Okay, so fun fact, when I originally planned this story, Emmett and Bella were going to be Bigfoot hunters and not related.

The dark, damp streets of Seattle bustled with the late-night crowd. Dock workers headed towards their early morning shifts. Drunks stumbled towards another bar hopeful for someone to keep serving them in their state. College students shouted and danced after the clubs kicked them out after closing time. Rosalie gave each of the passersby a menacing stare, daring them to approach. Unaware of the reason behind their wide berth, Emmett had one hand through Rosalie's and another through her hair.

"Your hair feels like a person's hair," he noted.

"Try and pull out a strand."

Emmett tried. Lightly, first. When the hair couldn't be plucked, he twisted it around his fist and yanked. He added more of his strength until he threw all his weight into removing a single hair from her head. It didn't budge. Emmett would have collapsed onto the pavement if Rosalie hadn't caught him.

"Sick," he concluded after the experiment, "Your shower drain must be clear as hell."

It was the most innocent response. All his responses were. During their entire walk back to the apartment building, she and Emmett went through the basic vampire questioning. "Yes, I drink blood. No, I don't have a coffin. Yes, I can see myself in a mirror. No, garlic doesn't affect me. No, the sun doesn't burn, but I sparkle. Yes, I look amazing in the sun. Yes, Edward sparkles too. Yes, he looks like a huge dork."

Throughout the questioning, Emmett has remained upbeat and supportive. She kept her grip around his hand loose in case the fact of the matter finally sank in, and he needed to flee, but his own grip was tight on her marble skin. As if he never wanted to let her go.

"So, if vampires are real, where are we with Bigfoot? Is he stomping around out there?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I need you to listen, Emmett." Rosalie dreaded this conversation during their entire walk. Now that they were two blocks away from their building, she needed to tell Emmett, "Edward can't know you know about us."

"Why not?"

Rosalie waved a dismissive hand in Edward's general direction. "Because he'll freak out. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that he doesn't need to know. This is between you and me."

Emmett seemed skeptical, but only for a second. It seemed to be the longest length of time that Emmett could be skeptical. "All right."

It was time for the difficult part. "…which means Bella can't know."

"Oh," Emmett stopped in his tracks. "Oh, Rosie, I can't lie to Bella."

Rosalie pulled him from the center of the sidewalk under an awning for a small café. She rubbed her hands on his shoulders in soothing circles. "I'm sorry that I have to ask you to do this…"

"No, like I'm fine with it morally. But I can't physically."

The circles stopped. "What does that mean?"

"I have an obvious tell. Bella would recognize it right away."

Rosalie pinched the bridge of her nose in a very Edward fashion. "You're kidding."

When she looked back at Emmett his sweet, innocent smirk told her he had not been kidding at all.

"Well," she sighed, "I suppose it's alright if Bella knows you're lying as long as she doesn't figure out what you're lying about."

"Are you and Edward going to tell her eventually?"

"Yeah, but Edward will want to be the one to do it. Which is why we can't do anything about it."

"I guess Bella would want Edward to be the one to tell her," Emmett agreed, then laughed. "She's going to flip, you know. She'll probably want Edward to drink her blood on the spot."

"Oh," Rosalie's hand slid down Emmett's arm, "drinking blood isn't even the sexiest aspect of vampirism."

His eyebrow quirked, "Oh?"

"No." She added her other hand, "It's the fact that we never need sleep. And can keep going all…night… long." The sentence ended in a playful growl. Rosalie licked her lips, slowly.

"The drink blood thing is pretty hot," Emmett argued playfully, placing a large hand on Rosalie's waist. "We might have to compare."

Rosalie licked his neck, slowly. Emmett waited as long as he could possibly bare before he took her, twisted them both, and slammed Rosalie into the wall behind them. Bricks cracked behind her as Emmett leaned into her and kissed her deeply.

Rosalie pushed him back far too soon. "You should probably get home," she said, her deep, lustful voice filled with reluctance.

Emmett agreed with an exaggerated sigh and one final squeeze of her bottom. It was late; Bella would worry. He took Rosalie's hand again and led her back to the sidewalk, but her hand slipped out from his. When he turned, she remained, like a perfect marble statue. "Are you not coming?"

"No, I can't get any closer to Edward."

"Why?"

"It's Edward's criminal gay-dar. He's a telepath. If he hears my thoughts, he'll know I'm keeping something from him. If he hears me blocking my thoughts, he'll be suspicious."

Emmett's brow pinched together. "What about my thoughts?"

"Edward can't read your thoughts. Or Bella's."

"For real?"

"For real."

