x indicates flashback. Do enjoy and thank jessa76 for getting my butt in gear to finish this chapter.

Who knows how long
I've been awake now?
The shadows on my wall don't sleep
They keep calling me
Beckoning...
Who knows what's right?
The lines keep getting thinner
My age has never made me wise...

Emmett POV

x

You'd think that being something more than human would give you an edge in the brains department. Fucking up and hurting the girl you cared about was something immature teenagers did, not a vampire with decades of life experience. Did so easily, too.

I knew I'd hurt Kelly. It was obvious the second I'd told her about Lauren. I wanted to cancel it all, right then and there, and pick her up in my arms and beg her to let me make it up to her, that if she forgave me, I'd never, never, make her hurt again.

Tanya's voice, the poison in my ear, kept me from doing that. I figured that the damage had already been done, and I could move on with my life, move on from Rose, with a clear conscious after the date was over. It would be just a few hours, a typical, boring thing. It was going to be, I was sure, since Lauren was the most brainless human I'd ever met. She was as vain as Rosalie, which was saying something, even though Rose had been pretty justified- for everything she'd put me through, she was still the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. I always wondered what she'd looked like as a human. Not that the turn really changed that much about you- at least I liked to think it didn't. Maybe what it really did, what becoming a vampire really was, was amplifying the worst parts yourself, spinning them as beauty for the rest of the world. But you had to live with what you really were for the rest of eternity.

In that sense, maybe Edward was right and this was a curse. I'd have to live with hurting Kelly for the rest of- forever. Of knowing that she could've died, been obliterated, by another vampire. She had bled, been attacked, been terrified, because I hadn't been there to protect her. I'd selfishly put her in harm's way, broken her heart and had just expected that she would still want me, that she'd still be waiting for me.

"She's been thinking about you." Edward said, as I slipped into the bedroom where Kelly was sleeping. Everybody else was out- Esme was shopping, stocking the house with human food, Angela in school, Alice and Jasper running a long perimeter around Kelly's house and ours, Jasper on constant watch since they discovered the mark on Kelly's thigh. Maureen was still out of town, a bought of torrential rain keeping her in a hotel instead of on the road. Carlisle had brought home supplies from the hospital, and for the last day Kelly'd been in and out of tranquilizer-induced unconsciousness. "It's the only thing that's been helping her with the pain. Memories, it seems."

I was used to Edward being able to see every private moment of my life, and while I wasn't thrilled with the idea of him walking down memory lane with Kelly, it gave me hope that maybe Kelly really was waiting for me.

In that sense, maybe having all of her life to make it up to her was a gift; not a curse.

x

oooo

Angela POV

x

I'd never been close with any of the kids from La Push. Sure, they came into town every once in a while, and we went out to the Reservation's beaches on warmer days in the summer, but it wasn't as if we ever included each other in our social circles. They kept to themselves, mostly, as though they were privy to things the rest of us weren't. It was isolation- not like the Cullens, who, like those from La Push, were oddities to the rest of Forks. But the Cullens seemed to have been forced into their quiet, out-of-the-way lives. Those on the Reservation chose it.

So seeing Leah Clearwater as I came out of school, flanked by Jacob Black and her little brother, Seth, was out of the ordinary enough- even more so when they all stood as one, in perfect unison, as I came closer to where they were.

"We need to talk." Leah said curtly, Jacob cutting his eyes around us, as though expecting a stampede or an attack. From who, I wasn't sure, but the tone of Leah's voice left little to the imagination- they were serious about something.

"Sure...I never got the chance to thank you for bringing back my cousin. If Dr. Cullen hadn't been there..." I trailed off, the smile sliding off my face as Jacob snorted with disdain and Leah rolled her eyes. Seth, though, grinned back at me, in a reassuring sort of way. His temperament seemed to be almost opposite of Leah's. Not that I could blame her- it was hardly any secret that her ex, Sam Uley, had gone behind her back and fallen in love with her cousin. The last I had heard, Emily and Sam were going to be married and Leah had even agreed to be Emily's maid of honor. The thought alone of attending the wedding of the guy who broke your heart would be enough to put anybody permanently on edge. That she hadn't snapped and killed us all was something she should be commended for.

"Any of them around?" Jacob asked, his arms firmly crossed at his chest.

"Any of...?" I asked, wondering how bizarre this looked to the students milling around us.

