A/N: So much for getting this posted a week or two after the last update. Things are still crazy at work. But here it is, a small glimpse of our favorite Forks High characters twenty years later.
Epilogue 2: 20th Forks High Reunion
"Alice."
"It's just a hint," she assured me.
"You're having entirely too much fun with this," I complained, staring in the mirror at my thirtyish-looking face.
"Stop talking; I've got to get this just right," she admonished, adding another "hint" of a wrinkle.
"You really look quite lovely, my dear," Edward told me with a grin. "I always knew you'd still be beautiful as an older woman."
I threw the first thing I saw at him – a tube of lipstick – but I smiled as he set it back down on the dresser. "You do look rather nice as a forty-year-old," I told him. "Why don't you let Alice fix you up like this every day for work so that people won't think you're too young for residency?"
"I'm only thirty-eight," he said indignantly. "And I've been managing my residency just fine without all of this ridiculous makeup."
"Hold still," Alice commanded.
Edward grimaced but sat completely motionless as his sister made some final adjustments and tucked one last unruly piece of hair into place. His normal carefree and perfectly messy bronze hair had somehow been tamed into a dignified, conservative style which would have aged him a few years even without the makeup.
"There! You're done!" Alice said brightly. Then her expression shifted to one of warning. "No kissing until after the reunion!"
"Are you still sure this will work?" Edward asked. "You're not hiding anything from me?"
"It will be fine," Alice insisted. "Why would anyone question that we look the age they're expecting us to be?"
"It does look pretty convincing," I agreed. "Honestly, Edward, I think it would be more suspicious for us to miss our twentieth reunion. We can't hold Mike and Angela off forever." Both had been in contact with me via email over the years, and each of them had tried to arrange meetings with us on two or three different occasions, but we had always been "busy" or had some "emergency" come up that prevented us from seeing them. I hadn't heard from Mike in a while, but Angela has been emailing more frequently lately, and I knew she was excited about seeing us at the reunion.
"I rather like my hair like this," Alice said, running her fingers wistfully through the locks that flowed just a little past her shoulders. Rosalie had flawlessly applied hair extensions earlier in the day. Alice really did look stunning with her longer hair. It seemed a shame that she was about to add twenty years to her face and neck.
When Alice finished applying her own makeup, I popped in a pair of brown contacts to complete my look, and Alice ushered us downstairs for the big reveal. She had insisted that Jake and Nessie wait to see us in full costume; she wanted to get their reactions to our transformation.
Nessie started to laugh, but covered her mouth, stopping herself, and stared at us with wide eyes. "You guys look old enough to be my parents!" she exclaimed.
"We are your parents," Edward reminded her without a hint of humor.
"But Dad!" she exclaimed, an amused smile playing on her lips as she reached up to touch one of the gray strands that peppered his hair.
"Don't even think about it!" Alice admonished. "You can play with your father's hair after the reunion."
"Jake, you've got to see this!" Nessie called out, darting to the kitchen to retrieve her husband.
Jake stepped through the doorway with a large sandwich in one hand and an oversized glass of milk in the other. Unlike Nessie, he made no attempt to conceal his amusement. His entire body shook with laughter, so much that some of the milk sloshed out onto the floor, and he staggered over to a chair to sit down until he could get control of himself.
"You… You look ten years older than either of the girls," Jake said, pointing at Edward as his laughter began to subside.
"Mike saw me in La Push ten years ago, remember?" I explained. "He thinks I've had lots of plastic surgery. So I don't need to look like I've aged as much as everyone else."
"And I might have had plastic surgery too," Alice chimed in. "Human women wear makeup and tend to apply various beauty treatments to minimize aging. So it makes sense that Edward would be the one to age the most naturally.
"Hey, I think you got the raw end of this deal, man," Jake told Edward.
"Don't I know it," Edward muttered under his breath.
"I think you look very handsome," I reminded him, looking into his eyes – the one feature that had not been tampered with. Actually, on second thought, his lips hadn't been tampered with either.
"No kissing!" Alice hissed. "Save it for later."
"Later," Edward said meaningfully, still holding my eyes for a moment before letting his gaze drift down to my mouth. Seeing him look at me that way would never get old. In fact, it filled me with every bit as much anticipation as it did twenty years ago.
"Cut it out, you two," Nessie protested. "We need to leave soon if you don't want to be late."
"We're ready," I said, refocusing on my daughter. "You just need to put your contacts in."
Her upper lip curled in disdain. "I'll put them in before we get out of the car," she promised.
