Fandom for the Floods Outtake EPOV
Outtake.

"Heads up, Jasper!"

Jasper reacted just in time and headed the ball over to his team mate. He immediately turned and looked back at the bleachers where something had caught his attention. I followed his gaze and, damn, if the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen was climbing into the stands.

I watched as she stretched out her long legs and leaned back to let the sun fall full on her face. She was beautiful. Long mahogany hair pulled back in a pony tail, slender, shapely arms and legs and a willowy, womanly figure, a heart shaped face, and full, luscious lips.

I stared until I realized that I was staring, and so roused myself to blow my whistle and call out, "Alright guys, one lap around the track, then it's time to go home." Best to rouse myself before I became aroused. I smiled grimly wondering if hanging around adolescents was finally rubbing off on me. My body was responding as though I'd never seen a pretty woman before.

We started to run around the track and I realized I was feeling pretty pleased. I had a good group of kids vying for the soccer team this year and I was anticipating a great season coming. I knew that, at least in high school, most soccer games were decided by which team didn't run out of steam during the last half of the match, so I developed a conditioning program for my players. We started it when school let out in June and I planned to continue it until the Soccer season began in November. Per the High School league authorities, we couldn't have official practices until just before the season starts. Every good coach knew how to get around that - we could train and condition all we wanted, whenever we wanted - and I was a good coach.

There were the usual jokes and jibes among the players as we ran around the track. I heard Jasper say to Jon, our goalie, "Check out the girl in the stands."

Jon looked and whistled, "She's pretty hot. Who is she?"

"I don't know but I've got dibs," Jasper said.

I snorted to myself. I could tell she wasn't a girl - she was a woman - and if anyone had dibs, I did. When we got around the field, the sweat was pouring off of me and I realized my towel was in the gym bag that I'd left in my car, so I simply pulled off my t-shirt and mopped at my face and chest. The air felt good on my skin.

I could tell Jasper was gearing up to approach the woman in the stands, so I said, "Jasper, go gather those balls and put them in the bags. Get the rest of the guys to help you. When you're done, put them up in the equipment room, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Jasper looked a little disappointed but he was a good kid and so he did what I asked.

"Thanks, Jasper. I'll see you tomorrow." I shouldn't have felt so cocky that I threw a teenager off his game, but I did.

I strolled over to the woman but the only thing I could think of to say was, "Can I help you?" Lame. So lame. I sounded like I was working at McDonald's.

But I had a reason to sound so stupid. She was even more beautiful up close than she appeared from a distance and I felt my mouth go dry. She stood and walked over to the railings, "Uhm…perhaps? Do you know if the school office will be open tomorrow?"

I smiled at her. She wanted the front office, did she? She was too old to be a student and too young to be a student's parent, so that meant she was probably a new teacher. Hot damn! I could feel my heart rate speed up in excitement.

"There's usually someone there after eight but in the summer they leave around two or so. Whom did you want to see?" She seemed a little stunned for some reason but I chalked that up to the heat.

"The principal or his secretary?"

"They both should be there, I think. You could call first to see. Do you have the direct line? They usually don't pick up the main one in the summer."

"No, I don't."

Taking advantage of my opportunity, I suggested, "I'll give it to you. I have it in my car." I waved my hand in the direction of the parking lot.

She nodded and started to walk down the stairs but before she descended three steps, she tripped and started to fall face first onto the gravel walkway. My reaction was automatic; I didn't even think. I reached up, caught her in my arms and pulled her against my chest. I was a little embarrassed that she had to feel my sweaty skin and was about to hold her away from me when she looked up into my eyes and the world stopped turning. My focus zeroed in on her and it was if all sounds ceased, all motion stopped, and all I could feel was my heart beat hammering at my ribs and this delightful woman in my arms.

I gazed deeply into her brown eyes and in that moment I knew - she was my destiny.

She never called me. I'd given her my phone number as well as the front office's but she never called. I kicked myself everyday for not asking for her name or her number. Why had I been so dense? At first, I was sure she felt the same as I did when I held her but the longer time passed, the more I doubted it. I spent the next few weeks haunting Parma, looking for new faces but of course, I never saw her again until one day while I was at conditioning, there she was riding a bicycle along the road. I now can tell you how it feels to have your heart leap in your chest. Mine did.

She saw me and started peddling faster which was very discouraging but I couldn't let her go.

