Happy Birthday to Me

Esme's POV

So far, everything was perfect. Birthdays were something to be celebrated not dreaded so I tried to be cheerful. Alice jumped up and down excitedly.

"They're coming!" she shouted with glee. "Tanya and her family are coming to the party! Billy and Jacob are coming, too, Esme. They'll be fine. The Denalis don't hunt humans. They are like cousins to us."

I smiled. Maybe, Billy would be less suspicious of the Cullens after he met them. I hoped so anyway. Edward gave me a sad smile.

"Nothing will make Billy Black less suspicious of us. He is the descendant of Ephraim Black. Years ago, we lived near this area. We were hunting when we came across three large wolves. Their scent was human with the most repulsive smell in the world attached to it. I could hear their thoughts. Ephraim was the leader. Carlisle spoke to him, and thus a treaty was created. As long as we didn't trespass onto their lands, they wouldn't expose our existence to the humans," he explained. I thought over that.

"Well, he'll just have to live with it," I said defiantly. There was a knock at the door. I smiled as Alice opened the door. "Jake, Billy, we were just talking about you."

"Whatever she accused me of, I didn't do it," Jake said seriously. His eyes were wide like he was afraid to get caught in some sort of wrong-doing. He looked around the room like that for a few seconds before he cracked up laughing. Emmett boomed with laughter less than a second later.

"I like this one," he said to me. "It's okay. I didn't do half the things they accuse me of either, but the other half... well, what can I say? Nobody's perfect."

Jake's nose wrinkled a little bit as he stepped closer to Emmett. "Smells like someone did some extreme cleaning. This place is huge. What did you do, knock out some walls?" The questions was clearly rhetorical, but Emmett answered anyway.

"Yeah, we did, actually. It was fun," he got this gleam in his eye that worried me a little bit. "Esme designed the renovations, and Alice did the interior decorating."

"Cool!" Jake said enthusiastically. "You should've called me, Aunt Esme. I would've been glad to help."

"I know you would've, but keeping tabs on Emmett was hard enough," I shook my head.

"Okay, I guess I see your point," he allowed. "This is still a pretty amazing set up."

"Thank you," Carlisle said politely. "Why don't you go check out the garage? We're still waiting for a few other guests. Emmett, show him the new one. I'll think he'll have the proper appreciation for it."

"Jacob," Edward said in a measuring tone. "Are you a good driver?"

"I've never had a wreck but I just got my license last week," he answered. Billy looked at Edward.

"Jacob drives fairly well for a teenager," he said simply.

"Okay, catch," Edward said to Jake, throwing a set of keys. "If you don't pass out, we'll see if you're father is right."

As they walked out the door, Billy narrowed his eyes for a fraction of a second. I didn't need to be Edward to know what he was thinking. He was taking his chance while he had one.

"Esme-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Not today, Billy," I said. Carlisle came up and put his arms around me. Billy's eyes narrowed again.

"I'm sorry, Esme, but I want to reach an understanding while Jacob is preoccupied, and I'm going to trust that he is safe out there. I am a tribe elder. I know better than to believe that our history is nothing but legends. My own grandfather told me these stories. He knew first-hand that they were all true," Billy said. The anger in his voice was rising.

"Mr. Black," Carlisle said calmly. "The treaty has remained unbroken. My family and I have avoided your lands as promised."

"Yes, the treaty has remained unbroken, so far," he said coldly. "Need I remind you of the other part? If one of your family bites a human, not kills, BITES a human, the treaty is also broken."

"I remember," Carlisle replied quietly. No doubt, he was remembering that he had broken the treaty.

"That is my decision and none of your business, Billy," I said, my temper flaring. "I've made up my mind. I'm not going to grow old, wither, and die while Carlisle stays frozen in time. It isn't fair to him, and it isn't fair to me. This has nothing to do with your treaty."

"The treaty doesn't mention anything about the victim's choice," Billy retorted.

"Well, it should," I spat furiously. "This is a free country. I'm a grown woman, and I will do as I damn well please."

"Okay," Jasper said holding his hands up. "Calm down." Immediately, my anger receded. I glanced apologetically at Jasper and Alice.

