"Hey Bella, can you help me in the supplement section for a minute?"

Bella looked up from her double-decker of groceries and nodded. She placed the price gun down and wiped her hands on her jeans.

Angela was a new employee at the store, and extremely shy. She was a quick learner, though, and Bella liked her. "I have a customer looking for something called a probiotic."

"Oh, that's an easy one," Bella laughed. "At least she's not looking for a weird herb or something. Come on, I'll show you where they are."

As they walked to the front of the store where the supplements were located, Bella explained the health benefits of a good probiotic. She also rattled off the top quality probiotics they carried. Angela listened carefully and nodded throughout the lesson.

Bella took the lead and greeted the customer. She chatted with the young mother for a few minutes, then began pointing out her recommendations. After a couple minutes, the customer happily made her way to the registers.

"Wow," Angela breathed. "You're really good. I don't know how you remember all of that stuff."

Bella shrugged. "You're smart, Angela. You'll pick it all up. It just takes time."

They began walking back to the warehouse. Nature's Harvest was a big alternative grocery store. It carried a large selection of organic fruits and vegetables, along with an entire grocery section of food. It was known for its variety of gluten-free and other allergy friendly foods.

"Hey, Bella!"

Bella balked and whirled around. Sue, her boss, was standing at the front of the store, waving her up. "Your boyfriend is here!"

Bella felt a thrill of exhilaration. A visit from her boyfriend at work…never happened to her before. She waved to Angela, who giggled at her obvious elation, and practically skipped up to the register area.

"He's a looker," Sue whispered.

Bella felt her cheeks flush, but she laughed and nodded. She went around the bend and stopped short.

It wasn't Emmett leaning against the counter, looking way too good in a pair of faded jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

It was Edward.

Victoria, lead skank of Nature's Harvest, was chatting him up. Somehow her work shirt had been yanked low enough to show cleavage, whereas Bella's collar was practically up to her chin. A fierce shock of possession fired through her.

Edward laughed politely at something Victoria said. She leaned across the counter and he promptly straightened up. A feeling of warm satisfaction spread through her, and Bella had to work at keeping a bitchy smile off her face.

"Bella!" Edward's relief was visible, and he gave Victoria a quick nod before walking towards her.

Before Bella could even greet him, Edward wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hi," she squeaked out. When he pulled away, Bella quickly fixed her hair. "Um, hi, Edward. What are you doing here?"

"Bella," Sue interrupted, walking up to them. She stood close to Bella and nudged her. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?"

Victoria shot her the death glare.

Bella's cheeks were on fire. "Um, this is Edward. He's not my, uh, boyfriend. Just a friend."

Victoria relaxed, eyeing her prey.

"Mmmm hmmm," Sue replied. "Sure. Nice to meet you, Edward. I'm Sue. I own this place."

"Oh, it looks great," Edward nodded, shaking her offered hand. "I was just diagnosed with celiac disease and my doctor recommended I stop by here."

"Oh, that's a tough break," Sue said sympathetically. "Bella can help you. She knows all the good gluten-free stuff."

"That's what I'm hoping for," he smiled.

Bella watched the exchange and felt slightly deflated. She thought Edward was actually coming to see her. Despite her embarrassment at him being dubbed her boyfriend, she had been genuinely happy to see him...until she realized he wasn't really there to see her.

Sue gave Bella a knowing, loaded look and winked at Edward before sauntering into her office. Bella shook her head, willing the redness in her cheeks to diffuse.

"She's a character," Edward remarked, his voice amused.

"Yeah," Bella agreed. "She's a great boss. So you have celiac disease?"

Edward grimaced. "Yeah. I just got the results today. My doctor thinks it's why I've been so sick."

Bella looked at him curiously. "I didn't even know you were sick."

Edward shrugged. "My stomach has been messed up for a long time. They didn't know what was wrong with me, but I guess this is it. So I need to stay away from bread and stuff?"

"Not just bread," Bella corrected. "Gluten is in a lot of stuff. You need to be really careful about what you eat."

He frowned and his lower lip stuck out as he listened to her gluten-free lecture. At the end of it, he looked so disheartened that Bella actually felt guilty. Her eyes dropped to his lips, to the stubble on his jaw, and her heart fluttered. The invisible tension between them seemed to turn up, and instead of pulling away like her mind was demanding her to, Bella just stood there.

"There'll be nothing good to eat," Edward pouted.

"There will be good stuff," Bella said quickly. "I can show you the stuff that tastes good. There are tons of baking mixes, too, that are really good."

"I can't bake," Edward shook his head. "Maybe you could help me?"

He looked up at her, his green eyes practically glowing under a fringe of dark lashes, and Bella fought a swoon. His effect on her was disarming; almost fascinating in its intensity, but worrisome all the same.

"Please, Bella?" he urged. Edward saw her resolve begin to crumble and pounced. "What if I buy everything and then you come over and help me make it? Once you bake it, I can freeze it all, right?"

"Yeah," she replied faintly. Not a good idea.

"Great!" Edward exclaimed.

"No, I meant…yeah, you can freeze it," she replied in a tiny voice.

His happy expression collapsed. "Oh. Okay. Well, I know you're probably busy. If you want to just point me in the direction of the gluten-free stuff, I'll let you get back to work."

Edward's voice had changed almost imperceptibly. If she hadn't hung on to his every word over the years, Bella would have been unable to detect the sudden degree of stiffness and formality.

Hearing his voice lose its intimate, familiar edge upset her more than anything.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized. "Of course I'll help you."

A slow grin spread across his face and Bella had to look away, otherwise she undoubtedly would have blushed again. Her tongue felt swollen and clumsy, and she fumbled over her words more than once.

"Come on. I'll show you where everything is," she said, starting down the aisle.

Bella was showing Edward her favorite brand of gluten-free granola when Angela found her. She held a broom and a dustpan. Angela smiled at Edward, noting Bella's high color and abundance of nervous energy.

"That guy is here again," she rolled her eyes.

"Who?" Bella questioned. She knew the majority of their customers by name, and the high maintenance ones knew her by name, too.

"You know, the one who always messes up the bulk section. He gets his trail mix and spills it all over," Angela groaned.

Edward laughed and nodded towards the broom. "You know you'll need that as soon as you see him?"

"You have no idea," Angela shook her head. "It's ridiculous. And Victoria is over there right now, trying to slip him her number."

Bella frowned. "Are you talking about Richard? He's the only really messy guy I can think of, but he's really old."

"No way," Angela murmured. "This guy is kind of cute, but seriously, I almost said something to him last time. It's ridiculous."

Bella bit her lip, worrying about confronting the customer. She decided to just take a peek and see if she recognized him first. She held up a finger to Edward, requesting his patience, and then walked around the corner to peer into the bulk section.

Victoria was blocking her view. She stood in front of the man, gesturing wildly and laughing loudly. Bella sighed in irritation, and as if by her will, the man stepped right around Victoria.

It was the man from the mountain. James. His hair was still pulled back and he wore the same leather jacket. Today he looked cleaner, though, more normal.

Bella stifled her gasp of shock and whirled around, slamming right into Edward's chest.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "You okay?"

Bella put her hands on Edward's stomach and pushed. He walked backwards until they were out of the bulk section and out of James's vision, Bella following him closely.

Her heart was pounding, but Bella didn't know if it was from seeing James or the feel of Edward's hands on his hips. He was extremely close to her, so close it was almost uncomfortable.

"Bella?" Edward asked again, his beautiful face frowning slightly.

"It's him!" Bella hissed. She wanted to look over her shoulder, to see if James was there, watching again…but she couldn't look away from Edward.

"Who?"

"James. The guy from the mountain," Bella said breathlessly.

Edward abruptly released her and darted around the corner. Bella felt her stomach lurch. She didn't want anything to go down at work. She never would have even told Edward if she had an inkling that he'd act somehow.

But just as quickly as he vanished, Edward reappeared. "You should go in the back or something. Don't let him see you."

"Bella?"

Too late. James stood there, staring at her with a smile on his face.

Edward turned around and faced James. He wasn't as intimidating as he expected, at least from Emmett's description. Emmett was all muscles and about twice as big as this guy, he could take him easily.

Then again, the isolated ranges of Mt. Rainier were no place to take chances. He understood Emmett's caution.

"Um, hi," Bella smiled.

"James," he reminded her, still smiling. He held out his hand to shake Bella's and she hesitantly took it. "From Mt. Rainier. I knew you looked familiar."

Edward felt his hackles go up. Something about James wasn't right, whether it was the way he looked at Bella, or the way he held her hand just a bit too long…or it could just be the fact that he was stalking her.