"Are you sure I can't go?" Jake asked for the hundredth time. "I could be Nessie's boyfriend. Or your gardener. Or your chauffeur. " He was getting really desperate.
"Sorry," Alice answered, yet again. "I won't be able to see anything if you're there. It's bad enough that Nessie's going. Having you there adds too much complexity. And you know there's too much risk that Mike could recognize you."
"Mike was too busy puking to pay any attention to me," Jake protested. "Besides, I could be my cousin or nephew or something."
"Actually, Mike was analyzing you in amazing detail," Edward told him. "He saw you as competition. And he saw you that day you came to the school to talk to me too. His memory of you was amazingly accurate when he came to see Bella in La Push at Thanksgiving ten years ago."
"I'll play the reunion back for you when I get home," Nessie promised pressing both palms to the sides of his face as she leaned down to give him a quick kiss.
Edward and I went to the car while Alice went back to pack some last-minute supplies and Nessie lingered saying goodbye to Jake. I looked over at Edward sitting in the driver's seat, and he returned my gaze. Maybe we could sneak one kiss in before Alice could stop us. As we leaned toward one another, the car door flew open.
"I said no kissing!" Alice shrieked.
Edward and I both sighed and gave up. It was clear that we would truly have to wait until after the reunion.
"You're just jealous because Jasper isn't here," I teased Alice. It was mean, but I was a bit peeved. Edward looked really, really good.
"It has nothing to do with Jasper," she insisted. "It has everything to do with us having a successful reunion tonight!"
"Okay, okay," I said. She probably did have a legitimate reason. And she was always right. But why did Edward have to look so incredibly sexy at age thirty-eight? "Wait. You are doing our make-up again tomorrow, right? You don't expect us to go that long without touching each other, do you?"
Alice laughed. "Of course I'm doing it again tomorrow!" she assured me. "I gave us all a casual look for 'family night' tonight. Tomorrow evening's adults-only event is more formal – obviously, the makeup will need to be more glamorous."
"So when is Jasper supposed to be back?" Nessie asked as she got into the car.
"Right now it looks like two days, but it keeps changing," Alice replied as Edward started the engine and we began the short drive from La Push to Forks.
"I'll be glad when you two move back with us," Nessie told her. "I've missed you."
"I know," Alice said. "Jasper only has six more months in his term on the council, and my contract with the studio is up for renewal shortly after that. We've been talking, and we think we're going to be joining you guys in Cleveland for your last year there."
"Oh, Aunt Alice!" Nessie exclaimed, giving her a hug.
"That's great news, Alice!" I agreed enthusiastically. There had been a definite void in the family with the two of them off traveling so frequently over the past two years. They had mostly been living in L.A, due to Alice's job, and Jasper had been flying to Italy once a month due to his stint on the council. Sometimes Alice went with him, but this month she was excited about making use of her skills so that we could attend our reunion.
"I was wondering when you were going to tell us," Edward said.
"Thanks for not spilling the beans before I was ready," Alice told him.
"I'm so excited!" Nessie said. "I've missed you so much!"
"Well, we do miss you guys too, you know," Alice said. "This was just such a rare opportunity, with so many cloudy days in L.A. these last two years, and we knew Jasper would be travelling a lot anyway."
"We all understand, Alice," Edward said. "You and Jasper were overdue for some time on your own."
"Yes, you know we all understand," I added. "But Esme will be thrilled to have all of us together again in the same city."
"Time for your contacts!" Alice announced as we pulled into the Forks High parking lot.
Nessie dutifully popped them in, and I switched to a fresh pair myself since the venom was already beginning to degrade the ones I had put in for the big reveal to Jake and Nessie.
When we walked into the Forks High School cafeteria, the room seemed somehow smaller than I'd remembered it. I carried a crock pot of meatballs, reminding myself to make it seem as though I found it heavy, and Edward carried a two-liter of orange soda in each hand. We were still setting our contributions to the potluck meal on the long table with the rest of the food when Angela came running up to me.
"Bella! You really came!" she exclaimed, giving me an enthusiastic hug which I returned as gently as possible, careful not to touch any of her skin.
"Of course I came!" I told her, stepping back and returning her smile. "It's hard to believe it's been twenty years." I noted the many subtle changes to her face; although my human memories of her were not particularly clear on those physical details, I did have pictures of her from high school, and I would not have needed those to see that she clearly looked close to her actual age of thirty-eight. Her face was less full, her lips thinner, and there were signs of laugh lines and the beginnings of crow's feet. Yet, she still looked like the same Angela – she still possessed the same smile, and she even had almost the same hairstyle as in high school. I noted darkness around her eyes, indicating lack of sleep.