"Wait! Miss Meteor! Wait!" She slowed to a stop as I ran to the fence that separated the field from the road. I didn't realize that I'd run towards her or even called her that name. I'd been thinking of her as Miss Meteor ever since the day she crashed into me.

High School English teacher that I am, I make an effort to read the books I see my students reading. Yes, that means I am probably one of the few men my age who have read the Twilight Saga. I hate to admit that there was something about the story that drew me in. I suppose I am a romantic teen age girl at heart but I'd never admit it to anyone. Emmett would gleefully confiscate my man-card if he knew.

There was something about this woman on the bike that immediately reminded me of a quote from the second book in the series. I knew exactly what the Emopire* meant when he said, "And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty." I guess that meant I was an Emopire, too, except without the sparkly bits.

I was definitely going to have to forfeit my man-card but I manned up anyway and smiled down at her.
"You didn't call me." I tried not to sound like a whiney little bitch but I wasn't sure I pulled it off.
"Er, no. I didn't find I had a reason to."

She was blushing. I must be embarrassing her. Maybe I was coming across as a creep. I needed to fix this.
"You must've thought I'd ulterior motives in mind."

Then, she looked up at me. Once more our eyes met and once more the world stopped. It felt as though I were falling into the dark depths of her eyes. She hit me hard in ways I never knew existed.

Her voice was soft when she said, "No... Yes... I mean, I thought you were just being nice to the new girl and I didn't want to impose."

My eyes felt like they were lasers boring into hers. I wanted her to know exactly how I felt. "Miss Meteor, it's no imposition. I promise."

It was a good thing a soccer ball bounced over and hit me in the back because that woke me up a little from the spell she was weaving around me. I was about ten seconds from making a colossal fool out of myself.

I turned to the see Jasper, who had his hands up in apology with a bratty grin on his face. Evidently, he was trying to spoil my game. "Hey! How about a little warning before you go pegging people?" I shouted in mock anger.

He laughed. What a wise-ass.

"Sorry, coach, it got loose." Yeah, sure.

"Are you going to ref this scrimmage?" he continued. Geesh.

"I'll be right there," I answered. The kid was bound and determined to separate me from Miss Meteor. I think he just earned ten extra laps.

But, really, I did need to get back to the guys but I wasn't going to let Miss Meteor get completely away from me this time.

"I don't believe I know your name." I smiled my most charming smile.

I did notice she gasped a bit before responding, "I am Isabella Swan but most people call me Bella."
Shit.

She's the new English teacher.

I knew there was going to be an Isabella Swan new to my department this year but I thought someone with a name like Isabella must be about forty years old. I expected Miss Meteor's name to be something like Jessica or Ashley. I didn't dream she'd be working so closely with me. After the shit I had to deal with at work when Tanya and I broke up, I promised myself never to date someone in my department again. I think the angels must be laughing at me.

I swallowed my disappointment and said, "Pleased to meet you then, Miss Isabella Swan. I'll be seeing you around."

I waved at her and jogged back onto the field. What was I going to do?

"Damn!" I slapped my hands on the steering wheel in frustration and stared out of the windshield as the wipers fruitlessly tried to clear the rain out of the way. I wasn't frustrated with the downpour. I was frustrated over what happened at our department meeting today. I saw the look on Bella's face. Her expression was equal parts shock, dismay and anger. I bet you Dr. Molina pulled the same shit on her as he did on me when I came to Parma. He didn't tell her up front about the extra endorsements Florida required for their English teachers. What an asshole. He later told me it's what he had to do in order to get quality teachers from out of state. He knew that if they discovered all the crap they had to go through to get certified down here, they'd never come. And I always thought bait and switch practices were illegal. Maybe it was in stores but, evidently, not in education.

I remember feeling overwhelmed and screwed when I found out after I was hired. I know Bella now feels the same way and I just couldn't let her get down. I had promised myself purely a professional relationship with her but… I just couldn't stay away from her anymore. Not when she was unhappy. Not when I could help.

I made up my mind quickly. I pulled over to the side of the road and phoned in a pizza order. Pizza always made things better, in my opinion. I ran home to grab my old notes, taking a quick shower and telling Rosalie I'd be back later. I picked up a six pack of beer on my way to get the pizza and then headed for Miss Meteor's home. I hoped she wouldn't mind me dropping in.

