A/N: Thanks to everyone for the love for my little story! Won't waste time, more at the bottom :)

Chapter 4: The Prodigals

Edward

If I had known this is what my life was going to be like, I would have demanded that Carlisle kill me rather than save me. Or save my mother. I guess that I was relieved, in a small way, that we hadn't just died in the hospital all those years ago, but having to live as a monster was really not my idea of living.

Esme made things moderately more bearable. At least she wasn't dreaming of being with my mother all the time. She was quiet, but funny – though troubled by her human life. We got along quite well, as the sister I never thought I'd have. She was never more than that, though I could hear Carlisle thinking about it now and then. I wondered what had made him so convinced that was even necessary in this new life.

Perhaps it was my mother's influence that kept him thinking about love. She was a realist, yes, but she had a soft side also. I remember how she and my father were together, and I knew how much they were in love. The Mason family was built on strong men and meek women, but my mother blew them all away with her brawniness. None of them knew what hit them when my mother came into the family. It was part of why my father loved her so much.

I guess I can understand why Carlisle loved her, but that didn't mean that I had to like it. Honestly, I wish he would just forget about it. It would make my life easier. Esme didn't really have a deep connection with either of them. She had been hurt so badly as a human that she really didn't remember much at all. I knew that my own human memories were muddy, like something out of a dream more than anything. They didn't seem real. Esme suffered from this also. So, though Carlisle had said they were friends, Esme didn't remember him.

She was closer to my mother, feeling a kindred spirit in her. I loved that my mother had a friend, and me, too, if I'm being honest. But I still harbored a resentment for Carlisle. I couldn't find it in me to befriend him as my mother kept suggesting.

"We chose to stay with him and be a part of his family. You need to choose to go down the path of building a friendship with him. I see only good things on this path."

I could see the tenor of the thoughts surrounding that, but for some reason I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to be friends with the man who had taken my life. He would have argued that it was the Spanish Influenza that had, but I knew better. He didn't have to make me like him. No matter how many times he thought about me accepting his offer, I knew better for that also. I knew that I hadn't been of sound mind when I made that decision – considering I didn't remember it at all – and I was sure that I would have said no if I had known the truth.

His thoughts were pure when he thought about our 'vegetarian' choices. He wanted to help humans, not hurt them. This was the only way he knew how to survive without being cruel. For the last few months, I had been thinking about this choice that I had made. My mother talks, and thinks, about choices more than the average person because of her gift, and I knew how easy it was to alter the course of my life. She was good at blocking out too much, because there were times where I caught a glimmer of something only to have it cleared out of her mind immediately.

I hadn't expressed my thoughts to her at all. I knew what she would say. If I left them all, I would be unhappy. But I was already unhappy. How much worse could it really get?

"You OK?" Esme asked, placing her hand on my arm. I realized, from her thoughts, that she had asked me a question that I hadn't answered.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" Her eyes were wide as she stared up at me. We were off on a hunting trip, just the two of us, and everything had been normal up until I started thinking about Carlisle.

"About staying. Carlisle. Our whole life here."

"What do you mean, staying? What's wrong with our life?" She didn't understand. "I know you don't care for Carlisle much, but he seems OK to me. Honestly, I don't really know him that well. We don't talk that often."

"That's because I've been keeping you away from him. It's the only way I feel like I can keep you safe."

"Is he dangerous? I don't sense that from him at all."

If there was anything wrong with her, it was that Esme was unfailingly kind. Which really isn't a downfall for anyone, but she did seem naïve sometimes. The truth was that I just didn't trust Carlisle. But, ultimately, I was feeling resentful of the entire situation more than anything.

"No, it's not that," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "I just feel like I don't belong in his world. I didn't choose this; I don't want to be here with him."

We had started to walk again, but Esme stopped. "You aren't upset about being a vampire. You are resentful of being here with Carlisle. That's what this is about!"

"Obviously." I didn't know what I was doing, but a plan formed in my mind. "I want to leave. He wants my mother; he can have her to himself for a while. Maybe being away from him will help me."

"I don't want you to go. I'll miss you."