"I know! Oh Bella, you look great! All of you do!" she exclaimed, addressing all four of us now. "Alice! Edward! I'm so glad you were able to come! And you must be –." She stopped short, either awed by our daughter's beauty or perhaps noticing the strong resemblance to me. I glanced at Edward to see if he seemed concerned, but he remained at ease.
"Yes, this is our daughter, Renesmee," he told her with obvious pride.
"You can call me Nessie," our daughter interjected. "It's so good to finally meet you, Angela! Is the rest of your family here?"
"Yes, Ben's over there talking to Eric, and the kids are sitting at that table by themselves," she said, sounding surprised at Nessie's interest as she gestured to two youngsters who looked very unenthused to be here.
"How old are your kids?" Nessie asked. I had told her about them earlier, so she already knew quite a bit about Angela's family, but as usual, Nessie played her part well. It would not be customary for a human to know and remember every detail about a family she'd never met.
"Hannah's almost fourteen, and David just turned ten," she said. "I'm afraid they aren't too excited to be here today. Can't say as I blame them, since they don't know anyone."
"Is it okay if I go talk to them?" Nessie asked eagerly.
"Sure," Angela said, still looking surprised at her level of enthusiasm over kids she had never met.
"She loves meeting new people," I told her as Nessie made her way over to the kids' table.
"She's about twenty now, right?" Angela asked.
I nodded. "She's done a lot of babysitting, and she loves younger kids. She's planning to become an elementary school teacher." This was all true; she enjoyed babysitting so much that she had continued doing it even after Jake's business had taken off. She was currently pursuing an education degree, and when we settled in our next city, she planned to apply for a teaching position.
"She's delightful," Angela said, glancing back over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she realized her kids were now talking animatedly with their new friend.
"So what have you been up to, Angela?" Alice asked.
"Oh, nothing particularly exciting," she said with a self-deprecating smile. "Mostly laundry and helping the kids with homework."
"Signs of a full life," Alice replied.
"True," Angela agreed.
"Should we find a table and sit down?" Edward suggested. "I think we're holding up traffic." He gestured briefly toward the people coming in behind us who were looking for spots to set their food.
We made our way over to the table where Ben and Eric were talking. Much to their surprise, Edward sat down across from them and joined their conversation about the latest video game Eric had in development. He had never talked to them much in high school, but apparently he felt it was part of his role as a reunion attendee. I sat next to him and continued listening to their discussion as I conversed with Angela and Alice, and I was mildly surprised to hear him offering programming tips on overcoming some glitches Eric was still working through.
"So Edward is still working as a doctor, right?" Angela asked, making me wonder if she was listening to their conversation as well.
"Yes, he's been working in the ER with Carlisle lately," I told her. This was actually the truth, though he was posing as a second-year resident.
"That must be confusing, with two Dr. Cullens," she said.
"I suppose so," I agreed with a short laugh.
"I think it's great that he's followed in his father's footsteps and that they're able to work together," Angela continued. "Dr. Cullen took such good care of my brother, Isaac, that time he broke his arm. I'm glad to hear he's still practicing. So he and his wife are both doing well?"
"Yes, they're both doing great."
Just then, Mike walked into the cafeteria with a rather attractive sandy-blonde-haired lady at his side. I recognized Mike instantly despite the receding hairline and the gray that was beginning to pepper his short hair. He bore a striking resemblance to his father, but of course that made sense, considering that he was about the same age now that his father had been back when I worked at their family's store. Mike whispered something to his lady friend and then the two of them both looked in our direction.
Edward, I thought, moving my shield aside momentarily as I returned Mike's wave, did we go to high school with that woman who came in with Mike?
I briefly glanced in Edward's direction in time to see him shake his head minutely. I felt relieved; my biggest fear about tonight was that I might fail to recognize someone I should remember. My human memories of high school were still clear in every aspect that involved Edward, and I still retained quite a bit about those who had sat at my lunch table, but nearly everything else about Forks High had faded from my memory. I had studied our yearbook yesterday, but I still worried about recognizing classmates who might have missed picture day.
"Hey, guys!" Mike said, coming directly to our table without stopping to place the casserole dish on the food table.
"Hi, Mike!" Angela said, seeming genuinely happy to see another familiar face.
"Everyone, this is my wife, Ashley."
"Nice to meet you," she said as we all greeted her.
"So… we've still got our same lunch table, huh?" Mike said, looking pleased. I was startled to realize he was right; I hadn't even thought about where we were sitting.
