I WOULDN'T MIND

seven. come home

▬▬ EMMETT COULDN'T STOP his smile from growing as he watched Cori happily examine the Styrofoam pillars before her. They were huge, making even him look small and Cori was like a kid getting to see her favorite characters at Disneyland. Her wide smile never ceased as she pulled her boyfriend by the hand.

It reminded him of the art gallery he had taken her to months ago, her dragging him around and that older couple. And it was still true, Emmett didn't want to be anywhere else. He'd happily let her drag him anywhere she wanted solely because it made her happy.

After seeing the lesser known Foamhenge, and taking more pictures then probably necessary - which she then emailed to Charlie - the two retreated back to their hotel room. It was large, the fanciest he could find in Virginia, the bed was plush cushion, the towels fluffy, and the table to the side of the room... very breakable.

Cori smiled as she laid on the floor, the duvet the only thing between her and the carpet, Emmett at her side. Both completely bare. Above them, a few sheets were stretched the width of the room, being held up by the tv, their duffel bags, the dresser and the chairs that went with the, now, broken table.

Piles of pillows and covers cushioned the otherwise hard floor, and the lights were dimmed. Rose petals covered the vacant, and sheetless, mattress and a bottle of the finest champagne sat in a bucket of ice on the nightstand.

"We broke the table."

"Adding it to the list." He hummed, pride swelling in his chest and she laughed, the world's most perfect sound - one only rivaled by the way she moaned.

Their post-sex haze - or pre-round four haze - was broken when Cori's laptop started ringing. She groaned as she rolled over, her nose tucked into the duvet below her. "Why did I bring that stupid thing?"

Emmett chuckled as he pushed himself up, in all his naked glory, and Cori shamelessly watched as he crossed the room to retrieve the treacherous device. In a second, he was next to her again, pulling a cover over his lower half as she pulled another cover up over her bare chest.

Jasper's contact bounced on the screen, the icon a simple picture of him in a cowboy hat. And when Emmett clicked the green button the blond vampire's face took up the screen.

"Yes?" Emmett asked as Cori leaned into him, her cheek against his bicep.

Jasper's eyebrows pinched as he took in the state of them, then their surroundings. "What is that?"

"Sex fort." Emmett smirked and Cori laughed as Jasper parted his lips only to close them and shake his head.

"Where are you?" He asked, his tone more serious.

"Virginia, but we're headed to Harvard next to see Carter." Cori smiled, keeping the cover in place.

"You need to come home."

"What? Why?" Emmett asked, his brows pinched at his brother's tone. Jasper was known for being brisk, but this was different. The edge in his tone sharper, his eyes narrowed just a bit and the curl in his lips a little more pronounced, like he was trying to keep himself from spilling a secret.

"Just come home."

"Not until you tell us why." Cori was slightly pissed that they were only on week two of their trip and already they were wanted back in Forks.

Jasper took a breath, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "It's Bella. Something... happened." Cori froze, her amber eyes wide and her jaw falling open in shock. She couldn't form words, she couldn't even form a coherent thought.

"We'll be there by morning." Emmett closed the laptop and pushed himself up, packing his bag then hers as quickly as possible. And when he was done, and fully clothed, he knelt down in front of his girlfriend, who had yet to move. "Shortcake?" He softly caressed her cheeks and her eyes met his, and the broken, scared look in her eyes broke his heart.

"What if she-"

"Don't go there." He shook his head, his thumbs skimming over her cheekbones as he kissed her forehead. "Not until we know what's happening." She nodded numbly, but still she couldn't get her arms or legs to move. So, Emmett hoisted her up and sat her on the bed before helping her get dressed. He left a hefty tip - and a note apologizing for the broken table - then they were on the next fight out.

>>>>> • <<<<<

▬▬ CORI WAS SHAKING AS they pulled up outside of the Cullen house, her nerves getting the best of her, her mind running a mile a minute with various scenarios. Each one more macabre than the last. Worst case, her sister was dead and now she had to murder Edward, very slowly and painfully. Best case, Bella had gotten hurt on their honeymoon - minor injuries but she knew that was wishful thinking. If it was something as simple as a broken bone, Jasper wouldn't have called them at all.

Before Emmett even put the car in park, she was flying out of her seat, her feet briefly hitting the gravel before she rushed towards the house, her wild eyes meeting Carlisle's steady gaze through the glass as he opened the door.

"What happened?" She rushed out and he raised his hands a little as if to calm her down. It didn't work. "Is she okay? Where is she? Where's Edward?"

"Cori." He stopped her from asking more questions as Emmett placed his hands on her hips, his fingers digging into her as nothing more than a way to keep her grounded.

"Tell me what's happening." She demanded, leaning back into Emmett's chest, her hands finding his and pulling them around so they rested on her stomach, her fingers wedging themselves between his. She felt like she couldn't stand on her own, the weight of every possible problem settling on her shoulders.

Carlisle let out a sigh, pushing his hand up into his hair for a moment, then his doctor smile tugged at his lips. "I think it'll be easier to show you." He titled his head a little towards the stairs then he turned.

Cori tilted her head back, meeting Emmett's eyes. "Don't let go of me." She mumbled and the fear that coated her voice had his heart sinking into his stomach.

"Never." He kissed her forehead before nudging her forward, her hands slipped from his and his hands drifted from her waist before latching onto her hand. Then they followed Carlisle, both filled with worry as they ascended the stairs.

The entire house was silent, albeit the sound of Bella's admittedly shallow breathing. Cori's hand tightened around Emmett's, a sliver of hope wedging into her chest because her sister was alive.

"Cori." Bella breathed out from her place on the couch, a blanket pulled over her with her legs curled underneath her. Her cheeks were sunken in, her skin sickly pale, the bags under her eyes very prominent, and she looked as if she were on the precipice of death. "Hey." She smiled, but not even that took away from her sickly form.

Cori's eyes darted from her sister to every other vampire in the room. Rosalie stood behind the couch, close to the human with her arms crossed over her chest - her stance protective. Travis stood at the back of the room, leaning against the large floor-to-ceiling windows with his hands shoved lazily into his pockets.

Esme stood next to Edward, her hand resting on his shoulder as if to comfort him. But he looked about ready to brush her off entirely. Alice stood with her hands laced in front of her, Jasper behind her and his hand on her waist - both looked torn. Carlisle stood just to the left of them, having stepped to the side as they ascended the stairs behind him.

Edward briskly shook off his mother's hand and Cori's eyes snapped to him and in no less than a second she had him pinned to the wall, her hand around his throat. "What the hell did you do to her!" She shouted before anyone had a chance to react and when Travis and Emmett moved to pull the girl off of him, he raised his hand to stop them. "Tell me!" She slammed him into the drywall and he grunted slightly and suddenly she could hear his thoughts... She could hear everyone's thoughts.

Her grip tightened as she closed her eyes and tried to decipher through the rumble of voices in her head. With a breath she settled on Edward and solely on his thoughts...

...hate me. I hate myself. I didn't know it was possible. Gotta get rid of it...

It was all mumbled gibberish that made no sense, so she focused harder, pressing him farther into the wall - Esme sighed a little making a note about having to patch it up later.

Then she heard it, what no one dared to speak aloud...

Bella's pregnant.

⚘‎ nova speaks┆one of my favorite things to write it's cori's absolutely dislike of edward, don't ask why, it just is

also, peep the cover for the au version i'm working on...

any predictions for the au??