Un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Bella

"Since when do vampires like baseball?" I quirked a brow as we stood outside in the middle of nowhere, a large open field giving me the inclination that was where they were going to play.

"Well, it's the American pastime," I smiled when I was now the proud wearer of his baseball cap. I hoped he didn't think he was getting it back, because that was so not happening any time soon, if ever. "And there's a thunderstorm coming." He grinned.

I smiled as he readjusted his – no my - cap.

"It's the only time we can play," he winked. "You'll see why."

It wasn't long until the rest of the Cullen's arrived, Edward's fingers releasing where he had been playing with the loose strands of my hair while staring at me just as intently as I was him.

Would it always been this…intense?

I hoped so.

"Oh," I jumped when I was suddenly in someone else's arms altogether.

Looking around I saw Esme linking her arm through mine, smiling in excitement that I couldn't help but mirror.

"Glad you're here. We need an umpire-"

"She thinks we cheat" Emmett suddenly appeared behind me causing me to yelp. He laughed cheerfully, Edward by my side in the next second as he playfully shoved him away much to everyone's amusement.

Esme looked Emmett up and down. "I know you cheat," she rolled her eyes.

She soon had me positioned close enough that I could watch the game but at a safe enough distance that even if there was a stray ball it wouldn't be smacking me in the face, hopefully anyway.

"Call them as you see them, Bella" she smiled.

I nodded. "Okay," I could do that.

It didn't take long for everyone to get in position, my gaze drifting up to the sky as a flash of lightening appeared. I knew the thunder wasn't far off, and by everyone's expressions it was clear they excited and impatient to get going.

"It's time," Alice grinned.

Reflexively my eyes drifted to Edward, my gaze raking over his baseball uniform and I smiled at the fact the family clearly went all out. While rain and wind was a regular occurrence, I got the feeling that thunder and lightning were something they looked forward to, just so they could take advantage of the bad weather.

Not to mention he have smoking hot a whole new meaning.

He was beyond gorgeous.

Rosaline was first to bat, Alice throwing and I watched eagerly to find out why Edward had told me they could only play when there was a thunderstorm.

I found out as soon as the ball cracked against the bat.

"Okay," I laughed. "Now I see why you need the thunder."

To say the sound the ball made when it hit the bat and the impact after it was far from quiet, making me wonder whether there was actually any thunder or if it was solely the harsh sound that was giving everyone the impression that there was.

It was fascinating to watch.

The next thing I knew Edward had disappeared into the forest after the wall, the sheer speed of it making me relieved to have Esme by my side. I was confident that if there was a stray ball I would get pulled out the way in time.

There was no way he would get it in time.

"That's gotta be a home run, right?" I refused to take my eyes off where Edward had disappeared to while Rosaline flashed around the overly marked baseball field.

Esme smirked. "Edward's very fast."

It was the amusement in her tone which had me stumped, that being until the ball came flying through the air before Esme neatly caught it and had Rosaline out of the game as soon as the ball touched the pad.

It was extremely satisfying to tell her she was out.

"Out!" Emmet whooped, only to get the stink eye from his girl. "Babe, come on. It's just a game."

Being on the receiving end of Rose's death glare, however, made me wish Edward was by my side. As soon as that thought passed my mind he seemed to appear next to me, silently telling Rosaline to back the fuck off causing her to huff before storming over to Emmett.

I vaguely heard Carlisle murmur "nice kitty" to her making me smile, but otherwise my attention was still firmly on Edward.

The fact the game seemed to bring out both his competitive side and use of his clearly impressive talents had me…well, it had me a little hot under the collar.

Was this what Esme was so amused about before?

She knew what my reason would be?

By Edward's piecing gaze and curled lips I had a feeling I was the only one who didn't know what his competitive side would do to me.

Fuck.

It was beyond hot.

Carlisle was up next, pulling the bat back with a determined expression and I didn't doubt that it was also a vampire trait. I made the mental reminder to ask Edward about it later, not wanting to disrupt the game.

With a peak on my cheek Edward was back on the field, shooting me a wink.

Carlisle's hit was impressive – fuck, they were all impressive – and I watched eagerly as both mine and Rosaline's man went for the ball.

"Jesus," I jumped when they both crashed into each other, the resounding bang hitting the hair causing me to gasp.

This gave a whole other meaning to the sport baseball that was for sure.

