"Mutants. Since the discovery of their existence they have been regarded with fear, suspicion, often hatred. Across the planet, debate rages. Are mutants the next link in the evolutionary chain or simply a new species of humanity fighting for their share of the world? Either way it is a historical fact: Sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute."
~ Professor X
Rosalie Hale was always adamant that she had been blessed with half of her happy ending when she happened upon Emmett McCarty, being mauled by a bear in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She had quickly intervened and with her breath held, carried him home over a hundred miles in order for Carlisle to change him and once it was complete; it had been love at first sight.
What had prompted her to save him was exactly what she was forever aching for: a child. With Emmett's childlike features, he had reminded her painfully of her friend Veera's baby boy, Henry. Rosalie was sure they were both dead now…another thing she envied, but that was beside the point.
Even as the years passed and while she was sure that she had previously grieved the loss of her period, she couldn't let her need for children go; no matter how hard she tried. It was too painful and no one understood. Her adoptive mother Esme was satisfied with her and her other siblings as her makeshift children and Alice didn't remember, so she didn't miss it, but Rosalie did.
There were many times when she felt bad for Emmett. When she got in these moods or whenever he caught her inconspicuously flipping through a baby magazine, he felt just as terrible as she did. He was devastated at the fact that he couldn't bless her with children. He could bestow upon her everything in the world if she so desired, but the one thing he would never ever be able to give her were babies and that was the only thing she really wanted. He wished he could give her that.
Eventually, it became so painful that Rosalie began to spend all her spare time researching adoption. It was simply something that had nagged at the back of her mind. It wasn't a sure thing and of course, there was the issue of a human child having to be raised around vampires.
Rosalie was enamored as she scrolled through the photolisting boards online and for once when it came to their secret, Rosalie was selfish and couldn't find it in her to care.
Then, there was the matter of the Volturi. Being the second largest coven with not only an odd lifestyle, but three amazingly gifted vampires; they had to be more careful than any other coven. The idea of bringing a human child into their home was not being careful.
She and Emmett could always move away from the coven if needed. There had been a time, when they were unable to control their desires for each other; Esme and Carlisle had kicked Rosalie and Emmett out of the house for awhile and they had been fine.
The Volturi didn't come around often, and because time passed so differently for them, Rosalie's child could be fully grown before they even found out; let alone intervene.
She had scrolled and scrolled, imagining that if she were human, her heart would have surely burst from her chest by now. Was it really possible that she could get away with this?
Having fully convinced herself, and trying not to get her hopes up, one day, Rosalie approached Emmett with her held head high. She blurted out why she had been so secretive over these past months and admitted that she was looking into adoption.
She had almost fallen over when Emmett agreed with no hesitation, though Rosalie could tell that he was nervous and unsure if he was the fatherly type.
But his agreement was enough for Rosalie and she had been happy. That was the easy part. The hardest part would be the family meeting. Any kind of family changes, especially one as huge as this, was a must discuss that would take place at the rarely used long oval mahogany table that sat, rarely used in the large house the seven vampires occupied.
Both Alice and Esme had swayed to Rosalie's side easily, knowing how much she ached for children and trusting that she had thought this through. Alice in particular, having seen her sister's decisions. Because Esme was fine with it, Carlisle had agreed with slight caution.
Jasper had been irked and untrustworthy of both himself and bringing an outsider into a coven of vampires—not only an outsider, but a human one at that. Even if they were 'vegetarians', there was still a great risk. There was a matter of blood and their secret, but he couldn't go against Alice and he had reluctantly fallen silent at his wife's soothing reassurances.
Edward was the worst and Rosalie would have ripped his head off if it weren't for Emmett holding her back.
"No," Edward had said automatically, upon reading his sister's thoughts, "Absolutely not, it's too dangerous," he had folded his arms across his chest as though he had the final word.
To say that Rosalie had been furious was an understatement. She loved her brother, of course, but Edward Cullen had irritated her since the very first moment she had heard him speak. She wasn't sure why she had waited for him to voice his opinion. Maybe it was to show her respect for her father and the coven he had worked so hard to build—not a coven, a family and it was one that valued each other and their morals; but this was something Rosalie had her heart set on and she was going to do it. Majority rules, she supposed.
