AN: All characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

This story is in answer to a challenge by 'nadia the demented one' called 'Sitting by the Furnace.' I hope it fits all of her requirements. I also hope that you the readers will enjoy it. This takes place shortly after the Cullen family movies away from Forks in New Moon.

Brotherly Concern

"What do you think would have happened if Bella didn't recover from the pain you put her through?" I had wanted to ask this question since our move four weeks ago. Part of the question was based on my belief that Bella truly loved him and just leaving her wouldn't make the love stop, and the other part was based on Alice's vision of Bella just before Edward told her we were all leaving.

"Emmett, don't even begin," Edward warned but I was determined to have a serious talk with him before Rose made up her mind about going to Europe; she was uncomfortable with the way Edward had been acting lately. In fact, his actions and attitude since leaving Forks and Bella exasperated everyone.

He had become morose, and he forbad everyone from mentioning Bella's name. He even banned Alice from looking into her future. I still couldn't fully understand his reasoning. Bella was the only unique human I had ever met; besides the fact that she was a walking disaster, she was the only one who ever accepted my family for what we were without fear or hatred.

One thing I noticed right off during the move was that Edward took nothing but the clothes on his back. I didn't understand why at first, but Alice and Rose pointed out that everything Edward owned carried Bella's scent. I pondered his move and his decision for three weeks before I finally pulled him aside one day to talk. I needed clarification and confirmation of what he was thinking and doing in reference to Bella.

Esme had begun refurbishing the living room of the Victorian house we moved into; she furnished the room with two over sized sofas, some comfortable chairs, and a large screen television. It also had a working fireplace, and there was a blazing fire that day – Esme's idea of adding a homey touch – when I confronted Edward.

At first, he was hesitant about talking to me, but I bluntly stated my position to him. "Look, I know you can read my mind, but I cannot read yours. All I'm asking is that you take a few moments of your idle time and talk to me."

"I already know what you're going to ask and say, so just let me . . ."

He was doing it again, which irritated me to no end. "I said talk to me, which means you allow me to talk as well. Don't just answer my thoughts; let me verbalize them first before you answer them."

Edward responded with a deep growl, "I would prefer not to talk about this."

"I'm your older brother," a cocked eyebrow was his only response. "Okay, older in human age but not actual chronological age. Still, I'm bigger than you are, and I have been your friend and brother for as long as I have been part of this family. One thing I know for sure about families is that they need to talk with each other, not at each other. So, please, do me the courtesy to talk with me."

"Just this once, but after this conversation, I do not want this subject brought up again," he still replied with a growl.

"Fine," I retorted. "Let's begin with did you ever love her or were you just stringing her along?"

"Do you honestly think I would ever treat her that way; tell her I love her and not mean it?"

'At least his expression held some remorse,' I thought before I asked, "If you really loved her, then how could you leave her? From what Alice said, it wasn't a clean break for either of you." Alice had told us how Bella had cried for a long time before she just curled up within herself. From that point on, Alice stopped looking because Edward had ordered her to stop.

"I didn't order her to stop, I asked her. There is a difference you know," Edward snapped.

"It was still what she saw. How do you know Bella is okay? Aren't you worried about her? I would think if you really loved her, you would have Alice keeping an ever vigilant watch on her." I wondered if seeing Bella in Alice's mind would be too painful for him.

"Emmett, I promised her not to interfere with her life any more. I promised to allow her to move on."

"Because you don't love her?" He really hadn't answered that question yet.

"No, because I do love her and I don't want to endanger her life anymore," now his tone revealed his feelings.

Sometimes I felt he kept a shell around himself and wouldn't allow anyone to know how he really felt. He had avoided mentioning her name, but the tone of his voice revealed the love he still felt for her.

"Okay, you love her, but what if leaving was not what she wanted? What if she is in as much pain as you currently are because you left?"

"Emmett, she's human. She'll soon forget me and move on; they all do. Teenage crushes don't last long and they are quickly replaced with another focus, and she has three other teenage boys she can focus on."

I couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from deep inside of me. Did he know nothing about women, or girls, in this case? "Edward, Bella never had a crush on you. She is in love with you and I doubt she will get over it very soon if ever. What makes you think her feelings were so shallow?" And I thought he was the smart one.

