Finishing this for KittyBad. Because she's the only one who ever read it, and because I needed to write some fluff to get my brain working again.

There are no prompts, just the final few chapters of a sweet little thing. Might want to go back and read. It has been two years.

The Fall Factor

Chapter 11

After my legs finally decide to co-operate again I'm so fucking happy I practically dance out of the gym. Kidding. I limp out on wobbly legs, hoping to God that I don't fall face-first onto the sidewalk.

But you better believe that if I could have danced, I would have. As it was, walking was a challenge.

Scaling the rock wall at Fitness and Rock surprised even me. I'd been apprehensive to say the least, but as soon as I started climbing it was like my body took over. The weeks of weight training with Jasper made sense as I put hand over hand, lifting myself with more ease than I'd imagined possible.

It's not until I pull into my driveway at home that the adrenaline begins to disappear, and the cold hard hand of reality slaps me across the face.

I'm going on a date with Bella.

"Holy shit," I whisper to myself, smiling. My stomach feels weird and tight, but also kind of fluttery and excited.

I am going on a date. With Bella.

All at once the blood falls from my face. Covered in a sudden sheen of sweat, I rest my head against the steering wheel, swallowing back bile. "Holy shit."

Taking a deep breath, I slump back against the seat. For about a millisecond I contemplate cancelling. I'm sure I can feign an injury, or illness, but I realise that this is Bella, and while I don't know her all that well, I know she's too good to be stood up by a shmuck like me.

Sighing, I look down at my sweaty gym gear, and then at my watch.

"Holy shit!"

In the rush to get ready, I barely have time to worry about the fact that I'm probably going to fuck everything up epically. It's not until I'm standing outside of the restaurant that the crushing weight of my inadequacy hits me.

"You can do this," I whisper to myself. "It's just Mexican food—you eat food all the time. You can do this." I run my hands over the front of my shirt for the tenth time, suppressing the urge to touch my hair because for once it doesn't look like a total fucking mess. "It's just dinner. Sure, you've never eaten dinner with a really hot girl who could kick your ass if she wanted to, but—"

"You okay there, big guy?"

I spin around, almost loosing my footing because… because I'm me.

Alice smiles up at me, her dark eyes sizing me up from behind her glasses.

"Oh, yeah, hey. " I try to make it sound as casual as possible—like I wasn't just having a mild panic attack on the sidewalk.

"You look like you could use a drink," she says.

Standing on tiptoes, she peers in the restaurant window. She winces. "Too late. Bella and Jasper are already here. Looks like you're going to have to man up the old fashioned way."

With that, she slaps me across the face.

I hold my hand to my cheek, more surprised than hurt. Okay, a little hurt, because she's kind of strong for a midget. "Did you just slap me?"

"Sure did." Alice opens the door to the restaurant. "Coming in?"

My feet feel like they're glued to the sidewalk. I really want to go in there, but every fibre of my being is screaming at me to run the other way.

"Dude," she huffs. "You scaled a thirty-foot wall with your bare hands, but you're scared of Bella Swan? Really?"

Sighing, Alice walks back over and grabs me by the arm, tugging me toward the front door. "Trust me. A few tequila shots and she'll be a whole lot less scary."

"You're suggesting I get her drunk?"

"God, no. The tequila is for you."

The restaurant is kind of empty, and the décor looks it might have once been a Pizza Hut, only now they've thrown a few sombreros on the wall and painted it red. There's even a Mariachi version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' playing.

But none of it matters, because she's here and she's looking right at me, smiling like she's actually excited to see me.

Her brown eyes follow me from the moment she spots us, and as I cross the room I barely feel my feet touch the ground—if you'd asked me later I would have sworn I'd floated.

"Hey," she says, standing to greet me.

I'm not sure if we're at the hugging stage, or if I'm supposed to give her a kiss on the cheek, so instead I offer her a handshake.

Because apparently I'm a looser who shakes hands with pretty girls. Jesus.

Thankfully, she smiles and accepts my handshake and doesn't call me out on it. "I'm glad you came," she says, taking a seat again.

It's like my brain-to-mouth function has completely checked out. All I can do is smile in response.

But to be fair, I blame Bella.

Sure, she's just in jeans, but she's got this black top on with bits of sparkly stuff on it, and they're glittering in the light like a little neon signs that say, "BOOBS! BOOBS! BOOBS!" and I'm having a hard time not looking at them.

So, yeah, bye-bye coherent speech.

"Nice work today," says Jasper, reaching over to set a beer in front of me.

Blushing right up to the roots of my hair, I take huge mouthful of beer, hoping a little liquid courage will loosen me up. "Thanks," I say, feeling kind of proud rather than embarrassed. "I didn't think I'd make for a moment there."

