Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Twilight.

Chapter 3 – Emmett's POV

Rose and I arrived home from Seattle with the parts she had ordered for her M3. Alice practically knocked us over when she came running into the garage. Her face was alight with excitement. "Yes Alice?" I asked, indulgently.

"We are going out," she exclaimed.

"Where?" Rose asked, looking fleetingly at her car.

"A dance club." I watched the smile slide across my wife's face.

"Did Bella and Edward agree?" Rosalie asked.

"Of course," Alice trilled. "You can pick out your own clothes. I have Bella and Edward covered."

Rosalie smiled even wider, finding humour in the thought that whatever Alice had in mind Bella was going to hate it. I considered what Rose would choose to wear and I knew I would be satisfied. I considered all of the past dresses I loved of hers, most of which did not survive the day. Both of my brothers groaned from the other room. I couldn't wait for the big night.

The day we were going out my brothers and I went hunting. Hunting with my brothers was quite enjoyable, well at least Jasper was. Edward was moody because he was away from Bella. Jasper and I were used to getting away when the girls started getting ready to go out, but apparently Edward hadn't had enough time with Bella yet that he could handle a few hours apart.

I remembered life before Alice and Jasper. I shuddered at the thought. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my wife, my parents and my brother, but no one was ever willing to have fun with me like Jasper. Alice brought more life into the home, but Jasper brought more life into me. He can be as moody as Edward but he was also willing to spend time with me. I grew up with brothers that I wrestled and teased, Jasper brought that back for me. He's never been afraid to get dirty.

Jasper and I brushed the mud off before stepping into the house. Esme would murder us if we tracked mud in. Our clothes were laid out for us. I looked at what Rose had chosen and smiled remembering the time Jasper and I went out and bought the cheapest polyester track pants we could find and then wore them in front of our wives. Rosalie rolls her eyes and grimaces every time I wear them but Alice nearly had a breakdown when she saw them on Jasper. She won't even touch him when he wears them. We refuse to throw them out, much to their chagrin. They are actually quite comfortable. The deal is they won't burn them if we never wear them in public.

After slipping into my white pullover and beige pants, I sat down next to my brothers to wait for Alice to force Bella into her dress. This could take a while.

My mind wandered as we sat listening to the women upstairs. Then Bella must have seen her reflection when she exclaimed, "For crying out loud I am somebody's mother." It was as if the world stopped. I didn't have to see it to know the look of pain that would flash in my wife's eyes. I'd seen it enough when we saw women with babies, or anything that reminded her of what we couldn't have. I yearned to go to her, to wrap her in my arms and hold her until the pain subsided, or distract her if it didn't.

"How bad is it?" I asked my brother.

"It hurt, but she's going to act like it didn't happen," he offered.

I leaned back and tried not to imagine the look on her face she'd be trying to conceal. Alice convinced Bella to wear the dress and I patiently, well by my standards, awaited seeing my wife. As soon as she appeared on the stairs, I took a deep breath. I already wanted to rip it off of her. Why did time always go so slow? I tried to stop my mind from creating new ways to get her out of it. I knew my brothers were trying not to get sick.

I didn't even notice my sister's entrance until Alice made a joke about Bella and ripped clothes. Then I exploded with laughter.

We arrived at the bar and already Rose was excited. She slipped from the car and walked next to me, my hand aching to reach out and touch her. She looked unbelievably hot. I would have to remember to thank Alice for this idea later.

As we stepped in line Rosalie smiled as all the men looked at her and started drooling. This was the point in which I was allowed to touch her, to turn their desire into envy. I've often wondered if she enjoyed doing this to men as a punishment for the way she was treated as a human, when to all men she was merely an object to be conquered.

As I slid my arms around her waist she smiled smugly and all the male faces flashed with either anger or fear when they caught sight of me. It was nice to know none of these men would ever try and cross me because I wouldn't leave them standing. I never got to make Rosalie's ex fiancé, and his friends, pay; the first person to look at her like a victim wouldn't live to see another day.

We handed our ID's to the bouncers, both men sizing me up and knowing if they had to drag me out they wouldn't win.

Once inside I knew we'd be dancing. There was no way in hell I would last very long with my wife grinding against me dressed in that. It took a lot less for me to lose focus. Alice had already dragged Jasper in and Edward was trying to convince Bella. Rosalie turned to me and pulled on my hand to follow her in. I acquiesced and immediately started dancing with her. The good news was that I had the same effect on her and in no time she would lose focus too.

Suddenly Alice had Jasper so distracted by her that he lost some control of his gift and we all got slammed with the emotions of lust he felt emanating from the many bar patrons. Rosalie turned to look at me as our mouths crashed together. That was all it took. I pulled on her arm and she followed me off the floor. I led her to the back of the bar, I'd seen it more than enough in movies, slip into the restroom and we would be alone. I didn't prepare for the real world being nothing like the movies. More bouncers stood guard to keep people from taking alcohol into the restroom and there was a line up for all of the stalls. There was no way around these people, whether they feared me or not.

