Carlisle

Carlisle looked at the older vampire, his mind a crystal clear blank. He did not have many memories of his last day as a human, especially the last few moments. Time had turned it all into one violent blur.

Before he could dwell on it for long though, Rosalie spoke.

"Get in the car, Dad," she snapped, her eyes trained on every movement of the older vampire. The man was still grinning, but he had started walking backwards, away from them and the hospital. Edward was leaning forward, ready to pounce.

"Edward, Emmett," he let out a low warning, stopping them. The man let out a bark of laughter before he turned and ran, at a human pace first, avoiding the huddled group of people near the charred Mercedes, sprinting out of sight of the humans. Through the trees, Carlisle saw him break into the full superhuman speed and disappear out of sight.

Looks like living in a house full of teenagers on steroids paid off for Cullen, huh.

The remark from one of the hospital staff behind them startled Carlisle into motion and he opened the back door of the car, sliding in behind the driver's seat.

Did you look at his kids? They looked like they were about to kill the man.

Rosalie got into the driver's seat and gave an impatient honk at Edward and Emmett.

The gossip was starting and it would only spread from here. Carlisle listened out, trying to see if any of them caught anything suspicious from the entire interaction. Everyone had something to say but one caught his attention.

Zealot? That does sound like Cullen. I mean the man speaks in bible verses, has a wife he keeps hidden away at home and his son got married straight out of high school…

That statement in itself was nothing more than a snide remark. There was more than one person in town who thought they were a cult. It was the reply to that statement that worried him.

Religious is one thing but I never took him to be homophobic. Do you think he let this man's boyfriend die…intentionally? I mean for the man to pursue it this hard, after so many years…he must have some reasons. Maybe Dr. Stewart ought to ring up his old hospital and ask about that.

Carlisle could only imagine the trail of falsified documents an investigation into his career would bring out.

Rosalie gave another impatient honk at his two sons. "Let's go," she hissed.

Emmett was still glowering and Edward's brows were furrowed but they got into the car and Rosalie pulled a sharp U turn, tearing down the road away from the hospital.

"How did you-"

"Alice," Edward answered his incomplete question. "We came as soon as we could."

"You kept on disappearing and reappearing in her vision until the man had his hands around your throat," Emmett said, finally looking away from the foliage that the vampire had disappeared into.

"Ah, yes," Carlisle sighed. "A young Quileute boy was in the Emergency today."

Rosalie growled, still not happy about the constant presence of their allies.

"Where is Esme?" Carlisle stopped himself from imagining the vampire picking up their scent and following it to their house before they reached.

"Jasper is with her," Edward's answer soothed his unspoken worry but only marginally so. "Alice, Bella and Jacob too."

The idea of his family separated while a hostile vampire roamed about unnerved him. Especially one that had a direct vendetta against Carlisle. He had seen far too recently the grievance with one of their kind being taken out on their mate.

Jasper was a hundred times more capable of defending his mother that Carlisle could ever hope to be and Alice would see if the man decided to make a detour to their house. Bella could render most gifts useless and Jacob's presence was an added benefit. But a part of Carlisle knew he would be calm only when Esme was in his sight, by his side, safe.

The tight knot in his abdomen would settle down only and only when his entire family was together. He hated the idea of Alice, Bella or Renesmee at the house, with just Jasper to protect them if it came to a physical fight as much as the thought of Esme being vulnerable. Together their family was strong enough to make the other vampire pause and make him more open to reason with.

"You are not talking to him!" Edward turned back from the passenger seat, his eyes incredulous.

"Edward, he's grieving," Carlisle said, his voice soft. "Perhaps he would listen-"

Edward turned back, shaking his head, his voice hard. "We'll talk about this at home."

"When Esme is there to knock some sense into you," Rosalie muttered under her breath.

Despite the situation, Emmett, his goofball of a son let out a laugh and Carlisle leaned back into his seat. They were not about to hear him out. It would be best to push this conversation for later.

"Rose, slow down," Edward warned and Rosalie looked at him for a second before she eased her foot off the gas. A few moments later, they could hear the sound of humans. Radio chatter and people talking. The car slowed further as Rosalie turned the corner and the sight came into view.

A white van, overturned in the middle of the road. The two police cruisers that had been at the hospital now stood to the side of the road and the officers were out, around the van.

"One moment he was there and the next, just gone!"

Carlisle leaned forward when he saw the mother from the ER in hysterics as she gave her statement to the policeman. Charlie was there too. The man stood with his hands on his waist, investigating the scene. The passenger side of the car was blown out and the glass was shattered. But the car hadn't hit anything.

The air was reeking with the smell of the young wolf. And through that, the sharp scent of blood. His eyes darted to his children. Emmett, almost reflexively, held his breath. Rosalie and Edward remained unperturbed. Carlisle, like always, felt a momentary pang of pride when he saw how far his children had come along. Then his eyes followed the scent. The mother. She had multiple cuts and abrasions and one of the cuts on her forehead was bleeding a lot more than others.

