Picking Up Speed

AN: Uh- Long time, no update. I'm very sorry about that. But to make up for it, this is an insanely long chapter. Hope it's not boring!!

I just wanted to once again give a loud Thank You!! to everyone who's read, favorited, story alerted, etc this story. And my most profound gratitude to those who took the time to leave a review- you guys keep me inspired to type out the next chapter! I hope I responded to each of you (as for the anonymous reviewers: THANK YOU!!), and remember that I always appreciate any kind of feedback, ideas, criticisms, etc. Thanks again!!!


I tapped my foot against the headboard of my bed and tried vainly not to hear the whispered conversation between my mother and Charlie as the minutes ticked slowly by. Mom's volcanic fury at my "inexcusable behavior" had been only marginally appeased by Embry and Jake's repeated attempts to convince her that both punches had been completely justified, so I tried to mollify her by coming back home like a good little girl when she and Charlie had left the Cullen's that evening. I failed to mention the fact that I'd be taking off again sometime before midnight to meet up with the Vamps for the game, but I figured what she didn't know couldn't hurt me.

So far, all my good behavior in meekly coming home and holing up in my room had gotten me was bored stiff and feeling uncomfortably voyueristic about inadvertantly listening in on my mother's relationship stuff. Lolling my head off the end of my bed, I squeezed my eyes shut and hummed a half-forgotten melody to drown their conversation out. My mind drifted to the events of the day, and I found myself smiling a little as I remembered how Embry had defended me to Jake.

He was amazing, my Tank. Way too good to be spending so much time with someone like me. I was a black hole of bitterness, and he was a bright sun of smiles and fun. What if I sucked him into my hell just by hanging around him? What if that dark undercurrent I saw in his thoughts was my fault? I didn't want to be the one that ruined him.

But... I needed him right now. As selfish as it was, I was broken, and I needed my Tank to put me back together. Just further proof of what a horrible person I really was.

Wait- Mom and Charlie's voices had stopped. I cautiously quit humming to listen, straining my ears in the heavy stillness. Had they left without me noticing? Were they-

Oh, good god, no! They hadn't left at all, they were just busy doing other things with their mouths! I rolled myself off my bed and bolted to my window, yanking the screen out and jumping to the ground in less than three seconds. No way was I going to stick around and be forced to listen to that!

Once I was safely down the street and out of hearing range, I hesitated and stopped. Just where exactly was I going to go? It was only a little after nine-thirty, almost 2 full hours before I could head over the the Vamps'. Well, I guess I could head over there whenever I wanted, really- Jake and Seth were there- but I still didn't want to spend any more time with them than I had to. Besides, Embry wouldn't be there, and that would take more than half the fun out of it.

Embry. That was it! I'd head over to his house. My feet automatically moved through the streets toward while my mind took up a heated mental debate. Sure, he was nice enough- okay, I think it was about time I admitted that we were friends, really good friends, actually- but what if me showing up at his house would be like crossing the line or something? What if he didn't want me invading his private space?

Well, then he could just kick me out. Or, more specifically, I'd see it in his face or something, since I was fairly certain he'd never actually tell me to leave. Okay. That was my game plan, then. One hint that he wanted me gone, and I'd be out of there faster than Rosalie could get Emmett's pants off. Now I just had to hope he was home...

Sneaking around the back of the small, one-story house, I was immensely relieved to see light pouring out of Embry's bedroom window. I tiptoed up to it and peeked over the almost chin-height sill. There was my Tank, sprawled out lazily on the bed directly below the window, just staring listlessly up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. The pensive look on his face was oddly uncharacteristic, and I frowned a little bit.

"Knock, knock," I whispered, and the way he nearly jumped out of his skin was so comical I had to giggle.

"Geez, Leah! You just scared ten years off my life!" Embry exclaimed, dramatically clutching at his heart and gasping.

"Sorry! Didn't know you were so easy to scare," I giggled again. "So, uh, mind if I come in?"

This was it: my friendship test. Did he only want me around on his terms, or was this as real as I hoped it was? My muscles tensed, ready to bolt, as I searched his face. His eyes lit up, a huge grin spread from ear to ear, and I sagged in relief. Before I could react further, he'd whipped out the screen, reached out, and hauled me through the window onto his bed.

"Guess I'll take that as a yes," I muttered, but my own grin stretched my cheeks so far I thought they might crack. I settled myself into a comfortable crosslegged position as he quietly put the screen back into it's frame.

"So, what's up, B? Thought you went home with your mom like a good, obedient daughter," Embry asked me over his shoulder. I shrugged noncommittally.

"I did. But good, obedient daughters don't listen in on their mom's make-out sessions."

His grimace matched my own. "Ugh. I getcha."

"Yeah..."

Well, this was awkward. Self-consciously, I picked at the loose strings sticking out of his old, worn quilt while he leaned back against his headboard with his arms behind his head again. It didn't help that he was just wearing a scruffy pair of cut-off jeans and no shirt. I mean, who could think straight around a pair of perfect, bronzed abs like that? Forget the six-pack; Embry had a twelve pack. Take that, Brad Pitt!

Sadly, I was no Angelina Jolie, and I had never been more aware of that than this moment. I suppose hanging around the Cullen girls- Rosalie in particular- wasn't exactly good for my self-esteem, but even without that, I knew I wasn't much to look at anymore. Not with my hacked-off hair and the bitterness hardening my face into a mask. I sighed, wishing things had been different and that I'd never lost my title of "hottest chick in La Push".

