A/N: This is a huge chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. It took me a long time to write because I had so many ideas. It was hard to focus them all! This is the last of the chapters that I have pre-written, so it will take longer in between updates. Never fear, they will all be super long. I really can't help myself! Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Please review and let me know how you think the story is progressing. It's hard to get people to read fics with OC's, so I really appreciate you taking the time to read. Sorry, long A/N. Once again, enjoy!

Chapter 7

CatPOV

I woke up in the morning feeling miserable. My body ached from the fight, and my head felt like it was the practice area for a marching band. I wasn't the only one feeling that way. Brad woke me up from his moaning and grumbling in the other room.

It took me a minute, but I was able to drag myself out of bed in order to make breakfast for Brad and I. Chance was still asleep when I got up, and I decided not to bother him. He was the only living thing in the world that slept worse than I did.

I walked out of the bedroom and Brad grunted a greeting. I returned it with a smile. "Hungry?" I asked.

He nodded as he lumbered to the bathroom, scratching himself inappropriately.

"Make sure you wash your hands, Nasty!" I received grunted response.

I scoffed and made Brad's favorite breakfast: chorizo (a Mexican sausage) and eggs. He walked out of the bathroom looking halfway human. "Do you think you can take Chance outside while I finish breakfast?"

"Sure, Cat," Brad responded with a gruff, scratchy voice. That voice used to drive all my girl friends crazy. It just made me roll my eyes.

By the time Brad made it back inside, I had finished the chorizo and eggs and was heating up some tortillas.

"Smells great, Catherine"

"Of course it does, who do you think you're talking to?" We shared a laugh and sat down to eat.

The meal was eaten in silence, with the exception of Chance panting and begging for scraps. Brad probably thought I didn't notice him slipping Chance some scraps. "He's gonna get fat if you keep feeding him like that."

Brad looked like a kid that was caught with his hands in the cookie jar. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Catty."

"I see what you're doing. Quit giving him scraps. He doesn't get a ton of exercise in this little apartment so I can't feed him human food."

"Aw come on, he deserves it after all he's been through."

The air grew tense. I knew Brad was inadvertently referring to the fire. I didn't want to talk about it now. Hell, I never want to talk about it. Brad thought otherwise.

"Catty, come home. We miss you. We can help get over all this… this pain that you have."

I smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Brad." I could feel the heat behind my eyes that always comes right before the tears, but I held them back. Brad was always so sensitive to me and my feelings. I didn't want him to see that I was dying on the inside.

"Catherine…" he started.

"NO! Stop right there," my voice surprised me with how cold it was. Maybe it was what Brad would need in order to understand that I meant it.

"Do you know what Christy would say to you right now if she were here? She would tell you that you were being ridiculous. She would tell you to suck it up and stop blaming yourself!"

I slammed my fists on the table, causing it to jump. Chance, always the jumpy one, whined and ran out of the room. "Why can't she be here, Brad? Hmmm? SHE'S DEAD! She's dead, and she'll never be anywhere to tell me anything ever again!"

Brad's voice grew soft and hesitant. "There's nothing you could have done, Catherine. You need to stop doing this to yourself."

"I should have never let him into my life."

"How were you to know he would take it that far?"

I was silent. Part of me knew that he was right. Who could have foreseen such a thing? No. Christy would still be here if it weren't for me. This was my entire fault.

"It should have been me, not her."

Brad shook his head vehemently. He scooted his chair next to me and wrapped his arms around me. I wouldn't allow the tears to fall. He shouldn't be brought into my misery. I patted his arm and thanked him. I was trying to be subtle, but he could tell I was brushing him off.

He gathered the dishes and brought them to the sink. As he silently washed them, I scoured the apartment for Chance. I found him under my bed, refusing to look at me.

"I'm sorry, boy." I slid a bone under the bed towards him. He continued to ignore me. As I walked away, I could hear him grab the bone and begin to gnaw on it. I smiled, knowing that I was forgiven.

