Hey Consider Me Drafted readers, it's been a long while since I've updated so here's a recap.

Bella and Edward are the perfect couple. She's a cheerleader and he's the quarter back of the high school football team. They're all together a happy pair. Edward one night promises her that no matter what, no matter who gets drafted in war, no matter who has to leave, and no matter what will ever hurt their relationship he will always be hers and she will always be his. They know what happens when someone gets drafted to fight. One of Bella's close friends, and her best friend Alice's fiance`, Jasper, had been drafted only four months earlier. It seems impossible to her that two people so dear to her heart could be drafted, but it happens. Edward comes to her door one night and tells her that he's been drafted. He leaves in two weeks. With the news comes more promises. The one from the night before; that Edward will always love Bella, that every promise that had ever been made and any that will be made will be kept no matter what, and that for the next to weeks Edward will spend as much time with her as possible. Because when that two weeks is up, he's going ot be gone.

Meanwhile, Alice is still stretching herself too thin. When she was fourteen her parents died, leaving her with her two younger sister's Cynthia and Lucy to take care of and look after. She's always somewhat relied on Jasper to help her out when she needed it, but with him gone to war she's all alone. She's been working two jobs and might have to add a third to keep the bills in order. Her grades, as well as Cynthia's, who is now fourteen, are nearly perfect. She also has cheerleading and multiple student council responsibilities. She also has to be a parent to her sisters, meaning giving boy advice and taking them to places that they need to go. Through all of this she is still hurting from Jasper's departure and still is only eighteen.

Thanks for clicking on my story and I hope you enjoy the chapter

Thank you so much!

PLT!

~AliceSwift

"Half of my heart is a shot gun wedding to a bride with a paper ring."

~Half Of My Heart.

John Mayer.

The second day was Sunday. Our families went to church together that morning. Charlie had tried to comfort me about the situation but he couldn't do much really.

"Bella, just try to think of what he's going through." he said as we walked into the house after service.

"I have, he's told me what's going through his head and it's pretty similar to what's going through mine. We're going to be without each other and that's just it. There's nothing that either of us can do about it. I can't stop the government from taking him away and neither can he." I said, throwing my bag down by the door and running upstairs, though I only made it half way when he called me back down.

"Hey, this isn't my fault Bella, and I don't want you yelling at me about how terrible it is. Now come back down here and talk to me. Right now." he said sternly. Not quite yelling but not just a normal tone of voice was used with me when I got snappy, or angry and took it out on him, the same tone was used just then.

I reluctantly made my way back down the stairs and to the couch. I waited until he sat down, then waited for him to say something. I had wanted to end the conversation, he had dragged me back into it. He could talk first.

"Bells, talk to me. I want to know what's going through your head. I want to understand what you're going through too. Don't leave me in the dark." he begged. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I don't want him to go dad." I said coldly. Not sure where he was wanting me to take this conversation.

"Well I'm not blind, I can see that. I want to know why. You're going to see him on leave, the guy loves you he won't be dragged away when he comes back and-"

"What if he doesn't?" I said and my brows quickly became one line through my frustration. "What if next Saturday is the last night I'll ever see him? Ever?"

"So what if it is? You're eighteen, Edward's no more than a high school romance, and you'll cry and you'll hurt but at some point, even if it's when you're an old wrinkly woman, you'll realize that it's time to move on." he said with a smile. The expression on his face I suppose was to make me feel stupid. Make me blush and agree with him. But if I did that I would be nothing more than a little girl again. I would feel stupid as I had many times before in my childhood after my mom died and I would be seen as nothing more than a naive child again.

"In the meantime?" I asked, not correcting him, he had refused to believe in my love for Edward.

"I'm not sure." he said and looked down, he seemed to be backing away from his previous, bold statement.

I had processed it then. His words from just a few moments ago and realized something. "So is that how you feel about mom then?" I asked, standing up, furious with him. "You don't care that she's gone. You're just waiting for time to come and heal the hurt, or is your heart so cold that it's already healed again?"

He looked at me, as if he was trying to see what I was seeing. "Bella your mother and I had much more than you and Edward do so-"

"But you two did also just start off as a high school fling right? I mean marriages blossom from somewhere."

"Yes, but when your mother died I had much more love for her-"

"How? How do you know that my heart just can't love more than yours? Maybe I've loved Edward longer and much more in heart years than you did mom her entire life."

