As usual, thank you to Catharticone and RandomSugarRush for their contributions to the story. :)

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. I always appreciate the feedback!

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I am only borrowing her characters for this fan fiction. Please don't sue me.

*A/N-New Illustrations are posted in my DA Gallery for Thorns. One of Alice and her lollypops and another of Carlisle consoling a frightened Alice. I am still working on a few other illustrations and they could be posted at any time-it is whenever I complete them and if I think they are decent enough to post. ;) I will let you know next week if there have been updates in the gallery or you can check it out for yourself whenever you'd like. The link to my DeviantArt Gallery is posted on my Profile here. Thank you.

Enjoy the chapter...

Thorns

Chapter Twenty-Five

I couldn't speak. I was too upset with myself. I suppose it was guilt. I should never have yelled at Rosalie so sharply, but I had panicked. It is not a good excuse, but I am only human after all.

I didn't want her near that man. I could tell he was up to no good the moment I set my sights on him. The way he slithered closer to her and placed his hands to the vehicle to cage her in made my parental instincts take over and I became someone I don't like to be. But I had to protect her — I had to fight to keep her safe. I had promised her I would do that, so I did.

I sensed she might be mad at me. I was not too concerned about that. She could be mad if she felt it was her right, but I was more concerned about what else Rosalie might be thinking or feeling. She had a tendency to start placing blame and worrying about what every situation meant according to our willingness to adopt her. It was hard for her to accept our outreach, but I hoped she could see how I only wanted what was best for her.

The drive home gave me some time to calm down a bit. I was feeling a lot more like myself as I came to terms with the incident. Nothing had happened — though something a lot worse could have occurred if I had not arrived when I had. What mattered now was that all three of my daughters were safe and coming home with me.

That was another thing I may have messed up on... calling her my daughter so brazenly, like it was the truth. I wanted it to be. The words had come so naturally, it felt like the truth. I felt that paternal love for her. I know that Esme and I agreed not to rush Rosalie, because none of the paperwork was complete yet, but in the moment when I said it, I wasn't thinking. I was feeling. She was my daughter now... even if she was not ready for me to be her father.

I couldn't find the courage to look over at her as we drove from town back to the lake. It was childish of me, but I didn't want to see her fear. I should have said something to her, to ease her pain... because surely she was upset. She had not said anything to me either. So I left it at that and used the silence to our benefit, hoping it would be a good thing, rather than a negative.

"Bella," I instructed as I parked the car. My voice cracked. "You should go back to bed and try to sleep a bit, hon. I will be in shortly with some more Tylenol for the pain." I turned to smile at her slightly.

"Okay," she whispered timidly, pushing her door open with a pained expression.

It was too bad she was ill again. Not seriously, but enough to cause her a slight fever and some discomfort and pain in her ear. I wanted her to take it easy for the rest of the day. Or, at least until tomorrow so the antibiotics might have a chance to start working.

Tomorrow Esme had a surprise party planned for Rosalie — nothing major — but she had made a cake today while we were out. And there were some gifts and it would be a family event. It would be nice for the whole family to celebrate, Bella included.

She and Alice walked ahead back to the cabin and Rosalie kept a low profile as she and I exited the vehicle and followed behind.

"Rosalie . . . I am sorry I raised my voice at you back there. Or embarrassed you, if I did," I told her. She didn't look at me and her expression was still dark and unforgiving. "But you really put a scare into me when I saw that man threatening you like that. I was worried about what his intentions might be and I snapped."

Still no response as we walked slowly, side by side up to the front of the house. I stopped in front of her, before the porch steps.

"When I tell you to do something, like get into the car and lock all the doors, I mean for you to do just that."

"I did that!" she argued, her silence broken.

I shook my head. "No. You got out of the car to talk to a stranger. You put yourself in danger."

"I knew him!"

"I don't know him," I countered. "And neither did Alice or Bella. He was a stranger, Rose. You may have met him once or twice, but he was up to no good. He had no right to be that close to you, to be so aggressive towards you."

"He's an agent from Los Angeles," she told me with a proud, haughty stare. "He just wanted to give me his card. He wants to give me a job... it happens all the time!"

"Rose..."

"Fine!" she huffed, turning from me to walk inside. "Don't believe me!"

I stopped her with one arm, not touching her, but moving so she could not just walk by me. It was not that I didn't believe her. She was not understanding why I had to intervene, and why I was disappointed in how she handled the situation.

