A/N:

I don't own Twilight or World of Warcraft. I also don't own the WoW character names and as of the writing of this story they're not in use in the game.

Super huge thanks to my lovely betas...MsSassyKassie and Naughty...I love you girls - and this story wouldn't be happening without you!

I apologize for the HUGE delay in the posting of this chapter...I'm just gonna say that we all know how real life gets sometimes and leave it at that. I shall try to keep things going a little better now that I'm back on a roll...

Where we left off:

Bellena says: Sure. I think I need to kill some stuff tonight.

Culana says: Haha. That's what we're here for. Everything ok?

Bellena says: Actually...I think it will be. Let's do this.

Before I know it, it's about 2 in the morning and the five of us have been running instance after instance just gathering stuff and killing the shit out of the bad guys. I truly did love the group that I played with and although I had a better relationship with some than others, we always had a good time. Even if we were banging our heads against the wall every once in awhile, trying harder things than we should have been.

This happened a lot. We'd start playing and seemingly all of a sudden it was some god awful early hour of the morning and I'd been up all night. I got lost in this make-believe world, surrounded by friends who had a common goal as well as a common lack of healthy respect for morning.

"Well, guys, I think that's it for me. Can't keep my eyes open any longer." I sigh into the microphone that sits in front of my face.

I swear to God, voice chat made this game so much easier. I seriously didn't have time to type shit while we were trying to run an instance.

Culana says: Awww, bedtime already?

I gigged at this one. Although normally we'd all be using Ventrilo, our voice chat program for running instances, and we were, Culana and I had been chatting through text in the game tonight as well. He'd messaged me about joining them for the initial run, and while we were all having so much fun, we decided to just keep going and gather up some materials, gold, and experience points. At the same time Culana and I were chatting in between shots at the bosses, or big-bad-scary-ass-enemy dudes, about all manner of things.

It started off innocently enough. We'd played together before, many times in fact. So we knew each other, but we didn't know each other all that well yet. He did, however, know that I was often hesitant about my ability with the game, as he'd had to coax me into playing or doing runs with them on more than one occasion. He and many of the other members of the guild had been playing a lot longer than I had so my confidence in my playing ability was definitely not where theirs was. My uncharacteristic jump into an already formed instance group threw him off a little bit, causing him to ask what was up with me.

And then it happened. I started babbling. Well, not babbling exactly, because I wasn't really talking, but my fingers started flying over the keys, retelling every sordid detail of my breakup with Mike. I was...resigned, I suppose would be the best way to put it. I wasn't even that upset. Somehow I think I'd dealt with my feelings over the course of the last year. So much had changed and I can't believe that I was stupid enough to think that playing a video game together was going to fix things. Even with all the yelling that we did tonight, I wasn't feeling all that bad about the whole thing. In fact, if I was being perfectly honest with myself, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

For his part, Culana listened - or I suppose read - all my words and was a great 'ear' in this situation. He reassured me that I had said the right things and that knowing both of us, at the very least in the game, that this seemed pretty inevitable lately.

As Mike and I had played together over the end of our relationship, he'd gotten short with me in the game, often snapping at me over Ventrilo or making unnecessary comments in the group or guild chat. Funny thing was, the guild all liked me better, he just didn't realize it. In fact, he'd gotten on after leaving my place as well, and I was the one who got the invite to the group, not him.

Bellena says: Yeah. Can't keep my eyes open any longer - everything is all blurry - makes targeting hard.

Culana says: That's what she said. Haha.

Bellena says: Oh, please. That was the worst. You're terrible - but I really am off to bed now. Thanks for being an ear tonight. Sorry for dumping all of that on you.

Culana says: Oh come on, you served that one right up. I wouldn't be me if I didn't take it. And you're more than welcome. To be perfectly honest, your ex is kind of a dickbag anyway. I just never said anything cause you seemed happy and it wasn't my place. But he's an ass and you deserve better.

Bellena says: Thanks. You're actually not the first one to tell me that, but maybe I should start listening.

Culana says: You do that. Have a good night. Thanks for joining us tonight. We did well.

Bellena says: We really did. Thanks again. G'night.

For the first time in months, I headed to sleep with a smile on my face. Maybe James and Culana were right. Maybe I really did deserve better.

~QFL~

As the rest of the fall semester came and went, I lost myself in my schoolwork. Student teaching was coming up, and this, for all intents and purposes, was the end of my college career. Next semester I'd be coming and going from a school at the normal hours of a teacher. I would have papers to grade rather than papers to write. I would be getting up at the crack of dawn rather than rolling into bed in the wee hours of the night. I would be donning heels and dress pants instead of sweatpants and flip flops. Basically I'd be playing the best grown up I could, so I was enjoying this last bit of the "college life" as they say.