"Heart years?"

"Yes. Heart years. Amounts of time measured by how much one's heart can love." I explained, knowing he would laugh.

He did. Then he looked at me and I think for the first time since the topic of Edward's being drafted was being talked about, he saw why I was so upset.

"Bella, listen. I know that you're upset, and I'll be honest I'm not quite sure how to help you. But things, eventually, in a way, will be alright."

"Yeah, eventually." I said and picked up my bag that was by the door. I walked upstairs and started writing in my journal.

Edward's family was coming in today and he would be spending the rest of the day with them. I couldn't be mad at him for that, they were just as heartbroken as the next person, but I still missed him.

What scared me, was the fact that this loneliness that I was feeling right now was just the smallest taste of what I would have to go through during the long months Edward was away.

After church I went back to my house. My mom had informed me earlier that most of our family was coming in to say goodbye to me before I was taken away. In a way I was happy that it was happening the week before I had to leave. That way, I would be able to spend the rest of the time with Bella.

A few hours later my entire family was there. Cousins, and aunts and uncles and grandparents had all come to say their farewells. We all just sat around. A few discussed my going away, others things completely unrelated. My mom served lunch and we all sat down around the huge table that took up almost the whole room.

Pretty soon the day turned into evening and the evening turned into night. It all passed by in a blur. I wondered if that's what it would feel like when I left for war. If when I got there things would just go by in large lulls of speed, or if everything would be clearer, sharper with my fear.

I made my way through the crowd of people. Young, old, fresh faced, wrinkled skinned. Running, sitting, laughing, frowning. Brown haired, blonds, perfect, flawed. Different types of people all coming from the same bloodline, or something close to it. It seemed impossible to me that there were people on the other side of the world who were even more different from those in front of me right now.

I hated it here. In this small room, with too many people, too many voices floating through the air and carrying loudly over the other chatters. It was too centered, everything reminded me of war. Everything reminded me of the fears that I had and the tragic things that could happen.

I tried to focus my thoughts on something else.

Like most times my thoughts wandered to Bella and I smiled. I wish she was here, I wondered if I phoned her if she would come and talk to me. When I was with her I tended to forget about all the things that were wrong. I forgot about all my problems and my life was care free as it was before I found out.

"Hi Edward." my little cousin, Gwen, came and sat down beside me.

"Hey, Gwen what's up?" I asked as she adjusted herself on the couch beside me.

"Eh, all the adults seem sad. I think it's boring." she said, and swept her small hands over her round face to push her curls out of her green eyes.

"You think it's boring do you?" she nodded. "Well do you know what they're talking about?" I asked and she shook her head.

"No, I tried to ask, I asked four different people five different times and no one will answer me." she complained and stuck her lip out in a pout face.

"What did they say when you asked them?"

"They said that I was too young to understand." she rolled her eyes.

Classic. We had talked about age and how most people just assumed you were ignorant because of your age many times. It was true. If you were young then people wouldn't tell you things. Sometimes because they thought you couldn't handle it, they honestly think you couldn't understand or they didn't feel like explaining it to you. People say that our generation is ruining our country, but the people saying that are the same people who ignore our questions.

"Typical." I said and she agreed with a smile

"Will you explain it to me at least?" she asked, her eyes honest.

"Well, you know the war right?"

"Yeah." she said excitedly. She always got really excited at the mention of world news.

"Well, I'm going away to it, I got drafted."

"What's drafted?"

"It's where the government sends you a letter saying that you have to go away to the war." I explained briefly.

"That's not so bad." she said with a shrug.

"No?" she shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because, the whole country sees you as a hero. We talk about how great the soldiers are all the time. The teachers tell me that we should go home and pray for them, because they're amazing. With people seeing you like that how can it be so bad?"

That was how everyone saw it. We had talked about it in school many times. How the people who served were great, how lucky we were that they would do that for us. I only knew a small part of what the reality of war was when Jasper was taken away. We realized then when some people go away, it's not voluntary.

"But when you go away to war, Gwen, people want to kill you. They don't want you to live. I could die." I told her and she looked as if she was only slightly phased by the statement.

