Only Human (f) - (6 Parts)

[wannablessedbe]

OK, so I wrote the first part of this as a drabble-- I've never written anything in this fandom before, and I guess I just wanted to try it out-- but now I'm getting pretty into it, so I want to make it longer. Yes, I realize that any serious Twilight fans probably won't appreciate my pairing Bella w/ Alice, but you know what? You don't have to read it. And the whole point of fanfic is to see what you wanted to see in the original, but couldn't. So this is what I want to see! and I know that some of you (the queer girls' crowd!) will appreciate this

So here's part 1; part 2 soon to follow...

Only Human

A Twilight Fic starring Bella & Alice

By WannaBlessedBe

Chapter 1

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Bella…time to wake up, honey.”

“Mmmm.”

“C’mon Bells, we’re gonna be late for school. I’ll tickle you if I have to…” A moment later I felt Alice’s cool fingers dart under the blanket, going straight for my unsuspecting ribs.

“Okay, okay!” I squealed, bolting up on autopilot. “I’m awake, Jesus!” I must have scowled at her, because her perfect elfin eyes, amber-colored today, filled with trepidation.

“Sorry,” she mumbled quietly, looking down at the bedspread.

“It’s okay, Ali. I’m not mad at you. I was just…” my breath caught in a huge yawn, which made her look up again, beaming at me with an impossibly innocent expression in those deep, amber eyes. She loved any chance to observe my many human habits—like breathing. “…Just startled,” I finished drowsily, crawling forward and curling up limply in her lap. She giggled and sifted her cool fingers through my hair, while I yawned again. My eyes felt so heavy, like I hadn’t slept at all. I really didn’t feel like getting up.

“You feel hot,” she frowned, pressing her marble-cold palm flat against my forehead. It felt incredibly good. “Is something wrong with you?”

“You always think I feel hot,” I reminded her, deliberately ignoring the question. Truthfully, I did sort of feel like I was coming down with something…but I couldn’t bear the idea of admitting it to my beautiful, perfect, angelic, vampire girlfriend. Or any of the Cullens, for that matter. I couldn’t stand how weak and vulnerable I was compared to them, and I wasn’t about to remind them of it any more than I had to.

“O-kaaaay,” she said slowly, cocking her head at me in her usual, I’m-fascinated-by-everything-about-you way, her wild black hair sticking out every which way. Damn, she was adorable. “So…school?”

“Uh, yeah…lemme just grab a quick shower.”

“Need any help?” She wiggled her eyebrows, and I laughed out loud, feeling my already warm face blush a little hotter.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. We’ll be at school in no time.”

We made it to school with time to spare, despite my oversleeping and slowness; Alice was physically incapable of driving at normal human speeds, just like the rest of her family. It made me very uneasy at first, but after several months of having her super-human reflexes, speed and strength constantly demonstrated, I was starting to relax. The morning dragged by, and I barely heard a word any of my teachers said, I was so tired. My head just kept getting heavier, and by lunchtime, I felt congested and a little woozy. But I didn’t say anything to Alice when she met me in the hallway to walk to lunch, smiling her perfect, magical smile. I couldn’t help but smile back as she wrapped her cool, impossibly strong arm around my waist, and kissed my cheek. When she let me go at the lunch line to pick up a tray, the sudden loss of her cooling skin next to mine made me feel even hotter; sweat beaded the back of my neck. Hastily, I pulled one arm out of my zip-up hoodie, but before I had the other arm out, I felt cold again. I compromised and left it half-on, half-off, dangling from one shoulder. Alice cocked her head at me in amusement.

“Um…is this a fashion statement?” I just shrugged, hoping it would suffice for the moment. Apparently it did, because she just reached out for a plate of food she’d never eat, and led me to our usual table, where her brothers and sister were waiting.

“You smell different, Bella,” Jasper said the moment I said down beside him. I stared at him with what I hoped looked more like righteous indignation than utter humiliation.

“Alice,” I said quietly, in a voice I knew they could all hear perfectly well. “Will you please tell your brother not to breathe when he’s sitting next to me?”

“Actually, Bells…you do smell kind of different today. Not bad”—she added hastily, when she saw my mortified expression. “Just, well, less. Like something is blocking you out. I wasn’t going to say anything, cause I thought it might be rude”—she glared pointedly at Jasper when she said this, and he had the decency to look abashed. “But I am a little worried. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with you?” I couldn’t even begin to put into words how much I did not want to discuss how I smelled with the entire Cullen family.

“I’m fine, Alice. I told you that. Now will you all please just play with your food for a while?” Picking up on my irritation, they all promptly looked away, busying themselves with not eating. But I could still feel Alice’s eyes on me, as her fingers slipped lightly up my leg under the table. Sighing, I looked up and caught her anxious, sideways glance.

I’m sorry, she mouthed silently, her eyes brimming with impossible sweetness.

“It’s okay,” I murmured, reaching out to run my fingers over her smooth cheek, and kissing her cool lips, as much for my own reassurance as hers. She beamed at me. Then I felt a very unwelcome sensation of ticklish irritation welling up inside my head, behind my nose. I started down at my knees, bit my lip, and tried to will the sensation away. I am not going to sneeze, I told myself firmly, balling my hands into fists under the table. I won’t, I won’t, dammit, I won’t….

“Hehh...Hep’tchiiew! …*sniff.*” I cupped my hands to my face automatically, even though I knew that they couldn’t catch my germs—it was simply too deeply ingrained of a habit to break, totally involuntary, like the sneeze itself. They all jerked back from the table in alarm, and Alice jumped about two feet in the air, nearly falling backwards out of her seat. It was extremely disconcerting to look up, hands still over my nose and mouth, and see them all staring at me like I’d just sprouted an extra head. “Um…excuse me,” I mumbled awkwardly, wiping my nose on my sleeve with as quiet a sniffle as I could manage.

“Was that…a sneeze?” Alice asked anxiously, looking at me like I was from another planet, half alarmed and half awe-struck.

“Um, yeah,” I said slowly, glancing quickly around to check that no one else in the cafeteria was noticing the enormous production being made over a simple sneeze at our table. Thankfully, it seemed that all the normal, human students were focused on their lunch. “Ali, you’ve been alive over a hundred years…don’t tell me you’ve never seen anyone sneeze before.”

“Not up close,” she said seriously, still staring in fascination. “What made it happen?”

