Hello All, i wrote this for the All Hallows Eve contest thats just finished. It didn't win anything butu i am proud of it as we don't celebrate Hallowe'en and i still managed to come up with an idea for it.
Its named after the Backstreet Boys song - watch the video, it explains all...and yes, i was a HUGE BSB fan back in the day!
Summary: When two people meet in dark basement, a case of mistaken identity leads to a night Bella Swan will never, ever, forget
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author (that would be ME). No copyright infringement is intended.
When The Lights Go Out
The gravel crunched under their feet as they skidded to a halt. Bella had stopped dead in the driveway.
"Bella, come on." Angela moaned, a slight whiney edge to her voice.
"Are you sure I look okay?" Bella asked, her voice small and unsure. She tugged at the hem of the black, beaded, flapper dress in vain. "This is kinda short."
Angela scoffed at her. She gave Bella an appraising look up and down before a huge smile spread across her face. "You look like a knock out, kiddo."
"Kiddo? You do realize I am older than you, right?" Bella snickered.
"Yeah, but you are shorter!" Angela laughed.
Their height difference had been the butt of their own jokes for the few months they had been friends. Angela had been the first friend Bella made when she moved to the rainy, backwater town of Forks, Washington. She had moved from Phoenix, where she had lived with her mom since she was just a little girl.
Her mom, Renee, had met and married a minor league baseball player. When Renee had approached Bella about living in Forks with her father while she went on the road with her new husband, Phil, Bella had agreed in a heartbeat. Phil seemed to stabilize her somewhat scatterbrained mother, so Bella felt it was safe to leave her and head to Forks.
"Are you nervous?" Angela interrupted Bella's musings.
"What? Why would I be nervous?"
"You know…tonight's the night, right?" Angela wiggled her eyebrows up and down. "That is the reason why you are wearing a hundred bucks of Victoria Secret's underwear under that dress, right?"
"Yeah, I think." Bella blushed an almost beetroot red. "The time is right and Mike's parents are out of town until Tuesday so…"
Angela's joyful face dropped. Her eyes were serious as she looked down at Bella. "You don't have to if you don't feel ready. You know that."
"Yeah, I know, but it does feel right." Bella slid her arm in to Angela's, her hand gripping the gold cuff of her costume. "Okay." Bella conceded, "Let's do this."
Slowly Bella walked up the gravel driveway, the three inch t-bar heels weren't helping her balance any. Angela, however, seemed at home in her knee-high, red, white and blue leather boots. Angela had chosen to go as Wonder Woman.
The party was in full swing as they pushed open the front door to the house.
As Mike's parents were away at a business convention, there was no question of where the party would be held. Mike Newton was the Fork's high school quarterback and a popular guy amongst the students. This didn't make Mike a stereotypical jock and that is what drew him to Bella. Instead, their group of friends were a mixed bag of geeks, band members, studious types and sports heroes.
The third girl that made up their group, Jessica, was head cheerleader but she never just aligned herself with the 'jock' crowd nor lived up to any of the stereotypes that came with being Head. In fact, Bella learned much to her surprise; Jessica and Tyler Crowley had been going steady since they were in the eighth grade.
Bella and Angela walked into the house. It had been suitably decorated for Halloween. There were spider webs hanging in the corners of the ceiling and a giant coffin stood next to the entrance way. Angela jumped as it creaked open to reveal a corpse holding a candle in its hand.
"How very Tam O'Shanter." Bella deadpanned. "Do you see Mike?"
Angela nodded and pointed out. "He's over there by one of the kegs."
Bella looked over. Mike had kept his costume a secret from her, claiming he didn't want them to match. Bella was glad. Nothing irritated her more than couples that thought they had to do everything together. Vampire. Mike had dressed as a vampire. Bella tried not to roll her eyes at the unoriginality of it. His face had been lightened with stage make-up so his skin looked unrealistically pale. For some unknown reason, Mike had also dyed his naturally blonde hair, black, and it had been gelled up so it stuck up in stiff spikes. Bella had always preferred dark hair to blonde. A black mask covered his eyes. A floor length, linen cape capped off the whole ensemble. Despite the Halloween overkill on vampire costumes, Mike's suited his tall, lithe and muscular frame giving him an intimidating edge.
