A/n: Wow, it's been a while.
I'm awfully sorry that it's been so long. Aside from the normal excuse that I've been busy, it's also the summer holiday and I'm working full time so I actually have some money… Anyway, sorry.
This is, technically the first chapter of this elaborate fic. I hope it's ok, and that things are starting to come together more than with the prologue.
I'll try to keep on top of this, but I've only got limited access to the internet, so don't be too worried if I don't post for a while. The next chapter should be soon, at least within a month, I think. Sorry to you all!
Maybe drop me a review? :)

Edward

Chapter 1:

"Bella! Oh my god! I'm so glad you're here!"

The calls attacked us from all angles and I held Bella's hand tighter, hoping she'd be able to protect me from what we were about to do. I couldn't believe I'd let her talk me into this. Those puppy dog eyes had always been more than I could handle. When my sister had put me into hundreds of dollars of debt, those were the eyes she's given me and I'd let her off. It was safe to say I didn't trust her, though.

Why the hell did I come to this farce of a wedding? Aside from Bella's bright idea, I had no idea why I'd come. If I'd been on my own, I'd have tried to get out of it. My father wouldn't have been pleased, but he could no longer force me to obey him. I'd not had a happy childhood.

My father and I did not get on. The only member of my family I had the least bit in common with was my brother, Emmett. He, however, was following the family tradition of making terrible mistakes, and was currently dating a whore. Rosalie Hale. The absolute pittance of loyalty and the biggest show of total slutocity (if that was even a word). She had to be better than that bitch Lauren he'd gone out with a few years ago; she used to spend her time coming onto me with Emmett sat just next to her. Granted, Lauren hadn't been a long term relationship. So far, Rosalie had done nothing to upset me, or, more importantly, Emmett, her reputation merely preceded her.

A slight squeeze on my hand brought me back from my reverie. Bella was staring at me, a blank look plastered onto her face.

"Edward, are you ok?" She asked, worry slowly etching into the corners of her face. I wondered how long she'd been waiting for me to wake up.

I nodded, placing a hand lightly at her hip. I may not be incredibly up on couples and their actions, but I knew how to act to confirm that we were indeed an item. "Yeah, I was just thinking." I assured her. "Can you see Emmett yet?" Bella must have had a sly look around, I'd not had chance.

"Nooo." Bella said, in the way that only she could get away with. "If I'm honest, I've had too many people saying hello to notice any of your family."

"Ok." I smiled, not only for effect, but for the reason that a small, cheeky grin had appeared at her mouth. Even though she was just a good friend, I could still appreciate how gorgeous she was. I'd liked her a lot when we'd first become friendly. The feelings had more or less died by now, though. I knew she'd had, and maybe still did have, too many problems without me making it worse.

"Excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen." A loud voice boomed through a speaker very close to where we stood. I turned to the sound of my mother, standing on stage, holding a microphone to her mouth, regardless of the fact that her voice was clearly loud enough without it.

The room had gone quiet, everyone leaving their private conversations to lay their attention on the stage. "Thank you." My mother smiled. "Well, we all know why we're here: to celebrate the marriage between my daughter, Alice, and her lovely Michael Newton. I'm absolutely honoured to welcome Mike to our family, along with his parents," she made an obvious gesture towards Mr and Mrs Newton, who were perched together beside her. Sat there, the pair didn't look entirely thrilled at thought of my mother holding a microphone, either. "I think this is going to be the beginning of an amazing relationship." By the way she was slurring her words, my mother had definitely had a couple of drinks. She was allowed to be happy, though, I guess. Why not?

It took me a minute to realise that my father had joined the group on stage. He stalked up behind my drunken mother, putting an arm around her shoulder and taking the microphone from her hands. She laughed. "Thank you all for coming to help us celebrate this romantic event. Gentlemen, buy your ladies a drink and have lots of fun. The party finishes tonight at six o'clock, but we'll be convening tomorrow for a three course meal at the country club, for those who have their invites, otherwise we'll be seeing you all tomorrow for the pre-stags-and-hens do. Travel safely home!"

A round of applause followed, my father and mother embraced and consequently left the stage. I turned back to Bella, reaching an arm around her waist.

