Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, obviously. I'm not imaginative to come up with these awesome people.
This was going to be a oneshot, but I ended up making it longer than originally planned… enjoy, and please RR!
Edward had a plan, and Alice was in on it. I was pretty sure the rest of the Cullens were too. It only meant bad things for me.
Alice flitted around my room, grabbing clothes out of my dresser and closet. I noticed that the clothes in question were made to keep a person warm; long-sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt and sweatpants, jeans, and my heavy winter coat. Nothing good could come from being cold; I was sure of that – except for the obvious, of course.
Alice finished packing the clothes into two suitcases, and turned to face me, grinning widely. I wasn't sure if I liked that grin.
Cold arms snaked around my waist from behind. I gasped, startled. Edward chuckled. "I'm sorry." He didn't sound very sorry, but he bent his head pressed his cold lips to my neck.
I swallowed and waited for my heart rate to slow to a pace that wouldn't kill me. "S'okay," I managed to get out after a minute. I turned around while he still held me. "So," I said conversationally, "where are we going?"
Edward smiled. "Not a chance. You'll have to wait and see." He laughed at my annoyance. He knew me for how long? I hated surprises, and he darn well knew it. "Don't worry, love, we'll be there in no time."
I didn't doubt that, the way these crazy people drove. I sighed theatrically. "Well, let's go then." I bent to pick up the suitcases, but they were much heavier than they looked. Alice shook her head and grabbed one while Edward took the other. They both made it look incredibly easy, like everything they did. I sighed again and followed them downstairs.
"Have fun, Bells!" Charlie called from the living room where he was watching The Big Game, which was probably basketball. A cheer rose loudly from the television.
"Bye Dad!" I called back over the noise. I grabbed my jacket from the chair in the kitchen and went out into the misty afternoon to the Volvo where Edward was waiting. Alice had already left. I hopped into the passengers' seat.
"Excited now, are we?" Edward asked, smiling at my apparent new-found energy.
I shrugged. "I have a feeling that whatever we're doing might be the end of me. So I decided to make the most of whatever time I have left with you." I took one of his hands in mine and entwined my fingers with his.
Edward rolled his eyes. "Bella, would I let anything hurt you?" I didn't answer the obvious. Edward knew he had won. He kissed the back of my hand. "Don't worry," he stressed, "it'll be fun."
Fun. Right.
We followed the yellow and black blurs that were Alice's Porsche and Carlisle's Mercedes up the treacherous-looking mountain road.
We had finally reached our destination in under forty-five minutes. The three cars pulled into a snowy parking lot that was already half full. I looked around and groaned. They had brought me downhill skiing! I managed to trip over my own feet on a daily basis. I've been known to fall over standing still. Now they expected me to strap on clunky boots and five-foot-long skis and go downhill at high speed. No. No way. Not happening.
Edward sensed my reluctance. Or maybe he just saw the look of horror on my face. "Bella," he said. I looked at him. His face was much closer than I was prepared for. I could smell his sweet smell, and promptly became a bit loopy. His topaz eyes captured my rather dull brown ones. Damn, he was smoldering. "Give it a chance," he pleaded. "You'll have fun, I promise."
I sucked in a ragged breath. "Okay," I relented. He grinned and we got out. Carlisle had gone into the lodge to pay for the lift tickets. He came out with eight stickers and a key. "What's the key for?" I wondered out loud.
Edward chuckled. "Why do you think we packed, silly?" He pointed up the hill where three large houses could be seen overlooking the entire park.
My eyes widened. "We're staying in that?" I asked incredulously. "It's a mansion!"
"Just think of it as a cozy woodland cottage," said Edward. I stared at him. "Spacious woodland cottage," he amended, rolling his eyes.
Carlisle handed each of us a sticker. I stuck it to a wire loop that hung from my pocket's zipper. We loaded back up in the cars and drove a bit farther and parked in the driveway of the giant house. Edward carried my luggage, while I took his considerably lighter bag. It was mostly for show, with him not getting cold or anything. We entered the house.
Spacious woodland cottage indeed. A chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling in the enormous living room. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor, and two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a mini living room complete with couch and TV upstairs.
Edward and I claimed the room upstairs that looked out over the ski park. I set his bag down on the bed and walked over to the large windows. Black dots dotted the hills and flew down the slopes. Edward came beside me and wrapped an arm around my waist. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.
"It's amazing, Edward," I sighed, turning to look at him. "Even if skiing doesn't work, it won't be a total bust." I smiled and reached up tapping the tip of his nose lightly. My stomach chose that moment to remind me that I wasn't a vampire yet, and I needed to eat. Edward took my hand and we went back downstairs.
Esme and Emmett were stocking the ample kitchen with the food I had brought for myself. Emmett wrinkled his nose at the jar of peanut butter in his hand. I laughed and took it from him. I grabbed two pieces of bread, the strawberry jam, and a knife, and proceeded to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"Edward," said Esme when she and Emmett were finished putting the food away. "Go help Carlisle and Jasper unload the skis."
Edward kissed the top of my head before going out to the cars.
I gulped. Skiing. I had almost forgotten while I explored the house. I had never skied before; Phoenix wasn't the skiing capital of the world.
"Bella, finish your food quick," Alice commanded. "We're going to go out when you're done." She already had a sleek black coat on. Ski goggles rested on top of her head. Emmett and Rosalie were dressed too, both in red coats.
"Alice, settle down," Carlisle called from the door. "We'll go when everyone's ready." Skis clattered on the floor. "Don't hurry, Bella. They can go out on their own too, if they want," he assured me.
"I think I'm done." I only ate half of my sandwich. I trudged back upstairs and pulled black snow pants on over my jeans; the extra waterproofed padding was definitely going to come in handy. I put on my dark blue coat slowly, grabbed my hat and gloves, and went back downstairs.
The others had already hit the slopes. Edward was waiting for me by the back doors that opened right out to the slopes. "Cute," he remarked.
I scowled and swished over to him. He laughed, and helped me put on the ski boots. If I could barely walk in normal tennis shoes, these were going to kill me. He assisted me down the steps, and over to the waiting skis. I held on to his shoulder as he clicked my boots into place. I stood very still as he left me to strap his own skis on. I fell over anyway.
He glided over to me, perfect as a pro. He stuck his poles in the snow and helped me up. He kissed me lightly. "I'll stay right next to you. Don't worry." I wondered why he kept saying that; it made me worry more. Edward gave me the handle of one pole and towed me to the edge of the hill; he knew better than to arm me with my own poles – I would probably skewer myself if I fell.
I looked down the steep slope, and back at Edward. He smiled my favorite crooked smile. I looked back down. "Oh boy."