Mike looked up; Bella hurried a smile to her amused face. He waved in return before motioning to the beer pong table he was currently refereeing. The plastic teeth slipped as he smiled. Bella giggled to herself. There goes the mysterious black-clad hunk of a night thing he had going on.
"I'll catch you later!" He mouthed over the pounding bass of the music.
Bella nodded before dragging Angela to the kitchen. Angela may be the daughter of a preacher, but she sure liked her liquor. It was a small town and there was little to do but sit down at La Push beach and drink around a bonfire. Angela handed her a red Solo cup with some flat looking orange liquid with smoke coming from it.
"What is this?" Bella asked, sniffing at the cup as smoke billowed over the side.
"I don't know. It smells kinda fruity." She took a small, cautious sip and a wide smile spread across her mouth. "It's yummy." Angela took a large gulp and motioned for Bella to drink up too.
Bella wobbled unsteadily on her feet. The pineapple tasting punch was beginning to go to her head. A nice buzz was flowing through her veins, overruling the pain in her feet from the heels she was wearing.
They were on the dance floor now that Bella had consumed enough alcohol to give her a deluded sense of rhythm. Angela was behind Bella, her hands on Bella's hips. The music was deep and heaving on the base, the beat thumping through the floor under their feet. The girl on girl, bump 'n' grind that Bella was currently engaged in was Angela's idea. She had been trying to catch the eye of Ben Cheney, the teams' running back's attention all night and apart from the odd glance, nothing had worked so far. Bella didn't mind. Angela's hands and body moving behind her helped to keep her in rhythm with the beat so at least she didn't look like an idiot.
Bella felt Angela's body still behind her. In fact, now that she had looked up from her feet, she could see that everyone had stopped moving even as the music continued. All eyes had pivoted to the French doors of the living room that had been left ajar in an attempt to cool the room of heaving bodies. There in the doorway, Bella could see three people standing. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as the figures moved into the room.
The Cullens.
Well three of the five of them anyway. The Cullens were the oddball family at school. Their pale skin and introverted nature had made them prime candidates for misunderstood exclusion. As Jessica had explained to Bella on her first day at Forks High School, they were all together. Emmett Cullen was dating Rosalie Hale, Alice Cullen was dating Jasper Hale while Edward Cullen was the spare fifth wheel. They all lived together with their adoptive parents, Esme and Dr. Carlisle Cullen, neither of which looked a day over thirty. Though there was a theory that Esme was Jasper and Rosalie's aunt and had taken them in. It all sounded like a badly conceived soap opera storyline to Bella. She had been more curious than judgmental as far as the Cullens were concerned.
The room had yet to breathe. Alice Cullen walked forward. She was dressed as a dark angel. Her petite figure was clad in a black, skin tight dress, the front pulled tight with some kind of bondage detail like you would find on the back of a corset. Her fishnet legs were finished off by black, chunky biker-babe boots. Yet it was the black wings made of what looked like real feathers and the blonde streaks in her black hair that really brought the outfit altogether.
Jasper fell into step beside her. He looked oddly at home in his Confederate Army uniform. His hand was clasped tightly in Alice's, the same expression on his face as always. Bella wasn't sure if he was in some kind of constant pain or just plain constipated. Alice walked past her, a smug 'I know something you don't' smile on her face. Bella was not amused, she hated surprises.
All eyes turned back to the last of the Cullen group to join the party. Edward Cullen. That first day, when Jessica had told her about the Cullens, she had no qualms about telling Bella how she found Edward aloof. Apparently, he seemed to think himself above dating anyone at their school. With this assessment, Bella was inclined to agree.
As Edward walked towards her, his gaze never wavering; she couldn't look away, his golden eyes drawing her in. He was dressed in a sharp black suit that screamed designer and well out of any normal parent's salary range. It was tailored to hug his tall, sculptured body. The sky blue shirt underneath a black, billowy cape was coupled to perfection with a black tie.
What was this guy dressed as? A pimp?
Edward walked by her to join his siblings but before he dropped his gaze, he smiled at her showing elongated canines.
