A/N:

I am so sorry I didn't upload this chapter this past Wednesday! My sister was visiting from Norway, I am on a break from Facebook, and we were sleeping over at my grandparents' place, so pretty much nothing was as it usually is, and I completely forgot about it!

I didn't remember until just now, so shame on me!

I hope you can forgive me!

In other news, this story didn't go through to Round 2 in the TFFA, but The Undecided did in the Favorite Undiscovered Gem category, and so did I in the Favorite Da Vinci and Favorite Ellen, so thank you for that! I love you so much for voting for me :)

Title: Origins: Destiny in the Mountains

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: BitterHarpy

Genre: Family/Supernatural

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Emmett Brian McCarty never had much in life, but growing up poor didn't stop him from enjoying life and all its pleasures.

However, always seeking thrills most often means it will end badly, and one day, while hunting for game in the mountains, Emmett meets his destiny. Canon. ExR

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 13

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th – MONDAY, OCTOBER 16th 1939

Despite the wolves in the Olympic Mountains, we'd led a very peaceful life in Hoquiam and Portland for the last two years. It was so typical I'd had to go and ruin that for us.

I was barely aware of Rosie's hand clasped around my wrist as she almost dragged me to the family house to talk with Carlisle. He wouldn't need the entire story. All he'd have to do was take one short look at me, notice the change of color in my eyes, and he'd know.

They'd all know.

I wasn't really ashamed, and I didn't really feel guilty either because I knew, logically, slips were bound to happen. What I felt was anger because I knew my family enjoyed their life here, but now, we'd have to move. It was, after all, one thing to kill a random stranger with no connection to us, but this was one of our more distant neighbors' daughter.

She was a young girl, not much older than Bea was when I last saw her. It was all so coincidental. She'd fallen off her bicycle and scraped her knee just as I was making my way home. It had been enough. I was caught unaware, and there was no one around to stop me because Rosalie was in our house, too far away to hear anything.

The blood had smelled so sweet and tantalizing. I'd never smelled anything like it before. The only thing I could have done not to risk exposure was to drag the girl into a cluster of trees nearby, and I drank her dry before I was truly aware of what I was doing.

After, I'd at least had the mind to hide the body, but I still hadn't been able to figure out how to explain the girl's disappearance. Her bicycle was currently hidden behind our house, but it could be found too easily. It would either have to be demolished or abandoned somewhere far away.

When we arrived, we found the family in the sitting room, listening intently to the radio.

... some of these stations for relinquishing their time in order that we may bring you this special broadcast.

Chancellor Adolf Hitler will rise in the former Free City of Danzig in just a few moments. Thousands of the populous are lining the streets and will cheer as the German Führer will proceed to the famous Artushof, medieval guildhall of the Hanseatic League. There, at any minute, Hitler will deliver an important address to be broadcast throughout Germany. An address that will be re-broadcast over the combined networks of the National Broadcasting Company and heard shortly over the station to which you are listening.

Foerster has just officially acknowledged the arrival of Hitler by saying that the powers of the house of this old town of Danzig and the 400,000 inhabitants greet him ...

No one had yet to turn and look at me, and when the broadcast was over, Carlisle kept his eyes on the floor as he turned off the radio.

"You'd think the Germans would have learned from the last war," Edward said with a clenched jaw. "It's only been twenty years since it ended."

"People back anyone who possesses the smallest piece of charisma when they're desperate," Carlisle said, eyes still directed toward the floor. "I just can't figure out why Hitler declared war against Poland when they were his biggest ally."

"Can we talk about this later?" Rosalie said as she attempted to direct the conversation toward the pressing matter of our own situation.

Esme looked over at us, and when she saw me, she immediately stood up and touched my cheek with an understanding glint in her eyes. However, Edward and Carlisle were too deep into their conversation.

"I'm sure it's a textbook case of narcissism and self-glorification," Edward said. "Anyone who titles themselves without having deserved it is bound to turn on those he believes himself to be better than."

Carlisle nodded. "That's true. And I doubt this declaration of neutrality will hold for long. This is only the beginning."

"Carlisle," Esme said softly, and he immediately reacted even though she spoke in tones much lower than Rosalie had. "I believe we have more important things to discuss right now."

Finally, he turned his eyes onto me, and when he saw my eyes, he straightened up. "What happened?" he asked sympathetically.

"I was caught unaware," I said but didn't go into further detail. "Couldn't have stopped myself even if I'd tried. Problem is that the girl was the daughter of a neighbor." I told them what I'd done to hide the evidence, and when I finished, Carlisle nodded.

"It presents a difficult problem," he said. "The girl's parents will incite an investigation into her disappearance sooner rather than later. We'll also have to move, although I would have suggested that anyway without this mishap."

"Really? Why?" Edward asked.

