Death was blasted across the front page of the Democrat and Chronicle. "Third murder haunts Rochester. Serial killer targets young affluent men."

I couldn't use this particular newspaper for wrapping. I didn't want this tale to travel with us.

"Rosalie, you made the front page headline," Edward said as the blonde woman entered the study.

"It made the paper already? I assumed they wouldn't find him until morning," she said as she snatched it up. Her hands glided slowly over the thin paper so as not to damage it.

She smiled as she read the grizzly details of her most recent victim…but were they really victims? She was the first victim of this crime spree. They had murdered her.

I could empathize with her pain and her desire to do something to rid herself of it. I tried to feel sympathy for the loss of life, but I was struggling with the fact that I wasn't sympathetic. I did not mourn them. Did that make me a terrible person?

Edward squeezed my shoulder. "No, it doesn't."

"No, what doesn't?" Rosalie snapped. "What? Are you unforgiving of my revenge, Esme? Do you think I have no excuse for my actions?"

"You have it completely wrong, Rosalie," Edward stated coldly, his hand remaining on my shoulder.

"You must think I'm terrible," Rosalie continued. "You on your high horse…"

Edward cut her off with a hiss. "Stop it. Now. Before you say something I'll make you regret."

"Edward!" I interjected.

"She has no idea what it's like and yet she is judging me!" Rosalie continued, heedless of Edward's warning.

I grabbed Edward's hand on my shoulder. She doesn't know. You can't be angry with her. She's a newborn. She's volatile. She's said nothing wrong.

"Edward, leave me and Rosalie and alone to talk," I ordered.

"Esme, no. Carlisle said to stay close to you and her," Edward argued.

"Because you'll be able to stop me?" Rosalie growled.

"She won't hurt me, Edward."

"Yes, Edward. I won't hurt her," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes.

Edward's head swiveled back and forth between the two stubborn women in front of him and with a sigh of resignation he turned to exit the room.

"I won't be far," he said as closed the door.

The fight was still dominating her stance as she stood before me. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were narrowed as she stared me down. I knew I may not be able to break through her armor and that would be alright. I needed to express to her what I had not had the opportunity to truly do – to let her know she wasn't alone.

"Rosalie, please sit," I said gesturing to the two chairs that were not piled with moving boxes.

"We don't have to sit. We never tire," she insisted.

"You are correct, but humans sit, and in this family we do our best to emulate them. It's good practice."

"Fine." She snarled then carefully took one of the seats. I heard it creak beneath her, but it didn't give way.

I noiselessly took the nearby chair.

"What is it that you want to say?" She spat the words at me. "That what I'm doing is terrible? That revenge won't help me find peace? That I'm a murderer?"

I spoke calmly. "I'm a murderer so it wouldn't be fair to judge you for that, nor am I judging you for what you have done and what you are planning to do."

She looked surprised. It was not an expression I had seen on her face yet, but as quickly as it had appeared it disappeared. "So what is it then?"

"I'm not your enemy. I'm not here to judge you. I want the help you and support you. I know the struggles of the transition into this life. I live with certain challenges every moment of every day. I know you are hurting and that you have lost so much. But you are a part of my life now, and Carlisle and Edward's, and I hope, that with time, you'll allow me to be your friend."

"You have no idea what I have been through! What I have suffered! What I have lost!" she claimed, her voice rising with each phrase.

"You have lost your family. You have lost your friends. You've lost your human life and everything you had hopes for," I said steadily, hoping that she would accept my understanding.

"You are trivializing it," she asserted.

"Not at all. It's nothing to be trivial about. It's traumatic, Rosalie. You had a life ahead of you that was stolen from you. "

"And I'm making them pay for stealing it," she said as she held up the paper with the screaming headline.

"Yes, I know."

"It will be over soon. There are only two more. I'm saving my dear fiancée for last." I could hear the giddy malice ringing in her voice.

"And will you be satisfied then? Will your suffering be healed?" It wouldn't be easy to move on from what she had suffered and I still couldn't figure out her countenance enough to know without asking.

"I thought you weren't judging me?"

"I'm concerned for your well being."

"My being will be increasingly well when Royce King no longer breathes."

Her tone was so chilling that I would have shivered if I were still human. I didn't let it show though as I said, "Alright then. Do what you have to do and when you are finished we will leave Rochester immediately."

"It will be soon. After all, we should have been on our honeymoon. I'll take care of him before it's over."

