wager

Rosalie and Emmett finally got back home and I knew I should avoid Rosalie at all costs. She and I were too different to ever have a hope of getting along. She didn't understand people like me and I simply hated her guts for it. I supposed every family had their problems, and if there was a little bit – actually a lot – of rivalry between her and I, than I supposed it could be a lot worse.

After all, I could have actually made it to Mexico. I shuddered at the thought.

The big issue was, normal families had a limited life span on issues like sibling rivalry or hatred. Between the fact that humans could forget what the argument was about and the very realistic reality that they only lived so long to begin with, all human rivalry eventually ended. Rosalie and I weren't human though and we'd never just suddenly forget we hated each other.

Our rivalry, unlike a human's, had the potential to never end. It wasn't exactly a pleasant thought.

I sighed and rolled my head slightly on my shoulders, trying to focus on something else.

"You're thinking too much," Edward murmured from where he was sitting with a book.

I looked at the title again, tilting my head when I realized he had the book upside down. It was Wuthering Heights, which I knew he hated... Classics were more of my thing. "What are you doing, anyways?"

"They say you should examine a book from all angles before dismissing it. So... I decided to try it from a different angle."

I snorted. "I don't think they meant it literally."

"Literally is all I've got left."

I rolled my eyes, scooting along his daybed until my back hit the wall before spinning to have my feet and legs against it while I laid on my back. "If you can't appreciate Wuthering Heights the normal way, reading it upside down isn't going to help you any."

"Maybe I will, with the letter n now looking like a u and the letter m now looking like a w, and vice versa for both, there's a certain amount of comedy of errors here."

I tilted my head back just enough to look at him. "I might believe that insight if you were human, but with our IQ being however high it is the book could be upside down, inverted, and in code and you'd still be able to read it just fine."

His lips lifted in a slight – heart-stopping, if I still had a heartbeat – smile. "You're right, but let me pretend for a minute. I'm trying to get what you see in books like this." He nodded his head toward the floor beside him.

From my position, I couldn't see the books sat on the floor, but I knew which books he'd brought in with him when he'd come into the room a couple of hours ago. It included most of the classics; everything from Jane Eyre to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to Romeo and Juliet.

"Have you ever read a modern novel that romanticizes adventure? Heck, that romanticizes romance? Those books you have in here, they're poetic, and they give justice to love and heartbreak, pain and suffering, the thrill of the moment, etc. It's not the kind of writing you see in a modern novel."

"What on earth is romanticized in this novel? The entire story is a plot for revenge." Edward asked, staring at it.

"Of course you wouldn't get it." I shook my head. "I bet Victoria would," I said almost purely on instinct before frowning as that thought sunk in a little farther. "I'm not sure what that says about me."

"What are you talking about?" He looked at me, not even pretending to try and read the book anymore.

"I got a taste of that lust when I went after Mele. It's a very dark taste and that darkness is extremely seductive. I have to assume Alice was deliberately blocking out my future by that point, because there was a moment before I returned to Forks where I seriously considered staying with the Romanians. I was scared of the very being I could see myself becoming had I stayed and it was part of what drove me back here, but there's always two sides to any coin."

"Oh, I understand the desire for revenge. Trust me, I have every intention of tearing Victoria to shreds the next time we spot her, but that doesn't explain it being supposedly romanticized."

I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way to explain it to him so he'd understand. Finally, I opened my eyes again. "I don't think it's something I can explain properly, Edward. It's not something words can really convey."

Or perhaps I could and simply didn't want to, I wasn't sure.

Edward looked at the book for a moment before dropping it down beside his chair. "Let's get out of here for awhile, go to our meadow."

I was off the bed in a flash but I frowned almost as quickly. "Are you sure that's wise. Victoria and Riley are still out there somewhere."

"If she decides to show her face than let her. I want my chance at ripping her to shreds."

I glowered at him.

He ignored it. "Besides, if there was any danger in us going there than Alice would let us know."

"Maybe, and maybe I'd just let you go to the meadow without telling you a thing. You're taking away my entertainment for the day, Edward!" Alice shouted from the floor below.

"What's she talking about?" I asked curiously.

"She's being petty and I'll explain after we get to the meadow."

"Okay, but if Victoria shows up, blame Alice."

"HEY!"

He rolled his eyes.

…

It was the first time we'd been in our meadow together since before my disastrous birthday, though I'd made my way here by myself on a multitude of occasions since that day. It was also the first time where I felt the beauty and mystique of the little meadow – the beauty which had been missing every time I'd visited by myself.

