Hey y'all! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying it so far!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight...sigh...

Two songs for this chapter! First, the classic Goodnight, My Angel (Lullaby) by Billy Joel (Inspiration for Lullabies Go On, and by default, this story) and Anyone Else But You from the Juno soundtrack. Super cute song...It kept replaying in my head as I wrote the end of the chapter.

So without further ado!

I had a hard time ridding my mind of Tanya for the rest of the afternoon. Something about her made me uncomfortable, and I was pretty sure it wasn't just her looks. They were threatening enough as it was, but the fact that she was requesting Edward as a teacher, and made googley eyes at him the entire time they were talking struck a small chord of discomfort in me.

I felt a little better after talking with Edward, but I couldn't help what was eating at the back of my mind. Was this Tanya woman capable of taking Edward away from me? I shook my head to remove the thought. I knew he would be devastated if he knew I was thinking such things.

My last lesson of the day was just finishing up when I noticed Edward outside of my classroom, leaning against the wall across from my door. I gave my student his assignment before releasing him and straightening up the room. It was amazing how many books could be scattered around after teaching a few students in the same room.

I heard Edward enter the classroom and I turned to grin at him, "Peeking in on my lesson, Mr. Cullen?"

He chuckled and took me in his arms. As soon as I felt his arms around my waist all of my worries from the day disappeared. His touch did magical things to me, and calming my nerves was one of them.

"I enjoy spying on your lessons just as much as you enjoy spying on mine," he told me as he ran one of his hands up and down my back.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Oh, I don't believe that. I've never seen you looking in before."

He laughed at me, "I'm more sneaky than you are, Bella. You're horrible at hiding things, yourself included."

My bottom lip poked out as I pouted at him, "Quit poking fun."

That action caused him to laugh a little harder before his expression straightened and he kissed me softly, "Are you free tonight?"

"I believe I am," I replied with a smile.

"How does a dinner date sound?"

"Perfect."

We were walking now, his fingers entwined with mine as we strolled out of the building and towards our cars. My thoughts drifted back to our morning meeting with Tanya once again, how he had made it clear that we were together yet she still hung on his every word and walked a tad too close to his side as they left my office. I grimaced and pushed the image to the back of my mind. I had nothing to worry about. Edward squeezed my hand lightly and I turned to look at him. I was surprised to notice that we had made it to my car already.

"Are you okay? You got quiet on me all of a sudden." He looked concerned and I sighed.

"I'm fine, it was just a long day. What time do you want to go to dinner?"

He agreed to pick me up at seven and I warily got in my car, afraid to be left to my own thoughts for two hours while I waited for my date with Edward. Being around him had changed my life drastically in the last few months, but it almost seemed too good to be true. This morning was a perfect example of that.

I turned the radio up to clear my thoughts and smiled when I recognized the old rock song. Peaceful Easy Feeling by The Eagles enveloped the car and I finally allowed myself to relax and sing along freely. I couldn't change how I felt about the run in with Tanya this morning, but I could enjoy my time with Edward tonight. I wasn't going to let anything ruin my date with him.

I continued humming the old song as I showered and got ready. I put on a slim black dress that I knew Edward would love and sprayed on some of my perfume just before I heard Edward knock lightly on the door to my apartment.

The familiar butterflies that took over my insides when I was around Edward made me feel like my stomach was going to explode. I grabbed my purse before pulling the door open quickly and launching myself into Edward's arms. I could feel his hold on me tighten as the surprise from my attack wore off. My body relaxed instantly, suddenly making me aware of how tense I had been while I was away from him. I may have been able to keep my mind distracted, but my body knew that I was upset about something.

The ride to our normal restaurant was quiet, spent mostly with Edward humming along to the radio and playing with my hand. He could tell something was on my mind, and I could sense that he was trying to be patient and let me bring it up on my own terms.

"I'm glad we could go out tonight," I broke the silence, squeezing his fingers with mine.

He turned to smile at me, "Me too. I know we went out earlier in the week, but I just wanted to take you out tonight."

"Thank you. I really just needed a night out with you."

He kissed the back of my hand and held it against his cheek as he pulled into the parking lot.

We were making our way to a table once inside the restaurant when I heard a familiar sound that made my skin crawl.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat behind us. I stiffened automatically and Edward looked down at me, curious as to why I wasn't sitting down in the chair he had pulled out for me. His eyes focused on something over my shoulder and he rested a hand on my waist, pulling me towards him slightly.

