Hello dear ones,
today's chapter is a bit longer. I see it as an outtake or bonus chapter, which is why I granted each member of the Black family a section.
Have fun at the Halloween party!
Sandra
Chapter 101
Black Family: Halloween
Bella
There was actually already Thursday - Halloween.
I didn't tell anyone, but I was actually looking forward to the party tonight. Rose and Alice were right. Our family was now quite large with the vampires, but we were rarely all together. That was actually a great pity. After all, they were all a part of my life.
Since I had time, I didn't want to leave Esmé to do everything alone. So, she came around noon, we drove shopping together and prepared everything that there would be to eat later for the numerous people.
It was nice to spend time with Esmé. In the past, I had only ever seen her as the mother - actually 'only' the adoptive mother - of my boyfriend, but today we stood much closer to each other than I would have even imagined back them. We talked about trivialities as well as important things. For example, our worries, fears and hopes about our families and children. She was basically toiling with the same problems I was with my teenagers. Only that she had one decisive disadvantage. Edward and his siblings respected Esmé and actually considered her a mother. But they were immortal vampires who did not evolve noticeably on a spiritual level. Jake and Leah, on the other hand, evolved daily, learned through mistakes, and were capable of insight. Hers didn't. They simply remained as stubborn as they were. Also pronouncing any educational prohibitions was quite pointless with the vampires, some of whom had already lived longer than she had. Esmé's influence really had limits.
Alice and Rose came right after school and gave the house a spooky presentation inside and out.
I reminded them emphatically that everything should be gone again tomorrow – according to their own statement!
Esmé left again for the time being. She and Carlisle would first pay a visit to the small celebration at the hospital and then be back here later.
Edward and Emmett pushed the furniture apart, so we had more room while Jazz gave the creative ladies a hand.
I didn't really want to know exactly how they defaced my house.
Becky then came with Jake and Leah, and she threw on her costume first with Rose's help.
Edward asked the twins to wait to change until later.
I did not understand.
"Becky knows her origins! Why don't you?" my angel asked them both accusingly after Becky showed herself again.
A beautiful Pocahontas.
Jake greeted his Native American extensively.
"The sun has just set. Still enough light for a few shots with two magical wolves!" Edward smiled and held up a camera.
Brand new! My little hobby part was too primitive for him. I had already discussed it with him on Monday. And since he now had a new camera, in retrospect I had apparently lost the debate. But now I understood why Leah and Jake should not change yet. They should just get undressed first.
The three of them ran into the woods and I went upstairs.
"What are we supposed to do with you if we don't know what you're dressing up as?" rumbled Alice, offended.
"It's a black dress," I merely stated.
"Don't you blurt out too many details!" snapped Rose in a huff.
"You'll think of something to say," I said, closing my eyes and leaning back comfortably in the chair.
I had already given up on getting rid of Rose and Alice. They didn't listen to me, however. What else could I do but withhold details of my costume from them? At least that way they couldn't exaggerate. Well. An all too pious hope. The two were fully in their element and I felt like a guinea pig. But the result could be seen.
There was a reason why I did not possess makeup. Actually, four. Firstly, I found that it was an unpleasant feeling on the skin to plaster it with makeup. Furthermore, I was bothered when I was occasionally made up, to have to watch my face. Not to be able to thoughtlessly rub my eyes, because otherwise I blurred the makeup with it and the like. In addition, I would also have to remove my makeup again every evening. No matter how tired I was. And last but not least: I just couldn't do it. When I did try, I looked like I had fallen into a makeup pot.
But that one in the mirror looked really skillful and would match great with the black angel.
Smokey eyes and dark lips. Especially with the full mane of my hair. It looked a little wicked, but it was Halloween after all. Perfect.
I thanked Rose and Alice nicely and threw them out of the bedroom.
Instead, I called Edward.
I was unfortunately dependent on help, because I alone could not get into the dress.
He took our carefully wrapped costumes out of the closet while I put on my black lace panties and silk stockings. I finished with that, stood upright again, and wondered. I turned to Edward.
"Now don't act like this is the first time you've seen me like this!" I meant.
He hadn't moved a millimeter since I threw the bathrobe off me.
"I just freeze in awe every time I think about you and your perfection being mine!" he tried to explain himself.
I looked at him critically. And down at me.
I was thirty-seven years old, had had two children and numerous scars from various accidents. Nothing was perfect anymore. In fact, it never had been.
