"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Emmett rumbled then, and pulled himself to his feet. With that, he turned and started trudging into the forest, back toward the house. His brothers settled wordlessly into step behind him.

Bella skipped around in front of Emmett. "What did you DO?" she practically wailed. How many decades would it take before she became as patient as they were? Was it even their age that made them so unflappable? Or was it because she was the only person present who didn't already know what the others were thinking and feeling all the time?

But Emmett didn't know any of that. And he was usually such a beacon of peace. Except right now.

Emmett just made a disgusted face and glanced at Edward. Permission and plea.

Edward spoke quickly, for Bella's sake, "Just a kiss. It was just a kiss, Emmett." His words slowed. "Oh. . . .oh, Emmett." He heaved a sigh that was loud and eloquent. "And then he never talked to her again."

Emmett glanced over his shoulder at his brother, grateful for the sympathy, but it turned into a cringe when Jasper's "Why is that--" was interrupted by Bella's sudden growl.

"Don't even finish that question, Jasper Hale," she grated. "Haven't we learned anything?" With a flash she was in front of Emmett again, and he had stopped short, expression resigned.

"Emmett, how could you?" she whispered. "Don't tell me it was to protect her?"

Emmett pressed his lips together, shook his head and shrugged. He groaned. "I left it the best I could, okay, Bella? It was for the best. At the time. Maybe if I'd had more time--"

"Looks to me like you've had nothing but time," she said pointedly.

"Bella, love..." warned Edward.

"It's been decades, Bella. The woman grew old. It's in her past," said Jasper smoothly. She scowled at him but half-heartedly, feeling her emotions reacting to his unsubtle soothing. Then he added, "She probably doesn't even remember."

Bella snarled at him and was gone.

Edward put a hand briefly on Emmett's shoulder, then was after her.

* * * * *

Alice greeted Bella at the door of her bedroom with a loving, sympathetic smile. Bella flew past her into the room, wringing her white hands. "Did you see, Alice?" she begged. "Please tell me he's going to talk to her."

"He's going to talk to her," Alice reassured her as she closed the door and showed Bella a white index card in her hand. "It'll be just fine. Look, I have her address in Seattle right here."

"Thaaaank you," Bella moaned, and started to flop backwards onto Alice's bed. She tensed suddenly and flipped herself in midair like a cat to land on hands and knees, staring wide-eyed at the Bella-shaped clear spot in the midst of the towering piles of color- and fiber-sorted clothes.

"Alice, how does anyone get used to you?" she laughed.

Alice put her fingers on her temples and pronounced, "I foresee it will take you longer than most."

* * * * *

(flashback)

Both girls were staring at Emmett expectantly, looking soft and pretty and out-of-place there in front of his coffee table and his physics homework and his beer cans. Innocent little Maria and her leggy blonde party friend in her red lipstick and her look-at-my-hooters blouse.

Hang out? Shit. Shit. Maybe I've been wrong. Maybe this whole time innocent little Maria wasn't so innocent. I mean, who the hell shows up and bangs on a guy's door at half past midnight-

And then Maria's expectant look was suddenly gone and it really was just her and her shy downcast eyes, and he thought she looked hurt, maybe even about to cry. He leapt to his feet. "Um, sure. That's cool. Did you wanna go somewhere? Lemme get a shirt."

Four minutes later, he was crushed into the back seat of a little white sports car as the blonde, Liz, gunned it near to red line in second gear just getting out of the parking lot. She said she thought there might be a bonfire at the lake and didn't ask what Maria or Emmett thought of that. The tunes were loud and he could see down that gold blouse from where he sat if he leaned forward a little, so he just sat and looked for a while, letting his mind drift and wishing he hadn't been awake since football practice at dawn.

And then he started to wonder what Maria was thinking. He couldn't see her face; he was mostly behind the passenger seat because the girls' purses filled the narrow, uncomfortable bench behind Liz. But he could see the dark brown softness of her hair, her delicate fingers as she fidgeted with the curls, and her profile set in an expression he wasn't sure how to interpret when she glanced back at him. It made him nervous, so he ended up just staring at his hands in his lap for the rest of the drive.

Thankfully, Liz got them to the lake in only 4 songs and 1 DJ break, and his legs were only mostly asleep by the time they all tumbled out of the car into the gravelly clay lot, abutting the lake on one side and a children's playground on the other. Sure enough, there was a smallish bonfire blazing near the slide, music throbbing from an unseen radio, and a couple dozen other students milling slowly about with plastic party cups in their hands.

Emmett slid his bandana off of his head and frowned thoughtfully. As an athlete, he wasn't officially allowed to go to parties. But he also knew that most of the football players were record-holding keg standers and as a junior, his exploits were already near legendary. Still, he'd been less than careful as of late and was close to being officially disciplined, so he had meant to stay home and study tonight. And then there was Maria. Liz had to be responsible somehow for her being here. The thought of Maria at one of these parties was making him uneasy. Antsy even.

Emmett accepted a beer - just one - and smirked to himself as Liz immediately paired up with one of the sophomore defensive players he knew would rather chew off his own leg than turn down a chest like that. Maria lingered nearby, shooting him little smiles over her plastic cup without speaking.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and noticed he was empty already. Just one more couldn't hurt, right? His tolerance was great, even for a big guy.

"So, you were at another party before this."

"Yeah, a couple. They sucked."

"That's what you said before."

"Sorry. Ask something else?"

He grinned.

She laughed. She had a soft way of laughing sometimes that Emmett really liked, just an exhaled rush with a smile and a downward sweep of dark lashes.

There was an awkward pause.

Say something, he thought. Say something. "Your hair looks pretty like that."

Her eyes flew back up to his face, wide and reflecting the bonfire suddenly, a girlish smile tugging up the corners of her mouth.

Panicked, he drained his beer to hide behind the cup. Someday, maybe he'd learn to self-censor.