"Tanya," he greeted the woman standing behind me.

She was practically beaming. "Hi, Edward! Bella," she turned to me.

I nodded politely, placing my arm around Edward's waist possessively. "What are you doing here tonight?" I asked.

"Oh, I just love this place," her eyes were on Edward, "I come every so often and get a drink at the bar and just listen to the band. The music is so soothing."

"You're here by yourself?" Edward asked, concerned. Tanya nodded, glancing back to the bar were I could see her drink sitting on a lone napkin.

I knew what was coming next, Edward was too much of a gentleman not to make the offer, but it still surprised me when the words left his mouth. "Why don't you join us, Tanya? I would hate for you to sit by yourself this evening."

She's never had a problem sitting by herself before, I thought to myself. My breathing stopped as I waited for her answer. Surely she would notice that Edward and I were on a date, and that he was merely offering to be polite. She wouldn't actually sit down with us, would she?

"Oh, I would love to!" she replied, turning quickly towards the bar to retrieve her drink.

I shot a glare at Edward, letting him know he would be hearing about this later. He whispered sharply to me, "Bella, we can't just let her sit by herself."

"Of course we can," I whispered back, taking my seat and unfolding my napkin in my lap forcefully. I was about to continue when I heard her clearing her throat beside me. I turned to look up at her as she stood by one of the empty chairs at our table. She looked pointedly at Edward and he jumped up quickly, pulling her chair out for her and motioning for her to sit.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling up at him with glassy eyes.

He nodded, slightly uncomfortable under her gaze, and sat back down. He looked at me over his menu, an apprehensive look in his eyes. Oh yes, he would be hearing about this later.

Dinner was a nightmare. Tanya spent the entire time gushing over Edward's performance at the recital earlier in the week. She must have said the words "awesome" and "cool" at least a few hundred times. Teenybopper indeed. Of course I agreed with her statements...Edward played beautifully and nothing really compared to watching him perform, but the endless stream of words coming out of the woman's mouth was exhausting. Had Edward not been my only form of transportation back to my apartment, I would have left ten minutes into the dinner. The fact that that would have left Edward and Tanya together was another reason to keep me at the table, no matter how miserable I was.

As the dinner came to a close, Edward stood and reached for my hand as always. I heard the familiar chords of our song beginning to play and we excused ourselves to make our way to the dance floor. Being wrapped up in Edward's arms made the horrible dinner almost worth it. I would do anything for this beautiful moment, swirling across the dance floor to a beautiful melody that had become our song.

He smiled down at me tenderly, singing the words softly along with the melody that was being played. I couldn't help but lean up and kiss him softly as I enjoyed being encased in his arms. He spun me around before pulling me back into his arms and dipping me gracefully. I laughed as he set me on my feet and began leading me in our dance once more.

"I love you," I said, unable to keep my smile from spreading across my face. He smiled down and leaned to kiss me.

My moment of bliss came to a screeching halt as I heard that fateful noise behind me once again.

"Ahem."

My head whipped around, "Do you need a cough drop, Tanya?"

She smiled, exposing brilliantly whitened teeth. "I was wondering if I could cut in?"

My jaw dropped and I turned to see Edward's reaction. He was stuttering, "Um...well...I--"

This woman was getting on my last nerve. Could she not see we were having a private moment? That we were on a date? I stole a look at Tanya; she was hopeful...no look of embarrassment or regret for ruining our perfect moment. Well, I would just have to show her where his loyalties were. Edward was still stuttering his reply when I cut him off, "Go ahead, Tanya...dance with him." My words were sharp and I sent Edward a loaded look, hoping he would realize what I was doing.

Edward looked at me, confused. For a moment I was sure he would politely decline, tell her he would dance with her once the song was finished...that this song was special and he would only dance to it with me. Those thoughts ended abruptly when his arms left my waist and he held a hand out to her.

I backed off of the dance floor and returned to our table, placing my jacket over my shoulders and downing the rest of my glass of wine. I stood by my chair, too upset to sit down, and tapped my foot impatiently. The band chose tonight to do a special rendition, extending the song a few minutes longer than normal. Of all the times I had prayed for the song to never end, they chose this horrible night to lengthen it. I sighed and finished Edward's glass of wine as well.

