WOW! I love the response to the last chapter. I'm always a little nervous when trying to write from the other characters' POV, but you guys seem to love Emmett's a lot. And he is such a fun person to write for because he has so many sides to him. He's not just a goofball, but he enjoys that role. And Lily has him wrapped so tightly around her baby fingers that it's hilarious.

I'm attempting Rose's POV in this one. I hope I do her justice. Remember! She's not the same Rose from the books because she has gotten the exact life she wanted in this story and LLC. She's still secure in herself and she still knows how to put Emmett in his place, but she's not as jaded about life as the Rosalie in the books. Let me know what you think of this version of Rose.

DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.

Worry & Love for The Bear

Rose's POV

Balancing a baby on one hip and a laundry basket on the other is a feat only a mother can pull off. I swear some days it felt like I should just go into juggling. Don't get me wrong! I loved being a wife and mother, but some days…some days I wanted a long hot bath in a candlelit room with a glass of red wine in my hand and soft music playing in the background. And while soaking in luxurious bath oils, I wanted to know my baby girl was safe and looked after, my husband was safe and loving only me, and that my family was healthy and happy. Maybe I would start dropping some hints to Em that I needed a mommy sanity night.

"Momma, down!" Lily fussed for the third time in as many seconds.

"I would put you down, sweetums, but you keep trying to get onto the stairs and Mommy can't keep you from being a monkey and get the laundry done. So unless you want to run nakey through the house, you're going to need to help Mommy with the laundry."

"Nakey!" Lily yelled, throwing her little arms up into the air as she smiled wide.

"You are so your father's daughter," I laughed. I dropped the basket onto the laundry room floor, transferred Lily to my other hip, and then started loading the wash.

"Boo!" Lily yelled, pointing at a shirt I'd just grabbed from the basket.

"What was that, baby girl?" I asked, sure that she'd just been yelling something random.

She couldn't possibly have been trying to name the color of the shirt. I mean, she was only fifteen months old. I knew she was smart, but come on! Then again, she had Emmett's mouth and was already trying to put together sentences. She knew "Momma", "Dadda", "Love", "Beebee" and "Eee"—which we assumed were Edward and Bella. Lily was working hard on "Grandma" and "Grandpa", but so far, we just got a "mmm" sound with her little fingers reaching out for them to hold her. She also had another word she said whenever Jasper and Alice were around, but we weren't sure if she was trying to say "Jazzy" for Jasper, or "ouchie" for Alice's clothing torture.

I held the shirt up for her. "Lily, what's this?"

She smiled shyly and hunched her shoulders up to hide her neck.

"Come on, Lily Bear. What's Mommy got in her hand?"

Lily just laughed and shook her head.

"It's okay, baby girl," I chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Mommy knows you'll be a genius soon enough. Daddy and Mommy are going to make sure of it."

I'd just gotten the lid on the washer closed and the machine started when my cell phone went off. I switched hips with Lily once more and dug my phone out. "Hey, Sexy! When are you coming home to me and the little one?"

"Uh…Rose?" Edward's nervous voice replied.

"What are you doing on Emmett's phone? Where's Emmett?" I asked, trying not to panic and failing miserably. Emmett never let his phone out of his sight. It was his pride and joy, next to Lily.

"He's fine. He's talking to Jasper on my phone, so I'm using his."

"And why are you using his? Why didn't you just wait?"

"Because the two of them have been arguing like an old married couple for twenty minutes."

"For what? What's going on?"

"He's fine, Rose, but well…Emmett fell through the roof and into the attic."

"Why the…H-E-L-L didn't you say that to begin with?" I asked, trying to keep control for Lily's sake.

"Because I was trying not to worry you. My dad's here with us and we're going to take Emmett to the hospital for some x-rays."

"What does Carlisle say?"

"He thinks Emmett might have fractured his ankle, but other than that, he thinks Emmett's fine."

"Why the hell did you call my brother first instead of me? My husband went through the roof!"

"Because we have to get the hole repaired tonight before there's a chance for it to rain and ruin the house."

"Oh. Well."

