Metamorphoses II

Previously – The Cullen twins, Alice and Edward, decide to attend their 10-year high school reunion after undergoing some drastic changes courtesy of the Hale siblings, Rosalie and Jasper, and Rosalie's husband, Emmett McCarty.

The reunion itself was being held in a hotel over an hour away, past Port Angeles. There simply wasn't enough room for all the respondents in any one place in Forks. We had reserved three rooms in the hotel when we decided to come. It was only for the night as we planned on spending the rest of the time with Esme and Carlisle.

Alice and Rosalie holed themselves up in Rosalie's room to get ready, much to Emmett's disgust. Emmett wasn't going to the reunion. However, he agreed to the ladies' plan that Rosalie pose as my date for the evening. The three of us had sat in front of the television all day watching football until the phone rang around 5 o'clock and Alice threatened to come dress us both if Jasper and I didn't get ready. I went to my room and showered, dressing in the designer clothes Alice had chosen for me to wear for the evening. Frankly, I didn't know why she bothered. It was unlikely that anyone from Forks would recognize the difference between a suit that cost $199 and $1999.

However, I was vain enough to admit that the custom tailoring did make a difference. I headed back to Jasper's room at 6:30. Emmett whistled at me as I walked in and I took the opportunity to chuck a convenient book at him. He laughed as he caught it easily. Then, putting on a mock serious face he reminded me it was his wife I'd be escorting for the evening. We both laughed until the ladies entered the room and a sudden look of pain shot across Emmett's face. I turned to see what was wrong. It wasn't hard to understand the look. Alice was beautiful in a champagne colored cocktail dress that was so low it barely had a top and so short that it barely had a bottom. Basically, she was wearing a wide belt. Jasper growled appreciatively and moved to her side, taking her hand.

Rosalie had pulled out all the stops as well. She wore a sleeveless, fire engine red minidress with a neckline almost down to her navel. Frankly, I wondered how she kept it on since, as she turned to give us a 360 view, we realized it was completely backless as well. I grinned at her.

"Nice dress," I said.

Emmett said something, too; or tried to. All that came out was a strangled whine. Rosalie laughed and glided to his side. She leaned in to whisper in his ear and then kissed him soundly on the mouth. His face relaxed until she tugged on her finger and removed her wedding band, placing it in his open hand. He shot me one more warning glance, this one a lot less friendly than the one he had given me earlier. I gave him what I hoped wasn't a cocky smirk and offered my arm to his wife. Emmett and I were friends and I had buffed up in the last ten years, but I held no delusions as to my chances should he decide I was getting too friendly with his wife.

The four of us left the room and walked towards the elevators. Alice and Jasper were a little ahead of us. I bent down and whispered in Rosalie's ear.

"Not that I'm complaining, but how are you keeping that dress on?"

Rosalie grimaced.

"Body glue," she answered. "It's not comfortable. I hope you don't plan on dancing the night away."

I laughed. There wasn't much chance of that. I was pretty sure Alice could achieve her goal of making our graduating class jealous in record time and then we could go back to our rooms and get ready to return to my parents' house in the morning.

I was a little surprised to see so many people in the ballroom. On the left side of the room there was a table with nametags; preprinted ones for members of the graduating class and blanks for our dates. Rosalie and Jasper put on the tags good naturedly and the four of us moved to a small table near the dance floor. The band was playing a mix of current pop favorites and music that had been popular when we were in high school. A raucous number came on and Alice squealed. She grabbed Jasper's hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

"C'mon, you two!" she commanded.

I looked at Rosalie and her mouth twisted. I shook my head slightly, letting her off the hook. Instead, I offered to get her a drink. She nodded her thanks. As I approached the bar I noticed a few sidelong glances. There were some women at a larger table trying hard to read my name tag. I knew Alice would be disappointed if I didn't take this opportunity to gloat so I leaned back against the bar after giving the bartender our drink order so I could easily face my fan club. One woman, who I recognized as Jessica Stanley, was bolder than the rest. She came to stand next to me and ordered a rum and Coke. She glanced over at my name tag and I saw her eyes widen.

"Edward? Edward Cullen?"

Hmmmm. Alice was right, this was going to be fun! Jessica hadn't even tried to hide her shock at the transformed me. I turned towards Jessica and let my eyes flick to her nametag, though I already knew who she was.

"Jessica Stanley," I enthused, "how nice to see you!" I bent to kiss her cheek and I could hear a flurry of voices coming from her table.

I gave her a brief half smile as the bartender brought me the drinks I had ordered.

"You have to stop by and say hello to Alice," I told her. I pointed to the small table near the dance floor.

"That's Alice?" This was getting better and better. Jessica couldn't keep the shock out of her voice and the peanut gallery from her table had followed my gesture and were now staring at Rosalie.

