Chapter Eighteen
I had intended to move on from the last chapter a few months…but, nah, gotta show you what happens (somewhat) after Edward takes Bella upstairs…
ALSO! I realize BSB didn't win ANY awards at the 2001 MTV awards, a feat that STILL pisses me off, however, in my story…yeah, just go with it. These awards are BASED on reality, while not actually BEING reality. And, for the sake of argument, not that I don't love me some MJ, (Michael Jackson, RIP), he is absent from my story and my fake awards…Head of the Pack have to do "Bye, Bye, Bye" at the awards, K? Thanks.
Larger than Life: watch?v=uewJN_RykY&feature=channel_page
Bye bye bye : watch?v=XjsHkJhTINY
September 2001 (right where the last chapter left off)
Edward carried Bella up the stairs and sat her upon his bed. She sniffled and curled herself into a ball. He looked at her sadly before he walked into his bathroom, drawing her a bath. He didn't have any bubble bath, but he did have some bath salts Esme had sent him, telling him that it helped her relax sometimes. He tossed those in and returned to Bella. She looked so small, so vulnerable, he wanted nothing but to protect her.
He walked over to the bed and sat her up. "Bella, love, I've drawn you a bath…"
She looked at him, her tearstained face looking shocked. He smiled. "What? Am I that big of an ignorant prick?"
She laughed a little and he said, "If you want to get undressed…"
She touched his face and he closed his eyes briefly at the sensation. "Thank you, Edward," she said softly.
"You are more than welcome, Bella."
She stood and he watched her walk to the bathroom. "You know…I think…I think I need some help in my bath. Do you think you could make me feel better?"
He perked to attention, as did his cock, as he looked at her. He stood and walked to her. "I think that if that is what you need, then, I need to be there for you in any shape, form or fashion."
"Damn, I'm nervous," Emmett said as they rode in the limo to the MTV music video awards.
"Why?" Jasper wanted to know.
Emmett shrugged. "Last year we were like, peons. Now, dude, we're superstars!"
Edward chuckled. "Yeah, well, let's go win some awards, okay?"
They made their way down the red carpet and the fans were screaming like mad. Jasper grinned. "Guess they love us."
Carlisle rolled his eyes and smiled, causing a few girls to faint.
"Whoa! Hot bitch alert!" Emmett laughed as Carlisle shot him a look.
Jake was smiling and waving at the fans, stopping to sign some autographs. Each guy picked out a few girls to sign their stuff before they made their way up to the interviewer. They said a few quick words and ducked inside before the crowd got too out of hand. Once inside, they came face to face with Mike Newton.
Edward let out a sound that was similar to a snarl and Jacob put his arm on him as Jasper said, "Newton."
Mike's lip curled into a snarl of his own as he said, "Breakdowners."
"You're lucky I respect Bella Swan, asshole," Emmett said deeply, darkly. "Because, if I didn't, I'd bust your ass in front of the American public on national news."
"You wouldn't dare," he said arrogantly.
"Wanna bet?" Jake said, standing beside Emmett now. He was impressive, just as tall as Emmett, only not quite as broad shouldered. "Because, we can beat you up, here and now, get this over with. I've never been in jail before. Have you, Emmett?"
Emmett grinned and cracked his knuckles. "A few times, but just an overnight stay. I have the feeling by the time we're finished with Mikey, here, we might go to prison, bro."
Jake grinned. "It would be worth it, for Bella."
"For Bella," each man agreed softly. Carlisle physically had to hold Edward back from Mike, and Jasper had also put a hand on him to hold him steady.
For a second, Mike's eyes widened before his mask went back on. "Whatever. She was just a throwaway piece of ass, anyway. She wasn't even that good. I've had far better."
"That's it," Edward growled, but Jake did him a favor by knocking Mike's feet out from under him in a sweeper motion.
"Oops, sorry there, Mikey…" Jake said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, guys. Our seats are waiting for us. I don't wanna miss the show!"
Carlisle and Jasper led Edward away as Emmett snorted. "Dude! Jake, man, I knew I liked you…but, hell…"
Jake grinned. "Stupid little shit. How dare he go after one of our girls?"
"Our girls, huh?" Carlisle asked softly. He, too, knew about Jake and Lynessa. Lyn had told Esme all about Jake.
Jacob blushed. "Well, it's like, if someone did something to Alice, or Esme," he said pointedly. "Or even Lynessa, we'd all be over it, right?"
