Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns all things Twilight. All of the references used in this story in relation to Brown University and its rowing team, and all of the regattas and other rowing organizations and brand names mentioned are only used here for entertainment purposes; no copyright infringement intended.

Thank you to Barburella and Hez Pixie, who so nicely helped me think out the plot for this silly little fic. And thanks as always to Barbi and Forever_Liz for skittling me and thanks to them, Hez and Saluki for kicking me nicely in the pants to keep going.

We're in the homestretch now, so I figure you all can recall and absorb the older terms that have made reappearances in chapters. This one is no exception. I will list new terms, but as for the others, check my early chapters for a refresher. Onward!

Glossary:

Betting shirts: In collegiate competition, men's teams sometimes "bet" their shirts on the race, and the loser must render a racing shirt with their logo on it to the winner. The term can refer to either the practice or the shirt itself; some crews have shirts made specifically for betting so as to keep their racing jerseys should they lose a race.

Hammer: In the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints, the winner of the division for their erg time is awarded a hammer, with second and third place winners receiving medals.

Chapter 14: Betting shirts

Bella spent most of our flight kissing me, lavishing all her attention on my lips, cheek, and neck. Not that I was complaining, but getting a boner at 30,000 feet wasn't ideal, and I really doubted the true-life allure of the Mile High Club. At least in coach. So when we landed, the two of us took one heavy-lidded glance at one another and made a run for the baggage claim. It seemed that the stress of the Cullen family Christmas had taken its toll on us.

"Edward, just fucking pull over," Bella ordered, her voice muffled by my skin and clothing. Attempting to drive on I-95 with your woman simultaneously trying to undress you? Pretty damned difficult. I'd managed to avoid sideswiping a car on our way out of the airport parking lot, but going 65 miles an hour and trying not to cause a pileup was an entirely different story.

"Bella, honey, please," I begged, reaching over - while eyeing the road - to try to buckle her seatbelt again. "I'm going to crash the damned car. And I love you and want you in one piece. Can you…hang in there for a little longer?" Immediately my brain began trying to think of secluded locations to stop along the way. The drive from the airport back to campus was short - about 15 minutes - but I wasn't sure if either of us would make it.

"Can't you just pull over so I can pull your pants down, at least?" Bella seemed ravenous and unwilling to wait. My dick hardened even more at the idea of getting road head.

"It's broad daylight, and we're in a car! The truck drivers are going to see us!"

"Well, maybe we'll get some honks for it!" Bella said, trying to unzip my pants. In response, my foot slammed the pedal to the floor, pushing my poor Volvo to its limit in an attempt to get us to our destination faster. As we turned onto 195, I had an epiphany and as the exit neared I veered off the highway and prayed my "plan" would work.

The boathouse, to me, was an island in a sea of Bella-fueled sex. And it was closer right now than her dorm or my house. I wanted Bella just as much as she wanted me, but safety - and not getting arrested for public nudity - came first. But just by a sliver. I skidded to a stop outside the door, yanked my keys from the ignition and grabbed Bella as she rounded the car. She licked my ear as I fumbled with the keys, and I managed to unhook her bra before we got inside.

Coats, gloves and shoes went flying as we stumbled. Then scarves, sweaters and pants. We'd ended up in the main boathouse bay, which had been buttoned up tightly for the winter break, but the windows let in dusty beams of natural light that lit up some of the shells in their racks, the oars against the far wall and the worn, wooden plank flooring beneath our feet.

My coxie backed away from me, letting her bra fall from her shoulders before bending to step out of her underwear. Standing naked against the boats, Bella's movement caught part of a ray of sun in her hair, making it even more chocolately and beautiful, while the rest of the light spilled onto her shoulder. I was mesmerized.

She licked her lips, seemingly oblivious to the cold. I took off my briefs. Coats! Come on, Cullen! Holding up my finger, I retrieved our layers and brought them back to her, laying them out on the floor to cushion us. Until now, I hadn't realized the silence around us. I almost hated to shatter it.

"Coxie, what you did for me back there was…beyond the call of duty," I said, wrapping an arm around her and cupping her face with my other hand. "You…you rescued me. I didn't know I needed rescuing." Bella shivered in my arms. Assuming she was freezing, I started rubbing her back. She shook her head.

"You kidding, Strokie? You've never needed rescuing," she whispered before kissing me. Suddenly, it didn't seem so cold in here. "I just wanted to be your hero for that moment. Offer you a guiding hand. You'd do the same for me. You have done it for me."