They were smiling about something, Tanya beaming up at Edward as he laughed heartily and spun her around. What could they possibly be talking about? And why wasn't this song ending!

Just as I was eying Tanya's cocktail that she left on our table, I heard the song come to a close and noticed Edward leading Tanya off of the dance floor. She was still smiling up at him, blushing like a schoolgirl who just got asked to dance by the cute upperclassman. Edward was still talking to her about something as they neared the table, but the conversation ended before they got into earshot.

"Tanya, it was nice seeing you," I said sharply, handing Edward his credit card from the billfold that the waiter had returned during the dance, "Edward?" I said his name quickly, letting him know that I was ready to leave. He nodded, reaching out to hold my hand. I pushed his fingers away from mine as I walked by him, too upset by the evening to even care about the hurt expression that flashed across his face.

"Tanya," I heard him begin his goodbye, "I will see you on Monday. Thank you for joining us."

My heels clicked loudly on the tile floor as I walked out of the restaurant as fast as my feet would carry me. The soles of his shoes slapped on the tile behind me as he tried to catch up with me without creating a scene. I finally slowed down as we reached his car and I stood silently by my door with my arms crossed, waiting for him to open it for me. My glare was lethal as he helped me into the car and I was silent for a full minute once he settled into his seat before turning to him.

"What was THAT?"

Edward's face was blank for a moment before confusion finally crossed his features, "What are you talking about."

I threw my hands up in the air showing my frustration before forming air quotes and deepening my voice in a sarcastic impersonation of Edward, "Oh Tanya, come sit with us. Sure Tanya, I'd like to dance."

"Bella," Edward interjected calmly, "You told me to dance with Tanya."

I rolled my eyes, "That's beside the point. You should have known not to. You knew this morning that I was uncomfortable with her around, why would you invite her to sit with us?"

Edward sighed and turned to me, reaching for my hand. I snatched it out of his reach and turned in my seat to look out the window. I could see his shoulders slump out of the corner of my eye. "I was just being polite, I didn't want her to have to sit by herself. It would have been rude not to offer."

"It was rude of her to interrupt our date! Which has now officially been ruined, by the way."

"The night is still early, Bella. Would you like to go get a drink? Or go dancing somewhere?"

"I don't want to dance anymore, Edward. I want to go home." I was full on pouting now. My anger was wearing off and my heart was stinging, protesting against the vision of Edward and Tanya that was replaying in my mind.

"Bella--"

"Why don't you go ask Tanya to get a drink?" I snapped, "I'm sure she'd love to go dance some more, too."

Edward turned and laughed at me, his eyes sparkling. I felt myself flush with anger and I smacked his hand away as he reached to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "I don't see what's funny about this," I said as he continued chuckling.

"You're still so adorable when you're angry. I can't help but to laugh at you, Bella."

I thought it wasn't possible for me to be upset, but somehow he had managed to make it happen. My arms crossed over my chest again and I became even more adamant about not looking in his direction. I was sure he could see the steam coming out of my ears, I was so angry.

"Now you're just being silly," he retorted, turning to start the car. He began pulling out of the space as I drew back in my seat, even more offended.

"I'm not being silly," I said sharply, "I can't believe you would dance with her to our song! Our song, Edward. The song that brought us together, that replays in nearly every happy memory I have of you. Our...Song..."

Edward finally exploded, "Bella, you SAID it was okay! I don't understand why you are so upset! Why did you tell me to dance with her?"

"Well I didn't think you would actually DANCE with her!" I cried, spinning so quickly in my seat to face him that my seatbelt twisted around my arm. I fought with it halfheartedly, not really caring that my arm was twisted at an odd angle as we sped down the road. I had much more important body parts to care about; like my heart, which was aching, and my mind, which was reeling with Edward's face as he smiled down at Tanya.

"What were you two even talking about anyway?" I spat.

"I don't know if I want to tell you, you're so upset about everything and taking things out of proportion--"

"So you talked about something you don't want to tell me?" He cut his eyes at me as I continued rambling, "Honestly, Edward. What is going on here? She comes and requests you for lessons, she randomly shows up tonight on our date, she sits with us, she cuts in on our dance. Where is all of this coming from? Did you know her before?" I knew my thoughts were irrational now, but I couldn't keep all of my thoughts from spilling out. All of my insecurities from the day were spilling over, as well as the tears that had pooled in my eyes, and I couldn't hold anything back.