Vampire.
A shiver ran down her spine. She may have giggled at Mike's version of a vampire, but there was something about Edward's version that just seemed to fit.
She felt hands on her hips, pulling her back. Instead of Angela's soft body, she felt the hard planes of a chest.
"Who would have thought that the Cullens would turn up at my party." A gruff voice muttered into her ear. "Well, Halloween is the night when the freaks come out."
Bella turned in his hands and away from the intriguing sights of Edward Cullen. "Mike, come on. Play nice."
Slowly the appeal of the Cullens wore off, the crowd realizing the Cullens were keeping to their art of exclusivity.. The music began to blare again as Alice led Jasper to a cleared part of the dance floor, also known as the living room floor. Just because the shock and awe had worn off, it didn't mean that anyone wanted to get to venture near their strange classmates.
Mike gently swayed them to the music, his body directing Bella to move. Angela had slinked off in the crowd and she could be seen sitting on one of the couches along the edge of the room. Beside her sat Batman. His mask removed, revealing a smiling Ben Cheney. Bella smiled for them. Finally.
"So did you bring an overnight bag with you?" Mike muttered in her ear.
Bella nodded as his lips kissed her earlobe. She could feel her body blushing as she realized the Victoria Secret underwear she was wearing wouldn't go to waste. Her hands ran up his neck and buried her hands in his gelled locks. She grimaced at the feeling of the crunchy gel between her fingers.
"So what is with the hair?"
"I lost a bet with the guys at training on Friday and this was my payment. I had to go into the drug store and ask for Just For Men claiming that I was scared of going grey. The old lady in the store couldn't decide if I was being serious or yanking her chain. Mom is going to kill me though; I got the dye all over her white towels. You like?"
Bella tried to consider, her head drunkenly lulling from side to side. "I think it looks kinda weird." She fingered one of the droopy spikes. "It doesn't want to stay up." Bella frowned then pouted.
"Just me, baby, that is a problem that only applies to my hair." He growled as he pulled her closer and ground his erection into her. "Trust me!"
Bella giggled before looking away, blushing.
"I'm going to play a game of poker, I promised Tyler, and then you and I can finish this." He rotated his hips into her again.
Mike kissed her hand and then walked away. Bella turned and grabbed a drink from a make-shift bar away from the dance floor. Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale continued to dance. Well Alice danced, as graceful as a ballerina, while Jasper held her hands and moved uncomfortably like someone had rammed a stick up his ass. Bella laughed at that thought.
"Hey, Bella, come see this," Jessica shouted.
Obviously, Jessica was also a poker widow. She was flicking through an iPhone in her hand. Bella shrugged. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do.
Oh, God, she was sobering up! This was not good. It had been over an hour since Mike had disappeared to play poker with his boys and Bella was sitting on a couch bored. Angela had long gone off with Ben, she had last seen them making out on the staircase. Bella was happy for her friend; Angela had mooned over Ben for months so it was about time she saw a bit of action.
Jessica had wandered off and found Lauren and there was no way that Bella was going near that. Lauren Mallory had hated Bella since the moment they were introduced. Maybe hate was too strong a word. Severely disliked was probably more accurate. Bella had accepted the brush off with a nonchalant attitude; and as long as Lauren didn't cause trouble, Bella was more than happy to make no effort to be friends with her either.
She would give Mike another minute and then she was going to find him.
A buzz ran through her body again and it had nothing to do with the thumping bass from Jay-Z's 'Empire State of Mind'.
She had been feeling it for most of the night. Eyes. No matter the level of Bella's intoxication, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Sure, there were people around, all examining each other's choice of costume, but this was something else. Bella just couldn't figure out what or who that something else was. It made hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Not from fear. No. From the hooded suspense that came from being watched.
Bella shook her head; maybe not as sober as she first thought.
The buzzing vanished again and Bella began to breathe normally. Gradually, Bella's brain and thoughts came back to her, no longer distracted.
What was I doing? Oh, Mike.
Tyler chose that moment to amble by, the padding from his football uniform costume had been removed, but the amount of alcohol he had consumed was making him unsteady on his feet.
