I'm back! Very serious business at the end.

Disclaimer: I own lots of nail polish, a pair of tap shoes, and one of those new hair comb up-do thingies. I don't own Twilight.

Please note: Scene breaks are now marked with ooOOoo because FF hates me.

The sensation of Edward's fingertips lightly tapping on my hipbone roused me from my dreams. Blinking against the darkness of the room, I arched my back against him and stretched. I was surprised to find that I was a bit sore in muscles I was not aware that I had until now, but I smiled in spite of the ache. Remembering how they'd been used caused a flash of electricity to shoot through my body, leaving me giddy and tingling.

"What's that you're playing?" I asked, my voice surprisingly raspy.

"Mmm," he groaned, pulling himself up beside me so that his face was peering up over my shoulder. He placed a small kiss at the base of my neck before responding in a silky voice.

"Just something that came to me while I was watching you sleep. You are so beautiful."

"Well I hope you'll let me hear it someday."

"I'll play anything you want to hear, sweet girl," he said.

He continued to kiss my neck, moving slowly up to my jaw and then to my cheek. I turned to meet his lips with my own, finding it impossible to control the grin on my face and the giggle that escaped me.

"What?" he asked, pulling back from me.

I turned on my side so that I could see him in the dim light that was filtering in through the window.

"Nothing," I said. "I'm just trying to process everything, I guess. What time is it?" I asked, looking over his shoulder at the clock on the night stand.

3:01

"Oh my God," I moaned, "it's three in the morning! I have to be at the Academy at eight, ready to teach!"

Edward smirked at me, running his fingers up my back. I wasn't sure how we'd suddenly become a tangle mess of limbs, but we had. I realized that he was wearing his boxers, and I was suddenly very self conscious about the fact that I was nude.

"I could," he started, pressing his lips to my ear, "help you stretch."

"Hmm, that sounds very – helpful," I replied, knotting my fingers in his hair and pulling his mouth to mine.

Our bodies seemed to meld together perfectly. He reached between us just long enough to free himself from his shorts, and I gasped when I felt the heated hardness pressed against my thigh. It didn't take long for every bit of skin to seemingly align of its own volition; then he was pressing into me once more.

Ohmysweetlord that hurts.

I winced and Edward immediately stilled.

"What's wrong?" he asked, obviously thrown off by my reaction.

I shook my head and forced a smile, not wanting to ruin what was happening.

"Nothing, it's nothing. Please," I whimpered.

"Bella, no; I don't want to hurt you," he pleaded as he pulled his hips away from mine.

"No!" I growled, grabbing his behind and pulling him back toward me. "It's just, different. It'll feel better – it already feels better. Please, just please, don't stop."

With a heavy sigh he pushed back into me slowly, holding his weight on his elbows as he bent forward to trace my lips with his tongue. The truth was, it was already feeling better – and with the pace that he was setting, I had a feeling that I'd be beyond comfortable in no time at all.

His pace was slow but measured; I could have almost counted it if I thought I'd be able to remember what came after two. His lips played the harmony to the melody that our bodies were creating, and I gasped when he slid his slender fingers between our bodies, pressing them into the sensitive spot there.

My nails dug into his shoulders and I cried out, not sure what I was experiencing but feeling as if I were teetering between my body setting fire or exploding. I cried out, an unintelligible babble of moans and breaths, but Edward just continued his steady rocking within me, circling his fingers tightly between us.

"Shh, baby," he whispered. "Just feel it, Bella. Let it go, baby." The flickering in my belly suddenly burst into flame at the sound of his voice and I craned my neck toward him, nipping his bottom lip before pressing my mouth to his neck.

"Ahh!" I yelped as my body began to spasm from the inside. The taste of sweat and caramel and boy assaulted my senses as I rocked my hips upward toward him. I felt his shudder as he drove into me with such force that I bit down on his skin as he grunted in my ear.

We stilled, panting and awestruck, until he pulled back from me and placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose.

"You, Miss Swan, will be the death of me," he smiled.

"Not if you kill me first," I blushed.

ooOOoo

The walk to the Academy seemed longer with the cold wind whipping at my scarf and hat. Of course, it was probably due less to the wind than the fact that I felt every step I took right between my legs. I now understood why people both loved and hated sex. While it was happening, it was fantastic, euphoric, and life-changing. After it was over though, it was painful and a little awkward.

Edward hadn't stayed in my bed the night before. He and I both had very full schedules for today, and his began almost as early as mine did. He couldn't very well go to a mentoring session in his clothes from our carnival date, so he'd left around five in the morning to head back to his apartment. In his absence, my double bed seemed larger than I remembered, the space where his body had rumpled the sheets moments before oddly cooler than normal. I lay there, on my embarrassing flannel sheets, wistfully staring at the ceiling as I recalled in minute detail every minute of the night's activities.

