So this is a redo of my old story "More Than Anything Else", which to be honest wasn't up to much. So the first few chapters are a bit familiar. If you are kind enough to review, please don't be afraid to criticize, it's the only way I'll improve! Enjoy :)
I glared furiously at my cell phone, as if it was its fault that this had happened. Then, I began contemplating the call I had just received from my newest sister-in-law, throwing myself angrily onto Emmett and mine's bed. It usually felt soft as a cloud, but without him here and in my irritation and fury; it felt like icy, rigid rock. My hands were still trembling with rage, causing the phone's screen to move so rapidly the image of Alice and I in the background began to blur indistinctly. Edward was a complete jackass.
"We'll get that thing out of you." Bella had quoted, her voice fearful, afraid for the tiny life growing within her… Did he even realize? This was not a "thing"- it wasn't a pest that had to be swiftly destroyed or exterminated! This was a baby. Just a tiny, innocent, defenseless baby. His baby!
Normally, I would just keep my nose out of Edward and Bella's foolish endeavors. Not this time. Bella asked me for help and I was going to give it to her. No matter what it meant for me.
Finally, I felt empathy for Bella. Finally, she was making a choice I would have made, instead of following Edward's commands like a love sick puppy. Although it certainly didn't mean I liked her yet, at least she was attempting to make a stab at a normal life by keeping this child and I respected her for that. But would the child be normal? With a vampire for a father, it seemed doubtful. With Edward as a father vampire or human, the child still didn't have much chance of being normal...
A knock at the glass door, interrupted my Edward-insulting thoughts. Emmett's grin and dimpled face greeted me through the glass doors of our balcony. Over 60 years together and he still knocks on the bedroom door before coming in. Though this quirk usually made me laugh, I couldn't even muster a smile back for him today. His gleeful face fell, and was replaced with one of worry, the lines on his forehead, his furrowed brow and the concerned frown on his lips seemed out of place on Emmett, he didn't look like himself when he did this.
He opened the door, approached the bed, sat down beside me and stared into my eyes intently and calmly. Then, he reached up and caressed my cheek with his smooth, warm hand and I closed my eyes momentarily, leaning into his gentle gesture of affection and worry. I knew he was reading my features and expressions and using them as a measure for my anger. He waited patiently, knowing I would explain when I was ready.
I buried myself deep in his arms and listened to his steady breathing, allowing its calm and reassuring rhythm to relax me slightly. I sighed dejectedly into his chest.
Carlisle's words to me on my first day of this new life echoed harshly and cruelly in my mind, even though they weren't spoken in such a way.
I had been sitting in an undersized, cozy room with quaint but elegant furniture in it and a large immaculately clean (Esme's doing no doubt) mirror perched on the wall above the fireplace, which had a fire roaring unnecessarily inside it. This was the inside of a wooden cabin in the countryside far away from Rochester. Thirst was burning mercilessly in my throat and a furious desire for revenge had been ignited in my now still heart. Neither Edward nor Esme would meet my eye as I awaited a reply to the question I had been desperately wanted to ask during Carlisle's "induction speech". The silence that followed my question was so thick and tense I knew the answer before it had been given to me. Only Carlisle met my eye and his face was apologetic.
"I'm afraid… That for our kind that… That's impossible." Carlisle replied warily.
No children.
I clenched my fists tightly on Emmett's shirt now at the memory, as tightly as I did when I first heard the words. Emmett sensed my upset and tightened his embrace. He ran his fingers gently through my long hair and I felt instantly comforted and somewhat better.
I turned my attention to my family downstairs. I heard many things, the hum of the empty fridge, the television – "serial killings in Seattle stop, to the confusion but relief of the police and citizens alike" – and my family whispering quietly and urgently to one another.
"Bella's body couldn't possibly cope with the strength of a newborn child." Carlisle's logical and sensible voice came first. Emmett's body tensed beside mine's, he was no doubt surprised at our family's topic of conversation,
"Edward is going to want to keep Bella safe, no matter what that means." Alice replied hinting at Edward's plan for the child.
"But surely he wouldn't… I mean… It's still a child… Bella wouldn't want…" Esme's caring, maternal voice pointed out the other side of things.
"Nothing will be decided until Edward and Bella return." Carlisle said, attempting to soothe her worries.
Fed up with their discussion, I sat up, deciding it was time to fill my husband in.
"Rose…?" Emmett looked at me, there was a genuine mix of worry, fear and maybe anger on his face. "What the hell is going on?"
"Edward," I hissed, "has done something unbelievably stupid." I was surprised at the rage and tremble in my voice.
Emmett's face was solemn, and he spoke carefully, as if he was afraid that what he was about to say would upset me further,
"B-Bella's… pregnant?" I nodded curtly to confirm his suspicion. His piercing gold eyes widened in shock.
