5. Consequences, Kid, Consequences
Emmett
He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in hostile environment where only the strong survive. – Call of the Wild, Jack London
As I shifted gears, I could hear the engine almost cough. Maybe it was time to get a new Jeep? I had owned the thing for over a decade now, longer than I had owned most cars in the last 70 some years. But man I loved this car, the power, the size, and the ability to drive over almost anything. Maybe Rose could work on it again, make it live a few more years. Or maybe I would check out what other Jeeps had come out in the last few years, I could talk to Jasper and Edward about it but both of them liked speed over strength. Don't get me wrong, I like speed but I like power more and could Jasper's new little Audi really drive over rough terrain without bottoming out?
"You're really thinking about your car?" Edward sighed next to me. I looked over at him, his hands were almost ripping into the seat cover, and his eyes were focused on the car in front of us as if his life depended on it.
"It almost does." He threw his words at me. Edward was angry, shock. Actually it had taken him long enough, the entire plane ride he almost seemed at ease though it was hard to tell sometimes. When Nessie had woken up on the plane, she slipped her left hand onto my arm and her right hand in-between the chairs onto Jasper's arm, taking no time at all to beg the two of us into protecting her from Edward. He had heard it as well and no sooner did a loud growl escape his lips than she pushed the thoughts of exposure to Jasper. Jasper, obviously, felt inclined to help her and us all by calming Edward against his will.
"You'll get to be angry with her all you want soon enough little brother." I laughed at him, looking into my rear view mirror to meet the worried eyes of a sick looking Jacob.
"If you and Jasper hadn't insisted that I ride in this car, I swear that child." Edward was grumbling.
"You could yell at Jacob." I teased. I saw Jake tense up in the backseat. The poor kid had been through a lot these last few days. I had been furious with him, until that moment when we found them in the jungle. Alone and terrified, even in his wolf form, of having lost Nessie it was a moment to pity the guy. I couldn't imagine losing Rosalie now, or ever since the moment I had met her we had been together.
"Oh Jacob and I will be speaking. But for now, don't you even think about helping her escape when we get back to the garage. She is plotting ways to escape dealing with all of us, and Jacob if you know what is good for you and her you won't help her." Edward growled. Jacob shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"Is it really a good idea to yell at her?" Jacob asked. Edward's eyes flashed dangerously to Jacob. This is why I was thinking about my Jeep, because it was easier than listening to you be angry about everything. I thought to Edward, who just growled a response to me as I pulled into our house's garage. I parked next to Jasper, who seemed focus on controlling the moods of someone in the car. My siblings with their freaky traits, I was sure that their "extra" abilities are what made my brothers so high strung and Alice so odd. Bella slide out of the car appearing almost out of thin air on the passenger side looking serene. Jasper stood at full attention holding the door open for Nessie to crawl out from the back. I had moved around to the passenger side of my jeep, standing next to Jacob near and Edward watching Nessie struggle for a second to get out of the Audi.
"Emmett, just pick her up." Edward's jaw was set as stone. Really, you know how to get worked up about something man? The murderous glare he sent me made me chuckle a bit, the kid was going to drive himself mad over this girl. So Edward, as Rose would say.
"Sure Bro." I nodded. I wasn't going to let the kid get away, I care about her as much as you do.
"Can't I just grab her?" Jacob asked weary knowing the answer would be no, but taking a shot anyway.
"Just let me take care of it Jacob, you look like a puppy could beat you up." I laughed as I jumped out of the Jeep.
"Or a family of vampires." Jacob replied gloomy of the looming fight. As my pretty little niece came tumbling out of the car, Jasper caught her and helped her to her feet. As she regain her balance she scanned the garage for her motorcycle, focusing on it with her eyes for a few seconds before looking for Jacob. It was a tense moment in the garage with everyone knowing the Nessie was going to try to run off again. The child should have known that there was no way she was getting anywhere out of our sight now, or anytime in the near future. I caught Nessie quickly and easily enough when she ran towards Jacob, poor plan on her part. I swung her small body over my shoulder in one swoop and started walking.
"UNCLE EMMETT PUT ME DOWN." She screeched into my ear. God she has good lungs.
