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To_read_main_rom, Iin my heart ❤️💜💛, Bon appétit, Beautifully Written
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2020-03-16
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2020-06-04
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39/39
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So I Hope You See (That I Would Love To Love You)

Chapter 39

Notes:

Okay guys, this is a reminder. This is the epilogue with the twist. This is the beginning of a story that WILL NOT BE WRITTEN! I say that in all caps so that no one can get mad at me at the end because there won't be more. No one can come to me in a few months and ask where the sequel is, because I'm saying here and now that I will not be able to do it. I'm putting it up because you guys voted and you wanted this (twice). I think I would probably think that putting this up might be a bad idea, but I'm gonna go for it. Read at your own risk... or something like that.
I decided to hold on to the outline, for now because it's not quite finished, but this is the story. I'm a bit sad that I can't write it, some of the things you were hoping to see like the situation with the wolves and deeper into Rose's character were supposed to happen in the sequel but sadly adulting comes first.
Separately remember that the twist isn't going to be for everyone. I was going to do it as a sequel with full spoilers and notes for those who might not be into it, but since I'm not posting, this is my warning. If it's not your thing, that's cool, no need to be rude about it - I know it's not for everyone.
Okay, I think I've been clear enough.
Thanks so much everyone for reading! It's been a fun ride!

Chapter Text

Updating some errors


 

Rose’s feet made little sound on the forest floor as she ran at top speed, her laughter ringing through the trees. “I’m right behind you!”

Ahead of her the beauty she was chasing glanced back, her hair flying over her shoulder, her face alight, glittering in the afternoon sun. Bella saw her closing in and with a look of adorable determination, pushed harder.

Not about to be outrun, Rose leapt over a fallen tree, the force of her movement sending her into the air. With learned agility, she hit a giant tree halfway up its thick trunk and sprang off, sending her bulleting straight for Bella. Her grin grew, about to catch her prey.

Seeing her coming, Bella’s running figure suddenly stopped, creating grooves in the earth with her force so instead of colliding with her, Rose went sailing right past.

“Damn it!” Rose cried, her arms closing around nothing but air.

With a musical laugh of sheer delight, Bella took off in a different direction.

Rose growled, her teeth exposed in a threat that had no meaning at all. She wasn’t angry for once in her life. In fact, for once she was filled with happiness as she shot after her. She loved seeing Bella this happy. She had to question now just how much Bella had hated being the only human with the way she enjoyed her vampire self.

Rosalie vaulted over a sapling, hitting the ground running.

It was over, finally. It had taken Bella longer than usual. Now that she was on the other side of that pain and fear, that fact made Rose laugh. Of course, Bella hadn’t been able to do it the easy way, too stubborn. She instead had to do it her way. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she ran. The average time for a vampire to rise fully transformed was two days. Bella had taken four.

Four. Days. 

Rose had begun the process composed, horrified with the feeling of sinking her teeth through Bella’s skin, horrified with the ambrosia on her tongue, filling her mouth.

There had been one moment, just one black moment where she had lost her head and she had sucked. The blood had flowed hot and delicious, like nothing she had ever tasted before.

When she had sucked a second time, Bella had whimpered in pain and Rosalie’s head had cleared. She hadn’t pulled away but instead had done her best to produce as much venom as possible, letting it well.

She had been able to remain composed after that, even keeping her head when the screaming started. She and Carlisle had agreed ahead of time to sedate her, hoping it would help with the pain, only even unconscious, Bella had screamed. It was when the screaming and thrashing had suddenly cut off that her composure had been lost. That wasn’t what Emmett had done. That wasn’t what Carlisle had warned her that she had done and according to Carlisle, her turning had been their worst. At first, she had thought it signaled the end of the transformation. They had settled her under the blankets of their bed, and she had sat in a chair beside it, ready. Only Bella hadn’t risen. Rose had sat, her arms on her knees, her eyes never wavering from Bella’s changing face. She had sat unmoving for a day before the worry had become too much. She had accosted Carlisle, demanding to know exactly why Bella hadn’t woken. He didn’t have an answer for her other than that Bella would rise when she was ready. They could hear her heartbeat, so they knew she hadn’t died, yet Rose worried deeply that she was dying, slowly and tortuously. That night she had begun to pace and as she paced, she noticed something change. Rose hadn’t left Bella’s side as she changed, watching each slight difference. And as she did, she was amazed to feel that her connection, that tether between them had not grown, nor had it become insistent again, but instead had knit itself stronger, becoming an unbreakable rope. That had given her some sense of peace but in no way enough to calm her. Eventually, unable to handle it any longer, she had changed into a sweatshirt of Bella’s, pulling her hair up into a loose knot, something she never did, and just began to wait. It had been four days, a full four days. But it was over now. It was over now and somehow, after everything she had been through in life, she had stumbled onto perfect. She had never known it was possible, and yet it clearly was. Bella was perfect. Life was perfect. She was happy.

