Chapter 21: Sleep.

After the shock and slight hysteria had worn off a bit, I was able to calm down, and think it over. Like all the times before, it answered only a few questions while spawning dozens more. I was getting a little annoyed. I liked to have all the information.

I was certain that, in those dreams, we were definitely not human. The whole walking-into-fire-to-commit-suicide thing definitely confirmed that. But if we weren't human, what were we? And, the granddaddy question of them all, why are we having these dreams?

Oh well, no use pondering over things I can't control. Although that was a scary concept, if I was honest with myself.

"So…where's everybody?"

"Eh, you know, around. Probably sleeping. It is the middle of the night, after all."

"Oh…right. Yeah." I was only just slightly still shaken. But apparently just enough to set me back a little. I felt like I should say something more, but I couldn't think of what, exactly. "I'm glad you're not dead, Jasper." Okay, so not the greatest thing to say, but I looked into his eyes and I knew that I got the message through. He understood what I had meant to say.

He smiled warmly, and we just kept on looking into each other's eyes. We were still on the floor, although I was sitting now, and he was too, his back leaning against the wall. It was a movie magic moment, charged with something.

It was a little too intense for real life. "Well, we…better get back to sleep then. School, tomorrow, and everything."

"Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, of course, we really should. Sleep. Yeah." I had to laugh just a little bit at Jasper stumbling over his words a bit. He was just normally so collected. He grinned and chuckled a bit.

And we went to sleep. Thankfully, the rest of the night passed in a dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Destiny~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the morning, I was making myself a bowl of cereal and fully dressed, talking to Jasper, when Rose came in the kitchen. She was the last one up, and everybody was already here, lounging about the area. Even though not everybody slept at my house every night, we all met up here in the mornings, before school.

"Hey, everyone. Isn't it a great morning?" Rose was not a morning person, so her unusually cheery demeanor caused me to raise an eyebrow. She put on a completely innocent expression in response to my silent question, but I didn't miss the secret smile she and Emmett shared. "What?"

Letting it go, but deciding to question her later, Alice and I shared a glance. "Oh, nothing." Rose gave us a blinding smile and went to go get her breakfast.

Other than Rose's unusually bright attitude, the morning went by pretty mundanely. Edward and Alice played mental chess the whole time, their new hobby. Edward would decide where to move and Alice would see into the future to find out his move. Alice would then think her next move, and Edward would read it in her thoughts. There was never any need for an actual board or pieces. It was all played out in their minds.

Which sounds really cool, but doesn't, really, when you're watching them. If you're not them, you're just watching a guy and a girl squinting, glaring playfully, and closing their eyes periodically, at each other. Not so exciting when you're not in their heads.

Talking about their gifts, Edward was actually a decent fighter with his gift. Us training him before he got his gift made it so that he wasn't exactly dependent on it, he could defend himself pretty well. Well enough to hold off a good opponent until someone could help him, that is. But with his gift, he could read what you were going to do before you did it, and that helped him slip past you like water. And then, even though he still didn't like hurting people, he could knock you out with this move I taught him that knocks out any size opponent with little to no effort on your part. Pretty awesome.

Of course, watching Edward and Alice fight was interesting. They never actually…made contact, because of the whole mind reading, future seeing thing.

Which brings me to Alice. Alice was getting pretty good. In fact, she was close to tied with Rose. Of course, her gift helped, but I was a little worried about that. With all the chaos that was pretty much inevitable, would it distract her more than help her? Damn, I hoped not.

All in all, they were making progress. Even Emmett. I just had to tell Rose to give him the advice, and boom. It got right through his thick skull. It was like magic.

Alice and I waited until after school to pounce on Rose. The guys had all gone out together for some guy time, or something like that.

"So…Rose, anything…interesting happen lately?" Alice said, putting on her own innocent face.

"Say, sometime between last night when we went to bed, and this morning?" I chimed in. "Could it have something to do with…a certain grizzly bear friend of ours?"

"Well…I kissed Emmett." This set Alice off into a flurry of squeals.

"What? Tell us all the details. What happened?"

