A taste of the Cullen lifestyle.

Alice had thought it would be fun. I was apprehensive about it. Clubs usually meant dancing and while the darkness of the gym and a long prom dress covered the fact that I had been standing on Edward's feet, the short black scrap of fabric she was calling a dress would not. I cannot dance to save my life! She was trying to assure me that Edward would be holding me much tighter than he had at prom.

"He'll have his arm around your waist at all times Bella. There is nothing for you to worry about." The over-excited pixie was saying as she pulled out a ton of make-up, and other torture devices like hair dryers and curling irons.

"And that's supposed to help me dance how?" I said disgruntled and I sat heavily in the chair in front of the mirror where I knew I was going to be forced to play Alice's games as she made me look more beautiful than I ever thought possible.

"You won't fall down or take anyone down with you." She smirked. I had to roll my eyes at her insistence that Edward would be able to keep me from harm.

"I will if you honestly are going to try and put me in those heels." I said pointing over to the black high heels with thin straps that were meant to wrap around my calves up to my knees. "I might even knock him over!"

Alice sighed as she sat in front of me. "Can you please just trust me?"

I bit my lip and gave in. One of the problems with having a psychic best friend was she was usually right about these things. "I do trust you, but what if Edward doesn't even want to go?" I asked her seriously. "I don't want to spend hours getting dressed up if he's not going to want to go to stop me from getting killed when I fall down the stairs or something."

Alice snorted. "Edward is going to take one look at you and not want to let you out of his sight as long as you are in that dress." Her smirk was overpowering.

I couldn't help but laugh. Edward did have a tendency to be overprotective when he thought other guys were paying too much attention to me. "Ok I'll trust you this time, but if you're wrong, he has to agree to go out with us before I agree to get dressed up again… Deal?"

Alice clapped her hands together. "Deal!" She squeaked.

I groaned and then spent the next several hours getting updated on how club dancing was suppose to work while she styled my hair to look like I'd walked off a swimsuit photo shoot. She had a wicked smile on her face as she began to really work on my facial makeup. She wouldn't let me look into the mirror as she placed the make-up on my face, neck and shoulders. She even added some glitter like cream across my chest and neck, down my arms and legs. By the time she was done I was worried I was going to be overdone.

The last part surprised me the most. The dress itself was pitch black and stretchy but had an invisible zipper that ran up the side from the hem to under the arm on both sides and the scoop neckline also extended a little ways down the back. Added to the black dress was some black lace pushup bra and panty set that would cover very little. The dress looked like something a two year old might wear.

"Alice I am not going to fit in that!" I said exasperated beyond all sense.

Alice growled. "Oh grow up Bella. That's the perfect dress for tonight." She pushed me towards the bed where she had laid out the ensemble. "Go change."

I sighed with my exasperation but slipped the panty and bra set on first before I unzipped the dress and pushed my arms through the holes near the top. I was very surprised by how soft the fabric was. I pulled the dress into place and then pulled the zippers up so that they were in place. Alice came over and pulled the dress at certain places to add and removed bunches in the fabric. The dress only came halfway down my thighs and I was feeling quite exposed without leggings of some sort. Alice took her time placing the lacing of the shoes up my legs and tied them securely behind my knees.

"Perfect." Alice smiled evilly, "Time for you to see." She said as she pushed me in front of the mirror in her closet.

The woman looking back at me could not be me! For one she looked even paler than I was normally, she was also more beautiful than I could possibly ever be. The dress was positively indecent! It looked solid enough but even I could see the outline of my inner thighs through the fabric. The lacing from the shoes left interesting wide crisscrossed patterns in my flesh but left my white skin exposed from my white glitter painted toenails right up to the top of at the knee. I couldn't believe I was standing in four inch heels. Somehow Alice had made me look more like one of them than I thought possible!

"That can't be me!" I gasped.

Alice just laughed at my completely flabbergasted expression. "You just stand here for a couple of seconds and I'll be right back."

I nodded dumbly as I stood there. I turned my head slightly and gasped as my skin and hair sparkled in the light. I wasn't anywhere near as glittery as Edward in sunlight but the effect was dazzling. I still thought my hair was a little over the top but with the rest of the outfit it seemed to work since the whole thing had a look that I wish applied to me. It looked like I had just rolled out of bed after having amazing sex and gotten into a sexy dress to go out dancing. Plus I looked like I could pass for a Cullen relative, minus the eyes which is the one trait they did all share.

