Not Without A Fight
Annaleise Marie

Round Four

AN: I was really surprised by the feedback from the last chapter, in regards to Rosalie's POV. So many people actually liked it. However, as an author, it was just too frustrating to write. However, there will be important parts of the story that Emmett will not be in, and those will still be told from Rosalie's POV. So we can all be happy. :D

And now, without further adieu, I own a can of NOS that is making it possible for me to stay awake to type this, but I do not own Twilight. That belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

---

There was a moment where everything in the world seemed to stop. My sore back was pressed against the wall, Rosalie's lips were pressed hard against mine, and the world was fucking still. And then everything abruptly sped up and I was hooking my fingers through the belt loops of that fucking skirt and pulling her to me, crushing her hips to mine as I returned the kiss. It wasn't timid or gentle or any of the millions of other things that people imagine first kisses will be. It was raw, and hard, and fucking messy and I fucking loved every second of it.

But too soon it was over and she was pulling away, glaring at me before turning and stomping back out of the door, slamming it behind her.

I slid to the ground, my sore back protesting against the hard plaster, out of breath, my head spinning. Holy fucking shit. What the fuck was that?

Going to bed was useless after that. I couldn't sleep. And the problem wasn't helped by the fact that I discovered that Rosalie's window was right across from mine.

She slept like a fucking baby, for the record.

---

I was dead to the world the next morning. I am worth nothing if I don't get my sleep. I stared at the coffee maker for ten minutes after the coffee was done brewing. I didn't even realize it until my mom walked in, looking almost as tired as me, her scrubs wrinkled, dark circles under her eyes.

"Oh. Emmett," she said when she saw me. "Why haven't you left for school yet?"

"Waiting for coffee," I said. Pronouns have no place in my sleep-deprived articulation.

"Honey, the coffee maker is done," she said, coming over and feeling my forehead with the back of her hand. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Tired," I answered, pulling a mug from the cabinet and then staring at the coffee maker again, wondering if there was any other way to get it into the cup other than actually picking the pot up.

"Emmett? Honey? Are you okay to drive?" Mom asked, looking concerned.

"Taking the bus," I said. There was no way I was going to risk my Jeep because I was tired. I was not above the bus.

"You're not going to stay up all night like this every time I have to work night shift, are you?" she asked. "It's just not healthy."

"Not planning on it," I said. "Bye."

"Have a good day, honey," she said, still looking concerned.

I was halfway to the bus stop when I realized that I still didn't have any coffee.

---

When you're tired, there is nothing more evil in the world than steps. Especially the giant steps going onto the bus. I was glad I decided not to drive. I wouldn't even have been able to get into it.

I didn't pay much attention to who I was sitting next to until I heard the music coming from their earbuds.

"The Pernice Brothers," I said. He paused his iPod and looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"You know the Pernice Brothers?" he said skeptically.

"Obviously," I said. "That surprises you?"

"Well, yeah. You know, you look like the type of guy who would listen to... I don't know, Mindless Self Indulgence. Without realizing that they're actually rock instead of rap."

Now, I was sleep deprived, but I could've sworn he just called me a pseudo gangsta. On a related note, the word gangsta leaves a bad taste in the back of my throat. I was too tired to really care, though.

"I listen to a lot of things," I said.

"Edward Cullen," he said after a moment.

"What?"

"That's my name. You know, people have this strange custom of introducing themselves when they start a conversation with someone new," he said with a crooked smile.

Oh right. Customs. Yeah. Those exist. Right.

"Emmett McCarty," I said.

"I know," he said.

"Oh right. The whole small town thing," I said.

"That, and my girlfriend was talking about you the other day. She said you seem clever," Edward said. His tone conveyed pretty clearly that he wasn't sure he agreed.

"I'm usually pretty clever, I guess," I said.

"How's that working for you?" he asked.

"What?"

"Being clever."

I almost laughed at that. I probably would have, if breathing didn't seem to be taking up alarming amounts of my energy at that moment.

"It usually works out pretty well," I said. "So who's your girlfriend?"

"Bella Swan. She met you in the office," he said. I was glad he elaborated. My mind wasn't working fast enough to make that connection on its own. I nodded.

"She seems nice."

