Chapter Text
When Friday came around, Bella and Angela drove to school alone. The sun was going to be out for most of the day, so the Cullen’s played hookie at home. Bella hadn’t been to school without Rosalie since they started fake dating. She missed her, and found herself daydreaming and wondering what Rosalie was doing. She made it one hour into the day before she was texting her.
I’m bored. Entertain me. She returned her attention to her teacher, hoping to avoid being caught.
The answer came quickly. Am I a dog? You expect me to come at your beck and call?
Bella raised an eyebrow, then looked back up at the teacher. She typed an answer without looking. Last I checked, you did cum when I called. She hit send before she could rethink it, mortified she’d even typed such a thing. Rosalie was going to think she was an idiot. Why was she trying to flirt? Did that even count as flirting?
Rosalie responded with a short message: Such a big head on such a little person.
You’re only four inches taller than me! Their height difference wouldn’t look so drastic if Rosalie wasn’t always in her heels.
If you’re nice to me, I’ve got a few inches I can give you. The message was followed up by a photo of Rosalie. She was standing in front of her bedroom mirror in nothing but lingerie. She wore a lacy black bra, a black harness, and high black heels. She was making a kissy face at the camera, holding her phone in one hand, and the other hand was wrapped around a rainbow strap on protruding from the harness.
Bella’s face turned red as she went into a sudden coughing fit. She excused herself from class, coughing out, “Need….water…” while she pounded on her chest. She made it to the bathroom and called Rosalie, who answered on the first ring. “ROSALIE!” Bella whisper shouted.
“Yes?” Rosalie sounded quite pleased with herself. “I didn’t expect a phone call, to be honest.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I’m sorry.” Rosalie sounded far too sincere. “I wasn’t sure if I should send that, and now I see that was crossing-“
“The picture is not the problem!” Bella stared at herself in the mirror, cheeks red and eyes wide. She looked a little crazy.
“Then what is the problem?”
“I am at school!” She ran a hand through her hair anxiously.
“And…?”
“And you’re not! You’re there, dressed like…wearing…why would you do this to me?”
“My apologies. I will never send you a photo like that again.”
“Rosalie! That’s not what I said.”
“It’s okay Bella, you can delete that photo I sent you.” Rosalie was teasing her, but she rose to the bait anyway.
“What if I don’t want to delete it?”
Rosalie’s smug laugh was distressingly cruel. “Then you can save it, and look at it, and know I’ll see you later.”
Bella sighed. “Is everyone’s girlfriend this impossible, or just you?”
“I’m one of a kind. Don’t you have a class to get back to?”
“Good. Bye.” Bella hung up, and couldn’t resist looking at the picture one more time before hurrying back to class with a quiet apology to the teacher.
Bella intended to drop Angela off at home after school, and was greeted by the unexpected sight of Jacob painting a door on her front lawn.
“Jake?”
He jumped, clearly having been overly focused on his work with the door. It was laid across two sawhorses, and he was carefully painting the trim around the glass panes. He froze, looking caught, as white paint dripped down his arm. “Hey Bella….”
“What are you doing here?”
He looked at himself, the new door, and then the old door. “I feel like the answer is obvious. I’m fixing what I broke!”
“Yes, but why now?”
“I’m just gonna…” Angela walked between them and disappeared into the house.
The silence between them stretched.
“Well, Charlie said I wasn’t welcome back until I fixed it. I know I apologized to you, but I still hadn’t done anything to show I was sorry. So here I am.” He looked to the left, like he was keeping something from her. She stared at him until he finally met her eyes. “Also Kate said she ‘will not be seen with an overgrown emotional man child who makes messes and refuses to clean them up, no matter what the universe says about it.’” He shrugged. “She’s right, even if she’s kind of mean about it.”
“So, what? You just came over to do it?”
“I had hoped to pick it up and have it installed before anyone got home, but all the doors at the door store were just naked wood! Absolutely nude wood! I couldn’t install that! It would wither in this weather!”
“The door store?”
