Because of you Chapter 21: Ladies night, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer : I don't own anything so there!

Huge thank you's to my wonderful reviewers – Velvetwhispers, Linz832, Bwithyourforever, Lauren, Cullenlvr83, Meyer-Madness and Bandeforever16 x2 – you guys are completely amazing, and I hope you enjoyed your teasers :D

A/N : The pictures of the girls outfits have been uploaded, so check out my profile for the link :D

A/N2 : Again for every review, there shall be a teaser :D

A/N3 : So sorry for the delay, FF.N wouldn't let me update. But never mind, here it is :D

Chapter 21

Romantic Lady , single baby
Mm sophisticated mama
Come on you disco lady yeah
Stay with me tonight , mama ,yeah

If you hear any noise
It ain't the boys , it's ladies night , uh huh

Gonna step out ladies night
Steppin' out ladies night
Gonna step out ladies night
Steppin' out ladies night

Kool and the gang - Ladies night

"That's not fair," Emmett pouted. "Why should you get to go get free drinks from Joe's?"

"Because Alice is the only one going to be drinking." Rose argued.

They had been arguing like this now for over half an hour. A simple discussion on where we were all spending Alice's hen, and Jasper's stag nights, had quickly turned into the long drawn out debate. Emmett had to be fair, got in there first saying that the boys planned on spending their evenings at Joe's, but Rose quickly jumped in stating that, that was where we had planned to be. Of course we couldn't compromise and just go to the same place, or agree that no-one should go to Joe's, no we just had to keep rehashing the same old arguments over and over, in hopes that at some point one of us would get bored. Of course the only ones who really cared were Rose and Emmett, and neither of them seemed to be willing to back down.

"Exactly Babe, it'll be a cheap night for you, us on the other hand, we can all drink."

"And exactly whose fault is it that me and Bella can't drink, huh, Emmett!"

Rose was by now well into her second trimester. Gone was the morning sickness, and in was the mood swings. Even I sometimes struggled to keep up with what mood she was currently in, so I had no idea how Emmett really coped. Whilst we all knew Rose was so ecstatic to be pregnant, I knew she was struggling to harness her feelings, that quite often did make her like a total bitch. I could only hope that my own hormones didn't reek as much havoc. Emmett though, was a complete gent about it all, he took blame for all manner of things without even batting an eyelid.

The first time she had blamed him for being pregnant in front of us all, we had all gasped in surprise. Not only in shock of her behaviour, but the shock of Emmett's nonchalant shrug in response. It had only taken her a few minutes to realize what she had said, and had broken down in tears. This alone scared me to death. I was constantly worrying that I would say something to them, that they would take serious offence to. I hated the idea of hurting any of their feelings, especially Edward, Emmett and Rosalie's.

"Yeah that's right babe, big Daddy here knocked you up good and proper." Emmett replied proudly.

"Oh shut up." Rose scoffed. "The girls and I are going to Joe's and that's final."

"Er, no babe, I think you'll stand corrected."

This could seriously go on forever. For the first few minutes, I had sat beside Edward, amused at the stupidity of the arguments, but as time went on, Edward, Jasper and I, just got incredibly bored with it. The only people it seemed that cared where we went, were Emmett, Rose and Alice. Why Alice cared was beyond me, the only information Rose would give her about her hen night was that it was meant to be, being spent at Joe's, everything else was meant to be a surprise, not that there was much left to be surprised about.

"Do you think if we sneak out they'll notice." Jasper hissed at me and Edward.

"Yes we will Whitlock." Alice snapped mid argument..

Thoroughly chastised, Jasper sunk even further into the sofa, looking about as bored as I felt. As bored as I was though, I wasn't about to join in or even try and solve the problem. Instead I concentrated on how to get myself, Edward and Jasper out of the way. I'd heard more than enough, I was close to declaring myself unavailable to go on Alice's hen night just to shut them all up.

"Well Pip and I are hungry, so me and the boys will be in the kitchen." I announced loudly, knowing none of them, including Alice would argue with this particular pregnant woman.

Jasper moved so quickly, if I had blinked I would have missed him. He was suddenly stood in front of me, offering me his hand to help me up from the plush sofa. It wasn't like I was anywhere near big enough yet that I had to have help getting up out of furniture, but I knew it was his way of sealing his escape route. I was just his shield. Edward quickly joined us as we shot out of the room toward the kitchen.