"Hey Tyler, have you seen Mike?"
"Yeah, he said he was going to get more drinks."
"Drinks. Right. Thanks."
Bella managed to heave herself from the couch, only wobbling slightly on her heels. She knew that the Newton's had a huge refrigerated chest in the basement, she and Mike had made out on it only yesterday, and the basement was out of bounds for tonight. She made her way past the kitchen where someone was trying to blend what looked like margaritas, given the bottle of tequila beside the blender. Drunk people were perched everywhere. Just another infamous Newton party.
The door to the basement was ajar, a sure sign that Mike had gone down there. Her heels clicked on the concrete stairs as she descended into the darkness of the basement. Bella hesitantly called out to Mike as she fumbled for the banister, her foot slipping before she caught herself. There was no answer. A soft, cool breeze blew across her cheek as if a window had opened. Only Bella knew there were no windows in this basement.
"Who's there? Mike, is that you?" Bella called out, her voice sounding as uneasy as she felt.
Her curiosity overrode her unease and she continued down the last few stairs, one step at a time, slowly as not to topple into the darkness. Her feet reached flat ground, the stairs had run out. One hand kept its hold on the last of the banister while the other groped around the wall for the light switch. Her fingers met the cool plastic and she flipped it upwards.
Nothing.
She tried again.
Nothing.
"The light doesn't work." A low, deep voice called out from the darkness.
Bella gasped and spun around in the direction of the voice. Bella gasped and spun around in the direction of the words that were just spoken. She wanted to hear that voice again. Identify the mysterious stranger that was with her …alone…in a darkened basement.
"Who are you? How do you know the light doesn't work? Why are you down here? It's out of bounds tonight."
Silence then a deep chuckling sound came from a little distance from where she was standing. "Which would you like me to answer first?"
Bella drew in a deep breath. God, that voice. So deep, so dark, so dangerous. Like a lion seducing a lamb to the slaughter.
The hairs on the back of Bella's neck stood on end as a burst of frigid air brushed by her again. Cool breaths washed over one of her exposed shoulders. It was intoxicating; the sweet smell coupled with a caressing wind.
"I asked, what question would you like me to answer first?"
Bella jumped, a small squeak escaped her. Whoever was down here with her was standing right behind her. She would say that they were standing close enough to feel their body heat but instead all she felt was a pulsating chill down her own body. It didn't repel her, only made her want to be so much closer.
"Who are you?"
"You know who I am," replied the velvet voice, right at the shell of her ear.
Well it definitely wasn't Mike. She should be ashamed that this voice alone could turn her on, but she wasn't. Nor was she concerned that she craved to be in closer proximity to someone who wasn't her boyfriend.
Cold hands brushed her skin, running up and down her arms. As light as air, gentle as a lover's touch. She could feel his deep breaths, almost as if he was panting.
"She said I wouldn't hurt you."
The voice muttered so quietly Bella wasn't sure if she even heard correctly.
"You have no idea what you do to me. You smell…like divinity, a slice of a heaven I will never be allowed access to."
Small, open-mouthed kisses peppered her shoulder where the cool breaths had previously been. Bella sagged but a strong, cold grip kept her from falling to the ground in a puddle.
"I can smell you. Every part of you. Your arousal is just as lovely."
Bella moaned and clamped her thighs together in embarrassment. Instead, the friction was delightful. She could feel her own moisture as it soaked through her underwear.
"What I wouldn't do just to taste you."
"Do it!" Bella whispered as the kisses continued up her shoulder to where her jugular was pulsating under her skin. Her heart was racing. If there had been more light, her mysterious stranger would have been able to see its movements.
The stranger stepped forward bringing his body flush with hers, from shoulder-blade to calf. His body was rock hard, completely muscle. His stature reminiscent of a predator's stance, ready to pounce.. The cold intensified, through her clothing and into her core.
"You're so cold. So wonderfully cold."
A growl came from behind her before she felt the icy, wet tip of his tongue against her neck. Another growl erupted, this time she felt its rumble against her skin. Bella felt her arousal flood at the sensations. Her thighs rubbed together at their own free will. Bella Swan was no longer in control of her own body. She was the puppet to the puppet master standing behind her.
