Chapter 29

"Do I look okay?" Carlisle asked nervously, gesturing to his shirt.

"You're wearing the same as always!" trilled Alice. "She'll be pleased!"

Emmett examined Carlisle.

"Yeah, and it's about time you got a girlfriend," he grinned. "You need someone to buy you some more shirts!"

Everyone laughed.

Except Rosalie.

"I honestly don't know you're making such a fuss!" she snapped acerbically. "It's coffee at the shitty diner not dinner at fucking Eleven Madison Park!"

"Back off, Rose," said Bella to the fuming blonde. "This is important!"

Rosalie's eyes boiled.

"So, to recap," Emmett said to his father. "You spent three hours making out with this woman, then she put her hand in your shirt, then you took off your shirt and you glittered, she was extremely impressed, and…now you're together?"

"Well, I don't know if we were…er…"

Carlisle cleared his throat.

"'Making out', as such," he said stiffly. "But yes, we did…um…kiss, and then we did a lot of talking and Esme decided that she wanted to trial a relationship."

"'Trial a relationship'? Dude, seriously?" laughed Emmett while his wife skewered him with her glare. "You took her to your super secret sulking place! She's The One, bro! Carlisle, you can't let this go! Coupé diem!"

"It's carpe diem," muttered Edward, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You fucking idiot."

"Hey!" Emmett shouted.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Rosalie snapped.

"Edward! Language!" Carlisle chastised him.

"I think that was a Freudian slip," Bella smirked. "He wants another car."

"Freudian slip?" Emmett asked interestedly. "It that lingerie?"

"Jesus Christ…" Edward sighed, finding no irony in Emmett's mind.

"Sorry, you kissed this girl on a rock and now she's your soul mate because she liked the flower you picked for her on he way home?" laughed Rosalie. "What are you? Fourteen?"

"I'M FOURTEEN!" screeched Alice excitedly.

"Well you were, about a hundred years ago," Bella told her.

"So-ree," Alice said huffily with a roll of her little eyes. "Just saying…"

"What fourteen year old has a car?" Edward asked of Emmett who was thinking very hard.

"What fourteen year old has a Mercedes?" Bella added.

"Er, I did, back in Alberta," Alice reminded them.

"But you're not fourteen," Bella stage-whispered to her.

"Yes I am!"

"Sorry, can we just bring this conversation back for a second?" Rosalie barked. "Carlisle, whatever you did was extremely risky! What would you have done had you killed her? Chucked her in the lake?"

"True, you two have kinda gone public now," Emmett said with a helpful shrug.

"The whole family will be implicated if this ends badly!" Rosalie cried. "And does she even know?"

"About us?" Carlisle asked.

"No, about you."

There was a crisp silence.

"Not yet," Carlisle admitted tautly.

"Well she needs to, Carlisle," Rosalie told him flatly. "Otherwise you are lying be evasion, and if she really means that much to you, she doesn't deserve that."

Point made, Rosalie stalked away.

"Awww, c'mon Rose…" Emmett called.

"Let her go," sighed Carlisle, preoccupied.

He gave his reflection another critical grimace.

"Now, thoughts," he said turning back to the more supportive of his brood. "I was wondering if I should bring Esme some sort of gift?"

Carlisle was very new to this. Dating one's true love did create a certain kind of pressure, he had said haughtily to Emmett who had laughed so hard his perpetually dry eyes almost wept.

Emmett nodded his approval.

"Yes," he said, game face on. "Girls always like presents, well, besides Bella…"

The doctor held up his arms for suggestions.

"Jewellery," said Emmett without hesitation. "But no rings, or she'll freak out."

Carlisle nodded.

"Perhaps flowers?" suggested Edward airily. "She likes nature."

Emmett shook his head sadly.

"Cheap!" he declared. "If you want fragrance, go for perfume, but always with something else too or it looks pointed."

"Right," murmured Carlisle, forehead furrowed. "Yes."

Edward smirked.

"Whatever you buy her, Carlisle, she'll love it," he said reassuringly, having heard for himself the extent of Esme's affection, straight from the source.

"You could buy her an animal," Bella suggested hopefully. "A kitten, perhaps?"

"For fuck's sake!" cried Emmett, spluttering with his booming laughter. "A cat? Are you out of your mind? No, that's something…Alice would like, not normal people."

"Chocolates, then?" she offered on a slightly more realistic level.

With each suggestion, Alice was looking for Esme's reaction in the future. That one wasn't impressive enough.

