a/n Just a heads up, friends, I'm going to be moving toward the end of the month, so if I drop off the face of the planet for a while, I'll be back.

Enjoy part 1 of date night! Then after, think about reviewing...

CHAPTER 4—STUNNING

The date with Tanya turned out to be easier to set up than Mike had anticipated. Friday after work, Mike had headed home to find Jessica cleaning and getting things ready for her friends to come over. She'd made it clear that he was to be nowhere near the living room while they were there, and he'd bitten his tongue to stop from saying that it was his damn house, and he'd sit wherever the hell he wanted.

Instead, he'd given her an easy lie—he wasn't going to be home tonight, as he was going to Seattle to hang with Tyler and some of his friends. She'd commented that he looked nice when he left at six, two hours early, but needing to leave so it really looked like he was going to Seattle.

Deciding he needed to kill some time, he drove around for a while, ran a few errands. He even went to the Safeway to pick up condoms, just in case. He had told Jessica that he might not be back tonight. Still, he wasn't sure if he'd be ready to sleep with Tanya after just one date.

And he was already certain this wasn't going to be a one time thing.

Wednesday afternoon, when the store was slow, she'd stopped in to visit. It was a rare sunny afternoon, and when someone pulled up on a motorcycle, he hadn't thought too much about it. Then she'd walked into the store, helmet under her arm, and his heart had almost stopped. She was dressed in leather from head to toe—black leather pants, black leather boots with buckles, black leather jacket. The only non-leather he could spot was the tiny white t-shirt she wore under the jacket. She smiled at him as she pulled off her gloves and set her helmet on the counter.

"You don't have my cell number," she said bluntly, smiling up at him as she leaned on her arms.

"No, I don't." He set down the box of fishing tackle he was holding and stepped to stand in front of her. "But you have mine. Didn't feel like picking up the phone?"

"Oh, I was bored," she said, her eyes drilling into his. "Felt like taking the bike for a spin. It's a nice day."

"Yeah," he said. "Your bike, or theirs?"

"Theirs," she said, laughing. "I live in Alaska. Really horrible place for motorcycles most of the year."

Alaska. Damn. "Well, lucky me," he said, grinning. "I'm not gonna lie—that outfit's hot as hell."

She laughed at his brazenness, and there was a little nervousness in the sound. "Thanks," she said. "So anyway, I can't stay—I just wanted to give you this." She slid a piece of paper across the counter, and he unfolded it to find a phone number and her name.

"It's not fake, is it?" He didn't think she'd do that, but it had happened before to friends of his with super hot chicks. "I mean, I don't think my poor heart can take it if you gave me a fake number." He put a hand over his heart and pretended to be in pain for a moment.

"No," she said, and she laughed again. It was such a beautiful sound. "I promise. Otherwise, how will I ever find a camping buddy?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Online?"

The fact that he'd answered seemed to throw her, and her mouth hung open a little. "Uh, yeah." She gestured toward the door. "I'm going to, uh… I'm just gonna go, so I'll see you Friday?"

"Sure thing," he said. He couldn't resist one more little jab at her. "That accent of yours is a lot stronger when you're flustered, you know?"

Her only response was to put her helmet and gloves on and walk out the front door. He threw his head back and laughed hysterically, still not quite able to believe that he'd just done that. It felt unreal.

And yet now, he didn't have the balls to show up a little early. But still, at this point, he had nothing to lose. She lived in Alaska. What was the worst she could do, go home?

His fingers paused as they dialed, and the thought sunk a little deeper. If this worked out, what would he do with she did go home? Long distance? Try to open a store in Alaska? Actually, that wasn't a half bad idea…

He pushed send and waited anxiously. At this point, he was 45 minutes early…

"Hello?" Tanya's musical voice answered.

"Hey, Tanya, it's Mike Newton," he said, trying again to sound braver than he felt. It was getting easier, and she really seemed to go for it. Something about her made him feel just brave enough…

"Oh, hey, Mike!" She sounded a little surprised, but not by much. "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just bored," he said, laughing. "Thought I'd see if you want to head out a little early, maybe go for a little walk around the boardwalk before it gets pitch black."

"Hold on." He heard her cover the speaker and say softly, "Am I all done?"

"Yep." There was another woman with her. Great. Probably some friend she had around for support—he didn't recognize the voice. "You're gorgeous!"

Jesus, gorgeous? How much hotter could she get?

"Hey, Mike?"

"Yeah, I'm still here." He blinked a little as he turned onto the road that would lead him out to the Cullen's house.

"I'm ready whenever!"

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes."

A few very anxious minutes later, Mike came through the woods to the big white house. There were no cars in the driveway, so he assumed everyone was in for the night. Perfect. The last thing he wanted to see right now was Edward Cullen's handsome face right before he took his superhot cousin on a date.

When the door opened, though, it was not Edward, or even Bella, who greeted him. It was a girl, maybe around twelve or thirteen years old, with coppery hair and dark brown eyes. She looked inquisitively up at him. "Are you Mike Newton?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah." Unsettling. She was really familiar, but he was sure he'd never seen her before.

