Life's A Beach

Chapter 17

A/N: This chapter is really long – almost two chapters worth – but there wasn't a good place to split it. You'll see what I mean! Enjoy!

Alice rushed through the doors to the arena. She spotted Bella where she stood with Edward's family and Coach. Giving everyone a quick smile, she grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her away from the group. "Is everything okay? You didn't call me after I sent you the text message about the….you know what."

"I couldn't, Alice. I was with Edward and I didn't want him to hear us and get upset. But then this all happened and he's upset anyway." Bella shifted so that Esme and Carlisle wouldn't hear their conversation. Edward was talking to Coach, tugging on his hair in a way that told her just how frustrated he was. Bella's heart twisted to see him so upset, especially when he had to focus on his races today.

"What happened?" Alice stood on her toes, trying to peek around Bella to see what was going on. Instead, Bella put her hands on her hips and blocked Alice's view.

"They changed the order around, so now Edward will have to race against James in the semi-final." Bella looked up to see Emmett, Rose and Jasper coming toward them. Their puzzled looks told her they'd heard what she said.

"But I thought they were going to meet in the final. Does that mean…" Emmett started. Bella shushed him and pushed them all around the corner.

"I don't want Edward to hear us talking about this." She moved closer and lowered her voice. "That means only one of them gets through to the final and makes the Olympic team."

Jasper whistled, long and low. "Oh brother. That raises the stakes, doesn't it? And I don't trust that guy to begin with. Allie, what's wrong?"

"It's just like my dream" said Alice.

"What happened in your dream" Bella asked her. "What, Alice?"

"I saw Edward on the ice, I mean, just lying on the ice. And you were crying. I don't know what happened or why" said Alice, near tears herself. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Bella's face was as white as a sheet.

"Hey, maybe it's not bad at all" said Emmett. "Maybe he wins, and he's like tired, so he's lying on the ice, and you're crying because you're happy and…."

"Shut up, Emmett" shouted Rose, Jasper, Alice and Bella, all at once.

"I was just tryin' to…."

Rose smacked him on the back of the head. "You – go find our seats and wait there." Emmett shot Bella an apologetic look and headed for the steps to the arena.

"Maybe Emmett's right" said Bella quietly. "I have to have faith in Edward. He knows what he's doing."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and turned to see Esme's smile.

"I'm sorry" said Esme. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. But I know Edward, and I know you. And I know that if you have faith in him, he can do anything." She gave Bella a warm hug. "Now go wish him luck before he has to get ready. He's waiting for you." She gave her a little push. "Go. I'm going to greet the boys and introduce myself to your friends." Esme gave Jasper a hug. "Now Jasper, you tell me who these beautiful young ladies are."

Bella, feeling a bit lighter, put a smile on her face before she rounded the corner. Edward, Carlisle, and Coach turned in her direction. She walked right up to Coach and wagged her finger at him. "I came to give my man a kiss for luck, and don't you tell me I can't, Coach."

Coach grinned, his first grin of the morning. "Who am I to argue with you, Miss Swan? Go right ahead. Carlisle, I'll talk to you after." He pointed at Edward. "Five minutes. I want you in that locker room in five minutes with a smile on your face."

Carlisle gave Bella's arm a squeeze and headed to find Esme and the others. Coach opened the door to the locker room and disappeared inside.

Edward pulled Bella into his arms. "A kiss for luck, huh?"

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and smirked at him. "Since you don't need any luck, maybe you don't need a kiss."

"Oh I definitely need a kiss" Edward said, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers. It was a long, lingering kiss. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, and tucked gentle kisses up her neck. The he took a long slow breath and held her face in his hands. "Is everything okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Bella kept a smile on her face. There was no way she was telling him about Alice.

Edward sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm not happy about the change. It's not fair to start with, and it's just going to make James even crazier. Win or lose." He tucked her under his chin and kissed the top of her head. "But it's okay. I'm going to skate my race and I have every intention of winning."

"I know you will" said Bella. "I know it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence" he said. "Now I guess I better go. My parents are sitting with you, right?"

"Yup. They've already headed upstairs with everybody." She didn't want to let go of him, but she knew he needed to get changed and start to focus. She was getting used to his pre-race routine.