Rochester, New York
May 1933

The night of Royce's demise the house was nearly empty. Our things had been crated and moved out. Just three vampires remained, gathered in the entryway of their soon to be former home, dressed for travel, waiting for the return of their fourth coven member.

I sat silently on the stairs next to Carlisle. He held my hand in his own and I rested my head on his shoulder. Edward leaned against the opposite wall, his hat pulled down low.

"It won't bring her peace, Carlisle," Edward quietly said, breaking the silence. "There's still so much fury."

"Will it all be directed at me now?" he asked warily.

I squeezed my husband's hand. "She needs time and a change of scenery. It is good that we are leaving. Distance will help."

Edward snickered across the room.

"Edward, don't be rude," I chastised him.

"She hates us. All of us. Well maybe not you, Esme. She tolerates you more because you are a woman and you are trying to be nice to her in her mind. She feels stuck. She's afraid to leave us. Her mind moves so fast. She has been caught up in her revenge and has been throwing it over top of her despair for the last week. With her retribution complete we need to get her thinking about her future."

"She needs to grieve her losses. She hasn't done that yet. She must be feeling so much emotional pain."

Edward held up his hand. "She's coming."

The front door flew open and the young beauty rushed inside. Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction. She looked triumphant.

"It is done," she said with nearly a hint of laughter in her voice.

I didn't know whether to hug her or congratulate her.

She looked at Carlisle and nodded. He nodded back.

"It's time to leave Rochester then, Rosalie," he said quietly, but with no room for argument. He rose to his feet bringing me with him.

She took her coat and hat from me and quickly put them on. "Let's go then," she said turning and marching out the door to the car with Edward following.

"Goodbye to another home," I whispered as I crossed the threshold in front of Carlisle.

He reached for my arm to stop me. "It's just a house now, Esme. It's only a home when you're living in it. You make our house a home."

I gave him a soft smile and a kiss on a cheek. He turned to lock up, while I made my way to the car. Edward and Rosalie were in the back seat sitting as far away from each other as possible.

Carlisle silently took his place behind the wheel and began the long drive to our new residence.

The houses became spaced further apart as we left Rochester. It was less than an hour into our drive that the silence was broken by a small whimper from the back seat. She swallowed it and I glanced back to look at her sitting behind Carlisle. Her eyes were watching the world go by her window as she left behind everything she ever knew.

Edward reached over and tentatively touched her arm. It took her a moment, but she placed her other palm over it briefly accepting the gesture before she thought otherwise thus removing her hand and shrugging away continuing to stare outside.

Even if it was brief, it was something and seemed to be a step in the right direction.

Maybe she doesn't hate us as much as Edward thought.

I looked at Edward and he shook his head.

Carter County, Tennessee
June 1933

I had not seen her smile since the night we left Rochester. The house that was now our home hardly felt like one when filled with so much unrest.

We had been there nearly a month.

The previous week Edward unraveled Carlisle's intentions of Rosalie as a potential mate and his response was less than enthusiastic.

"You can't be serious, Carlisle! How could you think for one moment that I would-" he paused the temper his words. "She's a beautiful girl in face, but we couldn't be more different in every way that matters."

"Edward, lower your voice," Carlisle urged, but it didn't matter. She could hear just as I could. "She's having a difficult time. She's been through so much."

"That doesn't change who she is and who I am," Edward argued. "We are not compatible."

"You hardly know her yet. Give her time."

"You hardly knew Esme and were pining over her like a love-struck school boy! I feel nothing for her in that way. From what I have seen and what you have told me love for our kind is not something that builds slowly. It ignites rather quickly."

"I don't know that is always the case."

"But you don't know it to be another way either. "

"But-"

"Carlisle," he said firmly. "I hope, with time, Rosalie and I can become friends, but beyond that I see and promise nothing. Do not push me." His voice was threatening before he stormed out of the room and then out of the house with Carlisle following.

Not much had been spoken between my two men since that day at least within the confines of the house.

I had been occupying my time making the house – in what felt like the wilderness after Rochester – into a comfortable home. It was smaller and that didn't help when it already felt so crowded with our new addition. Rosalie had her own room, which she spent most of her time hidden away in. She came out to hunt and at times to drill Carlisle for answers, but sadness and anger still hung in the air.

I was working on our bedroom that day. As I smoothed the quilt over the bed I thought about how long it had been since Carlisle and I had been intimate. It was by far the longest stretch of our marriage. It was two nights before Rosalie Hale had become a permanent fixture in our lives and that was nearly seven weeks ago.

