Author Note: Thanks for the awesome response to this story! Chicago was good, other than having to drive there on Sunday after I had two flights cancelled on me.

Most of you thought Renee's reaction to Edward was pretty understandable, from a mom's point of view. And you're all proud of Edward for learning how to deal with the aftermath of his panic attacks.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.


Chapter 29 — The Club

After breakfast out with my mom and Phil — Renee does not cook — Edward and I head back to Tucson, stopping to pick up Daisy on the way to our apartment. Though his mom says Daisy was well-behaved, I'm not so sure that's true. She puts up such a fuss at being put in her carrier — and away from Edward — that we finally give up and let her travel on his lap while I drive.

Early Monday evening, Edward and I are on the floor teasing our kitten with a feather on a stick when the doorbell rings. I get up to answer it and Fernando steps inside.

"Where is she?" he demands.

"Who?"

"There!" He points at Daisy. "Come here, girl!" He bends over, slapping his thighs with his hands.

"Cats don't come when you call them," Edward laughs.

To my surprise, she does come running, and Fernando picks her up, cuddling her close as he rains kisses on her sweet face.

"Did you just come over here to meet our kitten?" I giggle. Edward must've told him about Daisy at his last appointment.

Smiling, he shifts Daisy to one arm, reaching into the pocket of his red leather jacket. "I've got this for you," he says, placing a small card in my hand.

My eyes widen as I look over the Arizona ID. It looks amazingly genuine — except for the 1994 birthdate. Edward gets up and walks over to us, peering over my shoulder at the ID.

"Now like I said earlier, you probably won't need to show that," Fernando reiterates. "But it's good to have it, just in case." Riley's cousin owns the nightclub we'll be going to on New Year's Eve, so our gang of mostly college freshmen should be able to skip past the bouncers.

"Where did you get this?" Edward asks curiously.

"I know a guy," he winks. "Well, my friends know a guy. I may be in this country legally, but not everyone I know is."

"Well, thanks, I appreciate your getting this for me."

"No problem," he smiles. "I have a few more of these to drop off now. See you guys on Thursday night." He waves, turning to open the front door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Edward asks.

Grinning, he turns back around, passing Daisy over to Edward. "Worth a shot."


Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I'm making spiral waves in my hair with my seldom-used curling iron. I'm wearing more make-up than I usually do, and my new pair of heels is staring at me from the floor. I certainly didn't put this much effort into my appearance on prom night.

My former prom dress still fits beautifully, and it's just perfect for dinner at a nice restaurant, followed by a night at a club. Edward has disappeared into the guest bedroom to get dressed, and I can't wait to see him. He went to his last haircut appointment alone, and Fernando apparently gave him a suggestion on where to shop for his New Year's Eve outfit.

When I've finally finished with my hair, I spray some perfume, strap on my new shoes, and walk out into the bedroom. I'm shocked to find Edward already waiting for me on the bed. When he stands up, my mouth drops open.

Holy shit.

He's wearing black jeans and a green button-down shirt, untucked, which totally brings out the color of his eyes. His hair is a riotous mess as always, and he hasn't shaved today.

I want him.

I launch myself at Edward, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him frantically.

"Whoa, baby," he chuckles, gently pulling me off of him. "We have dinner reservations to get to."

I groan loudly, making him laugh. "Stand back so I can look at you." Though I do as he says, I feel more than a little self-conscious under his gaze.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers. "I love that dress on you."

"I picked it because it reminded me of the color of your hair," I confess.

"No, you didn't."

"I did," I insist, then take a step closer, winding my arms around his neck. "Now, are you sure we can't just stay here?"

Edward places his hands on my hips, leaning down to kiss me softly. "You're the one who wanted to go out."

"And now I'd rather stay in and spend the night in bed with my very hot boyfriend."

"How about we leave just after midnight?" he suggests.

"Deal," I agree, reaching up to wipe my lip gloss off of his mouth.

Edward drives us to Catalina Foothills, where we meet his parents for dinner at one of the nicest Italian restaurants in Tucson.

"So how did it go with your parents, Bella?" Carlisle asks after we've placed our orders. "Edward wouldn't tell me anything when I spoke to him earlier this week." He dodged his mother's questions when we picked up Daisy, too.

"As well as can be expected, I guess," I reply cautiously. "They weren't exactly thrilled with his age, or the fact that he doesn't have a job."