We could still hear their voices, each of them trying to be heard over the opposing two. Honestly I have to say I probably felt more sorry for Emmett, not only was he the only male in there, but he was the only one fighting for Jaspers cause. The mother hen in me started to grow, feeling the need to go and protect him. That however didn't mean I was going to listen to my inner mother hen.

"Bella, Hun, you are a gem." Jasper thanked me graciously.

"Any time." I replied, as I clambered up onto the stool, Edward hovering as he usually did in case I fell. "I wasn't kidding though, we're hungry." I rubbed my little bump.

"Yes Ma'am." Jaspers smile got bigger as he pulled open the refrigerator door.

Edward sat next to me as Jasper listed every ingredient available, pulling out what I had said yes to. Whilst my appetite was rather broad these days and I craved certain foods at ridiculous times, I had yet to have any odd cravings. I was a little disappointed about that, since everyone always told me that I would be asking for stupid things like oranges dipped in mayonnaise or something, and though it sounded disgusting, to me it was a part of being pregnant. It would be the only time I wouldn't think twice about eating something so horrible, or freaking Edward out with it either.

"FINE!" I heard Rose shout. "That's fine, us girls will go somewhere else, even better."

"Don't try and use reverse psychology on me Rosie, there is no where better than Joe's." Emmett replied.

"Maybe not for you guys, but since the plan was to have a nice quiet evening in Joe's, and you're not happy with it, then we might as well go all out and head to that new male strip club."

This was the first I had heard about a new male strip club opening up. Rose or Alice had never mentioned it before, and I was sure had there actually been one, there wouldn't have been an argument about where we were going. But Emmett, dear poor Emmett walked straight into it.

"Er, I think not babe. You are not taking my baby into a place like that. The guys who work in places like that are probably crawling with every STD known to man."

I turned to look at both Edward and Jasper, but found them both concentrating fully on the argument now. Neither looked particularly happy at where this argument was heading. Both actually looked as though they were gearing up for stepping in.

"Well it's either there or Joe's." Rose told him. "And just think babe, at least at Joe's, you know we'll be ok, no-one will pop anything into our drinks, and you can even come pick us up at the end of the night." Her tone softened completely, enough so that I could barely hear her.

That was clearly the end of that argument. Even if she hadn't been using reverse psychology and had actually decided to change her mind and go somewhere else, now she had mentioned how much safer we would be in Joe's, the guys wouldn't even think about letting us go else where. It was amazing how protective the three of them could be.

"I think I ought to apologize in advance in case I get like Rose." I told Edward on the drive home later that evening.

"Baby, I don't think you could ever get quite a bad as Rose." He chuckled. "Besides, we've got a few weeks before we have to worry about that... right?"

Edward had been brilliant, he was always so on top of things. Even when he hadn't needed to attend my first appointment, he excitedly accepted the invitation to come with me, Em and Rose, stating that at least he would know what to expect if he was needed in the future. He was always on top of my cravings, and what made me sick. He practically begged me every night to make sure I woke him if I had any cravings during the night.

After that night a few weeks ago when he had caught me coming back in after going to the store, I hadn't even dared to think of venturing out, and for the most part, if I had a craving of something we didn't have, I made myself go without. Edward may have been willing to go and get me things, but I was not willing to ask him.

At nearly eleven weeks pregnant, I had a barely there bump, that honestly, unless you looked really carefully, you couldn't see. Compared to Rose though, who was now about eighteen weeks pregnant, I was tiny. Rose's bump seemed to appear overnight, to the point unless she tried to hide it, it was obvious. The part she had hated though was the in-between, when people had assumed she was just putting on weight.

Another argument she and Emmett seemed to be having lately was whether or not to find out the sex of the baby at their appointment in a few weeks. Rose wanted to know, and Emmett didn't. This was one argument he wasn't backing down on though. He was determined he wanted them both to be surprised, since it seemed to be a theme with their baby. It was an argument that only ever seemed to be brought up whenever anyone asked, so thankfully we had all learnt pretty quickly to stay quiet about it.

"I'm not sure. I mean all the books say mood swings happen during the first trimester, but Rose is well into her second now. Your Mom told us that she never really had many with you and Em, but with Alice she had them the whole way through." I told him.

"Why doesn't that surprise me." Edward chuckled.

"She thinks Rose is going to have a girl."

"Do you wanna know?" He asked. "About Pip I mean?"

