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Alice's PoV
"You know something Alice. You know why Emmett has vanished this morning, don't you. Please tell me, you know I'll only worry otherwise."
I shifted uneasily under Esme's gaze. I didn't want to lie to her but I didn't want to have to betray Emmett's secret. I didn't exactly know where he was anyway; I just had a good idea of the reason for his disappearance.
"Alice," Esme whispered my name again staring at me imploringly. I looked up into her golden brown eyes and my heart sank, I could feel myself giving in. I glanced across at Bella who was watching me curiously. She didn't know the either.
I sighed. "I think he just wants to be alone for a while." I murmured quietly.
Esme looked perplexed. "That doesn't sound like Emmett."
Bella laughed.
"Well, I… uh, he… erm, maybe you should ask Jasper he knows the full story." I stuttered.
"Alice just say it!" Bella said in an exasperated tone, her eyes glittering with amusement.
I shifted in my seat again.
"He, erm, well he… fell in love." I muttered quietly, trailing off at the end. Esme's eyes widened.
But thankfully the sound of Carlisle and Jasper walking towards the room interrupted us before she could begin the inquisition again. I sighed in relief. As soon as they stepped through the door I immediately called out to Jasper.
"Jasper, you tell them about Emmett, I don't want to." I had clearly spoken to fast as Carlisle was staring at me like I had three eyes. Jasper however understood and his eyes flickered from myself to Esme and back again.
"What do you mean, in love?" Esme gasped excitedly, looking from one to the other of us. "With who?"
An uneasy look crossed my husband's face. "That's not why he's gone." Jasper said abruptly as he came to sit beside me. I looked up at him an apologetic look in my eyes. He gave ma a smile and took my hand in his, clearly forgiving me.
"In love with who?" Esme persisted, looking fiercely at her eldest son.
"It doesn't matter." He answered. I could feel Bella and Carlisle's eyes on us too.
I couldn't keep it quiet any longer, the truth was burning itself onto my tongue, I hated secrets.
I took a single deep breath. "Rosalie." I said.
There was a momentary silence. And then Bella laughed.
"You can't be serious." She exclaimed, "Emmett and Rosalie?"
"What's so surprising about that?" asked a deep voice from the doorway.
I jumped at the sound and whipped my head up. There stood a travel-worn but proud Emmett and a pale, tired looking Rosalie in the flesh.
Jasper's PoV
My heart plummeted at the sight of Emmett and Rosalie stood in the entrance to the room. This would be the definition of Emmett having done something stupid. After everything I had said he had carried on regardless and stolen a queen. I was past disbelief. Could I really be angry with him? No, I knew full well that I would have done exactly the same for Alice.
I glanced at Carlisle. He seemed frozen with shock at the sight. Esme however was not. She hurried to her feet and scurried over to the couple. She gripped Rosalie's arm firmly and led her over to a chair.
"You look terrible, my dear, you're as white as a ghost. Sit down here. Eat something, it will make you feel better I promise." She carried on in this vein but I tuned her out.
"Emmett," Carlisle spoke up in a firm voice, "what have you done?"
He did not even feign contriteness. "I have saved Rosalie." He said simply, still with that air of a boy who is proud of his achievement.
"How?" Carlisle persisted, his eyes narrowing warily.
A slight look of unease shadowed across his face here as he responded. "I had to kill the guards." His tone was only a little rueful.
I heard a sharp intake of breath from Bella and looked in time to see Alice flash a look at her before returning her attention to Emmett.
Another thought occurred to me at this point too. "What happened to Lord Edward?" I queried.
Emmett grinned. "Rose killed him, by taking down his horse." He smiled happily at her I noticed she looked green. Bella too looked faint now, more upset than I expected her to be, maybe she grasped what the consequences of this would be better than the others. Better than Emmett clearly.
"You killed Angelian guards, including their best warrior, and then took their queen?" Carlisle repeated, sounding incredulous. I couldn't really blame him.
