Chapter 20 – Soulmate

"What the fuck was that?" I spat the moment we were seated in the car and both of our doors were shut. We had just said goodbye to Kate and Garrett, but Rosalie's behavior during dinner had my head absolutely spinning and I needed answers. "Why did you act like that?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head dismissively. "I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't act like anything."

"Don't give me that bullshit, you know exactly what you were doing; I just want to know why, and what the hell is your angle."

…

*~Three Hours Earlier~*

…

"Whatever you do, please just don't be mean," I practically begged Rosalie. "This could be really good for us, but if you're mean, then…"

"Edward, I know," she huffed, cutting me off. "Look, I get you don't trust me, and I'm more than fine with that because I certainly don't trust you, but taking care of Bella has been my job for a long time, and I'm not going to fuck this up. I know she needs help at the store. I will be fine. I promise."

I wanted to not believe her and continue to reiterate the importance of being friendly with Kate, but Rose's words were underlined with the conviction in her tone. I had never heard her speak in that manner, so I had no choice but to believe every word of it. She even managed to put me at ease for the entire drive to the restaurant.

It was almost disorienting being that calm while sitting next to Rose. Quite frankly, that was the least concerned I had ever been sitting next to any of them – Bella included. With Bella, I was always slightly on edge with worry that something might happen to upset her, or cause her to split again. With Alice, Bree, and Tanya, I was always a little tense knowing they may pull some crazy stunt at any given time. But being out with a calm and collected Rosalie was almost a breath of fresh air. She was the strongest of all of them, so I knew she wouldn't relinquish her control until she was ready, and with the shared goal of wanting to get along with Kate, I was confident we would get through that evening without any issues.

And I was right. There were no issues at all that night. Everything went absolutely smoothly, and it wasn't long before Rosalie had both Kate and Garrett laughing like we were all a bunch of old friends.

It was fucking shocking.

As the three of them laughed and joked around together, I often found myself just staring at Rose completely dumbfounded. There was nothing mean or bitter about her. No outlandish remarks or immature jabs. There weren't even any bitter words whispered under her breath. I had asked her to be nice, and I believed she would be, however she was going above and far beyond nice. She was eloquent, and funny, and engaging; just an all around pleasure to be with.

Nothing, however, could prepare me for the moment she placed her hand on my thigh under the table. I almost jerked away from her touch, and I couldn't help but look down to make sure she wasn't holding a steak knife to my crotch.

Since we were in Port Angeles, after dinner the four of us decided to walk a little ways to the docks. It was such a beautiful night, and we were all enjoying the company, so we weren't ready for it to end just yet. But when Rose took my hand as we walked, I nearly lost it and questioned her right then and there. Had Kate and Garrett not been with us, I probably would have combusted.

The longer we walked, however, the more comfortable I became with her hand in mine. I chose to let go of my resentment towards her and just try to enjoy the evening. The truth was, I was walking along the moon lit water, holding my girlfriend's hand, and there was nothing wrong with that.

When Garrett and Kate stopped for a romantic kiss, Rose tucked herself under my arm, and if I didn't know any better, I'd even think she wanted a kiss of her own. It was all fucking madness.

I didn't understand it, and it was seriously creeping me out. What was her ulterior motive? Because I knew she had to have one. Perhaps she was just trying to make me comfortable and trusting so she could turn around and slit my throat the moment we were alone. That was truly the most believable theory I could come up with.

When we finally decided to part ways for the evening, Rose gave Kate and Garrett friendly hugs goodbye, and said - "We need to do this again sometime."

"Definitely," Kate agreed. "Tonight was a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to working with you at the store."

"Me too. Can't wait," Rose agreed.

It was too fucking much, and I knew I wouldn't be able to not say anything to her once we were alone.

…

~*Present*~

…

"I honestly don't know why you're freaking out so much," she said bitterly. "I didn't do anything Bella wouldn't have."

"Yeah, but Bella is my girlfriend. You're like, her evil twin sister that I'm forced to deal with."

