A/N: It's not mine.
Italics are thoughts.
I have no beta.
EPOV
My siblings and I were waiting for Bella out by my Volvo. Each of us took off toward the parking lot the moment the final bell rang for the day. Frankly, we were fed up with having to play the ever dutiful school students for the hundredth time, give or take a decade.
Today had been a good day. School was always so monotonous for us that any minor change was welcomed with open arms. Bella was my change.
This is the first time in all the years my siblings and I have had to play school students that we all looked forward to school the next day. Bella Swan was the reason. She was warm, funny, and friendly. She treated us like we were normal like there wasn't anything different about us. She liked us as we were.
School suddenly became fun because of Bella, and it has only been two days. I wonder how things will be in the next several months. If they continue on as they currently are, this year will seem to fly by.
Even if Bella wasn't my mate, I think I would have enjoyed this year anyway. She's just so easy-going and fun. It's hard to find any faults in her.
The fact that she's my mate makes this situation all the sweeter. She is everything I could have hoped for in a mate. I know I am just getting to know her, but I have no complaints.
I enjoyed having each of my classes with her, especially music theory. Having her share one of my passions is beyond amazing. My love for music is a huge part of who I am as an individual. Getting to share that part with my mate meant a great deal to me.
Being in the same classes as she was fantastic. We passed notes a few times and whispered humorous comments to each other. Her sense of humor was great. She cracked me up with her quick wit and her strong sense of sarcasm.
Once the bell rang signaling our dismissal, I rushed out of the classroom with her telling her I would meet her out by our cars. I walked briskly to my locker and grabbed the books I needed for our homework. While the work was really too easy for us, we still had to complete it in order to keep up with appearances.
I made it out to the parking lot quickly where Alice and Jasper were already waiting. Rosalie and Emmett came out a few moments later. Now we were just waiting on Bella. We stood around waiting for a few minutes each of us just talking about our day when we heard Bella making her way over to us. She looked a bit annoyed.
"Heads up, people, the Swan is looking annoyed. I bet Newton made another move on her," Emmett announced with a shake of his head. He really like Bella and really hated Newton. The entire situation was comical when you realize how needy Newton was.
She smiled as she walked over toward us. "Hey, I hope you weren't waiting too long for me."
"Not at all," Alice replied. "We all just got out here a few minutes ago."
"I was delayed for a moment at my locker by Newton asking me out on a date this Saturday," she said sounding a little annoyed.
"Again?" Jasper asked her while shaking his head at Newton's stupidity. Edward, you are going to have a lot of trouble dealing with Newton's obsession with Bella. His emotions toward her are not innocent.
I just barely nodded my head letting him know that I understood. His thoughts regarding her were also disturbing.
"How many times does that make now?" Emmett asked.
"That makes five times now," she sneered. "Mike Newton does not know the meaning of the word no. It is truly pathetic."
I suggested that we forget about Newton for the time being and head on out to our house. Alice opted to ride with Bella who was going to follow behind me. I can only imagine the amount of squealing she's doing in Bella's ear. I hope she isn't scared away by Alice's enthusiasm.
I sped the entire way to the house, and Bella was able to keep up with me. Her Nissan had some serious horsepower. Bella obviously shared my love for speed.
We pulled into the driveway and parked. I hurried over to her car and opened her door and offered her my hand to help her out. Once she stepped out of the car and took a quick look around, her eyes bulged.
"Wow!", she exclaimed softly. "It's magnificent. For some reason, I could totally picture this house in Gone with the Wind."
"Esme will be pleased to hear that. That happens to be one of her favorite movies, and the 12 Oaks house was an inspiration for her," I said proudly. Esme had a gift for both decoration and design.
Bella smiled, "I can just imagine how spectacular the interior is going to be."
"Come on, Bella quit dawdling with Eddie here. I want to challenge you to a game of Dead by Daylight," Emmett said boisterously while waving his arm for the rest of us to follow him inside.