"So. I never really said thanks for sticking up for me today," I finally said, breaking the silence between us. Embry just looked amused.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't?"

"Well, I don't know," I hedged. "I mean, you didn't have to. It wasn't like I was expecting it or anything."

"Then you should've been," he snorted with a trace of annoyance. "What kind of friend do you take me for, anyway?"

"A good one, I guess," I replied, sheepishly wrinkling my nose. It was a relief to see his eyes light up again, and for a minute, we just grinned across the bed at each other goofily.

"So, what were you thinking about? Before, when I showed up?" I finally asked out of curiousity.

Now it was his turn to shift his eyes uncomfortably and hedge his way around an answer. "Nothing. Just random stuff."

"Random stuff like...?" I raised my eyebrows and waited patiently, even though I knew it was snoopy of me to push like that. But I really wanted to know what was behind that wierd, pensive look when I'd peeked at him through the window.

"I was thinking about you- I mean, thinking about how fast you were today," he corrected hastily. "And I was just wondering if maybe, if I lifted wieghts everyday, I'd get stronger like you got faster."

"What, like you're not strong enough now?" I joked. With rippling biceps like those, I was fairly certain he could punch through the wall without half trying.

Embry shrugged and scowled a little. "It kinda sucks being weaker than most of the guys I hang out with."

"Weaker than who? You could easily beat Seth, Quil too, probably. And pretty much any of Sa- the other Pack, too. Okay, Jake I can understand, but the guy's a monster." I stopped and eyed the massive, muscle-bound hunk lounging on the bed across from me. "Scratch that. You're a monster, too. When you'd get all those muscles? Weren't you the lean one?"

"Growth spurt when the Volturi were here. Mom said she was going to go bankrupt trying to keep me fed," he told me casually, shrugging it off. "Anyway, I wasn't really talking about the Pack."

"Oh. You meant the Vamps?"

"Yeah. It's kinda embarrassing thinking that Alice could beat me in an arm wrestling match. Hanging around the Cullens kinda saps the self-esteem, you know?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded, grimacing. "Tell me about it."

"Don't tell me you're gonna start lifting wieghts now on top of running," said Embry with an amused smirk.

"Ugh. Don't be dense. I'm just saying that being in the same room with one of the Vamp girls- Rosalie especially- is a serious death-blow to my ego."

He blinked and tilted his head, studying me with amused confusion. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why? Think about it, Tank," I sighed, scowling. "On one hand, there's Rosalie, probably the most beautiful person in the entire world, and then there's just... me. We're not even in the same galaxy, much less the same league. No girl likes to deal with something like that."

"Oh, come on, B. Rose ain't that great," he laughed.

I gave him a dirty look. "You can't tell me you don't think she's incredibly gorgeous."

"Sure, I guess. If you like that type. She doesn't do it for me."

"Is that so? You're not turned on at all by her perfect curves?" I questioned with an innocent smile.

Embry leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes. "Nope. Too va-va-voomy for me. I like my women lean and toned."

"Don't ever get the urge to run your hands through her long, silky hair?"

"Always had a thing for short hair. Looks sexier," he replied, the perfect picture of casual relaxation. I frowned at him, which was a complete waste since he never opened his eyes.

"Never wanted to catch a glimpse of the smooth, alabaster skin under those designer clothes?"

Embry grimaced. "Ugh, no. Skin should be warm, soft, and alive, not cold, smooth, and dead, don't you think?"

I pursed my lips, hesitating. Did he realize he'd just basically said he prefered me over Rosalie? No, of course not. Because that's not what he'd said. I was just reading into his words, looking for things to make myself feel better.

"I think you're crazy," I finally answered, and the bed shook underneath me as he laughed heartily. I shook my head and looked everywhere but him. My roving eyes landed on a guitar propped up by the bed, and I blinked in surprise.

"I didn't know you played guitar!" I exclaimed, and his laughing abruptly stopped.

"I wouldn't exactly call it playing," he informed me with an embarrassed grimace. "I mess around with it a little, but I never had lessons or anything, so I pretty much suck."

"Really? How long have you been playing?"

"I bought the stupid thing freshman year. Every once in a while, I try to play a little bit, just to remind myself how bad I am," he replied, flashing a mock-glare at the innocent guitar.

I tilted my head and regarded him seriously. "How come you bought it if you've never really tried to learn?"

"Honestly, I figured it'd be a good way to impress a girl. If I could play it, that is," he told me, an adorably sheepish expression on his face. Now it was my turn to laugh at him, and laugh I did. I laughed until the tears rolled down my cheeks and I had to clutch at my poor, aching sides. Embry didn't seem to mind; he simply watched me laughing with a huge, happy grin of his own.

"So, did it work?" I finally gasped out after I caught my breath. He shrugged.

"Dunno. Never had a girl to try it on."

Swiftly, I leaned over, snatched up the guitar, and tossed it to him. "Well, you've got one here right now. Impress me!"

"Leah, I just told you I sucked. I'm not gonna torture your ears like that," he protested, grimacing. I rolled my eyes and prodded his leg with my foot.

"C'mon. Quit being such a whiny baby. Please?"

I gave him my best pleading puppy-dog eyes and pushed my lower lip out just the tiniest bit into a pout for maximum effect. Embry heaved an enormous sigh of defeat and rearranged the guitar into it's proper position, ignoring my victorious grin.