Jacob stared at her. “Yes. The store that sells doors. Door store.”
Bella felt like he was pulling her leg, but she didn’t want to waste any more time. She had to go yell at Rosalie.
Her phone pinged with a new message. She opened it, and her heart flipped in her chest. The photo from earlier was still visible In the thread. Rosalie’s message was short. Going hunting. You’re welcome to come over. See you soon?
Bella answered the message with a thumbs up. “Well, good to see Kate is good for you.”
“She took me into the woods and challenged me to a sparring match. She won.” He looked far away. “Then, she scratched this spot on my back and made my leg kick like I was a dog. It was so embarrassing.”
Bella tried not to laugh as she pictured it. “Well, have fun with that. I’m heading out.”
Jacob nodded and waved as she went to her truck, leaving the boy to clean up his mess.
Bella found herself sitting in the living room, playing video games with Emmett. The door to the Cullen mansion opened for the third time in ten minutes. Bella looked up from the game again, checking to see if it was Rosalie at the door.
“And you’re dead. Again.” Emmett didn’t even sound delighted this time. “Are you okay?”
Bella looked at Emmett’s earnest face. He seemed worried about her. “I’m fine. Let’s try again.” She turned her eyes back to the screen, but Emmett kept watching her.
“Bella Bear, what’s wrong? You’re…” He trailed off as he set the controller down. His brows furrowed together as his eyes met hers again.
“It doesn’t make any sense.” She set the controller down and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. “I…” Her heart was pounding out of control. Goosebumps appeared on her forearms. “I feel like something isn’t right.” Her stomach roiled. “I think it’s Rosalie.” She couldn’t explain. Her entire body was telling her she needed Rosalie, or Rosalie needed her.
Emmett didn’t ask for more details. He took out his phone and started calling Rosalie. Alice appeared in the room with Jasper at her side. When Rosalie didn’t pick up, they flew out the front door. Emmett kept trying to call, his worried eyes looking everywhere except for at Bella.
Bella felt less silly, and like she might not be wasting their time. She had the distinct feeling that she might actually have warned them too late.
The tree branches whipped by Rosalie as she raced through the Washington forests. She needed a challenge. She needed something that might fight back. She needed to bite something soon. She had to get back in control. She played back her conversation with Bella, earlier In the week, questioning every part of it.
It’s exciting. Lots of vampires never get a mate. I hope you’re cool with him being around, because new mates can be insufferable! We kept kicking Alice and Jasper out for almost a decade.
And why aren’t we like that?
Because you’re human. You need to eat and sleep and heal if you get hurt.
And when I’m not?
Maybe we’ll spend ten years being sent to far flung corners of the earth while the others take breaks from us.
Rosalie ran faster. She was unraveling. How much longer would she and Bella be in this dance of deception? Would she go insane before they were finally safe and free to make their own choices? Why had she sent that photo this morning? She and Bella had never discussed that. She remembered the moment of fear when she thought Bella was upset about it.
Rosalie ran harder, pushing her speed as fast as she could go. She didn’t think she could break the sound barrier, but had she ever really tried? She ran through a few trees without breaking stride, wood flying in every direction. She smashed into a boulder and dug her hands into it, ripping it in half. The giant rock didn’t stand a chance. The two halves flew in opposite directions, landing on the soft ground with dull thuds. Rosalie threw her head back and yelled. This deep in the woods, no one would hear or see her. She could let go.
A herd of deer stood, frozen, fifteen feet away. Rosalie’s black eyes met the lead doe’s, and they all took off. She didn’t want to feed on a deer anyway. Rosalie needed a challenge. She needed something that would at least try. She resumed her run. After a few minutes, Rosalie slowed down , sure she had put enough miles between herself and the scene of destruction, where animals had hopefully not yet been frightened by her. She felt like she was being watched, but chalked it up to nothing. A quarter mile away, she saw the meal she’d been hoping for.
