The rushing chill of icy water runs up Edward's arm as he reaches in to the cooler on his back patio. The momentary burn caused by the freezing temperature immediately fades as he pulls out a beer. He stands, the water dropping at his feet as he watches the team, his team, chase each other across the backyard.
"I can't help but think this isn't fair," Alice says, breathlessly as she gives up her pursuit of Emmett.
He holds the football up like a torch and slows his stride, a slight grin spreading across his face. His desire to gloat is obvious but he says nothing as he tosses the ball to Alice.
Bella joins them, breathing hard, her loose hair sticking to her sweaty skin in strands. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think Alice is right."
Jacob high-fives Emmett as he joins them. "What? You can catch up."
"It's eight-to-two," Alice says, dryly through her amorous smile.
"You can catch up," Jacob repeats. He nudges her with his shoulder.
"I'm taking a break," Bella says. She walks away from the team to join Edward on the porch.
"Want a drink?" Edward asks as she nears.
Bella smiles and cocks her head to the side.
His lips tightens as Edward feels his face flush. In the moment, seeing her approach, he had forgotten what she was. It's one of the few times she's allowed herself to dress without transformation in mind; capris, sneakers, a sporty blouse with no zippers. The high sun shimmers against her dark hair as it bounces below her shoulders. He shakes his head causing her to laugh.
"Thanks anyway," she says, stepping on to the porch. It's silly, but she can't help but be flattered by Edward's familiarity with her. She stands next to him in the sun, her chest light in how comfortable it all is.
"How's the game going?" Edward asks, grinning as Jacob and Alice toss the ball back and forth over Emmett's head.
"Poorly," Bella says. The day is too enjoyable to take seriously. "I think you need to take Emmett's spot."
"Should I be insulted by that?" He takes a gulp of beer.
Bella shows her teeth as she bites her tongue. Their flirtations are always enjoyable, but that comment seems bolder than normal. Maybe it's just this setting, a beautiful afternoon of normalcy. She watches him, scanning his coy face. Control, she playfully thinks to herself.
"You playing, Edward?" Jacob shouts across the yard.
"Guess you need to get changed," Bella says. She lowers her eyes to Edward's jeans, watching long enough to ensure he catches her.
"Yeah," he says to her. He takes another drink. "Give me a second," he shouts back to the rest of the team before heading inside.
Alice tosses the football to Emmett. "I'll be right back."
Jacob joins her side as she walks to the house. Their hands intertwine. "Everything okay?"
"Just getting a drink." She places her head momentarily against his shoulder, taking in his smell, and this moment in the sun. "Want anything?"
"Yeah," Jacob says, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Alice laughs, and allows herself to kiss him. The sun on her neck. Her fingers on his chest. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks. I'll get something later." He winks at her as she steps away from him, fawning.
"Having a good time," Bella asks playfully as Alice nears her.
Alice just grins at her and says nothing. She grabs a drink from the cooler and heads inside, Bella following her. They stand in the kitchen and enjoy the air-conditioned respite.
"Did you bring anything for yourself?" Alice ask, guilty that she can't really offer Bella a drink.
"I'm fine." Bella fed last night, which lessens her typical afternoon cravings. "I didn't want to bring any out in public."
"Probably smart," Alice says. She cracks open her soda and drinks.
"Bring any what?" Edward asks as he comes in from the back bedroom. Athletic shorts and a tank top replace his jeans and polo, the slight fade of a farmer tan just peeking across his biceps.
"My protein drink," Bella says, hiding the pang of self-awareness rushing through her.
"What is that stuff anyway?" Edward moves his open beer off the counter and into the fridge before grabbing a bottle of water.
"You really need to read up on mandurugos, Edward," Alice interjects.
"Why?" Edward says, "I have an expert." He winks at Bella.
"It's a mixture of stem cells, blood and bile." Bella shrugs the phrase.
"I always assumed it was just blood," Edward says. He stretches, using the counter to brace himself.
"Nope," Bella says, quickly. Her tone makes Alice smile. "I eat livers. Not so much blood." Bella finishes.
"There's stem cells in livers?" Edward staightens, resting his hands on his hips.
"Very few. I need the stem cells to stay alive more than anything, though."
"Where do you get them?"
"Lilim harvests them for me." Bella's voice trails.
"The government wouldn't be too fond of her eating fetuses," Alice says.
"I never wanted kids," Edward says, after a moment.
Alice's laugh blurts out, loudly, and she walks into the living room. The sound of her giggle echoes back into the kitchen.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Bella shakes her head. Her eyes stay trained on Edward, a cocksure smugness she rarely sees from him apparent in the corner of his eyes and the minute turn of his lips. The sun light coming in through the window behind him rings him in a welcoming halo and she can't help but smile.
She curls her hand as if she were holding a glass and raises it. "Cheers to that."
"Amen," Alice says, returning. An arm wraps loosely around her midsection. She laughs again. "Oh god. It hurts."
Letting his teeth show, Edward smiles broadly. The girls' reaction is a pleasant surprise, but he finds his escalating comfort off-putting. He's their friend, but the nagging responsibilities of team leader creep into his mind.
