a/n I would like to direct your attention to the link below. I know it's a pain to delete all the spaces, but this is SO worth it. I frequently use images to get an idea of what to write, and this one is so beautiful I'd cry if I weren't so hyped on coffee. It's so beautiful I put it on my desktop, which I haven't changed in... Yikes, two years! I've had that same damn flower on there and not cared at all and this beautiful photo, worth a little over a thousand words, is now in its place.
http : / / www . marcadamus . com / photo . php ? id = 2 & gallery = favorites
And now, I give you, Emmett!
Sunset—Alberta, 1936
Looking out of the window, Emmett was stunned again by the beauty of his new home. He'd lived in the mountains his whole life, but those mountains looked like hills compared to these. They were covered in snow and craggier than those in Tennessee. They were almost the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.
Almost.
Smiling, he glanced out of the corner of his eye to where Rosalie sat on the sofa next to Esme, her chin propped up on her fist as she flipped through a catalog. She huffed impatiently as she scowled down at the book.
"What's the matter, dear?" Esme asked, her voice placating.
"I don't know which kind to get," Rosalie said. "I love the silk, but the way they say this chiffon hangs seems just lovely." She glanced up at Emmett, and her gold eyes brightened as they met his. "What do you think?"
"I think whatever you get won't matter. It's not as pretty as you," he said firmly, and Rosalie giggled, burying her nose in the catalog again. Across the room, Edward rolled his eyes.
Sorry. Emmett laughed again. Race you to the top of the mountain to make up for it.
Edward glanced up and raised his eyebrows. "I'm faster than you," he said bluntly.
"You're scrawnier than me, too," Emmett retorted, and he watched with glee as Edward's eyes lit up with the challenge.
Five minutes later, the pair of them were perched on top of the nearest peak looking out over the range. The sun hidden behind another mountain as it set and the sunset was bathed with deep reds and golds. The reflective waters were partially iced over, and they reflected the sunset behind the mountain flawlessly. The two of them sat side by side in silence, staring out at the remarkable sight in silence.
Edward seemed a little uneasy as he leaned back on his hands, his eyes slightly troubled as his face reflected the red light from the sunset.
"What's on your mind?" Emmett asked quietly.
"Has Rosalie told you anything about..." He paused, seeming almost unwilling to continue.
Emmett understood. "Yeah." He frowned at the sunset, recalling that day almost a month ago now. They had been hunting alone in the mountains, and things had begun to progress from kissing to a higher level of intimacy when Rosalie had frozen in his arms. The look on her face had been one of fear, and he had frozen immediately, afraid to continue. Sobbing in his arms, she'd spilled the story of her past. How she was afraid of intimacy, how she'd wanted nothing to do with any man ever again until she'd found him, how she was afraid he wouldn't want her now that she'd told the truth. How she'd thought she was ruined.
Edward winced, hearing Emmett's thoughts as clearly as if he'd spoken them. His face was full of pain, and Emmett realized that Edward knew Rosalie's story better than he. He'd seen it first hand through her memories.
"Yes," Edward said softly. "I know her story better than any of the others. She's not crazy about that, but she's gotten used to it." Edward sighed heavily and turned to Emmett, crossing his legs. "She really does think all of those things. She let her thoughts about herself get twisted in the beginning—I remember. For someone so sure of herself, she has a very fragile disposition."
Emmett nodded, wondering why he was bringing this up. He clearly didn't like talking about it.
Edward smiled slightly, glancing back toward the sunset. It was just a quirk of his mouth, but it was the first time in a year Emmett had ever seen him smile. It made him look more like the seventeen year old that he was. "You're right. I hate talking about it." His face sobered again, and he looked back at Emmett. "But I have to."
Shaking his head, Emmett started to answer, but Edward heard the thoughts and stopped him with a held up hand before he could get the words out.
"No, I do. No one else knows it like I do. It's one of the things I wish I didn't have to know," he said, and his eyes drifted out of focus. His face twisted into an expression of pain. "What happened to her that night... It made her more fragile than she'll ever admit. She puts up an amazing front, and she can usually fool everyone. In the beginning, Carlisle and Esme thought she was dealing with everything so well. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the only thing she thought of for the first two weeks was how she was ruined, how she wasn't sure she could trust anyone ever. She's not completely over it now—I'm not sure she'll ever be."