After Alice had proudly declared that this was going to be a great thing and that everything would be perfect, it was then the matter of Jasper easily hacking into certain systems in order to keep the agency and Social Services from trying to pry too deeply into their pasts and lives. Especially with the adoptive home study and surprise visits from a social worker. Carlisle had taken care of all the medical forms and Emmett and Rosalie had taken their required training classes outside of their current residence to avoid rumors. They had even decided to adopt out of state.
One more family meeting had been held. A very lengthy, and at times, heated, discussing precautions and worries; but after days of debating, it had all been taken care of.
Now, with their paperwork cleared, Rosalie currently sat in the passenger seat of Carlisle's Mercedes while Emmett drove. They were in Alaska on their way to an adoption matching event and as they got closer to their destination, Rosalie began to get choked up with tears she couldn't shed.
"Emmett," Rosalie whispered, voice clogged, "Thank you. Thank you so much. I can't even," she cut herself off, "This is more than—with this life, I never thought-
She was interrupted from her stammers, when Emmett, keeping one large hand on the wheel, reached over and intertwined their fingers, bringing the back of her hand to press it firmly to his lips.
"I know," he said quietly, "I know, Rose. You've wanted this for a long time."
In the same quiet tone, she asked, "Are you scared?"
"Yeah," he said with a laugh, "I am."
While he had memorized every single parenting book that Rosalie had forced him to read and had paid the upmost attention in the classes he was required to take, that didn't automatically disengage his magnified strength or other vampire qualities. All the same, he appeared to handle other fragile things pretty well: blankets, plates, helping Rosalie pick a few leaves out of her hair when she got too carried away with hunting. If he could handle leaves, then he could handle small children, right?
As a human, growing up, he had an extremely wild adolescence. Gambling, drinking and womanizing. He had been a hunter and a woodsman for his family, never picturing settling down and starting a family like his human mother had wanted.
Now, in this new and forever-existing life, he was married and had gotten married several times to the most beautiful girl in the universe. He loved his wife more than life itself and again, would do anything to make her happy. Rosalie was a mother at heart, pumped full of those kinds of instincts that both she and Esme shared, but wasn't sure he possessed. He was a naturally cheerful character and hardly took anything seriously, but this was something he needed to take seriously.
He was cut off from his own anxious thoughts, when he felt the comforting pressure of Rosalie squeezing his hand.
"You can do this, Em," Rosalie glanced at him with a smile, "It's going to be okay. Who knows, this might not be the event where we find someone that connects with us. It could take a very long time."
"How do you think we'll know?" Emmett asked, "What are we doing, picking out a dog?"
Rosalie's smile turned sad, "It appears that way, doesn't it?" she sighed and turned to watch the road, "It's almost disgusting, the way these people dress them up to put them on display, but…if that's what it takes to find them a family…" she trailed off just as Emmett pulled into a parking spot.
"They just want homes," she finished with a whisper, squeezing his hand again, "And the social worker says the kids know what to expect. Overall, it's supposed to be fun."
The event was held at a very large and colorful playground in Anchorage. There was a large deck area, a pond that rippled in the slight breezy air, walking paths, a garden and picnic tables. There was music playing and all sorts of games and activities set up so that the adults and families could easily interact with the children and other families.
They exited the car and the out of state caseworker that they had been in touch with, checked the couple into the event. After being assured that they had no questions or concerns and with a quick briefing of the event, Rosalie and Emmett were free to roam.
"I hope some of these people got the memo that we're not up for adoption?" Emmett hissed, wrapping a protective arm around Rosalie's waist. He didn't appreciate how some of the adults and volunteers eyed his wife.
"Oh, hush," Rosalie smacked his chest lightly, not minding the attention. She flipped her hair for good measure, "And focus."
Children of all types and ages were scattered around the park. Some playing, some speaking with adults, some doing cartwheels or somersaults on the grass in hopes to get someone's attention and some of the older children were isolated from the younger kids, looking like they couldn't care less, though they cared more than they would ever admit.
After heavily weighing her options and speaking with the family, Rosalie had decided that it would be best to adopt a small child from the foster system, not a baby. While a baby was what she ached for, she worried how her cold skin would affect him or her. She couldn't breastfeed or anything of the sort and the process of getting a baby was much harder and much more complicated.
