Disclaimer: Twilight's still not mine, folks. Sorry :P

AN: I'm still pretty blown away that there are so many of you who are enjoying this. Esmalie seems to get the least attention out of all of the Twilight Femslash couples. I love it. So sorry for the wait, and without further ado...

She figured it out, just like that. Skipping completely over the boys, completely over Edward's human who I was ready to throw myself under the bus about, and just...figured it out.

I shouldn't have expected any less, really. For me to have hidden it this long with her natural perception and mother's instincts was more than I should have hoped for. But that didn't make the fear bubbling in my stomach dissipate. I watched her eyes closely, frozen, waiting for a reaction other than shock. She seemed to be lost inside her head, her eyes focused on nothing, her hand hesitating over her mouth before she lowered it, leaning back from me. It was only ever so slightly, but the distance she put between us was enough to make my chest feel tight again.

I didn't know what to say. How could I explain to her these decades of longing? I was tired of holding it in, yes, but I wasn't sure how she'd handle the truth. Would she be hurt? Would she pity me? I couldn't stand the thought of either. What have you done, Rosalie Hale?

In my indecision, she seemed to have cleared her mind enough to respond. Our eyes met, and while hers were unreadable I was certain mine held more fear than I wanted to show. She confirmed this as her face softened and she spoke gently.

"Oh, Rosalie," she paused. "How long have you felt this way? Why didn't you tell me? I thought you knew that I meant it when you could come to me with anything. No matter the subject."

A sigh passed my lips as I turned away from her to gaze out the window again. This is our chance! The beast seemed to scream. She asked us to tell her! But I knew it wasn't that simple. Her shock and hesitance had broken through my hard exterior, and I could tell she was putting on a warm front to keep the conversation from falling apart. My eyes flitted from tree to tree as if they could give me the answers I so desperately needed. My mind and my heart were at war—one which my head normally won, but the beast had other ideas now that the opportunity had presented itself.

I ran through my options in my head, rationalizing the facts and trying to regain some semblance of the shell I normally wrapped myself in. She had only whispered the truth, meaning others likely had not heard. They would only know something was wrong, and that I had been keeping it from her. If I could somehow get out of this, I could go on with dignity around the others. I'm sure Edward would have a field day without any of the others knowing the wiser, and I certainly didn't need nor have the tolerance for anything else.

I drew in a deep, unnecessary breath to steady my voice as I paced closer to the windows. I could feel her eyes following me, though she made no move to follow.

"I don't think this is something we should be discussing here; not with this company." My voice was tight, and left no room for compromise. She shifted a bit on the bed, turning towards me as I saw in the reflection of the window.

"No, you're probably right," she replied softly. There was something in her voice which I couldn't discern, either pity or sadness—I loathed the thought of either. "Would you like to take a walk?" I shook my head slightly.

"I need some time, Esme," I replied distantly, my eyes focused on the forest before me. The air in the room was both empty and tense at the same time, urging me to leave. She nodded and rose from the bed, walking towards me with her arm raised as if she were going to touch my shoulder as she so frequently did. She hesitated halfway, however, and nodded again, as if to herself.

"Let me know," she trailed off before turning to leave.

The sound of the door shutting seemed to echo in my stomach, leaving it knotted, and that choking feeling swelled in my throat again. All at once I wanted to scream and disappear into silence. I have to get out, I thought to myself. I have to get out.

I ignored the small cries of concern as I stumbled through the doors into the back yard, Emmett following quickly as he insisted I stay.

"Please, Rose!" He cried out, jogging towards me, his eyes dark with concern. "Just talk to me! Tell me what's wrong!" He was too close. Much too close. I had to get out, and I had to be alone.

"No, Emmett, I can't! Please just let me go on a walk alone, I'll be home later on, I just need to go."

I had tried to explain that I'd be back soon, that I needed to go out for the night, but it ultimately backfired when he, too, confronted me about my avoidance. It was too much for one night. I couldn't even begin to imagine if he figured things out, too. But he was scared, feeling me pull away, and he wouldn't let me go no matter how much I said I'd return.

I saw my "siblings" lined up behind him, out of the corner of my eye. I didn't dare make eye contact with any of them—they all could see what was happening. Edward could hear the conflict in my head clear as day with my hard exterior gone. Alice had seen my decision, of course. And Jasper could feel my distance from Emmett growing. Carlisle stood a bit behind them, looking on in concern, and Esme was by his side, albeit awkwardly. I could nearly feel the concern rolling off of her, as if I had borrowed Jasper's gift for a moment.

"I don't understand, Rose! I thought we were mates! I thought we could tell each other everything..."

I shook my head at him, nearly unable to speak. My vision burned with venomous tears that would never fall.

"Emmett, please," I begged, feeling the last of my strength cracking. I turned to leave, bolting towards the trees. I couldn't break down; not here, not now.

It was then that he made possibly the single dumbest move in his existence.

I absolutely lost it. He grabbed me by the arm and tried to stop me, pulling me back towards the house. I rounded on him, eyes pitch and teeth bared. The rumbling in my chest cut short and Emmett froze, however, when a noise of sheer protective rage split across the yard, stunning everyone into silence.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen, you unhand her right. Now."

AN: And this is where I need your help, dear readers. I'm having some trouble deciding whether I want this to be a slow burn or if something in Esme should snap and bring things to the surface quickly. I originally planned for this fic to be about 10 chapters, but if it's a slow burn I'm going to give it however long it needs. Let me know in the reviews what you think, and thank you so so much for all the feedback so far. It means a lot to know someone out there's listening.