Hello!
LTNT, hm? Sorry 'bout that, but I have more time now and I am super excited to be writing again! This chapter here turned out to be so much longer than I thought it would be (I thought it was finished at 7k... apparently it wasn't) and I think it's also my longest chapter ever yet. I would have divided it into two, but I didn't know where and ... hm. So now I'll present you this monstrosity of epic proportions (yes, that's what it is to me) and hope you won't fall asleep while reading ;-)
And... that's all I wanted to say. Have fun!
"Rosalie, are you sure? Don't get me wrong, honey, I am overjoyed to hear that you would want to talk to your mother … I just cannot help but wonder where this is coming from now," Carlisle said, looking at his daughter with a slight frown.
"It is something between her and me, so it would make sense that we try to fix it together," she replied while focussing on her folded hands in her lap. Just moments ago she had sounded so determined, but having her decision questioned made her a little unsure about herself. She was sure that only a talk with Esme - a private talk between the two of them - could make everything go back to the way it had been before they moved to this place. But even knowing that didn't make it any easier to actually ask for said talk.
Hearing Rose say again that she wanted to talk to Esme made Carlisle feel so relieved and he internally cheered that the peace in the house would soon be restored. This was his wonderful daughter – instead of following her first impulse to leave, she would now stay to try and fix this. She was asking for Esme, and he was sure that his wife and daughter would be able to talk everything through and bury their differences. And if they needed help – well, that's what he was here for, wasn't he? But there was no doubt in his mind that they wouldn't need him.
"I'm so proud of you, Rosie," he whispered and reached out to stroke her hair in a loving and fatherly manner.
She didn't jerk away but also didn't look up at him, just kept her eyes fixed on her hands like she had done for the past minute. It wasn't that she didn't like his affection and comfort, but because she wasn't sure how she should react to his words of praise. Did she even deserve praise after all that happened? She had pushed him away several times, whenever he was concerned and wanted to talk she had refused to open up to him. She didn't have her mouth under control whenever she deemed a situation unfair, and by snapping at her mother she had made situations a lot worse instead of easier to bear - for herself and for others.
So why would he say something like this to her now?
"I didn't do anything to deserve your praise," she remarked, still either unwilling or unable to lift her head and look him in the eye.
Weirdly enough, Carlisle suddenly chuckled and that sound made a frown appear on her face. Just a second before she could ask just what he deemed to be so funny about what she had just said, he cleared his throat and patted her on the knee to ease her worries. "You just don't realise it yet, Rose, but soon you'll understand why," he replied.
And finally their eyes met. She looked right at him, and Carlisle seemed to be amused by the puzzled look she was giving him.
He smiled and winked at her, then pushed himself up from the bed and stood.
"Carlisle," she said and snorted lightly, making him turn around and look at her, "that doesn't make any sense."
Her reaction and the look she suddenly gave him took another weight off his mind and his smile just got broader before he held his hands up and took a step back. "I may be old, but I'm not crazy."
Lightly shaking her head before cocking it to the side, she replied, "I didn't mean to say that you are crazy … I'm just trying to tell you that what you say doesn't really make any sense."
Without his incredible self-control, Carlisle would have whooped with joy that his daughter was in a better mood now and that she was even able to joke with him. This was indeed great for her and her emotional state, and it would definitely be beneficial for the talk she would soon have with his beloved wife and the mother of his children. Rose would be more at ease and it would surely be easier for her to open up to her mother - that way these two would be able to bring things out into the open and eventually put their differences behind them.
What more could he ask for? It was as clear as day that there was something standing between Rose and Esme - a disagreement or a problem or a serious misunderstanding. He really did not know what exactly it was and maybe it wasn't meant for his ears. Several times Rosalie had refused to talk to him, but he was certain that it wasn't for a lack of trust. It didn't feel that way to him, and he hoped dearly that it wasn't the case.
"Do you want me to go get your mother now?" he asked, partly to not make Rose wait any longer so she might feel tempted to change her mind and partly to keep himself from worrying too much.
All she did was nod her head once before she looked back down at her folded hands. "Sure."
He reached out and rubbed her shoulder in comfort, before turning around and walking out of the room in search of his wife.
For a second he hesitated at the door and looked back over his shoulder at his daughter to check if he could really leave her on her own now or if she needed him to sit with her for a little longer, but he quickly realised that he wasn't the person she needed right now. So he just gave her a little smile when she looked up at him, then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Inhaling the air around him, he quickly picked up his wife's scent and it led him downstairs, exactly where he expected her to be. The last time he had really talked to her was just before he had rushed upstairs to check on Rosalie and make sure she was all right ... but how was Esme feeling?
"Esme?" Carlisle asked after he had descended the stairs and was now standing in the spacious living room. His wife was sitting on an overstuffed armchair, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. When he approached her he saw her face and immediately noticed just how nervous and oddly scared she looked while she sat there waiting for him to tell her if Rose would be leaving for good or if she had hopefully changed her mind.
She slowly lifted her head and looked at him with wide eyes that shone with fear, and the sticky remnants of venom tears that she had been crying were still visible on her cheeks.
While she had been sitting here, waiting for her husband to come downstairs, she had hoped that he would be able to ease her worries, but she still couldn't get rid of the raw fear of losing a child that was torturing her at moments like these. She wouldn't just lose her child - she would be the one who chased her out of the house and away from the safety of their family. She would be the one who endangered Rose's life - and probably Emmett's as well. Not that these two weren't capable of taking care of themselves ... but she still felt that they would be safer with their family and she wanted them here with her where she could assure herself that they were alive and well.
Well, right now Rose was alive ... but she wasn't well - because of her.
She sniffed and then tried to wipe some of the venom off her face, and Carlisle's heart broke at the sight. Oh no, Esme...
"Esme," he said again and stepped up to her, then eased himself down on the armrest of the chair she was sitting on in order to be as close as possible to her.
"Will she be staying?" Esme asked after some hesitation. Her voice trembled slightly, Carlisle noticed, and he immediately put an arm around her shoulders and ran his hand up and down her upper arm to bring comfort to the love of his (after)life. He knew she was scared, and he knew that asking this question and waiting for the answer was excruciating and nerve-racking for her to say the least.
"Yes, of course she will," he said in a soothing voice and put a finger underneath her chin to make her look up at him and see the honesty and reassurance in his eyes. "She was just angry and not thinking clearly."
Esme closed her eyes and a sigh of relief left her lips before she whispered, "Oh, thank God ..."
Her features immediately relaxed at hearing these wonderfully good news and she leaned against her husband, feeling that his presence, his touch and his smell had incredibly calming effects on her and her tattered nerves. He gave her the strength she was craving right now.
A few moments passed while they sat there in silence, until Carlisle decided that the sooner his wife and daughter would talk, the better.
"But darling ... there is still something you need to do," he said.
He detected a sudden hitch in her breathing, like his words had taken her off guard. She leaned back and looked at him questioningly, waiting for him to explain what exactly he was talking about.
Now that he could see her eyes again, Carlisle noticed the look of nervousness and fear she was giving him, and so he went on immediately. "Rosalie would like to talk to you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you," he confirmed and gave her a nod.
She did not react, and so he stood up from the armrest of the chair and knelt in front of his wife, taking her hands in both of his. He hoped he would get her attention that way, because she still seemed to be shocked even after several moments had passed.
