Evelyn sat cross-legged on Bella's bed, watching her friend fidget with her outfit in front of the mirror hanging on the closet door. It had been a week or so since Jasper had introduced her to his family, and they had been invited to go and play baseball with the Cullen family tonight. Edward and Jasper had told her that Alice had seen the perfect storm coming in, so tonight had to be the night to play. Evelyn had asked Jasper why they would want to play baseball in a storm multiple times, but all he ever did was smile and say that she would just have to wait and see.

Marie dropped her off at Bella's house about an hour ago, leaving with a smug smile after Evelyn told her she would be with Jasper again tonight. She had not told her aunt that she and Jasper were officially together yet, but she knew Marie had a sneaking suspicion and kept dropping hints on when she would be able to finally meet him.

"I don't know, Ev, I feel like he would overreact if I told him it was a date."

Evelyn rolled her eyes playfully, meeting her friend's worried gaze in the mirror. "He's your dad, Bells, that's kind of his job. I don't think you have anything to worry about. As irritating as Edward is, he'll want Charlie to like him because it would make you happy."

Bella grinned, turning to face her. "You're probably right. Is Jasper coming too?"

"I think so. Actually, I think they just pulled up," Evelyn observed, noticing a Jeep coming down the street from Bella's window. She could just make out the flash of Jasper's blond hair in the passenger seat as the vehicle came to a stop in front of the house. "Let's go get this over with, Bella. I want to see what they've been so excited about for the past week."

Bella groaned loudly but nodded, making her way out the door and down the steps with Evelyn close behind. When they got into the kitchen, Charlie was sitting at the table cleaning one of his rifles. Evelyn leaned against the counter as Bella grabbed a beer can from the fridge, setting it down in front of her father.

"I got you another one," she started, shifting her weight nervously as she watched her father's face. Charlie raised his eyebrows in appreciative surprise.

"Thanks-"

"I have a date with Edward Cullen tonight," Bella blurted, unable to hold it in any longer. Evelyn snorted at her friend's bluntness, earning a menacing glare from her in return.

Charlie frowned deeply, giving Bella a stern look before turning back to his rifle. "He's a little old for you, isn't he?" He did not sound excited about the idea of Bella on a date at all. Evelyn bit her lip to hold in her laugh; she wondered what Charlie would do if he knew how old Edward really was, let alone how old Jasper was.

"No, he's a junior, I'm a junior." She paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say to convince him. "I thought you liked the Cullens."

Charlie scowled as he sipped his beer. "Well I thought you didn't like any of the boys in town."

Bella frowned, afraid that he would tell her she couldn't go. "Technically Edward doesn't live in town, Dad. Ev is coming too because she's dating Jasper, so it's not like I'll be alone."

Charlie's frown deepened as his gaze moved to Evelyn, a questioning look in his eye. "I heard about that, your aunt was talking about it at the diner this morning." He glanced between Evelyn and his daughter again, returning to Evelyn before he spoke. "Marie approves of him?"

"She adores him," Evelyn confirmed, and even though she technically hadn't introduced them yet, she knew that Marie wouldn't be able to not love everything about Jasper. She figured a small white lie wouldn't hurt Charlie, especially if it meant that she and Bella would get to go out tonight.

"He's right outside. He wanted to meet you... officially."

"Jasper's here too," Evelyn added, "so you can meet them both."

Charlie sighed loudly, glancing between both girls pointedly. "Alright," he said finally, loudly flipping up his shotgun to put the pieces back together. "Bring 'em in."

"And Dad? Could you be nice? He's - they're - important." Bella gave him a stern, pointed look, and Evelyn almost laughed at how similar she looked to her father in that moment.

Charlie rolled his eyes, using his finger to dramatically trace an invisible halo above his head. Bella shot Evelyn an exasperated look, but Evelyn could only shrug in response. With Charlie, that was probably about as good as it was going to get. Bella pursed her lips, unsure if her Dad would cooperate, but she hurried from the room to let Edward and Jasper in.