Jasper was next, the force he used making my eyes widen even if Emmett caught it with what seemed like pure ease. I ignored Rosaline's comment about her man, my attention still firmly fixated on Edward as he grinned on the field.

That was until Alice seemed to freeze, her shout of "stop" having Jasper instantly by her side and Edward's tilting his head in the direction he was looking. He froze, eyes narrowed in concentration before his lips formed into a curse which told me just how serious it was.

…Because Edward didn't curse.

"They were leaving. Then they heard us."

Who?

Who heard them?

To be honest they were all worrying me. Just what was going on? What did they have to be worried about?

Edward in the next second had his arm wrapped protectively around me, his expression tight and I could see anger burning in his unforgettable eyes.

"Let's go," he gritted out.

Carlisle stepped forward, stopping him. "It's too late."

"Get your hair down," Edward cupped my cheeks. "Fuck,"

I had a feeling his cursing would have be hot had it been for a different situation.

"Like that'll help," Rosaline sneered. "I can smell her from across the field," she spat.

Bitch.

Letting go of my cheeks Edward pushed me firmly behind him, his hand on my lower back as he kept my chest pressed against his back, as if he needed the constant reminder that I was there, that I was safe.

What the fuck was going on?

I found out as soon as three figures appeared through the fog, my back stiffening as I tried desperately to control the furious beating of my heart.

The rest of the Cullen's were standing in front of us, clearly trying to draw as little attention to me as possible, what with considering they were so obviously vampires that wasn't even up for question. While I wasn't physically attracted to them, they were far too flawless to be human and the way they seemed to glide across the field was not natural in the slightest.

And to think I had thought dealing with Rosaline would have been the worst part of the evening.

What an understatement that had been.

So I took Edward's silent command for me to stay put behind him, reaching up to curl my fingers in his striped uniform shirt to try and stop myself from shaking.

I had only just found Edward, I didn't want to lose him or have him hurt, and certainly not because of me.

I didn't know if I would be able to live with myself if he did.

"I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm so sorry," he murmured, just loud enough for my human hearing to pick up on.

I pressed my face against his back. "I don't regret that you did, and neither should you" I told her.

"We shall see," I heard him whisper. "Just be quiet and stand behind me."

I wasn't about to argue.

Even from behind the Cullen's I could see the three vampires approaching, each with blood red eyes making me believe they didn't follow the same diet as the Cullen's did.

The dark skinned vampire in front I guess to be the leader, the two following being mated, but it was just as guess. I wasn't caught up completely on everything related to vampires, but it was clear it was how the dynamics of the trio worked.

I think.

While the dark skinned bloke was practically bare chested and had a head full of dreadlocks it didn't take away from the fact his eyes were the amber gold I had become used to. The female had the similar pale skin, but a head full of bright red hair which looked as if it was on fire.

The other bloke however, the blonde with his long hair pulled back into a pony-tailed screamed a whole other side of dangerous.

I shuddered, pressing myself closer to my protector by instinct.

I held my breath as Carlisle spoke to the three of them, their names apparently James, Victoria and the leader, Laurent.

Just the sound of his voice made my blood run cold.

I barely stifled my breath of relief when they made a move to leave. Well, that was until an gush to wind seemed to catch my loose hair.

It was clear the exact moment all three of them caught my scent, all of the Cullen's stiffening and Edward's pressure on my back increasing slightly.

Fuck.

We were so busted.

"Ah," James purred. It was clear his previous intention to leave had been thrown out the window, his eyes running up and down my form in a way which made me feel violated. I was relieved when Edward pushed me further behind me. "You brought a snack."

I jumped when Edward snapped loudly at the male who had spoken, snarling through gritted teeth. If the rest of the Cullen's startled looks were anything to go by, they had never seen this side of Edward before either.

James lips twitched.

"You even think about it, and I'll dismember you quicker than even you can blink!" Edward snarled.

He smirked. "You don't have it in you,"

At that Edward seemed to stand upright, coming out of the crouch he had lowered himself into the moment he began to snarl. His whole demeanour seemed to change into something I didn't recognise, something so animalistic that I had to resist the urge to gasp in surprise.

It wasn't like I wanted to draw even more attention to myself.

"You follow through with what you have planned, James" Edward sneered at him. "Then I will not rest until I burn you to the ground!"

"And how do you know what I'm thinking, mm?" he taunted.

The laugh that came out of Edward caused me to shiver, and not in delight. It sounded cold, clinical and something I hadn't thought he was capable of.