"You don't really play fair, B. You know that?" he grumbled as he tweaked the strings slightly.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl. We don't exactly play fair," I informed him as I scooted myself over to lean against the wall next to the window.

"Trust me, I've noticed," he muttered under his breath so quietly that I couldn't be sure I'd heard him at all. Tentatively, he started plucking at the strings, wincing at his multiple mistakes, but it didn't take me long at all to pick up on the melody.

"'Nothing Else Matters'? I didn't know you were a Metallica fan! Sing it for me, Tank!" I exclaimed gleefully. Weird how that was one of my favorite songs and all.

His fingers stopped dead. "Oh, hell no. I don't sing. Not even for you."

"Sure you do. You sang a solo in a concert once. I remember- you were really good."

"Leah, I was in fourth grade!" Embry protested.

I grinned heartily at him. "So what? You were still good. Please, please, please? I'll sing, too."

"Oh for god's sake.... Don't ever tell anyone I did this," he grumbled, and haltingly started to play the melody again. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, humming along.

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

His voice was deep and honey-rich, just like I'd known it would be, even though he was barely making enough noise for me to hear him. It definitely more than made up for his lack of skill with the guitar. Smiling a little, I joined in quietly.

I never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

He gained a little confidence, and his voice grew just a tiny bit louder to match mine. We sang a pretty good sounding duet, if you asked me. And he couldn't have picked a more fitting song.

Trust I seek, and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

The strings twanged discordantly, and I opened my eyes with a grimace. Embry cursed a little under his breath and flopped the guitar next to him on the bed unceremoniously.

"That's as far as I've got. Never could figure out the next part," he told me sheepishly.

I shrugged and smiled at him. "That's okay. Play me something else!"

"Can't. That's the only thing I can play. Well, sort of play."

"Oh. Well... maybe you should stick to singing instead of the guitar, anyway," I told him seriously. He snorted, and I prodded his leg with my toes again. "I'm not kidding, Tank. All you've gotta do is sing some sappy love song to the girl you want, and she'll melt into a puddle at your feet."

"Is that so? I'll have to try that sometime, then," he replied with a laugh. "Since when are you a Metallica fan, B?"

We launched into discussing our favorite music, favorite movies, favorite foods, favorite anythings, and somehow completely lost track of time. We would've missed going to the Cullens' completely if it wasn't for Quil poking his head around the window sill, completely freaking us both out. He looked comically surprised to see me lounging across Embry's bed like it was a regular occurence.

"Whoa. Uh... hey, guys. We going to the Vamps' or what?" he asked after we all stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Huh? Oh. The game. Right. Yeah, we're coming," Embry replied, and Quil disappeared into the woods to shift. He yanked the screen out and motioned for me. "Ladies first."

"In that case, after you," I replied, smirking. Rolling his eyes with a grin, he dumped me out the window and hopped out after me.

"See you in the fur," he said, then jogged off into the woods after Quil. I headed into another area for privacy, stripped, and shivered out of my human form. The boys were already shifted, and I caught up with their loping strides easily. We raced swiftly through the trees across the border and into Cullen land. Seth trotted up to meet us as we neared the house.

"Hey, guys. Don't bother shifting back. We're going to be running wherever we're going anyway. Everybody's waiting up at the house," he informed us cheerfully. "How'd you convince Mom to let you come, Leah?"

"She doesn't know I'm gone. She was a little... busy when I left," I thought, and all of them gagged a little at the memory I inadvertantly showed them.

"Gross. C'mon Leah, we all like your mom and all, but I really didn't need to know that," Quil complained. Seth's emotions were torn between being fiercely happy that Mom was finally enjoying herself again and violently ill at the thought of our mother and Charlie... doing... that...

The Vamps were all waiting out on the lawn, minus Esme and Nessie, who I assumed was already long asleep. They were all kitted out in matching baseball uniforms, and the entire Pack except for Jacob, who was lolling on the ground by Bella, had a hard time concealing our barky laughter.

"Alice?" Embry asked in amusement. Edward inclined his head with a barely perceptable nod, a slightly pained look on his face, and we all had trouble reining in our laughter again.

"Thank god you don't try to dress us up, Leah," Seth thought fervently. The sudden image running through my head of giant wolves wearing oversized baseball hats and striped shirts dropped us all to the ground with helpless laughter. Emmett pulled at his outfit uncomfortably.

"Told you this was overkill," he muttered to Alice, who scowled unhappily at us.

"Actually, they're all laughing at the thought of getting dressed up in matching uniforms themselves. In wolf form, of course," Edward informed him, chuckling himself at the image.

"Oh! That's a great idea for next time!" Alice exclaimed. Our laughter abruptly stopped.

"Great work, Leah. Now Alice is going to try to dress us up in little doggie outfits," Jacob groaned. I bared my teeth at him.

"Don't blame me. Your precious vamp-in-law's the one who told her!"

"Shouldn't we get going if we want to get the most playing time out of this storm?" Carlisle asked smoothly. Rosalie smirked at us.

"Try and keep up, puppies," she said tauntingly before taking off into the trees. All the Vamps followed with a laugh.

"Shall we?" Jake thought, rolling to his feet.

"Leave 'em in the dust, Leah," Embry growled. I tossed my head back and took off, the Pack trailing behind me as I tore through the woods. It was no trouble at all to catch up with the Cullens, and soon Edward and I outstripped the others as we raced ahead.

