A/N: Chapter 11 has arrived! Go me! However, I really need to thank all of you who gave a whole bunch of support. Really, you guys are the greatest! Plus, you then made me feel guilty, amazing what guilt does for writer's block! lol Please, read, hope you like it.
P.S.
Rosalie is a little OCC. Plus; I decided to change Jon/Noah's powers. Jon has water, earth and weather. Noah had air, fire and teleportation.
Disclaimer: 2, 4, 6, 8! I don't own Twilight, mate! (I know it's British! I needed a rhyming word!)
What Happened to Forever?
Chapter 11: You Make Her Forever Empty
Rosalie's POV
"I can't believe I'm about to do this." I muttered as I sped down the winding drive. Banking one last turn, I screeched to a halt.
As I approached the door, my mind started screaming, like I knew it would.
'Go back! Run, now!' It screamed relentlessly. It was too late for that though, because I had just knocked on the door.
I hardly had enough time to bring my hand back before it was thrown open. A blonde stood there, not quite as pretty as me, but still decent looking.
"Hi, I'm-"
"Rosalie Cullen." She finished. I stared at her for a moment, and she stared back.
"Yes, how do you…"
"Bella has told me all about you." She replied, strongly emphasizing all.
"Well, since you know me, who are you?" I snapped.
"Maybe if you ask a little nicer-"
"Bridget!"
Another girl stood at the foot of the stairs. She was brunette and appeared around twenty.
"Brian almost broke down my door! Please, at least try and act like you're seventy and keep you emotions under control!"
"Umm, hello? Still here!" I reminded them, waving my hand in the air.
"Yes, we're quite aware you're there." A voice replied. I jumped.
"Good, Jon, you're here! Please, could you deal with Miss Cullen while I take care of Bridget?" The brunette spoke to a man with midnight black hair.
"Of course." He replied, flashing her a dazzling smile. The brunette nodded, grabbed the blonde by the arm, and they were gone with a slight breeze.
An awkward silence overtook the room for a moment that seemed like eternity.
"Would you like to come in, Rosalie?" The man asked suddenly, his head snapping to look at me.
"Yes… thank you." I added the lat part unsurely. The words sounded strange coming from me, like a foreign language.
I couldn't help but notice how nice their house was as the man led me through it. The colors were nothing like that of our home. Instead, they were rich and… warm.
"Please, have a seat." He motioned towards a cinnamon colored couch, I complied.
"Now, what brings you here?" The man looked genuinely curious.
"Umm… actually, I'm here to speak with Bella."
"Ah, Isabella, I see."
"Right…" I said, unsure of what else to say.
"What's she here for?" A blonde boy asked. I jumped.
"G-d! How many of them are there?" I muttered. The first, Jon, I believe, smiled, the blonde didn't though.
"Why are you so anxious?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Noah! What is going on?!"
"Oh no…" Jon sighed.
"Bella, come on, nothing is going on!" A voice sounded.
"I'm not dumb Noah! Something is going on!" Bella's voice replied.
"Too observant for her own good." muttered the blonde. Suddenly, the two girls appeared in the door.
"Here they come!" exclaimed the blonde, Bridget I think.
"What is-oh!" Bella gasped as she entered the room. Another black haired boy trailed behind her.
"Hi Bella…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say next. She blinked a few times, almost as if she wasn't sure I was really there.
"We'll leave you two alone." The brunette announced as she ushered the others out of the room.
"This is probably a surprise." I said, noticing she was till staring at me as if I were a mirage. She nodded numbly.
"Umm… the reason I'm here… is to… apologize."
BPOVI couldn't believe those words had just left Rosalie Cullen's mouth.
"Apologize?" I asked.
"Yes, Bella, apologize. I'm sorry about how I acted earlier. Impulse took over and I just… kind of… Well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that I am extremely sorry for blowing up at you when I didn't have everything straight. I am so, so, sorry. Really, truly, I am."
