Work Text:
It was foolish to be so nervous about seeing Carlisle again. Beatrice knew that was true.
The reason she had originally left him in the first place was that she had struggled to adapt to his ‘vegetarian’ diet, but she had been wholly committed to that for nearly a century now. Her eyes were a rich golden color, her thirst for human blood had become far more manageable…
She was still tempted, of course. Being near a bleeding human without devouring them was one of the most difficult things in the world for her.
But Beatrice’s self-control had improved drastically. She was proud of herself.
And yet, the thought of seeing Carlisle once more made her uneasy, despite the way she agreed to help him without hesitation.
He was a good man. The best.
Beatrice knew she would always love him, even if he had moved on. She’d never known of a vampire being able to find a different mate when things hadn’t quite worked out with their original one, but Carlisle deserved the happiness.
Esme, Beatrice recalled. She’d heard about her from Tanya, Kate, and Irina. Carlisle loved Esme. Esme loved him.
They were good for one another, everyone said.
After grabbing her bag from the trunk of the taxi, Beatrice began walking up towards the Cullen house. She recognized Carlisle’s scent immediately and could detect the smell of seven more of their kind lingering around, as well as one human. The human’s scent was fainter.
Edward’s mate.
The cab had barely pulled out of the driveway when the door of the home opened. Beatrice could have easily cleared the distance from where she stood to the porch within a second. It wouldn’t have been difficult at all.
Yet, her body felt as if it had frozen for a moment. All she could do was stare at the beautiful woman who had walked outside to greet her, the kindest, most welcoming smile on her lips.
She was gorgeous. All of their kind were, but this woman had a special sort of charm.
“Beatrice?” Even her voice was heavenly. Naturally. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you! I’m Esme.”
Why wouldn’t Esme be the most stunning woman Beatrice had ever seen? She was Carlisle’s wife, of course she was as perfect as he was. It only made sense.
“The pleasure is mine, Esme. Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
Beatrice, several seconds later, came to her senses and moved to the porch. She smiled back at Esme, briefly pondering how she was able to be even more breathtaking up close when their eyes allowed them to see so well from a distance.
When Esme wrapped her arms around Beatrice in a tight hug, Beatrice easily returned the embrace. Esme was taller than Beatrice, her soft brown locks brushing against Beatrice’s cheek.
“I’ve heard so much about you for years. I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet you,” Esme said cheerfully as she pulled back. Beatrice immediately missed the contact, but Esme continued to smile brightly as she held both of Beatrice’s hands in hers. “When Carlisle first told me about you, all those years ago, I knew you had to be lovely. You’ve got a wonderful heart, Beatrice, to come help our family like this.”
Looking into Esme’s golden eyes, holding her hands, Beatrice was reminded of her first meeting with Carlisle centuries ago. Of how she felt then, as if the heart that no longer beat within her chest had finally found its rightful owner.
Thinking of Carlisle still brought upon the same feeling in Beatrice’s chest, but it seemed as though Esme was able to get the same sort of reaction from her. The same strange pull that had initially brought her to Carlisle seemed to be coming from Esme as well.
Perhaps coming to the small town of Forks, Washington had been a bad idea. Beatrice considered that for a moment, then quickly shut the thought down.
She would be helping to keep Carlisle, Esme, and their family safe. Nothing could ever be wrong about that.