"It is the truth," she continued, anger flaring across her angelic face, she obviously was restraining her voice, trying not to yell.

She was not staying on the topic anymore. "I don't doubt it is, Rose. I just-"

"I get stopped all the time by agents and talent scouts. There is nothing wrong with that! He was just one of them that happened to know my mother! That's why you freaked out?"

"He is a criminal, Rosalie. I know it is hard to hear — hard to talk about — what happened when you lived with your mother..." I felt guilty for saying it already, though I said it gently enough. I was almost whispering. "...But what she was doing was illegal and those men were no better because they were using her and they were neglectful to you as well by turning a blind eye on what you were going through."

Rosalie's face flinched and she stared at me blankly for a short moment before tightness returned to her features.

"I am sorry if my words have upset you, honey. I just want what is best for you."

"By screaming at some guy because he was trying to offer me a job?" she yelled back, her face rosy with rage. "I don't need you to take pity on me, you know? I could get a job and work if I want to. I have had a lot of offers. I don't need you!"

I didn't want this to be some big screaming match, but she was becoming shrill and losing focus as she grew more upset. I could see her defenses were up, but it hurt me none-the-less to hear her say she didn't need us. We loved her and we wanted to give her a good home.

"There is no need for you to work or get a job. We are going to provide for you."

"I am going to do it when I am sixteen. I have plans. I am a great singer. I — I can model. I can do a lot of things," she stated as if I had suggested otherwise. "I am going to be just fine on my own!"

She was so scared. It broke my heart.

"You're not going to do it alone, Rosalie. Not if we having anything to say about it," I said calmly. "You're our girl now. It is up to us to provide for you and to raise you so you will have all the things you need so that when you do go grow up and you are ready to leave home, you will be prepared to face life all the challenges that it can throw at you. You are not ready yet — you are too naive."

"I am ready!" she stated through grated teeth, her eyes fixated somewhere over my shoulder.

"You're not, dear. And that is okay, because this is your home now. And when you accept that you will see that it is a very good thing — a much better plan than going off on your own. We will always be here for you — a family to come home to, even when you are grown up and living on your own."

She still couldn't seem to meet my eyes. Her stance was still one of defense, though she was not backing away from me, merely standing solid as I approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder lightly. "Please, promise me you will not talk to strangers? Promise that next time, you will obey my instructions to stay in the car with the doors locked? It is for your safety — and for our peace of mind."

"Fine," she seethed.

That was not good enough. I needed her word. She thought that her attitude would push me away, but I would keep at her until she would see reason if I had to. I needed her to understand why this was important. I wanted to know she would be more careful if there was ever a next time someone approached her like that man did today.

"Rosalie..." I said kindly. "I need to know that you can follow our rules so that we can do our jobs as parents to protect you. I am not trying to bully you, or suggest you are incapable of anything... I care about you."

She shifted, uncomfortable at my words and hugged her stomach tighter with her arms wrapped around her. I was sure this was all very overwhelming for her. I was sorry that I had yelled and been rough with that man in front of her. I was only trying to protect her.

"You are on the defensive now. I understand that you are hesitant to trust me, but what you saw today — me, losing my temper with that man — that was how I behave when I feel threatened. That is how I act when I am defending my family. I did it because I love you and because the thought of any harm coming to you is too much to bear."

There I was, crossing that line Esme and I had discussed. I didn't mean to move too fast, to be pushy. Again, my emotions got the best of me and the words came out as I felt them. I honestly did love her. Losing her — or anything happening to my wife or children — was not something I could just shrug off.

Finally, her body still tense, but her face relaxing slightly, her eyes rose to meet mine. She didn't say anything, and she quickly looked away, but it was at least some acknowledgment that she had heard me.

"I'm not upset with you now. I just want you to be more careful next time, sweetie. Okay?"

She nodded. A lengthy sigh followed and she swallowed, the sound was audible in the momentary silence. I let my hand leave her shoulder and slowly moved it to cup her chin.

"Thank you."

And then... She let me kiss her forehead.

The evening meal was a quiet one for the most part. Alice threw a pea at Jasper and I had to nip that in the bud before he retaliated in play. But other than a few giggles from those two, it was fairly silent until nearing the end.

Esme had made a nice dinner, but when it came time to eat, Bella was still in bed and Rosalie claimed she wasn't feeling very well either so we only sat six at the table that night.