"Do you think I liked holding your hand?" she snapped back. "Trust me, I'd rather eat dog shit then ever have to touch you in any way."

"So why did you do it?" I questioned, legitimately baffled. "If I wasn't so fucking taken aback by it, I would have thought…."

"What? That I actually was Bella?" she assumed. "Trust me, I've had plenty of experience being her. In fact, I'm better at being Bella than she is at this point."

"Wait…have you ever…?" I couldn't even say the words. The very idea of Rosalie pretending to be Bella while with me intimately was beyond nauseating.

Thankfully, she caught on to what I couldn't say, and quickly shot it down. "Ew, don't be disgusting! Why would I torture myself like that? You repulse me in every way. Trust me, if I was pretending to be Bella at all around you, it wouldn't be while you had your dick out. I can think of little in this world more traumatizing and less appealing than that."

"Okay, okay, I'm revolting, I get it. So, you never pretended to be her while we were doing things, but what about in general? I just want to know what conversations I've had with you that I thought I was having with her."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I've only ever pretended to be her with you once, and the only reason why I did that was so I could break up with your sorry ass. Unfortunately for me, you somehow recognized me right away. I don't know how you know the difference between all of us, but it pisses me off."

"Because you all have a different look in your eyes… I can't really explain it. But what I really want to know now, is why the hell were you pretending to be Bella tonight? You even had them calling you Bella. Why didn't you just introduce yourself as Rosalie? They know about your disorder. The whole point of tonight was for them to get to know you, and for the four of us to see if we can all get along well enough to make this thing work. Now, when Bella gets back, Kate is just going to be confused and have to get to know the real her all over again."

"Bella will be fine with her. One of Bella's worst flaws is that she is perpetually nice to people. If she would have let me out during your mom's little party, I would have cussed her out and probably punched her in the face."

"Which is exactly why she didn't let you out," I told her.

"So, you agree with what that bitch did to her?" she challenged me.

"No, of course not, and I told her as much."

"What, with a strongly worded text message?" she scoffed. "You're pathetic. You should have said more to her when it happened."

"I'm sorry if I didn't handle my mother to your liking," I told her condescendingly. "Next time I'll be sure to scream and throw a hissy fit, because that wouldn't have embarrassed Bella even more or anything. We left. In that situation, I don't think anything else was appropriate. Since then, I have told my mother how despicable her little stunt was and how I wouldn't tolerate such behavior again. She tried to reach out a few times after that, but I've refused her calls and have not answered any messages."

"That's not good enough," she pouted.

"I'm sorry. That's all I'm willing to do."

Rose just glared at me and shook her head subtly in bitter disapproval.

…

Rosalie hung out for the next couple of days and got Kate all set up at the store. We didn't speak much during our downtime, but we didn't bicker either, so that was a plus.

When Rose finally relinquished control, I was hoping Bella would come back, but it was Alice. I quickly buried my disappointment and chose to just be grateful for her presence. Her exuberance was so refreshing after the extended period of despondency with Rose, that I could do nothing but enjoy her like a breath of fresh air.

Alice was more than excited to make a new friend in Kate. She came home from working with her for the first time, full of excitement and eagerness to go back to work the following day.

That was the day, however, I came back home to a very different Alice than I had ever seen from her before.

"Hey, you're early," she said awkwardly. She had a very strange tone to her voice, and her body was rigid and tense, which only worried me.

"Alice, what's wrong?" I asked full of concern. Not only was I home a tad bit early that afternoon, but she was there long before she should have been. She was scheduled to close the store that day, which wasn't for a few more hours. "Did something happen?" I pressed strongly.

That was when I noticed all the bags on the table. The bags that contained what looked like clothes and a pillow. "Are you going somewhere?" I questioned as my heart began to race.

"We need to talk," she said, and the nerves radiating off of her were palpable. Alice was rarely ever nervous about anything. In fact, I couldn't remember ever seeing her nervous like that before.

Now I was beginning to freak.

"Just tell me what's going on?"

