You guys are soooooo lucky Lukas McDrake has taken some kind of magical potion that makes him as fast as lightening with beta-ing these things. I suppose I really need to go on and finish writing it in my computer... Anyway, I own nothing recognizable. Also, the side affects written here are in no way exagerated or made up, I swear. The meds they give you for pneumonia - if you don't have to stay in the hospital - will make you nuttier than a fruit cake with extra nuts, I swear. Reviews?

"Alice!" Rosalie screeched, doubled over in laughter. "You're crazy!"

I glared at her, snuggling into Emmett's side. "Shut up."

Everyone was laughing as Edward recounted the trip to the grocery store we'd had with Mother. After three days cooped up in my room, I had needed to get out, and Daddy allowed me to go to the store with Mother and Edward. As we were making our way down the frozen section, Mother picked up a turkey for dinner that weekend.

I took one look at it, then quickly exclaimed, "Its are bigger than mine!" While I'd been thinking it, I never meant to say it, and then the entire frozen foods department gave me funny looks and a few snickers. "But it's true! How is that pos-"

Edward slapped a hand over my mouth, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Alice, shut up!"

He and Mother had since shared it with everyone we knew, and I was the laughingstock of our friends (minus Emmett, though he'd stared very perplexedly into space for a while, glancing at my ten-year-old-looking chest a time or two).

I was sleepy, tucked into Emmett's side, and he was currently stroking my side and hip, lulling me into the Land of Nod, even though I protested for a long time. The medicine gave me the awful curse of sleep-talking, a characteristic that only the Swan twins had displayed in the past. I was paranoid that they were waiting for me to fall asleep so I could spit out something mortifying once again.

"Sweetheart," Emmett said lowly in my ear. "Go to sleep. It'll be okay."

I pouted up at him. While the loveseat was comfortable, I didn't feel like sleeping around the others. "I'm okay."

"You just took your medicine," he said, making a disbelieving face at me. "You always get sleepy."

I pouted harder. "I don't wanna."

"Go to sleep," he said, gently but firmly.

I couldn't resist his pleas, so I finally closed my eyes, going to a hazy place where I was still aware of the world around me, but I wasn't sure what exactly they were talking about. I responded a bit, earning a few laughs, but after a bit, they stopped laughing. When I opened my eyes again, everyone was staring at me with different expressions.

Rosalie had tears in her eyes, Jasper was murderous, Bella looked wracked with guilt, Edward was blinking in shock, and Emmett was simply waiting for me to say something.

"What did I say?" I demanded, sitting up. When no one answered, I grew nervous. "What did I say?"

Rosalie turned her tear-filled eyes to Edward. "Was she telling the truth?"

He looked at his feet, then slowly back up at her. "I can explain, Rosie."

"No!" she shouted, the tears spilling over. "No, never! How could you do this to me? And you!" She spun on Bella, who looked as if she were about to cry as well. "You're supposed to be my best friend! How could you?" Her voice broke as she turned to me. "How could you keep this from me?"

She ran from the room. Jasper shot a glare at Edward and Bella both, then chased after his sister.

I looked at Emmett, tears forming in my own eyes. "What did I say?"

He took me into his arms, stroking my back. "It's okay, honey, they shouldn't have made you keep it a secret."

"I can't believe I was so stupid," Bella whimpered, sniffling. "I love him…"

Jasper's voice suddenly came from the far side of the room. "We need to talk."

I hear Bella choke out a sob, then get up and go to follow Jasper to somewhere private. Edward got up and went to find Rosalie, I assumed, and I simply broke down in Emmett's arms.

"I didn't want to go to sleep," I whispered. "I can't believe I never told anyone. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, honey," Emmett whispered, rubbing my back. "It needed to come out. I can't believe Bella, after everything with Mom… I'm so sorry for making you go to sleep, honey. I should have at least gotten you go to your room."

I sniffled. "I want to go, now. It's the only place to avoid the bloodbath…"

Emmett stood immediately, scooping me into his arms and carrying me up to my room. I knew I'd done nothing wrong except keep the secret, but that had been wrong of me. I cried in Emmett's arms for a little while.

"What exactly did I say?" I asked, sniffling and burying my face in his chest.

He sighed. "You said something like 'Edward and Bella have been kissing.' Rose laughed and said everyone saw it at the beach, then you said, 'No, they kissed another time, I think. They were really close that night, and it wasn't the first time. They made me promise not to tell.'"

I sighed heavily. "Anything else?"

"No, Rosalie woke you up when she shrieked 'what!'"

I didn't recall this, but oh well. "I hate this, so much. I should have told right away."