I knew immediately that my imagination didn't do it justice.

As I hurried the last couple of blocks toward my new job, I focused on the task at hand. I knew that I would have to be highly professional today. I didn't need to let my mind wander while I was trying to make a good impression. I made my way to the front entrance and took in one more deep breath before taking the elevator to the second floor. I hummed to myself on the way up, trying to distract my thoughts and calm my nerves.

"Miss Swan!" a younger woman, most likely in her late twenties, early thirties, was standing across the hallway from the elevator. She was fiddling with a large tote bag, various pairs of shoes, and a key ring that looked like it belonged more to a janitor than to a delicate dancer.

"Hi," I replied, smiling and rushing to her side to help catch a pointe shoe that was toppling out of the crook of her arm.

"Oh thank you," she said as she selected a key from the ring and turned it in the door. Flinging it open, she rushed into the room and threw her belongings into a chair near the sound system.

"Sorry about that, I'll be right with you. Take your coat off and put it right on top of my junk if you like." she exclaimed as she began fluttering around the room, arranging paper stars across the floor.

"I'm Elizabeth Masen, by the way," she said sweetly. She stopped in front of me and dropped her last paper star before wrapping her arms around me quickly. Stunned, I patted her back just before she pulled away.

"Sorry, I'm just a hugger," she said as she walked briskly toward the window to begin adjusting the blinds.

"Oh, no, that's fine," I blabbered, still unsure of what I was supposed to be doing.

"So Esme says good things about you," she continued. "That's good. It takes a lot to impress Esme Cullen. She's not a softie, but she is an awesome woman – don't you think?"

"Definitely," I nodded.

"Fantastic. So, what do you want to do today?"

"Err.." I mumbled. Was I supposed to have a plan? It was my first day, shouldn't I watch first or something?

"I'm not sure. Can I just see what you do? I mean, I'll do whatever you tell me to, but I'm sure this is going to be a little different from the classes that I taught back at my home studio."

"Of course," she answered, her eyes relaying a deep understanding of my nervousness. "I think you'll be surprised at how much it is like your home studio. We are here to teach the basics. Some kids have what it takes to move forward, some don't. Those whose parents can afford to have them here will stay on until they either fail to win a spot in the company or they finally wear out their welcome. You'll be able to spot them a mile away – the legacies and the trust fund kids – but we have to be patient with them all. The Academy thrives on the checks their parents send in every month."

"Sure," was my brilliant reply. I couldn't help but think that Miss Masen was being a little judgmental of her students.

"So," she continued, "our first class is Partnering One, and then we have Technique II, followed by Character class. That last one is a hoot. Just wait until you see the boys in that class."

I didn't have time to respond. The first two children walked through the door, and Elizabeth went back over to the CD rack to pull the music for class.

"Hi," I greeted them. "I'm Miss Swan."

"Hello," the tallest of the two boys greeted me. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Pretty formal for a kid, I thought.

"Hi, Miss Swan," said the other. His narrow face seemed consumed by his large eyes, so much so that it was almost haunting, like he could see right through me.

"Oh! Aro and Marcus! So happy you're here!" Elizabeth shouted across the room. Her voice was higher and her eyes were bright. It was obvious that I had been wrong about her being judgmental of these children. Her happiness was not in the least bit contrived.

The rest of the students filed in, setting down their little dance bags and putting on their shoes. Light music filled the room as the chatter rose to a roar before Elizabeth took her place at the head of the room and called the class to order.

"Good morning, everyone! We have a new instructor with us today! Please join me in welcoming Miss Swan to our class, won't you?"

Everyone applauded. I scanned the room full of bright eyes and relaxed a bit, immediately seeing the acceptance their faces. Well, all the faces except one. Marcus wasn't looking at me, he was staring at himself in the mirror, his expression blank.

That kid is going to have long bangs and wear a studded collar someday, I snarked to myself.

The class went smoothly as I found myself falling back into the swing of teaching. I really did enjoy it, and I hoped that I was making a good impression on both Elizabeth and the students. After our morning classes, Elizabeth and I chatted as we walked to the cafeteria. She had been a company dancer for one season, but an ankle injury had caused her to take a furlough. During that time, she took a few group classes at another local studio, and found that she loved teaching much more than performing. She formally resigned from the company and applied as an instructor. I decided that she was one of those people who were truly lovely from the inside, out.

As the day wore on, I participated more and more in the instruction, taking it upon myself to correct arm positions and assist with spotting turns. The children in all of the afternoon classes were quiet, respectful, and obviously enamored with Elizabeth. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but in the best way possible.