"I'm trying to. It's not an easy thing to say," she told me anxiously. She took a deep breath, and then bluntly said – "I met someone."

"What?" I spat, feeling like my heart was about to implode. "What do you mean? You met someone?"

She bit her lower lip as she contemplated how to explain. "I'm sorry. The last thing I want to do is upset you, because I care about you so much. I never cared about anyone as much as you before, but this connection I feel to him was instantaneous. I couldn't fight it, no matter how hard I tried. It was like being hit by lightning."

There was a crashing sound in Rosalie's room, which made Alice look behind her anxiously.

"Wait… is he here?" I questioned, feeling like I was suddenly sucked into some kind of surrealistic Twilight Zone or something. By some miracle, I had gotten Alice to love me, thus letting Bella feel comfortable with our relationship. If Alice was now infatuated with someone else, what would that mean for Bella and me? I was suddenly terrified. And it really did fucking hurt. Not just because of Bella's body being with someone else, but I was really beginning to have deep feelings for Alice too. Now I didn't know what to think or do…

Another crashing sound knocked me out of my inner-turmoil.

"How could you bring him here?" I asked, offended.

She put up her hands to stop me. "I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to take him. His name is Jasper, and he is the sweetest, most beautiful person I have ever seen. Don't you believe in love at first sight? Haven't you ever felt an instant connection to someone?"

"Yeah, I guess I felt that way about you," I admitted, thinking back to when we first met and how quickly I became completely enamored with her. She was all I thought about for weeks, but that only made this situation all that much harder.

She smiled at me. "Aww, I liked you right away too. But this is different. This was an all-consuming, cosmic, beyond the universe, soulmate type of thing. Jasper is absolutely perfect."

"You just met him at work today?" I asked, feeling confused and numb. How that hell did I lose her so quickly? I never believed in soulmates before, but after falling so hard for Bella, and even learning to love Alice and Bree, I was honestly starting to believe Bella was, in fact, my soulmate. All of her. The good and the bad – even fucking Rosalie to an extent, but now Alice was throwing a wrench in that and making me question everything.

"He came into the store," she explained, before we heard another crash.

"What is he doing back there?"

"He's nervous to meet you. I'm going to go get him," she said, and then she hurried towards the room. When she reemerged, I was shocked, slightly irritated, but mostly relieved to see her so-called soulmate.

"It's a cat," I said evenly.

"Isn't he perfect?" she cooed adoringly.

"You said he was a person?"

"He is a person. Look at this face," she said while grabbing the poor animal's face and kissing all over him.

I grimaced. "Oh, don't do that. It could have some kind of disease or something."

"Jasper does not have a disease. He is the epitome of health. He is the sweetest, most perfect being on the planet."

"What are all those clothes for?" I questioned, pointing at the stuff in the bags on the table.

"He needs outfits to wear too. Did you know that cats can sense emotions? He will be the perfect addition to our family. He will help Bree when she is sad, and help Tanya with her confidence. Oh, but Rosalie is allergic, so you'll have to keep him away from her. Please don't let her get rid of him. I need him."

"Alice, how can Rosalie be allergic? You all share a body. If she was allergic, you all would be."

She thought about it for a minute. "Oh yeah... She lied to me! All those times I asked for a pet, and Bree cried for a puppy, and Tanya wanted a bird. She lied and said she was allergic to all of them. That bitch!"

"In her defense, it would be difficult for you to care for animals when Bella is in control most of the time. If you wanted a pet before moving here, you should have asked Charlie. I'm sure he would have gotten it for you."

"We did ask. He said no since the yard wasn't fenced and he worked long hours and double shifts. He said the animal would be lonely and destructive when we were away. But now we have you," she said with a smile before approaching me with the cat and gesturing me to pet it.

I scowled, but patted it on its head anyway. "Jasper, huh? Where did you come up with a name like that?"

"Doesn't it suit him? He just looks like a Jasper with his golden eyes and long sandy fur. Eeeee! I'm so excited we're keeping him!" she squealed before leaning in and kissing me on the lips.

