Well I was moving at the speed of sound.
Head-spinning, couldn't find my way around, and
Didn't know that I was going down.
Yeah, yeah.
Where I've been, well it's all a blur.
What I was looking for, I'm not sure.
Too late and didn't see it coming.
Yeah, yeah.

And then I crashed into you,
And I went up in flames.
Could've been the death of me,
But then you breathed your breath in me.
And I crashed into you,
Like a runaway train.
You will consume me,
But I can't walk away.

Somehow, I couldn't stop myself.
I just wanted to know how it felt.
Too strong, I couldn't hold on.
Yeah, yeah.
Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense
Out of how and why this happened.
Where we're heading, there's just no knowing.
Yeah, yeah.

From your face, your eyes
Are burning to me.
You saved me, you gave me
Just what I need.
Oh, just what I need.

And then I crashed into you...

I would ask him the truth, eventually. I mean, even psychotic people need to have their questions answered once in a while. I would either confirm the suspicions of my sanity, or lack thereof, and when Emmett looked at me again like I'd just tried to chew my own arm off, I would know that I just had a good knack for subconscious detail.

Or when Emmett told me he really had been in my room, really had held so close to him and kissed me...a heat rose in my stomach as I thought about that. About the possibility that it had been real. Because if it had, then when were Emmett's feelings toward me? And why me, anyway?

Jesus. It was a wonder I wasn't a drooling mess on the floor, my body cranked permanently to 'fetal position'.

We left the restaurant, the waitress giving Emmett a slightly more than friendly look as he paid the bill on the way out. It was extremely irritating that girls seemed to be completely entranced by him. So I guess that made me a hypocrite, but I figured that since I was the one he'd visited more than once now, and at night no less, well, I had some claim to him, right? Or I at least had the right to be pissed off at any other girl who could be any sort of competition.

And then, of course, that made me wonder about something else. What if this was routine for Emmett? What if he just willy nilly hopped into girls' rooms left and right, like some kind of peeping Tom? It wouldn't exactly be difficult, and any woman would be mush in his able hands. But I doubted this, or at least I wanted to. He just didn't seem the type to me. Honestly, aside from the vampire thing, Emmett was very down-to-earth, and much less creepy than one would think.

Which was more than a little unnerving.

oooo

Edward POV

Murdering my sister was definitely at the top of my priority list. She had to be insane, there was no other word for the way she was acting. Encouraging Emmett to seek a relationship with a human, that was at least forgivable because at the heart of the matter Alice just wanted Emmett to be happy again; we all did. But me...to actually suggest that I have anything to do with Angela Weber outside of the halls of school...

If there was one thing Alice was very gifted at, it was planting little seeds of doubt in your mind and then sitting back and watching her handiwork bloom into a verifiable forest, and all the while with a smile on her face.

Stupid vampire.

oooo

Emmett POV

So I guess I blew it those two nights. Because if Kelly was suspicious about the first night, she must know that it was me who moved her back into her room the second.

It was clear by this time that Kelly pretty much knew what I was. What my family was. How was that possible, though? We'd been living in Forks for a few years now, and nobody was the wiser. We passed for humans. Maybe a little weird, but people usually chalked that up to us being from Alaska, what with only Canadians and Eskimos for neighbors and all that. And here was this new girl, totally fearless about us.

Well, that wasn't true. Her nightmares were the aftermath of something horrible, something that left her an orphan. I craved to know what happened, why she was so miserable, if only so I knew what I needed to do to make it better, to help in whatever way I could. Maybe I was making it too difficult, though. How could I expect her to come clean to me, to open up and let me in, when I wouldn't even confirm to her that I was, in fact, a vampire?

Maybe I was over thinking things. I laughed inwardly, as I'd never been accused of that in my entire life, human and immortal alike. I opened the passenger door for Kelly, helping her up into her seat.

"I'm not made of lace." She said, gripping tighter onto my hand. I shrugged; better to use a featherlight touch, better to be safe than sorry. Again, this was all unfamiliar territory with me. I'd never had to be gentle with Rosalie, at least not in the physical sense. This was definitely something Carlisle or even Edward would be better at.

"And I'm not...like you." I said, meeting her gaze. Trying to say so many things without saying them. To tell my secrets without scaring her, because that's the last thing I'd ever want to do.

Kelly dropped my hand, swallowing thickly. "We're probably more alike than you think, Emmett Cullen."

oooo

Emmett looked at me strangely for a moment, then softly shut the door, walking over to the driver's side of the Jeep at a human pace. I probably shouldn't have said that, that we were alike. I couldn't think of anything more insulting for him - for a vampire, for somebody who could be as gentle as he was strong. For somebody who could knock a girl off her feet with a smirk.