I wiped my eyes harshly and glanced down to see black makeup smeared across my hand. Excellent, now I looked like a complete mess. I was reaching into my purse for a tissue when I felt the car swerve sharply and come to a stop. I looked up to see we were pulled over at a Happy Mart. "Why are we here?" I growled.

I was about to start ranting again, ready to take a deep breath and pour out more of my concerns about Tanya, when Edward quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and reached across the car. He placed his hands on either side of my face and pressed his lips to mine roughly. I tried to push him away, not wanting to give into him so easily, even though my body was begging me to. The attempt was useless, however, because my arm was still caught in the seatbelt.

Edward could feel my resistance however and, being the gentleman he was, pulled away from me almost as soon as the kiss began. He sighed, "Bella...What can I say to make you believe me? Tanya doesn't compare to you, not in the least."

"I don't know, Edward..."

He reached for my arm and began to gently untangle the seatbelt before unbuckling it. At the same time he slid his seat back as far as it would go and reached to pull me into his lap. He held my face in his hands, making sure I was looking into his eyes before he began to speak.

"Bella... I love you. I built an institution for you. I moved across the country for you..."

I rolled my eyes at him, but he shook his head determinedly.

"I only...see...you," He was whispering now, "No one matters but you. I love...you..."

I could only stare at him for a moment before tears started streaming down my face again, harder this time. My body was shaking with my silent sobs and horror crossed Edward's face as he shook his head and let his hands leave my face, only to wrap around my waist and pull me tighter against him.

"Oh, Bella...No...No...Don't cry."

"Why not?" My words were muffled by my tears, "I've been absolutely horrible tonight."

"Bella, I would take you in the worst mood ever over Tanya any day." He smiled softly at me, wiping my tears and makeup from my face. I could tell he was being cautious, afraid he would upset me again.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind of all of my doubts before I responded. "I love you, Edward. I'm sorry I got so upset tonight."

"I'm sorry I gave you any doubts," he said gently, "I won't dance with anyone but you from now on."

"Promise?"

Edward laughed, grinning at me, "I promise."

He leaned to kiss me, bringing his hands back up to frame my face. His lips were as soft as ever against mine as he tried to show me how much I meant to him with just that kiss. I felt him lean back into his seat and my body followed, still pressed tightly against him. I could tell he was still holding back, afraid how far he could push me now.

Wanting to show him that he could relax now, I hesitantly ran my tongue over his bottom lip. He opened his mouth to me immediately, finally letting go and enjoying our closeness as much as I was. In that moment, when he relaxed and quit worrying about showing me the love he had for me, I felt like I was floating in his arms. He didn't have to show me anything, I felt it in the moment we were sharing. His love for me was almost tangible in the air around us. How could I be so lucky?

I pulled away reluctantly and Edward pouted up at me. "Edward...we're in a Happy Mart parking lot. Let's go home."

"Let's?" He asked, looking at me hopefully, "As in both of us go back to your place?"

I had to laugh at him, he looked like a little boy on Christmas. "Yes...but no funny business tonight, Edward. You're still in trouble."

He was back to pouting, "What? I thought everything was okay."

"I still don't like Tanya, and I still don't like that you danced with her, and until I get those images out of my mind, I'll be upset."

He pushed me off of his lap and into my seat. I stared back at him, shocked. "What--"

Edward merely smiled and stepped out of the car before jogging around to my door and opening it for me. He pulled me out of my seat and placed my feet squarely on the ground.

"Don't move."

He jogged back around to his side of the car and I heard him shuffling around a bit before a familiar melody began playing around us. Our song.

I smiled and felt myself tearing up again as he pulled me into his arms and started swaying gently with me in the parking lot. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against his shoulder. "Edward, what are you doing?" I asked softly, not wanting to ruin this beautiful moment he had created.

"I'm making some new images for you to put in your mind. Pay close attention. Open your eyes."

I opened them slowly and took in our surroundings. Nothing could be less picturesque or more romantic than this situation I was in. It was a beautiful night, the almost full moon shining overhead as we danced to the soft music flowing from Edward's car.

He really did love me after all...

Maybe the night wasn't completely ruined.

Review review review! I'll update much faster, and trust me...you WANT this next chapter :)