so, here's another Laurent point of view chapter. yay. :D

hey, you also might want to check out my friend's story "Be Happy," it may not sound like it, but it is a Edward and Bella story, i promise. it's her first fanfiction, and personally i think it's amazingly written. if you're not a Jake fan though, you might want to stay away from it though, lol.

kay. end author's note.

So give me all you poison,
and give me all your pills
and give me all your hopeless hearts
and make me ill
Thank You for the Venom

I shut the door behind me as I stepped into the winter air. By the time I looked up, Anthony and Emilie were already absorbed in a snowball fight. The white balls of ice flew through the air, soaking them both. I couldn't contain the small smile that crept across my lips as I saw them. Kids could be so adorable. And Emilie, she was another thing entirely. . .

For the first time, I was struck by how beautiful she really was. Her radiant smile was enchanting; her inhumanly white teeth shining like the snow below her. Her laugh was like wind chimes, tinkling like music. I couldn't recall a more stunning creature, not in any of my three-hundred years. When the thought first crossed my mind, I took even myself by surprise, and had to look away.

What the hell was I thinking? She was Emilie. Of all people, Emilie! She was the sarcastic, pain in the ass girl who had just joined our family. Yes, I cared about her, but she was just a friend, my sister's best friend, for that matter. Besides the fact, I was just starting to get over Tanya, the woman that I could have so easily fallen in love with.

But despite all that, when I turned back to them, she still looked like beauty incarnate. I mentally slapped myself. What was wrong with me?

"Laurent?" she called, tilting her head to one side. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I replied, blinking a few times. Hah, as if that could somehow clear my head of all the absurd thoughts going through my mind. "I was just thinking, is all."

"Don't let your brain explode, sweetie." She smirked.

My eyes narrowed, and I opened my mouth to retort, but my words were interrupted by a sudden wetness in my side. I looked down, and a ball of ice was sliding down my hip.

Anthony giggled, and looked down at the snow innocently. An idea came to my mind, and I smirked.

"Emilie, did you just throw a snowball at me?"

Her eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed. "Anthony did it!"

"Oh Emilie, that's low," I said, shaking my head. "Blaming your violence on little children. Shame on you."

"Yeah," Anthony grinned, falling for my ruse, "shame on you, Emmlee."

"Why I oughta. . ." she trailed off, and got a dark look in her eyes. She crouched down, and the next thing I knew, she was flying towards me, tackling me to the snow. I could feel the shock on my face, as she glowered at me from above, her perfect, furious face only inches from mine.

"You bastard!" she snapped.

My eyes widened, "Emilie, not in front of the child!"

"Oh, so you can be a bastard in front of him, but I can't say it?" she retorted, continuing to glower at me.

I frowned. Why did it bother me so, to have her upset with me? I didn't know what the cause was for this sudden feeling of hurt coursing through me, but I didn't like it one bit.

My eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry," I said, pathetically.

She blinked, surprised by my unexpected remorse. "You should be," she said. She sounded like she was trying to sound angry, but at the same time, she sounded somewhat confused. Her eyes shifted to Anthony, and she got off me. She settled for sitting cross-legged in the snow nearby me.

I heard the sound of Bella shutting the door, as she and Edward exited the house. She jingled the car keys in her hand, and smiled at the boy.

"You hungry, Anthony?" she asked, remembering his human needs. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"Kay," he said cheerfully.

He grinned, and trotted to Bella's side. He waved at us once, and followed the couple to the car.

Once they were gone, Emilie and I were alone again. I sighed, and watched the black Volvo drive off, until it was no longer visible, even to my sensitive eyes. The two of us sat in silence, as we watched the light began to fade. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, as it fell below the horizon. I looked down at my hands, and saw the familiar shining of my skin. Beside me, Emilie gasped.

I turned my head to face her, and I had to gasp too. She looked absolutely radiant in the glow of the sun, shining like diamonds were imbedded into her white skin. If possible, she looked even more beautiful.

