Yet another...

The next couple of weeks were spent normally, with the addition of visiting Granny Marie on our activities list (which had greatly expanded due to Emmett being the first of us to receive his license). She had become quite a surrogate to me, and when Emmett would get back from various treks she sent him on, she's smile like she had a secret. One day, she sent Emmett to get her an extra blanket, then pounced on me (figuratively).

"Alice, sweetie, I don't know if you realize this, but my Emmett is quite taken with you," she said, as if she were revealing a huge secret.

I blushed, nevertheless. "I'm taken with him as well."

She studied me, smiling slowly. "I thought so. But do you know that he has refrained from telling you about his feelings because of your dislike of relationships?"

"I don't have a dislike for relationships," I said carefully, "but for the effects. I just would rather be close friends with someone before trying to be in a serious relationship. He…he did tell me that he liked me though."

"But to what extent?" she asked, looking pleased with herself. "You have no idea how much or how little he loves you."

"Loves me?" I half laughed. "Granny Marie, I know you know him better than I do, but I don't think he loves me."

She crossed her arms determinedly. "Of all the descriptions he gave me about you, obstinate never came up. You're a tough little child."

I grinned a little. "My brother says I'm as stubborn as they come."

"And I see why!" she said, pursing her lips as if I'd insulted her. "I expect it was too confident of me, thinking a beautiful young woman would love my Emmett."

"Granny!" Emmett laughed, coming in suddenly, his arms laden with blankets. "What have I told you about harassing my friends?"

"Sweetheart, I only thought she might want to know how you feel about her, that's all," Marie said, smiling innocently.

Emmett rolled his eyes, putting the blankets down and laying it one over her legs. "She knows how I feel about her. I hope my ole girl kept her mouth shut and her nose out of places it could get cut off." He tweaked her nose playfully, then kissed her cheek.

She smiled lovingly at her grandson. "You both are quite obstinate."

I grinned at Emmett. "I think she likes that word."

"It's her word of the day. She picks a word everyday and uses it as much as humanly possible. Obstinate comes around about once a week."

"It's only because you make it so simple to interject, sweetheart," she said matter-of-factly. "Though delusional may be tomorrow's word. Or possibly ignorant."

Emmett and I laughed at her. We stayed for a little while, then left with smiles on our faces.

The smiling didn't last long, though. Two weeks after Marie Swan was moved to Forks, she suffered a massive coronary. She was moved to the ICU once again, and Emmett's heart was broken when she slipped into a coma.

Rose and Bella greeted me at the door, telling me what happened and pointing to Emmett's basement door without the heart to tell me his condition. I tiptoed down the stairs quietly, stepping over a tray of untouched food, then I tried the doorknob slowly. It wasn't locked, which surprised me. I pushed the door open and saw Emmett lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Emmett," I said softly. "Em, can I come in?"

He shifted his gaze from the ceiling to me. His eyes were shining with unshed tears, and he had a light splash of whiskers on his chin. "Sure."

I stepped in and closed the door behind me. I didn't know if he'd want me to come closer or not, so I leaned against the far wall. "Um… I…don't know what to say."

He lifted a hand, motioning for me to come over to him, which I did. "Me either."

I leaned down and hugged him as hard as I could, refraining from crying as well. "I'm sorry."

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me fast. "I feel numb."

He slowly sat up, still holding me. We sat like that for a long time, hugging and being silent. Finally, he started to express some kind of emotion. Anger.

"This effing sucks," he growled into my neck, a few tears falling onto my skin. Only he didn't say effing, but the actual word, which Peter says if he ever hears me repeat it he'll lock me in the attic.

I rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "I know."

He pulled back at me, his eyes sparkling with tears. "Really? Do you really? Do you know how it feels to have the only person who ever loved you possibly gone forever?"

"Emmett… Renee and Charlie and Rose and Bella… They all love you," I said, appalled that he thought anyone wouldn't love him. "I love you. You're my best friend, Em."

He hugged me close and abruptly, kissing my cheek and squeezing me. "But my parents are dead and now Granny's most likely going to die and no one knows how that feels."

"I do," I said lowly, pulling back enough to look him in the eye.

"Your parents are alive, Alice," he spat, angry again.