"Do you want us to stop and pick you and Lily up on the way to the hospital?"

"You bet your butt I do!"

"Okay," Edward chuckled. "Listen, do me a favor and don't call Bella. Let's tell her in person after Emmett's all checked out."

"No problem," I assured him. "And, Edward, thank you. I'm sure Emmett wanted to wait to tell me too."

"He did, but only because he loves you, Rose."

"I know," I said, smiling. "Tell him I love him, okay?"

"Sure thing, Rosalie," Edward replied before hanging up.

I shoved my phone into my pocket and then moved Lily so that I was looking right down into her sweet little face. "Baby girl, Daddy has an ouchie. Grandpa Carlisle is going to fix him right up, though, so we shouldn't worry. But we do need to get you dressed."

"Dadda?" Lily asked, tilting her head to the side. She looked so much like Emmett in that second that I couldn't stop myself from letting a tear slip out. Lily put her hand on my cheek and her head on my shoulder, giving me one of her baby hugs. I had the best little girl in the whole wide world and we had the best man taking care of us. Even when the big bear did stupid things like fall through a roof. I brushed the one tear away and headed upstairs to get Lily and her diaper bag ready to go.

Bella's POV

I was cuddled up on the sofa, reading one of my new books Edward had bought me for Christmas when the front door swung open. Carlisle quickly moved through the door and to the side, revealing Emmett on crutches, followed by Rose and Lily, and Edward.

"What happened?" I asked, as Edward helped Emmett over to the recliner. He pulled the coffee table over to Emmett and propped up his foot for him.

"My adorably dense husband was walking along the roof and decided to reacquaint himself with the attic without using the stairs," Rose said, sitting down next to me with Lily.

"Dadda, ouchie," Lily announced, clapping her little hands together.

"Look at you," I laughed, picking her up and kissing her cheek. "How do you know that?"

"Dadda, ouchie," Lily repeated, pointing at Emmett with one finger while biting on another.

"It's all we've talked about on the ride over. Emmett's fractured his ankle bone and bruised his back, but he'll live," Rosalie said as Lily jumped back into her arms.

"Emmett!" I cried, turning to look at him.

He put his hands up and waved them at me, shushing me like he used to do when I was a little kid. "Turn down the volume, Squirt. I didn't damage the ears and I'd like to keep it that way."

I went over to him and sat on his lap, just like I used to do right after Mom and Dad died. Emmett wrapped his big arms around me and hugged me. "You can't leave me, Em."

"Squirt, I'm just fine," Emmett promised. "It's going to take a lot more than a roof to get me away from you. And just think what it would take to keep me away from Rose and Lily."

"He'll be just fine, Bella," Carlisle assured me. "He'll have to keep that cast on and use crutches for a few weeks."

"And I'll be too sore to get out of bed tomorrow," Emmett grumbled.

"Hush!" Rosalie said, giving him a little smile. "So you get breakfast in bed one morning. It's not the end of the world."

"Not as long as I have my two girls with me," Emmett replied, giving a big goofy smile.

"Spew the charm all you want, Honey," Rose chuckled. "You're still not getting back up on that roof, or any roof, ever again."

"So there's a big hole in the roof?" I asked, looking up at Emmett.

"I did fall through it," he chuckled.

"Alice and Jasper are at the house, overseeing the roof repairs. Jasper has a good friend who's going to get the repairs done tonight," Rose explained.

"Won't that be expensive?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it, Squirt. I did the damage, so I'll pay to fix it," Emmett assured me.

"I don't think so," I argued. "You agreed to share the expenses with Edward, so this is just one of them."

"Bella, don't be stubborn," Emmett sighed.

"Edward, tell him," I demanded, looking up at my husband.

Edward helped me out of Emmett's lap and wrapped his arms around me. "Bella—"

"Now what is all the fuss out here about?" Esme asked, walking into the living room. "Oh, Rosalie and Lily!" she squealed, running over and hugging and kissing them both. Lily immediately wiggled away from her mother to get into Grandma Esme's arms. Esme scooped the baby up and planted a loud kiss on her cheek, getting her to giggle.

