Chapter 9

Carlisle entered the house after a twelve hour shift at the hospital. It was almost ten thirty at night, though from the amount of activity going on in the house, it could have easily passed for much earlier.

Jasper and Emmett had taken over the living room and were both standing and yelling at the screen in their intense game of Madden. Rosalie, Alice and Nicole were all down the hall looking through winter catalogues for their wardrobes while Alice gave her daughter's hair a trim.

Edward and Bella quietly sat talking upstairs in the family room and seemed to be in good spirits while Michael and Alexandra struggled to play cards on the back deck due to the strong winter winds. Their laughter could be heard every time a card or two blew off the table.

Esme sat on the lap top in Carlisle's office typing up some things she intended to do with all of the kids in the upcoming days. He stopped by the entry way and gave her a smile and wave upon realizing where she was.

"I'm about done with this," she told him, still looking at the screen.

"Take your time." He walked across the room and gave her a kiss on the forehead, before Esme turned her face up to give him a 'hello' kiss on the lips.

"What's that?" she asked, looking down at a small plastic bag in his hand.

"Come down the hall when you're done," he said, rubbing her neck with one hand for a second, "I don't want to interrupt you when you're working."

Esme hit the save button and closed the computer shut, "Done."

Carlisle smiled and saw her eyeing the bag in his hand. He squatted down and handed it over. Esme pulled out some clothes and winter hats, all sized for their future newborn baby.

"I got yellow and white mostly," he told her, "Since I'm still unsure if it'll be a boy or a girl."

Alice appeared in the doorway no longer than three seconds later, "Do you want to know?"

They both smiled and Carlisle looked at Esme. waiting for her to make the decision.

A smile spread across her face and she thought for a few minutes, playing with the material of one of the hats that Carlisle had picked up.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Alice said, "But any time you want to know, I've got the answer." She smiled wide and waited for a second.

Esme looked at Carlisle.

"It's up to you," he said.

She sighed, "I was going to try to hold out, but I just can't. I want to know."

Carlisle and Alice looked at each other and shared a laugh.

"Well..." Alice went on, "Are you one hundred percent sure you want to know?"

Esme nodded, "Tell me."

Carlisle put a hand on his knee, which she then covered with her own hand, tracing circles with her thumb over his knuckles.

Alice gave them each a grin, "Carlisle. Next time you come home with a baby gift, you're pretty safe if you get something blue." She then disappeared as quickly as she entered.

The two of them exchanged glances. Carlisle couldn't keep a smile off of his face and stood up as Esme reached her arms out for him. He took her in his arms immediately and picked her up so her feet were a couple of inches off the ground. She hugged him, feeling elated, though she would have either way, regardless if it was a boy or a girl. They shared a series of kisses and both laughed as he continued to let her linger in his arms, before he placed her back down.

"Another Masen?" Esme asked him.

"Oh, boy," he joked.

"Oh, boy," Esme said back, looking down at her stomach.

Carlisle leaned in and kissed her again, before pulling her to him tightly, eyeing the Volturi's picture on the wall as he did. He thought for a moment about the haunting memories of Aro's hand across Esme's mouth, and the painful look on her face as he held her tightly in his grasp. Tears welded up in his eyes and he tried hard not to let them fall, though couldn't fully contain them from creeping slowly down his face.

"Are you excited it's another boy?" she asked him, finally pulling away.

Carlisle smiled amidst the tears that were able to sneak out of his eyes. His expression remained unchanged, though the silent venom that rolled down his face were more than enough to give away how he was feeling.

Esme gave a smile and brought her mouth back to his, using her thumbs to dry beneath each of his eyes as she did so. He squinted, though never lost eye contact with her as she attempted to wipe his tears away during their brief embrace.

"Carlisle," she smiled, though gave him a cute pout just after.

He wiped away a few more tears that left his eyes before sniffing in once and smiling, "Sorry."

Esme stared at him, focusing on his eyes and damp eyelashes that gave him such an innocent look.

He began to speak, though cleared his throat after the first couple of words came out a little gruff, "I just thought about how much I love you, and how grateful I am that things are okay, that's all. I don't want to ruin this happy time at all. I love you more than you could ever really know. I wouldn't be able to function without you, Esme."

"You aren't ruining anything," she wiped another tear away from his eye just as it fell and let her hand remain on the side of his face. He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing her palm once before placing her hand back where she'd originally placed it. "The feeling is mutual," she added with a smiled, bringing her lips back to his.

Carlisle accepted every little touch she gave him and used his emotional fuel to keep their interaction going for a few minutes before he stopped, leaving Esme a little breathless. Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly unclutched the collar of his shirt, not realizing she had grabbed onto it in the first place. A loud sigh left her mouth.

"Can I ask you something without you getting... upset, with me?" Esme asked him.

Carlisle didn't part from her and brought his mouth to hers once, not even showing the least bit of anxiety at her lead-up question. "Sure."

"This is silly, but back at Masen's house, when you said we didn't want one..."

He pressed his forehead against hers, then smiled, "I knew you were going to ask me that eventually."

Esme smiled with him and placed one hand behind his head, leaving the other across the top of his back, "Well..."

"I didn't mean it quite so literally," he said, almost in a whisper, "It didn't fully sink in at that moment that you were already pregnant. I always intended to have more children with you. I just wasn't sure a few days ago that it would be... right now," then added, "I'm so glad it's happening right now, though. I hope you believe me."

"I do," she whispered back, smiling as she kissed him again.

"Good," he told her, "I'd never lie to you."

Esme decided to tease him, "Even the time when you and Edward went to see Aro behind my back?"

Carlisle smiled, then almost frowned at Aro's name being mentioned. He found the humor in her words, thought didn't know what to say. "I..."

She laughed, "I'll give you a pass on that one."

"Okay," he agreed.

Esme looked down at the bag she had placed on the desk during their happy make out session, "Come on. Why don't we go digging for some of Masen and William's old baby clothes and make some room his stuff somewhere in our room.

He smiled and kissed her once more, "Okay."

She towed him by the hand from the office to their bedroom. Esme felt overjoyed and fully ready to raise a slower aging baby. Carlisle was suddenly even more grateful for the safety of his family, and his wife's liveliness made him feel complete and happy.