Chapter nine: The rose is wilting

A/N: The moment of truth has finally arrived. What will it mean for the Cullen's?

"What is the meaning of this?" Edward's outraged cry fell on deaf ears as Alice and Rosalie tussled on the floor. They were covered in scratches, black gashes, and chipped plaster, entirely oblivious to the environment around them. Rosalie was trying to get up from where Alice had pinned her to the floor, hips straddling the blonde's waist, hands holding down her wrists. The blonde snarled back in response, wrenching her body this way and that to shake off the smaller but still powerful girl. Alice just snarled in triumphant as the blonde wiggled under her. It took ever ounce of strength to hold her there, but it was worth it to be the dominant vampire for once. Her eyes dared Rosalie to surrender but the blonde just stared defiantly back at her, fangs bared.

Edward was confused as to what had happened. He had fed as quickly as possible, needing to be back as soon as he could. He had prayed that nothing had occurred in his absence but here he was, standing in the midst of the ruined living room as Rosalie and Alice tried to tear the living daylights out of each other. He needed to stop his sisters from fighting but first he had to make sure Bella was okay. He wouldn't be able to control his anger if his sisters had inadvertently hurt Bella during their scrabble.

He searched the mess the room had been reduced to and saw Bella huddled behind an overturned couch. She was sobbing quietly into her sweater, a red gash bleeding red down her neck. Edward swallowed thickly at the scent and sight of her delicious blood. He had to remind himself constantly that he had fed and wasn't hungry as he pulled her into the safety of his arms.

"Edward, I was so scared and worried," Bella blubbered as she sobbed into his arms, her sentence nearly lost under another snarl coming from Rosalie. He ran a soothing hand over her hair as he rushed her out of the room and upstairs where he sat her on the toilet. "It's alright now," he murmured holding in his breath and resisting the urge to sink his teeth into her neck. "Can you dress your wound? I can't...you know," he gestured to explain what words couldn't and Bella wearily nodded yes. "Will they be okay? I think they were fighting over a guy and they just got so violent really quickly." Sweet Bella, concerned for others when her own life had been in peril.

A look of understanding passed on Edward's face which quickly turned to anger. He couldn't believe they had endangered Bella's life over that stupid vision. He had told Alice she needed to talk to Carlisle about this, to plan a good way to broach the topic with the blonde, but she hadn't listened to him and now this had happened. He rushed down the stairs to find that it was now Rosalie that had Alice pinned to the ground and was growling down at her. Edward knew he wouldn't be able to contain the fight, he needed backup. Rosalie would blow him away in three hits, he was surprised that Alice hadn't been disintegrated by the blonde yet.

"Esme," he dialed her as he knew she wasn't doing anything of vital importance now. "We have an emergency at home." He stood in the doorway of the room, trying to keep out of the sight in case the girls turned their attention to him.

Edward kept a close eye on the two vampires which seemed to have chiefly calmed down by now, their fighting mainly reverted to rolling each other over and over in a struggle of dominance. When Esme arrived he was pleased to find Emmett and Jasper with her.

"We need Jasper to calm them down," Esme explained as she entered the room the two were in, shedding her fur coat in the process. It was one of her favorite's and she didn't want it to get ruined. Without a moment of hesitation, she ripped Alice off of Rosalie by the back of her neck like a mom cat to her baby kitten. Alice hissed at this and swung her arms at Esme who shook her roughly until her teeth clacked shut. Emmett meanwhile took on Rosalie, hugging her from the back, strong arms across her torso, forcefully pinning her arms to her sides and he lifted her up, but she strained in his arms, her eyes still intent on Alice. Jasper immediately infused the air with calming pheromones and slowly by slowly the two vampires calmed down. Alice recovered first, confusion than realization hitting her as she took in the damage of the room and of herself.

"Oh my," she put her hands to her mouth. "Esme, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to wreck your room and Edward I'm so sorry I was supposed to take care of Bella but I failed and oh god is she alright?" Everything came out as a single stream of words as Esme put her gently back to her feet. The pixie sank to her hunches, keeping her face hidden in her hands.

