A/N: This is going to be my first multi-chaptered fic on my new account and will hopefully go over well. Maybe it will end up being as popular as Elevator... Oops! Gave something away there! Anywho, there's a little secret to this story and it has to do with the story title and later on, the chapter titles. If it works out, this should be just about ten chapters, possibly more.
Another thing; this is my first attempt at writing these POVs and my first fic with a load of dialogue in a long, long time. Please let me know if it sounds off at all.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight cannon. I do not own a cannon. I f I owned a cannon and you said I owned Twilight cannon, you would get shot....
out of my cannon. :P
Carlisle POV
"Esme, we have to send them away," I said to my wife softly one morning while our children were at Forks High. She tensed up immediately and pulled away from my gentle embrace. I could see the small ripple of pain cross her face before she took a few deep, shaky breaths.
I shook my head sadly. She must have known this would be coming. I knew how it would effect her and sure enough, she tried to change my mind.
"We can't…" Esme's angelic face contorted with pain. "We've only just gotten them all here. I…I know it will take awhile, b-but I can't lose them now. I just can't. Not again; not now."
Her expression was so miserable that I almost agreed with her; I had to look away in order to keep from letting our shared pain overcome logic. It wasn't often that I could bear to look away from Esme, but I knew that a single glance into her tortured tawny eyes would have me sinking to the ground in misery. When she hurt, I hurt.
"They're suffering, dear." As if borrowing Edward's talent, I could almost hear her thinking 'and we aren't?'
"They're wonderful people; don't think I don't know it. But with all that's gone on lately, there's been some breakdowns. They hide it well; I only know because of what Edward has told me. But if they're as bad as he says, I know he's probably worse…they need to see someone."
She was back on our off-white loveseat and in my arms, her head resting on my chest. I could feel the defeat in her very limbs and knew she had seen I was right. I could look at her freely once again.
I did.
Her head was hung low, her hair falling into her eyes. Sad, hurting, resolved. "When will you tell them? Who could we possibly send them to? When will they be back?"
I answered the question I knew she was most nervous about first. "I don't know how long it could take. A doctor I may be, but this is not my area of expertise. A broken arm, a crushed bone…I can fix that. But a broken mind, a black soul…I've no experience in it."
She sighed and her petite body became wracked with waterless sobs. A part of vampirism we all hated, even the male Cullens, was our inability to cry properly. Yes, most of us had been raised in a time where it was inappropriate for boys to cry. Now it was acceptable….and not possible. There were many a time when it would have been a nice release for our various pains.
"I'll tell them when they get home," I continued, knowing that any attempt to comfort her would only worsen the situation. "And I'll have to make some calls now to find someone we can tell everything to. A vampire therapist…" I let a morose chuckle out at the thought.
And then we parted for awhile, each collecting our own thoughts and trying to go about normal business. Esme went to tend to her flowers, far out in the backyard, where I wouldn't follow. She would be going to pieces now, trying to let all of her pain out before the children returned. She had done the same when we nearly lost our son, less than a month before.
She would need her time alone.
I picked up my silver little cell phone and for once didn't give any thought to it. Now wasn't a time to consider modern marvels. I called the number at the bottom of my extensive contact list, the one I never thought I'd call in a crisis.
Volterra.
-Breathe—Breathe—Breath—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breath—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe-
Edward POV
They were all with me today- Emmett was making innuendo loudly while Alice and Rosalie argued on shoes (stilettos versus sandals). Bella was up front with me, smiling timidly in my direction. She had stated her opinion on shoes ("sneakers are more comfortable," she had said, much to Alice's disappointment) and was now ignoring the debate. Jasper was in the back, near enough to Emmett to be annoyed, but not showing it. He was reading a book, as usual.
Cramming five vampires and a human in one Volvo was impressive enough. Cramming one annoying vampire, two hyper vampires, an Emo vampire, a mind-reading driver vampire, and an emotionally unstable, accident prone human was another thing altogether.