Brad was finished with the dishes and watching TV. There was a college game on, and to the untrained eye it would look like he was watching. I knew that he was deep in thought.

"How's Dad?" I asked as I sat down next to him.

"He misses you. He wishes he did more to keep you home. But I know that once you set your mind to something, no one can convince you of otherwise."

I nodded. When Brad turned to look at me, I gave him a weak smile. His eyes were sad and it broke my heart to look at him.

"We all miss you," he added softly.

I was silent. I didn't know how to respond to that. We watched the game in that silence. It was thick, full of things we both wanted to say. When the game was finished, Brad stood up and stretched. When he turned to look at me, he had a bit of the old smile on his face.

"Well, what are you gonna take me to do? I leave early in the morning tomorrow and I've only seen your crappy apartment and one bar in the entire city of Portland." He grabbed my arm and pulled me off the couch.

"You're leaving tomorrow?" I asked with a touch of shock and sadness in my voice.

"Yes ma'am. So let's not spend this time thinking about this and that. Let's paint the town red!"

I giggled and ran into my room to change. I chose clothes based on comfort rather than anything fashion forward. That is one habit I've brought with me from Texas.

We walked all around the city. We visited countless shops and bars. We would drink, then walk around and discover all the culture in the city. When the sky grew dark, we settled in a tiny piano bar. Brad would have never admitted to anyone other than me his fondness for piano music. There were a wide range of performers and acts: blues, jazz, soft rock, etc. We enjoyed the night, and then walked home once the bar closed. Our talk was light, never weighed down by each other's ache. That was what I preferred.

We reached the apartment, and watched a movie before both of us fell asleep on the couch.

The morning came and passed quickly as I helped Brad pack and took him to the airport. His departure was sad, but I was happy to fall back in the little routine I created before he came. I would never tell him, never in a million years, but by having Brad there I could not escape thinking of home and all the horrific memories it held.

I was piddling around the apartment for a few hours before getting ready for my evening with Emmett. I was still confused as to why he wanted to meet, but I figured I could just get it over with and blow him off. It would be for the best, more so for him than me. I just wasn't worth the time and trouble.

I dressed comfortably in a T-shirt, jeans, and an old pair of Converse. I would finish off the outfit with an old hoodie that belonged to Brad. There was nothing particularly attractive about the outfit, so he could not mistake this for a date. I became anxious, wondering exactly the night would bring. I had to think of all my cover stories: why I was there, why I decided to come to an unfamiliar city by myself. I knew he would ask all about my past, and frankly, it was something I didn't want to discuss with my own brother, let alone a complete stranger.

I sat on my couch in the front room, nervously changing through channels. I wasn't really paying attention to anything; it was just something to do to pass the time.

At exactly 7:00, I heard a knock on my front door. The sound of it scared me as it resonated throughout my tiny apartment. Chance came running out of my bedroom, barking his head off.

I shushed him as best I could, and dragged him back into the bedroom. I closed the door to prevent him from trying to rush my guest. I had no idea what Chance's problem was with Emmett, but it was starting to bother me.

I opened the door was immediately greeted with that large goofy smile that never failed to place one of equal caliber on my face.

EmPOV

Catherine opened the door looking like a little boy. She was wearing a sweatshirt that was too big for her, the oldest pair of jeans I have ever seen in my undead life, and sneakers that would send Alice into a frenzy before she dragged this poor girl into a shoe store. I chuckled, because it was obvious this poor girl had too much McCarty in her blood.

I could hear her dog barking in the back room. Animals have never been fond of us, but normally they just stay away. This dog had it out for me. He would do anything to protect this girl; including attacking a predator he has no chance against. It made me feel a little better about her being alone in the city.

"You ready, Catherine?"

She nodded as she grabbed a slim, black wallet and placed it into her back pocket. She was not a purse kind of girl. She closed the door behind us, locked it, and joined me at the bottom of her stairs.