The confusion on Emmett's face twisted into something nearing pain. "Real-life vampires are weirder than the fake ones."

"I know." The expression sounded more like an apology.

"You're really serious about Edward not finding out?"

She had to be. Rosalie had always been hesitant to believe Alice Cullen's claim of only one path that allowed Edward and her to keep the Swans. She and Edward assumed Rosalie's uncertainty stemmed from her very justified hatred for the pocket-sized freak and chose to continue as if her visions were fact. Edward would be furious if he found out Rosalie strayed from the path Alice laid out for them. He didn't want to lose Bella any more than Rosalie wanted to lose Emmett. So, until she could find a good way to make Edward see that he did not need to offer himself and his gift to the Cullen family in exchange for his human mate, she had to hide the truth from him.

However, Rosalie had complete and total confidence in her relationship with Emmett. She laced her fingers through his hand and kissed his thumb. "I am."

"Well," Emmett stepped closer, taking both of Rosalie's hands. "I don't want to leave you. We could get a hotel room. Stay together."

"That's sweet, but you should probably check on your sister. Tomorrow, we can do a hotel room."

Emmett's hand squeezed hers. "Okay."

"A fancy one," she added, placing another kiss on his wrist this time. "Somewhere that will send us a big, fat fine for breaking the bed."

Emmett's eyes widened. Rosalie winked.

Leaving him with that little promise to fantasize for the remainder of the night Rosalie turned away, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"First thing?"

She loved the longing in his voice. Rosalie will never tire of the fact that after he discovered the truth, Emmett still wanted to be with her. "Yes, first thing."

As promised, Rosalie waited for Emmett at the sandwich shop he usually ordered breakfast from the first thing the next morning. She knew his usual order and had it placed so it would time perfectly with when he walked through the door.

When the door chimed and Emmett burst through the doors, he excitedly grabbed her hand and pulled her back out. "All right, all right, all right."

"Don't you want something to eat?" Rosalie glanced at the counter and the to-go bag with his name on it.

Emmett didn't answer her question. "I've been thinking all night of cool vampire shit I want you to do."

Rosalie grimaced. There was no way she was going to spend her day acting like the attraction at a freak show.

Emmett stopped then, right as they were leaving, and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Sorry. Good morning. Love you," and went right back to pulling her along.

With a small smile, Rosalie put her fingers against her lips, savoring his sweet gestures. Treating her like a lady when he knew she was a monster. Perhaps she could act like a freak, if only to receive a few more sweet kisses like that one.

Once on the sidewalk, Emmett pulled her up, so she was no longer being dragged behind by the hand but walking alongside him held at the waist. They hurried down the bustling streets towards the gym Emmett worked out six days a week. Towing Rosalie through the front lobby, he greeted every staff member by name. No one questioned the girl in his arms, nor the haste in his step. They simply smiled right back. It seemed everyone was thoroughly charmed by Emmett.

"Now." They stopped right at the entrance to the workout area, hidden behind a fake fern. If any employee found Emmett's behavior odd, they didn't say anything. "Do you see that guy in the free weight section?"

He pointed to a buff man with dark skin and a long, black ponytail doing curls in the mirror with impressively large weights.

"Yes."

"That's my buddy. He's my spotter. Today, he's gonna try for a PB."

"Alright…"

"I want you to go in there, lift the bar behind him like it's nothing, and walk out."

Usually, Emmett's pranks were a lot more outlandish. Rosalie waited a moment for the part with the bear costume or the whipped cream pie. "That's it?"

Emmett was already giggling like a toddler. "That's it."

Rosalie straightened up to walk in but stopped and turned back. "Shouldn't I change?" She gestured down the jeans, tight sweater, and high heels she wore instead of the standard gym uniform of shorts and a t-shirt.

"No," Emmett insisted, "That only makes it funnier."

Not quite sure what to do, but happy to please Emmett, Rosalie walked into the gym. She used her best strut—swaying her hips, elevating her chest and chin—straight up the man at the bench. She felt the gazes of the other patrons and flipped her hair over her shoulder to give them something to really gawk at. She stopped next to Emmett's buddy and caught his eye in the mirror. As soon as their eyes met, he stopped mid-bicep curl. The massive weights in his hands dropped down to his sides as his arms went limp. He stared at her for a second longer than what would be considered polite but dropped his gaze as soon as his thoughts caught up with him.

"Sorry," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you using this?" She asked, tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the bar in quick succession.

He looked at her outfit for a long second—the confusion shifted towards lust for a brief moment before returning to confusion. In the end, he merely regarded her with a kind smile. "Uh, no. I gotta finish my warmup anyway. Let me move…"

"No, no," Rosalie stopped with him with a wave of her hand. "I can take care of it."

