Rosalie remained in her meditative state far longer than she expected. Again. She didn't come out of it until a buzzing disturbed her. It stopped for a moment, then resumed. Rosalie opened her eyes and looked at her bedroom ceiling, watching nothing. What demanded her attention? Bella shifted against her, stretched, and then froze. She must have realized where she was because, after a moment, Bella let her arm settle across Rosalie again and relaxed. The buzzing began again.
"Is that my phone?"
Rosalie nodded. "I believe so."
Bella groaned and reached for it. She had left it on the bedside table nearest Rosalie, and was grasping and groping her way around the pillow to find it. She stretched across the vampire, trying to grab the phone. Rosalie sat as still as possible, letting the human fumble around in her newly awakened state. Bella leaned as far over Rosalie as she could, almost reached the phone, and then fell out of bed.
She hit the ground with a loud 'oof,' pulling the blanket with her. Rosalie covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. Bella's hand reached up, grabbed the phone off the bedside table, and pulled it down to her.
"Hello?" Rosalie could hear someone breathing on the other end. Bella looked at the phone, then put it back to her ear. "Jake? Hello?" The call ended. Bella grumbled. "What a butthead."
Rosalie rolled onto her side and looked down at the human on the floor. It was still dark outside, and Bella looked disoriented. Bella locked her phone and tried to toss it back onto the bedside table. Rosalie caught it and set it down, saving the phone from its trajectory back to the floor.
"What time is it?"
Rosalie glanced at the clock. "5:30."
"AM!?"
"No, PM."
"That's not funny. Now you owe me."
Rosalie leaned back over to look at Bella. She was lying on the floor, her arms crossed and her legs trapped in the blanket. "And what do you think I owe you?"
"Put me back on the bed, please?"
Rosalie was torn between being told she owed Bella and the fact that, naturally, she would have helped the girl up. "Say please."
"I did!"
Rosalie smiled. "Say it again."
"Pretty please?"
Rosalie stood up, scooped Bella and the blankets, and set her back on the bed. "Well, now that you've begged, I guess."
"I did not beg." She started kicking her legs, trying to escape the burrito she found herself in. After a few seconds, she gave up and went limp. "I give up." Rosalie reached over, grabbed the blanket, and yanked. Bella was suddenly free and face down on the bed. She managed a muffled, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Bella attempted to check her breath sneakily. "Do you have toothpaste?"
"And toothbrushes. Check the medicine cabinet for the toothpaste and the closet for unopened toothbrushes."
Bella looked at Rosalie, confused. "Why do you have those?"
"Bella, I eat blood. I have to brush my teeth. For my benefit. For yours."
"I never thought about it." She disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came back, she crawled into the bed, her breath minty fresh. She reached for Rosalie before pausing. "Can I?"
It warmed Rosalie to her cold vampire core that Bella checked before putting her hands on her. In response, she took Bella's hand and pulled her in closer. Bella slotted against her, pulling a pillow to cushion Rosalie's shoulder as she laid on her. Predictably, her hand settled on Rosalie's stomach. She chuckled, then pulled her shirt up just enough that Bella could touch her bare stomach.
"I'm gonna try and sleep longer." Bella's heart sped up. Rosalie wondered if the girl was going to fall asleep or not. She received her answer when Bella looked up at her. "Rosalie?"
The tone in Bella's voice made her look down. Here it is. Bella was going to ask her what happened the night before. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk about it yet. "Hm?"
"Where did you go last night?"
Rosalie froze. She was surprised. This was not what she had prepared for. "What?"
Bella shifted, readjusting the pillow. "Where did you go after you jumped off the balcony?"
Rosalie flexed her hand, started at the ceiling, then tried to relax. Why was Bella so strange? Why was she so surprised? Rosalie rested her chin on Bella's head and breathed. "I took a long run. I almost jumped off my favorite cliff."
Bella muttered. "Hmmm? Why didn't you?"
