AN: Glad you're all still enjoying this, in spite of how difficult the last chapter was. Thank you for reading. I know that updates are sporadic, especially after dark chapters, but I promise that I will see this story through until the end.
TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape & abandonment
Chapter 4:
As Rosalie pulled the car into Charlie's driveway she felt Bella squeeze her hand tightly. She turned to the brunette girl and asked, "What is it Bella?"
"Charlie won't be home for a few days. He's spending time with his new family at the reservation. I... I don't really want to be alone right now."
"Would you like to come back to the house with me?"
"Yes, please. Let me just get some of my stuff from inside."
The vampire watched as the gaunt brunette hurried into the house. She focused her hearing on the girl's strong heart beat, keeping an ear out for trouble. It had been years since she had last seen her, and so much had changed. Beneath all of the trauma, there was an amazing spirit.
She hoped that the human would let her support her through this mess, and be able to put her forced abandonment in the past. Rose arranged her features into a carefully neutral expression as she heard Bella descend the stairs.
Once Bella settled in the car, Rose reached over and clasped their hands together settling them on the console once again. The brunette gently squeezed her hand in thanks. By the time they reached the Cullen manor the human had begun to relax again. As they drove closer to the house however, she stiffened. The vampire could practically smell the panic.
"No one else is here. Don't worry, it's just you and me. I promise."
Bella relaxed almost imperceptibly. "The last time I was here, I got that stupid paper cut. It ruined my life."
"I'm sorry Bella. You have no idea how sorry I really am. We all felt so helpless. Edward, he forced us to comply with his wishes as your rightful mate. He was adamant that the only way to keep you safe was to leave. God, he was so wrong" she practically growled.
"Rosalie, I won't lie to you and tell you that we're okay. That I've forgiven and moved on. Seeing you has brought a lot of stuff back to the present for me. But, you and I weren't particularly close. I don't blame you for Edward, Carslile, Esme, Alice and Emmett's choice."
If the blonde had been able to cry, she would have. In just a few sentences Bella had absolved her of guilt she had been secretly carrying for years. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."
The duo got out of the car. Rose flashed to Bella's side and grabbed her bag, insisting on carrying it inside. The vampire ushered the human into the living room and made sure she was settled on the couch. She sped upstairs and deposited Bella's bag on the floor of her bedroom.
In the blink of an eye she was in the kitchen preparing a sandwich. As she knew it would, the smell of grilling bread and cheese brought the girl into the kitchen. What she didn't expect was the laughter. It was music to her ears.
"Ok, why is it that the great Rosalie Hale suddenly knows how to cook? And why do you have food in the house?"
"Hey! I was human once you know. I did learn to cook so as to be a suitable wife." She quirked a perfectly arched eyebrow at the girl. "And, I had food in the house because I came back here with the hope that you would be eating it."
She plated the grilled cheese and poured some tomato soup into a bowl. Bella smiled and dug in.
Later that night, they had settled on Rosalie's bed. The closeness of their bodies somehow felt right, and they were holding hands again. Being with the historically closed off vampire was more natural that Bella would have thought. Looking at the inhumanly beautiful woman next to her, she wondered how she could have ever classified the blonde as unfeeling. She could see the worry etched onto immortal flesh.
"Can I ask you a few questions Rose?"
"Yes. You can ask me anything. And I will do my best to answer honestly."
"Why isn't Emmett here with you?"
Rosalie sighed with unnecessary breath. "About a year after we left, Em found his true mate."
"What?!" asked Bella incredulously. "But you love each other."
"We do, but we knew that it wasn't a mating bond. The one and only time we tried to consummate our relationship I threw him through a wall. Even though we loved each other, I couldn't let him touch me. If we were mates, I would have felt safe in spite of my past."
"Wow, I'm sorry Rose. Are you alright?"
"I am. But part of the reason I'm here by myself right now is that I couldn't stand being around an entire coven of mated vampires."
"Does that mean Edward found his actual mate?"
"I'm sorry Bella. He did. It turns out Edward was looking in all the wrong places. His mate is a man."
Bella started laughing uncontrollably. Rosalie began to look a little worried, so she tried to pull herself together.
"I'm sorry. It's just, it turns out we were both hiding behind our relationship. I'm glad he's not alone even if I'll never be able to forgive him for leaving me. If it weren't for the shifters Victoria would have killed me. I mean, she was still hell bent on revenge when he left me alone in the fucking forest."
She felt the vampire become unnaturally still next to her. Her grip on Bella strengthened and her chest began to rumble.
"He left you unprotected, in the woods. By yourself!"
"You didn't know?"
"Of course not Bella! He promised us that you were safe. That Charlie was with you and that the shifters would keep an eye on you."
"Well, the shifters did find me and save me. They also managed to kill Victoria before she could become a real threat. Honestly though, if it hadn't been for Jake and Angela I would have died even without Victoria's help. I didn't have a reason to live after you all left."
"God, I'm so sorry Bella. I wanted you to have a life full of choices. But it seems like we took your choices away when we left."
"Rose, it's okay. I got over it. I got over him. I went to college. I finally let myself be myself. I dated a girl. I got a tattoo. I was doing pretty good. Until... you know."
"You got a tattoo? Can I see it?"
Bella smiled and knelt on the bed, pulling her shirt up to expose her ribs. Rose gasped at the intricate design. She had a giant leopard climbing out of her jeans and up to her bra line. It was surrounded by dense jungle. The most amazing part was it's face. It was so detailed that it could have left from the pale skin.
"You don't do anything half way do you?"
"Not really, no" the girl laughed.
"Can I ask you a personal question Bella?"
"You can ask me anything Rose."
"What happened to your girlfriend?"
Bella winced, and the vampire felt guilty immediately. "You don't have to answer that."
"No, I want to answer. Amber, my girlfriend, visited me in the hospital the day after our attack. She was bruised, but otherwise unscathed. I won't bore you with a list of my injuries. Amber told me she was moving home. That she couldn't stay with me after everything that had happened. She was too scared. And that was it. I haven't heard from her since."
"My God Bella, I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that. She should have been there for you."
"Yeah, she should have been. But apparently I wear a sign that screams 'abandon me at the first sign of trouble'. It is what it is. I'm doing my best to move on."
Bella could see how much her words wounded the blond, but she hasn't been able to stop the verbal vomit.
"I'm sorry Rose. Please don't think I blame you for any of this."
"It's alright Bella. I understand the rage that comes along with rape. It's an infection that has no cure, it just has to run it's course."
"But it does? Run it's course I mean."
"Yeah, it does. And after it's gone, you'll have to fill the huge void it leaves with something else. That something else can either elevate you or pull you further in to the darkness."
"What did you fill the void with Rose?"
The vampire turned and looked Bella square in the eyes before answering. "I'm filling it with you."
The human gasped at the sincerity she found in the golden eyes that never left hers. Then she did something completely unexpected. She kissed Rosalie Hale.