Thank you for beta'ing, K.K. Fush, and prereading, TheMortician'sDaughter!

Carlisle POV:

It had been two and a half weeks since Esme's birthday party and all that time, we'd gone on a date almost every night. We'd had fun, we'd laughed a lot, and sometimes, we'd even stayed up past the wee hours of the night, texting and talking on the phone. I didn't regret getting her an iPhone. I smiled whenever her number popped up along with her picture. The night before the Fourth of July, I called Charlie to see what he was doing with Renee in case they wanted to double date with us.

"Hey man, what's up?" he answered.

"Hey, I was just wondering, what are you and Renee doing tomorrow?"

"We're just gonna watch the fireworks in LaPush...and you?"

"Mind if we join you guys? Esme and I, that is."

"Oh, no, that's fine!"

"Sounds like a double date, then. Maybe we can have a picnic of hot dogs, beans, and macaroni salad."

"Mmm, yum. It'll taste like Renee!"

"Charlie," I complained, "I don't even wanna know where that came from, but okay."

"Sorry, man..."

"It's fine. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, see ya."

I hung up and pressed the number one to speed-dial Esme. Her soft and angelic voice came on the line right away. "Hi, Carlisle..."

"Esme! I just called Charlie and asked him if he and Renee were available to double date with us tomorrow for the Fourth of July."

"And...?" she pressed.

"They are! All four of us will be watching the fireworks together and having a picnic. Won't that be fun?"

"Yes! Yes, it will be. Our favorite couple friends!" she squealed happily.

"I know! Well, see you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

I ended up making the food while Esme bought a huge, warm blanket for the four of us to sit on. Charlie took us all there and Renee was the photographer for the night. It worked out pretty well, and by seven in the evening, we were sitting on the blanket and I was serving everyone their plates. Charlie and I stuffed our faces while Renee and Esme just rolled their eyes at us and laughed.

"Carlisle, calm down, the fireworks haven't even started yet! Don't you want to eat during the show?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, but this is good!" I mumbled through a bite.

"You're an excellent cook, Cullen!" Charlie patted my back and Renee wiped some food off of his lips.

"Thanks, dude."

"I'm with my husband there!" Renee agreed.

"Ditto!" Esme said.

"I'm glad you think so," I said, pleased.

An hour later, we finished eating and then Renee brought out her camera. She took several pictures of Esme and I together, her and Esme having girl time, Charlie and I having guy time, and I took a shot of Renee and Charlie enjoying a sweet husband-and-wife moment. We started taking silly pictures until the fireworks began.

Charlie leaned back on his elbows but then stretched out his arm so Renee could lay by his side with his arm around her midsection. I decided to copy him and pull Esme into my arms after she put her sweatshirt on. Charlie put some of the blanket on top of Renee's bare legs since she was freezing, and I gathered some of the material to cover Esme's legs with.

"I don't want you to get cold," I explained to her.

"Oh, I'm okay...I'm sorry I wore shorts..."

"That's fine. Did you bring jeans?"

"I should have, but I guess I forgot."

"All right, well, you're warm enough with the blanket, aren't you?"

She snuggled into my side. "Yes," she murmured before rolling over and groaning.

I draped my arm over her belly like Charlie was doing with Renee and jumped when I felt something unfamiliar, round, and hard under her shirt. She must have sensed my movement, since she looked back over her shoulder at me.

"What's wrong?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Nothing..."

"Do you want me to get up?"

"No, no, I like you in my arms...come here."

She relaxed and snuggled back into my embrace. We looked up at the sky and watched the fancy, colorful sparks shoot across the black background. It was a spectacular show.

I noticed that with each boom, Esme smoothed her hand down her belly and sometimes massaged it. Absentmindedly, I started tracing circles around the lump under her shirt and she sighed. "Mmm, that feels nice..."

My light strokes turned ticklish apparently, because she started giggling. She yanked my hands off her and pushed herself up with a moan. "Sorry..." I apologized.

"It's fine! That is just a very sensitive spot for me...oh can you give me a back rub? I feel sore!"

"Sure, anything."

I massaged her aching muscles in her back, arms, and finally, held her hands and pulled her back down to me.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I finally connected the dots while we were cuddling. The overeating, the heaviness, the crazy emotions...Anne revealing to me that there was something I should know about her daughter. I counted back to when she'd been raped. It had been roughly four months...she was probably pregnant. But why didn't she tell me? I chose not to call her out on it until she was ready to spill her secret. The poor woman had enough to deal with right now.

