Jen's A/N: Here it is, the first Coming Home outtake! :) Out of the three we have planned, we're doing them in chronological order. This takes place (obviously) on Christmas Day the same year as the story. Yes, you'll FINALLY get to meet Esme & Carlisle. We love them just as much as you guys do. Unfortunately, they just didn't really fit in the main story since our characters are human adults. But we couldn't just totally leave them out. You'll be able to tell whose POV it is, but it's Bella's first, written by me, and then when it switches, it's Deb's Edward. :) So enjoy! – Jenny
~oOo~
Forks... Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 1:06 P.M.
"Dad, we'll be back in time to help Sue put the finishing touches on dinner, okay?"
My dad turned his attention from the movie that was playing to Edward and me as we stood near the front door. "Sounds good. You kids have fun. Tell Esme and Carlisle I said hello and Merry Christmas."
"Will do, Charlie," Edward told him, smiling before looking back at me. In one hand, he was holding the tin of Christmas cookies Sue had made as well as the sack of gifts we had for our friends. In the other, he had my coat and was helping me into it.
Once I'd pulled my gloves on, I looked up at him. "Ready?"
He nodded, so I opened the door and we went out into the cold, quickly shutting the door so the warmth wouldn't escape the house. It was truly a white Christmas. Everything was covered in snow, from the ground to the trees and houses, not to mention the cars parked in driveways and out on the street. It had been snowing almost non-stop for a few days – slowly, thank goodness, or we'd never have made it here.
As quick as we were able, Edward led me to the Volvo, which was parked behind Charlie's cruiser in the driveway. I clicked my seatbelt, and Edward handed me the keys and cookies before shutting my door and moving around to the driver's side. While he grabbed the ice scraper brush thing from the back seat, I started the car, turning the heat up to help clear off the windows. When he had the windows clear, Edward jumped behind the wheel, pulling his gloves off and rubbing his hands vigorously together in front of the heater.
"Damn, it's cold."
Laughing, I shook my head. "C'mon, Sarge. You can't tell me a Chicago boy isn't used to a little snow..."
"Beautiful, Washington may get more rain than Chicago, but Chicago gets more snow; regardless, up until three months ago, I'd spent the last few years in the desert. I'm not used to it anymore." By the end, he was nearly pouting, and I couldn't help but lean over and kiss him, blowing warm breath over his cold cheek. "Mm, that's better," he teased, winking when I sat back in my seat and grinned.
"It's really beautiful out there right now," I mused, looking out the almost completely clear windows. "You're right that we get more rain than snow out there, but we do still get snow – and it surprises me every year how pretty it can be. It's different here than in the city, too. All the traffic, the plows that are out early to clear the roads there... Here, it's serene, calm, ya know?"
Edward nodded, looking through the window at the still-pristine lawn in front of Charlie's house. "Yeah, you almost don't want to disturb it."
"Exactly," I agreed, smiling softly.
"Okay, so..." He looked over at me, turning the headlights on and putting the car in reverse. "Where am I headed?"
I directed him north, past the edge of town, into the forest. Barely visible through the snow-covered green was a gravel road. Edward took the turn easily, raising an eyebrow to my telling him that the house was a few miles down that road.
"They live way out here, don't they?"
"Yeah, Esme loves it. It gives them so much privacy, yet because this is still Forks, it's not like they are far away from town. It just seems like it."
My breath caught in my throat as he rounded the final curve and the house came into view. The Cullens' home was gorgeous. There was a huge front yard, nearly an acre in size, and there were trees all around the edges – including the six huge primordial cedars that shaded the entire yard up to the house. Everything was covered in white, just like at Charlie's, but with the huge trees and spacious yard, it looked almost otherworldly.
Edward's breathy, "Wow," was exactly what I felt, even though I'd seen it many, many times.
The house itself was a soft, faded white and three stories. It was nearly a century old and had a timeless, graceful appearance. My favorite part from this side of the house was the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.
"Isn't it gorgeous?" I asked softly as he pulled up behind Jasper's truck, which the others had ridden down in the day before. "I told you." I smiled, watching him take it all in again after he put the car in park.
