Equinox: A Twilight RPG

It was late, well after midnight when Leah wandered onto the beach. She'd had first patrol of the night and as much as she'd really just wanted to run, Sam had taken over after her and the two of them alone? That was never fun and always awkward. She wasn't ready to go home though, even her human body was still awake and alert. She'd done a quick sweep, past her house, past Paul and Jacobs, just to make sure that everything was okay there.

It was, not surprisingly, since things had been eerily calm lately. She probably shouldn't have gone to the beach alone, but at least it was safer than the forest. There was a group of kids that Leah didn't recognise, sitting around a fire while the smell of cheap beer hung in the air and it felt like another lifetime when Leah had been a part of something like that. Now there was no room for that sort of ... carelessness. She sighed softly and headed up the beach further, until the smell of smoke and the sound of laughter was more distant.

There was no moon, it was obscured by heavy clouds that threatened rain at any minute but it didn't impede her vision any. Her ears were still stronger though and she heard someone approaching before she saw them. She would have been concerned, since they weren't in her line of sight yet, but the scent carrying over the salt of the ocean was enough to let her know she wasn't in danger.

Emmett had been gone for hours, he had just "stepped outside" for a moment and had disappeared shortly there after. It had been six months since he was changed into this creature, and for the first time he hated what he was. She'd warned him about this right off the bat. The smell of it, the pull of it. It wasn't the first time he'd smelled it, it had once taken Edward, Carlisle and Rosalie holding him back the first time he'd smelled human blood. But they'd held him back. This time he'd been alone. No one to remind him, no one to stop him. The first one had been bad, but after that he couldn't stop. He'd gotten one and he wanted more. Luckily the human hadn't been alone. At final count, it had been seven.

He'd gotten the first whiff about 100 yards into his walk. He couldn't help himself though, he'd wanted to be strong but it had only lasted about ten seconds before he was running as fast as he could through the woods to where the hiking party was. It had been over before it was started, and he was then surrounded by the bodies of five men and two women. They hadn't had a chance. His body ached with remorse, he could still hear their heartbeats in his ears and taste their blood on his tongue. He licked his lips and stood among the carnage. He spent much of his time burying the bodies, and hoping they'd never be found. He was covered in dirt and blood and he walked to the river to clean himself off. He couldn't get the smell off of him. He did the best thing he could and broke into a hunting cabin that was empty and changed clothes.

Staring at himself in the mirror he noticed immediately the red color of his eyes and he felt the ache in his chest. Where would he go now? Carlisle would never let him stay, Edward who had become like a brother to him would hear his awful thoughts and never want to speak to him again. Esme would be disappointed and he'd never wanted to disappoint her, she'd stop considering him a son. He'd betrayed them all, his family. He'd destroyed everything they'd worked for all because he wasn't strong like them.

And Rosalie. Rosalie, his beautiful angel. She'd sacrificed so much, had saved his life and done everything she could to help him adjust. She'd never accept him now. Not like this. She'd never tasted human blood before. She'd never forgive him. He loved her so completely, and so purely. More than he'd ever imagined loving anyone else. It had only been months, and already he knew he would die without her. The crushing in his chest at the thought of breaking her heart. Someone who had confided her secrets to him, someone he'd spent days upon days just listening to her, and talking to her. Never afraid to tell his secrets, or be himself. Never feeling judged by her, always at peace as long as she was by his side. He'd never so much as tried to give her the eye, and convince her to stay in his room for the night. Or attempting to sweet talk her, the way he'd done with the pretty girls he'd met in his former life. Never trying to be charming, or inappropriate in any way. She was a real lady, a classy lady. She deserved better than him, and she made him want to be a better person. And now he'd gone and thrown it all way.

