An Occasion
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
A/N-set in Bella's prom at the end of Twilight.
Short three-part story. Just needed a break from my multi- chapter fics to write down this persistent plot bunny.
Part One-Rescue
Bella looked down at her bulky walking cast as Edward helped her into his car. She fiddled with the wisps of silk and chiffon that made up the dress Alice had picked out for her night on the town with Edward. She could already feel the elaborately styled curls in her hair unravelling. Why had she let herself be persuaded to dress up like this? She looked like one of those kitsch Victorian frilly toilet roll dolls left over from the sixties, all she was lacking was the bonnet.
When Edward was sure that she was safely settled inside the car, he got in the driver's seat and headed down the long, narrow drive.
"Where are you taking me, Edward?" Bella asked grumpily. "You know I hate surprises. Right now, I feel like I'm dressed to star in a reboot of 'Little House on the Prairie.' Where did Alice get this dress?"
Edward threw her a mocking smile. "I'm shocked that you haven't worked it out yet. And, for your information, I think you look absolutely charming."
"I look terrible." Bella complained.
"Oh, Bella!" Edward's smile turned to one of amusement. He was dressed in black, and with the contrast against his pale skin, Bella secretly thought he looked like a funeral director.
Bella glanced with chagrin at the dress again. It was awful. She absolutely hated it. She and Alice had completely different tastes. She was only wearing one shoe, as her other foot was still securely encased in plaster. The stiletto heel Alice had chosen, held on only by a thin satin ribbon, certainly wasn't going to help her coordination as she hobbled around.
"I mean it, Edward, this is the last time I'm going to let Alice treat me like her Guinea Pig Barbie." Bella griped. She'd spent the better part of the day in Alice's staggeringly vast bathroom, a helpless victim as she played hairdresser and makeup artist. Whenever Bella dared to complain, Alice had twittered on and on about not having any memories of being human, begging Bella not to spoil her vicarious fun. "I'm tired of her guilt tripping me to get her way."
Alice had dressed her in the most awful dress-deep blue, frilly and off the shoulders, with French tags she couldn't read-nothing good could come of the formal attire, of that Bella was sure.
She was distracted by the sound of a phone ringing. Edward pulled his cell phone from a pocket inside his jacket, looking briefly at the caller ID before answering.
"Hello, Charlie." He said warily.
Bella was surprised that her father was contacting Edward directly. Her suspicions were immediately aroused. She couldn't hear what Charlie was saying on the other end, but whatever it was caused Edward to frown.
"I apologise, sir. I promise to refer to you as Chief Swan in future." Edward did little to hide his exasperation at the police chief's petty response to his greeting. "How may I help you?"
A bunch of garbled words came from the other end. Bella presumed that her father's response was less then polite. Charlie had been difficult since her return to Forks. He had put so many curfews and rules in place that she barely had room to breathe anymore. And he still hated Edward's guts.
"Let me speak to him." Bella demanded as she held out her hand for the phone.
Edward ignored her request. "I did mention what we had planned for tonight, sir." He winced, holding the phone away from his ear at Charlie's infuriated response. After a minute of listening to the police chief venting, he put the phone back to his ear, his tone ingratiating. "It is a special occasion, Chief Swan. And Bella has so been looking forward to attending her first prom."
Bella's face and neck flushed crimson. "You're taking me to the prom!" She yelled.
How could she have been so stupid? It was embarrassingly obvious now. If she had been paying attention, she would have noticed the date on all the posters that decorated the school buildings. She would never have dreamed that Edward would be so callous as to subject her to this. Didn't he know her at all?
"How dare you!" She hissed at him.
Edward wasn't prepared for the force of her reaction, that was clear. He pressed his lips together and his eyes narrowed. "Don't be difficult, Bella." He said in a low voice, scolding her like she was a small child. He cleared his throat, lightening his tone again as he pulled out all the stops to get Charlie to extend Bella's curfew for the one night.
Bella's eyes flashed to the window; they were halfway to the school already. She felt trapped. "I can't believe you are doing this to me." She lamented in horror.
Edward gestured to his tuxedo. "Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?"
Bella was fuming. She was so angry that she couldn't get any words out. Edward returned to placating Charlie, finally smiling in triumph when he got the police chief to agree to his terms. "I'll bring her back promptly at midnight, sir." He promised.
Angry tears rolled down Bella's cheeks as her last chance at salvation was lost. She had been hoping her father would put his foot down and insist she return home immediately. No such luck!
"You are being completely ridiculous, Bella. Why are you crying?" Edward demanded in frustration.
"Because I'm mad!"
"Bella." Edward turned the full force of his scorching golden eyes on her.
"What?" She muttered resentfully.
"Humour me."
Bella felt all her fury melting away under his penetrating gaze. Distracted, she found herself giving in. "Fine." She said with poor grace. "But if I trip over my own feet in this walking cast and kill myself, that's on you." She slid the skirts of her revolting dress up her leg, revealing her shapely calf, the one not covered by the walking cast. "This heel is a death trap!"