When she felt his forearms on her knees and her hands in his, she looked at him. He could clearly see that she was frowning, showing him that she was having trouble with his request... or Rosalie's request.
Esme was sure she couldn't do it. He was better at talking to Rose, she knew that he was... she would only make everything worse again and then she would lose her daughter. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea, Carlisle... I don't want it to escalate again. I cannot risk it."
The look in her eyes and the way she shook her head as she spoke let him know that she was starting to feel a little panicky, and so he had to make sure she would not back out of this.
"She asked for you, Esme," he replied calmly, using his thumbs to rub over the backs of her hands in a comforting and reassuring manner. "You two have a lot to discuss, please, go upstairs and talk to her. Please."
Her reaction to that was not what he would have imagined.
"Carlisle, she accused me of abusing her!" she almost yelled at him, but managed to keep her voice low enough so that Rosalie wouldn't hear her upstairs.
Carlisle internally groaned at the simple fact that his wife could be just as difficult as his children sometimes - he could clearly feel how it started to frustrate him. "I'm sure that was just a little misunderstanding."
"Carlisle, this wasn't a misunderstanding."
"Esme-"
"It wasn't," she insisted. "That's what she said."
Did she want to argue now? With an exasperated sigh, he asked, "Can you blame her?"
He wanted her to see it from Rosalie's perspective, but that obviously didn't work, because she suddenly looked at him like he had completely lost his mind.
His hands shot up and he held them in front of himself in a placating manner. "No, Esme, please don't look at me like that. I've told you before that something was troubling her, but you refused to listen to me. See what happened? Rosalie almost left us."
Now she got defensive. "I made a mistake, Carlisle! I feel horrible because of it, but I cannot believe that you would talk to me like that."
That was not his intention. He had tried to show her how important it was to pay close attention to their children's behaviour - but he definitely hadn't tried to insult her. "Esme, I'm-"
"No, I don't want to hear it," she replied without letting him finish speaking. Her eyes were narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "You think you are so much better with the children, then prove it."
Was she challenging him to fixing the problem between her and Rose? "Esme-"
"Go ahead, prove it!" she snapped at him, raising her voice a little at the end while motioning towards the staircase.
Oh, Esme ...
Carlisle turned his head to the side so that his wife would hopefully not see that he was biting down on his bottom lip to keep himself from grinning. It was almost hard enough to draw venom, and before his teeth could actually penetrate the skin, he heard Esme huff.
"What are you laughing at? This is not funny!"
"Esme," he said with a small chuckle and patted her knee before standing up. "Rosalie is waiting. She specifically asked for you, because she would like to speak with you. Go upstairs and accommodate her request, I'm sure you can do it, love."
After Carlisle had left her room to go downstairs and find Esme, Rose got up from the bed and let her hand run through her blonde locks while she exhaled slowly. She turned towards the window and looked out without really focussing on anything outside.
Did she want to speak with Esme? … not really.
But did she have to speak with Esme? … yes.
She wasn't sure how the talk with Esme would go, if she would be able to tell her everything and if Esme would accuse her of lying again and then flip. Well, Carlisle was here now and she was certain that he would make sure that that wouldn't happen. But would he be upstairs before the situation could escalate? Hm.
She pinched her eyes shut as she realised that her thoughts were getting away from her. Everything had gone downhill today, but why should it continue now? And Esme wasn't incalculable or aggressive, so she didn't need to waste any more thoughts on that. The stress as of late and her deep conviction that Edward would never lie to her had obviously confused Esme and made her go with her gut … which happened to be completely wrong.
Rose shifted from one foot to the other while she stood there by the window, gazing out. But the shift in her stance and the way the fabric of her pants moved over the sore skin of her behind made her realise that she was still very much feeling the after-effects of Esme's little lesson.
A change of clothes could help with that, and so she made her way over to the closet to choose a light skirt that would be a lot more comfortable right now than tight fitting pants.
She found exactly what she had been looking for and after she had changed into it, she had to admit that she felt better almost instantly. So now she could have an uncomfortable talk without feeling physically completely uncomfortable.
She didn't know how long it would take for Esme to come upstairs, but she walked back to her bed and lay down on her side. The scenery outside, the wonderful view of the river and the forest, was calming and overwhelming at the same time.
So far, she hadn't spent much time really looking at it, but now she started to really see why Esme wanted to return to this place and why she had spent so much time looking for the perfect house for them. It had been a while since the last time they have had such a big house with so much room for all of them, and the river nearby offered wonderfully calming background noises that she could easily hear in her room even with the windows closed.
Esme was a loving mom who was always so concerned about all of them and tried her best to keep the family together and happy. So what had happened that they would suddenly not get along any more? She had a vague idea of what might have happened – Edward had happened. But why was it his desperate wish to drive a wedge between her and Esme and ruin their relationship? That would be low, even for him. No, while she was sure that he had planned to make her feel as miserable as he was obviously feeling, she guessed that it might have just snowballed out of proportion of its own.
A wave of insecurity over the impending talk suddenly hit her and it mixed with the lingering anger over Esme's treatment of her. Was this going to change now? If Esme really listened and they would talk openly and hopefully manage to really pay attention to what the other one was saying … would it finally go back to the way it had been?
Or was it just going to get worse?
She wasn't going to stay if staying here meant causing her and the rest of the family sorrow – it just wouldn't be right. She couldn't square it with her conscience to make everyone suffer and she didn't want to be somewhere where she obviously wasn't welcome anymore.
Rose gasped when a knock on the door and hearing Esme call her name pulled her from her musings, and she closed her eyes for a moment to rid herself of all the thoughts about possible outcomes that were coursing through her mind right then.
"Enter."
In disbelief Esme watched her husband walk over to the French doors and open them. He turned around to give her one last, reassuring smile, before stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind him.
That he would just stand up and leave was not what she had expected to happen, but then again, he was her husband. Sometimes she had the feeling that he knew her better than she knew herself and he must have figured that she was just feeling nervous.
And he had said that she could do it.
All she needed to do was to believe in herself that she would not make another mistake again.
Swallowing down the fear of failing her daughter and her children and her husband, Esme slowly got up from the armchair and turned towards the foyer.
The first few steps were still easy, but as soon as she reached the staircase and stretched her neck to look up to the next floor, her feet suddenly felt like lead and kept her from taking just another step.
Another mistake and Rose would leave...
That thought was stuck in her mind.
Another mistake and Rose would leave...
Unfortunately staying down here wasn't going to solve anything... it would just make the situation worse instead. The last thing she wanted was for Rose to think that she wasn't interested in talking things through. Not going upstairs would send a completely wrong message and Rose would feel like she really didn't care about her, even though the exact opposite was the case.
Taking one deep breath to steady her nerves, she put her foot on the first step and slowly made her way upstairs.
It was weird how time can change a person, she thought while taking one step after the other until she reached the first floor. Her eyes immediately focussed on the door to Rose and Emmett's room, and seeing that it was closed made her once again stop where she was.
