Still don't own Twilight :(

A/N: I meant to add this at the end of chapter 12, but of course I forgot d: I tried to create Bella's outfit from the 1920 styles—I know this is about three years before the twenties, but close enough. And the Packard was a car from the early 1900's so I tried to stay in touch with the times, lol. Sorry if I failed miserably.

Bella POV

Edward was right. As soon as we stepped over the entrance, I could see that everyone was congregated around the food tables. A few were scattered across the wooden floor, dancing with their significant others.

My nerves slowly started dwindling away, whether it be the casual act of the guests, or Edward's calming hand on the small of my back guiding me towards the back of the room.

My eyes scanned the room, discerning the people I knew from the ones I didn't until Edward's cool, sweet breath fanned across my cheek.

Edward POV because it's been so long d:

"I will be right back. I am going to let my mother know we are here."

Waiting, because I knew it would come, her cheeks were spotted with an appealing pink. A grin broke out across my face at the appearance and I backed away, fighting with the emotions coursing through my body.

For the past few days, it seemed that no matter what Bella did—she simply looked at me, or her hand brushed mine by accident—my heart would leap out of my chest, figuratively of course.

It was as if I was intoxicated by her very presence.

Her omnipresent blush definitely played a part in that as well.

I could only fathom the color that would adorn her beautiful face had I told her the things she said last night in her sleep… including my name. Twice. My heart had swelled, almost painfully as my name left her lips in her subconscious state. It was as though my body had woken myself up just for that opportune moment.

My body lost contact with hers momentarily as I turned to walk away when she grabbed onto my hand. I looked back at her, confusion evidence in my stance. It quickly faded though when I saw the desperation in her eyes. I could feel the tug at the corner of my lips trying to hide a smirk.

"I… could I come with you? I don't really want to be left here..." she trailed off, looking to the right of her where a gathering of slightly older, inebriated men stood watching our exchange.

My stomach clenched as thoughts of what could possibly happen if I left her flooded through my mind. I gritted my teeth together when one of them—looking to be around twenty—gave Bella a very… lustful glance.

My being was fleetingly taken over with a strong need to protect Bella, followed by a wave of possessiveness. I was surprised by the possessive feeling that had taken up most of the room for protection. It was as though I wanted to show these…men that Bella was mine. My wife, and that they would never get anywhere near her.

My reaction took me off guard, but it was as if though my body was ahead of my mind in response.

My fingers interlaced with hers and I pulled her along behind me.

My senses became hyper-aware of the feel of her smooth skin against my own as we weaved through the crowd. It was as soft as the skin around her waist. Which I only knew from when I would wake up in the middle of the night, my arm wound around her waist in a way that made me smile.

It did now, too. I had always loved going to bed for the simple fact that you get to sleep, but nowadays it has a completely different meaning to me.

"Edward! Isabella!" I looked towards the sound of my mother's voice and realized that during my thoughts, I had turned us off course.

She was standing behind us, carrying two wine glasses in her hands.

"Mom," my voice had a disciplinary tone to it as I took one of the glasses from her.

"Oh, Edward. Calm down. This one is for your father." She smiled, looking towards my father who was coming up next to her, furtively shaking his head. Bella giggled at the display and my lip twitched in humor.

"Okay mom, just… go easy, alright?" she sighed, tapping my cheek with her palm and pursed her lips.

"You kids keep me so youthful. And Isabella! You look so lovely!" Bella blushed, as expected and thanked her quietly.

"It's Bella, mom." She looked up at me, confusion in her eyes that turned to realization. A knowing smirk came across her face and she raised an eyebrow to me. I closed my eyes to keep from rolling them, also to keep from seeing my mother's perceptive glance. If I didn't watch myself tonight, things would be spilled. In front of Bella, nonetheless knowing my mother.

My mother looked back to Bella, continuing her examination of her outfit; though I was sure she had something to do with the planning. Something inside of me wanted to object at her earlier words. Bella was more than just lovely. She was exquisite, beautiful, stunning… even those simple words seemed as though they didn't hold enough splendor to properly describe Bella.

Maybe breathtaking was the better choice since she did, quiet literally take my breath away.

I bit my lip, not wanting to make a fool of myself and vowed I would let Bella know how I felt later on in the night.

How do I feel?

