The Mating Dance

by Xavier2163

AU Edward Cullen and his adoptive family moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward’s life suddenly changes when he’s drawn into Bella Swan’s strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human? OOC Lemons ExB

5. Party Time

Disclaimer: Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

Title: The Mating Dance

Rating: M for sexual situations, lemons, and hot, steamy, angsty vampire lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

Premise: Alternate Universe. Edward Cullen and his adoptive family have moved to Forks to start a new life, but Edward's life suddenly changes when he's drawn into Bella Swan's strange and dangerous world. Vampires mate for life, but what happens when that mate is human?

Alternate Universe: Canon pairings eventually, pretty much OOC, ExB of course.

POV: EPOV (Edward), Edward's turn to continue the story. Alice will be back later on and maybe Bella, too.

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Author Notes:

Please note that this story is rated M for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Ok, so maybe this should have been two chapters, but I couldn't find a good place to split it in half. Please review and let me know what you think.

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Chapter 5 Party Time

I got up at 4AM the next morning and pulled on some sweat pants and a hooded sweatshirt to drive over to Katy's house to go for our run. I went down the hall, and I could sense Bella in Alice's room from the tugging sensation in my stomach as I walked to the stairs. Alice's door was closed, but I could see light under the door, and I could hear music playing softly in the room. I guess Alice hadn't slept in after all. I knew once I was used to getting up at a certain time, I usually woke up even without the alarm going off.

I was quiet as I made my way through the darkened house to the kitchen. Then I put on my running shoes and grabbed a couple of granola bars and a bottle of water and went out to the garage. The tugging sensation in my stomach faded as I went out of the house, and was replaced by the familiar dull ache in my chest as I went outside. I got in the Volvo and drove to Katy's to meet her. Usually, Alice would go with me, but she had decided to sleep in this morning, because Bella had stayed at our house for a sleep over last night.

I pulled into the driveway at Katy's house and parked. Katy was waiting for me in the driveway, under the carport doing some stretches when I parked and got out of the car. For once, the dull ache in my chest didn't fade to be replaced by the tugging sensation in my stomach as I walked over to Katy. I didn't feel it pulling me towards the trees of the forest behind Katy's house like it usually did on our morning run, and I wondered if this was a form of confirmation of my suspicions. I couldn't prove that Bella followed us as we ran, but I knew she was with Alice this morning and for once, I couldn't feel her presence.

I pushed those thoughts away and enjoyed my time with Katy, but the dull ache in my chest was a constant reminder of Bella Swan. I could sense Bella around me almost all of the time, although I only saw her in socially acceptable settings.

Jasper and Bella sat with us in AP English class every morning at first period, although I usually sat with Jasper and Alice would sit next to Bella. Gym Class was like taking a break while I had time to myself, and then Jasper and Bella would sit in the back of the room during Trig while Katy and I sat with Mike and Jessica. During fourth period, Bella and Jasper would usually sit with Angela and me in Spanish. Bella would play it off like she wanted to sit with Angela, perhaps it was just my ego, but I felt certain she really wanted to be closer to me.

Lunch was different and changed from day to day. Jasper had stopped coming to lunch altogether, and usually left campus during fifth period. Bella was usually there a couple of days a week and sat with Alice and our friends, but she never ate. She claimed she was on a special diet, and couldn't eat the food at school, and most of the kids bought it. The rest of the time, she either went out to lunch with Alice, or just disappeared with Jasper.

Katy and I started to go out to lunch a lot more often. If I could manage it, we went out to eat on the days that Bella stayed for lunch and sat with Alice.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was fun even if it was a little uncomfortable to sit so close to Bella. She was always well prepared for class, with her homework ready to turn in, and she took meticulous notes. We always finished our labs ahead of the rest of the class, and it was nice that she was able to carry her weight with the projects. Bella would talk to me in chemistry, but she would only discuss the class and the work we were doing, although we both tended to use a lot of suggestive comments and innuendoes of an intimate nature in our conversation.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was uncomfortable because I spent the class in a near constant state of arousal, and it was embarrassing because I knew Bella could tell. I caught her staring at the tent in my pants more than once.

Bella would usually rush out of class at the end of sixth period to meet Jasper in the hall to dash off to gym class with him. I was surprised to hear that she was a mediocre athlete, and came off as kind of clumsy during gym class. Both Jessica and Mike had complained about how inept she was at the sports that they played, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was an act. She performed the cheerleading routines flawlessly and with precision. Alice simply raved about her prowess in the martial arts, and was even a little envious of Bella's skill with the sword when they fooled around in the yard, sparring. It didn't make sense that she'd be inept and clumsy during gym, unless she was doing it on purpose for some reason.

After school we all had practice, except for Jasper, but he'd started riding his motorcycle to school so he could leave after his seventh period gym class. Katy and I went to cross country practice and would go for our run, and Alice and Bella would go to cheerleading practice on Monday and Wednesday. Friday night there was a game scheduled each week through the first week in November, and then it would depend on our record to see if we continued into the playoffs. They had started to go to Janet Stanley's aerobics class in the morning before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the rest of the cheerleaders. This freed up Alice to go to her Martial arts class on Tuesday and Thursday night.

I drove Alice to Port Angeles on Tuesdays and Thursdays for her class. I never stayed to watch, but I'd find something to occupy my time. Sometimes I'd go to the bookstore down the street, or browse some of the other shops down town. There was a coffee shop and espresso bar down the street that offered a free wifi connection and lounge. Sometimes I'd buy a coffee, and do my reading for AP English, or work on my homework. Other time, I'd take my laptop and surf the internet and chat with Katy and our friends, or work on some of the papers I had to write for school.

The cross country season started on Thursday during the third week of school. To the rest of the student body, it was just another day, but our cross country team loaded onto a school bus in the parking lot in front of the school after second period. Coach Newhouse got us organized and made sure we were ready to go. Coach Clapp went to keep the boys in line and to act as chaperone, and Mrs. Jensen, my English Teacher went along as the Girls chaperone. Her daughter Brittany Jensen, Katy's friend, was on the team so she volunteered to help out and traveled to our meets with us.

It was almost a five hour drive to Tenino, including a stop for lunch and to fill up the bus with diesel fuel to complete the trip. I sat in the back with Katy for the trip, but we had to be good, with Mrs. Jensen watching us. The trip was long and boring, but we passed the time together talking and listening to music.

I was expecting this to be my first relatively Bella-free day since the start of school. I wasn't really sure how I felt about that fact. On the one hand, it was nice to spend time with Katy and the cross country team, and know I wouldn't have to keep looking over my shoulder wondering where Bella was hiding. On the other hand, I felt a sense of loss that I couldn't feel her presence nearby and the dull ache in my chest felt stronger and made me slightly depressed as I craved the feeling that I had become accustomed to when I knew she was nearby.

I found myself scanning the highway, and then the parking lot at the cross country meet, looking for the familiar red of Bella's Charger. I knew it was crazy to think that she'd show up here today. We were pretty much on our own today, as far as a cheering section went. It was a Thursday afternoon, and even if somebody hurried and drove straight through, it was still a three and a half hour drive from Forks if you got lucky and broke all the traffic laws. Besides, Bella had already agreed to drive Alice out to Port Angeles to go to her martial arts class tonight. It was wishful thinking to think that I'd see Bella's car, when I spotted a bright red car in the marked off parking area at the city park where the meet was being held.

It wasn't Bella's Charger, but I'd seen it before, and I wondered, what the hell they were doing here. It was the red BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen at the football game on Friday night. I supposed it could be a coincidence; it might not be the same BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen in Sequim last Friday, but it sure looked the same as the bus went past to the designated bus parking area.

We got the bus unloaded, setup a camp for our gear in the park, and started to warm up for the race. We had to drive further than any of the other teams at the race, and although we'd just spent five hours getting here, there wasn't much time left until we ran. There would be four races, the JV girls, then the Varsity girl's race that Katy would run in followed by the JV boys, then the Varsity boy's race that I would run in.

We started off walking the course to familiarize ourselves with the layout and the turns and terrain features. Most of the course was run on the jogging path around the park, and the track was well marked. We'd have to make two laps to run the full 5k race, and there was one steep hill before the finish that we'd have to climb twice during the race.

I kept an eye out for Bella's friends that I'd seen in Sequim on Friday night, but I didn't see any of them around. It was probably just a coincidence. Besides, maybe they knew one of the other runners and were here to watch them run. I was just being paranoid or perhaps a little egotistical to think that they were here because of me. I could understand them going to watch Bella cheer, but what possible interest could they have in watching me run cross country?

We went back by our camp and started in on stretches and warm-up runs to loosen up and prepare. I had time until my race, and I helped Katy with her stretches so she'd be ready to go when the JV girls were finished. I walked Katy to the starting line, when they called her race, and took her warm-ups for her, before the start of the race. We were well prepared for this season, with all the running we'd been doing over the summer and the start of school. Katy ran her race and won, and then we traded off, and she helped me prepare for my race. I took first place in my race, and we were of to the start of another winning season.

After the race we went back to our camp and ran our cool down run, and did some light stretches to avoid cramps. Then we made our way over to the center of the park, where there was a wooden shelter house structure that the officials were using as a base camp to run the event. There was a board with the official times posted, and a lot of kids and their coaches were checking it out to calculate their teams score for the event.

I could smell the food cooking on the barbecue grill trailer that had been towed into the park, and I was getting hungry. It had been a while since lunch and the burgers on the grill smelled good. The cookout was included as part of our race package, and we'd eat after the awards were handed out when the scores were announced. The officials were going over their lists getting ready to make the official announcements at the awards presentation. Katy and I found a spot at a picnic table in front of the shelter house to watch the awards, and our team mates gathered around us.

There was still some time before the awards presentation was going to get started, and I excused myself to go to the restroom. I knew there'd be less of a crowd as everyone was looking around to find a good spot to watch the awards get handed out and were gathering in front of the building. I kissed Katy goodbye on the cheek and I made my way through the crowd, and found my way back to the men's room behind the shelter house.

I answered natures call, and washed my hands. I was coming out of the door, tossing the wadded up paper towel into the trash. Suddenly, a big meaty hand tapped me on the shoulder. I was startled, and I'd been thinking about what happened on last Friday night. I jumped out of the doorway and landed in a crouch, ready to grapple with whoever was trying to jump me. The big body builder guy, Emmett that had been sitting next to Jasper last Friday at the football game was standing there giving me an appraising look as he chuckled under his breath.

"Wrestler, hmm, and you're fast too. That'll be an advantage," Emmett said as he looked at me. "Chill out, dude. You think I'm gonna try and drag you back in the bathroom or something?"

I realized I was still in a crouch, ready to defend myself, and stood up straight. "Jeez, do you have a thing for bathrooms, Emmett? What are you doing here, today?" I asked a little apprehensively.

The last time I'd seen Emmett, he'd looked like he was totally pissed at me, and I thought he'd been about to pound the living daylights out of me. I'd try to give a good showing if it came to a fight, but he was three inches taller than me, and had at least fifty to sixty pounds on me that all looked like solid muscle.

"I just wanted to apologize about last Friday night. I didn't have all the facts, and I know it's not your fault now," Emmett replied.

"Thank you, but I really don't know why you were so mad. Can you tell me what the hell is going on? Why the hell were you so pissed at me?" I asked.

"I'm not allowed to tell you, I made a promise." He said. He looked thoughtful for a second, and then asked, "So, Edward, that blond chick with the nice ass that won the race, she's your girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, Katy and I are dating, what's it to ya?" I asked.

"Well, I can't fault your taste. I've got a thing for blonds too. Are you guys serious, you banging her?" Emmett asked.

