Title: Dance with Me
Rating: T
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.

Thank you, Candy!

This chapter is rehearsal days. Also, the actual dates may not add up to the calendar. The dates itself aren't important; it just shows you the format of the story i.e. the format of the show. You could change the year too if you'd like... if you want it to be 2009 or 2010 etc doesn't matter. :)

I'm sorry for the long wait. School was taking over, and will continue to take over for a few more weeks. This chapter would have been finished last week, but I wasn't happy with it so I had to leave it alone and come back to it. Well, I came back to it, and I liked the result. I hope you guys like it too.

May 9th 2008

Edward POV

Rehearsal started at ten. Bella got down to business and she was pretty impatient and harsh with me. It was quite a contrast to her normal teaching techniques because usually she eased me into the new dances, but because we have so little time this week she had to crack the whip.

She was relentless and critical. The Viennese Waltz was a tough one. It was fluid, graceful, elegant, and romantic. She wanted nothing but the best out of me.

I was good at picking up the choreography, but perfecting the actual dance steps and little details was my weakness. Bella moved me, molded me, and shaped me just the way she wanted me. I was like a puppet and she was the puppet master.

We worked all morning and by the time it hit two we had to leave to get ready for the movie premier.

"You're going to pick me up at three thirty, and we'll do the red carpet and press line from four thirty till six. After the movie is over we have to change and meet back here at ten. I want to rehearse till midnight," Bella instructed.

To be honest, I was quite terrified of her right now. She was all business and although I thought it was hot, it was also terrifying.

"Whatever you say, boss," I replied.

She smirked. "That's the spirit! Listen to me, I know everything."

We left the studio and headed our separate ways.

Alice already left a suit for me. She and Jasper helped me with my media coaching. Basically, they gave me pointers on how to answer certain questions. I couldn't divulge anything about the possibility of me playing again because nothing was certain. I was supposed to plug the show and speak respectfully of Bella. If the media tried to touch on our relationship we were supposed to be vague. Neither one of us wanted to be very open about our relationship. Our main focus was on the show and then from there we'd focus on us and our summer plans.

It's only been days since Bella and I talked about our future. Although it helped us understand one another better, it gave me something to think about. We both agreed that we wanted to continue seeing each other after the show was finished. The tricky thing now was: would we have the time to see each other over the summer? The answer was, yes. The baseball season was in full swing and I wasn't committed to playing for this year. I basically had six or seven months of free time. I talked it over with Jasper and Alice and we agreed that if I joined the summer tour for a few shows it couldn't hurt. I'd be with Bella and I'd be able to keep the public interest. That would help my career and popularity. After the summer I'd have to think of which team I wanted to sign with.

I had to remind myself to take things one step at a time. I couldn't do everything all at once.

As soon as I got home I took a quick shower and threw on the suit Alice left for me. Calvin Klein. Not bad, Alice.

I picked Bella up at three thirty on the dot. She was ready and looked absolutely beautiful in her strapless blue dress. Simple styling, but oh so lovely; she was glamorous.

Bella and I talked about our scheduling for the remainder of the week. We only had this event and then we'd be able to fully work on our dances. She was excited for the upcoming week because these dances were our last ones of the competition and then we could pick two dances we'd like to re-do. Bella and I already planned for the next week. She was confident that we'd make it to the very end. Bella and I chose to re-do our first two dances which were the Foxtrot and Salsa.

We got to the venue a little after four-thirty. The crowd was huge. I suppose I should be used to it seeing it was a movie premier, but I was an athlete and I wasn't used to the big Hollywood type crowd. I held Bella's hand as we walked the red carpet. The photographers were calling out our names and begging me to dance with her and dip her. I happily obliged.

"Edward!" Bella squealed out. I had her in a dip and she was laughing. I caught her by surprise and she was a bit startled, but she hid it quickly and leaned backwards in my arms.

Bella and I did a series of spins and poses for the cameras. I had to say that was the most fun I'd had at the red carpet stuff. I was very glad I had Bella with me.

We moved along the red carpet, and stopped every few seconds to pose for the cameras. After a while we got to the press line and braced ourselves for the onslaught of intrusive questions. A lot of the media outlets were here and I was pleasantly surprised that they weren't fishing for information about me and Bella. They wished us luck on the show and basically told us to enjoy ourselves. They did ask if I was going back to playing ball and I told them it's a definite possibility for me, but that I don't know yet. I had to keep the public interest in me open and still remain as professional as I could.

Bella was quiet when I talked about my career. She smiled and nodded when she was supposed to. She was silently supportive.