She was there at the door when I got there. "I hope you don't mind me coming by unannounced but I don't know your number and I wanted to talk to you about the meeting. I came bearing gifts." I added a mental thought, Please don't think I am a creep like that idiot Jake Black for showing up here like this. I saw how he was looking at her last week. She didn't need to have to deal with that shit or that creep.

She didn't appear to mind. "Well, since you brought pizza…"

I was so relieved she welcomed me, I grinned. It felt right to be with her for some reason. I wanted more than anything to pull her to me and kiss her but – okay, that would be something that creep Jake would do. I was as bad as he was, it seemed.

I got rid of my wet hoodie, back pack, and sat the pizza and beer on the table. I said, "Your place looks nice, Bella. That old futon never looked so good in my apartment."

She smiled as she looked at the futon, then back at me, "Thanks. Let me get out the plates."

I popped off the caps on two beers, "You want one?"

"Sure could use one. Thanks."

I knew she had had a rough day, so I flipped the pizza box lid open and let the pizza therapy commence. I truly believe in the healing power of the pie.

"Giuseppe's makes the best pizza I have ever had and you need to remember, I am from Chicago, so that's saying a lot." I had ordered my favorite toppings and I hoped she'd agree with them."Dig in,"

She reached for a slice just as I did. Our hands accidentally touched and suddenly my hunger was centered a little lower than my belly. I pulled my hand away and staring at her, I said, "I promise, you'll like it." I hope she didn't think I was some sort of pervert.

She grabbed a piece of pizza and took a bite. Her eyes rolled back in her head and I said, "Good, huh?"

"This—this is ambrosia!" Food for the gods – trust an English teacher to use a literary reference when overcome by sensation. Sounded exactly like something I would say.

I chuckled and then happily began eating and couldn't resist moaning myself at that first delicious bite. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Listening to us, you'd think we were having sex rather than eating pizza."

That was so close to what I had been fantasizing about, that I choked hearing her say it. She laughed at my expression and so I decided to fight fire with fire. I looked directly into her eyes, took a bite of my slice, and moaned as suggestively as I could manage. She blinked once, gathered her breath and then a mischievous spark lit her eye as she started doing her best Meg Ryan impersonation. She finished it off by taking another bite and then licking her lips.

Crap. Instant hard on. What was she doing to me? I tried to swallow the sip of beer I had just taken and ended up coughing like a maniac and gasping for breath.

"Oh, I am sorry Edward, did I startle you?" She jumped out of her chair to pound me on the back. I slid close to the table so she couldn't see my insta-rection.

"S…s…something like that. We'd better concentrate on our dinner or it's likely that you're going to be the death of me." I meant that.

We spent the rest of our meal chatting amiably about whatever came to mind. We had a small disagreement over who got to keep the left over pizza. I had a feeling that her grocery situation wasn't good and she was going to have to stretch things out until pay day, so I am afraid I won that argument. I learned she had a quirky sense of humor and loved quoting old movies. The more we talked the more I realized how attracted I was to her, not just physically but mentally, too.

The sun had finally set and Bella turned on the lamps she had in the room. It made things cozier. We sat together on the futon, drinking beer and talked about her endorsement classes. I gave her my old notes to use and explained I had to go through the same thing. I offered to help her as much as I could. She seemed less stressed about the situation as we talked. It felt good to see her smile.

While I watched her, she absent-mindedly reached up and pulled the elastic out of her hair causing her thick, dark hair to cascade down around her shoulders and back. I was struck through by her loveliness. I let out a shaky breath and said in a low voice, "Remember, Miss Meteor, it is my job to be of service to you."

I drained my bottle of beer, needing its fortitude. Just then Eric Clapton started playing on her iPod dock. I had to smile. Unplugged was very familiar to me.

"Clapton is one of my favorites."

"Mine, too," she said. We started talking about music then and I was happy to discover we had similar tastes with some interesting differences. After a while, though, I noticed she seemed to be distracted. She was watching me closely; her eyes wide and her mouth open just a bit. Sometimes she'd pull her bottom lip in with her top teeth. I was finding the need to kiss her becoming overwhelming.

I finished my beer and felt a drop of the beverage hang on my lip, so I stuck the tip of my tongue out to catch it. I was surprised to hear her gasp and say in a needy voice, "Ohhhh, Edward."

