A/N: Sorry I'm a little bit later than I like to be. The fan fiction site is being all failish, so I was waiting to see if it was going to get any better. Apparently not, so I hope you'll be able to read this chapter!

Thank you again for all of the reviews! I'm getting really close to 200 which is unbelievable!

This chapter skips around a little bit, mainly hitting on the high points, but I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, these character, or the song lyrics.

Song for chapter: Yellow by Coldplay...(Oh and "Happy Birthday" of course!)

Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you

And all the things that you do

Carlisle POV

The rest of the week after Esme and I returned from California was spent adjusting back to real life. Our daily routine wasn't that different than before we were married, but there were some changes.

Getting to go to sleep and wake up together was a definite plus. Making love in our bed was somehow better than in the hotel. There was just something about being in our home together that was incredibly special, and I was glad we had waited to share the bed.

Esme and I both called and thanked Kate and Garrett for their gift; it was turning out to be a lifesaver. During a couple of nights early on after we were back, Emmett woke up crying in the middle of the night. Since our door was closed, we might not have heard him as soon as we did with the baby monitor.

I could tell that Emmett was worried that we wouldn't be there when he woke up in the morning, and I worried about the nightmares he seemed to be having. Esme and I took turns getting him back to sleep in his bed, and thankfully each time he woke up was after our nighttime activities. He was clingy for a while in the mornings, but once he figured out that we weren't leaving again, his temperament returned to normal.

The rest of my time off from work was spent with many activities. Esme and I worked together to organize the apartment. Our space was slowly filling up with all of our belongings. I didn't tell Esme, but I was seriously thinking of starting to look for a house for us sooner rather than later. Since Emmett was older, he definitely needed a bigger space to play, preferably with a nice backyard. We would also need more space if our family was going to grow any time soon. The apartment did have three bedrooms, but I didn't' want to feel like we were being smothered in our own home.

We also spent time outside when the weather permitted. When it wasn't raining, it was still warm enough to be comfortable outside. We made sure to take advantage of it while we could. Picnics at the park were a favorite choice of mine as well as afternoon walks through the city.

Esme enjoyed our trips to various museums when the weather wasn't so nice. Some of them were kid-friendly, but for the ones that weren't, we had a long list of volunteers to babysit. We made sure to spend one-on-one time apart from the bedroom several times a week which made it feel like our honeymoon wasn't over.

We were also able to go out to dinner with our friends. We treated Peter and Charlotte one night to thank for them for all of their support and help through everything. I also gave Charlotte a hug in extra thanks for the lingerie she picked out for Esme. It turns out there were many pieces that Esme didn't have an opportunity to wear on our trip, but she was slowly showing me all of them. Charlotte laughed at my enthusiasm, but I really was grateful to her for providing friendship to Esme especially after Charles had kept her from having a social life of any kind.

Dinner was also shared with Maggie and Ben. I didn't get to see them very often when I was working, but Esme still spent an afternoon a week with Maggie. I loved that my wife got to spend time with her first friend in Seattle. I wanted to show her that being married to me didn't affect her other relationships, probably because I always had a fear of being like Charles. It was an irrational fear, but it was still there even though Esme assured me time and time again that I could never be like that.

My time off of work had been incredible and I didn't really want to go back. But the day still came when I had to once again face my responsibilities outside of our home.

I woke before the alarm, and quietly got up so I didn't disturb Esme. I quickly went to the bathroom and then returned to the bed so we could have a few minutes together before I had to get dressed.

Esme was sleeping peacefully on her stomach with her arms under her pillow. I lay on my side and gently pulled her over to me before pulling the covers over us. She stirred slightly so I placed a kiss on her head which made her smile and snuggle closer to me. We stayed wrapped up together until Esme sat up and looked at the clock.

"Don't you have to get up?" she asked in a yawn as she raised her arms over her head in a big stretch.

"Yeah," I sighed and sat up beside her. "But I really don't want to go. Can't I stay here with you and Emmett?"

She laughed lightly and crawled into my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and placed my nose in her hair to breathe in her scent. She still smelled like the lavender bath oil we used in the bath tub the night before. At least once a week, we spent our normal couch time in the tub, relaxing together. Almost all of the shyness had now disappeared which made it easier for us to revel in each other's presence. It was almost scary how far we had come, from chaste kisses to no barriers, in only a few short months. I wasn't worried about how quickly we were moving, though, because we only did what felt right to us. Nothing was forced, and it seemed like our relationship was meant to progress like it had.