"Would you like me to take that and put it with the rest of the food?" Ashley asked Mike, reaching for the dish.
"Oh, sure. Thanks, hun," he said, handing her the dish he had apparently forgotten about.
"Is Jessica or Lauren here yet?" Mike asked, scanning the room which was becoming increasingly crowded.
"Jessica's running late – I talked to her a few minutes ago," Angela answered. "And I doubt Lauren will be here. She's been having some health issues, and Jessica said she hasn't been replying to texts or emails lately."
"Oh. That's too bad," Mike said, looking concerned. "I thought she was doing better."
Angela just shook her head, clearly not wanting to go into the details. I was curious what had become of Lauren, but I refrained from asking since I knew how Angela hated to gossip. Maybe Edward could tell me later.
Ashley returned and took a seat next to Mike just as Edward turned to him and asked, "So, Mike, how are things going with you?"
Mike seemed rather surprised that Edward was speaking to him, but he recovered quickly, smiling in response to Edward's friendly tone. "Pretty well. This has actually been a very good year so far."
"He was made a partner at his firm last week," Ashley interjected proudly.
"Well, congratulations!" Edward said, raising his eyebrows and looking appropriately impressed.
"I hadn't heard, Mike! That's great!" Angela exclaimed.
"Thanks," Mike said, obviously proud of his accomplishment, but beginning to look a little embarrassed by the attention as everyone continued to congratulate him.
"That's a pretty large firm that you work for, isn't it?" Edward asked.
"It's the largest in the state of Washington," Ashley answered.
"Hey, weren't you voted most likely to succeed?" Ben asked with a grin.
"I don't think so," Mike said, his eyes squinting as he tried to remember. "Wasn't that Eric? He was valedictorian."
"Yeah, that was me," Eric said with a chuckle. "Shows how accurate those lists are, huh? You and Tyler tied for most popular, though."
"That list was just for fun," Mike said dismissively. "I doubt there was even a real vote done. I think the yearbook staff just made it all up."
"The yearbook staff did what?" a voice called out from behind me.
Everyone turned to welcome Jessica to the group, and after depositing her armload of tote bags onto the floor, she pulled up a chair and squeezed in between Angela and me.
"So what were you saying about the yearbook staff?" she asked once she'd gotten settled in.
"Oh, just that the class superlative list wasn't anything official."
"Oh, right!" she said with a laugh. "Lauren and I filled in most of those ourselves. We didn't do that page until after graduation so it was a little late to get actual votes. "
"Do you mean I wasn't really voted 'Best Dressed'?" Alice asked with mock horror.
"I don't think they needed a vote to determine that one," I told her, and everyone laughed.
"So what's everyone doing now?" Eric asked. "I'm still working for the same software company, but I think most of you have gathered that by now. Are you still teaching, Jessica?"
"Yep, still teaching math right here at good old Forks High," she answered with a slight roll of her eyes. "When I was in college, I never dreamed I'd end up back here, but Mr. Varner happened to retire the same year I graduated, and it just worked out." She shrugged. "It's hard to believe I've been here sixteen years now. What about everyone else? What do you do, Bella?"
"I have degrees in literature and psychology, but I didn't really go the 'career' route," I told them, knowing that many of them would not find this very impressive. "I home schooled Renesmee, and now that she's in college, I'm doing a lot of volunteer work."
"Where do you volunteer?" Angela asked, clearly very interested.
"My main project right now is helping out with Esme's center for abused women," I told her. "And one day a week I work at an adult literacy center a couple of miles from our house. And occasionally I volunteer at our local historical and genealogical society."
"So Esme has a center for abused women?" Jessica asked. "I don't remember her being involved with any causes like that when she lived here."
Jessica was beginning to grate on my nerves – her tone implied that Esme had somehow cheated the town of Forks by being too lazy to volunteer her time when she lived here. While in some ways Jessica seemed more mature than in high school, apparently her thirst for gossip on the Cullen family hadn't diminished at all.
"Mom's always been involved with a number of causes," Edward told her, somehow keeping any hint of annoyance from his voice. "When we lived here in Forks, she did it more quietly, mostly through anonymous donations, but recently she's become interested in taking a more active role in helping these women. She wants to prevent others from going through what she did with her first husband - she didn't get up the courage to leave him until after a failed suicide attempt."
"Oh. I never realized…" Jessica trailed off, her brows drawing together in what looked like concern.
"No one outside the family knew about it when we lived here," I told her. "You know how gossip can be in a small town like this." Even now, Esme shared only an edited version of her story with humans.
