Not Always a Happy Ending...

[sum422.livejournal.com]

Title: Not Always a Happy Ending...
Author: Sum422
Fandom(s): The Twilight Series
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4278
Inspiration: Bella's attitude during and after Rosalie's story in Eclipse, and the fact that Bella refuses to really consider the consequences for her actions. And, the biggest one of all, how vampirism is glorified and the drawbacks are completely ignored at the end of the series!
Warnings: Swearing
Summary: What SHOULD have happened after Rosalie poured her heart out to Bella in Eclipse! 

I had to write this. I just had to. I know I'm writing a Blackadder/Twilight crossover, but I always wanted to write a one-shot based after this scene because Bella's attitude in it stunk. After everything Rosalie told her, all she cared about was how some of the female vampires from the Denali clan flirted with Edward!? So this is how I wished it had gone!

Also a big thank you to Twispite moderator, gehayi, who was kind enough to proofread this and correct the grammatical mistakes I made!

*

“Whatever happened to happily ever after? Reality killed it.” – Kenzie

"And I disagree about Edward forcing his beliefs on Bella through inaction. I think it's the other way, Bella forcing hers on him through demanding action." - Stephenie Meyer

*

“Just think about it a little. Once it’s done, it can’t be undone. Esme’s made do with us as substitutes . . . and Alice doesn’t remember anything human so she can’t miss it. . . . You will remember, though. It’s a lot to give up.”

But more to get in return, I didn’t say aloud. “Thanks, Rosalie. It’s nice to understand . . . to know you better.” (Pg 168)

The change in demeanour came so fast that Bella hardly noticed it. One moment Rosalie was sitting next to her, smiling kindly like some glorious angel of heaven. Then, all of a sudden, she was standing and glaring down at her with the angriest look she’d ever seen on the breathtaking blonde’s face. Bella felt a cold chill run down her spine as she stared into that angry gold glare.

“Rosalie...?”

*

“You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said to you, have you!?” Rosalie spat at her, hands now balled into trembling fists. She gave a harsh laugh when Bella’s expression changed from one of confusion to shock. “I can read you like an open book, Bella! It’s so easy to know what you’re thinking that I’m surprised Charlie hasn’t caught onto anything yet! Or maybe that’s a good thing, considering how apathetic you are about your own parents!”

Bella recoiled from her anger but didn’t protest the accusation. She was obviously too intimidated to dare to say anything, especially since Rosalie was the only one out of the Cullen ‘family’ who’d shown any sign of aggression to her. But, as far as Rosalie was concerned, the only thing that Bella seemed to take any offence to was anything derogatory said about Edward.

It was always about Edward.

It took all her self-control, but Rosalie calmed herself down and relaxed so she didn’t appear so threatening to Bella. She would never be able to persuade the love struck human to change her mind if she was scared out of her wits. Moving slowly and gently, she sat back down on the couch next to Bella.

“I’m sorry if I scared you, Bella. I let my emotions get the better of me and that was wrong. Please forgive me.” Rosalie had to restrain a hiss as she heard Alice dithering outside the room. No doubt the pixie-like ‘seer’ was listening into the conversation in case Rosalie went too far in her attempts to dissuade Bella from her mission to become a vampire. Alice couldn’t have anything put her vision into jeopardy.

But she couldn’t stop now. She had to drive the point home to Bella Swan that becoming a vampire was the wrong choice—something she’d later regret with all her being.

“Bella, do you love Edward?” Rosalie’s tone wasn’t accusing or aggressive in any way, but Bella still reacted as if she had just been slapped in the face.

“Of course I do!” Bella gasped, sitting up so fast that her blanket slid off. “I love Edward with all my heart, body and soul! He’s everything to me! If Edward were to leave again I wouldn’t be able to live without him!”

Rosalie held a hand up to silence her. Though Edward might think otherwise, she really wasn’t a fan of theatrics, something which Bella Swan displayed plenty of. The last thing she wanted to hear was Bella’s overblown declaration of love for Edward.

