"Welcome to Washington!" The flight attendant said cheerfully, causing the people in the plane to shift in their seats to collect their belongings. They continued to drone on about the time and the weather, but Alaina wasn't listening. She still couldn't get the conversation she had with Carlisle the night before out of her head, replaying over and over again.
"Alaina, my dear, first and foremost we wanted to check up on you. I know that we haven't been there for you over the last few days, which we will discuss in a moment, but I need to make sure that you are okay."
"Yes, I'm okay; it's all over. But what's going on? What happened? Where is - where is Emmett? Where is Bella?"
Carlisle began telling Alaina what happened after she left on the night of the baseball game. A group of nomad vampires interrupted the game, asking to join, but when they saw Bella was a human, their instincts took over and they moved to attack. The blond one, James, became obsessed with Bella, and began tracking her scent. The situation became so serious that Alice and Jasper fled with Bella to confuse his tracking and disperse her scent, but that could only last for so long. He was on his way and Bella, being a strong willed yet hard headed person, wanted to protect the people she loved by fighting him alone. She broke her leg and was bit before the Cullen clan saved her and killed James.
Alaina could barely believe the story, nor the life that she somehow had gotten herself into. Although she was still extremely hurt, she knew why they had to cut off communication. They had to protect Bella, and by extension, Alaina herself. James was becoming more and more reckless and only wanted to hurt the Cullens. If he found out about Alaina, the other human, who knows what could have happened. Forcing her out of the situation was her protection.
"Honey, we're home," her dad said. Alaina unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her bag from the upper compartment of the plane. They disembarked and started the long walk to baggage claim.
The airport was unusually quiet. The rhythmic clicking of their shoes echoed in the terminal, the only noise filling the almost uncomfortable stillness around them. "Alaina," her mom broke the silence while they walked towards the airport exit. "One of your friends texted us yesterday asking if they could spend the rest of the day with you. We told her yes, hoping to give you a little surprise and a break from… from the week. We hope that's okay."
Alaina furrowed her brow. "Who is it?" She asked, as they walked out past security. She stopped to look at her mom. Her mother made eye contact with someone in the waiting area, and gave a quick nod. Alaina followed her gaze, and even in the crowded airport, she could see who came to pick her up.
"We will take your stuff home. You don't have a curfew tonight - just let us know when you'll be home or if you will be staying with a friend, okay?" Her mom said, taking her suitcase from her. She wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We love you so much."
"I love you too, mom," she said, hugging her mom back. She could feel a large, warm hand on her shoulder, her dad's love radiating just as strongly as her mother's hug.
"Tell her we say hello."
Alaina began walking towards her friend, but the walk soon turned into a run. She didn't know what had gotten into her, and she had no idea how the typically frigid person would react, but she couldn't help it. She was just so incredibly glad to see her safe and sound.
"Rosalie," she said, hugging the beautiful girl. The tears were flowing freely onto Rose's coral sweater, and she could feel a comforting, albeit cold, hand rubbing her back. After a moment, Rosalie seemed to melt into the hug, squeezing her tightly. Maybe a little too tightly. "Oof, I can't breath."
Rosalie released her and gave a small wave and a smile to what Alaina assumed to be her parents. "Let's leave this disgusting excuse for an airport and you can tell me what happened on the ride home," she said seriously, picking up pace and walking to the parking garage.
They walked in silence, Alaina struggling to keep up with Rosalie's fast pace. They soon reached a gray Mercedes sedan and Alaina furrowed her brow as this was not Rosalie's car. "It's Carlisle's," she said as if reading her mind. She opened the trunk and placed Alaina's luggage inside. Rosalie got into the driver's seat, and Alaina quickly followed suit. "As much as I love being ostentatious, I figured you would want to keep a low-profile."
Alaina nodded in surprise with Rosalie's small act of kindness, and the thought of a Mercedes being considered "low-profile" caused a smile to tug at her lips. "I appreciate you."
"Now," she said, pulling out of the airport's parking garage, "tell me what happened."
Alaina took a deep breath and began her story from arriving in the Midwest. She left out no detail, as she knew Rosalie would want to know every single moment. When her story arrived at the courthouse, she glanced over at Rosalie. It looked as if the steering wheel was going to shatter with hard hard she was gripping it.
"What do you mean he was convicted but received no jail time," she said in a dangerous whisper, causing a chill to run up Alaina's spine.
"I know," she sighed, staring out of the window, willing the anger inside of her stomach to calm down. "It's infuriating."
Rosalie looked like she wanted to scream, but she stayed silent. Alaina would have killed to have known what was going on in her mind. Alaina rested her head on the cool, dewey car window, watching the trees fly by in green blurs as Rosalie raced to Forks. After a few moments, she realized that they were getting close to the Cullen home.
