Author's note: Alright guys, this is part II of III parts to the Epilogue. I swear to you it was just meant to be two parts, but I recently added so much in that it became a 35 page chapter! I figured this was probably too long, so I have separated it into parts 2 and 3. But don't worry, I will post up part 3 tomorrow, I just wanted to give you guys a day to read this one (for those who are really keen and can spare the time!) before posting up the next.
This part of the Epilogue was quite fun to write- a break in between the more serious aspects of Jake and Ness' wedding reception. This part is all written from one character's perspective (I won't tell you who, but you can probably tell by the name of the chapter). It is a new perspective, so I really hope you enjoy seeing things through this character's eyes!
So I hope you love the chapter, and please remember to review when you're done! I will post up the next and final chapter in 24 hours :)
Response to reviews:
ZenNoMai: Cool! Great minds think alike re. wondering about Sam/Emily's back story! Definitely would make a good movie for sure, but they probably won't do it :( I'm so glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially all the little moments with Rose and Jake. There is one moment in this one that I hope you will like (it's only small though). Believe it or not, one of my outtakes will consist of the conversation Rose and Jake have when they dance together! So I hope you enjoy it once I have gotten around to writing it! I decided to write that outtake solely due to you and your love of them being together :) So hopefully it lives up to your expectations!
pudget12: I'm so glad you loved that line in Edward's speech :) I thought it was a nice way of bringing things back to the moment when Ness first told her parents her feelings for Jake. I'm SO glad you loved Jasper and Emmett's comments regarding the house! I definitely chuckled when writing it! I'm so glad Jacob's speech also brought a tear to the eye. That was what I loved most about Breaking Dawn- the fact that you could so see how things were meant to be- that Bella was meant to fight for Ness, as a gift for Jacob. It all fits! :D And I so agree that Bells and Jake dancing together was bittersweet, you describe that moment perfectly. And as you have probably gathered from my author's note- this is not the final chapter (I just couldn't stop writing lol!) but the next one definitely will be. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one- I can't wait to hear what you think!
Eruhin: Tears are good, but I just feel like apologising anyway ;) I'm so glad you loved all the speeches- I definitely spent the most time on Edward's that's for sure. Haha, I'm glad you didn't think the house was too much of a stretch. Given their wealth as well as the resources (physical and material) that they possess, a house seemed like the only gift the Cullens would give their beautiful Renesmee (and her husband). I'm so glad I was able to introduce you to the back story of Emily and Sam :) It was definitely a story I enjoyed reading (from Stephenie's illustrated guide) and one I had wanted to hear about for ages! So I am delighted that you enjoyed that part of my story and learnt something true to canon about the characters! I'm so glad you liked Paul's POV and my characterisation of Rachel. It was difficult to work out what she'd be like, so I am glad you found her cute! And as you probably gathered from the Author's note- this is not the last chapter! But the second last. I will definitely be posting up the final one tomorrow. And yes, I am glad about the outtakes too, because I am not ready to let go of this story either! Thanks so much for being an amazing reviewer. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this chapter!
'Trust me'
Epilogue Part II: Epic opportunities
Emmett's POV
So the thing about living with the same people for over eighty years is that you begin to understand the way their minds work- the way they fight- the way they race.
Bella's transition into a vampire provided me with a bit of excitement, especially when she was a newborn. Not that I'm willing to talk about how I went against her back then… But after a year, I was on par with her again, thank God. Edward loved taking every opportunity (while he had the chance) to tease me about being beaten by a 'girl'. Of course, we were all being beaten by Bella- it was a little disconcerting to be honest! But I guess Edward knew I was the only one who didn't like the feeling of losing, so he rubbed it in while he could. Nowadays, it was pretty thrilling to watch Edward and Bella fight; given that my brother cannot hear Bella's thoughts, it makes for interesting competition. Now, you may not think that Edward wouldn't fight Bella, but she's pretty feisty, and it didn't take him long to realise that being a gentleman was no longer going to impress her; Bella had some guts of her own now that she possessed the vampire traits that provide her with the skills to fight well.
So with so many people at Jake and Ness' wedding reception, vampires and wolves alike, I was dying to get some fighting going- just pretend fighting of course, no injuries allowed… well irreparable injuries anyway. So after myself and Jazz danced with Ness, and spent roughly one hour catching up with the Denali, Amazon, and Irish covens (given we talk so fast, it didn't take long), we then decided to migrate to an arable area in the forest surrounding our property, so we could begin some fighting matches without disturbing anyone who didn't want to join. This didn't stop me from inviting as many people as possible to come with us though. Ness and Jacob were still dancing with Sam and Emily, so they were out for now. Carlisle and Esme were speaking with Billy, but said they would join us later (probably to adjudicate than anything else). Seth, Embry, and Quil were pretty game, as they usually were, to have some fun, so they joined us, along with all members of the visiting vampire covens, Rose, and Alice.
As we ran to the location, I was thinking of the various ways we could compete against one another in a fair game.
"Yo, Jazz!" I called to Jasper who was ahead of me and already stationed on the other side of the field.
"Yeah?" he yelled back.
"Any idea what we can do?"
Jasper looked around at our 'competition' to see what would suit us best
"There's so many of us, I reckon a tournament."
Oooo, nice, I said to myself.
"Sounds sweet. What kind? Fighting or speed?"
"Whichever," he called back.
Alright, let's get this started, I growled to myself, rubbing my hands together.
I clapped my hands loudly, which sounded like two stones being thrown against one another, to get everyone's attention.
"Thanks for coming everyone! Welcome to our family's 'sports field' if you will," I announced, gesturing towards the large telegraph lights we had set up around the field when we first moved to Forks. "My brother and I were thinking that we could have a competition or two happening. After all, how many times do we have so many wolves and vampires in the same area? So I'll leave it up to you guys, do you want to race or fight? Or we can do both if people don't really mind?"
