A/N: Moving right along! Just a reminder, I don't own anything. If I did, I'd so have Emmett all to myself on my own private island ::wiggles eyebrows suggestively::

Enjoy!

xo

A

2.

The doorbell ringing incessantly woke Rose. She rubbed her eyes, scrubbed her hands over her face and rolled over, glaring at her alarm clock. 7 a.m. She groaned and toppled out of her king size bed, straightening herself when her feet touched the floor.

"It's too god damn early." She croaked as she stumbled down the hallway. She made it to the living room door, the doorbell still chiming it's annoying little chime. "Hold on! I'm coming!" She hollered. She shuffled across the room and fumbled with the dead bolt. After a few muttered oaths it finally slid open. She slipped the chain out and whipped the door open.

"What?" She snarled, irritated. Emmett stood there, holding a finger on the bell and grinning like an idiot. "McCarty get your finger off the damn bell!" She pushed his hand away, and he just laughed.

"What's the matter, Rose? Not a morning person?" he smirked.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She demanded, leaning against the door.

"Breakfast time!" he declared and held up two bags from McDonald's. "I thought you might like to join me."

" For the love of God," she sighed and shook her head.

"Oh come on," he whined. "Pleeease?"

"Get in here," she stepped aside to let him enter. He eagerly stepped over the threshold and into the living area.

"Nice jammies," he chuckled as he eyeballed her suggestively. She glanced briefly at her attire and realized she had greeted him in a loose t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. Her face flushed.

"You're not helping your case, Em," she grumbled and tugged at the hem of the shirt. Jake raised his head and growled, causing Emmett to take a nervous step backwards. "Leave him alone, Jake!" The dog simply snorted at him, then returned to his morning slumber.

"I don't think he likes me too much," Emmett commented, eyeing the dog warily.

"He'll be fine, he just has to get used to you," she smiled sleepily at him. Even ten minutes out of bed, she still looked stunning. "Follow me, dining room's this way." She beckoned him to follow her down the hall. He trailed slowly behind, admiring the beautifully decorated house. They entered a door way at the end of the hall that opened into a bright, sunlit eating area. Large glass sliding doors opened onto a spacious lawn. A small cherry table with four chairs stood in the middle of the marble floor. Potted foliage sat in each corner of the room.

"This is nice," Emmett nodded, placing the food on the table. Rose grinned.

"Thanks!" she said, and glanced down at herself again. Her t-shirt was faded with a few holes, and the gym shorts just barely covered her behind. She wondered if Emmett had noticed and felt her cheeks flush. "I should really go change, I'm a mess."

"I don't mind," Emmett wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't go there!" She scolded. "You're lucky I didn't toss you out on your ass! I'll be back in a minute." She swiftly exited and scaled the stairs two at a time to her bedroom. She practically dove into her closet and began throwing things around in an attempt to find some suitable clothing. She didn't want to appear desperate, but didn't want to look like a slob either. She finally decided on a pair of black yoga pants and a little blue t-shirt. After giving herself the once ever and finger-combing her hair, she breathed a satisfied sigh and returned to the dining room.

Emmett was standing at one of the end tables, staring at a picture he held in his hand. Rose took a moment to gaze at his enormous form. He had beautiful curly brown hair, cropped short. His black t-shirt clung to a well-muscled back, which whittled slightly at the waist then flared gently into a firm, round backside. Rose could almost imagine how it would feel to squeeze it through his loose carpenter jeans. She chided herself for thinking such things about a man she barely knew, and quietly sidled up behind him.

"Hey," she said quietly. He jumped and fumbled the frame in his hands.

"Oh hey, didn't hear you come in," he responded. "Who's this?" he asked, holding the picture out to her. It was a photo of Mike giving her a piggy-back ride. Both were laughing, and Rose's hair was swinging around and almost hitting Mike in the face.

"That's me and Mike from last summer when we first moved in," she answered, smiling at the fond memory. That was before Lauren had come along. She was a friend of Mike's from college, and she and Rose didn't hit it off right from the start. Maybe those weren't the right words. She couldn't stand the bitch. Lauren was spoiled little rich girl, and acted the part. But for the sake of her friendship with Mike, she was cordial to the beast.

"Oh," Emmett's tone was sad. "Boyfriend?" he inquired as he placed the frame back on the table.

"Who Mike?" Rose laughed. "Not likely. He's my roommate and best friend since the second grade. He and I could never date even if we tried. It would be like dating a brother or something like that. And besides…" she smirked and pulled out a chair at the table. " He's got it bad for my cousin Bella."

