Ok, I'd been toying with the idea of a short chapter about the banished Rose and Emmett, and I decided that this would be a good time to slip one in. It's just a little chapter...a bonus of sorts to make up for my lax updating schedule. It doesn't even have a Ramone's themed title. It's just a little something that I hope you enjoy :)

business: Twilight, it's characters, situations and themes do not belong to me. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer, who I'm sure is having a much better Yuletide than moi, since she's not out of a job on March 1 like I am. ho ho ho...no.

Hope you enjoy~

Chapter 32: A Room With a View

Rosalie paced slowly around the small, rustic room at the Forked Inn, furious at her situation.

It wasn't a bad room, really, if you liked your rooms to look like log cabins, which is exactly what the rooms at the Forked Inn looked like. The walls were highly varnished logs, the furnishings made from rustically hewn wood, the curtains a dark forest green burlap like fabric, which matched the covering on the bed.

A small rough wooden table stood in front of the only window in the room, a large plate glass picture window that didn't open, flanked by stiff red Naugahyde upholstered chairs.

It was on this table that Emmett had placed their tiny artificial tree~the one he'd purchased at the drug store for twelve dollars. It had twinkling colored lights on it and a few small wrapped presents stacked next to it, and he'd strung thick red and green glittering garland around it. There was so much garland wrapped around the tree that he hadn't had room for any ornaments. He'd taken care of that by stringing white twinkling icicle lights around the perimeter of the room, as well as outlining the entire window with flashing white lights wrapped around silver garland. Glistening red and green plastic balls hung at regular intervals from the light wires around the room and from the garland in the window.

"I can't believe we have to spend Christmas alone in this hole," Rosalie grumbled.

Emmett was lying on the bed, reading the newspaper.

"What do you mean, Babe," he looked surprised.

"What do I mean," she turned to look at him as she repeated his words. "What do I mean? I mean I can't believe we have to spend Christmas in this dump, instead of in our warm house with...family! That's what I mean, you idiot."

"Don't get pissed at me, Rose. It's not my fault we've been banished to this place, remember," his eyebrows rose dramatically.

"Don't you even start that with me again," she winced as she folded her arms across her chest. It had been nearly two months since the accident, but she was still feeling the effects. Her broken bones had healed, but she was still receiving intensive physical therapy, for which Carlisle was paying.

"Just stating a fact," he shrugged his shoulders. "But, hey, it's not so bad here. We have a tree and lights. Presents. And they serve a really awesome Christmas dinner in the restaurant here. I've already made our reservations for dinner."

"Only you would see any part of this situation as being awesome," she slowly sat down on the bed next to him. "We weren't even invited to any parties at school this year, and we're always invited to every party those little moron's throw."

"You hate their parties, Rose. You say they are as lame as the people throwing them. You say so every year," Emmett folded the newspaper closed and tossed it onto the nightstand. "Besides, we never go to any of them anyway."

"But that's not the point. The point is we used to be popular, Em," she gently slid her legs up onto the bed, and laid her head on the pillows, stretching out next to him, grimacing at the slight exertion. "We used to be the in crowd. Now, no one pays any attention to us and it's all because of Edward and that little sideshow freak of a girlfriend of his."

"How could Edward have anything to do with it, Rose," Emmett shifted and lay so his head was next to hers, taking her hand in his. "No one besides Mike Newton and his loser friends talk to him."

"It's not him, it's his precious little goth girl," she rolled her eyes. "She's little miss popularity. And she's always with Alice these days, if you notice. They're thicker than thieves," she yanked her hand away from him. "Everyone in this stupid town wants to be her friend. I just don't get it."

"She's really nice, Rose. That's all there is too it."

"Pfft," she scoffed. "Nice? They ain't looking at nice, Emmett. They're looking at tits and ass and mini skirts and stilettos."

"I can see that," he smirked. "She's a very pretty girl."

"She looks like a whore, which is probably why your brother was so attracted to her. You know how much he loves whores."

"Now, Rose…you know that's not true," his voice was gentle. "Whatever Victoria may be now, she wasn't it back then, and you know that."

She sighed and frowned. "You're right, Em," her voice was small. "And I can't tell you how much I regret doing what I did to him on Thanksgiving."

Emmett turned and looked at her, surprise etched on his face. "You do?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I mean…you know Edward and I never got along, but…Jesus, I don't even know what I mean."

Emmett rolled onto his side, facing her. "You mean you're sorry for ruining his life?"

She turned her face and looked at him, a tear rolling awkwardly across her nose. "Yeah," she nodded. "I…he just fell apart. I'll never forget the look on his face. It haunt's me every night, Em."

"Damn, Rose," he ran his thumb across her face, dabbing the tears away. "This is something new for you."

"I miss it, Em. I miss our life there. As infuriating as Edward and Esme were, this…there isn't much of a life without them all."

"I'm not the person you should be telling this to, Rose."

