A/N: You know there are reviews and then there are REVIEWS. I want to personally thank some of you who have taken the time to give me some truly insightful comments in your reviews. Whereas the 'cutes' and 'can't wait 'til the next chapter' are more than welcome; I am especially thankful of those reviews that reflect your thinking. Oh, and those of you that growled at Victor-Loved it!

Thank You goes to: totteacher; veggievampire90; eliseshaw; betterthanbella; dollybigmomma; ladyBDB; JessXO; Mari Platt; Ebony; Twilightlover-CarliseandEsme; arcacia59601; and TeamEdward17 for you insightful comments and private messages and suggestions. Now on to the next chapter.

Chapter 5 Disaster Strikes

Carlisle POV

Victor was waiting for our car when we arrived at the convention. I kissed my wife goodbye passionately. She smiled and arched her brows as if to say 'yes, we would finish this later'. I love my wife. She is the reason coming home every day is a blessing. She is the reason I know we have souls because that would explain why God has blessed me with this wonderful woman to come home to every day.

"Where are you going to go today, Victor?" I asked to find out what his plans were.

He answered with smugness, "There is another hotel in a neighboring city that was also done by the same agency that did the renovation for Thaxted Hall. I thought Esme might like to see another style done by the same people."

"Oh, that sounds great, doesn't it Carlisle?" asked Esme excitedly, obviously intrigued at Victor's idea.

I was happy to see her excited again. She was a bit peeved earlier about feeling trapped into spending the day with Victor Lexington, even under the best of circumstances. At least he was trying to make her happy.

"It sounds like you've got a full day ahead," I answered her. "I'll see you at five then. Shall we meet back here?"

"Yes, darling, five it is," she remarked as she leaned in for my usual kiss on the forehead.

"Come on Victor. I need to finish my notes from Thaxted Hall first. There were some top floor items I wanted to sketch and the observation deck is my favorite spot. I want to see that one again," Esme started on her list of plans for the day's activities.

Thank goodness the weather up here was nearly as bad as Forks. We could travel about during the day without much to worry about. I smiled as I saw my Esme happy and animated about her project. I hoped poor Victor could keep up. Esme was a force to be reckoned with when she was adamant about her design plans.

In the meantime, I spotted Dr Brock and our entourage heading into the convention. I joined them moving toward the auditorium. The seminar was informative and also encouraging for the families of cancer patients. I was excited about some of the new advances in medicine I would be able to take back to the hospital. I only hoped Esme's day would prove as beneficial.

"Today we have asked a selected group of doctors to join us in a round of visits to some of the patient's homes that have agreed to have us over to demonstrate some of the techniques and their benefits to our patients so you all can see for yourselves. While you are working in your sessions, we will be filming the entire thing so that tomorrow we can all watch and offer our observations in our afternoon forum," announced Professor Johnson.

"Dr. Cullen," Professor Johnson caught up with me as we were filing out of the auditorium, "would you be interested in joining our traveling group to offer any of your input?"

"I am not sure if that would be wise, Professor. I am here to learn and am not sure what techniques you will be practicing. Perhaps, if I may suggest, I can go as an observer and let the experts handle the demonstration?" I suggested hedging my way out of a catastrophic situation.

I was not willing to be filmed if at all possible due to the possibility of someone recognizing me from my far distant past and seeing the same Dr. Carlisle Cullen as before. We tried as best we could to avoid being filmed or photographed whenever possible. Sometimes it could not be helped but this was one that could.

"Excellent idea!" he resounded. "This way an off camera observer will give us an added perspective."

"Then it is settled. Let's get the others," I said heading toward the doctors already preparing for the visitations.

Esme POV

I knew this had been a bad idea. Victor has been asking me everything about my life all day as if we were getting to know each other or something. Honestly we were not on a date, but a fact finding mission. It was exasperating.

"Another question, Esme," Victor spoke again to break my concentration.

"Another question; how many more do you have? You've already asked me my favorite color, favorite artist, which city I liked living in the best, where I was born and raised and what animals I prefer to hunt. What more could you possibly want to know?" I fired back at him irritably.

"Forgive my inquisitiveness, dear; I am merely curious about the lives of other abstainers. It is unbelievable to us that there are others out there like us. If I am overzealous in my questioning it is just to compare lifestyles, I assure you," he answered.

Did he just call me dear? That had better have been a slip. I'd better nip this fiasco in the bud right now before something goes very, very wrong and I have to kill him.