"You said once that you two weren't planning to tell your mother that Edward followed you from Forks?" Esme asks.

"Yeah," I nod. "I told her I met him on the bus here in Tucson, and she bought it. I never said his last name, and she didn't seem to recognize him at all."

"As a parent, I can't say that I approve of lying to her."

"It was my idea, Mom," Edward speaks up. "It was bad enough that Bella's dad judged me for my time in prison and warned her to stay away from me. I don't need that from her mom, too."

Esme frowns. "But then she'd understand about the job situation."

"I came here to get a fresh start. I don't want my past to follow me wherever I go. I don't want to be known as the guy who was on death row for 18 years for a crime he didn't commit."

"Edward," his father begins gently, "You're not going to be able to keep your past a secret from everyone."

"I know," he sighs. "I had to tell the clerk at the license bureau why I hadn't driven in so many years."

"And you'll have to explain to any potential employer why you're 37 years old with no previous work experience," Carlisle points out.

Edward frowns again and I reach over to squeeze his hand. I wonder if he's never thought of that before. It seems like there is no way he can completely avoid his past following him, wherever he goes.


We arrive at the nightclub in South Tucson belonging to Riley's cousin just before 9pm, so Riley and Fernando can get our group from school in the back door. Alice and Jasper went home to Scottsdale to stay with their families after finals, but they're back for tonight, and Alice hugs me tightly as soon as we walk up to the group.

"Oh my God, you look amazing!" she shrieks.

"Thanks," I chuckle. "So do you." She's wearing a black strapless mini dress that looks great on her, but I could never pull off.

Alec is also here with his new girlfriend, and Leah has brought her boyfriend, Sam, who lives on one of the nearby Indian reservations.

The door opens suddenly and Riley motions us inside. The streak in his hair is now dyed purple, to match the purple plaid shirt he's wearing with his black dress pants. I'd never have the guts to be that colorful, but it works for him.

Inside, we're lead to a large round booth, where Fernando is already waiting. It's in a VIP area — the selling point to convince Edward to come tonight — a bit away from the bar and main dance floor. Riley explains that we'll have a waitress assigned to our table.

I'm hoping to get Edward out on the dance floor for at least one slow dance, but if there are too many people for him, we can just hang out at the table. As we order our first round of drinks, we swap stories of our holidays. Alice laughs at the fact that my mom wanted Edward to sleep on the couch. Of course, she and Jasper have to sleep in separate homes in Scottsdale.

"Oh, I love this song!" she yells suddenly. "Let's dance."

"Will you be all right alone?" I ask Edward.

"Sure." He smiles at me, and I peck his lips before standing up. I suppose he's not actually alone, since the guys all seem to be sitting this one out.

"Goddamn, Edward looks good with that scruff on his face," Alice says once we're out of his earshot.

"You have your own man."

"I know," she giggles. "I still have eyes though."

After several songs, my feet are barking at me, so I head back to the table, sitting sideways across Edward's lap. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me to him. "Having fun?" he asks.

"I'm gonna need a foot rub when we get home tonight."

"I might be able to arrange that," he smirks.

I order another drink when our waitress stops by, but Edward just gets a Coke this time.

"How many have you had?" I question. I know he didn't drink with dinner earlier, when his parents each had a cocktail.

"Just one beer," he shrugs. "I'll have another later. You can drink all you want though."

"It's a little mixed up that the one who's legal is the designated driver," I chuckle.

"It's not that," he sighs. "You know I don't like to lose control."

Trying to change the subject to something happier, I bring my hand up to brush against his scruffy chin. "This is a good look for you. You should skip shaving more often."

Edward gives me a strange look. "I gave your thighs beard burn the last time." I feel my face heat up, remembering that afternoon in the backseat of our car — totally worth it.

While I sip my drink, Edward plays with my hair, pulling out my curls and watching them snap back. I'm just happy to have him touching me, as always.

"You guys are too freakin' cute," Fernando gushes, taking a seat across from us.

"Thanks," I chuckle. "Where's Riley?"

"Talking to his cousin," he nods toward the bar. "He's trying to get a couple bottles of champagne for our table at midnight.

"You look great, Edward; good job with the outfit. And the scruff really works for you."

"That's what I said!" I agree, and Edward just rolls his eyes.

When a slow song comes on, I stand up, holding my hand out to Edward. "Dance with me?" I beg. I know he can dance, since we danced at the beach on our first picnic-slash-date.