"Don't even try to contradict me!" he said, before I could reply.
I pouted and crossed my arms in front of my chest very skeptically. After a wry smile and a sensual kiss, my pouting was over, and we got changed. He laced up my corsage, to which the huge wings were also attached.
How could I have gotten myself into this? However, I recognized the answer in the mirror. In the eyes of my angel, which were slightly veiled by thirst. And it was not the thirst for my blood.
I was dressed and turned to face him whereby I smacked him with a wing.
Oops. I would have to be careful not to knock anything over with them or hit someone unintentionally.
"Your career as an angel is off to a great start!" he complained, chuckling and rubbing over his chin.
I just nodded. I was distracted.
Edward had only pants and shoes on so far and so I stared at his athletic, naked upper body. My hands were magically attracted to it and so I stroked it while biting my lower lip. Something that Edward did not approve of at all and immediately saved my lips from it.
"Bella?"
"Mmm ... mmm ...?"
"I said Leah was standing outside the door," I heard some chuckling.
"Mmm ... mmm ..." I mumbled in agreement.
I felt pleasantly cool hands on my cheeks, then lips that gently kissed me on the forehead, and the Adonis body moved away from me.
I blinked.
"Am I interrupting?" Leah asked with a smirk as the door was opened for her.
"Do you expect an honest answer to that?" asked Edward.
"No. Maybe you can think of something nicer!" Leah countered, coming toward me. "I just need a little help. Then you're rid of me again!" she even stuck her tongue out at her father. "You look totally hot, Mom!"
I blushed, I felt it exactly.
"You see, dearest. Even our daughter agrees with me!" Edward interjected and was on his way to his shirt.
"Likewise!" I said a little embarrassed and pulled up the zipper of the jumpsuit a little further on my underage daughter.
Did not suit her and she immediately corrected it again.
I rolled my eyes.
She had difficulties with the mask and the little cat ears. She sat on the bed so that I could help my however much larger daughter.
She was also made up by Rose and Alice and looked, as I could not deny, quite exciting. Red lips and the eyes were elaborately made up, so that they even came out well under the mask. Her short hair looked pretty well-behaved at first glance, but with the ears it appeared sassy again.
Fortunately, Marcus would not be here ... Now I also started like Edward!
This one was dressed by now and Leah left again.
He painted another vampire bite on my throat and wrist. Over the scar from James. He applied a bit of blood to himself, which ran down his chin. As if he had spilled. It looked deceptively real.
"How can you do something like that?"
Emmett is fully in his element on Halloween. Every year he tries to outdo himself. In doing so, he also doesn't shy away from extensive makeup processes."
He put in his obligatory vampire teeth.
It was hard to believe how hot - and also a little scary - my fiancé looked.
"And, my heart? Is that what a real vampire looks like to you?" he asked, walking dangerously toward me.
"You're still missing the red eyes!" I remarked.
"I thought you were going to help me with that!" said Edward seriously, holding me in his arms in such a way that he could have bitten.
I startled.
He wanted my blood? For his eyes? Um ... help? Or something like that?
"I didn't get any red contact lenses," but then he chuckled, placing just a little kiss on my throat and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Disappointed? Relieved? Wasn't sure.
"We were a little late getting dressed for Halloween. Next year, we'll be better prepared."
"Next year?" I asked, aghast. That really scared me!
"Do you think Alice will settle for hosting a Halloween party just once?"
I screwed up my face.
No. This little spook would see my agreement this year as a general power of attorney. How could I be so stupid?
"Sweetheart. You forgot your halo!"
Jake
Alice made me up blue! Great! That's exactly why I had taken a mask with me.
Fortunately, her zeal was limited only to my face. For the rest, I had a 'whole body condom'. No idea what the parts were called. She also modeled matching ears for me. I fought back against the reshaping of my nose. Still looked really real.
Rose meanwhile misappropriated my hair, which she braided into many little braids.
I wish I had known that! Next year I would definitely choose a costume where they would not have the opportunity to disfigure me.
Still, I put on the rather skimpy clothes, if you could call them clothes. With the yellow contact lenses, I had a mini nervous breakdown, until Dad finally helped me with them.
He and Mom were also ready. They looked great and we went down together.
At the landing, the beautiful Native American woman with sapphire blue eyes was waiting for me.
The advantage of being a wolf? I didn't need to resort to artificial muscles for such costumes, but had my own. Becky stood totally into it and let me know it at any given opportunity. So also now.
