His World

Making Connections (7)

Lily was in and out of sleep the day she woke up, and she was incredibly grateful for Carlisle's family and how kind they were to her and Elsie. Rosalie, who Lily learned wasn't one to befriend or even tolerate others much, brought her food when she was awake and sat quietly in the armchair near the bed, reading a book as the human slept.

It was morning when Lily woke next. She yawned before spotting Rosalie in the chair with a new book in her hands. She'd changed clothes, now wearing light wash jeans with a lavender blouse that complimented her figure. On her feet, which were nearly curled under her, were simple grey stilettos.

"Did you sleep?" Lily asked softly, pushing herself into a sitting position.

"I don't sleep much," Rosalie answered. She closed the book in her lap and looked up. "Did you get enough rest?"

The woman nodded. "Rose... Why are you so nice to me? Bella mentioned you aren't typically one to... I don't know."

"I have a large temper and very low tolerance for others," Rosalie agreed. Her expression softened. "But you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago."

"I do?" Lily asked.

Rosalie nodded. Her eyes grew distant as she spoke. "My best friend. Her name was Vera. She was... She was great. She had everything, and she didn't treat me any different for who I was, as vain as I can be."

"She sounds nice," the human said.

"You look like her," Rosalie added, looking back at the woman. "Can I get you anything?"

"It'd be nice to get out of bed," Lily admitted, knowing there was a reason Rosalie had changed subjects. "I'm feeling a lot better."

Rosalie offered a small but beautiful smile. "Of course. Carlisle wants someone to keep an eye on you, but I don't see why you should have to stay up here all day."

Lily smiled up at Rosalie before slowly moving out of the bed. As she put all her weight on her feet, she swayed slightly. Rosalie instantly put a hand on her shoulder to steady her before handing her a sweater.

"Jacob likes it cold," Rosalie muttered, her voice barely hiding the disgust. Lily idly wondered what had happened between the two. "You'll probably want this."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"Carlisle wants you to stay warm," Rosalie said quickly. "He didn't want to intrude on your privacy, and Alice loves to shop. She's out now and should be back by tonight with some new things for you and Elsie. I don't mind you borrowing the sweater."

"Thank you," Lily said. She shrugged into the sweater before making her way out of the room. The house was beautiful and bright, allowing the natural light in to compliment the dark wood floors and panels. "Your home is beautiful."

"Esme designed it years ago," Rosalie said softly. "She had a knat for incorporating nature into her architecture."

"Alice told me of her," Lily said as she carefully stepped down the stairs. "I'm sorry you lost her."

"She didn't deserve it," Rosalie murmured to herself. "She was better than all of us. It shouldn't have been her."

Soft music flowed through the air as the two women stepped off the stairs. Lily looked to find a grand piano that appeared to be on its own kind of simply constructed stage. Sitting at the piano was Renesmee and Elsie, the latter completely engrossed in how elegantly the former was playing. Lily recognized the tune vaguely, trying to remember if it really was Debussy the girl was playing.

"Elsie," Jasper said gently, placing a hand on the girl's upper back. It was only then that Lily realized he'd been standing near the piano. "I think there's someone who you might want to see."

Elsie instantly looked around before her eyes spotted her mother. The soft music stopped abruptly as the small girl ran and hugged her mother's legs. "You're awake!"

"I am," mother told daughter, holding her close. "Can I talk with you baby?"

The girl nodded and took Lily's hand before leading her to the couch. The young mother heard Jasper whisper something to the two others in the room before she was left alone with her daughter. Elsie climbed into her mother's lap. "What's wrong? You look sad, Momma."

"Elsie..." Lily paused and drew in a breath. She held Elsie close and stroked her soft hair. "Honey, mommy is sick. Really sick. I don't know if I'm going to get better."

Elsie frowned. "I want you to get better."

"I know," the woman whispered. Suddenly, a thought hit her. A thought she knew was more than possible, if the hospitality she'd experienced was anything to go off of. "But if I don't, would you like to stay here? Rosalie can take care of you."

The small girl nodded, not saying anything. She didn't quite understand what Lily was saying, but she knew that she enjoyed the family she had met and that Rosalie was very sweet to her. The vampire had taken her to get ice cream after her mother collapsed, and had read her a book before bed the night before.

"Will you die?" Elsie whispered fearfully, looking up at her mother with wide round eyes.

"Everyone will die," Lily answered sadly. "That's the way the world works, baby. Everyone dies one day. I just hope it doesn't happen for a very long time."

"Me too," the girl said simply.

A young boy crashed through the door then, laughing, before two others followed. One had a girl who wasn't older than about seven on his shoulders. The three men suddenly stopped upon seeing the two humans on the couch. The first smiled brightly. "Hey!"

"Hi?" Lily questioned. She didn't recognize these men, though they resembled Jacob closely. She assumed they were family. The first to come in wasn't wearing a shirt, which Lily found absurd in the chilly weather outside. The man with the girl on his shoulders was wearing a shirt with some kind of band logo on it, and the third man was wearing a loose tank top. All three wore cut off shorts and trainers. Definitely related to Jacob, though whenever the woman had seen him outside the house he was in jeans.

"I'm Seth," he said. He pointed to the man with the girl before pointing to the one by himself. "That's Quil, Claire, and Embry."

"I'm LilyVera. You can call me Lily," the woman answered. "This is Elsie."

Elsie turned to face the three young men, and the one that Seth had introduced as Embry blinked before his eyes widened a little. It appeared that Elsie intrigued him somehow. Lily wasn't sure what to make of the expression or sudden interest in her daughter. Seth and Quil shared a knowing look. Elsie smiled at them. "Hi."

Claire suddenly swung around on Quil's shoulders and he caught her in his arms quickly before placing her on her feet. The movement was practiced and fluid, as if it had happened many times before. Claire bounded over to Elsie with a bright smile. The girl was slightly chubby- still retaining her baby fat- and had silky black hair, russet colored skin, and beautiful brown eyes. "Wanna play with us?"

"Can I, Momma?" Elsie asked, looking up at her mother expectantly. "Please?"

Lily blinked and met her daughter's eyes. "Only if you wear a jacket, and make sure they can see you at all times. I don't want you going in the woods."

Elsie nodded before kissing her mother's cheek and running off after Claire. "Thank you!"