Many thanks to Stavanger1 and whenpoetryrises for their awesome help and betaing skills! Be sure to check out their stories!

SM owns the characters, I just put them back in time.

Chapter 2 – Meeting

"Bella! Are you awake yet?" I could hear Pa calling me up the stairs.

"Yes, Pa, I'm almost ready!" I responded. I knew he was hungry and much preferred my cooking to his own. I quickly went through my morning oblations, dressed, plaited my hair, and hurried down the stairs to fix his breakfast. We weren't lucky enough to have a kitchen separate. This house was built as a true frontier home, with a fireplace that doubled as a kitchen fire. I was used to it, but longed to have the chimney rebuilt to include an oven, instead of just setting the Dutch oven on coals with more on the lid.

I quickly pulled a side of bacon out of the cold box and sliced off pieces as thinly as possible. As I was doing this, Pa walked in with a basket of eggs. He set a few aside, placing the rest in the cold box. "We need some more ice. I'll be sure to let Newton know to send some by," he commented.

"Thanks, Pa," I answered and went back to preparing breakfast. I had sliced some bread off the loaf, spitting them over the fire to toast while I cooked the eggs in the fat from the bacon.

Pa said, "I met the new Masen boy yesterday. He seemed nice, but don't get too friendly." I rolled my eyes at his comment. I had recently turned sixteen and he was afraid I would marry too young. "I hear he has a sister, though. I'm sure you'll be enjoying her company."

We'll see, I thought. "Don't worry, Pa," I answered him, "I'll be nice. And don't worry about the boy either. You know I want to try to be accepted into Oberlin College in a couple years."

I could hear Pa chuckle. He arose from the table and kissing me on the head he laughed, "My daughter, the radical." As he heard me huff he quickly continued, "You know I'm proud of you, Bells. I just hate the idea of you going so far away. Now off to school with you." I quickly reached up to peck his cheek and went out the door as he cleaned the dishes.

As I journeyed to school I wondered about the new girl. I was the only one who didn't share a desk on the girl's side in my grade. Jessica and Lauren were my age, but they shared. Rose was a grade ahead, and she shared with Angela. I actually enjoyed the solitude of my desk. It allowed me to focus on my studies, without having to listen to either Jessica or Lauren gossip.

Angela was good and kind, but she had been making eyes at Ben, and he at her. They were expected to marry when of age. Rose was smart, strong, and intimidating. She was the envy of every girl, and the desire of just about every boy. Only one boy caught her eye though. Emmett McCarty. He was the biggest and strongest of all our age. While he was kind and open-hearted, he also was smart. He didn't care much for schoolwork, but he was adept at figuring things out. I was sure they would also marry once they came of age.

As I thought on, I knew that Jessica and Mike, one of the boys my age, would probably match up. Mike had set his intentions upon me at one time, and while I found him sweet and cute, there just seemed to be something missing. Jessica would be perfect for him. She was a petite, excitable girl, easily amused. Her springy brown curls helped add to her height, so she didn't seem mis-matched with Mike's average height.

I felt bad for Tyler, though. That left him with Lauren, or me. Tyler was a nice enough boy, and he was smart, but again there was just something missing, so he didn't draw my eye either. He was happy enough with Lauren though, despite her shrewish character.

While so many of my age were pairing up, I sincerely didn't feel the need to do so. Oberlin College had opened to accepting women many years ago, and was still one of the few women's colleges in the country. Since it was in Ohio, and not Boston, Pa felt a bit better with me going there. With talk of a trans-continental railroad, the journey would be shortened from four to six months to a mere four weeks. That is if the war that seemed to be looming didn't occur.

There was much arguing in the paper lately. With the addition of more states to the union, there was a battle raging over whether the new ones would be slave or free states. Many of the states in the southeastern part of the country were fighting to allow the new states to choose their own way, with no regulation from the federal government. They were currently battling many northern states in the courts for failure to return slaves as directed in the constitution. The northern states were arguing that federal decisions trumped state legislatures. There had been many skirmishes in places such as Missouri and Kansas as men had come to blows and blood was shed. Washington Territory had been wanting to join the union, but many feared the war would come first, and held off to see what would happen in the east.

I walked into school and nodded to Mr. Banner as I slid into my desk. He already had math problems on the board, sorted by grade. I pulled out my slate and began work on my grades' list, going through the assignment easily. I had only been there a short time when I heard the new kids enter the schoolhouse. Most others turned to look at them, but I wanted to get my work done so kept my head down. I could hear them speaking with Mr. Banner, and knew he was directing the girl to sit next to me. I glanced up as she walked toward me, and saw her brother.

