Part 11 - Chance
Carlisle wanted to speak to her but Rosalie beat him to it. She figures she would be the best person to speak to Bella because the human knows Rosalie would always speak from her heart without any filter.
Bella stares at the blonde as if she had grown two heads. She is perfectly aware that the garage is Rosalie's sanctity and no one is allowed there without her permission, unless they have a death wish (or a missing limb). So, when Rosalie asked her to follow inside, Bella stopped right outside the door, heart thumping wildly.
"I've seen this documentary before…" Bella trailed.
She's never stepped inside but the place always feels chilly to her, like a danger zone. And Edward told her that Rosalie has installed a sound-proof setting, if she wants to block out any other noise during her solitude.
Rosalie just rolls her eyes at the human's antics.
"You think your mate will let me kill you?"
Bella shrugs. They never had the best relationship before. In the beginning of her relationship with Edward, Rosalie always seemed hostile towards her. So she knows it is best to always avoid the blonde at all costs.
"My killing days are far behind me," she said humorlessly, as if it would make Bella feel any better.
The human simply raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms in defiance.
Rosalie sighs and realises she needs to communicate better.
"My garage offers the privacy you need. And I need to talk to you about something important," she tried again with a much calmer voice.
As far as Bella is concerned, there is nothing for them to talk about. She never held any grudges over Rosalie for Cullen leaving because they weren't exactly friends to begin with.
"My issues are with the rest of your family. Believe it or not, you're the only Cullen that I do not have issues with."
Rosalie softens a bit.
"I know but this concerns you greatly. I no longer wish to withhold any information from you. Believe it or not, I actually had your best interest from the start."
That does peak her curiosity. It's obvious Rosalie doesn't want any of her family to hear this so since it's that important, Bella finally relents and follows Rosalie's lead.
It does make her jump slightly when Rosalie locks the door behind her and informs that she's switched on the sound-proof setting. To her surprise, Rosalie makes her best efforts to make it more comfortable for her, turning on the heater and even offering her a drink.
Bella takes the furthest corner of the couch while Rosalie takes the leather chair facing her.
"Contrary to what you believe, I don't hate you, Bella."
Her brows are scrunched in confusion.
"But you dislike me."
Rosalie shakes her head.
"I was trying to protect you."
Bella would have scoffed if it weren't for the fact how horribly her life had turned out the past 2 years. Eventhough it was her choice, there's a small part of her that regretted getting involved with Edward.
"Whatever you do, I think I'm always going to be a magnet for troubles. I think even if I hadn't gotten together with Edward, James would still have found me. Chaos would have still ensued."
That's actually true. Even if Bella never crossed paths with the Cullens, she was still related to the packs. James, Victoria and Laurent still would have been in Forks and picked up her scent somehow.
"I agree. But that wasn't what I was referring to. I'm talking about Edward."
A dark look passes her face. Bella pays close attention and leans forward.
"I had always known you weren't his mate, which is why I've always been against your relationship. He and I had an almost similar outlook in life before you came in. We were actually quite close before. When he got close to you, that's when we turned on each other because I called out his bullshit. I confronted him about being obsessed about his singer but he was far too deep in his denials and desperation for a mate, it fell on deaf ears."
Rosalie tenses as she gets flashbacks of Royce in Edward. She knows Edward may not resort to such filthy violence but she knows her brother the best; how capable he is at bending minds with his charming words.
"In my family, Edward had always seemed like the wise one due to his gift but I know better. I've seen him abuse his gift on others. And I've witnessed him use it on you."
Rosalie had always seemed the volatile one in the coven and because Edward was the golden child, they tended to listen to him better than her.
"I care about him as a sister deeply but what he did to you was crossing the line. I will always be in the corner of a victimised woman rather than my desperate brother who has gotten too deep inside his head."
Bella straightens her back, "What are you trying to say?"
Rosalie's eyes are full of determination.
