The Adventures of Emmett and Rosalie – A Time to Learn

Rated T just to be safe

I don't own anything but the ramen noodles I'm eating right now, lol. Stephenie owns everything else, but she can't have my noodles! Lol.

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"What are you doing, Esme? Baking? Who is all this for?" I was waiting in the kitchen that morning for Emmett to drag himself out of his room for his first lesson. Esme was rushing around with oven mitts up to her arms filling several plates with cupcakes and cookies.

"Their for the ladies at the church. They asked me to join their canasta club, but I declined of course. I felt bad for not being able to socialize, so I baked them all these treats. Mrs. Baker will be by later on to pick them up." I pulled on an apron and decided to help her. She seemed rather frazzled. "Emmett's been up all morning pacing his room. Perhaps you should knock and ask him to come out?"

"No, I'll let him come out when he's good and ready. Why is he so anxious? He's usually so calm and relaxed."

"He's a boy, dear. He's probably afraid of looking foolish. They all are. He has to come out here willingly and admit you're smarter than him. That's hard for any man. Even harder for him."

"Why would it be harder for him?" He wasn't so special. He was Emmett, a man just like any other, if you exempt the vampire status.

She laughed softly and rested a hand on my cheek in a very motherly fashion. "Don't you know what he said to Carlisle last night?" I shook my head and she smiled at me. "He actually asked permission to court you!"

"This isn't the eighteen hundreds, Esme" I smiled and turned away to pretend I was stacking the trays of cookies. I couldn't believe he had done such a thing! Asking my dad for permission. Who does he think he is? "What did Carlisle say to that?"

"No, of course." I looked at her in even more shock. "You can't expect Carlisle to allow that kind of thing. Rosalie, you're so young and he's new at this. Carlisle sees you as his little girl and I can't blame him, I feel the same way. Neither one of you is ready for such a commitment."

"Commitment? Carlisle sentenced me to an eternity as a vampire! That's kind of a long-term commitment, don't you think? He even tried to force Edward and I into an engagement! But not with Emmett. Why? What's so wrong with Emmett?" I was frustrated. I wanted to know what it was about him that bothered them so much. They had no problem with Edward and I doing anything together. We even went on a weekend-long date to Niagara Falls without either one of our parents being there. Granted it was the dead of winter and no humans were there to speak of, but it was an over-night date. I can't even sit on the porch swing with Emmett without it becoming a scandal.

"Calm down, dear. Carlisle just trusts Edward more because he's known him for so many years. Emmett is…a bit rough around the edges. He's only concerned about you being hurt if something bad happens."

"Emmett would never hurt me. I'm unbreakable."

"Am I interrupting? Should I come back later?" Emmett was in the doorway looking sheepish. I wasn't sure how much he had heard.

"No, have a seat and we can get started. I brought you some books to practice reading. And we can work on your numbers and writing skills. Whatever you want." I sat beside him and looked at all the materials. He seemed a little overwhelmed. "Okay, how about writing? Let's see where you are with that? Write this down for me? 'The dog ate my shoe.' Okay?" I waited for him to finish and examined his paper. "You're not as bad as you think. You only misspelled 'shoe.'" He nodded silently and waited for more directions. We worked on his writing for another hour before moving on to reading, which was his weakest area.

"I can write it out, but when it's already on the paper I get flustered. 'Specially with the bigger words. Maybe we should make lists of words once a week and I could study them? You could give me tests on Fridays and see how I'm doing?"

Esme chimed in from the sink. "That's a great idea, Emmett. You're doing well. Mrs. Baker is going to be here in a moment, Rosalie. I'm going to take these trays out to her car. Stay here and keep working, please. No funny business."

"Yes Ma'am." Emmett winked at me when she had her back turned and began picking words out of the books on the table he didn't recognize. "What does 'Uranus' mean? That's a real word? Am I saying it right?"

I rolled my eyes at his awful joke and opened a book on the solar system while a car horn beeped from outside. Esme disappeared with her trays and I dropped the book on the table. "This is so annoying. She won't leave the room for two seconds."

"Did she tell you what I asked your old man last night?" He was smiling like a cheshire cat. "He about had a heart attack over it. I was serious, though. I am going to court you, Rose."

"No you won't. Carlisle will kill you first." We kept our voices to a whisper incase Esme was coming back. I could hear her gossiping away in the yard with Mrs. Baker.

"He can't. He already did that. Besides, rules are for guys like Edward and I'm nothing like him." As we whispered back and forth, we gradually moved toward each other without realizing it. He was practically whispering right in my ear when I heard an engine start and I pushed him away. "'Uranus is a planet in the outermost reaches of the solar system we call the Milky Way.' Write that down so you remember."

"Uranus sounds big." He laughed loudly and I whacked him over the head with the book.

"Pay attention!" He really was as bad as an actual second grader sometimes. Part of me wanted to kick him in the shins while another part of me somehow found it charming. "Write down the names of the planets for your spelling list this week."

"Are you kids behaving?" Esme returned to cleaning her kitchen while we continued our studies. She had no idea what was going on.

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That afternoon, Edward came home from school with a ton of homework. He dropped his books in his room, so I went to say hello. Rosalie and Esme had gone to hunt and Carlisle was still at work. "Can I come in a minute Edward?"

"Sure, have a seat big brother. Something on your mind today?"

"You would know! HAHA!" We laughed, then quieted down and spoke honestly. This was something guys did. We knew how to just be ourselves around each other. "I do. I need a favor." He was kind enough to at least hear me say it before just reading my thoughts and telling me no. "I want to spend some time with Rosalie. You're one of her chaperones. Is there anything you could do to help me out?"

He considered his options carefully before answering. "What can you do for me in return?"

"What is it that you want?" I didn't know if there was anything I could really offer him, but I needed this favor.

"There's an area of waterfalls in a state park about two hundred miles west of here that's reported to have an over-population of mountain lions. I have asked Carlisle if I could go, but he said I couldn't miss school and I was needed to help out at home with you while you settled in. His biggest concern is that I'm going alone. I was thinking if you were to come with me, it would give he and Esme time to relax and be together. Rosalie will just have to entertain herself for a few days."

"Would he let me go after what I did? All that way from home?" I wanted to go more than anything, but I wasn't sure I would be allowed after what I had done.

"You're going to have to be on your best behavior for the next few days. I will ask him again on Friday if I can take you with me."

"That sounds terrific, Edward. Now what can you do for me and Rose?"

He looked at a calendar on the wall and pointed to the next day. "Carlisle has the day off from work tomorrow. He will want to spend as much time with Esme as possible. I'll offer to take you and Rosalie on hunt when I come home from school. Once we get out to the creek, I'll leave you with her and go find myself a snack."

"That's perfect, Edward. Thank you so much."

"Just don't get into any trouble, I mean it. My whole camping trip to mountain lion Heaven is riding on you staying out of trouble until Friday." I turned to leave, but he stopped me. "Don't tell Rosalie a thing. When she gets nervous she says things she shouldn't. She's not used to breaking rules, so she might let something slip out."

"Got it. Thanks Edward." I smiled all the way back to my room. Things were working out better than I had planned.

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The END!

Thanks for all your reviews! People are still adding this thing to favs lists and letting me know what they think of it. Just a brief sarcastic note then Im off to write my third chapter for today. I apologize for my factual error on behalf of Elmer Fudd who I was kindly notified wasn't created until 1940. My Bad. ENJOY AND REVIEW PLEASE?? I know youre all busy with The Host, but don't forget about me lol.