I almost smiled, but thought of how wrong things were underneath the façade and sighed instead. Alice and Rosalie's conversation ended abruptly and Emmett stopped a joke before he even finished it. Bella looked confused. Of course…she didn't hear my pained sigh. I looked into my rear-view mirror. Jasper was reading still. Odd. I would've thought the sudden end to the jokes and chatter might have caused him to look up. He was inquisitive and wasn't that engrossed in his book. My sudden sadness should have made him realize something was up.
'Everyone's so miserable all the time now that he doesn't really notice sadness or depression anymore.'
Alice noticed Jasper's reaction, or should I say, lack of reaction, and glanced at him unhappily.I could see Alice's eyes tighten with pain for the slightest second and realized that Emmett was wrong in what he thought.
'He's so depressed himself that he's been having trouble noticing any other emotion at all,' Alice thought.
And then I looked at my brothers and sisters and my dear Bella. They all had the exact same expression. And I realized…
'Jasper isn't the only one.'
-Breathe—Breathe—Breath—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breath—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe—Breathe-
Bella POV
Edward was driving us home and things seemed normal. Well, as normal as we can ever get. After disappointing Alice with my lack of interest in fashion yet again, Rose occupied her. I was relieved.
"You know that new Harry Potter movie, you guys?" Emmett said suddenly. "Well did you notice it was diiirrty?"
I tried my best to ignore him, as was everyone else. I liked the Harry movies and books. Hmm… Maybe that's what Jasper was reading. I should start the series over, then maybe I'd be distracted from all of the pain my future family was trying to hide from me.
"Is that your wand in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?" Emmett asked in a cheesy English accent. "Would you like to learn the Engorgement Spell, class? May I pet your Basilisk and—"
I nearly laughed, but all of a sudden, the chatter in the Volvo died off.
'Jasper didn't quit reading though,' I noticed. 'He doesn't say much anymore. And he was quiet to begin with.'
I wondered what my face looked like. From the expression on Edward's, I had a feeling it wasn't good. But the tension was too much to overcome. Edward had only just gotten back from…leaving… Nearly committing suicide. I was terrified he'd leave again. He was terrified he'd hurt me.
The rest of the Cullens had been affected by his suicide attempt than I would have thought. I could tell they were different that the Cullens I'd known. Not much, but enough. Sadder, maybe; darker. I felt uneasy all of a sudden. Queasy. As Edward pulled up to their house and we exited, I knew something big was about to happen.
Edward was next to me, of course, holding my hand perhaps a little tighter than he would have in the past. Suddenly his eyes went pitch black with anger, fear, and something I couldn't quite identify. It looked somewhat like…embarrassment? Behind me, Alice gasped loud enough that, not only could I hear, it almost hurt my ears.
Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us in the front room, sitting on their loveseat together.
"You need professional help," Carlisle said in way of a greeting. My heart sped up as it sunk quickly to my feet. "You'll all leave tomorrow. Bella, you will be going also. I've cleared it with Charlie. He thinks you'll be studying French traditions and art in Paris."
"We're so sorry," Esme said miserably. "But we had no other choice. We've noticed you all changing, and not much for the better."
Edward's anger dissolved when he looked toward me. My heart usually raced when I was scared or happy or anything….but now it had slowed to what seemed nearly a stop.
How bad could a vampire's frame of mind be for one to need therapy? I knew that Edward and I were hurting. I suspected that Jasper would be the same. But huge, joking Emmett? Or hyperactive little Alice and the ever callous Rosalie?
They hid it well, but apparently not well enough. My only comforting thought was that Edward and I would be together.
Because I wouldn't be able to breathe without him.
Please let me know any opinions on this chapter, and any suggestions, speculations, or concrit you may have. I welcome pretty much anything but hostile flames.
This is the first non-school related thing I've written in ages that wasn't unbelievable angst and emotional trauma. Well, it's not like that...yet. It may turn that way quickly. I just can't seem to get back my humour and silly stuff.
Thanks for reading; I'll have more soon.
-P.A.B.C-