We walked together at a leisurely pace to the city. "Are you hungry?" I asked her.

"Starved. How about you?"

I feigned shame and answered, "I ate right before I left, but we can grab something to eat. What do you want?"

She didn't even hesitate in her answer. "There's this place up the street that has pizza and beer. I've heard good things about it."

I laughed and gestured for her to lead the way. As we walked, we exchanged casual conversation. She was quick to laugh, which made me happy. She reminded me of a woman in my human life, I'm not sure if she was an aunt or a cousin, but I remember her laugh vividly. It used to fill the entire house, and she laughed often. It was boisterous, almost inappropriate, but I admired her for it. She never tried to cover up her laugh for fear that she wouldn't get a man. She was always just her.

When we reached the pizza bar, it was jam-packed full of college students. Catherine and I chose one of the last tables available, a little two-seater in the corner of the restaurant. It took a little while for service, but Catherine didn't seem to mind. She was studying the menu intensely.

"What are you gonna get?"

"An alfredo pizza," she smiled triumphantly as she set down the menu. A lanky boy of about 18 finally came over to our table. He seemed nervous, but when Catherine teased him he seemed to lighten up a bit.

"What can I get for you tonight, ma'am?"

"It's Catherine, and I would like an alfredo pizza with chicken, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and bacon. Also, do you have Shiner Bach on tap?"

He looked at her with frightened eyes. It seems he had never heard of the beer before. He answered nervously, "No, ma'am… I mean, Catherine."

She chuckled loudly, and once again it calmed the kid down a bit. "That's fine. Miller Lite, please. The biggest glass you have."

The kid rushed off, happy to be away from the situation. "Poor guy, I think he's about to wet his pants," I said.

"He's just nervous," she said, waving her hands in dismissal. I couldn't help but compare her to the family I had in my human life. Her laid back nature reminded me so much of my mother.

Things became awkwardly quiet. I saw Catherine looking around the room, as if searching for a topic of conversation. I decided it was going to have to be up to me.

"What's Shiner Bach?"

She looked at me incredulously. "Only the best fucking beer you will ever have!" She covered her mouth and I could see a smile in her eyes. "Pardon the language. I picked it up from my brother and dad."

"Did you grow up only with your brother and dad?"

She nodded, "My mom died when I was really little. She had cancer while she was pregnant with me, but no one knew because the pregnancy masked the symptoms of the cancer. By the time they figured out she was sick, it was too late to do anything."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She waved her hand as if she was waving off my sympathy. Our server came back and placed an enormous beer in front of Catherine. It smelled revolting and inviting at the same time. Catherine's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. She placed her hands around the giant glass, and tipped it into her mouth. She took three large gulps and set it down, exhaling happily.

I laughed at how little it took to make her happy. She grinned at me. "I love beer. It must be a Texan thing."

"What part of Texas are you from?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation rolling. She sure was making it hard on me.

"I'm from a little town called Rockwall. My dad owned a ranch that my brother and I would work on. Well, my brother did most of the work. He's a lot stronger than me. I mostly tended to household stuff, but I was never afraid to do any of the 'big boy' stuff." She laughed as she continued. "I drive a mean tractor."

I tried to imagine her on a tractor with a straw hat and overalls on. The mental picture came easily and I let out a laugh.

"My brother is from Texas," I informed her after my laughter died down a little.

"Edward? What part?" she asked, honest in her curiosity.

"Oh, no, I meant my brother Jasper. He was born in Houston, but he's familiar with Dallas and Galveston as well."

"Houston has the worst traffic ever!" she said, rolling her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh.

"How big is your family?"

"Pretty big," I answered. "You should come meet them sometime. I know Bella would love to have you over. She's a pretty big book nerd. Jasper is too, but he's not a big Jane Austin fan."

Catherine smiled. "I'd like that." Right after she uttered the words, however, the expression on her face looked like she regretted it.

