Chapter 11: Firsts for Everything
(5 weeks later ~ 35 weeks pregnant)
"First pair of heels." I said.
Jasper considered, "Sixteen."
I looked at him doubtfully, "Sixteen?"
"Sixteen." Jasper confirmed.
I rolled my eyes; we'd work on that nearer the time. "First phone."
"Eight." Jasper said, "I'd like to stay in contact with her as much as possible."
That was sensible, at least. I lay back on the ground; we were in the meadow, and the spring flowers littered the ground. I plucked a few daisies and threaded them into my hair as I thought.
"First boyfriend." I said.
"Two hundred." He said.
"Jasper!" I said, shooting him a look.
"Two hundred." He said again.
I rolled my eyes. "Look, we can decide all these things after she's born-" meaning that once she was here I'd buy her all the heels and let her have all the boyfriends she wanted, "-but first we have more important things to decide!"
"Like what?" He asked.
"The baby's due the first week of May - that's just a couple of weeks away and we still don't have a name!" I said exasperatedly.
"We'll pick one." Jasper said. He played with a strand of my hair, gently rearranging the daisies that were plaited into it as I thought about the impending month of May. "Daisy."
"May." I said, a split second after Jasper had spoken. Our eyes met. "Daisy-May."
"It's beautiful, just like she will be." Jasper said.
"It's timeless." I said.
"Unique." Jasper said, ticking the things off on his fingers.
"Personal." I said, and Jasper ticked off one more finger.
"Perfect." Jasper said.
"And we came up with it together." I agreed.
"She likes it." Jasper said, watching my stomach. I felt a few fluttery kicks from my baby. My Daisy-May.
~o.O.o~
"What's this about, Alice?" Edward asked, annoyance laced into his tone as he tapped his fingers on the table. I could tell from the rhythm of taps that he was still playing the piano in his head.
I'd managed to keep him out of my thoughts for the moment, wanting to make the announcement to everyone at the same time, but I was so excited I wasn't sure I could block him for much longer.
"Yeah, this better be important!" Emmett moaned. He'd been in the middle of an intense Grand Theft Auto game, apparently. I'd gone off the game since Bella and I had experienced it in real life - much more thrilling.
"Of course it's important!" I said.
"Like the last emergency family meeting you called?" Emmett asked, "When you needed a vote on whether baby pink was nicer than pale pink?"
I frowned; that was classed as an emergency wasn't it?
"We actually do have an announcement." Jasper said.
"Go on then, whilst we're young!" Emmett said, flashing a grin at his own joke.
"We decided on a baby name!" I said, beaming as the excitement took over.
"Finally!" Renesmee cried, "What is it? What is it!?"
I smiled at Jasper, before looking back at my gathered family, "Daisy-May."
They ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the name and told us how much they liked it. The only one who didn't comment was Rosalie.
As the rest of the family continued to discuss the name, I saw Rosalie roll her eyes and slip out of the back door. Excusing myself, I followed her.
She didn't acknowledge me at first, but I knew she knew I was right behind her. Finally, she turned around to face me.
"What do you want, Alice?" She snapped.
"I want you to be happy!" I said, "I want all of us to be happy!"
"Well I'm not happy." Rosalie said, "Okay, Alice? I'm not."
"But-" I tried.
"I thought I made my opinion clear the other day." She said bitterly. It had been five weeks since she'd said - yelled - that I'd be a bad mother. Since then, we'd hardly talked except to be civil to each other. She hung round with Emmett at their cottage, and I kept out of her way.
There was a pause before I spoke.
"What you said really hurt, Rosalie." I told her.
"I love you, Alice, you're my sister!" Rosalie said, "I'd DIE for you. But you have to understand...I just can't do this. I can't be around the baby. I can't."
"What...what are you saying?" I asked.
"I'm leaving." She said.
"Rosalie, no! You can't leave!" I protested.
"I can't be around the baby, and if I can't be around the baby I can't be around you."
"Please think this through!" I begged, "I want you to stay! I NEED you to stay!"
"I'm sorry." She said, turning away from me, "I wish you all the best with the baby, but I can't be a part of it's life."
She disappeared back in the direction of the house, and I quickly followed. She made it before me, walking through the doors to where our family was still gathered.
"I'm leaving." She said bluntly, never one to beat around the bush.
"Where are you going?" Edward asked, "Can you take Renesmee with you? She's been complaining she's bored all day."
"I'm not coming back." Rosalie clarified.
Emmett stood up, "Rosie, what's happened?"
"Nothing's happened." She said, "I just need to get away from here."
"I wish we could talk about this, Rose, but if it's what you really want we'll leave as soon as you like." He said, taking her hand. She snatched it away.
"I'm going alone."
~o.O.o~
Emmett looked...empty.
It had only been a few hours since Rosalie left, but he already looked like he couldn't go on. He'd argued with Rosalie, begging relentlessly to be allowed to come with her. The rest of us tried to convince her too, but she wouldn't listen. She told Emmett that if he really loved her he'd stay here and let her go. She said if he followed her she'd never forgive him. She screamed that she didn't want him. She left him behind.
For the first time in almost a century, tears fell from my eyes.
Everyone was too caught up in their own misery to notice my tears. Everyone except Jasper, of course. "Darlin'?"
I wiped a tear away in shock, "It..er...must be because of the pregnancy?"
"I'm sure she'll be back soon." Jasper said softly, wrapping his arms around me.
"She said she's never coming back." I sniffed.
"You know Rosalie." He said, "She just needs some time alone to cool off."
"I hope so." I said, snuggling into him as I watched Emmett's unmoving expression. "He needs her."
He did need her. And for the first time in almost a century, he was going to be without her.