As the plane began its descend, the young woman glanced out of the window at the lights cutting through the darkness below. What had she been thinking to agree to this? It would never work. Bowing her head, she groaned softly to herself.
Alerted to her apparent discomfort, her travel companion reached out to take her hand, but she quickly drew away.
"Esme?"
"This isn't a good idea," she said while beginning to fidget in her seat. "You should have gone alone. There's a chance she may have listened to you, but she's not going to want to see me."
"You're the one she needs to talk with. Not me. You know I'll support you, Esme, but to resolve this issue, you and Rose need to talk things out."
"What if I make things worse? I could easily say something wrong that will push her even further away."
"You won't," Carlisle assured her while finally capturing her hand and giving it a supportive squeeze. "You're her mother and you love her. That's what Rose needs to be reminded of. I don't know why she acted the way she did, but I believe that something else had to have been bothering her. Something earlier in the day must have happened to sour her mood. Our princess had no right taking her anger out on you. She knows that, and I wouldn't be surprised that her running away is because she's upset with herself for having hurt you. For all of her independence, she fears rejection from the people she loves. Right now, our daughter needs to know that you won't turn your back on her, even when she tries to turn hers on you."
"I would never do anything like that."
"I know, love. There is no love greater than a mother's, but at times Rosalie's behavior can test the patience of a saint. She went too far this time and was rewarded by a reaction she didn't expect. Now she's not sure exactly where she stands."
Esme nodded then lowered her head while misery show in her expression.
"My mood wasn't stellar either. Not after the day I had. My nerves were already frayed, but that's no excuse."
Ducking, Carlisle caught her eye.
"It's a reason, not an excuse. That's something else Rose needs to understand. Everyone has bad days. Our glamour queen isn't the only one who suffers from that unfortunate fact of life. There will be times when our frustration or disappointment gets the better of us. If that causes us to lash out inappropriately, all we can do is apologize to those we've unintentionally hurt. Apologize, atone whenever possible, and learn from the experience so we can better handle life's difficulties in the future. That's the best we can do."
The patriarch gently grazed the back of his knuckles along his mate's cheek causing her to lift her head and focus more fully on him.
"We're not coming here to drag Rose back home against her will. This is simply giving you an opportunity to apologize and obtain some closure. I'm hoping your example will inspire our daughter to do the same."
"She doesn't owe me an apology."
The doctor's raised a brow as he ponder for a moment before he shook his head.
"Sweetheart, our Rose has been very blatantly disrespectful. Had I witnessed that scene unfold, I can almost guarantee that a certain young lady would be extremely cross with me as she nursed a sore backside on her flight to Denali. In fact, depending on her current state of mind, I can't say that outcome is completely out of the question. "
"No, Carlisle. Promise me that you won't."
"I can't make that promise."
"You said that you thought there was more going on that caused her outburst. You can't punish her for letting her frustration get the best of her."
A half smile lightened Carlisle's expression before he shook his head at his anxious mate.
"Throwing my own words back at me?"
"They're true, aren't they?"
Propping his elbow on the shared armrest, the elder supported his chin in his cupped palm as he gazed at his wife.
"They are indeed true, Esme, but you've conveniently left out the idea of atonement for poor behavior. You know atonement benefits the offender even more than the offended. "
"Then I should have to atone as well."
The stubborn set of his wife's jaw was enough proof that this was a battle the doctor could not win, but it didn't stop him from trying.
"You're the parent. You were within your right to correct our daughter as..."
A violent toss of Esme's head stop the patriarch in his tracks.
"What I did was wrong, and you know it. As her mother, I may have a right to discipline my child, but what did I teach her, Carlisle? To fear me? That I'm unreasonable? That she has to run away to protect herself from me? Loving discipline. Guidance. That's my responsibility to my children, and that isn't at all what Rose received at my hand."
Jolting slightly as the plane touched down, the physician continued to stare at Esme. Finally he let go of an exhausted sigh.
"Then maybe you do need to atone. How are you planning to do that?"
Esme gazed into his honey amber eyes for a brief moment before turning to look out the window.
"I don't know," she sadly admitted while watching the runway lights march by as the plane gradually slowed and taxied towards the terminal.
Silently, the patriarch groaned to himself. He could read his wife as well as any of the children. He knew where her mind was, and he wasn't ready to entertain the idea. While she may not have been in the correct state of mind when she reacted, her actions weren't unreasonable, but how to convince Esme of that fact, he didn't know.
Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes and relaxed while the humans began to shift around, collecting their bags and other belongings in preparation to disembark.