"Cullens." Leah said with one eyebrow raised, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Alice and Jasper are playing hooky today, and Edward is on a field trip for his psychology class. Emmett hasn't left Kelly's side." It struck me as very curious that they'd care where the Cullens were- there certainly hadn't been any love lost between them when they'd brought Kelly back to their house.

Leah turned, her eyes meeting Jacob's- they seemed to almost communicate silently for a moment, before Seth stepped forward. "I know, they're creepy, right? Super weird."

"The only reason Sam let you come was that you promised you'd be quiet," Jacob said, pushing his palm against Seth's forehead. "Don't make me duct tape your mouth shut."

"Is everything okay? I'm not really sure why you care about where my friends are." I broke in, the conversation getting stranger by the second.

"You're dating a vampire, sweetheart. That's the short of it." Leah said, ignoring both Jacob and Seth's noises of protest. "If you want the long of it, follow me." And she quickly whirled away, down the sidewalk.

x

oooo

"What makes you think that?" For being supernatural creatures with lightning-quick reflexes, I was the first one to speak, but then I doubted whether the Cullens had ever been ambushed like this before. Angela was a truly benign presence, and for her to so blatantly lay the word vampire on the table surely had to catch them off their guard.

"That's what Leah said. I guess she assumed since Edward and I are dating, that I knew the...truth. When she said it was obvious I didn't, she didn't hold back any."

"Leah?" I'd never met a Leah- if she'd belonged in Angela's group of friends I'd missed her.

"No, she lives on the Reservation." Edward murmured. Slowly, he stood, his hands held up in a peaceful gesture, like he was approaching a lunatic gunman he needed to talk down. "I'm not going to hurt you, Angela."

Angela raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I know that."

"Do you...are you...okay?" I asked, attempting to stand from the bed, but Alice gently pushed me back onto the pillows.

"A little upset, maybe, but it isn't like I don't understand. You can't trust just anybody with such a secret. Although in retrospect I should have known something was amiss when you brought up vampires at dinner the other night."

I grinned sheepishly. "Well, it wasn't really my secret to tell, but I figured a prod in the right direction couldn't hurt."

"So, going to tell me why another vam-vampire, an enemy, according to Leah, is after you? I got the whole story out of her. Honestly she wasn't holding back any. I think she was trying to make me angry, sort of pit me against all of you." It was the only time I would hear Angela struggle over the word, though in her highly logical mind, it must've sounded like madness. Still, she was as accepting and brave as I would expect her to be. I would have to ask her what Leah had said that made it so convincing. Not everybody would just believe something like this.

"Who is this Leah?!" I exclaimed. I was already irritated at how long I'd been out, that I'd clearly missed so much. That I'd caused so much. I wondered if Edward would ever forgive me for being the reason his human facade had been seen though.

"A wolf." Emmett's voice pulled me like a loose cord being tugged taut. Our eyes met, his orbs a rich gold, and this time, I didn't care. I forced myself from the bed, the pain could go to hell, but before my feet had touched the thick carpet, he was there, at my side, his arms around me.

"Emmett." I whispered, and his grip became tighter.

"I'm so-" He began, but I shook my head. There was no reason for him to apologize. Not now, not when my body was aching for him, when for the first time since that conversation in the library I felt safe, felt complete. In light of everything that was happening, Lauren was not worth being mad at Emmett for another second. I was sure I'd feel differently when all of this passed, but hey, priorities.

"I'm never, never, going to leave you again." Emmett said, cupping my cheek with a cool hand, his thumb sweeping across my skin.

"Alright," Alice clapped once, standing. "Let's leave ding and dong to it. I think we have a few things to discuss." She threaded her arm through Angela's, and with a beckoning glance, Edward and Jasper followed the two from the bedroom, leaving Emmett and I alone. "Oh," Alice stuck her head back in the doorway, "She really needs a bath." She smirked at us, then swung the door shut.

I looked up at Emmett and in a single motion, he'd swept me up into his arms, and was carrying me across the room as though I were lighter than a feather.

"I don't need any help-" I began to protest, but one look from him shut me up. Besides, was I really complaining? A steamy bath with Emmett...I could've woken up to worse. Like not waking up at all.

