45. Ready to Party

MikePOV

I couldn't help but overhear Alice, Bella, Rose, and Angela talking about a slumber party. I could feel the drool dripping down my chin as I pictured the four of them in skimpy baby doll pajamas having a pillow fight. Maybe they would play truth or dare. I had observed a slumber party that Jessica had hosted for her birthday two years ago, and it had been quite enlightening. The girls had shared a number of embarrassing secrets for the truth portions and had shocked my socks off with the dares. They had been very curious and had explored different options, from showing each other their private areas to even playing spin the bottle with each other. I still had fantasies from some of the things I saw at that party. It was one of the best nights of my young life.

Of course, they did boring stuff too, like playing with makeup and opening presents. They attempted to hold a séance and fooled with a Ouija board for a while. Then they took turns trying to hypnotize one another. I was pretty sure the ones who got hypnotized were faking, but I wasn't completely sure. There was one girl, Moira, who was teased mercilessly after the party for acting like a dog while under the 'hypnosis'. She moved away soon after. I wondered briefly if the teasing was related to the reason her family moved, or if it was just a coincidence.

One of the most fascinating parts of observing the party had been discovering that girls thought about sex almost as much as boys do. I never would have believed it if I hadn't heard it for myself. I learned what they wanted most, what they liked least, and what most frightened them. I learned about female expectations for how much intimacy was appropriate for first, second, and third dates. I learned some of the ways girls communicate their interest and about the concept of 'playing hard to get'.

I knew that was what Bella was doing now. I've seen the way she smiles at me sometimes. She was just trying to make me jealous with Cullen. I understood. She didn't want to seem easily attainable. Well, I could wait. I would show her I was worthy of her time and attention. I would always be here waiting for her, and soon she would throw herself into my arms where she truly wants to be. I know she is with Cullen because of the image she is trying to maintain, and because of family obligations, but when she is ready, she will ride off into the sunset with none other than yours truly.

I had every intention of crashing this slumber party. I had driven down the Cullens' driveway one day while they were out of town on one of their camping trips. Their mansion had so many windows. Once it got dark, the lights would be on in the living room, where the girls would likely congregate, and they would be highly visible from a distance. I knew I could borrow some top quality binoculars from the store and get as up close and personal as I wanted without being anywhere near the actual house. I just needed a few more details.

I managed to corner Ben Chaney before he caught up to Angela at the end of the day.

"Hey, Ben, would you like to hang out tonight?"

Ben looked at me in surprise. He wasn't usually part of my social circle, as I was a cool athlete and he was a geeky nerd, but I was willing to take the risk of being seen with him in order to get the inside information I needed to put my stalkerish Peeping Tom plan into action.

"Um, actually, Mike, I already have plans. Angela is going to be at a slumber party at the Cullens' house, and I'm going with her."

I stared at him in shock. What? He was going with her? It was a co-ed slumber party? No way!

"A co-ed slumber party?" I squeaked, my voice cracking like it hasn't since I made it through puberty.

Ben blushed. "Well, not really, but half the guys live there too, and they felt if they were being kicked out of their own house for a girls only party, they would have a guy's party the same night. So all the guys are going to be camping out in the backyard with tents and a bonfire and the whole male bonding thing. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Wow, that really sounds like fun," I mentioned enviously. "But why just the backyard? Why not go someplace cooler? I mean, the Cullens have lots of experience camping."

"Oh, yeah, well, the guys are really protective, you know," he stuttered a bit, as if he wasn't sure what to say. "It seems kind of weird to describe it, but it feels perfectly normal when you're living it. The Cullen males don't like to leave their females unattended. The La Push guys seem to be just as protective of their girls as well. It's a little old fashioned by modern societal standards, but it feels good to just be a man and protect your woman and provide for her and stuff. I know we're supposed to be sensitive and all, but that doesn't mean we can't be real men too. Jasper is more in tune with other people's emotions than anyone I've ever met, yet he is a real hardass through and through. He may seem quiet and shy, but there's something about him that just screams 'dangerous'. I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, and I sure as heck wouldn't want to get on his bad side. When he feels like somebody in his family is being threatened, his entire demeanor changes. I've only seen it once or twice, but it's enough to give you nightmares. When he gets mad or protective, he looks like the Angel of Death himself, come to wreak havoc on mortal men. I've seen that same look on Emmett and Edward. I would never stand against these guys, and I am extremely thankful they consider me a friend. There's something menacing about the La Push guys too. Most of the time they seem like laidback, happy-go-lucky teenagers just like the rest of us. Occasionally though, the hairs on the back of my neck will stand on end, and I'll see something in their eyes that makes me want to hide under my covers. It's freaking scary, but I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. I love my relationship with all of them. It's like one big, happy family. Like we're all part of one big pack. I can't really explain it."