"It was our day," I murmured, looking around the small open space. The summer flowers were in full bloom, filling the clearing with an array of red, purple, pink, orange, and white. The trees were full of leaves and pine needles, and though the sun was hidden behind the clouds, it still reminded me of our first visit.

"What was?" he asked.

"Our first visit here. You do realize it was the only date we truly had while I was human, right?"

"We ate at Bella Italia's just a few nights prior to that, and we spent the entire day with my family the next morning... I admit, I wouldn't count the fiasco that became our baseball night."

"You were stalking me the night we went to Bella Italia's, Edward. That's not a date, that's –" I paused as I decided on a proper descriptor, smiling impishly when I figured it out "– downright creepy if I take time to think about it."

"Ha ha. I saved your life on that night, in case you forgot."

"I could have talked my way out of it." I honestly doubted it, but I wasn't about to admit it.

"You still suck at lying, Beau. And Sunday?"

"Meeting the family doesn't count as a date, it counts as a torture session. Especially after a single date. 'Oh look, we barely know each other, but we're already so madly in love that we decided to do introductions,'" I exaggerated in an extremely poor imitation of his voice. "Ask any teenage boy, they'd agree with me."

He shook his head. "You can't tell me it was that bad."

It wasn't and we both knew it. I'd truly loved the week and a couple days in which we'd had the chance to get to know each other before I'd been turned, but I liked being obstinate. "I don't know. I suppose it could have been worse. Rosalie could have actually decided to make an appearance."

Edward burst out laughing.

I smiled before I started chuckling as well.

It was nice to be open with him and simply happy for a change.

"You should know," he finally said when he stopped laughing. "That's what Alice was talking about before we left. She saw you and Rosalie getting in a fight."

"Hmm, I'd say she had to be the one who started it, but honestly the dislike is mutual."

"I know. You two are far too alike for your own good."

I stared at him in shock for a moment. "I am nothing like that self-centered blonde –"

"You are exactly like her, Beau," he said, cutting me off. "There's a reason why the saying isn't 'identicals attract.'"

"Really? Name one similarity, besides the fact that we're both vampires."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Tenacious, self-depreciative attractive, angry, has a knack for revenge... Should I go on?"

"I deny being tenacious," I said.

"Sure, that's why you didn't sink your car, right?"

I bit my lip for a second. "Right."

"Like I said, you're pigheaded."

I felt like imitating Alice's extremely wounded 'hey' for a moment, but decided against it.

"So, did Alice's vision show exactly what and who started this fight between the two of us? Not that it takes much. I'm still, technically, a volatile newborn after all." At least I was if someone asked Jasper, who described newborns as being vampires who were changed in the last three years.

On the other hand, if one was to ask Emmett, he'd claim I was never a newborn to begin with. I wasn't sure which of them was more accurate.

"I think she made a comment about our status as mates again," he said. "At least that's what Alice's vision showed in a couple versions."

"Why couldn't she have stayed off hunting for awhile longer?" I grumbled.

"It's her house as much as it's ours, Beau."

"I know, but she and I seriously don't get along. It's pure luck that one of us hasn't torn the other apart yet." I shook my head. "Honestly, you'd think the animosity would have dissipated some after I went to Italy to rescue you."

"As far as she's concerned, it's your fault that she almost lost her brother to begin with."

I'd dispute that, but I wasn't certain it was wrong. So I sighed instead as I walked further into the meadow.

"When we take care of Victoria and everything is resolved with whatever the hell is going on in Seattle, where do you think we'll go?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure. Is there a place you'd like to go?"

I frowned thoughtfully. "Wherever we go we're going to have to start out as high school students, right?"

"Not necessarily, there have been a few times where we started out in college, but the younger we pretend to be, the longer we can stay there."

"I don't know, Switzerland?"

I didn't have to look at him to know he was arching an eyebrow at me as he asked, "Why Switzerland?"

"I didn't happen to pass through that country in my travels. I've always found it to be such an interesting country too. Plus, since I'm a vampire, I might actually be able to ski or snowboard."

"I think you can safely assume you should be able to without any troubles. I've never met a vampire who was clumsy which so far you haven't been, and though you still seem quite a magnet for trouble, I sincerely doubt your suddenly going to revert back to being clumsy just because you get on a board. Besides, even if you did hit a tree, all it would do is damage the tree."

I ducked slightly. "It's not my fault that Victoria seems hell bent on taking me out."

"Mele, Gavin, the Romanians, going to Seattle, spending all your time with a bunch of mutts... Honestly, Beau, I'm relatively certain if I wasn't a vampire I'd have had a heart attack by now."

