Let Your Love Rain Down

Together

When  Jacob and Renesmee returned to the Cullen mansion, Edward shot Jacob a look.  "Daddy, calm down," Renesmee smiled, though she still grasped Jacob's  hand firmly in hers. "We're a whole minute early! Besides, Grandpa and  Nana won't be here for another hour and a half. Auntie just wanted us  here early to help set up, although I don't know why. The house looks  great!"

Edward smiled, his irritation forgotten as he watched his  daughter's growing enthusiasm. The place did look good. Streamers hung  from the banister and dripped from the ceiling. Silver and gold balloons  popped up here and there. Alice had painted a banner in her beautiful  handwriting that read "Happy Anniversary Esme & Carlisle", and it  was hung gracefully over the back windows.

"Thanks," Alice grinned  as she came bounding up to them. "But there's still so much to do!  Edward, go back to selecting the music, you know you're the only one I  trust with that. Jacob, go help Emmett rearrange the furniture in the  living room so we can dance later, and Renesmee, I need you to help Jazz  set up the food."

Alice grabbed Jacob's hand and dragged him  towards the living room, with an amount of strength he was always  surprised to find that the tiny girl possessed. Renesmee frowned  slightly when he left her side, but as he was being towed by her aunt,  Jacob looked over his shoulder and winked at her. A silent promise that  he wouldn't let them be separated for long. Renesmee smiled as she went  to help Jasper in the dining room.

"Why do we even have one of  these?" she said, walking into the large room that was occupied by a  table with ten chairs surrounding it, and her Uncle Jasper. "No one who  lives here ever eats."

"To keep up appearances," he smiled, as he  placed a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice that next to a white  cake that had been decorated with edible pearls. On top proudly stood  two figurines, a fair haired man in a tuxedo gazing at a darker haired  woman in a wedding gown. Nana and Grandpa. "Will you get those glasses  for me please, Renesmee?"

"Sure," she nodded, fetching the  champagne glasses that Esme had purchased sometime in the 1940's. Helping  Jasper place them delicately on the table, she glanced at all the food  that Alice had had her husband put out for the party. Besides the cake,  there was chocolate covered strawberries, petite fours, a couple pies,  some exquisitely decorated cupcakes, and much more. "What's with all  this?"

"You know Alice," he chuckled. "She gets overly excited  when someone mentions a party. None of us may need to eat, but you and  Jacob do."

"She put out all of this for us? Holy cow!" Renesmee  cried, her eyes widening as she took in everything that was on the table  before her with a new perspective.

"Of course, she wants Carlisle  and Esme to have a traditional anniversary. She's going to make them  feed each other cake, and everyone has to take at least a sip of  champagne after Edward gives his toast."

"Only Alice," Renesmee  sighed. Only Alice would make a family  full of vampires eat and drink human food when no human was around to  witness it. She also knew that her family wouldn't do it for anyone but  Alice.

"Only Alice, that frightening little monster," Jasper smirked, as they finished placing everything on the table.

"Five  minutes!" Alice's bell like voice floated through the house, even though  she was shouting. "Five minutes and they'll be here! They're going to  love it!"

An hour later, after the presents were all opened,  Renesmee sat at the dining room table next to Jacob and watched her  grandparents feed each other bites of dazzling white cake. Even  though she knew that it tasted like ash to them, she was glad her Auntie  Alice had insisted they do it. After all these years, her grandparents  were still very much in love and it was sweet to watch them perform the  old tradition.

When they had finished, her father stood and raised  his glass of champagne. Everyone else did so as well. Renesmee raised  her glass of sparkling cider. Her parents would not let her have  champagne because she wasn't old enough. She thought it was  ridiculous. She looked like she was seventeen, and she  would for the rest of her life, so technically she'd never be old  enough. But whatever made her parents happy...

"Ninety years ago,  Carlisle found Esme," Edward said looking at both of his parents with  much admiration in his eyes. "And I had never seen him so happy in the  few years that I had known him before she became one of us. If not for  these two, I hate to think what I might be today. I look up to you both,  as I know we all do. You inspire us with your kindness, your  generosity, your wisdom, and your ability to constantly place others  before yourselves. Thank you. If Bella and I are half as happy in our  life together as you two are, then I will be a very lucky man indeed,"  he continued, smiling fondly down at his wife beside him. Then nodding  at his adoptive mother and father, he said, "To Carlisle and Esme."

"To  Carlisle and Esme," everyone echoed, followed by a gentle clinking of  glasses. Renesmee looked over just in time to see the honored couple  steal a kiss while they thought everyone's attention was elsewhere. She  smiled. How could she not? She was absolutely surrounded by love.

Later  that evening, music floated through the air as everyone danced around  the living room. Jacob wasn't the best dancer, and he knew it. He  claimed he was better on four legs. Renesmee didn't mind though, she was happy just to be in his arms once more. She caught him looking at  Carlisle and Esme, who were lost in each others eyes as they gracefully  waltzed across the room. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Them," Jacob said quietly. "Ninety years is a long time."

"I know," she smiled. "And they're still so much in love."

"Think that'll be us someday?"

"I know it will be."