As majority, meaning ninety-five percent of the town's small population gathered at the location on the main road where the ambulance picked Rosalie up from, Lillian stood tall and dragged herself into the hospital. Because her daughter's vitals were looking much better, Dr. Brandon decided to take Rosalie off of the no visitors list. Following closely behind her was Aro and James, eyeing each other in the most ill-natured and malevolent way possible. Even though it was Friday, almost one week since Rosalie was found; the thick and grey atmosphere surrounding Forks remained.

Locals constantly looked over their shoulders. The residents locked their doors and didn't walk the streets alone. They unintentionally questioned one another, and they couldn't help but point fingers at anyone who so much as spoke ill words about the young Hale. No one was to be trusted, and for a town that was once so close, the newly placed atmosphere in Forks started to feel permanent. It was going to be permanent, at least until the perpetrator was caught.

The phones in the police precinct were constantly ringing off the hooks. Neighbors pointed fingers at neighbors. Co-workers blamed co-workers. Students accused their classmates. The tip lines reported fabricated or fortuitous leads that officers looked into, but none of them lead anywhere. As the days passed from Saturday to Friday, Aro grew antsy. He hardly spoke to anyone and he barely left the house. And on today, Friday, the day of his daughter's vigil, it has been the first day since Monday –when he attacked Royce Jr. - that he's left the house. The fact that he could now see his daughter after four excruciatingly long days was the light at the end of a continuously long tunnel.

Lillian stopped before her daughter's ICU room, and inhaled a deep breath. Her hand reached out for the knob, but her hesitation forced Aro to step forward and open the door himself.
"Aro-"
"Do not speak to me," the growling of his voice shook Lillian. She and her ex-husband had always bickered with one another. It was just the way their relationship worked. It didn't mean they hated each other, it just meant they had two strong personalities and neither wanted to back down. She's been told by him countless of times to not talk to him, but it was usually in his normal tone of banter. Today though, when he said it, she could see the sternness in his face and the rage in his eyes. Aro was dead serious.

Mrs. King felt Aro's shoulder shove pass hers as he entered the hospital room. James momentarily set his hand upon his mother's shoulder before giving it a tender squeeze. He flashed a smile as he released her shoulder, "Let's go see Rosie."
"I'll meet you in there." Before heading into the room, he gave his mother a once over. In response, she provided him with an assuring grin, "I'll be like five minutes." Once the door closed, Lillian raced down the hallway, and pushed open the woman's bathroom door. She stepped into the first stall she saw, and locked it shut. The emotional mother inhaled and exhaled in a rhythmic fashion as she struggled to control her breathing.
"I've been suspended," Elizabeth sighed, walking into the restroom. She pressed the phone against her ear in order to hear her mother's reaction better, "because on Sunday the rape kit went missing under my supervision, and now there's a pending investigation. Look, mom, it's not like I lost it on purpose." Lillian could hear murmurs vibrating through the phone and knew Elizabeth's mom was responding, "This is just great! Mom, I need this job and I'm suspended without pay. Leave it to Rosalie to continuously ruin my life beyond the gra-" Elizabeth's mother shouts echoed through the phone. It made Lillian cringe behind the stall. "Sorry, yes I know she's not dead. And no I'm not coming to her stupid vigil. It's pointless. She's not even awake to know it's happening." Silence took over before the nurse's voice broke it, "I'm sorry mom. I know it's not Christian, but I don't like her. Of course I don't act like this in front of her parents. She's a freaking vegetable; I'm not that mean to deliberately treat her different while she's vulnerable. She's practically a corpse, Dr. Brandon is just too nice and caring to tell Lillian that and besides her father's batshit crazy, and he'll-" Lillian opened the stall door and grimly stepped out. She approached the sink and leaned her weight against it as Elizabeth abruptly ended her phone call.

Elizabeth shoved her cell phone into her pocket as she stared forward. Her eyes scanned Lillian through the mirror and she could tell the frustrated and disheveled mother had heard everything.
"Lillian-"
"Save it," Lillian weakly raised her hand, "You've said enough."
"You heard me wrong?
Mrs. King swallowed furiously, "It's nice to know what you really think. Every time you saw me, you told me you were sorry about what happened to Rose. You said she'll pull through. She's strong. She's this…she's that. She's…I'll cut to the crap, you were just telling me what I wanted to hear, but in reality you thought none of it! Be honest Elizabeth, just this once. Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Elizabeth stepped closer to Lillian.
"Is Dr. Brandon really telling me what I want to hear? Is daughter practically dead?"
"No," Elizabeth shook her head, "Of course not."
"See, I find that hard to believe because that's not what you said a few minutes ago, but you know what forget about it. I KNOW my daughter, BETTER than ALL OF YOU! She'll pull through this. I know she will because she's stubborn like her father, and she won't give up that easy."

