Angela's Knight In Shining Armor: An ACASABPC Future-Take

By FeesleyForDraco

[Twilight; Canon couples; AH/AU; Rated M for Language and Adult Themes]

"Ladies, you've been exercising those giant brains of yours for hours. Don't you think it's time to take a break from studying? And additionally -but completely unrelated- I'm starving," Emmett plopped down on the couch and laid his head in Rosalie's lap on top of her open notes, smiling sweetly. Rosalie smacked him in the shoulder and Alice giggled while Bella and Angela smiled indulgently. Edward and Jasper strode over to stand behind the couch when talks of food began. It wasn't long before takeout had been ordered and all schoolwork was packed away.

"I forgot to ask because today was so busy and I didn't have a chance to text more than 'ok' when you sent me the change of address, but why did you suddenly move study night here? Not that I'm not happy to have the chance to get to know your brand new, totally random but seemingly perfect fellas" Angela teased; here being Edward, Jasper and Emmett's apartment.

"Because these guys whined and moaned when we told them we were planning to study at Alice's place, and then complained until we agreed to do it here instead just to get some peace," Bella accused, pointing a dainty finger at each of the men in the room. They had only enough shame to look mildly sheepish at most. Emmett just grinned outright. Angela lasted about three seconds before bursting into giggles. Edward sat on the floor in front of the over-sized chair Bella was occupying, pulling one of her legs to drape over his broad shoulder and running his palm up and down her calf. He smiled when he heard her hum happily at his touch.

"So Angela, how did you meet the girls?" Emmett asked, still spread out in the blonde's lap, while Jasper grabbed plates and forks from the kitchen and Alice spread containers of Chinese food out on the coffee table. It was Rosalie that responded first, her fingers running through Emmett's tight curls.

"We were out at a club, actually. Bella, Allie and I had just gotten past the bouncers and were making our way to the bar when Allie noticed Angela needing assistance. She was getting the full court press from some sweaty degenerate and was very obviously not feeling the encounter at all."

Bella had glanced down to slide her ID back into her wristlet when she walked straight into Alice's back.

"Oh, my bad, Allie," she started before seeing the look on her friend's face and Alice's grip on Rosalie's arm. They were both staring intently at the hallway to the bathrooms. Bella quickly realized that their focus was a girl she remembered seeing a lot on campus. The girl was being cornered somewhat forcefully by a guy Bella also recognized. She recalled his name was Mike and they had a class together maybe sophomore year. She definitely remembered feeling profoundly uncomfortable and unsettled in his presence.

The three women stayed frozen for long minutes watching the girl handle the problem herself. But, as soon as things started turning to fear from her and aggression from him, they approached without any planning or discussion.

"Hey girl, we've been looking for you! We are so sorry we're late!" Alice exclaimed brightly once they were close enough to be heard. The girl looked up startled but relieved and Mike looked irritated at the interruption.

"I forgot my ID at the apartment and we had to go back for it. The guys are parking, but they should be coming in any minute," Rose added casually, reaching past the offending man easily to hug the girl who gratefully played along. She was passed off to Alice and then Bella for hugs, casually adding distance to the previously escalating situation and forcing him to release his grip on her arm. Bella kept a comforting arm around their new friend's shoulders while pointing towards the door where several large men stood chatting with the bouncers.

"There they are now," Bella smiled reassuringly at the girl once she'd turned her back to Mike enough to not give away the game. Mike got a good look at his 'competition', huffed and sneered at them before finally stalking away towards the side alley exit. There was a flurry of thank you's and introductions, before they split into pairs to find drinks and a table before coming back together for the first of many rounds of shots.

"This is definitely not the first or even the fifth time that skeeze has approached me. He seems to show up in a lot of places I go on or around campus. I'm really hoping that's a horrible coincidence," Angela admitted when Rose asked about how the heated conversation came about. "Just now, I declined a dance or a drink and he kept pushing. I lied and said I was meeting my boyfriend and that's when he grabbed my arm. He accused me of never giving him a fair chance, said I'd 'friend-zoned' him. But, he is not any sort of friend to me, our only interactions have been him trying to bully me into dating him. That psycho freaks me out on a criminal level."