"Who said you have to stay? Why don't you come with me?" I looked at her with sudden surprise. "It's perfect! We can go off on our own, get some distance, and decide what kind of life we want to have." I grabbed her hands, staring at her smiling like an idiot. "Please, Esme? Come with me!"

She looked skeptical, but smiled slowly. She nodded and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me tight. "Let's do this!"

Carlisle

When Edward and Esme walked in both wearing the same serious face, I knew we were in for some kind of trouble. Elizabeth, as ever, remained stoic as they explained that they couldn't remain with us any longer. They were going off on their own to see what kind of life they truly wanted to lead. I almost didn't believe it, but knowing how upset Edward had been with me recently it did make sense.

"Edward, dear," Elizabeth started, once they had finished their reasons. "You know I won't stop you. I want you to do this and get it out of your system. But," she said, interrupting him as he began to protest. "you are to come straight back to us when you are done. When both of you are done. Do you hear me? You can go on this trip and figure out who you are and what you want to be in this new world of ours, but when you are done, you come home."

Edward looked like he had been scolded, hanging his head slightly. I knew he was fighting the urge to say that they would never come back. He loved his mother too much to do that to her.

His eyes met mine; he nodded; I figured he would hear that. Edward, do what you feel is right. We aren't going anywhere any time soon.

He nodded at me again. Then he gave his mother a quick hug. He stepped back so that Esme could hug both of us, and then they ran out of the house. Elizabeth looked at me with a tight gaze, and I knew she was already missing her son. I reached out and held her hand as we listened to them running away.

The next couple months were hard on both of us. I worked as much as I could, but Elizabeth was going crazy. She decided to enroll in nursing school at nearby Antioch College, opting to keep herself busy rather than stay at our home alone. She excelled, as I knew she would. Between working at the hospital and her schooling, we didn't have much time together. I felt myself slip into a sort of depression, thinking that she may never feel for me what I felt for her.

It was almost two years after Edward and Esme left before I started to see a glimmer of hope. Elizabeth had finished nursing school and had gotten a job at the same hospital I worked at. Because of the sun concern, she opted to do night shift with me. This is really what helped her get a job, because that was not a sought-after shift. We claimed to know each other, but that was all. We never wanted anyone to think anything inappropriate was happening, considering how improper it was that we lived together and were not married.

On the night where the tides began to turn, I was working on a man who had seemingly been injured by an animal of some kind. He had lacerations all over one side of his body, at least one broken bone and I could smell some kind of venom on him. I wasn't sure what it was, perhaps a snake. The nursing staff was flitting around me, all except Elizabeth. She had extraordinary control, but in this case, she wasn't breathing. She was standing on the opposite side of the patient from me, staring intently at what I was doing.

"Dr. Cullen, his temperature is spiking," one of the nurses said, lifting the thermometer out of his mouth.

I shook my head. "If we aren't careful, we are going to lose this man. Nurse, get me some aspirin and morphine. Liz, can you please start cleaning the wounds on his stomach? I need to get the one in his neck stitched immediately, or he's going to bleed to death. We need everything disinfected as soon as possible." Everyone just obeyed, no comments were needed. They all could tell how close this would be because of his injuries.

Liz kept her eye on me, but she did as I said. I was always aware of her, but I tried to block it out. The injuries weren't going to fix themselves, and he could die at any moment. I continued to work on him through the night, not stopping until the last of the cuts had been stitched up. We had managed to get on top of the fever, for now, but I knew that it was still possible for him to develop an infection.

Liz and I were walking back, at a human pace, to our home in silence. I wondered what was going on with her as she hadn't said anything in a long time. By the time we got back to the cabin, she was actually starting to scare me.

"Look, Liz, I know something is wrong but I don't-" I started, but she quickly cut me off. Her hand was placed delicately over my mouth forcing me to stop speaking.

"It's time now, Carlisle. I have a choice to make. This is what I have been waiting for, I just didn't know it at the time." She moved her hand away from my mouth. "I have been considering it, but for so long I couldn't really think about it when Edward was here. Since he's been gone...well, my mind has been consumed with his path forward, not mine.