I smiled. "Are you ok?" I asked, concerned. "I know this must be hard for you."

She gave a timid nod, suddenly going silent. "Bella," I said, lowering my voice in both pitch and volume. I knew she didn't like it when I used this tone with her. "I know I've already said my piece about this whole situation, but you are twenty-two years old, you've got more going for you than hanging on to Mike Newton. You deserve –"

"Eddie, darling, when did you arrive?" My mother characteristically booming voice stopped me dead. I wasn't going to talk to Bella about Mike in the presence of her; my mother seemed to really like him. "You've been hiding from me again, haven't you?"

"Hi Mom, erm," I thought for a second, laughing as confidently as I could. She was onto me. "About five minutes before your speech." I confirmed, embracing my mother with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

My father gave me a light pat on the back. "I'm glad you're here, son, I was worried you might not make it." He gave Bella and up-and-down look. I felt surprisingly protective of her. I didn't want my family to judge her just because she was here with me. "And who is this beautiful, young lady?" Judging by the stunning smile the crossed Bella's face, she seemed to be incredibly flattered to be referred to as 'beautiful'.

"This is Bella," I gestured towards my parents, "and, Bella, these are my parents, Carlisle and Esme." I'd kept one arm around Bella's waist and instinctively pulled her towards me. I could feel her place a hand in the back pocket of my pants.

She shook my father's hand and gave my mother an awkward, one-armed hug. "It's really nice to meet you." Bella's smile hadn't yet faltered. Bless her; she was trying really hard to play the part.

My mother seemed equally thrilled, glad, I was guessing, that I'd brought a female companion along. Apparently, she approved. "The pleasure's all ours, dear, although, I'm afraid, we've heard nothing about you. How long have you known one another, Edward?" She had a genuine look of curiosity across her gentle features.

It was true I'd not mentioned Bella to my family. It was not for fear of embarrassment or disapproval from them, I'd just not been asked. If my mother had queried me as to whether I'd intended to bring someone along, I would have told her, but she had not. I could feel Bella's eyes boring into me, also wondering why I'd not informed my parents about our supposed relationship. "We've been working together for," I paused, turning towards Bella, looking at her inquisitorially. Bella's mock-thinking look made me smile. She was a poor actress. "Maybe a year and a half?" Bella nodded, nuzzling a little closer to me. "But we've only been seeing each other for a few months. Bella's the daughter of Chief Swan." I intended this statement more towards my father, but my mother squealed before he could react.

"Ohh, really?" Her smile was huge. "A truly lovely man, he's been very kind to our family over the years. Tell your father we said a large hello. It's been too long since we've seen him."

Bella nodded again, her grin a lot more modest than that of my mother's. "I will. My dad was happy to hear about your Alice. He sends his congratulations."

"Being the daughter of Charlie Swan, that would also mean that you are a former girlfriend of our young Michael, wouldn't it?" My mother had never had a huge level of emotional intellect, and it didn't help that she was drunk. I could have almost slapped my forehead for her.

"Sure. I've not seen Mike for a while now; I'm really looking forward to catching up with him." Bella managed to surprise me by keeping her voice level as she spoke. I'd expected that to be a difficult topic for her. I briefly squeezed her body in a silent support.

"Darling," My father's tone was low as if he only intended for his wife to hear him. "We do have lots of guests, I suggest we mingle."

"Yes, yes." She agreed. "I'm sorry, Edward, but there are a lot of people here. Your father and I must be off to work the room. When the bar closes, loiter by the door and we'll take you home to unpack." She lent forward to kiss my cheek, before both of my parents disappeared into the crowd.

I turned to Bella, frowning. "Are you ok? I'm guessing that was sufficiently awkward for you."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It was only weird for me; they don't know anything so it's ok." She continued to flash her smile at me. "Your parents seem nice enough; I can understand why they'd annoy you at times, though."

I nodded. "Do you want a drink?" I motioned towards the bar, using my hand at her waist to guide her towards two stools that I'd noticed were free. Bella followed me, sitting quietly. I took the seat next to her.

"I'll just have a lemonade for now, please."

I nodded, waving the bar man over to me and ordering a glass of lemonade for Bella and a large whiskey for myself. Rather pretentious of me, but still, very good stuff.