"She does feel a little warm, Carlisle," she had told me, taking the time to feel Rosalie's forehead with the back of her hand.

I stepped in and felt for myself, but wasn't too sure if she was running a fever or not. I didn't think she was overly warm to my touch. My sensory judgment was generally pretty accurate, but I decided to sit her down with the thermometer under her tongue for a few minutes, much to her chagrin, to be certain.

When the electronic instrument beeped, I removed it and gave a pleased nod.

"You're not running a fever, sweetie," I had told her reassuringly, though her pout never wavered.

Of course, she had two inoculations in one afternoon so I didn't want to overlook that as the probable cause of her fatigue. I allowed her absence from the family dinner under these circumstances.

It was probably stress — or pride perhaps — that was causing her to shy away. She claimed it was no big deal — the run in with one of her mother's ex-clients, but it must have shaken her to see him again. I knew fear when I saw it, and she was scared of that man — even if she didn't know it, or want to admit it. He was another reminder of her past.

It wasn't a very fun dinner. Not that our mealtimes were always a party, but usually, with so many kids, there was an amount of entertaining hype and chatter that it entailed.

Not tonight, however...

Esme was worried about the girls. I told her they were resting and it would do them no good to be opening their door every five minutes, so she resorted to keeping her ears open and glancing toward their room whenever she thought she heard one of them move in there.

Emmett was too busy eating to speak. That was normal, but he was eyeing the bedroom too. I was in awe of the sibling love that they all had for one another. They were such good kids, our bunch.

Edward was just as melancholy as his mother, though Esme hid it better than he did. I swear that boy would cease living if anything should happen to Bella. He had really grown protective of Bella over the last several years. I was proud of him for watching over her — she needed someone like him to guide her because she didn't care for herself enough as she should.

"She's sleeping, Edward. And she said she is not hungry and we can't push her to eat if she is not feeling well enough," I told him. It was the third time he had hinted that we should get her to eat something — since she had not eaten all day.

"But she hasn't eaten anything! How can she get better if she doesn't eat?" he countered.

I loved his determination and I found myself smirking slightly, even though it made him scowl at me even deeper in his impatience.

He made me so proud already; I was not sure how I was going to hold up on the day he graduates from Medical School. Even if that day never comes and he chooses to peruse music instead, my heart still might burst with pride. He was so loyal to his word that anything he set his mind upon was blessed with his grace.

"She doesn't have to eat if she is not feeling up to it — we can't force her. But when she wakes, you may bring her something to drink. That will help. I am sure she would appreciate the thought," I complied with his need to be doing something useful to help his sister.

He nodded and got up from the table. "I think there are a few bottles of grape Gatorade in here," he mentioned as he rummaged through our very full refrigerator.

"Hey! Those are mine," Emmett protested.

"Shut it, Em," was Edward's quick, calm response.

"Edward, language please. We are at dinner. Remember your manners," Esme chastised him lightly for his word choice. She looked to Emmett next. "I will buy more at the store if we run out. Bella can drink whatever she needs now."

"Fine, Ma. I don't care," Emmett replied. "But she's sick so shouldn't she drink water?"

"Gatorade has electrolytes," Edward explained fruitlessly to Emmett. "It says on the label, 'electrolyte beverage,' so I figure it would be good for her." He looked at me for approval.

"Good thinking, son," I agreed with a smile. However, Bella was not one for flavoured, sweet drinks so I had a feeling she might prefer water. "Bring her a bottle of water as well, so she has a choice."

Edward nodded, as he took one each from the fridge. Before he shut the door he hesitated and then reopened it, grabbing one more of each. "Rosalie might want some too." He shrugged.

"I'll bring it to her!" Emmett exclaimed, bolting up to join Edward. The table shook and I had to grab my milk glass from toppling over. Alice was not so quick and hers poured out into her plate.

"Hey!" Alice complained, scooting away from the table in disgust.

"Boys!" Esme and I both called out. I stood and applied my napkin to the scene of the spilled milk.

"Only one of you needs to go," Esme insisted. "They are trying to rest. Edward, offer them the drinks and then leave them be, okay?"

"Ya, Mom."

"But Ma!" Emmett complained as Edward jogged the few meters toward the girls' bedroom door and knocked lightly before slipping into the darkened room.

"Finish eating your dinner, dear," Esme told him patiently, leaving no room for argument. She pointed to his plate with a stern finger and then she took another concerned, motherly glance back at the girl's door.