"I am sorry, Carlisle. I should have an answer for you right now. But what I really want to do is try. See what we can be to each other, see how it would work. I feel like if we court a while, my path will become clear. I hope that you are all right with this."

I cleared my throat, though I really didn't need to. "Liz, I have loved you for a long time. I am willing to do whatever you want. I am patient, and I won't push you."

She nodded. "You haven't at all. I just felt that I owed you an explanation. Let's hunt, shall we?"

I smiled and followed her into the cabin where we changed our clothes, and then ran back out. We talked while we ran. I knew that she was an eloquent woman, strong and resourceful. But I found that she could be really funny also. We enjoyed our hunt together, laughing and playing like school children.

After that, I found it was easier to be around her. I didn't wallow in self-pity or stress about her never feeling the same for me. Instead, I was able to concentrate on truly getting to know her. Since we never slept and worked together at the hospital, we were always together. After a month of this, she sat down next to me on the couch and turned to face me, her smile brightening her face.

"Yes, Carlisle," she said, without elaborating.

"Yes?"

"My choice. It's yes. I see mostly good things down this path for us. A few issues here and there that have not fully formed yet, but ultimately it is a blissful existence. So, I choose yes."

My mouth clammed up, so I wasn't able to say anything. Slowly she edged toward me and brought her mouth to mine. An explosion of smells, tastes and emotion welled up inside me. She was even more amazing than I had suspected. If she was feeling even half as much as I was there was no question as to our future happiness.

I never pushed with her, but soon enough we fell into a love-filled relationship. She was indeed amazing. The strength of her love filled me daily and I never doubted my, or her, feelings. Eventually our physical relationship began, which was just as breathtaking as I expected. The only fear I had was when Edward returned. Finally, after over a year of us being together, I expressed my concerns.

"What happens when Edward and Esme come back, Liz?" I asked her one day. We were laying on the bed in the bedroom. Our lovemaking seemed an indulgence that I couldn't get enough of, especially when considering that we never tired. But she was always more pragmatic, ensuring that we didn't spend every moment together in bed.

"Nothing changes, dear. We are what we are, and Edward will have a choice to make once he gets home." She shrugged, apparently not concerned.

"But you do see him coming home?"

"Eventually, yes. We will have many more years together before this happens. Edward was turned at a young age and hadn't ever experienced the teenage reckless years as most do. He was too practical; too grown up for his own good. Esme is older, and I suspect that she will be his voice of reason, and ultimately the reason he comes back."

"Will you see when they decide to come home?"

"I don't know, actually. I cannot see his options now, so I don't know what path he has followed. I think I have to be close in proximity to someone in order to see their paths." She shook her head. "It's still the same options I saw before; nothing has changed."

"Tell me something, Lizzy," I said, scooting closer to her. "What do you see of our future? Will you tell me?"

She grinned at me, kissing me slowly. "I see love. And a lot of it. Edward will come around, but only after we have more in our family. And don't ask, I can't see specifics, you know that. But I can tell our family will grow and we will be happy. There is something on the line later, I can't tell how far away it is, but Edward will meet immense joy in a western state. We will move there in the years to come."

"Nothing else?" I said huskily, running my hands down her already naked form. "Anything more immediate?"

Her smile grew and she slipped on top of me. "Immense pleasure."

My existence was truly changed after Elizabeth and I became one. There was really just the one hold out, or I would have asked her to marry me long ago. Edward. I knew his feelings toward me, and I knew that he would be angry. He was always angry, especially when it came to me. I didn't know how I was going to handle it when they came back.

Esme

I watched Edward stalk his next prey; a man who had raped many women along the eastern coast. We had been away many years already, and the only humans Edward could bring himself to kill were the ones taking other's lives. I knew that it made him feel like he was doing good in the world, in the only form he could. I was still rather nervous about it, and never chose anyone to kill by myself.

He waited until the intent was clear on the new victim, that's when he would strike. If I was thirsty, then I joined him and we took them down together. But most nights I was quite full and opted to just stay on the sidelines watching. I knew he didn't need my help, but it made me feel better to be close by.

