CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

'I owe her two houses already'

Though she was much smarter than the average twelve year old, Evelyn looked like a typical sixth grader, well, except for being a tad on the scrawny side and slightly inhumanly beautiful compared to the other children. She didn't stand out as much standing between her parents and Edward and Bella. They however were attracting the attention of parents dropping their kids off for school and teachers monitoring the arriving hordes. Never in the existence of Forks Elementary had such beautiful beings graced the property and people were starting to ogle.

Evelyn beamed proudly as she stared at the adventure that lied before her. She was happy that her family trusted her enough to let her go to regular school. She was excited about making friends and getting to be normal, despite what her family had told her about it all being an act to keep up pretences. And even though Emmett and Rosalie had refused to let her leave the house until Alice had viewed every possible scenario and outcome for her day, standing before the rusted iron flagpole was a huge accomplishment. Evelyn twisted the straps of her bag excitedly.

"Do you want us to walk you to your class?" Emmett asked hopefully. He wanted to scope out the room and see if any of the kids seemed mean. He would deal with the bullies right away.

"Ugh, no dad, then everyone will think I'm a freak. Do I look like a baby?" Evelyn stalked away.

"She's got a little attitude," Emmett said. "She's like you that way," he said nudging Rose.

"She's perfect," Rose breathed watching their daughter march up the front steps of the school.

Evelyn turned to Rosalie and waved, giving her the widest, most exuberant smile she could muster. She turned to Emmett and made a funny face. Emmett laughed.

"It's an almost teenager thing," Bella assured Emmett, patting his arm.

"Aw man, she's too young to be a teenager," Emmett moaned.

"And I keep saying Renesmee is too young to be dating a wolf, but who listens to me? No one," Edward said miserably.

"Well Edward you have to put your foot down. You're the parent, tell her what's what. Don't be such a pushover," Emmett said seriously. Edward scoffed and Bella rolled her eyes. Just then a lightning blur crossed in front of them and Evelyn was in Emmett's arms.

She kissed his cheek, "I forgot to say I love you daddy," she said squeezing his giant head with all the might in her spindly arms. She leaned over and kissed Rosalie on the cheek then seemed to dance away happily. She was spending too much time with Alice.

Emmett and Rose beamed, looking slightly dazed.

Edward crossed his arms against his chest with a just you wait expression on his face. He gestured after Evelyn. "Now think about how hard it's going to be to say no to that!"

"Now what do we do?" Emmett asked sitting around grumpily. He missed Evelyn already and they had just left her an hour ago. "Maybe we should just home school her."

"We tried that with Renesmee remember? She got bored," Edward commented.

"Well that's because you and Bella are boring, enough said," Emmett shot back and Rosalie and Alice burst into a fit of giggles.

"Esme, Emmet just said we are boring," Edward yelled into the kitchen. Esme appeared looking sympathetic.

"Well you were trying to teach a child trigonometry, Edward."

"Esme, how could you?" Edward was shocked. His adoptive mother would never side with Emmett. He could read Esme's thoughts. He secretly knew he was her favourite adopted child. Okay that was a lie. Esme loved them all, but she definitely liked Edward more than Emmett. Didn't she?

"Traitor," Edward said as he turned away from Esme. She looked hurt. Something in Esme's mind made Edward sigh and he stood and hugged his mother. "I'm sorry, I love you but I am not boring!"

"And I never said you were. I merely said that some of the things you taught her were boring."

"Too late now Esme, we all know what you meant," Emmett teased.

"Hush," she said looking at Emmett, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.

"Face it Edward, I'm going to be a better dad. I'm way cooler than you. What did you ever teach Renesmee, how to play the piano? Big whoop!" Emmett jeered hiding behind Esme as Edward took a swing at him. Emmett roared with laughter.

"I'm gunna teach Evelyn important things, like how to throw a football, how to beat up a wolf, how to change a tire. You know, useful life skills," Emmett continued and Edward growled a warning.

"Then she won't spend all her time smooching with her boyfriend."

Edward was angry now. Emmett ducked as Edward threw a book at his head. Emmett grabbed Esme around the waist and used her as a shield.

"Emmett Cullen, put me down!" Esme hollered. Edward was livid and she wasn't sure he would be able to control himself. Emmett was banking on the fact that Edward would never hurt Esme to save himself from being pummelled. Emmett threw Esme over his shoulder and began doing laps around the living room as Edward hurled random objects at them. Esme caught a few that she didn't want broken.

"Boys, what are you doing?" Esme screeched. "Emmett put me down, right this second!"

