*Thank you for the reviews, favs and follows. I'm so excited that other people like this idea!
**As always, I don't have a beta so the mistakes are my own. AND I don't own Twilight.
The next two weeks went by quickly for the vampire. She hadn't made much progress with her mate since the "Rosie" incident, as Alice dubbed it. They would have polite conversation and Bella no longer avoided her presence, but they never made it past exchanging banal pleasantries. She was at a loss as to how to proceed. She didn't want to be too forward and scare her off, but it was becoming painful to be around her and not be with her.
While progress on the mate front seemed glim, her connection with Elliot was growing by leaps and bounds. She tried to limit visits to his classroom to every other day, as she couldn't appear as though she was showing preference for one class over another. But every time she visited he would run to greet her and when she swooped down to pick him up he would always ask her for a "cuddle". She didn't miss the subtle glares that Caitlin would send her way when she engaged with her child, but she didn't pay it any mind. She wanted to be there, no she needed to be there. She was also careful to listen closely to his heartbeat, but as Carlisle predicted, there was no incident.
She decided that one of her favorite things was figuring out what would make the little charmer giggle. It varied from day to day. Some days he wanted to be tickled and other he wanted to be chased. Rosalie loved every moment. She also felt the familiar ache in those moments. She knew that she would not be complete until her mate was alongside her. She wanted nothing more than to be a family together. She just didn't know how long she would have to wait. In the interim she would settle for the cuddles and giggles freely given.
At least she felt content to take it slow until one Friday afternoon when Bella came in to pick up Elliot. Rose greeted her in the usual way and watched longingly while she walked down the hall. When Bella emerged again from the classroom she could hear Caitlin's voice ringing down the hall.
"So what are your plans for this weekend?"
"I was thinking about taking Elliot to the museum. We have been a couple of times and this little guy can't get enough of it." Rosalie could imagine the fond smile that was likely decorating Bella's face.
"I've never been. But I've always wanted to check it out. You can't go unless you have a child with you," Caitlin hinted strongly.
"Oh, um, well you are free to come along if you'd like. That is, if you're available and it is okay with Elliot."
"I am definitely free and I would love to spend some time with you."
Rosalie ground her teeth and destroyed the mouse she had been using moments before. Rose then saw Bella look down at her son, "Hey buddy, would it be okay if Caitlin comes with us to the museum."
"Yea!" The child responded enthusiastically.
"Well then," Bella shrugged, "I guess we will see you tomorrow. We will probably get their around nine."
Rosalie was stricken. Did Bella just agree to a date with Caitlin? She was battling whether she wanted to storm over and break up the pair or if she would rather curl up and sob. A small part of her grudgingly accepted that Caitlin made a move, something that she herself should have done. Caitlin beat her to the punch. Bella turned to leave with Elliot and Caitlin put her hand on her arm to stall her. Rosalie saw red. Jealousy flared inside of the blonde and a possessive rage began to infuse her. No one touches her mate. It was fortunate for Caitlin that she could not see the way Rosalie was glaring, because in that moment her look could definitely kill.
Obviously oblivious to Rosalie's inner turmoil, Caitlin continued, "We should exchange numbers, just in case we have difficulty meeting up."
"Um, sure," Bella turned back and wrote down her information while taking Caitlin's from her.
"Have a great night you two! See you tomorrow!"
Bella and Elliot made their way back to where Rose was situated. Elliot saw her and immediately ran to her. Rosalie's angry haze immediately dissipated and she leaned into the cuddle offered. She turned to Bella while still holding on to Elliot as Bella spoke.
"Okay pumpkin, let's get going. It's pizza night."
The little boy's eyes lit up and he lunged for his mother excitedly saying, "pizza, pizza, pizza."
"Have a good weekend Rosalie. Oh and if you see your mother, tell her I am looking forward to meeting tomorrow evening to go over some design work. And thank you again for your recommendation, she is amazing."
Being near her mate helped normalize the emotions raging through Rose and she was able to stop her murderous thoughts. It was very lucky that Bella and Elliot stopped to talk to Rose, otherwise Caitlin may have been on the wrong side of a vampire brawl. And while Rose was able to reign in the more tumultuous emotions her possessiveness still thrummed under the surface and was evident when she responded, "I will let her know, Isabella. Do be sure to take care this weekend."
