The ATV skidded to a stop not far from the giant boulder that lay on the outcropping of the field.
Alice released her tight grip from around my waist and slid off the machine. Rosalie was seated on the boulder contently staring out into the woods, she looked up as Alice passed her, darting off, taking one of the balls with her to go play catch with Jasper. I undid the cord and tossed the three bats to Emmett who lay them just behind home plate.
The field had grown back since we had torn it apart playing football and I went to work remarking the lines for baseball.
I was just making X's for the bases that Carlisle and I would lay shortly, when a loud laugh erupted through the forest, though it really did not sound human or vampire. I glanced over at Emmett who's eyes went wide.
"Edward?" I asked
"Or a bear in need of the Heimlich maneuver." Emmett replied, a grin on his face,
"I say a bear." Jasper called; ah a bet was in the works excellent.
"Twenty bucks says Edward." I shouted
"You're on," Jasper replied, he looked at Emmett
"I'll have to go with Chris on this one," he replied
"Fine, settled." Jasper shot back resuming his toss with Alice.
Carlisle nodded to me and together we began setting up the bases tripling the length of a regulation ball field,
This is what we were doing, when Edward emerged from the woods, holding Bella's shoulder. Even with the distance I could see the mud stains on her jeans, I exchanged a look with Carlisle, who, giving me a grin, shrugged.
I rolled my eyes, and took off to the ATV and back, it always feels good to not hold back, to be able to use full strength and to be able to run as fast as I can and not have to worry 'bout anything…'cept running into my ATV, which I nearly did, stopping just in time and grabbing the last base to run to Carlisle.
I could feel Bella's eyes on me, watching with astonishment.
"Was that you we heard, Edward?" I heard Esme ask
"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett finished. I slowed down, listening to the conversation
"That was him," Bella replied and I grinned wide.
""Hey Chris! Twenty bucks for the both of us from Bank 'o Jasper! We were right, it was him." Emmett shouted, for Bella's sake. My grin widened and I shot a look over at Jasper who rolled his eyes.
"Bella was being unintentionally funny," Edward explained, quickly settling the score,
"Excuses, excuses Ed!" I called,
I watched as Alice darted towards Bella, Edward, Emmett, and Esme, she looked back at me and I looked up at the sky, seeing exactly what my sister saw as the clouds quickly moved in and lit up with the lightening.
"It's time!" she exclaimed. The ground rumbled and I tossed the ball to Jasper who caught it and threw it to Carlisle.
"So what are the teams?" I asked Jasper as we continued to toss the ball 'tween the three of us.
"That depends, Chris do you want to-?"
"Bat? Heck ya!" I paused and caught the ball, before throwing it as hard as I could to Jasper. "That means the teams are going to be uneven" I admitted. Normally I catch for both teams and sometimes I field, but its rare I get to bat 'cause we're uneven.
"Its all right. How about Rosalie, Emmett, and I, versus you, Edward, Carlisle, and Alice, does that sound fair?"
"You know this would be a lot easier if Esme would play." I said, shrugging.
"She thinks we cheat remember." Emmett replied as he and Alice joined us. "it's her way of making sure to punish us if we do."
"Speak for yourself, I never cheat," I shot back grinning wide. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a half dollar. "Call it Cap," I threw the coin in the air
"Tails" Emmett called as the coin came back down and I caught it, before flipping it to the back of my hand, keeping it covered, before I slowly pulled my hand away.
"Tails it is" I reveled "bat or field?"
Emmett looked over at Jasper and Rosalie, being outnumbered even by just one, he knew they had to get as many runs as possible before we got the three outs.
"Bat." He answered as the three of them headed towards the plate.
With that decided, we went to our positions. Edward headed towards left field, while Carlisle situated himself 'tween first and second, I moved to right field, hovering just behind Carlisle.
Alice is our best pitcher, so she took the mound, while Emmett stepped up to bat, swinging the bat menacingly, trying to look threatening.
I looked over at Bella who was standing with Esme, watching wide eyed, amazed at the distance 'tween the bases and even the plate to the mound. If she was amazed by that, wait till we started hitting, she was about to learn why we have to wait till it thunders out to play a proper ball game.
Alice's first pitch to Emmett was a strike, it hit Jasper's waiting hand with a smack. But I know Emmett, he was testing Alice's pitch he always does this.
I knew where the next pitch was going however and braced myself for it, the ball connected with the bat with a loud crack and shot off into the woods. Edward shot off after it and Carlisle began shadowing Emmett around the bases and I shadowed my father, not that it mattered in the end, as Edward emerged from the woods seconds later, ball in hand and a victorious grin on his face.
