Bella usually woke up slowly. She was a 'hit snooze five times' type of girl. Then she'd roll around a bit, stretch some, and go eat breakfast while she shook off the last vestiges of sleep.

But not this morning.

This morning, there was more than six feet of hot man flesh sprawled across her bed. His arm was lying across her stomach, effectively pinning Bella to the bed. She had jerked awake, and then laid shock-still for the past ten minutes.

Emmett?

How did this happen? Bella flushed, remembering the things he had done to her throughout the night. She had never known sex could be so intense, so intimate. She recalled with perfect clarity the whispered requests she made, begging him – pleading with him to touch her. The wanton noises that slipped passed her lips… In the clear, bright morning light, Bella began panicking.

This was not her. She didn't have one night stands, especially not with her friends! Oh, God, what would Alice say when she found out? Emmett would surely tell Jasper, and would Jasper tell Edward?

Her stomach churned at the thought of Edward finding out about her transgression. Would this somehow change the way he saw her?

Honestly, though, he didn't really see her any way. He had never shown even a bit of interest in her, so Bella had stopped trying to impress him a long time ago. She would like to say that she gave up hope a long time ago, too, but the sinking feeling of dread in her stomach told her that wasn't true. She was very much afraid of what Edward would think.

Bella glanced over at Emmett, wondering how heavy of a sleeper he was. Her resolve weakened when she saw how good he looked while he slept. All of that golden skin, stretched so tightly over those bulging muscles. He had long eyelashes, almost girlishly long, and their tips grazed his cheeks as he slept. Emmett was an angel in sleep; none of his devious looks or smirks. He looked more like a little boy.

Maybe she could just, kind of, slip out from underneath his arm. Bella squirmed a few inches to the left but froze when Emmett began to stir.

"Mmmm," he groaned, rolling onto his side. He withdrew his arm and cracked an eye open to look at her.

Bella stared back at him dumbly, watching him wake up. She hadn't thought this far ahead. She wasn't ready for a conversation.

"So, have you started to freak out yet?" Emmett asked, yawning. His voice was deep and scratchy from sleep.

She scowled, immediately irritated at his morning sexiness. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Emmett laughed. "Did you forget who you're talking to? How well I know you?"

"I'm not freaking out over anything," Bella insisted. "I am twenty-four years old and I can do whatever I want. That includes, you know, having one night stands."

Quick as a flash, Emmett had her pinned down. He stared at her, his carefree smile slipping away as a predatory gleam came to his eyes. "I admire your forward thinking, Bella. Except you've got one thing wrong. This is not a one night stand."

"It isn't?" she asked faintly. She had no idea Emmett could be so overwhelming. She kind of liked it.

Emmett smiled and brought his face closer to hers, barely brushing his lips against hers. Bella held her breath when his mouth moved over to her neck.

"Not even close," he whispered. "You're too good for a one night stand, Bella. You deserve more than that."

Bella swallowed hard. She was beginning to really freak out. This was Emmett, in her bed, on top of her. Then he shifted, and she could feel him pressing against her stomach. She closed her eyes when his lips trailed a path along her throat.

"You're so soft," he murmured.

She was actually starting to give in, and wondering how bad her morning breath was, when her cell phone began ringing. The shrill ringtone cleared her head enough so that Bella snapped to and shoved Emmett away.

He groaned theatrically but let her slip out of bed. He roared with laughter when Bella tried to wrap herself in a sheet. She blushed and nearly tripped twice, but she remained mostly covered.

Bella checked the caller ID and mentally blessed Alice. Perfect timing.

"Hey," she said, flipping it open.

Emmett sat halfway up, leaning back on his forearms. He watched her curiously, and Bella scowled at him again. He just laughed.

"Can you come over early tonight?" Alice asked. "I need some help with the wedding invitations. I have a fuck-ton of things to look at and I need a second pair of eyes."

"Today's Sunday," Bella hissed. Fuck. She forgot.

