Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I own about a million photo albums from my youth I'd like to burn and a pretty fun board game called "Moods."

Chapter Twenty-One

BPOV

I called Alice that night, after Edward left. We'd determined that as much as we loved spending the night together, we both needed a… rest… and I had a ton of grading to do. So, in true Edward fashion, he'd made certain my body would be craving his by simply kissing me chastely as he dropped me off. Not even a boob grope or any tongue action.

Freaking frustrating sex god boyfriend.

At least I knew he'd be missing me as much as I missed him. He couldn't hide the rather conspicuous tent forming in his pants as I got out of the Volvo and made sure to wiggle my hips.

"Bella!" Alice sang, pulling me from that line of thought.

"Hey, Ali," I began. Please have a dress for me, please have a dress for me…

"How did dinner with my parents go this time?"

I groaned. "Guess who made an unwelcome appearance, again."

She gasped. "No way! That bitch must have a death wish!" She paused for a second, then asked giddily, "Did she kiss Edward?"

"No!" I yelled. "Why would she do that?"

"Oh," Alice said, her enthusiasm lessened. It sounded like she wanted Tanya to kiss him, or something. She waited a second, then asked much more happily, "Did you at least get a hit in this time?"

"You know it. First, Esme called her out at the dinner table and she stormed off. Then, it was like she was waiting for us outside, how creeper is that, because as soon as Edward and I got to the car, she walked up. I'd finally had enough and told her to get the hell out of Dodge, and fast, and I was congratulating myself on being Gandhi and non-violent when she said I was just another piece of trash Edward was going to throw away."

Alice gasped again, much more loudly. "That whore! You just wait till I get my hands on her!"

"Not necessary. I pulled back and slapped her, leaving a good mark, then told her she better skedaddle if she didn't want a matching one on the other side." I couldn't hide the pride in my voice. Look at Bella Swan now! Fighting for her man and shit. More importantly, not letting people walk all over her anymore.

I am a doormat no longer, New Bella proclaimed. Old Bella disappeared in a poof of smoke while New Bella danced around to "I am Woman."

"Good job, Bella!" Alice exclaimed. "I bet she's afraid of you now."

"Yep," I agreed. "Girls like her can't handle getting their facials messed up. And next time, I'm going for the nose."

"Ooo, and that ain't cheap to fix."

"Damn straight." Who knew I could discuss punching someone so calmly? "But that wasn't the reason I was calling." Please have a dress for me, please have a dress for me…

"You are in need of an Alice Cullen original, aren't you?" she asked, humor in her voice.

"You know me too well," I replied. Thank God. She would not find this funny if she didn't already have a dress for me, one she'd probably been working on for weeks.

"Lucky for you, I do," she answered. "And it might just be my best creation yet. Edward's going to flip his shit when he sees you."

I sighed. No doubt it was gorgeous, but as the saying goes, beauty is pain. I could only imagine how little breathing I'd get done in the sure-to-be-skintight dress as I focused on not tripping in whatever death traps Alice had conjured for my feet. "As long as it's presentable for the ribbon cutting. This will be the first time Edward and I are out in public as a couple with your society people."

She laughed. "You sound just like Jasper. These 'people' are going to be your people soon, Bells."

I warmed at the thought, then quickly tamped it down. Edward had said nothing concrete about our future, and I was a fool if I thought someone as amazing as he would want someone like me for forever. Despite his proclamations that I was "it for him," I wasn't born yesterday. I was most certainly on a timer that was ticking down, so I was taking what I could get while I still had it. "Whatever you say, Ali," I croaked, trying not to convey my sadness at the thought that "these people" would never be my people, even if I wanted them to be… which I didn't.

"Just come on over tomorrow night and I'll fit it to you," Alice commanded.

"You mean you don't have it perfectly matched to my measurements already?" I teased.

She huffed in indignation. "Of course it's already perfect. I just want to see you in it so I can determine how I'm doing your hair and makeup. Right now I'm torn between a sex kitten-Jenna Jameson look but less slutty and a Princess Di perfection without the tiara. "

"Alright, I'll be there around eight," I promised. I couldn't wait to see what Alice had cooked up for me.

We hung up and I graded papers for a couple of hours. It was around ten now, and I was missing Edward something fierce, when a familiar ring tone sounded.

I'm telling you to

Loosen up my buttons babe (uh huh)

But you keep frontin'

Sayin' what you're gonna do to me (uh huh)

But I ain't seen nothin'

I grinned and answered sultrily, "Hey there, handsome."

"Hello yourself, gorgeous," Edward's velvet voice came across the line. My nipples automatically tightened in response.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, my voice dripping with sex. Damn, I'd had him only last night- when did I become such a nympho?

He chuckled. "There's a whole lot you can do for me, love," he said. "But I was only calling to wish you a goodnight. I miss you."

I smiled broadly. "I miss you, too."

"Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night, just us? There's this new Mexican restaurant I've been dying to try."