At first, everyone began talking amongst each other- I couldn't pick out any of their ideas or opinions.
"Hey guys, speak up, I can't hear you!"
Eleazer put up his hand, and then walked forward to indicate that he wished to speak to the group as a whole.
"I have a couple of thoughts if you would like to hear them?" he offered.
"Sure," I allowed.
"Given the evolution of both the wolves and the vampires, I think, with the exception of Edward, we are reasonably evenly matched in terms of speed. So I would think a fighting tournament would be most interesting- we all have different styles, and while some of us are more experienced than others," Eleazer admitted, nodding briefly at Jasper. "I would be interested to test out the fighting capabilities of the wolves, and my fellow race."
"Okay, sounds good- does anyone disagree with Eleazer?"
Kate raised her hand as she began to talk.
"Only problem is that some of the vampires have gifts that could give them an advantage," she smirked.
"Well we wouldn't want anyone to be disadvantaged right from the beginning would we?" I asked Kate, a hint of playful sarcasm in my voice. "So obviously there needs to be some rules put into place because we want this tournament to be as fair as we can make it," I announced to the group as a whole. "So here's how it's going to be. Vampires with gifts, you can't use them!" I asserted, a huge smile on my face, knowing some of them would not be pleased with that. "So Kate, you can't shock someone and then say you beat them while they're writhing on the floor," I teased her.
"Hey! I'm not going to cheat, Emmett!"
"Yeah, sure," I grinned at her playfully; I knew she wouldn't really cheat. "So Alice, sorry girly, but you can only compete against the wolves or anyone who is okay with you being able to see the outcome!" Alice poked her tongue out at me.
"And finally, and most importantly, we are not trying to hurt each other, alright?"
There were some groans coming from the wolves and vampires alike. I gave them a grim smile.
"I hope you guys are joking," I said, eyeing them all carefully.
"They are!" Jasper answered on their behalf, and I guess he would know if there was any genuine desire to hurt one another.
"So to clarify, vampires are not allowed to break bones. I think bruises and cracked bones may be inevitable though. Wolves are free to do whatever they want to us vampires as long as they don't pull a limb off our bodies. If your opponent surrenders, you are to stop fighting immediately," I emphasised, not wanting this to get out of control. "When you pair up, it doesn't matter who you pair with, but try to get to know members of the other race or other covens," I encouraged them, knowing that most would probably try to stick with their own species.
Man this is going to be epic, I said to myself, anticipating my first fight, and watching the wolves and vampires going head to head.
"And finally, when one member in a pair surrenders, the other person is considered the winner, and they will move on to compete against another winner. Just talk amongst each other to work out who your potential opponents are. Eventually, it will come down to the final fight."
"Does the winner get anything?" someone I couldn't quite see asked. They were standing beneath one of the trees. I squinted my eyes and saw it was one of Sam's pack members.
"Who asked that?" I queried, hoping someone, if not the speaker himself, would answer me.
"Jared!" the guy called back.
I searched through my mind trying to recall which one was Jared. Ah, right: Sam's Beta.
"Hmm, I suppose the title of being the best fighter is not enough?" I grinned stupidly knowing that it wouldn't be.
My audience laughed.
"Anybody have any suggestions then?"
"Given the resources available to us, I am sure the winner, whoever they may be, can choose what they would like- we can negotiate," Jasper suggested.
"Are you okay with that?" I asked Jared.
"Sure," he said, and then walked forward to join his brothers in the field.
"Alright, so we're ready to start- anyone who isn't competing, please do us a favour and watch those who are to make sure they don't break the rules," I requested.
I saw a couple of people nod in agreement- that would have to be enough for now. Hopefully if Edward, Bella, and the others joined us later, they could provide more supervision.
"Let's go!" I shouted, then immediately grabbed Eleazer and suggested we fight.
He accepted my challenge, so we found a spot away from the others so we could have a wide area to be able to move around in.
Rosalie stood aside to watch us battle, as she usually did; she only ever entered such competitions against our immediate family.
Eleazer and I faced each other and crouched down low. I could hear the others pairing up with one another, the Quileutes briefly disappearing into the forest to phase. But I wasn't paying much attention to them; I only had eyes for my opponent.
"On three," Rosalie adjudicated us. "One, two, three!" she shouted.
The wind flew past my ears as I pelted towards Eleazer, determined to defeat him. Ten minutes and nine seconds later, I had Eleazer under me; my knees were sitting on the joints that connect his arms to his shoulders. He tried to flip himself up using his legs, but I dug my weight into the ground as much as possible. After a couple more attempts to fling me off him, he groaned:
"I surrender, Emmett."
I immediately got up, held out my hand, and pulled him to his feet. There, he rolled his shoulders and I heard a couple of pops as his joints fell back into place.
"You alright, man?"
"Yeah, I forgot how strong you are. You definitely know how to use it to your advantage," Eleazer complimented me, clapping me on the shoulder.
"Ha, thanks. You can't really get away with being Jasper's brother without picking up some useful tips."
"You'll have to teach me one day," Eleazer insisted eagerly, and I could tell that he really wanted to improve his style; he wasn't just being polite.
One thing he could definitely beat me at was being a gracious loser; I could never hope to be that composed after losing. I had to respect him for that.
"For sure. You're staying for a couple of days right?"
"Yep."
"Well after this tournament, I'm sure Jazz and I will be free to teach you."
"Great!" Eleazer said. He then shook my hand, and then ran over to where Carmen was battling against Seth.
Now that I think on it, I haven't fought Seth for about six years. Could it really be that long? I think it has been- I would have to go against him at some stage; if not today, then another.
"Well done, Babe!" Rose congratulated me, giving me a kiss on the lips.
