Chapter 6

CatPOV

I knew I had met him somewhere. His large, linebacker body would make him stand out in any situation, but I still couldn't figure it out. I wasn't drunk anymore; a punch to the face will always be able to remedy that. But when it came to a memory of Emmett, I was drawing a blank. He had the same look on his face, like he was trying to figure me out. He spoke, breaking the short silence.

"This is my brother, Edward and his wife, Bella," he said, referring to the couple that was standing behind him. They were so gorgeous, such a lovely couple, that it almost brought tears to my eyes. He was tall, though not as tall as Emmett, and had an athletic build. His most prominent feature was the tousled bronze hair that sat upon his head. She had beautiful brown locks that cascaded over her shoulders. Her smile was warm and sweet. All three of them, I noticed, shared a ghostly pale complexion and fierce gold eyes. They were all, in essence, breathtaking.

I shook their hands politely. It must have seemed so odd, considering they had just witnessed me knock a girl unconscious.

"It's very nice to meet you," I said. My voice was tired, and I found that it hardly rose above a whisper. I cleared my throat in order to repeat myself so they could hear me above the noise of the bar, but Edward cut me off.

"It's very nice to meet you as well. We just had to congratulate you. That was quite an impressive show."

I giggled awkwardly. I hadn't been paid this much attention in quite some time. "I didn't even want to come here. It was my brother's idea." I turned to see Brad heading towards us. "Speak of the devil, this is my brother… OH!"

Brad picked me up and grasped me tightly, cutting off my breath. "Catty, I knew you could do it! You totally laid her OUT! Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he noticed that my face was turning red. His voice was slurred from too much liquor.

As he sat me down, he smoothed my hair and patted the top of my head. His laugh carried throughout the bar, causing several heads to turn in our direction. After a moment, he notices the three strangers I had been speaking to. "Who are your friends, Kitty Cat?"

I diverted my attention back on the Cullen family and was about to introduce them when I noticed Emmett looked as though he were holding back laughter. He had a small smirk and his lips quivered. I scowled at him, causing him to lose his cool. His laugh carried louder than Brad's. I was shocked at his blatant rudeness and momentarily lost what I was going to say. But, in true McCarty fashion, I regained my composure.

"This sweet couple is Edward and Bella Cullen," I said while Brad shook their hands. He faced Emmett in anticipation of an introduction. I didn't say anything. Brad and Emmett looked at me with confusion, but I stayed silent. I even began to absentmindedly pick my fingernails. That'll teach him for laughing at me. I noticed that Edward had a look of amusement plastered on his face and he looked at Brad and Emmett.

Brad took it upon himself to make the introduction. Addressing Emmett, he spoke, with his accent becoming thicker the less aware he became of himself, "I'm Brad McCarty. And you are?"

Emmett took his hand firmly and introduced himself. I noticed how similar they looked, but Emmett was even bigger than Brad.

'Bigger than Brad!' I thought. 'That's where I've seen him. All three of them! They were in that silver car. Emmett was the one staring at me!'

I turned to Emmett and decided that it was now or never: I was going to confront him. "YOU! You were the one in the car!" I started to slowly back away from him, losing the initial bravery I had. "Are you following me?" I asked, trying to hide the trace fear in my voice.

Brad noticed my change in tone. His posture became protective. He stood in between Emmett and me, not allowing him to come any closer to me. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Why are you following my sister?" His voice became loud and we were attracting more and more attention.

Emmett's face flashed in shock, then turned into something else. Desperation, maybe? It didn't make any sense.

"No! I'm sorry, it's just coincidence that we met here," he said, holding his hands up to show that he didn't mean any harm.

I studied his face. It seemed to be honest. I placed my hand gently on Brad's shoulder, but he did not relax.

"Down, boy," I said with a smile, trying to break the tension. Brad's body relaxed, but he did not smile. The air thinned minutely.

"You want to join us for a drink?" I asked. Brad shot a quick look at me. I shrugged. I knew exactly what he was asking me: Why? I couldn't really answer that question myself. Something about all of them, Emmett especially, reassured me that it was okay. Not only was it okay, it was the right thing to do.

"That sounds great, thank you," Bella answered with a bright smile on her face.

We walked to a corner table, trying to put as much distance between us and the noise as possible. Brad still seemed weary of the situation. Once Emmett bought him a drink, however, his mood lifted tremendously.

"So what brings you to this fine state?" Brad asked, his words slurring more and more.

"We're here for school," Edward said. I found it very polite of him not to acknowledge the fact that Brad was asking Bella. Brad knew no boundaries after he'd been drinking.

"Yeah? Me, too. What are you guys studying?" I asked, honestly curious. Such pretty people could model. Why are they wasting their time with school?

"I'm here for music composition," Edward said. His voice sounded so old to me, like he belonged in the beginning of the 20th century. How odd. I was, however, very impressed.

