Chapter Text
Rosalie’s POV
Feet moved silently across the room as Rosalie fetched the right tools to work on Carlisle’s Mercedes. Restless energy made her want to do something productive, so she fled Emmett’s company to go work in silence. No one would bother her in her domain. She had not been alone for quite some time, which was rare for her. Normally she liked her solitude so it was strange being without it for so long. And now, with Bella back to the present, she felt safe to do so, at least for a bit. Bella was home, for the time being. Of course was the whole army after her mate. Not to mention Bella’s new werewolf abilities to worry about, but Carlisle and Tanya were doing research on that. It would do no good to dwell on it, for now Bella seemed healthy. Physically at least.
Rosalie hummed under her breath as she located the wrench she needed. Her mind unwillingly flashed back to the previous afternoon. Bella’s new wolf friend had quickly fled the scene, leaving Irina staring after her with a broken expression. Rosalie’s heart went out for her cousin, who seemed both elated at finding her mate and grief-stricken by the betrayal of Lawrence. Rosalie’s eyes darkened at the thought of the dreadlocked fool. How dare he come into her home, deceive her cousin, and try to spy on them. He was undoubtably in league with Victoria. Had he been gathering intelligence on their operation for the entire time? Did he bring their whole strategy back to that psychotic vampire? A loud snap echoed through the chamber and Rosalie looked down at the now broken wrench in her hand.
“Damn it. Stupid Lorenzo,” she threw away the pieces, feeling satisfaction as they bounced off the wall.
“Babe, are you okay?” Bella’s voice brought her out of her fury. The instantaneous shift of emotion was rather remarkable when she thought about it. Rosalie gazed at her girlfriend with a small smile. Bella, who had been hesitantly standing in the doorway, hurried inside at the sight of it. Rosalie accepted her kiss with a soft sigh, leaning into her mate for a moment. “Why are you destroying your tools?” Bella murmured as they separated. A spike of annoyance ran through the blonde at the reminder. Though not directed at Bella, never her.
“Just thinking about stupid Louis,” she explained with a petulant frown.
“Who the fuck is Louis?” Bella asked puzzled. “Wait, are you talking Laurent?”
“That’s what I said, Leighton,” Rosalie waved her hand dismissively. The brunette looked fond, shaking her head lightly.
“Let’s not talk about that fucker, Irina got the better deal. Leah is awesome,” Bella smiled proudly, as if Leah’s awesomeness was her doing. Rosalie’s lips twitched and her annoyance bled away. Trust Bella to know how to melt her anger.
“Would you mind sitting with me for a while?” she asked after a moment, vulnerability evident in her voice. Without questioning it, Bella hopped onto the working bench. Rosalie hesitated for a beat, before doing the same.
The two sat in silence for a long time. It felt tranquil, just sitting together. It was easy with Bella, simply co-existing. Alice and Emmett both had to fill the silence with constant chatter while Edward’s brooding silences felt oppressive, as she never could think freely around him. Carlisle was a bit better but even with him she felt the need to say something. Sitting with Jasper and Esme had been most calming, as they too valued the quiet. Knowing she did not express her feelings as often as she liked, Rosalie looked up to share her thoughts with Bella. To tell her how easy it was with her, to just be. The lips died on her tongue as she noticed Bella’s eyes were already on her. Her girlfriend stared at her with a look akin to holy reverence and she was capable of it, Rosalie would be blushing furiously. No one had ever looked at her like that, not once. Like she was a wonder to behold, like she had hung the stars in the sky. Rosalie fought the urge to fidget under those warm brown eyes, to hide away from such adoration. However, she knew it would be hypocritical of her, given that she stared at Bella in the exact same way. Rather than shy away, she should revel in the fact that her mate felt that same connection as she did. So she did, albeit feeling shy nevertheless.
“I used to convince myself I didn’t need love, you know? I used to scoff at romance, tell myself that people who claimed love was the greatest gift of all were nothing but fools. That love was an idealistic concept made up by capitalism and patriarchy,” a wry smile touched her lips. Bella’s eyes were still warm, so patient and without a hint of judgement. Even when Rosalie rolled her eyes in embarrassment, Bella did not even let a small teasing smile slip. Instead, she listened patiently. Rosalie’s shoulders relaxed, warming up to the topic now. She did not say it out loud, but Bella’s steady gaze meant the world to her. She was not dismissing her words but taking her seriously. The blonde felt seen and her thought felt important. She was so used to people thinking her heartless, or worse – nothing but a blonde airhead. Like with everything else so far, Bella brought a refreshing and a very welcome change to her life.