He burned his own clothes in a metal bucket and took off for a run. But he was scared, he didn't know what to go. He found himself back at the only home he'd ever known in this life. He hurried into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Maybe they wouldn't come asking after him. He didn't know how long his eyes would be red, or how long he'd have the smell in his nose, and the flavor in his mouth. They'd know immediately. They'd all know. He wondered if he should start packing now, but honestly they'd gotten him all of these things. He had no right or claim to any of it. He took off the borrowed clothes and shoved them to the back of his closet as he changed into his own. He took the rocking chair from the corner and moved it toward the window and sat down, just staring off into the dark night.

Who: Jake, Angela, and an NPC Ben
What: Goofing off and intimidating the ex.
Where: Forks
When: Around 2:30 in the afternoon

Jake had come down to Forks for the day, being that Angela had come up to La Push the last five times they'd hung out together. First it was the beach, then a movie night, then dinner with Jake's dad, dinner with the pack at Sam and Emily's. He'd decided he'd made her drive 35 miles each way enough and came down to see her. He was going to stop by and see Bella later, but so far he was having way too much fun hanging out with Angela.

They were wandering around the outfitters trying to find Jake some new shoes, and he was currently at the counter giving Mrs. Newton the information she needed to order a few pairs of chuck taylors in Jacob's size. She was going on and on about how much he'd grown and he was being as polite as ever, always keeping Angela in his peripheral vision.

It shocked him how easily it came to him to always be aware of where she was when they were together. Half of it was just because he was absolutely crazy about her, and the other half was the rogue vampire running around time killing his pack members and beating the shit out of Leah and Emmett Cullen.

As he made small talk with Mrs. Newton he heard the bell on the door chime and he instinctively turned to look, it was no one he recognized so he looked back and finished giving Mrs. Newton his phone number. He said thank you, and walked over to where Angela was standing staring rather intently at a pair of new balance tennis shoes and not moving a muscle. He furrowed his brow, and walked up behind her and put his hands on her hips and kissed her cheek. "New Balance is not cool, babe. Ever," he teased.

Who: Leah and Paul
What: Jeannie and I are going to fill the friends page with Leah and Paul posts. Or, you know, BBQ at Jakes!
Where: The Blacks yard.
When: After our other posts

Leah didn't want to be there and her body language was pretty evident of that. It wasn't a huge get together, mostly just the pack and immediately family and she wouldn't have come if Jacob hadn't practically begged her to. She hadn't been around everyone since the day at the beach and boy, nothing but fuel had been added to that fire since that day.

It was their fault really, running around the reservation with Paul in her underwear really didn't help her keep the rumours at bay. Of course what they were saying wasn't exactly untrue. Leah couldn't define her relationship with Paul, she didn't want too because that really only complicated things more than they already were.

Her mother was sitting across the yard from Leah with Paul's mom and a couple of others and it bothered her to no end that they kept glancing in her direction. She didn't have to guess what they were talking about. She'd already gotten the 'Leah I'm worried about you' talk from her mother and of course Leah hadn't given her much more than assuring her that she knew what she was doing.

Sam was there, with Emily by his side of course and Leah realized she might be avoiding him more than she was avoiding Paul. She didn't know how he felt about any of this - if he even cared. Part of her wanted to tell him exactly what she and Paul were doing, attempt to hurt him, even just a little bit, but mostly she just wanted to avoid the subject completely, just like she would be more than happy to avoid everyone that was here, even if she knew that was far too much to hope for.

Who: Paul and Leah, obviously.
What: Emily and I have decided to provide shippy/not-shippy entertainment while the game is on pause. Yay us?
Where: Paul's house
When: A couple days after that porntastic evening

Paul hadn't been surprised to find Leah gone when he got up the morning after she'd spent the night. Partly because he'd known she would sneak out at the first opportunity, and partly because he'd been awake when she'd left. He'd fought himself not to wake up and ask her to stay, this was her thing, she was in charge of this entire situation. He wanted her to come to him, to be ready for him. He'd wait forever, now that the proverbial flood gates had been opened, he was ready to fight for her. But he had to fight for her in a different way, he would play by her rules, and do as she asked. He wasn't going to let himself get scared off, no matter how long it took or how badly it hurt.