"She's perfect," he said, and looking at him, even in my sleep-clouded mind, I could tell that he meant it. I've always felt uncomfortable around guys who were head-over-heels in love with their girlfriends. I guess because I've never been the relationship type of guy – not because I wouldn't want to be, but because I've never had the chance – and as easygoing as I try to be, I do have a slight jealous streak. "So how are you liking Forks?"

"It has its good points, and its bad, I guess. About like anywhere," I said. Had I had a cigarette this morning? I couldn't remember. This was going to be a long day.

"Rosalie Hale?" he asked.

"What?"

"She's the good point and the bad point, isn't she?" he asked.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"I can read minds," he said, his face completely serious for a moment before he laughed and shook his head. "Man, you live in Forks now; you have no privacy."

"Good to know," I muttered. We were both quiet until the bus arrived at the school. I saw Bella from the window, waiting for Edward, I would guess.

"Well, man, it was good talking to you," he said, standing up. "Oh. There's a party tomorrow night at Mike Newton's place. He's kind of a idiot but well, around here you take what entertainment you can get. You should stop by."

"I wasn't invited."

"No one's invited to Mike's parties. People just spread the word and show up," he said. I nodded. I would probably go. If this Rosalie-induced insomnia kept up, I would need something to do that night anyway.

In first period, Jasper wasn't the only one asleep. It seemed like I had just barely sat down when my head hit the desk and I was out. It was a power-nap. One of those naps where you're aware, in some corner of you mind, that you're drooling and probably snoring, but you're enjoying sleeping so much that you just can't find it in yourself to care.

I woke up when someone tapped me on the shoulder and opened my eyes to find Alice's big brown ones looking back at me, entirely too close for comfort. I sat up, noticing that everyone was filing out of the room.

"Aww, you poor thing," she said, and she truly sounded sympathetic. I wondered what the hell that was about. She waved her hand, indicating that I should follow her, and began leading me out of the room. I felt a little more aware after sleeping, but I still couldn't find it in me to really wonder where we were going, or why.

We eventually wound up at the football field, under the stands. They were built on a large cement structure, and the inside created a tunnel that held the locker rooms and concession stands. The cool air that filtered through the tunnel helped to wake me up a bit, and I followed Alice's example and sat down next to her on the ground, my back against the wall. The sharp pain reminded me of last night, and I sighed, letting my head drop. Alice was staring at me, looking politely concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. "Are you sure? I thought you and Rosalie got into a fight last night."

"What?" I asked, finally looking up.

"Well, she came storming into the house, saying something about you, then left, and then came back, went to her room, slammed the door, and well... I haven't seen her since. She was already gone when Jazz and I left this morning," she said. "So I didn't hear what exactly happened, but I figured you guys were fighting." I didn't say anything. "I think it will work out, though, so you shouldn't worry."

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"I haven't seen two people affect each other so much so quickly since Jasper and me," she said, smiling. "That has to mean something. So if you're fighting, I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"We're not fighting," I said, laughing. "Or at least, I don't think we are."

"Then what happened?" she asked, looking confused.

"Well... she kissed me," I said, and even I knew how little sense that answer would make. But Alice didn't seem surprised. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah," she said. "Well, when Rosalie wants something, she goes after it. Sometimes she's a little... aggressive."

"No shit," I said with a small laugh. She smiled.

"It'll be okay. You just have to give her time. She'll calm down after awhile."

I wasn't sure that I wanted her to calm down. Had last night gone on, instead of her stomping out, I had no doubt that it would have been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. Or, at least, my life so far. I like to aim high. But I nodded anyway.

Alice smiled, clearly thinking she had helped in some way. I was glad I hadn't told her exactly how far off base she was.

"I don't know why it matters so much," I said. "I've only known her for one day. It shouldn't matter what the hell she thinks or does."

"But it does," Alice said knowingly. "And that's why I think it will all work out. You don't have to know why you care about someone – all that's important is that you do."

"That's how it is with you and Jasper?"

"Hmm... It was at first. But now I know about a thousand reasons why I love him," she said, her eyes taking on a far-away quality.

"How did you meet?"

"Well, when I first moved here, I had trouble meeting people. I was a lot more soft-spoken then. So I started looking around this teen dating site," she said, laughing.