"She told her mother she had a crush on me, not that she loved me," he snapped.

I guessed he was reacting to my last thought, but this comment only confirmed my opinion that he really was not the smart one when it came to females. "Edward, no teenage girl wants to admit to their mother that they are in love. It would only lead to a lecture about boys and sex. Where have you been all these years while attending high school? Didn't you hear the girls' fears about telling their mothers they were in love?"

"I stopped listening when they started thinking about boys and love because it led to places I didn't want to go. How do you know what they would be thinking?" He looked at me skeptically.

"Well, while you were busy listening to the thoughts of others, I was asking Alice and Rose to help me understand the normal female human. I told them it would help me know how to fend off their flirting advances, which was all it took to acquire Rose's help on understanding the female mind. It was . . . illuminating to say the least," I chuckled as I remembered the conversation, they shared the dread all teenage girls had about the inevitable sex talk once a mom discovered her teenage daughter was thinking about dating a boy. I enjoyed some of the lines boys used to convince girls to cave in. The two funniest were, 'I'll go blind,' and 'Let's see if the shoe fits.' I couldn't believe any girl would believe such claptrap.

"Let's just assume for a moment, Edward, that Bella is head over heels in love with you, and that you are what her world revolves around. Now imagine that the one person she loves more than life itself up and walks out on her. What do you think will happen when she finally believes you'll never return?"

"I hope she will realize I did what was best for her, and that she can now live a normal human life."

I could see that he believed what he said, but he omitted one fact about Bella. "Edward, when was Bella ever a normal human being? I doubt she will ever live a normal human life; I honestly believe she is beyond that ability now. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if something else abnormal happened to her; I just hope it isn't something dangerous." Maybe I could get him to see how truly unique she was.

"Emmett, I know she is unique, and she is a danger magnet, but if I'm not around, she at least has a chance of returning to a normal life."

I hadn't meant to, but that unrealistic comment floored me and I couldn't hold back the laugh it caused. "Edward, she never she lead a normal life." I could see he was about to refute what I said, so I hurried on. "If she had led a normal life, she would have turned away from you the moment she met you, instead, she was instantly attracted to you, and whether you will admit it, you were instantly attracted to her as well."

"Emmett, I'm not sure where you're going with this conversation, so just say what you want to say and then end this topic forever."

There was a sad look in his eyes, and I knew it was hurting him to think about Bella. His reactions and looks were the telling points about how he really felt. I knew he was deeply in love with Bella, but I also knew she really was in love with him even if he didn't want to admit it. I also felt there were some aspects of his leaving that he was trying hard to avoid admitting to himself and everyone else, things I felt he should take into consideration.

"Okay, I will admit you love her, but I also know she loves you. The reasoning around why you left her is still debatable." I held my hand up to stop the comment I saw coming. "Let me finish. What you see as best for her and what she sees as best are two completely different things. What you need to consider now is what might happen next for her. You're hoping she will go on with a normal human life, but if she doesn't, where do you think she will end up. If her loss is too great, she might do what other desperate girls have done . . ." A vision of Bella committing suicide popped into my head.

"No, she promised," from Edward's pained reaction I knew this idea troubled him.

"It is one possibility, Edward, whether she promised or not. The other option is that she will be alone and miserable for the rest of her normal human life." Once again, I could see he was ready to argue with me. "Edward, Bella will never do as you expect. She will never go from loving a vampire to loving a human. It is not in her nature. I just hope, with you wanting to do what is right for her, you have not catapulted her into greater danger because now that allowing Alice can't keep tabs on her, no one will know beforehand if she's in trouble. Just remember if any future danger arises, you made this choice and you will have nobody to blame but yourself for any harm that might come her way." I watched him as I spoke, but it was hard to see if it was making any difference because his face was now devoid of all feeling. "Just remember Edward, she loves you and I very much doubt that her feelings will change, and if you really love her, your feelings will not change either. I fell in love with Rose the moment I saw her, and that feeling has never lessened over the years. If anything, my feelings for her have intensified, and I believe yours for Bella will also. That means the pain of not having her will also intensify. Only question that remains; will her pain also intensify, and if it does, how will you feel about causing her that much pain?" I got up from the sofa, looked sympathetically at him while thinking, 'Maybe leaving could cause more harm than staying,' as I walked away.