Author's Notes- Jumped the gun! Here's the beautifully betad version. A big thank you to Twimarti and Tiffanyanne3 for their help with tricky bits!

As always, I don't own them, but I 3 them!


Rosalie climbed into the cab, taking care not to bump her injured leg. Once she was safely inside, Emmett closed the door and got in on the other side. Rose scooted to the door, putting as much distance between herself and Emmett as she could. She stared out the window as they drove to avoid looking at him. They stopped at every light on the way, and even though it was supposed to be a short trip, Rose thought it would never end. She stole a peek at Emmett just as he was looking at her. They both whipped their heads back, then looked again. Rose looked away again and tried to hide her smile. Emmett laughed, leaned across the seat, and took her chin in his hand, gently turning her head to face him. She didn't fight him. Her heart pounded as they edged closer.

Suddenly, they were thrown forward and hit the plexiglass partition in the middle of the cab. The driver cursed loudly at the SUV that had cut him off, then turned and apologized to the couple in the backseat. Rose winced as she pushed herself back up onto the seat. Her leg throbbed with pain. Emmett hovered next to her, expecting to pick up where they left off, but she pushed him away, shaking her head, just as the cab stopped. Emmett opened his door then got her bag out of the trunk. Rose decided not to wait for him to open her door. As she stood, she stumbled, but Emmett grabbed her before she hit the sidewalk. He pulled her to her feet, then left her standing there so he could pay the driver.

Rose gazed at the building. It wasn't what she expected, though she wasn't sure what she expected from Emmett. About twenty stories high, each floor had private balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows. They were just across from Grant Park, and Rose was certain that once inside, they would have a great view of the lake. This sure beats my little hole in the wall downtown. She turned back to see what was holding Emmett up. He was on his cell and looked irritated. He saw her and gave her a little smile, rolling his eyes at the phone. The pain in her leg persisted, so she dug around in her purse for the pain pills Carlisle prescribed her. She fought with the bottle, dry-swallowed two pills, and hoped they would kick in soon.

By the time she put the bottle back into her bag, Emmett was off the phone and at her side. He held out his arm again, and Rose took it. She didn't bother trying to hide her smile; she was going to enjoy Emmett's attention while it lasted. She didn't care about what was going to happen the next day, or the day after that; she just wanted to get through tonight.

The doorman greeted them, raising an eyebrow at Emmett. Emmett just grinned back, completely unable to mask his feelings. He pulled Rose closer so they would fit through the door together, but once through, Rose didn't separate from him. She knew he noticed. He hit the elevator button. They rode silently to his floor, not wanting to break the closeness that Rose was certain he felt, too. When they were getting off the elevator, Rose decided to be slightly more bold than usual, so she slipped under Emmett's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, lacing her fingers through his. Emmett was shocked, but his surprise turned to satisfaction quickly. Rose realized that she had just boosted his ego to monumental heights, and felt a little guilty. She suppressed the guilt and leaned on him a little more. She told herself it was because her leg was hurting, but she knew that she was falling for him.

Emmett unlocked his door and led Rose inside. The first thing she saw was the view, and it was absolutely stunning. Rose stood in awe, watching the sail boats, families on the shore, people in the park; the weather was perfect. Rose tore herself away from the windows to see the actual condo. She was quite impressed; it didn't look like a bachelor's pad in the least. Everything was decorated in different shades of gray, and made a great contrast against the white walls. The small sofa and chair were dark charcoal, the square area rug was light, almost silver, and the end tables were glass-topped stainless steel. The fireplace mantle held a few framed degrees and a picture of a motorcycle. She wandered over to his bookcase and found that it was filled with medical texts and suspense novels. She smiled when she saw that they shared a favorite author. She turned to find the kitchen, but Emmett was right behind her.

"How about you sit down and put your leg up before you bleed all over my carpet?" He pointed to Rose's shin. Large areas of red had formed on her bandage. Emmett helped her to the couch and dragged one of the end tables over. He placed her foot on it delicately, then went to grab his first aid kit. Rose settled into the couch. It was softer than it looked, but not uncomfortably so. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She felt drowsy and dizzy from the Vicodin, but fought sleep. She heard Emmett's lumbering footsteps behind her and tried to open her eyes.

