V. And a Side of Pink Lemonade
Rikki awoke to the weakened tug of moon magic.
Blearily, she squinted her eyes open to the dim hotel room, mouth dry and brain sluggish. Slowly, she recalled the vampire boy she'd met the previous night and the swanky resort she was now staying in. Pushing herself up with a muffled groan, Rikki sighed and waited.
Although the morning light already illuminated the pale curtains taped firmly across the windows, she knew the full moon hadn't completely disappeared over the horizon. Every cell in her body stuttered with desire to surrender to the moon spell, but time moved forward, until that urge grew fainter and weaker.
She exhaled a loud, gusty sigh when at last, the moon's call thoroughly vanished.
Rolling off the bed, Rikki landed clumsily on her feet and padded over to the bathroom. While brushing her teeth, she wandered out to the common room, but found it eerily empty. "Edward?" she called around a mouthful of toothpaste, but received no answer in turn. Instead, she heard a curious buzzing from the coffee table.
Ambling closer, Rikki snatched up the forgotten cellphone and glanced at the caller ID. She wondered who Esme was. Maybe she was one of Edward's sisters?
By the time she'd returned to the bathroom and spit the toothpaste from her mouth, the phone was still buzzing in her hand.
Too curious for her own good, Rikki answered the call and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hey, this is Edward's phone."
"Oh. Hello," a lovely voice answered uncertainly. "Who might this be?"
"I'm Rikki, a friend of Edward's," she answered while rinsing her toothbrush under the faucet, careful to avoid any splashback. "He stepped out for a moment. I'm not sure how long he'll be. I could take a message?"
"I would say, have him call me back, but I'm unsure if he would listen," she sighed with an undertone of dejection.
Rikki shut the faucet with a scowl. "I could always make him listen," she sniped, an ugly flare of jealousy igniting in her heart. How unfair was it, that Edward ignored his own family, while Rikki's sisters had walked away from her. Cleo, Emma, and her had meant to be forever. And what a stupid lie that had been. She dropped her toothbrush and clutched the locket at her neck with regret.
Her rash comment startled a tinkling laugh out of Esme. "No dear, that's alright," she said. "Really, I was just checking up on him. Tell me, how is my son?"
She's his mom, Rikki realized with a flush of embarrassment. "Oh um, he's alright, I think?" she answered unthinkingly, before putting in a little more thought and admitting, "He seems a bit lonely."
"I suppose that's as well as can be expected," Esme murmured. "But I'm overjoyed to know he's made a friend. You'll watch out for him, won't you, Rikki?"
Rikki blinked and meant to say, Well actually, we're not friends, hardly even acquaintances. I was planning on heading off soon anyway. Maybe to Fiji? So I couldn't possibly, but he'll make a new friend soon enough, I'm sure. Instead, what came out was, "You can count on me, ma'am." She subsequently face-palmed.
"I'm delighted to hear that! Please keep me updated?"
Rikki winced, but was unable to take back her previous agreement, and instead dug deeper into the proverbial hole. "I'll be sure to."
"Splendid! I'll speak with you soon!"
As soon as the call ended, Rikki groaned and muttered, "I'm such an idiot. Why did I say that?!"
Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, Rikki abandoned the phone in exchange for the keycard, slid on her sandals, and ambled out of the room. After trying a few different floors and aimlessly meandering about, she ended up finding herself back in the lobby, where immediately her eyes were drawn to the resort's oceanarium. Almost instantly, she was calmed.
Moving across the vast room, Rikki paused before one of the massive windows displaying a vibrant reef and schools of tropical fish. She pressed a hand against the cool glass, and before she knew it, a mass of multicolored fish had gathered before her, vying for her attention.
Rikki frowned sadly, reminded of a time when, in her grief, she had nearly given up all of her humanity. Coming back to herself hadn't been easy, but the effects would be everlasting. She had never been as close to the ocean and the life it sustained, as she was now.
"Amazing! How are you doing that?!"