"Of course it's Sunday," Alice laughed. "We're having lasagna tonight. Edward's not coming over until, like, seven, so we'll just save him a plate. Jasper said Emmett's phone is off, though, so I guess he'll just be over at five like usual. But if you come over around one or two, that leaves us plenty of time to – "

"Yes," Bella cut in. "I'll be there by one."

She got off the phone quickly, because Emmett was listening shamelessly.

"Are we going over to Jasper's early?" he asked.

Bella hugged the sheet tighter to her chest. "I am. I'm going to help Alice with the invitations."

"I'll just go with you," Emmett yawned. "It's what, like eleven? I'll drive us over. Can I use your shower?"

She wanted to tell him to wait – to give her five seconds to think, because she wasn't sure where this was going. Bella wanted him out of here so she could get ready and fly over to Alice's house and dump all of this on her. Alice would know how to handle it.

But then Emmett got out of bed and stretched, yawning again. Every single thought flew out of her head and Bella just gazed at his naked perfection, unable to even blink.

"See something you like?" he teased.

Her heart thudded against her ribcage as he walked across the room to her. His eyes were sparkling and Bella knew she was hot pink, but she couldn't do anything, not even tell him to shut up. He stood so close to her that she could feel his body heat through the thin sheet.

"I'll be quick," he whispered, his hot breath caressing her ear. It tickled.

Emmett stepped around her and Bella stood there until she heard the squeak of the shower turn on. The sound seemed to break the spell, and Bella launched into action.

She ditched the sheet for a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Then she gathered her clothes for Alice's, so she could just change in the bathroom after her shower, thus avoiding another awkward moment with Emmett.

It took him only a few minutes to shower. Bella grabbed her stuff and waited patiently for him to exit the bathroom, half hoping he was naked and half praying that he wasn't.

He stepped out of the bathroom. Completely dressed. "Listen. We need to get you some regular soap. I smell like a goddamn flower."

"You act like you're going to be using my shower often," Bella scoffed. She barely contained her smile at his shocked face as she went to squeeze by him. He always loved their banter, and she could give as good as she got.

Somehow he saw through her brave, blasé front.

Emmett's hand closed on her upper arm. "Hey. I know you're scared. But I like you, Bella, and I'm going to do everything I can to make this work."

She was more than a little surprised that Emmett called her on her bullshit. His gentle, sincere tone was disarming. "I'm not… I mean… How do you even know if I like you? It takes two people to be in a relationship, you know."

He smiled, and for one she didn't see a trace of the teasing or humor that she had come to associate with Emmett. His brown eyes were soft and full of emotion – and that was enough to unnerve her.

"I know you like me, because I know you," Emmett murmured. He let go of her arm and his hand came up to her face. Bella held her breath as his thumb grazed over her cheek. "And last night was... Well, it's never like that. At least not for me."

The words he spoke were undeniable. Emmett did know her. He had been a part of her life for years. She just saw him like a big brother. Safe. Fun. Simple.

"Get in the shower," he said, giving her an easy out. "I'll make some breakfast."

She nodded and ducked into the bathroom. Bella unceremoniously dropped her clothing on the floor. She braced her hands on the counter and stared into the mirror. Emmett didn't let her sleep very much, and she was expecting to see huge dark circles under her eyes. Instead she looked... alive. Happy. Her hair was a mess, of course, but that was the least of her worries.

It was difficult to reconcile the Emmett she knew and loved platonically with the man she brought home last night. He was so aggressive and sensual, so unlike her Emmett.

If she had wanted to pursue Emmett in a romantic way, Bella would have gone about it completely differently. A one night stand was not the way to begin a relationship. She never even had a one night stand before!

And yeah, Emmett knew her, but after last night...the things she said, the things she asked him to do… Did he think she was that kind of girl? Maybe she was that kind of girl now, considering.

Bella stifled a groan and climbed into the shower, grateful that Emmett left her some hot water. She showered and dressed quickly. She didn't bother much with her hair, just twisted it up. She did take five minutes to do her makeup, though.

Emmett said he would make breakfast, but Bella was expecting cereal and maybe some burnt toast. She wasn't prepared for the omelets and bacon.

"Wow," she remarked, sitting down at the table. Emmett could cook? They were officially in uncharted territory.