Alice came back in with minimal makeup but the same glittering effect and a similar dress but in a bright yellow. With my dark dress beside her yellow one our skin tones were so close m human eyes couldn't tell the difference. Her dark pixie look had been enhanced with her hair being flattened but swept forward to outline her perfect features. "The boys are home and have been informed that they have two minutes to get ready." She said with her eyes shining. "Edward's being a problem." She said as she handed me some diamond earrings and placed the necklace around my throat.

I sighed. "I told you he wouldn't want to go." I said sadly as I placed the earrings in, just wanting to see the final product before I removed everything. I found now that I was dressed up I actually wanted to go, but I didn't want to force him to go when he obviously did not want to.

She laughed. "He's only being a problem because he doesn't think you would want to."

I snorted. It was one of the ironies of our relationship; we both thought more about the other than ourselves and always tried to make things easier for the other. "For once I actually think I really do want to go dancing. From what you've said about it and looking like this…" I bit my lip. "I really can't think of anything else I want to do more."I said softly.

Alice squealed in my ear. "Thank you, he just stopped complaining and is hurrying to get ready. He'll be done in thirty eight seconds."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I keep forgetting that anything I say can be heard by all of you if you're in the house."

Alice smiled warmly. "I love you Bella. And I promise you are going to have the time of your life tonight."

I couldn't help but laughed and hug her back with tears in my eyes. "I love you too Alice." I pulled back and let her dab my eyes so I wouldn't ruin my makeup. "Sorry." I sniffed.

She laughed. "I used waterproof mascara just for this moment."

I looked down at my heels once more. "Are you sure I'm not going to end up in the ER?"

She took a moment and then giggled. "Not an ER or any other medical clinic." I knew she had looked into the future and whenever she had seen she'd like the results. "Not even Carlisle's little 'Bella treatment room' downstairs!" We both laughed at that. Carlisle had fully supplied his personal office due to the accident during my 18th birthday party in September when the Cullen's had returned.

"Ok, shall we go down?" I asked a little nervous about standing.

"Just remember toes first and you'll be fine Bella. Just be strong for the next twenty minutes, get him through that and this evening will be perfect!" She helped me stand and steadied me before leading me across the room towards the door. "The boys are downstairs and waiting for us."

I bit my lip one last time as I took a deep breath to help gather my courage around me as I steeled myself for the next twenty minutes, from Alice's warning I knew I would need some of it but her promise of a great evening was giving me all the extra encouragement I needed. I was really looking forward to seeing Edward's face as I came down the stairs.

Alice went down first as I gripped the railing tightly and then bravely stepped forward slowly. I was being very careful on the first set of stairs as I turned on the landing I made sure to look down and find Edward. His eyes looked up and it took him what felt like hours to make his inspection of my attire from my toes up to my face. The first thing I noticed was he'd stopped breathing, not that he needed to. The second thing was that as his gaze moved further and further up my body his eyes became darker. His look had gone from a slight bit of concern at the shoes to desire raging in those black eyes as his gaze took in the wild hair and the diamond earrings and necklace that I had borrowed from Alice.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him as I brought my foot forward to continue down the stairs. I was more than halfway down the stairs when his head snapped towards Emmett and the desire was replaced with a dark, angry rage. His snarl was very possessive and extremely aggressive. It was then that I noticed the others were also in the room watching me. But at the same time I was distracted by Edward's display. I'd never seen him like this. Emmett wasn't paying enough attention and threw me a wink.

He must have thought something that Edward would find inappropriate because in less than a second Edward had let out an earth shattering roar and physically launched both himself and Emmett out into the entrance hall and through the front door that Alice had thoughtfully opened for them. I was surprised to find myself being held securely by Esme by one of the large windows overlooking the front yard where the boys looked to be having a serious fight.

"Just stay here Bella." She said urgently. "Carlisle and Jasper will deal with it."

"What's going on?" I asked quickly.

Esme looked at me with a look of concern. "Edward lost control when Emmett provoked him." I could tell she was looking me over for signs of fear.

I shot her a look of concern and that seemed to worry her more until I spoke. "But they do this all the time right? They don't seriously hurt each other…"

She looked surprised. "Ah- well not often, but Emmett has a tendency to provoke Edward at inappropriate times." She paused and then sighed. "Normally Edward just ignores him but lately it's been getting harder and harder for him to just turn away."

We both watched as Jasper and Carlisle both grabbed Edward and pulled him off Emmett. They seemed to be trying to talk him down. I was sure Jasper was blasting him with calming waves. The yelling and snarling must have attracted Rosalie because she was suddenly there, pushing Emmett back while shooting angry glares back at Edward.

"I guess it's good that he took it outside." I said softly, looking at the damage they had done to Esme's beautifully crafted front yard. I couldn't even imagine what kind of damage would have been done in here if he'd missed the door.

