Umm.

You guys are going to hate this.

So why does that make me giggle? Too much fun, teeheehee…

So the movie was SURPRISINGLY less sucky than I had ever imagined (my expectations were sub-zero) and I got a little surge of inspiration from a (seemingly, the only) spot-on choice of actor. Hmm….

Takes place during New Moon, Edward's not back and Jake's still not talking to Bella. Wintertime.

I don't own Twilight.

When it finally happened…well, it wasn't quite how I had expected it.

But then again, that was putting it lightly. Very, very lightly. More precisely, it was as further from what I expected than even I could have ever expected. That is, had I had half a mind to even expect such a thing…which I most certainly didn't. Not in a million…I'm going to need to put a stop to all this. I could go on, but I anticipate doing so would leave me sounding way too much like Jessica and Lauren, and I don't want to go down that road. Let's just say, I really didn't see this coming.

Oh, my head hurts…and my chin. Ugh, this whole ordeal has left me more than a little befuddled.

It was all that damn snow…

I knew there was a reason I hated the cold.

"Bella, you should probably head home. From the looks of it, we're about to have a bit of a storm on our hands."

I distantly heard Mike's voice, but it was muffled as though he was calling to me from across the store instead of peering at me intently over the thermal sock display he was organizing a few feet away. I sighed (involuntarily) and tried to direct my unfocused vision on the spikey-haired boy. "Umm, sorry? What were you saying?"

Dejectedly, his shoulders slumped at my reply, "Nevermind. Just go, I'll close up here." He put the pair of socks clenched in his hand down on the shelf with more force than necessary.

"Go? Like back to Charlie's? Umm, but Mike, we don't close for another two hours?" I asked perplexedly.

His eyebrows lifted towards his hairline slowly, his eyes wide and incredulous. "Bella, have you looked outside? I don't think we're going to be getting anymore customers tonight."

At his suggestion I turned and for the first time that night took in the swirling white outside the windows at the front of the store. Snow was rapidly accumulating in the parking lot, my hulking truck barely visible beneath a thick blanket of the stuff. Regret flooded through me as I remember how, so desperate to be away from Charlie, I told him he didn't need to put the snow chains on my tires before I left for work tonight. It's not as if I had paid the slightest bit of attention to the forecast for the past…ever.

I leaned my elbows on the check-out counter and buried my head in my hands. I didn't need this. I couldn't take this…not now…

Mike drew back nervously at the downward shift in my already rock-bottom mood. He had never quite forgiven me for being the third wheel in that disastrous movie outing with Jacob. Neither of us would be too quick to forget that night, though for vastly different reasons. For me, however, it marked the abrupt snuffing of what meager light Jake had somehow managed to bring back into my life, dropping me back into the darkness of my familiar abyss. For Mike…I couldn't be sure. He once again kept his distance, regarding me with almost betrayal in his gaze.

Well, that is, I would have noticed the betrayal in his eyes…if I had been noticing much of anything. Noticing such evidently pertinent things as the blizzard brewing right outside the door.

"Look, I'm sorry, I-" Mike apologized tentatively, assuming my attitude had something to do with his earlier comments. I almost (almost) smiled. Silly boy, as if such things could even register after all else I have been dealt.

"No, you're fine." I cut him off, "It's just I don't have my snow chains on. I didn't know I would need them. Stupid women drivers, huh?"

His face lit up to a ridiculous degree at my feeble attempt at self-deprecating humor. "Oh, is that all?" I narrowed my eyes at him in mock-resentment and his smile seemed to stretch wider across his face than should have been possible. "No, what I meant is, that's not really so much of a problem, being as we work in a sporting goods store and all. I imagine mom wouldn't begrudge you a pair in the meantime. Here, I'll help you put some on."

"Aww, thanks Mike. You're…awesome!" I told him, gathering up my keys and shrugging on my bulky coat as he grabbed some chains off of a shelf. My attempt at flattery sounded hopelessly flat even to my ears, but he didn't seem to notice. The grin still consumed most of his face and a faint flush had taken up residence in his cheeks. He pulled a few tools from behind the counter and yanked on his own coat, jogging quickly ahead of me as I walked to the front.

