A/N: Here it is, Chapter 32, the game! I hope you enjoy it and don't forget, Read, Review, and Pass it On!

-Wish

Chapter 32: The American Pastime

I hurried home after my shift, excited for the game. Since talking to Brett, I'd been waiting anxiously for the time to come when I could go home. I wasn't usually restless for the end of my shift like that. I tended to enjoy my work. The storm clouds that rolled in, tall, dark, and menacing, hadn't helped either. They looked ready to burst as I pulled into the garage. Rosalie and Emmett had gone, most likely because Bella had gone home again. Her smell still lingered around the house, but it wasn't strong like it'd been when she was there. Edward's Volvo was in the garage, so I assumed he was home again from dropping her off.

I hit the back door and my assumption was confirmed immediately. Edward met me at the door, tense. "The Quileutes are involved," he said. "Two of them were waiting for Charlie to get home. Billy and Jacob Black." He emphasized their last name as if I needed to be reminded of their connection to the Quileutes we ran into the last time we were on the Olympic Peninsula. We'd made the treaty with Ephraim Black and his pack of wolves.

"They were meddling," Edward continued. His voice was becoming gruffer, almost a growl. "They were going to warn Charlie. They wanted him to keep Bella away from me."

"Edward," I said firmly. I placed a hand on his shoulder. Calm down. What did you do?

"Bella dealt with them," Edward replied. He seemed proud. "She told them it wasn't their business."

"Then we'll trust that they'll heed Bella's wishes," I said simply.

"But—"

"Is Bella coming to the game?" I asked, cutting him off.

"Yes," He replied. "I'm about to go pick her up. I'll take Emmett's Jeep. She doesn't like running so much."

"Then it sounds like a good idea to take the Jeep." And make sure you check your car. Rose and Emmett were tweaking it earlier. I told them to stop, but I'm not sure if they fixed it.

"I'll check," Edward muttered low and quick. He grabbed his rain jacket from the hook near the door and Emmett's keys before exiting through the door I'd just come in.

"Esme, I'm home," I said. She heard me easily from upstairs and was in my arms in seconds.

"Everything okay at the hospital?" she asked.

"Fine," I replied. "How about here?"

"After Edward took Bella home it was chaos. By the way, you're on Alice's team."

"Good to know," I replied. She followed me upstairs to our room.

"Bella really is a lovely girl," Esme commented as I changed out of my work clothes into something a bit more appropriate for the game. It could get really rough and the kind of clothes I wore to the hospital just wouldn't hold up for very long. "Edward is very lucky."

"I'm not so sure it's luck," I admitted. "Almost ninety years, he hasn't found anyone special, until now. I'm beginning to think it was destined!"

Esme gasped mockingly. "Carlisle, the scientific, medical doctor, believing in…fate? I'm shocked!"

I scooped her up and hugged her close to my chest. She laughed her perfect, musical laugh as she wound her arms around my neck. "Three hundred and sixty-two years, I think I'm allowed to change a few of my views, huh?"

"Old man," Esme accused coyly.

I scoffed, acting indignant. "I'm insulted! I'm not an 'old man'!"

"Oh really?" Esme replied, giving me a captivated look.

"No. I'm an antique!" I gently set her feet on the floor but held onto her. "Besides, you're almost one hundred and four. And you call me old," I teased.

Esme gasped and slapped me on the shoulder. "Carlisle Cullen, if I wasn't in love with you I might have had to teach you a lesson!" She turned to go muttering, "Call me old."

I slipped around her quickly, closing the door silently with my back. Esme protested, but I only stared down into her topaz eyes, smiling. I didn't say a word.

"Fine," she sighed. "I forgive you."

"That's all I ask," I replied. I leaned down and kissed her before opening the door behind me. "Shall we?" I asked, offering her my arm. She giggled and took it and we descended the stairs to where the rest of our family waited, minus Edward.

"You two lovebirds finally ready?" Emmett asked. "Or should we come back in—"

"Let's go," I interrupted him.

He rolled his eyes and picked up the bag that waited by the door. It held a couple of aluminum bats, a few balls, and a set of bases. Emmett led the way out the door, followed by Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper, with Esme and I bringing up the rear. I locked the house door behind me. It wouldn't stop another vampire if they wanted to get in, but it might deter a human. Not that there was a lot of crime in Forks to begin with.

Emmett led the way around the back of the house. We never left towards the road when we were intending to run anywhere. There was too much risk of someone inadvertently seeing us from the highway.

We ran through the forest at our normal pace. It was exhilarating to let loose. Doing everything in slow motion was frustrating. Esme ran next to me, Rosalie in front of me. Alice had taken the lead from Emmett with Jasper. We darted through the trees and foliage easily, with agility and grace. Esme's feet looked like they barely brushed the forest floor with each step. Our destination was Rainer field again. There, we'd played football with Peter and Charlotte. It seemed like such a long time ago, even though it hadn't even been a week ago. It was odd feeling time as being long. It amused me that after living over three hundred years, but I was still capable of having a "long week".