Charlie stared after her for a moment before turning back to Evelyn. "Do you know this Edward kid very well?"

Evelyn nodded. "Don't worry, Bella's in good hands. Edward wouldn't hurt her. Besides, Charlie, it's just a first date. Perfectly innocent."

"Mhmm, innocent," Charlie scoffed. "I'm holding you to that, you know," he warned, pointing a stern finger at her.

Evelyn raised her hand to her forehead in a mock salute. "You got it, Chief Swan."

They were interrupted by Bella reentering the room, Edward and Jasper following close behind. Bella and Edward stopped in front of Charlie, who had stood to greet them. Jasper stayed next to Edward, but immediately his eyes found Evelyn. She offered him a small smile, and he responded with a barely noticable wink.

"Chief Swan," Edward started, extending his hand to Charlie, who was doing his best to look intimidating. "I wanted to formally introduce myself, my name is Edward Cullen."

"Hi, Edward," Charlie responded as he shook Edward's offered hand. He turned his sharp gaze to Jasper. "And you must be Evelyn's friend."

Jasper held out his hand, a polite smile on his face as Charlie shook it. "Jasper Hale. It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan.

"We shouldn't be out too late tonight," Edward assured. "We're just going to play baseball with my family."

Charlie looked surprised as he glanced between Edward, Bella, and Jasper. "Baseball?

"Yes sir, that's the plan," Edward said, sounding the most polite that Evelyn had ever heard him. Kiss-up, she thought briefly, and she didn't miss Edward's eyes flicker to hers, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards. She covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hide her grin.

"I could see Evelyn being fine, but you think Bella is going to play baseball?" Charlie sounded incredulous; honestly, Evelyn didn't blame him. Bella was notoriously unathletic. "Well... good luck with that."

Edward smiled as he looked affectionately at Bella. "I'll take good care of her, I promise."

Charlie, unable to think of anything else to interrogate Edward with, nodded once, giving his approval for the group to go. Jasper and Edward made their way out the door, Evelyn following close behind. She heard Charlie stop Bella behind her as she walked out into the chilly evening air to ask if she still had the pepper spray that he had given her, and she was unable to hold back the laugh that escaped her as she met Jasper and Edward at the Jeep.

***

Almost as soon as the Jeep had come to a stop, Jasper had Evelyn's door open and seatbelts undone, lifting her out of the car and onto the damp grass. He pulled out a vintage Houston Astros baseball hat from his back pocket with a grin.

"I brought this for you. It's one of my favorites," He told her as he gently placed it on her head, adjusting her hair as he did so.

"So sweet," Evelyn teased, making a face at him under the hat. He rolled his eyes as he finished adjusting her hat and hair to his liking. "So whose team am I on?"

Next to them, Edward snickered loudly from Bella's side. "None. You aren't playing."

"What? You told me we were playing baseball tonight?" She frowned, whirling back to face Jasper.

"We, as in my family, are playing," Jasper started, holding up his hands in defense as he noticed Evelyn's demeanor change from confused to annoyed. "You and Bella are going to watch. It's too dangerous for you guys to play with us."

"Fine by me," Bella said, laughing at her friend's reaction. She knew Evelyn loved to play sports as she was extremely competitive.

Evelyn scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well that's no fun! Why would I just come to watch you guys play when I want to play, too?"

"Because you wanted to see me and spend time with me?" Jasper offered, failing to hide his smile as he tried to put his arm around her. Evelyn shook his arm off, trying to ignore him because she knew that if she looked at him she wouldn't be able to stay mad at him for long.

She was saved by Esme, who had just walked up to her and Bella. The woman wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders, leading them away from Jasper and Edward, who were still laughing at the fact that they had managed to trick Evelyn into thinking that she was going to be joining them. Really, she should have known that she wouldn't be able to play with freakishly strong and fast vampires, but she would never admit it out loud. Edward and Jasper wouldn't let her hear the end of it. Evelyn made a face at them over her shoulder before she turned forward, focusing on Esme's words.