I took a short sip of my glass and felt slightly better. The whiskey was a little fruity and tasted nice.

I gave my attention back to Bella and instantly noticed the total horror passing across her face. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes turned to me, but her expression did not change. "Mike's over there…" She fumbled her hands over her body, straightening out the creases in her dress and running her fingers through her hair. "What should I do?" Her voice had gone very high. "Should I go over and say hello, or wait or…"

I held up a hand for her to stop worrying. "Just sit here and look at me. I'm sure he'll come over in his own time. If he's got any sense, he'll want to know what you're doing here." I tried to smile, hoping it might calm her down, but it seemed she was having a hard time keeping her eyes on me.

I raised a hand to her knee, applying a gentle pressure against her thigh. The dress she was wearing had ridden up so that it only just covered her thighs. It was a deep blue and hugged her curves, making her look close to perfect. I could hardly imagine how long it had taken her to do her make up. She was nearly the most beautiful woman in the room, with the two exceptions of my sister, Alice, and Rosalie, who had gone for the full works, donning a low backed, cream dress that only she could wear confidently. Obviously Emmett was impressed too; he couldn't take his hand off her.

"Oh my God, Edward, he's seen me!" She finally looked at me, staring intently into my eyes, portraying her anxiety instantaneously. "Is he walking over? If I look he'll think I want to see him. You look, is he coming?"

I tried to make light of the turning of my head, noticing instantly that my sister's fiancé had indeed spotted Bella and was speaking animatedly to Alice, moving closer and closer to us. My eyes found Bella's clammy face again. "Yeah, he's definitely seen you. Bella, just chill. He's coming over, but he looks happy so," I stood up, smiling and putting both my hands at her shoulders, bending to her height. "Relax."

Under the gaze she'd been dying to have for the last few months – Mike's – she seemed to become more romantic. She took one of my hands from her skin and held it tightly. The lemonade, which had been previously untouched, beside her, suddenly became very interesting.

"Bella! I didn't think you were going to make it today, I thought you might have to work?" Mike's goonish voice called to Bella from about twenty yards away. She stiffened.

"Um, yeah, I did, but I'm here, so…" Bella stuttered and ran her fingers over my hand in her nerves. Mike stood before her rigid yet calm – almost casual.

I decided to cut in, trying to save her the embarrassment. "Hey, Mike, it's nice to see you again." I held my hand out, and he shook it. He had a surprisingly firm grip for someone so awkward looking. I wasn't that I didn't like Mike; I just didn't particularly like him. I was indifferent. He'd been the same in high school as he was now, and I hadn't got on with him then, either.

"Edward." He gave me a nod, releasing my hand. I took a swig of my whiskey, leaving myself a splash for later. I'd probably need it. "Am I intruding, or just missing something?" He smiled, a sideways smile that implied that he intended on being nosey.

"You're just about as uninformed as most of the people here." I told him. "Bella and I work together and we started seeing one another a few months ago." I tightened my hand on hers, wondering how she was feeling. She seemed too dumbstruck to be following anything I was saying. The only way I'd be able to get her attention, or so I presumed, would be if I looked like Mike Newton.

My pressure of her skin appeared to snap her out of it. She got to her feet, standing close to me. I could feel the heat rising off her body. She was incredibly embarrassed. "It's been ages since I've spoken to you, Mike; sorry I didn't mention it earlier." She smiled, "thanks for inviting me to the wedding, by the way, I don't even think I RSVPed."

Mike laughed, sounding more clownish by the minute. "No, you didn't. That was why I thought you weren't coming." I tried to fight my instinct to laugh. Like I'm so sure…

We all knew why he didn't think she'd attend his wedding: she wasn't the bride.

Just then, I noticed a bobbing head making its way towards us. My sister wrapped her arms around Mike's back and kissed his neck, before coming down from the clouds and saying hello to us. She stood by his side, taking his arm.

"Hi, Edward!" From her enthusiastic greeting, I was guessing she had some amount of alcohol in her system. "Daddy said he thought you weren't coming." She laughed, her smile terribly lop sided. She was hammered. "I told him you'd want to see me, though, it's been too long. I was right!"