A sleek tan coat sliding almost soundlessly between the leaves gave away the position of a panther. It was stalking through the woods, eyes on something Rosalie didn’t bother looking at. Its heart beat steady and strong in its chest. She crept closer, preferring to fight the panther, which would only happen if it didn’t have time to sense her and run.
With fifty feet left between them, Rosalie snarled at the mountain lion. It jumped straight up, landed lightly on all four paws, and spun around, locking eyes with her. Rosalie wondered what the animal was thinking. Its green eyes were sharp and focused. The white cheeks of the animal lifted as it showed her its fangs. She snarled at it again, her fangs showing, when a sound startled her.
Rosalie finally saw what the animal had been focused on before she had challenged it: a shredded tent with two dead campers next to it. The dead campers didn’t seem to have been attacked by the cat before her. Even worse, there was a young kid hiding in the broken tent, peeking at Rosalie and the giant animal. Before Rosalie could regain her humanity and approach, the panther pounced. Rosalie tried to dodge it, but her distraction gave it just enough time to knock her off her feet. She scrambled up, grabbing the animal by its scruff and tossing it away into the trees. Her dinner ran away.
Rosalie breathed heavily, trying to do her calming count like Emmett helped her with. The smell of human blood made this difficult. The blood was fresh and minimal. She was sure it meant the child was hurt, but it was small, like a skinned palm or elbow. She was starving now, and being interrupted mid hunt made her dangerous. She started her calming breaths over, then heard soft, terrified crying. She hated that that helped. Her starving, violent instincts were overridden. She wanted to help. She needed to help.
“Hey,” Rosalie said, her voice shaking. “Don’t be scared. It was just a mountain lion. I scared it away.”
The child’s face appeared again. His muddy cheeks were streaked by tear tracks. “Are you like him?” The child’s watery voice asked.
“Like the cat? No. I’m just a person.”
The boy was young, maybe around five to seven years old. It was hard to tell. All kids under twelve were one age to Rosalie: infant. “No,” the child whispered. “The man.”
Rosalie squatted down by the child. “What man?”
“The bad man.”
“I’m nothing like the bad man. I promise.” The boy rubbed his eyes. He reached up for Rosalie, and she instinctively picked him up and held him. The boy cried again, and she rubbed his back. “Shh. Shh. It’s okay.”
“My sister and her friend won’t wake up. I tried.” He hiccuped.
Rosalie looked at the two bodies. They were both women, probably teenagers, maybe early twenties. It was hard to tell. There was no blood left in their bodies. Rosalie caught the scent of the vampire who had done this. The bad man was her brother. “What’s your name?”
“Chase,” the boy hiccuped again.
“I’m gonna get you somewhere safe, okay?”
“Can you read? The bad man,” he hiccuped again, “wrote something, but I can’t read all my wetters.”
“Where?”
“Tree.” He pointed at the note. She wondered how long he’d been staring at it.
Rosalie kept rubbing the boys back as she looked around. In Edwards pretentious calligraphy was, I’m not giving up. I’m not done.
She yanked the note down and put it in her pocket. It was too late for Edward. She knew that now. Her mind raced. How had he known she would be out here? Had he known? Had he guessed? A more horrifying thought came to mind. Was he leaving scenes like these all over the Olympic National Forest?
Emmett’s phone rang, lighting up with a photo of Rosalie looking angry in her garage, oily coveralls half open while she glared at the camera. “Rosie?” A sick feeling sat in the pit of Bella’s stomach. He nodded, then handed Bella the phone.
“Are you okay?” Rosalie’s voice felt like ointment on a burn. She sat down with the phone.
“Are you?” She looked at the clock. Rosalie had been gone far too long.
“I’m fine. Jasper and Alice found me.” Alice said something that Bella couldn’t hear. “How did you know something was wrong?”
Emmett watched Bella while she talked. “I don’t know. I could just tell something wasn’t right with you.” She realized Rosalie was admitting to something being wrong. “What happened?”
“I can’t talk about it right now. Alice, Jasper and I have to do something. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
“You better be.” Rosalie paused. “I love you.”
“You better.” Rosalie hung up, and Bella returned Emmett’s phone.