"Well, you could stay here with us, but then who would earn the money? We have to eat somehow. Emmett would not be very happy with you if you made him miss out on pancakes or macaroni and cheese."

I chuckled lightly at her statement and then shrugged. "We don't need to money. There's more than enough for us to live on and not have to worry about anything."

"Don't remind me," she grumbled. "I'm still mad at you."

Esme had asked me a few days before about her hospital bill from May. I made the mistake of telling her that I had taken care of it. I wasn't sure if she was more upset that I did it in the first place, or that I did it and didn't tell her. I knew she still wasn't totally comfortable with our money situation, but I hoped that would improve over time.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," I said and kissed her temple. "I'm honestly not trying to flaunt our money because I know it makes you uncomfortable. But you know I like to take care of you. I promise not to do anything like that again."

I squeezed her tightly, silently asking for forgiveness. She relaxed further against me and turned her head to kiss my chest, so I knew she had forgiven me yet again.

"I know I'm probably overreacting," she said softly. "It's just so hard to get used to."

I nodded. "I understand, but the money doesn't matter to me. Someone could take everything away from me, and I would be perfectly content as long as I had you and Emmett. Oh, and your pancakes since you mentioned them."

My joke lightened the mood, and Esme leaned back from me with a smile on her face.

"Well, I'm making my pancakes this morning, so you might want to go get dressed before they're done." She leaned forward and my lips met hers in a sweet kiss. We kissed for a few minutes in one of my favorite parts of the morning.

"Good morning, darling husband." I could feel her smile against me, and everything was okay again.

"Mmm…good morning, precious wife." I kissed her again over and over which made her giggle and push me away.

"I guess I have to let you go now," I sighed in defeat. I let her get off my lap and we both crawled out of bed. She headed toward the kitchen while I headed to the bathroom. I quickly showered and dressed in my usual blue scrubs and then went to join her.

On my way to the kitchen, I peeked into Emmett's room and saw that his bed was empty which meant he was already awake. Sure enough, I found him in the kitchen drinking his juice against Esme's shoulder as she held him with one arm and flipped pancakes with the other one. I marveled at her ability to manage everything she did at once. She truly was an incredible woman.

"Mornin', buddy," I said as I held out my arms for Emmett. He came to me immediately and resumed his previous position. Esme smile at me in thanks and continued cooking. As she finished breakfast, I got out the plates, cutlery, and cups for us and set the table.

A few minutes later, the pancakes were ready and we sat down to eat them along with some fruit. We held hands as I said the blessing, and Emmett actually stayed quiet apart from his loud "amen" at the end. Esme and I couldn't help but laugh at him and the antics he picked up. I knew he had copied that one from Riley since he always did it every time Eleazar prayed.

Once we finished eating, I had just enough time to help Esme clear the table and gather my things for work. She and Emmett walked me to the door, and I was still feeling reluctant to leave. I hugged and kissed Esme goodbye and then knelt down to do the same to Emmett. As soon as he figure out I was leaving for work, he burst into tears and threw himself into my arms.

"No, Daddy! No go!" he cried against me. I rocked him back and forth and gently rubbed his back.

"Shh…Em. It's alright little man. I'll be back soon." I stood up with him in my arms and continued rubbing his back. His cries gradually slowed, but his hands gripped me tightly. When he was reduced to sniffles, I kissed his head and hugged him tighter. He lifted his head and his teary eyes met mine as he gave me another kiss.

"Thank you, buddy. I'll see you soon, okay?" He nodded and I passed him to Esme. She started rocking him like I had been and wiped the fallen tears from his face.

I gathered my things once more, and seriously considered staying at home. I was almost in tears myself. Emmett had never reacted like that before, and I hated upsetting him.

"He'll be okay," Esme assured me with a small smile, affectively breaking my train of though. I smiled back, knowing that she knew what I had been thinking. After a final kiss goodbye, I headed out the door.

Work passed by slowly, and I was able to call Esme during one of my breaks after I finished my rounds. She told me that Emmett had been fine after I left, especially since she distracted him with Sesame Street and his cars.

