"What happened?" I asked, a smile forming on my face.

When Rosalie turned, I was shocked to see a splatter of blood smeared across her silky shirt, and I turned to Emmett, who stood a few inches away from her, a light smile plastered on his face.

"You need to loosen up, Rose." He gave her mock smile.

Carlisle cocked an eyebrow. "Animalistic, much?"

"This blouse is expensive," she growled, pointing at the stained material. "Where'd you get the idea of throwing…," she hissed; her nose wrinkled in disgust, "animal blood on me? It was bad enough when you threw snow at me a few weeks ago."

"You were being picky," he said matter-of-factly – referring to animal choice. "It got annoying." After seeing the way her eyes darkened, his smile faded, and he held up his hands defensively. "Not like I find you annoying – I love you!"

She folded her arms across her chest. "Tell that to my shirt."

Emmett stiffened for a second, before a sly smile crossed his face. Rosalie –her arms falling to her sides– stepped back, trying to comprehend the look on his face. I rolled my eyes and turned on me heel so I could walk back up the stairs. After a long look at Rosalie and Emmett, Carlisle followed.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie shrieked, the hint of a sultry giggle in her voice.

I halted on the top step, and stared over my shoulder.

Emmett had wrapped his arms around her body and pinned her to the wall, his face buried in her chest; licking the blood, to my curiosity and disgust. But then again, she and Emmett were prone to do such antics when it came to their… sexual life. Her legs wrapped around his waist, forcing them closer together.

Shaking my head, I strode down the hallway.

"Wait."

Carlisle grabbed my hand, and began to pull me into our room. Once he shut the door, I could hear the clink of the lock. Turning, he smiled sensually at me, and with a small smile, I summoned him toward me.