Rose was closing the gap between them. Bella leapt over a boulder and then dove over a small pond. She reached out, her hand brushing Bella’s long hair. “I’m right behind you!”

Bella’s jeans, she could see, were torn from this impromptu game, her Converse thudding on the dirt and leaving behind prints that were so light it was like Bella was barely touching the ground.

“No way, you’re too slow.”

Rose laughed and put on a burst of speed but just before her hands grabbed her, Bella dodged hard and suddenly to the left.

“Damn it!” Rose snarled a little, her competitive side still playful but beginning to make itself known. Bella had been training too much with Jasper, that much was clear. No, she had been training with everyone too much in Rosalie’s opinion. That was all life had been since Bella had finally risen, shaken but excited and healthy. Training with Carlisle, who had taken a short leave from work for a family emergency aka to train a newborn vampire, to teach her to fight an urge for human blood that Bella seemed to barely feel. There had been training with Jasper to learn how to fight and to be the best version of what she now was. Esme and Edward had spent their time coaching her on human ticks, something that Bella had needed to learn. Bella had also been spending long hours with Alice, teaching her to dress and to hunt. It agitated Rose that her family had taken these jobs away from her. Esme had explained kindly that it wasn’t that they were taking them from her as much as they just wanted to be involved. She understood. But she wanted to be involved. Everyone had understood and yet had promised that unless they wanted to head up to Alaska where there would be fewer people, they would have to take their alone time in a few days. It had been a week since Bella had opened her new eyes and this was the first time that they had been able to be alone. What had started out a peaceful walk had turned into this game of cat and mouse.

Rose smirked as Bella again dodged her. Mind growing strategic, Rose turned. Instead of following her to the left, she turned to the right, going silent as death. She moved, not for speed anymore, but for silence, leaping from moss to moss to a tree branch, to a stone, landing light as a feather before shooting off. Alice might have taught her the basics of hunting, but she hadn’t taught Bella this. That would be her job. Moving with this kind of stealth was her specialty. Sure enough, after a few moments, Bella’s grinning face turned, alerted by the silence. The smile turned into a frown and she stopped confused by the fact that Rose had disappeared. Biting back a giggle, Rose landed lightly on her toes in a patch of soft dirt before she shimmied up a tree trunk with ease. She had cut around her and while Bella’s head was turned she leapt, landing on Bella’s now capable back.

“Got ya!” Rose shouted, wrapping her arms and legs around Bella as she gave a startled yell. Playfully, she bit Bella’s neck.

Bella gave a fake shudder. “Oh no!” she cried in a playful monotone. “Please, don’t drain me of my blood, mighty vampire.”

“I can make no promises, my little blood blister,” Rosalie said in a deep and, she had to admit, bad impression of Dracula.

Bella cackled and Rose, unable to help it, laughed with her.

“You’re supposed to be scared!” She pushed her shoulder in fake annoyance.

Bella shot her a dry stare which Rose beamed back at. It felt amazing that Bella was so much les breakable, that she didn’t have to worry. Smirking at her, she pushed off, running.

“Wait? How did you do that? You disappeared!” Bella shouted after her.

“I’ll never tell!”

Bella shot after her but Rose had a head start. She vaulted off a boulder, into a tree, off of a nearby trunk and then hit the ground, her feet moving fast, leaving Bella behind.

“Crap!” Bella cried as she jumped and didn’t quite duck enough not to get a face full of tree branches.

Rosalie howled with laughter, her feet not slowing down at all.

Bella landed clumsily, a glint in her eye and leaves in her hair making her look wild and very very sexy. Too sexy, in fact.

Without warning, Rose suddenly turned, attacking Bella head-on, colliding with her with an earth-shattering sound. She was on Bella in less than a second, her legs wrapped around Bella’s waist, her teeth biting Bella’s lip. She had been desperate for this.

Bella let out a moan as she met Rose, the force of their movement, Rosalie’s legs forcing Bella to be suddenly still sent them spinning to the ground. They rolled with the inertia of it as they hit, kissing heatedly, dirt flying out from them, only for both to separate and roll to their feet. Rose gave Bella a snarling grin, eyes on her and unmoving as though she were her prey. In return Bella beamed, her face alight, her eyes dancing. Affection spun through Rose, making her dizzy.

