Like a Skyscraper

Emmett and Kaelyn walked back into the cabin to see Lila sipping on a cup of coffee in the living room with Carlisle. When she saw Kaelyn, she quickly set her mug down and ran to embrace her daughter. Kaelyn returned the hug, careful to not squeeze her too hard. Lila had a few tears running down her face when they finally released each other.

“I’m so relieved!” Lila exclaimed and hugged her again. Kaelyn laughed and had to get her mom to let her go.

“You’re so cold,” Lila said and rubbed Kaelyn’s arms to try to warm her up. Kaelyn gently stopped her.

“Mom, that’s my new body temperature. Technically, I am dead so I’ll always be cold.” Lila was speechless but nodded. She hadn’t really thought what it would be like to have a vampire daughter. She was mainly concerned with extending Kaelyn’s time on Earth. Kaelyn led her mother back to the couch to sit down and talk to her about everything that would be different.

Emmett motioned for Carlisle to come into the kitchen so they could speak privately.

“How was the hunt?” Carlisle asked.

“She’s a natural. I’m not worried about her control. There were some campers out there, but she wasn’t too phased by them. I’m worried about Rosalie. I need to go back and talk to her and break things off with her. I want to be with Kaelyn, I just… I don’t…” Emmett didn’t know how to finish, but Carlisle understood.

“You need to be honest with her, Emmett. Tell her that you love Kaelyn and that you changed her. She’ll be angry, but that’s understandable. You two have a long history. But you need to stand your ground; don’t let her get in your head with threats. We won’t let her do anything to Kaelyn,” Carlisle told him.

Emmett knew he was right, but he was dreading going back to Forks and seeing her. After all that’s happened, he still cared for her on some level. She saved his life, and without her, he never would have met Kaelyn. She deserved to know where he’s been and why. She’s just so stubborn!

Emmett thanked Carlisle and walked back into the living room. Kaelyn was finishing up explaining things to her mom who was giving Kaelyn her undivided attention. Emmett waited until Kaelyn was done to speak.

“Kaelyn, I need to go back to Forks.” Kaelyn looked at him and stood up. She walked over to him and looked him in the eyes. Her now golden ones were piercing.

“You’re going to talk to Rosalie?” He nodded.

“I’m going to end things with her. I need to tell her and the rest of my family about you and what’s happened.” Kaelyn sighed but nodded. She wanted to spend more time with him now that she’s a new vampire, but she understood that he needed to take care of things.

“I plan on running there soon. Do you want to run with Carlisle later or ride with your mom?” Kaelyn looked back at her mother who was waiting for her answer too. She smiled at her mom and turned back to face Emmett.

“I’ll ride with my mom. We’ll have some much needed bonding time.” Emmett nodded and pulled her into a hug.

“If you have any problems with the smells around you, just stop breathing and try to focus on something else. You can call me if you need me, and I’ll be there in an instant. I wish I could come back with you, but I want Rosalie handled before you get back. I love you,” He whispered in her ear. Kaelyn held onto him tightly, not afraid of hurting him.

“I love you too. I’ll let you know when I get back into town.” Emmett said his goodbyes and kissed Kaelyn one more time before taking his leave. The sooner he dealt with this, the faster he could move on with Kaelyn. He ran as fast as he could through the trees to get back home. It was close to noon when he saw his house in the distance.

Emmett walked in like he normally did, but he didn’t see anyone around. He could smell several people in the house. Esme and Alice were the first two to come down and greet him. Alice quickly smiled and hugged him.

“Congratulations! I had a vision of it all,” She told him quietly. Edward and Jasper were the next two to show up. He glanced around but didn’t see Rosalie anywhere.

“She was here earlier. She might have gone out to hunt,” Edward answered his unspoken question. Emmett nodded and looked at his family.