Esme looked at me in surprise and a great deal of concern. "I am more worried about you. He's not in control… You could have been hurt." She seemed torn between annoyance, fear and protectiveness. I wanted to help her to understand everything was fine.

I waved her off with an unconcerned shrug and smile. "He was defending me, not hunting me and while this is an extreme reaction I think it's only because Emmett is the only one he can really let go with. The comments at school about him leaving me and coming back have been hard for him. He needs to be himself every once in a while. I would have been fine even if the fight started in here. Edward wouldn't have let Emmett near me and he certainly wouldn't hurt me."

Esme looked unsure but didn't argue with me. We continued to watch as Alice too finally came over and yelled at Edward, breaking through to him finally. I couldn't hear what she yelled but whatever it was scared the hell out of Edward and he suddenly stopped fighting to get through both Carlisle and Jasper, trying to get to Emmett. Edward's sudden lack of resistance resulted in them all falling to the ground. I quickly turned away from the window and walked back to the stairs and waited for everyone to come back in. I knew Edward would be embarrassed and agonizing over his lack of control. I loved him truly, but he really needed to learn to let go of some things. I now knew what Alice had meant about the twenty minutes. Only about five had passed and it would take me the rest of the fifteen minutes to convince him to still take me out and get changed.

As they came in Jasper and Carlisle still were holding Edward's arms as they all but carried him back in. They all tensed as I walked forward and stopped in front of them. "Bella, it might not be a good idea for you to stand so…" Carlisle was saying.

I smiled and shook my head, and stepped forward until I was right in front of all three of them. Alice was standing by the doorway with Esme; Alice was holding her back from interfering. I gently placed my hand over where Edward's still heart was. "Are you back, my love?" I asked him softly. Carlisle and Jasper were floored by my daring but I could see his eyes were once more a shade of butterscotch, meaning he had full control. And as with every time his control slipped I could see the crisis was over by the anguish in his eyes. He couldn't be this upset unless his control was back in place.

"Bella… I…"

I placed my hand on his face and lifted my lips to his in a sweet innocent kiss, cutting off his apologies. "No more of that tonight." I said placing my finger on his lips. "Go change into something better suited for our plans… just because your brother decided to be a jerk doesn't mean I don't want to go out still." I said with a smile tugging on my lips. His hair and his clothes were beyond salvaging at the moment. "A shower might be a good idea too."

Jasper broke in. "It might be best if we stayed in." He said sternly.

I raised a brow at him and shrugged. "Well if that's what you boys want to do then fine… but Alice and I are going, aren't we Alice?" I called over their shoulders.

Alice was smirking up a storm. "Yup, I got my Bella Barbie all dolled up and now I have to show her off, or she won't let me do it again." She pretended to pout. "And I'll blame you if that happens Jasper." She added as a warning, her eyes glaring at him.

Carlisle, Jasper and Esme all looked back and forth between Edward and I, wondering just what was going to happen. Edward looked completely shell-shocked. "You're not going to disappoint me are you Edward?" I asked with a slight purr to my voice.

It said a lot about the trust I had in him that I wasn't afraid of his sudden slip of control. Knowing Emmett I am sure he made a sexual comment and had an accompanying picture in his head that got Edward steaming mad. But it was better that he got it out of his system here with his brother than at the club on some innocent guy. The point of the night was to release stress, not cause more. School had been a huge battle of guilt and annoyance for Edward in the past several weeks since his family had returned. The guilt was lessening as people stopped picturing me the way I had been when he was gone and the boys had begun to realize I'd never date any of them as long as Edward still existed, even if it wasn't in Forks.

"You're not going to let me go out to the club without you looking like this?" I asked with a smirk as I waved my hand in front of my 'dress', knowing full well Edward would last all of about two second after Alice and I walked out the door before he'd end up following us anyway.

Jasper, Esme and Carlisle all stared at me as if I had lost my mind. Edward looked startled and then angrily possessive. "If Emmett's thoughts weren't bad enough." He growled. He then looked sheepish. "I'm not sure I can handle what the guys at the club will be thinking." He snarled. He gritted his teeth and growled menacingly. Carlisle and Jasper were quick to grab him again but I took another step forward, taking them all by surprise. Esme cried out in alarm but Alice again was holding her back.

I wasn't sure where I was getting the nerve to be this flirty but all his growling wasn't frightening me, it was quite sexy actually. I stepped in as close as I could get, pressing my chest to his as I slipped my hands up into his hair. "You can handle it, I trust you."

