Earth

“And he once bought me a Porsche, custom built. It was my dream car, actually.

Vivian picked up another steaming chocolate chip cookie, “Why don't you have it now?” she asked, looking over at her mother.

Sayen gave her daughter an embarrassed smile, “We crashed it exactly one week later.”

“What?!”

Nodding, Sayen licked the chocolate from her lips, “Yeah, that's what Mom said. We didn't do it intentionally. We were in Vancouver for the weekend, I think it was for a concert. Anyway, I've always had a thing for fast cars. Emmett didn't want me driving over 80, the over protective bear,” Sayen shook her head, “I convinced him to let me drive on the back roads and it was going good until this adorable fawn came darting from the woods. He told me not to hit the brakes, or swerve. I couldn't run the baby over so I did both and the car flipped- thankfully missing the baby – and I remember looking up and seeing the asphalt. I thought I was about to die, but Emmett had already broken the seat belt, pulled me from the car, and was coming to a stop a few yards from this big heap of black metal. The car was in flames, I was practically a statue, and Emmett was shouting about how irresponsible and fragile humans were, but I swear that baby deer smiled at me before running away.”

Vivian grinned, “It sounds like you guys had quite the life. Why didn't it work out?”

“Well...it was complicated. His family knew we were close, but most of them didn't think it went past a platonic thing. He was married at the time, but he wasn't happy. I suppose things got better between them because it wasn't even few months before he and his family left.” Pausing, Sayen looked toward her room. “I have a few pictures of him left. I kind of burned the rest of them.”

Though her heart was heavy and her mind weary, she went to her room and pulled the box labeled in black from under her bed. It was Vivian's right to know what her father and his family looked like. It was a half of Vivian and it was a half Sayen wouldn't ask her to forget. As she put the box on the coffee table in front of them, the rock in her throat seemed to swell. It had been at least two years since she even touched the box, much less look at its contents. Still, as the hours passed, and the stories behind the pictures were told, Sayen felt happy when Vivian's smile grew wider and wider.

Eventually, Vivian's eyes drifted closed. Sayen put the albums back in the box, all save for the one Vivian clutched to her chest. Pulling the afghan from the recliner, she draped it over her daughter and bent to kiss her forehead. She smoothed back Vivian's curly hair. Though most of her looks came from Sayen, she had Emmett's dimples, curly hair, and personality. Emmett..., Sayen stood up and headed to the phone. Before her passing, her mother had given Sayen the number. I guess I'm not the only one that hoped it would work out, Sayen thought, dialing the number to the Cullen household.

She licked her dry lips and leaned against the wall. “Hello?” A familiar, musical voice greeted.

“Carlisle? It's me, Sayen,” she whispered.

The line was quiet for a second before the doctor spoke. “Its good to hear from you. How have you been?”

It may have been her imagination, but his words seemed rehearsed. “Um, fine. I was wondering if I could speak to Emmett?”

“One moment.”

Again, the line went quiet. She seriously contemplated hanging up the phone. It was too late though. She'd already spoken to Carlisle, which meant the others knew of her phone call. It was one of the many downsides to knowing vampires. If she didn't know their secret, she probably would have pressed END. “Sayen? Damn, girl, its been awhile. What's up?”

The air left her lungs and her knees gave out. As her rump made contact with the floor, she managed to form a shaky, but coherent sentence. “Um, not much. I was wondering if we could meet up sometime? I've got some, uh, pretty major news to tell.”

“What did I tell you about gossip, or don't you remember?” he asked with a laugh.

She could almost see his dimpled grin, or see him pull himself onto the kitchen counter. He usually did that whenever he was in the kitchen- despite how many times Esme had told him that it was rude. “Yeah, I remember, its bad for the colon or something like that,” she said with a shaky laugh.

“You all right? You sound kind of sick,” Emmett asked.

She let out a short laugh, “You could say that.”

“Oh, well, how about Monday? We can meet up at the mall and piss of those Rent-a-Cops like we use to,” he suggested.

She smiled and sighed, “Sure.” She hung up and let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. It was amazing the effect he still had on her after all this time. If she could just...

Sayen shook her head, standing up and wiping her moist eyes with the back of her hands. Placing the phone back on the hook, she went up the stairs and locked her bedroom door behind her. She grabbed a long tee shirt and underwear from the dresser drawers, and went to the adjoining bathroom. Tossing the clothes on the sink counter, she went to turn on the shower. When the steam billowed from behind the frosted glass shower door, she stripped and hopped in the shower.

As she washed and rinsed herself off, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like had Emmett not been married. If he felt the way she did. If he thought she was as amazing and she thought he was. He's just another guy. Mama always said I shouldn't put him on a throne, but damn. After his life, he deserved to be treated like a king. Right? It was a problem Sayen had. She was a lover and giver. She always gave all of her to whomever she was with. It was just in her nature. She just had to take care of them. She had to put their needs and wants first. Damn it, weren't her wants and needs important too? Why was it that they never gave anything back? Why did she always wind up getting hurt?

It wasn't like she was unfaithful, except that one time back in junior high, and it wasn't like she didn't try. She didn't ask much from life, but wasn't it owed to her to find someone that wouldn't toss her to the curb after giving them everything? Of course it was, but life didn't work that way. Nope, life was a bitch and she kept kicking and kicking until there was no coming back.

The slippery floor of the shower worked its magic, and Sayen fell, hitting her head on the wall. She hissed as hot tears leaked from her shut eyes. It wasn't from the pain at the back of her head. No, it was the pain from her heart that made her curl into a ball and shut her eyes. She let the steaming water pour over her and wished it would wash all of the memories down the drain. But it didn't, and she was still alone.