Please tell me that you don't hate me right now...Though if you did, I can't say that I'd blame you. I'm deeply sorry for the wait. This chapter was the hardest to write. I have about seven different versions that I've rejected. So much more was supposed to happen in this chapter, but it started to run longer than I had wanted. This just means that the next chapter is going to be exciting! But thank you for your supreme patience. As a reader, I get sad when authors on here don't update for months at a time, and I apologize for doing that to all of you.
Something new that I'm starting is responding to reviews at the bottom note. I've noticed that I don't respond to reviews as much as I should and I really do appreciate the love that you all give me. So chapter nine reviews are getting responses at the end.
P.S. Only three weeks until New Moon opens in the United States...I know that you're all as ready as I am! Oh, and Happy Halloween. =)
You probably want to get back to the story now, so I'll leave you be.
The breeze drifting through the car seemed to caress every nerve of my neck while it beckoned me to relax. Will happily chatted; sometimes with me, sometimes with himself. I giggled at how he could manage to keep conversation flowing and how he needed no response to his rambling to enjoy himself. I sighed in glee with him as he continued to exude contentment.
I would miss our moments together. Though I was but a phone call away, it would be the farthest apart we'd ever been.
Cities came and went, I'm sure, though I truly hadn't been paying any attention to signs that passed. I began to tune out all but the pumping of blood now booming in my ears. "We'll be there any minute now Esme!"
On cue, my nerves started shouting at me. I hadn't had any contact with Edie-Rue since December in the form of an annual holiday card that left much to be desired. I smiled at the memory of one of her childhood visits.
We were talking and laughing in my room late one summer night. I remember the both of hearing a strange scratching noise outside. We wondered what was out there, but I was too afraid to look. Edie-Rue wasn't. She practically flew down the stairs (almost waking my birth givers) to uncover the mystery. I hid behind her while waiting for the door to open. Being a master of suspense, Edie-Rue slowly pushed the door open to reveal three orange kittens pawing at the house!
I remember thinking that she would do anything; face any challenge, no matter what the risk. She was my greatest hope. "You know that she won't let you down, right Esme?" I nodded silently as I scanned the scenery around us, starting to recognize some of the more popular locations in the city.
I hummed along to the now steady rhythm of the bouncing of our vehicle on the street.
As soon as Edie-Rue's house came into view, I was sure I was getting a high. Adrenaline was quickly working its way through my body. But as we pulled up, my anxiousness was overwhelming. Is it possible to have a nervous adrenaline rush? "I don't think that I can do this William."
"Esme," he sighed, while placing his hands carefully on my tummy. "Look at my hands and what they rest upon. Think about the beautiful baby in there, trusting you and leaning on you for support. If not for yourself, do it for the child inside of you…and for me," his words were dripping with concern.
I inhaled as much air as my lungs would allow before exhaling to answer, "I will do it for you and my child."
"That's all I ask of you," we sat in silence, looking into each other's eyes. How do you avert your attention from the one who cares for you most?
I blinked slowly and held my eyelids down, "I should head up."
"Let me help you."
"No. I need to meet her by myself."
"I want to."
"Hey, she'll have to meet my escape artist! Just let me talk to her alone first."
"I'll be waiting."
"I'll be back," I smiled up at him. I could do this; Will was here, waiting for me.
Sometimes you have to push aside all thought in order to achieve what you have set out to do.
Without contemplating all that could possibly forsake this plan, I strode up the gentle hill to a quaint little home to knock on its inviting door.
Strength escaped me once more, and what felt like a rough pounding on the door came out as nothing more than a barely audible tap against the wooden frame. I lifted my hand to knock again, and as my hand pushed forward, it met with a feminine collarbone.
My head rose to meet with a pair of forest green eyes staring back at me, "Esme Anne, I don't believe it," she cocked her head and began to shout excitedly. "Christopher, come to the front and bring Stephen and Faith!"
