The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: 7 (Photo of Baseball and Mitt)
Main Character/Pairing: Bella & Edward
Rating: T
Word Count: 1139


- Bella's Point of View -


"I'm kind of nervous."

"Don't let them hear you say that," Edward warned, shrugging out of his jeans. "Especially Emmett. He'll never let you live it down."

"Thanks for the advice," I grumbled, rotating to check my outfit in the mirror.

I was surprised to find that slacks actually looked presentable on me. The long jersey I wore slid below my waist, and I wore brand new tennis shoes. I didn't know why Alice had even bothered. They were all white now, but I was sure that a few sloshes in the mud and quick running would dirty and wear them out soon enough.

And then she would just have to buy new shoes.

… Not that she would mind, I supposed, shrugging to myself. I was happy with whatever shopping Alice did for me as long as I approved it. Alice had been excited to "convert" me to the Cullen's ideal fashion sense, but I'd been adamant and she'd been persistent, so Alice and I had settled for an acceptable bargain.

I would let her waste all the money on me, buy anything and everything she wanted to shove at me, as long as it within my preferences. She'd tried sneaking around it, sliding a piece of silky and embarrassing lingerie mixed with clothes I did like and had hoped I wouldn't notice. Thanks to Edward's tip about recognizing the unique scent of each fabric, I'd caught the "stowaway" almost immediately.

"Don't worry," Edward commented, referring to my previous worries. "You know how to play; it's just a matter of practice. You'll be a pro in about thirty seconds."

"I wish I could feel as confident as you are." I sighed, tugging my hair into a baseball cap.

Alice had purchased that for me, too. I'd seen Cullen baseball firsthand, and obviously my hair needed to remain intact during the game.

As I continued to consider my newly developed baseball-game look, Edward caught me in mid-spin. Fully dressed already, he grabbed me around the hips and held me close. His eyes had been golden just a second ago, but they darkened with desire as he scanned me up and down.

"I have half a mind to pull you back to bed," he confessed huskily, extending his arms fully around my waist and pressing his chest against mine.

I turned back to face the mirror and raised an eyebrow at him from the glass.

"If you destroy any of my clothing, Alice will personally hunt you down and kill you. She's been waiting for my first baseball game forever. To buy the outfit, of course, but you'd better not make her mad."

Edward pouted, burying his face into my neck and squeezing my middle hopefully. "I can deal with her later. The game isn't for another twenty minutes…" He started tugging me towards the room, gazing at me pleadingly. "Please?"

I shook my hand, coming to a full stop and taking my hand back. "No way, Edward. Alice is going to kill you and then kill me for allowing you to distract—"

My cell phone rang, cutting me off, and I shook my head when I saw who was calling.

"What, Alice?"

"Don't you dare get distracted, Isabella Cullen. There's no point telling Edward to keep his hands off of you, because he never has and never will, but I'm asking you to show a little control here."

"Yes, ma'am."

"If I find one wrinkle on your clothes before the game starts, I will murder your husband."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Also, you should switch the hair tie you're wearing for a clear one. The white one you have on now doesn't really look good sticking out of the baseball cap hole."

I sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, bye!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "See you both in five!"

Alice would have my head, literally, if I didn't follow her fashion advice, so I exchanged the hair ties just as she had directed.

"Honestly," I grumbled, turning sideways to inspect my ponytail swinging lightly through the baseball cap. "It doesn't look that different than before…"

Edward was silent, leaning back on a chair, as he watched me adjust my hair in the mirror.

"You don't tie your hair up often," he stated, grinning widely and looking enraptured when I briefly modeled my new baseball look for him. "But when you do, it looks…"

He seemed to be struggling for words. His eyes roamed from my neck to shoulder to my ears and every inch of my face, most of which were typically covered when I let my hair down.

"Different?" I offered, self-consciously tugging at the end of my ponytail under his awestruck stare. "Unusual?"

"Sexy."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing his hand and easily hauling him up to his feet. We locked our cottage door and headed towards the river.

"You're a little biased, you know."

"I most definitely am not," he argued firmly, but his smile that appeared when he reached up to fondly pull at my hair contradicted his tone. "But you're very obtuse when it comes to perceiving yourself."

We playfully bantered like this all the way to the baseball field where everybody was already waiting.

"Finally!" Emmett bellowed, grinning mischievously at us as we approached. "Do you two have a shred of respect for other people's time?"

"The game was set for another ten minutes," I reminded him pointedly. "So we're not late; you're just early. Why? Rose had enough of you already?"

Without waiting for answer, I flounced off to join the girls, leaving Edward doubled over with laughter over Emmett's speechlessness.

"You'll pay me back for that one, sister!" Emmett hollered from behind me. "Make sure you watch yourself carefully during the game."

Edward growled warningly, kicking his brother's shin, but I yelled back, "Don't make bets you can't keep! Haven't you lost enough?"

"Idiots." Rosalie rolled her eyes, watching our husbands wrestle while Jasper, lazily tossing a baseball up and down, stood over them and influenced their anger.

Esme sighed, crossing her ankles daintily. "The game will be over before it even started." She smiled up at me. "I'm glad you're finally playing with us, dear."

"The teams are even now." Alice agreed. "Esme doesn't have to referee anymore."

"Oh, yes, I do," Esme sighed, breezing over to the sparring match behind us. "Boys, enough already! And Jasper, you should be helping calm them down instead of making them more angry."

"Sorry, Mom," Jasper grinned, now staring at her intently.

"Jasper Whitlock!"

I sighed happily, as Alice announced thunder in about thirty seconds and Carlisle called everyone to order.

Baseball had never been more fun, even on television. As Emmett cheated, Jasper messed with our emotions, and Esme reprimanded, I found myself having the time of my life.

I glanced around the field fondly. My family.