"You do realize you don't know where we're going, right?" Edward asked me with a laugh.

"That's the only reason you aren't staring at my tail right now," I replied, my tongue lolling out of my mouth with a wolfy smirk. His laugh made it clear he didn't believe me, but the truth was I wasn't running flat out at all. Now that the oldest of us were almost fully matured, even the slowest Wolf could keep pace with a Vamp. We were designed to be their ultimate enemy, after all.

Edward skidded to a halt in a large clearing up in the mountains, and I bounded half-way across it before digging my claws in to grind myself to a standstill. Panting, I pranced around a bit to cool my muscles, ruefully aware that Edward needed to do no such thing. That was our great disadvantage. While in theory we could become faster and stronger when in our wolf forms, we also had the physical limitation of exhaustion. They didn't.

The rest of the Vamps and the Pack hurtled into the clearing then, and I trotted off into the woods to shift. It would certainly make things more fair if we could play in our stronger forms, but how the hell could a Wolf swing a bat? Phasing back and forth was hardly an option, either, thanks to the naked part.

The difference between our groups when we came together on the playing field was laughable. The Cullens were all immaculate: well-groomed, uniformed, perfect. The Pack, on the other hand, looked like a rag-tag team from the wrong side of town: no shoes, no shirts in the case of the guys, and ratty cut-off shorts. It looked like something out of a sappy, bad movie where the upstart, poor kids team takes on the snooty rich kids, and then beats them like a drum.

"Okay, I'll be the umpire for this little game. So, let's keep this clean and honest," Carlisle announced, shooting a pointed glare in Emmett's direction. The giant teddy bear just grinned an unbelievably smug grin and shrugged his shoulders.

"No problem, Carlisle. It's not like we're gonna need to cheat to murder these guys!"

"That still leaves six against five," Jake stated as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. All of the Pack members followed suit and glared menacingly at the other team.

"That's right. We need to vote to see who sits out with me," Carlisle agreed.

"I vote Edward," I piped up instantly. "It'll hardly make a fair game if you got a mind-reading cheater on your side."

"Mind reading cheater?" Edward spluttered, protesting, as the Pack nodded in agreement. Bella patted him sympathetically, but apparently seemed to agree with us.

"She's right. We'll never be able to say we won fair and square if you're playing."

Emmett looked ready to protest, but Embry cut him off. "What, scared of losing your advantage, tough guy?"

Emmett bristled. "Not a chance. Sorry, Ed. You're off."

Grumbling, Edward backed off to stand next to Carlisle. Thunder rumbled omninously above us as a bolt of lightening lit up the clearing with a blinding flash. Alice stepped forward, casually tossing the ball up and down.

"It's almost time. I assume you all know the rules?"

Jake snorted and flashed a pointed look in Bella's direction. "Probably better than some of you."

"Right. Heads or Tails?" Alice replied, grinning evilly from ear to ear as she held up a coin. A deafening crack of thunder later, we were up to bat, and the game was on.

Little Alice stood deceptively still on the pitcher's mound as Jake stepped up to the plate. Bella crouched down as catcher, no glove on her hand and a smug smirk on her face. I surpressed the childish wish that some of her human clutziness would make a reappearance and she'd end up with a ball in her face just to wipe the smile off of it.

With a flick of her wrist, Alice suddenly sent the ball whistling through the air into Bella's hand, and Jake blinked stupidly in astonishment.

"Strike one," announced Carlisle unnecessarily.

"Idiot. Keep your eye on the ball," I muttered, crossing my arms tightly over my chest in frustration. They were gonna laugh us off the field if she struck us all out without one hit just because we underestimated her. Jake scowled in determination before crouching into his stance again. This time, when Alice flicked her wrist deceptively, he was ready for it.

He struck the ball with almighty force, the crack of it echoing off the mountains as it sailed out of sight through the trees. Jasper was off like a shot after it, and Jake's bare feet pounded swiftly around the plates. Carlisle and Edward were tense, listening, and I jumped up and down silently with nervous anticipation.

"He didn't catch it," Edward murmured, and Carlisle nodded in agreement. Jake rounded second base to third, and I heard the unmistakable sounds of Jasper racing back through the woods.

"Stop, Jake, stop!" I shrieked, and he skidded over third base to land on his butt about two feet away from it. Jasper broke through the trees, and Jake scrambled on hands and knees to get back to safety. He touched the base just as Jasper whipped the ball to Rosalie.

"Safe!" Carlisle bellowed, and the Pack cheered. Jake grinned and dusted himself off, intentionally flicking bits of dirt and grass in Rosalie's direction while she sneered at him in disgust.

Seth was up next, and he gave up two strikes before he finally connected with the ball. Emmett scooped up his grounder before it hit the tree line and tossed it quickly to Jasper as he sprinted toward first base. Seth was out, but not before Jake crossed home plate. Bella grumbled about how Emmett should've thrown the ball to her first while we high-fived all around. Alice scowled on the mound as Emmett and Jasper had a hurried, whispered conversation. Apparently, we were proving more difficult to beat than they had expected.

I patted a dejected Seth on the back as I took my place at bat. My sweaty hands gripped the wood tightly as I frantically considered my options. I didn't worry about not being able to hit the ball; my reflexes were just as good if not better than Jake's. But my strength was barely half of any of the rest of the Pack's. Even if I hit it as hard as I could, Jasper or Emmett would have no trouble catching it. And if I did a grounder like Seth, chances were high I'd be out before I could reach first base. So what to do?