We arrived at the field before Edward and Bella. Emmett dumped the bag next to an outcropping of rocks and surveyed the field. The mountains that rose up around it were dark against the coming weather. Alice opened the bag and took out a bat, ball, and the four bases. I took the bases from her and jogged out to the field. There were still marks from previous games of ours. Some of our slides left deep impressions in the ground. As I paced out the bases I tried to fill in some of the holes, but there were a lot. I was pacing out second base when I caught Bella's scent enter the field. I looked up to see her and Edward just walking out from the trees. I looked to the rocks where I'd left Emmett, Esme, and Rosalie. Esme had gotten up and was heading towards Bella and Edward. Rosalie had, simultaneously, begun heading in the opposite direction, away from Bella. She still held a grudge. Emmett looked torn between his wife and his desire to really meet Bella. In the end, Bella won out. He followed Esme towards the two figures at the tree line.

I placed third and counted paces back to home to make sure everything was even. It was perfect. I finished just as I heard Alice. "It's time," she announced just as the first bolt of lightning flashed over the town below and thunder rolled over the field, echoing off the mountains, towards town.

Alice and Emmett began to make their way out to the field. Jasper waited at home with Rosalie. He handed me the bat. Edward was just behind Alice and Emmett and eventually passed them. They all came to a halt at home plate. Looking around the impromptu circle we'd formed, I saw the same eagerness and excitement I felt echoed in each of their faces.

"Okay," Alice said. "Edward and Carlisle are on my team."

"And Rose and Jasper are on mine," Emmett added. He and Alice shook hands.

"Okay," I said. "Rose." I tossed the bat up and Rosalie's hand snapped out and caught it towards the bottom. I overlapped my hand over hers and she placed her other over mine. We went up until Rose's hand capped off the bat.

"We bat first," Emmett said.

"Fine," Alice said, tossing the ball up and down. "You better be ready for the heat big brother."

"Bring it on!" Emmett challenged.

Alice, Edward, and I jogged out into the field. Alice took up position at the pitcher's mound. Edward took the outfield. I situated myself roughly equidistant between first and second. Emmett stepped up first, swinging the bat around in a few practice swings. Bella and Esme had arrived, walking at Bella's human pace. Jasper had taken up a position as catcher.

"Alright," Esme called. "Batter up!"

Emmett took his stance at home, staring Alice down. Alice's pitching was deceptive. She didn't move a lot. She barely had a wind up, but she was an excellent pitcher. Bella watched from behind Jasper with Esme, her eyes never leaving Alice until the ball flew past Emmett, into Jasper's hands.

"Was that a strike?" she asked Esme.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," Esme replied.

Alice pitched again and this time Emmett connected with the ball. It soared up, over our heads towards the trees. I followed Emmett around the bases, ready to tag him out when Edward got the ball.

"Out!" Esme shouted. I looked back to see Edward running out from the trees, ball in hand.

"Emmett hits the hardest," Esme told Bella, "but Edward runs the fastest."

Rosalie was up next. She managed to hit the ball on the third try, another long ball for Edward to catch. Two outs with Jasper up to bat. He smashed the ball along the ground to keep Edward from catching it. I scooped up that ball and sprinted towards first to tag it before Jasper did. We were almost even and arrived at first with a resounding crash that caused Bella to jump, concern written across her face.

"Safe," Esme declared. Jasper's hand had brushed the base the split second before I'd collided with him. We'd ended up a few feet from the base, thanks to our combined momentums. I helped Jasper up and gave him a nod before throwing the ball back to Alice. Neither of us was hurt. The collision had been all noise.

Rosalie managed to score on one of Emmett's long balls before Edward was finally able to catch the third out. We switched fields.

"What do you think?" Edward asked Bella when it was our turn to bat.

"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through dull old Major League Baseball again," Bella replied.

"And it sounds like you did so much of that before." Edward laughed.

"I am a little disappointed," Bella said.

"Why?"

"Well, it would be nice if I could find just one thing you didn't do better than everyone else on the planet."

"I'm up," he told her. Edward grabbed the bat and strode to home. Edward smacked the ball low, finding the hole between Emmett's in-fielding and Rosalie in the outfield. He made it to second. Then it was my turn. I stepped up to the base as Jasper got the ball back from Emmett.

"Move it in!" Emmett called, gesturing as if he had a whole team behind him instead of just Rosalie.

I laughed and pointed with the bat right down the middle of the field. "Let's see what you've got," I called. Jasper wound up and threw a fastball right down the middle. I swung and connected firmly, hitting the ball right out of the field. I sprinted around the bases, meeting Edward at home. We were winning now. Alice gave us both a high five.

Alice got tagged out at first on a quick field play by Emmett and Rosalie caught both Edward's and my hits. We changed fields again.

Emmett and Jasper were each able to score a run, putting their team up again. As the game progressed, the trash talking started getting personal. Esme would occasionally call for order if things got out of hand.

"Try this on for size!" Alice shouted to Emmett. She sent him a tricky slider that was almost in the dirt by the time it got back to Jasper.

"C'mon shrimp!" Emmett growled. "Let's see a real pitch!"

Alice threw a fiery fastball that actually made Jasper flinch as he caught it, striking Emmett out.

"You're out 'monkey man'," Alice called; using a pet name Rosalie had given him. She gave him a little wave and a smile as Emmett stalked back behind the plate, muttering.