When Jasper came up he hit the ball towards Carlisle who ran and scooped it up to beat Jasper to first. I saw the direction of Jasper's hit and bolted to first, beating both of them there. I readied myself to catch Carlisle's toss to tag Jasper out, but soon realized what was coming, neither one was going to be able to stop I was about to be squashed between my brother and father. I jumped out of the way hitting the grass nearest the pitcher mound just in time as they collided.
I slipped off my hat and waved it around calling for a white flag truce
"Safe!" I heard my mother call as Emmett rolled with laughter behind me.
"Karma Emmett!" I reminded him, but that just made him laugh even harder.
Rosalie managed to score a run, after Emmett put in a sacrifice and finally we were up to bat.
Edward went first, and I could see he was really showing off for Bella who was still watching wide-eyed.
I gave her a grin and she returned it waving a bit.
After Carlisle rocketed one out of the field getting both him and Edward in and putting us up by a run, it was my turn. I selected my favorite bat and walked to the plate.
Just as I figured the comments began.
"Remember Chris, it's not cricket, run the bases not to the pitcher mound and back!" Jasper said from behind me
"That's giving him credit, who says he's actually going to hit it? Twenty bucks says one two three whoosh he's out." Emmett shouted from the pitcher mound.
"You're on!" Jasper shot back
"Fifty dollars and four new tires on the mustang says Chris launches this one! And makes it home" Edward argued.
As happy as I was that Edward was defending me I couldn't help the growl that escaped my throat.
"Boys!" Esme shouted, putting an end to the argument. Behind me, I could hear her explaining to Bella why my brothers were teasing me.
I had joined the family in late November so there was no chance of getting outside to play baseball and by the time the spring arrived, I had settled into the family so well that as soon as it was decent out, we headed out to play baseball.
Emmett had taught me the basics of the game and the rules, encouraged by listening to the games on the wireless.
However Carlisle made the mistake of telling me baseball was basically Cricket. Big mistake.
The first hit I got I launched the ball way over Edward's head, however Emmett had forgotten to tell me to run the bases, I mean yeah you'd think it be common sense, especially after watching the game, but I was so excited about GETTING a hit with such a puny bat and just how far it went that I just started running between the pitcher mound and home plate as I would have done in a cricket game.
Emmett was in to much shock to correct me and Carlisle was shaking his head, basically hitting himself for telling me I was pretty much playing a round of cricket.
In the end in cricket terms I had scored twenty runs by the time the family recovered. Emmett ended up tagging me out and basically that led to an argument.
Jasper though he and Alice weren't around for the event, learned about it from Emmett, he finds it hilarious and neither one will let it go.
I may have grown up playing cricket and not baseball, but I've been playing the sport long enough now, I was about to shut my brothers up… again.
I turned my hat backwards and grinned evilly at my brothers, I pointed my bat towards left field, where Rosalie was standing, I saw her raise an eyebrow and roll her eyes, she knew what was coming.
Emmett let his fast ball fly and I felt the bat and the ball connect as it shot off over my sister's head and into the woods.
I wasted no time though and raced as fast as I could around the bases and slid into home just to make a point.
Alice hugged me so tight I thought she was going to lift me off the ground, while Edward and Carlisle patted my back.
As good as that felt, I wasn't done yet, I was going to get yelled at from Esme for this, but I wanted to have fun and fun usually means instigating Emmett.
I cupped my hands to my mouth so Bella could hear and shouted:
"Take that you Yank! You've heard of the Great Bambino! Meet the Great Britannia! God Save the Queen!"
"Christian…" Esme warned behind me.
"That's all you've got? No wonder you Brits lost the Revolution, that was weak, to much tea in your diet!" Emmett shouted back.
Ah so he wanted to play it this way, fine
"Emmett," Esme warned him, sighing, I don't know why she even bothers to try, Emmett and I do this so often and she yells at us to stop so often, it usually falls on deaf ears.
"You Yanks bloody cheated! And you had home field advantage!" I replied "and we would've whopped you if you hadn't involved the French. Again I make my point, you guys cheated. You had an unfair number of players on the field. Red Card! Cheaters! Delay of Game, cart 'em off Ref!"
"Chris, I may be wrong on this but didn't England bring in the German Hessians to help you?" Jasper spoke up, trying to defuse the ridicules argument.
"Yeah, but they didn't fight the war for us, it was mutual support, they didn't bail us out 'cause we were getting our butts whipped" I replied, before turning back to Emmett and grinning wide. "They didn't CHEAT."
Jasper rolled his eyes, probably wondering why he even bothered to try and get involved with this.
"Cheat? I'll show you cheated-" Emmett started to say right as Esme put a stop to the ridicules argument with two words, doing what Jasper had just attempted too.
"Boys! Enough!" she commanded. I could hear the rest of the family laughing at us as we both hung our heads shamefully
"Sorry mom."