"I see," Emmett smiled to himself, the joined her at the table. They took out their food and proceeded to consume their feast.

"Where's Edward?" she queried, taking a bite of her sausage McBiscuit.

"Asleep. He didn't want breakfast," Emmett shrugged.

"I can see why," she glanced up at the clock and yawned. "It's only 7:30."

"Aww… did I disturb your precious beauty sleep?" he grinned. She threw a napkin at him.

"Watch yourself, McCarty. " she warned, "I have no problem calling my sister and telling her to bring all of her little friends over to meet you."

"You wouldn't!" he feigned shock.

"I think it would be fun to watch you squirm!" she laughed, then fired a straw paper at him.

"Okay, Okay!" he caught the paper and placed it on the table.

"So when did you move out of your parents' place?" he asked when she managed to stop giggling. Rose took a sip of her orange juice and swirled it around in her mouth for a second before swallowing hard. She placed the cup gently on the table and averted her eyes.

"Did…did I say something wrong?" he tilted his head a little and tried to catch her gaze. She stared at the wall.

"No," she sighed. She turned her head to look at him. His eyes were filled with genuine concern and she smiled sadly. "No it's not you. My parents were killed in a car accident right after Angie was born. We've been living with my aunt and uncle since I was nine."

"Oh," Emmett bit his lip. "Rose…I…"

"Don't worry about it," she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Angie never knew them. She only knows the stories she's heard from Aunt Renee and me."

"So why'd you move out?" he asked.

"Aunt Renee and Uncle Charlie have two other children younger than Angie. I moved out so they could have more room for my cousins. They and Mike's parents helped us buy this house." Emmett watched her eyes cloud over as she relived the sorrowful memories. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and ease her pain.

"We're getting by, though. Mike just got his Journeyman's license in plumbing, so he's working a ton. I'm working for a travel agency and finishing up my bachelor's with a few night courses. So it all works out." She smiled faintly, then shook her head. "Enough of this. No more sad memories!" She stood suddenly. "It's time for Edward to get up. We need to finish unpacking."

"You're more eager than we are," Emmett chuckled, pushing his chair in. She pulled on some sneakers and yanked him out the front door toward his own house. They noisily entered to find Edward standing in the middle of the living room rummaging through a suitcase, clad only in a towel. The two stopped short. Emmett grimaced and shielded his eyes. Rose covered her mouth in shock.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted to start my day," she commented through her hand.

"My virgin eyes!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Virgin eyes, my ass!" Edward laughed.

"Go put some clothes on!" Emmett ordered and pointed toward the bathroom.

"What if I don't want to?" Edward quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe Rose likes what she sees!"

"Oh no," Rose shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "You are not bringing me into this!"

Edward dodged Emmett's glare, grabbed some clothes and ducked into the bathroom to change. Once he came out, the three of them started pulling the house together. They began in the living room and worked their way up, ending in Emmett's room later on that evening.

Rose smoothed the last curtain, then clapped her hands.

"There," she smiled. "All done!"

They all took a step back and admired their handiwork. Edward nodded approvingly.

"Nice job," he declared.

"I just can't believe we got it all done in one day!" Emmett breathed. He nudged Rose's arm, almost knocking her over.

"What was that for?" she whined, rubbing her arm.

"Just 'cause!" he smirked. She smacked his shoulder, catching him off guard.

"Oh so that's how you want to play, huh?" He challenged. Before she could respond, he tackled her, picking her up and landing on the bed. He began tickling her. She laughed and tried futilely to stop him. Edward took in the scene for a moment, then shook his head and left.

"McCarty!" Rose forced out between laughing fits. "Stoppit!"

"Who's going to make me?" he grinned. She squirmed underneath him, then kneed him in the stomach. He doubled over and fell to the side. "Okay," he conceded, face down in the pillow. "You win."

"Of course I do!" she said triumphantly and folded her hands on her stomach.

Emmett rolled over on his back and stretched his arms over his head. Rose wrinkled her nose.

"McCarty you reek," she covered her mouth and nose. "Go take a shower!"

"My, but you're blunt!" he looked down at her, wide eyed.

"Well why would I tell you that you smell like a daisy when you stink like a gym sock?" she returned sarcastically. "Now go make yourself clean!" She pointed at the door and did her best to keep a straight face.

"Yes ma'am!" Emmett saluted and jumped off of the bed. He marched into the bathroom and shut the door. He turned the shower on and let it run for a bit before stripping and stepping in. He let the stream thoroughly soak his body before quickly washing and rinsing. He shut the water off and grabbed a big fluffy towel. He dried himself and wrapped the towel about his waist. He grabbed a nearby pair of basketball shorts and threw them on. He opened the bathroom door and jumped into the bedroom.

