Drabble Request Fic!
Requester: rainpuddle13
Prompt: I want to see you write something involving Esme :) She doesn't get nearly enough love in this fandom.
Title: For Esme
Fandom: Twilight
Summary: So much can go wrong when getting ready for a special event when ones thoughts aren’t private.
Characters: All the Cullens
Word Count: 1813
Author’s Notes: This takes place in May 2006 (the second Sunday to be precise), between New Moon and Eclipse.
“Are you sure they won’t be back-“
“Emmett, for the last time, Carlisle promised they wouldn’t be back until dawn,” Edward cut his brother off forcefully. “Alice explained to him what we were doing, so he’s not going to spoil the surprise.”
“Okay, I was just checking.” Emmett held his hands up in mock surrender.
“For the hundredth time,” Edward muttered under his breath, not that his brother wouldn’t have heard anyway.
“Well, I don’t see why we have to help you assuage your guilty conscience,” Rose grumbled as she entered the house with her arms full. “Honestly, Edward, you’ve done nothing that isn’t expected of you.”
Edward snarled as his beautiful, blonde sister’s vitriolic thoughts assaulted his mind. Reminders of the fact that he’d fallen in love with a human were most prevalent, as they disgusted her the most, and then flashes of the pain he’d caused Esme when he’d fled to Volterra only months ago.
Rose met his baleful glare with a smug smile.
“Go easy, Rose,” Emmett whispered as a deep frown creased his brow. Edward, I can imagine what she’s thinking. Just ignore her, please, he added silently.
“Edward, stop it!” Alice demanded as she emerged from the kitchen. “If you two fight in here we’ll have to resort to stealing from the cemetery to get it finished in time.”
“Too late!” Jasper announced from the front door. “I just cleaned the cemetery out.”
“Oh, Jazz, that’s just… It’s wrong!” Alice moaned.
“You said we needed more, so I found more. Besides it’s not like the residents are going to notice,” Jasper defended himself.
Alice sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s all right, she won’t know. Set them up in the spaces. Edward, stop thinking like that! This was your idea, so it would be a shame to destroy everyone’s hard work and planning just because your temper got the better of you.”
Edward closed his eyes, fixed his face with a look of enduring patience, and then turned to face Alice. “If she doesn’t stop-“
“Yeah, yeah, I know… You’re going to get nasty,” Alice finished for him with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Have you finished your composition yet?”
“You know I haven’t,” Edward responded sullenly.
“Well, don’t you think you’d better get back to the piano?”
“Fine.” Without looking at his siblings, Edward returned to his piano.
Great, he gets to tinker about with his toy, while we do the hard work, Rosalie thought viciously. I did have plans for this evening!
“You can only stare at yourself in the mirror for so long before Emmett gets bored, Rose,” Edward quipped.
A nefarious grin stretched across Rosalie’s face and her eyes sought out Edward’s. Oh, Emmett wouldn’t have been bored with what I had planned, baby brother.
Edward’s hands came down on the keyboard of the piano with a discordant bang. “I do not want to- to even know that, let alone see it in my head.”
Rosalie cackled loudly.
“And stay out of my room,” Edward continued. “If I find anything weird on my couch I will hunt you down, tear you apart and dance around the bonfire.”
“Rose, stop torturing him.” Emmett’s pleading tone was lost the moment he began to chuckle.
We’ve done your couch before, Rose goaded silently.
The snarl that ripped from Edward’s chest filled the room and he was on his feet, crossing the room to where Rose was still standing before she even realized he was on the move.
Emmett, acting on instinct, stepped into his path just before he reached Rosalie. Instead of crashing into Rose and sending her flying, Edward met with the immovable force that was Emmett’s chest.
“Edward, think about it,” Emmett said seriously as he held his snarling brother by the shoulders. “You know I can’t let you-“
“Control her then,” Edward growled.
Emmett nodded gravely before turning to face Rose. “Enough. You’ve riled him up, now let it go.”
