Esme's POV

We sat in the cemetery for only a short while. The sun was threatening to come out from behind the clouds and dance off our skin. So Carlisle and I climbed back into the car, heading north, back into Ashland.

"Where are we going?" I asked him quietly. I hadn't said much since we left the cemetery. He glanced over at me.

"It's up to you love," he said, reaching over and taking my hand in his. I stroked the back of his hand with my other one. I thought for a few minutes.

"Where was the old hospital?" I asked him.

"It was on Saint Claire Street," he replied, "Right across from a church. It's just an empty lot on the block now. It was shut down after the current medical center was built on the south end," he added, "Is that our next stop?"

I nodded softly, "I…I don't want to go back to the cliff. At least not back in time," I told him, and he gave me an understanding nod, "Maybe on the way home,".

We were silent the rest of the short drive through town. Carlisle navigated the town with perfect memory. My feeble human memories couldn't recognize much, as I had only seen the town less than a handful of times. Ida had picked me up from the train station and would often fetch my groceries at the same time she went for her own, despite my protests. She was too kind, that old woman.

The train station where I had come into town was now a historical museum, as the line had been shut down. The city hall had been renovated several times in the last century that it stood, and the brewery had been expanded and updated. Most other buildings were new, completely renovated, or demolished and I could barely comprehend this was the same town I had built a life for myself in.

When Carlisle pulled the car up along the curb, beside and empty lot, he parked the vehicle and looked over at me.

"This is where it used to be," he said, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out the time turner by the pendant, the chain following in a trail. I sat looking at the empty lot with an old construction fence surrounding it. I took a deep breath, knowing that I would see what my husband what up to before my body was brought in, but also, I would get to see for the first time how badly the fall had broken me. I would see the horrific state my husband had seen me in. After a moment I looked over at him.

"Ready?" I asked him, and he nodded, hesitantly. We both climbed out of the car and stood near the hood. Carlisle took his hand in mine, and much like I had done most of the trip, wrapped the chain around our hands. This time it was him who turned back time to the point he wanted.

June 12th, 1921

Sunday; the day of my son's funeral, and the day I had jumped off the cliff…

When time stopped moving, the hospital was there. The empty lot had been filled with an outdated building, and people wandering in and out the front door. Carlisle smiled lightly as the sight of his old workplace. I was taking in the sight I had never seen before.

The sun was sinking towards the horizon as the evening hours approached.

"What time is it?" I asked my husband, who let go of the pendant and let it hang by out twined hands.

"Around four o'clock," he said. I swallowed hard, hesitant on the next question.

"What… what time… did you find me?" I asked nervously. He took a deep breath to stead himself.

"My shift was about to end when I was told I had to sign off on a post-mortem. I hadn't looked at the clock, but I could guess it was almost five. Maybe quarter too?" he said, and I nodded, "I think I'm in my office right now," he added, as we slowly walked along the path towards the front door.

Much like every other time, no one payed noticed to us as we entered the waiting room and Carlisle led me down a hallway, and through a door into a stairwell, up to the second floor.

"My office was just down this way," he said, and we passed doctors and nurses; some on their way in for a shift, some on their way out to go home. I followed alongside my husband until he stopped at a closed door. I peered through the window on the door, and saw a young man sitting at a desk, scribbling across some papers. He looked very calm, relaxed, content in his work, but focused.

"You look…sad," I said, looking up at my husband beside me. He gave me a sad look as well.

"No, not as much as I had been without Edward in my life," he said softly.

A nurse rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, with a clip board in her hands, and was headed our direction. She brushed passed us and timidly knocked on the office door. Dr. Cullen looked up from his paperwork and smiled kindly, motioning for the nurse to enter. She left the door open as she approached the desk.

"Abigail, what can I do for you?" the doctor asked, smiling.

"Dr. Cullen… before you go, we need you to sign off on a post-mortem that just came in," the nurse told him, passing a clipboard to the young and handsome doctor. "Also, the men who brought in the body are here as well if you want to speak with them,".

The doctor took the paperwork and scanned over it quickly before nodding.

"I will do that. Thank you, Abigail. I hope the evening shift isn't too harsh on you," he said with a smile, standing up. The young nurse smiled nervously, thanking the doctor, and excused herself from the room. Dr. Cullen cleaned up his own papers and left his office with the clipboard.

