I'm finally home! Yay! Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'm trying really hard to not let this fall behind again. :)

21. Baby Blue Love

Alice leaves with a wave and a smile and a small bag that contains everything she owns. She blows me a kiss and hugs Edward, and then she's gone. No one talks about it, not even Rose.

We just go on like before.

Somehow, the weeks turn into months.

Hot air turns a little cooler, and the nights turn frigid.

Rose's stomach swells along with her attitude. Emmett disappears more and more with Edward, up to no-good things. Jasper and Seth never come by at all anymore.

And I go on cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, until I have calluses on my fingers and the smell of bleach forever burned into my nose.

Rose actually stomps her foot.

I might laugh if I weren't afraid of her wrath.

And it's really not the time, anyway.

"Where is that dumbass?" she cries, checking her watch for the fifth time.

I don't comment. Anything from me would further infuriate her, so I just pick at the little hole I found in the hem of my T-shirt.

"God. This is so like him." Rose rests her hands on her hips and stares up at the cloudless sky. "I'm going to miss my appointment."

I squint into the parking lot. There are only four cars, and none of them are the red jeep Emmett drives.

"He's such a fuck up," Rose announces, huffing as she eases her way back into one of the more sturdy pool chairs.

"Maybe something happened," I suggest softly.

"Something called him being a fucking moron." Rose rests her hands on top of her bulging stomach and rolls her eyes. "I can't believe him. I can't believe myself. Getting knocked up by Emmett McCarty."

"Why were you dating him if you hate him so much?" It's the question I've been wanting to ask all along but only just now had the courage to say aloud.

Rose's blue eyes snap over to me furiously, but she pauses before she answers. "I don't know, Bella. Haven't you ever made a mistake?"

I shrug vaguely and look back down at the holey hem of my shirt.

"He just always seemed like he was having so much fun, you know?" Rose's voice is sudden but distant with memory. "Everyone just gravitated toward him. He was always so happy, always getting into shit but never bad shit, you know? He was just… fun, and I wasn't. I've always been a little uptight. And he made me… not be so uptight."

I glance up at her cautiously through my eyelashes, but she isn't even looking at me. She's just staring out at nothing.

Then she snorts and motions to her stomach. "And this is the result of that, obviously."

I laugh a little. I can't help it. It's the way she said it.

Rose's eyes flicker over to me, surprise etched on her face. She stares at me for a split second before grudgingly letting out a laugh herself. Then the sound is less stiff and she points as playfully as Rosalie Hale can. "When a boy is being all sweet and romantic, just say no, Bella. Or you'll get yourself into this kind of situation."

I laugh harder.

And then Edward appears from his room, effectively silencing Rose. But he pretends not to notice. "Hey, Bella." He passes by Rose and ruffles her hair. "Hello, my love."

"Don't fucking touch me," she grunts, smacking his hand away.

Edward's eyes light up delightfully and he winks at me before moving on, towards his car.

His car.

My face must show some kind of sign because Rose is already shaking her head, pointing at me menacingly. But before she can get the words out, I stand up.

"Edward?"

He pauses and peeps over his shoulder at me. "Yeah?"

"Where are you going?" He's wearing the pair of jeans he has that aren't holey, and he's traded his usual white T-shirt for a nicer button-down. He's shaved, too, and combed through his hair. He's going out somewhere, obviously.

But he still shrugs and turns to face me. "Nowhere."

"Yeah, right," Rose snorts without even looking at him. "No guy uses a whole bottle of cologne when he's going nowhere. I could smell you before you even came out of your room." She pretends to gag.

"God, you're lovely," Edward says, putting his hand over his heart. "Emmett's a lucky guy."

Rose almost attacks.

But I break in. "Do you think you could take Rose somewhere first? Maybe drop her off on the way?"

"No!" Rose cries. "How the hell am I supposed to get back, anyway? No."

Edward ignores her, looking down at me instead. "Where? What's going on?"

"None of your business!"

"Emmett's late to take her to her doctor appointment," I reply. "For the baby."

Edward rubs the back of his neck and kind of groans. "Fucking Emmett."

"I don't need him to take me anywhere," Rose mutters.

I finally turn my attention back to her. "Then who else is going to take you, Rose?"

Rose's eyebrows arch at my tone, but she can't reply. I guess she's too shocked.

When I peep back at Edward, he's surprised, too, but the corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk. "Got a little fire in you," he comments softly.

"Everyone does," I reply.

Edward just shrugs and then turns towards Rose. "Come on, milady. Your chariot awaits."

"You mean your piece of shit Mustang?" Rose grumbles, making a show of crossing her arms and refusing to move.

"Am I going to have to pick you up and carry you, young lady?" Edward threatens playfully.

"I'd rather have my foot chopped off."

"Then get your pregnant ass moving." Edward pretends to look at an imaginary wristwatch. "You're gonna be late."

"You don't even know when the appointment—" Rose begins but breaks off when she sees my face. She knows I'm right, so she sighs. "Fine. But Bella is going with us. I don't wanna be alone with you."

"I do have such a bad reputation for hitting on pregnant women," Edward drawls as he starts for his car.

"You have a bad reputation," Rose calls after him. "Period."

Edward waits for us in the car.

When we get back, he's smoking and fiddling with the knobs of the fuzzy-sounding radio. "How'd it go?" he asks over the Black Keys.

I open the passenger door and crawl into the very back. Rose eases in after me, and when it becomes clear she's not going to answer him, I say, "Good."

"Cool." He flicks his cigarette out the window and starts the engine.

Rose stays uncharacteristically quiet the whole way home, even when Edward pinches her cheek.

Maybe she keeps seeing that black-and-white picture of the baby they showed us in the office. Or maybe she keeps remembering that it's Edward and me with her instead of Emmett.

I'll reply to reviews from last chapter and this chapter later today, I promise! I can't wait to get to them! Also, I've fallen behind in my private messages, too, so I'll get to those, as well! (:

OH MY GOSH! Also, thank you to every single one of you who voted for me in the TwiFic Fandom Awards. I'm really flattered and honored and all those good things! :) It means so much. It means a lot that you guys even read my stuff, so thank you!

I hope everyone has a good rest of the week! WHO ELSE IS EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS?! I can't wait.

oxoxoxo