AN: This story is one I had an idea for awhile ago, but I had finals and another story I was working on. The idea wouldn't go away, however, and I finally broke down and typed it out. As I said earlier, I have another story I’m working on which is my priority, so updates on this will be sporadic at best.

Please, please, let me know what you think. Like every other writer, I love feedback!

I made my way into the elevator mere seconds before the door began to close

It was early morning. Well, early for a Saturday. I wished I could have picked another day to do this, but if I was going to get out my engagement later today, the begging had to start now. I pushed open the doors to the building and saw that the elevator was already open and headed in the right direct. I had to run, but I made my way into the elevator mere seconds before the door began to close. When they had almost shut completely, a voice called out “Hold that please!”

Despite the fear of all things mechanical that came with being a klutz, I stuck my hand into the ever shrinking gap between the elevator doors; the usual risk magnified by the terrible feeling I had been experiencing since this morning that always proceeded a particularly strong bout of my bad luck. But the desperation in the voice made me decide it was worth the risk.

I managed to avoid major misshape and hold the door open until the owner of the voice made his way into the elevator. As soon as he was in, I removed my hand as fast as I possibly could, and then took time to observe the newest occupant of the elevator.

He was very tall, a little taller than six feet, easily dwarfing my own five foot four. He had bronze hair that was messy, but in a way that was now strived for with hair care products. It was clear that the look came naturally to these locks, and that even gel would most likely be unable to keep them from their predestined positions. I could only see a part of his profile, as he was pushing the button for the floor he wanted, but what I could see was attractive. Very attractive. I could feel myself turning red merely in anticipation of the embarrassing things I could do or say.

I moved farther back to try and give him more room, unintentionally jostling one of the other two occupants. “Sorry,” I muttered to the huge, well muscled man. He didn’t even glance in my direction. I began moving again, more carefully this time, being sure not to hit anyone.

As soon as the elevator began to move, the man I had held the door for turned to me. “Thank you,” he said, his voice filled with gratitude. His piercing green eyes met my brown ones, full of appreciation.

“It was no trouble.”

“Maybe not, but it was a huge help to me. I’m running a little late for an interview and if I didn’t catch the elevator, I would have had no chance of getting there on time. So, again, thank you.” His green eyes still held mine and I could see how sincere he was.

“Well, you’re welcome,” I said, feeling a blush beginning to creep over my cheeks. I looked at the floor to break the contact our eyes still had, becoming even redder as I felt his stare.

The elevator then took on the somewhat awkward silence that is the signature of elevators everywhere. The music playing in the background seemed only to magnify the lack of conversation even more. It was your typical elevator ride, save the extremely attractive man I was very aware of standing mere feet to my right. At least until the noise started.

A few seconds later the elevator ground to a stop. Everyone glanced anxiously around at one another. We all knew this could only be trouble. After a few seconds it became clear that we wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The attractive boy with the green eyes who I had held the door for turned to the consul and pushed the emergency button. Despite the situation, he was fairly calm during most of the conversation. He told The Operator what had happened. The Operator in turn told him that we were stuck between floors. I was the worst place to be stopped, as they wouldn’t be able to just pry the door open. He asked how long it would take to get us out, most likely worrying about making it to his interview on time. The Operator told him three hour minimum. I politely stared the other way and tried very hard not to listen as the green-eyed boy began use some colorful language in reaction to this news. I apparently succeeded at some point, because a few minutes later, after ending his conversation with The Operator, he turned and addressed the members of the elevator.

“We may as well get comfortable. It sounds like we’re going to be here for ‘awhile’. I’m Edward,” he said. “And you are?” he asked, gesturing in my direction.

“Bella.”

“Emmett,” said the giant I had bumped into earlier.

“Rosalie,” said the final person in the elevator, stepping out of the shadow she had been hiding in. She looked like she had just walked off a runway. My self-esteem took a hit just looking at her.

Edward sat down and rested his back against a wall. I did the same, leaning against the wall across from him. Rosalie and Emmett followed suite soon after, the former taking a seat next to Edward, the latter sitting against the wall across from the door.

“So,” Edward began conversationally, “what brings you all to this wonderful elevator?”

It was a fair question. The building housed more than fifty different companies, varying from insurance to publishing houses to modeling agencies. If you were looking for something, odds were you could find it here.

“I work for a magazine on the 23rd floor. I was just heading into work.” Rosalie said, sighing after a look at her watch. “I’ve never been late before.”

“You look too young to be working. Shouldn’t you still be in college?” Emmett asked. Coming from anyone else, it might have sounded patronizing. Emmett’s teasing tone made it clear that he was complimenting her.

“I’m twenty-three. I had been working at the magazine writing articles on and off since my junior year of college. As soon as I graduated, they offered me a full time position.”

“Impressive,” Emmett commented.

“And what brings you here, Emmett?” Rosalie inquired.

“My company had a meeting in here a few days ago and I left my wallet. I got a call yesterday that they had found it, so I decided to stop in while I had some free time before I headed into work.”

