A/N: Surprise! I managed to squeeze another chapter in before I squeeze the baby out. :-)
Many thanks to all those who nominated and voted for this story and "One Weekend" in The Vampies and The Inspired Fanfic Awards.
Also, thanks from me to A + Z, who helped me with my musical frustrations on Twitter Sunday night. All for that one line in this chapter! ATONAU - you are an indispensable treasure. Thank you.
Disclaimer: I do not post this for monetary profit.
Disclaimer: READ THE WARNING EVERYBODY!
WARNING: This chapter contains violent imagery surrounding Rosalie's last night as a human. To any who don't wish to read it, I recommend skipping over Rosalie's italicized dialogue.
~*~ Chapter Sixteen ~*~
Thanksgiving was a blast. Having Billy, Jake and Rachel all in the house made the tiny yellow two-story feel full of laughter and affection. Smells from the food cooking in the kitchen permeated the whole first floor. Bella had prepped the turkey before going to bed the previous night, and Charlie had followed her written instructions to put it in the oven in the morning. Rachel had a kick-ass recipe for homemade cranberry sauce, and Jake made a very simple but tasty glazed carrot dish. It was a different experience than being with the Cullens, since food was never part of the atmosphere quite like this.
Bella enjoyed ganging up with Rachel to tease Jake, and neither girl minded the food that ended up in their hair when he retaliated. When time between cooking allowed it, the three of them played games on the kitchen table while Billy and Charlie watched football in the living room. Rachel was untouchable in Trivial Pursuit.
"Demi Moore," Rachel answered from in front of the stove as she opened the oven to check on the bread cooking alongside the turkey.
"Um, nope, sorry," Jake said in a tone that was anything but. "It says Demi Moop."
"What?" Rachel turned to glare at her brother even as Bella laughed into her hand. "It does not!"
"Demi Moop. No pie piece for you."
Closing the oven door and grabbing the towel that hung there, Rachel whipped it at Jake. "This is not a Seinfield episode." After much banter, Rachel consented to switch to a different word game they could easily play around cooking the food.
As conversation continued, Rachel was able to draw from Bella that her top college choices were Colby, Middlebury, Dartmouth and University of Phoenix. Bella wasn't doing Early Decision, so she still had time to get her applications in. Essays were already written, and at least one teacher had already provided a written recommendation.
When it came time to eat, the food was set up on the counter to leave room for all five to sit at the table. Moving back and forth, they all stuffed themselves and felt very satisfied.
"Charlie," Billy said, seeing him rise from the table again, "you get yourself one more helping and you're going to be too portly to chase down the bad guys."
"That's why I'm chief and can send out the minions to do the chasing. Besides, look who's talking." Charlie set down Billy's plate in front of him, having refilled it, too.
Seeing Billy and Charlie at the table, joking and laughing, made Bella feel warm inside. They got along great, despite the unspoken disagreement between them. Family and friendship really mattered more. Grinning at some wise remark Jacob gave Billy, Bella elbowed him in the side and took a bite of her mashed potatoes.
"Have you found Folmsbee yet?" Billy asked Charlie.
Charlie swallowed the food in his mouth and used a napkin. "Yes, unfortunately. He killed himself. Left a note."
Bella looked over at her father, not expecting the sudden turn of conversation.
"Who are we talking about?" Rachel asked.
Charlie grunted, looking down at his plate. "Ted Folmsbee, a man from our area, broke parole within a week of being released from Monroe."
"He should have stayed locked up," Billy said.
"Might have been better for him if he had."
Jacob asked the question on Bella's mind. "Why? What did he do?"
"Doesn't matter, Jake."
"You brought him up, Dad."
"My mistake."
"You got your Rabbit built yet, Jake?" Bella interrupted what she knew would be another protest from him.
"Uh… almost." At Bella's not-so-subtle hint, Jacob let the topic drop, and soon became very animated in sharing the latest work he had done on his car. "I want to build a motorcycle next."
"Jesus, kid," Charlie closed his eyes and shook his head. "You'll turn my hair white."
