This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Daddy'sLittleCannibal, and her amazing stories.

Sorry for the wait, guys! This chapter definitely wasn't flowing, and my computer had a spaz and I had to replcae the WHOLE HARD DRIVE.

Luckily I got all my stuff back

Disclaimer - SM owns twilight. UPDATE - They are dancing to (in my head) By the Boab Tree, by Ophelia of the Spirits. It's from the Australia soundtrack, which I just watched yetesrday...let me just say. HUGH JACKMAN = AMAZING! Very good film, in my opinion. Anyhoo, for extra ambiénce (to be said in a French accent) play that when I say go! :P

Read on, my brave warriors!

Bella's POV

"Are you sure you're not lost, Edward? This is the third flight of stairs you've dragged us up," Alice moaned, clutching onto Jasper's arm – he was distinctly red in the face.

Edward rolled his eyes, "No it's not, Alice, we've been walking for two minutes."

"Seemed like longer," she muttered.

Edward sighed and turned back to me, "You ok?"

"Good. Why wouldn't I be ok?"

He shrugged, "Just felt like asking it." He smiled and squeezed my hand; I felt myself blush and Alice made retching noises.

"Could you please stop with the lovey-doveyness until I'm safely out of hearing range?"

"Alice, stop it, we're here now," Edward cut her off irritably, and I laughed to myself. Brother and sisterly love definitely didn't exist in the Cullen household.

"Well, come on then!" Alice said, suddenly her usual excitable self again, pushing past us and through the door, leaving us in her wake. Edward pulled me through after her, and I gasped.

The room was absolutely beautiful, and huge to boot, with three giant chandeliers hanging down, lighting up the whole room with a twinkling glow. There were tables in a circle, surrounding a parquet dance floor, all covered in white tablecloths with proper set places. "Lovely, isn't it?" Edward whispered to me, and I nodded.

"How?"

"We all chip in. Like I said, we all enjoy it," he winked then laughed, and I listened to the musical sound of his quiet laughter as I gazed around the room.

"Doctor Cullen!" A man came out of the crowd around one of the tables, dragging along a tall and very skinny redhead; I saw it was Jack. "And Miss Swan! What a pleasure to see you again," he said formally, bowing to me. His partner laughed, then held out her hand.

"Marie Cane, this idiot's wife." She grinned at me, "You must be Bella?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking her hand, "Seems everyone here knows me."

"I should think so," she laughed, "Edward won't shut up about you whenever we invite him round for dinner." I raised my eyebrows at Edward and he grinned sheepishly. Marie nudged him, "You didn't say she was so pretty."

I blushed again and Edward laughed, "Actually, I think I did."

"Alright, alright," I said, quietening them both, "enough of the love, can we sit down?"

"Of course," Jack said, interrupting Edward, taking my arm and dragging me away from him, "Let me show you to my room…"

"I don't think so, Cane," Edward said, grabbing my hand and pulling me back, "You keep your girl, I'll keep mine, ok?" Jack faked disappointment and Marie whacked him on the head.

"Sorry about him, it's so hard to keep him in line," she said apologetically to me.

"I know what you mean," I giggled, looking pointedly at Edward.

"Oh, do you now?" he said rakishly, and I giggled again, then Alice came bounding over.

"Come on guys, you need to sit down! I'll show you where you're sitting, Bella," she took my hand and dragged me off; I was beginning to feel a little like a dog on a leash.

"Must you all tow me around like this?" I moaned, and Alice rolled her eyes. "Hang on," I said suddenly, realising that Alice was pulling me towards a door in the wall, "Where are you taking me, Alice?"

She opened the door and shoved me inside – it was a broom or a storage cupboard; I couldn't tell because of the darkness – pulling the door to behind her. "Right," she said.

"Right what?"

"Operation Jasper!"

"Oh, right. How's that going?"

"Good," she said, and I could see her evil smile shining, even without a light, "I think I'm wearing him down, but I can't be sure until you get Edward to talk to him."

"Ok, I can do that."

"Bella?"

"Ah, here he is," Alice cackled, before throwing open the door and pulling him inside, "Edward, Bella's in here, I'm going to go and talk to Jasper, bye!" She was gone in a second, and Edward gave me a look.

"What was that all about?"

"Operation Jasper."

"Oh," he said, then he pulled the door closed, immersing us both in darkness. I thought I saw him lean against the wall, "So what do you want me to do?"

"Ok, we want you to talk to Jasper about Alice."

"Mmhmm," he replied, "and how are you going to convince me to do this?"

"Do I really have to?"

"If you want me to talk to Jasper…"

"Alright, fine," I rolled my eyes, and ignoring the silly butterflies in my stomach and my own embarrassment, I found his hand and let him pull me towards him, twining my arms around his neck as I collided with him. "Will you do it now?"

"No."

I pushed my fingers a little into his hair, twisting it around them, "Now?"

"No," his voice was a little shaky now, and I grinned, suddenly a little more confident.

Pushing my fingers right into his curls and twisting again I whispered, "Now?"