"Don't worry you'll be the one fixing up this room, yourself." Esme said, mom mode on. "I expect it to be just the way it was before it got destroyed, down to every single last detail. And I also want an apology out of you to Rosalie as well as Bella and Edward for making them stress out more." She looked down her nose at Alice who just nodded her head in her hands, still not moving from her position. "I'm disappointed in you Alice. Rosalie, I would have expected something like this from her, but you? I thought you were mature enough to not get drawn into childish arguments."

Alice knew she had let her mother down, had let everyone down with her behavior, but she couldn't stop herself, the situation with Rosalie making her act out of control. Esme then turned to Rosalie who while calm now wasn't entirely out of her vampire mode yet. She put her hands on her hips and scowled at her daughter. "You too, I expect an apology to Bella and Edward, and to Alice."

Rosalie curled up her lip at this. "She's not getting squat out of me," she was addressing Alice. "And that human pest won't get one either. She has no business being involved with vampires. She knows there is a risk of casualty."

Before Esme could scold her, Edward burst out, "You could have killed her! You were supposed to protect her!" He was shaking with anger, upset that Rosalie was being so stubborn about this. Did she hate him this much that she would kill his soulmate to make him suffer? He had been horrified to see Bella hurt, then relieved that it wasn't worse and now finally all the deep fury of having his territory violated caught up with him.

"Your the one who brought her into this," Rosalie snarked back, her hands clawing. "Don't pin the blame on me."

"Why you little bitch!" Edward snarled and rushed at her only to meet Esme's arm, thrown against his chest to bar his movement. He stayed back, balancing on the balls on his feet as he let his fangs slide out. The single arm wasn't enough to hold him back and Esme knew this, but she also knew that Edward wouldn't try to move past it and she was right, the boy internally battling with his inner vampire to remain level headed during this whole affair.

"Edward, Rosalie, calm down," Jasper insisted, letting more of his gift flow into the air. Edward felt the tension in his muscles fade and he took a step back from Esme's arm and she dropped it, trusting him to not attack.

"Edward I'm so sorry," Alice squeaked out from where she was still on the floor, her voice muffled. "I never meant to let this get out of hand, I should've behaved more responsibly."

Edward nodded his head tersely at this. "I accept your apology Alice. Bella is shaken...and minimally injured..but I think you shouldn't approach her closely for the following days." Alice shook her head in understanding. She just didn't want Bella to hate her.

"Alice was this about the vision?" Edward asked after a moment and Alice immediately pulled up her head to look at him. Was he really going to raise this topic now? Did he think they fought over this? She needed him to drop this idea, and now before the others found out.

"No, it wasn't," she insisted, telling him mentally to drop the topic. To talk to her in private.

"What vision?" Emmett asked, butting in at the wrong time.

"You didn't tell Rosalie?" Edward ignored Emmett, his anger making him reckless with Alice's secret.

"No, I didn't." Alice pleaded with her eyes for Edward to stop. I know your not spiteful, don't do this to me. I really am sorry about Bella, I know how much you care for her, but please don't do this to me, she begged. Edward closed his eyes at this, and she knew he was struggling with the animal part of himself that wanted to inflict damage to her like she had to his property.

"Didn't tell me what?" Rosalie spoke up for the first time, her eyes regaining a brown hue.

Edward swallowed deeply and opened his eyes and Alice could feel a cold trickle of horror snake down her back as she recognized the look of regret in his eyes. "Alice, it's just going to lead to more conflict between you and Rosalie if you don't say anything."

"Edward no, I already told you how I feel about discussing the vision." Alice got up, her fists curling. She couldn't believe her brother was doing this to her.

"Edward do you know something we don't know?" Esme asked, on the edge of the group in case she had to rush in to stop someone. Emmett was still standing with Rosalie in his arms, but he let her down when he saw she was back to normal. He then stood by her right side to be close on hand to pull her back if need be. Edward was close to his right side and Alice was close to Rosalie's left. They had made a circle unknowingly and Esme hovered just behind Alice, her eyes narrowed and scanning for any signs of aggression. Jasper stood the farthest away, in the doorway of the room.