I assumed it was just a celebratory quick kiss, but she surprised me by wrapping her free arm around my neck and pinning my face to hers.

"God, you're so fucking hot," she mumbled against my lips. Then she pulled away, just long enough to toss the cat to the couch and tell him – "Jasper, go play. This isn't for kitty eyes."

She immediately dropped to her knees and unbuttoned my pants. I wanted to tell her a blowjob to show her gratitude wasn't necessary, but she was so damn persistent and eager that it was hard not to get sucked in – literally and figuratively.

Alice was always so sexual. She wanted it anytime and anywhere and was always up for anything. I never thought I'd meet a girl with a stronger sex drive than my own, but she definitely outpaced me, and that night was no different. After setting Jasper up in Rosalie's room, she had all kinds of new positions she wanted to try, and she even surprised me with a whole new bag of "toys" for us to experiment with together.

"Aren't those for the cat?" I asked warily.

She shot me her most playful scheming smile. "Nope. After going to the pet store, I stopped in at the adult toy shop," she explained, and then she spent the next several hours showing me exactly what to do with them.

It was a long fucking night of fucking, and she was conveniently able to ignore the incessant cries of her "soulmate" in the next room.

"I don't think he is going to stop," I mumbled after our latest experimental toy had me huffing for air and absolutely exhausted. My hope was that she would finally hear the cat and have mercy on the both of us by going to attend to its needs.

Thankfully, it worked. "Aww, he is probably lonely. Should I bring him in here? We would have to go to sleep; I wouldn't want to fuck with him in our bed."

As much as I didn't want to sleep with a fucking animal, I eagerly agreed to bring him in. I honestly loved every minute of Alice's escapades, but I didn't think I had anything left inside of me to give to her that night, so I was more than happy for her distraction.

…

Alice was with me for another day, and then during dinner, without any kind of warning whatsoever, her eyes just went blank and when they refocused, her entire demeanor shifted.

"Eww! I hate green beans!" she screamed, and then threw her fork across the kitchen.

"Hey!" I shouted reflexively. When she looked at me with shock and slight fear, I immediately softened my voice. "I'm sorry, but throwing forks is not okay. Please go pick it up."

"Fine!" she snapped at me, and then stomped her feet as she did it. "I'm not eating those."

"You don't have to," I told her as gently as possible. "The others eat enough vegetables that I really don't care if you do or not."

"Good, because I'm not. I want ice cream!"

I shook my head. "You don't have to eat your veggies, but you certainly don't get dessert without them."

She was clearly about to argue, but I raised my brows and did my best impression of "the look" that my dad used to give me as a kid, and it actually fucking worked. She crossed her arms and pouted, but didn't say another word on the subject.

When Jasper sauntered into the kitchen, I expected Bree to drop her sullen attitude and go play with him, but she hardly gave the cat a second glance.

"Don't you want to meet Jasper?" I asked her curiously.

"I don't like cats. Rosalie says they scratch and bite. Why did you get it if I don't like them?"

"Alice got it. She thought you would like him."

"I wanted a puppy. It's not fair Alice got to pick the pet," she pouted.

"Ah, he's not so bad. You should go pet him. Maybe you can be friends."

"I don't want to pet him. I want a puppy!"

"Bree, we live in an apartment. We can't have a puppy here. Puppies need grass and room to run and play."

"So, when we move to a big house I can get a puppy?" she asked hopefully.

I sighed. The very idea of a house had freaked Bella out, but I couldn't help but hope one day she would be ready for that move. "Someday, if we move into a house, I'll get you a puppy."

"You promise?"

I nodded. "I promise."

That evening, Bree and I watched the latest Disney princess movie on TV, and then I went to tuck her into Rosalie's bed for the night.

"Hey Edward?" she asked in her sweetest voice that made her sound just as little and innocent as she believed she was.

"Yes?"

"Can we paint this room purple?"

I laughed once. "I bet Rosalie would love that."