Just then the door opened and closed. "Yes boys, what are you doing?" Carlisle's face was priceless as he took in Esme thrown over Emmett's shoulder: a perfect mix of curiosity and amusement playing at his lips. He rather enjoyed coming home to that view of Esme. Emmett laughed boisterously and Edward raised his eyebrows. Carlisle usually kept thoughts like that out of his mind when he was around Edward.

"Oh, Carlisle, thank goodness," Esme sighed. She wiggled against Emmett who had her pinned to his massive shoulder but then she stopped. "Wait, why are you home so early?"

Carlisle dropped his briefcase and walked directly to Emmett. "I'll take my wife from you now, if you don't mind," he said.

Emmett handed her over, but instead of placing her gently on the floor as he would have any other time, Carlisle turned her around and flipped her over his own shoulder and started for the stairs.

"Carlisle Cullen, what are you doing?" Esme gasped. "Where are we going? Where are you taking me?" She hammered her fist against Carlisle's back.

He grinned. "I'll give you three guesses, my love," he said seductively as he ascended to the bedroom.

Esme raised her eyes. She caught the expressions of her adopted children and bit her lip embarrassed. If she could have blushed her face would be glowing scarlet. This was completely out of the ordinary for Carlisle.

Edward snickered and Alice smiled knowingly.

"Come on Jazz, I think we're needed elsewhere for a while." Alice took Jasper's hand and led him through the kitchen. Rosalie heard the back door slam just as Carlisle's bedroom door closed.

"He's so romantic sometimes," Rose sighed.

Emmett huffed. "You want romance? I'll show you romance."

He dove at Rosalie on the couch and covered her face in slobbery kisses.

"Eww, Emmett, stop!" Rosalie squealed, laughing as Emmett tickled her.

"Oh, god, Bella, let's get out of here," Edward teased, pretending to be disgusted by Emmett and Rose's display of affection. Carlisle's mood had obviously been infectious. Emmett threw an end table at Edward. He ducked on his way out the door as the table exploded into wooden splinters against the wall.

"That was all you," Edward said pointing an accusing finger at Emmett. "Have fun explaining that one."

"I'll buy her a new one," Emmett said waving him off as Rose pulled him in for another kiss.

"Good luck: that was eighteenth century European. And Esme really liked that end table!" Edward laughed to himself.

Emmett groaned. "She can put it on my tab. I owe her two houses already."

Esme heard the smash as the end table hit the wall and she cringed.

"Did you hear that?" Esme asked. Her eyes flew to the door. Carlisle had locked it. He did not want to be disturbed. "They broke something, I know it!"

"I heard nothing of the sort, dear," Carlisle said with Esme still flung over his shoulder. He pulled Esme down into his arms so he could see her face. She was so beautiful. He moved to kiss her but her hands flew up to stop him. She pressed the palms of her fingers lightly against his lips. He frowned beneath them. She was completely absent, training all her senses on what was going on downstairs.

Carlisle sighed. He wanted Esme here in the moment with him, not lost in thought. He had left work to be with her and wasn't going to let his children ruin their time together.

"Esme," he growled. "Forget about it. The kids are fine. They're grown-ups."

"But I just want to make sure, I just have to see," Esme said apologizing. Carlisle had placed her on the bed and she was now scooting to the edge. Her feet hit the ground and she was running.

Carlisle sighed, grabbing her around the waist and hurled her back onto the bed. She landed with a shocked expression. Carlisle was never this physical with her. He hadn't hurt her, he would never do that, but he was usually the epitome of calm and poise. Today he was hungry for her touch and she couldn't believe she was denying him that, but she really just needed to make sure the seventeenth century Persian vase was still intact on the dining room table.

Esme's eyes were trained on the lock. Carlisle could tell she was calculating. As much as it was annoying him, this little game was becoming a tantalizing adventure of cat and mouse.

Esme took an unnecessary breath to get her wits about her and bolted. Carlisle was faster but she was more agile. She ducked his arm and her hands were around the door knob before Carlisle could grab her but she didn't make it out before his hands found her waist again.

"Esme, don't make me tie you up," Carlisle joked lightly, but he was seriously contemplating that and also bubble wrapping the furniture. Emmett and Edward were constantly breaking Esme's antiques.

"Just two seconds, please," she begged him looking into his perfect face. Her desperation kindled the passion bubbling up inside Carlisle. He shook his head.

"That is two seconds too long, my love. I want you now."

Esme struggled to speak. He was making her head swoon like he always did. With a lot of effort, she shook off the daze. "And you can have me, just as soon as I have locked away the valuables. You know how destructive they are when they aren't being monitored."