“I dunno,” I shrugged awkwardly, wishing they’d all look away long enough for me to blow my nose, which still felt very tickly. “I mean, anything can make you sneeze…it, uh, could be a tiny bit of dust, or dirt…or…*sniff*…” It was excruciating seeing them all staring in rapt fascination as the ticklish feeling in my nose brimmed over, and my eyes snapped insistently shut again. “Hep’tchhiew! …*sniffff*…” My nose was really running now, and I couldn’t help the soft sigh of misery that followed the next sniffle. Reluctantly, I picked up a napkin from the table and blew my nose.

“Bella, you’re sick!” Alice exclaimed, her eyes wider than I’d ever seen them.

“It’s just a cold,” I sighed, balling up the used napkin in my pocket. “I’b okay.”

“No you’re not,” she frowned, reaching out to feel my forehead for the second time that day. “You have a fever. I never should’ve let you come to school today.”

“Let me?” I squeaked indignantly.

“C’mon,” she said firmly, her voice taking on the authoritative edge I’d only ever heard when we were fleeing unspeakable dangers. “I’m taking you home, right this minute.” I could’ve fought her; but I was so tired, and the idea of crawling into my soft, warm bed, with Alice waiting on me hand and foot, I was sure—was just too tempting.

“All right,” I sighed.

Moments later, it seemed, I was home and in my pj’s, tucked snugly into my wonderfully warm bed. It was almost perfection.

“What can I get for you, honey?” Alice asked anxiously, perched on the very edge of the bed as if already prepared to jump up again.

“Nothing,” I said drowsily. “Just you. Lie down with me until I fall asleep?”

“But there must be things you need,” she insisted, running her cool fingers through my hair, like she did when I was waking up in the morning. It felt like heaven. “Medicine, or something…”

“Alice, really, there’s nothing,” I insisted, or tried to—I was so drowsy, even my tongue felt heavy; it was getting hard to form words. “Colds aren’t serious…I just need to rest, and I’ll be fine. You’ll see.” I forced my eyes to stay open long enough to look up into hers, assuring her that I wasn’t lying. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she finally nodded, with a sigh made all the more endearing by the fact that I knew it came from pure emotion—not like she needed the oxygen or anything.

“C’mere,” I begged her again, and she finally gave in, curling up beside me so I could worm into her arms, laying my hot face against her cool neck. “Mmm…perfect,” I yawned, finally letting my heavy eyes droop shut as she resumed stroking my hair. “You’ll…*sniff*…still be here whed I wake up, wod’t you?”

“Your voice sounds funny,” she giggled.

“Yeah, thandks, I doe.”

“Sorry.” She wrapped her arm tighter around my waist, and kissed the top of my head. “Of course I’ll be here…now go to sleep, so you can start getting better.”

“’Kay,” I mumbled hazily. Then everything slipped into blackness.

[Marceline]

Aww, this is simply adorable! I've never read a Lesbianic Twilight fic before, but I love it! Keep up the good work!

[wannablessedbe]

Only Human

Chapter 2

By WannaBlessedBe

……………………………………………………………………………………………

I was walking through the woods, the pink and purple sunbeams of twilight filtering through the tall green trees and lush ferns. I was alone, and my stomach twisted with anxiety. Why had I come here? Why was I all alone?

Then, behind a thick stand of shimmering green foliage, I thought I saw the briefest flash of her wild black hair. “Alice? Ali, wait! Don’t leave me here!”

But she was already gone. I tried to run after her, but my feet wouldn’t move. My whole body felt glued to the forest floor. I was all alone, and I couldn’t find her. “Come back,” I tried to scream, but it came out barely a whisper. It wouldn’t matter. I knew she could hear me, no matter how far away she was. “Please, Ali, please come back…”

“I’m here, Bella. I’m right here…” I heard her voice, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“No you’re not,” I sobbed, tears flooding my face as I looked frantically around at the still, empty woods. “I can’t find you.”

“Shh, sweetheart…it’s just a bad dream…wake up, Bella.”

With a gasp, I opened my eyes. The tears were real; my face and the pillow were wet as I focused on the familiar walls of my bedroom, and, more importantly, the familiar porcelain doll face of my immortal girlfriend, her dark eyes fixed on me anxiously.

“Hey,” she said quietly when I blinked up at her dazedly, her cool fingers stroking my tearstained cheek.

“I couldn’t find you,” I whimpered stupidly, and burst into tears.

“Oh, honey, shh…” She pulled my sweat-soaked body close, then pulled the quilt around my shoulders when I started to shiver against her icy skin. “You just had a bad dream, Bells…it was just a dream,” she murmured, stroking my hair back from my face with the gentlest possible touch. “You know I’ll never leave you.” She pressed our foreheads together, nuzzling my face like a wolf cub.

“Promise?” I whispered weakly, as my breathing slowly relaxed, along with the hot, rapid pounding of my heart.

“I promise,” she said immediately. Then she pulled back from my face slightly, just enough to lay the back of her hand against my cheek. “I thought you were supposed to get better after you woke up.”

“I didn’t mean right away,” I explained, the last of my nightmare draining away as I watched her anxiously assessing me; her worried, helpless look. She’d never looked helpless to me before. “It takes a few days.”

“But you’re worse,” she said, her expression tense, as if her body wanted to do something to force me to get better. She was used to action, not sitting around waiting. “You feel hotter than you did before, and you coughed a lot while you were sleeping. It sounded awful.” I sighed and rubbed my eyes, pushing myself up a little against the pillows.

“I know it sounds bad to you, sweetie…but you have to believe me, this is very normal. All humans catch colds sometimes, and for a few days you feel miserable…and then it goes away.”

“But how does it go away?” She demanded impatiently, watching me shiver and pull the blankets up to my neck.

“I d-dunno,” I shrugged, feeling my nose starting to run freely now that I was sitting up. “It…it just d-does…” I felt a big tickle welling up, and wished I had a tissue. Or ten. It wasn’t just my runny nose that was making me feel sneezy; my hands and feet were freezing, and for some strange reason, that had always made me sneeze a lot, too. I raised my cold hands, holding them a few inches in front of my face in anticipation.

“Bella?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded slightly, my eyes fluttering shut no matter how hard I tried to resist. “Hehh…het’chhiew! …*sniff, sniff*…hep’tchiiew!” I groaned quietly into my hands, still cupped around my nose and mouth. I really needed a tissue now.

“God bless you!” Alice exclaimed, sounding almost as startled as she had the first time I’d sneezed. Apparently, she still wasn’t over the shock. “Um…do you want a tissue?”

