Baseball, a twilight fanfic

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A/N: After mentioning this story in chapter two of "Choices," I couldn't resist writing it, even though my knowledge of baseball is pretty much limited to the fact that a home run is a good thing! So I probably got some things wrong…but then, the Cullens play more or less by their own rules, anyway. Barbie.

Spring 2032

Winnie twelve

Winnie

Aunt Alice had foreseen an unseasonably early thunderstorm, and my vampire family had decided to play baseball.

I had been begging to be allowed to watch one of their games ever since Uncle Emmett told me about them, but either the storms had come when some of the family couldn't be there, or they had come at night. Not that the dark made any difference to vampires, but Momma said I should be in bed asleep. I wasn't asleep; I was watching the lightning and listening to the thunder and trying to guess which rumbles and crashes were actually caused by my family playing baseball. It was pretty easy to tell, really; if there was no preceding lightning, it probably wasn't thunder.

But this thunderstorm was in the afternoon, and Momma gave me permission to go.

I was waiting with my raincoat on when Uncle Edward pulled up in front of the house. "You ready to go, Pooh Bear?"

I scowled at him, but I was too excited to really mind the childish nickname. "Yup!"

Momma looked anxiously at the darkening sky. "You won't keep her out if the lightning comes too close, will you?"

Uncle Edward shook his head. "Of course not, Nessie. Alice thinks it will pass about a mile south of the clearing; plenty safe."

"All right. Goodbye, Winnie. Have fun!"

I beamed at her and hopped into the front seat of Uncle Edward's car.

He pulled off the road at a dense patch of forest, parking the car on the shoulder. "The rest of the way's on foot. Climb on." He bent over, and I scrambled up to ride piggyback. I clutched his neck as the forest flashed past us from the speed of his running.

In no time at all, he was letting me down beside a log where Aunt Bella and Aunt Esme sat. It looked like the rest of the family had already formed into teams; Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, and Aunt Alice stood together, and Uncle Edward ran to join Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Rosalie.

"Edward and Alice can't be on the same team," Aunt Esme explained softly as I hopped onto the log beside her. "They both cheat, so they need to be able to cancel enough other out."

Only Bree still stood in the middle.

"Come on, Bella!" Uncle Edward called. "If you play we can have even teams."

Aunt Bella laughed but shook her head. "No; I'd never even make first base."

"How about you, Esme?" Uncle Carlisle called.

She smiled. "Someone has to keep you honest."

"Let Bella ref!"

Aunt Bella shook her head again. "No, thanks!"

"Aw, it doesn't matter," Uncle Emmett insisted. "Bree and Alice are so small they only count as one." He lifted one arm to easily fend off Aunt Alice's furious leap.

Uncle Edward snorted. "Easy for you to say if they're on your team. Come on over here with us, Bree."

Bree stood looking from one side to the other, then grinned and ran to Uncle Carlisle's side. "I'm playing with Daddy!" she declared.

He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "Guess we win again, Emmett."

"Bree always chooses Carlisle," Aunt Esme explained. "But arguing over her is part of the game."

Uncle Emmett shrugged as if it didn't matter, then turned and waved at me. "C'mon and even things out, Win. We'll go easy on ya."

I glanced at Uncle Edward for permission, and jumped up to run to Uncle Emmett's team when he nodded. Uncle Emmett smirked as he put a hand on my shoulder. "Who wins now, Carlisle?"

"Cheater," Uncle Carlisle tossed back good-naturedly; I couldn't believe this was the calm, steady doctor-uncle I had always known.

I knew better than to think either of them thought I would be that great of a player. But Uncle Carlisle's team would have to go easy on me, and that would give Uncle Emmett's team the advantage.

I grinned in anticipation; it would be so nice to play without Dom complaining that I threw too hard or ran too fast. I tried to hold back for him, but that wasn't as much fun. Today I could throw as hard as I liked… the others would have to hold back for me.

And I was too excited to feel guilty about that.

