Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, and make no money, all situations, and some plot aspects belong to Stephenie Meyer
Welcome to the fallout,
Welcome to existence,
The tension is here,
Between who you are and who you could be,
Between how it is and how it should be,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor,
I dare you to move,
I dare you to move,
Like today never happened,
Today never happened before,
Maybe redemption has stories to tell..
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell,
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here…
Dare You To Move - Switchfoot
Welcome To Existence: Chapter 2: Dare You To Move
Emmett POV
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Day by day I was getting stronger; the pain in my chest was loosening slightly as time wore on. I seemed to focus more on keeping my mind occupied, and judging by the looks Edward was giving me, it definitely seemed to work. It touched me that my family seemed to gravitate toward me, Jasper and Alice even more so than Edward. Edward was as awkward as ever, but even he seemed to want to spend time just talking.
I had never been more grateful for the love or compassion of my parents than I had during these last few years. Esme's undeniable ability had helped me through the dark times and Carlisle's wisdom and gentle persuasion had led me to believe that there could be more for me after all.
I knew Edward didn't like to talk about our time in Forks, but to me and the rest of our family, Forks was home. If there was one place we needed to be right now, it was back home. If not for peace of mind, I needed to go back to where it all began. It wasn't about remembering Rosalie; the precious memories I had of her, I held tightly within my heart. It was about grasping some sort of normal existence.
For us, there is never one set place we ever call home, except for the warmth of our mates embrace. When I was human, my home was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Now, I felt my home was in Forks. Every trace of home was gone from where we were now. Seattle was cold and dreary, and felt out of sync.
I couldn't help but think about Bella in this whole situation. This had all been about protecting her. Edward had a fixated obsession on saving her, even when she wasn't aware of it. Who had been left to pick up the pieces after he left her? Was she coping well, moving on? We had no idea. The first news we had heard was Alice's panicked explanations as she threw clothes into bags.
"It's Bella. Oh God, it's Bella!"
The whole family had flown into panic mode as we prepared to intercept the newborns that Victoria had trained to kill her. Alice had seen a vampire called Riley snooping around Bella's home, taking her belongings to familiarize the recruits with her scent.
Without her ever knowing, Carlisle had journeyed back to Forks to speak with The Quileute Elders, who agreed to keep a close watch on Bella, as the battle loomed nearer. When Carlisle returned, Edward tried his hardest to resist the urge to ask about Bella, knowing that Carlisle had asked about her wellbeing. Alice had been as meddlesome as ever, insisting she needed to know how her best friend was fairing.
What tore Edward apart the most was learning that he had succeeded. Bella had moved on, in some respects. Edward deserved to feel that way; he had after all left her, despite our protests. It felt like our family had been torn apart, each of us separate, yet still clinging onto each other by the thinnest thread.
It was Alice's determination that brought us to our current situation. Without Edward knowing, Alice had continued to monitor Bella's future. With a select few knowing, it was easy to keep it from Edward. Alice had seen her forming a close friendship with Jacob Black, Billy Blacks son, leading to a possible relationship. I knew this would tear Edward apart, not only had she moved on to certain degree, but she had moved on to another supernatural being.
The Blacks were the descendants of Shape Shifters. Depending on their feelings or emotions, they could change at will. The animal of choice? Werewolves. God damn Werewolves. What the hell was Edward's problem? Was he insane? Literally, he was sending a lamb to the slaughter. I didn't know what the hell he was thinking, how he could leave her without leaving the other half of himself with her.
The change in Edward was significant, his once shining demeanor was scuffed and dark; his soul was marred. His extreme and ever present arrogance and stubborn personality only served to alienate every single member of our family.
Jasper was a nervous wreck, off my feelings alone he was begging Alice to let him get away; he couldn't stand the sorrow radiating off each one of us. Not that losing Rose hadn't affected each of us, the loss of Bella months before had doubled the pain. Bella may as well of died, the way Esme mourned her. That certainly didn't help Edward's moods.
I knew he had it bad with whole mind reading stuff, but come on; he lived in a twenty four hour pity party. Woe is me. He didn't seem to be able to grasp the fact that he left her. It's not like he had to watch her being torn apart, and murdered before he had any time to stop it. His pain was pitiful compared to mine. The thought of blaming him for everything had crossed my mind, but it vanished straight away. Edward hadn't led the Newborns to Rosalie, and he sure as hell didn't cause her death.
There was only one innocent party in all of this, and that was Bella. All she had done was fell in love with a boy; albeit a 108 man child, only to have a crazed Vampire hunt and attack her and scar her for life. If it was me, I'd want a little more from him than brooding and surliness.
It was just a normal day, as generic as any other; we were playing Monopoly. Alice, as usual was winning, she had the best properties and she had well and truly kicked my ass. I was just about to play the banker when her eyes glazed over and she shuddered. Jasper was at her side in an instant, as she breathed erratically, gripping his arm. Jesus, it looked like she was in pain.
"Emmett…" she breathed, and my stomach plummeted, "Bella!"
What did she see? Oh Lord, what did she see?