"Just relax; I'll take care of you." Emmett voice flowed over her, and she felt warm and safe. Emmett put gloves on and took the bandage off her wound, tossing it into a plastic bag. He put a towel under her calf and began gently washing the skin around the stitches. Rose hadn't had a chance to actually see the cut before, so she mustered up the courage to look at it. A jagged line about seven inches long stretched down her shin, just to the side of the bone. She wrinkled her nose. That better not scar or I'll be pissed. She looked up at Emmett. He concentrated on his work, checking to see that all of her stitches were still in place. He found two of the seven had popped out from the cab incident.

"I don't have the stuff to sew you up here, but I do have something that should help. If I use this stuff though, you have to be really careful for the next twelve hours or so." He pulled Dermabond out of his kit. He applied it and bandaged her back up. "Good as new."

"Thanks. You did a great job."

"That's what she said." Emmett stood and winked at Rose. He was grinning ear to ear. Rose rolled her eyes and rested her head back on the couch, closing her eyes. She felt the couch shift as Emmett sat next to her, but a little too far away for Rose's liking. She smiled and faked a yawn so she could stretch her arms and run her hand through his hair. Emmett feigned disinterest. "So do you want to watch a movie or play a board game or something? I have Scattergories." He picked up the TV remote and handed it to her. She took it and smacked him on the arm with it.

"You are the biggest goofball."

"What?" Emmett played innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Rose decided that she could play his game too, and probably better than he could.

"If that's the case, never mind." She picked up the remote and turned the TV on, ignoring Emmett. She surfed around before settling on the History Channel. She had no idea what was on, but pretended to be interested. Emmett inched closer to her, trying to be sneaky. Too impatient to wait on him, Rose decided to scoot closer to him. She wrapped his arm around her then put her head on his chest. She felt happy, which was something she wasn't familiar with anymore. She nestled into him a little more, getting comfortable. She closed her eyes and listened to Emmett's slow, deep breaths. Sleep finally won.

"You smell really good. Like Tide and an engine room. And cookies."

"Thanks. I think."

Rose slowly opened her eyes. Somehow, she had ended up in her favorite pajamas in an unfamiliar bed. She sat up to get a better look around the room. Much like the living room, this room was decorated in shades of a single color, this time blue. The bedding was pin striped in a dozen different blues, from navy to baby. The dresser and bed frame had a blue tinted stain on the wood. Navy blue blackout curtains hung over the window. Rose noticed that even the lamp that had been left on next to the bed had a blue shade. Rose smiled. Finally find a great guy and he's obsessive-compulsive. I guess it could be worse.

Rejuvenated from her nap, Rose got out of the bed and stretched. When she flexed her calf, most of the pain was gone, even when she put most of her weight on it. She straightened the sheets and smoothed the comforter out. She searched for her bag and found it, empty, at the foot of the bed. She opened the dresser drawers and saw that someone had put her clothes away exactly as she had them at her place. She pulled out a pair of socks and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on while pondering the possibilities. Maybe I unpacked in my sleep? But why would I do that when I know I'm not going to stay? Did he do it? He couldn't possibly know how I keep things in my dresser, though. Unless he's been in my room. Rose frowned at that thought. She knew it was impossible for him to have been at her place earlier that day, but that didn't mean he had never been there before. She rolled her eyes at her paranoia. I can't wait for this to be over. I'm tired of being jumpy. She turned off the lamp and walked into the hallway.

She immediately ran into something fleshy, hard, and wet. When her eyes adjusted to the bright light of the hall, she realized she was face to face with the broad, muscled chest of Emmett. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and was still soaking wet. Rose let her attention trail from his waist, to his chest, to his shoulders and arms. Da Vinci be damned, this is the Vitruvian Man.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," he teased. She looked up to his face. He had on one of his trademark ear to ear grins and looked so damned sexy. Instead of biting back with a sarcastic remark, she just giggled. Her reaction surprised him. They stood there in a stalemate, waiting for the other one to make a move. Rose decided she wasn't going to play that game.

She shoved Emmett against the wall, then leaned into him. He lifted her in his arms, boosting her up, and she wound her legs around him. She grabbed a handful of his delicious brown curls, careful not to hit him with her cast, and pulled his face towards hers. His breathing was heavy; he squeezed her thighs, a silent plea for her to continue. She smiled and leaned forward.