Edward held out his own hand, forcing James to break his hold on Bella's hand. "Edward Cullen."

James studied him and ignored his offered hand. "I know you're not the boyfriend. I already met him."

Surprised at the balls this guy had, Edward withdrew his hand and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't like the open scrutiny or the slimy attitude.

"I'm the protective best friend," Edward replied levelly.

James simply laughed and turned to Bella. "It was great seeing you, Bella. I'm a big fan of this store, by the way. Hopefully I'll see you around?"

"Sure," Bella nodded. James glanced once more at Edward and smirked, then brushed past him and continued up front to the registers.

"There's something seriously wrong with him," Edward shook his head. "You need to stay away from him."

Bella picked up a box of gluten-free rice pasta and tossed it into his shopping cart. She took a deep, inconspicuous breath to calm her nerves. Seeing James certainly rattled her but she wouldn't let Edward see how much, not when he was already upset.

"I can't exactly avoid him at work," Bella hedged.

"We should talk to Sue. Tell her what's going on so she can keep an eye on him," he continued.

Bella was touched at his concern, but also found it amusing. "Edward, he's a customer. And you know, Angela recognized him as a regular. I must work opposite his visits. Honestly, it all could be an honest coincidence."

He snorted. "Yeah. Okay." Edward rolled his neck and visibly relaxed. "So when are you free to do this marathon of cooking?"

"Whenever," Bella shrugged. She wondered how long James had been coming to the store. She would have to ask Angela.

"Tonight?"

Bella looked at him in surprise. He was serious, he really wanted her help. "Ummm…tonight I have plans."

Plans meant cuddling on the couch with Chinese food and a good movie. After the stress of a long day, nothing would relax her more than being with Emmett. He would make her laugh and forget about everything. Despite the butterflies in her stomach that were fluttering around for Edward, Bella was very aware of how reluctant she felt to give her up time with Emmett.

"With Emmett," she clarified. "I have plans with Emmett."

Edward shot her a quick look. "Will you tell him that you're helping me?"

She felt a flicker of unease. "Yes, of course. I mean, it's not like we have to be secretive. Why would we?"

Edward didn't reply. He looked at her, his face impassive.

"Come on," she muttered. "Let me ring you up and I'll give you my discount."

Emmett spread the Chinese food out on the counter. He could easily cook something healthier, and probably tastier, but Bella had a thing for greasy takeout Chinese.

He'd eat it every day for the rest of his life if it made her happy.

She was becoming a fixture in his home. They spent more time at his house, simply because it was bigger. Everything was bigger – the couch, his bed, the shower.

Bella had a toothbrush in the bathroom and a drawer in his bedroom. He loved seeing her clothing on his bedroom floor and her fruity shampoo in the shower.

Emmett pulled two plates out of the cupboard and listened to the doorknob rattle. He waited a moment and it opened up.

He loved that Bella had a key to his house.

"Hey, Emmett," she called.

"Hey. I'm in the kitchen!"

Bella trudged into the kitchen and dropped her duffel bag onto the floor. She collapsed into a chair, looking tired and cranky.

"You okay, babe?" he asked, forking a big pile of lo mein onto her plate.

"I'm tired," she yawned. "Long, long day."

"Why don't you go sit down on the couch? I'll bring in the grub. Do you want a glass of wine?"

"God, yes," Bella sighed. She stood up and stretched. Emmett smacked her ass and she jumped, then scurried, laughing, into the living room.

She stretched out on the couch, nearly asleep when Emmett finally came in with a big plate of food. He sat down and put her food in front of her. Bella yawned again and instead of reaching for her plate, snuggled into Emmett's side.

"Well, hello to you, too," he murmured. He put one finger under her chin and angled her face upward for a kiss.

When the kiss became too heated, and her thoughts began to cloud over, Bella pulled away. She had to tell him about James but she didn't want to. He would get upset and overreact just like Edward did.

"Edward came by my store today," Bella said breathlessly.

Emmett straightened and eyed her wearily. "Yeah?"

Bella watched him pick up his plate and begin eating. "He has celiac disease, so he needs to start a special diet. My store sells a lot of gluten-free foods."

"I thought you worked in the mall," Emmett commented. He looked at her quizzically. "So you have a grocery store in the mall?"