Mike turned his head to whisper in her ear. "Allie, I think we should go get you a glass of water, are you feeling ok?"

Whilst there were no eyes on us, I took the opportunity of putting a hand at Bella's waist. She leaned into me, but only slightly. I wondered whether it'd even be noticeable.

"No, Mikey, I'm fine! I wanna speak to Edward – and Bella!" Alice seemed to add Bella's name as an afterthought, maybe she'd only just realised I had Bella next to me.

Mike nodded. "Ok, but come and find me when you're done, because we need to speak to my grandparents before they go home. They're complaining that they're tired." Without waiting for a reply, he turned his back and began to talk to the next person behind him. I didn't think he was all that impressed with the large amount of people in the room. Trust my parents to go for the big ceremony.

"How've you been, Edward? We've not spoken in years!" She giggled, a high and loud noise that stopped some other conversations going on in the room. Alice ran her hands down her dress to take the seat I'd be sitting on. Her dress suited her beautifully, a slender, fitted yellow gown, but she'd always been good with fashion. She took my glass in her hands and downed its contents.

"Yeah, Alice, I know. I've been busy…" It took all my strength not to bring up my wasted alcohol.

Her laugh cut me off. "For five years?" I wanted to reply, but instead I smiled. I knew I was in the wrong. What did she want me to say? I wasn't going to apologise, no matter how many long looks she gave me. "It doesn't even matter." She said, finally. "You're here now. Case closed." Her smile was radiant. Too bad she was my sister. "How long have you and Bella been together? No one's told me anything!" She sounded very annoyed by that fact. She loved to gossip.

"That's because no one knew, Alice. You're not missing much." I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice, but I had a feeling it would be obvious.

"Why'd you keep it a secret, Edward? We all wanna see you happy, so why be so quiet to everyone?" I suppressed another sigh. This was another reason I hadn't wanted to come: my sister also loved to lecture me.

"I didn't do anything out of direct spite to you, Alice, so can we please move on?"

She smiled a satisfied and smug smile. "Sure." She said, sweetly, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Like I'm so sure. "How long have you been dating?"

Repressing another sigh, I tried to smile. If I replied with a blank face, Alice would come to the conclusion that Bella and I weren't doing so well. "A few months now." Whether conscious or not, Bella body got closer to mine as I spoke. She was keeping her cool way better than I'd expected she would.

Alice made a sugar-coated Awwing sound, jumping her position to wrap her arms around my neck. I released Bella and held my sister, stunned. I didn't quite know where to put my hands, still confused on what terms we were. We'd not spoken in five years, purely on my account, and here she was, hugging me like nothing had happened. I wanted to think that it was more than I deserved for my silence, but I knew my sister better than that. She has this desperate need, that I'd never understood, where she craved people's approval.

Her breathing got louder in one of my ears and it took me a moment to realise she was putting her mouth close to me so she could whisper. "I've missed you." She told me, her voice sad. "Thank you for coming here, big brother. I'm really scared."

I pulled away, taking my eyes to look at her face. She didn't look frightened, not at all. But she did look slightly confused, whether that was the alcohol or not, I wasn't sure.

I hugged her again. "Ok, Alice. What's upsetting you?" I heard her silence getting denser and denser, but her breathing was even, suggesting that she was contemplating my question.

I felt her mouth open, and then Mike's voice, low and far away from us. Alice pushed back, turning to see Mike waving at her from across the room. "My grandparents are going! Come and say goodbye!"

Alice smiled, similarly jumping up and down on the spot. She was even more hyperactive than a small child. "Ok, Mikey!" And with that, she darted away, not daring to even look at me before she left.

Bella reached her hand into mine. Her skin felt warm to me, insinuating mine was very cold. "What happened?" Bella's voice broke slowly into my thoughts of Alice.

I shrugged. "No idea. She was talking about being scared of the marriage. Or at least, that's what I think she was talking about." I glanced to Bella, taking in her blank expression. "What do you think?"

"The bride's always a little scared at first, it is a big occasion, after all." Bella smiled and it did something to calm me down. I squeezed her hand, deciding Alice was free to do what she pleased. I wasn't here to look after her.

I was here to help my friend steal her fiancé. Terrific.