"Emmett fell through the roof of the house," Rosalie told her. "Fractured his ankle and bruised his lower back, but the big lug will live."

"Oh, you poor dear," Esme cooed, walking over and kissing the side of Emmett's head.

Lily started making noises and opening and closing her little hands as she tried to lean forward. Esme helped her and Lily started petting Emmett's pink and purple cast. "Daddy pretty," she cooed.

Esme chuckled while righting the baby in her arms. "Lily and I will make something special for dinner. You'll all stay for supper."

"I'll help," Rose offered, getting up and following Esme and Lily into the kitchen.

"I might as well join them. At least I might get a few minutes with my granddaughter that way," Carlisle chuckled, heading after them.

"What are you two whispering about?" I asked, turning to see Emmett and Edward with their heads together. The two of them rarely looked so chummy together unless they were planning surprises for someone.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Squirt," Emmett replied, giving me a big smile.

I pulled away from Edward and sat down on the couch in a huff, crossing my arms in front of me. It might have been a bit childish, but I was already the last to know about Emmett's accident. What else were they keeping from me?

Edward chuckled as he stretched out on the sofa, putting his head into my lap. "What's wrong, Love?"

I ran my fingers through his messy bronze-hair, careful not to pull on the tangles he'd gotten from being all sweaty. "Won't you please tell me what you two are up to?"

"Hmn. What would you be willing to trade for the information?" he asked, his green eyes bright with mischief.

"What do you have in mind?"

"A bath before dinner."

"And when would I get my information?"

He picked up my hand and kissed my fingertips while giving me that crooked smile of his. "As soon as we're dry and dressed in clean clothes. I missed you today and I just want to be alone with you for a little while."

"Well, you do sort of stink and all," I said, only halfway joking. "Let's go."

Edward was off the sofa and pulling me up in record time, making me laugh at him. "Emmett, we'll be back in time for dinner," Edward said.

"Fine, fine," Emmett sighed. "Leave the injured man to entertain himself."

I tossed him the remote control to the TV and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Em, and I won't be long. And when I get back downstairs, you will tell me how this happened," I ordered, pointing at his foot. "And I want the whole story, brother bear." Emmett only grunted in reply.

Edward helped me up the stairs and then he made me sit while he ran the bubble bath for us.

"Edward, what happened to Emmett? And I'd like the unabridged version, please," I said, watching him peel his sweaty t-shirt off. I didn't have enough patience to wait for my brother to tell me.

"Emmett was walking across the roof, looking for weak spots that needed patching. The spot he stepped on looked okay, but when he put his other foot down, the weight was too much and he fell into the attic. He landed on his feet and that's how he fractured his ankle. He bruised his back when he fell backwards from trying to get off his hurt ankle. He never hit his head or lost consciousness. He even had the presence of mind to tell me to stay away and to come up through the door in your old room."

"I'd forgotten all about that old door and the attic. Did we leave a lot of things up there?"

"Not a lot. But there are a couple of things you might want to keep."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's a wooden rocking chair up there. It looked to be in pretty good shape. Just needs some polishing."

"That was my mother's, Edward. She used to rock me to sleep in that chair every night. We did it until we couldn't fit in the chair together anymore. What else did you find?"

"The baby crib your mom used for Emmett and you."

"Could we?" I asked excitedly.

"No, Love," Edward said, giving me a sad smile. "It's far too old. Emmett said you were an escape artist and you managed to loosen the bars so that they were always popping out."

"Oh," I sighed, amazed at how quickly I'd gone from overly excited to completely dejected.

"Bella, we can try to find a crib that's the same style if you like," Edward offered, helping me to stand.

"We'll see. But I do want the rocker," I said, helping him get my shirt off.

"I will make sure you get the rocker."

Once we were settled together under the warm water and bubbles, I turned the conversation toward other things. "So did you have a nice time with Emmett today?"

"Yes, actually. I can't say that I enjoyed re-tiling a roof, but Emmett made the day pass quickly."

"So how did Jasper and Alice get involved?" I asked, trying to scrub some of the gunk out from under Edward's fingernails.