"Thanks Rose," I said. "Can you see anyone else who is looking for a partner?"
The two of us looked around, but we couldn't see anyone who was obviously searching for an opponent. Deciding that it would be fastest to yell out, I advertised myself.
"Any winners looking for a partner?"
No one looked over at me or volunteered themselves.
"Hmm weird," I muttered to Rosalie.
"Maybe they're just too afraid to go against you, Babe?" Rose joked, a musical laugh escaping her lips.
I laughed with her. "Nah I think these wolves are pretty fearless, and the vampires would have no reason to avoid me," I pointed out to her, though I still appreciated her compliment.
I surveyed my fellow fighters again, and then began walking around, watching other matches whilst searching for my own potential partner. I then saw someone walking past the entry to our enclosed area. I ran closer, so I could see more clearly who it was. Rose was right on my heels.
"Hey, Paul!" I called out to the guy, hoping it was Paul because then I would have found myself a partner.
Paul looked my way, but didn't say anything as he kept walking.
"He doesn't want to, Em," Rose said quickly, knowing what I would be thinking.
"He doesn't even know what we're going, Rose. I might as well try," I told her and then sprinted over to him.
Paul stopped walking when he saw me quickly approaching. My sudden appearance seemed to agitate him a little, and I became concerned when I saw him shaking slightly.
"Hey, woah man!" I said quickly, holding up my hands in surrender; I didn't want to cause any problems. "Calm down," I suggested seriously so he knew I wasn't making fun of him.
"What do you want?" he demanded, his fists clenched by his side.
With my hands still up, I answered him. "In the grove behind me, there's a few of us, vampires and wolves who are having a fighting competition. Do you want to join?" I invited him, hoping he would say yes, because he seemed like a formidable opponent, someone who fought more on instinct rather than strategy.
"No thanks," he answered curtly, then continued walking.
"Aww, come on man. The winner gets to choose any prize that is available to them, within reason of course," I added, wondering what Carlisle would say if someone wanted twenty grand.
"No," Paul said more firmly. I wanted to ask him what was bothering him, but I wasn't game; I could tell he was a little angry about something.
"But Jared is in on it. It'll be cool to have the opportunity to fight some wolves with rules in place, rather than simply trying to kill each other. The rules are: we're not allowed to break your bones, wolves cannot tear us apart, and if someone surrenders, the other must give in straight away. Winners fight the winners, and the losers can fight other losers if they wish. Eventually we'll get down to a final battle, and you wouldn't want to miss that," I told him playfully. "Come on, I'm looking for someone to go up against."
Paul studied me for a moment as he stared into my eyes. He was taking deep breaths but I could tell he was considering my offer. I wasn't sure whether it was because Jared was a part of our tournament, or my subtly challenging him that made Paul eventually concede.
"Fine," he replied shortly.
I cheered. "Yeah! Awesome! Come on then," I encouraged him, leading the way back to the clearing. I noticed that Rose paused for a moment before following me, and I knew she was staring at Paul to make sure he didn't have bad intentions. But I understood the guy; Edward had told me to keep an eye out on him because he doesn't support the Black and Cullen families coming together. So the only way, I reckon, Paul would have voluntarily been in our company was if he was fighting us, for real or for sport.
"Be back in a moment," Paul told me as he ran into the shelter of the trees to phase.
"Are you sure about this, Em?" Rose asked me, watching Paul's retreating back with caution.
"Yeah Rose, and besides you'll be there to protect me if anything happens," I reminded her and then quickly pecked her on the cheek, just as Paul was returning.
Then I realised how complicated it would be to work out if he wanted to surrender or not. I never thought of that. I briefly looked around to see if anyone else was having that issue. It didn't seem like it.
"I just realised that I won't know if you'll want to surrender. So if you do, not saying you will, but if you do… Umm, I suppose I'll be able to tell. But if not then make eye contact with Rose over here," I said gesturing towards my wife. Paul nodded his understanding.
"Alright, so remember no dismembering," I reminded him cheekily.
He gave me a toothy grin in return. It looked rather menacing, but I had the feeling he would be honourable and keep to the rules.
"Your turn, Babe," I said looking over my shoulder at Rose. She slowly walked between us and started to count down.
"On three. One, two, three!" She then immediately got out of our way.
Paul and I crouched low, staring each other down. No doubt he was just biding his time waiting for the perfect moment to attack, while I was thinking of various strategies I could use against him. I have fought Seth, Quil, and Embry on occasion, though not for a few years, so Jacob has really been my only consistent wolf opponent, but even then, he spent most of his time with Ness nowadays. So fighting against Paul, who is older and more experienced than the others would, I hope, provide me with some new challenges.
A snarl escaped through Paul's teeth, and the next second, he raced towards me. I jumped out of his way at the last minute so he would think he stood a chance of getting me, and then turned around to face him again. If I wanted, I could have latched onto him as he ran by, but decided to observe him a little instead to try and work out what he was doing. If this was going to be his strategy, it wasn't going to work; I was too quick for him and his actions were too predictable. Despite all this, the guy kept running at me, twisting his large head around as he leapt towards my body, no doubt hoping to latch onto some part of my body, but he never did. Deciding I better do something otherwise we'd get no where, when Paul next ran at me, I moved aside only slightly, and then jumped onto his back when he was still in mid-air. Then together we came crashing down to the ground. I had expected Paul to land comfortably on his front legs, but suddenly, his body lurched underneath me.
At first I thought this was one of his strategies to get me off him, and it almost would have worked because I was not expecting him to react so immediately. But then I realised that my extra weight (which he must have underestimated) resulted in him losing his footing. The sudden roll of his torso was because he twisted his left forepaw. But I still held on to him, my arms around his neck. I could feel him limping, but he was determined to continue fighting.