"Renesmee do not scream. Emmett will put you down once we are in the house, and you can just forget all those thoughts of running off." Edward was trying his hardest to remain calm. I could feel Jacob's heat on my back, looking down a bit I noticed that the guy was holding Nessie's hand.
"You have avoided this moment long enough." Bella sighed. Jasper looked up at me, he was shaking his head. I wasn't sure at who was it me? Did he think I wasn't focused enough on the situation at hand? Jasper doesn't think I focus well but I had grabbed her hadn't I?
"He's not thinking about you." Edward sighed to me. I smiled down at him. No matter how much it felt like a procession to an execution. As we walked into the house, I could feel Rosalie near me as her scent filled the air and I could feel her annoyed tension anywhere. This was going to be an interesting fight, I wondered where Rose's anger would lead me this time. Before I had left for South America for Jasper, Rosalie had been uncharacteristically mad at Nessie and wanted to teach the child a lesson. But it had been a few days that my Rose had to stew and settle and maybe just the sight of the baby well and healthy would send her into her usual desire to protect the child from Edward. As I shot a side-glance to Edward I knew he wasn't going to back down from this fight.
I had been mad at Nessie too that night when we had discovered she had run off with Jacob. Mad I had lost her after I had promised Bella and Edward that I would keep her safe. Mad because she had made Rosalie frantic with worry, my Rose loved Nessie as if the baby was her own. It was like I had lost my own daughter, she had run away and I hadn't noticed that it was happening. I had lost a game with a child, she had outsmarted me and I had basically handed her the keys to her get away car. Upsetting to say the least, but I didn't have to mad at her. Edward was going to be mad enough for all of us.
But as for her slip up, I can't say that I hadn't been waiting for the possibility. Just because Bella was a freak, saint like and everything like Carlisle, it wasn't a fool proof guarantee that Nessie was going to be void of all temptation. Quite the opposite actually, I think that Edward was going to be abundant in that part of her, rebellion and all, I mean you and Jasper are tied or something for how many people you've killed. Edward didn't appreciate my thoughts, not that I had anymore time to really think about.
"Edward!" Esme hurried towards her favorite son arms wide open. I was never jealous of how motherly Esme tended to be towards Edward, it was just something to tease the momma's boy about really. So many things I could tease Edward about.
"She'd already had six young warriors, very quickly even for a newborn." Jasper was already mumbling a quick update before the fight exploded with Carlisle. Little Alice was dancing below me towards Bella, holding out her hands but I didn't pay much attention to that.
"Jacob." I winked at him and bounced Nessie off my shoulder into Jacob's open willing arms. I laughed at the annoyed look on Nessie's face as she tumbled into Jacob's chest and he wrapped his dark arms around her body. My goddess, Rosalie stood perfectly framed by a faint light coming from the other room like an angel. I could tell she was trying to decide what direction to go in. Her body trembling with anger, an emotion I was well versed in with her so I could recognize it. Her feet were twitching, dancing almost underneath her gorgeously long legs with her desire to run to Nessie and pet her. My eyes traveled her body taking in the sexy way the fabric of her jeans clung to her perfectly shaped lower body. My smile got wider as I followed the stitching of her corset top, that perfected her tight upper body and my eyes lit up as I fell to her face. That's where her last desire was burning in her eyes she had no sight for anything in the room but me. She had missed me.
When I looked at her and grin is when she threw herself at me, I picked her up and spun her around for a second laughing. I planted a kiss on her before putting her down, having fulfilled her first desire I knew she would want to move on to the petting of Nessie. I stood behind her, placing my hands comfortably on her well-defined waist.
"Princess are you well?" Rose cooed to the baby. Nessie as struggling against Jacob but he had taken Edward seriously and wasn't letting her go anywhere. Rosalie bent over her, just under Jacob's chin almost completely ignoring him. She laced her fingers into Nessie's bronze ringlets, pushing strands of her hair out of her face. Rosalie was lovingly humming to the child as I realized that this couldn't last much longer I looked around the rest of the room.
Jacob looked pale, sickly, and like the guy should really eat something. I rolled my eyes at Carlisle and Jasper still barely moving their lips they were speaking so quickly. Edward was fuming he had almost turned a different color. I wondered what was keeping the kid from just bursting. Bella was standing with her shoulders hunched and her body almost melting into Edward's side, tense I assumed. I noticed that Alice and Esme were missing from the room, was that why Edward hadn't started yelling yet? He can't possibly be waiting to calm down, that wasn't going to happen man. If that's what you are waiting for.