Whatever, he thinks. This is a party. He playfully places his arms over both of their shoulders. "Let's play some football."
The three freeze still in the bright sun as they exit to the back porch. The image doesn't register in their minds. A large, black shadow slinks rapidly around Emmett's legs as he holds the football aloft, grinning. He lowers it to his chest, and quickly chucks a perfect spiral through the air.
The dark mass gives chase. Four muscular legs blur beneath the body, a long tale trailing behind. The ball's arch lowers, and the creature bounds ten feet in to the air. It's paws stretch. Its fangs flash from a short snout as it rips the ball out of the air. Landing silently near the far edge of the backyard, it curls back around to face the applauding Emmett.
Edward's ears go hot as realization hits.
"God-fucking-dammit, Jacob," he screams. He barely makes out Bella cursing behind him as he moves across the grass. "No powers."
"A panther, Jacob?" Alice yells, anger and embarrassment tearing through her voice. "Where the hell are your clothes?"
"Over here," Emmett says, motioning behind him as he moves to intercept Edward. "It's his birthday, sir."
He recognizes the challenge in Emmett's voice. "You should fucking know better," Edward tells him.
The black fur has already started to shrink back into Jacob's shifting skin when the team reaches him.
"Jacob," Bella says, forcing sympathy, "What were you thinking?"
A sad, guttural noise emanates from deep in Jacob's throat, the ability to form words still not available as his muscles and bones shift and turn. He staggers to two legs, his head and chest still misshapen, his eyes downcast.
The rage that exploded inside Edward at the initial sight of a panther playing catch pulses away as the birthday boy return to normal.
"Put on some pants," Alice spits as she burst between Emmett and Bella. She throws Jacob's shorts at him, hitting him in the chest. She crosses her arms and glares, her face tense with disappointment.
"Sorry," Jacob growls. He completes the transformation as he slides on the shorts.
"Calm down, Alice," Emmett says. He picks up the football and shakes the panther spit off it.
"She's right to be pissed," Bella says, placing a hand on Alice's shoulder.
"The agreement was no powers," Edward says, trying to be empathetic but stern. "I wanted you to have a good birthday, Jacob."
"I know, sir," Jacob says, glancing up. "Sorry, I-" his eyes widen and his shifts his focus past Edward. "Oh, fuck."
Edward and Bella turn, and their faces drop at the sight of an unrecognized car sitting on the road past the side of the house. The moment they turn, the loud squeal of tires fill the air as the vehicle rushes off.
"Shit," Jacob says, absolute defeat in his voice. "Shit. Shit. Shit."
Emmett and Bella immediately begin sprinting to the road. They move faster than humanly possible. It's too late for restraint. Edward's heart thumps. He goes numb. Instinct takes him, blocking out the string of profanities in his mind.
"Alice, take Jacob inside." Edward says, jogging after the other team members. "Lock the doors." He taps below his ear, activating the implanted radio he was given when his ARMS was issued. "Can you see them?"
Bella and Emmett slow as they reach the road. There's nothing but trees in the distance.
"No," Bella says through the radio. Her hands are shaking and her stomach turns. She suddenly wants to eat.
"We have to go after them," Emmett says. Heavy shadows from the high sun make his scowl look meaner than usual. "Let Jacob track them."
"Not a chance in hell," Edward says joining them at the road. "We're going back to Lilim."
"And let them go?" Bella asks. "They saw Jacob transform." The frustration and anger runs along her spine and makes her shiver.
"Maybe." Edward says, knowing it's unlikely.
"I'm going after them," Emmett says, pulling off his shirt.
"Vejo," Edward shouts, "At ease." He ignores the rush of embarrassment from using such a formal military command with the centuries old creature.
Turning his head slightly, Emmett shoots an incredulous look.
"We have to stop them," Bella says. Her voice is hard. Her enjoyment of the afternoon fades with Edward's willful naïveté.
"And do what?" Edward asks, ignoring the knot in his chest.
"Kill them," Emmett says. "Let's go, Bella." They start moving away.
"You're not going after them," Edward says. "That's an order."
"And our secret is one we have to keep," Bella shouts back. "Whoever that was, we have to stop them."
"And kill them?" Edward ask, terrified of the answer. Colonel Cullen's face crosses his mind.
"If we have to," Bella says. Her eyes narrow as she meets Edward's. He doesn't understand this, she thinks. He can't.
"Going after them just confirms what they saw," Edward says, desperately trying to change his approach. The phrase, the threat, he refuses to use flits through his mind.
"And the truth can die with them," Emmett says. The dirt under his feet grinds as he turns and runs. The wind envelops him and before Edward has a chance to react he disappears into the trees.
"Godammit," Edward says. He grabs Bella as she turns, "I can't let you kill him."
She stops, the feeling of his hand on her taking her breath. She bites her lips before she faces him.
"Do what you have to do," she says, coldly.
His throat trembles as she moves away. An urge to scream. Weakness overtakes him as he stands watching on the side of the road. He can't stop them. Can't reason with them. The Kill-Switch is sitting on his night stand...
Bella stops her run when the shirtless Jacob sprints out of the house. His words redirects inside.
"Guys," he says through the radio. "Alice is having a vision."