The ball hurtled toward me, and I made a split-second decision. I bunted. The ball rolled just far enough away that Bella had to scramble after it, and I took off in a desperate, dead-sprint for first. Jasper was right there, one foot on the white base and hands outstretched. I could hear the ball whistling through the air behind me and made a head-long dive for my goal. The dust cleared, and I lay there on my belly coughing, my fingers touching the base, as Jasper stood above me clutching the ball.

"Safe!" Carlisle and Edward declared loudly. I stood up and dusted myself off with a triumphant grin.

We weren't doing all that bad- yet. One out, one run, and one on base. Quil stepped up to bat next, and suddenly I had a really strong urge to take a nap. My eyelids drooped heavily as I blinked sleepily. Why were we playing this stupid game in the middle of the night, anyway? Nobody would care if I just-

Abruptly, I snapped my eyes as wide as they could go, forcing back the lethargy. Jasper. That damn, mood-altering, freaky vamp was right behind me, using his mojo to mess with the game. I elbowed him in the gut, which only served to give myself a nasty bruise, and fought off the waves of calm and exhaustion he was trying to blanket me with.

"Not gonna work, buddy!" I hissed, alert once again as Quil got a second strike.

"Oh, really?" Jasper murmured, piqued that I was able to force my way through his false lethargy. Suddenly, I found myself blanketed in a despair so deep most people would've crumpled into a sodden heap of tears right there. Fortunately for me, I'd felt despair much, much deeper than that. I let it wash over me, an idea forming in my head as Quil struck out spectacularily. Embry stepped up to bat, and I closed my eyes for a second to dredge up my most painful, dark memories. Sam breaking up with me, Sam kissing Emily, Sam not wanting me.

That did it. The horrible, stabbing pain ripped through me just as Embry's bat connected solidly with the ball. Jasper reeled back from me, his face contorted, and I took off for second base.

"Take that, you freaky Mojo Master," I muttered. He backed off into the field again, grimacing, and Embry pumped his fist victoriously at me. I grinned back at him, but it felt a little hollow. Beating Jasper at his own game hadn't come without a price. I shook my head to clear it and focused on the game once more.

Jake was back to bat, and this time Emmett and Jasper weren't going to be caught unprepared. I signed emphatically at him, desperate to make him understand that he should bunt, hit a roller, anything but belt it out into the trees again. But, apparently, for being the Most High Alpha, he was as dumb as a bag of hammers.

First pitch, he slammed the ball out into left field and we took off running. Unfortunately, Emmett was faster. He bounded up the side of a tree, launched himself off of it, and caught the ball before I could round third base.

"That's three! Switch it up!" shouted Carlisle. "One, nothing: Wolves!"

As if anyone on the field didn't already know that. The Pack huddled for a second around the pitcher's mound to divy up positions, and I smacked Jake upside the head for his bone-headed manuevre.

"What part of 'bunt it or hit a grounder' don't you understand?" I growled ferociously at him.

"Oh, that's what you were doing? I just thought you got a bug in your shirt or something," he replied with a scowl of his own. "Okay. I'm pitching. Leah, you take catcher-"

"No way, man. We need her out on the field," Embry broke in.

"Yeah, Jake. She's the fastest," Quil interjected. "I'll take catcher."

"Right. Then Seth, you cover the bases, and Embry help Leah cover the field," Jake muttered quickly as we began to break apart.

"Watch out for Jazz. He's gonna be messing with us," I informed them with a significant glare in the scarred vamp's direction. He dipped his head like an old-fashioned southern gentleman with an unashamed smirk.

Rosalie stepped up to bat first, and Jake stood idly tossing the ball up and catching it for a few minutes.

"Hey, Rosalie, why'd the blond put lipstick on her forehead? 'Cause she wanted to make-up her mind!" he called, grinning. I wasn't the only one who groaned at his incredibly lame joke.

"Just shut up and pitch, dog," Rosalie hissed. She glared malevolently at him, and I was more than a little worried she was going to slam that ball straight at his face. Or someplace a little more... vulnerable. Jake didn't seem too worried about it as he pulled his arm back and threw. His wind-up may have been a whole lot more showy than Alice's, but the actual pitch definitely wasn't any slower. She connected, sending the ball whistling in a straight, low path over right field near Embry. He dove, and it hit his bare hands hard with a dull thwack. I winced at the sound, but he just rolled to his feet with an ecstatic smile and chucked the ball back at Jacob. Rosalie pouted and flounced back to her team where Emmett gave her a "reassuring" cuddle. It looked more like an excuse for a quick grope, if you asked me. I flitted over near enough to Embry to be able to whisper without any of the vamps overhearing.

"How bad is it?" I mouthed when he looked over at me. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just stings. Don't want to try to catch Emmett's, though."

I scowled. "Next time we're bringing gloves."

Alice was up next, and she hit a fast grounder right along the foul line that sent Seth and I scrambling after it. She stood smugly on one foot on first base, examining her nails, as Bella stepped up to bat.

"Move on in, guys," Jake called mockingly, and the gleam in Bella's eyes turned deadly. That seemed a sure sign to me to be tensed and ready to sprint into the trees after a hard hit. Stupid Jake just had to taunt her. She swung and missed the first pitch, and Edward stepped close enough to murmur something in her ear.