He smirked and tucked into his heaping plate. It didn't escape her attention that he waited for her.

Bella tentatively tried a bite of the omelet and was pleasantly surprised. Onions, peppers and cheese…she didn't even know that all of the ingredients were in her kitchen.

"I'm slightly offended that you're so surprised I can cook," Emmett laughed. "Surely you know by now that I can do everything, and do it well."

She looked up and tried to squash the smile trying to break through onto her face, but his teasing tone and devious expression were too much to resist. Bella laughed and rolled her eyes. "And you're so modest, too."

"I know, I know. It's shocking that I've been single for so long, eh?" He shot her an assessing look.

Bella chewed thoughtfully, watching him just as closely. It was surprisingly fun to make Emmett squirm, but she also didn't have the heart to do it for long. "Why have you been single for so long? Hung up on Rosalie?"

"Hardly," Emmett muttered. "Hung up on somebody, but not Rosie."

"But you were trying to see her this weekend," Bella countered. "So you must not have really been too hung up on that other person."

Emmett took a long drink of his coffee. He put the mug back down and for a moment, looked so upset that she regretted bringing up Rosalie. "Or maybe I just gave up hope on the one I really wanted. Bella, have you ever liked someone so hard for so long, but got nothing back from them? Eventually you just have to give up. But you don't get over them. You find distractions. I guess I was looking for a distraction."

He shrugged and a shadow passed over his face. She could tell he was remembering Edward at the bar. "I guess I don't have to tell you about that."

"You weren't a distraction," Bella whispered, putting down her fork. Her appetite was gone. "I never would have taken anyone else home. I've never done anything like that at all. It was different –special – because it was with you."

He looked troubled, as if struggling with himself over something. "So your feelings for Edward…?"

Bella felt herself blush and she hated it. She hated causing that pained expression on Emmett's face. "I – I don't know. I gave up, like you said. It's nothing. He's…nothing."

Emmett nodded and made a visible effort to relax. "Okay. Why don't you finish up and we'll head over to Jasper's?"

"To Alice's," Bella corrected, continuing their never-ending feud.

He laughed and stood to clear his plate. "Speaking of those fuckers, I can't believe they just up and left you last night. I mean, not like I'm complaining, but they ruined our drinking plans."

"Our drinking plans?" Bella echoed.

"Yeah," Emmett smirked. "Remember? I was going to drink you under the table."

Bella stood up and brought her plate to the sink. "You seem to forget that I am the daughter of Charlie Swan. Sorry, Em, but you don't have a chance."

"Says the five foot three beauty," Emmett sighed. "It's biology, Bella. My body is bigger, and thus, can handle more alcohol. You don't have a chance, Sweets."

"All talk," she shook her head. "I guess we'll find out later."

She was relieved that his good nature seemed restored. Truthfully, she didn't know how she felt about Edward. She pushed those feelings away and resisted the urge to dissect them, because they were kind of pathetic. Who still wanted someone after years of unrequited emotions?

As they were walking out of the door, Emmett casually took her hand in his. This time, Bella didn't even try to hide her smile. She might not know how she felt about Edward, but her feelings toward Emmett were growing clearer and clearer.

The ride to Alice's was filled with more of their usual banter. It was fun and easy, but Bella became increasingly more eager to speak with Alice.

She didn't disappoint.

When Alice opened the door, she put one hand on her hip and glared at Emmett. "Well, Emmett, didn't expect to see you here until five o'clock."

"I had nothing to do," he shrugged. "And I was in Bella's neighborhood, so I figured I'd give her a ride over."

"Mmm hmmm," Alice hummed. "So you just happened to be in Bella's neighborhood. Not shaved. Wearing your clothes from yesterday."

Emmett frowned and a hint of pink colored his cheeks. "You don't know what I was wearing yesterday."

"So you have a habit of wearing your "Kiss me I'm Irish" shirt on the day after St. Patrick's Day?" she asked dryly. "Sounds like someone got lucky last night."

Alice coughed to cover her delight when both their faces heated up and wore identical expressions of embarrassment. How adorable. She cut them a break and held the door open. Emmett bolted to the living room, to the safety that was Jasper and football.