(~*~)
Thanksgiving had been just the beginning. Bella starting going through each day feeling somehow lighter at heart. True to her word to Carlisle, not even Edward and Rosalie upset her, though that wasn't entirely due to her own devices. Edward had become less confrontational; in fact, he seemed to keep to the outer edges of the room whenever she visited. Rosalie hadn't really been confrontational to begin with, and Bella found herself liking her more as they had increased opportunities to talk.
The casual affection between Bella and the rest of the Cullen family had somehow grown. A hug of greeting from Esme or Alice had never been out of place, but now Bella found herself more often hugged or touched throughout a visit. It wasn't unusual to elbow Jasper like she would Jake, or receive a playful nudge in return. Maggie might tuck a lock of Bella's hair behind her ear, or Esme might rub her shoulders briefly. It was as if Bella's happy mood translated to the whole house, and some of the stiff formality of vampire mannerisms just dropped.
Alice was over at Bella's house early in December, stretched on her stomach across Bella's bed and flipping through a fashion magazine. Her legs were bent at the knees, ankles crossed in the air. She looked every inch the modern teenager.
"You seem to be getting along well with everyone these days," Alice commented, smiling as she flipped a page.
Bella glanced up from her desk, pencil in hand, textbook and notebooks open. "I suppose so. It's a relief to not be fighting with Edward anymore."
"I'm glad that things have cooled between you two."
Bella shrugged, looking over her textbook again. "He's not that bad."
Alice rolled over onto her back, holding the magazine up. "We can't all be Carlisle."
"What's that mean?" Bella asked with a laugh.
"Just that Carlisle is practically the definition of good," Alice said nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off the pages in front of her. "He's unique among our kind, you know. Other vegetarian vampires got there after a struggle, but Carlisle has never fed on a human. He's the only one, apart from Rosalie." Alice turned a page. "Of course, Carlisle's never killed anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he has saved more lives than Rosalie and Edward have taken. In fact, I'm certain he has."
Huh, Bella thought. I wonder if Carlisle partly feels he needs to try harder to save lives to make up for Edward and Rosalie? I'll have to find a way to ask him. Bella stared at Alice, whose face remained hidden. This was a little bit of an odd subject for her to bring up. "I think very highly of Carlisle, Alice. You know that."
"Of course I do. He's the reason you became part of this family. You spoke with him first, didn't you?" In an almost lightning quick movement Alice lowered the magazine to the bed and sat up. "To get back on topic, you're noticeably happier, and I'm glad to see it. So tell me, when are you going to start thinking about dating?"
"Whoa, Alice." Bella laughed with surprise. "Where is this coming from?"
"I'm trying to give you a little encouraging nudge. You're happier, so I think it's time you stopped holding yourself off from other people as much as you do."
Bella's jaw opened disbelievingly as she protested. "I don't hold myself off."
"Not so much lately, no, and that's good. So why not date? Let a little of your romantic side loose, Bella. At eighteen, you're certainly old enough to be exploring it."
"I'm, um, I'm not ready to be romantic with anyone, Alice." Bella frowned, and her mood changed from surprised reluctance to defensive sarcasm. "Got any candidates, Miss See-the-Future?"
Alice smiled sadly at Bella, and that really threw her off. "It's not easy seeing the future, Bella. Things can always change when someone makes a sudden decision. Certain visions can be very solid, despite other minor choices happening along the way. I generally have more visions of those whom I care about, because that's what I want to focus on. Obviously, I keep almost all of this to myself – since knowing the future can sometimes change it. You, Bella, are really the youngest of us, with so much ahead of you, and I see so many things that can or will happen in your life."
Bella didn't know how to react, or rather, she had too many reactions to focus on just one. The idea that Alice sees so many of Bella's own future events was freaky and scary. That Alice keeps these bottled up inside her, and does probably all the time with everyone in the family, made Bella pity her. Pitying Alice was a new sensation, and an uncomfortable one. Not to mention that Bella's head spun even trying to comprehend the philosophy of speaking about the future changing what will happen.
