Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyers.
A/N: Thanks for your patience! Here is the long awaited Rosalie/Bella chapter.
Also, I've been getting lots of PM's about when I'm going to start posting chapters of my Punk'd sequel. It's coming soon. In the meantime, you have to check out AnEmotionalVampire's story, "Punk'd: The Fallout". It takes place after my story and tells how Emmett felt after the shock of being Punk'd wore off. What did all that emotional manipulation do to him? Will he recover in time for the Punk'd sequel? You've got to read it!
Chapter Fourteen: It's A Spa Day After All
Bella was snuggled up under the luxurious down comforter, having a very nice dream about her upcoming honeymoon with Edward. Just as she was getting to the really good part where Edward was finally going to take them to their 'happy place' she heard Alice's faraway sounding voice say, "All good things come to those who wait, Edward and Bella… Remember, practice makes perfect…No, the rabbit can't die!"
Bella's eyes snapped open. "The rabbit can't die"? What the heck does that mean and why is Alice in my honeymoon dream?
Bella sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes and looking around the room when she noticed Edward was standing by the door and blocking what appeared to be Alice, jumping up and down as if she were on a trampoline, trying to see into the room over Edward's shoulder. Edward was saying to Alice, "Not now, Alice, let her sleep a bit longer."
"Edward, she's got to get up." Alice's head appeared over Edward's shoulder again before disappearing from view. "It's our spa day…and we need to be there in an hour." Alice jumped again, just a little higher, before a wide grin appeared on her face as she noticed Bella sitting up in bed staring at her with wide open eyes.
"Oh goodie! Bella, you're awake! We've got a 9:00 appointment at the spa today and you are just going to love it! So, let's get to it, spit-spot!"
Edward quickly shut the door and returned to the bed, propping himself up on an elbow as he watched Bella stretch her arms and legs out, arching her back, which made Edward smile crookedly.
"And what is so amusing, Mr. Cullen?" Bella asked as she returned his smile.
"You are, my sweet. You reminded me of a kitten just now as you were stretching and arching your back. A very beautiful kitten…" Edward said as he reached over to brush a strand of hair from her face.
"A kitten? I think I like that description because it means I can do this…" Bella leaned over and rubbed up against Edward's chest, causing him to purr deep inside his chest. "And I can do this…" she softly whispered in his ear as she extended her fingers and lightly scratched his back with her nails. "Said the kitty to the lion…Purr..."
Edward shivered and let out a growl as he flipped Bella over onto her back and started nuzzling her neck, making purring noises of his own before moving to her lips and kissing her senseless.
"Wow!" Bella whispered after she caught her breath. "I should do that more often."
"I'll say," said Edward with one last kiss before sitting up against the headboard and pulling Bella onto his lap. "Did you sleep well, love?"
"Mm-hmm…" Bella said lazily, "but my legs are a little sore from all the walking Emmett and I did yesterday. I'm actually looking forward to this spa day."
Edward raised his eyebrows. "Wait; is this my Bella, telling me she's actually looking forward to a day of pampering?"
Bella playfully poked at Edward's chest. "Yes, your Bella is looking forward to her day of pampering. I told you before, I've turned over a new leaf and I'm going to enjoy all these Cullen experiences while I can."
Edward laughed as he leaned over to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Good!"
The Cullen ladies arrived at the exclusive spa Alice had booked reservations at and were greeted by a very solicitous staff who, after checking them in, led the ladies to changing rooms to change into robes and slippers. The changing rooms were huge and very elegant with a Zen-like quality that Bella already found relaxing.
They were led to a bright and inviting room. Bella's first treatment was going to be a facial, while the other girls had opted for manicures for obvious reasons. The esthetician led Bella over a quiet corner in the room and directed her to lie down on the massage table where she then covered Bella's eyes and used a bright lamp to examine Bella's skin.
"Gorgeous skin! Absolutely flawless, translucent skin without one single blemish. You are a lucky young woman to have absolutely perfect skin!" said the esthetician.