I ate lunch with Peter since he had his break at the same time as me. He and Charlotte usually had coordinating schedules, but she was off for the day. We ate in the cafeteria, and he asked me how it was leaving my family after having so much time off. I told him all about Emmett's reaction, and he noticed that I was still bothered by it. Peter tried to assure me that Emmett would be fine and probably wouldn't remember much about it; it wasn't like I was scarring him for life or anything like that. I told him that I would try to believe him, and the rest of our lunch was spent discussing happier topics.

When it was finally time for me to leave the hospital, I stopped by the florists to pick up some flowers for Esme before heading home. I also went in the gift shop and found a small car for Emmett that I knew he didn't have. Esme and I were trying not to spoil him too much, but I wanted something to let him know that I was thinking about him all day.

I drove home as quickly as I could while still being safe. As soon as I opened the door to the apartment, I was met by a small body running into my legs.

"Daddy home!" Emmett squealed happily. I immediately scooped him up and held him close to me. He giggled as I placed kisses all over his face, and when I stopped, he looked at me with a huge grin. I sighed internally, seeing that he was fine even after my absence.

"Hey, buddy. Did you have fun with Mommy today?" I continued walking into the apartment and headed to living room to sit on the couch for Emmett to tell me about his day.

"Mmmhmm," he answered and began tracing my face with his little fingers. I chuckled as he moved from my face down to my chest and found the pen in my pocket.

"Well, what did you do today?"

He played with the pen in his hand as he told me all about his day, which basically included playing, eating lunch, and playing some more.

Esme came into the room as Emmett was talking and slid in beside us to cuddle up to me. I placed my arm around her and kissed her head in greeting.

Emmett finished updating me, and I managed to take my pen back before he ran off to continue whatever he was doing before I got home. I excused myself from Esme for a moment to go pick up the flowers that I had left by the door. She smiled and thanked me when I handed them to her and went to put them in some water.

I was conflicted about how I wanted to spend my time. I wanted to spend some more time with Esme on the couch, but I also wanted to play with Emmett. I finally decided to spend time with my son since Esme was busy and we would have time together later.

Emmett and I played in his room and didn't come out until Esme had dinner ready. He had loved the car I picked out for him, and I loved seeing him happy.

Dinner was amazing as usual. Esme's baked chicken and potatoes was delicious, and I couldn't imagine anything better than my wife's cooking.

After dinner, we had some time to play together as a family before Emmett's bedtime. When bedtime did come, the three of us sat together in the recliner in the living room as I read the bedtime story. Emmett was asleep by the end, so Esme kissed him goodnight and then let me put him in bed.

Once he was tucked in, I met Esme at the couch for one of our favorite parts of the day. I turned the TV on to the news, and we sat in silence as we both relaxed from our days.

"So how was your day?" I asked after we had been sitting for a while.

"It was good. Charlotte stopped by for a few minutes while she was out running errands. I did some laundry and played with Em. Nothing very exciting."

"But I like to hear about your day, not matter how boring you claim it is," I said honestly.

"I know you do," she said with a smile as she cuddled closer to me. "That's why I tell you all about my daily adventures in the land of boring. How was your day?"

"Long," I said with a sigh. "I miss staying here with you all day, but I guess it was good to get back. I like helping people."

"It will get easier. After a couple of days we'll be back in the swing of things. And don't worry any more about Emmett. I promise he was fine after you left. He just has to get used to you going to work again."

I nodded, trying to listen, but I couldn't help it if I missed both of them the whole time I was gone.

"Speaking of Emmett," I interrupted after I remembered something I needed to talk to her about.

"What about Emmett?" she asked, sitting back and looking at me with curiosity.

"Well I know we talked about it before, but now that we're married we can actually do something now."

She continued staring at me, and nodded her head for me to continue.

"You know I want to adopt Emmett. I mean, he's already mine, but I want to make him mine in every possible way. And now that we're married, it should be a fairly simple process to make me his father legally."

She smiled when I was finished, and moved to lay her head back on my shoulder. "You'll never know how happy it makes me that you love Emmett," she said with a wistful sigh. "And you know I approve of you adopting him, so who do we have to contact to start the processes?"

I hugged her close and kissed her head. "Thank you so much for this opportunity, sweetheart. I'm thinking the best place to start would be to call Liam. He would probably know what to do."

"Well then I guess you better call Liam as soon as possible."

The next day, I did call Liam while I was at work. He told me that he could handle everything for us, but he had a friend who specialized in adoptions. He assured me that she knew everything we would need to know and that she would make sure the process went as quickly as possible. Esme and I talked about it, and we agreed to contact the lawyer.