"Yeah, well, most guys that think they are in the friend-zone are actually in the 'oh God, not this fucker again zone', so there's that," Bella added as she passed out the next round. It was Alice who changed the subject, always able to quickly get the raw stuff.

"So, tell us about the guy you are actually here drinking to get over?" The pixie smirked smugly. Rose snorted over her tequila and Bella just chuckled and shook her head as she ate a few fries from the basket on the table.

"How did you know?" Angela asked. Bella resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Newb.

"Fresh haircut? It looks super cute. But, you keep touching it like you're not used to it being quite that length. Or maybe the highlights are new and that's what is making you a bit self-conscious…" Alice needled, sipping a soda chaser and acting like those were the reasons and not the weird voodoo knowing-shit power she has.

"Wow, you're good. Yeah, you're right. I caught my now ex-boyfriend cheating on me last week. So... new hair and alcohol," Angela admitted, looking impressed.

"Whelp, that's a wrap on that fuckboy, then. If the cheating wasn't an obvious deal-breaker, the new hairstyle is the nail in the coffin. New hair, new life, new man." Rose stated like it was law.

"I bet that new man is closer than you think," Alice predicted with a mischievous grin and wink at her friends. Angela laughed obliviously, but didn't look convinced.

"Maybe you'll meet him at the festival next weekend! Did you get tickets? We got ours the first day sales opened. We could all go together!" Alice asked, her eyes wide with what Bella knew was false innocence.

"Yes actually, I was supposed to go with Eric but I'd love to tag along with you guys instead." Bella and Rose nodded their heads in easy acceptance. Alice looked exceedingly pleased with herself, but they both knew better than to ask. The answer would be cryptic and irritating.

"Here, put your number in my phone. I'll call you in a couple days to coordinate outfits! We are going to have the best time. I just know!"

Angela's iPhone buzzed on the table for the second time in the telling of the story.

"Speaking of new life, new man; that cheating douchenozzle is not getting the memo. It's been radio silence for almost two months, even after I walked in and found him screwing some skank who had to be pushing 45. And now, he suddenly starts blowing up my phone all 'baby I miss you! I'm so sorry! Come back!' What is that shit?" The frustration was obvious in Angela's voice.

"Don't fall for it, sis. They start missing you when they fail at replacing you. Just dust yourself off and try his friends, or whatever the fuck Aaliyah said." Rose joked with a laugh, but the core of her advice was sound in her mind.

When an incoming call from the name Eric popped up on her screen for a third time, Emmett snatched the phone off the table and tapped to accept the call before any protest could be made, not that any were attempted.

"I'm sorry, the vagina you are trying to reach is no longer accepting calls from your lying ass. Get bent, fuckwad." Then the call was promptly disconnected. The room at large dissolved into raucous laughter. They had barely recovered when Alice took advantage of the story-telling atmosphere to ask again about something she had been bugging Angela about for weeks.

"Hey Angie, when are you finally going to tell us why you've been acting so down and bummed for the last month?"

"Blehhhhhh, that sounds so awful," the brunette whined childishly, making Bella and Rose laugh. But, Alice just gave her a look that said spill the tea, sis. "Fine! I'm an idiot. I met this great guy, we had fuckawesome sex, then I bailed and now I have no way to find him again. Happy?"

"I mean not particularly," Alice responded, noticeably surprised at Angela's outburst, although the rest of the room was equally startled, truth be told. "So wait, start from the beginning, and break the night down for us. Maybe between all of us, we can figure out a way to help."

"No clue how you would do that but why not," she grumbled, laying back against the couch to avoid any and all eye contact. "So, I met you guys at Rose's apartment and we took that Uber to the entrance of the festival grounds together. I think it was like 10pm when you guys went to watch the far stage and I walked over to Lettuce Boat's counter with the girls from my Sociology class to get something to eat. Afterwards, I headed to meet you guys when I ran into Mike… yet again. Story of my life."

Angela was moving quickly through the throngs of festival-goers, scanning the crowd rapidly with her eyes. She almost avoided the broad chest that appeared suddenly in front of her path, but not quite.

