Bella POV.

Alice wound the rollers into my hair. I knew better than to argue with her and it's not like I could physically stop her. And I had to admit that despite my protestations whenever Alice worked her magic on me she got results. I never looked quite like me but I looked well, nonetheless.

"We won't go if you don't want to." Edward promised me.

"We're going Edward, no arguments. Esme and Carlisle are already looking forward to having the house to themselves. Besides, as leader of the winning team I get to pick what we do-" Alice spoke up.

"It was my team, Alice" he interjected but she dismissed that with a wave of her hand.

"It will be fun and just because this isn't your idea of a good time doesn't mean you should stop Bella. Your nobility doesn't fool me."

Edward let out an exasperated sigh. Surely he couldn't feel as frustrated as I did. At least he knew what was going on. I was completely bewildered and they were acting as if I wasn't even here.

"Excuse me!" I exclaimed. "Will someone please tell me where we are gong so I can make my mind up for myself?"

They both looked suitably ashamed and glared at each other accusingly. Then Edward smiled and Alice flipped on the ipod dock on the counter and skimmed through a song. I could make out a deep male voice and some synth beats

"Well?" I pressed. When the song reached the chorus she turned up the volume.

" Oh I got love for you,

if you were born in the eighties, the eighties"

Alice sang along, her high soprano voice lilting over the heavy beats. I was still none the wiser.

"In celebration of the decade of your birth-" Edward began.

"We're going to an eighties night!" Alice finished.

Well that wasn't what I expected.

"We don't have to go, Bella. We can go to your house instead." he insisted.

Another night alone with Edward was a tempting prospect. It was also likely to be fraught with tension that we couldn't quite relieve. Besides, Alice looked so excited and I had been neglecting our friendship lately. Even Edward didn't look completely adverse to the plan. Hadn't he said once that he liked eighties music?

"Do I really have a choice?" I asked.

"Yes," Edward smiled reassuringly. At the exact same moment Alice shook her head and said "No."

I sighed and nodded in acceptance. "Ok, count me in."

Alice grinned triumphantly at me in the mirror. Edward rolled his eyes. He leaned down and kissed my forehead before going off in search of food for me.

Getting ready took the rest of the day and to the Cullens it was serious business. Since they had lived through the era it was no wonder they were picky. At one stage, Emmett and Alice had a stand-up row about what was or wasn't acceptable. Apparently there was a fine line between embracing the style and looking like a reject from Miami Vice.

"Emmett, the look is inspired by the eighties. Take Bella for example. I gave her hair a bit more volume than usual. I did not give her a poodle perm. Do you see the difference?"

"What she means," explained Jasper. "Is that we will pretend we don't know you if you venture out in public in the stone-washed jeans you have had since 1983."

Wow. He had clothes that were older than me.

Rosalie, who had popped in to borrow Alice's peach blusher, caught the end of the conversation.

"What? I thought I told you to throw them away" she screeched.

"Trust me, Emmett. I can see the future. They will never come back into fashion." said Alice.

"And neither will that shell-suit you've stashed away." added Edward slyly. He had been notably silent throughout the whole debate.

Poor Emmett, he was getting it from all sides. He left the room, no doubt to try and rescue his old clothes from the trash , with Rosalie hot on his heels.

By the time the sun began to set we were all ready and assembled in the living room. Esme and Carlisle found the whole concept hilarious. Esme was poised with a camera and when Jasper protested she threatened to take out old photos of what he actually looked like in the eighties. We were all ready to go apart from Edward.

Emmett wore light-blue jeans, that were thankfully not stone-washed, and a pastel coloured polo-shirt. Jasper wore black slacks, a baggy white shirt and a black skinny tie. Rosalie wore a denim micro-mini with a powder-blue blazer, complete with shoulder pads. A pair of white stilettos finished off her outfit and her eye-shadow was the same colour as her jacket. She could even make power dressing look sexy. Alice had gone for the full-on Cyndi Lauper look, in a rah-rah skirt, footless fishnets and more beads than a Mardi Gras.

My own dress was white with a large royal blue floral print. It was strapless with a short full skirt that kicked out because of the netting under it. I actually really liked it and my 'big hair' wasn't even too bad. I was a little embarrassed because out of all the clothes Alice had ever given me, I liked the one that was in style over twenty years ago the best.