Carlisle wondered if he should stop and help. There was no ambulance or EMT on site yet, although he was certain they'd be there soon. Or someone would drive her to the hospital. A little selfish of him but the woman was not in any imminent danger and he really wanted his family to be at one place.

Rosalie wrinkled her nose when the smell of the wolf hit her over the blood.

Someone from the packs would track down the boy and explain everything to him. The accident was unfortunate but Carlisle was glad the mother survived her son phasing for the first time.

Charlie turned around when their car crawled closer.

"Are you okay, Dr. Cullen?" Charlie asked, leaning near his window. "I heard of disturbance back at the hospital again."

"Yes, I am quite alright Charlie," he smiled at the man who looked far too tired for this early in the morning. "I called the kids to come pick me up."

Charlie looked at Emmett beside him and nodded, waving them ahead as he went back to his work.

He experimenting on them or something? Carlisle heard Charlie mutter before the chief shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

Rosalie drove at a reasonable speed until they turned another corner and then flattened the gas. His daughter did not have much regard for the bumps on their driveway and their arrival was heralded by a spray of gravel on either side.

The moment he opened his door, Esme was there. She had a death grip on his shirt, her face buried in his torso. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down, breathing in her heady scent. It felt like heaven amidst the constant evidence of Jacob's presence in the air. His arms tightened when he realized she was shaking like a leaf.

"Everything is okay," Carlisle whispered. He took a step back and with one finger, guided her chin up, looking at the face of the woman he loved. He smoothed out the furrow on her brow with brush of his lips. He could see the unshed tears flooding her eyes, her immortal body not permitting her to express the fear that her eyes betrayed. He leaned down once again and captured the quivers in her lips with a soft kiss. "We are all going to be all right," he promised her and pulled her to his side, his arm around her shoulder and her around his waist as they made their way into the house.

Edward, Emmett and Rosalie had already darted in and Carlisle walked in with Esme at a human pace. On the threshold of the gate, he turned back and looked into the forest as far as he could see. It was futile and he knew it. His son and daughter would be able to give him far better a heads up of any danger than his own eyes ever could.

They were all waiting in the living room.

Jasper and Alice stood in the middle of the room. Rosalie had taken her place beside Emmett at the end of the stairs. Edward and Bella stood against the piano. He could hear two steady hearts from the third floor. Jacob and Renesmee in Edward's room. The steel barriers on the back and the sides of the house had been rolled down.

"We kill him," Emmett said, his voice flat. "Alice can find him and Jasper and I can take him down. Edward and Rose will stay with you, Esme, Bella and Renesmee. It'll be easy."

Before Carlisle could say anything, Alice spoke.

"I can't see him anymore," she sounded dejected. "I saw him when he first attacked Carlisle. And then when he went to the hospital again. I saw you all reach and him bolt away. But he disappeared after that and I can't see him."

"We can pick up his scent from the hospital and track him from there," Jasper stepped in.

"No," Carlisle put a stop to their planning. "No one's going after him. He hasn't done anything-"

"Carlisle he tried to kill you," Bella's incredulous look was mirrored by most of his family. "And if he says you killed his mate…I don't think he is going to give up on that."

That was indeed something bothering him. Carlisle still could not remember much of his last moments. The man claimed to be his creator but Carlisle had no clear memory of him.

"He remembers you though." Edward was looking at him, answering his thoughts. "I read his mind when he was talking. It was when you were human. You were the one who found them. He had seen you walking through the area many times before that night. You lead the group that went to hunt them. He remembers you there. He attacked and grazed you on your hand. But there were far too many people so they ran. They were surrounded though and this man made it out alive but his mate got distracted by blood and was caught and burnt."

Carlisle did not like thinking about that night. He actively avoided it. Perhaps that was why he had forgotten most of it. Even as his son described the night from his victim's point of view, he got only faint wisps of recollection.

"He caught your scent when he was in the area again, a week later." Edward continued. "He knew it was you and that you were one of them now. But you had left the place by then. That was when he swore to find you."

Edward fell silent and Carlisle was unsure what to say.

"Maybe that's why Alice didn't see him earlier," Bella wondered out loud, looking between him and Alice. "Because he made the decision in the 1600s and hadn't made any other, significant decisions until now."

It did make sense. But Carlisle was still loathe to kill him. He had already hunted this man down once. He had already put him through the agony of losing his mate and living without his love on this world for hundreds of years. The thought of living, even a day if he were to lose Esme…Carlisle suppressed a visible shudder that went down his spine and shook his head.

No, he couldn't kill him. Carlisle had wronged him enough.

"He's my creator," he said, softly. "And his anger is justified. I attacked him and my actions led to his mate's death. I owe him an apology if nothing else. Perhaps if he sees the size of our family, he might reconsider his stand. But we are not killing him until we have exhausted all other options."

His voice remained low but it was firm.

Carlisle could see the disagreement on his family's face. From a worried acceptance in Esme to straight up outrage on Rosalie's, they all held varying degrees of exasperation towards him. But despite her gritted teeth, even Rosalie held her tongue.