It was a little bit of an odd question really. Did I want to know? Did I have the right to say I wanted to know? Would it really matter if I did know? It wasn't like I had to go and paint a nursery or anything, or buy clothes. I knew if I told Em and Rose that I wanted to know, they would allow me that privilege, whether it was right or wrong.

"I guess I don't mind. So long as it's a healthy, happy baby and I don't kill anyone during labour." I joked. "I suppose having the opposite to Em and Rose would be nice."

"I think Em secretly wants both to be girls." Edward told me.

"And here I thought he had his hands full with Rose." I chuckled.

The rest of the week went by without incident, my morning sickness now seemed to be settling down a little, which really didn't say much considering most days I spent a good hour in the bathroom, and even then trips throughout the day followed. Whilst Rose seemingly had minimal morning sickness, it seemed as though I made up for the both of us. I just hoped I wasn't going to have morning sickness throughout my pregnancy, I'd had enough of the whole throwing up gig.

Alice had been constantly calling me nearly all week, checking daily to see if I had made my mind up on what I was wearing yet. Each time she called, I tried to tell her that I had an idea but being pregnant it really meant what would fit. I knew she was desperate to tell me what she wanted me to wear, but I had warned her, that now I was developing a bump, I would wear what I was comfortable in. she must have taken the warning and managed to rein in her inner control freak.

"You'll be careful tonight... right?" Edward asked, as he drove us both to Em and Rose's where we were meeting the rest of his family to start off the nights celebration.

I have to say, I found it completely sweet that he was worrying like he was over me. He could be so overprotective at times, and sometimes I found it so annoying, but having someone to worry about me, at the same time, was nice. It had been a long time since I had anyone do that. Sure my Dad worried about me, and I knew he always would, but with him being a long drive away, it was different.

We had been living together for over a month now. It had been so easy to live with him. He was like the perfect male. He was tidy, he knew how to cook, he was caring, and best of all, in the whole time I had lived with him, hell even longer, probably since meeting him, I hadn't known him to ever go out on a date. It was selfish of me, but I hoped he never would. It was one thing to live with him, spend time with him and know I couldn't have him, but seeing him with someone who could, I think that would probably break my heart.

"Yes Dad." I replied jokingly, before becoming serious and turning to look at him. "I will probably be spending most of my night sat with your Mom, and since I can't really drink, I doubt there is much trouble I can get myself into."

"Yeah well, when I get to Joe's later, if I find so much as a scraped knee on you, there will be trouble." And I had no doubt that he would mean it.

"Is that a threat or a promise." I teased.

This was how it always was between us. It was always playful flirting, and try as I might, he never seemed to get the hint to take it further, which really only made me realize that he didn't see me as anything but a good friend, maybe even a sister. I spent my nights wishing and praying he would wake up and feel even a portion for me, that I felt for him, but it never happened.

Angela swore up and down that he did, citing that no man would do, the amount of things he had done for me, without there being feelings in there somewhere. For the sake of my heart though, I couldn't allow myself to believe her. I was scared to death to believe. Because no matter what right now, I needed him, I needed him to keep me sane, to keep me grounded.

I was a selfish, selfish person. But regardless I wanted and needed him in my life, in whatever capacity he was willing to be in it. So right now, I was taking everything he offered.

"You'll have to wait and see." He winked at me cheekily.

He really had no idea how much just winking at me, affected me. How much I wished he words were the truth, and not just said in jest.

"Oh Bella, you look lovely." Esme told me, as we both walked into Em and Rose's living room.

Esme looked far younger than her years. She didn't look a day older than thirty in her rich burgundy dress. It was a fitted bodice with thick collared straps, that showed ample but tasteful amount of cleavage, and lead to a pencil skirt. It showed her every womanly curve, that honestly didn't look as though had bore one child, let alone three. Her chestnut hair hung loosely in big curls, bounding lightly on her shoulders. She looked amazing for her late forties.

"Thank you, you look amazing." I entered into her hug.

I loved hugging Esme. Like with Edward, there was a feeing of safety in her arms, but there was more too. I guessed it was the motherly affection, something until meeting Esme, I had never experienced. Sure I had, had my Gran but her hugs had always been those of a Gran looking at a Grandchild, it had never been the same as a I imagined a Mothers embrace would be.

"Yeah Ma, you look great." Edward embraced his Mom as I greeted Carlisle with a hug.

"Well thank you. It isn't every day your only daughter is having a hen night." Yeah, she definitely was not going to look like Alice's Mom tonight.