Edward finally strolled down the stairs then and as soon as he did Alice started giving out to him.

"That's not the outfit I picked Edward." She wasn't angry, she seemed genuinely upset that he was ignoring the effort she had made.

"No, it's not." he agreed. "I didn't wear that stuff the first time round and I am not about to start now."

He was dressed in jeans and a white top with a navy-blue jacket over it.

"You could have made some effort." she admonished.

He sighed dramatically and with a flourish, Edward pushed the sleeves of his jacket up to his elbows.

"Happy now?" he asked her, while Esme snapped candid shots.

"It'll do, I suppose." was her reply. Jasper was rubbing her arm and I suspected he was calming her down. Poor Alice really did take these kinds of things to seriously. In truth, I was relieved Edward was dressed more or less regularly. Logically, I knew over the years he would have dressed in whatever clothes were in fashion. It was important for them to blend in. But it wasn't something I ever wanted to picture or see evidence of.

We all piled into the Jeep for the journey,. I ended up seated on Edwards lap. It was comfortable but I would have preferred to go with him in the Volvo. We hadn't been in it since the night we went clubbing. I drifted off as I remembered the being pressed against him in the confined space of the backseat. I wouldn't have minded a repeat of that, minus the annoying cop of course. And the fainting. Next time I would remember the air-conditioning. It stirred a longing within me and I wondered if we would be able to sneak out to the Jeep for some privacy later. I shifted slightly on his lap and my face grew heated when I realised what I was planning.

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. I didn't know if it was in reaction to my blushing or the way I moved. His cool breath sent goosebumps down my neck when he whispered in my ear.

"Would you care to share what has you so hot and bothered?"

His words made my face flush even deeper. Edward skimmed his nose along my cheek while he waited for my answer. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. If I did he would see through my shameless lies.

"I'm just nervous about going out." I muttered.

"Do you know your heartbeat speeds up when you lie, Bella?" he asked, sweeping my hair over one shoulder so he could kiss the skin there. My heart pounded even more when he did that. I was also acutely aware that even though his family didn't appear to be paying attention they could hear every word. I tried to think of an adequate reply but the way he grazed his lips against my skin made it impossible to think of anything but him.

"I have great patience." he continued. "I can wait for you to tell me."

His hands travelled slightly upward from my waist so they were resting on my ribs.

"I'll tell you later!" I blurted out. "I promise. And I'll behave now, I'll sit still"

With great effort, I tried to extract myself from his arms. But if course, he wouldn't allow it.

"I'll look forward to that so," he said, locking his arms around my waist. "And I never asked you to stop."

I spent the rest of the car-ride trying to keep my thoughts straight. I was so distracted I didn't even feel any apprehension about the night out. I was trying to figure out what I could tell Edward later without sounding like a pervert. Or perhaps I could distract him so there was less talking and more kissing.

When I got out of the car the night air was still balmy. Edward took my hand and we walked towards the door of bar with the name 'Club Tropicana' above the door in garish green neon lights. Inside, we were seated in a booth and ordered some drinks and snacks to 'share' which really meant I was going to be stuffed by the end of the night.

The interior of the bar made no sense. It varied between the tropical theme, complete with fake palm trees and sickly coloured cocktails, and loud a neon clashing colours.

It was actually quite lively. Most people were laughing and chatting, clearly enjoying the sense of nostalgia. I got the distinct impression that this was the kind of place where anything goes There was a group of girls at the bar, dressed in leg-warmers and cut-off sweatshirts. One was wearing a fake veil and I realised they must have been a bachelorette party. I said a silent prayer that they weren't giving Alice any ideas. There was also a group of people in suits, who must have came straight from work.

There was an air of liberation and escapism in the atmosphere. I couldn't quite empathise with it but I could appreciate it.

"This place is tacky." complained Rosalie. Alice looked slightly offended by that.

"It's kitsch, not tacky Rose. Stop acting so whiny." she replied.

I had to stifle a smile. It was nice to see someone put Rosalie in her place every now and then. I sipped my drink and leaned into Edward who had his arm around my shoulder. I listened as Jasper and Rosalie got into a heated debate over which was better; Dallas or Dynasty? Being Texan, Jasper preferred Dallas while Rosalie preferred the opulent Carringtons. Emmett started telling me how Alice told them all who shot JR Ewing while they were waiting for the new season to begin. I laughed so hard I almost spit coke out my nose. The story was old to Edward but he looked just as amused as I did. I think he got the most pleasure out of seeing me happy.

