A/N: Not Stephanie Meyer! Took me a longer time than usual to update. I was a little sad by the lack of reviews on both of my stories, and just couldn't find the heart to write. I spent the last two weeks devouring the fan fictions of others, and discovered the beauty of "Twilighted" Yoy vey! Anywho, if you like it; please review. Den, I miss you; have fun on your trip.
Bella's POV
My heart was pumping pure alcohol through my veins; I had on two pairs of sunglasses, plus a pair of tinted work goggles my brother used when he did soldering. I walked out of the house at 10:30 just to make sure that I had enough time to sit in traffic, and pull to the side every sixty feet or so, to puke. The noise of the car starting scared the shit out of me, but once I disguised it with my beloved Cake CD's, I was feeling a little bit better. I couldn't turn it up as loud as I wanted, but I'd survive the trip.
If I survived this trip, Edward was driving us back. I found myself going 30 on a highway with a speed limit of 65, but the trees were moving way too fast as it was; I wasn't pushing my luck. I was pretty sure that I could've crawled there faster, but I couldn't very well carry Edward home on my back. I parked in the short term lot, and stumbled out of the car. Painfully slowly, I made my way over to baggage claim, and asked three people where his luggage would be. Why did it have to be, on the opposite side of the building, from nearest the bathroom? I suppose I could vomit into a plant if I had to...
I felt my insides churning, and I was stumbling towards the nearest foliage when I hit something hard. I hadn't seen a wall anywhere! I'd had a hell of a time seeing anything with all these sunglasses on, but they were necessary for survival. I vomited noisily into the pot, some splashing on the luggage of the person next to me. "Nice to see you too, Bella."
Oh. my. God. Please! Bury me.
I wiped my face with my sleeve, and my eyes rolled a little, as I fought the urge to pass out. I was going down; I guess this hangover shit comes in waves. The fact that I hadn't eaten a real meal in 36 hours didn't help matters. I felt my hair blowing, as I flew backwards, but then I caught whiff of expensive cologne, and felt his strong arms catch me. "I could've used you yesterday." I complained. "I finally stayed on the floor so that I couldn't fall anymore."
Laughing, he slung me over his shoulder, and carried his luggage in the other hand. People stared as we went through the airport; it looked like he was kidnapping me. It was safer this way, though, and if I kept my eyes closed, nose buried in his neck, I could suppress the urge to vomit. I told him where the car was parked, and he placed me in the seat. "Does your brother know you drove like this?"
I held onto my head to stop the car from spinning, "It wasn't so bad this morning. I was pretty good till I got here." I shrugged, and stared at my feet, fixing the floor mat below me. "Want me to drive?" He tried to hide his horrified expression, but I still saw perched upon his god-like face.
"No ma'am." He put the key in the ignition, and started the car. Cake blared through the speakers again, and he flashed me a smile that made my blood—alcohol flavored—run cold in my veins. "I have a better idea." He grinned devilishly as he reached into the back seat. He was digging through his duffel bag, and pulled out a CD case. "'Pepper' by the Butthole surfers is a great icebreaker." Popping it into the player, I grinned at him. They were my second favorite; topped only by Cake. "What brought on the drinking binge in the first place?" His brow furrowed, as if I were a puzzle to put together.
"I'm trying to figure out how to drop out of medical school without dying, being murdered, or being broke for the rest of my life." All of a sudden, my stomach ROLLED. "Pull over Edward!!" He checked the mirrors and changed lanes almost immediately. I threw open the door, and vomited a stream of putrescence, even before the car came to a full stop.
Of one thing, I was certain: This was the sexiest moment of my life. I bet he couldn't wait to jump in bed with me now.
His glorious figure waited patiently for me to complete my upheaval. "When was the last time you ate, Bella?"
"How long ago did you make me that egg?"
He seemed pretty upset at that, and insisted, "We're going to the nearest Chinese place, and ordering a ton of greasy food. Best hangover remedy ever. Trust me." He grinned, as if he knew what he were talking about.
He seemed to gloss over the whole 'dropping out of school' thing, and we spent the next 20 minutes in comfortable silence. I was able to shut my eyes, and relax with my head on the headrest. The wind blew through the open windows, Butthole surfers' 'Shame of Life', blasting as we traveled
"What would Emmett prefer, Bella?" He was dialing into his cellphone; Bluetooth already connected to his ear.
