Title: Dance with Me
Rating: M
Summary: A major league baseball player with a bad rep needs to clean his image. He signs on to do a reality dance show. Will he clean his image and have the right kind of chemistry with his partner?
Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer I own nothing.
Comments: Based loosely on the reality t.v. show Dancing with the Stars and because Bella/Edward are my new favorite ship.

Hope you all had a great holiday season so far. Can you believe it's almost 2009? Have a happy new year, everyone!

Here we have the premier! Happy reading!

Thank you, RutherPerk for beta'ing!

Edward POV

March 19th 2008

Today was show day. It was the season premier and I was scared as hell. What do I know about performing? I'm not an entertainer, I'm an athlete. What am I doing here?

I shuffled my feet and paced around my trailer. I wasn't needed in hair and makeup for another couple of hours. Oh god, I groaned. Did I just say that? I would have never thought I'd do something like this! Dancing, performing, hair and makeup department; I'm a fucking showman now? What in the hell have I gotten myself into?

And, oh no! My family is here now. Shit.

Emmett, Rosalie, Mom, and Dad were all on their way to the studio. They flew overnight and got in early this morning. Jasper and Alice, thankfully, made all the arrangements and set the four of them up at the Four Seasons hotel. I really didn't have time to see them until they got here, and it would be a few hours till they would arrive.

Originally, I only received three tickets. When Bella found out that all of my family wanted to come and watch, she willingly gave up her own tickets. I told her she didn't have to, but she said she wasn't planning on having her family come, so she forced me to take them. It's because of Bella that all six of my family members are able to come tonight.

I decided to take a run around the back lot and work out my jittery nerves. There's nothing like a good jog to clear the mind.

As I was jogging around the lot, I thought about pre-show rituals. Would I need a good luck thing or something? Probably not. I have never done this before all I could do is hope for the best, and try not to trip while dancing. Tonight, Bella and I would be dancing our Foxtrot. It wasn't my favorite dance, but it was okay. The best part was that I got to hold Bella close. And even though it was just dancing, I liked to hold her close, her tiny body felt so right.

I had worked up a sweat, and I knew the hair and makeup people would have a cow, so I took a quick shower before going to hair and makeup. After that, I had to go to wardrobe, and finally we would then have a dress rehearsal.

I went to the hair and makeup trailer right after I showered. My hair was still wet, and I figured the hair stylists could take care that. I sat down and immediately started talking with one of the guys. I'm glad we all got along and that none of us took this competition seriously. For many of them, it was just something new to try and for others, they needed the publicity. Like me, I thought.

After the hair stylist tried to tame my unruly hair, she just gave up and let it stick out the way it normally does. I laughed at her and remarked that my hair had a mind of it's own. She frowned, but agreed. Seeing as my hair was okay, I headed over to the makeup trailer. I really didn't want to go. I mean, what guy wants to wear makeup? But we had to damn these entertainment shows.

I pleaded and begged the makeup artist to go easy on me. I really didn't want makeup. Surprisingly, the girl didn't put that much on me! I checked the time; my family should be here now. Everyone knew to gather in my trailer before I had to go to dress rehearsal. I also wanted them to meet Bella.

I made my way back to my trailer and could already hear Emmett's hearty laugh. I opened my door and instantly my mom rushed to me.

"Edward! Darling you look so handsome!" she gushed.

I leaned down and gave my mom a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mom."

My dad gave me a clap on the shoulder. "Edward, good to see you! Are you excited?"

"Scared shitless actually."

"Edward!" My mom chastised me for my choice in language.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

Emmett and Rosalie greeted me, and then Alice bounced and asked about Bella.

"Where is she, Edward?" Alice asked.

"Where is who?"

"Bella!" she cried.

"Oh, right. You want to meet her," I said.

Bella's trailer was connected to mine, but I hadn't seen her the whole day. She had to be here earlier than me, because it takes the women longer to "look pretty" in Bella's words. I had Bella's cell number and so I sent a quick text message to her. I asked her if she could come over to my end of the trailer. She quickly replied and in less than a minute, there was a knock on my door.

I walked over to open it and Bella greeted me with a smile.

"Edward," she breathed.

"Hi, Bella."

I took her hand and lead her over to meet my family.

