Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephanie Myer.

Hope you enjoy.

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Esme tilted her head to one side, keeping her hand on the door handle as she hovered in the doorway, unsure of what to do. "I'm sorry, Carlisle has never mentioned you before?" It certainly was not a name that he had linked to the Volturi, which settled her greatly, a strange thing considering she'd never actually met any of them.

Garrett's eyes shamelessly looked her up and down in a way that wasn't exactly rude, but wasn't discreet either. "Well, I could say the same thing, lovely. I certainly would remember if he ever mentioned you before. It's a little selfish of him, really, to keep such a beautiful woman all to himself."

"Hello, Garrett." Carlisle's familiar voice sounded behind him, causing the vampire to spin on his heels. He didn't look angry at all, considering an uninvited vampire had arrived at his house, but his eyes flickered to Esme questioningly. She gave him a little smile of reassurance.

"Carlisle!" Garrett's voice boomed through the forest, his arms outstretched. "So good to see you, my friend."

Carlisle dipped his head. "And you, Garrett. It has been too long. What brings you here?"

Garrett shrugged. "Do I need a reason to want to catch up? Perhaps, I simply wish to reminisce old memories?"

"Or," Edward smirked. He stood with his hands in his trouser pockets as he regarded the rogue vampire carefully. "You ran into a little trouble in your old territory, so you're wishing to lie low for a little while."

Garrett grinned his cat-like grin again. "Ah, yes, the mind-reader."

Carlisle moved to stand by Esme's side, his arm wrapping around her waist in a way that had become second nature to him. "Esme, this is Garrett. Garrett, this is Esme and Edward."

Esme offered the stranger a small, uncertain smile.

Garrett's eyes flickered down to Carlisle's arm. "Alright, Carlisle, fair enough. I get it." He scoffed, running a hand through his dark hair to ruffle it slightly. "She's yours."

Unable to prevent it, Esme's eyes widened at the statement. Although she was very much happy of the reminder that Carlisle loved her, it felt strange to hear it coming from a stranger in such a possessive way. It had not been Carlisle's intention to come across as possessive, as he knew there was no threat from Garrett, however he couldn't help but feel a little unexplainable need to make it clear that Esme's heart belonged to him. He wasn't proud of himself for it, but he couldn't help it either.

Carlisle gave her waist a comforting squeeze, sensing her discomfort. She leaned into him subtly.

"I must say," Garrett went on, turning his attention back to Carlisle with a spark of mischief. "I was starting to worry about you. Three hundred years of never feeling a woman's touch would certainly drive me crazy. Heck, three days would."

Carlisle rolled his eyes. "Forever the gentleman," He commented, clearly referring to the fact that there was a lady presence, and that Garrett was being most improper. From the looks of him, however, Garrett was not someone who cared whether he was being appropriate or not.

Garrett gave Esme an apologetic look. "Pardon me, my lady. Surprise sometimes strips me of my manners."

This earned him a small chuckle from Edward, and even Esme was warming up to the lone vampire.

"Shall we go inside?" Esme suggested, glancing up at the darkening clouds above them. She for one did not fancy standing outside getting soaked.

Garrett flashed her another charming smile. "I have many stories for you all."

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Garrett's zest for life was certainly contagious, even though his stories were certainly very far-fetched and exaggerated. The way he told them, however, made Esme feel like she was listening to someone read her a very thrilling, action packed story.

She sat on the cushioned sofa with Carlisle beside her. He was leaning back against the pillows, but he held her hand on his knee, giving her the occasional squeeze to catch her attention. Every time she glanced at him, he gave her a smile.

Garrett had been a solider when he had been changed; the only survivor of a group of ten isolated soliders who had been attacked by a vampire who had been attracted to them by their wounds. "Turns out a battlefield is quite the feast; practically a buffet to the local vampires." Garrett had said, and had made Esme shiver. Carlisle gave her hand another squeeze.

"I met Carlisle the following year. The Siege of Yorktown had many casualties, and I wasn't about to ignore an easy meal. Imagine my surprise when a man approaches me, all golden and stoic, and tells me he knows exactly what I am, and remarks that I am being rather careless." Garrett shot his friend a grin.

Carlisle lifted his chin slightly. "I can't imagine I left much of a lasting impression on you, Garrett." He said, referring to Garrett's red eyes.

Garrett grinned at that. "Well, what can I say? We aren't all blessed with saintly patience and self-control." He shrugged. "I respect your way of life, Carlisle, but it is not for me. Besides, you seem to have done quite well for yourself." His eyes glanced over Esme again.

"Good things come to those who wait, Garrett." Carlisle said.

Esme had almost asked Garrett if he wished to hunt whilst he stayed with them, however she managed to stop herself when she realised his red eyes. Garrett had clearly been a vampire for a very long time, and his scarlet gaze indicated that he had no urge to change his natural diet.

Instead, she and Carlisle had stepped out to hunt, leaving behind Edward who was all too eager to listen to more of Garrett's bizarre stories.

"You have interesting friends." Esme commented as they left the house far behind them, venturing out into the familiar forest.