With a shout, Bella shot right back at Rose. She dodged, going to the left but Bella seemed to anticipate the move and grabbed her, shoving her back and into the boulder behind her. There was a resounding crack as her back hit the stone. She gave a grunt of force and mild pain as a spiderweb of cracks appeared around her shoulder blades and behind her head.

Rosalie’s eyebrows popped, impressed.

“Oops.” Bella paused only long enough to give her the kind of cocky smile that she had never seen on Bella the human, and then her lips were on hers. The attack made Rose’s whole body move into Bella, who took advantage to do something she had never done before. Her hand reached around and settled firmly on Rose’s ass.

Bella groaned with delight.

The touch startled Rose out of the kiss. She looked down at the hand on her ass, her eyebrows high. Bella just smirked back.

“I can now, right? You don’t feel like marble anymore.”

Rose’s grin grew in answer, feeling Bella’s body against her and doing her best to hold the response to that back. “What do I feel like?”

Bella’s newfound confidence broke. “Soft. Warm.” The smile that grew on Bella’s face was such a throwback to the shy girl she had first kissed that it melted Rose a little.

She reached up, her fingers running down Bella’s cheek and back into her hair. “Do I?” Rose asked, leaning forward to trail a hand tenderly down Bella’s throat over the bite scar. A hum of satisfaction came from Bella’s throat. Bella’s red eyes sharpened. It sent a thrill through Rose.

She let out a gasp, her body thrumming as Bella aggressively attacked her neck, her hands not at all hesitant as she drew them up to cup Rose’s breast as though she had wanted it for a long time. A jolt shot through her, making her head snap back again, creating more cracks in the stone as Bella ran her thumbs over her nipples. With a mostly playful shove, she threw Bella back, sending her flying into the ground so hard that she created a small crater. They wrestled, both trying to be on top. Bella’s newborn strength made her hard to defeat and quickly Bella was on top, pinning Rose’s hands with a look of euphoria.

“I can’t believe I did that!”

Rose gave in, letting her dominate for a moment before she leaned up and, like a dog putting a young pup back into its place, she bit and held Bella’s neck.

Bella moaned and went limp.

Victorious, she rolled them again, pinning her with her hips. “I hope you understand—” she muttered, letting the tip of her tongue trail over Bella’s bottom lip, “—that I am still the top here.”

Bella laughed, her breath shaky as Rose’s hand firmly cupped her through her jeans.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

Rose sneered, her eyebrow-raising. “Yes, we will.” And she leaned down, biting the curve of Bella’s shoulder and neck hard enough to make her cry out, her hands pulling Rose in tighter.

This was the part of them, in a life where so many parts of them had yet been undiscovered, was what Rosalie desired the most and yet was so unfulfilled. Even after Bella’s last day as a human, Rose didn’t feel like she knew Bella’s body. Now Rose pulled Bella’s mouth to hers, giving her a blistering kiss that was all tongues and teeth and no fear, her hands slipping under Bella’s shirt, intent to explore.

She pushed the bra cup away without delay. In response, Bella gave a grunt, her eyebrows drawing into a look of focused attention. Her skin, to Rose, felt much like it had before. It was still warm, though no longer hot. She was still softer than anything she had imagined before. Only knowing that she couldn’t hurt her changed everything, made it so much better. She kept fingers soft, exploring, teasing the nipple and just like it had been before, Bella’s head fell back, her arms curling around Rose to bring her in close.

“So um, we’re outside,” Bella gasped in a broken breathy voice as Rose’s hand made quick work of the button of Bella’s jeans. Rose laughed a little at what had always been her private joke with Emmett.

“Welcome to being a Cullen. We have sex outside so that no one in the house has to hear it.”

Bella’s would be response cut off as Rose’s fingers slid into the unbuttoned jeans, under her panties and through her, feeling the same heat, the same moisture that she had always felt.

“Do I feel the same?”

Rose’s smile was soft, the kiss she placed on her lips gentle. “You feel perfect.” The sudden look of nerves that had been on Bella’s face passed, her head falling back as Rose stroked.

“You – you don’t have to be gentle anymore, right?” Bella asked, her eyes closed, her face serene.

Rose leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t be.”

Bella’s laughter was choked off as Rose’s mouth began working down Bella’s stomach. She pulled off the jeans with care not to rip them since Bella did still have to walk back into the house. She kept her eyes on Bella’s face to be sure she was all right. Sex was, after all, still a new thing for Bella.