"May I speak to Billy alone, please?" I begged. Carlisle looked reluctant but he put a hand on Alice and Jasper both, and led them outside.

"We won't listen," he promised, then shut the door. I wheeled Billy next to the couch and sat next to him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Billy. "Just please, try to understand. I don't want anyone to be angry with me, but I can't live without Carlisle."

Billy took a deep breath and looked out the window. Jake was watching expectantly as one of the garage doors opened. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as one of the cars shot out of the garage. His yell of excitement was loud enough that we all heard him perfectly.

"An Aston Martin Vanquish!" He watched as Edward climbed out of the driver's seat and held out a hand invitingly. Jake climbed behind the wheel quickly as Edward got in the passenger side. Billy turned back to me.

"I just don't want you to do something that you'll regret," he reasoned. "I also don't want to have to tell my son that his aunt died. You are the only connection to his mother that he has left. Rachel and Rebecca would miss you too. You have family in the human world. Don't leave them."

"This is my life. I haven't been as happy as I am now in eleven years," I cried. "This day holds so much pain. Until I met Carlisle, not a day went by that I didn't wish I had died in that crash, too. I should have died that day. Not her. I was forced to live with what happened, and then live through what Dale did to me. In Carlisle, I see all of the reasons God allowed me to survive. We were made to love each other. We were made to be together. Just let us be happy. Let me be happy."

Billy looked pointedly out the window, trying to ignore the sincerity and desperation in my voice. Jake was walking back toward the house, visibly shaking, with the others following behind him. "I don't feel so good," he said. Billy rolled over to Jake and put a hand on his arm. His eyes widened.

"I need to get him home," he said urgently. I looked at Jake. He looked a little sick. I gave him a hug.

"Oh my goodness," I said. "You're burning up, Jake. Carlisle?"

Carlisle shook his head. So did Billy. They knew what was happening. He wasn't sick. It was something else. Carlisle mouthed, I'll explain later. I nodded and helped Jake to the car.

"Are you sure you can drive?" I asked. He nodded.

"I just feel a little weird," he assured me. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I said. "Get to feeling better. Bye Billy." Billy waved. I looked down at the ground as they drove away. This was my fault. Edward walked up behind me.

"It's not your fault," he said. "It couldn't be helped. He's the great-grandson of Ephraim Black. The proximity of so many vampires, and the fact that Rose told him he smelled like a wet dog is what did it. It was only a matter of time, or so Billy thinks. He'll be fine. When he gets enough control over his wolf side, maybe he can take Emmett up on that arm-wrestling challenge."

"The Denalis just pulled off of the highway," Alice said brightly. She looked at me and her face fell. "I'm sorry about Jake, Esme. Meeting him was pretty cool, though. He's funny."

"I like the kid," Emmett said bluntly. "I always wanted a puppy when I was human." I raised my hand to smack him lightly, but Carlisle caught it. He laughed.

"Remember what happened the last time you hit a vampire?" he asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. Emmett laughed. I gave him a warning glare and pointed at him.

"Behave yourself," I chided. He laughed and shook his head slowly.

"Yes, Mother," he said with mock exasperation. More sarcasm, lovely. I couldn't help but smile, though. Mother. I could get used to that. Edward chuckled and opened the door before the female vampire in front could even knock.

"Good afternoon, Tanya," he greeted the strawberry blonde female.

"Edward," she replied. "Where's the birthday girl?" Edward gestured to where I was sitting on the couch with Carlisle. His arms were around me. She walked over to us. I stood and shook her hand. "My name is Tanya. These are my sisters: Kate and Irina. And our latest additions: Carmen and Eleazar."

I shook hands with each of them. We exchanged the usual pleasantries: "hello", "how are you?", "It's nice to meet you".

"Presents!" Alice announced gleefully. "This one is from Jasper and I." She sat large box in front of me. I opened it up to reveal a large sketch book, special drawing pencils, and an easel. I hugged them both. Jasper seemed surprised but happy when I wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you!"

"This is from us," Edward and Bella sat a box in front of me next. It was medium-sized. I carefully peeled off the wrapping paper. A computer program. I read the details on the box. It was a virtual building program. You could design houses and renovate them on a computer.