This wasn't the first time that she and her oldest daughter were having difficulties. But the last time Rosalie had been close to leaving, the fear of losing her child had suddenly awakened a strength within her she hadn't been aware of having. She had been determined to put up a fight and protect her young daughter from herself, even if it meant that she had to take drastic measures. Of course she had feared that it would ruin their relationship forever, but at that time she was willing to take the risk for her daughter's safety.
Maybe she should enter the same state of mind again... she really preferred having her daughter hate her over having to watch her leave their coven.
What was different about this situation now, was that there were a lot more people involved than back then and that there must be some kind of miscommunication that got them to this point.
Esme shook her head to rid herself of everything that was just keeping her from focussing on the here and now, and eventually walked over to Rosalie's door in order to not make her wait any longer. Halfway to Rosalie's room she passed a mirror hanging on the wall, and she turned her head to look at herself.
She had cried earlier but hadn't used a handkerchief to clean her face and now she looked terrible. On the sideboard that was standing underneath the mirror was a box of tissues, and she grabbed one and wiped it across her face to get rid of the venom that clearly showed that she had been crying. There was no way that she would present herself to her daughter looking like this, no.
Two tissues later and she felt a little better. Well, she was still not feeling well, but at least her previous breakdown wasn't showing on her face anymore.
She hid the used tissues in the pocket of her pants, then walked the last few meters until she was standing in front of her daughter's room.
"Rosalie?" Esme called and tapped her knuckles against the door. Truthfully, she still felt a bit nervous as she did not know what to expect, but Rosalie had asked for her. She must be willing to talk to her otherwise it wouldn't make any sense that she wanted her here.
That, as well the fact that Rose had decided against leaving, calmed Esme enough to open the door when she heard Rose allowing her to enter.
She slowly pushed the door open, still having an uneasy feeling about this. What would be the outcome? Last time she was in this room Rose was starting to pack up her things because she couldn't stand her presence anymore. What a horrible mother she was ... chasing her children out of the house, making them feel like they weren't welcome, like she didn't want them here.
And Rose had basically accused her of abusing her ... that thought alone had shocked her so much that she couldn't even think straight. She always wanted what was best for her children, and she would protect them from whoever might threaten or harm them. But hearing that she was the one who would do the exact opposite of keeping them safe was more than just scary. She hoped she had just made a mistake by not making sure that Rose fully understood why she earned that spanking or that Rose had just meant to be spiteful - but if her children really saw her that way and if she really mistreated them like that, then she had become a person she truly feared.
She looked into the room and found her blonde daughter lying on her side on the bed. Rose was facing the window and didn't even look at her or acknowledge her presence in any way.
That kept Esme frozen in place for a moment, as she was unsure if Rose had changed her mind about this. She was lying with her back to her - not exactly a very welcoming stance. But Rose had allowed her to enter and Carlisle said that she had asked for her, so she gulped down the uneasiness that she was feeling and shut the door behind her.
Then she slowly made her way over to the bed and halted for a moment before she carefully sat down on the vacant side. She lifted her hand and let it hover over her daughter's head and shoulder for a second, unsure whether it was still too early to show her that she was sorry, before letting it sink down to touch Rose's hair, intending this gesture to be comforting and loving. Unfortunately it didn't have the desired effect, pretty much the opposite in fact.
Rose jerked her head away and threw her hand back to fend her mother off. "Don't," was all she said.
A pang of guilt and hurt coursed through Esme, but again, she swallowed it down. Rosalie wasn't trying to be hostile, she was just still hurt because of what had happened in this room today and so she couldn't tolerate her mother's touch right now. That was okay and understandable. Still, Esme felt that maybe it would have helped to show Rosalie how she was feeling about this.
"Rosalie, I-" Esme started to say in an attempt to end the silence and also to apologise, but Rose interrupted her immediately.
"Don't, Esme."
"But-"
"How about you listen to me for a change?" Rose asked, never turning around to look at her mother. This was her room, she had asked Esme to come here, and now she would do the talking. She needed to get it off her chest before she would decide against it.
Esme noticed that Rose's voice had a sharp edge to it. It hadn't been her intention to insult her daughter or anything, so she felt that she should tell her that she was sorry before she could make yet another mistake. "Rose, I-"
"Esme," Rosalie hissed, and it instantly shut Esme up. "I did not ask you to come here to sputter apologies."
Despite the tone Rose was taking with her, Esme remained quiet then, letting her daughter know that she would listen now and that she could start talking. Something was really bothering the girl and she needed to just get it out, that's why she decided to not say anything until Rose would be finished.
A minute passed, and it brought a silence that got heavy, uncomfortable and very oppressing. Esme was just about to decide against remaining silent when Rosalie suddenly spoke.
"Emmett and I had the most wonderful holidays," she whispered. It was very quiet, but Esme was sitting right behind her and so she had no trouble hearing. "We enjoyed spending time together, just the two of us and no one to disturb us or invade our privacy."
She paused for a moment, partly to check if Esme would want to interupt her, and partly to let this sink in. She wanted Esme to know that their holidays had been beautiful, and that she had been – until a week ago – the happiest person. She wanted her to understand how she had been feeling until she and Emmett returned from their vacation.
She and Emmett had been reluctant to leave their holiday home to go back to their daily routine of playing their roles as human teenagers and going to highschool. Attending classes over and over again was completely pointless for them, but going to school gave them the chance to stay in a place for longer than just a little while and being part of a coven guaranteed them the utmost safety and security. Besides, they were more than just simple coven members that lived together because everyone benefitted from it – they lived together because they wanted to. They considered their coven a family, and whenever they weren't together, they felt that something was missing.
So despite the sadness that their vacation had come to an end, they had packed their things and made their way to Forks where the rest of the family was already busy settling in.
Rose sighed, and Esme could see her daughter hang her head before she lifted it again and gazed out of the window. "The first day of school had been like any other. In a town as small as Forks where everyone knows everyone we are the new attraction. I can't help it, but I do enjoy the looks of envy I get from the girls and the lustful looks from those highschool boys. For me it's some kind of compensation for all the silly rumours that we'll have to endure for the first year or so in this new place."
Nodding her head, Esme crossed her legs and let her folded hands rest on top of her raised knee. She had always hoped that the rumours people were spreading about her family wouldn't affect her children too much. It was never easy to be the center of the gossip, but it was always calming to know that it would die down after a while and they wouldn't stand in the spotlight anymore.
"I know that Edward has been moody all throughout the holidays. Jasper told me that it was quite a trial to endure his sulkiness and his mood swings for that amount of time. The only thing that helped was the promise of a new car, as it made him finally shut up. But apparently it got worse the moment Carlisle picked it up and brought it to Forks, because Edward wanted to drive it."
Begrudgingly, Esme had to agree. Her youngest hadn't been in the best of moods during these past few months, and even though she would never admit it, she was glad that Rose and Emmett had chosen to go on a vacation instead of staying home. It would have definitely gotten out of hand with all of them home and she was glad that that hadn't happened. Rose and Emmett needed some time to themselves so they could start their stay in Forks as relaxed as possible and Jasper and Alice were always content and never complained no matter what. So that left her with her Edward, who hadn't been very happy lately.
"I don't understand him sometimes," Rose sighed and shook her head. "That was a perfect deal for him – a brand new car for a few months of waiting. I don't understand why he had to have it before he would be able to drive it – but then again, I don't really care." Carlisle and Esme often made deals with their children when they needed a little incentive, or just as a way of compromise. It had worked over the years, but apparently this time something had gone completely wrong.