Beneath my arms I felt Paul's neck twist around. For a moment I saw one of his brown eyes, and I thought he was going to attempt to bite my arm which was still wrapped around him. But instead, he flipped around and then collapsed to the ground, his entire weight ploughing into my chest as I was sandwiched between the right side of his body and the ground. My left arm was still wrapped securely around his neck which is probably what he was trying to loosen so he could be free of me. So I took no time in using my position to my advantage. Still caught under Paul's weight, I used my hand as a distraction for Paul while I tried to get my left leg free; I had a plan. Faster than anyone could see (even Paul), I removed my arm from around his neck, then clenched my hand into a fist. Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, believing I was about to punch him in the face, he rolled slightly away from me which gave my leg the freedom I was after. Paul's intention was to get up, now that his neck was free of me, but he wasn't fast enough, and I managed to kick him in his lower back.
Paul howled in pain, his back arching as the force of my kick (which was only at half the strength I was capable of) which forced his legs to splay for a moment. But he soon righted himself, and it didn't seem like I had caused him any serious injury. Although still limping on his left forepaw, Paul quickly turned around to face me looking livid. His eyes looked wild and his breaths were quick and audible above the barks, howls, and various sounds of stone on stone from our competition.
He was mad.
He was definitely mad.
The gap between us was only four meters. Paul never took his eyes off me as he took two steps towards me. Only a three meter gap separated us now. He was still limping, but he hardly seemed to notice it, and when someone is able to ignore their injury, you know they are focused; the adrenaline rush had kicked in.
A growl rippled between his teeth, and I knew that if I didn't stay focused I could be in trouble. Nevertheless, I growled back at my opponent as I was thinking about how to exploit his injury.
After twenty seconds, I formed a decent strategy that would hopefully result in Paul's demise. I was about to feint to my right to force Paul to put pressure on his left ankle, when I saw a figure move out of the corner of my eye. It was only small because they were standing towards the entrance to the field, but it caught my attention.
"Paul!" the woman shrieked. I was wondering what she was screaming about; we weren't doing much more than growling, until I felt a powerful, sharp grip clamp down on my left shoulder. Paul had latched on to me during that moment of distraction. Well if that's the way he was going to play…
I used my right arm to force his jaws off of me. This didn't work however, so I ended up kicking him in the gut, sending him flying. With a howl, Paul released me as he sprawled on the ground some five meters away.
"Oh my God, Paul stop!" I heard the same woman yell as she was running towards us. I quickly turned to my right to see Jake's sister, Rachel looking beyond panicked as she stared at her husband on the ground. I knew I had to turn around to face Paul before the guy could use my distraction to his advantage again.
Although my attention was back on my opponent, I heard Rosalie intervene before Rachel could take another step towards us.
"Wait, stop!" Rose yelled urgently, and I had no doubt Rosalie had reached out and grabbed Rachel's wrist to prevent her from coming any closer to us lest she get injured.
"What is he doing? I told him not to-" I could hear her struggling against Rose's grip, and I imagined my wife having to hold her in a hug from behind to restrain her given that she would bruise Rachel's wrist if she continued to hold on to it.
"It's fine- they're fine," Rosalie reassured her quickly. "My husband invited yours to enter a fighting tournament; they are competing."
"He looks hurt!" she protested, clearly upset. I was surprised Paul wasn't reacting to his wife's distress, but perhaps due to the myriad of noises around us, he couldn't hear what was happening as well as I could.
"Emmett won't seriously injure him," Rose tried to console her, and that was the last I heard from either of them.
I turned my fullest attention back to Paul who hadn't done much in the interim; no doubt he was recovering from being kicked in the stomach, and I wasn't about to continue our battle when he was down; it wouldn't be fair. But now, we were back to staring at each other again. As Paul was putting most of his weight on his right foreleg, I planned to exploit his injury again. I did so, but he was quick to change his direction, and I found myself unpleasantly surprised by his swiftness. It was almost as if he knew I would try to increase the seriousness of his injury by feinting. When I went to my right, he went to his, knowing I would be turning that way shortly after, and the moment I did, he ploughed his full weight against me. We were now shoulder to shoulder, his left against my body. That's when I realised he had exaggerated the seriousness of his injury, purely to trick me into thinking I could gain the upper hand by forcing him to walk on his left forepaw. Wow, I really should not have underestimated him; this guy knew how to use strategy.
I furiously pressed against Paul; trying to work out the most effective way of rendering him incapacitated so I could win our match- I was certain we had been battling for at least 20 minutes. I was about to release the force I was exerting on him, so inertia would force him to fall forward which would give me the opportunity to grab him in a head-lock, when Paul's neck lurched forward as he went to bite my face. I ducked slightly out of reflex which forced me to stop pushing against him. As I flinched I saw two huge paws in front of me, and the next thing I knew I was being forced to the ground by those paws. I tried to get up, but the moment my back reached the grass beneath me, I found three hundred kilos worth of wolf standing on top of me. His paws were on my corresponding shoulders right where my arms were connected to my torso. Paul's hind paws were on my ankles. I moved my legs from under him in the hope he would slip up and lose his grip on me. But it didn't seem to bother him that his hind legs hit the ground some fifteen centimetres below him; the pressure on my shoulders stayed as strong as ever.
Instead, he moved his position slightly so his hind paws were on my legs again, right on my kneecaps. I tried to heave my body up, and I began to twist it quickly, but he was putting so much pressure on me, I could barely move. Paul's hot breath was blowing into my face, his eyes glaring into mine. He was breathing heavily and I could see he was determined to beat me. Each failed attempt I made to escape him seemed to fuel his determination, and increased the pressure he was placing on my shoulders. It was highly uncomfortable. The position I was in reminded me of the one I had Eleazer in not long ago. Now I understood how strange it felt, though at least I wasn't standing on Eleazer's kneecaps!