"You did, but I'm not sure any description would have given it justice." He shook his head, looking over at me and smiling. "I'd love to live someplace like this someday. Away from it all, just us and nature..."
I giggled. "You just want to be free to run around naked."
"Not me... You," he growled teasingly, wagging his eyebrows playfully.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm not naked half the time at home already," I snarked, loving the way his eyes darkened at the thought.
"Not nearly enough for me," he huffed, leaning over and sliding his hands into my hair, pulling me to him.
The kiss was heated, yet innocent...playful, yet full of promise – and if my phone hadn't blasted out "All in the Golden Afternoon" from the Alice in Wonderland movie, I might have clambered over the seats to plant myself in his lap. As if she had known exactly what I was ready to do, Alice herself was calling.
"Isabella Swan, don't make me send Emmett out there," she huffed after I pulled myself away from Edward to answer the phone.
I laughed and looked up to see her standing in the window of the living room, one hand on her jutted-out hip.
"We're coming, Alice," I told her, smothering my laughter at Edward's mumbled words.
"Not yet, we weren't," he grumbled, nearly under his breath.
"We'll be right in," I promised.
"Mmhm..." She was laughing at she hung up the phone.
"Come on, Sarge." I laughed again at his full pout. "There'll be time for that later. Charlie isn't making you sleep on the couch this time, ya know..."
Edward's expression brightened, looking like a little boy who had just gotten the best Christmas present ever. I snorted into a giggle, waiting as he pulled on his gloves again and then climbed out and came around to open my door.
Someone – my bet was on Emmett and Jasper – had cleared off the driveway and walkway to the house, as well as the front porch steps, and put down ice melt, so I held Edward's hand with one of mine and carried the cookies with the other. Edward had the gifts in his other hand as he led me carefully up to the house.
The front door opened as we kicked the snow off our shoes, and I looked up to see Esme standing there, a soft smile on her face.
"Bella, it's so good to see you, sweetheart," she said warmly. "Come in, come in. Get out of the cold, you two."
"Hi, Esme," I said, leaning into her embrace as Edward and I stepped inside. She smelled like cinnamon and sugar, like she'd been baking an apple pie – yet the woman couldn't bake to save her life. That was just the way she'd always smelled to me, and I loved it. "It's good to see you, too."
She finally pulled away, looking me up and down a few times. "You look wonderful, Bella. Happier than I've ever seen you." Smiling, she turned to Edward. "From everything my children have told me, you must be the reason. It's good to finally meet you, Edward."
I couldn't help but grin as Edward's cheeks pinkened slightly and he ran a nervous hand through his hair.
"It's good to finally meet you, too, Mrs. Cullen," he told her politely. "I've heard a lot about you and your husband from Bella and our friends."
Esme laughed softly. "None of that Mrs. Cullen stuff, please. Call me Esme."
Edward nodded, smiling. "Esme, then. You have a beautiful home."
She beamed with pride. "Thank you. I don't know how much the kids told you, but interior design is one of my passions, and when we moved into this house years ago, I wanted the outside to be as beautiful as I knew it could be."
"Don't let her fool you," Carlisle said, coming around the corner. "She worked hard to make it look as good as it does." He smiled when I stepped into his embrace. "Merry Christmas, Bella. How are you?"
Looking up, I grinned. Carlisle was very handsome – tall, with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a smile that was nearly as potent as Edward's. He'd been one of my favorite people in the world from the moment I'd first met him, and that hadn't changed over the years. "I'm good, Daddy C. How are you? Settled back in after your trip?"
"Getting there," he answered, his eyes twinkling as he looked over at Edward. "Welcome, Sergeant Masen."
Edward reached out and shook Carlisle's hand. "Call me Edward, please, sir. Thank you for having us over."
"Of course, of course. We've wanted to meet you for a long time, son. Jasper and Emmett have been telling us stories for years now about you – and I know we have you to thank for getting them home safely to us and our girls."
Edward shrugged, looking almost uncomfortable with the praise. "They kept me safe just as often," he said quietly before smiling and relaxing. "But they were good men to serve with and have become very good friends."