His fangs nipped at her neck, taunting her jugular, before she felt his tongue, flat against the same spot, licking her as one would their favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor.
"Ummm, so good."
Bella felt him move, her awareness now focused directly in front of her. However, the darkness robbed her of his face. Her hands reached out blindly. She found his chest, the fabric soft under her fingertips. They travelled upward to the a bump of his black tie until she met his skin. It was just as cold as his hands, yet strangely, not clammy as one would expect from cold skin.
Bella felt him shudder. He was feeling this as much as she was. Finally her fingers found his lips. She would have imagined that something as cold would also be hard, frozen. She had felt them on her skin; she knew this not to be the case. His tongue darted out, curling around a single digit and suckling on it briefly. Bella's movement was halted slightly as she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.
Bella felt his sculptured chin, so firm under her touch. Perfectly defined cheeks and his hair…God, his hair. She ran her hands through it, gripping the long, silky strands and pulling hard, so hard she must have hurt him.
Her stranger let out the most delighted groan and it went straight to her core.
"I didn't mean to hurt you." Bella half-lied.
"You could never hurt me, Isabella."
Her full name had never sounded so erotic; the way it rolled off his tongue was pure magic.
"I want to try something, don't move."
Bella held herself as still as she could. Her legs were threatening to give way as her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. Instead she felt soft, chilled lips on her own. She froze. Not what she was expecting.
His lips moved against her, coaxing her to respond. Finally her brain came back to her and she complied. Despite his warnings, her hands flew to his chest and bunched in his suit, pulling him impossibly closer. Her hands flattened out against his chest, feeling the shirt inside of his jacket. She had to know that he was feeling the way she was. Her hands scrambled but nothing. A gasp escaped her lips and she wrenched herself away.
"You have no heartbeat. I can't feel it. I can't feel anything."
Her stranger stepped away and Bella missed his chilly embrace.
"You're not human. What are you?" Bella asked, not an ounce of fear in her voice.
"I'm more curious as to your thoughts on the matter."
"God, do you never answer a question?"
"I could say the same of you, Isabella.."
"You body is strong, it feels like steel. Um…you are beyond pale, paler than pale." She drew in a breath to steady her nerves. "You are as cold as the living dead…" Bella's breath hitched.
"Say it, Isabella." His voice was dangerous.
"The fangs, the fangs are real."
"Say it, out loud."
"Vampire."
His silence confirmed. Bella's arm shot out and grabbed for him. She knew he was going to run, not that she thought her grip would stop him.
"But I have seen you in the daylight."
Her stranger chuckled darkly. "Don't believe everything you read in Bram Stoker, Isabella."
"So the fangs?" She heard a rustling before something was deposited in her hand. Two porcelain fangs. Fake. "What about garlic, crosses, holy water."
"All self-reassuring human myths."
"Do you drink blood?"
She felt his shudder.
"That is true. My kind hunts humans but my family is…different. We hunt animals, not humans. Others call us vegetarians."
"That's reassuring," Bella exhaled mightily; unaware she had been holding her breath in preparation of his response.
"Do you have no sense of self-preservation? Do you know how close I have come to killing you? So very, very close."
"It's doesn't matter, I don't care."
"You should. You should run, screaming, as fast as you can."
"But I won't"
With that she moved closer in the direction she hoped were his lips. Pulling his bottom lip into her mouth, she licked it, begging for entrance.
With a groan, he caved to her wishes. The taste of her mouth was overwhelming. He could feel his control slipping away from him. He should be the one running. She was a sweet as honey, all strawberries and cream. Her scent had nothing on how amazing her taste was to him.
Bella felt the wind pass through her hair as if she was moving but her feet never touched the ground. Her body was deposited on the pool table that sat in the middle of the large basement; something else that Bella and Mike used as a flat surface when fooling around. Stars danced in front of her eyes, her body scrambling at the need to breath but she couldn't tear herself away.
He drew back as if sensing her inner fight. He began kissing down her jaw, down her neck.
"I have to have you." He panted out.
"Take me, I'm yours."