I must be so fragile to him, so breakable and unstable, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. He witnessed a nightmare, I was sure, and that is a human at their most illogical and vulnerable. When was the last time Emmett felt fear? When was the last time the pain inside ripped his heart apart? Surely he couldn't - -

And then I remembered what Angela had said. About a girl, about Rosalie. So maybe I wasn't too far off in my assessment. Maybe we were two broken people just trying to make it through the day. Although from the looks of things, of the bond Emmett had with his family, he seemed to be faring a lot better than me.

Emmett started the Jeep and backed out of the parking lot. We sat for a few moments in silence as he got back on the freeway, until I broke the quiet, trying to recover from my last words.

"Sooo...Emmett. Where are you from?"

Emmett flashed me a sideways smile. "Sorry, I don't do back story."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not fair. You already know stuff about me." At least I hadn't said much more to Alice. It was already slightly irritating that she was reporting about me to Emmett. Although I supposed I owed her in some way. Right now, this was the happiest I'd been for a long time. I pushed aside my guilt and paranoia about Emmett being a vampire for the benefit of keeping whatever sanity I had left. At least for the time being. I'd have to deal with the fact that he was still the same as the woman with fire for hair and cat eyes, the same as the monster who slaughtered my parents, eventually. But just for today, just for now, I wanted to enjoy being so close to somebody.

He considered this, then gave a consenting nod. "Alright, you ask me a question, then I get to ask you one."

"You have to tell me the truth." I said, looking over at him.

He turned his head, dark brown eyes connecting with mine for a solid five seconds before he looked back to the road. "Deal." He finally said, his voice gruff. "But ditto for you."

"Like I'd lie to you." I said, affronted, then realized how that sounded. Like I would never lie to only him, like he was something special and I'd never tarnish whatever trust he might ever have in me by lying. There was the idiot thing again. I was getting good at that.

"I know you wouldn't." Emmett replied. "It's weird. I didn't think I'd be able to say that. About another girl, I mean. Or even anybody outside my family."

I nodded, like I understood what he meant. I guess I did, a little bit anyway. "Okay." I had been dying to know if he had really seen me at the airport, if he'd had any idea then that we'd end up here. Where exactly here was even I wasn't sure, but we were at least talking. At least we were together. We had friendly banter, and I guess that's what, at this point, I'd classify us as. As friends. Brushing aside the fact that he'd kissed my neck, that he'd held me, that I'd been closer to him than any other boy in my entire life, of course.

"When I flew into Sea-Tac..." I began, and immediately Emmett chuckled.

"Yeah, I was pretty much a giveaway then, wasn't I?" He said, switching lanes to pass a slow-moving Lincoln.

"Well it wasn't just you." I shrugged. "I mean, your whole family was kind of a giveaway. No humans are that perfect. But to be honest...it was your smile, more than anything. No boy...no human boy...can smile like that." I flushed, biting my tongue. How was it that he always, always, managed to make me say things I would never readily admit, especially to him?

"You like my smile?" He seemed genuinely curious. Jesus, how stupid had this Rosalie chick been? Had she never told him what just a grin from him was capable of?

"I wouldn't say like..." I trailed off, grinning as he shot me a furtive look.

"Ah ah ah, you promised. No lying." He said, and for good measure, he flashed a smile that was knowing and full of laughter at the same time.

"Well, try not to rub it in," I said, when I could manage to look away from him.

"Kelly..." He said, a taunting edge in his tone.

I sighed, "Fine. After I saw you...after I realized what you were, and how normal you seemed...after your smile...I slept okay. I mean, really okay. For the first time since I could remember. It was because of you, Emmett. Because without even knowing it you made me feel welcome, made my entire world a little brighter."

Emmett looked confused, as though he had no clue that he could have this effect on someone. But he had to know the attention he drew to himself. Girls were falling over themselves to even catch a glimpse of him; I'd witnessed that in the lunchroom at school, and the waitress at the restaurant was definitely the type of girl who reserved herself for guys like Emmett. How could he not see this?

"You realize, don't you? The way girls look at you? This can't be the first time somebody's mentioned this to you."

Emmett shrugged. "I guess I don't pay attention. But I don't think you do, either."

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you don't. I practically had to wipe the drool off the lunchroom floor around your table earlier."

"Oh, that." I said dismissively. "Yeah...what was it Jessica said? It was like kindergarten again and I was the shiny new toy. Or something like that. I really try not to listen when she talks."

Emmett laughed. "She has it bad for Ed. I even slipped her his number. Just to make him miserable."

"How nice of you." I said, but I cracked a smile too.

"Just the kind of guy I am. Anyway, I didn't just mean about the losers at school trying to get up on you. All those things you said about the airport, they were pretty much true for me, too. What you did for me. To me. It was crazy, I couldn't get you out of my head. By only seeing you for those few minutes, it was like...I don't know. You have to understand, Rosalie was like, my whole life. She saved my life. Well, I guess technically Carlisle did. But she was...I mean, she was my mate. We were together for so many years. Lifetimes it seemed like."