He was magnificent. I couldn't have imagined a more handsome boy. He had an odd color to his hair that reminded me of bronze pots, or perhaps the red gold that came from the Dakotas. He was tall, at least as tall as Emmett, but not as largely built. His eyes were an emerald green, and they were smiling down on his sister. I followed his gaze to her so I could see who my desk-mate was to be.

As handsome as he was, his sister was pretty. She was quite petite with dark hair pulled up into a chignon at her neck. She had ice-blue eyes that sparkled with excitement. She smiled and introduced herself as she sat beside me. We quickly exchanged names, and I went back to working my problems as she pulled out a slate and chalk of her own. I looked forward to getting to know her, but Mr. Banner was strict, and tolerated no talking during lessons.

When Mr. Banner rang the bell for lunch we poured out into the fall sunshine. We knew having sun was a rarity, and hated losing a minute of it indoors. Alice joined me under one of the trees to eat her lunch with me. As we pulled our food from our buckets, I looked up and saw her brother walking toward her. "Alice," I leaned in to her as I spoke, nodding in his direction, "I think your brother is coming to talk to you."

"His name is Edward and I wouldn't be so sure it was me he was looking to talk to, Bella. Didn't you notice him making eyes at you all morning?" she asked with a grin.

I laughingly replied, "Me? I think not. He was merely checking on you. Besides, don't you have his lunch? I'm sure he's hungry." I heard Mike calling him, and looked up to see him smile at his sister wistfully, no doubt from his desire for food, and follow Mike to where the boys were wrestling. "Want to go see the boys wrestle?" I asked her, "Emmett is quite good."

Alice laughed merrily, "I doubt he can throw Edward. He may not be as big, but he is quite strong."

Wrestling was quite an interesting affair. The boys would sit across from each other, feet flat together, and both would hold a sturdy stick between them. The person calling the game would hold the stick, and as soon as he released, both boys would begin tugging with the intent of pulling the other off balance. If one was able to dislodge his opponent, then he would 'throw' him to the side, winning the competition. It took a great deal of strength, as well as speed and agility, to win.

We wandered over to watch the boys as we ate. The other girls had already gathered, and laughed as they watched Edward throw Mike quite easily. I was surprised to see Edward's muscles bunch as he pulled on the stick. I had thought him wiry, but the muscles on his arms were quite well defined. I felt my face flush as I realized Alice was watching me look at him, instead of watching the match. "Do you find him handsome?" she asked me.

"Mike is cute, but I've not set my cap for him. I believe Jessica has, though, so you might want to consider that," I answered, thinking she was speaking of Mike. Why would she be asking me about her brother?

I heard her laugh lightly as we watched Edward throw Ben. "I wasn't asking you about Mike, Bella," her voice shook with merriment, "I was asking if you found my brother handsome."

Edward was now lined up with Tyler. If he could throw Ben, I knew Tyler would present no problem for him. "Yes, Alice, I believe he is handsome." My voice dropped to a whisper, "as do Jessica, Angela and Lauren. They haven't kept their eyes off him all break."

Edward had now thrown Tyler, and was waiting while Ben and Emmett wrestled. The only one to not throw him was Emmett, and that was simply because he hadn't lined up against him yet. We all knew that no one beat Emmett. Alice stood chuckling beside me. "What do you find so amusing, Alice?" I asked her.

"You!" was her reply. "I have seen the other girls look at him, but you are the only girl he has looked at." Edward was now lined up against Emmett, and Tyler let go of the stick as I laughed loudly at Alice's comment. I saw Edward look around at me just as Emmett started to pull. I watched in horror as Edward didn't even pull, and Emmett launched him over his shoulder, directly onto a rock.

I stared horrified as he arose to a sitting position and I could see blood dripping down his face from a cut on his forehead. Some of the girls around me began to scream. I suppose there was value to that as it did alert Mr. Banner that something was amiss, but I simply found it annoying. Taking a deep breath and holding it, I rushed over to him to assess his injury. I had taken care of Pa when he was hurt. Since it was only the two of us I needed to be able to handle this type of thing. Unfortunately, I had a tendency to pass out from the smell, hence taking a deep breath. I looked him over, turned my head to breathe again, and reached under my skirt to rip some fabric from my petticoat. It was old and falling apart anyway, so I didn't mind. Edward, apparently, was quite surprised however.

I noticed his look of surprise at my actions and just smiled at him while I used the material to wipe the blood from his face. Luckily it didn't appear very deep so I picked up his hand and instructed him to apply pressure. I then stepped away to take another breath.