Hmm. Okay. Well, wasn't really expecting all this information. Not really sure what to do with it all. Maybe he just felt the need to vent. Yeah, in one ear and out the other, that's what I always say. So, still gleaned some important info. Slumber party is definitely tonight, but don't get too close to the house or I might get spotted by one of the overprotective, obsessive, chauvinistic Cullen or La Push males. Got it. Gotta go, got plans to make.

"Okay, well, have fun, Ben. Guess I'll go run by the store and see if my parents need any help."

"Sure, Mike. Have a good weekend." He shrugged and hurried out of the school to find Angela. Oh, I plan to have a good weekend. A very good weekend indeed.

BPOV

The four of us girls piled into Rosalie's convertible. We dropped Angela at her house to pack a bag and raced the boys back to the house. Ben and Angela would be joining us later. I went inside to check on Emily, while the other three began to get set up for the party. I expected to find her in the guest room, but was amazed to see her comfortably ensconced on the living room sofa talking to Esme. I didn't want to interrupt, so I just watched the two of them interact for a few minutes. It struck me then how much Emily and Esme had in common. Emily was the 'mother' of the wolf pack in the future Meyer had seen, just as Esme was the mother of the vampire coven. If the two of them combined forces, I knew the coven and the pack would become a true family, simply through the powerful love of those two women.

They both turned to smile at me and ask about my day. The nurturing instinct was so strong in both of them, it would be immediately obvious even to a perfect stranger.

I chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you two were twins."

They looked at me in surprised bewilderment, then exchanged glances, each to see if the other understood, then realized both were utterly clueless, so their gazes returned to me, hoping for an explanation.

I grinned. Even their expressions were identical. "You may not look alike on the surface, but I'd swear your souls were cut from the same cloth."

I watched as my words sank into their hearts and minds, then blossomed and grew. The smiled at me and then one another, each recognizing the other as a kindred spirit.

"Yes," Esme agreed. "I see what you mean. Indeed, my soul does seem to recognize yours on some level, Emily."

Emily nodded. "I feel it too, Esme. As if I know you and have always known you. As if I love you and have always loved you."

They shared an understanding smile. I took advantage of Emily's distraction to study her face. She already looked better to me than she had before. Carlisle had managed some actual tissue repair, in addition to the scar reduction. Her face didn't sag the way it had before. The lines of the claw marks were reduced as thin as mere threads, instead of the deep gashes that had remained before. Even though the lines were harshly pink, depicting their freshness, they already seemed so much more subtle than the scars that had been left behind before. She was even able to operate her eyelid completely normally once again. I was so pleased with the results, and knew she must be also. I left the two of them exchanging recipes and determining what to fix for dinner for all the guests tonight, and ran to the SUV to pick up the rest of our gang.

By the time I got back with Jacob, Embry, Quil, Seth, Jared and Kim, the house was fully decorated and ready to go. Leah was staying at the Cullens' house all weekend to help Emily. She wasn't worried about Emily's safety from the family, but she knew she couldn't afford for Sam to see her on the reservation without Emily and start looking for her. He would totally freak out and probably think the Cullens had kidnapped Emily and brainwashed her if he found out she was here. He would never believe she came here of her own free will.

"Okay, I'm here now. You can start the party. I know you were waiting for me," Jacob announced as he strutted into the house.

"Ugh, who let the dogs in? Who? Who?" Rosalie yelled down the stairs from her bedroom.

"Aww, Blondie, you know you missed me," Jacob taunted. "I bet you would have won that swimming competition too, if you had realized you should use your arms to do the breaststroke. Badumpum."

"Yeah, well, you probably chase your tail thinking it will help make ends meet," Rosalie returned sarcastically.

Embry chuckled and bumped fists with Emmett. "Gotta love those two, eh? Blonde jokes vs. dog jokes. Who do you think will win?"

"Who knows? They've got all of eternity to work on it, right? I'm just along for the ride," Emmett shrugged, his attention distracted by his current video game.

"Yeah, well good thing they've got eternity to work on the delivery, because neither one is set to make a career out of comedy. They'd both get kicked out of the club. I say we give them about ten years to work on their timing and delivery, and then make them do the amateur comedy night at one of the clubs in Seattle. We'll let the audience determine the winner," Quil suggested.

"You're on!" Emmett accepted.

I thought it was rather pitiful that the two of them thought they could so easily speak for Rose and Jacob. They were clearly deluding themselves. But hey, ten years is a long time, so who knows. Maybe by then they'll have talked them into it. Or not. Either way could be entertaining for the rest of us, so I let it go without a word.