"She would hate it, but I've always wanted a purple room. Maybe, when we have a house, I can have a room of my very own, and I can have toys, and a princess bed with a canopy," she said excitedly.

"And a little bed in the corner for your puppy," I added.

"Yes!" she squealed. "That would be perfect."

"It would be," I agreed. "But for now, you need to sleep in here," I murmured while tapping her nose gently, and then leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Edward. I love you."

I smiled at her. "I love you too."

The next morning, Bree was still there so I called Kate. She wasn't scheduled to work that day since her daughter had the day off school, but she was more than happy to go in anyway, and even had the brilliant idea to bring her daughter to work with her. "Maybe Bree and her will get along," she told me.

"Are you sure you don't mind? You can tell me no. I completely understand you wanting to spend the day with your daughter."

"I was actually trying to think of something to entertain her with today. She loves reading. A day at the bookstore would be more than fine by her."

"Awesome! Thank you so much. We will see you soon."

When Bree first met Irina, she was a bit shy. Irina was seven years old, but very precocious and somehow seemed to understand Bella's disorder. Kate had explained to her that sometimes Bella thinks and acts like a little girl and liked to be called Bree, and Irina was actually excited about it. With just a few helpful nudges from Kate, the two were reading together and giggling like best buddies. As odd as it may have looked from an outsider's point of view, I was more than a little grateful that my girlfriend's childlike alter-ego was able to make a friend. She sure needed it.

Bree and Irina hit it off so well that they wanted a sleepover, but that would have to wait for the next time Bree was in control. The following day, Rosalie returned, and with her arrival, I couldn't help but voice the question that had been growing in my mind for the past few days.

"How much longer until Bella comes back?" I asked her, getting frustrated by her usual vague answers and evasiveness on the topic.

"I told you before, I don't know. She isn't strong enough," Rosalie replied with irritation.

"But you must have some kind of idea. Can't you feel her, or something? And what about Tanya? You said you were taking turns, but you've all come out twice now since she has been out last."

"She was given the opportunity to take her turn, but she keeps getting nervous and backs out."

"Well, is she watching now? Can she see and hear me right at this moment? If so, Tanya, it's okay to come back. I'd like to talk to you about some things, but I can't do that if you don't come back."

"Stop talking to me like I'm just some kind of video recorder for someone else," Rose chided me. "That's fucking rude as hell!"

"Then tell her. When you see her again and it's her turn to come out, don't be a greedy bitch help convince her to come see me. I just want to explain to her what happened last time, and maybe spend a little time with her so we can both get more comfortable. It's not fair to her to always be cooped up inside all the time."

"Fine. Whatever. Stop taking up all of my time by talking about all the others' time," she said before making her way towards her bedroom. "What the fuck is that on my bed?"

I followed her towards her room and chuckled. "That's your new roommate, Jasper. Didn't you know about him already? What the hell have you been doing in the theater all this time? Knitting?"

"Certainly not paying attention to the shit you and Alice do together. I generally turn off the screen when she is in here with you. It's better for everyone that way."

"Well, she got the cat while she was at the store, so…" I raised my brows, still unsure why she didn't know about the cat prior to regaining control.

She stared me down, clearly at a loss as to how the hell she had missed it. "It… it doesn't matter," she said after a few moments. "I don't want that fleabag in my room. Keep it out of here, or I'll toss it out on the balcony and let it run away."

"No, you won't. I told Alice she could keep it, so she is keeping it," I said firmly. "And don't give me any bull about being allergic."

"Keep it out of my room," she repeated through gritted teeth, before clapping at the cat so it would scare off her bed. Once it jumped down, she shooed it out her door so she could slam it shut.

Jasper somehow almost looked confused by her actions. His whiskers twitched and his nose crinkled, but he quickly lost interest and busied himself with one of the little catnip toy mice Alice had bought him.

I figured I was in for another long stint with Rosalie, but to my overwhelmingly joyous surprise, Bella finally returned the very next morning. I was thrilled to have her back, but it was time for some tough conversations…