A/N: This is a sort-of companion fic to Never Again. I've started calling them my "Nickelback Oneshots". There should be one for every pairing in the book; Alice and Jasper up next. I've got the perfect one planned out for them :)
This takes place before they move to Forks, when the Cullen's are still living in Alaska. Rosalie goes through a bit of a rebellious streak of her own.
Enjoy!
Next Contestant
Emmett waited impatiently outside the door of his room, tapping his foot impatiently and checking his watch every other second or so. She sure was taking her time. At this rate, she was going to be late to work…again.
It still bothered him when he thought about why they had left the rest of the family in Alaska, and come down to Forks themselves. Rosalie said it was to get away. Flaunt her independence. But how would she do that with him at her side? So she was twisting the truth slightly. He wasn't going to push her.
Finally, just as he had raised his hand to rap sharply on the door, it opened. Rosalie stepped out, smiling up at him angelically.
"I'm ready."
I judge by what she's wearing
Just how many heads I'm tearing
Off of assholes coming on to her
(Each night seems like it's getting worse)
It seemed to him that she'd chosen an odd place to work. The fact that she was working at all was confounding in and of itself. But a bar? Well, at least no one could ever accuse her of being boring. Not that they ever would, with her looks.
He glanced over at her one more time, sitting in the passenger seat of his car, carefully reapplying mascara to her already long eyelashes. She was beyond beautiful. She was perfect. And she was his. That thought still came with the same feeling of disbelief; he doubted he would ever get used to it.
She shifted slightly, pulling the tight black dress farther down until it reached the base of her thighs. "Emmett, the light's green."
He jerked his eyes back to the road, pulling into the parking lot reserved for employees. And very special customers.
And I wish she'd take the night off
So I don't have to fight off
Every asshole coming on to her
(It happens every night she works)
Emmett twitched as they entered the smoky room, his hands involuntarily forming fists. Beside him, Rosalie preened, flipping her hair over her shoulder and slowing her walk. They were all staring, eyes roaming to inappropriate places.
He wished they could turn around and leave that instant. He wished he could make her invisible. He wished…well, if wishes were fishes the earth would soon be overrun. An old man in the corner leered at her.
…Emmett would have preferred the fish.
They'll go and ask the DJ
Find out just what would she say
If they all tried coming on to her
(Don't they know it's never going to work?)
She pecked his cheek lightly, careful not to smear her lipstick, and slid behind the bar. The woman on shift, a dark haired Hispanic girl, grinned gratefully and hightailed it out of there. Apparently business was unusually good that night.
Emmett settled back into his chair, only a few feet from the bar. From there he could keep an eye on her, and, more importantly, an eye on the ones who talked to her.
This was the worst part of his night, watching them flirt and being able to do nothing. What could he do that wouldn't get her fired?
They think they'll get inside her
With every drink they buy her
As they all try coming on to her
(This time somebody's getting hurt)
Rosalie accepted a drink from a good looking young man, laughing at one of his jokes. She wouldn't drink it, but if he was paying she wasn't going to deny him the satisfaction. It irritated her briefly as his eyes wandered down her frame, stopping somewhere below her waist.
She turned abruptly to deal with another customer, and heard his grunt of annoyance. Good. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Emmett, watchful as always, unaware of the eyes watching him.
One girl even had the nerve to approach him, and sat down at his table. He turned, startled, to answer her question. That was it. Rosalie smiled alluringly, and leaned over the bar to whisper in a man's ear. She didn't know whose, and she didn't care.
Here comes the next contestant
"Is this seat taken?"
Emmett started, whipping his head around to stare at the young girl sitting beside him. She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, and he had to cough to cover a laugh. She was only a child, even by human standards.
"My wife just went to the bathroom," he lied easily, "And she'll be back soon."
He felt slightly guilty at the obvious disappointment on her face, but all notions of guilt vanished when he saw a man at the bar lean over and grab Rosalie's shoulder.
He was out of his seat in an instant.
Is that your hand on my girlfriend?
Is that your hand?
I wish you'd do it again
I'llwatch you leave here limping
"Excuse me," he said pleasantly to the grabby man, "But I think there's been some mistake."
The man wheezed in reply, and Emmett remembered to loosen his grip on the guy's throat. He was only human after all.
"You see, that's my girlfriend you put your grubby hands on."
The man shook his head wildly, eyes pleading for Emmett to release him. After a few more seconds, Emmett reluctantly let him go.
Rosalie watched the whole procedure, expression faintly amused.
I wish you'd do it again
I'llwatch you leave here limping
There goes the next contestant
The minute Emmett turned his back, the man staggered to his feet and swung a fist at the back of Emmett's head.
