Chapter ThirtyFive
Someone was shaking him awake.
"Five more minutes, Mom…" he moaned, forcing his eyes firmly closed and rolling over onto his side. For a moment, he started to sink back into sleep. Then, the shaking continued, this time coupled with a voice – and not his mother's.
"Emmett, the letter came!!! God's sake, Emmett, wake up! The letter came!"
Alice. And it sounded important. But in his sleep-induced stupidity he couldn't connect what she was saying with any relevant meaning. Slowly, his eyes drifted open. It must have been quite late in the day, because Alice was up and dressed, and grinning, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed. But her grin wasn't 100 per cent… it was almost nervous.
"The letter came, Emmett! From Yale!"
She thrust an envelope in his face as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, sitting up. Sure enough, the crest on the envelope, vaguely familiar from filling out all those application forms, was of Yale University. Alice thrust the letter further into his face and bounced a little on the bed, her eyes bursting with excitement.
"Jeez, Alice, what time is it?"
She shook her head at him. "It doesn't matter! Open the damn thing!"
He laughed at her impatience and took the letter from her, purposely turning it over slowly, tantalisingly tearing at the mouth of the envelope.
"Hurry up!" she said in a hushed whisper, as if it were a sacred moment and she didn't want to break the silence. He finished his slow paper ripping, grinning at her, a joking glint in his eyes making her frown at him. He slid the letter out slowly, turning it over and unfolding it in his hands.
He was concentrating on teasing Alice, but his heart was thudding. His future, his and Rosalie's future, he supposed, lay on the thin white sheet of paper in his hands.
'Dear Mr Cullen, we are pleased to inform you that we would like to offer you a place…'
For a moment he choked – it suddenly seemed all so real. He looked up at Alice, and the look in his eyes told her in an instant what she needed to know. She swallowed. She was happy, ecstatic for her brother, but… something inside, something she would never admit to and would loathe forever, hoped Rosalie hadn't got in and Emmett could stay at home. If only for one more year, she wasn't quite ready to give up her brother yet…
She swallowed. She'd already told herself there was no use in even thinking like that. Not now. She'd been almost sure Emmett would get in, and she'd known, maybe even for longer than Emmett himself had voiced the thought, that her eldest brother was suffocated by Forks and couldn't wait to get out. And while now the situation had changed, and she had complete and utter faith in the thought he would not leave Rosalie, she still knew, deep down, he would find some way of getting out of there.
"Phone Rose." She said, passing him the phone, and he looked up at her with grateful eyes, wondering only briefly how she knew exactly what he wanted to do at that moment, then putting it down to the fact that she was Alice. "I'll go downstairs and let Mom, Dad and Edward know."
Emmett gave her a grateful half-smile, but was already dialling the number.
"Hello?"
"Jasper, it's Emmett. Have you checked the post this morning?"
"No mate, I just got up. Uh… why? Do you wanna speak to Rose?"
"Please. And check the post."
Emmett could almost picture the confusion on his friend's face. "Uh… ok… Rosalie!"
There was the sound of footsteps running, and then her voice, her beautiful, gentle, breathy voice in his ear. "Hey, Emmett."
A smile breaking onto his face, without even being able to help it. "Hey, babe. I, I uh… I got into Yale."
There was a thick, full silence. "That's brilliant. Uh-"
She was cut off by Jasper's voice in the background, "For you."
"One second, Emmett." She whispered, and her voice was full of fear and anticipation and excitement all in one. "Oh…"
"What? What is it?"
But she said nothing. He heard the sound of an envelope ripping and his heart lurched. He wouldn't go back on his promise, not now, not ever, but suddenly, knowing he'd been accepted, he didn't want to have to let this opportunity go. Though he would, for her, in an instant, he didn't want to.
"Rose?"
"Uh… I got in too, Emmett!" her voice was incredulous, like she was talking about someone else, like there'd been some mistake. He was hit with the near-painful realisation that she really still had little faith in herself.
"That's brilliant!" he half-yelled, and the sound of her laughter on the other end made him smile. "I… I'm coming over. See you in ten."
