AN-eh heh. Well. I was lying on my bed, finishing up some of my chem. homework and I found myself suddenly squealing and jumping up and down. I thought of something cute and fun to write about, a change from Mistaken Escape. (Though I had soooo much fun writing that.) So, enjoy all the fluff and I-love-Bella detail.
Disclaimer-Me? Own Twilight? O.OBella had complained all afternoon.
As soon as she was carried down the stairs by Alice, she hadn't closed her mouth once, if only to try to scrunch up her beautiful face as to hide from Esme's ever-ready camera. She had tried to pry the surprise out of me, and she very nearly succeeded. I can never resist her in anything. But I wanted her to be surprised, regardless of her distaste for it, so I didn't give in.
I hadn't been able to take my eyes off of her. Alice had blocked my eager mind from her thoughts as she played dress-up Bella, so I had not been able to see what Bella looked like before she was ready. The moment I had been allowed to look was-one-of the most astonishing -and rewarding- moments of my life. In Alice's arms, there floated an angel. My angel. Dressed in a blue, off the shoulder gown and absolutely glowing, as if heaven itself had cast its light upon this beacon of beauty. Her hair was styled in some fashion no self-respecting male could really describe, but my eyes never left her face, her radiant, mesmerizing face.
My angel. She was beautiful.
I was slow to approach her. I knew that I was not worthy to stand in the presence of such radiance. Her chocolate brown eyes had stared at me shyly the entire time, innocent and angelic. I had kissed her softly, to confirm that she was really here.
My Bella.
Then the complaints started.
Ah yes. My Bella.
Esme snapped several pictures of us together, her standing in the crook of my arm, shyly trying to hide from the camera. I had just laughed and pushed her in front of it. Of course she should be photographed, to remember this day. For the rest of her life.
I had decided that since I was in no way strong enough to ever leave her, I would do everything I could to insure that my existence would not hinder any chance of hers to have a normal, human life. Though she was no normal human. Good Lord, how perfect she was. I knew there would never be a way for her to comprehend just how…infatuated I was with her. Bella was so… real. So alive. I could never stand in the place of that. I needed to be sure that she would have every experience that she would normally have… if she had never met me. If I had never existed.
So, in light of all of that, I decided to take her to the prom. After several gushy statements from Alice, teasing remarks from Emmett, and indifferent stares from Rosalie, I took Bella to Charlie's house. I had spent the entire morning, to a good part of the afternoon cooking. Bella had said that she loved it, though I wonder if she was just trying to be polite for the sake of my feelings. Most of the time I could tell if she was telling the truth, but there was always that slight doubt that she was editing her real thoughts. God, yet again I curse myself for not being able to read her thoughts.
She had tried still to pry the information of out me. She complained about being Alice's Barbie doll afternoon. She complained about the hair, and the makeup especially. I knew she hated the stuff. But mostly, she complained about all the attention. I could not quite understand it, but Bella hated being the center of attention. I do not know why she should not be. She should be set on a pedestal for all to behold such beauty.
So I ignored her all her huff and continued to smile.
"At what point exactly are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked grumpily, crossing her arms and trying to cross her legs in self-defense, only to remember her large walking cast. She lowered her other leg, and smoothed the skirt of her gown before looking at me again, waiting for an answer.
Oh. This is so much fun.
"I'm shocked that you haven't figured it out yet." I glanced at her teasingly.
" I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" she asked again, for the seventh time. I shook my head, amused. Why she felt the need to continue to remind me of how she thought I looked was a mystery. What she saw in me was a mystery as well. I could only marvel at my… fortune. Fortune, that this angel cared for me.
"I'm not coming over if Alice is going to treat me like Guinea Pig Barbie when I do." she said, acting annoyed.
I laughed loudly; my voice carried through the entire vehicle. How I loved her sense of humor. I was distracted from my internal Bella-worship by the sound of a faint buzzing. When I realized it was my cell phone, I reached into my jacket pocket and glanced down for a moment. It was Charlie.
Oh No.
Charlie. Had he changed his mind? He wasn't letting me take Bella to the prom? He realized just how angry he was with me and decided to put down his foot, restricting any contact I had with her, whatsoever? Not that I could say I'd blame him. If only he knew just what his daughter was spending her time with.
Maybe Bella just forgot something. Maybe it's not so bad. But…oh no. Well, only one way to find out.
"Hello Charlie," I said warily. Out of the corner of my eye I glanced to see Bella, her expression a mixture of worry and distraction.