Bella blushed at the way Rosalie practically purred her name, and then shook her head slightly. She stuttered out a muffled goodbye and tripped slightly on her way out with her child in tow.
Later on that evening she saw Caitlin leaving with an extra spring in her step. When she saw Rose she smirked and said, "Have a nice weekend Ms. Hale, I know that I will."
Rosalie's eyes darkened and she bit her cheek to prevent herself from snarling at the girl. She could not harm the teacher, but she desperately wanted to lash out and seek vengeance. This woman was trying to win her mate. Her mate. She had to remind herself that while Isabella agreed to the outing she did not seek it out or seem overly enthused by the prospect. It was not a date. It was an outing with an acquaintance. But if she found out that Caitlin tried to progress their acquaintance any further, there would be hell to pay. She repeated her earlier thought in her head, 'it's not a date, it's not a date.' She kept repeating the mantra, but her mind started to focus only on 'date, date, date.' Before she lashed out she composed herself enough to gather her things and sped away in her car. When she arrived on her family's property she took off.
Rosalie raged and hunted for the next day. She could not seem to stop running different scenarios in her head. Sure she knew that Bella was made for her, but that didn't prevent her from dating someone else. Bella may feel the pull slightly, but it didn't consume her the way it did Rose. She did not know if she could withstand the pain of seeing her Isabella in the arms of another. She would have to step up her game and pursue Bella more blatantly. Letting her vampire take over she sprinted off to take her mate only to be stopped by Esme.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Going after my mate," Rosalie stated with a snarl.
"Okay, talk to me. What's going on?" Esme lifted up her hands and looked down, hoping her submissive stance would calm Rose down. It worked and Esme was able to look at Rosalie and prod her to explain further.
"She had a date yesterday." When she saw the sympathy in Esme's eyes she broke down, "I cannot lose her. I don't think I could bear to see her with another. I want her so bad it hurts. I feel like I am being torn in two."
"Was it really a date?"
Rosalie sighed, she knew that she was allowing herself to get worked up. "It wasn't technically a date, at least not from Isabella's perspective. But who knows what happened. Caitlin definitely wants more with her and she is good with Elliot," she added offhandedly.
Then Esme saw Rosalie take in the gravity of the situation. It was almost as if the fight went out of her and the walls were beginning to rebuild. She began to fold in on herself in defeat. Esme knew that the inner demons about this life were starting to set in again. "Maybe it's better this way. Caitlin is human after all."
"Nope, none of that. We have talked about this Rose." Esme gently cupped her hand under Rosalie's chin and waited until their eyes met to continue, "Sweetheart, you are worth this. You deserve to have a mate and you deserve to have a child. Vampirism did not change that. Yes, it is slightly different, but I think it's better. We get to love eternally. We forge bonds that are stronger than any human's. Don't you think that Bella deserves that kind of love?"
Rosalie bit her lip in an uncharacteristic show of vulnerability so Esme pressed on, "Don't you think that Elliot deserves that kind of family?"
That was the key that Rosalie needed to snap out of her depressive spiral. Bella and Elliot deserved an unbreakable love. Humans could not love as strongly or as faithfully. Caitlin could offer right now, but Rose could offer forever. Rose took a breath and smiled at her mother. "Thank you, Esme. You are right."
"Well of course I am. Now let's move to some lighter topics shall we?"
Rose chuckled, "Sure, what would you like to discuss?" She questioned with playfulness.
"Well for starters, I got to meet Elliot yesterday."
Esme went on to discuss her meeting with Bella and the subsequent introduction to Elliot. She practically melted when recounting her meeting with the toddler who had sneakily crept out of his bed to come meet the new visitor. She described how Bella was ever so patient and allowed the toddler to look through some of the colors and furniture for a little while before whisking him back off to bed with promises of sweet dreams. Rose desperately wished she could have been there as well. She wanted nothing more than to help her mate design their home together. She wanted to pretend to be cross with the boy for sneaking out of bed while secretly delighting in his cheekiness. She wanted it all.
