Wow! It's been a while since I've written any fluff. Lately, I've been writing for Ashes, but I took a fluffic oneshot break. So here it is! Let me know what you think - I think my fluffskills might be rusty.
Edit: So my Breaking Dawn skills are definitely less than stellar. I missed the boat on Rosalie by a long shot, so I came back to revise. For anyone reading this for the first time, don't worry about it. If you're one of the ones that commented on the Rosalie thing, I think I fixed it. Thanks so much!
Out
By Ren
"Are you ready for this?" Emmett leaned in close to me. Normally my body would have demanded that I lean back away from his close body, but the reaction was strangely vacant. I swallowed nervously, trying to look as intimidating as he did.
"Yes," I answered, though not nearly as surely as I had hoped. Emmett's face split into a grin – he was clearly pleased.
"Excellent! Alice?"
On point, Alice appeared at his side and just smiled sweetly.
"It will be perfect," she assured us both. "I'll go get everyone else."
Emmett grunted in approval. Alice turned and dashed off, pausing on the first step of the stairway and turned to look over her shoulder at Emmett.
"Don't," she cautioned him. I looked from the pixie girl to Emmett just in time to see a smile slip off his face.
"No?"
"No," she said, shaking her head before dancing on up the staircase, giggling like a fairy the whole way.
"What were you going to do?" I asked, curious, as I turned to face him.
He hesitated, as if considering going against Alice's reasoning. All logic said that he shouldn't, and yet, Emmett was seriously considering whatever it was.
"I'll take it."
I glanced over my shoulder as Edward's voice coated the room like honey. I turned to face him just in time to be caught up in his embrace. Without warning, he reached down and took my face in his hands and crushed his lips to mine.
Fire ignited in my cold body, and I reached for his face, trying to pull him closer, his lips fervently tugging on my own. I made a soft noise in response, and Edward's voice only echoed the sentiment.
"Oh geeze," Emmett complained. "Please don't."
I could feel the vibrations of Edward's chuckle as he pulled away from my lips. I was left standing there, dazed and confused. Even after so many years, Edward never failed to dazzle me.
I felt a tug on my hand, and glanced down. Renesemee was staring up at me. The pictures she sent me were confusion. She wanted to know what the excitement was about. On instinct, I reached down and picked her up, curious as well.
"Edward, what are you taking from Emmett?"
The two brothers turned and looked at me at the same time. In unison, they spoke.
"A bet."
"On?" I pressed him pointedly.
"…on how hard you'll be able to hit," Emmett said smoothly.
"Oh, Lord," Rosalie muttered as she glided down the stairs. She rolled her eyes at the boys, pausing only to eye the child in my arms, her eyes glancing from Renesemee to me, a smile on her lips. "Boys and their bets," she murmured as her eyes dropped back to Renesemee.
"The mutt's coming over. He's going to come to the game, too. To stay with her," she said, after another moment of silence. I could tell Rosalie wanted to take the child from me, but she knew I was not in a giving mood at the moment. I liked holding my child.
"Oh, good," I said distractedly. Before I could say any more, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper and Alice appeared.
"Ready?"
It was all too fast. I was nervous – if my heart could beat it would've been pounding.
"Sure," I murmured, my mouth dry and cottony.
One by one, the couples took off running toward the baseball field. I hesitated, listening as thunder crashed in the distance.
"You'll be fine," Edward assured me. "Come. Jacob's waiting for us there. He'll look after Renesemee."
I nodded, swallowing the nervousness – for now. Taking off at a run, Edward, the fastest of the family, and I, the newest, were able to easily overtake the rest, and actually beat them to the field, even while I carried Renesemee. Sure enough, a bare-chested Jacob hopped to his feet, his pants swishing around his long legs as he strode over, arms outstretched toward my child, his face alight with a delight I could not deny.
