Disclaimer: I own nothing…. It's SM's world I just play in it.

A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner. It has been a really difficult month for me to get through. I have been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately and getting ready for hubby's big return and promotion… Anyways…. I'm sorry and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Emmett POV

As soon as I left the hospital, I went to the one person who could help me fix the ungodly mess I had created. I knew Alice was going to rip me a new one, but I desperately needed her expertise. She probably knew Bella better than anyone and, as such, would have intel crucial to the success of my mission.

I entered the massive hotel and mentally braced myself for the onslaught of fury I was about to experience. The bright and cheery atmosphere of the illuminated lobby mocked my stupidity as I hurried towards Alice's room.

A few short minutes later, I hesitantly knocked on Alice's door. I could handle just about anything, but my current feelings of guilt over Bella combined with Alice's rage were not going to be pretty. In fact, it was going to be downright ugly.

Alice opened the door and ushered me inside. I took a seat in one of the white chairs in the corner of the room, prompted my elbows on the adjacent table and dropped my head in my hands. Alice sat down in the seat across from me and just stared. She knew I needed to get something off my chest; she always knew things before anyone. Her silvery eyes bore into me and I visibly shifted in my seat. I didn't want to tell her how bad I had screwed up but if I didn't it would be worse.

"I screwed up, Alli. I mean royally screwed up," I said, having no other way to put it. I mentally braced myself for the onslaught of her rage, but I knew I deserved everything she threw at me.

"What did you do, Emmett?" Alice asked, her silver eyes narrowing. I could see the wheels in her head turning as her face hardened into a mask of fury. Damn psychic pixie. She knew what I had done. I could never keep anything from her.

"I broke things off with Bella," I answered, unable to meet her eyes. I couldn't bear to see the disappointment reflected in them.

Immediately Alice sprung out of her seat and lunged at me, clenching my shirt in her tiny little fists, "Damn it, Emmett! How much of a complete douche bag could you be? I trusted you with her. I trusted you not to be like the other jackass she had the misfortune of being engaged to. But, no! You had to go and pull this. I could just punch you right now." Her body was shaking with rage and I could see that she was physically restraining herself from going apeshit on my ass.

"I get it Alice. I completely effed everything up. I hurt her and I did it because I was a selfish jack off. I get it. But, I don't need you to ream me about it. I'm doing enough of that myself. I need you to help me fix this." For the first time in my life, I was pleading, really pleading for something. Alice's eyes softened for a fraction of a second before they hardened once more.

"I'm not sure you can even fix this Emmett. You hurt her and you totally messed with her heart. How is she supposed to trust you with it a second time?" She asked, her face softening just the tiniest bit. She sat sown again and set her hands on the table anxiously awaiting my response.

"You're right. She has no reason to trust me. She doesn't even have a valid reason to listen to me. But, I know that I can't give up. I might be somewhat stupid but I have learned my lesson. I shouldn't have made a decision that drastic without talking to her. And I will do anything to prove that I care about her, and that I didn't mean what I said to her before." I looked at Alice expectantly.

"What exactly did you say to her Emmett?" Alice asked her voice tight and controlled.

Shit! I hadn't told Alice what I had said to Bella.

I hung my head in shame unable to meet her eyes as I uttered, "That we were just pretending and that I didn't mean it when I said that I was falling in love with her. And of course there was the whole we put on one hell of a show comment." In retrospect, I said some pretty harsh things. I wasn't thinking about it at the time, I thought they were necessary. But now, looking back, I was disgusted that I said those particular things to her. I probably dredged up some unpleasant memories.

I guess hindsight really was 20/20.

"Oh! Emmett, you are royally screwed! You honestly expect her to forgive you after that? Heck, I'm ashamed to call you my brother right now. How could you say that after what she went through with Mike? He lied to her and pretended to love her while he was doing the horizontal mambo with another woman. And then you go and tell her you pretended to care about her too. How idiotic can you get?" Alice huffed throwing her hands up in the air. She stood up once again and started pacing once more, "God, Emmett, I honestly don't even know what you could do to get her to take you back."