I was dumbfounded. Rosalie had just sincerely apologized to me of her own accord. Finally, realizing I shouldn't just stare at her, I gathered my composure.
"It's okay, Rosalie, I understand."
Rosalie's POVI sighed a silent breath of relief.
"So, we're good?" I asked unsurely.
"Yeah, we're good."
"Thanks!" I breathed, acting morel like Alice than myself. I had been spending way too much time with her lately.
She giggled.
"No problem."
"Do you want to come over? Alice probably wants to see you." I asked abruptly. She seemed shocked for a moment, but recovered quickly.
"Yeah, she called before you got here. I'm not sure though…" she trailed off. And suddenly it clicked. Bella probably didn't want to see Edward or Tanya.
"I see…" Thinking for a moment, I whipped out my cell.
"What are you doing?" she asked quizzically.
"Seeing if everyone wants to come over. That's okay right?"
"Oh! Yeah!" she answered
"They said they would be over soon." I told her. She smiled and nodded distantly. A few moments of silence later, and I couldn't hold my tongue anymore.
"Bella, you know, you can't run forever." She looked surprised, but answered with and "I know". I sighed.
"Edward misses you."
She snorted. "Uh huh, I'm sure he does." Sarcasm was laid thickly over the sentence.
"Really, he does."
"Yes, and that's why he cheated on me."
"Bella," I sighed, "Edward is not as strong as you give his credit for. He is as susceptible as you are. Sometimes he's just…. a bit confused, and he does things he normally doesn't. You have to forgive him."
"Edward is not a child Rosalie. I admire your effort to give him excuses, but he is a mature adult, and he needs to learn his actions have consequences. It doesn't matter if he's confused or not, he needs to grow up." She finished, rising from the couch.
"Bella-" I started. She was being so stubborn. Why couldn't she just believe me?
"Rosalie, I'm sorry, I can't forgive him. Not yet. I just… can't get caught in hoping. Now, I'm going to change into something Alice will approve of so she doesn't get any ideas." I nodded, smiling.
"Let me help you." I suggested. She threw me a grateful glance and signaled for me to follow her.
APOV"Okay Rosalie, we'll be over soon."
"Okay, bye."
"What did Rosalie want?" Jasper asked from behind me.
"We're going over to Bella's!" I answered him enthusiastically. He sat up on the bed and eyed me for a moment.
"Okay…" he said, sighing, "but what did Rosalie want?"
"She invited us. Rosalie is over at the Linney's now."
"Nice try, Alice, but next time you might pick a more believable lie." he said dubiously.
"Jasper…" I warned him, glaring full force. He stopped his rant and stared at me, a thoughtful, almost incredulous look crossing his face as he read my emotions.
"You're serious." He stated. I nodded.
"Now come on, we have to get out without Tanya and Edward."
This wasn't going to be easy.
BPOV"How about this?" Rosalie asked, holding out a bright red, polka dotted fitted t-shirt. The sleeves, well, what you might call sleeves, poofed out form the shoulder, and the bottom was long and rounded. Basically, it kind of looked like Minnie Mouse's dress, minus the skirt. (AN: This shirt actually belongs to me, and is a real shirt. Because, I'd rather not bother to look something up on the Internet, and I'm not very creative. Dresses? Sure. Everyday outfits? No. Anyways, back to the story.)
She also held a tiny, mini skirt, which was actually a skort. (Also mine)
"Make the skort a pair of jeans and you've got a deal."
"Fine." She sighed, pulling out a pair of faded Lei jeans. (Mine!) I smiled triumphantly, taking the clothes with me to the bathroom, leaving her to look around my enormous closet.
"There!" I said, emerging from the room fifteen minutes later. A red headband donned my head, holding my chocolate brown locks away from my face. Something resembling a buckle was attached to the top, a rhinestone in the middle. (You guessed it. Also mine.)