There wasn't a right place or time. History told us that we couldn't leave a newborn on her own, although Rosalie had defied that theory. Carlisle theorized that it was her singular focus on revenge that allowed her to flout her desire for human blood. Since her task was complete though she found herself fighting the same human bloodlust that we had all experienced in our newness. One close call that had Carlisle and Edward tackling her to the ground was enough to send her behind closed doors except when she hunted. After all she had been through I didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable by hearing something that she couldn't escape.

Carlisle and Edward had gone off on their own. I suspected that they were having further discussions on our new household dynamics. I heard her lingering in the doorway.

"It's nice to see you out and about, Rosalie," I said looking over at her somber face.

"Where are Carlisle and Edward?" she asked looking around and listening for their presence.

"Out. It's just you and me," I said with a smile in her direction that was not reciprocated.

"Are they talking about me?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm not the mind reader in this family," I teased, but still her mouth remained a frown.

"This isn't my family," she said flatly as she walked around the room examining the contents of the room.

"Of course. I'm sorry," I said quickly, regretting my attempt to joke with her.

She bluntly changed the subject. "What's the point of having a bed? We don't sleep."

I kept calm as I answered, "True, but Carlisle and I are husband and wife."

"So."

"And as such we are intimate with each other, which is why we have a bed," I explained. I felt slightly embarrassed explaining this to her.

"Your life is perfect, isn't it?" she sneered.

"Now why would suggest that?"

"You have a perfect home. A handsome husband."

"That doesn't make perfection." My life was feeling anything from perfect at that moment.

"You have everything you have ever wanted!"

I remained calm, but I couldn't help but resent the implication. She hadn't been open enough to talking with me that she knew hardly anything about me, especially when it came to my humanity. "Rosalie, you have no idea what I ever wanted let alone if I have it."

"You have more than I will ever have. You have no idea what I wanted! What I have been through!" she wailed.

"I empathize with you more than you know."

"How can you empathize with me? I've lost everything!" She was so tense and emotional. Maybe this was the release she needed, but I wanted her to know that on some level I understood her grief.

"I've lost everything….at least everything that mattered. Your fiancée and my first husband were cut from the same cloth," I said, attempting to keep my emotions in check.

She was surprised and taken aback. She had been so wrapped up in her retribution and her heartache that she hadn't heard the details of my life and I had not wanted to burden her with my story until the right time. The time seemed to be upon us.

"First husband?"

I nodded. "His name was Charles and like Royce, Charles' family owned a bank and he was being groomed to run it. He was charming and handsome. I was the daughter of a farmer, who encouraged a match with a man above our society and with such great prospects. Charles and I were friends before we became engaged, but I didn't love him in the romantic sense. He claimed to love me, but…it was a difficult marriage."

"In what way?" she asked without shrieking or haughtiness.

"This room, mine and Carlisle's bedroom, is a sanctuary for us. It is where we celebrate our love, our marriage, our faith in each other. I take great lengths to ensure that it is comfortable and that it is our space. In contrary, the bedroom I shared with Charles was hell on Earth. He was physically abusive throughout our marriage especially in our bed."

"But he was your husband," she said with disbelief even after all she had been through.

"That didn't stop him from raping me," I spoke quietly.

"It couldn't be rape. You were married to him," she denied.

"It doesn't matter. He still forced himself on me and beat me even when I said 'No.' It didn't matter if I was his wife, or fiancée, or a random woman on the street. He took me against my will."

"How long were you married to him?"

"Four years."

"And he was like that the whole time?" She seemed in disbelief.

"He served in the Great War for a year, but other than that, yes."

"How did you live like that?" she asked her mind still lingering on my deplorable situation.

"As you pointed out, he was my husband. I tried talking to my parents, but they had a similar reaction as the one you just had – it couldn't be rape."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It's our society's fault for letting men get away with such vile behavior toward women."

"What happened at the end of four years?"

"I found myself pregnant. I didn't want my child to grow up surrounded with violence so as soon as I discovered I was expecting I left Charles to start a new life on my own."

She sat up straighter and I saw a light in her eyes. "You have a child?"

"I had a son. He lived less than a week. I was so despondent and alone after he passed that I took my life."

"But I thought your heart had to be beating to be changed."

"And mine barely was. I had jumped off a cliff and I had been taken to a hospital where Dr. Cullen was working. I had met Carlisle 10 years earlier when I had been his patient at a Columbus hospital. He remembered me and in a moment made the decision to save me for this life. It didn't take long for love to blossom between us."

