2. The Game

"Bella, practice this part, and I will be back shortly" Edward said in such a soothing voice that I didn't think to ask him where he was going. He slipped off the bench and disappeared immediately.

I had told him I wanted to learn how to play the piano, and he was thrilled when I asked him to teach me. I had to admit, it wasn't easy, and I was getting frustrated.

When Edward didn't return, I thought I would take a break to figure out where he had run off to.

I tried to hide my presence, but he must of heard me just out side his door, or he realised the terrible choppy music had ceased the envelop the house. But he quickly mumbled a few more hurried words into the cell phone he held close to his ear. He snapped it closed and shoved it deep inside his jean pocket.

Edward turned to me instinctively and gave me that reassuring smile.

"You stopped playing" he teased.

" I sounded hideous anyway" I laughed at myself. " You play so effortlessly" I continued mater of factly.

"I have been playing for nearly a hundred years" he pointed out as he shook his head and laughed. " You will get it sooner or later" he promised sending me a look of approval.

"So who were you talking to just now" I questioned as I nodded towards the cell phone that he had put back in his pocket. He didn't answer right away, instead his eyes searched out the glass walls of his room into the forest. Interested in what he was looking for, I swiftly made my way towards him, and wrapped my arm around him and rested my head on his shoulder.

" I love you" I said in a whisper.

Edwards face broke into a smile. He tilted his head suddenly, a gesture for me to look out the window. There he stood, Jacob, in his wolf form.

"You called Jacob" I laughed now slightly amused.

Edward snickered and kissed my forehead, and headed towards his closet.

"I called Jake to come watch Nessie for us" Edward exclaimed as he started taking off his favourite button down shirt and replaced it with a long sleeve grey cotton one.

I had to tear my eyes away from him before I could pounce. He was gorgeous, even standing there in what Alice was sure to call his "grubby" clothes.

" By the way…" he said smirking at me, noticing how difficult it was for me not to tackle him to the ground and shower him with all my love and affection. " I love you too".

The relief came in the form of Carlisle as he entered the room and tossed an old worn in baseball cap in my direction. I mulled this all over before I said anything.

" You mean, were playing baseball"? I asked excitedly.

Both Edward and Carlisle stared at each other and then broke out into a laugh, but before I could shoot a disgruntled look at Edward, Alice interrupted them.

" Its time to go" Alice said happily as she danced by the room and floated silently down the stairs.

It wasn't often Forks got thunderstorms, and whenever Alice foreseen one, my family took the rare opportunity to play a game or two of baseball.

" It's an old American past time" I faintly remembered Edward telling me when he first introduced me to the world of baseball, vampire style.

The only time we can play baseball with out being noticed by humans, is when a good thunderstorm rolls in off the mountains.

I felt the rush of adrenaline serge through my entire body. I actually wanted to play! Of course, I never would have been able to play if I was still human, especially not the frail, fragile, clumsy one I was. But now that I'm strong, and fast, and coordinated, I might actually stand a chance.

"This might be fun" I thought to myself, a smile spreading across my face.

Emmett and Rosalie were already waiting in the front seat of Emmett's supercharged Jeep. Alice and Esme hopped in the back seat, and Edward, although rather unnecessary, helped me up into the last seat in the back next to Alice. He kissed my forehead.

" See you shortly" he said confidently, and was out of my sight before I could blink.

I didn't understand why we had to take Emmett's Jeep. It would have been just as fast on foot. But, Emmett was having fun.

I stared out the window as the trees of the forest melted by in a green blur. For a second I thought I saw Edward dart through the thick wilderness of the forest. I strained my ears to see if I heard him or any of my other family members who were on foot.

Even sitting here alone without him, without him touching me, without his curious eyes bearing into mine searching my eyes for some hint at to what I was thinking. It was painful to be without him. Especially when I knew he was so close.

I took this opportunity to try to savour what memories of Edward I had left from when I was human. I constantly thought of what it was like when his ice cold hands met mine, or the way his marble lips felt as the crushed into mine. These are things I wanted to remember. I wanted to remember what it was like to try to hide the blood that flowed in my cheeks when I blushed. When my stomach did summersaults when he was near.

All the thoughts ceased when I noticed the smoothness of the road underneath the Jeep changed drastically as Emmett pulled off the highway onto a vary steep muddy and rocky incline that headed in the forest. He put the four-wheel drive on as we made our way over the first patch of small boulders and deep muddy puddles. The tiny, rarely used path wound in and out of the trees, through a small creek and up the hill. The darkness of the forest was broken by the thinning of the trees at the edge of the field. Emmett drove into the clearing and turned the Jeep so that it was facing back onto the path.