"No towels. No change of clothes. It's sort of a washing machine at the bottom. I have come back naked before. Did not want to repeat that."
Bella's hand caressed Rosalie's stomach. She didn't answer before she fell asleep again. Even in her sleep, her hand moved slightly across Rosalie's bare skin. Rosalie turned the TV above her bed on, keeping the volume as low as possible. She watched an episode of some mindless New York crime show while Bella's hand flexed and relaxed in her sleep.
Bella's phone rang again. Rosalie snatched it up as fast as possible and put it to her ear. "Hello?"
There was ragged breathing through the line. "Bella, are you there?"
"Angela, this is Rosalie." She shook Bella slightly. "One second." Bella jumped. "It's Angela."
Rosalie handed off the phone as fast as she could, and Bella clutched at it. "Hey, hello?"
Bella, can you come get me? Please? I'm sending you my location. Please?
"Absolutely. I'll be there soon." The call ended, and she let her hand fall to her side, the phone silent. Rosalie and Bella's eyes met, and Bella sighed. She collapsed. "Give me two minutes." Bella's heart rate went from dangerously fast to normal as they lay there.
"I'm sorry about last night," Rosalie said quietly.
"Okay." That wasn't a reassuring response, but Bella didn't sound angry. "I want to talk about it."
"That's fair."
Bella's phone buzzed. She opened it, looked quickly, then set it down. Bella sighed, rolled onto Rosalie, and held tight as she lay flat across her. "It's been two minutes."
"Don't rush me. You drive fast."
Rosalie smiled and pulled Bella closer. She rested her chin on the human's head. "I wasn't aware I was driving anywhere."
"You don't have to. Technically. But if you don't want to drive, then I need to leave now." Bella started to move. Rosalie kept her close and rolled them over, gently lying on the human.
Rosalie supported almost all of her own weight to protect Bella. She slid down, carefully putting her head on the human's chest, listening to her heartbeat speed up and slow back down. "I guess I don't mind driving. I am better at it than you are."
"Rude."
"If you want me to come with you, you should probably tell me that."
"Rosalie, please drive me to go get Angela." Bella ran her fingers across Rosalie's scalp, gently scratching as she moved her hands. Rosalie hummed in agreement. Bella took another deep breath, and her fingers stilled. "We should go."
Rosalie almost growled. She enjoyed the comfort of the bubble they had built in the last two minutes. In fact, she wanted Bella to keep scratching at her scalp so she could unfurl herself and rub against the girl like a house cat. Rather than interrogate that want, she stood up and reached out a hand to pull Bella with her. Angela needed Bella, and Rosalie would go where Bella was needed. Their lives depended on it.
Bella hurried from the house on Rosalie's heels. She pushed the address Angela sent to Rosalie's phone, and Rosalie sped from the Cullen's driveway, tearing through the woods at triple the speed limit.
In minutes, they were sliding into an empty parking lot of a store that had closed five years ago. Angela sat on the curb, three disheveled bags around her. She stared into space, eyes red and cheeks pale. Bella immediately fResistantelt guilty about the stolen moments she and Rosalie had shared earlier. Angela needed her.
As soon as the car stopped, Bella ran out of the passenger door. Angela rose up from the curb just to collapse into Bella's waiting arms. "I told them," she cried. "I told them, and they told me to leave and not come back." She sobbed, and nothing after that was understandable. Rosalie put Angela's bags into the trunk. Bella slowly guided Angela to the BMW.
Bella had never had to help someone through something this devastating. Angela collapsed into her lap in the back seat of the car. She and Rosalie locked eyes in the rearview mirror before Rosalie drove them all to Bella's house. She hoped her dad was already gone.
No such luck. Charlie was out front, loading the back of the cruiser with his fishing gear. "Hey girls, you're home-" He stopped when he saw the state of Angela. Charlie immediately transitioned from Bella's dad to Chief Swan. He dropped his tackle box, stood up straighter, and demanded to know what happened. "Tell me names, now."