I got up to make a new plate for Alice. She was a good little eater, but even she would not touch her sheppard's pie if it had a moat running through it.

It was a blessing that Rosalie went to bed early. Esme had the others all in on the birthday prep work; blowing up balloons, making or signing of some thoughtful hand decorated cards, icing the cake, and organizing a few choice gifts for the occasion. It was going to be a small party — we didn't want to overwhelm Rosalie — but we couldn't let the event pass without recognizing her special day tomorrow.

It got late, and I sent Alice up to our bed because Esme and I felt that she would not get a proper rest in the girl's room if Bella and Rosalie were both not feeling well.

The boys were less easy to tame down. Edward and Emmett were losing patience with each other for some reason — picking small arguments over little tasks and work choices. I was not sure what was going on between them, but it was catching.

Jasper was in a difficult mood tonight as well. His temper flared easily when I asked him if he would mind tidying up some scrap bits of paper that had fallen to the floor. You could see that he was frustrated when I repeated myself. He did as he was told, but with a hastiness and angry edge to his actions. Esme shrugged, not knowing what was causing him to feel so anxious, but I could guess. There was a lot going on and he always felt uncomfortable about others when there was animosity in the air.

After another meltdown from Jasper – when Esme accidentally stepped on one of his toy soldiers and it broke – I decided to take him outside to cool off.

"Come, son. I think the fresh air will do you some good. Let's go for a walk," I suggested, not leaving any room from him to argue. I held open the front door and waited for him to sulk through it ahead of me.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Jasper, please calm down," I started as I made my way over to him on the grass. "Something is troubling you. Please tell me what it is."

"She's broke my General Lee! He's hard to find in stores. Now I might not be able to find another one for ages!"

"Well, son, that is too bad. I am sorry that he is broken. It is unfortunate, but it was an accident. You need to think about what place that toy had being on the floor, though, hmm?" I told him sympathetically, but with a stern reminder. "This is not the first time we have talked to you about leaving your toys laying out where they can be stepped on or tripped over. It is not just about your toys getting broken, it is a safety issue as well."

"It was put away! It must have –"

I cocked my head to one side and raised an eyebrow to him, hoping he would not try to lie to me. This tactic usually worked on the kids. I was very understanding when the kids broke something or made a mistake — accidents happen and people make bad judgment calls from time to time — but I didn't tolerate lying.

Jasper stopped and turned his face from mine. His fists were clenched at his sides and I could hear him breathing deeply, so I presumed he was trying to calm himself like he was supposed to do whenever he felt overwhelmed.

I gave him some time. When his shoulders relaxed and his breathing eased up I tried again. "Jasper, what's troubling you? Please tell me."

"It's just…" he exhaled shortly.

Of the boys, Jasper was a bit easier to talk to. He was more emotional, but that usually meant he was more likely to share is feelings if he was approached in a non-threatening manner. I touched his shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.

"…Well, the Rosalie stuff, I guess."

"I see," I murmured. "About what happened today?" I was not quite sure how much he knew and what specifically he was stressed about.

"About everything to do with her," he sighed. "She is exhausting to be around, and she makes Emmett act all weird, and Alice is all obsessed with her too. Everything has... changed."

"Are you having second thoughts about her joining the family?" I had to ask. It was only fair that he be allowed to talk about this if he had changed his mind.

"No! No," he insisted right away. His honest blue eyes found mine. "I'm okay with that. I would never want her to leave because of me."

"But you are finding it hard to adjust to one more sibling?"

"Kinda," he admitted, looking down timidly. "She's just so different than the others. She makes things so..."

I nodded. There had been a lot of tension surrounding Rosalie this summer. We were all trying so hard to make her feel welcome. "It won't always be this way. She's been through a lot and it will take time for her to learn to trust us — to feel like one of the family."

"I know. Things are so much more... dramatic, since she's been here, that's all," he told me with a shrug. "Edward and Rosalie do not get along at all, Rosalie is horrible to Bella, Bella doesn't like Rosalie that much either. You and Mom are always worried about everyone, and Emmett likes Rosalie too much," he told me with his arms falling to his sides as he finished speaking.

"On top of all that," he continued, "There are Alice's nightmares too. Those always scare me... I could feel her fear, Dad. I know that sounds stupid, but I could. I get so scared when Alice gets that way — when anyone is sad or sick or scared, really. I can't handle it!"

