Thank you to Catharticone and RandomSugarRush for their help editing this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga Characters-they belong to Stephanie Meyer. The rest of this story is mine. :)

Thank you to all the lovely readers who read and review. I love to hear your feedback, especially on what you like so I can try to write more of that into the story. I hope you will all enjoy this chapter...

Thorns

Chapter Fourteen

What is wrong with me? I should be more upset... I was very confused about what had happened the other night, that was for sure, but I was surprisingly calm about Alice blurting out some of my most horrendous memories for all to hear.

After a long night without much sleep and a lot of crying and throwing up, I had been very subdued the following morning. Alice's visions had hit too close to home and stirred up all the memories of Royce and Lily. I had made myself sick with grief as I revisited that time in my life.

Esme had spent the night fussing over me, which was hard to accept, but it was actually very nice of her. I don't think I would have been able to sleep if she had not been there.

Emmett was his usual, idiot self the next day. He kept saying the most inappropriate things to comfort me, but it was hard to be upset with him after I overheard him asking Carlisle if I was okay. I mean, I didn't like that they were talking about me — not really — but it was sort of sweet that he was so concerned. It was getting harder and harder for me to stay mad with him. Like I said, I don't know what is wrong with me.

It was five days later now, a Friday, and everything was starting to go back to what I had come to expect from the Cullens. They had been tip-toeing around me like I was some fragile doll for the last few days, but they were starting to relax and act more like themselves again.

Bella was reading in the corner and Edward was playing his guitar on the sofa next to her. Emmett was shooting pucks at a very well-padded Jasper outside on the lawn. Tiny yelps could be heard and Esme would go running to the window to remind Emmett to be careful. Carlisle was plucking Alice off the bookshelf she had decided to climb instead of asking for help to reach a game from the top shelf. Yes... it was back to the noisy chaos of mundane life here at the Cullen Cabin.

I was not in the mood to read anymore. I had been hiding in books for days since the incident happened, so I got up to take a stroll down to the dock. I liked to sit out there and think.

"Are you going down to the water, dear?" Esme asked kindly.

I was surprised she was still speaking to me. I had been very rude to her the morning after — I had called her out on spilling my secrets to her kids and run up one side of her and down the other. My language was at its most unladylike setting as I called her things I am sure Alice would be repeating later on, and I would be blamed for ruining her innocence yet again.

I had been angry that Esme had told her kids what Clara must have told her. It had been the mostly likely reason for Alice knowing about Royce...

But Esme was adamant that she had not said a word to any of them. Carlisle backed her up, of course, and we had finally decided to leave the topic alone when I had worked myself into a state of near hyperventilation — agree to disagree sort of deal—and we couldn't see eye to eye. I was not sure who or what to believe anymore. Bella tried to tell me that Alice was some kind of psychic or some load of shit like that. Do I look like a fucking moron? Nice try, Bella! God! Even her name irritates me!

The Cullens obviously knew more about me than they let on, though. How else would Alice know? I had never told them anything about the men — or Royce. Esme was the one who knew the most, and I suppose Carlisle would have known a bit too since the last time we were alone I freaked out when he came too near. I guess I had foolishly trusted them when they said they wanted to hear it from me. Instead, they were telling their kids about my past behind my back!

Nothing made sense and they were all lying in circles, but something was wrong with me because I had somewhat let it go. I guess I forgave them. I was getting soft or something...

"Ya," I answered Esme back as I walked toward the door.

"Take someone with you, please. That's the rule," she reminded me — like she did every time.

"I can swim," I said without slowing my stride or turning around.

"Rosalie!" Carlisle's voice sounded more urgent.

I stopped and spun back around. "What?"

"It is not about whether you can swim or not, Rosalie. If you slipped and hit your head, or got tangled up in rope, or-" Carlisle was saying before I laughed.

"Rope?" I giggled. "You guys even don't have a boat! What rope?"

There was no one else laughing, but Edward at least smirked a little bit to himself. I was glad that I was not the only one who found the buddy system a bit annoying. I bet he was getting tired of watching after Bella — the stupid girl was always falling over and he had to help her up and so on... What a pain in the ass!

Carlisle was about one step away from tapping his foot and waggling his finger at me, I could tell. "Well, my point is that we have water safety rules for a reason. I am on vacation — I will not be thrilled if I have to perform any life saving manoeuvres on any of my kids because of a careless accident that could have been avoided with proper supervision," he ranted lightly.

"So what if I slip? It's not like having someone watch me crack my head open is going to stop it from happening!"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Oops. Carlisle was getting upset… maybe? It was too hard to tell with him. I wondered if it was a vein I saw popping out of his normally smooth forehead, or if it was just my imagination that he appeared to be losing his temper.