I glared at him. "At least your parents loved you. At least they all love you. My parents abandoned me. The first chance they got at pawning me off without paying twenty grand for boarding school they took. I haven't seen them in years, and I talk to them on the phone once every three or four months. I'd gladly trade you any day."

I'd never told anyone how truly divided I was from my parents I was. Peter -of course- knew, as did Charlotte and her parents, but no one else knew. I wasn't sure how Emmett would take it, but it didn't matter. He trusted me and I trusted him.

"Alice…" he said softly. "I hate this. I'm not trying to be mean to you, believe me, but this effing sucks." Again with the word I can't repeat.

I kissed his cheek softly. "Em, I get it. I just hate seeing you in pain."

He squeezed his eyes shut, hugging me close again. "I love you, Alice. You're a great friend."

I rubbed his back, letting him cry it out. I convinced him to eat a little something, then we went to the hospital. He went into the ICU ward and stayed for only a few minutes. When he came back, he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my hair.

"Let's get outta here," he said, tugging me to Renee's car, which he'd borrowed.

We found ourselves at the side of a road, were a cross was strategically placed with a wreath of orchids around the base. Emmett sat down in front of it, studying the inscription.

In loving memory of Carter and Macy Swan.

"I thought this was where it was," Emmett said, tracing the names. "I remember that much. Swerving on the ice and slamming into this great big tree that was cut down after the wreck."

"You-" I stuttered. "You were in the car? I-I thought you didn't remember them."

"I don't remember knowing them well, but I remember them," he said sullenly. "I remember that day. It was nothing special or different. We were just coming home from a church play. I guess that's not such a bad way to go."

I sat behind him, resting my head on his shoulder. "I guess not."

He reached back blindly for my hand. "I'm just preparing myself for what to expect."

"Don't," I said softly, kissing his scruffy cheek. " Miracles can happen. You survived the wreck."

He was quiet for a little while, then he whispered lowly, "I did, didn't I?"

We expected the worse. We all did. Not that we didn't pray for the better. But it was her time. She was still deeply asleep when it happened, so she went peacefully, but not without pain to her family.

I was walking up the front porch steps of the Swan home around nine in the morning, dropped off by Peter on his way to work. I was about to knock when Renee opened the door and scooped me into a hug.

"Alice, Marie passed last night. We got the call at four this morning and the kids aren't taking it well," she said, tears of her own beading. "Charlie had to go to the hospital early and he's not back yet, but Rose and Bella are cuddled up in Rose's bed and Emmett's been hiding out."

I was shocked. Renee wasn't exactly fantastic at breaking news, and I was taken aback. "Do…do I need to go?"

"No, no, dear," she said, slower this time, and gentler. "The girls are better off than Emmett, though. He…he refused to go with Charlie, let no one in, and hasn't touched the food I left for him. I…I think he'll let you in. Will you try, please, dear?"

Of course he let me in, and after a long time talking, he was consolable. In the end, he came out and he and his family mourned together. I went home with promises to be back the next day and to come to the funeral.

The funeral was quiet and sweet, honoring Marie Swan's memory with her favorite hymn and her favorite flowers of blood roses. After it, we went to the Swans' home to keep them company and be there for them. Emmett retreated to his basement and I followed, not wanting to leave his side.

We sat on his bed, holding one another.

"Alice," he said softly, "I love you. You're the best friend I've ever had."

"I love you, too," I replied, kissing his cheek. "I wish things weren't so crazy around here."

He looked into my face, studying me. "I can't help but think about how Granny could tell I liked you by the way I said your name. I just…I don't get it. But she was right. She was always right."

I leaned my face close to his. "I know. She was right when she said I was 'smitten' with you, too."

His eyes met mine and I was sure he was going to say something that had nothing to do with his grandmother. His expression was intense and deep. "Alice. I really want to kiss you right now."

"Then do it," I said breathlessly.

"But you only kiss after three months minimum," he said, looking like he wasn't really all that considerate of my feelings.

"You're different," I said, leaning closer to him.

Our lips met gently, moving together and devouring the essence of one another. We kissed and kissed and kissed, until our lips were chapped and our mouths numb. When we finally came up for air, we were so drunk on one another that we forgot about everyone else, living in our own bubble as we kissed more and more.