Emmett pov

Esme was hogging Bella again, and Emmett was a little bored. Bella's dresser was coming along nicely, apparently, but it was coming along at a human pace so they'd needed today to try and finish it up before Edward's being around made that a little more difficult for a while.

"Why have you started pouting?" Rose asked him after a moment and he looked up to see she wasn't reading that book that Alice lent her. It wasn't really Rose's style to read about vampires, but Rose was looking over that book like there would be a test on it later and she'd never read it before.

"Bella bear doesn't have a good tv and she doesn't have any gaming systems. I just don't know what we'll do after school when Eddie gets back." Emmett didn't want to miss out on his Bella time. He already had to share it.

"Give her one of the smaller tv's, and tell her we were replacing it." Rose glanced at the tv they had mounted on the wall across from their bed. It wouldn't be as big as he liked, but it was newer and Emmett looked at it a moment. He'd hooked his games up to it before, it wasn't even difficult. "I'm sure Esme could incorporate it into that bedroom design they are always talking about, and she's often hiding in her room when Charlie's watching sports, so she might like a tv of her own."

"You are brilliant." He gave his wife a warm smile and got up to kiss her gently. "That's perfect. She won't turn down things we're getting rid of anyhow."

"Of course you're going to figure out how to get Charlie to let you hang out with his only daughter in her bedroom." Rose gave him a wicked smile as she threw that curve ball at him. As soon as she said it, he knew that was going to be a problem.

"You could come." He offered, knowing that if Rose was there Charlie would feel much better about it, and hey, his Rosie did help to fluster Bella at times so he could win.

"I could." Rosalie frowned down at the book in her hands. "I'd at least get to see these other books she's been reading." Emmett glanced at the book again and this time took a deep breath. It smelled of Alice, and Bella as well. "Alice found out she's been reading books that have vampires in them. I'm trying to see what the vampires in this are like. We're nothing like the myths, but still, I don't want her suspecting anything if we can help it."

"Can I borrow that after you're done?" Emmett asked quietly.

"I was going to suggest that." Rose sighed and looked up at him. "Maybe it's better if we aren't here as much when we spend time with her. We're used to being ourselves at home, and we're just lucky that she doesn't notice things. Alice ran, really ran, the other day in front of her, but because she was embarrassed about what Alice might be planning to wear she wasn't looking. It was close, and I know Alice wouldn't have made that mistake anywhere but here."

Emmett was a bit stunned to find it was Alice messing up. He'd kind of assumed that if anyone messed up in front of Bella it would be one of the guys, him or Edward or Jasper really, and if Edward or Jasper were messing up, it would be a huge fight, because he wasn't letting anyone kill his Bella bear.

"Esme is going to be disappointed." He managed to remember.

"She can invite Bella places if she wants to, but I don't think it's a good idea to tempt Edward, and I don't want her seeing something that means we have to move. I think she'd be a little devastated if all of her friends left her at once, without any warning." Rose shook her head and she frowned. "She's not even trying to make human friends, she avoids them like they are the monsters. I thought if she didn't have lunch with us she'd find other friends, ones that weren't vampires, but instead she eats alone in the library."

"She's different and she doesn't act like them." Emmett spoke softly. "And after how the kids at her last school treated her, I'm sure she thinks they ARE all monsters." He gritted his teeth. "I mean what kind of bastards pick on a girl with no memory?" If that had happened at Forks High, he would have been in the principal's office for fighting every day, teaching the little bastards a lesson. As is, Mike was never going to touch or talk to his Bella Bear again.

Rose rested a hand on his arm, and that always helped to calm him down, even when he was a newborn she had that power over him. He smiled at her after a moment. "I love you." He told her gently and she leaned into him for a deeper kiss.

Her soft little moan was all it took to green light his fingers running across the waist of her pants, caressing the exposed skin of her stomach as he did it. "How about we find something fun to do?" He asked quietly and felt her smile into his kiss after that.

