A/N: Hola there kiddies…okay so super duper thanks to those of you that are still reading this little story. This Chapter was written to the song, Lovesong performed by the Vitamin String Quartet (originally done by The Cure). See you at the end my sweets…

Super thanks to my wonderful Beta's inkedupmom and babylopez2008.

Edward slugged his way over the practice room. He was slightly early, he wasn't going to lie and say he didn't end his class a little early today in hopes of expanding his time with Bella. He heard Bella in the next hall talking and his steps halted.

"I miss you too. No that's perfectly fine. I understand completely. No your right I don't. I'm trying, I really am. I know you do and you have no idea how much I love you for it."

It was at this point Edward's stomach dropped. She'd just told someone that she loved them. Edward didn't think that she had any family left…that's what she'd said right? He tried to remember but was coming up blank. Listening to just Bella's side of the conversation was beginning to annoy him.

"How is she? Good that's good. Tonight? Sure why not. I'll be there at seven how about that? I'll cook us all dinner."

Edward decided that he'd heard enough and headed around the corner. Bella's eyes immediately locked with his, her hand holding her phone up to her ear.

"Listen babe I gotta go. Yeah I will. Kisses. Bye." She snapped the phone shut and turned toward him with a smile. "Hey."

Edward tried to act as though his stomach wasn't in his shoes. "Hey…" Her smile faltered and she averted her eyes. In that moment Edward worried that maybe he wasn't hiding his feelings very well. "Everything okay?" he ventured.

She threw him back a weak smile, "Yeah it's fine." Edward cocked an eyebrow and she took a deep breath and gave him a less forced smile. "Don't worry about it." She then changed the subject completely. "Your class go well?"

Edward decided not to push the issue in fear of her pulling away from him more. "Yeah. It went fine." He opened the door to the practice room she seemed to be happy that he was letting it drop. "You ready to get started?"

"Yep," Bella said as she passed through the door. Edward followed her in and dropped his bag by the wall.

"Okay, tell me about the piece." He inquired as he changed his shoes.

"Okay," Bella sighed. "It's basically a modern Cinderella story, well at least modern music. And before you do the token guy groan," she said interrupting him right before he could groan, "just give it a chance, okay? The section we're doing is the ballroom dance scene done to Jem's song 24. They try to get to each other, but things keep getting in the way. The stepsisters, walls, etcetera. I have all sorts of ideas for the set. I've got some numbers from the theater department at the conservatory. I want to do some plexiglass walls so that you can still see through them…" They had both begun to stretch at this point.

"Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a showcase."

"It would be if I didn't plan on using them later."

"Really?" Edward looked up at her.

She nodded, "Carlisle said that we could do the ballet for the faculty summer performance. It's one of the reasons we're doing the piece for the showcase. To plug the show."

Edward furrowed his brow. They didn't usually get major ballets. They were up and coming in the community but choreographers would rather see their ballets performed in New York or San
Francisco. "Who's ballet is it? Who did the choreography? Would they let us do that? We wouldn't really be able to pay for big royalties."

Bella chuckled and shook her head. "I don't think they'll have an issue with it. And there wouldn't be any royalties."

"Really? How did you manage that?"

"It's really just to get their name back out there you know, to prove a point. That they aren't finished," she said the last with a fierceness that concerned him slightly. He wondered why it was so important to her. Who was the choreographer to her? Maybe it was the person she just professed her love to.

Edward wanted to ask, but he chose the safer path. "Okay…who's who in this thing?"

Bella seemed to have gotten a hold of her emotions when she spoke again. "Well, I tried to talk Rosalie into being the Cinderella, she fit the role…you know beautiful…talented…blond."

Edward wanted to interrupt her to tell her she was more beautiful and talented than anyone he knew. That the only thing that Rosalie had that Bella didn't have in spades was the fact that Rosalie was in fact blonde. He wanted to say all of these things but he didn't.

"But she turned me down, said that everyone would be expecting that. She said it didn't matter. It was an interpretation so who was to say that Cinderella had to be blond. So she and Alice are going to be the stepsisters. Jake was the prince, so that's where you'll be stepping in."

"So that leaves Cinderella for you."

"It does." She didn't sound particularly pleased by this fact. It was odd how Bella didn't strive to be in the center spotlight when she so clearly deserved it. "It's probably best anyway…I already know the choreography," she said getting up from the floor. "I'm not gonna lie. It's not really conventional stuff. I don't doubt you'll be able to learn it in the time, but still. There aren't very many conventional ballet moves. A lot of it is running around, hitting points, contemporary. I originally chose this because Jake and I already knew it. He's the one that helped me work it all out in the first place..." she trailed off, here eyes grew wide and she turned away from him quickly.

Edward knew what he heard, and it was only reinforced by her actions, but he wanted to hear her admit it. "Wait a minute, what?"