Alice came down the stairs with a determined look on her face. "Okay, all males, regardless of species need to get out of the house for the rest of the night. If you feel the urge to relieve yourselves at any time, just use the woods like the animals you truly are."

All the male wolves started barking and howling. Quil and Seth did their best to join in, though their human barks and howls weren't anywhere near as intimidating or as believable as the rest of theirs. The male vampires just laughed, knowing they would have no need to 'relieve' themselves.

"Hey, why are you starting this party so early, Alice? I'm not finished with my game yet," Emmett whined. Alice rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Take the TV outside with you, Emmett. You can use the external electrical outlets," she recommended. Emmett's face lit with joy.

"Awesome idea, Alice! I knew there was some reason we kept you around."

"Thanks, Emmett. I love you too," she grumbled sardonically. "By the way, Ben and Angela will be arriving shortly, in about ten minutes, so if you guys want to use your enhanced speed and strength to set up camp, you'd better get cracking."

"Darlin', I love it when you use that Southern slang," Jasper drawled, patting her on the rear on his way out the door and flashing her a sexy smile. She pouted until he came back and gave her a proper goodbye kiss.

"Get a room!" Emmett shouted as he effortlessly carried the 60" flat panel TV out onto the deck with one hand, the Xbox carefully balanced in the other. "Enough with the tonsil hockey already." Their audience laughed.

"Maybe we should have you compete on amateur night along with Rose and Jake," Quil suggested.

"I'd beat them hands down," Emmett scoffed.

"No doubt," Quil agreed. "I certainly appreciate your humor better than either of theirs, but then again, I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures in life."

Embry snorted. "Yeah, that'll be the day."

All the boys started setting up camp, roughhousing and trash talking. Some of the boys worked on the tents, while others set up the bonfire. We girls watched them and chatted while we waited for our last member to arrive. The boys' antics were more entertaining than a movie would have been. Emmett kept trying to provoke Jacob into a wrestling match, while Jacob released his aggression by subtly sabotaging all of Emmett's work. We gals could see Jacob had rigged it for Emmett's tent to collapse on him the first time he entered, but we chose not to warn him. He deserved it after all his teasing.

Rose finally decided to intervene before Emmett did anything really stupid. "Are you sure it's wise to be provoking the werewolves while you're helping them build a bonfire, Emmett?" she shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. "You don't think that seems a touch suicidal? Are you sure it's wise for vampires and werewolves to be in such close proximity to one another with a roaring fire hissing words of temptation only a few feet away?" The wolves started laughing.

"She's got you there, leech. Hope you don't accidentally trip and fall into the flames, dude," Quil quipped.

"Nah," Emmett countered, throwing his arm around Jacob's shoulders. They were the same height now. "Jacob's my brother. He may try to beat the daylights out of me, but he'd never hurt me for real." He ruffled Jacob's hair as Jacob squirmed and tried to break away. Jacob snapped at Emmett's shoulder, pretending he was going to bite off Emmett's arm. Emmett stepped back, throwing up his arms in front of his chest, palms facing out. "Whoa, boy, down boy. Down boy. Good boy. Who's a good boy?" Emmett cooed at Jacob with a silly grin. Jacob lunged for him, but he dodged to the side. He took off running, with Jacob in hot pursuit.

Esme shook her head in maternal exasperation. "Well, they certainly act like brothers."

I saw the heads of all the supernatural creatures swivel toward the driveway, and nearly a minute later, I heard a car coming our way. Angela and Ben had arrived. Luckily, the camp was already set up and ready. It's amazing what a large group of mythical beings can accomplish in only a few minutes time.

"Okay, everyone, remember to act human," I reminded my whole family, wolves and vampires alike. I heard a mixed response, from chuckles, to silence, to offended muttering. "Well, you're used to this being a sanctuary where you can relax your restrictions and be free to be yourselves as you truly are. Unfortunately, you all need to bind yourselves up in the shackles of human limitations, at least until Angela and Ben are asleep. Then, anything goes. Well, anything Esme approves of anyway." There was a collective groan at my last statement, and Esme smiled indulgently.

Ben and Angela parked and got out, carrying their bags with them. Ben joined the guys outside, immediately gravitating toward the Xbox Emmett had set up on the deck. Quil, Embry, and Jared came to join him. Jasper decided to go find Emmett and Jacob to warn them of the new arrivals.

Rose and Alice each grabbed one of Angela's hands and dragged her upstairs to Alice's room. Yay! It's Angela Barbie time, instead of Bella Barbie time. I hoped Angela was enjoying herself. I couldn't help feeling relieved she took my place in that dreaded chair, though an hour's long Alice makeover is a torture I wouldn't wish on anyone. Well, anyone I liked.