The baby's father was probably Charles, and if not him, it had to have been one of his friends. I would be the best father imaginable to that baby, if only we lived under the same roof or were married.

Clapping startled me and I realized the show was over. Everyone was getting up, but Esme stayed down. She held her hands up to me. "Help me up?"

"Oh yeah, sure." I pulled her to her feet and kept my hand on her back for support.

"You're acting different," she noticed aloud. "Quieter than usual."

"I just don't have anything to say, except that red, white and blue looks good on you."

"Oh, thanks," she murmured with a blush. "It's okay if you're having a shy moment."

We walked behind Renee and Charlie in silence and sat in the back when Charlie drove us home. He turned on music to avoid the awkwardness. Esme leaned on my shoulder as if she was very tired.

"You had a good night, didn't you?" she whispered while she rubbed her belly. I saw Renee smile in the rearview mirror and Charlie quirk an eyebrow up at me. I pretended not to know what she was talking about.

When he dropped me off, I hugged Esme goodbye and gave my friends fist-bumps. I jogged to my front door and unlocked it with my keys. Emmett was already inside.

"Dad! Lily and Will took me, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper to see the fireworks, and Anne went with us too! It was so much fun!" he chattered.

"That's great, son. My double date with Esme, Renee, and Charlie was awesome too. But guess what?"

"What?"

"I think Esme's pregnant! How would you feel about us and Esme and Alice becoming a family if the opportunity arose?"

"She never mentioned that to me before! That would be awesome!"

The next day, my phone rang just after I made breakfast for Emmett and myself. "Hello?"

"It's Lily. You know, Rosalie and Jasper's and Emmett's birthdays are two days apart?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's take the kids out to the Mariners evening baseball game in Seattle on July eighth, right in the middle of their birthdays. Esme, Alice, and Anne can come too. I know how much the boys like baseball, and Rosalie is a fan, although she won't admit it. "

"Oh, good idea! You and I can chip in for the tickets."

"Yes, and Will, too."

"It's settled, then."

"Okay, bye."

I hung up and decided to keep this a secret from Emmett. Luckily, he wasn't around when I was talking to Lily. I called Esme after I ate my breakfast while Emmett was eating breakfast in his room while watching cartoons.

"Hello?" Esme answered sweetly.

"Hey, Es, guess who this is?"

She giggled. "I know it's you, Carlisle. Your name comes up on my iPhone when you contact me."

"Busted," I muttered, trying to be upset that she caught me.

"Yep! So, what's up?"

"The sky," I joked and she laughed. "No, I was just wondering if you, Alice, and your mom want to go to an evening baseball game in Seattle on July eighth for Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie's birthdays. Lily, Will, and I are chipping in to buy all of us tickets."

"We'd love to. I'll pay for my own ticket, and Alice's as well. Mom probably will insist she's buying her own ticket as well, so there's no way you'll be paying for us. We're not really part of it since neither of our birthdays are coming up. Mine already passed, and so did Alice's. Mom's is far away from now."

"But I invited you three. I'll just pay for half of your tickets, okay?"

"Sure, thanks!"

"No problem."

"I'll make sure we bring money for snacks, too."

"Excellent idea. See you then. Also, dress in navy blue, silver, and northwest green!"

"We will. Bye!"

"Good bye."

Emmett invited Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper over to his house for his birthday. I made him a chocolate cake and decorated it with a white baseball on top which was part of the frosting. We devoured it instantly after singing him "Happy Birthday". He was happy about finally being eleven. I gave him a baseball cap and he never took it off.

When I dropped off Alice and we said our goodbyes to each other, I heard Esme and Anne talking loudly and excitedly.

"Yeah, so I'm having a girl! What should I name her? I was thinking of Anna, Linda, Natalie, Samantha, Katherine...but then I thought, gee, those names sound so boring!"

"Katie Elizabeth?" Anne suggested.

"I like Elizabeth as a middle name...but Katie is too modern. How about Cynthia Elizabeth?"

"That sounds...unique. You don't hear the name Cynthia very often."

"Well, how many times have you heard the name Esme? Yeah, I thought so. I love uncommon names! They rock!"

"Cynthia Elizabeth, all the way!" Anne cheered.

"Yay!" Esme squealed adorably.

Alice had already disappeared in the other room, so I probably looked like an idiot standing there on Esme's foyer and eavesdropping. I had my exact answer.

Yes, she was definitely pregnant. That was when I decided to leave.

The idea struck me randomly. I'd get her a ring first thing tomorrow morning and propose to her in the next few days. I grinned at the thought of the five of us being a family, including the little baby.

