SoG
Chapter 8: Keeping up with the Cullens
To be completely honest, Emmett didn't fully understand Alice's gift sometimes. He trusted it, only because he trusted her, but there were times when it could be confusing. It was alright though; Alice herself didn't fully grasp it either.
"Maybe that's how it's meant to be?" He had offered once, long ago, as they walked back home through the forest at a human pace, the snow not a bother to either of them.
"I suppose." She had frowned, her elvish features contorting smoothly. "I mean, it does depend on people's decisions, but even if I focus on one single person and one single choice, I have to accept that external factors can change it."
He thought about it for a few seconds.
"So, you could predict that someone tomorrow is gonna go to the movies, but you can't predict some guy accidentally dropping a piano on them?"
She tried not to giggle.
"I guess." She paused for a millisecond, then added: "Although, every rule has an exception, right? So I do think there's some inevitable things, and maybe what changes it's the way they come."
That particular conversation had come back into his mind years later, the day Alice first saw Belén Williams.
They had been preparing for a game of baseball with their cousins, back in the nineties, when she gasped, dropping the ball and going very still.
Everyone rushed to her, Jasper arriving first and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"What is it?" Rose had asked, characteristically impatient when it came to Alice's and Edward's gifts. She hated being left in the dark.
The bronze haired Cullen smiled. It was a strange smile, both happy and bitter.
"You're a triad." He had said, looking at Rose, then Emmett.
"A what?"
Carlisle saw it fit that they returned home at that moment. Emmett didn't even care about wasting the perfect opportunity to play; he wanted to know what Eddie meant.
It was only once all the vampires settled around the Cullen's big living room that the head of the family explained to them about, as he put it, "the non-traditional ways of mating" of their species.
The dark-haired vampire had been shocked yet elated at the news of a second mate. Alice was quick to announce that, as far as she could see, Belén she had called her, was barely a toddler.
"I believe she's maybe three years old." She had said, having set herself into the girl's future after the initial vision. "At first I saw her as one of us, but I think you'll meet her as a human."
Rosalie hadn't been that happy.
She stormed out of the house.
Edward opened his mouth, but Emmett shook his head. He didn't want to know what was going on through his wife's mind; he'd talk to her and figure it out on his own.
'Like a regular person. 'he thought without malice.
His older brother accepted this with a simple nod, and in a flash, Emmett was gone too.
He had known, for a long time, that Rosalie had had some feelings deeper than mere friendship towards a certain young woman back when she was still human, back to during those brief years as a vampire when they had yet to meet.
It took her a few years to lend this piece of her to him. Apparently, only Edward knew, and that was by accident, since back then she didn't know how to conceal her thoughts from him.
Emmett hadn't judged her, he hadn't cared. He just sat and listened as Rose told him of the closest thing she had known to true love before her violent change.
"Royce had an older sister, just three years his senior." She had smiled to herself. "Mary was everything a woman shouldn't be, so it was no wonder she and her brother couldn't be in the same room without shedding blood."
Truly, Emmett felt sad that Rose never got a chance to love Mary. Everything that didn't happen, it was from a distance. Just longing looks when no one was watching, accidental touches and fantasies behind closed eyes, deep into the night, when the sky was at its darkest and it could better hide her truth.
Rose told him once that she had made peace with the impossibility of her and Mary King.
"So, what's the real issue here?" He asked her one day, months after Alice's reveal.
Everyone kept tip-toeing around Rose, trying not to ask questions or mention the girl. Just a few weeks prior, he heard Esme asking Alice if she knew what sort of things Belén liked. She wanted to be ready for her, apparently.
"Well, as of now, she likes rabbits and the Power Puff Girls." His sister had said. "She also likes naps and sucking her thumb."
"Oh, right. She's too young yet."
Alice giggled.
"You can prepare a room accordingly already, I guess, but I don't think her adult version will like it."
Alice saw him walk into the kitchen and told him her visions had changed.
"Last month, I saw her as one of us at thirty years old, but now she looks a little older."