Jasper shook her; she was like a rag doll in his arms, her short spiky hair in disarray. She blinked several times, and went limp in his arms. It was a good job the rest of the family was out hunting; otherwise there would have been chaos. Jasper laid her out on the sofa, and held her hand. I went round to the other side of her and smoothed her hair out her face. As I went to lower my hand, she caught it in her tiny grip.
"You are going to be so happy," she choked, "So, so happy."
My breath caught in my throat.
"Oh Emmett!" she cried and launched herself at me, her tiny but steel like arms wrapping round my neck like a vice, "If I could cry, God, I'd cry a river over this!"
I set her tiny body back on the ground and frowned at her. I'd heard my name and then Bella's.
What the hell did I have to do with Bella? Sure I cared for her, but I didn't have any links to her what so ever.
"Alice, what did you see?" I asked.
She bit her bottom lip, her perfect teeth shining in the sunlight.
"I saw you…and Bella. Together, back in Forks."
"What do you mean together?" I demanded, my mind going into overdrive of a thousand possibilities.
Alice rolled her eyes, her carefree manner grating on my nerves. She had just destroyed my peace of mind, and blown the situation wide open, and she was rolling her eyes at me? Was she serious? I exhaled angrily, as she tapped her foot.
"You done?" she asked and I nodded stiffly, "Thank god."
"Alice," I growled, my fists clenching.
"I saw you, with Bella and Charlie. You were watching the Mariners game, and…and," stuttered Alice.
Alice NEVER stuttered.
"And what?" I asked, losing patience.
"You were holding hands," she said softly, causing my eyes to bulge.
"That's not possible," I said with a shake of my head.
"Emmett," she began, but I cut her off with a wave of my hand.
"It's not possible, Alice, because I still love my wife. I could never love another like I loved her. You're wrong," I hissed and Jasper sprung up, his stance defensive.
"Jasper, no," Alice murmured, "Emmett, you need to realize that I only see what has been decided. Somebody, somewhere, has set the wheels in motion. Yours and Bella's paths will cross again,"
There was only one thought that was a constant in my head; what about Edward? Bella was Edward's. Did she honestly expect me to believe that I was going to fall in love with my brother's mate? That thought was wrong on so many levels. I'd always seen Bella as nothing more than a sister. A klutzy loveable girl, who I genuinely really liked, despite Rosalie's standoffish demeanor. Would it ever be possible for me to see her as something more than a friend or sibling?
I sure as hell was glad that Edward wasn't here to witness this. He would rip my head off, or rather he would try. I hope to god that Edward would never find out about this, because the brother was extremely territorial. I'd seen the psychotic look in Edward's eyes more than once when Bella's name was accidentally mentioned. I don't think Edward understands what its like to be separated from your mate. It feels like a dagger has spilt you wide open and your essence, your life force, is being sucked away slowly. He just seemed to brood a little more than usual.
Edward had gone to stay with our family in Denali, or rather, he was enjoying being waited on hand and foot by Tanya. I didn't know why he just didn't take her up on her offer. She was hot for him, and had been for decades.
My mind drifted back to my present situation. Alice had said that one way or another; Bella and I were destined to be together. A part of me had dared to hope for a second as I witnessed Alice's reaction. The sheer joy I felt as she exploded with happiness made my soul sing. I wanted more than anything to feel that little spark of life within myself once more. I needed to feel it.
A soft knocking on my bedroom door kicked me from my reverie. A wary looking Alice entered the room, closing the door behind her. I had no idea why, everyone in the house could hear us regardless. She walked over to my stereo and cranked Timberland up high. I frowned at her and she motioned for the door. She flitted over toward the bed and moved up real close.
"I need to know what I'm going to tell you now will be kept between us, Em," she spoke softly into my ear.
I nodded and she continued.
"You arrive back in Forks three days from now; Edward is still in Denali, with no clue. I saw Esme asking you to go back to Forks and collect some stuff for her. While you are there, you will see Bella," she stopped and looked at my face.
"Continue," I urged eager to know.
"Bella is overjoyed to see you, ecstatic even. I see you telling her about Rose, and Emmett, it pains me to even think of her reaction. She is devastated. You have to believe me when I say this, but you two are destined to be together,"
"I don't know, Alice," I breathed, "Bella is like a sister to me,"
"I've seen it Em, I seen her with you. Laughing, talking, but most of all, happy."
"I don't know if I could, Ali, how can I love her?" I asked.
"You can and you will," Alice reassured me.
"What about Edward?" I questioned and she grinned.
"Edward is going to find himself with his hands full very soon, and I mean full," she snickered.
I smiled.
"Em, will you promise me something?" she asked.
"Anything, Alice,"
"When you see her, tell her I miss her? And that I love her?"
"I swear, little one, as soon as I see her."
"Bring her back to us, Emmett?" she requested.
"I'll try,"
"That's all I ask of you," she smiled.
She turned the stereo off and opened the door, "Moms home in 3, 2....and 1."
"Alice, Emmett, Jasper! Can you kids come down here for a minute?" shouted Esme.
"Welcome to your destiny, Emmett," Alice giggled.
I had a feeling destiny was only the half of it.