Hey everyone, it's been a few years and I've been busy. Sadly, I was in a rut for quite a long time and because of this I quit writing for a few years but I'm trying to get back into all of this. In order for that to happen, I thought it would be appropriate if I rewrote a few of my old one shots. This one was probably my most popular, and my favorite and I'm really enjoying this revamped version. Obviously, I hope you do as well. If you're curious and haven't read my previous works, you're free to go to my profile and find them and read them. Feel free to compare, or not. But either way, enjoy, leave a review if you'd like but most importantly, have a superb day. Thank you!

The Juice Box War (2.0)

It was a chilly but sunny, spring day. On the outskirts of a small town, was a house and within that house specks of dust danced through a room, floating gracefully in rare golden rays of sunlight. A breeze, carried in from an open window washed throughout the room. Two people, both young and naked, laid in a bed. Their bodies were sprawled out beneath a cold sheet. Golden strands of light that had managed to infiltrate the room through small openings in the blinds laid on top of them. Their embrace resembled something of a small stream; her body fit perfectly against his, leaving practically no room for air between the two; and the sheet, with it's folds, mimicked the flow of gentle water. Bella fit against Edward like water against smooth stones.

She found her tender, red lips lingering against his neck- where for a second she had been sure that she had felt his heartbeat and she paused, waiting for the feeling again. A pulse raced against her lips and she sighed into him, breathing in his scent, leaving a few more scattered kisses before slowly trickling back down. Her head rested against his chest.

"I could really go for some apple juice," she said, finally breaking the silence that they had shared for some time. Her voice was a bit rough; her throat was dry but Edward chuckled at her unusual request.

"Apple juice? Really?" He said, an eyebrow raised.

The brunette pried herself from her boyfriend's arms and sat up. The sheet fell down, exposing her chest and her chocolate hair cascaded down her pale and freckled back. He watched with narrow and suspicious eyes as she twisted to face him. Her plump lips were lightly separated in a pout, and her thick, dark brows were raised.

Edward knew that look. He put his arms by his sides and pushed himself up and the coolness of the headboard made him shiver for a moment. His eyes watched as her all-knowing pout turned into a mischievous smirk and he let himself get lost in it. He thought back to when they were children. For as long as he had known her, she had always radiated with a odd type of confidence and freedom always lingered in her every move. It was infectious, like a laugh.

"What?" She giggled. His eyes lingered on her body, but his gaze broke as her voice shattered the silence yet again. "It makes sense when you think about it."

She smiled and Edward watched with careful and delicate eyes as she slowly crept closer. His eyes fluttered closed and he could smell her perfume. He felt her lips pressed against his cheek and then felt as she slid down a few inches, finally putting her weight against his bare chest. When he looked down, all he could see was a sea of chocolate hair spread against his chest and her arms snaked around his torso. She held him closely.

"You're right," he said finally. She looked up and caught his gaze. A lock of hair fell between her eyes and he moved it quickly, not wanting her to let go of him just yet. "It makes sense- as much as I don't want it to."

He paused and let out a quick and sharp laugh. "It's ridiculous to think I actually looked up to him," he added in after thought, thinking of his brother.

"How that happened totally escapes me," Bella mumbled into his chest.

"He must of slipped something into my chocolate milk every morning."

"That has to be it! Your twelve-year old brother was drugging you," she joked with a chuckle, sarcasm lingering in her voice. She could feel Edward's warm chest move in rapid succession with a silent laugh.

In return, she laughed more and he laughed a little harder. But after the laughter resided, Edward's hand slipped lower, gripping her naked waist, momentarily tickling her sides. He pulled her up to him, cradling her closely as if she were about to leave and he was desperate to make her stay. She pulled away and they locked eyes. Green. Blue. Restlessness. Impatience. Independence. Fragments of her personality thrown all at once and in his direction.

Suddenly, he could feel her lips graze his, and their hot, shallow breath mixed with the cool air. He craved everybit of freedom and emotion that rested in her lips and in her soul.

For a moment it felt like time had stopped for the two of them. Neither made a move, they could hardly breathe with such little air between them but it didn't matter. They stayed that way for awhile, but eventually Edward couldn't resist and pressed his lips to hers, his hand cupping her chin to keep her steady. Bella's toes curled and she felt herself practically melt away. The kiss was short and sweet, but also passionate.

Soon after, Edward lowered his head and tickled the right side of her neck. Bella laughed and jumped out of the tiny bed, running straight through the particles of dancing dust and grabbing her robe and the rest of her disheveled clothes.

A Few Years Ago

Unlike most days in May, it was hot and sunny. They had expected rain all week, but somehow the sun had managed to break through the cracks of thinning clouds in the sky. Today was a school day, so the buzz of children's laughter and talking filled the air. Everyone in class was excited to leave, all except for one young girl. Bella Swan wasn't able to focus today. Despite the great weather and her friends promise of endless fun, Bella couldn't focus. Not like she usually could. Today, there was something different about her.

