Chapter Eleven: Down the Rabbit Hole

Time had started to pass quickly over the next few days for Rosalie as school started to pick up as well as work since the holidays were approaching quickly. She talked to Royce a few more times and fell even more in love with him with each phone call. He constantly told her how wonderful she was and filled their conversations with promises of a bright future together, if only Maria would sign the divorce papers.

That was the current obstacle happening in their relationship, the one large hurdle that they had to overcome other than her moving to Texas with a new born. Royce and Emmett were currently driving to Oklahoma to pick up Jasper from Nevaeh's house on the way back to Fort Hood. Royce had seen Maria one more time to try to convince her to sign the divorce papers, but she still refused to budge. Royce continued to tell her how much he truly hated his wife, and how easier things would be if she were did. He often bragged about the different ways he could kill her and get away with it, to which Rosalie would chastise him and tell him to stop talking like that and he would respond with that he was only joking and he would never do such a thing.

Rosalie was worried that Maria would drag this divorce out to the bitter end, but Royce had assured her that if he got proof that she had cheated on him while they were married then the divorce would go a lot quicker and they could go on with everything he had promised her. She still hadn't heard from Emmett, but it seemed to bother her less and less. From what she had heard he was seeing Tanya now, but she hadn't heard from her either and it didn't seem to bother her that much.

Her phone rang, breaking the silence in her room as she was falling asleep trying to take a nap before work. Picking it up she glanced at the caller id and saw it was Royce.

"Hey babe," she answered with a yawn.

"Hey sweetheart, did I wake you up?"

"No, I was just about to go to asleep. I was going to take a nap before work."

"Do you want me to let you go?"

"No, it's fine," she said grunting as she tried to roll over.

"I just wanted to call and let you know we're almost to Colorado."

"Okay," Rosalie yawned again causing Royce to laugh. "Don't laugh at me."

"I'm not, I'm laughing at how adorable you are."

"Uh huh."

"Go get some sleep baby, I'll call you tomorrow."

They said their "I love you"s and promised of a future phone call, perhaps when she got off of work later and hung up. Soon Rosalie's eyes grew heavy and she succumbed to sleep.

Royce hung up the phone and quickly called Alice to let her know they were entering Colorado, getting directions to a restaurant she and her friend were going to meet up at.

"Okay, see you then, bye."

Emmett glanced at Royce out of the corner of his eye, then looked back at the road. They had both front windows rolled down slightly as they smoked, blasting music to stay awake. They were trying to drive straight through to Oklahoma since they had such a late start. Emmett still hadn't heard back from Tanya and had hoped she would have at least stopped by to say goodbye to him before they left.

"We're going to meet Alice and her friend at Waffle House," Royce said absently, taking a drag from his cigarette before flicking it out the window.

Emmett nodded and flicked his own cigarette out the window, "Sounds like a plan, I could use a cup of coffee."

They continued to drive for a couple of more hours, a silence settling between the two of them with only the radio playing softly. Emmett rubbed his eyes a few times to try and focus them, he'd been driving straight through since they had left Washington and he was starting to feel it. Emmett glanced at the clock as they neared the restaurant and saw that it was nearing two in the morning. No wonder he was so tired!

They pulled up to the restaurant thankfully ten minutes later and saw Alice and her friend waiting for them at the front door. Emmett parked the car and got out, stretching his long limbs while Royce went ahead without him and hugged Alice and met her friend not even bothering to wait for him. Emmett sluggishly shut the car door and locked it then walked over to Royce and the girls. Alice saw him approaching and threw him a big smile followed by a bone crushing hug, which he returned.

"Let's get inside out of this cold," her friend suggested.

"Agreed," Alice said dragging him behind her inti the restaurant. Once they were inside, they chose to sit at a booth where Alice slid in on one side followed by Royce, to which Emmett rolled his eyes, and then Alice's friend slid in on the other side followed by Emmett. After exchanging introductions between Emmett and Alice's friend, Ashley, they looked at the menu to decide what to order.

While Emmett looked over the menu, Alice, Royce, and Ashley talked candidly as Royce went over their stay in Washington and the antics they got into at the party. Ashley was hanging on to every word Royce was saying, while interjecting here and there trying to get Emmett involved in the conversation batting her eyelashes at him every time he looked over at her. He felt someone kick his leg and looked up from his menu to see Alice staring at him with a slight frown on her face.

"You okay?" she mouthed while Royce continued to talk oblivious to their exchange.