“Don’t worry, Bella, you know she’s tough. She’ll be okay.”
Bella nodded, but didn’t say anything else. Instead, she curled up on the couch and waited for Rosalie to return. For the next few hours, Bella tried not to focus on the door, but it got harder as the sun disappeared and her eyes dropped. Her nerves started to get the best of her. What was taking so long? Was Rosalie okay? She laid so she could see the door from the couch.
Kate came in. Carlisle came in, and left. Emmett went out. Someone dropped a blanket over her at some point. It may have been Emmett. Esme sat next to her and rubbed her back. She didn’t talk to anyone, she simply waited.
It was around 2 am when Bella stood up from the couch. She didn’t hear anything in particular. No one said anything, though Kate did look at her as she stood up. The door opened and Rosalie finally walked through it. Bella took a single step forward before she was wrapped in Rosalie’s comforting arms.
“What happened?” She asked against Rosalie’s neck. Rosalie didn’t seem ready to answer. She just held Bella tighter, burying her face into Bella’s hair and holding on like Bella was a life raft and Rosalie was lost at sea.
The door clicked shut before Alice answered. “We’re going to have to make a final decision on Edward, and soon.”
Bella had questions to ask, but she could tell Rosalie wasn’t ready. Rosalie held her tightly for two minutes before finally speaking. “Why are you still awake?”
“Was worried.” Bella murmured against Rosalie’s skin. She smelled strange, like she had been inside a tree for the last few hours. “Wasnt tired.” Her body felt heavy. She could have slept hours ago.
“Would you like me to carry you?”
“Please.”
Rosalie bent down just enough to catch Bella’s legs and lift her up. She didn’t want to admit she was getting used to Rosalie carrying her around. She certainly wasn’t going to admit that the casual show of strength had at least certain parts of her wide awake. Rosalie hummed against Bella’s neck, and Bella was pretty sure the blonde had noticed.
“We’re going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow.” No one in the room argued. Bella wondered what stories would be told once she was out of earshot.
Rosalie was torn. She wanted Bella with her. She wanted her near her. At the same time, she wanted to be alone. She needed to work through the night mentally, and she wanted to do it in her own mind, on her own time, without someone asking her questions she hadn’t fully come to terms with yet.
Traveling back with Alice and Jasper had pushed her to her limits. She set Bella on the bed carefully, with a gentle peck on her cheek. “Why don’t you get in bed? I’ve got to shower off all of this.” She felt like every tree, puddle, and panther fur had left something on her this evening, and she needed this night to flow down the drain.
Bella was looking at Rosalie like she had xray vision. It made Rosalie feel naked under her gaze, and not in a good way. “Okay,” Bella said, so Rosalie kissed her one more time and hurried into the bathroom. She didn’t shut the door and was ripping her clothes off before she’d even gotten the shower water on. Chase had cried on her shirt when he realized they had to leave his sister behind. Her name was James, and she had been best friends with Lisa for as long as Chase could remember. This camping trip was supposed to show him the magic of the forest. Instead it had only brought him nightmares she knew would plague him for life.
Rosalie climbed into the shower and activated the additional shower heads. Water came from the ceiling like a rainstorm, and two of the three sides of the showers. The floor drain gurgled as muddy water rushed into it, and the sounds in the room were almost loud enough to drown out her memories as the water washed away Chase’s tears. She shifted the nozzles so they would hit her while she leaned her shoulder against the wall of the shower. With eyes closed, she tried to drown everything but herself.
The soft slap of bare feet on the bathroom floor caught her attention. Bella approached slowly, like Rosalie was a wounded animal. She pulled the curtain open. “Rose?”
“Hm?” Rosalie didn’t look at Bella right away. She was afraid of what could be seen on her face. Would she pity her? Would she be worried? Which was worse?
“Can I join you?”
Rosalie opened her eyes. Bella was standing just outside her shower, naked. Rosalie nodded and held out her hand, helping Bella enter the shower without slipping.
“This is the fanciest shower I have ever seen.” Bella put her head under the water, got her hair wet, then slicked it back and away from her face. Rosalie watched Bella with a small smile on her face. She reached for Bella’s, tilting her chin up and stealing a kiss from her. Bella leaned into her, the water the only thing between them, and slid her arms around Rosalie’s waist, keeping her close. Rosalie leaned her forehead against Bella’s, letting the water rain over and around them. They didn’t kiss again, and they didn’t speak for a while. One of Bella’s hands rubbed up and down Rosalie’s spine, and she felt some of the tension in her shoulders release.
“I wonder how many people a year drown in the shower,” Bella said casually as some of her hair slid forward.
Rosalie fixed Bella’s hair again. “At least one person a day dies in their bathroom. I’m sure at least once a year, there’s a shower drowning. Are you in danger of drowning right now?”
“What kind of mate would you be if you let me die in such a stupid way?” Bella’s laugh shook Rosalie. The laughter slowly died, and Rosalie enjoyed both Bella’s laughter and Bella’s silence. After a moment, Bella asked, “Is there anything I can do?”
Rosalie closed her eyes and nuzzled her cheek against Bella’s. “This actually helps. It helps a lot.”
“Are you drowning?” Bella asked quietly.
Rosalie opened her eyes and looked and looked at Bella. Her brown eyes were searching Rosalie’s face. “I don’t know, honestly.”
Bella nodded, then leaned in. She rested her head on Rosalie’s shoulder, the water splashing around them. Rosalie closed her eyes again. “I’ve got you,” Bella said quietly.
After everything, Rosalie had been full of doubt. Even after the night she’d had, she had imagined a world where her brother would be redeemed. Maybe he’d come back with golden eyes, and Rosalie would forget the look on Chase’s face. Maybe they could fix everything in their family. Maybe Bella would be saved, or be turned, and she could run off wherever she chose and be safe. But in that moment, where a human held a vampire and promised that she had Rosalie, her resolve hardened. This woman held her tightly, even though on one of her arms was a slowly fading bruise from a murderous, entitled vampire. The Cullen’s would have their meeting over the weekend. They would discuss. They would vote.
When all was said and done, Rosalie was sure she would kill Edward Anthony Masen Cullen.
Bella lasted ten more minutes just existing in the shower with Rosalie before she started to fade. Rosalie cursed herself. She was taking so much comfort from Bella’s presence that she forgot to take care of Bella’s human needs.
“Come on,” she said quietly. Bella yawned and didn’t argue. Rosalie turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and held it open for Bella to step into. She did, barely awake and quietly following directions. Rosalie grabbed a towel for herself, and offered Bella a second one for her hair. Bella yawned again.
“Can I borrow some clothes?” Bella asked sleepily.
Rosalie’s stomach felt warm. “Absolutely.” She offered Bella a tank top and shorts, and together they dressed. There was so much Rosalie should say, but Bella wasn’t in a place to hear any of it. She needed to sleep immediately.
Bella sat on the end of the bed, then reached for Rosalie. She took Bella’s hand and sat next to her, their shoulders bumping into one another. Bella rested her head on Rosalie’s shoulder. She kissed the exposed skin she found there. “Rosalie?” Rose looked at Bella, who seemed to sense it even though her eyes were closed. “I’m too tired to get in the bed.”
Rosalie laughed at Bella. She chuckled periodically as she pulled back the blankets, adjusted the pillows, and lifted Bella into it. Bella snuggled in close, her hand wandering Rosalie’s bare stomach until her breathing slowed and sleep took her. It was four am. Rosalie wished she could sleep. She could get up and do anything around the property that was waiting for her attention. Instead, she matched her breathing with Bella’s and meditated. For a few hours at least, she was almost at peace.
Bella awoke with her body intertwined with Rosalie’s. She kept her eyes closed, took stock, and said, “Oh, finally.” She snuggled back in, pulling Rosalies arm closer. She tried not to think about the fact that she was dressed in Rosalie’s clothes.
“Finally what?”
“I never get to wake up with you in bed In the morning!”
Rosalie scoffed. “That’s not true! You’ve woken up next to me lots of times!”
“The church, the plane, and naps don’t count!” Bella had thought into this. Even after they had sex, Rosalie wasn’t there In the morning. She was there, but she wasn’t there. “That means it’s happened what…twice?”
“Do you want me to be there when you wake up?”
“Sometimes, yes.” She squeezed Rosalie as she stretched her legs. “Not always, and definitely not if you have something else to do.” Bella finally opened her eyes and looked up at Rosalie. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail, and a pair of glasses on as she read. Bella’s heart skipped a beat and her mouth fell open. Why was Rosalie so devastatingly attractive? “You have…you have glasses?”
Rosalie smirked at her. “Do I have glasses? Yes. They’re here, on my face.” Bella swallowed hard. She did not think glasses were a turn on before now. “Do I need glasses? No, I’m a vampire.”
“Then why do you have them?” Bella’s mouth was suddenly dry.
“I went through a hipster phase a couple decades ago. I also like that I can use them to do this.” She lowered the glasses down her nose, looked at Bella over them with a smoldering gaze, and winked.
“Oh my God.” Bella felt the wink like a shot in the dark. She covered her face as Rosalie burst out laughing.
“Bella! Are glasses a turn on for you?” She could hear the smile in Rosalie’s voice.
“They make you look like a teacher.”
Rosalie leaned close, her lips by Bella’s ear as she said huskily, “Ms. Swan, I need to see you in my office right away.”
“Ah!” Bella rolled away, a confusing storm of emotions rolling through her, most of them pleasant. “Don’t do that!” Bella stood up, taking the comforter with her.
Rosalie stopped laughing just long enough to say, “I told you I wanted to see you in a little plaid skirt.” She burst out laughing again, clutching her stomach as Bella looked scandalized.
“You know,” Bella began, “this is the second time you’ve mentioned that. I’m pretty sure you mean it.”
Rosalie moved to the edge of the bed, stood up so Bella had to look up at her, and said, “I mean everything I say.” She winked at Bella over her glasses again, and added, “Miss Swan.”
Bella threw the comforter at Rosalie’s laughing face. “I’m going downstairs for breakfast!”
Rosalie sped to the door in front of Bella, holding it shut for a moment. “First, I wanted to say thank you for last night.”
“Why? You needed someone.”
“No, I-“ Rosalie almost said, ‘needed you’ but stopped herself. And as she did, she felt something within her crack into place. It wasn’t like a broken rib being set, but more like the cracking of an extremely tight knuckle. With a metaphorical pop, there was a relief. Oh. She needed Bella.
“You what?” Bella was still looking at her, just waiting.
She needed Bella?
“Earth to Rosalie?”
She needed Bella. Oh shit. “I appreciate you. That’s all.”
“I appreciate you too.”
“Thank you. Okay, let’s feed you. We have a family meeting coming up.” Rosalie opened the door and let Bella out. She followed quietly. A movement at the end of the hall got her attention. Jasper slowly poked his head around the corner, a giant smile on his face. He had felt what Rosalie felt.
She. Needed. Bella. Rosalie’s stomach uncoiled, like a stress tension building within her for weeks could finally release, loosening her muscles and freeing her mind. Her shoulders loosened, settling into this new truth.
As Bella disappeared around the opposite corner, Jasper pointed at Rosalie like a creepy child in a horror movie. “Shut up,” she hissed, flipping the light switch and leaving him in the dark like he deserved.
Bella was honored by the way the Cullen’s held their family meeting after she was awake. She knew they could have done it while she slept, if they’d wanted. As Rosalie spoke, Bella felt a little sick imagining Rosalie trying to take on a mountain lion. She knew the vampire could do it. Apparently, she had many times. Bella didn’t dwell on it, because that was the least horrifying part of Rosalie’s tale. She told them all about the campers, Chase, and Edward’s note.
“Was the child safe?” Esme asked.