"Okay, so Emmett and I were sitting in my room, and we were talking about nothing, in our own little bubble. Then he was all silent, and then he told me that he really liked me, and would I go out with him. So I was just, really happy, right? And I was jumping up and down squealing inside, but I forgot to tell him yes, so he started getting a little nervous, and began blabbering about it being okay if I said no. Then, I just…laid one on him. And then I told him that of course I was going to go out with him. And we kissed again. But the weird thing is, that time, well, we were kind of making out, but I got these weird images flashing through my mind, and we broke apart, and he says, whoa. And he tells me he got them too, but then we got a little sidetracked, and, well…we started making out again. We're going out this Friday!" She fell back with a dreamy sigh, then giggled softly to herself.

"Rose! He finally asked you out! OMG! You've got to let me help you get ready! Bella will help me! This is going to be amazing! Can I come to your wedding?" Alice then started going on and on about their romance. Rose and I just watched her in amazement. She went on for a good ten minutes before she finally stopped, sighing in contentment.

I smiled.

"So…I have this question that I just gotta ask you, Rose." We were all three lying on my bed, just kind of looking at the ceiling.

"Okay, shoot."

"Well, you know those dreams? What are yours about?"

There was a brief silence before she responded. "It's kind of weird." I could tell she was a little hesitant about telling me. She sounded a little vulnerable, so I decided to put her at ease.

"I know, mine are too. Hey, want me to go first?"

"Please?"

"Okay, well…" And I went on to explain them as well as possible.

"Wait, so let me get this straight, you guys…licked each other?"

"Yeah. I know, right? It sounds so gross…"

"I don't know, it sounds…a little hot. Oooh, yeah." Of course Alice would say that.

"Okay, now, Rose it's your turn," I said, sitting up.

"Well, fine. There wasn't any…licking in my dream. But…"

Rose POV

I decided to describe my dreams in the order that I had them, and try to make sense of them with my best friends after.

My dreams started off badly.

It's dark. I'm wearing some kind of old dress, the kind you see in museums from the 1915s, except it looks brand new. I'm walking in a dark alley. Why am I walking in a dark alley? Something about…going to visit an old friend who was married and had a new baby. I had a faint recollection of her husband offering to walk me home, make sure I'm safe. But I declined it for some reason. I should've called my father to escort me home. But it's such a short way home. I'll be fine.

As I felt the cold sinister wind and heard lots of heavy footsteps behind me as I passed a dirty little hovel full of drunkards with alcohol, I wished that I had accepted. From the sounds of the steps, more drunkards were joining in. And they were getting closer, too.

I drew my shawl tighter around my shoulders as their disgusting jeers drew closer. I sped up, casting a wary glance behind me, relieved to find that they had dispersed. Not looking where I was going, I almost ran into the figure before me.

I drew short with a gasp. I hesitantly looked upwards at this man's face. I let out a sigh.

"Royce! Oh, you scared me for a second there. What are you doing out at this hour?" I laid a hand over my pounding heart, feeling myself calm down. How did I know this man, and why did I have a heavy old New York accent? Royce. Oh yes, of course. Royce King II was the son of the rich banker that owned the bank at which my father worked, and my fiancé. My father had encouraged his courtship, as Royce was quite taken by my looks, and was quite wealthy. My parents had always been social climbers.

Due to being raised by them, I dreamed of a lavish life-a life with a rich husband, and children as beautiful as I am. All I wanted was a big house that someone else would clean, with a large lawn that I would play with my children on. Of course, my parents raised me to have a want of material things, as my beauty was their ticket to their social aspirations. But it made me vain and conceited. Even I knew that I could act that way most times, but I couldn't help it.

All of a sudden a deep fairytale narrator's voice drifted into my head.

'The rich banker's son, Royce II, saw Rosalie for the first time and began dating her soon therafter. It was a quick courtship and the couple was soon engaged. The engagement went too quickly and wedding plans were made.

Rosalie couldn't help but feel something was missing from her relationship with him, despite the fact that Royce was everything she'd dreamt of. She soon began wanting what her good friend Vera had-a husband who wasn't necessarily rich, but one that loved her and was there for her, and a small baby they could raise together lovingly.