"Hey, no getting advice from the ump!" Quil demanded, and Edward stepped back with that stupid, crooked smile that always made Bella swoon for some odd reason.

She slammed into the next one, and I was into the trees and running before it had even flown above my head. I strained my ears to hear it whistling through the air and copied Emmett's monkey-man move to launch myself into it's path. It smacked me squarely in the chest, but I caught it before I hit the ground.

"Out!" I heard Carlise call from the playing field and grinned despite the aching, purple bruise that was already swelling up under my shirt. It'd be gone in an hour, but right now it looked like I was making a valiant effort to grow a third breast. Sprinting back into the field, I flicked the ball at Jake and waved off Embry's concerned glance. Who cared about a baseball sized bruise when we'd already gotten two outs?

Emmett stepped up with a confident, smug smile, and Embry and I groaned audibly. He pulled a Babe Ruth and pointed out over right field with the bat, and Alice grinned in anticipation from her stance on second base. Sure enough, first pitch, he sent ball precisely where he'd pointed with a deafening crack that made the rolling thunder sound like a quiet whisper. I was after it like a shot, but there was no way I could hope to catch it. It landed softly in the thick undergrowth, and I dove in after it, completely oblivious to the branches ripping at my soft, human skin as I fought my way to the ball. Embry sprinted up to me, and I chucked it at him so he could run it back while I untangled myself from the undergrowth. I could hear the Vamps cheering as I headed back to the clearing, and sure enough, Emmett and Alice were back at home plate. Scowling, I brushed at the blood dripping down my arms and legs and the leaves in my hair as Jasper took his place at bat.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," said Carlisle with concern as all of them looked in my direction, no doubt smelling the blood. I wasn't worried- we stank too badly to them to be a temptation.

"It's no problem. C'mon, let's get playing before the storm lets up," I insisted, waving them off. In truth, most of the superficial scratches had already healed, leaving only a few scabs from a couple of deeper cuts. They'd be gone in no time.

Shrugging, Jake turned back to the waiting Jasper, and the game commenced again. Amazingly, we held them to just the two runs before we managed to get another out. Things were moving fast, furious, and down-right dirty now. Cheating, apparently, was something the Cullens did on a regular basis with baseball. Stolen bases, tripping, the occasional mood alteration, 'accidentally' stepping in front of someone, became the new rules of the game, and Carlisle and Edward gave up trying to keep things clean.

The Pack ganged up on Jasper whenever he was trying to bat by bombarding him with as extreme of emotions as we could muster. Lust seemed particularily effective, and at one point, he'd actually slammed his bat down and stormed off. We'd called it an out. Bella was incredibly easy to manipulate, since just taunting her about how bad she used to be at sports got her so flustered she kept striking out. Of course, when she did hit the ball, it meant either a serious bruise for me, or a home-run.

They retaliated, naturally, and unfortunately, they were better at it than we were. Jasper even had Quil cowering down trying to hide under first base in fear at one point, which actually worked to our advantage since the Vamps were laughing too hard to notice me stealing home. Bella kept up a non-stop stream of sarcastic taunts from her position as catcher, and it unfortunately worked more often than any of us wanted to admit. Emmett was the scariest, though. He'd suddenly loom up in front of you as you were sprinting around the bases, always looking innocently away like he didn't know you were about to run smack into him. It was like running into a granite wall. The first time he did it, I bounced off of him so hard that I nearly knocked myself out. At least he had the grace to look sheepish as Carlisle, Jake, and Embry chewed him out for it.

All in all, we were holding our own. We were never in the lead, but we only trailed by one or two at the most. And suddenly, it was the ninth inning, and we were actually tied. One run away from winning the game, two outs, and I was crouched nervously on second base. Embry stepped up to bat, and I tensed, waiting. His hit was low, but not a grounder, through left field, and Rosalie streaked into the trees after it. I was off, rounding third as she reappeared in a blur of motion. In a split-second decision, I kept going, heading for home as absolutely fast as I could make my legs move, and she was after me like lightening. Seth and Jake grabbed Bella and hauled her away so Rose couldn't throw her the ball, and the race was on. We both dove for home plate, and I slid spectacularily across the base, the dirt and grass shredding my bare thigh as I skidded to a stop. Rosalie lay tangled in a very un-Rosalie like heap with the ball stretched out to touch the arm that was above my head. The air was tense as we stared up at Carlisle and Edward for the verdict.

"Safe," Carlisle murmured finally, with something akin to awe in his voice.

Whooping, Embry, Jake, Seth, and Quil pulled me off the ground and tossed me around like a ragdoll from one to the other as they celebrated. More concerned with getting the dirt out of my leg before it healed shut than cheering, I pushed them away to examine the damage the slide did to my thigh. On a normal human, it would've made an impressive battle scar for a few days, but unfortunately in my case, it was already starting to heal shut. I started wiping at the dirt, leaning on Embry while I tried to manuevre around to see the worst of the damage on the backside. To his credit, he tried to help by brushing off the parts I couldn't see.

"No way. No way she could've beaten her there! You saw it wrong, Carlisle," Emmett stated flatly, fuming. Rosalie dusted herself off daintily, though her haughty expression cracked into a quickly hidden sympathetic grimace when she eyed the raw scrapes already healing on my leg.

