OMG I love you guys, you write the nicest things. Alright, since I'm stuck at school with no way home for a while I'm going to update. It's not very long, just a filler piece really, but it's need to further their stories along.

Chapter 12: Edward's POV

I watched as Esme came home distracted. I could tell she was out of sorts and the only thing I could understand from her mind was a slow mantra of, "Oh my lord, oh my lord, oh my lord." I was so confused, but I had learned that it was best not to pry. After all it had been disastrous with Carlisle. Yet that had been Carlisle, and apparently he was actually a very private person. I supposed he just did not want me to hear his dirty thoughts about Bella that was becoming disturbingly frequent.

Damn perfect doctor vampire. He freaking stole my Bella.

Rose was right. I was so screwed. There was no way Bella would ever really love me. Though a big part of me wanted to try, wanted to pit myself against Carlisle and see who the best vampire was. But that had been before Carlisle was separated from Bella.

There were instances in our time together that Carlisle had seemed distressed, worried, stressed, and even a little angry. He had never once been defeated. Not until he met Bella Swan. She could break him so easily. Bella would not even have to speak. All she would have to do is glare at him and it would break him. She was that powerful, and I really doubt she even knows it.

I sigh and watch Esme putter around the kitchen. She is absorbing her thoughts with cleaning the already sterile house. I am sure it is so I do not read her mind. She does not want me to see her thoughts. She does this when she wants to avoid any council from me. It is the same habit that all of them have. Carlisle will lock himself up in his office and do either hospital paper work or pay the bills for that month. Alice will begin to draw, paint, or something else crazy and artistic. Times like those she even sews. Rose will lock herself up in the garage and tinker around with the old cars that she restores and sells. Emmet will play video games, and Jasper will write on one of his many books that he never finishes. All perform these duties at human speed. It is almost like they hope that I will grow board with them and leave. They do not realize they do it, and I find it insulting.

Like right now. Emmet and Rose had another fight, but instead of dwelling on their thoughts they are in there respective worlds. I know it is because they do not wish for me to pry. Sometimes I wish I never had this stupid gift, because most of the time I feel lonely. With Bella I could not get into her thoughts, so there was no chance that she would be physically distant with me. She would attend me in my loneliness. Now she would forever be by Carlisle's side, away from me.

I am lonely again.

Feeling frustrated I walk into the kitchen and said, "Esme, what is the matter?'

"Nothing is wrong," Esme replies with some conviction, but I do not believe her. She would not have that frightened look in her eyes if nothing was wrong. I wish I could help her, but I could also see the stubborn spark in her eyes that always, without fail, irritates me.

"Fine!" I shout causing Emmet to pause his game and Esme to just stare at me. I could hear Rose in the garage stop her fooling around. I glower. Shouting even louder I growl, "For the love of God will you stop listening to me!"
There were times that even I needed some privacy. Rubbing my head I growl, "And don't think so loud!"

Looking at Esme I calmed myself and said, "Even though I can hear some of your thoughts, that does not mean that I understand them." I went on, "And it would be nice to help you with your problem."

"It's not something you can help me with," Esme replied with a sigh. She was trying so hard not to think about it, though I did hear one word.

Carlisle

Yes, Carlisle. Carlisle the wonder boy, Carlisle the god, Carlisle the freaking king of all that is perfect and wonderful in this god forsaken universe was at it again. She valued Carlisle's help more then she valued mine. This is the final straw. I really cannot take this anymore.

I have been living under Carlisle's shadow ever since he turned me. Just because he could not deny a dying woman her last wish did not give him the right to turn me into a freak. Freaking perfect, son of a bitch! He beats me in everything! He keeps his temper, I do not. He puts his faith in God that we are meant for something better then damnation. I think we are all going to hell. He is handsomer. He is smarter. He is older. He gives better advice. He got Bella!

Some of my emotions must have shown on my face because Esme actually took a step away from me. I wanted to shout all of this. I wanted Jasper to come in here and take notice of my pain. To try and calm me down, but he was not here. I just want someone to take notice, even if it was mister freaky himself, but nobody did, they never do. Esme was still staring at me, but instead of unloading on her like I really want to I said, "Yes, Carlisle has always been good at giving advice." Then I sped out of there and into the forest. I was half-way to Canada before I stopped and took a calming breath. Looking at the trees I slumped against one and closed my eyes.

Sometimes I wished that damn perfect vampire had left me to rot in hell.