I actually felt a little under dressed by her side. I had been shopping on my lunch hour with Angela the day before. It hadn't been a good day, morning sickness had really knocked me on my ass, and the last thing I had wanted to do was troll the stores looking for the perfect dress. But I had left it too late to say 'oh it'll wait for another day'. In the end I had picked the a one shouldered, deep purple knee length dress. I nearly hadn't tried it on, since it's slinky material would most likely cling to me. Whilst I wasn't ashamed of my tiny little bump, it wasn't like I was wanting to show it off just yet. It thankfully hadn't, and without wasting any more time, much to Angela's chagrin, I bought it.

Of course, it wasn't until I had started to get ready earlier that I realized I had no accessories, to go with it, and without I would looking incredibly plain, too plain, plain enough to stick out. So with panic registering, I had called Rose, described the dress and hoped she had something to go with it.

And here the blonde bombshell was now. As usual she looked immaculate in her pale royal blue dress, that floated down to just below her knee's. Clearly wanting to showcase her pregnancy tonight, the dress accentuated all the right things. The tick straps lead to a crossover neckline, that showed just the right amount of cleavage. It had an empire waist, a matching blue sash, which showcased her pregnancy in a classy way. There would probably be millions of pregnant women who would be jealous of her, and how she managed to look so flawless, and I would probably be one of them in time too.

She greeted me with a hug, before offering me some silver bangles and earrings. I thanked her and put them on, whilst listening to Rose update Esme on her pregnancy. Watching her talk about not only the baby she was carrying, but Pip too, and how she was thinking of going shopping in a few weeks, made me feel at ease. All my previous worries about how Em and Rose wouldn't want Pip, got less and less as time went on.

"And how are you doing Bella dear?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, so far so good. I just wish Pip here would ease up on the morning sickness some, since it's not quite just morning sickness is it." I playful chastised Pip while gently rubbing.

"You know what they say though, an easy pregnancy is usually a hard labour and vice versa." Esme told us.

I couldn't help contain my laughter as Rose's face dropped. Compared to my own, her pregnancy had been particularly easy going so far. The idea of having an easy labour was a welcome one though. I was pretty much prepared for whatever, but I can't really say it was something I was looking forward to.

"And the Hen is here." Alice called as she swept into the room. "I thought it only fitting the little black dress came out to play one final time as a single woman." She spun showcasing said dress, that was strapless, with a thin white strap just under her chest, and fell to mid thigh.

"So long as said dress remembers it is engaged." Jasper pecked her cheek as he sidestepped her, greeting Esme and his sister in turn. "Bell, you look amazing." He pecked my cheek and gave me a quick hug before heading to greet the guys.

We headed outside to wait for our cabs, where the guys each began warning us all to remain safe, to call them if we needed to, and they would meet back up with us at Joe's. Edward held my elbow as he pulled us both a few steps away from the group. He reached into his pocket, retrieving a credit card, offering it to me. I couldn't believe he was doing what I thought he was doing.

"No." I told him, giving his hand a gentle nudge away from me.

"Bella, please." He pleaded. "I'm not asking you to use it, I'm just asking you to carry it. You know for emergency use. It would... it would just make me feel better, knowing you had it."

"I have money for emergencies. Besides we're at Joe's how much trouble can we even get in?" He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly remembering the last time we were there, and the time before that. "Ok, fine, enough trouble, but I do have my own money." I told him, just as the cabs pulled up.

"C'mon Bella." Rose called. "You'll see lover boy in less than four hours."

Lover boy?

"Please Bella." Edward distracted me from over thinking Rose's words.

"Fine." I gave in quickly, knowing everyone was waiting for us, and he wouldn't back down.

"Thank you." He told me, watching with eagle eyes as I put it in my purse, then walked me over to the cab the girls had climbed into. "Be safe." He told me, kissing my cheek. "Behave ladies." He bent his head into the car, looking pointedly at both Rose and Alice, both of whom snickered. I felt like I was missing out on something.

Before I had chance to ask what the exchange between Rose, Alice and Edward had been about, Alice announced loudly, and giddily, that Alec had ok'd it for the karaoke machine to be used. I internally groaned at that, knowing they were bound to at some point force me up there to sing. I was still unsure whether or not I was going to sing for Alice on her wedding day. The song had been picked, and I had even practised a little with Edward, but in true Edward fashion, he had arranged for me to be able to back out at any time. He had personally called the DJ Alice had hired and told him everything. So it was all down to how I felt on the day, though I was pretty much admitting to myself, that I would probably end up doing it since Alice wanted me to so much.