“But I had plans for us-“
“We can do whatever it is you had planned when we’re finished or later today, baby. It’s not like either of us are going anywhere,” Emmett soothed. “Why don’t we finish arranging everything before Carlisle and Esme get home?”
“That sounds like a productive idea,” Alice interrupted with barely contained impatience. “Edward, go finish your composition or you’ll be upset with yourself, and stay out of Rose’s head. Rose, the least you can do is keep your thoughts clean. Yes, I saw, because you made a decision or two in all of that nonsense.”
“Dirty thoughts?” Emmett grinned wickedly. “Why didn’t you say something, love?”
“I was going to surprise you,” Rose replied in a sulky voice. “Edward spoiled it.”
“We’ll make up for it later, I promise,” Emmett said in a low husky voice as he pulled his wife into his chest.
Alice shook her head and turned away from the couple, who had begun to kiss passionately. Her eyes locked instantly with Jasper’s, and it looked as though he wanted to devour her. “Are you picking up their mood?”
A grin stretched Jasper’s lips over his razor sharp teeth and his eyes smoldered at her.
“Can you wait until we’re done?”
“I can try,” Jasper answered honestly.
“Good.” Alice smiled before turning her attention to the piano. “Edward, can you handle it?”
“It doesn’t seem like I have a choice, does it?”
“At least if she’s thinking that stuff with Emmett, she’s leaving you alone.” Alice paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, she’s not attacking you head on.”
“How long do we have?” Jasper asked.
Alice’s eyes slipped closed and she concentrated for a few moments. “About an hour.”
“Let’s get finished then,” Jasper said with finality.
Edward turned back to the piano and began to play in earnest. His music filled the room, and while it didn’t drown out the immoral conversation Emmett and Rose were conducting, it did give him something else to concentrate on besides his reactions to what they were suggesting.
Alice flitted around the room adding the final touches to their displays and checking that everything was just the way it should be. Jasper followed Alice, taking care of anything that Alice deemed in need of attention. Rosalie focused her attention on one vase of flowers, arranging them time and again, while Emmett’s attention was firmly focused on Rosalie’s body.
“Everyone around the piano!” Alice ordered. “They’ll be here in a minute or so. Edward, you have finished, haven’t you?”
“Yes, it’s ready,” Edward answered. Against all odds - Emmett and Rosalie’s filthy discussion - he had completed the piece he’d been working on.
Jasper and Alice stood just behind and to the side of Edward, who remained seated at the piano, while Rosalie and Emmett took the other side of him. When everyone was in position they turned their eyes to the front door and waited for their parents to enter.
Edward, about the couch… Very comfortable. Emmett chuckled lightly as his thoughts elicited a soft growl from his brother.
Without thinking through the consequences, Edward allowed his fist to fly backwards.
What was that for? Rose demanded.
“Pass it on,” Edward hissed.
“For goodness sakes, give it up!” Alice snapped. “They’re here!”
Just as the last word left Alice’s mouth, the front door opened and Esme’s gasp of surprise filled the room. Flowers of every color created a beautiful rainbow in her living room. Not a surface remained undecorated, and a large banner threaded with fresh blooms was hanging from the ceiling, announcing the occasion.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” the group by the piano called as Edward began playing his new composition.
“Oh, this is a wonderful surprise,” Esme exclaimed softly before falling silent to listen to her son’s music.
“May I have this dance?” Carlisle asked in a gentlemanly manner.
“Of course.” Esme smiled warmly and placed her hand in his.
Carlisle twirled his wife around what little floor space was left, avoiding the large displays of flowers wit ease. The five by the piano watched on in awe as their adoptive parents stared into each other’s eyes as if they were alone in the moment.
It wasn’t until Edward had played the piece through twice that Carlisle allowed Esme to greet the rest of the family properly. She embraced each of her children, thanking them for their efforts and for allowing her the opportunity to have a family, saving Edward for last.
“That was beautiful, darling,” Esme whispered as she held Edward close. “Your best yet.”