"I'm glad you girls are here," she started, her voice light. "We need a couple of good umpires."

"She thinks we cheat," drawled Emmett, a mischievous grin on his face.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Evelyn quipped, grinning at the burly vampire.

Emmett pretended to be shocked, placing his hand over his chest. "I would never do such a thing," he gasped, making Evelyn, Bella, and Esme roll their eyes.

"Just call 'em as you see 'em, girls," Esme said, an endearing smile on her face. She led them to where home plate was, and Evelyn huddled closer to Bella to keep warm. Farther out towards third base, Jasper was doing tricks with his bat. Evelyn watched him for a moment, a soft smile on her face, before he suddenly turned and caught her eye. He grinned widely, dimples flashing, and suddenly he was next to her, the wind from his vampiric speed making her hair fly in messy tendrils around her face.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked innocently, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to his chest.

"Maybe," she said, reaching up to brush his wavy blond hair from his eyes, "but I might be able to forgive you if you take me for ice cream later tonight."

"Done," he said, and his smile made her heart melt. Jasper moved in to kiss her, but was quickly interrupted by a booming voice from yards away.

"Jazz, if you're done playing tonsil hockey with Evelyn, we would like to actually start the game, now," Emmett complained, earning laughs from Edward, Alice, and Carlisle. Evelyn felt her cheeks burning, and she knew she must have been redder than a tomato.

"That's real funny, Em, coming from you," Jasper called back, completely unbothered by his brother's teasing. "I remember when you and Rose-"

"Boys, let's keep it family friendly, here," Carlisle called from the outfield, his tone teasing.

Jasper gave Evelyn a quick kiss on the cheek before rejoining his team. Edward, Alice, and Emmett took their places in the outfield and pitcher's mound, and Alice grinned as a sudden boom of thunder echoed through the clearing.

"It's time!" She chirped, and she prepared to pitch as Rosalie stepped up to bat. Lightening flashed as Alice wound up, suddenly letting the ball fly.

Evelyn watched as Rosalie used all of her strength to swing the bat. A thunderous crack echoed through the clearing when it made contact with the baseball, sending it deep into the forest. Rosalie took off running in a flash, a streak of blonde rounding the bases. Edward flew into the forest in pursuit of the ball, and suddenly the field was silent. Evelyn couldn't believe her eyes; as annoyed as she was that she couldn't play, she had to admit that just watching this was extremely entertaining.

"Now I see why you need the thunder," Bella observed, just as incredulous as Evelyn.

"That has to be a home run," said Evelyn, staring in amazement at Rosalie running the bases.

Esme shook her head, pursing her lips as she watched the tree line. "Edward is very fast." Only seconds after she had finished speaking, the ball came flying out of the trees and straight into Esme's hands. She caught it with ease, and swiftly leaned down to touch it to the plate just as Rosalie slid into home. "What do you think, girls?" she asked.

Bella gulped as she saw the way Rosalie was looking at her, but she still made the correct call. "You're out," she told her, making Rosalie turn her expectant look into a piecing glare.

Rosalie was fuming as she stood, holding Bella's gaze with the scariest look that Evelyn had ever seen. "C'mon, babe, it's just a game!" Emmett called from the outfield, but he knew that his words wouldn't do anything to calm her down. Rosalie bumped Bella with her shoulder as she walked away from her towards Carlisle. Evelyn noticed Bella rubbing her shoulder in pain afterwards; Rosalie really must not like her.

"Nice kitty," teased the Cullen patriarch, but Rosalie didn't find his joke amusing.

Evelyn watched as Carlisle hit the ball next, sending it high into the air above Edward and Emmett. The brothers both jumped to get the ball at the same time, colliding in the middle with a reverberating boom that didn't quite sound like natural thunder.

