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 Stephenie Meyer. I own nothing.
Comments: Based loosely on the reality t.v. show Dancing with the Stars.

Big thank you to Riss-uscma and flutetenorsaxplayer2008 for their work on editing, reading, and encouraging me.

This is Edward's chapter. He needed the last say.

June 6th 2008

Edward POV

A couple days had passed since we had finally talked. I needed some clarification on some things, plus, she had some explaining to do. I tried to not sound like a complete dick head, but it was very difficult for me to not get overly emotional and start to yell. Despite the drama, I think in the end we came out stronger. We needed to have that argument; in order to really trust and move forward in our relationship and put what happened behind us for good.

I'd be a fool if I didn't say I was still hurting. Bella hurt me a lot when she left that night. I mean who fucks and just up and leave? I'd never even done that before! It astounded me how her mind worked. I thought I knew her, but I guess there were layers that I still had to uncover. I still play the memory of her walking out in my head. Its like I couldn't get that image out of my mind, and it still drives me fucking crazy. She is so unpredictable; I never knew what to expect from her, but that was one of the many things I liked about her. So I tried to put the argument behind us and move forward. I was still finding that difficult, but at least I was trying.

Moving forward was the hardest thing to do though. I loved Bella, but I was still afraid she'd crap out and leave me again. The more I think about what happened, the more I see that she didn't actually leave me. We didn't break up, but she went silent for two days! I had no means to communicate with her except for actually visiting her at her place but I knew better than to surprise her like that.

I really want to have a special relationship with Bella. I found something in her that I hadn't found in anyone else. She was my first real serious girlfriend and I didn't want to screw this up. If we had problems or doubts, I needed to work on them with her. Being with her helped ease the pain I felt about our argument and her absence last week. The more time I spent with her, the more I believed we were back in our little bubble.

A few weeks ago, I promised to take Bella out to the old Hollywood theatre. It was an annual event called 'The Last Remaining Seats in Hollywood'. I was excited to take Bella, because this would be our first real date. It was a cliché date, but one that I thought we both had to experience.

I picked Bella up at five-thirty. The showing wasn't until seven, but I wanted us to have dinner first. I drove to her favorite little dingy diner. We hadn't been here in weeks and I thought Bella would really like it. After all, it was our spot.

Bella smiled as she slid into the booth.

"I missed this place," she sighed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied. "I knew you'd like it."

We ordered the usual: couple of burgers and shakes. Bella swirled her fries into her shake and I fought the urge to blanch. It looked like a disgusting combination, but when she would feed me some I had to agree that it tasted pretty damn good.

Our dinner was filled with light conversation and genuine smiles. I knew at first it was a little difficult for us to feel like us. My decision and her absence took a toll on us. We were emotionally drained and we just didn't have the proper time to recuperate.

I guess it was good that we were spending so much time together. Even though we fought, we still wanted to be together. I still cared for Bella, and I knew she cared for me too. She was considering going with me when I moved up north. I wanted her to come, but the choice was entirely up to her. I wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to. Bella was free to do whatever she wanted; all I asked was that she talked to me. No more shutting herself off from me. I needed to know what she was thinking.

"Edward," she said as she played idly with her milk shake straw. "I'm sorry for everything. I know this isn't the place to speak about these sorts of things, but I have to tell you now before I lose my nerve."

"I'm sorry too," I said. "You're right, we've said this many times already, but it needs to be said again."

The apologies were still coming and I was starting to think we'd keep saying them till we actually felt better about everything. On one level, I felt as we moved forward, we were trying to do what was best for both of us. On another level, I felt like that we both knew it wasn't going to be easy for us to really stay together. We both had to make adjustments and sacrifices in order to see each other.

"I love you, Edward. But sometimes I don't know what to do."

I was right. Bella was torn and she was second guessing herself…and us. I wanted to reassure her without pressuring her into anything. "Maybe this isn't the best advice; I think we just have to let things flow naturally. Maybe making plans and thinking about the future is overwhelming us."

"You don't want me to move with you?" she asked clearly hurt.

"No, that's not it," I replied. "Of course I want you to go with me; I just think we have to enjoy ourselves and not think too much of the future. When the time comes for you to make that decision, I think we'll both be ready for whatever happens."

"I guess we'll just have wing it," she said laughing nervously.

"Yeah," I replied. "In a way we are winging it, but we can't lose focus on what matters to us. You matter to me Bella, always remember that."

"You're important to me too, Edward."

"Put this aside for now. We have a date and I am taking you out."

"Can you really suffer from too much thinking?" she asked in an attempt to be lighthearted.

"I think so," I replied with faux seriousness. "Which is why we need to have some fun," I said throwing down some bills on the table, and standing up with an outstretched hand. Bella placed her hand in mine; giving me an encouraging smile we left the diner and went straight to the car.