"Let's take this one step at a time," he stated in a volume that was nearly lost among the rising ruckus. Inhaling deeply, Carlisle turned back to his wife and was struck by the pain that deadened her normally bright eyes. If she pushed the matter, this was going to be incredibly hard on him and there was nothing he could do about it.
Swallowing back the lump that was forming in his throat, he spoke again in a voice that allowed no room for challenge.
"We're going to visit our extended family and attempt to reason with our little girl. Hopefully she's had enough time to think the event over and make some adjustments to her attitude."
"Carlisle, please."
He raised a hand to silence his wife.
"Barring outright disrespect, I won't be playing the part of disciplinarian during our stay with Tanya's family. I still strongly feel that Rose deserves to be corrected, regardless of the reasons behind her outburst, but I'm willing to leave that decision up to you. I'll simply act as mediator unless further involvement is require. Is that agreeable?"
Esme nodded.
"Excellent. Then let's not keep Kate waiting in the parking garage any longer. I'm sure she's anxious to get back home."
"She probably anxious to watch the fireworks that ignite when Rose sees me," the matriarch muttered as she eased herself into the aisle while her mate grabbed their bags from the overhead bin.
"Nonsense. Knowing Rose, she'll be on her best behavior. She would never embarrass us or herself in front of others. That's just not the way she is."
"I can't believe you didn't say anything about this," Rose snarled at the Spaniard sitting quietly near the fire. "You pretend to be our friend, and then stab us in the back."
"I am your friend, but is not my place to come between padres e hija."
"Tanya!" The blond hellcat raised her voice further as she turned towards the Denali coven leader. "Put them out. Tell them that they're not welcome. Emmett and I were here first. I don't want them here. Eleazar can have his company tomorrow after we're gone."
"Rosalie, you know I can't do that. Carlisle and Esme have as much right to be here as you do."
"Then we'll go. Come on, Em."
"Rosie, our plane doesn't leave..."
"I don't care! I won't spend another moment in this house."
"Rosalie Lillian," Carlisle softly called while stepping forward. "That's quite enough. I called Eleazar to inform him that I was on my way and specifically asked that he not say anything. Neither he nor anyone else in this home is responsible for your mother and I being here."
"Then how did you find us?" the angry teen challenged.
"Alice," was the elder's succinct answer.
"That can't be. I've been ..." Rose stopped and gazed over at her hulking husband. As her dark brown eyes searched his face, Emmett glanced away. "Emmett, how could you?"
Lowering his head slightly, the youth reached up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn't want to go to Germany. The bear hunting sounds great and all, but I already miss home," he admitted with a shrug before looking up at his mate. "And I know you don't really want to go either. This is our family. It's where we belong."
"I don't have any other choice," Rosalie softly growled. "I won't allow myself to be bullied and abused. I thought you understood."
The look of betrayal in her eyes caused Emmett's heart to ache, but after swallowing hard, he steadied his voice.
"I do understand, but I know Momma would never do those things, and you know that, too. You just don't want to admit it."
"You know what she did."
"Rosie..."
"Rose," Esme said, speaking up for the first time. "You have every right to be furious with me. I was wrong, but please give me a chance to explain."
"I don't want to hear your excuses," the blond stated as she turned her back on her mother. "I'm don't even want to hear your voice. You're dead to me."
"Rosalie."
Carlisle's tone of voice, while hardly a whisper, caused his rebellious daughter's venom to run cold. That tone said that she had stepped over some invisible line that marked the boundary of his patience.
"Apologize."
She knew that she should, but the hurt that she felt was still too raw. In her heart, Rose knew that she was being unreasonable. She knew that Esme never meant to hurt her, but the fact remained that she had. The one person she trusted more than anyone else, even more than her beloved husband, had, unwittingly or not, betrayed her.
"Rosalie Lillian Cullen, I'm not asking you. I am telling you to apologize to your mother."
"No."
The young woman's voice cracked, but she refused to yield.
"Kitten, I know that you don't want me to embarrass you in front of your cousins," the patriarch quietly growled as he caught his daughter by the upper arm. "Do as you're told."
Closing her eyes tightly, Rose shook her head.
"Very well. You leave me no choice."
"Carlisle, don't," Esme pleaded as she touched his shoulder. "Has she been through enough? Haven't we all? You said that you would leave this up to me."
"Carlisle," Tanya injected. "Perhaps a bit of privacy would help. We had a guest cottage built down by the lake since the last time you were here. It's yours if you would like."
"We'd appreciate that," the doctor replied with a nod.