"I still have to try, Alice." I paused for a second, standing up from the chair and turning to face Alice. "I won't give her up without a fight. I need to get her back. I love her Alice. And I can't imagine my future without her."

"Have you told her that?" Alice asked, raising her perfectly sculpted right eyebrow at me.

"Not yet, but I will. If I have to grovel to get her back first, then I that's what I'll do," I responded. I turned away from her and began walking out to pick up my stuff before heading to the airport. Being military definitely had its advantages, "Now are you coming with me or are you going to let me figure this out on my own?"

"Meet you in the lobby in ten. If I let you do this on your own, you'll probably just screw up things worse," Alice stated confidently before closing the door behind me.

I hurried over to my hotel room and started packing my things. All the while, Alice's words rang in my head. I had been such an idiot. Not only that I had pulled a bitch move, I had left when things got too difficult. Alice was right and I was ashamed of what I had done. Bella didn't deserve what I dished out to her. But, I had to make things better. I had to prove that I loved her more than any other man ever could.

Alice was giving me the silent treatment. That was certain. She had refused to talk to me on the way to the airport. And she spent the entire plane trip either asleep or listening to her Zune. Every time I would try to talk to her, she would just brush me off and go back to whatever she was doing.

Now that we were home, it had to stop. It was Thursday evening and I wanted to go over to Bella's and talk to her. But, I had no idea how to approach. I needed Alice. I walked towards the living room and sat down in the chair opposite her. Hopefully, she would talk to me.

"What is going on Alli? Why won't you talk to me?" I asked after she had removed her headphones.

"Because I'm a little confused at the moment, okay Emmett." She paused as she wrapped her headphones around her Zune and put it on the coffee table beside her. "You are my brother and I love you. But, your actions were just appalling. And as much as I want to help you, Bella is my best friend. I can't in good conscience help you without talking to her first.

Alice paused and sadly shook her head at me before she continued, "Em, because of what you did and when you did it, I couldn't help out a friend in need. If I had known what you did, I could have at least called her. I could have been here for her. But, you took that choice away from me too when you kept it from everyone. I am so mad at you right now Emmett. I'm not even sure I should help you."

"Why aren't you sure you can help me?" I wasn't sure that I could do this without her. Alice was staring at me, her face calm. She had really thought about it.

"Because, Emmett. I'm still out to lunch on whether you are good for her. After this stunt and your total lack of disregard for her feelings, I'm just not so sure anymore. You took away her right to make her own decisions and did what you thought was best, never asking her what she wanted. That's wrong, Emmett. How is she supposed to be with someone who treats her like that? I don't even know how Bella feels about all this. But, I want to make one thing clear. I love you; but, because of your actions I am Bella's friend first and your helper second. Got it?"

"Yeah I got it," I said. I was upset, but I understood her motives. I guess my actions had really alienated a lot of people.

I nodded at Alice and started to head off to bed when I heard the doorbell ring. Who in God's name could that be? I walked into the hallway and headed for the door. Through the massive glass windows, I saw a police cruiser. Crap! There was only one person it could be.

I opened the door and came to face with one Edward Swan. Could today get any worse? Edward looked pissed. His face contorted in rage and he looked like he was out for blood. My blood. It looked like today was going to get worse.

"You sick, twisted, son of a…," Edward said as he lunged at me. He caught me off guard and started swinging at me. Instinctively, my training kicked in. I needed to defend myself. I started blocking his blows taking the time to swing right back. If he wanted a fight, then damn it, he was going to get one hell of a fight.

"I'm going to hurt you, just like you hurt my baby sister." Immediately, I froze. I deserved this. I deserved every punch he threw at me. I stopped fighting. I deserved this beat down. I deserved to hurt just like I had hurt her. Hell, if Jasper had done what I did to my sister, I would have hunted him down too. I couldn't fault Edward for what he was doing.

"I trusted you," He growled as he landed a right underhanded blow to my torso.

"Oomph." At least he threw a decent punch.

"I trusted you with her heart and you smashed it to pieces." He hit me with left hook to the jaw.

"Ugh." It hurt like hell, but I deserved every bit of it and more.