"What was in the vision Alice that you don't want to tell me?" Rosalie asked, clicking her tongue and gazing unnervingly at the smaller girl. But Alice kept her lips closed. No matter how hard Rosalie was going to try to goad her into telling the truth she would never tell, even on the pain of death. Everyone looked on as Rosalie grilled Alice who did her best not to squirm under the girl's gaze.

"Alice if you don't say it I will," Edward replied, cutting the thick silence that had fallen. He was getting impatient. He wanted this to be over quickly so he could go back to Bella.

"No, Edward don't you dare," Alice burst out, panic fresh in her eyes. She took a step forward to the boy and Esme moved with her but stopped when she saw the smaller girl didn't move any further. Alice could feel her chest rising in fright as she pleaded him mentally to not do this. To just give her another chance to work this out herself. How she would hate him eternally if he did this.

"Alice I will. This is for your own good," Edward insisted, unable to make eye contact with Alice.

"I'm glad someone is going to be truthful," Rosalie smiled smugly at Edward who only scowled back. "Don't be too happy. Once you hear what the vision is about, you'd wished I had never said it," he told her and her cocky grin fell, apprehension alighting her eyes. But the blonde was too proud to back out now so she squared her shoulders and jerked up her chin in a haughty expression.

Emmett wanted to let out a low whistle. Shit was getting intense. He could feel vampire pheromones in the air and wondered if Jasper had relaxed his gift or if there simply was so much emotion being poured out right now that Jasper couldn't handle it. Speaking of which, was the boy still here? Emmett hadn't heard anything out of him. He was going to look when Alice's cry ripped through his ears.

"Edward no!" The pixie tried to throw herself at the boy who had taken a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but Esme grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back. "Edward no!" she screamed this phrase over and over again until Esme was forced to cover her mouth with one hand and readjust to holding Alice's arms back with the other. Rosalie quirked up her brow, worried about what could have the girl so frightened like this. She was bucking wildly like a fish out of water and shaking her head back and forth so she could yell but her cries were muffled now. Edward ignored all this and stared Rosalie right in the eyes.

"Rosalie, Alice had a vision of you masturbating to her." Everyone in the room froze. Alice stopped squirming, dropping like a dead weight in Esme's grip which had slackened in shock. Alice slumped down to the floor, hands buried in her hair as she stared blankly at it. Esme put up a hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh my," she whispered. Edward stood unblinking and turned his head away as he worked his jaw. Emmett put his hands on his hips and lowered his head in concentration on what he had just heard. Rosalie was the only one who didn't have either shock or horror written on her face. Her face was still covered in arrogance and tilted up.

"What? Your joking with me right? That's the vision?" She scoffed.

"No, I read her thoughts and I know it's real," Edward replied, his voice soft, but loud enough to be heard by everyone.

"She was probably just day dreaming and you interpreted it as something she had seen. She is a nasty little pervert after all." Alice felt something in her bend at that statement. So Rosalie was going to be like this, after she was the one that kept hounding Alice and throwing herself at her? Two could play at this game. If Rosalie was so intent on trying to keep her 'affections' for Alice hidden then Alice was going to make sure the opposite happened.

"No, it's true," Alice spoke up at last, standing back up. "That's why I ran away."

Rosalie turned her attention to Alice, but didn't say anything, only crossed her arms over her chest.

"I couldn't stay in the house and face Rosalie when images of what I had seen ran through my head. I mean it was awkward. How would you treat someone that you had just seen enjoying themselves so thoroughly?" Alice said, noting with satisfaction that everyone's attention was on her.

Rosalie frowned at this. "I know you and Edward are probably just trying to play a prank on me for all the times I was bitchy to you all. But its not working. This is a shitty prank and I don't find it at all hilarious. Now quit wasting my time and everyone else's with your stupidity." She growled out but Alice just smiled. The blonde was bluffing, she knew that there was some truth to Alice's words, she just didn't know how much but Alice was about to tell her. Oh, she was going to tell her everything.