Mary Randall seemed to be a very kind woman on the phone, and meeting her in person reaffirmed that assessment. Esme and I both like her immediately what with her warm smile and almost infinite knowledge about adoption in Washington State. We took Emmett with us to the meeting, and Ms. Randall was also very patient with us as we chased our son around. From what we could tell, the step-parent adoption procedure was going to be straightforward for us, especially since Charles had already given up all of his rights.

Ms. Randall set us up with a social worker to do a home study investigation, and she also informed me that they would be doing a background check. I wasn't worried about that since I knew I had nothing to hide. She assured us that she didn't see any reason why the adoption wouldn't go through, and after filling out some paper work, we were free to go. Esme and I left her office feeling very content with how the process was going to go.

The seasons changed and October went by quickly. Our days were very routine which could have been considered boring, but we liked the comfort it brought. My work schedule did change some, making me have a different shift every other week, but it wasn't too bad. I was also on call more, but I was only actually called in a couple of times.

Since it was getting colder, we all needed new clothes. Carmen volunteered to watch Emmett for us so we could go shopping without him. We had taken him with us one time, and we knew that we didn't need to ever do that again if we wanted to do anything productive. Our day spent shopping together was very enjoyable. Esme was slowly getting used to spending our money on things that were needed, but I still tried to talk her into buying things that she didn't considered necessities. I did manage to buy her a new pair of earrings while she wasn't looking, and we left the mall with new wardrobes for all three of us.

During October, we were also able to meet with Mrs. Shelley Cope, our assigned social worker. Once the background check was complete, she was going to be continuing the home study, which was much more detailed that I thought it was going to be. She didn't tell us everything that was involved, but I knew she had a long list of things to go over. Mrs. Cope said that she would contact us when everything was ready for the next step, so Esme and I decided not to worry about anything until them.

The end of October brought Halloween. It technically wasn't Emmett's first Halloween, but it was the first one that he would be participating in any form. We tried to find him a cute costume, and I knew Esme had her heart set on a monkey costume of some sort. Unfortunately for her, Emmett knew exactly what he wanted to be as soon as he saw the red fur. I tried to get her to admit that he did make a cute Elmo, and she couldn't help but agree when she saw how happy he was with his costume choice.

Halloween was on a Sunday, but we decided to take Emmett to Carmen and Eleazar's neighborhood early Saturday evening for him to get some of the experience in a controlled environment. Carmen and Esme took many pictures of our little monster happily receiving candy and talking to all of the neighbors. After we made it through most of the neighborhood, we headed back to Carmen and Eleazar's house.

We spent the night with them since we were all going to have to wake up in the morning to go to the same place. We did allow Emmett to eat a couple of pieces of chocolate, which he loved, but we were worried that he wouldn't be able to go to sleep. Our worries were relieved, though, when he fell asleep quickly thanks to his Nana's rocking.

We were very busy a few days after Halloween. Emmett's second birthday was on November fourth, and we had been planning his party for a couple of weeks. Esme told me about his first birthday, which hadn't been a very big affair. She had made him a small cake, and they celebrated with Maggie and Ben. We both wanted to make this year more exciting for him since he would be a more active participant.

Esme learned quickly that if she let Emmett pick out his own theme that it would be Elmo. She was able to compromise, though, so he could have an Elmo cake, but the party supplies would be what she liked. It wasn't a shock to me that she picked a monkey theme, but it really was cute.

On the day of his birthday, I took off from work so Esme and I could spend the whole day with him. I woke up before Esme since my body was so used to having to get up to get ready. I slipped out of bed quietly so I wouldn't wake her and walked to Emmett's room. I sat down in the rocking chair and just watched him sleep in his crib. At two years old, he was already an exceptional little boy. I had only known him for six months of his life so far, but he had captured my heart from the moment a first saw him.

I continued watching him and thinking about all the ways my life had changed until he began stirring. When he sat up, he saw me and smiled.

"Daddy, hold me," he requested while rubbing his eyes and then raising his arms for me.

"Happy Birthday, buddy," I said as I lifted him into my arms and kissed his cheek. "How old are you today?"

"Two!" he said proudly while holding up two of his fingers.

"That's right. You are two." We had been practicing his age with him all week so I was very proud that he got it right.

I sat back down in the rocking chair with him and rocked for a few minutes as he continued waking up.