Jess and Lauren were all too happy to join me in nights of wine and general drunken antics. Whether it was watching hours of our favorite Nicholas Sparks' romantic movies, playing rounds of Apples to Apples, or creating our own karaoke parties, complete with the music of every single 90's boy band, we spent our fall semester doing what college kids do best. I think one night out at the bar summed it up best.

We walked into the bar one cool November night, ready for some karaoke and fun. Upon sliding up to the bar, we ordered drinks and the bartender quickly slid some pretty pink, if not overly sweet and strong drinks across the bar to us. We chatted with friends and interacted with the other bar patrons. We even sang along as others butchered 80's rock classics and 90's pop hits.

The drinks continued to flow as Jess was approached by a guy wearing a baseball cap and the world's ugliest sweater. I swear to God, it looked like something off of the Cosby show. Who wears those things anyway? I mean, besides Bill Cosby of course. Jess' cosmo-glasses apparently made that the most attractive look in the world because her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

He bought the three of us another round of drinks and two of his friends joined our chat at the bar. It was nice, I guess. I wasn't normally one to look for guys in bars, especially when drinking, but then again, I'd been in a long-term relationship until about a month ago. Maybe this is what normal, single, twenty-something girls did while away at college, and maybe I should just enjoy it. We continued to sing and laugh and have a wonderful time. I guess I could handle this.

Jess and Mr. Baseball Cap exchanged numbers before the night was out, but this was a girls' night and none of us were bringing any guys home. I started to realize, however, that I could. If I had been so inclined, I could have given my number to someone or made out in a corner of the bar while people sang and danced around me or even brought a guy back to my room for a one-night-stand. I wasn't normally that kind of girl, but maybe that's what I needed after the long, drawn out, exasperating experience of dating Mike.

~QFL~

Getting home in the early morning hours, I hopped online once I reached my room. I'm not entirely sure why I decided I needed to play at two-thirty in the morning, but apparently my alcohol filled brain decided that even though I couldn't entirely see straight, that playing a fast moving online video game was a good idea. As soon as I logged on, a message popped up on my screen.

Culana says: Well, well, well, someone's up late tonight...

I smiled, despite myself. Was I seriously feeling slightly giddy over one of my guildmates being on when I got home tonight? Must be the alcohol. I don't even really know him.

Bellana says: Yep. Wernt to teh barr with my girls 2nite. Hadd a couplre tings to chek on n game b4 bed.

Culana says: Someone's been drinking a bit...did you girls have a good time?

Bellana says: We did. Baseball capp bought drinkss 4 us all nite. Carry-okey is loud, but funn!

Culana says: You're funny when you're drunk. I'd ask if you wanted to run something since you're up, but I'm not sure you'd be able to target the bosses and not me.

Bellana says: You're silly. U kno u cannt hit memb3rs of your own party.

Culana says: Very true. But I'm not sure your drunkenness wouldn't let you find a way. Get to bed...I think you need your rest.

Bellana says: Ur probly right. G'night Cullan.

Culana says: See! You can't even get my name right. Get some sleep and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Bellana says: nite

As I lay in bed that night, my brain swimming slightly from the alcohol in my system, inexplicably, my thoughts kept drifting to the teasing way that Culana was chatting with me. He made me smile. We had a nice time chatting. That wasn't why I had gotten on line that night. I wasn't hoping to get to chat with him. That wasn't why I didn't have more interest in the guys at the bar. That wasn't it at all.

~QFL~

I woke up with a terrible hangover. The drinks that Baseball Cap was buying us were certainly strong. I wondered how Jess and Lauren were feeling this morning as I wandered into the common room of our floor. There, I found the two of them lounging on one of the sofas, heads propped on each other, eyes half closed, watching some inane infomercial on the big-screen television.

Plopping down next to them, their groans and grumbles were the only acknowledgement I got that they knew of my presence. The three of us sat sleepily on that couch for the next couple of hours, simply regaining our presence of mind.

"Ugh. I need greasy food. Bacon, pancakes, something," Jess mumbled.

"Me too. And coffee...stat. My mouth feels like cotton balls."

Lauren's response for some reason made me giggle, and then, once I started, I couldn't stop. Of course, that got the other two going as well, and soon we were falling off the couch in a heap of silly giggling. Standing, stretching, and rubbing our aching heads, we all wandered to Lauren and Jess's room to grab keys and wallets. Apparently I'd left mine in the cab and Jess had had the wherewithal to grab it for me. Funny, I didn't even remember asking whoever was on duty that night to let me into my room.