The girl grinned lopsidedly. "I know you. You went to high school with my aunt and uncle."

"Huh?" Her aunt and uncle…

"Bella and Edward Cullen," she said, by way of explanation.

"Oh," he said slowly. So that's why she was familiar. She looked like a mini, female version of Edward. Same hair, same skin tone and complexion, same grin. He smiled at her, and told her as much.

She laughed. "People say that all the time," she said. "They think we're brother and sister sometimes, because I'm so mature already."

"Ah." Yes, definitely a teenager. "So how old were you when they adopted you?" he asked.

"I was eight," she said, scrunching her nose, "but I was a really tiny kid. I just shot up, like, two feet in the last year!"

"Cool," Mike said, nodding. "They around?"

"No," she said, grimacing. "He took her out to hear the Seattle symphony and then they were going to dinner."

Great. Even not around, the smug bastard still managed to show him up.

Then he heard her voice from the top of the stairs.

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"Oh, my God, he's on his way, you have to get out!" Tanya shrieked, running down the stairs.

She looked like a hellion, huge curlers in her hair, waving a hairbrush, and eyes flashing like gold chrome. She could tell by the look of shock Bella gave her that this was as unexpected as it was comically frightening.

"Okay," Bella said slowly, and she put down her catalogue. "I'll be at the house with Edward."

"Have fun," Tanya said, waving her hands. "Now, go! He's had plenty of time to set a mood over there, you need to get hopping!"

Bella laughed. "You mean, get out of your way so you can raise hell?"

"Go!"

Renesmee came barreling around the corner just then, and pounced on her back. "Don't move," she growled, and as quick as a flash of lighting, she removed the curlers and tousled Tanya's hair.

It was still curly.

"What the hell did that do?"

"Separate and soften," Renesmee said, grinning. "Less tight curls, more loose."

"I look like a nut."

"No, Tanya," Bella said slowly, surveying her formal rival up and down. "You look really hot."

She wore a purple dress with black pumps, which was probably way overdressed, but at the moment, she couldn't really care. Light makeup brought her features down a notch, making her look a little more human. Her lips wore nothing, naturally pink and plumped. She knew she looked good.

But did she look good enough?

Bella winked, and was out the door a second later.

Three minutes and forty-seven seconds later, she heard his car pull into the driveway.

Renesmee had stayed behind to act as a buffer, to answer the door for her and to allow her the grand entrance her self esteem needed so desperately. When Mike's door closed, Renesmee positioned herself at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm so excited," she whispered, just loud enough for Tanya's sensitive ears. "I finally get to meet the Mike Newton!"

The Mike Newton, she thought, with a surprising stab of jealousy. The same guy that used to have the hots for Bella. Strange, how something so inconsequential could make her feel so strongly. Unnecessary.

The doorbell rang, and Renesmee hopped over to answer it. She heard their something this and that, blah blah, you knew so and so, small town small talk, while she checked her outfit one last time. She plumped her breasts up a little, put on a confident smile, and turned on her stiletto heal and headed out the door and down the hall.

Mike's face was priceless. It was a cross between a kid in a candy store, the guy who'd just won the lottery, and a hopelessly adorable puppy dog. Her heart melted a little, in a strange way, and she felt her smile widen.

He looked wonderful. Clearly, he was a man who knew how to dress himself. He wore a blue button-down dress shirt, tucked in, over a white t-shirt. His jeans were crisp, clean, dark blue, and he wore them with a pair of stylish black dress shoes. His hair, which he seemed to only wear combed down for work, was a little messy, looking like he hadn't paid it much heed after a long day at work, lifting boxes and sweating off the hair gel.

His scent reached her nostrils as she made her way down and made her gasp a little. It was like a clear mountain stream in a pine forest, mixed with a musky scent that was as subtle as it was seductive. His blue eyes twinkled like a dark, freshwater lake with appreciation for her appearance, and his hands were clasped firmly behind his back, and not in his pockets. He stood straight and tall, but she could feel the nervous vibrations emanating from him.

Why would he be nervous? She should be nervous. This dress hugged her all wrong, showed off everything in the wrong way—

"Wow." He shook his head a little, and smiled at her. "You look absolutely stunning."

Stunning. He'd called her stunning. Not pretty, sexy, hot, nice, or beautiful, but stunning. A mix of all of those, with some feeling behind it.

Oh, he was too damn cute.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said, forcing herself not to bend and turn into the bashful teenager she felt around him. "That's a very nice color with your eyes." She sauntered down the stairs and stopped a step in front of him. "It's quite…" She paused, searching for the right word, then gave him her most devilish, succubus grin. "Stunning."

Any other man would have melted, tried to seduce on sight. Kiss her, woo her, rip off her clothes and take her.

Mike cocked an eyebrow and said, "Interesting word choice, Russia."

Before she could even stutter a response, he'd taken her by the hand, said goodbye to Renesmee, who by now Tanya had completely forgotten about, and pulled her out the door.

