AN: All characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer, I can only take credit for the story itself.

So, this is the end of Hunger. Please let me know what you thought of Rosalie's story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seven – Hunger

His comment confused me. We don't eat; in fact, we don't crave food at all, so how could he be hungry. "Vampires don't crave food." I explained.

"But hunger can refer to other needs Rose. Haven't you ever felt a hunger for other things?" He stopped, turned to face me, and stared deeply into my eyes.

"I'm not sure what you mean." I returned his stare attempting to decipher what he was saying.

"How old are you Rose?" He asked quietly and I noticed a soft reflective expression on his face.

"I was 18 when Carlisle changed me." I noticed my voice had dropped to a whisper.

"Did you have a bow, someone you really liked?"

"Yes."

"How serious were you with him?" There seemed to be a new intensity in his look as he awaited my reply.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about him since I was changed."

"Have you ever been serious with any boy?"

I thought I heard a slight growl deep in his chest, and I wasn't sure where his line of questioning was leading. "What do you mean by serious?" I asked hesitantly.

"You know, serious, as in willing to do something special with him." I wouldn't have thought the darkness in his eyes could deepen, but as I stared at him, it did.

'Was he asking me what I think he was asking me?' I thought. I wasn't sure how to answer. I wasn't a prude, but there was a social taboo about such things. Nobody had asked me such a personal question as that before, and unless I was mistaken, he was asking me something extremely personal.

"Emmett, are you asking if I have ever . . ." I was thankful I could no longer blush because this was becoming extremely embarrassing. "If I ever had . . ." I found I just could not say the word.

"If you've ever been intimate? Yes, that's what I'm asking." His expression was no longer soft but had hardened and become more serious.

'Okay, so there was nothing shy about this man,' I pondered, and then I wondered why he wanted to know so I asked, "Why?" I whispered debating if I had angered him.

"Why what?" He retorted.

"Why do you want to know?" I started to stare at the ground because I was feeling a little embarrassed by this conversation, but I was also becoming uncomfortable with some of the unexplained feelings I was beginning to have regarding him.

"Maybe I'm going about this all wrong," he murmured ever so quietly. He seemed to take a little time before he continued, and when he did, he put his finger under my chin and raised my head so we were gazing deeply into each other's eyes again. Gone was the hard serious expression as he spoke. "Rose, the moment I set eyes on you, I knew you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I was positive you had to be an angel because no one could possibly be this beautiful, and then when that bear attacked me, I regretted the fact that I would never see you again. I was shocked when I opened my eyes and found your face so close to mine, and then as I burned in hell . . . well, I guess I wasn't really, was I?" I knew he didn't need an answer, so I just waited for him to continue. "Anyway, as I felt my body burning, I saw your angelic face still near me, and a few times I thought I felt a cool hand gently caressing my face. That hand brought such relief from the fires of hell, but it also sparked a feeling deep inside other parts of my body. When the fire stopped, yours was the first face I saw and for a moment, I thought I was in heaven. When I discovered you weren't an angel, I was actually relieved because these feelings would have been improper otherwise."

I couldn't stop myself and blurted out breathlessly, "What kind of feelings?"

"Feelings a man has for a woman, a deep hunger that grows inside of a man when he sees a woman he's falling in love with. Feelings about wanting to hold her, to kiss her, to caress her, and to be as near her as possible." He looked deep into my eyes and asked, "Am I scaring you?"

I couldn't help but giggle. I never remembered giggling before, but that's how it came out. It was the first time I had felt real happiness since I had been changed two years ago. "Emmett, I drink blood; I can kill a man as easily as a bear; I don't think you can scare me that easily."

He stepped nearer to me closing the small amount of space that had separated us, and I felt the tingling sensation of excitement running down my back. "Yes," we were so close I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke, "but we're not talking about any of those things, we're talking about a hunger that a man has for a woman; that I have for you, and you've never experienced that before, have you?"

He was right. I had never felt that before. All the boys I knew just lusted after me because I was beautiful. They saw me as a status symbol, as an object to possess and flaunt in front of others, and I was beginning to wonder if any of them had ever seen me as a living breathing human being. "No, I have never experienced that before," I answered truthfully.

"Rose," he asked, his voice a soft caress, "Have you never hungered for something, something you really desire deep down in your being?"

His question sparked a desire I had felt growing inside of me for some time. A hunger, I realized, to be someone special for somebody, to be needed and loved in a special way. I didn't want to be just another member of a family, but to be the focal point in a family. I hungered for love, not lust but a physical intimate love where I was the core of that love. A love I didn't have to share with anyone else. I hungered for someone to make me his own, the center of his life; I would be his only want, need, and desire. I wanted that love to be so strong that without me, he wouldn't want to exist, but together I would fulfill him by making him a whole person. 'Yes,' I realized, 'I have hungered for something every since I was changed only I never had a name for it before.

I wasn't sure if Emmett had seen the emotions on my face, but he very slowly took my face between his hands and even more slowly, he leaned in toward me. I realized two things instantly; first, I had stopped breathing in anticipation of what was about to happen and second, I felt those tantalizing shivers racing faster up and down my spine and then seeping into the rest of my body. When Emmett's lips finally met mine, I was enthralled by the scent rolling off him, shocked when his tongue entered my mouth, and set on fire as I began to respond to his kiss. I realized I had never felt this way about anyone before, and I recognized a physical need for him to continue kissing me. I wanted this moment to last forever.

I knew I had finally found someone that I loved, that I was physically attracted to, and that made me feel special. I knew this man would love me above everyone else, and I would be more than happy spending eternity with him.