Standard Disclaimer, I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. This chapter takes place after Breaking Dawn and a little bit before Jealousy.
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Wounded
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"So… I'm thinking maybe you and I should get a new place this next time we move, maybe on our own." Emmett offers up, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.
He and Rosalie were currently in their bedroom, he was laying on their bed watching Rosalie who was trying on different outfits.
"Huh? No we can't do that." Rosalie says distractedly as she smooth's out the red skirt she was wearing and twists around a bit to get a better look at herself in the mirror.
He hadn't been sure how to bring this up but it had been on his mind for a while now. He needed to get his Rosie out of here for a while. This whole thing with Nessie was messing with her head badly and he wanted to put some distance between them. He had nothing against Nessie at all, she was a funny little thing, a little strange but overall family and he loved her like he loved the rest of the family, but Rosalie was his wife and this whole situation had been hell on her.
When she was with Renesmee his wife lit up almost like nothing he had ever seen before. It was like she transformed fully into the angel that he always knew she was. He didn't need Jasper's power to be able to literally feel the happy vibes that came off of his wife. Being with Nessie helped to complete a part of his wife that he knew he'd never be able to fulfill. And if that was all there was to it, he'd be over the moon with joy. But when Nessie was off with someone else, usually Jacob, it was scary for him. She seemed to withdraw in on herself and there was this void there that scared him. He'd always known that not being able to be a mother had hurt his wife, part of being her husband was learning to help her deal with that. It was a responsibility that he took very seriously. But it wasn't until Renesmee had come along and he'd seen just how powerful an affect she had on Rosalie that he realized just how deep and truly terrible that wound was.
She needed a break, just a little space. Just a year or two to build herself back up would be perfect, then they could come back and everything would be fine. Because right now this was killing his wife and he needed to think of her first. The drama was over, Bella was fine, the Volturi were gone, and the wolves weren't a threat anymore, it was time to heal.
"Babe…" he sighs, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed.
"Hmm?" She hums distractedly.
"Babe, come here, I need to talk to you. This is important." He says patting the spot next to him.
Rosalie looks at him curiously and sits down next to him. He was rarely serious but when he was Rosalie always took note. People didn't give her Emmett nearly enough credit. "What's wrong Em?"
Emmett takes a moment to take her hands in his own and places a couple of kisses to them. "Rose, you know I love this family, you know that I love Renesmee and you know that I am so happy for you two when you get a chance to bond. You know that."
"Of course, what's going on Emmett?"
"I love them all so very much, but… that's absolutely nothing compared to how much I love you."
"I love you too Em-"
"And that's what makes this so incredibly hard for me to say. I think that… right now, this place isn't a good place for you to be right now."
Rosalie looks like she'd just been slapped. "What? What do you mean?"
"I know how much you want to be a mother and I don't think there's a woman out there who would be a better one than you. But… Renesmee isn't your child."
"You don't think I know that!" She snaps at him standing up and glaring at him. "Why is everyone on my case about this!? Do you think I'm stupid, that I can't comprehend that all I am and ever will be is her aunt!?"
"No, it's not that-"
"Then what, what is it exactly!? What have I done wrong this time, because apparently I'm incapable of doing anything right, even loving my niece!?"
"Hey, hey, hey," Emmett says soothingly as he slowly stands up and goes over to his angry wife. "That's not what I was saying at all, not even close." He says as he wraps his arms around her.
Rosalie closes her eyes and sighs, "I'm sorry… I just… I'm tired of always being the bad guy in this family."
"That, that right there is exactly what I'm talking about. This isn't a healthy place for you right now. This place, the way we're living, Bella, and Edward, and Renesmee, all of it is hitting every single button you have. When you're with her, you are so fantastic that it breaks my heart. Because it shows me just how much you want it and it kills me that you can't have it and that I can't give it to you. But when you're away from her it's even worse. It's like you shut down and fade away. It's not good for you and I think that we need to take a break, we need some distance between you so that you can re-acclimate."
"Emmett she's…"
"I know, she's aging so fast, but something that we all have to accept is that she isn't a normal child. Give it a couple of years and she'll be physically an adult, mentally, she's already there. With all that's happened this family needs to find its new normal and I don't know that you can do that here."
Rosalie looks down and away, his words hitting her hard. "You are so strong babe, so tough, and these past two years you've had to be stronger than ever. None of this has been easy on you and I know I wasn't the most supportive of you with the whole Bella thing-"
"You were doing what you thought was right, I know that." She says softly.
"I know you do, but it doesn't change the fact that you and I were on opposite sides of the issue."
"We've disagreed before."
"Never about something this serious though. I could have smacked her when she called you." Emmett says seriously.
"She was doing what she had to do to protect her child. If anything it made me respect her more."
"I know that, and she made the right choice in calling you for help, nobody would have protected that baby the way you did. Doesn't change the fact that she knowingly manipulated you and used your dream against you to set you between her and Edward. Because she knew, she absolutely knew that to protect that baby there isn't anything you wouldn't have done. You took a lot of abuse from Edward and Jacob in order to protect Renesmee from them."
Rosalie shrugs like it's no big deal, but he knew how hard that had been on her. "Edward and I have never gotten along and I don't think it's physically possible for me to care any less about what Jacob has to say on any issue. Bella was just trying to protect her baby, I was glad I could help."
"It doesn't change the fact that watching her get what you have always wanted more than anything cut you deeply. It doesn't change the fact that you've had to put up with a lot of shit since moving here to Forks. I want some distance for you babe, a chance for you to heal."
"I don't think I can leave Em. Maybe you're right, maybe being here isn't good for me but the thought of being away from her at all… I can't do it. I just can't."
"Babe-"
"Look, I'm all for getting out of Forks, the sooner the better. And to be honest, I never want to return here ever again. We will, because I'm just not that lucky, but I don't want to. I agree, we need to move, but I can't… I accept that I'm not her mother, that is Bella, one-hundred and ten percent. I'm not stupid, I understand that. And I'm not trying to steal Renesmee from Bella, I just… I want to be a part of her life too. That's not so bad is it, just wanting the chance to be a part of her life?
"No, of course not."
"I can't leave her. I love her more than she'll ever love me, but that's true of most of my relationships…" She says with a weak smile.
"Hey, don't talk like that."
"It's true, I know I'm difficult and I know I can be selfish-"
"No more than the rest of us. And you can also be incredibly selfless too. This is exactly why I want to get you away from here. These past two years have done everything they can to tear you down. You need a break to build yourself back up again."
"I'm sorry Emmett, I just… I can't leave her."
Emmett just pulls her in closer and holds her tightly. He'd wait awhile before bringing this up again, but he would bring it up again.
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Author's Note: I'm sorry, but you will never convince me that Bella having Renesmee didn't absolutely devastate Rosalie. Being an Aunt is nowhere near the same as actually getting to be a mother, which is what Rosalie has wanted since the beginning, even before she was a vampire.