“It’s for you,” Edward responded.
“Thank you.” Esme kissed his cheek. “Does it have a name?”
“Not yet.” Edward smiled. “You’re going to have to come up with something.”
“We can work on that this afternoon,” Esme responded happily. “And all this was your idea?”
Edward cast his eyes down in shame. “I was hoping to make up for the grief I caused you, in some small way.”
You are so pathetic, Rose thought disgustedly.
“The fact that you’re still here is all I need to make me happy, my son,” Esme whispered emotionally as she drew Edward into an embrace again.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Mum,” Edward murmured against her ear.
You do realize you’re making us all feel ill, Rose spat viciously.
Alice’s hand shot out at lightning speed and grabbed Rosalie’s just as it reached Edward’s side. She shot her sister a menacing look and held tight, because Rose hadn’t yet changed her mind about pinching Edward while he shared this moment with Esme.
Carlisle cleared his throat lightly, eying his daughters with curiosity. “What else do you lot have planned?”
“We’ve got all of Esme’s favorite movies, if she wants to watch them,” Emmett announced, ignoring the heel Rose planted in his foot.
“We’re up for anything Esme wants to do,” Jasper continued.
“Movies?” Esme questioned with bright eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
“Where’s the couch?” Carlisle asked curiously.
“It’s still there,” Alice assured him. “We just covered it with flowers.”
“Let’s find the couch first then,” Carlisle said.
Edward rose from the piano bench and gently persuaded Esme to take his place. “You wait here while we unearth the couch.”
It only took seconds to rearrange the masses of flowers, so the couch could be used and the large flat screen television could be seen without interruption. The family gathered together in front of the screen as Emmett started the first movie. Esme was sandwiched between her husband and Edward. Alice and Jasper were occupying one of the chairs, and Emmett and Rose were sprawled on the floor together.
As the opening credits rolled Esme regarded her family with soft eyes. Even though her heart has been still for eighty-five years it felt as though it could very well burst with the love she held for her family.
Prompt: I want to see you write something involving Esme :) She doesn't get nearly enough love in this fandom.
Title: For Esme
Fandom: Twilight
Summary: So much can go wrong when getting ready for a special event when ones thoughts aren’t private.
Characters: All the Cullens
Word Count: 1813
Author’s Notes: This takes place in May 2006 (the second Sunday to be precise), between New Moon and Eclipse.
“Are you sure they won’t be back-“
“Emmett, for the last time, Carlisle promised they wouldn’t be back until dawn,” Edward cut his brother off forcefully. “Alice explained to him what we were doing, so he’s not going to spoil the surprise.”
“Okay, I was just checking.” Emmett held his hands up in mock surrender.
“For the hundredth time,” Edward muttered under his breath, not that his brother wouldn’t have heard anyway.
“Well, I don’t see why we have to help you assuage your guilty conscience,” Rose grumbled as she entered the house with her arms full. “Honestly, Edward, you’ve done nothing that isn’t expected of you.”
Edward snarled as his beautiful, blonde sister’s vitriolic thoughts assaulted his mind. Reminders of the fact that he’d fallen in love with a human were most prevalent, as they disgusted her the most, and then flashes of the pain he’d caused Esme when he’d fled to Volterra only months ago.
Rose met his baleful glare with a smug smile.
“Go easy, Rose,” Emmett whispered as a deep frown creased his brow. Edward, I can imagine what she’s thinking. Just ignore her, please, he added silently.
“Edward, stop it!” Alice demanded as she emerged from the kitchen. “If you two fight in here we’ll have to resort to stealing from the cemetery to get it finished in time.”
“Too late!” Jasper announced from the front door. “I just cleaned the cemetery out.”
“Oh, Jazz, that’s just… It’s wrong!” Alice moaned.
“You said we needed more, so I found more. Besides it’s not like the residents are going to notice,” Jasper defended himself.
