When the plane touched down in Washington, relief washed over Rosalie. She was so close to him, and she couldn't wait to see him again. She knew she had told him that she would not be coming back, but she couldn't help it. She was too attached; she admonished herself silently for letting him get so close to her.

She thought about Renesmee again. She wondered if there really was a way to break the Imprint. She only had a few more years, she figured, until Jacob's feelings for Nessie turned from brotherly and friendly to romantic. Rosalie sighed, turning her face into the crook of Emmett's neck when he slid his arm around her waist. What am I going to do?

"What's wrong, Rosie?" Emmett whispered, leading a half-reluctant, half-eager Rosalie to the Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot, with Jasper behind the wheel. Emmett had called Carlisle before they got on the plane, ensuring that his Jeep would be ready for them.

"Nothing," she insisted. She gasped when she saw Jasper and dashed towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"Hey, what about me?" Alice asked with a bubbly smile. Rosalie hugged her as well, laughing.

"You, too!" Yet another pang of guilt went through her, but the vampire found relief in the fact that Alice was unable to see the futures of the wolves or the hybrids; she should be safe as long as she wasn't thinking about him near Edward. "How's Nessie?" she asked when she finally pulled herself from her sister-in-law's arms.

"She's doing great! Jacob can't stay away from her, though," Alice said with a little laugh.

Damn.

"That's great! And she is his Imprint," Rosalie pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Alice bounded back to the Jeep and climbed into the back, pulling Jasper in beside her. "We can visit Edward and Bella. Nessie should be awake."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Rosalie slid into the passenger seat as Emmett jumped into the driver's side. She ran her palms lightly over the dash. That car brought back tons of memories… It even smelled just the way it had when they'd left it. Maybe this was a bad idea… She turned to look at Emmett. He turned the key that was still in the ignition and the car roared to life. A goofy grin spread on his face and he leaned into the steering wheel, plopping his arms on the dashboard. "Oh, I missed you, baby," he said affectionately.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and laughed. This was her goofball. Her Emmett. And she wanted to be in Forks, why?

To break his heart.

She forced the smile to stay on her face as her chest ached. She was so confused. She loved Emmett, really, she did. But she had fallen in love with Jacob a little while after Nessie had been born. Before that, she hadn't believed someone could be in love with two people at once. She couldn't see her life involving anyone but Emmett. After all, he was her soul mate.

Finding Jacob when he was pissed about Nessie hurting Bella had changed that. He'd been quivering with anger, trying to fight phasing where he was standing. He didn't want to hurt Bella. But he had wanted to kill that baby. Rosalie remembered finding him just outside after being pulled away from the C-section. She had curled her lip at him, and would have just went by him if he hadn't grabbed her arm.

The heat seemed to zap her mind. She looked at him in shock. What is he doing? Her feet were rooted in the spot, but then she finally found herself again and yanked her arm from his grip with a snarled, "Let. Me. GO!" Her onyx eyes pierced him. Then, she hissed, "Mongrel."

"I have enough going on in my head without you coming out here and being a bitch," Jacob growled, still shaking. "Go ahead and piss me off more. I can guarantee the treaty won't survive that."

Rosalie narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted so badly to rip his throat out. But she resisted the urge with every ounce of self-control she had left. She knew it wouldn't be good for them to have to worry about a battle with the wolves while Bella was in there, very likely dying. She whipped her head around and stalked off into the woods, in search of something to kill.

While hunting, her mind was going a million miles a minute. He was so warm. She could feel the blood throbbing and pulsing through his veins. His humanity – and the wolf in him – shone through in his eyes. He made her sick. He made her curious. He made her… jealous. But there was another feeling there; something Rosalie just couldn't place. It was something that countered the feelings she had for Emmett, seeming to fight against them.

She'd had secret moments with Jacob. Just for the thrill of it. She'd taunted him and fought with him and had endured all the cracks about her being blonde. She knew she was beautiful, and while she wasn't as shallow as she had been in her human days, she could not honestly say that she didn't miss a little head-game here and there.

But somewhere along the way, the game changed. She no longer had the desire to make him squirm. Instead, she felt something intriguingly different. She felt something more…

She shook her head, then. It was nothing. Absolutely nothing. She was in love with Emmett. He was her husband, and he loved her, too. They were passionately in love with each other. They were soul mates. He was half of her happy ending.

She returned just in time to be handed little Nessie, and to see Jacob hurry to check on Bella's well being.

"Rosie? Did you hear anything I just said?" Jasper asked.

Rosalie hadn't realized anyone had been talking, let alone to her. She'd been too caught up in her own thoughts. She hadn't even realized that the Jeep had left the airport parking lot – but Emmett was just pulling up to the cottage. "No, uh, sorry. I was thinking."

"I see they haven't knocked this place down yet," Emmett joked before Jasper could restate what he was saying to Rosalie. The four got out of the car together. Rosalie laughed as Emmett added, "They must be discussing politics in the middle of the night." He slipped his hand into his wife's, lacing his fingers into hers.