Rosalie smirked. Bad move. Emmett easily dodged, and hurled a punch of his own, obviously not at full strength. The men flew across the room, crashing through chairs and finally landing, face down, on a table. He didn't move.
Emmett sighed as Rosalie gave him a dark look. He knew bodies were bad for business. At an impatient gesture from her, he trudged across the room to check the man's pulse. One heartbeat. Two. He was steady enough, he would live.
Emmett grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him back out the door. To the stunned and suspicious looks of a couple just arriving, he said,
"Passed out drunk."
Their looks of shock changed to disgust, and understanding. He went back to his seat near the bar.
I even fear the ladies
They're cool but twice as crazy
Just as bad for coming on to her
(Don't they know it's never going to work?)
Emmett stared in disbelief. The same girl who had just been trying to seduce him was now hitting on Rosalie. She appeared to have made the same connection, and was watching the girl with a mix of surprise and irritation.
The girl ran a slow hand down Rosalie's arm, and Emmett closed his eyes. This one, she could deal with on her own. Not that he doubted her ability to deal with any of the lousy humans in this place.
It was just…a matter of his pride.
Each time she bats an eyelash
Somebody's grabbing her ass
Everyone is coming on to her
(This time somebody's getting hurt)
Rosalie was having a difficult time shaking off the girl. She looked hopefully toward Emmett, but he was sitting with his face in his hands, elbows on his knees. Oh well. No help from that quarter.
She cast another annoyed look at the girl, who only smiled back dazedly and began to babble about something trivial, possibly the price of champagne, the words were too slurred for her to be certain.
She interrupted to say, bluntly, "Look, you can stop now. I'm straight."
She took great pleasure in the naked astonishment on the girl's face. In hindsight, Rosalie concluded that she could have been kinder about it, but well…that was the girl who had been flirting with Emmett.
Here comes the next contestant
Emmett stared desperately at the clock. The seconds felt like hours. He wished, briefly, that the vampire digestive system could handle liquor. That might have made the waiting easier. It was boring, sitting and doing nothing. Next time he would bully Edward into accompanying them.
He changed his mind about being bored when a certain scent hit his nostrils, causing his head to jerk around, instinctively mapping out the space.
A familiar man with distinctly Native American features grinned at him from a booth near the door, as his friends headed toward the bar. Those were clearly newcomers. Emmett felt the smile creeping up his own face. Perhaps the night would prove interesting after all.
Is that your hand on my girlfriend?
Is that your hand?
I wish you'd do it again
I'llwatch you leave here limping
Rosalie suddenly turned her attention away from the man she had been listening to, and watched the approach of the newcomers. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Werewolves. They smelled awful.
She watched as they neatly displaced two younger men and took their seats at the bar. They were new; she hadn't seen them around before. This would be fun.
She smoothed the creases out of her dress, and stepped toward them. "Is there anything I can get you boys?"
She reveled in their open, unabashed stares. This was her domain, and no one did beautiful the way she could. And she knew it. Knew they knew it as well.
One of the wolves, the braver one, slowly closed his mouth and reached for her. "Yeah, princess. You."
I wish you'd do it again
I'llwatch you leave here limping
There goes the next contestant
That was quick. Sooner than he'd expected, at any rate. They didn't even bother to flirt with her a little first, just went straight for the groping.
His amusement died instantly as he saw her struggle to twist her forearm out of his grasp. He had forgotten for an instant that they were strong too. His face twisted into a snarl. They would get what was coming to them, no question about it.
He would be happy to explain the price of touching another man's girl in this town to the newbies. His fist was a good talker.
I'm hating what she's wearing
Everybody here keeps staring
Can't wait 'til they get what they deserve
(This somebody's getting hurt)
Billy Black leaned into the soft cushion of the booth behind him, watching the proceedings with something akin to pleasure. They were ignorant, arrogant, recently changed wolves. The wheelchair kept him from teaching them their place with his own claws, but that didn't mean they could avoid the lesson.
He was sure they would be causing either Rachel or Rebecca any problems after tonight. Either of them. Little Jacob would be pleased.
Here comes the next contestant
Emmett sighed moodily as he turned to Rosalie. There was a light of vindictive pleasure in her eyes, and it stirred a similar response in himself. She reached out a delicate hand toward him, and he took it.
"I'm ready for you to take me home now."
"Back to the apartment?"
She smiled, and the vicious light faded, only to be replaced with something more pure. "No, darling. Home to Alaska."
He leaned over and kissed her.
Is that your hand on my girlfriend?
Is that your hand?
I wish you'd do it again
I'll watch you leave here limping
There goes the next contestant
End.
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Love, as always, Sharedsun