"We both usually get General Tso's Chicken. Vegetable Lo Mein, and an order of egg rolls." None of it sounded particularly attractive, but anything that would pull me out of this bleak, death ridden stance was well worth the effort.
He placed the order by phone, and finally he turned to me. "Why are you dropping out, Bella? You're so smart!"
How does he know how smart I am? He's only known me for a few hours! "I'm burnt out. I really need a break, badly. I was thinking about teaching in a school for a while, and going back to school part time."
"Hmm." He drove with his left hand on the wheel, his right resting on the gear shift. Stopping at a red light, he turned to me, "I would hate to see you leave school." He craned his neck to gaze at his feet, and I watched the blush creep up his cheeks.
You could cut the sexual tension with a knife... If I weren't so damn hungover, he'd probably charge me with assault, when I was through with him. Cake's "The Distance" playing softly as we traveled.
"Yeah, but I can't write, I can't think, I'm passing out left and right..." Trying to keep shit from spinning, I clutched my head. "I'm so far behind on my project that Dr. Marshall is ready to drop me! I have no hope of catching up, with my attention span being this way!" The tears threatened to spill; why was I pouring my problems out to this guy? Jesus, he's gonna think I'm such a loser!
"Sounds pretty burnt out to me!" He raised his eyebrows, and shrugged as he gripped both sides of the wheel a little tighter.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious..." I hissed at him, as he pulled into a parking lot housing a particularly shabby restaurant.
"I'll be right back, my lady." He winked as he closed the door behind him; his flip flops flapping as he walked.
"Emmett?" I rasped into the cellphone, hoping he'd answer when he heard my voice. "I made it to the airport. Edward's picking up Chinese, and I ordered General Tso's for you. We'll be home soon." As soon as I saw him leave the restaurant with a bag of food, I closed the phone, and opened the door for him.
"Thanks for getting lunch."
"Hey, no problem. Thanks for being so good to me these last couple of days. You guys are my first two friends!" He beamed at me as we pulled out of the lot. His smile made me weak in the knees. We were only ten minutes from my house, and he found it with minimal instructions from me. It's a good thing too; my vision hadn't solidified yet.
"Well, this is it!" I grinned, as he turned into our driveway. "Chez Swan!" I grabbed the bags, and opened my door, to let myself out. He was quite fast, and took the bags from me before I could even swing my leg out of the door. He most likely didn't want me to drop, or vomit into, thirty dollars of take-out.
"Your home is lovely." He grinned at me as we stepped on the porch. I automatically knew to avoid a certain weak spot on the deck, but didn't think to warn him. When I tell you that his foot went clean through the wood, I mean it. And the vibration from his sturdy body pushing through the deck caused a huge chunk of gutter to break loose from the roof. That fell onto Emmett's jeep with a thud, but thankfully didn't do any damage.
At this point, I was going to drop out of school and go down in history as the woman who died of embarrassment. All of the blood rushed to my face; I was so red, I was purple. Edward bounced a bit, to see how badly he was stuck, put down the bag of food, and pulled himself out.
He had to reach into the hole to fish out his flip flop. I tell you; I died. Upon seeing my blood engorged face he burst into a laugh so violent, and so loud, that it was contagious. Emmett opened the door, and saw what happened. After he checked his Jeep, he laughed too. The three of us sat there, on the porch, laughing and eating Chinese.
Edward got up on a ladder, and rehung our gutter, the right way. He even taught Emmett how to clean the path out, so that they'd work properly. Hell, he'd done more work on the house in one evening, than we had in our entire existence!
I went into the house to get two beers for the guys (I'd had enough alcohol to last me a lifetime—or 24 hours; whichever came first.), and I found that he followed me in. "Emmett and I are playing tomorrow; will you come?" I whirled around, horrified that he'd see my pink splashed kitchen.
"I always go." Shrugging off the wild, scary expression my eyes had formed. A nervous giggle escaped my lips. "Besides, I'm done with this crap anyway. No more papers, no more autopsies, none of it. I'm gonna be a nice normal science teacher." He snorted as he made his way closer to me. I backed towards the fridge, but he kept coming at me. Only inches separated us. Oh my God; he's going to kiss me! There was a big bullseye on my face, and he was headed straight for me.
He continued to lean closer to me, and his warm breath tickled my ear. "Don't be so quick to give up your dreams." His lips skimmed my jaw, and I creamed my panties. He grabbed the beer out of my hand as Emmett filed in behind him.