She had also constantly pictured her fist child as a girl. Someone with Emmett's hair and the violet eyes she had as a human, but of course, that wasn't really attainable, especially now with their perfect appearance.
"Don't try and push it," Esme had said, "Don't force anything and enjoy yourself. These events are supposed to be fun for the children. It's not like picking out a new shirt or getting a dog, it's not a business. Relax."
So, Rosalie relaxed and vowed to simply go with the flow. Whatever happened, happened. In the end, it could always turn out that she wasn't ready to be a mother.
As she looked around, she could feel her heart breaking. There were so many children, all of them in desperate need of homes. If she was able, Rosalie would take them all, but again, that wasn't an option. While she tried her hardest to play the part, there were times when she had to hunker down and remind herself that she was no longer human.
"I don't even know where to start," Emmett breathed, taking in his surroundings, "What do we do?"
Bright gold eyes locked on gold, having both hunted before the event and Rosalie didn't admit she was just as lost as he was and just as scared.
Right when she opened her mouth to say something, a social worker approached them.
"Are you two having trouble?" she asked sweetly, a clipboard clutched to her chest.
Rosalie could see her reflection in the woman's glasses and she engaged the woman in some kind of conversation so that she could push a strand of perfect blonde hair back into place. She was about to turn her back on the woman and lead Emmett over to a pair of twin boys on the swing set, when another little boy, probably eight or nine ran up to them.
"Miss Chambers, Miss Chambers!" he whined, sounding furious and scared, bouncing on his toes.
The social worker smiled apologetically, "Emmett, Rosalie, this is Timmy," she introduced, placing her hand atop the boys mop of red hair as she addressed him, "What is it, Timmy?"
"She's doing it again!" he spat the word 'she's' with such disgust that Rosalie's eyes widened while he continued, "Make her stop, why did she have to come!?"
The older woman's face flamed, "Hush, now," she whispered, patting his hair, "Don't worry about it, simply keep your distance. Look over there," she bent at the waist and gestured to an outdoor bowling game, "Those parents are looking for adorable boys just like you. Why don't you go ask to join?"
Eyes lit up, Timmy ran off.
"She?" Emmett inquired, before the woman could stutter out an apology, "Who was he talking about?"
Miss Chambers shook her head, "Bringing her was a bad idea," she tried to disguise her revoltion as sympathy, but Rosalie wasn't buying it, "The girl's been nothing but trouble since she arrived last week. Terrible child, Finley is," she whispered under her breath, but she was heard with perfect clarity.
"Finley?" Emmett's eyes lit up with interest. Finley was a Scotch-Irish name and Emmett himself had come from a large Scotch-Irish family. He looked around the park. He hadn't spotted her unique name on the Photolisting boards, "Where is she?"
Miss Chambers wrinkled her nose and looked around the park, but gave up, "Probably hiding around here somewhere. She's painfully shy. Really, Mr. Cullen, there are other suitable children. Have you taken time to look at the Photolisting boards or the event booklet?"
"We have," Rosalie confirmed, "But we'd like to see this child."
"Please, it's not wise to spend a majority of the event with only one child…"
Rosalie tuned out the annoying harpy. If anything, now she was more than curious as to why this woman was so hesitant to "show-off" this child like the others. Did this Finley have a disability of some sort? That was fine with Rosalie. There was also some worry that welled up. Did they abuse this particular child?
"We'd like to see her," Emmett repeated firmly, "It's my understanding that all children participate voluntarily. Where is she?"
With one last grumble, the caseworker reluctantly turned and began to walk, leading the way. However, this was not before Rosalie heard her mutter "you're funeral" under her breath. Did this woman not realize she was talking about a poor defenseless child?
Rosalie and Emmett sent questioning glances towards each other when they were led a ways away from the event and while they could still hear everything with perfect clarity, Rosalie was surprised that these "well-trained" workers and volunteers that were supposedly expected to be with every child, would leave one out alone in a park, away from the event where anything could happen.
Miss Chambers stopped about twelve feet away and shook her head as she turned to address the couple.
"That's her," she whispered as if she was afraid of being overhead.
Rosalie wasn't prepared for what would happen when her eyes fell upon the child…Finley. Her still heart warmed in her chest. It was caliber to the same feeling she had experienced when happening upon Emmett decades ago.