Jessica nodded in agreement - as if she and her mother weren't the chief gossipers of Forks.
"She shares her story publicly now," Alice added, "so she wouldn't mind us mentioning it. She decided it was the best way to help others – to show people it can affect anyone and that there's always hope for things to get better."
"I think that's awesome," Ben said.
"Yeah, it must take a lot of courage for her to talk about it," Angela agreed. "It's understandable that she wasn't ready for that when she lived here. And it's great that you're able to help her with it, Bella. It sounds like you're staying really busy!"
"Somehow I doubt I'm as busy as you are," I told her with a knowing smile. "You still have two young children at home. "
"Angela does stay pretty busy," Ben agreed with an affectionate glance at his wife. "We're still working with the youth ministry for our church, but fortunately a lot of our work can be done from home, like planning activities and preparing lessons, so we've been able to be home with our kids. And they're old enough now that they don't require constant supervision. But it does get pretty crazy sometimes."
"So what about you, Edward?" Eric prompted. "I thought I'd heard you were a doctor, but you sure know an awful lot about software design."
"Computers are just a hobby," Edward said, shaking his head dismissively.
"So you spend your day saving lives, then go home and write code for fun."
"Pretty much," Edward said with a sly grin.
"So, you know, I have this weird thing on my back. Do you think you could take a look?" Eric asked with a straight face, and then burst out laughing. "Just kidding. I bet you get that a lot, don't you? People trying to get free medical advice?"
"Actually, not very often," he said. "But if you do have a 'weird thing' on your skin, you should get it checked out – moles that have changed shape or color can be malignant. Itching, bleeding, and inflammation are bad signs, too."
"I was just joking, man. People are always asking me to fix their computers, so I figured you probably get a lot of medical questions."
"You were assuming he has a social life," Alice said.
Mike snorted, and everyone else laughed politely. I also heard Nessie snicker at the other table.
"So what are you doing now, Alice?" Jessica asked. "I always thought you'd become a famous fashion designer or something."
"Well, I'm not famous," she said, "but I do work in the fashion industry. I'm on an advisory board that tries to predict fashion trends." This was true, though it was only one of several positions she currently held – she was trying to keep busy while Jasper was occupied with Council matters.
"Cool," Jessica said. "And are you still with that same guy? The one from high school?"
"Yes, I've been Mrs. Hale for eighteen years now. No kids, though. It's just the two of us."
"So why didn't he come with you today?" Jessica asked.
"Reunions just aren't his thing," Alice said with a shrug. "I guess you could say Jasper's sort of a private person. He's never liked large groups. "
"Is that why he seemed like he hated high school?" Jessica asked.
"High school was absolute torture," Alice said with a laugh. "He served his time here, and he had no desire to come back. Besides, he graduated a year ahead of us, so this wasn't even his class." This was very much true; even if Jasper wasn't in Volterra right now, he would have had zero interest in attending our reunion.
"Well, it's great that you're still together," Angela said. "You two always seemed like you were so in tune to each other."
"Yeah, we still are," Alice told her with a smile.
"What about you, Ashley?" Angela asked, turning to Mike's wife. "What do you do?"
Ashley sat up a little straighter, seemingly caught off guard at being spoken to. While she certainly didn't seem shy, she was obviously the outsider at this table, being the only one who hadn't attended high school here. And of course Angela noticed that and was trying to bring her back into the conversation. "I'm a physical therapist," she said. "That's how I met Mike, actually."
"She worked with me after my knee replacement surgery," Mike added.
"You had your knee replaced?" Eric asked. "What happened?"
"I had a couple of sports-related injuries during college, and then a few years ago I fell off a ladder when I was helping my parents in their store one weekend." He shrugged. "My right knee kept bothering me, and it eventually got to the point where I had trouble climbing stairs and couldn't walk very far without a lot of pain, so my doctor recommended the surgery. Best thing that ever happened to me." He smiled significantly at Ashley.
"Through all those sessions I was trying so hard to remain professional, and then at the last one when I was worrying that I might not see him again, I found out he'd been trying to work up the courage to ask me out the whole time!" She laughed, and the two of them looked at each other with goo-goo eyes.
"How long have you and Mike been married?" I asked her.
"Almost a year. Our anniversary is next month," she said happily. "Did I hear you say you have a daughter in college?" She looked as though she thought she must have misunderstood.
"Right. Edward and I got married shortly after finishing high school, and we adopted his niece about a month later. She was a baby when we got her, and she's a sophomore in college now. That's her over there with Angela's kids," I said, nodding toward their table.