And before that she had seen her as an eternal sixteen year old.
Alice's vision kept changing every few weeks, but so far, it all seemed to lead Belén to immortality.
Rosalie wasn't happy about it. She had taken to spending more and more time outside.
He found her sitting at the top of a tall tree, staring into the foggy night.
"You know what the real problem is, Emmett." She spoke quietly through a clenched jaw.
"Yeah," he nodded. "But I feel like you need to say it out loud. You know, get it out of your system."
Rosalie pushed her body forward and fell. It took less than five seconds, and she was there, standing straight on top of a snow-covered rock.
She looked him in the eye. Hers were black, but Emmett knew she had just fed two days prior.
"We can't destroy her life."
He blinked.
"You know, we haven't even met her yet. We should take it one step at a time, and when the time comes, let her decide on her own."
She pursed her lips, making such a fine line they almost seemed to disappear.
They didn't broach the subject again for many years.
Emmett and Rose knew that Alice kept an eye on Belén, and they knew she told Esme and Jasper about it sometimes, but they didn't want to know.
Once, by accident, Alice let it slip that Belén had been 'finally' trusted to have her own pet.
She had gasped and clapped excitedly, staring off into the distance like a maniac while he casually twisted a deer before sinking his teeth in.
His sister turned to Jasper and Carlisle.
"She's got a kitten." she told them excitedly. There was no need to use a name. Pretty much everyone they knew was a vampire, and animals didn't exactly feel any sort of inclination to approach them. "It's so small and fluffy and she's always on her shoulders."
Jasper smiled tightly at her, but Carlisle remained stoic, although some polite interest could be seen shying into his eyes. She went on to expand and stopped, giving Emmett a side glance.
Emmett waved his hand.
"It's fine." he wiped his mouth with his hand. "I think I'm done anyways. See you back at home."
He left, running down the mountain with big, loud steps. When it came to speed, he was nowhere near as fast as Edward, but yet, he managed to get far enough away in record time.
Emmett sighed as he stopped by his jeep.
Honestly, he wanted to know everything about her, but it didn't feel right to get to know her through Alice. He knew Rosalie wanted to know too, even if she never mentioned her.
He had no trouble waiting for her; it was something to look forward to.
But it was still too soon.
He wasn't so sure moving back to Forks was such a good idea. It wasn't as if they were exactly welcome there, but Carlisle had decided, and Esme jumped on his train soon after, and naturally, Edward did too. Once Edward spoke, it was like the decision had been made for the rest of them.
Rosalie almost argued this, but she bit her tongue at the last moment, holding a glaring competition with Edward before rushing up the stairs to get organized.
"Sometimes I don't understand the two of you." ginger boy said to his brother.
The other vampire crossed his arms. He loved his brother, but he knew where the conversation would go if he followed it, and he wasn't about to let Eddie say anything about Rose. She'd have no trouble putting him back in his place; in fact, something told him she was craving for the opportunity, but he just didn't want a fight at the moment.
"Yeah, well, maybe we just need the last third."
Edward's face soured and Emmett smirked.
It was the first time in years he spoke of their triad, but boy was it worth it at the moment.
After Rosalie saw Belén for the first time, she returned home with a frown on her face and pursed lips.
She had some questions which she didn't voice, but Emmet knew what they were. After all, he had the same questions.
"How can you be so excited for someone you've never met?" "How can you just not question the nature of the bonds that tied them? How could there be such certainty in the importance of her presence in their lives?"
Emmett didn't question it. He had learned long ago to just go with the flow. It avoided headaches.
Rose retreated to the garage, where she spent the entire night working on her car, and he stayed up playing a video game, giving her space to think.
He worried she wouldn't take kindly to one day becoming a vampire, but he also knew it'd be fine in the end, so long as the three of them remained together.
He found it a little funny that the flower shop with the most decent pieces was the one right across the cemetery no less. The best flowers for those who couldn't enjoy them.
He whistled a soft tune as he walked out of one of the two flower shops Forks had and stopped when he saw a figure walking out of the gates across the street.