The little girl kept her back pressed against the bark of a tree, its branches being weighed down by all sorts of birds, her knees pressed tightly to her chest. Her small arms were wrapped around them, keeping them there and she kept her head down, face shielded by long and straight espresso brown hair. She was a tiny thing, thin, and Rosalie could see cream-colored skin peeking out from underneath her long-sleeved clothing. She wasn't even dressed nicely.
"How old is she?" Rosalie asked, appalled by her appearance, "She's so small."
"Yes, well malnourishment will do that," the social worker lacked emotion and began to flip through her clipboard, "Ah, here it is. Finley is three and a half, if you can believe it. Mom left her at a fire station—some place called Muir Island. It's in Northern Scotland-
"Scotland!?" Emmett couldn't help the interruption, shocked. His eyes went to Finley, "How'd she end up all the way here?"
Miss Chambers shrugged, irritating Rosalie further, "No one knows. The dad is nowhere to be found and there's no other family that the state can find. It's hard to run DNA tests or even get her to a doctor…she's so violent."
"She's violent?" Rosalie asked disbelievingly. She crossed her arms.
"Children have come back with scratches and bite marks and bruises," Miss Chambers explained, "And they're adamant that she did it. When we ask her, she never denies it and then…in one of her foster homes, Finley accused the other children were trying to…" she took a deep breath, "Touch and hurt her, but there were never any marks on her, only the other chi-
"No one believed her," Emmett said with a growl, placing a firm hand on Rosalie's shoulder. His wife was shaking with rage and he knew that she was resisting the urge to kill this woman. So was he.
"There weren't marks," the social worker said harshly. She gave a frantic shake of her head, "Not on her and when she was asked, she wouldn't say anything. Not only is she deemed a danger to other children, but she takes things—things that no one understands how she got. She says she didn't take them…she lies blatantly and eventually, she just stopped talking."
"What the hell is the point of talking if no one is ever going to believe you?" Rosalie demanded with a trembling voice. She placed a hand to her heart as if she could feel it breaking and whipped her head around to glance up at Emmett, "I want to go talk to her," she demanded.
Emmett nodded in agreement. He would probably hang back a couple feet and let Rosalie take the lead. His humongous filled out form would probably scare Finley and he didn't want that. The poor thing was probably traumatized enough.
"Mrs. Cullen, I really suggest-
Rosalie was off and walking towards the child before she could tell their social worker where to shove her suggestions. She could tell that Finley knew that she was approaching because her small form tensed and she burrowed her face deeper into her knobby knees.
Emmett was behind her and when they got nearer, the birds that resided in the tree began squawking obnoxiously and ruffling their feathers. Emmett slowed his steps slightly, but Rosalie continued onward. Animals of all kind were usually wary of them. They were after all, technically predators, the highest up on the food chain, but Rosalie wasn't bothered by the noise and apparently, neither was Finley.
Only, as more birds came to join the flock in the tree, they were squawking and cawing so loud that Rosalie actually winced. The sound was almost deafening, but she walked, heels silent in the grass until she was barely a foot away from the child and she crouched down on one knee, Emmett behind her.
Getting a closer look, Rosalie saw that Finley was a bit of a runt, looking sickly and weak. She tilted her head to the side.
"Hello, there, little one," she greeted, making her voice loud enough to be heard over the birds, "Are you, Finley?"
There was no response.
"Well, I'm Rosalie and this is my husband, Emmett," Rosalie continued, gesturing to the bear of a man behind her, "And we'd really like to talk to you if that's all right. You're such a pretty girl."
She watched Finley peek up at them and Rosalie inhaled at the sight of her eyes. They were bright hazel. Piercing with a gaze far too intense for a child. The orbs were too big for her face, the size of moons, but maybe Finley would grow into them as she aged and matured.
However, that one peek was all it took because as soon as Finley saw Rosalie's inhuman beauty, her eyes became even wider and she lifted her head fully, small pink lips parting in awe. Her eyes went to Emmett and while they were both sitting, Finley still had to crane her neck all the way up to get a full look at him.
The birds finally stopped their racket and a few flew away, leaving Rosalie to speak in a much quieter tone.
"You have very pretty eyes," Rosalie said with a warm smile, "But I'm sure you get that a lot, huh?"
Finley only blinked in response, then turned to press her cheek against the rough bark, exhaling the smallest of sighs.
