AN: Hey everyone! I've been typing up a storm! I finished up chapter 9 of "Making A Home" which is my Carlisle and Esme fic that I would love all of you to check out, and now I'm on to Emmett! He was kind of sparing in this chapter, but I swear you're going to see a lot of him in this fic…which really explains the title. LOL!
Either way, I want to say a big thanks to Cullenista who wrote the award winning story "Blue Moon Over Manka's" who is my wonderful beta. She keeps me honest…and using commas. She's going to be joined by the lovely Tammy, who is also working with me to write a YA version of "Escaping Sol." Last and certainly not least I want to say a thank you to all the other Twilight Moms who have been lovely about talking up this fic. I'm really flattered that you like it!
Now that I've done all of that!
OnWithTheChapter!
Conversations With Emmett by Ranma15177
Chapter 3: Blood and Guts
BPOV:
I heard the world come back before I saw it. The room was seemingly alive with activity and I could hear the voices around me. Some with concern, and some with humor. I tried to pick them out, and Emmett's was the first concrete voice I heard that had a name.
"Are you nuts? If Edward gets back to this house and she's still in la-la land and looking this gruesome he's going to tear you into tiny bits, remove your head, and laugh while he sets fire to it!" Emmett seemed to be seriously worried about his potential future.
"She'll be up and around in no time. I just gave her a bit of the dazzle, she should know what she's up against…" The voice must have been Tanya's because it was throaty and sexy and I hated her more by the second.
I heard Emmett give a sigh, "I assure you Tanya, there isn't any competition going on in this house. The game is over. There wasn't even a second team on the field. It's decided." I heard a towel wring out and cool pressure was at my nose as someone hissed.
"Look at how frail she is! How is he going to enjoy himself with her?" Tanya asked with what sounded almost like genuine concern. "Poor Kate had to go outside to get away from all the blood!"
"That's none of our business. I'm sure he'll figure out something." Emmett's comment sounded really sarcastic. I wanted to hug him. At least I knew, in the "competition" that was about to take place I had a proper cheering section. I heard the door open and close and I realized that I had been moved to the couch. A cold washcloth or something wet and cold was over my eyes and I was definitely propped in a sitting position as I could also feel my world tilting at an unusual angle. The smell of blood was extremely strong in my nose… it made me want to vomit.
"I wasn't even gone for fifteen minutes!" Carlisle's voice admonished. "Oh, goodness… here let me help you Emmett. Well done… what a mess! Hello Elezar, Irina, Tanya, how are you?" I could hear a small bit of pleasant strain coming from my future father-in-law. Things were still tense between the Cullen family and the Denali Coven…and it was no question that it was my fault. Not to mention that I was obviously bleeding.
"We're well, although our presence here wasn't entirely expected." A voice that must have been Elezar commented dryly. "Although, I believe that SOMEONE just knows how to manipulate Alice's visions…so she does."
"I wanted it to be a surprise!" The voice that I knew now was Tanya's exclaimed in a way that I supposed was said to clear her of all wrongdoing. I wasn't convinced.
"I can see that your surprise was incredibly successful," Carlisle commented as I heard his voice come closer. "Bella isn't in the habit of fainting…I assume there is a reason she's gone over and hit her head?"
Emmett quickly answered, "She got the news about the reason for Jacob's disappearance and met Tanya at the same time while Tanya attempted to give her a bit of her manipulation. It ended badly. I just wish I would have had the opportunity to catch her before she did the face plant."
I groaned. It was the only reaction I was able to muster at the moment. Who decided that the body's natural reaction to losing consciousness should be in the face first position? It was a horrible response! If I ever got to meet God I was putting in a formal grievance. My nose would put in the first complaint…it was probably broken.
"Bella? Are you awake?" It was a very concerned Emmett, although he had to have been across the room.
I made a non-committal noise in the back of my throat…which I knew he would hear. Suddenly I smelled bleach around the strong scent of blood and realized that someone was cleaning up the mess. Carlisle had in the meantime removed the rag from my head and was checking my nose while periodically cleaning the mess that it was still producing.
"Can you open your eyes for me dear?" Carlisle asked with a smile in his voice.