"Oh, good grief, Emmett! I thought you were going to check on her, not have your way with her in the hallway!" Alice stood in the entrance to the living room, hands on her hips, admonishing them. Rose had never fought with Alice in the past, but at that moment she absolutely hated her.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was in my house for some reason," Emmett said, setting Rose down. He kept her between himself and Alice, using her as a human shield. Rose didn't understand why, since Alice was joking and just messing around. The very impressive reason became quite clear, however, when Rose leaned back on him.

"Alice, what are you even doing here?" Rose tried to hide her irritation, but failed.

"Your boyfriend there called me when you fell asleep last night. You were out cold, but I managed to get you into your jammies. I unpacked your clothes for you." Alice raised her eyebrows. "I think I put your stuff in the wrong room though."

"Oh, stop it. Emmett, go get dressed or something." Rose pushed him a little to get him moving.

"Is it a choice? Because I'll take the 'or something', please!"

"You're impossible!"

"You say that a lot, but I think you liiike me."

Rose pushed him harder and he stumbled backwards, grinning like an idiot. He turned and went into his room, singing so off-key Rose couldn't even name the song. Alice grabbed Rose's hand and dragged her out to the kitchen.

Rose was not surprised to see that the kitchen was themed completely in red. She hopped up on a red bar stool that sat at the island while Alice rushed around making breakfast. Alice was chattering about everything and nothing at once. Sometimes, talking to Alice reminded Rose of talking to a five year old. Alice's biggest concern of the day was that Jasper seemed really distant. Rose assured her that he was probably just worried about everything that had taken place. She made a mental note to talk to Jasper as soon as she could to see what his real issue was.

After a few minutes of banter with Alice, Rose felt arms slip around her waist and hold her tight. Emmett leaned down, kissing the top of her head, and she shivered. She swiveled on the stool, burying her face in his freshly donned robe. She knew almost nothing about him, but knew that she was falling for him. She hated herself for it, but thoughts of self-deprecation were pushed aside as Emmett ran his fingers through her hair while he talked to Alice. Rose loved the way his voice sounded through his chest. Alice excused herself to make a quick phone call while the muffins baked, so Rose had Emmett to herself again.

"You smell good..." She inhaled deeply.

"It's not motor oil and cookies, but that's not on the Axe product line yet." Rose jerked back. Emmett had a mischievous gleam in his eye. She blushed, turning back to the island.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale!" Alice's voice sounded muffled; Rose searched for the source. Alice was standing on the balcony, peeking in the window of the kitchen. "Are you blushing?" She laughed and Rose flipped her off. Alice ducked back out of view, continuing to talk on her phone.

"So your middle name is Lillian, and you never blush. What else should I know about you?" Emmett leaned on the island.

"I need to take a shower." Rose shifted into bitch mode. Whatever it takes.

"You still can't take a shower. I'd be more than happy to give you a sponge bath though, or even hold your arm and leg out of the water while you take a regular bath."

"Yeah, right. Maybe I should let you take pictures too?"

"Would you?"

"You're such a pig!" Rose started to walk to the bathroom, but Emmett grabbed her. She tried pulling out of his grasp, but he was strong ...and she didn't really want to get away. He pulled her close and she put her arms around his shoulders.

The oven timer went off, causing Alice to rush in. "Don't mind me! Just making breakfast!" Rose sighed and dropped her arms from their place on Emmett's neck, abandoning any hope that she ever might be able to kiss that man. Even Emmett glared at Alice as she flitted around the kitchen, pretending to ignore them.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Rose grumbled. She glared at Alice on her way out, almost wishing the demented little woman had never made her way over in the first place. Alice glared back, sticking her tongue out. Evil. She's pure evil.

James sat in his Audi and stared at Emmett's building. He had been there since yesterday afternoon. He had watched Rosalie enter the complex with that overgrown douche McCarty, but they never left. That meant that she was staying with him. In his place. In his bed. James slammed his fists on the steering wheel when he thought about what that animal was doing to his Rose. The plan he had so carefully made was coming undone, and he needed to find a way to pull everything back together. He started the car and drove to the florist up the street.

Rose grabbed a pair of jeans and a low cut green t-shirt, picked up her small travel bag, and went into the bathroom to freshen up. She looked in the mirror and was horrified by her hair. A long, dreamless night had turned it into a nightmare. She started working on it, trying to get it to sit just right, but it defied her. She dressed, then braided her hair the best she could with one and a half hands. While she brushed her teeth, Alice started banging on the door.