“You are my revelation. It might not have happened right away, but you crawled into my heart and made a home there. I’m not saying capitalism doesn’t pray on the idea of love –“ Bella snorted in humour, earning a smile. “But I get what all the rave is about now. I utterly adore you Bella,” Maybe she was being overly sentimental but Bella deserved to hear loving words, especially since she had been deprived of them for so long. Maybe since ever.
“And I love you,” the words thoroughly stumped Rosalie. She stared at her mate like a deer-caught-in-headlights.
“What?” she blinked slowly. Had she misheard?
“I love you,” she had said it. Bella had truly said it. So casual and utterly sincere in her conviction. Rosalie’s breath caught in her throat, warmth taking up residence in her heart. She opened her mouth to speak but only a sob escaped. Bella’s expression quickly shifted to concern. Rosalie laughed self-consciously, shaking her head at herself. That was sufficiently embarrassing.
“Say it again?” She half pleaded, feeling foolish for her reaction but needing to hear the words again all the same. In fact, she needed to her them every day from now on. Bella’s eyes softened at the request.
“I love you Rosalie Lillian Hale,” she took a step into Rosalie’s personal bubble. “Whole heartedly with an alarming amount of intensity,” Rosalie let out a half-laugh, half-sob. Hands reached out shakily to cup the brunette’s face.
“I love you Isabella Marie Swan,” Rosalie whispered in return, leaning in to capture soft lips between her own. The moment was quiet, the kiss now a familiar sensation, yet with a hint of something entirely new. In a way it felt like they were discovering one another in an entirely different way. Maybe they were. Bella shifted closer, hands finding purchase on Rosalie’s waist, pulling her flush against her. The blonde let out a soft moan, overwhelmed by the intensity. Still, while plenty passionate, it was tender. Thankful for her everlasting memory, Rosalie would hold on to this moment and rewind it, forever.
Bella’s POV
Bella entered the living room after exchanging a last soft kiss with Rosalie, who went upstairs to shower. Emmett and Kate were sitting side by side on the couch, both smashing buttons on their consoles furiously, playing Call of Duty with their usual competitiveness. Bella sat down on the opposite couch, stiff as she waited for the teasing remarks. Privacy was non-existent in the Cullen household, and she was very aware that they had been eavesdropping on the moment between her and Rosalie, unintentionally or not. To her surprise, neither mentioned it. The only evidence was the slight smirk Kate wore and the extra spark in Emmett’s eyes. Slowly, Bella began to relax. Maybe they wouldn’t mention it?
Instead of watching, she zoned out, thinking about Rosalie’s astonished expression when she declared her love. While it was a bit disconcerting how surprised Rosalie was, and she made a mental note to remind her she loved her more often, there was an ease now she had fulfilled her own promise to herself. She had been working up the courage for what seemed like forever. Her last travel had settled it for her. Either she would tell Rosalie she loved her, or she might never get the chance to. Finally, the two of them were on the same page. The words came easier than she expected too, like they had been waiting to get out. Bella smiled faintly. Maybe she was not so bad at this romance thing.
“Fancy a game?” she startled as Kate finally turned to her, the words ‘victory’ flashing across her side of the screen. Bella eyed Emmett’s pout for a moment before shrugging.
“Why not, I’ll give you a real challenge,”
“Hey!” Emmett cried out, offended scowl clear on his face.
“Sorry big man,” Bella flashed him an insincere smile, stifling a laugh when he shot her a rude gesture.
“Emmett! Come here please?” Esme’s sweet voice called out from the kitchen. In a show of maturity, both Kate and Bella gave him mocking smiles and made twin shooing gestures.
“Both of you suck,” Emmett grumbled, throwing the console in Bella’s direction.
“I love you,” Bella said sweetly, just as she caught the flying object. Kate flashed her a smile and started up a new game. The two were silent for the first few minutes.
“I’m the next person to travel with you, right?” the vampire blurted suddenly. “I mean the puppy might be Irina’s mate and all but I have not forgiven you yet for that,”
“What do you mean forgiven me? It’s not like I planned it,” Bella exclaimed affronted. “Plus, if I could have chosen, I would have taken Rosalie with me,”
“You’re so whipped,” Kate rolled her eyes and let out a whoop as she killed Bella’s character.