Rosalie pulled me toward one of the darker corners of the bar and pushed my back against the wall, her mouth crashing into mine in a fiery kiss. I couldn't hold out long enough for this hotel room. Good thing we had Rose's car. I was about to suggest that to her when a woman tapped her on the shoulder. "Get a room," she said.

"WHAT?!" Rose growled. She flashed the poor unsuspecting human her teeth.

"I…I…I…This is a public place."

Rose smiled coldly before grabbing my chin and kissing me hard and deep. I was surprised the woman didn't faint. As she pulled away, she smiled again. "I'm well aware of where we are. If I want to kiss my husband in a public place then I will do so." She lifted her hand up to flash the gold, diamond studded band in the woman's face.

The woman ran off and Rose turned back to me. "Some people are so rude." I didn't have time to respond before she was kissing me again. I kissed her back and slid my hand to her waist to pull her body against mine.

Breathlessly, I pulled back after a minute to ask her to go to the car. She smiled devilishly. "Play me a game of pool," she breathed.

I let out a low growl before smiling at my wife and grabbing a cue. "Are you betting me for something babe?"

"Control," she replied. I smiled, so basically it didn't matter whether I won or lost. This was going to be an easy game. "It's the best two out of three," she whispered seductively, inches from my ear. It was going to be a long easy game.

She played slow, taking her time with each shot. I was no better as every time I tried to shoot she would distract me. As soon as she beat me twice, I couldn't take it anymore and pushed her back so she was sitting on the table, my mouth against hers as she clawed at my back. "Can we go to the car now?" I begged. She smiled, her eyes darkening with desire. I lifted her down and she took my hand as we walked towards the door.

I didn't see it coming but one guy who walked by us muttered "hey baby," as his hand made contact with her back side. I froze only momentarily before I had him pressed against the wall, my right hand held against his neck. Murderous thoughts ran through my head and I wanted nothing more than to rip him apart. "I'm sorry Man," he whimpered. I pressed harder inhibiting more of his air supply.

"I think you owe the lady an apology," I said, my black eyes staring into his. I could see the blood pulsing in his neck against my hand. He choked one out.

Edward suddenly had his hand on my shoulder. "Emmett you need to let go." Jasper was affecting my emotions but this seemed to make me feel angrier as I fought against the haze. "Emmett, it's not worth it." I ignored my brother, plotting just how I could take this kid apart piece by piece.

Then I heard it, the one voice that truly had my attention. "Emmett let him go," she said softly, hearing the subtle edge of pain she was trying to keep at bay. The only reason I let go was for her. My brothers could never have stopped me from killing him. My wife however, had that power. I knew she needed me now more than ever and dealing with the fallout of murdering this man would make it difficult to be there for her. Letting go of this man was the single hardest thing I have ever done in my entire existence. I wanted to kill him, to torture him for making her relive the trauma of her past. I had always promised that if any man made her feel like a victim he would not live to see another day and now I had to walk away. It was too big a contradiction. I grit my teeth, dropping the only threat I had left in my power. "Don't you ever touch a woman without her permission again," I growled.

I let go and was about to walk away when I realized I just couldn't let him get away with it. I spun back around and swung my fist into his face as lightly as I could manage. His jaw shattered against the stone and then I took my wife's hand. I didn't try and wrap my arms around her. I knew it would make her feel as if I thought she was weak.

"Are you okay Rosalie?" I asked.

"I'm indestructible Emmett." Yeah Right.

"No Baby you're not. You just want people to think you are." She wrapped her free arm around herself, a clear sign she was shutting down and putting a barrier between herself and the rest of us. I hated seeing her in this much pain.

Once outside I clicked the lock for the M3 and pulled open Rose's door. "Where are we going?" I asked my sister. She quickly gave me the directions and then I slipped into the car and looked at my wife. She was looking out the window, likely lost in her memories. I didn't say anything as I put the car into gear and followed Jasper out of the lot. I'd give her time to deal with what had just happened before I intervened.

After a few moments of silence she looked up at me. I turned to look at her and could see the inward battle of trying to pretend she was okay. As I glanced back at the road I saw the lights in the distance. "We have company," I sighed.

"Do you think Jasper will…"

"Probably."

She slid her phone out of my pocket and dialed Jasper's number. I listened to the conversation, glancing back at Edward in my rearview mirror. Please Edward, I don't need this right now, I thought.

As Jasper made it through I pulled up to the cop. "Evening Officer," I said politely, ignoring his eyes rake across Rosalie. I hadn't calmed down enough from the last incident and this time I wouldn't stop.

"Have you had anything to drink tonight sir?"