“Uh-huh,” I mumbled, too caught up in the rising swell of another sneeze to be annoyed that she hadn’t offered me one sooner; or, for that matter, wonder how she had tissues to offer in the first place. “Hep’tchiiew! …*sniff, sniff*…”

“Wow, bless you Bella. Do all people sneeze this much when they have a cold?”

“Three sdeezes ised’t a lot,” I grumbled irritably, as she held a box of tissues up to me like a peace offering.

“Oh. Sorry,” she said awkwardly, and I instantly felt a pang of guilt for being cranky, when she was trying her best to take care of me.

“It’s okay,” I sighed when I’d finished blowing my nose. “Thanks for the tissues. Where did you get these, anyway?” Something else struck me suddenly, that I had been too preoccupied to notice before. “And who told you about saying bless you?”

“I called my dad when you were sleeping,” she explained sheepishly. She was the only one of her siblings who called their adopted vampire parents Mom and Dad; the others just said Carlisle and Esme. Maybe it was because Alice was the only one who truly had no memories of her human life; to her, Carlisle and Esme really were the only parents she’d ever known. I thought it was sweet.

“He told me a whole bunch of stuff to get for you, and I sent Emmett and Jasper to the store. I would’ve gone myself, but I didn’t want to leave in case you woke up.”

“Thanks,” I smiled shyly, feeling like a bigger jerk every second. “Tell Emmett and Jasper thanks, too. So what…*sniff*…what else did you get?”

“Lots of stuff,” she grinned excitedly. I could tell that her worry over me was tempered now by her delight in any chance to explore some new facet of the human world. “You totally lied when you said there was nothing you needed.” I shrugged and pulled out a fresh tissue to blow my nose. “We’ve got lots of tissues, and two kinds of cold medicine—I think one is for daytime, and the other’s for night. And a thermometer so I can take your temperature, and some chicken soup, and a bunch of different stuff to drink. Dad said I have to make sure you get plenty of fluids as long as you have a fever. And he told me about saying bless you when someone sneezes.”

“Wow…you really did your research,” I smiled, warmed by how thorough she was being in her attempts to nurse me through my big, bad cold.

“Yes I did. Now sit still for a minute.” She pulled a thermometer out of nowhere, and stuck it in my mouth. My amusement turned slightly to irritation—I knew that this wasn’t really necessary. But she seemed less anxious now that she had something to do, so I just lay back and closed my eyes. The second it beeped, she grabbed it.

“100.8,” she frowned. “Is that very bad?”

“No, not very,” I sighed, rubbing my eyes. “It’s not great. But I told you, I’ll be fine in a few days.” Even though I had just woken up, I still felt almost as sleepy as I had before.

“Well this will help you feel better for a little while, anyway.” She cracked open the bottle of orange DayQuil, and poured a measure out into the little plastic cup.

“Ali, no,” I whined, curling up on my side and pulling the blanket up over my head. “I hate that stuff. It’s gross.”

“But it will make you feel better,” she said, and even through the thick quilt I could hear the confusion in her voice.

“Odly a little,” I sniffed. My nose was running again, and I wiped it on my sleeve. “Ad it tastes awful.”

“So what? You can have something else to drink after, to get rid of the taste. I got you all your favorites, root beer and cran-apple juice and Arizona iced tea. Now come out of there and take your medicine.”

“Dod’t tell be what to do,” I grumbled mulishly, making no move to come out from under the blankets, even though I was getting very sweaty and badly needed a tissue. “Huhhh…het’chiiew!”

“You’re being ridiculous, Bella. And bless you.” She reached out and pulled the blanket down, curling up beside me and grinning crookedly at my grumpy scowl. “Dad told me that people sometimes get cranky when they don’t feel well.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, taking the tissue she offered and blowing my nose again. “I’b sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be sorry, Bells. I just want you to feel better.” She smiled so angelically at me, I couldn’t stand to say no to her again. I sat up and held my hand out for the little cup, and swallowed it down immediately, before I could think about it. I must have made a face when the vile taste hit my throat, because Alice laughed and kissed me lightly on the lips. It was nice, I had to admit, knowing I didn’t have to worry about her catching it.

“Hmm, you’re right. It doesn’t taste very good.” She smirked at me, licking her lips. “How about a drink?”

“Yes, please. Root beer.” She had it in front of me almost before the words were out of my mouth. “Thadks.” I took a long sip, and sighed.

“Feeling better?” She asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” I lied, and curled up against her chest with a sigh. She ran her fingers through my sweaty hair, lulling me into an advanced state of relaxation. Then a deep tickle welled up in my nose, so fast I didn’t even have a chance to raise a hand.

“Hep’tchhew! …*sniff, sniff.*” I sneezed right on her, leaving a damp spot on her shirt just below the collar.

“Bless you!” Alice giggled and ruffled my hair.

“Oh fuck…*sniff*…sorry, baby.” I wiped ineffectually at her shirt; luckily there weren’t any globs of snot.

“It’s okay, Bells. You’re only human.”

[ID2006]

I love this

[tFM!]

Awesome story! I love the Alice/Bella pairing too, I've read a few Twilight fanfics and anytime there was a "scene" with those two together I sorta wanted something to happen =P

Please continue, this is great!

[ilovesneezing]

aaawwww this is so cute! I LITERALLY JUST watched Twilight for the first time the other day and I'm in Loooooove with the Cullens. Well Carlisle Edward and Alice anyways

[wannablessedbe]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I'm really getting into this-- it's been forever since I've gotten into a new fandom, so this may go on for a while

Hope you like the next chap!

Only Human

Chapter 3

By WannaBlessedBe

……………………………………………………………………………………………....

“Huhhh…huh-tchiiew! …*sniff.*”

“Bless you.”

“Aren’t you getting tired of saying that?” I joked sheepishly, wiping my nose on a fresh tissue and trying not to think about how awful I must look right now.

“Nope.” She was smiling her magical, fairy princess smile at me. I sniffled, missing the intoxicating smell of her in my nostrils. It wasn’t like anything else—not floral or spice, citrus or musk. No perfume in the world came close. I sighed glumly, and she cocked her head at me.

“Bells? What’s it feel like?”

“What?”

“A sneeze. Does it feel good or bad?” She blinked innocently, her curiosity about the most basic aspects of human existence as endearing to me as always. “I mean, I know that being sick doesn’t feel good…but when you sneeze—or right before you sneeze, actually—you get this really cute look on your face that I just can’t figure out. And I can’t tell what you’re feeling.”