"No, that's my… friend, Rosalie." The pause had been deliberate. Let Jessica and her friends stew over that. "Alice is on the dance floor with her fiancé."

I pointed to my sister and Jasper where they were bouncing around to the beat of the song. Jessica followed my gesture and again, her eyes widened.

"Please," I said, "stop over. Bring your friends. I know Alice is anxious to see our old classmates."

"Mm-hmm," was all she could manage.

I walked back to our table and handed Rosalie her drink. She turned to face me as I sat down.

"Showtime…" she whispered. She leaned towards me and brushed her lips against my cheek. I turned toward her in surprise and she kissed me full on the mouth. It was exactly like kissing my sister. All I could think about was Emmett. He was going to kill me. Rosalie broke the kiss and placed her cheek next to mine so she could look over my shoulder. I heard her gleeful intake of breath.

"Got 'em!" she giggled.

I started to turn around and she hissed at me.

"Don't look!"

That was amazing! How could she talk like that without moving her lips? I was about to ask her when Alice and Jasper returned to the table. Rosalie leaned back and took a second to run her thumb over my lips to remove her lipstick.

I gestured to the drinks on the table and they each grabbed one.

"Did you see anyone?" Alice asked.

"Did he ever!" Rosalie laughed. Her eyes moved to the larger table across the room and Alice followed her gaze. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the gawking group.

"Drink quickly," Alice commanded. "I want to walk over there for the next round."

I laughed.

"No need," I said. "I invited them over to say hello. I'm sure they'll be here shortly."

"Edward, you are the best," she answered as the group near the bar stood up and approached our table.

Several of the women had been joined by their escorts. I noticed more than a few wedding bands and one guy I didn't recognize held tightly onto a woman I recognized as Lauren Mallory. The newly expanded group put their heads together briefly and then started walking towards our table. I glanced at Alice but she was seemingly engrossed in a conversation with Jasper.

"Alice Cullen," Jessica stated. The way she said it left no doubt in my mind that Jessica was regretting ignoring my tiny sister all those years ago.

Alice turned.

"Jessica," she said, "how nice to see you again."

Jasper stood up, momentarily confusing the men in the other group. I rose as well – I wasn't going to let Jasper outshine me in the manners department. I noticed a few dirty looks in the other group. There were some significant others who would be getting an etiquette lesson tonight.

Alice made quick introductions, omitting any reference to the relationship between Rosalie and me. I could tell that a few of the larger group were looking for more information, but we were shooting for mysterious. They'd be sorely disappointed if any of them were rude enough to pry.

The evening continued pleasantly enough. Jessica parked herself at our small table and called out to passersby. I remembered this about her. Jessica was always one to take advantage of another's popularity when it suited her needs. By showing us off to our former classmates Jessica was receiving more attention than she probably had since graduation.

Every now and then Rosalie would get my attention indicating it was time for a dance. I'm glad she was paying attention to the ebb and flow, because she made sure I played my part just right. Jasper had just left the table to refill our drinks when the band struck up a current chart topper. Alice squealed and all the women headed for the dance floor. The guys drifted towards the bar where Jasper had set up court. He was regaling the crowd with grossly exaggerated accounts of our college escapades. Rosalie stayed at my side.

"Pretend you like me," she whispered.

"I do like you."

"No, pretend you really like me."

Oh.

Rose turned sideways in her chair and hooked both her legs over my left leg so her calves rested comfortably between my thighs. She leaned towards me. I put my arm around her shoulder and dug my fingers into her long, thick hair. Our foreheads came together.

"Ummmm, Rose, I don't think anyone is looking at us right now."

"Edward, you are so wrong. Everyone is looking at us right now."

I started to turn my head to verify her words when a sudden commotion came from near the door to the room.

Jacob Black had arrived. He was as imposing as ever. Jacob had been the captain of the Forks football team when we were in school. He wrestled and played baseball as well. He had been popular. Basically, Jacob was everything I had not been in back then. Unlike some of our classmates, Jacob hadn't changed much in the ten years since high school. His black hair was untouched by grey, it didn't look like he had gained any weight and the grace of his movements indicated that he kept physically active. The commotion was due to Jake's entrance. He had always been boisterous, the center of attention. People called greetings from all over the room and Jake smiled and waved like a politician the night before an election.

I looked over at Rosalie; she was looking at Jake with hard eyes. I glanced back at Jacob and that's when I saw her. She was walking unobtrusively behind Jacob as he towed her along, her tiny hand in his oversized paw. She wore a dark blue dress with a low draping neckline. The sleeveless outfit was clasped behind her neck and her back was bare. She was small, taller than Alice, but shorter than Rosalie. The full skirt was longer than either Alice or Rose's, but stopped just above her knee. She held a matching clutch in the hand that wasn't lost in Jacob's grip. She raised her head and I let out an explosive breath, I hadn't realized I was holding. Her long mahogany hair flowed freely down her back. Her face wasn't classically beautiful the way Rose's was or even animatedly pretty the way Alice's was, but it was lovely nonetheless. I wondered if her eyes matched her dress. Then I wondered where the hell that bizarre thought came from.

