Spend Forever

Decide

"So they're a family of vampires that only drinks animal blood?" Rosalie asked. Alice had explained what she knew about the Cullens, which admittedly wasn't much. Rosalie was, understandably, hesitant. She was relieved she wasn't in physical pain anymore, but that didn't mean her mental pain was gone. She wanted to trust the woman that had saved her, but it was hard after what had just happened. She hadn't been told about the burn, or what she would become. Only that she would be changed, and different.

"Yes," Alice said simply. She was trying to let Rosalie lead the discussion, allowing her to make whatever choice she wanted without Alice's personal feelings interfering.

"And how did you know they were here? How did you become a va- like this? How did you know what to do? How did you end up here?" Rosalie asked. She had so many questions; she wasn't sure what to ask first or what she wanted answered first. Alice hesitated, unsure how to answer Rosalie's many questions. They could all, except one, be answered with one response - her visions told her everything she needed to, except that all-important origin question. That was the one she could answer.

"I don't know how I became like this. I woke up alone, with no memories of who I was before. There were small flashes that I guess were memories; maybe people that had something to do with changing me. But I don't know for sure. They were long gone by the time I was aware," Alice said, looking down at the ground. She avoided answering the other questions.

"Then how did you know?" Rosalie asked, pressing for more information. Alice hesitated again, not knowing how to respond to her. She couldn't avoid answering her question forever, that much she knew. But she still wasn't sure how to phrase it. Rosalie deserved an answer; she needed all the information before she had to make her choice. Alice wouldn't deny her that. Not again.

"I... I saw it," Alice finally answered, standing up and beginning to pace around the small clearing they were in. she waited a moment before looking back at Rosalie, giving her time to digest and interpret Alice's answer while she tried to think of some way to explain it that would make sense. She didn't have too many options.

"Alice," Rosalie said, moving to her feet in one fluid motion. Alice turned to watch her, surprised with the grace the newborn moved. She was sure she hadn't been so beautiful when she was first turned... "What do you mean you saw it? How could you see something like this? You said you were alone. Did others find you quickly?" she finished, running through the possibilities in her mind. She couldn't understand why Alice was being so cryptic.

"No, I... I was alone. No one found me. I was alone until I found you. I... some vampires have abilities," Alice began, pausing to give Rosalie time to absorb the information while she determined how to phrase the rest of her explanation.

"What kind of abilities?" Rosalie asked, stepping forward, forcing Alice to look into her eyes. Alice felt her mind empty as she looked into Rosalie's eyes. The oxygen was useless to her, but she took a deep breath anyway to help clear her mind. She took a step back as the words came to her.

"It varies from vampire to vampire. And only some have special abilities. You may not, but only time will tell. Carlisle knows one who can read minds-"

"Becoming a vampire gives people the ability to read minds?" Rosalie asked in disbelief.

"Only the one. Or maybe more; I'm not sure. For me, I... I can see the future," Alice said slowly, her eyes flickering back to Rosalie's to gauge her reaction. Rosalie's face was smooth, betraying no emotion. "The first thing I saw when I woke up was Carlisle's family. The second thing I saw... was you," Alice added when Rosalie didn't respond. She wanted Rosalie to know everything, and this was important to her. Rosalie was her future, somehow. She was sure of it. But in this moment, she wasn't sure how this woman fit into her life. Or how she fit in Rosalie's, beyond saving her life only to give her one she didn't want.

"You saw my future? What did you see?" Rosalie asked finally.

"Only part of it. And it changes sometimes. I'm not yet sure how they work. But I saw you and I going to live with Carlisle's family. They welcomed us in and helped us adjust to the new life. I also saw you as a human, and... what would happen to you. But it was too late to stop it fully," Alice explained.

"How could you see me? I've never met you," Rosalie asked. She wasn't sure what she had expected Alice to say, but it certainly wasn't that. Was this the direction her life was always going to take? Was this the future she had always been destined for? She wasn't sure of the answers anymore, and that bothered her. She had always been sure of where she would go in life, what she wanted from it. It bothered her that this strange woman could see things she couldn't.

"I don't know," Alice said. "I'm glad I could," she added, so quietly Rosalie almost didn't hear her.

"What do you see now?" Rosalie asked. Maybe this decision had already been made for her, like every other one in her life.

"I... I don't see anything. Not for you," Alice asked. Her face went blank as she searched her visions, looking for some clue of Rosalie's future that she was asking for. "It's blank. I don't see anything beyond you speaking with me in this moment," she added.

"I don't have a future?" Rosalie asked, her voice breaking. She fell to the ground again, drawing her knees to her chest as dry sobs shook her body. Her eyes remained dry as she buried her face in her knees, not wanting to see anything anymore.

"You have a future," Alice said, sinking to her knees in front of Rosalie. She reached out her hand, only to pull it back back touching her arm. "It's just not decided yet. You have the choice here. I won't see anything until you decide."

"What decision is there to make?" Rosalie asked, glancing at Alice before hiding her face again. "I'm stuck like this forever. Stay here or go with you, stay alone or join a family I don't know; it doesn't matter. This isn't what I wanted. This isn't who I'm supposed to be."

"You're not supposed to be anyone other than yourself," Alice said, reaching out a hand again and gently touching Rosalie's elbow. "You may not have had choices before, but you can choose whatever you want know. We can stay here, you can go alone, we can go together. We can join them or stay on our own or be together or not. It's anything you want. And whatever you decide, doesn't have to be permanent. You can change your mind, and change it again. The last thing you are is stuck," Alice said. Rosalie finally looked at her adjusting her arm so she was holding Alice's hand.

"Together?" she asked, her breathing slowing as she looked into Alice's eyes. Alice nodded once, smiling slightly as she looked back at Rosalie.

"If that's what you want," she whispered, gently squeezing Rosalie's hand before standing up and pulling Rosalie to her feet.

"I want to meet them," Rosalie decided.

"Then let's go. Their house is a little ways through the trees," Alice said, walking forward with Rosalie behind her.