"Yeah, but it would be a noble death." she said. Alot of people, if they just took the time to listen to what she had to say, would be amazed by what she said. She said things that were so far beyond her years that sometimes she told me things that I would've never realized ever if I hadn't talked to her. I had spoken with her so many different times and still she never seized to amaze me. I would miss that when I left.

"If you die fighting for your country Edward, then why is dying so bad?" she asked and immediately Bella's face came into my head.

"I would never see any of my family or friends again." I said, thinking too deeply about this.

"It's a girl. Bella's her name right, you told me about her one time." I nodded, my lips in a tight line.

"Yeah, that's her. Bella." I said and smiled at the mention of her name.

"Well, you'll see her, if you don't die. On leave right? That's what they call it." I nodded.

"But that's not what I'm worried about." I told her, feeling like she was therapist rather than my cousin.

"What are you worried about then?"

"Well.." I said reluctant. This was something private, and though I wanted to expose Gwen to as much knowledge as possible, I wasn't sure if I wanted her to know this.

"You love her right?" she asked, one small eyebrow raised on her smooth forehead.

"Yes, but-"

"And she loves you?"

"Yes, but Gwen I-"

"And you want to stay with her forever?"

"Yes and-"

"And you trust her?"

"Of course but-"

"Then what's the problem?" she demanded, eyes wide.

"What if someone steals her away?" I spat out.

"What do you mean steals her?" she asked looking honestly confused.

"I mean what if some great guy of her dreams comes and sweeps her off her feet. What if she needs me when I'm away? I won't be there, he will be. When she gets exciting news, she'll tell him first, I won't hear it. When she feels bad, she'll cry on his shoulder, not mine. When she needs someone to tell her things will be okay, he'll be the one whispering in her ear, not me. What if he decides that he's in love? What if he confesses his feelings and she realizes she feels the same? Then he'll propose to her and she'll say yes then I'll be invited to see my love be stolen from me at their wedding. Then every time I see them I'll remember what we had and I'll remember that I lost her because of some stupid war." I said quickly.

"You have a really active imagination."

"Thanks I think." I said and she smiled.

"So what are you going to do about it? I mean, prevent some guy from stealing her away? I mean you said you trusted her."

"Yeah, but if I'm gone long enough she can't help but forget about me and what we have."

"Then it sounds like to me you have to either trust she'll remember you or marry her."

Marriage. When I thought about who I would marry, of course Bella came to mind. I hoped that when she thought about who she would marry I was the one who came to her thoughts. It almost surprised me that we hadn't talked about marriage. We had known each other for almost our entire lives. We had started dating when we were in junior high. That's almost seven years that we've loved no one but each other. Why was I so nervous about proposing? Why hadn't I already? Would she say yes? Were we still too young?

"Are you going to marry her?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't know." I said with a short, quiet laugh.

"Why not?"

"What if she says no? What if we're still too young? What if she doesn't love me as much as I love her?" I asked, my heart pounding.

"You trust her right?" she said with a tone in her voice that said she was looking for clarification.

"Yes." I rolled my eyes, a little stressed out about how I was taking relationship advice from a four year old.

"Then there's only one way to find out the answers to your questions." she paused. "Ask her." she smiled. "Ask her and tell her everything that you just told me. Tell her about the fears you have and the concerns about your relationship but tell her that no matter what happens you'll be there for her because you love her more than anything. Because I can tell that you do. And if she has half the love for you that you do for her, she'll say yes. So ask her."

"Gwen!" a child called form the corner.

"Ugh." she rolled her eyes.

"Found you." a small boy who I didn't recognize came up and tagged her then ran off.

"I've been hiding for a half hour now. Hide in plain sight and you're harder to find is what I've learned. He'll hide in the bathtub and I'll find him, then when it's his turn I 'll sit back down here on the couch." she smiled and started to get up.

"Hey Gwen." I said and she turned around, off the couch now.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Let me know what she says okay?" she smiled and I nodded before she ran off.

I knew that if I sat here and thought about it anymore that I wouldn't go.

I got up off the couch and ran out of the house. I ran down the street and across three blocks to get to her house. I sprinted three driveways and then walked up to her door. I knocked, breathing heavily and didn't stop to think about what I was doing.

"Edward?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"Mr. Swan, sorry for bothering you, but is Bella here?" I asked.

"Um, no she went to Alice's but she should be back soon. Why don't you come in and have a seat until she gets back." he said and stood aside so I could enter.

