A/N:
From the last chapter came two questions.
First question: How is Edward so innocent if he is over a century old?
My answer: Sometimes people that are overly sheltered stay very innocent. It doesn't matter if they are 16 or 100 years old, the years that a person walked this earth doesn't necessarily mean that they will be wise or know more than a 25 year old or even a 17 year old. Because wisdom and knowledge also depends on what that person has been through. My Edward hasn't been through much. Also, he is a teenager and he doesn't really care and has little interest in what happens in the human world. His behavior is meant to add comedy to this silly story and nothing more.
Second question: Why was there an older lady in the store that had inappropriate thoughts toward Edward?
My answer: Unfortunately there are sick people in the world that think like that random cougar toward teenagers. Since Edward can read minds he would be able to hear the bad intentions of those kinds of people. After reading "Midnight Sun" and learning that there was a school secretary by the name of Mrs. Cope who found Edward to be very attractive even though he is a student at Forks High. I began to wonder how many times that has happened to him. So I decided to add that in.
Now let's continue on with this story and find out what Carlisle is up to while Esme and their two youngest children are still out.
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Carlisle's POV
Sitting at my desk in my home office, the images on my computer screen change as I go from one website to another. I'm looking for something very specific - doing research on puberty. Well, actually trying to find anything that might be helpful with keeping an open dialogue with my son on this topic.
I have a feeling that Edward will have more questions about the changes he's experiencing and I need to be ready for anything he might ask. The last thing I want is to have another awkward talk with him and be taken aback by some of his questions.
Clicking on the link to one website that seems promising, I began to ponder over why talking about this sort of thing with my son takes effort not to become shamefaced, even though it doesn't seem like it should. After all, I am a doctor and have been for a number of years. I've seen a lot of different things that could be considered embarrassing but I didn't feel that way in the slightest.
I once treated a drunk man that oddly got his testicles stuck in a beer can after igniting a lighter underneath the can to see if the heat would pull them in the small opening. Evidently it worked and he claimed a buddy of his dared him to do it for entertainment at the house part they were at. I was surprised by the young man's sunny disposition despite his situation when I removed the beer can from its current resting place. Even after he sobered up, he was very proud of himself that he completed the dare. Sometimes humans are very odd.
I've also provided medical assistance to a young woman who was in her late teens. She was breastfeeding a newborn baby that was tongue tied and ended up getting mastitis because her baby was unable to latch on properly. She delayed being seen by a doctor for one reason or another until it was almost too late. Her right bosom was as enlarged as a cantaloupe and was the color of a bright red bell pepper while the left one was completely normal. Upon examining her breast I had to rush her into emergency surgery.
There was also a very strange patient that was a repeat offender of sorts, that I saw just about once a week when we lived in New York in the 80's. He was in the ER way too much for jamming items up in his anal cavity and I always seemed to be the doctor on the night staff that was capable of performing the procedure, when his activities seemed to take a turn for the worst. Every time the procedure was complete he claimed he was not going to do it again. Yet, he would be back the following week.
Obviously, I've dealt with some pretty awkward moments in the ER. But nothing prepared me for the uneasiness of informing my youngest son about nocturnal emissions (or wet dreams). Which was not easy to do. Nor was answering the many questions he had on that topic. He had a hard time warping his mind around how that could happen to him since we don't sleep.
I had explained to him that even though we don't sleep we are still able to experience a dream-like state when our minds go deep into a daydream. He understood that part and knew that I learned about that from my many years of vampire anatomy research that I did years ago when I was on my own. But that's not when I became aware that wet dreams can occur in adolescent males of our kind. I learned that back when I was in medical school when I lived in Italy. That was many years ago when I was on the Volturi Guard. At that time I discussed this matter as a doctor would with a patient when a young boy who was also a part of the Guard, experienced it and thought there was something wrong with him. His creator, who was my friend Aro, didn't know how to answer his questions and asked if I could assure the young boy that there was nothing wrong with him. I did.
Alec was the boy on the Guard, only four years younger than my son is in human years, that is. Though unlike Edward, Alec never went through a period where his hormones were dormant nor did his twin sister, they also had memories of their human life. Puberty was not a new concept for those children as it is for my boy.
Clicking on another website, I begin to ponder how new the concept of having human hormones is to Edward. He's seen it in other children's minds but none of that has truly prepared him for when he would finally go through it himself.