Rosalie took that chance to look at Emmett and she bit her lip, communicating her worry and with a small jerk of her head, she urged him closer.
"You try," she said in a voice only he could hear.
Emmett shuffled forward slowly to crouch next to Rosalie.
"Finley, huh?" he asked, "You must have some Scottish or Irish in ya'," he grinned even though she wasn't looking at him, "That's points in my book. I'm Scotch-Irish, myself. I guess it would be hard to tell, I don't have the accent," his eyes went to her feet and saw that she was wearing flip-flops. They looked huge on her tiny feet and he couldn't comprehend why a child would be wearing such footwear in Alaska.
He pointed at them, "I like your toenail polish."
Rosalie frowned when she caught sight of the tiny toes. The baby pink nail polish had been applied haphazardly. It was smeared all over her toes and even on her feet, though Finley didn't seem to mind as she looked down and wiggled her toes. Rosalie guessed that the child had to have done it by herself.
"Do you like pink?" she asked instead.
Large doe-like eyes blinked and at her and Finley answered with the barest of nods.
"I do too," Rosalie said with a smile, "And so does my sister, Alice," she looked up when the birds all squawked, but quieted after that. She looked at Finley, who was still unbothered by their presence, "Do you like birds?"
A lip bite was her answer this time and Rosalie counted that as progress, yet she wasn't sure if that was a yes or no answer to her question.
"Do you want to go play?" Emmett asked, trying again. He jabbed a thumb behind him, "There are games and toys..." he trailed off when Finley gave a frantic shake of her head, "No?" he sighed, then looked off, distracted by another thought, "Hey, you know what? You want to know what I think?"
Finley gave the smallest tilt of her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she brought her knees even closer.
"I think that it's not very nice for the other kids to be so mean to you," he said in a gentle tone, "And it's not right for the adults not to believe you…about certain things," he paused, "I believe you."
"And I think that you're a very good girl," Rosalie interjected with her musical voice.
Something flickered over Finley's eyes and she exhaled a soft, "Hm."
Rosalie beamed at Emmett and it took everything for her not to rush over and crush Finley to her chest.
They chatted a little while longer, Emmett and Rosalie doing a majority of the talking while they tried to get a response out of Finley to no avail. Eventually, it was the birds who continued their obnoxious noise, one of them swooping down and ruffling Rosalie's hair, that prompted Emmett and Rosalie to straighten up from their crouches and leave. Despite their coaxing, they couldn't get Finley to follow and reluctantly left her under the tree. Nonetheless, with their enhanced senses, not only could they still see her, but they could hear her. Emmett kept a lookout considering he was taller.
Neither Emmett nor Rosalie were surprised when they both turned to each other, beaming so bright that they attracted more stares than usual.
"I want her," they said at the same time, falling into each others arms.
Emmett had his arm wrapped around Rosalie's waist and Rosalie had one of hers on Emmett's chest, hand over his heart when they found their social worker, who looked at them as though she couldn't believe they were still alive. Her eyes roamed their bodies and faces, searching for any kind of injury.
"It went well," was all Rosalie said before they sauntered off to interact with the other attendees. They flipped through books and observed some of the other children. Emmett even played a couple games like the childlike person he was.
A couple hours later, when it began to rain and the event was over, they approached their social worker who had just finished saying goodbye to another couple.
"Assuming it's a good match," Emmett said before she could open her mouth, "We want her. Finley, that is."
The social worker looked like she was going to fall over.
"Look," she started, furiously cleaning her glasses, "You two are a beautiful, young couple and the prospect of it being a good match is-
"What?" Rosalie demanded, narrowing her eyes, "How would you know? You don't even like her. In fact, you told the other children to stay away from her. That girl was by herself, in a very public park, with no adult supervision."
Miss Chmbers' slightly wrinkled mouth dropped open, cheeks coloring, "The goal of this isn't to look for your perfect child and you were warned earlier that it wouldn't be good to monopolize any individual-
"She was already monopolized!" Emmett snapped, "You're our social worker," he told her, "So, where's Finley's? Where's her caseworker? We'd like to set up a meeting with her."
After not speaking for sometime, Miss Chambers huffed and removed her glasses again to clean them, "No one will work with her."
Exhaling a sharp breath and without thinking, Rosalie blurted, "We want to take her home with us. Today."