"Sure, thank you." I said as he closed the door behind me.

"So what brings you by so late?" he asked and sat down beside me on his couch.

"Well, I was going to ask Bella something." I said nervously. I hadn't thought about asking Charlie for Bella's hand. I always assumed someday I would, but not just now when I decided to be so bold to come over and propose.

"Ask Bella what?" his voice was stern though he wore a smile on his face.

I bet I could go back. I could back out of this, tell him I had to ask her something about school tomorrow, or that I left my jacket over here on Saturday or something. I could do this in a much more sophisticated manner when I had this thought out better tomorrow. But then would I really come back? Would I come back and ask to marry his daughter? Or would I back out of it? That was the whole point of the 'right now' right? So that couldn't back down. So that I had to do this. I had to. Right now.

I quickly thought out something in my head, quick enough that I answered in a reasonable amount of time.

"Mr. Swan, I wanted to ask Bella for her hand in marriage. I love her, and I value her more than I value my own life. I would never, ever do anything to hurt her I swear. I want to be with her forever, so I would like to ask you for your blessing." I waited for his reaction, I didn't see one coming anytime soon. "Now, I want you to know that this isn't something I take lightly. I've thought about it before and I know that I'm right for Bella and that she's right for me. I have considered doing this before, so it's not just because I want to state my claim on her before I leave. I love her more than I can imagine verbalizing." Still no look on his face. "The wedding definitely wouldn't take place until the war was over, or at least until I was back and staying. I would get a job. I would buy a house and we could settle down after I got back. We could start a family and live happily ever after. I know that it won't always be easy but I will stand by Bella no matter what happens." Still nothing. "So please, Mr. Swan, I would like to marry your daughter, and I would like to ask for your permission and blessing." he stood up and started to walk away but he stopped when he got closer to the kitchen. He paused and turned to face me, leaning against the wall.

"Okay, fine, sure." he said with a nod and he used a calmer, almost happy sounding, tone of voice. "Just don't die in the war." he turned and walked away.

I called a thank you and good evening to him and then ran out the door. I had to get to Alice's and talk to Bella, I hoped that I wouldn't be in the way.

I knocked on the door and Cynthia, Alice's fourteen year old sister was standing there.

"Hi, Cynthia is Bella here?" I asked and searched the room behind her. I saw nothing but furniture and Alice's other little sister, Lucy, toddling up behind Cynthia.

"Wrong house Edward." she said and rolled her eyes.

"I know, but Charlie said that she would be here." I said.

"Alice and Bella just left." she leaned against the frame. "It's Alice's shift at the diner and she wanted some company since it's late."

"Okay thanks, are you guys okay here?" she nodded. She was right it was late. Almost eleven.

"Okay I'll see you guys tomorrow I guess."

"Bye." she said and I took off.

Why hadn't I asked my dad for the car?

I walked up to the parking lot of the diner. The lights outside were dimmed and the place was quiet. The air was warm and what I was about to do finally hit me.

I was about to propose to the girl of my dreams.

How was I supposed to go about this? I mean a candle light dinner was out of the question, a walk in the park maybe but it was awfully late. Was I really going to ask her to marry me in some diner with Alice watching?

I pushed open the doors to the diner.

I guess I was.

The place was half dark. The only light that was on was the one above Alice. She was sitting with her feet up, eating something that looked like ice cream, and reading a magazine. She had a record playing in the back round softly, singing along with it.

She looked up and quickly put her feet down, she grabbed the rag that was on the other side of her and pretended to clean.

"Alice, it's just me." I said and walked towards her. She looked at me and her eyes adjusted.

"Oh, well then." she tossed the rag back on the counter, put her feet up and then went back to her magazine.

"Is Bella here?" I asked hopeful.

"No you just missed her. She realized the time and decided to go home. Couldn't blame her, it's almost, what, eleven now?"

"Yeah, eleven." I sighed and sat down across the counter from her. She adjusted so she sat like a civilized person, feet on the floor like they should be.

"What did you need her for anyways?" she asked, only half in the conversation, the other half was reading gossip from glossy, colorful pages.

"I was going to propose to her." I said to see her reaction.

"Okay, sure." she said and rolled her eyes.

