Chapter ThreeEmmett couldn't seem to help himself. The draw was impossible to escape and he found himself staring at her as she slept. The soft inhales, the contented exhales, the mumbled words and satisfied murmurs all pulled at him like nothing he'd ever felt before. He could no more stay away from her than he could give up blood.
He knew they had to focus, had to figure out what was going on with her, why she was losing strength so quickly, but the only thing on his mind was his utter joy at having finally found her. The rest would work itself out in time. He had to have faith in that.
He'd been watching her sleep all night, counting her heartbeats as they steadily slowed. If it wasn't for his certainty of it being a factor of the venom leeching her of her vampire qualities, he would have worried she was slipping into some sort of coma. As long as Carlisle didn't come bursting through the door in a near panic, he knew he had no reason to worry.
Peter and Charlotte had said she usually only slept about five hours a night, if not less. So far, she'd been asleep for nearly eight, Emmett acting as her constant guard.
From the sound of her heartbeat, he knew she would be waking up soon. It was gradually increasing, signaling her return to him. Stretching out beside her, Emmett propped his head up on his hand and waited for her beautiful eyes to meet his.
Lids fluttered like a butterfly's wing before opening and piercing him with their intensity. He literally lost the ability to breathe as she looked up at him, seeming to see into his very soul.
"Good morning," Bella murmured, breaking the spell she held over him.
"Good morning, beautiful," Emmett whispered, leaning down to kiss her sweetly.
It wasn't their first kiss, but it was their second. He'd managed to give her a brief kiss the night before as she drifted off to sleep, her happy sigh telling him more than words how receptive she was to his lips on hers.
Despite the fact that they were mates and both felt the pull, Emmett understood that they needed to take things slow. Not only was she going through a severe biological change, but they had only just met. For her, he was content to be patient and move at her pace. Still, he was a man and used to having a great deal of female company. Although he was determined to take it slow, he hoped she wouldn't hold out on him too long.
He separated their lips slowly, lingering against her moist heated flesh.
"Mmm. Now that's a 'good morning'," Bella grinned.
He watched as she stretched, her back popping as she twisted this way and that, groaning at the feeling of fluid being released from her joints.
"What time is it?"
"Almost seven," Emmett said, unable to keep his hands from tracing the vertebrae she had just cracked.
"Oh my God," Bella gaped, glancing over at the clock for confirmation.
He smelled her tears before he heard them fall, the soft drops landing rhythmically on his sheets. Slipping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back into the comfort of his arms, making soft noises of reassurance as she cried.
"It's alright, sweetheart. We'll figure it out," Emmett promised her.
"I never sleep this late," Bella sniffled, turning to burrow into his embrace.
Knowing nothing he said would help alleviate her fears, he had to content himself to simply running his hand up and down her spine, making soft shushing noises as she cried. Her fingers curled into his shirt, practically clawing at him as she expressed her fears the only way she could.
"Emmett, her breakfast is ready. Do you think you could convince her to come down or should I bring it up?" Esme asked softly from the kitchen.
"I'll bring her down," Emmett answered in a voice too soft and fast for Bella to hear.
He left Bella cry for a few more minutes before pulling her away from his chest and whipping her tears.
"We will find a way to fix this, Bella. I promise."
"I know. I'm just so scared," Bella whispered, clutching his hands in her hot ones.
"I know, babe, but I'll keep you safe until we figure it out," Emmett vowed.
She nodded against him, letting her head fall forward against his chest. He held her close for a few more minutes, allowing her to get control over herself before he broached the subject of breakfast.
"Esme made you breakfast. Ready to go down?"
"Just let me brush my teeth and, uh, have a human moment," Bella mumbled, rolling away from him.
Emmett chuckled as she shuffled towards the bathroom, running a hand through her tangled hair. He was amazed at her beauty, stunned speechless by her sexy innocence. The girl probably didn't even realize how crazy she made him. Some of the sounds she'd made through out the night had gotten him harder than a boulder.
Listening to her in the bathroom, the sound of fabric against her soft skin had him groaning in the sweetest form of agony. Reaching down, he rubbed a palm against his aching cock, trying to relieve some of the pressure.
The sound of water running and bristles meeting bone made him remove his hand from his jeans. She'd been coming out soon and having her catch him with dick in hand was not how he wanted to start their first morning together.
He grinned as he listened to her spit and the sound it made as it hit the sink before disappearing down the drain. He was sure the rest of his family would be mildly grossed out by what he thought sounded fucking adorable. His little mate was in there brushing her teeth. After searching for her for seventy God-damn years, he found it hard to find anything she did even remotely revolting.
The bathroom door opened and, instead of her catching him cock in hand, she caught him with a goofy grin on his face. She gave him a curious smile, walking around to grab a sweater thrown across the foot of his bed. It was his Forks High sweater, one of the many he collected from the high schools they'd attended over the years.
"What's so funny?" she asked, slipping it over her head.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, but you look damn fine in my clothes," Emmett said, reaching out to pull her closer.