"You're a natural," Elizabeth mused as we wiped down the barre and the mirrors.

"Thank you," I said. "It's nice to see kids so enthusiastic about dancing."

"Yeah, it really is. So, tomorrow – do you want to handle the warm ups for me?"

"I'd love to," I agreed as I put on my coat. It had been a lovely day, but I was more than ready to go home and take a long bubble bath. I desperately wanted to relax my muscles and indulge my memories from last night.

"Thanks for accepting this position," she said. "If you ever need help with anything; choreography, costuming, anything, just let me know."

"Thanks," I said, as I walked toward the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" she called after me, her voice seemingly happier at the end of the day than it was when we started.

ooOOoo

The walk back to my apartment was not near as long as it seemed this morning. My mind was busy thinking about all of the kids that I'd met and all of the interesting things we could do with such a large group. Of course, my thoughts also went to last night's activities. I reached in my bag for my phone without thinking, and realized before I pressed the "send" button that I was about to call Alice.

There were two things inherently wrong with this action. For one, Alice and I hadn't spoken since the night I'd left for Forks. She was still upset with me and that fact was beginning to weigh very heavily on my conscience. Secondly, I couldn't very well talk to Alice about sexy times with her brother. That was wrong on so many different levels that I didn't know where to begin.

Instead, I dialed Edward and left a message on his voicemail, asking him if he would stop by after he was finished with his day. I slid my phone into my pocket and pulled the lapels of my jacket closer to my face. The wind was becoming bitterly cold, and I wanted nothing more than to cozy up in front of my television with a blanket and something warm, like soup – or Edward – or both.

Flashes of last night's events invaded my brain, causing my cheeks to burn red with warmth that came deep from within my body. As I rounded the corner toward the loft complex, I decided to pop into the small grocery and grab the few ingredients I would need for a pot of chicken soup. The store was warm and easy to navigate. I quickly found a small bag of carrots and some pasta, surprised at how much they cost here in the city compared to back in Forks. I turned the corner toward the canned goods and stopped dead in my tracks.

There, crinkling her nose in disgust over a can of pickled beets, was Alice Cullen. I quickly ducked behind the display of clearance Halloween candy, my breath catching in my throat. What was she doing here? What was I going to say to her? Why was she looking at pickled beets? Swallowing thickly, I stepped back into the aisle. I told myself that I would grab the chicken stock I needed and make a run for it, but of course I wasn't that lucky.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, dropping her plastic grocery basket and pouncing on me.

I was taken aback by her cheerfulness and physical assault, so much so that I took a step back to try to right myself before falling swiftly onto my butt in the middle of the store.

"Sorry," she said, giggling. "I guess I'm just happy to see you. How are you? How did your date with Edward go? Please tell me it went well, because he didn't come home last night."

"Um, yeah…" I muttered, blushing like mad and blinking at the speed of light. "It was great. We went to the Fall Carnival and then went back to my loft for a bit." I quickly righted myself and reached down to pick up the items that I'd dropped.

"OH MY GOD!" she exclaimed as she started bouncing. "You two DID IT!"

"Wha-what?" I stuttered. "What are you talking about?"

"Bella Swan, you have the most freshly-fucked look on your face right now! Oh my GOD! You did it! You're like, a WOMAN now!"

At the other end of the aisle, an older gentleman cleared his throat loudly, reminding us that we were in public. Of course, that did nothing to deter Alice from commenting loudly about my newly-founded sex life.

"I know it's my brother we're talking about," she said as she threaded her arm through mine and began leading me toward the meat counter; "but was it, you know, okay? Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Alice, really? You're asking me if your brother is a good lay?"

"Eww, yeah, I guess not," she replied, her lip curling up to one side.

"So, you're not mad at me?" I asked.

"Mad? No. Fucking pissed? Yes. You ran out on me, Swan. You left without so much as a good-bye or 'kiss my ass, bitch!' But Mom explained everything to me after she talked to Edward the other night. I guess I can see why you felt like you had to get away. I just wish you would've talked to me. I didn't understand at first why you would leave without even saying goodbye, and I thought that maybe I had done something wrong. Of course, then I remembered that there was no way I could do anything wrong, so I figured when you got ready, you'd call or stop by and I could rip you a new asshole and we'd get on with our lives.

I'm not going to do that, though, because I don't want to cause a scene and there are more important things to worry about. But just so you know, I could've cleared up a lot of your misapprehensions. I mean, the thought of Mom wanting to kick you out of the program? That's ridiculous! If you hadn't gone and played human Frogger with Chicago traffic, you'd probably be in the Company already. That's beside the point though, you whore."