Hey, bud," I said to Emmett, "tomorrow, I'm going to propose to Esme."

"Wow, well, good luck! I need a mom! Hurry up!" he laughed.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

"I would love to!"

On the morning of the surprise baseball game, I practically sprang out of bed and woke up Emmett. I sent a quick text to Renee, asking for Esme's ring size. She told me it was a five. I thanked her and Emmett and I were off to buy Esme a ring!

"What kind of rings does Esme like?" Emmett asked me when we were in the store.

"She likes flashy jewelry, so she probably likes sparkly rings...like this one." I picked up a silver ring with a pink, shiny jewel in the middle. "But it's a size six, so I'm not getting this one."

I went through about fifteen rings, which were all either too expensive, not her size, or not pretty enough for her finger. Hours later, I found the perfect one. It was a size five and five hundred bucks. The glittering center stone was wedged between two round white diamonds in prong settings, and the shoulders were lined with an endless sparkle of diamonds The gold band had the words true love never dies on the inside.

"It's good for her!" Emmett pointed out. "Get it, Dad!"

"I will!" I got the saleslady and showed her the ring I wanted. "Hello, I'd like this engagement ring."

She picked it out for me. "Here you go, sir. Would you like this in a black box or a white box?"

"Black, please."

"Alrighty, then. Five hundred dollars."

I handed over my credit card as Emmett's mouth opened wide. "Whoa, you're rich."

"It's only on a credit card. Don't forget, I'm a doctor," I smirked at him. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome."

I left the store with a huge smile on my face. Emmett followed me giddily and talked all about how he was going to be the ring bearer. It was cute, actually. I kept the box safely in my sock drawer. She'd never find it.

Later that evening, we parents acted perfectly natural, like nothing was happening. When I told Emmett to wear blue jeans and his northwest green sweatshirt and a white shirt, he got a bit suspicious.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh, nowhere special," I lied.

He shook his head. "Yeah, right!" I was glad he didn't push it further.

I picked up Esme, Alice, and Anne. The kids sat in the back with Esme's mom while Esme sat next to me. We were quiet on the ride to the city and I almost laughed when Emmett spotted the entrance to the baseball field. His grin was a mile wide.

"Wow, we're going to a Mariners game? Sweet!"

"Happy birthday, Emmett!" I exclaimed.

"This is the first time we've been to the city together with the kids, you know," Esme pointed out.

"Seattle's pretty," Anne added. "This is my first time being here."

"I wish we had cameras!" Alice shouted.

"Don't worry, I have one," I let her know. Her face lit up.

"Cool! The Hales came with us! They're behind us, Dad!"

"I know. This was Lily's idea, so make sure you thank her, okay?"

"Okay!" When I unlocked the car doors, he practically jumped out and ran towards Rosalie to give her a hug. Jasper hi-fived him and they both hollered, "Baseball!"

"One, two, three strikes you're out, at the old ball game!" Rosalie sang.

"Yay!" Alice screamed.

I snapped a picture of the kids by the ballpark and then Lily took a photo of Esme and I, so I took a photo of her and Will. Anne took a picture of the eight of us. We all looked alike with our matching colors. Esme had on a northwest green top, white pants, and a navy blue sweatshirt. She looked great, and I told her so.

"Everyone, walk in pairs. It's easy to get lost in a big city like this one," Lily directed us. She and Will were in the lead, and her hands were full with the handles of Will's wheelchair. Anne walked behind them and held Alice's and Emmett's hands. Rosalie joined hands with Emmett, while Jasper grabbed Alice's hand. The four kids rushed to keep up with the adults. Esme and I were in the back, making sure nobody got lost. We looked straight in front of us, but the kids looked everywhere, pointing out every kind of person there was on the streets.

"Don't stare at the homeless people!" Anne scolded them.

"But that guy looks like a dog!" Rosalie whispered loudly. The other children giggled.

The person on the ground that was obviously on drugs or drunk stopped bicycling his legs and glared at us. "Woof!"

"Okay, could we walk faster?" Lily asked. Esme looked behind us to make sure the guy wasn't running after us or anything. Thankfully, we didn't get chased.

Our seats were right in front and I was sitting between Esme and Emmett. On the other side of Esme was Alice and Anne. The Hales were on the other side of Emmett. We bought hot dogs, garlic fries, and popcorn and then the game started, along with the madness of all the sports fans around us.

The Mariners won, much to our delight. After we got out of the crowded bleachers, the kids declared, "That was the best present ever! Yaaaay! Thank you!"

We were walking back to our cars when Esme began clinging onto my arm. I held her protectively as she murmured, "It's dark and scary out here!"