“Will your boss be angry?”

“No. I was going to be putting in some overtime today simply because I had nothing else to do.”

Edward told his story next. “I’m interviewing for a position as an intern at a record company. It will be a lot to juggle with school and all, but I really want to do something with music and this will help give me the experience I’ll need. The problem is that a lot of people are trying out for the same internship, and I needed to make a really good impression. To top everything off, my family doesn’t even know I’m here.” He met everyone’s stares and elaborated. “My father is a doctor and expects me to follow in his footsteps. I know that he and the rest of my family would support me, but I don’t want to tell them unless I have something concrete to prove that I can do this.”

We all nodded sympathetically. Then three pairs of eyes turned to me, clearly expecting to hear my story. I looked down, but was still aware of their eyes. Especially the green pair. I turned a delicate shade of pink.

“Bella,” Edward asked, “why are you blushing?”

“It’s nothing; I just don’t like being the center of attention. It’s something every klutz learns at a very young age.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Rosalie said, sliding across the elevator to sit closer so she was next to me. And Emmett, I noticed, not that I was going to say anything. “I’ll protect you from them,” she said, putting an arm around my shoulders in camaraderie.

“Yeah,” said Emmett. “Besides, I don’t bite. Often.” He grinned widely, making a show of baring his teeth.

His antics made me laugh, and he and Rosalie made me feel much more relaxed. “It’s not you I’m afraid of,” I said, addressing the male occupants of the elevator, “it’s myself.”

“What do you mean by that?” inquired Edward, eyes alight with curiosity.

“For example, this,” I said, gesturing at everything around us, “is my fault. I knew this morning that my bad luck was going to strike more potently than usual, but I didn’t realize I would be dragging so many people down with me. I’m so sorry,” I said, throwing in a dramatic sob that made them all laugh.

“So,” Emmett said, “back to the original question. What brings you here Bella?”

“I hope it isn’t an audition,” Edward said, his green eyes full of mirth. “You’re a terrible actress. I’d say that career path is out for you.”

“Well, actually…” I said trailing off, watching as his eyes grew wide with alarm. I burst out laughing at his expression. “And you said I couldn’t act!” I exclaimed between giggles.

Emmet and Rosalie both chuckled as comprehension dawned on Edward’s features. A crooked smile grew slowly on his face, making my heart skip a beat or two.

“Alright Bella, you wind this round. But this is far from over. And I will emerge victorious.” The conviction in his voice made it impossible to doubt him. But he had no idea how stubborn I could be.

“We shall see,” I replied ominously.

“My money’s on Bella,” Rosalie stage-whispered to Emmett, making sure everyone could hear her clearly.

“Nah,” said Emmett, mimicking her tone, “Edward all the way.”

“Care to place a bet?” Rosalie asked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

“You’re on,” Emmett said, a competitive spirit clear in the way he spoke.

“Dinner and a movie,” Rosalie said, sating the terms. “Loser pays.”

“Deal,” said Emmett, grinning widely.

I watched the exchange with interest, and as it came to a close, I began applauding enthusiastically. “Brava, Rosalie, Brava!”

She elbowed me in the ribs and I giggled as I rubbed my bruised side. “Anyway,” Rosalie said, “back on track. Why are you trapped in this lovely space with the rest of us?”

“My best friend works in this building, and I’m here to visit her,” I sighed.

“Why?” Edward asked, his intense curiosity taking me off guard, making my heart misbehave yet again.

“She has the idea in her head that no one could ever be happy single, especially me. She always thought I didn’t get out enough. And now that she’s finally found her soul mate and is so far away in couple land, she wants me to come and join her. She somehow guilt-tripped me into going on a blind date, and I’m going to try and talk my way out of it.”

He chuckled. “My sister is the exact same way. I can sympathize.”

“I don’t know, blind dating isn’t that awful,” Rosalie interjected. “It’s a nice way to get to know people.”

“Maybe for you, but being the way I am, the day could only end in disaster. I would be nervous about being out with a stranger, and my clumsiness would kick in on overdrive. There would be no way that would go over well.”

“Why would you be nervous? Dating is fun!”

“Well, you have experience with it. And you’re not painfully shy.”

She paused, pursing her lips in thought. “Tell you what,” she began after a few, “give me your phone number and I’ll call you fifteen minutes into the date. If things are going badly, you can use it as an excuse to leave. If not, just pick up and tell me everything’s fine.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She quickly scribbled something down, and then passed the paper to me. “It’s my number,” she explained, “call me later and tell me what time the date is so I can back you up, and, if necessary, bail you out.”

“Thanks,’ I said, my voice filled with relief. At least now I had an escape plan.

“I’ll do the same for you if you want, Eddie.” Emmett offered generously.

Edward’s eyes darkened perceptibly. “Don’t call me Eddie,” he said, his voice full of malice.

“Sheesh, okay.” Emmett threw up his hands in surrender. “Edward,” he said, emphasizing the word, “what do you say?”

