A/N:
I can't believe I missed updating with this chapter! Holy cow, am I getting my days confused! Sorry!
Just started a new job, so there will be an adjustment period :-P
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 16
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13th 1947
"It's no use," Rosie said and straightened out from under the hood to meet my eyes through the windshield. "I'll have to redo the entire engine. There are too many faulty components. Whoever owned this before should never have been in possession of it." She gave me a skeptical glance. "Where did you say you got this from?"
"I didn't," I replied with a grin, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Don't give me that look," I said and climbed out of the front seat. "I wanted to surprise you, and it was just sitting there, obviously not in use. I doubt anyone would miss it."
She threw an oily cloth at me, aiming for my head, and I pretended as if it had hurt and fell dramatically down on the ground. She came closer and leaned over to keep eye contact with me even though I was down. "That clearly tells me you don't know the mindset of true auto-enthusiasts."
I reached out for her and let out a weak groan. "Help me. I was shot by an unmerciful angel."
"Sorry," she replied with a barely contained smile. "This angel remains unmerciful."
I threw my arms down on the ground, imitating a cross with my body. "Have you no sympathy for your dying husband?"
"Only if he were to do me a favor."
I bent my neck forward to get a better look at her where she was leaning against the side of the car by my legs. "What kind of favor?" I asked with suspiciously narrowed eyes, as if I would ever deny her anything.
"Well," she started in a seductive tone she knew I couldn't resist. "The parts I need are only available at a mechanic store out of town, and if my sweet, loving husband were to get them for me ..." She trailed off and then her eyes pierced into mine. "I'd be most grateful."
The implication of her words was clear, and I was frozen for a moment in shock that she'd won over me in my own game. Then, a proud laugh left me, and I stood back up to reach for her. She willingly stepped into my arms, and I gave her a sound kiss.
"I'll be back later then."
She threw me a wink. "I'll be waiting."
I shook my head, once again surprised at how playful my wife had become in later years. At least around me. She would probably always be reserved around the others, but it couldn't be helped. It was more than enough for me that there were times when she felt relaxed enough to let go of her walls.
Rosie gave me thorough instructions on where I could find the store and which parts she would need before I left. It was one hour until the store closed for the night, and since running was faster, I took to the woods and country roads as was our usual way when we wanted to travel undetected.
I had to be a little more careful while I was still in and around Fairbanks though, and the route I'd taken had more open hayfields than trees to take cover in. I pretended I was out on a lazy stroll to enjoy the dusk when I passed a couple houses, and to really put the finishing touch on my act, I took a deep breath into my lungs.
The scent of the freshly mowed hay in the fields was overshadowed by the heavy scent of apples, both fallen fruit on the ground and the strong scent wafting from an orchard on the other side of the field.
My hands were in the pockets of my denim trousers, and my gaze was directed forward, calculating how far I'd have to walk at such a slow pace before I would be out of sight of the houses and I could once again start running.
The yards of the houses were empty and quiet except for one woman who was removing her sheets from the clothing line between the trees, and I didn't pay her any attention. The moment could have passed as any other insignificant moment in time—just blurring by in the periphery had it not been for that light, yet condemning, breeze sending the woman's scent my way.
In less than a fraction of a second, everything changed. I wasn't Emmett McCarty anymore, or even Emmett Mason, or Emmett Cullen. Not one of my aliases was for the thing I became, and there was no other way to describe it.
I wasn't a person with an identity. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was that I was a vampire, and I wanted to consume the blood I smelled. It was more than a craving; it was an all-consuming need, and my very existence depended on me getting that blood.
There was no real awareness of my movements and actions as I went for the woman's throat. Nothing was blurry or unclear, but I was no longer in control of my own body or mind. I felt nothing but sweet satisfaction when my teeth pierced her skin, and there were a few droplets spraying onto the sheet still on the line.
The blood was intoxicating in a much more potent sense than alcohol, but I couldn't find another descriptor than of that rush alcohol gave you when it first took effect. It felt good, and you felt happy and calm at the same time.
Once the woman was drained, I was still reeling from the feeling of drinking her blood, and I couldn't feel guilty, but I was partly back to being myself again, and I knew I had to try and fix the situation. I needed to destroy the evidence and bury her body.
Only one of the sheets had the tiniest amount of blood spatter on it, and I rolled the body into that sheet while I continuously checked my surroundings to see that no one had taken notice of what had happened.
I slung the wrapped body over my shoulder and took one last wary sweep over the houses before I took the chance and ran as fast as I could toward the smattering of trees at the end of one of the fields.
Normally, we buried the bodies somewhere remote to keep humans from coming across the graves, but I was too stressed out to take the time to dig a hole. I wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could, and I wanted to get back home. I needed to see Rosie and talk to Carlisle because it had been different this time.
I hadn't tasted human blood for eight years, and my control had really approved in Alaska. There was always that struggle in the back of my mind, but it was easy to ignore. All I had to do was remind myself what I gained by restraining myself. Through that practice, I'd gained the love of my life and a family I'd gladly die for.
There wasn't a good reason for why I'd throw all of that away for just one human's blood, but that thought hadn't been in my head when it happened. Not for a second had I even considered to stop myself.
Determined to get back to my family, I searched through my pockets and found a matchbook Kate had given me as a joke after she'd returned home in the early morning dressed to the nines. She had been out all night, and when I'd casually asked where she'd been, she threw the matchbook to me with a wink and a "Where do you think?"
The matchbook had the name of a hotel in Anchorage printed on it, and I had quickly connected the dots. Kate had quite clearly been out with a man, and even if I hadn't come to the understanding myself, the smell on her would have given it away.
