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

12. Shall we dance?

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 is the one you've been waiting for. Please review and let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

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Chapter 11 Shall we dance?

We were driving home from Port Angeles after Alice's Martial arts class when I confronted her about the nights events. I finally realized how concerned she'd acted when we got to Port Angeles earlier this evening. If she knew something was going to happen, she hadn't warned me, and that bothered me.

"Alice, did you know I was going to be attacked tonight? Bella said that you told her to start carrying an extra helmet for me on her bike."

"Well, Washington has a helmet law. You would have been pulled over and gotten a ticket if you rode on the back of her motorcycle without one."

"You didn't answer my question, Alice. Did you know I was going to be attacked?"

"Not specifically, Edward. It doesn't work like that. Sometimes I just get a feeling about things. Other times I see things clear as day. Lets just say I had a feeling that something bad might happen, but that there was a very good chance you were going to be fine. Now the thing with the wallet that was like watching the video before it played on TV, but I didn't see it until class was almost over. It's random. Things like the cards or a Ouija board help me control it, but it's still pretty random."

"You could have told me you were worried and to watch out."

"I did. I asked if you were going to come to class tonight! You were the one that insisted you were going to be ok."

"Well you could have told me you had a feeling something was going to happen!"

"If I tell you too much, it changes things. You don't make the same decisions, and do things different. The odds were pretty good that everything was going to work out ok, as far as I could tell. If I warned you, everything would have changed and I would have been blind! There wasn't time to work out how the changes would have played out. I'm only human, Edward. It might have been worse, not better. You have to trust me. I'm doing the best I can. Everything's going according to plan now, just roll with it, ok?"

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me how things work out with the police then, are you?"

"No."

"Well, you don't see any orange jumpsuits in my future, do you?"

"Orange isn't your color, maybe something in blue velvet…"

"Alice!"

I tried to get a more definite answer out of her, but she wouldn't give up any more on the way home to Forks. Carlisle was waiting up for me and Alice when we walked in from Port Angeles on Tuesday night. The police had already called to ask about me, and Carlisle had explained that I drove Alice to her martial arts class on Tuesday's and Thursday's, unless I had a schedule conflict.

Apparently the detective on the phone had wanted to know if I studied martial arts too, but Carlisle thought that he'd sounded a little disappointed that I didn't. That would have made sense I guess as an explanation for how I might have been able to beat up three bikers and put one in the hospital. Carlisle had agreed to bring me to the police station in Port Angeles to talk to the detective on Wednesday morning.

I told Carlisle the official story when I got home Tuesday night. He wanted to know what the hell had happened. It didn't help that I looked like I'd been through a hell of a fight. My leather jacket was scuffed and torn, my plants were ripped, and I was bruised and beaten. Carlisle wanted to take me to the emergency room at Forks Community Hospital, but I talked him out of it, and told him I'd be ok. I felt better after a hot shower but I was still kind of stiff.

Alice, Bella and I had worked out our story on the way home from Port Angeles. Bella had called Jasper to explain what had happened, and Jasper told her he'd take care of it. Bella called us back and told us what to say. Most of the story was the truth.

Bella was mad at me, and I wanted to talk to her. I thought I saw her in Port Angeles that night, and followed her into a bad part of town. It was a case of mistaken identity, and I'd followed the wrong girl. I ran, and the guy's at the bar chased me because they thought I was stalking their friend. Unfortunately for them, they chased me onto a rival gang's turf, and a fight broke out. I must have lost my wallet when I was dodging around the start of the fight. I took the opportunity to high tail it out of there, and never saw who hit who.

I didn't go to school on Wednesday. We left at nine for the trip back out to Port Angeles the next morning, and Carlisle drove because obviously I didn't have my wallet or driver's license. We were quiet for most of the trip as I contemplated what might happen and what kind of questions I might have to answer. I could tell Carlisle wanted to ask me if I was getting involved in more trouble out here like I had before we'd moved to Washington, but he didn't want to start a fight before we talked to the police. It would upset both of us, and color my answers and reaction to the questions. It was asking for trouble, and Carlisle knew better.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Port Angeles Police Department on East Fifth Street, and Carlisle found a parking place near the walkway up to the doors. He was familiar with the layout of the local government offices here. He'd spent a lot of time up here filing paperwork and getting his licenses and certifications transferred over from California last year. The Clallam County Courthouse was one block north across East Fourth Street.

I was getting out of the car when I noticed the shiny black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows parked a couple of cars over in the parking lot. The front windows were down and I saw somebody was sitting in the back seat of the car. I wasn't sure who it was, but I had a sense that they were familiar as we started toward the doors. I noticed Carlisle was looking at the black Mercedes with the strangest expression on his face, but he seemed to get a grip on himself and followed me to the doors.

Jasper Whitlock was waiting outside the doors of the police station. He was wearing a dark charcoal grey suit, and looked older that nineteen today. He had a hard unyielding look and an official demeanor. There was an older heavyset balding man standing with him. The man looked to be in his early fifties, and looked competent, but perhaps a little nervous in Jasper's presence.

Jasper stepped up to greet me and shook my hand. "Edward, we've been waiting for you to arrive."

"Hi, Jasper, I wasn't expecting to see you this morning. What's going on?" Carlisle stopped next to me, politely waiting but confused as well. Jasper turned to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen. We haven't been introduced before," Jasper took Carlisle's hand and shook hands with him. "I'm Jasper Whitlock. My sister called me and explained to me what had happened in Port Angeles last night. She's very sorry about the misunderstanding that led to this unfortunate circumstance. My family would like to see this situation resolved quickly. With your permission, Mr. Scott here will be representing Edward today."

"Carlisle Cullen, I'd like you to meet Mr. Jason Scott," and Jasper indicated the older man standing with him. "Mr. Scott is an attorney who works for my family, and handles a variety of legal matters for us."

Carlisle shook hands with Mr. Scott, and then turned back to Jasper. "Thank you for taking an interest in this situation, but who exactly is your sister, and why does this matter involve your family?"

"Isabella Swan is my adopted sister, or at least she will be once the paperwork goes through and is approved. She's good friends with your children, Alice and Edward. You're probably more familiar with her as just Bella. Edward is very special to her, and we wouldn't want anything to happen to him."

"Of course I know Bella. She spends the night at our house all the time with Alice. I didn't realize she was so close to Edward as well." Carlisle gave me an appraising look, and then turned back to Jasper and the attorney.

I was looking over the attorney, Jason Scott, while Carlisle talked to Jasper. He had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, but it wasn't hot out. He was wearing a poker face like a master negotiator, but I knew he was nervous. His suit was expensive and tailored, and he was wearing expensive Italian leather shoes. He was holding an expensive hand tooled leather briefcase as he stood next to Jasper. There was a Rolex watch on his wrist, but he only wore two other pieces of jewelry that I could see. One was a college class ring, but I wasn't sure which school it was from. The other was another ring, and I had seen one similar to it before.

The ring had a small oval face and I knew the design. I had seen it before. It had the crossed swords and the fist between the points with the background that was quartered in red and silver. There was a single red heart below the handles of the swords instead of the row of shamrocks, but it was the Moreno family crest otherwise.

Carlisle was done talking with Jasper and the attorney, and seemed satisfied that they were here to help us.

"Well, Come on. We better head inside. We have an eleven o'clock appointment to meet with lieutenant Carmaggio, the detective I talked to on the phone last night," Carlisle said as he reached for the door.

"I made a couple of phone calls last night, after Mr. Whitlock called me and explained what happened. Lieutenant Carmaggio has been re-assigned to another case," Mr. Scott said as we walked into the police station. "We'll be meeting with Captain Brooks this morning. I have a prepared statement typed up. When we get inside you can read the statement Edward, and if it's correct you can sign it for the captain. If that's satisfactory he'll add it to the case file. This is really just a formality, and we should be done in a couple of minutes. Don't answer any questions unless you talk to me, and please don't volunteer any information with consulting me first."

I nodded as we walked into the police station and went to the reception counter. There was a uniformed police officer sitting at the counter behind a thick clear glass screen. Mr. Scott explained that we had an appointment to see Captain Brooks, and we were immediately buzzed through the security door and escorted back to the Captains office.

