To clear something up, it's been brought to my attention that in the earlier chapter about Esme, it sounds like I was saying Carlisle treated Esme's broken leg in 1905. To clear things up, I wrote that he moved to Columbus in 1905. In fact, he treated her in 1911 and then moved one month later to Chicago. Just wanted to clear that up.

-Wish

Chapter 17: Baseball

Rosalie brought home a brand-new, shiny aluminum bat a few days later.

"It should stand up even to Emmett," she said, as Emmett practiced a swing. Esme flinched as the bat whistled by a lamp, only inches away. "And I even got us a ball." Rosalie held up a white baseball with red stitching, fresh out of the packaging. Jasper took that from her, as excited as Emmett. Alice was right behind him, smiling as she normally did. Alice didn't seem to have another expression.

"And we're in luck because the next storm is this Friday! We can go after school!"

Alice and Jasper had enrolled in high school with the other kids. Alice pretended to be younger, in Edward's junior year, while Jasper enrolled with Rosalie and Emmett as a senior.

"You can predict the weather too?" Emmett asked.

Alice giggled. "The weather is easy. It doesn't change its mind at a moment's notice. Living beings are harder."

Emmett scowled, but he couldn't stay annoyed long. Vampires, Emmett especially, are easily distracted.

That weekend, as soon as the kids got out of school, the thunder clouds rolled in. Miles high and a deep, dark grey shade, these clouds promised a good storm before they even reached the Pocono area. Lightning flashed through the clouds as we set up the field. A normal baseball field wouldn't do. If we were going to play for real, we would need a larger diamond. I paced out an area about three times as big as a normal baseball field, marking the bases with a mound of dirt. The pitcher's mound would be in the center, as usual, and a catcher would crouch a little ways back from home plate. Any throw that wasn't hit would be a strike.

We split up into teams. Esme opted not to play, preferring to watch and perhaps even umpire, then play. I joined Edward and Jasper on one team, facing Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. We were in the field first. Edward was playing outfield, covering the entire section by himself. Jasper was playing in field and I was pitching. I threw a couple practice pitches to Jasper as we waited for the storm to close in. We could hear the thunder in the distance, but the humans may not be able to.

"Play ball!" Alice called from her position at catcher, behind home plate. Emmett was up first. Esme stood behind Alice, crouched over her like a real umpire.

Emmett stepped up, a smirk playing across his face. "All right old man, let's see what you've got."

I had something alright. I whipped out a fastball that to a human, would've been impossible to see. Emmett brought the bat around not even half a second too late and the ball clapped into Edward's waiting hands.

"How's that?" I retorted. "Too fast for you?" Emmett growled in his throat and I couldn't help a laugh. Emmett missed the next pitch too, but he managed to smash the third. The ball and Rosalie's bat collided with a thunderous BANG! It was immediately obvious why we had waited for the thunderstorm to play. I followed the ball's progress through the trees. It landed a split second before Edward grabbed it and shot it to Jasper, who waited at second. Jasper caught the ball, just after she and Emmett collided with the sound of two boulders ramming each other. I was once again thankful to Alice for making us wait until a thunderstorm.

"Safe," Esme called. Alice and Rosalie cheered from where they waited at home. Jasper grimaced as he threw the ball, growling at Emmett.

Rosalie was up next, batting right-handed. She hit the ball on the first pitch, but Jasper leapt up and snatched it out of the air, and Esme called her out. Then she and Alice switched places and Alice took her turn at bat, hitting a ground ball towards Jasper that sent Emmett home, but got herself out at second.

We changed fields and the game continued. Jasper was up first, batting left-handed. He played smart baseball and got himself on second. Then it was my turn. Alice was pitching for the other team. She'd already surprised Jasper once with her subtle pitching. She was like a snake, snapping out, suddenly and with lightning speed. She did the same for me, throwing a curve ball that I missed. Emmett guffawed from the infield. I took my stance again, ignoring him, and managed to hit a long ball that got through Rosalie's out-fielding. I brought Jasper home and got to third before the ball returned to Alice. That shut Emmett up.