We piled into Lauren's car and headed for our favorite local greasy spoon. Diner food always seems to be the best cure for a hangover, and the best part is, they serve up the delicious breakfast goodness all day long, so it didn't matter that it was almost quarter after twelve when we arrived. We talked and laughed all through our makeshift breakfast, recounting tales of karaoke and our friend Baseball Cap. Jess informed me that apparently his name was not really Baseball Cap, but was, in fact, Garrett, according to the newly added contact in her phone and that she was going to be waiting for him to call her first. Jess definitely subscribed to the convention that the guy should make the first move.

We returned to campus, thoroughly full on bacon, eggs, and coffee early in the afternoon. Jess and Lauren were going to the mall later that day to look for dresses to wear to the Snow Ball, the school's annual end-of-fall-semester formal. I had no interest in attending the dance, especially now that I'd be going without a date, so I was skipping that particular excursion. Besides, I was still tired from the night before and the lack of sleep due to my drunkeness. I'd decided to return to my room, take a nap, and maybe spend some time reading or working on some schoolwork. Final papers were going to be due soon as the semester was winding down, and getting a jump start on that kind of work was never a bad thing in my mind.

~QFL~

I tried to nap. I really did. Naps were some of my favorite things in the world. But it just wasn't happening today. I tossed and turned for about half an hour before I finally gave up. I knew I was tired, but my mind just wouldn't give in to the temptation of sleep. I pulled out my research on assessment techniques in the secondary school classroom and tried to start organizing an outline to my final paper on alternative assessments, but I just couldn't focus. I was thinking about everything but projects and presentations at the high school level.

Sighing, I turned to my computer. Maybe just an hour or so of mindless farming for materials would help clear my head. Yeah, that'll probably do it.

Signing on, I felt a smile cross my face as a private message showed up in my chat window as soon as the game loaded.

Culana says: She's alive! How you feelin' today, rockstar?

Bellena says: Ugh. I'm ok now. This morning was rough but bacon cures just about anything. Haha. Bacon. Cures. Get it? That's funny cause it is cured. Ok, I'm losing my mind. That wasn't funny at all and I'll just be shutting up now.

Culana says: Haha. It was actually a little funny, but you're allowed to have an off day every now and again. You were in prime form last night when you got home.

Bellena says: Oh God! I did get on here didn't I? Did I say something terribly embarrassing? Should I just be going now because I said something stupid?

Culana says: You couldn't type for shit but you were fine. A little silly, but fine. Don't worry about it at all. I had fun talking to your little drunk-mage self.

And so the conversation went. Something about him saying he had fun talking to me had me smiling. I couldn't help it. That made me realize I had hoped he'd be on this afternoon. And I think, maybe, that's why I couldn't concentrate on sleep or work. I wanted to talk to him again. I constantly wanted to talk to him. I didn't really know what to make of it all, but I knew I wanted to get to know him better.

We played most of the afternoon, just generally screwing around in the game, doing some quests and farming for materials. Not many from the guild were on as it was the middle of a Saturday right before the holiday season. I'm sure many people were busy with family and friends, so he and I just spent the day...together...in a sense. And we had a great time.

I was intrigued by him. As we chatted, I learned more about him. He asked questions about me as if he was actually interested in the answers. He was 26 years old, making him about four years older than me. He worked as an architect, and as such was able to work from home most days. That gave him the freedom to play at various times - late at night, mid-afternoon, even in the morning if he wanted. He loved his work and was clearly passionate about the buildings and spaces he designed. He beautifully described one building to me that he was particularly proud of, a new office space for a not for profit group that was working on cancer research. When he sent me a link to their website, which featured stunning images of his building, I was in awe. The artistic vision combined with the technical know how to put together such a space amazed me.

He had traveled extensively throughout the United States, visiting sites for building projects, as well as vacationing with family and friends. I admit that I was a tiny bit jealous, hearing of all the fabulous places he had both worked and played. Currently, he called Pittsburgh home, but oddly enough his family was originally from outside of Chicago, where I was currently enrolled in school.

He asked about school and what I was studying. He asked about my interest in teaching, and what I wanted to do with my degree. He even asked about my favorite places in Chicago. Agreeing with some, appalled by others, suggesting things I might check out in the future if I was interested.

We talked about music and some of our shared tastes. We good-naturedly ribbed each other about some of our other choices. He picked on my love of the boy-band era, and I gave him shit for his love of Garth Brooks, but hatred of country music in general. I mean, you don't get much more country music than Garth Brooks.