"That's none of your business, but yeah, we're pretty serious, we've been dating for over a year," I said.

Emmett shook his head. "Leave it to Bella to get into a situation like this. I swear trouble just follows that girl like she has some kind of magnetic attraction for bad luck."

"What does this have to do with Bella? And why does it matter that I have a girlfriend?" I asked again. Everybody kept talking around the issues, but nobody would give me a straight answer.

"Edward, you are seriously lucky that Bella is such a good person. God, something like this happens, and she still thinks about other people first, instead of her own needs! If I'd seen Rosalie with another guy, before we hooked up, I'd have totally lost it. My advice, ditch the blond. I know a sweet little brunette that has it bad for you, and it'll be unfuckingbelievable, if you let it happen. Trust me, I know."

"You mean…"

"Nothing, I didn't say anything, and if anybody asks, I'll deny it. I wasn't supposed to talk to you today, and I didn't. Got it? I just told her I'd keep an eye on you."

"Told who? Who asked you to watch me?"

"Damn it, get back out there and get your medal! I've said too much already, I wasn't even supposed to talk to you, Edward. I'll see you round'. Have Bella bring you out to Seattle sometime, and I'll show you some moves. Now scat," and Emmett disappeared into the trees behind the shelter house.

I tried to look through the trees for a minute, but he was gone, like he'd never even been there. I heard the mike getting tested back out front, so I went back out to the picnic tables, and sat next to Katy as I scanned the crowd and forest, but I never saw him again that afternoon.

Katy and I collected our medals and posed for pictures. The girl's team came in second place in the team standings, but the boys didn't even place in the top three. Luckily, I didn't need to carry the team to do well on my own. We ate our dinner at the cookout, and mingled and talked to kids form some of the other teams. This meet was a kind of mixer, and let us meet our competition and it gave us an opportunity to size up the other teams we'd face this season.

There was a bonfire at twilight, and we sat around for a little while listening to people sing songs, and we joined in on some of them. About seven thirty, Coach Newhouse started getting us heading back to camp to pack up, and we were on the road by eight. I looked for the red BMW M3 convertible as we were leaving, and Emmett was standing next to it as the bus went past. He waved at me as we left. The trip home was a little quicker, with a shorter stop, and we were back at the high school in Forks at twelve thirty in the morning.

Katy and I slept in the next morning on Friday and skipped our morning run. Alice and I drove over to pick her up for school to finish out the week. The school ran on the assembly bell schedule again this Friday, and there was another pep rally scheduled for the end of the day to get people worked up for our first home football game of the season. Alice and Bella and the rest of the cheerleaders wore they're uniforms to school again, and it made for a difficult day for me.

It was bad enough seeing Bella at school everyday in her tight jeans and t-shirts. At least she wore a coat most of the time. It was hard to keep from staring when she ran around school in the short navy blue and white pleated skirt, the fitted long sleeved navy blue and white top and her bright white sneakers. Luckily the periods were cut short because we were on the assembly bell schedule.

I knew I was staring more than usual, and I could tell Katy was getting pissed off during trig when I kept turning my head to look back at Bella and Jasper in the back of the room. I didn't even bother asking, and made arrangements for us to go out to eat for lunch. I knew there was no way I'd make it through lunch with our friends if Bella was sitting there in her cheerleading uniform. Katy would know I was staring, and she'd call me on it. We'd probably end up fighting, so it was better to just go out. At least I'd be able concentrate on Katy, and show her I loved her, without the distraction of Bella Swan.

Sixth period AP Chemistry was particularly hard that Friday, primarily because so was I. I was sitting next to Bella at the same table. It had been hard all day not to stare, and now I was expected to sit next to her and work with her and carry on an intelligent conversation. Yeah, right. I'd wanted to talk to her about Emmett showing up at the cross country meet yesterday, but the subject never came up as I struggled to stay focused on the class work.

It was kind of a relief, when Bella rushed out of class at the end of the period. Alice seemed find my predicament amusing, but at least she didn't say anything in front of Jessica. That was all I needed, to have rumors floating around school, that I had a thing for Bella, while I was going out with Katy, but was it the truth?

Sure, I had a physical attraction to Bella Swan, but did I have feelings for her too? I found her intriguing and mysterious, and I had to admit to myself, that I could probably very easily develop feelings for her if I allowed myself to. If I was totally honest with myself, then I would have admitted, at least to myself that I had already started to care for Bella, but I was denying my feelings for her, and wrote it off to a purely physical attraction that I was struggling to avoid for the sake of my relationship with Katy.

The cheerleaders were excused from their seventh period classes to go help set up for the pep rally. Seventh period US History II was a relief to me, to have some time to myself with my thoughts as I halfway paid attention to the class. I wasn't a stupid kind of guy, and you didn't have to hit me over the head with a two by four to pound a concept into my head.

I knew I had some kind of connection to Bella. I'd been able to feel it since the first day of school. Apparently Bella could feel the connection between us too, and if Alice was right, then it was stronger for her than it was for me. Bella's friends from Seattle knew what was going on, they knew why we had this connection and they were shocked that Bella hadn't told me what was going on. Bella was supposed to do something to cause us to hook up, and seal the deal, but she was resisting because she knew how I felt about Katy.

The question was, how did I feel about Bella? Did I want her to keep resisting? I knew I was in love with Katy, but the thought of exploring a new relationship with Bella was strangely tempting as well. I didn't know what I wanted, I had always just kind of fallen into relationships, and they were just something that happened to me. The thought of consciously making a choice scared me when I considered it. I was not accustomed to feeling fear, and I didn't like it, but these matters of the heart were new territory for me. I didn't want to hurt either of the girls, but I could feel that eventually it would come down to me having to make a decision.

Katy didn't seem happy when I came into the gym for the pep rally. The seventh period gym class had been cut short, and the kids in the class had been pressed into service to help the cheerleaders get setup for the rally. Katy probably would have simply left after seventh period, because attendance at the rally wasn't strictly mandatory, but Katy and I had both been told we were expected to attend.

The pep rally got rolling after the seventh period bell rang, officially ending the school day. There were thirty five minutes set aside at the end of the day now, because of the shortened class periods throughout the day. The school busses wouldn't start running until the regularly scheduled time, anyhow, but most of the kids in school showed up at the rally to support the football team.

The cheerleaders ran through their routines, and Coach Clapp gave a rundown of what happened at the game last week, and what we had to look forward to tonight. Then Principal Rupprecht came forward to talk to the student body. I was a little surprised when he announced the results of the cross country meet in Tenino, and asked the cross country team to come down in front of the school at the pep rally. The Principal congratulated Katy and I for winning at the cross country meet in front of the student body of the school. It was a little embarrassing to have everyone cheer and shout for us, but it was nice that the cross country team got a little recognition too. It wasn't a popular sport, and was often overlooked.

Katy and I went and sat back down and enjoyed the rest of the rally until it was time for cross country practice. The practice was optional today because of the rally and the football game tonight, but Katy and I were going to practice today because we had another meet tomorrow in Westport for the Ocosta Invitational. The rally would continue for a while after school, for the kids that wanted to stay and participate.

We said goodbye, and excused ourselves to go dress out for practice, and went out to the front of the school to stretch and run with the other team members that showed up today. Coach Newhouse reminded us about the bus for the meet tomorrow one more time before we left. We needed to be at the school by three o'clock Saturday morning, on the bus and ready to go, to get to Westport on time for the Ocosta Invitational on Saturday.

I drove Katy home and dropped her off after practice to shower and change to go to football game, and then I drove home to shower and change to get ready to go to football game tonight. The game wouldn't start until seven tonight, but we were going up early. The Forks Athletic Booster Club was grilling tonight and running the concessions for the game, and we'd have dinner up at the school. The home football games were usually more of a social event than simply watching the game. A lot of the kids spent as much time mingling with friends, as they did sitting in the stands actually watching the game.

There was a good crowd at the game tonight, and probably half the town was here. There wasn't a lot to do in a small town, and the first home football game of the season was a big deal. A lot of people showed up to watch and root for the team, regardless of whether or not they even had kids in school or on the team. The bleachers were still crowded, even with a steady stream of people coming and going from the stands, and a lot of kids just hanging out and talking to their friends.

Katy and I watched most of the first half of the game, and the cheerleader's halftime show before we went down to brave the lines at the concession stand to get something to eat. Forks always had a great concession stand, and always received compliments from the people that traveled here to participate in athletic events. The booster club made good money running the concession stand, and donated most of it back to the school to help pay for new equipment, uniforms, officials and referees, and the little things that the coaches needed to run a quality sports program, like video cameras to tape the team for review in practice. They were serving grilled rib-eye steak sandwiches tonight along with the more standard burgers, brats and hotdogs, and I was looking forward to getting one while they lasted.

We finally made it through the line and got our food. The rib-eye steak sandwiches were just as good as I remembered from last year as we found a relatively quiet spot to eat. Most of the people simply took their meals back up into the stands with them to watch the game, but we sat down at one of the picnic tables' setup behind the bleachers to eat.

Katy's friends Michaela and Brittany came over to talk to us while we were eating, and then they dragged Katy off to go do something as soon as she finished her food. I wasn't really paying attention to them as they whispered together and giggled over their private jokes. Katy said goodbye and kissed me on the cheek, and said she'd be back in a little bit.

I was watching the gate out to the track around the football field, and Janet Stanley was rotating the cheerleaders out in groups to go for their dinner break, now that halftime was over with. Alice and Bella came walking out of the football field to take a break, about the same time that Katy left with Michaela and Brittany. Alice went to go get in line at the concession stand, but Bella headed the other way around the gym, and I had a pretty good idea where she was going. Katy had gone off with her friends, so I got up to go see what Bella was up to.

Bella Swan was standing around the back of the gym, on the south side of the building, out of sight of the bleachers and the main crowd at the football game. Forks high school had a no smoking policy, and tobacco products were prohibited on campus, but this strip south of the gym wasn't technically part of the school grounds, and most of the teachers avoided it and looked the other way, unless they happened to smoke too and came out here for a cigarette.

Bella was wearing her long black leather trench coat over her cheerleading uniform. It was pulled closed, with the belt fastened. I'm sure Janet Stanley didn't like the fact that she smoked, but if she was going to, she didn't want her to represent the cheerleading squad while she was taking a smoke break. She was standing with her back to me as she smoked her cigarette, and I wasn't sure if she'd noticed me, as I watched her.

"Are you just going to stand there staring, Edward, or are you going to come talk to me?" Bella asked, startling me out of my reverie.

I walked over to where she was standing, keeping a friendly distance between us, as she turned to look at me. "Hey, Bella, sorry to act like a stalker, seems to be catching on around here lately."

"Really, do you know a lot of stalkers?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Oh, maybe just a few. Have you heard from Emmett?" I teased.

"Emmett? No, why do you ask?" She seemed uncomfortable at this turn in the conversation.

"Oh, I was just wondering if he made it home from Tenino alright, yesterday," I said as I smiled at her.

"You saw Emmett at the cross country meet yesterday?" She asked seriously with a raised eyebrow.

"No, of course not, just ask him. I'm sure he'll deny it. I didn't talk to him either," I said with a grin.

"Really. I'll have to ask Emmett about that," she said a little exasperatedly.

Then she continued, "So, where's your girlfriend tonight?" Bella asked, changing the subject. She seemed to be getting uncomfortable talking about Emmett.

"She went off with her girlfriends to the restroom. She's probably fixing her makeup or listening to them talk about boys they think are cute. Isn't that what you girls do when you go off like that?"