They kissed one more time. "I'll see you after the final race" said Edward confidently before releasing her and heading into the locker room.

Bella made her way up the stairs to their seats. Alice looked a little less panic stricken, which was a good thing, but the grim looks on everyone's faces told her that they'd been talking about the situation.

"Edward's getting ready. He feels good, and it's going to be a great day." Bella stared at everyone, daring them to disagree with her. "I think Emmett was right."

"That's right" he shouted, brandishing his pink cast.

"Okay, calm down" said Rosalie. "And put that thing away before you hurt someone with it." Her comment broke the tension, and they all had a good laugh.

LaB

Edward stood at the starting line in race position, waiting for the starter to give the signal. He'd raced against Erik Yorkie before, but it had been a while. Clearly, the guy had gotten way better if he made it to this race. No way was Edward taking him for granted. He knew he had to be careful to keep his thoughts focused on this race, or there would be no semi-final to worry about.

James had acted like a complete idiot in the locker room, jumping around and bragging about how he was going to do today. The change in the seedings didn't bother him at all, which made both Edward and Coach suspicious. Edward watched as James won his first race of the day, so he was definitely moving on to the semi-final. Now Edward just had to secure the other spot.

A few minutes later, the first race of his day was done. Edward had beaten Yorkie by a decent margin, pushing himself just enough to win but not depleting his energy. The semi-final was going to take everything he had. He shook hands with Yorkie and went over to join Coach. Much to his dismay, James was there too.

"Decent race, Cullen. Hope you've got something left in the tank for our match, or this is gonna be really boring. I mean, I wouldn't want to beat you by too much with your girl watching." James taunted his rival and training partner. "Of course, once I win and I'm the one heading to the Olympics, maybe she'll want to be with me instead." He winked at Edward knowingly.

Edward almost gave in to the urge to just beat the crap out of the guy, but he could see Coach signaling him to stay calm. It was just like James to try to get him riled up before the race, causing him to spend precious energy and lose focus. It wasn't going to work.

"You skate your race and I'll skate mine, Tracker, and we'll decide it on the ice." Edward turned his back on James and willed himself to calm down. He thought about Bella, thought about that long, slow kiss this morning, and slowed his breathing down. He shook out his arms and legs, and grabbed a drink. He wanted to look up to the stands, to see Bella, his friends, and his parents, but instead he moved away and worked on regaining focus. He went over the race in his head, every bend in the track, every groove in the ice, seeing himself skating, taking the crossover, and finally winning. Confident that he had done everything he could to prepare, he nodded to Coach and waited.

Up in the stands, Emmett was keeping everyone entertained, as usual. He even had Alice laughing, which Bella was glad to see. She knew that sometimes Alice dreamt about the same thing two or three days in a row, with the ending changing each time.

Jasper spoke up, breaking her concentration. "Hey everyone, when this is over, y'all should think about heading back to the beach with me and Alice. We can have a celebration at the bar."

"That sounds great, Jas" said Bella, thinking how great it would be to go back to her happy place. She could envision not only a party, but maybe a private picnic on the beach, just her and…

"Look" shouted Rosalie. "It's time for the first semi-final."

They all turned to look as Jacob and Garrett lined up at the start. The crowd erupted in noisy cheers as they took off, each skater falling into a mesmerizing rhythm. Jacob started on the outside lanes, which meant that he had further to skate initially, so Garrett took an early lead. They watched as the skaters approached the crossover, where Garrett moved to the outside and Jacob moved to the inside.

Emmett frowned. "It wasn't even close" he said. "I thought it was gonna be a lot closer when they had to cross."

Rosalie nearly smacked him again. "We told you it wasn't going to be close. It's just the way these things work. No one is going to crash into anyone else."

"I know" he whined "but it would be exciting."

"Shut it, Emmett" said Bella. "There's only two more races and Edward is going to be in both of them. So a crash would mean…"

Bella froze and she and Alice stared at each other. The dream. All of a sudden, Bella could see exactly how this could happen.

It must have been reflected on her face because Esme grabbed her by the shoulders. "Edward is too smart a skater to let that happen" Esme said sternly. "Put that thought right out of your head." She looked around at all of them. "Edward needs confidence right now. We need to all send positive thoughts his way." They all nodded solemnly before turning their attention back to the race. As they watched, Jacob began to pull away and won the first semi-final. A roar erupted from the crowd as they cheered the first new member of the Olympic team.