Rosalie hurried over to Charlie and talked to him quietly. Bella brought Angela to the front door. She saw the moment that her dad understood. His shoulders sagged, and his face softened. He stopped being a police officer and started being a man full of sympathy. She got Angela into the living room before her friend saw what she had. She didn't know what to do or say, but she didn't want to start with pity.
Bella took Angela's hand and led her up to her bedroom. Angela looked exhausted, so she tucked her into her double bed, then laid down on top of the blankets and just held her as the tears began again. "It's okay. I'm here." Rosalie brought Angela's bags up and set them in the room. She didn't cry for long. She was pretty sure Angela was asleep in ten minutes but waited twenty before she left and went back downstairs.
Charlie was at the kitchen table, glaring at his hands. "What do you need me to do?"
Bella shrugged. She felt like she had lived two lifetimes in the last hour. "Dad, I love you. Go fishing."
"I'm not going to go fish!" He yelled in hushed tones. "Her parents can't do this. I'm going to…" Her dad looked as lost as she felt.
"She's asleep. There's nothing to do right now." Bella looked at Rosalie, who was leaning in the living room doorway. "We're going to stay here. Go see Harry. Catch dinner. We can figure this out later."
Charlie looked between the girls. "Are you sure? I just don't understand how someone could…" He stopped, then asked again. "Are you sure?"
They had to reassure Charlie two more times before he agreed to go fishing. He hugged Bella tightly before he left. The silence after the front door squealed into place was deafening.
"Come here." Rosalie wasn't harsh as she spoke, but she was authoritative. Bella could have argued, but she didn't have it in her. She hurt deep down to her core. One of her oldest and best friends was hurting. She was homeless, in name alone. The Swans would never abandon someone close to them. They wouldn't leave someone treasured alone in the woods, and they wouldn't leave someone they loved alone in an abandoned parking lot.
The world weighed down on her, but Bella went to Rosalie. She found herself wrapped securely in the arms of her fake mate. She knew this was all a sham, but under the weight of all of it, she cried. Bella cried for herself. She cried for Angela. She cried for herself. She cried for Emmett, for Rosalie, and for anyone else caught in this hell spiral of lost choice. And...she cried for herself. She was afraid, hurt, and guilty. Nothing made sense, so she cried.
Rosalie remained steadfast through it, calmly holding Bella as she worked her way through the pain. Bella knew she was probably disgusting the vampire. Dealing with bodily functions after almost a hundred years of avoiding them had to be pushing the vampire to her limits. She pulled away after that thought and walked into the kitchen to wipe her face and blow her nose.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Rosalie didn't say anything. She looked like an extremely confused Greek goddess leaning against the wall.
"Don't apologize. What do you need from me?"
What did she need? She wanted time with Rosalie. She wanted time with Angela. She wanted to sleep. "Would you be offended if I said I wanted to spend time here with Angela?"
"Alone? As in, with no me?"
Bella was torn. She wanted Rosalie with her. She also wanted to be with just Angela so the girl could talk to her safely. "I think she might need just me, not us as a happy couple hanging out in front of her.
"I think you may be right." Rosalie tilted Bella's chin up so she could kiss her. "Will you be okay while she sleeps? I can stay and keep you company."
"I'll be fine."
Rosalie nodded and kissed her again. "Call me if either of you need anything." Bella nodded, and Rosalie disappeared.
After a long day of Angela crying and Bella comforting her, Bella gave up her bedroom for her friend. This wasn't a hardship to Bella. She had a home, a father, and security. She could sleep on the living room couch for a while. Unfortunately, it wasn't a comfortable couch. It folded out into a double bed, but she was pretty sure that the couch with the paper-thin mattress had been purchased before she was born. She shifted, rolled, and tried to get comfortable. It was impossible.