In the years after we left Elizabeth and Carlisle, Edward and I got much closer. It was never romantic, not even close. Neither of us saw the other that way. We both had a brother/sister feeling toward the other, but even though I was younger than him – in vampire years, anyway – I felt more parental of him than anything. I worried for him, I was concerned with his well-being and I often thought about trying to convince him to head home.

It wasn't until almost ten years after we left that I finally found my opportunity. Edward had been pursuing a man who was focused on the future kidnapping, sexual assault and then murder of a young child. We were in the dark downtown area of Chicago, where people lived in slums after the stock market crash. He could hear the man's thoughts, but we took turns watching him. This man thought about it more than he actioned anything, so it was weeks before there was an opportunity.

I was watching one night while Edward was hunting – amazingly, he had opted for animal blood this time. He did seem to be leaning back to animals over humans lately – when I was taken aback by the man's sudden change in mood. He was angry, throwing things around this tiny abandoned shack he was living in. I was too far away, trying to keep my distance, but if I wanted to hear him, I would need to go closer.

I inched closer, finally hiding in the attic so that I could hear him.

"What am I doing? Why am I even thinking about this?! I am a monster!" He kept repeating this over and over, muttering in a low voice.

I heard Edward coming before I saw him. The attic was rickety, but it was closed off. The man couldn't have gotten up there if he'd tried. But Edward was able to come up by jumping.

"What's going on? His thoughts are all strange," Edward whispered at too low of a voice for the man to hear.

"He keeps talking to himself. Calling himself a monster."

"He may be, but he's still thinking about how he's going to lure the kid away."

I was getting concerned that this wasn't the type of criminal that Edward would normally go after, and I said as much to him. He scoffed, telling me that he was definitely a monster worthy of dying. After another couple of days, the man had finally made up his mind and created a spot in the house to hold the child. Edward said that he was thinking that he would take her that night after the family went to sleep, so whatever we did would be decided that night.

Edward pulled it off without any problems, as usual. But I hung back not wanting to be involved with anything this time. Something was not right about this situation.

Afterwards, Edward and I were running outside of the city, moving on again. Edward was very quiet. Usually after a kill he would explain to me all the things the man had done, but this time was different. I waited for him to open up, but when he hadn't even opened his mouth, over an hour later, I decided to approach him.

"Edward, what is it?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to upset him.

"I heard it, right before I killed him. He hated what he was...what he wanted to do." Edward stopped running and raked his hand through his hair. He looked up at me with sad eyes. "He wanted me to kill him. So that he wouldn't do what he wanted."

I was unsure of what to say. I put my hand on his arm trying to provide him with some comfort. He shook his head, as though he was rejecting any support I was giving him. He was feeling guilty, and he didn't want me to ease that. I knew him well enough to know that, but it was against my nature to try and help him.

I looked up at his bright red eyes, seeing the hurt buried within them. "Edward, you can't always do this to yourself. We made a choice to leave, remember? You wanted to rid the earth of the horrible people, to somehow atone for..." I searched for the right word. "...what you think you are. A monster. I don't see that in you. At all."

He half smirked at me. "You don't see the bad in anyone, Esme. It's one of the reasons I love you so much." He brought his arms around me, seeking his own comfort as much as mine. I wondered briefly if we would always be like this, or if someday we would find our mates. We knew other vampires who had, so it was always a hope. I loved Edward like a brother, maybe even closer than that, but I longed for more. As I know he did.

I leaned back a little, looking up at him. "Let's go home, Edward. I don't want to live this life anymore, and I don't think you do either."

He was silent for a moment staring at me, before looking up. "Do you think we can go back to animals, Esme?"

I nodded fiercely.

He laughed. "Then let's go. The sooner we lose the terrifying red eyes the better!"

A/N: Little bit of cannon-ish? Also, may have taken something from MS, too :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy! The rest of the chapters are on their way. Hoping to keep going with the twice a week posting going forward.

Thanks again to my wonderful sister and my amazing beta zombified419 for your fantastic editing skills, and for endless conversations! Love to you both!