We scored two more runs before changing fields again. The game stayed close, Emmett's team scoring some, and my team scoring some. Emmett kept up an almost constant stream of heckling that was answered by Edward and Jasper. I occasionally threw in an insult, but every time I did, Esme gave me a stern look, bringing me back in line. We played the regular nine innings. The game looked like it might go into overtime by the bottom of the ninth inning. We were down by two, but that would be made up easily. Jasper was on third, Edward was on second, and I was up to bat. I'd already gotten out once during the inning. This time I had to keep the ball low so as not to let Rosalie or Emmett catch it and get me out. We needed just one good hit to bring Jasper and Edward home and the game would be tied. Then it wouldn't matter if we got three outs, the game would go into overtime.

"Come on grandpa, let's see what you got!" Emmett shouted from his position between second and third. His jeering had a kernel of truth. I was old enough to be someone's many times great grandfather. I wasn't, because I had been changed before being married, but I was definitely not lacking in years.

I took my stance at the plate and waited for the briefest bit of motion that was Alice's pitch. There! I swung the bat around with all my strength, and missed. The ball slapped into Esme's hands behind me.

"Strike one," she murmured, throwing the ball back to Alice. Again I waited for Alice's pitch. There! I was just a fraction of a second earlier then last time, but it was enough. Rosalie's aluminum bat connected with the ball with a thunderous clap and the ball went sailing. Immediately I swore under my breath as I saw the ball was going high. It could be caught. But Rosalie had to find it first! The ball sailed high over the field and out of the clearing, into the trees. I took off at full speed towards first as Jasper and Edward sprinted home. All three of us heard the slight "thunk", and then soft "thump" as the ball hit the ground. Rosalie hadn't caught it. I was safe for now. Jasper ran home and scored and Edward was only a second behind him. I rounded second as I heard Rosalie racing back towards the field. She'd found the ball. Alice was following me as I ran around the diamond, ready to tag me out when her teammate returned with the ball.

I rounded third and put on a burst of speed as I saw Rosalie emerge from the trees. Emmett was waiting at home plate, calling for the ball. Rosalie threw and I dived towards home, arms outstretched to tag the base. Emmett and I collided with the loudest crash of the entire game.

"SAFE!" Esme declared. Emmett protested as Edward and Jasper helped me up. Unfortunately, the slide had just about destroyed my shirt, even the white undershirt I wore. The speed at which I was going caused the fabric to shred, revealing the skin of my chest.

"Next time wear a shirt I don't mind you destroying," Esme whispered in my ear, just loud enough for the two of us to hear. Emmett and Jasper were arguing the last call. Alice, Rosalie, and Edward stood to the side, clearly amused, but ready to jump in.

"You cheated!" Emmett thundered.

"It was a fair game! It's not our fault you got beat by an 'old man'," Jasper snarled. Alice giggled. Emmett growled and pounced, tackling Jasper. The two rolled head over heels, snarling like two animals. I leapt on top of them, trying to pull the two apart. Edward helped, pulling Jasper away. I put myself between Emmett and Jasper, a hand on both of them.

"If these are going to end in a fight we aren't going to play anymore," I threatened.

Emmett growled low in his throat as Jasper hissed, but neither of them moved. Alice and Rosalie led their men away in their own attempts to diffuse the argument. We returned to the house, the tension still present, but after a few hours, all was forgiven. Rosalie's bat had stood up to our pounding and the game had been a success. Already Jasper, Emmett, and Alice were making plans for another game.

Sorry it's taking me so long to update! I'm just really busy with schoolwork. It totally saps my creativity! Ugh! Anyway, I'm going to try and update every week from now on until I'm either done, or school is! Stick with me and review!

-Wish