All I Ask

Rosalie closed her eyes and listened to the car as it started and drove away on the loose gravel driveway. Edward and Emmett were heading to the airport. The wedding was officially off and Edward couldn't bear to look either of them. It was for the best that he left too. Rosalie had tried to speak with him but he wouldn't allow it. He did admit though, as he slung his last bag over his shoulder, that he was in the wrong, and that she should do what made her happy. He might be back, he might not, but that didn't matter. And while Rosalie desperately wanted to believe his words, she couldn't help but feel sick with guilt.

How did all of this happen? Edward was really the only person that had been alone for so long. And when Bella came along they had all thought that she was the one. She would be Edward's one and only mate. But she, just like Rosalie, fell short. In truth she shouldn't be feeling badly at all. Edward was a spoiled brat. But that didn't mean that he didn't deserve love. She of all people knew that. The sound of the car was gone and Rosalie let her head fall. Emmett was really gone this time.

She knew that Alice would need helps removing all of the wedding decorations. And there were several calls to be made about all of the cancellations. But she couldn't be there now, with all of them. The mood was going to be somber or irritated all around and while Rosalie was the queen of both of those, even she might get annoyed at all of it. And there was no need in taking chances on everyone's temper. Besides, Bella might still be in the house. And that was just another can of worms Rosalie didn't feel up to right now.

Her body shivered as the wind whipped around her blonde hair. Bella, Bella, Bella. Who are you and what do you want, seriously? Age old vampires can't handle themselves around you and yet you get tripped up by a nonexistent rock, or twig, or glare of the eyes. It didn't make much sense. Bella Swan did not make much sense at all. And perhaps that's why Rosalie kept thinking about her. The blonde laughed. An enviable notion indeed.

'Denial is not strong, Rosalie. Denial is weak. Why can't you just fully admit to yourself what's going on here?'

Not really up for answering the voice in her head, Rosalie stepped further into the woods, hoping that something would take her mind off of more prevalent matters. She stepped easily over the foliage, occasionally reaching out her hand to stroke the moss hanging on an ancient tree. It was calming, and she was very grateful for it. The twigs cracked beneath her feather steps and she imagined Bella trying to climb through all of this. How many times would she fall? The vampire smiled to herself as she reached a clearing, stopping to pretend to catch her breath.

What to make of Bella? It was clear that she had feelings for Rosalie, but it was also clear that she had feelings for Edward. Choosing not to see the boys off, Rosalie had no idea if Bella had even been there at all. Did she know that Edward left? Surely he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. And what if she was guilt ridden like Rosalie was? What if she blamed Rosalie for taking her Edward away? Rosalie grimaced and slid her hand up and down the tree next to her. She hadn't really thought of that possibility, but it seemed fairly plausible. Because there were indeed so many things that Rosalie could have done to prevent all of this from happening. She could have not let Bella into her room. She could have not gone into Bella's. She could have told Alice that Jacob Black was a more suitable choice to work on her truck. She could have listened to her conscience instead of her heart. So many things…

Rosalie sighed and as she did so, she caught the faintest whiff of something familiar. She was off immediately, tracking the scent deeper and deeper into the woods. It smelled like Bella. And if it wasn't Bella then she wanted to know what the hell it was. For the human should definitely not be out here alone. Not with vampires running and stray twigs everywhere just waiting to trip up the person without any sense. Making a hard left, Rosalie appeared before a clearing. Bella was lying down in the sodden clearing, her chest heaving. Rosalie could make out the sounds of her crying and she waffled for a moment, debating on whether or not to leave the girl be.

Bella shot up then, turning around and facing the vampire. Mildly impressed at being discovered, Rosalie stepped forward, watching as Bella frantically attempted to wipe her eyes. "How did you know I was behind you?" Rosalie asked as she came over and sat with Bella. The condensation on the grass was soaking through her jeans but she didn't mind it at the moment. Bella just shrugged and sniffed simultaneously.

"Comes with the territory of being with vampires. I've learned to tell when someone's watching me."

