Forever

12. War (Part 1)

They stopped at the tree-line, and Bella stayed dead silent as she stared at the white-covered house, no one in sight. Her heart was pounding in her ear, breath shuddering from her lungs, and what was once a building which represented comfort created a queasy sickness in her stomach. The window was shattered where the Living room was located, and as she squinted she could see faint shadows moving inside. Her body shook, and she swallowed nervously, several scenario's flashing before her eyes as she waited for something to happen.

"Bella..." Emmett said, setting her down on the ground, his hands settling over her stomach as he pushed her behind him. "I want you to stay behind me, okay?" She grasped his hand, panicked, and nodded her acceptance, inching behind his back and keeping a hold of his hand tightly as they edged away from the trees and towards the back door. The large expanse of greenery was empty, and eerily peaceful, it unsettled her. Tree's danced in the midsummer breeze, and far in the distance the sound of a bubbling brook gave the impression of peace. Then it changed, too quickly for her to notice.

"Get away from my fiancée." Edward's body appeared in front of them, accompanied soon by a blond, both of them wore expressions which burned with hatred, and she shuddered at the venom in their eyes, amazed when Emmett was able to stand straight and face their stares on.

"You need to calm down." Emmett said firmly, his hand rising in a sign of peace, but the snarl that poured from Rosalie's chest, her lip pulling up as she walked forward. Bella gasped as her palm impacted with Emmett's cheek, a small crack appearing over his face. She made to grasp his arm, pull him away, but his hand pushed her back, a warning accompanied by a soft growl, which reminded her that she wouldn't be able to save him from this.

"You bastard." She spat her voice deep and filled with malice. "You fucking asshole, how dare you think you could do this?" She made to slap him again, but Emmett caught her wrist, his eyes closing as he tried to control his anger, the urge to return her violence with his own. But even now, he would try and maintain the peace, even when it was so badly shattered. He released Rosalie's wrist, his eyes flickering back open, gaze hard.

"You know as well as I Rose that this relationship should've ended years ago, I'm sorry for how it happened, but it would've happened regardless." He stepped the two of them back, "You've kept me with you for years, but I won't stay with you, I deserve happiness, I'm done, not anymore." She gasped, pulling her hand back, her eyes wide in both shock and anger, as if his words weren't able to comprehend in her head. She stuttered, stumbling back, before recapturing her anger and snarling. Her anger directing to the protected form of Bella

"You!" She snarled, stepping forward, before quickly being blocked by the large chest of her former husband. She scoffed, her eyes glinting hysterically. "Oh how ridiculous." She spat, glaring at him. "Is this what you are? A watchdog? How pathetic are you!" She snarled.

"Everything was perfect, then you had to come and mess it all up." She shouted through him, causing Bella to flinch. She pressed into Emmett's back, stepping around him. He tried to pull her back, but she resisted, dodging his hand as she came to stand before the blond.

"From the sound of it Rosalie." She said flatly, "Things were fucked up before I came." The blond growled, eyes glinting, and Emmett managed to pull Bella back as she snapped, lunging. Rosalie's body was lurched to the ground by a mop of dirty blond hair.

They struggled over the ground, before Rosalie was pinned securely to the dirt by a calm Jasper. She screamed frustrated, before spitting up at Bella, amber eyes flashing sadistically.

"I never liked you..." She hissed, stepping back, her voice thick with anger. "You waltz in, sabotage the perfect peace we built for ourselves, think you're better than everyone. You think you have a right! I was here first, I saved Emmett, not you!"

If it had been anyone else she would've argued, but presently the situation called for a bit of silence, she pushed herself straight, firm, her eyes hard, gathering whatever bravery she could muster, because if Emmett could face this then so could she.

"And then I found out you're a slut, not much of a surprise, opening your legs for my husband." Her teeth bore, and Bella's fingers curled into fists, her anger sparking. "No, it wasn't my legs." She hissed, "You've made him miserable, broken him down, made him feel like his existence is determined by you. He's his own person, he shouldn't have to take care and follow your commands. Maybe if you considered him for one second in your selfish head, you would've had a chance, but all you saw was how shit your human life was, and you guilted him in order to make him stay. You put all this pressure over him, and you never once tried to see if he was happy. If it wasn't me, it would've been someone else." Rosalie bared her teeth, shoving up, but Jasper's hold was strong. Bella wandered why Edward wasn't interfering, but then again, the only answer to these questions was selfishness, why would he help Rosalie.

Suddenly she gasped, her body lurching back, and slamming into a thick trunk of one of the border trees. Emmett had shoved her back, and as she looked up dazed, she knew he wasn't where he had been before. A deep grunt and the sound of stone hitting stone filled the air, and then she saw them.