My parents had walked past us while I kissed my star profusely.
Besides murmuring appreciatively about how nice Mom looked, we then heard them both laughing vociferously.
We quickly went after them and I got the laughing fit absolutely.
Alice as the pixie Tinkerbell. In poison green. Suited the lively thing. Jasper as the 'Wild West' sheriff, with worn clothes and a long dirty beige coat. He adjusted his hat with his Colt in greeting. It reminded me of that movie. Lucky Lukey or something similar. Rosie as a witch in a skimpy black lace dress with purple accents. A spider sat in her partially upswept hair. More sexy than creepy. And Emmett, an absolute hoot, as a tooth fairy! White little wings, white tutu, white tights, but with Air-Max on his feet.
The doorbell rang and I went to the front door.
Emma stood at the door first, but we asked the arriving guests to enter one by one and held Emma back as the highlight. Dad wanted to take pictures. He had already pretended to be an artistic genius earlier, as we were wolves in the woods with Pocahontas/Becky.
"Mr. and Mrs. Devil," I announced as David and Sonya entered the living room.
David as a devil, similar to dad's disguise, but with much more red and with devil horns instead of vampire fangs. Sonya wore an elegant ball gown, also with little horns, matching her husband's color.
"Michael Schumacher," I said next.
"Who?" Deacon asked me ignorantly.
He was a race car driver! Not this one ... whatever I had said.
"Dad's son," I chuckled next.
Luces appeared as a vampire. After all, it was Halloween.
"Why do you call him Dad, anyway? Isn't he your age?" Luces immediately took the opportunity to ask.
I tried to explain it to him.
"Jack Sparrow," Becky announced next.
"Captain! ... Captain Jack Sparrow!" Brandon improved eccentrically.
"The gay pirate!" Lisa followed up.
Bran didn't necessarily find that funny. The rest of us did.
"Esmeralda," I immediately introduced Lisa, who came as a pretty gypsy.
"Dessert," Becky snorted next.
Jason came as a cupcake. With cream frosting and a cherry. And on his hand he held ...
"Madame Capone."
His new girlfriend Claire came as a gangster girl of the 40s.
"The Exorcist ..." I then announced.
Alex.
"... and the possessed girl," Becky added.
Zoey.
The two of them looked pretty creepy.
Fortunately, her daughter Daphne had other plans.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" I then demanded attention. "Her Majesty: Queen Elsa!"
Emma giggled sweetly and strode sublimely into the living room, lifting the ice-blue little dress at the sides with two fingers each. Those present bowed graciously.
"What are Your Highness's orders?" her father asked humbly.
"Trick-or-treating!" announced her Highness, laughing and jumping into her daddy's arms.
Everyone under the age of eighteen - that is, we are talking about official ages that could be verified by currently valid IDs - disappeared into the streets together.
A pack of fifteen people. Only five adults we left behind.
I guessed Luces, Deacon, and Emma asking for candy at the front doors were just about the most sheltered kids in the world.
The rest of us just went along for the fun of it, but the kids gave us some of their loot. They even shared with the vampires, who accepted it 'gratefully'.
Dad was the only one who had the idea of being given a long-lasting lollipop. With the stick in his mouth, he was able to refuse further offers without upsetting the three of them. Alice and Rose at least had the excuse that they had to watch their figure. But Em and Jazz dutifully ate everything that Emma in particular offered them. And if I didn't know any better, their faces were getting kind of unhealthy greenish.
Halloween.
The streets, or rather the sidewalks, were abnormally crowded. We met all sorts of acquaintances. Many of them accompanied younger siblings on their forays. Teachers' homes were a favorite target of all sorts of pranks. But many were on their way to private parties. The students of Biddeford High School namely had tomorrow off and in the Saco State High School at least the first three lessons were cancelled! Only we - from the private school - were of course allowed to show up for class at eight again.
Life was so unfair!
"Jacob Black!" I heard someone shout when we had been on the road for some time and were already on our way home.
I turned toward the voice.
An immensely hot looking Egyptian zombie goddess approached me in the darkness.
"Who's that?" I heard Dad ask skeptically behind me, but I was already on my way to the goddess.
She jumped towards me, and I hugged her tightly.
Abigail. Abigail Rivers. I hadn't seen her in over a year. One of my few ex-girlfriends.
I hugged her for a long time, and she hugged me.
