I tried to get this uploaded all weekend with no success so hopefully it will work this morning. Originally the chapter was broken in two but I decided that it flowed better together rather than segmented. Next chapter - Emmett to the Rescue Once More will hopefully be up tomorrow morning.

Rosalie couldn't believe her luck. She had hoped that she would find Bella, but the reality of actually seeing the tiny brunette in such a remote area was thrilling. It actually played into her plans perfectly. However, she had expected the same shrinking violet that she had seen so briefly at Emmett's welcome home party. She had no clue that with Bella's new resolve, she was not going to be faced with that same person.

She also had no clue that her very comfortable world was unraveling quickly. Very quickly, considering the way that word was spreading in Forks after Emmett's little tirade at the grocery store. Forks phone lines were going nuts, and Rosalie Hale, and Emmett and Bella McCarty were the main topic of discussion everywhere else.

"Bella?" Rosalie said, smiling haughtily. Bella didn't respond, she simply smiled tightly and stared at the blonde, taking the chance to really look at her. Rosalie was beautiful, nobody would deny that. Her blonde hair was perfectly coiffed and her make-up was impeccable. Her clothes were all designer and she wore five inch stilettos, making her already imposing height seem even more threatening. Bella took a deep breath and prepared to greet the woman that had once been important to her husband. No time like the present to put her new resolve to the test.

"Rosalie, right?" Bella asked, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah," Rose said, obviously appraising Bella. She was certain that the mousy little brunette would not be a worthy adversary. In fact, Rosalie almost felt sorry for her. ALMOST! "I heard you had a pretty bad morning," she said, looking at Bella with obviously fake pity. Bella did an internal eye-roll and shook her head, wondering what the blonde amazon was up to.

"I've had better," Bella conceded.

Rosalie was certain that she had the little brunette was quaking in her boots already, but she wanted more. She walked across the clearing on her tip toes and sat down on the far side of the bench, looking at her perfectly manicured fingers as though they held the secret to the universe. Bella didn't speak to her, instead, she turned away and looked at the water, waiting for Rosalie to make a move.

"So how do you like America?" Rosalie asked, making herself sound like a complete fool.

"Depends which part you're talking about," Bella said. "I've spent most of my life in the east or south. This is my first experience on the West coast."

"You've been out of Germany before?" Rosalie asked.

"I'm from the States," Bella said. "My mom and dad are both as American as apple pie."

"Oh," Rosalie said. "Then why were you in Germany?"

"I worked at the hospital there," Bella said, not willing to share more with the blonde then necessary.

"Oh," Rosalie said. "What did you do at the hospital? Clean?"

"I was a nurse," Bella said.

"Oh," Rosalie said, not liking the feeling of Bella being better educated than herself.

Conversation ceased for a few moments. There was nothing that Bella wanted to say to Rosalie, and Rosalie was simply at a loss for words.

"So, what do you think of Forks?" Rosalie asked, smiling slyly.

"Beautiful scenery," Bella said. "However I can't say that I am overly fond of the residents," Bella said honestly.

"I love it here," Rose said snidely. "I am friends with everyone in town. And everyone always has their friend's back." It was an obvious threat, though Bella just rolled her eyes again. She was done with the small-mindedness that was exemplified by Rosalie's behavior.

"Well," Bella said. "It was lovely meeting you, but I really should be getting back. My husband is sure to be worried about me and our daughter by now."

Rosalie cringed slightly at Bella's reference to Emmett and their child, but she wasn't about to let go of her shiny new toy yet.

"But I would love a chance to get to know you," Rosalie said, pouting slightly.

"Really?" Bella asked laughing, finding Rosalie's utterance completely amusing. "You want to get to know me?"

"Of course!" she said. "I mean, I would love to get to know the girl that Emmett settled for when he couldn't have me."

"Is that right?" Bella asked, trying desperately to keep a straight face. "Well, Rosalie, what would you like to know?"

Rosalie was silent for a moment trying to figure something to ask Bella. Bella, in the meantime was fed up with Rosalie's foolishness and leaned down to pick up the diaper bag to go. She knew Emma would be waking to eat soon and she wanted to be back with her husband when that happened.

"You know I was Emmett's first, don't you?" Rosalie said in desperation when she noticed that Bella was ready to leave. "I guess that means I took his virginity."

"And what does that have to do with getting to know me?" Bella asked.

"He told me I was the best ever," she said smugly, crossing her arms and glaring at Bella; challenging the young mother with her words and body language..

Bella shook her head. She felt like she was in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I mean, this should have been totally awkward. After all, her husband's ex-girlfriend was talking about their sex life. Who does that? Bella stared at her completely dumbfounded. She couldn't help but pity the girl who seemed to like putting her own foot in her mouth. I mean, really! Of course she was the best ever, she was the ONLY at the time.

"Congratulations?" Bella said, unsure what the blonde wanted her to say.

"Well, I guess it had been a long time so he probably couldn't remember enough to compare us... but I mean, the differences are obvious," Rosalie said, looking at Bella.