"Come," Eleazar said as he extracted himself from his chair. "I'll show you the way. A walk will do us all a bit of good, no? Clear the head."
The little group followed the rocky path towards the lake. Eleazar lead the way with Emmett and Rose at his side while Carlisle and Esme hung slightly back, speaking softly between themselves.
"This isn't right," Rose groused and she walked with her proud head lowered and hands buried in the pockets of her jacket.
"What isn't?" her host inquired.
"I'm an adult. I have a right to come and go as I please. If I want to take a trip, I should be able to without having to explain myself to anyone."
"I see," was the tall, dark haired man's noncommittal response.
"What? Do you think I'm wrong?" the blond demanded.
"Not at all. You are indeed an adult who can make her own decisions," he answered with a nod. "But I would ask, do you feel that you've behaved as an adult would?"
"Nope," Emmett chimed in, earning himself a cold glare from his wife. "Aww, come on, Rosie. You know I'm right. You've never been one to run away, but this time you did. Seems like a kiddie kind of move."
"Em, I want you to notice that Carlisle is supporting Esme. You know, like you're suppose to support me."
The bruin draped an arm over her shoulder.
"I do, babe, in everything that's right. But you know you don't want me to just give you lip service. You've always said that if I thought you said or did something wrong, that it was okay to mention it."
"I've changed my mind," she snapped with a huff as she tightly crossed her arms over her chest.
Eleazar smiled at the teens.
"It's never easy to admit a wrong," he observed.
"I wasn't wrong," Rose clarified.
"As you say," the man replied with a shrug.
"I wasn't."
As the quaint cabin came into view, the Spaniard turned his attention fully on Emmett.
"I saw a huge old boar bear just the other day. Perhaps you would be interested in learning his whereabouts while the parents discuss with your lovely wife."
The bruin's face lit up for a second before he shook his head.
"I'll take a pass this time. I need to be here for my babe."
It was Rosalie's turn to shake her head while placing her hand lightly on Emmett's arm.
"I'll be okay. You go, have some fun, and forget about things for awhile. We both know how this is going to play out, and you don't want to be here for that. Go with Eleazar."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," she said before slipping back behind her protective facade of anger.
"Carlisle, why don't you join us?" Eleazar suggested to his friend. "Unless I've mistaken, you haven't fed recently. It would be unwise to go into a stressful situation if your control is at all less than ideal."
"Carlisle?" Esme called as she glanced up and noticed his slightly haggard appearance for the first time. His eyes were a shade darker and there were very subtle signs of strain among his calm handsome features.
"I'm fine, love," he stated with a reassuring smile.
"No, you aren't. When was the last time you fed?"
"Not so long ago."
"You promised me."
"I've kept to my schedule. Perhaps I've had a smaller than normal prey item or two, but I assure you, I've fed well enough."
"I can see that's not true. I can't believe I was too blind to notice before," Esme said with a shake of her head. "You're going to go with the boys."
"I'm staying with you," he answered in a decisive tone. "I said I would mediate, and that's what I intend to do."
"I don't need a mediator. Rose and I can work this out on our own. You go out there and have a good hunt. We'll be here when you get back."
The patriarch was still as stone as he weighed his wife's words. He knew she was capable of handling their daughter, but he was also too well aware that her early heartache still lingered. One wrong word. One snide comment from his fully clawed and fanged kitten was all it would take to send Esme back into that downward spiral that he had only recently pulled her out of.
"Go, Carlisle," his stubborn mate said as she nudged him towards Eleazar and Emmett. "Please. Do it for me."
Her dark topaz eyes spoke to him more clearly than her words. They pleaded for him to trust her. They told him that she needed to do this on her own. Esme needed to find her own way of repairing her relationship with Rosalie. Only once that was accomplished, would she be able to begin the process of forgiving herself.
"Come, amigo. The women know how best to reason with each other. You'll only be in the way," the Spaniard insisted.
Ignoring his friend, the patriarch took his wife's hands in his and gazed lovingly into her eyes.
"Are you sure about this? You understand that certain behaviors can't be tolerated, regardless. Are you prepared to deal with that should the need arise?" he asked with a raised brow and faint tilt of his head.
"Cart before the horse, Carlisle. Rose and I are going to talk about what happened and why it occurred. I'm sure there was a reason for her acting out."
"And should that reason not be acceptable?"
Esme shifted her gaze from her husband's and exhaled softly.
"I'll do whatever is in the best interest of our daughter."
"No matter how difficult that is."