I'd already purchased the tickets, so once we reached the cinema, we headed straight for the seats. Because of our schedules, I couldn't really choose which film to get tickets to. Today was our only off day and the movie they were playing was the old Peter Pan film. I'd never seen it before, so it was nice to watch it with Bella. When I asked her if she had seen it, she said no. I smiled, thinking it was nice to have new experiences together.

Bella was focused on the film. From the few times I glanced at her she never took her eyes off the screen as the film appeared to capture her attention.

Halfway through the film, I felt a delicate hand slip through my own. Immediately I grasped Bella's hand; we held hands throughout the rest of the movie. It felt great to go out with her. We really were very ordinary people. We liked to spend time with each other, and we were content on doing anything as long as we were together.

This was a small moment of triumph. We could date and be normal and no one would harass us. Well, if we were careful no one would harass us. Dating and going out took a little bit of planning. If we kept things low-key and private then surely they would not harass us.

The date turned out to be a success. Bella and I talked but we were still working on clearing the air. It was going to be a tough summer, but I was looking forward to it.

June 11th 2008

Our first show was at the Staples Center in LA. Bella and I worked on polishing up our routines, and refining the new dances I had to learn for the tour. I was excited to go on tour because I'd never done anything like this before. It was like being a rock star only I wasn't singing…anyways; the whole dancing experience was truly amazing. I felt as if I'd found a new love or at the very least a new hobby.

Today was show day, and I was nervous but mostly excited. I drank two Red Bulls, so the energy was definitely there. I was pumped and ready to go.

The layout of the arena was made to look like our set on the actual show. We had a hardwood ballroom floor, lights, and props-the works. I spent my day with the guys. Jared was here to sing a few songs promoting his upcoming album.

At around a quarter to seven, we all piled out of wardrobe and made our way backstage. All the performers gathered in a circle and started yelling, cheering, and jumping up and down. We were all huddled together and it felt like being on a team right before a big game.

The first show was amazing! I was going through a bunch of different emotions-I was scared, nervous, anxious, excited, happy, overwhelmed…it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The crowd was awesome and I was very happy when Bella and I got to thank our fans for supporting us and voting for us.

"I am so proud of Edward!" she said into the mic. "He did a great job, right? He's going to play baseball again, and I just want you all to know that I think he's amazing, and that this season couldn't have been better and it's all thanks to you!"

"I want to thank Bella," I said when it was my turn to talk. "She's taught me so much…and not just about dancing stuff, but she's affected my life in many ways. I couldn't have asked for different partner; she's perfect. I also want to thank all of you for voting and helping us win. That was the icing on the cake, so thank you very much!"

The final bows were the best. It felt good to hold Bella's hand and hearing the applause from the audience made me think that if I wanted I could delve into the entertainment business. Never say never.

That night the cast went out to dinner. It was great to be part of a closed knit group. I realized that we weren't 'stars' or 'performers' we were all people who loved to express ourselves.

"To a great summer!" Mike cheered.

We clinked our glasses together and drank. Bella was seated across from me. She was wedged between Jessica and Angela. Mike and Jared were with me.

Five months ago I would have never thought I'd find such a great group of friends or a truly wonderful woman to call my girlfriend. Bella, the show, the cast and crew, were the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I know this whole experience will be unforgettable. I would never get to have this experience again and I felt very fortunate to be able to be here with these people.

It was nice to go out with the group and still maintain our closeness. Bella was giving me appreciative smiles and I knew why. She meant everything she said earlier. We were are a team on the show, and this tour was our final time to dance together. Our time was almost up, but we promised each other to work together and see where the summer leads us. I know my ultimate goal is to have a successful career with Bella at my side. What I want for me is what I want for her. She deserved all the accolades, success, and happiness.

I took Bella home with me that night. She had been staying with me off and on since rehearsals. Tomorrow we'd get on the tour bus to head to San Diego and after that we'd head to Texas, Utah…I had four more shows with her and I was both dreading and welcoming the next few days.

The End For Now.

That's right readers. That is the end of DWM (Dance with Me). I took E/B as far as I could given the overall plot. Yes, I could've written 20 more chapters, but that's just not my style. I will write a sequel to this because so many of you asked (rather nicely I might add). Honestly, when I started writing this fic, I never thought I'd consider a sequel. I didn't give this fic much thought till about halfway through maybe. There will be at least one outtake from someone else's POV. Perhaps I'll use Jessica or Jared. The sequel will come out next month (I think). So if you're still interested in this E/B (Baseballward and Dancerella) then I suggest you Author Alert me. Please and thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has read this, reviewed, and favored this story. Thank you to the DWTS fans who have PM'd me and left me such sweet comments concerning the actual show and the fic. I've had a great time reading your comments and thoughts.

Also, thank you to all my betas who have put in a lot of work to clean up my mess (the chapters). Thanks Candy, Riss, and flute. I really couldn't have finished this story without them.

Till next time.

Tina