Emmett turned away from Edward. He couldn't look at his face anymore. It was too painful.
"She's my sister," he said softly. "For all her flaws and for as angry as she can make me, she's my sister and I love her. I'd never wish for anything like that to happen to her ever again. I don't want anything bad to happen to her at all, ever. She doesn't deserve it."
It was clear, now, why Edward was bringing this up. It was a warning.
"I won't ever hurt her like that," Emmett said, his voice softer than he'd ever heard it before. He couldn't even imagining seeing Rosalie like that again, knowing that it had been his fault. That he'd done something to cause her that much pain.
"I don't think you will," Edward said, and he smiled again. "I don't think you can. But you should know," he added, and there was an undisguised tone of threat in his voice, "if you ever hurt her or make her cry, I'll kill you."
"Oh, Eddie, I love you, too!"
From nowhere, Rosalie leaped onto the rock beside her brother, reaching up before he could move out of the way to tousle his already unkempt bronze hair. He ducked out from under her, a smile still on his face as he elbowed her in the ribs. "How would you like it if I messed up your hair?" he teased.
"You wouldn't dare," she retorted, tossing the hair in question over her shoulder. "You love me too much."
Edward stared at her for a full five seconds before, quick as a flash of lightning, his hands reached out and grabbed all of her hair, piling it up and rubbing it against her skull before he darted back down the mountain, crowing with laughter.
Rosalie scowled after him, then turned her scowl to Emmett. He couldn't help the chuckles of laughter that escaped, despite his attempts at repression. He motioned to her with his hands, and she settled down next to him while he ran his hands through her blonde tresses, straightening them until they were back to normal.
"There," he said, smiling. "All better."
A breathtaking smile graced her face. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly. "Thank you," she said softly.
"Watch the sunset with me?" he asked, holding out his arms.
She smiled again and moved to settle into his broad arms. She was so small against him, and he pressed his lips gently to the top of her head. "I love you," he said softly.
"I love you, too," she said, her voice muffled as she pressed a kiss against his shoulder.
"I'll never hurt you like that," he vowed.
He felt and heard more than saw her smile. "Edward's just being overprotective."
"Maybe, but I think he'd really kill me if I made you cry. Or, at least, dismember me."
"I'd kill or dismember him back," she said. She sighed softly and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
"I just won't make you cry," Emmett said, smiling down at her. "Out of respect for your family and my love of living, I promise to do everything I can to make you happy."
"They're your family, too, Em," she said, turning her beautiful face up to him. She was lit up red and gold by the sunlight, and she had never looked more beautiful than at that moment. "They love you, too."
As they watched the sun slowly sink behind the mountains, Emmett contemplated her statement.
He remembered how Esme had fussed over his slacks when they had arrived from the Sears-Roebuck catalog and not been long enough, then how she'd proceeded to make him a pair of her own. She'd called him "dear." Just like his mother had.
How Carlisle had patiently taught him to hunt, rewarding him with a "Well done, son," and a hearty pat on the back when he'd completed his first kill successfully. Just like his father had.
How Edward was always up for a wrestling match, or a race, or a game of cards. Just like his brothers had been.
The sun had set on his life in Tennessee, but now had risen on a whole new one. Only this was better.
Now, he had someone who wanted him to look through catalogs with her, when he'd rather be hunting or wrestling. Someone who frowned when his pants didn't match his shirt. Someone who laughed with him, who held his hand, who let him hold her in his arms, and who made him feel like he was finally, for the first time in his life, complete.
He had Rosalie.
a/n As much as that girl gets on my nerves sometimes, I love her anyway. Up next... I'm not saying who.
Thanks very much for your patience with my general slowness. I work as a one woman show so I have to do all my editing on my own. My schedule's really wacked right now, as well. I'm in the middle of student teaching (Oh, freedom, you are so close I can nearly taste you!) and I just switched placements so I'm really RUNINCIRCLESHOLYSHITGRABYOURASSANDPRAY at the moment. So, thanks. Reviews make me really happy. And a little horny. Just kidding. Kind of. Review. I love you...
