When Emmett drove past the bright green sign that read 'Seattle' in white letters, Kit's mouth fell open. They had only been driving twenty minutes and last time she had Googled it, it took at least three hours to reach the city by car.
"I told you," Emmett said as if reading her thoughts, "We were going to be late."
She kept facing forward, afraid to see how fast he was really going. How had they not been pulled over? Did cops somehow miraculously disappear when the Cullen's were on the road?
"I haven't been to Seattle, yet," she informed him, "Where are we going? The Space Needle?"
He snorted, "Cliché," he waved it off, "It's too high up, anyway."
'Duh,' she thought, scolding herself, but she was a little relieved.
For the rest of the way to the secret destination, she didn't guess. The Space Needle was the only place she could think of. What else was in Seattle? There was the dance studio that Willa and Jessi attended, but Kit highly doubted that Emmett was taking her there.
"Eep!" she squeaked, slamming into the side of the door when Emmett took a sharp turn, "Ow! Emmett!"
"My bad," he apologized, patting her knee, "I had to cut that car off real quick to get the turn. Anyway, we're here."
"We are?" she looked through the windshield. There was a ticket booth beside a beautiful wooden archway. She had to squint to see through the tinted windshield.
"Come on," she startled at Emmett's voice, looking up to see that he had already opened her door, "You'll see when we're…er…inside, I guess."
She glanced at the hand he held out, then nodded and took it, "Okay."
Now that she was out of the car, she looked up again, able to see more clearly. In the middle of the wooden arch, was a black sign that read: 'Seattle Japanese Garden,' in pretty writing.
"We came late," Emmett explained as he tugged her forward, "And it's a Monday, so there won't be too many people around."
'Aww,' she thought warmly as she nodded and smiled at the women who worked at the ticket booth. They went in hand-in-hand, walking along a smooth concrete path.
"Oh, wow," Kit breathed, eyes growing wide.
All at once, it was like someone had transported her to some magical fairyland.
It was beautiful and it made her sad that 'beautiful' was the only word she could think of to describe this wonderland. There were so many paths and signs to follow and she took a look around at all the nature that welcomed her.
There were so many trees. With trunks gnarled, twisted, massive girth, straight, leaning, branched, smooth, slender, knotted, green with moss, shaggy, silver, interlacing roots protruding from the soil in great loops and ridges. Sprawling branches, stiff branches, overhanging branches.
Overcast weather or not, it was still spring. The grass whispered in the slight breeze and most of the trees were clothed in white and pink blossom. The air was pungent with their fragrance and when their petals rained down, getting caught in her hair or on her shoulder, it made her feel like a princess.
"There's…so much," she breathed, "Wow…"
They passed under a trail of trees that exploded in red, looking like giant red puffs atop their trunks.
She took a moment to observe a sculpted azalea bush, then looked up at Emmett. He looked unbothered as he led her to another path, but she wondered if that was really the case or if he was just too good at being human.
"Are you okay?" she asked, briefly distracted by a bird flying overhead, "Do the smells bother you?"
"Not really," he shrugged, squeezing her hand, "It's really strong, but I can hold my breath."
She nodded and walked closer to him, letting go of his hand when Emmett wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Will you tell me more about your life as a vampire?" she inquired softly just in case she could be overheard.
"Sure," he chirped easily, "What about it?"
"Mmmm," she hummed, "Do you have a favorite memory?"
"Seeing you for the first time," Emmett said, blinking at her as if she had asked a dumb question.
Kit arched an eyebrow at him, giving him a look. That wasn't exactly the answer she had been looking for, "Be serious."
He gave her the same look, "I am being serious."
She still had a hard time believing it, "So, your favorite memory in all the years that you've lived," she stopped when he nodded, "Is me literally almost breaking my nose bumping into you?" he nodded again.
"Well, yeah," Emmett said, "It was the best day of my existence."
He spoke in his musical tenor with nothing but sincerity and Kit's voice caught in her throat. She couldn't believe that he had said that. She wanted to jump up and down, cry, blush and maybe kiss him a little.
"What did you think?" Emmett baited, bumping her with his hip, "When you first saw me?"
Kit felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she turned her head away, looking at the trees. They were walking on an empty path and she couldn't see much of the colorful garden, anymore. Where were they going?