It felt so familiar. Like it used to. There weren't many people I cared about outside of the group of friends and my family, but Abi was one of them, even if we had lost track of each other.
What had I been crazy about her! How crazy she always was! But we had parted quite peacefully and had seen a lot of each other afterwards.
Because there was a very simple reason why it did not fit from the beginning, although we got along great with each other. I was the wrong gender! Until she had found that out, however, we had not been together for some time, but were still very close friends. I was the first person she had told about her inclination. She had been afraid at the time and didn't know how to deal with it. I took her to Peter and Stan's house. From then on, her fear was over.
"Looking good, Jake!" she commented as we broke away from each other.
"Thanks. You too!" I returned honestly.
A small welcoming chaos broke out. The friends knew Abi after all, but I was looking for Becky.
She stood with Dad and the others, looking reasonably contrite.
"There's an explanation due," Dad whispered softly to me as I walked to my star.
I nodded.
I knew that. I just hadn't counted on Abi at all and had forgotten about my girlfriend. But I still had a very small ace up my sleeve.
I put my arms around Becky's body from behind so that I reached her ear with my lips and walked slowly with her toward the group.
"My star. You once said you would be eternally grateful to the girl who taught me how to kiss," I reminded her in a whisper of a relatively merrily evening.
She seemed to consider for a moment and finally nodded.
I turned her to me and kissed my star to prove it. She then staggered for a brief moment.
Wow ... I had never managed that before!
"Well, thank her for it!" I clarified.
"That's her?" she asked me, flabbergasted.
Of course, I had told her about Abigail. Becky knew everything about me. Except maybe one or two rather embarrassing stories. And even those became less and less. Thanks to my sister! And Brandon! And my mom!
I introduced the girls and as Abi was now, she hugged Becky excitedly and smacked a kiss on her cheek.
Abi knew no shyness and always seemed to be running at full speed by default.
"You haven't changed a bit, I see!" I commented on this little scene.
"Why would I?" she winked at me, but didn't really let go of Becky in the process.
"Sorry, but this is MY girlfriend. Not yours!" I admonished clearly.
Abigail laughed at me a little, but immediately pushed Becky in my direction.
"Already heard you've rented cloud nine all to yourself! You look good together," she squealed cheerfully.
"I agree!" said Becky, giving me a little possessive hug.
Abigail accompanied us for a bit.
I had Becky in my arm, but Abigail on my hand.
It was a strange feeling.
The girls understood each other right away, which calmed me down quite a bit. However, it was also almost impossible not to like Abi. She was on her way to her girlfriend's party and was newly in love. I was happy for her.
I asked about her older brother who I had played baseball with a few times, her cat who had always scratched me, and her little sister, that walking pain in the ass! Everyone was fine and she asked me about my mom. If she was still alone.
I answered almost truthfully. Since I didn't really have anything to do with Abi anymore, she didn't need to know that Edward was theoretically younger than me.
"So, what's he like? Are you getting along with him?" asked Abi sharply.
The tone was logical. She had a stepmother, and she was something like her arch-enemy.
I looked at my father, who was walking with the others a little ahead of us.
That was something I had always been afraid of. That Mom would find a man who saw us only as ballast and would treat us the same way. But we had really been quite lucky.
"He's like a father to us and we call him Dad!" so I said, and Edward gave me a loving gaze.
By the way, he had Leah in his arms. We had also run across the guy who was just waiting for Leah to be available again. But HE could wait a long time for that.
At a crossroads we said goodbye.
"I'd wish you continued good luck, but you don't look like you need luck," she said sincerely, taking Becky into her arms again for a moment.
We also hugged before she disappeared down a side street and I watched her for a few seconds.
"She's pretty jittery, but she's also pretty nice," Becky noted.
I turned to her and looked my star in the eyes.
"You're not jealous, are you?" I inquired. Had I perhaps behaved wrong? Was my interaction with Abigail too familiar for her being a former girlfriend? When I thought about it, I was still pretty social with all my exes. I hadn't had a spat with any of them to the point where we were sniping at each other. With most of them it was just a friendly greeting when we ran across each other, but maybe Becky expected me not to do that.
Smiling, she put her arms around my neck.
"No. I know you're mine, no matter how you treat other girls. And I know you're too sweet a person to be rude to a girl. I love you, Jake!" she said.
"I love you, Becky!" I replied, kissing my star tenderly.
Leah
When we arrived back home after trick-or-treating, the sumptuous buffet was set up in the kitchen.