"I'll tell you this, Bella. I know when you'll have your first boyfriend. I know how soon your first kiss will be, and I know that they are not the same two people. I want these to be healthy experiences for you, so that's why I'm giving you a push to open up and know your heart well enough to not make a mistake."
Bella was silent for a few seconds. "Am I going to make a mistake?"
Alice grinned. "Not that I see, but listening to your heart a bit will help you through some confusion."
"Alright, fine. I've received said nudge. How about we change the topic?"
"Oh, that's easy." A wicked glint came into Alice's eyes as she lifted a corner of her mouth. "I've already given Charlie his Christmas present from me. A promise."
"A promise?"
"Yep." Alice grinned cheekily and tossed the glossy pages on the bed beside her at Bella. Reflexively, Bella blocked with her arms, hands briefly crossing in front of her face. "I'm going to convince you to go to the prom."
(~*~)
Carlisle's date with Beth had been interesting. They'd gone out to dinner because anything less felt disrespectful to Beth, in whose well-being Carlisle was genuinely invested. So he had managed to slowly eat an entrée and sip water. Their conversation had been good, at first focusing on Duncan, but then gradually shifting to Alan. The memories spoken of her dead husband were natural and unintrusive, but soon became a lot more frequent. A stutter mid-sentence showed Carlisle that Beth realized this. She didn't bring him up again, and while the rest of the evening passed pleasantly, there was sadness in her eyes.
It was still a nice evening out for both of them, and parting ways at the end Beth and Carlisle each felt mutually satisfied that it would not happen again. Carlisle had found an opportunity after the meal when the gentlemen's rest room was unoccupied to expel the human food. It was not a façade that he enjoyed, but one he had frequently experienced over the centuries of assimilating into human society. If a serious relationship with Beth had become a possibility, he would have had to keep up the façade more frequently.
The coven in Alaska might be able to regularly indulge in physical relationships with human men, but Carlisle doubted the ladies ever revealed their true nature. Not only would it violate Volturi law – a thing the women had bitter experience with in the past – but Carlisle didn't think they kept one man around frequently enough for him to become suspicious. It spoke a little of the double standard between men and women. As a gentleman, Carlisle could never treat a woman the way those in Alaska treated their men. Feigning humanity for a relationship was an added burden he did not want on his conscience.
There was really only room for one human in his life. Carlisle looked at Bella, who was comfortably settled beside him on the couch as she chatted with everyone. Bella knew the truth and Carlisle had always trusted her with it, even though he had strongly feared for her safety in the beginning. He shouldn't get too lax with that. Bella was very ensconced with his family, and she was still in danger should the Volturi ever find out and decide to act. Watching her laugh with Maggie, tilting her head back as her face lit up with humor, Carlisle knew that he would do anything to protect her. He tightened the arm he had around Bella, giving her an affectionate squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled.
Abruptly, Edward left the room, Alice and Jasper both watching him. Soon Salieri could be heard coming from the pounding strings of the Steinway.
"It's nice to have him here playing again," Esme commented. Beside her on the loveseat opposite the other four, Maggie nodded.
"I enjoy it," Bella answered. Unseen in the other room, Bella's words made Edward smile.
"Edward's music has always been one of my favorite things about our home," Esme continued.
"Does he play when he's not at home?"
"He finds opportunities," Rosalie answered as she entered the room. She stopped in the center of it, and lowered her gaze to Bella beside Carlisle on the couch. "We can hardly be constantly transporting a baby grand as we move around, and a keyboard is too inelegant for our Edward. Yet, every once in awhile he manages to find himself at a public piano, or to buy something small that we end up leaving behind. The piano purchases are rare, since we don't wish to be traced by any sort of pattern once we depart."
"Are you fairly nomadic?" Bella asked before thinking. She had grown relatively comfortable with Rosalie, but for a moment she feared that she was stepping on dangerous ground.