LaB

Edward allowed his skates to slide to within a few inches of the start line. Everything he did from this moment on would be a controlled movement, designed to get the maximum power, strength and agility from his body. He refused to look at his opponent as James moved to the line, all flash and sass.

"You know, Cullen" James said in a low voice "this is going to be the pinnacle of my career, at least until the Olympics."

Edward ignored him, positioning his skates exactly where he wanted them.

"My dad got the seedings changed, you know. Because I asked him to." James started to move his feet into position. "If we'd left it alone, you and I would both go to the Games. But that isn't what I want. I want you left home, got it? Your little girlfriend can console you, and I'll send you a postcard."

The starter called them to their places, and suddenly the race was underway. James, in the inside lane went out fast, as Edward knew he would. Edward paced himself on the outside and settled into his first lap rhythm. Muscle memory went to work, moving his arms and legs in perfect coordination.

Up in the stands, Bella grasped Esme's hand on one side and Rosalie's on the other. She bounced in place and resisted the urge to call out.

"Why is he hanging back?" asked Emmett. "He needs to go after him."

Carlisle responded. "He knows what he's doing. He's setting the pace he wants. It just looks like James is faster because he's on the inside."

They watched, unable to take their eyes off the track as the two men battled for position. They were skating so hard, pushing each other, so evenly matched it was hard to predict who would have enough left at the end to pull this off. Bella bit her lip as the final lap started and they headed to the last crossover. She realized, at the same time as everyone else, that the two skaters were going to hit the crossover point at exactly the same time.

"Oh crap" said Emmett "they aren't really going to crash, are they?"

"They can't" answered Carlisle. "The rules say that James has to allow Edward to cross first. He'll adjust."

"He better" murmured Bella.

The crowd gasped as one as the two skaters appeared to converge. James never stopped. He took the crossover first, cutting Edward off. Edward did his best to avoid him and the seemingly inevitable collision, but the effort threw him off balance and he skidded across the ice. He landed on his hip and slid into the protective mats around the track. James darted ahead. While Coach ran to Edward, James crossed the finish line and raised his hands in triumph. He pointed to Edward and then proceeded to take a leisurely victory lap.

In the stands Bella screamed as Edward hit the ice. Tears began to run down her face, first out of worry for the man she loved, and then in frustration as she knew what his sportsmanship had cost him. Alice began to cry softly next to her, while Rosalie and Emmett screamed at James and the officials. Carlisle shot a quick look at Esme and ran for the steps that would take him down to the ice.

Down on the ice, people went crazy. James continued skating around the ice, waving to the crowd, and occasionally blowing kisses. Edward slowly got to his feet, and the crowd applauded like mad. They were stunned by what they had just seen, and most were horrified by the unfairness of it all. Even Jacob gestured wildly to his coach and all but stomped his skate on the track.

Bella took a deep shuddering breath as Edward started to slowly skate around while medical personnel tried to check on him. "Please let him be okay" she whispered, relieved beyond measure that he was moving well. She watched as he pushed his hood off. The look on his face was somewhere between anguish and anger. "This is so unfair" she choked out. "It just ends like this?"

Esme looked unusually calm, considering the circumstances. "Wait."

While her friends continued to scream at anyone and everyone on the track, Bella followed Esme's gaze to where Carlisle emerged onto the side of the track, making his way to Edward. He walked to his son, and placing both hands on Edward's arms, asked him a series of questions. Edward shook his head to indicate that he understood what his father was asking him. They embraced, and the crowd clapped politely, most people too upset to do much else.

The head official walked to a microphone. "If I can have your attention, please." He waited a minute, but the crowd didn't seem to settle. "After consulting with the other officials, the Olympic committee, and the coach for both skaters, it has been determined that an improper crossover directly interfered with Mr. Cullen's path and caused him to fall. However, since he did not finish the race, James Tracker is declared the winner and will advance to the final."