Bella laughed at him. Leaning closer to me, she whispered, "Is Emmett a sore loser?"
I chuckled, "Uh, yes, in fact, he is. He really hates to lose."
I watched a wicked glint enter Bella's eyes. She rubbed her hands together eagerly. "Good, I love when I beat boys when video games and they cry. The big ones always cry so prettily."
I chuckled at that."I take it that you like to play video games?" I asked her while still grinning over her comment.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. You will just have to see," she replied while walking ahead of me and entering the house.
Carlisle and Esme were standing in the foyer eager to meet Bella. They smiled at her in greeting. She's gorgeous, Edward, Esme thought.
"Bella, I would like to introduce you to our parents, Carlisle and Esme. Mom, Dad, this is Bella Swan."
Esme stepped forward, "Hello, Bella, it's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our home."
"Thank you! It's a pleasure to meet both of you as well," Bella responded and stepped forward to shake their hands. "I was telling Edward that from the outside, I could totally imagine the house to be in Gone with the Wind."
Esme smiled widely, happy that Bella was able to see what her inspiration for the house was. "I am so glad to hear that. I have always loved the 12 Oaks house and used it to inspire me when we renovated this one." Edward, she is lovely. "Come on in, dear, the others are in the game room. Emmett is setting up his X Box. He keeps yelling about kicking your butt," Esme told her with an indulgent grin. Emmett's child-like nature never ceased to entertain us.
"Well, this is where I leave you. I have to head on out to the hospital. A doctor called off sick, and they were short staffed. Bella, it was lovely to meet you. If you do beat Emmett, I want pics," Carlisle said as he hugged Esme and then made his way on out. Edward, she's wonderful, he thought.
We walked over to the game room and were greeted by a very eager Emmett motioning for Bella to sit next to him. "Come on, Bella, it's time for me to kick your sorry ass."
"Emmett, language!" Esme corrected him.
"Sorry, mom, I meant to say posterior development."
Bella rolled her eyes and giggled, "Emmett, you are such a child."
"Child or not, you are going down," he replied haughtily.
Bella didn't respond as she walked over to the empty gaming chair that was situated next to his and was directly in front of the TV on the right-hand side. She sat down and grabbed the laptop "Here's how we'll do this. We are going to play survive with friends. Since you have such a sweet setup here, that would be the best way," she said gesturing to the two TVs he has set-up for gaming. One TV had his X-Box hooked up to it and the other had his gaming laptop connected to the TV via an HDMI cord. "I'll use your laptop to log in to my X Box account. Now, if either of us is a survivor and we both escape, the one with the highest blood points wins. If either of us is the killer, then whoever either escapes or kills first is the winner. Is that fair?" she asked him as she quickly logged in to her account.
Emmett just stared at her with wide eyes totally not expecting her to know anything about the game. Since neither Rosalie nor Alice will play, he just assumed it was a girl thing and that Bella was the same way.
"Uh oh, Emmett, it looks like you have a decent challenge on your hands," Jasper laughed, giving me a fist bump.
We all laughed at Emmett's facial expression. He was completely blind-sided by Bella's response. This was a first.
"Emmett, do you need a moment. You look constipated," Bella joked and we all cracked up.
"Of... Of.. course not," he sputtered hastily. "I'm just eager to get to playing."
"Wait!" Alice yelled. She quickly ran out of the room and came back a few moments later with a video camera and tripod. Jasper helped her to set it up. The camera was pointing directly at Emmett and Bella so that the entire game would be recorded. "Carlisle wanted pics. Video is so much better than pics."
"Alright! Let's do this," Emmett said in his typically boisterous voice.
We all sat around to watch. Esme even decided to join us. Edward, I love how relaxed she is with us. I nodded in agreement. Bella just seemed to fit with us seamlessly.
We watched as their characters entered the lobby. Bella was the killer. "I love being the killer," she cackled which seemed to startle Emmett a little. "The Nurse is one of the best killers in the game." She proceeded to load her character with several perks while giggling the entire time.
