Emmett fought the powerful urge to rush to Maria, to wrap her up in a hug and apologize for the apology.
He told himself (in Alice's voice) that the tears were probably the healing sort - please - and that his cold body would be little comfort to her anyway.
So he waited, though he couldn't help but shuffle closer, and when she looked up at him again, he didn't hide his immense relief at her smile, and let his shoulders relax again.
With a sniffle, she slid her hands over her face to smooth the tears away before tangling them together in her lap and looked up, meeting his stare. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
Emmett beamed but kept his voice low. "I'm sorry it took so long."
"Why did you do it?" she asked, her face still wet. Her tone was simple, free of tension. The words were decades old.
"I just— I didn't want to hurt you," Emmett answered in kind. "I felt like you were scared of me--"
"I was," Maria offered, still smiling. "I was terrified."
"Why? You seemed scared of everything, and I never knew why. I wanted to help you, I wanted to protect you, but I didn't know what to do." Maria's smile changed and Emmett suddenly wasn't sure he wanted the answer. All the things she might say…
Then Maria laughed. "I wasn't a damsel in distress, Emmett. I was just a little girl." Emmett's eyes widened suddenly, and she laughed again more loudly, wrinkling her nose. "Not like that. I mean, I was--" She shrugged easily. "A late bloomer. I just didn't know what the hell I was doing like everybody else did. I was hundreds of miles from home without any friends, and I didn't have a clue how to do any of it. Especially you."
A dimple flashed as she smirked at him, and Emmett dimpled back at her. Then he frowned suddenly. "And I ran off. Oh, Maria, I am so sorry..."
Maria waved one hand dismissively. "Emmett, it's in the past. And it was for the best. We were so different. You would have gotten bored with me, gotten tired of being careful and kind. You were so fearless and loud. You wanted to be wild. Did you ever find a wild thing to keep pace with you?"
His grin was quick and full of joy. "Yes. A perfect hellcat. An angel."
"I'm so glad," she whispered. She reached one hand up boldly to touch his face with gentle fingertips, tracing first his cheekbone, then his jaw line with open curiosity. She was waiting for something now, her eyes expectant under lashes still clumped together with tears as she dropped her hand back into her lap.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked finally.
"Emmett, is dying… hard?"
His eyebrows flew upward. "What?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered, exhaling another soft laugh. "I thought I was ready for this--"
"No!"
Maria looked confused again. Pained. In pain.
Emmett couldn't meet her eyes anymore. "It's not your time. I just came to apologize."
Her mouth worked around a response, then another. Finally she settled for, "…oh."
"This was for me. Not for you," he recited, remembering Rosalie's words, and sighed sadly.
"No. No, I'm glad you came, Emmett." She waited until he looked up at her again. "I really am. Thank you."
He frowned, unconvinced. "I suck as an angel, don't I?"
She laughed abruptly. "I'd rather have you than one of the 'biblical standards'. They seem a little intimidating. 'Wrath of God' and all. You're more reassuring."
"Aw, you won't get a wrathful angel, Maria. And it won't be hard. Dying, I mean. Even when it hurts, there are angels there. Especially for you. You don't have to be scared."
Maria nodded gratefully, looking down at her clasped hands. She smiled to herself, a private little smile, and Emmett recognized it: Rose wore that smile every now and then, and whenever he asked her what had brought it on, she would only say, "Remembering." He had once asked Edward about it, but Edward had just smiled inscrutably and refused to share what he knew. Now, looking at Maria, he thought he finally knew what Rose had been remembering: a life well-lived, without regrets.
When Maria looked up again, he was gone.
* * * * *
Jasper and Emmett settled down on the edge of the rocky outcropping overlooking the misty forest, feet dangling, and started counting the cash in their pockets.
"I've got 200," said Jasper.
Emmett lifted a brow at him.
"All right, all right. And a button."
"You're ON!" bellowed Emmett, and slapped down a fistful of wadded-up bills.
"I can't believe you're betting against Edward."
"I can't believe you're betting against Alice."
"Alice isn't on the ground."
"Let's just say I'm not betting against Rosalie."
"Damn right you're not." Rosalie's voice filtered upward through the damp air and echoed on the rocks around them. She was picking her way through the littered stones and dry brush nearer the tree line, with Alice astride her shoulders, circling warily in a faceoff with Bella atop of Edward.
"I thought we didn't play this anymore," Jasper chuckled.
"Edward never had a partner before," Emmett said graciously.
"Why can't we have three teams?" called Bella. "There are six of us."
"We try not to be in eyeshot when Emmett's head is that close to Rosalie's crotch."
"Alice!" Bella's scandalized tone made Emmett roar with laughter.
Edward sidestepped neatly as Rosalie darted forward to try to take advantage of Bella's distraction. Alice reached for Bella, who was taken by surprise and flailing for balance, but missed. Bella and Alice squealed. Rosalie and Edward snarled, circling again.
"I see you flirting with my woman, Edward!" Emmett yelled.
Jasper drawled lazily, "Hurry. Oh, please. I don't know how long I can keep him up here."
The pairs stayed close now, and Alice's and Bella's hands slapped at each other, sliding off smooth, hard flesh, their laughter ringing out loudly and fingernails making smooth, almost metallic skittering sounds, while Edward and Rosalie laughed as well, in lower, shorter huffs of breath as they darted in and away, over and over.
"This is turning me on," announced Emmett.
"We know," said five other voices in unison.
Emmett sighed, and rushed to his feet and down the cliff's face.
Jasper laughed, cautioning, "You interfere, you lose!"
Edward glanced up toward Emmett with a grin. Then his eyes widened and he staggered backward as Rosalie closed in on him in a blur. Alice's hands closed around Bella's arms with a triumphant "Ha!" and Edward's backward momentum stuttered enough for Rosalie to snake one long leg behind his and then plant an open hand against his chest and shove.
Edward, Bella, and Alice went down in a tangle of arms and legs, shrieking and cursing. Rosalie stepped away to smooth her hair.
A moment later, Emmett was throwing her over his shoulder. He threw his head back and howled as she loosed a stream of threats involving power tools and an urge to neuter any and all creatures that howled.
Jasper picked up and pocketed Emmett's money, but produced the button and held it out in front of himself in time for a speeding Emmett to snatch it on passing.
"Thank you!"
"Emmett, put me down!"
The threats and laughter faded into the forest in the direction of the house.
* * * * *
EPILOGUE
The sun was rising as Emmett pulled a large glass jar out from under his bed. It was full of buttons: large and small, sew-through and shank, plastic and metal and ivory and wood, with shimmering insets and sparkling facets, and in virtually every color of the rainbow, every one still as vibrant as the day he'd first put it in the jar. He smiled as he deposited his new treasures and they clinked as they settled into place.
"Come on, Emmett," Rosalie said as she emerged from the closet. "I want to change the Jeep's oil and put in those new speakers before school and I know how much you like to--" She grinned. "What's that smile?"
"Oh, nothing, Goldiknockers," he responded with a wink. "Just remembering."
* * * * *
Thank you, Sarah!