I could hear the pitter patter of their feet as they approached. Three amazingly different people took a place beside Rue. The curiosity in their eyes was undeniable. It's terrible, I'm no good when it comes to an awkward silence; I can't fill the gap. But of course, that was never a problem for my verbose cousin. She eagerly filled the air, "This is such a surprise! A good surprise though; not one that you pretend to like! It's been so long. I'm dreadfully sorry that we couldn't make it to your wedding; I know that it's been years, but I so badly wanted to attend! Speaking of which, I wish you'd been able to come to mine! It wasn't quite the same without you! Oh my, where are my manners? Everyone, this is my infamous cousin, Esme," I smiled meekly at the suspicious crowd.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Edie-Rue never stops recounting the times that you two spent together as children. You were quite the mischievous pair," the tall man standing next to her shook my hand softly. As he continued to speak, I studied his facial features. They were so prominent; his nose was long and the orbs on his face were large and a brilliant sky blue, "My name is Christopher, and I'm married to this…unique slice of life," he chuckled.
"It's nice to meet you to. I must say that I admire your energy. Not many people can last one round with Edie, let alone an entire lifetime," I joked with him.
Edie laughed, "Yes, and he's stuck with me for eternity!" She proceeded to gesture to the two smaller people. "Kids, why don't you introduce yourself to Auntie Esme?"
A little boy, who appeared to be no more than four and a half feet tall, stepped forward, "My name is Stephen, and I'm ten years old," Stephen had his father's stunning eye color and inherited his blondish mane from both sides, "I really like playing games and helping mommy pick apples from the tall tree in the backyard."
Internally, I sighed sadly, reminiscing on the outcome of my last excursion into the freedom of climbing, "Stephen, I think we'll be good friends then. I like games too, and I love picking apples," he smiled brightly up at me and I reached for his hand to shake it. The boy went on to astound me as he took my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. I looked right into his eyes and smiled, "You're a very sweet young man, I see," He blushed lightly and looked down at his bare feet.
I turned to my right to see a girl, only marginally shorter than I, standing next to Christopher. Her hair resembled mine in its flat color, but hers was straight in contrast to my own and it flowed freely all of the way down her back, not stopping until it reached mid-thigh. Her eyes were small and dark brown, almost black. She appeared as nothing like the rest of the family before me.
"Hello, my name is Faith. I'm fifteen and I don't much care for climbing; I prefer to spend my time reading or writing, and sometimes I sing," she confidently stepped towards me to kiss my cheek. "It's wonderful to be able to put a more recent face with the stories," she grinned.
"It's nice to have a face, period, that I can put with the name!" It was true; Edie Rue had written to me about her children in our letters, but I had never seen them.
I shifted a bit uncomfortably on the balls of my feet, trying to decide how to lead into my true reason for the impromptu visit. "Say, who is that lad parked in the Cadillac?" Christopher pointed down the hill towards William.
"Esme, you devil! Have you brought Charles here to meet us?" Edie shrieked with excitement.
"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing you, that's my friend, William. You do remember him, right?"
"Of course, he was just about the sweetest man you could ever hope to meet. If I may be so bold, it surprised me a bit that the two of you didn't end up together."
"Funny how life works out, isn't it?" I laughed dryly.
"Quite. Well, it's not that he isn't a lovely person, but what is he doing here with you?"
"I'd like to talk to you about that," I pleaded wordlessly to Edie, hoping she could sense my need for a private conversation.
Realization mercifully flickered across her eyes, "Chris, would you terribly mind putting on some tea while I show Esme inside?"
It amazed me how easily Christopher listened to his wife, and how he displayed no chagrin upon setting off to perform a more domestic task, thought suitable only for the feminine half of the relationship.
Edie led me into her home and directed me to the right, their family room. We sat in the room for seconds, staring at each other as she waited patiently for me to begin. "Rue, I don't know whom to turn to right now. I am physically and emotionally fatigued; I need you to know that I couldn't stay."
"Esme, what are you talking about?"
"I've left Charles."
"Are you crazy, Esme?! How could you just-" Edie stopped mid-sentence with a look of calculation on her face. "Oh my gosh, Esme, did you leave because you and William are…" She looked down, unable to finish her thought.
"Edie, Will and I are simply friends. Before I tell you why I have left, I need you to remain open-minded."
"I can do that."
"Good" I let out a breathy word of relief. "I have shown my parents, um, my procreators, my life and they turned me away. I only ask that you let it sink in for a moment before you react" As I had done during my previous attempt at being rescued, I carefully rolled up my blouses sleeves and revealed scars that may as well have been burned into my flesh.
I was not expecting Edie's reaction; she gasped and hugged me. I flinched at the sudden contact and she pulled away. "Esme, I, I feel so ashamed of myself for even thinking that you were leaving for a less than admirable reason!"
"It's perfectly fine, but I need you to also know that," I gulped and fought back my tears. "I'm pregnant."