“If you really love him, Bella, then why are you so determined to damn yourself when you know how much this would upset Edward?” Rosalie didn’t care much for Edward’s religious or philosophical beliefs when it came to their vampirism. She just knew that the best way to reach Bella was through Edward.

Bella’s face became petulant. That pissed Rosalie off enough that she had to really fight the urge to grab the girl by her shoulders and shake her hard. Honestly, was she so spoilt that she couldn’t handle any criticism?

“That’s not true! Edward’s accepted that I’m soon going to be turned into a vampire!”

“Edward was forced to accept it. If it was Edward’s choice - which it should have been – then you’d still have your whole future ahead of you.”

There. She’d said it. The ‘family meeting’ where they’d had to decide Bella’s fate had been nothing but a farce brought on because precious, delicate Bella Swan wasn’t getting what she wanted. It wasn’t for them to decide if she was to stay human or not and she had been against the idea from the start. It was for Edward to decide if he wanted to turn a human or not, and unfortunately, that decision had been taken out of his hands thanks to Alice’s faulty visions, Edward’s suicide attempt and Bella’s little ‘meeting’ with the Volturi.

Three more things that were Bella’s fault, she might add.

Bella still wasn’t going to accept this. “Well, he’s changed his mind now! He’s even willing to change me himself! He says he’ll be the one to bite me if we get married first!”

Rosalie couldn’t roll her eyes hard enough. Honestly, it was all so ridiculous it was unbelievable! This was exactly why she didn’t care much for either of them! Drama, drama and even more drama! Edward was convinced he was a soulless monster and yet had no problem whatsoever with holy matrimony.

She wished Edward would believe something and stick with it. It would give the family a lot less grief if the oh-so-perfect son wasn’t so conflicted and contrary all the time!

“Oh, really? So I take it that we’ll soon be hearing wedding bells for you and Edward, then?” She tried her hardest to keep from sneering. Shewas not looking forward to the upcoming weeks if this was true.

“Urm...to be honest...I don’t know.” Bella shifted around uncomfortably as she searched for the right words. “You see...I...I don’t really want to get married.”

“Why!?” Rosalie was downright confused. Here was a girl who had no problem whatsoever having a romantic relationship with a vampire and was practically begging to lose her humanity as soon as possible. Last time Rosalie checked, turning into a vampire and living forever was a far bigger issue than tying the knot.

“Well...I don’t want people to gossip...and I was kind of raised to believe that marrying young was bad and—” Bella didn’t finish her sentence —no doubt because she could see the expression on Rosalie’s face. 

Up until this point, Rosalie had tried to be reasonable with the pathetic idiot. But now? No way!

“What is WRONG with you?” Rosalie was past the point the anger now. She was just stunned that Bella actually believed the crap that she was spouting. “Are your morals that twisted, or is there really something wrong with that thick head of yours?!”

 Bella shrinks back, closing in on herself. “I-I didn’t-”

“No! You can speak after I’m finished!” Rosalie ordered, now standing and glaring down at Bella. “Until now, I’ve honestly thought that you were just some infatuated girl who was too caught up in her secret little romance to really think through what she was doing. But, after hearing this, I finally see that there’s something seriously wrong with you, Bella Swan!”

“Why-Why are you being so mean to me, Rosalie?” Bella whined, her eyes now tearing up. “I’ve done nothing to you! All I said was that I didn’t want to get married!”

Oh great, here we go! Martyr Bella has reared her ugly head! If this went on, Rosalie knew that she’d have a very pissed off Edward to deal with later.

“Bella, I don’t care if you get married or not! This isn’t about marriage and this isn’t about me not liking you! What this is about is how you consider marriage more troubling than getting turned into a goddamn vampire! I mean, you’re worried about local gossip but not what your parents are going to think when you suddenly go missing? Or – DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF!” Rosalie’s emotions got the better of her and she snarled at Bella, causing the girl to hide under her covers.