"I wouldn't know."

"She should be back soon."

"She seems like a really nice girl," Bella said almost sadly like she was wrestling with a decision.

"She is. I think you two could be friends and would get along great, if you gave her a chance, Bella."

"Give her a chance?" She asked incredulously as though I had suggested she walk on water or that pigs could fly.

"I see the looks you give us when we're together in school. It's been like that since the first day of school. I don't understand what you have against her, Bella. I'd like us all to be able to be friends."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I want the same thing, but it's not the way my life works now. I'm trying, but it's hard for me to see her with you."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Bella, but she's my girlfriend. We've been in school for three weeks now, and you and Jasper seem like nice people, but you have to understand we can only be friends."

"You and Katy seem awfully serious, Edward. Have you ever had any other girlfriends? Or is she it for you?" Bella asked.

"I dated some before we moved here. I never had a steady girlfriend before Katy, but I went out on dates before we moved here from California."

"Yeah, but you two have been together for over a year. Don't you think you ought to play the field a little more before you make a decision that's going to affect the rest of your life?"

"Oh I don't know, did you have somebody in mind that I should be playing with in that field?" I asked as I grinned at her.

"I don't play around with just any guy, Edward. I guess I'm like Katy that way. I'm an all or nothing kind of girl too, I don't share boys," Bella said.

"But you'd prefer it was you I was going out with, instead of Katy, is that what you're trying to say, Bella?" I asked.

"I won't lie to you, Edward. Yes, I'd like that, but I'm not going to be the other woman and try and break up what you have with Katy. I know you love her, and I won't come between you. If you say we can be friends, I'll accept that."

Then Bella looked past my shoulder, and stood a little straighter, as though steeling herself for an unpleasant encounter.

"Better look out, Edward, I think your girlfriend is looking for you, and she doesn't seem to be very happy," Bella said as she looked past me.

I looked over my shoulder, and I could see Katy glaring at me as she walked over to us. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she looked upset, like she really didn't like finding me alone talking to Bella Swan.

"Hey, Katy, are you done with Michaela and Brittany?" I asked as Katy walked up, getting in the first word before she could ask me what the hell I was doing.

Katy tried to smile, but it seemed strained and didn't reach her eyes as she came up to me and possessively took my hand and clung to my arm, as she looked up at me and then over at Bella.

"Hi Bella," Katy said. She was trying to be nice, but her voice was strained. "Are you ready to go back and watch the rest of the game, Edward?" Katy asked.

"Sure…"

"I better be heading back too," Bella said. "Janet will be wondering where I am," and she dropped her cigarette butt, and crushed it out under her shoe.

We turned and started back to the football game, as Katy clung to me and tried to steer us away from Bella to put more distance between us. Bella turned to head towards the field, but she looked back and waved goodbye before she walked to the gate.

"See you later, Edward. Good night Katy, good luck tomorrow," she said pleasantly as she smiled at me, and then she walked out onto the track with the rest of the cheerleaders.

"Just what the hell did she mean by that, Edward?" Katy asked as she pushed my arm away and turned to glare at me. "When is she going to see you later? Do you two have plans you're not telling me about!" Katy asked me.

Bella was gone now and Katy didn't have to pretend to be polite. I could tell she was mad that I'd gone and talked to Bella while she had gone off with her friends.

"I don't know what she meant, Katy. Maybe she has plans with Alice again later. She's my sister's best friend, but Alice doesn't tell me everything they talk about."

That seemed to calm Katy down a little. She could always tell when I was telling her the truth, and I'd found out the hard way that it didn't pay to try and lie to her.

"Ok, what do you think she has planned with Alice?" she asked me. I supposed I was going to have to tell her now, I hadn't said anything before, because I didn't want to upset her.

"If I know Alice, she's probably asked Bella to come over tonight for another sleep over. She stayed over last Friday night after the football game in Sequim, so they've probably got plans for tonight too."

"Bella Swan spent the night at your house last Friday? And you didn't tell me?" Katy asked. She was glaring at me again accusingly.

"I didn't think it was important. The subject never came up. They hung out in Alice's room, and I went to bed. No big deal."

"You didn't think it was important! Bella Swan spends the night at your house and you didn't think it was a big enough deal to tell me! I see how you look at her, Edward! All the time! It's a big deal! God, I know you even have fantasies about her when you're with me sometimes!"

People were starting to stare at us now, as Katy got louder. We'd stopped behind the bleachers, and people were having to move around us as they walked to and from the ramp up into the stands. She turned and started to storm up into the stands without me, but I followed her. I wasn't going to let her run off and stew about this. I was going to talk to her this time.

"Katy, calm down. You don't need to be jealous of Bella. She's Alice's best friend, they hang out all the time. I'm not going to cheat on you, I love you. Now c'mon let's go watch the rest of the game, ok?" I caught up to her and reached out for Katy's hand. At first, she looked like she wanted to yell at me, but the look faded. She nodded and took my hand, a little reluctantly, and we kept moving back up to where our friends were sitting, together.

"Ok, Edward," Katy told me as we walked, "I don't want to be jealous, but Bella scares me. I see how you look at her when you don't think I'm watching, and I don't want to lose you. She might be Alice's best friend, but I don't like it that she spends the night at your house," Katy said as we walked.

"Well, you could always try and talk your parents into letting me spend the night at your house, when Bella comes over to see Alice," I teased. "Do you think your mom will let me come over for a sleep over sometime?" I whispered in her ear.

"Mom might let you, if you asked her nicely," Katy whispered back, "but my dad would cut your balls off if he caught you," she said with a ghost of a smile. "I might help him if you don't quit staring at Bella Swan! You're just lucky he's on the road so much."

Katy was still mad, but she didn't give me anymore grief about Bella as we watched the rest of the football game. She held my hand, and pressed up against me possessively, like she was asserting her claim on me and marking her territory. I could feel the tension in her, though, and I knew if Bella hadn't been watching, she would probably push me away and not let me touch her.

I looked down at the cheerleaders on the track between the bleachers and the football field, and I could tell Bella was looking up at us sitting together in the stands as she cheered for the football team. She seemed sad as she watched us through the artificial smile on her face, and I thought about what I wanted again. I loved Katy, but a part of me wanted Bella Swan. I knew Bella wanted me too, and that had a powerful affect on me as well. My life was getting complicated, and I didn't like that. I preferred it simple, straightforward and uncomplicated, but there were two girls in my life now, pulling me in different directions.

Forks ended up winning again, and we were off to a great start to the football season. We made our way out of the stands and out to the parking lot. It was only about nine thirty on Friday night and everyone was looking to celebrate our victory. I helped Katy into the car, and we drove over to the drive-in to hang out with our friends for a while.

Katy was silent as we walked out of the football field and got into the Volvo. She wouldn't look at me as we drove, but she took my hand when I helped her out of the car. It felt like it had when we were watching the game, like she was putting on a show and needed to stake her claim while a rival was watching, even though she really wanted to push me away.

Alice and Bella showed up close behind Katy and me, and the other kids that didn't have to wait for anyone. They didn't change, and were still wearing their cheerleader uniforms, but Bella had her coat on over it. Angela and Ben showed up, and then there was a lull until Jessica and Lauren got there with Mike and Tyler and the other kids from the team. They'd had to wait while the guys talked to Coach Clapp and showered and changed out of their football uniforms before they showed up.

We didn't stay at the drive-in for long. Katy complained that she had a headache, and asked me to drive her home. I figured it was a good idea to call it a night early. We had to be up, packed and back at the school ready to leave for Westport in about five hours anyhow. We told our friends goodnight, and I drove Katy home.

"Why did you go over to talk to Bella tonight at the football game, Edward?" Katy asked as we drove out of the parking lot. "I see you looking at her all the time, what do you find so interesting about her?"

Those were all loaded questions. How could I truthfully answer Katy, without making her either question my sanity, or make her think I had feelings for Bella? She'd know if I lied or get mad at me if I told her the truth.

"Bella and I are just friends, Katy. She's Alice's best friend, and she's my lab partner in chemistry. She knows you're my girlfriend, and she knows we can only be friends."

"How generous of her, but you didn't answer my question, Edward. I want to know. What do you see that's so goddamned interesting to you!?"

"God, Katy, do we have to do this? You know I love you, can't you just accept that, and let it go?"

"I want to know what I'm up against. Am I fighting a losing battle? Am I going to lose you Edward? I want to know why you find Bella so damn interesting! Every time I look at you, you're looking at her! You used to look at me like that, but you stopped when Bella Swan started going to Forks High School!"

We were at Katy's house now, and I pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine.

"I don't know why I look at Bella. There's just something about her that makes me want to look. I don't know what it is, Katy. It's almost like a magnetic attraction, as crazy as that sounds."

"Are you in love with her, Edward?" Katy asked.

"No, Katy, I'm not in love with Bella Swan. I'm in love with you. You're my girlfriend, Bella and I are just friends, ok, Katy?" It sounded like the truth, and I probably even still believed it was the truth, but a tiny voice in the back of my mind was whispering to me that it didn't have to be like that if I didn't want it to be.

"So you feel an attraction to Bella Swan, Edward? Does that mean if I wasn't your girlfriend, she would be?"

"I'm not going to answer that question. You are my girlfriend, and I'm not going to sit here and play what if games with you, Katy."

"Fine!" and she reached for the handle to open the door and get out of the car. I got out going around to her door, but she was already out of the car, and ran up to her front door. I followed her and caught her on the porch before she could open the door. She was crying again, and I pulled her into my arms and held her as she rested her head against my shoulder and twisted her hands in my shirt.

"Oh god, Edward, I don't want to lose you! I love you, Edward, you're my whole world! I don't know what I'd do without you. I need you, Edward, but I feel you slipping further away every time you look at Bella Swan!" Katy sobbed against my shoulder as she cried.

"I'm yours Katy. I love you, and I want to be with you. Just don't push me away, and I'm not going anywhere, ok?" The porch light flashed off and on then, and Katy's mom was letting us know she wanted her to come inside off the porch.

"I have to go inside now, Edward," Katy said, taking a step back.

"Are we ok, Katy? Do you still want me to come pick you up to go to the school in the morning?" I asked.

"Ok, Edward," Katy said as she reached for the door. "I need time to think. I'll see you in the morning to go to the bus. Good night," And she went through the door and was gone.

I went back to the Volvo, and got in and drove home. I had to be on the bus to Westport in another five hours, and I felt drained after my evening with Katy. I felt guilty that she was so insecure about our relationship. I knew it was my fault, that I was sending her these signals that there was something between Bella Swan and me. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that there was something between Bella and me, even though I couldn't explain what it was.

Katy was freaked out because I kept looking at Bella, and now she knew I was attracted to her. I wondered how she'd take the news that I could sense Bella's presence. I could feel the dull ache in my chest even now, and it was a constant reminder whenever we were separated, because I wasn't near to her and I could feel the ache of our separation.

Well, at least I wouldn't need to put up with the dull ache in my chest for long tonight, I thought ironically as I drove into the driveway, and passed Bella's red Dodge Charger as I pulled into the garage to park.

******

I was restless during the night and didn't sleep well. It was a relief when the clock radio on my nightstand finally showed two o'clock in the morning and I got up and showered. I got dressed in my warm-ups and running shoes. I collected the gym bag I had packed with the things I'd need for the day and left to go pick up Katy. She was quiet as I carried her bag to the car and helped her into the front seat, and we drove to the school in silence. We were early so we had our pick of seats on the bus and moved to the back where we claimed the large bench seat.