The game was one of the best we've played, every time we scored a run, Jasper's team took the lead and vice versa. Emmett and I did what we normally do, harassing the hell out of each other and getting reprimanded for it by Esme.
I had hit a double and was waiting patiently on second, leading off as Carlisle stepped up to bat.
Suddenly the feeling I'd had in the garage hit me again. Something was coming, and coming quickly.
I looked at Alice, the last time I had felt this way was when Alice and Jasper had walked into our lives back in 1950.
Jasper looked over at me as the sudden change in my emotions hit him, he raised an eyebrow looking at me with concern…before….
I heard Alice gasp; I stood up straight, the ball game suddenly the last thing on my mind. Edward looked over at Alice then at me, before he darted to Bella's side.
I knew what was coming; I had been hoping I was wrong. Nomads and they were coming here, not to Forks, to our field our game, where we had a human with us. A human, that whether any of us was willing to admit or not, had blood that was really appealing to our kind, even us vegetarians.
"Alice," Esme asked
"I…I didn't see… I couldn't tell," she whispered, I left my base and ran to my sister's side. I put a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.
"What is it Alice?" Carlisle asked, his tone gentle, but authoritative.
"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she murmured, she stole a sideway glance at me as my mind began working the profile.
Jasper leaned in, "what changed" he asked, I could see his mind going into battle coordination mode, if things became dangerous, both of us would have to use our skills to protect the family…including Bella.
"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," Alice said softly. The whole family looked at Bella and looked away quickly.
I could see the fear in Bella's face, fear and guilt. Like this was her fault.
"It's not," I said to her, she looked up at me and her eyes went wide as she began to understand what I can do.
"How soon?" Carlisle asked, turning to Edward.
"Less than five minutes. They're running…they want to play." Edward replied,
That figures I thought, returning Edward's scowl as we exchanged the look.
"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked, looking at Bella again.
Edward looked at me, reading my thoughts as my profile became more and more detailed, I was about to rely on my profile for something more important than usual, my profile, and what Edward read through the nomads' minds, was going to save Bella.
"No, not carrying-"
Edward, they'll catch her scent the minute they show up here. They'll give chase, they'll be too intrigued to listen to reason, they'll know a human was here very recently and is suddenly gone and they'll want to know why. I thought, allowing Edward to see my profile.
"Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting." He looked back at me again, giving me a nod, silently giving me permission to explain my profile, even in front of Bella.
"Which, is what they will do, no question." I said, my eyes closed as I recounted my profile. "They'll give chase, at least one of them will…tracking the scent" I finished. I could see the scene playing out in my mind, I may not have a visual on the incoming nomads, but this I know would happen. "I cant read 'em, not this far away, but I can see that much, it's a guess mind you, but I'm very certain."
Alice nodded when I looked at her and she took my hand and gave it a squeeze, which I returned.
"How many?" Emmett asked Alice and I, I looked at my sister as she answered
"Three," she answered tentatively. I could see how reluctant she was to tell at least Emmett, both of us knowing how confident our brother will be and he didn't disappoint.
"Three!" he scoffed "let them come!"
I rolled my eyes as Emmett reached over and pushed me gently trying to get me as excited 'bout the incoming nomads as he was. But I was to concerned with Bella's safety to be excited, I had a bad feeling about this I just couldn't piece it together.
The rest of us looked at Carlisle though, waiting for our father to make the decision of what to do, he had the facts, he had heard what Alice, Edward, and I had said. All of us, including Jasper trust his over four hundred year experiences.
"Lets just continue the game," he finally said, looking at Alice and I carefully. "Alice said they were simply curious, and we cannot do anything that might start something." He finished looking right at me and I nodded, gee that sounded familiar, he had said the same thing to me when I first caught the feeling of Nomads coming to our home in Neah Bay…who turned out to be Jasper and Alice.
"Are they thirsty?" Esme asked Edward, I looked at my brother as well, that factor would change my profile.
He looked at both of us and shook his head. Good, that meant they should be easier to talk to.
"You catch, Esme," Edward said "I'll call it for now." He finished planting himself in front of Bella.
I looked out at the forest, watching for any sign of the nomads, the air felt tense and thick at least to me.
I watched as Edward instructed Bella to take her hair tie out and I gave the air a sniff, just to see if it worked. It hadn't, I could still smell Bella's strong scent and I couldn't help but wince.
"That wont help," Alice told him "I could smell her across the field."
"I know," Edward replied he looked over at me. My profile went into overdrive, I knew we couldn't hide Bella's scent, it was impossible, but we could mask it, create a decoy.
To do that however, each of us was going to have to be in a certain spot when the nomads came, the most important pieces were Edward and Bella.