"I guess they are," Bella said, still feeling a strange sense of pity for the blonde who seemed to be stuck in the past.

"You shouldn't feel bad though," she said. "I won't go after him so you shouldn't worry too much. I mean now that you have a kid, I wouldn't want to break up a family."

"That's very gracious of you," Bella said, suddenly wondering if Rosalie was even from the same planet. "I'm going to go now. My daughter is going to need to eat soon and I'm sure that Emmett is wondering where we are by now."

At that moment, the sky in Forks did what the sky in Forks does best. It started raining. First it was just a few drops. Before either woman had even realized what was happening, the sky in Forks did what the sky does best: it opened up and POURED rain.

Bella draped herself over Emma, tightening the blanket around her daughter to protect her from the rain. She turned to leave without another word to Rosalie, but before she had taken ten steps, the blonde gripped her arm and began tugging her in the opposite direction.

"Let me go," Bella growled.

"Look," Rosalie said, trying to cover her head with one of her hands. "It will take a long time to get back to the grocery store from here and you and the baby will be soaked through. Come with me and you can at least be warm and dry. Then you can call Emmett to let him know where to pick you two up."

"I can go to the car," Bella insisted. "It isn't that far."

"I'm only a couple of minutes away. The grocery store is at least 15 minutes from here." she said. "I'm sure Emmett could figure something out as soon as you get ahold of him."

Bella figured that she'd rather gouge her own eyes out with a fork then to follow Rosalie, but her need to keep her daughter warm and dry, and the fact that she really didn't know how far she had gone, meant that she'd better follow the blonde, at least for Emma's sake. Rosalie smiled in triumph before gripping Bella's arm again, tugging her across the clearing. Since Rosalie had more than six inches on Bella, Bella had to almost jog to keep up, not that rosalie noticed or cared. She led Bella past the turn off to the garage with one destination in mind. The house.

Rosalie dragged Bella up the stairs and onto the porch before Bella had a chance to even consider where they were going. Rosalie opened the door and tugged Bella inside before letting go of her arm.

"Take your muddy shoes off here so you don't ruin my carpets," Rosalie said. Bella did as instructed and toed off her runners.

"Do you have a towel I could borrow?" Bella asked, concerned about dripping on the floor, and anxious to get Emma out of the carrier to ensure that she was still warm and dry. Rosalie sighed as though she had been asked to run a marathon.

"Wait here," she instructed as she moved into the house. When she returned, she tossed the pink towel to Bella before turning on her heel and heading for the stairs.

"You can wait in there when you're dry," Rosalie said, pointing into the room on her right before hurrying up the stairs. "I'll just be upstairs for a moment," Rosalie said, before she disappeared into a room at the top of the stairs. She smiled to herself, pleased with where she had left Bella, and vowed to take a little extra time to make sure the little brunette saw EVERYTHING.

Bella did her best to dry up a little before going where Rosalie had pointed. She assumed that there would be a phone in the room. She was wrong. She took the damp blanket off of Emma and dried her hands before taking Emma out of the sling. She was happy to see that Emma had remained completely dry and laid her on the couch while she slipped out of her damp coat. She dried her hair quickly and then picked up her daughter, unsure of when Rosalie was planning on returning, and wanting her child close to her when she did. She felt like she was in a lion's den and wanted to keep her daughter protected at all times.

Rosalie was enjoying taking her sweet time upstairs, first she just puttered around her room, doing inconsequential things before deciding that she really needed to take a shower. After all Emmett was likely to be on her doorstep before long and she wanted to look her best for him, unlike his drowned rat of a wife.

From downstairs, Bella heard the shower turn on and rolled her eyes. Rosalie had obviously had an agenda and unfortunately Bella didn't have any way to leave that didn't involve getting her and Emma soaked, if they could even find their way back from here. She settled on examining the room she was in.

The room was completely over the top, in Bella's estimation. It was supposed to have been elegant, but it was too over done for that. The walls were light pink with gold photo frames filled with pictures all over. The furniture was English, and looked better suited to an English parlor, rather than an American living room. Nothing about it led her to believe that it was decorated with Emmett in mind. Anyone who really knew him, knew he didn't put on airs and she couldn't imagine him ever being comfortable in this room at all. Then there were the photographs. They were everywhere. At least 50 in the one small room.

Rosalie and Emmett were featured prominently in every one, more Rosalie than Emmett even. There were pictures from childhood through present in all sorts of scenarios; holidays, beach trips, school pictures, homecoming, prom, casual pictures and staged shots. Bella recognized Edward and some of the others in the pictures as well, though more often than not they were simply in the background. There was even a picture with Rosalie fawning over Emmett in his uniform before his first deployment. These were all happy memories, obviously chosen to remind Emmett of special times with Rosalie. Yet Bella didn't feel at all threatened by them.