"She did," Carlisle and Edward returned in unison as Carlisle pulled a thick piece of gauze out of a small first aid kit and soaked it in rubbing alcohol. He held it out to me, but Embry took it from him before I could and started gently cleaning off my superficial wounds. I grimaced at the stinging, and shrugged at Emmett's unhappy scowl.

"I had a head start, you know."

"Still. It's not possible. And anyway," he puffed out his chest and smirked broadly. "You guys cheated, so it doesn't count. We're still tied. Re-match!"

"The storm's almost done. We can't play for much longer tonight," Alice informed us, her tiny hands on her hips. Embry gave my leg one last swipe and handed the dirty gauze back to Carlisle. I felt like a weird exhibit in a freak show when everyone stood there and stared at the disappearing scabs on my thigh.

"Fascinating," Carlisle murmured when they were all but gone, as if it was the first time he'd watched our amazing healing abilities. I squirmed uncomfortably and scowled.

"I've got an idea," Embry announced suddenly, and I gave him a tiny, grateful smile. "How 'bout changing things up a bit, Emmett?"

The rest of us looked slightly apprehensive as the burly vamp's eyes gleamed. "You're on, pup. What's the game?"

"Not a game. A race between you and Leah," Embry replied confidently. "We'll mark out the course and see who's faster in a dead sprint."

"What? I'm not gonna-" I started, but Emmett's booming voice overrode mine.

"Awesome. This is gonna be so easy. So, what're we betting?"

Embry thought hard for a minute, his narrowed eyes flashing between my shocked face and Emmett's frightening grin. "Alright. We win, you supply the rest of the parts for Leah's car. We lose...."

He hesitated for a second, and Emmett cut him off. "You lose, and Alice here gets to give Leah a full-out makeover."

"Now wait just a minute," I squeaked in indignation, but once again I was drowned out.

"Deal," Embry agreed with a broad smirk as he shook Emmett's outstretched hand. Alice couldn't seem to stop from squealing out loud any more than I could stop myself from groaning. She latched herself onto her enormous brother and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" she shrieked, and all the vamps burst out laughing.

"I wouldn't thank him until he's won," Embry remarked with a whole lot more confidence than I had. Naturally, Emmett laughed heartily at us, and the group dispersed to mark out a mile-long course. The Pack crowded around me as I poked Embry hard in the chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Tank, are you insane? There's no way I can beat him in human form! Oh my god, you've doomed me. I'm going to die," I moaned.

"Drama queen. You're not going to die, you're going to beat him and get the parts for your Molly," he laughed. "You beat me today. There's no reason you can't win. He's the slowest, remember?"

"You gotta do it for the Pack, Leah. Leave him in the dust," Jacob ordered, and I scowled at his grinning face.

Seth patted me on the head. "You can do it, sis. I know you can."

"What's so scary about Alice giving you a make over? I thought girls liked that kind of stuff," Quil asked randomly.

I smacked him upside the head and reluctantly headed over to the makeshift starting line. Emmett was already there, bouncing eagerly on the balls of his feet as Rosalie whispered what I assumed was some kind of pep talk in his ear. He grinned evilly at me as Embry and Jake jogged off to the finish line to be judges along with Carlisle and Edward. Alice was already waiting there, presumably so she could drag me off and lock me in her room the minute Emmett's victory was declared.

Oh, god, please let me win.

My palms were sweating but my mouth felt incredibly dry as we crouched down and waited. Emmett's broad grin never faltered, and I suddenly had the intense, red-hot urge to beat him, leave him choking on my dust- and not just because of the dreaded consequences of losing. My muscles tense, poised and ready, as Rosalie raised her arm and began the countdown.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

I exploded out of my runner's crouch, the landscape blurring past me as I sprinted. I pushed myself to the limit, and still Emmett kept pace with me. At least it looked like he was running flat-out, too. The finish line loomed ahead of us, and the faint sound of our respective teams cheering us on wildly made their way into my consciousness.

"She's gonna beat you! Do it for the make over, Emmett!!"

"C'mon, Leah! C'mon, pass him already!"

Embry thought I could win; he was absolutely confident that I would win. I couldn't let him down after everything he'd done for me. And he was right. I could do this. If I just pushed myself a tiny bit harder...

My muscles screamed as I strained myself past anything I'd ever believed possible as we hurtled across the finish line in a blur of motion. Skidding to a halt, we whirled around for the verdict.

"I don't believe it," Carlisle murmured in awe.

"What? Who won? C'mon guys!" Emmett demanded in frustration. Everyone from the starting line ran up and crowded around us in eager anticipation.

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it, either, but..." Edward stopped and shook his head. "It's a tie. A dead tie."

"So, I guess that means nobody won the bet, since nobody lost," Jasper mused, more to himself than anything. Alice stared at him, her mouth hanging open, before a quiver of rage made her small frame tremble violently.

"What? Emmett! You... you... MY MAKE OVER!!!"

She stomped her tiny foot, and I swear if she'd been human she would've burst into hysterical tears. Emmett didn't seem to notice her little temper tantrum. He looked as stunned as if someone had just proven to him that he was actually a woman.

"I lost? To a human?" he demanded of no one in particular.

"Well, technically, we're kind of super-human, and it was a tie, so you didn't actually lose. You didn't win, either, though," Seth told him, grinning hugely from ear to ear. Emmett glared at him, his huge, meaty hands clenched into fists of granite, and I suddenly saw a different side of the Teddy Bear Vamp. This was the Grizzly side, and it apparently wasn't a very good loser.