Edward, move her to your left, the nomads are coming from the west if Bella is on your left side they might not notice her scent right away, everyone else is going to have to set up exactly as I tell them in order for this to have a chance. I thought.
I let my profile play out so Edward could see the scenario playing out in my mind, he didn't question my instructions and gently moved Bella to his left side she looked at both of us confused, but apparently was going to trust us.
I carefully profiled my family so I could prepare for how each of them would handle this, Emmett looked bored, he was ready for the incoming nomads and fully prepared to take them on if a fight started, in fact I'm pretty sure he was HOPING a fight would start.
Jasper looked at me, I darted over to my brother and told him what I was having Edward do, he nodded his agreement and factored that and my profile into his strategy, accessing the situation carefully, his military mind going into overdrive as he concentrated on different outcomes and how best to protect Alice who looked nervous and even a bit guilty as if she could have prevented this, when she looked over at me I shook my head, trying to reassure her.
My parents, though they appeared calm, I could see the contemplation in Carlisle's eyes and the concern in Esme's, both were watching Bella carefully, worried and concerned for everyone present, including Bella.
But it was Rosalie who caught my attention. Her mouth set firm in a scowl and her eyes though expressionless, were hard and angry.
She was the only one who might put up a fight with my profile and what I was asking my family to do, but I had a better chance of getting her to comply than Edward would and that worked in my favor.
Suddenly I heard the rustle of leaves, to faint for the human ear to hear, I saw Edward stiffen as he moved closer to Bella carefully.
This was it…they were coming.
Without waiting to confirm this, I bolted and came to a stop next to Bella, surprising her, she still had no idea what I was doing. She didn't realize that we had to appear as casual as possible as calm as possible. We also needed to try and distract the nomads from her.
Most nomads we encounter react the same way to seeing me, surprised sometimes curious. Jasper was the first nomad to see me as anything but innocent. His upbringing made him suspicious of everything and seeing a young teen vampire made him automatically pin me as the biggest threat in the Cullen "coven" he couldn't see that my being changed was done out of an act of love and mercy, but he saw it as a military tactic.
He believed Carlisle changed me to be used as a decoy to distract others from the real threat or to force others to let their guard down making them easier to destroy.
Though Jasper learned quickly that this wasn't the case and he also learned quickly that he was right about me being dangerous, as he has said I'm anything but harmless.
But very few nomads think like Jasper so if luck was with us, the incoming nomads wouldn't zero in on me being a threat and would brush me off, hopefully they would be more focused on Emmett and Jasper, Emmett especially. I was taking a huge gamble standing with Edward and Bella, but it was a gamble I had to take.
The rest of the family moved closer and looking around carefully, and in one quick breath I set them up like chess pieces. Everyone had to be in certain spot otherwise this wouldn't work properly.
Jasper and Emmett stood on either side of Carlisle, though we couldn't appear threatening as that might set the nomads off, we also couldn't appear weak either.
My father meeting the nomads would show that we are willing to exhibit diplomacy, which Carlisle would handle, while Emmett and Jasper on either side of him, showed that we do have the means to fight and will use them if necessary.
Even Rosalie, Alice, and Esme had certain spots to occupy and they too showed we had strength not only in brute strength as with Em, but also strength in numbers…it also showed the nomads something that not many vampire covens exhibit a real family. It's rare for our kind to get along so well and even rarer for the numbers to exceed two.
The Volturi count only in the fact that they coexist without fighting and killing one another, but only because their coven is based on power and authority rather than love, the Denali clan is large as well and like our coven is based on love and a mutual basis on faith not to hunt humans, but we Cullens are the biggest coven (as far as we know) next to the Volturi.
Not to mention we are one of the few covens who maintain human traditions, such as marriage. Even Eleazer and Carmen though together are not married in the technical sense anyways.
It would be key to use our numbers to our full advantage, it could serve as a distraction, surprising and making the nomads curious as to how such a large family maintains itself…
Just wait till they find out we're vegetarians, they might drop dead of shock right here and now.
Carefully I scanned the clearing, making sure all the elements were in place, all my chess pieces were ready.
I felt my father and Edward look over at me silently asking if all was ready and I gave a nod.
"It'll work…for now." I said softly. I looked over at Bella and gave her a comforting smile.
But I felt anxious, I was prepared for this but I still didn't feel 100% about it. But there is only so much I can profile on just a whim like this and I knew I would have more in a few moments when the nomads arrived.
I had made the opening move, the nomads would be the counter. I just hoped my opening move was the correct one.
A/N: The baseball game was one of my favorite scenes in the book, I loved the idea of the Cullens playing baseball, it was one of the few parts of the movie that did not disappoint me. I hope I did the game justice rewriting it this way. Thank you guys so much for the wonderful and thoughtful reviews, I really appreciate all of you!