When we got to the bar, Alec had reserved a few tables in the corner of the room, nearest the bar and stage for Alice. There were a few other guests there already, all of whom I was told knew Alice from either work or college. Even Angela was there waiting. The two had met a few weeks back and got along famously, and as it turned out, one of Angela's friends from college, had also been close friends with Alice.

We were introduced to everyone, though I knew there would be no way I would remember everyone's names. The girls dressed Alice in a sash that read 'Bride to be' and handed out headbands with penis' wobbling on springs.

Without being able to drink and get Dutch courage, I found it difficult to jump head first into all the dances. I had never really been one of those people who could be the first on the dance floor, but without that bit of a buzz I felt like I was really struggling. Rose too it seemed was struggling, and sat beside me as we both sipped on plain soda, giggling as we watched Esme down a few shots and take to the dance floor. It was clear Alice got her confidence from her Mom, as Esme certainly was anything but shy.

As the night progressed both myself and Rose bit the bullet and joined everyone on the dance floor. Whilst I was still a little self conscious, now that the small dance floor was jam packed with bodies, I didn't feel quite as conscious as earlier. Alice was completely wasted, bouncing from person to person, and each song she had gotten up to sing had progressively got more and more out of tune. Rose managed to drag me up to sing R.E.S.P.E.C.T with her, which Alice also joined in on halfway through.

"Oh good lord, my feet are killing. I can't believe I used to do this every weekend in my younger years." Esme giggled as she slid onto a stool beside myself and Rose, who also had needed to rest.

Esme was it seemed, was a little worse for wear. For the most part, she had kept up with the younger girls in the group, matching them drink for drink. It was incredibly funny, seeing her this drunk. I suppose we should ideally have stopped her before now, but who were we to put the brakes on her fun, and as she had said earlier, it's not every day Alice was having a hen party. She downed another few drinks and took off again. I now knew where Alice got her energy from.

For the following two hours, myself and Rose stuck together, dancing for a few songs at a time, before having a sit down. Rose's feet were beginning to swell, and in one bathroom break I had, had to help her loosen the straps on her ridiculously high sandals. By the time it hit midnight, she'd had enough and I wasn't far behind. Most of the girls in Alice's party had either called it a night, or had gone on elsewhere, which whilst I thought was a little rude considering it was meant to be Alice's night, I could also understand it considering Joe's wasn't exactly a high end club. Alice was beginning to lag as was Angela, however Esme was still very much in the game. I had lost count of how many men she had danced with, and there were about five napkins with numbers on that she had been given through the course of the night. It gave me hope yet, that I wouldn't be single forever.

"Ugh, I hope the guys hurry up and get here, my feet are killing, and my god, I'm getting hornier by the second just watching Esme dance with that guy." Rose admitted.

Being half way through a sip of the mocktail I had been drinking when it registered exactly what she had just said. I inhaled the mouthful rather than spit it everywhere, and immediately began coughing and choking.

"Just you wait for another few weeks, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about." Rose told me.

"Another few weeks for what?" Esme snook up behind us.

"Bella to start being insatiable." Rose told her.

"Oh yes, I remember when I was pregnant, Carlisle would..."

"I think I need to go to the bathroom." I darted up from my chair and away from the two of them before I either heard more, or they followed. Even worse if they did both.

I so didn't need to know details about Rose and Em's sex life, let alone Esme and Carlisle's. That was just more information than a person needed to know. I wasn't a prude by far, but I had to look these people in the eye, and having the visuals about their bedroom antics and skills was not going to help.

When I returned from the bathroom, I headed to the bar, requesting another Shirley Temple. Rose was now sat alone, so I requested another for her, hoping she was right when she said she hoped the guys wouldn't be too long. I was tired, and hungry now, and just generally ready to go home with Edward, even if it was to separate beds.

"Hellooooo..." Oh good God, Esme was stood on the stage, microphone in hand tapping at it as if doing a sound check. "This is for... for my um..my three girls Ali baby, Rosie and Bells." Yeah she was way past drunk now.

The first chords of the music started, and I thought I recognised it, but I was distracted by the fact she had called me one of her girls. The thought warmed my insides, I had never really had a mother figure, well not since my Gran passed away when I was six.