"Hey Em.," Real smooth, like nothing ever happened. "I got some paint left over at my place." I shot a glance at the floor to make sure there wasn't a puddle beneath me. "How about we paint this kitchen Sunday. The polka dots don't do it justice." They both glared at me, and we started laughing.
"And the cabinetry here is lovely, Bella." He turned the full force of my gaze upon me, making me go weak in the knees. "I could strip the white paint off of these, and refinish them." Frankly, the idea of this Adonis-like creature stripping anything, especially in my house, was enough to give me goosebumps. Checking the floor again, I was pleased that I hadn't made a mess of things, yet; the night is still young!
"How do you know so much?" I asked him as he leaned against the counter, directly beside me. My shoulders touched his side, and I felt a sharp zing of electricity. We both stared at each other in awe, probably wondering which one of us had rubbed our feet on the carpet.
Edward's POV
"I guess I never mentioned what brought me here in the first place, have I?" Emmett and Bella both shook their heads, and I settled in, closer to Bella, and began my tale.
"We watched Katrina hover closer to the Gulf Coast for days, in the comfort of our New York City penthouse. When it actually hit, and we were beginning to get feedback of the actual damage, my father and I decided to come here to help. I've served a few years in the Army Reserves, so natural disasters weren't strangers to me, and my father wanted to help the sick. We signed up as volunteers, and arrived just days later. The water line was so high; I'd never seen anything like it, Bella."
She was watching me with a fixed expression; this was my first time mentioning "The Storm of the Century" around anyone local, and I was wondering how I'd be received. "We waited in long lines to be processed, and were given masks, and special shots. They handed out uniforms and rations, and then sent us all out on boats. The first few days, I stayed with my father, and we searched the hospitals, evacuating the sick and treating the wounded." My fingers flowed through my hair; just one of my many nervous ticks.
"I decided to go on a different path, after that, and I helped pull people off the roofs of their houses. They stored the dead in sealed ice cream trucks, and coffins of the long deceased would just float past. It was surreal. Chills shoot down my spine just thinking about it; even the dead are not safe." I don't know what my expression told Emmett, but he handed me another beer, and I eagerly cracked it open. "It was almost worse when the water started going down. When the roofs of the single story houses were beginning to peek out of the water. We knew that if anyone were to be found in these, they would not be found alive. We were breaking into people's homes, invading their lives and their privacy, in order to make sure that no one was trapped. Oftentimes, we were too late."
I covered my face with my hands, and tried to resist the tears stinging my eyes. Emmett put his hand on my shoulder, and Bella reached out her arm to wrap it around my waist. "I'd never seen human beings in such condition. All bloated from days, or weeks, of lying in the water. No amount of military training could prepare you for that! There were animals everywhere, just floating. The worst were the ones that had been left cages, on the ground. The ones that never stood a chance; death was everywhere." I had to grip the counter tops to continue to stand; the burden of this story threatened to floor me.
"And later when I spoke to survivors, people who'd spent the last few days stranded in different places, I really got the chance to listen to what happened. I heard the terror in their voices as the relived the water rushing into their homes, having climbed up onto furniture, into attics, and chopping their way out of their roof with an axe. They described the sound of the wind and rushing water with total clarity, as if it had been burned into their brains forever. I listened to them tell me how they felt betrayed by the government. I listened, I learned, and before I knew it, I fell in love." Bella sniffled, and wiped her nose. Emmett just stared, wide eyed.
"You fell in love?" She asked me, her wide eyed innocence making me want to touch her. My hand reached out to touch her cheek, and was rewarded by her silky smooth skin.
"I did." Turning to face her, I brushed away a tear from her eye. The gesture was so sweet, and so innocent, that even Emmett smiled at it's perfect execution. "I was no longer simply volunteering; I was giving my love to a place that I knew would be my home. Against my father's wishes, I stayed behind to help rebuild houses, long after the water subsided, and people began to return. I was here for two more months, and I searched around Baton Rouge for neighborhoods. I selected a house, and went back home to get my finances settled. I bought that house, spent a few months fixing it up, and never looked back."
"So you fell in love with us?" She asked, and I had to think about it for a minute.
"Yes. I fell in love with you." Smiling, I let the pause hang poignantly in the air before I continued, "All of you." Emmett starting breathing again. "The resiliency of the residents, all saying that they would rebuild, and start over. This wasn't just a place to live; this was a place that people set down roots, built foundations, created a home."