Before I knew it, I was starving and it was late. I don't even remember where all the time went, but the harmless flirting and the laughing I was doing with my online friend were definitely welcome distractions. However, I knew, deep down, that that's all this would ever be. Flirting. Silly joking. He lived hundreds of miles away. I was just a silly college girl. He had a career and a life in Pittsburgh. Who knew where I'd end up after I had my degree and license. This could be fun and a way to get my mind off of school and stress, but that was all.

I excused myself from the game for a bit, putting up a little 'away from keyboard' message so the guild and my other friends in the game would know I'd be back, and wandered down to the student center for a late night meal. Trudging back up the steps to my room, styrofoam container filled with a burger and fries in hand, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I planned out spending my night online with Culana. With Edward. Shit. I should get used to calling him by his name now that we'd finally exchanged them.

In the game, most players went solely by their character names, making it easier to keep things straight in group chat or during instances and raids. But with all the playing we'd been doing together lately, combined with the chatting and flirting we'd engaged in, Edward and I felt that it was only appropriate that we know each other's real first names for times when we were just talking. After all, the characters weren't talking then, we were and we wanted to draw that line of distinction.

I could feel the pull drawing me back to my computer. It wasn't totally about the game anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still loved playing, and had become great friends with many of my guildmates. But it wasn't all about de-stressing by killing creatures anymore. So much of my draw to the game now was him.

~QFL~

The next couple of months passed in much the same way. My free time spent playing online with Edward and getting to know him even better. We'd never even met face-to-face, but I already felt like I knew him better than I knew Mike. Finals came and went. I headed back home for the winter break. Edward and I sent each other silly little vanity pets in the game as Christmas presents. Without the distraction of classes and school, I spent most of my month long break from school glued to my computer.

My in-game friends and I were spending hours every week together, running instances and raids, gathering materials, and earning in game money. We laughed, we swore, we argued, but in the end we grew to be one big group of great friends.

Spring semester started in late January and as I returned to campus, I dreaded the time I would be spending away from this new group that I felt so close to. With it being senior year, and being an education major, I was going to be spending the semester completing my student teaching. I wasn't taking classes as such, but I'd be going to work everyday. Almost like a real-live grown up. I would be working in two different schools for stints of six weeks a piece. My first placement started just a week after we arrived back on campus. I was nervous to say the least. I'd always wanted to be a teacher. From the time I was a little girl it was the only thing I'd ever wanted to do. Other kids played doctor and fireman and princess. I had a classroom set up in my basement and I would teach to my stuffed animal class. I spent birthday money on gradebooks and double-ended red and blue ink pens.

I would be spending my last semester of school finally getting to do what I'd always dreamed of. I would get up at the crack of dawn and go to work. I would spend my day surrounded by middle schoolers or high schoolers. We would talk about history and government. We would learn together, because I was sure that this learning experience was almost as much for me as it was for them.

However, I was scared. I was scared that I was going to hate it. That I wasn't going to like my dream job now that I finally was getting to do it. That first week back on campus was spent in preparations for my new teaching assignments and in killing the nerves that were trying to bubble up inside me. I spent a lot of my time online, talking through my fears with Edward. Some days I'd login to the game just to have my character sit in one of the cities doing nothing, just so I could chat with him. I found myself increasingly disappointed whenever he wasn't on.

I also spent time that first week with Jess and Lauren. Getting up at 5:00am every morning was going to take some getting used to and it definitely meant not being out at the bar on Thirsty Thursdays until all hours of the morning anymore. I had to play the grown up and I wasn't exactly sure how to do that.

My first day at my first placement, which happened to be in 8th grade social studies, was long but wonderful. I loved every second. During this first week I'd be observing my host teacher, picking up methods and tips that she used while teaching and I'd begin teaching part of her class load the following week.

In the evenings, I worked on lesson plans and materials that I'd need for the upcoming weeks as I wanted everything to be perfect. I loved every second of what I was doing and this fact only confirmed for me that I was meant to go into teaching. My only problem now was that I was spending so much time on school work that my in-game time was severely limited. I had gotten much too used to the time off of school and spending as much time online as I wanted and that option wasn't available to me anymore. Adding grading papers on top of it further restricted my free time, but this is what all my hard work had been about.

Edward, our in-game friends, and I still managed to spend time online together when we could. Everytime I logged on I was greeted with a warm hello and a welcome 'how are you?' from Edward. Even the times when I could only log on for a few minutes here or there, it was always Edward that made my evening better. It was always him that sent me to sleep with a smile on my face.