"You don't want to hear about it," she tried to tuck her hair, but remembered that it was in a braid, "It's weird."
"No, tell me!" Emmett whined, gently shaking their intertwined hands, "Pretty, please-
"-With a grizzly on top?" she finished coyly, turning to smile at him.
She snickered when he grinned widely at her, wagging his eyebrows.
"Okay, okay," she finally gave in, when he stuck his lower lip out.
"Yes!" he pumped his fist in the air, "Tell me."
"Okay, um…" she started, her cheeks still warm, "I almost bumped into you and then you grabbed my arms to keep me from falling. I thought you were really cold and then I looked up and saw your eyes…"
"My gorgeous, gorgeous eyes," he interjected, winking at her.
"And I thought they were gorgeous," Kit agreed with a smile, "And then I noticed, um…the rest of you," Emmett chuckled and she continued, "Then, after school, I was driving home and I thought of you again. I thought you were ginormous and about how different your skin was and how sharp your teeth were, but it was okay because you were so nice and…"
"…And?" Emmett pushed when she didn't keep talking.
"And I figured that if Alice hadn't spoken, I could have looked into your eyes for hours—oh my gosh, that's so creepy!" her faced heated up even more, "Is that weird?"
"No," Emmett assured her, "Not at all."
Kit bit her lip shyly. This conversation had taken quite the turn and feeling bolder, she queried, "When's the first time you realized that you were in love with me?"
"Easy," Emmett said, "When you ate lunch with me for the first time and told me why you're a vegetarian," he laughed, "I've fallen in love with you a lot of times."
She faltered in her steps, "You have?"
"Of course," he said, again, like it should have been obvious, "That's shocking to you?"
She didn't know how to respond to that. It was shocking to her in many ways. For one, Emmett wasn't much of a mushy, feely person and she thought he would've gotten tired of her by now. Especially lately and when her troubles at school came to light and continued to get worse.
She had always wanted someone to fall in love with her like that. Where it happens over and over as they found out new habits the other had or found out something new about each other. It was just like her parents' relationship. She was a hopeless romantic.
"Kind of," she answered his question, "But it makes me really happy."
"Here we are," Emmett announced suddenly, for the second time that evening.
Kit snapped her head up and gasped at the sight before her. They were definitely off the path that they had been walking on.
They were in the center of the whole garden and even in the dullness of the overcast sky, Kit could see everything. It was quite a sight. So many flowers and colors and floral scents. She had a hard time processing it all.
In the center there was a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle so you could look down at the koi carp and the cranes that caused ripples in the water. From across the pond, the cherry blossom tress looked purple and it was a beautiful contrast to the opaque green pond surface. She could see the lily pads in bloom, their white or magenta petals catching the breeze.
"Can we go on the bridge?" she asked Emmett, looking to see if she could spot a sign that warned visitors from doing that.
"Yeah, come on," he took her hand.
It was so peaceful, Kit thought. She couldn't see anyone else, but doubted that she and Emmett were the only ones in the whole garden. She marveled at how many acres it had to be. It would take a day or two to get through to take in the whole place. Maybe longer.
Here, the blossomed tress dragged downwards, their blossoms skimming the surface of the water. The light petals floated and she followed them with her eyes.
Emmett came to stand right beside her and she laid her head on his arm, taking in the beauty that surrounded them.
"What was your sister's favorite flower?" she whispered, "Do you remember?"
"Lila?" Emmett mumbled, "Daisies. We'd always have'ta go outta town to get 'em. So, she'd get a big bunch of 'em for her birthday. You know, she hated lilacs…for obvious reasons."
Kit noticed that whenever Emmett talked about his past, his voice always changed. It wasn't something that she was going to point out, but she thought it was interesting. There was no Irish accent per se, nor was it necessarily a Tennessee accent. His voice just sounded…older as if he were still in the 1900's.
"Daisies, huh?" she mused in a light voice, "Who was your favorite brother?"
"HA-HA!" Emmett laughed, tilting his head back, "Good God, it was Jonah, hands down, the jerk. He was only a year older than me and we'd gamble and drink and…"
She tore her eyes away from a swimming fish when Emmett stopped. He was still staring straight ahead, but he looked apprehensive, his lips pressed together.