Esme struggled under his iron grip. He found it thrilling to know he was ultimately stronger than her as she tried to break free from his arms.

There was another loud crash. "See they need adult supervision," Esme shrieked.

"Okay, I will deal with them, love. Will you please settle down?"

Esme agreed. She curled up into a ball on the bed. Carlisle watched her for a second and when she didn't try to run away he moved to the door, swinging it open with such force it almost came off its hinges.

"Emmett, go somewhere else if you're going to act like a bull in a china shop!" Carlisle threatened as he yelled down the stairs.

There was muffled laughter from the living room. Little did Carlisle know that this time it was Rose's fault. They also owed Esme a new lamp now.

Esme tiptoed quietly behind Carlisle and as he was distracted, listening for movement downstairs, she came up behind him and slipped under his arm. Esme made it to the top of the stairs before Carlisle tackled her. He dove at her, wrapping her in his arms as they soared through the air, smashing into the new leather couch in his office.

"Carlisle, please, the boys are going to break something, I have to go monitor…"

"No!" he said authoritatively. "I forbid it!"

Esme raised her eyebrows. "You what?" For some reason in the depths of Esme's mind that phrase bothered her deeply but she couldn't pinpoint why.

Esme was slightly put off by his tone. Carlisle was never like this with her. He was always kind and gentle. It was like someone else was in her husband's body. She gave up and just sat there. She couldn't tell if her husband was becoming more irritated by the happenings in the living room or by her lack of interest because of them. Either way, it was unlike Carlisle to act this way.

There was another loud crash. Carlisle was mad now. He just wanted to spend some time with his wife. Was that too much to ask? He picked Esme up bridal style and carried her back to their room, stopping by the stairs to give his final warning.

"Emmett so help me god, if I come down there you will know my wrath like never before."

"Rosalie stop, he's going to kill me," Emmett whispered at her. Rosalie broke out into a fit of giggles.

So Rose was behind it? Carlisle was trying to find an adequate threat, but there was very little she loved more than her own reflection, except for Evelyn and Emmett. Except for those two things, Rose was absolutely infatuated with herself and he would never threaten her with her mate or her child.

Esme was still arguing with him about the destruction that was happening downstairs but finally Carlisle had managed to lay Esme on their bed and was now passionately kissing her neck. He had found the sensitive spot behind her ear when she forgot what she was saying.

"What was that my love?" Carlisle chuckled. He loved that Esme was putty in his hands. He wanted her to be happy always. That was part of the reason he had left work early today. He felt like some spontaneous time alone was in order. He had been thinking about her all day, like he usually did, but today he was unable to focus at work. He needed to see her. He needed to be with her.

"I, I- uh," Esme fought to regain her train of thought.

"That's what I thought," Carlisle purred agreeably.

Then a car alarm went off as something or someone broke through the wall connecting the main room to the garage. They could feel the house shake. Esme's eyes refocused and she was stiff beneath Carlisle, no longer responding to his touch. There had been a portrait painted in Italy about two hundred years previous that hung on that wall and she hoped by some miracle of god it had survived the destruction that had obviously accompanied that retched noise.

Carlisle sighed, standing to let Esme get up. He knew he would never be able to play off that noise and he was going to kill whoever made it. Esme had her shirt buttoned and was at the door in a flash.

"Perhaps I should just go back to the hospital," Carlisle sighed. The afternoon had not turned out as planned. What had started as a surprise had quickly become a disaster.

Esme paused with a strange look on her face. She turned to Carlisle and crossed her arms. At first she looked directly in his eyes and then her gaze fell to the floor. "Well if that's how easily you give up fighting for me than perhaps you should."

Carlisle opened his mouth but no words came out. Esme's words were bitter and had stung. They didn't make sense coming from her mouth. She turned on her heel and left. Carlisle was speechless. Did Esme really just say that? He had come home to be with her. He had carried her up to their room in the middle of the day to be with her. He had done everything to be with her and suddenly this was his fault? No. It wasn't. If anything it was his children and Carlisle seemed to think Emmett and Rosalie were at the center of it all. But surely Esme could not be blaming him for this?

He stood slowly, unsure of his next move, but the passion he had felt moments before suddenly kindled into an angry flame. He didn't know who he was angry at, but the emotion was there and though it accompanied him seldom, it was raw and quickly raging out of control. He stormed down the stairs after Esme.

