AN: AH, here we go. The next chapter...though it is later in the week than I normally post. However, life has been busy...

There may not be a post next week, it depends on whether I can get the next chapter corrected or not...unfortunately, I cannot NOT attend real life...(Meaning I HAVE to go to classes AND do all the work that entails...)

Anyways, I hope that you enjoy! Tell me what you think, please...Good Day...=)

The Act of Being Caught

The next morning, Alice stood in front of Esme and took her medicine without a fuss. Honestly, that surprised Esme just a little bit after the night before. She had thought that she was going to have to fight with the young girl to get her to take it.

But, she didn't, and Alice, after showing Esme that she had swallowed it, sat down at the table for breakfast.

Rosalie came in a few moments later and sat in her normal seat and looked at Alice.

"Hey, since, it is like, Saturday, do you wanna come with me to the mall today? Emmett and Jazz are playing some stupid Xbox game, so if Mom doesn't care we can go shopping." Rosalie told her. Both girls looked up at Esme as she walked into the room.

"Mom, can we?" Rosalie asked, almost impatiently.

"I don't know, Rosalie. Have you finished your homework? If you fail this class this summer your father and I are not going to be nearly as lenient as we were this time." Esme replied.

"Mom! I was grounded for like six weeks! How can you do anything worse than that? You took everything away from me! My car, the garage, and Emmett!" Rosalie told her mother hastily.

"I assure you that both your father and I can think of many more ways to punish you for failing that class; especially, if you do so a second time. So, if you do not want to find out what they are, you had best pass the course." Her mother told her.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, but knew better than to say anything else. Her parents did not bode well when they were disrespected, so she attempted to refrain from it, if all possible.

Her mother, however, caught the eye roll.

"Rosalie Lillian, if you want to go anywhere, I suggest you straighten up. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am. Sorry. Can we please go? Alice hasn't been out of the house since she got here! Please, Mom!" The way it sounded, Rosalie was nearly begging. But, unless it involved a punishment, Rosalie did not beg. It was to low on the totem pole for her.

"You may go, under a few stipulations."

"Yes?"

"You may leave here at ten o'clock, and you will be back by at least 5:30. No later. You will not miss dinner. Understood?" Esme told her daughter.

"Yes ma'am! Thanks Mom!" Rosalie said, and jumped up from the table and kissed her mother on the cheek. She turned to Alice and looked at her for a minute.

"What are you waiting on? You only have an hour to get ready! Get a move on it!" Rosalie told her.

Rosalie grabbed her hand and started to run for the steps.

"Walk!" Esme shouted. They slowed down to a brisk walk that was very nearly a run (Esme sighed a deep sigh, and knew that there was really no point in saying anything else since they were practically in their rooms now anyways), and were up the stairs in minutes.

About thirty minutes later Esme walked to the second floor and into Alice's room. Alice was in her closet trying to decide what to wear to the mall, but she was not making much progress.

"Alice, honey…"

Alice turned around and looked at Esme. She knew what this was about. She had known it was coming eventually the minute that she and Rosalie had been given permission to go shopping.

"Esme, I promise I will take it after lunch! You can even give it to Rosalie and she can watch me take it! I will…" Alice said.

Ahhh, Esme thought, so when the little dear wants something she will do what we have asked: with no hesitation. Esme knew at the moment that she had another sneaky little angelic brat on her hands. Ha, she might as well jump on the band wagon. Esme knew exactly how to deal with her sometimes devious children.

And, she loved every minute of it.

"Thank you, Alice. I appreciate that. I am going to give you your pills though. I am, however, going to ask Rosalie to help remind you to take them after lunch. I am going to trust you. Carlisle and I will know if you do not take them, so please to not break that trust. Okay, Dear?" Esme asked her.

"I promise. I really want to go with Rosalie."

"And you may. Go ahead and get ready, and I will give your medication to you right before you leave." Esme said, and then walked towards the door.

"Esme?" Alice asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Thanks." Alice whispered.

This caused Esme to smile softly.

"You are welcome."


In Rosalie's car, a red 2009 M3 BMW convertible that she had gotten on her birthday, Rosalie turned and looked at Alice who was sitting quietly in the passenger seat.

"Okay, here is the deal, we are going shopping, but we have to go see Daddy first." Rosalie told her.

"Okay. But… why?" Alice asked Rosalie.

"Well, Mom wouldn't give me any money since she gave me my allowance, um, like two days ago. So, we are going to ask Daddy for his credit card. No worries. It is all good." Rosalie said then sped off for the hospital.

Within fifteen minutes both girls were in the hospital, waiting in Carlisle's office.

This office, much to Alice's surprise, was a lot like his office at home.

She was busy scoping out every little detail when the door behind her opened and closed.

"Hey girls. What are you two up too?" Carlisle asked, wrapping one of his arms around Rosalie to pull her close and then kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy, Mama said that we could go shopping, so can I borrow your credit card? Pretty please, Daddy?" Rosalie said, her eyes pleading, her lips pouting.

"Of course you can, sweetheart. Here you go. Please limit yourself though, dear." Carlisle told her, handing his card to her.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Rosalie said, kissing her father's cheek, then grabbing Alice's hand and pulling her out of the office.

"Bye, Daddy!"

Alice had no idea what had just happened. All she knew was that Rosalie was good…very good…at getting what she wanted.


By the end of their shopping trip, after a decent lunch and with nine shopping bags between them, both girls were exhausted but happy.

