Hi, so here is another chapter, there is no long note this time so this will be short and sweet so you can enjoy and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer-Nothing here is mine.
Please Read and Review.
And TRIGGER WARNINGS-for the whole Edward's reaction about Bella's right to choose and his manipulation of her. Not to get into a long note but he so knows the effect he has on her and he uses it throughout the books to his advantage especially in New Moon and Eclipse. Whatever you think of Bella's keeping of the baby, it is as far as this author is concerned, her body and her choice.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Chapter 3-Old, New, Borrowed And Blue
Plans are put in motion but they are scuppered instantly by a phone call. Rosalie must contemplate the unthinkable and what she wants to do verses what she should do. And the ramifications for not just her and Emmett but for her family.
"Now what else is the whole life of mortals, but a comedy in which the various actors disguised by various costumes and masks walk on and play each parts until the manager walks them off the stage?" Erasmus.
It was a normal day when it happened. That was the tragedy of it but then again that was the tragedy of most things in Rosalie's life. The day of her transformation had been a normal day, the day Edward had met Bella, the day they had taken on the Newborns, etc, etc. Even the day she had met Emmett. So when a normal day dawned and she had gone out hunting far away from the house on her own she was still deluded enough into think that this was a normal day and therefore nothing could happen.
The Cullen's were still divided but the constant pressure of Carlisle and Esme who made it look easy had seen them coming together. Emmett had spoken to Carlisle about Mexico and Rosalie could not help but think that some time apart might do them a world of good. She was hoping that when they got back from their trip, whenever it was Bella would be a newborn. Right now all that she was sure was going to happen was that the Volturi were not pleased.
She was just finishing up her deer when it happened.
There was a buzzing from her phone suddenly. She flipped open the lid and saw that it was Alice. She canned the phone call quickly. Alice knew better than to call when someone was hunting and anyway if this was about Bella then Rosalie was not in the mood. Personally she'd had enough of Bella Swan's flip-flopping for a lifetime.
Her phone buzzed again and she tied stepping away from the carcass and then she stopped for lack of a better word—dead staring at who was calling her.
Bella.
Bella Swan.
She had the number simply because Edward had asked her to and Rosalie was still feeling guilty about Italy at the time. She had never called Bella and Bella had certainly never called her. There was a reason why Alice had been the maid of honour after all. Up until the day Rosalie hadn't even been sure she could do the human's hair!
So why the fuck was Bella Swan calling her now?
Curiosity did kill the cat after all.
She flipped open the lid and pressed accept.
"Hello"
"Rosalie?"
The voice was half whisper and thick with tears and Rosalie frowned. She had never heard Bella sound like that and it set something in her on edge for reasons that she couldn't name.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
"Rosalie It's Bella…please…I need your help"
Her help?
"Okay what's wrong?"
"Edward and I…"
"Bella I know you've been having sex so let's not pretend that, that's news"
"I'm pregnant"
The phone dropped to the floor of the forest.
For a moment Rosalie was sure that despite the fact that she was an immortal creature she was having a stroke. Because…because there was no fucking way that something like that could happen. There was no…because if there was she would have found a way. Henry was all she had ever wanted and if there had been a way for her and Emmett to get it then she would have and now…
But as soon as the thought came to her the pieces of the jigsaw connected.
Her body couldn't change, it couldn't adapt to a growing newborn, she couldn't create milk or space or warmth but Bella could. And how would they know that something like this existed because other than Edward and Bella who else was there in a relationship like this? Who else but Edward would be mad enough not just to keep Bella alive but to kiss her, touch her, have sex with her?
It took her a half of a second to put the pieces together but Bella was already panicking on the end of the phone. With fingers she was sure weren't working probably she picked up the phone again and put it to her ears.
"Bella I don't—"
"Rosalie listen to me, Edward wants to get rid of it"
Rosalie opened her mouth but for once no sound came out.
"Rosalie he called it a thing, a monster. He doesn't…he doesn't realise that I want this baby, he's talking about getting Carlisle to yank it out when I get home and I don't want that…I don't want that and I need…I need someone to understand that! I need…I need…" she trailed off and there was a soft sound at the end of the phone and Rosalie realised that Bella was crying.