What I don't say is that my fingers are so sore I can barely bend them, and that I slathered myself with enough Ice Gel that I smell like an eighty-year-old with arthritis. Also, everything hurts everywhere.

"No way!" says Bella. "You made that wall your bitch."

Alice and Jasper agree, even though I'm sure both of them could out-climb me blindfolded. Still, it feels pretty good.

"I guess I had good incentive to make it to the top."

My stomach flips as Bella's knee nudges mine beneath the table. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Dinner is… well, dinner is awful. The company, however, is awesome.

"Oh! You know, you should totally set Emmett up with our friend Rose. She's been lusting after him for weeks, and she's single again."

I frown, dipping my corn chip into the guacamole. "She and Emmett have a date on Friday."

Bella startles, backhanding me across the arm. "No way!"

"Haaa-ouch!" I clutch my arm. "What's with you girls and slapping? He's taking her out to some film festival on Friday night. He won't stop talking about it."

Cringing, Bella rubs my bicep gently. "Sorry. I forget my own strength." She pouts. "I can't believe Rose didn't say anything to me about her date."

"Maybe she was scared you'd hit her."

Bella grins, her eyes crinkling at the sides a little. "Tequila makes you a smartass, huh?"

I laugh. "A little."

"I like Edward the smart-ass," says Alice from across the table. "Glad he decided to come in after all."

Speaking of Jasper and Alice, the air around them practically crackles with sexual tension. I have no idea how Jasper doesn't see that she's dying for him to make a move. In fact, even from the other side of the table I feel like I'm watching something I shouldn't be and they're just talking. It's obscene.

"These two have never…"

Bella rolls her eyes, sucking the last bits of salt from her thumb. "Tell me about it."

I blink a few times, trying to form coherent thought. Bella sucking on her thumb seems to have made my brain go completely blank yet again. "They…" I clear my throat. "Jasper mentioned something about her being out of his league?"

"Ugh!" Bella scoots her chair closer to mine so she can lower her voice. "He's such a dumbass."

She goes on to say something about Jasper being a great guy, but all I can think about is that she's so very, very close to me, and that I can see the freckles on her forehead and the tiny crinkle right at the tip of her nose where it turns up a little.

And she smells really good.

And I just sniffed her and now she's staring at me.

Her eyes narrow, and for a moment I think she's going to call me out on it. She doesn't though—she just leans in closer.

And sniffs me.

"It is you that smells good," she says quietly. Smiling to herself, she shakes her head and sits back a little. "Hey, you wanna split a piece of the chocolate cake? It's about the only good thing they make here."

It amazes me how quickly she changes gear. Here I am still trying to remember how my mouth works, while she's signalling the waitress for dessert—it's like she's supercharged.

All too soon the restaurant starts to pack up around us. Which is a shame, because Bella is handsy when she's drunk, and being pretty tipsy myself I'm prone to let her be as handsy as she likes.

She threads her arms through mine as the four of us stumble outside.

"Ugh. I have class in the morning."

"You're on a six AM class?" drawls Jasper from behind us.

Bella nods. "Yep. Sucks."

It really does suck.

It sucks because I really want to kiss her.

And I think she wants to kiss me.

But Alice and Jasper are standing right there, and I really don't want to do it with an audience.

"Will I see you Monday after work?" Bella asks.

I nod. "Absolutely."

She fist-pumps the air, before throwing her arms around my shoulders for a goodbye hug.

"So we are at the hugging stage," I whisper, more to myself than anything. Of course, I'm drunk, so it's less of a whisper more of a quiet yell.

Bella laughs into my chest before looking up at me. She's so close that my brain is going haywire—like fireworks popping inside my skull. "We're way beyond the hugging stage," she says. "But I'm drunk, and you're drunk. And Alice is right there—" she waves to Alice, who waves back, "—and you're way too sweet to take advantage of, and I have to get up early, and if you came home I'd wouldn't get any sleep, so… yeah. Next time, more than hugging."

My dick screams "TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US!", while my brain says "You've had three tequila shots and a bucketload of beer. You wouldn't last ten seconds."

"Next time," I say.

Bella lifts up onto her tiptoes and presses a brief kiss to my cheek. "Bye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella."

Jasper, Alice and I stay by the side of the road as Bella's cab pulls away, but all too soon I'm feeling particularly third-wheelish.

"I'd better go too," I say, because I am quite drunk and in need of my bed, and also because it's clear that Jasper and Alice need some alone time. "Hey, Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the pep talk earlier."

She smiles proudly. "Any time."

I say a quick goodbye, and then head off, figuring it can't be that far to walk, and sore muscles aside I could use some fresh air to help sober up. Just as I'm turning to walk away she calls my name.

"You can pay me back with a week of my yoga classes."

Yoga.

Me?

I sigh. "Fine. See you next week."