He frowned. She was distraught.
Emmett whistled, and Belén looked up, her hand tightening around a leash attached to a dog.
"Hey there, Mina."
She managed a small smile as he reached her in a few long steps.
"So now I'm Sailor Venus?"
"I've been thinking about it, still not sure, but for now, yes." he shrugged, looking her up and down.
Her legs were wet and covered in mud, face and eyes red, and he could see the path the now dry tears had left behind.
Yeah, he wasn't about to leave one of his mates alone in such a state, even if the dog beside her was reacting to him wildly, trying to run off and pull off Belén's arm out of its place.
"What are you doing here?" he asked casually.
"Enough!" she said firmly to the dog, and the creature obeyed, sitting slightly behind her.
She looked back up and cleared her throat, those beautiful, mismatched eyes avoiding his ever changing one's.
"I was just taking a walk."
"Taking a walk or crawling through the mud?" He asked, pointing at her legs with the bouquet.
Her cheeks turned red and she lifted her nose.
"I was looking for my dignity."
He laughed shortly.
"And did you find it?"
"Nope. I think it's lost forever."
"Ah, a pity then."
"I'll get used to it."
"I'm sure."
They smiled at each other, but still, Emmett felt some concern eating at him. She seemed lighter then, but there was still something that haunted her.
"Hey," he began, wrecking his brain for some sort of human activity they could take up to, all with the purpose of spending some time with her. Rosalie always said he had a talent for knowing when someone needed him, and he remembered enough of his human life to have long ago come to the conclusion that it was called 'having sisters'. "Wanna get some ice cream?" He truly hoped she'd accept. The longer he stared, the more worried he grew, and he didn't want to leave her all alone in the street.
Belén made a face.
"Uh, not with this cold, thank you. My throat will start hurting; but I'll keep you company if you want."
He laughed awkwardly. There was no way he would be stuffing his face with human food if he could help it.
"Nah, it's fine,…but I can walk you home if you want."
Belén contemplated this for a few seconds before nodding.
"Okay. It's not far anyway."
He gestured with his arm, letting her lead the way. As they passed him by, the dog growled at him, and Emmett stuck his tongue at it.
They walked in silence for the most part, exchanging some comment here and there. She asked about their sociology assignment, which Emmett didn't do because he had an old, recycled one he could turn in, and she told him how hers was mostly ramblings and hoping to god it sounded smart.
All the way, the dog kept growling at him, and Belén kept petting it in the head every time it happened. The animal didn't try to flee, surprisingly, but Emmett kept an eye on it just in case.
He waited in silence by the sidewalk as Belén approached an old house and returned the animal to its owner, and did his best to not listen in on their conversation, although with his enhanced hearing, it proved quite difficult.
They kept walking down the block, soon arriving at another house. It had certainly seen better days. The painting was coming off on several places and the grass was a bit tall. There was no car parked there, so he assumed her dad wasn't home.
"Want some tea or coffee or something?" she asked as they walked in.
"No, thank you." was his polite answer as he cleaned his boots on the carpet.
The inside of the house was not much better. The wallpaper was old, as was the furniture, but the place was quite clean, messy, but clean. The floor creaked with every step, and as he took on Belén's invitation to sit while she went to the kitchen, he couldn't help but look around. The place was filled with pictures. There was a couple who clearly had to be her grandparents, and he briefly wondered if they still lived. There were also several pictures of a young boy throughout several stages, and he assumed that was her dad; in a few of those pictures, he was accompanied by a pretty woman who must've been Belén's mom. On top of the coffee table, there was a picture of an old couple and a toothless, smiling child with mismatched eyes, and he grinned as he gently took it and examined it. Belén couldn't be more than seven in it, and her hair was tied into two braids, but there was still plenty of frizz atop her head. She was wearing a Brats t-shirt and held a cowboy's hat in her hands.
He heard her coming back and looked up at her, an apology for his intrusion on the tip of his tongue.
