A/N: Welcome to the beta team May! My prereaders and my wonderful beta consistently make my work better.

Thanks to my group for helping me figure out some wedding songs. As it turns out, the writing took me in a different direction, but I got to listen to some lovely songs.

You can join us on Facebook. Just search for my name-LyricalKris

Bella had walked into the pages of one of her books.

In certain time periods and certain social circles, it was normal to have society gatherings: events where the community celebrated together even if they weren't friends and family. Bella had always been a voracious reader, and this scene gave her a sense of déjà vu, as though she knew without a shadow of a doubt she'd never done anything like this.

The Cullen house—Carlisle and Esme's house—was full of people. She and Edward had spent the night there, just as they had on Thanksgiving. Bella was awakened early by happy chaos and the smell of a large breakfast being cooked. Tanya had come into the room, stepped right around Edward on his army cot and pulled her out of bed. She'd been the one to set Bella's hair in pin curls the night before.

Now, Bella sat at a vanity in front of a mirror in an opulent, comfortable bedroom. Tanya stood behind her, chatting with her two sisters, Eleazar's girlfriend, Carmen, and Esme. Bella was, as she'd found herself so often in the last six months, in an odd headspace. Her mind spun scenarios, gathering every fact she'd gleaned about the women in the room, the men downstairs, and what she knew of life on the island. She kept trying to find a dark underbelly to this tight-knit community. The women seemed happy enough, but there was such a thing as conditioning. Being under the thumb of another person because it was the lesser of two evils—better than being out in the wilderness as Bella had been, untethered—wasn't the same as being a free and equal member of this little society.

But then, not all of them were under someone's thumb in any sense Bella could figure.

As Tanya's fingers worked through Bella's hair, the women all chatted, gossiping, cackling, and teasing each other. It was the kind of scene Bella associated with a world she'd thought was long gone, which only added to the surreal feel of the moment.

"All these weddings," Tanya's sister, Irina, chuckled. "You remember the rash of weddings that first summer? After we'd settled in here?"

"Everyone got sick of the single life overnight," the third sister, Kate, said.

"It's understandable," Esme said. "I read a book like that once. There was a global catastrophic event." She huffed. "All the humans who survived had their memories erased. No one knew their names, who they had been, or who they belonged to. In that world, it wasn't uncommon for people to marry someone they'd met just days before. They were all people looking for connections—an anchor to tie them to the ground when the world was upside down."

No one said anything at that. For a few beats, there was no sound in the room save for the pull of brushes through hair and the shifting of fabric.

"I forget how lucky we were," Tanya said softly. "To be with most of our family when it all happened? And for all three of us to survive. It's a rare thing."

"And the bug caught up with you eventually, didn't it?" Kate teased. "When are you and the island's most eligible bachelor going to make it official?"

"Katrina," Tanya protested sharply through clenched teeth. In the mirror, Bella saw her eyes dart to Esme and away.

Esme chuckled. "I'm Emmett's mother, dear. There's not much we miss. I know what my boys look like when they're settled and in love."

Bella's heart skipped a beat, not missing the plural, but the conversation picked up without anyone mentioning it.

"All done, Bella," Tanya said, raking her fingers one more time through Bella's hair, fluffing it out. "I was right. Your hair holds curls well."

The other women murmured their agreement as Bella tilted her head this way and that. She had to swallow hard around the sudden lump in her throat.

It wasn't that she didn't like it. Her hair—grown out so it almost touched her shoulders—fell in a mass of shiny curls. Though she knew she was an attractive woman, she really hadn't done this kind of primping and styling in her first life. Somewhere in the back of her head a song from another musical played. She felt pretty, oh so pretty.

And it set off alarm bells in another part of her overwrought head. This couldn't be right. In this fractured world, how was it possible that just months before she'd been building her own smoker and retrofitting clothing and bags to carry her entire life—everything she'd need to survive in any situation—on her person at a times? Even the last few months had been about survival; her need to make her body work again so she could run, could fight. She wasn't there yet and here she was in a slinky blue dress and curls in her hair. She got the panicky feeling she was being lulled into complacency.

But her rational mind knew better.