"I love myself; I want you to love me
When I feel down; I want you above me
I search myself; I want you to find me
I forget myself; I want you to remind me."

Oh my God, I can't believe she is going to sing what I think she is going to sing.

"I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself
Ooh I don't want anybody else Oh no, oh no, oh no

You're the one who makes me come runnin'
You're the sun who makes me shine
When you're around I'm always laughin'
I want to make you mine

I close my eyes and see you before me
Think I would die if you were to ignore me
A fool could see just how much I adore you
I'd get down on my knees; I'd do anything for you

I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself
ahh ohh I don't want anybody else
oh no oh on oh no yeah."

As embarrassing as the song was, Esme did actually have a decent voice, and I could imagine it would be even better had she not been drunk. It was hard not to cheer her on when she was having such a good time up there. Even a few of the younger men that had yet to leave were clearly enjoying her performance. I was just grateful she wasn't attempting to do the actions along with the song.

"I love myself; I want you to love me
When I feel down; I want you above me
I search myself; I want you to find me
I forget myself; I want you to remind me

I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself
ahh ohh I don't want anybody else
oh no oh no oh no

I want you
I don't want anybody else
and when I think about you; I touch myself
ooh ooooh ooooh aaaaahhhh."

"Oh my God!" Emmett's voice boomed from somewhere behind me.

"I think I'm scarred for life." Edward sidled up beside me.

"I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself
Ooh I don't want anybody else
When I think about you I touch myself

I touch myself
I touch myself
I touch myself
I touch myself
I touch myself
I touch myself

I honestly do
I touch myself
I touch myself." She thankfully finished the song, much to relief of Emmett and Edward.

"Hey," I turned to greet Edward.

"Has she been like this all night?" Edward asked, kissing my cheek.

"That was the first song she's sung all night, but she's been on the dance floor pretty much the whole time." I informed him, taking a sip of my drink.

"Hey, you aren't meant to be drinking." He told me, reaching to take the glass.

"It's a Shirley Temple." I replied ignoring his reaching hand and took another sip.

Having Edward beside me, I felt much better. I knew I would though. I was like a lost puppy when I wasn't near him, I almost pined for closeness from him. It was ridiculously pathetic really, I knew we were and would never be more than friends, but I also knew to outsiders we probably looked much more than that, and selfishly I wanted them to think that. I wanted other girls to give him a wide berth and think he was taken.

"Oh my boys." Esme screeched into the microphone. "Let me sing you a song." She immediately turned and began flicking through the choices.

"Jesus, go drag the woman off of the stage." Emmett hissed.

I hated to break it to him, but even drunk, she'd probably whip his behind for even trying. The thing I had learnt about Esme was, drunk or not, if she was determined to do something, she was going to do it regardless. Besides I doubt she could find a more embarrassing song than the previous one.

"Yeah, yeah (Oooo)
Uh, hey hey
All right, yeah
Oooo

What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man,"

And yet she somehow managed it.

"Dad, do something." Emmett groaned.

"Aww leave her alone, she's having fun." Rose defended her.

Whilst I was with Rose in some sense, she was having fun, and it wasn't like she was hurting anyone, but I really couldn't see Esme managing to rap.

"And what would you like me to do Emmett?" Carlisle asked.

"I wanna take a minute or two, and give much respect due
To the man that's made a difference in my world
And although most men are ho's he flows on the down low
Cuz I never heard about him with another girl
But I don't sweat it because it's just pathetic
To let it get me involved in that he said/she said crowd
I know that ain't nobody perfect, I give props to those who deserve it
And believe me y'all, he's worth it
So here's to the future cuz we got through the past
I finally found somebody that can make me laugh
(Ha ha ha) You so crazy
I think I wanna have your baby

I just couldn't refrain myself from sticking my fingers in my mouth and letting out a shrill whistle for her. She certainly wasn't doing a good job of the rapping, but hey you have to give it to her for trying, and I don't think there was anyone in the crowd displeased with her performance.

"Bella, Jesus don't encourage her." Emmett whined.

"Oh shut up Em, she's having fun." Rose bit back before I could reply.