His expression was definitely telling me he was not pleased with my response, but he just stood there, passively, watching me. Then he said, "In this family, we look out for one another," his voice firm. "And that is not a request, Rosalie. That is what families do."

"Whatever," I grumbled and looked away. I hated his speeches. It wasn't like we were family anyway. I don't know why they had to include me. "I'm just going to sit on the dock for a bit. Don't worry... I won't jump in and strangle myself with boat rope."

Perhaps the sarcasm was a bit too much. It didn't help that Edward made a loud choking noise now to draw attention to it. I could see that it was not the response they wanted from me. Esme's hand was pressed to her chest in horror and she stared at me as if I had just burned the flag, or a book, or something... All I wanted was some time to myself, damn it!

Carlisle stepped one step closer, but he was still a few feet away so I didn't react. "Or you could just take a seat right here and think up a more polite way to speak to me, young lady..."

Young lady? What time machine did we just hop out of and who did he think he was to talk to me like that? I scoffed at him, just a tiny puff of air, and eyed him carefully. He couldn't stop me from going outside.

"You have a choice. You either ask someone to go down to the lake with you, or you don't go at all," he said plainly.

Esme gave me a pleading look — not desperate, but hopeful.

I felt like screaming. I hate this family! I hate them all! But I knew that it would be pointless. It didn't really matter how I felt about them. I was stuck here until they grew tired of having me or the summer came to an end.

"I won't go then," I spit out as I threw down my hands and turned my back to them. I walked into the bedroom and pulled on the door with great force. The door was lighter than I anticipated and it slammed a lot harder than I wanted it to, but it felt really good to get some of my anger out.

"Rosalie..." I heard Dr Cullen call out after me. It sounded like he was not far from the other side of the door.

"No, let her have some time to calm down first, Carlisle," Esme said urgently. Then, in a somewhat hushed voice that was hard to make out, but if I concentrated hard enough I could understand what she was saying, she added, "She'll come around. She's a good girl."

I waited for more, but I could only hear the slight shuffling of feet and muffled voices getting further from me.

Thank you, Esme! Space — that is what I wanted... I think.

I was a little bit shocked and disappointment that no one came after me. I sighed and plopped down on my bed. This was not what I wanted. I was trapped inside, feeling even more alone then ever — isolated even. I started to feel guilty for talking back to Carlisle and for slamming the door. It wasn't like he yelled back even, so the freak out was all on me.

I was growing anxious and I almost went back to tell them I would just ask Alice or Bella or someone to go with me to the lake, but then I looked at the window, half open, and had a better idea. Fuck the apology plan! I would just go to the lake and if I died sometime along the way, so be it! No one would miss me — obviously — or someone would have come after me by now. And who said I was a good girl? That was up to me!

I had no trouble quietly sliding the window open all the way. There was no screen so I climbed onto the sill, sat down, and then hoped easily down on the other side into the grass. Piece of cake!

I didn't care if they could see me walking across the lawn towards the trail by the lake. If they had been looking out the windows they would have noticed, but as I passed Jasper and Emmett, still knocking a hockey puck around, no one said anything to me. I marched to the trail and just kept walking; surprised that it had been so easy. I half expected Carlisle to be calling out after me or Esme to run over and hug me back inside.

But no one came... and it was very quiet as I meandered down the trail. I was too stubborn to stop walking or to look back. I could not believe that I had gotten away with sneaking out of the cabin and no one had figured out I was missing yet. Surely they would want to yell at me, right?

As the minutes passed, feeling like hours, I grew angrier as I imagined what they would have to say to me when they did find out I had disobeyed them. I could hear Carlisle's ridiculously calm voice patronizing me in my mind. I thought up what he might say and I chose my comebacks for each scenario. If Esme wanted to hug me or some other such lovey-dovey manipulation, I would push her away and tell her to leave me the fuck alone!

I hugged myself as I walked, wanting to turn back. I knew that I was acting terribly and if the Cullens found me missing and called Clara, I would have to leave. I was not so sure I wanted that to happen, but the pain built in my chest, and then it burned behind my eyes. Before I could control myself, I was crying. After a couple more minutes I stopped myself from going any further. I must have walked a quarter mile — it was time to go back.

Maybe they will forgive me...

"Hey! What do we have here?" A voice came from beside me. I jumped and turned to notice I was not alone anymore. There were a couple of teenage boys, a lot older than myself, that had joined the trail. One smiled at me with a cheeky grin. His hair looked wet, but it was just very gelled with grease.