The moment they reached the door, Rosalie was stricken with panic. She could smell the dog. She tried to rationalize with herself, thinking that of course it would smell like him; he visited Nessie every day. But the scent bothered her. It was too fresh, too there. Sure enough, when Bella opened the door, Rosalie could see Jacob sitting on the couch in the middle of a clearly heated – but silent – discussion with the girl who looked to be about eleven.

Renesmee tore her eyes away from Jacob to see who was at the door. They lit up when she caught Rosalie and Emmett in her sight. She jumped up from the couch and ran for Rose, locking her arms around the vampire's waist. I missed you, Aunt Rosie!

I missed you, too, Rosalie thought, hugging her niece tightly. Jacob approached, smiling at the four vampires that poured into the house. Everyone was used to the wolf by now. He had inadvertently become a part of the family when he Imprinted on Nessie. She smiled back, the confusion and pain she was feeling completely lost to the little girl's love.

Renesmee finally released Rosalie, hugging the others in turn. The blonde's eyes found Jacob's. "Guarding your territory, mutt?" she said lightly. The words that would have been quite harsh a few years before were now just a joke.

Jacob laughed, "Why don't you leave me alone and go find your reflection?"

Rose rolled her eyes. Really, Jake? Really? Is that the best you can do? But, she didn't feel up to continuing the banter, so she simply said, "Whatever, dog."

Emmett gave Jake a friendly smile, wrapping his arm around his wife. Bella broke through the not-quite-comfy, not-quite-awkward silence. "Who wants to see Nessie's room?" she beamed.

Everyone nodded their agreement, but Renesmee grabbed onto Rosalie's hand. Brush my hair, pleeeeease? Rosalie couldn't help but laugh. Holding the girl's hand, she separated from the others and went into the bathroom, grabbing the brush from the cabinet. She allowed Nessie to pull her into the living room where they sat, one leg hanging off the couch each. As she started to brush her niece's hair, Rosalie felt calmed. Nessie started their conversation. What have you and Uncle Em been up to?

Not much, honey. We've just been enjoying each other's company. How've you been?

Great! I got some new books the other day and Daddy's been teaching me how to play piano like him!

Well, maybe I can teach you about cars. Renesmee looked back at Rose, mouth open.

Really?

Of course! We could have fun with it.

I'd really like that, Aunt Rosie.

Jacob returning to the living room by himself interrupted their conversation. He had probably seen Nessie's room more than enough times, Rosalie acknowledged. Renesmee's mental reply of He has, confirmed it.

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute, Rosalie?" He gave her a soft smile. She let go of Nessie's hair and placed the brush in her niece's lap.

"I'll be right back," she smiled. Renesmee nodded, reclining on the couch as her aunt got up. Just before they walked out the front door, Rosalie heard the little girl humming an old minuet. Jacob trekked ahead of her, leading her far into the wooded area of the backyard.

As soon as they were hidden from the view of the house Rosalie grabbed his arm so he would turn towards her. She looked in his eyes, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Rose," he started. He looked unsure of what he wanted to say, let alone of the words he could use to express how he felt. He shuffled his feet, looking at them. When he looked back at Rosalie, he grinned. "I thought you weren't coming back."

"Yeah, well, I'm back."

"Why?"

"I missed Nessie!" she said, her voice raising slightly as she felt herself getting defensive. Defensive about what? It isn't like he accused me of anything…

"Uh huh," he smirked.

"Shut up, mongrel!" She crossed her arms over her chest as Jacob howled like a hyena. "Is that all you wanted?" she asked, annoyed.

"No." Jacob touched her arm gently. "I wanted to tell you that I still love you. It's different… Weird, with Nessie in the picture. But I still love you."

"What did I tell you about saying that?"

Jacob sighed. "I mean it, Rose. I love you, and I love Bells, and I love Nessie."

This pissed Rosalie off. So now I'm not just a second, but a third? She wanted to scream at him, but she let out a slow shaky breath. "Can an Imprint be broken?"

"What?" he sounded startled.

"You heard me."

"Uh… I don't think so…" he furrowed his brow at her, trying to figure out why she wanted to know. "Even if it could, Rosie… It would hurt… a lot."

Rosalie made a face, digging her nails into the fabric of her sleeve. She didn't want either of them to be hurt – especially that sweet little girl that loved to have her aunt brush her hair. She figured she would be able to just forget Jacob, now that that had come to light. "Okay," she said softly, relaxing. "Then don't tell me you love me. Just drop it. Forget all of it. I don't want to hear it anymore. I told you before, I won't be anyone's second choice."

"I can't help the fact that I Imprinted on Nessie, Rosalie. I just did. She's my soul mate, okay? I can't just dump her on her ass! I am bound to her, to be whatever she needs." He sighed and brushed his knuckles across Rose's cheek in the way she was used to. She closed her eyes, leaning her head into his hand. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help it. "She may not want me as a lover. You need to understand that. I might just be her protector. She could very well find another. Even if my feelings for her change, it wouldn't matter. I am what she wants me to be."

Rosalie shook her head. "Whatever, Jacob."