"I know. I just…I don't think any of them would ever forgive me. Or even listen to me long enough to forgive me, you know?"

"Well, if anything, Edward should be somewhat grateful," Emmett pulled her into his strong arms.

"Why? Why would Edward be grateful that I ruined his life?"

"Who says you ruined it," Emmett's deep dimples creased around his smiling lips. "Without you, he may never have known he had a kid, Rose."

"You think," she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, he's been gone since Thanksgiving, right? So, they had to have found her and the kid. That's where he's been."

"Alice and Bella have been lying so much at school about where he is. But I know if I say anything, no one will believe me. Bella Swan's the noted Edward authority here in Forks."

"And that's the way it should be. Rose," he pulled her closer. "There's only one way out of this situation, and you know that. You need to go to Mom and Dad and ask their forgiveness…and you need to beg Edward for his as well."

Rosalie buried her face in Emmett's ample shoulder and sobbed. "But…how?"

"You have to go to the house and beg, Rose. That's the only way."

"But…is he there? Will he even see me?"

"I overheard Alice talking to Bella in the hallway at school the other day about having to be at the airport, so I think Edward's back in Forks now. We could go over to the house. What's the worst they can do?"

"Call the police and have Charlie Swan arrest us?"

Emmett laughed. "See? And how bad is that if it's the worst thing?"

She smiled sadly. "I don't think they can ever find it in their hearts to forgive me, Em. I've been a horrible person to all of them."

"Well, the only way we'll know for sure is if we try."

She shook her head. "I don't think so, Em. I mean, if you were them, how would you feel if you saw us on your doorstep?"

"I'd feel like the prodigal daughter had returned," he smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "You?"

"I'd hate me and tell me to leave."

"Nah…you have to think positive," he brushed her long blonde hair away from her face and looked into her eyes. "Besides…this is the season for miracles, Rose. You have to believe."

Rosalie knocked on the door with all of her might, tears running down her stained pink cheeks.

"Please! Please someone answer," she sobbed, pushing the doorbell again and again. "Please! Alice! Jasper! Please! This is all my fault! Please!" She ran to the window and peered in, placing her hands around her face to lessen the glare.

Emmett rounded the side of the house, running quickly through the rain, and taking the steps two at a time, hopped up on the porch next to her.

"Dad's car is gone, Rose. They aren't home," he wrapped his arms around himself against the damp chill.

"No! They have to be home! They can't have left us! Not at Christmas! They wouldn't do that," she ran back to the front door and began to bang again on it. "Please! Carlisle! I came to apologize! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything I've ever done!"

"They must have all gone to wherever Edward is for Christmas," he shrugged, rubbing absently at his chin stubble. "I just assumed he was coming home when I heard Alice talking about the airport. I guess I was wrong."

"No. No. You couldn't have been wrong," she shook her head. "They couldn't have gone away. We never went away for Christmas…someone has to be home," she shook her head and slammed both fists against the front door as hard as she could. "Esme! Carlisle! Anyone! Please! Please," she wailed, slamming her open hands against the door in desperation. Defeated, she leaned her face into the door and cried.

Emmett took her by the shoulders and pulled her sobbing form away from the door. "They're gone, Rose," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "They aren't home."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kneeling down on the porch floor as she crumpled to the ground and into his arms.

"They can't be gone," sobs shook her body.

"They're gone, Rose," he rocked her gently, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "It's cold and wet out here. Let's go back to the inn to warm up before you catch pneumonia, ok?"

"No. Someone has to be home, Em," her body shook with her sobs. "Someone has to be home to forgive me, and I'm going to sit here until they do," she pulled back from him, shaking her head.

"Sitting here until they come home won't solve anything. You'll come back after Christmas and apologize then."

"But what if they're just out to dinner? Or in Port Angeles doing last minute shopping," she looked up at him hopefully, expectantly, as if Emmett were some sort of giant Yoda with all of the answers in the universe. "Maybe they aren't home from picking up Edward at the airport yet?"

He looked down at her hopeful face, heart breaking for her. She wasn't all bad. He had known for a long time that a human with a heart lurked somewhere beneath her hard exterior. He just knew it would take a lot to chip away the veneer to find it. "Then we can drive by later, and see if anyone's home. If not, we drive by tomorrow, and every day after that until someone's home, ok," his voice was soft as his fingers softly wiped the tears from her face.

"We can?"

"Of course we can."

"But tomorrow's Christmas. That's the time for miracles. If I don't apologize tomorrow, they'll never be able to forgive me."

"Don't be silly," he smiled down at her. "Of course they will forgive you. At Christmas or any time."

"How can you be sure they'll forgive me?"

He held her closely. "Because they will, Rose, but first, you have to forgive yourself."

So there it is...just a little glance into where they are. Hope you enjoyed it~

Merry Merry to all if I don't have the next real chapter up before the fat man slides down the chimney~