Past and Present

He stepped into the house quickly and quietly, at the speed of a heartbeat, with the sound of a crawling insect. He sneaked past the living room, past the kitchen, up the stairs, into the hallway, all within a second, meanwhile making not a single noise. He walked up to the bedroom door, and peeked inside.

Good, he doesn't know I'm here, he thought, witnessing the man standing there in the room, seeming to have nothing fun to do. He crept up behind him, step, by step, by step, until…

"GAH!!" Jacob let out a surprised yell as Edward glomped him from behind so unexpectedly. Both landed on the floor with a 'thud.'

"I'm home," Edward said with a grin.

"Guhhh…Hi Ed," Jacob responded, somewhat recovered from the fall. They both got up, and walked down stairs to the living room. "You feel like watching anything?"

"Pick that one movie we got last weekend," Ed replied. "I still have yet to see it."

"Alright."

He put in a DVD, and sat on the couch across from the TV, waiting for the movie's menu to show up. Meanwhile, Edward was putting some potatoes in the oven - for Jacob, of course, because Ed never really ate all that much. He never needed to. Being a vampire certainly had its perks, even if he did feel the intense need to devour random peoples' blood occasionally. Just like that one time…

Edward finished putting in the potatoes, and instantaneously sped over to the couch and sat next to Jacob, a somewhat saddened expression marking his face.

"Is something wrong?" Jacob asked, noticing the downcast look his couch-mate displayed.

"Just thinking of Bella again," Ed replied, sighing. Bella. It had been so long since he'd seen her last.

"You still haven't entirely gotten over her, have you?"

Bella had many times reappeared in Edward's mind as the lovely, porcelain beauty she had been when they had first fell in love those few years ago. Those sparkling eyes, that thin, clumsy-yet-graceful frame, her beautiful flowing hair…all of which for some reason had to go run off with some other hot vampire to some resort of some kind without letting Edward know in any way. He never liked to think about it, but honestly couldn't help it. Why build up such a strong, loving bond just to break it down unexpectedly for seemingly no reason? Was there some flaw in the relationship she didn't like? True, he had warned her of the dangers of being romantically involved with a vampire many times, but in truth, he never really wanted her to leave his side. Why did he give her – the woman whom he wanted her to stay - warnings to stay away from him in the first place? He supposed the warnings were some way to let her know that he wanted her to be safe. Maybe she took them a little too literally after remembering them a few years later? No matter what explanation Edward thought up for Bella's little escapade with another vampire, it never seemed to make sense to him. Why did she leave me for someone else? he would always end up thinking. Why?

He wasn't completely devastated by the loss, of course. Okay, maybe at first he was, but he eventually grew a source of comfort in Jacob – a boy a few years younger than Edward by human age - who had also had feelings for Bella. They had become close friends; the friendship had helped Ed to cope with the loss of his beloved Bella. Things had been like this for some time, until over time, they began to feel a bit more for each other than friendship…

Jacob scooted toward Edward on the couch until their arms were touching, and laid his head on Ed's shoulder. "You know, even if she never comes back, I'm always here for you."

"I know, love. I know," Edward responded. He then proceeded to hold Jacob's chin up, so as to connect their lips into a sweet, passionate kiss. They stayed like that for a bit, caressing each other warmly, lovingly making out there on the couch, letting the movie play in the background. It was an intoxicating moment for the two lovebirds…

All of a sudden, the smoke alarm went off.

"Crap! The potatoes are burning!" Edward rushed to the oven in panic to pull the potatoes out, and to make the smoke alarm cease its horrid bleeping. He then ran back to the couch with a bowl of over-baked potatoes, restarted the movie, and brought himself and Jacob to a cuddling position facing the TV, both thinking about the wonderful moment right then, and the wonderful moments the would have in the years to come.

End

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note: Remember, this was all in good fun :)