She was quite for a moment and looked almost thoughtful before blurting out.

"And you want to share a bed with him?"

"I love to share a bed with him."

"But after what you had been through…how could it not be tainted forever as a vile experience?"

"When used as a weapon, a way to repress us, or destroy us it is a terrible action. What was done to you was a horrific crime and I'm so sorry that it happened to you."

I could see in her expression that her mind was focused on the past. "I don't understand how Royce could have done that to me. How could I have been so blind to how evil he was? I feel like such a fool."

"You are not a fool. He was a talented actor as was Charles. No one suspected that there was such a terrible soul behind such a pretty face."

"I keep playing the events of that evening over and over and wonder if I had done things differently maybe I would be happily married." There was a hint of hysteria in her voice.

"Maybe, Rosalie, but I doubt you would be happily married. You saw his true terrible nature. "

"I wish I had died. I wish Carlisle had let me die," she said quietly as she hung her head low.

"He did what he thought was right at the time."

"He just changed me for Edward." I sat down beside her and she didn't move away. She flinched slightly when I took her hand.

"No, he didn't. In some part of his mind he may have thought there could be a possible connection between you and Edward, but that alone didn't drive his decision."

"I hate him," she bitterly stated bitterly words that I did not like to hear.

"Rosalie, 'hate' is a very strong word. I hate what was done to you that took your life from you. I hate that you have suffered so much. What happened to you that ended your human life deserves to be hated. But what Carlisle did was because he thought he was helping you with your future and young life in mind. For someone whose thoughts were focused on your well-being – even if you feel he was misguided – does hating him seem right?"

She silently shook her head and stayed quite for a moment before she spoke again.

"Did you fall in love with Carlisle because he saved you and there is no one else you could be compatible with?"

I smiled as I thought about Carlisle. "I fell in love with him because he makes me whole. He's my other half and best friend. I've experienced a loveless marriage and it makes me appreciate every moment of what it is like to love and be loved in return. Vampire or human, I know I was meant to be with him because it's by his side that I feel like I can do anything."

"We're not able to have children, are we?" she said. I didn't know if Carlisle had discussed the matter with her or if she had just come to that conclusion on her own.

"No."

"Does that bother you?" she pressed on.

"That is the most difficult thing to come to terms with for me. I have someone who I would love to raise children with and I can't."

"Do you miss your family?" I recognized that she missed hers.

"I knew I was never going to see my family again when I left Charles in November of 1920. I had accepted that, but at times, I will think about them and wonder where they are now."

"I would give anything to let my mother know I'm alright," she whispered and I noticed her hands balling into fists.

"You can never contact her."

"I know. I just…I want my life back. I know I can't have it, but I miss my family."

"I know we can't replace them and we wouldn't want to, but you are a part of our lives now and we are a part of yours. We need to support each other." I couldn't help but put my arm around her in a loving gesture. She didn't pull away, but she didn't get any less tense either. After a moment she pulled away and stood up to walk to the window.

"Are you disappointed in me for killing them?"

It had taken me a few weeks to access my feelings, but in the end I told her, "No. As I said at the beginning, I empathize with you. I would have helped you if you asked, but I don't know if I could have been as efficient as you."

"Thank you."

"There's no need for thanks. I'm here for you and so are Carlisle and Edward."

"They are so tense," she mumbled.

I laughed. "A newborn in the house has a tendency to garner that reaction from them. "

"I can't imagine that it was easy for you either."

"It wasn't. There are plenty of stories of my female newborn follies."

"Like what?"

"Have a seat over here and I'll regale with stories of my vampire youth," I said waving her over to the sofa in the corner.

She hesitated as she glanced again at the bed before settling down with me.

I managed to gain smiles and even a few laughs that afternoon as I shared with her stories from my newborn period and the sometimes comical situations that occurred. When Edward and Carlisle arrived home they didn't hide their surprise at the giggles coming from us, but shortly upon their return she retreated back to her room.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Thank you to my amazing betas, Heather and Ali!

I'm looking for a pre-reader to help keep me on track with the Cullen's and Esme's history - someone who can review my chapters for context to make sure I am staying true to Esme and Stephenie Meyer. You should be very familiar with The Twilight Saga and the Cullen's. PM if you are interested! Thanks!

FYI, you can spot me several times the Fandom sequence of the new Special Features in the "Twilight Forever" DVD box set. I was asked to participate because of my work with Page to Premiere, but somehow ended up credited for "The Esme Chronicles!" I'll take it!