Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters.


Last Man Standing

"Hell no! No way am I leaving this far into the game!"

"But it's not safe anymore! We need to get out of here while we still have the chance." Bella protested, annoyed at Emmett's ignorance of the situation.

"Why is it unsafe? Because you and Cullen found those retarded photos on that phone? How do you know they weren't planted? Faked to scare us off?" Emmett questioned, refusing to back down.

"McCarty's right, Swan." Eric put in. "What if Ben, Angela, and Alice decided to team up and make us think they were out?"

"Not happening, Yorkie." Rosalie snapped. "Alice and Bella are helping me acquire some new wheels; wheels that just so happen to come in the form of a '67 Chevrolet Impala." She added, smirking at Emmett.

"Doesn't mean they weren't faked." Eric shrugged.

"And if they weren't?" Edward demanded. "What then? You're just going to wait around like a sitting duck until you're next? We have to face the facts: Someone or something is out there, and for all we know, it's coming after us next. Tyler was the smart one, leaving when he did."

"Wait a minute, hold up." Bella interrupted, her eyes widening. "Tyler's gone?"

"When I was outside searching the yard, I noticed his car was gone." Edward answered plainly. "He must've left pretty early on."

"Who says he left? Maybe the boogie man got him." Emmett chuckled.

"Look, whatever. The point is that it's not safe here. We're not safe."

"From the way you're talking, Cullen, I'd say that you're just trying to get us to leave the property." Rosalie said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Like you're trying to get us out of here so you can claim the prize for yourself."

"Don't you think that if I wanted you gone, I would've let Emmett toss you over the fence before I mentioned this little get together? One less person to worry about." Edward scoffed.

"I know!" Emmett growled. "And if you hadn't been so righteous and stopped me, Hale would be out of the game by now!"

"Or at least to safety, as you claim." She scoffed.

"Come on you guys, I think we're all forgetting something." Eric said, bringing everyone's attention to him. "It's not only Edward that's trying to get us to leave. It's Bella."

"No way would Bella turn traitor on me!" Rosalie cried. "She's too virtuous to go behind my back like that!"

"Oh yeah, good point." Eric conceded.

"Rose! I would never betray yo- Hey!" Bella stopped point blank, turning her not-so-steely gaze to Eric. "Who are you calling virtuous, Yorkie? Only Rosalie's allowed to joke about that."

"Oh wait, I forgot; you're with Cullen now, aren't you Swan." He tittered sarcastically.

"I am not with-"

"Look, could we stop all of this asinine chatter and get back to the fucking point, please?" Emmett boomed, attempting to get the conversation back on track.

"Ooh, asinine. Big word for such a small man, McCarty." Rosalie chuckled.

"Small? He's, like, the biggest, buffest person in town, or have you forgotten?" Eric rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't talking about his stature," Rosalie bit her lip in a teasing way, looking pointedly down at Emmett's crotch.

"Like you would know." Emmett scoffed.

"You've been quiet through all of this, Jasper; what do you think?" Edward asked, breaking the pointless bickering up, turning his gaze upon the solemn form of the boy he had come to think of as a brother.

Jasper blinked, remaining silent as he shifted on the arm of the couch he had occupied since Rosalie and Bella found him and drug him along to the impromptu meeting that they were holding in the living room. He had been confused at first when everyone was being called together, but now he understood perfectly. He had watched too many horror movies- remembered the cliché routine. He knew that Edward and Bella were most likely right- that the situation was all too real. However, he had to try.

"I think that I'm going to find my sister," He said, standing up, keeping his gaze on the family portrait. "And then, we're going home."

"Fine, to each his own." Emmet chimed. "Whitlock's out, as is Brandon. You know that I'm still in. Hale?" He questioned, pointing to the girl in question.

"You know me, McCarty. I'm not a quitter."

Emmett sighed deeply, clearly disappointed that he would have to work extra hard to get her to leave the farmhouse.

"Yorkie?" He continued.

