Disclaimer: Don't own it, just get a kick out of writing about it. Thanks Stephenie!

A heartfelt thank you goes out to my beta, Emilie Fauve.


After my arcane encounter with Rosalie the night before, I fled, disgusted with myself for being such a cowardly absconder. It didn't matter that she had initiated the kiss – I was the one who had allowed it to take place, unable to respond one way or another. I should have stopped her; I should have done something. But her bravado had rooted me to the ground, inadvertently destroying every last shred of reason from my appallingly tattered mind.

Returning home, I instantly sought refuge in my Steinway, shifting through piles of sheet music, finally settling on a morbid Chopin Prelude that seemed to best suit my current mood. I pushed all thoughts and memories of her from my mind, focusing intently on the consonance of every note that I coaxed from the piano, performing the piece much slower than dictated in a mad effort to distract myself from everything except the music.

Thankfully, Rosalie did not return home after running off into the woods, and Carlisle and Esme were also suspiciously absent. Although I had no reservations about performing in front of my family in the past, Rosalie had still not witnessed my musical skills, and I planned to keep it that way for as long as possible – it was one of the few remaining outlets of release that I, blissfully, still had to myself. After last night's scandalous act, I could only imagine what trick she'd pull after finding me completely absorbed in front of my one true love.

Peaceful hours passed as I repeated the simple Prelude over and over again. The monotony acted as a panacea, healing all of the suppressed anxiety in my head and effortlessly lulling me into a satisfying, mental stupor. I gradually became aware of the physical stress draining from my body as well; tension in my shoulders dissipated, my rigid back beginning to relax and flow with the music. Finally, I was in a state of tranquility.

I was actually startled when Carlisle's voice unexpectedly rang out in my wonderfully vagrant head. He was nearing the house, oddly alone.

Good morning, son. I'm so glad to hear you playing again.

Very faintly, I caught a glimpse of a regretful thought drift through his mind, but before I could focus on it, he successfully locked it away. Carlisle's act of consciously blocking me raised my hackles more than the mysterious thought itself. Why was everyone suddenly blocking me?

I withheld an instinctual growl, instead, pounding the keys of the Steinway, venting my frustration over everything that was wrong in this new locale. Secretly, I wished for the simpler existence my life had been just a month before.

The front door opened quietly, and Carlisle slipped through it noiselessly, his distinct scent the only indication of his presence.

"Where's Esme?" I asked tightly while continuing to play.

We ran into Rosalie a few miles away – she and Esme decided to go explore the mountains together. Esme saw it as an opportune time for a mother/daughter excursion.

I clenched my jaw in annoyance, though I couldn't pinpoint the source of my aggravation. I was still angry with myself for the earlier confrontation with Rosalie, angry at Carlisle for locking me out of his head, and now angry that Esme was growing closer to her.

Is something wrong, Edward?

"No." I refrained from elaborating. The last thing I wanted to discuss was my foul mood.

I waited for Carlisle to ask another question, but instead, he appraised me assiduously. Though he may not have a mind-reading talent such as my own, Carlisle was quite good at deciphering my disposition, and subsequent train of thought, through my body language alone. No matter how hard I tried to act nonchalant around my father, I was never able to fool him.

Just as his mouth moved to speak, I bolted up from the piano and fled towards the front door, unwilling to endure Carlisle's inquisition.

"I'll be back later." Admittedly, I was being rude, but I simply couldn't muster any other explanation at that moment. I took Carlisle's silence as obligatory acceptance.


My attempt at escape was foiled immediately when I ran straight into Rosalie and Esme. I had been jogging down the narrow road leading away from our house, taking advantage of the pre-dawn hours. We had yet to encounter a human in this rural area, but I still remained cognizant of my appearance in the sunlight, and stringently avoided the road during the daytime.

Just a few miles from our home, Rosalie and Esme were casually strolling along, talking animatedly. For a split-second, I debated whether to duck off into the woods to prevent our paths from crossing, but I was growing weary of running from everyone.