Happiness!
I hadn't eaten since noon today during break. Mom and Esmé had really come up with something. No matter what was served here, everything had a creepy touch. Severed fingers floated in the party punch. The tomato mozzarella bites had bloodshot eyes. Little buns that had a pumpkin face on top. Cupcakes with scary designs and so much more.
The party got going immediately. Music was splashing in the background, everyone was standing together in small groups, chatting and acting silly. Some danced to the music. Dad's new camera was in constant use and was passed back and forth, the food was getting less and less. Everyone was having fun.
So was I.
Claire also took a few pictures with her phone, which she sent to her cousin.
Marcus. So at least I wasn't in this costume for nothing.
It wasn't long before Carlisle and Esmé were also already there. Or in other words, the Mad Hatter and Alice from Wonderland. They brought Becky's parents with them. They came as Venetian horror clowns.
When nine o'clock was over for a long time, the children slowly made their way to bed. They had it so good that school was cancelled tomorrow, so they were allowed to stay up late today. But they unanimously demanded a scary story before they went to bed.
Esmé had a cute idea. Well. Cute, as long as I wouldn't have to go along with it.
She demanded Emmett's glittery tooth fairy wand.
We would craft a story together. The rules were simple: Whoever held the magic wand determined the plot, but was not allowed to mention themself.
"Once upon a time there were two brothers who lived right in the depths of hell ..." she began, commanding David and Edward to stand up and come to the center. "As long as they could think, they got along well. But now their father, the devil himself, had died after 5,000 years and the throne of the underworld had to be filled anew. A merciless power struggle began between the brothers, who were both equally powerful and disposed of helpful friends ..." Esmé began and the two actors immediately acted combatively.
The wand kept getting passed around so that everyone contributed a part to the story, and the costumes present did what the story asked them to do. It didn't make any sense at all in the end, but somehow it was totally fun.
Occasionally, there was a fight for the wand when someone wanted to give the story a different twist.
So Dad turned the Jazz Sheriff into a double agent when he was assigned to shoot the black angel. Or Luces had the Tooth Fairy kidnapped by the pirate so that he wouldn't lose a tooth when he ate the cupcake.
My part was to kidnap Pocahontas and hand her over to the exorcist so that the Avatar wouldn't get her. But the Avatar, in turn, had the racer track me.
As I said, everything no longer made any sense. Afterwards, no one really knew who was supposed to be fighting against whom. And then Queen Elsa appeared. She froze everyone to ice and froze the raging fire of hell, and now ruled over hell herself. No innocent would ever go to hell again, but would ascend to the peaceful heaven. The end!
The children excitedly demanded another story, but they had no chance.
By now it was already past ten o'clock.
Emma's tears of frustration did nothing to change it.
David took Emma in his arms and cited the offended boys behind him.
Sonya would still stay, though.
Claire's curfew was also approaching, so she was leaving the party with Jason already as well. As well as Becky's parents and Alex and Zoey.
But the party went on unhindered.
Those who remained got the 'bright' idea to hit the dance floor.
So right, I mean.
Alice and Jazz turned in a pretty professional performance.
Damn, those two were good. The Tooth Fairy and Rosie weren't bad either, though. I wouldn't have thought Em capable of that. On the other hand, I wasn't surprised at all about Carlisle and Esmé. Even Mom danced.
The song came to an end and Jazz came towards me purposefully.
"No chance!" I said directly.
He took Becky instead, who had taken a touch too long for her refusal.
The mood continued to be excellent.
Everyone had fun ... Well.
I went to the terrace and sat down on the wall. From my really practical Catwoman belt I took out my cell phone.
Are you still awake?
I wrote.
No answer.
Then he was probably already asleep. It was also already after eleven and he was certainly tired from working.
I was just about to put the phone away again when it rang. I almost dropped it in shock.
"Hello, my chocolate muffin!" the deep beguiling voice came forward, almost making me skip his words.
As I said, almost!
"Your ... what?" I snapped bitingly.
He laughed.
"It's nice to hear from you, however. I already thought you'd forgotten about me at the raucous party," he meant quietly. "Or you'd be busy chasing criminals," he added, chuckling.
"So, you got the pictures from Claire," I stated.
"Yes, I did," he merely said.
I held my breath.
What would he say to that? Did I please him so? When I had chosen this skintight jumpsuit of all things, I had actually only thought about it.
"You look ... really stunning!"