Esme's POV

I knew Edward was hurting. I should have told him. He probably could have helped, but I did not want to hurt him with all of my talk about soul mates. It would have just reminded him of Bella. Though she is not his soul mate he still thinks of her as such. He was so happy about that idea. He finally would not be alone. We had spent many a night just talking about how he would finally be part of the family. That now, just like everyone else, he would be paired off. Looking back now it feels strange. We were talking about the same girl that Carlisle was having a mental breakdown over.

I hadn't really been thinking about talking to Carlisle about this. I had really been thinking, "I don't want to remind him of Bella and Carlisle." But my block is not as good as Carlisle's yet, probably wouldn't be for another hundred years or so, and he heard the last word. Poor dear, sweet, lonesome Edward, was he ever going to stop thinking he lived under Carlisle's shadow? I knew he was near the breaking point. I saw that clearly written on his face. I wonder what Carlisle would do once Edward blew up? Would he try and calm Edward down as Edward tried to claw at his face, or would Carlisle finally lose his cool and teach Edward what it meant to truly be a vampire?

There are times that I think Carlisle is handing something from us. There are times I can see his eyes flash for the smallest of things. But he always pulls a happy smile, one that is freakishly sincere, and goes about his life. It's like he is always battling his emotions, all time. It is unnerving.

I sigh and start scrubbing down the counter. I really need to stop thinking about all of these crazy things about my family, but if I don't think about them I think about Bella. Our newest member of the family, and then I think about how Renee went off on the poor girl, and then I think about Charlie.

Charlie Swan. Now that is a good name. It's bold, but not too strong. It slides off the tongue like blood and gives me a warm tingling sensation in my stomach. I really shouldn't get so excited about a name, but I've always liked his name. It just never gave me butterflies before. Of course, I had never meet Charlie before today. I had seen his police car and the back of his head a few times. Even his silhouette talking to Carlisle, but he had always been going the opposite direction then me. We had never stopped to just talk, or even passed each other at the supermarket. I have never spoken a word to Charlie Swan. Tonight I just couldn't shut up.

We mostly talked about the divorce. He really wanted all of the details. He had apologized for his prying, but he needed to know for Bella's sake. I could really tell that he did not like the thought of Carlisle and Bella together, but I don't think he could stand for anyone of them to be hurt. That's what I like about Charlie, he really loves his little Bella. As do I.

I really can see why Carlisle and Edward loves her. She is soft, without being meek. Bold without being defiant. She has a quite way about her that does not seem permanent. Like given the right moment it would be gone and something wild would be there next. Edward sees her as a puzzle, someone cloaked in more mystery then even him. Carlisle sees her as his soul mate, and would be wife and lover.

Charlie just sees her as his little girl that needs to be protected form the big bad men that want to turn his pure little angel into something dirty.

Really they just want to turn her into a vampire.

I giggle a little at that thought and turn my thoughts back to him. I think of his thick brown hair, his light brown eyes. I think about his darkened skin, his slumped shoulders, and calloused hands. I think about him and find myself painfully aware that I need him right now sitting beside me. I need his arms around me, and I need him never to leave my side. I wonder if that is how Carlisle feels about Bella, or if I am just lusting. After all, Carlisle and I haven't had sex in over five years, and the last time we did Carlisle had been so awkward that it really had done nothing for either of us.

God we are so stupid. Fifty years of marriage and our last coupling had been more awkward then our first. I wonder if Charlie would be awkward. I wonder if his calloused hands, so different then Carlisle's, would touch me in awe or desire. Or maybe it would be a little of both.

I think about my first husband Thomas. Now he had been a right bastard. It severed him right to rot in jail for what he had done to me and our child. Charlie looked a little like him. My love for Carlisle had steamed more from gratitude then anything, and I would often compare Carlisle with Thomas. Carlisle was the better man, but Thomas had always been more attractive to me. I am not much for blondes, funnily enough.

Charlie was even more attractive to me then Thomas. It wasn't the looks that made him more attractive though. It was the fact that he could remind me of my first husband, but without the fear that he would be like him. I know for a fact that Charlie Swan is a good man. I see it in the way he looks at Bella. It's in the way he treats Renee even after she had treated him so horribly. It's even in how he treats people he doesn't know. He respects everybody, until you give him a reason not to. Tonight, he respected me, and I never felt more at the thought of being respected then I did tonight when I was talking to Charlie.

He was sitting at the table, shooting dark looks at Phil, giving me soft smiles, and cleaning his gun. All the while questioning me about my family and my relationship with Carlisle, and I could not have been more fascinated. He really was a good police officer, and would probably make a wonderful detective. He had an air about him that made you want to confide your darkest secrets in him. Bella had that same feel about her too. I suppose it is just the Sawn in them, the grace and inner beauty that is there namesake.

I frown and stop cleaning. I look at the clock. It's late. Carlisle would be at the hospital now, but where was Edward? I hoped he was okay. I know there is not much that could hurt us, and Alice would probably call if there was something wrong, but that did not stop me from worrying. I did not want him to hurt because of me. I sigh. I really need to be more careful around that boy.

Charlie's POV

I watch Bella has she sleeps. I lean heavily against the doorframe and sigh. It had been a long two days. Even longer now that Renee was here with her new boy toy, I can hardly count the number of men she has been with since our divorce, though is the first she had ever married. I do not know even half of them, but I do know if I ever found out that she let anyone of them touch my girl. I'll have her shot and quartered. That was always my worst fear when Bella would talk about not liking one of her mother's new beaus.

God, I need a beer. I walk quietly down the stairs and then head for the kitchen. It wasn't only the physical tiredness that comes when your only child is up in her room covered in ice with a freaking high temper, which was hitting me now. It was the emotional rollercoaster that I had been on.

That I was still on.

When I found that Bella was sick, I was panicked. I called Billy thinking that his folk remedies would help her, but that didn't work. She was thrashing too much for me to take her to the hospital, and the only person I could think to call was Carlisle.

Carlisle, now there was a good guy, even if he was too old for my daughter. I had actually thought he was some sort of perv. He had been nothing but nice to me since the day we met and I still thought the man was a pervert. Though to be honest it really wasn't too much of a leap. After all he was married with five kids, but he was deeply in love with my seventeen year old daughter. Yeah right. Or so I thought.

Really the joke was on me. He rushed here, probably broke every law of the road that I protect, and then helped my daughter. Not to mention the fact that he stripped her down and not even once noticed. He had been an utter gentlemen and professional. Really, this was the man I was protecting my daughter from? But I didn't regret it. What I told Esme was true. I don't regret my actions; I just regret those that got hurt.

Esme, so much different then what I thought she would be. I knew that she was beautiful, and I knew that she would be nice, but I didn't know she would be…special. That's really the only word that I can describe Esme Cullen with.

She has a way about her that calms me down instantly. She just walked through the door with a bowel of chicken soup, and smile, and I knew it was going to be okay. I knew that the problem with Renee would turn out fine, and so far it has.

I really don't know what my problem was tonight. Ever since Renee stormed into my home, what used to our home, she had set my emotions on the edge. Questioning me about every decision I made on Bella's behalf. She almost killed me when she stormed out of the house, and I think if it hadn't been so full of people at the time she would have. I felt the love that had never fully gone away for her war with the disgust I felt every time I thought about what she did to me and Bella. About all of the time I lost with my little girl just because Renee had the urge to run off to the wide blue yonder. Yet when Esme was here, I didn't feel it. In fact I was not worried about anything. I knew it would be handled. I didn't think about Renee at all. I thought about Esme.

He r lovely curly blonde brown hair, her pale skin, her sweet golden eyes. I find it strange that her eyes are the same as her ex-husband's, but I'm getting off track. She is shorter than me, she only comes to my shoulder, but I find that endearing and somehow sexy. Her hands are long, pale, and perfectly shaped, and her form is flawless. She was wearing a purple knitted sweater that fit in all of the right places, and looked really soft and a black skirt that was sexy without being immodest. I felt rough and out of place when I shook her hand. Like I was some hillbilly from the hills and she was some high society New York princess. Still do when I think about her.

Sighing I sit in front of the television and think about what Renee said when she left me, "All you do is sit in front of the television and watch baseball! You never do anything! I can't take it anymore. I'm leaving!" I close my eyes and rub my temples. I was a simple man with simple tastes. There was no way that Esme Cullen would ever find me as interesting as I find her. Groaning I take a gulp of my beer and turn the news on. Wondering what sort of horrible, senseless death I was going to hear about now.

Yeah, Edward's is all death and self loathing. Esme's is all happiness and introspect, and Charlie's is depressing. I hope there was verity in this chapter. LOL! I really am sorry there was not lovely, mind-numbing Carlise/Bella passion but you'll love me anyway *wink, wink*. Now.....HIT THE PURPLE, PRETTY BUTTON!

P.S. Yes I screwed up the past and present tense sometimes....you don't have to remind me. Hahahahaha