"Wow, she's beautiful. But you don't look old enough to have an adult daughter," she said. Her tone was complimentary, but there seemed to be a hint of jealousy.
"Thanks," I said, trying to assure myself that she was just being polite and was not actually suspicious.
"So you two were high school sweethearts?" she asked, looking from me to Edward.
I nodded. "I moved to Forks in the middle of junior year, and I noticed him the first day I was here."
"I noticed her immediately too, but it took me a while to ask her out," Edward added.
"How'd you get together?" she asked.
"I'd heard three other boys ask her to a dance that was coming up, and she had told each of them that she was going to Seattle that weekend," he said. "So instead of asking her to the dance, I offered to drive her to Seattle."
"Oh, I never knew that!" Angela exclaimed.
Mike and Eric exchanged a glance and then joined the others who were laughing at Edward's ingenuity.
"I guess I was one of the three," Eric said. "Or would I make four?"
"No, there were only three," I told him. "Edward somehow managed to eavesdrop on all three occasions."
"I'm pretty sure that dance was the same one that was my first date with Ben," Angela said. "So you two were on your first date that weekend too?"
"Sort of," I told her, "unless you count that night in Port Angeles as our first date. Remember when we went shopping – you, me, and Jessica? And I ran into Edward and he took me out to eat and then drove me home."
"Oh yeah, that's right," Angela remembered. "You went looking for a bookstore, and then we couldn't find you, and then you showed up with Edward."
"So that was planned." Jessica concluded. "I knew it!"
"Not exactly," Edward told her with a chuckle. "Bella had no idea I was stalking her."
Jessica's eyes grew wide, and for once, she was speechless.
I laughed, and everyone else followed suit.
"You know, I don't think I ever heard how you and Ben got together," I told Angela, intentionally shifting the conversation before Jessica could recover. "I know it started when you went to the dance with him, but how did that happen? Did someone set you up?"
She shook her head, smiling as she exchanged a glance with her husband. "I'd had a crush on him for a long time, but I just didn't think he'd ever be interested in me, so I had already agreed to go to the dance with Eric, as friends. Then a few days before the dance, Ben asked me to invite him, and said he'd already set Eric up with someone else. And the rest is history." She shrugged.
"I remember that," Mike told Ben. "I was so shocked you actually got up the nerve to ask her! Those high school dances were always so nerve-wracking." He laughed. "The 'Girls Choice' thing was a joke – hardly any of the girls ever actually asked anyone, so it was still up to us to get up the courage to make the first move."
"Ben said he almost didn't ask me, but he overheard someone else say they were interested in me, and I guess that was all the motivation he needed. He never would tell me who the other person was, though." She glanced at her husband with mock annoyance, and he was giving her a look that seemed to be silently begging her to drop the subject.
"That was me," Edward said with a mischievous grin, watching as Ben and Angela's eyes got large and Angela's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"What?" I asked shrilly into the stunned silence, completely unable to disguise the shock in my voice. My eyes snapped to his, but he just shook his head and smiled.
"I was already quite smitten with Bella, of course, but Emmett and I staged that conversation for your benefit, Ben," Edward clarified.
Really? And he never bothered to tell me about this? Well, I probably should have known it was something like that. I wondered how many other good deeds he had done at Forks High that no one knew about.
Ben's face colored slightly. "I didn't think you even knew who I was. How did you know I liked Angela? I hadn't told anyone how I felt about her."
"I had noticed how you two kept sneaking glances at one another when you thought no one was looking," Edward told him. "I know I was pretty quiet in high school and mostly kept to myself when I wasn't with my family, but I was generally pretty observant as to what was going on around me. I just thought I'd give you a little push to go talk to her."
"I owe you an apology, Edward," Ben said after a brief pause, looking even more embarrassed now. "I thought you were such a jerk, talking about me as if I wasn't sitting right there next to you, and you - ." He broke off with a sigh. "I'm sorry, man. I had you all wrong. "
"It's no problem," Edward assured him. "I was a jerk in high school. It made it easier to convince you, though. I knew you wouldn't want someone like me asking her out." He chuckled.
"Hey, there's Tyler!" Eric said excitedly, standing up. Mike and Ashley got up as well, and the three of them went to greet him.
"What ever happened to Katie Marshall?" Jessica asked. "Anyone know? I always thought she and Eric would end up getting married."
"I heard they broke up after they started college," Alice volunteered. "Eric went to Washington State, and Katie went to a community college. She didn't want to continue a long-distance relationship."
