DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The guys plan a weekend camping trip with the girls.
Camping 2
I watched as Edward thanked our sisters for how I was dressed and for doing my hair and my make-up. It had been such an excellent morning so far. And last night had been great, too. We had cuddled in bed all night long, whispering to each other. It had been so long since we'd done that.
And then with him 'waking' me and our time together in the shower...I started getting overwhelmed by my happiness and gratitude all over again. I was glad Edward was distracted by our sisters. I didn't want him to worry about me more than he already was.
Jasper gave me a quizzical look and I gave him my best pleading eyes. He hit me with some calm, being careful not to alert my husband. I smiled happily and Jasper grinned back at me. Being able to sit close to Jasper and talk with him had really brought our relationship to a whole new level. I understood now how he and Alice could talk without ever opening their mouths. Jasper really was a great big brother and I knew he was an excellent husband to my sister.
"Edward, have we earned any clues for our work?" Alice asked.
"Just one," my husband said. He stopped talking and I knew he was doing it just to tease Alice. "We're going camping."
"OH! We haven't done that with Bella yet!" Alice cried, jumping up and down. "This will be so much fun! Where are we going?"
"Nope," Edward chuckled. "One clue. That was the deal."
"What's the occasion?" Rose asked.
"We have been remiss in our duties as good husbands. We've all gotten too busy with side projects and school, sacrificing our time with our significant others. We're correcting that, starting with a little vacation," he explained.
"I love it when you three decide to treat us!" Alice squealed. "This is so worth the annoyance of being blocked!"
"Let's get going!" I said, pulling my husband toward the Jeep. I was ready to get this weekend started!
Edward jumped up into the Jeep and then helped me in. He pulled me onto his lap as he always did, but I could never get tired of it. His arms wrapped around me, filling me with comfort and security.
Rose was squealing; not a sound normally heard from her. I looked up to see Emmett was letting her drive. I smiled to see my sister so excited. Jasper and Alice were in the back with us, locked in one of their private moments.
"Aw!" I whispered to myself.
Edward heard me and chuckled as he pressed his head against mine. He seemed really excited about this trip. I felt so unbelievably lucky to have him as my husband, my soul mate, my only love. I'd mentioned some time ago that I missed him because of all the projects we each had going on, and he'd been making sure we had at least one free hour to ourselves everyday since.
Sixty minutes without anything to do except enjoy each other's company. Sometimes, he would run us to the meadow. We went out to the lake a few times, too. But usually, we just went to our little cabin. We would read together, or Edward would listen to music while I read. Sometimes, we'd just talk about random things. We'd really needed that time together lately with my training getting more intensive, and with other things I didn't want to think about.
"Bella!" Alice sang. "Are you excited?"
"Very!" I replied. I turned in Edward's arms, leaning against his shoulder, so I could see Alice better. "Are we going to have tents and sleeping bags?"
"That's a question to ask Edward since I was left out of the loop," Alice sighed, puckering out her bottom lip.
"It's going to be as authentic of a camping trip as we can manage," Edward said. "We have tents and sleeping bags, and Emmett will build us a big campfire."
"And campfire stories, Picky!" Emmett announced, turning in his seat to look back at us.
"Turn back around, Emmett, and make yourself useful. We need some music!" Alice announced.
Emmett leaned forward and turned on the radio. My sisters and I knew the beat for this song. We squealed at being able to catch it at the very beginning.
"Our song!" all three of us screamed. We always played and sang along with this song during our time together.
Rose was bouncing in the driver's seat, shaking her blonde hair around as she sang. Alice and I were moving our hips and arms and leaning toward each other, singing to each other.
Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell,
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands,
And we sang
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And the voices rang like the angels sing,
We're singing
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And we danced on into the night,
And we danced on into the night
Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place,
You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces,
We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes,
No room left to move in between you and I,
We forgot where we were and we lost track of time,
And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night,
And we sang
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And the voices rang like the angels sing,
We're singing
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And we danced on into the night,
And we danced on into the night
And we danced on into the night,
The guitar solo started and Alice and I shook our heads back and forth as we held hands. It was easier for me with all of my hair. It kind of lost the effect for poor Alice, but you would never know it from the way she was grinning. Jasper, Edward, and Emmett were whistling at us, egging us on.
Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,
It was love from above, that could save me from hell,
She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,
How the devil himself could be pulled out of me,
There were drums in the air as she started to dance,
Every soul in the room keeping time with their hands,
And we sang
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And the voices rang like the angels sing,
We're singing
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
And we danced on into the night,
And we danced on into the night,
And the voices rang like the angels sing!