Emmett and Rosalie were the first to exit the vehicle. They met each other at the front of the Jeep and stared wildly into the trees at the far end. It wasn't hard to read their eyes as they scanned for anything that would pose a threat. This clearing had been the meeting place for death. First when James, the tracker had arrived, and tried to kill me. Then with the massive number of newborn vampires sent by Victoria to kill the Cullen's and avenge James by finally killing Edward and myself.

The last time we were in this clearing was when the Volturi accused us of producing an immortal child. Again it had been all our lives in danger.

It was Alice's voice that pulled me from those horrible past time memories. She called me over to help her set up the bases while we waited for the others to arrive. As I exited the Jeep I realised the Esme had been watching me, a curious, but worried expression on her face. I leaned over and kissed her on her cheek promising that I was ok. She nodded and ushered me out to help Alice.

It took us all of thirty seconds to properly measure out where the bases had to be, and only another ten to nail the bases down. There was still no sign of the rest of my family that had departed from our home on foot.

I wondered briefly if I would even be able to hit one of Alice's fastballs.

"Alice" I called over my shoulder as I walked towards home plate to retrieve one of the fibre glass bats that Alice had carried over before setting up the field.

" Yes, Bella"? She answered from across the field in barely a whisper, but heard her as clear as she had been standing next to me.

" Would you mind pitching to me? I have never played before and I would like some practice". I explained to her.

She laughed at me and was standing on her usual spot at the pitchers mound in the middle of the field.

Emmett and Rose left the Jeep and jogged to the outfield to catch any balls that made it past Alice. Esme stood behind me to act as a back catcher for the balls I missed.

I stepped up to the plate and took my stance as I stared Alice down, watching her every move.

Her first pitch was blinding as it whipped past me with such speed I didn't even notice it until I saw it nestled in Esme's bare hand. Everyone laughed, as I repositioned myself for the next pitch.

Instead of watching Alice this time, my eyes locked on the ball. I pulled the bat back behind my shoulders and put my weight on my back leg. The ball left Alice's hand, and with all might force, I swung at the pitch.

Just as the ball made contact with the bat, a defining crack filled the entire valley. Luckily, at that same precise moment, the first round of thunder crashed just over Forks.

The ball I had hit soared through the air with a flash of white and landed somewhere deep in the woods. Rosalie, who had taken off after my apparent homerun, was back within seconds, ball in hand.

Before I could set up for one more practice, we all stopped and our eyes darted to where Emmett had parked his Jeep. The sound Edward, Carlisle and Jasper caught our attention as we continued to scan the area, and they appeared at the edge of the forest within a minute. They quickly made their way towards Alice. The rest of us followed their lead and met them at the pitchers mound.

" Lets pick teams shall we"? Carlisle said cheerfully as he looked to the dark grey clouds that were hovering closer to earth than usual.

Carlisle stepped away from his family, and called Esme to stand next to him. Edward had made his way to where I stood, and took my hand and wrapped it in his, holding me close to him. I hoped that Edward and I would be on the same team, but I knew that would be very unlikely.

The rest of us lined up presenting ourselves to our potential captains. Carlisle picked his new team mate first.

"Edward" Carlisle announced.

Edward kissed my forehead and went to go stand by his captain. Esme choose Alice as her first team member, and then Carlisle picked Rose.

I looked at the three of us left without a team, and I wondered who was next to be chosen. Emmett's name was called next, and he went to stand next to Alice and Esme. It was only Jasper and me left. To my surprise, Carlisle called me over to join him, and Jasper was left to join Esme's team.

" So lets start this thing" Emmett's excited playful tone not going unnoticed.

Everyone smiled, and my team took our places on the field. Edward and Carlisle went to the far end of the field near the edge of the forest. I played infield, and Rose took Alice's usual pitchers spots.

My heart started racing as Emmett grabbed a bat and stood, waiting for Rose's pitch. A streak of lightening ripped open the sky, and Rose threw a curveball in for Emmett. He hit it with such force that it flew a mile through the forest. Edward, the fastest on our team bolted after it. I thought it would be a home run, until Carlisle told me to go to the home plate.

Just as I reached home, Emmett was rounding third base. When I looked around to Carlisle, I saw something white flying through the air. Edward had found the ball and threw it out of the woods to where Carlisle was standing. Emmett must have seen the ball heading in my direction. He picked up his pace, and when he ran he kicked up large patches of earth behind him.

Before anyone knew what happened Emmett was sliding into home. A dust could engulfed both of us as our family surrounded us waiting for the dust to settle.

