Beautiful Days

Chapter 48 -Can I Have This Dance? Part 1-

(Omniscient POV)

Carlisle and Esme walked down the last stairs into the reception hall of the hotel and followed the last couples into the Sala d'Oro with its golden balconies and richly ornamented walls and floor. The orchestra played the waltz in the right corner and the partners danced and efficiently took the offered space of the hall. Others stood in the corners or at the sides and talked animatedly with each other and again others stood at the buffet on the left side and drank and ate.

Esme looked at the swirling colorful dresses of the many women and lost herself in the rich blue, light lavender, cream and crimson red.

"Shall we?" Carlisle asked and Esme averted her gaze from the dresses and looked up to him. She nodded with a smile and Carlisle took her hand to lead her into the ballroom. Carlisle waited a moment to let Esme curiously observe everything around her before he got her attention and she gave her right hand to him and laid her left one on his shoulder.

They perfectly blended into the group of dancers and Esme sighed deeply as she looked over Carlisle's shoulder and just tried to listen to the sweet melody and watch the other couples instead of letting the worries in. It worked for the moment not just for her, but also for Carlisle and actually every Cullen present in the hotel. Carlisle secretly watched his wife observe it all and he loved to have her so close and to not see a constant expression of sadness and reproach on her sweet lovely face. He could relax for now just by seeing Esme that calm and almost happy in his arms. And as they merged into the group of dancers, they felt normal, not under the constant surveillance of an unseen force, but a normal couple dancing at the ball.

Alice felt the same as she walked into the ball room in a light pink dress on Jasper's arm. He had actually convinced her to take a break, to let the future go for a couple of hours and live in the present. Jasper couldn't see her that stressed and devastated anymore, always just pacing around while trying to see the future. But no matter how hard she had tried she couldn't see the future of little Carlie and Haven or their own fate...

And as she had nearly broken down in the hotel room, Jasper had taken her into his arms and convinced her to take a break from it all. Alice couldn't quite stop worrying about it, but she did feel better outside of the all too familiar room and being her with Jasper made it even better. They walked into the ball room from the opposite sight and could just catch a glimpse of Carlisle swirling Esme on the dance floor. Both smiled at each other and Alice sighed.

"Shall we?" he asked and Alice took his hand happily...

Emmett nearly carried his exhausted Rosalie down the stairs to the reception hall. It had taken all of his skills of convincing to get her into a dress and go with him. Rosalie usually loved every occasion to show her husband to others and equally be admired by others in an extravagant dress, but these days all energy had been drained. She missed her little siblings dearly and though she knew that it had been the right decision, she also knew that she would have never chosen it. Rosalie thought of herself that she couldn't have the strength Esme and Carlisle had in that situation and in a way she admired them for it, but on the other hand she hated them for choosing just that. She battled a fight with herself between yelling at her parents or hugging them dearly and most of the time the second option won in her mind.

The only reason Rosalie left the room in the first place were Emmett's constant pleas. He had unnerved her enough to finally give in though she didn't put much consideration into her outfit. Alice had given her a blue short dress and that was exactly what she was wearing as Emmett led her into the ball room. They could make out Alice, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme dancing in the middle of the room and for the first time in the last days, Rose smiled at her husband and Emmett could have jumped out of happiness and returned the gesture enthusiastically.