"Hey, you're with me, I'll never let you get hurt."

"I haven't been laid in a while!" some guy leaning on a brick wall jeered as we went down a long alleyway. "Come here, little lady!" The man was smoking pot and beckoning Esme toward him. It got my protective mode into gear. I growled low under my breath.

"Oh god!" Esme wailed with her face buried in my chest. I simply held her tighter and hurried past the man.

"Shit, you're no fun! Hey kids, let's play a game!"

"Oh, hell no!" Anne hissed.

"I will roll this wheelchair over you if you don't stop!" Lily warned him.

He picked up his yellow blanket and put it over himself like it was a cape. We were far away from him and almost at the end of the alley.

"Phew!" we breathed sighs of relief.

Our shoes slapped against the pavement and then the wheelchair got stuck on something. Lily struggled to move it and just seconds later, it was free.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she tripped over something.

"Ow!" someone shrieked and then coughed. We jumped in shock because an outstretched hand was laying on the sidewalk and the person attached to it was wrapped in a comforter like a burrito. The figure moved and we just stood there.

It was just a young girl with long black hair and wide blue eyes, probably a teenage runaway around fourteen years old. She looked pissed. I would be too, if someone stepped on me.

"Hey!" she yelled. "You fuckers, what are you doing, stepping on a street girl?"

"Oh no, honey, I'm so sorry!" Lily stammered. "I'm Lily, by the way, and this is my husband, Will."

The girl yawned and rubbed her eyes open. "I was sleeping...it's not very comfortable here...maybe I should move out of people's way." She started lazily gathering up her things.

"She's gonna run again!" Jasper pointed out.

"Let's talk to her!" Alice said with a smile. "Hi! I'm Alice and I'm seven."

The girl didn't even get to respond because Rosalie introduced herself and Jasper. "It's our ninth birthday tomorrow! Our parents took us out to the ball game for our birthday!"

"Yeah, I smell hot dogs and fries on you...garlic fries?" The poor girl drooled.

"Mm-hm! And it was my birthday too, yesterday! I'm Emmett and I'm eleven," my son said proudly.

"Wow," the girl sighed wistfully, "you four are lucky. Your parents are so nice to do that for you. I wish I had your lives. It was really great to meet you...hey, sit down here with me."

"We have to report her to the cops, guys," I muttered.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Will whispered.

Esme stared at the girl and sucked in a gasp. "Carlisle, she's innocent. She's only a baby. They'll send her back to her parents, I just know it! Why don't you ask for her information and let Charlie know about her? He and Renee have been wanting to adopt for a long time now, ever since Bella left them."

"That makes sense, actually!" Anne said.

When I bent down to the young girl's level, I took a closer look at her. I noticed that her hair was wild and matted, and her clothes were dingy and raggedy. She was gaunt and malnutritioned. I wondered when the last time she saw a doctor was.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"Elizabeth," she choked out.

"Elizabeth...do you have a last name?"

"Biers...but I just go by Elizabeth." She looked up at me under heavy eyelids.

"Okay...how old are you?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm nine." Shock ran through me since she looked a lot older than nine.

"Nine," Esme whimpered from above me.

"How long have you been out here?"

"A week. I was abandoned at birth, abused by my foster father, and I finally got sick of it, so I escaped and I've been hiding in the corner of this alley."

"Thank you. My friend is a cop, so I will call him-"

"No, please! Don't send me to a dangerous foster home or an orphanage!" she begged, gripping my arm tightly. "I've been to too many of them. I want a family who actually wants a little girl to play with and take care of, not someone to hurt." Her blue eyes held so much pain and they were filled with tears.

"Trust me. My friend is a good man. He and his wife will treat you like their own daughter. They want a child to love."

"I don't even know you." Elizabeth sniffled. "How do I know this isn't a stupid scam?"

"Hey, my dad doesn't lie!" Emmett cut in.

"And I'm a doctor, too. I can help you until my friend gets here."

"Who's that lady behind you? She's pretty."

I smiled. "That's Esme, my...best friend. I'm going to call my friend and you can talk to Esme, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Sure."

I dialed Charlie's work number and he picked up.

"Chief Swan."

"It's Carlisle. Listen, we found this girl on the way back from the Mariners baseball game in Seattle. Her name is Elizabeth Biers and she's nine years old. She's a runaway and refuses to live in a foster home or orphanage since they treated her badly there many times before. She needs a stable family environment..."