“Um…jeez.” I was surprised to find myself blushing at the odd, but perfectly innocent question. “I don’t really know if I can explain it. It’s definitely not bad, but…maybe…annoying? Before, I mean. It’s like being tickled inside your head.”

“Huh.” She blinked, and I could tell she was trying to imagine what I was describing.

“And then it just sort of builds up till you can’t stand it anymore…and then when you finally do sneeze, it’s a huge relief. I guess it does feel sort of good,” I shrugged, and she scrutinized me closely, an unreadable expression in her deep brown eyes.

“I wish I could try it, just once,” she said wistfully.

“You can’t try it,” I snickered, shaking my head at her childlike wonder. “It just happens.”

“Nothing just happens to me,” she sighed, playing with a lock of my hair absently. “There are so many things that your body does completely on its own…your heart beats, your lungs breathe; you fall asleep, and drift away to a place I can never go. You yawn when you’re tired, and when you sneeze, your nose twitches and your eyes scrunch up, and your whole body moves—like someone just pushed you hard. All that happens without you even thinking about it.” She blinked up at me from under her long eyelashes, and smiled a little sadly. “I wish I knew what it felt like not to be in control all the time.”

“Well I think you do know what that’s like,” I murmured softly, leaning down to brush my lips against her ear. She leaned into me like a magnet.

“Oh,” she sighed, reaching out to tangle one marble-cool hand in my hair. “Well, I…yeah…” Her wind-chime voice hypnotized me like always, and I instantly forgot that I was sick, letting her cool fingers pull me closer, and sucking her earlobe into my warm mouth. “Bella…” I could feel my blood pounding through my veins, yearning for her—singing for her, like she always said. Abruptly, before I could get any more lost in her utter perfection, a nagging itch seared the back of my throat, and I jerked back from her to cough.

“Sorry,” I croaked, reaching for the glass of juice she’d left by the bedside table.

“Oh, sweetheart! You can’t apologize for being sick, don’t be ridiculous.” She rubbed my back until my ragged coughing subsided. “Now that definitely doesn’t sound like something that feels good.”

“Uh-uh,” I agreed, dropping my head onto her shoulder.

“Poor Bella,” she cooed, kissing the top of my head. “I’m sorry. I should be taking better care of you.”

“You’re taking great care of me,” I mumbled into her hair. “The best.”

“No, I think the best care would involve feeding you.” In an instant, she scooped me up in her wraith-like arms, and before I could even blink we were downstairs on the couch.

“Showoff,” I smirked.

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Now, what kind of soup do you want?”

“Huh?” It was only then that I looked over to where she was gesturing, and noticed that the coffee table was littered with at least a dozen soup cans.

“Well, I didn’t know what kind you’d like…so I told the boys to get one of everything.”

“Ali!” I giggled, shaking my head. “You are too much.”

“Only the best for my Bella,” she said unrepentantly, and leaned down to kiss my warm lips with her cool ones. “Charlie’s home.” Even if my head hadn’t been stuffed up, she would’ve heard the cruiser coming before I did; she heard everything coming before I did. My nose started to tickle again; but I felt a little self-conscious about sneezing now, after Alice’s extended Q&A session. I sniffled and rubbed a finger under my nose, hoping it would pass.

“Hi girls,” Charlie greeted us as the door swung open.

“Hi, Charlie,” Alice waved. Charlie was never surprised to see Alice’s canary-yellow Porsche in our driveway anymore, and he never seemed unhappy to see her. I’d been so worried he wouldn’t approve once he found out we were more than friends…but no matter how old-fashioned he was, Alice had him wrapped around her little finger. And I sure knew how that felt.

“Hi Dad,” I croaked, feeling Alice’s cool hand pressing a tissue into mine almost before I knew I was going to sneeze. “Achiiew! …*sniff, sniff.*”

“Bless you,” Alice said sweetly.

“You sick, kiddo?” Charlie scrutinized my face while I blew my nose, which still felt awfully tickly.

“Uhhh…*sniff*…hep’tchhiew!” Alice passed me another tissue.

“Huh, guess so,” Charlie mused, ruffling my hair. “Do you, uh, need anything?” He asked awkwardly. Playing nurse wasn’t exactly one of Charlie’s strong points.

“Uh-uh,” I shook my head, giving him a weak smile. “Alice is taking care of me.”

“Oh.” He looked between us, and nodded once, his expression slightly disapproving. “Well that’s awfully nice, Alice, but maybe you ought to go home now. I wouldn’t want you catching Bella’s germs.”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Charlie.” Alice managed to look up at my dad with a completely innocent smile, while I had to look away and bite the inside of my lip to keep from laughing. “I never get sick.”

[musiclover90]

I love this.

[Demosthenes]

Oh, this Alice doubtless, desperately, simply NEEDS to sneeze at some point in this great story. It would just be tragic for her not to get her wish to "try it."

[ilovesneezing]

yes for the love of God someone make Alice sneeze! This is perfection honey!

[wannablessedbe]

yes for the love of God someone make Alice sneeze! This is perfection honey!

hmmm, interesting feedback, guys. To be honest, I wasn't planning on that...I figured the only way to explore this whole "anthropology of sneezing" angle w/ alice was to be firm in the idea that vampires don't sneeze...otherwise, how could she really not know what it felt like? I was pretty much committed to this point of view-- no sneezing, no yawning, no falling asleep, etc, for the cullens. But, since you guys have pleaded your case so nicely...I've spent some time thinking of a way around it, and I think I've worked something out. You'll have to wait a couple more chaps, tho

[ooo]

I'm really enjoying this, such a cute story and Alice is such a lively character to work with, so I'm really enjoying your take on the Bella/Alice relationship! Just thought I'd say I don't mind whether Alice sneezes or not; it would be great if she did, but I'm also enjoying what you're writing without her sneezing...so basically, whatever feels right/works well for you

Looking forward to more!

[White Rose]

omg, i am completely LOVING this!!

[misskiya]

Love love love love love loooooove this story so much. Please continue when you can XD

[wannablessedbe]

Hey peeps!

I hope you enjoy this chapter; it was a lot of fun to write. I know the end part is a little confusing; but it will make sense in the next chap!

--WBB

Only Human

Chapter 4

By WannaBlessedBe

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Hey, kiddo.” It was Charlie’s warm hand that shook me as I lay dozing against Alice’s cool shoulder on the couch, nearly asleep. “You look like you’re about to topple over. Why don’t you call it a night?” I sighed and rubbed my eyes, wishing foolishly, fleetingly, that we could break the all-important rule of secrecy and just tell my dad the truth—my girlfriend is a vampire—just so she could carry me to bed without making his eyes pop out of his head. Right.