“And you’re bitter,” Bella countered, throwing the controller away. She had no idea why she was even trying to beat Kate, someone who probably had been playing the game every night. How can one compete with a person who had all the time in the world?
“I’m bored,” Kate corrected, like it was an important distinction. “I need excitement in my life,”
“The army knocking on our doorsteps isn’t exciting enough for you?” the time traveler deadpanned.
“Eh,” Kate shrugged. “I guess it will be nice to kick some ass,” Bella snorted. Then something occurred to her. Kate was a warrior, someone who had been trained as a human and probably even more after becoming a vampire. She was probably better than Jasper even.
“Well since you’re bored and all – “ Bella swallowed thickly Kate turned to her with a gleam in her eye. That look did not look promising. “Will you teach me how to fight? I’m not planning on becoming a martial art specialist, I just need to know the basics to be able to protect myself,”
“Oh Aristoteles, I’d never thought you ask!” Kate exclaimed brightly. Bella eyed her warily, wondering if she would come to regret this request.
Bella groaned loudly, rubbing her sore hands in vain. She knew Kate would be a hard taskmaster but had not understood the extent of it. She had seen a side to Kate that both surprised her and at the same time did not. The warrior was very serious while instructing Bella, not a hint of cheer. Frankly, Bella was glad for it, knowing she could count on Kate to teach her something useful. It meant she was taking Bella's request seriously. While thankful for the lessons, Bella wasn’t too keen on the first one. Apparently falling down the correct way was a thing, something Kate had made her do over and over. Bella was sure her bruises had bruises at this point. A figure walking at the edge of the tree line caught the time traveler’s attention. Desperate for a distraction, Bella heaved herself up with difficulty and limped towards her new friend.
“What are you doing here?” she asked when she was close enough. Leah’s attention snapped up and only relaxed when she saw it was Bella.
“I…” the shifter looked panicked and a bit surprised where she was. Bella inwardly sighed, gesturing for the girl to start walking. The two walked a short distance, to the spot Jasper liked to hold his sessions. Bella knew it was just out of hearing range from the other vampires in the house and it was still on their land. No harm, no foul.
“What’s on your mind?” she finally asked, sitting down and resting against an old tree trunk. Leah stared at her distantly for a moment before sitting down beside her, hands wringing in her lap.
“I… how can I… How can I love her?” Leah whispered after a beat of silence.
“As in a vampire? Or as in a girl?” Bella asked hesitantly, trying to find her footing.
“Please, I’ve known I was bi since middle school,” Leah huffed out a breath. “The vampire part does bother me but maybe not as much as before,” Bella fought down the urge to smile proudly. Not the moment, she reminded herself.
“I just… I loved once before and it fucked me over,” Leah explained helplessly. Ah, there it was. Bella was in no way equipped to handle such a deeply rooted issue. She would try though.
“This doesn’t have to end the same. What happened to you was truly devastating but I don’t think you can decide the ending beforehand. Not without trying first,” It felt awfully hypocritical of her, given her rocky start with Rosalie but she steadily ignored that.
“I don’t get to choose. I imprinted on her,” Leah said tonelessly. Bella frowned.
“I’m not sure what that means but if it’s anything like – “
“It means that I love her, that I will follow her no matter what. That I’m bound to her for the rest of my life,” God that was heavy.
“You can’t think like that,” Bella said gently. Time to part some wisdom. She cleared her throat. “Love is not instantaneous – attraction or chemistry is. I personally think love at first sight is bullshit, just something you read in fairytales and are bombarded with every damn moment by our society and the film industry. Not to mention the expectations people have. It’s an empty promise at best. No, love comes gradually – like a blooming flower, to use a perfectly sappy metaphor,” she rolled her eyes at herself. Like a blooming flower? God, Rosalie was ruining her. Quickly trying to divert Leah’s attention from it, she pressed on. “I have no idea what you just experienced but I doubt it was love. Attraction, for sure. Maybe it’s only that your wolf recognised a potential partner. That honestly seems most likely. You have the power here though. You can’t love her without knowing her. But first you need to decide to if you want that, the rest comes later,”
“Relax Cupid,” Leah snorted but seemed to be listening intently, despite her snark.
“Well I am mated to Aphrodite,” Bella winked. Hah, Rosalie would love that reference. Or roll her eyes, either way it would earn her a smile.
“Speak for yourself,” Leah blurted. “I mean she’s beautiful but…” she trailed off, cheeks burning. Bella resisted the urge to tease her. At least the shifter found Irina attractive.
“You didn’t love Rosalie at first?” Leah cleared her throat.
“No. Our first meeting was a bit traumatising to be honest. I did recognise her beauty, but I didn’t feel attracted to her until our second meeting. Most of all, she fascinated me, and I wanted to get to know her. Frankly I did not want to start anything then because I was in a bad place emotionally, but the chemistry was always there. Later, I grew to love her,”
“The elders and Sam told me it was something you have no control over. Just once glance and you’ll fall in love forever, no matter the circumstances,” the bite in Leah’s tone made Bella realise she was referring to Sam imprinting on her cousin. Poor Leah.
“That sounds more like a romanticised entrapment and not love, to me at least,” she offered gently. “Are you really going to believe everything old, prejudiced men tell you? Or what your ex-boyfriend uses as a self-justification for breaking your heart?”
“Not when you put it like that,” Leah grumbled.
“Your feelings matter Leah. Fuck expectations,”
“I just don’t know what to do,” the shifter murmured defeated.
“This is a good start. Talking about it to someone. Personally, I tend to spiral if I don’t speak about my problems. I have a master’s degree in overthinking and doubting myself. You have me and you have Jasper, use that. I can promise you he will share some insight on this,” And she'll try to help, if she could. Bella was always better at focusing on other people's problems anyway.
“Yeah, okay,” Leah hesitated. “Thanks Bella,”
“Don’t mention it. We’re trauma buddies now,” she nudged her side gently. Leah laughed and her smile turned a touch more sincere.
“Too soon,”
“Sorry,”
Rosalie’s POV
Rosalie watched with interest as Bella walked up to the twins, who breezed into the living room with their usual grace. Her girlfriend drifted away from the conversation with Kate, who was in a middle of a story, her whole face lightening up at the sight of the siblings. Rosalie had to bite down on her lip to not laugh out loud at the offended look Kate wore after her departure.
“Where have the two of you been disappearing off to?” Bella made to ruffle Alec’s hair, who easily moved out of the way.
“Trying to track down the army,” Jane answered tonelessly. “Something the rest ought to be doing,”
“Don’t be too hard on them, they aren’t professionals like you two,” Bella winked, earning a smile from Alec and an eye-roll from his sister.
“Flatterer,” Alec nudged her softly. Rosalie eyed the three with soft eyes. For such an unlikely trio, they made a very heartwarming scene. That was something she never expected to feel about the fearsome Volturi guards.
“Have you found anything?” Bella asked Jane with interest and Rosalie found herself leaning forward in anticipation too. She luckily caught herself, ignoring Emmett’s snicker. Clearly not quick enough. She held up her middle finger, smirking as he gasped in mock outrage.
“We tracked two of them into an abandoned warehouse. They died too quickly because someone was too eager for information,” she glared at Alec, who turned sheepish. Bella had grown so used to murderous vampires that she barely twitched at the mention of torture. Rosalie tugged that mildly alarming fact to the back of her mind to ponder on later. “However, it looked like they moved their operation to another location only a few days ago. We think someone tipped them off,” Probably Landon, Rosalie thought with some irritation. What she wouldn’t do to travel back through time just to rip out his dreadlocks. Or burn them off.
“Great, so we’re back to square one,” Emmett sighed heavily, wincing as Jane turned to look at him. Rosalie was growing more comfortable with the twin’s presence but that could not be said for all of them. In fact, everyone aside from Rosalie and Bella kept shooting them distrustful looks. Mentally, she made a note to spend more time with the twins. For Bella, and perhaps for herself.
“Maybe not,” Carlisle walked into the room, clutching his phone on his hand. Edward, Alice and Esme trailed after him. “That was Sam. Some vampires have been spotted down at the reservation,” Finally, Rosalie gravitated towards Bella and slipped her hand into hers. Bella squeezed her hand in comfort and leaned on her shoulder. Rosalie tried to focus on the conversation and not the warmth her mate emitted.
“Where?” Jasper straightened; eyes narrowed in concentration.
“Near the border,” Carlisle informed him, his expression just as grave.
“Three males, presumably Victoria’s lackeys. The shifters managed to kill one,” Edward carried on, reading his adoptive father’s mind.
“One down I guess,” Kate muttered. “We can’t keep waiting for them to make their move,”
“What are you thinking?” Jasper turned towards her right away.