"Laurent," she said, her eyes wide. "You . . . you seem to be sparking."

I had to laugh. "It's a vampire thing,"

"Wait a second. . ." she looked down at her own skin, and took in a loud intake of breath. "Holy crap!"

"Why do you think we live in Alaska?"

She shrugged. "You were once Eskimos?"

I burst out laughing, "No Emilie, it's because we're practically made of granite. We couldn't very well walk around Florida, now could we?"

"I suppose this would provoke a few questions, huh?" She lifted her hand up to examine it closer.

"Just a few," I smirked.

The sun disappeared again, and she returned to the non-glowing, but still beautiful, vampire I was used to.

"I wonder. . ." I mused aloud, looking down at the blades of grass breaking through the snow. I pulled one from its roots, and twisted it between my fingers.

"What?" she asked, her voice alight with curiosity.

I sighed. "I was thinking about what would have happened," I said, avoiding her eyes. Instead, I focused on tearing the blade to small pieces. "What would have happened if the Volturi never got to Tanya, if she hadn't joined them? Would we have been happy?"

"Perhaps," she replied, forming a snowball in her hands, and crushing it in her hands. "But I suppose that's something we'll never know."

I looked up, and noticed she was avoiding my eyes as well. I briefly wondered why before answering. "I still wonder,"

"Don't dwell on the 'what ifs,'" she said, finally looking up, and locking her crimson eyes with my coffee ones. "That won't get you anywhere, but miserable."

I laughed without any trace of humor. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

"And the future is completely unclear," she said, looking towards the sunset. "What would you rather think about, regrets of your past, or possibilities of the future?"

I sighed. "What future?"

She rolled her eyes, and scoffed. "Oh, please."

"What?"

"You have an eternity, Laurent." She said, shaking her head. "You have plenty of time to work up a decent future."

"I suppose that's true. . . ."

She smiled. "Of course it is," she replied. "After all, I'm the one who said it. I'm always right, you should know that."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course,"

"Of course," she giggled.

"I meant what I said before you know," I pointed out.

"About me being intelligent?"

I smiled wryly. "Well, that too. But, it's not what I'm getting at."

She cocked her head, "Then what?" she asked.

"About me caring about you," I replied, as if it were completely obvious.

She scowled. "Don't start. . ."

"I mean it!" I said, the exasperation obvious in my tone.

"Of course you do," she snapped. Twilight was falling upon the earth, the land getting darker by the moment, coincidentally much like Emilie's mood.

I frowned. "Why must you insist on not believing me?"

"Because," she snapped.

"Because why?" I asked. I felt like a child.

"It's none of your business." She growled.

"I believe it is," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"No, it's not," she seethed.

"Please tell me," I said, my eyes begging her to tell me the truth. I couldn't imagine why she wouldn't tell me, or why she couldn't even believe me in the first place.

"No,"

"Please?" I begged again.

She groaned. "Because, when I was human," she began, looking away. "No one ever noticed me. Now, suddenly someone does, and it's not just any someone, but someone that I happen to care about too? No, that's not possible. You're only saying that because you feel bad about my embarrassing little outburst. You feel sorry for me, that's all."

"That's absurd!" I exclaimed, "What on earth would give you such an idea?"

"You know it when no one notices you," she replied simply. "It's very easy to tell. My parents didn't even notice me half the time. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that I've never been the type to let people in, ever." She shrugged, "But it seems you're pretty good at getting things out of me."

"Oh," was all I could manage.

A long silence passed, before I finally had the courage to speak again.

"You're wrong," I said, looking at the snow again. "I care about you, Em. I'm your friend. I'll always be here for you. I would never lie about that."

I looked up to meet her eyes again, looking her eyes with the utmost sincerity. She stared at me in shock, seeming almost dazed. After a moment, she finally spoke.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking back down at her hands.

I wished that she would stop hiding her face from me. Why was she always so ashamed when she actually let emotion show? I would have to do something about that.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Thank you,"

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Believing me,"

She smiled. "You're welcome,"