Looking down at her hands, Esme felt a pang of guilt, because she was the one who had arranged it that Edward would get the car as soon as possible so she could see him smile again. She had asked him repeatedly what she could do to help him, and he eventually told her that a new car would make the settling in in Forks and at school a lot easier for him. So she had made sure that her baby would get what he wanted. But before she could spend yet another thought on that, Rosalie was already talking again.
Shrugging her shoulder, Rose continued with her musings. "Maybe it wasn't even the ugly Volvo... maybe it was the fact that he didn't pick up any strange vampire scents or thoughts in the forests surrounding Forks. It's like he is blaming everything and everyone that he doesn't have a mate and apparently isn't able to find the right one."
Not liking how spiteful Rose sounded as she said that, Esme had half a mind to reprimand her - but she stopped herself in time, because she had a feeling that Rose didn't mean it like that. She was annoyed that - apparently - Edward had taken his mood out on her and the rest of his siblings. Before she could think about this some more, Rosalie went on.
"He was still his grumpy old self on the first day of school – and it got even worse during lunch time. You could see it in his eyes that he scanned the human girls in the room for 'the right one', but got angry when it grew apparent she wasn't there. And when he doesn't get his way or is feeling miserable, he needs to make others feel the same way in order to make himself feel better. It's such a silly and childish reaction, but that's him all over."
Another pause, but Esme remained silent so that Rosalie could continue.
"When the school day was over, I could see him standing in the school's parking lot, talking to some of the boys of his year. That confused me a little, as we prefer to keep to ourselves instead of getting involved in any ridiculous teeny-nonsense. I could hear that Edward was whispering something to them, I just couldn't make out the words. I approached them as they were standing next to my car, and when they spied me, the look in their eyes changed. They had practically drooled all over the place when they had first seen me in the morning, but at that moment in the parking lot, it was like they were suddenly looking down on me. Their eyes widenend at first, and then the look they gave me was a mix of shock and... I don't know... aversion and disgust and a lot more."
Bitterness and hurt were detectable in her voice, and Esme wanted to hug her so bad. Rose was always trying her best to keep her emotions hidden from everyone, but right now she didn't succeed and that meant that she was feeling deeply wounded. Rose wouldn't tolerate any physical contact right now, Esme was sure of it, and so she had no other choice but to stay exactly where she was and listen.
"Rose… what happened?" she asked carefully, sensing that whatever Rose would tell her next would hurt her just as much. It was the first time she spoke since Rose had snapped at her, but she needed to know what she knew. Something really odd must have happened for people to look at her like that, especially if they didn't know anything about her. This was definitely not a common reaction humans were having when they saw one of their kind.
"Edward told them that I was only looking so pretty and was dressed like that because soon I would be showing and sooner or later my figure would be ruined. He said that I was desperate to hold onto my beauty for as long as possible."
Esme just stared back at her, not even able to blink her eyes.
She had to admit that this information took her completely off guard – it seemed so unlike her baby boy to do something like that out of spite. But what shocked her even more was that her daughter had to deal with something she knew would take a while for her to forget about. She could practically feel what Rosalie was feeling, because she knew how much her daughter would have loved to have a child and how she cursed her beauty for having that chance ripped away from her forever. Hearing that someone had made fun of her and used this to hurt her was despicable and incredibly hurtful. Additionally, if Edward had really said that, then Rosalie must feel betrayed by her own brother.
How could she not have noticed that Rosalie wasn't all right?
Rose just raised an eyebrow when Esme didn't say anything and she could feel her staring at her. She had expected at least some kind of reaction to the fact that her favourite wasn't always the perfect little angel that she thought he was. Or – what was also very likely – that she would call her a liar. After the last few days it wouldn't surprise her if Esme refused to believe her.
Finally realising that it was completely silent in the room and she was just staring at her daughter, Esme swallowed hard before asking, "Did they believe him?"
Aha… so Esme did not call her a liar? How did that happen?
Rose let out a humourless laugh. "Obviously… how could they not? I bought a booster seat the day before and had kept it in the trunk. When I reached my car, I saw that it was on the rear seat for everyone to see. Apparently that backed his nonsense up."
Taking a deep breath, she continued. "When I pulled the keys from my purse and unlocked the doors, he just pointed at the seat with a stupid grin on his face and told me that it's very cute. I have to admit that that was a little too much for me. He was trying to ridicule me in front of a bunch of human teenage boys, and something in me snapped. For the past few days I had ignored Edward's stupidity, but… argh, I just couldn't keep myself from saying something in return. That's why I told him it was his seat and I could strap him in if he wanted me to. Emmett arrived at that moment and said he'd help."
Again, Esme just looked at her, her eyes unblinking. She had taken Rose and Emmett's keys to make sure they would stop picking on Edward. Hearing that he had told Carlisle about Rose and Emmett ragging him with this seat had appalled her and so she had wanted to put an end to it. Of course she hadn't known that in a way Edward had provoked it. But there was still something different she didn't quite comprehend. "Rose…," she said and cleared her throat, "I still don't understand why you would buy a booster seat."
Rose rolled her eyes. Of course that would be Esme's first question... she was still convinced that her only goal in life was to torture Edward.
Who cares that Edward was actively spreading rumours about them and draw unnecessary attention to their family? The important thing here was that she had bought something with her own money and that nobody would have ever seen that seat if it wasn't for this little bastard. "That's not important," she replied curtly.
"I'd like to know, Rosalie. Why did you buy it?"
"Like you care," she scoffed. "You're only asking because you are still convinced that it was part of my 'evil plan' to tease your perfect little angel who is infallible unlike the rest of us."
Esme frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "Is that what you think, Rosalie? That I favour Edward over you?"
"Esme," Rose said and had trouble keeping herself from snorting. "It's a known fact, don't embarrass yourself by denying it."
Placing a hand over her unbeating heart, Esme whispered, "If it came across like that, then I am truly -"
"Esme, please. I don't care that I am not your favourite and I don't even want to be. As long as I am Emmett's favourite, my little world is fine and I am happy. But you could stop trying to rub it in."
Esme didn't know what to say, because she thought she would treat all of her children equally. Sure, she tended to spoil her boys a little more, but Carlisle was doing the same with their girls, so it never crossed her mind that someone would still feel left out or disadvantaged. And yes, she had a soft spot for Edward as he was her first son with Carlisle and he often felt lonely due to not having a mate. Maybe she did spend more time with him and coddled him a bit more...
"And please don't start treating Alice like you treat me, please don't," Rosalie added in a whisper, pulling Esme out of her thought.
She gasped. "I would never treat Alice like -," Esme started to say before she realised that this was heading in the completely wrong direction. Rose was telling her that she was concerned that she might treat Alice badly, but she should never have to be concerned about that. She did sound like she was being honest, but Esme had the feeling that additionally she was maybe trying to corner her, make her say the wrong thing so it would sound like she was admitting to treating her badly. But it had never been her intention to be unfair to any of her children - she just didn't know how to make Rosalie believe her. And she was seriously starting to feel even guiltier than she already was.