I continued to breathe. Calmed.
"In comparison, I looked pretty boring this evening," he said.
The staff at the diner today had all been dressed up. All with costumes from the Middle Ages. He was the court jester.
I chuckled as he sent me a picture of it via cell phone.
He told that Halloween was always a busy time and the later it got, the drunker the guests were. They had to kick some out so that there was no brawl.
"Brawl?" I asked, startled.
"Leah? You're not afraid for me?" asked Marcus cautiously.
"Well, Portland isn't Saco, and I've been to Portland on Halloween before. The characters I met there were quite something," I said and could not suppress the slight tremor in my voice.
Marcus was not Jake or Edward. Marcus was just a human being. If I only looked at the scuffle between Jake and Mike outside the school, that between Marcus and Mike would have ended with much worse injuries. And late at night, among strangers - even adults - in the city. There could well be weapons involved.
"But Leah," he said gently. "I can take care of myself very well. I told you I do taekwondo ... And my boss also keeps a baseball bat under the counter for an absolute emergency."
"Okay," I weakly relented. "Do you actually have to work on the weekend, too?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't want to give myself any nasty thoughts. I mean ... hello? How often did it happen that you got into a fight just like that?
"No. And it looks like I'll never have to again," I heard a good-humored smile through the phone. "Since Maria has to cut back on her work because of her acting, Thomas has hired someone else. His name is Patrick, and he has asked to work only on weekends," he reported.
"Who volunteers to work on weekends?" I asked, distraught.
"I don't know. Just met him briefly today when we were going over shifts for the coming month."
"So ..." I said vaguely. But hopefully.
I smiled.
"So, I'll stay with Maggie for the whole weekend, and we can see each other for two and a half days ... If you still want all that ," Marcus said challengingly.
"Why wouldn't I want that?"
"If you run into Batman tonight, you could let me know ahead of time so I can save myself a trip!" he teased me. "However, if you do care about me, I can leave here early enough tomorrow to pick you up from school."
"That sounds good!" I said enthusiastically, and he wished me lots of fun for the rest of the party.
I wished him more pleasant dreams, while he was convinced to dream about cats tonight.
I sighed dreamily afterwards as I put my phone back away.
I thought about what Marcus and I could do all weekend. Hadn't they announced sunshine for Sunday? Maybe the weather would be so good that we could surf on the beach again.
I was really deep in my reverie when a jacket was put over my shoulders.
"Wolf or not, you must be cold as long as you've been sitting here!" said Brandon, sitting down on the wall opposite me.
"Thanks, but no. I'm toasty warm," I said.
"Is that because of the inner fur or because of your new squeeze?" Bran wanted to know curiously.
"Don't know exactly," I mumbled, a little embarrassed.
"When are we going to get to know him? ... It's time to introduce him to the group! We're already pretty curious. Matthew, is it?"
"Marcus!" I put right.
"See! We don't even know his real name yet!" he grumbled. "By the way, Lisa suggested we play 'The Dark Eye' on Saturday. Would be about time again. Jason's already getting ready."
'The Dark Eye'. A role-playing game, but without computers or other technical devices. Just us, a given or completely invented story, through which one was led by the 'game master', and one's own character, for which the personal attributes - like strength or intelligence - were diced at the beginning. Everything else took place only in the imagination and the dice decided whether we succeeded in something or not. And the success did not only refer to heroic fights against mysterious creatures that crossed our path. No. Even something as banal as opening a door could become a nerve-wracking affair.
"I really have no idea if Marcus would enjoy something like that," I considered.
"Let's find out!"
Edward
At some point I got tired of it!
I walked up to my kids and snatched their cell phones out of their hands. They snatched at them, but I was faster.
"Daaad ...!" they whined, but I had lost all compassion by now.
"You'll survive an evening without your phones, too!" I determined, and also grabbed Brandon's, Lisa's, and Becky's phones.
Brandon wanted to say something in a huff, already opening his mouth to meet me rather indecently, but my gaze was obviously too frightening, and he swallowed it down.
I knew that I was not preventing any life-changing communications. Because they had met many friends earlier in the evening, one merely exchanged extensive information about various events. And Leah had already spoken with Marcus on the phone.
Taking away their toys wasn't really my style, but for sixteen minutes, all five of them had been looking at their smartphones as if hypnotized. That was enough!
Triumphantly, I presented the phones to Bella and earned a kiss from my sweetheart in return.