The four of us walked into the Captain's office, and he greeted us with an artificial smile plastered on his face, but I knew he wasn't happy to see us. He shook hands with us and offered us seats. I had the slight impression that he seemed afraid of Jasper, but he hid it well if he was. Jasper took a chair by the door, and the rest of us sat down in front of Captain Brooks' desk. Mr. Scott opened his brief case, and took out some papers.

"I have Edward's statement here of what happened last night," and he handed me the paper.

I read through it, and the story had changed a little. Apparently now the three bikers that had chased me had tried to mug me and take my wallet when the rival gang caught them causing trouble on their turf. I looked back at Jasper, and he just nodded. I signed the statement and handed it to the policeman. He read the statement, and I sat back while he looked it over.

I could read the policeman's body language, and he didn't like this, but he was playing along with this for some reason. I'd been nervous about this, but I relaxed when I noticed something. The Police Captain was wearing a ring on his hand that was the same as the ring that Mr. Scott had on his hand. He put the paper down on an open folder on his desk, and looked up at me.

"Everything appears to be in order here. The stories from the other witnesses corroborate your story. Would you like to press charges against these men?"

I looked at Mr. Scott, and he shook his head no. I turned to Captain Brooks. "No, I just want to put this behind me and move on."

He nodded and looked relieved. "Ok." He reached into his desk and took out a manila envelope, and handed it to me. "Here's your wallet that was found on the sidewalk. Please check the contents, and verify that nothing is missing."

I took my wallet out of the envelope, and checked it. My driver's license, school ID, my credit cards, and even all of my cash was still all there. I nodded to Captain Brooks. "Everything is here, nothing's missing." I put my wallet in my back pants pocket.

The Policeman nodded, and laid a piece of paper on the desk. "Please sign here to show that you have received your wallet back and the contents were intact." I leaned forward to sign the paper, but Mr. Scott cleared his throat. I sat back, and he picked up the paper and read it first.

"Ok, everything appears to be in order," and he laid the paper back on the desk. I signed it, and Captain Brooks added it to the folder.

"Well, that's everything. You're free to go Edward, and thank you for being so helpful in this investigation." Captain Brooks stood up behind his desk, and reached out to shake my hand. He was smiling but I knew he wasn't happy. He didn't like this, and was dying to ask real questions to find out what had really happened. Apparently his arrangement with the Moreno's didn't allow that to happen. The rest of us stood up, and I shook his hand. He shook hands with Mr. Scott and Carlisle, and then we left the office and walked out of the police station.

I turned to Jasper and shook his hand. "Thanks' Jasper for all of this. I was really worried about coming down here today." I glanced at Carlisle. He wasn't a stupid man, and he knew what just happened. He wasn't smiling, but I knew he wasn't going to say anything right now. He knew how the world worked, and he knew we just got a free pass because Jasper made it happen.

"Just be careful, Edward." Jasper told me as he shook my hand. "I won't have to get you out of trouble if you stay out of trouble. Just do right by my sister, and we'll call it even."

That got Carlisle's attention. As far as he knew, I was still dating Katy, and Bella was just Alice's friend. We were almost to the cars now, and then I noticed that Carlisle attention was drawn back to the shiny black Mercedes sedan. He was staring at the dark tinted windows at the back of the car again as we got closer. He had the strangest expression on his face like he was drawn to the car, and couldn't look away. I looked back at the car again, and the back door opened. Esme got out of the back seat to come over and greet us. She was wearing a beautiful green long sleeved dress, heels and skin tight leather driving gloves.

She didn't seem to notice any of us except for Carlisle, and I heard Jasper sigh and shake his head. He looked from Esme to Carlisle and back with a resigned expression on his face, and groaned, "Not you too! It's got to be something about this family…!" He stepped next to Esme, and put his arm around her waist as she came up to us.

"Esme, I'd like you to meet Carlisle Cullen, Alice and Edward's father. Carlisle, this is my mother, Esmeralda Platt."

Esme reached out to take Carlisle's hand in hers. "Please, call me Esme. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Carlisle. I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"The pleasure is all mine, Esme. I'm glad to meet you. Bella never mentioned that her mother was so beautiful and enchanting."

"Esme, we have to leave now. We need to drop off Mr. Scott, and he has appointments this afternoon," Jasper said, and he looked at me and nodded to Carlisle.

"Yeah, c'mon dad, we need to get going…" It seemed like all he could do was stare at Esme. "Dad…? Carlisle," I shook his arm to get his attention. "C'mon dad, let's go. Maybe you should let me drive.

Esme let go of his hand, and seemed to snap out of her reverie. "Edward, you're going to have to bring your father out to Seattle for dinner sometime. Sometime soon, Carlisle, come out anytime. Dinner's on me."

"Thank you, Esme. I'll do that. Soon…"

Jasper managed to lead Esme back to the car and helped her into the back, and I put Carlisle in the passenger seat of his Lexus and closed the door. I looked over at Jasper as he walked around to the driver door of the black Mercedes.

"Jasper, they didn't just…"

"Yeah, Edward, they did. Jesus Christ, you'd think it was spring time or something the way everyone's pairing off instead of goddamned October. Are you about ready to do the right thing will Bella? I don't know how much more of this I can take!"

"Bella and I are good. I know what I have to do now. Take care of Alice before she bites my head off. Ok? What about these two?"

"They're both adults. That's up to them. Are you ok with it?"

I thought about that. Mom had been gone for two years now. Carlisle had loved her, but she was dead, and he deserved to be happy as much as any of the rest of us. "Yeah, I'm ok with it. Thanks' Jasper." He nodded and I got in the car to drive home.

Carlisle was still staring at the black Mercedes, and he just sat silently in the passenger seat until we were out of sight and on the highway heading home.

"What just happened back there, Edward?" Carlisle finally asked. I knew he was asking about Esme. The thing with the police was forgotten for now, and he was curious about his reaction to Esme.

"You found your soul mate and fell in love."

Carlisle looked over at me a little apprehensively. "Ok, that's a good enough explanation of how I felt. How do you know that? You know I loved your mother, Edward, and I'll always cherish her memory. Are you ok with this?"

"I understand, dad. Mom's gone, and you deserve to be happy. I know how you feel because the same thing happened to me."

"This is why you've been fighting with Katy. Isn't it? She isn't the one you feel connected to anymore. Is this why Bella has been around so much since school started?"

"Yes, dad, I've felt the connection that Bella and I share since the first day of school. You could feel the connection before you even saw Esme, couldn't you, but it became so much more intense when you looked into her eyes."

"Yes, that's exactly how it was…"

"She feels the same way about you, dad. Even more intensely if that's possible."

"So you've felt this connection to Bella since the beginning of school, but you kept going out with Katy?

"I didn't know what was happening at first. I didn't realize that Bella was my soul mate. At first I thought it was just a purely physical infatuation because she was hot and I was a seventeen year old boy. I felt an obligation to Katy."

"I still love Katy, dad. I always will even though now I know I love Bella too, and it's more than just love. Bella and I are going to be together forever now. Can you imagine what you'd be going through right now if you'd suddenly found Esme and Elizabeth was still alive?"

"I'm so sorry Edward. This must have been hard for you. What are you going to do?"

"The right thing. I have to end my relationship with Katy. It'll hurt her. It'll hurt both of us, but I have to hope that she'll get past this and move on…"

"Carlisle… Dad, am I doing the right thing? My life with Katy seemed so right and perfect until I met Bella. Now I know I can't live without her and she can't live without me… It just feels like I'm evil and the villain for hurting Katy and leaving her for Bella but I don't see any other way…"

"It's the right thing, Edward. You can't keep leading her on if you know you have no future with her."

"Ok… Carlisle, can I ask you a personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"I'd like to think that we can talk about anything, Edward. What do you want to know son?"

"I know you and my mother tried to have children before you adopted Alice. Do you regret the fact that you never had children of your own? Please believe me when I tell you that I love you as my father. You're the only father I've ever known, but do you miss not having your own children?"

