Disclaimer: I do not own these characters..but a girl can dream *wink, wink*
AN: The response to this story has been overwhelming. Thanks to those who reviewed and added me to their alerts. I love it. As you must have realized this story is in third person, my first attempt at this, so if you ever get lost or don't get something just send me a message. Now on with the show...
Bella was in her classroom by seven-thirty. She had copies of her quiz printed and face down on all the desks before her students started filing in. As the final bell rang, she closed the door and started her class.
"Bags and books on the floor. There is a quiz on your desks on the material we have covered so far this semester. Let's see what you have learned. Begin." The grumbles and shuffling of papers greeted her. "Quietly, please."
She sat behind her desk and massaged her temples. She hadn't slept well, nightmares had plagued her. This not hearing from her brother was starting to affect her sleep. She secretly hoped that Sgt. Cullen would be able to glean some information for her. She wasn't going to hold her breath.
Sgt. Emmett Cullen sat behind his desk holding a report in his hands that contained the whereabouts of one Cpl. Jasper Swan. Without his families knowledge he a joined the special forces and was in deep cover. He was still receiving his mail, but could have no contact until his assignment was complete. Special forces are trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform. These soldiers need to be physically and mentally robust and have the confidence, courage, and skill to operate individually or in small teams, often in isolation and in a hostile environment. Emmett only hoped that Jasper was up to the challenge.
"Time." Bella called. "Pass your quizzes forward and I will have your grades by tomorrow." The bell rang as she finished collecting the papers. Her students quickly filed out of the class. Bella was not so naive to know that by the time her third period class came in that the quiz would still be secret. So she always prepared several different quizzes in case someone decided to cheat and share information. This was her free period, so she went to the lounge and grabbed a diet coke and then went back to grade her papers and prepare for the next round.
Bella heard a buzzing coming from her bag as she was grading. She pulled out her cell phone and saw that it was Rosalie. She answered with a friendly, "Hey, Rose. How are you?"
"Are you in the middle of class?" Rose asked.
"No, this my free period. What's up?"
"I just wanted to thank you for not asking any questions last night Bella. And for dragging Alice out of there before she could."
"Is everything okay, Rose?" Bella asked, concern in her voice.
"It's getting there. I see a counselor three times a week and having Emmett really helps. That's where I met him you know. We go to the same therapist. He was suffering from PTSD and then finding out about his girlfriend.." She trailed off. "Anyway, we were both in the waiting room and one day we just started talking. You know how hard it is and was for me to talk to men after what he did to me. With Emmett, it was just easy, you know?"
"Oh, Rose. I am so happy for you. You deserve to be happy too. We should get together soon. Maybe you two could come to the house for dinner this weekend. Talk to Emmett and call me, I'll make sure that Jake is around so that it won't be him with a bunch of women. I have to go. Call me soon, okay?"
"I will. Thanks Bells." Rose hung up and Bella placed her phone back in her bag. The bell rang again indicating another class.
Finally the last bell rang and the students quickly filed out. Bella organized her things and cleaned up a little, before heading to the parking lot and her car. When she pulled up to her house she noticed that Jake's car was there. He wasn't usually off work this early so something must be up. She walked in with a feeling of dread. She really didn't want him to propose.
"Hey, babe." Jake yelled from the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked as she slipped out of her shoes.
"I got off early and I wanted to surprise you." Jake walked around the corner and into the living room. He was still dressed in his work suit. Jake was an accountant and handled several different clients. Although his busiest time of the year was from January until the end of April, he still dealt with the extensions.
"Well, I'm surprised. This isn't your night." Bella was looking for some quiet time. She had quizzes to grade and a major assignment to plot out.
"Bells, baby. This once or twice a week stuff is getting old. We have been seeing each other for two years. I think we need to take this to the next level. I want something more." Jake sat down and ran his hands through his short black hair.
"I'm sorry, Jake. This is all I want. I'm not ready for a commitment. If you can't deal, then maybe we should see other people or just stop altogether."
"Bella, that is not what I want. I just think that we need to re-examine our relationship and think about a future. If that's not where you see us going then I think that I deserve to know." Jake looked at Bella, trying to get her attention. When she didn't look at him he got up and got in her line of vision and knelt in front of her. "Bella look at me. Do you want a future with me?"
Bella looked into his eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Jake. I care about you, I really do. But I don't love you like that. I don't think we should see each other anymore." Bella got up and walked into her bedroom. She heard the front door close a minute later and breathed a sigh of relief.
Alice answered the phone on the first ring. She was watching and waiting knowing that Bella wasn't as into Jake as he was. Sure enough ten minutes after Bella got home he came storming out of the house and pealed away from the curb. Two seconds later Bella was calling. "I'm on my way and I have the Ben and Jerry's."
Alice walked in and found Bella sitting on the couch with her glasses on and two wine glasses already full. She was hastily marking papers with a red pen. "Enough work. Lets get drunk and fat." And that's just what they did.
Alice rolled off the couch when she heard Bella's alarm on Friday morning. She stumbled into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She wasn't sure how many bottles of wine they had consumed but she was grateful that she ran her own business and could open when she damn well felt like it.
"You know what I just realized?" Alice yelped hearing Bella's voice behind her.
"What's that?"