Alice answered from where she was having her nails buffed. "My brother thinks so too! He said it's one of the things he first noticed about her when they first met."
Bella blushed, causing the esthetician to laugh.
"Well, you are very lucky to have such perfect skin. If everyone had your skin I would be without a job."
The esthetician started to gently exfoliate Bella's skin, and quickly followed with a facial massage, her warm hands using gentle and light gliding strokes over Bella's face and down her neck and upper shoulders. Bella sighed in pleasure as she felt the tension fading away.
"Are you okay over there?" Bella heard Alice asking from where she was sitting having her nails buffed.
"Mm-hmm…" was the only reply Bella gave as the esthetician then applied a cool facial mask to Bella's face and placed two cucumber slices on Bella's eyes. The esthetician left to allow the mask to do its work and allow Bella to relax. Bella lay there quietly as she listened to Alice and Rosalie talk as the manicurists started painting their nails.
"Come on Rosalie, you can tell me. What's the most embarrassing thing you've made Emmett do to get back on your good side?"
"Alice! A wife isn't supposed to reveal those kinds of things to anyone! That's sacred information!" Rosalie said with a smile on her face, clearly not at all opposed to sharing embarrassing information about her mate.
"No it isn't! It's information stored away for use at a later date, such as when you're at a day spa with your mother and sisters. So start talking!"
"Okay, but this doesn't go any further than this room, got it?"
Alice was going to clap her hands but realized just in time her nails were being painted and restricted herself to a single, "Okay!"
"I made Emmett sing 'Y.M.C.A.' on karaoke night at a gay nightclub dressed as the cowboy in the Village People."
"What? Why didn't I ever see this? When did this happen and where?" screamed Alice as Rosalie scowled at her, telling her to keep it down. Esme was trying to hide her smile behind her hand.
"It was 1978 and you and Jasper were in Denali at the time while Emmett and I drove to New York City for a long weekend. It rained the whole weekend and I had such a time keeping dry. When we were walking back to the hotel Emmett thought he'd be funny and had us walk under an archway where water was pouring down, saying the umbrella could withstand the water weight. Well, guess what? It didn't. The umbrella crumbled and so did my hair! You know how I am about my hair! Emmett tried apologizing but I refused to listen. Finally, I told him if he took me to a karaoke bar and sang a song for me in front of everyone, I would forgive him. He jumped at the chance, until I told him he had to wear the cowboy costume and that it would be at a gay nightclub. The only thing that made him not back out was he knew it was the only way I would let him off the hook. When we got there I saw four other men dressed up like the Village People and asked them to sing the song with Emmett. They took one look at my Emmett and were only too happy to oblige." Rosalie laughed at the memory.
"Finally it was their turn to sing. They made Emmett march up the stairs before them so they could ogle his cute little bum and then the music started and my Emmett started singing with the rest of the guys. You should have seen his face when the biker guy pinched his bum!"
There was silence for five seconds before Alice, Rosalie and Esme started laughing uncontrollably. Bella herself was holding her sides as she laughed, her eyes starting to tear under the cucumbers. She couldn't get the image of Emmett singing in cowboy getup out of her mind.
Alice called over to Bella, "Bella, if you smile any wider you're going to crack the facial mask." This of course set Bella off laughing even harder.
The manicurists were trying to remain professional but even they had smiles on their faces.
Bella continued to laugh quietly on the massage table, waiting for the esthetician to return. She reappeared a few minutes later and started removing the cucumbers from Bella's eyes. Then she gently removed the facial mask with the warm, wet towels she had brought to her workstation. Once she had removed all traces of the facial mask she thoroughly moisturized Bella's face, neck and shoulders and then led all four women to the relaxation room where they sat on oversized chairs. A spa attendant came in with a pot of tea and poured each of the women a cup of the sweet brew. Esme, Rosalie and Alice pretended to 'drink' their tea while Bella sipped at hers and thought about what treatment she wanted to try next.