"Bella did you and Emmett hook up?" Alice asked incredulously.

"Oh, my God, keep your voice down!" Bella hissed. She grabbed her arm and dragged Alice into the kitchen.

"You did!" she exclaimed, delighted. "Wow, Bella, I'm so happy for you."

"Sssh!" Bella shushed her. "Don't let Jasper know. Don't even talk about it! I don't know what I'm doing."

Alice frowned and went back to fixing her lasagna, layering it carefully. "What do you mean? You regret it?"

"No, I don't regret it," Bella answered honestly. "But it's just so…unexpected? I don't know. Yesterday he was Emmett – my long lost big brother. Today he's Emmett who was naked in my bed and is, like, amazing."

Alice laughed. "Bella, that's a good thing. I think this is fabulous. It's time you had some fun, and I think Emmett has been jonesing after you for a while."

Bella shook her head. She just couldn't believe it. Even though that was exactly what Emmett had been hinting at before.

"Why are you hesitating?" Alice questioned, studying her. A limp noodle hung in her hand, waiting to join the rest of the pasta. Alice's expressive eyes flashed and then narrowed. "It's Edward, isn't it?"

Bella looked down guiltily.

"Bella! Don't be stupid!" she chastised. "Edward is an asshole! I mean, don't get me wrong, I love him…but seriously, Bella."

"I know, I know," Bella replied quickly. "Trust me, I know. And the last thing I want to do is lead Emmett on. But I feel like – "

"Stop right there!" Alice commanded, waving around the noodle. "I don't want to hear it. I can't bear to watch you ruin what could potentially be such a good thing, just because of him." Her voice softened. "Bella, I know you like him. Loved him, whatever. But sometimes it's just not meant to be, ya know?"

"I know," Bella whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes. "It's stupid. I should have let go a long time ago but it just never happened."

"Then consider this your chance," Alice smiled. She held her arms open, holding the noodle away. "Give me a hug."

Bella hugged her best friend tightly.

"And now you have this fuck-hot boyfriend," Alice grinned. "Almost as hot as my fiancé, but you know, not everyone is that lucky."

Bella wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, so do you need help with dinner? Want me to make a salad or something?"

"Nope. Everything is pretty much done. I just need to finish this up," Alice told her. "Why don't you start looking over the invitations? I narrowed it down to my ten favorites. But we need to match to the colors of the wedding."

"Well, no one will know what the wedding colors are when they get invitations," Bella said slowly. "So why do they have to match?"

Alice looked at her oddly. "Well, the invitations are like a little wedding preview. They need to be perfect. They just need to be – I mean, well, the invitations are – "

"Okay, okay, I get it now," Bella laughed. She plopped down at the kitchen table and began looking through the extremely organized folder of invitations. There was another folder for colors, and another that contained swatches of ribbons. She felt the beginnings of a headache.

They worked on the invitations for the next few hours, and dinner was a quiet, intimate affair. Emmett played footsie with her, or at least tried to; he actually went after Jasper's foot by accident.

Alice enjoyed making Emmett blush and took full advantage of it, teasing him mercilessly about his shirt and general state of disarray. They were about to start in on the tiramisu cake when Emmett finally caved.

"Okay, okay. Last night I crashed at Bella's. We may or may not have had a night of smoking hot sex, and I may or may not be trying to get her to date me," Emmett announced.

"Emmett!" Bella squealed, covering her face with both hands. She heard Alice and Jasper laughing.

"And Bella might not know about that last part," Emmett laughed, glancing over at her.

"Relax, Bella," Jasper drawled. "It's not we couldn't tell just by looking at you two."

Emmett took pity on Bella. "Moving on. I believe there is one more topic on tonight's agenda."

Alice let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Come on, Alice, you promised you'd think about it," Emmett argued. "You promised! I can make it so good!"

"Emmett, we are not making a mockery of my wedding," Alice said staunchly. She took a sip of her wine. "I can't believe you thought I would even consider it."

"Come on!" Emmett whined. "Alice, you – "

"What are you guys talking about?" Bella asked curiously.

