Navigating the airport was far less burdensome coming in at night, Esme discovered, as she and Carlisle departed the plane. There were weary eyed businessmen and the occasional parent carrying a sleeping toddler, but the usual hustle and bustle that filled the terminals during the day had been reduced to a few snoring passengers crammed into chairs, waiting for connecting flights.
As Alice promised, the sky was already dark beyond the lights of the airport, grey clouds just barely visible against the twilight backdrop.
Carlisle led the way through the terminal and towards the baggage claim. He collected their things and then escorted Esme to the car rental agency located in the parkade beneath the airport.
Esme grinned at the black Mercedes that he was given keys for. "Didn't you want to try something new?"
Carlisle gave the car a once over, making sure everything was in order before returning to her side to deposit their things in the trunk. "I thought you might like the familiarity," he said. "You'll be driving it during the day."
"Oh," she said. In all honesty the thought hadn't crossed her mind. She'd been so caught up thinking about Sarah, she hadn't considered all the time she and Carlisle would have to spend apart thanks to the sun. She'd been excited to take the trip together, and to introduce Carlisle to Sarah, but seeing as he'd spend most of his time alone in the hotel room, she couldn't help but feel that he'd gotten the raw end of the deal. He'd certainly packed enough patient files and paperwork to keep him busy, yet it seemed unfair to have dragged him across the country, away from his family during the holidays, only to lock him away.
"What's that look for?" he murmured, pulling her close by tucking his finger into one of the belt loops on her pants. She went to him easily, letting his strong arms encase her.
"What look?"
"You're pouting."
"I do not pout," she insisted.
"If you'd prefer another car—"
"It's not about the car," she sighed. "It's you."
He frowned down at her. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, of course not." She pulled out of his arms and took his hands instead, studying their interwoven fingers. "Actually, yes, I guess you sort of did."
"Well, I'm very eager to find out what?"
"You bought me these wonderful plane tickets and brought me across the country for the holidays so that I could spend time with the people I care about, meanwhile, all the people you care about are back in Forks and you're going to spend the majority of this holiday cooped up in a hotel." She paused and took a breath, realizing that she was rambling at this point. "I think my excitement got the better of me and I didn't see how entirely unfair this entire trip is for you."
Carlisle simply shook his head. "You couldn't be more wrong, love."
Now it was Esme's turn to frown. "About which part?"
"That the people I care about are in Forks. I mean, yes, of course they are. But there is one particular person who is immensely important to me, who happens to be standing right here. I've lived through many holidays, Esme; so trust me when I say that getting to spend time with you here is the best of them by far."
She rolled her eyes but chuckled when he pulled her close again and pecked her nose. She wrinkled it at the feel of his cold lips, eyeing him dubiously. "Really, in all three hundred years? I find that hard to believe."
"I can't remember a time when I was so happy. And if you recall, I happen to have a flawless memory."
Esme bit her lip, watching his gold eyes sweep over her face before coming to rest on her own. "I just don't want you to feel bored, or lonely, or—"
He swept her into a hug that almost pulled her off her feet. If it had been busier there would definitely be people watching them now. "I spent so much of my life alone, feeling lonely even surrounded by a roomful of people, but that all changed the day I met you. Your presence in my life has affected me in an integral way, and a few hours in a hotel room are not enough to change that."
She smiled at his words, breathless by his conviction, and dizzied by the truth.
"Do you believe me now?" he whispered. "Can I stop making these very personal declarations in the middle of an airport parking lot?"
She chuckled at the amused look on his face. "I suppose the concrete leaves something to be desired."
"My family has been feeding me tips on romance for months and this venue would not make Alice's list in the slightest. She'll be very disappointed in me." He took her face gently between his palms. "But that aside, I do love you very much and there is nowhere else I'd rather be than here on this trip with you; so please do not fret anymore. Just enjoy yourself."
He kissed her then, soft, yet deep, and the flutter of her heart picked up until she was sure her skin must have been vibrating from the motion.
"I think we've pushed our luck," he said, smiling as he looked over her shoulder.
She could imagine the sales team, bored in these late hours, glued to the windows. She didn't need to look in order to envision them pressed up against the glass. "You are quite the sight," she told him.
He just shook his head at her, opening the passenger door. "Get in, love."
Esme did as he asked, chuckling to herself.
Carlisle drove through the dark, leaving the parkade and the airport without direction, and yet taking them easily through the city towards their hotel. She wondered what the world looked like through his eyes. As it was, she had to squint as they passed overnight truckers, the high beams making her eyes water.
She wiped them with the edge of her finger, massaging away the ache that had settled there.
"Are you tired?" he asked, turning down a street lined with palm trees.
"How could I be? I slept on the plane."
"Flying is a disorienting thing," Carlisle said. "And you weren't really asleep."
