As if we would ever let something like Midnight Sun happen in this fandom and not have a response to it. We don't own Twilight, or Midnight Sun, but we still own these guys and that's a pretty fair trade.
Emmett:
This is bullshit. Total, complete, one hundred percent bullshit.
I glared at the TV, listening as the newscaster announced that LA was extending the quarantine lockdown by another three weeks. I got it, I understood why, but for the love of everything holy why the fuck couldn't people just follow simple instructions? Only go out when necessary! Wash your hands! Stay away from people who didn't reside in your home! Wear a fucking mask! Jesus, it wasn't hard!
Beside me Rosalie groaned. "Another three weeks."
"Another fucking three weeks." As soon as I heard the high pitched squealing, my hand instinctively reached for a quarter from the bowl that sat on top of one of the highest shelves on our bookcase.
"Daddy!" The cutest little cupcake on two legs scrambled into the living room, sliding to a stop in front of us. She was absolutely perfect; wearing nothing but mismatched socks, Batman Underoos, and Minnie Mouse ears. "You have to put a quarter in the bad word jar!"
Rosalie tried to look annoyed, giving me a dramatic sigh and throwing a hand to her hip, but she couldn't hide the grin that covered her face when I playfully yanked our daughter up into a hug.
I threatened to hang her upside down and tickle her if she didn't give me a kiss. She begged her mother for help before there was more squealing, shrieks of laughter, raspberry farts left on a pudgy toddler stomach, and then eventually a plea for me to stop before she peed in her pants.
It still amazed me, four years later, that the curly haired tornado on legs was ours. If you'd asked me twelve years ago if I ever thought I would be married to Rosalie Lillian Hale, and that we would have a daughter, I would have laughed to the point that I would have peed in my pants. Never, not even in the best fucking dream, would I ever have believed that I would be here.
"At this rate she'll be able to buy a brand new car when she's sixteen just with the money you give her for the swear jar."
I grinned when our daughter scampered back to her room, quarter in hand, singing some made up song about pizza and Barbie. When I knew she was out of earshot I said, "Only if she figures out that I keep recycling the quarters I give her."
Rosalie slapped my ass as she walked back towards our bedroom. I counted to twenty, giving her a head start because the chase was part of the fun, and then ran after her.
XXXXX
"Holy shit!" Rosalie's voice called out from our bedroom.
"Now who owes a quarter to the damn swear jar?" I yelled back over the sound of the shower.
I was expecting a smartass reply in return but instead Rosalie came running into the bathroom. She yanked open the shower door and turned off the water just as the lathered shampoo dripped down my face. "Look at this!"
"Well, if I didn't have shampoo all over my fucking face-"
She huffed, exasperated, and roughly shoved a towel at my face- wiping away the suds. I complained about her fingernail digging into my eye socket but she ignored me. "Look!"
I tried to focus on the tiny print in front of my face and then felt my eyes widen when I picked up on two very surprising words. "Holy…"
Rosalie practically cackled before taking her phone back. A few seconds later I heard the tell-tell sound of someone being FaceTimed and hurried to put a towel around my waist.
"Isn't it like three in the morning there?" I asked, standing beside her so I could see the screen.
"Yup!" She sat on top of the bathroom counter, swinging her legs.
The request was accepted and I didn't give either one of them a chance to complain about the time of our call before singing, "Good morning, Starshine!"
Edward:
What… the hell.
My eyes struggled to open when an obnoxious ringing filled the room. When they finally managed I glared at my phone only to realize that it wasn't mine that was ringing. "Bella, it's yours."
She didn't move or acknowledge me.
"Bella."
Still, nothing.
With only one eye opened I leaned across her and reached for the bedside table. My fingers fumbled, knocking over bottles of water and books, before I managed to get the damn phone. My heart lurched uncomfortably when I saw that it was a FaceTime request from Rosalie. She knew the time difference. If she was reaching out to Bella at three in the morning it definitely wasn't going to be for a good reason. Worried for my brother and niece, I quickly accepted the call.
"Good morning, Starshine!"
Anxiety slowly left my body only for complete annoyance to replace it. "Is someone sick?"
"No."
"Is something wrong with Clementine?"
"Cupcake."
