Loch Ness Monster, a twilight fanfic

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A/N: The date and Nessie's age are correct for my Alternate History; see my profile for more information. Also, in my version Bella doesn't really have a problem with Nessie's nickname. Barbie

May 2007

Nessie almost two A/E almost seven, claiming almost seven, first grade

Rosalie

Wonder of wonders, Edward had actually let me have Renesmée for the day. Of course, he insisted Emmett had to come with us, and I had little doubt he was following close enough to hear our thoughts. But I'd take anything he'd give me; I really couldn't figure out if he was honestly afraid I'd take off with Renesmée, or if he was punishing me for the way I had treated Bella. That seemed more likely; surely he knew that as much as the thought tempted me sometimes, I could never hurt Renesmée by taking her from the family she loved.

I really wanted to take her out for ice cream; the picture of my niece sitting at the counter with her feet twisted around the leg of the stool was curiously appealing. But she hated human food; I didn't want to torture the poor girl. I'd half considered taking her anyway so I could get a photograph of the scene I imagined, but we would have had to bring the mutt to actually eat the ice cream. Emmett wouldn't have minded (he was practically best buddies with the dog, though he knew by now that I'd throw him out if he tried to seduce me smelling of wolf), but for me it would have spoiled the whole day. I never could figure why Edward let the mutt have more time with Renesmée than I did.

So I had told Renesmée to wear play clothes, and we took her to a big playground a couple towns away. The wooden climbing equipment was made to look like a castle, and soon Renesmée was shouting for us to watch her as she climbed over it like a little squirrel.

"Uncle Emmett! Lift me up!" she cried, straining on her tiptoes to reach the monkey bars.

Emmett laughed as he crossed over to her. "Can't jump that high, Ness?" he teased.

She stuck out her tongue at him, then started swinging across as he walked back to the bench where I was sitting. "Never woulda thought a half vamp would like a playground so much."

I shrugged. "She's a little girl, Emmett."

"Yeah, I know, but you shoulda seen that tree she climbed the other day…"

He trailed off as I turned away, my arms crossed. Emmett was allowed to have Renesmée anytime he wanted; just because he was Edward's favorite brother…

Emmett slipped his hand down the back of my shirt, gently kneading his fingers between my shoulder blades. "Mad at me, Rosie?"

I smiled slightly. "No." How could I be mad at him for Edward's decisions?

The sound of children's voices echoed through the air, and a group of three children ran onto the playground, swarming over the wooden castle. They looked to be two or three years older than Renesmée's apparent age of seven.

She skipped toward them across the rope bridge, not bothering to hold the side rails. "Hi. Can I play with you?"

"Sure, I guess," one said without enthusiasm. "What's your name, kid?"

Renesmée beamed, not picking up on the fact that he looked on her as a little nuisance. "Nessie."

The boy let out a laugh. "Nessie? Like the Loch Ness monster?"

Now Renesmée's brow furrowed in confusion. "Loch Ness monster?" she asked doubtfully.

Emmett growled low in his throat and I tensed, getting smoothly to my feet.

"Yeah, the Loch Ness monster!" the youngest of them crowed. "Little monster, little monster!"

I began moving toward them with silent menace in my steps.

Emmett put a hand on my arm. "Watch it, babe," he warned quietly. "Carlisle won't be happy if you kill them."

I turned and snarled at him, and he shrugged. "Hey, just warning you."

"I'm not a monster!" Renesmée cried.

The older boy laughed. "That's right; Nessie doesn't even exist. She's only a myth. Are you a myth, little monster?"

"No! I'm real!" Her lip was quivering, and I held up my arms. Without a word she dropped into them, burying her face in my shoulder as she started crying.

"You kids better move on now," Emmett said quietly.

They took one look at him and backed up hastily, their eyes wide. "Yeah…sure, mister. Come on, guys." Obviously they hadn't seen Emmett, or if they had they hadn't realized he was with Renesmée.

It wouldn't have surprised me if Edward had come running out of nowhere to comfort his daughter, but he didn't, maybe because he could see the way Renesmée clung to me as if I had been Alice…or even Bella.

She remained blissfully unaware of the undercurrents of tension in our family. Oh, she knew of course that I hated the mutt and the feeling was mutual; she was vaguely aware that Edward didn't like him much. But if she noticed at all that I didn't spend as much time with her as Alice did, she just assumed it was coincidence. I had asked Jasper once, and he had assured me that she loved me as much as she did Alice or Esme. If she was in trouble, she was as likely to run to me as anyone else.

So I cuddled her close, stroking her hair and whispering soothing nothings. Carrying her to the swing, I sat down and gently pushed it back and forth with my foot. * Emmett shadowed me, standing protectingly at my side; he was such a sweet teddy bear sometimes.

"No one will ever call you Nessie again," I promised softly when she was a little calmer. Emmett would back me up — though he never called her anything but Nessie or Ness himself — and even the mutt would do anything she wanted.

She blinked up at me through her tears. "But, Aunt Rose, I like being Nessie."

I frowned in confusion. "But they teased you about it, angel."

Emmett snorted. "Aw, come on, babe. They teased her 'cause they thought she was a little pest, butting in where she wasn't wanted. If she'd said her name was Renesmée, they'd'a teased her 'cause it's so unusual. If she'd said it was…Beth, they'd'a teased her 'cause of her red hair. They're kids, babe; if they want to tease someone, they'll find a reason or make one up."

He gently tugged one of Renesmée's curls. "How about we go down to the toy store, Ness?"

She gave him a small smile. "Can I get a doll?"

I kissed her hair. "Anything you want, angel. But, Nessie…" I tried the name and disliked the feel of it on my tongue, "do you…mind being called by your full name?" I supposed I could get used to calling her Nessie, if it was what she really wanted.

"No. I like Renesmée, too; it's pretty." She shrugged. "But humans can never pronounce or spell it right, and I've always been Nessie."

She was quiet as we walked to the car, clinging to my hand; I could tell she was still upset by what had happened.

Emmett got in the back seat with her, and she curled against his side. He put his arm around her, and the thought flashed through my mind what a good father he would have made. I found myself imagining Renesmée with his dark curls and my blue-gray eyes…or would her hair have been curly like Emmett's, but golden-blonde like mine, with the dark brown eyes Emmett had had as a human?

"Uncle Emmett, what's the Loch Ness monster?" Renesmée asked softly, interrupting my thoughts…probably just as well, if Edward was close enough to hear.

"Loch Ness is a lake in Scotland," Emmett explained. "Some people say they've seen a monster in it; kind of like a plesiosaur, I think."

"And they call it Nessie?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yeah; I think they kind of like the legend, so they named it."

"Oh. But the monster never hurt anyone, did it?"

"Nope; just shows up sometimes, from what I've heard."

She sighed contentedly. "Then it's not any worse than being half vampire, is it?"

Emmett chuckled. "That mean you think I'm a monster, kiddo?"

She giggled. "No!"

"Then neither are you, Ness."

I smiled to myself; I was right. Despite all his immaturity sometimes, Emmett would have made a wonderful father.

The End

* Illustration for this scene can be found on my DeviantArt account

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie