Is It Black Or Is It Noir?

Farewells Can Be Fun

The pall of tragedy hung in the air, like a thick dark fog. Some of us lost in our memories, others tryin' to piece together a picture of the departed. That dame had left her mark on all of us, even those she hadn't met. It felt wrong to be sad, in the face of her happiness. We needed to celebrate her passin', somehow!

"Okay people, enough of this doom and gloom. Alice would hate this, so let's do this her way. We shop till we drop and then hit the high-end clubs!" Peter said loud enough for everyone to hear,

"Hell yeah! She'll get a kick out of that" Emmett responded.

"Damn it, you're right Peter. Let's celebrate her leavin' the way she loved the best, shoppin' and dancin'. Saddle up people it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Jasper declared as he spun Ashley around to kiss her.

Peter wrapped his arm around Bella's shoulders pulling her into his side. She smiled up at him knowing he was doing this more for his friends than for himself.

"So how high end are we talking? Because I have a dress that is too fancy for most places" she asked,

"Oh, tonight we're aimin' for the most exclusive and most prestigious that Seattle has to offer. Emmett, can you get us last minute reservations and invites? Grease all the palms you have too" Peter said laughing.

"In that case, I only need accessories, what about you Peter?"She asked now, he smiled,

"I have an idea, can I see your dress first?" he asked and she nodded taking his hand and leading him back upstairs.

"One hour guys and then we go, have some lunch Bella, we're nippin' home to change and hunt" Jasper called after them.

IIBOIIN

Each couple went together to get whatever they wanted and consequently ended up matching each other. They came together to do the accessories and had a blast making outrageous suggestions for each other. Well, Emmett was mostly to blame for that and even Rose managed to have some fun. She was beginning to see that regardless of what she thought, these two young women would be doing things their own way.

Rose might have been happy to be treated like a teenager by Carlisle and Esme for years. But Bella was a very mature young woman and even Ashley was more grown up for her age. They truly were what Alice had called modern women and Rose needed to accept that and stop trying to tell them how to do things or act. It was her who needed to change not them; they were not ever going to fit into her outdated mould of how a lady should behave.

It was obvious the Cullens had done her no favours, not pushing her to break out of her strict structured lifestyle. Rose had not changed with the generations that came after her. Yes, she wore the clothes and used the technology, but no she had never like Emmett embraced it wholeheartedly. As she watches them all she saw clearly that even the Whitlock brothers had managed to adapt to the times and they were far older than her. Out of everyone only Edward and Rose had held on rigidly to the time they had lived in as humans.

Jasper could feel Rose's internal struggles and was pleased for her. He always thought that she and Edward spent so much energy hating what they had become; they had missed out on the enjoyment that had also been given to them. Unlike traditional vampires, they had family, friends and a safe environment to live in. But instead of accepting it they clung to the past and wallowed in their misery.

Neither he knew, would have survived without Carlisle carrying them all those years. But he should have pushed them a little harder to be all they could be. But hindsight he knew was 20/20, Rose had eternity to change herself and he could see she was thinking of taking the first steps. She needed to let go of the past and relax her attitude. If she didn't it would only get worse as the decades rolled by.