He wasn't even really surprised that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Leah Clearwater since the morning he'd watched her sneak out of his window through half closed eyes. So he was going about his life as normal as he could. His Mother had give him some odd looks, and she had tread very lightly when asking questions of him. The two had a very open and honest relationship, and it pained the both of them that this subject was so off limits. He wanted to discuss it with her, but even he wasn't ready to try and define anything at all.

So he held it close to his chest, and he avoided Sam. And Jacob. And pretty much everyone else. He still made his daily visits, and did his chores around the rez, and his own house, but there was still uncertainty in the air when it came to Sam and the rest of the pack.

This particular evening he was sitting on his roof watching the sun set over the Pacific enjoying a beer and a cigarette. Next to him was an ashtray (he'd quit one day), and a metal bucket with ice and a few cans of cheap beer.

Paul's roof had the best view of the ocean and the most comfortable places to sit. Even growing up his roof was a popular place for watching fireworks, and ridiculous antics of teenage boys. There was easy access to it from the front porch, and a flat part that almost acted as a makeshift deck. There were even a couple of lawn chairs up there on occasion.

The sun wasn't quite ready to make it's descent into the ocean and the sky shone with purples and pinks and oranges, and it glistened off of the water. He couldn't imagine a more beautiful evening, a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest was something to be treasured for sure. He just wished he had Leah here to share it with him. But he wasn't going to dwell on that. Until he heard a noise and looked over the edge of his roof and saw the bottom half of Leah's body dangling from his bedroom window. He let out a whistle and a chuckle, "Up here, Leah," he said, the smile evident in his voice.

Who: Leah and Paul
What: More epicness because we're that cool.
Where: Paul's house
When: Sometime in the middle of the night

It was late, which wasn't all that surprising since that was Leah's preferred time of travel. Of course over the past few days she hadn't even been game enough to leave the house. She'd all but locked herself in her room, refusing to speak to anyone, even her own mother had given up after Leah may have lost it on her just a little bit. It had been with good reason though, her mother suggesting less than 12 hours after everything had happened on the beach that maybe she should give Paul a chance, he was a good boy, looked after his mother. She hadn't meant to snap, but really, the whole thing was still sinking in.

She had no idea how she had missed it. How could you be inside someone elses head and not know they were in LOVE with you? Was she really that self absorbed? Though after some thought she decided he must have been exceptionally good at hiding it since she was sure there would have been some tensions between Sam and Paul ... or at least some sort of hint from Jacob, but there had been nothing. She hadn't phased since that afternoon, part of her was too scared too. She didn't want anyone else inside of her head now and she wasn't sure she could handle being inside of Paul's.

That couldn't last forever though, they had a job to do and even if she would have been happy to crawl under a rock and spend the rest of her life there, it just wasn't an option. Which only really left one option and that was to talk to him. She'd told her mom she was going to Jake's, which was almost true and depending on how things went might not be a lie at all. Paul wasn't home when she got there, she could tell that his mom was but she really didn't want to have to face her... or anyone else right now. So she waited outside of his window for him to get home. It probably wasn't the safest place but she figured that a vampire attack in the middle of the Rez probably wasn't all that likely. She had been about to give up when she heard someone inside and sure enough his bedroom light came on not long after.

By the time he got home she was mad. Mostly because she was exceptionally impatient and waiting was not one of her strong points, but also, she was mad at him for dumping all of that on her. She was mad at him for ever saying anything and she had every intention of letting him know that. She banged hard on his window. Hard enough for him to hear but hopefully not hard enough to wake his mom. She only waited a minute before yanking it open and hoisting herself up through it, not really caring if he wanted to see her or not.

Who: Jake, Angela, anyone else from La Push who wants to join. I suggest ALL of you!
What: Rest and Relaxation aka BEACH DAY
Where: First Beach
When: Around 2:30 in the afternoon

Jacob was standing on the beach in a pair of brown and green board shorts throwing a foot ball to Quil who was a ridiculous distance away, but lucky for them they had mad werewolf skills and could toss a football back and forth from ridiculous distances. His hair wasn't tied back at all for a change and hung loosely on his shoulders. He was laughing and smiling and having a good time.