"Maybe not," she agreed. It had been that fidgety, in-and-out of consciousness sleep that had claimed her for parts of the flight. Just as she would drift off, some shift or dip or bit of turbulence would pull her from it once more.
"We'll get checked in at the hotel and let you get some rest," he said. "I'm sure the next few days are going to involve a few late nights."
It was almost eleven by the time they reached the hotel, which wasn't very late by any means, but she'd had trouble sleeping the night before—an anxious mix of nerves and excitement keeping her awake. Between that and the flight, it seemed like the lack of sleep had finally caught up with her and she was hiding yawns behind her hand as they were greeted by the doorman and directed to the front desk.
Carlisle checked them in and then he escorted her towards the elevator with their bags. She noted vague things about the decor, some interested part of her mind cataloguing archways and exposed brick and a water feature. The rest of her just tried not to drift off to sleep as the elevator continued its way higher and higher.
Somewhere between floors nineteen and twenty-two, Carlisle directed her off the elevator and towards their room. Again she noted small things in the fuzzy recesses of her mind. However, they were quickly lost to a sleep that consumed her hard and fast as she changed, climbed into bed, and drifted off to the feel of Carlisle's fingers running through her hair.
That night she slept better than she had in a long time, content in the fact that her relationship with Carlisle had shifted slightly. There was an honest intensity that had developed between them, one that they had merely danced around before.
Each day together brought new and intricate layers to their relationship, but for a man who spent decades alone and a woman who had been trapped in an abusive marriage, communication was still something they struggled with. Their interactions were based very much on what they said, but also largely on what they didn't say. Esme was learning to read Carlisle—his thoughts and feelings and emotions—from the delicate shift in his brow, or the placement of his hands, or even in the way he touched her.
In a way, it wasn't much different from the way she had learned to read Charles. To navigate his moods without him saying a single word. But in other ways, it had been completely different. Before it had been anger and frustration and pain that she had been taught to feel. Now those things had been replaced with patience and kindness and gentle amusement. Foreign things that still felt strange to her, that still made her do a double take when he called her love or uttered darling after his words. It was like she was caught up in some sort of fantasy world. A man like Carlisle surely couldn't be real.
And yet he was.
She knew she wanted a lifetime with this man—and that very well might entail an immortal one. Though she also realized that they had really only known each other for a short while and had many lifetimes of history to learn about each other—especially in Carlisle's case. She didn't know where exactly they were headed now, or how long it might take to get there, but whatever direction they were moving in felt very right.
As daylight broke across the room, the quiet hum of movement filled her consciousness, pulling her out of sleep. Gentle traffic and the trill of birds fluttered just beyond the hotel window. With a great stretch, she yawned. Warm morning light spilled over the end of the bed and she rolled over in the feather-filled duvet to find a foam cup of steaming coffee on the bedside table.
"Oh, you are a glorious man," she said, inhaling the intoxicating scent. The smell alone was enough to convince her to drag herself out of the impossibly comfortable bed.
But suddenly said man was in the bed with her, leaning over to kiss her good morning. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mmm," she answered.
She kissed him again before she managed to form actual words and his hands found their way to the edge of her shirt, tickling the skin there until she squirmed. He grinned, rolling over to give her room.
"I did," she said, noting the shimmering gold of his eyes. "Did you hunt?"
"Yes, I thought it might be prudent before meeting your friends tonight."
"Were you running around the everglades?"
"Yes, it was quite thrilling, though I am not used to traversing quite this much marshland. I imagine next time I might not wear shoes. I see now why Alice insisted I bring so many pairs."
That was an interesting mental image. Esme considered that as she glanced around the room. She hadn't really gotten a good look at it last night as she'd pretty much fallen right into bed, not even bothering to roll the covers down. Clearly Carlisle had done that for her at some point over the night.
He stroked the side of her face. "You look quite content."
"I am," she sighed, stretching until she disappeared under the duvet again.
"Alice will be delighted to know you approve of the room."
Esme fought the bedspread off, sat up, and took a good look around. It wasn't really a room, but more of a suite, opening up to a formal sitting area. The furniture was oversized, but carved in intricate detail, mirrored in the abstract artwork that dotted the walls in splashes of earth tones. "This is very nice."
"I think you're just in love with the bed."
With a grin she flopped back down and Carlisle tucked the comforter around her before pulling her close. She was nestled against him now, her nose in the crook of his neck. His intoxicating scent mixed with the coffee aroma and she knew she could have drowned in that smell all day.
"You're not wrong," she said. "Though I am also in love with the man in the bed, so there are many advantages to this particular spot."
"So if this man suggested drinking your coffee on the balcony, would you be opposed? The view is spectacular."
"We have a balcony? That sounds lovely." She tried to squirm away, but he held her still.
"I wasn't finished saying good morning just yet."