The trip to Westport was pleasant if rather long and boring. Katy let me put my arm around her and hold her as we sat in the back of the bus, and she rested her head on my shoulder. We both nodded off and slept for a good portion of the trip, and I got some much needed rest. It just felt right to wakeup with Katy in my arms, even if we were riding in the back of a school bus on our way to a cross country meet, and I could feel the healing start as we let our fight last night pass into memory.

Katy didn't bring up the fight, and we didn't talk about Bella Swan. It was like the old days, back before the start of school when it was just Katy and me and we were happy together. I saw the red BMW M3 convertible that I'd seen last Friday in Sequim, and then Thursday in Tenino in the parking lot at the high school when the bus drove through the lot in Westport, but I never saw Emmett or any of Bella's friends. Katy and I both won again, and we enjoyed our day together at the meet. The sun came out and drove away the clouds for awhile, and it was a glorious day, but soon we were back on the bus for the trip back to Forks.

Alice had been correct in her prediction. We were back in Forks at twilight, it wasn't quite six o'clock, and I drove Katy home and dropped her off to get dressed for Jessica's party. I kissed her goodbye on her porch, and it was so different from our parting the night before, it was hard to believe that it had only been last night that we were arguing about Bella Swan.

I parked in the garage, and went into the house. Carlisle was sitting in the living room watching TV when I came in and he greeted me.

"Hi, Edward how did you and Katy do in Westport today?" Carlisle asked.

"We both won again. Where's Alice, dad? Is she already over at Jessica's house?"

"Yes, Alice and Bella both left a couple of hours ago, to go to Jessica's to start setting up. This must be some soirée your sister has been planning for Jessica. I'm supposed to remind you that you promised you'd be there with Katy tonight," Carlisle said, but he had a slightly contemplative look on his face.

"It's all Alice has been talking about for the past week. It should be an interesting time, but I don't know how long Katy and I will be staying. It's been a long day already."

"Edward, I know you've been up since two, but I'm hoping you got some rest on the bus. I want you to do me a favor and keep an eye on your sister tonight, ok? Alice and Bella have become good friends, and I know Alice says that they have a lot in common in their pasts, but I don't know if Bella is such a good influence on your sister sometimes," Carlisle told me.

"Why do you say that, dad, did something happen?" I asked, curious what Alice and Bella had done this time.

"No, nothing in particular, it's just Alice seems to follow Bella's lead a lot. I'm not going to preach to you, we've talked before, and I know there will probably be drinking at this party. It's just when they go out of here wearing outfits that look like they're going to a nightclub in Seattle instead of a party in Forks, I worry. I just don't want anything else to happen to Alice to hurt her. I know Alice can handle herself, but be her brother tonight, Edward, ok?"

"What were they wearing? I thought you said they were going to setup."

"I asked them that too. They said that's what boyfriends are for, the heavy lifting, but I didn't think either of them was dating anyone. Alice was wearing a short knit sweater dress and heels, and Bella was wearing a mini-skirt and a leather jacket."

"They probably meant Mike and Tyler, Jessica and Lauren's boyfriends. Don't worry, dad I'll watch out for Alice, I would have anyhow. Katy and I are going to go over around eight or so. I'm going to go upstairs and rest for a bit, then I need to shower and get dressed," and I walked to the stairs.

Damn, this threw a monkey wrench into my plans. Things had been going great today with Katy, and I didn't want to screw that up. I'd been planning on just showing up at the party long enough to make an appearance, and then get Katy out of there before I did something to attract her attention to how I knew I'd react to seeing Bella tonight. Now Carlisle was expecting me to stay to lookout for Alice, and I'd promised I would. I'd have to find another way to keep them apart or keep Katy from blowing up again.

I showered and shaved, and then went and got dressed for the party. I wore a pair of dark black designer jeans, a navy blue linen button down dress shirt, and a casual looking black sport coat. I knew why Bella and Alice had gone out of the house dressed the way they were. Jessica had wanted to do something racy and daring for her birthday since her parents were out of town for the weekend in Portland, visiting relatives. Alice and Jessica had come up with a nightclub theme, and had told everyone to dress like they were going out on the town to party. I was really curious to see what Katy had come up with to wear tonight.

I made sure I was well stocked with party supplies before I left, and dipped into my stash in the closet and grabbed a couple of extra baggies from the latest shipment from Jacob. My good pipe, check. New screen, check, plenty of smokables, check. Extra lighter, check. I was good to go, and this party should be memorable. Besides, if I knew Alice, she'd have something planned for tonight, anyhow, but it paid to be prepared.

I went downstairs and told Carlisle goodnight. I went out to the garage, and got in the Volvo to drive to Katy's house to pick her up. I pulled into the driveway and parked, and went up to the porch and rang the doorbell. The door opened seconds later, and Katy stepped out the door. She was wearing a long camel colored wool trench coat that was buttoned to her neck and belted around her waist. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the car, hurrying down the steps.

"C'mon, Edward, let's hurry up and get out of here, before mom realizes I changed outfits. She wouldn't let me out of the house if she knew what I'm wearing to the party."

She practically ran to the car, and I opened the door and helped her in, and then ran around and got in. Now I was really curious to see what she was wearing under the coat, but I could wait until we got to Jessica's. I started the car, and we left before anyone came out to check on us. We didn't really have far to go get to Jessica's house.

The Stanley's lived in one of the original old Victorians built along the shores of the Quillayute River by the timber barons that had originally settled Forks. The house was secluded, standing alone along the river, without any nearby neighbors to be disturbed by loud music. It was just north of the more modern tract of houses where Katy's family lived. I followed the path out of Katy's neighborhood, but turned north onto the private road that led out to the Stanley's house.

Jessica's house was a big sprawling two story home, with a columned porch and a large detached garage building. Jessica lived here alone with her parents now. Her older sister had gone off to college when Jessica started her freshman year in high school, and her parents were visiting her brother and his family in Portland this weekend. Jessica's parents knew she was having this party this weekend, and had given their permission with some restrictions. I hadn't heard all the details, but I was interested to see how they were going to work this.

The private road and the driveway in front of the house were crowded with parked cars, and we had to park down the street from the house. I got out and went around and opened Katy's door, and helped her out of the car. There were no sidewalks, and I had to help her back out to the street so we could walk up to the house. She was wearing strappy platform sandals with about a four inch stiletto heel. She held onto my arm as we went back around the car to the street, and she balanced on the balls of her feet so her heels wouldn't sink into the soft ground. She was a little unstable and held tight to my arm, but she successfully made her way across the uneven ground to the pavement.

Katy held my arm as we walked up to the house and then up the steps to the door. I was surprised to see Bella's friend Emmett standing next to the door. He was wearing a black t-shirt with security across the front in big block letters, as he stood there with his arms crossed on his chest. I noticed that his eyes were like Bella's and Jasper's. They were a dark golden butterscotch color, like Bella's had been that first day at school.

"Hey, Edward, glad you could make it. Good race today!" Emmett said, "I thought that kid from Onalaska was gonna take you at the end, but you blew his doors off with that sprint finish! You should have seen the look on his face when you took off at the end of the race like that!"

"So you were at the race today! I thought I saw your car! What are you doing here tonight, Emmett?" I asked.

"Just what the shirt says," and he pointed at his security t-shirt. "They still teach read'n an' write'n in school these days, right? Now, I need your car keys, before you can go in. Come find me when you want to leave, and if you're still sober enough, then I'll giv'em back to you, or find someone to take you home."

"Ok," and I took out my car keys and handed then to Emmett. "How did they manage to hire you for the party tonight, Emmett?" I asked.

"A Volvo?" Emmett said as he took the keys. "I thought Bella said you were a badass, and rode a Harley? Where'd you pick up the soccer mom car?"

"It was my mom's car. My dad gave it to me when she passed away. You got a problem with that?"

"Sorry, Edward, there I go, shooting off my mouth again before I got all the facts… I guess this was one of the rules that Jessica's parents made to let her have the party. Nobody leaves and drives drunk tonight. Alice asked around, and I guess Bella gave her my number. I do this kind of work, and it sounded like a fun gig. Now you kids get in there, and have fun," Emmett opened the door for us.

"Thanks Emmett, see'ya later. No hard feelings. Besides, backseats come in handy sometimes," and I winked at him as we started to go in.

He chuckled, "yeah, I guess so. Hey, Edward, remember what I told you, no offense, but it's good advice." He looked Katy up and down and smiled as he shook his head, and closed the door behind us.

"What the hell was that all about?" Katy asked. "I thought you said you didn't know him when we were at the football game last week?"

"I didn't when you asked me. We talked when I went to the restroom last Friday at the game, and he was at the cross country meet in Tenino on Thursday. He considers himself to be Bella Swan's big brother."

"Is there anything else I should know that you aren't telling me?" Katy asked as I helped her out of her coat. There was a big coat closet next to the door, and I hung up her coat for her.

"Probably, but let's forget about all of that, and just have fun tonight, ok?" I asked as I looked her up and down, and smiled as I admired her outfit.

Katy was wearing a tropical turquoise blue cotton spandex Sweetheart strapless bra top dress with twist front bandeau styling and empire waist. It hugged her curves but was looser around her legs, and covered her from the top curve of her breasts to a couple of inches below her ass, with the lower two thirds of her thighs showing. It covered her about the same as if she'd wrapped a towel around herself after stepping out of the shower, but the dress was form fitting and hugged her curves in all the right places and had built in support so she didn't need to wear a bra with it.

"Wow," I said as I admired her outfit, or lack there of. "I like. You're right; your mom never would have let you out of the house in that."

"C'mon, Edward, Let's get out of the doorway, and see what Alice and Jessica managed to come up with."

We went into the living room, and it looked like some of the furniture from the family room had been moved in here and rearranged. The lights were turned down low, and there were a couple of extra couches than I remembered from the last time I was here. They were arranged for conversation and a couple for more privacy. There was a crowd of people milling around in the living room talking in groups. Some were sitting on the couches, and others were moving through the room. Off to one side of the room, it looked like there was a bar setup in the study, and I could hear loud music coming from the family room in the other direction. There was a couple curled up together on one of the love seats, and I did a double take, when I realized it was Angela Webber and Ben Cheney wrapped up together making out on the couch.

I took Katy's hand, and we headed towards the music. We were almost to the family room, when Alice spotted us and came over to say hi. She was wearing a purple sweater dress, with a pattern of different width horizontal black stripes across the top half of the dress. It was form fitting and clung to her body and hugged her hips. It was just as short as Katy's dress, but had three-quarter length sleeves, with cutouts around the shoulders to give a peek-a-boo effect and show off more skin. She had to practically yell in my ear so I could hear her over the music.

"Hey, Edward, it's about time you showed up! I thought you were going to try and skip out on the party!"

"I told you I'd come. So, what's the layout? What have you got going on?"

"Jasper's playing bartender for me in the study, and making sure nobody gets into the Stanley's liquor cabinet, but he brought plenty to keep us going tonight. He has some drinking games in there, if you're looking to catch a quick buzz and want to feel no pain, or want a ride home tonight. Dancing in the Family room. There's a keg out on the patio, and there's beer pong setup out there too. There's munchies in the dining room. If you go upstairs later, stay out if the rooms locked, otherwise feel free to get your freak on. I have to go check on Jasper, have fun!"

"Thanks, Alice. You have fun too, ok?" she waved goodbye, and disappeared into the crowd.

I held onto Katy's hand, and started toward the family room again. The room lights were turned down, but there were bright colored lights flashing in time to the music and a mirrored disco ball hanging in the middle of the room with a colored light shining on it to reflect out in random directions. Eric Yorkie was playing DJ, and he had a professional looking sound system setup. The furniture had been moved out of the room, and the dance floor was full as people moved to the beat of the music.