A storm was brewing, she felt hunger and thirst like never before, and ten feet away from her she could see the perfectly constructed juice box that had been taunting her all day. From where she sat, looking at it was like looking at a masterpiece hidden behind glass. She was close enough to see it's beauty, but it was forbidden to touch. She wasn't a thief, so she'd been forced to wait all day, and it was practically killing her.

Her eyes watched the small hand on the clock linger. It was 2:15 and in thirty minutes she knew Mrs. Black would round up the class. Which meant Bella would have her box, but the wait was almost too much. Her foot tapped repeatedly on the patterned carpet and she bit her lip in anticipation.

Something was calling out to her and she knew, from the bottom of her little heart, that juice box was made just for her.

Across the room, chatting and working with his friends, Edward Cullen looked up momentarily, expecting to see his friend Tom, but instead found Bella sitting in his place. He paused, a bit perplexed and watched her curiously. She had moved from her normal seat at one of the girls tables to where Tom normally sat and he wasn't sure what to make of the event, but he was determined to find out. He observed her closely and at first didn't notice much. Nothing stuck out, to him it just looked as though she was bored or possibly upset. Her hand was tucked under her chin, her cheeks were bright red and she was biting her bottom lip rather mindlessly, staring off into the distance.

Noticing her gaze, his green eyes followed her stare, and he was greeted with a site that meant very little to him at first. But he was suddenly overcome with a feeling of panic.

Without taking his eyes off the girl, he quickly leaned over and whispered to Jasper, who sat beside him, and pointed over to Bella and her trained eye.

"Do you see what I see?" He whispered, his voice shaking a bit.

Jasper bobbed his head, his shaggy blond hair falling into his eyes. "Tom isn't here."

"No! Not that. Look! Look at Bella."

The blonde boys eyes squinted, his head craned forward. Edward rolled his eyes.

"Look at what she's looking at," he hinted behind gritted teeth.

"Oh-" his friend paused before violently twisting his head to look back at him with wide eyes. "That's bad."

Cooties.

The word rang in Edward's tiny head.

It was a known fact that the girl who had the most "cooties" in class was Bella Swan and it was becoming increasingly obvious to both of the boys the danger that Bella imposed on all of them if she were to get there first. Normally, Tom was the first one in line, handing the juice and cookies out to everyone on Friday. But if Bella were to be the first then there was a greater chance that she would contaminate the food with her germs, thus resulting in the great apocalypse. Though no one in the class had caught the supposed "cooties", Edward had heard rumors from his older brother, Emmett.

He remembered his brother whispering in the dark, "Girls have cooties. Aaron got it last week and now no one has been him. Stay away from girls, if they touch you, you'll catch them and you will DIE!"

Edward shivered at the memory. No way was the class going to get cooties, he just needed a plan to stop the girl.

Across the room Bella glanced nervously at the clock -2:25 it read. Twenty more minutes and then she would be free. But time felt slow and from the corners of her eyes she could see Edward with his fat face and thin, pink lips, laughing and whispering with his friends. His eyes caught hers, and for a split second the two eight year-olds felt that -stupid- spark rushing through their veins. Bella took it as her nerves and Edward, quiet frankly, thought it was the cooties sending him a warning: You will get the cooties and you will DIE!

With the warning running through his veins, Edward Andrew's swallowed a big gulp of air. He was visibly shaken and suddenly he wasn't laughing anymore. With furrowed brows, he pulled out his notebook and began to write. He didn't have much time, and like in all wars the enemy was truly unpredictable but as always he was determined. No way is anyone going to end up like Aaron, he thought. Not on his watch at least. He wouldn't allow himself to be responsible for a sickness that would imminently spread if Bella got to those juices first.

Edward understood his role in all of this: he was here to save the world...

Like Batman or Superman, Edward had a responsibility to everyone he knew. He was the hero and like all heroes, his time had come. He wasn't going to allow his arch nemesis to have any kind of advantage over him. So in mere minutes he planned.

He was going to save everyone.

From cooties.

He had it mapped out in his head. Step one, and probably the most important step, was getting all of the boys in the class on board with his plan. Next they'd have to get the teacher out of the room with some type of diversion. Jasper, who was helping him plan, suggested a few ideas until they settled on just one. The third step, not as important, but still a big deal, would be getting Edward to the counter before anyone else. This would probably be the most difficult; he sat across the room from the target destination. But if everything went to plan, the boys would be able to guard Edward, giving him full access to the counter before anyone else. Finally, once at the counter he would then be able to distribute the juice solely among the men in his garrison. There were no guarantees but they'd have to make it work and if they were lucky there would only be one or two causalities.

