Chapter 1 – Initiation
Emmett McCarty Cullen was a simple man. Not in the sense of having learning difficulties, but in the sense that it did not take much to keep him happy and for his life to stay on an even keel. In general, Emmett liked: his wife Rosalie, wrestling with bears, videogames, his family, pranks, and his wife Rosalie (he really liked Rosalie!). So, spending an afternoon helping Rosalie work on a car was a pleasant way to pass some time. Of course, not many guys helped by holding the car up in the air, a Jeep this time, but what the heck. Being a vampire with super strength had to be good for something, right? Besides, Rosalie usually yelled at him if he just sat and stared at her, pausing occasionally to wipe off a little venom drool, but with the Jeep in the way he could look at her perfect denim covered legs to his heart's desire. That was pretty much how the afternoon had been spent so far, when he heard his brother Edward's car approaching. Even over the car sounds, he could hear a light heartbeat within the car, and knew that Edward was either bringing home a snack (right, as if!) or his trouble prone love, Bella Swan.
The car pulled into the garage and parked. Rosalie slid out from under the jeep with the habitual sneer on her face that she saved for Bella. Edward got out, ran around to the passenger side and help Bella out of the car. Both Emmett and Rosalie noticed that Edward was acting even more gingerly towards Bella than normal. Emmett made a smart remark about Bella falling down again after he saw she was cradling her hand and had a look of pain on her face. When Bella replied that she had punched a werewolf in the face, Emmett could not help bursting out in laughter. Even Rosalie chimed in, teasing him about his bet with Jasper over Bella's eventual "score" as a newborn. As Bella and Edward headed towards the house so Carlisle, their coven leader, father figure, and also a doctor could look at her hand, Emmett began to think about what Bella had said a little more deeply.
Turning to Rose (only family called her Rose!), Emmett said "You know, Bella is usually pretty mellow. I wonder what could have caused her to do something like that?" Rosalie wrinkled her brow in thought, then decided snarkiness was the way to go. "The wolf probably said something mean about Edward's hair, and Bella had a hissy fit." Emmett gave that some thought. "I don't think so." He raised his voice slightly, knowing Edward would hear him without Bella being aware. "Edward – what the heck happened?" He and Rosalie could hear Carlisle working on Bella's hand, so knew Edward had a moment to talk. His reply drifted down to them. "Jacob Black grabbed her and kissed her against her will –so she punched him." Emmett nodded his head to himself, and prepared to go back to being Rosalie's jack.
Rosalie slid out from under the car and stood up suddenly. The creeper she had been laying on shot across the garage and slammed into the far wall. Emmett was surprised and let go of the Jeep, which luckily had a nice off-road shocks package and could handle an 18 inch drop just fine. "Rose…?" Rosalie turned to him. There was no sneer on her face and her eyes were shining with anger. When she spoke, it was a low sibilant hiss as her emotions came out. "He forced himself on her! That son-of-a…" Emmett added helpfully "Wolf?", then realized belatedly that Rosalie was not in a joking mood when she turned her glare on him. As his wife's anger washed over him, Emmett began to reflect.
He knew about Rose's history, of course, and how she had been attacked and left for dead by her fiancée and his goonish friends. One of her greatest sources of pride was how she had tracked them all down and killed them, without taking any of their blood. In all of the family, only Rosalie had never tasted human blood. Ever since then, Rose had always had a soft spot for the abused and helpless, often quietly funding and assisting local shelters for battered women in the towns where they lived. Emmett knew of at least two times when men who had ignored restraining orders and terrorized a wife or girlfriend had been found after "falling down a flight of stairs" with a broken neck. His only regret was he was not allowed to accompany her, but realized that it was a hard decision for Rose to make and she did not feel she could let anyone share in it and relieve her of any of the responsibility for her actions.
This scenario was more complicated. For one, he did not think she would actually take drastic action over a stolen kiss, unacceptable as it was. For another, they had a treaty with the wolves and any significant action risked touching off a level of violence that Carlisle had made the treaty to avoid. Warily, Emmett asked "What are you thinking Rose? I don't see anything we can do here." Her face fell slightly as she replied "I know. It's just that he deserves some punishment. I'm sure Edward threatened him if it happens again, but he is still walking away scot-free. He is a bad dog and should be swatted somehow!"
A challenge! Emmett realized he left challenges off his list of things he liked! When you have all of eternity before you, finding a new challenge and working to meet it is a gift. He stood up and turned towards Rosalie, asking "What are the rules of that stupid treaty anyway? All I remember is stay off their land and don't bite anybody. Is there anything else?" Rosalie's brow creased in thought. "Hmmmm, you know, I can't think of anything else to tell the truth. Let's ask Carlisle, he'll know." Nodding, he took her hand, and the two walked into the house to find some answers.