We watched as he brushed passed us and toward the stairwell, glancing over the chart again. Carlisle and I followed him back into the stairwell and down through the main floor. Dr. Cullen made casual pleasantries with fellow co-workers along his path towards the stairwell labelled basement. As we followed him, my ears picked up the conversation of two men who were outside the door of the morgue. Dr. Cullen interrupted their conversing as he approached them.

"Evening gentlemen," he greeted, and each man shook his hand. Their cold fingers from fishing made the doctors cold hands a thing they didn't notice.

"Evenin' doc," the first man said.

"You two gentlemen brought the body in?" Dr. Cullen asked, glancing at the chart he held.

"Yes sir doc. Found her in the water out by the cliffs," the second man said. I could vaguely remember the voices of the two men. When everything was black, and all there was, was pain.

"We were just sailing 'long the cliff line, casting a few lines before dark, when we heard the splash 'round the corner. Went to see what made it and it was a woman," the first one began, but was cut off.

"She was still warm when we pulled her outta the water. She fell I reckon,"

The first man hit the second man in the shoulder.

"Don't be talking 'bout the dead like that George. Disrespectful now, 'innit,"

The man, George, he shrugged slightly.

"Pretty face she had, even all mucked up as she is. Shame she gone on,"

"Thank you, gentlemen, for your service," Dr. Cullen said to the two men, and they shook hands again before parting ways. Dr. Cullen pushed the door to the morgue open and Carlisle and I slipped in behind him.

The room was darker, and dreary. The mood of the doctor almost changed immediately when he entered. He hung his head in a solemn way, looking at his chart.

Along one wall was several beds. Some were empty, some had sheets thrown over figures that were clearly bodies. The room smelled damp, and death hung in the air.

We watched as Dr. Cullen froze in his footsteps and listened, turning, looking at the row of beds, his eyes falling to one. He slowly inhaled, as if to taste the air. Then he slowly crept closer to one of the beds.

"Impossible," he whispered to himself. He loomed over the bed, listening. Even from where Carlisle and I stood, we couldn't hear what he was hearing. I moved closer, my husband coming with me, and stood at the foot of the bed. I gripped the metal frame that was the footboard of the bed.

Dr. Cullen slowly pulled back the white sheet over the body, revealing the face of the person beneath. The doctor gasped quietly at the sight of the woman, almost falling backwards a step.

Esme.

I gasped myself, my hand coming up to cover my mouth. I felt Carlisle rest a hand on my arm, squeezing.

Her face was blue and purple, and her hair line was caked in dried blood. As well as the collar line of the button up blouse she had on. I was afraid to see the rest of her body that was beneath the sheet, and how mangled it may be.

"Esme," Dr. Cullen said in a fearful whisper, and lowered himself, almost shakily, to sit on the edge of the cot. He reached out and brushed her hair from her pale and bruised face.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Then he leaned closer, almost to her chest, listening. Straining, I could hear the sad thump-thump…thump-thump of her dying heart. Despair crossed his face for several moments as his eyes scanned her. But then they had a glimmer of hope for a moment, and he hesitated, pulling the collar of her blouse away from the skin of her neck.

"Please work…" he said in a pleading voice to himself and leaned over her. "Forgive me,"

The gush of blood filled his mouth and seeped down her neck, soaking more of the blouse with blood as he sunk his teeth into her flesh. The smell filled the air and I tensed; though not as much as my husband beside me. It smelled appealing, but not as much as it should have. Perhaps the weak heartbeat was making it smell…off. I pressed a hand to Carlisle's chest to keep him still. He had to cover his nose with his hand instantly.

I watched as Dr. Cullen leaned in, in an almost uncontrolled instinctual way, and sunk his teeth in again, forcing more venom into the dying woman, before sealing off the wound. He rushed over to the sink, spitting out the mouthful of blood.

I looked over to my husband, who looked like he was in pain. His muscles were tensed, and I could tell he was clenching his jaw with a fury.

The smell.

My own blood clearly wasn't affecting me, but it was torturing him.

"Carlisle?" I asked. He closed his eyes, calming himself with a slow inhale through his mouth.

"I'm sorry love. I forgot…how powerful your blood was to me," he said, almost straining to control himself.

"Are you ok? We can go," I suggested. He shook his head softly.

"I'm ok," he said softly in a whisper.

