Elastic Heart

-chapter sixty eight-

Rosalie and I like to cuddle with minimal clothing at night. I often just sleep in my boxers and a tank top while Rosalie just strips to her panties and a t-shirt. It was comfortable and everybody knew not to enter without knocking because if they saw me half naked then they would be privy to an enraged Rosalie. 

I wake up from nightmares sometimes and just lay with Rosalie, staring at the ceiling as we tangle our limbs together. 

One early morning at around four, our bedroom door opens. 

Rosalie bounces up and hisses at whoever dares to disturb us. 

I sit up too and I can see Jane in the doorway, looking very distressed. 

I push the sheets back and slip out of bed, my feet uncomfortably cold on the hardwood floor as I make my way to Jane. 

Jane moves forward and tumbles into my arms, her hands gripping fistfuls of my tank top. 

Rosalie hasn't quite calmed down but has stopped hissing. 

I have no context to whatever has made Jane so upset. Alec isn't anywhere in sight. 

"Shh," I cradle her close to me and run my fingers through her hair. "I've got you. It's okay."

Jane's face is pressed into my shoulder and I know that she's smelling my scent. 

Rosalie gets dressed and quietly mumbles to the others in the house, probably trying to figure out what happened. 

I haven't a clue why she came to me instead of her brother. 

I keep murmuring reassurances as I spot Edward stick his head out from his room across the hall. 

His eyes catch mine and he gives me a nod. 

I tug Jane further into the room so that I can close the door and give her privacy. 

"Grab my sweater," I tell Rosalie, deciding to move Jane to the bed. 

Rosalie moves to our closet and rifles through it to pick out a sweater while I carry a clingy and distressed Jane to the bed. 

I manage to maneuver both of us onto the bed and pull her into my lap so that I'm holding her close again.

Rosalie sits next to us with the sweater. She moves in front of Jane and starts to pull the sweater over her head and helps me move her arms through the correct holes. 

I appreciate Rosalie helping me with Jane despite her strong dislike for the Volturi and the twins in general. 

Rosalie apparently had no information from the others. They had no clue why Jane was in so much distress. 

I just hold her and hum her song. She'd tell me when she was ready. 

The clock slowly ticks by and we eventually shift to lie back down. Jane was practically lying on top of me. She hadn't even let go. 

"What's on your mind?" I eventually ask her. 

Rosalie shifts towards us a little. 

"It was just like long ago," Jane starts slowly. "I thought I was back there. With him." 

I have only an inkling as to who she is referring to. Her father. 

"He used to say that all the time. It's how I knew he was going to beat us," Jane continues. 

"You had a flashback," I gently stroke my fingers down her back. "What caused it?" 

"That Egyptian," Jane hisses.