"What?" she asked him, "And what?" she pressed.
But he shook his head, his mood changed, "Nah. You don't want to hear it."
She blinked once, "But I do," she said in surprise, "That's why I asked, silly."
When he still didn't respond, she twisted to place her hand on his chest and said softly, "You can tell me anything, Em. I mean it."
"We'd womanize, I guess—if that's what you want to call it," Emmett said slowly, "Me more than him. He preferred the gambling."
'Womanize,' Kit thought after a moment, 'So he's…been with a lot of women.'
In retrospect, she could see why Emmett would be hesitant to tell her, but it didn't make her feel upset or jealous. All the women he had been with had occurred when she hadn't been born. Her parents hadn't even been born yet.
He wasn't that person anymore. She and him were in a serious, monogamous relationship. How crazy would it be for her to be upset about something that Emmett had done in, what, the 1930's? It was 2005, now.
The thought made her giggle. Loudly and that eventually turned into a full blown laugh.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she gasped out through her laughter, "I'm an awful person, I'm not laughing at you, I swear!"
She coughed a few times to try and get her laughter under control. When she was sure she could control herself, she looked up at Emmett who looked at her like she had lost her mind.
"I'm sorry," she said again, "I was just thinking and it doesn't bother me. Not at all."
Emmett seemed more bothered by the fact that she wasn't bothered, "What!? It doesn't?"
"No," she shook her head, "I can't even count in my head how many years ago that was. It would be crazy of me to judge you for that."
He was bewildered, "You're not gonna ask how many woman I've been with?"
Involuntarily, Kit's nose scrunched up. That, she would admit, she didn't care to know. Wasn't there some kind of rule about asking your significant other about the number of partners they had been with, anyway? The only reason she'd be concerned is if Emmett had an STD, but being an indestructible vampire, she was aware that it was impossible.
"No," she said simply with a shrug, "I'm not going to ask. Do you want me to ask?"
Emmett shrugged in the same manner as her, "No," he said simply.
"Okay, then," she concluded, "Jonah was your wing-man, then? What else did you guys do together?"
He shrugged again, "That's about it. That's all we did when we weren't workin' on the railroad," his head tilted as he looked at Kit, "I think he woulda liked you."
"Really?" she asked, almost hopefully.
"Yeah," he said, "And Lila woulda absolutely adored you," he smiled, kissing her lips gently before he nuzzled his nose with hers.
Kit giggled, "Aww, I think I would have liked her too," she kissed him again.
"Do you think your grandma would have liked me?" he asked softly.
The smile slowly melted off of Kit's face and she looked back at the water, feeling that familiar ache in her chest.
"She would have loved you," she promised, laying her head on Emmett's arm again.
The pair stood in silence again, both thinking of their lost family members with a fondness that both warmed and broke their hearts.
It was so quiet, that Kit was surprised when Emmett spoke, "You're not falling asleep on me, are you?"
She lifted her head, "No."
"Good," he beamed at her, "I have a surprise for you."
Her eyes widened, "Another one?"
"Yeah, but you have to close your eyes."
She was hesitant to do so, but did as Emmett said, allowing her eyes to flutter closed.
"Stop looking so tense," she could hear Emmett's scowl, "I promise, I'm not going to eat you or throw you in the pond."
"Comforting," she mumbled, jumping when she felt him take her right hand. She felt something and then it was gone.
"Okay," Emmett said, "You can open your eyes now."
She opened her eyes, blinking to clear her vision as she looked down at her right hand. What had once been completely bare of any jewelry, now had a single ring on the ring finger of her right hand.
It was a simple band made purely out of quartz It had been polished to shine and fit perfectly on her finger.
"Where did you get this?" she mumbled.
"I made it!" Emmett said proudly, "With my teeth," she looked up just to see him bare them at her.
"You made this?" Kit parroted, observing the ring, "For me?"
Before Emmett responded, she lit up. The ring was beautiful and she loved it! She was going to wear it all the time.
"Thank you!" she threw her arms around Emmett's neck, laughing when he picked her up, "Thank you, so, so much, I love it!"
Emmett chuckled against her shoulder, "You're welcome. It's a promise ring, so that you'll know I'll always love you. No matter what happens."
