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Chapter 2

Baseball

Bella

"Oh ... did I wake you up?", Edward asked me when he noticed that I had just opened my eyes.

"No, you didn't."

I had my head on his chest.

Of course he was dressed. He would never do anything that could make me want him even more, because sex was much too dangerous for both of us. At least for me, he thought.

His tight dark gray T-shirt had slipped up a bit during the night and I could see his six-pack.

I pulled the T-shirt up a little more and painted circles on his Adonis body with my fingers. I heard a light sigh from him and lifted my head to see his face. His face was perfect. He looked like one of those idealized ancient Roman sculptures - the prominent male contours of his face, his perfectly straight nose, the lips of a god, and last of all, the eyes.

His eyes were bright gold again today because he was hunting yesterday.

I swung my right leg over his torso so I was above him and could kiss him.

He let me do it.

I started another attempt to draw him out and was about to take off my silk tank top when his cold fingers closed around my wrists.

"Bella!"

"Edward ... please! We've been together for six months. How can you stand it. I mean, as a man, you should want it more than me," I begged him.

But he said nothing.

"Edward, I want you, without restraint!" I continued to beg, but his hands remained firm.

"Please Bella, it's too dangerous. I don't want to hurt you, you're too fragile. We've had this discussion too many times."

I gave up and rolled back onto the bed next to him with a frustrated snort.

Yes, we had this discussion many times. Edward said it was too dangerous because I was such a fragile human. Then I told him to turn me, which he didn't want to do, because of my soul and all. Great, that meant I would die an eighty-year-old virgin, while my husband would stand at my grave as radiantly beautiful and young as ever. Just frustrating. I wasn't going to give up hope just yet. I would get him to turn me into a radiant immortal yet.

"What do we want to do today?", I asked him, in order to broach a somewhat lighter topic.

"Umm ... we could go to my family's house. There's supposed to be a thunderstorm today. We could ask Alice if the weather is baseball-ready," he mused aloud.

Baseball was fine with me. I never played because I could never match the speed or strength of vampires, but it was fun to watch them. I smirked at the thought of Jasper's victory dances and Emmett's face when I caught him cheating again.

Two hours later we were driving my old red truck up the Cullens driveway.

When we walked in, everyone was already in their baseball gear.

Alice walked past Edward and said with a wink, "Yep ... the weather is baseball-ready today. Go on, get changed, Eddie."

"Hi Edward, did you guys have some fun last night?", Emmett called across the room.

He almost burst while suppressing laughter.

Edward hissed at him.

I blushed.

"Ah ... I see. Must have been playing chess or doing your tax returns, huh?"

He could no longer hold himself and snorted.

Edward was about to go upstairs to change when Emmett was already standing right next to him.

"Eddie boy, how could you possibly want to do without THAT?"

A small wrinkle formed on his forehead as he did so.

It looked like he needed to concentrate.

"Stop thinking about things like that when I'm here!" Edward grumbled at him and went upstairs.

"What were you thinking about, Em?", I asked in amazement.

Emmett gave me a sardonic grin.

"Just remembering that I certainly didn't do any tax returns last night, right Rosie?"

Rose came over to him and kissed him passionately.

Just like Edward would never kiss me, because he always had to control himself. Couldn't Edward be a little more relaxed - like his bearish brother?

"So ... go, boys and girls! The game begins," Alice shouted and threw the ball with full force.

The ball and Jasper's bat were moving so fast that I couldn't even see them. I only heard the loud pop when the ball hit the bat, and Jasper started running right after.

I was standing next to Esmé - she and I were the referees.

Well, actually I was a pretty bad umpire, because the players were moving too fast for my eyes. I used to find baseball terribly boring - and those clothes! But with my vampire family, nothing was ever boring - and with their stunning beauty, even those awkward clothes looked hot. Rosalie looked like she had stepped out of a glossy, photoshopped, sportswear fashion magazine. Alice looked just as good, and every move looked like she was dancing. The men were just as good looking. My eyes darted to Edward - just indescribable. How could this man want me of all people?

I blinked in confusion.

Had he just given Jasper a pat on the butt?

Carlisle was now the batter.

I chuckled at the thought of all the nurses who couldn't concentrate when the handsome and charming Doctor Cullen was at work.

Emmett, who could easily pass for a Calvin Klein model, was just getting ready to throw when Alice shouted "STOP!" loudly.

Faster than I could see, they were all with Esmé and me, talking so fast I couldn't understand a word.

But even without hearing the words, I understood that danger was looming.

Edward and Emmett stood protectively to my left and right, the others stood a little further forward.

Jasper bared his teeth and growled softly.

"Easy, Jasper. Let's see what they want first," Carlisle said.

Finally, I too saw the two vampires coming across the clearing toward our group. They were a man and a woman.

"Hello, nomads. I'm Carlisle and this is my family," Carlisle greeted the two in a calm voice.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Victoria and this is my mate James. We heard someone playing baseball and smelled your scent. Do you have room for two more teammates?"

The red-haired woman's voice was sugary sweet and did not match her wild appearance at all. Her companion had longer blond hair, which he had tied up.

"Yeah, a bunch of us were just leaving anyway. You guys can replace them."

At this, Carlisle quickly looked at Edward and me.

We both understood immediately.

"Fine, let's play," Victoria said with a grin on her face.

Edward and I were about to turn to go back to the car when the wind blew through my hair.

Within half a second - or maybe faster - all Cullens were back in attack position.

"He wants Bella!" Edward hissed angrily at the others.

"You better get out of here right now or we will rip your heads off! We are more than outnumbered!", Jasper said in a voice that made me shiver slightly.

The redhead took her mate's hand, looked him in the eyes and then they fled.

"Damn!"

I had never heard Edward swear before that.

"Calm down, son," Carlisle said, putting a hand on Edward's shoulder.

"No! I can't calm down, Carlisle. You didn't hear his thoughts! He's a tracker, he WANTS them more than anything! I have to kill him, that's the only solution!", Edward hissed in anger.

I had no idea what a tracker was. But anyone who wanted my blood - and thus my death - was my enemy.

"We'll help you!" Alice and Emmett said at the same time.

Jasper and Rosalie joined them.

Now they started talking about strategies again so fast that I didn't understand anything.

I stood there frozen.

Edward came to me and took my face in his hands.

"Bella, don't be afraid. We will hunt them down and destroy them before they can even get back near Forks. I love you!"

He gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you too, Edward!"

He was already running after the others, who were already halfway across the clearing, but I was sure that he had still heard it.

"Don't worry, Bella. We'll be back soon!" Alice called out to me.

I still stood there frozen, unable to move or say anything.

"Bella ... dear, come."

Esmé gently touched my hand and pulled me back to the car.

Carlisle drove and Esmé got in the back with me.

Slowly the shock faded, and the terrible truth seeped into my consciousness.

Half my family was about to risk their lives ... just because of me!

I began to cry and buried my face against Esmé's chest.

"Don't worry, Bella, they outnumber them. Besides, they will split up and hunt separately. They'll all come back in a few days."