"We thought this would go pretty well with it," Rosalie said, handing me yet another present. I hadn't even gotten the chance to thank Edward and Bella for the program. Edward laughed.

"I heard you loud and clear," he assured me.

"Thank you," I said anyway. Bella couldn't read my thoughts after all. Edward chuckled and shook his head while I turned my attention to Emmett and Rosalie's gift. The wrapping paper fell away when I untied the ribbon. It was a laptop. I was speechless. This had been building up. Their gifts were perfect. I hugged them all one more time.

"I also gave your car a full check up, changed the oil, filled the gas tank, and put on four new tires," Rosalie added. "Good thing, too. Your oil was a little low."

The speechlessness continued still. Tanya, who had been sitting quietly like the rest of her coven, passed me two boxes.

"We weren't sure what to get because we don't know you very well, yet," she admitted. I took them, surprised that they had bought something for me at all. I opened the smaller box first; which turned out to be a digital camera. The other box contained a large photo album and the kind of computer paper that you use to print pictures.

"Thank you so much," I said earnestly.

"When we asked for suggestions, Alice told us that your camera broke," Kate supplied. "She also said that you liked taking pictures of a project so you had something to look at when you couldn't see the real thing."

Without warning, Carlisle stood up, pulling me up with him. "My gift is waiting outside," he explained. He took my hand and led me outside. None of the others followed. I looked around, wondering where it was. When we reached to river, Carlisle scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing. "Hold on tightly."

I locked my arms around his neck. With a running start, he jumped over the river. I hid my face in his chest so I couldn't see. We landed softly on the other side of the river. He laughed as he set me back on the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief. Carlisle wrapped his arms around me and, softly, pressed his lips to mine for a few seconds.

"We're going to run for a little bit," he said when he pulled away. "Or rather, I'm going to run. Climb onto my back and hold on."

"Run?" I asked. My voice sounded panicked. Carlisle kissed me again. That helped a little bit.

"If it helps, don't look," he suggested. "I would never let anything happen to you."

I gave him one last weary look, but climbed on his back anyway. Taking his advice, I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. My death grip didn't seem to bother him at all. It felt like we were barely moving so when Carlisle stopped he had to tap my hands. I opened my eyes and looked around. Trees surrounded us.

"It is a little further," he said. "I thought you might like to walk the rest of the way."

"Thank you," I whispered fervently. It was good to have the ground beneath my feet. I could see a small clearing getting closer as we walked in silence. It was a little meadow, and in the center was an extremely old cottage. I picked up my pace. Vines of honeysuckle and ivy ran up the chimney and across the roof.

"We came across this little cottage when we first moved to Forks," Carlisle said, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "It's been here for around one hundred years. After seeing how much fun you had with the main house, I thought you might like a project that you can go anywhere with. It's all yours."

Tears pooled in my eyes then spilled over to run down my cheeks.

"It's perfect," I said, turning to rest my head on his chest. "Thank you."

"I love you," he reminded me. I kissed the base of his neck.

"I love you, too."

"There's something else I wanted to give you," he said. "Close your eyes."

He stepped back and took my hands. I obeyed without question, closing my eyes tightly. I was tempted to peek, but I resisted. Carlisle kissed the backs of my hands, then let them go.

"Open," he said. I opened my eyes. My breath caught. Carlisle was down on one knee in front of me.

"Esme Lea Anne Allen, will you marry me?" he asked. A brilliant smile lit up his face. I stood in blissful shock, and he opened a small ring box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Tears of joy streamed down my face as I slowly nodded.

"Yes!"

Carlisle slipped the ring onto the third finger of my left hand. Then, he stood and lifted me into his arms, kissing me passionately. We spun slowly in circles. I felt like I was flying. My heart beat swiftly. Time seemed to stand still.

The sun broke free of the clouds, shining down on us. Carlisle's face shined like that of an angel. I pressed my lips against his again. Applause filled the meadow as our family broke through the trees.

A flurry of hugs and murmured congratulations ensued. The most enthusiastic was Alice.

