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Chapter 42

The Day After

Bella

When I woke up, I was lying next to Emmett wrapped in the blanket. I saw his golden eyes looking at me dreamily and couldn't resist pressing a 'good morning' kiss to his lips.

"Hi, Bella. Nice to see you waking up too," he said with a grin.

I had a slight headache. But as I slid closer to him, I noticed other things that somehow didn't feel right. My back was all cramped up and hurt with every movement, as did my pelvis. I felt a small sting in my right wrist when I tried to lean on it and was startled to see the bruises around my wrists.

As I sat up to get a better look at my wrists, Emmett's breath caught beside me.

"Shit ... Bella. I didn't mean to ... Oh damn, why didn't you tell me I was too hard?"

I did not understand what he meant. Sure, the bruises on my wrists weren't that great, but I could hide them under long-sleeved shirts just fine. Besides, I couldn't think of a moment where Emmett had hurt me in any way, other than my sprained wrist. But even then, it was the shock rather than the pain that made me cry 'Ouch'.

"But you were never too hard!", I said with conviction. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me yesterday, but I could remember everything. "The few bruises on my arms aren't so bad, Emmy," I said, wanting to bend down to him to kiss him.

But his face had a suffering expression similar to Jasper's when he had to go to school hungry.

"Bells ..."

He gently held me back and put his cold hand on my back and I realized how I flinched slightly.

"Shit, you can spank me as a newborn for that as long as you want. Please, I'm so sorry..."

He reached under my knees with one hand and carried me into the bathroom of his room, where he placed me in front of a mirror and turned me slightly so I could see my back.

"Oh ...," was all I could say.

Now I knew why he was so worried. My back really didn't look pretty. It was covered with bruises, and I knew very well where they came from. When Emmett pressed me against the wall, I felt no pain, I was absolutely satisfied at that moment.

I had to smile with satisfaction as I thought about it.

"What else do you find funny about this," Emmett asked, confused.

He sounded a little desperate. The truth would probably cheer him up the most.

"I remembered where I got these bruises," I said honestly, blushing.

He rolled his eyes and stroked the insides of my naked thighs with one hand. At this, I automatically winced again.

I looked down and saw that I also had bruises between my legs on my thighs, right where Emmett's hip bones were last night approximately.

"Please, Emmy, don't worry about it. Yes, it hurts a little, now. But yesterday I was just overjoyed," I said, looking into his warm eyes. He carried me back to bed. "Really Emmett, it's not that bad. Don't worry, I won't beat you up when I'm a newborn. But why did you lose control like that yesterday anyway? Well, I mean ... just more than usual?", I continued to ask when he didn't say anything.

"Well, there's something else I need to tell you. And for that, I'm sure you'll beat me up if you're a strong little vampire ..." he said hesitantly.

What had he done to make himself act so guilty?

I raised my eyebrows and urged him to continue.

"Well, you know those drinks I brought you ..." he began.

But then I suddenly understood everything. Why I was so warm inside, why I wanted to jump Emmett all the time like a young wildcat and why I said things all the time before I thought about them.

"You gave me alcohol?!", I said, horrified. I wondered why I was so startled by this in the first place. Wasn't it somehow to be expected?

He nodded guiltily.

Jesus.

"But that still doesn't explain why you held back less than usual yesterday. I mean, you can't drink alcohol," I said.

"Well, one part of it explains it ... You were just so sexy, Bells! And all the time you made me hot with kisses here and touches there ... And the other part is that we can very well get drunk too ... just more indirectly," he stammered together.

My cheeks glowed as I remembered how I had really touched him all the time and rubbed my hips against him while dancing, knowing full well what effect that would have on 'Little' Emmy. But what did he mean that they could get drunk too?

"Like 'more indirectly'?", I asked, confused.

"So, we got drunk three moose, and when the alcohol was in their blood, we drank it," he said, and I laughed uproariously.

"You guys have what?"

I kind of felt sorry for the poor moose, staggering around drunk and being overpowered by three vampires.

He shrugged his shoulders and laughed along with me.

When I calmed down again, I looked into his guilty dog eyes.

How could one not forgive such a look.

"Yeah, it's all right, Em. I won't knock you out after you turn me. But don't you dare slip me alcohol again without me knowing!", I said and kissed him. Then I clapped my hands imperiously. "Now go get me some breakfast. If I can't move properly because of you, you'll have to serve me," I said with a smile, and he smiled back with his best dimples and saluted in front of me.

"At your service, ma'am."

And he ran down to the kitchen to make me pancakes.

He really served me all day and I relaxed in bed.

We watched TV together or played games on his consoles. In the sports games, I failed every time across the board, but I was really good at the fighting games.

At first I was just pushing the buttons wildly and hoping that some cool attack would come out of it. But now I knew almost every combo and was almost as strong as Em.

He gave me aspirin and after going to Carlisle to ask for some ointment for bruises and tension, he massaged my back with it. His hands were so gentle that it didn't hurt at all when he touched me there. He cooked me lunch and dinner, plus he sent a pizza delivery to Charlie's house with a message from 'me' that he should eat already and that I was still shopping with Alice.

But unfortunately I had to go home once.

So in the evening we practiced walking a little more so that it wouldn't look to Charlie like I had been 'sore-fucked'. Of course, Emmett put it in those words.

At home, Emmett carried me all the way to the door.

I went inside and already heard Charlie calling.

"Bella?"

"Yeah dad, it's me."

I walked to the foot of the stairs.

It already hurt less than this morning.

"So ... how was the party?" he asked, joining me in the hallway.

"Great! Everyone from school was there and also Jake and the others from La Push. And then at lunch today Alice wanted to go shopping."

I held up a shopping bag with some clothes Alice had given me.

"Fine, glad you had fun," he said, walking back into the living room.

I walked up the stairs.

Ouch ... we had not practiced climbing stairs.

I went into my room and there Emmett was already lifting me up like a princess and carrying me onto the bed.