He stopped me before I could finish. "Hold it right there. This is Renee's and my dream come true. Bring her to our house as soon as possible! We'll have to be approved by the Child Protective Services, but she can stay here for the night. Get her out of the cold and hurry back to Forks!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

I put my phone back in my pocket and glanced down at Esme and Elizabeth. They were talking quietly and hugging. This was a great start. Esme took Elizabeth's hand while I grabbed Esme's other hand and the bag full of Elizabeth's stuff. We continued to Lily's and my car and I threw the bag in my trunk. The Hales went into Lily's car after we hugged them goodbye. Esme and Anne sat in the back with Alice and Elizabeth nestled in between the two women. Esme bundled both little girls in blankets that were heated from being in the car, Anne hummed them a song, and Emmett was in the passenger seat next to me. We drove Elizabeth to Charlie's house. It took a while and I didn't realize Elizabeth was sleeping on Esme's lap. Alice had her head on Anne's legs. The scene was too sweet to interrupt, but we were here, so I had to.

"Emmett, stay here with Alice and Anne. Esme, would you mind carrying Elizabeth to Charlie's door?" I asked her in a hushed voice. "I'll bring her bag."

"I can do that," Esme agreed. She gently picked up Elizabeth and cradled her in her arms while she got out of my car. I lifted the bag out of my trunk and together, we walked to Charlie's door. I knocked and rang the doorbell.

"How are you holding up?" I asked Esme, worried that Elizabeth was too heavy.

"I'm fine. This girl is too light for her age."

"She needs food in her stomach."

"Clearly."

The door swung wide open and Renee looked at us excitedly. "Come in, come in! Oh, she's darling! Such a precious little angel."

Esme put her index finger to her lips. "Shh, she's sleeping."

"Sorry," Renee apologized. "Lay her on the guestroom bed we set up for her!" she instructed her best friend. I set Elizabeth's bag on the rug and Esme went upstairs. Charlie joined us a little later and he thanked us.

We went home after dropping off Esme, Anne, and Alice. I went to sleep almost immediately.

"Carlisle...Carlisle! Come to me, baby boy! You feel so good!" Nails scratched on my bedroom door as the witchy voice went on. "You love your mommy, don't you? Say it, please you love me with all your heart! I want your babies! I want you! I want you to fuck me hard against everything tangible there is! I want you so bad! Let me in!" She was suddenly on top of me and my dad came in.

"Carlisle, get off your mother, you sick psycho!" he roared.

"Oh, Laurent!" she moaned breathily. "Get in between us!"

"I sure will, Irina..."

I felt her cold hands holding me still, and my father, who looked nothing like us, was glaring at me like I was the devil.

"You will die, you pig. Go to hell!"

I was engulfed in flames while I screamed bloody murder.

I woke up sweating. "Oh, Jesus Christ! Only a dream...only a dream..." I fell back in my bed, sighed deeply, and shut my eyes again.

"Dad! Dad! What's wrong? I heard you yelling!" Emmett called out from his room.

"Never mind, Em. I just had a nightmare...forget it. Good night!"

"Night!"

That was a horrible dream to have the night before I was going to propose to Esme! It gave me bad omens, but I didn't let it ruin my morning or afternoon. I told her to wear a cute summer dress since I was putting on black pants and a dark red shirt. We had a picnic under the sun and I put a pink flower in her hair to match her dress. She loved it.

"You're acting very strange again," she noticed aloud. "Really, what is up with you?"

I casually picked the black box out of my pocket while we were still sitting on the grass and finishing up our ham and cheese sandwiches. She glanced at it quizzically.

"Esme...you look pretty in pink," I complimented her. "The flower's nice in your hair, too."

"Oh. Thank you."

"I want to do this traditionally, so please stand up."

"Um, okay?" She got up and I balanced myself on one knee.

"You are the light of my life. I can't live without you. Ever since I saw you, I was in love. Will you marry me?"

Esme gasped. Her facial expressions ranged from horror to surprise to happiness. She giggled and blushed. I laughed nervously. It was beginning to feel awkward being on one knee.

"What? Marry you? You want me to...marry you, Carlisle?" She bit her lip.

"Yes!" I said, almost too quickly.

"I can't believe you're seriously asking me this."

"So, what do you say?"

"I..."

Happy Fourth of July!

3 reviews til I hit 300! Wow, thank you all for reading and reviewing: TeamCullenx, K.K. Fush, that kiwi chick, CarlisleandEsme, MrsCarlisleCullen13, TeamCarlisleandEsme8, Just4Me, TheMortician'sDaughter, Msoxcookie, and Caresme'sChild! The 300th reviewer gets a sneak peek of the next chapter :D