Once out at the car, he was the perfect gentleman, opening her door and helping her into the car so that she wouldn't muss her dress or hair. He held her hand tightly, not commenting on the temperature. Gently, he closed the door to the Mustang before jogging around to the other side and getting behind the driver's seat. "All set?" he asked, and he looked like a teenager.

She giggled, feeling like he looked. "Let's do it," she said, beaming.

He pulled the car out and started back down the long drive, frowning slightly. "I never understood this driveway," he said. "I mean, I'm cool with wanting privacy, especially when you live in a glass house, but this is a long ass drive."

Tanya smiled. "You can admit it, my family is strange. I know."

Mike laughed, and the sound caressed her ears. "They're not so bad," he said dismissively. "Mine are nuts."

"I think most people feel that way about their families at one time or another," she said, grinning at him. She needed to change the subject. "So where did you go to school?" she asked. "Bella mentioned something about you going off to school."

"California," he said. "Cal State in Fresno. Majored in business administration and management." He grinned. "Would have had a better GPA, but Yosemite was really close and we'd go hiking on the weekends."

Something about the way his face was set made her feel like he was holding something back, something he didn't want to tell her. Whatever. It probably wasn't anything too terribly important, anyway.

"So what about you?" he asked. "You know more about me than I know about you, I bet."

"Like the time you puked in the back of Jake's car?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Somebody's gonna die," he said, in a voice that was teasingly menacing. "Who told you?"

"When I said what I was up to, Jake said to make sure you're healthy." She shrugged and grinned mischievously. "I was curious. Maybe a little nosy."

"Don't try to change the subject," Mike said, laughing. "That's what I mean—you know more about me than I do about you. So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm in real estate." It was her automatic response when someone asked her, and she'd gone over a good back story with Edward and Bella earlier in the week for when this question came up.

"People buy real estate in Alaska?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Where you're on the lake, and there's a beautiful forest behind you and huge properties that can stretch for miles? People buy real estate in Alaska. I also manage all the family properties." She gestured behind them. "That house is one of three they have, and I keep an eye on all of them. If they decided to sell, I'd be the one doing it."

Mike nodded. "That's nice of you," he said.

Tanya shrugged, continuing to flesh out her "story." "Carlisle's family," she said, smiling.

"How are you two related, anyway?" Mike asked.

"Our fathers were brothers," she said. "His mother died giving birth to him. My uncle died when I was very little, and Carlisle stayed with us for a time until he was old enough to take care of himself. It's why they adopted all the kids. Edward was a cousin of Carlisle's mom, and when his parents died, he had nowhere to go. Carlisle had just started school, but he's got such a good heart, he had to take him. He met Esme a short time later, and they got married right before our cousins disappeared. Their kids didn't have anywhere to go, so they figured, what the hell, and took in Alice and Emmett." Jesus, what a mouthful. Mike seemed intrigued, though, so she continued. "A few months later, her brother, who was a widower already, died of cancer, and his kids had nowhere to go, so they got the twins. And that's how, at twenty six, Carlisle wound up raising five kids under the age of thirteen."

"Shit," Mike said, giving a low whistle, "and I thought the worst thing I'd have to worry about at twenty three was dead ending and working for my parents forever. I don't think I could do that."

"I couldn't either," Tanya said, laughing. "I remember being a teenager and thinking he had absolutely lost his mind. It was like the Brady bunch gone bad, or something—five kids running around in their big house in Juneau, growth spurts, awkward sex talks, the dangers of extreme outdoor sports…" She shook her head, amused, imaging what life really would have been like if it was like the story they told. Hell, obviously.

Mike burst out laughing. "Yeah, it used to weird people out that they lived together and were 'together,'" he said, letting go of the wheel to make air quotes.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked abruptly, having been turning over his last statement in her head.

"You just did."

"Ha, ha." She laughed, regardless. "Why is working for your parents 'dead ending?'"

Mike shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just had bigger plans for my life. I wanted to live life in the fast lane, and now, I'm working for benefits and a paycheck while I watch it all happen from the sidelines." He frowned. "My friend Tyler has a great life. Money, nice place, job he actually likes. He's not stuck in some Podunk small town with people that haven't ever changed their minds about anything. I mean, I've been trying to talk the folks into opening another store, with me as the manager, and they're just now starting to think about it."

"Where would the new store be?"

"No idea," he said, "but if they open a new store, I'm out of here. This town is toxic."

"'Toxic?'"

"It's like a roach motel for people. They check in, but they don't check out. They stay here forever."

For some reason, the idea of classifying people as roaches and Forks at a roach motel was hysterical to Tanya, and she spent the next two minutes rolling in her seat, laughing hysterically. Mike laughed, too, and when she started to calm down, he said quietly, "Cockroaches."

The laughter started again, and continued all the way into Port Angeles.

a/n I know you people are reading this, because I'm keeping tabs on hits. Reviews make me super happy! Tell me if you like it, hate it, or are curious what's going to happen next...