He doesn't seem certain, but he finally nods his agreement, taking my hand and letting me lead him to the edge of the dance floor. He pulls me into his arms and I wrap mine around his neck, smiling up at him encouragingly.

As we dance, his hands drift down from my lower back to my ass. He gets this cheeky look on his face as he squeezes my ass cheeks. "Careful, Mister," I warn, though I'm only kidding. Edward can put his hands anywhere he wants.

When the music changes to a faster song, I refuse to let him go, hoping he'll remain on the dance floor with me. I'm really not much of a dancer, but I try to watch the other couples near us, moving my hips the way they do.

Suddenly Edward removes my arms from around his neck, spinning me around and wrapping his arms around my waist. I grind my ass back against him, then lift one of my arms again, holding on to the back of his neck.

Edward sucks on my earlobe, while his fingers draw small circles on my hips. I can feel him getting hard behind me. How much longer is it until midnight?

"Can I cut in?"

I hear the request just as Edward pushes me slightly, and I nearly stumble in my high heels. Turning around, I see Fernando staring up at Edward, an odd expression on his face.

"Sorry, man," he says, holding his hands up in surrender. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Rain check?" I suggest quickly, then take Edward's hand and lead him back to our table. Again, I plant myself on his lap, immediately pulling his lips to mine.

He kisses me back for a minute, then gently removes my hands from his face, holding them in his and squeezing lightly. "I'm ok," he whispers.

"Did he touch you when he asked if he could cut in?"

He nods. "Sorry I almost knocked you over."

"It's fine," I assure him. "I caught myself in time."

"You can dance with him if you want."

"I have to take care of you first."

He smiles at me, touching his lips to mine briefly. I shift my position, realizing he's still at least partially hard. Looking around, no one seems to be paying attention to us, so I sneak my hand down between us, rubbing him over the denim.

"Bella," he warns, and I look up at him innocently.

"Taking care of you, remember?"

"I've been a teenage boy, and coming in your pants is not fun." He removes my hand, kissing the back of it before setting it on the table.

When the music changes again, Fernando comes back to the group. "It's no fun dancing alone," he pouts. Looking to Edward for permission, he motions for me to get up.

I follow Fernando to the dance floor, then try not to look completely uncoordinated in my attempt to keep up with his moves. He really knows how to dance.

"So what's up with him?" he asks, nodding back toward the table.

"I-I told you he doesn't like to be touched."

"I didn't know it was so serious that a slap on the back…" He shakes his head. "I'm sorry. Though — you can touch him, obviously."

"I can," I reply slowly, "But I can't surprise him either."

"Does he have PTSD?"

"I…" I frown; I'm not certain that either of his therapists has given Edward a diagnosis like that, though from what little I know of the condition, I'd say yes. "I'm not sure," I finally answer.

"You're not going to tell me what happened to him, are you?" Fernando smiles, so I know he's not really mad.

"I don't even know all of it myself," I answer honestly.

Fernando and I dance to two songs before Riley shows up to reclaim his boyfriend. When I get back to the table, Alice and Jasper are sitting there talking to Edward. I take my rightful place on his lap and he hands me a fresh drink. "The waitress just came by."

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" I accuse.

"As I recall, you make a cute drunk," he grins.

"Oh God." I facepalm, remembering my inability to put the key in my dad's front door correctly.

While I sit and drink, I can't stop touching Edward — the hair on the back of his neck, his defined chest and abs. He doesn't seem to mind, since he's not stopping me.

As the clock ticks closer to midnight, the rest of the gang makes it back to the table. Riley's cousin shows up with two bottles of champagne and several glasses, pouring it for us.

"What should we drink to?" I ask Edward.

"To having a future."


A/N: Daisy was almost cat-napped, hehe! I don't think she'd go quietly.

So a fun night out, with only one slight misstep. Edward did well to dance with Bella with so many people nearby. Fernando is still trying to figure him out.

Bella's former prom dress (before alterations): i71 dot photobucket dot com/albums/i135/Thecommitted/Links/prom_dress dot jpg

I almost lost it since the store where I'd found the dress closed down, but I managed to Google and find the photos on someone's Pinterest.

Next update on Tuesday. Please note that I won't be home until Sunday evening to reply to reviews, but I'll get to them as soon as I can. I'll be having fun riding rollercoasters while you guys read this.