I took her face in both hands and kissed her. All of the stress and frustration of that short trip needed an outlet. Both of us recognized it. Gently, I eased Bella down onto the floor and hovered over her, touching everywhere but keeping my weight off her. Her heart raced in time with mine as I caressed her skin from her neck to her thigh. Bella's tongue was as hungry as my own as we kissed; her hands reached for me and pulled me closer. Always closer.

"Edward, please," she whimpered. "I need you inside me."

When I pushed inside her, we both groaned. We needed this. And only this. Bella seemed to melt around me, warm, wet and perfect. She came almost immediately, arching her back against me with her mouth open.

"Fuck, yes, Bella," I said with a groan as I slid in and out, watching her ride out her orgasm. It was incredibly hot and it only encouraged me. "God, you feel so good!"

"For you, Edward," she said simply. Every word that came out of her mouth seemed woven with sex. Every movement of her body beneath mine cried for more. There was nothing I wanted more than to stay like this with her for the rest of my damn life. Sex had never been anything more for me than a physical compulsion. Bella was…different.

Bella cried my name again as she came once more, and I followed a few thrusts after her with a noise that sounded like a roar. I collapsed on top of her, panting and feeling every bit like the king of the jungle. If I hadn't been exhausted, I would have laughed at the thought. After a few moments, I realized I was probably crushing Bella, so I kissed her and rolled away, my bare ass on the wooden floor. It felt nice and cold.

"I'm all for post-coital cuddling, but considering our location…" Bella began, rolling onto her side to face me, a sexy smile lighting up her face. "What say we get going?" I agreed and we dressed quickly in silence, stealing glances at each other and smiling like imbeciles. We ran from the boathouse, my hand in hers, giggling at our accomplishment. We'd just christened it.

"Well, it can't do anything but give us good luck, the way I see it," Bella said as I pulled the car onto the street. "Though I'm sure we're not the first. But I think it was the best way to celebrate the holidays. Don't you?"

"Absolutely," I agreed, kissing her knuckles as I drove. "And a far better way to spend Christmas. Trees and wrapped presents and big dinners are so over-rated." Bella agreed but was silent for a few minutes. I made the decision to drive us to my house, instead of to Bella's dorm. Emmett and Jasper weren't due back from their respective family trips for a few days, so I knew it would be peacefully quiet. As I parked my Volvo on the street, Bella practically dove into the backseat to grab our bags. She was out of the car in a flash and once inside she dumped our stuff in my room and immediately pulled me back toward the door.

"Bella, we just got here," I said, confused as hell. "Where are we going?"

"Strokie, I just had the best idea! Just trust me." For the next hour, Bella directed me all over the city, stopping to run into any convenience or other store that was open. We stopped to get Chinese and then at last, she ordered me to pull into a rather sad-looking stand in a closed store parking lot. The sign read, "X-mas Trees – ½ off."

"Bella, why are we getting a tree?" I griped. "Christmas is almost over and I don't even have ornaments." Shushing me, she stepped out of the car, told me to stay inside to keep warm, and returned two minutes later with the ugliest tree ever known to man. After sliding it into my backseat, she jumped back in and shot me a grin.

"Just drive, my good man," she said with a smirk. Shaking my head, I took us toward the house again. This would be interesting.

"Bella, that is, by far, the ugliest Christmas tree I've ever seen," I said, retrieving the last egg roll and offering half to her. Not only was it bald on one side - which Bella craftily turned into a corner to hide - but it listed to the right, the branches were limp and pine needles were falling from them like green, pointy snowflakes.

"Edward, even ugly trees need a home," she reasoned, trying to tie a bow on the top to serve in lieu of a star or angel. Her repeated runs into open stores had produced some leftover ornaments - a Santa dressed in Bermuda shorts, sipping a fruity drink with a palm tree over his head, a cat with a bow around its neck, and bunch of plain glass balls - ribbon and one set of colored, blinking lights. I'd pillaged my roommates' stash of happy hour beads and we'd used those as well.

"Now that is a tree!" Bella said, standing back to admire our work once we plugged in the lights. I wrapped my arm around her, managed to keep a straight face for 10 seconds, and then burst. At first, my coxie seemed puzzled and put off by my loud guffaws, but soon she'd joined in, and the two of us were howling on the couch, tears streaming down our faces. It had been the best Christmas yet.

"Love you," I said, kissing Bella's tear-stained cheeks.

"You, too," she replied, wiping her eyes and smiling at me.