"Count me in." Eric replied, seeming bored with the situation. "Yeah, sure. Why not? It's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Homework." Rosalie coughed.

Eric just snorted.

"Cullen? Swan? I presume that you're both out, what with all the pleading and whining that it isn't safe. You two would be better off tucked in your bed, doing every naughty thing you can think of to take your mind off your defeat."

"How is it defeat if we're leaving because there's a potential murderer among us?" Edward demanded.

"It's defeat because there is no killer, you're just giving up."

"I am not giving up! If it wasn't too dangerous, you know that I'd stay and play this out!"

"There he goes with the danger shit again." Rosalie put in.

"It is not shit!"

"Then prove it!" Emmett challenged. "You and Bella stick around for the rest of the game, and we play it out. If either of you can give us valid proof that something weird really is going on, you win. We'll all pack up and split, meeting back here tonight so the two of you can claim the prize." Rosalie began to protest, but Emmett held up a hand, effectively silencing her. "Don't argue, Hale. They deserve it if something really is up."

"And the pictures? They don't count as proof?" Edward asked; although he knew the answer he would most likely get in return.

"I don't know about the others, but I'll take nothing less than a body. Which you won't find." Emmett smirked.

"Know something we don't, McCarty?" Bella asked, narrowing her eyes at the bigger man.

"Perhaps."

"Look, can we just stop all this fucking shit and get back to the game already?" Rosalie groaned. "I'm not getting any closer to my new car by just sitting around."

"So it's settled." Eric said. "The game's still on. Anyone comes across the three corpses, tell them that their retarded prank failed and move on. If you come across Newton or Mallory, well, explain the newly installed Bella/Edward clause. If we do end up leaving, no one gets left behind."

"Hey," Jasper said, shooting his eyes around the group. "Where is Mike and Lauren?"

***

"Fuck!" Lauren screamed, tossing her head back in ecstasy, not caring in the least that it cracked off the headboard.

"Oh yeah, fuck baby! That's it, right there…" Mike panted, thrusting deeper, never relenting.

"So much better than damn treasure hunting!" Lauren exclaimed, digging her French manicure into his shoulder blades.

"You got that- fuck!- right." Mike grunted, blinking away the drops of sweat that pooled over his lashes.

Lauren clenched her muscles in reply.

***

The porch swing creaked as Rosalie threw herself down on it. From its chipped paint and splintery demeanor, she half expected it to collapse underneath her less than modest weight. She was no supermodel, all pin thin and skin and bones, but she was pretty and she knew it. With curves for miles and an athletic build, she was nobody's prize, but better off than some; which seemed contradictory upon first glance. For the majority of high school she had hid behind baggy bands shirts and too long jeans; hiding herself from the prying eyes of the dogs that littered the hallway- a.k.a. boys. She may have forgone high heels like a good deal of the school's female population, substituting the death traps for sneakers and flip flops, but her long, blonde hair and bright blue eyes seemed to attract guys galore. However, that fact did nothing for her self esteem. Knowing that in the society of today you either had to be anorexic or a slut to get any real compassion from a male, she took to shielding her womanly figure beneath layers of cotton and denim, so as not to get ridiculed and chastised for actually having a bit of muscle. She wanted to fade into the background; a snarky watcher of the masses who could be left alone and not singled out.

Too bad some people just couldn't take the hint.

"I though I saw you make a break for outside," Emmett said, the screen door swinging shut behind him.

"Yeah, well, I thought a head start would be ideal, considering the last time we crossed paths you tried to throw me over a fence." She deadpanned, grabbing hold of one of the rusty chains that were holding the swing up for support. The more hand holds, the less chance he had of picking her up again.

"A mistake on my part, I assure you." Emmett conceded, making his way over to the empty side of the swing. "May I?" He asked, gesturing to decaying wood.

"Whatever, but don't blame me if it collapses." She shrugged, her feet leaving the ground as his weight propelled the swing into a slow motion wave. "Besides, it's not like what I wanted ever made a difference to you before."

