Chapter 13 – Cease the Season

The grand finale.

For a seasonal operation like Field of Screams, Halloween was more like the finale, but Edward says there will be plenty of guests in attendance for tonight looking to get one last look at this year's operation. It's been a major success and I had minimal breakdowns from volunteering here. All of those breakdowns were courtesy of Edward, Emmett, and actually going through the attractions.

Would I do it again?

Sure, if I know for certain Edward and Emmett wouldn't scare me.

But that's a long time away. I have more important things to focus on like the man's arm that's thrown over my shoulder as I'm captivated by the experience on his TV.

It's taken me two more weeks, but I'm finally on the finale of ATLA and watching it with Edward as I promised. The story has been magnificent, but it's coming to its end. The animation is out of this world and the details to certain scenes is incredible. I'm going to have to re-watch it to see all the details I've missed this first time around.

"Wait, what?" I screech. "All of this has happened in the course of a year?"

"Have you not been watching the show, Bella? Shush, it's almost over!"

And cue the dramatic ending music, and it's over. Now I feel like I'm lost since this TV show has been my life besides school and Field of Screams this semester.

"Did you love it?" he asks, looking at me like a young, energetic kid.

"Yes, thank you for forcing me to watch it. That's one good thing out of me dating you." We lean in a chastely kiss each other.

"As lovely as this has been, we've gotta go for the grand finale tonight." He extends his hand out to me and helps me up off the couch. I walk first only to my ass slapped. He's got a smug look on his face, and I stick my tongue out at him.

Boys.

Can't live with them, can't live without them.

*Field of Screams*

I have to admit, as Rose left for the night after I applied her makeup for the last time, I was a little sad. Now as she sits in front of me again and I remove her makeup, now I'm really depressed. To think my heart was beating out of my chest when I initially interviewed with Masen all those months ago.

And with one final wipe against Rose's cheek, my job with Field of Screams is officially over.

"Oh, don't look so disappointed, Bella," Rose says with a smile. "If you're still dating Edward come March – which I believe you will be – he'll 'force' you to do this again next year. Might even try to bribe you into acting."

I glare at her. "Over my dead body."

"But it'd be such a pretty body," he says from behind with his hands in his pockets. He's since been cleaned up and wearing jeans and a sweater. "What if I bought you a lifetime supply of Dunkin' coffee?"

"Hmm…enticing, very enticing," I contemplate and bring a finger up to her chin in thought. "However, I think I'd end up in a sugar coma and five hundred pounds then."

"I highly doubt that." I just roll my eyes. "So, honest review of the season. Rose and I would love to hear about it from you."

I think about it for a moment and decide to be a bit of a smartass. "Makeup artist, not bad besides all you Cullens scaring me. Actors, polite until they get into character. Field of Screams as a whole, I wish a hole would open up and swallow me up forever."

"Maybe I can make that a reality, Pumpkin." He winks at me, and I can hear Rose's eye roll from beside me. She wanders off to find Emmett, seeing she's no longer needed here. "Field of Screams always needs new scenes and one of these years we'll add another new attraction. You can be our test guinea pig."

I slap him hard on the chest. Before I have the chance to respond, I hear a loud banging that quiets everyone down.

"Hey, everyone," Masen hollers through cupped hands. He's standing on a table as everyone looks at him. I'm surprised he doesn't have a bullhorn. "I just want to thank everyone here. The actors, the makeup artists, costume crew, managers, the whole cast and crew of Field of Screams. We've had yet another great season, and it's all because of you! Me and my brother thank you from the bottom of our hearts for terrifying everyone. We wish everyone the best and hope many of you return next year!" Everyone claps and cheers for Masen before returning to what they were doing beforehand.

"You ready to go?" he asks and extends his hand out to me.

For a moment, I just stare at it then gladly accept it with a smile. "Emmett better not be outside the entrance waiting to scare me shitless with Rose."

"Wouldn't ever think of it, Bella."

Yeah, right.

*Field of Screams*

If you would've told me at the beginning of the season that I'd joining the Cullens at the end of the season for their traditional meal, I would've said you were delusional. Not only that, but I'm now dating the man who believed I would be a liability for his precious operations. Strange how things change, isn't it?

Now here I am in his passenger seat with our hands intertwined on my thigh with Alice chattering about in the back. Third wheel much? Edward insisted picking us up though, and it wouldn't be nice to leave Alice behind.