Embry was playing soccer with Colin and Brady, Leah was sitting in the sun with one of Paul's dogs the other was in the water chasing Paul while he paddled out on his surfboard. Emily was there keeping a close eye on little Claire who of course was getting ridiculous amounts of attention from everyone. The only person that was missing was Seth, and his absence was heartbreaking to everyone. But they weren't there to be sad, they were there to regroup, to make amends for the past couple of weeks. To remind each other that they were all still a family. Parents were there, other family members, it wasn't so much a send off for their fallen brother as it was a celebration of their own lives. Times were tough and they, as a pack, were disheartened and discouraged. But they still had this, they still had each other and there was rarely a time that times weren't rough on the rez. This was just a new kind of rough.

Jacob had invited Angela over to the rez for the beach day, but he hadn't seen her yet. He didn't blame her, but it didn't change the fact that he really wanted her there. She was as much a part of him now as the rest of his family, and he wanted to share everything with her. Both the good and the bad. Sometimes the good would be something as simple as a get together like this, or dinner with Sam and Emily. And sometimes it would be something outstanding, like the day they got rid of the thing that had done this to their family. As for the bad, well all anyone had to do was wander around La Push and see that things weren't rainbows and unicorns there, but that was the day to day stuff. Sometimes the bad would be the loss of a brother. No matter what it was, he wanted to share it with her.

As he brought his arm back to throw the football back to Quil with "go long fucker!" he caught her walking down the beach. He smiled widely and looked back at Quil and chucked the ball as hard as he could (trying to be impressive of course) and laughed as Quil ran to catch it. He waved at his friend and started jogging quickly up the beach to meet her halfway.

Who: Paul and Leah
When: The Morning after the sleepover at the Black abode
What: Being rude comes too easy to Paul.
Where: Paul's front yard

Paul had lived next door to the Black family his entire life, he had grown up with Jacob's sisters and remembered clearly when their Mother had died. They'd always been close friends of the Blacks, and nothing went on over there that Paul didn't know about.

Leah's middle of the night visits were just one of those things. It wasn't that Paul was angry, or thought that they were up to anything, he knew better than that. Especially since everyone knew that Jacob had imprinted on the white girl from Forks. Scandal enough right there without adding Leah into the mix. Paul wondered what they talked about, what it was about Jacob that Leah needed so badly. He knew that the two of them hadn't always gotten along, and somehow during Jacob's big heartbreak episode they'd found some common ground.

Paul was also the same age as Sam and Leah, he'd been friends with Sam as long as he could remember, and Leah had always been around too. Small place like La Push, there wasn't much else to do but hang around with your neighbors. Right about the time Sam and Leah started dating, Paul started skateboarding, and surfing and marching to the beat of his own drummer as his Mother had said. Paul was an only child from a broken home, a very common story on a lot of the reservations. His Father lived up on the Quinault Rez and he saw him every six or eight months. He called every other birthday or so, and that was it. He was close with his Mother, and they both worked, his Mom was a teacher at the Rez school, and Paul did odd jobs. They made it work. They were very poor, but honestly, so was everyone else.

Paul was a happy guy, even though he let his emotions get the better of him from time to time, and was known for having quite the temper, he was a nice enough dude. He got in fights in school, he defended his friends, but something he'd never gotten the hang of was Sam and Leah. He'd had a crush on Leah Clearwater since he was 8 years old, and when Sam ended up growing a pair first and asking her out Paul had given up. And so he did what teenage boys usually do, he made fun of her as often as possible, and stuck by Sam in every fight they had.

He never once tried to break them up, he never even thought about it, he let his feelings go, and hoped his friends would be happy. Even when they started talking about getting married. But when Sam imprinted, everything had gone to hell. He needed to stand by his friend, but maybe this was his chance with Leah. He never took it, besides, he phased too and he decided he had way too much on his plate to put Leah through that.