Good! I hope you’re scared!  Rosalie thought to herself. She could hear Alice arguing furiously now with Esme, wanting to break up the conversation because Rosalie was upsetting Bella. Esme, much to Rosalie’s surprise, was telling Alice not to interfere.

“This is Rose’s home as much as it is yours and Edward’s. I won’t have any of my children be told what they can or can’t do.” Esme said in a voice that clearly added, ‘and no buts.’

For the first time in a long time, Rosalie felt respect for her ‘mother’. She’d always had her down as something of a Stepford wife, so knowing that she at least had Esme on her side strengthened her resolve.

 “Bella, I want you to tell me something.” Rosalie adopted an authoritative tone of voice, the kind that parents use when their children have been naughty. One that Renee should have used when she was raising Bella. “Why do you want to be a vampire so much?”

Bella didn’t look at all happy with how Rosalie was now talking to her; she was avoiding eye contact and fiddling with the sleeve of her pyjamas. When she did respond to the question, she mumbled her answer.

“If I become a vampire, I’ll get to be with Edward forever. I won’t get old and die and I’ll finally be his equal! I’ll be just as powerful as he is, just as fast and just as beautiful! I’ll be perfect! Also, we’ll be able to live together in peace instead of having to worry about the Volturi. You won’t all be in danger any more because of me.” Bella’s expression became one of self-loathing and guilt, but that did not move Rosalie in the least.

“And is there anything that could change your mind?” Rosalie didn’t even know why she was bothering to ask such a question. Of course there isn’t! No one is more important than Edward freaking Cullen!

Bella didn’t even have the decency to give it that much thought. She had made her mind up a long time ago and nothing was going to sway her now. “No, not really.” Bella at least had the sense to realise just how bad that answer was, for she immediately qualified it. “Er, what I mean is that all the important things in my life would be okay if I were to just leave. Charlie lived by himself for years before I came here. Renee has Phil to care for her. Jacob’s life would be better without me. And, as for my friends, half of them have ditched me anyway because of how I acted when Edward left me.”

I don’t blame them one bit. By the sound of it, you were as pathetic as Edward. Not that Rosalie said this aloud; she opted to continue standing there, listening. This seemed to bring back some of Bella’s confidence.

“And as for never being able to give birth, that doesn’t really bother me. I’ve never wanted to be a mother. The only human experience I really want to try out before becoming a vampire is sex. Besides, even if I do want to have children later on, I’m sure Edward and I can just adopt one! Everyone would be fine!”

SLAP!

The moment Bella had the audacity to come out with that, Rosalie saw red and did the only thing she could do at that moment. She had to really hold back lest she accidently break Bella’s neck or rip her jaw off, but it was still satisfying, nonetheless!

Esme and Alice came charging in, Alice rushing over to comfort and protect Bella who was now sobbing, while Esme restrained Rosalie, whispering comforting words of understanding into her ears. “Rose, I understand how you’re feeling, but this will only make the situation worse. Come on, let’s go downstairs.” She then tried to steer Rosalie out of the room, but Rosalie shook Esme off and stared daggers at Bella Swan’s wailing form.  

No more coddling and no more sugar-coating! It was high time Bella knew what it really meant to be a vampire. Edward would just have to like it or lump it. Rosalie didn’t care anymore.

“If you really want to be a vampire, Bella, then you need to sort out your fucking priorities! No more gallivanting with Jacob Black when you know that it’s only going to make things harder in the long run, and no more compromises with Edward like some spoilt brat! You either become a vampire or not—and to Hell with Edward’s wishes, since you’ve made it pretty clear that you don’t care what he wants!”

Bella’s eyes widened and she cried out as if Rosalie had slapped her again. “I DO care about Edward’s feelings! How can you say such a thing!? I love him!”