"Think about how Edward was around you and how Heidi is around you. Compare the two. Which one of them exhibits total control over their bloodthirst around you?"
This has been in Bella's mind all week long. There was a weak voice inside of her mind asking this question but because she was scared of the answer, she ignored it.
"Why do you think you punched that mutt square in his face when he called Heidi vile names?" Rosalie kept on pressing, throwing a pointed look at the barely bruised fist.
Rosalie just unleashed chaos in her mind and heart. Feeling anxious by what Rosalie is implying, Bella stands up and starts pacing around, much to Rosalie's annoyance.
"Tell me something. Who did you think about the most the past few days?"
That hits the nail in the coffin. Bella massages her temple, feeling an incoming headache.
"Finding a mate changes a vampire, Bella. And Heidi obviously changed sides because of you. She's obviously not here as a Volturi guard. She's here as your protector."
"Then what do you expect me to do?!"
"Trust your instincts. And stay away from Edward. Like Heidi, I too fear for your safety once he returns. He's so close to insanity, I know it."
Heidi did mention Edward would play a vital role in this battle. Bella's a bit relieved knowing Esme and Carlisle will be reunited with their son, but she also dreads meeting her ex-boyfriend who dumped her in the middle of the woods.
"So I should just blindly trust Heidi now?"
Again, Rosalie couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"I told you to follow your guts; not be stupid."
Bella takes small offence to that but this has been one tense conversation. And deep down she appreciates Rosalie's brutal honesty. But it seems like there's something more that the blonde wants to say.
"What else is there?"
Caught off guard, Rosalie almost backtracks. But she promised herself to no longer withhold any information from the human.
"When I met Emmett, I wasn't as kind and observant as I should have been. It's one of my biggest regrets. And I'm thankful he's a kind and understanding man."
Bella is shocked to see this vulnerable and sorrowful side of Rosalie. She always thought Rosalie was a strong woman, but she forgot that everyone has their moment of weakness.
Her shoulders sag and her knees couldn't handle all the pacing and standing so she opts to sit down while taking all the information in.
"Cut her some slack, will you? In a few days, she will have to walk through the walls of Volterra and attempt to fool the Volturi Kings to set Edward free. That task alone will prove to be far more dangerous and impossible than facing an army of newborns. She may be an elite Volturi guard but it doesn't change the fact she'll be alone on that mission and anything could go wrong."
Rosalie is hinting at something horrifying here and it seems to sink in Bella's mind. She gulps, feeling uneasy all of a sudden imagining Heidi getting hurt, or worse, killed. Her heart drops and she is overcome by a sudden fear.
"There isn't any other way?"
It's Rosalie's turn to shrug. The only battles she's ever engaged with was when she took vengeance on Royce and his pathetic friends. Who is she to judge Heidi's plan when the brunette is far more experienced in this field?
"Alice is on it too so I guess she must have seen something to support Heidi's plan."
There's a knock at the door, Rosalie sighs knowing it's none other than the pixie. Not even a soundproof garage could deter the seer away. She unlocks the door and allows Alice to walk in.
"It will be dangerous and she may even get injured but they'll make it back in one piece," Alice assured Bella.
"What if I come with?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous for you."
"And it's not too dangerous for you?"
Heidi glares at the two vampires standing behind Bella. Since when did they team up? But they both surrender their arms in the air, trying to convey they had no role in Bella's idea. They did tell her Heidi wouldn't agree to it but the human was too stubborn to listen, she just walked off and sought Heidi in Carlisle's office.
The brunette is touched by her mate's concern. But she cannot allow it.
"Isabella Swan, I'm a trained general. I've figured out a way to beat Chelsea's gift. I'm sure I can find some ways to evade Aro's gift as well."
"But you'll be all alone in that castle."
"I've always been alone, until I found you," Heidi squeezed Bella's hand as she passed her by to usher the two nosy vampires out and close the door behind her.
"Give me one good reason why I can't come with you!"