Emmett gave a small grimace, nodding slowly. Alice noticed this and cocked her head to the side as if to ask him what was wrong, to which he mouthed the word "later" and she nodded. The waitress finally showed up interrupting Royce's retelling of how he lost his front tooth and took their order. Emmett made sure to order coffee, seeing as he didn't think Royce would be driving any time soon even though it was his car and she took their menus, taking with her Emmett's buffer to stay out of the conversation.

"Did you know Emmett and Tanya were going to hook up until he and Kelly hooked up?" Royce said grinning at Emmett, gauging him for a reaction. Emmett's head snapped up from his coffee as he glared at Royce.

"I did what?"

Royce laughed at Emmett's reaction, "That's what Jessica was going around saying, she even told Tanya that."

"We didn't hook up!" Emmett protested. "I was never even the same room alone with her!"

"Maybe you should talk to Tanya then, because she believes Jessica."

Alice glared at Royce slapping his arm. Royce turned a shocked expression on her, "What?"

"You knew the whole time why she wasn't calling him back and didn't say anything?"

Royce shrugged, "I thought he did that's why I didn't say anything."

Emmett glared at his coffee, the truth finally being out in the open. He didn't understand why Jessica would say something like that, especially to Tanya who was supposed to be her best friend. That was a really low blow and started to explain the other night when Tanya's mood suddenly changed and how Jessica looked. She was trying to make her story convincing, even though he really didn't see the need for it since he wasn't even remotely attracted to Jessica and he had spent most of his time curled up and making out with Tanya.

An awkward silence had settled over the table and when the waitress brought them their food, they ate the same way. It was stifling as Emmett sat there stewing over Royce's revelation. It was Ashley, who about halfway through the meal decided to break the silence.

"So are you single then?"

Emmett almost spit out his food across the table.

"Oh dear God," Alice said exasperatedly. "Keep it in your pants woman!"

This cause both Royce and Emmett to erupt in laughter, while Ashley all but shrank into the booth with a bright blush spreading across her face and Alice continued to shove hash browns in her mouth with a look of indifference. This outburst allowed the rest of them to eat their meal happily, laughing and joking around avoiding the topic of Emmett's problems and anything to do with Washington. When they had finished their food and the waitress had brought them their check, Royce glanced at his watch.

"Well ladies, we really need to be going."

Emmett stood out of the booth, taking out his wallet and threw money down on the table to pay for the bill while Alice, Royce, and Ashley got up as well.

"You really have to go?" Ashley all but whined.

"Yeah," Royce replied as they gathered their things and put on their coats. "We have to get to Oklahoma and pick up our friend Jasper, and then we have to make it back to Texas by tonight. Our leave is up."

Ashley hung on to Royce as they walked ahead out in to the parking lot, while Alice stayed behind to talk to Emmett. They watched as Royce continued to flirt shamelessly with Ashley as they followed them outside into the cold air, which instantly woke Emmett back up.

"You know, he's my friend and all, but he's really screwed up," Alice said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked clearing his throat.

Alice sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets to keep them warm against the cold morning, "You know how he's seeing Rosalie?"

"Yeah, I know," he answered slowly, trying to ignore the tug at his heart.

"He's been promising her that they're going to get married before you guys deploy, if the divorce goes through that is," Alice said low enough so that Royce wouldn't overhear their conversation. "That they're going to move in together soon and be one big happy family and that he wants her to claim that he's Megan's dad so he can be there when she's born."

Emmett shook his head, watching Royce lean down and whisper something in to Jessica's ear making her blush and lean in to his side. Alice noticed it too, shaking her head.

"I don't know what to tell her when I see shit like this," Emmett said carefully. "I feel guilty every time she calls."

Alice stared at him with a thoughtful expression on her face, "Is that why you haven't been talking to her?"

"Yeah, because I know she won't believe me," Emmett replied shaking his head.

"She won't believe any of us," Alice said sadly. "He just lies his way out of it, promises her a bunch of things and she believes him. Or he turns it around on her and makes her think she's the one in the wrong."

Emmett opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get a chance to as Royce yelled at him it was time to go. Alice walked with him over to the car and gave Royce a hug goodbye, asking that they call when they made it safely to Oklahoma. Royce climbed in the car on the passenger side to get out of the cold as Alice turned on Emmett. She gave him a big hug, squeezing him tightly.

"Watch out for her please," Emmett whispered in her ear.

Alice nodded, knowing who he meant and watched as he climbed in the car and started it. She waved one last time to them alongside Ashley, who blew them kisses. He pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, and tried to leave behind him the feeling of dread that was overcoming him as they headed down the freeway towards Oklahoma.