She settled for taking a deep breath while she was trying to find the right words. But weirdly enough, Rose wasn't even waiting for an explanation or an apology – she was suddenly determined to tell Esme what she wanted to know while staring out of the window with unblinking eyes.
"On our way to Forks there was a car crash," she said. "Emmett and I didn't witness it happening, but we saw the wrecked cars - bent metal, broken glass and blood. A lot of blood. I saw a little stuffed toy lying on the asphalt when we drove past ... and that made it hard for me to forget about that accident. Emmett told me not to do it, but I looked it up on the internet and found an article about the crash. The driver who caused this accident was drunk and had fallen asleep behind the wheel – he died instantly. In the other car had been a young family with the baby sitting on its mother's lap."
Esme swallowed heavily as she listened intently, already fearing what Rose would say next. A little, innocent baby. Dead, robbed of the chance to grow up and live and love.
"The little boy died – the parents barely survived," she said in a whisper, then paused for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was sharp and she was almost hissing. "It made me angry to know that this little child never had a chance. And it made me angry that the parents had a piece of shit car and apparently not enough money to make sure that they would have a decent child's safety seat for the little one. It's probably a classic case of 'Wrong place, wrong time', but this family got ripped apart in the blink of an eye."
Her voice turned quiet again when she admitted, "I cannot help but think about it again and again, it's uppermost in my mind … and I guess Edward was picking up on it."
Esme frowned as she heard that. She didn't know why Rose was mentioning this and why she was certain that Edward was checking in on his sister's thoughts. Why was the fact that she had seen the scene of an accident so important for what she would tell her next? And besides, she still hadn't answered her question.
"All right, I'm done now. You can laugh at me or call me a liar now," Rose told her, and she sounded like she was completely serious.
Esme didn't understand anything anymore. The talk was over now? "Why would I laugh at you, Rose?"
"Because you think I'm either being ridiculous or because you think I made this up."
"No, I don't," she said, blinking her eyes while trying to understand what was happening here. She was glad that Rosalie had told her so much, but she was still trying to connect the dots. However, it just didn't make any sense that she would expect her to call her a liar or ridicule her for telling her about a car accident.
Rose scoffed. "Yes, you do."
"Rosalie -" "Thanks for listening, Esme," Rose said louder than neccessary, "but you can go now."
And for the first time Esme noticed that Rosalie was watching her reflection in the window. Had she been doing that the whole time? Watching her? Observing her?
"I know you think I'm lying… wouldn't be the first time. Just go," Rosalie ordered and glanced over her shoulder, then focussed on her hands while waiting for her mother to leave the room.
Esme frowned at the sudden change in Rose's tone of voice and the way she reverted back to her usual guarded self, but she had seen a look of hurt and sadness in Rose's eyes that she obviously hadn't managed to keep hidden from her.
She didn't know what to do and so it seemed safer to just comply with her daughter's wish before she would make another mistake again.
Esme stood up and headed for the door, but before she could lift her hand and reach for the door handle, a thought struck her causing her to halt. With eyes narrowed in thought, she whispered, "You bought the booster seat to give it to charity." It sounded like she was talking to herself and there was a confidence in her voice that made it obvious that Esme didn't have a single doubt in her mind about it.
Even though Esme had whispered the words, Rose had heard her. A gasp left her lips and she looked over her shoulder, staring at her mother.
Esme slowly turned around on her heel and she was still looking completely thoughtful when their eyes suddenly met.
Rose seemed like she wasn't sure what to expect, and Esme reached up and held a hand to her forehead. "You didn't buy it to tease Edward," she said while shaking her head lightly.
And as she thought about that and realised that she had been completely wrong about this, she remembered what else she had accused Rosalie of or rebuked her for.
Just today when she came home, Rosalie was the only one there as her siblings had still been at school. Rose had refused to give her an answer as to why she was cutting classes, and Esme had assumed it was just because she wanted to drive her car without anyone noticing.
Combining the facts, she suddenly understood why Rose would leave school early and why she had needed to find something to busy herself with. If she were honest with herself, she would have done the same. It's exactly what she and Carlisle always told their children: If you are feeling like you might struggle with your temper or you're not feeling well, leave the situation. Whether it was at home, at school or elsewhere – before the situation could get out of hand and you might lose control over your instincts or your temper, it was better to leave and find a place to calm down.
Rosalie had been confronted with the death of a young child and parents who had lost their baby, and it had really bothered her. And while she hadn't been feeling well, her brother showed her up in front of a few human boys and told a very nasty and persistent rumour about her. Now the rumour is spreading and everyone is talking about her and watching her - of course she needed a break from that. People are talking about a baby she would never have and make her look like she was only concerned about her looks and didn't care about anything else - the situation must be incredibly difficult for Rose.
Esme had to admit that it was a known fact that siblings argue and tease each other, but with this Edward had really crossed a line.
A tidal wave of regret and guilt hit Esme when she thought about this afternoon – she hadn't really given Rose the chance to explain herself. Or to be more precise: After the way she had treated her it was understandable that Rosalie refused to tell her anything because she thought she wouldn't believe her. Yes, Rose also tended to be difficult to approach at times, but she should have been more understanding with her daughter instead of practically forcing her into a position where she would have to defend herself and would talk rudely back to her due to feeling cornered. So it didn't really come as a surprise that this afternoon had turned into a complete disaster.
Esme's hand covered her mouth while her eyes turned apologising and regretful. "Rose, I am so sorry," she whispered.
Maybe it was the sudden change of atmosphere or the disbelief that Esme wouldn't accuse her of lying anymore why Rose wasn't able to keep her mouth shut. Just like when Carlisle had told her that he was proud of her, she just snorted and even asked in a snide tone of voice, "Sorry for beating me? Sorry that you wasted your time listening to me? Sorry tha-"
"No."
That simple word combined with the force it had been spoken with shut Rose up. She didn't have to wait long until Esme was seated on the bed again like before and she started explaining.
"I am sorry that I didn't realise how you were feeling. I am sorry that I hadn't been more attentive and I am sorry that I didn't listen to you."
Rose swallowed heavily at hearing her mother apologise. Still, she couldn't get rid of the feeling of being treated by her like she was to blame for everything that went wrong in this house. "But you're not sorry for beating me."
"You were rude and disrespectful and tried to deceive me - you know I cannot tolerate that. I realise that my ignorance frustrated you and that it added up to whatever else you were feeling. But I still feel that I did not punish you completely without reason. Yes, I should have listened to you and we could have waited for Carlisle to come home like you asked me to. I am sorry that I did not give you that chance, but you need to understand that I merely disciplined you, Rose, I did not beat you," she tried to explain, but felt like it still didn't change anything about the fact that this would have never happened if she hadn't paid more attention to the way her daughter had been feeling lately.
"Fine, but you were going to beat me."
Esme just stared at her, shocked, until she remembered what Rose was referring to. Now that's why Rosalie suddenly wanted to leave … yes, she had already figured that she should have said something else so that Rose wouldn't have gotten the impression that she wanted to spank her yet again.
She hung her head as the pain of hearing her daughter pack up her things and snarl at her came back to the surface. The pain of losing a child, the fear, the forlornness … it all came back to her now.
Cradling her head in her hands, she was silent for a moment while she tried to keep the tears at bay.