Miss Chambers jaw hit the floor and she sputtered, "Excuse me!?" she waved her clipboard around like a madwoman, "There are questions to be answered, you know nothing of Finley's behavioral issues or anything about her background. There are meetings to be held and visitations to be worked out. The placement process-
"If you cared about the placement process, Finley would have been out here interacting with everyone else," Emmett shoved a finger in the woman's face, "When Finley told you that people were trying to hurt her, how many reports did you file?"
With a face so red, that she rivaled a tomato, Miss Chambers took a deep breath and spoke in a low, dangerous voice, "Look, you don't understand-
"No, you don't understand," Rosalie interrupted, "We want to take her home with us. Today. If she's comfortable, of course, but we'd like to ask her. Now. Right now."
Back at the Cullen residence, in Hoquiam, Washington, Alice Cullen was panicking.
"Twenty-four hours, if that!?" she screeched, hoping her vision would change, "How do you go to one event and get a child that quickly!?"
"Does it really matter?" Jasper ambled into the empty room, carrying a fully assembled bed frame, "Where do you want this?"
It was a gorgeous four-poster bed frame with an antique white finish. The button tufted headboard and footboard were cotton candy pink. It featured hand-carved style overlays and oversized scrolled details.
Alice pointed a manicured finger towards back wall, "There, right in the middle," she paused and looked towards the door, "Where's the other furniture?" she shouted unnecessarily.
Carlisle came through the door next, carrying a two drawer night stand. All of the furniture that would be in the child's new bedroom had the same antique white finish, and hand-carved style overlays and oversized scrolled details.
"Honey, don't worry," he said with an amused smile. The silver bale pull handle clanged against the wood, "It will all get done in time."
"I want it to be perfect!" Alice declared. She pointed, "Left side please…and where's the dresser!?"
"How can a tiny little thing be so annoying?" Edward grumbled, carrying the five drawer dresser with ease, "Honestly, Alice, don't overwhelm her, she'll probably be frightened when she arrives."
Alice hung the arched dresser mirror above the furniture that Edward had just placed down and stepped down to get a better look at it.
"I'm not going to overwhelm her. I simply want her to feel welcome," she clapped her hands together, "I can't wait to hear her name. Oh, and I haven't even painted yet."
"Can you believe I'm going to be a grandmother?" Esme gushed bashfully, carrying in a six drawer, "And Rosalie and Emmett are going to be wonderful parents. They've both worked so hard to get to this point."
Alice placed the chest on the right side of the bed, "It really is wonderful, isn't it?"
There was a heavy silence that filled the room, each person lost in their own thoughts. They could have stood there for hours, but all sense of time escaped them. Their lives were going to change forever as soon as the human child walked through that door.
"Are we really going to be able to get away with this?" Edward asked, his voice a tense silence that filled the room, "The severe danger that this is putting our family in…"
"We spoke of this already, Edward," Alice scolded, "The Volturi have no reason to even think that we would bring a human child into the family. I highly doubt it would even cross their minds, but all the same, I'll continue to keep an eye on them."
Edward looked far from convinced and Alice shook her head, turning away.
"It's going to be wonderful," she repeated, "Now, come on. We have a lot of work to do."
-Back In Alaska, Some Hours Later-:
Rosalie sat in the backseat with Finley, radiating happiness. It had taken a lot of threats, arguing and finally pulling out her expensive cellphone to dial the police in order for the social worker to agree and "see what she could do."
The trio had gone to the group home where Finley resided and were appalled at the sight. Finley lived with eight other children, none of them close to her age and the foster parents were a lovely Filipino couple who were ten years older than the ages Emmett and Rosalie were pretending to be. The couple was very nice and the house was clean, kitchen well stocked and well kept. While it was clear that some of the children had dealt with a lot of trauma and had some issues, that wasn't the problem.
When Emmett and Rosalie found Finley in her bedroom, which the foster parents had warned them not to enter; they found the room small and cramped. It wasn't the cleanest it could have been, that still wasn't the problem.
There were a lot of small things that Rosalie didn't approve of. One of them being the pile of items that sat in the corner of the bedroom, consisting of things that no three year old should have access to.
No, the main problem were the bars placed firmly over the window and Rosalie didn't find a heated "she sneaks out at night!" to be a viable explanation. There were such a things as alarms nowadays.