"Ladies first." He mumbled shyly, placing his hand on the handle to push the door open for me…

But it didn't budge.

He planted both palms flat on the glass and shoved again, but with no more success. Blushing furiously, he glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled apologetically, no doubt thinking that Edward wouldn't have a problem in the situation. The thought tried to sidle up to me as well, but, determined not to have to hold myself together so blatantly in public, I turned a cold shoulder to it…

Much like Mike was now trying to do to the door, which I pretty quickly gathered was blocked solidly by a thick bank of snow on its opposite side. The poor kid was throwing his whole weight into it, leaning into his shoulder and planting his feet against the concrete floor without even a hint of result. I felt bad for him, embarrassed really, but at the same time itchy frustration was tightening in my chest.

Mike might not have been superhuman strong, but he was still stronger than me. If he couldn't get the door open, especially when exerting this much force, then there was no way I was getting the dumb thing to budge an inch. And if Mike couldn't open the door, and I couldn't open the door, and there was no chance my undead ex-boyfriend was going to pop out of the blue and save the day (as would usually have been my first option before the world stopped turning and the sky turned black) then I was basically…screwed.

"Umm, Mike? I think it's stuck." I felt irritation building in me, which I knew was totally irrational. It wasn't his fault the snow was coming down harder by the second.

"No wait, I think I…almost…got it."His words were punctuated by deep groans as he began to heave himself against the door. I wouldn't doubt that his shoulder was going to be bruised in the morning, even through his padded coat. It was pathetic, really. I had grown quite accustomed to seemingly impossible feats being accomplished in the blink of an eye, so the fact a bit of snow was an unmovable deterrent flared the irritation even more.

"No really Mike, I think we're snowed in. You can stop now…" His face was turning blue with effort, "Or just keep on until you give yourself a hernia." I muttered under my breath.

"I think…I think I…might have….loosened it a bit." Mike was panting as he dropped his hands, leaning back heavily against the door, this time for support. "I'll just…give it a few seconds."

"A few seconds to accumulate more snow?"

"Oh." His eyebrows furrowed. "Guess you're right, I should get back to it."

"Mike stop it." I sighed, grabbing his arm as he once again reached out toward the glass. His eyes grew wide as my fingers encircled his bicep, and I let go of him in a flash. "It's really no use. Don't worry about it, I'll call Charlie. He can come dig us out or something."

"Oh yeah, good idea." He sounded relieved, and I rolled my eyes before I even realized what I was doing.

"Can I borrow your cell?"

"Sure, just a sec…"He fumbled around in his jeans pockets, then reached into the pockets of his coat and came out empty-handed. "Huh. I must have left it at home. I hate it when I do that, I feel so naked… No worries though, we can just use the store phone." He offered a small smile my way and I attempted feebly to return it.

The store phone was a dinosaur, huge and beige, its numbers so well worn that you could barely make them out. I made my way to Mrs. Newton's office and Mike followed at a distance, neither one speaking as the wind howled outside. I made my way over to the desk and looked over my shoulder at Mike behind me. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his hands shoved deep inside his pockets.

"Dial nine to get out, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Mom transferred the phone lines over before she left tonight."

"Ok…" I picked the receiver up and cradled it against my shoulder. Something felt wrong, but it took me a second to recognize the silence. "Hey Mike, there isn't a dial tone."

"What?" He asked, coming over to take the phone out of my hands. "Maybe its just…no, everything is connected…"he inspected the cords trailing out the back. "Hmm…"

"That's not good, is it?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, we heard a click and immediately were enveloped in total darkness. Mike dropped the phone and it landed with a crash at our feet.

"Umm, you okay there Mike?" I asked, squinting as my eyes tried to adjust to the light…or lack thereof.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He muttered under his breath, his voice coming from low to the ground as he gathered up the receiver and set it down roughly.

"What happened? Why did we lose power?" I asked, choosing to ignore his comment.

"Snow must be really piling up. Too much on the power lines and they'll snap, same with phone lines."

"So we're…snowed in?"