One night she went to Vera's, and while walking home she realized how late it was and she wished that she had called her father to escort her but realized it was silly since the way was so short. As she continued, she saw several drunken men. One of them turned out to be Royce. Showing her off to his friends, he ripped off her jacket and the pins from her hair. When she cried out in pain, the men seemed to enjoy it. They proceeded to beat and later rape her.'

Oh crap. I knew I felt that something was still wrong. Some of the drunkards from just earlier were surrounding him, and was that a bottle of liquor in his hand? Was he…drunk? Oh no!

"Oh-ho-ho! Look here, fellas. This is my…fiancée, isn't she lovely, boys?" He was drunk! And there was a nasty glimmer in his eyes that made me uneasy. My heart started pounding in my chest again.

"But how can we tell, when she's all covered up like that?" one of the drunkards by his side slurred. A dozen red flags went up in my mind, as the men in front of me descended into drunken guffawing.

"I-I really must be going, pardon me, gentlemen." I nervously tried to make my way past them, but they closed ranks around me. I could smell their stale breath, heavily laden with ale. Royce reached out and grabbed me before I could back away, his forearm like an iron bar across the back of my waist. He drew me far too close to him, and I shuddered in disgust. His breath fanned across my face, making my nose wrinkle as I desperately tried to break out of his grasp. "Let go of me! Let go of me, Royce!"

"Aw, now, don't be that way, Rosalie. We just want to take a little peek, don't we boys?" Memories of the man who had claimed to be my father and what he did to me all came rushing back, and I shrieked in despair. "Hush up now, Rosalie. Don't be the little bitch that you usually are. Good think you're so pretty, or nobody would ever want you. Besides, we can think of much better things to do with that pretty little mouth of yours than screaming, can't we, fellas?" And with that, he ripped the hair pins out of my hair, the jacket off of me, and laughed at my pain. With one last scream of pure dread from me, I called out to anybody who might save me from this.

Oh, God, if you exist, please don't make me witness it, experience this again! I know what happened, please just let this skip ahead, whatever it is!

Mercifully, the scene faded to black before that narrator's voice drifted in again.

'Royce and his friends left her dying on the streets. Carlisle Cullen came to investigate the grisly scene, found her half-dead and tried to save her humanly. Rosalie had never liked Dr. Cullen or his wife, Esme and her brother, Edward, as he then pretended to be. It had bothered her that the family was more beautiful than she was. Dr. Cullen, who turned out to be a vampire, saved Rosalie that night by turning her into a vampire after he realized she could not survive her wounds as a human. Despite the fact he and his family are vampires, they only fed on the blood of animals, calling themselves "vegetarians". Soon after becoming a vampire, she killed Royce and his friends in vengeance but was careful not to spill a drop of blood, knowing she couldn't resist that. For this particular reason, Rosalie prides herself on never having fed on human blood.

But our story starts again two years later, although it is a story for another night. Stay tuned for the next installment.'

"And then I woke up."

"Oh, Rose, that's horrible! No wonder you were so shaken up that morning!" Izzy and Alice hugged me, and I took a moment to recuperate in their comforting arms, before continuing with last night's dream.

"Well, I'm fine, and here's why. The other dreams I had in between weren't really important, I just got the general impression that I was unhappy, and what I was. I 'm almost certain that, in the dreams or whatever they are, I was the same thing that Izzy was in her dreams, although hers are way more intense. I'm pretty sure that that thing is…well…"

I never wanted this life. I was doomed, no chance of bearing a child, ever. And look at me, I'm hunting for blood! What a monster! Sure, I follow the animal diet, but what makes animals so beneath humans, anyway? I'm probably messing up the ecosystem, too. I really am such a monster!

The spiteful bitch in my head snapped at me for sounding too angsty and mopey, like Edward. Ugh. I just can't stand that boy. He needed to grow up, and get over it. We're all stuck like this, not just you, golden boy. And he just couldn't stay out of my head! Sure, I know I'm vain and stuck up, but he doesn't get to judge me for it!