Emmett held me with one arm, using the other to begin filling the massive tub that was sunken into the floor. I had used the downstairs bathroom, of course, but I'd never been in any of the bedrooms or their adjoining baths. This one was a guest room, I supposed, as there were no personal items on the dresser beside the bed or on the counter here in the bathroom. A double sink, black walnut cabinets, and marble whiter than newly fallen snow. All the fixtures were burnished bronze, the epitome of "updated". There was a separate shower, with two heads coming out of either side of the wall. A digital control pad just outside the crystal clear shower door indicated it was also a steam shower. Thick towels hung from a rack beside the tub, and I realized the light flickered off every surface- the chandelier hanging above was lit by no less than twenty candles. There were two large windows beside the toilet, deep purple roman shades pulled over them. Towels, shades, and bath mats all matched. How perfectly coordinated- Esme had her refined touches in every corner of the house.

"I'm going to get you a change of clothes. Alice has some of your stuff in the drawer. I'll be right back- promise." Emmett set me down on the counter between the sinks. I nodded, watching him go. I reached down to open one of the drawers, relieved when I saw Alice had stashed my toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, deodorant, and my brush there. I began to brush my teeth, wondering when the last time I'd done it was. Yeesh. Too long, probably.

As I was wiping my mouth and rinsing out the sink, Emmett came back in, shutting the door softly behind him. "Alice wouldn't hear of you being in a robe again. Angela brought you some stuff." He held up a stack of neatly folded clothes. I recognized a pair of sweats, a tank top, and a sweatshirt from The Met. On top were a fresh pair of underwear and bra.

Emmett reached for the belt of my robe. "I can do it." I said, but he looked at me, his eyes hungry- and not for blood.

"Let me take care of you." His voice so low it was almost a whisper. I swallowed thickly at the implications it held. "Open." He gently commanded, and I spread my arms so he could slip the robe from my body, his gaze never leaving mine.

I wasn't wearing anything underneath- I was entirely exposed, entirely naked under Emmett's golden stare. That was true most of the time, anyway, clothes or not.

"You next." I said, and Emmett stood there for a moment, an agonized look crossing his face before he slipped his shirt off. I tried not to gasp- I had spent far too many hours wondering what he looked like under those clothes, wishing to see it, to touch it, myself...but all those day dreams hadn't prepared me for his sheer perfection. Michelangelo's David had nothing on Emmett Cullen. Flawless porcelain skin, every inch of of torso defined, giving new meaning to how I would now define "abs".

"Careful," Emmett said, that grin on his face, "don't want to trip in your drool."

I dropped my eyes with a laugh- well, could I be blamed for oogling him? I wanted to memorize each and every part of him, for it to be implanted in my memory forever.

Emmett brushed his palm over my thigh, sending shocks through my entire body. His finger traced the crescent scar there.

"Can I see yours?" I asked. Carlisle had been the one to turn him, I'd learned from Esme, and a kinder sire I was positive didn't exist. I wondered just where it was that he'd bitten Emmett, where the venom in his fangs had entered Emmett's body. It was a fucked up thought, but now I had something that matched him- it shouldn't have pleased as much as it did.

Emmett took my hand in one of his, and pressed it against his chest. The icy cold of his body, always soothing to me, spread through my fingertips, into my wrist. "The quickest way into the heart. An artery is how it's best done. The aorta, in my case."

None of the Cullens had been exactly forthcoming with their stories of how they turned. I couldn't blame them, nor was it really my place to ask them about it. I figured in time, maybe, I'd find out more about them. Obviously the one I was most curious about was Emmett, but he was also the one I didn't mind taking the most time with. I would gladly give the rest of my life to learn about him.

"You're shivering." Emmett said, but before I could open my mouth to tell him it had nothing to do with being cold, he lifted me, his arm under my bare knees, the other around my shoulders. He didn't hold me for long, though, instead settling me into the tub. In a blur he was beside me, and my mouth went dry as I saw the pile of his jeans, belt, and boxers at the edge of the bath.

I was naked. Emmett was naked.

I felt feverish now, the heat of the tub melding with the heat from my skin. Before I lost my nerve, I moved over to him, and he seemed as nearly effected by me as I was by him. I was still stiff, sore, but I was so desperate for this, so ready for this, that all human pain was pushed aside. I could deal with it later- and gladly so, to have these moments.

"Kelly-" Emmett said, but his voice was more pleading than warning; good. He wanted this, too.

His hands were at my back as I straddled him, as I felt him. He was already hard, something that flattered as well thrilled me. He groaned as our pelvises touched, and he pulled me to him, his lips ardent against my neck, up my jaw, claiming my lips. His hands snaked around, his freezing fingertips trailing across my ribs and up my sternum, making wide circles around my breasts, teasing me, enticing me.