Heidi clasps her hands behind her and approaches her riled up mate slowly.
"Because Aro saw your gift and he wants it on his side. It's the sole reason he allowed me to be this far away from Volterra, to ensure I return there with you by my side. I can't let him have you. Please understand," Heidi brushed a strand of Bella's hair behind her ear. "If both of us ever step foot onto the castle, there's no way he'll let us leave again. You'll then be forever separated from your family and everyone you've ever cared about. The day that you turn into a vampire will arrive, I am sure of this, but not this soon. And not forcefully."
Her eyes fill with tears as she cups Bella's face gently in her hands.
Maybe it's the six days separation. Maybe it's hormones. But Bella is deeply entranced by everything that is Heidi. They're standing toes to toes but she wants to be closer. Heidi presses her cool forehead against Bella's warm ones.
"He tore away my coven. I'm not going to allow him to inflict upon you the same pain he caused me."
And the tears finally come but in dark red. Bella wants nothing more than to erase the pain Heidi's suffering so she takes Rosalie's advice and follows her instincts. Her arms reach forward and pull Heidi into an embrace, trying so much to offer her the comfort she clearly needs. Heidi takes it as a permission to wrap her arms around her mate, sinking further into the safety net Bella is offering.
She hasn't had the time yet to process the guilt and sorrow she felt confronting Victoria. Memories of the past quickly surface and they drown her. Bella's the only thing she could breathe in at the moment. And she takes it.
The human pulls back a little, trying to wipe away those bloody tears but finds herself absorbed in Heidi's magnetic field once again. And once Heidi's vulnerable eyes glance onto those compassionate doe eyes, she finds Bella leaning in closer and closer.
"I can't lose you too," she whimpered in pain.
Something unlocks within Bella's heart. Somehow she could feel Heidi's pain. It's as if their feelings are intertwined with each other. There's so much that Heidi isn't saying but her eyes reveal an ocean of loss and misery.
Bella's heart is shifting.
It dawns on Heidi and she doesn't move, afraid the spell might be broken if she were to do something.
"What if I have the same fear?" Bella croaked, remembering all the pain she felt this year.
Her heart tugs further once she sees Bella closes her eyes and continues to lean in. She could feel Bella's warm breath caressing her lips and it takes every ounce of control to let her mate take the lead.
It's funny how as the seductress, she was always in control of her prey. She knew all the right buttons to push, the flirty tone to play with, and all the right moves to put on to lure them. But as a vampire who had just found her mate, Heidi is rendered helpless, bound by her mate's move and decision.
Bella takes her breath away and she doesn't mind it one bit.
And then she feels it, the featherly touch of Bella's lips against her; so curious, so cautious and yet so full of needs and wants. All of a sudden, Bella grows a backbone and pushes forward to properly taste Heidi's lips, allowing her instincts to take control.
Heidi feels as if her heart had just restarted and it's beating hard against her chest. She finally moves and returns Bella's soft kiss with the same passion. And it makes the human weak in the knees, Heidi uses her one hand to help keep her mate upright.
It's so addictive and shamefully, Bella wants more. But this isn't the time yet.
"Either you stay and someone else goes or, I come with you," Bella gave her an ultimatum.
Heidi can't decide if she's sexually frustrated by her mate or rather impressed by Bella's boldness. She chooses to see it as a blessing and wraps her arms around her mate, enjoying the progress they've made. To her delight, Bella returns the hug and makes herself comfortable in Heidi's arms.
A/N: I don't think I will make this story very long. But depending on my gut, there may be a second book to this.
Anyways, I'm also working on another fanfiction at the moment. It's based on the Netflix Game App, Too Hot To Handle (Season 2). My focus will be on the MC named Brooklyn, paired up with Nora. I'm unsure which platform will be the best to post that because like Twilight movies/books, you'll need to play the game to understand the plot built up from there. Let me know if it's something you think I should post here (Fanfiction or Wattpad). I already have 4 chapters written down (offline) for that.