Um, yeah. I don’t really know where this came from. Well, I do, it came from that kickass scene in the movie and me hearing “Supermassive Black Hole” on the radio today, BUT that’s not really very important.

The most important note I have for you is that I very obviously ignore a bit of BD in this fic by, well…not mentioning it. But I left it open for you to make up a situation in which that particular part of BD can still exist and just be otherwise occupied…say with a little lupine pal or something. That is all. :-)

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The first year of being a vampire was spent getting used to your new powers and harnessing them. The second year was the more fun end of that where after you’ve successfully figured out how to control every muscle to your satisfaction you get to finally join in some fun that you never knew you’d missed out on. Of course, Emmett had made sure of sneaking in as many arm wrestling matches as he could as soon as I was changed, but there were other sources of amusement too.

Edward had tirelessly been teaching me to hunt and even though I acknowledged it would take me a few more years to even close to the graceful art his hunting resembled, I was catching on pretty quick. The entire family helped me over and over again as I learned to expand and flex the shield I now possessed.

I felt as if I was finally fully experiencing what it was to be a Cullen – to be a true, fully functioning member of the family and that, combined with the help of a heavy thunderstorm one night that began in the middle of a hunt Edward and I were on alone, is what inspired me.

My memories of my life before the change were dimming, but one in particular was still strong – the night of the failed baseball game in a meadow outside the house in Forks. The Cullens hadn’t played baseball since then, I knew, and as Edward and I were caught in the rain one evening, I was struck with sudden, strong desire to suggest another game. I had found again and again that my aversion to sports was fast fading as time went by because of my newfound agility and ability. It was easy to like sports when you could actually do them without being a walking accident.

When Edward and I made it back to the main house last night to visit with the family, Alice was waiting at the door, bouncing on her toes.

“Oh, Bella! That’s such a wonderful idea!” she enthused with a grin. Edward shot me a curious sideways glance. I hadn’t mentioned my latest desire to him and it was no doubt an odd suggestion coming from me. Although I may enjoy playing around with the family, I rarely suggested something as physical as baseball. “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, of course, but unless something unexpected happens, this storm should still be close enough so we can use the thunder.”

“Are you sure you want to play baseball, Bella?” Edward asked, his arms snaking around my waist. I felt his chin rest on my shoulder and I twisted in his arms so I could place a kiss on his cheek.

“Scared I’ll beat you?” I joked playfully, wrinkling my nose.

“Oh yes,” Edward laughed. “Absolutely terrified.”

“What’s this I hear about Bella beating Edward…again?” Emmett thundered from the living room. Edward rolled his eyes and kissed my exposed collarbone before pulling away and walking swiftly towards the living room to talk to his brother.

Before I could follow him, Alice grabbed my wrist and began to pull me up the stairs.

“Come on, Bella, we’re going to have to find you a uniform,” she said matter-of-factly. Figuring she was probably right, I let her take me up to her room where she began to pull out various colors of uniforms and letting me try them on. I went along with her game until she was satisfied and then we headed back downstairs to find all three of the boys lounging in the living room much where we left them.

We whittled away at the hours until we could begin to prepare for the game by Jasper trying to teach me how to hold the bat properly(with the necessary side commenting from Emmett, of course) and Edward clarifying all the rules of baseball for me since I had never really paid much attention to them before. Fully equipped with a crash course in baseball, I helped Alice begin to round up all the supplies we would need while Emmett went off with Rosalie and Edward and Jasper scoured the basement for extra balls they had somewhere down there.

“It’s time!” Alice sang out as she led the way down the stairs. By the time she got to the bottom of the staircase, the other six of our family were there to meet us. I smiled and rushed excitedly to Edward’s side, hugging myself to him. He kissed the top of my head, grinning down at me and I could tell he was excited for the opportunity to play his favorite game again. I inwardly congratulated myself on the idea.

We piled all the gear into Emmett’s jeep and Emmett, Rose, Carlisle and Esme got in the jeep while the rest of us determined to get there on foot. As the jeep drove off into the neighboring woods, I turned to Edward and cocked my head to the side.

“I’ll race you there,” I challenged him with a small shove.

He threw his head back and laughed at me. Taking that as a yes, I sprinted headlong into the woods, taking all the head start I could get. Edward had proven over and over again that I would probably never be able to beat him in a footrace unless he wanted me to win, but that didn’t stop me from trying. I was faintly aware of Alice and Jasper following us at a much more casual jog, and then I focused all my attention on Edward who had nearly caught up to me.

His auburn hair was easy to spot as he expertly weaved in and out trees, easily keeping pace with me even as I ran at top speed. As we drew nearer to the destination, he suddenly and sharply disappeared from my eye line and as I burst out of the woods into the clearing, I looked around wildly for him but before I could even catch his scent he was tackling me to the ground with a loud crash.

“Edward!” I screamed and pushed him back.