The movie was long. It must have been over two hours long and it was a definite family movie pleaser. It had action and some comedy; it was pretty good. Bella and I enjoyed ourselves and that was what mattered. There was an after party and although Bella and I were invited we didn't attend. We had rehearsal and we didn't have much time.

I dropped Bella off first and then we agreed to meet at ten. We'd have a two hour rehearsal and then we'd resume our regular schedule tomorrow.

***

May 11th 2008

Our dances were coming along very well. The Viennese Waltz was very pretty and fluid. I was glad I could keep up with Bella. To be perfectly honest, I'd never imagined doing well on the show. I didn't think I had an ounce of gracefulness or dancing ability, but I guess I do. I surprise myself every week, but the credit goes to Bella. She's the one that brings out of me and works me hard. Without her, I'd be completely lost.

Our Paso Doble was interesting. I tried not to think about our song. It was fairly new in the mainstream music industry, and it was hot in the clubs. Bella was very creative with our routine. She wasn't going easy one me, and the dance was very different from the Latin dances. The Mambo or Rumba consisted of swiveling your hips, but for the Paso you had to keep them still. It wasn't like a party rhythmic dance; the Paso was all about dominance and control. I had to man handle Bella in a way. I'd never been this aggressive with her, and it sort of scared me. We never danced with this much intensity and it was very new for me.

"Grab the back of my head, and stare at me. Glare at me," she instructed.

Bella was working on our connection and performance. We'd already gone over my technique and posture, now we had to go over the performance aspect of the dance. It was important for us to play out parts well and sell the dance.

I took my right hand and abruptly brought it to the back of her head and leaned forward to glare at her eyes.

She met my menacing glare with her own.

When we first started practicing the Paso it took me a while to get into the character. The Paso was a very dramatic and aggressive dance. I had to be very masculine and stiff. I had to lead Bella across the floor and dominate her. She was my bull or cape and I was her matador. It sounded so funny when she was explaining it to me, but I'd found my own analogy. I looked it the dance as a funny tongue in cheek thing for our relationship. Bella was the precious lamb and I was her shepherd so to speak. It was my role as her protector to look out for Bella and if need be, I'd be aggressive and be dominant if I had to be.

"Thrust your hips forward," she murmured. "And hold, release your breath slowly," Bella smiled and broke out of our hold.

"You're doing very well," she commented. "This could be your dance."

We turned of our mics and took them off. We filmed enough footage for the day and after having a couple hours of rest we'd resume rehearsals after dinner.

Emmett and Rose were in town. Jasper and Alice picked them up from LAX earlier today. The four of them had lunch, and now Bella and I were going to have a break and spend time with them, separately. Bella and Rose were going to get their nails done, and Emmett and I were going to spend time at my house.

"It feels so wrong," I said making a face. I didn't hate the Paso, but it felt so foreign that I was having trouble being so forceful with her.

"Why?" she asked. "You're an athlete... You know all about competitiveness and aggression. Isn't that like playing baseball?"

"Not really," I replied. "You have to be careful in baseball. You can't glare and attack the pitcher… That's how careless mistakes and injuries happen. I've never had to be so mean to you."

"Hey," Bella said calmly. "Don't feel bad. I've showed you some videos from Youtube and remember; you have to be powerful and dramatic. Don't be afraid to handle me roughly. Remember what I said? It's all about the illusion you give to the audience. You're not really going to throw me around; you're going to make it look like you are."

I sighed. Bella was right.

She told me a few days ago that I wasn't going to mistreat her in the dance. Sure, the Paso Doble was dark, aggressive, dramatic, and passionate, but I was still going to handle her with care. She told me it was all about the illusion. I had to pretend I was man-handling her and dominating her, when I really. Bella was counting out my steps for me and she was the one leading me on the floor. We just had to put the illusion that I was the one in charge.

Yes, I could dance. I had some natural dance ability, but I wasn't professionally trained and being on the show was different than actually learning to dance. Bella was teaching me, but she was being very specific and we were dancing routines; I wasn't really learning how to dance. I couldn't tell you how to Cha Cha if my life depended on it. Well, I could demonstrate the New Yorker, but that's it!

Like I said, I was doing remarkably well with Bella, and I could dance. Bella said so herself, that if I really wanted to learn Latin and ballroom then I could go for it and maybe even turn pro in less than five years. She said I was naturally gifted, and that made me smile because that was quiet a compliment coming from her.

"I know," I replied. "I guess I still have some reservations about the dance. It's just so different!"

"Don't worry about it," she consoled. "We'll be fine."