I sighed, kicking a last bit of dirt over the animal carcass. I was just about to head back, when I heard some male shouts of pain. I grew concerned, knowing that there was a recent overpopulation of bears in this area. My suspicions were confirmed by the snarling of a female grizzly. I ran full speed towards the sounds, without a second thought, only being a little curious to the strangest pull I felt tugging me along gently.

I came into a small clearing, and gasped in horror. A man was being mauled by a bear! It was very gruesome, and I felt that thirst come back full force. But I also felt the strange pull tying me to the man. I wouldn't be much help to the man if I was going to scare off the bear, only to drink from him, so I immediately stopped breathing. While I didn't have to breathe, I didn't like not being able to.

I rushed out in front of the bear, and hissed at the bear, baring my teeth. It paused in the mauling, before backing off, roaring, then ambling off back into the woods. I saw the shotgun next to the injured man, and I figured he had been hunting or something. Remembering the reports of bear killings in a town not too far from here, he had probably tried to kill the bear, but had ended up in the process of becoming it's next victim.

I then got a good look at his face, and I gasped. I could tell he was near passed out from pain, yet he was staring at me with adoration in his face. And he looked so much like Vera's son, Henry, the reason I was out in the streets in the first place. That pull to him tugged at my waist even stronger, and I drew closer to him, almost unwillingly.

The thirst was roaring in my throat, as I had begun breathing again, subconsciously. I immediately halted my breath again, but it was too late. I had smelled that delicious elixir, and I was torn between finishing him off, or getting him some help.

This had only taken a second so far, due to me being the creature that I am, but the man was still staring at me adoringly.

"An…ang-angel!" he breathed, forcing the words out of his throat. This caused my eyes to widen. He thought I was an angel? I had to fight back sobs.

My decision was made. I had to get him back to Carlisle. His wounds were too severe, even if I went for help, he would die. And I couldn't let him die. Besides, he had seen me, and once he came to his senses, he would know I wasn't an angel, and he would either be sentenced to death or become what I was anyways.

I concentrated on not breathing as I bent down and gently picked him up. I could see the shock in his eyes, as he was a pretty solidly built man. He was very handsome, and he was half mauled. I couldn't imagine how handsome he would be as…

No, I have to concentrate on getting him to Carlisle! I was already halfway to the house, and I finally understood what Carlisle must've felt when he found me.

If Carlisle would turn him, as I was still too young to be able to, then I could find it in my heart to forgive him. I finally knew why he did what he did to me. While I still wasn't happy about it, I could accept that he had acted as he saw was the only solution.

"Rosalie, what is this?" Carlisle's voice came from up in his study, as I neared the house. He probably got a whiff of the fresh human blood. Esme was out hunting, in the other direction, so I wouldn't have to worry about her, Edward was too angsty to try to kill this wounded man in my arms. Besides, he was with Esme.

I heard the slight disturbance in the air of Carlisle's descent as I ran through the doorway.

"Please, Carlisle! I found this man, a bear was attacking him, and he's going to die, Carlisle. He's going to die if you don't…please! I know that I'm against turning, but please! Something about him…he's special, and I can't do it, or he'll die!" I was practically begging him, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I just needed this man to be saved.

A lesser man would've thrown this situation in my face and refused, especially after all my snarky comments about the situation of my turning, but Carlisle just looked at me, looked at the man, took in his fatal injuries and nodded in determination.

I hovered near the man all during his change, as I felt the need to be by his side, protect him. When Esme tried to come near him the room while he was in this vulnerable state, I had growled and snarled more viciously than I ever had before. I didn't know why…although Carlisle and Edward shared a few glances, making me believe that they certainly thought they knew. I didn't make them tell me, as I was too distraught over the man's screams and shouts as the fire burned through him.

Carlise and Edward were allowed in the room, although Edward with high reluctance. I heard Carlise explain to Esme that it wasn't something against her personally, but then the man had cried out in pure agony, and my concentration had been returned to him, so I didn't hear the rest of his explanation of his theory.