So here they were, 6:00 in the morning, no one else really up, Paul was going to go surfing before the tide changed and he noticed Leah sneaking out of Jake's window. Jake was handing her some kind of toaster pastry and calling her a weirdo, and Paul watched the entire even from his front porch. He stamped out his cigarette in he coffee can by the door and called out to Leah as she passed by, "Walk of shame, Leah?" It was second nature to flip her shit now, he couldn't NOT do it, even though he knew she didn't deserve it. And her brother had just died, and she was generally a miserable mess of a person. Then again, if Paul had suddenly started being as nice to her as he was to everyone else...Well shit, she'd think something was up and it would just be all bad.

Who: Angela and Bella
What: Angela and Bella need to chit-chat.
Where: The Cullen's
When: A few hours after Jake spilled the werewolf-beans.

It wasn’t in Angela’s nature to show up without having been invited, especially not to a place like the Cullen’s. Tonight was a huge exception. After being dropped off at home by Quil, Angela was able to leave Andrew in their mother’s care and borrow the car right after dinner. The entire time she’d just sat there, not eating, with her mother going on and on about how she looked ill. It’d been a fight for the car keys after that, but after plenty of convincing, Angela was the winner of the disagreement.

She parked in the driveway, her mother’s car looking like a pile of dung next to the fancy cars the Cullen’s drove, and practically ran to the front door. It wasn’t until she was on the door step that she realized she’d never really spent any time there, and she was suddenly very nervous. According to Jake’s logic—wasn’t she about to walk into a house full of vampires? God it was all so crazy. The entire time through dinner Angela had been thinking about the Cullen’s and all the time she’d known them—their strange beauty, their pale and cold skin, the colours of their eyes, the way they never really seemed to eat… every strange thing flashed through her mind.

And it was driving her crazy.

Frantically, Angela started knocking on the door, using her last and only ounce of bravery, before she stepped back away from the doorway. She fidgeted out on the stoop, rolling on the balls of her feet while trying not to run for the car.

Who: Leah and Jake
What: Leah is feeling better and back to climbing through windows.
Where: The Black Crib
When: Tonight

Leah couldn't stand it at home anymore. She'd been stuck there since she left the Cullen's and as much as she couldn't believe it, it had actually been easier at the Cullen's. Her mother was angry and upset and in totally overprotective mode so Leah had to wait until she'd fallen asleep before sneaking out and leaving a note to her mother letting her know she was fine she'd just gone to the Blacks.

And she was telling the truth. She knew some would debate it wasn't safe for her, but it wasn't like she was leaving the Rez or off chasing vampires. Besides, she was feeling ... well, she was almost 100%. The scar that ran almost the length of her side hadn't completely faded yet and she was still a little tender but for the most part she was feeling better.

It didn't take her long to get to Jake's and when she did she used her usual route of his window. This time, more than ever it was to avoid the sympathetic look that she was sure Billy didn't mean to give her, but always did anyway and it had just gotten worse since... well. As always she made sure to make plenty of noise as she climbed (more carefully than usual) through his window into his room, remembering that at the end of the day he was a teenage boy and she had no desire to witness anything that came along with that.

Who: Angela and Jacob
What: Jake has a secret. Ruh oh.
Where: La Push; Jacob's home.
When: After the Port Angeles trip to McDonald's. Unfortunately, Quil didn't turn it into a Wendy's.

It wasn’t like Angela didn’t like spending time with her little brother. Babysitting him could be a lot of fun, but babysitting him a lot was extremely tiring. Andrew had more energy than a cheetah hunting for food. Luckily, Jacob and Quil had just about as much energy as Andrew; if not more. With the three of them combined, Angela could barely keep up. It was like the tortoise and the hare come to life, only there were three hares, two of them being really, really huge, and the tortoise was a red head.