"Here," Tanya said, taking her silence in stride. She rifled through a box she'd set on the vanity. "Finishing touches. Weddings should always be blinged out to the max." She grinned as she slid a hair clip into the right side of Bella's hair. It was one of those faux diamond numbers; a filigree pattern studded with tiny gems. "What do you think?"

Bella took a steadying breath and tried to relax. "I'm all...elegant." ֵ

And out of touch with how to talk to people in a purely social setting, clearly. Bella pressed a palm to her heated cheek and traced the tip of her finger along a scar at her hairline.

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Tanya asked. "It wouldn't take much to cover it up, if you'd like."

The scar, still relatively fresh, was deep red, and it stood out against her skin—paler now than usual since she'd been out of the sunshine for so many months. She gave a small laugh and shook her head, studying her hands and the smattering of smaller scars there. "They don't bother me."

She had to have some tangible proof she wasn't still unconscious, stuck in some bizarre dream of balls and gowns and jewelry in her hair. The world where she'd been pulled off a cliff by a giant of a man intent on sharing her with three other guys couldn't possibly be the same place. Bella pressed a fingertip hard against her temple, trying to keep the vague sense of panic at bay.

Bella thanked Tanya for her help and was relieved when the woman moved across the room to tend to her own preparations. The conversation flowed to Carmen, and how quickly she'd fallen for Eleazar when he'd found his way to their island home. Bella tried to listen, tried to stay calm, but it was an effort. Her darting eyes fell on a pair of scissors, and before she could think about it, she'd grabbed them, holding in a clenched fist, ready to stab. She felt both ridiculous and just a little bit better.

"I'll be right back," Esme said. When she left the room, Bella's hackles raised infinitesimally more. She had fewer known allies without her there.

But Esme was back before Bella could get too squirrelly. She offered a reassuring smile, and Bella got the impression she'd somehow known she was freaking out a bit. Mothers always knew, she'd said. But the woman wasn't her mother.

Only a few minutes had gone by as Bella continued to sort information and emotion in her head when there was a rap on the door.

"Is everyone decent?" Edward asked, poking his head inside.

"Oh, honey." Irina leered at him. "When are any of us ever decent?"

Edward clucked his tongue in a teasing tsk-tsk sound, but his eyes had found Bella. "Oh, wow," he said, sounding breathless.

Electricity went through her, and she ducked her head, covering a smile with her hand as some of the others tittered. Edward blinked hard and cleared his throat. "You, er, all look beautiful."

"Yes, of course. All of us." Tanya nodded with mock seriousness as she took a few steps in Edward's direction. She splayed a hand over Edward's chest, looking him up and down with a lascivious grin. "It turns out you're not so bad looking yourself."

Bella's gut twisted, and her hand tightened reflexively around the scissors. It was just disrespectful, that was all. Tanya had her own Cullen brother, and their mother was standing right there, for Chrissakes.

But Esme was preoccupied, helping Carmen with a stray sequin. As for Edward, he gave Tanya's arm a pat before he stepped around her, his eyes on Bella again. Bella felt the sudden tension that had gone through her ease.

It was impossible to miss the look in his eyes. He liked her in this dress; it was written all over his face. And while it was true, the other women in the room were all gorgeous, he wasn't looking at any of them the way he was looking at her.

Bella felt her lips turn up in spite of herself.

"If you're done here, I was wondering if you could help me finish getting breakfast ready," Edward said, offering her a hand. "Dad had to run off. Some lame excuse about delivering a baby."

"That old chestnut, eh?" Bella put her hand in his, letting him hold her steady as she got to her feet.

"Breakfast after we've just made ourselves look presentable?" Irina asked, shaking her head.

"Portable and neat," Edward assured. "Bacon and egg burritos wrapped very tightly."

"Burritos?" Bella arched an eyebrow. "Where the hell did you get a tortilla?"

"What do you think I need help with? Come on. There's a tortilla press with our name on it."

"Your mother called you, didn't she?" Bella asked when they were making their painfully slow way down the stairs a moment later. She clung to Edward's arm with each step, her features twisting with the pain that still seared like lightning all the way down her leg.

"That was a lot of people in one room," Edward said, his tone gentle. "The most I think you've been with—while you were fully conscious, anyway—in years. That's a hard thing, Bella."

She sighed, adding the words he didn't say out loud in her head.