The living room lit up as a message came through on her cell phone. Alice is meddling again.
What is Alice seeing? Bella texted back, a small smile on her face.
She seems to think that you're extremely uncomfortable on a couch.
Bella rolled her eyes. Alice was meddling. Maybe I just miss my vampire girlfriend?
If that's true, I can fix that.
Oh? How is that?
Is your living room window unlocked? Bella got up and checked the window. It faced the backyard. She unlocked it and laid back down.
It is.
Bella jumped and squealed as the window slipped open. She should have assumed it would, but it was still scary when someone suddenly appeared in your backyard and climbed in the window at one am. She stumbled backward, and Rosalie caught her before she could bounce on the squeaky springs of the couch bed.
"Hey," Rosalie smiled, hand around Bella's waist, holding her tight.
"You know, I would have survived the night."
"I assumed as much, but I also thought about how much kissing me affects you, and I realized I neglected you today."
Bella's heart was flipping in her chest. Rosalie was right, but she didn't need to just say it like that. "Excuse you," she tried to back away. Rosalie let go, and Bella landed on the couch. The springs squeaking as she bounced out of control really took the stern feeling out of her sentence. She popped back up and then pointed at Rosalie. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am unaffected. I am very...very..." She slid around Rosalie and closed the window. "Very resilient. Resistant. Re...something." She crossed her arms. Rosalie was still smiling in the most infuriating way. "So I don't know what you're talking about."
"Okay." Rosalie nodded and tapped her chin. She seemed to be thinking. "I guess if I don't affect you at all, it doesn't matter what I do right now, right? It won't bother you at all?"
Bella saw the trap she was looking at. She dove in head first. "Not at all. Not even a little bit."
Rosalie nodded, then pulled off her sweater. Bella realized at that moment that she rarely looked at what Rose was wearing. The cream sweater she pulled off was thrown across the room. It landed on her father's recliner. Underneath, she had been wearing a red and black plaid button-down. The sleeves were rolled up, and Bella watched Rosalie's forearms work as she slowly undid the buttons of the shirt. She started at the top, slowly undoing them until her stomach was exposed. Bella swallowed, her mouth dry and her throat tight. Rosalie stalked closer to her. "Still unbothered, right?"
Bella nodded. Rosalie smirked, put a knee on the bed next to Bella, and gently pushed her until she was lying down on the squeaky bed. Rose straddled Bella's hips after that, then completely took off her own plaid shirt. She dropped it on the arm of the couch. "Still unbothered?"
When Bella opened her mouth, no words came out. She wanted to lie, keep this game going and see what Rosalie was willing to do, but she couldn't. She swallowed, opened her mouth again, and admitted the truth. "I am extremely bothered." She knew Rosalie was already aware. "And if I can't touch you, I might explode."
Rosalie laughed quietly, then caught Bella's shirt and pulled her into a sitting position. "I never said you couldn't touch me." She pulled Bella in and kissed her, smiling against her lips. Bella wrapped her hands around Rosalie's waist, holding the muscular woman against her. Rosalie's tongue slid across Bella's lip before she leaned back and added, "In fact, I prefer if you do." She nudged Bella's nose with her own, guiding Bella so she could kiss her more deeply. Rosalie's hand settled on Bella's shoulder. Bella moved her hands up Rosalie's back. Her fingers grazed the clasp of Rosalie's bra, then she moved them immediately. She desperately wanted to see all of Rosalie, but she couldn't yet.
Rosalie licked into Bella's mouth, then sighed heavily when their tongues touched. Fingers grazed Bella's hips, and Rosalie gripped her t-shirt. She broke the kiss for a moment. "Can I?" She asked as she lifted the hem of the shirt slightly.
"Yes...wait. No." Rosalie lifted the shirt a bit, then stopped, lowering it again.
Bella was chasing Rosalie's lips again when Rosalie stopped her. "No, seems to be your answer. No?"