So Carlisle was a little taken aback when it was Jasper who disagreed. His veteran son did not have much to say about anything until it concerned Alice's safety. And while this particular vampire's visit was unfortunate, it was at most a temporary inconvenience, not a real threat.

"He's you creator, Carlisle," Jasper spoke, choosing his each word with a deliberate slowness. "Not-"

Whatever Jasper was going to say remained unspoken as he abruptly stopped talking. Renesmee bounded down the stairs, Jacob at her heels. She made a beeline for Carlisle and wrapped herself around his waist. She was getting tall, but her growth had slowed down enough. From a rough estimation and a long talk with Huilen, Carlisle knew she would not grow too much for the next three years before entering another, her final, growth spurt.

She raised her hand out for him and he leaned down till her palm touched his face.

He smiled at the image she showed him and shook his head.

"No, darling," took her hand in his and squatted down so that he was at her level. "No one's going to harm me."

"No one's getting past your Aunts and Uncles and parents," Emmett boomed out a laugh before bounding up to them and picking up Renesmee in his arms. "And if they do, we're gonna beat him to pulp. Your grandfather is exasperating, but we love him too much."

Renesmee giggled when she saw Emmett's mock eye-roll at his expense. She placed her hand on his cheek and whatever she showed him made him laugh out loud once again. Across the room, Edward chuckled too.

Carlisle was curious but happy enough to see his family at ease. So he did not pry. Instead, he tugged Esme's hand and they together darted up the stairs to his study.

The door locked with a soft click and Carlisle shook his head when he heard Emmett hoot from a floor below. The sound of a satisfactory smack to his head made the parents chuckle.

"Thank you, Rose," Esme laughed.

Carlisle sat on his large chair and pulled Esme onto his lap. He sighed and leaned back into the chair. Esme adjusted herself so that she could sit comfortably, leaning against his chest with her legs thrown over the armrest of the chair. She pressed against his torso and Carlisle engulfed her in an embrace, resting his chin over her head. He allowed himself to indulge the delightful steadiness of Esme's breath that caressed his collar softly.

Even after over eight decades, Carlisle never failed to marvel how easy it was to be with Esme. The way Esme's body molded itself around him, pressed flushed against his own, it convinced him more and more everyday that he was made to be with her.

One of his hands rested on the small of her back, his thumb running smooth circles through the satin shirt she wore. The other took the opportunity to flutter all over her body. It studied the curve of her hips, caressed the soft smoothness of her cheeks. He ran his thumb over her lips, slowly before he let it drop to her lap, entwining his long fingers with her skillful ones.

She tightened her grip on his hand and he stared at them until he noticed her eyes on his face. He turned his face so that he was looking back at her, their lips only inches apart.

Out of habit, his ears listened out around the house, quickly taking in where each of his children were. Most of them were on the front porch of the house, playing with Renesmee. Edward and Alice were in the living room, having one of their silent conversations. He wondered what they were discussing.

But he did not have much time to ponder.

Esme rolled her eyes at his instinctual check and leaned up, closing the forsaken gap between them. He tasted the sweet, angelic taste of his wife's lips and sighed into the kiss before they parted. Esme shifted, adjusting her hips to better reach his face and Carlisle was glad she silenced his soft moan with another quick kiss.

Jacob's phone ringing at the exact same time helped too.

His wife smiled at the tense expression on his face and shooed away each line marring his marble skin with kisses. She shifted again and Carlisle's grip on her thighs tightened, his finger creating a small rip in the side of her skirt.

"Oh dear, beg your pardon," he breathed out the archaic apology, smoothening the fabric. Esme laughed, the sound of wind chimes in a summer evening breeze and Carlisle gave an abashed smile to his wife.

Esme pressed her lips tightly, not making a sound as Jacob sprinted up the stairs to get his phone from Edward's room. He crossed their door and Carlisle frowned, pulling Esme tighter against him.

"What is it?" she asked, her finger tracing his wrinkled nose while her eyes remained closed against his chest.

When he did not answer right away, Esme opened her eyes, leaning away a little to look at his face better. Her fingers traced his frowns and downturned lips.

"Carlisle, is everything okay?" She asked, sitting up straighter. "Tell me whats bothering you?"

Her playfulness was gone, her eyes worried and Carlisle sighed too.

He did not know what exactly it was. Nor did he know how to put it in words. At least in nicer words. He feared Esme's loving, welcoming nature would not like what he had to say. In a house full of people with super hearing, his family had to get creative about having conversations they did not wish to be overheard. Carlisle's study and the presence of stationery helped him in that moment.

Edward would see it in Esme's mind. He probably already did in Carlisle's. But over the past few decades, Carlisle had come to know Edward well enough that he was certain his son knew when to keep an information to himself.

He reached out behind him and pulled out one of his older journals. One of the few that he hadn't burnt over the years. He flipped the leather-bound, eighteenth century notebook to its last page and picked up his pen.

The nib hovered over the handmade paper yellowed with age.

There indeed was no nicer way to express what he wished to say. So he wrote it down in four simple words for Esme to see.

Jacob needs to leave.