I tossed my beer bottle in their recycling bin, as I made my way to the kitchen window. Emmett went out the side door, mumbling something about the laundry. We stood together, watching the sun sink itself into the horizon. The sky was colored by blues, oranges, and a dusky rose; it was nearly as lovely as she was. "It was really kind of you to give so much of your time, Edward." I blushed at her compliment. It's such a shame that she's Emmett's little sister. I'm missing out on so much.
"Thank you, Bella. It's getting late. I really should head home. How are you feeling?"
"I'm mostly back, thank you. You were right; the greasy food did work wonders. I'll be right out to take you; let me get my keys."
I laughed lightly as I tossed her keys to her. "I drove you here, remember?" I placed my hand on the small of her back, and guided her to the front exit; her bag already over my shoulder.
I opened the door for her, and helped her in. Her ankle didn't seem so tender today, much to my relief. The trip to my home seemed to take seconds; time flew by when we were together. "Thank you for the ride, Bella. Can I offer you my piano, this evening?" Won't you stay with me a little while longer?
"No, I really have to try to hammer out this work, Edward. I don't know if I can do it anymore, but I have to at least try." Her perfect lips pursed, and I wanted to cover them with my own.
"Good girl; I'm so proud of you. I'll see you at the game tomorrow." As I was stepping out of the vehicle, she called to me.
"Edward?" Her voice was so small and weak. My feisty kitten seemed almost helpless, and I wondered what caused the sudden change.
"Yes, ma cher." My attempt at French was pitiful, but she seemed to appreciate it. The smile she flashed me was well worth the effort.
"I'm sure the people fell in love with you too." She smiled, and her eyes sank to the floor. "They'd all be fools not to." She put the car into drive, and bid me good night, as she headed back to her own life; her own home. I found myself wishing that I could pry my way into her world; even if just for a moment.
*~*~*
It was just a pre-season game, but that didn't make it less exciting. We'd all spent the last several minutes getting sufficiently prepped, and pepped, and now it was time to take our places. Emmett slapped me a high five, and grabbed his catcher's gear, and I was ready to pitch my heart out—I hoped Bella could catch. I grabbed her gift, having given Emmett his t-shirt in the locker room, and we ran out on to the field.
Home games were always a sea of purple and gold. We were playing the Texas Longhorns today, and the big rival had an impressive turnout. Orange 'Steers and Queers', as Emmett called them, dotted throughout the stands. This would be a great game, with the bright blue sky, and with the mercury topping 80, it wasn't too hot to enjoy it.
I had called in on a favor, and had one of the kids working the ticket booth place her in a certain spot. She was sitting, right in front, where I could reach her. Against protocol, I left the team behind, and jogged up to her with the baby blue bag in my hand. Everyone around her clapped and cheered, her face showing up on the Field Screen; this would be in the paper tomorrow. I grinned my sexiest grin, and she flushed, embarrassed by the extra attention. She covered her face with her hands, but I reached up to pull them away with my own.
"Don't be like that, Charmer. This is for you!" I'd had this gift specially made for her. She opened the bag, and pulled out the New York Yankees baseball cap. She grinned, and placed it on her head. She grabbed my hand, and held it for a moment, before I turned to take my place on field.
I was halfway to the mound when I heard her yell, "Thank you!"
Turning, I gave her one of my award winning winks, and a hearty salute. Her lips had dropped apart, when she had first seen me run towards her. Co-eds can't resist a man in uniform, even if it is just for a baseball team. I wore my favorite pair of uniform pants; they made my thighs look like tree trunks. Emmett called me 'Studward' this morning, as I tried on pair after white pair.
Briefly, I wondered how she'd react to me in my military digs. My father had been pushing for me to pull out 'the big guns', as he called it. Carlilse had been quite the ladies man in his day, and he said that those brass buttons could pave the way to all sorts of adventures. He'd served for over fifteen years, in over seventy countries, and that equated to a lot of women. The thought of my father, and his feminine misadventures frightened me, especially as that was how he met my mother.
In class this morning, I purposely sat right next to the door she always enters from. I dropped a book so that she wouldn't blow right past me. When she saw me there, she dropped her books, and looked as if she were ready to run. Despite all the stares I'd bored into her head, and all the paper balls I'd flicked in her direction (and all the sniggers from my classmates, because of it), today was the first day she realized that I was here. Finally, she sat next to me; I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Things are lookin' up, Eddie ol' boy!