Alice playfully smacked my shoulder as she leaned over the counter to pick up a package of chicken cutlets.

"Here, Edward only likes white meat in his soup," she said as she placed them in my basket.

"How did you-?"

"The great and powerful Alice sees all!" she said, wiggling her fingers in the air for effect. "Tell you what – you two lovebirds enjoy the soup and sex party tonight, but make some time for me this week. I'm out of classes by four every day. We have so much to catch up on!

"Oh! And are you going to Edward's Christmas showcase?" she asked, changing the subject and catching me off guard. Edward hadn't mentioned anything about a Christmas showcase. Of course, it was only the beginning of November, so he probably didn't see the point, especially after what happened at the last performance.

"Stupid question," Alice answered for me. "Of course you're going. We need to talk about it, though. I have this brilliant idea and I think you're going to love me for it. Of course, you already love me, so that won't be much of a stretch."

"Right," I answered, nodding and trying to keep up. It had been so long since I'd talked with Alice that I'd forgotten just how quickly her brain worked and how easily her mouth kept up with it.

"Okay then, you run on home, Susie Home Maker. Stir your soup and all that," she winked, "and call me later this week."

With that, she turned to skip away down the imported foods aisle, leaving me staring behind her, speechless.

"Oh, and Bella? I missed you."

"Me too," I smiled, thankful that I could still call Alice my friend.

ooOOoo

The night went better than I could have possibly planned. Edward called just as I walked into the apartment, and said that he was going to stop by his place and grab a few things before coming over. That gave me just enough time to chop of the veggies and chicken and put everything on the stove to simmer while I showered. By the time I was dressed in my favorite pajamas – the white fleecy ones that Alice had purchased for me – Edward was softly knocking at the door.

No matter how many times I saw him, the first few seconds always took my breath away.

"How was your day?" he whispered into my damp hair as he placed a kiss atop my head.

"Wonderful, actually," I smiled up at him. "And yours?"

"Very interesting," he replied as he shed his jacket. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me in close as he inhaled deeply.

"My God woman, you can cook, too?" he asked with a devilish grin.

"Well, it's only soup. Nothing complicated."

We talked comfortable about our day as he reached into the bad he'd brought with him and pulled out a small baguette of bread and butter. Handing him a knife, I watched him slice it into even pieces as he chatted about his music and the student he was mentoring.

"His name is Ben," he said. "He's really very good. His original works are very melodic and sweet, and we're trying to work him into some deeper harmonies, but he's struggling. I guess that's what happens when you're inspired by love," he mused, almost to himself.

"Sounds like the opinion of a man who knows," I teased as I ladled soup into two bowls and sat them down on the island to cool.

We talked endlessly and effortlessly while we ate, each of us silently acknowledging how content we were with our tone and gestures. His hand slipped across the island to hold mine while tasted his dinner, and he squeezed gently as he rolled his eyes in appreciation. I smiled, blushing, and told him about the kids that I was teaching. When we were done eating and talking, we moved to the living room and curled up on the couch together.

"What's this I hear about a performance at Christmas?" I finally asked.

"Oh, you heard? I imagine my sister had something to do with that."

"She did. Have you talked to her?"

"I had no choice. After she saw you at the store, she called me relentlessly until I picked up. I could practically feel her bouncing through the phone. I'm so glad you ran into her. Now that you know she's not upset with you, I hope that it won't be awkward for you to come over one night."

"Sure I will, but why didn't you just tell me? You knew how apprehensive I've been about talking to her, but you let me worry?"

"I didn't think you'd believe me. Be honest, Bella; if you'd heard from me that Alice was dying to see you, chances are you would've suspected that she was playing along with me in order to get back in your good graces."

I smiled. He knew me too well.

"I'm just glad it's settled," I said. "Now, tell me about your Christmas performance."

As Edward began explaining the showcase that would take place in a few short weeks, my mind raced with excitement. Alice told me earlier today that she had a plan, and I had a strong suspicion that I knew what it would entail.

"What are you playing?" I asked innocently.

"Something I've composed myself. It's not the same piece that I performed back in September, but it's new and very special to me. Will you stay through my entire performance this time?"

I blushed – furious at myself for ever giving him a reason to ask that question, but relieved that he was willing to forgive me and ask it all the same.

"Of course," I replied, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

A/N: Please forgive me for the awful delay. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but it would become a monster if I just let it ramble on. Aren't we all happy that Alice is back? I missed her foul mouth.

Pas de Deux will have approximately 2 more chapters and an epi, all of which will be posted before the end of August. The time has come for me to let go, and I hope to do so with some dignity before I drag it out beyond repair.

To all of you who have stuck by me through every slow update and every kink that these characters have thrown my way – thank you.