My eyes were squeezed tight and I opened them when Carlisle and Edward cheered. With ball in hand, touching the plate and Emmett's foot resting on top of my hand, indicating that he was out. Emmett punched the ground in frustration as my team continued to cheer.

The rest of the inning was just as exhilarating. Jasper and Alice scored once, Esme got their second out, and Emmett got the third and final out. The second inning was our turn at bat.

As usual Alice took her post at the pitchers mound. Carlisle went to bat first. Carlisle smashed the ball high over third base, and almost got when he slid into second base and was met by Esme who missed him by a quarter of a second.

Edward was up next, and popped the ball high in the air. Carlisle made his dash for third, and Edward stopped on the second base. I was up next, and Edward winked at me as I took my place and got ready for the pitch.

To my surprise, I hit the first ball pitched in by Alice. Everyone on the field covered their ears from the done shattering crack that was emitted from my bat when it made contact. I instantly made my bid for first base. I was rounding first when Carlisle scored our first run, and Edward hit home while I was running to third. There was no sign of the ball and kicked it up a notch and I ran straight for home. Just as I hit the home plate, Emmett emerged from the woods. I scored a run and I was greeted by my team mates with cheers. Edwards opened his arms and I jumped into them and he kissed me quickly before putting me back down.

As the storm grew more intense; so did the game. But at the beginning of the eighth inning, the storm started drifting off. My team was up by three runs when Carlisle had to call the game.

Jasper and Rosalie were told to collect the bases, and Emmett stomped off to his Jeep, angry that they didn't get to finish the game. Edward walked quickly to where I was standing. His outstretched hand invited me. My fingertips touched his. The lightest touch from him sent shockwaves of electrical pleasure through my entire body. Our fingers become laced in one another's in an unbreakable tie.

" You played like a pro today" Edward said before pulling me into him.

Our lips connected, his free hand fitted to the back of my neck, and his lips pressed harder into mine. Both of our eyes closed, embracing this oddly romantic moment.

We both pulled away when we realised that our family was staring at us in amazement.

" Don't you think you should wait till you have some privacy before you two get intimate"? said Jasper trying to hid the humour in his voice.

" The whole family knows our business anyway" I mused, giving Edward a playful grin.

" I guess your right" Jasper shrugged in agreement.

" Do you need to hunt"? Edward asked gazing into my eyes.

I hadn't really been thinking about how thirsty I had gotten over the past week. My eyes were sure to have turned the dark onyx with which I had become so familiar.

" If you need to, we can take a detour on the way home" Edward suggested.

I deliberated for a moment and realised his eyes also betrayed his need to hunt, although not as much as I did. His eyes changed from the golden brown to a very dark auburn.

"Don't we have to get home to Nessie ? Jake is probably going mad"! I joked.

Edward laughed under his breath, and took my hand and lead me in the opposite direction of our home.

" We will be back later tonight, Rose, tell Jake to go home. Please bring Nessie to the house and put her to bed." Edward said casually.

Rose nodded and hopped into the Jeep with Emmett. Everyone else somehow managed to squeeze into the back seat. Alice was the last to enter the overloaded vehicle.

"Have fun"! She grinned at us, and she too made her way in to sit in the back between Jasper and Esme.

Emmett turned the key over, and the Jeep roared into life. He tromped on the gas, and mud flew into the air and gave the Jeep a new coat of mud that plastered the entire car, from the wheels to the windows as he sped off onto the path that lead to the highway.

Edward opened the front door to our cottage. We were both completely satisfied after our hunt together. Edward's beautiful golden eyes that I loved so much had returned.

The moment we stepped past the threshold, Edward had slammed the heavy wooden door, and it fell off its hinges and crashed to the floor.

A playful, sexual snarl erupted through his chest, and I couldn't help the same snarl that tore through mine.

Edward threw me against the far wall, right into a bookshelf. The books that had been neatly sorted, we now raining down upon us. We barely noticed when the books pelted us in the head, as we were kissing each other deeply, too caught up in the moment to care about anything except us.

Holding me close to him, he turned me around and we crashed into the wall on the right. As he started to take off his shirt, I took the opportunity and tackled him, sending us hurling through the air, and we landed on the stone floors that cracked under us. I pinned him against the floor, he seemed to like it, so I helped him take off the rest of his shirt and tossed it aside.

We finally made it to our bedroom, after we had sufficiently destroyed the first half of the house without taking any notice to the damage.

Edward shut the door for no apparent reason, and although it was late… the night had really just begun for us. We could keep this up all night. When you never sleep, you need things to keep you busy.

We were taking full advantage of the absence of Nessie. I stared at Edward and he slowly made his way towards the bed where I was waiting for whatever he had in store for!