"I wasn't watching you. I wasn't sure if you wanted company or not." Rosalie looked down at her hands. She wasn't watching Bella. Well, she was, but for entirely different purposes than that of her brother. Bella made no response to that but Rosalie could still hear her uneven breathing. She looked up at the human and gestured to the trees. "I can leave you be, if you'd like."

"No…no I think it's best for me to not be alone right now," Bella said easily, her eyes raking over Rosalie's beauty yet again. It seemed as if it had to be done before conscious speaking could take place. One must have had to get used to Rosalie before speaking to her. It seemed plausible.

"How…are you?" Rosalie asked tentatively as she pulled at the grass beneath her. Bella shook her head and looked up at the overcast sky.

"I'm doing as well as can be expected. I'm still sad, you know. But it's for the best."

"Do you think so?"

"I do. It's not fair what I've been doing." Bella looked to Rosalie in hopes that she would get the hint. But if she did Rosalie made no sign of it.

"I'm assuming you didn't see them off?" Rosalie asked and Bella shook her head again.

"No. Edward came over last night and told me what he was going to do. I thought my freaking out was going to wake up my dad but he just smiled at me. You know that crooked smile."

"I do."

"Did you see them off?"

Rosalie shook her head, pulling out more grass. Bella looked longingly at her, desperately wanting to know what she was thinking. What were they going to do now? What could be done? A lot of things could be done…but would they be? "You and Emmett seemed so happy together. I never would have thought…"

"Emmett and I were happy together. But not happy enough. I couldn't give him everything he needed. It was my idea that he go."

"But…you're Rosalie. I can't imagine you not being enough for someone," Bella said, genuinely in shock. She was the most perfect person Bella had ever seen in her life and yet she wasn't enough. It simply didn't add up in her head. Rosalie gave an apathetic chuckle, as if she'd heard the punch line to Bella's joke before and lifted her head to face the human.

"There's a lot that you don't know about me," she invited, her voice hushed. Bella swallowed, feeling a blush creep into her cheeks. She must have misinterpreted that tone. There was no way that Rosalie was…this was all too confusing. And it was all too fast and too wonderful and horrible at the same time to be true. Bella watched as Rosalie's expression turned to concern and she leaned forward on her knees. "Bella, you're shaking," she said, reaching her hand out as if to touch the human.

Bella looked down at her hands and noticed that they were in fact shaking. And her heart was racing. "I'm scared," she whispered, looking up at Rosalie. "I'm scared about absolutely everything. I've lost my fiancé, my friend. The wedding's been cancelled and I don't even know if you guys want me around anymore. Everything's unraveling at my fingertips and I don't want to lose you or anyone else. I feel like I'm losing my life before I even get a chance at it." She closed her eyes, feeling the tears fall down her reddened cheeks. As soon as she closed her eyes, she regretted it. For now when she opened them, Rosalie might very well be gone, just like Edward had done so before. Her body began to tremble even more now and it wasn't until she felt the shuffling of grass next to her that she could take a breath.

Rosalie was near her now. She could feel it, and she was grateful for it. A part of her wanted to reach out to her but that didn't seem like the right thing to do at the moment. She licked her lips, feeling Rosalie's breath on her shoulder. She wished that she knew what the blonde was thinking. Or at least maybe she could get a sign. That way she wouldn't feel so alone in all of this.

"Me too," Rosalie said finally and more hushed than Bella had ever heard it before. The human opened her eyes and found Rosalie sitting just in front of her. They couldn't have been more than a few inches apart.

"W-what?"

"I'm…scared too. And I have eternity." Rosalie smiled somberly and Bella couldn't help but return it. Looking down to Rosalie's lap, Bella saw that Rosalie's hands were resting on her thighs. She reached out slowly and placed her hand on top of one of them. Rosalie closed her eyes, the fear they both felt coming into place.

"If I can be blunt…what the hell are we doing?" Bella asked, laughing just a bit. Rosalie shook her head and sighed.

"I can't say that I know entirely."

"So…maybe we should just go slowly then?"

Rosalie looked away for a moment, placing her other hand on top of Bella's. "I'll do whatever you want me to. Or…I'll try."

"Well, that's all I ask.