A soft knock raps on my door, bringing me out of my thoughts. Another soft knock is heard and I don't need Edward's ability to read minds to know who it is or even rely on my sense of smell. Each one of my children has a distinctive knock that gives me a clue as to who is standing outside the closed door even if they don't announce themselves beforehand. It amazed my children when I first let on that I knew them just by their knock. I also do the same just by listening to the sound of their footsteps.
"Come in," I call, no longer looking at my computer but at the door.
Slowly the door opens and in steps my oldest daughter. With her head held high - always so confident - as she walks in, right away I notice something is off. The expression on her face is not smooth, she seems a bit tense and I wonder why.
"Is everything alright, Rose?" I wonder.
Rosalie shakes her head. "Are you busy? I don't mean to bother you if you are."
"No bother at all." I reassure her, waving my hand for her to take a seat on either of the two big chairs in front of my desk. "What's on your mind, Kitten?"
I have nicknames for all of my children and Kitten is the pet name I call her. I've called her that ever since she became my first and oldest daughter in the beginning of 1934.
With a small smile Rosalie takes a seat in the same chair Edward sat in earlier. A mixture of apprehensiveness, shame and worry paint her young features. Seconds go by and she doesn't say a word which has me growing more concerned. Again, I ask her what's the matter. I patiently wait for her to speak while she takes a deep breath.
"Well," She finally says. "I wanted to speak to you about Edward. I'm worried about him."
Surprise, I look at her with raised eyebrows. I was not expecting her to want to talk about her brother, I was thinking this little chat would be more about school or something else. Something more personal.
"What about Edward exactly?" I tread lightly.
She sighs but doesn't say anything.
I look at her thoughtfully. Her silent behavior has me concerned.
To say that Edward and Rosalie have a less than easy sibling relationship is putting it very mildly. More often than not, there are immature squabbles between the two of them over nonsense such as she took his car magazine or he grabbed the TV remote and wouldn't let her change the channel when he was in the living room first. The list of their childish arguments goes on and has started since her first moments after her transformation when he irritated her the first time he spoke directly to her. It was rather ridiculous and made it clear to Esme and I just how childish a seventeen and nineteen year old could be.
From that day forward there have been so many childish squabbles that we had to break up between the pair.
And let's not forget after a huge argument between the two that took place months after her transformation that happened on the day she found Emmett. It was the summer of 1934 on a day that started out like any other but when I returned home that day, Esme informed me that our children had been fighting all day long. Which drove her crazy to the end and just for peace of mind, she separated the two of them. Sending Rosalie hunting while Edward was sent to the old barn out back, where he went to read his book.
Edward had gotten to his breaking point at that time. Only I didn't realize that until I received a peculiar call the following Saturday evening. Evidently he ended up getting in contact with a mob boss from Chicago in hopes of hiring out a very sufficient young female assassin that could kill a room full of people without leaving a trace behind. That's exactly what I was told that he had said when the mob boss's right hand man returned the call. They we're looking into that tip and hoping to hire that female assassin for a big job. Not knowing where he ever came up with that idea I politely told the man on the phone that I did not have any assassins that I was hiring out since I was a sergeant and a father. But I did have two teenagers, one of whom seemed to want very much to get rid of his older sister. The gentlemen on the phone who had kids himself found that very funny.
In 1961 I received yet another peculiar call. This time I couldn't be sure if it was that Rosalie finally reached her breaking point, or just seeking to get even with her youngest brother from when he tried to hire her out to the Mafia all those years ago. But whatever it was had NASA calling our house looking for a promising astronaut to send to the moon by the name of Edward Cullen. The woman on the phone explained that one of the astronauts fell ill and they were so happy that Edward's secretary got in contact with them before they had to abort the mission.
I was stunned that Rosalie would pull a stunt like that. Apologizing, I explained that Edward, my son, was no astronaut, but a high school student. He also didn't have a secretary, but an older sister who evidently wanted to send him to the moon after one of their childish quarrels about him playing a new song on the piano that she couldn't stand. Of course the secretary from NASA that was on the phone laughed as she apologized for the unnecessary call before we disconnected.
Luckily those were the days before we all had personal cell phones. During those times we only had a home phone and thankfully, I was there to answer it and not one of my many children at either of those times. I'm very grateful that the phase of trying to get rid of one another has long since passed, however I still take any little complaint that either of the two have against each other very seriously. I, as well as Esme, take action right away no matter how small the incident may be because we don't want it to escalate since Edward and Rosalie aren't always on the best of terms. Though, today they seemed to be okay with each other. I wonder what the problem might be.
"Would you be willing to share what's wrong?" I wonder, casually.
"It's about the girl he has a crush on." Rosalie admits, sounding a bit troubled.