While Emmett spoke more about Finley to the caseworker and the foster parents, Rosalie had gone and knelt in front of the brunette who was sitting on the floor, in the same position she had been under the tree. Perhaps that was a comfort for her.
"Hi, sweetie," Rosalie had greeted, "I have a very, very important question for you."
Finley had lifted her head slightly, curiosity lighting up her eyes as she tilted her head. She seemed more comfortable at seeing Rosalie again.
Rosalie took a deep breath, "Would you like to come home with us?"
Finley's eyes lit up and she raised her head fully in surprise, small mouth parted.
"We live quite a ways away, in Washington, actually," Rosalie told her, "With my brothers and sister and my parents. I know, it sounds like a lot, but they're all wonderful people and it's a really big house with room to play," she smiled, "A lot of trees which means…" she paused dramatically to make her eyes wide, "A lot of birds."
She still got no outward reaction or any indication that Finley was excited, but her eyes had changed from wide and curious to narrowed and skeptical.
"Please take her!" Rosalie turned to head to see a black-haired girl. She was older and scowling, "No one wants her here. She's a freak," the girl rolled up her sleeve, revealing a scab on her forearm, "She did that," she declared before stomping off.
Rosalie shook her head, then focused on Finley, "Did you do that?" she asked gently.
Technically, Rosalie didn't have to worry about Finley hurting her or the others. It was impossible. Though, if Finley did try to hit or kick or bite, she risked shattering every bone in her body.
Finley responded by curling into herself again.
"It's something we'll work on," Rosalie promised the child, "But I'm not angry. Emmett and I…we still want to be your mommy and daddy," if Rosalie's face could have heated up, the blonde was sure it would have, "And you could call us that, if you'd like."
Just as it looked like Finley was going to uncurl from her ball, Emmett's booming, cheerful voice cut in.
"Look what I got!" he announced, clutching a file in his large hands, "And guess who signed paperwork? Babe, they need-
"Hush," Rosalie hissed at him, "You're going to scare her."
Emmett blinked at her stupidly, "She'll have to get used to it won't she?"
Rosalie rolled her eyes dramatically at Finley and pretended to grimace, "We're a package deal."
Her shoulders slumped when Finley only stared. Rosalie had been hoping for at least a smile. Maybe Finley didn't want to go with them.
"You can stay here, if you want," she told her, feeling her heart break, "You don't have to come with us."
She made a move to reach out, maybe touch Finley's arm or place it atop her small head, but she hesitated at the last second and dropped her hand back down to her side. She had been so sure that Finley would want to leave and she was embarrassed at the fact that she had never considered Finley wanted to stay. There were so many other children, but stupidly, she had done exactly what all the social workers and websites and pamphlets had told her not to do: she had only focused on one child. She had gotten too attached in such a small amount of time. But she had been so sure…
She watched Finley blink, her wide eyes slowly looking from her to Emmett then back again. Ever so slightly, she nodded her head.
"Yes?" Emmett had asked, not wanting to put words in her mouth, "Do you want to come home with us?"
Another small nod and she took her time uncurling herself, until her arms hung low and her small legs were straightened out.
Rosalie grinned so wide, her teeth sparkled slightly under the dim fluorescent bulb and she inched closer. Yes, Finley had said yes! She was a mom!
A small sob burst from her lips and she covered her mouth with her hand. She tilted her head back when she had felt Emmett's hand on her shoulder and she blinked rapidly at the venom that had started to well-up uncomfortably in her eyes.
More papers were signed and after taking a spare car seat from the home, they all reluctantly shook hands and thanked each other.
Rosalie had coaxed Finley into being carried and Rosalie swore that her arms had been crafted to fit Finley perfectly. While she was shaking and frail, her small body was warm and soft, wrapped in a blanket to avoid the full feeling of Rosalie's ice cold skin. Finley was short and smaller than Rosalie had originally thought, but that was okay. Finley was hers and that's all that mattered.
Emmett had installed the car seat easily and warmed Rosalie's heart by placing a gentle kiss on Finley's head that was burrowed in Rosalie's neck before he went to the driver's side.
Rosalie had reluctantly placed Finley in her car seat and the blonde occupied the middle seat, sitting as close as possible. She rested her hand on Finley's arm and pressed her lips together, body shaking with suppressed sobs of joy.