"A strip mall," Bella shrugged. "So…anyway…he asked me to help him cook some of the stuff he bought. I guess he's not very skilled in the kitchen."

Emmett didn't say anything. He just stared into his container of rice, and Bella felt her stomach twist painfully.

"And James was there," she blurted out.

"What?" he said sharply, his neck snapping to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"James is a customer at my store. Apparently he's a regular," Bella said lightly.

"He is so full of shit," Emmett cursed. He wiped a hand over his face and put his food down on the coffee table. "That's too much of a coincidence."

"Maybe, maybe not," Bella shrugged. "But Edward was there and he met him. He doesn't like him, either."

Emmett grunted and his mouth flattened into a grim line.

"You're mad at me," she said in a tiny voice. Bella was happy she didn't begin eating her dinner, because her stomach was now in knots.

"No," Emmett said shortly. "I'm not mad at you."

"Yes, you are," she insisted, feeling her eyes sting. "Because of Edward. Because I'm helping him."

He was quiet for a long moment, staring at the television but not really watching it. "Is that all it is, Bella?"

The question stabbed her right through the heart. "How can you even ask me that?"

But she knew – she knew how he could ask her that.

"You told me our first night together that you were over him," Emmett said quietly. He picked up his water and took a long drink before continuing. "I don't know how you can love someone for so long and then just be over them."

"I wasn't just over him," Bella began. As soon as she realized what she said, her face colored and she sighed. "That's not what I mean. I don't think – I don't think I ever really loved him."

Emmett made a sound of disbelief and slumped back onto the couch.

"I mean it," Bella insisted. "I liked him for a long time. And I wanted him for a long time, but not like how I want you. It's different. That wasn't real."

Emmett sighed heavily. Bella felt her heart stutter painfully and she crawled closer to him. "Please, Emmett."

"Please what?" he asked, looking at her sadly.

"Believe me," she whispered. "What I felt for Edward is nowhere near what I feel for you."

One corner of his mouth tilted up. Elated that she was getting through, Bella climbed on top of him. "I've never felt this way about anyone, Em. I didn't even know you could feel like this."

"Me either," he whispered, his voice husky.

She leaned into him and captured his lips with her own. Emmett's hands snaked up her thighs and settled on her hips, and Bella couldn't escape the memory of Edward's hands. They had been there just hours earlier. Emmett's were bigger, and his touch was stronger. It was different.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked hoarsely.

He pressed against her, huge and hard, and her insides curled in wanting.

"Later," she whispered.

He nodded and kissed the hollow of her throat. Bella allowed him to undress her, slowly, watching each inch of skin become visible.

By the time he had her standing in front of him, his big hands peeling down her jeans, Bella was ready. Her skin was feverish and her heart raced. Understanding, because he suffered the same affliction, Emmett wasted no more time.

He pulled Bella onto his lap. She straddled him but sat patiently, waiting for him to take the lead. His hand reached below, between them, and Bella cried out sharply when he began touching her. She slapped his hand away and he laughed, then pulled her down. She sank slowly down onto him, taking him inside, moaning quietly when he was fully sheathed.

"Bella." Her name was a broken plea on his lips. She moved her hips, setting the rhythm that she knew he liked. Emmett was rougher than usual, his fingers biting into her flesh.

"Harder," he breathed against her temple.

She didn't have to ask for help. Bella simply wrapped her arms around his neck and Emmett took over, moving in a way that brought her indescribable pleasure. Her muscles tightened in anticipation and she kissed Emmett's throat, his jaw, his cheek – anything she could reach.

"God, Bella," he panted. The euphoria hit her hard, coming in waves and waves of contracting and expanding pleasure. Emmett groaned and lost his rhythm, moving jerkily and instinctively.

"I love you," Emmett gasped. "Oh, God. Fuck, Bella, I love you so fucking much." He buried his face in her hair, whispering and breathing heavy.

Completely overwhelmed, Bella hugged him to her tightly. "Emmett. I love you, too."

"Do you really?" he asked, looking up at her. In the dim light, Bella could see his eyes shining.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Promise me," he pleaded. "If that ever changes, you tell me right away. If you…if your feelings change, just – tell me."

"They won't change," Bella said fiercely, squeezing him tightly again. She wouldn't let them change.

thank you to the usual suspects!

you want more EPOV? i have an EPOV outtake and it's all yours for $5 to charity. fics4nash...link/details on my profile.

LUNA