Edward looked at him and nodded. "Exactly. Thank you, Jacob. One of us doesn't have to be dating a girl for them to be one of 'our' girls. Like my sisters. You all love them like sisters, so, you'll protect them. Right?"
Carlisle and Jake both bit their cheeks to hold back the nervous looks on their faces. Jasper, knowing about Carlisle, said, "Yeah, exactly, we're just cool like that. Alice is the same, right? She's like our sister."
Emmett shook his head at his friend's obtuse response, but said, "So, where are we sitting?"
They were led to their seats and were eager to watch the performances. "Dude, I hope we get to meet Pink," Jasper said with a smile. They'd been pissed that Head of the Pack had her as their opening act last year. Jasper and Emmett both had a mean crush on her.
"You wish," Jacob snorted. He kinda had a thing for Christina Aguilera, not that he'd tell a soul. Besides, Nessie was definitely a Masen. She'd tie his dick in a knot for thinking of another woman.
Jamie Foxx was the host for the evening and he made everyone laugh. Britney freaked everyone out by dancing with a snake, which, all of the guys had to admit, got their pants tight. Alice won, or rather, the video did, for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" for best choreography, and they cheered her on as she walked up and accepted the award with a few other people. Jasper let out a huge wolf-whistle for her and she giggled as she blew kisses to the crowd. Finally, it was time for HotP to get up on stage.
(AN: Video link on my profile so you'll know which video version of "Bye, Bye, Bye" I'm talking about.)
All the house lights went down and a huge sunset filled the screen. Five black-cloaked figures emerged. "They look like some kind of freaky assed vampire coven," Emmett whispered to Jasper, who let out a snort.
Their moves weren't bad. Sam, the "co-leader" of the pack, so to speak, sang the first verse, and then James, the one that seemed to be the lead vocals in most of the songs, sang the second verse. James was an excellent singer and also had some ability to beat-box. He had been a Mousketeer also, a few years before Jacob. Mike, Tyler and Eric rounded out the group.
After they performed, group video of the year award was up. Pink and Ludacris were the presenters. "Oh, please, God, if you're listening…let us win," Jasper said, loud enough that Edward could hear him. "If I get a chance to see Pink naked tonight, I swear I'll start going back to church…"
Edward chuckled, but all the air left his lungs when Pink called out, "Breakdown, for 'I Want It That Way'."
"Holy fuck," Jasper muttered under his breath. "Thank you, God."
"YES!" Emmett said as he jumped up and thrust his fist into the air. They all excitedly ran up to the stage.
They won four awards that night, losing out to Pink, along with Christina, Mya, Lil' Kim, and Missy Elliot for the award for video of the year. The girl's "Lady Marmalade" won that one. And, yes, Jasper got Pink's telephone number. He was all smiles as they headed back to their hotel after the 'after parties'.
Once they got there, each went to their room, well, most of them did. Jasper and Emmett decided to head back out and hit the bars, even though it was very late in the night. Edward, Jacob and Carlisle all had women to call.
Bella was more than ecstatic that they had won all those awards, Nessie was just excited that Jacob had thanked his 'little monster' for all the love and support, and Esme almost fainted when Carlisle said into the phone, "I love you, Esme. Let's get married."
"Wh-what?" she asked as she laid back down on the bed. It was late, but she had slept already. She had gotten up and gotten her a glass of warm milk to drink as she talked to Carlisle.
"I'm serious. I love you. I want you, forever. Let's get married."
"I…Carlisle, are you sure?"
"Do you…would you want to…?" He sounded so unsure of himself.
Esme smiled into the phone. "I love you, yes. Let's get married."
"YES!" he shouted. "When?"
"Tomorrow."
He paused. "Love, I would, but we can't plan a wedding in one night. Not even Alice is that organized."
"I don't want a big wedding. In fact, I don't want a wedding at all. I just want you, Carlisle. I want you to be Foster's father and I want you to be my husband, and I just don't think I can wait a moment longer."
His mouth fell open. "How…?"
"Vegas. Sneak away. I'll book our flights and Foster and I will meet you out there…no, wait, I have a better idea, Lyn can look after him. She's with me this week; Mother is busy with one of her charities. Lyn is mature enough to handle it for a few days. Let us have a tiny honeymoon while we are at it. She's between shoots and music videos right now anyway…"
"O-okay, are you certain, quite certain, Esme, that you don't want to tell someone, let Edward know, let Lyn be there, something?"
"No one will know, Carlisle. And I'll only tell Lyn that I'm going off for my own sanity and that I will give her the hotel number, just in case Foster needs me."
