Not Without A Fight
Annaleise Marie
Round Nineteen
AN: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Sorry I couldn't get around to individual replies, but well, you want the chapter more, right?
Everybody thank Nachos4Children once again, who responded promptly to my mayday message of "Now that the Royce issue is resolved, I have no idea what to do with the time left before Emmett leaves. D:" She gave me some awesome suggestions, and here we are with the ball rolling once more! Hope you enjoy it!
I own the new Swiss Colony catalogue, which is tempting me with deliciousness and an open line of credit that does not belong to me, but I do not own Twilight. That would be Stephenie Meyer. I'd rather have the Swiss Colony merchandise, anyway. :P
/
EPOV
My first day back at school was… interesting, for lack of a better word. There were the usual whispers and rumors flying around, but although I knew they existed, I heard none of them. People grew immediately silent as I passed, averting their eyes when I'd look their way. They seemed nervous, shifty.
But it got weirder when Eric Yorkie dropped a notebook in the hall after second period. He didn't notice over the clamor of the class change, and I bent down to pick it up, speeding up a bit to catch him.
"Hey, Eric," I started, reaching out to tap him on the shoulder. He spun around, his eyes growing wide, his face draining of its colour.
"E-Emmett," he stuttered. "I didn't do anything, man."
"I know, you just—" I started, taken aback. He shook his head and backed away, seeming to search for words. "What's wrong with you?" I asked.
"N-Nothing," he said. "I've just gotta get to class."
And with that he ran off.
That was when it really hit me. Rosalie wasn't the only one I had freaked out at the match. Not that I really cared what asshats like Eric Yorkie thought of me, but it was still a strange thing to realize. I shrugged it off and went on to my third period class.
At lunch, Bella kept shooting me nervous glances, her eyes darting between me, her tray, and for some reason, Alice.
"I'm not going to lose it and attack someone," I finally said, and she laughed nervously.
"It's not that, actually," she said, looking down at her tray again. "I think I told Rosalie something I wasn't supposed to."
"What?" I asked, confused. She bit her lip, glancing from me to Alice and then back again.
"Well, Edward told me about how you're moving again in June, and I just mentioned it to her, and I swear I didn't know you hadn't told her yet!" she said hurriedly, staring at me apologetically. "I'm so, so sorry, Emmett."
"How did Edward even know?" I asked.
"Your mom told his dad," she said. "Edward said that Carlisle seemed pretty upset about it, actually."
I sighed. I was going to get it, I was sure. Rosalie would decapitate me – or castrate me, or something else involving the removal of important body parts – once she found me for not telling her about this.
Emmett McCarty; dead man walking.
"Yeah, he rescheduled my session with him this week," Alice said. "I wonder if that's what it's about."
I tried to think of how I would explain this one. It was a pretty big thing for me to keep from her. I could plead ignorance – "What? We're moving? Are you sure? I had no idea, I haven't been told yet!" But I somehow didn't think that would work.
"I said, I wonder if that's what it's about," Alice said, a bit louder.
I could tell the truth. That was a new thought. Just let her know that I wanted to enjoy as much time with her as possible before it became an issue, without it weighing us down.
"I wonder," Alice repeated, kicking me under the table, "if that's what it's about."
"Fuck, Alice, what was that for?" I asked, rubbing my shin.
"Honestly, Emmett, you don't get it, do you?" she huffed, flipping her bangs out of her eyes. "Listen, Carlisle's obviously down that your mom's moving. He doesn't want her to. You don't want to move, either. Neither of you can really convince your mom to stay on your own, but maybe if you worked together…" she trailed off, waving her hand for me to continue.
"Maybe we could convince her to stay?"
"Right."
"Will that even work?" I asked skeptically. Bella shrugged, but Alice nodded determinedly.
"I think it will," she said. "Carlisle's way too in love with your mom."
"He's known her all of a month," I pointed out. She rolled her eyes.
"And you've known Rosalie how long?"
Fair point.
"Fine, I assume you have a plan?" I asked, and Alice's smile grew wider. I had the sinking feeling I wasn't going to like this.
/
RPOV
I stood outside the gym after school for a full ten minutes before it occurred to me that Emmett wouldn't be going to wrestling practice anymore, having been kicked off of the team. I needed to talk to him, after what Bella had told me, but I hadn't seen him at all throughout the day. I cursed quietly, hurrying around the gym towards the student parking lot, scanning the rows for Emmett's Jeep.
Gone. He had already gone home, it seemed.