"Next!" she cried.

"How about a flower in a pot?" Bella amended.

"BINGO!" screamed Alice. "She'll love it!"

"See, Emmett?" said Edward smugly. "Flowers."

Emmett sighed as Carlisle contemplated his next move. Where on Earth sold-

"Garden centre," said Edward, plucking the answer out of Alice's head. "But there's a queue so you'd better leave now."

"Right! Yes!" said Carlisle distractedly. "I'll go now. Wouldn't want to be late!"

He sped out of the door calling a chipper goodbye to his family. A family who, for the most part, wished him all the best in his endeavour.

"GET HER A PINK ONE!" Alice yelled after him helpfully.

Carlisle's endeavour was waiting for him outside the diner looking extremely pretty and, clutching the famed potted plant, he bravely strode forward.

"Carlisle!" Esme squealed, giving him a loving, but cautious, hug.

"I'm fine," he murmured, eyes a glistening molten gold. "Don't worry."

To prove his point, he gave Esme an excruciatingly enjoyable peck on the cheek.

She looked back at him fondly in that wide, closed-smile way that Carlisle loved. And yes, and the dimples made an appearance too.

"Shall we go in?" she asked.

"If you want, though half the town seems to be waiting for us in there," he informed her, hearing and smelling the babble of people inside. "Including Heather Stanley, so if you were having second thoughts, that's fine by me."

"Actually…" Esme began sheepishly. "I would actually love to walk into a room on your arm. Stake my claim, as it were."

Esme was almost knocked backwards when Carlisle beamed like pure sunlight and she was caught off guard by his beauty.

"Alright, then," he said chirpily. "But please don't stake me, if you could."

"Would that hurt you?" Esme wondered.

"No, a vampire's skin is fairly impenetrable - to something as soft as wood, most definitely," Carlisle said. "But…a staking wouldn't be particularly dignified for either of us, I shouldn't think."

Esme laughed.

"I imagine not."

Misty-eyed, the pair then enjoyed the moment when they both stood awkwardly at the door, having both attempted to politely let the other go first. Carlisle won the little stand-off, leaving Esme to go ahead and choose their booth.

She sat down at a table by the door with a charming view of the parking lot, but she wasn't there to look out the window. She grinned at her date while he removed his coat and placed her gift reverently on the table.

"For me?" she asked, pleased.

He nodded. The diner stared.

"Carlisle, thank you," she said genuinely, fondling one of the little flower heads. "The pink ones are my favourite."

"I was advised that it would be well received," he told her proudly.

"Well, somebody's very wise," she said while a dimple peeked out of her cheek.

"Yes…"

Carlisle looked pained for a moment.

"Actually Alice can see the future," he burst.

"Oh," Esme said blandly.

Her expression changed.

"Oh, that…makes a certain sense, actually," she murmured.

"You believe me?" Carlisle laughed.

"I've taken to believing everything," Esme said wryly. "Just to be on the safe side."

Carlisle grinned.

"Well it is true. And it can be very useful at times like these," he said, tapping the plant pot gently. "Though…equally it can be a real pain in the ass."

"Bet she saw me coming, huh?" Esme chuckled.

Suddenly, Carlisle looked away.

His strange gesture was saved from scrutiny after the arrival of a very interested-looking waitress, elected to report back to the very interested kitchen staff.

"May I take your order?" she asked with barely-concealed eagerness.

"Yes, thank you," said Carlisle with impeccable politeness. "Esme?"

"Er…I'll have a cappuccino please."

The waitress dutifully noted this down.

"And you, doctor?"

"An Americano please," he said shooting her only a half-Watt smile, leaving her with sufficient mental faculties to write the order down. "And a chocolate brownie. We can share it."

He winked at Esme.

"Alrighty," the waitress said brightly, eyes darting between her two customers. "I won't be a moment."

"Thank you," Esme said again and felt Carlisle's hand envelop her own on the table.

He sighed as the woman walked away.

"Typical," he said. "Apparently we're now the talk of the town."

"Yup," Esme said, ducking her head self-consciously. "I can feel Heather's eyes in my forehead."

"We can leave, you know, at any time," Carlisle offered. "Perk of the job, I can rush out of anywhere suddenly claiming an emergency. People don't tend to pry. At least…most."

He raised an eyebrow having sensed the approaching threat.

"Oh God, here we go," Esme whispered she watched Heather pay for her drink at the counter and turn to leave, aiming for the door beside them.

"Speak of the devil," Carlisle chuckled.