I immediately felt fear run through me.

"Looks like a pretty girl," the other, shorter one, answered back. I could smell alcohol on his breath. "Out here, all alone. Are you lost, hot stuff?"

I shook my head. "I live just over there! I was going for a walk." My voice was shaky and I hated myself again. "I was just heading back. I gotta go."

"Why the rush? You look like the kind of girl who knows how to get 'er done. Let's have some fun!"

"There are people waiting for me," I lied. I wished it were true.

"You look like you need a hug, doll. Come here and let me show you a good time," the tall, bigger boy said, reaching out for my arm. I backed away, but the other guy was behind me now and I bumped into him. "Then...we'll take you home."

"Someone will be looking for me! I really have to get going."

"And I bet no one knows you are gone. You've been crying. Did you have a fight with your mommy and daddy and run away from home? Let me kiss you better..." the tall boy with greasy hair said. He was teasing me, just like Royce used to do, and just like James had done.

I was in trouble now. I tried to move around him, but the other stepped in my way and grabbed my arm — right on the healing bruise — and I cried out more in fear than in pain.

As a hand reached out to grab my ass, a set of larger hands ripped the smaller guy away from my side and I saw Emmett standing next to me. I don't know where he came from — he had crept up so fast I had not seen him coming. He looked like the incredible hulk, only he was not green.

If anything, the other guys appeared green. I was not the frightened one anymore — somehow Emmett had made that feeling wash away and I felt a sense of smug pride as he whooped their asses!

A second later, the other guy was on the ground too, bleeding from the nose. I had missed the hit, but Emmett shook out his hand so I knew what had happened.

"You better not ever — EVER — come near her again! DO YOU HEAR ME?" Emmett yelled. If this was a cartoon, there would have been steam coming from his ears for sure. I was shaking from the tone of his usually playful, deep voice. But I wasn't afraid... I was enthralled.

"We were just playing, dude. We meant no harm!" the short guy pleaded. The other was trying to wipe the blood from his nose, but it kept gushing. I was sure it was broken. It looked horribly painful.

"GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE! If I see you again I will not stop at one punch. I will smash your face in until you are seeing out of the BACK OF YOUR HEAD!" Emmett blared.

They scrambled to their feet and stumbled away; blood droplets were all that remained on the trail.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked me, turning to me. I gasped when he reached out for me and I stepped back. He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I am not going to hurt you, Rose. I swear. I just came after to you to make sure you had a buddy and it is a good thing I did. Did those boys hurt you? If they did, I will-"

"No. No, you got here before they could — I don't know what they wanted. I was just about to go back," I explained poorly. I was still a bit shaken. I was rubbing my arm to remove the fingerprints that felt ingrained on my skin. It was in my head, he had not grabbed me that hard. I just felt so ashamed somehow and I wanted to hide the evidence.

Emmett frowned and stepped a bit closer. "They hurt your arm. I saw how rough he was. Let me take you to Dad and he will take care of you."

I shook my head, and tears threatened to fall again. I didn't want to go see Carlisle. I was not hurt. Emmett nodded. He was eager to please me, as usual. He took off his giant hoodie and stepped closer to give it to me. I winced and stopped his hand.

"But you are shaking..."

He was right. I was, and I was a bit chilled in the shade of the trees around us. Out of the direct sunlight, with a breeze coming from off the lake, it was cold. He tried again with his sweater and I let him place it around my shoulders. "Thank you," I told him.

"Come on. Let's go home," he replied and he led the way.

We walked in silence the whole way back. He was seething, breathing heavily, and he looked upset — maybe with me. I was a lot warmer now, but feeling slightly ill about what I was going to tell Esme and Carlisle. They were going to send me packing. I had messed up. And Emmett's hand was bleeding. I could see that as it clenched into a tight fist as he walked with his hands by his sides. I had gotten their son injured. This was bad.

"Who sent you after me?" I asked as the cabin came back into view. I was simply curious if it had been Esme or Carlisle — not that it mattered.

"No one," he stopped when I did and he turned around to face me. "I saw you sneaking out of your bedroom window. I watched you leave and when you went off on the trail alone, I told Jasper I had plans with you and followed you so you would not get into trouble with mom and dad for going off alone."

"You did that... for me? But when I left you were playing with Jasper. I didn't think anyone saw me leave."

"Ya. I'm just sorry I didn't come sooner. It took me some time to figure out you were actually taking off at full sprint and then I had to get Jasper to promise not to say anything..."