"We can't get too noisy, or break things. There is a human in the house after all." Rose whispered as she pushed him back onto the bed.

….

Esme Pov

Esme could smell that the paint on the dresser was dry enough, but she lightly touched it with her fingers to be absolutely sure. After that she stood back and studied what they had made with a small smile. Her hand reached out to grab the shelf and pulled it out so that the desk was visible. It rolled smoothly. It was really quite clever and she wished she'd seen the show about this. Bella had proved to be quite clever herself as they'd created a plan to make this, since neither of them had found instructions. They'd left a small gap, big enough for one of Bella's textbooks to be left on the shelf and still have the desk slide back into the dresser.

The sanding and painting had taken time, more than it should really, but at a human pace that was apparently how long it took.

"Looks good Esme." She heard Rosalie speak up while slipping into the garage. Esme could see Rose was dressed for working on one of their cars.

"I'm bringing it over to Bella's house this afternoon." Esme glanced at the cars in the garage meaningfully.

"You need Emmett and his Jeep, don't you?" Rose smiled. "You better bring Jasper as well." Esme sighed. That was a little irritating at times, pretending to have to have the boys do things as if she couldn't. Still, it made sense, and Bella had said her father was home today so even if Bella didn't tend to question much, he might.

Maybe she'd have a moment to talk with Charlie while the boys kept Bella busy. Esme hoped so, she wasn't sure if Charlie realized that his daughter was trying to be so very independent. Knowing Bella as she did now, she suspected he didn't even know Bella had a wish list of things she wanted to make life her in Forks better, some of which he would surely be able to afford for his daughter and she wasn't asking for. How hard was it to ask for a gallon of paint? Sure, he probably couldn't afford a car right away for her, and that computer for school work was hard for some families to get, but not everything Bella was trying to budget for was out of reach for a normal family. The girl just wasn't used to having a parent, Renee had ruined her for that, and Esme wanted to give Charlie a heads up that Bella would not ask for what she needed.

Esme loaded up the jeep on her own, easily, and made sure to secure the dresser so it wouldn't slip if Emmett, or when Emmett, took a turn fast. "Make sure to get the tv too." Rosalie slid out from under her BMW to point to the 22 inch tv and the mounting hardware they were apparently sneaking into Bella's room as a gift. Esme planned to have it mounted above the dresser desk, but to the left so that they could put bookshelves on the wall as well. It wasn't too big a deviation from the plan for the room.

Edward was returning later today, so Esme was busy trying to get things done before the inevitable family meeting. She found the boys watching a movie and dragged them with her to Bella's.

Esme was a little eager to see the room before they started work and she was going to take a few pictures of it too, so that they could see the improvements, and for the portfolio of Bella's work she was starting for the girl. Bella designed the room, with advice from Esme and so it was something she might be able to show an interior design school in the future. Esme even wrote notes down about the decision process for the room that she was putting in the portfolio as well, so that Bella could talk about her work years later and remember what she'd done and why.

An hour later Esme was listening to Bella talking with Emmett and Jasper, explaining where the dresser went, while she stood in the kitchen with Bella's father. "She's an amazing girl." Esme smiled at him. "A complete delight to have over." He started to have a bit of a smile. "And I love that she has an interest in interior design. My own children don't really have an interest in my work, but Bella listens to my stories and ask questions. I let her use my office to design her bedroom and she's talented." Esme could see some confusion in his eyes, which confirmed what she'd suspected.

"Interior design eh?" Charlie glanced around his kitchen, and into the living room. Both rooms needed work as far as Esme could see.

"She designed the modifications to the dresser. Once it's set up you have to have her show you what she's come up with. It's ingenious." Esme told him and watched the quiet man become more interested. Clearly he cared more about Bella's interests than her mother ever had. "It converts into a desk, with plenty of space for her homework." Esme felt a little guilty, doing this behind Bella's back, but it needed to be done. "And her plans for that room are inspiring. To have a vision like this at her age, she understands style and color. I can't wait until she finishes it. I haven't told her but I'm creating a portfolio of her work on this room, in case she decides to major in interior design. I think her work will speak for itself, and paired with her grades, any school would take her when it comes time."

They talked a little about interior design and she could see he was struggling to understand what that was. Esme could also hear Bella was surprised when Emmett pulled out the tv, but it sounded like her large son got a hug for his generosity.

A little later and she could hear her sons were doing their job, distracting Bella with setting that tv up. "Charlie, I am concerned about how independent Bella is." She spoke more softly and the man set his coffee cup down. She had been pretending to drink hers, even though the smell of it was nasty as she pulled it to her lips. Esme frowned. "She's unusually mature, which isn't surprising based on what little I've heard." She didn't want to point fingers at Renee at the moment. "But has she asked you for anything a child should ask their parent for?"

"What do you mean?" His voice was deeper and more serious.

"Her new room, she wants to make it her own. Has she even mentioned it?" Esme could see him shaking his head. "And clothes, or money for entertainment?" He was starting to frown. "I know she didn't even consider asking you for a computer for her school work, or a car. She's prioritized her needs, even the paint for the walls, and she's planning on paying for everything herself, once she can find a job." Esme sighed. "I know many parents start to make their children responsible for some of their own needs at this age, but I didn't think that was what happened here. Bella is a special child, and her medical condition makes it very unique for you. I don't think she realizes she can ask." She could see his eyes getting a little glassy and Charlie glanced away, and got up to get a refill on his coffee.

"Before the accident, Bella was really her mother's child." Charlie spoke up, but he was looking away and Esme pretended to not see him wipe at his eyes. Having a child that forgot who you were had to be painful at times. "I didn't get to raise her, this is my second chance with her. I'm doing the best I can, but I need her to tell me what she needs. I don't know what I'm doing. She doesn't have any of the normal problems the guys at work tell me about, she's so different, so mature. I just thought she'd tell me."

"Teenagers aren't known for their communication skills." Esme told him gently. "You have to drag the words out of them." Her own kids were far from normal, but she'd been around long enough to hear the stories from other people. She kept up on talk shows and books, because with five kids, it was assumed she'd know. She'd had to borrow stories she'd heard and claim that Edward or Alice or the others had done this or that as a child, while mingling at one of Carlisle's work functions. "Make her tell you about her school day in detail, ask about her personal projects, start asking about her plans for after high school." Charlie moved to sit back down and Esme resisted the urge to rest a comforting hand on his arm, because her skin was far too cold. "I know her past is a sensitive subject to her, but her present and her future, you need to be talking to her about those."

"I don't know how you do it, with five of them." Charlie shook his head. Esme just smiled.

"If you're ever completely lost, feel free to ask for help. I think of her as one of my own already. I love spending time with her. She's so bright, and so focused." The boys were coming down the stairs and they should leave.

"It's good for her to have a woman around." Charlie nodded. "I'd been a little concerned about that."

It was good that he'd even thought about that. He didn't need to worry though, because Esme was already on the job.

"Chief Swan." Emmett stepped into the room with a grin. "You might want to call the cable company. Bella has a new tv." Esme nodded to him, it was a good move to say something before Bella could put it on her list of what she needed to buy herself again.

"Emmett got a new one, a bit larger for his gaming addiction." Esme smiled and explained. "So he thought he'd give Bella his old one. It was going to end up at the Goodwill."

"Oh, well, that's mighty nice of you." Charlie said, mostly to her, all Emmett got was a searching look. Charlie seemed to only have the suspicion of boys part of being a father down so far.

…

Carlisle had been working quite a bit of overtime this week, but he was home in time for the family meeting. Esme sat at the dining room table beside him, looking around the table at her family and she could see the tension in their eyes. Edward was outspoken, and had many opinions. His gift meant that they often left a town when he said they should leave, because he'd 'heard' something that made it time to leave. In looking at the tension in Rosalie and Emmett's eyes, they hadn't made it very clear to the others that Edward's opinions were different than his observations and they didn't just drop everything whenever he said to. He'd always had a good reason before, it wasn't that they always did what he said to do.

"I appreciate that you all have formed some sort of attachment to this human." Edward spoke and looked around. "But really, are you crazy? We're vampires! If you really liked this girl you'd stay away from her." His eyes darted to Rosalie and then Alice. "You've even slipped up in front of her?" His words became more accusing.

Esme just shook her head and glanced over at Carlisle, who'd decided to let Edward have his say like this. It wasn't going to make a difference though, because Esme wasn't going to give up the girl. Edward's eyes turned to stare at her and she held his gaze. If they were truly as evil to be around as Edward claimed, then why did they even try to live like they did? Why did they send five vampires to the local high school? No, they had fought hard for their control, and for the ability to have a somewhat normal life and Esme did not believe that what she was made her inherently evil. She had love to give and that girl needed it.

His eyes then jerked over to Emmett's and Esme could see he was hearing thoughts he didn't like. Emmett sat as stiffly as she did as he stared his brother down.

"This is insane." Edward muttered and his eyes moved around the room until they rested on Jasper. "You understand how wrong this is."

"I haven't felt so much aliveness and joy in this family in a long time. Sure, having a human around is uncomfortable, but I'd do it just for Alice, and it isn't just Alice that wants her."

"This isn't a pet," His eyes moved around to stare at Esme, "isn't a new child, or a toy," He turned to stare at Emmett and Esme pursed her lips to see how Edward was still arguing this.

"We've agreed to not have her over anymore." Rosalie cut in. "I don't think who we befriend is a matter of a vote, but if it is, I say we just vote and get this over with." Rose knew, just like Esme did, that they had the majority.

"I'm sorry Edward." Carlisle glanced around the room. "I know this is uncomfortable for you, but I'm going to vote with the others on this. Bella stays. We'll be more careful about what she sees, but I'm not about to deny everyone for your sake."

"And when she figures out something is wrong about us?" Edward stared into Carlisle's eyes and Esme sighed heavily at the challenge inherent in the way he sat.

"We will deal with that if it happens." Carlisle stood firm. Esme was grateful that she didn't have to argue harder, because she would have if it had looked like they might actually move.

"You've been training with her scent." Jasper spoke up. "Are you feeling prepared to meet her? She will be in the halls at school, so you need to be able to resist the pull at least enough to deal with that."

"Unless you'd prefer for us to say we are home schooling you." Esme offered.

"That would look too strange if you did it just for me." Edward grimaced. "And I need to monitor her thoughts so I know when your little experiment blows up in your face."

It won't, Esme thought at him, but she did approve of his willingness to let go of this. His staying home would have raised eyebrows, but they were asking a lot of him. She knew it wasn't fair, she felt bad about that, but if there was any way to stay she wanted to. Right now, she felt like her heart would break completely if she had to leave Bella behind. She let herself think of all the things she loved about the girl, about the hours she'd spent with her talking while working on that dresser. Surely Edward would see how special Bella was.

"Alice, you wanted to have me meet her here. That sounds safer." Edward let out a heavy sigh. "I'd rather know how bad it is in person before I find myself in the parking lot at school with her."

"We were going to the movies tomorrow night. I'll make sure to have to come home before dropping her back off at her house." Alice spoke up.

"Okay, I suggest you hunt well tonight Edward. Perhaps Jasper would be willing to go with you?" Carlisle spoke up and the boys were out the door in less than thirty minutes.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Carlisle spoke quietly once they were alone.

"His objections are just motivated by fear. He doesn't know anything, and Alice says that we'll be fine. Bella is smart and sweet, but she doesn't really notice things like other humans." Esme told him and then kissed him gently. "Thank you. I'm glad you're willing to let us try."

…