"Woah, careful there babe," a smooth voice said near her ear as gentle hands braced her upper arms to steady her for a second before letting her go. She shivered deliciously, the tension bleeding out of her with this new presence for reasons she couldn't begin to explain. Glancing up, she found warm dark eyes and a wide grin framed in shiny black chin-length hair. Angela allowed herself to enjoy the sight far too briefly, before looking around again for the person she was actively avoiding.

"Are you lost, Princess?" The voice asked, concern obvious in the change of tone. Her body still reacted immediately, tightening and twisting in all the right ways, despite her most recent unsettling encounter with her own personal creeper moments before.

"No, I'm pretty sure the best run-away-route is this way. I appreciate the concern, though." She stated abruptly, trying to ignore the amazing feelings this stranger was giving her and motioning off in the direction of a well lit parking lot with a plainly visible cop car over the next ridge.

"Run away?" Angela heard again in the smooth tone of what was becoming her favorite sound in the world. Even as she had been deciding on her next escape route, her body had moved closer to his. And as she had responded to his previous question, her hand had reached for the bottom button-hole of his open jacket, her fingers grasping the stiff fabric loosely to create some sort of connection. So she had even less control over her reaction when her eyes finally landed on the object of her fear. The masses parted and Mike was standing near the line for a beer cart, scanning the crowd and looking irritated. Angela flinched violently and curled in on herself, pressing her body tightly against the warm chest beside her. Arms quickly enveloped her torso, steadying her. She knew the moment her stranger-friend had spotted the person her eyes had locked on, from the way his biceps tightened around her and he froze his movement entirely.

"Mike? Is that who you're avoiding?" She turned to hid her face in his chest, having not one fucking clue why she felt like this was an okay thing to do. But, she nodded anyway. "Did he hurt you?" That time she shook her head no instead, her hands moving to grasp tight fistfuls of his t-shirt. "Can I take you away from here?" A pause, and then another nod. She had lost her whole mind. "My name is Ben, by the way," he said as he began to move her toward the aforementioned parking lot.

"I'm Angela, and thank you."

"He was like my very own sexy, nerdy, knight in shining armor. His shirt had a Buffy the Vampire Slayer quote on it and he kept putting his hand up to his face like he was going to push a pair of glasses up his nose, even though he wasn't wearing any. He must have switched to contacts that night but doesn't wear them often." Angela seemed lost in her thoughts and a bit sad, her voice tapering off at the end.

"So, where'd ya'll end up goin?" Jasper questioned when she seemed like she wasn't going to 'snap out of it' on her own.

"Oh, umm… we went to an after party one of his roommates told him about. We drank too much and danced for hours. Once we were completely trashed, we caught an Uber back to his place because it was much closer than mine and I was too horny to delay cock just to go all the way across fucking town. Hard pass. I mean, you should have seen this dude, he was beautiful." Her honesty made Edward choke on his lo mien, but Bella just passed him a paper napkin and nodded for Angela to continue. "Anyways, after he provided an extremely orgasm-inducing and thorough dicking down, he finally let me fall asleep. I woke up at about 4:30am to pee and on my way back to his room, I noticed that they all have little plaques with their names on their doors, like the fucking seven dwarfs or some shit. So I'm reading each name and I get to a door that says Mike. And in my drunken haze, I thought, what are the fucking chances? I mean, there must be an unreal amount of twats with that name on any given block. But, I'd already turned the knob and pushed open the door before I could stop myself."

Every eye in the apartment was on Angela, their forks paused mid-air, nobody eating a single bite. Bella tried hard not to laugh outright and managed to cough under her breath instead.

"I blessedly managed to keep quiet, even with how drunk I was. The room was a mess and smelled like stale beer and body odor. And sure enough, there he was, snoring on the rumpled bed, the last person I wanted to see in the dark of night." Several dramatic gasps were heard throughout the room.