"Rosalie don't crowd her." Bella sighed finally. Rosalie ignored Bella of course, and kept at her cooing. I shrugged apologizing on Rose's behalf to my little sister.
"Rosalie. That is enough." Edward's words were venomous. Rosalie's body stiffen, she twitched but did not waiver in her attentions to our niece. I saw a smug look of satisfaction on Nessie's face that bothered me.
"Enough. Rosalie. Jacob put her down." Edward's voice was louder, commanding and daring anyone to cross him. Maybe he didn't like his daughter's smug face that I had seen either. Jacob carefully dropped Nessie down onto her feet, the girl was about a foot shorter than him, a little bit shorter than Rosalie around 5'5 maybe. Her ringlets fell to down below her waist and her brilliant red lips were pressed into a thin line. She slipped her hand into Rosalie's and I knew that she was sharing some desire or thought with Rose, that would only cause problems.
"Jacob." Esme had reappeared with a tray of things, behind us near one of the coffee tables. Of course, our mother was making sure she was taking care of everyone. Besides Edward I was beginning to think she had grown particularly fond of Jacob, he let her mother him more than Jasper and I ever would. She had made him a sandwich and placed some of his favorite snacks that we kept stocked in the kitchen now on a tray. Also I recognized a tin little bottle from a few days ago, I assumed it was for Nessie but Esme wouldn't suggest the child drink before Edward suggested it.
"Renesmee would you care to explain to me why you decided to run off to South America? We had agreed that you and Jacob would go to Forks this week, what made you flagrantly disregard our plan?" Edward was trying very hard to remain calm. You're failing little brother. I shook my head, his eyes were dark and his shoulders tense.
"Because I could." Renesmee tossed her ringlets as she lifted her chin upwards. Perfect disrespectful and rebellious was definitely going to make this better.
"Damn it Renesmee." Edward growled. "You shouldn't have run off to the Amazons by yourself and you know it!" As his voice got louder and his eyes flickered anger, Rosalie hissed at him and rolled on her heels to fall into a crouch.
"I didn't go alone, I went with Jacob." Renesmee was taunting him now. I feel my niece might not know what she was getting herself into Edward was not going to be calm on our account.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was? Your disregard for your own safety is beyond me Renesmee but to put Jacob in danger! We were all besides ourselves with worry, something could have happened to you!" Edward was no longer even pretending to be calm. His voice was bouncing off the walls, his eyes burned and Bella had moved away from him letting go of his hand which meant there was no return from his anger now. Fights with words were slightly boring to me, though I wasn't sure this fight was only going to be words.
"Rosalie, Edward is not going to hurt her get up." Carlisle sighed. Rose didn't stand up though, or stop snarling at Edward. I looked straight at Jasper because he was going to have to help with her mood. Jasper shook his head lightly but I knew he understood.
"You were mad too Rose, the child ran away from you." Bella commented.
"I AM NOT A CHILD!" Nessie screamed the words, her fury vibrating after her.
"But you are." Carlisle sighed.
"NO! NO! NO!" She stamped her foot. Jacob had gotten up and was hovering behind her.
"The foot stomping really helps your cause babe." He whispered, though I don't know why he bothered we could all hear him. Rosalie had gracefully stood back up and was leaning into my side, her face set in an almost unattractive way. I say almost because Rosalie was always beautiful.
"I am not a child." Nessie gritted her teeth.
"You are a child, and you will be for a few more years still." Carlisle added, patient and steady in his matter of a fact tone.
"And to act so irresponsibly! To run away from your family, to betray our trust, and to endanger yourself." Edward was ranting. "You are my child and you will do as your told!" Edward commanded. Before Nessie could fight the command Jasper started to speak.
"You forget who has always been after you Nessie, the Volturi wait only for another reason to come after us. After you. You put yourself in danger because of exposure." He commented. "You put us all in danger."
"I don't need your help!" She screeched.
"Because you did so well by yourself? Jacob half starved and you almost exposes us all by feeding during the day." I sighed sarcastically. She really didn't know when she was beat, why couldn't the kid just take her lumps, as they were due.