I surrendered her to my best friend, and he took her in gentle arms. Turning his back on the vampires, he walked slowly back to the sidelines, cradling the girl. He murmured things to her, perhaps in response to things she was showing him, but I was far too preoccupied with my own situation to listen closely.
"Bella," Emmett said. I turned to face him as he called my attention, and saw the handle of a bat extending toward me. "You do know the rules of the game, right?"
"Sort of," I admitted dryly. "I never watched much baseball before this."
Emmett laughed in disbelief, and Edward just squeezed my shoulders affectionately. I watched as Alice trotted off to the pitcher's mound and was taking feigned practice pitches. Rosalie was catching them and tossing them back from the home plate. Everyone knew the practice was only for show – no vampire ever needed to warm up.
"Okay. Alice is going to throw the ball. You swing this stick and hit it. If you hit it, run. It's easy. I'm sure you know all about handling wood," he added darkly.
Emmett barely had time to blink before I grabbed the bat from his hands and swung it at him. It was a miracle he managed to duck, but the surprised expression on his face was triumph enough – Jasper, Edward and I were all laughing.
Emmett regained his composure and just shrugged. I pointed the bat menacingly at him.
"We had a deal. I beat you at arm wrestling, no more sex comments!"
"Yeah, yeah, you're no fun," he muttered, glancing at the bat I was now holding dangerously.
"Teams?" Esme called from the sidelines.
"Bella, me, Jasper. Edward, Emmett and Rosalie," Alice called from the pitcher's mound.
Esme settled down on the sidelines as referee, and Carlisle took a place beside her, wrapping his arm around her small frame. She leaned in and kissed his lips lightly before both turned their attention back on the game.
"You know, Carlisle, I don't mind sitting out if you want to play," I said, trying to calm the nervous feeling inside me.
"No, Bella. I've been waiting a while to see this, myself," he said, smiling good naturedly. Everyone – even Rosalie now, which I was still getting used to – was giving me an encouraging look. Granted, Emmett's look more closely resembled that of someone who wanted to challenge me to another match of strength, I took it as encouragement.
I nodded, changing my grip on the bat so that I held it more lightly, and less like a battle stance against Emmett.
"Okay," I said, exhaling slowly. "But not first." I pointed the handle of the bat around to the circle of vampires, waiting for someone else to take it from me. Since Alice was on the pitcher's mound, it just left Jasper.
He stared at me for a moment before breaking into a grin and taking the bat from me.
"Fair enough," he said. En masse, we moved toward the field. I walked toward home plate – I would bat next. When Rosalie and Alice saw that the game was going to begin soon, Alice stepped off the mound and tossed the ball to Rosalie as the blond walked onto the mound. Edward and Emmett both moved out into the field, Emmett stood a little closer, in what would be the vampires' version of infield, and Edward was practically in the trees already, waiting. Alice came to stand beside Jasper, and she leaned in, kissing his cheek before stepping back to catch for Rosalie.
"Don't worry, Bella. You'll do fine," she said.
"Alice, Rosalie, you're both on honor system for catching for each other. Let's play a clean game," Esme warned.
Jasper stepped up to the plate and ground the balls of his feet into the dirt as he picked his stance. He swung the bat a couple of times and then looked across the enormous distance to Rosalie on the mound. I stood back, holding my breath and waiting.
They were very still for a moment, trying to psyche each other out. Rosalie's head cocked to the side slightly, and without warning, she whipped back and snapped the ball into Alice's bare hand.
Jasper didn't blink or break his gaze, seemingly unfazed by the strike that had gone screaming past him.
Before, I had been sitting on the sidelines with Esme. I had never stood so close to the batters – it would have been too unsafe for my fragile human body. Now, though, standing so close, I could see how fast the ball truly moved. Even with vampire speed and senses, would I actually be able to play this game? I wasn't convinced. My old human insecurities were coming back.
Sure, we had stood down the Volturi. Sure, I could do amazing things with my mind. But could I really play vampire baseball?