"Wow… Crap. How did they...? I mean… That's not… What're they going to do?" Emmett stammered.
"Hey, how did Alice not see this coming?" Emmett asked incredulously. This hadn't occurred to me…
"Oh… Who knows? Maybe she'd promised not to spy on them on their honeymoon!" I said sarcastically - unfortunately this was probably true.
"More than likely," Emmett sighed, "what did he say to put the icing on the cake?" Emmett demanded.
"That he and Carlisle were going 'to get that "thing" out of her'." I hissed.
"Carlisle will never do it." Emmett said confidently, some calm was returning to his voice, though the fear remained on his face. I wished I could be as sure. Would this baby be more human or vampire? There was no genuine way of knowing yet, but it wasn't hard to guess who had the stronger genes.
"I hope not." I whispered tiredly, though I had only found out about it minutes ago, the news of Bella's pregnancy had drained me mentally.
He wrapped back me in his arms, it was like being wrapped in a soft, warm blanket. I was certain he knew the real reason this was angering me so much, without having to tell him. I wanted, more than anything else, the beautiful child I saw every time I closed my eyes.
He had curly sandy hair a shade somewhere between my bright sunny blonde and Emmett's dark brown hair, he had Emmett's deep brown gleeful eyes and his adorable dimples, my smile mixed with Emmett's, he had my curved chin and his nose was shaped identically to mine. His laughter was melodic and he smiled at me every day. Our son… Our baby… He was just a beautiful figment of my imagination. It was torture.
I brought myself up to meet his eyes, craving more physical comfort than just his embrace. I placed my hands on both sides of his face and he closed the gap between us so that our foreheads and noses were touching. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed in a painful, hurt expression. Something was wrong.
"What is it?" I whispered to him, trying my best to resist him and to comfort him instead. But he let our lips meet anyway, removing any words of comfort left in my mouth. I ran my hands through his dark curls, trying to feel as close as possible to him and he brought his hands up to caress my face. This was different from our normal kisses... There was less passion - more desperation.
I forced myself to pull back - trying to remind myself that this should be a comfort to both of us, not just me. His hands remained on my face, returning our foreheads and noses to each other. His eyes never opened.
"Emmett, please, what's going on?" I whispered pleadingly - he was actually beginning to frighten me a little. Usually when we're this close he's always there, in the moment with me – but now, he seemed miles away…
"I'm sorry." He whispered to me, his was twisted up in pain and grief, as if someone had died. My stomach dropped. I was terrified about what he'd say next.
"What are you apologizing for?" I made my confusion clear, but he didn't seem to register it, or at least his face didn't show it, it remained contorted with pain, he looked nothing like my Emmett. He was a wreck.
"For not being able to give you everything you deserve." His whisper was barley audible but the pain was still ringing in my ears.
My mind raced, I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault our son would never exist - it was mine. I wanted to tell him that after taking his life away from him in 1935 I didn't deserve anything! I wanted to tell him what he deserved: someone who could give him a family, someone who wasn't broken like me, someone who could smile and laugh with him more often, someone who didn't let the past haunt them every day… Someone else – anyone else!
"Emmett," I whispered to him forcefully and confidently, despite the fact I was alarmed at what he was saying, "you're more than I deserve. As long as I have you I don't need anything else." "Moreover, I don't even deserve you, never mind anything else." I wanted to say, but it would only annoy him further.
Emmett remained as silent as the grave.
"I love you." I told him, in an attempt to comfort him.
"No, I love you, Rosalie. I love you too much to let you make me feel better about the fact that I can't give you the only thing you want -" He whispered back but I silenced him by giving him a slap on the face. The stunned look on his face almost made me laugh.
"All you had to say was "I love you too"! Christ, Emmett!" Frustration was pulsing through my body, "Why do you think I'm as happy as I am! Do you think I'd even be able to stand the idea that Edward is going to get a child when I'll never have one, if I didn't know that I'd always have you?" I was incredibly annoyed Emmett still didn't understand what we meant after all this time. "Just think about it, Emmett!"
I stood up from the bed and strode over to the other side of the room; I couldn't stand to be near him when he was like this… He remained on the bed, his hand held up in surprise to his cheek, where I had slapped him. I threw open the door to the balcony and paced over to the edge, hoping the fresh air would clear my head, which was full of images of a heavily pregnant Bella, my beautiful, imaginary child, a vision of Edward and Bella with their own child, Emmett leaving, me – on my own. It was times like these that I wished I could just cry; instead I broke into violent, dry sobs and soon found myself in Emmett's strong arms once more, where I knew I belonged.
Thanks for reading :) please let me know what you thought
