Rosalie's first word as a vampire was, "Why?" and it pulled at Edward each time he thought of it. Her eyes crimson with blood she'd yet to taste, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth that would never come. He couldn't help himself from staring. She really was the most exquisite thing he'd ever seen.

"Could you please stop staring? It's completely rude." Her voice was like sunlight through windows on warm mornings. Edward's eyes went to his hands, wringing them religiously now, afraid to meet her gaze.

Rosalie laughed, "I didn't say you couldn't look at me, just stop.. gawking with your mouth hung open. Are you not embarrassed?"

Edward lifted his head, meeting her red eyes again. "I'm sorry.. I..," but Edward couldn't have said more than a few syllables even if he'd know what to say.

Rosalie's smile brightened the entire room, gleaning teeth shining through her perfect, plump lips. "It'll wear off, trust me."

Edward's eyebrow lifted, "What will?"

"You being mesmerized.. it will pass. Happens frequently. Men tend to become enamored with me. I don't understand why," Rosalie said with a light sarcastic tone. Then her attention went to admiring her nails, twirling her hair; the girl in front of him was all the things that annoyed Edward the most about women.

Edward stood to sit next to Rosalie on the bed, taking in her features more closely. Her hair was like perfection, and the curve of her neck was like a poem in its beauty.

Rosalie broke the quiet moment, "Go ahead. Kiss me," she demanded.

"What..? No. Why?" Edward fumbled.

"You've been staring at my mouth the entire time I've been awake. Just go ahead, get it over with. Then we can move on. Go on, now." Rosalie let her head fall back, her hair like a waterfall against her back.

Edward found himself drawn to her perfect lips, like a venus fly trap and its prey. Her eyes closed, he followed suit. His mouth nearing hers and the door opened with a slam. Edward was standing awkwardly beside the bed.

"Oh.. I.. I'll come back," Carlisle said, feeling dreadful for interrupting.

Edward waved his hand, "No, you stay, I'll go. I was about to leave anyway."

Before he closed the door behind him, he cast one last glance at Rosalie. She gave him a wink and licked her lips.

---

"What the hell is this, anyway?" Rosalie whined.

"It's a hunting show. Shh..," Emmett said, monotone. His eyes severely entranced as a bear was being taken down by four me, "Look at this! Takes four of them! Hah! Are you seeing this Edward?"

Edward parted from his book for a few moments to feign interest, "Yeah, yeah. Amazing. Four of them." His nose back in the book, his interests in what some considered a classic.

Rosalie shifted for the hundredth time on the couch, "Edward, puh-lease tell Emmett to change this boring crap! I can't take it anymore. Edward. Edward!"

"What is it, Rosalie?" Edward answered calmly.

Rosalie sighed heavily, her bangs flying in protest, "I don't want to watch this. Let's go for a walk or something. I'm bored."

Edward closed his book and slowly got up from the arm chair, "You're perpetually bored, you know. C'mon, let's go."

Rosalie's face lit up, her eyes sparkling as she kissed Emmett quickly on the cheek and popped up from the couch. "Good. Let's walk to the lake, I haven't done that in a while."

Edward opened the door for her, allowing her to walk through first and shutting it behind him. She smiled a thank you, winking, her fingers pulling at the bottom of his shirt.

In moments they were at the lake's edge, Rosalie's legs folded behind her, proper. Edward stood, throwing miscellaneous debris into the cool water. He looked back to see Rosalie protesting in sighs, begging for him to sit beside her.

Edward sat beside her, keeping a safe distance. Naturally, Rosalie being Rosalie, she'd inched her way to Edward's side and was racing circles in his jeans. "It's so very nice here, isn't it?" She was looking at Edward a little too intently, making him uncomfortable.

"Rose, what are you trying to do?" Edward's hands were on her arms, trying to restrict her wandering hands.

Rosalie's bottom lip pouted and her arms crossed. "Nothing. You always think the worst of me."

Edward leaned into her, closing his eyes, taking in her scent. He felt her hand on his jaw, light and soft. He felt her breath on his face, tickling but sweet.

"Ed! Rose! You guys out here!"

Edward was standing at a nearby tree in moments, leaning against and playing with the leaves. Rosalie was stuck in a state of shock, her hand still holding where Edward's face had been.

Jasper's blonde hair came into view before the rest of him. "Hey, hey. Come on, we'll be late. I don't want to miss any daylight."

---

It wasn't their first fight and surely wouldn't' be their last, but it felt like infinity and devastation to Rosalie. Edward was holding her in his bed, drawing circles into her back and humming old lullabies in her ear.

"He'll come back, Rose. He just needs to hunt and vent. It'll be fine." Edward said each word like a line in a prayer, putting promise and hope on each syllable.

Rosalie's face lifted and she looked Edward straight in the eyes, her lips parting just slightly. She adjusted herself, letting her upper body hover over Edward's. Her hair was like a veil on each side of them. His hands instinctively went to her hips, pressing into them with his fingertips.

Rosalie's lips touched down at his jaw, laying soft pecks down to his neck. Her hands searching for his hair, wadding it in her small fists.

Edward took her face in his hands, searching her eyes. He knows that look, he sees her desperation to just be close to someone. "Rose… we can't do this."

