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Post by Amber Jefferson on Feb 1, 2009 9:26:21 GMT -5
[tag Edward, other Cullens welcome]
"Whoa" Amber murmured to herself as she pulled up outside the Cullen house. It was much bigger than she had expected, not to mention gorgeous. Then again, she had never really thought about what their house would look like before today. Sighing, she glanced at the carefully wrapped bundle on the passenger seat, glad that it had at least stopped crying before she had arrived. The last thing she needed was to have her presence heralded by a screaming baby. Yet again, her mind trailed back to that afternoon, when she had been lumbered with the little monster.
As always, at least for the last month, she had ended up walking to class with Edward Cullen. They had some classes together and since they had met at the hospital, she had grown to like the youngest of the Cullens. He had a quietly friendly personality that somehow made her feel at ease, much like Dr Cullen did, and in a school full of students, that was something she valued, and she had come to consider him a friend. It had come as something of a surprise when she had realised that, without even noticing it, she actually shared half her classes with him, though not as much of a surprise as the classes themselves. History was a given, he was a natural at it, and it helped to have him there, considering her apparent inability to commit to memory anything that had happened before her birth. Spanish too wasn't all that unusual, he and his brother spoke the language like pros, while she struggled along. She could never figure out how she had somehow made it into a class she didn't even like, nor how she managed to get good grades when, in truth, she barely understood a word she said or wrote.
The real kicker had been Home Ec. No matter how many times she saw it, Edward Cullen with flour on his nose, a striped apron around his waist and a bewildered expression on his face at his latest catastrophe was something that never failed to make her laugh. It was the only class in which she remotely outdid him and she was glad to help him for a change instead of the other way round. The last class of the day after Home Ec, Health, was the other one they shared. Yet another class she came dangerously close to flunking, when they had been told to pick partners for a surprise project, she had immediately asked Edward. There was no way she could fail with him on her team.
Nevertheless, it had been with a sinking feeling that she had slid into her chair to find a box on the desk they now shared. Preparation like that never boded well, a home truth that had proved correct as they had opened the box to find the new addition to their little family: robo-baby. Apparently, for the foreseeable future, their teacher had refused to tell them how long the project would last in order to add to the 'reality', they were to look after a robot baby that would cry, eat, sleep and everything else a baby did, apart from one exception. This one recorded everything, which meant like it or not, they had no choice but to play happy families almost constantly.
Groaning, she picked up the parcel and climbed out of the truck, darting through the rain as fast as she could to the front door and knocked, bouncing on her toes to try to silence the once again crying baby.
"This is gonna be one long assignment" she muttered to herself, frowning at the rain, the brat, basically the world in general.
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Post by Edward Cullen on Feb 1, 2009 22:18:07 GMT -5
Edward was downstairs at his piano. He wasn't really playing any familiar tune, and he wasn't even making an attempt at composing a new piece, he was just letting the music flow through him. He needed to wait until night to go back to Bella's house, spending the night in her room. He had several hours between the end of school and human sleeptime to kill yet. Edward found the music of the piano to be a good use of his time. It was relaxing, and didn't involve him interupting anything that his family members were up to.
Edwrad stopped his playing as he heard the sound of a car approaching the windy road that led to the Cullen house. His first thought was that it would be Bella, the only one he could think of that may come to visit him here. But the thought of this being Bella, although immediately lifting his spirits at the surprise of it, was gone a second later as he realized that was not the sound of her truck. He became more tense, not liking unexpected guests. He looked out the window through the rain to see the woman exiting her car.
"Amber..." He repeated her name with a slight frown, wondering what she was possibly doing at his house. First of all he was surprised she even found his house, not exactly on the main street in Forks. Secondly, why she was coming here at all...it was soon explained by the noise producing robot in her arms. And thirdly he knew that his family would be rather disapproving (or at least a couple of his siblings would) of having a guest to the house. If he had known they needed to meet he would have stayed after school or gone to her house. It wasn't that Edward didn't like seeing Amber. She was actually one of the few Forks students (other than Bella of course) that he could stand being around and having a conversation with. Unlike the others she had no sense that she shouldn't be talking to him, and it was a bit refreshing. Plus after meeting her outside Carlisle's office, and seeing their connection to him, it didn't feel completely difficult to talk to her. He actually enjoyed getting to talk to someone who didn't feel nervous around him all the time. Who made him feel like he was pulling off the charade of being a human long enough to even develop a friendship, if you could call it that.
Edward went to the door, opening it and moving aside so that Amber wouldn't have to stand out in the rain for much longer. "Amber...I wasn't expecting you..." He told her honestly.
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Post by Amber Jefferson on Feb 2, 2009 5:47:10 GMT -5
Shrugging, Amber smiled sheepishly at Edward, stepping into the shelter of the doorway. No matter how much she loved the rain, it wasn't exactly considered conventional to stand chatting in a downpour, and the robot was unlikely to withstand the water. She was careful not to move beyond the threshold, aware that while he had moved aside, he had not invited her in. Bouncing again, she patted the baby's back, trying to hush it, feeling suddenly self-conscious because of the noise.
"I know, I'm really sorry to come unannounced. It's rude of me but I didn't know your phone number and I couldn't find a phone book" she explained quickly. It was a lame excuse, but she could hardly tell him the truth, that Sarah had threatened her with Philip if she didn't get the baby out of the house. She had had no time to look up the phone number before racing out the door and so had had no choice but to look for the address she had been given some time ago in case she had to drop off any papers for Dr Cullen. It hadn't been easy to find, but with little else to do, she had done so eventually. "This little critter simply won't stop crying, I was wondering if you might have any ideas. I've tried everything I can think of, I don't think I'm very good at this mothering thing" she said, cringing as another shrill cry drilled into her ears. Glancing around, she suddenly remembered the music she had heard as she had approached the door.
"Forgive me for asking, but was that you playing before?" she asked, smiling softly. "It was beautiful." It was true, the notes she had heard had had a wonderfully melodic quality as though the piano itself had a soul. She lowered her eyes quickly, feeling as though she had interrupted something personal. To her, music was almost like another language, a way of expressing herself when words simply didn't suffice and she couldn't help thinking that, with talent like she had heard, Edward must have a similar passion for it. In a sense, she envied him his ability, if indeed it had been him. While she loved to sing more than anything else, the haunting notes of a piano always seemed to her to be so much more expressive. She avoided the wry chuckle that threatened to escape as she thought of it. Edward always excelled in classes, it had become a sort of friendly competition between them, though she knew she couldn't possibly beat him. It was hardly surprising that he should have the upper hand in this as well, not that it bothered her. Talent was talent, and no matter where it lay, she admired it.
"Who knows, maybe a lullaby might put him to sleep" she chuckled, not even sure if the little monster could recognise music.
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Post by Edward Cullen on Feb 4, 2009 12:40:06 GMT -5
"No...its alright" Edward responded as Amber called herself rude for showing up unannounced. He was surprised to see her yes, but it was common human behavior, he couldnt consider her rude for it. She didn't know the uncomfortableness there was in having a new human in a house of vampires. He then realized the reason why she hadn't come in yet, as he hadn't told her she could. Since she was already here, there was no sense in keeping her outside. "Please come in" He invited her.
Edward winced slightly as the robot continued to cry in Amber's arms despite her efforts. This was going to be one difficult project. He had done the project at other schools before, using eggs or bags of flour, but never with something as annoying as a robot. "That thing is probably just programmed to be difficult" He said trying to offer her some consolation after her thought at being bad at mothering.