“Got you,” he said simply and sprang to his feet, offering me a hand. I took it with a sniff just as Alice and Jasper strolled into the meadow hand in hand. We didn’t have to wait long for the others to arrive in the bouncing jeep.

Emmett and Jasper quickly went to setting up the bases while Esme split us into teams. When Esme came to Edward and me, she paused for a moment in thought.

“Bella, how would you feel about playing against Edward tonight?” she asked, genuinely curious.

I grinned widely. That was apparently all the answer she needed.

“Emmett! Bella’s going to be on your team tonight,” she called out. A loud whoop came in the direction of third base and I took that as a seal of approval. I turned to Edward to see him frowning slightly.

“What is it?” I prodded.

“Why don’t you want to me on my team?” he asked softly.

Taken aback, I took his hand in mine and stepped closer.

“Because if we were on a team together, we’d never win because we’d be too busy doing this –” I kissed him gently and I felt his lips twitch into a smile against my mouth as he deepened the kiss.

“Hey lovebirds, care to join the rest of us and play some ball or do you just want some alone time?” Emmett called out from across the field and I broke away from Edward reluctantly but not without quirking an eyebrow at him.

“See?” I laughed and he shrugged in deference before pulling me along with him to go into the huddle the rest had already formed.

“Alright, you all better play clean tonight since it’s Bella’s first time. That means no cheating, boys,” Esme said officiously, already slipping into her umpire mode.

“Yes, mom,” Edward humored her. She smiled and shook her head, as if giving them up as a lost cause.

“Bella, are you sure you’re ready for this?” Carlisle asked as he gave the ball to Alice.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with a deep, unnecessary breath. Alice clapped me on the back and the huddle broke, each of us going out to the field or the sidelines.

Edward kissed me quickly on the lips one last time before sprinting out to the far-away second base. Alice took her place at the pitcher’s mound and Jasper lined himself up with first base.

Rose, Carlisle and Emmett joined me on the sidelines. Carlisle stepped up to bat first and Emmett poked me lightly in the ribs, urging me to watch. My eyes drifted briefly to the sky as lightning flashed nearby, but I was brought back to the moment when I heard a sharp crack from the bat as Carlisle slammed the ball Alice had thrown him out to left field.

I watched with growing excitement as Edward ran into the forest to retrieve the ball and narrowly missed throwing him out as he threw the ball back to Jasper who got it a fraction of second after Carlisle made it to third where Jasper had run to cover.

Rose was up to bat next but Edward fielded her drive as if it was merely a bunt and then…it was my turn. A sudden grip of dread caught inside me as Emmett handed me the bat with a large grin. I took it up uncertainly and headed toward home plate.

Alice smiled brightly as me from her mound and I nodded, taking another deep breath and letting musky, rain-filled air soothe my fears.

Before I could even fully register what was happening, Alice was winding up and the ball was coming towards me. Closing my eyes and hoping against my nature, I swung the bat as hard as I could. I felt the jolt in my arms as the steel of the bat made contact with the ball and I could hardly believe myself as I dazedly saw the ball fly away from me.

“Run, Bella!” Rose screamed from the sidelines and that was all the impetus I needed. My legs shot me forward to first base, then to second, then third, then home. I slid into home in triumph, grinning all over and the whole family swarmed around me excitedly, but I really only wanted to see one person.

Edward held his arms wide open for me, with the ball I had just hit held firmly in his left hand. I smiled and took it from him before launching myself into a tight embrace. He twirled me around in his arms before setting me back down with a firm kiss.

“You did it,” he said proudly.

“You let me,” I pouted, showing him the ball in my hand as proof. He shrugged and kissed me again.

“You don’t know that for sure,” he teased as he broke away from me, leaning his forehead on mine. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at him.

“Of course I don’t,” I said dryly.

“Well, why don’t we find out if you can keep your skills and finish the game?” he asked and I smiled, nodding enthusiastically. He took the ball from me and tossed it to Alice. She twirled it in her hand, looking very satisfied, and practically skipped back to the mound in preparation for Emmett. The rest of the family took their positions again and I went to stand with Rose and Carlisle to watch Emmett bat.

The rest of the game passed in whirl of cracks of the bat and blurs as bodies went racing by and stolen kisses with Edward as our teams switched places, but it was whirl I was more than ready to repeat any time I could.

On our way back to the house, I turned to Edward and remarked, “You know I’m beginning to see why you like baseball so much.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, drawing me close to his side. I leaned in to him and squeezed his hand. “But don’t expect me to let you win next time,” he added after a long silence, a smirk creeping onto his face.

“I thought you said you weren’t letting me win,” I gasped in feigned shock.

He laughed and my heart soared at the beautiful sound. His laughter was infectious and soon we were both shaking with it for no particular reason at all.

“Seriously, though,” I said as I tried to compose myself. “Do I get anything special for winning?”

“Oh, I bet we can work something out,” he answered, a smirk pulling at his lips.

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