All of that changed, however, when Esme walked on the porch, tapping her foot with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh shit." Rosalie said, her hands still on the steering wheel, her eyes towards her mother.

"What?" Alice asked, suddenly frightened from the situation that she currently found herself in.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Rosalie hit the steering wheel with both of her hands.

"Rosalie Lillian Cullen, get in this house. Now!" Esme said with a deadly calm tone.

Alice was lost. She had no idea what was going on.

"Rosalie! What the hell is going on?" Alice yelled, finally pulling Rosalie out of her stupor.

Rosalie turned and looked at Alice.

"I think that Mom found out that I went and asked Dad for his credit card."

"Why is that such a big deal?"

"Because, Mom forbid me from asking Dad for it. She told me that she just gave me my allowance and there was no reason that I would have spent it in two days. Which, technically, was true, but I had to spend it. I didn't have a choice." Rosalie mumbled, her eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears.

"Well, aren't you the one that told me when your Mom gets like this, that you had better go when she tells you too? I think that you better go!" Alice said, never taking her eyes off of Rosalie, but desperately wanting to shoot a glance at Esme to see if she was still there or not.

Yea, you are right." Rosalie said, getting out of the car, smartly leaving her shopping bags in the backseat.

Rosalie walked very slowly towards her mother, full of dread.

There was no way that she could tell her Mom why she didn't have any money. No way at all.

"Go to your room. I promise, young lady, I am right behind you as soon as Alice comes in this house." Esme said, a deadly glare fixed on her sixteen year old daughter.

Rosalie, being Rosalie, decided that that was a good time to question her mother.

"What have I done?" Rosalie asked, her voice hitching over the words because of the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Besides the fact that you went behind my back to get your father's credit card? Go to your room, and I assure you, Rosalie Lillian Cullen, you and I will talk. Now, I suggest you get up those stairs, now." Esme said.

Rosalie inched past her mother, fully expecting a smack in passing, but one did not come. She sighed a sigh of relief and went towards the stairs.

Alice, on the other hand, was watching Esme with dismay, not really knowing what to do as she got out of the car, also leaving the shopping bags in the back seat.

Esme looked at the girl and sighed.

"Alice, sweetie, I am not angry at you. I apologize for losing my temper like that. Would you please come into the house?" Esme said, holding the door open.

Alice looked at her with confusion.

Esme sighed again. She had probably just given the young girl reason not to trust her. She hoped it was the opposite.

"Alice, sweetheart, what are you feeling? Are you scared? Nervous? Apprehensive?"

Alice looked at her contentedly, from the top of her head to her shoes. In a way, it was nerve wracking for Esme. She felt like she was under investigation or something. But, she never moved, knowing that with skittish children it was often better to remain as still as possible when they were sizing you up…or, in Alice's case, deciding whether you were going to harm them or not. Because, like it or not, Esme had a feeling that that was what Alice was doing.

This time, Alice sighed.

"I am not afraid of you. I know that you are not going to hurt me. Apprehensive? A bit. But that is because of my nature. I am full of unused energy," Alice looked at the pointed look Esme was giving her, "whether I take my medicine or not. I know that you do what you believe you must." Alice said.

Esme really didn't know what to think about that, but did know that she really needed to go talk to her daughter.

"Alice, would you mind…"

"Don't worry, I like playing with Bella." Alice said, and then walked past Esme and towards the living room where Bella was currently watching television.

Esme was astounded by the young girl. She always seemed to know what others were thinking or fixing to do. Oddly, her perception was much like young Edward's, who, in turn, had internally decided to dislike the girl.

Oh well, Esme thought, she really had to go and talk to Rosalie before Carlisle got home, which would be any minute.

Rosalie walked up the stairs after listening to her mother talk to Alice and then send her to play with Bella. She wanted to get to her room before her mother realized that she had disobeyed her.

Rosalie walked to her room and opened the door.

Then, after taking a step into her room, she froze.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no. This can't be happening." Rosalie said quietly to herself, staring at her bed.

She noticed several things. One was that her room was clean. Esme must have decided to clean it while she and Alice were at the mall.

The second thing that she noticed was that her sheets and bedding had all been changed. And that was what Rosalie knew had been her downfall.

It would be the reason for the offending objects on her bed; the ones that she would be unable to erase from her mother's memory no matter how hard she tried.

They were the objects she had spent her allowance on, and the ones that would cause her death.

"Rosalie Lillian Cullen, do you want to explain to me why on earth you had five pregnancy tests hidden under your bed?" Esme asked her daughter as soon as she saw her frozen, staring at her bed.

" Ummm…." Rosalie couldn't thing. Her mind was full, her heart was pounding, and tears were fixing to fall down her cheeks.

Rosalie knew that no matter what, now was a time to cry. She cried so little, maybe her mother would take leniency on her.

"Rosalie, why do you have those pregnancy tests?" Esme asked, this time a little softer than before, seeing how distraught her daughter was.

"What?" Came a voice from the doorway.

Esme and Rosalie both turned around and looked.

Carlisle.

He looked surprised.

Angry.

Disappointed.

Determined.

He immediately turned around and headed back towards the stairs.

Esme followed him, and Rosalie walked timidly out of her room so that she could hear.

"Carlisle, where are you going?" Esme asked her now determined husband.

"To find Emmett!" Carlisle said, much louder than his normal tone, grabbing his car keys and heading out the front door.

And that was when Rosalie Lillian Cullen finally burst into tears.