Edward looked down a bit embarrassed that she had heard him playing. With the piano close by and no other stereo system in sight he doubted he could play it off as something else. "Yeah, that was me...thanks" He said quietly accepting her compliments. He had spent years playing, and was much better than any teenager should be. "Does this thing even hear us?" he asked, not sure if she'd even know. He knew it recorded things like when it was picked up, or or fed or changed, but did it hear too.
Edward reached into his pocket pulling out the little key that he had received in class. They had each gotten one so that it could record which actions each of them had done, and when they were both attending to the child. He thought maybe this was one of those times they were both needed to quiet the child. "Maybe I can try this?" He suggested, holding out his other hand to take the robot from her, not wanting to reach and grab it and risk his icey skin making contact with hers.
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Post by Amber Jefferson on Feb 8, 2009 9:12:48 GMT -5
“Ugh, if that’s the case, they sure did a good job on programming it. I’d give them an A+ for sheer annoyance value. I don’t get it, I can stand the most troublesome patient and not bat an eyelid, but this?” she held the baby out at arm’s length and eyed it with contempt for a moment before returning to patting its back, “this is beyond me.” Smiling at his shyness, she stepped into the house, glancing at the piano. “No need to thank me, it’s just the truth. I’d give anything for talent like that. Then again, I’d give anything for a piano like that, so what do I know?” she chuckled, turning back to him. “All I do know is that I know skill when I hear it, and that was skill.”
Allowing her eyes to fall back to the robot, she shrugged. “No idea, this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this. I’ve seen the bag version on tv but that’s the closest I ever got. If it does hear, I’m gonna be in trouble, I haven’t exactly been calling it a little angel.” She watched as he pulled out his key, the same one she wore on a little chain around her wrist at the moment to avoid losing it. Holding the robot out to him, she smiled apologetically. “I really should’ve thought of that. Family project, family work, makes sense now you mention it. You’re more than welcome to try.”
She glanced back at the piano as she spoke, temptation getting the better of her. How often did a kid like her get the chance to see such a beautiful instrument anywhere but on television? Gesturing towards it with her free hand, she looked back at Edward. No way was she going anywhere near it without express permission. Heck, if she owned that thing, she’d probably have a velvet rope around it, let alone be protective of it, but it was worth asking. “I don’t suppose...I mean, may I see it?” she asked cautiously. “I’m hardly what you’d call a musician but I’d love to have a look at it.”
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Post by Edward Cullen on Feb 16, 2009 1:04:20 GMT -5
Edward gave a half grin as Amber spoke of the difficulties in dealing with this baby versus the human patients she had at the hospital. It was astonishing how this small robot could be so much hassel. That cry was already getting on his nerves, and she had dealt with it longer than he had. "Maybe its a good thing you and my father arent in the neonatal ward"
"Just umm...lots of practice" Edward said quietly looking away again, feeling awkward talking about his talent. He didnt mind speaking confidently around his family, but he felt much more modest about his abilities with humans present. "Carlisle and Esme have been very encouraging with my interest" He said leaving the idea of having a piano like this and learning to play alone, knowing the more information he gave willingly the more likely it was he'd say something that sounded off to her.
"I dont know anymore about this thing than you do, but its worth a try..." He said taking the robot as she held it out. He looked down at it with a frown as he took it into his arm. It felt unnatural to be holding it, even if it was only a robot. He would never be a father. He had accepted that many decades ago. He would never look down at a human version of the bot before him and see a piece of himself looking back. It hadn't mattered to him before. It hadn't ever given him the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was now feeling of regret any of the other times he had done this assignment. And he knew what was different this time. Bella. He had finally met someone who had he been human, he could have seen himself starting a family with. But that would never happen, and the longer he stayed with her the more he was risking ruining that kind of life for her too.