Coach Carlisle had demanded our presence at the boathouse on the last official day of winter break. Everyone else quietly grumbled about having to come back to Brown early - Emmett had apparently not gotten enough of his mom's Paula Dean-inspired cooking and Jess had met some guy back home - but Bella and I were happy to be back in the saddle.

"Guys, I want all of you stepping up your game," he bellowed from the doorway of the weight room. The entire team was either lifting, erging or spotting others while they waited for a turn. "The spring season is right on our asses and Cullen, you I want extra sharp with C.R.A.S.H.-Bs coming up in a month. Let's go, ladies! Do you wanna win this spring? Or you want to be giving out your betting shirts?"

There was a strained but boisterous chorus of "fuck yeahs" from the guys and then largely silence as the dozen of us took Coach's words to heart. We all wanted to keep our shirts, thank you. During the next week, classes started again and Coach trained with us inside, barking orders and serving as our own personal shadows. When we weren't moving, we watched race footage and Coach broke down form, times and techniques. Ahh, nothing like spring racing season to shake the ice out of the veins.

Two weeks later, Carlisle threw down the gauntlet.

He and Esme put Bella up against Alice and Bree, a coxswain smack-down for the ages, to evaluate them and determine who'd be best matched to what boat for the spring season. Of course, this was most likely done to shake the boats up - the men's and women's eights and men's four - and to show the coxes that spring meant business. But none of us ever knew if our coaches planned to follow through and actually mix up boats and coxes, so we got behind our respective cox and supported her.

Bella had the heart of a fucking lion, in my book. The look of pure grit and determination etched across her face was proof positive of her dedication. She screamed commands until she was hoarse while all eight of us did an erg test. She walked around us, providing encouragement and smack talk when deemed necessary. And then my coxie beat Bree and Alice in an erg test. I was blown away. This dueling coxes bit continued until our first day back on the water in early February.

It was barely 40 degrees, but with no blustering winter winds or ice to worry about, our bodies warmed up quickly and it felt like a slice of frozen heaven. With Bella's help, we nailed our first practice and got our boat into the swing that made the oars sing as they sliced through the frigid water of the Seekonk. I could tell that my coxie finally felt completely at home in our boat and with the eight of us. We'd come a long way since last fall. And the guys saw it fit to tell her.

"Bells, that was the best fucking practice we've ever had, coming off winter training," Mike told her as we wiped off the shell after it had been secured on the rack. Bella was putting the cox box and her headset back in its storage place with the other sets. I rolled my eyes but kept silent, realizing there was simple awe and truth in his words. "I mean, that swing was like coming!"

At that, I ducked under the boat so I was now on his side, inches from his face and glaring at him. Only our friends knew Bella and I were together - we'd both agreed that we wanted to keep any implications of our relationship out of the boat - but crude was crude and no one would think it weird for me to call Newton on it.

"Okay, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we could do without the visual of what turns you on, Newton," I said with a smirk, trying to shut him up. A chorus of chuckles from the other guys told me they agreed, and Mike's face made like a tomato. Before I could add another brilliant comment, though, Bella inserted herself between us, resting one hand on my stomach.

"That's enough, boys," she admonished jokingly. "I'm a big girl and I can handle myself. I can certainly deal with a little innuendo from Mike Newton. And Mike, I'll have you know that not even swing like that rivals a good orgasm."

With one sly look and a wink in my direction, Bella ducked out from between us and resumed her task a few feet away, leaving Mike speechless and red-faced again and me in awe and hard. God, I loved that woman.

The rest of our crew left for classes, but Bella and I stayed so she could cox me on the erg once before we had to leave as well. When I finished - slumping over as I always did – and resisted the urge to heave, Bella's hand found my sweaty shoulder.

"You're going to kick ass next week, Edward," she whispered as she leaned over. Even exhausted, her hot, raspy breath in my ear still managed to send blood pumping away from my brain. "I can't fucking wait to see you race."

Blinking a few times, I tried to focus on my coxie as she carefully straddled my lap. The seat creaked under our combined weight, but I stayed still, confident we wouldn't break it. Then again, fuck it if the damn thing came off the track. Despite my being a sweaty, shaky mess, Bella seemed enthralled with me, as she ran her fingers through my wet hair. The gesture helped to slow my ragged breathing, but only slightly.

"You really think so?" I asked, in response to Bella's earlier comment. She nodded, kissing me hungrily. When she ground her pelvis against mine, I groaned. The bike shorts under my mesh shorts were not doing my dick any favors. I struggled to resist the urge to throw her on the floor and tear her clothes from her body.

