Chapter 8 – Road Trip

Living with Alice for more than fifty years and Edward for nearly a century made it easy to do. And it wasn't a complete lie. She did want to go shopping. So she had wandered around the theme park, closer and closer to the entrance, looking for a suitable shop. Unfortunately, in a place such as this, the haute couture shops were nil. When she reached the square where they had entered, Rosalie made her split second decision and headed for the parking lot.

Unlocking the jeep and hotwiring it was a piece of cake for her. She'd worked on his jeep a million times. Getting in, she started the engine and gunned it, scaring a family that was walking down the row behind her, and tore out of the parking lot. It would be a long time before they made her do something so foolishly stupid again. The thought made her grin.

Rosalie knew that by the time they were able to reach the parking lot she would be long gone. Emmett would be furious, and she laughed at what she imagined his expression would be. Taking the freeways at the highest speed she could manage without getting pulled over, she headed toward Bloomington, Minnesota. If you want to shop, the Mall of America is the place to do it.

-

After Emmett was finished with his hissy fit over his wife stealing his jeep, they all looked at Edward's Volvo. There was no way all of them would fit in there. Alice looked at Emmett and Jasper then to the rest of them before scanning the parking lot. "How opposed are you to grand theft auto?" she asked.

Emmett, who's mood was still black, perked up slightly at the thought. "Get us a fast car Alice, maybe we can beat her back to the hotel."

Alice raised a brow. "Um, Emmett, she wasn't going to the hotel. She's going to... the Mall of America."

Edward blinked. "She's driving two states away to go shopping?!" He looked incredulous. "Does she have a death wish?" he asked quietly, looking to Emmett's face, which was screwed up in rage.

"If we leave now, we may be able to make it there shortly after she does," Alice said before darting off.

Edward unlocked the Volvo. "Let's go."

Bella put Renesmee in the car, and Jacob got into the back seat with her. Then Bella slid into the passenger seat as Edward got behind the wheel.

"Momma? Why is everyone mad at Aunt Rosalie?" Nessie asked.

"Well, Ness, Aunt Rosalie took Uncle Emmett's jeep without his permission, so he's a little mad at her. But we're going to go find her. And maybe do some shopping too," Bella replied, trying to be diplomatic.

Just then, Alice pulled up in a sleek black Lexus. She grinned at Emmett and Jasper and unlocked the power locks for them. Jasper got in front, Emmett in the back. "Jasper, you can take that off your face. We can't have you looking like that when we go shopping," Alice said, horrified.

Jasper just rolled his eyes. "Did the stolen car come with something to clean my face?"

Alice hit the gas and they took off, Edward and the Volvo close behind. "I don't know Jazz. Check the glove compartment. If they are at a theme park, I would bet they have kids. Maybe they have baby wipes in there."

-

Rosalie made good time. She was able to get to Bloomington in just a few hours. Plenty of time before the mall closed. She pulled the jeep into the Macy's parking ramp and slid it expertly into a slot. Getting out, she wondered briefly how much of a head start she had. Then she made her way into the store, going straight for the women's fashions.

After selecting a bunch of clothes to try on, she went to the dressing room, and started methodically trying them on. She tossed the ones she liked over the door, the ones she didn't, went into a pile on the floor. Rosalie wasn't the type to be neat about things like this. That's what they paid the help for!

Emerging about an hour later with an arm full of clothes that she intended on buying she brought them to the counter and asked them to hold them while she went to look at shoes. Flashing her black credit card was enough to silence any protests from the sales girl.

The shoe department was woefully lacking, in Rosalie's opinion. She found exactly two decent pairs of high heels. Apparently she would need to go to a specialty store. Bringing her two shoe choices back to the counter where she had left the clothing, she watched as the clerk rang up each item in a painfully slow manner. Rose held back a snarl of frustration.

Finally the purchase was rung up, her credit card swiped, and Rosalie was making her way out of the store. She discreetly sucked in a breath and nearly gagged at all the smells that greeted her nose. Human food, blood, sweat, bad breath and body odor were among the offending scents. Wrinkling her nose in distaste she gave the mall map a cursory glance before she found what she was looking for. With a small smile, she started toward the escalators that would take her to the next floor.

-

Having had much better luck at the shoe store, Rosalie now lugged about six bags filled with clothes and shoes. However, her luck had just run out, because as soon as she stepped out of the store she first smelled them, then saw them. They all were standing there, Alice, Emmett and Edward with their arms crossed over their chests. Giving them her most angelic smile she thrust her bags at her husband. "Glad you could all join me. Lets go shopping!"