"No, Edward, I don't have any regrets. You and Alice are my family, and I love you as my son and Alice as my daughter. Having a baby would have made your mother happy but I wouldn't have loved a baby anymore than either you or Alice."

"Thanks' dad."

"Can I ask what brought this on?"

"Bella can't have children. I'll never be able to give you grandchildren unless we adopt, and I don't really see that happening."

"Do you love her, Edward?"

"How can you ask me that? I know you're feeling the same way about Esme as I do for Bella! Do you love Esme?"

"Yes, I do. I know it sounds crazy because I just met her, and I know nothing about her, but I do love her. I can feel it, and it's the same feeling I had for your mother. Trust yourself Edward, and accept her love. Be good to her, and it'll be enough. Maybe someday in your future you'll find room in your heart to let another join your family, but for now just love Bella."

"Thank you, Carlisle. There are more things that you need to know, but I'm going to let Esme explain the rest to you."

I was quiet for a couple of minutes, and then I went on. "Dad, there is one more thing you need to know. You met Jasper Whitlock today, at the police station…"

"Yes, Bella's foster brother? He seemed like a nice enough young man, maybe a little too serious. Isn't he the young man that you said Alice was interested in a couple of weeks ago? I thought they'd start dating, but I never saw him again until today. What about him, Edward?"

"He's in love with Alice and she's in love with him. They're going through the same thing as me and Bella, and you and Esme."

"Really... Has it gotten…, serious?"

"You mean physical, don't you? Jasper has been a perfect gentleman, but not for lack of Alice trying. In light of what happened today, things are probably going to be changing a lot. I just thought I'd give you some warning…"

"I think we all need to sit down and have a family meeting and discuss all of this. Apparently there has been a lot going on that I haven't been aware of."

Carlisle had a gift for understatement. There was so much going on that he wasn't aware of. Well Esme could bring him up to speed. I wondered how long it would take her to stake her claim. She didn't strike me as the type to beat around the bush and wait for things to happen. She reminded me more of Alice, the type to take the initiative and make things happen. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

We were back in forks by one thirty, but I took the rest of the day off to recuperate from Tuesday night. Carlisle had cleared his morning and early afternoon appointments because he hadn't known how long we'd be in Port Angeles. He went into the clinic for his evening appointments. He told me he'd be home early. He wanted to sit down with Alice and me to talk about what was happening with all of our relationships, and anything else we thought he needed to know. I could tell he wanted to know more about Esme, and what had happened at the police station. Both before and after he'd met her.

Alice called me after school, and asked me to come pick her up after cheerleading practice. She said that Bella had gotten a call at lunch time. She had gone to the office and said there was a family emergency and she had to leave. She'd dashed out to her car, and burned rubber out of the parking lot. Nobody had seen her since.

Alice was waiting for me when I pulled into the parking lot at Forks high school. She threw her things into the back seat, closed the door and got into the front passenger seat of the Volvo.

"Thanks for picking me up, Edward. Well, you're not in an orange jumpsuit, so unless you're on the run, I'm assuming everything went ok. How long were you at the police station?"

"We were in and out in less than thirty minutes. Do you already know what happened, or do I need to tell you?"

"Let me see. Jasper showed up with an attorney to handle the paperwork for you. He used his family connections to make the case go away, and then you got your wallet back. Did I miss anything?"

"That's all you've got?"

"Yeah? Why Edward, what else happened?"

"Hmm… Let me see. Esme decided to show up at the police station with Jasper this morning and discovered that Carlisle is her mate. No, nothing too important… C'mon Alice, you missed that? You told me a year ago I was gonna meet Bella!"

"What!"

"Oh, by the way, Carlisle knows about you and Jasper, and me and Bella."

"What!"

"He wants to have a family meeting tonight to discuss all of this. Apparently there have been things going on that he wasn't aware of."

"Well, no shit. You told me we couldn't tell him anything. Does he know anything else? You know, about Jasper and Esme and Bella?"

"Hell no! Did you think I was going to try and tell him all of that? That's Esme's job. I'm not gonna touch that one with a ten foot pole! I've got enough problems of my own."

"Like how you're gonna break the news to Katy?"

"I thought you said you didn't know anything else?"

"About this morning? No, that's news to me! But it's pretty obvious that you've finally come to your senses."

"Well, maybe I have, but the timing sucks. We need to stick around the house tonight for dad. Tomorrow is the last regular cross country meet. I'm not going to break up with her on a bus, and then be trapped with her crying for ten hours. Friday is Home Coming, and I feel bad enough about this without ruining the dance for her too. I'd really like to hold out for Saturday, but then Bella will be pissed at me for being a pussy and dragging this out even longer."

"If you want my advice do it quick and get it over with Edward. You should go talk to her tonight. Dad will understand."

"Maybe, Alice, we'll see what happens. Ok?"

We pulled into the garage, and got out of the car and went into the house. We just hung out at home that afternoon and evening. Alice did her homework, and then we made a light supper. We weren't really sure what time Carlisle was going to come home, but we expected him around nine o'clock.

Alice and I were actually sitting home watching TV for once, when I heard a car pull into the driveway around eight o'clock. I didn't bother to get up. I assumed it was Carlisle coming home early so we could have our family meeting. I was surprised when I heard a knock on the door. I looked at Alice, but she just shrugged, and looked back at me. I got up and went to the door and opened it. I guess I wasn't really surprised.

Esme was standing on the porch holding a suitcase and walked into the house when I opened the door. She was wearing a pair of black slacks, pumps, and a long coat over her blouse. There was a brand new firemist red Mercedes convertible parked in front of the garage.

She handed me her keys. "Edward, could you get the rest of my bags out of the trunk please? I'd really appreciate it if you could find a spot to park my car in the garage. I don't want to leave it out in the weather, dear. I'd never hear the end of it from Rose if anything happens to the car…"

"Hi Esme… Are you visiting?" I asked, shocked. I suppose Alice was a little surprised too, the way her mouth was hanging open.

"Of course not, Edward, I'm moving in. What did you think I was going to do? Wait for Carlisle to get up the nerve to come to Seattle looking for me? I've been waiting for this day for eighty-five years! No offense, but I have no intention of tiptoeing around the subject like the elephant in the middle of the room. You kids really need to get all of this relationship nonsense settled so we can move on to more important issues. I love Bella like a daughter, but the girl needs to grow a backbone and take what she wants."

"Alice, dear, Could you show me where my room is so I can start getting unpacked?"

"Sure, Esme, c'mon upstairs. You're planning on sharing Carlisle's room, Right? Or did you mean the guest room?"

"Don't be silly, Alice. Of course I meant mine and Carlisle's room. Tanya and Irina are going to be so jealous when I call them…" and then they were up the stairs.

I went out to the garage and parked Esme's car. I recognized it as the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG roadster. I'd looked at something like this as a possible replacement for the Volvo. This particular model had a V-12 engine with twin turbo chargers and over 600hp. It looked fast and powerful, but perhaps a bit ostentatious, and it was only a two-seater. Like I'd told Emmett before, back seats had their uses. I had to move my Harley out under the carport to make room, but she was right. Her Mercedes was a beautiful car.

I opened the trunk, and got out Esme's other bags. I carried them inside and up the stairs to Carlisle's room. Well Esme and Carlisle's room now I suppose. The suitcase she'd carried in was open on the bed, and Alice and Esme were busy rearranging the closet. I set the bags next to the bed.

"Esme, Carlisle doesn't know anything about what's been going on here since Bella and Jasper moved to Forks. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know anything about your kind or what you are…"

"That's ok, Edward. I'll explain everything to him."

"What about your nightclub in Seattle? Who's going to run that if you're here living in Forks? Bella said that you've been managing Esteban's club for over eighty years, and you're the reason that it's so successful."

"Rose can handle the day to day operations, and I can run out there if anything comes up. The secret to being a successful manager is picking the right staff to work with, and then knowing when to delegate authority. She can handle it. We'll probably go out there on the weekends anyhow, and that's when they might need me. Besides, I think I've earned a vacation, and Esteban understands why I'm here."

