The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25[dot]com

Prompt: Seattle

Pen Name: maxandmo

Pairing/Main Character(s):ExB

Rating: M

Multi-chapter

Photo prompts can be viewed here: thetwilight25[dot]com/round-six/prompts

I don't own Twilight. Extra special thanks to Twilly for encouraging me to write, and Sarah for beta'ing! Luv ya's! (maxandmo on Twitter and Maxandmo Fanfiction on FB)

2. Seattle

This particular group of visitors hailed from the greater Seattle area. That helped to explain why they seemed even more taken with the beautiful weather than normal. It also explained why they were all a bit pale. Well, all except for one girl who shined an unusual shade of orange.

He thought at first that she was part of an inter-racial couple; her other half was exceptionally pale. After realizing that there wasn't a race known to man that was that shade of orange, a spray tan was the obvious culprit. Carlisle laughed to himself. Why would someone get a spray tan when they were about to spend one week in the real sun? Carlisle shook his head in wonder. Some things just made no sense.

Being a pale-face himself, Carlisle had an impressive collection of hats to accessorize his outfits, and was most comfortable in the shade. The warm weather didn't seem to phase him even when he wore his signature suits. He was a big fan of white and linen. Jake was also an accessory of sorts. He had the same wardrobe, and complimented Carlisle's fairness with his darker complexion.

Where Carlisle was laid back and a bit formal, Jake was easily excited and extremely emotional. They both excelled in making their guests feel at home and were the peanut butter to the other's jelly. Things could be so-so with just one, but the other made things so much better.

The couples were shown to an outside patio that had an impressive spread of appetizers and drinks laid out for them to indulge in, while Jake took their luggage to their rooms. Carlisle insisted on making sure that his guests always had enough to eat and drink. More often than not, Mrs. Cope went way overboard. Carlisle was never seen eating or drinking in front of people as he felt this was less than professional.

"Friends, I'm so happy you could make this journey. We have a fun week planned for you. Feel free to spend the rest of this afternoon at your leisure. Plan on a late dinner and then drinks by the pool if you so choose."

Carlisle motioned to his right where a luxurious infinity pool was positioned between a row of palm trees and an elaborate stone privacy wall. The pool was adorned with a waterfall and a hot tub that sat adjacent to it.

An excited 'hell yes' filled the air, which elicited laughter from most of the group. The bigger man looked like a kid on Christmas morning. His smile was enormous, and he had a set of dimples bigger than the one on John Travolta's chin.

The man looked like someone who enjoyed himself wherever he went. Well, until one look from his wife silenced him. She was a beautiful woman, yet she looked so cold and vacant. Their personalities didn't seem to mesh. This intrigued Carlisle, and he was interested in learning more about them.

After making sure his guests' needs were taken care of, Carlisle excused himself from the group and quietly retreated to his quarters. It was the only section of the house that was off limits to his visitors. He changed into his less formal attire, a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts and a floral shirt, and settled into his leather chase sofa.

When he turned on his enormous flat screen television, several small screens appeared. He focused on the one he wanted and zoomed in. Carlisle had an exemplary sense of hearing and didn't need to turn the volume up to catch what people were saying.

As he focused on the screen he noticed several things. One of which was that the spray tanned girl had enormous fake breasts. Another was that the quiet brunette was off in a corner by herself reading a book while her boyfriend was ogling said fake breasts.

Instead of ogling his girlfriend's fake breasts, her boyfriend was watching the girl who was reading. If one didn't know better, they'd think that the couples needed to swap partners. Carlisle made a mental note to figure out if that was indeed a good idea. Mix that with some alcohol, and who knew what could happen.

With his signature knock on the door, Jake eagerly greeted his boss.

"Boss, boss, guess what?" His enthusiasm was second to none, and Carlisle was always amused as the little man bounced up and down like a jumping bean.

"What has you so excited, my friend?"

"I have a feeling this is going to be a great week, boss."

"We'll see. Let's compare notes, shall we?"

With that, Carlisle pressed a button that brought up a touch screen chart of which took up an entire wall in his office. He had the couples listed on a grid almost as if they were college basketball teams on a bracket.

There was ample space for comments under their names, and this is where Carlisle used his gift of perception, along with Jake's observances.

They spent the next few hours going through each couple. They decided to focus on two couples for the evening. The couples they chose were Esme and Paul and Mike and Isabella.

Carlisle and Jake both agreed that something was definitely going on with Mike and Isabella. Their relationship didn't seem entirely healthy, and they certainly didn't seem happy. It was their goal to find out exactly what was going on and how to potentially fix it.

Esme and Paul were a different story. They seemed close and intimate but on a purely platonic level. Esme was strikingly beautiful but seemed frail. She caught Carlisle's eye from the minute she set foot on his island. Paul was quiet and ever doting on Esme. They were chosen because Carlisle was intent on getting to know them better.

When all their notes were complete, Jake and Carlisle freshened up and headed outside to the patio party in hopes that they could gather all of the insight they were seeking.