A second strike went flying past Jasper, and he gave no indication he even saw the ball. Rosalie frowned, curious as to what the mood-shifter was up to. I watched as she studied him, trying to guess his game plan.
Finally, she let fly a third ball, and Jasper's stance shifted. With the viciousness of a soldier, the bat snapped around his body, slamming into the ball with wicked precision. I watched as before my eyes the bat warped, bending around the ball from the excessive force of the impact. The bat returned to its former shape as Jasper released the bat, letting it fly behind him. He was off, running nearly as fast as the ball.
Emmett was running after the ball, and scooped it up off the ground. He bolted back toward the bases, running at full-tilt to second base, trying to beat Jasper there. The sound of their two bodies colliding was deafening. The dust they kicked up obscured my vision, and when it finally settled, it was difficult to see whether he had made it or not.
"Safe!" Esme's voice rang out in the clearing, and Emmett cussed before tossing the ball back to Rosalie. Jasper crawled to his feet and dusted his clothes off.
I turned and picked up the bat off the ground, and walked numbly toward the plate. The field looked even larger from here than it did from the sidelines. I moved my hands around on the handle, waiting until I found a comfortable grip that resembled the one the boys used.
My heart did not flutter, my adrenaline did not rush, but I felt ghost blood pound through my veins. I could still remember what it felt like to nervous. I could practically imagine a fluttering heart, a pounding in my ears, and ghost sweat on my hands. Of course, none of these actually occurred, but the nervousness that inspired them was very real.
Rosalie was patient as I steadied myself over the plate, taking up a more balanced stance and swinging the bat in front of me a couple of times, committing the feeling of the motion to memory. Never before had I swung a bat.
Convinced that I had done all the preparation I could do and that there was nothing left to stall with, I took my stance and raised my eyes to Rosalie, signaling that I was ready.
My eyes swept across the field; Edward was watching me closely from the field, his eyes alight with curiosity. How fast could I run? How hard could I hit? Emmett was smirking at me, and as my eyes brushed past Jasper, he winked. Instantly, I relaxed.
Exhaling, my body sagged into a more comfortable, natural position.
Check the first, I thought. Always check the first.
Rosalie leaned back, and released the ball.
I had no intention of hitting this ball, no matter what. I was promised at least two freebies, but I only needed one.
As I let the ball sail past me and into Alice's hands, I was able to see what it looked like in motion, and gage about how fast it was moving toward me.
I was surprised by the way I could calculate the wind moving over the surface, the drag from different kinds of spin, and the time it had before it reached me in my head.
I nodded slightly, ready now. This time, if the pitch was good, I would hit.
I steeled myself, waiting for Rosalie. When she released, I watched the ball come close to me. As a human, it had been a blur. Now, even standing in its path, I could see it crystal clear. I could even see the individual fibers of the stitching quiver in the wind as it moved to me.
With frightening accuracy, I leaned back before swinging around, ripping into the ball with all my strength. The sound was deafening, and startled me so much that I forgot to move.
"Run!"
I needed no further urging from Alice.
I took off at a dead sprint toward the first base. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Jasper moving around third, heading toward home. Within seconds, my feet touched the first plate, and I looked to where the ball was. Emmett had it in his hands already, so I balked.
Staying on first base, I looked around the field. Every other vampire looked completely surprised. One by one – Edward was first, of course – surprise turned to amazement, and then congratulations. Even Rosalie had to tip her baseball cap in my direction begrudgingly.
Jasper picked up the bat at home plate and took up his stance again. Catching my eye, he just grinned.
I really could play, after all.
The game was tied at twelve to twelve after the first hour. Carlisle had hopped into the game. One inning he would bat for Rosalie's team, the next he would bat for ours. He never played the field; he was far more content to stay near Esme.
Rather quickly I picked up the nuances of the game. Sliding came easy to me – perhaps my body was used to crashing into the earth. Emmett had been between me and the base, and in an effort to avoid his tag out, I dropped down to the ground and slid underneath him to tag up safely.