Carlisle nodded and then looked down at Esme and smiled. "Well, come on in, both of you. You can take your shoes off here. Bring your coats and gloves into the living room, and we'll hang them up to make sure they dry off well."
We quickly followed Carlisle's directive and left our shoes with a row of others in the entryway before following Carlisle and Esme around the corner into the huge living room.
~oooOOOooo~
Forks... Saturday, December 25, 2010 at 3:39 P.M.
"So tell me, Edward," Carlisle said, sitting down next to me on the sofa. "Are you excited about going back to school?"
His voice could barely be heard over the din of Jasper and Emmett arguing over the video game and the girls' laughter from the kitchen. It was such a comfortable environment, and we'd only been here for a couple of hours. Carlisle and Esme Cullen were amazing people – and not at all what I'd expected of Alice's parents. They'd told interesting stories of not only the people around me, but of all their travels, as well.
"Yeah, definitely," I answered Carlisle with a nod. "I mean, I haven't been in school since I was eighteen, but yeah..." I grinned, shrugging a shoulder.
"I can imagine that would be a tough thing to step into after so long," he mused with a chuckle, rubbing his chin. "And such a huge change after what you've experienced."
We were quiet for a moment, and I took a long glance around the house. The place really was beautiful. Esme had done an incredible job. It looked like something right out of a magazine.
"The kids tell me you're going for music..." he continued, and I smiled and nodded. "You should talk to Esme. She's been playing for years, though she hasn't touched that piano of hers in a year or two."
"You should hear Eddie play, Dad," Emmett piped up, and I realized the game was paused or over or some shit. "He can hear shit once and then remember it. It's awesome."
My favorite sound in the whole world – Bella's giggle – came from behind me. She moved around the sofa, handing me one of the mugs she was carrying.
"Hot chocolate," she said to me, turning to Carlisle. "He composes, too. Those are beautiful."
I sipped my drink, a little uncomfortable with the praise, and then leaned into Bella's kiss to my cheek, her soft, quiet laugh pushing warmth against my skin.
"Now that I'd like to hear," Esme said, a warm smile spreading across her face. "I've never had the courage to write my own music."
"Try writing it without a piano," Jasper added. "Sarge stayed up late at night in the barracks jotting down notes, which I never understood because how could you know they'd sound right?"
I rolled my eyes but looked over at Bella. She was smirking with pride and love, knowing she'd been the one to send me the composition pages. It was also her song that I'd been writing.
"No pressure, sweetheart," Esme crooned, reaching across her husband to pat my knee. "But you're welcome to play any time. The piano's just in the next room."
There was something about Esme that exuded comfort. Maybe it was her soft hazel eyes, or her long honey-colored hair, but something about her reminded me of my own mother. Bella had always told me that Esme was the mother that Renee should've been. After meeting Bella's mom, I could understand completely. While Renee meant well and struggled to show her love, Esme made you feel like one of her own children. Instantly. She also made me want to take away the slight bit of disappointment on her face.
"Okay," I sighed, handing over my mug to Bella and standing up from the couch.
Esme led me into the adjoining room, flipping on the light switch. My eyebrows shot up as I took in something straight out of a decorator's dream. But it was the deep cherry finish baby grand that was the centerpiece.
"Schimmel?" I asked, trailing a finger down its smooth side, only to confirm that my guess was correct. "This is beautiful."
"Thank you, Edward," Esme said as she lifted the top for me. "I haven't played in years. Maybe you can make it worth keeping it around." She shot me a wink and patted my shoulder as I sat down on the bench.
A few test chords and a running scale told me that not only was this an amazing instrument, but it was still in tune. I looked up to see that Carlisle and the girls had joined us, but the video game kicked back on in the living room. The guys would listen. They always did. They just didn't always watch.
Bella leaned against the side, and I asked, "Requests, sweet girl?"
"It's Christmas, babe. Play that one you played the other day," she told me, her teeth latching on to that bottom lip of hers.
With a nod, I lost myself in "Silent Night," the song I'd been fooling around with as my girl wrapped Christmas presents. I made it a medley of sorts, blending one carol into the next. "Oh, Holy Night" merged with "Ave Maria," which phased into things that went a little faster. I played my mother's favorite, which was "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful," finally ending with "Carol of the Bells."
At the sight of my girl's sweet smile, I gave her what she wanted, which was the song I'd written for her. I'd finally finished it, though I wasn't sure it would ever be totally complete. There was too much of our future ahead of us, so the final notes might always have that feeling of not quite there. And there was a question I'd yet to ask her, which always seemed to be on the tip of my tongue lately. I had the ring, but I couldn't figure out how I wanted to ask. I wanted it to be special...something worthy of the girl at my side. Until I figured that out, the song still felt almost incomplete to me.
The last thing I played was "St. James Infirmary." It was the first thing my mother had wanted me to learn once she'd seen what I could do. She'd loved her old-school jazz, so she'd taught me how to capture the feelings, the emotions behind that genre of music. When I was done, it was Carlisle that spoke first.
"I'm glad you've decided to teach, son," he praised from the chair in the corner. "That talent should be passed on."
"Thank you, sir," I replied softly but then turned to Esme. "Do you still play?"
"Not enough," Alice snarked from the couch. "It's been too long," she told her mother.
It was Esme's turn to look uncomfortable when everyone in the room begged her to play, but she took my spot behind the piano when I offered it to her. I smiled at her as I wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulders, dropping a kiss to the side of her head.
Esme played the classics – Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy – and it was interesting to hear a woman's touch. It was softer, sweeter than my own sound. When she was done, it was Rose that piped up with a suggestion I hadn't been expecting.
"You two should play something together," she said, waving us on.
"Oh, that would be so awesome!" Alice chimed in.
"Please?" Bella simply begged.
I turned to Esme, who was giggling at them all, and shrugged a shoulder. I hadn't played with anyone since my mother became ill.
She slid down the bench a little, giving me the high end. "You like blues?" she asked.
Grinning, I nodded. "Yeah. My mother and I would make up blues songs. One would start, and the other would join in," I told her, frowning a little at that admission. "You start. I'll pick up where you're going with it."
She started with the basic three-count blues base line, and I added in, making most of it up on the fly, but eventually, it turned into "Blue Christmas." When we were done, Esme laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as the house cheered. We looked up to see that Emmett and Jasper had joined us, and they were all on their feet.
"That was fun, Edward," Esme said with a sweet chuckle, kissing my cheek. "You come over and play anytime."
I grinned, looking down at the keys of the piano instead of her face. "Yes, ma'am."
"Sweet! Time for presents!" Emmett boomed, causing a laugh to bark out of me.
"Emmett McCarty, what are you? Twelve?" Rose asked, sounding exasperated.
"It's Christmas, so...yes!" He grinned, all dimples and boyish charm.
Carlisle laughed and then sighed patiently. "Okay, presents," he conceded, standing up from his chair.
I helped Esme close the piano's lid, giving the instrument one last glance. It wasn't the piano itself that made me smile, but the feeling that I'd just found another extension – and another definition, if I were to be honest – of family.
"You okay, Sarge?" Bella asked, taking my hand.
I smiled and kissed her lips chastely, savoring it just a little. "Yeah, sweet girl. I'm good."
~oOo~
Deb's A/N: Esme and Edward made you smile, didn't they? LOL Yeah, I couldn't resist.
"St. James Infirmary" is a beautiful song, but if you're going to go hunt it down, make sure you find the Hugh Laurie (yes, strongHouse/strong) version. That man plays that song just beautifully, especially the beginning. He's extremely talented. Anyway, I know it's on YouTube.
This was our first outtake, but it won't be the last. Sarge will be back a few more times, but we're not sure when. Until then, mooches, Deb. :)
[Note from Jenny: Deb didn't mention it, but don't forget to put her on Author Alert on FFn – her name is drotuno – if you haven't already because she has a new Angelward fic coming out. As her beta, I can tell you that it is fantastic and well worth the wait for a new story with Edward, Bella, and the whole family...including one of my favorite original characters in fanfic history. ;) Haunted Angel will post weekly on Wednesdays starting this week. Yay!]