I looked at her confused, but she didn't say anything. I shook it off and continued, "So, what would you like to do after this?"

She was about to answer, when our server came and set down an enormous pizza in front of Catherine. "Enjoy," he muttered, his voice cracking slightly.

Catherine dug into her pizza like she had never eaten before. It's been a while since I've had human food, but I'm pretty sure even I couldn't pile it in faster than her. As she started working on her third slice, I had to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked with a mouth full of pizza. It only made me laugh harder. Her ears started to turn a little red, but I couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry.

"Please don't choke," I said in between bouts of laughter. "I don't know the Heimlich."

She frowned and placed her slice down. She picked up her napkin and quietly wiped her mouth. When she was finished, she set it down, and then pulled her fierce blue eyes into my gaze.

"Emmett, now I know we haven't know each other for a long time, but I'm about to let you in on a little secret. I've been wolfing down pizza for as long as I've had a brother and a father, because if I wasn't fast enough, it would all be gone and I would go to bed hungry. Consider me a pro when it comes to eating. Now, if you don't mind, you are ruining my flow."

I stared at her with my mouth open. She calmly picked up her slice of pizza and resumed eating. She was eating a little slower, however. I smiled as I watched her eat. She became self-conscious and looked at me.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

I shook my head. "I'm a vegetarian."

"They have veggie pizzas." She gave me a look that screamed, Duh, retard!

"Now what kind of vegetarian would I be if I gave my hard earned money to a facility that supported the murdering of animals?" I would have to thank Edward for that line.

She stared at me with her eyebrows furrowed. "You are a strange character, Emmett Cullen. Just when I think I have you figured out, you say something to surprise me."

"Well, I'm all out of surprises," I said. She smiled, and finished her last slice of pizza. She chugged the rest of her beer, sat back in her chair, and let out the longest most disgusting burp I had ever heard. I couldn't have been prouder.

"Bravo!" I yelled, clapping my hands. She got out of her chair and took a bow. People were staring, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Come on," she said. She threw down some money on the table. I picked it up and handed it back to her.

"It's on me," I said, throwing down some cash. She opened her mouth to protest, hell, she was probably about to yell at me. I held up my hand and gave her my serious face. "It's on me," I repeated, slower this time. She closed her mouth, a sure sign of resignation. I smiled and led her outside.

"Where now?" I asked. She shrugged, not saying anything. I rolled my eyes, and we just kept walked. The night was a little cold, but not too uncomfortable. Well, nothing's uncomfortable to me, but I could tell that Catherine was feeling too chilled. We walked to a park and sat on a bench.

"Tell me more about your dad and brother." I was anxious to hear more about this family that I would never get the chance to know.

If I let her, she would have talked about them for hours. Her family was small, just her and her brother and father. All of the extended family was spread out and never bothered to get to know them. But they liked it that way. They were close, much closer than families seem to be in this day and time. It made me happy to know that.

She also told me about the kind of life she had in Texas. She told me about the small town she grew up in, but moved into a suburb of Dallas to attend community college. When I asked her, why she moved to Portland, she stuttered, saying that she needed a change of scenery. I accepted her answer, thinking nothing of it.

"What's up with Chance? Is he always so…" I couldn't find the word to finish it.

"Protective?" she offered. I nodded; it seemed like the appropriate word. "It's a new thing with him," she started, but then stopped. She looked like she was trying very hard to choose her next words.

"Catherine?" I asked. She turned to me, still unsure how to proceed. "Catherine, it's okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me. Chances are, I'll probably forget whatever it is you tell me, so there's no possibility of me telling anyone." I worked up the biggest grin I could muster. It seemed to do the trick.

She giggled, her face brightening the smallest amount. And she began.

