A Treasured Bond

[ESME ANNE CULLEN]

  Edward learned from the best 

Esme stood in her kitchen, stroking the delicate petals of a bouquet of white roses in a dazzling crystal vase. Both had been a sweet surprise from Carlisle. A familiar rush of love for her husband swept through her. She still almost couldn't believe that she'd gotten her happily-ever-after despite all the darkness she'd been through. She had her true love and an amazing and wonderful family.

How did I get so lucky?

The gentle sound of rain pattering against the windows caught her attention. She walked over to the windows and watched as the rain trickled down the glass. Her thoughts turned to her family and settled on Edward. She was worried about him. He'd been alone for so long. He seemed sad and it caused her no small amount of distress. Edward had been her first child after losing her baby, and their bond was a very special one. She wished there was something she could do to help him.

Esme heard Edward's Volvo pulling down the drive. She turned to greet him as he entered the kitchen, her gold eyes lighting up as she smiled at him.

"Edward, I'm so glad you're home!"

| EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN | notes 😃

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[EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN]

When he left Forks after Bella moved to town, Edward had honestly thought that he was leaving for good. He had sought refuge in Alaska with the Denalis even though deep down he had known that Tanya would have thought that he was there for her but during the week that he was there he hadn’t been able to stop himself from thinking about Bella or the family that he had left behind. It hadn’t been easy to say goodbye to Carlisle before he left and he hadn’t even been able to bring himself to see the hurt on Esme’s face when he’d made up his mind to leave but he had thought that it was for the best for all of them. He hadn’t trusted himself to be around Bella given how much her blood seemed to sing to him, it did so more than anyone else’s, and the last thing he had wanted to do was to end up hurting her. He had come so close to leaving again so many times since he had returned but in the end he had stayed and now he knew that he just couldn’t tear himself away from her even if he wanted to.

He knew that not all of his family understood, Alice was thrilled about the friendship that she and Bella were apparently going to have in the future but Rose, Jasper and Emmett had their reservations and Edward couldn’t blame them. They had all had to move on before, after all they couldn’t stay in one place for too long without drawing attention to themselves, but this time was different. The constant cloud cover that Forks offered meant that they got to live normal lives for once and that was something that they all needed and he knew that he couldn’t be the one to make them give that up. Instead he had been doing his best to behave but that day something that Alice had said had been playing on his mind. She’d said that she would soon love Bella too, implying that he already did, and he had been able to think of little else all day. He had ended up spending time with Bella while she recovered after passing out during Biology class while the others were testing blood samples and he had realised then that he did love her after all.

That was something that was confusing to Edward but it was incredible at the same time. He had been alone for such a long time but now that Bella had seen only two possible outcomes for Bella – her dying or her becoming a vampire – he knew that he wasn’t going to let the former happen so a selfish part of him wanted to spend time with her and perhaps see if the latter might come true. Usually he ended up driving them all to and from school but that day Rose had taken the others in her own car leaving Edward to a drive home with just his music for company after he’d dropped Bella off at her place and sent Alice a text asking her to drop Bella’s truck off at her house on her way home, something he knew that it would be much safer for Alice to do than Bella considering the rain had started shortly after he and Bella had left school. As he pulled his car onto the drive, a smile touched Edward’s lips as Esme’s thoughts reached him. She was worrying about him like she so often seemed to these days and he knew that it was long past time they talked. Making his way into the house, Edward headed straight for the kitchen and he found himself smiling back at Esme in return. “Hey Mom,” he said as he pulled her into a quick hug. It wasn’t something that he tended to call her all the time, after all he had been turned before Esme and there was a time when they had passed themselves off as brother and sister, but over the years she truly had become his mother so he knew that it didn’t hurt to acknowledge that sometimes. “Aren’t Carlisle or the others back yet?” he asked, having thought that they would have beat him home since he had gone for a drive for a while after he’d dropped Bella off at home.

ESME ANNE CULLEN

[ESME ANNE CULLEN]

  Edward learned from the best 

Esme embraced Edward, feeling a rush of affection for her son.

I will always treasure you, my son.

Esme looked up at him, smoothing a stray lock of his hair back into place.

"Carlisle got called about an emergency at the hospital, and your siblings went hunting." She studied his eyes and face with motherly concern. "Is everything okay, Edward? I was really worried when you left. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

A sudden gust of wind drove rain against the window, and thunder rumbled ominously. Esme walked into the living room and added another log to the fire, smiling as the flames gave the room a cheery glow. Moving to the couch, Esme sat, patting the spot beside her.

| EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN | notes 😃

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[EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN]

For what felt like a long time things had been relatively easy for Edward and his family. Naturally they’d still had to move every few years to avoid drawing attention to the fact that none of them were getting any older but other than that things had been straightforward for them for a while. Alice and Jasper had been a natural fit for the family when they had arrived and Esme and Carlisle had been happy, as had Rose and Emmett. The only person who hadn’t found the person they were meant to share their life with had been him and if he was honest Edward had been starting to feel like he never would. Rose had been turned not just to save her but also in the hopes that the two of them would end up getting together and he knew that they had all felt disappointed when it hadn’t worked out like that. Even with Tanya things had been awkward, she had wanted something more with him but Edward’s heart just hadn’t been in it and he hadn’t wanted to lead her on or give her the wrong impression so he had left. Spending time in Alaska had given him the chance to think about what he wanted and even though he knew that starting a relationship with Bella was risky, for once he knew that he had to follow his heart and he was trying to do just that.

It was good to know that he had the support of some of the family at least but he knew that there were others who still had their reservations. He couldn’t really blame them, after all spending so much time with a human meant that he was potentially putting the whole family at risk but he knew that he would regret it if he didn’t give things with her a try and it was something that he honestly felt like it was something that he needed to do. Offering Esme a smile as she brushed his hair back, Edward nodded slowly. “I think so. While I was away I realised that if I turn my back on Bella then I might be losing my chance at finally having what you and Carlisle have so I need to see where things between us might lead,” he explained, knowing that if anyone would understand then it was Esme. Jasper and Rose had made the fact that they didn’t like the idea perfectly clear but it hadn’t been enough to change his mind. “I know not all of the others agree but I love her mom, I just don’t think I could ever ask her to become what I am.”

ESME ANNE CULLEN