No matter what happens. It wasn't too intense and still well within her boundaries that she had set. She felt warm inside and smiled widely when Emmett set her down. Standing there, in the middle of the bridge, of the whole garden, her heart sped up when he leaned down to kiss her.
Their lips pressed firmly together and her hands found purchase on his very defined chest, her right one going to rest over his heart. She couldn't feel it beating, but she knew it was there.
It was the longest they had ever kissed, Emmett continuing to brush his stone-like lips against hers and Kit couldn't help the hum that escaped her throat as she felt the sensation of his chilled exhales linger on her warm skin.
When Emmett's kisses became more insistent, she felt his lips part and her eyes flew open just as his cold tongue came to slide along her pink bottom lip.
Immediately, she pushed him away and took a step back, her hand going to cover her mouth.
Emmett on the other hand, looked horrified, "I-I'm sorry!"
"No!" she gasped, she felt her face flush, "I mean—it's not—it's not you! I just—I—I've never…done that before," she admitted, "You know…" she gestured with her hand. At what, she didn't know, "Make out or…anything…" she could feel her ears burning.
She felt like an idiot and refused to look at Emmett. Was it even okay for her to make out with Emmett? There was no harm there, was there? And she didn't think she would mind doing it. Sure, it was a little more intimate and she would be lying if she said she hadn't, er, looked into it. It wasn't her fault that she had been bored and read her mom's monthly issue of Cosmopolitan. There was some interesting stuff in there. Besides, if she was ever going to make out with Emmett, she needed to know how.
She was positive that it was impossible to blush anymore than she already was. She was proven wrong when Emmett slid a single finger under her chin and tilted her face up. She blushed so hard, her face hurt.
Emmett's eyes were completely black, she noticed, but he wore an easy smile.
"You're not comfortable," he stated.
Kissing her boyfriend in a gorgeous garden after he had given her a promise ring sounded like the perfect moment to do just that and it helped that there wasn't anyone around. She read about scenes like this in her books and saw it on television in cheesy romantic comedies. Again, she was a total liar if she didn't admit she had thought about really kissing Emmett, but she just didn't know how.
"I'm comfortable with you," she countered, "And I'm okay with kissing you, but I don't know what to do when it comes to…other kissing," saying all of this out loud, only made her feel stupider.
She closed her eyes when Emmett tilted his mouth down towards hers. She was expecting him to try again and was a little flummoxed when he pulled away after the chaste kiss.
"It's not something that you should be stressed about," Emmett told her, "I can tell you're anxious."
"Oh…" she mumbled, "Well, that's kind of awkward."
"You're awkward," he growled in a teasing voice, "And that's just fine."
Reaching up, Kit let out all her breath in a flourish and hugged him tight, "Thank you," she drawled, "I love you so much."
"I love you too, baby," Emmett responded, "You're my girl. Come on, the garden's gonna close soon."
Feeling light and happy, Kit held Emmett's hand, sticking close as they made their way back to the car. She could feel the ring on her finger and it made her heart even happier. She wanted to get him something too, but had no idea what to get a vampire who could probably buy a whole country.
She was glad he had taken the kissing thing well. He hadn't laughed at her or even tried to joke about it, which she appreciated. She had no experience whatsoever when it came to boys.
The drive back to Forks was calm and quiet, no words needing to be said between them. They reached Kit's house with seven minutes to spare and lingered outside the front door.
Kit spoke first, "I had a really nice time tonight. Thank you."
"Was it special enough?" Emmett asked.
"Yes!" she promised, "I can't even tell you how special it was. It was lovely and we beat my curfew."
"Five minutes," he glanced at his watch.
"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Kit took a step closer to him, "You really made my day, Emmett."
"I'm glad," Emmett brought his face closer, but then stopped, looking hesitant, "Um…?"
"Go ahead," Kit breathed, against his mouth, "It's fine."
She closed her eyes. She wasn't feeling anxious anymore and making out wasn't such a big deal. She wanted to. She was ready. It was going to happen. Right now...
"Kiss!"
"What did you say?" she whispered, opening her eyes.
Emmett, blinked back at her, frowning with his face still close to hers, "I didn't say anything."
"It's okay, you can kiss!"
"No, don't! You'll die!"