Not seeing the problem behind her words, I gaze at her while I mull over what she could mean. I am as confused as I had been when Esme called me on my lunch break today. Even though I can't guess what Rosalie might say and the features on her young face are smooth, it's clear that she's really worried about something. I'm just not sure what is bothering her.
"Okay. Go on." I encourage her to continue.
"She's human and I'm worried about what that means for our family." She says with a heavy sigh.
My eyebrows pull together in confusion. I fail to see the concern needed for her statement. I'm aware that that girl that has sparked Edward's interest is human but why should that be a problem for our family?
"He's not the first member of this family to fall in love with a human." I remind her. "Your mother was human when we met and remained so throughout our courtship."
"Yeah, I know." Rosalie says. "But you guys, we're old. And no one says "courtship" anymore." She rolls her eyes, showcasing just how young she is. "That word is ancient. People nowadays use the term, hooking up, going together or even dating. We have to keep up with the slang or we'll all be looking like elderly."
Ignoring her teenage behavior, I chuckle. "Thirty-three is certainly not old and neither is your mother who stopped ageing at age thirty."
"I disagree. It's old to me." She says, shrugging her shoulders.
Shaking my head, I smile a little. Though I don't agree that Esme and I are old at all in human years at least. I realize that Rosalie, and the rest of my children, believe that anyone in their thirties is ancient. It's just silly teenage logic. That's all it is since they are frozen in their late teens with Emmett and Rosalie being the oldest at nineteen, Jasper eighteen in a half, Alice being two weeks away from her eighteenth birthday, while Edward had been seventeen for less than three months.
"All right, we'll agree to disagree then." I say, ending that topic. Trying to get back to the previous conversation I gently add, "I'm not sure what exactly has you worried about Edward and the girl he likes. But Emmett was also human when you fell in love with him." I point out.
"That wasn't the same. He wasn't able to stay human for long." She says in a whisper.
"I guess it's not really the same." I allow it. Thinking back to that fateful day when she brought him home, all mangle and bloody from the bear attract, I regret even trying to compare apples to oranges. "I was only trying to make a point that it's not unusual for vampires and humans to fall in love. Anyway, what is troubling you?"
"Lots of things." She replies. "But mainly, what happens when he tells our secret to her? What will that mean for the rest of us?"
"There are always exceptions to every rule. And mates are the one exception to telling a human what we are." I explain thoughtfully, trying to put her at ease.
"But humans like to talk and he's such a child he'll just spill everything - all of our secrets to her. He won't be able to hold back his tongue for some reason." She shakes her head in disgust.
"Edward is young but he knows what's appropriate to talk about and what isn't." I exhale, I wish she wouldn't think so little of him. "I believe you should give him more credit."
"Oh my God, Carlisle!" Rosalie moans, rolling her eyes. "Out of all of us "kids" he is the most childlike, the most immature. He definitely does not know what is appropriate to say." She pauses for a second, taking a deep breath. "I know you and Esme had your reasons for hiding him from the world before I entered the family and only began cautiously introducing him to the human world at that point in time because he had a talent. I also know that you guys love him as your own -"
"Your mother and I love each and every one of you kids as our own." I interrupted her.
Throughout the years she has made it known that she believes that Edward is the favorite child among Esme and myself. Though that isn't so. We don't choose favorites, we love all five of our children equally and treat all of them as our own because they are our kids, it doesn't matter that they had parents before us or which child arrived first. We love each and every one of them. All of them are ours.
"I know you guys love all of us." She agrees. "But I really think you and Esme overdid it with Edward. He is a dang cinnamon roll! He will just give away all of our secrets to the human girl. Just watch."
"A cinnamon roll?" I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.
"He's too soft and pure in a way that often makes him too sweet for the world." She explains. "Bless his heart."
The last bit of her words are full of sarcasm. I frown, disagreeing with her. Edward is innocent in a way, but he is also very intelligent.
Rosalie huffs in annoyances. I give her a firm look to warn her about her attitude.
"Carlisle, don't you see it's dangerous if he falls in love with a human? Both of them are too young." Her voice is whiny as she tries to make her point. "She's actually fifteen, kids that age may not keep a secret as huge as the one we have. And he's been so sheltered for the past eighty four years that he easily fits in with the younger teens, not so much as he has to move up in the grades. He's not up to date on reality at all." She shakes her head.
"Now that isn't fair to say about your brother. He is very intelligent." I point out to her.