"You met Jasper over the internet?" I asked. She shook her head.

"God no. He may be scary, but trust me, he didn't need help getting girls. He has that Southern charm, even if he didn't live in Texas long," she said. "No, I was actually supposed to be meeting this guy named James at the diner. Well, he stood me up, but when Jasper walked in, he fit James' description. Tall, blonde, sixteen, the whole nine yards. So I go up to him and say, 'you've kept me waiting a long time'. And he just bows his head and says, 'I'm sorry, ma'am'. We went out that night, and it was just... instant. It was a month before he told me that he wasn't James."

"You didn't know his name was Jasper?"

"He went by Jay back then. He doesn't really like his name. He says it's too old-fashioned," she said, laughing. "It took me forever to get him to start using it. I love it. I think it's very respectable."

"But he knew that you thought he was James?"

"Mm-hmm."

"So why did he take so long to tell you?"

"He says that he was afraid that if he did, I wouldn't want to be with him. Jasper's always been a very cynical person, but he says that when he met me, he felt hopeful, and he didn't want to lose that."

"Sounds nice," I said. As uncomfortable as long-term loving couples usually made me, Alice's story was a good one, and understanding her relationship with Jasper, even a little, made it more bearable.

We stayed there the rest of the day, trading stories about our pasts. Jasper arrived during lunch, checking to make sure Alice was okay, as far as I could tell. He didn't say much to me, although I get the feeling that it was at Alice's request, because when he did look at me, he looked far from happy.

"Do you want a ride home?" she asked when we heard the last bell ring from the school. "I didn't see your car when I got here."

"I think I probably shouldn't test Jasper's patience," I said. She shook her head.

"No, he's riding home with Rosalie. He wants to talk to her about something."

"Let me guess. You decided that you should each corner one of us and find out what happened?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Pretty much."

---

RPOV

"So what's going on with you and Emmett?" Jasper asked as he once again fucking ignored me and lit up in my car. "You never did explain yesterday."

"There's nothing going on," I said shortly.

"Sure there is. If there wasn't, you'd just ignore him like everyone else. But you disappeared with him for the whole evening, and then you came back pissed off over something he did, and then you left, and then you came back even more pissed," he said. "And then today, he comes to school looking like death warmed over."

"He was in school today?" I asked and Jasper nodded. "I didn't see him."

"He spent most of the day with Alice under the bleachers."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Not really," Jasper said, shrugging. "I like to think I keep Alice pretty damned satisfied."

"I really don't need to hear about that," I said, shaking my head to stave off the mental images. He grinned.

"So are you going to tell me what happened, then?" he asked, and I was sure that if I didn't, he'd start telling me about his sex life.

"Wait. Let me make sure I'm getting this," he said when I was done telling him the story. "You got mad because he didn't kiss you... So you went over there and kissed him... And you were still mad?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds stupid," I said, glaring at him.

"It is stupid."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," I said, parking the car and getting out before he could answer, stalking to the door and walking in. Halfway to my room I heard him come in.

"You know, if you keep slamming doors like that, eventually one is going to just fall off of its hinges!" he shouted after me. I slammed my bedroom door for good measure. "Very mature!" he shouted.

---

AN: Ten points and eternal love for those who spotted the Fight Club reference. :D

Sigh. I know, this chapter wasn't as funny as the previous ones. I didn't even get to fit in a "Because I'm Emmett Fucking McCarty". It's very sad. It was necessary, though. Next chapter will be back to the normal tone, for I have a plan for it! A big plan! So please don't be too disappointed in me. :3

On a side note, while most of you are reading this, chances are I'm at the theater, watching New Moon. I'm hoping that between Taylor Lautner, Jackson Rathbone, and Kellan Lutz, I'll be able to survive it. Although Jackson and Kellan won't be in it much. At all. It's very sad. On a related note, 100 Monkeys is coming to my state, which is amazing because no one comes to West Virginia, and I will, for once in my life, go full-out fangirl in the front row for Jackson Rathbone. Assuming I can afford it.

I haven't made a playlist for this story yet, although some of my other stories have them. For now, though, I recommend "Wet Sand" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The sound is kind of slow for the story, but the lyrics fit pretty well.

And now – /bribes reviewers with good old-fashioned hugs and kisses