Oh, Edward! Were you looking for us?

"Hello, Esme." I kept my voice even as I addressed my mother. "No, just out enjoying the morning air."

"It's wonderful, isn't it? I love this time of year – everything new and fresh – the rebirth of nature never ceases to amaze me."

Although I felt Rosalie's stare fixated on me, I refused to glance over at her, instead, smiling politely at Esme. "I couldn't agree more."

She turned to Rosalie, patting her arm affectionately before giving her a knowing look.

You know dear, spring is also the season for love.

I reflexively coughed, choking on my own venom as Esme's thought hit me full-force. What was she doing? I was utterly shocked that she had the audacity to think such a foul notion, especially while looking so pointedly at Rosalie. There was no doubt of her intentions – and, judging by their smug expressions, I immediately realized what they had been discussing prior to my appearance. Had Rosalie disclosed our prior… encounter?

Before I could react, Esme turned to me once more, embracing me in a warm hug.

"I'll leave you two alone," she whispered in my ear, though I had no doubt that Rosalie heard every word. My body remained rigid, even as Esme squeezed me tenderly before departing off through the woods towards home.

I remained still, my eyes glazed over as I processed every prior word and non-verbal movement of the two women. After several minutes I felt something brush my arm.

"Edward, are you okay?" Rosalie inquired softly. As soon as she spoke, I realized she was touching me again, lightly resting her fingertips at my elbow. Involuntarily, I flinched and jumped back before meeting her crimson stare.

"What are you –" I began, the fury seething from my mouth. "I – what…what did you tell her?" Finally, I spat the words out.

What did I tell her? I told her lots of things.

She had unlocked her thoughts. Rosalie's expression was unreadable, but the haughtiness was crystal-clear in the tone of her mental reply.

"Can you be more specific?"

Sure. I told her about my last hunt, and how I spotted two newborn bear cubs up on the ridge. But they were much too precious to kill – I decided to spare them, and went after a few white-tails instead.

"That's not what I meant," I growled lowly.

No? Well, we also discussed the old cabin that she found – in fact, she took me to it. Quite a nice, excluded little getaway…I'm sure Esme and Carlisle will find it to be most useful, especially when you're in one of your picayune moods.

I was ready to snap as I squeezed my fists together. Rosalie smiled brightly, apparently enjoying her little game. Obviously, she was side-stepping my question again, leaving me no choice but to be blunt.

"Did you tell her what you did to me?"

Rosalie's eyes grew wide and the self-satisfied smile quickly disappeared. "What I did to you? I didn't do anything, Edward."

I huffed loudly, shaking my head in disgust. "You kissed me!"

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

That's what you're worried about? It was no big deal.

"No big deal…?" my voice deflated quickly in confusion as I repeated her thought.

And no, I did not specifically tell Esme about our little moment. You really don't trust me at all, do you?

Glancing down at the ground, I shook my head in resignation. My anger was rapidly defusing, despite my dire attempt to remain irate at her arrogance. I simply couldn't keep up with her.

"Edward – why don't you trust me?" I looked up to find her gazing wistfully at me, the prior superciliousness completely vanished from her face.

Grappling for the correct retort, I unconsciously blinked before responding. "Rose, I just…" I just what? Even I didn't know what I was feeling at the moment. Did I really not trust her? Or, more importantly, did I want to trust her? My mind refused to surrender the straightforward answer. Instead, I posed my own question.

"So kissing me was no big deal?"

Finally, I had turned the tables. When asked frankly about her actions, Rosalie was left speechless. As much as I wanted to gloat over my miniscule victory, I refrained, standing quietly, waiting with bated breath for her response.

She shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the change of direction in our outlandish conversation. I watched her unconsciously purse her lips together as she peered over to the right, unable to look me in the eyes. Eventually, she sighed in exasperation before fully opening her thoughts to me.

