Chapter 37

Edward walked in through the front door of the house and gave Emmett a nod. Carlisle sat beside Esme and noticed their exchange, recognizing that Edward had left a gracious abundance of money and food at Emmett's former home.

"Thanks," Emmett said. He looked at Rosalie, who sat beside him and she edged herself a little closer. A sigh left his mouth and he looked around the room.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," Carlisle told him, "It's just-"

"I know," Emmett said back softly and respectfully, "I understand."

Carlisle nodded and put his arm over Esme's shoulders.

"I know what you're going through," Rosalie told him, looking him directly in the eye, "I'll help you get through it."

A soft small formed on Emmett's face and he looked down toward her hand, placing his gently over hers. Rosalie put her other hand on top of his and rubbed up and down his forearm gently.

Esme glanced up at Carlisle and Edward slowly made his way upstairs toward his room.

"How has hunting been going, Emmett?" Esme asked.

A true smile formed on his face, "It's almost too easy to catch the animals around here. It was a challenge at first but they're not match for me now."

She smiled back and laughed lightly, "Good. I'm glad."

The mention of hunting triggered something in his mind and he reached for his throat.

"Come on," Rosalie urged, "Let's go."

Emmett stood up and smirked at her, "Yes ma'am."

Her back was to him but she grinned and made her way outside with Emmett just behind her. "See ya soon," he said, waving and giving a genuine smile to Carlisle and Esme.

"Bye," Esme said, feeling Emmett's booming personality radiate through her. She turned to Carlisle with a smile as they left. "I like him. He's funny and friendly. He's adapted just fine so far."

Carlisle smiled, "I think your suspicions are correct," he told her.

"About Rosalie?"

He nodded.

"I think so, too," she smiled, "Rosalie has been in a much better mood since Emmett has come along."

Carlisle snickered, "I agree... and I'm very grateful for that, I can't lie."

Esme cuddled herself close to him and kissed him on the cheek, "I think things are going to pan out to be just fine."

...

"I don't know what happened," Emmett said, shaking his head. His remorseful eyes matched the red blood that stained his clothing and hands. He looked to Carlisle sympathetically and in search of help. "I-I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I didn't know I was capable of..." He shook his head and looked down toward him palms, almost licking his lips at the consuming smell of human blood that still lingered all around him.

Esme stood a few feet behind Carlisle with her hand over her mouth and nose. Rosalie looked like she could cry and stood beside Emmett. If her stance matched her thoughts, it was apparent that she would stand beside him no matter what. There wasn't a part of her that was ashamed of his behavior, though she looked deeply saddened by his slip-up.

Edward stayed beside Esme, looking overly uncomfortable, but played it off well that he was alright. Carlisle approached Emmett and put a hand on his tense shoulder, "It's okay," he said with a nod, "We'll figure this out."

Emmett looked him in the eye, and Carlisle could tell he was embarrassed by his lack of self control. "I've messed everything up for all of you, haven't I?"

"No," Carlisle shook his head.

Rosalie quickly piggy-backed on Carlisle's response, "No," she echoed, "You haven't at all."

"But none of you do this," Emmett said.

"We have," Rosalie assured him, "In our earliest months and years."

Edward nodded, "You'll learn to resist one day, Emmett."

Esme nodded, agreeing with her family but didn't have it in her to speak. The smell of the blood was almost too much and she backed away a few more feet. Edward stayed next to her while Carlisle continued to console Emmett.

"Where did this happen?" he asked.

Rosalie put a comforting hand on Emmett's back, and a small smile formed on his face at her touch, though it disappeared as he began to relive the experience.

"Down on one of the dirt roads a few miles from here," he explained, "A woman, she was walking alone minding her own business," he shook his head, "I couldn't stop. One minute I was in the wood and a half a second later I was on top of her. I don't even know how I got from one place to the other. I couldn't resist the smell of the blood. I could hear it pumping in her veins. I... I can't explain it."

"We know how you feel," Carlisle told him, "It's overly tempting and almost impossible to control at times." His eyes shifted to Rosalie, "Where's the body?"

"In the woman's yard," Rosalie said, "What are we going to do?"

He thought for a moment and took a deep breath. The smell of the blood lingered in his nose as he inhaled so deeply, but it didn't effect him much. "Bears are prominent in the area. If they take her in for an autopsy, I'm sure it'll be passed along as that. If she's brought to he morgue at the hospital I work at, I'll rule it off as an animal attack."

Emmett's face was stern and looked to Rosalie apologetically. She took him by the hand and walked him toward the house seeming, at that moment, to be unaltered by the blood that covered his clothing. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Carlisle, Esme, Edward," Emmett said, "I'm really sorry for what I did."

"I've done it," Edward confessed.

"So have I," Esme told him, speaking for the first time.

Emmett's eyes filled with surprise, though he didn't say anything and walked inside with Rosalie.

Carlisle turned to face Esme and Edward but didn't say anything at first.

"I feel bad for him," Esme said quietly.

He nodded, "It's not easy."

