AN: Ready for more drunken Edward and a peek into his relationship with Esme?

This one happens the same night/morning of Outtake 1 (chronologically right after Chapter 4 of Ready For Forever).

Thanks to Kristen (everywheresky) who pre-read this, and to Mel (mcc101180) who turns my clunky sentences into beautiful lines (and calms my nerves, and tells me I'm good, and is overall just the best). As always, I change stuff after they've worked on it, so any remaining mistakes are all mine.


OUTTAKE 2. I Think I'm Falling

~o~

THEN

~o~

Esme's house. Forks, Washington. Sunday, July 16th, 2006

Esme was woken up by the commotion outside. As she gazed out of the living room window, she could see Edward and Charlie perched against the cruiser, having what looked like an intense conversation. A glance at the clock over the mantle showed that it was already five in the morning, so she decided to make coffee and wait for them to finish up.

A few minutes later, she could hear Edward struggling with his keys at the door. After the fourth or fifth try, she opened the door for him.

"Crap…" He looked up at her, startled, and then slumped onto the door frame. His eyes were in slits, his hair all over the place, and a grin stretched on his face.

"Edward, are you okay?" She couldn't help but worry. He looked like he could collapse at any moment.

"Yeah…" He took a deep breath. "I'm just very, very drunk." His smile dropped into a frown. "I'm so sorry."

When a hiccup escaped his lips, confirming his state, Esme sighed. "All right, come in here." She wrapped a hand around his arm and helped him inside.

"Don't worry." He took a shaky step forward, his hand immediately reaching for the back of the couch for support. "I already got an earful from Charlie about underage drinking." He snorted, losing his balance, steadying himself up on her arm. "I know better than this, Esme. You have taught me better than this. I'm really sorry."

Esme held his arm, guiding him around the couch, when she noticed his hair.

"Edward, did you fall?" She picked at twigs and grass that were intertwined with his hair.

"Maybe," he said, before he burst out laughing. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry." He lifted his hand up in an apology, turning to look at her.

"How about a shower?" Esme suggested, guiding him to the downstairs bathroom—she didn't think it would be a good idea for him to attempt to tackle the stairs.

"Okay," he agrees at once.

She left him in the bathroom and closed the door but stayed nearby just in case—he looked pretty wobbly.

When she heard a loud thud coming from inside, she knocked on the door. "Edward, are you okay in there?"

She could hear him singing but he didn't answer. After the sound of metal clanking, she could hear him cursing. "Edward?" She knocked on the door again. "Answer me or I'm coming in!"

As there was no response, she opened the door, to find him slumped in the bathtub, fully dressed, with his legs hanging over the edge of the tub. The shower curtain, rod and all, was on the floor, and water was pouring over him from the shower head.

His shoulders were shaking with laughter, and there was a soaked cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Oh, dear." She reached and turned the water off.

"Oh, no…" He almost cried, looking at the pack of cigarettes in his hand. "They got all wet!"

"They're bad for you anyways," she said, taking them from him and throwing them in the garbage can next to the sink.

She knelt next to the tub, removing his shoes and socks before placing his feet inside the tub.

"Edward, what happened?" She helped him sit up. "Did that boy Emmett push you to drink?"

"No... I mean, we push each other. But this isn't his fault."

"Then what happened?"

"Seventeen's not turning out to be all that," he said with a sigh. His eyes were sad and unfocused.

"What's going on? Talk to me." She reached for his hand on the edge of the tub and wrapped her fingers over it.

"I think I'm falling for Bella," he blurted out.

She never thought he would actually tell her, but she had suspected as much. She let go of his hand and sat on the edge of the tub, helping him remove his soaked shirt.

"Well, you guys have been very close for quite a while now." She wrung his shirt, water spilling from it next to him, before she placed it in the sink. "It was bound to happen, I think."

"No, Esme, like I can't stop thinking about her." His eyes widened momentarily, before they were back in slits. "Every night, every morning, and every freaking minute in between." He ran his hands down his face and then started laughing. "I'm so screwed."

"This is Charlie's daughter we're talking about." She knew why Edward would be hesitant. Charlie cared for Edward as his own son, and Edward admired and respected Charlie in return—he would never do anything to betray his trust.

"I know!" Edward dropped his head back, wincing as he bumped it against the tile.

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"Ha! No…" He closed his eyes, his head still rested back against the tile.

"Maybe she feels the same way?"

At her words, he perked up, his eyes open and on her. His face turned serious then, and with effort, he inched closer to Esme, grabbing her hands in his. "How do I know that?"

Esme almost chuckled at the look on his face—big eyes stared up at her as if she held all the answers in the world.

"Well, how have you known with the others?" She rubbed her fingers over his hands. Edward wasn't a stranger to dating, and Esme had already met a few girls he had brought home.

"They've been pretty forward, I don't know…" He shrugged. "Before I knew it, they were throwing themselves at me. Kissing me..." He glanced at Esme with a sigh. "But I think Bella is immune or something... Can one be too deep in the friend zone?"

"Friendship is the foundation of long-lasting love. At least, I think so." Esme smiled, shaking her head at him and his frustrated groan. "The only way to know for sure if she's into you is from her telling you, verbally, but there could be some other signs."

"What are the signs?" he asked urgently, a tremor running through his body.

