Choices

Chapter 6

Belle was about to break down. Anyone who had to endure what Rose did, and is still sane is a superwoman. Belle has found a new respect for the vampires in the driver's seat.

"Rose, thank you for sharing your story with me. I can't believe that anyone would do that to anyone let alone you. You are the strongest person that I know. I know that you have shared your story with me for a reason, not that I can guess what that reason is. I still have a question, where is Edward and why the change of heart?" Belle asked. She really did appreciate Rose sharing her story, but she just couldn't understand why she was telling it to her.

Rose took an unneeded breath, "Look, you're right there is another reason I told you this. You are going to need someone who knows a lot about heartache. There is no easy way to tell you this, but Edward left you, us, last night. Alice doesn't see him coming home for a good while." Rose went on and explained to Belle what happened last night after Edward came home. All Belle could do is sit there in stunned silence. Edward left you kept playing over and over in her mind. No he couldn't, wouldn't have done that to me. Belle thought.

"I'm so sorry Belle. The family will still be here for you, if that is what you want." Rose said as she pulled into the Cullen garage.

Belle was flabbergasted that they thought that she wouldn't want any of them in her life. "Of course I want you in my life. You guys are my family and to be honest I'm glad that you guys are still here for me. If you all disappeared I don't think that I would have been able to stay sane."

"Alice did see that situation, and from what she says it wouldn't have been a good situation. There is another story that I need to tell you, but I am not strong enough to tell you without Emmett. My emotions are all over the place, but this is a story that needs to finally be told." Rose said.

"Is Edward involved in this story?" Belle asked.

Rose just nodded and exited the car with Belle hot on her heels. Rose noticed that Belle seemed to be taking Edward leaving fairly well. Rose figured that Belle was either in denial or the facts just haven't hit home yet. It was hard to tell at this point, but being in the place where Edward lived and spent so much time with Belle might help bring reality home. Rose planned on having Belle go up to Edwards now empty room, but not until she told the story of Jack.

The truth was that Belle was indeed in denial, she just couldn't believe that Edward, the person who loved her the most, would just up and leave without so much as a word good-bye or explanation. Not her Edward, the love of her life. When Belle got inside she noticed that the only people missing was Carlisle and Esme. Belle was suddenly very nervous, and Jasper had to send a wave of calm to help prevent a panic attack.

"Where's Carlisle and Esme, why aren't they here? I thought that you said Edward was the only one who left!" Belle started to freak out a little despite the calm Jasper was sending her way. Alice quickly ran and wrapped Belle in a hug and said, "Belle calm down, they haven't left with Edward. They are in town talking with Charlie about the situation. We felt it would be best if he knew what was going on, so he would be able to help." Hearing that did help calm Belle. She wasn't sure how Charlie would or could help her, and if it had been up to her she would have left Charlie ignorant of the Edward situation. She knew that Charlie never liked the relationship that she and Edward have. She really didn't want to be around Charlie to see him gloat about being right.

Belle shook her head to clear it and turned to Rose and asked, "So what was the other thing that you wanted to tell me?"

Without a word Rose went and sat down in the living room, and everyone else followed her lead. Belle could tell that she would be glad that she was sitting while hearing the story Rose had in store for her next. She sat down between Jasper and Alice and turned to Rose and waited for her to begin.

Emmett gave Rose a reassuring squeeze, and turned to look Belle in the eyes. "Not to excuse my behavior in the past towards you, but there is a very good reason why I have not allowed myself to get close to you." She took a deep breath and steeled herself to let the Cullen secret out once and for all.

"You are not the first human that we as a family have gotten close to. Once before, we allowed ourselves to open up to a human, like we have you, and her name was Jackie or Jack as we called her. Her blood was very alluring to Edward, although not a potent as yours, and they courted for two years before Jack brought up being changed so that she could spend eternity with her "mate", Edward."

"No, that can't be true." Thought Belle as she began to cry.

Rose glanced at Belle, and gave her a sympathetic look before she continued. "I personally became really close to Jack and loved her like she was a sister. I was excited at the prospect of having her around forever and couldn't wait until Edward changed her. At last, when Jack brought it up, Edward started finding any and all reasons to leave, and not bring Jack with us. Eventually Edward's persistence paid off and we did leave, without Jack. We never saw or spoke to her again, and it tore me up inside. We learned later that a week after we left Jack took a razor to herself and ended her life in her parent's bathtub. Every member of the family, sans Edward, was completely devastated, because we knew that we were the cause of her death. Esme didn't talk to anybody for almost a whole year, she was so devastated! I vowed to myself then and there that I would not allow myself to get close to another human again, so I could avoid the pain of loss."

"Carlisle was so guilt ridden that he forbade us to ever speak of Jack again. When Edward brought you into our lives, all I could see what Jack and what happened when we left. At the beginning of your relationship everyone was ready to pack up and leave right then to prevent another beautiful life to be snuffed out. Obviously we didn't leave and everyone, including myself, started to feel like you were part of this family. I struggled with myself everyday not to try and warn you off and to try and drive you away with my cold attitude. Last night Alice saw what Edward was planning on doing, but kept it to herself in the hopes that Edward would change his mind. On his way home he made the choice to leave and was going to try and make us leave as well. This family had already been through that so none of us wanted to repeat history and leave you to your demise. We all finally stood up to him and told him that we weren't going to leave you and that if he wanted to leave and break another person then so be it, but we would not be party to it." Rose paused to take a breath and the continued. "Honestly Belle, I don't think Edward can love anyone but himself. We all knew it would be wrong to leave you and unlike Edward we have learned from the past. When we told him that we weren't leaving with him, it caused him to try and over power Carlisle's authority. From what Alice told us, if we had left when he told us to, it would have been Jackie all over again. She saw that you would take your own life, because you would have thought that life wasn't good enough for you. Edward likes to play with humans and their emotions. I don't know if it is intentional or not, but I for one refused to let it happen again. I know that right now you really don't want to believe that he could do those things to you, but he did Belle. The best way for you to realize it is to go to his room. It will be hard but you should know that we are right here and won't abandon you like he did. He is nothing but a dipshit, who doesn't deserve the love that you have for him."

Alice had cleared out everything from Edward's room after he left so that the family wouldn't have a daily reminder. Belle was really scared and didn't know if she wanted to go to his room, or even if she could.

"Belle, I will go with you up to his room, if you want me too." Alice said, and Belle just nodded at her. As Alice and Belle got closer to Edward's old room, they could hear Belle's heart-rate speed up. Jasper knew that he shouldn't influence her emotions, as she needed to face the facts. Jasper, Rose and Emmett held their breath as they heard the bedroom door being opened, and jumped when they heard a long sorrowful wail come from Belle. The sound seemed to come right from the bottom of her soul.

"I can hear Carlisle, Esme and Charlie coming up the drive, what should we do?" Emmett asked.

"We just have to wait until they get here. I think Belle is going to need her parents, Charlie most of all." Rose said, sadness seeping into her voice.