Rikki was startled back to reality by a hotel attendant standing beside her. A quick look around revealed a couple of other hotel guests also gazing up at the gathering of colorful fish with unconcealed awe.
"No idea," she muttered and hurried off before she could attract any more attention.
When she returned to the room, she found Edward already there, carefully peeling off the duct tape from the wall and delicate curtains.
"Where'd you get off to?" Rikki said, kicking off her sandals and throwing herself across the sofa.
Edward cast her a brief glance over his shoulder before continuing his task. "I went down to speak with a desk clerk. I was unsure of how long my sister booked the room for, but I was able to extend our stay. It was fortunate timing, too. Otherwise we would've had to check out within the next few hours."
"Would it really matter?" Rikki wondered, adjusting the cushion underneath her head.
Edward grimaced. "In your case, yes." He flung the curtains wide open, revealing the gentle droplets of rain sliding against the glass panes.
Rikki shot up and scowled at the balcony doors. "Figures. A full moon and now rain? I can never get a break."
"Look on the bright side," Edward shrugged, balling up the tape in his hands and chucking it into the bin. "At least here, you have access to food."
"Edward, I like the way you think," Rikki grinned.
"Put on your shoes and we'll be on our way."
Rikki gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"
"―and could I also get a side of toast and fruit with all that?" Rikki snapped her menu close and grinned up at the waiter furiously scribbling across his small writing pad.
"Um y-yeah, I definitely got all that," his laugh came across slightly nervous. He turned to Edward, "And for you, sir?"
"That'll be everything," Edward assured him.
"Oh. Right. I'll go get that order started for you, and get you some refills."
As soon as he picked up the menus and hurried off, Rikki leaned forward against the table and whispered, "So?"
Edward quirked an eyebrow. "So?"
"What was he thinking?"
"Ah. Well, let's see," he held up a hand and began counting off, "First, he was simply admiring you―"
Rikki laughed. "No way!"
"I believe his exact words were, 'Whoa. What a beauty.'"
She rested her chin against her palm. "How flattering."
"I'm sure," he chuckled. "But then, once you began ordering all that food, he despaired. Taking you out on a date would be an expensive venture."
"Wow. Bold of him to assume I would even agree to a date," she rolled her eyes.
Edward counted off a third a finger. "But after, when I didn't order anything, he assumed you had perhaps ordered for the both of us."
Rikki scoffed, "Not likely."
"I'm sure you won't mind being the bearer of bad news," he snickered.
Rikki wisely kept her mouth shut when the waiter returned to drop off their refills (technically her refills. Edward wasn't a particular fan of mango juice) and was slightly more aware of the way his eyes lingered on her before he left to continue his rounds.
"Now. I believe it's your turn to answer a question."
"Go on then," Rikki said around her straw.
"How fast can you really go in the water?" Now Edward was the one leaning forward with anticipation.
Rikki grinned sharply. "You think you have super speed? Think again."
His amber eyes lit with fascination. "Last night, when we were swimming to O'ahu, we were within range of ninety miles per hour."
Rikki scrunched her nose in thought. "What's that in kilometers?"
"About a hundred fourty-four."
"Ha! Try six hundred!" Rikki laughed.
Edward gaped. "That's…incredible!"
"I know! As soon as this rain lets up, I'll have to show you―"
A small, startled cry was Rikki's only warning before she felt the impact of something cold splash against her bare skin. Rikki shot to her feet and briefly met the waitress' eyes, before they flashed down to the half-empty pitcher of lemonade in her hands.
The countdown had begun.
She ran.
A/N: I don't think they'll be having this conversation any time soon, so just to clarify, this is a New Moon AU. Bella moved on with Jacob, Edward left it alone, and it's been years since then.
On the other side, everything through season two of H2O is canon to this story. I guess season three has a bunch of new characters, and I'm not interested in watching it, so for the purposes of this story, it will remain ignored.
Anyway, let me know what y'all thought! :)