I could see the sliding glass door across the room that led out to the patio, and I pulled Katy with me as I merged into the crowd, and we made our way across the room through the writhing bodies moving to the pounding beat and the colored light show. We got to the sliding glass door, and stepped out onto the patio, and I saw Mike and Tyler manning the keg. We went over, and they handed us each a plastic cup of beer.

This was part of the revised plan, now that Carlisle expected me to stay at the party to look out for Alice. I needed to get Katy feeling no pain, so she wouldn't inflict any on me. The party looked fun so far, but we hadn't run into Bella yet either. Katy wouldn't drink liquor, until she'd had a couple of beers. I was considering beer pong to get the night rolling, but then I noticed the tug in my stomach coming from where the beer pong table was setup. I looked over, and sure enough, Bella Swan was at the beer pong table.

She was playing single against a pair, and had two empty mugs setup on the corners of the table. Her opponents never scored a point, but she scored three times in a row, and dropped the ball into Michaela's cup as I watched. Michaela fished out the ball and chugged the rest of the beer in the glass, and then somebody set a fresh cup in its place. I tore my eyes away before Katy could notice, and took a drink of my beer.

"So, Mike, Tyler, where's the action tonight?" I asked.

"Man, it's a good thing that big guy is collecting all the car keys at the door," Tyler said. "Some people are going to get seriously fucked up tonight!"

"Seriously, man," Mike said, "Bella Swan is destroying all comers at the beer pong table. She was playing doubles with Alice, but she's still winning solo. Jasper's got a serious drinking game setup inside. Dude, this party is so cool!"

"If it's so cool, where are Jessica and Lauren, and why are you out here pouring beer, instead of partying with them?" Katy asked as she grinned at them.

"Alice went to go find our replacements to take over for us," Tyler said. "Jessica and Lauren are in dancing, I think."

Just then, Alice showed up with a couple of football players.

"Ok, Mike, Tyler, get out of here and go have fun." She turned to the two new guys. "Ok, you pour and don't let anybody fool around, got it?" they nodded. "Cool, the other kegs in the garage if you need it. Tell me if you run out, and we'll get it setup." She waved at us, and then went back over to the beer pong table with Bella.

I turned to Katy, "so, what sounds like fun? Want to try out Jaspers drinking game, or do you want to dance?" I asked Katy.

"Get me a refill, then let's go dance," Katy said, the smile wide on her face as she let herself go and enjoyed the night. She'd seen me ignore Bella as I tore my gaze away from her, and I was staring at her again as she stood there half-naked, practically begging me to touch her.

She'd already finished her first beer, and I got her a refill. I topped off my cup, and then we went back inside.

We made our way onto the dance floor, and let the music move us. We moved through the press of bodies surging against Katy's excuse for a dress to the center of the room. I let myself go as the pounding beat of the loud music reached deep into the core of my being and set me in motion to move in time with the electric rhythm. I rocked my hips, and Katy smiled, ignoring of the crowd of people writhing around our bodies as we surrendered to the dance.

Eric kept the music coming as one song flowed into the next and Katy's face swam before me as we moved like one creature to the influence of the music. Sweat dripped from our bodies and Katy's white teeth glinted in a wild smile as the beat pounded through us and moved us. My fears about my relationship with Katy and the mystery of Bella Swan were forgotten for the moment in the sheer exhilaration which swept through my body as we twisted and turned together.

Katy's arms coiled lithely as the music led them and she quivered and shuddered with the pounding beat from the speakers. She twisted, panting, sweat beading on her brow as she moved like a free spirit in the press of bodies. I could see the perspiration beading her lips and the curve of her breasts.

The cotton spandex clung to her breasts, stretched taut over the erect nipples, and I ached to reach out and caress her pert breast, so sinfully exposed, yet concealed by the slip of a dress that she wore. Reaching out my hand, I took her fingers in my own and pulled her to me. So close was she to me that I felt her breath upon my mouth, saw her pupils dilate.

Suddenly she was pressed against me, her body hot and damp from the dancing. She looked into my eyes and I felt my mouth fall open at the intensity of her gaze. My fingers, succeeding in the task they had been longing to accomplish, pulled her close to me, forcing her against my hardness, letting her feel how aroused I had become by her movements. She gasped in a little breath, the sound arousing me as I ground my body against her and she writhed against me.

I leaned into her and pressed my lips to her ear, "I need you, I need you now. Let's go look upstairs."

Katy moaned against my neck, but I felt her shake her head yes. I wrapped my arm around her, and guided us off the dance floor as we made our way to the stairs. I held he close as we went up the stairs and into the darkened hallway. Another couple passed us going back to join the party and I held out hope that we'd find the privacy we so desired.

I tried the first door that we came to, but it was locked, as was the door across the hall. We moved on, and the next door was open, but when I looked in, there was a couple on the bed fucking as a group of people stood around the room intently watching. Not my thing at all and we moved on. The door across the hall was locked, but the next door opened when I tried it. The room was dark and empty. I pulled Katy inside, and carefully locked the door behind us, not wanting to become part of the entertainment for the evening.

I pulled Katy into my arms, and our lips met. She was insistent and hungry, and I felt her tongue pressing against my lips demanding entry. I parted my lips and Katy thrust her tongue into my mouth. I explored her tongue as it moved in my mouth, slick and sweet and velvety as our kiss deepened. My lips moved on Katy's, and she reached up and tangled her fingers in my hair as she pulled herself closer. I held her tight to me with one arm, as I reached up with the other hand to squeeze her and stroke her firm breast.

Katy moaned against my lips and broke the kiss to catch her breath. I glanced up to take in the layout of the darkened room and I spied my goal behind Katy, the bed across the room nearer the door in the wall dividing this room from the next. I recognized this room now from previous visits to Jessica's house. This used to be Jessica's sisters room, before she went off to college, but it was a guest room now. The door in the wall was a bathroom between this room and the other guest bedroom. The hallway doors to the bathroom and the other guest room had been locked, so we shouldn't have to worry about anybody walking in on us.

I started to walk us towards the bed, as Katy backed across the room, and she let me guide her as her lips planted wet open mouthed kisses on my neck and cheek. We crossed to the bed, and to my surprise, I could sense Bella as I moved across the room toward the bed and the closed bathroom door in the wall from the tugging sensation in my stomach. I felt jealousy flash through me as I fleetingly wondered who Bella was in the other guest room with. The moment passed, and I pushed it out of my head as backs of Katy's knees came in contact with the edge of the bed and I lowered her onto the mattress.

Katy had a sultry seductive look on her face as she scooted back to the middle of the bed, and I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my jacket and dropped it on the floor. I crawled onto the bed as I looked at Katy resting back on her elbows watching me.

I grabbed her ankles as I moved on to the bed, and my hands stroked up her shapely muscular legs as I moved between them onto the bed. My hands gently spread her knees to give me room to move between them, and then my hands stroked up her thighs as I pushed her dress up off of her legs.

Katy arched her back, and raised her ass off the bed as I pushed her dress up to gather around her waist. Then I reached for the tiny triangle of fabric that covered my prize. I pulled her thong to the side, exposing her hot wet pussy, and I leaned forward and kissed her between her legs.

I reached for her and spread her lips with my fingers, as my tongue snaked out and licked up her center to her clit. I ran my tongue over Katy's hot sex, not too hard to be abrasive or too light to tease and flutter, but just the right amount of pressure that I knew would drive Katy crazy.

"Oh baby…So good…" Katy panted.

I dipped my hot tongue into her opening then back up to stroke her throbbing pearl. I repeated this for a while as Katy moaned and shuddered.

"God, that's fucking amazing… Oh, don't stop…" Katy bucked her hips forward to me as I licked her and she writhed and shuddered on the bed.

"God yes… More please… God! Don't stop now!" She whined as I reached under her ass with my free hand and grabbed the elastic band of her thong, and pulled it down off her butt. I leaned back for a minute and pulled her panties down her thighs, and she raised her legs to let me pull them down and off over her shoes and tossed them onto the floor with my jacket.

I reached for her ankle to unbuckle the strap, but Katy growled, impatient for me to continue what I'd started. She reached for me and tangled her fingers in my hair and pulled my face back between her legs to onto her hot sex and my tongue delved back between her lips and found her throbbing clit.

The tug in my stomach was gone now, and had been replaced by the dull ache in my chest, but I ignored it as I reached for Katy's entrance with my hand. I stroked her to wet my fingers with the juices freely flowing from her, and started to press two fingers into her hot wet pussy.

"Oh My God!!! Fuck…Edward! Oh god…Edward…"

I felt Katy's fingers tangled in my hair gripping my head press me tighter against her as I stroked my fingers in and out of her, and I moved up and sucked her clit between my lips as I flicked the sensitive bundle of nerves with my tongue.

"God…I'm almost there! Right there…Shit…Edward…"

Katy was pressing my head hard against her pussy as she panted and moaned my name. She bucked against me, but I held her pressed down against the mattress as I licked her and stroked my fingers into her hot wet core.

"Edward I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there…"

"Edward! Oh god…I'm there!"

Katy was moaning my name, then I felt a strong shudder pass through her, and she clenched around my fingers thrust deep inside her as her muscles contracted. I held my tongue still as I pressed it against her pulsing clit as she came hard.

I got up on my knees as Katy recovered, and quickly unbuttoned my shirt front and cuffs, and then pulled it of and tossed it onto the pile of my jacket.

Katy sat up as I pulled off my shirt, and wrapped her arms around me as her lips searched for mine. Her arms snaked up around my neck and her fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled my face down to hers. I tilted my head to the side to accommodate her, and our lips crashed together as our tongues twined and danced and slipped against one another.

Katy pulled me back down onto the bed with her and I rolled us to our sides so I wouldn't crush her under my weight. Her lips were forceful and insistent as our tongues danced and wrestled and slipped against each other. She pushed me back as we kissed until she was over me and I rested back on my shoulder as we made out.

I reached up and pulled down the top of Katy's dress, freeing her breasts from the built in cups, leaving her essentially naked except for the band of fabric gathered around her stomach. My strong hands cupped Katy's breasts, and my thumbs stroked her hard nipples. She moaned into the kiss, and pressed herself harder against my hands.

"God Edward… Your hands feel so good…" She moaned as she pressed against my hands.

I felt Katy's hands at the front of my jeans, pulling my belt open. Then she unsnapped my pants and zipped down my fly. Her hands gripped the top of my pants, and she started to work them down as she tugged firmly.

I raised my hips to accommodate her, and she pulled my jeans and boxers down all at once, exposing my hard cock. Katy scooted down the bed to work my pants down my legs and pull them off, and they joined the pile on the floor. My erection sprang free and slapped back against my stomach as it came free of the confines of my boxers and jeans.

Katy wrapped her hand around my hard cock and stroked up and down the length of my erection as she moved back up the bed between my legs. She reached for my balls, hanging at the base of my cock, and gently gripped my sack as she moved my balls inside of it with her warm fingers.

"I am gonna help my dad cut these off if you don't stay good…" She teased. "But I have better things to do with them tonight," and she leaned down and put her mouth on my sack, kissing my balls. Then she sucked my ball into her mouth, and I could feel her move it in her mouth with her warm wet tongue. She let go of the first ball, then sucked in the other one and gave it the same treatment.

"God yes… Katy… God that's fucking great…"

She looked up at my eyes as I looked down at her with hooded eyes, then she moved between my legs and leaned in and kissed the head of my cock. Her tongue flicked out and licked around my cock head. I closed my eyes as her hands and mouth worked on me, and then I felt her suck my hard cock into her mouth.