"No matter how difficult that is," Esme agreed with a reluctant nod that caused Carlisle to sigh.
"I don't like this. I don't like putting you in this position all alone."
"I was alone when it all began, Carlisle. You said it was me who needed to reason with Rose, and I agree. I started it, and it's up to me to finish."
After a moment's consideration, the elder nodded.
"If that's what you want," he softly said.
"I want to reverse time so that none of this ever happened, but since I can't have that," the matriarch answered with a light smile.
Leaning in, the doctor kissed his wife's cheek before whispering in her ear, "If you need me, call. And don't you dare allow our child to shift the blame on you. Understand?"
"We'll be fine. Seriously."
Inhaling deeply, he drew back and fixed his now onyx gaze on his daughter. The stubborn set of her jaw and defiant look in her eyes gave him pause. At his moment, there wasn't an ounce of remorse in his kitten. He was about to leave his mate with her hands full of hellcat, a thought that caused his instincts to roar.
"Rosalie Lilian," he called in a tone of firm command. "Mind your mother or you'll answer to me."
With a huff, the young woman crossed her arms and shrugged off her father's warning with a dismissive eye roll.
Her insolence caused a low growl to rubble in his chest, but before Carlisle could rebuke her further Emmett chimed in.
"Rosie, please don't make it harder on yourself. And if you don't care about that, how about not making it harder on me? You know Pops will kick my ass if I interfere, but I won't be able to just stand here, especially since I'm responsible."
Glancing down, the hulking boy nervously dragged a hand through his hair before his eyes flicked back to his wife's.
"Maybe you were right about going away. Maybe we still need a break from everybody, but all I wanted was for us all to be together and happy as family. I'm sorry, babe. I really thought that deep down you would want the same thing. Looks like I screwed up again."
It took several seconds, but the patriarch noticed a faint thawing in his daughter's frosty exterior. Her mate's words had reach her in a manner that no threat from him ever could. He watched her struggle to maintain an air of indifference and suddenly knew that everything would be alright.
"Come on, Em," Carlisle quietly said while placing a comforting hand on the boy's massive shoulder. "This has already been harder on you than it should have. Let's go find that bear and give the girls their privacy."
The bruin searched his wife's face and exhaled softly when she grace him with a brief smile.
"Both of you, come," the Spaniard declared. "If we keep the beast waiting any longer, he may hibernate before we get there."
"It's March. He just woke up," the boy replied with a puzzled look.
"Yes, but Christmas approaches quicker than Cullens," Eleazar said as he clapped a hand on each of the younger men's shoulders. "Thank the Father your women are wise because nothing would get done if they had to wait on you."
Carlisle shoved his old friend into his son and a playful wrestling match ensued. Momentarily freed of their burden of worry, the men started off towards the distant mountains, but as Emmett and their host disappeared, the family patriarch turned to glance over his girls.
"I'm serious, Rose."
"Carlisle, we'll be alright. Go catch up. They'll be missing you."
At his wife's reassurance, the elder darted away.
The silence that fell in the wake of her husband's departure made Esme oddly uneasy. She had been strong for him, but now, on her own, she didn't even know how to begin.
Looking at the quaint little cabin, she took a breath to settle her jittery nerves.
"Let's go inside, Rose."
"I don't want to. You can say anything you want to say to me right here. And if you're going to beat me..."
"Rosalie," Esme called in a tone of rebuke as her brow furrowed. "You know that neither your father nor I would ever allow you or your siblings to be abuse, and we certainly wouldn't do something like that ourselves."
"You slapped me," she snapped while winding her arms more tightly around herself in a comforting jester.
"I did," Esme admitted. "And I'm sorry. That should have never happened. I can't take it back, Rose, but I can promise it won't happen again."
The blond snorted in disbelief.
"Darling," Esme cooed gently as she reached out to touch her daughter, only to have her pull away.
Sighing silently, the matriarch swallowed the pain that bubbled up from the rejection and slipped her hand into her pocket.
"Since you prefer to stand outside, let's get to the point," Esme said in her best authoritative voice. "I'd like to know why you behaved so atrociously."
"Why did you?" Rosalie countered.
Suppressing the twinge of annoyance brought on by the girl's evasiveness, Esme cleared her throat then answered.
"I had quite a number of things go wrong during the day that had me rattled. I was looking forward to unwinding with my loved ones, and was thrilled when you and Jasper came in. I wasn't prepared for the quarrel. You took me by surprise, honey. I wasn't able to help resolve the trouble, and Jasper's anger was feeding my frustrations from the day. The indifference you showed after destroying my work... Honestly, sweetheart, that was more than I could bear at the moment, and I reacted before I had a chance to think."