I made my way over to my own car, where Jasper was waiting for me.
"Bad day?" he asked.
"That obvious?" He nodded.
"Alice told me about Emmett moving," he said. I sighed. "You seriously knew nothing about it?"
"No, did you?" I snapped.
"Nope," he said, getting into the car when I unlocked the doors. "But I'm not sleeping with him, either."
"Shut up, Jasper," I said. He shrugged.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I have no idea," I admitted. "I want to talk to him before I do anything."
But when I pulled into our driveway, Emmett's Jeep wasn't next door. Where the hell was he?
As Jasper headed inside, I made my way over to Emmett's house, nerves mounting as I rang the bell. If Emmett wasn't home, and I had no idea where he was, there was only one other option for figuring out what was going on.
Ms. McCarty answered the door, looking surprised to see me, but not angry. I guess her catching Emmett and I in the kitchen Christmas morning had blown over somewhat.
"Rosalie," she said, smiling softly. "Emmett's not home yet."
"Oh, I know," I said, shuffling my feet. "I actually came to talk to you."
She stared at me for a moment as though trying to guess what I could possibly want, before nodding and stepping to the side.
"I guess you'd better come in, then. It's cold out," she said.
/
EPOV
Edward and Dr. Cullen lived in a large house in the backwoods of Forks, not that far from the field where Rosalie and I had first danced. Their house was large, with high, gleaming windows and an expanded garage. It seemed like a bit much for two people, to be honest. But then, I supposed it hadn't always been just them. Alice explained about the Cullen family on the way up.
Dr. Cullen's first wife and Edward's mom, Elizabeth, had died in a car wreck when Edward was eight. His younger sister had also been in the car, and had managed to hang on for a week before finally passing on as well. According to Alice, it was quite the scandal when it happened. I didn't see what was so scandalous about it, myself – to me, it sounded tragic. But, knowing Forks, I could see the vultures who lived here turning it into something like that.
Dr. Cullen didn't look surprised to see us, and showed us into the sitting room before excusing himself to finish something up in his office.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked Alice after he had left.
"Absolutely. Carlisle's a psychiatrist, so I think being open and honest would be the best option," she said assuredly.
"I just feel awkward, going to talk to my mom's… boyfriend. It seems strange."
"Carlisle's very understanding. Even if he can't help us, or even if I'm wrong and he doesn't want to, it still won't be that bad."
That did very little to soothe my nerves.
Dr. Cullen came back into the sitting room, taking the seat across from me and Alice. There was a moment of tense silence. Alice shifted nervously beside me. So she wasn't so sure of this? Great. There went my last bit of confidence in this idea.
"So to what do I owe this visit?" Dr. Cullen finally asked, smiling politely.
"Well," I started, suddenly unsure of what to say. Alice had only said to be honest. I didn't exactly have a script. "I kind of need your help with something."
"Oh?" Dr. Cullen asked and I nodded. "Well, I'd be happy to help, if I can. I'm afraid I'll need a little more information first though."
"Okay, you know Mom's planning on moving in June, right?" I started and he nodded, his polite smile fading. "Well, I know she's moving because she thinks that Forks isn't working out for us but, despite everything that's happened here, I like it. I'm happy here. And I know that she can be too, she's just afraid to wait for it to all pan out. And from what I hear, you're a huge part of what she likes about Forks. My mom doesn't go out, or see men; she hasn't since my dad died. So for her to uh… have you stay the night, that says a lot. I think she's just afraid, and decided to flee, and if she does, well, we'll all be unhappy."
I waited a minute after my small speech, watching him carefully. He looked almost sad, despite the smile that had reappeared on his face.
"I didn't think you were that happy about my relationship with your mother?" he asked. I winced inwardly, remembering the scene in the kitchen Christmas morning.
"I said a lot of things I shouldn't have… things that I had no place saying," I said.
"Your mother thinks you had a point," he said. "That was one of the reasons that I'm not enough to hold her here."
"But I was wrong," I said. Well, okay, I didn't really believe that. Fuck honesty. I didn't think I had been wrong, but circumstances can change any situation, right?
"Regardless, your mother has decided that being with me is not what's best for her. Or me," he said with a short laugh. "I'm afraid I don't know of any way that I can help you."
"You care about my mom, right?" I asked, and his smile disappeared again.
"I care about Esme more than I have cared about anyone… in a long time," he said sadly. "However, she doesn't believe it's best. And trapping someone in a situation they don't want to be in only breeds resentment and anger. I'd prefer to wait for her to decide it's right to be with me on her own time."
I couldn't argue with that. What he said made sense.
"Thank you for hearing me out then, Dr. Cullen," I said, standing. He nodded. Alice stood as well, staring from me to Dr. Cullen.
"How are you, Alice?" Dr. Cullen asked. She shook her head.
"Emmett's leaving," she said shortly, shrugging.
"I know," he said. She nodded, and then looked up, strangely calm given her behavior.
"I'll see you next week, Carlisle," she said, waving before leaving the sitting room. I followed after her, through the foyer and out to her car.
"Wait!" a voice shouted, and I turned to see Edward practically flying down the front steps.
"Hey man," I greeted him when he finally reached us.
"I heard what you were talking to my dad about," he said without preamble. "I think I can help you."
"How?" I asked, not letting myself get excited about the idea. Dr. Cullen had seemed pretty sure of his decision.
"Dad wants to keep Esme here, I'm sure of it. I'll work on it, convince him to help convince her," he said. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Trust me, I know my dad. I can do it."
"You really think so?" I asked. He nodded.
"But I need you to do something for me in return," he said.
"Name it."
"Well," he started, casting a furtive glance at Alice. She huffed and covered her ears tightly, turning away and humming as loudly as she could. I laughed. "You know what we talked about when we hung out with Jasper?" I stared at him blankly. "About Bella," he prompted.
"Oh, yeah, man, right," I said. I wasn't sure where this was going, but it sounded like it was either going to be bad, or just straight-up difficult.
"Well, I kind of need your help with… that."
I looked at him in horror. Was he really suggesting… Oh, hell no! I am Emmett Fucking McCarty, certifiable sexy bastard, one-hundred-percent man, and completely, unarguably straight.
"Dude, I can not give you experience in that department," I said. He rolled his eyes.
"No, not that! Gross." I shrugged. That was what it had sounded like to me. "I just need you to kind of help me figure out how to…"
"How to get some ass?" I asked, grinning. He nodded. "Deal. But I'm warning you, Cullen, if you fall through on your end, getting laid will be the last thing you ever have to worry about."
That's right, Emmett Fucking McCarty, plotting bastard and mother fucking pimp.
/
RPOV
"So you really are moving?" I asked, motioning to the boxes stacked in the living room. Ms. McCarty glanced at them.
"Well, those are boxes that still haven't been unpacked that I had been storing down in the basement, but yes, Rosalie, Emmett and I are moving by the end of June," she said softly. "It's just not right for us here."
"It's right for Emmett," I said automatically. "I mean, Emmett seems happy here," I quickly amended, realizing how rude I had sounded.
"I know you mean well, Rosalie, but I'm Emmett's mother, and I promise I've thought about this, especially with regard to him," she said, smiling gently. "Emmett has changed a lot since we moved here. He seems more reckless, more irresponsible. He's getting into fights and making bad decisions. I don't think this place is right for him."
"Ms. McCarty, there's been a lot going on, but it's not like it's normal life in Forks," I pleaded. "There will be rough spots anywhere you go, won't there?"
"Will you be anywhere we go?" she asked, no longer smiling. What… "Because honestly, Rosalie, I think you're a big part of the problem here."
/
AN: Long note, ahoy!
Don't hurt me. The standard plea.
As a note, Nachos4Children also served as my catch-phrase beta for this chapter, to catch any prime opportunities for "Emmett Fucking McCarty" that I may have missed. I've got a lot of notes from you guys that you've been missing that, so be sure to send her love. As always, check out her story, "Clementines", and the story we're collaborating on, "Asthenia". /shameless self-promotion
Uhhh. Oh! To those of you who follow me on Twitter and got these gems as a teaser for the future storyline: "The school – the kids have gone crazy," Carlisle explained hurriedly. "Something about Rosalie and Royce and… it's all just crazy." And, "How do you like it? Huh? How the FUCK do you like it, you asshole?" Royce was being held back by Edward, blood dripping down his face. – Okay, yeah, to clarify, that part was scrapped and will never happen. Good to go? Okay.
As for Aro, Felix, Demitri, etc: In Round Fifteen's rough draft, Alice had Royce's car stolen in order to provide a distraction when Royce showed up at the Hale's Christmas party. In order to do that, she called in a favour from them. That was their original introduction into the story, but I wound up scrapping it. So I know that they appeared kind of suddenly in the story, but just keep in mind, they're really just my tool to achieve the correct ends. Not much more. No worries. Well… maybe just a bit more. We'll see. ;)
Please, please review! :D