I'd like to thank all those who reviewed from the bottom of my heart.

They (reviews) good or bad are the only way I know anyone's reading this so...thank you!

BTW I never feel the need any more for a disclaimer …. is anyone out there silly enough to think I own any character except (the always well dressed) Armani? I mean come on ;-)

This Chapter features Midnight created by the incomparable Black Rose of Night...I thank her for letting me use her.

Chapter 24

Rosalie

RPOV

This was uncharted territory for me. If I still had a heart as humans know it …. it would have been in my throat.

I knew my Emmett though, and I used to know Bella. Perhaps that would be enough.

Speaking of enough, I decided I'd had about enough of this simpering attitude. I was Rosalie Hale dammit, time to act like it.

I knocked loudly upon the door to Bella and Alice's rooms. I was still getting my head around that, Bella and Alice's rooms.

"Come" I heard Bella's voice from within.

I was a bit shocked when I went in, the entry room was … breezy … tastefully done in varying swaths of purple. My initial surprise faded when I remembered Alice lived here now too. Alice might be be many things, but she'd never abide living below her standards.

Bella was, to all appearances, sitting on an overstuffed leather couch playing with marbles.

I gave her a quizzical look.

"Rosalie, this is a bit of a surprise, you've avoided me religiously since our little tête-à-tête in the woods." She didn't quite smile.

"You've hardly given me reason to seek you out," I answered levelly.

Bella nodded by way of a reply. She held up one of the marbles.

"You see this?" She asked.

I nodded, wishing to hold my own in this exchange. This Bella was so damned …. intimidating it was something I'd never encountered before.

"When these burst they should coat an area approximately two foot round with a fine spray with sticks to anything around it..."

"To what purpose?" I was genuinely curious.

"Oh that..." Bella threw one of the marble like objects into the normally unused fireplace in the entry room. It burst of course, with a small tinkling of glass.

After a few seconds the entire hearth chamber burst into flame. I involuntarily stepped back.

"Bella don't you ever think of anything but better ways to kill other vampires?" The horrifying intent of the project immediately came to life in my mind.

"Why Rosalie, it's my job to kill other vampires, and I'm all about efficiency at work. I'm honestly astonished no one's ever applied technology to the task before..."

I shook my head, remembering why I'd come there in the first place.

"There's a fight coming, isn't there?" I asked her simply.

"Yes Rosalie, there is." She answered softly.

"Emmett, will want to be in it," I rushed on to my point before fear, or perhaps even worse, pride stopped me from saying it, "I've seen you fight Bella, I've seen others here fight …. Emmett is strong and he is brave to the point of foolishness, but he has no business being involved in a fight alongside people like you, basically trained professional killers, if the enemy are anything like you."

Bella held the bridge of her nose between two gloved fingertips.

"Has it ever occurred to you or Emmett that if he fought alongside me he might be on the wrong side? That truth, justice and the American way might favor my opponents? I am quite aware we Volturi overstep our bounds at times."

I winced a bit at Bella's reference to we Volturi but remembered much of the blame for that situation lay solidly upon my families doorstep.

"Alice is with you Bella, whether you like it or not she still has a grip upon the hearts of all of us … if Alice goes to fight with you, you can be sure Emmett and I would be as close beside her as we could manage. I'm shocked that even after all this time you could doubt that."

"Don't talk to me about your family unity Rosalie Hale, " Bella's voice was as sharp as a whip cracking, "I seem to recall one it left behind."

That was like taking a gut punch. Even after my realization about we Cullens' culpability any confidence I'd built up suddenly dissipated like water on a hot skillet. She just had no idea how much I'd grieved, how much we'd all grieved and how we felt like idiots. My heart was breaking all over again. I'd never mourned anything, even the loss of my own life, like I'd mourned us losing Bella.