"Looks like it." His tone brightened considerably. Uh oh.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

"You think citronella candles are carcinogenic?" I asked, coughing from the stench as I leaned down to light another as Mike hauled them over from the camping aisle.

"Could be. In large enough quantities at least." His voice was far too cheerful for my liking.

"How reassuring."

"Hey, it's either stinkiness or darkness, your pick home girl."

Ugh, we were back to the 'home girl' stage. I think I liked it better when he just looked at me with wounded puppy-dog eyes.

"How long do you think the power is going to be out?" I asked, unwrapping yet another large yellow candle.

"Oh I doubt we'll be getting any juice until at least morning. There is no way the power guys are heading out in this kinda weather."

"Oh joy." I murmured under my breath while Mike pulled a battery-powered radio out of its box and loaded it up. I expected he would turn on the weather station, but when smooth jazz reached my ears I wasn't surprised.

"This is Dan the man with EZ LUV on 102.1, your slow jams station. Baby its cold outside, so grab on tight to that special someone and keep each other warm tonight. There is no heat like the fire of love-"

I punched the red off button abruptly. "I say we stop while we're ahead. I don't want to completely deplete your mom's inventory. You should probably put that back in the box. And I think we're fine on candles, I can barely breathe."

"That's fine with me, I like a bit of atmosphere. And don't worry, my mom won't care about us using the stuff here, she likes you. She'd want me to be a gentleman." He gave me a wink, getting two collapsible camping chairs out of their plastic bags and shaking them out. "And a gentleman always offers a lady a place to sit." He gestured to the chairs, tapping the seat invitingly.

I didn't want to get his hopes up…but it was a seat, and I had been standing all day. Besides, what could accepting the offer infer? I doubted it could be big enough to support us both…if that's where his mind was wandering to. "Sure." I said, warily though.

"Hungry?" he asked, running over to the energy bars on display by the register.

"Not really…"I tried to decline politely, but stomach growled loudly, giving me away. Mike arched an eyebrow. "Actually, a peanut butter one please?"

"Sure." Mike tossed me the bar with an easy under-handed swing. For a normal person, sure no big deal, but for me…bad idea.

Camping chairs aren't the sturdiest of furniture in the first place, and evidently, they don't balance well. When I leaned over the side to with outstretched arms to try and catch the flying food, I felt the legs on the opposite side leave the ground a split second before the whole thing came with me. I landed in a heap on the concrete floor…hard, chin cracking audibly as it made contact. And, I didn't even catch the stupid energy bar.

"Whoa, Bella, you okay?" Mike's voice was right beside me, but I was seeing stars behind my lids. He placed his hands on my shoulders gently and rolled me onto my back. His finger traced my throbbing jaw line. "Oh geez, you're bleeding."

What? Uh oh.

"Blood?" I asked, my voice quavering.

"Yeah… oh gross Bells, you're really gushing. "

"Mike."

"God, that's really, really red."

"Mike."

"Sticky, too."

"Mike!"

"What?"

"Please shut up." I whimpered weakly, before passing out cold.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

I awoke to the harsh fluorescent lighting of the employee restroom. Mike was sitting down on the tiled floor with his back against the wall, me cradled in his lap. The first aid kit Mrs. Newton had shown me on my first day of work lay open on the floor next to us, and Mike held a wad of gauze against my chin. My nostrils burned with the sharp scent of antiseptic.

"Hey you, how ya feeling?" Mike asked once I started to stir.

"Ugh…" I moaned in reply.

"Well the bleeding stopped, that's a good thing right?"

"Mike…blood…no more talking, okay?"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, "I forgot how you feel about the, uh, red stuff."

"Yeah, red stuff, nooo bueno."

"Don't worry, I've got you all cleaned and bandaged up." He said, pulling away the gauze and tracing the outline of a bandage against my chin. His hands were surprisingly light against my skin. Not soft, because Mike was far too much of a tomboy for that, but the feeling was not an unpleasant one. I felt my skin grow hot, and in looking up, I saw the color reflected on Mike's cheeks. He dropped his hand and I dropped my eyes.

"Umm…thanks."

"No prob Bells. Do you think you could stand?"