Alice sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s all right, she won’t know. Set them up in the spaces. Edward, stop thinking like that! This was your idea, so it would be a shame to destroy everyone’s hard work and planning just because your temper got the better of you.”
Edward closed his eyes, fixed his face with a look of enduring patience, and then turned to face Alice. “If she doesn’t stop-“
“Yeah, yeah, I know… You’re going to get nasty,” Alice finished for him with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Have you finished your composition yet?”
“You know I haven’t,” Edward responded sullenly.
“Well, don’t you think you’d better get back to the piano?”
“Fine.” Without looking at his siblings, Edward returned to his piano.
Great, he gets to tinker about with his toy, while we do the hard work, Rosalie thought viciously. I did have plans for this evening!
“You can only stare at yourself in the mirror for so long before Emmett gets bored, Rose,” Edward quipped.
A nefarious grin stretched across Rosalie’s face and her eyes sought out Edward’s. Oh, Emmett wouldn’t have been bored with what I had planned, baby brother.
Edward’s hands came down on the keyboard of the piano with a discordant bang. “I do not want to- to even know that, let alone see it in my head.”
Rosalie cackled loudly.
“And stay out of my room,” Edward continued. “If I find anything weird on my couch I will hunt you down, tear you apart and dance around the bonfire.”
“Rose, stop torturing him.” Emmett’s pleading tone was lost the moment he began to chuckle.
We’ve done your couch before, Rose goaded silently.
The snarl that ripped from Edward’s chest filled the room and he was on his feet, crossing the room to where Rose was still standing before she even realized he was on the move.
Emmett, acting on instinct, stepped into his path just before he reached Rosalie. Instead of crashing into Rose and sending her flying, Edward met with the immovable force that was Emmett’s chest.
“Edward, think about it,” Emmett said seriously as he held his snarling brother by the shoulders. “You know I can’t let you-“
“Control her then,” Edward growled.
Emmett nodded gravely before turning to face Rose. “Enough. You’ve riled him up, now let it go.”
“But I had plans for us-“
“We can do whatever it is you had planned when we’re finished or later today, baby. It’s not like either of us are going anywhere,” Emmett soothed. “Why don’t we finish arranging everything before Carlisle and Esme get home?”
“That sounds like a productive idea,” Alice interrupted with barely contained impatience. “Edward, go finish your composition or you’ll be upset with yourself, and stay out of Rose’s head. Rose, the least you can do is keep your thoughts clean. Yes, I saw, because you made a decision or two in all of that nonsense.”
“Dirty thoughts?” Emmett grinned wickedly. “Why didn’t you say something, love?”
“I was going to surprise you,” Rose replied in a sulky voice. “Edward spoiled it.”
“We’ll make up for it later, I promise,” Emmett said in a low husky voice as he pulled his wife into his chest.
Alice shook her head and turned away from the couple, who had begun to kiss passionately. Her eyes locked instantly with Jasper’s, and it looked as though he wanted to devour her. “Are you picking up their mood?”
A grin stretched Jasper’s lips over his razor sharp teeth and his eyes smoldered at her.
“Can you wait until we’re done?”
“I can try,” Jasper answered honestly.
“Good.” Alice smiled before turning her attention to the piano. “Edward, can you handle it?”
“It doesn’t seem like I have a choice, does it?”
“At least if she’s thinking that stuff with Emmett, she’s leaving you alone.” Alice paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, she’s not attacking you head on.”
“How long do we have?” Jasper asked.
Alice’s eyes slipped closed and she concentrated for a few moments. “About an hour.”
“Let’s get finished then,” Jasper said with finality.
Edward turned back to the piano and began to play in earnest. His music filled the room, and while it didn’t drown out the immoral conversation Emmett and Rose were conducting, it did give him something else to concentrate on besides his reactions to what they were suggesting.
Alice flitted around the room adding the final touches to their displays and checking that everything was just the way it should be. Jasper followed Alice, taking care of anything that Alice deemed in need of attention. Rosalie focused her attention on one vase of flowers, arranging them time and again, while Emmett’s attention was firmly focused on Rosalie’s body.