When I was human there was a simple incident, so simple many would not have have noticed it in an otherwise normal life, of course my life was to be far from normal, but that's another story. I was visiting my friend Vera …. Vera and her beautiful baby. Most times when I'd come to visit I'd just observed them, making small talk and taking pleasure from the simple observation Vera's love for her child. On this occasion Vera had asked me if I'd like to hold the baby, whom I'd never even touched before. When I took him in my arms he beamed a beatific smile at me then fell asleep when I held him close. I don't know if Vera saw it or not but for the only time in my adult life I shed tears not born of pain. Looking at Bella now somehow brought back that bittersweet moment. I am supposed to be hard, to be ice, but I could feel all that breaking down, all the walls collapsing.

I don't know what got into me, I sat beside her so quickly she seemed jumpy (not a smart idea around the world's most dangerous woman I later decided) and took her hand. She stared at me, her crimson eyes showing shock. Her free hand twitched towards a dagger, but she didn't disengage her hand from mine.

"May I tell you something Bella?" She didn't answer so I continued, "When you were mortal, Emmett wanted to invite you to our bed, " I ignored the hrrmmph sound she made, "I told him no."

"Neither of those admissions surprise me greatly Rosalie, " She said, her tone bordering on being icy.

"You don't understand Bella, I didn't say no because I didn't want you there," This was the hardest admission of all, "I said no because I was afraid we both loved you so much we might kill the mortal you. As you know a vampire's passion can be dangerous indeed."

Bella turned and gave me a long look. She was tossing one of her little fiery marbles up and down in the air with her free hand.

Finally she replied in a very low voice, almost a whisper.

"I might be able to do a few things to help assure Emmett stays alive in the event of a fight and you too for that matter but you'd have to do me a few favors..."

"Name them, " I replied without really thinking, Bella being gone had hurt me so deeply and for so long I was now desperately aware of what life without Emmett would be like, how empty it would be. I was willing to do anything. The psychology of loss and bereavement teaches bitter lessons.

"Well first, when and if the fight comes, you must promise to help me keep Esme far, far away from it. Esme was kind to me once and I would see no harm come to her. She is no fighter and I would never want her to be. Carlisle is on his own."

I nodded my assent eagerly to that.

"Second you'd have to take me …. shopping. Alice berates my fashion choices daily, I grow …. weary of that. If I were to just …. blossom before her, with her having had no hand in that, you just can't imagine what that would be like..." Her voice sounded almost wistful, as if she were in a daydream.

If she'd been mortal I would have sworn she'd have been blushing and for just a moment it was as if I had the old Bella, the Bella I loved so very dearly back. Then I ruined it by hugging her close and saying, "Of course Bella...this will be...wonderful …. we can go right now."

"Easy Rosalie Hale, we can't turn the clock back all those years, " She extricated herself from my hug, not unkindly but firmly, "But perhaps we can make a fresh start, just perhaps."

Bella stood up.

"Let me get Midnight, I've a feeling that girl will be the kind of asset you've never seen on a shopping trip."

Bella left the room with perhaps just the hint of a smile on her face ….

A few moments later I heard two sets of foot steps approaching and then what I assumed was the voice of Midnight.

"...shopping Aunt Bella?"

APOV

I was sketching in our rooms, irritated. I'd been gone maybe 20 minutes tops and I'd gotten back, no note no Bella.

What made my irritation doubly …. well …. irritating was I'd left to get specific things for a specific purpose. A naughty purpose.

Anyone who knows me well knows I hate my plans being shifted to the side, delayed.

I'd just finished a sketch of Bella wearing bib overalls, barefoot, complete with a straw hat and a flannel shirt, (somewhere in Heaven Gianni Versace wept) when I felt the tell tale signs coming on...

Bella was somewhere in a deep wood, Middie beside her. Shadows were overwhelming, it was so well into the evening it was nearly dusk. They were impatiently waiting.

A man and a red haired woman appeared ….it was Edward!

A tried to hiss but couldn't. I expected Bella and Midnight to immediately attack but they didn't. I saw anger cross Bella's face after Edward had spoken a few moments and her lips formed what must have been a sharp reply.

It was so frustrating not to be able to hear what they were saying.

They went back and forth for some time.

Finally, grudgingly on both parts it seemed, they shook hands …..Edward and the woman left.

