A Family for Alice

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm just playing with them.

Alice passes out almost as soon as she finishes her cookie. I'm glad she does because then even Jane understands that it's time for us to go. We have to promise to stop by next week, but I'm willing to promise almost anything at this point. I need a nap too.

Now that Alice is asleep, getting her in and out of the car isn't a problem. When we walk into the house, Carlisle carries her over to his recliner, but instead of laying her down, he sits and keeps her in his arms. I bring all the bags into the house without complaint. I don't blame him at all for wanting this time with her.

Carlisle and I have several papers that we need to look over that outline the next few days, but I just place them on the desk in the study without another thought. They can wait. The laundry can also wait, but I do place the dirty clothes in front of the washer before taking everything else to Alice's room. The empty couch is calling my name, and I don't intend on keeping it waiting.

"Can you help me with this?" Carlisle whispers when I walk back into the living room. He's trying to get Alice's jacket off, but he's not doing such a good job.

I chuckle softly as I go over to help him. "Of course, babe, but what did you try to do? Pull it over her head?"

He shrugs with a guilty frown. "Umm…yes? I guess I should have unzipped it first."

"Well, you know for next time." I help him remove the jacket without waking Alice then give him a slow kiss. "I'm going to take a nap too, okay?"

"Sure, wifey. I love you."

I have to kiss him again because he's always so sincere and just adorable. "I love you too. Wake me up if you need me." I'm positive he can handle Alice by himself if she wakes up before me, but I wouldn't mind helping. We're both learners at this point.

After hanging Alice's jacket on a free hook by the door, I lie on the couch, stretching out on my stomach. Once I pull the blanket over me, I'm out for the count.

When I do wake, I feel rested but not willing to move just yet. That's partially because I can hear quiet voices, and I want to listen without them knowing.

"Who's your favorite character?"

"Mmm…Zazu!"

"Zazu, huh? You like that crazy bird? I think I like Pumbaa. Do you know what kind of animal he is?"

"A piggy."

He laughs loudly, causing her to giggle too. "He's definitely like a piggy, but he's actually a warthog. Oh wait…I think my favorite is Rafiki. He has a blue butt."

I roll my eyes as Alice giggles again. I definitely need to fill Carlisle in on the bad words of kindergarten. Good thing I know Alice won't go around repeating everything he says.

"He should put some pants on, right? Maybe we should give him your pink pants."

"No, Carwile. I wear my pink pants."

"Okay, okay. You keep your pants, Allie cat. I guess Rafiki's blue butt would be happier naked anyway."

I can't stay still any longer. "Carlisle, language, please," I say as I sit up. I smile to let him know that I'm teasing. "If you're going to talk about Rafiki's blue bottom, please be polite about it."

He smirks. "My apologies, ma'am. I'll be sure to mind my manners around little ladies from now on. So did you have a nice nap?"

"Thank you very much, and yes I did. What else have you two been doing besides watching The Lion King?"

"Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that. I showed Allie cat where the potty is and we drank some water. But she's feeling extra snuggly right now so I turned on the movie."

"Extra snuggly, you say? Can I have some extra snuggles?" I hold out my arms, and Carlisle helps Alice down so she can run over to me. I scoop her up and hug her tightly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "How was your nap, sweetheart? Sleep good?"

She nods and turns to look up at me. "Miss Cuwen, you sweep a woooong time."

Carlisle laughs loudly, and somehow I know that he put her up to this.

"I slept a long time, huh? I guess I was extra tired." I give Carlisle the side-eyes. It's partially his fault, after all. Alice giggles and pats my hand, and just like that, I'm ridiculously happy. I love having her here.

"Oh, and sweetheart, you don't have to call me Miss Cullen when we're not in school," I tell her. "You can call me Esme, if you want."

"Esme?" she asks softly, trying the word out. I nod, and she returns it.

Now that that's settled, we focus on the movie. I try to pay attention, but Carlisle's questions and commentary make it almost impossible. I'm a little sad that I didn't wake earlier because he loves to sing along too. His version of "Hakuna Matata" is one of the reasons I married him.

Carlisle's Elton John impression is not one of the reasons I married him, so when he starts butchering the song during the credits, I cut the TV off.

Since it's Carlisle's night to make dinner, he heads off to the kitchen while I show Alice around the house. She knows where the bathroom is already, so I show her the kitchen, the study, our bedroom, and then her room. Her eyes light up when she sees everything, and Carlisle has to poke his head in to point out the princess sheets. He's proud of those, and with good reason because Alice loves them.

I let Alice roll around on the bed for a few minutes before catching her in my arms and taking her back to the living room. When she sees all the new toys, she's completely frozen. I'm not sure if she ever had this many toys or toys at all, but we're going to make sure she has the best opportunities to just be a kid. And kids – as well as my husband – love toys, so that's what she'll get in our house.

Carlisle's simple dinner is appreciated by all three of us, and after eating ice cream for dessert, we're all ready for some more sleep. The past three days have been full of stress, but now that Alice is safe and with us, I feel like we can finally relax. But as I try to relax, I realize that the three hours of sleep are catching up with me. I'm dead on my feet, but there are still a couple of things to do before I can go to bed.

I'm pretty sure Alice didn't have a bath while in the hospital, so that's the next thing on my to-do list. A warm bath will make her feel even better than she does now.

Carlisle remains the perfect husband as he cleans up the kitchen even though he made dinner. We usually trade off, but he seems to realize that this bath ordeal will go better with me in charge. We're going into more uncharted territory, and I have no idea how Alice will react.

The bubbles I put in the water seem to intrigue her, though, so after the initial trauma of undressing, getting in the bathtub is no big deal. Alice plays with the bubbles until she starts yawning, and then we get down to business. It's messy and uncoordinated as I go back and forth getting supplies, but I have hope that it will get better.

It's a good thing that the bathroom floor is used to getting covered in water all the time but for a very different reason.

Alice loves her princess pajamas as much as the sheets, and once she's dressed, Carlisle steals her from me so I can go get ready for bed. He's already in his flannel pants and t-shirt, so I rush through my nighttime routine to get back to them.

They're not hard to find when I'm finished. Carlisle has Alice in our bed with the covers pulled over their legs. He holds out a book which I take as I crawl in beside them.

Carlisle pulls me closer so Alice is sandwiched directly between us. I'm not sure if she can move, but she's smiling and relaxed beside us.

This is exactly as I imagined it would be. I can't wait to see if everything else I've imagined comes true too.

A/N: A million thanks to MelissaMargaret for making this pretty and to anhanninen for prereading and pimping.

And of course, thanks to all of you for reading! I am so glad you're still enjoying the story.

See you on Friday!