"Bella, please. Have some decorum." Edward chastised her as he yanked her dress back down, covering her leg again. "Look, Alice is going to be there."
"Am I supposed to find that comforting?" Bella hitched her dress up again, getting a kick out of seeing Edward's puritanical reaction at daring to show a glimpse of her ankle. He was like an old maiden aunt.
"She'll be there with Jasper, Emmett…and Rosalie." Edward admitted as he discreetly tugged the long skirts of her dress down again, under the pretence of adjusting it on her behalf.
"Ugh, Rosalie!" Bella groaned.
She had made no progress with Rosalie, though she got on well with her sometimes-husband. Emmett enjoyed having her around-he thought her bizarre human reactions were hilarious…or maybe he just enjoyed seeing how clumsy she was. He cut up laughing every time she tripped. Rosalie, on the other hand, acted as if she didn't exist. Which was fine by Bella.
"What did my father say?" She asked as she tried to dispel her disquieting thoughts.
"Oh, Charlie says he hopes you enjoy yourself tonight." Edward lied smoothly.
"I doubt that." Bella mumbled under her breath. "I bet he called you a few choice names."
"Bella!" Edward gasped, his golden eyes shining with hurt.
Bella clamped her mouth shut. She was determined not to apologise. They were at the school now; Rosalie's red convertible was conspicuous in the parking lot. The clouds were thin today, a few streaks of sunlight escaping far away in the west. Edward got out and walked around the car to open her door. He held out his hand. Bella remained stubbornly in her seat, her arms folded, feeling a secret twinge of smugness. The lot was crowded with people in formal dress, witnesses. He couldn't remove her forcibly from the car like he might have if they were alone.
"Ha! Now what are you going to do?" Bella jeered.
Edward sighed at her childish behaviour. He leaned down and wrapped one arm around her waist, and used his other one to support her back as he lifted her out of the passenger seat as if she was a toddler. Bella felt her face burn with humiliation as she heard a few snickers coming from the gaping crowd of other attendees.
"Put me down, Edward."
Edward complied, but kept one arm about her waist, supporting her as she limped toward the school. The dance was being held in the gym; it was the only room big enough. When they got inside there were actual balloon arches and twisted garlands of pastel crepe paper festooning the walls.
"Now I feel like I'm in the film 'Carrie.'" Bella mumbled under her breath again.
"Will you please make an effort for my sake?" Edward said irritably.
Bella looked at the dance floor, a wide gap had formed in the centre, where two couples whirled gracefully. The other dancers pressed close to the sides to give them space-of course it had to be Emmett, Rosalie and Alice and Jasper who were showing off their dancing skills. That was enough to intimidate anybody. She noticed that Alice was dressed in a black satin dress with geometric cut outs that bared large triangles of her snowy white skin. It was nothing like the hideous specimen that she had forced her into wearing. Rosalie was dressed in vivid scarlet of course, her dress was backless, tight to her calves.
"Why did Alice dress me so conservatively when she's showing so much skin?" Bella whispered to Edward in annoyance.
Edward smiled reluctantly. "I chose your dress. I thought it would be more fitting." He confessed. "Alice's taste is so out there."
"Ugh, I should have known!" Bella groaned in defeat.
"You look beautiful." Edward insisted.
"I look ghastly." Bella felt the long skirts of the dress rustle as she moved. "I'm surprised there aren't more ruffles and lace. Maybe you could have added a veil to complete the look. At least it would hide my face and cover my humiliation."
Edward's lips thinned as he bought their tickets and towed her toward the dance floor, supporting her all the way. Bella had no choice but to go along with him. Her throat went dry. "Edward, don't you dare make me dance."
"Don't worry, silly. Just relax. I've got this." He chided her again. He made her put her arms around his neck and lifted her up to slide his feet under hers. And they began to whirl.
"Could this get any worse?" Bella felt her face heat up in mortification. "I feel like I'm five years old."
"You are certainly acting like one right now." Edward murmured, pulling her closer for a second, so that her feet were briefly a foot from the ground.
On the other side of the dance floor, Emmett caught her eye on a turn and he burst out into loud guffaws. His booming laughter echoed around the gym, attracting the attention of the other couples.
Bella suddenly found herself under the scrutiny of many pairs of amused eyes. "Just kill me now." She moaned.
But Edward wasn't listening. He was staring toward the doors, and his face was angry.
"What's wrong with you now?" Bella demanded. "You got what you wanted. So, what's with the sour face?" She followed the direction of his gaze, feeling slightly disorientated by all the spinning, but finally she could see what was bothering him.
Jacob Black, not in a tux, but in a long-sleeved white shirt and tie, his hair smoothed back into its usual ponytail, was crossing the floor toward them.
After the first shock of recognition, Bella couldn't stop the delight spreading across her face at the sight of him. She heard Edward snarl very quietly by her ear.