"Do you play many instruments?" I asked. Edward nodded. I supposed I wasn't going to get much out of him.

I turned to Bella. "And what about you?"

She smiled and said she wanted to get a degree in English Literature, the same as me. I suddenly became very eager in talking to her about it. Back home, I was made fun of because I liked to read. My dad once told me that unless the book could pay the bills, I shouldn't waste my time.

We couldn't get too far into the conversation without Brad interrupting, "Code red dork alert!" he said, laughing.

I looked at Bella apologetically, but she was laughing right along with him. I really liked this girl. She seemed so soft and fragile on the outside, but inside she was tough as nails.

I looked at Emmett and was about to inquire about his major, but his expression stopped me. He had that look on his face that he did before, like I was some sort of puzzle he needed to figure out.

Before I could think of what to say, Brad fell out of his chair. I knew the night was over.

I got off my chair and helped him up. Immediately, Emmett was on his other side, helping me stand Brad up. I silently thanked him, but there was no way I would allow him to help me get Brad all the way home.

Before I could voice my protest, Emmett spoke, "I'll help you home. You're gonna need it."

I shook my head, but Emmett held up his hand to stop me. He faced Edward and Bella. "I'll meet you guys at home."

They nodded in unison. Bella had a subtle, knowing smile on her face. We said our goodbyes and then departed. Emmett was on Brad's left side and I was on his right. We walked most of the way home in silence. We topped occasionally to let Brad get sick in some bushes. Emmett's laugh kept me from getting too upset. There was something about him that made me feel comfortable, like I was at home.

When we reached my apartment, Emmett held Brad up as I unlocked the door. I was expecting Emmett to be straining, he was only a little bit bigger than Brad, but he looked like he could hold Brad up for the rest of the night. As soon as I opened the door, Chance ran up to us and started to bark and growl at Emmett.

"Chance!" I yelled. I grabbed him by his collar and dragged him into my bedroom. Chance did not want to make it easy on me. He kept trying to rush Emmett. I finally was able to shove him into my bedroom and shut the door. I could hear him growling and whining behind the door.

"Stop it!" I said loudly and firmly while hitting the door open palmed. Chance stopped making noise, but he paced back and forth across the door.

When I turned back around, Emmett had brought Brad inside and laid him on the couch. He had passed out the second his head touched the pillow.

"Sorry about that," I said walking towards Brad. Emmett stood to the side and silently watched me take off Brad's shoes and cover him with a blanket. I got a bottle of water and a few tablets of aspirin and set it down on the ground next to Brad's head. I kissed his forehead and he snored in response. If it weren't for Emmett's soft chuckle, I would have forgotten he was here.

I walked Emmett outside, and closed the door behind us as softly as possible.

"Thank you so much for your help."

"No, it's not a problem." Emmett had a sweet smile on his face. "You really love your brother, huh?"

I returned the smile. I seemed to be doing it a lot lately. "Yeah, I never get to see him anymore. He surprised me today. He flew in to visit from Texas."

"So, you're here by yourself?"

"Pretty much." We grew quiet. It began to feel a little uncomfortable for me. "Well, good night," I said as I reached for the door.

"Wait," Emmett said, lightly grabbing my arm. Normally, this would send me into an uncontrollable rage, but today it didn't. Maybe I was drunker than I thought.

Emmett let go of his grip and continued. "Do you wanna hang out sometime? We can go for a coffee or maybe a boxing match?" He plastered a huge grin on his face. It was contagious, as I found I had one as well. But it couldn't stop the next words from coming out of my mouth.

"I can't, Emmett. I'm not looking for anything right now. I just want to sort of blend in and then disappear."

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm just new in town and want a buddy that's not my brother or sister," he said. There was something about his expression that reassured me that he was being truthful.

"Okay," I conceded. Part of me was yelling that I was stupid, while another part was proud that I was making an attempt. The latter must have been Brad's influence.

We made plans to hang out Friday evening. Emmett said he would pick me up at 7:00. We bid our goodbyes and I watched him walk away until he disappeared into the night.

I walked into my apartment with mixed feelings. Part of me was disappointed. I had taken such drastic measures to be alone and start over. Another part of me was curious. What was it about Emmett Cullen that made my guard fall to pieces instantly? Friday night will, hopefully, answer my question.

When I walked into my bedroom, Chance immediately ran out and scanned the apartment. When he was satisfied that all was well, he ran up to me and toppled me over. This was becoming a habit of his, not that I minded. He licked my face while I laughed.

I decided to break one of my own rules and allowed Chance to sleep in the bed with me. That night I slept soundly, something I hadn't done since the fire.

EmPOV

Edward and Bella were waiting for me just down the street from Catty's apartment. It irked me that they didn't trust me enough to just leave. When I approached them, Edward had a stupid smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked with hostility in my voice. It didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Catty? You called her Catty in your head," he asked, that smirk still plastered all over his face.