“’Kay,” I mumbled, wobbling slightly as I stood up. Alice’s arm was instantly around my waist, holding me steady. At least she could do that without arousing suspicion.

“C’mon sleepyhead,” she murmured affectionately, kissing me in her favorite spot (which, coincidentally, was also my favorite spot) just below my ear. “Let’s get you tucked in nice and cozy.” I mumbled a hazy goodnight to Charlie, and let Alice pull me into the hall and up the stairs, barely even noticing my feet moving. I flopped down on my bed with a sigh that was half exhaustion, and half consternation—because if I was in bed, it meant that she was about to leave, if only briefly.

“Don’t go,” I whined, locking my fingers around her wrist.

“I’ll be back in a little while, silly,” she said gently, making no move to extricate herself. Her free hand moved lightly through my hair. “You know I’d never move from this spot if it were up to me…but I hardly think Charlie would be alright with me just staying up here all night. Leaving till he’s asleep and then sneaking back in through the window seems a lot easier than a huge, screaming fight.” I whined at her attempt at logic, and wrapped my arm around her hips, pressing my face into her leg.

“Not tonight,” I begged, looking up at her with my best approximation of her puppy-dog expression—the one she used whenever she wanted me to do something I hated, like shopping. It always worked for her; why not me?

“Oh, Bella…” she sighed, cocking her head at me with a heart-stopping, earth-shatteringly beautiful smile. “Please, sweetheart, think clearly for a moment. You know I’ll do anything you ask, in the end. But do you really want to take the risk of Charlie coming to check on you, and finding me in here? I know he’s been quite tolerant, but we probably shouldn’t push him too hard with the visuals.”

“Well if you’re gonna be all mature about it,” I grumbled, pouting up at her with what I hoped was an extra-pathetic sniffle.

“You’re not making it easy,” she sighed, smoothing my hair back to kiss my forehead. “Here, just take your cold medicine and go to sleep. You’ll never even notice I was gone.”

“Uh-uh,” I shook my head stubbornly, fighting to keep my heavy eyes open. “That stuff’ll knock me out cold…I don’t wanna go to sleep till you’re back here next to me.”

“Bella, be reasonable. You’re exhausted. You need to sleep. Don’t you trust me to come back?”

“Of course I trust you,” I replied, stung. “I just don’t wanna wait till I wake up to see you again.” Her stern expression immediately melted.

“Break my heart, why don’t you,” she sighed. “Okay, how about this…you take the medicine, and I’ll stay until you fall asleep…then I’ll go out the front door, say goodnight to Charlie, and crawl back in the window when it’s all clear.”

“Ooookaaay,” I sighed, drawing out the word like it was a huge, noble concession on my part. As if anyone else alive had it this good. Nope, I was pretty sure they didn’t. I swallowed the sickly-sweet red syrup without complaint, and didn’t even have to ask her to pass me the water to wash it down. Instantly, I felt a wave of heavy, drugged exhaustion wash over me…even stronger than the natural sleepiness I was already feeling. “Alice,” I sighed, rolling onto my back and grinning dazedly up at her. “You’re sooooo pretty.” She snorted and rolled her eyes.

“And you’re looped,” she observed, snuggling down beside me to stroke my stomach under the blankets, one of her best tricks for soothing me to sleep.

“Yeah, I know that,” I assured her, suddenly very serious in my NyQuil-induced stupor. “But you are. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my whooooole life.” She giggled quietly, and began kissing me lightly all over my face.

“Bella, Bella, Bella,” she sighed, her cool lips like a breath of peppermint over my flushed skin. “Go to sleep, my sweet angel.”

“Not an angel,” I protested, though I was barely able to form words now. “Too clumsy…you’re the angel…”

“Shh,” she whispered; then she began to hum my lullaby, the one she wrote for me. That was the last thing I was aware of before I slipped into oblivion.

…………………………………..

The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back, pinned down by a cold, heavy weight across my stomach. It took me a minute to realize it was Alice’s arm. That was new—she usually just laid beside me, close but not touching, always afraid I’d grow chilled from too much contact with her marble-cool body. As if touching her didn’t have the exact opposite effect on my senses. But, suddenly, here she was, sprawled out half-on top of me. It felt so good, I didn’t open my eyes right away; I just lay there, soaking in the perfect, delicious weight of her pressed against me. Then I opened my eyes, and my jaw dropped in astonishment.

Alice was asleep. No, that was impossible—she was just resting her eyes, waiting for me to wake up. Because Alice didn’t sleep; none of the Cullens did. I knew this. I knew how much she wished for it, now and then, when she grew melancholy over her lost memories of her human life. So she couldn’t be asleep. But then, what else could she be?

My heart froze in my chest the moment the question formed in my mind. No, no, no. I wasn’t even going to think that, because it wasn’t possible. The only way to kill a vampire was to tear it to pieces, and burn them into a cloud of acrid purple smoke. I knew this. But if all the options were impossible, then why was one impossible any less likely than the other?

“Alice,” I whispered, too terrified to yell like I wanted to as I shook her shoulder roughly. “Ali, wake up!”

“Mmm,” she mumbled, and my frozen heart stuttered and sprang back into life.

“Please wake up, baby,” I begged quietly, still too unnerved to leave her be. I didn’t want to startle her; but I had to see her open her eyes, and look at me, and tell me she was okay. I ran my nails gently up and down the back of her neck.

“S’okay, Bells…almost there,” she murmured, and I was pretty sure she was talking in her sleep. “Just a little further…” Then a shiver shot through her small body, and she opened her eyes, looking bleary and startled. “Oh…” she sighed, and rubbed her eyes. “How did we get back here?” She yawned hugely, blinking and snuggling up closer to me. It would have been incredibly adorable if I hadn’t been so terrified. “My head feels so heavy…”

“You were dreaming, honey. You were asleep.” I sifted my hand through her messy black hair, trying to wake her up without startling her. Startling a vampire is, generally, not a good idea.

“Noooo I wasn’t,” she sighed, stretching her lithe body against mine, then curling up like a little kitten with her head on my shoulder. “I don’t sleep…silly Bella.” She yawned again, pressing her face right against my neck. It was getting very hard to stay focused with her peppermint breath against my pulse point.

“I know Ali, but you were. Do you understand what I’m saying? You were asleep! This is me waking you up!” She stiffened then, and I knew that I had finally gotten past her grogginess as she sat bolt upright beside me.