Alice was looking over the "menu" of services offered by the facility. "Ooh, Bella, this one sounds interesting. 'No visit could be complete without platza, a traditional Russian spa treatment that entails being lightly beaten by oak branches soaked in olive oil soap.' How about that one? Ooh, ooh, wait! What about a hot stone massage? 'Heated river stones are skillfully used with massage strokes, adding a unique enhancement to the overall massage experience. It doesn't get any better than this!' That one sounds good!"
Rosalie and Esme were looking at Alice with slightly incredulous looks on their face, while Bella calmly continued to sip her tea.
"I don't think so, Alice. Getting slapped around with branches is not my idea of a relaxing spa treatment. And hot rocks on my back just doesn't do anything for me other than make me say "ouch!"
"Bella, why must you always be so difficult?" Alice said as she rolled her eyes.
"Difficult?" Bella asked incredulously. "Your skin is like granite, mine isn't. It will be just my luck my back will end up scratched and possibly bleeding, not a good thing around vampires. And the hot stones? Can you say "third degree burn" because I just know if it can happen, it will happen to me!"
Esme thought it was time to interrupt before things escalated. "Alice, dear, Bella is right. We don't know how it feels for her. I think we should let her decide on what she feels would be relaxing for her."
"Oh, alright!" Alice huffed before sweetly asking Bella, "So, Bella, which would you prefer, the all-intense Swedish massage, the relaxing deep tissue massage, or the aromatherapy massage?"
Bella was looking over the descriptions of each of the massages before cheekily replying, "I'll go with the Aromatherapy massage." Bella looked up and winked at Alice. "I think I can handle '30 minutes of pure relaxation with a massage that incorporates relaxing movements to reduce stress and ease the body while incorporating essential oils blended to suit you.' Bella noticed Alice smiling smugly and a thought occurred to her.
"Hey, that's not fair. You already knew what I was going to pick, didn't you?"
Alice nodded triumphantly. "You bet I did. Sorry, Bella, I had to let you feel like you're part of the decision making process here."
Bella shook her head slowly. "Right..."
After Bella had her massage (where she had at one point fallen asleep) and eaten a light lunch, the girls decided to take advantage of the huge hot tubs. Alice and Esme were mindful that Bella and Rosalie needed to spend some quality time together so they opted to jump into one of the hot tubs a few feet away while Bella and Rosalie stepped into the hot tub nearest the huge windows overlooking a conservatory filled exotic flowers and large trees.
Bella moaned as she stepped into the hot tub with the jets blowing all around. "Oh, gosh, this feels so good!"
Rosalie gave a little sigh as she sat down opposite Bella. "You can say that again."
"Oh, gosh, this feels so good!"
Rosalie opened one eyed and replied, "Smart ass..."
"You know, Rosalie, I'm getting to know a completely different side of you, one I never realized existed." Bella said as she sank lower into the warm water with her eyes closed as she let the water jets work their magic. "This feels so good…"
"Well, that's not surprising, seeing as we are so much alike…" replied Rosalie who was leaning her head back against a small pillow an attendant had placed behind her head.
Bella's eyes popped open as she sat up straight in the Jacuzzi, surprised by Rosalie's response. "Excuse me, did I hear right? You just said that we're alike?" Bella asked incredulously.
"Oh come on, Bella. You can't be totally surprised." Rosalie had sat up as well and was carefully watching Bella's face.
Bella met Rosalie's gaze and raised her eyebrows in response. "Actually, I am very surprised. Would you care to elaborate?"
Rosalie laughed out loud. "Bella, don't look so stricken. You act as if I've accused you of something terribly bad. Have I really been that awful to you?"
"Well, you and I haven't exactly been what you could call "bosom-buddies." For most of our relationship you've ignored my existence, while I did my best to stay off your radar. I think of any two people, you and I would have the greatest differences. I don't get how you could think we're alike."
"Don't you see, Bella? It's not the differences but the similarities that I've always had issues with."
"What are you talking about, Rosalie?" Bella asked, confused as to what direction this conversation was headed.