“Rose,” Bella hummed as Rose’s tongue traced her belly button, her free hand teasing her breast.

She bit lightly at her hip bone and then let her tongue trail down. She watched, curious to see her reaction as she tasted her for the first time.

“Jesus,” Bella gasped, her shoulders lifting her off the ground.

She grinned, pleased. Rose had been afraid to do this before, afraid of her teeth so near such tender skin, but now. She watched as Bella’s body twitched, her head rolling back, pushing her off the ground, her hips moving against Rose’s mouth.

“Ro- Ro-” Bella gasped, her hands clutching handfuls of the dirt around them.

Rose grinned, curious as to what would make those hands move to her.

“How does it feel?”

Bella paused and then coughed out, “new.”

Humming with delight, her body throbbing with attention, she began to suck gently, her tongue working over her clit.

Bella’s back arched a raspy “Oh fuck” ringing through the trees.

She slid in first a single finger and Bella’s legs buckled into herself, pulling in at the knees, her thighs squeezing the arm she put out to hold Bella in place. She added a second. Watchful, she pulled out to the tips of her fingers once and then laced them back in and Bella’s dirty hands her in her hair.

Rose gave an involuntary grunt of dissatisfaction that was quickly lost. Pinning Bella as best she could while Bella’s body twisted and writhed, Rosalie let her tongue work. Bella’s heels were beginning to push against the ground, each thrust of her hips powerful and hard to hold on to. Above her, Bella’s hands caressed her hair, her cheeks, anything she could reach of Rose, gasping her name again and again.

Rose held her tight, her own body screaming with need when Bella’s heels locked, her hips arched up off the ground and she began to shake.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Bella cried.

Bella’s sounds as a human had always been light, soft, and very feminine. This time, with no worry of injury between them and therefore no restraint, Bella’s noises were loud. When she came, which was incredibly fast, it was with a growling grunt, her legs curling in on themselves, her whole body twisting with its power.

Rose let her mouth work for another moment, cherishing this new task as Bella went limp. She crawled beside her and turned her face so she could lazily kiss her. “Wow.”

“Was it different?”

“Yeah, it was so different.”

“Good different?”

Bella’s eyes rolled, her head dipping to kiss Rose’s neck. She kissed up her neck, gently biting her ear and then across to her lips. Rose pulled her into her embrace, their legs tangled, holding Bella tenderly close, wanting to feel her. Rose was so caught up in the kiss and the press of Bella’s body against hers, the feeling of holding her close that she let out a gasp when she felt Bella’s fingers on her stomach, under her shirt.

Bella paused at the sound of it and they both froze. She knew that Bella was right, that felt different to her now but god, to be touched by Bella. She hadn’t allowed herself to think of it much. Bella, her mate’s touch... A small whine drifted up from her throat.

“Rose?” Bella’s voice had grown raspy.

She nodded a little and Bella’s relief was clear.

“I’ve never done this,” Bella admitted, her forehead resting against Rose’s, her fingers tracing meaningless patterns on Rose’s stomach.

“Neither had I.”

Bella paused. “Really?”

That made her grin with pride. “Really. Just do what you want to do.”

Bella nodded, her hand pushing Rose’s shirt up, leaning over so her lips could tickle her side. The feeling was not as it had been with Emmett. The skin that Bella brushed her nose against, was sensitive, more sensitive than it ever had been before. She gasped, her sounds annoying her with their desperate femininity. She sounded like a needy woman, and not how she liked to sound, in control, in charge. She sounded like she would do whatever Bella wanted if she would just keep touching her. The fact that this was entirely true wasn’t the point.

Encouraged Bella began to move up her rib cage.

“Whatever I want?”

“Whatever you want,” Rose nodded, hearing the catch in her own voice.

“Okay.” Bella pulled her up and with quick work removed her shirt and bra. “I’ve wanted to do this for a really long time.” Taking off her own as well, leaving Bella blissfully naked, she settled atop her, pulling Rose back into a kiss as her hands began to explore. “Tell me if I’m doing something wrong, okay, kitten?”

Rose whimpered and just nodded, her arousal spiking, speechless as Bella’s mouth moved down her chest to her breast. Her head was beginning to spin. The feeling was warm, strong, and somehow as Bella’s tongue brushed over her nipple, not only physical.

Jesus wept,” she gasped out, her hands moving to Bella’s hair as she felt the physical sensation of it as well as the mental through their bond. Desire washed through her as Bella’s hands skittishly played across her stomach, her sides, her mouth lavishing one breast and then the other, only to go back to her neck.

