A/N: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.

Story is all human. Characters do tend to be out of character on occasion as well.

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I just wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who has read & reviewed. I really appreciate all the comments! I apologize for the delay in updating…it was finals week and I was out of state on business. Crazy week. Thanks for your patience!

Without further delay… Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Lyrics

BPOV

"GUYS! That was NOT cool. I was on the phone." I punched Emmett in the shoulder playfully. He had been so obnoxious while I was talking to Edward. "I mean, sheesh. Trying to tickle me while I was on the phone. RUDE!" I laughed again and then noticed Emmett prowling again. "OH no Em. You stop right there… No…. EMMETT!" He'd managed to tackle me and pin me to the floor.

"HA! Gotcha." He grinned showing his gorgeous dimples. "Jaz get over here and tickle her while I hold her here." Both of them were laughing now and I was squirming like mad. Sure enough Jaz came and tickled my feet. I laughed hard while trying to escape from Emmett's grasp. No such luck. Jaz moved to my side and tickled me there. It was awful them both knowing all my tickle spots.

"OK…ok ok… Guys STOP. I'm going to pee my pants damnit!" I laughed. This got them both off me and the three of us lay on the floor laughing. I inhaled deeply to get a grip. Exhaling, I finally calmed enough to talk. "ANYWAYS. As I was saying before operation Tickle Bella took over… We should watch a movie or something. Alice will kill me if we're up all night running around. She'll be pissed if we aren't ready to go tomorrow."

Both of them groaned a bit before Jasper spoke up. "Aww c'mon Bells. We haven't had a Halo marathon in awhile. Please?" He tried his puppy dog eyes on me. That won't work Jaz, those only work on Alice. I just shook my head no. "But Belllaaaa! I won't even tell Alice. It'll be our little secret." He winked at me and looked hopeful.

"No way Jaz. I'm not risking my life when it comes to party planning with Alice. We will watch a movie, maybe two, but no all night gaming marathons."

Now it was Emmett's turn. He put on his best pleading expression. "Bells…." He sat up next to me on the floor, taking my hand in his. My heart literally stopped. I couldn't breathe. God how I love this man. "How about we compromise." He grinned and started rubbing circles in my palm. "Jaz and I will play say two rounds of Halo and then we'll watch a movie." He looked at me with those damned gorgeous eyes. In truth I didn't really care if we were up too late, so long as Emmett still looked at me with those eyes. Bella. You're getting dangerously close to taking what's not yours… Damn my mind.

"Fine. But only one round of Halo before we watch a movie. No further negotiations." With that I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away in a dramatic move to show my decision was final. Emmett held my hand for a moment longer. I wanted so much more but couldn't. No way in hell could I be that selfish. He was my friend. Nothing more.

"YES! See Jaz, you just gotta know how to work it. You load up, I'll grab food." I rolled my eyes at him before heading to the game room. He was jumping around the house like a five year old on Christmas morning. "Thank you thank you Bells! We won't tell Alice. I promise."

EmPOV

"No problem Em. I know that Alice will find out though. You know Ali, she knows everything. If I didn't know better I'd say she had cameras installed in the house…" She waved her hand dismissively. "Go play Em." She smiled at me, the first real Bella smile in a long time.

I kissed her on the forehead before taking my leave. "Thanks Bells. Come sit." I settled myself in the usual position, Jasper in his. Bella was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the coffee table. "Aigh Jaz. You ready to kick some ass?"

"Hell yeah! Of course I am… let's do it." Jasper and I ran through our round quicker than I wanted but we won so it was worth it. Once we were finished Bella jumped up and headed for the movie shelf. She made a decent show over picking the movie, humming and oooing over the titles. Finally she made her choice.

Clutching the DVD to her chest she turned around with the most mischievous expression. "Ok boys. You got to play, I get to pick the movie." She danced to the DVD player and dropped the disk in the tray. "I don't want to hear any complaints either and I do expect both of you to sit through it." Uh oh… this just screams bad…

Bella grabbed her blanket off the floor and moved to the comfortable love seat. She possessed the remote control and pressed play.

JPOV

Em and I had a killer round of Halo. We were both still riding out the winning high when Bella hijacked the entertainment system. I was thoroughly worried because of the expression on her face. She scared me when it came to movie choice. Bella had an odd taste for movies, one day it would be some kick ass action flick the next it would be all lovey dovey romance. I could never peg what mood she was in until the movie started to play.