"What?" Kit mumbled. She turned her head, "What?" she squinted at the window that were covered by white venetian blinds that had come with the house.
"Oh my gosh!" she practically cried, jerking away from Emmett, "Mom!"
The porch light flicked on and the front door opened, Blake and Everly poking their heads out.
"Hi, kids," Everly wiggled her fingers innocently, "What are you guys up to?"
"Mom, oh my gosh!" Kit stamped her foot. She was mortified and blood pooled in her cheeks, "Are you kidding me!?"
Emmett laughed and she covered her face with her hands, praying for a lightening strike to kill her.
"You guys can kiss, it's fine," Everly promised happily, "You've had a rough day, honey. If you want to kiss your boyfriend, you can kiss your boyfriend. I know he's older, but as long as you consent, then you have my permission."
"She can't kiss her boyfriend like that, she's only sixteen," Blake protested as if Kit and Emmett weren't standing here.
"When I was sixteen, I did a lot more than kiss-
"I'm going inside!" Kit declared throwing her hands up, "I'm done, I'm going to bed! Goodnight, Emmett, I will see you tomorrow! Ugh!"
She didn't even turn to look at him as she stormed inside, but she could hear his failure to conceal his chuckles.
"If he breaks up with me, it's because you're both wackadoos!" she hissed to her parents.
"Ugh, you're such a teenager," Blake complained, "Goodnight, honey, I love you. Night, Emmett!"
"Goodnight, Blake, Everly," she heard Emmett laugh loudly as she climbed the stairs, "See you soon, I hope!"
Once in the safety of her room, she stayed pressed against her door, groaning in embarrassment. She highly doubted that Emmett was going to break up with her because of her parents silly antics, but that had been quite a show. At least, her mom wasn't downstairs, dictating her wild, teenage sex life to Emmett.
In her clothes and shoes, she went and flopped dramatically on her bed, rolling over to hug a pillow to her chest.
Today had been an emotional roller coaster and she was more than ready for bed. It had been a long day. Especially at school, having to pretend like she hadn't cried her eyes out not only in front of people who she never wanted to see her cry like a baby, but at lunch in front of her dad behind the English building.
Long story short: the meeting hadn't gone well, but Kit refused to think about it. At this moment, she was on cloud nine and she rolled back over to extend her arm out so that she could look at her new accessory.
'I have a promise ring!' she thought giddily, 'He gave me a promise ring, I can't believe it!'
She felt like her heart was going to burst with all the love she had for Emmett. The feeling shocked and excited her all at the same time. Tonight, she and Emmett had definitely reached a new point in their relationship.
Whether she and him had been dating long enough for that, she didn't know, but growing up, the one thing she had learned was that there was no timeline when it really came to true love.
Squealing, Kit tilted her head back and shouted, "Mom! Come see what Emmett gave me!"
Emmett reclined awkwardly on one of his armchairs, his fingers laced behind his head.
He felt like he was floating. He hoped the ring hadn't been too much. He hadn't wanted to put pressure on Kit, but he also wanted to hint a little more on the mate topic that he always avoided.
He wasn't sure if she had gotten the message, but she had stated multiple times throughout the evening that she was happy and that's all that mattered. As long as she was happy, he was happy too.
"How did it go?"
He looked up and saw Esme standing in his doorway, looking hopeful and eager, her hands clasped in front of her.
"It went great," he told his mother, "She loved the ring."
"And you put in on the correct finger?" Esme asked, "On her right hand?"
"Yeah," he nodded. Apparently, when it came to promise rings, there was a certain finger and hand you had to put it on or you could wind up unexpectedly engaged.
"Good," Esme sighed in relief, "That's wonderful, Emmett. I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks," Emmett mumbled. This was getting a little too mushy for him and he had had enough of that with Kit.
Esme laughed, "All right, I'll leave you be. Did you put Carlisle's keys on his desk?"
Emmett arched an eyebrow. Esme was such a human mom, sometimes. He knew very well that she had heard him place Carlisle's keys on the desk in his office.
"Yup," he said, "And I stopped for gas on the way."
"Thank you, sweetie," Esme smiled, then she zipped out of his room, the door closing behind her.