I lit the entire matchbook against a stone and tossed it onto the body, and then I waited until the fire licked at the white fabric. Once I felt the bundle was adequately consumed by the flames, I broke into a run in the direction back home. I didn't care about exposure or being more careful around the more inhabited areas. With the speed I maintained, I wouldn't have been more than a blur to the humans anyway.
As I was slowly coming back to being myself again, my mind started to assault me with everything spinning around in my head. I didn't think a vampire could feel such anxiety before, but with the way I was feeling, I couldn't argue against it.
I'd experienced panic as a human, but everything was tenfold now. I couldn't think clearly. Everything was a mess of thoughts, worries, and images of what I'd done.
Finally, I reached the front door, and I ran through it without slowing down. It closed with a bang, but I was too much in my head to care for any damage I could have caused to it.
"Emmett?" Carlisle came into the hall first, closely followed by Rosalie, and while he stopped a few feet before me, she immediately put her hands on my cheek and arm. Both of them gave me worried looks.
I knew Carlisle wanted to know what had happened. My eyes revealed the reason for my stress, but not the event itself.
Footsteps on the stairs told me Edward had come downstairs, and I hoped that maybe he'd be able to decipher my thoughts because I couldn't even as I tried to explain it to them all.
"I can't think clearly," I said in a weak voice. "I don't know what happened or how. The scent just blew my way, and I couldn't stop myself." I clenched my eyes tightly. "There wasn't a single thought of resis—"
"You don't have to explain," Rosalie interrupted to assure me and stroked my cheek. "It happened, and you can't take it back. It's okay."
"I know," I groaned. "But this was different. Not at all like other times. I've never … I mean, I can't even tell you what happened because I don't know."
Carlisle put a gentle hand on my upper arm. "Don't beat yourself up over it, son. If you don't want to tell us, it's okay."
I shook my head quite aggressively. "No, it's not that I don't want to. I can't because I didn't think it was possible."
He nodded, but I could see he didn't quite understand what I was saying either. "We'll talk more about it when you feel calmer, okay? Right now, what we need you to tell us is where this happened? Was it in Fairbanks?"
I swallowed the proverbial lump in my throat. I felt reassured he'd said we were going to talk about it because that meant he took my state of mind seriously. With a small nod, I confirmed his question.
"Yes. It was a woman just a few miles outside of town. The houses that are surrounded by hayfields."
"Quite close then," he mumbled to himself, and then exchanged a look with Esme and Edward. "Well, we have been stretching out our time here. It was just a matter of time when we'd have to move again."
Rosalie looked away from me, over her shoulder at Carlisle. "You mean we're going back to the States?"
"Yes."
{=DITM=}
"Okay, then, Emmett. Tell me what you can about what happened." Carlisle interlocked his fingers on top of his desks and looked at me. "What was so different this time?"
The others were occupied with packing our belongings as we'd decided to leave the same day even though it was now late at night. The time didn't really matter to us. We just wanted to put as much distance between us and Fairbanks before the woman was noticed as missing.
I felt like myself again, and I tried to remember the exact feeling I'd had before I killed the woman, but I couldn't. It was clear it wasn't a normal intelligent response. It had felt more primal. "Have you ever thought a human could smell better than any other human?"
Carlisle's forehead didn't wrinkle as he narrowed his eyes in deep thought. "I heard of the possibility of such a thing while I lived with the Volturi, but I've never experienced it myself. Why?"
"That's what it was like," I said and once again tried to think back. "As soon as her scent reached me, nothing else mattered than I had to taste her blood. It was beyond normal thirst, Carlisle. It was intense and much more predatory than that."
He hummed to himself, and then leaned forward on his arms. "Did you have any control of your actions?"
It was easy to answer that one with a shake of my head. "None," I replied even though I didn't have to clarify further. "I didn't feel like myself, and my awareness was more like a spectator. It was quite unsettling once I came back to myself."
"Naturally," Carlisle agreed. "I don't have personal experience with this phenomenon, but from what the Volturi brothers told me, I understand it's not unheard of. I can only guess it comes more as a shock for those like us and Tanya's family." He met my eyes, and his were filled with sympathy and understanding. "I think the best you can do right now is try to forget and move on. It was clear it was an unwilling response on your part, and I don't want you to feel bad about it."
I smirked at him. "I think you're having me confused with Edward. I don't wallow. I know this wasn't my fault, and that I couldn't have stopped even if I'd had the sense to try. I might wish it had never happened because then the woman would still be alive, but I can't change the past."
Carlisle nodded with his own smile. His eyes still relayed about his sadness over the loss of the woman's life, but the rest of him was relieved we would be able to go back to our regular day-to-day life once we'd settled down again. I think he thought it was quite refreshing that I wasn't the type of person who threshed things over and over because we all knew we had enough of that to spare.
Not only from my lovely angel, but also from Edward, and sometimes even from Carlisle himself. Esme was better at letting things go, but I was pretty much the only one who could put it behind me the second it had happened.
I was quite proud of that trait of mine. I liked that I was able to live in the present the way I did. It made for a much happier outlook on life.
"I guess we should help the others with the packing," Carlisle said and made the move to stand up.
As I had the feeling the others were now listening to us, I saw that as an opportune moment to mess around a bit. "Naw," I disagreed with a grin and leaned back in my seat, my feet casually slung up on the edge of the desk. "Let them do it, and you and I can just relax another moment."
"Emmett, if you don't come down here in two seconds, then so help me God ..." Rosalie yelled at me from downstairs, and I laughed before I also got up and followed Carlisle down.
"Take it easy, baby," I called back to Rose, still laughing. "You don't have to take the Lord's name in vain!"
A/N:
So, that was my take on what happened with Emmett's singer. You know the one he thought about in Midnight Sun (If you've read the partial draft that is)
Hope you think I did it justice!
Until next week,
Stay Awesome!