"Oh, shut up and behave." She warned testily.
"He wants to chat with you." Edward's voice was scathing.
Jacob reached them then, a sunny smile crossed his face when his dark eyes landed on Bella. "Hey, Bells, you look…...?" He didn't finish his sentence, confusion crossing his face as he took in the wisps of silk and chiffon that made up her dress.
"You don't have to say it, Jake." Bella sighed. "This dress belongs in another era."
Jacob's smile turned sheepish. "Its not your usual style." He admitted.
"You can say that again." Bella smiled up at him. Was it possible he had grown taller? "What's up?"
"Can I cut in?" Jacob didn't even bother glancing in Edward's direction.
"You most certainly can." Bella looked at Edward. His face was composed, but his golden eyes certainly weren't. They sparked with fury. "You can put me down now, Edward."
Surrounded by such a wide audience, Edward had no choice but to do exactly that. He set her carefully down on her feet, and took a step back.
"Thanks." Jacob said amiably. He put his hands on Bella's waist, and she reached up to put her hands on his shoulders.
"Wow, Jake, how tall are you now?"
Jacob was smug. "Six-two."
They weren't really dancing-her leg made it impossible. Instead, they swayed awkwardly from side to side without moving their feet.
"So, how did you end up here tonight?" Bella wondered aloud. She looked at him hopefully. Maybe Charlie had asked him to come rescue her from this ritual humiliation. "Was it my Dad's idea?"
"Actually, it was my Dad." Jacob admitted, slightly ashamed. "Can you believe he paid me twenty bucks to come to your prom?"
"Yes, I can." Bella sighed. "Well, I hope you're enjoying yourself, at least. Seen anything you like?" She teased, nodding to a group of girls who were eyeing Jacob up and down with interest.
"Yeah, but she's taken." Jacob glanced down to meet Bella's gaze for a few seconds-then they both looked away, embarrassed. "You look really pretty, by the way." He added shyly. "Even in that disaster of a dress."
Bella let out a very unladylike snort of laughter. "You're right. It is a disaster. Don't tell Edward. He picked it out."
"You let your boyfriend pick your clothes?"
"Not usually. Its just that I didn't know I was coming tonight, you see. It was a very unwelcome surprise."
"You hate surprises." Jacob laughed.
"Yeah, I don't remember telling you that." Bella laughed weakly. "Anyway, why did Billy pay you to come here?".
Jacob didn't seem grateful for the subject change. He looked at his feet, uncomfortable again. "He said it was a 'safe' place to talk to you. I swear the old man is losing his mind."
"Oh." Bella joined him by looking at her own feet, one which was still encased in the bulky walking cast.
"And, he said that if I told you something, he would get me that master cylinder I need. You know, for the car I'm fixing up."
Bella gestured for him to lower his head so she could whisper in his ear. Jacob didn't need much encouraging. He pressed his cheek on hers as they continued to sway. "I want you to get your car finished, Jake. I'll add another eighty bucks to that tally if you help me get the hell out of here." She said in a breathy whisper.
Jacob pulled back slightly and looked at her in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Very." Bella confirmed. Over his shoulder, she could see Edward leaning against the far wall, he was watching them dance, his face expressionless. She watched a sophomore in a pink dress approach him and gushingly ask him to dance.
"I don't have a ride, Bella. I rode over here on my bicycle." Jacob glanced in Edward's direction. The sophomore wasn't giving up. She was blocking Edward's view of them, one finger curling in a strand of her hair as she looked at him coyly.
"I'll ride on the handle bars if I have to." Bella pleaded. "Just help me get out of here."
Jacob looked dubiously at the bulky cast on Bella's leg. "I'm not used to rescuing maidens in distress. And with that thing on your leg, I might be forced to carry you."
"I have no objection to that." Bella said eagerly.
Jacob wasn't even bothering to move in time with the music anymore, though his hands were still on her waist, and Bella's around his neck. "Are you sure about this?" He checked. "What about your boyfriend?"
"I think Edward is preoccupied right now." Bella gestured to where Edward was doing his best to extricate himself from the persistent sophomore's attentions.
"Are you breaking up with him?" Jacob asked with enthusiasm. "Because that would be great. I mean…um… you deserve someone so much better. You know my Dad thinks your boyfriend had something to do with you getting hurt in Phoenix…" His voice trailed off as Bella's pale skin flushed. "Was he right?" He sounded angry now.
"Look, Jacob, can we save all this for later. Can we go now?" Bella begged.
Jacob's eyes narrowed as he glared in Edward's direction. He suddenly looked so much older, quite intimidating in fact. "He'll wait." He muttered under his breath menacingly.
Then, without further hesitation, he literally swept Bella off her feet in a bridal carry. Ignoring all the gaping eyes and mouths of the other students, he strode out of the gym carrying Bella in his arms.
A/N-thanks for reading!