"Now, I am going to smash you to pieces," he said, as he landed one last hit to my torso. I had to hand to it the man. He was strong. And he definitely knew how to throw a punch. I toppled back and accidentally bumped into one of the hallway tables. The force of my collision knocked over one of mom's antique vases. Damn it!

"What the heck is going on here?" I guess Alice heard the commotion. She was standing four feet away from us, her black Zune in her hand and her headphones dangling from her neck.

"I was showing your brother here what happens when he hurts my little sister," Edward huffed as he wiped the thin sheen of sweat that had developed on his brow. I reached up and wiped my face off too. When I looked down at my hand, I noticed there was blood on it.

"Well, you can stop now. I think he got the message. And apparently so will our mother," Alice said as she gestured at the now broken vase.

"It's okay, Alice. This is between us, and we all I know I deserve what I'm getting," I said as I continued to wipe the blood off my face.

"No, it is not okay. Mom wouldn't want you fighting in her hallway. And Edward, does Bella know you are here?" Alice asked as she looked at Edward, her left hand resting on her hip.

"She doesn't need to know I'm here. And she definitely doesn't need to know that this piece of crap is here either." Edward looked better now. He didn't look like he wanted to kill me slowly and painfully anymore. Now he looked like he wanted to kill me quickly and bury the body somewhere. At least we were making progress.

"I'm sure she would see it that way too, Edward," Alice bit back, her sarcastic nature getting the best of her. "Now, you have some things to work out, I get it. But do it like real men. I don't want another casualty." With that, she turned and went upstairs.

"I don't want you anywhere near my sister. I want you to leave before you hurt her any worse," Edward commanded. His face was hard as stone and he was staring me dead in the eye. He was trying to intimidate me.

"I can't do that. I love your sister and I'm here to get her back." I will not give up. I will not accept defeat. I will complete my mission. I could not fail. My life and my happiness hinged on me succeeding.

"Yes you can. And yes, you will. You have already hurt her. You have already left her. I refuse to let it happen again." Edward took a step towards me but I refused to move. He had already had his shot at me. This time, I was not backing down no matter what.

"Look, I get I was an idiot before. I effed up and now I am going to fix it." I wasn't about to admit everything but I couldn't let him keep me from Bella. I motioned to the living room but he just shook his head at me. Guess he didn't want to sit down.

"How the hell do you plan on doing that?" Edward scoffed at me.

The cocky bastard scoffed at me!

"I have a plan," I responded, just as snidely as he did.

"She's too good for you." Edward took yet another step towards me." And you don't deserve her. You are no better than Mike." Ouch, but I deserved that.

"I know that. I know I don't deserve her. But, I love her." I crossed my arms across my chest and stood my ground. I was not going to let him get to me.

"Is that how you show your love? By, leaving her to pick up the pieces after you break her heart. 'Cause last time I checked that wasn't love. It was just sick," Edward responded as his face once again contorted into a mask of rage.

"Look, I know you don't trust me. I wouldn't either if I were in your shoes. But, I love your sister. And I am going to spend as much time as I have to in order to prove that to her. Furthermore, I can promise you two things. First, no one will ever love your sister as much as I do. And second, I will not ever intentionally hurt her for as long as I live." Now, all I had to do was prove that to Bella. I relaxed a little when Edward took a step back and looked at me almost as if he was measuring me up.

"I don't trust you. But, I know I can't stop you from trying. All I can hope for is that my sister makes the right choice and tells you to go screw yourself." He ran a hand through his messy hair before continuing, "But, know this. If you ever hurt her again, I will hunt you down. And I will make you pay."

"Fair enough," I said as I extended my hand. He didn't take it. He just turned around and walked out my door. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.

It was Friday morning. And time was running out. I needed to talk to Bella and explain what happened. I needed to find a way to get her to listen to me. I was a jackass and a fool and I only hoped that she hadn't given up on me yet.

I walked over to Alice's room and knocked on the door, hoping she was already awake. "Alice?" I spoke to the door hoping Alice would wake up. If this was ever going to work, we needed to formulate a game plan.