It was childish.

Very childish.

Though it was also genius.

Stupid genius.

But before their genius could truly be explored, Edward had to share the plan with the boys. He wrote a quick note and passed it along. He turned to Jasper and they ran through the plan one last time.

The note was passed around from boy to boy and Edward could sense the growing tension between them. Within a matter of minutes his note was passed back and tiny scribbles of approval were stamped along the bottom. Step one, complete.

After today, he thought, they would no longer be boys. Instead, they would be men. Very manly, men.

Not long after, the hour was upon them, Mrs. Black set her pen down on the table and stood up. She cleared her throat, and around the classroom she could see a wave of children slowly beginning to put away their workbooks, though nothing had been said. Bella clutched the book in her fingers, and held her breath... Edward motioned with his hand for Jasper to go.

This was war, and if they were going to win they needed to be ahead of the game.

"Alright, well-" Mrs. Black began but Jasper jumped in front of her, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Mrs.," he moaned. "I don't feel so good." The teacher turned towards Jasper, and watched with tired eyes as the boy swayed in place- back and fourth, back and fourth. He put his small hand over his mouth and threw himself forward, pretending to hold back his barf.

Her eyes widened in horror and she reached for the boy, directing him to the trash bin by the door.

Almost everyone in class paused to watch the exchange except for Bella, who felt she had something obviously more important to do, and Edward who also felt the importance of his own mission. So far the mission was a success. Luckily Jasper's acting ability were surprisingly up to par and none of the girls seemed to be in a rush for snacks but this meant nothing yet. The threat still loomed.

Mrs. Black was bent to Jasper's level, softly patting his back as he pretended he was going to vomit. After a few seconds, she turned to the class and said, "I'll only be a moment! Bella, you're in charge of handing out the juice. Make sure everyone gets one." Hoping that would contain the class and keep them settled for a few minutes while she escorted the boy.

Bella's face lit up in delight; this only solidified her claim on the juice box!

Across the room, Edward was seething, his face red and his hands clutched by his side. His breathing was heavy and he felt a dread he'd never quite felt before.

The target had to be eliminated- any means necessary.

The older teacher gathered Jasper, and they both quickly left the room. It was silent for a moment following the soft click of the doors lock, but mere seconds later a sound of horror erupted from the men and in a wave they rushed forward.

Bella stood up quickly.

Edward jumped from his seat and ran behind the violent wave of his men.

Cooties were the only thing on Edward Andrew's mind as he pushed past Jessica and Alice. The world moved in slow motion, he could see and feel everything and he felt so alive in the rush of war. But in the approaching distance he could see Bella's eager hand reaching out and a surge of energy rushed over him. He ran fast, gracefully jumping over a chair one of the students had left out, and dodging the remaining few students that lingered. The wave of men opened up for him and he jumped forward.

If the cooties were anything like what his brother said they were then he knew that his sacrifice would be worthy.

So, Edward flew through the air and heroically tackled Bella to the ground.

He was probably going to die now.

Time was still for Edward as he pondered what his life had been. Would his dog miss him? About about his parents? Would the town erect a statue honoring him and his unbelievable sacrifice? The world was still and silent but calm and Edward was happy to know he had found peace in his likely death.

But for Bella, things were a little different. Nothing quite made sense in her mind and the only thing she knew for sure was that Edward was laying ontop of her, she just did not know why. One moment she was just barely touching the juice of her dreams and then the next second a heavy weight was suddenly pulling her down to the ground. She didn't understand much what had happened from that point on, she'd barely reacted. It took her a moment, but she began to fight back.

Edward was sure he was already feeling the fever but he pushed past it and with his bright red face, looked at the wave of boys staring in shock and yelled, "Go go go!" Bella was fighting him and he knew there wouldn't be much time left. If his men were going to carry out their mission, this was their only chance.

They pushed forward, each boy piled in front of the counter, somehow snatching a juice or two for themselves. Quickly, as though they'd be thirsty for days, they drank all of them. The shattered remains of dozens of juice boxes littered the floor.

Now, Bella thought with anger, this is war. Her small hands were pressed against the tile, her teeth gritting together and her cheeks red as fire. She pushed back against Edward who laid all of his weight on her.

"Get off me!" she yelled, but to no avail could she push the boy away from her.

"Never!" He proclaimed, slamming his exhausted hand onto the floor but he was noticeably getting weaker and weaker. One of the boys noticed and shouted his name. The ruffians gathered around him. The room was silent, Bella had stopped fighting at this point and most of the juice was gone by now. Edward's body fell limp and he gave in, rolling almost effortlessly onto the battleground and away from Bella. The tiles were cool and hard against his soft skin, but no doubt he was infected. He could feel the cooties crawling underneath his skin like parasites or worms.

