A/N I only own the plot not the characters :)
Some of you guessed correctly as to who was waiting in the door way.
Here we go...
Carlisle & Esme's POV
E- I fiddled with my necklace as we drove away from the house.
I hated leaving the kids alone, I know they aren't babies any more but they will always be my babies no matter how old they get.
Not to mention something was off with every single person in my house this last fortnight, especially my Edward.
It's true that a mother has no favourites but I held a softer spot for Edward.
I don't know if it's because he was so different from the rest of us and everyone had always treated him that way.
He was also the one that resembled Carl the most, softly spoken, feels everything ten times more than everyone else, caring to a fault and so stoic.
It breaks my heart that he shouldered all his pain without saying anything because he didn't want to disappoint us, as if he could.
But something big was up with everybody and I wasn't about to let it slide.
I turned my head to look at my husband as he concentrated on getting us to LA. I truly loved this man, as much if not more than when we'd gotten married.
He was the centre of my world and I would do anything for him. He didn't look his age, no he looked ten years younger.
Many times new nurses had tried their charms on him only to have him put them in their place, gently yet firmly.
He loved me and I still wasn't sure why.
He adored our children just as much as I did and we were excited to see what their futures held.
A small sexy smile lifted one side of his mouth, still making my breath catch after all these years, and he said
"What's the matter Es? You've been quiet for way too long and I know you're worried about something."
I smiled and shook my head, he knew me so well and I couldn't hide anything from him.
I sighed and said "Something is wrong Carl. I don't know what it is but something is wrong and I'm concerned the kids are in some kind of trouble they can't
get out of."
My husband nodded and said "I know what you mean. They all pretend that life is going well when they are being watched, but I've caught every one of
them, including Rose and Bella, looking distant and troubled over the last two weeks. I even tried asking Emmett what is wrong but he brushed it off saying it
was normal teenage shit. I think they forget that we were teenagers once, yes it was a vastly different time, but we haven't forgotten all about teenage
angst."
He paused and I said "This is not normal teenage behaviour Carl, it's like someone has died. I guess it could be residual after the fight Edward and James got
into but we still haven't learned the truth about that fight either, well not from them any way. Charlie only told us what he knew and that was because Alice
caved and told him that Edward had hit James. Charlie just assumed it was over Bella because of the shady way everyone reacted and the fact that Bella
didn't leave James' side but still nothing concrete. I've seen how that boy looks at Bella Carl and it sure isn't in a brotherly fashion. It's the same look you
used to give to me, only sadder."
I felt my eyes well with tears as I said "It's like he doesn't think he deserves happiness Carl. I can't believe we failed him so badly."
C- I could hear the pain in my wife's voice and all I wanted was to wrap her in a hug.
I guided the car onto the shoulder of the road and did just that. I would give anything or do anything to stop Esme from hurting.
She was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me, ever, and that included a lot of amazing things, especially my kids.
I kissed her head and said "Es, I don't know what to say. We both feel that we failed Edward but we both have to move past that. We can't change the past
we have to focus on the future and being there for him, and Emmett and Alice, as much as we can from now on. You are right though when it comes how
Edward looks at Bella and I don't think he even realises he's doing it. He gets this oddly ferocious look about him whenever someone mentions her and then
there's the snarl he emits when someone touches her. I don't think he realises he's doing it but it is interesting."
Esme, my adorably overly-sensitive wife smiled up at me and said
"You're right, you are I know you are, it's just that" she stopped speaking but her hand waved in an explanatory way before she said "They're my babies and
I want to know what's going on."
I nodded before reaching into the consol of the car and retrieving my phone.
I flipped it open and pressed a button, I waited for the line to be picked up before I said "George, hi it's Carlisle. I'm sorry for the late notice but I won't be
able to make the seminar; family problems. Of course, thank you for your understanding."
I hung up and said to my gorgeous wife "We no longer have to go to the seminar so we can go home and find out why the children are behaving so
squirrely."