I stared at Paul for a while, hoping to distract him long enough that a sudden lurch or movement would be unexpected. But no matter what I tried, the wolf did not get off me. I knew there was no point in continuing our battle, especially given that there were plenty of others to compete with and already we had spent half an hour just with each other. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to say the words: 'I surrender' or 'You win'. I had only ever lost a fight to my brothers and sisters, and even then they were hard losses to take. Any wolf I have fought with, in fun, lost against me (except Jacob on a couple of occasions). Yet I had to admit that Paul had done well, despite being a hot-head, he knew how to devise effective strategies, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was competing against his own brothers when he devised them to begin with.
After one final lurch to the side, Paul's wild eyes still bearing down on me, I finally uttered.
"You win."
At this, Paul immediately got off me, though he was still breathing heavily. I think he was wondering how I would react to being beaten.
After moving my shoulders to make sure they hadn't popped out of their sockets, I carefully stood up in case my knees gave way for whatever reason. When I was certain I was okay, I took two long strides towards Paul, whose eyes widened when he saw my quick approach.
I held out my hand to show that all I wanted to do was clap him on the shoulder.
"Good battle, Man," I said to him, forcing myself to smile even though I was cringing at my defeat.
Paul barked in reply. I wasn't sure what, if anything, he was trying to say, but I had a feeling he was returning the compliment back to me.
"See, it wasn't so bad; you beat me!" I laughed trying to make light of the situation, hoping that perhaps our little competition had brightened his day a bit. I was dying to say: 'See? It's not so bad that we're family', but decided not to push him that far just yet.
"Though I think your wife may have been a bit worried about you," I laughed again, remembering the look on Rachel's face when she saw what we were doing. I laughed harder when I saw Paul's shock; I was right in thinking that Paul had no idea Rachel was watching us- the guy was really into the fight.
I then watched as Paul's demeanour immediately changed from the formidable fighter he just was, to the loving wolf of his imprint. He immediately turned to his left and ran up to Rachel, clearly eager to reassure her that he was okay. I was happy to see that the girl had calmed down a little, though she was still staring at us wide-eyed as if wondering whether our fight was really over.
I followed after Paul to be with my wife and see what she would say about my loss. I knew she'd be supportive as always, but hopefully it was clear I did my best, and had to give up.
"Aww, Babe," Rose said sympathetically, though the subtle scowl on her face showed me that she was disappointed I had lost to a wolf.
"Yeah, but he was a formidable opponent," I praised Paul loudly enough so he could hear. I might as well butter him up for Rachel, Jake and Ness' sake- at least one good thing could come out of my defeat.
Paul and Rachel both turned to look at me; Rach smiled appreciatively and Paul gave another bark.
"Anyway, I guess I better get going, there's still heaps more people I need to compete with," I informed Rose, rubbing my hands together and examining my competition. I was a little heart broken that I needed to find other 'losers' now, but I suppose it didn't matter; all I really wanted was to have a few fights.
"It's good of you to be able to continue going, Babe. I love that you never give up," Rose praised me, then gave me a quick peck on my lips.
"Aww, thanks Rose," I said back, returning her kiss. "Alright, here I go," I announced to no one in particular.
I was about to start my search when Paul stood in my path, Rachel right beside him.
"Hey Man, what's up?" I asked the wolf.
He tilted his head towards his imprint and then titled his head behind him towards the various fights that were still occurring.
I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but decided that if I had a guess he'd be able to nod or shake his head until I worked out what he wanted to say.
"Rachel can't come any closer, it's a bit dangerous," I informed him, looking sympathetically at Rachel.
But Paul was shaking his head.
"Um, well she can stay here with Rose while you battle your next opponent-"
"So he's not finished?" Rachel asked me, slightly crestfallen. And now I could see what Paul wanted me to explain given that he couldn't.
"Ah, well no. I mean, we can't force him to continue, but he beat me, so he goes into the next round," I explained, feeling conflicted because I could see Rachel didn't want Paul to continue competing. "If he is the winner, he'll get a prize, but he needs to compete against other people who have won until there's just two people left. We're not allowed to break bones, so any damage that may be done to him will heal quickly," I explained optimistically.
Rachel looked between me and Paul, her face uncertain, and a frown on her lips.
Eventually she replied. "Okay, but stay safe Paul," she insisted with a sigh, and I could tell she was worried that Paul's temper may get the better of him if things didn't go well against another vampire. "I don't want you to get hurt too badly."
Paul moved closer to Rachel so she could hug him. I heard him release a hum that seemed to come from deep in his chest. This seemed to relax his imprint. I could see that he didn't like worrying her, but I knew him and I knew he would like to win if he could, especially against vampires.
"Don't take too long, good luck, and stay safe!" Rach insisted, reminding him again of safety. I was sure no one would dream of doing any permanent damage to Paul, or any of the wolves due to the intense pain it would cause Jasper and Edward, not the mention the rest of the pack, and Jacob's family.
"Okay, well good luck, Man," I said to Paul. The wolf then left his imprint and nudged his head against my shoulder. I felt he was trying to say thanks, so I replied:
"You're welcome. I'll see you around," I returned, as I gave him a wave goodbye.
Paul then walked off in search of his next opponent, which I had no idea how he was going to do, given he couldn't talk. He may be able to consult with his brothers inside his head to gather which of the vampires had won or lost. It wouldn't surprise me if he was bragging to those who were listening about his win over me. But I pushed it aside; I had heaps more battles to win.
Rose stayed with Rachel to keep her company. I hadn't seen the two of them talk much in the past, if at all, probably because they never had the opportunity to discuss anything before Rachel would leave us to placate Paul's anxiety about her being around my family.