A few cosmetics had been applied. An antique pearl necklace, pearl earrings and a silver ring filled the category of accessories. (That's right, mine. Maybe I should take pictures and post them on my profile…) For shoes, I threw on some comfortable black boots. (Do I really have to say it?)
"Bella! You look great!" Rosalie squealed as she appeared from within the depths of the closet. I blushed, the artificial one blending with the real.
"Oops! They're here!" she exclaimed.
"Rosalie, have you been spending a lot of time with Alice lately?" I couldn't help asking.
She smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I have."
"I thought so." We both grinned and went downstairs.
APOV"Well, Edward is wallowing in self-pity and self-hatred. Tanya is… feels like Tanya is with Edward, and he is currently annoyed by her. We should be able to make a clean break." Jasper reported.
"Okay, lets go. Get Emmett for me please."
"Sure, meet you in the car." Nodding, I turned back towards the foyer. My eyes scanned the room until they landed on a notepad. It was the one Bella used to tell us where she was, even though I usually already knew. Crumpling the last note, I scribbled down new one.
Gone out, Jasper, Emmett and I. Be back…I reached into the future.
Between 7 and 8.
Love,
AliceWe were whipping between cars at 130. The exhilarating speed was refreshing compared to like around Edward lately.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
"Hello Edward." I answered the phone cheerily. Emmett and Jasper smiled, knowing how much Edward hates that.
"Alice, where the hell are you?"
"I left a note." I said defensively.
"Yes, well that note happens to be particularly vague, which defeats the purpose of leaving a note in the first place."
"Well, Father, why do you want to know where we are?"
"Because, Alice, I have a feeling you're keeping something form me." He answered.
"You know what Edward? You are right. Jasper and I-"
"I don't need to know that!" he yelled into the phone. I giggled.
"Bye Edward!" I sang.
"Wait! Alice, no! Hold-" I hung up. Emmett burst into laughter.
"Nice!" he said, punching my fist with his own.
"Thanks."
"We're here." Jasper said, gazing toward the house. I followed his gaze curiously.
"Crap."
BPOV"They're here." Rosalie reported. I breathed deeply.
"Okay, lets go."
"Bella!" Alice screamed when I opened the door. Immediately I was encased in her small arms.
"Careful Alice, you'll kill the poor girl." Jasper said, only half joking. She abruptly stepped and surveyed my outfit.
"Nice. You get A!"
"I get grades now?"
"Yup." I stared at her for a moment, and then decided to play along.
"I'm sorry, teacher, but I didn't earn that grade. Rosalie helped me."
"Did she now?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
"That I did." Rosalie replied smugly.
"Now, Bella… umm… well, we brought someone along." Alice said, unsurely, as a change of subject.
Suddenly Tanya and Edward appeared before us.
"We… well… they… are you okay?" She asked me as I turned sheet white. I turned to her with tortured eyes. She took a step back unconsciously.
My pain abruptly stopped however, and turned to a deathly numbness, as I turned back to my unwanted visitors.
APOV"… Are you okay?" I asked. Bella was a deathly white and looked as if she had seen… well, something very terrifying.
She turned to me with anguished eyes. Brown pools of deep pained stared back at me. I felt like I was being crushed and unconsciously took a step back.
Seeming to sense how uncomfortable I was, she turned back to Edward and Tanya.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in a haunted tone. Her face was blank, unreadable. You couldn't even see anything seething beneath the surface.
Edward seemed alarmed at the drastic turn in Bella's attitude. She just stared at him numbly, waiting for an answer.
"Never mind, it doesn't' matter." She said at last. "I'll be back in a minute."
With that, she ascended the stairs, not tripping once.
EPOVShe appeared… dead. No emotion crossed her face, her eyes were unfocused, as if thinking of something far away.
My family's thoughts were all extremely concerned. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who noticed the difference.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter." She answered her own question. "I'll be back in a minute." She climbed the stairs gracefully for someone so distant.