" I don't have to do what you say anymore! I am a vampire, and I am older than you'll ever be!" She screamed at Edward and Bella. Edward laughed, a hollow joyless sound and I grimaced at the anger in the kid.
"I'm 126, how old are you?" Edward mocked.
"I don't need you anymore!" She shouted at him. It was almost as if the rest of us weren't in the room. Really it wasn't our fight, we wanted her safe and well at home too but she was after all Edward and Bella's responsibility. Though I would use all my force to make sure the kid stayed put where we wanted her, close to Rose and her parents.
"We just chased you through the amazons to bring you home safe!" I laughed.
"I didn't need you! I was fine on my own." She flung her hair around as she searched for someone to be on her side.
"Yes so fine, that Jacob was half delirious following you make sure you didn't get hurt. That you didn't expose yourself. You forget darling how much danger you are in, constantly." Bella sighed.
"We have never fought anything alone." Jasper added.
"All of you talk about dangers! About having to take care of me. I faced no dangers, and I took care of myself! None of you know anything!" She shouted at us, all of us surrounding her.
"We know quite a bit, actually." Rosalie sighed, standing next to me I could tell she was upset at having to side with Edward against Nessie. I was glad that I didn't have to be on the wrong side of the argument this time. Nessie stamped her foot again, she looked a bit like Rosalie when she was mad. Strange how they weren't actually related in blood but sometimes acted so much like each other.
"I am a vampire now, I will not be treated like a child." She hollered.
"You've always been a vampire, half of one." Carlisle's mouth was set, he was growing tired of this fight. At that moment Edward had closed his eyes, shut them tightly and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"Much good that did you. AND you will be treated as the child you are, the chastised child you are." Edward kept pace with the fight ignoring Carlisle's statement. "You darling are confined to the house, until we decided what to do with you."
"Confined?" She questioned her eyes burning with flecks of red and a passionate anger I was unfamiliar with.
"Grounded precious." Bella added. That was the moment the kid snapped, completely lost it. It was like before a few days back outside when I had found her wrestling with Carlisle and Jasper in the front yard. Her eyes were burning the red crimson of fresh blood and she was thrashing frantically. Jasper had soared almost towards Nessie, but Rosalie had stepped in his line of attack. He slammed into Rosalie instead and I reacted by pushing Nessie into the ground and trying to smack Rose out of the way. She was just out of my reach though.
"Come on Babe." I groaned at Rosalie. "Let Jasper help!"
Edward was next to me in seconds, having sprinted past Jacob and Bella holding onto Nessie's shoulder. His hands were pressed into her shoulders and started shaking her, he had knocked Jacob into the couch. More like broken the couch with Jacob, Esme was going to cry over that antique later.
"Edward, carefully." Esme's voice escaped in a whisper.
"Renesmee. Stop this. Jasper?" Edward pleaded.
"I'm trying to calm her down." Jasper gritted his teeth. He had moved around Rosalie, as she had unwillingly moved out of the way. It was taking the three of us to hold her down her strength was incomparable made stronger by the fresh human blood she had consumed. But I knew as her hands were grasping mine that she only desired more blood currently. It was all she was thinking about her thoughts that she transferred to me where about the one heartbeat she heard that she didn't understand.
"This is enough!" Edward was shouting over the kicking of Nessie's feet that was causing crashing noises to echo throughout the room.
"She's not herself Edward." Bella whispered. Bella and Esme were pecking like mother hens over Jacob, who sat on the floor deflated that his girlfriend's father had just thrown him across a room. I winked at him when he looked at me trying to tell the guy we had everything under control. She had stopped thrashing and I had let go of her torso that I had been holding down. As soon as I lifted my hands she pushed herself up and away from Jasper and Edward.
"No!" Edward shouted. In a flash the kid had thrown herself at Jacob, this time though Bella stepped in her line of attack. It might have been the only time I ever saw anything go towards Bella that Edward hadn't stopped. He was a little less than pleased standing frozen watching Nessie claw at Bella. Jasper was heading towards Nessie I could totally beat him to her. In one loud crashing step I was over the kid with my arms pulling themselves over her in a bear hold of some sort. Jasper was just a half second behind me, but I beat him to it. I grinned and winked down at him, he shook his head seemingly annoyed.