"Still…no," his voice was strangled, and I sighed, knowing what he wanted me to do. Figuring I might as well get it over with, I kissed him, pushing him back against whatever was behind him and pressing my lips hard against his. Up until now he'd remained completely still, but now his arms closed around me in a flash and lifted me off the ground.

"Now?" I said, my voice still amazingly steady, pulling away and tilting my head.

Edward took a deep breath and opened his eyes; they twinkled in the darkness. "You've convinced me," he said, and I nodded.

"Let me down now?"

He did, but then he held me still, stopping me from moving back, then he kissed me again, his arms tightening, and I began to tingle, my arms going back around his neck and holding myself to him. After a while we both broke away, gasping, "I think we'd better go back out there," he murmured, and I pushed some stray hair back from my face, opening the door a little.

"Do I look ok?"

He stopped and brushed my cheek, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear and making me blush, "Perfect, now," he replied, smiling crookedly, then he took my hand and we walked back out. Jack waved at us from a nearby table.

"Where've you two been?" he shouted, "I've been saving your place for ages! Old John Jones' been snooping around," he said to Edward, who stiffened a little. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat, throwing him a smile in an effort to cool him down – he looked murderous. "Come on, Eddie," Jack laughed as Edward sat down beside me, scraping his chair against the floor a little too loudly, "Bella's not THAT desperate."

That did elicit a laugh from Edward, and from then on it was a cheerful evening, aside from when John Jones came 'a-snooping', as Jack called him. Alice had laughed at the veins popping out of Edward's forehead, whilst I bit my lip and tried to ignore him.

"Ice cream!" Alice shrieked, as they set a cup of chocolate ice cream in front of her, "This is officially the best party ever," she grinned, a spoon in her mouth, whilst we all laughed.

"This is good," I gestured towards the ice cream, "Aren't you having any?"

"I don't like it," Edward said simply, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't like ice cream?"

"Never have," he answered.

I held up a spoonful, my head cocked to the side, and I smiled, "Come on, everyone likes it."

He went cross-eyed as I held the spoon between his eyes, then he looked back up at me, smiling crookedly. "I don't."

"Come on, no one doesn't like ice cream!" I put on my best pleading face, "Please have some?"

"I don't like it, Bella."

"Please?"

He sighed, then murmured, "Only for you." He opened his mouth obediently and I slid the spoon into his mouth, letting go of it so Edward had to catch it quickly before it fell out again. He swallowed slowly, then licked his lips. "It's not too bad," he said, then he took the spoon and dug into my ice cream, gouging a hole in the side of it.

"Hey!"

He shrugged, then darted forward for another spoonful; I slapped his hand away, "Edward!"

He held up a spoonful in front of me, his expression cheeky, "You want some?"

"Not particularly, no."

"More for me!"

"He is such a child," Jack remarked to me, dropping ice cream all over the tablecloth as he flung his spoon around; Marie just sighed, rolling her eyes at me.

"You're calling me a child?" Edward said, in between spoons of ice cream, and, in unison, Marie and I slid their glasses of wine away from them.

"I think you've had enough," Marie remarked to Jack, then she stood up, "Come on, let's dance."

"But there's no," the music started, "music..." He sighed, dropped his spoon, and followed her away onto the dance floor.

"Oooo, the Foxtrot!" Alice shrieked again, yanking Jasper up and pulling him off his seat. "Come on, Jazzy!" she sang, twirling away so only Edward and I were left.

I turned in my seat, already feeling uneasy; everyone looked so professional. There was no way I was going to be able to do this.

"Bella?"

I looked back at Edward, "Oh, no, Edward, please don't make me do that..."

He leaned on the back of his chair and grinned, "Why not?"

"I can't dance!"

"Who says you can't?"

"My inherent clumsiness, that's who!" Edward stood, and I shook my head frantically at him, "Please, Edward, don't!"

"Bella, don't worry," he took my hand, smiling gently down at me, "We're not here to dance, we're here so I can spend time with you...and maybe for the slower dances." His eyes were twinkling warmly, and already I felt my worry melt away, "Ok?"

"Ok."

We sat together until the music slowed, stealing everyone else's abandoned ice cream – I punished Edward when he flicked some at me – and it was absolutely glorious, I found, spending time with him. "Who do you get your eyes from?" I asked him, and he shrugged.

"I don't know who. My mum has brown eyes, and my dad has blue...Alice's are blue, like his. Mine are...abnormal, you could say."

"They're so green...emerald green, today."

"Today?"

"Yesterday they were more...mossy green."

He smirked, "Are you saying my eyes change? That's impossible, Bells."

I ate some ice cream, feeling it melt on my tongue, and I smirked back, "Nothing's impossible."

"What about you?"

"My dad; my hair comes from him too. But, apparently, I'm the splitting image of my mom," my smile faded, "I look just like she did." I pulled at a strand of my hair, "Except for the hair. Hers was more...blonde."

Edward's eyes grew sad, and he squeezed my hand, "If you look just like her, then she must have been beautiful," he said sincerely.

