I WOULDN'T MIND

five. corrupt

▬▬ CORI SAT AT THE TABLE next to Bella, her elbow on the hard surface and her chin his her palm as she watched as Emmett made his way onto the stage, he had been so excited about his toast the he had been talking about it for days, though he wouldn't actually tell her what he planned to say because, as he put it, it would ruin the whole thing.

He moved behind the mic, tapping it a few times. "Is this on?" He asked and Cori grinned at him. She let out a loud wolf-whistle and his eyes met her eyes as everyone turned towards him. A smile pulled at his lip then he shifted on his feet a little, slipping his free hand into his pocket as he held a glass of champagne in his other hand. "Umm...I'd like to propose a toast. To my new sister. Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these last eighteen years. Cause you won't be getting any more for a while."

Cori's jaw felt open, her eyes going wide. It was a vampire joke, that clearly, no human got which made it seem like a sex joke. Cori took a breath as she leaned back in her chair, turning her head a little to see Charlie take a rather large swig of his drink.

Emmett sunk into the seat next to her and she was utterly speechless as she looked over at him. "It was better in my head."

"No, it wasn't." Edward muttered under his breath, giving his brother a look, making the burly boy deflate into his chair.

"It's okay, baby." Cori leaned towards him, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly. "I liked your toast." She kissed his cheek, bringing a smile to his lips. "Not sure how anyone is gonna follow that."

"I'm never speaking in public again." He mumbled, settling his eyes on the stage as Jessica took to the mic. Cori let one hand fall to the table as the other softly caressed the back of his neck, her small fingers moving delicately across his skin and he leaned back into her touch as his eyes drifted closed.

Jess' speech, though not as – accidently – inappropriate as Emmett's, was definitely not a toast to give at someone's wedding. She talked about how Bella was mesmerized by Edward, which was true but where she lost it when she lined up a comparison of herself and Bella. All under the pretense of jealousy she still felt because the Edward Cullen had chosen Bella, and not her.

Once Jessica was in her seat again, Cori looked back at Charlie, who was pretty much pounding back drink after drink, and when he caught her gaze he nodded his head. It was nothing more than him letting her know that he wasn't quite ready, so she pushed herself up and made her way to the stage.

She felt a little self-conscious under all the watchful eyes, but she took a steadying breath. And a wide smile pulled at her lips when Emmett gave her a wide smile and two thumbs up. "You got this, babe!" Which got a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Sister of the bride." She wiggled her fingers in greeting. "Hi, um, where to start. Bella is... odd. And I mean that in the absolute best way possible. Growing up, it was like I had two moms – Bella liked to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. So, I don't think she ever let herself have anything a normal kid should because she was busy taking care of me, which couldn't have been easy. I was a handful. And I appreciate it, I really do. And I always wanted what was best for her, I still do. And as much as it pains me to say it..." A few scattered chuckles fluttered through the crowd. "-Edward just may be the best thing for her. And now that I've admitted that out loud, it's gonna go to his head. Massive ego, that one." She hummed, tipping her glass towards him as her eyes met his and he chuckled, shaking his head a little but he did raise his glass a little towards her. "Anyways, I'm happy for you guys. And I can't wait to see what the future holds for you." Applause followed as she left the stage and once she was close to the table, Bella pushed herself up and wrapped her arms around her sister's shoulders.

"You're still a handful." Bella mumbled into Cori's shoulder, making the younger girl laugh before they pulled back, sharing a smile as they both sat down.

"Yeah, but she's my handful." Emmett added, grinning at his girlfriend and she giggled, her eyes rolling a little.

Charlie was next, his fourth glass of fancy and ridiculously expensive alcohol in his hand. "Edward will be a good husband." He nodded, stating it like a fact. "I know this because I'm a cop. I know things." The crowd chuckled. "Like how to hunt somebody to the ends of the Earth. And I know how to use a gun."

"I'll help!" Cori nearly shouted and Charlie simply nodded at her.

"I also have backup." He spoke as though he was completely serious, but the wedding guest seemed to find his thinly veiled death threat amusing.

Alice talked about forcing Bella to get over aversion to fashion. Going on to list clothing items that had even Cori's head in a tizzy, and though she did agree that Bella could use a slight upgrade – clothing wise – she knew that none of what Alice had spoken of was Bella.

