Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Author's note: Life happens guys. And boy, a lot of life happened over the last two weeks. That's all I have to say.
Author's note II: If you want to hear a happy tune that I like to listen to when I think about the progression of Bella and Rosalie's relationship pre-consummation (lol) listen to Closer by Tegan & Sara. "All I think of lately is how to get you underneath me..." :D
Logically, Emmett knew he couldn't be sore. His muscles haven't been capable of change and, therefore of fatigue in three-quarters of a century. It just wasn't possible. But possible or not, he definitely looked the worse for wear as he plopped heavily onto the couch by Bella.
Bella looked up from her book. "Again?" She asked. Emmett noted she wasn't even trying to hide the glimmer in her eyes.
He narrowed his but nodded anyway, wincing as he maneuvered into a more comfortable position on the couch.
"That was what? The 5th time today?" She asked, grinning.
"7th," he replied with a groan. "She pulled me away from Assassins Creed earlier. I was doing so well too."
Bella rolled her eyes. "You don't seriously expect any pity from me, do you?"
Emmett growled slightly. "No...but I do expect you to hurry up and stop setting things on fire. I'm beginning to think vampires might have a limit...any vampire but Rosalie that is." He groaned again and sank further into the couch, putting his feet up on Bella's lap.
The laughter left Bella's face as she was reminded of the reasons for her own physical exhaustion. Emmett immediately felt guilty for suggesting she was dawdling with getting better. Carlisle was putting Bella through a pretty masochistic training schedule. He took a leave of absence from the hospital the day after Bella returned and spent hours with her every day that summer helping her tame her gifts. There were dozens of pockets of scorched forest and open areas in the wilderness surrounding their house. When August rolled around, Carlisle and Bella took to travelling a few hundred miles away to avoid suspicion from the town's population, especially Charlie.
"Sorry Bells," he apologized. "I know you're working your butt off. It's just..."
"It's just you can't wait for me to sleep with your wife?" She finished, a slight smile coming back to her face that quickly changed back to the usual anxiety she always felt whenever this topic came up.
"Bells, don't start," Emmett whined. "Rosie will take a limb if she hears I made you feel bad. We've talked about this. HUNDREDS of times. I'm happy for the two of you. I'm happy for all of us. And I'll be a hell of a lot happier when I can play my video games uninterrupted again," he mumbled.
Bella listened to his words, and as always she believed him. Emmett was far too genuine a person to be dishonest, and he clearly believed in the new reality of their relationship. Still. Every first new display of affection Rosalie demonstrated with her in front of Emmett or anyone in the family would send Bella through a mini panic attack until she eventually got used to it. The first time she and Rose kissed inside the house and in front of Emmett, two of Esme's lamps blew out. That was over a month ago though, and Bella's wayward emotions had calmed considerably with Rosalie. They could cuddle-and they often did on this very couch-with Emmett on the other side of Rosalie without Bella worrying about the boy as she often did in the beginning. At first they all tried to be respectful of each other and refrain from too much affection in front of each other-Bella's heart hammered in her chest at the thought of Emmett seeing their hot (and often flammable) make-out sessions. But lately Rosalie's...insatiable nature made waiting to be alone for intimacy impossible. Emmett took the brunt of it because he was able to, but even Bella on several occasions had found herself pinned inside Rosalie's Mercedes with the blonde furiously moving on top of her until Bella had to remind her she might blow up her precious engine if they continued any further. Needless to say, Rosalie spent much of the summer stewing in frustration and anger. Bella spent it in emotional pain from forcing herself to relive her most painful memories, and frustration over the slow pace of her improvement with Rosalie. And Emmett spent it in disbelief that he was getting tired of sex and desperately wishing his wife and best friend would do the damn deed already so he could catch a break.
"I love you too much to hurt you," Bella said. "And her. Will you-will everything still be the same after...?"
"No," Emmett admitted. "It won't be the same. We'll be equals then. Not saying it'll be bad, but it'll take awhile to get used to. For all of us."
"Speak for yourself!" Alice shouted from upstairs. "I'm already used to it!"
Bella and Emmett both rolled her eyes. The rest of the Cullens, apart from Edward, had adjusted pretty quickly to the new dynamic between the new triad. Alice however had taken to the whole thing like a fish in water. The girl was so excited for her siblings and best friend...As Bella's power improved so did Alice's ability to see her. None of them understood why, but Carlisle took it as a sign they were moving in the right direction. Alice still had to concentrate unusually hard to see her, and she could never see her when her emotions were elevated. But she had no difficulty seeing Rosalie...
Bella would ordinarily be furious at the breach of privacy, but she was so grateful that Alice could alert them if she was about to lose control that she swallowed her embarrassment and learned to live with it. She had to constantly remind herself that there were three couples with vampire senses all living together in this house. The rest of them were already used to everybody knowing everything. Bella just had to suck it up and stop blushing. If only Alice would wipe the smirk that seemed to perpetually be there now whenever Bella and Rosalie were in the room together off of her face.