"As I said before, I doubt America's neutrality will hold up for a long time. I scarcely avoided being drafted as a field doctor in the last war. I'd prefer us to be someplace else where Selective Services don't have jurisdiction."

"You mean leaving America?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Not necessarily, depending on how you look at it." He looked at all of us. "America owns the Territory of Alaska, but since it's not a state, its residents can't be forced to serve."

"Yeah, but Alaska? Really?" Rosalie asked, obviously displeased. "Will you even find employment up there? And what about the rest of us? Are we just supposed to sit around and do nothing?"

He smiled patiently toward my wife. It was true she was somewhat hard to please, but I couldn't blame her. She was used to a certain way of life, and living in complete wilderness was such a foreign concept to her. "Contrary to your beliefs, they do have civilization there. Mostly smaller villages, but I believe for the sake of employment for me and pastimes for you, Fairbanks is the better choice."

"Sounds like you've already given this a lot of thought," Edward commented with somewhat narrowed eyes. It was obvious he didn't like that Carlisle had kept him out of the planning.

"I have," Carlisle admitted. "I didn't want to unnecessarily worry you before it became clear it would come to this. We've had a good life here, and I didn't want to uproot us for the sake of my fears, but I saw the signs early. When that man came into power in Germany, I was already halfway convinced of the outcome. It's not the first time I witness it."

Edward's arms were crossed. "Still, you should have consulted with the rest of us."

"I told you my reasons, Edward," Carlisle replied, but he wasn't even annoyed with Edward's ire. Personally, I thought Edward acted somewhat immature, and while that earned me a glare from him, it didn't change my mind. It wasn't as if Carlisle could have predicted with certainty that a war would chase us up north.

Esme stepped in. "What Edward tried to say is that you shouldn't keep your worries to yourself." She took a hold of Carlisle's hand. "We're a family, and we'd like to be included."

"Of course." Carlisle sighed. "I apologize. It wasn't my intention to go over your heads. I had planned to bring it up in due time. This, however"—he nodded in my direction—"simply fastens up the process."

"Okay, so what have you come up with?" I asked, hoping to smooth over the tension. Not that a real fight would ever happen between Edward and Carlisle. Edward held too much respect for Carlisle to speak against him for long, and Carlisle was simply not a man who fueled fires of discussion.

Carlisle looked at us all apologetically, no doubt feeling guilty, but then he pushed that away and told us what he'd had in mind. "There is no way of telling how long this war will go on or even when America won't stand idly by anymore. Therefore, it's important we start with the earliest age we can get away with to prolong our stay as long as possible." He looked at Rosalie, Edward, and me. "Edward and Rose, it's no problem for you to claim yourselves as teenagers. There are no public high schools in Fairbanks for any of you to attend, but we can say you're being home-schooled. Emmett, you can choose what you want. You can remain with them, or you can choose to go to the university or perhaps even find employment as well."

My size would present problems when it came to age. I hadn't looked like a teenager even when I was one, but it had been different when I was human because I grew up in that town. Trying to convince complete strangers that I was younger than I looked would be challenging, but I knew I wasn't ready to venture out on my own.

I shook my head at Carlisle. "I have never finished high school. I doubt I am qualified for higher education as of right now, and I'm not ready to be on my own just yet, as has been proven today," I said in a light voice. I hoped if I made the situation more humorous, it wouldn't appear as such a failure. It worked to an extent because the others smiled, although there was that lingering sadness in Carlisle's eyes over the loss of my victim's life. "I'll just stick to Ed and Rosie."

"Fine then. Other than that, I believe we can continue with the same cover story, although we shouldn't use my name as the family name this time. It's much too associated with my work here, and I want us to disappear in Alaska." He looked at each of us individually. "Completely."

All of us wondered about his motivation for this disappearance act we were going to pull, but all he did was give us a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'm just being overly cautious. I don't want there to be any way for them to draft us at all. I have a feeling with each war, while it becomes more sophisticated, it also equals more death and blood than the previous one. I simply want to keep us out of scrutiny's eye, that's all." He walked up to Esme and kissed her temple lovingly. "And who knows? This break from the ordinary may prove to be exactly what all of us need."

{=DITM=}

"I wouldn't make that move if I were you," Edward said from the armchair where he sat reading. He didn't even look up from his book when he spoke.

"Why not?" I asked and narrowed my eyes at the board between me and Carlisle.

"Because if you do, he'll have your king in three moves," he replied with amusement at what I assumed was Carlisle's thoughts. At least, judging from his expression.

"I'm trying to properly teach him the game, Edward," Carlisle admonished without any real feeling behind it. "I'd appreciate if you stayed out of our heads while I do that."

Edward laughed. "You're not teaching him anything," he said, and it confused me. "You enjoy winning, for once, too much."

"Hey!" I exclaimed and looked at Carlisle, who at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"Sorry, Emmett. I rarely get to actually play a real chess match, and I couldn't resist. Edward always cheats when we play."

