Summer's boring, but at least I can update faster! Also, I've been getting really discouraged because no one is reviewing hardly. Please, please, please take the ten seconds it takes to write 'you suck' or 'you rule' so I can properly work on my story. I don't own this, and I owe much thanks to my beta and awesome FFN buddy, LMD. Read now.

Words cannot describe the feeling of being terrified out of your skin. The car came out of absolutely no where, and spun madly in the middle of the road. Emmett, my Emmett, jumped into action, shoving Edward and Jasper out of the way. Jasper staggered back towards the cruiser, Edward fell and crashed headfirst into the curb, getting knocked out, the tool box landing on his thigh.

Emmett, though… The car slammed into him, the front left side, barely avoiding hitting him with the front corner.

Several things happened at once. The car's horn went off from the driver slumped over the wheel, Jasper yelled out for someone to call 911, Emmett let out a strangled cry, and I screamed a blood curdling scream. Emmett fell to the ground unconscious, blood pooling around him eerily from his head and other parts of his body. He lay mangled, looking so breakable, so broken, that I-after running as far as the curb to observe the crash site-ran back and nearly collapsed from shock.

Charlie was immediately on the phone, calling for an ambulance. Daddy and Jamie were rushing to Emmett while Mom was rushing to Edward. Rosalie quickly ran to help my mother while Bella tried to hold me back from the action. She had tears running down her face, and I couldn't feel any part of my body. She wasn't a very touchy-feely person, but she wrapped her arms around me and we held onto each other. Rosalie and Mom were able to bring Edward to, and Jasper found his way to me and Bella, holding onto us while talking to the EMT people who arrived. He had to let us go to get checked since he was in the line of fire. Edward and Emmett were taken away on stretchers with Daddy and Charlie.

Everything was happening so fast now, instead of in slow motion like the crash had been.

But then it was over. Jamie and Vicky were comforting Renee and my mother. Rosalie joined mine and Bella's group hug, and Jasper was trying to figure out how to comfort us all. Mom finally decided that we needed to get to the hospital, and we piled into Vicky's van. I was so out of it for the longest time. The event of the evening refused to be absorbed in my mind, though it may have been for the better. I surely would have collapsed if it all registered at once.

It was midnight by the time they let us see Edward. Mom got to see him first, of course, Daddy having already seen him and now being in emergency surgery with Emmett and Dr. Gerandy. I went in next, seeing he had a broken leg and a nice headband of gauze. I gave him a numb hug, feeling guilty for being more worried about my boyfriend than my own twin brother.

"Hey, Al," he said, rubbing my back a little. "It's okay, I know he's worse off than me."

"I'm sorry, brother," I said, my voice muffled in his chest.

"It's okay, sister," he said softly, kissing my hair. "He'll be okay."

"I wish I could believe you," I said, laughing bitterly. "I'm gonna go and let Rose in before she goes crazy."

"Okay," he said, giving me a little smile.

I decided to walk around the hospital, trying to get my mind off everything. I went to the maternity ward and peeked in on the little babies in the dim room. They were so tiny, so delicate looking. In a way, Emmett had looked like a baby laying on that road. In the back of my mind I wondered if they'd removed his teddy bear costume, or if he was still a life sized version of the little stuffed things in the window of the room. No, no worrying, no thinking of him in less than perfect condition! the more rational voice in my head said.

I walked a little further, going up a floor and running into none other than Sam Uley.

"Hey Alice," he said, looking a little surprised.

"Hey Sam," I said, looking around. "Leah's up here?"

"Yeah, you want to see her?" he asked. "She's starting to respond more and more."

"Sure," I said, offering him a little grin.

I went into the little room and saw her, sleeping. She looked breakable, too… Little Seth was sitting in the corner reading. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, Alice! My parents are at home, we decided to give them a rest. Wow, you look really pretty!"

I smiled at the energetic kid, then looked to Sam. The look on his face was the opposite of energetic. He looked weak, sad, like he didn't know what to do.

He looked how I felt.

The voice reminding me not to be a masochist again, I said a quick good bye and rushed downstairs to Jasper, the only person I could think of to help me figure things out right then.

He was waiting in the hall by the waiting room, as if anticipating my arrival. "Hey, Al."

"Jazz, why do I feel like this is my fault?" I asked, my voice breaking on 'fault'.

He pulled me into a brotherly hug. "It's not your fault. It's like survivor's guilt; you weren't hurt, so you feel responsible."

I shook my head viciously, not wanting to believe him. "Somehow it's mine. Somehow… I don't know, we had a 'fight' about him being worried about losing me, and now…"

"Alice, Alice, don't cry…" he said. Was I crying now?

"B-b-but he… And I… And-and-it's not fair!" I sobbed, yanking away from him and pressing my body into the dark window. At least I was showing normal signs of emotion…

"Alice, come with us," Bella's voice came softly, and her slender hand slipped into mine, tugging me along with her and Rosalie. Jasper followed, taking Bella's other hand. They took me to Vicky's van, where Jamie and Vicky were ready to go to their house, one in the morning seeming an, erm, appropriate time.

Us girls helped each other out of our costumes, and we got a really good look at how we looked. We all had trails of make-up on our faces; Rosalie had neon yellow streaks, Bella had grey and black, and my face was covered in glitter. We started giggling uncontrollably, helping each other wipe the make-up off. It was freeing, to forget how to cry for just a few moments. We crashed on the pull out couch again, making Jasper sleep in the recliner in case someone woke up and needed a hug (no judging, we were all emotionally worn). Life was fairly twisted, but in that moment, it felt good to just be close to people I loved.

A/n: I decided to cut it off here, or I'd never get off my soap-box. Review, please. And no throwing rocks!

~Sidney