Regardless of that, it was a fun little trip. Andrew was clearly smitten with Jacob and Quil, and was practically begging for their attention the entire way back to Forks. It was actually Andrew’s idea to go to La Push to hang out with the boys a little more—an idea that Angela certainly didn’t shoot down. She liked spending time with Jacob, and the more she knew about him, the more she liked. He was incredibly different from Ben, but that was possibly one of her favourite things about him.

When they arrived in La Push, Quil was kind enough to take Andrew on his hands, leaving Angela and Jake alone to their own devices. It was all very odd. When they were with other people, which was almost all the time, Angela was wishing they could be alone, but when they were alone, she was always nervous and struggling not to have a severe case of word vomit.

Angela plopped down onto Jake’s sofa and folded her legs underneath her body. “Thanks for taking us to Port Angeles with you today,” Angela said. “Andrew loves you two.”

Who: Emmett and Leah
What: Heart to hear time? Well as much as possible with people like Leah and Emmett
Where: The Cullen basement
When: The day after her big injury

Emmett crept down the stairs quietly holding a tray with some soup, some bread and a bottle of water. He was checking on Leah, and Sam, but mostly Leah. She was laying on the couch with her eyes open when he walked in and sat down in the chair next to the couch and set the tray down on the table.

He didn't really know what to say, "How are you feeling?" he asked, concern etched on his face. "Do you need more drugs? Carlisle can totally bring you more drugs, and I brought some food, I don't have a clue how to cook so I nuked it, and who knew the microwave was for more than just drying socks," he was rambling, but he wanted her to feel comfortable. And not like she was being held hostage.

Who: Bella and Irina
What: Irina tries to convince Bella that Italy is made of awesome~
When: The evening of August 24th.
Where: Cullen household!


Everything was just pure chaos in the Cullen household right now, and while they were trying their absolute best to keep things at least a little bit normal, Bella could tell it wasn’t working very well. And while she didn’t like the fact that she was keeping to herself, because she really wanted to be involved and do what she could to help, she knew it wasn’t going to be any use. She was never much use when it came to these sort of things. And for once it wasn’t her that was the target!

So, she decided to take refuge in her and Edward’s bedroom. He was off doing something, possibly with Jasper. She just wanted a bit of alone time. Had said she was going to write an e-mail to Renee, maybe try to take a nap, something. But instead she was curled up on the bed that she still didn’t particularly see a need for, a tattered copy of Pride & Prejudice laying open beside her as she read through it. She was beginning to regret asking Edward to leave her be for a little bit, because even though she loved the book she was reading, she would have much rather have been spending time with him.

She let out a sigh and closed the book, pushing it to the side. Maybe he was somewhere in the house. Groaning, she climbed off of the bed and made her way toward the door to open it and search him out.

Who: Emmett and Carlisle
What: Emmett needs a doctor and so does Leah
Where: Cullen house
When: Directly after the fight with the mystery vampire.

Emmett's tires spun as he turned into the driveway at breakneck speed, he slammed his brakes on and put his car in gear as he set the hand break and turned it off. He reached into the back and carefully, albeit quickly carried an unconscious Leah to the door. His arm was aching and practically useless, he was using all the strength on one side of his body as he practically kicked the front door in. "CARLISLE! Help me please!" He hollered his loud voice filled with panic as it boomed through the house.

He hurried to the living room and set Leah down on the couch gently mostly just needing to put her somewhere. He tried to cover her with his sweater the best he could, he was as much of a gentleman as possible most of the time. He cradled his injured arm and tried to think of something else besides the pain, trying to remember everything that had happened so he could relay it to Carlisle. Where was he. "CARLISLE!" He hollered again. He crouched down next to Leah and looked at her, "Hold on Leah, he can help you, I swear."

Who: Emmett and Leah
What: Leah gets in trouble, Emmett breaks the treaty, All hell breaks loose
Where: La Push
When: Not very long after the Sam/Carlisle escapade. Probably during it actually.

( Emmett didn't recognize the scent... )

Who: Carlisle, Esme and a v. unconscious Sam Uley.
Where: The mysterious Cullen basement!
When: Directly after the fight between Carlisle and Sam.
What: The healing of harms?