"I do not!" Edward insisted and looked over his shoulder, but he was smiling, so he obviously didn't deny it completely. "It's not my fault you can't keep your moves to yourself."

Carlisle didn't reply to that because we all knew, including Edward, that his statement was ridiculous. Nothing could, or at least should, be more private that one's own thoughts. Edward simply thought himself to be funny. It wasn't often I heard him joke, but it was nice to see that he had it in him sometimes.

"I'm good at games," I said to regain Carlisle's attention. "I've gambled with cards and numbers since I was thirteen. If you teach me right, I promise you I will give you a real match."

"If you do that, Carlisle, you'll have won your last set," Edward piped up again with a chuckle. "Emmett wasn't always the most honest player himself, it appears."

"Shut up, will you," I retorted as I was starting to feel somewhat annoyed with the guy for continuously reading our thoughts and acting as the third party of our conversation, and effectively ruining both our secrets. It didn't matter anymore that he was doing it jokingly.

Before anything could escalate further, Esme walked into the room with her hands on her hips. "You're all cheaters. Don't even try to deny it."

Carlisle opened his mouth, but Esme just gave him a look, and he immediately closed it again. It was very amusing to see, but I didn't comment because I knew all too well that I was the same with Rosalie. It was, simply put, impossible to speak against either of our women.

Once we were all properly reprimanded, Esme shook her head with a smile. "You three are the worst, you know that, right?"

"True, but you wouldn't have us any other way, would you, Mom?" Edward asked sweetly, but while calling Esme "Mom" usually put him in her favor, this time she rolled her eyes at him.

"Boot licker!" I thought in Edward's direction, but it caused him to throw his book at me. Of course, I still had the reflex to catch it before it hit me, but his message came across well enough.

"And no fighting through thoughts," Esme rebuked, this time more seriously. "You're both adults, so act like it. I'd rather keep this house without any holes in the walls." She sighed and walked away but not without one last word. "You'd think you've been raised in caves."

Rosie came through the front door, and when I saw her, I had to really restrain myself from ravishing her on the spot. It helped that Edward groaned in reaction to the direction my thoughts had headed, and it made me smile at him gleefully. Served him right for staying in my head.

Besides, it wasn't my fault my angel was so irresistible, especially in her current getup. She was wearing overalls, and she was wiping her hands on a cloth hanging from her belt. It was the most masculine outfit I'd ever seen her wear, and yet, I thought she was as sexy as ever.

Carlisle's car hadn't fared well after the drive to Alaska, and when he'd said he would just sell it since it wasn't worth taking to a repairman, she'd suggested she take a look at it. While I had been aware of her interest in the technical workings of motors, I hadn't realized until that moment that she was willing and wanted to get dirty and actually put her hands in the grime. It added to her appeal because, while I loved her feminine side, the fact that she had nothing against manual labor caused all sorts of new fantasies to pop up into my head.

All of which caused Edward to cringe. A bonus according to me.

Carlisle looked up from the board he was re-arranging to actually teach me. "How is it coming along?"

Rosie smiled. "It's been finished for days. Now I'm just playing around with it."

"I didn't know you had such a passionate interest for motors," Edward said somewhat sarcastically as she passed him, but she replied by shoving his head forward. She had somehow been able to keep that action out of her head because he didn't anticipate it and glared at her in response.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, dear brother," she said and sat down in my waiting lap. "What are you doing in here?" she asked me, and I was so happy to see that she was in a good mood.

"Trying to play chess, but Carlisle's cheating," I replied, and Carlisle only gave me an amused look.

"Teaching," he corrected. "I'm teaching you to play chess. There's a difference."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sure it is."

He chuckled at that. "Anyway, I'm thinking maybe we should wait before we start a new match. All of your eyes are pretty dark. Maybe we would all benefit from a hunt." Esme came back into the room, obviously having heard his talk of hunting. "And it would give us the opportunity to explore the national park."

"Sounds good. I'll just get changed," Rosie said and made a move to stand from my lap, but I held her there for a second longer.

"You don't really have to change, do you?" I whispered in her ear.

"You like it that much?"

"I certainly do," I said with conviction. "In fact, I'd like to rip it off you with my t—"

"Please, for all that is holy, do not finish that sentence," Edward pleaded, and all of us laughed at him. It was too much fun messing with him.

A/N:

You got a little bit of both there, some seriousness but also a bit of fun between the men in the family :) I just had to bring something in to show what Esme talks about in Twilight when she says she likes to keep them honest ;-) Even Carlisle has his moments of dishonesty xD

Anyway, they are in Alaska now, so I am certain you know what's about to happen in upcoming chapters :-D

Now, I have to tell you, it's not certain I will be able to upload the next chapter on Wednesday because I have an audition then, but if that's the case, you will most definitely get it on Thursday instead :-D

Until then,

Stay Awesome!