A/N: Phew! Between my lack of personal time and the amount of editing this one needed it seems like it took forever, and I thank you for your patience! Most of these beginning chapters were written in first person, and they've needed to be changed to third. If I let an I slip in place of a he/she, let me know and I'll fix it, as well with any other errors or constructive feedback.


Bella

"Rise and shine," Emmett said and she sat up in bed. Bella hadn't heard him get up. They were up late talking and he was telling her about his job, how his dad, granddad, and brothers were all firefighters. It seemed to be the most important thing to him - his whole identity. Now, here he stood, at the corner of the bed with camera, cameraman, and the producer.

She'd asked him the night before if he didn't save people's lives, what would he do?

"Football coach, I think."

That suited him. His demeanor showed that he could be fun, yet competitive. However, now, he was looking at promoting to engineer at his station, and so he was laser-focused on that.

"And you?" he asked. "You mentioned working for a publishing firm as a junior editor. What would you do if you couldn't do that?"

"I don't know. Uh…teach at a college level, I guess. I imagine I would teach in some way, even if it wasn't in the classroom."

"I didn't like school, but I imagine if I had a hot teacher…" he chuckled.

Hot teacher? Bella was the type of person who seemed to blend into the wall. She was there to do a job, to read manuscripts and recommend to the senior editor the most promising. That already took up most of her time. That was why she was so grateful to take a break, though it didn't mean she didn't have a manuscript or two tucked inside her suitcase. She hoped to make senior editor one day. They absolutely expected her back.

"Maybe you can teach me how to spell," Emmett said. "I'm kind of a crappy speller."

"Maybe," she laughed. Emmett was funny - he was one of the few people she'd met that was not embarrassed about who he was or his deficiencies. Being who he was was a given. She was grateful for it.

"Tell me one thing you're bad at…besides walking," he joked.

"Okay…well, the clumsiness…that's a pretty big one but it's gotten better as I've gotten older. Public speaking. I hate speaking during meetings. I say a lot of uhhhs and ummms. I sound like a doofus."

"So, you don't like being the center of attention?"

"Nope."

"Anything else? Because so far, I don't think that being clumsy and not being able to talk in front of people are so bad."

"Maybe not so bad to you. I can't tell a joke to save my life. Even when I'm happy people think something is wrong with me, like I'm upset or something."

"Resting bitch face."

Yes. "Yep. That and every emotion shows on my face."

He smiled. "I noticed that. Something else we have in common."

Not that Emmett had RBF. His face was in an almost constant smile. To Bella, he had to be the most pleasant guy around.

Bella eyed the tray of coffee with a covered platter in front of her, flashing back to the present moment. "Any guesses on where we're going on our honeymoon?" The producer was there to deliver their tickets and capture their reactions.

"No. You?"

"No. I just put down that I wanted to go somewhere I'd never been, but other than Florida and Arizona, that leaves all the other states and countries. I've been exploring venturing outside my comfort zone."

"How's that going for you?"

"Honestly? Terrifying." Her cheeks flushed as she imagined how she must have appeared to the camera. She hated feeling judged. Emmett and Bella had already had a discussion about this before, and they made an agreement to just pretend they were alone. Which was impossible.

He took the tickets from the producer as Bella nibbled on a slice of bacon from her plate. Dressed already in jeans and a light blue polo, he was ready for action. Emmett sat beside her, making a show of opening up the leaflet that held their tickets.

Then he let out a big whoop. "Vegas, here we come! Yeah! Viva Las Vegas!"

Bella's heart sank. Sure, she'd never been to Vegas, but the saying "what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas" penetrated her mind. She'd been hoping for something a little more low-key like maybe having to stay indoors during a blizzard, board games, Netflix. Emmett looked at her as she tried to smile. "Vegas. I've never been."

"There are like a million things to do there." He flipped through the accompanying stapled sheets of papers. "Deluxe accommodations, show tickets, and lists of things we can do there. Woot!"

"I'm sure it'll be great," she said, feeling it would be anything but.

Hours later, she realized just how outside her comfort zone she was as they walked the strip and every type of notable character beckoned their attention. Random people tried handing them business cards or fliers for parties. A few people hit them up for drugs. A woman with very large hoop earrings and wearing a tiny black dress with heavy makeup even came up to Emmett with Bella standing there beside him and whispered something in his ear.

He chuckled but held up his ring finger and gestured to Bella. "I'm a married man."

She leaned in to both of them. "I'm good with that. Three's more fun," she said.

Bella's eyes widened, and she turned away. Emmett just shook his head at her and led Bella away. Then he leaned into Bella. "Maybe some other time, eh?" he joked.

Emmett was very easy to like, and their hands naturally linked, but she felt it was more because he was trying to keep Bella from getting swept away from the crowds of people walking the strip and through the casinos.