“He wasn’t physically harmed.” Rosalie answered. “But he’ll never be the same.” Rosalie balled her hands into fists.
“How did you manage it?” Carlisle asked. “Getting the child to safety?”
“It took all of us.” Rosalie nodded at her siblings. Bella reached for Rosalie’s balled fist, coaxing it open to offer as much support as she could without interrupting. Rosalie slotted their fingers together, then covered Bella’s hand with hers. Her heart sped up as Rosalie paused and looked at her. Rosalie’s gentle touch made Bella feel like her world was sliding off its axis. Rosalie resumed her story. “Alice had a vision about the rangers patrolling ten miles north of the campsite. They were looking for missing campers. We ran to where they were.”
“You ran with a human child?” Carlisle looked caught between surprised and impressed.
“Alice said we had to hurry.”
“We had three minutes to get there, set Chase down, and get the ranger‘s attention. What could we do?” Alice looked slightly shellshocked. Bella wondered what she had been seeing lately. “We found them, told Chase the Rangers were coming to help him, and then I whistled as loud as I could.”
Carlisle looked ready to interrupt, and Rosalie added, “I covered the boys ears. He was safe.”
“And I went to find the rangers.” Jasper shrugged. “I raised their curiosity just a bit, in case they considered not following the noise.” Jasper looked at Rosalie as he said, “The boy said an angel brought him to them.”
Bella squeezed Rosalie’s hand. Hopefully the boy would be able to recover, but Bella was confused. Which part of this had rendered Rosalie nearly catatonic? This was horrifying, of course, but it didn’t seem like it should have rattled a century old vampire.
Rosalie sat down next to Bella. She landed heavily, like the story was too hard for her to tell. She met Bella’s eyes, and the depth of sadness there was breathtakingly overwhelming. “Then we went to look,” she said sadly.
“For what?” Irina asked.
“We had diverted the Ranger search party.” Jasper said. “They would no longer be looking for the missing hikers.”
“So you took up their search.” Bella understood now. They didn’t just go looking…. “And you found them, didn’t you?”
“Most of them,” Alice said sadly.
“Most of the hikers? How many are missing?” Bella asked
“No, Bella, you misunderstand. There was a party, of sorts. A backpacking group. We think there were seven. We heard the Rangers talking about them. We found most of them.” Rosalie looked to Jasper and Alice for help.
Jasper stepped in, and Bella saw the soldier in him for the first time. He sat up, straightened his spine, and began describing what they saw the night before. She understood why he had been the youngest Major in the Union army. His eyes landed on each vampire before him, then finally settled on Bella. She saw his eyes dart to the fading bruise on her wrist and back before he spoke.
“We found the remnants of at least six people. Not complete bodies, y’all, but their limbs. They were arranged into letters. They spelled a message.”
Esme’s hand covered her mouth. She might have gasped, but Bella couldn’t hear it.
“The arms, legs, and even intestines were all spread out to say, ‘She is mine.’” Jasper’s eyes stayed on the ground. Edward’s scent was all over. The bodies were drained. It was him.”
Alice added, “He’s not hiding his decisions anymore, but they’re not normal.”
“What do you mean?” Bella asked.
Alice’s stillness made Bella anxious. “When Edward wants to hide from my visions, he changes his mind so fast and so often that I can’t see anything.” Alice looked troubled, but continued anyway. “Right now he’s making decisions, and switching between them in an indecisive way, not in a concealing thoughts way.”
Bella couldn’t contain her curiosity. “What decisions?” She felt a thrill of fear as Alice looked at her again. Whatever it was, it was bad.
“He’s considered three things, over and over. I keep receiving repeat visions. He’s had a few extra thoughts, but only three are constant.” Alice looked away. “I think he’s going through some sort of psychosis, honestly.”
“Alice,” Rosalie cut in.
“He wants to kill you.” Bella held on to Rose’s hand as Alice locked eyes with her, making it very clear who Edward wanted to kill. “He thinks if you’re out of the way, things will be better.” Rosalie didn’t respond, just waited. “He wants to report you to the Volturi, because he think they’ll kill just you for lying.” She sighed. “Or he wants to kill Bella.