She didn’t want to beg, really didn’t but her body was thrumming, dear god. She wanted her mouth on her, wanted her inside of her. “Bella!” She growled but Bella only laughed. Rose’s nails scratched up Bella’s side as if she was able to pull her into her. When Bella finally ran her hand over her Rose gasped out. When Bella finally slipped her pants off and ran a hand through her, Rose’s eyes popped wide, her strangled sound going silent.

Bella sat back, leaning back on her knees, her hand trailing over Rose’s hip as she gently pushed inside of her for the first time, her expression very uncertain. Rose’s snarl was loud, her teeth bared, trying hard not to let out a girlish moan. Bella retracted slowly and then thrust fast and the moan came out of her regardless of her desire not to sound ridiculous. Bella did it again, and again and Rose couldn’t help herself, she responded, her body ablaze, the connection of the bond in her mind sparking like happy electricity. Bella swirled a finger, her thumb slipping up over Rose’s clit. “Bella, fuck!”

Bella beamed. “I’ve been doing some reading.” The slow to fast rhythm changed as Bella pressed a hand into her lower belly, her moving fast, hard. She leaned over Rose.

Quickly and humiliatingly fast Rose was reaching her edge. She leaned up and kissed her, teeth bumping.

“Fuck, Bella, fuck, I’m –” She didn’t get to say what it was before her first orgasm with Bella exploded within her. She roared, her body shaking. The sensation rushing through her body echoed deeply in her mind, tripling the feeling, making her hands clutch the back of Bella’s neck, just to touch some part of her.

It usually wasn’t so easy. It usually wasn’t so fast.

Bella chuckled, swearing a little.

She fell back, shocked.

“Okay, I like that.” Bella grinned.

Rose just laughed, covering her face. She was embarrassed, but not as embarrassed as she thought she might be.

“I can’t wait to see what it will be like in a bed!” Bella leaned down and kissed her deeply. “What were you saying about being the top?” She asked, wiggling her fingers still inside of Rose.

Rose let out a sharp gasp which turned into a growl as Bella hopped up, ready for the fight that she knew was coming.

Rose whimpered at the loss of her but glared, ready for the game. “I can’t believe you got me this dirty.”

“Hey, at least now you get to shower. Race you.” Bella took off fast, pulling her clothes on as she ran.

“Cheater!” Rose shouted after her, still, it was only a second before she flew after her.

Dirty and momentarily sated, Rose’s mind still feeling like a puddle, they raced back through the woods.

They flew into the Cullen house, laughing and dirty, Bella smirking as she hit the backdoor first.

“I win.”

Rose snarled. “I demand a rematch.”

“Sore loser.”  

“Wow, look at you two.” Esme laughed, holding a rag and furniture polish.

Seeing that, Rose laughed and shook her head. They had seen their Denali cousins so many times. They had been there so many times, but Esme still cleaned before they arrived as if they had never seen a speck of dirt despite living in the middle of a national park. Granted, Esme and her newly found cleaning jag, was a nice change from the relentless task of designing them a house, so she thought she couldn’t complain. There had been no questions about room size or design that morning.

“What have you two been up to?”

Rose shared a look with Bella, losing herself for a long moment in Bella’s eyes. Needing to touch her, she reached out and Bella’s hand was there, clasping hers back.

From the piano, Edward looked up and laughed. “What do you think, Esme?”

Rose glanced at Bella, who looked like if she could blush she would, brushing off her shirt a little and looking guilty at the new rip in the jeans. “Errrm...” She glanced back at Edward and she and Rose shared the same look they had shared so many times since Bella’s waking. Neither of them were sure of what to feel about Edward now.

After Carlisle had called the Denali clan to invite them to come and meet the newest in their coven, Edward had finally come back. He had come looking as though someone had died, which Rosalie supposed someone had. She had been braced as he approached, Bella sitting with Esme, still adjusting to her new senses. He had walked in, taken a long look at Bella’s new face and had proved that Rose’s theory had been completely right. It had, after all, only been Bella’s blood that he had wanted because the moment he had returned things had changed. His tight face had relaxed and he had seemed confused. Within a day he had been back to the Edward that Rose had known before Bella. He seemed to have no romantic interest in Bella now. A few more days later, he willingly welcomed Bella as another member of the family. He seemed interested, having once been invested in Bella, asking her about her plans for Charlie and Renee, but that had been it. All aggression had suddenly gone and the house was much more comfortable.

That was nice, and yet Rose still didn’t know what she felt. Something between them had broken. She understood where his pain had come from, and yet… there had been no apology, not as of yet.