I didn't mean that it was no big deal – I just thought you'd be more worried about me disclosing more intimate details than that.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I know you don't want them to know about…our discussions. You want them to continue to think you despise me.

Rosalie finally looked back up at me, her eyes clouded and poignant.

How could I have forgotten her shrewd observation skills? Suddenly, I found myself backpedaling. "No, I don't despise you. I just…don't need anyone's help or guidance right now, telling me what's best for me. I think I can figure that out on my own."

But you don't really care for my company, do you?

I rolled my eyes, eliciting a tiny grin from her.

Then let's go back to my first question. Why don't you trust me?

"It's not that I don't trust you, or care for your company – I just don't understand you, Rose. Your moods change direction faster than a school of fish. One minute, you're aloof and completely self-absorbed; the next you're – kissing me!"

"I could say the same about your temperamental nature, Edward." Her voice contained a thinly veiled taunt, and her eyes once again danced puckishly.

Reaching up, I rubbed my temples in protest to her wicked words while walking slowly in a circle. Abruptly, I remembered she still owed me an answer. "Wait, let's go back to my question for a second. Tell me – why did you kiss me?"

She cocked her head to the side, appraising me momentarily. "You said last night that you actually wanted to hear what I was really thinking, correct?"

"Would you just answer the question already?" I griped.

Fine. I kissed you because I wanted to - ever since you rescued me from the burning shed; though back then, it was more out of gratitude. I know the real reason why Carlisle changed me – I was meant to be your mate. Esme told me everything. Funny, no one bothered to ask me first if I was even attracted to someone as arrogant as you. But here we are – both of us stuck together, for better or worse. And as much as I detest your egotistical nature, I just had to know what it would be like…

My jaw hung open in absolute shock. Before I could respond, her stream of thought continued.

You look surprised, Edward. Did you honestly think I haven't been listening to Carlisle and Esme's discussions about us? They really don't make much attempt to keep them private – I assume that was done on purpose.

I stared blankly at her for several seconds before finally finding my voice.

"I told them they couldn't play matchmaker like that, forcing us together against our wills."

Oh, I know. But what's done is done – I'm here now, and it's just the two of us.

The anger from earlier started to build inside of me again. "You want that too, don't you? You...want…"

Of course, it's crossed my mind.

"I'm not some toy that you can play with, Rosalie." Venom filled my mouth, my jaw clenching and unclenching instinctively from the insurmountable levels of stress that coursed through me.

I never said that, Edward. But look at it from my perspective – what if we tried to…"

"No!" I hissed. There was no way I'd ever consider such a thing. Not with her, not with anyone that wasn't of my own choosing. I couldn't take it anymore – she had pushed me right to the edge with her blatantly candid thoughts, revealing that she was practically in cohorts with the rest of my family. I didn't need this – I didn't need anyone, especially not her.

Whipping around, I started to stalk down the road, away from the house. A plan was already formulating in my mind. I'd leave again, venture out on my own. It was the only way to find peace from everyone who thought they knew what was best for me. But would they let me go? Maybe I'd just avoid them all, hunting on my own, locking myself away in my room; I'd do anything but go along with their fanatical obsession to push us together.

Edward, wait! Don't leave.

"We're done, Rosalie," I muttered under my breath, not bothering to stop or look back.

Just tell me one thing. Please?

"What?" I threw up my arms in exasperation and turned around.

"Tell me the truth – you felt something last night when I kissed you, didn't you?" Rosalie's voice trailed off on the last two words, barely audible, even to me. My brow furrowed instantly, my lips curling back into an ugly snarl.

"Not at all." I said, before turning my back to her and racing off into the breaking dawn.

I lied.


Please review - I love to hear what you think of the story!

Also, I have started building a play list for "Betrothed". Obviously, the music is not set to the era of the story, but these songs seemed to fit with Edward/Rosalie's emotions and angst, so I linked them in my profile for your enjoyment. I'm dating myself a bit, but the songs still hold up, even if some of them are nearly as old as Emmett!