"Bella, this is my family. This is my mom, Esme, my father, Carlisle, my brothe, Emmett and his wife, Rosalie and my sister, Alice and her husband, Jasper."

Bella extended her hand to shake theirs as I introduced them.

My mom and Alice were practically bouncing with excitement.

"Bella!" Alice cried. "You're one of my favorite dancers! I know we're going to be great friends."

Bella blushed and thanked her for the compliment.

My mom then strode forward and gave Bella a hug.

"Bella, Edward said you were lovely. But that word doesn't do you justice." Bella blushed red again and I smiled. My mom looked at me. "She's beautiful, Edward."

Bella looked timidly at me, and I gave a small laugh. "She really is, Mom." I pulled Bella close and gave her a small squeeze.

Bella POV

After meeting Edward's family, I went back to my trailer for a little bit. I checked my phone and saw that I had a text message from my mom. She was wished me good luck for tonight and said she was tivoing the show. I sent a quick "thank you" reply and checked the time. Edward and I needed to get into our costumes. Dress rehearsal would be starting soon, and we would do a run through of the show.

Since Edward knew that our costumes would be coming to us, all we had to do was wait for whoever was delivering it.

It wasn't long until I heard a knock on my door and had a woman hand me my dress. I thanked her and walked to the bathroom to quickly get changed.

In show like ours, the costumes are pretty extravagant and detailed. My dress was midnight blue, with tons of sparkles and rhine stones. It was also backless, so I had to be careful about my bra cups. It was all basically glued together, so that we wouldn't have any wardrobe malfunctions.

I looked myself in the mirror and had to admit that I really liked the dress. Too bad we can't keep our costumes, this one I would definitely want to keep.

I sent Edward a text telling him to meet me in the studio.

Twenty minutes later, all the dancers and celebrities were gathered backstage in the red room. It was all noisy and chaotic. I saw Edward in his costume; he looked so handsome. Black is a sexy color on him. The suit made him look even taller and leaner. His hair was as messy as usual, but it worked. He looked good. I was talking to Jessica and would occasionally let my eyes wander to Edward. He was leaning on the wall, talking to Mike.

One of the managers told us to find our partner and form a line in order. Edward and I were last to dance tonight, so I pulled away from all the others and stood way in the back.

Edward walked away from Mike and went to stand next to me. He linked his arm in mine and pulled me a little closer.

"Wow, Bella. You look absolutely stunning," he said.

I looked up to see his face. His emerald green eyes were staring straight into my brown ones. He smiled softly at me. I think my legs turned into jelly.

"Thank you, Edward. You look very handsome," I managed to say.

He gave me a crooked smile and said thanks.

We all heard the opening music, indicating that the couples were all to take turns coming out on the stairs. After that, we all headed back to the red room and sat down on the sofas and floor. One by one, each couple took a turn on the dance floor and the camera guys were doing the wide shots and camera blocking. We could all watch them from the screen in the back. I had to admit there were a few people who did really well, and then there were a few people who could barely move.

After our dress rehearsal, we were all told to relax and that we would soon go live on the east coast.

I gulped. Even though I'm a dancer and I've been doing this for all my life, the first show always made me nervous. I knew I had nothing to be nervous about, but I took a glance at Edward and he was sweating bullets!

"Are you okay?" I anxiously asked.

He looked at me and tried to smile. "Nervous, actually."

Damn. I had to suck it up and be strong for Edward.

"Don't be. You've got this," I assured him.

He didn't look convinced.

I tugged on his arm. He looked down at me.

I looked straight into his emerald eyes. "Dance like no one is watching. It's just you and me, okay?"

He nodded his head. I sighed in relief.

Edward POV

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to go out there and dance with Bella. I forgot about the cameras and the crowd of people in the studio. I even forgot the fact that it was live television and that over twenty million people were watching me.

As soon as Bella and I got on the floor and waited for our introduction package to air, I locked eyes with her and found my strength. Her eyes were so expressive. In that moment, I knew that everything was going to be okay. She wouldn't let me fall flat on my ass and I wouldn't let go of her.

When the announcer said our names, Bella and I went to our starting positions. As soon as our music started playing, it was like Bella and I had danced with each other for years instead of four weeks. I knew where she would step, and she knew where I would step. We came to the part where we break our hold and Bella was giving me a coy look. It was all part of our routine, and it was all for show, but she looked damn cute. I fed off of her personality and I could honestly say, in that one minute and thirty seconds I had fun.