"Well, does she try to be near you?" Esme reached for the towel and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"All the time!" He closed his arms around his chest, tightening the towel around him.

"Does she look extra nice for you?" Esme's hand helped steady him as he got out of the tub.

"Esme, she looks nice all the time. Better than nice…" He swayed in front of her, lowering himself to sit on top of the toilet.

"Did she do something special for your birthday?" It didn't seem he was done talking, so she sat on the edge of the tub facing him.

His eyebrows shot up in his forehead, and he dropped back, his eyes flashing with memories in realization. "She did!" he whisper-yelled.

"Yeah?"

"It was so fucking special…" His eyes found Esme's then who was looking at him in shock. "Sorry… sorry," he whispered. "She wrote me a song. I mean it was a play on Merry F'ing Christmas, you know? From South Park? But for my birthday. It was so funny. And the card… the Eric Cartman card was handmade too. Yeah, I'd say it was special…"

"Hmmm…" Esme knew Bella very well, having watched her grow up in the house next door. She was a sweet girl and she loved intensely those she cared for. As Bella got older and came to rationalize the ramifications and implications of her mother leaving, she had started to close off. She kept people at a distance—Esme included. She obviously cared for Edward though, and Esme hoped she would open up her heart to him when she was ready.

Lost in thought, Esme was startled when Edward sat back up suddenly, almost tipping over and off the toilet. "Oh!" He held on to Esme, steadying himself. "She had that shiny stuff on her lips on my birthday. She almost never wears that!" He shook under the towel again, his lips trembling.

"Let me get you some dry clothes." Esme laughed and ran her fingers through his soaked hair. She needed to get him dry and in bed for a good rest. "Oh, Edward, isn't today your concert at the fair?" Her eyes widened as remembrance hit her suddenly.

He nodded, taking a deep breath and puffing his cheeks. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

"We better tell Charlie then; you'll be in no condition to play."

"What? No. I'm going. It'll be fine. I just need to sleep it off." He ran a hand down his face, shaking his head.

"Isn't it at noon? That's in six hours."

"I'll sleep it off quickly." He tried to get up from the toilet, steadying himself with a hand on the sink, but slumped back onto the toilet in defeat. "Oh, she's going to kill me."

"Edward…"

"It'll be fine, Esme. It's only ten songs. And I know them all by heart. She's had us practice every single day. I could play them in my sleep."

"I'm sure they'll understand if you're too sick to play."

"Have you seen her play recently?" Edward continued, avoiding Esme's worries. "She really takes it to another level, Esme. Sometimes, I get lost in her playing, and before I know it, the song is over, and I don't even know how I got through it. It's like we're one person when we play. It's amazing."

Esme looked at her son, her heart swelling at witnessing him so clearly in love. She knew that as the responsible parent she should be disappointed in him from drinking, worried, saddened. And she was. All of those things. But she was also glad to have the opportunity to experience this side of him. One she never got to see.

"I just need to get myself there," Edward continued, pushing himself off the toilet and this time succeeding. "Once I start playing with her, I probably won't even feel sick."

He swayed in front of her as she gave him another towel for his head. "I'll be right back." She gestured at his dripping hair before she stepped out of the bathroom.

When she returned holding dry clothes, he had gotten rid of his pants and stood in his boxers in the middle bathroom, the towel still wrapped around his shoulders. She set his clothes over the sink counter, smiling at him. His eyes lingered on her as she stood by the door.

"What is it?"

He shook his head, with a sweet smile and flushed cheeks, his eyes still in slits.

She closed the door and waited for him outside, while she arranged the couch for him to sleep on. She still didn't trust him going up the stairs.

Once out, he dragged his feet to the couch and dropped there, chuckling at the bucket on the floor in front of the couch. "Good idea," he said to her with a snort. "Also, I should probably avoid the carpeted bedroom, right?"

"Yes, please."

He smiled as he dropped his head on the couch and closed his eyes.

She fixed his pillow and made sure his head was to the side. Just in case. He could probably use fluids, but water would have to do.

"Esme?"

"Yeah?" she said, taking a seat in the chair next to the couch. She didn't have to leave for her shift for a few hours, so she planned to make sure he was okay during that time.

"Do you think I could call you 'Mom'?" he murmured in a whisper that was barely audible.

His question shocked her.

"Mom" was one of the few things Esme ever wanted to be in life. During the years she had been married, God hadn't blessed them with kids, and while they were open to adopt, after her husband died, she couldn't find it in her to do it on her own.

When Charlie brought Edward into her life, broken and needing someone as well, she never hesitated, and from that moment on, she vowed to take care of him. What he had given her in return—the privilege to be his first foster and then adoptive mother—meant more to her than he could have ever imagined.

"Of course, you can, Edward," she said, glad his eyes were closed so he couldn't see the tears in hers.

"I want to… call you that." He rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling, dropping his arms over his head. "It's just… It's hard for me, without thinking about the past…" He took a deep breath, giving Esme enough time to collect herself before he turned his head and peeked at her from the couch. "But I wanted you to know, that… that's what you are to me, even if I don't say it."

She reached for him on the couch and kissed his forehead. "You don't have to say it, Edward. I know."

~o~

AN: Is he the sweetest? Pls let me know what you think! I love reading your reviews. Friday we're back to the main story and their "Arrangement Then". Thanks for reading!