“Bella?” She blinked, still looking sleepy and confused. I’d never seen her look that way before. “What happened?” She rubbed her forehead, frowning. “I feel funny.” My heart was hammering in my chest, full of panic. I couldn’t answer her question, because I had no idea what was happening.

“I think we’d better call Carlisle and Esme,” I said hesitantly, not knowing what else to do. She was still frowning; she didn’t seem to have heard me. Then she sniffled, and wiped her nose on her hand. She sounded just as stuffed up as I felt.

“My nose is leaking,” she said blankly, staring at her hand uncomprehendingly. I supposed that I’d react the same way if water suddenly started spouting out of my ears.

“Your nose is running,” I corrected her gently, charmed by her heartbreaking innocence. My heart rate slowed slightly, though I was still very worried. “And I don’t know how this happened, but…I’m pretty sure you caught my cold, sweetie.”

“Vampires can’t catch colds, Bella,” she snapped impatiently, with another uncharacteristic frown. She was very rarely grumpy.

“Just like they can’t fall asleep?” I asked pointedly, and she sighed huffily and rolled her eyes. “Look, I don’t understand it either, okay? But I really think we need to get you home ASAP. Maybe Carlisle will be able to help.” I was sitting up beside her now, rubbing her back, trying to soothe her—just like she’d done for me a million times before.

“This is stupid,” she whined, wiping her nose on her hand again. “Honestly, Bella…” she scowled, and rubbed her nose hard, her eyes scrunching up tightly. “Ugh, why is my nose so itchy?” I had no new ideas to offer, so I didn’t say anything while she attempted to rub her nose right off her face. “Bellaaaaa,” she whimpered, looking up at me with the most woebegone, miserable expression I’d ever seen on her angelic little face. Her lower lip jutted out in a pout, stabbing straight at my heart. “What’s the matter with me?”

“It’s just a cold, sweetheart,” I promised her, though I had no way of knowing whether that was really true. “I don’t know how it happened, but there’s nothing else it can be. You just have a cold. You’ll feel better soon, I promise. But we should really get back to your house now, okay?”

“Okay,” she nodded blearily, throwing back the quilt that covered us both. The air felt chilly against my slightly feverish skin, and I shivered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Alice was shivering, too, another thing I’d never seen her do. And she had a very odd expression on her face, her eyes blank and distant, with her mouth hanging half-open. She stayed perfectly still.

“Ali? You okay?”

“Uhhh…uh-huh,” she nodded vaguely, rubbing two fingers insistently under her nose, still staring off into space. Was she actually going to--?

“Het’CHIIIEW! …*sniff.*” She sneezed so hard, her tiny body bent almost double on the bed.

“God bless you!” I exclaimed, torn between my worry for her predicament, and amusement at her utterly dazed expression. She sniffled again, and blinked up at me in amazement.

“Whoa.”

[ilovesneezing]

eeeeeeeeee love love love love LOVE this!

[White Rose]

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!

I LOVE THIS!!!

i cant wait to read more!!!!!

[wannablessedbe]

Hey peeps,

thanks so much for the feedback! I'm still surprised at how much I'm enjoying writing a Twilight fic...never thought I would! Just goes to show it's good to try new things. Hope you all enjoy this chap!

Only Human

Part 5

By WannaBlessedBe

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“What the hell did you do to my sister?!” Rosalie shrieked the moment we came through the door. She grabbed Alice’s free hand and tried to pull her away from me; but Alice yanked it back, wrapping her other arm more securely around my waist.

“Back off, Rose,” she growled, sounding more annoyed than truly angry. “It’s not Bella’s fault.”

“Oh really?” Rosalie rolled her golden eyes. “So you’ve been sucking face with some other germ-infested human?”

“Hey,” I croaked, surprised to find that I was annoyed with the unapproachable blonde vampire, too. It seemed like a major step up, somehow, from the paralyzing intimidation I usually felt in her presence. “I’m not germ-infested.” My assertion was undermined when I started to cough, leaning slightly on Alice’s shoulder.

“Well, that was certainly convincing.”

“Rose,” Alice whined, ready to leap to my defense again, despite her obvious exhaustion. But before she could get another word out, her delicate little nostrils flared, her breath welling up with an audible shudder as she cupped her hands to her face, just like she’d seen me do. “Heh’ishiiew! …*sniff.*” Her thin shoulders jerked forward, and she almost lost her balance—another very un-Alice-like thing to do. Usually she was the most graceful creature on two legs.

“Bless you, sweetheart,” I murmured quietly as I reached out to steady her.

“Uhhh…thadk you,” She sighed wearily, leaning into my arm. Her tiny body was a surprisingly heavy weight against my side, and I wasn’t sure how long I could keep us both standing. Rosalie was staring at us wide-eyed. I supposed that, even if she could tell that something was wrong with Alice, she was just as shocked to see her sneeze as I had been—probably much more so. It was pretty obvious that no one in this house had done anything as human as sneeze in a long, long time.

“I think you two better go sit down,” she said anxiously, gesturing to the couch. “I’ll get Esme.” I half-dragged Alice with me to the couch, where we both dropped like stones. She curled up with her head resting against my shoulder, and sighed glumly.

“Sorry, Bells,” she mumbled miserably.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked blankly, sitting up a little straighter so I could see her glinting amber eyes, suddenly full of dejection.

“I was supposed to be taking care of you,” she sniffed, her voice trembling. “I’m a vampire, for fuck’s sake! I’m not supposed to be weak like this…” I was sure that, if her body could produce tears, she’d be crying now.

“What happened to, you can’t apologize for being sick?” I asked gently, throwing her own words back at her as I combed my fingers lightly through her cool, silky black hair.

“That was for you, not me,” she shrugged, without a hint of irony.

“I don’t think so, hon. That’s not how this works.”

“How what works?” she grumbled petulantly.

“This. Us.” I laced my fingers into hers, squeezing gently. “We’re supposed to take care of each other.”

“Oh…” she sighed softly, looking down at our entwined fingers. Then she yawned, and pressed her face back into my arm, practically melding to the side of my body. “Well…I guess that sounds okay.” Rosalie came back in then, with Esme, Emmett, Jasper and Edward following close behind. They all looked tense and worried.

“Alice, honey, what’s wrong?” Esme asked urgently, kneeling down on the carpet in front of us.

