Bitten (Twilight Fanfic: Jessica Stanley + Rosalie Hale)

A Discordant Note - Rosalie's POV

"I thought you liked Rio," Emmett said.

"I do like Rio." My voice, still musical, held an unmistakable note of impatience.

"Then what's the problem, babe?"

I let out a ghost of a sigh, my eyes trained on my reflection in the vanity mirror. The woman staring back at me was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, but there was a tightness in her expression that almost marred her perfection.

I pulled the nylon and boar bristle brush through my hair, relishing the smoothness as it glided down my locks. My hair wasn't out of place, but the brushing motion was still calming even after almost a hundred years. A reminder of my human life.

And a perfect excuse to stare at myself in the mirror, instead of turning back to face my husband of nearly 100 years.

In the corner of my vision, I could see Emmett's big bulk pacing around, always moving. Vampires didn't need to move around the way that humans did, but Emmett had always been in motion. Like a big animal just about to leap, no matter what he was doing.

He paced across our large bedroom, his big form forcing my eye when all I wanted to do was be alone.

But you were never alone in the Cullen house, not really.

And now everyone probably already knew that Emmett and I had been arguing for the last hour about where we should go for our yearly honeymoon vacation. We had skipped it several times since Renesmee's birth, but now that things had finally settled down with the Volturi and the wolf pack, it seemed safe enough for Emmett and me to go off together again.

And yet I couldn't bring myself to feel anything more than a passing interest in where we might go or what we might do.

Why wasn't I more excited?

My eyes flickered back to my face, regarding my reflection like a painting on a wall. The woman looked cool, impassive, and a little impatient, but still flawless. I had lt been beautiful as a mortal, but as a vampire, my face still looked almost unreal even to me. In a house full of impossibly powerful vampires, I was the least important of them all, easily the most expendable.

A beautiful shell. At least I could appreciate it, though.

"What about Nairobi?" Emmett loomed behind me, his expression hopeful in the mirror.

I raised a slim eyebrow at him, hoping that my total disinterest would be obvious. Nairobi was fine — anywhere was fine. I didn't care what we did, so long as this conversation could be put to rest.

Meanwhile, a second had passed, which was rather a long pause when it came to our family (and all vampires, really). And even after nearly a century, I still hadn't shed my distaste for it.

So much rushing. Everything moving at impossible speeds. It was maddening, really.

"What about Nairobi?" I said flatly.

"Duh. For our trip?"

I rolled my eyes, heaving a heavy sigh. Annoyance spurted through me, but less than a moment later, it occurred to me that I should be used to Emmett's inability to process sarcasm.

He had always been like this. Why should I mind it now?

He crossed his arms. "I don't get why you're making this so difficult, Rose."

I parted my lips, ready to snap back at him to just choose a damned country, already — but I managed to hold back.

Everyone in the house would hear the ensuing argument, including Renesmee.

I cocked my head a few degrees, listening for her light footsteps nearby. Sure enough, I found her in the woods about half a mile away, with Alice nearby.

Luckily, Edward was gone for the day, visiting the dog-boy in Portland, where he had started college classes a few weeks ago. If Edward had been anywhere nearby, he would probably have felt my frustration.

I shook my head. What I wouldn't give for some real privacy in this family.

Something must have flashed across my face ebecause Emmett's expression crumpled. Just for a moment, maybe even half of a moment, but my eyes took it in as keenly as everything else.

I was up on my feet before it even occurred to me that I had decided to go to him.

Standing close now, I looked up at him.

His beautiful, golden eyes were the color of amber on a sunny day, but the laughter that seemed to linger in them had dimmed somewhat as he stared back at me. His eyes widened, just as they always did, as they caught sight of my face, but the momentary amazement wasn't enough to overpower the almost vulnerable way he watched me.

My hand cupped his big cheek. His skin felt as smooth and perfect as any marble statue, but pleasantly warm.

Normally, I would have gotten onto the tips of my toes and kissed him, then everything that had been wrong between us would have melted away for hours, days, just as long as we were touching.

But the urge to kiss him didn't come.

Instead, I could feel something inside me shifting, changing. I didn't know what it was becoming. It had been so long since anything had changed inside of me.

Could vampires change at all?

I shook my head, stepping back from him in one graceful motion. "I need to run. Clear my head."

"I'll come with you. We can hunt together."

"No." My voice was a discordant note jabbing into the air.

Emmett actually winced.

"I need to think." I whirled away. My reflection in the mirror revealed a balletic motion, despite how ordinary it was. "I'd just like to be alone for a bit."

"Rose—"

"I'll be back soon." In a few short, graceful steps, I had jumped out of the open window and into the cool, night air.

My feet hit the ground with barely a sound, the light rush of displaced air the only hint of my landing. Even the small birds nearby barely ruffled their feathers.

I pushed off, my long limbs moving with the grace of a dancer as I ran deeper into the woods, losing myself in speed, the wind rushing through my golden locks.