Then a voice came out of the speaker and it drowned out the sounds of our chatting. I had no choice but to listen to the MC. But the announcement left me gob-smacked. I should have known that the simplicity of the night was too good to be true. I looked accusingly at Edward who only smiled in response. It was something I dreaded even more than dancing.

A karaoke night. An eighties karaoke night.

"You could have warned me" I hissed at Edward.

"There are posters everywhere, Bella. I can't help it if you are unobservant." he answered. "Plus no-one's going to force you to sing." He directed that last line at Alice.

A sensation of calm crept over me courtesy of Jasper and I sat back to watch the fun commence. I had to admit that watching drunk people sing cheesy songs was quite entertaining. The leg-warmer girls sang the theme from Fame. The suit people seemed to take the whole thing seriously and all took a turn at the mic.

When Alice decided to sing, she danced up to the raised stage. She performed 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' with an incredible combination of grace and energy. It was infectious and the song suited her perfectly. Rosalie strutted up next and several jaws dropped in her wake. She belted out 'I Think We're Alone Now' and even though all eyes were on her, she was focused solely on Emmett as she sang. I pitied whoever would follow her. The two girls looked and sounded better than anyone else could hope to.

Across the table, Japer and Emmett were shaking hands and had thrown bills on the table. Hundred dollar bills.

"They're betting over who will get a better reaction from the crowd," explained Edward when he noticed my confused expression. "Jasper's gift gives him the advantage but Emmett thinks he has a just as good a chance."

"You're going to give it a go to, Bells." called Jasper, over the applause and wolf-whistles that chorused when Rosalie finished singing. I was about to protest but as he spoke he made me feel like I could do it. I felt confident, assured. I may not be as good as Rosalie but that didn't mean I couldn't sing along to words on a screen. I even knew what I could sing. He was right. I would do it.

Damn, he was manipulating my emotions.

Emmett strolled up to the stage then. He looked cocky as he picked up the microphone. Jasper shook his head, clearly finding him no threat. The music started and familiar drumming pulsed out of the speakers. All the office people's heads popped up and Emmett started singing "We're no strangers to love….". By the time he reached the chorus, everyone was singing along with him.

'Never gonna give you up

Never gonna let you down

Never gonna run around and desert you

Never gonna make you cry

Never gonna say goodbye

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We all knew the words and when the song finished Emmett grinned triumphantly at Jasper.

"I can't believe it," muttered Jasper. "I just got…"

Emmett spoke into the microphone then. "Jasper Hale, you just got Rick-Rolled."

The audience erupted into cheers and Jasper looked disgusted. That was a hard act to follow. But he stood up and sent waves of anticipation around the room. I was on the edge of my seat when the words of 'Don't Stop Believing' came onto the screen. I knew he was onto a winner with the recently revived song. He made us feel excited and by the time he reached the chorus several of the bachelorette party were actually screaming. They were waving their arms in the air and I truly felt like I would never stop believing.

Like the Rosalie and Emmett had, he kept his focus trained on Alice. It was such a cute song for them and I could see utter adoration in her eyes. The song drew to a close and I began to panic. I was wrong, I couldn't do this. The song I had picked was stupid and all wrong for me and Edward would hate it.

I scarcely heard the roar of the crowd when Jasper finished singing as fear engulfed me. The false sense of bravery he had instilled in me was long gone and replaced by acute stage fright.

Over all that, I heard Jasper calling my name. He was probably making the audience feel benevolent towards me. His efforts were lost in a sea of panic and I was frozen to my seat.

"Go on, Bella." Edward nudged me encouragingly. His smile faded when he saw my alarmed, wide-eyed expression. I shook my head frantically. I could feel people staring at me and cheering me on. But I was stuck.

"Edward," I gasped. "I can't do this"

Fact: the people who read and review this story are the nicest in the world. You're always so sweet and thanks to everyone who wished me luck in my exams. I can't believe I have over 2000 reviews. So I hope you'll have as much to say about this one.

Also, you know I appreciate and reply to all reviews but if you're going to point out a mistake, even though I think they are minimal, please be specific or else I can't fix it.

Did anyone guess where they were going?