I fought with my eyes to open…something made them want to remain shut. When the room finally fell into sharp focus I realized that I was a mess again. Not rain this time, but blood was everywhere…even on Esme's white carpet. I shuddered. There was no way I could avoid the fallout from that! I was nauseous from the blood still leaking from my nose and I wanted everyone to stop staring at me very badly.
"I'm taking her up to Edward's bathroom. Emmett please try to clear off the mess…I don't want Edward coming home to this. He'll be impossible." Carlisle spoke with amusement, and clinical distraction. "It isn't broken. Let's get you upstairs." He lifted me without any preamble and addressed the room at large. "Please excuse me, we'll return in a bit, and I promise that we'll talk then. Emmett…clean the carpet before your mother gets home or I'll never hear the end of it and Tanya won't be safe in the house."
We traveled up the stairs of the dark house at a very fast speed and I found myself sitting once again, this time on the closed lid of the toilet in Edward's bathroom. "Can Emmett just leave the carpet? I don't want Tanya safe in the house." I mumbled.
Carlisle gave a genuine throaty laugh. "Well, I suppose we could leave a bit." I could see that he was almost serious. "How are you feeling? I'm very sorry that Tanya did that to you. I think you would have been fine otherwise, and I'm kind of upset that she would manipulate you like that. Edward is going to be livid."
"I'm pretty livid," I responded while holding a cloth to my nose as the flow was lessening. "I'm sorry I got blood all over your house again. I don't know what's up with me and bleeding all over the place. I promise to stop that as soon as I can."
Carlisle patted me on the head as I made reference to my change. "I'll hold you to that." The young doctor smiled at me. I took a breath and was pleased that I didn't feel the dripping sensation any longer. Carlisle handed me a cup full of water and I rinsed my mouth and spit the contents back into the sink.
I stood with Carlisle's aid and turned the cold water on full blast and cupped my hands under the faucet and let the clear, cool, liquid run into them. I felt Carlisle hold my hair back as I splashed the contents on my face. I repeated the action multiple times and when I came back up I was surprised to see Emmett standing next to me instead of Carlisle.
"I asked Carlisle to play the good host while we wait for World War Three to erupt downstairs. Alice called ahead. They're going to be here in about ten minutes, and she suggested that it would be best for me if it looked like I was making less of an ass of myself." Emmett explained.
I laughed and began to towel off my face. "Thank you for taking care of me Emmett. I know that was probably hard on you." I looked away sheepishly.
"Nothing big. I just stopped breathing the second you hit the floor. I figured it was you." My large brother admitted.
"Probably the best assumption you could make, considering," I commented. "Could you bring me Edward's shirt? This one is pretty ruined."
Emmett nodded his head and was out of the bathroom before I could give him my thanks. He had returned seconds later. "At least this way Edward gets to see you in person this way…not that I want to encourage any deep physical feelings he might have for you. Not with a bunch of supposed Succubae in the house."
"Gee…you think?" I asked with a roll of my eyes. "Thank you for sticking up for me downstairs. I heard all of that…I just couldn't respond yet. That was nice of you. I never would have had the guts to stick up for myself."
Emmett gave my hair a pat, "You don't think enough of yourself. I know you'll stand up to Tanya all on your own. You're going to have to if you want her to back down."
"Thanks Emmett. I think I'm going to get a shower so that I'm not as repulsive," I countered.
"I'm not sure the word we're looking for is repulsive… maybe… delicious?" Emmett poked me in the ribs lightly and I laughed.
"Sure, sure!" I mocked as I pushed him out of the room. I stripped quickly and momentarily wrapped a towel around myself. I pulled the door open and handed my clothes over to Emmett who hadn't moved yet. "Burn these."
"I might." He took them with a grimace that looked half pained and half, mental block, hungry. I slammed the door closed and walked over to the shower and began to loosen my towel. It hung by gravity alone over my back and came loose in the front.
I leaned over to start the water and a hand closed over my hip startling me as my reaching hand was enveloped in a larger one.
"Let me get that, if you lean over much farther I'm going to be given quite a show. You know, I'm starting to think leaving you alone is bad for my health." Edward's scent, which was slightly tinged with the scent of blood still suffused through my nose, invaded my senses.
"I'm starting to think it's bad for both of us," I admitted lamely.
"You aren't the one who's going to be missing arms," Edward commented dryly as he turned on the shower.