And Bella sank into her seat, leaning against her new husband when Renée sang a lullaby she had sung to the two girls when they were younger – it wasn't that the song was bad, it was more so that Renée was slightly tone-deaf. Still Bella – and even Edward – found the gesture endearing.

"I'd like to thank Renée and Charlie for bringing such a wonderful person into the world and into our lives." Esme spoke with a smile. "We will charise and protect her forever."

"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone you can bare your soul to. And who will accept you for what you are." Edward started, his hand lazily in his pocket as he held his glass of champagne in his other hand. His eyes solely focused on the blushing bride. "I've been waiting, what seems like a very long time, to get beyond what I am. And with Bella, I feel like I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. No measure of time with you will be long enough. But let's start with forever."

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ "WAS IT OKAY?" Renée asked, she was a little self-conscious about her song despite Phil repeatedly telling her that she did amazing.

"It was great, mom." Cori nodded, not having the heart to tell her that it was a little pitchy. "And just so you know, you're not allowed to sing at my wedding. No redos." Renée chuckled, shaking her head and pulling her daughter into her arms, then suddenly there was an excited cheer and they turned to see Emmett with his hand held in the air triumphantly, Bella's garter in his fist. "He's insane." Cori mumbled, but her eyes only held adoration for the man that soaked up the congratulatory pats on the back he got.

"Go." Renée nudged her a little and Cori grinned up at her mom before she made her way towards Emmett, jumping when she was close enough and he caught her, one arm around her, her ass on his forearm, as she pressed her lips against his, her hands on his cheeks.

He put the girl on her feet, his smile shifting into a smirk and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Now you just have to catch the bouquet. Can you do that?"

She loved that competitive spark in his eyes, and it ignited her own need to win. "Do you doubt me?"

"Never." He pecked her lips. "You got this, Shortcake. And not to add any pressure or anything, but I bet Travis $500 that you'd catch it. $600, if you tackle Jessica to do it."

A smirk pulled at her lips. "It's in the bag." She hummed and he grinned, pulling her to him to press his lips against hers but before either could get too lost in the moment they announced the bouquet toss. Cori quickly pulled away from him and joined the rest of the women that had taken to the dance floor, to her left was Jessica Stanly. She glanced over at Emmett and he simply nodded his head, she smiled and settled her eyes on Bella.

The bride shook her head a little as she turned and on the count of three she tossed her flowers backwards, hands shot into the air and Cori pushed off the ground, just enough to be humanly possible, her hand snatching the flowers and successfully knocking Jessica to the side, making her stumble into a nearby table – it counted as a tackle.

"That's my girl!" Emmett cheered as the girl held the bouquet up victoriously, a wide smile on her face. He rushed towards her, scoping her up and spinning her around as she giggled, her arms winding around his neck. She pressed her lips to his, her converse-clad feet dangling above the floor, and they didn't pull apart until a flash went off. They both turned to see the photographer smiling as she turned and continued to take pictures of the other guests.

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ CORI HUMMED CONTENTLY, dragging her finger across Emmett's bare chest. He smiled, tightening his arm around her and pulling her into him, his nose tucked into her hair and his eyes closed. Her dress lay in a puddle on the floor, next to a pile of his clothes, which both had shed the second they got the chance to sneak away – which just happened to be when Jasper and Alice had taken to the dance floor.

Her curls, though loose, were still intact and strewn across his pillow as his fingers lightly scratched at her scalp. She hummed once more and leaned into his hand, relishing in the feeling.

"I can't believe I ditched my sister's wedding to have sex."

Emmett chuckled, pulling her impossibly closer to him, her body molding to his. "I've corrupted you." He murmured, his lips close to her ear and she let out a breathy laugh. "I like that." He brushed his nose against hers before leaning his forehead against hers. "A lot."

"Maybe you have." She mused, pressing her lips against his. "But I don't mind." His hands gripped her hips, pulling her on top of him, nothing between them. Her knees were spread wide over his abdomen, their lips still connected and his fingers digging into her hips and he pushed her down his body. "Definitely corrupt." She mumbled against him and he grinned.