The map loaded and Bella continued to cackle. Emmett kept giving her sideways glances looking shocked at how Bella was acting. He really wasn't prepared to have actual competition.
"Ah, perfect, the MacMillan Estate which can be tricky for the survivors. There's only one building meaning there are not that many places to hide," she said.
"Maybe so, little Swan, but there are plenty of spots where I can blend in," Emmett replied.
"We shall see, blendette" she answered.
The game continued with the two of them taunting each other. Bella was a very good player, and Emmett was learning that first-hand. Fifteen minutes into the match and Bella had already hooked Emmett's character twice. Emmett managed to complete one generator during that time.
"You are not going to win," Emmett laughed while he ran his character over to a large boulder and made them crouch down in order to blend in.
Bella wasn't worried. Instead of responding, she continued to play. Suddenly, we see Bella's nurse teleport across the map and stop directly in front of Emmett. With one swipe of her bone saw, Emmett was struck down. Bella's nurse picked up his character and put him on a hook essentially ending the game with Bella winning.
Emmett was pissed that he lost and launched his controller across the room. It shattered into pieces as it hit the wall. This is the first time Emmett has ever lost while playing that game.
"Way to go, Bella," Jasper cheered loudly.
"You totally owned that game," Rosalie told her.
"Rosie, you're supposed to be on my side," Emmett whined.
"Em, I love you, but she kicked your butt," Rosalie said to him while patting his arm consolingly.
"In the future, Emmett, you might not want to judge a female to be incapable just because she's a female," Bella advised him.
"Oh, alright, I admit defeat. But you have not seen the last of me. I will have my revenge," he shouted while shaking his fist in the air.
We all helped to clean up the game room, and Alice took the camcorder and hooked it up to the laptop for later. Carlisle was going to love watching it.
"That was a wonderful game, Bella," Esme said. "Is there anything I can get you before I head upstairs to my office?"
"Something to drink would be great," Bella said.
"Would a Coke be alright?" she asked and Bella nodded.
Next, my siblings all went their own ways afterward claiming that they wanted to get to do their homework. What Bella wasn't aware of is that they wanted to give Bella and me some space. "That was one of the best things I have watched in a long time."
"It was fun. You were right, though, Emmett is a sore loser. At least he snapped out of it right away."
"Yea, he's good like that. He can throw the biggest fits, but they never last that long," I informed her.
"Here you go, dear," Esme said as she walked up to Bella and handed her a can of Coke.
"Thank you," Bella said as she popped the can open and took a long sip.
Esme bid her farewell, leaving us alone. "So, Bella, would you care to show me your skills on the piano," I asked trying not to sound overly eager. I was dying to hear her play.
"I will if you will," she replied with a chuckle.
I led her to the large sunroom at the back of the house. My piano was situated in front of the French doors where the sunlight was shining directly on it. My piano was my pride and joy.
"Oh, you have a Steinway Model B," she said as she walked over to it and gently ran her hand across the opened lid.
"Yes, I find that it gives the best sound and touch apart from the concert grands," I told her as I walked over to the piano and sat down on the bench.
She nodded, "I agree which is why I have the same one." We both laughed at that. What were the odds? "Play something for me."
I chose to play her the song I had composed for Esme. It was light and playful and it never failed to make Esme feel all the love I had for her. She was my mother in all but blood.
Bella sat down next to me on the bench and just listened as I played the last few notes. "Edward, that was lovely. Did you compose it?"
"Yes, I composed it for Esme. It's her personal favorite," I admitted to her.
"I can see why."
"Now it's your turn. Play something for me that you either composed or arranged." I said pointing to the keys.
She opened and closed her fists a few times and then began to play. I immediately recognized the piece as Queen's We Are the Champions. Her arrangement of it was magnificent as was her playing.
Hell, yea, little Swan can play, Emmett thought loudly.