"God Katy… That's good… Oh god… Katy…" I moaned as she sucked and stroked my hard cock.

Katy's lips moved down my length as her head pushed down on my hard cock until the head brushed against the back of her throat. She pulled back before she started to gag and then she began to bob up and down on my cock, swirling her tongue around me as she stroked the base and length of my cock with her hot hands.

I threw my head back and moaned as Katy's mouth and hands move on my hard cock. The feeling was incredible as my cock plunged deep into her mouth. She'd pull back until her lips were pressed around the head and then back down deep as I pressed against the back of her throat.

"Come up here, I need you now," I told her as I reached for her.

I was getting close to coming, but I didn't want to finish in Katy's mouth. I knew I'd recover soon and we could continue, but we were still at a party, and I didn't want to be gone too long. I reached down for Katy and pulled her up into my arms and kissed her deeply as she spread her legs and straddled my hips.

Katy placed her hands against my chest and pushed herself upright. She ground herself against my hard cock. It slipped between her pussy lips as she rubbed herself along my length as she worked her hips against me.

I grasped her hips lifting her, and Katy rose up on her knees hovering above me. She reached back with one hand and grasped my cock, rubbing the head against her clit and shuddered with pleasure as it moved against her sensitive bundle of nerves. Then she moved my cock head back and pressed it against her entrance.

"God yes… Edward… God that's fucking amazing…" Katy moaned as she started to lower her hips onto mine as my cock started to press up into her.

She bit her lip as she sank down and let her weight settle on me as I filled her. I used my hands on her hips to move her on me and she rose up sliding on my cock. I rocked my hips to thrust up into her as she slammed back down and ground her hips against me. We fell into a rhythm as our movements became more frantic, Katy moving as my hands guided her and I slammed her from below.

"God, Edward… I love you so much baby…" Katy moaned.

She lowered herself to my chest and I felt her lips on my nipple as she placed open mouthed kisses on my chest. I was still rocking my hips thrusting into her, but it was harder to thrust into her now as she lay against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and rolled us over as I moved on top her but my cock slipped out of her as we moved to the new position.

Then suddenly, I could sense Bella again from the tugging sensation in my stomach and I looked across the room toward the closed bathroom door in the wall. The light was off, but the door was cracked open now. I couldn't see her in the darkened room, but I could feel her watching. Maybe I should have stopped, but if she wanted to watch, I hope she enjoyed the show.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you!" I ordered her.

"Oh my god… Baby please… Edward fuck me! I need you inside… Please…" She begged me.

I thought I could hear a low whimper come from the bathroom, but Katy was too far gone to notice and I smiled as I thought about Bella standing in the dark watching. Was she just a voyeur, or maybe she was enjoying the show?

I reached my hands under Katy's knees and lifted them and pushed them back against the sides of her chest. Katy held her knees back with her hands and I reached down and moved my cock back to her opening. I pushed my cock into her in one long stroke and buried myself to the hilt in her hot sex.

I thrust into Katy, pounding into her hard and fast as she moaned my name. It was hot and slick as the walls of her tight pussy gripped my hard cock tight as I pulled back and rocked my hips forward into her.

"Edward… Oh god… Edward… Oh god… Yess…"

I thrust deeply into her as I buried myself to the hilt inside her slick heat over and over. My pubic bone ground against her clit, with each thrust I set up a rhythm as I started to move inside of her lifting my hips and then rocking back into her. Was that a low growl coming from the bathroom door?

"God Katy… you're so tight… So good…" I groaned as I started to move deep inside her.

"Oh god… Oh god… Edward fuck me!" She moaned as I thrust into her hot pussy.

I pulled back and rocked my hips forward thrusting into her slick wet heat, moving faster as she held her legs back exposing herself so I could thrust deeper into her and her body shuddered as we moved together. Katy rocked her hips to meet my thrusts, and we crashed together as our bodies moved to the rhythm of our love making.

There were sounds coming from the bathroom. I was sure there were, but it sounded like a low heavy growl now but I ignored it.

"Oh god… Edward Harder! Baby… Fuck me… Fuck me hard!" Katy groaned.

I rested my weight on my arms as I pressed my hips against hers and I hammered into her, thrusting hard and fast over her with as legs moved onto my shoulders and her hands gripped the sheet as she threw her head back and panted my name.

The sounds coming from the bathroom were still quiet, but it sounded like wood straining under pressure along with the growl now.

God… Edward… I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there!" she moaned getting louder as she got closer to the edge.

Katy bit her lip to muffle her cries. Her hands clawed at the bed as her pussy clenched hard around my solid cock and her legs went rigid against me on my body as her orgasm carried her away.

The tug in my stomach was strong but it started slack off as though it was moving away as it played at the edge of my awareness.

"Uhnn… Uhnn… God… Katy! I'm gonna… Uhnn… I'm almost there…" I panted as I plunged into her hot sex!

I was on the edge, and began thrusting more urgently as I felt the tingling at the base of my cock in my balls and I knew I was going to come. I thrust hard a couple more times and then buried myself to the hilt inside her hot throbbing pussy as I shot my come deep inside Katy. The orgasm ripped through me and I felt my dick pulse as my hot juice flooded into her.

The tug in my stomach was gone now. I looked up and the door was closed, but it didn't look like it was hanging straight now, and the tug had been replaced by the dull ache in my chest, but I ignored it as I held Katy.

After a minute, I pulled out slowly and lay down next to her pulling her into my arms spooning against her back. I reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and caressed her cheek as I held her and we basked in the after glow, just enjoying the feel of our bodies pressed together on the bed for a couple of minutes.

"Katy, love, I'm going to go to the restroom," I whispered in her ear, "can I get you anything?" I asked.

"No, Edward," Katy said as she lay there contented. "I'll go clean up when you're done."

"Ok, love. I want to try Jasper's game when we go back downstairs," I said as I started to get up.

"Ok, Edward," Katy said as I walked to the bathroom door.

I cracked the door open, but I didn't feel anything at first. I looked at the door, and the edge of the door was cracked. It looked like somebody had been holding the edge as they peered into the room, and there was a mark where it looked like the wood had been gripped so tight that it was crushed and splintered. I placed my hand on the door, but the mark was from a hand much smaller than mine. I wouldn't have been able to squeeze the wood tight enough to cause a pressure fracture, but the mark was there.

I went in and closed the door. I started to move into the room and gradually I could sense Bella from the tugging sensation in my stomach as I moved across the room toward the closed door to the adjoining guest room. Jealousy flared in me again as I thought of Bella in that other room, and I had to know who she was with. I knew she had been watching me, and I figured what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and silently I cracked the door open to peek into the room.

It was dark and I couldn't make out details at first, but there were bodies moving on the bed and I knew one of them was Bella Swan. There was heavy breathing and moans, and the definite sounds of licking and slurping. I had first hand knowledge fresh in my mind, and I knew what was going on. It sounded like whoever was on the receiving end of that tongue was getting close.

"God, that's fucking amazing… Oh, don't stop…" NO! FUCKING! WAY!

It had to be my imagination! Incredulously, I pushed the door open a little further and tried to see for sure. There was a naked girl lying back on the bed with her knees pulled back, but she was too small to be Bella.

"Oh My God!!! Fuck…Bella! Oh god…Bella…"

Alice? Oh! My! God! Alice! Suddenly jealousy wasn't the only emotion I had to deal with anymore as I watched the tableau unfold before my shocked eyes. The other body moving between her legs was pale white with long dark hair. I could make out the gentle curves and the swell of her hips and it was her! It Was Her! Bella and Alice? Oh my god!

"Bella I'm gonna… Baby I'm almost there…"

"Oh god Bella! …I'm there!" Alice keened as she shook on the bed.

I shut the door and stepped back in shock as she came hard and the orgasm rocked through her petite body. No way!

Conflicting emotions raged through me and I didn't know if I should be jealous, turned on, sick or angry. The part of me that was connected to Bella told me to be jealous, but the teen-aged boy was turned on at the thought of watching two girls together. I was a little sick at seeing my sister naked, because I really did think of her as a sister in a healthy way and another part of me was angry because she was my sister and I was supposed to be looking out for her. At least she looked like she was enjoying herself, so I didn't barge in and try and break things up. That would have been rude and hypocritical considering what I'd been doing in the next room.

I flipped on the light switch and went to the sink and splashed some cold water in my face. Then I turned on the hot water until the water ran warm and got a washcloth and cleaned up from having sex with Katy. I hadn't used the toilet, but I flushed it, for the sound effect to cover for how long I'd spent in the bathroom watching the scene in the next room, and then I walked back out into the room with Katy.

She was standing next to the bed smoothing out her dress, holding her panties in her hand as I came back in. She had pulled the bra top back up to cover her breasts, and the skirt was hanging back down over her hips again.

"I was about to come look for you, and see if you fell in," Katy joked as I walked through the door.

"It's all yours, let me get dressed, and we can go back downstairs."

"Ok, I'll just be a minute. I need to wash-up and dry off before I put my panties back on," Katy said and walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I got dressed, and Katy came back out of the bathroom as I was pulling on my jacket. I reached for her as she came to me and kissed her passionately, but she pushed in back after a minute and grinned at me.

"I thought you wanted to go back downstairs? I'm gonna drag you back into bed for our own private party if you keep that up, Edward."

"Ok, I'm hungry and want to grab a snack, although the thought of just eating you all night is appealing too." Katy gave a little shudder, but it looked like she thought the idea had merit from the grin on her face. "Let's go grab another beer, and then we can go see what Jasper has going on," I said. I took her hand and we went to the door before she could decide to just stay up here all night.

I unlocked the door, and we went back downstairs to the party. Things were still rolling along as we walked back into the living room. Angela and Ben weren't on the couch anymore, but Connor and Katy Marshall, the redhead that lived around the corner from Bella were making out on the couch in the corner now. It looked like Connor had his hand up under her skirt and she sat twined in his lap with their lips pressed together, and I grinned and looked away.

"I wonder if we should send them upstairs," Katy asked with a grin as she saw where I was looking.

I just laughed, and shook my head. I pulled her the long way around through the kitchen and into the dining room where the munchies were laid out. Alice had done an excellent job, and there was still food laid out on the table and some of it was still warm. There had been a couple of girls I didn't recognize in the kitchen wearing aprons, and I assumed that they were in charge of making sure that the snacks kept rolling out as long as people kept eating them.

I wondered how much Jessica had spent on this party, but then I noticed something odd. The two girls in the kitchen were both good looking, and a bit older than the kids at the party. Probably college girls, but they were wearing matching necklaces, and I recognized the design. It looked like the family crest on Bella's necklace and Jasper's motorcycle jacket, but it was a little different. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points, but the background was quartered in red and silver instead of gold and silver, and the three green shamrocks across the bottom were missing. There was a single red heart below the handles of the swords, instead of the row of shamrocks.

It looked like Bella had helped Alice arrange to have Emmett cover security. I wondered if she'd gotten her a deal on the catering as well.

I let go of Katy's hand, and we each got a paper plate and collected a selection of snacks. There were bagel bites, and some miniature bacon and spinach quiches. Hot wings and pizza cut up into bite size pieces. There were a couple of trays of cold cuts, a vegetable platter with dip and of course a variety of chips and dip.

Katy and I went back out onto the patio through the French doors from the dining room, and we found a table to sit down where we had a view of the beer pong table. I set down my plate, and went over to get us each another beer. I came back to the table and set our beers down. I sat beside Katy, and we ate while we watched the beer pong game.

"So, are you feeling lucky?" Katy asked when we were about done as she eyed the beer pong game.