“If you really cared for Edward’s beliefs, you wouldn’t be throwing them all back in his face like you’re doing now!” Rosalie spat, infuriated. “First, you sulk when he refuses to change you into a vampire, even though you had the chance when James bit you. You even begged Edward to make it stop!”

“I wasn’t ready at the time! I’m ready now!”

“Then,” Rosalie continued, completely ignoring Bella, “when Edward left Forks to protect you, you had the nerve to make the lives of everyone else around you miserable instead of trying to move on! It’s because of your repeated suicide attempts that we’ve got problems with the Volturi now!”

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself!” Bella protested, clutching Alice as if she would fall into a hole if she were to let go. “I was just putting myself in dangerous situations to hear Edward’s voice!”

“Yes and that’s perfectly normal behaviour that doesn’t warrant therapy in the least! Approaching men who you think tried to rape you and then not even having the decency to apologise to your ‘friend’ who you dragged along into the mess is perfectly excusable behaviour! Honestly, Bella, if the way you treat your supposed friends is anything to go by, I’m surprised you even have any! You barely interact with them and the ones you do talk to are the friends who don’t have a bad word to say about you or Edward. Don’t you think that’s a little egotistical of you?”

Bella had been so lost in her own little world with Edward that she hadn’t even noticed that news of the little stunt she’d pulled with Jessica had spread like wildfire in Forks. Of course, even if Bella had known, Rosalie reckoned that she’d just twist it round to make herself out to be the victim.

“STOP IT! I don’t want to hear this! You’re wrong! You’re WRONG!” Bella was now beside herself. There was no doubt in Rosalie’s mind that Edward was going to hit the roof when he returned later. He’d probably smash things and make Rosalie out to be a shallow, jealous bitch. But Rosalie was past the point of caring about Edward’s histrionics now.

“And, worst of all, you demand Edward to change you and then take the decision away from him completely! How dare you do such a thing to someone you claim to love! You didn’t even think of Charlie until Alice reminded you! But then, when have you ever spared a thought for your father? You act as if you’re so conflicted, but you really can’t wait to ditch your human life and become a beautiful, amazing vampire, can you!?”

“Of course I can’t!” Bella shrieked, now narrowing her eyes at Rosalie as if she’d just asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “My time is running out! Even if the Volturi don’t come to check up on me soon, I’m getting older while Edward stays the same! He’s better than me in every way imaginable! I don’t want to be older than him as well!”

“Oh, grow up! You’re make it sound like you’re about to be fucking eighty-five, not nineteen! For once, Bella, actually think about the consequences of your choices and actions!” Bella seemed ready to retort but Rosalie stopped her. “I am sick and tired of hearing you glamorize what we are and watch us through rose-tinted glasses! We’re not something to envy or strive to become!”

“Yes, you are! You have everything! You’re rich, nothing can harm you and you’re the most beautiful woman alive!” Bella pointed at Rosalie accusingly, as if she was complaining for no good reason and was just nitpicking. “There’s more to gain in becoming a vampire than there is in staying a weak human!”

Oh, that really pissed Rosalie off.

“Yes, Bella, I’ve always been beautiful. But look where that got me? Raped, beaten and left to die on a pavement. If you’d been listening to a word of my story, you’d know that I’d give anything to turn back the clock and change how my life tuned out.” She crouched down in front of Bella and stared at her coldly. “Do you know why there are so few of our kind in this world?”

“Yes, Alice told me! Because most can’t resist the frenzy that comes when they bite humans and taste blood!” Bella didn’t seem to notice the glare that Alice was suddenly giving Rosalie.

Ah, so neither Alice nor Edward has told Bella the real truth.

“Wrong, Bella. That’s a lie that Edward and Alice told because they didn’t want to scare you. The real truth is that the majority go mad during the change or end up killing themselves due to boredom.” She smirked as Bella’s eyes widened with shock. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised—it does make perfect sense. Two to five days is an awful long time to be in absolute agony and conscious throughout. Is it any wonder the mind falls into insanity? Although, if you ask me, the few of us who come out of the transformation with our minds intact are the ones who should be pitied.”