Although I was looking for a new partner, I couldn't help eavesdropping on the conversation my wife was having with Paul's. Despite her sometimes cold exterior (no pun intended), I knew that Rose liked sharing her knowledge with others, and being looked up to by said others. She explained the rules of our competition to Rachel, being careful to emphasise that permanent injury would not occur. Knowing what it means to have an imprint, having seen Jacob and Renesmee's relationship develop over the years, as well as seeing various interactions between Sam and Emily, my wife knew how important it was for Rachel, as it would be for her, to know her partner is safe. So once Paul began his next fight, Rosalie used her heightened senses to keep Rachel up to date with what Paul was doing, all the while reassuring her that no one would hurt him, and that he was safe. If Rachel heard Paul yelp in pain or howl in agony, she immediately turned to Rosalie to seek the reassurance she needed, and Rose willingly gave it; she enjoyed being needed by someone outside of her immediate family. Rachel seemed to appreciate Rose's comfort, and seemed quite comfortable standing next to Rose while she waited for her husband to return. As long as she had someone to reassure her of her Paul's safety, I knew Rach would be fine, and Rose was the perfect choice for the job.
At the same time, I was also watching Paul as he walked the circumference of the field looking for his next opponent. After five minutes, he found Zafrina who had just won against Maggie from the Irish coven. I saw Zafrina look Paul up and down as if sizing him up, and I could tell Paul was doing the same. But he seemed determined, probably because he wanted to challenge himself; Zafrina looked more intimidating than the average female vampire in my opinion. After somehow communicating with one another, given that Paul could only use body language to do so, I saw the two of them walk into a space of their own. I was tempted to watch their fight, but I needed to focus on finding my own partner. All I could hope was that Zafrina didn't use her gift against Paul, though if she was clever about it, she could probably get away with it as Paul was not aware of her talent. But I trusted Zafrina and I was sure she wouldn't cheat; she wasn't the type.
I was surprised that Paul had approached Zafrina at all, given they've never met before. It gave me hope that we were starting to grow on him, but perhaps he was just really into competing? Whatever the reason, I hoped that maybe Paul didn't think vampires were too bad. Although I by no means purposefully lost against him, in a way I think it was a good thing. I was quite proud of myself (I know my family would have been) that I was able to be a gracious loser for a change. I guess that's what happens when you're trying to get someone to like you! I would have to fight Paul another time to get better- I could learn a couple of things from him. But in the mean time, I hoped our little tournament would improve his opinion of us, because I quite liked him- he may have an edgy personality, but he seemed like a decent guy most of the time.
I still hadn't found a partner when Ness and Jake found us. I saw them talking to Rachel and Rosalie, so I ran over to them with an update on what we were doing.
"Hi Uncle Emmett, I was just telling Rach and Aunt Rose that we've been looking for you. It was quite a mystery; one moment you were all around, and then the next you had disappeared with some of the pack. Daddy eventually told us where you were otherwise we'd still be looking for you all!"
I laughed. "Yeah, we were pretty keen to get a tournament started. It's going pretty well I think," I informed her excitedly as I looked around me to make sure things were going smoothly.
"Rosalie told us the rules," Jacob informed me hesitantly, still scanning the fights that were taking place. "Have things been okay?" he asked me, his eyes still staring out across the field.
I wondered whether he was thinking more specifically of Paul, who I was certain he knew was competing given that Rachel was around, so I informed him of his and my battle together, and… his victory over me.
Jacob turned to look at me, his eyebrows raised; I could tell he was impressed with his brother's skill for Jacob frequently lost against me back in the day.
"Really?"
"Really," I reinforced. "And he was great. He even approached Zafrina on his own, and I don't think there's been any problems," I told him, looking towards Rosalie in case there had been, but she shook her head.
"He's been fine, Jacob," Rose confirmed my statement.
Jacob nodded his head slowly.
"That's good," but I could tell he was worried about his brother, having witnessed his volatile nature. I rested my hand on the guy's shoulder.
"He'll be fine," I reassured him. Jake nodded, but I could tell that his attention continued to waver between our conversation, and Paul's fight.
Once Ness was reassured that Rachel was okay staying with Rosalie and watching her husband fight from afar, she and Jake walked around the field talking to the guests who weren't fighting, thanking them all for coming, finding out if they were enjoying themselves, and making sure that the rules of the tournament were being kept to, which I really appreciated.
When Paul had eventually claimed his victory over Zafrina, which was a pretty intense battle according to Rosalie as neither of them were used to the other's styles having being raised in two completely different cultures, Jake made his way over to Paul to see how he was going.
Interested to hear what Jake would say to him and what Paul would admit to, I subtly inched my way over to them so they were within my hearing range.
"How's it going Paul?" Jake asked his brother, who was still in his wolf-form, and panting slightly due to exertion. "You did really well just then. Congratulations on winning," Jake continued, clapping his brother on the back.
Paul gave Jacob a toothy grin, and then nudged Jake's shoulder with his head.
"You having fun?" Jake asked.
Paul nodded his head readily, and Jacob chuckled.
"It's kinda cool having a few mock fights, right?" Jake muttered under his breath, but he was smiling and I knew that he knew Paul's character just like I did.
Paul snorted in agreement.
"Well I'll keep making the rounds, but thought I'd just make sure things were going okay," Jake continued, though lowered his voice towards the end so others may be less likely to hear him, "and also Rach just wanted me to remind you to be careful- Rosalie is watching you for her so she's not so nervous about it."
Paul nodded his head, and I could tell he was grateful that someone was able to keep his wife company, and reassured of his safety, while he was fighting.
"I'll tell her you said 'hi' and that you're doing great, okay?" Jacob offered, to which Paul gave a bark of thanks, and then looked past Jake's shoulder to see Rachel watching them both. Paul smiled again, and then gave a loud bark in greeting. Rachel waved back at him.
"Well good luck with the rest of your fights, Paul. I'll see you later," Jacob said, raising his arm in farewell before running back towards Ness so they could continue circling the field together.
Believe it or not, after defeating Zafrina, Paul also fought and defeated Jared and Kate (who didn't use her gift), which landed him in the semi-finals as the only wolf still standing. I watched him sometimes instead of fighting myself, just to get some tips. I might as well, right? And he was good; there was no question about it.
When the semi-finals were just about to begin, Paul against Liam, and Jasper against Garrett, Edward arrived with Ness, Jake, and Bella. I could tell by Edward's stride that he was on a mission. They came at a perfect time, no doubt by Edward's design, as no one was engaged in battle. Edward called for everyone's attention. He informed us that the humans had gone home with the pack that weren't with us, so it was just us remaining. But due to the time, Jake and Ness needed to start saying goodbye; otherwise they would miss their flight. Although you would think two hours would be enough time for the newlyweds to say 'bye', Edward, like me knew it would not be nearly enough. So we reluctantly ended the tournament, and given our promise of a prize, we allowed the remaining 4 competitors to choose what they'd like.
I didn't know that Paul was really into cars. When he heard that we had an entire garage filled with the cars we drive, naturally Paul was curious to see them. He phased back into his human form, eagerly grabbed Rachel's hand, and asked me to take him there. For a moment I was worried that he would want one of our cars as his prize; surely he couldn't be that unreasonable. I mean, being a semi-finalist in our tournament is a pretty good achievement, but it wasn't worthy of a car!
I think Rose was concerned about it too because she insisted on following me. When we opened the garage for Paul (some of the other pack members also came out of curiosity), his attention immediately went to my red Jeep Wrangler.
Oh God, I said to myself; if he even suggested taking it Rose would probably lose her cool. Even though the Jeep was mine, she loved my car, and would not want to trust it to anyone who was not a vampire. I held my wife's hand as a precaution as Paul and his brothers looked admiringly at our cars.
We were at the garage for so long that members of the other covens joined us there, though they were not as interested in the cars as the wolves were for they had seen them already.
Eventually Paul asked:
"Who owns the red wrangler?"
"I do," I answered readily, thrilled that he liked my car so much- something we have in common.
Paul's eyebrows rose in shock perhaps thinking along the same lines as I was.
"It looks epic," he complimented me, no doubt admiring all the extras Rose added to it.
"Thanks, Man," I smiled at him, wondering what he wanted with it.
Eventually, it came out.
"Could my prize be to take it for a spin?" he asked hesitantly, and I reckon he was holding his breath as he waited for me to answer. I, of course, said 'yes', but my wife was ready to answer for me. I saw her mouth open immediately as if she was about to make some smart-arse comment, of which Rosalie always had plenty at her disposal, but instead she closed her mouth, stared intently at Paul, and said nothing.
Uncertain how to interpret Rose's behaviour, Paul eyed me, wondering whether my wife's obvious objection would alter my own views.
To answer his silent enquiry, I pulled my key out of my pocket and chucked it to Paul.
Paul was stunned for a moment, as he stared between me and Rose.
"Take it for a ride, but be quick!" I reminded him as only 105 minutes remained before Ness and Jake would need to leave.
"No problem!" Paul called back. "Aw man, this is so epic! Who wants a ride?" Paul announced, already helping Rachel into the wrangler as if she didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Rach, we are so getting ourselves one of these," he was telling her as he ran around to the driver's side while she strapped herself in.
"I don't think we'll be able to afford it, Paul," she answered doubtfully.
"Then I'll work extra hard," Paul replied as if not getting a wrangler was out of the question.
Rach sighed at her husband just as Jared climbed into the back.
"Drive carefully!" Esme called out to Paul as he started the engine and began to cautiously but quickly drive out of our garage.
"I will!" Paul called back, and then whooped loudly as he drove towards our driveway. For everyone's sake, I really hoped he didn't take longer than ten minutes otherwise Ness and Jake would definitely be late for their plane.
Whilst Paul, Jared, and Rachel were gone, I saw Edward and Jasper enter the house. Thirty seconds later, they returned with one of the several models that sit on our shelves near the staircase. When I saw what they had, I tapped Rose on the shoulder. She turned around, saw them, and immediately ran over to them.
"Are you crazy?" she demanded. "He's already driving it!"
"Don't make a scene please, Rosalie," Edward said calmly, not wanting the other wolves to hear how angry Rose was about the extra prize Jasper and Edward thought of giving Paul.
"You think this is making a scene?" Rose hissed. "I could make a scene."
"Rosalie, calm down," Jasper said sternly. "Edward heard in Paul's mind that he really wants a black wrangler. Given that Emmett's is red, and the model of his car is in your bedroom, whereas this one is sitting up on a shelf, we thought you wouldn't mind giving this to him until he gets his own," Jazz explained gently.
Rose's lips tightened, and I knew she desperately wanted to be selfish, and say 'no' anyway. But Jasper was right; Rose had neglected it when we found a red one, which she loves- she wouldn't miss the black one.
I began walking up to Rose, with the intention of trying to help Edward and Jasper out before Paul returned, when I saw Jacob approach them from a few meters away; he must've heard what was happening.
"It would mean a lot to him, Rosalie," Jake told my wife sincerely.
Rose stared at him for a moment, clearly surprised that Jake had intervened at all. Although Edward knew that Paul wanted a black wrangler, it was a whole other thing to hear that he would appreciate the model of one too.
Eventually, Rose sighed. "Fine, but if anything happens to it, someone is buying me a new one!" she said clearly, but quietly, so only her brothers and Jacob could hear.
"Sure thing," Jacob agreed readily. "Thanks Rosalie," Jake smiled at her, and then made his way back to Ness.