“I have some news. I turned Kaelyn. Carlisle came to help, and we stayed up at the cabin near Port Angeles until her change was over. It was that or she was going to die. I gave her the option, and she said she wanted to be with me. Everything went well, and she’ll be back in Forks later today,” Emmett paused and looked at his smiling and encouraging family, “I really love her… I’m truly happy, and I can’t wait for her to become part of our family. But I need to talk to Rose about everything.”

Esme stepped forward and kissed his cheek.

“We’re so happy for you, Emmett. But you’re right. You need to go find Rosalie and tell her. This has been extremely hard for her. I know you both have been fighting, but she needs this closure as much as you do.”

Emmett nodded, “I’ll be back once I find her and talk to her.” With that, Emmett turned and ran right back out the door. He began to track her most recent scent. He ran for a few minutes before her scent began to get stronger and he zeroed in on her location. She was sitting on a rock near a stream deep in the woods. She didn’t even turn when she heard him come up behind her.

“Rose.” The blonde flinched and stood up from her seat to turn and face her ex-lover.

“You reek of your tramp,” She commented. Emmett wanted to growl, but he held himself back trying to be the bigger person.

“Don’t call her that. I came to end things, Rose. This has dragged on long enough. We both know it’s over between us.” Rosalie scowled.

“No. We both don’t know that. You decided that we weren’t worth anything when you started sneaking around with her. I’m trying to save us!” Emmett stopped himself from running a hand over his face.

“I turned her!” This made her stop in her tracks. Emmett couldn’t tell if she wanted to cry or scream.

“You made her into one of us? You took her life away from her?” Emmett could hear the anger building in her voice, and he could understand why. With her past as damaged as it was, he knew that she took turning someone very seriously and almost always opted not to.

“Yes, she was dying. She had terminal cancer. I gave her the option, and this is what she chose. I’m going to be with her, Rose. I love her—“

“Love?! You love her? You love her blood, Emmett! That’s what a singer is! Now you’ve damned her because of your own selfishness!” Emmett forced himself to calm down. Esme and Carlisle’s words rang in his head. They both needed closure, and Rosalie deserved to know everything.

“I know you’re upset, and I should have handled all of this better. I should have been up front with you and not gone behind your back, but I’m telling you now. We’re done, Rose. I care about you, but I don’t feel the same as I did before. I will never forget everything you’ve done for me, and I want you to be happy—“

“Screw you, Emmett. Don’t try to make yourself feel better by acting like the good guy here,” She sneered and turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Rosalie didn’t look at him when she replied.

“Alaska. I don’t want to be anywhere near you and your newborn.” She was gone in the blink of an eye. Emmett sighed, but he knew it was for the best. At least Rosalie didn’t try to threaten Kaelyn again. Maybe this time Emmett finally got through to her.

Emmett headed back to the house but stopped when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was Kaelyn and answered.

“Hey, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I was just calling to tell you I’m on my way back to Forks with my mom.” Hearing her voice was exactly what Emmett needed. He kept walking home while he talked to Kaelyn.

“Did Carlisle leave yet?”

“Yeah, he left when we did. So he should be getting back any minute now,” Kaelyn laughed. There was a moment of silence before Emmett broke it.

“Rosalie is gone. We talked, and she decided to go to Alaska to be with some family friends of ours. I don’t know if she ever plans on coming back.”

“I’m sorry, Emmett.”

“Don’t be sorry. This is for the best. I can’t wait to see your face…” Emmett said feeling mushy. Kaelyn would have blushed if she was still able to. They talked for a few more minutes before ending their call. Kaelyn would be back in Forks within the hour, and they would be together again.

~*~

Paul was working on a car outside at the mechanic shop he worked at when he picked up a familiar scent. It smelled like Kaelyn, and that made his heart ache. He’d been meaning to call her and check up on her, but he chickened out every time. He didn’t even know if she was still alive…

Paul pushed himself out from underneath the car feeling depressed now. He leaned against the side of the car and took another deep breath to see what it was he was smelling. Paul sat up straighter with a now serious face. It was definitely Kaelyn’s scent, but something was different. It was much sweeter…

Paul saw red.