The judges weren't so bad. I suspected they were more for entertainment value rather than to critique. I mean who makes a comparison of a mountain lion and me? I didn't understand that comment at all.

After the judges' comments we went to a commercial break and I took the opportunity to visit my family for a quick hugs. My parents were smiling so big, and Emmett gave me the thumbs up sign. Bella waved at them and then I followed her back to the red room.

As soon as Bella and I got back to the red room, we were met with more rounds of applause and cheers from our fellow cast mates. Finally, we were back live and received our scores. It wasn't bad, Bella and I were tied for third place!

At the end of the show, we went back to the dance floor and did press. This was one of the reasons why Jasper and I decided that I should do the show. The publicity was worth it, and greatly appreciated. Bella spoke for highly of me and it surprised me. I thought she would tease and call me a klutz or something. I answered as best I could, and told the many reporters that I was enjoying my time learning the dances with Bella, and that I was really nervous.

Bella and I walked together in the hallway. We had just finished with the press line and we were going to go change our clothes. My family and I were going out to dinner, and I invited Bella to come along. My mom wanted her there, but more importantly, I wanted her there. And I told her so.

"Please, Bella," I pleaded with her.

She looked up at me through her set of false lashes. Geez, even with false eye-lashes, she's beautiful. "Do you want me to go, Edward?" she asked.

I looked down at her and without thinking I took one of her hands in my own. "Yes, Bella I do."

She sighed. "Okay I'll go."

I gave her a hug. "Thank you."

Bella POV

Before I knew it, I was seated next to Edward at a little Italian place. Edward invited me to dinner with him and his family. To be honest, I was nervous about going. Normally, I wouldn't get this personal with my partners' families. Don't get me wrong-I was friendly, but we didn't hang out. Not like this.

Edward's family was so warm and welcoming. And by gosh, every one of them was so good looking! His parents didn't look old at all. I would say they were in their fifties and they still looked youthful. Edward's brother and sister were a sight to behold. His brother was big, not fat but big muscled and burly. He was a NFL player I found out. And his sister was such a cutie. She wasn't even five feet, but her little frame was adorable. Emmett's wife, Rosalie, was simply the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, to put it mildly. Jasper, who is Alice's husband and Edward's manager (I found that out tonight), was tall and lean like Edward. But he had blonde hair and blue eyes; quite a contrast in comparison with Alice.

After about five minutes, I fell into easy conversation with the Cullens. They were just so personable. They asked about me and my dance history. I could tell they were impressed that I studied in London for a brief time. It wasn't academically, but learning dance in London is a pretty big deal. I tried to down play it, I really didn't like attention on me and Edward could tell. He slipped his arm around my shoulders and laughed heartily, quickly changed the subject to something else. I gave him a grateful squeeze which he returned by squeezing my shoulder.

As our dinner drew to a close, I had exchanged numbers with Alice and Rosalie. Emmett and Jasper said that all of them would be back tomorrow night for the results. Hopefully, Edward and I would make past the first round. I was confident that we would, but since the general public is voting, it wasn't for sure.

We said our goodbyes to everyone. I received hugs from Esme, Alice, and Rosalie. Their kindness overwhelmed me a bit. I have never met down to earth, good people before. I know that sounds strange, but growing up, I was all over the place and was surrounded by tons of competitive bitches and cocky assholes. I didn't go to a regular school, and I had no close friends, so the Cullens really were a breath of fresh air.

Edward walked me to my car and, as I fished my keys out, he reached out and gave me a hug. I leaned into him and brushed my face against his chest. We pulled back and shared a smile.

"Thank you for coming. They like you," he grinned.

I laughed. "I like them too, Edward. You're very blessed to have such a great family."

"Thank you, Bella. And, just so you know; you can borrow my family any time you want," He leaned in to me and gave me a sweet, chaste kiss on the cheek.

I inwardly shivered. The feel of Edward's lips on my skin was... intoxicating. His lips were only on me for a second, and it was such an innocent act, but I liked it none the less.

Next chapter will deal with week 2 of the competition. And slowly but surely they will realize they have something. :)

Till next time

Tina