On a whim, with the camera watching, Bella played $5 on a quarter machine, and he howled with delight as the 7's lined up three across in the middle row, and Bella won $250. Before she cashed out the ticket, he asked if he could double it by heading to the roulette table, so since she'd only invested $5, she handed it to him and followed as he approached the roulette table with the most confidence she'd seen, and when he bet it all on red, she cheered for him, even when the ball landed on black. He lost it all on one bet.

His features fell into a frown, and she felt bad for him. All their expenses were covered, but Emmett took the loss personally. "I'm so sorry, Bella. What a way to start our honeymoon. I shouldn't have bet the whole thing."

"It's okay."

"Okay," he said, stopping and taking both her hands in his huge ones so that people had to walk around them…and the camera and the producer. "I have an idea. You choose what to do today. Then tomorrow it will be my turn."

Bella smiled. She got to choose the next activity. She didn't want to think what his choices would be, so she considered…among all the things to do here, what would sound appealing to an introvert like herself. Something where she wasn't forced to interact. Just to sit, watch, enjoy. "Okay. I have some ideas."


Emmett

He lay beside his bride, though on a table adjacent to hers, and though almost nude except for the sheet that covered them, he liked the idea of getting a peek. She was a little thinner than he liked but attractive. Getting a couple's massage wouldn't have been in the top 10 things on his list, but as his masseuse worked the muscles in his lower back and shoulders, Emmett was putty in her hands.

It didn't come with the rumored "happy ending," but he supposed that was only in those movies.

While Bella hummed and moaned at the contact with her own masseuse, he enjoyed just being there and listening to her. No, they didn't have that connection that he hoped for but at least they liked each other enough to spend the time together. He found that she liked a lot of things he liked, not sports, though. That was okay. She blushed easily, and he knew that was something that came with being embarrassed or uncomfortable. He tried to be non-threatening towards her, only took her by the hand, didn't make any moves or come onto her. He figured if there was going to be any romance involved, he was going to let it happen naturally.

Then she chose the restaurant, a little diner way off the strip, away from the noise. The cameras accompanied them, and he liked her no frills attitude. She liked burgers and fries as well as pizza and beer. For the most part, he found it was easy to be around her and as they sat and watched David Copperfield do magic, he liked watching the expression of innocence on her face as the magician performed his illusions.

She had one more place to choose, and before the limo pulled into the parking area, Emmett had no idea what she'd had in mind.

"Are you looking forward to tomorrow?" Emmett asked her.

"No."

"Aw c'mon."

"I'm scared to death, Emmett. I went easy on you."

"Okay, tell me this, because I'm still thinking about it. What would you do if you weren't afraid to do it?"

"I would swim with sharks…I would dive off a really tall rock…fly through the air…wait. No. I'm afraid. Really scared to do all those things."

"It's my choice, remember?"

"What would you do if you weren't afraid?"

"Sing karaoke."

"What?! Get out!"

"No, it's true."

"Well, then we have to do that."

"Nope," he said. "After this, it's my turn."

They pulled in and he saw they were at another casino. "A show?" Since it was almost an hour till sunset, he thought maybe she chose another restaurant or maybe even a concert. But, no, his bride was more creative than that.

"What are we doing?" he asked but she shook her head.

"You'll see."

The elevator brought them to the top floor, and to his surprise, a helicopter awaited them. This had to be his favorite thing so far, as they took off and toured the city, saw the sunset from the Trump towers, and the people below them looked like ants from thousands of feet above. He gave her a thumbs up and held her hand as they flew above the long line of brightly lit hotels and casinos.

As they lay in bed that night, Emmett looked at his bride. He liked her. Her emotions were written all over her face and this let him know where he stood with her.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Bella asked.

"Okay, well the helicopter was the coolest thing ever, but also I enjoyed the massage a lot. And the magic show was a lot of fun. But, just wait until you see what I've got planned."

She yawned. "I'm terrified already."

"You said you were trying to step outside your comfort zone."

"Yeah, I really regret telling you that."

"It will be fun. You're going to love it."

The way her brows came together showed him she didn't agree, but she only said, "Good night, Emmett."

"Good night, Bella. Sweet dreams."


"Straighten your legs, bend your legs, arch your back…and most importantly, hang loose and relax…"

"Emmett, please, I don't wanna do this," she said as they watched the instructional video. "And I feel like an oompa loompa."

"But you said." He liked the dark blue color of her flight suit, and this activity wasn't about fashion anyway. "Besides, there isn't any bungee jumping here, and this is the next best thing to skydiving."

"I know what I said, but I also said I was too scared to do it."

They had the circular room to themselves, with the exception of the camera operator, suited up as well, and the instructors who gave them the directions. All dressed in helmet and gear, Emmett felt this was still the safest option, considering how she'd said she wanted to fly. Still, she was shaking like a leaf.