While the crowd jeered and booed, Carlisle and Edward joined Coach Banner, and the three of them spoke quietly for a few minutes as the members of the Olympic team selection committee and the officials for the event converged on them. A heated discussion began, and the crowd went quiet, watching as Carlisle went head to head with the top official. Finally, Coach produced a small book from his bag and handed it to Carlisle, who thumbed to a page in the middle and pointed it out to the official.

"What are they doing?" asked Bella.

"Watch and see" said Esme.

The head official approached the microphone again. "My apologies. The official rules for national level competitions contain a provision that allows a skater who has been interfered with to request a reskate. Mr. Cullen and his coach have formally requested this, and it has been approved. Please clear the ice and prepare for a reskate."

The crowd gasped as one, then broke into applause. James began to argue with Coach and with the officials, but they paid him no mind. Still, Bella thought it was odd that he wasn't making any attempt to move onto the ice. Edward, on the other hand, was checking his skates, putting his hood back on and conversing quietly with his father.

"I don't get it" said Jasper. "Why's Tracker not on the ice?"

"Because he doesn't have to skate again" said Esme. "A reskate means that Edward skates, by himself, to try and beat James' time."

Bella spun around, furious. "That's not fair! He's exhausted. He put everything he had into that race. He fell and hurt his hip. We don't even know how hurt he is." Angry tears began to fall now. "And even I know that the skaters push each other to go faster. Without anyone out there to push him, he doesn't have a chance."

Emmett, of all people, was the one who grabbed her, tipped up her chin, and looked her square in the eyes. "You are the one who has always had faith in him. You are his biggest fan, and the woman he loves. If you think he can do it, then we'll make him believe he can do it." To everyone's surprise, he leaned over the railing, banged his cast on it in rhythm, and shouted "Ed-ward, Ed-ward!"

Bella stepped up to the rail and shouted with all her might. Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper joined in, along with Esme. Soon the whole arena picked up the chant.

Edward looked up when he heard the sound. Amazed, he just turned his head from side to side and watched as the crowd chanted his name. Carlisle stepped up to him, and pointed to the section where Bella and the group were chanting his name while Emmett jumped around like an oversized cheerleader. His eyes met Bella's and something electric passed between them. He watched as she mouthed the words he most longed to hear. He mouthed them back to her. "I love you!" Edward waved to the crowd and bent down to say one last thing to Carlisle. "I'm going to do this."

Carlisle hugged him and stepped back. "I know you are." He turned to Esme and gave her a thumbs up.

Coach spoke to him for a few seconds, and then it was time. Tracker stood smugly nearby. Edward ignored him and focused. He didn't see that Jacob, Garrett, Mike, Erik, and all the other skaters who had benefitted from Edward's kindness were lined up along the track.

The started signaled and Edward pushed off. He made himself concentrate. It was like practice, he told himself. He was used to setting a certain pace during practice and he would just have to do that here. He made it through the first lap and saw Coach holding up a white board with the time written on it. Five seconds too slow! He needed to pick up the pace, but without someone skating next to him, it was difficult to know how fast to go without burning out. He'd been skating hard in that race, before James pulled that stupid stunt and his legs were starting to shake with the exertion. He felt his hand dropping onto his back, a sure sign of exhaustion. Without the big arm swings, he would never be able to keep up the pace. He forced himself back into form.

Edward could hear the cheers of the crowd, but now he heard something else, something closer. He was going too fast to pick out faces, but he knew it was the other skaters. He heard Mike's voice shouting at him to pick it up. Jacob screamed about his stride. The whiteboard was coming up again – only two seconds off! Images flashed through his head. His father, and the love and support he'd shown him. His mother, pushing the two of them back together. Bella, the love of his life, his inspiration. His friends. Edward reached somewhere deep inside and skated with every ounce of power he had left. He crossed the finish line and fell onto the ice, sprawling on his back. He'd given it everything he could and now he waited to hear whether it had been enough.

Bella screamed and jumped into Alice's arms, tears running down her face. Rosalie and Emmett whooped with glee and Jasper hugged Esme. On the ice Carlisle jumped in the air like a little boy, and threw his arms around Coach. Lying there on the ice, Edward heard the cheers and hoped beyond hope that he knew what they meant. He turned his head, saw his dad and coach both giving him two thumbs up. The emotions of the day caught up with him, and Edward burst into tears of joy.