A/N: This is just a cute story that I wrote as a one-shot. Any reviews are appreciated, even flames. As shown below, the song that I wrote this to is Go Home.


Joan of Arc

"If you think of her as Joan of Arc
She's burning for you, get your car out of park
If you think of her as Catherine the Great
Then you should be the horse to help her meet her fate
If you need her, you should be there,
Go home

If you're lucky to be one of the few
To find somebody who can tolerate you
Then I shouldn't have to tell you again
Just pack your bags and get yourself on a plane."

Go Home by Barenaked Ladies

He called me darlin'.

His full lips formed the words, his low Southern accent drawing out the syllables as if to extend the endearment. His topaz eyes winked at me as he said it, I was sure.

I blushed, my embarrassment skyrocketing and staining my cheeks bright red. He raised an eyebrow at my emotion, and I knew that Edward's brain was whirling, trying to figure what was different from the rest of our scarce interactions.

He called me darlin'.

"Calm down, darlin'."

The very temperature had seemed to cool down, my pounding heart returning to its normal pattern and the anxiety and excitement vanishing from my mind. I felt serene until his word had sunk in with its implications, and the blush burned on my pale face. The embarrassment didn't overwhelm me until I realized that I was clutching Edward's hand tighter and he was slightly smirking, probably thinking that his beauty had caused yet another Bella moment.

He knew what he was doing, though, his expression loosening in amusement and eyebrows sloping together. I was half waiting for him to crack and a large smile to grace his face.

"I don't understand why you're so embarrassed, darlin'."

This second utterance was the Kiss of Death to my emotions. I flushed deeper until my cheeks looked as though a can of red paint had been poured over them. My heart was beating rapidly and felt like a carpenter was hammering away at it—gone was Jasper's calming influence, the serenity that would return everything to normal.

Edward chuckled at the sound of my heart, thinking it was a reaction to him. Jasper's lips ghosted upward to form a half-smile, but all his enjoyment of the situation was centered in topaz eyes.

He was toying with me!

Flustering me was a game to him. Having a laugh about my oh-so-human antics was a break from the monotony of his life. Slipping back into his old Southern ways of charming a lady was a relief from his battle with his thirst. Although most belles wouldn't get panicky from one little word.

The anger that had started to course through me vanished, and I couldn't tell if it was him manipulating my emotions or me deciding to go with it. Perhaps it was both, because the amusement on his face ceased for a moment before returning. Distracting him from the burn at the back of his throat was harmless enough.

"Well, darlin', you should get that blush permanently fixed on you. It looks lovely."

"Why, thank you. It was real pleasant of you to say so."

I would bet on Alice that he knew the blush would remain for a while and maybe for a dinner companion after he said it a third time.

I looked at Edward, who was staring at Jasper with an expression of confusion. Jasper, on the other hand, had finally let his full smile show, and I thought I could see a trace of the man who had stopped to help three women on the side of the road. His stare wasn't the one of wariness that he usually bestowed upon me.

Edward turned his head to look at me after presumably examining Jasper's thoughts and finding nothing of consequence in them. I realized that I was smiling broadly, blush still burning its way to the surface.

"Charlie is expecting you home soon. Are you ready to leave, love?"

His voice had a hint of uncertainty floating around the commonplace words. I nodded at him, which then prompted him to place his hand possessively at the small of my back.

He turned to leave the room, and I snuck another glance at Jasper. He looked as if he was trying hard to hold in his laughter. He was consciously aware of what he was doing, and apparently Edward didn't like it.

"Goodbye, darlin'."

I smiled at him and waved before walking after my boyfriend who was already in the driver's seat of his Volvo. I slid into the seat next to him, and he swiftly maneuvered the car onto the drive and from there, onto the road.

"I could barely understand his thoughts. But he does that sometimes when he wants to forget about the blood and the wars. Apparently, his Southern charm is what makes him feel secure. I hope he didn't frighten you."

"No, he didn't. It was harmless."

"I suppose it was, love."

But one thing I was absolutely certain of: Jasper's accented endearment made me feel different than Edward's use of "love." Edward's made me feel secure, like he was never going to leave me again. But Jasper's "darlin'" opened up new dangerous trains of thought. It was excitement, not knowing his intentions. Why now? Why to me? It was an enigma, a mystery that left me swirling in thoughts of the way his lips formed that word, of the amusement in his eyes, of the calm that was shattered by three little words.

"Yeah, it was harmless."