"Um, Hello Edward. I, uh, well I'm not sure really what is going on. It seems that Tyler Crowley just showed up at the house. He's saying that he is supposed to be taking Bella to the prom, but I know she is with you."
Tyler Crowley? No way.
"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. This was just too funny. Just too funny. This boy thought he had a claim on Bella, my angel. My angel. Anyone around could see that Bella and I were very close, inseparable. I was with her every possible moment. The boy thought he could persuade her. Thought he had a chance with her.
It was utterly hilarious.
"Why don't you let me talk to him?" I asked, a menacing smile crossing my face. I couldn't believe my luck. This was going to be fun.
"Hello Tyler, this is Edward Cullen." I said politely, though I was really smirking.
"Um, Hey Edward." Tyler said nervously. For once, I was glad that I what I was was so intimidating. Sometimes, being a vampire had its advantages.
"Um, well. I'm not really sure what's going on, but I was, uh, supposed to take Bella to the prom…"
I closed my eyes for just a moment. Oh, this was too good. I was going to own him.
" I'm sorry if there's been some sort of miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight." I said, allowing the evident threat to be clear in my tone of voice. I could just imagine him standing in Charlie's kitchen, quaking.
"To be perfectly honest, she will be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening."
I snapped the phone shut, and allowed the smirk I had been repressing to spread over my face. Oh yes. Owned. No way was I sorry.
I sneaked a glance over to Bella to see her reaction. To my surprise, she looked terribly upset.
"Was that last part a bit too much? I didn't mean to offend you." I said quickly, trying to make amends if my comment had upset her.
"You're taking me to the prom!" she yelled, rather dramatically. A few silent tears began to trickle down her face. I hadn't been expecting this at all.
"Don't be difficult, Bella." I said, slightly exasperated. Why was she reacting like this, if not over Tyler?
"Why are you doing this to me?" She demanded, staring at me with haughty eyes. I decided to dance around the question.
"Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?" I asked, lightly touching the lapel of my jacket. Hadn't she seen the signs all over school the entire week? Why else would I dress up like this, unless to take her to dinner somewhere, which I already did.
Bella had angry tears rolling down her face. She then suddenly wiped her eyes with dismay, only to realize that they were clean from the mascara she was uncharacteristically wearing. Alice was certainly smart.
"This is completely ridiculous. Why are you crying?" I demanded in frustration. Why in the world would she be crying? Women…
"Because I'm mad!" she sobbed angrily.
"Bella," I said, finally turning to look at her. Something in my gaze stopped her suddenly, her breath caught, and she stared into my eyes. She had once told me when I looked at her like that I was dazzling her. Hmm. I guess it was working. "Humor me." I whispered.
She waited for a moment, under my unwavering gaze. Finally, she released a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll go quietly. But you'll see. I'm way overdue for more bad luck. I'll probably break my other leg. Look at this shoe! It's a death trap!" she exclaimed, holding out her good leg for me to inspect. I looked at it carefully. Only Bella would be worried about falling. She would never fall with me there to catch her. I would never have to let go. That was why I was so insistent that Alice and Rosalie find the perfect shoe. "Hmm. Remind me to thank Alice for that tonight."
"Alice is going to be there?" She asked, sounding slightly heartened. She adored Alice.
"With Jasper, and Emmett… and Rosalie," I added tentatively. I knew that she and Rose weren't on the best of terms. Rose was jealous of Bella, jealous that she was human. Naturally Bella felt a little frightened of Rose. Rose could be extremely intimidating when she wanted to be.
"Is Charlie in on this?" She asked suddenly, in an accusing tone. Ah, Bella was certainly quick.
"Of course," I said grinning. My thoughts drifted over to Tyler then, and I couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Apparently, Tyler wasn't though."
Bella frowned, furrowing her brow in displeasure. Even she thought it was bizarre. Like that male-child had any reason to assume a connection to her.
We reached the school then. I pulled the Aston Martin into the parking lot, swinging in into the empty spot next to Rosalie's ostentatious red convertible. There were several males gathered closely around it, admiring it with slacked jaws. When they saw my car pull in next to it, their eyes bugged out. For that I couldn't blame them. The Aston Martin was one of my favorites.
I opened the door of the car at a normal, human pace, which almost killed me to do. I hated moving slow. I walked around to her side of the car, surprised that she hadn't taken a chance to leap out of the car since I couldn't get there first. She seemed to hate it when I helped her to do things. I held out my hand to help her out of the car; then I saw her expression. Oh.