"Ok, I suppose that makes sense…"

"Thank you, Edward. Now, when are you expecting your father home, dear?"

"Well, anytime actually. I thought that was him coming home when you came to the door. We were planning on having a family meeting to discuss what he needed to know about everything. To be honest, I didn't know what to tell him…"

"Oh my, I better hurry up then. Alice, dear, I can get this. Step out of the way with Edward, and I'll unpack these bags."

Alice came out of the closet, and stood next to me, obviously curious about what Esme meant. If I hadn't already experienced what had happened last night I probably would have been surprised or shocked. Alice was standing there with her mouth hanging open again as Esme started to blur around the room unpacking her bags, rearranging the closet and dresser drawers, and rapidly emptying the suitcases.

Suddenly she was standing in front of us, and the room was finished. Only minutes had passed but she was unpacked and her bags were put away in the closet.

"Edward, I heard what you told Jasper today in the parking lot at the police station. Thank you for understanding. Alice, are you ok with this, dear? I know you were both very close to Elizabeth, and I know I can never replace her, but I'd like us all to at least be friends."

"Oh Esme," Alice bounced forward and pulled Esme into a hug. "You're gonna be so good for Carlisle. He needs you just as much as you need him. Welcome to our family! I'm so happy you're here."

We went back downstairs to wait for Carlisle to come home. Alice showed Esme around the house and I went and poured her a drink. We were probably going to have to restock the bar with her living here. Carlisle enjoyed the occasional drink after a long day, but I had a feeling Esme was going to need it more if she was going to be living in close quarters with three humans.

Bella had explained about how alcohol helped deaden the bloodlust and made it easier for vampires to be around humans. Apparently their metabolism burned the alcohol out of their systems faster than a human, and they didn't feel the effects of strong drink like we did. If they drank enough liquor they might feel the effect, but enough alcohol to get a vampire drunk would kill a human.

Esme thanked me and took the glass. She excused herself and stepped out onto the patio behind the kitchen to have a cigarette. Alice and I settled in to wait for Carlisle to come home, but we didn't have long to wait. I was just starting to scan through the channels when I heard his car pull into the driveway.

Carlisle walked through the door with a slightly confused look on his face.

"Edward, whose red Mercedes convertible is parked in the garage…?" Carlisle started, and then Esme came walking out of the kitchen.

"Hello, Carlisle," Esme said. "I couldn't wait for you to come to Seattle. I had to see you…" and then she was standing in front of him looking up into his eyes.

She reached for his hands, and I saw the spark jump from her fingertips to his as she took his hands in hers. They stood there staring into each others eyes for several long moments, and then Esme started to lead him to the stairs.

"Come upstairs with me Carlisle…' Esme told him, and he just nodded as he followed her to the stairs. "There are some things I need to explain…" and I heard the bedroom door close.

"Oww…" I exclaimed, rubbing my arm where Alice had hit me…

"Damn it, Edward! That's how it should have been for me! And I've been waiting for how many weeks now because of you? End this and break up with Katy! I want Jasper and I'm sick of waiting!"

"I'm working on it, give me a break."

Esme and Carlisle never did come up for air, and we didn't see them the rest of the night. We finally gave up waiting and went up to bed.

I didn't get up to run the next morning. I was still sore from Tuesday night, and I wasn't ready to face Katy. Alice had called Katy and Michaela, and told them I wasn't feeling well when she got up to go to her aerobics class. She woke me up when she got home, but apparently the love birds were still locked in their room. I got up to get dressed to go to school, and went down the hall to shower.

Esme was sitting at the kitchen table wearing a green silk robe when Alice and I came downstairs. There was a drink of the table in front of her, and she was smoking her cigarette. She looked up at us as we came into the room and smiled.

"Good morning," Esme greeted us. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Esme. Yes, thank you. I trust everything went well last night?"

"Yes, Carlisle's fine. He's upstairs sleeping… I think I wore the poor dear out… I could never understand what Bella found so captivating about watching you sleep before, until last night…"

"Ok… Too much information," Alice said. "Can we get you anything before we go to school?"

"Well, actually Alice, I was going to ask you to do me a favor. Could you run down to your father's clinic this morning and cancel his appointments for today? I can call the school and tell them you'll be in late…"

"I can just call Christy, dad's receptionist, and she…"

"We called Christy and let her go last night, dear. She won't be working at the clinic anymore."

"Oh… Well I guess I can run down there. Why did you fire Christy?"

"Apparently she's been having an affair with your father for the last three months, but he hadn't gotten around to breaking the news to you yet. I wanted to go rip her throat out, but I'm trying to set a good example for Bella… I'll fill in for now until I can hire somebody to replace her, but we're going to be somewhat… indisposed today."

"Ok… still too much information, Esme… but sure, I'll take care of it. Will it be ok if Bella drives me over to the clinic? Is she going to school today? She didn't show up for our aerobics class, and she hasn't answered my calls."

"Bella isn't back from Seattle yet, Alice. Jasper called her and had her go dashing out there after I met your father yesterday. She's helping Rose with the club, but she'll be back this afternoon. You can take my car, so you can drive to school when you're finished… Just don't scratch it, or neither of us will ever hear the end of it from Rose. She's just so particular about all of our cars."

"So you and Carlisle found time to… talk?" I asked.

"Yes, Edward, He knows everything, and he took it all rather well. The rest is up to you now."

"Alright, I know what I have to do. Please don't say anything to Bella. I want to tell her myself after I talk to Katy." Esme and Alice both nodded. At least maybe she'd be happy once I broke the news to Katy.

We left for the day then. Alice drove Esme's Mercedes down to the clinic to cancel Carlisle's appointments, and I drove the Volvo to school. I got a lot of strange looks from the kids. I still had scrapes and bruises on my neck and jaw from the fight Tuesday night. The story had gotten around school that something had happened to me when I drove Alice to her class. It still amazed me how the stories could grow and twist when there were so few facts to go on.

Personally, I was partial to the story where three guys had jumped me in a failed mugging attempt, and I'd beat them up and put them in the hospital. The story where Alice had gotten out of her martial arts class and had beaten up the three guys to rescue me was almost as good, and maybe even more believable. I didn't really care for the story where I'd been arrested for starting a brawl in Port Angeles, and Carlisle had to go bail me out yesterday after I spent the night in jail. I suppose it was better than the one where I was on the run, and the police were still looking for me.

I was enjoying the rumors floating around school for once, and would have liked to stay and listen to more, but the cross country team loaded up on the bus after second period for our trip back out to Tenino. We'd started the season there with the first cross country meet, and it was fitting that we'd end the season there with the last regular season meet. We shouldn't be so late tonight as that first meet. There was no cookout planned, and we'd probably be back in Forks by ten thirty tonight.

I avoided Katy on the bus. I didn't want to lead her on, but I didn't want to break up with her on the bus either. It would be bad if she didn't take it well, and I was trapped with her on the bus for the whole trip home. I had a small window of opportunity if my timing was right. I was going to wait until we got back to Forks. I figured Katy would be riding back home with Michaela when we got back to the school. I'd do it in the parking lot when we got back to school. I wouldn't be trapped on the bus, and then Katy would have until the next morning to decide if she was going to go to school or not.

It seemed like the best plan to me. The timing sucked, and it would probably ruin Home Coming for Katy, but she was going to get hurt no matter what I did. I couldn't drag it out any longer. I knew I had to do it face to face. There was no way I was going to break up with her over the phone after dating her for over a year. She deserved better than that. She deserved somebody who loved her, but I still did. She deserved somebody who could be committed to her alone more, but I couldn't because Bella was a part of my life now. I had to do the right thing and end this for all of our sakes, but it was going to hurt both of us.

I was still a little stiff from getting thrown around on Tuesday night, but I went through my stretches and did some warm up runs to loosen up. I had missed practice yesterday, and I'd skipped my run this morning, but I felt better after I was warmed up. I still didn't feel like I was giving a hundred percent, but I'd give the race my best shot.