"My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass
A body like Arnold with a Denzel face

He's smart like a doctor with a real good rep
And when he comes home he's relaxed with Pep
He always got a gift for me every time I see him
A lot of snot-nosed ex-flames couldn't be him
He never ran a corny line once to me yet
So I give him stuff that he'll never forget
He keeps me on Cloud Nine just like the Temps
He's not a fake wannabe tryin' to be a pimp
He dresses like a dapper don, but even in jeans
He's a God-sent original, the man of my dreams

Yes, my man says he loves me, never says he loves me not
Tryin' to rush me good and touch me in the right spot
See other guys that I've had, they tried to play all that mac shit
But every time they tried I said, "That's not it"
But not this man, he's got the right potion
Baby, rub it down and make it smooth like lotion
Yeah, the ritual, highway to heaven
From seven to seven he's got me open like Seven Eleven
And yes, it's me that he's always choosin'
With him I'm never losin', and he knows that my name is not Susan
He always has heavy conversation for the mind
Which means a lot to me cuz good men are hard to find,"

Alice, Jasper, Alec and Seth had by now joined us. Alice looked toward her Mom proudly, but then again she was drunk enough to be tone deaf, and was clearly not bothered by anything around her at all. Esme waved toward us, clearly believing in her drunken state she was singing perfectly well.

"Dad... please, I beg you, go and make sure she doesn't sing another." Edward begged, automatically reaching for my drink, and downing some. "Ugh, I need something stronger than this." He pulled a face, placing my drink and heading straight for the bar.

"Welcome to my world." I told him teasingly.

"Fine," Carlisle groaned, probably knowing how difficult it was going to be to pull her away.

"What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man

My man gives real loving that's why I call him Killer
He's not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, he's a thriller
He takes his time and does everything right
Knocks me out with one shot for the rest of the night
He's a real smooth brother, never in a rush
And he gives me goose pimples with every single touch
Spends quality time with his kids when he can
Secure in his manhood cuz he's a real man
A lover and a fighter and he'll knock a knucker out
Don't take him for a sucker cuz that's not what he's about
Every time I need him, he always got my back
Never disrespectful cuz his mama taught him that

And with that, she finally finished. I whistled loudly for her, before nudging Edward in his stomach to clap for his Mom. She may wake up in the morning and feel completely embarrassed but the least he could do would be to clap for her. Rose did the same to Emmett who rolled his eyes but began clapping anyway, joined by everyone else.

"Oh that was so much fun." Esme declared when she returned a few minutes later with Carlisle.

"You sounded great Mrs. Cullen." Alec told her.

I struggled to hide my huge smile at how sincere Alec sounded. Emmett coughed, clearly trying to hide his own laughter. Thankfully Esme took Carlisle to the bar and then hit the dance floor with him. There was truly no stopping her. I was actually rather jealous of her stamina.

"You have fun?" Edward asked, his hand constantly on my lower back, as he moved to sit beside me.

"Yeah, it's been ok, a lot more tiring than it used to be though."

"Hey Baby Bell, how's it going?" Seth came over and kissed my cheek.

We sat around talking for a while, watching with amusement as Esme dragged Carlisle up on the floor to dance. He lasted two songs before he talked her into leaving. She did so with a grand exit, waving to everyone, thanking anyone in the room that was paying her any attention for a great evening. I almost felt sorry for Carlisle having to deal with her when they got home. I said almost.

"Babe, I am so ready for home." Rose told Emmett.

After a few minutes, Emmett and Rose rounded the last two members of our original party up. Alice was by far worse than Esme, barely being able to sit still as Jasper explained it was time to go home. She just nodded and began whispering things to him, that I was almost positively sure I didn't want to know about.

"You ready to go home Baby?" Edward asked, pulling me away from my conversation with Alec and Seth.

I nodded and began bidding goodnight to Seth and Alec, who both looked as though they were both ready to head on home, but unfortunately for them, Alec had to lock up the bar, which didn't close for another hour.
Alice seemed to be the only one out of our group who wasn't dead on her feet, looking at Rose and she looked more uncomfortable than tired, whereas I just felt bone tired, my brain still quite active.

"I'm starving." Emmett announced.

At the mention of food, my stomach gurgled hungrily. I announced quickly that Pip was too, seeing Emmett's eyes brighten in the knowledge that whilst everyone may have told him no to going somewhere, no-one would decline me and Pip. With a sigh, Edward lead the way to a near by takeaway, selling fried chicken. Just smelling the aroma in the air, my mouth watered at the prospect. I rushed forward to Emmett, jumping on his back and telling him to 'g-up'. With a laugh he took off running the last few hundred yards into the small restaurant.
I opened my purse to grab some money for food, when all the napkins with phone numbers, that Esme had given me to keep throughout the night dropped out onto the floor. Edward bent to pick them up for me, his jaw tense when he went to pass them back.