That simple, yet astonishingly intricate question had been swimming through my mind for some days now. I knew for fact that my feelings were not platonic. They held something more. Something diverse; like love. I wasn't sure though what love felt like for I had never felt it. Was I just feeling the product of living with a woman whom I respected, or was it love; something I had once believed only existed in fairy tales?

I wasn't sure, but as the night moved on there was no doubt in my mind I would get the answers I thrived for.

Bella POV

I couldn't help but to smile as Edward towed me off, away from his parents. It was as though he was trying to get as far away as possible from them as he brought me over to a corner of the room, beside a grand piano.

My eyes flashed as I looked down at the brilliant ivory keys. I had always loved the sound of the piano but never learned how to play. My fingers grazed over the top and I looked up at Edward.

"Is this…" my eyes widened with the possibility.

"Mine? Yes," his answer was nonchalant and swift as he looked to where my fingers were.

"You can play the piano?" my whisper came out harsh with shock and I could already see the corner of Edward's mouth pulling up.

"Yes. Is that such a surprise?" he chuckled, whispering back. His face closed into mine, keeping the conversation between us. His warm breath tickled my lips and I automatically looked at his full ones. My mind automatically went to a wondering state; what his lips tasted like, would they be soft? They looked soft….

"N-no… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off like that, I just… I like pianos…" I trailed off, shutting my eyes in irritation at my lack of ability to form coherent sentences as my mind reeled for a response so he wouldn't read too much into my lack of answer.

Edward though seemed to find it amusing.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked abruptly, holding out his hand.

His question startled me as he had changed the subject so fast and I looked down at his palm apprehensively. He should know by now that dancing and I are not good friends.

"I told you before. It is all in the leading." His eyes were gleaming pools of emerald as he leaned down, whispering to me compellingly. After a few moments of losing myself in his eyes I took his hand, mesmerized.

He led me to the dance floor, in a secluded spot where there were but a few people dancing. I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing.

He pulled me close against him, then wound his hand in my, his other around my waist. This, I thought to myself, is the one part I am actually good at. My free arm came up to twist around his neck.

He smiled down at me as he moved, bringing me with him. His teeth were a dazzling white in contrast with the black suit he wore.

"See? It's not so bad," he commented quietly, the velvety softness of his voice lulling me off in a trancelike state.

We swayed in time with the music, which was a soft duet of piano and violins playing off in the front of the room. My eyes flickered from the group up to Edward and was stunned to find him staring back at me.

His eyes again were a shimmering chasm of green, pieces of his disheveled bronze hair falling into them. It was funny as to how comfortable I felt with Edward, though I had only known him for merely a month.

He moved his hands so they were both around my waist, pulling me closer against him and I brought my other around his neck as well. The one good thing about high heels was that I didn't have to stand on my tiptoes to reach.

Sighing, I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes.

I thought it would be weird, awkward even to be so close to Edward like this but it surprised me how natural it felt. It was as if we had known each other for years, not a couple of months and as Edward dropped his face down to bury in my hair a smile etched its way onto my face.

The music slowed and came to a stop, but we stayed in our embrace as people moved around us. Another string of soft music started up but I realized that it wouldn't matter if it hadn't. I would not have made a move to unravel myself, and the grip Edward had on me, the feel of his warm breath against my neck sending repressed shivers down my spine told me that he wasn't about to make a move either.

He turned his head slightly, his aristocratic nose skimming across my cheekbone, down to my jaw line. It dawned on me that all I would have to do was make a minor turn of my head and my lips would connect with his. The feeling to do so tore me apart, sending my senses into a flurry as my brain fought with my heart.

That was when it hit me, like a ton of bricks. Halting the fight going on within me.

I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Masen.

XXXXX

As the night winded down, a wave of fatigue was cast over the guests, and they started piling out one by one.

I could feel Edward's gaze on me as we sat on the bench outside underneath a large oak tree. My head rested on the palm of my hand as I looked up at the dark sky. Tiny dots of light were illuminated amongst the moon: stars. I had counted up to star number sixty-two when Edward came strolling out after saying goodbye to some of the neighbors he hadn't seen in a month or so.

After a few more seconds, the silence became slightly awkward; Edward's eyes still on me.

I was about to turn to him, say something—anything to make the situation more comfortable since I was already uncomfortable with my new startling realization when his voice broke my intentions.

"Can I ask you something?" I looked at him, surprised at the soft intensity of his voice. His eyes were drilling into mine and I felt myself falling into them. I nodded, not trusting my own voice.

"What do you dream about?" I cocked an eyebrow at him, surprised at the vagueness of his question.