We're all quickly ushered into Carlisle's huge house where quick introductions are done with the wives, Esme and Charlotte. Esme gushes on about me and apologizes for Edward's previous and futures actions which makes Edward attempt to pull me away from her quickly to avoid embarrassment. I stand my ground, telling him he can't manhandle me around. That earns me laughs all around for putting him in his place.

"I guess we know who wears the pants in the relationship, Eddie," Emmett teases.

As we wait for dinner to finish cooking, we all make small talk. Some of it's about all our day jobs, and some of it's about stand out moments this season though everyone tries to keep that to a minimum since they usually talk about that over dinner.

Esme and Charlotte call out for us to join them in the dining room. My nostrils are blessed with the smell of a beautiful pot roast, veggies, and mashed potatoes that have my mouth salivating.

Food is passed around happily with plenty to go around even with the mountain of food Emmett has piled up on his plate. I have not missed the fact that of all the place settings at the table, Emmett took a seat at a setting with a bigger plate than all the others. With all the food and chatter, it reminds of a commercial you'd see of a family gathering for Thanksgiving, and in a way, I suppose this is a pre-Thanksgiving gathering to celebrate the end of one season and the coming of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Once everyone has some food on their plate, Masen rises from his seat and holds his glass in his hand.

"Well, here we fucking are again. We've survived the season with no casualties and no mental breakdowns." Everyone cheered or clapped except me, not used to the atmosphere. Alice hasn't been to one of these either, but fits in better than me, clapping and cheering. "It's been a great season for everybody. Emmett and Rose ruled the Den with determination and fists of fire, and Edward hid in the shadows for all his victims. You all shared the shit out of every guest. But if it wasn't for our other volunteers such as Alice and Bella, none of that would've be accomplished." Edward looks over at me with a twinkle in his eye and gives my thigh a squeeze under the table. "Fucking fantastic season for all of us and may next year bring many more. Cheers!"

Over the delicious food, everyone recounts their greatest scares this season. Emmett being Emmett brings up when he caught my group in the Den and also the sneak attack he and Edward did in the parking lot. That earns him the stink eye from me and a warning with my sharp knife. Liz laughs rather loudly, drawing my eyes.

"Oh, Sugar Lips, you're gonna fit in here real nice once you become desensitized to the real terror of Field of Screams. I may not participate in Field of Screams as much as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, but my best scare for this season was when I caught Sugar Lips off guard with my own juicy, succulent lips. Not too shabby for me."

Everyone stared at Liz, flabbergasted at her bluntness of her best scare until Masen's belly laugh rings in the house. "Liz, Liz, Liz, what am I going to do with you?"

"Never give her alcohol again," I hear Edward grumble under his breath. He must've been privy to her drinking and kissing random people to get them to shut up before. "If you used your energy better, we'd have another great actor, Liz."

She waves him off. "That's for you boys to do. You need it to prove you're manly men. I'll stay on the sidelines as a last resort substitute." She locks eyes with me again. "I do hope your lips have loosened up with my dear old cousin, Bella. You have about three months before he goes into overload for preseason planning." She gives me a final wink then resumes eating the remainder of her food.

I look at Edward. "Don't worry, your lips are the only lips I want." To support it, I lean in and give him a big kiss, others be damned. Emmett whistles and the sound of Rose smacking him rings in my ears.

After dinner, I'm on the couch chatting quietly with Liz and Alice. The parents are all cleaning up and Rose, Emmett, and Edward went upstairs to do something.

"So, Sugar Lips, you coming back next year for a repeat of all of this?" Liz inquires, taking a sip of her wine. I think this must be her fifth glass yet she doesn't seem intoxicated at all. Jack must've desensitized her from regular alcohol.

"I think I'm kind of obligated," I answer, shrugging like it's not a big deal. "Field of Screams is a package deal with Edward, isn't it? I'll do makeup, but there's no way in hell I'm letting him drag me through there again. Neither are you Alice!" I point an accusing finger at her.

She raises her hands in her defense. "It was for your own good, Bella! If I didn't force you to go through there, you wouldn't have experienced the whole experience. And if I remember correctly, after going through Field of Screams, Edward asked you out so you have me to thank for getting that ball rolling finally."

I roll my eyes. Eventually, he would've made a move once he realized it wasn't just a crush.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Edward calmly descending the stairs. Just as his feet touch the floor, Emmett comes barreling down the stairs as loud as an elephant, shoves him towards the middle of the living room, and wrestles him to the ground with his face smashed up against the pristine wood floors. Edward may be strong, but Emmett has at least twenty to thirty pounds of pure muscle on him.