"Essie…I love you. Okay. I will see you tomorrow, before our wedding."
She giggled girlishly and his smile grew. "I'll be waiting, Mr. Cullen."
"And I'll be there, soon-to-be Mrs. Cullen."
She sighed breathily. "I could get used to that."
"You'd better, love. Because I will be calling you that. And…" here, he paused, wondering if now was the time. "Would you consent to let me legally adopt Foster?"
He heard her sniffle and she said, "Nothing would make me any happier, Carlisle."
He was jumpy and excited the next morning as he packed his bag. He had already dashed out to Tiffany's and bought a beautiful ring for Esme, and now he was finishing his packing so he could go and get married. Life had taken a turn for him and he was ecstatic.
He was just stepping out into the hallway and ran directly into Jasper and Emmett. Literally. Both smelled of smoke and booze and women. "Have a good night, boys?"
They both grinned. "The best," they replied in unison.
"Where you off to, Carlisle?" Jasper asked.
Carlisle shrugged. "I'm going to take a mini vacation, a few days, that's all."
"With…her?" Jasper prodded carefully.
Carlisle grinned. "Perhaps."
"You ever gonna tell us about this chick you're dating, Carlisle," Emmett asked.
"Eventually," he told them with a smile. "Eventually."
He walked down to the limo that would take him to the airport, butterflies taking over his stomach. As soon as he sat down in first class, having signed a few autographs from those that noticed him despite his baseball cap and aviators, he ordered a drink.
The flight attendant smiled at him. Once upon a time, he would have contemplated taking her into the little bathroom for some one-on-one time, but now, all he could think of was Esme. He wished Foster could be there, but at the same time, he was glad to have Essie to himself. They had their whole life ahead of them for him to spend time with just Foster, and that was what he would do. They would have father/son weekends; he would get him involved in the Boy Scouts, maybe. There would be all sorts of fun things for him to do…a smile played on his lips as he fell asleep.
The flight attendant woke him to let him know he needed to put his seatbelt back on and before he knew it, they were landing in sunny Las Vegas. He put his baseball cap back on, covering his head once more as he slipped the glasses on. He got a cab over to the Luxor and made his way to the suite he had booked.
He put the key-card in the door and was met with the most beautiful sight; Esme, lying out on the bed wearing a beautiful ivory peignoir set. "Esme…" he said, dropping his bag at the door.
She smiled as she trailed the red rose she was holding down her body. "Well, I don't think we're doing anything by-the-book, so I figured…I want my wedding night. Right now."
His lips quirked. "You Masens' are an impatient bunch, aren't you?"
She moved and sat up on her knees. He licked his lips as that short robe fell open revealing her beautiful bare center to him. "We know what we want and we don't wait for it."
He tossed off his hat, his glasses, threw his shirt from his body, all the while, stepping closer to the bed. His shoes came next, and he shimmied out of his pants. By the time he reached the bed, he was naked. He took her in his arms tenderly and kissed her lips. "Well, I wouldn't be much of a husband if I didn't do as you ask, now, would I?"
There were tears in her eyes, tears of happiness, as he laid her down and began loving her.
They made love as the light shown in through the windows and napped in one another's arms. When they awoke, they showered together before they dressed for their evening.
"What is first?" he asked as he fixed his tie. He might be taking her to a Vegas wedding chapel, but he would be damned if he was not going to dress appropriately for such an occasion.
"I say we do the wedding first, then enjoy our first meal as husband and wife before we come back up here and you ravage me thoroughly," she said as she stepped out of the large bathroom, putting in an earring.
For the second time that day, his mouth fell open. She was wearing a pearl pink dress that left nothing to the imagination as it hugged her every curve. It was long-sleeved and went down to her calves, but she might as well have been wearing second skin. She walked to grab her necklace from her bag and he sucked in a breath. The dress was back-less. "Esme…"
She turned and smiled at him. "Darling? My eyes are up here…"
"Yes, but your tits are just there…" he murmured as he walked to her.
She giggled. "Don't you dare mess up my makeup, Carlisle Cullen. Patience."
"I don't have a lot of that, and neither does my cock."
She almost melted as the word 'cock' fell from his perfect list. "Down boy," she managed, though, her panties were now soaking wet. "After the wedding…" she said breathlessly.
He pulled her to him and nibbled on her neck. "Do we have to go out and do dinner? I don't want to share you."
She moaned lightly as his tongue danced along her skin. "How about a room service picnic?" she bargained.