I kissed him harder, the pounding of my heart now turning into a throbbing I felt in every pore of my body. Finally, his thumbs brushed my nipples, and I tipped my head back, urging him to devour me. His mouth left mine, leading a frosty trail down to my left breast, his lips around my nipple.

"Emmett," It was my turn to plead, my body long-since prepared for him. I felt him fumble for a second, his hand underneath me, and then he was there, firm tip against my opening. He stopped for a moment, heavy-lidded eyes searching mine for confirmation, for permission. "Please," I said, gripping his shoulders, and his eyes fluttered shut as he thrust slowly upward. I held tightly onto him, teeth clenched, as my body adjusted to him. He was larger than any of the very few experiences I had in my limited past, and having him fill the most intimate and tender parts of me was a nearly ethereal experience.

"Fuck," I heard, through my haze, Emmett swear, as I started to move, to ride him, to grind against him. Panting, I found his lips, felt his hands slide off my body to grip the end of the bath. "I can't make it much longer," he said, and I shook my head, trying to indicate that I wouldn't be in control of my body either.

He thrust faster, and I was frantic in my speed, trying to pleasure him as much as he was pleasuring me, when with a deep gasp I felt an almost violent wave of ecstasy crash into me, pulling me down, drowning me. Then I felt nothing- Emmett was out of the tub in a flash, standing at the counter, his entire body tense and still.

I heard an odd draining and looked around; where Emmett had been gripping the tub were deep indentations of his fingers. The tub had cracked all down the sides, the steamy water spilling out.

"Stay in the water. It helps with the smell." Emmett's voice was strange- I'd never heard him like that. He was...scared.

"I'm-"

"It's not your fault. I thought I had enough control..." He trailed off, and I heard him take several deep breaths.

"Should I-"

Emmett shook his head. "It's easier if you stay there."

"Well," I looked around, the water still draining out, "this is a sunken tub. Upstairs. Meaning it's going to leak through the floor boards. What are we above?"

Emmett chuckled- he sounded like his old self again. "Edward's room."

oooo

Esme had gone all out- I could smell her cooking wafting upstairs nearly all day. After my bath with Emmett, I was as shaky-legged as ever, but happier than I'd been for days. Months. Years.

He'd seemed fine after a taking a few minutes, helping me get dressed, waiting while I brushed out my hair. The kiss he'd given me, anyway, as we left the bathroom was as gentle as any he'd ever given me. He helped me down the stairs, through my own insistence. Emmett could've carried me in half a second flat to the living room, but I felt less like an invalid if I at least walked on my own.

"But Carlisle is a doctor! Surely he kept notes, logs, charts?" Angela was saying, seated beside Edward on the large sectional, sitting cross-legged.

"Some," Edward agree, nodding, "but he remembers very little from his own...transformation. For mine and Rosalie's-" Edward froze as Emmett and I approached, but he continued on, glossing over her name. "he did study a bit more. Esme's, I'm afraid, was rather emotional for him."

"Which we'll not be talking about for now. There are more pressing matters." Esme came in from the kitchen, setting out two tall glasses of milk and a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table. She smiled warmly at me, at the sight of Emmett beside me. "Now, I'll just be in the kitchen dear, if you need anything, you just ask."

"I'll be okay. I'm...perfect, actually." I thought about Emmett's hands on my arching back, his cool thumb brushing the side of my breast, how his length had stretched my centre.

Edward made a small gagging noise and I shook my head to clear it. Whoops. I'd try to keep my thoughts about his brother PG-rated when he was nearby. I almost mentioned the busted tub, but Emmett gave me a small wink- he wanted to torture Edward. Edward had turned his attention back toward Angela, and seemed to not have caught that last thought of mine.

Alice and Jasper were missing, and Carlisle had yet to come home from the hospital. Angela jumped up, rushing over to me, hugging me.

"I'm so sorry you had to know all this alone, Kel." She shoved Emmett away and took over assisting me to the end of the couch, where a pillow, ice pack, and blanket awaited.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I should've told you the second I realized how gaga for Edward you were."

Angela flushed. "Yes well, Edward's filled me in on a few things, but it doesn't seem like any of them know why this lunatic guy is after you."

I shrugged, not wanting to think about him, the vampire that had sent fear rushing through my veins like a flash flood. It had caught be completely off my guard, after being with the Cullens. I'd never doubted for a second that human life was precious to them, that they would do whatever necessary to preserve it. To imagine any of them- even Jasper, who was easily the most stand-offish, intentionally hurting or scaring me, was laughable. But that man...I shuddered, and Angela gave me a reassuring squeeze as I settled into a spot on the couch.