"We have to be. Apart from not wishing to get caught, we don't wish to miss opportunities to stop a more dangerous element somewhere else. Sometimes we keep track of a 'person of interest' left behind in another city, just in case."
"Interesting choice of words," Bella commented, and decided to smile. "You almost sound like a cop."
"Well, Bella, you should be interested. I've been doing my job keeping tabs on a certain criminal I arranged to be caught. One of your attackers has just been released from jail."
Bella stiffened, the smile sliding off her face. There was silence as no one said a word. Edward appeared in the doorway.
"That would be the fair one?" Bella finally spoke, sliding the foot she'd been sitting on out from underneath her.
"'Fair'? The guy's a creep, but yes, it would be the lighter-colored one. Clifford Pendleton. He only had a record for petty theft. This state has a short jail term sentence, but he managed to get it extended by being mouthy to the judge at his hearing."
Without paying attention to what she was doing, Bella slowly rose, blinking, and began to pace a little.
"What would you like me to do about him, Bella?"
Bella turned to Rosalie. "What did you just ask me?"
Rosalie took a step forward. "Would you like me to kill him for you?"
"No, of course not!" Bella exclaimed and Carlisle was soon standing with her, his hand on her shoulder in support.
"Rosalie, what on Earth are you up to?"
"I'm not up to anything, Carlisle. I'm just keeping Bella informed."
"Then she should be fully informed." Edward stepped in. "Clifford Pendleton only had a record for petty theft because that's mostly what his crime life had extended to prior to meeting Alonzo Calderas. Even then, he didn't rape their victim."
"Oh no, just kept her in place." Rosalie's upper lip rose in a snarl as she spoke. "Fully informed, Edward. Didn't Cliff intend to rape our Bella that night?"
Bella's eyes had been going back and forth between the two of them, and now they darted to Edward. His expression was pained as he looked at Bella and nodded. "Yes."
"Then he deserves to die. Your jail cell held him for a little while, Bella, but now he's out."
"Is he going to come after me?" Bella's voice almost trembled, but not quite. Carlisle's hand tightened on her shoulder.
"He doesn't know you, Bella," Alice said from the now half-empty couch. "He might remember your face, but he doesn't know enough about you to come after you. He wouldn't anyway. You were just in his path the moment Alonzo led him to it. If he even thinks about you again, it would probably be with a little fear, since Jasper and I spooked him."
"So I'm safe, then?"
"Safe? Safe!" Rosalie's voice escalated before she drew a breath and started over again. "You think you're so safe. All of you women nowadays, you suffer under this illusion that you can't be touched, no harm will come to you. Being the daughter of a police officer didn't keep you from being grabbed in Port Angeles.
"I see this so much when I'm in the city. Women being careless, not taking precautions. So foolish! Is it any wonder that there are so many victims? Women today are lucky that more of them aren't being hurt. They've lost their sense of self-preservation."
"That's crazy!" A defensive nerve had been touched in Bella, and she welcomed the distraction from Clifford. "Women are capable of taking care of themselves. We're not pre-made victims. Men get hurt just as much."
"Yes, Bella, men are victims, too. I know. I've seen it, but women are much easier to hurt. They always have been."
"Rosalie does have a point," Esme said, and Bella turned to look at her in surprise. "A woman had very few rights in my time. She had no choice but to obey her father and her husband. Even when she was hurt. It was my duty to be Charles's wife. It didn't matter what he did to me."
Bella trembled, and Carlisle's hand moved in a single soothing stroke on her shoulder and upper arm. Bella hadn't known this about Esme's past. Just how much don't I know? she wondered. "I'm sorry, Esme."
"I've been alive a long time, Bella," Maggie said. "A woman being hurt, sexually abused - it was just a matter of course. Something all women expected to happen to them or someone they knew. That has most definitely changed since the advent of Women's Liberation. There's more awareness in the courts, there's more fighting back. Women don't expect it to happen to them anymore, though it does. So in a way, Rosalie is both right and wrong."