"I can see the light," Edward whispered to his comrades.

A collective gasp rang throughout the room.

"Don't worry about me" he whispered, his eyes flickering open and closed.

The army of boys all shook their heads and gave their best sympathetic looks to their friend.

"You're all safe," he coughed. As if planned, the boys pinned their angry glares at Bella, who was watching Edward with a raised eyebrow and a entertained smile.

"Tell my family that I love them...oh and if possible bury me with all of my toys," he added in haste. Dramatically, Edward's eyes closed, his hand clutched his chest and everyone watched in silence as he put on a wondrous performance of death.

The room was silent.

Then suddenly, one of Edward's eyes snapped open, he cleared his throat and he sarcastically whispered, "And Bella Swan, thanks for killing me."

The young girl, finally having enough, stood up and placed a hand on her hip. "Edward Cullen," she cried in frustration. "You're not dying! I don't have cooties. Cooties aren't even real."

"Yes, they are! I'm dying! Look!" He gestured with both hands towards his limp body.

"No, you're not," Bella reasoned, stepping forward and tapping Edward's shoulder with her white tennis shoe. "If you were dying you wouldn't be moving and talking!"

"Well, maybe, I'm just dying really slow!"

Bella shook her head.

"Fine! I am not dying slowly- but I'm dying quickly!" His hands raised dramatically above his chest. "Oh oh! I see the light, Bella. Is there anything you'd like to say, like-like.. sorry?"

The little girl laughed, "Nope."

From the crowd, a boy with tight, curly black hair stepped out and bent down next to Edward. He did his best not to touch him as he swung his hands forward and revealed the treasure.

"Finish it, Edward," the boy said, sounding sullen.

Bella watched, her breath shallow and jagged. In his hands was the last juice box. Perfectly intact, no external puncturing or visible signs of the hell it had just been through, and Bella could feel it calling to her. It was vexing her and she knew, she had to have it. But how?

Edward took the drink in his hand, pretending to shake and smiled a pain filled smile. "Thank you," he managed to stutter out between fake wheezing breaths. Everyone in the class watched as Edward skillfully managed to slip off the plastic wrapping from the straw and puncture the thin material. The slight, annoying noise of the straw rubbing against the edges of the puncture wound danced from wall to wall. Bella's eyes, like most of the classes, were transfixed on the juice box. The last juice box. It had to be hers.

Any means necessary. This was war after all.

The "dying" boy slowly moved the straw to his lips, tilting his head up to graze the straw. But suddenly he felt a weight against him and accompanying that weight was a sloppy, but tender kiss to his cheek. The kiss left him stunned. He felt his face blush a million shades of red. Everything, his mind, went completely blank.

A collective, "Ew" echoed for a few seconds.

Bella pulled back, her lips tingling but excitement bubbled inside her. In her tiny hand she held the last juice box. Victory, the words chimed in her head repeatedly as if it were a song stuck in her head.

As planned, she had managed to slip her fingers around the box and simply lift it from his hands. Ever so quickly she stood up, blushing in the process as the class gawked at the two youngsters, and in a eager rush she placed the straw in her mouth. A wave of apple juice hit her tongue and her thirst began to vanish instantly. It had tasted just as she had imagined: sweet but a little sour; it wasn't warm, but it was wasn't cold.

It was perfect.

Just as Bella finished the last drop, Jasper came back into the classroom with a smile and a tired looking Mrs. Black. She merely shook her head when she caught sight of the crowd of children, not bothering to ask. Edward was sitting up by this time staring at his hands, his face the color of rubies. Everyone else just giggled.

Luckily for everyone that day, no one got the cooties. Most of the boys suffered minor tummy aches- a side effect of the sugar they'd consumed rapidly, but everyone made it out alive.

Present Day

Bella came out of nearby bathroom. It was dark in her room now, the sun was fading away into the distance. She flipped on a light and went back to combing her knotted hair, ignoring the stinging sensation on her scalp. Edward sat on her twin bed, wearing nothing but his plaid blue boxers. His lips were twisted up into a smile, and he couldn't help but let out a laugh as Bella's face distorted with each knot.

"Need help?" He laughed.

Bella rolled her eyes, and huffed. She gave up and threw her comb onto the bed.

She gestured for him to rise, "Come on, Romeo. Let's go get a drink."

Edward smirked, seeming amused by the nickname.

"Alright Juliet," he countered. He arose from the bed and swiftly made his way towards Bella. Once there, he wrapped his arms around her small waist. "On to the juice boxes."

Without taking their hands off of each other they had made it to the kitchen surprisingly without tripping, stopping, or knocking anything over. Bella unwrapped herself from Edward and made her way to the fridge.

Where only one juice box sat.