IIII. Esme Ann Platt Cullen

1) Mr. Platt bought his daughter one of those new 'teddy' bears for her seventh birthday, figuring it a nice change from the other dolls that Esme seemed so fond of . Although it's shiny brown fur and overstuffed body made it stand out among the delicate porcelain features of her other 'children', Esme loved it all the same.

She named him Emmett.

2) Their eyes met, emerald and hazel, and Carlisle knew that the young girl before him was in pain. Esme's left leg was twisted at an odd angle, the whiteness of her bone barely visible beneath her ivory skin. But as Dr. Cullen began to wrap the afflicted limb around a splint, his soothing voice offering her comfort and compliments along the way, the tears began to slow.

The blushes that followed, however, were unstoppable.

3) When she'd get into trouble as a child, she'd lie to her parents. When she wanted more acceptance as a teen, she'd lie to her friends.

When she became Mrs. Charles Evenson, she lied to herself.

4) Esme might not have been as observant as her mother, or as intelligent her sister, but she had a knack for prophecy that was entirely her own.

She knew that it was pure lust that shown in the eyes of her fiancée whenever they took her in, and that it would most likely never soften into something more benign.

It never did.

She knew that the drunken accusations and cutting insults would eventually evolve into something physically hurtful.

It didn't take Charles long to fulfill her prediction.

She also knew that, when her husband discovered the steadily growing bump upon her abdomen, that he wouldn't hesitate to relieve his problems on a new target.

This time, however, she didn't intend on giving him the chance to prove her right .

5) It was common knowledge around town that Megan Platt's sister was not what one would call traditional, as her single status and 'delicate' condition was often shrouded in intrigue and scandal. That's why it shouldn't have come as a shock when the question was finally asked by one of her students, curious as to how a baby could have no father.

Lessons were ended early that day.

6) Cytomegalovirus, the elderly doctor told her, an incurable infection of the lungs. He tried to offer the young mother comfort, informing her that his passing would most likely be a quick and painless one, though she barely heard much of anything over her desperate sobs.

She was ravaged, like her soul had been ripped from her, leaving nothing but an empty shell. She was destroyed, like a part of her had died, like her heart had been crushed.

It was like her only reason for living was dying, two days after his birth.

7) She touched him, flinching at the stiffness as Death took its place in his tiny body. Soft hands caressed his hair and face, tracing every contour, every feature, knowing that this time would be her last.

And a part of her soul died with him.

8) All her life, Esme has envied the birds that flitted so carelessly through the air, wishing that she could have just a fraction of their freedom for herself. Although she thought it silly at the time, she made a promise to herself long ago that one day she would spread her wings and fly, truly fly, amongst those birds.

For just a few blissful moments, just as her feet left the rocks perched at the top of that cliff, she received her wish.

9) Seeing Carlisle again after the transformation was like wearing glasses for the first time– brief disorientation, and then the world clicked into crystal reality, indistinct colors and shapeless figures replaced by clarity and familiarity, all the pain and confusion erased in an instant.

10) Ever since she was little, Esme has always longed for the noise and activity of a big family. Sitting on the living room couch, watching her children laugh and joke and argue with such volume birds outside flew from their trees, she soaked in the dissonance of voices with a content smile on her face.

And she was whole once more.

A/N Alright, if this one sounds at all choppy and forced, it's kinda because it was. I don't know what it is, but Esme just put a block on this thing, and it seemed like I was restating the same things over and over. On top of that, I just started school again, so that added to the wait. I'm sorry again guys.

Thanks again to thesunshinekid (5 and 9 were her ideas)

As usual, feedback is always appreciated, and character requests are considered. I was thinking Charlie or some other non-vampire next, but you guys are the one's who really influence who I do next. So, who's it gonna be?