Rose scoffed at Bella’s awkwardness, noticing that there was a twig in her hair.

“Don’t embarrass them, Edward,” Esme gently chided, making Bella look all the more awkward.

With a semi-playful glare at Bella, she announced that she was going to go get into the shower. “I have dirt in my hair.”

“How did you get dirt in your hair?” Esme asked, surprised. At the piano, Edward scoffed.

Bella shifted, looking guilty.

“I don’t know.” Rose’s voice was dry, her narrowed eyes accusingly on Bella. “The forest is a dirty place.”

Apparently unable to take more, Bella shifted back toward the dining room. “Imma - I’m gonna ask Alice a question about the flat. I’ll take one after.”

Rose kept up the glare even as Bella slunk her way and kissed her on the cheek. “I won’t be leaving any hot water for you!” she called after her mate, her eyes on Bella’s shapely ass.

Bella turned, her look suggestive and challenging.

Everyone had needed an escape from their worry about Bella and so, the day before Bella had come back to them Emmett and Esme had begun working on the house. It had once been a paper factory and between him and Esme, the designs had been made to turn it into a large and Rose had to admit what would be a beautiful loft in the middle of the forest. Emmet had been having a lot of fun with it because he had found the warehouse in Sappho Washington, a fact that he found endlessly funny and Rose was sure was on purpose. First her car, and now her house. She would consider keying his new car in retaliation… if she didn’t love him so much.

However, before she and Bella were to move in, the plan was that she and Bella would take a vacation. Alice had rented them a tiny little flat in Paris for six months as a gift to them. It was a city filled with beauty, just like her mate, and where Bella had never been. Seeing the shine in Bella’s eyes as they talked about it was reward enough. Knowing it was a city in which they could live exclusively at night and still experience the culture, only made Rose happier. She was excited to show her Paris, excited to see what she thought of the hidden beauty within the city.

On the staircase, Rose smiled again to herself as she passed the framed graduation caps. Someone, Rose’s sneaking suspicion was that it had been Esme, had created a new line that was as of yet without hats, waiting for Bella.

They hadn’t as a group decided what they would do yet, but Bella was leaning toward waiting to start high school until later in life when the high school class had turned over and the Cullens were beginning again.

Rose didn’t mind. More time to be with her, to travel, to be a family.

Opening their bedroom door, Rose couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes that as usual there was a pair of Converse in the middle of the floor as well as the shirt and jeans Bella had been wearing the night before that had gotten soiled when Alice had taken her out.

Lips pressed into a thin line of annoyance, she scrunched her face at the scent of animal on them. She went down to the washing machine and tossed them in. Back in her room she picked up the shoes and tossed them into the pile of shoes on Bella’s side of the closet, not hiding her smile. She had no idea the kind of simple joy she could find from a pair of shoes in the middle of her bedroom floor, getting dirt on her clean carpet.

Her shower was quick, not wanting to lavish in it and she was dressing by the time Bella came up, looking a little more composed than she had before.

“Sooo, you’re about to be mad.”

Rose’s head whipped around, taking in the guilty-looking human-throwback Bella. “Why?” She bit, already suspicious.

With a click of her tongue and a shrug, Bella told her. “Emmett put a bumper sticker on Sappho.”

Her first reaction was her usual. “My car is not –” then it clicked in. “He what?”

Bella’s nose scrunched as if this had been exactly the type of response Bella had expected. “I told him that you were gonna kill him.”

Still as stone, Rose stared at her with narrowed eyes. “What is it?” she asked, her words venomous.

At that Bella grinned and Rose tried hard not to melt. “It’s a rainbow.”

What?”

“And it says ‘Raging lesbian.”

Rosalie stared, her mind short-circuiting. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Bella shook her head, pushing her hands into her torn jean pockets.

Stammering wasn’t something that came naturally to Rose but at that moment nothing else seemed to be coming out. Turning, she started down the stairs, Bella following. “I’m going to kill him! I’m going to rip his fucking head off and use it as a fruit bowl!”

“What’s wrong?” Esme asked, startled when they came storming through.

“He put—” she burst through the garage door and immediately looked to her bumper. “He put a bumper sticker on my beautiful car!” She cried, it coming out as more of a sob. Just as Bella had said, a bright rainbow with flowing white words. Emmett stood beside the car, beaming at her like a child who was proud of the messy art project that he had just made on his mother’s freshly cleaned floor.