Esme squealed before throwing her arms around me and hugging me tightly saying "Thank you thank you thank you" over and over again, making me
chuckle.
I kissed her jaw and said "It's all good my love. Anything to make you happy" before shifting the car into gear and turning the car back in the direction we
had just came.
For the next hour we drove in relative silence, stopping for a short break before heading towards home.
As we turned into our driveway we both noticed all the cars parked haphazardly in the front of the house which meant we were in luck all the kids were there.
Now we have 'normal' teenage kids, they are noisy and sometimes obnoxious, especially when they are together, but what struck me the most was how
deadly quiet our house was.
There was no yelling, no laughter, no music… nothing. I took Esme's hand, noticing how she trembled, and walked into our house.
When I opened the front door I could hear voices coming from the living room, the voices weren't raised but just the tone of them had the hairs on my neck
rising, something was definitely wrong.
I looked towards Esme wondering if she could feel the tension running through our house.
She nodded before we continued towards the voices. We stopped just outside the living room, hidden by the doorway, and listened.
We both know better and the adage 'eavesdroppers never hear anything good' definitely fit the situation as Edward's voice floated around the corner
"Peaches, what do you mean when you say you 'haven't decided' what you're going to do? I mean if you're both healthy than we're going ahead with this,
yeah?"
His voice was soft and even without seeing him I could tell he was confused and confusion wasn't something Edward was used to.
A small gasp from Esme drew my gaze and the startled look on her face had me ready to ask her what the matter was but Bella's extremely annoyed voice
drowned out my question
"Just what I fucking said Edward. I don't know what I want to do. I do know that I am not ready to have a baby right now.
I don't think I am emotionally mature enough and I'm damn well not financially secure enough to care for a child.
Kids a really expensive and I would want my kids to be able to do things, like dancing or karate or music, instead of being told 'we don't have the money'.
I like you Edward and let's face it the sex is fabulous but do you seriously see yourself tied to me for the rest of your life because that's what having a kid
together means.
No more getting blow jobs behind Jake's shop from some random skank, no more bringing home random one night whores because every other week the kid
is with you."
I felt a coldness sweep over my body at her words. How the hell was she pregnant and how the was it Edward's baby? I know that both Esme and I are busy
people but we weren't gone that often.
Knowledge that Edward felt differently about Bella was different from thinking it, and knowing that they had acted on those feelings was definitely a shock.
I had always assumed it would be either Alice or maybe Emmett who we would have this situation occur with, not Edward, but we heard it with our own ears,
she was pregnant, and hearing Bella lay out our sons' lifestyle was eye-opening.
Taking a step forward, I made to enter the room but Esme's restraining hand and Edward's voice "I wouldn't need those random girls Peaches, cos you'd be
with me. Both of you would be with me, all the time, we'd be together, a family."
My heart broke with that sentence as everything Edward ever wanted came out in his voice.
Esme was sobbing quietly into her hand because she realised at that moment that we had not done our job as parents when it had come to Edward.
He was brilliant and he can do whatever he wanted but neither of us had stopped to ask what it was he wanted, we assumed that he was wasting his talents
helping Jacob out before he had come back into our lives, but we had never asked if it was what he wanted.
Bella's tired voice echoed through the now quiet room "No, Edward. It would start out like that but you'd grow to resent us and that's not fair. I want what
my parents had, what your parents have.
I want our child to be loved, forever, and I think the best way to achieve that is to adopt him/her out. I'm… I'm sorry… I can't"
I heard her cross the room and I stepped forward, Esme one step behind me, I had just planned to let them know that we were there, not to let them know
we had over heard but that plan went out the window as Bella crashed into me.
I immediately righted her, consciously aware that she was carrying my grandchild, before letting her go as quickly as I could.
Holy Crap... How are the Cullen's going to react? What are they going to say?
Please review
Cherie
xxx