"Does that not hurt them?" Evelyn asked, but her question was answered when she saw Edward flip Emmett off, both of them laughing as they stood to return to their spots. Esme merely smiled in response, shaking her head at her two adoptive sons.

Jasper was next, catching Evelyn's eye as he expertly flipped his bat a few times before readying himself to hit.

"You better not strike out," Evelyn teased, and she grinned when she saw Jasper's chest shake with laughter.

"Don't you worry about me, darlin'," he drawled, exaggerating his southern accent, and she watched as he sent Alice's pitch flying high towards the tree line. It would have been a home run if Emmett had not used a tree to leap high enough to catch the ball. Evelyn had to admit that his strength was nothing short of impressive.

"My monkey man," Rosalie said beside her, grinning proudly at her mate. Evelyn chuckled, watching as Emmett celebrated in the outfield like a little kid. Jasper jogged back to home plate, laughing just as much as Emmett even though he was out.

Carlisle was getting ready to hit again when Evelyn noticed Alice suddenly freeze in the middle of the field. Even from a distance, she could see that Alice's eyes were far away, and from her horrified expression she knew that this vision could not be good.

"Stop!" She called, staring wide-eyed at Evelyn and Bella. In the span of a second all of the Cullens had crowded around them. She notice that all of their faces were extremely worried, and they were all looking at Alice, waiting for her to continue. "They were leaving, but then they heard us." Alice's voice was higher than usual, giving away her fear.

Evelyn blinked and then Jasper was there, wrapping her arm in his iron grip. "We have to leave," he said, his voice gruff with a mixture of emotions that she could not understand. From the corner of her eye she noticed that Edward was already pulling Bella towards the Jeep.

"Edward, it's too late," Carlisle told him.

Jasper tensed beside her, pulling her so she was standing in front of him. Evelyn noticed that he had switched into soldier-mode from his war days by the way he stood so still and the fierce look in his eyes. "Get your hair down," he ordered, but instead of waiting for her human-speed hands to do it he reached behind her head and pulled the hair tie out himself, shaking it out and arranging it so that it covered her neck and face. He adjusted the hat low over her eyes, making it so that she could barely see. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping through her veins even though she had no clue what was going on. By the hard look in Jasper's eyes, she knew better than to ask.

Beside them, Rosalie scoffed. "Like that'll help. I could smell them from across the field."

Jasper's nostrils flared as he whirled on her, his upper lip pulled back in a snarl. "Well if you have any better ideas, Rose, I'd love to hear them."

"Enough. This isn't the time for arguments," Esme said, her tone sharp as a knife. Rosalie huffed but didn't argue, instead moving to stand next to Emmett.

"I was so stupid to bring you here," Jasper whispered, gripping her hands so tightly that she felt the circulation cutting off.

"Why? I don't understand. Jazz, what's going on?"

He shook his head, his eyes pained. "Just stay behind me and keep your head down. Don't say a word."

She nodded once, doing her best to conceal her fear; if Jasper was afraid, things were definitely worse than she thought.

The Cullens arranged themselves into a shape resembling a semicircle, with Jasper and Edward on the inside. Bella and Evelyn stood behind them , doing their best to remain unnoticeable and unimportant. Evelyn glanced to the side at her friend. Bella was doing her best to look normal, but her face was too pale, even for Bella, because she was afraid. Slowly, she reached out and intertwined her fingers with hers, giving her hand an encouraging squeeze. Bella didn't look at her, but the two gentle squeezes Evelyn felt on her hand told her that she was grateful for the support.

Silently, the Cullen family prepared themselves for the worst as three floating figures emerged from the trees.

**********
ahhh I've been waiting to write this chapter for so long it's my fav part of the movie!! hope y'all are doing well and staying healthy!
Remember to vote, and comment if you'd like! I appreciate it!