The girls ran first, and Leah Clearwater beat Katy by a half second. It was literally a photo finish, but the judges said Leah won after reviewing the film from the finish camera. The boys lined up for our race while the judges were still reviewing the finish of the girls race. I heard the starting gun, and all of my aches and pains and stiffness just melted away and I was in my zone. I flashed around the course, and gave it my all. Maybe I wasn't feeling up to a hundred percent, but apparently ninety-nine percent was good enough to win the race.

I finished the season undefeated with nine first place medals. All that was left was the district league meet next week at Montesano and then the State finals, although the State finals weren't guaranteed or a sure thing. It depended on my performance at the district league meet to see if I'd go to State, but I only had to finish in the top fifteen to secure a spot. I thought I had a pretty good chance, considering I was going to districts undefeated.

I was nervous on the trip back to Forks, despite the congratulations I received from my teammates. I knew what I had to do, and my moment of truth was approaching. Katy was sitting in the back of the bus with Michaela and Brittany, and I could hear the girls talking about everything that was going to go on in town tomorrow. I was surprised to hear my name come up as a possible nomination candidate for Home Coming King. Traditionally the Home Coming King and Queen were seniors. I was only a junior this year, but winning State Cross Country and State Wrestling last year were a big advantage, and I had an undefeated cross country season under my belt this year as well. Tyler and Tanner were mentioned also, and I thought they had a better shot. They were football players, and Football was a more popular sport.

Home Coming was a big event in the small town. We only had a half day of school tomorrow on Friday, and there was going to be a parade down Forks Avenue across town to the school. There were a bunch of flatbed trailers that were going to be decorated as floats. The football team would ride on one, and the cheerleaders on another. One of the floats was set aside for the people that the school nominated as the Home Coming 'Royal Court', but the nominations wouldn't be announced until tomorrow morning. A lot of local businesses also sponsored floats and several local service organizations and groups would march in the parade behind the high school band. There would be a pep rally after the parade, and then finally the football game against Montesano and the Home Coming dance.

The football game would probably wrap up by nine thirty, and then the Home Coming dance would run from ten o'clock until midnight. People would be filtering into the dance until ten thirty or eleven, before the real festivities got going. The cheerleaders and football players would need time to change after the game before they went to the dance. The Home Coming dance was semi-formal, and like a lot of small towns it was really almost a fall prom. The difference being that it was a semi-formal event with cocktail dresses and nice suits instead of a formal event like prom with evening gowns and tuxes.

Carlisle had volunteered to be a chaperone at the Home Coming dance when he'd attended a Junior Class parents meeting over the summer vacation before the school year ever started. The Junior Class was responsible for organizing Home Coming, and the Senior Class organized Prom. I had wondered who he'd take as his escort for the evening, but now I supposed Esme would be there with him.

The high point of the evening would be crowning the Home Coming King and Queen who were nominated by the student body. Voting would be held at the pep rally and the dance. Each student that attended the dance got one vote for King and Queen, but it was really a simple system. When the kids bought their tickets, they tore off the vote tabs and dropped them into the bin for whoever they wanted to vote for. The Home Coming king and queen were supposed to be chosen based on their achievements, but like most things in high school, it was really just another popularity contest.

I was still lost in my musings about breaking up with Katy, and Home Coming when the bus came to a stop. Luckily I was sitting near the front of the bus, so I was one of he first ones off. I started looking around for Michaela's car. It was about then that I realized we weren't in the parking lot. We were stopped on the side of the road at the edge of town. Was that a banner with my name on it? What was the fire department doing here? There was a fire truck, and its lights were going, but it was hung with banners and streamers. It didn't have the siren blaring, and I hadn't heard anything about an accident or a problem.

The next thing I knew, Principal Rupprecht was there with his arm around my shoulder, and Coach Newhouse was beaming with a wide smile plastered on her face. They led me over to the bright red truck, and hoisted me up onto the back of the fire engine by the fire hoses.

"Congratulations Edward! Coach Newhouse said as she climbed up on the truck with me. "The sports booster club and the city council arranged this to welcome you back into Forks for your undefeated winning season!"

The fire truck started up, and the siren started blaring now as we drove down Forks Avenue toward the center of town. Cars were honking their horns and flashing their lights, and we made a mini-parade as the fire truck drove the rest of the way to the school with the bus following behind. We pulled into the parking lot at Forks high school, and the high school band was waiting for us playing the school fight song when we drove up in front of the school. Why were there so many people in the parking lot? I just wanted to take Katy aside for a couple of minutes and get this over with, but half of Forks was here to welcome me back. If I knew they were going to make this big a deal, I would have thrown the lousy race.

We pulled up in front of the school, and the Mayor and half the City Council were waiting. Jesus, even Carlisle and Esme were there holding hands, and Alice and Bella were there with the cheerleaders out in front of the band. Coach Newhouse led me down off of the fire truck up to a podium on the sidewalk. Mayor Monohon gave a speech congratulating me on the winning season, and wished me luck at districts and hopefully the State Finals. It was a good bet. I'd won last year. Then the crowd started to disperse and leave. The last time I saw Katy, she was walking off with her mom and dad to get into their car with them.

Shit! Why couldn't anything ever go according to plan! Damn it! I knew what I had to do! I was ready to do it! I was dreading it, but I knew I had to do it! Now I wouldn't see Katy until sometime tomorrow morning at school! We'd already talked about not running tomorrow morning. It was a week until districts, and Michaela, Katy and I were taking it easy until Sunday. I suppose the next best option was to try and catch her in the parking lot at school in the morning.

Bella was over talking to Carlisle and Esme, but Alice was coming over to me. I could tell she was mad from the look in her eyes…

"Alice, don't start with me… How the hell was I supposed to know they were going to have half of Forks waiting here to greet me…?"

"Two words, Edward, just two simple little words. It's over. That's all you had to say! I told you to go talk to her last night! Why won't you ever listen to me? It's like the obvious is right there in front of your face, but you refuse to see it… God, Edward! Sometimes I just want to take a two by four and beat some sense into your head…"

I winced as Alice glared at me. She was under a lot of stress, and I knew I was causing most of it. Then she went on.

"Do you know who asked me to go to Home Coming, Edward? Eric Yorkie! Jasper Whitlock is my goddamned mate, and he won't even talk to me. Eric Yorkie, Edward! I should be going to Home Coming with Jasper!"

"Did you say yes?" I asked with a grin, trying to lighten the mood a little.

I thought Alice was going to hit me. "Hell No! I'll probably have to go with Bella to make sure she shows up if you don't get this fixed!" Alice took a deep breath, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Ok, what's the plan genius? Do you have another brilliant strategy? Or should I just tell Bella to take her out of the picture? You know, nobody will ever find the body…"

"Alice! No! Nobody dies, got it! I'll talk to her first thing in the morning before school."

"Why don't you just drive over to her house right now, knock on her door, and ask to talk to her?"

"Because it's almost eleven thirty on a school night, and her father won't let her out of the house. I'm not going to go over there and stand in her living room and break up with her in front of her parents!"

"Remember the other day when we discussed that it's time to man up and grow a pair? This qualifies, Edward!"

"No, this is the difference between responsibility and suicide. I'll do the right thing, but I'm not going to stand there in her dad's house and effectively say 'gee, thanks for all the sex, but I can't go out with you anymore!' The only reason he's been looking the other way is because he thought we had a future together."

"Ok, you have a point…"

"C'mon, let's go home. Do you need a ride?"

"Yeah, I rode over with Bella, but she's gonna pretend to drive back over to the Dahlke's before she comes home."

We walked to the Volvo, and got in to drive home. Bella had already gotten into her Charger and left, and Esme drove Carlisle home in her Mercedes.

"Before she comes home? Is she moving in too?"

"She might as well. Esme's there now, and dad knows everything. She's practically been living at our house for the past three weeks, anyhow. At least now she can come in the door instead of the window. She's just been keeping her clothes and school stuff over at the Dahlke's. She only goes there to change clothes or pick stuff up. Esme and I were hoping you would have taken care of business by now, but I guess we can move her into the guest room until you do."

"What, were you expecting to move her into my room? What does Carlisle say about that? What about Esme?"