"Ta-da!" he stopped the celebration abruptly when he saw that Rose had fallen asleep. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the day's activities and a faint smile touched her lips. She had curled up on her side in the middle of the huge bed.

Emmett leaned on the dresser and gazed at her. They had just barely met, and already he had a strange stirring of feelings for her. He couldn't tell where these feelings had come from, all he knew was that they were stronger than those that he had for Lauren. They went far, far deeper. It happened the moment he touched her hand, and now, a mere day later, she was asleep on his bed. He turned the lights off and walked slowly over to the other side of the bed. He carefully sat down and stopped to stare at her again. She looked even more beautiful bathed in the soft moonlight. Emmett could tell by the steady rise and fall of her chest that she was in a deep sleep. He lay down behind her and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. It was intoxicating, and he smiled to himself. He gently caressed her cheek. Her skin was just as smooth as he had imagined. She stirred and he pulled his hand away sharply, thinking he had woken her.

"Quit it," she mumbled and settled back into sleep.

Emmett chuckled. He lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, wondering how she would react in the morning when she woke.

Edward woke late the next day, wondering why Emmett hadn't gotten him up earlier. For some reason his dear friend was always up at the most ungodly hours. He picked up his alarm clock and saw that it was early afternoon. Groaning at how late it was, he rolled out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt. He scratched his head and shuffled down the hall toward the stairs. Maybe Em was already up and had simply forgotten to wake him.

As he passed Emmett's bedroom he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. He gently pushed it open and cringed. Much to his chagrin, he found Emmet and Rose curled up in the middle of the bed. Emmett wore only a pair of basketball shorts and his arms rested lightly around Rose's waist. She was snuggled into him, her hands over his. She slept soundly through his very audible snores. Edward sighed, exasperated, and closed the door.

He walked downstairs and into the kitchen, poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down heavily at the table. He scrubbed his hands over his face, then leaned forward and thumped his forehead on the table.

"What's it going to take to get through to him?" Edward muttered to his feet. He raised his head and picked up the phone off its base, dialing Jasper's number and waiting patiently for his friend to pick up. After a few rings someone answered.

"Hello?" a groggy female voice asked.

"Alice? It's Edward," he said into the phone.

"Oh hi big brother!" she chirped. "I miss you! When are you guys coming to visit?"

"I miss you too, Ali," Edward smiled. "And we'll be down soon."

"You've been saying that for months," she pouted.

"I know I know, but I swear it, we will be down!" he promised.

"I know when you're lying, Edward Anthony," she scolded. "And you know that makes me frown…"

"And frowning gives you wrinkles, I know, I've heard it," Edward rolled his eyes. "I promise, Alice, Em and I will come and visit."

"Well you better!" he could almost hear her triumphant grin. "So what's up?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Is Jazz up?" he drummed his fingers on the table. "I really need to talk to him."

"What did Emmett do now?" she groaned.

"What makes you think he did anything?" Edward stilled his hand.

"Because I know that tone in your voice," she stated. "And it's never a good sign."

"No it isn't," he resigned. It blew his mind how intuitive his baby sister was. "Can I please talk to Jazz?"

"If he's sleeping around, Eddie, I swear to God…" she growled.

"Alice!"

"Fine! Hang on!"

Edward heard some muffled voices and a couple of muttered oaths before Jasper finally picked up.

"This had better be good, Cullen," Jasper declared in an irritated tone. "Kinda busy here."

"Jesus, Jasper!" Edward shouted. Jasper burst into laughter and Edward covered his eyes in an attempt to hide the images that were violating his mind.

"Ed you're such a prude!" Jasper chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm a prude," Edward smirked. "Just like you're still a virgin."

The both shared another round of laughter. Edward sobered up first.

"We need to talk," Edward said after a deep breath.

"Ah, Christ," Jasper swore. "What did he do now? It's not, Lauren again, is it?"

"No, it's not Lauren," Edward muttered. "But it does deal with his insatiable appetite for women."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" his friend chuckled.

"Very funny," Edward said. "But I'm serious. I don't know all the details, but yet again we find our friend McCarty with another woman in his bed."

"Son of a … really?" Jasper sighed. "Who is it this time?"

"Some chick he met two days ago," Edward lowered his voice in case either of them were listening in.

"Two days!" Jasper whistled. "I think that's a new record for him! It was two weeks before he jumped in the sack with Lauren."