Rose gave an indelicate snort.

"We're going to have to approach him," she said.

I was confused. Everyone in the room had come to our table in the last hour. Why was this different? I was about to ask when Alice and Jasper returned to the table.

"You're on, Edward," Alice said.

Huh? This was getting weirder and weirder.

Rose shook her head. "We're going to have to explain it to him, Alice."

"Edward," Alice explained, "Jacob Black was the alpha male of Forks High. I've already run rampant through the ranks of the women in our class. Jessica and Lauren were the alpha females but I've got them right here," she indicated her pinkie finger, "Jacob is the only competition you have in this group. Show him up."

Hmmmmm.

I stood up. "Rose." I offered her my arm.

Rosalie stood up obediently and grabbed onto me like I was the center of her universe. We made our way across the room slowly. A few acquaintances stopped us for a word or two. Or just to gawk at Rosalie again. I gave formula responses as I studied Jacob. He was now mired in a group of a half dozen or so guys. I noticed he didn't introduce the lady at his side even once. She sort of stood behind him, a little to the side. He had dropped her hand and she had caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't seem annoyed, just resigned.

I was making a beeline for Jacob's little group when Rose pulled me off course.

"Not yet," she said.

We continued past Jacob's pack and headed to the bar. As we walked past I could see Jacob stop talking and eye Rosalie. She was an eyeful, but I felt an unexpected surge of anger. What the hell was wrong with him? He had that beautiful woman at his side and he was staring at Rosalie?

We continued to the bar and I noticed that the volume of conversation had dropped. Rose shimmied onto a stool and I stood in front of her placing our drink order. Rose was looking surreptitiously over my shoulder and squeezed my arm briefly in warning.

"Cullen!" Jacob boomed as he and his friends sidled up to the bar. Score one for me. Thanks to Rose's maneuverings Jacob had been forced to approach me. I knew there was no way he remembered me, that means someone here had pointed us out. I turned slowly.

"Jacob." I extended my hand and he shook it a little harder than necessary. I suppose he expected me to quail at the strength of his grip, but I hadn't been spending 10 hours a week in the gym for nothing. I could see a flicker of annoyance in his eyes as we drew back our arms.

Just because Jacob was a boorish clout didn't mean I would be. I turned to Rosalie.

"Rosalie, this is Jacob Black."

"It's nice to meet you, Jacob," Rosalie purred. She made it sound like she meant it. Jacob didn't make any show of hiding his admiration of her. He was practically ogling her as he took her extended hand, much more gently than he had grabbed mine. He swiftly raised it to his mouth and kissed her open palm.

"Likewise."

I knew Rosalie had no problems taking care of herself, but a surge of anger much like the one I had earlier coursed through me. I hated men who didn't respect women. To hide my feelings I looked expectantly at Jacob's date. However, no introduction was forthcoming as Jacob continued to stare at Rosalie, now making an off color remark that Rosalie pretended to find very witty. I nodded at the lovely woman standing next to Jacob and introduced myself.

"I'm Edward. Edward Cullen."

"Isabella Swan. You can call me Bella."

She reached out her exquisite hand and I grasped it warmly. A sudden jolt of electricity shot through me at the contact. A quick peek at her widened eyes let me know she felt it, too.

Ho-ly…!

"Can I get you a drink?" I asked her after I composed myself.

She was about to answer when Jacob broke in.

"That's OK, Cullen, I've got it."

Bella shrugged a brief apology and graced me with a tiny smile. My God, those lips and her eyes… Not blue, brown. Deep pools of melted chocolate. I could swim in her eyes.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I wasn't interested in our game anymore, but Alice and Rosalie kept us on track. We had conquered our graduating class, but I no longer cared. I dropped Rosalie off at her room with a chaste kiss on the cheek. I heard her squeal when Emmett closed the door behind her and allowed myself a passing smile as I walked to my room.

All I could think about was Jacob's date, Bella. Bella Swan she had said. So apt. Her skin had been as light and as soft as a swan's down. Her graceful lines echoing the perfect curve of a swan's neck.

Dammit! How had this happened? I was supposed to be wowing them. How had this perfect woman thrown me so off track? I didn't know and, honestly, I didn't care. All I knew was that I needed to see Bella Swan again. Soon.

So, that's it folks. I'm a "happily ever after" kind of person, so this will all work out for Edward. If you'd like to see how, however, you'll have to let me know, so review, review, review.

Also, check out my other fanfic, "Rejection." It's an AH account of what would have happened if the Cullens hadn't voted to change Bella at the end of New Moon. I wasn't getting any reviews there so I stopped writing, but if you like it let me know. I have a full story to tell.