Ay oh ay oh,
Ay oh ay oh,
And we danced on into the night,
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
Ay oh ay oh
And we danced on into the night,
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
Ay oh ay oh
Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay
Ay oh ay oh
Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,
Ay oh ay oh
And we danced on into the night! ("Into the Night" – Santana & Kroeger)
The boys clapped and laughed as Alice and I bowed for them. Rose just nodded her head.
"They really like that song!" Emmett laughed, his booming voice filling the car.
"The glee and excitement were proof of that," Jasper chuckled.
Another song started…one of Rose's favorites. I shook my head, knowing Alice was probably going to force me to sing along.
"Oh, Bella!" Rose chuckled.
"Not today!" I sang. I barely felt comfortable singing this song with just the two of them. I was not going to sing it with Edward sitting right next to me.
"Alice," Rose called.
"Rose and I will handle sound effects, without you. You just need to sing the words with us," Alice instructed.
I nodded my head, giving in. Apparently, I was going to sing with Edward right there.
I sang along with my sisters:
Check it out
Going out
On the late night
Looking tight
Feeling nice
It's a cock fight
I can tell
I just know
That it's going down
Tonight
At the door we don't wait 'cause we know them
At the bar six shots just beginning
That's when dick head put his hands on me
But you see …
I'm not here for your entertainment
You don't really want to mess with me tonight
Just stop and take a second
I was fine before you walked into my life
Cause you know it's over
Before it began
Keep your drink just give me the money
It's just you and your hand tonight
I was lost in the song by this point and ended up continuing to sing, helping out with the sound effects. Alice and Rose had forced me to sing along enough times during Girl Time that I knew everything by heart. Our voices rang out in the Jeep.
Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh oh
Midnight
I'm drunk
I don't give a fuck
Wanna dance
By myself
Guess you're outta luck
Don't touch
Back up (Pink – "U Ur Hand")
Emmett started laughing so hard and loud that we stopped singing and just stared at him.
"What?" Rose demanded, turning down the radio.
"Edward's face!" Emmett laughed, pointing at my husband. "Priceless!"
Alice and I noticed Jasper was snickering away. We both turned to look at my husband. His mouth was hanging open, showing shock. Alice and I started laughing, falling against each other. Edward was hardly ever flustered.
"What's wrong with you?" I managed to get out between my giggles.
"I've just never heard you talk that way, much less sing that way," Edward said, pulling me back into his arms. "It took me by surprise."
"Maybe we better change the channel before we give Edward that heart-attack he's always going on about," Alice chuckled.
In a very un-Rose-like move, my sister changed the radio to an alternative station. Normally, she would have left it and tortured Edward longer.
"Cake!" Alice cried. "I love Cake!" She immediately started singing along.
You're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire
Did you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
I will survive
I will survive
Yeah, yeah (Cake – "I Will Survive")
I turned sideways in Edward's lap once again so that I could have my face against his neck. His scent was strongest there and I loved the calming effect it had on me. I kept my arms wound around his neck and my eyes closed, listening to Alice and Rose sing along with the radio.
Edward nudged my head with his chin.
I knew what he meant by that little gesture so I opened my mind to him. 'Yes?'
'Sorry. I hope I didn't embarrass you.'
'I'm fine. What about you? I've never seen you look so flustered.'
'Guess I haven't quite gotten used to just how sexy you really are.'
'Oh, please!' I shook my head slightly, drawing myself even closer to him.
'One of these days, you're going to realize just how captivating you are.'
'Maybe it's best if I don't know. It's probably safer for you that way.'
'Probably.' His chest shook with laughter.
"I can't wait to see where we're going!" Alice chirped.
I knew she must have been bouncing up and down because I could feel the vibrations coming off of Edward. I smiled, thinking of how crazy she must be driving Jasper at this moment.
"I can't wait for tonight!" Emmett said. "I've got the best ghost story to tell you, Bella!"
"Cool," I replied lazily. I was busy zoning out. I'd pay attention to my brother later.
"Since when do you say 'cool'?" Edward chuckled.
"Since I'm not really paying attention," I whispered.
"You're daydreaming aren't you?" he whispered back.
I nodded my head slightly.
"Good. You haven't done that since before we went to Forks. I like it when you daydream. It reminds me of how you used to sleep and I would watch over you."
"You mean listen to me."