"What happened?" I demanded. Alice turned to me.
"You." She replied. Jasper enveloped her in his arms.
"So much pain. Then just… empty." He shuddered. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me, and, for once, Jasper didn't stop it.
BPOV"Bella? Hello?" Brian asked me.
"Bella!" Lena yelled.
I was sitting on my bed, staring into endless space, paying no attention to those surrounding me.
"Bella, just say something." Jon pleaded.
"Here." I answered.
Lena's POV"Here" She wasn't making any sense.
"Sentences please?" Bridget asked.
"Him. Here." She answered, her catatonic state disappearing as panic flooded her eyes.
"Him. Here. Now." Currently, an expression of pure panic was shown on her face as she flew around the room. I could feel Brian's calming influence try to calm the now-frantic Bella down. Jon was currently watching her with a slightly pained expression. She was like his little sister…
Bridget looked like she was trying to hack into Bella's seclusive mind again. Many times she had attempted this, but each time, her entry was refused.
"Bella, stop." I ordered, stepping in front of her.
"I can't face him-her-them!" she cried. Well, at least she was speaking in sentences now.
"Bella, who are you talking about?"
For a moment she looked at me with a sad expression, then choked out, "Edward. Tanya." The words were strangled, but I could feel the spark of anger in the air, even though I couldn't sense emotions.
A loud crack sounded through the house and everything started to shake.
BPOVIt felt like there was an earthquake. The weird occurrence momentarily pulled me from my thoughts.
"What was that?" I asked. Everyone fled my room and ran downstairs, and I followed.
In the center of the living room and foyer there was a large opening, almost like that of the San Andres fault line.
"Jon!" Lena shrieked, her eyes never leaving the hole in our house.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Jon pleaded.
It was almost hilarious. I had never seen Jon act like this. He was always calm and collected. Lena had only had this reaction once before, when Brian crashed her 599 GTB Firoano Ferrari.
"Fix it now!" Lena screeched.
Jon concentrated hard for a moment. The shaking gradually and there was on last deep rumble as the two pieces molded back together.
"There." Jon said, please with himself.
"Yeah, well, control yourself next time." Brian muttered.
"You're not exactly much better." Bridget offered.
"Neither are you, Bri." Lena retorted.
"Guys, come on, cut it out." I said.
"You aren't exactly the best at controlling your emotions, Bella." Bridget snapped.
"Hey!"
"Basically having a nervous breakdown." She murmured.
"I recall you having a few of those yourself, Bridget!"
"At least mine were over things worth the breakdown."
"Oh yes, not finding a skirt completely qualifies."
"Actually I believe it does." Lena remarked.
"That and tracking mud in your car, sure!" I yelled.
"Hey!" The boys yelled simultaneously.
Before long, we were all involved in verbal combat. Each and every one of us completely oblivious to the Cullens, who were staring at us from the bottom of the stairwell. After about five minutes, someone decided to break up the fight.
"Hey!" The Linneys and I turned to look at Jasper. "Thank you!" he said, indicating the silence.
"Why are you here?" Brian asked. From the look on the other Linneys' faces, they were thinking the same thing.
"They're here to see me. Remember?" I pressed. Geez, I thought vampires had photographic memories. This statement was followed by a chorus of "Oh", and, "Oh yeah." I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
Everyone looked around unsurely, all visibly uncomfortable.
Lena's POVAnother few minutes passed, and anyone had yet to move.
"So, Alice, Rosalie, I heard you guys like to shop." Rosalie smiled and Alice answered with an "Oh course!"
"Bri and I were planning on going today. Care to join?"
"Sure!" "Yeah!"
"Brian, Jon? Why don't you show Emmett and Jasper your latest "project"?" I made quotation marks around "project", it was more like "latest piece of junk".
Brian glared for a moment, but nodded.
"Okay then, lets go!" Alice said excitedly.
The boys had already disappeared, leaving a clear gap between Bella, Tanya and Edward. "Bye guys!" I waved, and smirked as Bella glared at me.
