Rosalie POV

"How is she?" Esme asked when I came back downstairs.

"Frustrated," I answered. "She knows I'm keeping things from her."

"So tell her the truth, like you promised," Alice said walking into the living room with Jasper right beside her. He looked a lot more comfortable now that he had hunted.

"Everything?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her. My past wasn't easy for anyone to hear. For the most part I was over what happened, but that didn't mean I wanted to relive it, or to see the look on Bella's face when I told her.

"As long as you explain vampire mating ahead of time, she will be fine with it," Alice assured me. "As for that," she gave me a pointed look, "I can't tell since you keep changing your mind."

I ran my hand through my hair. This was a lot harder than I thought. "I'm scared," I admitted.

Alice sat down beside me. The others went about their business, doing their best to ignore Alice and I. "Everything will go fine."

I shook my head. "That's not the problem Alice. The end result may be fine but what about before that. What if she doesn't react well?"

"You won't ever know if you don't try," Alice pointed out. "She took us being vampires well. Hell, she even took Edward trying to kill her well. Why wouldn't she accept this?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I think you need to explain yours and Emmett's relationship first," Jasper inputted. "Earlier when Emmett was making his inappropriate comments." Emmett grinned and I threw a pillow at him. "She was jealous of Emmett, of your relationship. I highly doubt she knows that's what she was feeling."

I was surprised and pleased by that. There was hope that Bella would accept this. "I'll talk to her in the morning," I promised.

Jasper shook his head. "I think Emmett should talk to her," he said with a nod toward Emmett.

"Why me?" Emmett asked confused.

"Earlier with your joke, Bella was jealous," Jasper explained.

"Jealous," I repeated. "Jealous of what?"

Jasper rubbed his forehead. "He thinks you two are together," Jasper told us. "With how you and Emmett usually act in front of the humans it's not surprising. I believe she's more likely to believe it if it comes from Emmett first."

Emmett and Jasper went back to their game, leaving me to think about what Jasper had said. After a while my thoughts drifted elsewhere, namely to my brother. "I don't know how I feel about Edward coming back in a week," I told Alice. In truth the thought of Edward coming back at all terrified me. One wrong move and Bella would be dead and I can't handle that.

"Rose," Alice said touching my arm. "I would never let Edward come back if it meant Bella was in danger. I'm watching his and Bella's futures. Jasper and I will take a trip to Denali before he comes back and make sure his emotions are pure. Bella will never be alone with him, ever. Rose, we have this covered."

Jasper looked up from his game and studied me. "If it helps, I can call Peter and Charlotte before he comes back," he offered.

I shook my head. "Not yet." As much as I loved Peter and Charlotte having two more human drinkers around wasn't a good idea. Plus, I didn't think Bella was ready for it.

"They won't hurt her, you know that," Jasper said. Stupid empath. He smirked at my frustration with him.

"I know they won't hurt her," I said. "But her experience with red eyed vampires isn't great."

Jasper nodded. "If you change your mind, let me know."

"Oh no," Alice moaned. "Rose, room."

Just as she said that we heard a blood curdling scream. Only one thing came to mind.

Bella.

When I got to my room I half-expected Edward, or someone, to be in the room. It was just Bella, tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Nightmare," Jasper choked out. I glanced at him. Her emotions must have been too much because his eyes were darkening by the second, despite the fact that he just hunted.

"Go Jazz," I told him, pushing him away.

I ran over to the bed where Bella was thrashing about. "Bella," I called softly. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her, especially when she was already scared.

"You're going to have to touch her," Alice said from downstairs. "She will calm down at your touch."

I took Alice's advice. I wrapped my arms around Bella and maneuvered myself onto the bed. Her reaction was instant. Her body relaxed in my arms. Her heartrate slowed and I could hear her breathing in my scent. It was instinct for her, like it was for me.

"Bella," I called again.

"Rosalie," she mumbled sleepily. "What's going on? Where…?" she trailed off once the memory of yesterday came rushing back.

"You're okay Bella," I said softly. "Just breathe."

Bella looked at our positions and blushed. She tried to pull away but I tightened my grip on her. "You weren't here when I went to sleep."

I laughed. She didn't sound so sure of herself. "No, I wasn't. You were having a nightmare. Alice said physical touch would calm you so here I am." I released her and allowed her to scoot away from me. She didn't move far. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bella shrugged. "It was nothing. Just a nightmare."

"Bella," I started.

"I saw Edward," Bella interrupted. "He killed you and he was coming for me. I just… I don't know why I'm feeling like this. Why am I so comfortable when you hold me? Why do I feel so… devastated at the thought of you dying? I mean I barely even know you. Please, no more trying to make things easier for me. Just tell me."

"Tell her," Alice told me. "I promise, even if it doesn't seem like it, she will handle it well."

I sighed. I trusted Alice but I was still scared. Rejection never happened for vampire mates. But Bella was human. It wasn't the same for her. Then again maybe it was. It sounded like she was already feeling the pull.

"Alright," I agreed. She looked surprised. "Before I answer your questions, I have to explain something first."