The snarl that ripped from Rosalie frightened Bella. She jumped in her seat, frightened by the sudden explosion of noise. No one else reacted. “I won’t let that happen,” she growled, “any of it.”
“Neither will we,” Alice answered sharply.
“Alice,” Rosalie hissed. “It’s time for you to make a goddamn decision.”
“I have.” She answered indignantly.
“Carlisle.” Rosalie sounded serious. She didn’t look at Bella. “It’s time for me to invoke the old ways.” Bella had no idea what that could possibly mean. What were the old ways?” Why did Jasper seem to get more rigid, if that was even possible?
Carlisle’s eyes locked on Rosalie’s. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. Finally, he spoke. “Rosalie Lillian Hale has requested to invoke the ritual of removal. Does anyone second this request?”
“Aye,” Alice said.
Carlisle nodded. “Rosalie, the ritual is granted. Do you request the rites of exile or execution?”
Rosalie looked at Bella again before answering. She lightly touched the healing bruise. “I request the right to execution.”
“As required under the old laws, the rights of execution require a third’s support. Does anyone wish to be the third?”
Jasper’s voice came out sharp as ice as her backed his wife. “Aye.”
“Then, it is time for a vote.” He sighed again, then continued. “Cousins, I request that you refrain from voting as members of our extended family. In the need for a tiebreaker, I will call on you.” He waited for the Denali’s to nod before continuing. “Everyone present must vote yay or nay. If affirmative, we will decide manners of execution afterward. If the negative, we will table the vote for at least 365 days. Questions or objections?” No one argued. Carlisle turned to his wife at his right. “Esme?”
“Nay.”
“Alice.”
“Yay.”
“Jasper.”
“Yay.”
Emmett.”
“Yay.”
“Rosalie.”
“Yay.”
Bella could count. Even if Carlisle voted no, Edward had been doomed to death. She didn’t know how she felt about this. How could the vampires process so fast? Had they been thinking about this for weeks? Were they deciding this on a whim? She squeezed Rosalie’s hand, taking reassurance from the steady woman next to her. Edward had killed at least nine people in a day. He had to be stopped.
“Bella?”
She was caught off guard. The entire proceeding was unexpected, let alone that Carlisle was asking for her opinion. She thought of the little boy Edward had scarred for life. She considered the harm he’d brought to Rosalie’s life and her own. Then, she couldn’t help but think of the situation she and Rosalie were in, and the way her life had been improved in the last few weeks, acting aside. Rosalie’s hand in hers, the way Rosalie cared for her friends and supported Angela’s difficult transition to a member of the swan family? Bella knew it wouldn’t exist without Edward. Did his unintentional good outweigh his intentional bad?
Then Bella considered the fact that she no longer had a choice about being a vampire. She was losing her life as well, one way or another. Edward had ensured that at least 11 people died, and he was risking his entire family over what? Her blood? Ownership?
“Bella?” How long had she been thinking? Rosalie’s hand slid from hers, settling gently on her shoulder. Bella looked at her. “You don’t have to vote if you don’t want to, but you are part of this family now. You have a choice if you want one.”
Bella nodded, then looked back to Carlisle. “Aye.”
“And for the record, I vote aye.” Carlisle sat down heavily next to Esme. “It is decided. The Cullen Coven agrees that Edward is marked for execution. Only Rosalie may decide manner. Only Rosalie may decide to withdraw this judgement.” He looked person to person. “Our first order of business is to locate Edward. We’ll reconvene when we do.” Carlisle stood up slowly, looking fifty years older. “I’ll be in my office.”
Carlisle was gone before Bella blinked. Esme passed by her, cool hand gently patting Bella’s shoulder before she too disappeared. A rolling pit of guilt settled in Bella’s stomach. She felt disgusted, embarrassed, and distinctly at fault for all the trouble. The Cullen family was fracturing, and her very existence had opened the fault line that was quaking them to pieces.