BPOV'Lena is going to DIE!!'
EPOVBella was glaring daggers at the brunette Linney as she left the three of us alone. Turning back to us, she gave an aggravated cry, stamping her floor with fists by her side. She then proceeded to walk-well, more like stomp-up the stairs.
Tanya and I followed. A door on the left slammed as we reached the top of the stairs. Tanya opened it, and we stood in a dark blue room.
Bella was sprawled across a large-probably queen sized-bed in an off-white comforter.
"You are totally defeating my point." She sighed. Strange, we had entered silently. Seeming to hear disbelief in our silence, she sighed again.
"I think I've lived around vampires long enough to sense when they're watching me." She said. When we didn't say anything, she said, "You can go sit on the couch, you know." Motioning toward a white leather couch.
"What are you doing here?" She sat up, folding her legs Indian-style, elbows on her knees, head on her hands.
"We wanted some fun." Tanya answered, looking around the room.
"So, you immediately thought of me?" Bella scoffed.
"Alice was being secretive. I wanted to figure out what she was doing." I shrugged.
"Of course. I should have guessed." Bella muttered.
"We can hear you, you know." Tanya said, annoyed.
"I know." Bella grinned. "Speaking of your excellent hearing, I can't help but wonder why you didn't hear me when…" she trailed off.
This had been the one ting I hadn't wanted her to ask about. It wasn't the explanation, that was easy. The fact was her feelings, she could seriously get hurt.
"We were occupied…" Bella's nonchalant face fell for a moment, and I could see a glimpse of pain before she put the mask back up.
"Why do you think Alice and Jasper brought me here?" she asked, jumping off the bed-tripping, catching herself -and making her way towards the closet.
"Because you couldn't handle reality." Tanya answered. Bella peeked out from the closet and glared at Tanya, lips pursed.
Turning to me, she said, "You know, Edward, I never pictured you with someone so self-centered, inconsiderate and rude." With that, she disappeared into the closet again.
She emerged in a new shirt. It was maroon and had an old west feel to it. (Mine. Maybe I should put that digital camera to use.)
"Alice and Jasper brought me here because I couldn't handle thinking about you, much less seeing you. I was hurt and confused and… angry. I couldn't handle… you."
Her hair was now in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She then flipped it upside-down and clipped to her head.
"Bella, I didn't mean to hurt you,-"
"But you did! That's the point, Edward! Can't you see that? Sure, I'm better, but do you know how much this hurts?! Seeing you, talking to you, it hurts! Hurts so much, that it's taking me everything not to breakdown right now!"
"Bella, I am sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it Edward!"
"Well what else do you want me to say?!"
"I don't want words, Edward! I want actions! Either take me back and leave that dipstick, or get the hell out of my life!"
I sat back down from my standing position and buried my face in my hands. I didn't want to do either, knowing how much I would hurt Tanya or Bella. I absolutely abhor ultimatums.
"Bella, I can't." I sighed. She looked like she was going to cry, which she did. With tears rolling down her face, she said, "Then get out." She pointed towards the door.
"Bella-"
"Out!" she screamed, the flow of tears increasing. I nodded sullenly, pulling Tanya out with me.
The girls were back from shopping when we got outside. Keeping my head down, I walked to the car. Once inside, my eyes met Alice's. Her eyes were sad and disappointed. In her mind, she said to me,
"You make her forever empty."
A/N: Yes! No angry mobs for me! Again, I would like to thank you for all of your support! I wouldn't be able to do it without you!!! (Sending virtual hugs to everyone) I will try to put some pictures of the clothes and the car mentioned in this chapter on my profile. Also, chapter 12 might take a while, so please be patient. I will really try though. Please review, but really, I don't have an idea why you wouldn't.
Meghan
P.S.
This chapter is almost 12 pages in word and a little more than 24 in handwriting. Just to let you know.