"Mmm-hmmm," Bella hummed in reply, licking and sucking my earlobe. My eyes rolled back in my head as I squeezed her ass, pushing her against my cock again. The seat seemed to object to the movement, but I ignored it. With my shorts and hers, it was so easy to rub her against me. And fucking torturous. I thanked my lucky stars that the coaches had left for some regional crew coaches meeting thing, and that everyone else seemed to have class.

"Bella, my wicked coxie," I purred when she shoved her hand down my shorts. "You are insatiable. Not that I object to that. But…damn."

Her laugh was low and sexy in my ear as she somehow managed to stroke my cock while I rubbed her against me. "Sorry, Strokie. I can't help it. I guess all that coming and orgasm talk earlier got me all hot."

I made a mental note never to try to shut Mike Newton up again, and kissed Bella, stroking her tongue with my own when she opened her lips. My hands reluctantly moved from Bella's ass, but only because I was on the hunt for skin. As I dug under my coxie's windbreaker, sweatshirt and t-shirt, finally, I found my reward. Goosebumps tickled the pads of my fingers, erupting as I skimmed my hands along Bella's ribcage. She moaned into my mouth and thrust her ass out, pushing her still-covered breasts at me.

"Take it off," she said in a rush, ripping her mouth from mine only long enough to utter those three words. Without looking, I unzipped her Brown Crew jacket and tossed it. Then I managed to pull the sweatshirt over Bella's head without interrupting our lips for more than a few seconds. Fucking efficient, Cullen. I only noticed then, of course, that she had the HotC t-shirt on, in all its tight, pink glory. And the slight, feminine muscles of Bella's shoulders, traps, and biceps made the picture even better. I couldn't bear to take it off her.

Instead, I pushed upward under her shirt, forcing her bra up and over her breasts. After cupping them in my palms to feel their warmth and weight, I dipped my head down to wrap my lips around a nipple. Bella gasped and arched into my mouth, having forgotten about getting topless. With my hand on her other breast, I worked this one until we were both breathing heavily and my shorts were completely cutting off blood flow below my waist.

As I moved to alternate my attention to her other side, Bella reached down and grasped the edge of my shirt, partially yanking it over my head. With a one-handed tug, I wrestled it off and it landed on the fly wheel of the erg next to us. Then Bella crushed our chests together, skin-to-sweaty skin.

"Fuck, woman," I said with a growl. I wanted Bella. Right now. On the fucking nasty erg. All I could see in my mind's eye was her naked and riding me. My two-word response seemed to encourage her, and with a wicked gleam in her eyes, Bella again shoved her hand down my shorts, wrapping her fingers around my cock.

Needing a distraction for fear of coming as she gripped me roughly, I leaned my coxie back and started licking every bit of skin I could reach with my tongue. She stroked me relentlessly while the fingers of her other hand dug into my bicep. Up and down. Squeeze at the base, then up and down again. Rub circles under the head, then up and down. Bella was going to be the death of me.

She writhed and moaned under me, never loosening her grip or slackening her pace. When I thought I'd cry from the pain of being confined to my shorts, Bella seemed to anticipate it, and sprung my aching cock from my shorts. Sweet relief, followed by more torture. Easing herself back up, Bella forced my lips to hers again, and I gladly took what she gave me.

"Edward, I want you so much," she panted into my mouth. And there was nothing I wanted to do more than sink into her. To drive myself home until there was nothing left in me. But now it was just too damn risky. God only knew how long we'd been going at it. Certainly, I had no sense of time when I was surrounded by Bella.

"I want you, too, coxie," I managed, abandoning her mouth for her neck. Bella tilted her head back to allow me full access. "But it's too risky now. Someone might find us."

Instead of arguing, or even replying, Bella focused her brown eyes on me, with that familiar, steely determination that momentarily thrilled, aroused and frightened me. And then, without another word, she resumed stroking. When she added her hips to the mix again, it took every ounce of restraint I had not to come in her hand.

"Fuck," I said, my hands guiding her hips even as my brain short-circuited. Bella was going to make me come. The irrepressible tension and ache burned in my gut, rolling upward and outward, through my chest and out to my hands and feet. She must have known I was close; Bella bit her lip and let go of me as she slid her warm center over my exposed dick. She rode me as if she were naked, and even through the layers of clothing that kept her from me, I could feel her excitement and need.

