𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄:
Vampires play baseball?

THE FAMILY IS WAITING FOR THE NEW COUPLE, and they're already preparing the field, with Thalia and Carlisle marking the bases.

Jasper and Alice testing out the bats, Esme and Christopher casually chatting on the side, Emmett and Rosalie sitting on a bare outcropping of rock.

Bella and Edward came to view, and the others walked towards them. Rosalie had risen gracefully and strode off toward the field without a glance in our direction.

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asks as she approaches.

"It sounded like a bear choking," Emmett clarifies, and Bella hesitantly nods at Esme. "That was him."

"Bella was being unintentionally funny," Edward explains.

Alice left her position and is running or dancing toward Bella and Edward. She hurtled to a fluid stop. "It's time," she announces.

The teams are Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, and Thalia, much to Carlisle's dismay. Earlier in the day, when Edward was convincing Rosalie to join the game, Edward let her pick who was on her team, then Carlisle, Edward, Alice, and Christopher, with Esme as the referee.

A deep rumble of thunder shook the forest before them and then crashed westward toward town.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett says with easy familiarity, winking at Bella.

"Let's go!" Alice says as she reaches Emmett's hand, and they dart toward the oversized field; she runs like a gazelle. Emmett is nearly as graceful and just as fast.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asks, his eyes eager and bright as he looks at Bella.

"Go, team!" Bella says enthusiastically.

Esme walks towards Bella and asks softly, "Shall we go down?"

And Thalia is swinging an aluminum bat. Her team is going to bat first. Edward was far out in the left field.

Carlisle stood between the first and second bases, and Alice held the ball, positioned on the spot, the pitcher's mound.

"All right," Esme says, her voice clear. "Batter up!"

Alice stood straight, deceptively motionless. She held the ball in both hands at her waist, and then, like the strike of a cobra, her right hand flicked out, and Thalia instantly smacked it in her aluminum bat as the ball went towards the forest, and she ran and reached home.

"Safe," Esme announced.

"You heard that, safe!" Emmet yells as he claps.

"Run faster, Edward. You're supposed to be fast out of all of us," Christopher teases.

"That's unfair. Thalia hit the ball too far," Edward groans as he walks towards them and out of the forest. "Got a good hit there," Thalia says and looks at Carlisle with a wink.

"We scored, loser," Rosalie teases with a grin on her face. That's why she picked Thalia. The woman has strength in her.

The score constantly changed as the game continued, and they razzed each other like any street ballplayers as they took turns with the lead.

Occasionally Esme would call them to order. The thunder rumbled on, but they stayed dried, as Alice predicted.

Carlisle was up to bat. Thalia wanted to pitch, so Alice gave her the ball. "You ready, my love?" Thalia asks teasingly as she throws the ball in the air, and Carlisle just chuckles and nods. "Always, love."

And when Thalia is about to throw the ball, Alice gasps, making them look at her, confused yet alarmed at the same time.

"Alice?" Thalia asks, concerned, as the pixie whispers, "I didn't see-I couldn't tell."

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asks with calm and authority as Thalia walks towards him, placing protective arms around her waist.

"They were traveling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," Alice murmurs.

"What changed?" Jasper asks, his posture protective.

"They heard us playing, and it changed their path," Alice says, contrite, as she feels responsible for what she saw.

The family's eyes quickly flashed to Bella and away.

"How soon?" Carlisle asks as he looks at Edward.

"Less than five minutes. They're running - they want to play," Edward scowls.

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asks him as his eyes flicker to Bella.

"No, not carrying-" Edward cuts shorts and continues, "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asks Alice, and she answers, "Three."

"Three!" Emmett scoffs, "Let them come.

Thalia could feel Carlisle's anxiousness radiating from his body as Thalia rubbed his arms and sighed. "Let's just continue the game," Carlisle finally decides and adds, "Alice said they were simply curious.

"You catch, Esme," Carlisle says. "I'll call it now," as Thalia and the others went back to their previous positions.

The game progressed. No one dared to hit harder in the infield. Rosalie gave Bella her stone-cold glances every minute. Thalia could see Bella's fear in her features.

And they heard the others coming as Thalia walked towards Carlisle and stood beside him.

They emerged one by one from the forest edge. The first male fell back and let the other male take the lead, a dark-haired male, a blond, and a redhead.

The blond looks at Rosalie, Alice, and Thalia and smirks, and as Thalia observes his features, she has seen him before somewhere.

"We thought we heard a game," The man said. He had a faint French accent, but his internal voice came to him in English "I'm Laurent. These are Victoria and James."

Carlisle smiles as he wraps his arm tightly around the back of Thalia's small waist and says, "I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Thalia, Emmett, Jasper, and Christopher; Rosalie, Esme, and Alice; Edward and Bella."

Jasper is concentrating so hard that, had he been human, his body would have been sweating.

He was concurrently smoothing the tension surrounding the newcomers and making anyone looking in his direction feel singularly uninterested.

Nothing could be duller than examining this nothing made at the back of the group, so unimportant.

And not just him. He is covering Alice, Rosalie, Thalia, Esme, and Bella in the same haze of tediousness.

Jasper is really extending himself to protect the vulnerable members of the family. (Author: We love a protective man)

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asks.

"Actually, we were just finishing up," Carlisle responds, his tone oozing warm. "But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into company in a long time."

The three nomads seem to relax and enjoy their company. They aren't suspecting anything.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent asks.

"The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion," Carlisle answers and adds, "We keep permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali."

This surprised all of them. "Permanent?" Laurent asks, bewildered, "How do you manage that?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us, and we can talk comfortably? It's rather a long story."

"That sounds very interesting and welcome," Laurent says. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while."

"Please don't take offense, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area." Carlisle warns them. "We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand."

"Of course," Laurent agrees, "We certainly won't encroach in your territory. We just ate outside Seattle, anyway."

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us," Carlisle offers. "Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the jeep."

It happened exactly as he said Bella's name, just a gentle breeze. Bella's scent, fresh and immediate, wafted directly into the strangers' faces.

All of them were affected.

James thrust forward as Carlisle and Christopher immediately placed Thalia and Esme at their back. Their safety is more important now.

"What's this?" Laurent asks.

"She's with us," Carlisle says warningly.

"You brought a snack?" James asks, disbelieving. James steps closer to Bella, and Edward snarls. Unlike James, Laurent immediately retreated.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle repeats.

"But she's human," Laurent points out, confused.

Emmett is the one to respond, "Yes."

"It appears we have a lot to learn from each other," Laurent observes.

"Indeed," Carlisle agrees.

"But we'd like to accept your invitation," Laurent says to Carlisle. "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said.

"We'll show you the way," Carlisle says. "Thalia, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?"

And at that, they joined Carlisle. He gestured Laurent and his coven to lead the way and dashed as the five of them followed behind.

The hunt begins.