Carlisle-Alice, after Whitlocks-Cullens.

[ofthefamily]

It's been...an adjustment, but an easier one than Carlisle had been expecting. The way Edward and Alice in particular have nearly instantaneously joined at the hip makes Carlisle smile every time he thinks of it -- things had bettered when Rosalie found Emmett, but that time was still difficult.

For the moment, Carlisle has taken some time off from the hospital to stay at home with his family, now larger than planned but not unwelcome. He is flipping through a book errantly from his seat behind his office desk, listening to the quiet hum of everyone moving through the house on this sunny of days.

Comments

[ofthefamily]

An offhanded shrug. "Perhaps you may decide I am a stuffy antique."

[betagainstme]

Alice laughs softly, shaking her head. "Oh, never. I mean, I can always just update your wardrobe and you'll be fine again."

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle arches an eyebrow in as polite a fashion as he can manage.

"Do you see me letting you do so?"

[betagainstme]

"You don't stand a chance." Alice smiles brightly.

[ofthefamily]

"You've already allied Esme against me, no doubt."

Put-upon sigh.

[betagainstme]

Alice just continues to smile brightly at him. :D?

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle harrumphs.

Paternally.

[betagainstme]

Alice wrinkles her nose at him. "It will be painless, I promise."

[ofthefamily]

"That remains to be seen."

Eventually, Carlisle gives Alice a wink. "I promise to not complain too much if you promise to be merciful." Beat, then, "Could I have my ring back?"

[betagainstme]

"Oh!" Alice hands it back carefully, her own rings sparkling on her finger. "Sorry."

[ofthefamily]

"It will be a very rare happenstance from you that actually requires ever apologizing to me," Carlisle corrects quietly.

Maybe that's what Edward needed Alice to hear in Carlisle's own voice. The blond man doesn't put it past the younger.

Carlisle slides the ring back on the fourth finger of his left hand, pondering aloud, "I suppose I will have to have more of these made up."

[betagainstme]

"It's a bit gaudy for my fingers." Alice smiles at him, teasing lightly. "Maybe a necklace."

[ofthefamily]

Laughing, "I would not make anyone else wear this ring. It was a wedding present.

"No, my uccello, you can pick out whatever it is that you would like. If you would like to wear one at all, of course. The same offer to Jasper as well, though I have a feeling he will probably pick a bracer to match Emmett and Edward."

[betagainstme]

"I would love to wear it." Alice murmurs, wrinkling her brow at him. "Uccello?"

[ofthefamily]

"It means 'bird'."

Carlisle waves a hand to Alice's ensemble. "Somehow I feel a surge of shiny objects infiltrating my house. Just a hypothesis."

[betagainstme]

"I haven't learned Italian yet." Alice smiles down at her lap again. "And I foresee your prediction as being correct."

[ofthefamily]

"You have time. Now -- " Carlisle ducks his head down to have his gold eyes meet Alice's. " -- are you alright? You keep...avoiding."

[betagainstme]

She looks at him and blinks. "I'm..fine. I just. I know you're...actually anyone's parent here. But I've never known my family, that I can remember, and some days, the...parent-shaped hole hurts more. I need...to know if I can...if you can help that on the days I need it."

She bites her lip and shakes her head. "It sounds...stupid."

[ofthefamily]

How could someone have simply walked off and left you I'll never understand --

"Alice."

What does he say first? That he can't see Esme, who he turned into a vampire, in the same light as Emmett or Edward or Rosalie? That he can't remember what his parents looked like either since it has been so long? That she is here now, and none of it matters?

"It doesn't sound stupid, dear." Carlisle drops off his desk and plants a kiss in Alice's hair.



"If I know how to help, I always try."

[betagainstme]

Alice shuts her eyes when he kisses her head, and if she could tear up, she's certain she would. Her chest tightens regardless and when he pulls away, she follows him up, to wrap her arms around him and lean her forehead against his shoulder.

"Thank you."

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle's arms follow in movement, curving slowly across Alice's shoulder blades. It is not discomfort with Alice by any means; hugging is not something Carlisle is very accustomed to.

He'll learn.

"Now, we appear to have some time before nightfall. Anything else we can take care of?"

[betagainstme]

Alice pulls back and shrugs, smiling at him again. "I think all personal crises are over for now."

[ofthefamily]

"Just when I was starting to be of use. Damn it all."

[betagainstme]

"You won't ever fall out of use, Carlisle." Alice steps back toward the door. "I can See that."

[ofthefamily]

In about thirty years, he will think that the retort most applicable here has something to do with credit cards or being the last willing mannequin in the house.

For now, Carlisle moves back to his seat behind his desk, removing his bookmark with a flourish before picking up where he left off.