"Aw, I would love to, but I promised Alice I'd be at her place at eight to try on my dress for the ribbon cutting."

"Can I come?" Edward asked.

"Of course not! You'd ruin the effect for when you see me on Saturday night."

"But that will make it two nights in a row I'm not holding you," he pouted, sounding just like a five year old who'd been denied a second cookie.

"I thought absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"My heart couldn't grow any fonder of you if it tried," he declared sweetly. "What if I just came over whenever you get back to your place?"

I decided to tease him a bit more. "But I'll be so tired, and I need my beauty sleep for the big ceremony the next day."

He sighed, obviously frustrated. "Fine. I guess I'll just have to take… matters… into my own hands."

"Edward!" I yelled into the phone. "Don't you dare jack off! The only hands that should be touching little Eddie are mine and mine alone!"

"But if I wait two more days I'll have a serious case of blue balls," he whined.

"Fine, fine, I'll call you when I'm done at Alice's," I gave in. As he laughed, I realized he'd been faking his "illness." Two days has never killed any man, no matter how much they try to convince you different. Still, I couldn't find it in myself to care. Two days was a long time for New Bella the Nympho, too.

"I love you, Bella," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

My eyes watered; that simple sentiment never failed to get me. "I love you, too, Edward."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think you've outdone yourself, Ali," I whispered, completely taken aback by the absolutely perfect dress I'd just donned.

She smirked. "I told you this was my best creation yet. I'll be taking commissions for weeks after everybody sees you in this."

It wasn't as skintight as I'd thought it would be. It clung to all my curves before flaring out just below my hips, creating a very pretty hourglass shape. The color was a deep turquoise, setting off my creamy skin nicely, and the sweetheart strapless neckline emphasized my breasts, which Edward would definitely be staring at all night. That is, if he could tear his eyes away from the slit up my right leg that was long enough to be sexy but short enough to be respectable. The whole dress shimmered in the light due to hundreds of tiny embedded crystals that were sparse at the top and grew in number closer to the hem.

I couldn't stop staring at myself in the huge mirror on Alice's bedroom wall. I looked amazing, if I do say so myself, and it wasn't just because of Alice's masterpiece dress. My whole being glowed, and it reminded me of Claire Danes in Stardust whenever she's kissing her hero- except my glow came from Edward.

Alice came up to stand beside me. "You're absolutely gorgeous. I don't even think I need to do your hair and makeup."

I laughed. "That might be an even better gift than this dress."

"I'm serious, Bells. You're stunning. You should do your own styling and let your natural beauty shine through." She put her right arm around me, careful not to step on the slight train of the dress, and hugged me.

"Do you think everyone will like me?" I asked quietly.

"Of course!" Alice exclaimed. "What's not to like? You're beautiful, smart, witty, and have a heart of gold."

I grimaced. "I'm sure I pale in comparison to the women that will be there. And I don't know how well I'll be able to handle coming face to face with some of Edward's past girlfriends." Especially if they looked anything like Tanya. Sure, her insides were ugly, but her exterior was model-like perfection.

Alice grabbed my shoulders to turn me to her. For such a little person, she sure was strong. "Listen to me, Bella. You will outshine every other woman there, including me, and that's saying a lot." She winked, then continued. "And no other woman there has ever been Edward's girlfriend."

"But I thought he was Seattle's number one bachelor, cutting a swath through all available women." The idea still made me queasy.

"I'm not going to pretend he was a saint before he met you, but the women he was with before you were more like… conquests. He's a changed man because of you. You're the only woman since Tanya he's given a title to, and you're definitely the only woman he's ever loved."

I was taken aback at that. "He was with Tanya for years, though."

"That doesn't mean he loved her. He never looked at her the way he looks at you. His heart is in his pretty green eyes."

That was true enough- I'd seen it myself. It made me glad it was so obvious to others, though.

Maybe that would keep those piranhas at bay.

Then again, maybe not. Edward was the Sexiest Man Alive, no offense to Hugh Jackman.

"I just don't want to embarrass myself or Edward at this thing. I know how important it is to your family," I told her after a moment.

Alice sighed. "The only person who should feel embarrassed at the ribbon cutting will be Tanya."

"Tanya?" I was confused.

"Yes, she'll be there. Edward didn't tell you? The Denalis are major donators to the hospital, too, and her family will be there."

My happiness from before evaporated instantly. Tanya's whole family will be there?

Now I was dreading the ceremony more than ever. Before I'd been worried about meeting all of the Cullen family friends and all the bigwigs of Seattle, but now I'd have to contend with a bitter Tanya and her family?

A knot began to form itself in my stomach.

AN: Somewhat of a cliffie, but the ribbon cutting ceremony will be next, and up soon. I know this chapter seems like filler, but I needed to portray Bella's mood before the big showdown. Thanks for reading, and review if you please! Especially since I'm home with the flu… :(