ROSES BEHIND MIRRORS

She didn't want to be there. He couldn't wait to get away. But what happened when Rosalie Hale came thundering into Emmett Cullen's life, no one could have predicted. AU, AH. RxEm.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Stephenie Meyer beat me to it.

A/N: This will be mostly Rosalie&Emmett, for now. But canon ships: Bella&Edward, Carlisle&Esme and Alice&Jasper too.

Chapter Fourteen

It was a Tuesday, in the beginning of November. Edward and Bella were sat at the end of the canteen table, heads close, talking quietly. Emmett was showing Rosalie how he could spin a fork around his thumb and middle finger, and she was watching in disdain, but with a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Alice and Jasper headed over with their lunch trays – both loaded with spaghetti Bolognese, Alice with a giant smile on her face, Jasper looking apprehensive, but excitement tingeing his blue eyes.

"Jasper got in!" Alice said, sliding into the seat next to Bella and putting her tray on the table. All four of them looked up.

"Got in to what?" Edward asked boredly, going back to playing with Bella's fingers on the table in front of him gently.

"The last minute place on the Argentina trip with Senior Spanish – next week!" she gushed, giving Jasper a smile, the closest Emmett had ever seen his little sister get to seductive. Jasper smiled nervously back, and it was another of those moments when the others all felt as though they were intruding. But then Emmett's eyes travelled to his blonde companion, as they were wont to do most of the time, and seeing the apprehension in her eyes he put his hand over hers. Normally, her eyes would flicker gratefully to his, but they remained focused on her brother, worry building in them.

And sure enough, when Jasper had finished looking at Alice and smiling, the next eyes he met were Rose's. He swallowed hard, and seemed to stare her out, as if judging whether or not what he was doing was acceptable or not.

"It's only for five days." He said, as if justifying it to himself and his twin. "From Saturday to Wednesday next week. I'll be back before you know it."

Rosalie nodded briefly, and then pushed her tray away.

"Sure, Jazz. Whatever." She sighed, "I'm not really feeling very hungry, and I've got some work to catch up on in the library. See you all later."

She stood up to leave, and Emmett started up too, shoving his last few fries into his mouth and chewing quickly. Rosalie gathered her coat, and looked up.

"You want me to come with you?" he asked. No one thought anything of it; Emmett was always with Rosalie nowadays. In fact, it had become bizarre to see one without the other a few paces in front or behind.

Rosalie gritted her teeth. Normally, this wasn't a problem. Normally, she liked Emmett hovering, smiling and showing her those dimples, pestering her when she was working, laughing at inappropriate times when they were watching TV, nudging her lightly when she was trying to have a serious conversation. But, right now, with Jasper's sudden, unexpected revelation, she was feeling suffocated. She had gotten brilliant and controlling her breakdowns recently, but right now she was closer than she had been in weeks. The thought of being unprotected, alone with her secrets, just simply for five days… the only way she could stop the inevitable crumbling was to shut out those who noticed anything wrong.

"No. I'm fine. You don't need to baby-sit me." She said sharply, and headed out of the canteen. Emmett stared after her, eyes sad. Jasper shook his head at him, and he looked back down at his plate, unsure of what to say now. He didn't want to follow her – he didn't want to treat her like she was a child, like she needed him all the time – because that way she'd never stop hurting. That way she'd always be trying to heal.

"You should go." Alice whispered to Jasper, bringing her face close to his so her breath tickled his ear. He tensed a little, something that the little dark-haired girl didn't fail to notice, but he nodded. Sometimes, when he could sit back and over-analyse the whole situation, ponder for hours on how best to help his sister, a few short, blunt, straightforward words from Alice could make that decision in seconds. Something a few months ago he would never have considered, he looked to Emmett for approval. He admitted, although part of him despised the fact, that Emmett had done more to help his twin in the past 9 weeks than he had done in the past 9 months, and he didn't want to do anything right now that might reverse any of that. He was becoming resigned to being second in line as far as Rosalie was concerned, even if she didn't realise it yet.

Emmett, noticing Jasper's look, nodded, almost imperceptibly. Jasper gave Alice a chaste kiss on the cheek and then got up out of his chair, leaving his bag where it was.

"I'll be back." He said, giving them all a smile with hints of bitterness.

He found Rosalie in the library, as promised. That was an improvement. Not all too long ago she would have run – anywhere, not thinking where she was going, not thinking how anyone else would find her. She was actually working; or at least staring at her textbook furiously, and as Jasper landed in the seat next to her she looked up. Her eyes weren't full, as he had expected, but cold and hard – and that was somehow more worrying. They brought him spinning into memories, backlash from just days after – with all her walls constructed around her.

"Rose, I won't go, it's all right…"

She shook her head, looking down at her book, staring at the words THE FUNCTION OF THE CARDIAC CYCLE until her eyes filled with water.

"I want you to go, Jazz. Really. You and Alice-"

He put his hand on her arm. "Hey. Don't make this about me and Alice. We've got all the time in the world to hang out."