"Oooh ...! Daddy put his foot down!" Emmett teased me.
I rolled my eyes.
Em couldn't help making fun of me when I took parenting into my hands. Em saw me in such moments merely as a spoilsport - just like my own children. But what David had once told me, that you don't always have nice moments with your children, was unfortunately true. And Bella had made it equally clear to me. If I was Leah and Jake's father, then I would have to behave accordingly and not let them get away with everything. It was difficult for me at times. And that wasn't as rarely necessary as one would think. However, I usually only had to remind them that they should go to bed. Other parents had quite different educational difficulties to master.
I went back to Sonya, with whom I was engaged in a pleasant conversation about Saco.
So far, she had only ever been here for a few days, and always with quite a bit of time between visits. She found it exciting to get to know the city as a resident.
As I continued to talk with Sonya, I noted with approval that the teenagers were also mingling again with the remaining guests.
Brandon and Emmett would both get the new 'Final Fantasy' game for the computer tomorrow. Becky chatted with Rose and Alice about a currently hot sitcom that all three of them were following closely. Lisa and Jazz delved into their reflections regarding the abrupt end of Brandon and Jenny's relationship. The twins stood together with Bella by Esmé and Carlisle, sharing memories.
I was very happy about the latter. Carlisle and Esmé had the least opportunity to spend time with my angels.
"I think the company is coming to an end. The children must go to bed soon," I said when Sonya seemed to be getting tired.
It was already approaching midnight.
She nodded.
"Give me one last dance," she asked with a smile, holding out her hand for me to offer.
Sonya danced not only excellently, but also with pleasure. And I was not brought up to refuse the invitation of a lovely lady.
Not that I would have wanted to in this case.
"With pleasure," I therefore replied and gallantly led her into the middle of the living room.
She moved quite gracefully, although the pregnancy was no longer deniable. I would not necessarily have expected that. In my defense, I should probably say that I had no experience with pregnant women in general.
The song ended and Sonya thanked me for the dance with hint of a kiss on the cheek.
"I have to thank you," I replied politely and returned the gesture. I had really grown fond of Sonya in the past few days. As a very good friend.
Carlisle drove the remaining teens home while Bella sent our three to bed.
Yes, three. Becky stayed with us for the time being. But I reminded her that her bed was in the guest room.
I brought Sonya home.
Forcibly.
David looked at me in confusion as I just about pushed his wife into his arms, who looked rather drolly evil.
"She wanted to help clean up!" I complained.
"How could you ever!" he asked Sonya sarcastically.
She snorted in offense and walked across the hall.
We exchanged a few more words about how the rest of the evening was and how he could calm Emma down, but then I quickly left again.
I would similarly have to stop Bella from cleaning up.
When I entered our house again, I laughed.
Jake was stripped of his makeup by three ladies - Bella, Leah, and Becky - and he cursed loudly that he would never choose a disguise that required that again.
Alice and Rose didn't do things by halves when it came to this. So, he had professional stage makeup on his face that would even last through underwater scenes.
Meanwhile, my siblings were already cleaning up the little mess from the party.
I lent them a hand.
"Those two are like cats and dogs," Carlisle noted with amusement after he was also present again.
He meant Brandon and Lisa.
"What did they discuss this time?" I inquired.
"Brandon couldn't stand Lisa calling him a gay pirate!" Carlisle laughed as I pushed the couch back into place and draped the pillows messily over it as preferred.
When everything was neat again, Jake still had makeup on his face. But it became more manageable.
My family said goodbye and I quickly went up to rescue my son.
He was - according to his own thoughts - in mortal danger. Alice had taken pity on him, however, and given me the small bottle with the appropriate makeup remover. She had wanted to tease him because he had fought Rose and her tooth and nail. I was too slow to tell Jake that his idea wouldn't work.
So, he stood as a wolf in the bathroom and the ladies around him laughed vociferously.
His fur, which was actually rusty brown, looked from his head to the tip of his tail as if blue paint bullets had hit him. I had no explanation as to why the makeup from his face was now all over his wolf body, but I forbade him to change back until I had taken a photo for the family album.
With Alice's make-up remover, however, Jake was then briskly finished, and the children went to bed.
Afterwards, I slowly and intoxicatingly peeled the fallen angel out of her costume, and she lived up to that disguise while seducing me out of my mind. It wasn't until Bella dozed off amidst our clothes, blankets, and pillows that I took off her halo.
Thanks for reading!