Alice rolled her eyes while Emmett turned to Bella excitedly. "Did you ever see the JK Wedding Dance Intro on youtube?"

Bella shook her head and Jasper groaned. "Here we go again."

Emmett grabbed Jasper's laptop and booted it up. "Come here. You need to see this. The entire wedding party goes down the aisle dancing to "Forever" by Chris Brown."

"My wedding will have nothing to do with Chris Brown," Alice snapped. "He beats women, Emmett."

"The song is inconsequential," he replied. "The only thing that matters is that I get to bust a move in the middle of the church."

Emmett pulled Bella down onto his lap. She squirmed around until his hands gripped her hips and he pulled her back against his chest. "Watch. Can't you see us rocking this?"

And that was how Edward found them when he walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Work was a bitch today," he groaned.

Several things happened at once.

Bella, who was in mid-giggle over the wedding party's dance moves, froze on Emmett's lap. Emmett's heart twisted when he felt Bella's physical reaction to Edward's sudden presence. Either she really still cared about him, or she just didn't want Edward to know how close they had become.

Neither explanation for Bella's rigid posture could be good.

Alice didn't miss the way Edward's eyes darted around the room, taking in the scene. They lingered on Emmett and Bella, and the possessive way Emmett just wrapped his arm around her torso, holding her to his chest. Those emerald eyes narrowed just the slightest.

"Hey Edward," Alice greeted him. "I put a plate in the oven for you. I'll heat it up."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "I can get it."

"I'll help you," she smiled.

They disappeared into the kitchen, leaving an awkward silence in the living room.

"Well," Jasper mused. "That's going to be a problem."

Emmett gently moved Bella off his lap. He stood up and scratched his head. "I think I'm actually going to take off. Coach is working me hard tomorrow and I didn't get too much sleep last night."

"Can you drop me off at my house?" Bella asked, stepping closer to him.

"Yeah, sure," he muttered. Emmett turned to Jasper. "Night, man. Work on getting me that dance."

"Not gonna happen," Jasper laughed. "I'm happy for you guys. Catch you later."

Bella walked closely next to Emmett, unable to work up the courage to take his hand. They stopped in the kitchen and said good night to Edward and Alice. Edward didn't mention their new closeness, or disclose if he had even seen them leave together the previous night.

"Emmett, Alice told me she shot you down for the dance routine again," Edward laughed. "I'm working on her, too. Don't worry."

Emmett laughed but his laughter didn't reach his eyes. "Appreciate it. Thanks for dinner, Alice."

"Night guys," Bella smiled.

The ride home was similar to the previous night's; awkward, tense, and quiet.

Emmett walked her to her front door again, and Bella found herself wondering how to get him inside. Emmett beat her to the punch.

"I wish I could come in. In fact, any other night and I would be banging down the door. But I really didn't get any sleep last night, and I didn't even get in a work out today. Coach is gonna have my ass tomorrow," he said softly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sorry," Bella said quietly. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Yeah, this is me complaining," he joked.

Emmett reached up to cup her cheek. "Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Emmett," she whispered, her heart pounding. Come in. Don't leave like this. Don't be mad at me.

He kissed her briefly, then leaned his forehead against hers. "You drive me crazy."

"Sorry," she said again, this time breathlessly.

Then Emmett kissed her for real, pressing her against the wall and using his tongue and teeth. He kissed her until they were both panting and Bella was ready to beg him to stay, but then he pulled back.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow?" he requested.

"Okay."

He laughed at her flustered state. "Okay. I'll cook. Shock you again with my skills."

Bella nodded and leaned forward for one more kiss.

And then, Emmett was gone. Bella was left alone with her thoughts – her very confused, very aroused and very worried thoughts.

hey guys! so, who out there has experienced the agony of unrequited love? ugh, been there, done that.

1. i changed the title of the story. the past and present one just didn't fit with the way the story is going to play out.

2. that wedding dance intro is real. go to jkweddingdance dot com. it's one of my favorite things ever, and i can totally imagine the cullens rocking it. especially emmett.

LUNA