"Re-match. Right now. Let's go." he said tersely, but Carlisle shook his head.

"That's hardly fair, Emmett. Your muscles might never tire, but hers do, and she's been running all night."

"Fine. But we're doing a re-match soon," he stated firmly. I shrugged my shoulders and grinned at him.

"Whatever you want. But I doubt I'm going to get any slower," I laughed. He glared at me for a minute without replying before he turned and took off at a fast pace through the trees. A few seconds later, faint crashing sounds floated out to us from the depths of the forest.

"Oh, that's just great. Now I've got to spend the next week nursing his ego back to health," Rosalie grumbled under her breath, though she didn't look nearly as upset about it as she sounded. I made a shrewd guess about the kind of 'nursing' she was planning on doing, and from the look on Edward's face, I could tell I wasn't all that far off. Still grumbling to herself, she took off after him through the trees.

"He's not really that mad, is he?" I asked apprehensively. Out of all the vamps, he was the one I could honestly say seemed to like me the most. What if I'd just ruined that?

"Don't worry, he won't stay mad. Emmett just isn't used to losing," Edward murmured quietly to me. "Besides, he plays it up a little bit so Rose will, er, boost his ego."

I sighed in relief even as I wrinkled up my face in mock disgust. Yeah, totally done going down that mental picture gallery.

"...not fair! I haven't gotten to do anything fun since Bella and Edward's wedding, and now that stupid Emmett has to go and be so slow and ruin everything!"

Poor Jasper was taking the full brunt of Alice's disappointed fury, patting her back soothingly as she wailed into his chest. "C'mon, Alice. It's not so bad. You can always buy Bella a new wardrobe."

"Hey!" Bella exclaimed indignantly as Edward laughed quietly to himself.

"I just bought her one six months ago! And I can never get her to wear any of it unless there's some special occasion. And there isn't any- Oh!" Alice stopped suddenly and pushed herself slightly away from Jasper. Her eyes had that familiar far-away glaze for a moment before she blinked and smiled from ear to ear.

"Oh, Bella! You're going to look so beautiful!" she exclaimed, beaming brighter than the sun. Bella's eyes widened in alarm and she backed nervously away from the excited pixie as everyone exchanged confused glances.

"She always looks beautiful," insisted Edward as he gave her his trademark crooked smile. Embry and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes in unison. Sappy, melodramatic-

Alice waved her hands impatiently. "Yes, yes. But she's more beautiful when I dress her up. And trust me, Bella. You're going to look absolutely amazing!"

"What am I going to look amazing for?" asked Bella in a high-pitched squeak. I had to press my lips together to keep from bursting out laughing.

Alice sighed dreamily. "For Charlie and Sue's wedding, naturally."

"What?" Bella, Seth, and I shouted in unison. Good grief, I'd only had that embarrassing talk with my mom a little over twelve hours ago, and now Alice was seeing them getting married? Guess Embry was right, after all.

"Oh, man! That's so awesome! That means you're going to be my step-sister!" Seth exclaimed, wrapping an arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Werewolves and a vampire in the same family. That has to be an absolute first," Edward mused cheerfully, and he and Carlisle laughed together.

"Technically, we're shape-shifters," I reminded him. "And you'll be part of the family, too, you know. Step-brother-in-law."

"And Nessie'll be my step-niece!" Seth continued enthusiastically, high-fiving Jacob like this was the most spectacular thing that could ever have happened to him. I rolled my eyes and kept my personal thoughts to a minimum.

"Are you okay with this, Leah?" Carlisle murmured quietly to me, and I had to marvel at the compassion in his voice. Unfortunately, everyone in the group had enhanced hearing, and now they were all waiting for my answer.

"Yeah. Really, it's great," I choked out, then cleared my throat. "I mean, might as well keep all the freaks in one family, right?"

"Right," Bella replied, smiling at me. "I'm just surprised Charlie worked up the nerve to ask her. I wonder how he did it!"

"I don't think he's asked her yet. Hang on-" Alice said. She wrinkled up her face, and her eyes glazed over for several seconds. Suddenly, both she and Edward were laughing.

"That bad, huh?" asked Seth, grinning with them.
Alice shook her head and calmed down. "No. Charlie doesn't ask her at all. Sue does the asking!"

For a moment, Bella, Seth, and I just stared at each other, and then Seth whooped.

"Alright, Mom!"

I shook my head in exasperated amusement. "Good grief, I told her to go for it, but I didn't think she'd propose."

"It's hardly a proposal," Alice sniffed. "She's just going to say, 'Well, I think it's about time we get married, Charlie,' when they're washing up dishes."

"In that case, she's perfect for him," Bella laughed heartily, and the rest of us joined in.

It was after three in the morning by the time I finally crawled back through my window and waved to Embry as he headed up the street. I was exhausted, but also totally exhilarated. Being a part of something fun, something good, was an unbelievably potent cure for my aching, empty soul, and I was absolutely reveling in the fact that I hadn't felt this happy in years. And I wasn't so blind as to not realize Embry was a big part of it.

Embry. My best friend, my Pack-mate, my Tank. He was the last person I thought about before I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.


AN: Whew! You made it! Thanks for reading, and I hope there weren't too many glaring grammatical/spelling errors. I do try to proof read, but I don't have a working spell-check.... Please let me know what you think! (and don't worry... Alice will get her make over yet!)