Rain

Bella kicked the toe of her shoe against the counter at Newton's Outfitters as she waited for her shift to end. Mike had stepped out for a quick errand and she had run out of things to do. The shelves were neatly stocked, the displays were finished, the bookkeeping was done and the floors were swept to a shine. She knew that working this shift would be slow.

The bell dinged as the door opened, to reveal a giant box.

"Is that you Mike?" She asked the figure struggling to make it through the doorway and into the store. "Do you want a hand with that?"

"Nope..I've..got it!" He huffed as he pushed through the door and dropped the package in front of the counter. "I'm not sure what my mom ordered, but it wasn't feathers."

She glared at the box too with a pensive look on her face. "She did mention that an order of cooking pots and pans needed to be picked up, I guess that it."

He shrugged and turned to her with an eager look that made her mentally cringe. "So..what are you doing with the rest of the night." His eyes shown with a hopeful look, and she wished that he could take a hint.

"I'm probably going to go home and watch tv with my dad, but he's counting on me to be there." She was actually planning a lovely evening with Edward, but as annoying as he may be, she felt the need to leave some of his good mood intact.

He sighed and glanced outside. "Why don't you take off. A storm is coming in and you probably aren't going to want to get stuck in it. I can handle the customers here." He glanced around the empty store, shaking his head and mumbling something about a waste of time.

Bella punched his shoulder. "Thanks Mike." She practically skipped over to the back room and hung up the ugly vest, donning her coat and walking out to her truck. Well, Mike had been right. There was a storm coming in. The dark clouds confirmed it. She jumped in and turned the truck on, twisting up the heat. It was chilly already.

About halfway home the sky groaned, and the clouds poured for all they were worth. She gritted her teeth and put the wipers on, squinting through the onslaught of water. A loud bang sounded nearby and she jumped before realizing that it was her engine that did that. She managed to coax her engine to the side of the road before it wheezed and came to a stop.

"No..no..no.." She moaned and peered out the windshield. She twisted the key once, twice, and nothing happened. Her cell phone was on the seat and she picked it up flipping it open and looking at the screen.

NO SERVICE

The cell phone found it's way back into the seat.

Bella decided that if she was going to get anywhere she would have to see what was wrong. Pulling on her hood, she opened her door and stepped outside. The raindrops hit like gobs of water, and it was definitely pouring. The moment she threw open the hood a cloud of smoke poured out.

Bella didn't know much about cars, and did not know enough to fix this. Her truck was not moving anytime soon. She hurried back to the cab and leaped inside, brushing of the water and shivering slightly. She checked her phone again but received the same message.

Once again, Alice had gone on a trip with Jasper so she knew that she wouldn't be paying attention to the future right now. She was close to home, now about only ten minutes, by car. She figured that if she ran she might be able to make it home only a little later. Hopefully.

About half a mile away from her truck, she didn't like that idea so much. She was already soaked to the skin, her hair was plastered around her face, and she was tired. Her run slowed to a walk and she trudged on, cursing mother nature and old chevy's.

Okay, she was late. The silver Volvo was parked in her driveway and the light in the kitchen was on. She ran up to the steps, her sneakers squelching all the way. She brushed her wet hair out of her eyes and opened the door.

"Bella?" Their voices came simultaneously as they took in her wet appearance. Well, wet didn't really begin to describe it, and she began to feel like a drowned rat. Probably looked like one too.

Charlie walked over. "Honey, where have you been? You were late, we were getting worried." Edward took her hand and she felt guilt stab at her. She didn't want them to worry.

"I'm sorry, my truck broke down and I was on the stretch of road nobody travels. The same stretch of road that also happens to be the black hole for all cell phones. I'm really sorry, I tried to book it."

Both pairs of eyes stared at her with disbelief. "You ran home!?" Charlie ruffled her hair. "Go take a warm shower and get changed before you get sick." He turned and headed for the living room to watch the game presumably. Edward turned to her when he was gone and helped her un-stick her coat. "Are you alright?" The concern in his eyes made her melt again, almost to the point where she thought the warm shower may be unnecessary.

He kissed her quickly and gave her a light push towards the stairs. "Hurry, I don't want you to get sick either." She ran up the stairs and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a short sleeve shirt before sprinting into the bathroom. She peeled off her clothes and hopped into the shower, cranking the hot water. The shivers came then, and it took a little while before the water had any affect.

Dry, dressed, and now presentable she opened the door and headed out into the hall, stopping when the lights flickered and went out. She peered out into the darkness and tried to feel her way to the stairs.

She heard footsteps coming up from the right and than her angel's voice. "Bella, are you done?" She felt for the stairs again and smiled when she felt his arm wrap around her waist, guiding her in the right direction.

"Thanks." She said and smiled up in his direction. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Anytime."

Her dad had lit the only gas lamp they owned and was sitting at the kitchen table. They pulled up two chairs and joined him. Charlie glanced out the window with another frown.

"Did you want to get home Edward? This storm looks pretty bad."

"I don't think my parents would want me traveling in this..they won't mind me being late."

Bella fought back a grin. So little Charlie knew. Edward was such a good liar.

Charlie seemed to notice the light in her eyes because he smirked and Edward seemed to try to hold in a laugh. "I saw that young lady, and I know that you're happy you get more time with your boyfriend. Just so happens that I can regale you both with tales of Bella's childhood to past the time."

I gasped as blood flooded my cheeks as Edward and Charlie laughed it up. Oh well, I was with my two favorite men in my warm in cozy kitchen. Life couldn't get much better.