Edward pushed away the feelings as he inserted the key, waiting for the bot to respond and stop its incessant crying. He looked up as he heard Amber talking again. Not only was she talking but she was asking if she could use his piano. If his heart was still beating he thought it would have stopped as he heard her request. It was perfectly innocent and he knew nothing out of the ordinary, but his piano and his cars were among his prized possessions. He knew this particular piano was a one of a kind. But he knew there was no reason why he shouldnt let her near it. It wasn't as though she was going to destroy it. "Umm...Yeah I guess"
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Post by Amber Jefferson on Feb 25, 2009 13:42:19 GMT -5
Returning his smile with one of her own, Amber nodded emphatically. “Got that right” she said, a wry chuckle slipping out before she could stop it. “Even when they’re unconscious, adults are so much easier to read than children. Don’t get me wrong, I adore babies, it’s just the crying I’m not thrilled about.” She watched with baited breath as he inserted the key, crossing her fingers, her toes, she even tried crossing her eyes for a brief second before giving up, preferring to risk bad luck rather than looking crazy.
As the crying stopped, she sighed with relief, silence finally falling over the little robot. She had never been so glad to hear a sound stop in her life. She was still fighting back a cheer when Edward spoke again, and she had to bite her lip to keep the grin that threatened to cross her face in check.
“I promise, I’ll be careful” she said as she turned and made her way over to the piano, staring at it with wide eyes. She had never been very religious, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the way she felt at the moment was probably something similar to the sense of awe and privilege a devout Catholic might feel on being granted a private audience with the Pope. Running her fingers lightly over the keys, she sank down on the bench, barely resting her weight on it, half afraid she might scratch the immaculate surface.
“I’m not surprise you practice so much” she said, glancing toward him again briefly before turning her attention back to the piano. Practically in a daze, she rested her hands on the keys, her fingers gently picking out the mournful melody of Albinoni’s Adagio, smiling with delight as even her amateurish attempts echoed from the strings a million times more beautifully that her best efforts ever had before. “I would too if I had a piano like this” she said shyly as she finished, snatching her hands away as if she had been caught touching the Mona Lisa. Looking down at them in embarrassment, she stood up and moved away from the bench. “Like I said, I’m no musician” she chuckled, amazed that she had been so distracted that she had actually let him hear her, even the small amount she had played. She loved to play the piano, often slipping into the music room at school to practice, and she was proud of what ability she did have, having taught herself, but she had never let anyone see or hear her before.
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Post by Edward Cullen on Mar 5, 2009 22:40:00 GMT -5
“They should have a mute button on these things” Edward said, still looking down at the robot. He hated this assignment. It seemed to be rubbing his nose in the fact that he’d never be a father. Fate’s way of pointing out again and again that he didn’t belong. He wouldn’t be surprised if the baby never stopped crying. At least fate was smart enough not to let him babysit a real baby for a week. He was a monster, he’d have it scared half to death by the end of an hour.
Luckily the robot seemed to respond to formulas, and this one included his key insertion, finally quieting down the mechanical thing in his hand. The minute he had agreed to let Amber near his piano he regretted it. He was more protective over it than he should of and only agreed to give the appearance of normal but he didn’t know if he’d actually be able to watch someone else go near it. Luckily his family knew better than to mess with it, even when he was fighting with his siblings.
Edward watched the way she approached it, appreciating her caution and also the look of appreciation in her eyes, at least she understood what a magnificent instrument it was. Still as she sat down, and he watched her hands lift up over the keys he began to envision ways to prevent her from actually playing. Top on his list was getting the baby to cry so that she’d have something else that needed her attention.Edward stopped breathing, not wanting to have the pain of the thirst while he had the pain of watching someone at his piano.