Bella had her arms crossed, remaining stubbornly in the car seat, smirking at me with a slight air of smugness. It was because I couldn't pull her out of the car with all these people here. Great.
I sighed, a little exasperated. "When someone wants to kill you, you're as brave as a lion—and then when someone mentions dancing…" I trailed off, shaking my head. Bella could be so illogical sometimes. So difficult.
She gulped slightly, a worried expression crossing her face. Ah, dancing. She hadn't thought about that part of my surprise. I stooped down to her eye level and gently grasped her hand. "Bella, I won't let anything hurt you—not even yourself. I won't let go of you once, I promise." I soothed. My words must have worked, as the worried expression slowly slipped off her face.
"There now, it won't be so bad." I leaned over and gently picked her up with me other arm, and lifted her from the seat. I set her on the ground lightly, and encased her waist in my arm, supporting her. No way was I going to let go of her.
I was actually somewhat excited. I had never been to the prom with anyone that I cared to go with. Yes, I had been in earlier years with my family, with Alice or Rosalie, but this time I would be with Bella, my angel. We walked through the doors of the gym, and I inspected it with a casual indifference. Past proms, balls, and the like had been much more elegant for me. This place looked almost tacky. If I could, I would take Bella to one of the ballrooms of Paris, or London, in an ancient castle or plaza. Not a high school gymnasium. But, it was what Forks had to offer, and I was not about to let Bella miss her experiences as a human because of me, no matter how trite or inelegant they may be. Rosalie had told me that the prom was an experience that most girls remembered for the rest of their lives, so I'm sure Bella would end up enjoying herself, despite her lack of enthusiasm.
Bella suddenly giggled, surveying the décor. "This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen," She snickered, sounding amused for the first time.
"Well, there are more than enough vampires." I said, playing along. I then glanced to the center of the room, to see my sisters and brothers whirling across the floor in elegant ease, performing a sophisticated waltz that the surrounding humans watched in a mixture of shock, admiration, and trepidation.
I remember when Esme and Carlisle taught us all how to waltz. Rose, for her second wedding, had wanted everyone to know how to dance, and dance well. Esme and a reluctant Carlisle had taken the middle of the floor, slipping into movements and graces from an earlier century. Though I had been alive longer than Esme, I had never needed to learn such fineries. When an embarrassed Carlisle finally excused himself, Esme pulled me into the center of the floor, coaching me in the proper steps and movements with an obvious enthusiasm. Emmett had cajoled and teased me the entire time, until I reminded him that it was his wedding, and it was his turn next. That shut him up.
I glanced at Bella again, and followed her gaze back to my brothers and sisters, an almost pained, self-pitying expression on her face. She was staring at Rosalie for the most part. I sighed. Yes, of course Rose looked nice, I'd give her that. It was her self-proclaimed forte, making herself look as astonishing as possible. Of course, to me, she would never be as beautiful as Bella. Bella had so much depth, so much life. Not to mention that Bella herself looked absolutely astonishing tonight. There was no need for her to feel inferior. I gently squeezed her around her middle in reassurance.
"Do you want me to bolt the doors so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" she suddenly whispered teasingly. I looked at her in slight alarm. "And just where to you fit into the scheme?" If only she knew what would happen if all five of the present vampires went into a killing spree. The entire room would be dead in a matter of seconds.
"Oh, I'm with the vampires." She grinned.
I smiled, reluctantly. Only Bella could possible find any humor in what we are.
"Anything to get out of dancing…" I mused, as her plan dawned on me.
"Anything." she admitted.
I paid for the tickets and turned out to the dance floor. I felt slight pressure on my arm as Bella tried to pull me back.
I sighed. "I've got all night." I warned. I would get at least one dance out of her. It was the whole point! Or part of it anyway.
"Edward, I honestly can't dance!" She moaned in horror. I could read the panic on her expression. Hah! It wasn't a problem. I could dance. Esme had made sure of that.
"Don't worry, silly." I chuckled. I gently picked her up off the ground, and slid my shoes underneath hers, setting her on top of them. I lifted her arms around my neck and leaned into her ear to whisper softly, "I can."
And then, in a matter of moments, we were whirling around too.
AN-No, don't worry. I'm not finished yet. I'm planning on writing to the end of the epilogue. -pleasedonthurtme- just kidding.