Edward's eyes searched deeply into mine and his eyes which had been full of anguish were once again starting to darken with hunger, but not for my blood. "You are too trusting." He whispered softly as he raised his hand to my cheek. Carlisle looks as if he was ready to pull Edward away. Jasper however looked over towards his wife Alice. Seeing her still holding their mother back with a smile on her face, he knew his wife well enough to know she would never allow harm to come to her best friend and he backed away from us slowly.

"And you over think everything. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, I'll only ever be with you." I smiled at him. I hugged him, placing my head against his chest. "Now are you going to change?"

He sighed and nodded. "Yes. Give me a few minutes." I gave him a tighter squeeze before I let him go and stepped away.

While Edward is gone Carlisle and Esme looked at me as if to ask if I knew what I was doing. I gave them a smile. "I know when he's in control and when he's fighting it." I explained before they could even voice their concerns. It was important to me that I get all this out because I knew Edward could hear their thoughts and what I would say to them.

"How can you possibly know?" Esme asked me, her voice telling me how much she cared about my welfare by the level of fear I could hear in it.

"His eyes," I said softly. "When he's having difficulties with his control or I have pushed him too far his eyes turn a special color of black. It was the first thing I noticed about him that day in biology." I explained. Carlisle looked curious but kept silent, Esme looked shocked. "When he's thirsty they are more of an onyx color, the rest of the time they are a shade of topaz or butterscotch, but when he's losing control they are hard, cold, and calculating. It adds a certain slightly crimson edge around the pupil." I added a little chuckle at their completely shocked faces.

"So you base your trust level on the color of his eyes?" Carlisle asked.

I truly laughed at that. "Of course not, I always trust him. I just base when I can get close to him and when I need to give him a little space to regain control on the color of his eyes."

"You have been near him when he's lost control before?" Screeched Esme.

I rolled my eyes and shrugged their concern off. "Of course, I'm normally the reason for it." When she looked at me with that face I knew I had to get her thoughts under control. "I ah… well… I tend to push things… and I end up saying 'opps' a lot." I said blushing deeply.

Carlisle and Jasper were suddenly covering their mouths to hide their smiles in an effort to not embarrass me. Esme looked confused. "What do you mean 'opps'? And what does that have to do with Edward losing control?"

Even Alice was trying to hide her silent laughter behind Esme's back as she stood facing me. "I… damn…" I whispered as I tried to figure out a way to not have to say what I meant.

"She means that she can't always control her reactions to me." Edward said calmly from behind me. I turned to see him looking amused as he leaned against the banister of the stairs.

I flushed an even brighter red. "I can sometimes." I muttered quietly.

He snorted. "Bella, drop it. She got the point." He said, his amusement was an improvement over how he'd been feeling before he went upstairs so I decided to let it go for now. I had plans to show him how much I didn't like his help in furthering my embarrassment for his family. I turned to address Esme again but she was now looking at me with the same look of amusement as the rest of the family. Edward came up behind me and placed his hands around my waist and tucked his head down to my neck. "I'm still not sure about this though." He muttered by my ear softly.

I smiled up at him. "I am. Your control always tightens at the end of the driveway. Emmett got to you because this is your safe place and you could let it out." I chuckled. "Remember it was one of the first things you said to me when I came here that first time. Here you don't have to hide who you are. I'm never going to hold what happens here against you."

"We do have to be careful when you are here Bella." Carlisle said with a touch of concern. I knew he was troubled by my lack of reaction.

I against shrugged and bumped Edward's chin with my shoulder since he was still leaning in. "And I'm careful to not cut myself, but I still get to be myself and not have to watch what I say and do here too."

Understanding seemed to spread across Carlisle's face. I smiled at him. "This is your safe refuge as well."

I nodded. This time Edward had moved his head so I didn't bump him. "I have to be careful what I say and how I act when I'm at the house with Charlie and at school with my human friends. Here I feel like I'm home and safe." I could see Jasper wince over where he stood with Alice. "I feel safe even alone in a room with you Jasper." I said happily, knowing he would know I was sincere. The look on their faces was once again priceless. Most of them were surprised and I could feel Edward had stiffened just slightly but I knew that was more about the image I had supplied, but he relaxed instantly when a wave of awe and gratitude emanated from Jasper when his emotions got the better of him. Alice's face's was shining with happiness. If it was possible I think she'd have cried.

"We feel the same way about you Bella." Esme said, her voice breaking as if she were in tears. Edward quickly dropped his arms and I found myself being held a bit tightly by Esme as she shaking body held me in a motherly hug. I'm not used to this type of affection.