"That was at the Rural del Prado during easter holiday." she told him, placing a plate with cookies on the coffee table and taking a seat by his side. "It's this thing where there's a lot of smelly farm animals to stare at, and lots of stands and stores with super expensive stuff which of course you can get by half the price anywhere else, and jineteadas…I never liked those." she scrunched up her nose. "They blindfold the horse and tie it to a post, and then a guy, a gaucho, rides it until he falls off." she shrugged. "I never cared for the guys, only the scared horses. Dad didn't like them either, but my grandparents thought it was entertaining. Mate?"
He looked as she poured some hot water into a strange glass with a metal straw, which was full of some green stuff. Even if he had been human, he was definitely not trying that.
"No, thank you." he placed the picture back in place and forced himself to pick up a cookie instead, trying to seem normal.
Belén shrugged and took a sip. He eyed the liquid.
"Is it good?"
"Nah, but you get used to it, and then you become an addict. My mom would get a headache if she went a day without drinking it."
Emmett bit the cookie and forced himself to not make a face.
"She passed away, right?"
It was a small town, and even if his family didn't interact with the other students, they could still hear the gossip. Apparently, her grandfather had been a well liked high school teacher, and it was a small place, so he supposed it'd be natural that something such as a new face would be considered as worthy of interest.
Belén looked down, placing the thermos on the coffee table. She cleared her throat.
"Yeah."
He took a look around at the pictures and began to tie the knots.
"So did your grandparents."
It wasn't a question, but she nodded in answer.
"Did you find them?" he asked gently, slightly leaning forward in the hopes of getting a glimpse of her expression.
It made sense now, why Alice had been so insistent that he go to that specific flower shop. She must've had a vision of the girl in front of him now, and she must've been worried enough to interfere.
"Um,…yeah, yeah, I did."
He remembered going in search of his mother's last resting place not so long ago, and how much he had hated to find it. A part of him, having always felt guilty for not giving his family a complete closure over his disappearance, thought that maybe showing up there would somehow be of help, like showing his mother that she had nothing to worry about, that he was fine and safe and loved.
But he had been met with a grey stone instead, a name, a few numbers and a short message engraved in it, and had realized how stupid it all was. His mother had died not knowing where he was, always wondering, the ache of uncertainty forever present on her chest, and there was no way to change that.
"Did it help?"
He waited while Belén debated internally, staring off into the distance.
"I don't know." she confessed in a murmur. "I still miss her, and if she's out there somewhere, I don't think she can hear me."
"She?"
She seemed embarrassed.
"I, uh, I went looking for my grandparents grave, but I actually wanted to speak to my mom." she took in a deep breath, and suddenly he could smell the tears. Her hands began to shake, and she dipped her head, shaking it briefly in order to make her hair fall over her face and cover it.
Emmett took her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." he assured her. He knew what it was like, knowing you could never see your parents again. He supposed that, at least, Belén's mom had died knowing her daughter was safe, but on the other hand, she died knowing she'd never get to see her grow. There was truly no way to look at it that wasn't completely depressing. "Want to talk about it?"
She peeked at him through her curtain of curls, eyes red from all the crying, and he wished there was a way he could spare her, that he could take the pain away and suffer it in her stead. He had wished the same with Rosalie, but it hadn't worked on her either, and he learnt that all he could do was just listen.
"You promise not to tell anyone?"
He nodded.
She took a deep breath and started talking.
She told him everything.
She was just a child, and then everybody started to drop dead. First her grandmother, then her grandfather, and then her grandfather on her mom's side. Older people died, Emmett knew it of course, but he couldn't deny how sad it was to lose three grandparents in such a short period of time.
However, the worst part was when Belén's mom was diagnosed with cancer in her bones. She was barely fifteen when it happened. Melissa Menendez began a treatment right away, and for a while it seemed to almost work.
She had died the previous year in a hospital bed, while her husband was at work and her daughter in school.
Belén had been pulled out of a math test by a friend of her mother´s who had come to deliver the news and take her to get ready for the funeral.
