As promised, here is some good 'ol cheesy Esme and Carlisle fluff. Finals are upon us (Battle Noises) and I won't be around much this weekend. Hope this makes up for it.
AnnieOakley16: You always seem to have something so nice to say. I'm glad you like the stories. You are a faithful reviewer, and are really keeping me going with this goal.
And lastly....Underground's newbie corner! *claps*
What are lemon and crack-fics?
PeeEss: Esme's dress will probably be put on my profile, I'll let you know when it's up.
Cleaning
Esme surveyed the ruin that used to be her house with a brief grimace of horror and a short sigh of understanding. Emmett had just celebrated his birthday, and they always liked to go all out for their siblings. It was also the first birthday that the Cullen's were able to celebrate with Bella, this had increased greatly. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper had gone out to hunt for his birthday.
Edward had taken Bella home. After all the excitement of the afternoon, she looked about to drop with exhaustion. Esme knew how she felt, for she had broken my leg as well. Though modern medicine had not progressed as far as it was now, the effects were the same. Esme could easily see through his lies though. His eyes flickered towards his sanctuary and I let him go.
Even with a high-sensory speed that vampires possessed wouldn't make this task much easier. Of course, to her this was a labor of love. She wanted to please her children, the only ones she had. Dashing upstairs, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and changed into some older clothes. By older clothes, she meant clothes she had worn before. Alice was very strict when it came to their wardrobe.
She righted the furniture and pulled out the vacuum. Esme had just had most of the rooms vacuumed when she heard the sound of a car driving down the freeway. The radio was loud, and the news poured from the speakers.
Attention to all drivers. Along route 108 there is a severe accident. Traffic is backed up. Avoid this way, may cause delays.
Esme set the vacuum down and looked at the clock. All of a sudden, she knew that Carlisle must be having a rough day. His break was in a little while, perfect for a little stop.....
She changed into more suitable clothes and climbed into the car, stopping at the store, and then continuing en route to the hospital. It was a little harder for her to be here than it was for him, so she never stayed long. She missed him though, and wished that weren't the case. Esme walked quietly down the hallway. The secretary behind the desk gave her a smile and Esme waved back. She was well known around here, though much to her dismay that didn't stop the lusting looks they still gave her husband.
She found Carlisle in his office. He did look tired, mentally of course, as she had predicted. Leaning against the frame, she watched him as he picked his head up in surprise.
"Esme, is something wrong at home?" She smiled and walked over, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk.
"Nothing is wrong, I heard about the accidents and thought that you may be having a busy day. I..also picked up a little something, maybe if you have a moment of free time."
She pulled a volume out of the bag and handed it to him. He glanced at the cover in shock and than smiled. "How on earth did you know that I was wanting to read this?"
She smiled and elusively shrugged her shoulders. "A little birdie told me." More like a certain bronze-haired son of hers. He held out his hand and she took it, their silence consoling each other. His pager began to beep sporadically and he sighed.
"Duty Calls."
She laughed and stood up, kissing him on the forehead. "I'll be waiting when you get home, try not to work too hard." He smiled and she exited the room, waving farewell to the secretary once more and climbing back into the car, now ready to once again face the task at home.
Donning her work clothes once more she set to dusting and straightening the paintings. She pulled down decorations and cleaned up the kitchen. Honestly, for people who didn't eat their kitchen became messy in the oddest of ways. She couldn't exactly identify what was sitting in a mixing bowl on the counter. Surveying her house almost back in order, she saw a stain on the carpet. It wasn't new by the looks of it, and she raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Once again, house full of vampires, not something she was likely to question.
With spray bottle in hand, she set to work on removing the blight from the otherwise spotless carpet. Unfortunately, this was a task she had to do at a near-human pace. Too fast would make a hole in the carpet, something she hoped to avoid. A car drove up the lane to her house and she stood up, confused. It was too early for the children to be back, and they never had visitors. The knob turned and Carlisle stepped into the house.
Esme set the bottle down. "I suppose it's my turn, is something wrong?" She hadn't expected him to be finished at the hospital this quickly, sometimes he came home very late or not at all, depending on the need.
He smiled and set the keys on the table. "A visiting doctor needs to see some of the paperwork I have in my possession. I was given a few minutes off to get them." Esme smiled and watched him head up the stairs, stooping down to scrub the stain out of the carpet once more. Cleaning was truly a labor of love. His soft footsteps came down the stairs and he walked over, pulling her up. He gave her a quick kiss and watched her for a slow moment with an odd look on his face. He smiled once more and grabbed the keys, heading out to the car.
She frowned, sad to see him leave but finished cleaning the house. Around five the birthday group was back and trooped into the house, smelling like the outdoors, each with a pair of warm golden eyes. They surveyed the clean house and gave me a impish look. "Sorry Esme, I guess we shouldn't have made such a big mess." She laughed and shook her head.
"Don't get used to it. There are eight days a year you get to make a mess like this and get away with it." Soon they had gone to their respective rooms and I sat on the couch, waiting for Carlisle to get home. The phone jingled and I picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hi Esme, it's Carlisle. There were a couple last minute accidents and I'm going to be late coming home."