“We force them to come to us,” Kate decided, making several of them nod.
“You know, I’ve been as bait before and it worked rather well, well aside from – “
“No!” everyone shot down Bella’s suggestion, Rosalie being the loudest.
“Not a fucking chance,” Rosalie added sternly, tugging on her hand gently. “You’re not going anywhere near that psychotic bitch,” Bella shrugged. Good, Rosalie thought in relief.
“Fine by me,”
“Bella’s idea holds merit though,” Kate muttered, ignoring how everyone’s heads snapped towards her.
“Kate,” Rosalie growled warningly, annoyed when her cousin waved her off.
“Let me think,” the warrior began pacing, occasionally mumbling things under her breath. Everyone settled in, knowing Kate meant business and should be left alone in this state. Rosalie led Bella to the couch, pulling her into her lap. Bella leaned back, lacing their hands and toying idly with the blonde’s fingers. A sudden loud ring startled most of them. While everyone looked down at the person in Rosalie's arms, Bella looked expectantly at Carlisle’s phone, but it lay still in his hands. Another ring, and the human realised it came from her own pocket. Rosalie nudged her gently, fondly rolling her eyes.
“I’ll let it go to voicemail,” Bella explained lowly, not moving an inch.
“Maybe you should get that,” Alice’s voice was strangled. Rosalie looked at her sister in alarm. What now? Bella echoed her question. “Just answer Bella,”
“Hello?” Bella sounded incredibly bored but Rosalie could feel how tense she was.
“Tick Tock,” someone greeted, which was absurd. Who answered the phone like that? Still, while Rosalie had never heard that voice before, she knew instantly who it was. A low growl escaped her. “Did you miss me?”
“Not particularly,” Bella said in an aloof tone, shifting in place. Rosalie’s arm encircled her waist, doing her best to relax her mate with mere touch. Miraculously it worked a tiny bit.
“Well I missed you,” Victoria purred.
“How did you get my number?” Good question.
“You never gave me one, which was rather rude of you,” Bella snorted. “I fixed your error and acquired it from your friend instead,” Rosalie imagined Victoria was smirking, judging by her smug tone.
“Friend?” Bella’s tone was light, but her grip on Rosalie’s hand was iron. Rosalie almost winced, wondering not for the first time how that wolfsbane remedy worked.
“How about you say hi to Bella,” Victoria’s voice sounded further away, as if she was leaning away from the phone.
“Bella!” a familiar voice cried out. Bella froze in her seat, a hiss leaving her lips. Rosalie’s heart plummeted. That was Angela Weber, Bella’s friend from school. “Don’t let her get to you,” some rustling and a pained cry.
“Shut up,” Victoria clearly snatched the phone back. “So Bella, Angela and I were getting to know each other – “
“Let. Her. Go,” Bella’s voice was filled with fury as she sprang to her feet. Even Rosalie, who did not know Angela, wanted to rush off to save her.
“How about you come pick her up?” Victoria asked sweetly instead. “I think it’s time you and I have a talk, girl-to-girl,”
“Bella,” Rosalie knew she sounded pleading, but her pride mattered little in this moment. Bella silenced her with one look.
“Where?” her mate gritted out. Rosalie stood up, feeling suddenly helpless all over again.
“How about Fork’s high? I’ve missed my years of schooling,” Rosalie rolled her eyes at the dramatics, despite herself. “One hour,” then Victoria hung up. A loud crack sounded as Bella crushed the phone between her fingers. She was shaking lightly in rage. Everyone exchanged nervous glances as the human started muttering curses under her breath. Rosalie hesitantly reached out, touching her back. Bella turned in her arms and their eyes met. Very real, visceral pain reflected at her in Bella’s eyes. Rosalie opened her mouth to say something, anything, when her girlfriend suddenly fell to her knees with a pained cry. The blonde crouched over her, worry marring her features. What was happening? Was it the wolfsbane effect?
“Rose,” Bella’s voice sounded strained.
“I’m here baby, what’s going on? What do you need?” Carlisle appeared with his medical bag, ruffling through the contents. The rest looked on in worry but no one else tried to get near.
“Bella?” Emmett sounded oddly small, but Rosalie wouldn’t look at him. Couldn’t look at anyone except her mate. Another groan escaped Bella.
“I can’t,”
“Bella?” Rosalie gave a start when Bella’s hand shot forward, grabbing her arm. She turned to look at Carlisle with a helpless expression but instead everything went black.
To be continued...