"It was wrong of them in the first place, and especially to make you swear not to tell," he said, kissing my forehead. "It's going to be okay."

"How?"

"We're us, the amazing Forks Triple Twins. We'll make it work," he said, tilting my chin up and kissing me softly on the lips.

I sniffled, holding myself to him. "Thank you, Emmett." I yawned. "Don't let me cause another natural disaster, please."

He chuckled slightly. "I love you, Alice."

I was already almost asleep, and I slept surprisingly well for a long time. I only woke up when Emmett suddenly got up, staring down at me. I blinked up at him. The last thing I'd been dreaming was another weird 'I love you' fight.

"Oh, no, Emmett…" I was scared, and Emmett's expression told me my horrific suspicions were true.

"Alice," he said, sitting back down, reaching over and turning my bedside lamp on. "Do you know what you said?"

My lip trembled. "I know what I dreamed."

He studied my face. "Can you tell me something?"

My heart beat rapidly, worrying as to what could possibly be coming. "What?" My voice was nearly inaudible.

"What does 'I can't love you' mean?"

In my dream, it had been 'I can't say I love you.' "Emmett, it came out so wrong. You have to believe me."

"Tell me what you actually meant," he said, looking disbelievingly at me.

"It was actually 'I can't say I love you.'"

"And that's so much better?" he demanded, looking as horrified as I felt. "Alice, what is this about?"

I sat up slowly, letting blood flow properly. "I…can't explain. It's just…everything that's been going on with Bella and Edward and… I don't know. I'm scared, I guess."

"And you couldn't tell me?" he asked, looking hurt. "Alice, do you even like me anymore?"

I gasped. "Emmett! I…" I couldn't bring myself to say it. "I care about you, so much, and I've wanted to be with you forever. Please, don't be mad at me."

"I wish I knew what was actually going on," he said, rubbing his face with his hands. "Alice, do you or do you not love me?"

It was hard for me to answer. "Emmett, I've never felt this way about anyone."

"That's not what I asked," he said lowly, meeting my eyes. "You at least love me as a best friend."

"Of course!" I blurted, unable to stop myself. "I've loved you forever! It's just…this new thing we have…it scares me. I'm just afraid of making myself vulnerable and-"

"I made myself vulnerable to you!" he said, looking incredulous. "Alice, you'd think I'd have a harder time at this, since my mother cheated on my dad and left. How can you be this way if you insist you feel the same way I do?"

I reached over and tried to take his hand, but he pulled it away. "Emmett…please. You know I do. It's just that saying makes it so…so real."

"Does it not feel real?" he asked, looking hurt.

"Everything feels like a dream with you!" I said, my eyes feeling damp, all of a sudden. "I feel like…I don't know, amazing? It's so great to be with you, and yes, you know how I feel about you. I'm just…I don't know. It just won't come out when I want it to. Something always discourages me, and I can't even explain it right."

He looked at me. "And I thought we were the ones that had it so easy."

I nodded, a single tear rolling down my face. "That's what I was thinking."

"What's so discouraging? What am I doing wrong?"

"It's not you, Emmett, it's-"

His face hardened and he cut me off. "If you say 'it's not you, it's me' I'm never going to trust you again."

"Then I don't know what to say!" I snapped, glaring at him. "You wanted honesty, I'm giving you honesty. I don't know what you want me to say!"

"I want you to say you feel the same way about me!" he said, standing up and winding his fingers into his curls, pulling them in exasperation. I was afraid he was going to yank them out. "Why wouldn't you be able to unless you didn't? Of course you don't. You've never lied to me before. Why would you start now?"

I didn't know if he was talking to himself or to me. I simply listened to the rest of the rant.

"Why would you stay with me for so long, though? You can't feel the way I feel," he looked at me accusingly. "I sound like a chick, Alice. Girls are supposed to freak out about things like this. You don't feel the way I do."

My eyes filled with tears. "Emmett!"

He stared me down, then shrugged. "Do you?"

"Don't make me do this, Emmett," I said, wiping my eyes as tears began to fall.

"Why not?" he asked, shrugging again. "It's your call now. Either you feel the same way or you don't, and I'm giving you the control now."

"I can't do this!"

"What? Feel the same way or tell me you feel the same way?"

I wiped my eyes, gulping. I couldn't talk. I couldn't think. He was putting me on the spot, and I didn't like that, or the way he was acting.

"That's what I thought. Call me when you've made your decision."

And he left. He left. Emmett, who had always been there for me, who'd been my best friend for my entire life, and who'd always been supportive and protective of me. He left me with an ultimatum, and the power to break his heart.

Having that kind of power is not all it's cracked up to be.

A/N: Raise your hand if you're sad, too! Review please!

~Sidney