"Yeah?" I heard Alice's groggy voice on the other side of the door and I couldn't help but smile. While my little sister had always been a bundle of energy, I liked her best in the early morning hours when she wasn't quite as strung out as usual.

"Alli, we need to talk. Can you please open the door?" I wondered how her conversation with Bella had turned out. As soon as Edward had left, Alice had gone upstairs to phone her. What was supposed to be an 'I'm home and I'm here if you need me' conversation turned into a three hour long phone conversation.

After some rustling, Alice finally opened the door. She looked sleepy as hell, her hair was unusually messy, and her bright pink pajamas burned my eyes this early in the morning.

"So, what did she say?" I asked, hoping she would give me some insight into where I stood with Bella. I nervously stuck my hands in the pockets of my green flannel pajama pants and hoped to hell Alice would tell me I still stood a fighting chance.

"I'm not going to tell you anything Emmett," she said as she rolled her eyes. "But, I can tell you that you are on your own buddy. I can't help you. You need to do this on your own." She looked a little sad when she said the last sentence, almost as if she thought I was fighting a losing battle.

"Do I have a shot Alice? At least tell me that," I pleaded with her. For the first time in my life, I felt lost and confused. Still, no matter what, I needed to talk to Bella.

"I don't know, Em. I really don't know." Alice said as she closed the door on me, leaving me to try and find a way to pull myself out of the massive hole I had dug myself into.

Bella POV

Over the last couple of days, I had done everything in my power to forget Emmett Cullen. I had cleaned my house from top to bottom, reorganized every single closet, cleaned the garage, and even had a Harry Potter movie marathon to keep my thoughts from straying to him. But, it was futile. I just couldn't do it. Even in my own home, his presence haunted me. I saw him everywhere.

Thursday night brought a ray of hope; I finally talked to Alice. I broke down all over again when I spoke to her. She told me everything was going to be okay and that she was sorry she couldn't be there for me when it first happened. I told her, I understood and then I let it all out…again. And she listened.

And now, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to get over Emmett right away, I knew my friends and family would be there to help me heal. And soon, I would be able to look at my couch without imagining Emmett laying on it, looking up at me with those gorgeously delicious eyes…but I guess I spoke too soon.

I was walking into the kitchen when I heard it – the unmistakable roar of Betty's engine.

He's here. Crap! What was I going to do?

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights of some shiny sports car going way too fast.

I wanted to run and hide but my legs wouldn't move. It was as if I was glued to the floor. I hated that even after everything he did, my body still tingled with anticipation at the thought of him being near me. I heard the sound of the Hummer pulling into the driveway before the engine turned off. The sound of the door slamming broke the spell gripping my body.

Oh Crap!

Instantly my body reacted. My legs tingled and I got Goosebumps on my arms. I was fighting a losing battle; my heart wanted to run as far away as possible but my body just wasn't listening.

When I heard the doorbell ring my heart started pounding and my palms started sweating. I felt like a teenage girl at her first school dance. It was nerve wracking. For a second, I considered hiding and pretending that I wasn't home. But, that plan went out the window when I realized my truck was parked outside and my television was on. So, I went for the next best thing, I walked towards the door and braced myself for impact.

I opened my door and there he was. He looked just a gorgeous as ever, his worn in jeans and white t-shirt perfectly fitted to his massive physique. When I saw him, everything came crashing back. All the things he said, the way he just threw away any possibility of "us." I just wanted to scream. I was so mad at him but I knew I couldn't lose my temper. I would not make this situation any worse so I did the only mature thing I could think of. I closed the door in his face.

"Bella! Bella! Please I need to talk to you. Will you open the door? Please." Crap! I guess I hadn't thought it all the way through.

"Nope. Not happening. I don't want to talk to you." Why couldn't he just leave? What in the hell could there possibly be to talk about?

"Bella, please. I just want a couple of minutes." He sounded so sad, I almost broke down and let him in. But, I knew I had to be strong. I would not let him break my heart all over again.

"Emmett, what part of 'I don't want to talk to you' don't you understand?" I felt kind of silly talking to Emmett through the door but I wasn't sure I wanted to be face to face with him. "Now leave. I don't want to talk to you. Get it through your head." I crossed my arms across my chest, completely forgetting that my quasi-defensive stance was useless considering Emmett couldn't see me.