Before Elizabeth could cut in another word, Lillian raced out of the restroom. She used the hospital's hand sanitizer and rubbed her hands together before pushing open her daughter's room. Aro stood to the side of Rose, carefully caressing the side of her face. James sat to one side, holding her hand, leaving the other hand unoccupied. The older woman dropped her purse and raced across the room in order to lift her daughter's hand, "I promise you Rosie," she peppered kisses around her daughter's hand, "I promise we will find out who did this to you." She looked up and met Aro's eyes. He slowly nodded his head as she continued, "I swear on my life and the lives of those that I care about…I will bring your attacker to justice."

As the family sat at her bedside, visiting hours slowly reached its end. James had to practically pry Rose's hand from her mother's tight grip. "We're supposed to be heading to the vigil." James reminded, handing his mother her purse. She gave her daughter one last look before following Aro and James out of the room.

The short drive to the vigil area was excruciating. Lillian was already emotional and hearing everyone speak great things of her daughter would only sink her further into a depression. The dark sky surrounded the Forks town on the side road, but the many candles lit helped to illuminate their statures. Every resident of Forks was present and accounted for, except for Dr. Brandon. He needed to stay at the hospital just in case there was an emergency with Rose.

Commissioner Whitlock wrapped up his last sentence which consisted of the public being debriefed on where the investigation stood. So far, there was still no progress. Both he and the mayor thought it was best to withhold the information about the disappearing rape kit from the townspeople. He handed the microphone back to Sue as he stepped back into the crowd.
"Over here!" Jasper waved his arm in the air to get the attention of Rosalie's family.
Aro was the first to approach, "What did we miss?"
"There have been no updates on the case. They're at the same place they were all week," As Alice started to fill them in; she watched Aro's reaction and knew that he was suppressing his inner Hulk, "A fight broke out in the beginning and Jacob and Laurent were escorted off the premises. Apparently, they blamed each other for what happened. Three prayers were given and four scriptures were read. Jasper, Emmett and I spoke and the mayor will be up next."

As mayor of the town, and Rosalie's step-father, it was only right that he spoke. He and Lillian were married for six years, and they've known each other for eight. It was his job as the mayor and as Lillian's husband to assure the public and guarantee justice for Rosalie. As Sue handed him the microphone, he took a step in front of the crowd, "Can I have everyone's attention?" The townspeople silenced themselves and each other, "Thank you. As everyone saw from the fight that broke out earlier, we're all a little tense and antsy. Most people are afraid, but I can guarantee you all that there is nothing to be frightened of. This was an isolated incident; the townspeople have nothing to worry about on that front. However, someone did do this. And because of that, everyone will be questioned and if you are without an alibi during the time of her attack, follow-up questioning will be given." The mayor scanned the large gathering crowd, "Now we're all here for Rosalie. Our purpose in gathering today is to celebrate and remember her. We want her to get better. We want justice for her. We want her family, our family to heal. This is the first step in achieving that. It's been a week and while there have been no breakthroughs in the case the Forks PD are doing everything in their power to catch this guy. I can assure every single one of you that." Once he finished, he handed the microphone to Sue.

Mrs. Sue Clearwater made her way through the crowd, forming an opened semi-circle. She stood in front of Lillian, who looked ghostly pale, the blonde mother took a hold of the mic that Sue extended towards her, "You're right on time." Lillian slowly nodded her head as she brought the mic up to her lips.
"I would first like to thank Sue for getting all of this together. Secondly, I would like to express gratitude and appreciation for everyone that visited Rose and brought things to brighten up her room. And thirdly, I would like to thank every single one of you for coming out, praying and celebrating my daughter. If she knew about this, wow, it would undeniably bring a smile to her face, knowing that all of you care." A weak smile cracked upon Lillian's face, "As most of you know Rosalie has been taken off of the no-visits list, and that's because she's looking much better. Her color came back and her vitals are good." The crowd cheered, "She's still connected to the IVs and the breathing tube is doing most of the work in assisting her breaths, but," Lillian's voice broke, and Esme stepped forward to place a consoling hand against her friend's lower back, "I know my daughter and I know she'll come out of this." Lillian turned towards Esme and wrapped her arms around her as her body released loud sobs she's been withholding for days. Sue carefully took the microphone out of her hands and extended it towards Aro, "I don't think that's a good idea." Lillian quickly pulled out of Esme's arms. Tears still flowing out of her eyes, but she felt strongly about the assertion she just made.