"And you need a place to stay," She didn't question it; it sounded as if her decision had already been made. I nodded my head, feeling more helpless than I ever had. "You always have a place in my heart, therefore, you'll always have a place in my home," A throat was cleared behind me.
"I hope I'm not intruding greatly, I'm William and I wanted to reintroduce myself."
"It's a pleasure to see you again, William. My name is Edie and we should skip the small talk because I know that we both want to finish arranging what's best for Esme."
"You'll take her in then? I would, but it's too close to Charles."
"No, no, I understand. We have a guest room that Esme can use."
"I have some money hidden away for emergencies that can be used for her hospital bills."
"And Chris and I have plenty to feed another mouth…mouths."
"And Esme, I can come and visit, and we can talk whenever you need me."
Everything seemed to blur then; not in bad way, no, but everything seemed to be full of light and optimism. I went from sitting in the living room to helping Will put my things away upstairs.
"Where would you like this, Esme?"
"Hmm? Oh, would you mind setting that on the nightstand?"
"Sure…Hey Esme, wait here for a second."
"William, what are you-" And he was out of the room. I walked over to the dresser that Edie had graciously given me from her room and placed my photograph box upon the top. I stood there and admired the window beside it. I stared out onto the pond a few hundred yards away as the sun set, taking in the serenity it painted.
"Esme," I jumped.
"William, my goodness, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" I laughed and Will chuckled.
"Sorry about that, I just wanted to know where you'd like the crib."
"Crib? William, I don't own a crib."
"You do now," William carried in a white wooden crib with a smile on his face. At the foot end of the bed, there was a large heart carved into the product with the word "Always" written inside of the shape.
"Will, this is so beautiful. Where did you get it?"
"I made it for you, Esme."
"You didn't."
"Ah, but I did. Please, don't feel bad. You're worth it, and I wanted to do it."
I sat down on my mattress and patted the bed for him to sit as well. He put his arm lightly around my shoulder and I leaned my head against him. "I can't believe it's ending, Will."
"I know."
"And I can't believe that you've been supportive of me through it all," He smiled down at me. "I'm afraid to have you leave."
"I don't want to either, but I have to."
"Please, just stay with me for the night."
William kissed my head. "Just for tonight…You should be getting to sleep soon. You've had a long day," He left the room to allow me my privacy to change into my sleeping clothes. He eventually came back in and pulled back the covers, helping me get comfortable.
I motioned for him to lie down on the bed. "I can't fall asleep, Will, would you mind talking to me until I get sleepy?"
"Anything for my peacock," He lay down beside me and held my hand while recounting stories from when we were little. He only got through two and I was asleep. My last memory was of him brushing aside the hair that had fallen into my face, with my last thought being that I could do this. I could be strong, and I could do it for my baby, William, and Carlisle.
Wait. Carlisle?
Chapter eleven is in the works and will hopefully be easier. (Really, I'm best at writing fluff, so I wish that we could get back to more of that ;D)
I would like to remind everybody of that little green and white button that you see if you scroll down a bit more...
My Chapter Nine Reviewers;
-StitchedHeart- Thank you so much for the birthday wishes! It's been a while, but that meant a lot to me! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story!
wizkiz Thanks for reading and I'm thrilled that I've got you so excited!
EliseShaw Let me get this out of the way; you're my favorite author on this site and it really means so much to know that you're enjoying it. Thanks for being a faithful reviewer that I know I can count on for honesty.
aerialla1 You and me both! It's still going to be a bit in the story before that reunion, though I'm hoping to bring the chapter to you soon!
.Cullen Yes, it's about time she smartened up! Throwing in that you've been a great reviewer from the start, Thanks. =]
pbwitbeck Your wish is my command. ;)
EsmeCarlisle1921 Love your username! And I'm happy that you're enjoying the ride! I know you're probably waiting for Carlisle, but I hope that you liked this.
TwilightLover-CarlisleandEsme Right now! ;D It's always nice to know that fellow dedicated CxE fans are liking the story. I want to be as accurate as possible. Thanks for your review (and I'm glad you like the icon that I made =D)
GotTwilight? OK, you're part of what finally forced me to have a nearly sleepless night in the hopes of finishing this! Seriously, thanks for the push to get the next chapter out! When I read your first review (and the other two of them hehe) it really made my day. You have no idea how amazing it was to hear you say that about my story.