“We’re sick,” Alice whined, lifting her head only slightly from my arm to speak clearly. “I don’t understand how it happened; but Bella’s got a cold…and…” I could feel her breathing sharpen next to me, and wished I had thought to bring a few tissues along. “Huhh…*snifffff*…” She shivered, and I felt horribly guilty all over again. “Ahh-chhiew! …*sniff.*” Her thin shoulders snapped forward again as she hastily covered her face with her hands.

“Bless you,” I said quietly, while the rest of them stared at her blankly, like she’d just sprouted wings or a tail in front of them.

“…And now I guess I have a cold, too,” she finished unnecessarily. She coughed, as if to punctuate her statement. “I feel really terrible, Mom.”

“Shoulda thought about that before you started playing tonsil hockey with the human, huh?” Emmett joked, grinning broadly.

“Shut up, dumbass!” Alice growled.

“I’m sitting right here, you know,” I added, too weary to really get worked up over Emmett’s usual teasing.

“Anyway, that’s hardly the point,” Rosalie cut in, silencing Emmett’s chuckles with her steely glare. I felt an itchy tickle welling up inside my head, and automatically closed my eyes and pinched my nose between my fingers, not wanting to interrupt the anxious conversation—or, for that matter, remind them that I was the reason their sister was suffering.

“We can’t catch germs from humans,” Rosalie continued tersely. “It’s simply not possible. There must be some other explanation for…”

“Heh’tchiiew!” I yanked my hand off Alice’s leg to cover my face, mortified at my inability to control my stupid, human body. Like I didn’t feel out of place enough in the Cullens’ house. Sure enough, when I opened my eyes, they were all staring at me.

“Bless you,” Alice murmured quietly in my ear, leaning in a little closer to kiss my temple.

“Thadks,” I sniffed awkwardly. Then, looking up at Esme’s concerned eyes, I added—“Sorry.”

“Nonsense, Bella. This is undoubtedly an unusual situation, but I promise you there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?” Rosalie squealed, her pitch so high in hurt my ears a little. “I’m sorry, when was the last time a vampire got sick? Oh, that’s right—never!”

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Rose,” Jasper sighed, rolling his eyes with one hand on his hip.

“You tell her, baby,” Edward smirked, slinging one arm over his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Stay out of it, Edward,” Rosalie growled.

“All of you stop it this minute!” Esme snapped. “You’re not helping your sister.” That shut them up quick. For a moment, everyone was silent, and all I could hear was the sound of Alice’s sniffles, and my own. “Boys, can you please go to the store and get some more of all the things you bought yesterday for Bella? Tissues especially,” she added, glancing at Alice, who was wiping her nose on her sleeve.

“Sure Esme,” Emmett nodded, leading his brothers out the door without another word.

“Rosalie, will you please go to the kitchen, and make some tea for Bella?” Rosalie nodded quickly, looking slightly abashed—an expression I had certainly never seen the haughty blonde wear before. I wondered why Esme told her to make tea just for me; but then I figured that Alice probably wouldn’t drink it, anyway.

“Now, girls,” Esme said warmly to the two of us, when everyone else had gone. “I’m going to call Carlisle, of course—he’ll want to know about this—but I’m sure I know what’s happening to you, and it’s truly nothing bad. In fact…it’s rather miraculous.” Alice and I both turned and looked at each other in confusion. I sure didn’t feel too miraculous at the moment. “Alice, have you ever heard your father and I talk about something called mirroring?”

“Uh-uh,” Alice shook her head, leaning back against my arm as I slipped my hand back into hers.

“Well, it’s something that can develop between two of our kind who are deeply bonded…it’s rather rare, and of course, there haven’t been any scientific studies—though I’m sure your father will find a way, one of these days.” I thought I could feel Alice’s smile against my arm, and I squeezed her fingers lightly. “He’s certain that it can only develop when both partners have a strong supernatural gift…like your visions, Alice, or Edward’s mind reading, or Jasper’s empathic abilities. When one half of such a pair is in grave danger, or gets hurt…the other can feel it, even if they are separated by a great distance.” I blinked. Was Esme trying to say that I…that we…?

“Then why haven’t Jazz and Edward--?” Alice started to say, but Esme cut her off, obviously not needing to hear the full question.

“Because they’ve never been in danger or hurt since they found each other, thank heavens,” Esme explained, her hand patting Alice’s knee protectively. Her motherly assurances were inexplicably calming. “And if I can help it, none of you ever will be. But you understand the point, don’t you, love? You can’t catch Bella’s germs…but it seems that you can mirror her when she’s in distress.”

“But…I’m not a vampire,” I said hollowly, feeling slightly foolish for saying something so brutally obvious out loud.

“Well as I said, that’s what makes this situation so unusual,” Esme shrugged, smiling kindly at me. “But perhaps it’s always been possible…we simply don’t know. After all, there’s never been a vampire bonded to a human before.” I nudged Alice with my shoulder, and she looked up at me with her enormous amber eyes.

“You’re a freak,” I grinned goofily.

“You’re a freak’s girlfriend,” she shot back, beaming. Then her eyebrows knit together, and she snapped forward with a sharp “Hishiiew!” into her lap.

“Bless you, baby,” I crooned, rubbing her back.

“Thadk you,” She sniffled wearily. “Dow will you please get better so I cad stop sdeezing?”

[ilovesneezing]

*squeal*

this is simply marvelous sweetie! love love love love it! You're very talented

[ooo]

Lovely!!

And such a clever "twist" in the mirroring thing - makes perfect plot sense and it's just such a lovely concept. Have to say I had a bit of a giggle at Edward/Jasper, too! Great work.

[ID2006]

I love this. And Edward with Jasper... I love it. lol

[zaba]

great story!!!!!

[wannablessedbe]

Thanks, peeps! Glad you're diggin' it. Here's some more

Only Human

Chapter 6

By WannaBlessedBe

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“So what’s it feel like, Alice?” Jasper asked conversationally as he dropped down onto the sofa, casually tossing a box of tissues into her lap from the bag her carried.

“Crappy,” she grumbled, passing the tissues to me without really looking at them. She was still leaning heavily against my side; I could feel her shivering.

“Jasper, c-could you get us a blanket from upstairs?” I asked, realizing as I stuttered out my request that I was shivering, too.

“Sure,” he winked. Immediately he was gone, barely a blur—and back again almost in the same instant, laying a soft, heavy quilt across our legs.