I had discovered that she was fluent in American Sign Language, and I signed 'You're welcome. Always.', from the pitcher's mound. Our entire exchange had been up on the Field Screen. I felt that unsinkable crooked smile appear as I thought about how big this article would be. A surge of women cheered, and I knew the camera was still on me. I pointed to her, and touched my hand to my heart. Oh, what a story this will be...
I hoped I was close enough to hear her scream when she saw the rest of it. It was the periphery of the cap that truly made it hers. On the right, there was an LSU logo emblazoned on it. The left had both of our nicknames, and on the back was 'CULLEN' and a 10, in the largest font possible. It was another Neolithic instinct; me trying to subtly mark my territory. The tiny thing she was sitting next to must have been Alice; I would have to wait until the game was finished to find out for sure.
I pulled my purple cap lower over my brow, and looked ahead, waiting for Emmett's sign. He crouched, one finger flashed. Fastball.
Reading the signal, I wound up for one hell of a pitch, one hell of a game, for one hell of a crowd. That ball shot out of my hand, and tore towards the unsuspecting 'Steer'. He swung too late.
"Strike!"
I rubbed my thumb across my cap, and wound, and he responded with two fingers, and tapping his left thigh Curve Ball Away.
"Strike!" The crowd went wild, as I waited for the batter to reposition himself; he flashed me an angry glare. Emmett signaled three fingers, and then covertly shot me the bird; his catching glove higher in the air than before. Change Up High, fucker. I could almost see him grinning beneath his mask. The infielders were chuckling as I released the final ball, and heard the familiar crack as leather made contact with wood.
Our friendly 'Longhorn' made it to second, but with Tyler back there, he'd be stupid if he stole.
I grinned over at Emmett as I adjusted my hat, and scratched my neck. My way of flipping him off was much more covert, but I noticed as he held up one finger, and then wiggle his others; his middle was the most prominent. Fastball Away. Another hit, but Tyler caught it, and got the first guy out as well. They both stalked off the field, and I wound up for yet another round.
As long as my arm would hold; I was like a freight train. My pitches could reach speeds exceeding 98 mph, and I had earned a rather vulgar nickname because of it. I hoped none of them used that around ladies, Bella, especially. No need for her to think I was fast at anything. 'Fast Eddie', indeed.
I'd read that people in LSU had been particularly invested in their sports teams. LSU was known as a party-college (third in the nation, in fact), and I'd begun to experience that first hand. My neighbors hadn't shut up in nights, and I was pretty sure that I was going to march over there, hose in hand, and spray their big sub-woofers with a garden hose, if they didn't cut the crap. The drug loving female of the house, continually made sexual remarks to me when I did things as mundane as wash my car, cut my grass, or even take out the garbage. I'd never considered myself to be 'high society', or 'highfalutin', as Bella put it, but these people made me reevaluate my stance.
Occasionally, I fought the urge to take the sports section of my paper to their lawn, and crap right in front of their begonias. Childlike, but true.
We were wiping the floor with the opposition when the seventh inning stretch came around. We could let Emmett play the outfield and still win. I got myself a drink, and half listened to whatever instructions the managers were giving. Coach said a few words, and I turned to notice Emmett stiffen. Following his gaze, past the games going on in the background, I saw two guys sitting next to Bella. One, I recognized as Newton, who'll be missing genitalia any day now, and the other was larger than both Emmett and myself—put together.
"Who's the big dark one?" I asked.
"They're on the football team. One's that little shit, Newton. They mostly use him as the ball, but the big one's name is Jacob. Jacob Black. They're both crazy about her, and no matter how hard I try, I can't keep them away from her."
"I wonder if they noticed the hat..." We both cringed, and Emmett had to hold me back, as Mike snatched the cap off of Bella's head. I needn't have worried; she punched him in his face, hard! Once, twice, three times, as his feet flew over his face, and he crashed into the bleachers—six feet from where he originally stood. That last one had been a doozey, and I made a mental note to check her knuckles post game. She knelt down, retrieved her cap, and gazed at the rest of it. Her eyes rested on it for quite some time, until Alice stood to see what the fuss was about. Emmett and I both watched her lovely face turn, ever so slowly, in our direction.
Her eyes met mine, just as I heard Coach yell, "Right, ladies, let's win this!" Whistles blew, music began, and I knew it was time to retake our positions on field. I vowed that every game I won would be in her name. Every breath I took already was. It was only a matter of time till she figured out the same truth for herself.
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