"I think I need to hunt," she said.

Edward nodded, "Me too."

"Will you be alright if I stay?" Carlisle asked, "I want to make sure Emmett is alright, and that he'll be able to control himself for the time being. I don't think humans are nearby, but if one is close enough..." His voice drifted off, "I just don't know his level of self control yet."

Esme walked up and kissed Carlisle on the cheek, "We'll be fine. Let him know it's okay."

"Okay," he said back. He put a hand on the side of her face and kissed her once on the lips. "Be careful."

"We will," she assured him.

"Edward, you too," Carlisle said, "If anyone's nearby and you need to come home for any reason-"

"We'll be alright," he told him with a nod.

He nodded back and looked at Esme again. They stared at each other for an extra second before she left with Edward into the woods to hunt.

Carlisle went back inside and Emmett was almost done washing up. Rosalie had gotten some new clothes for him to change into and left them folded neatly on the edge of her bed.

"Is he okay?" Carlisle asked, meeting her in the hallway on the second floor.

She nodded, "I think so."

He headed into the bathroom and saw the last remnants of blood going down the drain as Emmett decorated his hands with water. "I feel bad for that lady," he said, "I killed her. I just flat out attacked her."

Carlisle looked down, then back up toward him, "It's hard, I know, but things will be okay."

"Have you ever...?" Emmett began to ask.

"No," Carlisle shook his head, "But it's rare for people of our kind not to kill a human... ever. And I hate to say that but that's the reality. Everyone I know, and have ever met has killed at least once."

"But not you?"

He shook his head.

"How did you do it?" Emmett asked, "I didn't even think, I honestly didn't. There was no thinking involved whatsoever. I just attacked on a whim, like an instinct."

"I promise that you will learn," Carlisle told him, "You've only been this way for a couple of weeks. This is the hardest time you'll ever have trying to overcome and harness your thirst."

"It fades?"

"It doesn't really fade," Carlisle said, "But you get stronger over time and you're able to grow and deal with it at first before you can almost block it out completely. Hunting animals isn't nearly as satisfying, I can tell that from my own senses. I can't tell you from personal experience, but the blood of animals will eventually be enough to satisfy the craving."

"This blood was much better," Emmett said, laughing at first then letting it die down, "I've never hurt someone in my life," he said, "Now I've killed someone... and a lady at that."

"It's not your fault, it's not you," Carlisle explained, "It's the animal part of you that is so brand new it's almost impossible to keep contained. I know the feeling. We all do."

"Is Rosalie upset with me?" he whispered.

The two of them looked at the door where Rosalie quickly made herself noticeable, "No," she answered with a smile.

Emmett couldn't help but grin back and melted at the sight of her, "Really?"

"Really," she told him, "Because I understand... and it was an accident."

"What about Esme and Edward?"

"They aren't mad at all," Carlisle told him.

"Esme..." Emmett shook his head, "She's been so nice and helpful and inviting. I let her down."

"No you didn't," he went on, "She doesn't feel at all let down."

"The blood made everyone uncomfortable."

"That's part of being a vampire," Rosalie told him with a joking ring to her voice.

"She's right," Carlisle said, "Unfortunately, that's our reality."

"So... no one's mad at me, then?" Emmett asked again.

"No," Carlisle and Rosalie said at the same time.

He grinned, letting his dimples highlight his handsome, boyish face, "Cool."

Rosalie looked at Carlisle and smile spread over her face. He mirrored her expression and they shared a quick laugh, before Rosalie returned her attention to Emmett. He stared at her, still smiling.

"Let's get some animal blood back into you," she said, "You look much more handsome with golden eyes."

"So you're saying I'm hideous with these red ones?" he asked, looking into the mirror, staring closing at himself.

"No, you look good either way," Rosalie told him, "But you're almost irresistible when they're gold."

He smiled and looked down shyly before making eye contact with her again. Carlisle raised his eyebrows and excused himself from the room.

"I'll go check around for the scent of humans," he told them, "You should be fine to trace Esme and Edward's scents. They wouldn't go near a human, especially on a hunt. If they caught scent of one they'd change course."

Rosalie nodded, "Okay."

He nodded back once and made his way out of the house, leaving the two of them alone.

Rosalie felt drawn to Emmett, and she could tell from the way he looked at her that he felt the connection, too. She wasn't sure if it was the smell of the blood, or her instincts that lead her to him, but Rosalie couldn't control her body as she crossed through the bathroom door toward him.

Emmett returned her stare and never broke eye contact until Rosalie's lips landed solidly on his own. He closed his eyes and felt like his heart was beating again.

Rosalie sighed, embellishing in the taste of the blood and the feel of his perfectly smooth lips against hers. The feeling was one she never experienced before that moment. It was something that didn't exist in her kisses with Royce. The electricity was unmistakable and almost unbelievable as the butterflies she'd been feeling in the pit of her stomach for this man since laying her eyes on him came to the surface in full effect. Rosalie finally felt that spark she had been craving her entire life. She felt love.