She stared at it, Bella and Emmett staring down with her. She hated bumper stickers. They were so tacky. They were so tacky and you didn’t defile a beautiful car like this with one. You just didn’t. This car was meant to remain unmarked and glorious. But as she stared down at it, she found that the anger quickly faded into something far more unexpected. She let out a hiccup and then like an explosive sneeze, she let out a loud laugh.

Both Bella and Emmett took a step back, their eyes wide.

Emmett, trying to pretend he hadn’t, bent a little at the knees, his face excited, waiting for the attack.

Rose’s hand came up to cover her mouth, hiding the laughter but it didn’t work. She laughed all the louder.

“Errr, Rose?” Bella asked, her voice soft as though Rose were having some sort of a breakdown. Rose just pulled her in, wrapping her arms around her tightly, looking at the sticker over Bella’s shoulder.

“Errr, what’s so funny?”

She laughed a little more, staring down at the oh-so-offensive sticker, which suddenly didn’t seem so offensive. “Nothing.” She saw Bella looking over her shoulder at her and her face was so disconcerted that Rosalie laughed again, hiding her face in Bella’s neck. “It’s just that – it’s that - I just think I am.”

Emmett punched the air. “I told you she would like it!” He crowed making Bella sag and groan in her arms.

“All right, all right!” Bella threw her hands up in the air. “I still have a few things to learn.”

Shaking her head, Rose turned to head back into the house. “Idiots,” she called over her shoulder as Bella and Emmett began an argument about who had been the most right or wrong in the situation.

That night was spent doing very little of anything. Rosalie made Bella clean her side of the room since they would have a guest the next day, amazed as to how messy it could get in a week.

When there was little need to sleep, it made the fact that their guest room was no longer available less important. There were five of them which meant they would just share a room with one of the other coven members for the things they needed such as a shower and a place to change.

As Bella picked up, they argued hotly about what would be allowable when it came to Bella’s messy habits, ending with Rose dominating Bella on the bed, kissing her for all she was worth.

The next morning Rosalie took Bella back out to the cliff and they watch the sunrise.

“It’s strange not to sleep. But I don’t feel tired, not like I used to.”

Rose nodded, squeezing Bella’s hand in hers. “I remember the transition into being a vampire very hard. Has it been hard for you so far?”

Bella seemed to consider, her eyes drifting over the water. Rose watched her do it, enjoying how it felt just to look at her like this.

“No, and yes,” Bella admitted with the nose scrunch that Rose loved so much. “I knew a little bit about what to expect. Alice, Carlisle, and Esme told me.”

Rose nodded, letting silence fall. She could see Bella mulling something over. “What is it?”

“So, I was just thinking, kitten.”

Rosalie cleared her throat, pretending to be unaffected by that.

“When you kissed me here...”

And despite everything that had happened since then, the same shame rocked over her. Her gaze dropped to their intertwined hands, her breath halting in her chest. “What about it?”

“Did it feel like this for you inside? How could you ignore the bond so well?”

She laughed a little derisively. It was as though Bella had forgotten their own history. “I didn’t. I kissed you.”

“Yeah, but…” Bella leaned over and kissed her neck, just under her ear. “You didn’t do much more and now that I’m like you that seems crazy. I had no idea about the bond, not really.”

“It was hard,” Rose admitted with a nod. “But it wasn’t like it is now. It’s hard to explain. It was more like having an itch that you can’t scratch. It was like this constant tap on my shoulder. It was hard not to be near you. But it didn’t feel like this, like this solid until after we slept together. I did, actually, struggle with my want to bite you.”

Bella smirked. “See, I was tasty.”

“You are tasty.” Rosalie kissed her soundly. Pushing a little, she crawled over Bella, straddling her and kissing her deeply. Bella responded soundly, a little grunt and whimper were Rosalie’s reward. Forcing herself, Rose pulled back a little before she could lose her head, scooting down so she could rest her chin on Bella’s chest. “But it wasn’t like that. It was more like I needed my venom to be in you.”

“So, you like that it is?”

Rose’s smile faded a little, darkened by shame. She didn’t want to admit just how much she did. “I can smell it. Just a little, but it’s there.”

“Always inside of me now.”

Rosalie swallowed, the parts of her body that reacted to that statement very specific.

Bella seemed to know it too, Rose thought. Her grin was wide, excited.

It seemed like only moments before Rose had her wrapped around her in response, Bella’s jeans not even pushed down as she took her slowly.

When they’re done they just lay there in the sun together for a bit, enjoying the sensation of it.

“I get it now.”

“What?”

“The sun. Why you always liked it so much.”

Rose chuckled. “Just wait. In fifty years, it will become a tradable commodity to you.”

Bella laughed.