Renee is great, but I always felt more like the mother rather than the daughter. Esme's hug makes me feel like I am being held the way I had always longed for. Without thinking I kiss her cheek and hug her tightly as I can back. I can't hold back the wave of love I feel for her and all of the family… well except for maybe Rosalie. I can tell from Jasper's gasp, Alice's squeal and Edward's sharp intake of breath that knowledge of the emotions I have felt has made their way around the room. Alice is talking so fast that I can't hear a word but Esme takes a step back and wipes at her dry eyes. "We love you too Bella and we always will."

I give her one of my blushes at her declaration and duck my head with pleasure at her words. At times I feel more like a daughter to her and Carlisle than I do to Charlie and Renee. "I know, and thank you."

I take a step back knowing that Edward is there waiting to take me back into his arms. I'm not disappointed as he quickly molds his body to my back pressing his cold front to me. His intake of breath on my neck sends shivers down my spine.

"It's getting late." Alice says after a few minutes of every one taking in the moment. For the first time I feel as if my name could one day be Cullen, but not because of Edward, but because I actual belonged on my own whether I ever became a vampire or not. Above everything this was a family of interesting people.

I nodded. "So who's coming?" I asked was my eyes lit up from all the emotions flowing through me.

"Keep that up and Edward is going to have to hit me to keep me away from you." Jasper said with a bright smile. Edward obviously didn't take what he said as offensive because he just hugged me a little tighter for a moment.

"I'll go anywhere you ask." Edward whispered to me. I could tell he wasn't sure about his control but I was.

"You'll be fine." I winked at him. "Just remember, anything they can think of is just that, thoughts... You are the only one I'll ever be willing to be with."

Edward stopped breathing for a moment. When I looked up he had a bit of a stunned look on his face. One I imagine I had every time he dazzled me. He bit his lip and hid his face in my hair as he took a deep breath. "That's a promise I'll hold you to." He growled.

"Done!" I said with a wink. He looked much happier than he had and he looked about ready to leave. I turned to Esme and Carlisle. While they were the 'parents' of the family they were young enough to enjoy an evening out on occasion.

As if reading my thoughts Esme shook her head. "I never have really enjoyed the newer music at loud volume." She said as a way of explaining why she wasn't going. I could understand that with their hearing the club volume was likely to be a bit much.

We said our goodbyes and the four of us quickly got into Edward's Volvo. "So where is this club we are going to?" I asked Alice.

"Well normally I'd have suggested going to Seattle but there is a new club in Portland that looks like it could be fun." She said as she handed me a new license.

I took the card and looked surprised. On it was all my information with their address on it but the name said Bella Marie Cullen and it said my age was twenty-two. I raised a brow at her. "So is this why I have this look tonight?"

Alice laughed. "No I chose this look so you'd look amazing under the lights."

"Too bad we couldn't do something about the eyes then." I said with a wink.

Alice chuckled as Jasper looked disgruntled. "I know I know, never bet against you." Jasper sighed. "Give them to her then."

Edward chuckled. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

I raised a brow at him. "What are we talking about exactly?"

"Alice got you some contacts that will change your eyes color to match ours." Edward explained. "But they will make your eyes hurt after a few hours."

I quickly turned and stretched out my hand. "Oh gimme!"I squealed eagerly.

Alice laughed and handed me a contact set. "Have you ever put those in before?" She asked.

"Just once for a Halloween costume thing." I told her. "I'll wait until we stop somewhere." I said while I stared at Edward, willing him to understand that I wanted him to stop now because as much as I trusted him, I hated how fast he drove, and I wasn't putting my hands in my eyes while he was going three times the legal limit. Edward sighed and pulled over to the side for a moment so I could put them in.

It took only a second and Alice handed me some eye drops to help make sure my eyes were well lubricated. I blinked several times and then looked into the little vanity mirror in front of me. I couldn't help but laugh at the image looking back at me, but I was feeling complete joy.

I turned to look at the three of them and grinned. "What do you think?" I asked, almost bouncing in my seat with excitement.

Alice winked and laughed along with me. Jasper seemed just as happy as before but Edward looked slightly shell-shocked. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not but I was too happy to let it take my excitement down.

"Almost as good as my vision of you as one of us." Alice chuckled.

"Except she is still breakable." Edward muttered, more to himself than anyone else. I inwardly sighed.

"I'm sure my heartbeat and scent will keep that fact in your mind Edward." I purred softly, trying to keep his mood from slipping too far. We did have an ultimatum hanging over our heads and Edward had no choice but to get used to the idea of me as a vampire. I think tonight's look was to help him get over the idea a bit, and I certainly wasn't going to complain about Alice's methods.