"What are you trying to say Newton, that I'm fat or something?" my eyes narrowing in mock offense.

"What? No! I mean, I wouldn't…"

"Calm down, I'm just kidding." I laughed, grabbing the edge of the sink and pulling myself up on shaky legs. Mike popped up at the same time, a hand against the small of my back to steady me. One glance at my face in the mirror almost sent me back to the ground. "Oh no…"

My already pale face was now eerily bone white, which only made the purple bruises already blooming from behind the three large band-aids Mike placed awkwardly along my chin even more prevalent. The hair framing my face was damp and clung in tendrils to my skin, from where I'm assuming Mike tried to splash water on my face to wake me up. Basically, I looked a wreck, even more so than usual.

"You should probably eat something Bella." Mike offered, looking at my mirror reflection with concern.

"If you try to throw another energy bar at me Mike Newton, I swear…"

"No honest, I'm not out to kill you!"

Well, that certainly is a bit of a change for me.

"I don't have much of an appetite anymore, actually." I grimaced, touching my swollen chin softly.

"No really, you should get something on your stomach. Come on, humor me. And I'll get you some trail mix or something, no more energy bars, I promise."

"Those things are dangerous." I snarled, letting him lead me out of the bathroom.

"Oh yes, quite."

.........................................................................................................................................................................

"Never-have-I-ever?" I asked in confusion, sitting up with my borrowed sleeping bag pulled tightly around me. Absentmindedly I nibbled on the trail mix Mike brought me. Surprisingly enough, I was a little hungry.

"You've never played?"

"Nuh-uh. What is it?"

"Well, it's sorta like truth or…well, truth."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sounds manly."

"Shut up. It's a drinking game, we played it at Lauren's birthday party…" he trailed off awkwardly, remembering that I hadn't been invited.

"Well, that explains why I haven't heard of it, huh?" I joked, my feelings utterly unharmed. After all, it wasn't as if I would have gone anyway.

"Sorry…"

"No biggie. How do you play?"

"Well, one person says something they haven't ever done, and if you have done it you have to drink."

"I don't drink Mike." I said, scrunching my nose up in distaste.

"No, no, I just said you could drink, not that you have to! Besides, it's not as if I keep a bottle of Jack hidden under the register."

"Don't you?" I teased, shocked at how close to flirting my tone was.

"Do you want me to?" he looked at me through lowered lids. Okay, too much.

"Umm, no. So let's play this game already."

Mike noticed my stiffening and didn't press the subject. He leaned back in his camping chair (he said he would brave its volatility), his smirk still firmly in place. "Okay then…never-have-I-ever fainted in the middle of class."

"Oh, touché! Okay, so obviously I'm guilty, what do I do?"

"Huh, I don't know. Maybe…maybe we could play strip never-have-I-ever? You know, if you're guilty you have to take off an article of clothing?" he asked hopefully.

I threw a pretzel from my trail mix at him, "Ha! I don't think so mister!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He shrugged. "Okay, since you've done it, how about you go now."

I tapped my chin blankly, trying to think of a outlandish claim. "Hmm. Never have I ever…run naked in public."

"Okay. Well, never have I ever-"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You've run naked in public?"

"Yeahhhh. You didn't hear about that? The group's been making fun of me for ages now."

"I haven't exactly been out and about in the social scene lately. What happened?"

"It was all Eric's fault. We were out surfing one day, and when I went to change he snatched my clothes. I ran after him, but as soon as I got passed the rocks I saw that he had herded everyone up so that they were all there to see me in all my glory…and it was really cold…let's just say it was quite an embarrassing situation."

I cringed in horror at the image. "Yikes, that really sucks. You win that one. I can honestly say I always keep my clothes on."

"Always?"

Uh oh, I didn't like the looks of that devious smirk on his face.

"Yes, always. I told you Mike, I'm not playing strip never-have-I-ever with you!"

"No, that's not what I'm asking." He furrowed his brow thoughtfully, "Never-have-I-ever…been naked with Edward Cullen."

"Mike!" Was he asking what I thought he was asking?

"Well?"

"I'm so not answering that. Obviously."

"Oh I see…so you never have either?"