Emmett was nodding.
"This will mean war." Carlisle said.
Esme whimpered at this pronouncement. "Surely there will be a way to avoid that." She whispered timidly.
Carlisle walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Not with Royce angered the way I think he will be." He said gently.
There was a silence.
"Send her back." Alice's soprano voice was harsh. "Send her back to Port Angeles and then none of us will be in danger. She doesn't care about the lives of the rest of us, why should we protect her at our own risk." She was white with anger and fear.
"Alice!" Emmett bellowed at my wife, his hands balling into fists. "How dare you?!" I glared at him before placing my arm around her shoulders.
"That wouldn't work." I murmured softly, I could feel her shaking. "Royce would still feel insulted and he would still take advantage of the situation to justify war. There isn't a way to avoid it now."
"But you'll be killed," she hissed her eyes filling with tears. I shook my head and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Jasper?" Carlisle called my name quietly. "Could you go begin the first steps for rearmaments? We will have to move fast now to be ready in time." His face was drawn; I knew how much this must be hurting him, being faced with war and all the futile deaths that would bring.
I gave Alice one last squeeze and stood up to leave the room. I glanced back as I reached the door. I saw Bella gripping Alice's arm, her face almost unrecognisable beneath her frightened pallor. Alice herself still looked shaken. Emmett stood still, looking a bit uneasy as if he was finally understanding what he had brought down on us. Carlisle was walking out of the room from a door opposite me. And Esme was still bent over Rosalie, looking tearful herself. Rosalie turned to look at me in that final second before I exited. Her eyes were haunting; they were filled with fear, anguish and an almost desperate, pleading look.
Bella's PoV
My mind was reeling. My heart racing as if I was filled with adrenalin after a life and death chase. Except it wasn't life and death, it was just death. "What happened to Lord Edward?" "Rose killed him"
Rose killed him. Killed. Dead.
Had it been only yesterday when I had liked that woman? Thought highly of her, even? Had it been only yesterday that Edward had proposed to marry me? Promised to return and take me as a wife? Had it been only yesterday that was the happiest day of my life? How could all that die so fast?
It hurt. It hurt me physically. My mind seemed to have shut down, I couldn't hear what was being said around me, but my heart still knew what it had heard. It felt as if my heart had been physically ripped out leaving a gaping, bleeding hole. I couldn't even cry. I wanted to run. To run and run and run and keep running. To scream so loud my throat ripped and everyone knew and appreciated my grief.
How could Edward be dead?
I turned dazedly to my sister. She looked only a little better than I felt. I reached out and took her arm desperately. She barely glanced at me before she swept out of the room. I staggered to my feet and stumbled after her. I needed her. I couldn't cope.
"Alice, wait, please!" I called out, shocking myself when my voice broke. Was I truly falling to pieces so fast?
She spun to stare at me with wild eyes. I drew level with her.
"Alice, he's dead." I choked. "What am I going to do? How can he be dead? How could this happen?" my voice was rising hysterically now but she just stared at me with blank eyes.
"Yes, he's dead." She said it so softly I thought she was talking to herself.
"Alice, I can't bear it, I can't cope, I need…" but she cut me off mid sentence.
"Yes, he's dead!" She said more forcefully this time, "but what do you expect me to do. You've lost your love and it seems I will probably lose mine soon too. I can't help you Bella, leave me alone." And she left, and I was alone too.
A single tear fell. I could fell its solitary progress down my cheek, trickling down to my chin where it hesitated for a second before falling, plunging down to the floor. The hallway was so quiet I heard its tiny splash on the tiles. A tiny drop in an ocean that would be wept not only by me but a whole host of Forksian women. I trembled. My knees shook. They gave way and I fell to the floor. I kept falling until I was lying collapsed on the cool, uncaring floor. And I sobbed. I had never felt so alone or so bereft of hope or optimism.
Reviews…? Go on or I'll cry like I've just made Bella cry (don't forget the poll though)