"Emmett had me call Jasper to find a roofing contractor. He was positive that Rose and you would forbid us from getting up on the roof again."

"Damn straight!" I agreed, nodding my head.

Edward chuckled and kissed the back of my shoulder. "I thought you might agree with him on that one."

"He's right every so often," I laughed.

Edward chuckled again and hugged me close. "How was your afternoon?"

"Slow."

"For me as well. I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Edward. Hey, we should offer to go hang out and keep Emmett company tomorrow. He's going to be a total bear and Rose shouldn't have to deal with that alone. Emmett's the worst patient ever! My mom used to threaten that if he didn't stop whining, she was going to handcuff him to his bed and gag him."

"Your mom actually told him that?"

"He was thirteen, home with the flu, and kept calling her every two seconds. 'Mommy, I need a drink. Mommy, I'm thirsty. Mommy, can you change the channel?' And that was just in the first hour of him waking up."

"Okay, now it makes absolute sense," Edward chuckled. "Bella, it's nice to have you talk about your mother without you getting upset."

"Yeah, it is," I agreed. "But I'm done talking about it for now, okay? Give me something else to think about."

"I learned something very, very disturbing about our siblings today."

"As opposed to any other day, how?" I laughed.

The rest of the bath was spent laughing and joking about things Alice and Emmett had done over the years that were just so them. Edward told me about the time Alice gave out fashion tickets in middle school, complete with different fines for their infractions. I told him about the time Emmett got busted during a panty-raid at the college. He'd gotten the numbers wrong for his girlfriend's room and ended up in the resident advisor's room instead—she'd taken him down with a can of mace and implemented a citizen's arrest.

With our stories and our bath done, I headed downstairs, hoping to get a few minutes alone with Emmett. I wanted to make sure my big brother was completely fine and not just pretending for everyone.

"Well don't you look cute," Emmett said as I cuddled up in his lap. "Flannel does you justice, Squirt."

"So does your pink and purple cast," I chuckled. "How did you end up with that anyway?"

"Edward and Carlisle thought they were being funny," he huffed. And then he smiled brightly. "But Lily likes it so who cares."

"That little girl has you wrapped around her tiny little fingers."

"She absolutely does. Just like her mother. And you know, Squirt, I wouldn't change it for anything."

"Em, are you really okay?" I asked, looking up into his face.

"Isabella, don't use that scared little girl voice with me. You're lucky you're preggers, or I'd dump your overreacting little butt on the floor," he said, trying to sound gruff.

"I love you, big brother."

"And I love you, little sister. But you have to stop worrying, Bella. I'm fine. People fall through roofs, people fall off roofs, all the time and are just fine. And I was checked out by one of the best doctor's around, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. I just don't ever want to lose you, Em."

"That's a sweet thought, Squirt. But we all have our time on this planet and when it's done, it's done. Now personally, I expect to be around long enough to see Lily grown and married, with a family of her own. But my plans and what really happens could end up being two different things."

"How do you deal with that, Em? How do you handle all of that unknown?"

"By enjoying every second I get with the people I love most. And it's what you need to do, Bella. Don't be so afraid of losing one of us that you forget to live with us. You have a very important role in this family as the egg-head and smart-mouth. No one else can take over those for you, and I expect you to teach Lily when she's old enough to know better than to use them on me."

I couldn't help but laugh at his words. I wrapped my arms around his big neck and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Emmett."

"You know, for a little sister, you're not half bad."

"Em!" I cried, slapping his chest.

He caught my hand and locked his eyes with mine, his face perfectly serious. "I love you, Isabella. I'm not leaving you."

"Good," I sighed, letting my head rest against his shoulder. "Because you have to teach my baby to wrestle, to sing off-key and not care, to tell the silliest jokes, and how to laugh no matter how crappy your day has been."

"And I can also tell him about his amazing Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Renee and what his wonderful mother was like as a kid. Especially with the stuff Edward and I found today," Emmett said.

I sat up and looked at him, feeling confused. "Found what where?"