"She wasn't going to hurt me Bells." Jacob mumbled as he leaned down to help her up. Edward was on her other side in seconds.
"I think she might have." Edward whispered these words his anger had evaporated. Jasper almost attached to my side, ready to pounce if I should let go of the fighting girl in my arms, nodded.
"No, Nessie would never heart me. Besides my blood doesn't appeal to her." Jacob looked horrified at Edward and then at Jasper.
"It's not your blood that is prompting her to attack. It's your heartbeat, she's confused." Edward sighed, closing his eyes again. The rage had drained out of his body. Rosalie and Alice I noticed were guarding the back door in case our dearest niece made a run for it. Carlisle and Esme stood near the other possible exits.
"She's a newborn, who doesn't quite understand." Jasper started.
"But she does understand, she's not really a newborn! And what about her own heartbeat? Nessie, listen." Jacob moved towards me and I swung Nessie away from him.
"Be careful Jake." Esme whispered from her post around the room. He persisted in his movement towards her, and I looked questioning to Edward who shrugged. I looked at Jasper for what I should do and Jasper's hands were twitching in case he needed to grab her too so I decided we were well enough prepared.
"Nessie." Jacob was just inches from her face now.
"Be careful, she might bite you." Jasper commented.
"She has before." Jacob shrugged. He smiled up brightly at Nessie. Her struggles lessen and she was very still in my arms. I noticed Jasper move away from me in that second and he grabbed the tiny bottle from the table.
"You won't hurt me." Jacob whispered to her, his hand coming up to her face carefully but lovingly. As his hand came up to her cheek she twisted her mouth around and snapped at him with her teeth, Jasper interceded. He maneuvered his hand in and pushed the bottle to her lips, draining its contents in moments. In seconds she was limp in my arms.
"She's asleep, let me take her." Rosalie was at my side now, her hair dancing along my arms.
"What if she wakes up…" I started but Rose glared at me. I rolled my eyes, fine you carry her. Rosalie placed her arms around the girl's knees and shoulders and cradled her carefully in her arms. Nessie was deep in slumber and I frowned at Jasper.
"She needed to feed before I could make her fall asleep. She wasn't going to accept it quite as willingly as I wanted her to." He shrugged. Rosalie was walking towards the stairs of the room with Nessie and Jacob was shadowing her until he got to Edward and Bella.
"No." Edward had placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder.
"But when she wakes up," Jacob started. Edward's jaw was set though.
"No. Bella and Rosalie will stay with her, you will stay down here. We should have Carlisle check you over make sure nothing is wrong. Esme will make you something to eat, you will stay down here." Edward didn't remove his hand from Jake's shoulder. If Rosalie was going to be staying with Nessie there went my plans for the afternoon.
"You still owe me a match on that new fighting game." I commented to Jacob, I needed something to entertain me and I doubted much that Jasper was going to be up to playing chess currently. And I never liked to play with Edward, cheater that he was, besides he was probably going to be busy with Carlisle and Jasper discussing theories.
"Bells?" Jacob croaked his last plead. Bella shook her head, as she glided near Rosalie.
"She might hurt you, and she would never forgive herself. Its better if you stay down here." Bella smiled apologetically and they disappeared up the stairs.
"Come on Jake. We can call Seth." I nudged him in the shoulder. Jake shrugged and gave Edward one last pathetic look. Esme had escaped into the kitchen and I could hear the sizzling of food, and the grumbling of Jake's stomach.
"Hungry much?" I questioned. Jacob shrugged.
"I guess." He starred over at Edward, Jasper and Carlisle who were sitting still whispering with each other. As I turned on the system, I loved video games not as much as actually fighting but I wasn't really allowed to fight anyone. The snow had melted, that had taken away the great snowball fights that we had been having. So I had turned to video games, at least until maybe we could find some bears.
"Jasper, Edward, can we go bear hunting this weekend?" I asked as I threw a remote at Jacob.
"Really Emmett?" Jasper rolled his eyes. Why did they all give me that look? Like I was crazy to remember it was bear season. I loved bear season. I shrugged.
"We will then?" I persisted.