"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about," Rosalie said, making a dangerous turn to head in the opposite direction. Alaina looked at her with her brows raised. "We need to have a serious discussion about turning into a vampire."
Alaina's jaw dropped because she was so taken aback. Turning into a vampire? She thought, repeating Rosalie's words. It was something she had never even considered; it wasn't a fleeting thought whatsoever. "I -" she stammered, "I honestly haven't thought about it, Rose."
Rosalie glanced at her. "Are you sure? It's all Bella seems to be talking about these days," she said bitterly, still speeding away in the opposite direction.
Alaina nodded. "I haven't had any time to think about it," she said honestly. She struggled so much with her anxiety about the court date that she forced herself just to focus on making it through the day. If she could barely do that, when would she have enough time to make serious decisions about her future?
"And you haven't asked Emmett about it? Or know what he wants?"
She shook her head no, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Was this something I was supposed to be thinking about? She thought.
"Is it something that you think you would ever want?"
She paused; she truly did not know what she wanted. She was more self-aware than she wanted to be, which was normally exhausting, but in this case, she just knew she was exactly where she was meant to be at the moment, but who knows about the future? Alaina knew she wanted to spend every moment of her life with Emmett. Even as a teenager, she just knew that she wanted to be with him forever. But she had the opportunity for a different version of forever. Which one was the right choice?
The car was silent for a few moments as Alaina thought, but Rosalie quickly interrupted her. "Do you want to know what I think?"
"I'm all ears," she said, shifting awkwardly in her seat. She had a feeling she knew what Rosalie was going to say, so she braced herself.
"I think it would be an incredibly stupid choice for you to become one of us and I don't want it to happen."
Alaina's heart dropped to her stomach as the words fluttered around her brain. Although it was true, Alaina didn't know what she wanted at all, the fact that someone who she had grown to care deeply for didn't want her to be with her family stung more than she could have ever prepared for. Tears started to well in her eyes as she stared hard out the window, knowing that if she looked at Rose, they would start streaming down her face and she wouldn't be able to stop.
"It's not because I don't like you," Rose said, her icy voice softening, realizing that she had hurt Alaina. "It's because I like you I don't want you to do this. You have the opportunity to have a real, human life. You can have a family. I've experienced all immortality has to offer, and it's not as great as humans think. I want you to be a happy, normal person. I never would have chosen this life for myself. It's cold, empty, and unfulfilling. You are so much more than that. I want you to live."
She continued, "The process is the most painful thing you will ever go through. You will be wishing and screaming for someone to kill you to take away the pain. You will feel the venom seep through your veins, changing you and your basic structure. You will feel your features begin to shift and you will feel the melanin getting sucked from your skin. You will regret every single moment while going through the transformation."
Her jaw dropped, and a twang of guilt swept through her from completely misreading her words earlier. Ugh, she thought. I have so much to figure out.
"However, if you did choose to be a part of our family, I would understand. And if I had a choice between humans, my vote would be for you. Are you sure you don't have any idea what you want your future to be?"
Alaina paused, seriously considering her words, but still completely unsure. "I still don't know," she said truthfully. "It's … it's so much to think about."
Rosalie nodded. "I want to be honest with you. If you repeat what I say in the car I will deny it. Do you understand?"
Rosalie looked at her seriously, still speeding down the road. Alaina nodded, but she was waiting for an answer. "Yes, Rose. This stays between us."
"Good," she said, turning her eyes back on the road. "I stand by what I said a while ago. By bringing you into our family, we have broken the only rule that is regularly enforced by our kind. This is dangerous, stupid, and I fear we may all regret it sooner rather than later."
Rosalie swiftly turned around and continued to head to their original destination, the Cullen home. "I should have asked. We are going home, to my home. Is that okay?"
Alaina nodded, her anxiety growing at seeing Emmett and the entire Cullent family after everything that had happened.
"Bella should have been there for you," she said suddenly and critically, gripping the steering wheel much tighter than she should have been. "I don't care what the situation was. She doesn't understand how much she needed to be there for you. How can you still trust her?"
She thought for a moment. "I've been thinking about this for the last few days," she said. "Honestly, I'm incredibly hurt and there is a part of me that will never forget what happened. But she was in a life or death situation. She could have figured out a way to let me know she wasn't coming or whatever, but at the end of the day she's still my best - well, one of my best friends, and I'm tired of holding on to pain. We all need to be forgiven at some point."
"I don't want her to be within 100 feet of you," she said through gritted teeth, ignoring what Alaina just said. Her stubbornness in what she thought was right would always be unbreakable. "But Edward insisted she be waiting for you when we got home."
Rosalie turned the car down a winding driveway and the Cullen house came into view. As the car pulled closer to the house and was put into part, Alaina could see Bella sitting on the porch waiting for her, her leg in a large cast.
Rosalie sighed. "Go," she said, turning the car off. "We'll be inside."
All of the anger, hurt, and sadness that she had been feeling over the past week without Bella immediately dissolved when she saw her. Running to the porch, she completely engulfed her into a giant bear hug.
"I'm so sorry Alaina," Bella said, choking back tears. "I just -"
Alaina pulled away from the hug and interrupted her. "Bella, I love you. You're basically my sister. Let's just move on from this. I've been mad, upset, and confused by this entire situation, But it's over now and I want to go back to the way that things were so that I can feel normal for maybe the first time in my life. More than anything, I missed you."
"I missed you too," Bella said quietly, sadness yet relief in every word. "I will never stop being sorry."
"I know," Alaina said knowingly. "I'm just sorry I had to miss the terrible lie I know you had to tell Charlie. I'm sure you really put on a show"
The girls couldn't help but burst into laughter, easing the tension. After a moment, Alaina rested her head on Bella's shoulder and they just sat there, enjoying each other's company, watching the trees sway gracefully in the wind. Alaina had never felt more comfortable with anyone else in her life. With Bella, it was just easy to be herself.
"Alaina?" A deep voice said quietly behind them, breaking them out of their moment. Alaina immediately recognized the voice and longing that she wasn't expecting pulsed through her veins. She turned around to see Emmett, his glowing golden eyes unblinking, staring at her in a way that caused her breath to hitch in her throat.
She forgot Bella was there as she jumped up and fell into his arms, melting into his touch. He held her gently, but at the same time, with such intensity that she had never felt before. She buried her face in his neck, his scent of the outdoors and leather filling her senses. His hand moved to the back of her head, deepening the hug.
They stood there for what felt like hours, just content holding each other and being near one another, as if one pulled away, they would lose each other. Emmett ran his cold hand up and down her back, causing shivers to run up her spine. She never wanted to let go, but against every instinct in her body, she hesitantly pulled away.
Staring at her, he said, "Alaina, I'm so sorry -"
Without waiting for him to finish, Alaina put her hands on either side of his face and closed the gap between them, her lips crashing into his. During their time apart, Alaina thought her temper would get the better of her when they inevitably reconnected back in Forks. She thought she would never be able to forgive him, screaming about how much he scared her and how much he hurt her through tears. But after being in his embrace, feeling safer than she had ever felt in her entire life, she immediately forgot about the fight she was planning on having. Emmett deepened the kiss, hungry to taste her after so long apart. His hands found her lower back, bringing her closer to his body.
He suddenly pulled away, the feeling of them no longer being physically connected left Alaina feeling a sense of emptiness, but she knew she still had to be careful around him when it came to things like this. As she learned from Carlisle about the nomads, vampires can immediately lose control.
"Please don't apologize," she said, her mind remembering what he was trying to say before she kissed him. "It's over. I know you're sorry. I just want to move on and go back to how things were before. At least as much as we can."
He nodded in relief, happiness dancing in his eyes. "Thank you," he said softly. "I will never do anything like that, or hurt you in any way, again. You have my word."
"I know," she said. And it was true. She could feel the honesty dripping in every word. But she knew the hard part of their reunion was approaching. "Emmett, did Carlisle tell you what happened when I went back home?"
He shook his head. "No, he said that's your story to tell me when you're ready."
She sighed. "I don't think I'll ever be ready, to be honest. But you need to know."
Alaina began telling him the story of the last few days, just as she did with Rosalie a few minutes earlier. She could see him stiffen, anger consuming him. After holding in her tears about what happened for days, she finally broke down. She rested her head against his shoulder as she continued her story through sobs. He was trying to force himself to stay calm for her sake, gripping the arms of the chair so tightly the wood began to crack. As she finished her account, she placed a warm hand on his knee to try to calm him down. There was nothing he could do to change what had happened.
"And that's what happened," she said as she finished. She moved a little closer to him so that their knees touched, and a jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through her body. A cold hand gently grasped her chin and lifted it to meet his eyes. They stared deeply for a moment before he broke the silence.
"I could kill him," Emmett said seriously after a few seconds of silence, the normal goofy tone in his voice gone and replaced with something far more sincere, and even sinister. He continued to stare intensely into her eyes, his own orbs unblinking. Her voice caught in her throat as she considered it. She knew it would be wrong but there was a part, and she didn't know how big that part was, that wanted Bryce to pay. But in a moment, the thought passed and she shook her head.
"No, Emmett," she said, quietly. "I don't want you to kill him."
"But I would if you wanted me to," he stared at her. "You know that right?"
She nodded, a small grin on her face. She resisted the urge to laugh at herself for actually smiling at this extremely morbid conversation, but the absurdity of it was almost too much for her. She knew this protectiveness was one of the ways he showed her that he cared deeply about her. And in her own heart, she knew the puppy love she thought she was experiencing was real, true love. And that was what scared her more than anything.