Carlisle chuckled, his arm around her waist as they walked at a human pace. Although their intention had been to hunt, he felt as if he had barely seen Esme all day, so he was wanting to make the most of some alone time with her. The ring he had purchased earlier that day was in his office, safely tucked away in one of the drawers in his desk, as he feared it would burn a hole in his pocket soon enough. As much as he wanted to marry Esme, he wanted to wait for the perfect time to propose to her. There was no point in rushing when they had the whole of eternity.

"Garrett is definitely...something." Carlisle agreed, glancing over his shoulder to where the house was fading into the background. "I haven't seen him in many decades. Believe me, I was very surprised to catch his sent and find him on our doorway with you."

"He's very forward," Esme said. "Is he a ladies man?"

"He fancies himself as one, yes." Carlisle allowed, looking down at her with a puzzled expression. "Did he-?"

Esme shook her head quickly. "He was not inappropriate. I believe it is just in his nature to be charming. I was just a little surprised at his arrival, that was all."

Carlisle relaxed instantly. "Garrett has a way of showing up unannounced, and then when he leaves, you wish he had decided to stick around for a little while longer. I'm quite intrigued to find out his reason for fleeing wherever he was. I'm sure we'll hear that story soon enough, once he's stopped going on about all the wars he's fought in."

Esme laughed softly. "He certainly has a good way of describing things. He ought to be an author."

That comment earned her another chuckle from him. "For some reason, I have a hard time imagining Garrett writing a novel, but perhaps one day."

"Carlisle, his eyes...?"

He dipped his head. "Garrett lives the life that most vampires would deem 'normal'. He hunts responsibly, mostly. Even Garrett wouldn't risk running into trouble with the Volturi."

"Has he never wanted to try our way?" Esme asked.

The way she said 'our way' was another reminder to Carlisle how accustomed she had become to her life as a vampire. it filled him with pride, but also reassurance, even though Esme had never intentionally made him feel bad about changing her. "It is a personal choice. I never forced this lifestyle on Edward, or on you. You both very easily could have decided to turn against me, but you stayed by your own merit. It takes a lot of bravery to challenge what you are."

Esme couldn't picture living this life without Carlisle, so the decision had been easy for her. However, she rarely questioned whether Edward had had such an easy time making that decision as she had done. It made her feel a little impatient to get back to the younger vampire before his head started to get clouded with ideas...

"Garrett is very much set in his ways." Carlisle went on, bringing her away from her thoughts. "It would take someone truly remarkable to change his mind, and I'm afraid I am not his type."

At that, Esme threw her head back and laughed.

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For the next two nights, Garrett stayed with them, but he did not overstay his welcome. When his need to hunt became too much for him, he gracefully said his goodbyes, not wanting to make them feel uncomfortable with his hunting patterns. Esme had been sad to watch him go; he was a fun character, and she had enjoyed hearing all his stories.

At night, she would venture into the outskirts of the nearby town with Edward. Sadly, Carlisle had night-shifts at the local hospital, but Edward had been more than happy to help Esme, and she enjoyed his company. By the second night, she had felt comfortable enough walking through the darkening streets that Edward had allowed her to go further into the town.

"It's lovely here," She whispered, knowing only Edward would be able to hear her, but she still felt slightly strange walking around in the darkness whilst everyone slept.

Edward nodded. "Very quiet. There's never any trouble here."

"Edward?" Esme asked, stopping in her track so she could look at him. He stopped and faced her with a questioning look on her face. "How long will it be until..." ...until my eyes look like yours and Carlisle's? She couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud, and although she tried her hardest to speak out loud to Edward, she sometimes gave into the ease of using her mind instead of her words.

He gave her a comforting smile. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Esme. Yours are more golden than red now. It won't be long."

"I know." She sighed. Every time she caught her reflection in the mirror, her attention automatically went to her eyes. There was a thick band of gold around them now, but red still bordered her irises and made her feel uneasy.

"It took a couple of months for me." He said. "What is really bothering you, Esme?"

She should have known it was impossible for her to hide things from Edward. If he didn't hear it in her thoughts, he could read it on her face. "I miss people." She admitted, as they started to walk slowly out of town and back towards the house. "I love you and Carlisle more than anything, and your company is wonderful, but sometimes, I can't help but feel envious of the women who go out dancing at night."

"You'll get all those experiences." Edward reassured her. "One day, you'll be in the middle of the dancing without feeling an itch of thirst, because you'll be enjoying yourself far too much."

"Have you ever gone dancing?" She asked him, trying to picture it in her mind but knowing that it wasn't exactly Edward's scene.

He shook his head, ruffling his bronze locks. They glowed silvery in the moonlight. "Never. Call me old-fashioned, but I much prefer to watch."

"And Carlisle?" She ventured.

"The Volturi used to throw balls, he's told me before." Edward said. "I imagine Carlisle watched from the outside. He would never refuse a dance with you, however."

She smiled at that, delicately leaning down to pluck a small flower from the ground. "He'd probably be a terrific dancer. He's so good at everything."

Edward chuckled. "I think you'd be surprised at how little self-confidence he actually has in himself."

Absentmindedly twirling the flower in her fingers, Esme linked her arm through his. "One day, we'll all have to go dancing." She decided, smiling at the idea.

Edward scoffed good-naturedly. "Well, I apologise in advance for stepping on your feet."

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