"Esme suggested it, and Carlisle didn't object. He understands now how powerful the mating bond is. They know you're her mate, even though you haven't taken the bond to the next level yet and you two haven't really talked about it. Once you do, the rest is inevitable. The mating bond is more permanent and binding than any marriage vows are in our world, Edward. She's your soul mate. Once you accept her and she claims you, you'll be bonded body and soul. I think it'll be ok if she stays in your room."

"Thanks' Alice, no pressure at all. And here I've been worried about my ability to make a commitment… You haven't told Bella what I'm trying to do have you? I want to tell her myself…"

"No, we haven't said anything to Bella…"

"Thank you, Alice."

We pulled into the garage, parked, and went into the house. The porch light was on, but it was dark in the house when we walked in. Carlisle and Esme must have already gone up to their room. I told Alice good night and went to go take a shower. I knew Bella was there in Alice's room when I got done in the bathroom and went back to my room to go to bed.

I walked past and went into my room and closed the door. It would be so easy to just call Bella to come talk to me, and tell her I wanted her. Tell her that I loved her and was ready to accept our bond, but the truth was, I wasn't ready. There was one more thing I had to do. I'd promised Katy that I wouldn't cheat on her as long as she was my girlfriend, and I hadn't ended that relationship yet. I still had to face Katy and tell her it was over before I could accept Bella's love in good conscience.

I was restless and tossed and turned, and couldn't sleep, but eventually I dropped off into a fitful slumber. I had turned off my alarm because I wasn't going to get up to run. I still woke up early, but I was at peace and relaxed now and I knew why.

"Bella…"

"Yes, Edward?"

"Are you ok with what's happened with Carlisle and Esme?"

"I've never seen Esme so happy before, and this does solve your concerns about having to possibly abandon your father at some point, but that not really what you're concerned about is it?"

"No, it isn't"

"You want to talk to Katy… You wanted her last night, I could tell…"

Good, she understood what I had to do. I hoped Alice hadn't gone and ruined the surprise. I wanted to be the one to tell her…

"Yes, Bella I need to talk to Katy…" I needed to talk to Katy to tell her it was over, that I had made my decision, and I wanted Bella.

"I understand Edward. Do what you have to do. I'll wait for you…" Did she sound upset?

I felt the rush of air, and the sense that the door had opened and closed, and then she was gone. I hadn't given her the wrong impression had I? She had to know that I wanted to talk to Katy to tell her I was breaking up with her, didn't she?

I got up and got dressed but I didn't see Bella again that morning. I went out to drive to the school, assuming that Alice would ride with Bella today. It was early still, but I wanted to be there when Katy got to school.

I was sitting there waiting, watching the cars pull into the parking lot, when I heard a set of knuckles rap on the passenger window of the car. I'd just seen Michaela's car pull into the driveway, but I turned to look who was knocking. Coach Clapp was standing next to the car, holding a clip board. I opened the passenger window to see what he wanted.

"Cullen, c'mon, you're on my list. You're to report to Principal Rupprecht's office immediately."

"Can I meet you there in a couple of minutes? I need to talk to Katy Decker first."

"No time Cullen, I was told to collect all of you first thing this morning and send you to the Principal. Where's Decker? She's on my list too." And he scanned the lot. "Ok, I see her. Why are you still here? Move it Cullen! You can talk to her when she get's to the Principal's Office."

It figured, so close, and yet so far. I got out of the car, and left for the principal's office to see what he wanted while Coach Clapp left to go intercept Katy.

It was a short walk to the school office, and I went inside. Mrs. Cope was waiting, and she ushered me around the counter into the ante room in front of the Principal's office. Tyler Crowley and Tanner Smith were there already, and David Martin, another popular senior guy I never hung out with. Megan Foster, a senior girl and the star player on the volleyball team was there chatting with Jessica Stanley. Jessica was only a junior, but she was the head cheerleader this year. A couple of minutes after I walked in, Katy walked into the room. She ignored me and went over to talk to Megan and Jessica.

Principal Rupprecht walked out of his office after a couple of minutes, and went to talk to Mrs. Cope, but I could only hear part of the conversation as he stuck his head through the doorway, and she answered him from the other room.

"…are they all here?"

"Well send her in as soon as he finds her. We'll go ahead and get started."

Principal Rupprecht came back into the room, and motioned for all of us to follow him. He opened his office door to usher us inside. He went to his desk, and then turned to address us.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. You've all been selected by your classmates as this years Home Coming Royal Court. You're going to be excused from your regular classes today, but you're going to have a very busy day today. Mrs. Cope has contacted your parents to explain and get permission for you to participate. We'll be leaving the school campus shortly to go down to the Photography Studio to have pictures taken for the yearbook, and then we need to get you down to the staging area for the parade. We're just waiting for one more student to show up, and then we'll get going."

The office door opened as the Principal was finishing up, and Bella came walking into the room. She seemed a little apprehensive, as though she wasn't sure why she had been sent to see the principal.

"Come in, dear. It's alright, you're not in trouble. I'll let your friends explain what's going on," Principal Rupprecht said with a chuckle. He looked at his watch and walked to the door. "Ok, let me check with Mrs. Cope, and then we'll get going."

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity, and we were either together as a group, or off with somebody doing something all day long. We drove down to the photography studio for pictures, and several sets of parents showed up with clothes for their kids to change into. Esme was there, and brought a nice dress for Bella to wear. They talked for a minute and Esme made her change out of her jeans and t-shirt for the pictures. Esme had a pair of slacks and a dress shirt for me, as well.

We went to brunch after the pictures, but Bella explained about her food allergies, and just sat and chatted as the rest of us ate. Then they drove us out to Tilicum Park where the parade was staging in the Natural Resources Department parking lot. We pitched in to help finish up the decorations as a lot of other kids from the school showed up to help. The football team arrived, and then the rest of the cheerleaders.

I spotted Alice, and she just glared at me as I worked on the float attaching paper flowers with wire ties. A couple of minutes later, I felt someone grab my arm. It was Alice, and she pulled me aside for a minute to whisper to me.

"You didn't do it yet, did you?"

"No, Alice. They grabbed me before Katy got to school. I haven't had a free minute alone all morning!"

"Well I'm talking to you now! Have you even tried?"

"It never seemed like the right time, Alice. I don't want to ruin her day."

"Ok, I get it, but you have to fix this! What the hell did you say to Bella this morning? She took off out of the house, and I had to get Esme to go find her and calm her down! She wasn't even going to go to school today, but Esme talked to her and made her go! Don't screw this up, Edward!"

Alice got called away after that and we didn't have another chance to talk. We rode in the parade through town and back to the football field, and were escorted into the gym. There was special seating set aside for us at the pep rally. The special events of the day dragged on into the late afternoon and we were finally given a break to go home to eat dinner, but we were instructed to be back at the school early before the football game and dance.

I tried to catch up to Katy as she left to go out to the parking lot, but she slipped away before I could get through the crowd, and her father was waiting to pick her up. I turned to go back to my car to drive home, and Bella was standing on the path from the school glaring at me, as I walked to the Volvo. What was her problem? I was doing all of this for her. I just had to make a clean break with Katy before I could commit to Bella, but after tonight I would be hers. Couldn't she just wait one more day?

I went home and got dressed in my suit for the dance. Alice and Bella both wore their cheerleading uniforms, but they took their dresses with them to change for the dance after the game. Carlisle was wearing his good suit, and Esme was absolutely stunning when she came downstairs in her dark green cocktail dress and heels. Alice and I ate dinner with Carlisle, and then we all left for the football game.

I drove myself back to the school. Alice rode with Bella and Esme drove Carlisle in her Mercedes. I had tried to call Katy to see if she still wanted me to come pick her up, but my call just went to voicemail. She hadn't talked to me since the cross country meet yesterday, but Michaela called and talked to Alice, and she just looked at me and shook her head no. Ok, it was official. Everyone was pissed off at me.

Katy was mad about Bella. Bella was mad about Katy. Alice was ready to bite my head off for not taking care of business. I had to end this, but I just hadn't been able to get Katy alone to talk to her, and now she was avoiding me. I supposed I could try and talk to her at the football game if I got the chance, but that would make the rest of the night kind of difficult. The Saturday option was looking better and better all the time.