Finley didn't seem too impressed and she kept her eyes on her lap until Emmett turned on the heater which eventually lulled the child to sleep.
"Tanya's going to kill us because we didn't stop by," Emmett announced.
Rosalie's eyes never left Finley, "She'll get over it. Besides, we have more important stuff to do. I think we should stay in a hotel."
"A hotel?" Emmett winced when Rosalie hushed him for the volume of his voice, "Sorry. You don't want to go straight home?"
Rosalie patted Finley's arm affectionately, "Not yet. I know we'll be home soon, but it's still going to be a long drive for her and I'm sure she'd like to bathe and get in some new clothes."
"Okay," Emmett agreed, "We'll find a hotel when we're a little closer. Call Jasper and tell him to work his magic on social services and whatnot."
"I will," Rosalie promise, though she made no move to get her cellphone, "Em, we're parents," she suddenly breathed.
Emmett grinned at her from the rear view mirror, "I know, babe. It's going to be a rough road."
"I know," Rosalie tsked, "Poor baby. You have her file?"
"Yeah," Emmett held it up, "Not much in it, though. Carlisle will have to look her over."
Rosalie pressed her lips together, "They said she was violent, but she was fine with us."
Emmett rolled his eyes heavily, "Those quacks don't know what the hell they're talking about! She's just a baby."
Rosalie hummed her agreement. Beginning to stroke Finley's wispy hair. She was so sweet, so innocent and so aged. When she had been interrogated by Edward about raising a human child, he had asked if she would be able to handle watching Finley grow, age and eventually die since the blonde was so against vampirism.
The answer had been yes. Because as messed up as it sounded, Rosalie wanted that for whatever child she adopted. She wanted them to grow up, get married, have children, then turn wrinkled and gray until it was time to pass on and hopefully, it would be peaceful. Of course, it would break Rosalie's heart when the time came, but as long as her child—Finley was happy, she would be happy.
She hadn't really thought of the moment when the child she'd adopt questioned on why the Cullens didn't age, but Rosalie wasn't going to dwell on it. They'll cross that bridge when they get there.
"What are you thinking so hard about back there?" Emmett inquired.
"The future," Rosalie admitted.
"Pfft," Emmett snorted, "What? Why? We don't have to worry about that," he waved a careless hand, "Everything is going to be great," he grinned widely, flashing white teeth; optimistic as always.
Finley whimpered in her sleep, squirming.
Immediately, Rosalie's hand smoothed over her forehead, pushing back wispy hair, Emmett's eyes darting to the rear view mirror, "Shhh, baby, it's all right. Shhhh. Em, turn down the heater, she's getting too hot," she lightly brushed her fingers repeatedly over Finley's chubby cheek.
Just as Emmett reached over to turn down the heater, a bird slammed into the windshield. So fast, that it startled Emmett and he swerved as he cursed, getting the car straightened out a moment later.
"Emmett!" Rosalie cried, holding her arm out to keep Finley from jostling.
Emmett's eyes went frantically to the back, worried that he had disturbed Finley from her sleep.
"She's fine," Rosalie reassured, "What did you hit?"
"I didn't hit anything!" Emmett said, "Some suicidal bird hit the damn windshield," his eyes swept it, "I don't see any cracks or blood. It should be fine."
Rosalie nodded and settled back against the expensive leather. Her eyes migrated back to Finley's cute little face. She slept soundly, unaware of the lethal speed that Emmett was driving.
"We'll stop when she wakes and get her something to eat," Emmett decided. He grinned again, "Get this, babe: her foster parents says she won't eat meat. She always pushes it away, so I guess that makes her a…vegetarian," he laughed at his own joke, "See, she does belong with us."
'I hope so,' Rosalie thought, but it wasn't a thought she spoke aloud.
A/N: Hello, all! After messing around with some plot bunnies, I decided to try another X-Men/Twilight story! Though, after much debating, I have also decided to switch fandoms. I will be writing for X-Men (movies), now and have already published a story called 'Searching For Equamity.' No fear, I will continue with this story and Meadow's as well. A big thanks to my Beta Reader Sabrina06 who helped tremendously. She always does.
Go check out my X-Men story and give it some love.
- TTMAS