Bella moaned and threw her head back, pushing her perfect, pert nipples closer to my face as she rode me like a horse. I panted and grunted as her body slid back and forth over mine in a seemingly endless and exquisite punishment. My fingers desperately dug into the flesh of her ass as she exerted one last thrust, and I came as the wind rushed out of my lungs.

"Damn," Bella murmured as she continued to ride me, no doubt trying to finish. I rolled us forward and grabbed my discarded shirt, wiping between our bodies to erase the evidence. Then I pulled down the front of Bella's shorts and found that swollen nub of flesh just aching for some attention. She cried out as soon as my thumb hit her skin and began making tight circles. I silenced her with my mouth, but Bella was panting so hard that I knew she was close. And I didn't want to distract her.

With a twist of my hand, I slid my middle finger inside her, groaning as the wetness slicked my finger and hand. I kept my thumb moving and watched Bella as she unraveled. Her gaze never left mine.

"Your turn," I whispered hoarsely. As if on command, Bella gasped, her body tensed and then I felt her muscles tighten and relax around my finger as she came. The new rush of wetness nearly drove me insane, but I ignored my baser urges and gently rubbed her as she rode out her orgasm. Gradually, her hips slowed their movements and I removed my fingers. I licked them as I held her gaze, watching her eyes flicker from mine to my hand and back.

"That was a good workout," Bella remarked, smiling and biting her bottom lip like the vixen she was. She leaned over and kissed me, tugging on my bottom lip with her teeth before releasing me. I pulled her to my chest and hummed in agreement. Then I glanced at the clock and realized we were on borrowed time.

"Love, what time is your first class?"

"Nine. Why?" she asked dreamily.

"Well, we'd better go," I said, unwillingly lifting her off my lap. Bella glanced at the clock, muttered a curse, and hurriedly reassembled herself. Once I'd done the same – minus my shirt – I pulled her from the boathouse. With a kiss that started out as a quick goodbye, but quickly got X-rated, I ushered my coxie to her truck and told her to text me later. Then I ran to my car and hauled my ass home for a quick shower. A cold one.

That was the best dry humping ever. - B

I stifled a groan when I read Bella's first text, a little more than an hour later. There was no way in hell I was getting out of my poli-sci class without a horrific boner.

Yeah. Not the driest, either. ;) - E

The wetter, the better. - B Bella was obviously trying to reprise our morning activities via text. I sighed and struggled not to completely tune out the professor. Really, who could give a shit about foreign policy when there were texts like this to be had?

And you know exactly how to stroke me. - E

That's my job as your coxie, Strokie. I know when to stoke hard… & soft. -B

Pls, for the love of God, stop! I'll have a hard time explaining it if I come in class. -E

Is it hard, Edward? -B

Very. I gotta go. Love u. -E

Yes. Go. After class I'm going back to my room to take care of this. ;) -B

You're killing me. -E

Love you too. ;) -B

The week flew by, thanks to our back-to-normal schedule of practices, working out and training for C.R.A.S.H. –B.s with Bella, and by early Sunday morning, I was a nervous ball of energy as the two of us drove to Boston. Over the course of the last few months, I'd managed - with Bella's help - to shave down my time on a 2,000 meter erg piece to just under six minutes. I'd reviewed the prior years' best times for the open men's division, where I'd registered myself, and had prepared as much as humanly possible. It would all come down to the adrenaline and excitement of the day's events, and whether I could step outside myself to do more than my best.

"You can do this," Bella said as I stood behind her in the arena at Boston University, watching other groups competing. The whir of the flywheels on hundreds of ergs buzzed like an army of bees in my ears. "This is just another day, another erg piece, Edward."

I squeezed her shoulders in thanks, but said nothing. These people - young and old, men and women, athletes and former glory-seekers, coxes and rowers - were all here for the same thing. Punishment? Did they really all love rowing this much? Was it simply the thrill of competition? Had to be all of that. That's why I was here.

Racing went on all day, from 9 until 5. The open men's division race wasn't until the afternoon, and it gave Bella and me plenty of time to wander around, watch other groups, and for me, time to loosen up. Or try to. Bella watched as others coached their rowers, smiling when she heard something funny, and probably taking mental note of everything else that was shouted. After running a lap around the entire arena to limber and warm up, I walked over to Bella and then took my place on the erg. My heart was pounding already.

"Edward, focus on me, okay?" Bella demanded with a stern look. The race hadn't even started, but she seemed to possess the focus that I lacked. "Only me. Right here."