"Hmph." Rosalie huffs, folding her arms over her chest. "Em, Jazz, Alice and I all have wisdom from our many years of being on this Earth. Where Edward seriously lacks it. At times he can be very childlike, sometimes too much." She lowers her voice to almost a whisper. "That's exactly why there's always a teacher or two that questions if he's on the Autism spectrum. He's too innocent - too childlike. I know you and Esme didn't mean to make him that way but it happened. Can't you see that?"
Raising my hand up like a school crossing guard trying to direct afternoon traffic, I put a stop to her words that are beginning to feel more like accusations.
Accusations about where Esme and I went wrong with our first and youngest child. I've heard these before from her so I have an idea about what she'll say. I try not to focus on the past as I begin to rub my forehead with my right hand. Instead I begin to go over what she said seconds ago. It's true that throughout the years some of Edward's teachers are quick to question if he is mentally up to par. He often doesn't seem like a typical teenager, once teachers notice that they want to label him. Beginning in the late 80's a few teachers at the high school that my children attended, brought up the idea of having Edward tested for Autism. I had never thought that. We complied with what the school asked even though Edward found it utterly ridiculous, even more so when the specialist said he wasn't on the spectrum.
"Edward is fine." I say, still rubbing my forehead. "I'm sure that if Edward begins a relationship with this girl he will begin to mature. A mate can change our kind in very unexpected ways."
"A vampire and a human. How romantic. Sounds like a fantasy, if you ask me." Rosalie's words are dripping with sarcasm.
Dropping my hand from my forehead, my eyes lock with hers. "Rosalie, please. That is enough. Please try to be respectful when your mother, Alice and Edward arrive home." My tone is stern. "Edward is going through a lot right now and he doesn't need to feel as though he has to defend himself from anyone, verbally or mentally. Understood?"
"Fine." She agrees, sounding less than pleased.
"Good." I give her a little smile.
"You have to admit he's playing a very risky game here." She says, not wanting to drop this subject.
I can see how much she wants me to agree with her. Though, in all honesty I can't.
I shake my head. She frowns.
In an instant Rosalie's lips stick out in a pouty way. She dislikes when others don't agree with her when she thinks they should, but that's not always practical. Sulking, she gets up and strolls over to the wall of framed paintings that I have been collecting for the past two centuries.
"I know it must seem selfish and I'm not trying to be. I am happy that he has a crush on a girl and that she likes him too. That much is obvious with the way they Still glances at each other in the cafeteria." Her eyes are on the paintings and her back is towards me as she speaks. "I just don't want something to go wrong and for us to have to move...again."
She stands there, her body language is a little defensive and one might even say a bit angry or even jealous. Though I know when it comes to my oldest daughter who can be headstrong yet sensitive, there is more than meets the eye.
I stand up, walking slowly until I'm next to her. Wanting her to open up and tell me what's more of what's on her mind I put my arm around her.
"I don't believe that anything will go wrong. Edward has great self control just as you and I do." I remind her.
She turns her head toward me. "I wasn't meaning that. Alice doesn't "see" that happening. Not at all."
That's a relief. Though now her words make me curious about something I didn't consider.
"Did Alice share with you about what she does see?" I wonder. "Regarding Edward and the girl he likes, I mean."
"Yeah." Rosalie sighs. "She said that Bella is his mate and Edward is on a fast train down to romance town, her words not mine." She rolls her eyes. "She also sees the girl becoming one of us in the future. Which means we would have to move so no one recognizes her. I really don't want to move. I love it here, there's so little sun."
My mind is reeling, spinning. My eyes focus on the paintings as I stand here with my daughter, going over what she just said. I suspected that Edward had properly found his mate but it was only a theory. Now, it seems that it is a certainty that we'll have a new member of our family when she's a little older. I never thought I would add another child to our family, though I know I wouldn't be able to say no to Edward if he should ask me to turn her. After all, he's waited the longest for a mate, whether he's aware of it or not. But of course Bella will have to consent to the change since it's different circumstances than the rest of us where changed. Though that would be when she's closer to his age as I have no plans on adding a fifteen year old to our family.
"Well, that could complicate things." I admit.
At the same time the words leave my lips I hear the door to the attic open and two pairs of footsteps go up there as well. My guess is that my boys are now up there looking for something.
"That's only half of it." She puts her head on my shoulder. "Alice is going to be best friends with the girl."
"Ahh." I now have more of an understanding why she's having trouble with this. It's a lot more than Edward's innocence or even having to move that has her concerned. "And you're wondering where that leaves you?" I guess.
"Uh-huh." She says.
"Alice will always be your sister, and who knows." I say brightly. "Maybe you will even gain a new sister as well as a new friend."