"Hurry up in there! He's already seen you; no need to go all out!" Rose growled at the door, but knew Alice was right. If Emmett wanted her when she looked like absolute crap, he wouldn't mind a messy braid. She threw open the door, ready to yell at Alice, but Emmett was standing there instead. She closed her mouth and smiled sheepishly.

"Expecting someone else?" Emmett laughed. He had taken the opportunity to put real clothes on too, and he looked amazing. Resisting the urge to jump him, Rose squeezed past him, then tossed her things onto the bed in the guest room. She joined Emmett and Alice in the kitchen. Alice had made enough food for an army, but after seeing Emmett's appetite the day before, Rose wondered if it would be enough. She grabbed a muffin and spooned out some scrambled eggs onto her plate, then sat next to Emmett. He nudged her with his leg, so she nudged him back. She went to take a bite of eggs, and Emmett nudged her hard, causing her to spill the eggs down her shirt. Slowly, she turned her head to glare at him. He had a priceless "Oh Shit!" look on his face. Rose exploded with laughter. Relief flooded Emmett's face and he looked over at Alice.

"Em, I don't know what you've done to her, but keep doing it." Alice loved this happier version of Rose. It had been a long time since anyone outside of family could get her to laugh and smile the way Emmett could.

Rose shook the eggs from her shirt, and the rest of breakfast was uneventful. As they cleaned the dishes, Rose told them her plans for the day.

"I really need to see Jacob today. I need to get another car."

"There's no way you're getting another car yet," Emmett said. "You still don't know who's after you."

"Oh, you mean besides you?"

"Don't be like that. I'm not the one who tore up your car."

"That's right. You're the guy who stood by and did nothing while I got in it."

"Whoa," Alice interrupted. "Rose, let's reign in the super-bitch, okay?"

"Who's being bitchy? I'm just being honest." Rose turned her attention back to Emmett. "You don't get to tell me where I can and can't go. You aren't my father, and I never listened to him half the time anyway!"

"Isn't that the truth," Alice said. "About listening to Dad I mean," she added hastily.

"So you still want to go on your road trip?" Emmett asked, making it sound like she wanted to beat puppies.

"Of course. One little near death experience isn't going to stop me from having a good time."

"Then I'll come with you."

"No! This is my trip."

"You can't go alone, Rose. You need someone to protect you."

"I've been perfectly fine without your 'protection' my entire life. What makes you think I need it now? You'll just get bored and fucking leave me too!" Rose immediately regretted those revealing words. Everyone stood in silence, unsure of what to say or do.

"I'm, uh, going to go see what Jasper's up to," Alice said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Don't have too much fun without me." She grabbed her purse and phone, then scurried to the door. When she opened it, she froze. "Rose, you need to see this."

Rose joined her at the door, followed closely by Emmett. They stared at the presentation in the hall. Black roses, black balloons, and black ribbon were combined to make a heart-shaped arrangement. Black and red metallic confetti was sprinkled on the floor, shining against the gray marble tile. Emmett reached past Rose and took the note hanging from one of the balloons.

I told you I'd find you.

There was no question in anyone's mind who they were for or from. Rose took a few steps back into the living room and sat on the couch, defeated. Alice sat next to her and sighed.

"I'm going to go have a little chat with security. There's no way anyone should have gotten this close to my door." Emmett was livid. He snatched the balloons and slammed the door. They could hear him stomping down the hall, and Rose felt sorry for whoever was about to be on the receiving end of his fury.

"Maybe I should stay," Alice said.

"No, you should go. Find Jasper, see what he's up to."

"Promise me you'll be good. Emmett is a good guy. He likes you a lot. Give him a chance; stop pushing everyone away." Alice hugged her.

"I'll try. No promises."

Alice sighed. She left, and Rose was finally alone. She waited a minute to see if Alice would change her mind and come back. When she didn't, Rose rushed to the guest room and started throwing her clothes into her bag. She picked it up with her good arm and started her walk to the lobby. She hoped that Emmett was nowhere near the security monitors as she made her exit. Knowing the area well, she made a beeline to the café two blocks away. She called a cab from her cell after ordering a small black coffee.

As she rode past Emmett's building, her chest tightened and her eyes welled with tears. No going back now.


Oh Rose... Stubborn, stubborn Rose. . Reviews gets teasers for Ch 8!