"That, too," he chuckled. He started humming my lullaby and that was all it took to lull me into a tranquil state.
Thirty minutes later, Edward was rousing me from my very pleasant daydreams of our times together in our two meadows and our little cabin. I sat up and stretched, smiling at him.
Rose parked the Jeep and we all climbed out.
"Where are we?" Alice asked.
"Lizard Pond!" Emmett said, bouncing around.
"What made you guys pick this location?" Rose questioned.
"The location is perfect for our needs. This particular lake in the park isn't that popular. And the humans can only get here by hiking, minimizing our chances of them running across us," Edward explained.
"And with that nifty little talent of yours, we'll know if anyone's thinking of coming this way," Emmett said to my husband.
"So, what do we do now?" I asked.
"Ladies, you should go and enjoy the lake. We'll get the campsite set up," Jasper said, gently pushing Alice toward the water while Emmett started pulling things out of the back of his Jeep.
Alice giggled and grabbed my arm, pulling with me her. I captured Rose's arm, making her come along for the ride.
"This might turn out to be just as good as the trip to Canada when they apologized for Vegas," Rose remarked.
"I'm so excited!" Alice squealed, bouncing around.
"My first camping trip…This is a really good surprise," I mused.
"Enough chatting! Off with the clothing, ladies. It's time to model our bikini-clad bodies for our big, strong husbands. They'll need something spectacular to look at while setting up camp," Alice announced.
"Um…Alice...Wouldn't it be best to leave them alone so they set up camp correctly?" I asked.
"They've set up tents enough times to know what they're doing. If you want them to move at a human's pace, then by all means, let's stay in our clothes. But! If you want them in the water with us in the next few minutes, I suggest we give them a reason to make use of their vampire speed," Alice explained.
Rose and I looked at each other, both of us grinning wickedly.
"Now that I have you on my side –" Alice chuckled, "– I recommend we remove our clothing slowly, as if we don't really care one way or the other."
"You really are an evil pixie genius," I whispered.
Alice's tinkling laughter filled the air around us. "Thank you. I love getting that compliment! Rose, why don't you go first? Emmett's behavior will only encourage Edward and Jasper to move even faster."
Rose had the least amount of clothing to remove. She hadn't put anything on over her bikini top. She was facing the boys as she slid her feet out of her sandals. She grabbed the button of her shorts and pretended to have a bit of trouble.
"Oh, shoot," she muttered. "It's stuck."
Emmett's head immediately popped up at her words. When she 'freed' the button, she let out a little sigh of pleasure. Emmett choked a little at the sound she made. We heard Jasper pounding him on the back and asking if he was okay. Rose took her zipper between her fingers and slowly moved it down. The sound seemed extremely loud in the quiet space. I heard my brother gulp and tried not to laugh.
"What were you saying, Alice?" Rose asked, giving herself an excuse to turn away from Emmett.
She started to shimmy out of her shorts, bending over a little farther as her shorts got closer to her ankles. Emmett's sharp intake of breath was unmistakable. Rose smirked at me. She always enjoyed the reactions she got from Emmett. He made her feel like the most perfect, gorgeous woman in the world at those times…Just like right now.
We suddenly heard Emmett whispering furiously, but it was a little too low for us to really make it out. Rose and I turned to Alice, knowing she would see it even if we couldn't hear it.
"Emmett decided he wanted to use vampire speed to hurry up the process. Edward is arguing, though, wanting you to have as human of a camping experience as possible," Alice replied to our unasked question. "Human or vampire, we need to motivate these guys to get over here and pay some attention to us. I do believe it's my turn, ladies."
Alice started up with her tinkling laugh again. Rose and I exchanged a glance, wondering what was so funny. That's when we noticed Alice had gotten Jasper's attention. Rose and I smirked at the ease with which our sister could captivate her husband.
Alice was in a short, yellow sundress. She bent forward, pretending to work with the strap of her sandal. I was pretty sure my brother had an interesting view at the moment. Our sister moved onto her other sandal. She put a hand on my shoulder as she stepped out of her shoes. Once her feet were free, she twirled around, letting her dress fly out around her legs.
Rose and I looked at each other as we heard Jasper hiss. Alice pretended to be oblivious of her actions. She grabbed the bottom of her dress and teasingly lifted it, moving slowly, up her body and over her head. Jasper was certainly having trouble because his emotions were leaking out into the area. I heard Edward scold him and I chuckled. My husband was about to get the exact same treatment.