"No officer I have not." He waved me through and I tore down the road after my brother.

When we arrived inside our hotel room I watched my wife turn gracefully to look at me. She smiled as she stepped towards me and I knew what she wanted. She wanted a distraction, anything to forget what had happened. However, I knew what she needed because I could see the lie in her smile and the pain in her eyes. She looked broken. It reminded me of the first serious conversation we ever had.

"Why is it that every time I try and touch you, you step away from me?" I asked as I watched her slide her arms around her waist like a protective barrier.

"If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't want to touch me," she sighed.

Her words shocked me. "What are you talking about?" I demanded. Her eyes flashed with agony and all I wanted to do was comfort her.

"I'm damaged," she said. Her face went cold then and her tone turned to ice. "You may as well leave now before you find out the truth. Edward knows and he didn't want me."

"Just tell me what you mean," I insisted. "I don't care what you did."

"I didn't do anything," she hissed. "At least I didn't start it. I just finished it." She slumped forward then, her eyes alight with fury.

"Rose," I whispered. "Please just tell me what happened?"

"In my human life, I was engaged to a very rich man with great prospects," she began. "Just before our wedding he ran into me late at night while inebriated with his friends. They attacked me, forcing me to do inappropriate things and beating me. In the end they left me for dead." She stopped talking for a second and I tried to see her through the cloud of rage that consumed me. If those assholes were still alive I intended to kill them, one by one. "That is when Carlisle found me and brought me here to 'save me'," she continued. "When I was strong enough I dressed in a wedding dress and took their lives. I murdered each one of them."

I was suddenly fascinated with his woman before me; she was a dichotomy of strength and vulnerability.

"First of all," I started. "That story does not make me think less of you. If anything it makes me think more. You did nothing wrong. You deserved justice for the injustice against you. Second of all, I will always want to touch you, but only if you want me to." If she could have cried, she would have. She fell into my arms then, pressing her face into my shoulder. "I will never hurt you," I whispered into her hair. I felt her melt into me as some of her tension washed away. She no longer had to be alone to face the demons of her past.

I focused my attention on my wife again. I reached my hand out and she took it. I gently tugged her over to the bed and she sat next to me, her mouth finding my neck as she tried to distract herself. I had to be careful here, by stopping her without making her feel rejected. "Rose," I whispered her name. She smiled against my skin assuming I was saying her name because of my desire. "Baby can we talk for a second?" She pulled away and the look in her eyes reflected that pain from all those years ago. "What happened tonight…" I started.

"It was nothing, just a stupid human boy," she said nonchalantly. "It's not like I was in any danger."

"I don't need either of my brothers' gifts to know when you are lying," I sighed. "I know it upset you."

"Of course it upset me, but I can choose not to let it affect me. Can't we just forget it ever happened?" The look on her face made me want to cry and at the same time I felt consumed with rage. I hated the men that hurt her. I wished I had had the opportunity to take them apart piece by piece.

"You don't have to pretend with me."

"What do you want me to say Emmett? Do you want me to break down and cry?"

"I want you to be honest about how you feel. I want you to be able to look in the mirror and not see a victim looking back."

"I can't break free from it. That is my strongest human memory."

"You're letting what he did control you."

"He destroyed me."

"Take back your power. He is only as powerful as you let him be."

"I killed him."

"Not physically. Emotionally. You still let the pain of your past control you."

"So what do you suggest?" she demanded. She stood up and backed away. I could see her rebuilding the walls around her that I had torn down. I had already pushed too far but I had to keep going.

"Forgive yourself."

"I didn't do anything," she hissed, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"No matter how many times you say that aloud you haven't convinced yourself."

"Thanks Freud," she spat.

"You need to believe that you did nothing wrong."

"I know I did nothing wrong," she growled.

"Knowing and believing are two different things. I know you don't believe it."

"Why are you doing this to me? I need you to support me."

"I do support you. This is the only way I can, by helping you break free."

She pressed her back against the door and I saw it in her eyes, that her trust of me was broken. I felt more pain than I had fighting the bear when I was human. I'd take an angry grizzly any day over hurting my wife.

"I need you," she whimpered.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, but you don't want me damaged anymore. It's finally too much for you to handle."

"You're not damaged. I need you to start believing that. You've been hurt babe, but that doesn't mark you for life unless you let it. I don't see you as a victim. I see you as the vivacious, stubborn, loyal, beautiful woman that you are."

"It's so hard to let go."

"I know, but don't you think its time?" She nodded her head and she released her arms from their tight grip around her waist. She took a tentative step towards me.

"I'll give it a try," she whispered, and in her eyes I watched the walls fall.

When she reached me I bent down to kiss her. "I'll never stop loving you. You are the most important part of my life."

"I love you too," she said, a smile breaking across her face. Tonight we wouldn't be rough, we wouldn't be fast. Tonight I would show her my love.