"Courage is knowing what not to fear."
-Plato
***
A short while later, we were all gathered on a wide, large field. I was wearing Jasper's hoodie, and it was doing a good job of keeping me warm. The wind was harsh, but there was no rain, just loud cracks of thunder. I rode on Jasper's back to get here, and made it known how impressed I was when he flawlessly jumped across a river with me clinging on to him like he was my life support.
We finally made it.
Courtney Swan was looking around the big field, amusement decorating her features. You didn't have to be an Empath to know how excited she was to witness Vampire-Baseball.
"Catch!" Emmett yelled to the younger Swan, before promptly chucking a ball in her direction. It was a light throw, but would still feel very difficult to catch for any regular-strengthed human. Courtney however, was a super-strong human who has been playing baseball her whole life. She caught the ball, and then immediately winced and cursed loudly.
"Are you alright?" Jasper Hale's face seemed to drain, even if nothing visually happened. Courtney answered by reaching up to flip off the larger Cullen. "Rot in hell, Emmett!" She yelled, cuing laughter from the rest of the family.
"You caught it with your left hand." Alice noted, pointing at the taller girls hand. Courtney turned to glance at her hand. Jasper furrowed his eyebrow, but it was Alice's nature to see things that nobody else would think to mention.
"Oh, yeah I'm naturally left handed."
"What?" The blond-vampire grabbed her hand, triggering a blush from the human girl. "You write with your right hand though."
"I taught myself too." Courtney admitted meekly, shoving her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. Jasper smiled to himself, it warmed his heart to see that she would always wear his sweater.
"Why?"
"Dedication. I didn't want to use my left hand for anything other then baseball so I taught myself how to write with my right." She blushed. "I realize now that it's kind of dumb, but figured if I was good at something, I might as well be really good at it."
"I would die for her." Rosalie whispered to her husband, who was still slightly damp from a previous river incident. Emmett nodded, "we all would."
"It's time." Alice's voice shook withe excitement. As if on cue, a loud thunder crash shook the clearing and Courtney jumped. "I'm gonna go make sure Bella doesn't get struck by lightning, because she would find a way too."
"Eerie isn't is?" Emmett winked at Bella, an Courtney snorted, mimicking the gesture.
"Let's go!" Alice grabbed Emmett's hand and they ran to the center of the field. Only now Courtney was realizing just how similar the two were. They ran equally fast, but Emmett's strides were longer, as amusing as it sounds, like a gazel. Whilst Alice bounded across the field, jumping slightly with each step.
"Play ball." Jasper grinned deviously, leaning down to peck Courtney on the lips, leaving her grinning like a flustered fool, and ran off.
"You ready?" Edward asked, his eyes glinting with mischief, a look Courtney hadn't seen much on "Emo Edward."
"Play ball!"
Courtney bust out in laughter at her twins poor attempt at cheerfulness. "Yo! Eddie, give me a lift!"
He knew what she meant, giving the mind-reading thing, and bent his knees so Courtney could jump on his back. "Onward!" She yelled, before Edward took of running.
Bella smiled slightly as she watched her twin and boyfriend interact. She hoped for the day she was that light and comfortable with the Cullen's...
Someday.
***
Courtney's lips parted in amazement as Alice flicked her wrist and sent the ball flying into Carlisle's hand. This was her dream. Her baseball-dreams.
"Goddamn!" She cried, jumping up with excitement. "Oh! This is my dream coming true."
Her heart was beating fast as Alice threw the ball again, this time, Emmett hit it, and a loud crack sounded through the clearing as the bat made contact with the ball. Isabella winced, while all Courtney could think about was picking up the bat and seeing what it was made of.
"Holy shit! Run! Run! Run!" She bounced with each word. Jasper smiled, he felt her emotions, and the raw excitement was enough to make anyone grin.
"Home run." Bella muttered from beside me.
"Uh-" Esme shrugged, "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest."
"If Alice, Emmett, and Edward were on a team, what would happen?"
"They wouldn't stand a chance."
"Out!" Courtney Swan cried in disbelief when Edward emerged from the forest, the ball held high in his hand. She barked out a laugh, feeling as if she might burst into tears from pure happiness.
The Cullen's circulated batting, and the blush that Courtney was struggling to conceal flared up when Jasper went, he twirled the bat around his hands, flipping it around like the incredibly attractive try-hard he is.... that's what Courtney thought at least.
He hit the ball, hard, but only managed to run to third base, making the smart decision of stopping before Edward had time to get him out.
"Hey Cordie, wanna give it a go?" Emmett teased waving the bat in front of her face.
Yes. That was the immediate thought that entered her mind. She did. She really did. Could she hit it though, she had watched enough to know how fast Alice threw the ball, and how hard you would have to hit it. Maybe it was pride, or over-confidence, but she made eye-contact with the Cullen, grabbing the bat and pulling it into her hands.
"Wait, I was joking!"
If she heard Emmett, she didn't acknowledge him, and approached the home plate, smirking at Bella, who looked as if he couldn't decide whether to be scared or amused. This was just such a Courtney thing to do.
"You sure?" Jasper asked, he knew she wouldn't get hurt, Alice wouldn't allow it, but he still wanted to know why she had such confidence she would hit it.
"She's sure." Edward smirked. "Alice, why don't you throw a few?"
"Gladly."
"Oh God-" Bella mumbled, standing back near Esme, who donned an impressed look on her beautiful features, "of course this is happening."
"Throw one." Courtney ordered, swinging the bat a few times to get a feel for it. It was so familiar, so normal that for a second, she forgot that she was playing baseball with Vampires.
Alice flicked her wrist, and Courtney counted exactly one second before it passed in front of her face, ruffling her hair slightly.
"Still wanna hit one?" Emmett raised an eyebrow, and she nodded. "Throw another."
A swing and a miss in simple terms.
The mood changed drastically as she narrowed her eyes. She hasn't struck out in years, she wasn't going to start now.
Nobody could tell what the Swan girl was thinking, but she began to swing a millisecond before Alice actually threw it, not hearing the pixie-like girl's gasp right as the ball left her hand. She swung, and made contact with the ball, sending it soaring into the forest, followed by a triumphant grin.
"They're here." Alice mumbled, her eyes wide and glassy. "They've come."
Three hazy figures emerged from the woods.