Edward had the grace to at least look apologetic when he looked at me. "I have to admit you do look good with those eyes and that skin color." He admitted.

I beamed at him. "Since we are pretending to all be Cullen family members…" I started.

"We all are family members." Alice interrupted with a sharp tone.

I laughed but nodded to show I understood what she meant."I was thinking for once I could just trust in you not to crash the car and drive normally for you at least." I said with a slight amount of resignation in my voice. "If Jasper doesn't mind helping me out?"

Jasper chuckled and nodded. "Not a problem sis."

Edward shook his head. "I don't want to scare you. I remember your reaction the first time I ran with you through the woods."

I bit my lip. "I wasn't expecting it then and I have Jasper here to help me from freezing up." I waited to see if he was going to drive any faster than before. When he didn't go above one hundred, I sighed dramatically. "I see you can't drive any better than I can."

Edward gave me a dirty look as the other two laughed at him. He grabbed my seat belt and tightened it. "Hold on sweetheart." He said as he put his foot to the floor and we took off as if we had been standing still.

Jasper had to send out a wave of calm at me right away but after a few minutes I was calm enough on my own because I refused to look out the floor window or at the speedometer. Instead I focused on either Edward's face or turning to talk to Alice and Jasper. We arrived at the club within a half an hour.

Four gorgeous people walking towards the bouncer was bound to attract a lot of attention from the line up but Alice led us right over. She whispered something to him and he opened the rope to allow us through. I nervously placed my hand on Edward's waist as he wrapped an arm around my waist possessively. I knew it was also to keep me upright but so far I had remembered to place my toes down first so I didn't slip on the tiny heel.

Inside the club the music was fast and louder than I had expected. Alice led us over to a staircase that led to an upstairs glassed in area with its own table where we could over see the dance floor and the stage were the band was going to play a few sets this evening. We had our own waitress named ironically enough "look it up". Edward and I shared a smile over the name but to my relief she did nothing more than give us each a double look but she seemed to understand we were together and any advances on her part would be unwelcome.

I let Alice order me a drink while I studied the people on the dance floor. I don't think I could really call what they were doing dancing since it seemed like the floor was really crowded and the people were more or less just moving randomly against each other. I could see most did have their arms around each other but the embraces seemed more than a little intimate for such a public venue. I wasn't prudish but I'd only ever seen people do this type of thing on TV or in movies, not in real life. I didn't think this type of dancing really did happen outside of Hollywood or New York.

The other didn't seem phased by it at all and I realized that they had likely been going to clubs since before my grandfather had been born. Thoughts of the 'roaring twenties', 'dirty thirties', 'swinging forties', 'rock 'n roll fifties', the 'sex relvolution sixties', 'hippie seventies' and the 80's suddenly made me feel very babyish.

Being with these three when it came to emotions pretty much meant they knew how I was feeling even before I did. So Edward was quick to place his arms around me and pull me into his lap and whisper in my ear. "We don't do this often, and I haven't come with them in almost fifteen years, so this is just as new to me as it is you."

Alice nodded. "Just a few ground rules. Don't drink anything unless we've Ok'ed it, even from the waitress. And don't let anyone give you anything."

I rolled my eyes. "Daughter of a cop, I know all that Alice."

Edward chuckled in my ear. "That was for my piece of mind, not yours." That made me feel better. Alice was doing everything she could to get us both comfortable so we'd have a good time. I knew at some point tonight alcohol and sexual thoughts were going to make Edward on edge so the more comfortable he was to start with the more likely he'd be to stay that way.

"Do you know how to dance like that?" I asked him, somewhat shyly.

He nodded as he stared into my eyes. "It's not… difficult." He said. "It does take some coordination between the partners though."

I giggled. "I guess that means you are going to have to do everything like at prom right."

Alice jumped into your conversation. "This type of dancing doesn't really require much footwork."

Looking back down below for a moment it only took me about two seconds to understand what Edward meant by coordination and why there was no footwork required. Almost all of the movement was from thigh and up. My heart rate increased and I was suddenly looking forward to getting a chance to dance like this with Edward. "So I have a chance at not making a fool of myself."

Alice winked as she pulled Jasper down towards the stairs and guiding him down to the dance floor. I turned myself slowly on Edward's lap so I was sitting sideways and able to look into his face easier. "Do you think I'll be able to do it?" I asked hesitantly.

He gave me an encouraging smile. "Yes, I think you'll be fine."

"What about you? How are you doing?" I asked. I was glad my voice came out warm and encouraging.