“Everyone around the piano!” Alice ordered. “They’ll be here in a minute or so. Edward, you have finished, haven’t you?”
“Yes, it’s ready,” Edward answered. Against all odds - Emmett and Rosalie’s filthy discussion - he had completed the piece he’d been working on.
Jasper and Alice stood just behind and to the side of Edward, who remained seated at the piano, while Rosalie and Emmett took the other side of him. When everyone was in position they turned their eyes to the front door and waited for their parents to enter.
Edward, about the couch… Very comfortable. Emmett chuckled lightly as his thoughts elicited a soft growl from his brother.
Without thinking through the consequences, Edward allowed his fist to fly backwards.
What was that for? Rose demanded.
“Pass it on,” Edward hissed.
“For goodness sakes, give it up!” Alice snapped. “They’re here!”
Just as the last word left Alice’s mouth, the front door opened and Esme’s gasp of surprise filled the room. Flowers of every color created a beautiful rainbow in her living room. Not a surface remained undecorated, and a large banner threaded with fresh blooms was hanging from the ceiling, announcing the occasion.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” the group by the piano called as Edward began playing his new composition.
“Oh, this is a wonderful surprise,” Esme exclaimed softly before falling silent to listen to her son’s music.
“May I have this dance?” Carlisle asked in a gentlemanly manner.
“Of course.” Esme smiled warmly and placed her hand in his.
Carlisle twirled his wife around what little floor space was left, avoiding the large displays of flowers wit ease. The five by the piano watched on in awe as their adoptive parents stared into each other’s eyes as if they were alone in the moment.
It wasn’t until Edward had played the piece through twice that Carlisle allowed Esme to greet the rest of the family properly. She embraced each of her children, thanking them for their efforts and for allowing her the opportunity to have a family, saving Edward for last.
“That was beautiful, darling,” Esme whispered as she held Edward close. “Your best yet.”
“It’s for you,” Edward responded.
“Thank you.” Esme kissed his cheek. “Does it have a name?”
“Not yet.” Edward smiled. “You’re going to have to come up with something.”
“We can work on that this afternoon,” Esme responded happily. “And all this was your idea?”
Edward cast his eyes down in shame. “I was hoping to make up for the grief I caused you, in some small way.”
You are so pathetic, Rose thought disgustedly.
“The fact that you’re still here is all I need to make me happy, my son,” Esme whispered emotionally as she drew Edward into an embrace again.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Mum,” Edward murmured against her ear.
You do realize you’re making us all feel ill, Rose spat viciously.
Alice’s hand shot out at lightning speed and grabbed Rosalie’s just as it reached Edward’s side. She shot her sister a menacing look and held tight, because Rose hadn’t yet changed her mind about pinching Edward while he shared this moment with Esme.
Carlisle cleared his throat lightly, eying his daughters with curiosity. “What else do you lot have planned?”
“We’ve got all of Esme’s favorite movies, if she wants to watch them,” Emmett announced, ignoring the heel Rose planted in his foot.
“We’re up for anything Esme wants to do,” Jasper continued.
“Movies?” Esme questioned with bright eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
“Where’s the couch?” Carlisle asked curiously.
“It’s still there,” Alice assured him. “We just covered it with flowers.”
“Let’s find the couch first then,” Carlisle said.
Edward rose from the piano bench and gently persuaded Esme to take his place. “You wait here while we unearth the couch.”
It only took seconds to rearrange the masses of flowers, so the couch could be used and the large flat screen television could be seen without interruption. The family gathered together in front of the screen as Emmett started the first movie. Esme was sandwiched between her husband and Edward. Alice and Jasper were occupying one of the chairs, and Emmett and Rose were sprawled on the floor together.
As the opening credits rolled Esme regarded her family with soft eyes. Even though her heart has been still for eighty-five years it felt as though it could very well burst with the love she held for her family.