Esme had been especially excited about that maneuver, cheering me on from the sideline.
I picked up the bat and dusted off the home plate and glanced to Rosalie. A crash of thunder landed nearby, and everyone paused to look as the bolt lit up the sky. The bolt was so brilliant, that for a moment, we all sparkled in the light. It was enough to cause Jacob to gasp from the sideline: it had even distracted him from Rensemee.
Twice, Edward had asked Jacob if he wanted to play. Twice, Jacob had eagerly agreed, and twice, Carlisle and Esme had cautioned him that was a bad idea. The idea of Jacob and Emmett smashing together made me shiver.
Drawing my attention back to the game, I swung my bat once, ready to hit another of Rosalie's pitches. My eyes swept the field and caught Edward's eyes. I lifted one finger to point at him. The meaning was clear. I was hitting to him.
A grin split across his face and he crouched low, ready to run for it. I leaned away from the pitch, rocking my weight. When Rosalie threw it, I put all my strength and weight into the swing.
The ball echoed like thunder from the bat, soaring in precisely Edward's direction – but way past him. He took off, running after the airborne projectile.
I ran for the base. Easily, I tagged up first, and in the process of running, I glanced over my shoulder in the direction I thought he was. No dice. I turned to look back to second and saw with quickening ghost-pulse that Edward was running toward the base, ball in hand, from the other direction. So it was a race.
We barreled toward the unsuspecting base, and as we did, another crash of thunder sounded. This time, with no warning, water poured down from the sky. Within the second, everyone on the field was soaked, but we kept running. I would beat him, I would outrun Edward.
Words cannot articulate the force of our colliding bodies. It was not only in the physical sense, either. The sound, I'm sure, echoed off the trees like the thunder and everything else. The base was buried under the settling of dust, and I found myself decorating Edward's chest.
His arms were around me, holding me to his upper chest, my legs wrapped around his waist. The electricity that he ignited in me had absolutely nothing to do with the lightning around us. I was sure my own personal lightning was much stronger, anyway.
The rain poured around us, mingling with our scents. Edward smelled even more delicious in the rain, if that was possible. Our lips met with a frenzied passion that had been kept apart for so long – mere hours, really, but it was enough to drive us both wild.
My hands laced with his damp, bronze hair. His body groaned in response, his arms wrapping around my body tightly. There was no need to be gentle, only to want. I barely registered the fact that Edward was carrying me toward the sidelines and that he had tossed the ball to Emmett.
"…I couldn't tell. I swear they touched at the same time," Esme's voice was saying. I could barely tell what else was being said – Edward was igniting a fire inside of me. His piano-player fingers were toying at my sides and driving me absolutely wild with want. I lifted my lips briefly before kissing him back again, pulling his face even closer to mine if that was possible. More rain fell, but I couldn't care less.
Edward chuckled softly, another primal noise coming from the back of this throat, echoed by one of my own. I could feel the departing presence of the other vampires – they were leaving to give us our time. That was a good thing – I did not foresee Edward and I stopping anytime soon. Just before they vanished, I heard Emmett mutter something quietly.
"I think they're both out, Esme."
Laughter echoed up from the family, but I had little time to dwell on it before Edward distracted me again as we lay together, the rain falling all around us.
"So who won," I murmured in a hazy, want-filled voice as I unbuttoned his shirt.
"Mm?" His response was distracted.
"The bet," I explained.
His brilliant gold eyes shot to mine, a knowing look in their wanton depths.
"I did, of course," he said before leaning toward me, kissing me with more passion that my human body could have taken on an emotional level if it had been able to handle the physical. The thunder crashed in the distance, reminding us of our lost ball game. The game seemed as far away as the thunder was now. The only thing I cared about now was my very own lightning: Edward Cullen.
And he was all mine.
Out, indeed.