It was actually very easy for her to separate the Emmett in these pictures with Rosalie, and her Emmett. The Emmett in Rosalie's pictures was a boy. He was young, carefree, and hadn't experienced a whole lot. Her Emmett was more. He was still happy and goofy, as he appeared in almost every picture, but he also had a more serious side. He had seen and experienced more. He was a man.

Bella thought back to her own pictures with Emmett, safely placed in albums in her suitcase. There were all the formal pictures from their wedding, the casual pictures they had taken together for fun, and the family pictures they had with Emma. Emmett had insisted that they have a photo shoot with her before he returned to the front, so she could see how much her daddy loved her and her mom if anything happened. Her favorite pictures were taken by Angela when Emmett was on leave during her pregnancy. Bella had been a nervous wreck. Her belly had recently blossomed, and she felt so fat and unattractive. She knew that the last time she had seen him she had had a small waist and flat belly, but by that time, their baby was truly making her presence in her mama's belly known and Bella worried that he might not find her attractive. The pictures Angela snapped laid that worry to rest. He had adored the sight of her waiting for him, and after hugging and kissing her soundly, he dropped to his knees and greeted the child in her womb.

That had been the last time she had felt even remotely self-conscious about being attractive to her husband while she was pregnant, and even now, she knew that her body was different, but Emmett had showed her over and over again that he found her as attractive as she always was to him. There were so many of their moments that were captured forever in print and she smiled at the thought. Every one of their pictures proved that he loved and adored her.

When the shower had still not turned off, Bella got frustrated and searched the rest of the bottom floor for a phone. The hallway to the kitchen continued the 'shrine to Rosalie and Emmett' theme, but nothing could have prepared her for the kitchen. Bella knew, from Emmett, that this had been his favorite room, and from the way he spoke she had been looking forward to spending a great deal of time in here herself. However, now she wanted out as quickly as possible. The layout, the stainless steel appliances, the hardwood floors, the dark cupboards, and the beautiful granite countertops were all there as Emmett had remembered, but now the walls were painted bubblegum pink, the window that overlooked the backyard was covered in pink fluffy curtains and floral towels and accents covered every spare surface. The small table in the room was covered in a lace tablecloth and still there was no phone.

The bathroom and den continued the same theme as the kitchen and den, pink and floral, and Bella couldn't see how Emmett was even considered in the decor. The garage was empty except for the pile of boxes piled haphazardly in the middle. Still no phone.

Bella returned to the living room and contemplated putting on her coat and chancing the rain when she heard Rosalie's hairdryer start. If it hadn't been for Emma beginning to fuss because she was hungry, she probably would have. Bella grabbed the diaper bag and laid Emma on the couch to change her before sitting in an armchair to nurse her. She covered herself for modesty, though she needn't have bothered since Rosalie's hairdryer didn't turn off the entire time that the baby ate. In fact, by the time that Rosalie came down the stairs again, perfectly groomed once more, Emma was long done and contentedly sitting in her mother's arms.

"So you said you had a phone I could use," Bella snapped as soon as Rosalie appeared in the room.

Rosalie was taken aback for a moment so she didn't answer. She had assumed that the girl would be a mess when she returned, yet she seemed fine. She stared at her, trying to find any sign of weakness or even redness in her eyes to show that she had been crying or emotional. She found none. She was certain that the jealousy should have been eating her to the core.

"Of course," Rosalie said sweetly, pulling her cell phone from her back pocket.

"I should tell Emmett that I'm here," Bella said. "I'm sure he's worried."

"He's worried alright," Rosalie muttered.

"I beg your pardon," Bella said, shocked by Rosalie's statement.

"Oh that," Rosalie said, acting like the news she was about to share was normal. "He freaked hours ago and sent everyone out searching for you."

"What?" Bella asked, incensed. "And you didn't say anything for the last hour?"

"He's not my husband," Rosalie said, shrugging her shoulders. She held her cell phone out to Bella and rolled her eyes.

Bella reached into the diaper bag to grab Esme's cell phone number, the only number she had, dialing it quickly.

"Rosalie," Esme answered, sounding flustered. "What is it?"

"It's not Rosalie," Bella said. "It's Bella."

"Bella!" Esme practically screamed, sounding relieved at the same time. "Hold on, Honey. We'll get to you as soon as we can." Then she was yelling again, this time with the mouthpiece partially covered. "EMMETT, Bella is on the phone!"

Not even 5 seconds passed when Bella heard Emmett's frantic voice in the background before he took Esme's phone. "Bella, Babe! Are you okay? Where are you? Is Emma okay?"

"We're fine. We've been with Rosalie for the last hour. She only just told me that you had been looking for me."

"Rosalie?" Emmett said, sounding concerned. "Where are you?"

"At her place," Bella said, glancing around the room. There was no way she could call this place his.

"We'll be right there," he said. "I love you, Babe. I love you so much." She didn't even get a chance to respond before he hung up. She handed Rosalie the phone and sat back awkwardly.

"So..." Rosalie said.

"So," Bella repeated.

Awkward silence descended on the two as they waited for Emmett's arrival.