Reliving the hellish event burdened the matriarch's heart with guilt. Carlisle had nearly convinced her that she had done no wrong, but giving voice to her actions illuminated the evidence against her once more.
"I shouldn't have allowed my earlier problems to have an affect on what was going on at that moment, but I couldn't stop it. Under different circumstances, I would never have put my hands on you. It was a moment of weakness. Can you ever forgive me?"
The blond's jaw tightened as she struggled to maintain the righteous fury she had so carefully crafted towards the broken woman standing in front of her. She continually reminded herself of all of the emotional pain that slap had drudged up. She had sworn that she would never allow anyone to hurt her, and that was exactly what Esme had done. It wasn't the physical pain. That had been minor. No, it was the crippling feeling of having been betrayed. She had trusted this woman to fill the void that her own mother had never fully filled. Esme had played the part so well for so long, that Rose had dropped her guard and how was she repaid? Through kindness and understanding? Through being struck in a way that her human parents would have never dared to do.
"I don't think so," Rose clearly stated. "I expected better from you. Apparently, I expected too much."
Tears pricked the corners of Esme's coal black eyes, but she bravely blinked them away. Her daughter's words worried her wounded spirit, but no more so than she felt she deserved.
Swallowing hard, she took a breath and nodded.
"I hope you'll give me another chance to live up to those expectations."
Rosalie shrugged.
Forcing herself to ignore the pain in her chest, the matriarch cleared her throat.
"You still haven't answered my question. What caused your outburst? Help me understand, Rose. I was forthcoming with you. Now it's your turn."
The girl shrugged again.
"Bad day, and then Jasper decided to be an ass. You just got in the way."
"That must have been some terrible day at school."
Rosalie glanced away and shifted uncomfortably.
"I didn't go to school."
When Esme didn't respond to the admission, the youth spoke again.
"I haven't attended the last two days. I was suspended."
"You siblings knew this?"
The blond softly huffed, than nodded as she hugged herself tighter.
"Why were you suspended?"
"Because I wouldn't entertain Mr. Clark's advances."
The matriarch's brow furrowed as she tipped her head looking for clarification.
"He held me back after class, and one thing led to another which ended with my knee making contact with his groin," she said with a groan. "I was sent home for assaulting a member of the faculty. I can't return until I apologize to the lech, and that's not going to happen."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because I didn't want Carlisle going up there. I'm an adult. I should be able to fight my own battles."
"Sweetheart, I know you're more than capable of standing up for yourself, but in circumstances like this, we are expected to step in."
"I didn't want anyone else involved. It's bad enough that Edward and Jasper have had their hands full keeping Emmett from ripping Clark's head off." Rose met her mother's worried eyes. "That was the root of the argument between me and Jasper. He kept harping on me to say something to you and I didn't want to. I told him that he was just tired of babysitting Em. ... Then I messed up his bike on purpose because he ticked me off."
"Rosalie."
"I didn't mean to destroy your blueprint," she bluntly offered while firmly holding her mother's eyes. "I was angry with all of it. I've put up with Clark's advances all year without saying anything because I didn't want Em going off half cocked. Once it escalated ... I shouldn't have stayed in that room by myself. I was stupid. This is all my fault."
"Shh." Brushing her daughter's hair out of her face, Esme gazed into her eyes as she shook her head. "This is not your fault. Not at all. The teacher is to blame. Not you."
"I thought I could fix it if I left the country and Clark behind." Tears glazed the teens eyes. "I would have eventually sent word, but I just needed to get away."
"Baby, running away is never the answer," the matriarch said as she wrapped the girl in her arms and was pleasantly surprised to find her embraced returned. "We all come up against situations that would be easier with a little help. There's nothing wrong with asking for it. We're a family and that's what family members do for one another."
In a rare show of emotion, Rosalie silently wept against her mother's shoulder as the burden that she had been shouldering for months was swept away.
AN: Sorry for the loong delay. This has been sitting on the computer, but I was having Rose issues. Not surprising really. So, have I gotten her off the hook? I'm sure you all know that Esme is going to be feeling even worse about slapping her after all she's been through. Tsk. Mom is upset with herself for not being a mind reader. Whatever shall we do?
Alright. Sorry about the mistakes. I hope to be able to fix them, but I'm having internet issues right now. Stupid thing keeps kicking me off, so I'm trying to post while I have a chance.
Let me know where y'all want me to go, and thanks for still hanging in there with me. You guys rock.