Authors' notes: With the exception of Esme's dialogue, this chapter was authored by Jenna, penname DragonGirl323. It's being posted here on my account for story continuity.

Also, we'd like to thank everyone who has read & reviewed so far. It's very much appreciated!

An uneasy, semi-silence enveloped us then as I followed her gaze out the window, seeing but not quite seeing the trees outside. Of course, "silence" was something that I didn't encounter very often, being forced into hearing the thoughts, feelings and desires of the humans and vampires alike that I came into contact with. Of course, that made me think of the one person whose mind I couldn't hear and the train of thought that came screaming through my mind at that precise moment – wonderings about Bella and where she could be – made me grateful that Esme's attention was currently not on me. The sour expression that twisted my face left me scrambling for a distraction and I found it in the turmoil of her thoughts.

I glanced down, my gaze coming to rest on her hands that were folded loosely in her lap, and I gently picked her left hand up, holding it between both of mine. I breathed in through my nose, the mix of scents in the air automatically separating themselves in my mind; the damp musk of the forest outside, the dry material of the couch we were sitting on and the alluring aroma of her perfume, among others. I patted the back of her hand softly as she turned her head toward me.

"He'll make it up to you when he can," I reassured, sending her a small half-smile. The tenor of my voice didn't sound the least bit convincing and I knew she would be able to detect that.

Her gaze briefly drifted down to our joined hands before she smirked up at me, hearing her words as they formed in her mind. "He certainly has his work cut out for him, I can tell you that."

Her joking tone made my smile widen and I couldn't stop the soft chuckle that escaped my parted lips. "I can only imagine." That same, unwelcome train of thought chose to rear up and remind me of my monotonous afternoon of fruitless searching. I sighed heavily as I leaned back into the cushions of the couch. "I've been watching for Bella all afternoon." I close my eyes in the hope that the expanse of darkness behind my eyelids will calm the whirlwind of activity swirling relentlessly through my head, but am only met with further disappointment.

Esme's fingers gently wrap around my palm as her thoughts turn sorrowful. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I really wish she would contact you. I'm so worried about her and I love Bella, but…" She pauses and I hear her hesitance to keep going and the words she wants to say, so I wait. "It hurts the most to see you this way."

I open my eyes and stare down at my lap with a slight frown, slowly shaking my head. "It's alright. I know she just needs time," I reply, looking up and meeting her eyes. "I don't like seeing you upset either."

"Don't you think it's strange, knowing that you have eternity with someone but feeling so lonely? Why do all the moments without them seem so much longer than all the time together?" she inquires, thinking aloud, and shakes her head. "Well, at least we're not completely alone. We could be. I'm glad you're here." She expelled a slow breath as she rested her head against my shoulder, keeping a slight hold on my hand.

The corners of my mouth twitch, tugging upwards, as I rest my cheek against the top of her head and squeeze her fingers softly as I take her words in. "It is strange indeed. And I'm glad you're here as well. At least we can be lonely together."

Esme lifts her head off my shoulder and looks up at me, one corner of her mouth quirked. "I'm not really lonely with you, though. Don't tell your siblings this, but I miss you the most when you are gone."

One of my eyebrows arch in intrigue. I'd heard that thought in her mind before over the years, but this is the first time she had ever vocalized it. "Really? You've never told me that before." In the back of my mind, I idly wondered why she chose now to tell me that.

"You know you have always been my favorite, Edward," she says, her voice low. "Even if you aren't really related, you are a lot like Carlisle. It was always easy to believe we belonged together, the three of us."

I nod in agreement, another chuckle vibrating through my chest. "I have known, you're right." I pause and a part of me is left feeling surprised that she compared me to my creator. A thought like that had never before crossed my mind. "And thank you for the compliment. I don't think I'm anything like Carlisle, though."

Esme turned her face away from me and pulled her hand out of my grasp, choosing instead to loop her arm through mine. I could hear her mind working as she considered a more fitting explanation of exactly how I compared to Carlisle and I waited in the brief silence to give her time to sort through her thoughts. "You are both kind, gracious, loving, intelligent, strong, handsome gentlemen. Of course, perhaps I am slightly biased," she replied with a small laugh.

I laughed along with her, enjoying this lighthearted moment. They were few and far between. "Perhaps just a little, but thank you."

She looked back up at me and smiled, brushing back a stray strand of my hair that was hanging down over my forehead. "I can't be blamed really."

The corners of my lips curl upwards, my eyes focusing on the edge of her hand as her fingers move through my hair. My eyebrows twitched slightly, a movement so subtle a human wouldn't be able to see it, as I detect a faint shift in the feel of her thoughts. It was something I'd never experienced from her before and I was at a loss, having no idea how to decipher it. That fact alone left me feeling strangely unsettled. I moved my gaze to her face, searching her expression.

"No, I suppose not," I drawled, staring into the rich honey of her eyes and trying to figure out exactly what was going on.