Because I was teaching, my schedule for the semester was different than most of my fellow college students. I followed the days off of the schools that I was at, rather than the vacations prescribed by the college. I was dreading being on campus pretty much alone, save for my fellow student teachers, over the school's spring break. All of my friends would be heading home or to somewhere warmer for spring break adventures that I'm sure would include bathing suits, alcohol, and stories that were not to leave the place where they happened. I would be stuck here, in still-cold Chicago, getting out of bed at 5am and going to work. It didn't seem quite fair.

One night I was lamenting my troubles with Edward during a quick instance run with some of our friends. I was whining about the fact that I'd be bored and all alone on campus. Nevermind that there were approximately 150 of us student teaching at the time and we'd all be stuck on campus. No. That didn't count. I'd be all alone.

Culana says: Awwww. Poor baby. Going to be at school all by your lonesome. Being a grown up sucks doesn't it?

Bellena says: Oh shut it, old man. It does suck when you're getting cheated out of the usual college experience that everyone else has. It'll be nice to have it quiet here though. Might be able to get a semi-normal amount of sleep without all the yahoos around here up all night partying.

Culana says: That will probably be nice. I'll try not to keep you up too late with instance runs either - since you might actually be able to get some sleep.

Bellena says: Yeah, we'll see how it goes. I'll probably be keeping myself busy on here so I'm not missing everyone so much.

Culana says: You don't have to miss me. I'll be right here for you.

As his last message popped up on the screen, I didn't know how to feel. There was a tiny bud of hope blooming in my chest that maybe he was feeling this weird pull that we seemed to have on each other as well. I often ached to talk to him. I wanted to share my day with him. We'd never even met in person, but I felt like I already had a stronger connection to him than I'd had with Mike. I know I thought it early on as well, but everyday just cemented the fact for me.

Sometime around the midway point of my first student teaching placement we'd exchanged email addresses. It was easier at times to be able to just leave him a message or have him leave one for me through email in case we wouldn't be in game. Our messages were usually short and sweet, but the incessant flirty and friendly undertone was always there.

Our guild even had an online forum for members where we could post things we needed help or advice with in the game or random thoughts, or sometimes even just funny, inappropriate jokes. On the forum, we had a section where each member could post a picture of themselves. We spent upwards of 20 hours a week together doing runs so we thought it was about time we maybe knew who we were playing with. I'll admit that after Edward and I started talking, when I first recognized that pull that I had to him, I went and checked for his picture. I was absolutely shocked at what I saw. He was incredibly handsome. Strong jawline, covered in a light coating of scruff, wild hair in an array of bronze and copper and brown hues. His eyes were green and the definition of piercing. Any attraction I had to him from our flirtations back and forth was increased tenfold when I saw the image of his physical form.

Just before spring break we exchanged phone numbers. Edward insisted it was in case I was feeling nervous about being on campus all alone over the school's break, so I could call him if I was scared. It was such a sweet gesture from him, and I couldn't totally tamp down the hope I felt that maybe he wanted to spend more time "with" me as well.

The morning of the first day of the empty campus I received Edward's first text message.

Edward: Hey you. Just wanted to see if the boogie man came to eat you yet.

I laughed out loud at that one. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about the lack of bodies on campus this week, but I knew overall that our buildings were secure and that security personnel was on campus and just a phone call away. There were even about 20 other students in my building who were stuck on campus like me so it wasn't like I was totally alone.

Bella: Very funny, smartass. And no, no boogie men yet. I'll keep you on the alert list though. I'm perfectly safe in my room, thank you very much.

Edward: I'm glad to hear that. And you be sure to keep me on that alert list. I need to know if my Bella is okay.

My Bella. My Bella. He said "my" Bella as if I was somehow his. Of course, this could just be a friendly gesture, but that little bloom of hope got a tiny bit bigger with that little slip. He also said he needed to know that I was ok. Not that he wanted to know or that he would like to know, but that he needed it. Almost as if he needed me.

That idea was absolutely absurd. I'd stared at his picture enough to have it memorized, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, and knowing what he looked like shook my foundation a little bit. There's no way that he could be as attracted to me as I was to him. There was no way he'd have seen my terrible webcam taken self portrait as anything but underwhelming.

I was lost in thought, over analyzing every word of his text message, when there was a knock at the door. Strange, I thought to myself. The only people to show up to my room unannounced are Jess and Lauren. And I'm not on duty. None of the RA's were since campus was pretty much empty.

A/N: Uh oh...who do you think is at the door? I'll be back as soon as I can to let you know :) Please let me know your thoughts or theories in the form of a review. They really do make me want to write - which means you get your next chapter faster. Love you all! *hugs*

References:

- Greens (chapter title) are uncommon items in the game. They usually have some sort of ability or power to help you (increased character statistics, etc.). They're usually the first enchanted items you will find.