"Don't spoil things for them, darling." Jasper laughed. "It isn't polite."
Bella reluctantly smiled at her friends' antics upstairs They had become closer than ever over the summer. Jasper and Alice were like a brother and sister to her now. It took just a few months for her to feel this way about them, she mused she tried to imagine what a bond would be like given the years the rest of the Cullens had...it never failed to leave her dumb with awe.
A streak of gold rushed down the stairs. Rosalie stopped and walked at a human speed the rest of the way to the couch, where she joined her lovers after they maneuvered a bit to let her squeeze in. Bella's heart thumped in her chest at Rosalie's touch-her arm circled around the younger girl protectively even as she herself leaned into Emmett's embrace. It wasn't necessary for any of them to speak at this point.
Jasper's face broke out into a content smile as he felt the emotions from downstairs. Next to him, Alice sent him a questioning glance and a small nudge. His grin widened as he shared with her Bella's, Rosalie's, and Emmett's happy emotions. She smiled back and snuggled deeper into his side.
"I love you," they both whispered at the same time.
Esme looked up from her modeling and smiled. It was impossible for the new relationship not to affect everyone in the house and aside from occasional hesitation and concern on Bella's and Emmett's parts, the general mood has been fairly uplifting. Esme loved her children dearly and that included Bella now. She couldn't deny how happy she and Rosalie had been. And while Emmett's position was indeed unusual, he too was happy for his wife and his best friend.
Bella didn't know it, but Esme and Carlisle had been taking measures to ensure her safety with her father. Her nostrils flared at the mere thought of that man. The most frustrating thing about him was that aside from his relationship with his daughter, Charlie Swan was a good and decent man. They had met several times in the past and he was one of the few people in town who didn't immediately shrink back from the Cullens. When the hospital board received complaints from patients who objected to the relationships under the Cullens' roof, Charlie intervened on Carlisle's behalf and convinced the board to mind their own goddamn business.
They could understand his emotional upheaval. His situation was unique-he couldn't exactly share his feelings with a therapist or a family counselor. For seven years the man had lived with the terrible knowledge that his daughter had killed his wife and hundreds more. As far as they knew, he kept that secret tight in his chest all this time. Was he right to blame her? For Esme the answer was a no-brainer. Bella didn't ask for her gifts. They were part of her like any critical organ. She was just a child for god's sake...an innocent child who was forced to endure unthinkable guilt and pain. Yes, over 500 people were dead. But as far as Esme was concerned it was Bella's gift, not Bella herself who killed them. The child had spent nearly half of her life alone and on the run trying to contain the evil. Wasn't that penance enough?
Of course they couldn't say any of this out loud to Charlie. They couldn't let on that they knew his daughter's history. Bella made it clear, rightfully so, that involving the Cullens so starkly in her life would put them at risk of higher scrutiny. Normal human families would not take in an admitted dangerous killer. Normal human families would not overlook Bella's very real danger of spontaneous combustion. So Esme and Carlisle had no choice but to bite their tongues and agree to send her back to a man they knew had no qualms with watching her die.
That didn't mean they were sitting on their behinds though. She looked down at her phone and sighed impatiently waiting for word from Carlisle. Her husband was on a mission today, a mission that the two of them had carefully planned for weeks.
Carlisle sat still in his car, waiting. The clock ticked past a quarter after 5, and he knew that Charlie's shift ended 15 minutes ago. Alice said he planned to make a grocery run, so the chances were good that Charlie's cruiser would show up at the supermarket's parking lot today where Carlisle sat patiently.
There he is, he thought. Don't screw this up Carlisle.
Five minutes later, both men were walking somewhere inside the store. Carlisle made sure he had a few items in his cart before approaching Charlie. Tragic, he thought as he got closer. Charlie's fortunes have been unlucky, that much was true. He doubted many parents would have been able to move on in a healthy manner after experiencing the things this man did. It was so much worse that he wasn't allowing himself to get to know his daughter, whose advancements over the last month had astounded even Carlisle though he had seen much in his three hundred years. He shook his head. As sorry as he felt for Charlie, today's mission was to help Bella.
"Chief Swan?" He exclaimed in pretend surprise and smiled as Charlie turned to face him. "I haven't seen you in quite some time. How have you been?"
"Evening, Doc." Charlie nodded to him and reached over for some more potatoes. "Life is treating me just fine. And yourself?"
"Oh you know how it is," Carlisle replied. "There's never a dull moment with our kinds of jobs. Actually I've been on an extended holiday for that past few weeks. It's nice to have all the kids at home...good to enjoy them while I can."
"Mmm," Charlie murmured, nodding.
"Actually I'm glad I ran into you," Carlisle said suddenly. "I was going to give you a call soon anyway to get your permission for the trip."
"Huh? Trip?" Charlie looked at him, perplexed.