"They're your Mom's." I told him, not fully understanding why he seemed so mad suddenly. "Why on Earth, would a guy want to give a pregnant woman his number?"

"You really want me to answer that Baby?" He asked, as he stuffed the napkins in his pocket. "Insurance." he answered, when I raised my eyebrow questioningly over his action, causing us to laugh as Emmett walked into the takeaway with me still on his back.

After a fifteen minute wait, we exited in the same way we entered, bar the bucket of chicken we each carried in our hands. Mine had taken the longest since I had practically demanded only boneless chicken. At first the guy wasn't going to allow it, but after giving him the stern look and telling him he was denying a pregnant woman her craving, he caved.

"Eww Bella, you're dripping grease on my neck." Emmett whined.

"Sowwy." I replied through a mouthful of chicken, not really caring.

I offered my bucket around, though each and every single one of them looked mildly disgusted the moment they peered into the buckets. Rose actually looked as though she was going to be sick the moment Emmett thrust his bucket toward her, offering her some of the greasy goodness. I had pretty much finished my bucket when I decided both me and Pip had, had enough, and whilst I was tempted to take it home and use it for lunch or dinner tomorrow, or rather later as it was now past midnight, I didn't think it would look quite so appetising then.
It didn't take us long to hail a few cabs, but Edward and I had the misfortune of sharing one with Alice and Jasper. We were however lucky that we were the first drop off, since Alice didn't seem to come up for air the whole way home. I bid Jasper goodnight and good luck with a peck to his cheek and practically barged Edward out of the way so I could exit the cab first, causing both he and Jasper to laugh at my eagerness. Alice screamed her good nights out of the window as the cab drove away, making me feel really sorry for Jasper.
Neither Edward nor I said anything on our trip up in the elevator, but I watched both of our figures in the mirror. I have to admit I liked how we looked together. Edward did however look much better than I, and in some ways you could see how unsuited we were. He was gorgeous, sexy, practically a God, and I was just plain, simple, neither ugly or drop dead gorgeous, pretty would probably some me up. But seeing us stood like this, going home together, I couldn't help but imagine that we were actually together, rather than just two friends, heading to our temporary shared home.
I wished that it was a possibility for us to be an 'us', but I wasn't naïve enough to know it wasn't anything more than a simple dream. Neither was I stupid enough to know, the more time I spent with Edward, the more I wanted the unobtainable. From the moment I had met Edward, I had wanted him, not just in a sexual way, but in every way imaginable. He could make my panties wet, just by smiling that crooked smile of his, but as time went on, it was getting worse. I knew I had to start looking for a new place to live, I was dreaming too much, setting myself up for more hurt.

"Well, goodnight." I turned to Edward after he finished locking up behind us.

"Night." He kissed my forehead gently, whilst embracing me.

As had become our 'thing' lately, we held each other there for longer than one would call a friendly embrace, neither of us seeming to want to make a move away from each other. In a rather daring move for myself, I pulled back slightly, looking up into his face. I was almost startled to find him looking straight back at me, our eyes meeting and locking with each other.
A million things flew through my mind at that moment, but I was most aware of the fact that the hold we had on each was much more of a lovers embrace than that of two friends, even close friends. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite recognise, and I felt sure that if he was to lean forward, even a mere inch, our lips would touch. And how I wanted that. Obviously for selfish reasons, even knowing it wasn't something he would want, but for me, it was all I wanted.
A little voice in my head began whispering that I shouldn't allow it. Kissing him would be like eating a forbidden fruit. One bite would never satiate the hunger, just like one kiss would never satiate the need. It would leave me wanting more, needing more, much more than he would want to give.
I tried to fight against the little voice, but it kept getting louder and louder, until I did begin to pull away, stuttering incoherently about getting to bed. I could feel the redness in my cheeks growing, feeling sheer embarrassment at allowing myself a moment of weakness. A moment where I had let my dreams get the better of me.

"Bella?" Edward spoke softly, gathering my attention.

I had barely had time to look up at him, before I felt his lips softly brush against my own.

Ha ha, I think I'll leave it there. Hmm so what will happen next I wonder? Don't forget to check out my profile for the links for the pictures of the girls dresses. Please leave me some feedback as to what you think, and you shall be rewarded with a teaser :p Thank you in advance :D