I got to the school, and I wasn't there for two minutes when they grabbed me again and led me to a staging area for the royal procession before the game. We got back onto the trailer we'd ridden on in the parade today, and made a circuit around the track around the football field. Tyler and Tanner were in their uniforms, and ran over to join the football players on the side of the field. Jessica and Bella went over to join Alice and the rest of the cheerleaders. Katy, David, Megan and I were all led up into the stands, and special seating was set aside for us to watch the game.

I hated situations like this where I felt like I was under a microscope and half the people in the stands were staring at me. I couldn't just casually lean over and say, 'Oh, by the way Katy, I want Bella and we're through'. I wanted privacy to talk to Katy, and breaking up with her in the stands at the football game just seemed wrong. Besides, Katy wouldn't sit next to me, and sat down at the opposite end of the row with Megan and David between us.

The first half of the game was fun. Forks was ahead at halftime, and then we were back on again. The cheerleaders went through their routine while the band played, and the four of us were escorted down out of the stands out onto the football field. Tyler and Tanner came running over, and Jessica and Bella joined us. We were introduced to the assembled audience, and our achievements were listed.

The whole Home Coming King and Queen selection was really just a popularity contest. Based on what I heard at half time, Tyler had a pretty good shot. He'd won the State title in his weight class in wrestling last year, and he was the winning quarterback on the football team. I was surprised how many kids cheered for Bella when they announced her name. Like I said, popularity contest, she was obviously the prettiest of the four girls. Katy was hot, and she was probably the best looking girl in school until Bella moved to forks, but Bella made her look plain.

We went back to our seats after half time, and watched the second half of the game. Montesano rallied in the second half, and tied up the game. There were only a couple of minutes left, and I thought we were going into overtime, when Tyler threw an interception. The guy from Montesano picked the ball out of the air, and there was nobody around him. He roared down the field for a seventy yard run, and made it into the end zone to score.

It got quiet in the stands after that, and there were a lot of depressed people, but the mood started to improve after a couple of minutes. Montesano kicked off to us, and our guys fought to try and come back, but we only managed to get into field goal position, and were still down by four when the final gun sounded. I didn't know how many kids hadn't voted yet, but that interception wasn't going to win Tyler or Tanner many votes tonight.

The teams shook hands in the middle of the field, and then headed into the locker room. Everyone that had to change for the dance dashed off to get ready. Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us when the game ended. David, Megan, Katy and I were already dressed, and they escorted us into the gym. The room was already starting to fill up as people made their way through the doors, and the DJ started to play music.

Katy was still avoiding me, so I went and talked to Carlisle and Esme as people made their way into the dance. I really hadn't had time to talk to Carlisle since Esme had moved in, but then we really couldn't talk about anything important here either.

"Are you enjoying the evening?" I asked Carlisle as I came over to the happy pair.

"Surprisingly, I am. You know, when I first signed up to help out with this dance, I thought this was going to be a chore. I suppose it all depends on the company that you keep, and I have the most wonderful escort," And he leaned down and kissed the top of Esme head, as he held his arm around her.

"Edward, have you talked to Katy yet?" Esme asked.

"No, I haven't had the opportunity to yet. I wanted to talk to her yesterday, but that didn't work out. I was going to talk to her this morning, but they dragged me to the Principals office before I could. She's been avoiding me all night, and now we're at the dance. I really don't want to ruin the night for her."

"Edward, dear, you have to do the right thing. If she's in love with you, and she's avoiding you, she probably already expects what's going to happen. It can't get much worse. Let her go so she can move on. If she's mad enough to be avoiding you then telling her the truth isn't going to ruin her night anymore than it already is."

"Thank you, Esme. I'll try and find her."

I left Carlisle and Esme to mingle with the crowd and do their job chaperoning the dance. They really seemed to be paying more attention to each other than the dance, but Esme didn't miss much if anything, and she had literally decades of experience with this kind of thing. Mike Newton seriously looked like he was gonna pee his pants when she walked over and tapped him on the shoulder while he was trying to spike the punch. She just relieved him of the bottle, and sent him on his way. She smiled and shook her head as she took Carlisle hand, and they continued to mingle.

I was starting to think Katy had left the dance. I hadn't seen her for the longest time as I walked around chatting with friends and making the rounds looking for her. Angela and Ben were out on the dance floor, staring into each others eyes. They'd seemed like an unlikely couple at first, but they were totally committed to each other, and were getting serious.

Mike and Jessica were hanging out by the DJ and the PA system up at the front by the stage. Mike seemed afraid to leave her side, and was keeping an eye out for Esme. Jessica seemed to be bursting with anticipation like she was waiting for something, but then her mom was the head of the Home Coming Committee, and she was probably waiting to get her tiara. Her mom had made her head cheerleader, and she was probably a shoe in for Home Coming queen if her mom was counting the votes.

Tyler and Lauren were hanging out with Mike and Jessica. Tyler looked pretty depressed after blowing it and losing the game at Home Coming. He just seemed to mope around, and looked like he just wanted to make it through this and get out of here. Lauren actually seemed to be happy for once, but then Tyler was probably out of the running for Home Coming king, and she wouldn't have to watch him dancing with another girl.

I finally spotted Alice and Bella come in. Bella looked like this was the last place on earth that she wanted to be, and Alice practically had to drag her through the doors. She seemed to relax and calm down when they got to Carlisle and Esme, and Bella at least looked resigned to endure this now. I think Esme slipped her the bottle that she taken from Mike to help her relax, but it was hard to see with the dim lighting and the crowd.

I'd made the rounds and hadn't seen Katy, Michaela or Brittany. They were either in the ladies room, or they'd already left, and I didn't think Katy would be able to escape until they announced that Jessica was Home Coming queen. I got myself a glass of punch, and wandered over to where Mike and Tyler were up by the DJ table. Jessica and Lauren were talking together, and I went over to the guys.

"Hey Tyler, sorry about the game. I thought you had it in the bag for a while there."

"Yeah, no problem… At least our record will probably get us into the playoffs. We're five and two for the season with two more games to play. If we beat Rainier and Tenino, we'll have a pretty good shot at going all the way this year."

"Sounds like a plan, good luck."

"So, Edward, where's Katy?" Mike asked. "I haven't seen you two together all night. Are you guys fighting again?"

"She'd have to be talking to me for us to fight," I said, but that seemed to get Jessica's attention.

"I saw her in the restroom with Michaela and Brittany, Edward," Jessica chimed in, "but she looked like she was crying. I can go see if she's still in there…"

"Would you please Jess', I really need to talk to her…"

"Sure, Edward, Let me see if I can drag her out…"

"So, Edward, what do you have planned for the rest of the night?" Mike asked when Jessica went scurrying off to the ladies room. "Are you and Katy going to the bonfire out in La Push tonight?"

"There's a bonfire in La Push tonight?"

"Yeah…! There's a bonfire in La Push on Home Coming every year! It's the traditional after party! Where have you been all week? Don't you pay attention to anything important? We let the parents and the committees have their fun with this dance, but all the kids are really looking forward to the after party!"

"I don't know Mike. Katy and I haven't talked…"

"Yeah, I can see that. So is it true then? You're dumping Katy to hook up with Bella Swan?"

"Who said that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe just anyone who goes to Forks High School and has eyes that still work," Tyler added. "It's pretty obvious that you have a thing for Bella, Edward."

"I didn't think I was being that obvious, and Katy is still my girlfriend…"

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but you don't act like it anymore, and Katy knows it. How much longer are you going to keep doing this to her? If it's over, then it's over," And this coming from Tyler Crowley who'd been breaking up and making up with Lauren for two years now. Maybe it was that obvious.

I looked over, and Jessica had gotten Michaela and Brittany to talk Katy into coming back into the dance from the restroom. I could tell she'd been crying, and I started to walk over to them. Katy tried to turn and leave again when she saw me, but the girls blocked her and made her stay. I reached for her hand, but she flinched away.