The only thing she had on underneath his hoodie was a pair of skimpy shorts and a tank top. Even with the extra layer, the feel of her skin still burned against his hands as he stroked his hips.
Leaning forward, he laid his cheek against her stomach, sighing as her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling at the strands.
"You're so fucking awesome," Emmett murmured, nuzzling her soft tummy.
"Well, thank you," Bella chuckled, tugging his hair a little harder.
"Welcome. Now, come on, woman. Breakfast."
"No, no, no. Babe, you gotta press the blue button. Not that one!"
Emmett groaned as his mate shot him in the head, killing him instantly. The screen flashed and the voice proclaimed it a "kill shot". For the past two hours, he'd been attempting to teach Bella the find art of Xbox. So far, she hadn't really managed to get the hang of it. For the first thirty minutes, her character on screen had run around in crazy circles as she tried to figure out how to control it. It hadn't taken Emmett nearly that long to figure out it would be best to start at the beginners level.
"Alright, let's try this again. The green button is for-" Emmett began only to be interrupted by Jasper and Peter.
"You might as well give it up, son. Ain't no way you're gonna be able to get my Bells here to play this game in any sort of decent fashion," Peter drawled, plopping down beside his daughter and throwing an arm over her shoulders.
"He's right. I tried to tell you. When these games first came out, we bought him one and he's been hooked every since. He tried to teach me, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it," Bella said with a forgive-me smile.
"But, Bella, you gotta help me kill the zombies!" Emmett insisted.
"How about you let Peter help you kill the zombies and I'll cheer you on," Bella suggested, already handing her controller to Peter.
"Will you wear the skirt and everything?" Emmett asked with a sly smirk.
"Only if you win," Bella teased, shooting him a wink.
Well, damn. That plan had backfired. Now he had to play against Peter with a raging hard-on.
Moving around to sit behind him on the couch, her legs on either side of where he sat on the floor, Bella started running her fingers through his hair as she watched him and Peter duke it out on the screen. Even with his vampire brain, he was having trouble paying attention to the game with her hot hands smoothing across his scalp.
He managed to hold out for all of thirty minutes before Peter blew his ass up and the game ended. Groaning in a mix of defeat and pleasure, Emmett let his head fall back into his mate's lap.
"Babe, you are distracting," Emmett accused.
"Oh. Then you should have told me to stop," Bella frowned, removing her hands from his hair.
Emmett grabbed her hand in flash, tangling her finger back in his curls and grinned up at her.
"You're hands on me are the best kind of distraction I could ask for. Don't ever stop," Emmett demanded, his voice going hard at the end.
"Okay."
Her agreement was a husky whisper and he fought back another groan as he smelled the beginnings of her arousal. Now was not the time and sure as fuck wasn't the place.
"Jazz," Emmett pleaded, once again too low and fast for Bella's ears.
Almost instantly the lust in the room vanished to be replaced by euphoric contentment. Sighing in utter bliss, Emmett settled down for another round with Peter, certain he was going to lose again.
"I just don't understand it. I've run every test I could possibly think of. Nothing seems to be working," Carlisle seethed, running his fingers through his hair as he looked over the notes on his desk.
Emmett waited, sitting with Bella on the couch in Carlisle's office while Peter and Charlotte sat in the chairs directly in front of the desk. Esme stood behind her mate, her small hands rubbing soothing circles over his shoulders.
Emmett let his hand run through Bella's long hair as she lay curled up against him, her head laying on his leg. She hadn't spoken since they'd come into the room, but he knew she was paying close attention to everything that was said.
"Well, what did you manage to find out?" Peter asked, sounding more than a little aggravated.
"The venom is reacting faster with every passing day. At the rate her blood cells are changing, she'll be the equivalent of a human by this time next week. I can't tell you what will happen after that," Carlisle sighed.
"Then one of us will bite her and turn her into a full vampire," Charlotte said.
Emmett had to admit, it sounded like a damn good plan to him. From the way Bella relaxed against him, he knew she agreed with Char's idea, too.
"We can't. I've already administered a sample of my own venom to her blood. The venom completely destroyed the blood cells. The bite would end up killing her."
Bella was in his arms before the whimper had even finished escaping her throat. He held her close as she sobbed against him, dealing with the news of her death in the only way she could. Emmett wished he could cry with her, hating the feeling of helplessness at not being able to defend his mate from this unseen foe.
"What if someone else bit her? Maybe it's just your venom," Charlotte said frantically.
"I can run a few tests, but I don't think the results will be any different," Carlisle told her, already resolved.
This could not be happening. He couldn't be losing her after just having found her. Was God really so cruel as to take her from him? What sin had he committed that God would see fit to take his beautiful mate from this earth?
"There has to be… somethin' we can do," Peter whispered, his head lowered into his hands.
"I'll run every test I know, do everything I can, but there's only so much I can do medically," Carlisle vowed.