"Back in Texas, I lived with my best friend while we went to the same community college. We had a two bedroom apartment together with Chance. It was small, but nice. Chance was Christy's dog, but I always treated him like he was my own. I just never had to worry about vet bills," she said, chuckling. She continued, "One night, there was a fire." She closed her eyes, and I thought she wouldn't go on with her story. She surprised me by taking a deep breath and started to speak again. "The fire was enormous. It only took it a short amount of time before it engulfed the entire floor. I wasn't home at the time, I was lucky. Christy, however…" Her voice hitched in her throat, and I understood. I could tell she was trying not to cry. I looked away from her, giving her the privacy that she needed.

"How did Chance make it out?" I asked.

She smiled slightly, but I knew there was no happiness behind it. "No one's really sure. When I reached the apartment, I was stopped by a firefighter. They wouldn't let me pass. I called for Christy and Chance. I don't know how, but when he heard me call him, Chance ran out of the flames. He was burnt, but he survived. It's nothing short of miraculous."

I didn't know what to say. This girl had been through so much. I couldn't even begin to try to understand the depths of her situation. I told her so.

"Don't worry about it, Emmett," she said, waving her hand. She seemed to do that a lot. Didn't my sister do that? "It's weird to talk about it with someone. I came here to be alone, you know?" She swung her legs on the bench and looked at the ground.

I wrapped my arm around her. She stiffened, and I immediately pulled my arm off of her. "Sorry," I said. "It's just a knee-jerk reaction. I can't help myself when someone is sad. I have to make it better."

She turned her head and smiled. She nodded her head slightly, and I took that as permission. I threw my arms around her, stood up, and swung her around. She was laughing, and it made my heart swell.

I put her down and patted her head. She scrunched her nose in mock anger then giggled.

"Come on, let's get you home," I said. The walk back to her apartment was nice. She told me more about her life in Texas. It saddened me that she was so far away from her family. Well, the family that she knew.

I resolved to myself that I would do whatever it takes to take care of her. She shouldn't be by herself in a place she is unfamiliar with. I would be her protector, a big brother of sorts. Bella always told me that I was the big brother that she always wanted but never had. Maybe that's what I can be for Catherine.

When we reached her apartment, I bid her a good night.

"When can we hang out again?" I asked. I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. They always seemed to work on Rose.

I could practically see the wheels in her brain turning. I didn't want to give her the chance to tell me no. "Come on, I'll take you to meet my family," I pleaded, laying the puppy dog eyes on thick.

"Okay," she surrendered. "How is Sunday?"

"Perfect. Everyone should be home."

She shook her head, an obvious sign that she was disappointed in the decision she just made. I plastered a ridiculous, even for me, grin on my face. She opened her door, and walked inside. I could hear the locks clicking as she turned them into place.

When I got home, everyone was in the front room waiting for me. No sooner that I stepped into the house did I get overwhelmed with questions. The only person I wanted to see was sitting down on the couch silently.

"How did it go?" Rose asked softly.

"It went well," I answered. By this time, the rest of my family joined us on the various couches in the front room.

"What's she like?" Rose still wasn't looking me in the eye. I worried that she was upset with me for something.

"Are you upset, Rosie?" I would do anything in my power to make her feel better.

Rose finally met my gaze. I instantly recognized the apology written in her features. I gave her a big grin and wrapped my arms around her. All is forgiven, my embrace told her.

I spent that majority of the evening telling my family about Catherine. They were all really interested in hearing about it, especially Carlisle. He's always such a nerd about these kinds of things.

I told them about Sunday, and Esme got super excited. It had been a little while since she had the opportunity to entertain a human. I'm beginning to think it's becoming one of her favorite pastimes.

When I was done telling all I had to tell, Rose and I retired to our bedroom. I felt bad, like I had been neglecting her. I spent the whole evening treating her like the angel she was.

After another amazing evening, I told Rose how excited I was for her to meet Catherine. She promised to be on her best behavior. I chuckled and pulled her close to me.

Everything is perfect. What could go wrong?