She busied herself with her hair and avoided eye contact. "Um…yeah."

Edward wasn't letting go though, "So this is yours? It's your ballet?"

"Yeah."

Edward just shook his head again. Immediately regretting his initial groan. No wonder she was so protective of the story. It was hers. Was there anything this woman couldn't do? He thought back to the beach, the day she had told him she didn't think she was worthy of his time, of his kindness. He wondered when she would see herself as he did. Maybe if he believed it enough she would eventually believe him too. "Okay then, Madam. Where do we start?"

*~*~*~EXB~*~*~*

Bella and Edward exited the academy two hours later fully exhausted.

"Well that wasn't so bad. Not easy but not bad, at least I don't think," Edward said as they walked down the street.

Bella stopped and turned toward him. "Not bad at all. I should have warned you about the routine before you volunteered. I'm sorry"

"Nah…don't worry about it. I'll get it. It'll just take me a few rehearsals. Really," he tried to assure her.

"Okay. What ever you say," Bella said not sounding at all convinced. Edward tried to stretch his muscles discretely as they began to walk again. All of a sudden Bella stopped again and burst out laughing.

"What?" Edward asked turning to her confused at what she was finding so funny.

"Sore?" She asked and he knew that he hadn't been as discrete as he had hoped.

Edward winced again, but not because of muscle pain this time. "That noticeable?"

"The wince was hard to miss," Bella said before she bust out in laughter again.

"Okay I'll admit it, I haven't been this sore in a while. You don't use some of these muscles in ballroom. It's not funny!" But Edward couldn't keep a straight face either. It had been the first time he saw her laugh like this. There wasn't a secret pain in her eyes. She was so open and free. It was infectious and he found himself chuckling too. "Okay it's a little funny, but will you stop laughing at me please?"

"Okay…okay I'm sorry. It's just your face," she said a little winded from her laughter.

"I'm glad that my pain amuses you." The funny thing was Edward was being truthful. He was glad for anything that brought that laughter from her.

"I can't tell you how much," Bella said with a smile as she wiped tears from her eyes. "God, I haven't laughed that hard in a while." Edward couldn't help the smile that spread across his face in response to that statement. It felt good to be the reason for her laughter. This was him making her laugh not Jake, but him.

He felt a little bold and figured he would go ahead and push his luck. "Say, you wanna go and get something to eat at the Café? You know before I go back to my place and soak in the tub for the next few hours…"

Her eyes widened at his question. She was quiet for a minute before she spoke again, "Oh. Um…I can't," she stuttered.

Edward felt his face fall slightly. "Oh." That's when he remembered her phone conversation on the phone earlier. She had plans…with the person she loves, and it wasn't him.

Edward tried to plaster what he hoped was a smile on his face, but had a feeling that it came across as a grimace. "It's not that I don't want to," she continued quickly. "I just have plans. With my friend Maggie."

"Oh." That time he knew he didn't conceal his happiness at this news. Her friend Maggie…so not a boyfriend. That's who she'd been on the phone with.

He could feel a more genuine smile cross his features. He was about to speak when she interrupted him, "Um…how about a rain check?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "That sounds good, great actually. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah definitely." She said as they parted ways. He watched as she walked away from him. She'd said she wanted a rain check. Maybe this wasn't just all him. Maybe there was hope after all. She looked back at him once and waved with a shy smile still on her face. He'd witnessed something today, and he didn't really know how to describe it.

It was clear to Edward that Bella loved what she did. She had a talent that a blind man could see. It was in everything she did. In each movement of her feet and arms. In each extension there was such fluidity, such skill it nearly brought him to his knees, she became someone else when she danced. It was a mask she put on to hide what she was truly feeling. There were times where her eyes were bright and alive, free of anything but joy, but still there were times when he looked in her eyes and he could see the pain there. She had told him why, to a certain extent. He knew she was hiding something from him, that what she'd said wasn't the whole story.

He knew that pain that accompanied loosing your family, but it was something more than that. It was something that had happened to her. Something that had been done to her. Edward was certain that it happened while she was in New York, he just didn't know what. Alice had told him what he needed to do, but patient was usually Edward's game. But Bella was worth it. So he figured if he was diligent enough, if he could prove to her that he couldn't be scared away. That he would never run from her no matter what it was, she would eventually tell him. She would let him in.

Edward knew that he shouldn't care either way. That he should be staying away, but he couldn't. He didn't have the strength to leave her alone anymore. Bella could be the one that made him whole again, and he was certain he could do the same for her. If only she let him.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered after he retreating form. "Let me in, please just let me in."

End notes: Okay? I already have lots in store for these two…the next chapter is nearly written already…so expect an update probably by the end of the week at the latest. Depending on how long I stay at Panera today, maybe tomorrow… tehe…any-who.

Anyone figured out what's making Bella such a tough nut to crack? Hopefully I can surprise you? TTFN!