"It's not a prank Rosalie," Alice said calmly, approaching the blonde slowly as she spoke. "I never lie about my visions. I was going to keep this one out of everyone's business since it was such a private moment that I had seen, and I didn't want to embarrass you or the house with what had happened in it, but," at this Alice shrugged almost viciously, loving how Rosalie was chewing her bottom lip in outward anxiety. She was getting to the girl, working her way under her skin. "You wanted to know so badly, so I'll tell you. To the very last detail." She was a couple inches from the blonde now and could sense the irritation and worry that was floating off of her. "I had this vision two months back, and it prompted me to run away to the Denali coven. I had the vision that time I was in your room, when you were trying to seduce me but covering it up as an art shoot."

"No I wasn't-" Rosalie interrupted but Alice ignored her. "In it I saw you in your bed, fingers deep in your pussy, working away as if you didn't have a care in the world." Alice would have felt vulgar for using this language but right now she liked the jarring quality of the word coming from her angelic mouth.

Rosalie stiffened at this, nostrils flaring as Alice took the final steps to her, their chests pressing against one another. Her haughty look was beginning to falter and Alice wanted to see it completely crumble.

Someone cleared their throat behind her. She had forgotten that was an audience in the room, so focused had she become on maintaining eye contact with the taller girl.

"Alice I think that's enough. You've made your point." That was Esme but Alice ignored her.

"And oh, how you moaned and writhed in pleasure. I was wondered what had you going, but then I got my answer pretty quickly. Over and over you would call out this one person's name. Well, vampire's, would be the correct term."

"I wouldn't do that," Rosalie gritted out through closed teeth, but her voice sounded weak.

Alice's own voice had gotten lower and she lidded her eyes. "It was my name Rosalie. You were enjoying yourself to the thought of me." Rosalie's eye twitched at this and Alice sensed she was close to falling apart.

"Alice, that's enough!" Esme ordered again but Alice continued on, too much momentum to stop.

"You came so hard to the thought of me, Rosalie," Alice insisted her voice a whisper as Rosalie's escalated in volume. "That's a fucken lie, you fucken liar. I would never do that! Never! Your just making up shit!" But her words were empty, panic making her chest heave as she took a step away from Alice, then another, backing up to the wall.

"Come on, Rosalie, just admit it to everyone that you like me. My visions are never wrong."

"I don't like you!" Rosalie wailed, her haughty look gone and Alice felt joy thrum through her veins. She had done it, she had made Rosalie's cool facade drop. "I don't like you! And I never will! I swear!" Her arms tightened around her chest but for protection this time. "You believe me, right?" she turned her eyes to the Cullen's who had watched the whole thing with open eyes and mouths.

"Rosalie, darling..." Esme started with such pity in her gaze that Rosalie immediately knew what they thought without having to hear another word.

"Fuck you all! Fuck you all!" She hissed her eyes flickering back and forth from all of their faces.

Alice smiled and couldn't resist from adding, "don't you mean, fuck me? Cause that's wanted to do badly in my vision."

Rosalie's only answer was a scream of frustration. She raced out the door and was gone, disappearing somewhere into the wood's behind the Cullen's house. In the quiet Alice turned her suddenly tired gaze on Edward. The high from cracking Rosalie had left her as soon as the girl had run. She felt bad now, guilty for causing the girl so much pain.

"Are you happy now Edward?" she asked bitterly. "We talked about it and this was the result. Did it go according to your plans?"

"Alice, this was never my intention-"

"Just shut up," Alice said tiredly, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Jasper go after Rosalie, we have to calm her down." Esme ordered looking in concern in the direction of where the girl had rushed off to. "Jasper?"

"Uh, Jasper's not here," Emmett said uncertainly and Esme turned her head to note the space where Jasper had stood before was gone. "Where is he?" she asked a split second before a scream pierced the air. It was the human's.

"Bella!" Edward cried out and ran up the stairs to her.

A/N: So this is kind of the climax of the relation between Alice and Rosalie. Where will it go now? Who knows? Will they ever manage to repair their relationship?