"How little you know." Emmett muttered, keeping up their gentle swaying. "You think that because you cover up with layers of cloth and a sarcastic façade, that you can hide the real you from the world."

This got her attention. She glanced up, locking her eyes on his profile, his dark brown orbs focused on something off in the distant darkness. "How do you know the real me?"

"I don't. All I know is that you're a snarky bitch with self esteem issues who tries to cover up some hidden part of yourself because you're afraid of the stereotypes and of what other people will think of you."

Rosalie's eyes bugged out.

"I thought so," He flicked his eyes over to lock on hers. "Then again, I don't know what it is about you. You spent the entire four years of high school trying to blend in, and when someone actually gives a damn about getting to know the real you, you spend you time thinking up size jokes to insult him in front of his friends. That's petty, even for you."

"I don't-"

"Then again, perhaps it's like back in elementary, when you pick on the guy you like." He grinned, cutting her off. "I know that sometimes I revert to childish acts, but make no mistake, Rosalie, I do have feelings for you."

"Cut the shit, Emmett. I know you want something. Just spit it out."

"Perhaps I do, but that doesn't change the fact that everything I've said was true. Wasn't it?"

Rosalie just shot her eyes downward.

"Look Hale, I've come to you with a proposition." He continued, trying to meet her eyes again, and failing because of the angle.

"Go on," She muttered.

Reaching out, Emmett gently tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. When he was positive that she wouldn't look away, he dropped his hand to her thigh, and began tracing tentative circles. Surprisingly, she didn't stop him.

"I was thinking that for the remainder of this thing, we could team up. Drop all prejudices, all scheming against each other, and work towards a common goal. The prize."

"Psh, yeah. Cause we really want the same thing."

"I think we do." Emmett stated.

"Explain how a car and a one night stand equal the same thing? And don't even say the back seat," Rosalie scolded, scooting a little closer to him.

"They're not. I was thinking more about our drive to win." He elaborated. "You and I both know that the other hates losing, and that one of us will have to for either of us to get what we want."

She nodded, listening raptly.

"So, I propose that we team up. If either of us wins, they'll do the prize acceptance tomorrow night, but then dole out the other one privately. Either way, you still get my car. Either way, you win."

"I don't see being the victim of one of your one night stands as winning."

"It won't be a one night stand, Rose. Not unless you want it to be." She perked up at the use of her nickname. He never called me Rose before…

"All I want if for you to give me a chance. One chance to get to know you on more than just a physical level. I want us to be intimate. To be able to talk, because believe it or not, we're more alike than you think."

Silence stretched out as she pondered this. She really needed the car. It wasn't like her self righteous father would hand over the money for a new one as long as his barely-older-than-her girlfriend was eating up his cash with frivolous purchases, and it wasn't like she had a job to raise the money to get a new one. And her mother- she didn't even want to think about her and her drug money. No; she had to get a vehicle by her own means, and her long time enemy was the only one offering her an out.

"So, if either of us wins, I get your Impala?" Rosalie asked timidly, glancing away from his all-knowing eyes.

"Yes."

"And either way, I also have to have sex with you?"

"Just once. If you enjoy it, well, the offer is always open to you, perhaps even a relationship. But if you want to forget about it, just say the word, and I'm out of your life for good."

More silence- the only sound was the far of chirping of crickets, and the croaking of a lone bullfrog.

"So Hale, do we have a deal?"

One second, two, then three…

"We have a deal." She smiled, reaching down to clasp his hand, only to claw at his skin before tossing it off. "And no more touching until we win. Got it McCarty?"

Chuckling deeply, Emmett replied, "Yes, you're royal pain," before getting up to follow her back inside.


A/N: I know! Two months and I finally update! Well, this fic is now priority and I won't be starting another oneshot series until this fic is complete. The next update shouldn't take as long... I hope. At least now I'm inspired again. So, no deaths this time, but I might be forthcoming and give you one next time. Maybe. If you're all good and review. Thanks for all of the wonderful comments nad theories so far! They are always appreciated.