ROSES BEHIND MIRRORS

She didn't want to be there. He couldn't wait to get away. But what happened when Rosalie Hale came thundering into Emmett Cullen's life, no one could have predicted. AU, AH. RxEm.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Stephenie Meyer beat me to it.

Chapter TwentySix

"I… the plane's boarding now, Rose, I've gotta go…"

"Have a great time."

"I will, babe. Wish you were here."

He could almost see her shy smile, her slight blush. "Me too. I'll see you in a week!"

"I'll call when we get there!"

"Bye, Emm."

"Bye, Rose."

He hung up reluctantly. Alice was standing in front of him, hands on hips, glowering at him. "Come on, Emmett, we're going to be right at the back of the queue!"

"The plane won't take off any faster whether we're at the front or the back of the queue, Alice." He retorted in an irritating tone, but picked up his bags nonetheless, weighed down with all his ski gear and about three pairs of Alice's shoes she hadn't been able to fit into her own case. It was the first time in the history of, well, forever, that he hadn't been 100% ecstatic about the Cullen family's annual New Year ski trip, it was the first time he had something worth staying behind for.

Every year for as long as Emmett could remember, they had taken this holiday, the day after Boxing Day. It was his favourite holiday of the year, and as they'd been doing it their whole lives, the Cullen children (and their parents) were fantastic skiers. Edward was the fastest, Alice the most graceful and Emmett the most daring – sometimes too daring, at least in Esme's opinion, when he insisted on taking "just a little jump" off of the piste and through the woods to cut corners and reach the lift queue faster than his younger brother. And all three of them adored the holiday every year, with all the Christmas decorations still adorning the little French resort they frequented, and the massive ice party in their hotel every New Year…

But this year, even as subtly as it seemed, was so different. Edward was frantically texting Bella, a pained expression on his face as he was forced to put his cell away, to board. Alice was shifting from one foot to the other, looking slightly distracted. Just minutes before she had been considering what cologne to buy Jasper from the duty-free store. And Emmett… Emmett couldn't stand being away from Rosalie, if he was honest. And maybe that was a girly thing, and a little pathetic, and maybe it would fade with time but for heaven's sake… something had just started.

After the kiss on Christmas Day, things had moved, and although not quickly, at a much steadier speed and in a more direct route than before. They'd taken a walk, made some snow angels in the snow outside the Cullen's house, kissed gently as snowflakes fell around their ears and into her hair, and held hands all the way back up to the house, where they joined Alice and Jasper watching bad Christmas movies, cuddled up on the couch. Then the Hales had stayed over, planning on having Rosalie staying in Alice's room and Jasper sleeping in Edward's empty bed… but when Carlisle and Esme returned home in the early hours of the morning, exhausted from the usual, seasonal influx of patients in the ER, they found the four teenagers curled up on their sofa, the fire having burnt down to embers.

The next day he had and Rosalie and Alice had taken on Bella, Edward and Jasper in a snowball fight in the woods next to the Cullens' house, and then back into the house for Esme's best Boxing Day lunch. She didn't fail to notice how extra close Rosalie and Emmett stayed, the extra touches they reassured each other with, how she leant forward without an ounce of embarrassment and wiped a tiny speck of food off of the corner of his mouth, and then kissed him lightly, in full view of everyone. Then, Jasper and Rosalie had left, amidst deep, well-meant goodbyes, and the Cullens had packed for their trip.

And now, as they boarded the plane, Esme and Carlisle were both considering that as of this year, things changed.

"Ten…. Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three.. Two… One… HAPPY NEW YEAR!" they all shouted, and then Emmett found himself with Alice jumping into his arms, kissing him on the cheek, as his mother and father kissed gently, and Edward smiled beside them. Fireworks set off overhead, but he could only think of one thing, and that was who he had wanted to call the New Year in with, and that was Rose. Back in Forks, however, it was simply early evening, the next year being yet to curl that far around the globe. He broke away from Alice as she leapt onto Edward to give him the same treatment and dialled the all-too-familiar number.

"Emmett?"

"Hey, babe."

"Hi… is it-"

"Yeah, it's New Year over here."

"Happy New Year, babe." She whispered, and he felt a grin splitting his face.

Esme watched him with a slight smile on her lips, as she broke away from Carlisle's mouth, his arms staying fixed around her waist, tight and snug. Emmett's eyes were brighter than they had been all week, and he was shuffling his feet in an adorable, almost nervous way as he spoke to his new almost-girlfriend. Edward had had the same thought, and she watched his smile widen as he heard Bella's voice over the phone. Alice was tapping her foot with excited impatience, waiting for Jasper to answer.

That was the moment that it hit her. Her children, the three little dark-haired kids that had played tag in her front garden, they'd gone a long time ago, and it had taken her until now to see it. She wasn't mother to three children anymore, she was mother to two men and a beautiful young woman, and she couldn't be any prouder. She half laughed with her husband as their only daughter gave a little jump of joy at the sound of Jasper Hale's voice on the other end of the line, all the way back home.

But her happiness, her pride, it was all bittersweet, because, at the end of the day, it meant they were growing up, and growing up was simply paving the way for them to leave her eventually, move on with their lives, move out of her house… that almost didn't bear thinking about, the days when all those rooms would be empty of voices, empty of music, empty of smiles…

This moment defined it, though, and it suddenly became a finite reality to Esme Cullen that her children were going to grow up and love people more than they loved her… she didn't resent it, it was a rite of passage, a way of the world, but it hurt so much she felt the tears stinging her eyelids, a lump rising in her throat.

Carlisle, forever in tune with her, precisely, pressed a kiss to her left cheek bone and squeezed her hands tightly in his.

"They're happy." He whispered, and that, of everything was true.

"I… I'm losing signal, Emmett…"

"All right… I'll go… Happy New Year, Rose…"

"Happy New Year, Emmett, see you soon…"

"Rosalie.. I love you." He whispered as the signal cut out, unsure whether she'd heard him or not.

Carlisle gave Esme a knowing smile and pulled her into a dance.

Miles away, in a small town called Forks, a girl called Rosalie Hale was crying silent tears – but they were quite unlike any other tears she had ever cried. They were tears of quiet joy, mixed with a fair helping of hope, too, as she wondered when she'd ever have the courage to say it back to him.

A/N: Sorry there was no update yesterday. Hope you like this chapter now, though. Snow day ended, but we might get more tonight/tomorrow. It's awesome!!!

Hope you're still all enjoying this fic, the reviewing has been better than I've ever had on any other fic! More than 300 reviews, guys! I'm so impressed! And a little gobsmacked, I must admit. Thank you so much.

xx