"I am not leaving Bella. Not until you talk to me. I'll stand out her as long as I have to." He sounded so confident. I was a little worried. But, he certainly couldn't stand out there forever.

"Oh, I am so glad that you guys are here." After watching Emmett stand there for four hours, I figured it was time to call in reinforcements via conference call.

"I'm here." There was Rosalie's voice all cool, calm, and collected. Oh, how I loved her.

"So am I." And there was Alice. Now we could figure out what to do about all this.

"Emmett's here." I peeked outside and saw Emmett standing there, completely immobile. Damn him and his persistence.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! " Of course Rosalie would start cursing before she knew what was going on. "Did you talk to him?"

"Nope. I shut the door and told him to leave. But, he has been standing on my front porch for the last four hours," I huffed hoping that they would know how to help me.

"I knew it! I told you he'd come back didn't I?" Rosalie sounded positively smug and I couldn't help but smile at the mental image of her face as she spoke. "How long before you let him inside?"

"Are you going to let him in?" Alice asked speaking in a tentative voice I had never heard from her since I met her.

"Well of course, she is going to let him in. She has to." Was I going to let him in? I wanted to talk to him but I wasn't sure I was ready for a full-fledged confrontation. But, I was getting annoyed with them talking about me.

"Will you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" I was losing it. Having Emmett this close, this soon was completely detrimental to my emotional well-being, damn it!

"Sorry Bells." They said in unison. I took another peek at Emmett and started tapping my foot on the floor. I was getting impatient and I desperately needed to make a decision.

"So are you going to let him inside or not?" Rosalie asked her voice laced with curiosity.

"I don't know." I really didn't know what I should do.

"Bells. Stop me if you think that I'm out of line but I think you should hear him out. And not just because he's my brother but because if you don't, you are always going to wonder what he would have said. Better just get it over with now so you don't have to wonder about all the 'what ifs'." As much as I hated to admit it, Alice was right. She was always right. I just didn't want to come face to face with Emmett only to have him hurt me, even further.

"I think Alice is right, hon. I think you need to talk to him, if only so you can get some closure." As I listened to Rosalie on the other line, my feet started moving towards the door on their own.

"Yeah…yeah…. I know. But, I am just not sure I'm ready for this. You guys know the effect he has on me. The pull I feel towards him is so strong, I'm not sure I'll be able to resist him. Ugh what am I saying, I don't even know why he is here. Okay, I think I'm gonna let him in and just get this over with. I'll talk to you ladies later." I hung up the phone and moved to open the door half hoping that he was no longer there. But, I guess luck wasn't on my side because there he was – just standing there.

"Fine. You can come in." I moved aside and let him come inside. He stopped in the hallway and turned to look at me with an expectant look on his face. I closed the door and turned back around to face him, preparing myself for the worst.

"Well…" I raised my hands in a questioning gesture and led him into the living room.

"Look Bella, I'm sorry about what I said. I was an idiot and I fully admit it. But, I made a huge mistake breaking things off with you. I care about you very much and I want to try and make things work between us." Emmett looked down and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. He looked sincere but I just couldn't do this again.

"You expect me, to just forgive and forget and pretend that nothing happened. How do you expect me to trust you, Emmett? You've said you wanted to make things work between us too many times for me to take you seriously. You told me that it was an act. And now you want me to believe that what you said before was lie. How can I tell when you are acting and when you are telling the truth? Don't you see Emmett, you made your own bed and now you have to lie in it." I was getting worked up and my emotions were starting to get the best of me. I really needed to calm down. I took a few calming breaths and ran my hands through my hair while Emmett moved towards me.

"Look, Bella. I know I messed up. I know it's going to be hard for you to trust me but I need to know that I have a shot – that we can get through this and make 'us' work." Emmett starting pacing around the room as he spoke. He sounded frantic and for the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe he might be sincere this time.