It's so wonderful to have another gifted musician in the family, Esme thought. In her eyes, since Bella was my mate she was already a member of the family.
My family already loved Bella. She fit right in with us which was amazing as it was. She never shied away from us. It's almost like she has no self-preservation. Humans usually try to stay away from us on instinct. Bella seems to try to get closer.
BPOV
I enjoyed my time at the Cullen's house. Kicking Emmett's ass in Dead by Daylight was a blast. His temper tantrum was hilarious. He must have put some serious muscle into throwing his controller across the room. It literally shattered on impact. I didn't even know that was possible, but I shouldn't be surprised. Emmett is built like a freaking brick wall not to mention that he's like six and a half feet tall.
Getting to play the piano with Edward was simply wonderful. He was such a gifted pianist and composer. The piece he had composed for Esme was just lovely.
We each played a few songs, the ones that we enjoyed playing the most. When I started to play The Entertainer things became more playful. In response to that song, Edward played Glenn Miller's In the Mood.
We laughed and joked and had fun playing more and more playful songs. I chose to one-up him by playing The Stripper by David Rose. Edward cracked up laughing. Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett sashay into the room, gyrating his hips just like a stripper. I continued to play while Emmett put on his show. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off of his broad shoulders.
By this time, everyone had come into the music room and was standing around laughing at Emmett's display. Jasper whistled, encouraging him to take it all off. Alice and Rosalie were waving twenty-dollar bills at him. Poor Edward was fighting between watching Emmett strip and not wanting to watch Emmett strip. It was hilarious.
Once Emmett removed his shirt, he waved it around over his head while still gyrating his hips. Esme tried but failed to cover her eyes, and Jasper whooped and hollered. Alice and Rosalie threw their cash at him, yelling at him to work it.
Finally, I played the last few bars of the song. I was glad when Emmett chose to not remove any more clothing. Something in me told me that he probably wouldn't have any issues with taking all his clothes off. He is so shameless.
"That is the funniest thing I have ever seen," I laughed. "I bet you would have kept going if Esme wasn't in the room."
"Of course, I would have. Who am I to not bless you all with my perfect physique," he said as he ran his hands down his sides. He glanced down at the floor and let out a gasp. "Forty dollars!" he yelped. "My dance was worth more than a lousy forty dollars. I'm insulted," he cried with a huff.
Rosalie stepped forward to pat him on his head. "Aww… there there," she said consolingly. "You didn't earn more. The more you remove, the more money you get. You know how these things work."
"I am underappreciated," he replied with a shake of his head.
"That's not true, Emmett," I replied with a giggle. "Everyone appreciates a class clown. Who else is going to make us laugh?" They all nodded their heads and voiced their agreement.
"It's truly wonderful to be so loved," he said as he placed his left hand over his heart. "I'm touched."
"Touched in the head," Jasper murmured with a laugh.
I smile marveling at how much I had been enjoying myself. I have been having such a great time that I didn't want it to end. I really wish I had siblings growing up. I would have never felt lonely.
I took a quick glance at my watch and noted the time. I was going to have to head home to start dinner and make those breakfast sandwiches I told my dad about. "I hate to say it, but I am going to have to head home. I have to start dinner and make breakfast sandwiches for my dad to take to work."
They looked sad that I had to leave even Esme. She came over and gave me a quick hug and told me that I was welcome there at any time.
Alice and Rosalie also gave me a brief hug each while Emmett and Jasper gave me fist bumps. They all told me they wanted me to come to have a sleepover this weekend. I told them I would get back to them on it.
Edward walked me out to my car. He was such a gentleman that he opened the door for me. "I had fun," I told him with a smile.
"I did too. Be careful driving home. We'll see you tomorrow," he said softly as he shut my door for me.
On my way home, I thought about my time at the Cullens. They were such an awesome family and were fun to be around. I hoped that I would get to spend more time with them and especially Edward in the future.