"I have noticed Victor that all your questions have to do with me specifically. You have not asked about Carlisle, my husband, or my sons and daughters at all. Are you interested in other abstainers or just me? Because I must tell you now…"

"My questions are geared toward you because you are the one that is here. I am curious about you. That is all. Please do not be frightened or feel threatened by me. I was merely going to ask for your surname before you married Dr. Cullen. Because I feel, truly, you are more than just the good doctor's wife. You are a woman of your own means Esme and I have nothing but admiration for you."

"Oh, well okay then; my maiden name was Platt, if that fills your curiosity. Now, could we please just dispense with the questions?" I said as I moved to get out of the car when he stopped.

"Yes, fine then," Victor replied. "Let us move on to the interior of this small museum built about 140 years ago. Shall we?"

Carlisle POV

"I think we may need to stop for a minute and assess what is going on with these wild animals," I suggested as we moved our car slowly down the road to avoid hitting the creatures running toward us. It was not a stampede, but several animals were traveling at a quick pace ignoring each other and us.

I noticed that the animals seemed determined to escape something coming from the direction we were heading. It concerned me because they were more afraid of what they were running from than the humans they were passing or of me; and animals sensed my inner predator more so than humans. Something was happening and my fellow colleagues were thoroughly unaware. I decided I had to speak up before it became a safety issue for all of them.

"Why do you say that Dr. Cullen?" asked one of them. "You are not afraid of a few animals are you?"

"Actually, my family and I are avid nature lovers; there must be a very good reason these animals are running toward us like this," I spoke evenly. "Probably some sort of fire or flood that occurs naturally is what I would guess."

"Well, the last patient home we are visiting is just over that hill. After that, we are heading back anyway," the driver said.

That's when it happened. A large rumbling sound came from all around us. First we heard it. Then we felt it. The road literally rose up and then slammed back down again leaving some gaping holes in the road and all around us. The car lurched and tumbled over on its side. All of this would not have been a problem for me except it flipped again and this time I smelled the gas.

If I had a heartbeat, it would have skipped at this point. I was barely aware of the screams of the other doctors in the vehicle as I was mapping out my own escape. If this car exploded, I would exist no longer and I could not allow this to happen to my family. Especially my wife, Esme would be devastated as I would be without her.

The car finally rolled to a stop on its roof. I moved quickly and kicked the door off. It may have been too much power behind the kick, but I could always blame it on adrenaline. I pulled myself and the doctor next to me out immediately. I heard his heart beating strongly; he would be okay. I discerned lacerations to the upper torso and legs, but nothing serious or life threatening.

I helped the limping driver pull another unconscious doctor free. That's when I smelled the gas again. We had to get out of the area. I lifted the injured man placing a steady pressure on a cut that would cause more than a little problem if not stemmed quickly. There was five if us in the vehicle. As I worked on the open cut, the driver went to help the other screaming man to get out. He ran back over to me.

"I can do that," he said. "Can you help Roger? He is stuck and I don't have the strength to pull him out. Please hurry Carlisle."

I ran to the rear of the car where the man was lodged. The car had him pinned. Under normal circumstances, he would never get out in time. I stepped down into the crevice and pushed the man up and the car away. That's when the explosion happened. I shoved him out and the car flew back full force on me.

Fortunately, the car acted as a shield and I was temporarily protected from most of the deadly flames. They were lethal even to me. I started digging with all my vampire speed and strength. As I had hopped I hit a pocket and earth and debris crumbled around me. I fell about a hundred feet down into a cavern of some sort underneath heavy rocks and large boulders.

Even with my vampire strength and seemingly unbreakable body. I received lots of damage. I surmised this was due to my skin's resiliency being weakened from exposure to the flames. I was several hundred feet underground, one of my arms was twisted and torn nearly off. I had cracked ribs and my knee joint felt ripped out of place. As a human, I would have been dead on impact. As a vampire I could only lay there and wonder how I would be able to fix myself as broken and weak as I was.

Esme POV

Victor had shown me some wonderful architectural finds. I had more than enough to work on tonight. I was thinking of Carlisle and how I couldn't wait to share this when I was hit with a debilitating pain. I was doubled over as if I were fainting. Victor grabbed me and we headed to the car. I started my tearless crying. Something was terribly wrong. Somehow I didn't need Alice to tell me this.