A/N: For those of you who've read my journal, I know I said I was going to write my fic, and then return...but even when writing, if plot bunnies jumps you must heed them. This is especially true if in an exhausted haze you delete the current project you're working on and have to start again from scratch. This fic minimized my current funk over this exact situation. Enjoy!

Every day is pretty much the same at our house. Well, usually was. Things had changed noticeably when Edward became obsessed with Bella, but home life at the Cullen's didn't change much. Bella stayed living with Charlie, we saw a lot of her, but it wasn't like she was around constantly. She and Edward always wanted to be alone, no surprise there. I was always trying to talk Rose into taking off alone, but she'd become pretty annoying since Edward began to fall in love. Dealing with grumpy women was not something I was into, so generally when Rose started in, I started out...the door.

I came out of our room as soon as Rose opened her mouth. I'd spent the evening on the computer downloading new iTunes, while Rose had done her thing on her laptop. Most sports minded guys were also car guys, I was different in that way I guess. Rose was the blockhead in our relationship. Ha! In more way than one, nah...I shouldn't even pretend at that.

Anyway, like I was saying, as soon as I took the headphones off and stood up to change, Rose looked up and glared. "What?" I asked, my eyebrows raising in curiosity. "She's here again." Rose replied, her tone sounding like Bella's presence was her constant burden. "I don't know why she's always here, doesn't she have a home to go to?"

I rolled my eyes, I wasn't going to hang out listening to Rose gripe all day, "Yeah, well, I like Bella. She makes life entertaining. I don't see you doing much to entertain us." I said, giving her a sarcastic look out of the corner of my eye. Her expression lifted into one of pure mischief and lustful play, "I only entertain you." she said.

I grinned, "You might," I raised an eyebrow again, "If you're a good girl." She frowned and blurred. I jumped out the door and had just enough time to close it behind me before something connected with the inside of it, with a solid thud.

Grinning I looked across the hall and saw Bella sitting in the study. She had her head turned to look behind her, in the opposite direction of where I stood and was half sitting up. Her arm was bent awkwardly over the back of the couch. Her posture reminded me of the deer we hunted, in that tiny moment when they made eye-contact with us, a millisecond before they took flight. I took two steps across the hall and pushed the door open.

Three things happened at once, any of them alone wouldn't have made me think twice. Together, they were all wrong.

I was looking at Bella when the door flew open, and was struck by the most powerful wave of lust I've ever felt for anyone , Bella's head whipped around as my eyes flew wide in shock, and her expression was...hell, it was guilty. At the same moment, a slight movement behind her, that I realized a moment later was Bella's arm dropping as it was released, called my attention to Jasper, who stood just behind the chair she sat in.

His expression was tense, and to me, Jasper looked annoyed. I looked from one to the other, and then settled on Bella again. I was so confused by the sudden lust I'd felt for her, what was that about? I knew I was frowning, lost in my confusion. Bella began to stutter something out at the same moment that Jasper's eyes shot to Bella, he said her name. I'm no expert, but his voice sounded hurt, sad...hopeful too?

"Bella." His eyes had tightened and his eyebrows were furrowed, he was pleading with her. She was standing now, facing me, eyes wide. She'd turned to her left to look at Jasper when he'd said her name. He raised his hand towards her, she looked at his outstretched hand for a moment, then looked at his face. Her head whipped back to me again, she inhaled deeply and her expression was mortified.

She whispered one word, "No." under her breath as she tore from the room. I didn't need to, but was so surprised by her sudden move, that I jumped out of her way. I pulled my arms against my chest, in a lame attempt of giving myself less mass, as she ran past me and out the door. I was still staring out the door, dazed by her actions, when Jasper growled low in his throat. I turned back to look at him and found him on the window ledge about to jump out. I ran over and grabbed his elbow, he glared back at my hand, then locked eyes with me.

"Let me go Emmett." He growled out.

I released him, and he sailed down to the grass below. I leaned out the window and said his name in a way I knew he wouldn't ignore, "Jasper!" He stopped, and turned around to look up at me.

"What have you done?" I asked him.

He glared at me again, then his features and his posture relaxed, sagged even. He looked at the grass for a moment, then lifting his head back up again, met my eyes.

"Nothing Emmett. I've done...nothing." On the last word his voice sounded defeated, he turned on his heel and was gone into the trees within seconds.

I stood there thinking about that single moment when I'd been struck by such lust for Bella, it was confusing and freaky. For that moment, I had suddenly seen Bella the way Edward must see her. Saw how beautiful she was, how tiny. She was fragile, and pale, with pale red lips and I gulped unnecessarily as I realized what she'd been was tempting. Bella? Tempting? In no way was that temptation connected to her blood.

I heard someone move behind me, I turned around, it was Alice. She was looking very harshly at me. I smirked at her, "Come looking for Jasper, Alice?"

"No." she said, her tone wasn't playful like it usually was. She was pissed about something, "Stop it Emmett."

The smirk I'd had fell, "Stop what?"

"It wasn't you, it was Jasper. It's bad enough Edward's battling it out with one brother. Don't you start getting curious too."

My jaw fell open, then I snapped it shut and glared at her. Little minx, what'd she take me for? "What are you talking about Alice?"

Her face mellowed some, and changed into a look of incredulity, "All I'm saying is stay away from Bella, Emmett. She's as much your sister as I am. I can manage Jasper, but you're on your own. If Rose finds out, she won't work through it like me, she'll walk, and you know it."

I rolled my head to the right, and then shook it back and forth. "I didn't think about it purposely Al...I just opened the door and there it was..hit me like a rock wall? I've never thought of Bella like that, I've never looked at her. Then suddenly..." I shuddered remembering the thoughts that had run through my head before Alice had walked in.

"I know Emmett, that's what I meant. It wasn't you, it was Jasper. What you felt was what Jasper was feeling for Bella. When he gets around her he broadcasts like an old TV, anyone with a tinfoil antennae can get the signal. You walked in when he was on high frequency. Bella's had a hard enough time with Jasper. Don't double it up on her Emmett. Edward's going to have to deal with this soon enough. One brother will be a hassle, two would be a betrayal. Just..." I didn't need Jas' talents to feel how irritated Alice was, and I couldn't blame her for it one bit. "just forget about it, okay. I'll get it resolved. Go upstairs and visit Rosalie, see if you two can't think of something to occupy your time."

I nodded my head, still a little stunned, "Yeah, yeah...I think you're right. I guess I'll go do that...I'll just see you..." I trailed off, confused enough to be unable to complete my sentence.

I got upstairs, and walked in to our room. Rose was still sitting on the bed with her laptop, her legs dangling off the side of the bed.

"So, how is she?" she asked me, mockingly. Still in a bit of a daze, I said, "Who?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Jeez Emmett, you need to hunt. Bella! How is she?"

At the sound of Bella's name, my eyes shot up at Rosalie's face, and I felt them grow wide, "Bella?" she nodded, but began to frown, "Yeah, Bella..Emmett, what the..."

I internally shook my head, "Yeah, Bella, she's..." I chuckled, then my felt my expression melt from my face as for one moment, I remembered that pale red color of her lips, and said, "She's just Bella, always entertaining."