As I was trying to refill my lungs I could hear him chuckling. "Why are you sniggering at me?" I asked.

"You are quite the conundrum. You rush over to tend to my wounds, but you won't breathe near me. Why? Do I smell?"

"It's the blood. The smell makes me ill," I replied.

"Then why did you rush over to care for me?" he asked.

I shrugged. "You were hurt." I looked to see Mr. Banner coming from the schoolhouse. He saw that Edward was sitting up smiling, so he didn't rush.

"I think it's done bleeding now. Would you care to have your petticoat back?" he asked with a crooked grin.

"Ah, no, thank you kindly," I replied as I felt my face alight with a blush. I turned to see Mr. Banner looking between us, and felt the fire under my skin heat further.

"Bella, class is starting back up. Please go in and take your seat. Start your reading assignment. I will attend to Mr. Masen." I dropped him a curtsy, and without another word to Edward, rushed for the sanctuary of the schoolhouse, smiling at Alice as I passed her by.

I forced myself to not think on the boy who lay injured in the yard. How his hair had felt as I pushed it out of the way of his wound. How green his eyes were when they smiled at me as I tried to hold my breath due to the blood. How his crooked grin unnerved me when he realized it was a piece of my petticoat I was using. How his deep, smooth voice sounded as he—

"Bella! Aren't you listening to me?" Alice's intense whispering finally broke through my daydreaming, accompanied by a fierce pinch on my arm.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?" I remonstrated.

"You were dreaming! Was it of my brother perhaps?" she accused with glee.

"I was reading."

"I sincerely doubt that, seeing as how you've been staring at the same spot on the page for five minutes," she giggled. "If it makes you feel better, he asked me your name."

"He's just wondering who the bizarre girl is who ripped her petticoat in front of him," I countered.

"Hmm, we'll see," she mused. Then a smile lit her face. "Don't you live towards the edge of town? That's quite a distance to walk. Perhaps Edward would give you a ride home? I don't mind walking."

"I don't know what you're scheming, Alice, but I will thank you kindly anyway, and decline your offer of your brother's services. I merely walk to the jail from here, and ride with my father home. He feels it improper for a young lady to be home unaccompanied."

I could see Alice's face fall, and then alight with joy as I told her this. The look in her eyes told me she hadn't given up on throwing her brother and me together. "Well, since Mr. Banner has sent Edward home to be bandaged properly, would your father think it amiss if I walked to the jail with you? My father could collect me from there."

I started to feel that I had misjudged Alice. Perhaps she only wanted to spend time with me herself? "I'm sure that would be fine Alice. I would enjoy your company." She clapped her hands with glee.

Happy with the thought that I had found a new friend, I was able to pull my thoughts from her brother and concentrate again on my schoolwork. The rest of the day seemed to fly by until Mr. Banner pulled out his pocket-watch and reached for the bell to dismiss us. Alice and I talked all the way to the jail. She told me about their travels on the trail, as well as about how some of the girls were so taken with Edward. For some reason I couldn't quite fathom, this thought unnerved me. As she was speaking I felt as if Alice was measuring my reaction, so I made sure to laugh at their antics.

When we reached the jail Pa sent a runner to the Masen home to make them aware that Alice was with me and that he would drive her home at the end of the day. We worked on our homework on Pa's desk, chatting about books we had read and learning of each other. The sun had long since set when Pa alerted us it was time to go home. He set us in the small wagon he used for hauling prisoners, something which Alice thought highly amusing, and drove towards the Masen home.

Upon our arrival there, her father greeted us, thanking Pa for allowing her to stay. Pa enquired after Edward, having learned from us what befell him that day, and was told he was fine. I was surprised when Alice asked her father if they could use one of the carriages to take to school and if he would allow them to pick me up so I wouldn't have to walk. She then surprised me further by asking if I could spend my afternoons with them instead of at the jail. She apparently was capable of convincing both of our fathers, despite my protests that it was unnecessary, and arranged a time for collecting me in the morning with a gleam in her eye.

As I hugged her goodnight I whispered into her ear, "Alice Masen, I don't know for sure what you are up to, but I will find out." I then climbed back into the wagon and Pa drove us home. I knew I should be thinking over what to prepare for supper, but my thoughts continuously strayed to the handsome boy I had bandaged earlier that day.

A/N

Those who captured runaway slaves were required to return them to their owners under the constitution (my own family was affected by this!), see Article IV Section 2, which was abolished with 13th amendment.

Getshorty has made a lovely thread for me over on Twilighted under Alternate Universe - Human. Here's the link: www(dot)twilighted (dot) ?f=44&t=4844. Come by and play!

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