Alone once more, Emmett let his eyes fall shut. His and Kit's relationship was growing. He remembered when Alice had that fateful vision, he had been catatonic for hours, refusing any notion that he could fall in love with a human. That didn't even make any sense! Sure, it had happened to Edward, but his brother was always a little off.
But now, he couldn't imagine being with anyone else, whether vampire or human. Wasn't there some kind of quote about love being a powerful thing or whatever?
Either way, Kit was one hell of a woman. The way she had accepted his past with all the booze and the women in complete ease and stride was sure something. It was kind of hot.
Chuckling to himself, he darted across the room to pick out a video game to play.
He hoped he personally reached the point where he was confident enough to tell Kit the true meaning of being mates. His thoughts usually matched the words spilling out of his mouth; he had no filter, but with Kit he tried to.
Flashback:
Emmett grinned down at Kit. He had finally brought her over to his home to officially meet his family and it had gone well. Minus Rosalie's little temper tantrum. He hoped his favorite sister would try to be nice at the baseball game, but knowing Rosie, that wasn't likely.
He sat in one of his armchairs with Kit sitting comfortably in his lap. Even sitting, he still towered over her. He was trying to lighten the mood as Kit had asked a question, resulting him bringing up the Volturi. That had been a stupid move on his part, but he couldn't take it back.
He tried to ease the tension he had caused, but asking Kit to guess the rules of their kind.
"Guess your rules?" Kit's eyes widened, "Gosh, I don't know."
"Try," Emmett urged, "It'll be fun."
"Fun," Kit repeated wryly, "You just want to laugh at me."
He did just that, unable to help the boisterous sound. She knew him so well and she was so cute. He felt her warm sigh drift over his skin and it looked like she was willing to play his little game after all. He was itching to hear what she would come up with.
"Okay...I guess," she began, "Drawing attention would have to be one, wouldn't it? It's why you act human."
"One down, sixty-three to go!" he laughed at the expression on her face.
"Sixty-three?" she cried, "Nuh-uh."
"No," Emmett chuckled, "There's no where near that many. Another one is about hunting, but that doesn't quite apply to us considering our diet. Hunting is forbidden in Volterra, but it's not like we go there every other weekend—Carlisle lived among them for a couple of decades before moving on. There's a couple regarding some other creatures. False witness is punishable by death…still with me?"
"Yes," she said and he was surprised to hear no boredom in her tone, "I'm listening, keep going."
"Ah, we can't be noticed in open sunlight—I know I still need to show you," he smiled when she lightly smacked his chest, taking her hand and kissing her palm, "A creator is responsible for their newborn's behavior and teaching them the laws. Vampires' interaction with-
"Not. Another. Word. Emmett," that was Carlisle's voice, stern and commanding. Not as a father, but as a coven leader, "That's enough. She doesn't need to know everything, right now."
"Are you crazy, shut up!" Rosalie hissed, "Ugh, learn to have a damn filter, Emmett! You've endangered us enough!"
"What?" Kit's soft voice distracted Emmett from Rosalie's string of expletives. If she didn't stop, Esme would scold her, "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was thinking," he muttered absently. He gestured for Kit to stand, then copied the motion, "It's time to go."
He was still looking at his door, worried now. Kit was looking at him weird, switching between him and his door. He felt bad. He almost told Kit their most important rule: vampires' interaction with humans must not draw wide attention, no matter if the relationship was of friends or food—if a human became aware of them, the vampire at fault would be responsible for silencing that human.
Obviously, Kit was aware that he was a vampire and if the Volturi found out, then it would be Emmett's job to either turn her or kill her. He was absolutely content with the first option, but was unsure if that's what Kit wanted. They never talked about it.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, babe," he smiled at her, eyes crinkling, "Fine," he smirked when Kit flicked her eyebrows up, "Good," he corrected, "Alice is getting impatient, that's all."
End Flashback:
Since that conversation, Emmett had started to choose his words much more carefully and Carlisle had had a very firm talk with him about it. He had never been good with words and just blurted out this thoughts. As patronizing as it sounded, with a human mate, he had to be much, much more careful, More than just physically.
He shrugged off the thought. The Volturi. He actually snorted. Those ancient vampiric fossils were the last thing he needed to worry about. He had never even met them before and highly doubted that he ever would.