Edward wanted to get rid of it.
Her first instinct was of course Edward wanted to get rid of it. Edward who had no concerns about what Bella wanted only Bella's life. That was made abundantly clear during that whole bribing Alice with a Porsche so that she wasn't spending time with the werewolves (an act that had made her shudder because it had reminded her of Royce buying her gifts so she didn't notice he was flirting with other woman). Edward would never understand that Bella would want his child. And the second she thought that Rosalie knew that nobody else would either. Jasper would view the thing as a threat to their survival from the outset, Alice wouldn't see anything past the threat to Bella, Emmett wouldn't express an outright opinion, neither would Esme but she knew what side without persuasion they would come down on and Carlisle…well…knowing Edward he would have already got Carlisle on side.
That just left her. And suddenly she could understand why Bella had called her.
Unbidden it came to mind the image of little Henry dimples and all and she couldn't help herself. This would be the hardest thing that she had ever had to do and she knew instantly that she was going do it damn the consequences.
"You are absolutely sure?"
"Yes" Bella said in relief. "I know I can keep my heart beating until the baby is big enough to come out. I know that as soon as it's out Carlisle or Edward or even Alice can change me. I know I can do this. I want to do this. Edward is talking as if I don't have a voice, have a choice, have a say and…and I'm scared Rosalie. He knows how I work…he knows what he can do for me to say yes, he knows what can get me to say yes…I…I'm scared he'll try and manipulate me to get rid of his baby and if he doesn't then he's going to force it and damn the consequences later and once I'm changed…"
"I know, I know" Rosalie said running a hand through her hair and grabbing fistful of the blonde locks.
"Alright listen…you know where I stand. I can't make the decision because if I do Alice will know and Alice will tip him off and he'll re-route you somewhere and that will be the end of it. But when you get off that plane you come to me. And you don't let him near you in the meantime. Do everything normal and when you get off that plane you come to me do you understand?"
"What…what if they try and stop you? Will Emmett be enough"
Rosalie didn't answer that, there was a very good chance that in this she and Emmett might be on opposing sides.
"Don't worry about me, now hang up the phone and pretend that you are terrified—"
"I am terrified!"
"Good. Just…just come to me"
"Okay…thank you Rosalie…shit he's coming back"
And then the phone went dead and Rosalie dropped it to the floor and knelt down in the dirt and scrubbed her face with her hands.
Shit.
She didn't know if Alice already knew. She didn't know how this pregnancy was affecting Bella or Bella's decisions and she didn't know if she had promised this girl help when she wasn't going to get it. What she did know is that for the major events in her life Rosalie had never had a choice. She'd had no choice when it came to her transformation, no choice in what had happened to her right before, no choice on what came next. There was no little miracle at the end of the rainbow for her but there was for Bella and…and she could help. She could help.
It might be mad. It might be insane. It might be the thing that broke up their family—actually it probably was going to be the thing that broke up their family but it was something that Bella wanted and something that Rosalie wanted and—
She stopped herself there and then. No decision making with Alice. None.
There was rustling sound and she turned on the defensive. The problem with Alice was that she fought dirty. If she was pre-empting a vision then there was going to be a fight and against Alice it was hard. Against Jasper she could just about do it but with Alice…
It wasn't Alice. It was Emmett…
He looked…terrified.
"What?"
He didn't say anything just crossed the small space between them and kissed her. Rosalie kissed him back—God knows there was never a moment where she didn't kiss him back regardless of what was happening around them.
"What's happening?"
Like she didn't already know.
"Alice had a vision—well—I'm not sure what it was but Bella blurred right out of it like a TV screen on the blink and then she was saying that you were half there and half not like the two of you were connected and then Edward rang and Bella…Bella…is…" he was struggling to speak and looking at him Rosalie realised that this was the first time that she had ever seen her happy-go-lucky husband struggling with his words. He was genuinely disturbed with what was going on and that made her take his hands in her own. If he was struggling with this then her decision was going to make things a thousand times worse and there was nothing that she could do about it because as far as her mind was, it was made up.
And there was nothing that he could do about it either.
"Bella is pregnant" he said finally and then his whole body shuddered.