It took Bella a moment to clear her head and catch up to what was happening. Rosalie wanted to undress her. She'd said yes. Then she'd said no. Why had she said no? Oh. "I...no. I'm sorry. no."
Rosalie let go of Bella's shirt and kissed her gently. "It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. No is a complete sentence."
"I'm not wearing anything underneath." Bella met Rosalie's eyes and saw the way her pupils dilated. "So I'm not quite ready to be half naked in my living room where anyone can appear."
Rosalie giggled, then moved off of Bella. "God, I love you. You're ridiculous." She laid on the shitty couch bed, then patted it. "Come here."
Bella couldn't move. Rosalie had just said something unimaginable. She wouldn't say those words to Bella. Ever. She must not mean it. It must be an accident. She needed to recover now. "Can we talk about it?"
Rosalie fluffed her hair as she lay on the flat pillow Bella had been attempting to use before. "Talk about what?"
"Yesterday."
Rosalie tensed in a barely perceptible way. "What about it?"
"Rose." Bella sat next to her. "Don't do that. Tell me we can talk about it, or tell me we can't. But don't do that." Bella watched the girl withdraw into herself. She grabbed her button-up and put it back on, like a soldier donning their armor before battle.
"I suppose I do owe you a reason for my reaction." Rosalie leaned on her side, supporting her head on her hand as she looked at Bella. The girl looked sad.
Bella reached out and took Rosalie's free hand into her own. "You don't owe me. I think we might both be more comfortable if you can communicate with me."
Rosalie took her hand back. "Don't you think I communicate with you? Have I missed any signals? Have I done anything you didn't like?"
Bella could feel the danger. Rosalie clearly felt threatened, and Bella could understand why. Something had happened to Rosalie. She didn't know what, but the way she was sitting over Rosalie, looking down on her, wasn't helpful. Holding Rosalie's hand wasn't helpful. She scooted back a bit, leaning against the couch arm and watching Rosalie. "You haven't done anything wrong. I think you need to talk about something, and I feel like you're not ready. If you are, I am, too. If you're not, we'll figure it out when you are."
A door opened at the top of the stairs, the hallway light flicked on, and an exhausted Charlie said, "Bella, who are you talking to?"
She called back, never breaking eye contact with Rosalie in the dark living room, "Sorry, Dad. I was practicing something I need to talk to Rosalie about tomorrow. I don't want to mess it up."
Charlie chuckled. "Do you want me to help?"
"No, that's okay."
"Alright. Can you practice your speech a little quieter?"
"Yep. Sorry."
"Night baby girl. I love you."
Bella smiled to herself, turning to make sure that Charlie didn't come up the stairs. "I love you too, dad." He turned off the light and retreated into his room. When Bella turned back, Rosalie was gone. She put her head in her hands and growled.
Rosalie's voice came from behind her. "I do need to talk about it. It's just hard. It's been 90 years, and it's still difficult." When Bella finally turned, she saw Rosalie's back. The girl was facing the window, staring out into the backyard. "I do need to tell you. I feel like I need to tell you." She paused, watching the night sky. "In all that time, I've only told my family. The Cullen's, my cousins. No one else." She chuckled darkly and turned to face Bella again. "I did, of course, kill the men responsible."
Bella paused, trying to put it together. She considered the previous night. I did, of course, kill the men responsible. She understood what had happened to Rosalie, and it made her feel ill. "Talk to me."
Rosalie took a deep breath, sat in a chair opposite the couch, and asked, "Are you sure you don't just want to kiss?"
The moment was fraught. She knew everything she did here had to be careful. Rosalie was spooked. "Can you come here? Please?"
Rosalie hesitated, so Bella lowered her hand. She waited. She was tired, but this moment might never return if she blew it now. Rosalie's tongue had been in her mouth so many times, but she kept her true thoughts locked away. There was a very important wall here, and Bella needed to break it down. Rosalie came over to her at a pace so slow a human would be bothered by it. Bella stayed focused. Rosalie sat at the end of the couch bed. She wasn't close enough for Bella to touch but hadn't run away either.