I nodded and handed myself over to her. In less than five minutes, my body and mind would be hers until I finished my 2,000 meters. After almost six months, it came naturally to me. And I'd never thought I'd be able to say that. At the moment, I wouldn't have wanted anyone else here with me. If I couldn't win this with Bella, I couldn't win it at all. She was my cox.

Bella took a seat directly behind me, positioned so that she and all the others could yell or speak to their respective rowers. From this moment until the end of the race, I'd only be able to hear her voice. Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths. Slowly, I tuned out all the background noise, the presence of the two guys flanking me and even the frantic pace of my heart. Only my coxie.

"It's 2,000 meters, Edward. Just a bit more than a mile. Piece of cake. You can row this in your damn sleep."

Piece of cake. No problem. Such a short distance, really.

"You've shown me how fast you can be. Do it faster, this time."

Yup. Faster. Just this once.

Opening my eyes, I nodded and got into position. The official told us all to begin, and I burst backwards, pulling with every ounce of strength I had. Getting off to a good start was crucial. Staring blindly ahead of me, I turned my body into the finely tuned machine I knew it could be, if called upon, while Bella coached me.

The first 500 meters passed easily; during the second, my body started to burn. When I passed the 1,000-meter mark, Bella turned up her volume, and moved closer so that I could feel her breath on my neck on the recovery.

"That's it, Edward! You're doing great! Perfect time - under three minutes. Exactly where we want to be! Keep it up. Drive strong with the legs. Pull hard and keep your back strong. Good!"

Dimly, I became aware of the din in the arena growing as all of us made our way toward the last 500 meters of the race. Bella was shouting behind me, reminding me to keep my stroke clean, despite the exhaustion. Not wanting anything to distract me, I kept my vision fuzzy and didn't dare hazard a glance at my time. I ignored everything except Bella's voice - even the screaming of my lungs, the stabbing pains in my back and knees and the sudden thickness of my tongue in my mouth.

"Edward, that's it! One hundred meters left! Give me everything! I don't care if you break the erg!" I could have sworn I heard my name out there in the arena, but quickly tuned out the sound.

As I finished, the handle slipped from my sweaty fingers and snapped back against the machine as I slumped over, gasping for air. Suddenly, whoops and yelling, punctuated by "Yeah, Eddie!" punctured my race-induced haze. I managed to lift my head to see my friends and teammates all clapping for me. They'd been here all along.

I turned to Bella and smiled. "Thanks," I said, too out of breath to say much more. After the official recorded my time, Bella got up and helped me step off the erg.

"You did awesome, Strokie," she said, her eyes as bright as her smile. "I knew you would." I wrapped my arm around her and she walked us over to the small crowd. Emmett, Jasper, Mike, Tyler, Ben and Alec, Alice and even Rose had all come to support me. And somehow they'd managed to keep this from me.

"Guys - you're all here!" I said, shaking Jasper's hand as I approached them. "How'd you-"

"Eh, we're mysterious like that, Eddie," Emmett interrupted, flashing a grin and whacking me on the back. After I'd regained my footing and my breath, I thanked them all for coming to cheer me on.

"Edward, you kicked some serious ass," Alice said excitedly. "And I just happened to notice that you were the first one to lose grip of your handle. I'm taking that as a good sign."

"Thanks, Alice," I muttered.

"Dude, you totally deserve a hammer!" Emmett exclaimed. Laughing, I agreed jokingly, and told them all they could leave if they didn't feel like hanging around for the awards ceremony. Since most of them had been there since the early afternoon, the group left after spending some time with us, and Jasper even promised a hot meal for dinner. I was sold.

"I agree with Emmett," Bella said as we walked around the arena together. I squeezed her hand and kissed her nose.

"Thanks, coxie. If I win it, it's yours."

Bella giggled and looked up at me. "It'll be my valentine. From you to me."

I laughed. I'd never had a valentine before, but the timing was perfect.

"You got it," I said. "From Strokie to his coxie, for Valentine's Day, with love."

A/N: Well, we squeezed a lot into that chapter. What did you all think?

As a side note, it's not unheard of for coaches to jumble up rowers between boats, as well as coxswains. Usually it's done to determine if the boats (in this case, I mean the rowers in each one) need to be re-assigned – they're called seat races. The same can be true of coxes. In the chapter, I did it to show there was now good competition between Bella and the other coxes. Coach Carlisle and Coach Esme wouldn't really rearrange the boats. Not in my fic. So no worries. Thank you all who read and have stuck with this fic!