"Jasper and Alice are checking the perimeter. Around Forks- towards the boundary." Edward answered my unasked question.

"Boundary for-"

"La Push. the Reservation. The wolves- shape shifters, I guess- set it. But enough about that. I want details, Edward Cullen, about this." Angela said all this in a rush, shoving a notebook at Edward. It was an older book- a journal, cloth-bound, looking as though it were a hundred years old.

If Edward could blush, I was sure he'd be beet red. He swiped it away from Angela, turning wildly on his family. "Who gave this to her? Who found it?"

Esme re-entered the room, this time with a tray of food. "I did and how dare you be so rude, we do not grab things in this house, Edward Cullen."

"This is private." Edward seethed, "you had no right."

Esme set the tray down in a very precise way, handed me and Angela each a linen napkin, then straightened up, her hands on her hips. "This is my house Edward, and you are my son. I have every right in the world. She was curious, and she deserves answers. You would never have given them to her. So I did what I would do for any of my children- I helped you when you refused to do it for yourself." Her voice wasn't cold- I doubted Esme could ever be that- but it was firm, and Edward pursed his lips together as she went back into the kitchen.

Angela stood and went to Edward's side, covering his hand that was gripping the book, with her own. "I'm not sorry. This is who you are. You're-"

"A murderer." Edward said, his eyes searching hers.

"A hero." Angela said, shaking her head.

"Actually I think the correct term is serial killer. When the body count is that high, anyway." Alice pranced into the room, giving a quick peck on the cheek to Angela before wedging herself in between Emmett and I on the couch.

"Funny." Edward said tightly. He looked up at Jasper, the two of them sharing grave expressions. "I see. Two, then."

Jasper nodded. "As far as we can tell."

"Two against us all...it could be worse." Edward said with a shrug.

Jasper gave a single nod- whether in agreement with Edward or to acknowledge that yes, it was worse, I wasn't sure. "Alice has had a vision." He pulled out a piece of paper- during the time the Emmett and I weren't on speaking terms, Alice had gone into detail about her own particular talent. When she had a vision, if she was with her family, they recognized the signs almost immediately and were able to hand her something to draw or write with. A learned habit, she'd confessed, from years of being locked up in an asylum as a human.

Alice turned to me, her fine features distraught. "I'm so sorry, Kelly." She whispered, while Jasper handed me a piece of notebook paper that had been folded to fit in his pocket. There were wild lines- curls, I realized- and eyes that had been colored in with the pen Alice had used, black on the paper but showing, still, a hunger, a ferocity- I knew it as though I knew my own face in the mirror, something burned into my mind that I could never forget. The absence of my mother and father's blood all over her face and clothes did little to displace my recognition. I felt out of my body, then, the paper shaking in my hand, blood rushing out of my face. Emmett pushed Alice roughly away, his hands on either side of my face.

"Kelly," he forced me to look at him, "breathe. You need to breathe." I realized I'd been holding the air in my lungs- I was sure if I released it, I'd just scream. I could feel the hysteria rising in my throat, the rest of my body numb. My heart was pounding in my ears- it was so loud I was sure I was going to go deaf from it.

"I'm going to count. Look at me, Kelly. My lips. Focus." Emmett started counting slowly- I could see his lips form and curve over every number. Those lips consumed me- could excite me, could comfort me, could make me laugh when he kissed me right behind my ear, where I was slightly ticklish. I wondered what Emmett's lips had been like before, when he was human. I didn't think turning into a vampire altered you that much- at least, I felt that the best parts of somebody, physical and mental alike, were kept pretty much intact through death and onto...whatever else there was. For Emmett, that had been becoming a vampire. No, his lips surely were that perfect in his human life.

"Good, you're doing so good, angel. Fifty two, fifty three," I felt the paper slide out of my fingers, and Emmett's arms were now around me, his voice so soft in my ear as he continued to count. I felt my heart beat fall into rhythm with his words, my back against his chest. My mind was torn in two- too busy, but at the same time too quiet, too still. I felt like I was swimming in mud, moving so fast I wasn't going anywhere. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on what Emmett was saying. "One hundred and three," he was saying, and I could feel my limbs again, could feel my neck.

I looked down at the floor, where the paper was. Where Alice's vision was. Where she was.

Lyrics used are from Nothing Left To Say by Imagine Dragons. As ever, feedback is greatly appreciated.