Rosalie was startled by the odd silence – she had expected Esme to say something in her defence. She looked back over her shoulder, seeing her mother hunched over and her head in her hands, and it almost made her feel sorry for her.
Suddenly Esme lifted her head and looked back at her daughter who immediately turned back around and looked at her nails like she had been doing all along.
"I have no words to describe how sorry I am. That was a misunderstanding, Rose, please believe me. I saw you shaking and knew that you were less than comfortable sitting … all I wanted for you was to stand up so you wouldn't suffer more discomfort."
Now that made Rose bite her lip. What Esme just said sounded more like the mother she knew than the person she had thought her to be lately.
"What happened in the school's parking lot..."
Rose's head shot back up again. "Emmett never did anything, Esme, you know him. He didn't even know what happened before he approached us."
And again, Esme felt a pang of guilt. Oh, she must have been terrible towards Rose lately that she thought she would only want to talk about this because she and Emmett were in trouble. "That's not what I meant. He's not in trouble, and neither are you. I wanted to ask you how Edward's remark made you feel."
That question took Rose off-guard and if she wasn't so much in control of her body, she knew her jaw would have dropped and she would have openly gaped at her mother. Was Esme really asking her how she was feeling? What good would it do to talk about her feelings now?
She wanted to refuse answering Esme's question, as she knew if she would get started she'd tell her everything. But maybe she really needed to get everything off her chest, everything that was troubling her - and Esme was her mother.
But she didn't want to cry in front of her. This was so hard for her, being vulnerable in front of someone was so hard for her. However, she suddenly realised that Esme maybe could relate to her concerning this.
Her mouth opened and closed several times as she was still debating with herself whether to open up about this or not. Before she could really make a decision, she was already talking. "I cannot bear children. I have to content myself with watching other people's children grow up. That Edward would make fun on me because of that and additionally make Emmett and me seem like some hormone-drive teenagers that hadn't been careful is just making me angry. He made me appear like I would consider a child as some kind of accident and that I would give anything to be pretty. I didn't ask for this, Esme, I am trapped in this body for all eternity with no chance of ever having a child with my husband. To me that's not a laughing matter. I don't find this funny, and I don't know why he would say something like this about me." While she spoke, her voice turned from quiet and soft to angry and frustrated.
"I will always be pretty, even though I would give that up without a second thought. But since that's not possible, this," she said icily and motioned with her hand down her body, "is all I have."
Esme didn't even get a chance to say anything, tell her daughter that she understood and that she knew exactly how she was feeling, because Rosalie seemed like she was just getting started. But it was good for her to let it all out, and so Esme just sat there, listening.
"He wanted to ruin that for me, too. I am beautiful and people envy me for it. Yes, I am vain and I enjoy these looks they give me. It's all I have, Esme. But now I get stared at and people point their fingers at me, everybody is talking behind my back and the rumourmill is turning. It would only be half as bad if it was only directed against me, but Emmett is in the focus as well."
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she shook her head lightly and said, "I seriously have no idea what I have done to Edward that he would do that ... tell people this lie about me and draw attention to us. I hope that it will stop in a few months when people will see that my stomach isn't growing, and I really hope that they won't think that I had an abortion to keep my figure. I would never do that."
Esme had the same thoughts on this. Rose was being honest with her, and she felt incredibly shocked that Edward would do this, especially since he knew just how much this would hurt Rose.
Those were her weak spots. She couldn't get pregnant, people would talk bad about her mate and Edward had drawn attention to their family. Rose loved this family more than she let on, and she was extremely scared of people finding out about them. Edward spreading rumours wasn't exactly beneficial in keeping their family out of the focus. How could she possibly not have noticed that Rosalie wasn't all right? This was a lot to take in, a lot to endure, and on top of that she had been treated by her like she was to blame for everything that went wrong. She had laughed at Carlisle when he told her that she was playing favourites, and she had told him that he was wrong about his suspicion that something was troubling their daughter. On top of that she had actively made it worse by rebuking her and actually grounding and even disciplining her.
She felt horrible, absolutely horrible. If it were possible, she would travel back in time and change everything that went wrong. Today and the days before might have never happened and she was sure that neither she nor Rosalie would be sad about it. But at least this day had put an end to these misunderstandings and really made them sit down and talk about everything. And she would have definitely tried to save her daughter from the humiliation she had experienced on her first day of school.
And suddenly that train of thought reminded her of something Rosalie had said to her earlier.
"Rosie … why did you say I humiliated you?" Rose had accused her of doing just that and Esme still didn't quite understand why, because she had sent everyone out of the house so they would have some privacy. But this talk was supposed to bring light into the dark, and so she just asked.
Rosalie's eyes narrowed for a moment, and her voice darkened. "Because you did. You were giving Edward what he wanted to happen, and on top of that he was able to watch."
Esme thought about that when it finally dawned on her. At least she hadn't done everything wrong, she realised. "I know that Edward can see what Alice sees. What happened here today was a private matter between you and me and I wanted to keep it that way."
Rosalie looked over her shoulder and frowned at her.
"I count on Alice to not share her visions when she knows that what she sees is meant to stay private. And I didn't want to fuel the fire of your and Edward's quarrel. Edward is in the forest with Jasper, while Alice and Emmett went into town to do some shopping for me."
That did surprise Rose and she couldn't keep herself from showing it. She really hadn't expected Esme to be so thoughtful and make sure that Edward wouldn't see what was happening here so he wouldn't have something to tease her with. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before a hint of sadness hushed over her face.
Esme was excited to see Rosalie smile again, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Rosalie shook her head like she thought it was silly, but after some hesitation she said, "You split Jasper and Alice up." With each passing year it became more and more obvious that these two deserved a medal for everything they had to endure in this family. Even though they practically never screwed up, they had to leave the house, get split up, have to drive their siblings around, and always act responsible and show everyone understanding.
Esme pressed her lips together like she hadn't been comfortable with her decision, but she didn't really have much of a choice. "I had to. It's only for a few hours… I was sure they would understand."
A light snort came from Rose. "They would never complain," she remarked.
"I didn't want to have them all together, as Edward would be able to see Alice's visions. And I didn't want to send Emmett and Edward on a hunt together…," Esme explained and noticed that Rosalie nodded her head in agreement. Emmett had called for her before Esme came up to her room, and she was sure that he had known she was in some kind of trouble. Yep, Emmett might have done something to Edward he wouldn't even feel bad about. But dismembering a family member was not allowed, even if it was wellfounded.
"Rosalie… your father reminded me that I never asked you where you went when you took the car today." Carlisle had made it sound like it would have been some important information, and she figured that he might be right. He had been right about everything lately, it seemed, and so she decided to ask.
She could hear Rose take a quick breath, but she never exhaled. There was no doubt in Esme's mind that she was contemplating whether or not to tell her where she had been. Eventually she lifted her head and mumbled, "I bought paint… for the scratch in Carlisle's car."
"I told you I didn't want you to fix it."
"Yes, and I told you it wouldn't make any sense!" she protested and whipped her head around to glare at her mother. "I'm good with cars, I have fixed more dents and scratches than I can count! Why do you suddenly don't trust me any more? I won't damage it further, I know exactly what to do."
"That's not what I was concerned about," she told her softly and shook her head, making Rosalie groan in frustration.