I thought longingly of tricking Jessica and Lauren into allowing Alice to give them makeovers, only the end results wouldn't be the breathtakingly beautiful status Alice usually achieved. No, Alice would help them change their looks. They'd end up looking like punk rocker clowns. Or maybe emo Goth clowns, with little fake tears of despair carefully painted on their cheeks. I heard Alice laughing upstairs. "Love it, Bella! I'm definitely in, if you can persuade them somehow." I grinned.

"What is it?" Esme asked me with a gentle smile. I ducked my head with guilt, not meeting her eyes.

"Um, I was just picturing getting some nonviolent vengeance on a couple of girls at school," I muttered. "I know it's not right."

She patted my knee. "Let's go and fix dinner now sweetie. I know everyone will be getting hungry now."

I jumped up, eager to please. I called up to Leah and Kim, to see if they wanted to join us, but they were busy talking wolf stuff with Emily, so Esme and I got to have a little mother/daughter bonding time. We chatted happily, while working side by side in the luxurious kitchen. I always enjoyed cooking here, as Esme had ordered the best of everything when she originally redecorated the kitchen, even though she never expected to use it. Once I had started coming over, she had gotten the rest of the small appliances, tools, and utensils needed to make the kitchen truly useful.

After I had relaxed and was enjoying our happy, loving atmosphere, Esme cleared her throat meaningfully. "So tell me about your nonviolent vengeance."

I blushed and watched Esme out of the corner of my eye. She had a slight smile on her face as she pretended to be fully engaged in the task at hand. I sighed. She wasn't going to let this go, so I might as well get it over with and endure my resultant lecture in good faith. I admitted my idea about the multi-hour makeovers with hideous results. Essentially, the makeover from hell. A fate worse than death, in my humble opinion. Esme giggled at my descriptions of the girls. I looked at her in surprise, finally daring to meet her gaze for the first time since the conversation began.

"I know it isn't right, dear, but those girls just get on my nerves. I confess that the idea of the looks on their faces when they saw themselves in the mirror for the first time after hours of primping, pruning, and 'improving', appeals to my darker side. It would definitely be a Kodak moment. Something like that would deserve to be captured on film for the good of future generations."

I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing at the thought of dear, sweet Esme poised in the corner of the room with a camera, waiting for the right moment to forever record the image of Lauren's and Jessica's humiliation for the good of posterity. Absolutely hilarious. Esme and I shared the laugh together, bringing us even closer, and helping me feel better.

Wow. Esme had dealt with Rosalie and Emmett on a full-time basis for the past seventy years, while still demonstrating love, patience, acceptance, and forgiveness. How irritating did two people have to be to actually annoy Esme to the point she would entertain the idea of vengeance? Those two must hold a record or something. World's Most Irritating Individuals. Maybe they should be in the Guinness Book of World Records, if only I could prove it without endangering my family. Ah, well. I guess some things are better left unknown.

Esme and I served dinner to the humans and werewolves, both male and female. Despite the fact we made enough to feed an army, there weren't any leftovers. I figured we must be feeding an army now. An army of very hungry werewolves. Good thing the Cullens were so rich. Otherwise, the wolves would likely eat them out of house and home. I was glad the Cullens' were bankrolling the wolves, because none of them had the resources to purchase disposable clothes and mountains of food.

"At least all the groceries I buy aren't going to waste," Esme commented to me, once we were alone again in the kitchen. "Not that they were going to waste when we donated them to the food pantry in Seattle, but now I actually get to use them for the benefit of people we know! Besides, I love cooking as much as redecorating, but never had much use for it before. Now, I get to indulge myself in another of my favorite hobbies, and it's nowhere near as expensive as renovating houses is." She giggled. It warmed my heart to see her so carefree and joyful.

I grabbed a plate of food for myself, and we went to join the other young ladies. Angela was looking stunning, just as I expected she would. I was quick to compliment her, and she blushed just as badly as I usually did. It was cute to see, and I got a glimpse as to why my family liked to provoke that reaction in me so often.

Leah had three heaping plates of food spread out in front of her and was gradually demolishing them. Angela stared at her somewhat enviously. "How can you eat like that and stay so thin?" she wondered.

Leah gave her a wink and answered, "Good genes and lots of exercise." I snorted and promptly choked on the food in my mouth. Thank heavens I wasn't trying to drink at the time. I would have definitely had coke spraying out of my nose. See, luck is all a matter of perspective. I chose to focus on the positive aspect. If I tripped on the sidewalk and fell, a bystander would probably consider that bad luck. I, on the other hand, would be thinking about how lucky I was I didn't fall into the street and get run over by a car. No matter how bad things in life were, they could always get worse, so I tried to be thankful for all the small favors life granted me, rather than concentrate on all the bad stuff.

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2 more coming up! :D

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