I dropped my eyes to my lap. I could have deduced as much, from what Angela had said. And it wasn't like Rosalie was around now, but it still stung to hear Emmett talk about her. About another woman in his life. I must be so insignificant to him...knowing me for only days, compared to having Rosalie around for years. Decades probably, the way he made it sound.

"What did she look like?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

Emmett glanced at me for a second, then went back to the road. "Blonde. Tall. Curves. I think Alice once called her Marilyn Monroe."

Oh, wonderful. So Rosalie was basically a symbol of sex. Pure lust. Beautiful. Tall. Curves. The complete opposite of me. My hair was almost black, my skin a far cry from the flawless porcelain that Rosalie was sure to have. I was thin, though I could feel my body softening in certain spots after a few days of rounded meals. Nobody looking at me would jump to alluring, would think bombshell.

I bit my lip, leaning my head back against the headrest and looking out the window, trying to focus on the passing road, to keep my face neutral. It shouldn't matter to me, shouldn't bother me. I mean, what was I really to Emmett? A human girl obsessed with him, a fractured mind and a loner. But he'd said that I helped him, too. That I had done something for him, just as he'd done something for me.

"You have to tell me what you're thinking." Emmett burst out, slamming on the brakes as he pulled off onto a side road from the freeway that I hadn't even noticed. "I'm not Edward, I don't know what's going on in your head. You need to say if you feel something, let me know. I have to know."

"How exactly would Edward know what's going on in my head?" I asked, suspicious.

"Does that matter right now? Seriously Kell, you have to talk to me." Emmett extended his hand to mine.

I didn't want Emmett to see my insecurities. To know that I was comparing myself to Rosalie. To hate that I wasn't like her, even though I didn't know her. But I did know that Emmett loved her. If not anymore, he had in the past, and that was something to contend with. I knew he would never consider me in such a romantic way, not like I did him, but it still sucked.

"I'm...wondering how she left you." It was true. I'd pondered this several times, actually. "How she could even think of letting you go." I laced our fingers together, his hand cold and large against mine.

"I'm starting to think things happen for a reason." Emmett said, giving me a significant look, and I saw a glimpse in his eyes of what he made me feel. I did have some effect on him, did mean something to him. He pulled off into a thicket of trees, a ways from the small road we'd taken. We were obstructed from view of any passersby, and my stomach fluttered at this.

And suddenly, I wanted to kiss him. Badly. I could feel the heat rising in my neck, across my cheeks. I looked up at him, my heart hammering in my chest. His eyes wide, he realized what I wanted.

"I...don't know that I'm strong enough." He whispered, his eyes closing for a brief moment. I doubted if he'd ever had to wonder that before in his life.

"You've done it before." I pointed out.

"Sure it wasn't a dream?" He suggested, but I knew better. No way was I capable of conjuring up such images, simply for the fact that Emmett was better than a dream. As ridiculous as that sounded.

I turned, pulling my legs up so I was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "You want it to, though, don't you? Even if it's just because of my blood." I couldn't deny that it was a concern of mine, that Emmett just wanted my blood. But at this point, even if that was true, I wouldn't have cared. I was all his. He could use me as he saw fit.

"Don't," He said softly, reaching up to touch my hair, tucking a tendril behind my ear. "Don't think that. It'll never be about that." He said this as a promise, almost, although I couldn't have said who he was promising; me, or himself.

"It's just a kiss. Just once, please." Although I knew I would never be able to stop. I was already addicted to this man, to this vampire. In the space of a few days, in the few hours since I'd been with him, I was totally hooked. His laughter, just talking to him. Being near him, looking at him. His eyes, looking back at me. His total oblivion to just how amazing he was, his easy smile and laid-back nature.

And it was then, that I crashed. Or rather that he crashed into me.

oooo

Alice POV

I smiled, opening my eyes. Jasper, whose head was in my lap, smiled with me. "Do I even want to know?" He asked.

I pushed the blond hair off his forehead. "Oh darling," I said, "you already know. I'm basically amazing, and it's incredible that any of you ever survived without me."

"Well, there is a difference between surviving and living. I never lived until you." Jasper said, sitting up and pulling me into his chest.

"True. Man, this is going to be easier than I thought."

"Alice..." Jasper groaned. "Hasn't Emmett been through enough?"

"I'm helping him! He really likes her, and she totally loves him. He deserves to be happy. And anyway, the real issue here is Edward. He's so damn difficult."

Jasper gave a deep sigh. "Now Edward? Bored much?"

"Whatever, you know Edward cares about Angela. You can feel it, can't you? Sense their connection?"

Silence. Which meant that Jasper had to, at least, acknowledge that much.

"Exactly. I'm just prodding them along. We're all going to happy, okay? Even if it kills us. I want to show this family that Ro...that her being gone doesn't matter. She doesn't make or break us."

Jasper just held me tighter, as my emotions melded into his own.

Song used is Crashed by Daughtry. A perfect song for Emmett and Kelly, really. Perhaps things moved a little fast with them, but I kind of like that pace. That they already mean something to each other. *shrug*. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.