Vengeance with Dale

I watched the people in the stands find their seats instead of leaving, and the MC's voice echoed once again over the chatter. "Congratulations, Fling Kings. Do you think your trebuchet has one more fling in it? Now to the victor goes the spoils. It's time for the Great Pumpkin fling."

The stadium erupted with cheers, and I watched Carlisle overseeing Tyler, Eric, and Jasper as they fit a new sling around the great pumpkin and reset the trebuchet.

Carlisle walked to throw his arm around my shoulder. "The winning trebuchet gets to toss the Great Pumpkin from the Festival. It'll be a breeze after the bastard we just threw. Yeah?"

I joined him in watching Jasper and Tyler's heads bent over a clipboard. "It's cool that you're letting the geek squad take the lead for this one."

Carlisle dropped his arm from my shoulder with a shrug. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Well, we wouldn't be in the winner's circle without them. Let them have their day."

When Tyler waved to Carlisle, he lifted his hands to the stands, and the Rise of the Valkyries began to blare from the speakers. The crowd stilled in silence as Carlisle dropped his arm with great dramatic flair, and Tyler and Eric worked together to pull the heavy rope, sending the counterbalance slowly backward and the long arm forward.

The crowd cheered as the Great Pumpkin sailed airborne but quieted and stilled as it soared past the field and descended on the back parking lot. The whole town held a collective breath as the Great Pumpkin crashed into a well-polished Camero, crushing the frame and splashing a rainbow of paint in every direction.

"Oh, fuck," escaped my lips, and I turned to Carlisle, who stood like a statue, stunned. His head swiveled to Marcus, who grinned but shook his head, and they both began to giggle—yes, giggle.

The stadium crowd pushed past me to the demolished car, and I looked back to the crew who pulled the greatest prank and payback of the century. A paler version of Tyler and Eric stood stoically side by side and watched Jasper cage Alice in his arms, reverently closing his eyes as he kissed her forehead. She reached up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his, "Thank you." He smoothed back her hair and pulled her to him with his hand resting along her cheek. As he gently rocked them, she looked toward Tyler and Eric and added, "Thank you, too." Color washed back into their faces, and they ducked their heads toward her before turning to join the group breaking down camp.

I felt slender arms slide along my waist to join over my stomach, and I turned to see Bella looking up at me. Happiness, pride, tears, and, may I say, alcohol shine up at me, and I smile back as I turn in her arms.

"Will you be my date for the dance?" she asked as wisps of hair danced around her face.

I brushed her hair back and lifted her face with my palms to press my lips to hers. "Without a doubt, Miss Swan." I pulled her into a warm hug and whispered into her beanie, "You're stuck with me now."

She giggled into my lapel, and I turned us to walk arm and arm toward the brightly-hued disaster.

~o0o~

We heard the shouting long before we could see the car. As we pushed through the volatile crowd, I led Bella's hands to my waist, and she held on tight, forming a two-person conga line.

"Ah—come on!" Paul's voice rose over the noise of the crowd. "Alec, you're not going to let them get away with this." His anger dissolved into a whine as he added, "Al, look at my car."

I broke through the ring of people to see Carlisle and Marcus planted with their arms crossed over their chests. A circle of jocks surrounded the geek squad, and Jasper and Alice were nowhere to be found.

The car's roof was caved in, and glass and paint surrounded the car's body. Alec held his brother back from Carlisle's team as he slipped in the paint surrounding his ride. Alec glared at Carlisle and tried to keep a straight face at the absurdity of the moment.

The crowd ebbed and flowed around the group, trying to get a better look at the hilarious catastrophe that was Paul Newton's pride and tossing opinions around.

"Those little brats did it!" Paul screamed toward the geeks surrounded by jocks.

Alec schooled his features and turned to his brother. "Paul, we don't know who filled the pumpkin with paint. Kids are going to be kids. We did just as much, if not worse, in our day." He cocked his head at his brother and added, "Unless you think they have a reason to target your car, I say we work on walking way with some dignity." Alec lifted his eyebrows in question, but Paul turned his red face from his brother, only to slip along the side of his car before landing on the ground with a splat.