After exactly nine minutes, Paul returned with Rachel, Jared, and a very safe red wrangler. Although I could tell just by looking at it that it was spotless and nothing was scratched or damaged, Rose made an obvious inspection of the paint the moment Paul parked it back in the garage. She was thus occupied when Jasper presented Paul with the Black Jeep Wrangler model. I had a feeling Rose was purposefully hiding away from the moment, not wanting to be thanked for it whilst simultaneously hoping that she would be.
After been reassured multiple times that it was okay for him to have it until he bought his own, Paul was over the moon and said he knew exactly where he was going to place the model. It would be his constant motivation to buy the real thing one day. As he was the only wolf remaining in our competition, everyone, even the vampires made a pretty big deal about his prize, and Paul looked really proud of himself. I openly cheered for him as he proudly showed his brothers the model, surprised because having the chance to ride in one was all he was expecting. I could tell that Jasper and Edward were glad to have thought of providing him with something more tangible. The other three 'winners' (Jasper included) decided to wait until a later date to claim their prize. All of our visitors would be sticking around for a couple of days, so I think they wanted to wait until they found something they really wanted. But knowing them, I think they would be satisfied in knowing how well they went- prizes don't really mean much to those who live forever.
So by the time Paul had received his prize, it was very late, 11pm. Edward insisted authoritatively that everyone begin saying goodbye to his daughter and her husband. As Jake was admiring Paul's prize, he was one of the first to say goodbye to the newlyweds. Once he was done, I saw Paul look around him, and then move aside so others could reach the happy couple. He turned around to look at the garage, probably to admire the jeep again, and saw Rosalie watching him.
I watched them like a hawk, wondering what was going to happen. I inched my way subtly towards the garage so I could eavesdrop as Paul also made his way over. I saw Rose stiffen, and I knew she didn't particularly want to communicate with the guy who just 'won' a model that was rightfully hers, but my wife stood her ground, though gave Paul a cold look as he approached.
"Jake told me this is yours," Paul said cautiously, clearly uncertain how Rose would react to being spoken to.
Rosalie didn't trust herself to speak, so gave him a stiff nod.
"Well, thanks. Your husband has an awesome car; I've always wanted a wrangler since I was a kid. I promise to bring this back to you," Paul said, carefully holding the model out to her to indicate that he will always remember whose it is, and where it came from.
"You better," Rose muttered under her breath, but there was a smirk on her face.
Paul laughed, probably relieved that Rose wasn't about to cause a scene.
"I will. Thanks again!" Paul said excitedly and then ran back to the crowd.
Rose watched him go, and I had the distinct feeling she was impressed that he actually came over and thanked her. I was proud of Rose for letting Paul take it for a while; I knew she could be a little selfish with her belongings even though we could always buy another one given the money we have.
Realising that we were running out of time to say goodbye, I ran up to Rose.
"I'm proud of you," I whispered into her ear, wrapping my arms around her from behind. But Rose didn't move in response to me; she was watching the crowd in front of us saying goodbye to Ness and Jake.
"Come on," I encouraged her. "Let's go say bye to Jake and Ness; they'll have to leave soon." But I didn't try to pull her along; I was waiting for her to answer me.
Eventually she whispered.
"I'm going to miss them."
Them? I thought to myself, shocked. I wanted desperately to make a joke about the implications of what she just said, more particularly regarding her attachment to Jake, but decided that now was not the time.
"Me too," I replied, and then I slowly pulled Rose with me towards the crowd.
It was going to be hard to say goodbye to the newlyweds; I'd fallen in love with Ness like everyone else, and Jake was pretty awesome to hang around with. I couldn't wait until they came back from their honeymoon in a couple of weeks, because not only will I have missed them, but because they will get to see their house; they'll love it. And I wasn't kidding, the timber frame was supported with steel, and their bedroom is sound proof- trust me; I tested it.
Although Ness is only half-vampire, we privately (and we really did try to keep the decision away from Edward) decided that they would need it. After all, vampires can have pretty passionate… Well- definitely long-lasting sex anyway, so we wouldn't want them keeping their neighbours up at night, would we? Even though their place was a good fifty meters from any civilisation, I was willing to bet Jacob could yell pretty loud.
It was with these thoughts that I gave Jacob a thump on the back and wished him a good time on their honeymoon. I winked at him mischievously, wishing I could tell him what was on my mind. Jacob raised his eyebrows at me and he said wryly:
"I'm not even going to ask what you're thinking."
I laughed.
"That's probably for the best." God the kid knew me well.
Edward was there shaking his head at me.
Sorry, Edward.
My brother just swiped his hand in my direction, and then probably tried to ignore my thoughts as best he could.
Jacob saw his father-in-law's reaction and turned away muttering: "Oh God," and I have no doubt he was blushing. I wanted to tell the guy he better get used to my jibes; he knew I gave them to Edward and Bella non-stop for years after they got married, but then I decided against it. I would wait until they actually had sex before confronting Jake with that.
Edward's eyes flashed towards me.
Sorry! Sorry! I insisted, genuinely feeling apologetic even though I was trying to suppress a laugh. It was just so much fun teasing the guy that I couldn't stop, especially because Jacob took it so well.
But all jokes aside, I wished my niece and her husband the very best for their honeymoon, and their marriage together; they deserve it. It has been a unique experience to witness Ness and Jake's relationship develop over the years.
The next two weeks will be much less exciting without these two very awesome people around. They'll definitely be missed by all of us.
XXXXXXXXX
Author's note: So that's the end of Emmett's perspective! I hope you enjoyed it, and the little bit of fun amongst the wolves and vampires. Unfortunately I won't be writing about any of the other battles that took place, because I thought it would be good to focus on one properly. But there were heaps of them! I hope this chapter also redeems Paul just a little bit :) So what did you think of the chapter? Please review and share your thoughts with me!
I will post up the final part of the epilogue tomorrow!
Thanks so much for reading! You're all amazing!