I rolled my eyes at his correction of her name. My niece was four years old, and probably had no clue that her name wasn't actually Cupcake, since that's all anyone called her aside from me or Bella. I'd thought the nickname, one that Emmett had started using when she was no more than a smudge on an ultrasound picture, was completely ridiculous.
"I will never understand your fascination with food, Emmett."
"It isn't a fascination, Asshole!"
Bella, still half asleep, yelled, "Why the hell are you calling us at- What time is it?"
I rubbed my face, roughly. "Three."
"In the morning?" I nodded and she yanked her phone away from me and turned on the lamp after sitting up. "Why the fuck are you calling us this goddamn early?"
Rosalie grinned. "Have you checked your e-mail recently, Bella?"
She didn't answer the question. Instead she just gave Rosalie an incredulous look.
"We didn't go to bed till two," I interrupted, blinking against the sudden brightness. "So can one of you please tell us what is going on so we can go back to sleep?"
"I've got two words for you, Edward," Emmett yelled. He held the phone obscenely close to his mouth when he said, "Noon. Moon."
My heart seized.
"Fuck off." Bella said, firmly. "You're lying."
Emmett guffawed loudly before Rosalie explained. "She's publishing the book. They're officially announcing it tomorrow but sent an e-mail to let all of us know before it hits. I guess they think there could be a surge of CA interest."
Noon Moon. Really? After all this time?
Twelve years ago all of us- Emmett, Jasper, and myself- had devoured the leaked pages of the manuscript. It was the original story told from Jacob Black's character, James, point of view. For a while, a long while, everyone had assumed that Bella and been the one to accidentally leak it. That was until an interview that Bella, Jacob, and the author had done where she confirmed that it wasn't her. Honestly, I don't think anyone really knew who had actually done it. Regardless, the plan to ever publish the book had been put on hold and I was positive the majority of CA fans worldwide had given up hope of ever reading the entire thing.
Bella threw herself back against the pillows and sighed. "It's been twelve fucking years."
We were well past the awkward part of any of our relationships. Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, Bella and me- we all knew, the whole world knew, that we were once the most obnoxious fans of the Carlisle's Angels franchise. Bella knew all about the tattoo, the song writing, the fan fiction, trivia contests and every other embarrassing moment that had happened between the first book being published and the last movie being released. Hell, she had actually offered to let me read her copy of Noon Moon that the author had given her when they'd originally started filming. But, in her mind, the CA series was a long time ago. She'd never look back on it with embarrassment but she was past it. She'd done sixteen films since the last CA movie, all of which were incredible in my opinion, but to most people she was still that girl from Carlisle's Angels. I could understand why this would have frustrated her.
"So," Emmett's voice was high pitched and annoying. "You excited, Edward?"
Bella's eyes slide to mine, and anyone who didn't really know her might have thought that she was apprehensive, but I saw the underlying grin and mischief. She knew my answer and it didn't bother her. However, I refused to give my brother the satisfaction. "Have you talked to Jasper or Alice?"
Rosalie shook her head. "No. They're in quarantine on some ranch in the middle of Utah. Supposedly they don't have internet or WiFi but Alice posted the most random wet t-shirt pictures on her Instagram the other day."
"Speaking of WiFi and internet. I saw the little cooking interview you did," Emmett took the phone from Rosalie again and glared at Bella. "What the ever loving fuck are you thinking? Eating all that shit from your recipe- if you can even call it that- pasta, cheese… Those are not on the approved diet list, Bella. Protein. Whole grains. Remember?"
She at least looked a little guilty even if I knew she didn't mean it.
Emmett had been working with Bella for years, since she'd been cast in one of her first movies after Carlisle's Angels, as her personal trainer. But when she was cast in the most recent installment of the Batman franchise everything had to be taken up a notch. They'd spent the last year really improving her strength and conditioning because of the intense stunt work that she'd have to do for the film. And then Covid happened.
"I'm still working out," Bella muttered through a yawn. "Every day."
"You sure?" My brother asked, laughing. He knew that in the same interview as the disastrous cooking escapade, when she'd actually broken the microwave and nearly caught the apartment on fire, she'd also mentioned that she hadn't been working out since we'd been in quarantine.