Rosalie sighed. "What do you know about my human life?"
Bella shrugged. "Not much, honestly. Edward said you're from New York and died in the 1930's."
"What a gentleman," she sneered. After a moment, Rosalie relaxed her face. She put on the cold mask she used to wear and began reciting her history like she was reading it from a book. When she got to the name 'Royce,' her face twisted again. Royce was the most eligible bachelor in town, and I was thrilled. I wanted to be envied, sought after, wanted. He was my key to that." Rosalie finally looked at Bella. "I don't remember if I was ever attracted to women in my human life. It was so taboo that I don't think I even knew that was an option." She looked at her hands again. "When my social climber parents met Royce, I knew I was going to be sold to him. Not literally, mind you." She picked at her flawless nails, refusing to look up again. "Our courtship was fast. From meeting to marriage was a three-month window. After two months and twenty-nine days, I was visiting with a friend and her husband." She looked up at Bella. "Her name was Vera. She reminds me of Angela, actually." A tiny smile appeared before leaving just as quickly. "She was smart, kind, and gentle with everyone. She had a little boy three days before my wedding, so she wouldn't be able to attend. I went to see her the night before."
Bella slid forward a few inches, and set her hand on the bed between them. She didn't want to spook Rosalie, but she thought some comfort might be welcomed.
Rosalie looked at her hand but didn't take it. "I wonder if I had a crush on her at some point, honestly." She looked at Bella, then smiled. "Her son was the most adorable little thing. He had dark curly hair like Vera's husband but dark green eyes just like Vera. I can't even remember his name. Isn't that wild?"
Bella nodded. Rosalie finally reached for her hand before continuing. "When I left, it was late. I hadn't meant to. Vera, her husband, and her son were just so much fun. I should have called my father for an escort. I should have accepted her husband's offer. His name was Charles, like your dad. He was such a good man. He wanted to walk me, but it was after midnight, and he was a laborer. Even in the great depression, he was needed at work. And I was independent. I could walk myself."
Rosalie's grip tightened slightly on Bella's hand, and she realized that, even now, Rosalie had to be careful with her strength to keep Bella safe.
"On the way home, I came across a rowdy group of men. Royce was with them. He had gotten smashing drunk with his friends and they were wandering the streets, looking for someone. Anyone. I didn't realize until much later that there had been a string of grisly attacks and murders of women at night. They stopped after I died." Rosalie met her eyes and held them. "My fiancé and his friends attacked me, brutalized me, and killed me that night. The last thing Royce said to me was, 'Come on, show me what you look like, Rose.'"
Bella inhaled sharply. She remembered what she had said the night before. "Oh, Rosalie. I'm so sorry." She wanted to hold Rosalie, to be held by her, to offer comfort in some way. Instead, she squeezed Rosalie's hand.
"Bella, I want to make something extremely clear. You didn't do anything wrong last night. You can't be responsible for something you didn't know about. I had a strong reaction that I couldn't explain at the time. I'm sorry."
Bella slapped the back of Rosalie's hand with her free one. "No. You don't get to be sorry if I can't be. I can't say I understand, exactly, but I get that trauma responses are unpredictable. It's okay." Bella paused. "Are you okay?"
"I am. I killed him and all his friends within six months. I've never tasted human blood, but I have certainly killed."
Bella imagined she was supposed to be afraid. She wasn't. If anything, she was impressed by Rosalie. "Are we okay?"
Rosalie nodded. "Would you mind-" She hesitated. "Could I kiss you?"
Now that Bella understood why Rosalie was so careful about asking, she didn't respond with, 'You don't have to ask.' Instead, she simply said, "Please?"
And she let a vampire kiss her senseless.