"Speak of the devil…" Esme agreed.

Carlisle felt his hand being gripped a little tighter.

"Hi! Dr Cullen… and Esme?" rang Heather's voice as the rather equine woman appeared clutching a take out cup.

It had a note of rather impolite surprise.

"Hello, Mrs Stanley," Carlisle said pleasantly.

"Hi, Heather," Esme said, groaning internally.

"So…you two!" Heather exclaimed. "…Wow."

Carlisle chuckled with expert good-humour while his foot found one of Esme's under the table reassuringly.

"I'm glad you…sorted out your stuff the other day," Heather said slyly.

"So am I," Carlisle said genuinely, unwittingly pulling one of his most handsome faces. "I believe that when God gives us something precious, it would be foolish not to cherish it, don't you think?

Heather was struck dumb by the intensity of the doctor's words and gaze, intensity that Esme had become slightly more acclimatised to.

"Um…I guess," she said, looking woozy.

The woman blushed.

"So…yeah," she said, flustered. "Enjoy your date…"

When the correction of terminology did not arrive, Heather stumbled off happily to tell everyone she could find about what she had discovered.

"Well fielded," Esme said, face still bright red from the scrutiny.

"Thank you," Carlisle said with vicious triumph. "And I would like to say that she went beet red, and serve her bloody right."

"I'm not much better," Esme said, trying to cool her cheeks with her palms.

"Esme," Carlisle whispered with a sweet laugh. "I love your blush, and not for vampire reasons either. I was just trying to teach Heather a lesson in empathy."

"Well, thanks," Esme laughed, dipping her head. "But can I identify a losing battle when I see one."

"Oh yeah," Carlisle said, looking amused. "That reminds me. I was meaning to ask you. Er…the other day somebody congratulated me on the baby…?"

Esme looked pained.

"Oh that. I…look, last Friday was a doozy of a day," Esme said, mortified. "And Heather decided…"

"It's alright," Carlisle said with a warm laugh. "I know what was said."

He leaned in close.

"I can hear every single whispered conversation in this room," he whispered even quieter.

"…And most of them are about us?" Esme finished.

"Yup," Carlisle admitted.

"Oh," Esme said, then she grinned. "Jealous women?"

"More jealous men, actually," Carlisle said, suddenly stiffening a little in his seat.

Esme was taken aback. She hadn't realised that there was a very prominent gay community in Forks. Maybe she had been wrong.

"Because of you," Carlisle clarified, realising that she'd hadn't quite understood.

Esme looked taken aback.

"Me?" she squeaked.

Carlisle looked at her a little sadly.

"The fact that you're so unassuming is endearing," he said, stroking her hand gently. "But please don't do yourself down."

"I'm not doing that," Esme said quickly. "I just didn't think…"

"Esme," Carlisle said quietly, taking her other hand too. "You…do realise what I see in you, don't you?"

He looked very sad all of a sudden and he was doing that thing where he communicated - every micrometer of perfect pallid skin was oozing meaning.

Here, in such a public place, it felt almost indecent.

Esme didn't know what to say.

"I…"

"Because I don't feel as if I'm worthy to share a table with you," Carlisle said, not breaking eye contact.

He laughed.

"Problem is, I don't feel as if anyone else is either."

"How?" Esme breathed, mind whirring, trying to figure out what he was trying to tell her. "No, Carlisle, really. What do you mean?"

"Because…"

He shrugged and let his hands flop down uselessly.

"Carlisle, look at you!" Esme hissed. "Every characteristic of yours is attractive, I don't know why you wouldn't…"

She let herself tail off seeing his raised eyebrow.

"No but I'm not like you," she said, smiling despite herself.

He was smiling. She couldn't help it.

"Objectively," she said passionately. "And…reasonably speaking…"

"I'm not objective," Carlisle said slyly. "And I don't plan on being reasonable either."

"Right," Esme laughed. "Charmer."

Carlisle chuckled as the waitress arrived with their drinks and Esme's brownie.

"Thank you," he said smoothly to the woman, who flitted back to report to the kitchen staff that the doctor's date seemed to be going well so far.

"What's she saying?" asked Esme.

"That we're a cute couple," he replied.

"Awwww, really?"

"Yes, she's being nice," Carlisle muttered.

He glanced around the room.

"What?" Esme wondered. "Oh, what's everyone else saying, then?"

"Do you want to know?" asked Carlisle with his face screwed up with resistance.