"I know" Rosalie said quietly. "She called me, must be why I blurred out of Alice's vision, is she saying anything about what comes next?"
"Why would Bella call—?"
"EMMETT WHAT DID ALICE SAY?"
Her shouting managed to snap him out of the shocked, panicked, wild mood he was in. His eyes butterscotch with his latest feed met hers and she saw the exact moment that he knew. Because she was Rosalie Hale and he was Emmett McCarty and there was nothing that they didn't know about the other and she could see the cogs turning in his head. He opened his mouth and then closed it and instead he answered the easier questions, the easiest of the questions that he knew that he wanted to ask.
"She said that she was…that she was…she said Edward was adamant that they had to get the baby out, Carlisle wanted to speak to Bella but Edward assured him they both agreed and they were on their way home. We are to meet them at the airport and then the whole thing will be done in a matter of moments. Of course there's a very good chance that Bella will be one of us when the deed is done but…she was always going to be one of us eventually even with this little blip"
Rosalie nodded.
"I don't think that is going to happen" she said carefully. "I don't…I can't speak with Alice but I don't think Edward will get what he wants"
Emmett dropped her hands and turned on his heel stalking to the edge of the clearing and then coming back.
"Is this about the boy?" he asked finally. "The one from your human life…the one whose grandchildren are getting free rides to whatever college they want to?"
"Yes and…and no I don't…I just know that she has a choice. And it shouldn't be taken away from her. I didn't have a choice. She has. She may have chosen the wrong one time and time again but this is one that I can understand. This is one that I would do"
"Do you know what you are going to support?"
"She has a plan and…and it might be strange but…stranger things have happened. The girl should be dead a hundred times over but she's not. And…Emmett whatever I think, or Edward, or Carlisle or you or Alice it is Bella's body and Bella's choice. We cannot be the people to swoop in and speak to her and say this is for her own good and then violate her decisions and her body and her rights because we think we know what is best. If we do that and then pat her on the head and expect that things will go back to normal than we are worse than the monsters the wolves think that we are. Weather we approve or we don't if Bella is apart of this family as we say she is then she has a choice"
Carefully she left out the bits that her husband could read. The part where she would stand by Bella. The part where she would fight for this child because that was who she was. Emmett knew that, she knew her and though if Alice was watching them all her decision would be was to let Bella choose nobody would see the actions behind that. Other than her husband who was watching her with unreadable eyes.
"I don't expect you to choose between me and Edward" Rosalie said softly. "I know he is your brother; I know—"
"He is my brother…" Emmett said softly. "But you are my whole world. And I will not let him harm you. I will defend you until my last breath even though I don't understand this at all. And if worse comes to worse we can leave…we will leave. Because your fights are my fights and your causes are my causes. That's the promise, that's the deal. That's us"
This time it was Rosalie's time to kiss him. She tried to say everything that he knew into that kiss, she tried to say everything she was feeling.
They stayed like this for a long time or so it felt but Alice was ringing them again.
"What?" Emmett said picking up the phone. "No she's fine…if there's a discussion she's abstainin—oh I see there's not going to be one" he frowned at that and Rosalie cracked her neck to the side. She was prepared for a fight. She had fed, she was ready, she had Emmett by her side if not defending the baby than defending her.
"No we will come with you to the airport. We'll take Rose's car."
He hung up the phone.
"Looks like your little parlour trick worked. Gotta thank that Victoria for something at least we know how to work the holes in Alice's visions for a while. You sure?"
"I am"
"Well their plane get's in soon, were going to the airport. And then…and then it's war"
"I know"
Emmett sighed looking at her.
"I hope you know what your doing" was all he said taking her hand as they turned back home through the trees.
"I do" Rosalie muttered and she felt something that she had thought long dead in her lift at the thought of that little baby inside Bella that was going to live despite the threat of it's father.
She did.
And she would stand resolute to her not-yet-made decision whatever the cost may be with Emmett by her side. For better, for worse.
And there you are, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will bring you the next one soon.
Also as I said in the last chapter I am back at work now so updates might be a bit few and far between for a while.
Next Chapter-Emmett's point of view!-Emmett thinks on Rosalie's decision and his understanding of it as Bella's choice becomes clear to all the Cullen's and the lines are drawn.