"Katy, I really need to talk to you."

"What do you have to say Edward? I really don't want to talk to you tonight…"

"I'd really like to speak with you in private… I've been trying to talk to you since last night, but we never had a chance to be alone…" Katy looked up at me with hope in her eyes.

"You avoided me on the bus and wouldn't talk to me at the cross country meet yesterday… I thought you were going to tell me that you didn't want to take me to the dance… I wouldn't even be here if they hadn't nominated me…"

"Katy we should really talk in private…"

"Ok, Edward, let's talk…" Katy took my hand as we started to move away from her friends. Jessica looked a little exasperated, like she wanted to be a fly on the wall and catch every detail. We moved over to one of the corners of the room where we could talk, but I didn't know how to start.

"Katy, we both said that we needed time to think about our relationship. You know that I love you… but we've been going through a trying time. You told me to be honest with you. You said 'tell me where I stand'. I know you have needs, and I haven't been there for you. Katy, I've made my decision and…"

Suddenly the room lights dimmed and came back up and the music stopped. There was a spotlight shining in front of the stage and Alice was standing behind a microphone stand.

"Can I have your attention everyone! I know this is what you've all been waiting for all night. the voting is finished and I have the results. If I could have the Royal Court come up here to the front by the stage, we can crown our Home Coming King and Queen!"

There were applause, and I could feel half the eyes in the room boring into me as I stood there with Katy. People came over to us, and led us over to the stage, and we were separated as I went to stand with David, Tyler and Tanner.

Katy just stared at me, but from the look on her face, she probably had a good Idea about what I was going to tell her. Damn it why couldn't I just get those two damn little words out. It's over. What was wrong with me? Did I want to keep hurting her? No, but fate seemed to be enjoying my pain.

Bella didn't seem to be any happier to be herded up in front of the school and just stood there in her dress glaring at me. The only one that seemed happy was Jessica as she stood there beaming at the crowd.

Esme and Carlisle, and Coach Newhouse and Principal Rupprecht kept the crowd back, and left an open space around us. Alice went on when we were all assembled at the front of the room.

"Ok, let's keep this short and sweet. After counting 'All' of the votes," and Alice glanced over at Janet Stanley. "Your 2006 Home Coming Queen is," Jessica took a half step forward, "Isabella Swan!"

Jessica turned to look at Alice with her mouth hanging open, but stepped back as she glared at Alice. Janet Stanley looked pissed off, but there wasn't anything she could do without making a scene. The girls pushed Bella out in front, and Esme came forward and pinned the tiara on top of her head. Bella just stared at the crowd, and kind of stood there with that deer caught in the headlights look. Then Esme handed her the Kings crown.

"Congratulations, Bella. Now to complete the ceremony our new Home Coming Queen will crown her Home Coming King. The votes have all been counted, and your 2006 Home Coming King is… Edward Cullen!"

There were applause, and the guys pushed me out into the middle in front of Bella. She looked at me with a wistful longing, and glanced back at Katy. Katy looked down and wouldn't meet her gaze, as she stood there beaten. Then Bella looked into my eyes and reached up and placed the crown on my head. "At least you're mine for one night," She whispered to herself.

We stood together and posed for pictures as the cameras flashed and people congratulated us, and then Alice tapped on the microphone to get everyone's attention.

"Now that we've crowned our royal couple, it's time for them to get this party started. King Edward, Queen Isabella, will you lead us with your first royal dance?"

Bella turned to glare at Alice, and the room lights dimmed so the two of us were captured in the light of a single spotlight. It was now or never, my moment of truth.

I turned to Bella and held out my hand. "Bella, love, shall we dance?"

Bella looked down at my hand chagrined, and turned away to flee, but there was nowhere for her to go.

I reached for her and caught her hand. It was hard and cold, but smooth and wonderful. I felt the electricity shoot through my palm and flash down my spine as I turned her to face me and took her other hand in mine. I looked deep into her eyes and the world stood still around us as everything else in the universe ceased to exist except for the only other person in all of creation that mattered. I stared into Bella's eyes and I knew that I was hers and she was mine.

I felt like I was staring straight into her soul as I gazed into her eyes, and I felt the mating bond to Bella surge between us and through us. The pull in my stomach had felt like a steel cable as thick as my wrist joining us together that day at the school when our bond was first forged, but this was so much more. I understood what Alice meant now when she said the connection was a thousand times stronger as the electric shock flashed down my spine, and radiated out to every part of my body. The electric feeling burned through me but felt like total bliss as a thousand steel cables as thick as my arm joined us together, welding Bella's soul to mine. I knew we were two halves of the same being now, and she was literally my other half.

Slowly it seemed I became aware of the universe again as my awareness expanded to take in the world around me, but my focus had changed. There were a thousand steel cables all tying me to one thing – to the very center of the universe.

I could see that now – how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. It was the girl in my arms that held me here now.

There was music playing, and we were at a dance. I was holding Bella in my arms as I stared down into her eyes. We swayed to the music, and all was right and correct in the world in that moment. I reached up and gently traced my fingers along her jaw and caressed the exquisite smoothness of her skin.

"I'm yours for more than one night. I want you Bella. I love you, and I'll gladly spend the rest of my eternity together with you. It's not the magic that's attracting me to you. I've made my decision Bella, and I want to be with you. I choose you Bella."

"You want me? I love you, Edward. I never thought this day would come… At least not so soon, I thought you wanted Katy… You told me this morning… I would have waited for you to finish with her if you wanted a family. I can't believe this is real…"

"This is real Bella. I love you and I'm yours. You don't have to wait… I wanted to talk to Katy so I could tell her I'd made my choice."

I leaned down as she tilted her head up to meet me. My lips met hers in a gentle chaste kiss. Her lips were wonderful and smooth and cool as I moved against her and my lips molded to hers. Our lips parted and I smiled as I looked into her eyes.

I heard an anguished moan, and it sounded like somebody was crying, but I was too caught up in the moment for it to fully register.

Bella moved her arms up from my waist to my shoulders and snaked her arms around my neck. She gently tangled her fingers in my hair as she pressed herself against me, pulling my face down to hers. I wrapped my arms tighter around her pulling her against me, and our lips met as we kissed. Her lips parted and her tongue ran across my lips as she begged for entry. My lips parted and I felt her tongue in my mouth on my teeth and then deeper as we moved together as one.

There was a tap on my shoulder, but I ignored it. There was another tap, and somebody cleared their throat. I looked up annoyed, and Carlisle was standing next to me with an apologetic look on his face.

"Edward, we're still at the dance… Believe me son, I understand, but we're in a public place. You need to get a hold of yourself."

I nodded, and took a half step back. Bella didn't want to let go, but she relaxed her grip on me and seemed satisfied to drape her hands and arms around my waist as she laid her head on my shoulder. Carlisle moved away once he was satisfied we weren't going to make a public spectacle of ourselves.

We weren't in the spotlight anymore, and other couples were dancing now, but there were a lot of people staring at us. It felt like an eternity had passed, but in reality it had probably been only a couple of minutes. I looked around the dance as I held Bella in my arms, enjoying the feel of her finally close to me.

Jessica Stanley looked like she was torn between being pissed off about the whole Home Coming queen thing, and ogling the apparent sudden change in mine and Bella's relationship. Mike looked jealous, but he was hanging around Jessica while trying to stay out of her way. Tyler gave me the thumbs up when I caught his eye, and Alice just had a huge grin plastered on her face.

I was going to have to have a talk with her about engineering this whole thing, but I wasn't too mad at her. How could I be mad when I had Bella in my arms now?

We turned as we swayed to the music. The doors of gym came into view, and pangs of regret shot through me as I saw Katy by the door, staring back at us. Tears were streaming down her face, and Michaela was leading her away, but she'd stopped to look back. Our eyes met, and I could read the betrayal, the hurt and sense of loss in her look as I held Bella in my arms. This wasn't over yet, and I still needed to talk to Katy. I couldn't let it end like this. I had to make a clean break and explain myself. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair to Katy. I couldn't simply cast her aside and take up with somebody else without telling her we were over.