"And dad hasn't been the same ever since, I can't talk to anyone about it and I have to do everything on my own but everything is so different here and it makes me feel like everything is closing in on me and it's going to crush me, and I just want my mom back." she was already crying, but the last part of the sentence made her break down in sobs that shook her body violently.
Emmett was at a loss for words for once, so he slowly slid closer to her and pulled her into his arms.
Belén's thin arms came to rest against his chest, and she buried her face into the soft fabric and her tears began to stain him.
He held her as tightly as he dared, running a hand through her tangled curls, careful not to pull at the hair. His chin came to rest on top of her head and he patiently waited.
Some time passed, and slowly, Belén went still in his arms. She ran out of tears, and although she began to shiver, she didn't attempt to move out of his embrace.
"You know," he began, "you'll always miss your mom, but eventually, the pain will start to fade, little by little."
"It doesn't feel like it."
"I know, but it will. I'm not saying you'll stop missing her, but you'll learn to make your peace with it." He leaned back a little so he could catch her eyes. "And hey, you can always come to me if you want to talk or cry, or talk and cry."
She smiled lightly then, and pressed her forehead to the side of his chest.
"Only for sad things?"
"Hm?"
She remained quiet for a few seconds.
"Can I only come to you if it's something sad?"
He hugged her tightly to his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"For anything, really."
"...Ok."
When he got back home, he found Rosalie in their bedroom, going over a magazine with a frown on her face.
She looked up when he closed the door, and the annoyance on her face turned into concern.
"Alice said she sent you over to Belén. She said she needed someone." He saw her swallow thickly and licking her lips. "What was it? Is she ok?"
Emmett stared at her. He wondered, briefly, if Rosalie might change her mind if he were to be completely honest with her. Rose seemed to be developing a need to be around Belén at all times, but the moment she left their sight, Rose would go back to all her doubts and remorse.
She wanted Belén to stay with them forever.
She wanted Belén to remain human.
She was having a hard time coming to the realization that it was impossible to have everything, that some things were beyond her control and preference.
"She's just mourning."he said, walking towards her and sitting on the edge of their bed. Rose placed her head against the side of his leg, humming. He ran a hand through her soft locks. "She needs friends right now, Rose."
"She has some, from what I've seen."
"Only friends, at least for now. Or you'll overwhelm her."
"I know."
They sat in silence for some time. Emmett stared at the wall in front of him, worried about Belén, wishing he hadn't left her all alone in that house. He hadn't told Rose everything he had learnt that day, especially not the part where Belén was the one looking after her father and not the other way around, nor the way she had broken down in his arms, sobbing and shaking as he held her. If Rosalie knew, she'd just abandon all sense to go get her, and as much as Emmett would've been inclined to agree, he felt like maybe they should keep their intrusions to a minimum.
He would speak to Carlisle when he got home, ask him about some way to help Mr. Williams with his depression.
For now, he supposed, all they could do was be there for her.
"Alice says everything will be fine." Edward whispered from his bedroom upstairs, no doubt having heard his thoughts. "She sees Belén happy with you two eventually."
Emmett sighed. Of course, he would've preferred it if Belén hadn't had to suffer at all, or Rosalie. In his ideal world, he would take all of their pain and anguish and bear it in their stead, but all he could do instead was sit next to Rose and run his fingers through her hair. All he could do was hug Belén to his chest and let her cry, even if he felt like he wasn't doing anything at all.
"Thanks, Eddie." he said. They might argue all the time, he might be jealous of their triad, and he and Rose might have a tense relationship, but he was still family, and Emmett knew he could count on Edward anytime. He could count with all of them.
As could Belén, when she was ready.
A/N: So, I am alive after all,...barely.
A lot of things have happened since I last updated this story but I guess I made it through? I think?
Am I happy with this chapter? Not really, but I've been having some hard time trying to write lately so I'm going gentle with myself and not overly thinking things. I do want to give you all a good story to the best of my ability but I also wanna enjoy doing it.
I hope everyone is doing ok ? ゚メユ? ゚メユ and I hope you can enjoy this new little chapter.