"What is it then? Why were you refusing to let me take care of it and then trying to rub it in by demonstratively driving the car around in the rain when you could have taken mine?"
Esme frowned. "You thought I was purposely trying to anger you? That's what you thought? That I would really do something like that?"
All of a sudden the slightly shocked tone of voice did make Rose feel uncomfortable admitting to it, but yes, that was what she had thought. Esme had never given her any reason to not see it that way.
"Rosie, I… oh God, I never thought about it that way, I am so sorry. I…," and then Esme sighed before she continued, "I didn't want to take your car because it felt wrong to me after grounding you from driving it. And I didn't want you to work on Carlisle's car because I wanted to make sure that you and Edward wouldn't argue about this."
Rose didn't say anything, just frowned at her mother who wanted to give her an explanation that didn't really make any sense. The silence as Rose didn't respond seemed to make Esme nervous, and so she quickly continued to explain.
"I never realised that it would come across like that, Rose. Edward scratched your father's car … and I thought if you would fix his mistake, fix what he had accidentally done … well, I thought it would lead to trouble. He would have felt ashamed and embarrassed … and you-"
"You thought I would have teased him," Rose concluded with an icy voice. Well, this shouldn't have come as a surprise to her – Esme always blamed her for whatever was wrong with her golden boy. And teasing … oh, how she hated that word and how she hated that Esme always thought that she had nothing better to do with her time than picking on that idiot like a little child. She had barely talked to him lately, tried to ignore him as much as possible – what else was she supposed to do?
"Why am I even talking to you ...," Rose asked with a glum sigh, but it sounded more like she was asking herself than Esme.
"No, please Rosalie. You can always talk to me, I don't want you to think that-"
The look Rosalie gave her made her realise that it sounded more like empty words than the actual truth. Rose probably didn't believe a single word she was saying - what happened during the last few days didn't really back up her statement. She sighed and rubbed a hand over her forehead to ease the frustration she was feeling with herself. How long would it take to mend their relationship? She wanted it to go back to the way it had been before they had moved to Forks, wanted everyone to get along and be happy. But at least this talk was the first step. Rosalie wanted the same as she did, otherwise she wouldn't have asked for this private talk with her. Yes, together they would be able to fix this, she just needed to be honest and try harder to listen to her children even if they weren't saying anything at all. "I understand that it's hard for you to believe me right now, but I promise you that I won't let this happen again. I love you so much and I never meant to treat you like you weren't important to me. I think I have to admit that I did play favourites, even though I never intended to do something like that. I love all of you equally."
"Are you listening to yourself?"
"Rose, I mean what I said. It's just that you and Emmett have each other, and Jasper and Alice have each other ... Edward hasn't been that fortunate yet. He really wants to find a mate, his true mate, but it just hasn't happened yet. I love all of you, please don't you ever doubt that. But you need to understand that sometimes Edward isn't feeling well and needs a bit more attention and care."
"That isn't the problem. The problem is that you are so taken by him that you would never doubt anything he tells you. He is fooling you all the time to make sure that you think I am to blame for his moods, and so you didn't even give me the chance to explain anything," Rose said and looked down at the bed spread. "You just didn't care."
There was a kind of sadness in Rose's voice that broke Esme's heart. Apparently she had favourited Edward to the extent that her other children felt like they were only of secondary importance to her. "You are right, I realise now that I haven't been fair with you. But please believe me when I tell you that this will change."
Rose sighed while thinking about her mother's words. She sounded sincere, and she couldn't imagine that Esme would be lying about this. She seemed really anxious to avoid making the same mistakes again. But she had done mistakes as well … starting with not opening up to Carlisle. And letting her temper get away from her. And, of course, not ignoring this stupid idiot Edward a lot more. Maybe she needed to be a bit more nonchalant about everything, just like Emmett was. He had trouble taking anything seriously, but sometimes this was indeed the best way to deal with things. She took a deep breath before turning around on the bed, facing her mother completely for the first time and nod her head.
The tension vanished from Esme's face – she was still feeling bad, but at least now she knew that they could work on it again and that Rosalie wouldn't be leaving. Ever since their family had been growing, they had spent less and less time really talking about anything and everything like they used to. They had gotten so close over the course of the first few years, and that had been a great basis for their mother-daughter relationship, she thought - unfortunately their relationship wasn't the same anymore.
"I think this talk was long overdue."
"Yes."
"But Rosalie, please don't you ever think you couldn't come to us and tell us when something like this happens. I see that you didn't want to share this with me as I haven't been very fair with you lately, I understand that. But you could have told your father. He was so concerned about you."
Rose had hoped she wouldn't ask. She didn't like admitting that talking about her feelings made her really uncomfortable. She would be vulnerable when she would open up to someone about what happened and how it made her feel, and that scared her. Additionally it made her feel bad to hear that Carlisle had been really worried, but she had refused to tell him what was going on. "I have never talked to him about... what is missing in my life, so he wouldn't understand. He would think I'm being silly."
"Oh Rose...," Esme sighed. "Of course he would understand. And I can assure you that there is nothing silly about it, your father would never think that. I felt exactly the same way in the beginning."
Hearing her say that made her feel a bit better because that way she knew that Esme understood why this was so hard for her. But it also made her feel worse, because she knew what it felt like not being able to conceive and knowing that Esme had to go through the same was horrible for her. She didn't wish this upon anyone.
"I think it's terrible what happened, Rose, and I know Carlisle would be just as appalled."
She saw Rose nod her head, but knew she would still have the same doubts about telling him if a situation like this would ever happen again - not that she would let it happen again.
Esme scooted closer towards Rose and she was glad that her daughter did not move away. Slowly she lifted her arms and when she still didn't see any reluctance or the like, she put them around Rose and hugged her to herself. It felt so good to embrace her again, and when she felt Rose's hands on her back, returning the hug, tears welled up in her eyes. She had basically betrayed her daughter, but she would still be the one trying to fix this.
"Can you forgive me?" Esme whispered.
A lot had happened and during the last couple of days Rosalie had felt so unwell, at school as well as at home. She was in the habit of bottling up her feelings without talking about it, and so they would build up and make it harder for her to deal with. Now she indeed felt a lot better after admitting to her mother what had taken place and seeing that a lot of the frustration and anger had only been due to a row of misunderstandings between her and Esme. Hearing Esme's side of the story made it so much easier as well, because now she could see that Esme wasn't purposely picking on her but had only tried to keep the atmosphere in the house as comfortable as possible. She hadn't suddenly stopped loving her and the way it looked like, she would never do - a lot of the problems that had occurred lately had been due to a lack of communication.
And it also helped that Esme could relate to her deep sadness and anger over not being able to bear children. She just felt that Esme knew exactly where she was coming from, as she had probably been suffering a lot until she and Carlisle had decided to 'adopt'.
Rosalie had really missed talking to Esme so openly - before the family grew, they had been really close and had practically been best friends.
So could she forgive Esme?
Admittedly, she still felt hurt over having been treated by her mother like she was unwanted and being accused of lying and whatnot. This feeling wouldn't immediately cease, she realised, but it would fade with time when she would see that Esme was serious about what she had told her and tried to pay more attention to all of her children, not just Edward.
And she really wanted to forgive her. She wanted their relationship to go back to the way it had been, she wanted to feel at home here, and she wanted for everyone to stop worrying.