Alice and Jasper came back to the house, slipping in the back door silently. Jasper had sensed the changed of emotion from a mile away. It was so unlike Carlisle and Esme to be angry, especially at each other. Jasper could not think of one other time he tasted that emotion between them. They never fought. Edward and Bella entered behind them.

"What's going on?" Bella whispered. "Who's fighting?"

"Carlisle and Esme," Alice whispered nervously.

"Edward, have you ever…" Jasper began.

"Not like this," Edward said reading through his parents thoughts. "They have argued before but never really meant it. There is real pain in their words this time."

They looked at each other. There was a tension oozing out into the atmosphere. Jasper could feel it and he didn't like it, not one bit.

"You know I love you Esme, but for once I am actually furious with you," Carlisle was shaking as he descended down the stairs and the grin dropped from Emmett's face. Rose backed up slightly. She was actually afraid of what was happening.

"I seriously can't believe you would place worthless material possessions above our relationship. I'm not condoning what they did, but I'm just saying that I thought what we shared had moved beyond silly trivial mementos."

Esme swallowed back bile and a mountain of hurt. She hadn't expected Carlisle to remember, he stared at the objects every day until they had just become decorative relics, but at the same time he was a vampire and it was surprising to her that he forgot. It made her angry. She didn't really know why she was mad, except for the fact that half the house now lied in shambles. But the house could be fixed. It could be replaced. The treasures that Carlisle had once given her that were now broken couldn't be fixed. And the memories that she had attached to them seemed to shatter with the broken pieces of the end table, the vase, and the portrait from Italy. That didn't make her mad though, she was just upset.

Maybe it was just Carlisle's reaction that had her all worked up. Yes, that was it. She couldn't believe he would think her that shallow. Of course she didn't prize material possessions above their relationship, but she had protected and guarded the memories that belonged to those belongings and now she felt as if they were slipping away and Carlisle wasn't helping the matter. He was still staring at her furiously. What did he expect her to do? Grovel at his feet? He didn't understand and she wasn't in the mood to explain; if Carlisle was too stubborn to come to the understanding himself than she wasn't wasting her breath.

"I'm sorry you feel that way and that you would think so lowly of me. I think you should go back to work," Esme crossed her arms, hugging herself around her elbows. She was hurt: emotionally wounded.

Carlisle blanked. He had not expected that at all. He had assumed Esme would have given him some sort of explanation that would have made sense of the entire situation and they could move on. But instead she brushed by him and pulled away as he reached for her hand. He had made the situation worse. The pangs of guilt he felt fed into the fire that was his anger and he turned on his heel.

"Esme Cullen, don't you dare walk away from me!" he said. His voice was trembling. He didn't know if he wanted to be angry with her or wrap her in his arms. Both he assumed. He was confused. But she couldn't do that to him. Not once in their existence together had she walked away from him in anger. He wouldn't let her.

"Or what Carlisle, you'll forbid it?" Esme snapped back at him. Her words hit him like a whip.

Alice and Edward gasped from the kitchen. Rose and Emmett had retreated to the safety of that room as well. They couldn't bear to watch this unfold any longer, especially if they were to blame. But none of the comments were directed at them. Carlisle and Esme only had words for each other, and they were less than kind.

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak but faltered. He didn't understand why his comment had hurt her so. Esme saw that in his face but her own frustration had reached boiling point and there was no reneging what was going to happen.

"That is what Charles used to say to me!" Esme spat. She had remembered suddenly why those words pained her so. It brought back hazy memories of a horrible time in her human life with her horrid husband Charles Evenson. Some understanding dawned in Carlisle's expression but with that Esme retired upstairs, slamming their bedroom door and locking it. The conversation was over.

"Edward," Carlisle said clearing his throat. He knew his family was listening. He knew they had heard every painful word. They had seen every glare, every hardened expression pass between him and Esme. They had witnessed Carlisle make an ass of himself and cause his wife more pain than he ever had in their relationship. And after all that, he still did not understand why it had taken place. Esme had not explained why she was so upset about the damage that had been inflicted upon their home. It's not like it was the first time something had broken. Several months prior he and Esme had destroyed most of his office, but something had bothered her and instead of making it right Carlisle had made it much, much worse. Now he was angry at himself. He needed to get out of the house.

"I need to borrow the Volvo, there seems to be an Emmett shaped dent in the front of my Mercedes."

"Of course Carlisle, anything you need."

Edward passed the keys to his father who left in a cloud of his own self-loathing.

As the car zoomed out of the drive Edward turned to his brother. "Emmett, this time you guys went too far," he said pointedly. And to his surprise Emmett said, "I think you're right."