Alice and I stare at the scene before us, unsure of what to do. Liz is cackling and sipping her wine like this is the most normal thing in the world to occur. Edward's yelling at Emmett to let him up, but Emmett is persistent in keeping him pinned to the ground. Rose enters the scene, having just arrived from upstairs. Nonchalantly, she walks over to where the boys are, staring at them. Edward manages to his lift his head enough to make eye contact with Rose and shouting to tell her to get her husband under control.

I don't think Emmett's actually hurting Edward besides his pride so I quietly sit on the sidelines. Rose accesses the situation for a few moments before taking an extra step towards Edward. Instead of smacking or reprimanding her husband, Rose lifts her right foot, places it on top of Edward's head, and reacquaints his face with the floor. Edward resumes shouting though it's more muffled now.

The whole scene is comical. Rose and Emmett are carrying on a conversation as if Emmett isn't pinning Edward's body down and Rose's foot isn't using the back of his head as a footrest. Liz is pouring more wine into her glass, much more than she should be for it to be considered classy, and Alice is watching the scene with rapt attention.

I'm not sure what to make of this situation. Have I been transported to some alternate dimension?

"Boys! Rose!"

Finally, the parents have emerged from whatever area they retreated to. Esme and Charlotte have those pissed off mother faces on and ready to fire. Esme's foot is tapping on the floor, hands on her hips and Charlotte has her arms across her chest. Carlisle and Masen, on the other hand, are standing in the background. Carlisle appears indifferent, but Masen is laughing under his breath, attempting to cough to conceal it.

Esme marches over to the three of them, grabs Emmett by his ear, Rose by her arm, pulling them off of Edward. "When are you going to act like an adult, Emmett? You are too old to be wrestling your brother every year after this dinner! And dragging Rose into it too? When you pull a muscle because of this, you're on your own!"

"Ma, these babies are in tip top shape," Emmett argue, flexing his arms at her which makes her roll her eyes. "Ma, don't be like that!" He engulfs her in his giant arms.

Edward's manages to sit up and brushes himself off from his assault. He comes over and sits on the arm of the couch next to me, mumbling about Emmett and payback.

"What am I getting into? Is this the family I'm getting stuck with by dating you?" I tease, reaching up and brushing off non-existent dirt from his shoulder. "A childish brother, a cut throat sister-in-law, and a cousin who is intaking too much alcohol in front of her family?"

"Yeah…" he spoke slowly, watching Emmett and Rose talking with his parents. Apparently, the little scuffle was long forgotten now.

"Hey, just so long as they don't try to scare the shit out of me or kiss me in a drunken haze, it sounds amazing." I reach up and turn him to look at me. I smile at him and pull his lips down to mine.

"Am I not allow to scare you either? What if they do scare you?" he asks with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "We are Cullens. Scaring is in our blood."

"I guess I have to learn from the best then?" I fired back, smirking. A huge smirk forms on his lips too. He thinks he's won. "Don't think about it! I have not joined your side of obsession with gore and terror! I'm still not a fan, but it doesn't mean I can't play the game too."

"Keep telling yourself that, Pumpkin."

Do I regret giving in to Alice to sign up to volunteer with Field of Screams as a makeup artist?

No.

Will I be having nightmares about Field of Screams?

Maybe.

Am I going to keep dating one of the heirs of Field of Screams despite his cockiness and obsession over bloody and terrifying Halloween attractions that made me want to dead?

Definitely.

Will I still be dating him next year when Field of Screams opens again?

Hopefully.

And secretly, I can't wait for this new chapter I never would've predicted would happen to begin. It sounds perfect.

Posted: November 7, 2020

And that's all she wrote on this crazy day in America! Well, this was supposed to be 15 chapters, but I never got around to writing the last 2 chapters before Halloween. Oops. Those are more looks into the future so I might revisit this next year. Who knows, but for all intents and purposes, this is complete.

Thanks to everyone who read this fun little story I wrote over quarantine. I hope everyone is doing okay as 2020 winds down. It's been a tough year and beginning of the Modern Roaring 20's, but keep moving forward one day at a time.

In the wise words of Uncle Iroh from ATLA: "It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?"

Stay safe, be happy, and keep on reading and doing what you want!