To my surprise, the movie she picked wasn't entirely bad. I even half smiled when the opening credits to Tim Burton's Corpse Bride rolled across the screen. "Ok ok, this isn't that bad Bells…" I smiled at her as she got comfortable on the love seat.

I had watched her and Emmett all night. They were making progress, just not as quickly as one would like. Or rather, not as quickly as Emmett would like. She was still hurting and in full sacrifice mode. I hoped she would finally see how the rest of us see her, amazing, gorgeous, loving. Instead, we all knew she looked at herself as plain and unworthy. Dear Bella…

BPOV

I snuggled into my blanket, pulling my knees to my chest. I loved Corpse Bride. Hell I was a full on Tim Burton fan. I wasn't quite sure what caused me to pick this film in particular, but the boys didn't complain too much, so I guess that was a good sign.

The movie played, colors flickering off the screen. The story of Emily and Victor struck an odd cord with me. I had never really noticed how heartbreaking the story was, not until now at least. I usually just watch it because I love Tim Burton's work. Now, with everything that had been going on in my life, the lyrics to Tears to Shed made a deeper impact.

MAGGOT
What does that whispy little brat have that you don't have double?

BLACK WIDOW
She can't hold a candle to the beauty of your smile

CORPSE BRIDE
How about a pulse?

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CORPSE BRIDE
If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain
If you cut me with a knife it's still the same
And I know her heart is beating
And I know that I am dead
Yet the pain here that I feel
Try and tell me it's not real
For it seems that I still have a tear to shed

MAGGOT
The sure redeeming feature
From that little creature
Is that she's alive


It sounded much like the conversations I had been having with Alice recently. I sat, listening to the lyrics, reminding myself that my decision had been made. I was not going to be with Emmett, he deserved someone better. Rosalie was my Victoria, Emmett was my Victor. She was better for him than I, and I had accepted that. I released a heavy sigh as the silent tears fell down my face.

EmPOV

I sat enjoying the movie. In truth I loved Tim Burton's work almost as much as Bella did. Yet another thing we have in common. Jasper seemed to be captivated by the movie as well. I was glad he was distracted, it meant I could sneak a glance at Bella. I turned my head just enough so I could see her in my peripheral vision. I nearly gasped when I caught sight of her. She's crying?! Why? I haven't even said a word to her in awhile… What could cause my Bella to cry now? It tore me apart every time I saw her cry, it always had. Though, with my recent realizations, watching her cry had been much harder on me. I just couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. The whole evening seemed near perfect… Then I heard the lyrics. They struck a serious cord.

Bella was upset. Bella was fighting herself again. More importantly, it proved Bella still wanted me. The problem? She was hurting. I couldn't help it, I had to make the pain stop. I slowly stood up and walked over to the love seat. I knelt down in front of her and wiped her tears away. She gave me a half smile. It was heartbreaking. I couldn't help thinking to myself that this whole situation could have been avoided had I not been a total ass.

I smiled back at her and then we just stared long and hard into each other's eyes. It felt like an eternity. I could see the pain she harbored, but also the love she felt. It was killing me not holding her, not showing her just how much I loved her. "Bella…" I practically whispered. Even I could hear the longing in my voice.

BPOV

"Bella…" He said my name, barely above a whisper. He had been watching me silently cry and I was completely mortified. It wasn't like Emmett hadn't seen my cry before, but this time it was more. I knew if I was truly a selfish person all I had to do was take what I wanted. But I was not selfish. I loved him more than life itself and I would let him have what he deserved.

"It's ok Em. I'm just a bit emotional. This movie always gets to me." I put on a fake smile and hoped he wouldn't challenge me. He just sat quietly, rubbing small circles in my palm. "Really Em. I'm fine." Then I stretched and yawned. I wasn't sure if it was the hour or the immense amount of emotions I had been feeling, but I was truly exhausted.

Emmett half smiled at me. It didn't quite reach his eyes. Those typically sparkling eyes were clouded. They looked lost, broken. "You should sleep Bells. Alice will have us up early in the morning." Alice. How could I forget about Alice. I groaned a bit as I sat up.

"Uh… Shit. The ball." I looked at the clock. "Em, are you even remotely curious as to what is taking her so long? It's getting really late." It was about midnight and I knew the stores could not be open that late, even for Alice.

He shrugged. "Jaz got a text from her earlier. She was heading over to the studio for a bit. They were going over Rosalie's outfit or something." Alice had a design studio in town. She had rented it about a year earlier so she had a place to design her fashion creations.