******************************

( What! What is this? )

Who: Sam and Carlisle
When: After the werewolves have finished grieving over Seth's death.
Where: Just outside the hospital, then in the forest.
What: Sam and Carlisle declare their undeniable, everlasting love for each other. With fists.

****

( And it was perfect, wasn't it, that he would neatly remove the head of the family that had so long plagued his people and worried them to the extent that their pack was now larger (and in many ways, more vulnerable) than ever. )

Who: Emmett and Rosalie
What: Emmett is a little weirded out by Alice right now.
Where: The Cullen House
When: August 20, a few hours after the four wheeling trip.

Emmett was a little concerned about Alice, she had been acting very strange and barely letting him out of her sight. It was making him feel incredibly self conscious. He had deduced that something in her visions had startled her, and now he was starting to question his immortality and it made being around Alice vaguely terrifying. He was tempted to ask if she'd seen something involving him, and his untimely death at the hands of some werewolf, or unknown vampire, or something like that. It was starting to freak him out.

It was strange enough that she'd gone four wheeling with him but when he'd run up to the video store she'd gone with him then, when he'd left to go to the bookstore, she'd accompanied him there too. It had started to become a bit of a challenge to him now, the great 2007 "Hide from Alice" challenge. He was about to walk into his bedroom when she appeared again. "Alice, I'm going to..." He paused. "Alice I'm going to go and spend some alone time with Rosie, please, please for the love of God do not listen at the door. I don't know why you're so clingy today, and I love you too, I really do, but please. Get a hobby. Just for a few hours. If you're lonely Jasper is out in the shed doing something ridiculous I'm sure. Edward and Bella are around here somewhere not having sex, so I'm sure they'd be glad to keep you company. Esme is out with Carmen but sweetheart, she has her phone. Go join them. Please." He said in a desperate tone, but still very sweet. The more she was around the more he was reminded that his death was probably right around the corner. And that wasn't a fun thought.

She nodded a bit at him, mumbled an 'I'm sorry,' and turned to leave. He groaned and put his hand on her shoulder. Telling Alice no was kind of like kicking a puppy and he felt awful about it. "Cheer up kid, seriously. I'll tell you what, later all of us will hang out okay? We'll watch movies, or go for a walk, or something, it'll be awesome. Now turn that frown upside down and go play ninjas with Jasper in the shed," he said pushing on her nose. She forced a smile and turned and walked down the stairs.

He went into his bedroom where Rosalie was sitting on the bed reading the book he'd got her and he crossed the room quickly and jumped onto the bed and bounced the whole damn thing as he did so. He kicked his feet up and put his arms behind his head and sighed loudly. "Is it just me or is Alice acting weird?" he asked, not like she would know, she'd been up here in reading mode all damn day. But still, it was better to start with that than 'I think I'm going to die.'

Who: Alice and Emmett
What: She's following him around, and while he appreciates the company he is sure she has something better to do.
Where: The Cullen house
When: August 20

( Alice is stalking Emmett... )

Who: Edward and Esme
Where: The Cullen Household, pretty muchish.
When: A few days before the wedding.
What: Esme gives Edward The Talk. No, not that one. Also, wedding presents.

***

It was the evening before the wedding and Esme was, perhaps, one of the more calm people in the house. As everyone prepared for the festivities of the following day, she had already done her duties and took great care to make her children and her husband feel as peaceful as they might.

This also spilled over into looking for Edward (perhaps, in presenting him with her gift) and so she quietly walked down the stairs into the deserted living room to stare out the window to, perhaps, ascertain whether or not he was within or without the house.

He had been, of course, on the grounds, repeatedly going over his vows, making changes here and there (I'll always love you, in this life and beyond it--no, wait, can't say that...), when Esme's thoughts broke into his ponderings. Relieved to have a distraction for what was quickly devolving into gibberish, he was leaning in the doorway of the living room in mere moments. "Penny for your thoughts?" he said with a slight smile.

( A jar of them. )