Bella frowned. She probably assumed I wasn't going to tell her after all. "Vampires have soul mates, one person you are meant to be with for the rest of your life. When a vampire mates it's forever. A vampire will do anything for their mate. They will kill to protect them and if one dies the other will follow them in death. Alice and Jasper. Carlisle and Esme. Both are mated pairs."

"You and Emmett," Bella said confused.

I shook my head. So much for Emmett explaining this. Perhaps he could talk to her in the morning. "Emmett and I were never mated. We thought we were, in the beginning. Em?" I called to him.

"Go ahead Rose," he said. He was giving me permission to tell Bella about his change.

"When I met Emmett," I continued. Bella was oblivious to the short conversation I had with Emmett. "He had been mauled by a bear and close to death. I carried him to Carlisle and begged Carlisle to change him. There was something about him. I don't know what it was. Like you I assumed we were mated. Why would I save someone if I wasn't meant to be with them?"

"If only," Emmett sighed. I felt bad for him. He loved me and as much as I cared about him it wasn't love. At least not love in the way he wanted. Over the decades Emmett's love evolved to a sibling love but I know he did think of how things would be different if we were mated.

"Why did you save him then?" Bella asked curious.

"I honestly don't know," I replied. "It's the one thing I've never been able to figure out. My only guess is that maybe a part of me knew we would be close."

"How did you figure out you weren't actually meant to be together?" Bella asked next.

If I were human, I would be blushing. While the others were open about their sex life. I wasn't. Not that I had much of a sex life. "Emmett and I… not long after he changed… we tried to have sex," I started. I needed to get a grip. This should not be so hard to do. "I threw him through a wall. We tried a couple times after that and the same thing happened."

"So, you two…" Bella couldn't finish her sentence. She was blushing.

"Never," I assured her.

"Why are you telling me about this?" Bella asked. "I mean it's interesting… but I don't understand."

"All it takes is a single look to find our mates," I continued, ignoring her question. Bella was still confused.

"For Gods sake Rosalie, just say it, or I will," Alice groaned.

"Bella, when I rescued you last night, it was the first time I had actually looked at you." Why was this so hard to say? "Bella, you're my mate," I choked out.

I could hear the cheering downstairs and I rolled my eyes. They were all idiots. All I did is confess to Bella that we were mated. It wasn't like I proposed or anything.

"Let us be happy for you Rosalie," Jasper said.

I stared at Bella, waiting for her to say something, anything. "Give her a minute," Alice told me. "She's processing." Sometimes I wonder if Alice was the mind reader in the family.

I sat there and waited. It took two minutes and forty-seven seconds for her to say anything. "Mates," she repeated. "I don't… what does that mean, for us… for me?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean," I told her. Whatever she wanted from me, whether it was romance or friendship, I would give it to her. "There's no pressure for you."

"I… I don't know what I want," Bella confessed.

"I understand," I said squeezing her hand. "There is no pressure. I will wait, however long it takes." Bella yawned. "Do you want me to leave?"

Bella shook her head and leaned against me. "Can you stay for a little bit?" she asked.

I stayed with Bella, even after she was asleep. I didn't want to risk her having another nightmare. I didn't realize exactly how long I had stayed with Bella until Alice knocked on the door. "Rose," Alice called softly.

"Alice," I said waving her inside.

"You don't have to stay here Rose. She won't wake up," Alice informed me.

I shrugged. "I'm comfortable." Alice climbed on the bed, on my other side. She leaned against me. It had been a long time since Alice and I had hung out like this. Usually it was Esme where Bella is now. "She's knows and she still wants me here with her."

"She may not understand it but she seeks comfort from you," Alice explained. "It's part of the bond. In the beginning, with Jasper, he was so used to vampires trying to hurt him. He couldn't understand the closeness. Even with his gift. It took time and patience."

"She's human. I don't have time," I pointed out.

Alice rolled her eyes. "She's going to turn," Alice said. I opened my mouth to protest. I was not going to take away Bella's chance to have a family. I refuse. "Don't say it. She's your mate Rose. If she decides she wants to change, and she will, then you need to let her do it."

"I will not take away her chance to grow old and have children," I said firmly.

"Even if that's what she wants?" Alice countered.

I growled at her. None of us had a choice if we wanted to be vampires. For everyone, except Alice and Jasper, it was a choice Carlisle made for us. That didn't include Emmett as I made that choice for him. Emmett didn't count. He was made to be a vampire. The only regret he had was not being able to say goodbye to his parents.

"No one wants this existence Alice," I told her. It was true. No vampire I met had ever wanted to be a vampire. But none of them had the guts to end their existence.

"Just because we didn't want this life doesn't mean others wouldn't," Alice informed me. "Being a vampire isn't as bad as you think it is."

It didn't matter what Alice said. I would never believe that Bella could want this life. "It doesn't matter."

"It doesn't," Alice agreed. "Even with your decision not to change her, her future remains the same. She will be a vampire. The only thing I can't see is who turns her," she added in a whisper.

That was new. If she could see that Bella does turn why couldn't she see who did it? "How is that possible?" I questioned.

Alice shrugged. "I think it's changing too fast for me to see," Alice answered. "Which means whoever changes her is well, changing. For whatever reason her future is changing."

"I don't like that," I said.

"Me either Rose," Alice whispered. "Me either."