After three days, almost exactly, the cries stopped. He was silent. Something inside me gave, and I sighed in relief. At the sound of my sigh, his eyes opened, locking onto mine. In that moment, the pull I had felt to him strengthened into a solid bond. And then as he was in front of me in a flash, pulling me to him and kissing me, I didn't care that I was broken. There were no horrible flashbacks. This was not Royce. This was something completely different, and even though I didn't know his name, I loved him. The bond strengthened even more as we kissed passionately, into something stronger than steel.

All of a sudden his back was to me, and I was in the farthest corner of the room, away from the door. Carlisle had come in to check on this man, Edward and Esme slightly behind him. The man was in front of me, snarling at the highest volume, his stance protective of me, except for his hand that was grasping mine, as if to be sure I was still there. I felt the same surge of protectiveness and possessiveness seeing Esme near him, even though she was mated to Carlisle, something that was special.

Then the whole world froze for a second, as I stared wide eyed at the back of his head.

Mates. He was my mate. I knew it with the same certainty that I knew anything. I didn't have time to figure out how I felt about it, as I was suddenly being pulled along with him as we burst through the window next to us, and we were running.

We ended up in a cave, me just standing there as he gathered a bunch of brush and grass and surrounded me with it. I remembered that Carlisle had once explained to me and Edward that right after a mated pair met, especially if one of them was new to this life and was controlled strongly by instinct, they would run as far as possible from other people and vampires, and the male would make a nest of some sort so that they could officially cement their bond. Make sure that each other were in perfect condition, so that they both could feel safe. And if anybody were to wander close to the nest, they would see them as a potential threat to their bond and kill them instantly.

So he really was my mate. I didn't know how I felt about that before, but now I knew that there was no way I could feel sad about that.

He was amazing. I didn't even know his name, but I knew that much. And I loved him. It was love at first sight, and there was no turning back now, even if I wanted to. The hole in my heart that Royce had left when he did what he did to me slowly started knitting together.

For the next five days, we cemented our bond. After the initial instincts faded just enough for both of us to be in our right minds, I found out his name was Emmett. He asked me why I was so sad, and he looked genuinely concerned. I broke down, sobbing as I told him my story, and his face grew almost terrifyingly dark. He would've tracked Royce and all those disgusting creatures down and killed them slowly and painfully, if I hadn't gotten to them first.

He healed me, he really did. He went out and got me a deer, as I had explained to him what we were, and told him about my diet. He told me that if I followed this diet, he would too. I found out his story, why he had gone after the bear, and comforted him as best I could as he accepted what he now was.

After we could feel each other's contentment and love through our bond, feel the true well-being, I told him that we were mates, and what that meant. He told me that he felt the bond too, and that it might be soon, but he had loved me from the very moment he set his eyes on me. We kissed, and then we made love.

I didn't actually…see it, experience it, whatever, but I knew that was what had happened. I had kind of…went out of my body and it was like in those movies, where there were those spinning views of passion, but not like I was watching porn.

And I felt healed.

I could feel my blush as I told them that part. "And that was the dream I had last night."

"So that's part why you were so happy this morning, Rose!" Alice went a little crazy. I couldn't help but blush even more.

We all squealed a little, and had a brief fit of celebration.

"Yeah. It's a little awkward, because we had that kiss, you know, in real life, and then that dream…and then he tells me he had the same dream…but the thing is, even though it was in a dream, I got over it. You know…it."

"Awww! You and Emmett are so going to get married!" Alice shouted. Izzy slapped a hand over her mouth and reminded her that the guys were going to get back any second.

And then we had the stereotypical girl talk that comes after, about all of our…'love interests' as Alice so eloquently put it.

It was so great, and I really did feel pretty normal.

"So! You and Edward smooch yet?" Oh, Izzy. So straightforward.

I sighed in contentment, because a good girl talk was something I really needed.

AN/: Sorry for the delay...I had to move halfway across the country...to my least favorite state. Yeah. But because I'm not old enough to stay somewhere by myself, my parents and I are now living in New Jersey. Yep. So...anyways..hope you enjoyed this chapter...not one of my very best, but, you know. Yeaaaah. Awkward.