Rosalie is off the bed in a moment, straightening out her skirt and smoothing through her hair. "You really are an idiot, aren't you Edward?" Rosalie sighs loudly and walks to the door, "I'll be in my room. Tell me when Emmett comes home."

Edward sits up and rubs his eyes. He looks ahead for a second and then whispers under his breath, "What the fuck?"

---

Edward was spending his long evening reading Proust, delighting in how pretentious it was. He found himself laugh more than he should have aloud and then he sensed her: the leggy blonde leaning against his door frame.

"Do you always have to laugh and talk to yourself when you're reading? It's so childish, Edward." Rosalie crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying hard not to laugh.

Edward closed his book, laying it beside him on his long leather couch. "If you read, Rose, I'm sure you'd understand better." A smirk flashed across Edward's face, his own small victory.

Rosalie crossed the room at once, her nose in line with Edward's chiseled features. "You love making the dumb blonde jokes, don't you?"

"I'm sure the extra letters behind your name weren't paid for in textbooks and straight A's." These words hung in the air, Edward wasn't sure he'd said them aloud until he saw the soured look on Rosalie's face.

Rosalie's breathing was swallowing, her lips pursed and fists clenched, "Take it back," she breathed.

Edward put a reluctant hand behind her neck, pulling her into him. His lips grazed hers, taking in the closeness but not deepening it. Rosalie put a hand to his face, letting her fingers rest just upon his jaw.

Just as quickly as they'd embraced, Edward shoved Rosalie to the couch. He was across the room and thumbing through his music collection before Rosalie could realize what was going on. Edward looked at her and she knew.

"Hey Rose, you up here? Oh, hey. Alice and Jasper are going hunting. They want us to join. You want to come too, Edward? There's some really overzealous bears." Emmett's words might not have been for only Rosalie, but she was all he looked at. Never breaking his stare into her eyes, he was still mesmerized by her.

"I think I'll stay behind. You two go, have fun. I'll hunt tomorrow." Edward pulled out a few CDs, opening one to put in his stereo.

Rosalie's eyes flitted to Edward, as if begging him to smile or just something. Edward never looked up from his stereo, and Rosalie's heart sank. "See you later, then," she said softly.

Edward waved his hand over his head and he heard Emmett and Rosalie talking as they went downstairs. Edward sighed heavily, crashing into his couch. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose as he chastised himself for his actions.

---

Rosalie's legs were hanging haphazardly over the edge of the counter-top. She was having more fun than she should have watching Edward attempt to cook. Her laugh echoed against the ceilings and walls, "Edward, I don't even understand why? Doesn't she cook?"

Edward's furrowed brow tightened even further at this remark, "I said you could accompany me, I did not say you could poke fun at my expense."

"I've never seen you work so hard to impress anyone, Edward, especially a girl." The word 'girl' hung in the air like a paper lantern, dimly lighting the room. Rosalie's smile was from ear to ear, completely satisfied.

"Leave, Rose. Get out! I'm tired of you hovering." Edward's voice was like daggers, but this only piqued Rosalie's interest.

She stood on her tip-toes, letting her nose just barely brush Edward's cheek. Her voice was like white noise, "Have fun with your little pet, darling."

Edward took Rosalie's face by the chin, her neck craning to reach where he was lifting her. His lips feather-light and hovering just over her own. "I don't like when you insult me. You know that," he hissed.

Rosalie licked Edward's bottom lip and his hand let go of her face. Her smirk screamed victory, "Let's do this again, sometime."

Edward turned his back and overheard her thoughts as she exited the kitchen, "fucking puritan."

---

Edward's bedroom light was off, the door was open, and Rosalie was just the slightest bit interested in why he had decided to act like an emotional teenage girl. "Are you seriously sitting in the dark brooding?"

Edward's growl was low but predatory, "Leave me alone, Rosalie."

"Oh dear lord, she broke up with you, didn't she?" Rosalie realized how insensitive this was after she'd said it, but pretended it was exactly the intent she'd intended.

Edward stood and walked to Rosalie, taking her face in his hands, "I said… Get Out!" And he pushed her against the door. Rosalie steadied herself, and raised her arm to smack him. He caught her hand before it collided with his face.

"Let go of me, Edward!" Rosalie protested, her other arm reaching up and being trapped in Edward's grasp as well. The irritated look on her face made Edward laugh and it only made her angrier.

Edward inched close to her face, and then shoved her against the door. "Tell me, how does it feel to finally be the prey in this situation?" His mouth was on top of hers, hissing each word directly into her open mouth.

"I'm serious, Edward! Let.. me.. go!" Rosalie writhed underneath him, her hips hitting his with each pull.

Edward's lips crashed into hers; he waited a few moments and then released her arms to cup her face. Her hands were in his hair, tugging and begging for him to be closer. Their lips were moving silently against each other, their own perfect rhythm.

Suddenly Rosalie shoved him back, his back hitting the doorframe. Her mouth twisted into a smirk as she wiped her lips with her fingers. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Edward was staring at her ravenously, his tongue poking out to lick his lips.

Edward broke his gaze to sit back down on his couch. Rosalie was watching him with curiosity; she sighed heavily and spun around to leave.

"I win." He said. She didn't turn around but she could hear the grin in his words. Rosalie turned her head slightly to the side, one eye on him.

"Did you really?" She left the room, smirking.

Edward, I've been winning all along.