Edward relaxed and a sheepish grin replaced the scowl that had been there moments before. “Would you mind? My sister has a wicked sense of humor, and I’m half afraid that she’ll set me up with someone awful as a joke.” His eyes took on a faraway look and he shuddered slightly.

“Has this happened to you before?” I asked while a small smile played on my lips.

“Once,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She set me up on a date with Lauren Mallory.”

I laughed both at his expression and what I knew must have happened.

“You know her?” he asked, surprised.

“She’s in my dorm. Has been since freshman year. You poor, poor, boy,” I said, still giggling.

Emmet and Rosalie, somehow managing to have moved closer in the few seconds I had been distracted, looked at us expectantly, waiting for an explanation. I raised a hand in Edward’s direction, indicating that he should do so.

“We had agreed to meet at a restaurant, and she arrived ten minutes late. And when she did arrive, I didn’t think it was her at first.”

“Why?” asked Emmett.

“Well, my dear sister had lead me to believe I would be meeting someone I actually had things in common with, which meant I wasn’t expecting someone in a spandex dress.”

“With a figure that was not meant to ever seen in spandex, I might add,” I inserted.

“She saw me right away and jumped into my lap squealing and gushing about how great this was and how she had been told I was hot, but this was something else. I had to work very hard to get her off of my lap, let alone off me entirely. She clung to my arm the whole night managing to chat non-stop about absolutely nothing. When I finally managed to deposit her at her dorm, she got all offended that I didn’t kiss her. Then I lost it a little. I told her, not only do we have nothing in common and it was our first meeting, but she couldn’t even remember my name. I shouted at her that I didn’t want to waste any more money, time, or effort on someone as shallow and self-absorbed as she was.

“She stopped and stared at me for a second, and then said, ‘What does self-absorbed mean?’

“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I just turned around and walked away.”

The whole conversation sounded very familiar, but it took me until the end of the story to realize where I had heard it before. When everything clicked into place, I started laughing yet again.

“That was you?” I asked him between giggles. “I heard you all the way up on the third floor. I told Angela, my roommate, and we joked about it for months.” I turned to Edward. “You were our hero. It was about time someone realized that girl is a complete ditz and shot her down.”

Edward’s composure faltered at this, and he blushed slightly, clearly embarrassed. Rosalie, who had watched the whole exchange with Emmett, turned to him and said, “Bella-two, Edward –zero.”

Emmet grudgingly agreed, and Edward took the time to regain his composure. “At least I didn’t waste my first kiss on her,” he muttered quietly to herself. But I overheard. I chose not to say anything, though if I had done so, I probably would have earned another point.

Rosalie, however, had no such reservations. “Wait, back up,” she said, raising her head from the position it had somehow obtained on Emmett’s shoulder. “You’ve never been kissed? You’re a junior in college, and you’ve never been kissed?”

Despite the amount of humiliation I knew I could endure at the hands of Emmett and Rosalie, I spoke up to try and rescue Edward. I was also slightly relieved. I stuck out my hand out at Edward. “Welcome to the club. I thought I was the only member left on the planet.” He shook it, eyes radiating thanks yet again.

“You too Bella?” Emmett asked, genuinely surprised. Then he turned to Rosalie. “Oh my God. We’re trapped on an elevator with a couple of virgins with morals. Not just virgins, but people who haven’t even been kissed. What is the world coming to?”

“At least you and I are here. Any more innocence in this room and the laws of physics might cease to exist.”

Emmett got a mischievous look in his eye and opened his mouth to speak. Before he had the chance to, however, he was cut off by an exclamation from Edward.

“No! Don’t even suggest it Emmett. I have a reasonably sound idea of what you’re thinking, and that is not happening. I’m not going to let you put Bella in that position. I’m sure she’d object.”

“But you wouldn’t, is that right, Edward?”

Edward became flustered, but after a moment settled on angry. He turned to glare at Emmett, who only seemed to become more amused.

“That’s not a ‘no’,” he smirked, the expression becoming more pronounced. “Come on, Eddie, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said, reaching to pat Edward on the back. As he did so, however, his hand snagged on the sharp corner of the hand-rail, breaking the skin.

I could feel myself beginning to get dizzy as red liquid slowly pooled in the scratch. I hung on to consciousness with the obstinacy I was well known for in my house. No one else was even remotely bothered by Emmett’s cut. His only reaction was to glance at it briefly before continuing with his taunting. Rosalie and Edward didn’t even seem to notice. Everyone was still focused on the topic at hand; it made my personal struggle that much easier, since I knew I didn’t have to worry about other people seeing my ridiculous conflict written on my face.

I knew it was a battle that was impossible to win, and I was slipping quickly. Almost as if he could sense something was wrong, Edward turned to me. At exactly that moment, I smelled the blood from Emmett’s cut and felt myself falling into the familiar darkness that always accompanied one of these incidents. The last thing I was aware of was a pair of concerned green eyes. Then, everything was black.