Anyone who really knew Bella, knew that ninety percent of what she said in interviews was more than likely complete bullshit. She gave the answers she knew people would laugh at, soundbites that they could use, and continued to play a character that the public had become accustomed to. In reality, Bella was still… Bella. She was the girl that called her parents three times a day to check on them and make sure they weren't venturing out of the house unnecessarily. She was the musician that was incredibly proud of the fact that she'd produced two songs on one of the CA movie's soundtracks, but would likely never release any of the dozens of songs she'd written since. Bella was the goofy friend that would FaceTime with Jessica Stanley's baby for hours on end and show up for Vicky Tartan's Zoom concerts under a fake name. Bella was Bella- but what the public saw, and what we knew, were two different things.
"So?" Bella asked, smiling as she settled back into bed once we'd finally gotten my brother and Rosalie off of the phone. "You're going to buy it aren't you?"
I reached across her, turning off the lamp she'd left on, and stayed hovering over her. "If I do, are you going to read it with me?"
She smiled, an absolutely breathtaking Bella Swan smile, and shook her head. "Fuck no."
There would always be gratitude and appreciation for what Carlisle's Angels had given her but that was a chapter that was firmly closed and shut away. There would be lifelong friendships with the only other people in the world who understood what that time was like but there would never be reunions, remakes, or anything else. The boyfriend part of me understood why. The franchise fan part of me wished she would change her mind.
"You know I have to read it."
"I know. And you know that I don't care." She waited until I was laying back down before she tucked herself against me. "Do you want me to tell you what happens and save you time? I never had the whole manuscript but she told me everything."
I grinned, smiling against the top of her head. "No. No spoilers."
She yawned again, loud and obnoxious. "I'd stay off of Twitter if I were you."
XXXX
"So it's time, huh?" Emmett asked.
I grinned at my brother and Jasper's faces on my computer screen. "It's time."
"Finally!" Alice, peeking over Jasper's shoulder, was grinning ear to ear. "It's been what? Nine years?"
I didn't correct her, telling her it was actually closer to ten years, because we'd never told anyone that our first time had been after Alice and Jasper's wedding. Most people just assumed we'd started dating around the time that Mended Dusk premiered and we'd never felt the need to correct them. With so much of our lives being displayed to the public, it felt nice to have something what was just between the two of us.
Ten years seemed like a lifetime when you said it out loud but in reality it felt like all of this had just started. I could still remember the anxiety and hopefulness that had bubbled in my stomach the first time I'd ever met Isabella Swan. The way we'd been so awkward and stumbling with each other- small touches and glances that easily could have been overlooked- had thankfully morphed into a relaxed understanding that both of us were just weird. And that was okay. It was who we were.
After another round of congratulations, Alice and Jasper disconnected, and I was left staring at Emmett's face taking up the majority of my screen. He was grinning, not the cocky-annoying as Hell-Emmett grin that he usually had. This was the proud brother grin that made me feel nostalgic and homesick.
"She'll say yes," he said.
I nodded because I knew she would. We'd discussed it before but had both decided that there wasn't a rush. It would happen when it was meant to.
"Why are you so nervous?"
"I'm not," I said quietly. "Not really. I guess I'm more… grateful? I have this undeniable appreciation for the fact that the Universe would arrange this? Don't you ever look at Rosalie and just think… Wow! How did this happen?"
"Every fucking day, Edward. That never goes away."
I couldn't help but smile. "Never?"
"Just wait." Emmett smiled. "It gets better."
XXXX
As soon as Bella walked inside I knew that something was wrong. Her face, what I could see around her mask anyway, seemed flushed. Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying, and she looked wound up and anxious. She'd shut door shut behind her but instead of coming further into the apartment she stood absolutely still.
She took in the flowers, the candles and champagne, and then focused on me. Her voice was muffled from the mask she wore but I could tell something was definitely off from the pitch. "What is this?"
"What's wrong?" I asked instead of answering her.
Bella sidestepped me when I came closer, moving to stand on the other side of the couch. "Edward."
I stood there, arms halfway extended towards her, and tried to understand what the hell was going on. She'd been absolutely fine when she'd left this morning. Even when she'd text me to let me know she'd be home earlier than expected, the tone of her message hadn't seemed like something was wrong. But now…
"Bella," I said cautiously. "What is happening?"