"You ready to spend time with Rose?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "It'll be fun to get out of the dance studio."

"They'll be here in…"

I didn't get to finish my sentence because the door burst open suddenly.

"Edward!" Emmett boomed. He and Rose came running inside the studio.

They greeted us with hugs and then they focused their attention on Bella.

"So, how's my lazy ass brother doing?"

Bella laughed. "Awful," she said playing along. "He's whining about the Paso… He's such a chicken."

Emmett and Rose laughed. "We ready to go, bro? We've got some catching up to do. I heard you're thinking about Anaheim or Seattle? We need to talk business."

I hugged Bella goodbye and gave her a kiss.

"Come on, Bella," Rose said gently. She tugged on Bella's arm and led her away from me. Bella looked back at me and blew me a kiss as she and Rose left the studio.

***

Bella POV

Rose looked intimidating, but she was a sweetheart. She had an alluring presence about her and she was very eye-catching to say the least. For the little time I've spent with her, I could tell she had a big heart. She was maternal and gentle and I liked her.

I drove her around in my practical little car. We had appointments at a nail spa to get mani/pedi's the works.

As we drove down the road, Rose and I made small talk. She spoke graciously to me about my work with Edward. She told me she and Emmett each vote for us and that she'd be happy to see us win. I'm always so flustered whenever people praise me. I don't take compliments well; I take criticism much better. I'd been working to accept praise and compliments since working on the show. I admit it does feel good to get positive feedback.

When we got to the nail salon we immediately picked our colors and sat down next to each other.

Rose and I kept chatting. We got to know each other more and I felt like I had gained a new friend.

"Edward is doing very well" she praised. "You've done a remarkable job with him."

"Thank you," I replied. "I know he'd never live it down if he was the first one to go."

She laughed. "Yeah, Emmett would lord it over him. So, Bella, I'm hoping we can spend some more time together. Emmett and I are here for a week, and we'd really love to spend time with you and Edward."

"I'd love to hang out. Edward was telling me that we could go out on a double date or something. We'll just have to squeeze some time this week."

"I don't want to cut into your rehearsal time," she said. "I know you and Edward take the show seriously, and you're doing so well, I would hate to distract you guys."

"Nonsense," I chided. "We'd love for you guys to have dinner, and we could all go out clubbing. That's what the cast and crew usually do on Monday nights. Edward and I don't normally go, but it would be great for the four of us to go out."

"Edward doesn't go out?"

"Huh?" I said dumbly.

Were we talking about the same thing?

Rose leaned forward and whispered, "Edward hasn't gone out and partied?"

"No," I whispered lowly.

She leaned back and frowned at me. "He hasn't?"

"No," I repeated. "Monday and Tuesday's are show days. Usually, the cast and crew go out on Monday night and then on Tuesday nights we rehearse. Wednesday and Thursday's are rehearsal days, and Friday and Saturday's we go to the studio for camera blocking and rehearsal. On Sunday we have last minute wardrobe fittings and then a run through."

"That sounds like a very busy schedule," she said finally.

"It is," I agreed. "We really don't have time to go out and party."

"Wow," she smiled. "I never thought I'd see Edward settle down."

"Excuse me?"

"Honey, how much do you know about Edward, the baseball player?"

"Not much," I admitted.

"I thought so," she sang.

I looked at her skeptically. What was she getting at?

Okay, so I didn't know a lot about baseball or about Edward's career. I knew he was a very good player and that he was famous to a degree. I have spent the past three months with him, and I know him as a person, that had to be a lot more meaningful, right?

"I probably shouldn't tell you a lot, but I'll just say: Edward was kind of a playboy. He never got into big trouble, but certainly stuff that one might frown upon."

I gasped. I had no idea.

Rose waved me off. "Oh, don't worry. He's clean. He competes fairly. He just likes to have fun, and to have company."

"Oh," I sighed.

Company. That meant female companionship, didn't it? Edward never told me about his past girlfriends, and I didn't want to hear about them, but maybe it would have been good if he did tell me about his past. The way Rosalie was talking, it made me think he didn't have a lot of girlfriends per see.

"Look," Rose said grabbing my attention. "I'm not telling you this to make you upset; I'm telling you this because you need to know. You need to know Edward, and I mean really know him. Not just the person he lets you see, but the person he was. I wouldn't tell you this if I thought you and he wouldn't last. If I pegged you for a random girl who's just a fling, I'd have never been so nice to you."

I looked at her sadly. "I guess I don't know him as well as I thought."