Edward's lips curled into a harsh snarl. "Just how I know that your mate loathes how you play with humans, thinks of it as…distasteful, disrespectful towards her. The fact they are all young girls who have no interest in you, even with our unnatural beauty, is laughable."

What was he doing?

Was he seriously trying to wind this bloke up?

Why?

Edward wasn't finished it seemed. "Just how I know if you follow through with this little game of yours, Bella will be protected by all of us. Even if you do manage to harm a single hair on her head, retribution is my right."

Laurent seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation, raising his hands in mock surrender as he tried to calm everyone down.

While I had grasped onto the fact this was clearly their coven like Edward was in Carlisle's', I also got the feeling that neither James nor Victoria would be that heartbroken if they decided they no longer wanted to have a third wheel tag along, to have another to speak for them.

That did not bode well for me, that much I was aware of.

"Now, now…nobody is thinking about starting a fight-"

Surprisingly, Jasper stepped forward to stand behind Edward. "Because a fight is what you will have if you cannot control your coven members, Laurent. This isn't a game, and we are not playing."

He nodded. "Yes, of course. Perhaps it is best that we simply walk away from all of this. Right…Vicky, James?"

Neither of the two looked particularly pleased that they were backing down, but even I knew they were not only outnumbered but they probably didn't have the tactical advantage either. Just one look at Jasper told me he wasn't messing around, that this was his speciality and if a war was what they wanted then it would be a war they would get.

That combined with his, Alice's and Edward's gifts that they weren't even aware of yet…they had to win, right?

Watching them leave I sighed out in relief, relaxing against Edward who was suddenly face to face with me, his hands cupping my cheeks as his thumbs brushed against my bottom lip.

"I am so sorry, Bella." He sounded pained.

I didn't like it.

"It isn't your fault-"

A loud snort cut me off. Snapping my head to the left I narrowed my eyes when I caught sight of Rosaline staring at me, the same look of disgust on her features.

"Why is it you don't like me?" I blurted out, too wound up to act as I usually would – timid.

Rosaline huffed, rolling her eyes as she stood by Emmett. "We are risking everything, and for what? You? I don't think you're worth it."

I simply raised a brow and she looked slightly taken aback by my lack of reaction.

"What? You think you're the first person to ever tell me that?" I sighed. "You give yourself too much credit," I told her bluntly.

Now, I was fully aware that I wouldn't have had the guts to say anything like that to her had it not been for the fact I was tense and wound up beyond belief due to the whole confrontation. Not to mention Edward's jaw was clenched tightly, displaying his own anger at the situation.

"Edward?" I spoke softly.

He sighed, cautiously wrapping his arms around my smaller and much more fragile form as he hugged me close to his. I heard him breath in my scent as he tried to calm himself.

"I am so sorry, Bella" he whispered.

I shook my head against his chest. "It isn't your fault, Edward. Ignore Rosaline, you didn't know it would happen and you protected me when it did. It is not, your, fault" I told him clearly.

I doubt it caused him to take any of the blame off himself. I cursed Rosaline for even putting the suggestion that it was in his head.

"I'd better get you home," he mumbled.

I sighed. "Really?"

I knew I sounded disappointed but the last thing I wanted was to be away from him.

"I made a promise to your father; I do not intend to break it."

I grunted causing Alice to giggle.

"I'm sure he won't mind if she's a little late," Alice suggested causing me to turn against Edward's chest to smile at her. She winked.

"Alice," Edward warned.

She rolled her yes. "Oh hush, Edward. He won't finish his shift tonight until ten so it isn't like she really needs to be home early."

"I made a promise, Alice" his eyes narrowed.

Emmett laughed, "Such a gentleman" he teased.

"There is nothing wrong with being a gentleman, Emmett" Esme sighed out, shaking her head in his direction. "I'm sure Bella doesn't have any complaints, do you Bella?" her lips curved up in amusement.

I shook my head, flushing.

Nope, no complaints on this end….

Knowing it was pointless to argue, I allowed Edward to take me back to his car. It wasn't like I would be able to do anything to prevent it if he had gotten it into his head that taking me home was a must.

I understood his need to seek approval from my father but really I thought it was unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, it was nice; I just didn't think he needed to take it so seriously.

I wasn't about to dump him if my father didn't approve.

He had nothing to worry about in that regard.

If I had anything to do with it, he wasn't going anywhere.

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