"Thanks for the support, ladies, even if it is double-edged. Since I'm out in it nearly every day, I'm comfortable with my own conclusions."
Bella wasn't convinced, but she said nothing. What could she say against all the unknown experiences of the women in the room with her?
"In my time we were more aware of the fragility of being women," Rosalie continued. "I was foolish to think I was an exception. After all, I was Rosalie Hale, fiancée of Royce King – who would dare touch me? It wasn't even a possibility."
An unexpected change came over Rosalie. Her face lost expression, and Bella noted that her eyes seemed to acknowledge a realization before they lost focus.
"'Show him what you look like, Rose!'" she whispered, startling everyone. Edward made an almost indiscernible half step toward Rosalie, but then stopped. Rosalie continued on, verbalizing what she was unable to not see. "Royce wrenches my hat off. The pins pull on the roots of my hair and I cry out from the unexpected pain. He is pulling at me, and I resist, but my heel breaks from the awkward force on it. I stumble on my coat buttons scattered at our feet. As I lose my balance Royce pushes me, right into the arms of his friend, John.
"He's as tall as me and his breath stinks of liquor. He paws at the coat Royce left dangling from my shoulders, finishing its removal and I slap at him. It does me no good; he is stronger. I don't want him touching me, invading my space. Panic makes me struggle harder to get away. I manage to scratch his face, but I can't escape. The friends have moved in, laughing and catcalling. There are many hands holding me, pinching, ripping my clothes. I tell them no, to stop touching me, but my words don't matter to them. I try to scratch again, but I am blocked. Royce has grabbed hold of my wrist.
"'Aw, Rose, don't be like that. You and I are just going to celebrate our wedding night a little early – with friends.' Anchoring with his other hand, Royce pulls back hard on my wrist. There is a loud snap and pain runs up my arm and into my eyes, blinding me. I scream."
It was like humans watching a train wreck. A disaster was occurring before their eyes, and no one could move or speak to change it. None of the Cullen family had ever heard Rosalie speak aloud of what had happened to her that night, and all stared at her, almost transfixed. Only Edward seemed to have any expectation of the words to come.
"For a few seconds I can't see what they are doing to me as I'm held helpless. I can feel the touching, the licking, the yanking back of my hair. I can't move my right hand. Suddenly Royce pulls me and turns me around, pushing me down to my knees. It jars my wrist and I scream from the pain again as John grabs my head.
"Something is shoved into my mouth, fleshy and hard and it hurts. I can barely breathe. I struggle to move, try to cry out, but I'm held still. What's left of my ripped skirt is shoved to my waist and Royce pushes his fingers into the exposure between my legs. I keep struggling, keep trying to scream. Someone has taken my left hand, bending it back and pressing a clothed bulge against my palm.
"'Take it, Rose; you were made for this,' Royce says. John's hands tighten and he is pushing harder. The corners of my jaw hurt from being forced so wide. It hurts inside me where Royce is poking and pulling. Then I'm choking; something is filling my throat and I gag on it.
"The men cheer. John steps away and I spit out what I can of the slime in my mouth. My hand is let go of. I only barely start to curse and shout when Royce shoves me forward onto my stomach. My arms move to break my fall, but not in time. My right hand is useless. My flesh is scraped and cut against the ground. Royce grabs my hips and turns me over. Hands are holding me down at the shoulders and someone straddles my chest even as Royce lifts my hips and shoves inside me. Another is forced into my mouth. I try to bite, but I can't. My mouth is freed only long enough for my face to be hit. It's so hard my head rolls to the side, then to the other side as a second strike comes. I'm having trouble seeing out of my left eye, and my face has blood and tears running down it. I am not sure how long I've been crying.
"I'm hurting everywhere. My wrist is broken, my hips and arms are bruised, my skin cut. I can barely breathe from the pressure on my chest. Royce and his other friend keep pounding to the cheers of John and the rest, until again my mouth is full of stickiness. Only this man pulls back to shoot some into my eyes and over my face. They all laugh.