It just wasn't fair that Carlisle, Jasper and Alice, and even her big bear Em had to endure so much drama without being the cause for all of this mess.
Rosalie pulled out of the hug, looked her in the eye and started nodding her head. "Yes. And I am sorry, Esme."
"What are you apologising for, Rose?" she asked because at that moment she somehow wasn't able to recall anything Rose had done wrong.
"I have been very rude to you lately, and I am sorry for that. It won't happen again."
Esme immediately embraced her again and pressed her to herself when she heard that. "It's already forgiven and forgotten, dear."
They sat there for a while without saying anything, just enjoying each other's presence and the feeling of relief that the series of misunderstandings had hopefully come to an end now. Esme had to admit that Edward would still be her youngest, her baby, but she was really determined to make sure to pay more attention to all of her children and what they were trying to tell her. So hearing Edward's side of this story would be very interesting indeed, as this was the kind of 'sibling love' she was not willing to allow.
"I am so glad we talked, Rose."
"Me, too."
"We'll think of something regarding school," Esme assured her and stroked her hair gently, feeling immensely blessed that she had not lost her child and that they had finally spend time listening to each other. She wanted to do everything in her power to help Rose feel better.
"Do you think Carlisle is worrying about us?" Rose suddenly asked while slowly easing out of the hug.
Esme smiled at her and wiped a stray tear away. "No," she said, "I think he trusted you to get me to see reason."
Rose put her hand over Esme's and gave it a rub. "Esme … Mom, please don't cry."
Reaching out, Esme tucked a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear. "I'm just relieved, Rosie," she said and gave her a smile that showed just how incredibly relieved she was.
"Do you think Emmett could come home now? I'd like to see him." She wasn't sure if it would be considered rude to ask for him now and break up this moment between them, but she really wanted him here with her.
"Of course, love, of course. You two could fix your windshield together," Esme said while stroking Rose's hair one more time before getting up from the bed.
"... fix my windshield?" Rose asked in a confused tone of voice, then averted her eyes because she was a little embarrassed as she remembered that her mother had found out about her little trip and what had happened after that.
"I saw the rock chip. That's why I sent Alice and Emmett into town … I wanted them to get a windshield repair kit, as well as floor paint for the garage. Maybe Carlisle could pick them up, I'll go ask him."
Esme was almost out of the door when Rosalie called, "Wait!"
She got up from her bed, looking at her mother with wide eyes. "You… told them to get a repair kit… for me? You really did that?"
"Yes. I knew the damage would irk you and I didn't think you would learn anything from seeing it every day without having the right utensils to fix it. You weren't allowed to drive, but you were allowed to work on your car, of course. I know that it calms you," Esme explained, but she sounded a bit embarrassed.
"Most of the sets you can buy at the stores are rubbish," Rose told her without really knowing why she was mentioning that.
"Oh."
"But nevermind, Mom, it's okay," Rose said with a smile and shook her head lightly while the smile grew wider. "Well, it's great, actually. Thank you."
Esme sighed, then returned the smile before leaving the room in search of her husband.
When Rose came down the stairs a few minutes later, she could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen.
Esme didn't sound too happy ... well, actually she just sounded tired and a bit exasperated. Apparently Alice had chosen a floor paint with a very interesting colour for the garage and now Esme needed to make sure that Emmett would not use it. Rose had to admit that they would be the only family in the whole state with a pink garage and that it would indeed brighten up the room ... but then she dismissed the image with a shake of her head. It wouldn't go well with her bright red convertible so she would not back her little sister up this time, no.
Rose reached the last step but didn't go any further, because she could hear distinct footsteps heading for the foyer she was standing in. This was her Emmett, she recognised his heavy footfalls and his scent was fresh in the air like he had just come home along with Alice.
"How are you, babe?" Emmett asked when he spotted his wife. With a few quick strides he was with her and looked her up and down to check if she was all right.
"Fine," she replied and took his hand in hers, happy and relieved that he was here with her now and that this huge burden had been lifted off her chest. She and Esme had managed to clear up any misunderstandings, they were able to talk about everything and now she could at least relax at home. School would still suck for another while, but right now there was nothing she could do about it.
"Did you ...?" he asked, but when Rose just gave him a weird look because she had no clue what he was getting at, a sheepish expression appeared on his face. He looked down at the ground, but didn't succeed in keeping the odd curiosity at bay. "Let me see."
He lifted the back of her skirt up, only to have her turn away with a gasp and slap at his hand. "Emmett!"
"What?" he asked with wide eyes, giving her a confused look. "Come on, it's not like I haven't seen that part of you before, Rosie."
"Stop it," she said warningly, her eyes narrowed, and smoothed her skirt back down with one hand while her other one was pressed firmly against her mate's chest to keep him away from her backside in case he would try again to take a peek at it.
Alice's stiffled giggles and Carlisle's soft chuckle let Rose know that this little interaction hadn't gone unheard or unseen by the other members of their family that were currently home with them. Yes, they were standing in the living room where they had a good view of them.
Rose rolled her eyes at them, then put her arms around her mate who let his hands run up and down her back. He bent down until their foreheads touched, and they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes.
"Rose," Esme called to gain her daughter's attention. She felt a little bad about breaking up this moment between her two children, but she had something for Rose and she wanted her to have it now.
And indeed, Rose pulled back and looked questioningly at her mother - it was exactly the right moment to see that Esme was throwing something in her direction. She reached out and caught it in mid air, hearing the clinking of the little metal pieces as she closed her hand around them.
She was frowning when she looked down at her fist, then back at Esme who just smiled at her before motioning for her to open her hand.
"Your keys," Esme said with a smile, then grabbed Carlisle by the hand and pulled him out of the room so their children would have some privacy.
Emmett's eyes widened and his lips formed the shape of an 'O' while he looked at his wife. The corners of her lips twitched as she held her car keys up and looked at them, then closed her hand around them again and gazed into the face of her mate. A low chuckle built in his chest as she suddenly smiled at him, and he couldn't help but feel immensely relieved that his mother and his wife had finally managed to talk things through.
Putting an arm around Rosalie's shoulders, Emmett led her in the direction of the garage, because he knew that she might want to work on her car now. They could still take his car in case she wanted to go somewhere, because when he and Alice had come home, the first thing he got from his mother was a kiss and his own car keys.
And while they passed through the kitchen, they could hear Esme asking Alice to give Jasper and Edward a call to let them know that they should come home now.
~THE END~
Yep, Emmy wanted to show himself one last time before the story would end, haha!
I hope you liked this little parallel story and see that it takes two to tango! Those evil little vampires, tzk tzk tzk... But at least now Esme knows what happened and Rose is starting to feel better.
Thanks for reading and reviewing and adding this story to your alerts and favourites, guys! I'm amazed, I didn't even have to force you to read it ;-) Thank you so much!
And now that this is finished, I need to upload the next chapter of Jasper's story... poor boy is still doing yard work with Em... I'm sure he absolutely detests me by now. Just imagine doing yard work with Em for three months straight, LOL! I'm definitely not his favourite person in the world... :D
Uh, before I forget: I'll be uploading a new Edward One-shot in a few days, I just need to add the 'finishing touches' and find a decent title. It will be... magical *sigh*