“I won’t go crazy during the transformation! Edward will help me get through it!”

Rosalie didn’t even bother to correct Bella by saying that, once the transformation was underway, Edward would be the last thing on her mind. “Okay, then. So, Bella, let’s say that when you transform, you do become a vampire that’s completely sane. What then? What do you plan to do for the rest of your eternal life?” She could guess what Bella was going to say next. “Oh, yes, you can go and repeat high school or college just like we’re all doing. But surely not forever, right?”

“Well, I haven’t thought of that!” huffed Bella, her confidence now faltering. “Does it matter? I’ll have Edward with me, so it’ll all be okay! As long as I have him by my side, I’ll be happy!”

Rosalie couldn’t help but laugh. It truly is sad how delusional Bella Swan is. “Give it a century or two and I guarantee, Bella, that you’ll be thinking differently. Just wait until your family and ‘friends’ have died and you find yourself suffocating under crippling boredom. You won’t be able to get yourself a job; you won’t even be able to make any new friends because, faster than you know it, they’ll be growing up while you stay the same. You’ll just be stuck with the same people in your life, doing the same damn thing day in, day out.”

“It’s…it’s better than being alone, though, right?” Bella asked Rosalie nervously. Up until this point, she’d being shifting uncomfortably, clearly not liking what she was hearing.

The anger had left Rosalie’s heart and instead she felt crushing despair, which she had suffered for years. It was the weight every vampire eventually felt when they had lived so long that they had lost the will to carry on.

“You’d think so… but no. Even that pleasure fades away. In the end, you’ll find yourself so bored that you can’t bear even living anymore. That’s why our kind becomes so destructive and irresponsible, Bella. Anything, be it good or bad, is welcome if it takes away the monotony of our lives. Even the Volturi aren’t immune to the boredom, though they like to act as if they are. One of their guards, Corin, is there just for her ability to give them all a false sense of contentment with their lives. Half of them, including Caius, are actually addicted and need her around; otherwise, they’d start to feel actual pain and would suffer breakdowns.”

Bella, for once, was speechless. She was no longer crying but instead was sitting there limply, eyes full of fear.

“You know, the only reason Emmett and I are still living is because we have each other. We love one another so much that we still feel something when we talk, have fun and make love. Even after all these years. In that regards, we’re both really lucky.”

 Rosalie knew that if she were human, she’d probably be crying about now. And what she was about to say was something she’d always kept locked away in her heart, too afraid to say it out loud in case it ever came true.

But it needed to be said. Bella needed to hear this.

“But I’m not stupid. I know that in another couple of years, maybe longer, there will probably come a point where even our love won’t be enough to excite us. A time will come when we’ll get sick of the sight of one another, but we’ll stay together because, like you said, it’s better to be with someone then be alone out there in a world that wasn’t made for you. Not that it’ll do anything for the boredom, though. No… we’ll probably end up hating each other…or, even worse, we’ll just stop caring completely.”

“No…” Bella shook her head, trembling. “It won’t be like that for Edward and…”

“Maybe you’re right, Bella.” Rosalie shrugged her shoulders, but her tone of voice plainly said that she didn’t believe Bella. “Maybe you and Edward will be the exception, living together in bliss forever and ever. But don’t think that everyone else will stop their lives just for you. I don’t plan to live forever and neither does Emmett. One day, when eternity finally becomes too much to bear, Emmett and I… will go and end our lives together.”

Rosalie straightened up, feeling she'd said all she really could say. If this didn’t reach Bella Swan, then nothing would.

“If you really want to become a vampire, then fine. I just thought you should know what the consequences will be.” Rosalie reached the door and smirked at Bella, taking satisfaction in how shaken up she now was. “I wouldn’t worry too much though, Bella. I’m sure you’ll take to it like a duck to water since you seem to hate everything to do with humanity so much. I bet you won’t even notice when your mind starts to become dead inside!”