It was also the most people she'd been around without him. His presence calmed her; there was no denying that. As much shit as she gave him for being useless, it didn't change that she felt safer when he was there.

Edward let her go when they were past the treacherous stairs. "Come on. Lots of tortillas to press." He walked to the counter, angling a tortilla press toward her.

She felt better, calmer, when she was accomplishing something, particularly if it was something that could be considered survival-oriented. It was something Edward had figured out early in her convalescence, when she was so angry and scared she couldn't think straight.

He'd been good to her and endlessly patient. Even then, in the spacious kitchen, they worked in quiet, giving her time to regroup without having to think about inane conversation.

But still, she turned around with a plate of pressed tortillas to find Edward right behind her. Their eyes locked, and Bella's heart skipped a beat. "Sorry," they said at the same time, but neither of them moved away from the other.

Then, Bella was nervous for a whole other reason.

After a beat, Bella reached out. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction when she ran her hand down Edward's chest as Tanya had done not that long before. But unlike then, when Edward had smiled politely and taken a step out of her reach, he kept his gaze fixed on Bella. He raised a hand to cover hers. "You really do look amazing," he said, his voice a low timbre that vibrated in her bloodstream.

She swallowed hard. "You really do clean up nice."

The air between them sparked, and energy ran through her, sending thrills from where he touched her right down to her toes. She tilted her head up, inviting.

Someone knocked on the door so hard, Bella jumped. She almost lost hold of the tortillas. Edward caught the plate. He put it on the counter with one hand and gripped her under the arm with the other.

"Edward!" whoever it was called through the door, knocking again. "SOS, man. Get out here."

As Edward headed in the direction of the door, Bella grabbed up a knife. She peered around the wall and saw Edward speaking to a man with long black hair and a roguish grin. She relaxed. Despite the man's words, it couldn't be an emergency if the man was smiling like that. She crept closer, but didn't let go of the knife.

"Bella." Edward smiled when he saw her and held out a hand. She put her hand in his and let him pull her closer. "This is Garrett. He was leading the team I was on when I got lost."

"Can't take your eyes off this one," Garrett said, offering her a hand to shake. "Which, come to think of it, isn't the best trait in a scout, is it?"

Bella had to let go of Edward to switch the knife to her other hand in order to shake Garrett's. If the man thought it strange that she was holding a knife, he didn't say so. "Luckily for us, I don't need his running skills right now. We're down one man for the band."

"You need a piano in the band?" Bella asked.

Garrett gave a small laugh. "No. We could use another guitar, though. Plus, your boyfriend can sing."

"You can play the guitar too?" Bella knew she should correct Garrett's assumption—not because she'd be ashamed to have Edward as a boyfriend, but because she didn't want anyone thinking less of him when she left. The idea he played the guitar distracted her.

"Edward plays a lot of instruments," Garrett said.

Edward shrugged and smirked just a little. "Piano and guitar primarily but instruments come easy to me." He winked at her. "Great skill to have in an emergency, right?"

She shook her head.

~0~

Edward only agreed to go with the band after repeated assurances from Bella she would be fine. It was a near thing—there were so many people—but it helped that Esme had taken it upon herself to distract Bella. She kept their heads bent together and whispered to her throughout the whole ceremony.

Weddings, Esme told her, were a mixed bag. For many, tradition went straight out the window. The weddings they'd dreamed of their whole lives were impossible—family members missing, no access to all the bells and whistles that made up a modern wedding. Of course, some still clung to tradition. They were walked down the aisle by one of the council members in white dresses with bouquets and rings.

Benjamin and Tia, the lovely couple who were getting married, were among those who threw tradition out the window. They did their wedding as though it was a play or a movie. Benjamin walked to the front of the room to the tune of Indiana Jones's theme. Wild Thing played, Benjamin lip synching to the words Edward sang, as his bride came in. And when Father Webber appeared on the scene? The Jaws theme.

It was fun, funny, and Bella thought that was probably the point. Even in this place, where people had jobs and neighbors and some sense of normalcy, there was a lot of doom and gloom. That was fairly consistent among people who had open weddings. The parties that followed were epic.

There were plenty of wedding halls all around the island. Even in the cold of winter, the venue was toasty, heated by all the bodies packed inside, the small fires rigged to keep the food warm, and a small brazier in the corner furthest from the serving table. The food and drinks were done potluck style—most people brought one or the other.