"What do you…" I trailed off, my eyes widening. I had always been aware that my dreams were extremely realistic, and that sometimes I pulled them into reality by sleep talking. I could only imagine the things he heard me say.

Recently I had been dreaming about Edward. I could only imagine the things I said in my sleep about him! That he heard! I groaned, my face falling into my hands and my hair falling around me like a shield.

I heard the bench creak and it tilted down more as Edward slid closer to me.

"Bella, don't hide your face," he scolded me softly, intensely—making my heart swell with compassion. He moved the hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear and leaned closer to me—another perfect opportunity I knew I wasn't going to take.

I looked up at him, thankful for the darkness of the night as a blush came up my face. Nevertheless I was sure he could feel the heat radiating off of me a mile away.

His face was illuminated by the bright moonlight; his pale skin seemingly glowing. His green orbs bore into mine, each one having a flicker of unknown emotions.

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with me sleep talking, would it?" The corner of his mouth pulled up into that dazzling crooked grin, telling me the answer.

His face turned serious again and he leaned closer to me, so close I could taste his sweet breath on my lips. My mouth parted involuntarily, his breath mingling with mine sending my senses into a flurry. It bewildered me so as to how this man could affect me so much without even physically doing anything to me. Physically, because emotionally was a whole other story.

I cleared my throat, backing away from him slowly. I knew that to keep the truth blatant and borderline shameless I was going to need all the concentration I could muster up. Being in such close proximity to Edward was going to give me the exact opposite effect I was going for.

"What did I say?" I asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't anything too brazen.

"First tell me what you were dreaming about last night." I pursed my lips at his stubbornness, knowing that I couldn't just tell him I dreamt about him. Especially if I hadn't said anything about it in my sleep.

"That depends…" I trailed off, looking across the lawn at the departing guests.

"Depends on what?" he asked quietly, his voice taking on a husky tone. My eyes involuntarily glanced over at him and I nearly lost my breath. He had leaned in towards me once again; his lips close to my skin. His breath swirled through the air and I could taste him on my tongue, in my mouth; the sweet honey and lilac mixture. It was quite ironic that he smelled of honey, because his voice was most definitely dripping it.

My mind was swarming with impure thoughts, making me dizzy.

"Depends on which dream you mean…" my eyes were heavy with longing, though I kept them open. My heart heavy with the desire that coursed through my body. I realized with astonishment that I, Isabella Marie Swan Masen was aroused.

Edward must have noticed as well, which normally would have been humiliating but it wasn't given the circumstances, and the fact that my body was practically trembling with need.

His eyes visibly darkened, which given the lack of light was a pretty eccentric observation on my part.

His head moved down towards mine, his nose skimming across my jaw line once again, sending exuberant tingles throughout my body. My heart was beating out of my chest, causing me to wonder whether or not Edward could hear it from his closeness.

I could hear his breathing speeding up as his nose continued its descent, then up to my cheekbone, impending into a ragged pattern of inhaling and exhaling, matching mine.

His lips came closer to mine and I licked mine in anticipation, just waiting when something so atrocious happened, I was sure it was God smiting me. Probably for that fish I had accidently killed in my youth.

"Mr. and Mrs. Isabella and Edward Masen?" my eyes closed against the sound, hoping that the voice of the driver would not deter this moment, but of course it had to.

Edward's smooth nose had paused against my skin first, giving me slight hope that we could ignore the man and would continue but he didn't. His forehead fell against my temple, defeated.

Almost as soon as he had stopped, he pulled away looking towards the man whom had called out our names. Sighing, he moved away from me. Leaning forward, he rubbed his face and I looked down at my lap, wondering if we were going to stay this way forever.

He stood and I followed suit, trailing along behind him as we made our way to the black car, away from our destiny.

Hey kids! I'm seriously sorry I haven't updated in so long but I have had soooo much work for school and I don't have a study this term :[ I know you might think that's not an excuse, but it is. I'm sorry, but it is. School comes before Fanfiction… that's just the sad truth of my life.

BUT!!! To make up for it, the next chapter will have a lemon. Which pretty much tells you another part of the ending of this chapter, but that's okay. You all deserve it for sticking with me, lol. I'm also just warning those who don't like reading lemons—but in my defense, this story is rated M… so yeah.

P.S. that unconditionally and irrevocably in love with blah, blah, blah quote was from Twilight… so yeah, lol.