Even in her state, she didn't fail to notice the look on his face, the almost dreamy look behind the sympathetic face he used with her. She considered – had she, in her self-pity and self-absorption, missed her brother falling in love? She smiled a little.

"Jasper, things have to change. I can't go on like this forever, y'know. I can't have you… you or Emmett… looking after me all the time. I'm gonna have to learn…"

"But you've got all the time in the world too." He argued, "If you're not ready for me to leave, I won't go. I get that, I understand."

She clenched her fists, frustrated. "Christsakes, Jasper! I shouldn't have to need you! I'm eighteen years old, I'm an adult for all intents and purposes… but I'm acting like a five year old who needs someone to tuck her in at night…"

He shook his head quickly. "It's nothing like that, and you know it. What happened to you-"

"Don't." her voice was thick.

He nodded, understanding the words unspoken. It was never mentioned.

Rosalie swallowed. This was what she wanted, to convince herself she was being pathetic. But it wasn't that, it wasn't irrational… it was the empty house, going home to the empty house… when she, inevitably, woke in the night, not having the comfort of knowing Jasper was just down the hall, knowing that any creak of the floorboards was a sound he made and not them…

Not now, Rose. Breathe.

She swallowed, and looked her brother right in the eye. "You're going, Jasper. I just needed a while to pull myself together." She sighed, "I was kinda mean to Emmett, huh? He was just trying to help…"

He nodded slowly, still looking worriedly into her eyes, searching for signs of a breakdown. "He's a good guy, Rose. He wants you to be happy."

She nodded. "You don't think I know that?"

He gave her a half smile. "Honestly, I'm happy not to go!"

"Don't argue with me about it. You're going. Alice put her ass on the line to weasel your way into that ticket, you know. She was desperate for you to go with her-"Jasper turned a little pink, "-so you're gonna go and have a damn good time, ok? I'll be all right here. It's time you got your own life, stopped worrying about me, just for a few days."

For a long moment there was silence.

"Rosalie?"

"Uh huh?"

"You know that I love you, right? You know that I'll do anything to stop you getting hurt ever again?"

She turned her face away so he couldn't see her tears. "Of course I know that." She mumbled, and then hugged him tight.

"Hellooooo?" Emmett answered his cell in his typical sing-song voice, unreflective of his mood. He hadn't seen Rosalie for the rest of the day. Jasper had come back into the canteen, saying she would be fine, he was still going on the trip – to which Alice's face had lit up and she had hugged him, regardless of everyone watching, and forced Bella into coming on a shopping trip with her to buy a new bikini – but he had said she really was working and was happy being left alone for now.

He didn't want to push her, that was the last thing he wanted, so he stayed away, but it was harder than he had ever been able to conceive before.

When had become almost painful not to be around her, thinking he had upset her?

When had he begun to feel incomplete, almost, for want of a better word, when she wasn't with him, smiling that beautiful smile and staying close to his side?

When had he gone soft? He thought, with a cynical smile.

"Emmett, it's Rose."

He immediately sat up from where he had been lying on his bed. "Hey, Rose."

He heard her pause. "I'm sorry for earlier." She said in a small voice, "You were just trying to help."

"It's ok. You all right now?"

"Yeah. Just about."

For a moment he had nothing to say, he was just comforted by hearing her voice, sounding…positive.

"Uh… so your Mom was just on the phone to me?"

He raised his eyebrows. Flipping interference, he thought, but fondly. "uh huh?"

"She suggested I stay round yours when Jasper's away. So I don't have to be in an empty house."

The words "empty house" were laced with fear, and he suddenly realised what he had been missing – she was afraid.

"You gonna?"

"If that's ok."

He chuckled lightly. If that's ok? He couldn't think of anything better. "Of course it is." He said, smiling down the phone.

"Great. Esme said I could sleep in Alice's room."

"Uh huh." He made a mental note to buy Esme at least four bottles of wine on Mother's Day.

"Your family's amazing, Emmett, I hope you realise that."

"Oh, I do."

"Well, I'll see you in school tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah." He sighed, "You sure you're all right with all of this?"

"Just about." She said. "Sorry about earlier…"

"Don't even mention it." He responded quickly. He knew she hadn't meant it. He'd got to know her well enough for that.

"Bye, Emmett."

"See you, Rosalie."

A/N: A much longer chapter, for being so tolerant!!! Forget Bio tomorrow, I have my priorities sorted!!! Erm… hope this one was ok, I had to fight to get the Jasper/Rosalie out – it's a difficult dynamic, because I have to be fairly creative, obviously they're not real twins in the series, but I hope I nailed it ;) And I hope you liked the chapter in general really, I've got a very clear idea of where everything is going now, thanks to my planning :D and I think you're going to like it (it's Emmett/Rosalie, why wouldn't you, lol). And for those of you who were excited/disappointed it's going to be only 37 chapter (!) I have two bits of good news:

- It's now 38 chapters ;) (on the plan, obv, could change)

- And I'm not promising anything, but all these ideas keep popping up for a sequel.

And check out my poll on my profile, guys ;)

Review, please. Loves xxx