"Bella didn't tell you?" Carlisle shook his head. "Kids these days...I swear if I didn't force mine to talk to me they'd only communicate by texting. The trip. We take a week or two every year before school starts on a backpacking trip somewhere. It's become somewhat of a family tradition. Thing is, my kids are quite fond of your Bella. So is Esme in fact-she's positively crazy about her. They've all spent a lot of time together this summer and, well, we'd really love it if she could join us. Now, now," he continued with a smile, "I know what you're thinking. But you really don't have anything to worry about. We're the most experienced campers you'll ever meet. And I promise, Esme and I will watch over her like she's one of our own."
Charlie just stared at him. Carlisle could tell he was trying not to look surprised that they were even aware of Bella's existence to begin with. The chief of police had a good poker face, but not good enough for Carlisle.
"Oh, please say yes," Carlisle patted him briefly on the back, careful not to touch bare skin. "The kids would be so disappointed. And I know Bella would really love to come. This area of the country is nothing like the east coast. Esme and I know she'll enjoy it."
Charlie snapped out of his daze and slowly nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't do any harm..." he started, looking at him. "You'll...be careful?"
"That's a good man!" Carlisle exclaimed. "And of course we'll be careful. She's as precious to us as our own children."
Carlisle reached over to the garlic and put a few bags into his cart. All the while, he could feel Charlie's eyes on the back of his head.
"So..." Charlie began casually, "sounds like she's really getting along with your kids."
"Chief, you've done a hell of a job with her. She's the nicest kid I've ever met. Smartest one too. Did she tell you that she's tutored every one of my kids in one thing or another since she got here? And Esme tells me by the time she's ready for college she'll have a very nice portfolio ready."
"Er...portfolio?" Charlie asked.
"Interior design," Carlisle laughed. "You should really get her a cell phone. I tell you, it's the only way to talk to anybody under 20 these days. Esme's been mentoring her. She's got a real talent for it. Esme had a client a while back who hated everything she came up with for her. Bella took a shot with a design and the client loved it!"
"I see," said Charlie.
"Between you and me," Carlisle whispered conspiratorially. "Esme's secretly saving everything Bella's done and putting together a portfolio for her. I don't know if you two have talked about college yet, but Esme has some friends in a few universities. With Bella's grades and her work, she won't have any trouble getting into a school. You're a fortunate man, Charlie."
Charlie nodded distractedly. Carlisle knew it was time to end this. The human had taken in enough and would need to process things. The hand in his pocket that was clutching his phone hit the "send" button and a pre-written message for Esme went through. Two seconds later, his phone rang.
"Hey I have to take this," Carlisle said hurriedly as he took out his phone. "It was nice to see you, Chief. And thanks for giving the OK for the trip. The kids will be thrilled!"
With a wave goodbye, Carlisle turned and headed for the nearest cashier to pay. When he was back inside his car, he called his wife who was beside herself with anticipation.
"How did it go?" She asked anxiously.
"Well, I think," he replied. "Yes, I think it went very well. He knows she's been spending time with us, so now he knows people will notice if she disappears or comes to any harm. I can also see that he's perplexed that nothing...explosive has occurred yet in all the time around her. He might start to realize that she's not as volatile as he thinks she is."
Esme sighed audibly. "This is just ridiculous," she said. "I wish we could really talk to him."
"I know, but you know we can't," Carlisle said, the irritation over the situation as clear in his voice as it was in Esme's.
"You did good," she said softly. "Thank you."
"You know what she means to me now," he replied. "I'd do anything..."
"I know," she said. "You're coming home?"
"Yes," he smiled. "I love you."
"Love you too," Esme said.
Rosalie raised her eyebrows at the bouncing form of Alice that had intercepted her on the way home. She was coming back from dropping Bella off. Even if Alice didn't already know that it would've been obvious...Bella scent was all over her.
"He said yes!" Alice shrieked.
"What are you talking about?" Rosalie huffed. Alice was distracting her from where her mind wanted to be, alone with Bella in her bed like they were for the last hour.
"Charlie. Said. Yes. Your trip." Alice sounded out each word like Rosalie was an idiot. "Bella's free for a whole week."
"Oh," she said in understanding. "Oh!"
"Yes, oh," Alice rolled her eyes. "You've been talking to Tanya?"
She was referring of course, to the head of the Denali coven. If anyone could prepare Rosalie for intimacy with a human, it was the blond succubus in Alaska.
"Mmm," Rosalie replied, now distracted by a whole other set of thoughts that have been with her all summer. "Practically every day."
"Good," Alice said firmly. "I haven't seen anything worrisome. Just...do be careful. You know how fragile she really is."
She nodded, torn between her excitement and her fear of hurting Bella. "And Emmett?" She asked. "Do you see him?"
"He'll be fine, Rose. Just be yourself and give him the attention he needs when you get back."
Rosalie nodded again. "I better go hunt," she said, and after thanking her sister, ran further into the wilderness for a nice, long hunt.
Author's note III: Closer and closer! Please tell me what you think! What do you think I should do with Edward? I already have some ideas for him, but I think it would be fun to hear yours. I'm also VERY curious about your thoughts on the relationship(s). I know this is super unusual, and that some of you were pretty aghast about it in the beginning. How do you feel now?