"I would have been fine, you know," I stated petulantly. It wasn't a complete lie. I had been through much worse than a little groping. Those boys were amateurs — I could have probably taken them on or at least run from them. They had been drinking, after all.

"I'm still glad I found you," he said without argument.

"So they don't know I snuck out?" I asked, motioning the cabin.

Emmett shook his head and his thick curls bounced around his face. He looked so much more innocent now than when he was snarling at those boys a few minutes ago. "I told Jasper not to mention where you were unless they asked him. If they do he is going to tell them we went for a walk together."

"That was..." I started to say. I wanted to thank him more. I didn't want to go back inside yet. "I am going to go sit on the dock for a bit."

I didn't say anything; I just waited for him to say more. He grew a bit fidgety standing there so I began to walk towards the dock. I had a feeling he would follow me. I secretly wanted him to. I didn't like being alone — not when he was around.

I made it to the end of the dock and sat down, hugging my knees to my chest. I felt the dock bob up and down as his footsteps grew nearer. It made me smile slightly to know he had followed me.

"Uh... can I sit down next to you?" he asked as soon as he approached my side.

I craned my neck to look up at him, hiding my smile the best I could.

"I mean, I won't talk if you want to just think or whatever," he offered. He looked like a sad puppy, wringing his hands together as if I might try to hit him with a newspaper or shoo him with a broom.

It was hurting my neck to look up at him. I did believe he was a good guy. I wanted to believe he would never do anything to hurt me — to make me uncomfortable. He was so good at letting me be in change. It put me at ease to have that control over him. And yet, the one time when he needed to take charge he did, and it had been so chivalrous of him.

"Sit down then," I said and I looked back out over the water. The dock made a huge dip as he sat a few feet away and he slipped off his big shoes and socks and splashed his feet into the clear water. Then he sighed and looked at me and he placed his hands in his lap.

"What?" I asked roughly after he just stared at me for a long moment.

"Nothin'... I was just wondering what you were thinking about. Are you sure you don't want me to get Mom or Dad?"

I felt my eyes roll back instinctually. No way! He was a little slow, perhaps.

"That was something that you should probably not keep bottled up inside you, Rose. I mean... it is okay if you were scared and you need to talk about it."

"I'm fine. Nothing happened," I told him firmly. I hated to think about what might have happened if he had not shown up, though. "And besides," I added, "It's not secret — nothing is anymore — you know about it all so I have nothing more to tell!"

There was a huge gap of time when we both just stared at each other. When that became awkward, we looked out to the water. His hand looked sore and I felt bad that he had gotten hurt because of me. I had a couple of clean tissues in my pocket so I took them out and bent over into the crystal clear water and got them wet. I squeezed most of the moisture out of them reached for Emmett's hand.

"It's fine," he insisted, letting me take his hand into mine. I felt a pleasant shiver flow through my hand and up my arm towards my heart. "You don't have to-"

"I want to!" I interrupted. Our eyes met and I quickly looked back down at his hand as I dabbed away the dried blood. "Besides... I am guessing your dad will not be impressed if you show up all bloodied up. At least if it is mostly washed off, it won't look nearly so bad. I bet he won't even yell at me."

"Dad doesn't yell," Emmett laughed. His smile was perfect. "He doesn't have it in him. He loves us all too much."

"I made him yell once..." I reminded Emmett.

"That... was not yelling. That was raising his voice. And it is different if he is protecting one of us or Mom," Emmett corrected me. I scoffed at him, but he didn't find it funny. He gave me a hard look and added, "You were out of line with what you said to Mom that day. I don't blame him for raising his voice if it made you realize what a bitch you were being."

I looked down and let his hand go. I put the soiled, wet tissue down in between us. After a moment he picked it up and put it in his pocket to clean up. Then he sighed and turned to me.

"I know you had some really fu– I mean – messed up shit happen to you and all..." he began. He dropped his eyes to look at the dock in between us. "But now you are safe here with us."

"What is your point?" I pressed.

"Well... why are you still so unhappy? Why do you not want us to help you?"

"Why?" My voice cracked. I stared at him incredulously.

"None of us are gonna hurt you. We are all being really nice to you too, even though you act like a bitch most of the time. If any of us acted like you did, we would be grounded or have allowance taken away or something..."

"So you think I'm a bitch?" I asked him, letting my legs fold into a pretzel and my hands drop to my sides. That was twice now he had called me one. I wasn't really surprised — just by his boldness.

"No!" he responded quickly. Then he shook his head and looked me in the eyes with a sympathetic frown. "I mean, ya, kinda… you act like one sometimes. I don't think you are one, though."

I was stunned. No one had ever called me a bitch and not said it in a mean way before. I didn't even feel angry at him for being honest.