With effortless grace, Rosalie plucked the barbell stacked with the exuberant amount of weights and carefully set it on the ground.

Emmett's friend stared at her in pure astonishment.

Rosalie wiped her hands against each other.

"How…" the poor boy couldn't complete a full sentence.

"What?" she tapped the bar with the toe of her pointy heel. "That? It's not even that heavy."

From where she was, she could already hear Emmett start to giggle. Rosalie turned away on her heels from the guy, trying not to laugh at his absolute befuddlement. She hurried out of the workout area, back towards Emmett, without bothering to appear casual. Emmett caught her in the lobby where the two rolled over with laughter.

"That was… without a doubt… the most fun…" Rosalie tried to express her excitement with her laughter.

The first to calm down, Emmett rubbed soft circles on her back. "This is the start of a beautiful, era, baby."

Rosalie let Emmett coax her into his side and tuck her under his arm.

Back outside, the two inhaled deeply. The thick fog of the morning didn't feel nearly as heavy. The pungent smells of the city seemed sweeter. Laughing with a lover often brought out the best of the world.

Riding high, Rosalie scanned the immediate vicinity for their next victim. She spotted a short, balding man across the street, trying to balance his phone, his coffee, and his muffin. His phone was about to slip out of his hand, and the man would have to choose what to save.

"Watch this," Rosalie winked. Emmett hadn't processed her words as Rosalie darted across the speed, too quickly for any human to perceive. While the man was in a panic over his falling phone, Rosalie was able to slip the coffee out of his hand without him even realizing it. With a free hand, the man easily caught his phone, took a bite of his muffin, and continued scrolling. He hadn't yet realized he was missing something.

Back across the street, Rosalie handed Emmett the man's tumbler. Emmett took it, fully amazed. He laughed, full and deep. Okay, so you're Batman," he counted off on his fingers, "You're the Flash, you're Blade, you're Jean Gray, you're Captain Marvel. What else are you?"

Rosalie beamed. "I'm also very pretty."

Emmett's pleased grin grew wolfish. "That you are."

Rosalie and Emmett walked to intercept the man as he crossed an intersection before he could disappear down a cross street.

"Hey, dude," Emmett said as the man passed, "I think you dropped this,"

At first, the man tried to deny it but recognized his personal tumbler. He stuttered, and almost dropped his phone again, but ultimately accepted the drink from Emmett. His confusion was palpable. Again, Rosalie and Emmett could not contain their laughter. Before he could ask how on Earth Emmett could have it in his possession, the two were off, running merrily down the sidewalk, giggling like children.

Past grumpy commuters and groups of school kids who joined them for a block, they ran down the familiar path that led to Emmett's place of work.

"Emmett, what do you want me to do at the home?" She grew mildly concerned that Emmett was going to have her take someone out of their misery.

Similar to their experience at the gym, Emmett greeted every person they passed with a smile and a wave. A few employees and residents recognized Rosalie and they shared a smile as well. Again, if anyone found Emmett running down the hallway odd, no one said anything. They passed old ladies who immediately giggled like teenagers at Emmett's winks, and offered Rosalie a knowing nod as she trailed behind him.

"You said you've been around for a while, yeah?"

"I have…"

"Like a million years."

"Closer to a century."

They stopped in front of a closed door. Emmett's gripped Rosalie's shoulders. "This is where you shine. I haven't really been able to hold a decent conversation with Mrs. Tsung. But you can."

Rosalie could only stare back, unsure of what he wanted.

He cracked open the door, "Hey, Mrs. Tsung. Someone came to visit you." He crept into the dark room and beckoned for Rosalie to follow. She wondered why he didn't bother to turn on the lights until she realized the woman sitting on the chair under the window was blind. She stared straight ahead, running her finger down across a page of a book on her lap.

"Is it my Harry?"

Emmett looked back at shrugged not sure how to respond. "No. Only a friend. What's going on today, Mrs. Tsung? Anything…" he searched for a word, "Groovy?"

Rosalie threw him a questionable look at his odd word choice.

"Oh," her voice shook, "I believe Jackie Kennedy should be coming into town this afternoon. Can you please hand me my newspaper?"

Emmett helplessly glanced around the room. "I think we have misplaced it."

"It's a shame. There's a picture of Jackie in the paper wearing one of my favorite suits."

Rosalie raised her eyebrows. A woman of class and elegance. "Then you must have impeccable taste to have the same style as Mrs. Kennedy."

Mrs. Tsang raised her chin, "Perhaps Mrs. Kennedy has the same style as me."