"Yeah, she just texted again, she's on her way home." Jasper stretched as he looked over at us.

"Oh, ok. Well then, I best get my ass to bed before she realizes we've all been up this whole time. Emmett, you should too. She catches us all up at this hour and she'll kill us…" I let out a small giggle. It was true, I knew we were supposed to be in bed by ten at the latest. I would truly regret letting the boys stay up this late if she caught me. "Night guys." I waved as I scurried off to my room.

APOV

"Thanks Rose. That was so much fun!" I was so excited about our ball. The trip to Port Angeles was a total success. Then we had dinner and headed back to Forks. I discovered that Rose had a very fun side and really enjoyed my time with her. On the other hand, I felt guilty. She had really fucked things up for Emmett and Bella. My loyalties were with Em and Bells, but I really wanted Rosalie as a friend. I knew a time would come when I'd have to stand up for Bella and Emmett, but I would deal with it when it came.

"Yeah, that was great Alice." She gave me a genuine smile. "I… I haven't had many good friends, but I think this will be different." She laughed a bit. Trying to keep things light. I could see the pain behind her eyes. Moving around must have been so hard on her.

"Yep. I think we'll be great friends." We were headed up my long driveway.

Rosalie laughed a bit. "Yeah, well, I don't know if your friend really likes me that much." My friend? Which one? Oh.

"Oh don't worry about Bella. She's really really sweet, you'll learn to love her. She's just got a lot going on right now. It's messing with her head." Really it was Emmett that was messing with her head, but I didn't think we needed to discuss that.

She shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still think she's a stuck up bitch." Whoa. I couldn't believe she actually had the nerve to say that to me. Bella was my best friend, my sister. There was no way in hell this woman could even compare to how amazing Bella was, and here she had the nerve to actually insult her.

"Stop the car." I said with just enough venom to make my point. She brought the car to a full stop and looked at me. "I like you. I really do, we could be great friends but there is one thing you need to know. You never. I mean NEVER say shit like that about my friends. Any of them. Bella is as close to me as a sister and you will never compare. If you can't live with that, then it's best you stay the hell away from me." I was furious at this point. I didn't care. No one said shit about my friends and got away with it. I'd have done the same for Emmett and Jasper, as all of them would for me. That's how it worked.

Rosalie stared at me blankly for a second. I figured she was formulating a response. She nodded. "I get it Alice, but I can't say I'll ever like her."

"I don't care if you like her, you will respect her and you will not insult her again." My words were final. I looked ahead, indicating I was ready to go home.

"Alright then." She eased the car forward. Once we got to my house she parked and looked at me. "Sorry Alice. I'm really not that awful most of the time. It's just, I really like your brother and for whatever reason Bella seems like my only competition." She was sad and ashamed. Good. She should be…

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Rose, don't get me wrong, you're amazing. I think we'll be great friends but you need to understand something. There is no competition between you and Bella." Her mood seemed to lighten and I felt bad. I had given her the wrong impression. "No, that's not what I mean. There is not competition between you and Bella because Emmett is only interested in Bella." I let her absorb the information. Just sitting there, watching her. I saw her face fall and then fury.

"It's not your fault Rose. I've watched these two for years. He loves Bella. There will never be another woman he loves as much as Bella. So please, just understand that. The sooner you do, the easier our friendship will be." I smiled at her and opened the door. "Thanks for going Rose. It really was fun. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

RPOV

Alice jumped out of my car and headed for her house. I sat there for a moment, completely stunned. How can that be? How can he want her over me? I mean, shit, that's unthinkable. No, Alice can't be right. He just hasn't had much to choose from before now. Yeah that's it. I put my car in gear and headed for home. Alice may want me to back off from Emmett, but I'd be damned if I was going to roll over and let Bella win. I needed to talk to Edward.

I sped through town much faster than Carlisle would like for me to drive. I screeched to a halt in my driveway. Carlisle and Esme aren't home yet. Good. I parked my car in the garage and headed for the house. I heard Edward's music blaring from his room. Someone is sulking. Not bothering to knock I burst through the door. The scene before me was something totally unexpected.

The sounds of his music blaring signified he had been sulking. However, when I burst in, Edward was completely immersed in composition. I hadn't seen Edward this into writing music in awhile. He looked up at me questioningly. "Oh, Hi … We need to talk Edward."