"I think I already got lucky," I whispered in her ear as I leaned in with a smirk.

She blushed and pushed me away. "You know what I mean, do you want to try the game?" she said with a grin.

I looked at the beer pong setup a little dubiously, and raised an eyebrow. "This'll be going on all night, as long as people can still stand up, or the cops come. I want to go see what Jasper has setup inside, we always play beer pong at these parties."

"Ok," Katy said with a bit of a pout. "We can go try Jasper's game, but then you have to come be my partner at beer pong, ok?"

"If you can still walk on your own, your wish is my command. C'mon, let's go."

We went back to the keg, and I refilled Katy's beer and topped up my own. Then we cut through the dance party in the family room on our way to the bar in the study. There was a group of people around a table on one side of the room, and Jasper Whitlock was standing there shuffling a deck of cards. Mike and Jessica, Tyler and Lauren, and John and Teri were standing there watching when Katy and I walked up, and we said hi. Mike looked like he was a little unstable, and Jessica was leaning on him to stay standing up as Tyler and John teased them. From the sound of it, they'd lost in the last game.

There was a large empty glass tumbler standing in the middle of the table, and a small wad of cash next it. Jasper started to deal the cards, laying them on the table face down in a square grid until he had the whole deck laid out around the tumbler in the middle.

"Hey, Jasper," I said as we walked up. "So what's this game and how do you play?" I asked.

"This is a little game my friends and I play called 'kings and blood'," Jasper said. "I changed a couple of rules for this crowd, but people seem to be having fun."

"Ok, how do you play? I asked, wondering what rules he'd had to change.

"It's simple really. You take turns flipping over a card. If you draw a red card, you take a drink. Beer is ok for that tonight, but no sips, a real drink. If you draw a face card, then you do a shot," he indicated several bottles of liquor next to him. "Or you can buy out by throwing something into the pot, either cash or something else you value. "I think there are still some IOU's from a couple of girls in there." He winked at me and Katy frowned. If you draw a king, then you name the poison, and we add a shot to the tumbler. If you draw the fourth king, we add the shot of your choice, and you have to drink the tumbler. If you chug it down, then you win the pot. If you can't then you have to finish it, but the pot stays in the middle for the next game."

I turned to Katy, "So, are you game? Want to give it a go?" I asked.

Katy frowned. "Will you be on my team, Edward?" Katy asked.

"Sorry, darlin, no teams," Jasper said. "You can play as a team, but then you both have to drink when you each flip a card. You're on your own here, if you've got the cojones for it."

"So who's been playing this game tonight?" I asked, as Katy started to shy away from the table.

"Bella and Alice were in here earlier," Tyler volunteered.

"Yeah, Alice bought her way out of a shot, and threw an IOU into the pot. I was shocked." Teri said. "I didn't think Alice was like that."

"Well, Bella Swan won that game, so she probably gave it back to her," Lauren said, "but damn that girl can drink! She was doing shots for the red cards instead of beer, and downed the tumbler like pop when she drew the fourth king! Of course I haven't seen Bella or Alice around for a while, so maybe she's passed out somewhere now."

Katy stepped back up to the table now, and I could see her eyes flash as Lauren talked about how well Bella had done in the game. I could almost read her mind, If Bella could do it, and play this game, then she sure as hell could too!

"OK, I'm in," Katy said. Then she turned to me. "If you win, I get those IOU's, right?"

"Only if I get to watch," I teased her.

"I'm not going to collect on them, and neither are you!" Katy said, playfully hitting my arm.

"Ok, I'm in too," I said.

Jasper looked around the table, and everybody else nodded.

"Ok, somebody go first then," Jasper said. "Game stays open 'til somebody draws the first king, then no new players 'til this game's over."

I looked around, and nobody looked like they were ready to make a move, so I reached down and flipped over a card, a three of clubs, so I was still in the clear. Katy flipped over a 4 of hearts and took a drink of her beer. The play proceeded around the table, and Tyler flipped a red card and took a drink, but the rest came up black and then it was my turn again.

I flipped over the 6 of diamonds, and took a drink of beer. Then Katy flipped the 5 of clubs and was clear this time around. Mike and Jessica flipped the 5 and 6 of hearts and each took a drink. Tyler flipped the jack of diamonds, and asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, Jasper poured and he tossed it back and set the shot glass back on the table. Lauren flipped the three of diamonds and drank her beer. John flipped the nine of hearts and took a drink, but Teri pulled the queen of spades and Jasper poured her a shot of tequila.

I waited until she was sucking on the wedge of lime, and went back to studying the table to make my next choice to start the third round when a pale white hand reached out flipped over the king of hearts.

"Everclear 190," I heard Bella say and Jasper poured a shot glass full to the brim, and poured it into the tumbler in the middle of the table.

I hadn't even heard them come in, but Bella and Alice were standing next to Mike and Jessica now, and Katy didn't seem pleased that they had joined the game.

"Ok, games closed now," Jasper said. "Edward, you're up."

I looked over the cards, and made my selection. The 2 of hearts, how ironic, but I drank my beer and waited for Katy to choose. Katy drew the queen of hearts and turned a little green, but asked for a shot of tequila like Teri, licked the salt, tossed it back and bit down on the wedge of lime as she squeezed my hand.

Mike drew the seven of clubs, and Jessica pulled the two of spades, and they were clear this round. Tyler drew the ace of diamonds and drank his beer, and Lauren flipped the nine of diamonds and took a drink. John flipped the ten of spades and passed, but Teri flipped the jack and asked for another shot of tequila. Bella flipped the five of diamonds, but she didn't have a beer. She asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, and tossed it back.

I flipped over the jack of diamonds to start the fourth round, and asked for a shot of Jack Daniels, and tossed it back. We were past the halfway point in the deck now, and there were three shots and three kings left. Katy flipped a card, and I heard her groan. It was the queen of clubs, and she downed another shot of tequila.

Mike flipped the eight of hearts and took a drink. Jessica flipped the ace of clubs and was clear. Tyler flipped the ace of hearts and took a drink, and Lauren flipped the three of spades and passed. John flipped the ten of diamonds and took a drink, and Teri flipped the two of clubs and breathed out a sigh of relief.

Bella flipped the king of clubs, and said, "Everclear 190," and Jasper poured another shot into the tumbler.

This was getting close to the end now; most of the deck was gone. I flipped a card, and drew the ace of spades and passed. Katy reached out and flipped a card, and groaned again. The jack of clubs, and she threw back her third shot of tequila. She was leaning on me more now, and seemed like she was a little less stable on her feet as she started to feel the effects of the liquor.

Mike and Jessica drew black cards and passed. Tyler flipped the two of diamonds, and took a drink. Lauren flipped the seven of hearts and took a drink. John flipped the ten of hearts, and took a drink. Teri groaned when she flipped the queen of diamonds, and tossed back another shot of tequila.

There were nine cards left and two kings. Bella reached out and flipped a card, the king of diamonds.

"Everclear 190," she said, and Jasper poured a third shot into the tumbler in the middle of the table.

Eight cards left, and it was my turn. I flipped a card. The ten of clubs, I was clear again.

Seven cards left, and it was Katy's turn. She reached and flipped a card, "Shit," she swore. She drew the king of spades.

"Name your poison, darlin, then it's to you," Jasper said with a grim look as he waited for Katy to speak.

"Shit, might as well stick with what I know. Jose Cuervo," Katy said, and Jasper poured the shot and dumped it into the tumbler. Then he set the tumbler down in front of Katy and everybody looked at her expectantly. Most of the shots we'd been drinking were eighty proof liquor, but there were three shots of Everclear 190 in the tumbler. They had more alcohol than six of the eighty proof drinks. That tumbler would be like chugging seven or eight shots all at once.

"Katy, you don't have to drink that, you'll hurt yourself," I said

"Would she drink it?" She nodded her head toward Bella, and we all knew who she meant.

"She did in the game she won," Lauren chimed in, with a cold calculating look on her face as she waited to see if Katy would do it.

"God, I'm going to regret this." Then she made like she was doing another shot of tequila. She poured salt on the back of her hand, took a deep breath, licked it off, and picked up the tumbler of Everclear 190 and tequila and chugged it down without stopping to take a breath. She looked like she was going to gag and spew it back up, but she bit down on a wedge of lime and clamped her jaw shut as the liquor burned in her gut.

"We have a winner!" Jasper exclaimed, and collected the pot in the middle of the table, and made to hand the wad of cash to Katy, but her eyes were still closed and she was still biting down on the lime.

Katy took the lime out of her mouth, but she was leaning on me heavily. I took the handful of cash from Jasper, as I held Katy up. Jasper started to collect the cards, as more people were watching to start the next game.

"Edward, I need to go sit down," Katy said. I helped her into the living room, and we found a quiet spot on one of the couches to sit down.

"How are you doing, Katy? Are you alright?"

"I feel dizzy, Edward. The room feels like it's spinning around."

"Close you eyes, and sit back. Can I get you anything?"

"No… Can you find Michaela and Brittany for me? I think I might be sick…"

"Ok, wait here and I'll try and find them."

I got up to go find Katy's friends. She looked like she was ready to pass out, and I went to go look for Michaela and Brittany. I knew they weren't in the study, we'd just been in there ourselves and I hadn't seen them. I hadn't seen them here in the living room. I went to go look in the family room but I didn't see them and went out to the patio. I got lucky, and spotted Michaela watching the beer pong game on the patio. I hurried outside to talk to her.

"Hey, Michaela, I need your help. Where's Brittany?" I said when I got outside.

"She went for a walk with Dean, but they're around somewhere. What's up, Edward? Where's Katy?"

"We were playing that drinking game of Jasper's, and she won. She chugged the tumbler in the middle of the table, and she's seriously fucked up now. I think she's gonna be sick. She asked me to come find you."

"Shit, Edward! You know how she gets when she drinks! Where'd you leave her?"

"She's on the couch in the living room."

"Ok, c'mon let's go get her. You can help me get her to the bathroom."

We went back into the house, and Katy was passed out on the couch. She just moaned when I shook her shoulder.

"Jeez, Edward, how much did she have to drink?" Michaela asked

"About four shot of tequila but the rest of the tumbler was Everclear."

"Ok, pick her up if you have to, we need to get it out of her system, now."

I stood Katy up, and she just moaned, but I held her up and Michaela took her other arm so we could walk her to the bathroom. She started to come around as we walked, but she looked green and started to gag as we went through the bathroom door. We were lucky there wasn't a line and the room was empty. Michaela lifted the toilet seat and I held her hair as she threw up, but I felt relieved that she was getting most of the liquor out of her system.

"Go find Brittany, Edward. I'm going to need help with Katy," Michaela said.

"I can help you."

"Katy's supposed to sleep over at my house tonight. I think the parties over for her tonight. Brittany's staying tonight too. Just go find her, ok?"

"I want to help," I said.

"You've done enough tonight! Now get out of here, and go find Brittany!"

I got up to leave as Michaela ran water in the sink and wet a wash cloth to wipe Katy's face. I heard her throw up again as I shut the door. I went back out to the patio, and I didn't see Brittany or Dean, but Dean's buddy Tanner was watching the beer pong game. I went to ask if he'd seen Dean and Brittany.

"Hey, Tanner, Have you seen Brittany and Dean?" I asked as I walked over to where he was standing.

"They went for a walk on the trail down to the river a while ago, why?

"Katy's sick, and Michaela sent me to go find Brittany. Tell her Michaela wants her in the house, if you see her, ok? I'm gonna go see if I can find her."

"No problem, Edward. I hope Katy feels better."