I held my breath, not sure if I was hearing her right. Did she actually desire me as much as I did her? I stared at her lips and leaned closer, hypnotized by their lusciousness. I put my arm along the back of the futon and gently touched her lips with mine for a moment. I stopped, trying to gauge if this was something she wanted.
Apparently it was because suddenly we were kissing, arms wrapped around each other, touching, stroking, and caressing. I felt as though every cell in my body was on fire for her. The sensations were overwhelming and I wanted her. I wanted her in every way I could have her. I wanted to feel her bare body against mine. I wanted to kiss every inch of her. I wanted to bury myself in her. My tongue teased her lips and when she parted them, I deepened my kiss, trying to inhale her.

Finally, breathing became imperative and I moved to her neck, nibbled her ear and traced down to her shoulder. I pulled her onto my lap, so that she straddled me and held her hips close to my now prominent boner. Bella was winding her fingers through my hair as she rocked against me. I was lost to sensation… I was lost… I was going to…

RAH, RAH, AH, AH, AH, ROMA, ROMA, MA, GAGA, OOH, LA, LA, WANT YOUR BAD ROMANCE.

Lady Gaga scared the shit out of me until I realized that it was Bella's ring tone. I growled, "You'd better get that."

She reached over to pick it up. When she saw who it was, she scrambled off my lap like she was scalded.

It was her dad calling because he was concerned about a tropical storm threatening Parma. By the time she got off the phone with him, I had settled down and it gave me a chance to think.

I had been so wrapped up in my feelings and her arms and legs and kisses and ass that, at that moment, I had been willing to go as far as we could. I wouldn't have wanted to stop. I don't think I could have easily.

But I wouldn't do that to her.

Or myself.

At the end of the first day of school, I ran up the stairs intent on finding Bella before she left for the day. My coaches meeting went long and I was late. I was hoping we could spend some time together tonight, maybe take her to dinner.

"Edward. Where have you been?"

I sighed, not wanting to be held up by the owner of that voice but I stopped politely and said, "Mostly in my classroom, Ms Whitehorse. Did you need something?"

"Oh, Edward," she lowered her voice, finally aware of the few students still in the hallway. "That's a loaded question."

I didn't respond to that. There was no need.

Tanya took a few steps closer to me. Instinctively, I backed away.

"Ah, Edward, why haven't you called me?"

I smiled remembering when I asked Bella the same question. I hope I didn't sound as whiney as Tanya did now. I decided to give Tanya the same response Bella gave me, "I didn't find a need to."

I looked down the hall towards Bella's room. I saw her standing outside her door talking to a student. My smile was involuntary. Just seeing her made me happy. Tanya must have noticed the reason for my expression and, ever the firebrand, she snapped, "Oh, I see how it is."

I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Little Miss Mosquito has been carrying tales, hasn't she?"

"What?" I guessed she was talking about Bella.

"She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but I bet she's been filling your ears with all sorts of complaints about me?"

Tanya was on a tear and I had no idea about what except that it concerned Bella. I just looked at her and said nothing, hoping she'd explain.

"She probably whined about my stuff she found in the cupboard. Hell, Edward, she broke into that cupboard! She's lucky all she found was some of my fun toys."

Her fun toys? What was she talking about? I arched my brows in question, silently urging her to go on. She was happy to comply.

"There were only a few things," Tanya leaned up to whisper, "A lacey black teddy, some high FMN heels." She giggled, "And some other supplies to go with them. You never got a chance to see them, you bad boy."

I coughed a little, "Strange to have those sorts of things in a school room cupboard, don't you think?"

"Edward, you're such the good little Catholic boy. I need to loosen you up a little."

Not in this life, Tanya. I decided to change the subject, "I hope your first day went pleasantly."

"Oh, it went okay. I saw your little Miss Mosquito first thing. Quite a fun start to the day but I am sure she ran and told you all about it."

"I haven't had a chance to talk to Ms Swan. What happened?"

"Oh, she came in to the teacher's work room this morning to put something in the refrigerator and I just thought I'd rib her a little about the love the mosquitoes have for her. She over-reacted and ran out. She's such a baby."

"Actually, Tanya, she hadn't said a thing about you to me. Knowing her as I do, I doubt she would. I think I like Ms Swan. In fact, I think I like her very much."

"Oh…" Tanya couldn't have looked more surprised if I had socked her in the face.

I turned and walked down the hall. Why was I wasting my time with Tanya when it was Bella I wanted to be with – and who knew? Maybe we'd be with each other forever.

AN:
I think I got "emopire" from Cleolinda's Twilight book reviews. I get it. I really do.