"But there is no 'us' anymore, Em. It's over because you wanted it to be over. You were the one that said we needed a break. You were the one that said it was a mistake for us to be together. And now you want to take it all back. You can't just do that Em." I wrapped my arms around my torso trying to hold myself together. I took another set of calming breaths and moved towards the couch so I could sit down. I could do this. I was an adult and I could do this.

"But there could be an 'us' again, right? You have to tell me that I still have a shot," he asked kneeling in front of me. His usually bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle and there were large bags under his eyes. It was clear he hadn't slept in a couple of days.

I placed my hands on his forearms and looked him straight in the eyes, "I don't know Em. I really don't know. I want to believe you, I really do. But, I just can't take the chance that you're gonna run scared the next time things get difficult. A relationship takes two, Em. You can't expect me to be in a one sided relationship. I can't be in a relationship with someone who won't open up to me."

Emmett leaned his arm across and pushed my hair back behind my ear before grazing my cheek with his finger. "I am so sorry for the way I hurt you, Bella. And believe me, if I could, I would take it all back and I would have never broken things off. But you need to know that what happened at the wedding was the truth, but more importantly, you need to know that I love you. I just didn't have the guts to tell you. You are everything to me now, and you can bet your cute little tush that I won't ever give up on us."

"I care about you too, Em. But, as much as I care about you, I also have to care about myself. And I can't set myself up to be hurt anymore." As hard as I tried I couldn't help myself from leaning in to his touch. I felt the all familiar pull of the electricity coursing through my veins but I just couldn't let myself go.

"Bella, please. You told me once to take a leap of faith and trust what we had. So, now I guess I am asking you to take that same leap a faith and trust that we can have that again only better. I'm asking you to trust me one last time. Give me one last chance. I promise I won't let you down ever again." He moved to sit next to me on the couch and took both my hands in his as he waited for my answer. He looked straight into my eyes and his penetrating stare gave me chills.

"And how do you expect me to take this leap and be able to trust you again?" I wasn't sure I could turn him down but he had hurt me and I couldn't just ignore that.

He looked happy and expectant right before he spoke; there was a smile on his face and for the briefest of seconds, his eyes shined with that sparkle unique to him. It was like the real Emmett was back. "When I was in Germany, I was miserable because I knew you weren't waiting for me back home. I was miserable because I knew I had let you go. Yet, I forced myself to put on a smile for my family because I thought I was doing the right thing. But, you know what? My brother forced me to see the light. When I told him what I had done, he made sure to tell me how much of a dumbass I was for doing it. I promise I'll tell you the entire story in painstaking detail if you would just do something for me."

"And what would that be?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Come with me to Georgia. We can take a week and drive down there. Give me a week to prove to you that I really got some sense beaten into me and that I am ready to make this work this time. Just give me one week and if after that if you still don't think that I can give this relationship one hundred percent then you can kick me to the curb…" He paused for a second, as if pondering what to say next. Then, he leaned in towards me and whispered, "But, know this, I will keep on trying. You aren't going to get rid of me, Bella. But, I do need you to give me a shot to prove to you just how special you are to me."

"I'm not sure, Em." I stood up and walked towards the hallway. I gestured for Emmett to follow me and continued walking. I had had about all I could take and I needed some time alone.

"Look Bells, if you agree, I promise I'll take care of everything. I'm leaving Sunday morning at nine from my house. That gives you three days to decide." I opened the door and held it open for him hoping he would get the message. I figured he did because he shoved his hands into his pockets once more and walked towards it. He paused at the doorframe before continuing, "I really hope I'll see you Sunday morning, Bells. I have so much more to tell you. But, I will understand if you don't show up. Alrightly then. That's all I've got to say on the subject." And with that he walked out.

"I don't know what I hope for," I whispered as I closed the door behind him.

A/N: Again I am really sorry and I apologize for the wait. I figured you guys would prefer an update to a teaser so I just posted this. Thanks for hanging in there and I promise to try and not let it get this long before I post again. Life just seemed to keep getting in the way. But hooray for summer vacations and not having anything to do all day! I'm sure that will help improve update times.

Anyways… I hope you'll review and tell me what you thought and what you would like to see happen in this story.

Until next time,

Lorena