"She was...more than me."

Edward shifted his chair closer, his arm slipping over my shoulders, "Now that...that is definitely impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," I whispered, and Edward caught my chin, raising my head up with one finger so our eyes locked.

"That is." (a/n song time :D)

"And now we're going to be slowing it down for the first time tonight..."

The music was changing, morphing into something else as the band all turned their pages and began a soft tune – someone began to sing. Edward stood, holding out his hand to me, "Are you coming, beautiful?"

I took his hand and let him pull me up, wondering if I didn't have the most perfect boyfriend in the world. How could I really be this lucky?

He lead us both into the middle of the dancers, Alice and Marie both sending me smiles as we walked past – Jack poked his tongue out at me; I poked mine back – then he stopped, twirling me around so I was standing opposite him and snaking an arm around my waist, resting against the small of my back. I put one arm around his neck, and he took my other hand, holding it in the miniscule space between us.

"One two," he prompted with a lopsided smile, and I nodded, my gaze automatically drifting to my heeled feet, trying not to step on Edward's feet and keep in time.

We began to dance, back and forward, turning in circles along with everyone else; I kept my gaze on my feet, chanting to myself, "One...two...one...two..."

"Bella," Edward whispered, "Look up.

I did so, immediately caught by his eyes, and he smiled, "See? Easy."

"Yeah," I smiled back, "Easy."

His hand tightened on mine, pulling me a little closer, and we continued to dance; I was unaware of anyone else, all I could feel was him.

Edward leant down a little, so his cheek was resting against my hair, and I closed my eyes, turning and stepping effortlessly, perfectly contented. Then Edward whispered, "Ready?"

Before I could answer, he spun me out, letting go of my hand just as Jack caught the other; Marie twirled past me, her red hair shining in the light, and Edward took her hand, sending me a smile before they took up the dance again. "Hey there, Bells," Jack said, his hand loose around my waist, "How's it going?"

I laughed, "A little dizzy, but good."

"Edward is a good dancer, I'll give him that," he said ruefully, glancing over to Edward and Marie who were laughing – I noticed that their shades of hair were exactly the same.

"You're not too bad," I turned my attention back to him, and he nodded.

"I thank you. You're pretty good yourself. From what Edward told me I thought you'd be stepping all over my feet."

Then he winced, and I bit my lip, trying not to laugh, "Sorry. I'm better with Edward."

"Obviously." We both smiled, then he said, "You two make a great couple." I blushed and he nodded, "You do. I don't think I've ever seen Doctor Cullen that happy. I guess, as his best friend, I should be thanking you for that."

I shrugged, "I don't think it's just me..."

He grinned, "Oh, but it is. Now, it's back to Edward for you." Suddenly I was twirling again, and I heard Jack shout, "Have your girlfriend back, Cullen!"

"Thank you. Here's your wife!"

Edward's hand took mine again – I could feel it was him...his skin on mine felt different. I would always be able to tell, I thought. The tingling feeling was unrivalled. "Hello," he said congenially; this time I put both my arms around his neck, and he held my waist with both arms, holding me close to him.

"Hello," I smiled back, resting my head on his chest happily with a sigh. His arms tightened and he whispered something, his breath making my hair rustle. "What?" I looked up at him, to find that his face was closer than I'd anticipated.

In answer, he moved forward and kissed me, pressing his lips against mine, softly. I had to hold back a sigh of pleasure as our lips moved together; my hands slid into his hair, a small smile forming on my mouth as I realised: he tasted of chocolate ice cream.

"Nothing," he murmured, then he kissed me again, enveloping me in warmth, his arms tight around me; literally spiriting me away.

Edward's POV

I looked down at her, her head resting against me, her small frame wrapped up in my arms, and I couldn't help but murmur, "I love you."

"What?" she looked up at me, the expression in her large brown eyes shockingly lovely, and I found I couldn't help but kiss her, letting the feel of her take me over completely.

"Nothing," I whispered, before kissing her again, pulling her tight against me and shivering infinitesimally as her hands raked through my hair.

The music ended, and we broke apart; she was smiling, her gaze never leaving mine as we all clapped the musicians. "Thank you," she said to me, her arms winding around my neck again; I grinned at her.

"Thank you."

Another slow tune began, and I was about to twirl Bella around, when I felt a slight buzzing against my skin, and a loud beep emanated from my trouser waistband. The beeps continued, and another set echoed from the other side of the floor – where Jack was.

There was a flurry of activity as everyone checked their pagers; I looked at mine. It read:

Code blue. 901.

Oh no.

Suddenly Jack was beside me, "It's Jenkins, Edward! We have to go!"

I let go of Bella, aware of everyone else looking at me, running my hand through my hair. "I'm sorry, Bella," I said quickly, "I have to go!"

"It's ok," she said quietly, moving up on her tiptoes and kissing my cheek, "Go."

I nodded at her, then Jack and I tore out of the room; I felt immensely bad for leaving Bella there, but there was nothing I could do.

Mr Jenkins was dying.

GASP!

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