Noticing that Rose was about to get caught in another whirl of emotions, Esme went on to discuss the particulars of the house. Bella had built on a lot of land not too far from the Cullen residence. It was surrounded by trees and a small brook and was completely secluded granting the utmost amount of privacy. The house itself was large, but not ostentatious and it had the most breathtaking views.
"I have to say, this house was built for you. She is also my favorite type of client. She has preferences but ultimately trusts my expertise. It will be an exquisite home once we are finished, if I do say so myself."
Rose could picture all of what Esme described and she looked forward to seeing it for herself. She was pulled from her reverie by Esme speaking again, "She is a truly amazing person. I think she is definitely worthy of being your mate."
Rose smiled and knew that her mother was still trying to bolster her sense of self-worth. It was strange to think that within the span of a few hours she went from being in total beast mode and wanting to steal her mate away by force, to not thinking she was worthy, and then back to acceptance of deserving this woman. Esme cocked her head to the side as she observed the myriad emotions cross Rose's face.
Rosalie responded, "I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. I feel as though I have no control. And I struggle with that," she admitted somewhat begrudgingly. She scoffed and pouted.
Esme smiled broadly, "It will get better sweetheart. Now I must be off to prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
"Did I not mention?" Esme looked at her with mock surprise. "I invited Bella and Elliot over to the house today to look through some more samples. I thought it would help her with making the final decisions on a few things."
"Esme!"
"Oh don't give me that tone Rose, I told her that you might be stopping by today as well and she seemed just fine with the prospect. In fact I do believe her heart rate picked up and then of course she blushed. Have you noticed how good she smells? "
Rosalie tried to glare but she just couldn't be mad at this woman and she couldn't hide her smile. "I know she has a particularly wonderful smell," she said wistfully. "Well I guess I should run home and get changed."
"Be sure you shower as well, dear, I don't know if you noticed but you have quite a few twigs in your hair."
Rosalie looked a bit sheepish and she ran toward her home. When they moved to the Seattle area she had opted to have a smaller home separate from the family home. She didn't know why but she just wanted a bit of privacy and some time alone. Now she was grateful. There is no way she would be able to look Bella in the eye if she had to tell her that she still lived with her parents. While covens often lived together as a family, she knew humans frowned upon that sort of thing.
She then took care to shower and remove all the remnants of her earlier 'beastie mode'. She opted for a more casual look and pulled her hair back with a tie and pulled on jeans and an untucked oxford. She grabbed her keys and headed to the local coffee shop. While she had no great love for eating of drinking human food, it did her no harm, other than the lack of flavor. She quickly ordered a few coffees, a hot chocolate, and various pastries. When she received her order she set off to her family home, barely containing her excitement at seeing her mate again.
When she arrived back at the family home she was overwhelmed with the scent of her mate. She inhaled deeply and smiled. She then noticed the silver SUV parked in the drive. She took the opportunity to peek inside of the space. It was organized with a basket of small toys in the back along with a bottle of water in the cup holder. She smiled to herself, it appeared as though her mate was tidy. This thought pleased her and messy individuals tended to grate on her nerves. She also appreciated the make and model, while it wasn't a speedster car that she tended to prefer, it was a safe car with added luxury. Her mate was doing very well for herself, but Rosalie still wanted to spoil her. That was her right as mate after all. With one last parting glance, she swiftly strode into the house was met with the sound of giggles.
She raced to the back porch and was met with a vision. Bella was sitting next to Esme with, one leg gracefully pulled up under herself. She was also dressed casually fitted jeans and a warm sweater. She was bending forward when Rose entered and Rose was able to see just a hint of cleavage that made her purr in delight. Then she looked to Bella's left and saw the source of the giggles, Elliot was being chased around the lawn by her favorite brother.
She smiled at the scene and turned back to Bella and Esme while holding up the procured refreshments. "I brought some coffee and scones."
Bella looked up to greet Rose and blushed briefly before while glancing to the chair adjacent to her own. "Thank you, Rosalie."