She giggled. "Calm down before you drive, babe." She murmured, "Love you."
He set the phone down, half-leaping out of bed, tugging a hoodie on over his tank top and shoving his feet into sneakers, not bothering to change out of the joggers he wore to bed. He ran down the stairs two at a time, and was about to dash out the front door, grabbing the keys to the Jeep from the side table, when he was pounced on.
"Emmett Cullen! Where do you think you're going?"
He spun round, sighing, but then smiling again when he saw his mother standing in the doorway, the biggest grin on her face. "Come here, you!" she laughed, and pulled him into a hug, "Congratulations!"
He hugged her tightly for a moment; half lifting her off her feet, making her squeal and laugh. "Mom, I have to go. Rosalie got in too!"
She had happy tears in her eyes when he set her down, and she kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so… your father and I are so proud, Emmett."
He grinned, half-awkwardly, hoping for an easy escape so she wouldn't start full-out crying. "Love you, Mom."
"Love you." She whispered, "Congratulate Rose from us and get her and Jasper over here for a celebratory dinner!"
"Will do." Emmett smiled, and then left the house.
He was about to start the Jeep to drive away when Alice came running out the door, her face hued with tears. He took his hand away from the key in the ignition, and looked at his sister as she came running towards him.
"Alice, what's wrong?"
"You're leaving." She whispered, "You're all leaving, and it's only gonna be me and Edward and Bella left."
Jasper… It wasn't just him leaving, and Rose. It was Jasper, too.
He patted the seat next to him in the Jeep. "You coming with me?" he asked, unsure what else to say. It seemed it was exactly what Alice needed. She slid into the seat beside him, and he put an arm round her and squeezed tightly as he put the Jeep into gear and drove away.
"I… I don't think I even know how much I'll miss you." She whispered.
Emmett frowned. He was so happy, yet seeing Alice like this… "I'll be back more often than you expect, Alice, and you'll have Edward and Bella…"
She gave a little laugh. "Emmett, you and I both know they only have time for each other these days."
Emmett nodded, "Maybe, but you won't be alone. And you can come and visit us, and I'll call every day and Jasper-"
She gave him a small, sad smile. "It's ok, Emmett, thanks for trying, but you're not going to make it feel any better, not yet."
They drew up at the Hale house and Emmett rung the doorbell. In a way that would have may Alice laugh, had she been in a better mood, Rosalie fell out of the door into Emmett's arms, and the two of them, laughing and crying and kissing, stood close, for the first time, the perfect picture of happiness. Then Jasper came through the door, and took one of Alice's hands.
"So… do you have any offers yet?" she asked him in a small voice, and Emmett could see the determination on her face to put on a brave face for Jasper, to not show him her melancholy. Rosalie broke away from Emmett for a moment, stifling a laugh, which earnt her a dagger-look from Jasper.
"What?" Emmett whispered, and Rosalie nodded towards her twin brother.
"I'm not going anywhere." Jasper announced, and all eyes were suddenly focused on him, "I was going to keep it a surprise, but I guess… I'm joining the police force here, I've spoken to Charlie Swan, and I can start my training in the-"
He was cut off by the little dark-haired girl kissing him.
Rosalie and Emmett laughed together, their arms wrapped around each other's waists, heads closer.
Forever, which had at one point seemed so distant, was beginning to form in front of their very eyes.
A/N: Sorry this didn't come sooner, I've been busy again :S Hope you liked it, it really is coming to a close now.
And, I know most people want me to go straight into Veiled Thorns, but here's a taster of two other ideas I've had in my head:
Behind These Violet Eyes – Rosalie, a talented and attractive young law student meets and falls in love with her handsome, young, married professor Emmett.
Chasing Shadows – Set against the backdrop of a fictional war, Rosalie Cullen waits for news of her young husband, fighting on the front, whilst reminiscing over their life together.
And then of course there's:
Veiled Thorns – Set seven years after Roses Behind Mirrors and Emmett and Rosalie are both successful professionals, and are newly happily married. And we go from there ;)
Let me know your thoughts on any of these ideas.
And review.