"Run your tests, Carlisle. In the meantime, I'm gonna make a few calls, see if I can't dig up some more information for you," Charlotte decided, already headed for the study door.
"Anything would be helpful at this point," Carlisle mumbled.
"Come on, my darling. If you're going to lock yourself in your laboratory, you'll need to feed first," Esme murmured, urging her mate from his chair.
Emmett ignored his parental figures as he ran his fingers through Bella's soft hair, her sobs gradually decreasing as he continued to soothe her. His chest rumbled with a soft growl, the steady vibrations helping his mate to relax further. A vampire's growl was different to a mate. It was a sign of power, signaling that the vampire was just a hair trigger away from a full-on snarl, a warning to any threat to back the fuck off. As Emmett growled for Bella, he imagined beating the shit out of whoever had infected her with their venom. Maybe he could even find a human to piss on the ashes.
"You alright, honey?"
It took Emmett a second to realize Peter was talking to him and he gave an unnecessary cough to hide his discomfort when Bella answered.
"I will be. I just need some time to… adjust," Bella sighed.
Peter stood from his chair and walked over to squat in front of where they sat on the couch. His hand rested on Bella's knee, the gesture meant to offer some form of comfort.
"Don't worry, Bells. Char will find out somethin' and the Doc doesn't seem to be completely useless. We'll figure it out."
"I know," Bella whispered, reaching down to cover his hand with hers.
"Buck up, kiddo. And get that mate of yours to stop growlin'," Peter said, standing up and walking from the study.
"But I like his growl," Bella said to a closed door.
"Thanks, babe," Emmett grinned, winking at her.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Bella turned back into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. His hand came up to resume running through her hair, the gesture already a habit.
"Do you really think they'll find something?" Bella asked after they'd sat quietly for a time.
"Of course. Did you see the way Charlotte looked on that phone? Mama is scary, babe," Emmett teased.
"Yeah. She's pretty good at getting what she wants. I know that glare of hers used to straighten me out real quick when I was younger," Bella chuckled lightly.
"Shit, all she has to do is quirk an eyebrow and Peter jumps to attention," Emmett laughed.
Bella leaned back to smile up at him, her eyes no longer holding water.
"Thank you."
"Anytime, sweetheart."
Emmett was watching the ball game, Bella's head on a pillow in his lap. Her fingers were tangled with his, his arm casually draped across her shoulders. Every so often, her fingers would squeeze his to which he would respond with a little tug of his own. She smiled every time, making his dead heart ache with just how damn beautiful she was. The best part was, the girl didn't even realize it.
Sure, she had the confidence all vampires had, but hers was more... reserved, he guessed. She had a hesitancy, as if she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she was doing the right thing. It was so fucking adorable he had to physically restrain himself from gushing over it. Jasper would never let him hear the end of it.
Speaking of the emo one…
"They're coming!" Alice chirped, bouncing into the room, her mate not far behind her.
"Who's coming, Ali-cat?" Emmett asked, giving her an indulgent smile.
"Edward and Rosalie! They're coming home!" Alice cheered, jumping over the back of the armchair to land on the cushion.
He knew Alice had missed Edward, the two of them being as close as any biologically connected brother and sister. Emmett just assumed it was the similarity between their gifts.
"When?" Jasper asked, grinning at his mate's excitement.
"They should be here within the hour. I would have seen sooner, but Bella's shield is still blocking me for the most part," Alice said with a sad sigh.
"Sorry, Alice," Bella mumbled.
"It's okay, Bella. I know you can't really help it. I know I wouldn't want to shove my gift down. I'd feel so naked and vulnerable," Alice waved off.
Damn, his sister was awesome.
"Thanks. I don't think you'll have to worry about it for much longer. I can feel it getting weaker as I become more… human," Bella said softly, her fingers tightening around his once more.
It had been three days since Carlisle had called the meeting in his office and so far neither he nor Charlotte had been able to come up with any new information. Bella had become more and more somber with each passing day. He hated the lifelessness that had come over her, but he couldn't seem to bring her out of her funk.
"Maybe. Or you might keep your shield. Who knows, really? For the first time ever, not me! I can't see any part of your future, but that just makes me think that you'll keep the shield no matter what happens," Alice said with a small shrug.
Bella seemed to brighten at that idea, her smile becoming a little more genuine. Emmett sent a silent thank you to his sister, never more happy to have her in his life than he was in that moment.
"You're welcome!" Alice grinned right before she leapt to her feet and practically danced down the hallway.
"My girl," Jasper chuckled, following her.
"Mine's better," Emmett whispered, leaning down to brush his lips across Bella's.
He got a full-fledged smile for that one, as well as a very nice, thorough kiss. When he pulled away, she had a slightly dazed look on her face and her cheeks were more than a little bit flushed. Hell, he couldn't have kept the cocky grin off his face if he'd wanted to!
A/N: Alright. I haven't finished the next chapter, but it's almost done, so I figured you guys had waited long enough for this one.
See you next time.