"Oh, please don't blame Emmett for this… He's only partially to blame, and he just has a big mouth. Tanya short circuited my brain, and you kept something from me. Something important." I turned in Edward's arms and he had the common sense to look guilty and away. I blushed as I drew the towel securely around myself. "Sorry."
"I would love to see more of you, but I worry that my self control isn't that good. How about I go in the other room?" He began to disengage from me but I held firm.
"You aren't getting off that easy. Sit. I'm going to get in, close the curtain, and you're going to talk…and not peek." I stepped over the edge of the shower and stayed carefully out of the spray as I took off the towel. I draped it over the curtain, apparently too far, and watched it slither away. I heard it slide to the floor. "Shoot."
"Are you trying to torment me?" My Edward asked with a slight tremor to his voice.
"Not on purpose," I answered back as steam filled the space and I noticed the blood from my nose was less bothersome. "If you can't be in here…I understand. I know there is a bit of blood still hanging out in my hair."
"You are trying to torment me." Edward's voice was shaky.
"No, I really meant that." I added with heat filling my cheeks. "Either way… You didn't tell me that Jacob ran off because of that! I can't believe that I ran him off, and I can't believe that you helped!"
"I had no idea he would react that way! I just knew what I would have wanted for myself. I'm sorry I've upset him…and I'm beyond sorry that I've hurt you. Please forgive me." Edward's voice had an edge of worry to it, like he was expecting me to cancel the wedding and run off to find Jake.
"I'm…not that angry. There's a chance that something else might have set him off if you hadn't. I'm just hurt that you would still keep things from me knowing that we're going to be…you know…" I stumbled over the words.
"Married?" Edward supplied helpfully.
"Yeah. That," I finished.
"Why do you always seem to make me feel like a villain when we talk about something pure and holy?" Edward asked through the curtain.
"Says the vampire," I added with a smile.
"Hey Edward…Bella." Alice's teasing voice was close. She must have let herself in, and I felt the draft seconds later. "I hate to be a stick in the mud, but since I'm back I figured I would make some headway on the final flower arrangements and that means that Yours Truly and Bella are going out tomorrow morning. That means that she's going to bed now. I'm going to bring the girls so that we can all get to know each other like a big happy family should."
I growled at the same time that Edward did and Alice laughed. I yanked the curtain open and Edward put his hand up to his eyes and ducked his head. I whispered angrily, "Are you nuts? I'm not going anywhere with the weird sisters as long as one of them is still jockeying for my fiancée!"
Edward smiled at my free use of the word fiancée. It was probably the first time I'd said it without stammering for a few minutes. He looked cute protecting his eyes and smiling like that. Alice wasn't fazed, she responded with a slight smile. "I knew you were going to say that, so I thought we might bring along one of the boys…you know…someone tactless that would remind them that we're having a wedding."
"Which one?" I asked with uncertainty filling me.
"Emmett." Alice answered and flounced out of the room. "You might want to put that curtain back if you don't want Edward to peek. He's going to…in about seven seconds… six… five… four…"
I yanked the curtain back. I wondered seconds later if she had foreseen this outcome…if she had not planned it. The curtain slid too easily on the shiny metal pole above us…and my force had translated through the entire curtain. It slid closed on the left side and wide open on the right. I stood dumbfounded and Edward blinked owlishly as the water bounced off my body and sprayed him. "Good Lord." He muttered.
No one moved for a while until I realized that I should cover up and Edward seemed to realize that he shouldn't stare. His face broke out into a very nervous but wide smile and I swore he would have been as red as me if it weren't for his complete lack of ability to turn colors.
"Pardon me." Edward walked out of the room in a rush. Part of me wanted to curl up and die. This was my fault though… I had insisted on him staying in the room and talking. I sighed, what was done… was done. At least I knew he'd liked what he'd seen. At least, he'd been stunned by what he'd seen, and he'd smiled. Now in some cosmic way Tanya and I were even. She'd seen what I'd wanted to see, and now Edward had seen what he'd probably wanted to see. I was the only one who wasn't getting what they wanted.
AN: This story was nominated in the Best Comedy category over at the Twilight Awards website. If you would like to see all the nominees and vote, please click on my Pen Name at the top of the page and go to my Profile/bio Page for a link to the Awards... and thanks.
Please shoot me a review and let me know what you think about this chapter, too. I love to hear from readers.