"The wolves wouldn't hurt me." Even when I'd wanted them to.

"Only because Jacob cares for you so deeply. A fact that could have ended horribly by the way, and not just for you, but him as well."

"Trust me, I know, but Embry, Quil and Seth like me too. I'm pretty certain Leah likes me too... at least in the enemy of my enemy is my frenemy kind of way, if nothing else."

"Enemy of your enemy? Really?"

"Yes, do you have any idea how concerning it is to be the only girl amongst a group of male wolves!"

"I happen to know you hung out with the imprints as well."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh great, a bunch of human girls who jumped at the sight of my shadow."

"And Clay?"

"Clay's a toddle who doesn't understand he should be afraid of me."

"Quil lets you near him, meaning maybe he shouldn't be."

"Who knows." It wasn't a question. I couldn't understand why Quil allowed it. Yes, I had my control back, but the little boy was human and every instinct in Quil should have been against me getting within a hundred yards of him.

"You do know that, even if the rest of our family wants to go to Canada or wherever, you and I could still go to Switzerland, right?"

"They're our family though."

"Yeah, but we do sometimes spend time apart. I've never really had a reason to, except when I went nomad back in the late twenties. But Alice and Jasper have spent a few years apart from us over the decades, as have Emmett and Rosalie. And while Carlisle and Esme have never really spent years away from us they have gone off on their own for a few weeks here, or a couple months there. It can get tedious to always be with a number of other sentient beings who all have excellent hearing for indefinite lengths of time."

"Would you want to go off to Switzerland with me though?"

"As long as we're together, I'm not too concerned where we go."

I smiled before joining him as he sat down in the center of meadow.

…

After spending the day relaxing in the meadow, we finally headed back to the house, but I should have foreseen what was waiting for me.

"You do realize you're about to take away my entertainment?" Alice asked, popping up out of seemingly nowhere just before we reached the house.

"What are you talking about now?" I asked her.

Alice crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you know how fun it is to place bets on if Rosalie or you are going to win the numerous squabbles you two seem to get into?"

"It's only fun for you because you know the victor ahead of time."

"No. It's fun because Emmett always bets the other way even though he should know better. It's only been more than fifty years that's he's been losing bets to me." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Well I'm sorry I'm ruining your fun, but we need to keep the house civil, and Rosalie and I going for each other's throats every few days is not going to work for that."

She pouted out her lower lip. "But –"

"But nothing. It would be one thing if she and I were getting into fights the way Jasper and Emmett do, but it's not in good fun when we fight. When I attack her I'm usually ruled by instinct, and I'm not sure what she's thinking when it comes to me, but I'm sure it's nothing good."

I raced around Alice without giving her a chance to reply, heading toward the house and wanting to get it over with.

Rosalie was sitting with Emmett on the couch when I entered through the sliding glass door, but she got up the instant I came in and headed in the direction of the front of the house.

"Rosalie, wait."

She turned to look at me. "What do you want, Beau? I can't imagine there's anything I could help you with given that you no longer have a vehicle for me to work on."

"I wanted to offer a proposal to you. It probably won't be any less hostile between us, but it might prevent further fighting."

"I'm listening."

"Don't talk to me and in turn I won't talk to you. It's a bit juvenile, but as I don't see either of us suddenly getting over our tiff, I figure it'll be the best way we can handle it."

She looked me up and down for a moment before she finally shrugged. "We could try it."

"Good."

"You're going to break the arrangement first," Alice said behind me.

"Is that a bet?" I turned to look at her.

Alice smiled viciously. "Why not? I'm sure you'll like drinking nothing but squirrel blood for a month."

"Don't take that bet," Emmett muttered from where he still sat on the couch.

"Yes, I wager you will enjoy drinking squirrel blood for a month," I parroted back to her as I backed toward the stairs.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as I reached them.

"By the way, I've decided I'm going to get myself a truck," I stated as I eased my foot onto the steps.

A series of exclamations was made from the people in the room

"But –"

"What?"

"Wait!"

"Who are you going to get to work on it if you aren't talking to Rosalie?" Alice asked.

I put my finger to my lips for a moment as if I was really thinking about it – like I couldn't pick up the manual and figure out how to work on it myself simply by reading it. "Oh. I know. Jacob!"

I darted up both flights of stairs and headed straight into Edward's bedroom, falling down face first on his daybed.

Edward reached the room a moment later.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

I turned over to look at him. "About the truck. Yes. About taking it to Jacob, less so. I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to do the work myself."

"Or I could work on it for you," he pointed out.

"Well, I wouldn't want to assume."

I patted the bed next to me and he got on with me.