He chuckled and nuzzled my neck softly. "I'm doing just fine. I just want to wait until your drink gets here, alright?"

I was happy to get to spend some time with him, somewhat alone and didn't disagree. "How about you show me how to dance up here while we wait?" I asked, blushing deeply.

Edward smiled. "As you wish." He raised his hand to allow me to keep steady as I stood up and he stood behind me. He moved a few of the chairs out of the way. He turned slowly and walked towards me. He had my favorite little smirk on his face and I had to bit my lip to keep from falling because he was dazzling me so. He effortlessly slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. He was so smooth I didn't even notice he'd pulled me across his right thigh until I felt his cool body pressed against me from between my own thighs up to my breasts. My hands were pressed against his chest but my hands were flat up near his shoulders. I tilted my head up to look into his eyes and was lost.

"Breath Bella." He reminded me with a light rumble of his chest. The sound caused me to shiver but got his intended response as I drew in a deep quick gasp.

I looked up again and blushed deeply. "You're dazzling me again."

'It's only fair since you've been dazzling me all night." He said chuckling softly.

I slid my hand up over his shoulders and into his hair. "How have I been dazzling you?"

"For one thing your skin is utterly breath taking with the way it is glittering in these lights." He said as he shifted his weight bringing me slightly back and then to his left without moving my feet. He brought his lips to my ear. "Your blush has been brilliant under the light make-up to make you glow." He shifted again pulling me closer to him as he lend slightly back, shifting my weight harder against his leg sending shivers of desire sparking along my skin. "And that dress is almost indecent to my eyes." He purred softly.

I tried to not sound too breathless when I asked. "How indecent?"

His answering growl was enough to make me wish he could be one hell of a lot closer then we were already. "I'd have never let you out of the house if humans could see what I can." He pulled me even closer, sliding his leg further between my thighs and causing me a gasp. He captured it in a heated kiss.

His cool tongue entered my mouth and I immediately surrendered to the sensations it created. I rubbed it softly with mine and kissed him back with careful restraint. I've learned to keep my responses to the level he was delivering them; otherwise he ended up having to cut our kisses short. Tonight however I was feeling like we were pushing a few boundaries as he'd never gotten me this aroused before kissing me like this. I don't know how long we'd been kissing like that or when we'd backed up until my back was against the wall but the waitress placing our drinks on the table drew Edward's attention away from the kiss and in turn got mine too when he turned from me to shield me from the woman.

"First round." She trilled with a large amount amusement and a slight bit of envy. Not that I could blame her for that last bit. I often felt envy when I saw the other Cullen's kissing each other without concern.

I gave her a small smile as Edward handed her a bill and told her no change as he had every time we'd gone out someplace and he'd paid for things. She smiled back at me and winked when Edward looked down to put his wallet away. "Thank you." I mouthed to her since the music was so loud and she was unlikely to hear me anyway.

"Enjoy him." She mouthed back before she backed away and started to go down the stairs.

Edward looked slightly amused as he took my hand and pulled me into his lap on the plush chair by the table with our drinks. "What did you thank her for?" He asked me as his lips came near my ear; I shivered as his breath ghosted over my neck and ear shell.

I pulled back and gave him a confused look. "I always thank people when they do things for me."

"I can think of a time that you didn't." Edward laughed softly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I was distracted by your ability to dazzle me and others at the time." I said sarcastically knowing we were both thinking for that first dinner in Port Angeles.

"Are you planning on following her advice?" He asked as he once more began kissing my neck softly.

I was trying very hard to not just melt into his arms; I had even managed to remind myself to breathe. "What advice?" I asked as the need to breathe took too much of my concentration.

"Enjoying me?" He said so softly I almost didn't hear him.

I moaned softly as I moved closer to him, so close I was now sitting in his lap straddling him on the chair. "Anytime you want." I managed to moan. Edward growled softly and I suddenly felt his tongue brushing against my lips, I opened my mouth instantly and was delighted with kisses just as hot, if not hotter than a few minutes ago.

I don't know how long that went on but I can remember getting hotter than I had ever felt, his hands weren't cool at all, they were leaving trials of fire that were licking their way over my body sending shivers of pleasure through my body from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair and all that pleasure would crash over me and then retreat back to my core, centering in my belly. For once I had no thought to just how much the scent of my arousal would have on him. I wasn't capable of any type of thought at all. Thank god the wedding was only a few weeks away.

His hands were slowly moving further up my thigh while the other was holding my head at an angle so he could control how deeply I was kissing him. I was pretty sure my makeup would be a mess and we hadn't even made it to the dance floor yet!