"You know him," she assured me. "You just don't know everything about him. And how could you? You've guys have only known each other for three months. You're relationship with him is still very new. But the thing is, you guys need to talk about everything soon. You guys won't have a normal type of relationship because you guys come from very different realities. He's a sports star, and you're a reality dance star. The two don't often mix."

I had to mull over her words. I knew she had a very good point. Rose wasn't being mean to me; she was helping me.

The fact was, in an alternate reality maybe Edward and I could have been normal. Maybe we would have regular jobs and meet the normal way through friends or the grocery store. Rosalie was right-we come from very different worlds. To some, our pairing might seem weird or strange. A baseball star of Edward's caliber doesn't date a ballroom dancer. He'd date a supermodel or an actress. But he was dating me, and that said something.

I knew a lot of the tabloids were slowly picking up on Edward and my relationship. A lot of them speculated, and now it's becoming more apparent.

Another thing Rose said was true. Edward and I needed to clear the air as far as our past. We had to know each others dirty laundry. If we didn't talk about it soon, then what would happen if one of us were to stumble upon some secrets through the tabloids? The media was brutal and intrusive; it would only be a matter or time when some of our past would come back to haunt us.

I didn't want that for us. I didn't want that to happen to me. I didn't want to be a Hollywood couple. I just wanted to be Edward and Bella. Was that too much to ask?

"It'll work it," Rose said. It was like she read my thoughts.

She smiled kindly. "I'm sorry to have caused you some doubt. You don't need to worry. Just talk to Edward and be honest with him."

"Why are you being so nice?"

"Because I like you, Bella; I approve of you."

The rest of our time was spent enjoying our manicures. Rose and I each got French tips. When our nails were dry we headed back to the studio.

I sent Edward a text letting him know I wanted to rehearse again. These days, I was the one in charge of our rehearsal schedule. Edward was very flexible because he wasn't working.

Rose waited outside for Emmett and Edward. I went inside the studio and got to work.

I had to keep myself distracted. If I allowed myself to ponder Rose's words any longer then I would do something hasty and stupid. The last thing I wanted to do was make Edward angry. He had no reason to be, and he really didn't need to know about my talk with Rose, not yet anyway.

When Edward came in he was in a good mood. He was whistling and he grabbed me, spun me around, and kissed me long and slow.

"What was that for?" I gasped.

He smiled down at me. "No reason."

"So, let's take it from the top," I said in an attempt to get control over the rehearsal.

We practiced our routines and then I went to studying Edward as he did his half of the routine. I corrected his posture, I moved his head position, and basically I worked on the minor details.

After three hours we called it a night. I was packing up the music and turning off the sound system when I felt Edward behind me. He didn't speak, so I choose to ignore him. However, he had other plans. He spun me around and looked longingly at my lips. I tried to protest, but it was moot. He leaned down slowly, and then gently tilted my face up, and kissed me. His lips moved at a slow pace, and I sighed contentedly against his lips.

No matter what I thought about him, the feelings he evokes from me were undeniable.

"There," he said satisfactorily. "You look like you need that."

I sighed again. How was it that he knew exactly what I needed?

I guess my musings were written all over my face. I was thinking so much about my conversation with Rose that it translated into negative facial expressions.

"Am I that obvious?" I asked meekly.

He smiled gently at me. "In a way. What's on your mind?"

"Just girl talk," I replied. "Rose and I were talking."

"About what?"

"About you and me."

"What about you and me?"

"How many ex-girlfriends do you have?"

"What?" he cried in confusion.

"Never mind then. Forget I asked," I said.

"Bella, what is it?" he pressed. "Did Rosalie tell you I have a girlfriend? I'm with you, Bella, completely."

I believed him. There was nothing for me to do but believe him.

I looked at him, and made a face. "What can you tell me about your past?"

He looked back at me in shock. "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying."

"You said you weren't much of a team player, and that you could be cocky. How much of that translates into your personal life?"

"Where is this coming from?" he asked in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me to go into detail of every personal encounter I've had with a woman?"

As soon as I heard those words leave his mouth I gave a strangled cry. It hurt, to hear him admit he was less than the perfect man I thought he was. Rosalie was right about the good and the bad.

"I'm asking you to tell me who you were before I met you."

"I was different."

Pretty freaking vague, huh? Candy called that, my dramatic ending. ;)

Don't hate on Rose. We all know she's the bearer of bad news in the fandom. Remember the first couple of chapters? Edward wasn't very "Disney clean cut" if you know what I'm saying.

Next chapter is show day. I'll let you in on their talk, so don't worry.

Till next time.

Tina