"I don't think they had sex, Jazz" Edward shook his head.

"What makes you say that?" he cleared his throat, and Edward could tell he was fighting his sister off.

"It looks like she just fell asleep on his bed, and he climbed in after her." Edward's foot began to tap of it's own accord, and he grimaced slightly. "What am I supposed to say to them?"

"Is she a frigid bitch like Lauren?" Jasper yawned.

"Exactly the opposite," he responded. "It's a little early to tell, but I think she might be a decent person."

"Well, you suck at confronting women-"

"Hey!"

"What? You do! Anyway, I wouldn't worry about saying anything to her," Jasper decided. "Wait until she leaves, then confront Em about it."

"Sounds reasonable," Edward conceded. "But I don't suck at confronting women!"

"Whatever, dude," Jasper snickered. "Let me know what happens. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to doing your sister."

"Jazz!"

Edward was rewarded with a resounding laugh from his best friend and a squeal from his sister, then a click as they disconnected. He placed the phone in it's cradle and returned to his now soggy cereal. He grumbled in disappointment, dumped in the disposal, and headed toward the shower to clear his head.

Back up in Emmett's room, Rosalie stirred first. She felt a weight on her stomach and looked down to see two enormous hands clasped firmly about her waist. She frowned as she took note of the warm breath on her neck.

Who the hell…? she thought groggily and rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. She turned her head to see who was behind her, and gasped when she found her face just inches from Emmett's.

"Get off me, you big oaf!" she shouted suddenly, shoving him away. He jolted awake and tumbled backward off the side of the bed, landing in a heap on the floor. Rose momentarily felt bad, because it was more than likely an harmless gesture. But she maintained her scowl as she leapt from the bed, adjusting her shirt and angrily pulling her hair tie out.

"What?" he ask innocently, sitting up. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah, sure," she scoffed, running her fingers through her golden tresses. Emmett swallowed hard. Christ, she was beautiful. Even more so when she was angry.

"Rose, you were asleep when I got out of the shower," he explained. "I didn't want to disturb you, so I just laid down behind you. I must have drifted off. I swear, I didn't do anything!"

"Uh huh," she nodded skeptically, "Right. Then how did your arms get around me?" she raised an eyebrow and awaited a response. He slowly got to his feet and she fought hard to keep her eyes on his face and away from his perfectly sculpted form. God, he must spend hours in the gym…

"I must have done it in my sleep," he answered honestly. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm… I'm sorry, Rose," his brown eyes glinted in earnest, and his expression was genuinely apologetic.

"Shit," she sighed, shaking her head and smiling.

"What?" he asked, apology fading into confusion on his face.

"You're to damn charming, you know that McCarty?" she half smiled, then giggled as his cheeks flushed scarlet and he cleared his throat nervously. She walked over to the other side of the bed, placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tip toes to softly press her lips to his cheek.

"I should go," she whispered as she returned to flat feet. "I only pray that Jake didn't destroy the house while I was gone."

"You'll come back?" he asked as she darted toward the door. She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a flirtatious wink.

"I'm only next door. I'll see you later, McCarty."

She jogged out of the room and down the stairs, and in moments he heard the front door close. He jumped over the bed and crossed to the window in time to see her walking across the lawn. Almost on cue, she stopped and turned. She saw him in the window and waved, flashing him the smile that made his knees go weak.

"See you later," he touched his cheek where she had kissed him, and wished he could have had the guts to grab her and kiss her back. He sighed and flopped back down on his bed.

"What are you doing?" a voice came from the door. He rolled his eyes and sat up, meeting Edward's disappointed stare.

"Nothing, apparently," he muttered.

"Didn't look that way ten minutes ago," Edward leaned against the open door, arms folded across his chest. "It looked like you slept with her. Damn it, Emmett! I warned you!"

"I didn't do anything!" he shouted. "I know this is may be a foreign subject to you, but sleeping with and sleeping next to someone are two totally different things," Emmett dismissed his friend's judgment. " And besides, nothing happened."

"Regardless, Em -"

"No!" he barked and stood. "Do I have to spell this out for you? Nothing. Happened! Get that through your thick skull!"

"Fine, if you say so," Edward raised both hands in his own defense. " But I don't think I need to remind you of what happened the last time you moved too fast."

"No, you don't," Emmett snapped, then sighed. "Look, I get it. You're just watching out for me. But you don't need to. She's different, man, I can tell. There's something about her that's just…I don't know. Different."

"You'd better be right," Edward shook his head. " 'Cause I don't want to have to pick you up when you fall again."

"I am," he answered confidently. "I know it."