Rosalie smirked at the response and gracefully slid into the chair. She leaned into Bella's space and said softly, "I also brought a hot chocolate for Elliot, but I understand if you don't want him to have the extra sugar."
Bella practically swooned at the gesture, "That was very thoughtful, I am sure he will love it. Well that is if he ever stops chasing Emmett." The two women turned and watched the 'children' play before Esme pulled their attention again.
Esme and Bella continued on their earlier conversation about fabric and then moved on to other more structural additions to the house. Rose was planning to simply listen in, but both Bella and Esme pulled her into the fold. Bella on more than one occasion asked her to voice her opinion and Rosalie celebrated internally every time. In the middle of the discussion she heard the patter of tiny and somewhat clumsy feet racing toward her. She pretended not to notice and then feigned shock when she was almost tackled by a rambunctious two year old.
"Rosie!" Elliot exclaimed. "Chase me!"
Then he slid off of the blondes lap and ran back out to the yard. Rosalie turned toward Esme and Bella, "If you will excuse me ladies." And then she took off after the boy. She chased the giggling boy for a while before catching him and throwing him up in the air. If she would have looked back at the porch she would have seen the utterly smitten look on her mate's face. Fortunately for Rose, Esme was ever watchful. Rosalie continued the cycle of chasing and tossing for a little while before coaxing the child back to the porch with the promise of hot chocolate. Emmett pouted as losing his 'buddy' but conceded that he needed to get going home, as Kate was waiting for him.
When Rose and Elliot returned he settled in between Esme and his mother and sipped his treat contently. Rosalie smiled at the scene wishing she could take a picture of the moment, but knowing it would perhaps be too awkward at this juncture. Bella took another sip of her coffee before turning and smiling at the blonde.
"So here is what we have so far. What do you think?"
Rosalie poured over the samples and choices made and looked up, "It will be absolutely wonderful. I love it." Then before she lost her nerve she added, "Perhaps you will allow me to see it when it is complete?"
Bella ducked her head briefly and blushed. At this Esme had to stifle a chuckle. These two were so adorable. Dense, but adorable.
"Of course, I would be happy to have you…any time." She looked a bit startled at the addition to the statement, almost as if she couldn't believe she had said it aloud. She bit her lip and then noticed the toddler who was trying valiantly to stay awake. "I should be getting us home. As you can see, it's nap time." Although she indicated that she needed to leave, Rosalie heard the reluctance in her tone. Rosalie celebrated internally.
"Of course, dear, I will walk you out." Esme stood and gestured for Bella to follow her.
Bella looked to Rose, "It was nice seeing you today. Thank you for your input."
Without thinking Rosalie stood and pulled her into an embrace while responding softly in her ear, "The pleasure was all mine, Isabella."
Bella blushed in response and nodded awkwardly before taking Elliot's hand and following Esme through the house.
"Thank you, Esme. For everything." Rosalie heard Bella state before they reached the front door.
"Of course. And I will be sure to put those orders in today. Your house will be feeling like a home in no time."
Rosalie saw Esme come back out to sit with her. "How are you feeling now?"
A giant grin erupted on the blonde's face, "We are making progress."
"You two look good together. You still have quite a bit to sort through, however."
"What do you mean?"
"We chatted a bit before you arrived, and I brought up her plans with Caitlin. She indicated that it was nice to become friends with Elliot's teacher."
Rosalie gave a haughty smirk.
"Before you get a big head, I asked if there was something more. She seemed torn about being attracted to women. Almost as if she felt guilty and was unsure if she could or should."
"But she does seem to react to me?" Rosalie hedged.
"Oh don't misunderstand me, the girl is totally gay. I just think she has suppressed that part of herself for so long that it is taking her a while to come to terms with it. She did almost marry a man." When Esme saw Rose's disheartened slump she placed a gentle hand on her arm, "Don't worry. You'll get your girl. I have a feeling that you'll have the ability to allow her to be the truest form of herself. Ask her out for lunch or coffee this week. Start having these conversations with her yourself."
Rosalie smirked, "I have a few plans."
"Good, now I must be off. I want to get that order in before the end of the day. And don't worry dear, I will be sure to order a steal-reinforced bed frame," she said with a wink before strutting back into the house.