"I have a feeling I'll find out either way," Esme told him, and she wasn't wrong. "I'd much prefer it from you, if you know what I mean."

"Alright. Well, the ladies over in the corner think that you're to young for me," he chuckled. "And they certainly got that right. Now the couple next to them…"

He huffed a laugh.

"They're just amazed that the recluse doctor is out in public. And…also that he's actually heterosexual."

Esme giggled.

"No! Really?"

Carlisle frowned.

"Yes, I've heard that one a few times actually," he said thoughtfully. "I believe it's something to do with my scarfs…"

"You're European," Esme said through a mouthful of brownie. "It's fine for European men to wear scarves."

"You think?"

"Oh sure!"

"Well good," Carlisle grinned. "And now we have one about you…"

"Tell me," Esme ordered him.

"Apparently, you are a gold-digger, praying on the easily-led," Carlisle said in the right tone of voice to impose absolute ridiculousness upon the comment.

Esme raised her eyebrows.

"Ouch!" she said wryly.

Her hands were held a little tighter.

"Oh and here's a good one," Carlisle sniggered. "The lady three tables behind you wants to know if we've had sex in the on-call room yet."

Esme burst out laughing, almost choking on her coffee.

"No! Really? This town! My goodness!" she said weakly.

Carlisle was laughing too.

"Yes and lovely Mrs Stanley is in her car talking on the phone to Mrs Weber and she says…"

Esme held up her hand to stop him as she tried to swallow her coffee successfully.

"I know what she'll be saying," she said darkly. "Carlisle, how do you stand it? Hearing everything people say?"

"I've got used to it," he replied, gently rubbing circles on Esme's hand with his thumb. "Besides, it's Edward who really has it bad. He can hear people's thoughts."

"Whoa!" spluttered Esme. "News flash!"

Carlisle nodded.

"So…a bit like Alice's…thingy?"

"Yes," Carlisle confirmed.

"So he…He knew how I felt about you?" Esme whispered. "This whole time?"

"'This whole time'?" Carlisle asked, eyes twinkling. "Yes, he did. And how I felt about you."

Esme laughed.

"He could have saved us some time then, had he spilled the beans," she said warmly. "Do all vampires have extra powers?"

Carlisle nodded.

"And you?" Esme wondered, fascinated.

"Oh, I don't have a gift," he said quickly. "Well, per se…"

Esme gave him an indulgent smile, understanding he didn't want to tell her.

"Carlisle, you don't need one," she said softly.

It was a bit to public for a kiss, in both opinions, but she would have got one.

"Well, thanks," said Carlisle, genuinely moved.

In the obvious intensity of the moment, the gawking in the diner went up a notch.

"Do you…want to go somewhere else?" Carlisle asked with his characteristic sensitivity.

"Perhaps we ought to," Esme conceded as the diner had indeed ground almost to a halt to watch their exchange. "I think we're going to cause accidents if everyone is so distracted."

"Alright then," Carlisle said. "I'll be right back."

After a minute of agony as Carlisle paid the bill, and magically disposed of his un-drunk coffee (Esme had no idea how he'd done it) he led her out to his car.

"So," he said pleasantly. "Where would you like to go?"

"Lake?" she suggested. "Like yesterday?"

"Could do…" he agreed. "Or…I was thinking…"

Carlisle gave his crinkliest smile.

"When I fixed your leg," he murmured conspiratorially. "I told you I like climbing trees. That wasn't a lie…"

Esme raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want to climb a tree, Esme?" he asked, eyes shining.

"I'm hardly wearing the right shoes…"

"You wouldn't have to do a thing," he told her eagerly.

With her giggle of approval, Carlisle drove Esme out to another spot on the outskirts of town.

"Here, I can carry you," he said, bending down so that she could climb on to his back.

"Are you sur-"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, okay," Esme said, remembering to whom she was speaking, and that she was unlikely to be heavier than her car.

In a gasp of wind, Esme found her arms would around Carlisle's neck while he ghosted through the forest at impossible speed with one of his immovable hands holding her in place.

Then, as quickly as it had started, the sensation disappeared.

"Which tree would you like to climb?" Carlisle asked enthusiastically, linking his arm through Esme's politely as she took in her new surroundings, squinting against the sudden sunlight.

"We're…the sun's out?" Esme noted, puzzled. "Where are we?"

"We're above the cloud blanket, actually," Carlisle told her. "Sorry, I forgot to worn you that your ears would pop."

As if on command, they did.

"Human only thing, huh?" Esme said, scrunching up her face to try and rid herself of the sensation of the pressure change.

"Yes," Carlisle said from where he was shimmering under the natural light.

"You look so beautiful in the sun…" Esme sighed, stepping closer to wrap her arms around him.

Carlisle gave her his most boyish grin.

"Well, I thought I could do some sparkling for you."

He looked around the glade.

"See any tree that takes your fancy?"

Playfully, Esme wandered around, deciding.

"This one," she said suddenly. "She doesn't mind if we do."

"Right to the top?" Carlisle asked Esme.

"I'm not afraid of heights," she told him. "As you know."

"Well…in that case…"

Esme attached her arms around him.

"Hold on tight," he murmured as with an enormous leap, he had scaled half the tree's height and was throwing himself and his passenger from branch to branch.

"Is this alright?" he asked as they reached the top of the tree.

"This is magic!" Esme cried. "Higher, Carlisle, higher!"

She felt her heart lurch as Carlisle placed his hands, very deliberately, either side of her waist.

He lifted Esme above his head and her upper body broke the canopy of pine needles, allowing her the view.

"Oh my God!" Esme gasped as she looked over the kingdom of mist and trees, a lake that stretched as far as her eyes, at least, could see.

"Esme, I'm going to hold you up," Carlisle said, caught up in her enthusiasm, feeling as though he was seeing all of this secret kingdom for the first time too. "Don't worry I won't let you fall. Just stay relaxed."

"How can I relax here?" Esme breathed, enraptured, not scared. "This is…this is the whole world!"

Carlisle laughed, feeling very young and carefree all of a sudden. Esme was shrieking with delight.

"It's…beautiful!" she called. "Carlisle! This is…"

She laughed with disbelief.

"This is amazing!" she said as Carlisle let her down gently onto a branch that would take the combination of their weights.

Esme breathed out in awe.

"Were you scared?" Carlisle worried.

Esme shook her head.

"No, I'm not scared with you," she said. "Or of you, for that matter."

He grinned.

"You mean that?"

"Absolutely," she said, taking his chin between her fingers.

"In that case…if you will permit me," Carlisle muttered. "May I conduct the ultimate test of trust?"

Esme watched his sparking eyes flick downwards.

"We're jumping down?" she asked, shocked.

Carlisle pulled Esme into his lap.

"Yes," he answered. "And I know, rightly so, that you find it hard to trust people. But I want to prove you can trust me, that I won't let anything hurt you."

"Can I close my eyes?" she asked.

"Maybe a good idea," Carlisle said. "But Esme, I have you."

And then he tipped them both backwards.

To Esme, it felt like Carlisle was the balm to the nerves, the fear, the overwhelming anxiety that normally plagued her. He was like the most powerful of medication.

Falling felt good, more like flying while she was in his arms. In fact, she was a little disappointed when, with a surprisingly soft noise, Carlisle's feet reached the ground.

Esme barely felt the jarring of their impact.

"You can open your eyes" Carlisle whispered, very close. "We made it."

Esme's heart was pounding but not with fear, rather pure exhilaration.

Giddy, Esme leaned up on her tip toes and brought Carlisle's face down to kiss him. He could feel her smiling against his lips.

With a happy sigh, the doctor pulled away a little to bury his nose in Esme's cascades of hair.

He was engulfed in the chemical tang of shampoo, but, beyond that, her natural scent.

It was a warm smell, the sensation of the scent of warm baking bread filling him up but sweeter, with…cinnamon and nutmeg.

Marzipan frosting and rich, bitter cocoa.

Expensive Swiss chocolate and the Nutcracker ballet.

And then beyond that he smelled spring.

White blossom against the blue sky.

The first meltwater. A baby's giggle.

The sigh of the trees just after sundown. A new meadow baking in the late-afternoon sun.

And love, pure love.

For him.

In his pursuit of redemption, Carlisle had forsaken many things, human blood just one among them, but this was something he couldn't give up. It was more precious than his own soul.

And she wanted him.

She wanted him.

Preposterous.

Absurd.

But, as she gazed up at him his fears were scattered to the wind.

What they had between them was undeniable true.

His Esme.

Suddenly the doctor was moved to speech.

"Will…" Carlisle began. "Esme, Will…Would you…"

To his horror, the Elephant Boy couldn't get the words out.

Esme cupped the vampire's marble cheek and pressed another sweet kiss to his lips.

She smiled like an angel, and Carlisle wondered if she had just had the same revelation as himself.

"Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Carlisle," she whispered.