AN: I'm sorry that updates have slowed a bit recently because of assignments but at the end of this month I will hopefully have the time to update a bit more regularly.

Chapter 7

"Hey Carlisle wants you to come over today after school," Rosalie says as I take my seat beside her at our desk, "Is that okay?"

"Carlisle wants me to come over?" I ask with a smirk as Rosalie eyes me suspiciously, "Just Carlisle?"

She rolls her eyes with a smile, "I figured my pleasure at your prolonged company went without saying." I couldn't help but blush slightly at her choice of words and she notices and grins to herself.

"Can I ask you something?" I pose, turning towards Rosalie as she looks questioningly at me, "What are your thoughts on the Edward and Bella situation?"

Rosalie sighs and turns her gaze out of the window, "Edward is playing a very dangerous game and I gave him fair warning, so if this blossoming relationship between the two of them ends up dooming the family then this is me saying I told him so," she turns back to face me, "I mean, he already said this morning that he plans on interacting with her." A scowl rests on her face and I use my thumb and forefinger to push her lips up into a smile. She responds with a soft glare and gently swats my hand away while keeping a small smile on her face. "You never answered my question," She says softly, "Are you coming over?"

"Yes, I will come over," I respond as the teacher enters the room and I lower my volume before continuing, "Why is it dangerous for Edward and Bella but not for us?"

Rosalie exhales, "His situation is different to mine."

"What situation?" I ask with a frown.

"I'll explain at home, okay?" She reassures me, "It's a longer conversation than we have the time for right now."

I am satisfied with the promise and turn my attention to the front of the class where the teacher is introducing the day's topic.

"You're going to their house again?" Bella runs up and asks as Emmett and I are making our way towards Rosalie's car at the end of the day. Emmett walks ahead of us as I stop and face my sister.

I sigh, "Listen, if you ever actually take the time to get to know any of them you will see that they are good people and that Jessica knows nothing about them."

"I know, I didn't ask in an accusing way, I just wanted to be sure so I could tell Charlie." I raise my eyebrows at her, "I have actually spoken to Edward a little bit today and he seems, um, nice?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" I tease.

"He seems nice, so I guess the others must be too."

I smile softly, "Yeah, well to tell you the truth I don't know Edward as well as the others, but you're right, they are nice," an awkward silence hangs between us for a moment before I decide to put us both out of our misery, "anyway, they are waiting for me so I guess I'll see you later."

Bella nods and gives me a shy wave before walking towards her truck.

"Let's roll!" I yell excitedly as I climb into the passenger seat of Rosalie's beautiful, beautiful car.

Rosalie smirks softly, "You seem more excited to see the car than to see me."

I give an extremely sincere look and state, "That's because I am." Of course, this earns me a scoff and a light smack on the arm.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence from everyone in the car, Alice leans forward from her seat in the back and says, "I just want to make sure that you are aware Carlisle wants to see you to get started on tests." I did know this, of course, but there is a part of me that strongly hopes I will be able to spend a bit of private time with Rosalie. I turn and nod in Alice's direction before letting out a small sigh.

Rosalie frowns slightly, "You're not worried, are you?"

"No, just still wrapping my head around everything, I guess." I reassure her, although I can tell she isn't convinced as her frown becomes bigger.

"Carlisle won't make you do anything you don't want to do, and I can stay with you if that would make you feel better," Rosalie assures me as we turn onto the Cullen's drive. I send her a grateful smile and exit the car.

We are all immediately greeted by Esme as we enter the house, and she informs us that Carlisle will be home in a couple of hours. This puts me at ease, as I realise that I can spend that time with Rosalie and get more relaxed before doing the tests.

"Come on, April." Rosalie takes my hand as she did last time, but this time she guides me out to the back garden rather than to her room. We don't stop at the garden, however, she takes me the edge of the grass before turning to me.

"What are we doing?" I ask.

"I thought a walk might be nice," She states, letting go of my hand and placing hers on both of my shoulders, gently pushing me to walk forwards towards a path leading to the surrounding forest, "This way my family can't eavesdrop on our conversations." I chuckle at her antics, but continue to walk as she retakes my hand.

After around 10 minutes of walking and chatting I finally prompt, "So the situation you were going to tell me about?"

She doesn't respond for a moment until we come to a small intersection of paths where a large tree sits in the middle. Rosalie guide me over to the tree and sits with her back up against it, patting the spot beside her.

I join her, of course, and she turns to face me with a look of determination, "The situation is that you're my mate, and I don't mean mate as in friend. Vampires all have one person that they are destined to meet and have a strong connection with. Bella is Edward's mate too, we assume."

My heart flutters at this concept for us and I find that I'm not entirely surprised, given that it has been confirmed that I am the only non-Cullen Rosalie is able to tolerate. However, her statement still doesn't answer my original question, "Okay, but I still don't understand why that could be dangerous for them but not us."

"Bella isn't just his mate. She is his blood-singer." She says, teeth slightly gritted.

I frown at her darkened mood, "What does that mean?" I ask softly.

"It means that Bella and my family are now in danger. Edward is drawn to her blood a lot more than he normally is with humans, which means there is always a chance that he will lose control and kill her. If that were to happen, it would put us in danger of being exposed which would make us punishable."

I stare at her, stunned at what she had just told me. She looks back at me, concerned that she was too graphic, and gently takes my hand.

"Bella said that she spoke with Edward today and that it was a positive experience." I say, in the hopes that this would reassure both of our fears.

Rosalie nods her head a little, "Well I just hope for all of our sakes that their interactions are all positive experiences." I can tell she is joking slightly, as I know Bella hasn't left the best impression on her so far so she is somewhat hopeful that her relationship with Edward will go no further.

"When you said that your family would become punishable, what did you mean?" I wonder, a chill running down my spine at the possibilities of what that could mean.

She simply sighs and states, "That's a tale for another time, I think," noticing my disappointment she adds, "It's a very long-winded story, with a lot of history involved, and I'm not the best person to tell it. Carlisle can tell you a lot more than I can, but only when the time is right, which it isn't."

While I am still filled with curiosity, I accept her answer with a sharp nod and lean my head onto her shoulder. We remain in this position for another 20 minutes, with her drawing circles on the back of my hand with her thumb as we sit in a comfortable and relaxing silence, before Rosalie suggests we head back to the house.

"I thought you might be hungry after the walk so I made you some pasta," Esme states with a satisfied grin as we enter the house.

I smile gratefully at her, "Thank you, that sounds lovely."

I sit at the kitchen counter and begin eating the delicious food while Esme and Rosalie clean the dishes. While I eat, I take the time to really observe Rosalie for the first time. She is, of course, stunningly beautiful, that is the first thing I noticed about her, and I'm sure it is the first thing a lot of people notice. However, most people are probably too intimidated to really look at her like this. Her posture is unwavering, as if she is afraid to relax and let her guard down, even in her own home where she is surrounded by people she considers family. The main thing I notice is her eyes. I believe the reason people find it so difficult to look at her for this long is because they are afraid to see what I can see - deep sadness. Rosalie is, without a doubt, the saddest woman I have ever met, and yet she is also the most beautiful, inside and out. It is at this moment that I decide to make it my mission to eliminate her sadness, and to get her to feel at ease with the people who love her.

"April!" A pair of fingers snap in front of my eyes and I turn and see Alice who presents me with a knowing smirk, "Hurry and finish your food. Carlisle is home and is waiting in his office for you."

I sigh anxiously. And so it begins.