He listened to her begin to play, realizing that she actually was quite good. But the image of someone else at his piano was enough for him to consider ripping the head off of the baby in his arms in order to stop her should she carry on too long. Luckily Amber was a sensible girl. She played an introductory melody quite beautifully, but then let it end there. As she stopped he felt a little guilty for feeling so protective over his piano, and knew that she had respected it in her playing. “You’ve really got talent”
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Post by Amber Jefferson on Mar 7, 2009 8:37:51 GMT -5
Shaking her head, Amber clasped her hands in front of her, staring at the floor shyly, looking less like a girl who had been playing a piano than a maid caught indulging in her employer's scotch. "Noooo" she said, blushing fiercely, "no no no, I'm not very good, I can only play a little bit. It's the piano that made it sound decent." Glancing back at the piano, she raised her eyes to look at Edward, smiling brightly at him.
"Thank you so much, I really do appreciate it. I know it sounds silly but actually getting to see a piano like that is...wow" she finished lamely, an embarrassed giggle escaping before she could stop it. Raising an eyebrow at him, she made her way back over to where he stood, "I feel like I should be grovelling it your feet in gratitude or something" she chuckled, noting the expression on his face, even more stony than usual, if that was possible. "That can't have been easy, I'm sorry. I dunno what came over me, I'm suprised you didn't freak out, I know I would have."
Gesturing down at the baby, she smiled again. It was strange how easy it was to be herself around Edward, and Carlisle for that matter. She had never fit in anywhere but they seemed to see past her status as a foster and a runaway, treating her as a person instead. Perhaps that was why she liked them so much. She had never enjoyed spending time with 'normal' people, they were too shallow, for the most part. They made her uncomfortable, as if she had to hide everything about herself. Instead, she sought out those everyone avoided. It was strange the way the uneasiness other people avoided never seemed noticeable to her. Quite the opposite, the same things that appeared to push others away generally made her feel more comfortable. Even now, standing here with Edward in the almost silent house, though she knew most people would feel almost threatened, she felt perfectly at ease. "Well, you're certainly better at that than I am. Maybe we'll get a decent grade after all, as long as you don't have to make baby food. Then we're doomed" she added, hoping to ease his nerves a little by reminding him of his latest Home Ec disaster, an apple sauce so sour it could have been used to clean the pans it was cooked in.
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Post by Edward Cullen on May 22, 2009 22:58:37 GMT -5
“You need at least some skill to make even the best of instruments sound nice” Edward complimented her again, keeping his comments polite but nothing that would encourage her to go back to it and play more. He knew it was selfish, but truly it was for her own safety to keep him from getting protective over the piano.
“You’re welcome” Edward responded as she thanked him again for having the chance to use the piano. He smiled as she joked about groveling at his feet in gratitude. ‘There’s no need for that, and its alright…we probably just should start working on our little project here” he said indicating the babybot.
It was at this point that Edward realized that they were just standing awkwardly beside the piano. He still forgot frequently how much more comfortable humans were with sitting. At his home he seemed to remember less and less of what was normal human behavior, things that had become more of a second nature act in public places like school. “Do you want to sit down?” he said looking over to the couches.
“I don’t know about being better at it, I got lucky once that’s all” he said, knowing he would probably fail any attempt at a parenting course. At least he would if they knew what he was. No one would ever knowingly give him a child. They’d be too afraid he would eat it. He smiled again as she commented on his cooking inadequacy. “I will never be a chef, just stay away from eating anything else they have me make in Home Ec”
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Post by Amber Jefferson on Jul 30, 2009 12:39:34 GMT -5
Amber gave a slight smile at Edward’s compliment, feeling that he was giving her far more credit than she deserved. It wasn’t as though the adagio she had played was anywhere near complicated. In fact, it was one of the easiest pieces she knew, and yet somehow she usually managed to make it sound clunky, as though she was seeking out each key before playing the note. This time, it seemed as if she had almost forgotten she was playing altogether, an almost unknown thing for her. She glanced back at the piano, her smile broadening a little at Edward’s blatant protectiveness over it. She knew she would feel exactly the same and though she longed to return to it, she bit back the urge to do so. She had been granted a rare honour for someone like her and that was more than enough.