"No really." she looked up at me. She closed her magazine and pushed it aside, then leaned her head in to see my eyes better. She grabbed my chin in her small hand. She turned my head side to side, examining it. Then she leaned in and glared at my eyes, reading into them.

"What are you-"

"Oh my God you're serious!" she said and gasped, her hand flying to her heart.

"Yes, Alice. I am, what were you-"

"Well, go get her. Go ask her right now!" she said and smiled. She had walked around the counter and had gotten her jacket, ready to come with me.

"No, Alice, Alice!" I called as she headed for the door. I got up and went to catch her elbow.

"Come on let's go ask her." she said and tried to pull away.

"No Alice, its too late. I'll do it sometime tomorrow or something." I said walking away from her.

"What! What no you can't just do it sometime tomorrow or something!" she sounded appalled. She took her jacket off and walked back around to her seat. "You can't treat your proposal like a homework assignment." she said.

"Then what do you suggest I do?" I asked, frustrated.

"I don't know. Woo her Edward!" she said as if it was obvious. "She already loves you it can't be that hard. Just tell her that you love her and then ask."

"Yeah but what's the setting? Where should I do it?"

"Well, where's her favorite place?" she asked, her eyes curious. She played with her finger nails as she searched for answers.

"Disney World."

She gave me a look that said are you kidding me. "Locally."

"Probably the beach." I said.

"Then take her there, make her feel special. Make her feel so in love with you that she couldn't help but say yes." she smiled.

"Yeah, but I can't just walk her to the beach and ask her, there has to be some lead up right?"

"Who says?" her hands flew up in the air them slammed back down on the table with a slap sound. "If you guys are in love you shouldn't have to be elaborate about it. You should've been able to walk into this diner in front of everyone and asked her." I gave a look that, apparently, gave away how ironic her statement was. That was after all what I was just about to do.

"Ohhh my God, you weren't really going to do that right?" she had a disgusted look on her face.

"Yes, I was but it shouldn't matter because-"

"Edward, that's crap. You don't have to take her to Paris but it does have to be private. Private is you and her and no one else. Not even me unfortunately." she pouted her lip out.

"Okay Alice, since you're such the expert why don't you take my through it step by step."

"Okay." she said and looked at the ceiling as if there was a movie screen of what would be happening up there. "So, you should come by her house and ask her to go for a walk with you. Make sure it's late, so not alot of people are out. It's also better if it's not on a school night because she might have homework and she would have school the next morning. So when you start walking, act as everything's normal. You're just talking, just wanted to go for a stroll then BAM!" she yelled, got on her feet and slammed her fist on the table. "Get down on one knee and ask her."

"So if she's talking about cheer leading practice, I should just stop, get on my knee, and ask her to marry me?" she nodded. "Okay then Alice, thanks for the advice, I think I'm going to go talk to my mom about this."

"Okay, never mind how." she stopped me, excited. "What's the ring look like?"

"Uh, ring?" I asked, I knew that I was supposed to have one, but I didn't.

"Yes Edward, a ring. Traditionally the proposer gives the proposee a ring while...proposing." she rolled her eyes and her arms hit her sides in defeat.

"I don't have a ring." I said looking down.

"You were going to propose to her without a ring?" I nodded. She rolled her eyes but then smiled. "Ugh, never mind that then. Now about the wedding..." she went on like that until her shift was over. She did, eventually, do her work. We had left by about one. Alice had taken her car so we drove to her house, I wanted to walk by Bella's house to make sure she had gotten home alright.

I hoped out of Alice's car.

"Thanks for the drive home." I said and walked around the car to hug her goodnight.

"Good luck." she said before walking in her house.

"God knows I'll need it." I walked down her driveway and she laughed.

I walked down to her house, even though it wasn't on my way home. I glanced up at her window. I saw her dark silhouette walk across her room. She walked from light to light and with each bulb going dark her shadow became fuzzier and fuzzier. When all the lights were out she disappeared completely.

As I walked home I thought about my two, very eventful days since Friday night after the game. I had gone from being on a football high, to feeling close to nothing, to trying to comfort my family, to deciding to ask for Bella's hand.

Life was a crazy ride, and I would soon be taking the train over to Vietnam, where I wouldn't experience anything close to what I had the past two days.

Thank you for reading. Please leave me a review telling me what you thought, what you think will happen, or what you think should happen next chapter.

Thank you so much again!

PLT!

~AliceSwift