EPOV

I was in the middle of the Bella inspired piano solo when Rose burst through my bedroom door. She looked angry and then confused. I just looked up at her, really I had no interest in bantering with my sister. "Oh, Hi…We need to talk Edward." I was truly curious. It'd been awhile since Rose decided we needed to talk.

"Sure, what's up?" I spoke to her in a near yell due to the loud music flowing through my speakers. Closer by Nine Inch Nails was filling the room. Rose looked annoyed, it wasn't her favorite type of music. I picked up the stereo remote and paused the song. "Ok, what's up Rose?"

"It's about Bella. I know you don't want me to talk about her. But this involves both of us in a way." She looked very serious. I put my pencil down and pushed the sheet music aside. Satisfied with my attention she continued. "I went with Alice to Port Angeles tonight. On our way back I made a comment about how I don't like Bella. Alice got really pissed off. I guess she's rather protective of the little bitch." I growled at her description of Bella. Rose looked apologetically at me so I let it slide. "Anyway. She informed me that Bella isn't competition for me." She stopped and watched me for a second.

My emotions scattered every which direction, finally landing on pleased. If Bella wasn't competition for Rose, that meant she wasn't going after Emmett. "Yeah, that was the look I had too. But I was wrong. Alice basically told me that Bella and Emmett would end up together. That they're meant to be together, they always have." What?! No. Bella can't end up with him. I want her. "Yep, that's what I thought. It infuriates you as much as it does me. So. We need to work together dear brother."

She was right. I needed to fight for Bella. I needed to win. "Ok, what's your plan?" Typically I'd avoid coercing with Rosalie. She tended to be a bit vindictive when she started plotting, but in this case, I really wanted Bella. I couldn't explain it. I had this undying need to be near her. I was drawn to her. More than I had been to any other woman. Did I love her? Hell if I know. I just knew she had to be mine. Sure I liked her. I mean really liked her, but I had no idea what love was, so how could I love her?

"Well. Tomorrow is the ball. I assume you will be meeting up at Emmett and Alice's to help out. So, I figure if we both just keep Bella and Emmett apart. That will help. Then, I will look absolutely perfect for the ball. Alice and I picked out the cutest outfit. I already know Emmett can't resist me when I totally attack him." She smiled. I really didn't want to know what was going through her head at that moment. "I think I can corner him. That's where you come in. You need to make sure Bella sees him with me. I mean really with me." She raised her eyebrow making sure I was following.

"If what Alice told you is true, that'll devastate Bella." My face fell. I really didn't want Bella upset. She didn't deserve Rose's scheming. But, this may be the only way to make her yours. No. Not at the risk of making her cry. Ahh, but if she cries, we'll be there to dry up the tears.

Rose shrugged. "True. It'll hurt, but then, that's the point. She needs to know Emmett has chosen me and he needs to know she's broken beyond repair. It's not nice Edward. But sometimes taking what you want, what you deserve isn't nice. The question is - how bad do you want her?" Rose had backed me into a corner. Somewhere along the way her sick plan made sense. If Bella was hurting, I'd be there to hold her, to adore her.

"Ok. I'm in." I looked at Rose with determination. She smiled back like a hungry wolf. The woman could be fanatical.

APOV

When I entered the house it was nearly silent. The lights were all turned off and everyone had seemingly retreated to their bedrooms. I knew better. They all probably had been up until I sent the text to Jasper. I smiled to myself. I loved how they did what they could to keep me happy. Walking past Bella's room, I stopped to listen. She was crying. I could barely hear the sobs. She probably had a pillow over her head, just in case. My heart broke for her, but I doubted she wanted to be interrupted so I headed up the stairs.

I was passing Emmett's room and I could hear the notes of some song playing quietly in the background. It wasn't loud or full of energy, which was rather odd for Emmett. I figured I should check in on him. I knocked lightly on the door. "Em, you in there?"

"Come on in Alice." He sounded so distant. When I opened the door, I could see him lying on top of his charcoal grey comforter staring at the ceiling. Now that I was in his room I could hear the music more clearly. He'd been listening to Secondhand Serenade. This was completely out of the norm for Emmett. He was definitely a hard rock kinda guy.

"What's up Emmett?" I sat down next to him. I love this comforter. Good thing I picked it out. Yep. LOVE it. So soft… I had to refocus my attention on my brother.

