Emmett
Emmett would never admit it, but the scenes unfolding before his disbelieving eyes were the scariest thing he'd ever witnessed. And he was once torn to pieces by a bear.
After the battle with the newborns, he felt satisfied and validated. A high he couldn't wait to take advantage of later in the bedroom with Rosalie.
But the joy vanished abruptly when he smelled the fresh blood and a pain-filled scream ripped the air. Only later did he realize that the scream came from Carlisle's throat, carrying the lifeless body from a bloody heap of misery.
He didn't have to be an empath to feel Carlisle's pain. His desperation was palpable and he felt the uncertainty that suddenly prevailed.
But Lily's heart was still racing and he was amazed at how much a human could endure. He was also endlessly relieved to detect the restless sound. Her blood made him thirsty and he could feel the venom pooling in his mouth, but suprisingly, blood was the last thing on his mind.
Carlisle was unresponsive and Emmett felt insecure for the first time in his second life.
They all counted on Carlisle to be their leader, father figure, sanity and soul of their family. Seeing him like this was something none of them had expected and it was noticeable how much it scared them all.
He hugged Lily's body, whimpering, and when Esme, heart and warmth personified, carefully placed her hand on his shoulder, his whole body went rigid and he growled at his sister.
His eyes were black and there was an anger on his face that Emmett had never seen before.
He immediately intervened, Carlisle didn't know what he was doing. Carlisle would never forgive himself if he accidentally caused his family harm. Emmett wasn't sure if he could really fight Carlisle. The respect and recognition was too great for him to attack the kindest man he had ever known.
Jasper just stared at him, and Emmett wondered for a moment if the blood, his thirst, Lily's pain, or Carlisle's desperation was worse for him.
Eventually they were able to persuade him to return to the house. The wolves flanked her, but Carlisle made it very clear how close they were allowed to get to her. A commotion broke out that Carlisle didn't even notice.
Emmett just stopped the gray wolf from attacking him angrily and he tussled with him until the black wolf barked a word of power.
Once inside, Esme ran for towels and a bowl of water, Rosalie wouldn't leave Carlisle's side, and so Emmett was there too, ready to defend her at any moment.
His muscles were tense and he never took his eyes off Carlisle. He didn't want to make a misjudgment that might trigger something terrible.
It would only be a few hours before he realized with horror that Carlisle wasn't the real danger.
It had started out with a strange tension in the air.
A tension that was becoming more and more uncomfortable, but he couldn't put a finger on it. The faces of his family members were frozen, and as the first window cracked, he noticed Jasper shooing Alice out of the house.
His first thought was that Lily's pain and Carlisle's desperation were too much for the empath, but as more and more panes gave in to the pressure and cracks began to form in the concrete as well, he realized Jasper wanted to keep Alice safe.
His first impulse was to do the same with Rosalie, but he knew her too well to know that under no circumstances would she leave Carlisle and Lily's side. Besides, he couldn't leave Carlisle and Esme alone.
Not when there was such chaos.
So he remained and stared in horror at the ever-widening crack in the wall.
Rosalie's eyes were fixed on Lily, but she too flinched slightly when the next deafening crack was heard. Edward was still with Bella and he cursed his brother and his absence for a second. He needed him now, Carlisle needed him now more than ever.
Emmett was the protector of the family. It was his job and he did it well. He had no idea how to calm Carlisle, how to make this better. He had no idea what to say.
The screams pierced his heart and his hands clenched into rock-hard fists. He felt his skin give way, but he didn't move. He was still tense, still trying desperately to locate the danger. His senses were tingeling but still, he miss to find the source.
He felt the uneasiness rising in him.
Edward still wasn't here.
The situation made little sense to him.
Eventually he could smell Edward's scent and his tension eased a bit.
It wasn't until he heard Edward's barking scream, almost begging Carlisle to calm Lily, that he suddenly realized it was her.
She generated the energy, she knocked over the furniture, created the cracks in the walls and cracked the windows.
It was Lily.
The second Carlisle's hand pressed against Lily's forehead, there was suddenly an eerily quiet.
Only now did he notice how loud it had been before.
But how did she do it?
It was too uncontrolled for telekinesis, the objects bore no commonality, they didn't really share an element, and if he had felt the tension as well, its integrity was due only to its indestructible nature. But how long would he have held out, how long would their bodies have endured until they finally shattered like the panes or the concrete wall.
Reflexively, he placed himself in front of Rosalie and Esme.
He was the protector of the family, it was his duty to defend them.
But the realization that his strength was useless in the face of such power left him helpless.
The tension almost disappeared and was only slightly felt, now and then the house groaned under the pressure, but at least the walls still held up.
Rosalie leaned into him and he was only too happy to give her the support and protection he so desperately needed himself. Who would have thought that just a short time after destroying a horde of newborns, he would now be put in his place by a 125 pound young woman.
At least it got better after Carlisle desperately tried to calm Lily again and again with whispering words. But the shock was deep. Not only with him.
Edward and Esme had twisted their faces into deeply worried expressions and he knew they were all thinking the same thing.
Same as him and Jasper.
Lily was a threat.
A danger to themselves, to their family and to others.
Her strength was incalculable and he knew she was just beginning to develop.
What should stop her if she wanted to drain the whole Forkser High School in a moment of weakness.
Who should stop her?
Who could stop her?
His gaze flickered to Edward, Emmett knew he had heard his thoughts. Edward's expression hardened and Emmett saw immediately that he had exactly the same thought.
The same fear.
To make matters worse, there was still Carlisle.
Everyone knew he would never leave Lily.
He would forgive her anything, no matter how painful it was for him.
He would never let anyone harm her.
And Rosalie.
No matter how hard she tried, Emmett knew right away that she grew to like Lily. More than that.
He wasn't exactly sure what she saw in the human, but it was something he couldn't underestimate. Even if Rosalie record was unstained, apart from the creatures she had vengeance on, she would defend Lily as well, if only to rub Edwards face in it.
So Emmett had no choice.
He would not oppose his mate or the head of the family.
He had to accept Lily and could only hope that she would have more self-control than he did.
If she had half as many failures as he did, they would be certainly far more destructive than his.