Alice's laughter brought us both back to the present. She'd come back upstairs with Jasper and was watching us with great amusement. Even Jasper was trying to hold back a smile as he took in our position and my mortification at being found in his lap the way I was.

"Were you ever going to take her out of the dance floor Edward?" Alice said with her tinkling softly laughter. "Or were you going to deflower her at the table while the people below watch through the glass?"

Edward growled but allowed me to stand up. I nearly stumbled as I moved too quickly and started to lose my balance on the super high heel. Edward steadied me before I had a chance to start to fall and he now held me against his body protectively.

I felt the wave of calm Jasper sent out to me and it allowed me to take a deep breath. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until the air leaped down my throat. I turned my head towards the glass wall that looked down over the dance floor and realized that Alice was right. Everyone down on the dance floor could see everything that was happening in the private rooms. Looking at the other room I realized that some of them had frosted glass protecting them from an unwanted audience.

"No I wasn't looking to cause a scene Alice." Edward said in a tense voice.

Looking up I could see his eyes were far darker than I had seen in quite some time. His arms around me were softly caressing my hips though letting me know that the darkness was likely lust related and not hunger or a lack of control. "Are you alright?" I asked him, once again wondering if maybe Alice hadn't been pushing this evening a little too far. Emmett had managed to start something I was loathed to admit, had me a little concerned about taking Edward down on the dance floor, as much as I wanted to try it.

Edward just nodded his head and buried his nose in my neck near my ear. "I've been too wrapped up in you to notice much of what has been going on below us."

"Did you want to go down now?" I asked him softly.

He shook his head, "After you have your drink." He said softly.

Alice nodded her head. "Remember the rules Bella; don't drink anything if it's been left alone for a while."

Edward looked up at her. They shared one of their silent conversations while Jasper and I waited patiently for them to finish. It was over in less than three seconds but Jasper and I had time to give each other a meaningful look. If there was one thing I was looking forward to after the change it was going to be getting to know Jasper better as his control issues made it difficult for him now between his thirst and Edward's protectiveness. He and I were likely to have some things in common to complain about if Edward and Alice kept to their silent conversations.

"No danger then?" I asked scowling as I took a sip of the drink from the straw.

Alice shook her head. "Not for you."She smiled fondly. "Your waitress thinks you're sweet and she takes her job very seriously. She isn't going to leave your drinks on the bar counter at all if she can help it because she doesn't want to be responsible for any drug rapes." Alice said seriously.

Jasper smirked. "Eddie's tip helped too." I rolled my eyes knowing I didn't want to know how much he'd over-tipped again.

I looked up at him, he turned his face down towards me and my heart jumped at the half smile on his face. "What would you like to do?" I asked him when I got my voice and my heartbeat back under control.

Edward smiled and began walking towards the stairs, "Shall we dance, that is after all why we came here, is it not?"

I nodded breathlessly as I took his hand and he gracefully guided me down the stairs. Somehow I managed to almost float down the stairs. Maybe it was because I was staring into his eyes and not even thinking about the movements but I managed to stay on my toes and not lead too far forward. The look of adoration on his face made me feel like I was walking into a ballroom in 1918 instead of a nightclub in this decade.

I don't remember how we got into the middle of the pulsing bodies around us but I was suddenly in the one place I never wanted to leave, Edwards arms as we began to dance to the pounding sound waves of the heavy base beat coming from the music amplifiers. We danced for several songs before I began to felt slightly hot. Edward's body had been keeping me cool but as time passed the heat in air and from my body warmed him. We took a little break back upstairs once more and our waitress had been great at keeping us supplied with drinks all night between our rounds on the dance floor. Of course Alice was dumping their drinks somewhere. I never did ask where.

Alice and Jasper ended up spending half the night in the private room. On our second rest break, she flipped a switch by the door on. The glass became cloudy giving us all a bit of a break from the eyes of the people below. When I asked about it she laughed and explained it was special glass that when it had electricity running through it, it became cloudy. "For private moments," She winked. "and for privacy for private parties."

I know I was very late when we decided to leave but not quite closing time. To be honest I was very tired but very happy when we got back into the car and were headed for home.

Edward took my hand in his and brought it to his lips before we pulled out of the parking lot. "Did you have a good time?" He asked.

I looked at him lovingly. I knew tonight had been a hard one for him but I couldn't help but be proud of him. "It was perfect." I said with a glowing smile.

He kissed my fingers and then let my hand got as he started the car. I sat back very content and slight warm from the alcohol I had consumed looking at my lovely Adonis and smiling at how happy I was that in only a few weeks I was going to be his wife, forever.