"What? I said, I'm not dignifying that with a response!"

"I know, but if returning the question means you have, then not answering means you haven't."

"Mike!"

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

"Okay, fine! I've never been naked with Edward Cullen! Happy now?"

Mike looked like he stopped breathing. I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm a virgin okay!"

"Really?"

"You've been saying that a lot lately Mike!"

"Umm, sorry…I just can't…wow!"

"Real eloquent." I said dryly, crossing my arms over my chest self-consciously.

"Hey, I mean… Cullen is so smooth, I thought he would have sweet-talked you into bed right away!"

"Oh my God Mike, that is so incredibly out of line!" My face was absolutely flaming now, though it was growing to be less from embarrassment and more from anger.

"Sorry…are you like, religious or something?"

"No! I mean, I…Ugh! Let's just say it wasn't me who kept our relationship so chaste."

"WHAT?!"

"Drop it Newton." I burrowed down inside the sleeping bag, pulling it up over my head.

"I knew it!"

"I can't believe I told you that. Forget I said anything…knew what?" my voice was slightly muffled.

"I knew Cullen was gay!"

Now it was my turn. "WHAT?!"

"Gay! Cullen's totally gay, isn't he? He is so into dudes, I just knew it!"

I shot out of my sleeping bag and onto my feet in an instant, without even getting twisted and tripping over the fabric or anything. I crossed the distance between the two of us in just a few steps to shove my finger accusingly in Mike's face. Something was building in my chest as a surge of emotions coursed though me. Rage, shame, humiliation…how dare he?

"Edward is NOT gay! NOT GAY!" I all but screeched at him.

"Whoa, calm down!" he put his hands up in front of his face defensively.

"He's not…he likes girls…" I trailed off, trying to stop my chin from quivering, though whether from sadness or fury I could not tell. I wasn't even mad at Mike, of everyone he had done the least to hurt me. I was mad at Edward, for completely shattering my heart without a second thought. I was mad at Jacob, for deserting me when I thought that I had finally found someone else who understood. I was mad at myself, for being stupid enough to keep getting hurt, maybe most of all.

"If he's not gay, then why hasn't he tried to get into your pants? I know that sounds crude, but you're gorgeous Bella, any normal teenage guy would be a hormonal mess around you. Hell, most normal guys are a hormonal mess around you!"

"Edwards wants me, well, wanted me I guess…he's just a gentleman." I mumbled, knowing how ridiculous the words sounded even as they left my mouth.

"Hey, I'm a gentleman-" I raised an eyebrow skeptically, a hint of a smile twitching at my lips, "No really, I am! I totally respect you-uh, women I mean, but if you…umm, hypothetically, wanted to, you know, with me, I would totally…"

I don't really know what came over me in that instant. I leaned down and kissed him, cutting him off with my lips before he could finish that totally offensive (but somehow flattering) statement, and the act astonished me I think more than it did even him.

Not, of course, that he objected to the surprise.

Mike kissed differently than Edward….differently, but not badly. Edward was so careful not to touch me, and Mike… Mike was eager to. His lips moved against mine frantically, as if at any moment he was afraid I would jump away from him and run screaming into the snow. And I probably should have, but I for some reason I didn't... I didn't want to. Instead, I did the exact opposite. When his hands pressed themselves firmly against my waist, snaking under the fabric of my flannel shirt and pulling me down to him, I happily obliged. Together, we strained the seams of that same rickety camping chair that had maimed me earlier. Somehow though, nestled in the lap of Mike Newton and making out furiously amid a howling blizzard, I wasn't thinking about the dangerousness of the situation. Losing a little blood was no big deal…when compared to losing all of it. I could take a few more bandages on my chin, I suppose.

Mike wasn't perfect, but he was a nice guy and he cared about me. Maybe it was time to give him a chance…

.........................................................................................................................................................................

When it finally happened…well, it wasn't quite how I had expected it.

But as Mike and I were learning, the unexpected can turn out being better than what you had planned.

The lights are turned way down low

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

It's a Bike! Bella/Mike! Go ahead and flame, it's not going to bother me one bit. I love Mikey, and I'm not sorry!