I looked at Alice, wondering how she knew this, and she winked at me. So she had foreseen this.
"I think Eric took it pretty hard," Angela added. "I'm glad you didn't bring it up while he was sitting here, Jessica."
"Really? So he's never gotten over her? Has he ever dated anyone else?" Jessica asked.
"Oh, I have no idea about that," Angela said. "He's never mentioned anyone, but I haven't seen him since the ten-year reunion. I have Katie on Facebook though. She lives in Port Angeles. I was hoping she would come tonight, but her daughter's Brownie troop has a camping trip this weekend, and she had already agreed to help out with that."
"What about you, Jessica?" Alice asked. "Are you married now?"
"I married a guy I met in college, but we've been divorced for…," she drew her voice out while looking up as if trying to remember. "Eight years," she concluded. "We were married for eight years, and we've been divorced for eight years. My kids are ten and twelve. They're with their dad this weekend."
"I hated to hear things didn't work out with you guys," Angela said. "You two seemed so happy together at the last reunion."
"Nah, it was just an act," Jessica said. "I'm much happier now. It gets pretty hectic sometimes doing the single parent thing, but it was for the best. He's a good dad, but I just felt like he was smothering me, and I needed my freedom back."
"Hey, is it okay if I join you guys?" Renesmee asked, pulling up the chair Eric had vacated.
"Of course, sweetheart," Edward answered.
"It's amazing how much she looks like you," Jessica pointed out.
"Dad's biologically my uncle, so we do come from the same gene pool," Nessie replied. She did indeed look like Edward, even more so than normal with the amber-tinted contacts she was wearing.
"Of course," Jessica agreed.
"Where did Hannah and David go?" Angela asked, looking around.
"I introduced them to some other kids their age. The younger kids are sitting over on the floor behind the food table playing Clash of Clans, and the older ones went outside to sit at the picnic tables. Is that okay?"
"Oh, sure," Angela said. "I just didn't see them anywhere. I see David now. Where did he get an iPad?"
"I let him borrow mine. It's an old one I always take with me when I'm babysitting – lots of kid-friendly stuff on it."
"I hope he doesn't break it," Angela said worriedly. "You're sure you don't mind him using it?"
"It's fine," Nessie assured her.
"Hey," Mike said, pausing by our table along with Ashley, Eric, and Tyler. "We're going to go visit with Conner and Lee over there. We'll catch you guys later, okay?"
"Sure," Jessica said.
"Bella!" Tyler said, suddenly recognizing me. "I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?"
"I'm great," I assured him.
"I'm still sorry about that day with the van," he said.
"Tyler, it's been over twenty years," Edward told him. "You can let it go."
Everyone laughed.
Tyler grinned. "Seriously, I'm sorry about all the stuff after the van too. I know I must have been really annoying. Anyway, it's good to see you guys again. And Jessica, you look good."
"Thanks!" Jessica said, her face brightening. She looked him up and down as she added, "You look good too."
He winked at her and then headed off for the table where Mike, Ashley, Conner, and Lee were sitting.
"Was he hitting on me?" Jessica asked in a whisper, her face slightly flushed.
"Sure looked like it to me," Nessie told her. "You saw him wink at you, right?"
"Didn't you guys date for a while in high school?" Ben asked.
"Yeah," Jessica said seemingly lost in the memory. "I can't remember why we broke up. He was a really good kisser."
"Okay, more than we wanted to know," Ben told her, and we all laughed.
"Is he still coaching football in Seattle?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah," Angela answered. "I have him on Facebook too."
"Is he seeing anyone?"
"Not that I'm aware of. He was engaged to someone last year but apparently it didn't work out."
"Should I go over to their table or wait for him to come back here?"
"You should go there," Alice told her with a little too much certainty.
"How do you know?" Jessica asked.
"Just a hunch," Alice replied. "And my hunches tend to be right, so I'd take my advice if I were you."
"Okay, well, here goes." She gathered up her tote bags and moved to the other table, taking the empty seat that was between Tyler and Ashley. I had a feeling she wouldn't be back to visit with us anymore tonight.
"Well, are you guys ready to eat?" Ben asked, glancing at the line which had begun to form at the food table.
This was the part I was dreading. Edward and Alice already had their excuses planned out, but it would be more suspicious for Nessie or me to skip eating.
"You know, there's something about this cafeteria that always made me lose my appetite," Edward said. "And I know that isn't cafeteria food, but I'm just not hungry right now."
"Not even my meatballs can tempt you?" I asked, managing to keep a straight face.