"I didn't even get a 'don't leave me' fuck. Do you know how long it is going to be until I find someone that I want to go on a date with, let alone have sex with?"
Alice laughed until she was crying and hung onto the counter for support. "Oh, Bella. You shouldn't do that to me this early in the fucking morning. That is an image that I don't need. 'Oh babe, please don't leave me' grunt, groan."
"Well now we are going to have to gang up on Emmett. I invited him and Rosalie for dinner tomorrow night. I promised Jake would be here. Oh, well. Ali, will you be my date?"
"Sure, but I'm not sleeping with you afterwards. I don't put out on the first date."
Bella handed the papers back out to her students. She was impressed by how many of them had retained the information they had already gon over, She had also thrown in a question or two of material they hadn't covered yet, and there had only been one or two who hadn't known the answer. One thing she like about her students is when they didn't know the answer they didn't leave a problem blank, they at least attempted to answer. After the final bell, Bella rushed to her car and made it to the army recruiting station in minutes.
Sgt. Emmett Cullen looked up as the bell chimed, indicating that someone had walked in. He smiled when he saw Bella. "Good afternoon, Miss. Swan. How are we doing today?"
"We are fine. I think since you are dating one of my best friends you should call me Bella." She strolled into the office and took a seat on the other side of his desk.
"Very well then you should call me Emmett. So Rose tells me that we are having dinner tomorrow. I hope you can cook and that you make plenty of food. My parents and Rose have always told me that I am a bottomless pit."
Bella laughed, "I am sure there will be plenty. So what have you got for me?"
"Okay, well I've gotten you the address to where one company is stationed. You said you have about seventy-five students, correct?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well a company consists of approximately 60 to 200 soldiers. So I don't think there will be a shortage of people to write to."
"Well I don't want to leave anyone out. Is there a way to make sure that the one's who get the letters are people who don't normally receive a package?"
"Trust me, Bella. No one will feel left out. But if you want to make sure that happens just make sure you tell the commanding officer in your letter to make sure that the forgotten soldiers are the ones that get them first. Although, no soldier is forgotten."
"Okay. Thanks Emmett. I will be assigning this on Monday. I should be able to get them in the mail by next Friday. I will see you and Rose tomorrow evening. Thanks again."
"No problem Bella. See you tomorrow."
Bella couldn't wait to get home and start writing her letter. First she had to stop by the store and get the ingredients for lasagna and tirimisu. Once she had collected everything she needed, she went home and started a pot of coffee. She went in her room and changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank. She turned on the TV for some background noise and started making the dessert for tomorrow. She soaked the lady fingers in the coffee and layered them in a pan. She did this until all layers were formed and then placed it in the fridge until tomorrow evening. With that chilling she poured herself a glass of wine and walked into her office.
She turned on the stereo to some soft piano strains and opened her laptop. She started with the instructions that each student would receive, outlining her expectations and what she would be grading them on. She was extremely excited about this project and hoped that some of the students continued writing. Once that was complete she opened a new page and started her letter.
Dear First Sergeant, Company # 106,
My name is Isabella Swan. I am a teacher at San Bernardino High School in California. As a class project I have decided that my students will write to a soldier and tell him or her a little about their life and what it's like to be a freshman in an advanced English class. I suppose I could show a good example and tell you about myself. Before I do, I have one request. I know there are some young men or women, serving now that have no one back home to miss them or write to them. I am asking that you please give these people the letters first, so that hey can at least make the choice to write back. I 'm not saying that this will be expected. I certainly I am not going to ask that you write me back.
Okay so..a little about me. Hmm..Well, I am 25. I have long brown hair and brown eyes. I am about five-foot-five flat footed. (Do you really care about that?) My friends tell me that I am a happy person and I try to be. I have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind and I don't possess a filter outside of school. I am capable of using language that would make a sailor blush. Especially when I am watching football. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, but I am a die hard Cheese head. Go Packers! (I hope that doesn't offend you.) The Superbowl last year was the best.
I wasn't sure how to go about this project so I went down to the local recruiting office and met a very nice man who helped me. Do you know Sgt. Emmett Cullen? He was very helpful and gave me the address for your company. It was funny because I ran into him later that evening while he was on a date. Turns out that his date was one of my best friends from college. I had no idea she was back in town and then there she was. Small world, huh?
On a final note, I wanted to do this project because my brother is serving in Afghanistan and I haven't heard from him in three months. He is Cpl. Jasper Swan. I miss him so much. My parents won't talk about him with me. All I know is they haven't heard from him and they haven't had any official visits..(praying that continues.) I will add you and your company to my prayer list and hope that God keeps you safe.
Thank you for your service..Gob Bless!
Isabella Swan
Bella printed the letter as well as the assignment notes for her students and closed her laptop. She hoped this project would be successful and maybe she could gain a friend and some insight to her brothers whereabouts. She turned off all the lights and went to bed, curling up with her pillow and saying a prayer for Jasper and all serving men and women.
Across an ocean on a distant shore, as the sun rose, a man rose with it. Not knowing that his life was about to change.
AN: Again the response to this story is fantastic. Thanks to all of you who put me on alert. I am hoping to have two more chapters up tomorrow. This is flowing out right now. Keep those reviews coming...Til next time..