I made my way carefully down the grand white staircase that lead the ballroom floor. My elegant ball gown was more elaborate than most of what I saw as my eyes scanned the crowd of dancing people. I noticed that the closer I got to the floor, the more people began to stare at me. It was my parent's ball, after all. When I finally reached the floor, everyone went back to dancing, except on young man who walked up to me slowly. He was very handsome. He looked about my age. Tall, with slicked down bronze coloured hair, his eyes where a beautiful piercing green. When he reached me, he bowed slightly, took my hand and kissed it lightly, "Edward Masen Junior," he said in a nice voice, giving me a name to his face. It suits him I thought. I smiled up at him pleasantly, "Isabella Swan."

"Would you care to dance, miss Swan?"

"I would love too, Mr. Masen."

And he took my hand and lead me further into the ballroom. I barely heard the wonderful music as we swirled gracefully around the room, talking. I will never know how long we danced, oblivious to the rest of the world, just me and him. Eventually someone came up behind me and said, "Bella," I glanced behind me to see my father standing there, "and who is this young man?" I turned to face him.

"Father, this is Edward Masen Junior."

"Nice too meet you." I sensed a hidden meaning behind his words. "Mr. Swan, Edward replied, and they shook hands. Father turned to me again, "Bella, dear, a dance?" offering me a hand. I took it and smiled, glancing apologetically at Edward, who smiled, nodded then walked away.

Father took my hands and led me gracefully around the floor. I was a while before either of us spoke. "I was hoping that you would find someone nice here."

"You mean my birthday ball was an excuse for me to meet a future husband?"

"If you wish to look at it that way, then yes."

"Father!"

"Isabella, you are seventeen years old! Don't you think the time to settle down is soon?"

I didn't reply.

"Go, make friends with him, get married to him, then you can have children of your own with him."

"His family is rich, isn't it?"

Father frowned, "I don't know, nor do I care. This about you Bella. You just seemed to be having so much fun together, and you usually hate balls! I saw the spark Bella. Just to with it."

The song ended and I released my father's hands. "I'll think about it," then I walked out the patio doors to the garden.

I sat on the being by the fountain in the middle of he garden, thinking. I didn't know what was happening to me. I danced with the man once, and now I was seriously thinking about marriage. I refused to think of children. I did not want any. It would be cruel. The influenza is rumoured to be headed here next. I couldn't put children in the middle of that! Surely they would succumb to it. There was a nagging voice in the back of my mind that doubted that Edward would ever even fall for her.

She head the crunching of footsteps as someone made their way towards me through the garden paths. I didn't look up, by I hoped it wasn't my father, coming to force me back to the party, to Edward, before I made a decision.

The person seated them self next to me. I glanced up and met the gorgeous green eyes of Edward Masen. "What are you doing out here?" He asked quietly.

"Thinking."

"About?"

"Something my father talked to me about."

"Ah." He said, "about how he thinks that we should get married."

I blinked up at him, confused. Seeing the look on my face he smiled slightly and explained, "he spoke to me as well."

I groaned softly and shut my eyes. I even kept my eyes shut when I felt him move closer to me. Even when he placed his golden head on top of mine. "So what's wrong again?" He asked quietly. He sounded like he was trying to hold back laughter.

"My father is clueless." I replied.

I felt the pressure of his head on mine leave me. I knew he was looking at my face. "He's right though, maybe too observant and too foreword, but correct," he said softly, saying each word slowly and carefully as if frightened of what my reaction would be.

I sighed. "Your right. Father was right." I opened my eyes to look at him. I stared deeply into his green eyes as he smiled softly at me.

"He told me to just go with it. He also gave me the usual speech about how I should not hurt you or he would have me executed."

I laughed lightly, knowing that was the kind of thing my father would say. "We should get back to the ball though. It is for you after all."

"No, I never have a ball this grand at my birthday. This is so that my parents will stop worrying about the epidemic. They are so much more scared than they let on."

"Nevertheless, we should still go back."

And so I danced with as many people as possible, trying to talk to everyone at once. Only occasionally would I end up in the arms that I craved most. Back in Edwards arms.