"I don't know. Alice has been my only sister and best friend for a very long time. It would be weird to add another." She says in a sad tone.
"It's perfectly fine to have more than one friend." I say. "You may have some things in common with Bella."
"I know that. She might be a good friend." She murmurs. "But I have no idea what I might have in common with a fifteen year old. Edward is two years younger than I am and we are worlds apart."
"You and him both enjoy cars." I point out. "I'm sure if you talk to her, eventually you'll find a common interest."
"Maybe." She mumbles.
"This will be your brother's first relationship." I remind her. "Please be gentle and nice to both him and her. There's no need for unnecessarily sibling rivalry between you and him. And definitely no need to be hostile to her when you see her at school or when the time comes and he shall bring her here."
"I won't. I'll do my best to be nice but I don't know about being friends. I can't make any promises on that." She says with a genuine smile. It's obvious that she won't be aggressive.
"That's all I ask." I can't help but smirk as I wrap her in a loving embrace.
Unfortunately, in her human life Rosalie was extremely spoiled and taught by her biological parents that her needs and wants should always come first. Esme and I have tried to break her out of that and teach her otherwise, but since our personalities are frozen in place from when we are turned, those bad habits of hers are a part of her. Which hasn't been easy since that hinders her from having a good bond with her siblings.
Simultaneously our hug comes to an end as the odd rich sound of an untuned accordion and the high shrill sound of bagpipes is heard throughout the house. There's no denying that the racket that can not be considered music by any means, is coming from the attic. Suddenly I hear the humming of a microphone as the uproar becomes louder and Emmett begins singing what can only be described as Opera music. Which is thanks to the microphones, echoes throughout the house. For a human this would definitely be a recipe for a migraine.
"What in the world?" Instinctively I look up at the ceiling.
"That's why Alice had Esme take her and Edward to the supermarket." Rosalie explains dully.
Not even sure what that is supposed to mean, I stare blankly at my daughter.
"Alice saw what would happen if she didn't step in and help Edward talk to his crush. On his own he didn't have a prayer in the world." She explains with a laugh. Slowly she points her finger up to the ceiling. "Em and Jazz are planning to convince Edward to stand outside the girl's house tonight and serenade her with a love song with lyrics they plan to help him come up with. All while they provide background music with instruments they think are romantic."
Running my hand through my hair as the commotion from upstairs becomes louder, I can't even wrap my mind around how my oldest sons would even consider this to be a good idea. To actually even think about carrying out their crazy idea that would definitely not be helpful to Edward. Also, the poor girl's father would not be happy in the slightest. Not to mention anyone living in a five mile radius would want to yell at them. Their "music" is a horrible ear piercing sound.
The blaring commotion continues, getting more obnoxious by the second. At times like this when my children act like the immature teenagers they truly are and do questionable things, I'm thankful we don't have any neighbors to witness the trouble they are capable of. If we did, someone would surely complain. Especially right this very minute.
"Goodness, it sounds like they are killing a cat." I say jokingly.
"It is really bad." Rosalie giggles. "I guess Alice was right to help Edward out because he is clueless when it comes to romance. I wouldn't be surprised if he took the poor girl for a walk in a corn field for their first date." She snorts. "He'll think it's romantic and she'll properly think it's a horror movie reenactment. Bless his heart, he really knows nothing about dating."
Though her words are a bit sarcastic I catch the love she has for her younger brother in that statement. What she says also gives me an idea, a suggestion.
"Thank goodness for Alice." I say and she agrees. "She's a good sister." I put my hand on her shoulder and give it a comforting squeeze. "Maybe you could be a good big sister too and help Edward out by giving him tips on where modern teenagers should go on dates. So he doesn't end up in a corn field." I joke, dropping my hand from her shoulder.
"Maybe." She says slowly. It's obvious that she's considering this.
"Okay. Well, I need to go get those two musicians out of the attic." With a smile, turn to the door.
"Have fun." She snorts.
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Thank you for reading.
Liked this chapter? Enjoying this story? Please leave a pleasant review. :)))
Any thoughts about what will happen next? Do you think Rosalie will give dating advice to Edward?
Rosalie may come off a bit salty and mean toward Edward. Though she does love and care for him, she just has a funny way of showing it. She also doesn't care that Edward was never attracted to her. This Rosalie wasn't brought into the family to become Edward's mate.
And yes, I know that in canon Carlisle is 23, Esme is 26, and that their older children are 18 - 20 years old. I changed their ages for this story. I wanted to make the parents a little older than their kids but still on the young side and for their kids to be all under 20.