The crowd roared with laughter, and Alec left his brother where he was to face Carlisle. The townspeople quieted as their mayor turned toward his nemesis from the past two decades. "Carl, you win, and a bet's a bet." He turned to his brother struggling on the slippery ground. "Paul, I didn't see anything amiss today. You and your family will make plans to relocate."

Paul began to protest, but Alec held up a hand to silence him. He hesitated for a moment before leaning around Carlisle. "Esme, I'll see you tonight at the dance."

Esme nodded and smoothed her hand down Carlisle's back before he shifted to block Alec's view. Alec straightened with a grin and walked away.

As the crowd swarmed the destruction, Bella and I made our way around the mess to Carlisle. "Is everyone okay?" I asked.

Carlisle threw his arm around Esme and grinned over her head to Marcus. "Best day of our lives on many levels."

Marcus smacked Carlisle on the back and joined him in laughter just as a fist smashed into his face. As Marcus fell to the ground and Ernie the butcher loomed over him to take another shot, Carlisle pushed Esme to me and rounded on Ernie. Fist fights were breaking out all around as I passed Esme to Bella. "Get to a safe place," I shouted as I dove into the melee after my uncle.

~o0o~

"You boys are as thick as rocks," Bella fussed as she cleaned cut lips and scrapped knuckles at the diner. Although listening to her fuming, all seemed disconnected from her fury. Esme rested on Carlisle's shoulder as he leaned against the back of the booth with his eyes closed. Marcus draped across a softly snoring Carmen.

I closed my swelling eyes as she slid a warm washcloth over them. "What were you thinking? You won. What did you have to fight for?" she said.

Carlisle grabbed her wrist and planted a tender kiss on her hand. He winced as his split lip began to bleed again and pressed a napkin to it. "Don't fuss, sugar. To the victors go the spoils. He cracked an eye at Esme and grinned as he closed his eyes and rested his head back on the booth seat.

I grinned as the warmth of the cloth soothed my throbbing eyes. "Bella, you should have seen it. It was like a festering boil in the town had burst, and all the filth came oozing out. Two men were throwing fists over a fence put in twenty years ago."

Marcus sat up a little from leaning on a very soft Carmen. "There were fists flying everywhere. I think I got bit at one point," he said as he rubbed his arm.

Bella shook her head, and the scowl that marred her face had me sit up and really look at her. "Bella?" I said softly, "honey, it's okay. We're okay."

She glanced at me, and her lip started to quiver. "You could've gotten hurt, any of you—all of you," she rasped.

I took the damp cloth from her hand and pulled her onto my lap. She came willingly and leaned her head on my shoulder with a sniff. I brushed my hand down her hair and pulled her closer to place a kiss on her forehead before closing my eyes and resting my head on the back of the booth.

We all sat in quiet recuperation until the door banged open, and Emmett led a bedraggled lot of jocks and geeks into the diner. "Wine for the women and water for the horses," was shouted from the back of the group as everyone laughed and surged forward to fill tables and booths.

Esme sat up, rumpled and wrinkled on one side from sleeping on Carlisle. Bella roused herself and gave me a fleeting kiss before she moved off my lap and shuffled toward the kitchen. As Esme and Carmen followed, I looked over the room's crowd. The geeks, as heroes of the day, were in fine form. And the jocks were raucous with the retelling of stories of colorful flying pumpkins and the town-wide rumble that ensued.

"It was really awesome, wasn't it?" I couldn't help but smile. I glanced over my shoulder and saw my smile mirrored on Carlisle and Marcus' faces.

Carlisle cut his eyes to me and grinned, "It was awesome—really awesome."

Marcus laughed and nodded. "The only way it could have been better would be if Paul had been in the car."

Carlisle snorted and pushed his friend's shoulder in reproof.

I glanced at my uncle and had to ask, "Did you know?"

His hawk-like eyes cut to mine. "Did I know about the great pumpkin's trajectory? No, but I had a feeling something was up. I chose not to ask. What do they call it—plausible deniability?"

"I thought it had to be something like that," I said as I rested my throbbing head again, and out of the corner of my eye, I watched my uncle's gaze track Esme as she floated between tables with water pitchers. "She's going to marry me," he breathed.