"And?"

"It's just… very sweet of you, Emmett."

I know the look on my face had to be murderous. It was exactly how I felt. This situation in and of itself was incredibly odd. Why would he make fun of me for it?

"Oh, Emmett, I'm just kidding. Since when have you been so sensitive?"

"Oh, I don't know, Edward. Maybe it happened around the time I ran into my great-great-great niece and nephew? I can't believe I almost killed her." The realization of it was starting to hit me, and I hated the feeling. I almost killed her, my family!

"Calm down, Emmett, it's okay," Bella said with her voice full of concern. I couldn't calm down though. I was drowning in the magnitude of my "almost" mistake. She would have died right before her brother came in town to surprise her. She would have died without me ever knowing exactly who she was. She would have died before I got the chance to know her. The scenarios were running endlessly through my head. If I were able to, I would have been getting a headache.

"Emmett, stop!" Edward said. I looked at him and he looked like he did have a headache.

"Sorry, Edward. It's just overwhelming thinking about how things could have gone."

"Yes, but they didn't go that way, did they?" Bella had a way of always being able to put things into perspective for me.

I didn't even realize we were walking home until we arrived. This was messing me up more than I initially realized.

When we walked inside, Rose was sitting on the couch waiting for me. "What the hell took you guys so long? I've been here waiting for two hours!" she would have continued with her rant, but the looks on our faces stopped her cold. "What's going on, Emmett? Is something wrong?"

I sighed and sat her down on the couch. I told her the whole situation: about seeing Catherine at school, about playing Nancy Drew with Edward and Bella, and about learning who Catherine really is. He eyes kept growing wider and wider.

"Well, what now?" she asked.

"Well, I'm gonna hang out with her Friday night."

'WHAT?!" Rose screamed and leapt off the couch. I really wasn't expecting her to react this way.

"What's wrong, Rosie?"

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!" Her voice was increasingly getting louder. I hate it when she does this. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Bella and Edward were trying to slyly sneak out of the living room. They wouldn't get away that easily.

"Get… back… here," she whispered. I always thought her being quiet was much scarier than her being loud. I watched Edward subtlety nod in agreement. Bella looked terrified.

"Yes, Rosalie?" Edward asked, no trace of fear in his voice.

"Why? Why did you allow him to do this? How could you be so stupid?" She cut him off before he could answer. "Oh yes, I forgot who I was talking to."

I didn't miss the soft growl in Edward's throat, nor the flash of hurt in Bella's face. She knew exactly to what Rosalie was referring to.

"Rose, sweetheart, don't blame this on Bella and Edward. This is all on me."

"I can't count on you to think, Emmett, that's why I was counting on them."

That hurt. How dumb did she think I was? Is this how she always thought of me?

I guess Rosalie realized what she said, because she hurriedly added, "That's not what I meant, Emmett. I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

I wanted to be mad at her, but I couldn't. Lucky for me, however, Bella had no problem being mad at Rose.

"Stop it, Rosalie! Don't you see how hard this is for him? First, he almost kills a girl. Next, he finds out this girl has McCarty blood running through her veins. Now, instead of getting support from the woman he loves, he gets screams and insults! What kind of a person do you think you are?!" Bella's small frame was shaking with anger. I couldn't have been more proud of her than in that very moment. I wasn't the only one that felt that way. Edward moved to her side and gently placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Bella's death glare never wavered.

Rose looked shocked, then guilty. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I bent slightly and kissed the top of her head. "I know you didn't mean it, Rosie."

She sighed. "I just worry, Emmett. I don't want there to be any… complications."

I was crushed. I wanted so bad to get to know Catherine. I hadn't seen any blood relatives since my change, and I never really thought about it until I learned who Catherine really was. Now there was a hole inside of me that needed to be filled. Alice said she would be important… but how important would she be? I had to know, but I didn't want to upset Rose.

I was just about to resign to the fact that I would never get to know my great-great-great niece, when Rosalie surprised me. "So, what are you guys going to do on Friday?"

I took a second to think about it, but I honestly couldn't come up with any ideas. None of us could think of anything.

As we sat in the living room mulling over ideas of what I should do with Catherine on Friday, Alice came bounding down the stairs with Jasper in tow.

"Have a fun evening?" she asked. She was bouncing in place, which was an obvious sign to all of us that she knew what took place and was only asking out of formality.

"You know we had a good time, Alice. Do you have any ideas for what I should take her to do on Friday?"

"I thought you said not to meddle, Emmett." Her face briefly flashed in seriousness, but it was quickly replaced with that same smile she always wore.

I was about to retort, but she was right. I didn't want my life to be dictated by her visions, or anything else for that matter. This was something I was going to do for myself.

"You're right, Alice. Don't tell me anything. Wait… tell me if I come up with a good idea."

"She'll love it."