And, with that, Rosalie left. She thought that when Emmett returned, she’d suggest they go on holiday for a bit. Away from all the drama and just have some alone time together. Real alone time where Edward isn’t there to intrude on our private moments.

*

It took me a long time to fall asleep after that.
When I did sleep, I had a nightmare (P.g. 168)

Bella was a vampire in her dream, looking just as stunning as the Cullen family.

But she was so bored! So much time had passed and there seemed to be no end in sight. It was becoming unbearable!

In her dream, she kept glancing at her watch. 12:00. 15:00. 21:00. 1:00.

No matter the hour, nothing changed. Still the same house…the same people…the same routine…the same food…the same school…the same…

‘Oh God! Please make it stop!’

It was like being in a very boring lesson, only there were no breaks or lunchtimes in between. And, at the end of the day when she walked past the other students, she couldn’t even join in with the lively chatter about exams and university and growing up.

None of that applied to her anymore, did it? When those kids were grown up and had kids of their own, she’d just be enrolled in another high school, wouldn’t she?

‘I wonder how Charlie’s doing…He isn’t dead yet, is he? I wonder if I can go visit him… see how he’s doing… I wish I’d treated him better…’

In the dream, Edward noticed her growing discontentment and took her to their meadow, making love to her, thinking that it’ll cheer her up.

But it did nothing… She just lay there and gazed up at the dark sky, eyes emotionless…

‘Die! Die! Die! I WANT TO DIE! Die! Die! Die! WHAT HAVE I DONE!? Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die’

Would there ever come a time when she’d start to feel something close to excitement or emotion again? Or would she always feel as if she was just some empty shell and the real Bella Swan had died long, long ago?

Edward finished and gazed down at her, eyes full of adoration. “Bella, I love you and I’ll never stop. I’ll love you forever and ever-"

And ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and-

Bella awoke from her dream, sweating and screaming a silent, horrified scream.

Comments

[often-partisan.livejournal.com]

That just owned canon. :)

[albion-witch.livejournal.com]

Who wants to live forever, indeed.

It just was so very satisfying for Rosalie to smack some sense into Bella. In-canon, Meyer never really explores the implications of an immortal life and, because she made her self-insert such a blank slate, never thought of the crushing boredom that would accompany it.

I'm trying to explore said implications through my own vampire character who is truly an immortal in that he is incapable of staying dead.

[quicksilvermad.livejournal.com]

BOOM! HEADSHOT.

This is why I like Rosalie so much.

[miyuko-matsuda.livejournal.com]

*Thunderous Applause*

[xxburningsoulxx.livejournal.com]

*audience stands and applauds;there are cheers throughout the auditorium*

"BRAVO!" "MAGNIFICENT!" "WOOT!" "YAY FOR ROSALIE!"

[melissatreglia]

THAT WAS SO FUCKING BRILLIANT, I'M REDUCED TO COMMUNICATING IN ALLCAPS.

THIS IS WHAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT IMMORTALITY WOULD BE LIKE. BOUTS OF SELF-LOATHING INTERSPERSING AN OTHERWISE ENDLESS CRUSHING BOREDOM.

[evanesco75.livejournal.com]

Fucking brilliant!

[marienomad.livejournal.com]

This is impressive. I like how that Rosalie deconstructs the whole reality of being immortal. Repeating itself over and over again can be depressing. Especially repeating high school over and over. Good job.

[ayaelf92.livejournal.com]

Awesome.

[mibamonster.livejournal.com]

Thank you SO MUCH for pointing out what I'd hate most about being a Meyerpeyer: the BOREDOM of being a vampire. They even have perfect memories, so they never need to do anything twice. At least if they forgot, like normal people, old experiences could become fun again. This way, it just goes on and on and on and on and you portrayed it perfectly.