His teeth grazed down her neck, leaving a trail of wetness where his lips made purchase on her skin. Bella shivered in response to the tingling that his kisses were producing. Hands reached for the straps of her dress, pushing them down until the mound of her breasts were visible to him. He continued to lick and suck, occasionally nipping at the skin. Bella's back arched for more. Her hands reached down in front of them, fumbling for his belt. She gave a sigh in triumph as the buckle gave away and she gained access to the button and zip of his pants.
In a heartbeat she felt his pants fall and his hands were running up her thighs to where she so wanted him to be.
His fingers hooked around the sides of her underwear, pulling the sodden material down her legs and over her heels.
"Even in the dark, I can see how wet you are for me. You're glistening."He groaned; the velvet smoothness replaced by gravelly lust.
His finger brushed her clit causing her hips to buck into his fingers. She needed more pressure…right there.
"Fuck."
"Indeed."
He moved in between her legs. His hardness brushed against her thigh. His eyes met hers, though in the darkness she couldn't make out the color.
"Take me." She whispered huskily.
They both cried out as he entered her completely in one thrust.
He looked up at her in confusion. He knew no one else had taken her.
"Bicycle accident." Bella answered.
He pulled out and thrust back into her. Bella cried out, never had she felt so whole. The pleasure radiated through her body. His grunts pushed her closer and closer to the edge. This was not love, this was not selfless; it was lust, pure and carnal.
"Harder." Bella moaned and he answered.
"I'm getting….close…God, so close."
"I feel you." He moaned. "I can finally feel you."
He sucked on her neck and Bella felt the knife's edge, sharp and biting. Just. A. Little. More.
"Say my name, Isabella."
Bella panted, drawing in the breath she would need. "You never told me your name."
"You know who I am."
Her stranger brought his fingers down, trailing down her stomach, their coldness barely registering on her burning body. As he touched her oversensitive nub, Bella arched her back and clamped down around him.
"EDWARD!" She screamed as she felt him flood her.
Edward arched away from her, his head thrown back. All the veins on his pale neck could be seen as his muscles strained against him.
Minutes passed, it could have been hours for all Bella knew, but she could still hear the thumping bass from the party above them. Edward came back to her, his gaze leveling with hers. Now she could see his topaz eyes. They were still black with lust but his golden iris circled the edges.
"Are you okay?" He asked, stroking down her face as he pulled out of her.
"You were incredible." Bella's voice was hoarse from her scream.
"I have…I have one thing left I want to try."
"What else could you do to me?" Bella asked but she was well aware there was so much left that this man could do to her.
"I want to taste you…here." He ran a cold finger up her thigh.
Bella's breath hitched. The ability this man had to steal her breath was amazing. Her thigh quivered as his finger danced along it and onto her oversensitive clit.
"God, yes."
Edward bent down, and pulled up his pants, buttoning them but leaving his belt undone. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a passionate, hard kiss.
Bella moaned in arousal. "Taste me."
Edward bent down again, his hands running up Bella's thighs, spreading them before him.
Bella's hands clawed at the pool table, her grip finding no purchase. Instead she gripped his hair, pulling tight as his tongue licked her from entrance to clit.
"Fuck. So, fucking, good."
She felt the heat in her core building again. Her skin blazing as Edward licked and nibbled her clit. Her orgasm ripped through her as she screamed his name again and again.
As she soared, the wet, icy feeling of Edward's tongue on her left inner thigh registered but the feeling was too much as her orgasm roared again. The pinch and burning sensation she felt where his tongue had just been broke through the haze. Her senses seemed confused. Her brain screamed at her to run while her body was flooded with fire. It was more than the heat that Edward had driven her too. This was so much more.
Edward looked up at her as her body began to writhe.
"One, last pleasurable human memory." Edward muttered before moving back between her legs. He feasted as she writhed around him, both in pleasure and pain.
So what do you think? A huge thank you to Charmie who suggested the contest and to my beta Perry Maxwell (who wrote her own entry) who pushed me and proof read her way through it, step by step!
I am working on a second chapter to this as i think we would all like to know what happened next...or maybe you are happy living on a cliffie...let me know.