"I can breathe better when he gets off of me. Royce is yanking me up again, not caring that it hurts me. He is still inside me, but he grabs my backside and spreads me open. 'Come on, Beau!' he laughs.
"'No,' I manage to say through my raw throat. I don't see Beau when he settles behind me and-"
"Stop, Rosalie!" Carlisle shouted.
He stood behind Bella, his hand tight on her shoulder. Across the room Esme was hunched over, physically weeping though tears could not fall. Maggie had her arms around her mate's shaking shoulders, and she pressed soothing kisses to her temple. Jasper likewise had his arms around Alice, both of their expressions mirroring grief.
Carlisle's raised voice had broken the spell. Rosalie's mouth closed with an audible clunk. If Bella noticed Rosalie's eyes shut painfully and fingers curl into her palms, she didn't care as she ran from the room. She found her way to the toilet and barely managed to get the seat up before she was regurgitating into the bowl. Her body rejected the contents of her stomach even as her mind tried to reject the images put there. Bella could almost feel the invasion of her space, the invasion of her body. It was an illusion, but her right wrist ached as it clung to the bowl opposite her left. Bella spilled and spilled until there was nothing left to expel.
Breath heaving, Bella sank to the floor of the bathroom and cried. Within an instant, Carlisle was on the floor with her, arms around her. She pressed her face against him and cried until she couldn't anymore. He soothed and held onto her, never letting go.
(~*~)
It was not a terribly overcast day, and Alice and Jasper stayed home from classes. At that moment there were clouds covering the sky and Bella welcomed them. She was still in a haze from the previous night as she walked across the lot after school. Carlisle had been angry with Rosalie. Bella had never seen him that way before, had never heard him yell. Truthfully, his few shouts had barely registered through to her on the bathroom floor, but she could acknowledge now what she'd heard.
Bella had wanted to leave, and it was a sentiment Carlisle echoed, though he felt that she was too shaken to drive. Edward had volunteered to drive her back in the truck, but Carlisle had immediately vetoed. Bella protested that she could drive herself, but it hadn't taken much for her to consent and let Carlisle drive her home. They'd been silent at first, until Bella just gave in, and leaned her head against his shoulder. His right arm had lifted, tucking her in against his side. He'd murmured comfort and apologies the rest of the way.
When he'd dropped her off, Carlisle got out of the truck and gave her back the keys. Then he'd hugged her. "Everything will be alright, Bella." Placing a long kiss on the top of her head, he'd stepped back and lifted her chin. She'd stared into his eyes, knowing that he was leaving, knowing that she had needed him badly and he'd been there. "Be sure to drink some water, okay? Take a glass with you to bed."
It'd made Bella smile, and she'd nodded in agreement before he vanished from her sight and she went inside the house.
Thinking about that now as she reached her truck, Bella smiled again.
She didn't see it coming.
She just felt herself grabbed. The parking lot and trees smeared before her watering eyes as she was carried away.
A/N: This is the darkest chapter you will see in "Moonlit."
I hope that this chapter unsettled you enough to understand Bella's reactions, but not enough to leave you unhappy after reading it. I don't read or watch things like I wrote in this chapter, because I am personally too disturbed by it. I didn't finish reading "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," though I saw the movie, fast-forwarding over the scene I knew was coming. I loved Mystic River, and tell my husband he should see it, but I probably won't watch it with him. I still have nightmares about The Kite Runner. I hope that what I've written isn't disturbing to that degree - but is slightly more serious than a Nora Roberts romance thriller (which I love to read). I thank those of you who read the chapter in full, and I fully support those of you who chose to skip over Rosalie's flashback.
I have already started Ch. 17, but I really don't think it's likely that will be finished before baby comes. I can absolutely guarantee that Ch. 18 won't post before then. ~wink~
Between the happy beginning, the dark ending, and all the hints of what's to come, I'd be interested in knowing what you thought. In the meantime, take care, and I'll be around to post again...sometime.
Next Chapter. . . we find out who snatched Bella and why . . . and later we'll see Bella get her first kiss.