“Thadks,” I sniffed, hastily ripping the top off the Kleenex box as I felt my nose starting to run in earnest, making my nostrils itch and flare helplessly. “Huhh’tchiiew! …*sniff, sniff.*”

“Bless you, Bells,” Alice yawned, worming closer to me under the blanket while I was bent forward blowing my nose. She was still sniffling heavily.

“Thanks,” I sighed, leaning back against the cushions beside her. “Here, you should blow your nose, too. You’ll feel better.” I offered her the tissues, but she just looked at me dubiously, like she thought I might be playing a prank on her.

“I dod’t…*sniff*…doe how to do that,” she frowned. But she did take a tissue, rubbing it under her nose a few times.

“It’s easy,” I assured her, smiling despite her cross expression. “You just hold it in both hands, like this…” I grabbed a fresh tissue to demonstrate, bringing it up to my runny nose. “Ad thed…you just blow id it.” Slightly self-conscious now, I blew my nose lightly, intensely aware of them all watching me. When I was finished, I wadded up my tissue and smiled awkwardly. “See? Now you.”

Alice scowled, but dutifully pulled another tissue from the box. Then her eyes slid out of focus, and she frowned vaguely. I could tell she was going to have to sneeze before she could do anything else.

“Huhhhh…hetchhiew!” She shivered against my side, catching her sneeze in the tissue.

“Bless you,” everyone chorused.

“Thadks,” she mumbled, her voice still ticklish-sounding. I passed her another tissue. “Ishhiew! Heh’ishhiew! …*sniff, sniff.*”

“Bless you,” the whole room chorused again.

“Ughhh…this is addoyidg,” she sniffled, finally pinching the tissue back to her nose and giving it a good, long blow. It sounded very wet and sniffly. “Does everyone have to say bless you every time I sneeze? It’s embarrassing,” she grumbled, pouting.

“We’re just being polite, doofus,” Emmett said wryly from across the room. “But if you prefer, we can all just laugh at you.” Alice pouted and hid her face against my shoulder.

“Emmett, please,” Esme scolded him with a frown. “If this is the best you can do, why don’t you just go hunting, and leave Alice and Bella in peace.”

“Uh…sorry,” Emmett mumbled sheepishly, looking taken aback. I knew he hadn’t really meant anything by it; usually, it was much harder to piss Alice off. But he did as Esme asked, and slipped out the door to take out his playful tendencies on a grizzly bear or a mountain lion.

“Here’s your tea, Bella,” Rosalie said awkwardly, with what I supposed was her best approximation of a smile. I smiled weakly back, but before I could thank her, she slipped out after her mate.

“I don’t feel like doing anything at all,” Alice sighed sleepily, her body limp against me now that both our shivers had eased. “Do you feel like that, Bella?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded drowsily. The quilt Jasper had thrown over us was warm and heavy, and the couch was very soft; the kind that you sort of sink into. We seemed to decide at the same moment that sitting up had become too much work, and we curled up sideways, like spoons, with her back pressed up against my stomach. I wound my arm around her hip and rubbed her bellybutton, and she sighed contentedly.

“Mom,” she yawned, “will you put a dvd on for us?”

“Of course, love. What would you like to see?”

“You choose, Bella,” Alice sighed, pressing her hand on top of mine over her bellybutton to keep me there.

“Oh…okay…” I yawned. “How about WALL-E?”

“Good,” Alice nodded drowsily.

“I do believe we have that one,” Esme said lightly, slipping a disc into the dvd player and flipping on the huge plasma TV. “There, now. I want you both to relax, and Bella, you drink your tea. You’ll call if you want anything, won’t you?” She ran her hand lightly over the top of Alice’s head, then my own.

“Uh-huh,” Alice sniffed absently. “Thanks, Mom.” Esme smiled warmly, kissed Alice’s forehead, and left us snuggled peacefully on the couch. I traced my fingers absently around the smooth skin of her stomach. We watched the first few minutes of the movie quietly; then my nose started to tickle again, and I had to pull my hand away from her to get a tissue from the box lying beside us on the couch.

“Atchhiew! …*sniff.*”

“Bless you,” Alice giggled, some of her drowsiness dispelled by my sharp jerk forward against her back.

“Thadks,” I sniffed, blowing my nose thoroughly before I curled back up against her.

“You totally lied to me, you know,” she said suddenly, just as I was starting to relax against her.

“Huh?”

“You said you didn’t feel that bad. You said a cold was no big deal. Now I feel how you feel…and it feels awful.”

“Aww, honey…I’m so, so sorry you’re sick ‘cause of me. It’s all my fault; I feel like such a big jerk.” My stomach squirmed guiltily as she flipped over to face me, frowning.

“It’s not your fault; don’t be stupid. We’re linked. I love that I feel what you feel…it’ll make it easier, you know. To keep you safe.” She smiled shyly, and I felt myself smiling automatically back. “I just meant…you never told me how awful you really felt. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t think I feel quite as awful as you do, Ali.” I sighed, stroking her cheek gently. “I mean, you’ve never felt sick before, ever. It’s gotta be a major shock to your system. It’s not so bad for me, because I’m used to it.”

“I guess,” she grumbled, sniffling. Then she drew a sharp breath, and bowed her head against my chest, cupping her hands to her face. “Het’chiiew! …*snifffff.*”

“Bless you,” I said automatically; then added hastily—“I mean—sorry—do you not want me to say that anymore?”

“Oh, I dided’t bead you,” she sniffled, groping for a fresh tissue. Then she blew her nose, and smiled at me sheepishly. “It was just the rest of them, staring at me like I’m some kind of freak. They made me all self-conscious.”

“Gee, I have no idea what that’s like,” I said sarcastically, smirking. “Because I’ve never felt that way around your family.” She rolled her eyes, but smiled weakly back.

“Yeah, well. But I don’t feel that way with you…I like when you say it. It makes me feel better.”

“Okay,” I grinned goofily, and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Still wanna watch the movie?”

“Uh-huh,” she yawned, turning over again so her back was pressed against me again. I fixed my heavy eyes on the enormous TV screen, and happily went back to rubbing her cool, smooth stomach. I very much doubted that either of us would be awake by the time the movie was over.

[Omni]

I like your writing style, although I'm not familiar with the fandom, I still enjoyed this fanfic. You have a straightforward style that I enjoy, but still manage the occasional plot twist. Overall its a sweet fic, with a solid thought out concept. I also enjoy the realistic feel to the characters (I can't say how well in character they are) but I find them to be very believable which enhances the overall experience.

So yea...kudos it's a fun read

-Omni

[ilovesneezing]

this is wonderful once again