Bella was saying something to Middie, I could just make it out she was saying,

"Alice ….Alice are you ok? Alice?'

Bree was gently shaking me, visionus interruptus, I resisted the sudden urge to strike her and shook my head, clearing my mind and vision.

Bella and Edward were going to make some sort of deal? What the F? What the F-ing F?

"Alice?"

Bree brought me back to the real world.

"What can I do for you Bree?" I favored her with a smile. Bree was the sweetest newborn I'd ever met (aside from her apparent predilection towards BDSM) and it really wasn't that much of an effort to be kind to her. I'd never even heard her curse, I rather doubted she knew how.

It helped that she was now so darned (eternally) cute.

After tearing me from my vision just as it was starting to make sense she chose now to become shy as she was shifting from one foot to the other and wringing her hands …. she was really was such a sweet girl.

"When did you know you were gay Alice?" I don't think a slap in the face would have jolted me more than that moment. I'd have been less astonished if she'd told me she wanted to become an astronaut.

"Erm, Bree, we are vampires, " I finally stammered out, "I think you will find terms such as 'gay' or 'straight' mean less than who the person you want to be with 'is', the longer you live if you get my meaning and," I finished with a phrase I'd heard long ago, "Labels are for for people who wear suits"

"Alice can I tell you something?" Bree's tone was sooooo serious.

"I think you already have Bree, but go ahead."

"Well it's just that Armani, well I feel funny," She paused, "She makes me feel, God she makes me me horny, I've never felt anything like this, I just want to fuck her all night Alice ….. I've never been gay or liked girls Alice …. but Gawd!"

Holy crap. My little Bree was just full of surprises to-day. I resisted the urge to tell her she had to eat with that mouth and finally asked her.

"Have you spoken with Armani about this?" She shook her head no.

"Then I'd recommend you do, as soon as possible. Things like this can turn bad if they are unaddressed Bree."

I only had to think of Bella and I to recall just how bad they could turn if they were allowed to go unaddressed, to simmer until something went wrong.

"I will Alice, I'll talk to her …. to-day …. I'll talk to her today!" Then Bree scampered out of the room, I was just beginning to chuckle inwardly when she stuck her head back in the door.

"Oh Alice thank you! I'm so sorry I forgot to say it …. thank you!"

I waved her off, wondering if she'd thank me later.

APOV

It was probably a few hours later when I heard Rosalie and Midnight laughing in the hallway along with Bella's heels clicking.

Wait a minute, Rosalie and Midnight laughing? Bella was with them?

Something very strange was afoot …. very strange indeed. They walked, no sashayed is the more proper term, more fitting.

They were all wearing new clothes but all I really saw was Bella. She was wearing a pink wide brimmed hat with a black ribbon, a pink mini-dress with black polka dots (it sounds garish but believe me, Bella made it work) black stockings black four inch high-fuck-me-heels.

I believe my jaw dropped.

"You'll come back to-morrow and help me with all this stuff Rose?" Bella said, waving over her shoulder at me. It was only then I noticed boxes and boxes of things being carted into Bella and I's flat.

"Oh sure Bella and there's still me doing up your hair..." Rose answered smiling.

Had the POD people come and replaced my Bella with a stepford wife?

Rosalie turned to Midnight, "And we have got to shop for car parts …. I had no idea you liked cars so much …."

"There's lot's of thing lot's of people don't know about me Rose, only Aunt Bella knows all" Midnight had that dead sexy look on her face she sometimes gets yet seems completely oblivious to the fact she's doing it (or is she I often wonder) which just seems to melt people.

I heard Bella laugh harshly as an answer in the next room.

The next events seem to have happened in slow motion, yet couldn't have taken more than seconds.

Armani stuck her head in the door and said, "Alec's been murdered."

Then we were all, for reasons I'm not sure we knew, following Bella running towards the throne room.

A/N Another day, another chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. I hope I handled the Bree thing OK, I've seen women who've considered themselves heterosexual attracted to other women many times in my life but found it difficult to write.

Please, please review.