"I want to speak," Aro took the microphone from Sue, "it's my right as her parent." He brings the mic towards his mouth, and sighs, "I'm just going to cut to the chase. There's no point in beating around the bush. We know how you all feel about me. Yeah, I'm an ex-convict. Yes, I served eight years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Yeah, I also just recently finished serving two years on parole. Yes, I am not perfect. BUT, neither are any of you, at least I own up to my imperfections. Someone in this damn town did that to MY seventeen year old daughter, the ex-convict's daughter. Whoever did it is scum, and is definitely stupid." Sue reached to take the mic back, but he wasn't done, "The police are not doing their job. They're buying time! How is it that this is the ONLY case they are working on, yet they have NOTHING to show for it? I am going to find out who did this; I can promise every single one of you who are in the vicinity of my voice that I am going to find this bastard. And when I do," the crowd fell quiet as Aro gripped the mic tighter, "I'll rip out their intestines and strangle them with it. You heard me? I know whoever did this is out there in the crowd and I want them to be scared. I want them to look over their shoulder and fear what I'm going to do to them. You thought my father's death was harsh," he smirked and shook his head, "you haven't seen anything yet." He dropped the mic and walked away.

Aro couldn't stand any of this. He couldn't stay and listen to people talk about his daughter, especially when they didn't truly feel that way. And he definitely couldn't stay knowing that her tormentor was present. Everyone in town was here, except for Dr. Brandon, and apparently Jacob and Laurent. Commissioner Whitlock tapped the nearest officers, "Make sure he goes straight home. We don't want any more trouble tonight." Officers Charlie and Phil nodded and took off in the direction of their police cruisers.

Jasper, Alice and Emmett remained at the vigil to hear the remainder of the speeches. Royce Jr. gave a brief speech, followed by Esme, Joan, and James wrapped up the last words of the night. As the candles were blown out, and the lanterns were lit and released into the sky, one last prayer was read. Temporary traffic ensued since everyone parked along the streets, but after a brief three minutes it cleared out. It was one of the perks in living in a small-town.
"Mom, I'm catching a ride with Jasper." Alice told Joan as her mother pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She nodded, "Okay, be safe out there. Aro's on the loose."
"He won't hurt us," Alice assured her mother, "He just wants the guy who hurt his daughter. Can you blame him?"
"That's not the way to go about it Mary Alice." Her mother reprimanded, crossing her arms furiously, "No one has the authority to go around and make threats. He is not God. He cannot choose who gets to live and die. He does not have the right to play judge, jury and executioner. Regardless of the police's speed in the investigation, Aro does not get to take the law into his own hands!"

Alice took a step away from her mother. In her household, the subject of Rosalie was off-limits because Joan could barely think about the seventeen year old without crying. Alice has never really had the chance to get her mother's opinion on the entire situation. Jasper whispered in her ear that he and Emmett were going to get the car. Alice tilted her head as she stared at her mother questioningly, "This is Rose we're talking about…" Her voice quivered in grief.
"I don't care if it's Santa Claus." Joan took a hold of her daughter's hands, "I'll be home in an hour or two. I'm heading to the church for a late night bible study session." She pressed a kiss against the temple of her daughter's head, "I'm serious Alice. You stay away from Aro. He's trouble. You know I love Rosalie like a daughter, but I'm not against forbidding you from going to the hospital."
She ripped her hands from her mother's grip, "You can't do that! I won't let you."
"You won't have a choice!"

Before the frustrated teenager could retort, Jasper pressed down onto the horn. She gave her mother a once over, as she slowly backed away, "You say Christians aren't supposed to judge. You're just a hypocrite." She hopped into the back seat of the car and leaned back as Jasper drove off, "Where are we going?"
"Let's check up on Aro," Alice suggested, buckling her seat belt, "It's what Rose would have wanted."

Aro sat in the center of the couch, with a brother on each side. Caius set his hand upon his older brother's shoulder. He and Marcus left the vigil a few minutes after Aro stormed off. "Let's look at the bright side," Marcus spoke up, "I think you got your point across. Everyone in the town is probably trembling in their boots. And the guy who hurt Rose is probably trying to do damage control. He's going to freak out and make a mistake." The middle brother pushed his siblings away from him, "Can I please be alone?"
"This is my place," Marcus asserted, but rolled his eyes when Caius nodded his head, "Of course. We'll go pick up some dinner."

The angered father leaned his head back and closed his eyes. His feet were propped onto the coffee table, and his hands covered his face. Flashes of his daughter played through his mind. He was ready for all of this to be over. And the only way that was going to happen was if he solved the crime on his own. Aro groaned immediately when a knock erupted on the front door. His brothers had left almost ten minutes ago, and his request to be alone was short-lived…unless he just didn't answer.
"Aro," he heard Alice's voice call through the door, "It's us. It's me, Jasper and Emmett. We know you're in there."Aro sat up and stared at the door. He made no movement towards it.
"We want to help." Emmett spoke up, jiggling the knob of the door, "We want to help you find out who did this to Rose because the police in this town aren't doing their jobs."
"And how are you going to do that?" Aro shouted through the wooden door.
"The same way you were planning to," Alice answered.
"I think the police are purposefully not trying to solve her case!" Jasper shouted through the barrier. And once the words departed from his mouth, Aro opened the door, "What? You all are willing to help regardless of who it may hurt?" They nodded. Aro grinned and waved for all of them to come inside, "Rose is lucky to have friends like you."

-Tiffany.