"Without giving it a single bit of thought, I completely panicked, ran back to Ben's room -which did not have his name on the door, grabbed my shit and snuck out before anyone else in the apartment woke up and saw me. I managed to walk a couple blocks while I ordered an Uber. There was one less than five minutes away so I took that home and crashed instead of calling one of you guys for a ride which was my next plan. After some sleep and a lot less alcohol in my system, I realized that I may have overreacted. I completely regret it because I don't know anything about Ben besides his first name. I can't remember where his apartment was and when I checked the Uber log on my app, it gave me six possible apartment buildings in a 2 block radius. I can't knock on every door and even if I could, I'm still a tiny bit worried that Ben was friends with Mike the whole time and tricked me into sleeping with him. But, it feels wrong to even think that of him after everything that happened between us. Now I can't stop thinking about him constantly and haven't wanted to even think about dating anyone since. Even worse, I refuse to approach Mike to ask about Ben because the dude is a stage-five clinger and creeps me the fuck out." Angela was almost out of breath by the time she finished, but carried on.

"For real, even after very likely hearing me fuck his roommate three times in one night, he still followed me around like a puppy for a few days after. I mean, the apartment wasn't that large and Ben definitely called out my name more than once." Angela turned to Emmett and winked cheekily. The giant man barked out a laugh.

"Yaaaass, queen," came Rose's praise.

"But after about three days, I stopped seeing Mike hanging around so much, and then not at all. So, that's a huge plus. But, relationships are still looking pretty never-again-ish to me," Angela finished. Bella had taken note that Alice looked more and more confused and disappointed as Angela's story unfolded, but she had no idea why but knew better than to ask.

Another thing Bella had taken note of, was that her boyfriend was up to something, Bella was sure of it. She was also sure that Jasper and Emmett were in on it, whatever it was. A flicker of recognition had passed through each of them when they heard the story of Angela's one night stand. Then they started trading looks between themselves and looking entirely too carefree and aloof. Something was going on, but it didn't seem like anything nefarious. So, even as she watched Emmett pull out his phone and start typing rapidly, Bella decided not to press the issue... for now. An hour passed as they talked and ate, eventually passing beers around. But, it wasn't long before the topic of Angela's love life came up again.

"Hey Angela, earlier you said that you got scared and that's why you ran. Was the fear solely due to your previous interactions with this Mike guy? Or did Sir Ben also do something that upset you or made you uncomfortable?" Edward questioned curiously. Angela laughed happily at the nickname and Bella kissed Edward's jaw sweetly for making her friend smile, even if she was horribly suspicious.

"Ben wasn't like Mike at all. At no point was I uncomfortable or afraid. I just felt really, really wanted. And I ruined it. I have a habit of not letting myself believe that good things can actually happen to me. So, when an obstacle appeared, I didn't even attempt to figure out the situation or ask questions, I just freaked out and ran like a coward. Although, he knew Mike's name without me telling him and didn't mention that they were roommates, which is admittedly a little weird."

"Well, did you ask Sir Ben how he knew Mike's name?" Emmett asked harmlessly, continuing the nickname with ease.

"No, we didn't have many opportunities to actually talk. The festival was loud, we shared the Uber to the party with some people neither of us knew, and then we started drinking and dancing. I deadass wasn't thinking with anything but my clit for the rest of the night," Angela admitted without an ounce of shame.

"So, not a lot of time for him to divulge any details about the situation either," Edward commented in the most benign voice Bella had ever heard him utter.

"Definitely not, plus we drank a LOT. Once I sobered up and gave it some thought, it was obvious to me that Ben being dishonest was very unlikely. At that point I pretty much realized that even if I could find him, I didn't deserve a second chance." Angela looked defeated in that moment.

"Why wouldn't you deserve another chance at seeing if you guys could work together. It's not like getting scared and pulling a runner is a crime. Plus, you seem like you want to give it another shot. You had a good time at the party, he took you for ice cream, he treated you right in the bedroom from what I can tell… seems like a stand up dude to me. I bet he would be thrilled to see you again."

"How did you know that?" Angela demanded, staring at Emmett pointedly. She hadn't mentioned the sweet little ice cream shop they'd stopped at in her telling of that night. It was… special. And she didn't want to think about the way he'd held her close while they stood in line or about the sugar-coated kisses he'd pressed against her lips in the parking lot. Emmett wasn't sure what she meant at first, but Edward figured it out.