"Look, I am not the brainiest guy, but I know that you act that way because you think it makes you look tough. It is classic bully behaviour. You don't want to be the one to get hurt, so you hurt others. We have had school assemblies about this stuff..."

"I don't — I mean, I don't try to..." I faltered. What the hell was happening to me? I had lost my edge — my control.

"Hey, it's cool. I get that you are scared of bad things happening to you again if you let your guard down. What happened with those jerks must have been a harsh reminder... But while you are here — and it is summer and we are out on the lake and there is lots of fun stuff to do... why don't you try to lighten up and have some fun?"

"Lighten up?" I asked meekly. Again, I should have been livid with the way he was speaking to me. Normally, I would have been, but Emmett spoke so straightforwardly that he was easy to talk to.

"Would ya? I will watch your back so you don't have to… and then you can just focus on being happy," he told me. "And less bitchy... maybe? One step at a time, though."

His eyes met mine and I opened my mouth to protest or to tell him to fuck off or something, but I couldn't do it. He was too sincere and too adorable. The way his lips twitched into a semi-smile and huge craters for dimples marked his cheeks — oh, he was just so beautiful! And he wanted me to be happy — really? I wanted to believe it was possible to feel safe around him. He had beaten up those assholes for me. It seemed like he meant what he said.

"I promise I will protect you, Rosalie," he told me. "I mean it — I can be your body guard if you will let me. Even if you say no, I still won't let anyone hurt you."

"You'd really do that?" I asked, my voice naturally sounding flirty.

"I'd do anything for you, Rosalie. I will make sure to always be within shouting distance so if you are scared you can call for me. I will come right away if you call my name."

"That's..." I was at a loss for words. He was so sweet.

"And no one is going to mess with these babies!" he exclaimed proudly, flexing the muscles in his arms. In his tight, white t-shirt his whole chest heaved and contracted, the muscles were more visible to me now for some reason.

"Uh..." I hummed. My mouth was hanging open a bit — it was a wonder I was not drooling on myself. I snapped out of it and found his eyes again. They were still so innocently staring at mine. "Thanks, Em."

"Hey. You called me Em!" he sang boisterously. He toned his excitement and splashed his feet in the water. "It means you like me."

"It means I heard others call you that and it got stuck in my head. Let's not get carried away," I told him, hoisting myself up to standing.

"Okie dokie, but I think you like me," he insisted playfully as he jumped up, making the dock dip and rise a few times. He gathered his socks and shoes to carry. I felt like pushing him — playfully this time — but I didn't dare since it might ruin the moment if he fell into the lake.

He didn't walk with me right away so I stopped and waited.

"Can you trust me to protect you, Rose?" he asked me again. I knew he was going to expect a full answer from me this time. He walked up to me and fixed his sweater more snugly around my shoulders. I didn't flinch this time and he smiled when he caught this fact too. "...So you can be happy."

"I'll try," was the best answer I could give him. It still made him smile so wide that his dimples practically reached his eyes. Oh dear Lord! What spell was I under?

As we made our way off the dock, I happened to glance into the lake and saw something that made me abruptly stop and gawk. "Oh no!" I moaned. I could not believe my eyes. And I had been such an ass about it earlier...

"What?" Emmett asked, by my side in an instant.

Under the water, barely visible, was a long, beige rope coiled a few times and loose at the bottom of the lake. "Rope," I groaned.

"Yeeeesss..." Emmett stretched out his response like I was insane. "It ties the dock down to some cement blocks so it doesn't move too much when we walk on it." He mocked me even though he had no idea of the fuss I had made earlier about the rope. I deserved to be mocked.

"I think I owe your Dad an apology..." I sighed and I rubbed at the tension in my temples whole-handedly. I was not good at apologies. And I didn't want to face Dr Cullen.

Emmett didn't see the problem. He wrapped an arm around me and walked me off the dock and up the hill towards the house. "Don't worry about it. You're family, Rose. Dad has already forgiven you for whatever it is you have said or done. Trust me."

To Be Continued...

Thank you for reading.

Tell me what you think. Rosalie did a stupid thing, eh? How do you feel about Emmett offering to be her body guard? ;) Hehehe. Also...did everyone get there review responses and chapter 14 previews this week? I sent them out a few days ago, but was not sure if the site was working properly or not.

Coming up in chapter 15: Rosalie has a hard time explaining what happened in the woods to Carlisle and Esme, but Emmett is there to 'help' her. ;)

*The next update will be on Monday, June 14th, two weeks from today. Chapter previews are still available via review response.