"Our similarities Bella… Shall I count them for you?" Rosalie asked with an amused look on her face. "Let's start off with the obvious. We're both come from families where we are the only child, just as Edward was an only child. Both of us have issues with self esteem and inherent insecurities." If a vampire could blush, Rosalie would have been lobster red at this point when she continued with her next admission. "I can't believe I'm going to tell you this, but I've always been jealous of you."
"Jealous? Of me?" Bella was stunned, not expecting this comment from Rosalie. "Why? I'm nothing special Rosalie. I'm just plain, ordinary Bella whereas you are drop dead gorgeous, command attention wherever you go and you're absolutely fearless…" Bella's voice trailed away as she looked down at the water.
"That's not true, Bella. You are beautiful." She stopped as she noticed the look of disbelief on Bella's face. "Okay, let me rephrase that. You are not as beautiful as I, but you have a quiet beauty that draws men like moths to a flame. Most of the male student body at Forks High would agree. My brother most definitely does!" Bella's expression hadn't changed, which made Rosalie huff, "I can see Edward is right. You really don't see yourself clearly."
"I'm sorry, Rosalie, but it's just hard for me to think that way about myself. All of you are so beautiful and then look at me."
"Okay, then let's agree to disagree and we'll revisit this issue at a later date." Rosalie laughed as she lay her head back again against the pillow.
It was quiet for about 5 minutes as each of them reflected on Rosalie's admission, but Rosalie was not yet finished. She felt she needed to get this out, so Bella would understand where she was coming from, and vice versa.
"You're one of the most courageous persons I've ever met, vampire or human, although I must say I've always thought you can't possibly be playing with all your marbles if you can spend all your time with vampires, let alone choose to marry one. I can't tell you how pleased I am to know you picked a vampire over the dog." Rosalie chuckled as Bella scowled her diapproval of Rosalie's veiled referenced to Jacob, before continuing, "Actually, there's a lot about you I've always admired, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself or anyone else for that matter. You're extremely loyal. When you feel strongly about something you're not afraid to say so, even if my pig-headed brother disagrees. You can put him in his place, so I have to give you big points for that! And it takes a truly special person to inspire the type of devotion and loyalty that my family has had for you from the very beginning."
"But Rosalie, everything you describe about me, that's you too!" Bella quietly stated as she watched Rosalie fidget in the water.
"That's precisely my point, Bella. Our similarities…" Rosalie responded with a smile, one free of the sarcasm which was usually evident whenever she spoke with or about Bella. "And as I was saying earlier, I was jealous. Not only are you beautiful but you also are the only girl Edward has ever been attracted to, which was a huge blow to my pride considering he never once looked at me the way he looks at you. I mean, how dare he not worship the ground I walk on?" Rosalie joked, smiling to take some of the sting out of the old hurt.
Bella smiled in understanding as she waited for Rosalie to continue. She could see Rosalie struggling with whatever it was she wanted to say next. Rosalie took a deep breath and blew it out.
"And then there was how easily everyone welcomed you into the family. Esme took to you right away, immediately protective of you. Carlisle had no reservations about trusting you with our secret. You and Alice bonded instantly and your relationship with her was closer than the one I had with Alice and I've known her for half a century!"
Alice and Esme had been listening to their conversation with some concern and decided it was time to join the two in their hot tub.
Alice turned to Rosalie. "Rosalie, I've always felt like you were my sister. Even though we're different, I took to you from the very beginning."
"I know Alice, but our relationship is different from yours and Bella's. With her you do all types of human things, things you never considered asking me to do with you."
"Oh, Rosalie, I'm sorry. I just never thought…" Alice trailed off, uncertain how to respond.
Rosalie looked at Bella. "There are times when I think you fit in better with the Cullen family than I do." She gave a short laugh. "And if all that wasn't enough, there you were, human Bella Swan, ready to give up the one thing I desperately wished with all my heart: to be mortal again."
Bella, Esme and Alice couldn't believe everything Rosalie was revealing. Had she always been so insecure?