He laughed. "Done. And I promise; I will try to take you out tomorrow."
She shrugged. "I don't care. As long as I have you as my husband, nothing matters."
He kissed her tenderly and gently tugged her, leading her out the door and down the hall.
Once they walked out onto the strip, Esme said she wanted to walk and enjoy the sights and sounds. Carlisle held her hand as they walked to their destination. He had went ahead and pre-ordered everything once they had gotten off the phone last night and had everything arranged for them.
The chapel wasn't garish like some of its counterparts, but, instead, had a grace and charm to it. "Oh, Carlisle!" Esme cooed as they stepped inside.
He smiled and kissed her hand. He spoke with the coordinator, a lovely woman that immediately took Esme's hand from Carlisle's. "Alrighty, dear, let's get you situated." She looked at Carlisle and smiled. "You, scoundrel, you hurry on and get you a boutonnière and get ready. She'll be along in a moment."
He smiled, kissed Esme's cheek and watched as they walked away. He felt a twinge of regret that his best friends weren't here, but, not wishing to incur the wrath of Edward just yet, he was glad he'd managed to sneak out undetected.
He walked into the sanctuary and met with the officiant, who pinned a rose onto the lapel of his jacket. "Are you ready, son?"
Carlisle smiled. "I was born ready, sir."
The older man laughed and just then, the music started. Carlisle's head whipped around and he caught sight of Esme. She was lovely, as always, but in the soft candlelight, she had a glow about her. The flowers in her hand weren't over-done, merely a spray of long-stem bloodred roses and baby's breath. His breath caught as he realized that she was all his. He wouldn't have to share her with anyone, save Foster, and perhaps if they had other children…
She smiled as she stopped before him. "Breathe, Carlisle," she said softly.
He took a breath and said, "If you were any lovelier, I would have to keep you under lock and key and behind glass so everyone could look at the beauty that is my wife."
She blushed and gave him a secret smile.
The wedding ceremony was short, but still, perfect in every way. They walked out of the chapel and Carlisle laughed aloud as he picked her up bridal style. "And now, you're all mine, Mrs. Cullen!"
She laughed too and his mouth devoured hers. "Carlisle, take me to our room. Make love to me all night long."
And he did just that.
The next morning, they were snuggled in bed together, eating breakfast in bed, watching TV and catching up on the news, taking a well deserved break from their love making, when all of a sudden, a news flash came up and their smiling faces shown on the screen. "This just in…Las Vegas wedding chapel confirms, Carlisle Cullen, of the band 'Breakdown' got married last night. The woman, Esme Evanson, is the older sister to Carlisle's band mate, Edward Masen."
"Oh, bloody hell," Carlisle muttered.
"Well, it could be worse…" Esme started.
Just then, the phone rang. They looked at one another. "Edward," they said in unison.
Carlisle groaned as he picked up the phone. He held it about eight inches away from his ear as Edward shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, YOU MARRIED MY SISTER?! YOU FUCKING…SON OF A BITCH…COCKSUCKER…DAMNED FUCKING FOREIGNER FUCKING WITH MY SISTER!"
They could hear Bella in the background, attempting, in vain, obviously, to calm Edward down. When did she get to New York, Carlisle wondered. Finally, she must have wrestled the phone away from him. "Congratulations, guys. When will you be home?"
"Tomorrow," Esme said, taking the phone from Carlisle.
"Okay. I'll try to have him calmed down by then. We'll be back in Tennessee. I've had to hide his wallet so he didn't book a flight and come find you. Thank God, Alice somehow has telepathy or something and called me so I could be prepared for the news broadcast. I have a Xanax in my purse. I'm going to shove it down his gullet and get him to calm the hell down."
"I DO NOT NEED CALMING THE FUCK DOWN!"
"See?" Bella stated. She giggled. "Esme, you're going to owe me. The things I'll have to do to get him to relax…"
Esme giggled as well. "I'll make it up to you. Dinner and a spa day?"
"Only if we can invite Alice. She's seen this coming forever and then, the call to forewarn me..."
"Of course. And I'll bring Lynessa, too, naturally."
"Oh, good. We can do some serious dishing. I know something's up regarding that matter."
"Let's keep that one from Edward for now, hmm?"
Bella laughed. "Not to worry. I don't want to bail Edward out of jail for manslaughter."
"CARLISLE! YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK TO TENNESSEE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!" The rest of his words were cut off as Bella hung up the phone.
"Well, that went well…" Carlisle said with a grin.