I was not surprised to hear this. I had witnessed his reactions before and knew he had a keen sense of what others were feeling. He was so empathetic. I admired this quality about him. It made him so human — it grounded him and helped him connect with people where he normally would shy away.

He was always trying to keep calm, to keep everyone around him calm — especially since he had learned to control his own emotions a lot better over the last several years. It was an impossible task he took on — one that was unrealistic. I knew how hard it was to play peacemaker. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to help someone, to sooth someone's pain... it is not enough.

"Yes. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with this family. I realize that," I agreed, reaching out to put my arm around him. "So many emotions flying around... I forget to check in with you as often as I should. I apologize if you feel that I have been neglecting you in that way. It was not intentional, son."

"No. It's not that," he whispered shyly. "I get why things have changed and why you and Mom are so busy."

"Never too busy for you," I told him sincerely. "We love you very much and we would do anything for you. I sometimes forget to talk with each one of you individually as often as I should. That is something I will do better at from now on, okay?"

"Okay," he replied right away.

I wrapped my other arm around him and pulled him in to me and said, "And you can always come to me. You know that, right?"

None of the boys like being hugged. Esme got away with it because she didn't take no for an answer, but usually the boys would make an embarrassed fuss if I tried to hug them. Jasper was not an exception, but right now — without his brothers there to laugh at him, he returned my hug.

"Ya, I know."

I smiled and released him, ruffling his overgrown hair with my hand.

"When are you going to have this mop cut?" I asked him playfully. I knew Esme was always asking him if he wanted to go for a haircut. The answer was always the same...

"Never!" He laughed, dodging from my hand and shaking his hair so it fell into his face and covering some of his left eye. "I like it this way."

And I kind of liked it too. It suited him. He was my little rebel!

We were heading back inside, the mood had lightened and I felt very good about that. Unfortunately, my heart sank when I saw another child who I needed to go talk to...

Rosalie's still form was hunched over, sitting on the end of the dock. Her long, corn-silk hair shone white in the moonlight.

I was disappointed that she has disobeyed our rules. I didn't like the rules either and I didn't like enforcing them. It was hardest with a new child and Rosalie made every rule seem like a jail sentence. I would have to go down there and bring her home.

I felt myself sigh. If it was heard, I can't be sure, but Jasper put his hand on mine and said. "She still feels so alone, even when she is surrounded by all of us."

I didn't know what to say. He was probably right.

I will go talk to her," he offered, stepping into my view of Rosalie and looking up at me for approval.

I gave him a fond smile. "That is very kind of you; son, but I should talk to Rose. Thank you, though."

Rosalie knew better than to be out of the house alone. It was worrisome to me that she was out on the dock by herself in the chilly night air with only her pajamas on when she was ill to begin with. To make the situation worse, she had not told anyone where she was or what she was doing — again. It was not something I could overlook.

"I want to, Dad," Jasper assured me. "I think she might listen to me better than you right now. I will stay with her until she is ready to come inside, I promise. And if we are not back in fifteen minutes you can come get her."

I couldn't help but agree to that. It was nice that he wanted to help Rosalie. I sensed a part of his will was to get her out of trouble for her rule breaking — the kids did tend to stick together, which was somewhat sweet if they were not being careless. I liked to see them supporting each other, in any case.

Was I being a horrible parent right now, letting my eleven year old go do my job? Maybe... But I was taken by how sure he was that he could help Rosalie, so I was going to allow it.

"Alright then... You sure you can handle this?" I asked him, giving him one last chance to reconsider.

"Ya," he insisted with a wise tone to his young voice. "Because I know how she feels." And then he hurried down the hill towards the water.

I watched him from the porch to be sure they made contact and everything was copasetic. As soon as he sat down beside her I breathed a bit more easily and I went inside feeling so proud of my youngest son.

To Be Continued…

So, is Carlisle worthy of Father of the Year? Hehee. Carlisle was not unreasonable with Rosalie-he is Carlisle, after all. ;) And what about his chat with Jasper? What do you think about eleven year old empath, Jasper? Wise beyond his years?

Coming up Next- Jasper has a heart to heart with Rosalie. Also, it is Rosalie's birthday and the Cullens through her a party that doesn't go quite as planned... The fluff ends here. Dun dun dun!

*Previews are available via review response and on my DA journal (link on my profile page). I usually send those out on Friday. The previews will be two separate ones. Reminder- There are a few new illustrations in my gallery as well. :)

Thank you!

The next update will be Monday, Sept 6th.