"She'll be ok, just too much to drink. I think she's going to regret it in the morning."

Tanner smiled sympathetically, and I left to go down the trail to the river to go look for Brittany. I could hear the river running a short ways back behind the house. This was one of the calmer wider sections of the river, and it didn't rush and splash down rapids like some of the other wilder switchbacks. It was dark out, but there was a crescent moon in the sky, and the night was relatively clear. There were some low garden lights along the trial at widely spaced intervals to mark the path, but I didn't see anyone around.

The trail branched a short ways from the house, and I didn't know which way to go. I had a fifty-fifty chance, so I turned west. I kept jogging up the trail for about five minutes, and was thinking about heading back, when I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out, and the screen said it was Michaela so I answered the call.

"Hey, Michaela, is everything ok? How's' Katy?"

"She's gonna be ok, Edward. Hey, Brittany got your message from Tanner, and she's at the house with us. We're gonna take Katy over to my house now, so she can sleep it off, ok?"

"Do you need any help? Do you want me to drive you?"

"No, Brittany and I can handle her. I've got my car, and the guy at the door already gave me back my keys. We'll see you later, ok?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Can I say goodbye to Katy?"

"I'll hold the phone to her ear, but she can barely stand up on her own. I doubt she'll remember it in the morning. Ok, go ahead."

"Katy, I love you. Sorry about asking you to play that stupid game, ok?

"Ummhmm, luv yoush…"

"Ok, Edward, see you tomorrow," Michaela said, and then the call ended.

Shit, Katy was probably going to be pissed at me tomorrow, but at least she could be mad at me for her hangover instead of catching me looking at Bella Swan. I turned to head back, and after a little ways, there was another branch in the trail. One path led back to the house, and the other led down closer to the river. I didn't need to rush back to the house now and I needed some air to clear my head, so I took the path toward the river.

I remembered that Jessica's family had a small dock built along the river down here. We'd come swimming here in the summer, and Jessica's dad fished out here sometimes. There was thick undergrowth and trees obscuring the view of the dock from the path, and you'd probably miss it in the dark, if you didn't know it was here. I was heading that way, when I heard voices up ahead.

The night seemed unnaturally quiet, and I realized could barely make out the sounds of insects or the river in the background. My footsteps were silent, and I couldn't even hear the sound of my own breathing or heartbeat, but I could hear the voices if I concentrated on them, and I moved closer to hear if I could tell who it was and what they were talking about.

"…complain. I just don't know how much longer I can stay away from Edward. I don't want to stay away anymore!"

"You've got to stay strong, Bella. You know it's the right thing to do. You're the one that decided you needed to give him space because he has a girlfriend, and I agree. It's wrong to try and break them up."

The voices were faint and tinny, like they were coming from a great distance, but they were right on the other side of the bushes! That first voice, the girl that spoke, that had to be Bella Swan! I knew it was her, I could sense her presence. Then the man's voice had said her name, but who was she talking to?

"I'm not trying to break them up, Jasper! I know Edward's in love with Katy. He deserves the right to make up his own mind. I'm not going to force him! It has to be his decision!"

"Then what do you call that stunt with the Everclear tonight? C'mon, Bella, you knew that much liquor would knock any one of those humans on their ass, and maybe even kill someone who wasn't used to it!"

"I didn't know she was gonna draw the fourth king! There was a one in seven chance!"

"Yeah, but you knew you weren't gonna be able to draw the fourth king yourself, there were too many people playing. Whoever picked up that card was going home in either a cab or a body bag! You need to be more careful!"

"Ok… I'm sorry Jasper… I don't want to hurt anyone…"

"I know, Bella, but if you love him, you should respect his free will and let him make his choice."

"That's easy for you to say! At least Alice doesn't have a boyfriend that she's pining away after. She's just standing there waiting for you, and you won't do a damn thing about it! It's just so goddamn frustrating, seeing him with her! How can he make an informed decision when I can't tell him anything?"

"God, Bella, can you stand down wind? You smell like Alice, and it's driving me crazy!"

She chuckled. "Just stay strong, remember? Alice is sweet, and you aren't making a move. At least somebody around here knows what they want and isn't holding back. You could at least talk to her. You know she's waiting for you to make the first move."

"You didn't…"

"I'm not telling. You'll just have to get close enough to her to check for yourself if you want to know for sure, but she is very sweet… In more ways than one…"

"Damn it, Bella! Esteban will be back from Italy soon to test you. If he decides you're ready, then I'll have more options. Until then, I have my orders, and you have yours."

"You and your goddamn sense of duty and honor! You know I'm ready, what are you waiting for?"

"A good soldier follows orders. The time isn't right yet. I can't protect all of you. If Esteban promotes you, then I'll be free to act, and Edward will be your responsibility. Until then, we have too many enemies, and if you act rashly, you'll expose him to danger."

"I've had Emmett watching him…"

"And where did that get you? That love sick oaf goes and shoots his damn mouth off! I'm surprised he didn't just come out and tell him every… What was that?"

"Oh shit… I'm sorry Jasper…"

Suddenly the voices were very loud. I could hear the river lapping at the dock, and the sound of my heart beating in my ears.

"Jesus, Bella! You're ready? How long have you been shielding him? How much did he hear?"

"I'm sorry, it just happens subconsciously sometimes with him, without me even thinking about it."

"And you didn't feel him out there? Maybe you wanted him to hear!"

"Go back inside, Jasper, and let us talk, ok?"

"Yeah, sure. Remember the code, ok? I can only protect you from so much. If you really want him to have a choice and free will, then you need to follow the rules. I don't make the law, and you know what Esteban will say!"

I heard Jasper's boots echo hollowly as he walked across the planks of the dock, and then he stepped onto the path in front of me. He nodded to me curtly, and then disappeared up the path to the house.

"Edward, can I talk to you?" Bella asked me through the thick undergrowth and trees obscuring the view of the dock from the path. I stepped around the end of the path where I'd seen Jasper step out, and walked onto the dock.

"We can talk privately here. Nobody should disturb us, Edward."

"You don't seem to be having much luck with that tonight. Were you trying to hurt Katy at the party, Bella?"

"No! I didn't put the drink in her hand! I didn't make her drink it! I don't want to hurt her…"

"What do you want then? It sure sounds like Jasper thinks you were trying to hurt her tonight."

"You know what I want... but I told you, I'm not going to come between you and Katy. I'll wait 'til you're ready to move on… I can wait a long time, Edward."

"But it would be easier for you if she was out of the picture? How do you know I'd even want to be with you if I wasn't with Katy?"

"Look, Edward, I am cutting you so much slack right now, I can't even believe it myself sometimes! I. Will. Not. Hurt. Katy! If I wanted to, I could just reach out my hand and you'd be mine, end of story! But I don't want that. You get to choose, and my life sucks in the mean time. Don't worry about it, I'm used to it!"

"I'm sorry your life sucks. I'll admit I'm attracted to you, but I don't understand it. This would be so much easier if I knew what was going on! I hate it that everyone keeps talking around the subject and nobody will give me a straight answer!"

"One simple question, Edward, do you value your free will? Do you want to make your decision about who you're with? Or do you want me to make it for you? I know what I'll choose. I'll do what I'm supposed to do, and you'll be mine. Knowledge is the price for the choice. If you want to make the decision, if you value your free will then I'm not allowed to tell you anything. If you give up your choice and accept your destiny, then I can tell you everything."

"I think I'll stick with making my own choices for now, thank you. I'm kind of attached to the whole free will thing, but can you answer one question? What did Emmett mean when he told you that you know what you have to do, that you couldn't let this go on this way? Why does it matter that I've got a girlfriend, apart from the fact that they all think I should be with you and not her?" Why were Emmett and Rose so upset about Katy?

"That's three questions, Edward, and I already told you what the answers cost, but this is a freebie. If I was doing what I'm supposed to do, what my family wants me to do, she'd be fucking dead, Edward. Got it? Dead, not getting a little drunk, not fucking you at Jessica's party, fucking dead! I refuse to let that happen! If you want Katy, I'll back off and let you keep her."

"Jesus, Bella! Are you some kind of crazy psycho bitch?"

"Sometimes, but I think I'm holding it together pretty good lately, all things considered. Do you have any of that pot on you that you always bring to the drive-in, Edward? I could really use something to take the edge off right now."

"Jesus, Bella, you're standing there talking about murdering my girlfriend, and now you want to party with me?"

It was probably a sign of just how far gone down this road I really was, but I got out my pipe and loaded it. I fired it up and took a hit, and then handed it to Bella. She took a big hit and handed me back the pipe.

"Thanks' Edward, I really needed that. I don't want to fight with you. Can we just be friends tonight?"

"Yeah, that's cool. Just no more murder threats tonight, ok?"

"Hey, you asked. So, are you going to hook me up with your connection sometime? No offense, I don't mind that you deal to some of the kids at school, but I'm all about cutting out the middleman. Besides, Esme asked me to do a little shopping around while I'm out here."

"We could go hang out at First Beach in La Push sometime. Jacob hangs out there when he isn't working. He can hook you up with whatever you're looking for."

"La Push? That's on the reservation, isn't it? Could we meet him somewhere else?"

"Yeah, I could probably set something up. They hang out at the airport too, sometimes. What's wrong with La Push? You got a problem with the Quileutes or something?"

"It's not like that, I'm not prejudiced or anything. It's part of my adoption terms, I'm not allowed to go to the reservation. It's a long story. I'm not supposed to talk about it.

"That's cool, your business. So what's up with you and Alice, Bella?"

"You saw that, tonight? I thought I saw you in the doorway, but I wasn't sure how much you saw."

"Too much, but it was kind of hot. I thought you said you don't play around? What about Alice? Do you want both of us?"

"Are you jealous, Edward? I'm not cheating on anyone. Besides Alice and I are just friends. I'd stop fooling around with her if I was going out with you, and you felt threatened by her. Are you going to give me a reason to stop seeing her?"

"Umm, not today, ok? I thought Alice had it bad for Jasper? What's up with that?"

"Jasper is just too damn honorable and chivalrous for his own good sometimes, but he'll come around. You know Alice, she has a plan, she's just biding her time."

We finished he pipe, and I knocked out the ashes and put it away. Bella was right, it did take off the edge, and I felt more relaxed.

"We should probably head back up to the party," I said. People are going to miss us and wonder where we went."

"Ok, Edward, Let's go, unless you're afraid to be seen with me. Wouldn't want you to have to stroll around with a crazy psycho bitch, if it offends you sensibilities," she said with a grin. Bella was fun to be around, and her sense of humor seemed to complement my own. I could really see us together, if things weren't so complicated.

"C'mon, psycho, let's get out of hear before Jason crawls out of the river and offers you his hockey mask," I said as we strolled up the trail towards the house.

"I've always been more sympathetic to Michael Meyers, myself," Bella said. "He aught to have Timex stenciled across his chest. He takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Reminds me of some friends of mine."

We were laughing as we walked around the bend in the trail at the branch, and there was another couple walking down the trail towards us. We came to one of the garden lights, and it gave off enough light to shine on all of our faces as we passed.

Mike and Jessica gave us the strangest look, as they took the trail down towards the river dock. Bella and I smiled at them and said hi as we walked past, chatting about our favorite horror movie villains, but Jessica had a smug expression on her face like she'd just scored a juicy piece of gossip.

I thought about what Jessica had seen. Bella Swan, walking back to the party with me, alone in the dark on a lonely trail behind the house by the river. The trail that people had been slipping away together on all night to go be alone. Together. Oh shit, this could get ugly. I wondered how long it would take to get back to Katy.