"But, you aren't afraid of heights," he called out as the instructor let them free jump around the room like they were human jumping beans. "We went up in the helicopter. Besides, look around. It's padded everywhere. And you're wearing a helmet."

"Correction," she said, her brow crooked at him and alternating her feet as she skipped around. "I'm not afraid of being up high in a secure, enclosed area. This is not…huh…I'm gonna pass out, Emmett."

The loud whirring of the fans above created a cushion of gushing air, and Emmett watched as one of the instructors demonstrated the proper position and then followed it with tricks like spinning and swimming. They'd even gone so far as floating up to the ceiling. Though Emmett had stood at the top of ladders before, helping people out of burning buildings, his palms were sweaty in anticipation. This experience was a first for him as well. "Bella, please don't be afraid. Don't get yourself worked up."

The instructor named Carl gestured Bella forward and her back hugged the wall, but he took her by the hand, leading her to the middle, and gave the thumbs up for the operator to initiate the fan.

"Emmett, I changed my mind," she shouted. "I…don't…want…"

At once, a gust of wind blew her upward, and Carl held onto the leg and arm of her flight suit so that she drifted and worked to keep her body horizontal. Emmett cheered her on as he noted that she'd seemed to get the hang of it, holding her position. After much practice, Emmett and Bella had been able to manage holding hands and floating in a circle with the assistance of the instructor keeping them balanced and steady high up in the air.

Emmett's heart pounded from the adrenaline, and the look of sheer delight on Bella's face had been worth all the angst.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, when their feet touched the netting of the floor. Laughter erupted from her mouth when she met his eyes.

"Oh my God. That was so much fun!" she said. "I can't believe we did this. I can't believe you made me do this."

"You were amazing, Bella! You can't walk worth a damn but you're a natural at flying!" he said. "Do you wanna go again?"

"Hell no!"

"But you said…"

"It was fun, yes, and I'm glad I did it, but I think I can cross that off my bucket list now."

"Okay," he agreed. It was such a rush and blood still pounded in his ears. It was thrilling to know they could relive it with the footage the cameras had captured.

When they left the building she was quiet as she looked at him, but this was one of those times her face didn't show what she was thinking.

"Thank you," she said. "I never would've done that on my own." Emmett smiled. "Oh God," she said, frozen as terror took over her face. "What else do you have planned?"

"Take it easy, Bella. The best is yet to come."

The best, for him, was sliding through tubes and slides at the waterpark. And riding the rollercoaster at the top of the Stratosphere and then sitting by the pool to relax and order drinks.

They were like two little kids, and he found once she let loose, she was as eager as he was to do them.

At the end of the night, Emmett still wasn't sure what to expect, though he imagined from the camera's point of view, they'd grown a little closer, and she'd become a little more comfortable holding hands. And she didn't pull away if he hugged her. But, she never initiated it and pulled away fairly quickly.

The lights from the strip streamed in through the window, and she scooted against him in bed, but not in a provocative way, a measure of comfort, and he didn't dare take advantage.

"Emmett, I have to tell you something."

"What?" Her tone was so serious. "Are you a man?" He laughed.

"I'm not over my ex, I don't think." She turned and faced him, then told the whole story of how they'd been best friends for years and then got together and how all of a sudden he only texted her for booty calls. Emmett was outraged by this. "The reason I'm telling you all this is to be fair to you. You are such an amazing person, and I like you as a friend, but I don't know if I will feel more than this."

"I get it. Thanks for telling me." Emmett was disappointed, and he knew the room camera picked up their private conversation in the dark. From what he understood the show was free to record unless they designated otherwise and had to give a good reason. So, now with this confession, what did this mean for them? That she wasn't even going to try?

"I guess I shouldn't be here. This…other woman here said that maybe I shouldn't. And I'd met another man the night before we married, and it was different with him…than with you."

Met another man? Did that even matter? They weren't married yet. "So, I'm getting the feeling that you already know how you feel and are sure that's not going to change."

"I'm not sure. I'm so sorry. I understand if you want to talk to the producer, have this ended prematurely."

He scoffed. "Are you having fun, Bella?"

"I am having so much fun, Emmett."

"Would we have met under any other circumstances?"

"My guess is no."

"Okay, then, let's just see this through. You said you were friends with Jake and then it became something more."

"Yes."

"Well, okay. Let's just go through the motions and see where it takes us."

"You are so amazing, Emmett. I don't deserve you." She yawned and squeezed his hand.

"Good night, Bella."

"Good night."


A/N: Does anyone see Emmett escaping the friend zone? You'll just have to stay with me to find out. Many thanks to those reading, following, and especially reviewing! Would love to hear from you. :)