Rosalie continued oblivious to the reactions around her. "The first time I ever felt some sort of connection to you was after Edward told us how you'd almost been attacked in Port Angeles. I was relieved he'd been able to save you from my fate. If only I'd had someone to save me the night I was attacked…" she shook her head to clear the memory. "I was so ready to hunt down those monsters who tried to attack you and I would have if Emmett and Carlisle hadn't stopped me!"
Bella reached out and squeezed Rosalie's hand. She was grateful when Rosalie smiled and squeezed her hand back.
"Even though I was still afraid you would expose us if Edward continued to see you, I might have been more accepting if I hadn't learned you were so eager to give up the one thing I desperately wish for even to this day, the only thing I've ever wanted to have back, mortality. The chance to be human again... What I wouldn't give to be able to sleep at night and dream once more. To not be afraid to get too close to a human for fear they will notice how unnaturally cold I am. Or to be able to give Emmett a child, a child we would both love and protect with our lives. Or be able to spend year after year with Emmett going through life's changes. Can you imagine Emmett with gray hair and a paunchy belly and me with crow's feet and love handles?"
Everyone shared a much needed laugh at this point, picturing in their minds what a fat and graying Emmett and Rosalie would look like. It wasn't easy.
"None of these things can happen to an immortal frozen in time. All the things you're so willing to give up…"
"Rosalie, I know you don't agree with my decision. You never have, but I respect that and I do understand where you're coming from. You know, not all of us want the things you want. I don't come from the same era as you where a girl's dream was to marry young and have lots of babies and take care of a home. I come from a background where marriage caused nothing but heartache and I was taught to avoid it like the plague." Bella paused as she looked at Rosalie, carefully watching for her reaction. Rosalie was calm and it was clear she was listening so Bella continued.
"But, I know you understand what it's like when you meet the one person you can't exist without. There is nothing you wouldn't do to be with them, nothing you wouldn't give up. Yes, I may be giving up my mortality, but in exchange I get to spend eternity with the man I love. And I may be giving up the opportunity to have children, but if they can't be Edward's children then I don't want to have them."
"And yet again we share the same similarities because I would make the same choice too." Rosalie replied. "I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to come to that realization. We could have been friends for much longer if I hadn't been what Edward likes to call 'pig-headed'?"
They all laughed at that. Bella shook her head. "No, Rosalie, we would have been sisters for much longer, but that's okay because you have eternity to make it up to me!" Bella said this with a cheeky expression on her face.
"Yes Bella, sister-mine, you'll have forever to regret it!" Rosalie teased in return.
Alice clapped her hands as Esme leaned over to give both Rosalie and Bella a hug and a motherly kiss on the check. "Enough with all this serious talk! We're supposed to be relaxing."
Bella laughed out loud. "In case you hadn't noticed, Alice, I am relaxed. In fact, I'm more than relaxed. I'm puckered!" Bella lifted her arms out of the water to reveal her skin had puckered from the warm water. "And I'm thirsty! What does a girl have to do to get an iced tea around here?" she asked.
Rosalie shook her head. "Bella, little sister, let me show you how it's done." Rosalie lifted one leg from the Jacuzzi just as a young male attendant bent down to lay towels nearby the ladies. She stretched out one long leg as she pushed her chest out and peered up at the young man through her lashes as she asked in a low and husky voice, "Excuse me, but is there any way we could get an iced tea over here to this poor young lady?" The young man's mouth fell open and he dropped what he was carrying as he scurried off to fetch an iced tea.
"Ooh, that was impressive, Rosalie…" chuckled Alice as Rosalie gave her a smug smile. "Very impressive, especially in light of the fact the poor young man bats for the other side, if you know what I mean."
Rosalie's mouth dropped open as Bella started to openly laugh along with Esme.
Rosalie recovered well, joining in the laughter. "Well, when you've got it, you've got it!"
A/N: This was a really tough chapter to write because the relationship between Rosalie and Bella is really complex, but I wanted Bella to see a more playful side of Rosalie, as addition to the two having their heart-to-heart talk. I hope you aren't disappointed with the results! Next up, Jasper and Bella's day. But let me know your thoughts on the Rosalie/Bella chapter. Thanks!