He sighed but didn't look at me. "She's still hurting so badly Alice. I saw her cry again tonight." The lyrics to Fall for You filling the room. Emmett sang along. "But I have loved you from the start…That's my favorite part of this song you know. So true." He didn't need to explain, I knew what he meant. "Anyway. We were all having such a good time. Jaz and I negotiated to play one round of Halo. Then Bella got to pick a movie. Of course you know Bells. She went directly for Tim Burton." He half laughed, but only for a second. "Corpse Bride." Then I thought I heard him say 'fucking Corpse Bride' under his breath.

"Yeah, that's a good one. Bella always likes that one." I smiled knowing she had managed to get the boys to watch it yet again. "So what happened?" It didn't make sense. Why would Corpse Bride make Bella cry?

"Damned lyrics I tell you. I love music but sometimes it's just…wrong." I was thoroughly confused. Honestly, I never really listened to the lyrics in that movie. It was a good movie, but it was Bella and Emmett's thing, not mine. "You know that part, where the Emily sings about how Victoria is so much better for Victor than she is? The part about how Victoria has a pulse and such."

Then it clicked. Oh Shit. Bella had related to Emily. She was sacrificing her feelings for Emmett's possible happiness. "But… oh Emmett, this isn't your fault. Bella's damned stubborn sometimes. If she'd think about how the story ends, she'd realize how wrong she is." I hoped I remember the story correctly. I thought that Emily and Victor ended up together in the end…

Emmett snorted. "Umm, Alice… that movie doesn't really have that happy of an ending. Nice try though." He sighed. "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that mid song I turned to look at Bella and she was silently crying. That is my fault. If I hadn't waited so damned long to realize how special she is to me then there would have been no misunderstanding with Rosalie and I wouldn't want to strangle Edward." The music changed to Dashboard Confessional As Lovers Go.

"Emmett, it'll work out. Just give her some time. I'll talk to her later, after the party. I don't want to drop shit on her before a big event. She's still bringing Edward, but I think he knows now that she's only going as friends." Bella had mentioned she told him she wanted friendship more than anything. Then I remember Rosalie. "Umm, Emmett. Rosalie is coming tomorrow you know. Can you play nice? For me?"

He sighed again and groaned a bit. "Yeah Alice. I'll play nice, just keep her away from me and from Bella. The last thing Bella needs is some crazy woman talking shit to her."

"I know Emmett. I also warned Rosalie. She knows you're not interested and she knows that she'll have hell to pay if she so much as glares at Bella." I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you Em. I know you're hurting, but it'll all work out in the end. I know it will." He mumbled something as I left.

JPOV

I was feigning sleep when Alice opened our bedroom door. I knew I'd be in deep shit if she came in and I was still awake. She crossed the room to her closet. I heard her drop her clothes in the laundry basket. It took her a few minutes to get what she wanted out of the closet. Then she crossed back toward our bed. I was working very hard to remain still.

She pulled the thick silver comforter back and crawled in next to me. Her warm body molding to mine. Her face pressed between my shoulder blades. "I know you're awake baby. No need to pretend." I smiled and rolled over to meet her gaze.

"What can I say? I can't sleep without you." I pulled her closer and kissed her passionately. "Besides, I didn't wanna get in trouble for being up too late." I grinned as she laughed.

"Oh baby, I didn't say you weren't in trouble…" She kissed me again and bit my bottom lip. "I just said you shouldn't pretend. You should know by now that I know everything that goes on in this house." Now it was my turn to laugh. I remembered Bella's comment about cameras.

"Yes sweetheart I do. Forgive me?" I gave her my most pleading look. "Please????" Then I kissed her again and began trailing kissed down her neck.

She moaned. "All is forgiven baby. But you will be punished..." I looked at her questioningly. "It's late baby. We can't do this now or we'll both be dead tired tomorrow and I cannot look like shit tomorrow."

That's my Alice. Give up sex for some damned public appearance. I smiled inwardly. "Sweetheart, how many times do I have to tell you, you never look like shit." She rolled over and pulled my arms around her. I could smell her hair, feel her warm body against mine. She was close enough I could feel each one of her heartbeats.

"Thank you baby, but you still aren't getting laid tonight."

I whined a bit, but could see I was getting nowhere. "It's fine baby, we have tomorrow." I kissed her neck and tightened my grip on her. In truth, I couldn't wait for tomorrow. I would propose to Alice in front of all our friends. I would ask her to be mine - forever. "Sweet dreams Alice. I love you."

"Mmm… Love you too Jaz."