She frowned, taking a few seconds to hide the disappointment. Esme missed him, so very much. "It's alright, I understand. Take care, and don't forget I love you."
She could hear the longing to come home in his voice. "I love you too. Oh....but before I come home, put on something nice. I'll be there around seven."
Before she could question the odd request the line disconnected, leaving her thoroughly confused. Esme still had about and a half hour before she should begin getting ready, so she picked up a book.
As the clock tolled the hour, Esme could here someone coming down the stairs. She turned and saw it was Alice, waiting on the bottom step. She smiled hugely and said simply "follow me." Esme got up and went after her daughter, following after as she entered her and Carlisle's room. On the bed was a cream colored gown, elegant and beautiful. She stared at the garment and faced a beaming Alice with a shocked face. Alice beckoned toward it after a moment of gaping. "Go on mother, or I will employ the same threats I have to use on Bella."
Esme laughed and carefully picked up the dress, stepping into the spacious bathroom. She pulled off the dirty cleaning clothes and paused. "Alice, I'm going to take a quick shower. I believe I smell like pine-sol and whatever it was you were making in the kitchen."
Alice giggled and sat down on the bed. "Good idea, but don't be long." She hopped into the shower and washed off the smell of clean furniture, regaining the smell of a clean person. After shutting off the taps she dried off, wrapped her hair in a towel and slid the dress on. The smooth slide of silk over skin made her aware that this was a very expensive gown. As if things hadn't been puzzling enough. When she stepped out of the bathroom Alice squeaked and jumped up.
"It looks perfect! I knew it would, I could see that." She quickly dashed up and kept Esme's wet hair off the dress. "Don't get it wet, I don't have time to get another dress." Esme was seated at the vanity table and Alice set to work. She blow-dried her hair and added something that made it shine and easy to work with. She pinned it up elegantly, in a pretty formal style. After this, she took two roses and twined them in as well. Now, it wasn't the first time Esme had a makeover by Alice, but never to this kind of extreme. Alice danced across the room to the jewelery box but stopped when a blank look crossed her face. She smiled and walked back over to me.
"Great, you look perfect." She handed me a matching clutch purse and throw. "Now, go sit in the guest room." Esme's brow furrowed with confusion. "Aren't I allowed downstairs?" Alice looked aghast and shook her head. "He will see you!"
Esme was ushered into the empty guest room and Alice winked before closing the door. It wasn't much later when seven rolled around and the familiar sound of his car rolled into the driveway. She started to rise but a low hiss from the hallway made her laugh and she sat down again. His footsteps came up the stairs and he paused before entering their room. Silence followed, and after a few moments they went back downstairs. She waited and soon Alice poked her head inside.
"Alright, he's waiting for you downstairs." Esme shook her head again and walked down the long hallway, pausing at the top. She took a deep breath and stepped to the top of the stairs.
Carlisle waited at the bottom, his white coat exchanged for a neatly pressed tux. He held a rose in his hand, identical to the one in her hair. As she descended the stairs he watched her with a smile on his face. Her fingers laced with his as they reached the bottom and he kissed her hand.
"You look simply dazzling tonight." Esme smiled and squeezed his hand tighter, and soon they were speeding down the road to some unknown destination.
They arrived at a place Esme had never seen before. The clock read nine, and she was amazed that they had driven so far. As for where they had arrived, it could only be described as a palace. Warm light shone through tall windows, and white stone made up the building. They were led up a path of lanterns and flowers, coming to a stop at the top of a winding stone staircase. Carlisle handed the doorman two tickets, and the paused once more to have their coats and belongings taken. Finally, they were led into a ballroom.
To Esme, it was beyond words. The light had been coming from a large crystal chandelier, as well as lanterns mounted on the walls. The ceiling was a mural painted with a heavenly scene, angels and clouds dotting the sky. The walls were gilded with gold, and the architecture was simply marvelous. She heard a low chuckle at her expression.
"This ballroom was just recently restored. I had forgotten about the opening event, but I wished to take you." She beamed at him and he took her hands, forgetting everyone else as they twirled together on the dance floor.
Pretty bells marked the late (or early) hour of midnight. Carlisle looked down with a question in his eyes. "Would you like to leave?" Esme had enjoyed dancing as much as he had, and she could see he wished to continue. She laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm not Cinderella. Though I do believe we are in her palace." He laughed once more and released her hands for a moment, pulling out a thin box.
"I realized today that I don't appreciate you as much as I should. You are a perfect wife and a perfect mother. You always tell me not to work too hard, but sometimes I think it's you who does too much of it. I wanted to do something to show you how much I love you." He opened the lid of the box and inside was a pendent. It was two rings, looped together. One held his name and the other contained hers. She smiled and turned, allowing him to place it on her neck.
Esme turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a soft thank you kiss. "It's beautiful Carlisle, absolutely perfect." He breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "I must admit, I was worried. Putting a man in a jewelery store usually does not go well."
They continued their dance, even up until the first rays of dawn began to enter the wall of windows. Whether they were cleaning house or cleaning up for the most perfect night out, it was always a labor, or joy of love.