"Yay! So, do I get to plan the wedding?" she asked excitedly. Though, it sounded more like begging. I was so caught up in the moment it was hard to speak. "Please, please, please." I looked at Carlisle. He laughed at Alice jumping up and down like a little kid in a candy store. He shrugged and gestured to me. It was my decision.

"Of course you do, Alice," I said. She hugged me tightly until my back popped. It wasn't painful, but I laughed.

"Thank you, Mom!" she smiled at me, and I had to smile back. Mom. First, Emmett's sarcasm. Now, Alice's enthusiasm. It warmed my heart even more. We traveled back to the house on clouds of bliss, or so it seemed.

"You have three more presents waiting for you," Carlisle informed me. "They are from Billy and Jacob." The TV was on in the living room with a VCR hooked up to it. We settled onto the couch while the others went to various parts of the house. Only Alice sat with us. Carlisle gave me the remote. I took a deep breath and pressed play. A little girl in a purple dress walked up the aisle, tossing flower petals out in front of her. I paused the movie with a laugh.

"I can't believe it," I said with a hand over my heart. "You see that adorable little girl right there?" Carlisle nodded. "That's me. I was eight years old. This is my sister's wedding. Jake's mom, Vivian." I pressed play again. We watched Billy and Vivian exchange vows and say, "I do".

"Her dress is beautiful," Alice commented.

"It is," I agreed. "I was with her when she went shopping for her dress. She wasn't happy with anything she tried on, and I got bored. I was climbing through the racks when I accidentally knocked one off. She picked it up and just fell in love with it."

The screen went black for a few seconds, and then the scene changed. "Get that away from me, Esme," Vivian laughed, putting her hands up to hide her face. I heard myself giggling in the background.

"Come on, Vivie," I pouted. "I just want to try it out."

"Did Mom and Dad already give you your fifteen birthday spankings?" she asked jokingly. The camera switched hands. I was shaking my head. A man's laughter was behind the camera now. It had to have been Billy. "Okay, then I guess I'll have to." She started chasing me across the yard. The twins and Jake thought it was a game so they started chasing me, too. Vivian caught me from behind and tickled me until we both toppled over to the ground laughing. Soon, the kids joined in, too. I was begging for mercy when the screen went black again. That was it for the video.

I broke down crying. That last bit had taken place a year before the car crash that had taken my sister's life. Carlisle held me close, rocking me back and forth until I gained control over myself. Alice handed me a small present. It was a picture with a ribbon on it. I took the ribbon off. Vivian and I were sticking our tongues out at the camera wearing ridiculous party hats with the number 16 on them.

"This picture was taken the day she died," I whispered solemnly. "When my birthday party was over, I begged her to help me learn how to parallel park. I wasn't very good at it. On the way to the empty parking lot we were going to practice in, a truck ran a red light and hit her car on the driver's side. I can barely remember what happened after that. Next thing I knew, I was being loaded into an ambulance. I cried for Vivian, but no one would tell me anything. When I was moved to a recovery room, my parents came in and told me that Vivian had died instantly."

Carlisle wiped my tears away. Alice seemed to be trying to keep my mind off of it because she handed me the last present.

"I think this will be perfect," she said quietly. The box was fairly big, but not very heavy. It was a clothing box. I took the lid off. The beautiful white dress stared up at me. I lifted it out of the box and stood up, looking at it. Vivian's wedding dress. An envelope fell on the floor. Alice picked it up and gave it to me. She took the dress and slipped it into the garment bag.

I read the outside aloud, "This envelope was already in the box. I didn't open it, though. When Alice called to give us directions, I asked how serious Carlisle was about you. She pretty much said your boyfriend was whipped so I thought you should have this. Dad said Mom told him you were the one that found it. Happy Birthday! Love, Jake."

I opened the envelope. The handwriting belonged to Vivian.

Esme,

If you're reading this, then you've met the man of your dreams, and he's realized that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you. This dress found us both, but it found you first. I've just been holding for you. I love you, sis.

Love, your sister,

Vivian

I held the letter close to me and whispered, "Thank you, Vivie." Carlisle hugged me and kissed my forehead. This was the best birthday I could ever have hoped for— all things considered. I cherished every minute, knowing that tomorrow would be just as wonderful.