I know, I know! I'm so horrible and evil and cruel, I give you full permission to shoot me and steal Emmett... But only for one night, then I want him back in pristine and perfect condition!

Enjoy!

Even with the tarnish of dirt and blood covering his skin, he was a sight to behold, with broad shoulders and muscles which seemingly bulged and moved of their own accord. A true western beauty, a gentle ruggedness which only came from working the lands and bathing in the natural airs of the western earth. Yet his face held a certain naivety, a childish joy which triggered something in her, a desire to protect and guide him through this new and dark unknown, so that he could smile fearlessly once more. He had yet to see him smile, her only knowledge of him being his fearful and angry expression, she desperately wished to see him smile, she wanted him to feel joy.

"There are many like you and me." She began, inching closer to him, "But they feed on human blood. We are different. Our eyes are gold, as yours will soon be, because the blood in our systems in not human. You will begin to settle into your new body as soon as your own human blood has drained from your system" He was listening, though his body was turned away towards the encroaching sunset, the way his fingers twitched with her words showed her that he was indeed listening

Fur clung to his skin, remnants of the dying carcass a few feet away. A mountain cat, a small meal and a quick death. He seemed to cope better with it, than with the death of the woman from before. Perhaps it was because the death of animals came natural to a man like him, a man who hunted regularly throughout his life, perhaps he would adapt easier to this life than she had first feared.

Her own clothing was torn, the unsophisticated nature of her presentation was ridiculously shameful, yet neither of them seemed to pay it much mind. It was difficult to find desire or lust in their situation, when he could barely look at her, his own fear and discomfort rendering him a statue incapable of speaking or moving. She wished desperately for him to simply say he was okay, that he didn't hate her, that even though she had torn him from his life, that he was willing to let her in and care for him. Blood speckled part of her cheek, her own prey dead and hidden a mile up south, her once black eyes already beginning their slow progression to amber.

She had hunted away from him, not wanting to remind him of her brutal nature, praying that he would begin to view her in a more appeasing and approachable way. It didn't seem to have worked.

"Why?" His brow twitched as he turned expression confusing. "Why bother?"

She had kept her distance throughout the hunt and the conversation, and even now she kept a few steps away. Not out of fear, for she found it difficult to fear him in his pitiful state of loss, but more out of concern that he would view her a threat, and she wanted more than anything to be a source of comfort for him.

With a sad smile and a steady breath, she shook her head. "We all do it for different reasons; Carlisle does it to preserve life, whereas Edward does it out of a self-loathing desire to pretend he is still human. Esme-"

"I don't care about them, what about you?" He cut her off, red eyes turning to bore into her own. Her breathing stopped an irrelevant change in her posture, yet his tone and the way he gazed at her made her feel as if he were testing her, that her answer would mean more than she could imagine.

But she didn't know the reason why she chose this life, didn't understand the purpose of defying her nature. All she remembered from her past life was her Father, his old and gentle person holding her close and guiding her into the crisp of adulthood. He had died at the hand of her species, had been slaughtered and torn apart for the selfish purpose of being someone's blood bag. His body had been left to burn in their cottage, buried in the ashes. The pain of his loss had sickened her into a cold and empty shell of a girl, a young heart torn of something precious too early in life.

He waited, never turning his gaze from her, she considered simply not answering in hopes of keeping his eyes on her for as long as possible, but she knew that doing so would be ridiculous and stupid. After what seemed like forever, she gave a broken smile "I know the pain of loss. The pain of losing someone close and precious, I don't want to inflict that pain on anyone else. There are consequences to our actions; I know that more than any other."

His expression did not change, and only through the slight warming of his eyes did she know she had appeased his desire for an answer.

"What is to happen now?" He wondered aloud, his eyes turning to once again gaze into the pinkish sky. She dared a few steps closer, her hands yearning to reach out and touch his; she swallowed the desire and bit her cheek, instead focusing on answering.

"There is a place, further north. It is far from any civilisation, where you can learn to control your thirst and new found abilities. We have acquaintances up there that have the same lifestyle; they can give us a place to stay."

He nodded, his eyes not gracing her with a glance again.

"I'm sorry Emmett." The words came out of their own accord, quick and shaky on her tongue. She reached to snatch them back, but it was too late. His back tensed, hands clenched, the dried gore crumbling and flittering in red flakes in the wind. He didn't respond, his silence cutting deep, neither granting her forgiveness nor rejecting her words.

"Are you coming with?" She couldn't tell whether his tone was hopeful or not, so sucked in a breath to try and ease the tightness of her chest. It made no sense, this pain inside, it pounded her skull and twisted her lungs, leaving her breathless and numb, she had never felt like this before. This nervous mixture of discomfort and fear, twisted into a concoction which drowned her thoughts and heart.

"Well I- I just want to help- But if you'd rather I stay away-."

"No!" His outburst silenced her, and she bit her lip, her eyes downcast nervously.

"Sorry, I- This is all scary to me." He turned to her, his hand reaching to rub behind his ears nervously. "I don't know what to do with myself, but you seem to have good intentions, I'd rather not go somewhere unknown without someone I can trust."

Her smile was larger than it had any right to be, causing her cheeks to cramp uncomfortably as she quelled the desire to hug his discomfort away. He hadn't professed any love, nor had said that he liked her, but the simple fact that he viewed her as someone he trusted was enough to ease the fear and pain in her heart.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to." She promised, eyes twinkling. "I promise." It seemingly became brighter, although the sun was beginning to set behind the dark curtain of trees, she supposed it may simply be the answering smile he was giving her in return.

"We should get back, the rest of the clan have probably already packed and began the journey north." She urged, chancing a touch to his arm, relieved when he didn't flinch away. "The others won't come near you till you're ready to see anyone; it'll just be me and you." She held out her hand, hoping he would let her lead him from the darkness of the trees, away from the red and grim memories of his first hunt.

Silence. His habit of drifting away with his thoughts was endearing and frightening, he was difficult to read, and her fear of losing him to his confusion was a large and overbearing cover which seemed to weigh heavy on her shoulders. But she didn't move, didn't drop her hand, her eyes watching his expression with a gentle smile, while his own gaze watched the distant stars.

A few minutes passed of him staring distantly into the darkening sky, till finally he sighed and turned to her.

They looked at each other, an understanding shared between them, her gentle expression easing his wariness

His hand grasped her offered one, allowing her to gently lead him from the rotting carcasses and on into the shadowed trees, the sound of emptiness following closely behind them.