I turned back to Dr. Cullen who stood up after regaining his composure, and quickly went about filling out the chart, and making it look like the body had been claimed by a family. Then he leaned over Esme, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Please work," he whispered desperately again, before scooping her up in his arms. That was when I saw more of the damage to her body. One leg was clearly broken, as was one arm. I couldn't tell the further extend with the gown she had on.

Carlisle and I followed, until we were standing outside the back door, where the doctor looked back checking for witnesses, before disappearing at vampire speed through the trees, with Esme cradled limply in his arms.

Carlisle had seemed to calm down after we had stepped outside, the fresh air flushing out the scent of blood in his nose.

"Do we follow, or go back first?" I asked, looking into the tree's where Carlisle had disappeared.

"We can take the car back to the house, and then head home after," he said. I nodded softly, lifting our hands to turn time back to the 21st century.

OoO

April 17th, 2023

Carlisle and I were standing back outside the fence of the old hospital lot, the car to the side of us. The street was quiet, the sun hiding behind the clouds. I unwrapped our hands and slipped the chain in my pocket. He opened the passenger door for me, and I climbed in, allowing him to close it behind me.

He climbed into his seat and started up the car.

"Carlisle?" I said softly, gaining his attention. He looked over at me, his eyes were so dark from the smell of the blood, they were practically black, "You need to feed, my love. Your eyes are black,".

He sighed, nodding, as we pulled out onto the main road and headed back towards the house. I slid my hand into his, leaning over and pressing my lips to his shoulder.

"I love you," I mumbled against his clothing. He reached a hand over and touched my cheek softly and giving me a gentle smile.

"My throat is on fire," he whispered hoarsely. I ran my fingers up his arm,

"We'll go hunt at the house," I told him.

"I… I forgot how much your blood affected me," he said quietly, his face contorting in pain just at the thought.

"I'm sorry," I told him, feeling bad for making him go through that, more so because it hadn't affected me at all.

"It's ok. You can't control it. It's not your fault," he said as he ran his thumb over the back of my hand, "You don't choose your singer. And it's rare that you have the control to not kill them instantly… Even I…" he began explaining but trailed off.

"Carlisle?" I asked, urging him to continue.

"Even I… briefly lost myself…to the taste of your blood," he said in a very low tone, hanging his head. I sighed.

"Carlisle…I just saw what happened, and you have nothing to feel bad about," I told him, "Edward, he did the same thing to Bella. Love, you hardly lost control… And I mean… I can't blame you," I told him, offering up a smirk, "But I can't help that I taste so good," I added, earning a chuckled out of him, and in turn a smile out of me, "Lighten up my love, everything is okay," I said softly, reaching to give him a kiss on the cheek, "You've been here with me for every hardship I've had to face again. I'm here for you if this is hard,"

He offered me another soft smile and remained silent the rest of the way.

My gaze fell to the clock on the center of the control panel. It was only 11 o'clock in the morning; no more than 2 hours since we had left the house before, even though we had spent several days worth of time in the past. It was still strange to me to experience so much time going by in the past, but not a moment went by in the present.

OoO

As we pulled up to the house, and Carlisle turned off the car, I climbed out and inhaled the air. The faint scent of deer was being blown in our direction by the wind.

"We should head east, over the river," I suggested, and Carlisle nodded, following me as we crossed the yard, getting a running start to jump the river, and headed into the trees.

It was only a mile or two before the scent was so strong that Carlisle lost himself to his hunger and took off ahead of me. I slowed down and let him have his pick of the herd. I crouched down on a rock, downwind from the big buck and three doe that were grazing on the new bits of grass that were growing up through the old grass of last year.

I watched my husband take down the buck, sending the other three running; two to the south and one straight to me. I pounced on the doe, taking it down and draining it slower than usual. The warm blood flowed down my throat, temporarily taking away the burn.

When I looked up from the drained corpse, my husband was looking over at me, with his buck laying lifeless a few feet from him. The gold in his eyes was slowly returning and he looked better in the face.

"Good?" I asked him, and he nodded. I smiled softly and walked towards him. I reached up and cradled one cheek against my palm, admiring the returning gold as it seeped into the black, overtaking it completely.

"I'm better," he said, his voice quiet. I raised my other hand to cup both sides of his face and stood on my toes to kiss his lips softly. It was short, sweet, but comforting.

"I love you," I said softly to him, "And I'm here. So don't be afraid," I added, and slipped my arms around his neck, burying myself in his scent as I pulled him down to my level and hugged him.

"I love you too," he whispered near my ear, placing a kiss on my neck…