“Come on, you. I should probably bring you back home to meet everyone else.” She stood and pulled Bella up, brushing leaves and grass off of her. When they were sure they were presentable they started back toward the house.

There you are!” Esme cried, a mother on the brink of collapse before her guests arrived. “Go!” She gave them a shove toward the stairs. “Put on something clean. They’ll be here any moment!”

“Esme, it’s just our cousins!” Rose cried, being herded by their mother who could be impressively strong when she wanted to be.

Go!”

“Don’t worry, we’re going,” Bella grinned and paused to kiss Esme’s cheek.

Esme beamed.

They changed quickly and then returned to the living room. All of them were sitting together, some talking lightly, just waiting. She sat on the couch, pulling Bella into her lap as she did.

Bella gave a squawk, but settled. Rose just grinned at her and held her tight making Bella’s eyes roll.

“Oh no, was the couch not good enough for precious Bella?” Emmett teased.

“Of course not,” Rose jibbed back, not at all embarrassed. “My lap is always superior.”

“Don’t tease her now, Emmett,” Carlisle said with a wag of a finger. “She can’t help it. She just mated.”

“Ha!” Bella cried and stuck her tongue out at him.

He made a move as if he were going to catch her extended tongue, moving lightning-fast, but Rose slapped his hand before he could touch Bella.

“Ow! Hey!”

Suddenly Alice’s face turned toward the door, her eyes distant and wide.

“They’re coming,” Jasper announced, as if they didn’t understand what her look meant.

Carlisle clicked off the TV and stood, his eyes still warm with laughter at his children.

Sure enough, a second later Rose could hear feet in the distance.

It wasn’t more than a second later when there was a polite knock and the front door opened.

“Hello! We’ve made it!” Through the door Eleazer stepped in, hand in hand as he always was with Carmen.

Rose couldn’t help but groan internally. It was like a scene from a freaking Christmas movie, she thought as Carlisle crossed eagerly to them and wrapped them in tight hugs. He welcomed them as though they didn’t see them often, and hadn’t spent decades living with them as well.

She watched with little interest as the mated pair laughed, and accepted his greeting.

“Oh!” Carmen apologized, realizing they were blocking the door and stepped aside so Tanya and Irina could enter.

All of them were looking down, removing bags and rock-climbing gear, their usual façade in case anyone caught them in the park.  

Unimpressed by their guests, her eyes drifted away to the man behind them. She swallowed, trying to keep back her growl. She had heard that Laurent had mated with Irina, and so she had known to expect him. Still, she wasn’t pleased by his presence.

For his own part, Laurent didn’t look completely comfortable being there either.

Perhaps they needed some ground rules, like he couldn’t come within five feet of—

Her thoughts cut off, alarmed by Bella in her lap.

Suddenly, as if Bella had been hit, she stiffened, for the first time going vampire still. Her breathing, still so much of a habit to her, suddenly stopped.

Worried, she glanced at Bella quizzically and only felt more alarmed by the look on her face. Her eyes were unblinking, honed in on something, her hands gripping Rosalie’s in a vice that genuinely hurt.

“Bel—”

And then it hit her.

It was like being gripped with an old theatre hook. It wasn’t a scent. It was a physical pull. It was thunder and the spark of lightning. It was the ground shaking in a grove of Plumeria trees. Cold water in a timeworn brook, snow on the shores. It made her skin prickle.

Her head whipped around.

She could smell electricity, static in the air.

Without permission, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath.

Like a key in a lock, something clicked into place and her eyes shot open.

Oh no. 

Oh no, oh no, oh—

By the door, her so-called cousin Kate’s head suddenly shot up as if someone had called her name, her eyes not moving around the room but instead going directly and firmly to Bella and Rose.

The force of it was incredible. Even though she had felt it before, she wasn’t sure she would recognize it as it felt now. The ground beneath her felt as though it gave a solid and forceful rock.

The hat and gloves that had been in Kate’s hands dropped, her eyes and mouth in perfect O’s.

Rose stared back, unable to look away, confused, understanding, and horrified. 

Kate blinked once, her face suddenly different than it had ever been to Rosalie. She knew them all well, and it could never be said that the Denali sisters weren’t beautiful. But had she ever noticed… there was such an ancient wisdom, a regality. She was old, older than the rest of them, excluding Tanya, and that hadn’t aged her but instead had softened her. Had she ever looked into these eyes like this?  

Kate blinked once and then, like an explosion, she irrupted. Her face suddenly twisted, her stance changing to one of startle as she opened her mouth and shouted, “What the shit?!