Sock fight

Sock fight

Takes place post-Eclipse; it is the week before the wedding, and Edward and Bella are packing for Bella's move to the Cullens' later that week.

I took another armful of clothes from the dresser drawer and shoved them into my duffle bag. As I grabbed a wayward sock off my bed, Elizabeth Mason's—my—ring caught the fading afternoon light, and the enormity of it all suddenly hit me.

I would be Mrs. Bella Cullen in a few days, and a vampire soon after. My mind did not linger over the pain of changing, or even the fact that I would have to leave my entire human life behind, which would certainly cause a different kind of pain.

Instead, I realized that I would finally—finally—be with Edward forever, until the end of the world. There would be no more boundaries, no more of his having to wait until Charlie was asleep to sneak in through my window. I would no longer be a temptation to my love or our family; I would cause him no more pain.

I would not need him to save me, and I would not— "Bella, would you care to tell me what has caused you to become a human statue?" Edward's voice startled me; I jerked bolt upright and realized I was still standing there, holding the stray sock.

"What? Oh, nothing," I said, trying to keep my voice nonchalant, "I was just thinking about everything."

"You call that an answer?" He scoffed teasingly.

"As a matter of fact, I do." I said loftily, throwing the sock at him. I missed, of course, but he looked at me in mock horror.

"Isabella Marie Swan, did you just throw that at me?"

"So what if I did?" I challenged.

"Then, I would have to do this." He pulled a balled-up pair of socks out of my duffle bag; as he flung them at me, I shrieked and covered my head. I grabbed another pair in retaliation, and, before long, we were lobbing socks at each other like nobody's business.

Eventually, however, we ran out of socks to throw, and he approached me, palms up, and asked, "Truce?"

"Well," I replied, sliding my arms around him and pretending to think, "on one condition."

"And that would be…"

"Kiss me," I said, as I tilted my face toward his.

"I think I can live with that." He said, and pressed his cold, perfect lips to mine.