"Exactly," she motioned to flowers next to her. "What the hell is happening?"
"Please just tell me if you're okay."
"No."
"What?" Again, the mask made her voice muffled. Had she said no? I took another step towards her. "I can't understand you with that damn mask on! What's wrong?"
Bella moved again, scurrying away from me, to stand behind a chair. "Stop trying to fucking touch me!"
I jerked to a stop, as if she'd physically hit me, and stared at her. We'd argued before, obviously, but in ten years Bella never told me not to touch her. She would yell, and cry, she might even throw things once in a while if she was really mad. But never, ever, had she run away from me.
The hurt on my face must have registered because she started shaking her head and stumbling over words. "No! Oh, God! I'm sorry! Edward, I didn't mean it like that!"
"Bella!" I yelled over her stumbling apology. "You're scaring me! What the hell is happening?"
Her body seemed to deflate when she finally pulled the mask off of her face. "You were going to propose tonight."
There wasn't a point in denying it. The whole room screamed MARRY ME, BELLA! "Well, I was going to but-"
"Fuck!" Bella screamed, throwing her bag on the floor. Tears had started falling down her face. "Of course! Obviously this would happen!"
Her reaction sent me into motion. I ignored her sputtering requested for me to leave her alone, to stay away, and instead we both collapsed on the floor in a heap on the floor. When I finally managed to hold her face between my hands, I leaned my forehead against hers to keep her still. "You have got to tell me what the hell is going on. My mind is automatically jumping to the worst possible scenario and I'm about to lose it!"
"I tested positive!" She said around her sobs. "And I don't want you to get sick but I know you probably will anyway because we live together, and we both have zero self-control when it comes to keeping our hands to ourselves but-"
I blinked. "Wait. What?"
Of all the scenarios that had been running through my mind since she walked through the door- this was never one of them. Compared to the idea of her leaving me for someone else, or that she'd been physically hurt by someone, testing positive for the Corona Virus didn't seem that bad. I mean, it was bad- obviously we had both been following the news, but it wasn't Earth shattering, up ending your life bad.
She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Apparently I'm asymptomatic."
"How…"
Bella shrugged, looking miserable. "Who knows. I mean, I thought I was careful but…" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Of course it's me!"
Of course it was her.
I grinned at her frustration, knowing full well that it probably made me an asshole, and leaned forward to kiss her. She protested, like I knew she would, but eventually she gave in and kissed me back like I knew she would. If she had it, I likely had it as well, and if we were both going to be confined to this apartment for another two weeks then it might as well include as much physical contact as possible.
"They're sending someone round to come test you."
I nodded but was too preoccupied to verbalize anything.
"And yes." Bella breathed against my ear as my lips kissed her neck.
"Hmm?" I asked, completely distracted.
"My answer. It's yes."
Everything clicked into place, suddenly coming into complete focus. I leaned away from her, so my eyes could search her face for any sort of misunderstanding, before cautiously smiling. Bella, being Bella, sat there looking completely disheveled and absolutely, one hundred percent, confident in her voice. "Really?"
She nodded. "I mean, if we can survive a global pandemic…"
"Isabella Swan," I frowned. "That isn't funny."
She leaned forward to kiss me, still grinning. "It's a little funny."
JFI: So thanks to Covid/Election depression I went back and read Stalking a few weeks ago and realized that we never really gave ole' Edweird the ending he deserved. To remedy that I dove head first into Rob/BritPack/Post Twilight research and it was a very dark, deep, hole. I watched movies that made absolutely zero sense (seriously, can someone explain High Life to me?), stalked the fuck out of people I'd completely forgotten about (What's up Bobby Long?), and laughed way too much! During said research we discovered that Stalking predicted many things: Charlie's Angels, a random wedding in a tiny ass Texas town, Batman, and coming out. If Kellan Lutz has a baby girl- she will forever be known as Cupcake in our minds. Seriously, jokes aside, we love this fandom. Twilight will always hold a special, ridiculous and slightly embarrassing, place in our hearts. I admit that when I watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 a few weeks ago I cried at the ending. The nostalgia, the memories… they'll always be something special. We are still around, still causing trouble, and you can still find me on Twitter! _justforkit