"Sorry, love. I might eat some later if there are any left."
"Yeah, the cafeteria food was never that great," Ben said. "But I'm starving, and this all smells really good."
I saw Nessie stick her tongue out at Edward as she and I followed Ben and Angela to the food table. I looked for food that could be easily picked apart and moved around, as well as foods with a smooth texture that could be more easily swallowed if necessary.
"You're not eating either?" Angela asked Alice as we sat back down at the table with our plates.
"I'm on a special diet," Alice explained. "Medical reasons. I ate before I came. That's why I never ate here in high school either."
"Oh," Angela said. "Well, I hope you don't mind us all eating in front of you."
"No, no, go ahead," Alice assured her. "It's fine. I don't mind at all."
Alice and Edward kept the conversation going, as planned, in order to divert attention from Nessie and me so that we could gradually dispose of our food without eating it. I managed to transfer nearly everything from my plate to my purse and only pretended to be taking bites. Nessie ate a few bites of the foods she didn't mind and discarded the rest into her purse. I'm sure she was missing Jake, who usually helped quite a bit in making her food disappear. She drank her own glass of water, and then when Ben and Angela were sufficiently distracted with one of Alice's stories, I switched my glass with hers, and she drank mine too. I was quite proud of myself, having managed the entire meal without actually swallowing anything.
We stayed another two hours, mostly talking to Ben and Angela. It was great catching up with them, and I was so happy that Angela got to meet Renesmee. Angela's kids eventually joined us at our table as well, and I found them to be pleasant, well-behaved children. They both had the same kind, gentle personality that their parents shared, and they seemed to enjoy themselves once Renesmee had gotten them past their initial boredom.
We left the reunion before any of our high school friends, claiming to be very tired after our flight in. None of them knew that we actually arrived the day before and had been at the house we still maintained in La Push while we were getting ready for the reunion. We assured them we would be at the adults-only event the next evening, and we promised to let Angela know the next time we would be in town visiting Charlie and Sue so that we could get together again. We would have to go through all of the preparations with the make-up every time, but it would be worth it, and I was determined that we wouldn't have an "emergency" come up next time. Angela was a true friend, and she would not be around forever. Perhaps we could also make an appearance in town sometime – maybe stop by Newton's Olympic Outfitters and the bank where Angela's mom works.
"How'd it go?" Jake asked. He was standing on the front porch to greet us as we returned to our house in La Push.
"It was so much fun!" Renesmee gushed, running up to meet him. "I got to meet Angela and Mike and … and I wish you could've been there."
"I missed you," he told her softly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. She rested her face against his bare chest and reached up to place the palm of her hand against his face. I had a feeling she wasn't showing him the reunion.
"I am so grateful for your shield," Edward told me, calmly watching the exchange as we sat in the car. He turned his eyes to me as Jake picked up our daughter and carried her into the house, their mouths locked together.
I reached over and ran my fingers through Edward's perfectly styled hair. Of course, as soon as I touched it, it was no longer perfectly styled.
"The 'mature' look suits you, Dr. Cullen," I told him.
He ran the back of his hand along my jaw line, and I could see my own desire reflected in his eyes. We leaned toward one another until our lips gently touched, and then we both lost all control. I was in his lap, and his mouth was demanding against mine as our hands eagerly caressed one another's arms and necks.
"Yoohoo! Excuse me! I'm still here!" Alice said in a sing-song voice from the back seat. "Just because I've already seen this doesn't mean I want a front row seat, all up-close and personal, you know."
"Fine," Edward said without taking his eyes off of me. "We'll switch, and you can drive us to Carlisle's old property back in Forks."
Edward and I tumbled gracefully into the back while Alice slid into the driver's seat. As we sped away, my shield reached its limit and snapped back into place, so I had to find other ways of distracting Edward.
In no time, we were pulling into the familiar driveway. The house was empty, but the property was private and we were unlikely to encounter any visitors.
Alice darted off into the forest to hunt, and Edward and I went for a quick swim in the river to wash off our make-up – after all, it really didn't smell or taste very good. He surfaced, his wet skin glistening in the moonlight, and water from his wet hair streamed down his clean face. Although he had looked amazing as a thirty-eight-year-old, and the idea of an older Edward had been fascinating, there was truly nothing that could compare to his perfect seventeen-year-old features. I moved my shield aside, allowing him inside my mind as I marveled at spending forever with the man I loved.
A/N: Thanks again to Kelsismom for the beta and Jessica314 for the pre-read! Coming up next: an outtake showing Felix's POV of chapters 35 and 36.