We ran to our places as the first distant rumbles of thunder echoed through the air. The bases were twice as far apart as for a normal human game, but I suspected they had them closer than usual for my sake.

I did wonder if Momma would have let me come, if she had known I would be playing and not just watching. But I knew I was perfectly safe; none of them would ever hurt me. Even after witnessing Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper collide with a crash that shook the ground, I stood my ground as Uncle Carlisle came running straight toward me. He would stop or swerve…but he didn't. I let out a scream of surprise as instead he picked me up without slowing and made it to base.

"Not fair!" I gasped, clinging to his neck.

He laughed. "No, Pooh Bear. Putting a three-quarter human on base to make me slow down; that's not fair." He looked at Aunt Esme with one eyebrow raised in question.

She was laughing too hard to talk, but she nodded and gave him a thumbs-up; safe.

Uncle Emmett growled softly and muttered something about the referee being prejudiced, but he didn't argue as he went up to take his turn at bat.

The open space we were playing in wasn't completely clear; several trees were scattered around the area. Some of them looked a bit tilted, and I couldn't help wondering if they had been casualties of vampire baseball.

Uncle Emmett missed Uncle Edward's first pitch, but he cracked the second, sending it straight as a bullet and ten times faster, right into the side of a tree. The ball never came down.

"Yes!" Uncle Emmett exulted, punching his fist into the air. "Home run!"

"No way!" Uncle Carlisle protested. "That's a foul ball."

Uncle Emmett crossed his arms. "A foul ball is one that goes off to the side. The rule book says nothing about the side of a tree."

"It doesn't mention trees for home runs, either," Uncle Carlisle countered.

"As if we ever played by the human rule book, anyway," Uncle Edward muttered.

I simply stared at the tree. Had Uncle Emmett really driven that ball right into the wood? I ran toward it to get a closer look, and stood craning my neck up as I tried to see.

Bree ran up beside me. "Here," she offered, crouching down. I scrambled up to stand on her shoulders and she stood slowly as I balanced myself against the trunk of the tree.

I touched the ball reverently; it was firmly wedged in a deep crack. * Good thing I'd never tried catching one of their hits…but if I'd been fielding, whoever was at bat would never have swung so hard. Still, I couldn't help wincing at the thought of every bone in my hand breaking… Stop it, Winnie, I told myself fiercely. Uncle Edward would never've let you play if there was danger. He was even worse than Momma.

"Hey! No fair seducing the referee!" Uncle Emmett protested behind me.

I twisted around to look; Uncle Carlisle had his arm around Aunt Esme's waist and was murmuring something in her ear. Jumping off Bree's shoulders, I ran closer to hear what she decided.

"Mmm," Aunt Esme breathed. "If you put it that way…"

Uncle Carlisle pulled back, a triumphant smile already spreading across his face, and Uncle Emmett groaned. But Aunt Esme was grinning, a mischievous glint in her eye. "…Home run!" she declared.

I burst out laughing at the expression on Uncle Carlisle's face. "Esme!" he protested.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent. "What can I say, Carlisle?"

He grinned down at her devilishly. "Just for that, love, our bathroom in the next house will be purple."

She leaned against his side. "Lavender?"

"No. The brightest purple paint I can find."

She smiled serenely as she leaned her head back on his shoulder. "I'll just repaint it while you're at work," she informed him.

"Hey, Bella, come play catch with Winnie and me!" Uncle Edward called. He tossed the ball to me and I caught it and fired it back, glad of an excuse to look away as Uncle Carlisle bent to kiss Aunt Esme.

The banter and arguments were all in good fun, of course; none of them really cared who won. I was sure they only cheated to make the game more interesting.

And I wondered if I would ever be interested in watching human baseball again.

The End

A/N: See my profile for the alternate history behind Bree becoming a Cullen. I actually have her story, Mirage, about halfway written; I don't currently have any plans to finish it, but if I get enough requests I'll post what I have, including a summary of how I had planned to end it. Barbie

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have internet access only once a week, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. If you have questions regarding my Twilight alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie