Chapter 5 - Port Angeles, Late March 2006

Where were they? They couldn't have left her, could they?

Carys stumbled down the stairs of the club, searching over the heads of the crowd downstairs one more time in her drunken state. She had to lean an arm against the wall to prop herself up as her head swayed from side to side to the beat of the loud music.

They'd all been ready to go when she'd announced she needed the loo and ran off to join the queue, but Monica had said they'd wait for her.

Or, she'd slurred and yelled it in her ear at any rate.

Damn. Carys felt tears spring to her eyes as she staggered and pulled her bag up to her face, trying to concentrate on the contents. It took her two fumbling attempts to open the zipper and discover she only had twenty dollars left. Enough for her share of a cab back to Forks, but nowhere near enough to get there on her own.

She continued to stumble as she closed and dropped her bag to her side, having to concentrate a bit too hard on undoing the knot of coat arms at her waist. One day she might start paying for cloakrooms again. This was not that day. Or, night, if she was being pedantic.

Carys pulled her coat on as she walked unsteadily towards the entrance. Weaving her way through the crowd, she gave no thought to how she must look, wearing a thick coat over her short sparkly dress and wiping tears from the corners of her eyes before they could fall and take her eyeliner or mascara with them.

She slipped as she stepped out into the cold air, and the bouncer had to grab her to stop her from falling to the floor. She thanked him as her face twisted with embarrassment, and he only let her go once she had both feet firmly under her.

"Wait, how're you getting home?" He asked her with concern.

"I've got her," a deep musical voice replied from her left, and Carys swung around to see who it was. It took a moment or two for her vision to stop spinning and settle as she stopped moving. "I'll make sure she's home safe."

"D'you know him?" The bouncer asked her, frowning and stepping forward - more than ready to insist she came back in, had some water, and waited for a cab.

Carys squealed as she realised who was standing in front of her and she leapt forward to throw her arms around his neck, hanging off him more than onto him. He brought his arms around her to hitch her back up onto her feet again.

"Emmett!" She exclaimed before turning to the bouncer and grinning widely. "He's my son!"

Emmett tried to cover his laughter for a second or two before giving in when he saw the incredulous look on the bouncer's face.

"He's your son?" The bouncer asked through a raised eyebrow. Carys nodded emphatically - and then continued nodding when he didn't seem to agree it was entirely possible and understandable a statement. "When did you have him? When you were two!?"

Carys shushed Emmett as his boom of laughter filled the street, holding a hand across his lips and giving him a stern look before turning back to the bouncer with a proud smile and nearly closed eyes.

"Yup. He's mine. It's not his fault he's so big. He... He's only 18, still a bay-by." She hugged him harder and placed a surprisingly dry kiss to his cheek whilst patting his head. "I was twenty-two when I got this one!"

Emmett tried. He really, really tried not to laugh. Really, really tried. It was oddly endearing to hear her talk about him and defend him being her son like that after not seeing her for so long, even if it was only because she was incredibly drunk. The bouncer was just shocked enough at this stage to wonder...

"This one? As in..." The bouncer's eyes swept over her from head to toe, and he stepped back with his hands up when Emmett growled in response.

"As in...? Oh! As in, I've got five. Five children," she repeated, releasing Emmett finally and counting out her fingers to hold them up for the bouncer to see as she nodded again. "Five - two are fostered," she stage whispered the last as if it was a secret, swaying forward and covering Emmett's ears for a moment as she spoke.

"And you're looking incredible for it!" A woman standing in the queue to enter called over, and Carys raised her arm above her head and cocked her hip as a round of applause and tipsy cheering went up from the people shivering around her. Emmett, momentarily at a loss at the strange humans' behaviour, swept an arm around Carys' shoulders and turned her away towards his Jeep parked just down the road.

"How about we get you home before you confuse half the city?"

"How-erm. Yeah... What? Yeah. How'd you know..." She waved a hand wildly in the air. "I needed a ride?" Carys asked him when they were out of earshot of the people outside the club as she snuggled into his side as if he was far warmer than he was.

"Was I wrong?" He asked, shaking his head at her and opening the passenger door for her. When she staggered and went to hitch up the short skirt of her dress to manage the high step, he waved off her hands and lifted her in. The exclamations from the club door went up again, and Carys grinned as Emmett reached across to take care of her seat belt too.

"T'was Alicccee, t'wasn't it?" Carys purred at him, before giggling uncontrollably for long minutes. She only stopped murmuring "t'wasn't" and giggling at herself when they left the centre of town and she saw a drive-thru in the distance. Emmett winced but chuckled to himself when she yelled out, waving her bag around and pointing out the windshield. "Emmett! Food! Please? Pleeaasseee? I've got money, and I'll get you a burger too? And fries. Fries. They're made from potatoes." She added the last as if imparting great wisdom.

"Are they now? I hadn't noticed." He told her dryly through a grin. She grabbed his arm.

"Oh yeah. Well, English ones are. Don't... Don't know about American ones. But English ones are. You're Irish, aren't you? I mean, American Irish? That... Must..."

"Mean I like potatoes as much as you do?" He finished for her, biting his lip and shaking his head as she nodded and stared up at him from where her face was pressed against his arm. "One, I don't think anyone likes potatoes as much as you do. Secondly - and I'm just checking..." He held a hand up. "You do remember I'm a vampire, don't you Carys?"

"Please Emmett? I'll love you forever."

"Forever and ever?" He replied, looking down at her with an expression of sadness and hope.

"Forever and ever," she agreed happily before her face fell and she slowly pushed away from him to sit properly in her seat for the first time since she'd got in the car. Staring out the passenger window, she spoke quietly - knowing full well they could both hear her as she massaged her aching chest and tears welled in her eyes. "Well... Maybe not forever."

"Carlisle loves you-"

"Don't. Emmett. Please. Just don't." Carys took a deep breath and her eyes rolled and began to droop slightly as she pressed her cheek to the cool window and steadied herself with a hand on the dashboard. "You know I didn't... It wasn't... I mean, I... I was going... I was going out tonight anyway."

"I know, Carys."

"It wasn't, you know. It wasn't because..." Carys broke off with a sob as she gave up trying to hold back her tears. "Because you all came b-ack!" Her shattered gasp filled the Jeep and Emmett wrapped his free arm around her, stroking her back as she cried.

"Let's get you that burger, eh Ma?"

"And fries," she moaned, sniffling gently.

"And fries, Carys."

"And a coke?" She whimpered.

"Whoa. You didn't tell me you had money!" Emmett exclaimed loudly, trying to lighten the mood in the Jeep. "Remind me, why am I driving you for free!?"

Carys wiped her eyes, streaking her makeup. She laughed brokenly through her tears. "Were Ja-sper an-d Rosalie too bu-sy?"

Emmett narrowed his eyes at the road even as a smile lifted his lips.

"Jasper would have eaten you."

"A-and Rosalie?" Carys questioned, trying her hardest to stage off a sob.

Emmett fell silent as he seemed to concentrate on the road for a few moments. When he spoke again, it was with a sadness that Carys couldn't quite understand the reason for. "My angel told me to get you home safe, or not to come back at all."

It was only as they turned into the drive-thru that Emmett released his tight grip on the steering wheel.

"Carys?"

"Hmm?"

"The only reason I'm here and the others aren't... Is because I'm the only one Alice could see holding back my anger until you were sober."

A/N: Thinking of going back and removing most of chapter 2, plus the Carlisle bit from the last chapter. I'm a very anxious writer is all... Hope daily updates to start aren't too much to get into!

So! We know that by March 2006, Carys thinks of the Cullens as her kids... But she's heartbroken... And has a coven of vampires angry at her - is it because of going out clubbing, or something else? What do you think?