Bella sat at a table tucked just the right way so she could see everyone and there was no one behind her. Carlisle had been able to join them right after the ceremony. He and Esme seemed content to keep Bella company. Emmett stopped by the table for something to eat or drink every other song or so. He did indeed dance primarily with Tanya.

Bella watched the smiling faces, listening to Carlisle and Esme's conversation about the newest resident of the islands. She watched Benjamin twirl his wife away from him and then bring her in close, wrapping an arm around her so she was pressed up against his body. His eyes shone, and his gentle kiss was adoring. She watched Henry take Aaron's hands and swing them back and forth while the baby shook his little butt. She tapped her foot, caught up in the overwhelming mood that surrounded her, and Edward's beautiful voice.

She had forgotten that this kind of pervasive joy could exist.

As one song came to an end, Emmett and Tanya danced their way back to the table. Tanya threw herself down in a chair, breathing hard and laughing, one hand still in Emmett's as they grinned at each other. "How can you not need a break? Sit down. Have a bite."

"Way too wired for that, T." His eyes swept the table and met Bella's. "How about it, B? Do me a solid? May I have this dance?"

Bella started, her mind gone blank as though she couldn't process the words. She laughed, bewildered. "I… I mean…my leg?"

Emmett winked. "I can go slow. Don't worry." He offered a hand.

Thoughts screamed through her head a mile a minute, all of them only half-complete. He was huge, strong. So many people. And she'd never been a dancer. She was still injured. She—

Her eyes darting around the room, Bella caught Edward looking in their direction. He plucked at his guitar, sounding out the beginning notes of a new song as he and the others did between each song. His expression was curious and… Hopeful?

She'd been moving to the sound of his voice all afternoon, watching other people dance to the sound of his voice.

"Emmett," Esme chided quietly. "She—"

"No, it's okay," Bella said before she could overthink it. "I want to."

She wanted to see if she was still capable of feeling as unencumbered as these others seemed. She wanted to know if she could trust someone who wasn't Edward as far as a simple dance in a room full of people who, demonstrably, weren't out to get her.

"I got you, okay?" Emmett said as he led her out onto a sparsely populated section of the dance floor. He was a remarkably kind man for being such a gigantic beast.

Bella nodded. Her nerves had somewhat gotten the better of her, and while she wasn't about to panic, she wondered what the hell she thought she was doing.

But then, a familiar rhythm picked up. This being an acoustic version when she'd only ever heard the fully synthesized song, it took Bella a few beats before she recognized what she was hearing. Emmett swayed them at an easy rate despite the quick tempo. Bella found Edward's eyes just as he began to sing.

"Oh don't you dare look back

Just keep your eyes on me

I said you're holding back

She said shut up and dance with me."

It was strange. The music, Edward's voice, seemed to fill her, and though she was dancing with another man, it seemed like they were the only two in the room. It was strange how she could be with Emmett—moving in step where he led and looking up at him with a smile—and still feel so connected with Edward.

"Oh we were bound to get together

Bound to get together."

Bella laughed, the sound coming out breathless. She couldn't remember ever feeling this way, this light, and certainly not in this world. Energy pulsed through her blood, and the air seemed rife with something delicious; magical.

And then, so suddenly she almost didn't notice, he was there. The rest of the little band had kept playing, but the words had faded away as Bella was passed seamlessly from Emmett's arms into Edward's.

After years of fear, of anger, of paranoia and strain; after months of confusion and panic, of pain, a lightness came over her she had no context for. Bella gasped with the strength of it, shocked at how much air she could get into her lungs. It was as if she hadn't taken a deep breath since the world collapsed around her, and now…

Edward wrapped an arm around her, moving with her, singing the rest of the song for only her.

"This woman is my destiny

She said oh oh oh

Shut up and dance with me."

In that moment, she felt like the woman she was meant to be—young and innocent with a world of possibilities ahead of her.

And in love. Oh, god. Overwhelmingly, ecstatically, crazy in love with this patient, infuriating, amazing man who was looking at her like she was the only woman in the world. She couldn't deny it or explain it away.

She threaded her hands through his hair, and as the song ended, she pulled his head down, tilting her head up to kiss him.

A/N: See you soon, kiddos!