As Edward spoke again, she jerked her head around, suddenly remembering the whole reason she was there. “You’re right, sorry. I tend to end up with a one-track mind. Once I start thinking about something, I forget there are other more important things. At least the little critter’s quiet now so we can think straight. I have no idea what we’d do if it was still crying.”
She blinked in surprise at his offer to sit down, having been completely oblivious to their location. Looking around her for a moment to get her bearings, she smiled sheepishly and nodded. “If you’re sure I’m not interrupting anything or imposing. If I am, I can just meet up with you at school if you’d rather. As for that little monster, from what I’ve heard, looking after a baby’s mostly about luck anyway, so if you got lucky the first time, I’d say you’re off to a pretty good start.” She laughed at his suggestion to avoid his cooking, cringing in mock disgust. “Trust me, after that apple sauce, I’ll be following that advice very carefully. I’ll make you a deal” she said with a grin as she turned slightly toward the couches, if only to make a movement that wasn’t toward the piano, “You can be the boss on the baby front, I’ll cover up the disasters in Home Ec and between us we should both get A’s in both. What do you say?”
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Post by Edward Cullen on Feb 18, 2010 16:09:31 GMT -5
Edward could hear from Amber's thoughts that she didnt think she was very good at playing the piano, thought he thought she at least seemed to know what she was doing. It always surprised him how insecure she was, when she had skills and talent, yet there were other people walking around without either who had full confidence in themselves. He was relieved at least that his protectiveness over the piano hadn't caused her to question him further, and she seemed to understand.
Edward shook his head as she mentioned not knowing what to do if the baby was still crying. "I'd probably start looking for an on/off switch...though that may not be the best for our grades"
Edward stared at her curiously for a moment as he saw the surprise on her face at his offer to have a seat. Wasn't that what humans did? Was he really getting so out of practice? "No you're not interrupting, it's okay we can figure out the stuff for this project now" He said knowing if they were still at school that he would have suggested just waiting til after classes, but since she was already here, there was no need to push her out of the house when that may be a more suspicious move. "Thanks" He responded with a slight smirk as she told him he was off to a good start. He nodded as she suggested he take over on the baby front while she cover for him in Home Ec so they both could get A's in both. "I dont know about being the boss, but I'll do my best to keep this one quiet and content...you know I need all the help I can get in the kitchen"
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Esme Cullen
New to Town
Vegetarian Vampire
"There are exceptions to every rule."
Posts: 11
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Post by Esme Cullen on Mar 24, 2010 22:51:48 GMT -5
((Don't mind me jumping in))
A lot of the time when Carlisle was working at the hospital, Esme could find herself lost in interior design books in her husband's office, or playing around with CAD programs on her laptop, working on floor plans for future homes she hoped they could build when the time came for them all to move away from Forks. In the midst of flipping through one of the larger design books she had most of the pages dog-eared, the sound of a car arriving outside, followed by light footsteps and a crying child perked Esme's curiosity.
Delicately, she closed the book and left it on Carlisle's desk, pausing in the center of the room to listen to the unfamiliar voice she could hear Edward greeting. She did not mean to be eavesdropping on the conversation but it was hard not to with a vampire's keen sense of hearing. She closed her eyes and could hear the faint hearbeat and her nostrils flared at the smell, the back of her throat burning slightly for a moment that was rather fleeting after years of only feeding on animals and nothing more. She knew the voice, scent and even the pattern of the heartbeat did not belong to Edward's Bella. It was someone new.
When the sound of the child's crying had ended, she stepped out of the office and made her way to the room where Edward was and stood several feet away, taking in the sight of the young woman with brown hair talking with her adoptive son.
"Am I mistaken or did I hear a baby crying?" she inquired with slight amusement in her eyes as she threw a questioning gaze at Edward. Looking to the newcomer, she smiled and nodded. "Hello, I'm Esme, Edward's mother," she spoke, noting the girl looked to be about seventeen years old. "Are you one of his classmates?"
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