"Proposal"

CarlislePOV

1922

Each passing day, I wondered how Esme felt.

Her control was improving fast, but that was not what worried me. My main concern was my feelings; ever since I met her, I had fallen in love with her, but I hadn't realized it was that strong until now. I enjoyed her company very much, in a different way I enjoyed Edward's. My idealized version of her had been confirmed the first moment we spoke. She was so tender and loving that no one would believe she was a vampire; I found myself totally in love with Esme, despite the little time she'd been with us.

It amazed me how she treated Edward. Despite he was perfectly capable of tending himself, Esme always helped him… every time he went out to study, she made sure he was appropriately dressed, caressing his hair softly to try and comb it –a lost battle-, and was very loving to him. I thought Edward would feel annoyed, but he seemed even pleased; I guess it was good for him to have a motherly figure.

"You should tell her" Edward told me. I forgot he was 'listening' all my thoughts.

"I'm not sure yet" I said, a little unsure. How funny; I had over 2 centuries of existence and Edward was giving me advice on this?

"I'd told you she's happy… you should tell her" he repeated, annoyed.

I understood why. I'd asked Edward many times to read her mind, to know if she was happy with her new life. I must admit Edward was already annoyed by it all. The poor boy had assured me more than once that she was happy now. He had been quite insistent about my feelings, saying I should simply tell her. I wondered if he'd seen something on Esme's mind that made him so confident. He was right, though; I had let her go once, and life had placed her with me again. I couldn't waste time.

"Edward… can I ask you a favor?" I asked, but Edward was already nodding with a pleasant smile. He'd seen what I wanted.

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It was night already. I had made sure Edward took Esme away, so I could prepare for the moment. Now, all I had to do was waiting until they arrive. I was sure that, if my heart was beating, it would be doing so frantically. I hadn't been this nervous before… did human men felt the same?

But that was not my only concern. I loved Esme deeply, but I was not sure if she felt the same way. What if she rejected me? My only relief was Edward's apparent confidence; he wouldn't have advised me this if he wasn't sure she felt the same. But Edward was a good liar; he could be faking, after all.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door. They had arrived. I rushed to the door to see them. Esme seemed calm, but Edward still held that satisfied smile. He approached me slowly, and I felt as he placed something on my pocket, then winked at me. I smiled, nodding slightly. 'Thank you, Edward… did she notice anything?' I thought; his ability was quite useful right now.

"I'll go to the living room" he said, but shook his head slightly. I smiled again.

Esme kept staring at us with curiosity. She had noticed we were acting strange. I smiled at her.

"How was it, Esme?" I asked her, trying to distract her. She smiled back.

"Fine… each time is easier" she answered. "Is something wrong, Carlisle? You and Edward seem… different" she added. I approached her, taking her hand in mine. I felt –with pleasure- that she liked my touch.

"Come, Esme. I'd like to talk to you" I said, and led her towards the living room.

I heard her gasp in surprise when we entered, an effect I had hoped. I had placed candles all over the room; their light illuminated the scenery just slightly, allowing her to see the roses I'd placed for her all over the room. I guided her towards the couch, while she stared at my decoration in awe. I knew she was very romantic, and I had arranged all this according to it –again, my son's ability to 'see' her romantic fantasies was very useful-. Edward was at the piano, the only place that wasn't entirely lit, and started to play for us. It was his music he was playing; ever since he'd noticed my feelings for Esme, he'd worked on it… he'd wrote the song especially for her. I sat with Esme on the couch, and took a rose from the bouquet in front of us to give it to her. She took it with trembling fingers.

"Thank you…" she said. Her voice was trembling too; she was nervous. I took her hand again, this time softly, and sighed deeply.

"Esme… I have something to tell you" I said. She looked at me, waiting. I whished to have Edward's gift for once.

"Yes, Carlisle?" she urged me.

"Esme… ever since I met you, when you were hurt and I helped you, I couldn't forget you. Your kindness, your tender heart. When I found you later, when I turned you… you know why I did it?" I asked. She seemed confused by my words.

"You told me it was because you felt I deserved a chance" she answered. I smiled.

"Yes, but that was not all. When I saw you there, on the brick of death, the only thing I could think of was your smile. I refused to let you die because, even if I didn't know you well, I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you… it was then that I realized I love you, Esme. I love you from the first moment I saw you, and living with you this whole year only increased my feelings for you. My dear Esme… will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I finally asked. I took a small ring from my pocket –Edward had bought it for me as a favor- and showed it to her.

I saw as Esme's eyes widened. I waited for her to say something, but she seemed too shocked to talk. Finally, she reacted, and looked at me with a huge smile on her beautiful lips.

"Carlisle… yes, yes. Of course I accept!" she said, and I placed the ring on her finger. She then hugged me tightly, laughing as I'd never heard before. When she looked at me again, I took her face with my hands and, for the first time, kissed her. Nothing I'd experienced in my immortal life compared to the loving touch of Esme's lips against mines. She kissed me fiercely, as if she'd waited for this moment her entire life. I remembered my fantasies back then, when I'd first realized she could never be mine… and now, she was with me, forever.

An angel had entered my life.

EsmePOV

I kept kissing Carlisle without stopping. I never thought I could be so lucky.

In this year we've lived together, I'd come to think of them as my family. Each day I passed next to Carlisle, I felt even more in love with him… but I'd never imagined he shared my feelings.

The first thing I'd felt when I saw the room was surprise. He knew I liked this kind of things, and I'd wondered if I was hallucinating. But then he'd confessed he loved me, and had proposed to me. That moment, my breath stopped –figuratively-. For a moment I thought I was dreaming, but I knew that wasn't possible since I couldn't sleep anymore. I saw some apprehension in his eyes, and that awoke me from my dazzled state. He doubted of my feelings… silly thing to do, since I loved him with all my heart.

After we stopped, both remained there, hugging each other. The feeling of his fingers intertwined with mines was amazing; I wished nothing more than to stay like this forever, listening to the music Edward so kindly played for us. I sighed, and laughed softly.

"What are you thinking, Esme?" Carlisle asked me.

"Nothing, it's just that… ever since I met you, I couldn't forget you either. I kept hoping that, someday, I would see you again" I said to him. He smiled at me.

"Destiny works in strange ways…" he said. I totally agreed. I never imagined I could be with him like this. I placed myself closer to him, enjoying the feeling of his arms around me. The music stopped… apparently, Edward had decided to give us some time, but I missed the sound.

"Did you like it?" Carlisle asked me. "The music, I mean" he added when he noticed my confused stare.

"Yes… it was beautiful, what's its name?" I asked him. It was, after all, 'our song'. Carlisle chuckled.

"I don't know. I don't think Edward has named it yet" he said. I looked at him, surprised.

"Edward wrote it?" I asked.

"Especially for you" he said, kissing my cheek. I hugged him again, oblivious to the world outside.

The man of my dreams had returned to me.

EPOV

I left Carlisle and Esme alone. I felt it would be rude if I stayed there; it was their moment, not mine.

Their thoughts were so full of love that made me think about my own situation. Would I be able to find love in this 'life'? Carlisle had been lucky; he'd saved Esme and had found in her his soul mate… I doubted I could be that lucky. I looked at the stars, suddenly sad.

Was someone out there waiting for me?

KYA!!!! I hope you liked this… this story is proving to be quite difficult to do /sigh/.

And poor Edward at the end… I guessed it should be hard for him; I mean, he's 21, he surely thinks about love :P. But don't feel bad for him, we all know he gets his happy ending! (lucky Bella)

Next chapter we'll have Edward's rebellion!