The edge of her nose skimmed his jawline until her lips came up to meet his cheek. "Then by all means," she whispered, "continue."
He caught her lips as they moved across his skin and if her coffee was cold before they actually left the bed . . . well, that's what microwaves were for.
Some time later, after a shower and some breakfast, Esme gathered up her things. "So you'll be alright?" she said.
He nodded to his laptop. "I'll answer some emails."
She shook her head in faux exasperation. "Working on your vacation."
"I noted you packed your marking."
She smirked. "Yes, well, I found myself very distracted before the break. Enjoy those emails."
"I will. Though I'll enjoy it much more tonight when you get back."
"Sarah thinks you're at the conference until late, so I'll just go with that and come get you around six?"
"Sounds reasonable, although I do have one request."
"Oh?"
He beckoned her closer with his finger and she caught on quickly. "To get you through the day, huh?"
The kiss she had intended on turned into a twenty-five minute delay before she actually left the hotel room. She smiled despite herself, leaving one person she loved very much to go meet another.
As Esme stood on the front porch of the tall suburban home, she could already hear the chaos inside and it made her beam.
There was a distinct screech that belonged to Kayla, Connor's incessant questioning, and Sarah's running commentary as she cleaned up her grubby kids after breakfast. Impatient, she knocked twice, before hitting the doorbell for good measure.
The door opened only moments later and she smiled down at the tiny face that looked up at her.
"Connor, what did I say about answering the door?" came Sarah's voice. "What if it was a stranger?"
"Is not—" he squealed, barrelling into her. "Auntie Esme!"
"You're early!" Sarah said, rushing down the hall.
"Surprise?" Esme said, holding out her hands.
Sarah beamed at her.
"Auntie Es!" Connor called, tugging on her arm. "See this tooth? This one. I loosed it."
"You did! I can't believe it."
Kayla just screeched, running down the hall on her chubby legs, eager to be part of the excitement. She carried her stuffed rabbit, the one which was now missing both ears and bits of its tail.
Esme snatched her up as soon as she was close enough. "She's getting so big," she gushed, hugging the toddler and pressing a flurry of kisses to her face before releasing her back to the floor.
Conner had wrapped himself around her leg and Kayla followed suit, thinking the game was rather fun.
Sarah just shook her head, blonde hair escaping from her loose pony tail. "I never get welcomed back like this." She wrapped Esme in a fierce hug, crushing the kids between them. "It's good to see you," she whispered.
"You too," Esme said.
"I really mean it. And you look good, Es. Really good. The toddlers wrapped around you really bring out your eyes." Sarah bent down to usher her children out of the doorway. "Let's give Auntie Esme her legs back so she can come inside, hmm?"
"Yay!" Connor chanted, skipping down the hall. Kayla babbled after him.
"They're going to be hyper for hours now, just so you know."
"I do," she grinned. "And I love it."
"Good, because when the exhaustion kills me, they're all yours."
"I don't think your mother would go for that."
"Oh, please, she's the one who suggested it. You know she takes her hearing aid out when she visits." Sarah crossed her arms and watched her children race back and forth across the living room, using the sofa cushions as a springboard. "If only it was that easy."
Esme leaned her head on Sarah's shoulder. "You know, when they're both teenagers you're going to miss these days."
"Ha! They're coming to spend an extended holiday with Auntie Esme until they both learn how to be normal humans again. I'm not dealing with any of that hormone junk. Besides, don't you deal with teenagers on the daily? You'll be an old pro at it by that time."
"Oh, most definitely," Esme joked. She dropped her purse by the couch and scooped Kayla up mid jump, cradling the girl in her arms again. "Look at you," she gushed, pressing kisses to Kayla's face.
She was a perfect mix of her parents—bold brown eyes from Alex, and Sarah's golden blonde hair. Connor, in some weird twist of genetics, had inherited the dark red hair and freckles belonging to one of Alex's uncles. He had beautiful blue eyes, though, and a wicked grin that was bound to drive the girls crazy in about ten years.
"So," Sarah said. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Whatever you usually do. Carlisle's at the conference for most of the day, so I'm free."
"In that case," Sarah said, "it's just about pool time. I hope you brought your swim suit."
"Of course," Esme said as Kayla began to shriek happily. "Is is swim time?" she asked the toddler who grew more excited by the minute.
"Great," Sarah said, catching Connor mid-air as he made another leap for the sofa cushion. "Which one do you want to wrangle into a suit?"
A/N: So, I think the visit with Sarah is going to be a couple chapters . . . they're not as fleshed out as I'd like them to be, more like a vignette style. (Apparently getting ready to move across the country really takes up a lot of time, lol). But it's been a while since I posted and I've had these drafts sitting on my computer for a while, so here you go :) A little bit of character development, a little bit of Sarah being a dork.