"In the attic, Squirt! Those hormones got you confused as well as moody?" he teased, winking at me. "We found a box with all of our baby stuff. I was thinking if you felt up to it, we could go through it all together after dinner."

"Thank you, Em! I would love that," I told him, giving him another big hug. Emmett was a lot of things to a lot of people. He was a husband to Rose, a father to Lily, a friend to Jasper, Alice, and Edward, and a son to Carlisle and Esme. And to me, he would always be the big brother I loved unconditionally, and the man who'd given up his own dreams to make sure I wasn't alone in this world.

Alice and Jasper arrived just as Esme was putting dinner on the table. Jasper's friend had managed to temporarily fix the roof for the night and would be back out there tomorrow to finish the repairs. He was even giving us a really good deal on the costs too. Most of dinner was spent making fun of Emmett, with him coming up with most of the jokes. I knew it was his way of reassuring all of us that he was okay.

After dinner, we all gathered in the living room around the big box Jasper had brought over from the house. Right on top were the christening gowns Emmett and I had worn as little babies. They were that weird yellow color that white fabrics tend to fade to over time. We were all amazed by how small Emmett's gown was, especially seeing it resting in his big hands.

The next thing we found were two small boxes with bronze baby booties inside each one. Emmett's were pretty big and mine were tiny. They had our initials and birthdates engraved on the bottom of each shoe.

"Do they still do stuff like this with baby shoes?" I asked, holding my bootie up for Esme to see. "Do they even have that shoe style still?"

"Good question," Esme said, smiling down at me. "I'll have to make some calls and find out. It would be nice to mix a little of the old customs with the newer stylings."

"Squirt! It's your baby book," Emmett announced proudly, holding the purple book up. It had a lace fringe around the corners and my name was on it in gold letters.

I took the book from him and started flipping through it. "I haven't seen this in years! Edward, you have to see this one page," I said excitedly, looking for the one I wanted. I finally found it and snorted as I looked down at the pictures on the page. I ran my finger over the little Ziploc bag that had been stapled to the page.

"Is that your hair?" Edward asked, his fingers resting next to mine on the page.

"Yep," I chuckled, looking at the lock of brown hair with the purple ribbon wrapped around it. "In case you guys can't tell, I liked purple a lot as a kid, so my mom was always getting me purple stuff. It caused quite the commotion when I woke up at eight years old and decided my favorite color had changed to blue during the night. Em, do you remember why this hair is in here?"

"No," he replied. "And why do I look so guilty in this picture?" he asked, pointing to the one right above the bag of hair.

"I don't remember this day, but I remember Mom telling me the story," I chuckled. "I was four years old and I'd managed to get my hands on Emmett's toys and broke one of them. So to get back at me, Emmett waited until I was napping and then cut off a section of my hair. This is the section you cut off, Em. Mom had to take me to her hairdresser to get it evened out and fixed. It was the first and only time I've ever had shoulder-length hair."

"What is it with older siblings and the need to cut the younger siblings hair?" Edward asked, smiling wide. "Ali, do you remember the haircut you gave me?"

"Do I ever!" Alice laughed. "I was so sure it was going to make your hair more manageable. It only made it worse!"

I reached up and put my hand in Edward's hair, smoothing it away from his forehead. "I love your hair just the way it is." Edward chuckled as he leaned over and kissed me sweetly.

We spent the next couple of hours going through my book and Emmett's, with Emmett telling me lots of stories about when I was a kid, things our parents had never gotten around to sharing with me. It was the most time I'd spent thinking about them in years, and hearing all of those stories from Emmett made me feel like my parents weren't quite so far away from me. I also felt like my brother had been a lot meaner to me than I remembered—or maybe I'd just been so amazed by him taking care of me that I'd decided to let all of that stuff slip past me. Either way, I definitely had one wonderful big brother, and my baby was going to be lucky to have such a great uncle.

Thanks to LIZBRE for the wonderful idea of the items in the attic and the pink & purple cast! No man rocks pink and purple like our Emmett. (He's really HPs Emmett, but I need him in my story so I have to borrow him for a bit). That's all for now folks! I'll try to have two more chapters next weekend.