Both Emmett and Rosalie cracked a smile. Rosalie now realized the confused state of this woman's mind. She glanced at Emmett, who smiled encouragingly. It was clear Mrs. Tsung was still sharp, just stuck in the wrong time. "Then, you must share your secrets."

"The key is to keep things simple—it easier to seem effortless that way."

"Unlike the women who wear white gloves with everything now," Rosalie attempted, recalling a fashion trend from that era she abhorred.

Mrs. Tsang snorted, daintily. "Who aside from Jackie Kennedy and her associates are so impossibly dainty that they don't get their white gloves dirty within thirty minutes of wearing them?"

"Thank you," Emmett whispered giving Rosalie a quick kiss.

At the door, Emmett held out a thumbs up and stuck out his tongue. Rosalie gave him a small wave, letting him know it was alright to leave them. Rosalie stuck her legs up on the stool, leaned back, and complained with Mrs. Tsung—Mae, she corrected—about the fashion trends that happened well over fifty years ago.

Throughout the conversation, Rosalie's mind wandered back to Emmett. Instead of using her abilities to gain wealth or power, Emmett wanted Rosalie to use her gift of immortality to talk to a lonely old woman. Had she been able to cry, tears would have pooled in her eyes, she was so profoundly touched by his gesture. She loved him so, terribly much.

oOo

"Emmett, Edward and I are going to the market. Do you want anything specific for dinner?"

The door to Emmett's room creaked open. The second Emmett made eye contact with Bella, he burst out laughing. Bella frowned, waiting for it to end. Lately, Emmett had spent day and night with Rosalie. He was only home to do laundry only to meet up with her again. In the brief moments they spent together, all Emmett could do was laugh.

"Spaghetti," he eventually choked out before he closed the door to his bedroom again. Behind the closed door, she could still hear the dregs of his laughter.

"What was that about?" Edward asked, offering Bella the strawberry pastry he grabbed from the kitchen.

She took it from the plate and thoughtlessly took a bite. "He's hiding something from me. He probably bought my birthday present or something."

Edward nodded. "When is your birthday?"

"September thirteenth."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," he grinned before pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Prepare to drown in presents."

Bella swatted at him, but he stepped out of reach in the nick of time. Taking her pastry along with her bags, bottles, and jars, Bella and Edward left the apartment.

Despite the fog and rain, Bella trotted happily down the street. She was always happy on her way to the market, no matter the weather. She was wrapped up in a raincoat two sizes too big, her pretty face fully obscured by the hood. Edward held the umbrella fully over Bella. It meant his left shoulder was drenched with rain, but he didn't mind. The chill didn't bother him like it did Bella.

Arm wrapped around Edward's Bella raddled off the ingredients she wanted to buy and all the things she planned to make with them. Edward listened, not particularly interested in the topic of human food, but enjoyed the sound of her voice, nonetheless.

In the middle of her description of her new cobbler recipe, Edward gripped Bella by the waist and yanked her against his side. Surprised, Bella looked around for what could have spooked Edward. She saw no one in the immediate vicinity except for a small pixie of a girl standing under a bus stop, protecting her from the rain.

The girl waved eagerly to Edward. Edward ignored her, towing Bella with him.

"Edward, do you know that girl?"

"No," his voice was practically a growl.

"Edward!" the girl called out, using the entire length of her arm to wave.

Kind to her core, Bella stopped for the stranger. "Hi!" She pulled on Edward's arm, "Don't be rude."

Edward only glared at Alice, with no intention of speaking with her.

"You know Edward?" Bella asked, uncharacteristically taking the lead in the conversation.

"Edward hasn't mentioned me? I'm Alice." She reached a small hand out towards Bella, "I'm Edward's sister."

As Bella reached for Alice's outstretched hand, Edward took it and gently returned it to her side.

"No, she isn't."

"Oh," Alice playfully pouted, "Don't say that."

"Edward..." Bella's voice was reproachful, with the barest hint of confusion.

"It's alright, Love."

"Yes, Love. It's alright." Alice was enjoying her little game far too much. "Why don't you go and enjoy the market while Edward and I catch up?"

Swallowing hard, Bella looked up to Edward for what she should do. Edward lightly kissed her on the temple. "I'll find you in five minutes."

Edward handed Bella the succulent-shaped umbrella and stepped under the bus stop with Alice. The two vampires watched Bella disappear into the market, still crowded even in the rain. When he couldn't see her himself, he used the minds of the crowd around her. Edward didn't plan to let Bella out of his sight for a single second.

"She's adorable, even for a human."

"She is." Edward kept his tone casual for a moment before switching to a more menacing growl, "So you should know that if you ever get that close to her again, I'll pop your head off your skinny neck."