"Yes, yes Emmett. What was that Alice?" Edward's eyes turned sharply on Alice. The little pixie was sitting on top of the broken couch, perched really, with her eerily look of seeing something no one else could. Jasper jumped from his spot and moved to her side, grabbing her elbow in his hand.
"What do you see Alice?" He asked.
All my siblings were freaky. I rolled my eyes.
"Nothing!" She frowned.
"But what was that, with Bella and me?" Edward had stood up now.
"You're upset. But you are always upset." Alice's shoulders shrugged. Jasper held both her elbows now, and Jacob was tense beside me.
"Focus Alice." Jasper said persuading her. Silence in the room, nothing happened.
"Come on Jacob." I growled. Annoyed at the silence, I was sure that Edward and Alice were having their own conversation without the rest of us. Jacob moved to play with me, but he was letting me win and this was no fun at all.
I went back to thinking about what kind of car I wanted. Jacob would go shopping with me the guy had more knowledge than any of my family members on cars. He would understand my want for power over speed, unlike Jasper and Edward. Something tall, with big wheels for sure and maybe open like my Jeep. I wanted my jeep, maybe something more updated. I could go look it up as I was sure that there were pictures and specifics available online, but that would involve reading. I liked to look at things and test drive things, looking up what the cars were like and reading about them was nothing compared to feeling their power under my hands. I wonder if maybe with a new Jeep I could beat Edward in a drag race, he could drive Bella's Ferrari it's not like she really drove the thing anywhere. I had watched a movie the other night with drag racing though the movie was pretty boring with no fighting and less action than I would have liked the idea struck me as a fun competition. I almost asked Edward if he would race me, but when I looked over to him I realized he might not even respond to my suggestion.
Yeah, the house was going to be an enjoyable place the next few days. So much trouble out of someone so little, so we let her kill a few people every so often what harm could that really have. If it kept peace between everyone and kept her safe, what was the harm?
"No Emmett." Edward growled.
I could talk to her about temptation, I wasn't like you or Jasper. Mine were actually mistakes. I suggested.
"Maybe that might be a good idea." Edward nodded.
"Could any of you just for a second remember that Edward is the only mind reader," Jacob let out a frustrated sighed. I laughed. That annoyed me too most of the time, unless I was the one talking to Edward and then it was just like having a real conversation.
"Emmett wants to buy a new car." Edward announced out loud. That wasn't what we had been talking about I frowned at him.
"What kind of car!" Alice squealed. Edward grinned at me before he turned back to Carlisle.
"I don't know. A jeep maybe." I responded.
"You already have a jeep." She whined. "Something different, get something different. We could get a Lamborghini, we haven't had one of those before." Alice was rambling.
"You guys haven't had one of them before?" Jacob sounded surprised.
"No, Ferraris are far better as performance cars. Lamborghini are all show, he would hate that car Alice." Edward commented.
"I could break a Lamborghini with one hand." I was bored with the idea of something that I had only thought of as a seat for the pretty runway models. Besides I don't think I could even fit inside one of those tiny sports cars that Edward and Alice drove.
"You could get a trophy truck, though not sure how much you could drive it around town without bringing more attention to yourself." Jacob laughed. A trophy truck, those were big and fast! I could pretty much run over Edward's stupid Volvo or Jasper's little Audi.
"I wouldn't think about it Emmett, we might take apart the car in the night." Edward laughed.
"I don't think we need to draw anymore attention to ourselves Emmett, so maybe not the best choice." Jasper agreed, probably sensing my enjoyment at thinking about their stupid little cars crushed.
"We could go check out the new Jeep unlimited Wranglers, much like the jeep you have now. We can test drive it tomorrow, maybe even find a place that might let us test drive a trophy truck." Jacob suggested, his eyes looking bright for a second.
"Don't give him ideas." Jasper sighed.
"If Emmett drives a trophy truck he will want one." Alice nodded.
"Do I get one?" I asked her.
"I don't know yet." She smiled knowingly and I was disappointed, that meant I didn't. Well a new Jeep Wrangler might be good enough, what color did I want? I kept thinking about the new car, as I heard the whispers from behind me about Jacob's health. About Nessie waking up again, about the right and wrong of the situation. Just live with the decisions, that's all I wanted to say to my family, but knowing it would get no where I thought about my car instead.