"We recognized the story because we play basketball with Ben almost every week," Edward admitted, drawing her ire away from his friend. "He mentioned the ice cream when he told us his version of that night." She looked gutted, and it was heartbreaking to witness.

"We remembered him tellin' us about a gorgeous girl who rocked his world before vanishin' a few weeks back," Jasper added softly. "He told us that sometimes, if a man's lucky…"

"...he'll meet a once-in-a-lifetime type of girl. And, no matter how long he waits, there's no upgrade after her," a silky smooth voice finished softly behind her. Angela's eyes widened at the sound, her hands trembling as her body immediately recognized the tone and timber. She turned so terribly slowly. Her eyes noticeably wet to the other occupants of the room who stood frozen, watching the scene like a slow motion car wreck. And, when she'd finally turned, Ben was there in the doorway, his arms loaded with all kinds of things that he immediately deposited on the side table like he'd been there many times before. He took two steps toward her before stopping to just stare at her in awe.

"I'm so glad I found you," Ben whispered. His hand reached out a bit but he didn't try to grab her, not wanting to assume she was happy to see him. She'd left him without a word after all. Only, Angela looked like she wanted to run to him, to climb him, to burrow inside and never leave him, he wasn't sure which. But, something was holding her back, and he thought he knew what.

"Why was he there? Why didn't you tell me he lived with you?" Angela asked, her voice sounding desperate in the face of her fears of being hurt.

"I'm so sorry, Princess. I should have found a place for us to talk about it. I'm a dick. In my defense, you really are gorgeous and it is really, really distracting." Ben offered a sexy little grin that made her melt more than she cared to admit.

"I moved into that place a couple weeks before we met. From day one I could tell it wasn't a good fit. Not only was I living with America's-Most-Wanted-Mike. But, this Steve guy insisted on these stupid little name signs for everyone's door, like kindergarten meets church camp. And this other guy, James, kept all of his food locked in his room, whether it required refrigeration or not, and there was no fridge of any kind in that room. No thanks. I'd already signed a new lease at another building and I was planning to move out the next weekend. I kept meaning to tell you about it but then we were drinking more and more, and you kept rubbing your ass against me while we danced and you smelled so fucking good. I mean give a guy a break, babe." She giggled at that, her hand moving quickly to hide her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter while failing to make her eyes look stern. "I've been hoping to run into you but didn't have much to go on in trying to find you, other than your first name." Angela took a moment to gather herself in the wake of his admissions, before propping her hands on her hips and smirking.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" She quirks an eyebrow.

"Fuck, that's hot." Ben confessed, giving her a good eyefuck from his spot just inside the door. "Ok, yeah. I do have another confession."

"Well?" Angela asked after several moments of silence and lascivious staring.

"I beat the absolute fuck out of Mike after I got him to confess to following you around campus and giving you a hard time. I told him that I would feed him his own ball sack if I caught him anywhere near you ever again. I've also followed him around and busted his nose a couple times just for fun." Ben didn't look the least bit sorry. Emmett bellowed loudly in his utter amusement. Jasper and Edward bumped fists in some kind of masculine pride. Bella stood staring with her mouth wide open, and Alice kept muttering about not seeing that one coming. But Angela, she just cried. And Ben just held her and let her do it.

After a while, everyone had dispersed throughout the apartment in an attempt to offer a bit of privacy. Ben still held Angela tightly, providing a soft place for her to land, finally. He leaned down slowly, leaving a fervent kiss on the crown of her head before begging in a whisper.

"Can I keep you?"

"That depends. What's all that stuff you brought with you?" Angela mumbled into his chest. He chuckled and smirked before rattling off quite a list.

"Just a couple things I thought you might want. Flowers, Starbucks, snacks, my favorite hoodie and a key to my apartment."

AN: Thanks for reading and please please please comment. I've been working on a bunch of future-takes in bits and pieces just waiting to get enough inspiration to really get into the meat of one. I honestly thought this one would be the last I finished, if it ever actually became anything. Turns out, the Angela/Ben muse grabbed me first instead of last. Funny how things work out sometimes.