Alice laughed. The sound was like wind chimes. "You would never be able to lay a finger on me."

Edward scowled, unamused with Alice's cheerful tone. It might as well have been nails on a chalkboard. "What do you want?"

"I'm just here to tell you that I'm extremely disappointed in your choice to stray from our plan."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" he hissed, watching Bella pick out a few apples from the eyes of a merchant. Despite his better judgment, Edward had kept his secret from Bella. More than anything, he wanted to tell her what he was and make to offer to stay together forever. He had her love. Now, he wanted her entirely for eternity.

Alice hummed thoughtfully, "That's odd, I could have sworn…" she theatrically tapped her chin with her finger. "Let me check."

She revealed a vision to Edward of Rosalie, covered in blood, holding a dead man's broken body, and Emmett, standing in the doorway, watching her in fear.

"That must not have happened yet…" Edward muttered in disbelief until he recognized the victim in her arm. One of the brutes who tried to kidnap Bella two days prior

Edward wanted to be furious. He wanted to find Rosalie where she stood and throttle her. He turned his focus back to Bella, merely to calm himself down. But as he watched her happily sort through tomatoes, something dawned on him. If Emmett knew, and he and Rosalie were still together, it meant Alice Cullen was wrong. They didn't need the Cullens to keep the humans. He could tell Bella and keep her without joining their creepy cult of a family.

He was free. They were free.

"Yeah… that's what I thought you'd do…"

The vision in Edward's head switched to himself standing at the flower stand picking through the fresh bouquet for one that best suited Bella. He shook his head. The thought to tell Bella that night with flowers and wine barely entered his head, yet Alice already had a vision of him in the act. The blatant exposure left him feeling naked.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that plan is going to work out as well as you want it to."

Again, the image switched. Bella was tied up, gagged, and shoved through a doorway. Edward's dead heart clenched at the sight. Immediately, Edward found her in the crowd, now standing in line to refill her carton with farm-fresh, pasture-raised eggs. The sight of her through the eyes of a stranger did little to comfort him. He wanted her safe in his arms.

"Join our family and I'll tell you when and where."

Edward shook his head. He refused to be so easily threatened. Especially by a little girl whose head barely made it past his shoulder. Especially not when there was a chance he would get Bella without Cullen interference. "I won't let her out of my sight."

"So, you get too hungry and snap at her the next time she bleeds?" Alice clicked her tongue. "That's not any better."

"I'll lock her in that apartment."

"Witches lock away young maidens, Edward. Not vampires."

"What is it?" Edward exploded. In their short time together, Alice had already tried to force a wedge between him and Rosalie and threatened his mate. "What do you want from her? From us?"

Edward tried to search Alice's mind for a clue, but even with his coaxing, it was a steel trap. He had to rely on what little he knew of the Cullens.

"You want a larger coven," he guessed, "For protection. Your diet makes you social outcasts of the vampire community. You hope with a larger coven, you'll be intimidating enough to pairs of nomads that they will leave you alone in your small cottages in the woods instead of always attacking you."

There was a crack in the steel trap. The smallest blip. It was enough for Edward to see he was on the right track.

"Intimidation. You want to be intimidating," he repeated, growing more confident as he used his gift to probe her mind. "No, it's the power. You want to power that leads to intimidation."

Alice regarded him hungrily. "What an incredible gift you have."

"I try to use it respectfully. Unlike you."

"Oh, pish-posh," she flipped both wrists. "You'll grow to love my gift; you'll grow to need my gift. Once you get used to it, you won't be able to make a single decision without my help."

It all clicked.

"That's it. Not just power over other covens, but power of your own. It's why you chose Carlisle, isn't it? You don't care about his diet. You looked through hundreds of futures to find the one coven that you could worm your way into and control. And Carlisle was kind and gentle enough to let you. He poses as the head of the coven, but really you are in charge. And you love it."

One side of Alice's mouth quirked up. "Carlisle and Esme are sweet. With my help, they can be so much more than a quiet, gentle couple in the woods."

They don't want to be more than that. Carlisle and Esme aren't enough. You need me and Rose. You need more." Edward was right. The small, tiny psychic was psychotic. "We will never join your coven. I will never in my life allow Bella to become a pawn on your board."

Alice's expression was not one of someone who had been discovered. It was the self-satisfied smirk of a person who had just won. "You might think that. However, during your little detective search through my brain, you took your eyes off her."

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I know that I also just ended See the Stars with a cliffhanger. I didn't mean for these two chapters to be posted in the same batch. I'm not always this mean, I promise.