After a while, I noticed Esme peeking into the room with a smile on her face. I knew she always enjoyed watching Emmett and me together, so I wasn't surprised that she was watching us.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I said as she entered the room. Emmett sat up when he heard me and looked over to his mother.

"Hi, Mommy! Hi!" he greeted her and held his arms out for her.

"Good morning, baby," she chucked as she took him into her arms. "Happy Birthday." She gave him a kiss, and then he gave her one which made me smile.

We took Emmett to IHOP for breakfast and then went to one of the children's museums for him to explore. He had a lot of fun just being able to do whatever he wanted.

After we were back home, we had to get ready for his party and head over to Carmen and Eleazar's house. We had chosen to have the party at their house since there was much more space for the people we invited. The only extra people we invited outside of our family were Peter and Charlotte and Maggie and Ben. Even though the list wasn't very long, eight adults were still too many to fit comfortably in our apartment.

Esme dressed Emmett in his new shirt which was perfect for him. It had a picture of a monkey on it and said "This Little Monkey is Two." I was always amazed at what Esme could find on the internet.

After we were ready and had everything loaded into the car, we drove to Carmen and Eleazar's. When we got there, Eleazar was already out back grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs we would be eating. As Esme helped Carmen in the kitchen, I carried Emmett around and showed him the decorations we had put up the night before. He loved the balloons and the streamers, but I did have to stop him from trying to pull all of them down.

Before the party started, we were able to talk to Kate, Garrett, and the rest of the family via webcam. They weren't able to come down for the party since they had been here for the wedding, and they were coming for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Kate and Garrett both wished Emmett a happy birthday, and then the kids did as well. Emmett was so excited to talk to Riley even though they didn't really say that much to each other. Kate and Garrett promised to see us soon and that Emmett's present was in the mail. We didn't get to talk to them very long, but our short time was still nice.

Our friends gradually arrived, all of them wishing Emmett a happy birthday and giving him plenty of hugs and kisses. I could tell he was enjoying all of the attention, and he gladly returned their affection.

Everyone enjoyed the food and doted on Emmett constantly. It was his day, after all, and Esme and I were both glad he got the attention he deserved for being such a special boy. After we finished eating, we all went into the den to let our food settle before it was time for cake, and Emmett ran off some of his perpetual energy.

When it was finally time for cake, Esme and I knelt by the coffee table with Emmett between us. Carmen brought the cake that she and Esme had made into the room and sat it on the table in front of us. Emmett's eyes went wide as he saw the cake in the shape of his favorite character. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and then he blew out the "two" shaped candle all by himself. We clapped for him, and then Esme and I kissed him on both of his cheeks which made him laugh. Charlotte and Maggie were taking pictures the whole time, so I hoped they captured a good one of that moment for me to put on my desk at work.

After cake, we let Emmett opened his presents. He received many new outfits as well as a few toys. I opened a couple of them for him to play with while the adults were talking.

By the time everyone left, Emmett looked like he was ready to drop. He had skipped his morning nap, and I had been worried about how he would behave during his party. He had been well behaved, though, but now, he really needed a nap. As Esme, Carmen, and I cleaned up the mess, Eleazar laid back in his recliner with Emmett beside him. It didn't take long before Emmett was out cold against him. Eleazar fell asleep soon after his grandson, and Esme and Carmen snickered quietly as they took several pictures of them.

With the clean-up mostly complete, Esme and sat down on the couch together and relaxed for the first time all day. We were tired, but I was glad we were able to give Emmett a party that he enjoyed. I was also glad that I would be getting to participate in and witness every new milestone that Emmett would reach. Carmen joined us after she had finished putting away the left-over food. As I looked around the room at my family, I was excited to find out what was in store for us in the future.

A/N: The next chapter will cover Thanksgiving-Christmas, and it should be out next Saturday. I'm not sure yet because I have several assignments due for my classes and I'm currently getting sick. :(

From what I can tell right now from my outline, there are two more chapters with Emmett being the only child around. I don't know about you, but I'm excited for the rest of the children to come into the picture!

Also, if you have any songs that you think might fit into the story, please let me know! The story is actually turning out to be a lot longer than I originally anticipated, so I'm running a little low on choices!

There are some new pictures on my profile. You might not be able to view it right now, but they are there.

I guess I'm finished with my really long A/N now (I told you I was wordy) ;)

Leave me a review to let me know what you think!